so you want to be a genius huh

8/7/2019 So you want to be a genius huh.

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So Y ou W ant To Be A Genius, Huh?

I came across these words this morning on the Eckhart

Tolle web site. They pretty much reflect my own

perspective:

To meet everyone and everything through

stillness instead of mental noise is the

greatest gift you can give to the Universe. I

call it stillness, but it is a jewel with many

facets: that stillness is also joy, and it is

love."

... and it is also genius.

But the problem is, we find it incredibly difficult to have a

still mind in the midst of our busy lives. There are

reasons for this and seeing them can help us no end.

.

Mind traps

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The mind trap that catches most of us goes something

like this -

Reality can o nly be experienc ed directly, in

stillness. We don't need to do anything to

experience the truth of who we. Why would we needto do anything to just experience 'what is' ? And so in

stillness (a lack of mind activity) our true nature

shines bright and plain to see. We experience the

creativity, love and joy that Eckhart talks about above

- our awake, alert essence that never changes.

Our life revolves a self-ima ge. But because we

don't experience ourselves as this we create a self-

image, a 'me' (some call it ego). And because this self

-image is built around things that are capable of

changing - the body, personality, reputation, and

material things it needs constant maintenance,

promotion and protection. The mind creates the

illusion that we have a separate little bit of

consciousness that is somehow shackled to the brain

within a human body. And so we appear to be

separate from everything else, vulnerable and

powerless in a scary world where things appear to

come unbidden and outside our field of

consciousness.The mind wo rks ceaselessly to m aintain ou r

self-image. Not only does the mind have to battle

to try and create a 'life' for us that is stable and

secure out of things that are forever changing but

also, because our self image is in fact an illusion (a

sad parody of who we really are - a mental construct

maintained by selective perception) the mind has to

work doubly hard to maintain this illusion in the face

of evidence of that would disprove it. Hence to





maintain this illusory self-image the mind puts 'me'

at the centre of the Universe and puts everything else

'out there'. It then looks out on these projected,

seemingly separate things and sees them not as they

are in reality but as they relate to 'me' and 'my

history'.

In this lack o f stillness ou r reality remains

unrecognised. The mind can therefore never rest.

Even when the body sleeps the mind is still in

motion. [1] In the midst of this continuous mind

activity there is no stillness for reality and the truth

of who we are to be experienced.

So back then to the question of why we find it so hard to

be still.

The popular belief is that to 'be still' we need to discipline

our minds and tame our wayward thoughts. Perhaps we

use meditation, or maybe we prefer to go for a long runor knit - each of us has our own favourite ways.[2] But

the reason we find it so difficult and the reason very few

of us find any deep, lasting stillness is the mind resists

any attempt to control it. Have you ever noticed that

when you try and control your thoughts your mind kicks

back? You can almost hear it saying, "Hey man, what

gives?.. I'm just trying to do the job you gave me -

LOOKING OUT FOR YOU". The mind is just doing it's

job - serving us. So do you see the dilemma? - Our mind

is given the purpose of serving our best interests with one

hand and then other hand is trying to stop it! No wonder

we find it so difficult.

It's because the very nature of our 'thinking, rational

mind' (ego?) is one of selective perception and control,





that any way we could imagine to tame it is just another

part of the trap. Any strategy of the mind to 'become still'

comes from the same mind-set that needs to maintain

control, and is itself yet another thought form - another

step away from stillness.

So the problem is not our overactive or wayward mind -

the mind is a wonderful things and serve whatever

purpose we give it. The problem is the purpose we give

our mind to serve in the first place: our perceived need to

control our world.[3] When we are willing to let everyone

and everything be exactly as it is, and be present with

whatever is in front of us right now, the mind falls still

naturally. And then in that stillness a greater intelligence

arises that sees beyond the superficial perception of our

'thinking, rational mind' to what is really going on, and

then responds automatically with both love and right

action to whatever presents itself.

So with this perspective in mind let's consider a simple

and direct approach to 'being still', a shortcut if you like.

.

A simpler w ay

What could be an easier or more effective way to end theillusion that I am separate from the rest of life and

separate from the source of all love and power, than to

simply allow ourselves to feel the connection that exists

between us? What could be simpler than to just stop

resisting the experience of what already is?

There's a old Sanskrit greeting that I know some of youare familiar with - Namaste (nam-a-STAY). I'm not sure

of the exact translation but it goes something like this:





"The truth in me bows to the truth in you". What a lovely

way to greet someone. When I hold this intention in

mind it's amazing the transformative effect it can have.

[4] And just choosing this is enough. We just need to

choose to feel the connection that exists between us and

trust that in choosing it is done. We don't have to 'try'

because it is this stillness, the essence of who we Are, that

knows the way into our conscious awareness.

It is very, very difficult to still the mind. To attempt to do

so directly is like trying to fight fire with fire. It's

recognising ourselves as we really are that dispels our

illusory self-image and we do this when we recognise the

formless in another. So here's the key: It's impossible to

hold the intention to see someone as they really are and

not be still. And it doesn't have to be a person - it could

be a bird, a pencil or a blade of grass... whatever is here

right now. In the willingness to simply feel the

connection that already exists in this present moment themind quite easily and naturally falls still of it's own

accord. And what flows from that stillness is always

perfect.

But if this so easy and powerful why isn't it common

knowledge? And why, for the few who do know about it,

do we still resist using it and try to find yet another way?

The answer to that comes back the mind's fear of losing

control.

.

Seeing throu gh resistance

This fear appears on the face of it to be quite reasonable.

After all, what could happen if we set aside our intellect

and forgot about the self-imagine we have so carefully





nurtured and polished? What if, without our control

strategies, we said something stupid or passed wind at an

inappropriate moment, or forgot something that was

important? Yet if we just once allowed ourselves to meet

in stillness we would see that all our fears are totally

unfounded. When we let go of our desire to control,

things work out absolutely perfectly and in fact, it is the

ONLY time that (we are aware of) that they actually do.

Gangaji describes her own realisation of this -

[I saw that] thought could no longer be

trusted, could no longer be master. The

previous fear of not knowing was

transformed into the joy of not knowing.

To n o t k n o w was the opening of my mind

to what could not be perceived by

thought..... What profound release."

Out of the stillness that arises from letting all things be'exactly as they are' and from embracing not knowing

what to think or do, arises a clarity, an inner knowing and

an intelligence that has no comparison to anything we are

commonly aware of... one that is virtually unknown in

our society. We open ourselves to the source of all genius

- the same source that Buddha, DaVinci, Jesus,

Shakespeare and Einstein learned to tap into. It is the

source of all true creativity and, although we each express

it in our own unique way, it is the same Source. We

should never for one moment doubt that we have any less

access to it than any being that has ever walked this way

before us.

It is the simplest and easiest thing in the world to do, and

it's only our ego's insistence that there must be more, that





it can't be that easy, that makes it seem so difficult.

Stillness is simply our nature, and genius arises naturally

out of that and shines into everything we look upon or

touch. What comes from the heart always speaks to the

heart and is never lost.

.

Choo sing to let go

To go looking for 'our genius' or our 'unique gift' is to

play small because genius is simply an irrevocable

attribute of who we already Are. And trying to maintain

control over our life is to play small also, because by

doing so we deny our own truly creative abilities to bring

about whatever we really want. It's easy to think of

stillness as a dormant state, or something that could be

quite boring, but the stillness that comes from within is

wide awake, alert and teeming with intelligence and

energy. It is the very essence of life itself and who we are,

Never confuse genius with knowledge. Inspiration has

nothing to do with thought but everything to do with it's

opposite. We Are genius, and our capacity to express this

is dependant only on our ability to be still, our willingness

to let go of our perceived need to control of our days, to

be open to receive instead of organise or plan.

For so many of us it takes a cataclysmic event in our life

to make a mockery of our plans and thereby get us to

relinquish control. Paul McCartney's words from the

song 'Let it be' spring to mind -

When I find myself in times of trouble,mother Mary comes to me,

speaking words of wisdom, let it be.





And in my hour of darkness she is standing

right in front of me,

speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be.

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

But we don't have to wait for times of trouble to turn

within, or be shocked into stillness by accident, tragedy or

grief; it's available to us in any moment we choose. We

think of 'letting go of control' as a difficult thing but it's

actually trying to maintain a sense of control that takes

all the effort and causes all the stress in our lives. But

let's be really honest with ourselves - has any amount of

control we have ever excerpted ever stopped things from

changing? No it hasn't, because it's the very nature of the

world we look upon to change. Suffering arises from the

demand that something be different than it actually is.

My my, what a crazy and joyless game we play. When we

finally do let go of control it is not with regret but with a

huge sigh of release and a glance back in disbelief at how

we ever managed to toil with such a burden for so long.

.

A o ne day c ha llenge.

We think that without some form of control our life

would be chaos, but we can never know that until we try

it and see for ourselves. So this is my suggestion: Just

for one day why not have a go at this. Let everyone and

all things be exactly as they are[5] and allow the stillness

that arises from that to nourish us, guide us and moveus. Put aside our schedule, our GTD, take off our watch

and come naked of all ideas about what serves our best





interests..... Just for one day. In Luke Skywalker parlance

- let's turn off the computer, and trust the Force.

I am not for one moment suggesting that this will be easy

because until trust has built there's a huge temptation to

use the old habitual ways of 'control and conquer'; but Ipromise that if we relax and allow our inner knowing to

carry us[6] we'll be amazed at all the blessings that

serendipitously come our way without any conscious

planning.

This is genius, and it has power to dissolve any

problematic situation we find ourselves in. It is, quite

literally miraculous, and the only thing that can limit it's

inspiration and power is our lack of trust, our perceived

need to withhold some level of personal control. So don't

do that, don't play small. Instead, when we are tempted,

just call upon it and trust it to be there for us.... nothing

more. And then just let attention rest in that feeling of Love that grows from within and allow That to take

control. Remember that it's this real Self that knows the

way into our conscious awareness so no amount of

'trying' can take us there, but it can called upon in an

instant.

Perhaps it's just a little reassurance we need. These arethe words that were once given me:

Anticipation plays no part at all for present

trust guarantees a future undisturbed,

without a trace of sorrow and joy that

constantly increases, so just relax and enjoy

this day. If you need a thought, a word or

just a tranquil open mind then that will be

my gift for I [ our real Self] am in charge by





Readability — An Arc90 Laboratory Experiment

your request."

If we are willing to give the power of decision to our inner

knowing and just relax and enjoy the ride, we will never

again doubt that we have the power to create the kind of

day we thought we could only ever dream about..

Namaste

So there you have it on the blackboard - my 'General

Theory of Genius'. Oh yes... and of health, happiness and

love too. I hope it serves you as well as it does me.

Namaste my friends.

.

Related Articles:

Credits: Hetemeel for the Einstein image.

Notes:

Excerpted from Life 2.0: So y ou want to be a genius, huh?

http://www.life2point0.com/2007/01/so_you_want_to_.html

http://lab.arc90.com/experiments/readability


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