A 10 minute contemplation:
Where does “meaning” come from?
NOTES:
*Me = **Meaning/Story = ***Suffering
*Note that the first two letters of Meaning are Me! 🙂
**Meaning gives suffering its juice.
***Without Me, whose there to suffer?
Michael Jeffreys
A bird sings outside my window… and thought claims to “know” what this is and what it means!?
But thought cannot know anything because thoughts are not conscious.
-Michael Jeffreys
One of the “keys” to awakening is seeing the inherent meaninglessness of everything. This is NOT being pessimistic or anything of the kind. Rather, it’s simply the nature of everything. For example, because a pine tree is void of meaning, some people like them, some may dislike them and some don’t care one way or the other about them. Same tree, 3 different “meanings.” If the meaning were actually true, for example, if pine trees were inherently the greatest trees on earth, then everyone would feel that way. But they don’t. It’s whatever you think about them… that becomes your experience.
In a way, you could say that everything is a mirror. It reflects back exactly what you think of it. And mirrors themselves are empty, which is why they are free to reflect back whatever is put in front of them. Without “YOU” present to give the object meaning, it simply has none.
How to see this? One way is to watch the labels your mind mentally and habitually slaps on everything and then ask yourself if this is absolutely true? Yes, it may be relatively true, for example, that I like coconut ice cream, but what does that “mean”? Nothing! As lesson one in ACIM says, “Nothing I see… means anything.”
Again, seeing this is not negative or anything of the sort… it’s seeing things as they truly are… and that is the first step toward real freedom.
-Michael Jeffreys
The mind is a “concluder.” By this I mean it “concludes” what something means. For example, a thought can arise that says, “I sent this person an email and they never responded, therefore this means they are rude, don’t like me, an asshole,” etc.
A conclusion has been reached about what something means. But why conclude? How could a conclusion from the past be of any relevance in the fresh, new NOW? Don’t I need to see what is actually happening NOW, before I can conclude what it means? And the moment I start to draw another conclusion, BAM!, too late! It’s already a fresh NOW… never-before, never-again, one and done.
To conclude is time… YOU are timeless.
-Michael Jeffreys
Two Facebook Comments:
“Maybe each conclusion represents the actualization of a potential wave in your brain–unlimited potential is turned into a result — a particle — in your assessment of reality–creating TIME. By observing this as it happens and refusing to stop at any conclusion, you remain open and timeless.” –Tom Bunzel
Michael: Nice Tom! Yes, like the brain photo above illustrates, each “conclusion” is like a little ball of light that has crystallized and become more dense and solid than the energy around it. And the more sure we are “right”, the denser and heavier the energy becomes. By not coming to any conclusions, you keep the energy light and moving, and thus don’t impede its natural and spontaneous flow. Seeking falls away naturally because without concluding anything, you are in harmony with Life’s natural flow each moment. You can either “go with the flow” or stop and conclude, but you can’t do both.
” The conclusion illusion. Self made suffering.” 
–Alfred Greene
Michael: Yes! Whether it’s positive or negative, any conclusion we believe into existence will eventually bring suffering.
One way to truly see that ultimately, nothing means anything, is to keep asking yourself, “And that means what?” Do this over and over.
For example, take the thought, “I am depressed.” Ask, “And that means what?” Mind: “I feel tired and sad.” Ask, “And that means what?” Mind: “I am not being productive… I am being lazy.” Ask, “And that means what?” Mind: “I need to earn a living.” Ask, “And that means what?” Mind: “Without income, I could end up homeless.” Ask, “And that means what?” Mind: “I could suffer on the streets and possibly die.” Ask, “And that means what?” Mind: “I won’t exist anymore.” Ask, “And that means what?” Mind: “Well, people would miss me.” Ask, “And that means what?” Mind: “They will be sad that I am gone.” Ask, “And that means what?” Mind: “I don’t want them to be sad.” Ask, “And that means what?” Mind: “Uh… hmmmm………” 🙂
The key is to take it as far as you can until you realize that at some point, nothing inherently means anything. Which means (there ya go) that anything that has meaning to you only has apparent or relative meaning. Meaning (there ya go again!) it is not absolutely true, but only has whatever meaning the mind is temporarily giving it in the moment. Ultimately, nothing means anything. What do I mean by this? Nothing.
-Michael Jeffreys
Look around you. Nothing you are looking at has any meaning whatsoever. None. All objects are “neutral.” Any meaning is “put” there by your mind. Superimposed onto the object and that’s what gives that object whatever meaning it has for you. Something that has great meaning for you means nothing to someone else and vice/versa. This lets you know that the meaning is not contained within the object itself, but within the one viewing it. If it were truly within the object itself, everyone that came upon that object would feel the exact same way about it. But that isn’t what happens. Each of us doesn’t see that object “naked,” but rather through our “meaning” filters.
What would your experience be of the world if you stopped putting meaning on anyone or anything? Rather than let your mind try to guess at the answer, what if you actually tried it to have a direct experience of what it actually felt like?
–Michael Jeffreys
Michael Jeffreys 