When we read reviews about new books, we often find those types of comments where the reader / seeker compares a writer’s previous book with the new one and concludes that this second one is not good enough, there isn’t anything new in it, it didn’t give anything to them. Quite often, the seeker finds another ‘spiritual teacher’ whose words can add a bit more to their ‘knowledge’ or beliefs about spirituality or how to achieve ‘enlightenment’ or certain states.
This seeking can be so strong that one could do nothing else than searching for more and more ‘knowledge’ or strategies. ‘This new type of meditation… maybe this is the one. Maybe this will give me what I’m searching for’.
But do you know exactly what you are seeking for?
What if the self is searching for itself? What if the ‘I’ desperately wants to find itself? Is it possible? Can a thought find itself? If not, what is searching and what is it searching for?
Fulfilment… can a thought be fulfilled?
Peace… can a thought be at peace?
Love… can a thought love or be loved?
Can a thought attain anything?
Is it really seeking something? Is there really a self that is searching? Or this whole seeking is just a cover up? What if seeking is just a cover story on behalf on a fictional character, called ‘me’?…
…. in order to not finding out the truth… not seeing what IS and what is not.
Fading Veiling 
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My feeling is that the endless seeking is a distraction to keep us from feeling trapped and miserable. An illusion of being on the road to freedom and endless possibilities is preferable to feeling stagnant/powerless. Not saying I agree/disagree with it as an approach, but it’s probably a default human state.
Btw enjoying your blog. Your article reminded me of this good old song too 🙂
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Hi Dave,
It’s good to hear from you 🙂
Yes, seeking is a default human state as long as the belief in the illusion of the self is intact. Once this illusion is seen through, the seeking naturally falls away.
You wrote: “The endless seeking is a distraction to keep us from feeling trapped and miserable.”
Yes, seeking is a distraction, but the second half of the sentence is just the trick of the mind. You are not trapped or miserable, because there is no you who could be trapped or miserable. 🙂 These are just thoughts popping-up, and when they are believed they can cause suffering. But actually,”feeling trapped and miserable” are just conditioned thoughts with associated feelings arising in the body.
About freedom: I’m planning to write a post about it soon…
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Hi,
Ah thanks for taking that apart. I see the potential benefit that you’re getting at. Although now you make me wonder “What is suffering?” (which sounds like the cover of a religious pamphlet). If the false belief in a constructed self leads to suffering then I it makes sense that the suffering itself is also false. I suppose we may be able to get to a point where insults don’t cause us suffering because of diminished sense of self, although no doubt that still won’t lessen the pain of hitting our thumb with a hammer!
Ok I look forward to the freedom post thanks.
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Hi Dave,
While the belief in the separate self is intact, the suffering seems very real. When the illusion of the self is seen through, most, if not all of the suffering naturally falls away. Even if it arises from time to time, it cannot stick to anywhere, because there is no ‘you’ to stick to.
Suffering is a big topic, so I wrote an entry about it and will post it tomorrow evening. So, thanks for the good topic 🙂
Today’s topic: Who are you protecting when you protect your friend?
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