The Impersonal Mind
The impersonal mind is one that observes all without judgement. It does not look into the circumstances of the moment and take whatever is going on personally but looks to see the opportunity to put suffering aside and remain balanced. At first the impersonal mind is an idea or shift in consciousness that must be practiced. In a situation of confrontation the ego pushes the personal mind to anger. The observer mind “whispers” to “look at what is going on”. Take a deep breath, acknowledge the emotion, master the “self” that would receive this as a blow to “self” esteem and move back into the balance of true love, generated by the connection to the “Beginning Mind”.
This process is not easy. It must be practiced over and over again to accomplish it. For most, it will always be a process of drawing the mind from the personal into the observer mind and finally, into the impersonal mind. No matter how often one does it, the process moves you from the polarity of your beliefs into the complete trust and faith of your connection to the “Beginning Mind”. This mind in balance is called “The Beginners Mind”. This balanced mind is called “The Beginners Mind” because history may give the mind knowledge and probability for how things in the process may play out but it allows things to play out in the present moment without “judgement formed through knowledge and personality judgements”.
During the process which begins with an initial incident, the cycle must play out with the mind remaining at the balance point or zero point. Eventually, you come to be the zero point and the balance point, for every life one touches, if those touched choose to learn the lessons set by example.
The balanced person is both brave and patient. They are brave not because they fear nothing but because they know that fear is a part of the carnal appetites that only can be over-ridden by complete trust and faith in the “Beginning Mind”. That person is also patient because they understand “the All” always has the first move and they must choose from the possibilities of “the All”. They practice patient observation of life because like “the Beginning Mind”, they respect the “illusionary” individual process of all other beings. Through patience one allows and permits others to choose, but one can refuse anything created by another that is not balanced. One does so without guilt or longing. Instead, one looks at the new possibilities that change always brings and does not create an illusion of stillness where there is none. One may live in a house for 30 years but both you and the house will change no matter how hard you try to keep change from happening.
Life seen in its proper perspective moves in time with the flow of the “Beginning Mind moving and changing in harmony and the perfection of love as the essence of being and creation. One accepts the movement or struggles against it in illusion. The energy of illusion is fear. The energy of reality is love that flows through all things from the source of all consciousness and manifestation, “the Beginning Mind”.
Since consciousness gives rise to all matter and consciousness and mind are one, it is safe to assume that consciousness chooses the qualities of and the limitation to mind experienced upon individual sojourns through material experience. To experience Buddha or Christ Consciousness one must move one’s mind into that consciousness through “re-languaging thinking, doing and being”. Since every thought, word, deed and emotion vibrates through the continuum the energy emitted by the “Beginning Mind” moves in concert with only those energies that move and can hold that particular vibration. Through whatever means, each soul is required to learn and experience certain lessons of trust and faith at certain levels of consciousness that bring them into harmony with the “Beginning Mind”. Each new lesson moves one forward into new lessons of trust and faith. Each one is carefully designed to bring one to realize consciously what they are doing and what their ultimate purpose is.
The ultimate purpose of life is union with the “Beginning Mind”, or “Self”. Each drop of matter is mind and one is ultimately “Self-Conscious” or Enlightened or they are not. Self-Conscious behaviour is Service to the All because one understands, if only intellectually, that the All must eventually move from selfishness to Self-Consciousness to gain union. In the physical world, life is ONE in relation to everything else, so life is “relationship based”. You can struggle with outward relationships life after life or you can move inward and move on. Again, this is a choice. Neither a correct choice or an incorrect choice, simply a choice for reality in the moment. Self-love makes relationships easier when one understands that, ” no man can give to another what he cannot give to himself.” A man can give himself everything the world has to offer and not experience peace or harmony within or he can give up the world completely and still live with a delusionary reality of peace and harmony – within and without.
The reality of true peace and harmony is created when one could have circumstances change drastically but remain centered and grounded in love and caring, not only for themselves and their chosen loved ones, but also for every being who exists within their immediate and their non-immediate reality. Everything in balance, to participate or not to participate in what is going on, is a choice. Belief is not a part of one’s decisions but a conclusion reached in the moment after deliberating over one’s choices or a reaction in the moment to that stimulus.
Since there is no better or worst in the world of “beginners mind”, there is only comparison to find gratitude for one’s life as it is the stimulus to change it. One must understand that life will not remain the same so self-mastery and direction are necessary choices within the physical illusion. It may be said that one should have goals and while this is true, one must realize that all goals should reflect union with the “Beginning Mind”, rather than the ego based personalities needs. These needs often have one struggling in life, without self-mastery or self-care.
When one’s deepest intentions are to flow with life, each movement within that life comes from the flow of the “Beginning Mind”. “Thy will be done”, comes not only as a plea for “Beginning Mind” to carry one’s energy toward a goal of life purpose but also to fulfill the deepest human need to serve themselves and others. This condition then makes life your pleasure and hours of hard work and time are balanced with the need of the body for rest and care without worry. Life is experienced in the flow of the Beginning Mind. As life shifts and evolves through its process, one does also. As one moves from choice to choice, one sees reversals not as blocks, but as the power to re-assess their choices and make new ones that lead to their ultimate goal which is union with Beginning Mind. One may then employ “gratitude” as a way of letting “Mind” know when the direction feels right. “I am grateful for………”, becomes moments of communication with “Mind” that allows flow to move goals to fruition in a balanced manner that includes body/mind, soul/spirit connections. This allows not only the body and soul, mind and spirit to connect but also soul/spirit, body/mind connections.