Page 434 - THE SILENT HEALING POWER By DR. MURDO MACDONALD-BAYNE

MARCH 1954

Then it is obvious that the first thing to do is to free the mind from its
own conditioning. That very freedom itself is the purpose, because it is only in
freedom that one can discover the Truth of anything.

So the first requisite is freedom and not seeking a purpose of Life. But
freedom only comes when we can discern what we have made up in our
minds, our ideas, our beliefs, our experiences, our memories of the past,
our antagonisms, our hates, our jealousies, our greeds, our craving and all

the complications we create through our reaction to people and things. If
Life is surrounded by all these, then we will be giving expression to them
and not to Reality.

But when we have discerned that which is preventing the expression
of Reality we will free ourselves. Then Life’s Creativeness—Its own Self-
expression—Love and Wisdom will be our experience.

Therefore it is of no value to enquire into the purpose of Life if we
are not capable of understanding ourselves. Only in my relationship with
others will I understand my relationship to others, to ideas, to things. How

can I go further if I do not understand this?
I must understand Life around me and in me, otherwise my search
becomes merely an escape from everyday action. As most of us do not under-
stand our everyday actions and reactions Life becomes a drudgery, pain, suffering,

anxiety and we pray to God for an escape from it, so what we really want is a
drug to put us to sleep so that we do not feel the aches and pains of Life.
We have an ideal, a pattern which we want to follow. Surely that is

only conformity, the mind seeks to be secure in order not to be disturbed,
such a mind is dead. Awareness is Life.
Real happiness comes with understanding. If I have a true understanding
of my relationship with others and with things, out of that understanding comes

joy. Then Life Itself is a joy, a richness and with that richness one can go
further. But without that foundation you cannot build.
Happiness comes easily when there is no friction either in us or about

us, and friction ceases only when there is understanding of things in their
proper place and of their right values.
To know this you must find out the working of your own mind first.

For if you do not know your own mind how can you discover the right value
of anything? With this understanding there is confidence. It is the lack of
confidence that causes confusion.

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