As we learn to become a third party observer and objectively watch the left-brain mental activity from a safe distance, we start to attain a new measure of freedom from our compulsive impulses. We must come to see this left-brain noise for what it is, the “self-talk” of a deranged mind in separation from Source.
What is left-brain noise?
Discursive thought is our Self-Talk. It is a the narrative in our head that is so often running amuck. It is the old ‘story-telling-thing’ that the left brain does where it judges the present based on the past. This needs to be deprogrammed with “beginner’s mind” meditation and mind training so that one does more than observe the dysfunctional thought process but actually brings their own negative thinking to a full stop.
It is the “beginner’s mind'” which says: “I don’t know what anything means.” This the mindset of a disciple (a learner, student, pupil) whereby one is set free from judgement based on the past. This is critical to reaching the third state of spiritual awareness which I term Mysticism.
In order to move past left-brain structures we must empty ourselves of what we think we know. Structures like religion and science only limit our spiritual development. They keep us in a prison of static thought.
Without this “beginner’s mind” a person is a victim of their own narrative. Actually, this term ‘victim” is the wrong word. We are not victims but all willing participating in this conundrum. We each build our own prison which is full of all the unrelinquished grievances from the past and fears of the future.
We waste time and energy worrying about the past and in doing so we only project these problems into our future and attract to ourselves that which we fear. We must learn to unlearn. We must begin to let go of our views and drop our opinions. Anything less is irrational. That is to say, anything less only invites more trouble and more pain.
Freewill can reveal Beauty and create Bliss but more often than not it actually does the opposite. Rather than approach life with wonder and awe, we become dull and obtuse. This happens when we are out of sync with our Being (i.e., true nature) and our freewill gets hijacked by the ego. This internal false authority controls us the way a cult would. It is all too easy to get attached to some concept, ideology or meme matrix. Our belief system is our prison, and our world view is a virus of the mind which we spread to others.
We can make this world a heaven or a hell, and by our own choosing — by our Self-Tallk. This is the power of freewill. Like a double edge sword it can cut both ways: toward greater liberty or greater enslavement. When we lack gratitude, we invite suffering into our lives. When we give to others without expectation of return, we invite joy.
Giving is a door to our Divine Self and this act of love reveals our true Being. They say we are never more like God that when we give, and that is true. Not only because God is a giver and imitating God brings us joy, but for a second less obvious reason: giving is loving. When we love we are not imitating God as much as we are emulating — we are stepping into grace.
When we impulsively seek validation for our person-hood that betrays the fact we are still uncertain about who we are. It means our Shadow is still calling the shots, pulling the strings, and making mischief. In such a state our identity is very fragile and fear is our silent partner in all we do.
Most of human suffering is self-inflicted. That is the tragic consequence of our free will. We can allow toxic emotion to produce psychic pain, or we can learn to unlearn — to just let go. This is what embracing emptiness means. It means dropping those things we believe that no longer serve us and are only hurting ourselves and others.
Emptiness, correctly understood, is the means by which we change our mind and thus our mood and behaviors. This is not moving from an old belief to a new one, but rather moving from Left-Brain activity to the Right-Brain activity, from analytical thinking to the abstract. The truly rational mind has found a healthy balance between the two, but that is not our default position unless we use mind training to bring that about.