Being and Non-Being: When We Still the Mind, We Move Beyond Everything

Posted on November 4th, by Dr. Puff in Articles. No Comments

To solve any problem, we first have to go to its source, the ultimate source of ourselves to discover who we are. Our minds can think of two possibilities: we’re being or we’re non-being. But, because the mind is part of this enquiry, it is limited. It is incapable of going beyond itself and yet who we are is beyond the question of being versus non-being.

This is where meditation can assist us. When our minds are in a state of quiescence, such as when we quiet our minds during meditation, we revert to a more natural state. It is a state of non inquiry and a state of beingness. As for non-beingness, we reach that state when we sleep.

The ultimate self, who we are, is beyond both states because both are part of time and space. They’re therefore also impermanent and subject to change. Even awareness, which comes as close as possible to describing our ultimate state, is trapped within the time-space continuum where our minds conceptualize everything.

We are all of it yet we are before, after and beyond it all. When we meditate, we lose our attachments to our thoughts, feelings, fears and desires, and we return to a more natural state – our true self. This self is beyond being and non-being.

We are everything that ever was, ever will be and ever is; we are everything, every universe and galaxy. We are that. We identify with what feels real, but when we realize we’re really just puppets playing our part or actors playing our roles but at the same time we’re the directors, we understand that we are everything.

Our minds cannot identify with everything, however. Though what I am explaining is a concept, a concept that helps me identify with who I am and helps me live my life very spontaneously, freely and lovingly, it is still a concept. We always have to be careful of concepts because we’re limited to the being/non-being state. Our minds battle to identify with what is beyond it.

In silence and awareness, sometimes glimpses of who we are spontaneously arise. But between being the supreme, ultimate reality and realizing that we are not the doer of anything but rather the witness to it, life flows very well. Our minds become still and we just be.

We learn to flow with life and just be. When we get caught up in believing that this is real, that this is the true reality of who we are, just for a moment we should remind ourselves that we are everything and we are nothing or no-thing. We are being and we are no-being. Our minds cannot grasp this so they become still and we enter our true selves. We also manage to live, love and act spontaneously. Life becomes a beautiful dance without any thoughts and we realize we are just here to enjoy it.

We’ve danced and lived an infinite number of lives before and we’ll live an infinite number of other lives again because we are life. We are actually that which creates life, is life and always will be life. We’re before life and beyond it. We’re even beyond non-being. When we gain glimpses of this, particularly during meditation, our minds go still, we let go and just be.

In the spontaneous and pure awareness of beingness, life flows beautifully and moves well. This is something we can all gain but we just need to still our minds in meditation and as we live our lives. When we get caught up into the world, we need to remember that we are everything, but we are just actors and all is well. Let’s play our role and enjoy it but realize it is just a role that we will play an infinite number of times and have played many times before.

All is well because we are the director and the actor. We are everything before it, everything after it and everything comes from us, who we are at our core. Who we truly are is beyond being and non-being. Be with this and let yourself be still.

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Dr. Robert Puff, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, author, international speaker, and meditation expert who has been counseling individuals, families, nonprofits, and businesses for over twenty years. A contributing writer to Psychology Today, he has authored numerous books and creates a weekly podcast on happiness at http://www.HappinessPodcast.org He also creates a weekly podcast on meditation, http://www.MeditationForHealthPodcast.com and a weekly podcast on spiritual enlightenment, http://www.EnlightenmentPodcast.com His retreat schedules can be found at http://www.HolisticRetreats.tv You also might find his blog useful at http://www.Meditation-Enlightenment.com If you are interested in having Dr. Puff speak to your organization or company, you can learn more about his speaking services at http://www.SuccessBeyondYourImagination.com