Silent Musings

It seems I’m always talking with people about the nature of the conditioned mind. It’s ironic to call the mind “conditioned” when there is no such thing as an unconditioned mind. The whole function of the mind is conditioning. It’s a pattern recognition machine, capable of “relating” only to the past and future. It has absolutely nothing to do with the present, and hence nothing to do with reality as it is. It is also only capable of recycling old thoughts. That’s right, every thought is an old thought. These, too.

It’s very useful if you want to earn a college degree or have a job to help you pay for groceries. Especially if you don’t have friends or family that can help you find the grocery store.

Lately I’ve been noticing the extent to which all of that we call “experience” is shaped by the conditioning of our minds. Here’s an example that illustrates a point of view not often considered. Are you psychic, or do you know someone who is? We tend to think of this sort of thing as a special gift or power. But really isn’t it simply conditioning like everything else? That’s right, just another view of the Universe. Not actually all that different than being a neo-con, an anti-war protester, a scientist, or believing in the Easter Bunny.

And here is the trouble with views. Every view creates division, this and that, and as a result either fear or pleasure, or both. That’s right, and your local neighborhood spiritual bookstore will have a thousand tomes calling this duality. The notion of the existence of an ego is simply a view as well. A view that asserts a self that is separate from objects and other selves. Many people will try to convince you of the paramount importance of destroying the ego. Sorry, but that’s just another view. How can you destroy what doesn’t even exist in reality? And I won’t even get into the paradox of destruction here. In the process of solving one perceived problem, you’re creating yet another. You could call this the problem with problems.

Fear, fear, fear. You have no idea how much it runs your life. Pretty much our whole culture is defined by it. Everything you know creates fear. Often subtle and unnoticeable, but only because it is unexamined. Fear is like shit that doesn’t stink any more after you sit with it long enough. And how do we usually deal with fear when we can perceive it? We try to eliminate it by understanding it. Yeah, like that will work.

So now that I’ve attempted to destroy all semblance of hope in your life, I suppose you would like me to offer a view that will free you of the bonds of the conditioned mind. Well, if I had any sense, I would just stop writing right now, but being a crazy human and all, I’ll keep the bullshit flowing just a little bit longer. In truth, I have no idea what to say, other than to find out for yourself. Directly, by interacting with what is. There is no truth about fear or the conditioning of the mind. Those are just concepts, views, having absolutely nothing to do with the present, and hence nothing to do with reality as it is.

Hey, didn’t I already say that?

Insight is not an act of remembrance, the continuation of memory. Insight is like a flash of light. You see with absolute clarity, all the complications, the consequences, the intricacies. Then this very insight is action, complete. In that there are no regrets, no looking back, no sense of being weighed down, no discrimination. This is pure, clear insight - perception without any shadow of doubt. Most of us begin with certainty and as we grow older the certainty changes to uncertainty and we die with uncertainty. But if one begins with uncertainty, doubting, questioning, asking demanding, with real doubt about man’s behaviour, about all the religious rituals and their images and their symbols, then out of that doubt comes the clarity of certainty. - J. Krishnamurti