CONSCIOUSNESS

If we have not been able to transform the painful events of our past, then they are still buried in our consciousness. When we allow painful images from the past to come up, it’s like we are eating our own consciousness; and the more we think, the more angry and upset we become. We chew our suffering and despair like cows chew their cud. We ruminate on our suffering and we suffer all over again. But in our consciousness, there are also the seeds of enlightenment. Our consciousness has as many channels as a television. Why don’t we push the button of compassion and understanding and change the channel?

We consume our own individual consciousness and we consume the collective consciousness. In both there are nourishing foods and toxic foods. We should be aware that when we spend time close to a community that has a great deal of hatred and despair, these energies will penetrate into us. We need to find a collective environment that is nourishing, where the people are motivated by compassion and helping others.