Unlearning

When we unlearn,
we question and deconstruct
previously untouched
beliefs and biases.
We go to the root of thinking
one rung at a time.

By examining old ways of thinking,
or even letting go of thinking itself,
we might find new pathways
and growth.

But the mind is stubborn.
It tends to move
laterally or downwardly
while retaining mostly the same behavior.
The content changes,
but the tendencies remain the same.
Take for example,
a fundamentalist Christian
who converts to
fundamentalist atheism.
Or a staunch vegan
turned
hardcore carnivore.
The beliefs change,
but the attitude and attachment
to fundamentalism remains.

Take another, subtler example:
A dancer who,
while dancing,
imagines herself
performing a technique.
She then changes her
imagination
to employ a different technique.
Her technique changes,
but the imagination remains.
This added layer of thinking
blocks her from
sensing.
The mind believes it made 
a great advancement
when letting go of thought and imagination itself
would better serve her dance.

These changes might be all
the mind can handle at that moment.
Seeing benefit from the change,
we think: this must be it,
the end of the search.
So instead of changing
our entire way of thinking,
we stop unlearning.
We end up unlearning
unpleasant concepts
while building up our
pleasurable concepts,
further solidifying
our likes and dislikes.

Here, the mind gets stuck.
To keep growing,
stay open to change.
Keep going,
keep digging,
until we reach new layers
and uncover deeper truths
that reside only within
the present moment.

Not Knowing

There is no more powerful state of learning
than not knowing.
An open mind is a receptive mind
of infinite potential.
When we become aware
of what we don’t know,
of our limited perceptions,
we open ourselves up to the unknown,
to the mystery and possibility of experience,
where even the old
seems new again.

Emptying

The time to empty is during
overwhelm, burnout, anxiety, tension.
The body’s intelligence
is clear
the nervous system alerts us
for less input, less content, less doing.
Undoing, non-doing, and emptiness
is a skill we can train.

Put away everything you can control,
and allow everything you can’t
to wash over you.

Sludge

Self-understanding requires
plumbing the depths of experience.
Here, you’ll find a thick sludge
in the form of endless content
that blocks your path to understanding.

You must act as the plumber does,
clothed with boots and hazmat suits,
and swim in the shit.

It may not be fun,
but once cleared away,
you can see clearly.

Bypassing

There’s a desire to bypass
the difficult steps, stages, or feelings
to reach our desired outcomes.

We want to feel content, connected, and successful
without facing discontentment, vulnerability, and failure.

But how can you enjoy pleasantness
without enjoying unpleasantness?

There’s no other way,
you can’t skip stages.
The only way around
is through
and the only way out
is in.
Sometimes,
we need to
take a step back
to go forward.

~~

Self-Inquiry:
– What if nothing needs to be solved right now?

~~

I hope you found benefit in this inquiry. I find myself going through phases where I think I have things all figured out and then phases where I have no clue what’s going on. Life continues to show me there’s more richness, depth, and truth in so the latter. When I admit I know nothing, and start from this place, I find it easier to move forward and build back. But when I start from a place of “I know everything,” it’s difficult to open myself up to receiving. There’s a time to close and a time to open. Whichever you’re experiencing, I wish you the best.

Love,
David

PS – If you want to purchase signed copies of True Nature or The Trail Provides as gifts for yourself or loved ones this holiday, let me know. The hardcover version is available for The Trail Provides and I’m working on finalizing the hardcover for True Nature. I’ll keep you updated. Thanks for all your support.