Change Your Experience, At Will

Last week I touched on the difference between knowledge and experience, also mentioning time as a part of the equation. This article is a continuation of that theme.

The truth of your, my, or anyone's experience is that we can change it, at will, at any time, with intention. Who do you choose to be today? This turns out to be a double-edged sword for many of us, because in western culture, impatience is an in-bred expectation and heavily leveraged by marketers.

People have been brought up to expect instant results, and this is re-inforced by most of the media we consume. Also, amongst all the trappings of a materially oriented society, our connection to spirituality and our own core essence, becomes less important to most people.

A BMW can look awfully attractive compared to a life as a Buddhist monk, considering we don't see a lot of commercials that make us desire following the Buddha. As I've mentioned in many past articles, you can make any change you desire in your life, now; however you should first accept responsibility for the choices you have made previously.

Clear out your attic and get rid of your past garbage. Forgive your bad choices and their outcomes. Become detached from them forever after. A simple process, mastered with practice, and being human you will have plenty of opportunity for more of that!

" To understand everything, you must forgive everything "- Buddha

In going through your clearing house process, you will achieve a sense of clarity in the level of responsibility you accept for your actions. The ultimate realisation, in this area, is that you are totally responsible for every person, situation, emotion and manifestation in your life right now.

Now it becomes much simpler to change your experience at will. The above steps essentially force you into the practice of monitoring your thoughts, in so doing you begin to recognise those thoughts that you no longer desire or that lead you away from that which you seek.

These should simply be blessed and discarded. To change your experience, cultivate and expand on those thoughts that are in line with who you choose to be. I am not talking about what you desire to have in your life, that is a seperate but not unrelated conversation.

Instead who do you choose to be, what state of mind and soul do you desire, while you experience the doing-ness part of your life? Happy, sad, ecstatic?

Most of us are familiar with the practice of detachment, but how many of us put this to use? Become detached from results, detached from your expectations. Note that you are at cause in all things as your starting point, express your emotional or material desires, begin to live in that space regularly. Experience how it would feel in your imagination, to be happy all the time, to live in joy and balance in all moments, to drive the BMW and be a monk at the same time. Whatever it is you desire, but do so without attachment.

For some this can be a very difficult concept to practice. The way of desiring an outcome, without being attached to it. Flow with it.

Realise though that within you lies the key and access to infinite power by your connection with all that is. Within each of us lies the potential to be the beggar, or the millionaire walking past him, in terms of material riches and especially in terms of life experience and the quality of it.

You can change your life experience at will, being happy and poor or being miserable and poor. One will give you the chance to lift yourself from your reality, the other will ground you to it. What and who do you choose to be today?

Peace,
-Mikel