Keep the Change

Keep the Change

Habits are the pattern of memories, and the “past” is an excuse for our behavior in the “present,” both individually and collectively. The bond between “individual” and “society” is conditioning, tradition. The only proximity to “unity,” in our world, is in the sense of separateness which we commonly appear to share—our typical selfishness. We have shattered the vessel of the truth of wholeness, and we wonder why our lives seem barren and scattered. Not only in our materialism, but in our loneliness, our deep insecurity is reflected; and yet we are so mired in our patterns that we continue to stagnate. Our abiding problem is that we chronically desire something other than what exists in this present—the only real— moment; we typically wish continually for that which is not being given by our circumstances. Though the predictable is static and lifeless, we suppose that that is what we want. But the Dance of Shiva does not confine itself to one posture. It is the chaos in the mixing bowl which produces the cake. Only when we can harmonize with the present, critical situation is there any prospect that we will be able to harmonize with a change to a different status. We cannot expect to be an unmoving fixture in a reality which we hope will be vibrant and dynamic. We waste our energy in concerned anticipation, rather than assuming that nature knows what it’s doing. In each appearance of every thing, we fretfully note “differences,” and thus we conceive “problems”: these problems are not unrelated to our conceptions. To the extent that we conceptualize, we will un-earth problems.

Change is a natural “perspective restorer.” But man is so resistant to fundamental change that it seems probable he would resist heaven on earth, were it magically to appear. The most astonishing change we could make would be to live as one with the changing ‘what is’, rather than endlessly attempting to construct ‘what should be’. The ‘what is’ is actual, not ideal; it is perfect in its chaotic imperfection; and attempt to control it is superfluous. When you strain, constrain or refrain, ask yourself why. Let us at least stop wasting energy on justifying and rationalizing our misguided behavior. There is more to life than hammering at a nail.

Resistance is the first impulse in the desire to control change—but change is irresistible, so we can only try to control change. Escape is the final impulse in the attempt to control change, but escape is merely postponement in time. To idealize is the impulse to imagine change that is under our control; chaos, however creative, is not thought of as ideal. (According to White’s Law: Things are never as bad as they turn out to be.) The seeds of control are in the fruit of fear. Observe that zenith of control in the West, “organized” (allopathic) medicine. Invasive, compulsive coercion of the body’s physical systems has not allayed our dread of cancer. Contrivance does not dissuade nature. Left to itself, disorder finds its own order, inevitably; that’s why chaos can persist. Nature need not worry about “setting an example”; flexibility could not be more natural: that which is controlled requires further control, and nature has no energy to waste. It is fear of insecurity that dictates man’s activity. We aspire unceasingly to bring to the present the security of a dead

past or an imagined, idealized future. “Though we will not kill a cow to save our lives,” an Indian swami said, “we will kill other humans to save our country.” The tendency of our species is to say, “When I have my physical needs taken care of, I will care for spiritual needs.” Yet, among those who have done the former, they are not particularly inclined to do the latter. The equation, apparently, is this: the more things you possess, the more fears you have. Security is its own reward. The further that one opens the jaw of security, the harder the bite of insecurity. There is complete freedom only when you can say, “There is not anything which you can take away from me.” That is to give up everything without being lessened. To clarify is “to clear”; to clear is to “take away.” There is something which is freed when you let go. Though a baby learns first to take a hold, this is followed by learning to release. Desire is not really the problem; it is attachment to desire which is the problem. The most fundamental change possible for us is to let go of desire. When you can rest somewhere without desiring anything, as Buddha realized, you will have no problems. Attachment is a connection which binds. First comes desire, then attachment, dependence, instability. First comes, for example, desire to excel; then attachment to results, dependence on competition, and instability of relationships—creating a new desire, for harmony. Take inventory: what is it that you desire not to lose?; then consider what you will do to maintain it. Confront potential lack of security and you confront fear. There is no guarantee to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The most secure animal is in a cage.

To make an investment in anything is to expect. Expectation fathers worry. If you insist on expecting anything, expect uncertainty. The greatest bounty is there for who least desires it: having no expectations, there is perpetual abundance. Attached to outcome, one’s actions can have only one direction: flexibility is lost. A mirror which held onto past images would soon be clouded and useless. A temple for “Truth” would be its tomb. What is the connection between peace and non-attachment? Is our task to mold the world into a better place, a safer place, a more comfortable or predictable place—any kind of place but the place it happens to be as we encounter it? Is our deepest greed our greed for certainty? Is it not our “progress” which increasingly engenders fear of the future? To simplify one’s life means to do more than lease the house and retire to a Winnebago. What of our attachment to pleasure, entertainment, experiences, fulfillment—all transitory, all hollow? One can be earthy without being worldly. Generally our attitude is toward generosity and sharing: to whatever extent the actions in your life are not based on it, such concerns are merely theoretical to you. If the “perennial teachings” are not simply to be discarded as impractical, how do we manifest them in practice? When the obstacles to love are dismantled, there is no barrier to loving.