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This
is All You
Stephen: There is no absolute reality. Everything in the universe, the entire universe, is
your own mind. So if you're not happy with your life, you're
not happy with your own mind. You can't get away from
yourself. You can't get away from your own mind. It's all
you.
There's
no other person. The other person is your own mind's
projection. And the other person's description and
definition of you is your own mind.
What do
you think of me? The only tool I have to know what you think
of me is my own mind. Your thoughts of me are my own
thoughts. So there is only me.
You could
say, well, I think you are A, B, and C. What do I have to
interpret your description? I have my own mind. So my own
mind interprets your thoughts and description—it's all I
have. So, your thoughts and description of me are nothing
more than my own mind. You can't get away from your own
mind. The universe is your own mind. If you don't like it,
it's your own mind not liking itself. There's only you. It's
all you. It's all your own mind.
In your
relationships with other human beings you are relating to
your own mind—not in a cute spiritual or metaphorical way.
This is not just a cute spiritual metaphor. It's not that
you exist out there and we have a relationship. No. All
relationship is your own mind. There is no separation.
There's no other person. I cannot know another person. You
cannot know anyone. You cannot know your partner. You cannot
know your children. You can only know your own mind. You
cannot have a relationship with another human being. You
only have a relationship with your own mind.
The only
tool you have to define and interpret your experience is
your own mind. So you're back to yourself. You only have
yourself. There's only you. It's all you. There's no way
out. There's no separate person. If you're not happy, you're
not happy with your own mind. It's your own mind, unhappy
with itself. A neurotic dog chasing its own tail. Seeing
this clearly, there can be a giving up, and a sense of
relief. Seeing this clearly, recognizing that there's just
your mind chasing itself, there can be a letting go. And
then you say," Whatever!" Nothing bothers you anymore.
You
realize your mind is a volcano of thoughts and stories, and
it's almost always erupting. People who suffer
psychologically tend to have a very active mind, always
bubbling with thoughts and stories. It's understandable that
if thoughts and stories are believed to have some absolute
reality or truth, of course you're going to suffer. But
seeing that your mind is just a volcano of thoughts and
stories, and there's no absolute truth in it, you just watch
it or ignore it. There's no need to change it. The bubbling
mind is a natural process. A volcano erupts on its own. It
doesn't choose to erupt—it just erupts. That's the nature of
your mind. Seeing that it's a natural functioning, there's
no need to change it. You just let it go.
Justin: But something sees the volcano erupting.
Stephen: Yes, so there's a "watching" of it.
Justin: What is watching? I can say it's my mind because
obviously my whole experience is my mind. But there's
something watching and knowing that everything is appearing
and getting labeled. I see this happening. My mind is
describing and making a story out of everything I'm
experiencing. So I see that, and I know that. What knows
that?
Stephen: It's what I am, and you are. I am this
seeing, this knowing.
Justin: You can't get any closer to labeling it—seeing,
knowing.
Stephen: It's this seeing and knowing. In Zen they say
this Suchness. This beingness, or this knowing. This light
of knowing. There's a knowing of this—knowing and seeing.
How close can we get? The light of knowing. Being. Is-ness.
Suchness. This is what the spiritual traditions are pointing
to—I Am. I AM THAT I AM. Or just THIS is another way to put
it.
Justin: What I see is just one "happening." There's just
one "happening."
Stephen: Yes, now. And even this is a conceptual
abstraction.
Justin: It's as close as you can get to it.
Stephen: "I Am."
Justin: So if you try to grasp it, you can't.
Stephen: No, you can't.
Justin: But there is something.
Stephen: If we're trying to label what we are, this
seeing and knowing, and we had to choose between
I was, I am or I will be—which one would you choose? "I
Am." You still can't grasp it. But at least it's closer than "I was" or "I will be"—which is mind-stuff.
Past and future are the same. They're made up of the same
mind-stuff.
Justin: The same thoughts.
Stephen: Even to say, "I Am," is mind-stuff, but at
least it's closer to this Suchness. And as this Suchness,
there's no problem! This is the resolution to all problems.
It's seen that there never was a real problem. See what I'm
saying? Now you realize, you know what? I never had a real
problem! I only thought I had a problem. Your problems were
just thoughts. Do you see this?
Justin: Yes. I see it.
Stephen: You never had a problem! So, you did not
resolve your problems. You realized you never had a real
problem.
Justin: Right, they were just thoughts. Just thoughts.
Stephen: There is no problem, and there is no solution.
Solutions and problems are the same thing—thoughts. If you
have a solution, the solution is your problem. The
absence of a solution, is the absence of a problem.
There's
just THIS. There is no problem. Nothing exists, just THIS.
Nothing real exists. Anything that exists is your own
mind—EVERYTHING. There is no exception. Everything and
everyone in the universe is your own mind. There's nothing
you can point to that is not your own mind. Not one thing.
Not another person—nothing. There cannot be anything but
you. It's all you.
