There is a complete separation between life and life experience. It is so simple and so obvious that it must be the purest truth. Our life is the inner core of which we are, also called the soul, the heart, Being, or whatever other label people place on it. We all are born exactly the same, with the same life inside of our body. The life consists of love, peace and joy. As babies we come to this world with that purest state of energy, nothing else exists but the life. However, we are also born with a mind. The mind is created and shaped through life experiences presented to us. Every single experience teaches the mind to act, think and behave in a certain way. The life experiences shape us and create our personality. And we are taught to believe that this is who we are.
But this is the farthest from the truth. We are not our mind. We are the life that is inside the body. The life which holds love, peace and joy. Then, we must realize that when life experiences happen they are there for us to take in whatever form they appear. They are experiences that happens to us, but are not us. We should live our lives from the inside out, and not outside in. We should project the soul that is within to be shared with others, and the experiences that we receive become joyful and pleasant. We shouldn’t ask “why is this happening to me?” but rather “what can I give to this experience to make it more meaningful?” For example, if one is experiencing pain or sorrow, they need to recognize that they are not the pain or sorrow; it is an outside experience totally separate from the life within. Thus, the soul should respond by offering a positive thought or emotion so it can actually change the experience to be less painful. By sending positive energy, we get positive back. By staying negative, we receive negative back. It’s a simple rule that has been known and practiced by enlightened individuals for ages; therefore, one must begin to understand that the soul and the mind are separate and the more distance we practice, the more love, peace and joy we will obtain.
Think of it as a tree. A tree is a life. It doesn’t have a mind to make it think about external factors. It does not ask question like, “Am I pretty enough? Green enough? Smart enough?” It just is. The tree is a life that’s growing, spreading and simply being. It doesn’t matter if it’s on a side of a busy street or growing in the middle of a quiet forest. The tree doesn’t care because there is no mind to judge itself. The tree doesn’t care about the external. The life inside of our body is the same. It’s the purest and simplest form of life. The mind is the corporate to make everything complicated and opinionated. Most people make a mistake by stating that their life experiences made them who they are today. They believe these external factors made them strong, weak, positive or negative or whatever they think of themselves. However, it simply isn’t true. It is the mind that makes you believe that this is who you are. It repeats its past, over and over. Then, the thoughts of fear take over and they echo, “Why is this happening to me? Why is life so unfair?” But, actually life is fair and beautiful. It is the mind that blocks the inner strength. Thus, separate the mind from the soul, and be free.
People also make the mistake of believing that they are strong minded individuals that they can overcome anything by themselves. They have the power to do it because of their mind. However, it is not their mind that is strong and powerful that gets them through tough moments. It’s the strength that’s within. When we are at our weakest and we ask for help. Who do we pray to? Do we say, “Please mind help me get through this?” or do we pray to God? We ask God for strength, which is already in us. The source of all Being lives within us. Our Being has the power to heal because it is connected to God. The mind has nothing to say. It actually shuts up and lets the soul to the dirty work. Because it is probably the mind that created the bad situation in the first place, and then the soul has to fix it. And it does. Every time you ask for it; it does! It holds the true power.
This concept is also an essential principle that should be taught to our children. Our parents, education and society teach that we need to go to school, so we can get a good education, have a decent job, make money, then buy a house, car or find a prosperous husband or wife so we can be happy. And if you ask any kid in school, why education is important or what do they want in life, the answer will be the same. They will repeat that they want to have money, so they can have a good life. What are we teaching our children? We are telling them that the only way to have a good and happy life is to have money and external things. Why aren’t we teaching them about the place where real joy, love and peace come from? We do need money to survive in this world; however, to have a good and happy life, we must nurture our soul. Be connected to the true Being. To see life as a gift that gives not a gift that receives.
Thus, having experiences with people that are deeply connected to their Being is so important. We look for them, and when we find that connection, we are drawn to it because our soul is recognizing the other soul as a friend, as someone they know. And of course they know each other because they are the same. Same source, same energy, same life within. The soul seeks life experiences so it can feel connected and understood. Then, the overall human experience is worth it because the soul found its mate. It found its soul friend.