What Lies Below The Surface

The last lines of the second episode of Dexter, a television series about a serial killer who kills serial killers and may seem decidedly un-yogic, were however profound. As Dexter lies in a bath with his eyes open just under the surface of the water, “There are no secrets, just hidden truths that lie just below the surface.” I couldn’t help but be struck in awe by that statement and the exploitation of good and evil this series explores that lies within every human.

The show inspired me to reflect on something I recently read about our subconscious minds. From the age of birth to about five-years-old, having not developed a mechanism yet to filter out any unwanted material, our subconscious minds absorb everything we are exposed to, every negative and positive comment is filed into folders for further use, every good and bad memory, every lie and truth. And as we grow, our subconscious minds give us advice and guide us in our lives based on the material it has stored. Finding out what lies beneath the surface of our minds is of utmost importance.

Sometimes we have no idea why we think things or behave a certain way or respond to external stimuli in one way, when we might have just as well responded with a simple smile. Evidently, according to recent scientific evidence, we are operating 90% of the time from information supplied by our subconscious minds, another reason to know exactly what lies below the surface.

Discovery is most likely why many people go to therapy to face the music that plays over and over literally directing their lives. But the real question is how do we rid our subconscious mind of these old outdated files - “You’re too fat. You’ll never amount to anything. Rich people are greedy.” in order to make room for new empowering programs that can enhance our lives. And in the grand scheme of things as we affect the world around us, is it possible for this positive programming to eventually penetrate the subconscious of all of humanity, there by creating a more peaceful and harmonious world?

Thankfully, the answer to that question is yes. By us creating a more peaceful less violent (negative thought) world within ourselves, we are creating a better world. When everyone we touch through word or deed is enriched by our presence, we are also helping others to attain their own enlightenment.

On the subject of enlightenment, I recently began going to SGI, Soka Gakkai International, meetings and chanting “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo,” a Nichiren Buddhist chant to create world peace by creating peace within and connecting to our own inner Buddha nature. What struck me about this organization was that everyone I have met who practices this form of Buddhism seems to be happy and has an inner strength. I have known about this form of Buddhism for at least twenty years when a fellow actor brought me to a neighborhood meeting. Yet I had no idea the real message behind it.

This brings up another interesting phenomenon about this form of Buddhism; when you go to a meeting people are friendly. They ask you questions and want to know you. I had not experienced this form of acceptance before on my search for a spiritual community. I had been to yoga events and chanting etc. but found that when the event was over people quietly filed out and went about their sometimes-lonely lives. And being around lots of people and still feeling alone is perhaps the worst loneliness of all.

It’s not that I am not fine alone, but nothing of great importance has ever truly been achieved by one man or woman alone. Even Nicheren had a disciple who practiced with him on his island of exile. There is always more than one, and in some cases many, who together create massive energy called synergy. Synergy means that one plus one does not always equal two. Through synergy one plus one may equal one hundred or even one thousand or much more. It is through this synergy that great change will come to the world. When a critical mass of people have found their own Buddha natures, which lies dormant below the surface, it will open the door for everyone to make the quantum leap to witness this reality.

Our world does not need to be the violent, destructive, greedy world the media, advertising and the entertainment industry feeds us every day; - turn your televisions off - it can be the world of our dreams. By envisioning a more positive world for others and ourselves in our meditations we are creating that very world we envision. I hope to see this world. I get glimpses of it all the time, and it is beautiful. And since most people are not like Dexter’s heartless victims, a peaceful world is possible. If the masses of people one day stand up and say no to the greed and the violence propagated by those who are like Dexter’s victims: politicians, heads of countries, giant machine like corporations, banks that behave like the mafia and generals ordering soldiers to torture prisoners, we can have a world of peace for everyone to enjoy.

This peace can only be derived from empowered souls, and cannot be born from outside sources. The path to inner and outer peace may not be a smooth rode; there may be some scary unexpected discoveries along the way. Yet the journey is worth it; it is worth more than all the money in the world. It is the thing that we are after when we spend all the money in the world but can never achieve. Isn’t peace of mind, the greatest gift of all?


Namaste