The primary challenge that human beings are facing is only one major conundrum: the ignorance about The Psychological Thought Process, a.k.a., the CONSCIOUSNESS OF MANKIND.
The vast destruction that permeates the entire world originates from this psychological entity [Ego]. Every human being comprises this self-destructive fragmentary process. The Ego cannot be completely eliminated by force of any kind; nor can it be vanquished by willpower. The only reason why the bulk of humanity accepts that there is no other way to live except to serve this fragmentary egotistical process (which goes by many names or labels) is because it doesn't want to know the truth about its root nature. As a matter of fact, our Ego is the result of psychological blindness or ignorance that it purposefully maintains/defends. In a word, Ego doesn't want to end. And, so long as Ego goes unchecked/unaware of its manner of functioning on a whole, then there will be more of what you hear about on the news and in your communities all around the world. However, there is absolutely nothing preventing human beings from resolving this peculiar conundrum except for themselves. In other words, people desire to be ignorant about their own thought process [a.k.a., the Ego]. Therefore, people are willingly, yet unknowingly, self-destructive victims due to their conditioning, which they defend with their very lives.
For centuries Humanity has been led (by his own thinking) to believe that the only way to live happily is by assuming that we must follow or believe in something or other. But, just what are we following? Belief leads to conflict, always. Conflict is the negation of happiness, isn't it? The Ego (our psychological thought process) pretends that it has the answers through the conjuring of various beliefs, dogmas, opinions or ideals of some kind. And, that at some future point there will be a Great Reward for adhering to ones beliefs. So that is all in the limited field of TIME. However in the meantime, confusion and sorrow reigns, right? Also one might take note of the fact that this thought process has existed for thousands of years and has yet to make good on its promise of peaceful living. This illusion of bringing about something new, something that is fair or something that will be beneficial for the entire human race is always referenced as 'the greater good' or 'a noble cause', but always in the future. And, in the name of that pretext human beings proceed to slaughter one another - claiming that, "In the end there shall be salvation"; isn't that so? Hence, Mankind has been perpetually repeating this, primitive psychological vortex. Ergo, there has been no fundamental change at the root level of Human Consciousness.
When there's a problem of dealing with material necessities then one must take action. You use thinking to develop skills or business so that you can pay your bills and provide for food, clothing and shelter. When thought is used for physiological survival purposes, then there is no problem. After all, we would parish as a species were it not for our technical ideas that we use to take care of our biological needs through technology and whatnot. Thinking is the accumulation and recall of knowledge. Then that storehouse of knowledge is put to use to resolve material problems. That is the innate function of the Human Mind.
However, that is not where the human race took a wrong turn and became delusional and irrational - NO. 'Thinking' used to bring about psychological answers or so-called spiritual answers is where hell on Earth came into being. Psychologically, the problem lies in the way we think. So instead of approaching this process (by positively projecting our beliefs, ideals, opinions or desires) to resolve psychological thinking; how about we take a radically different approach - an approach that is not a 'positive' assertion of what we believe the truth is? How about we approach the Whole Nature of psychological thinking through negation [by finding out what is false in order for the Truth to shine through]? In other words by seeing what is illusory about Human Consciousness, as a byproduct, one may discover what is real and is no longer caught in this illusory, restrictive and fragmentary process. If this psychological thinking has repeatedly proven that it causes suffering, fear, frustration and stress, then instead of positively asserting that we know the answer to break free (that has been tried for centuries and has failed), how about we ask the right questions to discover what is false? After all, the truth lies in seeing that a false thing is a false thing, correct? From this point on, let us explore if it is possible to be free of our consciousness/ego by raising fundamentally crucial questions to expose the fallacy of psychological thinking, of which every human being contains.
[*Note: There can be no unbiased investigation into this problem when there is a presence of Authority (i.e., something or someone that is blindly followed without question). That being said, I'm not your Authority. I'm not important. I'm simply a mirror that is reflecting what is actual, not according to my liking, but just the way it is - regardless of my personal desires. Therefore, everything that I say has no meaning at all if you are not interested in inquiring for yourself. If you are interested you will be skeptical and allow these questions to awaken a state of intelligence or wisdom. Otherwise, reading this to debate it is meaningless. So I'll be putting forth vital questions that will penetrate the heart of our conditioning, if you truly want a happy/peaceful life.
May we begin our inquiry by asking, "What has happened to human beings after all of these thousands of years?" Haven't we, as a species, become coarse, brutal, hateful, enslaved by so-called religious beliefs with their various divisions and, thereby, creating enemies? Aren't human beings living in a world of confusion, wars and ultimately self-destruction? Don't we constantly yearn for either an ideal, belief or a person to lead us out of this chaotic mess (by following political leaders, religious leaders or other kinds of leaders who claim they have the solution but that it will always take TIME - isn't that what they all have in common right)? And if you are real honest ask yourself, have these leaders helped Humanity to deeply bring about a radically different way of living without confusion, conflict or fear?
Now in order to understand the Whole Nature of our Consciousness mustn't one ask, "What is it that we are trying to Become?" What is it that each one of us are trying to do or achieve and gain an end? What is it we all want? No matter if one is educated or not; aren't we all striving after control? It is natural to become something in this world. If one does not know how to drive a car, we spend time acquiring knowledge and practice driving. So one is Becoming a driver. If one wishes to be skilled at anything profession it will take time and practice to Become proficient at it. So that distinct kind of Becoming is natural and necessary, of course.
On the other hand, is it natural or inevitable that human beings must Become Something Psychologically? In Becoming Something doesn't it involve TIME (i.e., I was this yesterday but tomorrow I will Become totally different)? One is violent and strives to Become 'non-violent'. Isn't it the premise that by telling oneself that one is NOT violent and believes in that self-assertion then one has Become other than violence? And, even if it were possible to 'achieve' non-violence, wouldn't there be a craving to pursue further 'achievements' of yet other psychological goals? Thus, wouldn't one be trapped in the perpetual pursuit of trying to Become Something and, in the interim, one is never satisfied?
So are we trying to Become More Enlightened? What is it each one of us is trying to 'achieve'? Is this not an important question to ask? We are predisposed to Becoming Something (inwardly), right? Haven't we made the error of thinking that just because we are suppose to Become Something that is on the level of technical skills that we are also suppose to carry over 'achievement' into the Psychological sphere? So what is it deeply that we are trying to 'achieve'? But, IS THERE ANYTHING TO ACHIEVE, PSYCHOLOGICALLY? So whenever we achieve something along the lines of skill or talent, we go on to use that as a mark of status, prestige or social superiority above our fellow man in order to magnify our sense of SELF-IMPORTANCE so that we can dominate others, right? If you're aware of all this within yourself, haven't you also noticed that each 'achievement' is separate from the other? So no matter what you psychologically 'achieve', it will mean nothing when it comes to trying to achieve something else, psychologically. So doesn't that process leave one craving more and more - never quite feeling completely fulfilled, right?
For example let's say, "I am Poor/Uncertain [inwardly] and I want to be Rich/Certain [inwardly]", right? (Richness consists of Accumulating 'psychological' Knowledge.) Does that not mean that one is always struggling to Become What one Projects (based on the principle of REWARD or PUNISHMENT)? Reward is where you come to a point where you can say, "I've done it!", right? Doesn't PSYCHOLOGICALLY PAIN occur when one isn't able to achieve the ideal that one has setup for oneself? Does this not constitute Failure?
*[Reminder: the writer isn't offering you any opinions, beliefs or ideals. One is merely examining the entire nature of Human Consciousness. We're journeying into our psychological thought process by just looking at it and seeing it as it is, not as we wish it to be. Just to find out what will happen if we watch this process unfold without any domination. What you discover is all that matters. I'm unimportant. Don't accept anything that I say but instead, test it for yourself. Question your own mind by observing it. You aren't being instructed on 'what' to think but, rather, 'how' to think, and that is a big difference.]
Isn't the key ingredient to Becoming Something "TIME"? Politicians are always saying that it will take TIME to end war or provide the basic resources for everyone, right? But after all these centuries of Time, hasn't there always been war and poverty? WHAT IS [PSYCHOLOGICAL] TIME? Isn't it important to understand the nature of Time? Physical Time is the sunrise and sunset, or the days of the week or the weeks of a month, or morning, noon, evening and night. But, there is also the Time that says, "I am this and I desire to Become that". Or, society is this and it will take Time to change it. Don't most people rely upon Hope? Isn't Hope a form of Time? Things are awful and frightening right now but, in the future, it will be better - one Hopes, right? (That is Time.) The remembrance of past experiences is Time. Isn't the accumulation of knowledge within the field of Time? Also, knowledge can never be complete; so isn't it always accompanied with ignorance? Isn't Cause-and-Effect Time? So isn't the Human Consciousness conditioned by Time (being repetitive, mechanical, conforming to an ideal)? And, will it take Time to be free of that conditioning? Or, is Time the problem?
Why do we fail to make the connection between this false psychological Becoming resulting in inequality, animosity, aggression and violence? We all say that we want happiness and a peaceful world, yet how quickly we shrink away from investigating and truly understanding our own egotistical self-centered activities. Wouldn't we rather rationalize everything that we do? Wouldn't we rather pretend to ourselves that we are moral, kind, loving and peaceful (and all the while we do horrible things in the name of the so-called 'greater good')? When we hurt others don't we try to erase that immoral action away by doing something superficially charitable so that we can still maintain that we are good, decent and compassionate?
Does intelligence or love have a 'cause'? If there is a 'cause' for intelligence or love then they are limited by Time, as well. If we continue along the lines of Time (which is cause-and-effect) then there can never be a radical change in Consciousness, right? Therefore, 'cause' will ultimately produce its own effect, which is still conditioning and which also maintains conflict. All Human Consciousness is controlled by conditioning (ceaselessly projecting ideals, dogmas, superstition, propaganda, etc.). Psychologist have said that conditioning can never end. All that one can do is modify it, which means you can't leave its prison; you can only modify it and perhaps dress it up - but, isn't that still a prison? We are questioning if our psychological conditioning/programming can be fundamentally changed without using Time. That is the primary challenge of our human existence, isn't it?
However, wouldn't there be a radical change in conditioning if one were to "discover" the cause of the Whole Nature of Conditioning? For instance: One feels lonely (this is the cause) and the outcome of that is to isolate oneself further by concentrating on a belief/ideal (this is the effect). The very ending of the cause is the ending of loneliness, right? What is causing us to feel this deep sense of separation from all outward and inward relationship (which is loneliness)? Despite being surrounded by friends and family why does one still feel isolated and cut off - alone? If anyone explains the reason why, it will not be the truth for you. The explanation isn't the reality, right? For example if see a meal in a commercial, will that image make your hungry stomach full? No, of course not. Similarly, if I tell you the answer to end your conditioning will it end it? No, of course it won't. So one is faced with finding out for oneself what is the 'cause' of loneliness? Do you use thought (which is the outcome of knowledge which is limited) to inquire into this question? If you do use thought it can never be complete about anything, right? So thought is always limited. Do you inquire into the question by the exercise of thought? If you use thought to find out, you can only find out the superficial cause because thought is fragmented. Therefore, 'Thinking' can never get at the root 'cause' of conditioning, right?
Is there another instrument to inquire into this complex problem (of psychological thinking)? We are so used to using thought for everything in our daily life that we often assume that there is no other instrument. Isn't that how human beings have been educated, conditioned (programmed)? But, that instrument is incapable of delving deeply, profoundly into human conditioning due to the fact that it is a fragmentary, limited process, isn't it? It is very important that one is very clear about this, because if you are not, then you will be condemned to be enslaved by conditioning/confusion for all of your life, which is typically what happens to most people, anyway.
The 'cause' is that conditioning has brought about uncertainty, hope, isolation/loneliness, confusion and fear. And, the 'effect' is that Man has invented an idea called "God". If thought is not the instrument to inquire with, then what is? This is not my personal question. This question is for anyone in the world who is really serious about totally ending conditioning. Is the "other" instrument, if it exists, the invention of thought? Thought cannot examine the universe and its extraordinary order because thought itself is limited. So the question is: "Is there a way of Observation that is unlimited"? So can one deeply OBSERVE this total sense of loneliness/isolation with all of its destructive consequences?
Where there is loneliness/isolation there must also be various forms of conflict, antagonism, hatred inevitably leading to battle. So what is the instrument, which is not thought or unconsciously invented by thought and say, "Yes, that is it!" Therefore, one must be very, very clear that it is not the activity of remembrance, which is thought.
So we have to go into the question of Observation.
Observation may be the instrument, but we are not asserting that it is. Because an assertion is dogmatic and one may accept it and then there is no meaning. On the other hand, one is objectively investigating, without bias, whether Observation is the instrument to inquire into our conditioning of isolation/loneliness. But we know for an absolute fact that thought is Limited, utterly! Thought is not your thought or my thought - thought is thought and it is Limited under all circumstances, period. If one is clear about that then one can posit the other question. Only when you SEE for yourself the reality that thought is Limited then you are mentally free to inquire, "Is there another instrument that is not put together by thought?" But if you are confused, then you will be playing a [self-deceptive] game. Is that clear?
If we are clear on this point then, "Is there an Observation (without the word, without association or without remembrance of various past experiences)?" Hence, is it possible to Observe without the past? Is it possible to Observe the Whole World as It Is - not through an opinion as an American, British, Russian, Asian, etc. nor through the views of a particular religious sect or a particular race, not as a political activist nor as a terrorist, which are all various forms of conditioning that are all biased as well as Limited, right? Instead, can one simply Observe the whole movement of conditioning? Can one Observe conditioning, which is loneliness, without the accumulated memory of experience? Can one look at the world around oneself as well as within as though for the first time - afresh? Isn't that what is meant by Observation without the past?
So can you Observe what I am pointing out without being distracted by what the history is about the Author? Are you inwardly free to really Look at yourself as you are? Observation requires Attention, does it not? Observation is not done just to please yourself or to accommodate your past memories - but to Observe every single movement of thought, and that is all. Can one do that? Find out for yourself. Don't rely on anyone else to discover it for you, because that is impossible. When you listen to a song, can you listen to it without thinking about the name of its composer? Can you simply Listen to the song without any form of association? Is there not great beauty in that listening, as if for the very first time? Similarly, can one Observe our conditioning (whether it be the conditioning of yourself or another) in that fresh state of Observation? This is very important to understand or else one is forever lost.
Is loneliness brought about by self-centered activities? Is it the case that I feel lonely? Or rather, is Loneliness Me? I am Loneliness, right? Loneliness is not over there and I am Looking at it as though it were an entity outside of me. But instead, Observe the fact that I am Loneliness. I cause Loneliness whenever I pursue my own desires to Become Something, psychologically. So hasn't the outward activity of isolation and the inward activity of loneliness brought this about? The key here is: Can one Observe the 'cause' without wanting to transform or change or control it? Just Observe it as you would Observe the flow of the ocean. You cannot change the depth of the ocean nor it its magnificent nature. So can you Observe the 'cause' - the 'cause' being the whole way of our life, which is a direct result of our thinking? If you can objectively Observe the 'cause', then that very Observation is the ending of the 'cause' and therefore the 'effect' is Loneliness is completely gone, as well.
So from that shall we inquire together the question of fear (i.e., the fear of public opinion, fear of what others will say about you, fear of being exposed for some wrongdoing one may have done in the past, fear of growing old and eventually dying, fear of not fulfilling ones dreams and the fear of not being loved and fear of not loving). There is fear that one might lose my mate, fear of what my mate thinks of me. Fear of being lonely. Fear of getting hurt so instead you want to hurt another. We carry this hurt all throughout our life. In not wanting to be hurt, we build a psychological wall around ourselves. Then there is the fear of not Becoming that which you desire to Become. Fear is like a vast tree with many branches and chattering leaves. And, isn't it our conditioning to be forever preoccupied with one form of fear or another? But one of our greatest fears is the fear of tomorrow - will I lose what I desire or will I get what I desire or will I be able to keep what I have gained already? Also, don't we fear having no significance or importance in life? Don't we worry that our life might end up having no meaning? But if one is honest does a life based on conditioning have any intrinsic value or meaning? Isn't a conditioned life smothered in strife and conflict - never being content with what one is? Aren't we always seeking the so-called 'better' and never quite reaching a point to being at peace with ourselves? So fear has multiple forms/expressions, doesn't it?
Fear is not your fear or my fear - it's fear! You may translate fear in one way and I may have another way of expressing it but, basically, it is fear, nonetheless. And if one is sane one understands that fear must end. Not ending fear by tearing off the branches or the leaves of the various expressions of fear, but instead find out in reality what is the root 'cause' of all fear, psychologically? There was a time when people did not know what was causing the disease known as Scurvy Then it was discovered that Scurvy was caused due to a lack of vitamin C. So the discovery of the cause put an end to both the cause-and-effect (of Scurvy). So once you discover for yourself what causes fear, doesn't fear end?
Now, we are concerned with inquiring into what is the 'cause' of fear, which is common to all Mankind? This is important to discover for oneself. Human beings have lived with fear for thousands of years; and he has escaped from it - distanced himself from it, rationalized or justified it, but he has not resolved the cause of fear. But fear remains at the core of our Consciousness (whether it is at the conscious level or hidden deep down in the unconscious layers). So let us discover what is the 'cause' of it. If YOU discover it, then hold it and Observe its entire nature as if it were a precious jewel.
This leads us into the question of what is Intelligence? Surely, it isn't the product of thought, which is fragmented, limited to cause-and-effect. Regardless of your economic status or the level of your education, the nature of Becoming is the same process for everyone - so it is neither yours nor mine. Thought can never have that extraordinary capacity of Intelligence. Intelligence has NO 'cause'; just like Love has NO 'cause'. Can you see that where there is 'cause' there can be NO Intelligence/Love? Therefore, Intelligence is inquiring into the Whole nature of fear through the act of impartial Observation.
So we come back to asking, "What is the 'cause' of fear?" Is it thought? Is it Time? Is it Desire - Desiring to be free from fear? So are we looking at the 'cause' with Intelligence? Or, are we trying to make an effort to Look/Observe (because you want to be free from fear or you want to be happy, etc., etc.). If one is making an effort to Observe then that is a 'cause' and so there is no Intelligence, instead there is only fear. So, Desire, Time and Thought; they are not separate - they are interrelated. Therefore, they are one. So, is that the 'cause'? Desire, Time and Thought is one unitary movement that is 'causing' fear. For example, "I am not free of fear right now, but I will be eventually." That is based upon desire-time-thought which is one unitary movement which is producing fear, isn't it? There is the fear of being dead. One is not dead but one will be dead. So there is this an interval between living and the end, which is time right? Effort has a 'cause', fear has a 'cause'. However, Intelligence or Love has NO 'cause'. Although Desire, Time and Thought may appear to be different they are within the same field of psychological 'cause' movement. This whole movement of fragmentation, contradiction, conflict and fear is defensive.
*[Reminder: You are using your ability to Observe for yourself the truth about what we are exploring together. Please don't accept anything that I say. It is up to you to go into this. Be aware of your conditioning as it reacts to what is being said here. Watch it and learn. Do you detect fear urging you to either reject or accept all of this? Do you sense your reluctance to just Observe?]
Now, you have discovered for yourself the 'cause' of fear, right? So what is your action, or non-action? And, upon discovering the 'cause' of fear aren't we conditioned/programmed to automatically think that we must take action to change what we have discovered? So what action does one take? One either tries to erase it, forget it, analyze it, tear it to pieces; "I must ACT!" Once discovering the 'cause' of fear one is compelled to feel that it is unbearable so one must get rid of it or somehow go beyond it, transmute it or do something about it. But who is going to do something about it? Surely, Desire, Time and Thought is YOU/ME, isn't it? Isn't it apparent that YOU ARE Fear? You might try to separate yourself from that; but, you are that, nonetheless. If you are perpetually seeking illusion/ideals, then you are fear and you are the enemy of Mankind. If you are nationalistic, bound to a certain religion/certain dogma, seeking an illusion of freedom then that is fear and you are that.
What happens when one actually realizes and sees the fact that I am fear? I'm not separate from fear. Is the mind then fresh whenever it perceives the reality about itself without struggling to change that reality according to what one prefers? Therefore, the 'cause' of fear is myself, isn't it? So hasn't our inquiry revealed that the 'cause' of fear is Desire, Time and Thought, which is the entire composition of my consciousness? The content of your consciousness is the common content of the Consciousness of all Humanity. So our inquiry into the entire nature of fear isn't a selfish activity. One isn't just concerned with being free from fear but, it is the ending of the whole structure of human fear (of which I am a part); do you understand? So when we Observe fear we are considering the Whole Nature of Human Fear. But if you are looking at it as though it were your personal fear, then you have to examine why you think it is your personal fear. Then you will find out that if you think it is your personal fear then that is limited or fragmented. If you like to live that way that is your business - no one is going to force you. That is what humanity has done; living in separate compartments fighting and destroying each other.
So this observation has led you to this investigation, which is a very careful examination into the nature of fear. Can the mind, which is accustomed to escape into beliefs, ideals or opinions; which is conditioned to rationalize; which is molded to escape into some other form of entertainment; can that mind break the pattern through Observation without any movement of its past conditioning? This requires your application. Then when you so Observe; that is, when you give complete, total attention to the 'cause' (not because one wants to escape) - when there is complete attention of the 'cause' what happens? That very Light of Attention dispels the 'cause'. And, so there is a total ending of fear.
Don't ask, "How about occasionally if it comes up again?" Can this ending be perpetual? That state in which you realized the nature of fear when I point it out one has captured it for a second. Then one wants to know; "Can that second continue?" Isn't that Desire asking that question, which is Time and Thought? So you are back in a circle again. You see our mind is so used to continuity. I have had happiness so it must go on for the rest of my life. So, Observe without any movement of thought. Give complete, total energy and attention to Observe the jewel that one has caught - the jewel being the 'cause' (of the nature of fear). Where there is a 'cause' there is also an 'effect' so in motiveless Observation, the 'cause' ends, as well as its 'effect'. So you have to see the whole movement of Consciousness, not just its fragmentary movement which you are pursuing. Now that we've discovered the false you are free from all conditioning.
Although I am a student who has undertaken a special journey that a man named, J. Krishnamurti has invited the entire human race to investigate, I am NOT a disciple/follower of his. Everything that I write is from my own impartial observations about human consciousness. I have no degree in psychology. None of that is necessary to free oneself of ones psychological conditioning/programming. We are all capable of examining our mind as it reacts in our daily life. Since just about everyone is programmed, it's almost impossible for anyone to understand what it means to observe ones conditioning, because whatever you find out, you are programmed to use your thinking to change it. And, all thinking will only reinforce conditioning, which is fear.
If you would like to understand why the world is drowning in confusion, then you may explore/inquire into this matter at its very root, if you intend to end this destructive process (which dwells within all human beings). Here is a place that can assist you in your journey: http://www.jkrishnamurti.org/ Please note that this is NOT something to believe in nor is it possible to see the truth through this teacher's eyes. If you do not find out the truth, then nothing you see or hear will create a real change in human consciousness. This is not like a subject in school that you memorize. This is about impartial, objective OBSERVATION of the Entire Nature of Psychological Becoming, if unchecked, will destroy Mankind. However, most of the human race is engaged in that endeavor and think that anyone who is not is crazy. Be aware that this isn't something that you are used to dealing with. I live what I write about, this is not a product of thought/theory.
