Have you ever wondered why you are dissatisfied with yourself and the world?
Because you don’t have your dream house, didn’t get the raise that will keep up with inflation or because the love of your life isn’t attracted to you any more?
Vedanta says it’s none of these. We don’t actually seek material things or validation from the world. We seek freedom from dissatisfaction, as we erroneously believe that possessions and popularity will cure the disease of dissatisfaction. When will you no longer surrender to the pressure of these erroneous beliefs? When will you relax and enjoy what you have, not what you want? Believing in lack and loss poisons the soul.
When will you truly be able to say, “I’ve made it! Only when you are pleased, secure and content with yourself, however you define it here and now. The feelings of incompleteness, separation and inadequacy are only evidence of themselves; they don’t prove that you are lacking in any way. Once you know for sure that no circumstances can improve your state of mind, you are truly free.
Freedom from dissatisfaction and insecurity is the ultimate goal of everyone. Vedanta calls it “moksha”. When this is a firm conviction you will no longer waste your energy manipulating the world to make it conform to your likes and dislikes. Enough is never enough for the person who tries to change the world.
When the mind no longer dozes off or is distracted by unwanted thoughts about personal or worldly matters, it becomes steady and peaceful and you can appreciate the core lessons of Vedanta: (1) the mind is not me (anātmā). (2) It is apparently real (mithya), only a name and a form, as are all other objects in the world. It is like the ocean and its waves. Neither are separate from water. (3) Likewise, nothing is separate from me, unborn existence shining as whole and complete awareness, the H20 of everything animate and inanimate (brahman). The mind is not separate from me. It exists alright, but it is as good as non-existent because the experiences it generates don’t change me. I am like Teflon…nothing sticks to me. There are no longer two things, only me. I am free! I live without breathing.
