How to Achieve Unshakable Confidence Through Self Realization

I don’t want to misrepresent any of these trust systems, because they all have their relative value and benefits, but they all contain the seeds of their own demise. Why? because they all require effort; maintaining your ‘vibration’ or feeding your healthy ego or maintaining your enthusiasm. Buddhism holds the philosophy that nothing you build can last, that everything created will be destroyed, and that nothing in this world will give you any lasting satisfaction. You keep setting new goals and adjusting your attitude, but is there another way?

Perhaps there is something more ultimate such as God, Allah or Buddha that one can rely on with complete confidence? There is good evidence that people who believe and trust in these things have lasting happiness and peace that is more lasting and reliable than worldly egos or enthusiasm. But I suggest that most of this is based on a ‘healthy religious ego’ – another type of ego that consists only of beliefs; a construct of fake trust built on the foundations of concepts and ideas.

Concepts and ideas are merely illusory, there is no real substance in them. That is why there is a saying in Zen

“…if you see Buddha on the street, kill him!”

This popular Zen saying essentially points to the “killing” of any concept of anything outside yourself that you can rely on. Or at least as a famous Tibetan yogi suggests, “don’t believe your thoughts.”

So this brings me to what I would like to show you, what you can rely on, what a
fearless confidence and a way of being that is available to everyoneno matter what country you come from, what religious background you have or how much money you make; this is the universal confidence of discovering your own consciousness with all its wonderful properties.

Since I have criticized religions somewhat, I would like to mention these teachings, which are referred to as the ‘eternal philosophy‘ are found, sometimes hidden or secret, in all the major religious teachings of the world and discovering or uncovering this hidden truth is the key to unshakable faith and the goal of meditation.

The
eternal philosophy
points to a ‘true self’ which, when contacted, heralds the dawning of a new identity, a new understanding of who you are and an unwavering confidence. This is not an arrogantly driven type of trust that believes it can achieve any goals or have anything it wants. On the contrary, it is a humble trust that becomes deeply aware of the futility and vanity of seeking fulfillment within the temporary manifestations of the world.

A humility built on a grandmother, like wisdom that knows the temporary and fleeting nature of things. This wisdom is not depressing, but liberating. It deeply realizes the value of every sunset, every smile of another human being and the richness of every day. Every day is seen as more precious than ever and should never be taken for granted because it simply won’t last long.

There is relief in not turning to the ever-changing world for security and in a new-found trust in the already complete, eternal present moment – ​​the only place where happiness and fulfillment can ever be found.

The kind of trust I present ironically begins with giving up or surrendering. This surrender is called
to renounce worldly things that is, giving up the temporary and unreliable fluctuations of happiness in achieving goals, focused on future achievement, and replacing them with the lasting and greater happiness available from knowing who you really are in the present moment.

So who are you? The first thing I can say is who you are not, and this very simply means that you are not who you think you are
. Thoughts are just ideas in your imagination, they are not real. Thoughts about who you are are usually based on arbitrary things, such as your job, sexual orientation, country of birth, or certain talents – all of these things are temporary circumstances that the mind labels with no lasting truth. Giving up these thoughts about yourself is the first stage of meditation in which you are taught to just pay attention to your breath and not to take your thoughts seriously, let them come and let them go, they have no meaning for your real and lasting identity.

*Try it
– now pause and think about who are you right now if you don’t believe your thoughts?

It turns out that you are an eternal limitless consciousness that is the primary and fundamental source of the universe.

That means that from this perspective, our bodies, brains and everything else emerge from this consciousness like a wave coming from the ocean, rather than the other way around.

Science, including neuroscience, has not yet proven their theory that consciousness arises from the brain and nervous system – it is still a mystery to them and is known as the ‘hard problem of consciousness’.

Mystics and contemplatives, on the other hand, have been telling us for thousands of years that our true self is a limitless consciousness, imbued with intuitive intelligence, unconditional love, and immeasurable bliss and joy. In Buddhism it is called Buddha nature and it is taught that this nature is already perfect, enlightened and complete with positive qualities. The aim of all Buddhist schools is to realize this nature.

Self-realized beings have told us that worldly happiness pales in comparison to the self-realization of consciousness and that the Buddhist and yogic ideas of liberation and enlightenment are based on directly realizing this universal truth. Unfortunately, this realization is ego’s greatest disappointment. It is not a personal self, but a universal self shared by every living being. You are not better than anyone else, you are merely a reflection of this divine self within the circumstances of the world. The condition Namaste
– the divine light in me recognizes the divine light in you – is a great way to remember this level of equality when you meet others.

This consciousness or open consciousness that I am pointing to is fearless, what Zen masters call indomitable – meaning it is not moved or swept away by current circumstances; it is indestructible as the air and connecting with this inner space can bring tremendous courage and fortitude into our lives. The realization that the passing weather can never harm the sky is just as passing thoughts and emotions, no matter how strong they are, can never harm your true inner heaven such as the conscious self.

Your true self or Open Consciousness does not come and go, you do not create this Consciousness in meditation and you cannot make it better nor can you harm it, it is the core of all experiences, it is here and now, it is the open space through which you can read this blog. It is the effortless foundation of your being, the unchanging presence that you carry with you throughout your life. As Deepak Chopra explains:

“Meditation is not a way to quiet your mind. It is a way to enter the silence that is already there – buried beneath the 50,000 thoughts the average person thinks every day.”

Zen Master Bankei calls it the great ‘Unborn’ because it does not arise new or from causes that have always been there – it is what the ‘Big Bang’ came from. It was never born in the normal sense and therefore it can never die. It is the only ‘thing’ that resembles it, everything else will be born and die and cannot be relied upon. If you try to trust anything else, it will be unstable and unreliable.

Another metaphor is that your true self is like the calm silence at the center of a storm or tornado, even when the chaos swirls around us, there is a calm center, a quiet place within that always has a cheeky inner smile that knows this too shall pass.

Consciousness has the quality of seeing and noticing without reacting or being influenced. We could simply call this Consciousness. Being aware of things without reacting is a gateway to this awareness and an important meditation style taught by many traditions. As Osho says:

“…stay more and more aware and you will be amazed at how your life will transform.”

There is so much philosophy to discuss about this limitless consciousness, hopefully I have pointed it out enough to give you a glimpse of it just by reading my words. But there is no substitute for the self-realization of coming into contact with this naturally clear and limitless consciousness through meditation. I want to conclude with a meditation method to discover your true self. This method points out and notes three qualities of Consciousness as the ultimate refuge for all. The three qualities are stillness, stillness and space. This is a very simple and effective method of connecting with this ever-present consciousness, but there are many different paths to self-discovery.

Contacting limitless consciousness

* Right now: 1) sit quietly, 2) be quiet (no matter what sounds are around – YOU are quiet), and 3) allow thoughts to move through your mind without reacting to them.

Pay attention to these three things: being still, being still, and being spacious. Notice that these are qualities that are already present within you. They are you. By connecting with these three qualities you can be a refuge from fear and suffering at all times, even when you are moving, making noise and thinking. The underlying fabric that makes these things possible is inner stillness, silence and space.

This gives you incredible self-confidence. You don’t have to do anything or avoid anything to be confident, simply find the confidence in being yourself. Sit still and still and be for a moment. Just be, without trying to change anything. Just sit. Just breathe. And just be your natural self.

You are already complete and fulfilled and this can never be taken from you. What is there to fear?

This is what you can rely on – being relaxed in the now with unwavering faith in your natural self – limitless awareness.

Chad Foreman is the founder of The Way of Meditation and has been teaching meditation since 2003, determined to bring authentic meditation practices into the lives of millions of people in the modern world. Chad is a former Buddhist monk who lived in a retreat hut for six years and studied and practiced meditation full-time. He now has over twenty years of experience teaching meditation. Chad likes regularly
Meditation retreats on the Sunshine Coast, Australia
Online meditation coachingprovides three online programs – The 21 Day Meditation Challenge to gradually guide people from the basic principles of mindfulness and relaxation to profound states of consciousness.
Breathwork to help manage stress and go deeper into meditation and
The bliss of inner fire This is a Buddhist tantric method to clear energy blockages and connect with the clear light of bliss. You can also get Chad’s free ebook now Insights on the go.