Today is another day for us to be attentive to ourselves, to not be deceived by thoughts with their confused and disoriented movements, because when they are in control of our lives, they reflect what they are: perplexity, fear, confusion, and despair. This is constantly creating conflict in our relations with wife, husband, children, boyfriend, bride, groom, boss, employee, etc.
We always blame others, but we need to be aware of ourselves. In the beginning, this attention is not simple at all. It requires a deep love for Truth, an ardent interest in no longer causing suffering in ourselves or in others. Notice that this is not simple in practice, because for many years we have been conditioned, trained to be aggressive, violent, interested only in ourselves, in our desires and achievements.
So, I have been telling people to be patient, very patient with everyone around them. This is step number one. They are viciously concerned with themselves and, therefore, are no worse than us in their aggressiveness, possessiveness and self-interest. Step number two is having patience with ourselves. Do not beat yourself up, do not condemn yourself, just be aware of your reactions. Now, we are working on ourselves.
Remember: you cannot change others, you are not in people's minds, in control of what they think or feel about you. You only have access to yourself. So, give up this illusion of worrying about what they think or feel about you. This has been a terrible widespread disease among us, an exclusively human disease. Be sure of one thing: your pet dog never worries about it, just watch him/she.
Therefore, abandon self-pity and self-indulgence completely. Take responsibility for yourself. Be alert to your own words, your own gestures and emotional reactions. This is the key to change, the transformation that is necessary for our life.
This attention is only possible if we learn to observe what is going on in our head and heart. Thus, when we discover, with patience and through experience, that we do not need to be victims or a plaything of these thoughts, we can experience our Real Nature, That which is far beyond this limitation created by the "I." So, we can rest in the Consciousness of the Presence of God and then be Happy and Free ... And This is here and now!
We always blame others, but we need to be aware of ourselves. In the beginning, this attention is not simple at all. It requires a deep love for Truth, an ardent interest in no longer causing suffering in ourselves or in others. Notice that this is not simple in practice, because for many years we have been conditioned, trained to be aggressive, violent, interested only in ourselves, in our desires and achievements.
So, I have been telling people to be patient, very patient with everyone around them. This is step number one. They are viciously concerned with themselves and, therefore, are no worse than us in their aggressiveness, possessiveness and self-interest. Step number two is having patience with ourselves. Do not beat yourself up, do not condemn yourself, just be aware of your reactions. Now, we are working on ourselves.
Remember: you cannot change others, you are not in people's minds, in control of what they think or feel about you. You only have access to yourself. So, give up this illusion of worrying about what they think or feel about you. This has been a terrible widespread disease among us, an exclusively human disease. Be sure of one thing: your pet dog never worries about it, just watch him/she.
Therefore, abandon self-pity and self-indulgence completely. Take responsibility for yourself. Be alert to your own words, your own gestures and emotional reactions. This is the key to change, the transformation that is necessary for our life.
This attention is only possible if we learn to observe what is going on in our head and heart. Thus, when we discover, with patience and through experience, that we do not need to be victims or a plaything of these thoughts, we can experience our Real Nature, That which is far beyond this limitation created by the "I." So, we can rest in the Consciousness of the Presence of God and then be Happy and Free ... And This is here and now!
*This text, written by Master Marcos Gualberto, shares the Sage's view about life, was published for the first time in Portuguese on October 9th, 2010. It was the eighth original publication on the blog in Portuguese and is part of the collection related to the first years of this work, whose texts, after being kept offline, are now being translated to English and will be published in a series as a tribute to the Master. For further information, visit our website, :click here.
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