Stillness is a higher, unshakable order of happiness and contentment that the mind - - stimulated by the pursuit or possession of its desired - - cannot imagine.

In this short talk Guy discusses how false beliefs create stress and tension and how we can begin our work to be free of all pretense.

By and large, most of us hold an unseen, but utterly false belief: the more we feel the need to talk to ourselves about something, the more important it is we do so. But what are we so busy talking to ourselves about in these moments of stress... if not what we must do in order to escape the painful experience of our own stressful reaction?

Looking to any angry, anxious, or otherwise stressed emotional state to help you sort out the pain you're in is like trying to organize your monthly bills by throwing them into a blender.

Only in a world turned upside-down could someone actually believe that his daily dose of stress, anxiety, and despair somehow proves he is as special as he imagines himself to be.

In this short talk Guy continues the series of attention exercises to include a new step which further develops our attention while simultaneously helping us to let go of tension and stress.

No condition, in and of itself, is ever the cause of psychological stress, fear, or regret; suffering of this kind is inherent in an unseen, unconscious level of ‘self’...

The root of our suffering isn't because of outer conditions but because of a misunderstanding of our existence and its purpose. Everything in nature that suffers does so for a purpose and cause greater than the individual creatures, while human suffering serves the self that creates it so it can be glorified.

One reason why it's so compelling to enter into the "house of thought" is because to enlarge the room you find yourself in -- or, for that matter, to build a whole new wing -- is as easy as abandoning your mind to build whatever it dreams up for itself through acts of unconscious association. unconscious, association, abandon, dreams...

There is no tension, anxiety, or dissatisfaction inherent in being watchful, while stress of every kind imaginable is inherent in the illusion that it's possible for you to be in more than one place at a time.

Trying to drop some pressurized thought or feeling that's painful to you, without having first let go of that stressed nature responsible for it, is like trying to get out of your socks before you take off your shoes.

The only real problem we have with any unwanted moment in life -- regardless how stressed, or conflicted may seem its temporary character... is that we have yet to see our unconscious involvement in its creation, and subsequent appearance.