March | 2017

29 March, 2017 by Choki team

The Cycle of Desire – Why We’re Never Satisfied and Always Want More

You feel it don’t you? The feeling is stronger in some than it is in others, but it’s always there in everyone, in some form. The feeling is a longing for MORE… isn’t it? If you are aware enough to see it, and experience it, and see what it makes you do… you will realize this is true.

Where does this feeling come from?

There is an inherent feeling in human beings where we need to be more than what we are right now. Expansion is what we are looking for. These feelings cause conflict internally and externally because the longing for expansion and to be boundless is looking for expression. But we’re so identified with our physical nature that the only way we think of expressing this longing is physically. And we try to do this but the physical is limited… therefore it is impossible to totally achieve what we want on the physical plain.

Yet people are looking for the expression of this longing for expansion through money, possessions, status, power, some through the attention of others, some through the vanity of their own body, etc. We’re looking for fulfillment through achievement, but has that ever really worked for you? I asked myself the same question and had to honestly answer NO, and I was guilty of this for the first 28 years of my life. Once you achieve a goal you might feel good for a couple hours or maybe a day or two, but then another desire pops up and takes its place and you repeat the same cycle. Think about the last time you got a raise at work? Within 48 hours did you still feel happy? Or did you start thinking about what your next raise would be the next year?

When we turn our attention to the acquisition of material things we turn away from our true nature and away from the present moment. The present moment is the only place that you can find true happiness because it is the only place that truly exists. Is this not true? Can you show me the future? Can you show me the past? No, because they only exist in theory. The current moment is our ever present reality.

And when you really look at this feeling of longing even closer, it’s not even a wanting for more… it’s a wanting for ALL. If I gave you the world… how long would it be until you started looking to the stars and other planets? No matter what you have or get, no matter how great it is… you will just want everything. That is a reality of the human condition.

Your real desire for the object is actually not for the object itself, but for the end of the longing for that object. But once you get this object another object and desire will arise. This creates a cycle of never-ending longing and suffering.

It is okay to go after your goals and to experience life, but don’t let it happen compulsively, and don’t let it compromise your integrity or happiness. Detach yourself from it. When you realize this as the true nature of what you are experiencing, you break and transcend this cycle of longing. But remember, the wanting for Wisdom and Experience and Truth is a good thing. We are here to live life and pursue our true nature, and you will only find that through wisdom and experiences. You can never understand something truly until you have experienced it and it is in your perception.

Meditation and turning inward will take away these feelings of longing. With a little practice (give it some time), you will feel the boundless sensation in yourself and it will quench the thirst of your longing. You will no longer have to subconsciously impose this boundless longing on yourself or the outside world. This might not sound possible to someone who has never meditated, but please trust me.

I’ll be the first to admit it, I use to be a big skeptic of meditation. My whole life I was very left brain thinking, with a Type A personality. I use to think meditation was for hippies… until I did it for myself and experienced the amazing benefits. Present moment living and mindfulness, along with meditation, will take you to a higher level of consciousness and existence. If you want to be more peaceful, healthier and happier… START MEDITATING!!

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Author: Steven Wesley – Wake Up World

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15 March, 2017 by Choki team

Listening Through the Noise: Steps Toward Inner Peace

Every now and then it gets harder to hear all those subtle voices within – those whispers of higher knowing or feeling that seem to guide us, inspiring us into creativity or just getting a sense of the deeper meaning. When we are connected with these inner voices, life is magical. They give us a depth to our being that makes us feel really alive. We experience a unique kind of ‘inner peace’.

The last time this happened to me I decided to take myself off for a walk in nature and, after a while, I put my mp3 player on and listened to my music on ‘random shuffle’, just seeing what came up. I had been feeling a bit numb, not really engaging life fully and retreating inside more than usual. Of course, this is fine — it is a natural process that you go through, so it’s important not to judge this state of being. However, being guided to simple actions such as going for a walk or listening to some music can help to move through things like this, processing whatever is inside and helping you to get back ‘in the flow’. For me, going into nature quietened some of the ‘noise’ which was preventing me from accessing these inner whispers, and listening to music helped to put me back in touch with my feelings.

What is this ‘noise’ and where does it come from?

The problem with ‘normal’ life in our society is that there’s too much noise. By ‘noise’ I don’t just mean loud things, although that is definitely one contributing factor. I mean that we are bombarded such that the senses are overloaded – traffic, TV, conversation, food, soft drugs (and hard ones). Of course, we are always entertained and there is always something to do. Appointments, cooking, eating, meeting friends, house work, bureaucracy, entertainment, entertainment and more entertainment…

You only have to observe a busy coffee shop to see it. Friends meet for coffee and conversation but seemingly cannot cope with the gaps, when conversation lulls or people go for a toilet break. I bet if you stay for a whole day just observing people you will not see one person, if left alone, who will not reach for a book or their phone or something else to occupy themselves.

Personal Noise:

Then there’s the more subtle personal noise. Our brains are wired to take in information, and gaps in thought are few and far between, particularly if we are surrounded by sources of stimulation. We process what’s going on around us, and our inner whispers are interpreted through the mind as well. However, there are other types of inner noise which can be quite disruptive – needs, desires and judgements. These can be a little harder to let go of than outside stimulation, even if we recognise their disruption to our inner peace. It requires a level of awareness that takes some practice, to recognise when these desires don’t serve you, get to the source of the need, realise yourself through it, and then break the programming in the brain.

All this noise means that we can no longer hear the inner whispers that make life magical. Consequently the quiet space within is felt to be like a void of emptiness, often so unbearable that it needs to be filled with outer noise (entertainment etc.) Then, the subtlety of life is missed, the senses become dulled and creativity is never fully realised as a spontaneous arising from within, but as a forced process of logical thinking or problem solving, at best.

So, if we want to experience a depth to life far more magical than that filled by entertainment and sensory satisfaction, we must do something that may seem a little paradoxical …

Invite the inner whispers to speak up.

By reducing the noise in our outer life, simplifying our daily lives, reducing ‘clutter’ and allowing time to just do nothing and ‘be’, we invite the inner whispers to speak up. Of course there will be busy days, and times where you will have much noise around and inside of you, but a few simple things can help reset the balance.

Meditation helps, time in nature, exercise and time alone. Or maybe something else works for you. Experiment with whatever makes your soul sing.

Be bored sometimes – it’s a good sign. Entertainment doesn’t do it for you right now? Great! Use that opportunity to go within and listen. You don’t need to quieten the mind, that’s not its nature. It’s simply about being with whatever arises, without judgement. — letting it be until it moves on.

The Benefits:

Once you’ve struck a balance you may find a curious thing arises. Instead of a polarity between busy, stressful times and times of inner peace and magic, they will begin to merge inside. Sure, on the outside there will still be busy ‘noisy’ times, and quieter times, but inside you begin to be able to access that place of inner peace where you can hear those quiet whispers, even when the world outside you is chaotic.

Other benefits – a feeling of connection with nature and life, a better understanding of yourself, observing deeper meaning behind events, increased creativity, and a sense of fulfillment in life which comes from knowing you are being true to yourself. The list could go one, but you get the idea…

Higher Guidance Meditation:

Here is a great meditation by my friends at Openhand to help you access those inner whispers. It’s relatively short (20 mins) so it’s ideal to use to reconnect with yourself during a busy day.

Author: Richard West – WakeUp World