Introduction and excerpts from
Moments of Lucidity
by Arthur D. Saftlas

Introduction

This book is a collection of my insights into the nature of truth. The purpose of this book is to inspire you and move you to your own insights. These insights can only be fully appreciated if you are sincerely in search of the truth. Otherwise, you will merely agree, disagree, or compare them to what you know, or have heard before.

Insights are revelations. Truths from inside ourselves, reflections of our essential self. This innate wisdom is revealed to us when we are truly open, when we trust enough to inquire within ourselves to discover our own answers. Yet, this natural and most wonderful intelligence remains mostly hidden and untapped, because as small children we were convinced to doubt and negate ourselves; and to honor, respect, and believe authority figures.

Insights come when we are open, available, at moments of let go, not knowing, and wonder. Insights always come as a surprise. And they are often shocking, because truths will always shatter our conditioned beliefs. An insight may trigger a feeling of euphoria, discontinuity, or a moment of enlightenment you embrace, or cause you to feel confused, disoriented, lost, or possibly insulted. At these times, it is crucial to understand that we can be open one moment, and closed the next. Take heart, gather trust and courage, and see that awakenings come with their own brand of birth pains.

Life constantly presents us with opportunities to see ourselves, and realize our essential being. Yet, we rarely acknowledge this as a blessing, gain insight into our conditioning, and awaken. The highest purpose of this book is served when you allow what you read to shake your beliefs, disturb your programmed sleep, and realize there is much to learn.

Each piece in this book stands alone. They are placed randomly and numbered only for reference. Open this book to any page and perhaps you will find a message appropriate for you now. I wish you Godspeed on the path of insight into yourself, to truth, to being in this present moment.

Excerpts

Realize you can be happy right now, and for no reason.

Otherwise you eternally depend on conditions for happiness.

Unconscious of this moment, you remain a victim of your mind.

 

 

 

Meditation is the art of doing nothing,

simply just being,

like a cat on a window sill.

 

 

 

From your abusive childhood conditioning,

from having been judged, compared, ridiculed, shamed,

rejected, punished, beat up, betrayed, and abandoned,

from feeling heartbroken you blamed yourself,

and to this day you continue to believe:

I am not good enough.

I don't deserve to be loved.

 

 

 

 

When one is present here now, each act is done prayerfully,

with the awareness that it may be the last act one ever does.

 

 

 

 

You may have heard that love is the answer.

And you know that believing this hasn't helped.

The reason: love is an answer, without a question.

An answer is meaningless with no relevant question.

So, what is the question, to which love, is the answer?

 

Meditating on the source of your suffering,

and realizing more and more who you are not,

one day you sincerely ask the question, who am I?

When love is the answer, insightfully revealed to you,

by asking who am I?, you really know love is the answer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mind is a reality, but it is not real.
In meditation, ego mind disappears,
as a dream vanishes upon awakening.

 

 

 

 

 

Either love conquers fear, or fear destroys love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meditation means:
Contemplation to the uninitiated.
Practice to the seeker of truth.
Transcendent reality to a master.

 

 

 

 

Two facts about truth.

The amazing transformative power of it.

Our unconscious incessant need to ignore it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Passerby: "What is your teaching?"

Master: "Be, here, now."

Passerby: "Of course, where else could I be?"

The passerby, thinking he understands, leaves unimpressed.

 

Intellectual: "What is your philosophy?"

Master: "Be, here, now."

The intellectual becomes insulted, possibly hearing,

"You are deceived, and not where you think you are",

and so he angrily departs.

 

Seeker: "What is your message?"

Master: "Be, here, now."

The seeker is open. Aware that he may not understand,

he sits down and awaits the master.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You do not unconditionally love yourself, but you want someone to love you, unconditionally. Do you believe you could receive such a love? Your reasons for not loving yourself are why you will not trust the love of any lover. Either you must doubt your reasons or you must doubt your lover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trust that life is a blessing ­ a gift ­ albeit often in disguise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Animals are most ferocious, when cornered.

Such is the nature of survival instincts.

With humans, survival has an added twist.

Because man is identified with his ego,

he is most ferocious when threatened by truth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meditation is learning to heal yourself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are conditioned to be depressed,
take ourselves and life seriously,
and everything personally.
Meditation is the alternative to drugs,
the way to let go and lighten up.

 

 

 

 

 

Ever wonder why we fail to keep resolutions?

Why after deciding to break a habit, go on a diet, or quit smoking, we soon find that we are doing exactly what we said we wouldn't do?

Weeds not pulled out with their roots grow back. Trying to make a change by changing our mind fails, because mind is only a superficial part of us. We may be identified with it, but it is not who we are or all that we are. Our roots go much deeper inside us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In relationship, we see ourselves reflected by the mirror of the other.

Since we resist seeing anything which disagrees with our ego view,

we blame the other ­ this is infinitely easier than seeing any truth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When love is conditional ­ what is really loved are conditions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ego trip is when someone is acting big.

Yet, it is also when someone is acting small.

Ego is only about acting ­ not anything real.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ego and denial are synonymous.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The universe is infinite.

So obviously, nothing can be taken out of it.

Therefore, you cannot ever be lost, or die.

Then, it logically follows that all is one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All relationships are perfect because,

they present exactly what is to be learned next.

When you escape instead, you only postpone the lesson,

that most assuredly will be presented again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Relationships are only hard because we resist hard lessons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What makes every ego the same is the belief that each is different.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is one thing for you have a mind,

but quite another if your mind has you.

Your mind has you if you believe it is you.

Then with no consciousness you hear and obey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please note: This book, Moments of Lucidity is available to the right publisher. There are about 250 more insights to this manuscript. This material is copywrited, so please request permission before reproducing it.