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Articles from Eric Putkonen | Selfgrowth.com
- Happiness is What We Are, When We Are Not Making Ourselves Miserable - by Submitted on Sep 15, 2021 from Eric PutkonenHappiness and joy are our natural state, but people often then question, “why isn't that my experience now?” We don't experience our natural state, because of the bad mental habits and beliefs that we learned while growing up. Look at young children. Happiness and joy perpetually shine from ...
Views: 530 - Happiness is What We Are, When We Are Not Making Ourselves Miserable - by Submitted on Sep 15, 2021 from Eric PutkonenHappiness and joy are our natural state, but people often then question, “why isn't that my experience now?” We don't experience our natural state, because of the bad mental habits and beliefs that we learned while growing up. Look at young children. Happiness and joy perpetually shine from ...
Views: 474 - Can there be absolute security for people in this life? - by Submitted on May 19, 2018 from Eric PutkonenNo, not for people. Everything is temporary and changing…without much or any control. Who knows when you might suddenly be laid off and unemployed? Who knows when some sickness or illness will happen to the body? Inevitably, each person will die. There is no absolute protection from ever ...
Views: 1323 - How can one be happy in life even when they didn’t get what they want? - by Submitted on Nov 17, 2017 from Eric PutkonenEven if you get what you want, you won’t be happy. If it was a car, a job, a spouse, or whatever…you will fear and worry about losing what you got and so you will never truly be happy even when you get it. There will always be the anxiety of “what if I lose it?” Happiness does not come from ...
Views: 1568 - What is the difference between accepting what is and resignation? - by Submitted on Oct 18, 2017 from Eric PutkonenResignation is giving up, quitting, stepping down, standing down, or otherwise conceding defeat. Accepting what is means allowing what is to be and then working with what is. Accepting what is does not mean you are giving up trying to change it. Accepting what is does not mean quitting or ...
Views: 1601 - What advice would you give someone seeking the Self? - by Submitted on Oct 09, 2017 from Eric PutkonenI would immediately ask, “where are you looking?” And then follow that up with, “what is looking?” Looking anywhere or anywhen else than here and now would be pointless. The Self is here in this very moment. The whole idea of seeking means to look somewhere else and find in the future. ...
Views: 1670 - The Self has always been free. The Self is always awake. Right? - by Submitted on Oct 09, 2017 from Eric PutkonenThis is really a nasty question. If I say “yes”, then you will think there is nothing to realize and remain stuck in suffering. If I say “no”, that is not correct and limitations on the Self could be inferred. You see…it is not as simple as saying “the Self has always been free.” While ...
Views: 1706 - What is the importance of not being attached to things and people? - by Submitted on Aug 25, 2017 from Eric PutkonenNone. No importance what so ever. The ego is what is looking for “shoulds” and “should nots” and rank by importance and trying to do something (like – not being attached). It is true that the enlightened are not attached to things and people. When there is a seeing through the illusion of ...
Views: 1218 - Are there partial or incomplete awakenings? - by Submitted on Aug 10, 2017 from Eric PutkonenThe idea of partial or incomplete awakenings is a refuge of the ego by creating progress. It feels good, egoically, to say I partially awakened. I have taken another step to “full awakening.” No, that is just being stuck in a new illusion…a new set of chains. How can there be a partial or ...
Views: 1240 - What do you mean when you say “be present”? - by Submitted on Aug 10, 2017 from Eric PutkonenTo be present means to cease doing things that take your awareness away from now. If you did nothing at all, you would automatically be present. We are present, because our bodies are in the present and our experience is of the present. There is no when or where else we can truly be than here ...
Views: 1198 - What keeps you motivated after awakening? - by Submitted on Aug 10, 2017 from Eric PutkonenMotivation is something the ego wants. Ego needs motivation and drive to do things it doesn't really want to do. Motivation is something you need in order to do work. Ask a child "what is your motivation or drive for playing?"...and you will have a very confused child. Or you might get the ...
Views: 1622 - Effortless Meditation - by Submitted on Jun 25, 2008 from Eric PutkonenAfter meditating for many years, through many forms of meditation, I prefer a most basic and simple meditation. A meditation that requires no effort. A meditation that is not a doing. It is simply sitting...aware. In its simplicity is something very powerful, because when we sit down to ...
Views: 1423 - Death: Teacher Of Life - by Submitted on Jun 25, 2008 from Eric PutkonenTo me, death is a teacher whose wisdom and simplicity can be awe-inspiring. Humanity, as a whole, fears death; however, death is inevitable. For as an old saying goes, you can win a million battles with death, but death only has to win once. This resistance to an inevitable part of nature ...
Views: 1618 - Forgiveness: an Intermediate Exercise in Unconditional Love - by Submitted on Jun 25, 2008 from Eric PutkonenI have long pondered on why humanity as a whole practices "eye for an eye," especially after reading about Mahatma Gandhi's life and learning the concept that an "eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind." The message of peace is within most of the world's doctrines, and yet, it ...
Views: 1403 - True Self - by Submitted on Jun 25, 2008 from Eric PutkonenAuthenticity and integrity is really the same thing. To be authentic means to be our real being. I did not use the word "self," because our normal conception of self is a false self. What many people see as themselves is not their true selves. We often try to identify ourselves by our ...
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