No Good, No Evil

Before I share an excerpt from my recent book The Art of Being in the Flow, I would like to point out that my opinions are not official reflections of the Buddhist teachings. Although I am a lama, I consider myself a free spirit, rather than a proponent of any organized religion. I believe that any religious dogma, especially believing in good and evil, can be a major barrier to personal freedom and being in the flow of life. When we label something as good, we create an expectation that it should be good not only for us but for others, too. It also implies certain perpetuity of goodness despite any common sense. We know that many things that were deemed good yesterday may be not so good today and what is good for one person may not work for another. When we label something bad, it is just as misleading. Moreover, religious dogmas insist on rigid dualism of good and evil, judging our actions and threatening us with consequences. As it were, hell is not a geographical place but a state of being separated and afraid. Any belief supporting the sense of separation and fear creates a hellish existence in people’s lives on earth.

“Imagine coming to a crossroads and feeling the energies of different directions you could choose. You may notice that your energy resonates with some directions better than others. Where there is resonance, your energy is attracted to flow in that direction. If you pay attention to such resonance, you can allow the flow of life to unfold naturally and spontaneously. But if you do not pay attention to this resonance, you may feel compelled to take a path based on your preconceived ideas or stereotypes. Rather than following your own ideas, you may be indoctrinated to conform to traditional beliefs or stereotypes handed down from past generations. Letting go of such programming is not simply an intellectual exercise but rather a process of discovering mental alertness, spiritual openness and authenticity. These qualities can empower you to reconnect with the flow of life and promote freedom of choice.

“When you imagine yourself at a crossroad, you are in a position where you have the freedom to choose your direction. Personal freedom is necessary to be able to make a choice in any situation of this sort. Your freedom, however, may often be restricted by some beliefs distorting your perception. If you follow the beliefs that do not promote your perception of the flow, they become an impediment to being in the flow. Therefore, you may need to look into your belief system to check which beliefs resonate with your consciousness and which ones do not.

“Your attention is the interface between what you know and what you do not know. You cannot learn without paying attention, since you cannot remember that which you pay no attention to. Development of attention always requires acceptance. Being attentive is only possible when you accept what is. You cannot be attentive to something you do not accept, simply because when you are not accepting it, you are busy resisting it or running away from it, engaging in “fight or flight” instead of just being present. Such lack of acceptance creates the rigid dualism of right and wrong, judgment of actions and threats of adverse consequences. Being accepting will help you transcend this dualism, allowing you to be more content and happy with your life.”