Feeling Oneness

(photo credit)

I have a tendency to complicate things. First of all, I read too much and think too much. Do you have the same tendency?

The other day, I got on my bike and went to the bike path. Eugene has a bike path where no motor vehicles are allowed — just people walking, jogging, biking, roller skating, wheelcharing. It’s along a little creek, and although it’s not far from the main street, it’s surprisingly peaceful there.

And there, everything reminded me the simple truth: It’s One Life.

The sky, the creek, the trees, the birds, and me. And other people passing by.

One Life, one heartbeat, manifesting as many, in different, seemingly separate forms.

I guess I knew this for a long time, but then, as I read about enlightenment and so many other things about spirituality, I got confused. I started to think about oneness, rather than simply feeling it.

That doesn’t work.

Spirituality myths

So, this article is a reminder that truth is actually very obvious, very simple, it’s right in my face. This article is also about my way of expressing how things feel to me (now) because I suspect a lot of things that people believe in spirituality are just myths.

The myth of awakening
Nay, I don’t get awakening. It’s more like the One Life in me awakens. I think Adyashanti says the same thing but I cannot find the exact quote right now.

The “I” that I usually think of me is the ego. It doesn’t matter how careful I am with the various tricks the ego uses. The one that is being cautious of the ego, the one who thinks I shouldn’t be identified with the ego, is only another persona of the ego.

On a nice day like that, however, the One Life in me awakens despite the resistance of my ego. And then, there is a good deal of confusion and disorientation because, at one moment, I identify with the One Life, and at the next moment, my ego sneaks back and I “think” from the place of my ego.

The myth of the ego
Some people claim they have killed the ego or their ego fell off. That sounds cool. All I know at this point, however, is that hasn’t happened to me. The ego is still there. And as I wrote above, if I am fighting against the ego, well, that fighting me is just another aspect of the ego. The One Life really doesn’t care.

“Enlightenment” is a dumb word
Because it implies you are dark, or at least, not light enough. And when you believe in that and start “seeking”, well, of course, that is your ego in operation.

While we are at it… “divine” “sacred” and other blah’s are dumb words, too
Realizing oneness is simple. All these holy sounding words are just working against you and the natural process by compartmentalizing spiritual realization.

“We are all one” is a confusing phrase
I understand what this phrase tries to express and I totally agree. But for me, the phrase implies there are “we” — you, me, and other people. It sounds that we (collection of individuals) come together, trying to believe in the oneness. And of course, “trying” has nothing to do with realizing.

The way I feel is there is only One Life. First, there is this One Life, and then, it appears as many. For a good fun reason.

“The world is a mirror” is another confusing phrase
Here is my apology. I use to write things like, “When I see myself in you, in everyone and everything, how can I not love you?” (From I Love You) Well, that was still a mental image. The way I now see it is the One Life in me sees the One Life in others.

I don’t see myself (Akemi — Akemi’s ego) in you. Akemi is here. What it is is the One Life (also called Consciousness or Source, etc) that is always present in me, in you, in everything and everyone, finally wakes up and recognizes itself in everything around.

The law of” attraction” is a confusing term
Ultimately, there is only One Life. How can it not create what it wants within itself? It’s not about attraction. It’s about creation, and creation is always in the process.

I’ve always insisted it’s creation, not attraction, but it is so clear now. So here is a tip if you want to use LOA effectively: Relax. If you are working so hard with affirmations, visualizations, and so on, you are actually resisting the natural flow.

Get out, get a life

As far as I know, from my own experience and from what I heard from some of my friends, we are a lot better off spiritually when we get out in the nature rather than spending extraordinary amount of time reading and thinking. This doesn’t mean reading and thinking are no good, but I’m afraid some of us are imbalanced like I was before.

Also, a lot of time doing nothing is a good thing. I am taking this month of December off from my work. A voluntary sabbatical. It may sound crazy to people who think work or money are the most important, but right now, I just want to be watching the sky.

I have a feeling I’ll be posting less often going forward.
So a bit early, but here is my holiday greetings to you all.

Happy Holidays!

Reviewing My Old Articles On Life Purpose

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I am a work in process. And blog is a realtime publishing. I write my truth, as I see it now, and post them here as I flow in life. This is fun, and I hope you are enjoying reading it, but there is also a risk — I may contradict what I wrote before.

With the realization of “The purpose of life is life itself,” I want to review my previous articles on life purpose. If I were only partially true (not because I was dishonest but because my understanding at that time was not as full as it is now), I’d like to give you updates. It’s also fun to see which part of me has stayed the same over the last three years.

It’s probably a rather boring post for you, so please feel free to skip if you must. I’m writing this mainly for my integrity.

Here is the summary of each article and my current thought about them, in chronological order:

True Life Purpose Goes Beyond The Illusion Of Self (March 2008)
Here, I am using the word “self” to mean the individual self, or the ego. And I wrote life purpose is the key to true happiness. I also wrote the true life purpose goes beyond the sense of self and connects us to others. I wrote it’s more than doing what you love, or following your bliss.

These days, I don’t see the line in me. Doing what I love and following my bliss is about connecting with others. Because we are all One. At the time of writing this article, I knew we were one, but my realization was limited. So my understanding was limited — everything I wrote is true, in one perspective, but wasn’t the whole truth.

Also, in this article, I valued the sense of direction life purpose provided. This is true — the sense of no purpose is extremely disturbing and I think many people try to numb this discomfort.

Since I got the “The purpose of life is life itself” and am releasing myself from the specific purpose I previously subscribed for, I do feel a bit disoriented. This is the area I am not completely sure about at this point. I’d like to think I can just sync with the natural flow of life (and I am not talking about Akemi’s life — I’m talking about the One Life that we are all part of) and therefore sync with the natural direction of life.

Having said this, this is a pretty good article. You might like to check it out.

I Have A Dream. . . (April 2008)
This is an article where I expressed my personal dream for the world, that everyone will realize their purposes. And I wrote this will save us from the inner emptiness and insecurities.

I just love how passionate I was about life purpose. I was in the early part of the journey when sincere passion for something mattered. Although my view has changed somewhat — and stayed the same in other aspects — I just love how I was. So I understand that if someone is enthusiastic about finding their purpose, that is great!

Embrace The Big Questions Worth Spending Your Life For (June 2008)
In this article, I first ridiculed the mass tendency to find answers quickly, even answers to big questions like, “What is the meaning of life?” This attitude disempowers you and steals joy and peace from you. The process matters just as much as the answers.

So I carried the question. . .

Living Your Life Purpose (Nov 2008)
Back then, I thought this was the definitive article on life purpose. I wrote, “In the most generalized level, we all come to live in the physical life form for one common purpose: to experience life in this physical world and to learn and grow through the experience.” I don’t believe in the “growing” any more, as I wrote in this article of spiritual growth paradox, but I also know seeking to grow is the phase we go through to realize there is no growth necessary.

The first part of the above statement is exactly what I am saying today. We are here to experience life.

In order for us to have various interesting experiences, each of us are made unique. I mean, think what it would be like if all of us looked the same, thought the same thoughts in the same way, felt the same, and acted the same. How can that help the Source, or the One Life, realize its wholeness and abundance? It’s like no one really exists. So expressing our unique gifts and strengths is another aspect of life purpose.

The article also discusses the life lessons each soul chooses. Life lesson is the core spiritual values we choose to learn prior to our incarnations. As you will see, part of my idea about life lesson has changed. I no longer believe learning the life lessons is the life purpose. Rather, it is like a preparation process so that we can experience life fully — which IS the purpose.

No More Life Lessons In The School Of Life (Feb 2009)
I wrote this article after I found Ascension soul shift. Learning life lessons is a major objective in life, but some of us are completing the old fashioned “learning” process, like graduating from school. This doesn’t mean we quit learning altogether, but it does mean the approach to life changes.

I wrote, “From here, we are completely free and our life purpose is simply to be who we are.” This is basically what I am saying now. Be who you are. Live your authentic self. Life’s purpose is life itself. “Do whatever comes to us naturally and joyously.”

How To Find Your Life Purpose Through Your Life Challenges (Feb 2009)
I wanted to help people find their life lessons. I also wanted them to know there is no need to be bitter about “negative” experiences in life. These were my motivation to write this article, which turned out to be very popular.

Whether the learning experience is a pleasant one or not (what I used to call positive / negative learning experiences), it is, after all, about experience. Our “being” and “doing” are not two separate things. We realize who we are, our being, through experiences, by doing. The two are dynamically connected.

As I wrote above, I no longer think learning the life lessons is the life purpose, but this article is helpful nonetheless if you are having hard time in life.

Soul’s Purpose For Incarnation (Sept 2009)
“ . . . is to enjoy this physical world”, I wrote. In other words, to experience the love and abundance in a tangible way, using our creative power. So it’s also about authentic self expression.

In effect, this is the same with my recent claim of “The purpose of life is life itself.” I guess, however, some people get the hang-up with the word “enjoy”, saying there are unenjoyable experiences in life.

Acceptance Is The Key To Peace And Joy (Nov 2010)

This is where I got the “secret” of unwavering peace and joy from my spirit guides. If peace and joy are important to you, and yet eluding to you, please check it out. The secret is acceptance — to accept all experiences without judgment.

Summing up
Life purpose is not about your job. Your job is included in the purpose, but they are not connected with equation mark. Nor is it about volunteer work or hobby. Again, they are included in the purpose, but not THE purpose.

When you are clear with who you are (and you are not your ego, who always want to attach meanings, stories, etc.), the purpose is really simple. It is in the Now.

My previous articles all point to the same direction, but “The purpose of life is life itself” is the simplest, and the most comprehensive truth I can think of now.

Synonyms For Love

Love is a small word with a big meaning. So as a follow up to I Love You, I am writing my thoughts on love.

Love and the heart

I am not talking about love as opposed to hate. That’s the conditional love based on calculation. I am not talking about love as obsession or possessiveness.

What I mean by love is the natural flow of energy when we open our hearts. (Whereas obsession and possessiveness close the heart.) So love is hard to define, just as the “I” is hard to define. But still, let me work around love. . .

Love is acceptance

Acceptance is a close synonym of love. When I accept someone or something as they are, I am opening my heart and loving them.

For those of you who thought “Acceptance? That’s all?”, may I ask who accept you exactly who you are. My parents wanted me to be one way or the other, as they fancied, and I think this is a pretty typical case. I am currently unattached, but even when I was married, I don’t think he accepted the whole me. So acceptance — complete acceptance — is a big deal.

Acceptance is the same with allowing when something is happening. In other words, no resistance. I don’t know who said this, but I like the quote:

Love means never saying I told you so.

Love is appreciation

Appreciation and gratitude are also synonyms of love. The key is to appreciate everything, not just what you think is good. To love something totally, appreciate both the sunny side and the shadow side.

Obviously, to accept and to appreciate, we need to notice. Consider this quote:

The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference.
And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference. — Elie Wiesel

Love is … forgiveness?

Forgiveness is a form of love. However, most forgiveness is done from the head rather than from the heart.

Real forgiveness is being okay with it. So when you see someone you intend to forgive, and you are the same you as you always are, then you have forgiven. Or when a memory wells up and you can say in your mind, “Hi, memory, do you need something from me?”, then you have forgiven. (And the memory automatically disappears.)

Are there other ways to say “I love you”? Let me know. With love, acceptance, and appreciation.
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