Just thinkin’… about the path to waking up to reality……….
The road to waking up to reality is not an easy one. There are many deep seated beliefs (blocking our vision) that are like stubborn stains…. for myself it has been like peeling an onion …..
(a very satisfying process by the way…. maybe with a few stingy eyes 🙂 )
Many of these beliefs block our vision, making it unclear, and we often are seeing our own “version” of reality instead of reality itself.
(Which one would you rather experience?)
…. layer after layer…. because as we walk the path, there are many outmoded beliefs and beliefs which no longer fit our current puzzle, that hide on layers, which only become obvious after the layer next to it gets peeled…..
Also, in relating to other folks, it is not kind, nor is it healthy to forcibly “peel someone else’s layers”…. if you know what i mean…. those layers are like the supports that holds a persons “current reality” puzzle together, and it is like pulling the rug out from under their feet…. which is more cruel and mean spirited than helpful……. most folks who practice meditation say that when you bump into something which says “don’t touch me right now”…. it is better to do this layer by layer…… don’t push….
So in this peeling and discovering path, i have found that “hurry” and “pushing” and “anxious” are really not useful methods (both for oneself as well as for other folks) …. i prefer “diligent” and “honest” and “constant” as discovery tools. The tools required are like brushes, scrapers and small shovels of the archeology trade… 🙂
If you bump into someone who has a jackhammer or sledge hammer as their main discovery tool, it is best to pass on the other side of the street. 🙂
Reality is Dharma 
So … does this mean that individuality rather than societal unity is the answer? Or that if enough people go through the onion-peeling process–as long as it takes—maybe unity will come? Or ??
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Those are some really relevant questions. We tend to place ourselves in a “this or that” relationship with this world and our attitudes. about it. What i am finding is that this physical world is characterized by distinctions and “this or that” definitions, and plurality is prominent. Our “one life existence” is rooted in this physical world. But once a person begins “peeling the onion”, they gradually shift their “sense of position” towards Deep Nature (God, Spirit are terms also often used), where unity is prominent. We sense this when we pray or meditate, or live attentively…. When a person begins to “flow” in this unity, instead of being caught in the chains of diversity, individual and social unity grows out naturally from that root of unity…..
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