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avoiding reaction
June 2009 
Avoiding Reaction to the Ways of the World.
Ian Gardner
If we combine what we know the mind to be with the fact of perceived reality we can understand two things:
1. That each of us, when using the mind, has an individual perception of every thing and 2. That the perception is, in any case, simply that - a perception, a mental picture.
Hence, every thing we perceive as happening in the world today, particularly where our reaction is emotionally adverse, is a creation of the mind, a mental activity, and is only real in so far as it is the way an individual visualises it.
In fact, none of it is actually happening!
This is extremely difficult to grasp - and cannot be grasped by the mind which is, of course, the creator of the illusion - but when one can do this one becomes unaffected by, and non reactive to, "life as we see it" or, if one does react initially, one is able to dismiss the mind and its creations for what they are and revert to the true Reality and, thus, peace of mind.
It is, therefore, true to say, "It is the thought that counts." Although I would substitute the word ment or mentivity for ‘thought'. [See New Words Coined. Click here]
Access: Public
Well, I do resonate with that line of thinking, and I think that it quite possibly points in the right direction. But I've got a question: Then if I were incarcerated for the rest of my life, what should I do? And if my leg were broken and no medical assistance was available, could I use this understanding in some way to avoid suffering or heal my bone? Please understand, these are my serious quetions. I'm not trying to be rude, disrespectful or flippant. I'm asking “what kind of knowledge is this?” I'm asking “in what venue of life is it usefully applied?” I don't know if my questions are too far off the mark for you to answer, but if you could try, that would be an eye opener for me I'm sure, and very much appreciated.
Martha,The above is a fundamental Truth and has a bearing on every situation in life with its use depending upon the individual's 'state of being' at the time. However, regarding your questions:
”… .if I were incarcerated for the rest of my life, what should I do?”
Firstly, you take responsibility for your situation and accept it. You ask yourself, “What can I learn from this?” and apply that. You use your time in incarceration positively. You underpin your situation and your attitude to it with the knowledge that it is a Soul experience that seems real. If you not only know, but are that knowledge anything is possible but if not just accept it and deal with it as if it were real. It is all part of the learning process, karma and spiritual growth.
” … . if my leg were broken and no medical assistance was available, could I use this understanding in some way to avoid suffering or heal my bone?”
Yes, it is possible, but for whom it is possible is another matter. There are many who have used the mind to eliminate pain; I, for instance, say to my mind when I hurt myself on something, “It's alright - message received!” and the pain subsides. However, these actions stem more from many aspects of knowledge than from what I have set out above although I do not say that the above cannot be helpful. I have done a lot of self-healing but have not focused on this aspect of the Truth. I suggest that you search the Milk Is White and my blog for words such as “healing” and do not doubt that you will find things relevant to your needs relative to your question.
I appreciate your apologies etc. but, my dear, they are not called for where I am concerned.
If you have any further questions do ask.
As Ian said, the mind creates our reality, everything we feel is a reaction from our mind or nerves. Pain, hunger, sadness, is all chemical reactions in our body that is interpreted by our brain. Pardon me for maybe going on a different view of mind and body than you have in your post Ian, but I feel there is a difference between mind and soul, soul is our experiences, what we have become in a sense, and our mind is a container of that, it limits us and contains us here, in the physical body. So our mind is affected by physical reactions, but in the same way the mind affects the physical. If we have complete control over our body we can feel whatever we wished to. We could prioritize what is important for our body to do and what is less. So we could concentrate more energy on healing our leg or wound. There is also the difference between our reality and real reality, I could believe that my leg wasn't broken, make it so I feel no pain, etc, but in real reality it is broken. The world is flat and the sun revolves around us, that was the peoples reality at one point, but in real reality it was not true. It is the difference between subjective truth (what we think is true) and real or 'absolute' truth. Amadon had a blog about it if you wish to look at that also.
Just trying to help you understand better if you need it. May your journey lead you to truth and fulfillment
Friend of Progress and Revolution
-Kyle
Ian~ I like the new words:) especially, mentivity! and the explanation, “…it is a Soul experience that seems real.” and to tie that in with Kyle's thought (ment) - whether it is what we think is true or what really is actually true, it is all for our Soul's unfoldment and enjoyment, for our progress and (R)evolution, isn't it?
Elizabeth~ It depends on what you ment the Soul/Mind to be. It is not an entity but a condition, or state, of the Spirit (Self).
()
I have mentioned in various places that I have been having difficulties in dealing with my minor reactions to world events but of late I have mastered this and would like to pass this on to all of you. As soon as I the emotional reaction occurs I consciously take myself to the reality of all this is a 'virtual reality' being acted out in the mind only.
I ment ('think') I have written more about this 'virtual reality' again in a pod, mine or someone elses, or my blog, in the last day or two.
Hi Ian,
Thank you for your thoughtful answer to my question. It was very helpful. I had not thought about your blog or my response to it for awhile, and then I had a dream a few nights ago that brought my own attention back to these issues. This is a sort of “ultimate problem” or “inevitable focus” isn't it? And I started working with an issue that came up yesterday which is oddly related to why I offered so much “framing” information (you might say “apologies”) in my original response to you. What happened that gave me the opportunity to practice was that an individual posted a comment on a blog which, although I don't think it was the person's intention, brought up some very painful memories for me. There was all my garbage. What I'm dealing with is a sort of “corollary” of your proposition that basically we create our own reality by our thoughts and our reactions to what happens. My approach is that in order to heal ourselves and the planet, each of us needs to allow our tenderness and sweetness to deal with the world, rather than other reactions or responses to it. (This all makes sense if you have read my last 4 blogs.) Anyway, my first reaction was to “forget about it, because it's in the past.” But I realized that although this may save me from some pain in this moment, the STUFF stays in there undealt with. So, I chose to let the memories come up. Then I chose to explore them without attacking the person. BUT, it's not simply a matter of changing how I look at the pain. This is a memory of being betrayed by a lover. And, of course, I could have said “betrayed” in quotes, knowing that this is “just” how I frame it, but on the other hand, I think that if someone makes a promise, it should be kept. Otherwise why bother building a relationship of trust. So, I'm not just going to “look at it differently” and it will disappear. The pain of broken trust and rejection of me, a perfectly innocent and loving person, is still there, really. So I could ask your question, Ian, “This is a soul experience, surely, so what can I learn from this?” And I could answer the question several good ways, but it doesn't take the pain of the memory away.
Sorry this is so long. Amazing how something so simple could take so long to say! :)
Hi Martha,
I am almost certain that there are those whose awareness of “what is and why” reaches a point at which the karmic experience of 'eye for an eye' as a learning experience or means by which “baggage” is dropped becomes redundant as the awareness itself effects the required result.
This could be what, in Christianity, is termed “by the grace of God” although it does seem to me that divine intervention, direct or through spirit guides/angels, does also occur in various instances - with the former being rare.
NB. In fact, having written it I can confirm that it is so; that what I say in the first paragraph above is a neoption that came to me when reading your comment above, and that my uncertainty came about because of the difficulty I was having in the search for the best words with which to express the neoption.