What is Spiritual Life? | Escape from Reality, Psychology | Self-Awareness, Mindfulness

Here on this channel, you have already noticed that we are dealing with subjects that people seek to know about. All of them are tied to this question of human life. They are, in fact, fundamental questions, as some call them, because they involve a profound internal change that is possible for each one of us. And so, we are faced with a possibility of going beyond the condition in which we find ourselves. And that is what we are investigating here with you, verifying, deepening, clarifying.

We have various topics being addressed here on the channel. You can find all these topics in playlists.

There are dozens of playlists. And every day, we are adding new videos, deepening each of these subjects. We need to have a direct understanding of life.

But it is also important to say here that this understanding does not arise from a mere intellectual, theoretical, or verbal approach. Something much greater than that is necessary for each one of us. And that something is having an approach to these subjects by learning to listen, learning to look, learning to perceive, to become aware of them.

In theory, in concept, in idea, we remain only in the intellectual, verbal realm. Notice that our way of approaching life is very theoretical.

We do not have a true approach. And without this true approach-what do I call a true approach here? It is the approach where you move from theory to direct experience, to direct experimentation. Unless this happens, we will always remain in ideas, in the realm of ideas, in the terrain of abstraction, in this mere intention or vision motivated by desire, by the search for something for this self-improvement or self-betterment, which, in fact, is a mistake.

These subjects here do not have this purpose. This is not about the idea of improving the person. Here, we are investigating the nature of the person, the structure and nature of the "I," of this ego, of this "me," of this person.

Unless this is understood, we will always continue living without a real vision of life. Notice that when people have questions or would like certain subjects to be addressed, in general, the way we approach all this is by seeking to confirm our beliefs, our theories, and concepts.

So, we do not truly have a real approach. We do this because we are thinking about improving as people. Here, I have something to say to you.

The purpose of this channel is to bring you a vision of yourself, the truth about yourself. And this truth will reveal to you something beyond the person, beyond the "I," beyond the "me," beyond the ego. Therefore, this is not about this person improving.

It is about a clear vision that this person is an illusion. Here, we are working with you on the Awakening of Consciousness, on Spiritual Awakening. Some call it Spiritual Enlightenment.

It is an approach to life, to the real life possible for each one of us. So, when people ask: what is spiritual life? It is divine life, it is the life of your Being, it is the life of God. This is the real life. Questions like "what is life?" are frequent. People want a meaning for life, but they do not understand that there is no other meaning for life except life itself.

Unless we understand what life is, we will continue within these values, these motives, intentions, and appreciations of behavioral patterns that are totally alienated from the beauty of life. There is no separation between what life is and spiritual life.

The life we know is the life of the "I," the life of the ego. And in this life, we are living in conflicts of all kinds. Conflicts exist because of the lack of understanding of the relational life we have with ourselves, with others, with situations, events, and the world itself.

So, a lack of vision of life places us in a relationship with others, with the world, with what arises, with what happens, in a completely mistaken way. And because of this, suffering is present. The human being lives in conflict, lives in contradiction.

He lives expecting something from life, but at the same time, he is seeking something else. This contradictory behavior, in relation to people, situations, events, plans, and projects, places us in a state of suffering because of the conflict that arises between the ideal of doing something and the execution of something different from that.

So, there is a contradiction, and in this contradiction, suffering is present. There is something very common, something that has already been noticed by those who observe the movement of the mind, even if only superficially. We have already approached this, and this is the view that many have from a psychological perspective-that we are indeed within a movement, because of all this suffering, of escape, of psychological escape.

We are facing this escape from reality, which is known in psychology. This reality is the reality we have built. When I say "we," I mean the reasons of thought present in us, the motives, the values of thought.

We are establishing in our lives a psychological condition of existence where we are constantly trying to escape all this pain, all this suffering, all the results of this contradiction within which we behave. So, this produces suffering, and then we seek relief, a distancing.

We never approach life to understand it. We are living precisely as everyone else has lived before us, as all these other people have lived for millennia.

This has been our fate. Our way of behaving is a way of behaving where our patterns are repeating. We are repeating the patterns of our parents, our grandparents, of those who arrived here before us.

And we are living exactly as they did. Unless this is interrupted, unless we have a clear vision of life, free from the condition in which we find ourselves-which is the condition of this egoic mind, this mind of the person, this mind of the "I"-we will always continue living a life of suffering and will always be in this search or this escape from reality, from this pain, from this complication.

Here with you, we are working on the end of this psychological condition of life, the end of this psychological condition of existence, for a truly free life, a life where love is present, where freedom is present, where happiness is here, in this instant. This is something possible when we discover something beyond this person, this "me," beyond this "I."

That is why we need a real approach to life here. So, to the question: what is life? The answer to this question lies in understanding how the mind functions within us. Because when we ask what life is, the idea is to look outside.

But notice, there is no life out there without the idea of someone being present in here. When we look outside, it is because we believe we are inside, being someone. It is when this illusion ends-this idea of being someone, of being this "I," of being this person-that this illusion of life out there disappears, because we have the end of this separation between you and life. There is no you and life. There is only one presence, and that presence is the presence of life.

This idea we have, this thought we carry, this image we hold within us, in this model of the mind and how it has functioned, is a mistake. There is no such "I," this "me," this ego, this person. This is the truth about life. So, the answer to the question "what is life?" is the same answer to "what is spiritual life?" There is only one reality present, and that reality is the divine, it is God, it is the truth.

It is only in this sense that we use the term "spiritual" here. Generally, this term is used by linking it to rituals, ceremonies, mystical practices, or esoteric things. This so-called spirituality is something that thought has produced, something that thought has created.

And we are trapped in these ideas. So, when people use the expression "spiritual life," they connect it to these practices. The truth about life, about what life is, is that life is divine. It is in this sense that life is spiritual.

However, this has nothing to do with all this apparatus, all this paraphernalia that thought has built around this expression. And this is what we are examining with you here when we address the question of the Awakening of Consciousness, which, in fact, represents the end of the "I," the end of the ego, the end of this person.

Naturally, it is the end of everything that the mind has produced. Therefore, this is something that requires the presence of a clear, lucid, real vision of life. And here, as it has been stated, there is no you and life.

An approach to life is an approach to oneself. A self-understanding is the real vision of the understanding of life. You are life.

Life, you, and this divine reality are what is present and have never ceased to be present. We are not aware of this because we live within this framework of ignorance, illusion, and lack of vision regarding the reality of who we are. Therefore, what have we emphasized here? We have emphasized here what it means to have an approach to the truth about yourself.

It is this approach that allows you to have a direct look at life as it is. Notice, life as it is, not as the thought within us constantly tries to interpret it, to create ideas about it. And it is precisely because of this creation of ideas about life that this sense of the "I," the ego, the person, as we recognize ourselves to be, is in conflict with life because it sees itself as separate from life.

And because of this, I repeat, all kinds of confusion, all kinds of disorder, all kinds of suffering are present. This makes human beings constantly seek to escape from this pain. This is psychological escape, it is an escape from reality.

Because as human beings, we suffer, and we do not know how to deal with suffering, we do not know how to become aware of it. We do not move intelligently through the challenges of life. Because it is natural that this sense of ego is unaware of what life is since it sees itself as separate from it. And due to suffering, we try to ease this pain. And we do this by getting involved in addictions, by seeking fulfillment and pleasure in material achievements, in physical sensations, in forms of emotional satisfaction.

So, the human being seeks to escape from pain through the pleasure of food, sex, alcohol, and all kinds of behaviors that can temporarily distance them from this existential pain. Since we do not have the real presence of life, which is the presence of the divine, which is the presence of God, we are not aware of the beauty of our own Being.

And therefore, by confusing ourselves with the egoic mind and identifying with the body, there is this constant search for sensory satisfaction, which throws us into an egocentric model of life. In this self-interest, everything the human being has done is to seek for themselves, for their own "I," something that fills them, that brings them satisfaction, something that can remove them from this pain, from this misery of the egoic mind.

This condition of the egoic mind's misery has trapped us as human beings in ambition, in the pursuit of material, emotional, and physical acquisitions. This generates attachment, this produces fear. So, this is the psychological condition of neurosis. Anxiety, depression, various forms of worries, different fears-all of which we experience in this egoic mind-are part of this condition of the misery of the "I," of the misery of the mind. The good news is that there is a present reality. And this reality is not the mind, it is not the ego.

This reality is bliss. It is not misery. It is happiness. It is not pain, suffering, as we know it in this sense of the ego, in this sense of the "I." Here with you, we are working on how to break free from this, how to go beyond this condition of unhappiness. This requires the presence of this attention to our reactions. We do not know how to deal with ourselves.

Naturally, we do not know how to deal with others within our relationships because this is the condition in which the mind finds itself in this self-centeredness. Everything we do is to obtain something for this "me." And this entire egocentric movement involves behavioral patterns of envy, ambition, control.

So, this causes us suffering. And we do not know how to deal with it. We do not know how to deal with ourselves.

And in these relationships with those closest to us. Notice how important this is to say to you. We do not live isolated. We are all part of a family.

Our relationship with others in the family-with children, with the husband, with the wife, our relationship with closer and even more distant relatives-are relationships where we are constantly reflecting this internal condition of emotional, psychological disorder and confusion due to this self-centeredness. And we are communicating this within relationships, causing suffering, creating more confusion. There is no intelligence, no wisdom, no real vision of ourselves, no real vision of the other.

Thus, our behavior is isolationist, fostering confusion because we are living in the "I," living in the ego, living this psychological unhappiness. There is no love in our lives. There is no peace in our lives. There is no freedom in our minds, in our hearts.

Thus, bringing attention to our reactions, learning to look-just to look-is not about trying to change what you see but about looking.

Looking at what is happening within you. If there is a thought, you become aware of the thought. You become conscious of the thought. If there is an emotion, a feeling...

When we learn to look at our reactions, we begin to have the truth of approach within our relationships with those closest to us, the truth of this "I" that I am. As I approach to look, I perceive the confusion, I perceive the suffering, I perceive the disorder present in this "me." By perceiving this, we do indeed have the possibility of breaking free from this internal condition within ourselves, for a relationship with them without these patterns.

So, here we have already touched on this issue of Self-Awareness and this real attention with you.

When there is Self-Awareness and this complete attention, when there is Self-Awareness and this full attention, when we become aware of how we function, this very awareness breaks this model, breaks this pattern, which is the pattern of the "I." So, we have a closeness to the awareness of Self-Awareness. It is only in this sense that we use the expression "Self-Awareness" here.

It is not a tool for improving as a person; it is the vision of the very "I." And this vision of the very "I," when it is real, does not involve an element to alter it, to change it.

This element would still be part of the "I" itself. That is why what people call "Self-Awareness" out there is just an adjustment of the "I" within the "I" itself. It is a change of the "I" within the "I" itself.

This is not the vision of the truth of the end of the "I." It is the continuity of the "I," improved, expanded, perfected. This is not the sense in which we use this expression here.

Here, Self-Awareness is the awareness of the movement of the "I." Just the awareness, without that element that separates itself to observe.

So, only the looking remains, the observing, the perceiving. This awareness is the awareness of non-separation because there is no longer an observer seeing who they are, because the observer who sees who they are is still part of them, trying to adjust, correct-it is not that. Here with you, we are showing you what it is to have an approach to meditation. And approaching meditation requires an approach without the "I," without the meditator, without the observer.

It is looking at our reactions-just looking. When there is true looking, we have a new quality of energy present that breaks the pattern of the "I," that dissolves this pattern of the ego. Then, something new arises, which is no longer the person, the "me," the "I," the ego. We have the presence of reality.

Therefore, life in love, in freedom, in happiness, is spiritual life. But it is not the life of someone-it is the life of this Being, in the absence of the "I," in the absence of the ego.

So, this is our purpose here with you. On weekends, we have online meetings.

They are two days together, Saturday and Sunday, where we are deepening this with you. You have the link to our WhatsApp group in the video description to participate in these online meetings, where we are deepening and exploring this.

Besides these online meetings, we have in-person meetings and also retreats.

If this is something that makes sense to you, here is an invitation. Leave your like, subscribe to the channel, and comment below: "Yes, this makes sense." Okay? And we'll see each other. Thanks for the meeting, and see you next time.

January, 2025
Gravatá-PE, Brazil
Further information

Joel Goldsmith | The Foundation of Mysticism | What is thought? | Marcos Gualberto

GC: Hello, everyone! We are here for another videocast. Once again, Master Gualberto is here with us. Thank you, Master, for being here.

Today, I am going to read an excerpt from Joel Goldsmith's book called "The Foundation of Mysticism." In an excerpt from this book, Master, Joel makes the following comment: "The mind is the instrument you use for the purposes of thought, reasoning, or any other goal of knowledge." In this excerpt, Joel comments on thought. Can the Master share his vision on what thought is?

MG: Gilson, the question "What is thought?" is a very important question, in fact, of great relevance to all of us, because our life is a life that occurs within relations: relations with people, places, things, situations, events. And thought is always present, but we do not know the truth about thought. So, let us investigate with you, here, what this represents.

We have a playlist here on the channel about this subject, "What is thought," as well as "what is thinking." There is a close relationship between the process of thinking in us and the truth of thought. So, let's start with thought.

Thought in you is memory. Right now, we are here using speech - you recognize language, you recognize the language. You recognize the language because there is, within you, this memory, this recollection, this thought. So, there is the thought of language. Spoken language is thought being expressed, it is memory being shared; this is thought. If I ask you something, you give me the answer. This answer will be coming, will be emerging, due to memory, due to remembrance, due to recollection, due to thought. So, thought gives us the answer - and thought is memory, is remembrance - and this answer that you give me is only present because, from my question, an internal movement occurred in you. This internal, cerebral movement of searching for information, this movement of seeking information, this mechanics, is thinking.

So, there is thinking as the mechanics that makes the answer possible. It is all brain work that occurs in you. This is thinking! So, thinking gives us thought, brings us thought; thinking elaborates thought. This is where ideas, beliefs, opinions, judgments, and evaluations emerge. From a technical point of view, reasoning is necessary, logic is necessary, deduction, conclusion... All of this is necessary from a technical point of view. This is when thought comes in to fulfill a very basic, specific function, but here we come across another situation: we come across thought to make evaluations, judgments, comparisons, deductions, to draw conclusions from the point of view of the totality of life, of relationships... Notice where the problem arises!

In this contact that I have with you, I do not need conclusions, evaluations, judgments, and comparisons. I only need the comprehension of this relationship, and the comprehension of this relationship requires the presence of something beyond thought. However, we are placing thought within our relationships. This is where this feeling of "I" arises, this thought of "I" and all the confusion established in human life, in the life of the human being, because there is the presence of an isolationist, partisan, personal, egocentric movement.

So, notice this, there are two levels here: the first level is functional thought, which is technical. Knowledge, experience, specialization, for a profession, for dealing with people's names, for telling stories, which are remembrances and memories, all of this has a certain place within a functional technical context. You need technical knowledge, for example, to fix a car. This is knowledge, experience, memory, thought. But when thought enters human relationships, it creates problems, and the problem is because we place, within human relationships, the sense of ego, the sense of "I." So, there is this movement, in "me," of liking and disliking, of loving and hating, of being offended and forgiving, of being upset and upsetting, of being sad and making the other sad; and all of this is happening because of the presence of thought as well.

So, you see, we don't know how to deal with thought. We use technical thought, but in this context of life, of human relationships, of relationships with people, with situations, in the very relationship "with myself," the sense of "I," of the ego, is exactly this movement of thought that compares, evaluates, judges, accepts, rejects, likes, dislikes. This is the "I," this is the ego. Can we get rid of this? In other words, can we use thought only at a technical level, and not at a psychological level? All human suffering occurs at a psychological level. Yes, we go through physical pain, health problems, but this is something physical, it is something specific to the body. When we speak about psychic suffering, there is another element present here, which is not this physical element, but this mental element - ??this is where the sense of ego is. And our deepest and most powerful sufferings, disorders and problems are occurring at this level, at the psychological level, at the level of psychological suffering.

Here, together, we are investigating the truth about thought. We need to discover what it means living free from thought. In other words, at the functional, practical, and objective level in life, in this dream of existence, thought is necessary, but at the psychological level, it is not only unnecessary but dysfunctional, because it is something that is producing internal states of neurosis in the human being, so conflict is present, suffering is present. Fear is something like this, anxiety is something like this, depression is this, anguish is this, so is boredom, the pain of loneliness and everything else.

So, what is the truth about thought? To realize this, to become aware of this, is to go beyond thought, for a life free from thought. So, when functional thinking becomes necessary, it will be there, only at that level. A life with a quiet brain, with a silent mind, where there is this readiness to respond to the present moment, without the "I," without the ego, without this internal neurosis; a response to life, perfectly adequate, real, where there is no more conflict in relationships, where there are no more problems in this contact with him or her, and "with myself," and with life, because there is no longer this illusion of the "I," this illusion of a present entity, which is this "me," creating this separation of this "I" and the "non-I." That is what we are proposing here, working here with you.

A vision of life requires the end of thought as we know it. And it has already become clear: I am referring to this psychological thought, which is this thinking that is based on this idea, which is the idea of ??the "I," of this "me."

GC: Master, there is a question from a subscriber here on the channel. She makes the following comment and asks, Maria: "Master, how can we differentiate an action that is aligned with the present from an action in response to thought? I don't know how to distinguish them."

MG: So, presence of action free from thought - here, the question is how to discern this. Who is this element that will discern this action free from thought, from this background of psychological conditioning, and this free action? Who is this element that will discern between action conditioned by thought and action not conditioned by thought? Who is this element?

So, notice, it is not about an element capable of making this distinction, because this element will still be an element that will be evaluating, comparing, judging, agreeing, or disagreeing, seeing right and wrong. And this element is only present from this background, which is this background of experience, this background of judgment, of evaluation, of acceptance or rejection, of seeing right from wrong. This element is still the "I." So, we cannot count on an element, within us, capable of making this discernment.

Here, the first thing is this: we cannot approach Truth based on criteria of the "I" itself, the own background, the very own thought. Here, we are showing you how to become aware of your reactions; that's all. Once you become aware of your reactions, this awareness will be enough. It is not awareness in order to evaluate, to judge, to compare, to try to get it right, to try to discern. It is verifying! There is a new action when there is this awareness: it is awareness without the background, without thought.

So, this new way of being in contact with the present moment, no matter what this present moment represents, it could be a thought that arises at this moment, an emotion, a sensation, a specific way of feeling about something or someone... Can we approach this moment without this background? That is what we are proposing here for you. This is the real way of perceiving without the perceiver, of being aware without someone being aware, of becoming aware without someone acquiring this awareness, knowing something about it. So, at that moment, a new quality of action emerges; This action does not arise from thought.

Here is the answer to your question: it is not about discerning to know what is and what is not, it is about becoming aware of oneself, in this moment. Then, in this moment, the understanding of that which is not real arises, but without the idea of ??it. This looking, this noticing, shows us illusion. Becoming aware of illusion is already becoming aware of the Truth. You see, it is not about something to do with illusion. The very awareness of illusion is the rejection of it, the very awareness of the false is the rejection of the false, because we have the Truth present. So, how can we approach this quality of action free from thought - from this thought of the "I," which is this conditioned-background thought, always programmed to judge, compare, evaluate, to interfere with the present moment? How can we become aware of this? Observation, perception, looking, perceiving... It does not mean someone looking, it does not mean someone perceiving, it means bringing this Attention to this moment, then there will be clarity and, naturally, a new action will happen, it will happen.

Real action is not premeditated by thought, it is not born from an impulse that comes from the past. Real action is that which responds to this present moment without the past, and that is what we are addressing here with you. A speech like this points to something outside of thought. This something outside of thought is the awareness of Intelligence itself, it is the awareness of your Being. So, there is a quality of action that is born from this new space; it is not born from someone, it is not born from the background.

So, here it is about getting closer to yourself through observation. This is part of Self- awareness; this is part of approaching Meditation. We have here, on the channel, a playlist about the Truth of Meditation, "What is Real Meditation in Practice" and "The Truth about Self- awareness," this is another playlist. Another one is "Learning about Self-Awareness." We need to learn about Self-Awareness. Later, you can take a look. Here in the video description, there are these playlists. You click and take a look at these three playlists.

Getting closer to yourself means becoming aware of the Truth about yourself in this new action, in this free action.

GC: Master, there is another question from another subscriber here on the channel. Dilma makes the following comment and asks: "How did you manage to have new ideas that are not from the mind?"

MG: "How did you manage to have ideas that are free from the mind?" Free yourself from the mind! See, free yourself from the mind! What we know as "mind" is this movement that comes from the past, that is constantly inside our heads, always repeating the same old mental loops, beliefs, opinions, conclusions, and ideas about ourselves, about others, about life.

The Truth of your Being is pure Intelligence, and this Intelligence expresses itself when there is space, and this space arises when there is Self- Awareness. We need to discover what Truth is, we need to become aware of Truth, and we can only become aware of Truth when we learn about ourselves. What gives you the Vision of Life, what brings you Real Intelligence for a Life of Love, Freedom and Happiness is the Comprehension of the Truth about yourself. Self-Awareness is the basis of Intelligence; this Divine Intelligence is the basis of Wisdom.

So, contact with life at this moment, free from the movement of thought, shows you Life as It is. For a long time, our model of life has always been a model of life centered on thought, ideas, opinions, conclusions, beliefs... So, our minds are full of all this. Here, freeing yourself from the mind is realizing the Reality of a New Mind, of a quality of feeling and thinking that is totally new and different. This requires the presence of Self-Awareness; this requires the presence of Meditation.

In this learning about Self-Awareness, there is this learning about us. So, there is something present that reveals itself beyond the "I," beyond this old, old thinker that we believe we are, that we believe to exist, and that is ourselves. There is no such thing as someone being the thinker, producing thoughts. All thoughts are responses that come from the past. All thoughts are memories, are remembrances. The Reality of your Being does not carry thoughts; the Reality of your Being is pure Bliss, Happiness, Love, Wisdom.

That is what we are here for, with you, in online meetings on the weekends, working; and in face-to-face meetings and also retreats. Getting closer to the Truth about yourself is breaking with the illusion of someone present in control of life, taking charge of life, understanding life, or trying to understand life, fighting for life. That which is the Reality of your Being is Life itself, it is Wisdom itself, it is Intelligence itself, it is Freedom itself. That is the Truth of God, that is the Truth of your Being.

GC: Thank you, Master, our time has ended now. Thank you for this videocast.

And for those of you who are watching the video until the end and really want to deepen your knowledge and experience it, I invite you to participate in the meetings that Master Gualberto offers, which are online weekend meetings or in-person meetings, as well as retreats. These meetings are much deeper than these videos here on YouTube. First, because we can ask the Master our questions directly, and second - and most importantly - because in these meetings the Master shares this State of Presence in which he lives, and in this sharing, we end up taking a ride on the Master's energy. And this is an incredible facilitator for us to be able to investigate ourselves, for us to be able to enter Meditation, which is this Silence, naturally and spontaneously. So, here is the invitation.

In the first comment, pinned, there is the WhatsApp link to participate in these meetings. Also, give a "like" in the video and leave your questions in the comments so we can include them in future videocasts.

And once again, Master, thank you for the videocast.

January, 2025
Gravatá-PE, Brazil
Further information