The instinct to protect ‘self’ is so strong. This is the biggest delusion there is, that there IS a discreet entity that is protectable. When we feel that we are threatened, we want to build fortresses to protect ourself, we want to fight the threat. The problem of course, is that the more we do this, the more suffering we create for all.
It is vital, now more than ever, in such polarised times, to see through the ultimate delusion that there is such a thing as separation.
How did we get into this mess? From a Buddhist or non-duality perspective, fundamentally, there is just openness belonging to no-one. The nature of open space is creativity… And then, a creative expression occurs & suddenly there ‘seems’ to be ‘me’ in space, an apparent duality is perceived. So now we have a creative appearance of self and other, how amazing, creativity par excellence!!
But then, there’s a kind of amnesia, and we project solidity all around and soon the open space is forgotten completely. We feel separate and feel compelled to find safety from this insecure position and a strange sense of logic begins to develop, confirming our ignorance. Our involvement with this polarised illusion traps us even more and we try to find relief in pleasure and distraction; again, we look to the outside, from our position of separateness, for this to be met by ‘other’, through status or in entertainment. We begin to mentally fine-tune shades of pleasure and pain. We have become completely lost in a world of our own thought creation which is a misinterpretation of life on a grand scale and leads to paranoia, neurosis, jealously, fear, hate, pride and so on.
How do we return to our original state? By stopping fighting. By turning towards and facing what’s going on right here and now, with as much kindness as we can muster.