The Middle Way

Over the last 5 years I have been in the deepest transformation of my life, it’s been a journey to a whole new level of discovery.

As I’ve delved deeper into my internal self, I have detached completely from the external world, experiencing the true essence of letting go and not desiring to cling to things.

The calling to become a Buddhist Monk has been their for a number of years, but I wasn’t ready to commit myself to such a simple life as I was still holding on to my external world thinking I might one day be fulfilled by something only to eventually discover we are that something.

When we truly understand ourselves, we discover everything that is to be gained can only come within. We are all energy workers trying to navigate our human experience the best we can, what makes it difficult to find that middle ground of enjoying our human experience and being true to our internal self is the external noise and distractions. The need for craving and desire conditions us to have a self cherishing mind, as we become convinced that we need external things to cope and survive when in fact we don’t.

The road to peace and understanding, is something that can only be done alone, because at the end of it all, ourself is the one thing we are left to face. All that other stuff is simply that, only stuff, just things that come and go, this includes people. Everything reaches a point of expiry because everything must change in order for growth.

We can’t expect for our lives to improve if we are constantly resisting against the natural flow of our life force. We have to embrace our journey and live in the present moment because that’s where reality is, not in that past and not in the future, but the here and now.

In these modern times many people glamorise the spiritual path, using the term healing journey like some sort of novelty, thinking it is something magnificent, and although improving ourselves is the most precious and exciting gift we can give to ourself, we must understand that it is a long and painful journey that has to be endured this way for the accomplishment of self mastery.

The idea of stepping into a spiritual life and it being a sparkling rose garden is far from the reality of true discovery, it’s a deluded state of mind. We have to endure discomfort and pain in order to evolve. In order to experience something great we must experience the complete opposite because we need something to compare it to, if we don’t then how on earth will we be able to understand gratitude.

Just like the day and night, left and right, there needs to be an opposite, so when we centre ourselves we stand in the middle way, this is where our valuable lessons start to begin, and where choices lay.

Choices are apart of our human experience and we have a lot of them to make. There is no escaping the work that must be done within, the further we run and delay the internal process of self development and higher learning the longer and painful our suffering will be.

This idea many people have in there head to search for the so called one doesn’t exist, there is no one, you are the one, the mind that thinks there is someone who is going to make them whole or complete is nothing but a deluded fantasy and road to disaster.  There is nothing external to search for, once you establish who you are by going deep within, then everything that is meant for you will not go past you.

Each day, each decision, each disciplined effort compounds into a life that reflects your inner work. You don’t live by chance you live by choice, by not drifting with the current of circumstance, you move with the currents of awareness and presence. This is what it means to truly work on yourself. Not just to chase improvement, but to cultivate mastery over your mind, your body and your soul.

As I step into splendid isolation over the next coming months I send you my love, compassion and kindness.

Wishing you to be at peace and free from suffering.

Aston 🙏🏽✨🪽