Unexpected Freedom

Unexpected Freedomthese feelings,’ we are putting obstacles in the way of our selfknowledge.We are, in effect, polluting our awareness.So in order to understand what is going on at the deeperlevel of our minds we can use a retreat situation to get subtleand refined enough to go into that dimension and see it in adifferent way to that which we are used to. If we are carefuland skilful enough we can learn how to undo those habitswhich are a cause of affliction for us.This is an example of addressing the underlying view wehave of life; the way that we approach life. If we go throughlife with a compulsive judging mind, it keeps us in a dividedstate. We will always feel like there is a challenge; we have noinner peace. This tendency has been conditioned so deeplyinto us that we think it’s natural. But it isn’t natural; it issomething that we have learned to do. And, fortunately, wecan unlearn it so that it no longer consumes our energy insuch an unproductive, unhelpful way.Judgement-Free AwarenessThere is a church in the middle of Newcastle that has paintedon the front doors, ‘Hate all Evil. Love all Good.’ If you werebrought up with that sort of conditioning, as many of uswere, you will inevitably have been led to this inwardlydivided state. According to this teaching – which I am sure isentirely contrary to the Way of Jesus – God loves good andhates evil. The good ones he embraces and takes up toheaven where they have a good time forever, and the badones he chucks into hell where they have a bad time forever.With this kind of conditioning, when, in the face ofrecognising our faults we want to be virtuous, we startplaying God; we set up this almighty tyrant in our mindsthat’s sitting in judgment all the time. We end up eternally94