Self-help, hypnotherapy, meditation, exercise,
goal-setting, achievement, accumulation of anything (money, power, fame, things), go-to-habits & behaviours, and the millions of other techniques we use to fix, or change, or control, or feel better, all focus on the form (the illusory, the constantly
changing). We want to change how we feel, and so we “do stuff” that we think will help us feel better. Sometimes the techniques appear to work, an...d sometimes they don’t.
But no matter the technique, they are always working on a moving target.
The Three Principles, and many of the wise throughout
time, are pointing to the formless (the truth of life), that when realized in some way, begins to “support” us in navigating life with more awareness, no matter our circumstances or how we feel. With any type of glimpse of truth, we begin to more
often catch the illusory nature of our thought (form), and more often realize our spiritual nature (feeling of oneness, feeling of common humanity, experience of the unconditional and impersonal).
Despite having had a glimpse of the formless, I still use techniques ALL the time, whether I realize it in any particular moment or not. I sometimes head to the fridge when I’m bored. I sometimes go for a walk when I’m
anxious. I sometimes watch a movie when I’m tired. I sometimes watch a Sydney Banks DVD when I’m feeling depressed, I sometimes explain my side of the story (get defensive) when I’m feeling insecure. Sometimes these interventions appear to
work, and sometimes they don’t. I also sometimes do all of those things when I’m NOT feeling bored, anxious, tired, depressed, or insecure.
Ultimately,
from the perspective of the formless (the unconditional and impersonal), there is no right or wrong in what we do in form. And when we somehow get a glimpse of the formless, the form of life becomes more of a game to play, than a problem to be controlled
or fixed, and we get to begin navigating life with less intervention, and ultimately with more love and less fear.