Continuation: Meditation and Yoga Social Conditioning and Cultural beliefs
October 26, 2009
In our last blog we discussed cultural beliefs and social conditing and how these beliefs and social conditioning limit our ability to see the world clearly. Let’s expand on that discussion today. I would like to pose the following question to all of you: Is it possible to live life without any cultural beliefs, social conditioning or religious, political, or economic beliefs either?
Cultural beliefs, social conditioning, political, religious, and economic beliefs, are all brought about by thought. We search for comfort, and a sense of belonging. Or even worse, we blindly accept the words and beliefs of others. Our minds say I don’t like being alone. I feel very insecure when I am alone. So I must find a way to be secure. In our search we find this belief or that belief. We meet people that share these beliefs and we feel at ease. We now belong. So we find security and comfort in our beliefs. You already know all of this. Right?
Our mind thinks and projects the past through the present and into the future. It says, the past has been painful and I must change. I will learn from the past and live a better life. I will make great efforts to live a righteous life. I will be a good friend. A good mother or father. I will be a good Christian, Hindu, Protestant or Jew, whatever. I will then find god. In finding god all will be better. Then my spirit will not die. I will be reborn. I have found life after death. Either as a Christian, I will rise from the dead, or a Hindu, I will be reincarnated, etc. Therefore I don’t need to fear death any longer. My cultural beliefs and social conditioning bring me comfort and eliminate my fear of death and bring me a deep sense of security.
Do you see all of this? Our thoughts are of the past. Our thoughts are our past memories. All of the events and experiences that we have accumulated over time. These of course include all of our cultural, political, religious, and economic beliefs all rolled up over time into our memories. So our thoughts, which are our past memories and beliefs, try to evaluate the present or project themselves into the future. Clearly our memories are of the past. Therefor our thoughts are restrained by time. In this restriction our thoughts are therefore very limited. They are limited to the past and by time.
But yet we attempt to see and act in the present and the future through our limited past thoughts and memories. Do you see this? Thought being of the past, can not function properly in the future, or in the present. It can only function properly in the past. In our minds. If we choose to be bound by our thoughts, then we are subject to the whims of the past. Our observations in the present will always be altered, and our judgments become cloudy and murky. Thus leading to poor actions. Do you understand all of this? Think it over carefully. Because, only if you see the importance of this can you ever hope to change.
So I ask again, is it possible to live life without any limiting beliefs and social conditioning? See the great relevance of this question to your life. As long as we are bound to the present and the future by our limiting thoughts and beliefs of the past, we can never see anything clearly. The trees, the mountains, the water, or the sky. The people in our lives, in our relationships. We can not even hope to understand our selves.
To see clearly requires a quiet and subtle mind, void of thought and mental fluctuations. Please consider this carefully. Can our minds observe the present, without the fluctuation of our past thoughts and beliefs interfering with the process? Can our minds exist in a state of pure observation? Can we see an object without immediately referring to the past for reference and guidance? To just see the object clearly in the present for what it truly is, not clouded by judgments, comparisons, compromise, imitations, prejudice, and the like. This is what is meant by living life in the moment. Can you do it? This is why we practice meditation and Yoga, to bring a sense of peace and quietness to our minds.
There are so many secrets that Yoga and Meditation will reveal to you. There are so many ways that Yoga and Meditation can make your life easier and more fulfilling. Come and explore these secrets with me now by going to: http://www.yogaawakening.com
To a Stree Free and Abundant Life,
Anthony D’Agostino, Founder of YogaAwakening.com
Related posts: