It doesn’t seem that way.
In fact, to the body-mind ‘self’, there is always a problem.
It might sound a non-sequitur to suggest we’ll never find peace, but whilst we remain wedded to the notion that we are our thoughts, sadly, that’s the way it will be.
However, if you’re willing to investigate and question what knows or is aware of your thoughts, feelings and sensations — i.e. the full human catastrophe — then you’ll experience something different.
Don’t worry, it’s not some out-of-body experience; it’s premised on your direct experience of life, right here, right now.
Think of it this way. There are thoughts, feelings and sensations but they come and go, and change daily. But something always exists; namely your (being) awareness of them. And instead of being some wide open, almost indescribable space and/or experience, it’s self-aware:
awareness is aware of awareness.
And of course, in that space there’s everything.
Now, to arrive at that space, the ego thinks it has to do something:
show me the money.
It doesn’t. It can’t.
In fact, to this awareness, the ego doesn’t exist save to the extent that it’s no more relevant than anything else.
Now, you’re probably wondering, unless I’ve lost you completely, how you ever drop out of or drop into this awareness and how that’s going to fix your constant need to seek completion in the external world?
If I was being flippant, I’d say there’s nothing to do, nowhere to go, and nothing to grasp; but then again, that might leave you feeling “what’s the point, Julian?”.
Instead, if there’s a practice you need adopt (as a starting point) it’s to sit with your experience as the witnessing presence, which I accept is very hard when you’re caught in the cross-fire of your emotions. But with practice, you’ll soon discover that there’s a deep, prescient silence that starts to inform your life in a way that militates the daily drama.
Does that mean you’ve got to meditate? Yes, if that’s what you’re drawn to but then again, standing still, breathing slowly and observing your mind’s activities can be just as beneficial.
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