Nondual Zen Article:
My Will Be Done
Recently I've been contemplating the implications of "no self." If there is no self, then there can be no self will. The 12-Step approach to recovery from addiction characterizes the addict's life as "self will run riot." Much of the solution, therefore, is to give up our will, to turn it over to a higher power, or at least to the collective wisdom of the group.
Nonduality, going one step further, treats the malaise arising from self will (whether that be addiction or any other troubles) by showing us that there is no self. As Fred often says, the first lie we believe is that we are a separate self. The next thought is that something isn't right here. Then we engage the will to try to make reality conform to our concept of "right." And so the trouble begins and continues, endlessly, until we see that it's all the stuff of dreams.
Although I was familiar with the concept of no self, I would still often get caught up in the unit's desire for things to be other than the way they were. I would counter this by practicing acceptance, and recognizing that things cannot be other than the way they are. This is It, as we know so well. That is an effective approach, but I've realized that I can dig deeper to the root of the problem by remembering that my desires are not real. Reality does not have to be accepted, because I have no desire, opinion or belief that it should be other than it is.
The experience of my desires and opinions are real. The experience of a separate self labeled "Kathleen" is real. But neither is real. And as the opinions are born of the first illusion - that I am Kathleen - they are even more ethereal. They are the musings of a dream character.
No self, no self will. No desires, no opinions, no beliefs. So when I feel dissatisfied these days, I remind myself that My will is always being done. This is My dream. This is how Mind manifests. Does Mind have "will"? It may have its purpose, or it may simply be manifesting along the path of least resistance as it rises from the void. But I intuitively feel a deep trust in it. It is, after all, Me. And the more I come to understand and experience it, the more I see and feel that it is, in essence, Love.
Today I make the non-sacrifice of relinquishing my desires and will, neither of which I ever had. There is only Our will, Thy will, My will. I notice every moment of every day that My will is always being done. This is true power, true manifestation - to see your creation flowering, moment by moment, in exact accordance with all that you dream. Truly, we are living the dream!