An evolution is stirring across the globe. To understand this evolution, we must look at what we were before the evolution began, before we made a radical decision to think for ourselves. Thinking for ourselves requires us to become warriors, different from what we were when we succumbed to weak finalities and continued down paths of least resistance. To become aware of where we were before we began this evolution, we must look closely at our comfort zones; God, country and family, those cherished values that are so precious to our security.
These are arrangements that we have created in our collective minds, and as such, we fight to the death for them. Anyone questioning these values we consider the enemy, and they will certainly be shunned, or worse. This has been going on for as long as humankind has walked the earth. Primitive clans and tribes fought each other for territory and beliefs, one clan believing in the Sun God, one in the Moon God; they connected God to nature in those simpler times. God has become a little fuzzier now, no longer a celestial object or a bearded old man emerging from clouds surrounded by sunbeams.
All of this is uncomplicated, not difficult to understand. What holds us back from seeing our situation is a strange phenomenon, it's called - being followers. A follower relies on others to do their thinking for them, especially in regards to big things, such as religion and society. While we adamantly project our independence in things we can easily understand, we bow to higher authorities when it comes to our religions, our country, and even our families. We call it tradition, but in reality, it is fear of change. We go along with everyone else because to think for ourselves would require too much energy, intelligence, and courage, and it could be dangerous.
To go against the grain of society is considered negative, anti-social, subversion. Why go to the trouble? It's easier not to make waves and just go along. After all, things are going pretty well, why rock the boat? If we lived in a country where freedoms are not available, where corruption and inequities abound, we might not be so tolerant, but we live in free country, and that's good enough. But . . . why do we still feel fear, dissatisfaction, and we do if we are completely honest with ourselves. Being told what to do is comforting. It eliminates responsibility. We look for a political party, a plan of action, a guru, anything to keep from taking responsibility. The problem is; when you capitulate like this, you subject yourself to abuse. Being taken advantage of always requires your passive acceptance in one way or another, for convenience sake. It can't be done with people who refuse to be exploited; they cause all kinds of problems, and because of the strength of their convictions, usually prevail.
We want to know what to do and what to believe, the truth is not important. We know exactly what we are doing when we surrender like this, and it becomes so comfortable that soon we find ourselves blindly following all kinds of ideals without considering them for ourselves. Then we get into trouble, because the ideals are more often than not the ideals of strong egoistic individuals who might have a narrow goal of power for a faction of society in mind, rather than the interests of humanity. This causes war - the capitulation of independent thinking, and the greed and hatred of the egoistic, unenlightened leaders. Then the security we hoped would result from our blindly following an ideal instead of taking responsibility for seeing what actually is happening within ourselves, and within our society, becomes not security at all, but fear.
What keeps us from becoming independent thinkers? Why do we follow the decrees of others blindly? Do we do it because it is comfortable, makes us feel secure, and makes us feel warm and fuzzy? God, country, family, these are our entire realities, and to give these up would be to give up the very fabric of our lives. This is where we were before the evolution.
The evolution involves a fulfillment beyond the warm and fuzzy. The warm and fuzzy is based upon a web of illusions we find ourselves caught in, and we don't see the spider in the corner waiting to pounce. The spider in the corner is reality, and reality is not an illusion. Reality is seeing all that we are doing, the surrenders, the capitulations, and the incompleteness of our lives even though the illusion is that our lives are complete. We are caught in a dream state where we go through motions and then wonder why we worry, why we are fearful. Fear results from not being in control, and how could we be in control when we have surrendered our very intelligence to someone else?
We must have a passionate reason to awaken from our dream; otherwise, we remain asleep. The passion arises when one day we accidentally realize the prison we have made for ourselves. This is a real wake-up call, and when this happens, there is an immediate call to action, a call to break out of our self-induced prison. But how do we begin to break out? How do we begin to see how we have incarcerated ourselves? We begin by examining our cherished values.
We are not going to rely on another authority, another self-help book, a priest to tell us what we will find or what we should do about it. We have created these values, and therefore must examine them and investigate them this time by ourselves. We know that we are fearful, even in a perfect life and near perfect society, so why are we still unhappy? What have we yet to discover that will set us completely free? We have spent all of our time and energy on the things that society and our religions tell us will make us happy, things outside of ourselves, and happiness doesn't happen. It dissipates as quickly as it arises. So where have we gone wrong? How have we been misled? This is what we must find out. In addition, when the passion to discover becomes great enough, our intelligence will uncover true happiness, not a happiness promised by others, but a happiness we realize for ourselves, and it has nothing to do with God, with country, or with family. It is much closer and deeper than that. Loving God, country and family is not wrong, it's natural, but few actually love. A problem arises when we only think we love these things, and instead use them for merely our own security. It's an egoistic, selfish thing. When we use God, country, and our families for security, then love is not love, it becomes dependency, and dependency can never promote love, dependency promotes fear, as we try to control the things we depend upon.
Love comes from a much freer place. Love does not come from a place of egoism, but security does. Love is courageous; security is cowardly. Security creates divisions among humankind, the color of ones skin or their religion is enough to warrant their eradication. This is happening now, unbelievably, after thousands of years of culture. This is what the new evolution is all about, seeing where we are and why we have arrived here, and then doing something about ourselves, which will lessen the fear that permeates our world. We must look at all aspects of our lives and see where we use our God, our country, and our families for our own security, confusing ourselves into thinking that we love them.
What is love? Is love what we feel when we are attracted to someone or something? The latest studies have shown that the part of the human brain that becomes stimulated when someone is in love is not the emotional centers at all, but the primal centers that control animal lust. Is love nothing more than lust, which turns into possessiveness, control, a business relationship involving anger, suspicion, guilt, and apprehension?
His 30 years of meditation experience has taken him across four continents including two stopovers in Thailand where he practiced in the remote northeast forests as an ordained Theravada Buddhist monk.
He lived at Wat Pah Nanachat under Ajahn Chah, at Wat Pah Baan Taad under Ajahn Maha Boowa, and at Wat Pah Daan Wi Weg under Ajahn Tui. He had been a postulant at Shasta Abbey, a Zen Buddhist monastery in northern California under Roshi Kennett; and a Theravada Buddhist anagarika at both Amaravati Monastery in the UK and Bodhinyanarama Monastery in New Zealand, both under Ajahn Sumedho. The author has meditated with the Korean Master Sueng Sahn Sunim; with Bhante Gunaratana at the Bhavana Society in West Virginia; and with the Tibetan Master Trungpa Rinpoche in Boulder, Colorado. He has also practiced at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and the Zen Center in San Francisco.
E Raymond Rock (anagarika addie) is a meditation teacher at: 