When lived with a true understanding of our real nature, life is spontaneous and effortless. But as we ordinarily are, life is generally not effortless for us. Efforts are needed, at least in the beginning, to discover our natural effortless being.

Efforts can only bring us to a point, where they are naturally dropped, because there is nothing more that they can achieve. Once we recognize our true nature, all our efforts dissolve in our effortless being.

Efforts are needed to undo the patterns of ignorance that were learned, repeated and strengthened over time. It requires tremendous awareness, not to fall back into the habitual pull of old mechanical reactions, in response to the fresh challenges of life.

These efforts are not applied forcefully through will, but gently, at the level of understanding. The efforts are needed to remain alert and see a situation, with its complete truth. For this, we observe ourselves, during all our interactions- as a neutral, unbiased, uninvolved, interested and alert witness.

When we keenly observe ourselves through all our functioning- without any preference, or a personal investment in it-  we clearly see all the facts of our mental mechanism. We notice the details of our habitual patterns of behaviour- our triggers, the automatic reactions and the whole sequence of our mechanical or calculated approach to everything.

When noticed in our alert awareness, without any personal agenda- the rigid patterns of our behavior are exposed bare and start to melt. The tight ropes of conditioning on our minds, begin loosening and all the knots of our unconscious tendencies acquired over years of repetitions, start to unravel.

As our observation grows and understanding deepens, we slowly feel increasingly free, from the burdens we have been carrying on our psyche and start to breath in the subtle fragrance of our true nature.

We may still occasionally be pulled into our old habitual patterns of behavior, when not alert, but the frequency reduces. Every time we fall, we rise again, with a deeper conviction in our longing for freedom, which encourages us to be more alert, and continue.

Until we are completely ready, we may be repeatedly drawn into the worldly chaos, over and over again- where the currents of life experiences continue to rinse and purify us, cleansing us of all our illusions. We continue to struggle, make mistakes, repeat and learn. Exhausted, frustrated and desperate- we finally begin to clearly see and understand, our various patterns of ignorance.

This understanding is valuable and it comes by looking at all the available, known facts of our situation. It includes all the good, bad, ugly and beautiful aspects inherent in a situation. This is a holistic understanding– not biased from our personal views, or fragmented by our selfish narrow perspective.

To gain this understanding, we need to be fully present with our whole alert awareness, observing the totality of each situation as it arises, including all of our own reactions.

It simply means, we meet each experience with an all-embracing awareness, not allowing our scheming, calculating, self-centred mind, to colour what we see, with its personal agenda.

When we meet a situation from the whole clean awareness, we are likely to see all its relevant facts. This makes the situation very clear and allows us to understand it completely. Our comprehension then, is not biased, not limited by our preferences, or by what we personally want to gain out of this situation.

When we see the whole truth of what is, instead of what we want it to be, we understand and act accordingly- our action is right, it aligns with the reality of the situation (as opposed to our desired projections) and it offers a true solution to the problem at hand.

Having a holistic understanding, we respond appropriately to any situation, with our approach rooted in alignment with its complete truth. Our response may be different from what our ‘personal-self’ prefers, but this unbiased action is the best possible response. It is in tune with the whole truth, so it brings harmony.

This whole seeing and understanding, releases us from the clutch of our habitual automatic tendencies, helping us break our established patterns of ignorance- to find freedom, from the suffering they frequently bring.

To erase these strong habits of the mind, efforts are needed.

Efforts are needed, for not getting carried away, with our limited ego-centric perspective and a personal bias. For remaining fully present and attending to the needs of the immediate moment, impartially.

This requires tremendous efforts in the beginning- for a mind which is used to wandering off, self-obsessed and distracted with every random thought or perception. But it gets easier, when we understand more about how our mind works.

A clear mental understanding is only the first step, but it is quite important. A complete understanding of a situation, is the essential requirement, for us to act right. An alert awareness in the now, is needed, for this understanding to unfold.

An awareness in the now, tunes our body-mind to the reality of the moment and the illusions fade away. Facts of any moment do not include ego, because ego is an illusion, which disappears when we look for it. Ego is not real, it depends on the false concepts of our separate personal identity, which can only be created when the mind wanders away from the ‘now’.

The usual tendency of our minds, is to escape from here and now, because this is what creates an illusion of continuity, which serves the ego. Ego needs time to continue existing as an illusion. Ego, cannot survive ‘here and now’, when we are fully alert and present. In the ‘here and now’, there is no movement, there is no going anywhere, no escaping from the facts, so- there is no ego. 

The mind conjures up illusions and fantasies made of elaborate projections and memories, to lure the attention away from our simple presence in the current moment of now.

Efforts are needed, to gently return our attention back to here and now, because it is always trying to move away!

Efforts are needed to keep us here, to remain in the now, staying with our alert aware presence. Because with the movement of our thoughts away from immediate ‘here and now’- the illusions quickly return, the ego is created again.

Every now is fresh and new. Efforts are required to watch-  the ego rising, proposing, and demanding absurd things! Watching it in the now, by itself dissolves the ripples of ego.

Once the habitual tendencies of the mind- to always project thoughts of past or future, are recognized and understood- it becomes easier, to stay with the present moment.

Meditation is simply watching this whole mechanism, by sustaining our gentle alert presence in the now. It is consciously being that inner space of awareness, where all our thoughts and perceptions are seen moving about freely.

When we are aware, the efforts are needed only to remain where we are. Eventually this becomes spontaneous and effortless. Then, there is no need for strenuous efforts to do the right thing- we naturally act appropriately, from the whole awareness and understanding of our effortless being.

We cannot go from making efforts to an effortless being, voluntarily. It is always a spontaneous jump, but this cannot be done through volition. Because the jump can only happen, when the one who wants to jump is absent! The ego needs to be in abeyance for this leap to occur.

To arrive at the point, where the jump from one dimension to another becomes possible, we need to make efforts. But the final jump happens through grace, without our doing anything. When we as “ego”, are completely absent! Ego is the root of all efforts, so once it is gone, no efforts are possible.

This is the jump- from the continuous striving with efforts, to a spontaneously effortless being!

We do not struggle, letting go into a natural, relaxed living. Simply meeting the needs of the immediate moment, from moment to moment. When there is no ego to make efforts- this effortless being has no desires, no fears- only an openness towards life, with a welcoming readiness and a genuine acceptance, for whatever comes next.