The great unknown

The world you know of,
the everyday world,
the world you can grasp,
is just a tiny, tiny part of the universe.

Outside your little world is the great unknown.
What is it like out there?
You have no idea.
You can only speculate and fantasize,
parallel realities, other dimensions, ancient kingdoms…
or just darkness.

The conscious self is just a tiny, tiny part of your mind.
The world you know of, the world here and now, under your nose,
is like a small, small boat out on the Atlantic ocean, at night.
A hurricane lamp dispels demons and bad spirits.
Beneath the surface, tons of mysterious sea creatures,
whales, octopuses, eel…
above, the sky filled with stars.
The world self is enormous.

When I die, I believe, I will disappear.
I will not end up anywhere and I will not come back.
However, the world self will always be there.

Spiritual compartmentalization

Spiritual teachers rarely work.
They are monks or earn their living by talking about spirituality.
This is why working people often find it difficult to understand them.
We simply can’t relate to their life experiences.

Spiritual teachers and monks live in a world of their own,
secluded and cared for.
This is OK.
However, you will get confused
if you try to apply their wisdom in your daily life.
Their wisdom is not meant for you.
It is meant for other monks or for those who don’t have to work
to earn a living.

For example,
they often overemphasize the importance of the now.
For a working person is the now not all there is.
Of course it’s important to be able to be present.
It’s important to not get lost completely in dream worlds.
It goes without saying.
However, the present now is not all there is.
Working people have to accomplish something and they have to be finished in time.
They have to get past many obstacles.
The idea that “Only the now is real.” is a typical monk idea.