Ask Not. Seek Not.

Your ego blinds you from the abundance of the Universe, resorting to greed.
Remember that you have all. Even before you asked, it has already been given. 
There is no need for you to seek for everything is within your grasp.
The door has never been closed.

-The Lost Monk

Filling the Void - The Emptiness Within

Our attractions are driven by the void that we want to fill. 

I have always wondered why I am attracted to people who are ‘malambing’ (affectionate). I wanted to know why even the slightest show of compassion would bring me to tears. At first I thought it was normal for everyone to cry when they witness even the simplest act of compassion. Yet it is not. Not all people cry while watching movies. Perhaps, that is not their void. 

Each one of us has a specific void (or voids) that we want to fill. This void even drives our decisions in life. This is the emptiness that we wanted to fill that which when it will be taken care of, it would give us the impression that we are now complete. 

A young beautiful girl brought up in the absence of a fatherly love, will be attracted to a guy who seems to project a paternal stature, even if he is not physically attractive. A boy who was born underprivileged of wealth may dedicate his whole life to get rich. A kid who has been traumatized by the death of his mother due to cancer may focus all his energy to cancer research. These are their specific voids that drive them.

We all have different voids to fill.  That would explain why sometimes we can’t just understand why the rich is not able to appreciate what they have. For others, it would seem that they are being wasteful. But wealth is not their void, which might be completely different from yours. 

However, every time someone (or something) fills that emptiness, it would seem to complete us. But we all know that nothing is permanent and everything is just fleeting. Hence, whatever that is that has filled the void, when it is disappears, that emptiness resurfaces, and the cycle begins again. Most of the time, the process of ‘hollowing’ leads to suffering which will only end when we think the void is filled one more time. We become trapped in the cycle, often frustrated on why it is happening all over again. How would you cut the cycle then?

I am the eldest in the family. My sister was born when I was six. The next one followed after a year. At seven, my parents started to teach me the meaning of hard work and responsibility. We are not well off. We have just enough to survive. At a young age, I learned to ride the tartanilla all alone going to Tabo-an to buy stuff for the family. At eight, without any company, I have taken the jeepney towards Colon and vice versa. I started doing business when I was in first grade. I have been selling candies and chips to my classmates, teachers, and neighbors. I have roamed the streets to sell my handmade lanterns. All these, I have experienced doing at a very young age while still taking part of our household chores, from doing laundry by hand, fetching water from a nearby well, and of course taking care of my younger siblings. I know that that this might not be too difficult compared to some people’s childhood, but in the eyes of a kid, this is still hard work. Am I complaining? Definitely not. In fact, I am very much grateful with my parents for teaching me the ways. At least it has made me responsible now, or just maybe a bit.

In my eagerness to be a responsible brother, and in my willingness to suffer for my family, perhaps I have forgotten about myself and that my subconscious has been longing for that affection too. This is my void. Please bear with me. I am not trying to prove that I am an ideal brother. I too have my own shortcomings as a brother and as a son. I just want to pinpoint the void which I have recognized recently that I have been wanting to fill and been filling ever since. Like I have said, I am trapped in this cycle too. 

But then I realized, that there was indeed no void at all. Perhaps, I was too focused of my role, that I have failed to notice that my parents, my sisters, my family, friends, and the Universe have shown me the affection and the love that I have been wanting. Perhaps, I was too blind to see. And that is, I guess, how we can end the cycle, the trap of trying to continuously fill the void which does not exist. 

When we recognize the void within, do not run away from it. Face it. Acknowledge it. Understand where is it coming from and you will be able to learn that the your void is just only an illusion. Then the cliché that says ‘You complete me’, will no longer hold true, for you have always been whole. 

‘There will be no suffering in letting go if we remember that we are completely whole all along.’

Namaste.

Are You a Real Super Hero?

You can't help it but shed tears when you see Yolanda's aftermath in the eastern islands of the Philippines, specifically, the areas and neighboring cities of Tacloban, Leyte. The strongest typhoon recorded in history, hits the Philippines, leaving deaths, and destruction. Describing it as heartbreaking is even an understatement. 

Filipinos as we are, known for our resilience and Bayanihan spirit, we become more united in the midst of these calamities. Out of compassion and volunteerism, we then organize ourselves to reach out to our brethren. Even though the various agencies of the Philippine government have been mobilized, we still think that we can do more. Non-profit organizations, various student councils, OFWs, individuals, and even prisoners, take time and effort to provide any form of support, whether it is monetary, in kind, or service. The support and camaraderie is extremely outstanding.  

However, we can't ignore the fact that there are still people who take advantage of this, probably because of political ambitions, profiteering, or simply just ego tripping. 'Donated by so and so' or 'through the efforts of', may come out from time to time but I salute those who reached out without seeking any recognition or anything in return. These people are the Real Super Heroes. These are regular people whom you see  walking on the streets, sitting right next to your office cubicle, eating in the same restaurant, commuting on public vehicles.  But when disasters strike, their humanity activated, rushing in aid even to the point of sacrificing themselves. And when peace is regained, they go on with their lives, happy and contented that they were able to reach out and touch a soul in one way or another. 

Are you a Real Super Hero?

Namaste.

Finding Your Purpose

In the vastness of space, and as a tiny, little speck in this universe, there are times that we can't help but wonder and ask ourselves, ‘What is the meaning of life?’, ‘Why are we here?’, ‘What is my purpose?’. For some, maybe they have already found the answers. For a few, they  ignore the question and just go on with their lives. And perhaps, for most of us, we will just die wondering, yet we try our best to live a life, hopefully with no regrets.

When you were still a child, do you still remember that dream, the person you wanted to be, or the things that you really love to do? Perhaps, you wanted to be a doctor, or like playing the guitar. Maybe you were that kid who loves pets and adores them so much. That was you. The real you.

Before we were born, our soul already knows what it wants to be. It has already chosen a type of life that it wants to live. And the innate characteristics of the being that it wants to experience in this physical reality has been predetermined according to its own choosing. And as it enters into this realm, it is in that moment of physical birth that the untainted nature of the soul exists. However, as it grows, its innocence is slowly tainted by the society that nurtures it. A society that is driven by ego and drowned by its fears. Yet, the soul still chooses to be born in these conditions, for it finds joy in the experience of remembering. However, along the way, as we seek to remember, we become lost. We are so engrossed with what the society wants in us and from us, and that we have forgotten what our soul intended itself to be.

When you were a toddler, it was evident that you were fond of pencils and crayons, but your parents sent you to music school since they want you to be a master pianist. Perhaps, you had a soft heart for old people and taking care of them gives you immense joy but society does not pay you well for it and you were forced to choose another path to earn a living. 

This is where our struggle begins.

Day by day, we become unhappy, and unsatisfied. We always find ourselves complaining because we try to live a life that is dictated by the world outside. It is not a life that we want. But if joy is your aim, reach out to that child within. Hear its whisper. It is there. Realign yourself to your soul’s innermost desire by finding peace, for it is in this moment of stillness that your heart, mind, and soul become one. And when you are in that moment, you will be reawakened, and your purpose remembered. 

Live. Love. Laugh. Let Go.

Namaste.

Be Still

Dreams. That is how my inner consciousness speaks. 

There have been several instances now that I have been dreaming about death. Sometimes, I walk around a graveyard seeing my own tombstone. Last night, I dreamt that my family was taken by the rapture and I was left alone. 

I know my visions. And I know that this is not about someone dying soon. It’s my separation anxiety manifesting. I am about to set foot on a strange land, meeting new people, immersing into another culture. It is an adventure, a new chapter that has long been destined to be written. My soul has already laid out the ground work before its rebirth into this existence that is why everything is falling into place, perfectly. Yet, it seems that my feet are getting cold. Is this fear of the unknown? If this fear indeed exists in me, does this mean that I have doubts with what my soul has prepared for? Perhaps. 

Perhaps I need a little more of ‘remembering’. 

Even before I was conceived, the players have already been selected, the stage has already been set, and the outcome has already been decided. And this is never against anyone’s free will for it is of my soul’s choosing. Though you know how it would end, it is the journey towards your destiny that gives life its sense of adventure. 
But I have forgotten. 

I have been so focused with the physical reality and that the ‘memories’ of my soul’s purpose is left into the oblivion. Thus my fears. Yet it is in the mindful awareness of self, of my being, that allows me to gradually ‘recover’ the lost memories, and slowly realigning my mind, my heart, my soul and my consciousness so that I may be able to fully ‘re-member’.

Be still my child. Trust. Everything will be perfectly alright.

Namaste.