Michael Singer

The Balance of the Tao

The concept of the Tao, or 'The Way,' is explored as a path of balance and harmony. Singer explains that life is about finding the middle way between extremes. 'The Tao is in the middle. It’s the place where there is no energy pushing in either direction.' By avoiding extremes and seeking balance, we can conserve energy and live more harmoniously. For instance, maintaining a balanced diet, a moderate exercise routine, and a healthy work-life balance can lead to a more fulfilling and sustainable lifestyle.

Practice Mindful Observation

Spend a day consciously observing your thoughts and emotions without reacting to them. This helps in understanding the nature of your inner roommate and reduces its control over your actions.

Keep Your Heart Open

Make a conscious effort to keep your heart and mind open, especially during challenging situations. This can involve practices like deep breathing, positive affirmations, or simply reminding yourself to stay open and receptive.

Embrace Life’s Changes

Instead of resisting changes and trying to control every aspect of your life, accept that change is a natural part of existence. View changes as opportunities for growth rather than threats to your stability.

Live Each Moment Fully

Challenge yourself to live as though each moment is your last. This can help you focus on the present and appreciate the experiences you are currently having, rather than constantly seeking something more.

Contemplate Mortality

Regularly reflect on the inevitability of death to gain perspective on your life. Consider how you would live if you knew you had limited time left. Use this awareness to prioritize meaningful actions and relationships, and to let go of trivial concerns.

The only real solution is to take the seat of witness consciousness and completely change your frame of reference.

You have to break the habit of thinking that the solution to your problems is to rearrange things outside.

There is a part of your being that can actually abstract from your own melodrama.

Spend a day watching every single thing your roommate does.

Your will is stronger than the habit of listening to that voice.

Consciousness has the ability to become more aware of one thing and less aware of something else.

When you concentrate on the world of the physical senses, it draws you in.

When you are an aware being, you no longer become completely immersed in the events around you.

The only reason you don’t feel this energy all the time is because you block it.

You block it by closing your heart, by closing your mind, and by pulling yourself into a restrictive space inside.

If you like energy, and you do, then don’t ever close. The more you learn to stay open, the more the energy can flow into you.

A Samskara is a blockage, an impression from the past. It’s an unfinished energy pattern that ends up running your life.

The heart controls the energy flow by opening and closing. This means that the heart, like a valve, can either allow the flow of energy to pass through, or it can restrict the flow of energy from passing through.

When you close down and protect yourself, you are pulling a shell around the part of you that is weak.

If you protect yourself, you will never be free.

Fear is the cause of every problem. It’s the root of all prejudices and the negative emotions of anger, jealousy, and possessiveness.

When your stuff gets hit, let go right then because it will be harder later.

You are noticing it, but who are you? This place of centered awareness is the seat of the witness, the seat of Self.

Life is surrounding you with people and situations that stimulate growth.

The prerequisite to True freedom is to decide that you do not want to suffer anymore.

People do not understand how much they are suffering because they have never experienced what it is like to not suffer.

The mind is constantly trying to give you advice about how to make it all okay.

The key is to be quiet. It’s not that your mind has to be quiet. You be quiet.

All you have to do is stop expecting the mind to fix what’s wrong inside of you.

Witness Consciousness and Inner Freedom

Michael Singer emphasizes the concept of 'witness consciousness' as central to achieving inner freedom. By detaching from the emotional energy of problems and observing them objectively, individuals can manage their reactions and understand that many problems stem from their own perceptions. He states, 'The only real solution is to take the seat of witness consciousness and completely change your frame of reference.' For example, instead of getting anxious in a stressful situation, one should observe these emotions without getting lost in them, thereby gaining clarity and control.

The Inner Roommate

Singer introduces the idea of an 'inner roommate,' a metaphor for the incessant mental chatter that disrupts our peace. This inner voice constantly comments on everything, creating unnecessary drama and stress. 'You have to break the habit of thinking that the solution to your problems is to rearrange things outside,' he writes. By personifying this inner voice and recognizing its neurotic tendencies, individuals can distance themselves from it and reduce its influence on their lives. For instance, if this inner voice criticizes a new car for every minor flaw, it can ruin the joy of owning it.

The Power of Inner Energy

Inner energy, distinct from physical energy, is a vital force that can be accessed by maintaining an open heart and mind. Singer describes how emotional states can either block or allow this energy to flow. 'The only reason you don’t feel this energy all the time is because you block it. You block it by closing your heart, by closing your mind, and by pulling yourself into a restrictive space inside.' This underscores the importance of emotional openness and receptivity to harness this boundless inner energy.

The Importance of Letting Go

Letting go is crucial for spiritual growth and personal freedom. Singer argues that True growth comes from releasing inner disturbances rather than suppressing or avoiding them. 'If you protect yourself, you will never be free.' By letting go of the need to defend our ego and self-concept, we allow our consciousness to remain centered and unaffected by external events. For example, when someone takes your pencil at work, instead of getting upset, you can choose to let go of the irritation and maintain your inner peace.

Embracing Inner Pain for Freedom

Singer emphasizes the importance of facing and embracing inner pain rather than avoiding it. Avoiding pain keeps it ever-present and makes one a slave to the fear of it. 'If you want to be free, simply view inner pain as a temporary shift in your energy flow.' By accepting and allowing the pain to pass through, one can achieve True freedom and live a life full of interesting experiences without the constant fear of getting hurt.

Unconditional Happiness

The highest spiritual path is to choose unconditional happiness, regardless of external circumstances. Singer argues that True happiness is a choice entirely within one's control, despite life's inevitable challenges. 'If you decide that you’re going to be happy from now on for the rest of your life, you will not only be happy, you will become enlightened.' This idea is exemplified by the notion that events themselves do not determine happiness; rather, it is one's response to these events that matters.

Imagine if you used relationships to get to know other people, rather than to satisfy what is blocked inside of you. If you’re not trying to make people fit into your preconceived notions of what you like and dislike, you will find that relationships are not really that difficult. If you’re not so busy judging and resisting people based upon what is blocked inside of you, you will find that they are much easier to get along with—and so are you. Letting go of yourself is the simplest way to get closer to others.

Your relationship with God is the same as your relationship with the sun. If you hid from the sun for years and then chose to come out of your darkness, the sun would still be shining as if you had never left. You don’t need to apologize. You just pick your head up and look at the sun. It’s the same way when you decide to turn toward God—you just do it.

Instead of being encouraged to feel completely protected, loved, honored, and respected by the Divine Force, you've been taught that you're being judged. Because you've been taught that, you feel guilt and fear. But guilt and fear do not open you connection to the Divine; they only serve to close your heart. The reality is that God's way is love, and you can see this for yourself.

The truth is that most of life will unfold in accordance with forces far outside your control, regardless of what your mind says about it

We are constantly trying to hold it all together. If you really want to see why you do things, then don't do them and see what happens.

Do not let anything that happens in life be important enough that you’re willing to close your heart over it.

When a problem is disturbing you, don't ask, "What should I do about it?" Ask, "What part of me is being disturbed by this?

Only you can take inner freedom away from yourself, or give it to yourself. Nobody else can.

If you truly love someone, your love sees past their humanness

There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind - you are the one who hears it.

The Thought Of Death Lets You Focus On What’s Important

Your Thoughts Don't Define You

Your consciousness is actually experiencing your mental model of reality, not reality itself.

To attain true inner freedom, you must be able to objectively watch your problems instead of being lost in them.

True personal growth is about transcending the part of you that is not okay and needs protection.

The only real solution is to take the seat of witness consciousness and completely change your frame of reference.

You have to break the habit of thinking that the solution to your problems is to rearrange things outside.

There is a part of your being that can actually abstract from your own melodrama.

Spend a day watching every single thing your roommate does.

Your will is stronger than the habit of listening to that voice.

Consciousness has the ability to become more aware of one thing and less aware of something else.

When you concentrate on the world of the physical senses, it draws you in.

When you are an aware being, you no longer become completely immersed in the events around you.

The only reason you don’t feel this energy all the time is because you block it.

You block it by closing your heart, by closing your mind, and by pulling yourself into a restrictive space inside.

If you like energy, and you do, then don’t ever close. The more you learn to stay open, the more the energy can flow into you.

A Samskara is a blockage, an impression from the past. It’s an unfinished energy pattern that ends up running your life.

The heart controls the energy flow by opening and closing. This means that the heart, like a valve, can either allow the flow of energy to pass through, or it can restrict the flow of energy from passing through.

When you close down and protect yourself, you are pulling a shell around the part of you that is weak.

If you protect yourself, you will never be free.

Fear is the cause of every problem. It’s the root of all prejudices and the negative emotions of anger, jealousy, and possessiveness.

When your stuff gets hit, let go right then because it will be harder later.

You are noticing it, but who are you? This place of centered awareness is the seat of the witness, the seat of Self.

Life is surrounding you with people and situations that stimulate growth.

The prerequisite to True freedom is to decide that you do not want to suffer anymore.

People do not understand how much they are suffering because they have never experienced what it is like to not suffer.

The mind is constantly trying to give you advice about how to make it all okay.

The key is to be quiet. It’s not that your mind has to be quiet. You be quiet.

All you have to do is stop expecting the mind to fix what’s wrong inside of you.

Eventually you will see that the real cause of problem is not life itself. It's the commotion the mind makes about life that really causes the problems.

If you want to be happy, you have to let go of the part of you that wants to create melodrama. This is the part that thinks there’s a reason not to be happy. You have to transcend the personal, and as you do, you will naturally awaken to the higher aspects of your being. In the end, enjoying life’s experiences is the only rational thing to do.