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When we are in a situation of striving day to day, working where we don’t want to be working to get things we don’t need then it is safe to say that we are living a conditioned life i.e. from how others think we should be living. Since our world is a result of what we have thought and the decisions we have made, we may find ourselves surrounded by things and in a situations that have either been manifested by others or by ourselves as a result of our conditioned lives. This is when you can end up in the situation of, “wait a minute, how did I get here?” and it is in this situation that you should stop and decide what is truly important to you.

Now, this may be difficult, because you may have been living another person’s life for years. Perhaps you can give an endless list of things that you don’t want in your life, but not the opposite. It may be easier to imagine yourself in the same situation 5 years from now. So how does that make you feel? If you don’t exactly feel excited by this vision, what situation would you rather have in that future of 2015? That 5 year future projection should make you feel joyful, amazing inside. If it doesn’t, you may still be thinking in a conditioned way i.e. what society thinks you need to have in your life. You need to take some quiet time, perhaps meditation or focused breathing to connect with your truth and quieten your conscious conditioned chit-chat. After this, try the vision again, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years or just simply, “where do I feel happiest, most at peace, most at home?”

For me, this is the most important part of living our true lives – the place, thing, person, situation has to feel right. In this way, it’s aligned with your core, you can be sure of that. If you are still living from your conditioned mind and you also begin to set the wheels in motion for your future vision, you will probably find there is not much change in your life. Also, if you find that after setting wheels in motion, you encounter a whole host of road blocks, then you may be following the wrong path. You need to return to your place of stillness again.

If you take some time out every day to be still and peaceful, quietening your conscious mind then you will find it so much easier to live from your place of truth rather than from a place that someone else has manifested for you.

Live your true life.

Do you ever get the feeling that you are living someone else’s life? Do you ever stop to think that the things you may be doing or thinking are actually someone else’s ideas of how you should be living your life? The feeling may come like a thunderbolt or you might wake up one morning wondering how on earth you got there.

Much of the time when we are growing up, we automatically follow the instructions of the people around us, parents, family, teachers etc. and most of those instructions are on health and safety, keeping order and helping with the smooth running of things. However, as adults, we often end up down a path we don’t want to be because of following others advice. This may be the result of parent’s unfulfilled dreams or a belief about how they think life actually is. As a result, for many of us, life is fuelled by a striking force to survive, which creates a ‘lack’ and ‘struggle’ mentality. And so it goes from generation from generation until someone down the line stops and says, “What happened?”

Even though the view has been outdated scientifically, for a long, long time, many people still view themselves as a separate entity in a dog eat dog world and in order to survive, they must accumulate as many ‘things’ as possible, such as the ego drives. But we end up in this position because society dictates that this is the way to be and we end up being in situations we don’t want to be in, working for things we don’t need. Yet all through your life, you may have little niggles that something is not right for you, niggles that urge you to be still, find some peace and take strength from that part of you that knows exactly the correct path you should be following.

Those niggles should never be ignored because, in fact, you know and you have known all along the path you should be following. You know because inside it makes you feel joyful and blissful. Those niggles are trying to remind you of that. The more you listen and begin to live your life, not someone else’s, the more you begin to feel that you are being gently carried along downstream instead of feeling like you are paddling against river rapids.

Be true to yourself.

I was talking to a good friend of mine on Skype last weekend and we got round to the subject of ‘life’ getting in the way of what’s important and how we seem to attract the same learning curves over and over that can make us feel like things are spiralling out of control. Some people seem to stay centred and calm during these learning curves and others feel chaos, despair and a whole host of negative emotions. We both agreed that the two things go together, if you don’t spend time each day centring and connecting with what is important to you then you feel that chaos and disconnectedness more and more frequently. When I was younger, I spent too much time in this chaotic feeling, juggling many things at once and worried if things weren’t perfect. I would drive myself crazy trying to control situations (and often people too!) It’s no wonder that I attracted more chaos and when I think back to how ridiculous this was, I’m thankful that I have come a long way.

However, every now and then old habits can resurface if you allow negative thought patterns to dominate. This is why it is so important to have some time every day to centre yourself. For my good friend, it’s doing yoga for an hour or so every morning. Not only does this wake up every part of the body, it has an incredible affect on the mind too. Because of this, she approaches everyday challenges with a calm centre, which then helps her connect with that inner knowingness (that we all have) during the ebb and flow of living. Now this idea of yoga every morning might do nothing for you and that’s because you will have your own things that make you feel more centred. This will come in the form of that which is most important to you (truly). This could be your family, animals or nature. It could be listening to or playing music, spending time on what you feel most passionate about. Make a point of spending 30 minutes – 1 hour less every day on the more trivial things (yes, this probably means work) so that you can focus on what matters most to you.

Staying centred and having that sense of peace or inner satisfaction every day gives you a very different perspective on everything. Life no longer ‘gets in the way’ of the important things, it’s just life and you begin to see the precious nature of it more and more.

“The Great Way is easy yet people prefer the side paths. Be aware when you are out of balance, stay centred within the Tao.” (Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu)

Most probably, the book that made me think the most in my childhood and teenage years and also continues to keep me very grounded is The Dhammapada. Originally written and printed in the Pali language, the literal translation is Dhamma-law/teachings and Pada-way/path. This gem is the Buddha’s teachings in a nutshell and forms the basis of all Buddhism, no matter what type it is.

For many years, I taught Buddhism to school students of all ages and these basic teachings often sparked a whole host of philosophical ideas. The very core of these teachings lie in The Four Noble Truths, the first of which, ‘There is Suffering’ is very often misunderstood. It isn’t, as first appears a completely pessimistic take on life, in fact it’s more realistic than you might think. In truth, it means all things are impermanent, nothing lasts forever, we get old, sick and die, relationships change and fall apart, and nothing stays the same. And it’s physics too! Actually the reasoning behind this is not that these things are suffering in themselves but it’s our reaction to them that causes the suffering. When we are attached to how things should be and can’t accept the way things are, this is what gives us all the heartache. This is the 2^nd Noble Truth, ‘Suffering is caused by selfishness,’ which is seeing yourself as a separate part of the whole that is everything, as a distinct ego.

Is it possible to eliminate suffering? Yes, and this what the Buddha spent many years discovering. The 3rd Noble Truth ‘The extinguishing of suffering’ is what he called Nirvana, which is quite literally, the blowing out of suffering. He believed it was possible for everyone, regardless of situation, gender or class to eliminate suffering, and we do this through following the Eightfold Path, the 4rth Noble Truth. The path of 8 stages focuses on seeing the world as it actually is, stopping the accumulation of bad karma and practising meditation and mindfulness.

The Dhammapada is an amazingly refreshing read every time I dip into it. It’s amazing how we can get something different each time we return to a book or a movie we love, it’s incredibly indicative of the impermanence and changing nature of ourselves. We are not the same people we were as children, teenagers, even yesterday! This impermanent nature means we can shape tomorrow today, what we think today, we become tomorrow. We never have to be stuck with the same old unproductive thinking because as the Buddha said, ‘the only constant is change.’ And that’s physics too!

When I was a child, I had the amazing blessing that was my father’s library. I call it the ‘Dreamtime Library’ as it was often a place of escapism and I still have the odd dream about it. There were 3 books that made a particular impression on me, the Tao Te Ching I talked about in my last post, The Dhammapada which I will talk about in my next post and a rather large hardback on the collected works of Sufism. Don’t get me wrong, I was a huge Winnie the Pooh fan, but these 3 works of brilliance are what I often think gave me my restless quest for knowledge and what others may say gave me my rebellious and flighty attitude. Within this third book of the trinity was a collection of selected writings by a man named Mevlana Rumi. I was instantly smitten.

I am always keen to introduce people to the works of Rumi and his work is almost always on my ‘books to buy for friends’ list. He was born in Afghanistan in the 13^th century and he lived his life in Konya, Turkey. Now I have been to Turkey many times but I’ve never had the privilege of visiting Konya, perhaps it’s just not my time, yet. I often wonder what it would have been like to meet the man they called, “the spokesman for the religion of love in the language of the heart.” This is a description that is tremendously fitting and says it all, I mean what more do you need? I see so much of a connection between Sufism and other mystical traditions and philosophies of compassion and love, they are all connected. Lao Tzu, the Buddha and Rumi may have used different languages but many of their ideas were fundamentally the same.

For me, timeless wisdom from Rumi comes in the form of discovering your own truth and living in the now. He says, “if you’re knowledge of fire has been turned to certainty by words alone, then seek to be cooked by the fire itself, don’t abide in borrowed certainty.” Not we know of course, children that Rumi was not suggesting we jump in the fire, metaphorically speaking of course, don’t take another’s word for it. I did a post last year where I quoted Descartes saying the same thing, it is important to find your own truth. Sure, there are things we can take for granted that are dangerous and are said for our own good but absolute truth has to be discovered by itself, words don’t do it any justice. Also, if your gut feeling tells you that something is not quite right, no matter what another person is saying, that’s a sure fire sign that a different choice is needed. And what is the best way to access and discover these truths? A favourite quote of mine from Rumi says exactly the same thing as Lao Tzu and the Buddha did centuries before him. He urges us to spend time in solitude, beyond conscious thought and rational reason. However, it’s not necessarily a place of solitude as he understood the complete interconnectedness of all things at the level of the heart. He said, “out beyond the ideas of rightdoing and wrongdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” He was truly a spokesman for the religion of love.

When I first learnt to read, I had my pick of the most amazing and uplifting books that had ever been written. It was like a dream beginning for me. My father was an avid reader of philosophy and spiritual wisdom and I followed suit thanks to the ‘dreamtime’ library. One of my favourite books and one of my earliest memories of inspiration and clear thought was the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu. I think the reason why I loved this book so much initially was the beautiful illustrations of China’s landscape in all seasons. This particular version of the book was incredibly in tune with Lao Tzu’s wisdom and the ideas of Taoism in general, due to the breathtaking photography.

It is traditionally thought that the composition of this text was circa the 6^th century BC, so its wisdom has been around for a very long time. The ideas are as old as time itself yet surpasses it. For a long time I struggled with the opening words of the book and didn’t get much further because I thought it was mind blowingly perplexing:

“The Tao that can be spoken is not the real Tao.”

However, the fun of this was in fact, at 5 years old, I understood it as, “okay, can’t talk about it, so let’s look at some more of the lovely pictures.” (There was one with a panda that was always my favourite!) Now, all these years later, I know that is exactly what Lao Tzu was trying to convey, we can’t describe it in words so lets understand it by letting go of the thought and absorbing ourselves in the beauty of nature. We can debate about the reality that is in everything and everywhere until we are blue in the face and yet we won’t have described a fraction of it. I think this is where Lao Tzu and Socrates would differ, had they ever met.

Instead of debate, Lao Tzu encourages us to be in solitude and stillness, this alone will bring us the peace and the truth we are seeking. This wisdom, in its pure simplicity, has been passed down from master to student and has been spoken about by every spiritual teacher and writer that has existed since. Why is this such a meaningful and profound message? When you spend some quiet time, just you alone, no-one else, in quiet meditation or contemplation, slowing down that conscious mind chit-chat, that part of you that knows comes to the fore. It has taken me a long time to truly understand the amazing wisdom here, most probably because I never liked spending two minutes on my own let alone half an hour or an hour. Now my best insights come in those times of stillness, it just took me a while to realise the simple wisdom of the Tao Te Ching that was so innate when I was a child.

I am eternally grateful to my mother for introducing me to some beautiful books and incredible thinkers. As a Man Thinketh was a gift from mum a few years ago at Christmas time. It is a beautiful read, an easy and quick one at that, yet packed with little nuggets of beauty and inspiration. James Allen (1864-1912) was a philosopher and writer who, at the age of 38 decided to retire from employment and began writing poetry and inspirational books. He lived a life of contemplation with his wife and daughter in Devon, England and produced 19 literary works in his time. As a Man Thinketh is a truly inspirational book that has served as a seed for so many dreams. One of the main reasons for this is because of the following quote:

“The greatest achievement was at first and for a time in a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn; the bird waits in the egg and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of reality.” My good friend Marian read, me this quote just a few days ago and I remember thinking, how eloquently put, how true that the greatest achievements all began as an idea, a dream, a seed. Gandhi, Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King, Richard Branson, anyone who has achieved what they originally set out to do, did so with an idea. Maybe the only thing stopping you from achieving your dream is the conditioning that you don’t have the same thinking as these people. Your thoughts can change.

James urges us to “dream lofty dreams and as you dream, so shall you become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be. Your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.” And we can realise our greatest dreams by training our minds to focus on something that is so specific, so tapered that the actualisation of the dream has to follow. “As the physically weak man can make himself strong by careful and patient training, so the man of weak thoughts can make them strong by exercising himself in right thinking.” Like Eckhart Tolle says, “live on clock time, not psychological time.” The more we avoid that negative, fruitless chit chat and focus on the actualisation of what is, then the more peaceful, the more abundant our lives will be.

James says, “the soul attracts that which it secretly harbours, that which it loves and also that which it fears. It reaches the height of it’s cherished aspiration.” He was writing about the Law of Attraction before it was termed as such. When you strengthen your mind to focus on the positivity, unconditional love, gratitude, peace and that which is your most prominent dream, the universe responds. So like James says, make sure you focus on exercising right thinking. With practice, you will begin to make the changes you want and live a much more peaceful and fulfilled existence.

This wonderful book by Dr. John Demartini, originally published in 1997 is a beautiful read that leaves me glowing every time I pick it up. It’s one of these books that you can dip into from time to time for some inspiration and wisdom. The wisdom that John decides to focus on in this book is in ‘The Healing Power of Love and Gratitude.’ Apply the techniques to your life and it’s possible to see and feel all those negative emotions and baggage you have accumulated over the years simply melt away. Make no mistake, genuine gratitude and love have been spoken about as the greatest healers since the dawn of time and they create tremendous shifts. Focusing on love and gratitude, it is entirely possible to create the most peaceful and fulfilling life possible.

Since I am focused in this blog on truths and critical thinking, I would like to share some of John’s truths from particular chapters in the book. If you love these, it’s worth checking the book out.

On interactions with others:

Your words reflect the way you see yourself and your world.

When you give advice to others, it applies to your own life somewhere and somehow.

Your complaints are about the aspect of your life that you have yet to appreciate and love.

On belief:

You become your dominant thoughts.

You alter your life by altering your thinking.

Each thought is an opportunity to forge the first link in a new chain of habit.

On karma:

It’s impossible to break the Golden Rule of cause and effect, no matter what, you reap what you sow.

Blessings have nothing to do with so called luck. They result from your thoughts, words and actions.

Your health and well-being tomorrow is the result of what you do, think and believe today.

On gratitude and healing:

 Gratitude and unconditional love activate a more profound and complete healing.

 Certainty and presence intensify unconditional love’s healing energy.

 There is no healing force greater than unconditional love.

 Beautiful words of wisdom from an amazingly warm and highly intelligent gentleman. I feel so lucky to have met him. As he says himself, however, blessings have nothing to do with so called luck, and I feel truly grateful.

I had the great pleasure of meeting Dr. Demartini in Brisbane, earlier this year. I went to hear him speak for the first time and I wasn’t disappointed. I knew about him from The Secret and was very impressed by his story. He taught himself to read after leaving school and being told of his dyslexia. He also decided he wanted to be a healer and travel the world helping people and speaking to large audiences – he made this decision whilst living in a tent. Before John spoke at the Brisbane evening, the host described listening to him being like trying to get a drink from a fire hose! I thought this was a hilarious metaphor, and found out that it was definitely appropriate!

Meeting John was a tremendous moment. I was struck by his patience and willingness to meet and talk with the audience at the end. He is incredibly witty and has a great sense of humour, he had all the time in the world to answer everyone’s questions. We had a fantastic few moments talking about Scotland (my home) and how I would love to be a published author just like him. Such a down to earth guy, with an amazing energy.

John uses what he has termed the Demartini Method, which he uses in his ‘Breakthrough Experience.’ In this, he uses techniques to eliminate negative emotions like anger and guilt and he teaches how gratitude is such a tremendous healer. In The Secret he says, “our physiology creates disease to give us feedback to let us know we have an imbalanced perspective or we’re not being loving and grateful.”

Dr Demartini is a classic example of someone who decided not to be a victim of circumstance. He could have agreed with his school teachers who said he would never read effectively as a result of his dyslexia and he could have accepted those so called ‘authoritative’ ideas as truth. He took control and became a deliberate creator of his life. One of his greatest mentors, a 93 year-old gentleman named Dr Paul Bragg, asked John to say to himself every day without fail, “I am a genius and I apply my wisdom and everything else will take care of itself.” This is the truth he chose to believe, his life turned around and the rest, as they say, is history.

This book blows me away. I actually have it as an audio book and it was a firm companion on my bus journeys to and from the city every day. It is one of my favourite books of all time and is incredibly powerful in it’s message.  Think your life is awful? Viktor survived the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps and as a result gave us ‘Logotherapy’ which is based on the idea that we have ultimate responsibility in choosing how we respond to any situation. The book was first published in 1946 and Viktor was a psychiatrist and neurologist both before and after the Holocaust.

There is a fundamental message in this book that has been echoed by so many both before and after him. “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing, the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” It’s true, life can strip you of everything but it cannot take away your inner responses and your dignity. Viktor lost his entire family in the Holocaust and developed his philosophy during such unthinkable brutality. If Viktor managed to choose his response and maintain his attitude to the situation then I am sure we can do the same. We can choose our response. So it is important that we make it a constructive one.

Viktor’s Logotherapy “considers man as a being whose main concern consists in fulfilling a meaning and in actualising values, rather than in the mere gratification and satisfaction of drives and instincts.” He says, “everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life…Therein, he cannot be replaced nor can his life be repeated. Thus, everyone’s task is as unique as is his specific opportunity to implement it.” That’s beautiful. There is a purpose for all. If you are in confusion as to what it is, spend time in stillness to discover what it is. Ask and see what answers are there. As long as you have a few minutes in the day, you have the time and freedom for this simple yet important task. And what of the meaning of your life? Everyone’s life has meaning. Viktor says, “a man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionally waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the ‘why’ for his existence and will be able to bear almost any ‘how.’”

Viktor’s experience is as unique as any could possibly get and yet, with profound grace, compassion and wisdom, he urges us to be mindful of our purpose and to know that tranquillity is always possible as long as we choose how we respond.