Arriving Where We Started

Once infinite being contracts into a finite mind, attention seeks equilibrium – felt as the search for happiness. We project longing onto objects, substances, activities and relationships. Brief happiness follows acquisition, but we attribute it to the object and repeat the cycle. Recognising this never ends, some seek God or enlightenment – yet these bring only temporary relief. The recognition that ‘nothing can make me happy’ is a crossroads – despair or, like the prodigal son, spontaneous turning around. The world promises to fulfil longing; non-dual understanding undermines it. True meditation is cessation of the impulse to move even a millimetre from what is. Experiences interrupt the horizontal flow – pause between thoughts, deep sleep, love, beauty – where being’s vertical dimension shines. These are free gifts, samples of innate peace. In non-meditation, we cultivate the eternal now – arriving where we started and knowing it afresh, the fountain of peace, joy and love.