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Yeah, when I came to the Training I had so much relief of
getting introduced to something that I could always count on,
something that is always stable within my experience,
always stable with all the things that was going on for me. I mean, I had all kinds of data,
like sometimes positive, sometimes negative totally,
sometimes neutral, like we all have. I mean, you probably all can relate to that.
And I have tried always to find stability in these data streams, but I didn't know how to do that,
because I tried to either get rid of the data, so that I will not have any data streams.
So, data streams, what we call data streams here in the Training,
are all thoughts, emotions, sensations, everything that we can perceive.
So, I thought I could have stability if I don't have any thoughts, any emotions,
and then I thought, okay, then I will be happy, and I will feel at ease.
And I put all my effort into that completely, and that didn't work.
Then sometimes I would try to replace all these data streams that I had.
So, if I had negative data streams, I'd try to have positive.
So, I put all my effort into that, rearranging and trying to make, yeah,
just have good experience, having good emotions, like always feeling happy,
and I thought that's maybe where my stability is, but it also didn't work.
I could never hold it, even if it would be for a certain time,
I could feel like that, completely happy, I would always, a negative thought came in,
negative emotion came in, and so all this rearranging,
trying to change my experience in order to feel just at ease and feel happy, just didn't work.
And I just wanted stability in that and not always going up and down with my emotions,
but I was focusing in on my thoughts, emotions and sensations.
That's where I put my focus in, and I didn't see that there's something about me
that is always completely stable, always completely present.
That about me that perceives everything, that knows that I'm sitting here,
that sees everything and that listens.
That open intelligence, how we call it here in the Balanced View Training, that is always there.
It's the basis and ground of all our experience.
So all our thoughts, emotions and sensations,
they are inseparable from that open ground of knowing,
that openness that is always there, always stable, that stability,
inseparable, like the color blue is inseparable from the sky.
We cannot separate it out, we cannot separate the blueness out of the sky,
and here is the sky, and here the blueness. No, they are inseparable.
And that's with all our emotions, sensations and experiences are inseparable from open intelligence,
that is always stable,
that we can completely rely on and count on in our experience.
And we can introduce ourselves to that stability and that opening intelligence
by just stopping thinking for a moment.
Just for a split second we see that there's
this alertness that remains there, that,
that just knows that you're sitting here, that perceives.
And then thoughts come in again, and then we see, Wow, this ground of being,
it doesn't, didn't go anywhere, it's always present, it's always there.
So, there we know there is something about us that is always stable,
always alert, always present.
And we tap into that by taking short moments repeated many times.
What we do is we just relax body and mind completely for a split second
and recognize that there's something always present, an alertness always there.
Open intelligence always present.
So, that's how we tap into that,
knowing that it's always there,
always there for us, that we can count on it completely.
No matter what is going on for us, no matter what we are doing,
if we are completely tense because we are doing so many things;
open intelligence always present.
We wouldn't even know that we had so much tension without open intelligence.
So, there we know open intelligence is always there, and if we didn't recognize it
for that moment, that's fine. Whenever we naturally remember to recognize it,
there we come back, there we rest, deeply.
Also with resting deeply, we're thinking, "Ah, I didn't recognize open intelligence in that situation."
Completely rest with that, allow that to be as well; we are all training up here,
and training up to recognize that ease and stability within all our experience,
no matter what we are doing in our life. No matter if we are going to the movies,
no matter if we are going to a party, dancing, we can always recognize open intelligence while doing it.
I now so enjoy everything so much more,
because I am so much more at ease with everything that I am doing.
So, where I was formerly, when I needed entertainment to give me something to,
for example to try to replace my boredom, or trying to feel more excitement,
or not feeling that emptiness that I sometimes felt, or just feeling - just filling it with something.
Now, entertainment can be just completely enjoyed.
There is no, entertainment for me is nothing, not a tool any more to feel fulfilled or satisfied,
because I feel completely satisfied even in boredom, even if I'm just doing nothing,
completely sitting there - completely satisfied.
And then we can choose what we want to do, because then we are not driven by our data stream
of boredom or data stream of feeling lonely, or whatever comes up for us.
Now, then we just choose exactly what we want to do that will be of most benefit
most benefit to us and for everyone.
And that becomes really clear then, that that is our motivation in how we want to be in life.
Not anymore the data streams of trying to feel good or feeling more satisfaction,
no, the benefit of all - completely clear there.
And that's such a big relief, because then we can completely choose what we want to do,
allowing that completely to open up.
No data stream can dictate what we want to do.
Don't allow any data stream to dictate your life.
Open intelligence, that that is always naturally beneficial,
allow that to really guide you in every moment,
because that is what is of most benefit for yourself and others.
And it becomes so more and more clear that to
focus or take our life from this limited perspective of just one data stream,
for example, sadness. Sadness comes up, and what do we do?
We want to get rid of it, we want to replace it.
So, we go and drink beer, or we go and smoke a joint or whatever it is.
But just to allow that completely to be there, seeing that our well-being is within that,
within that sadness, seeing that this emotion is just coming up,
just hanging out for a while, and then just self-resolves;
we don't need to do anything for it to resolve.
And then we see that we can be completely at ease and feel completely happy within sadness.
I thought that would be never possible.
I thought I had to analyze my sadness, where it comes from,
"Maybe this person did something to me, that's why I feel sad,
or something is in my relationship that doesn't work." Or whatever it might be.
But then to see, "Wow, I just don't need to go down that road."
I can see that it's just a natural expression of open intelligence,
it's just a human expression that just comes. We can feel everything completely.
It's not about getting rid of any feelings or any thoughts.
Then we can be completely free, because then we can face everything;
we can be with any emotion, any situation, because it doesn't affect us,
it doesn't affect us in a way that we get shaken out of that stability that we are.
It doesn't mean that we don't feel sad, and it doesn't mean that we don't feel anger
or that we don't feel happy or anything like that. We feel everything completely,
but there is a stability within it, a stability to know what to do,
a stability to know what will be of most benefit in each situation
and just a naturalness of wanting to be completely respectful in every situation.
I mean, that is the most beautiful thing when I come here to be with this community,
because everybody is taking responsibility for their data streams,
and taking full responsibility of wanting to have a respectful environment - and we can stand up for that.
We don't want to be disrespectful with each other, nobody wants to,
and to really stand up for that. And I feel that it's such an amazing environment to be in,
where everybody really respects everyone, like we want to be respected - everyone.
And it's so natural to us, and to stand up for that is really amazing,
and to see that it's, what is of most benefit and allowing that to really rule all our,
yeah, guide all our interactions with everyone.
Not allowing our data streams of anger or hatred to rule our life.
We can see how that plays out in the world. We have enough of that, isn't it?
We just don't want to relate in that way anymore,
so we take responsibility for our anger, for our hatred, for our everything that comes up
that is natural to come up. We can really see that it's just a human expression.
We labeled it in a way, and we acted upon it, and then we can see how that plays out.
But if we take complete responsibility and see that we are not affected by our anger, by our hatred,
that it's just a natural expression of open intelligence
and that we can choose how we want to deal with that energy that comes up - we can use it beneficially.
Use that energy beneficially and empower yourself in that way.
Everything that comes up for us, every situation,
is the perfect opportunity to see how we can benefit the situation.
That's how I view now every situation that I encounter,
"How can I benefit it?"
"How can I be of benefit to that, to everyone and myself?"
Also feeling resistance or feeling overwhelmed, I mean, when we come here to the Training,
and that's the power of these Trainings and being immersed in the Four Mainstays,
because when we come together everything will come up.
I mean, I always had so many data streams come up when I'm in the training setting
and when I'm in the community, because for the first time I allowed everything to be as it is;
for the first time I allowed everything to come up without needing
to put everything down or not feel something.
For example, I never allowed myself to feel anger or resistance or anything like that.
I didn't want to feel it, and of course these things came up,
and especially then in the training settings because I was completely opening up.
And because I was more and more ready to face it completely,
facing it completely and empowering it, using all data streams to empower myself,
and see them for what they are: resistance - just another data stream appearing in open intelligence.
We can let it be as it is. We don't need to act on it.
And then we can choose, then we don't decide to act out of
a data stream of resistance or basing our actions on that.
We want to base our actions on that openness that knows what is of most benefit.
So, we will face everything; everything will come up at one point.
And it will come, and it's great that we are in the training settings here where it's safe to come up,
where we really can completely cut through it, seeing it for what it is.
We have the whole support for that, a whole support system we offer here in Balanced View,
which is called the Four Mainstays. The Four Mainstays are first the practice of short moments.
So, short moments we can do wherever we go;
we completely can relax body and mind for a split second
and repeat that naturally whenever we naturally remember to do so,
whatever we are doing in our life. Nothing needs to change in our life
in order to rely on open intelligence and take short moments.
And the second Mainstay is the Training. We offer a complete array of all kinds of trainings here,
and we have many media on the website where you can just listen to talks and books you can download,
and it's so powerful to be with this media, because it always points us back
always points us back to our true nature, that ground of knowing that is always present
always pointing and elicits that in our own direct experience.
It's magical, you need to just test it out, it's amazing to just listen to a talk.
I listened to so many talks, and sometimes I didn't even listen to the words,
and it was just that ease there, and it's so powerful to allow that
and just allowing that to train up that, so we can really recognize that in every moment.
And then, of course, we have the trainers, and the trainers are of great support
in that they can completely see open intelligence in us, they don't take us for our data streams,
and that's really powerful - to be in contact with someone that just empowers us in every moment,
seeing the complete empowerment there.
And then we have the community as the fourth Mainstay, to come together;
everyone has the same commitment, supporting each other in that way,
seeing that what is possible, how we can all work together in the most effective and efficient way,
because we're all completely taking responsibility for our data streams and not playing them out.
No drama, no going into any of that,
everybody takes responsibility and sees what can be of most benefit.
So, that's the whole, complete support network that supports us
when strong data comes up, and it's great when strong data comes up,
it's a great sign, because then we're really allowing that to open up,
allowing it to open up and to face it, seeing the ease and bringing that
shift in perspective into all our data streams, no matter how afflictive they may seem.
We can face everything.