The Idea of Action - Frank M. Wanderer

"In your present state of consciousness it is almost unimaginable for you to experience the deeper dimensions of Alertness, as you have been conditioned by your parents and teachers to become “somebody” since your early childhood. You have been conditioned to look for and find happiness and the objective of your life in the outside world around you.

 

As an illusionary self, you find the idea of “To be and to do nothing else” is one of the greatest mysteries. You believe that if you do not act, just sit in your place, mulling over things, you will never find out who you are, and what your chances are in the world of shapes and forms. In order to consolidate your identity, you have to be active.

 

It is very difficult not to do anything, because you are used to always doing something. Your parents have brought you up in the belief that your actions determine who you are. Your personal identity is rooted in your actions and the results of those actions. Your personal history is the chronicle of your actions and achievements. The idea of being active is therefore a product of your conditioned mind, your Ego. Ambitions to acquire, to achieve something all work as motivations for action in the Ego-dominated mind. The desire to control, to manage are also powerful urges to act.  

 

As you have seen, these very same forces are the ones that spur you to meditate. It is, nevertheless, not a bad phenomenon, as active meditation is the first step towards real meditation. Active meditation consolidates the outermost dimension of Alertness, that, is attention, in you."  Frank M. Wanderer