How about if there was a form of wellbeing that persisted over time, that quietened the noisy inner judge?

The truth is that religions have known about this for millennia. They have given it various names: Enlightenment, Peace that Passeth all Understanding, Non-duality, God-consciousness.

Who doesn’t want to be well?

However, it is common for these to become viewed as hard, difficult, requiring years of dedication. In reality, it really isn’t like that. I know numerous people for whom the transition took a few days or weeks. Yes, some preparation helps – maybe some experience meditating or with introspection, but it needn’t be years. In fact, if it does take years, then perhaps a different approach is called for.

Let’s call this a shift into “Fundamental Wellbeing”. This is the best term I have come across. It captures the fact that it is “fundamental”, as in, it is significant for the person experiencing it. However, it needn’t be a huge religious event. For some it is just, “Oh… right.” and with that, a lot of suffering falls away.

Fundamental wellbeing is more common than many of us would think. It is more than possible for people to stumble upon it in the course of normal life. It is also possible for it to occur and for the person to not know what happened.

So what is the mechanism for this transition to happen? Let’s start by describing what not to do. There are many, many books, blogs and videos about this topic. The amount of information one can acquire about what the transition means is phenomenal. One can be a major expert, yet not, actually, know what any of it means. This is extremely common in religious and spiritual circles.

How do we avoid this? We need a balance. We need to know what we are looking for (or not looking for), but we also need to avoid filling our mind with ideas about what is supposed to be there. This is why some form of human guidance can really help. We start to inquire into our inner life, and ask questions of the assumptions we make about what is, or isn’t there. Once we see through some of these assumptions, habits and tendencies that were built upon them can fall away, bringing a distinct relief.

In this blog, I’m particularly interested in how we help bring about these transitions for people – for as many people as possible.

The last thing I’d like to add is to note that stepping into Fundamental Wellbeing is a beginning. It involves entering into a new, and potentially exciting world. There is an incredible range of experience available for exploration.