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Me: May I ask you about something I struggle with? Something I believe.

Reality: Of course. Let me ask you something first. Do you know what the nature of a belief is?

Me: Yes, something one has a strong conviction about.

Reality: A belief is only a thought a person accepts as real. No thought is real.

Me: Yeah but…

R: Beliefs are thoughts, bundles of them. Thoughts are only thoughts, illusions of the mind. Thoughts are not facts. What is your belief? Let’s look at it.

Me: Animals should not be killed.

R: Is this true?

Me: What do you mean? Yes. It is for me.

R: Can you absolutely know this is true?

Me: I don’t know.

R: What is your proof that animals should not be killed?

Me: What? They are here, with us, not for us. They are entitled to live like all of us. Life is life. It is not for us to take. If they were not supposed to live they would not be here to begin with. I don’t know how to put it in words.

R: You just did. So, animals should not be killed, I see. What is happening in reality?

Me: They are being killed.

R: Do you know more than reality how animals should be or should not be?

Me: Do I know more than reality? Is this a play of words?

R: Isn’t reality the highest order? Is reality God for you? God as Creation not as the Source. So, animals should not be killed. How do you react when you believe this thought? And I invite you to feel it.

Me: I am crushed

R: Where do you feel it in the body?

Me: Everywhere, my back and my chest especially, my stomach, my shoulders, my throat—everywhere.

R: Feel it in just one place for now, let’s say your throat. How does it feel? Describe it.

Me: Closed, tight and painful.

R: Go and check the other different places where you feel it, so you can be totally aware of the sensation. How does it feel?

Me: Painful.

R: What do you get for holding this belief?

Me: Sometimes I think I will be able to do something different, to inspire somebody else to do something different. Other times I just feel a morbid pleasure of righteousness.

R: Animals should not be killed. Maru, what do you get for holding this belief?

Me: Pain.

R: When you feel pain, are you free to inspire me? Can you inspire anybody while you are occupied with your pain? Can you take clear action when you experience this pain?

Me: No, I just feel anger, rage.

R: Animals should not be killed. How do you treat the one who is killing the animal, in your mind, when you believe this thought?

Me: In my mind? I would kill that person if I could get away with it.

R: Would you?

M: You asked in my mind, didn’t you?  Yes, I would. If it is only in the mind I can go as far as I want, can’t I?

R: Yes you can. You are honest. I see that. What is the difference between you and the one who is killing the animals?

Me: That I am not doing it, they are!

R: The hatred and the anger are exactly the same. Aren’t they?

Me: Yes.

R: You could cross a fine line and become that person if your limits were a little bit stretched. Do you follow me? If your limits were stretched, you would find yourself killing the other. You can see that?

Me: Yes.

R: I cannot bring peace with war. It does not work. If I want to stop the killing, I cannot be killing in my mind either. I cannot remain a killer and stop others from killing. It does not work because all I teach is anger, all I bring in is anger because that is the state of my mind. So, let’s go back to the belief.

Me: Animals should not be killed.

R: Can you find a reason to give up this thought? But please don’t give it up. Don’t give it up, just think of a reason.

Me: To be in a different state of mind so I can inspire others.

R: Can you find another one?

Me: Peace of mind.

R: Animals should not be killed. With this thought, what do you experience?

Me: Pain, anger, sadness, frustration, desperation, inner conflict and hundreds others.

R: Who would you be without this thought?

Me: Pardon me, who would I be? I would be peace.

R: You would be free of all the pain in the body, free of the anger, free of the frustration, free of the aggression. Wouldn’t you? Animals should not be killed. When you hold this belief what do you get?

Me: Nothing

R: You do get something. What do you get?

Me: Pain.

R: Negativity, pain, anger, rage, confusion. Without this belief what would you get?

Me: Calmness, peace and happiness.

R: You would have a clear mind—simple. Animals should not be killed. I don’t argue with that. But when I look around reality shows me something else, so at least I have a clear mind. When I want something different to what it is, my mind is confused. I just have to acknowledge that and be aware of that. Let’s turn the thought around, animals should be killed.

Me: Come on, I cannot even articulate that!

R: I am sure you can. Say it.

Me: Animals should be killed. Animals should be killed.

R: Isn’t this more true?

Me: Yes, but…

R: Remember, this turned around thought is not the truth. It just brings the mind closer to the reality instead of being stuck in a dream. Wake up to the reality, wake up to what is going on around you. Stop dreaming a different planet when the planet is right in front of your eyes. Now sense it. Wake up and start to see reality as it is. You might find out that the reality is more kind than your thoughts about the reality itself. Reality does not cause you pain, it is wanting it to be different that causes the pain. You see that? Turn the thought around again.

Me: Animals should be killed.

R: Is this more true?

Me: Yes.

R: Why?

Me: Because they are being killed.

R: If you believe animals should not be killed, what would you never want to experience again?

Me: Precisely that, animals being killed.

R: You recognize that animals being killed is what you don’t want to ever experience again. Correct? Now I invite you to say in your mind, “I welcome the thought and the experience that animals are being killed.”

Me: Okay.

R: Can you say that out loud?

Me: I accept.

R: I welcome.

Me: I welcome the thought.

R: And the experience.

Me: I welcome the thought and the experience that animals should be…

R: Are being. Stay with me. I invite…

Me: I invite the thought and experience that animals are being killed.

R: I look forward to the thought and the experience that animals are being killed.

Me: I look forward to the thought and the experience that animals should be.

R: Are being. Lets do one more time. I welcome…

Me: I welcome and look forward to the thought that animals are being killed.

R: I invite…

Me: I invite the thought that animals are being killed.

R: I look forward…

Me: I look forward to the thought and the experience that animals are being killed.

R: Why?

Me: Because they are being killed.

R: At least you won’t be afraid from the thought and the experiences that you experience. You are afraid of thinking certain thoughts that arises within you anyway. Aren’t you?

Me: Yes.

R: If you don’t welcome it, every time you would be exposed to an animal being killed, and you will again, this thought that you resist and causes you pain will appear. You were even afraid to say it.

Me: Does this mean I am okay with it?

R: I don’t know. Are you? Only you know. What it means is that you are now willing to at least examine this belief, which you choose to bring into consciousness because your mind wants to see only the truth. You are not attached to future outcome, okay? Reality will play itself as it will.

All beliefs cause pain.

You can be free of this belief. It does not mean you will not take action. It does not mean you cannot lead and inspire all of us to not kill animals —from a place of acceptance and peace. Not from a place of, “I will fight you.”

Otherwise you will be like all of them, like all of us, like I was. It does not make you passive, it does not mean that you can’t be the change and impact. It does not mean you cannot be an example. You can, from a place of clarity and understanding.

Of peace absolute.

Maru Garcia was born in Mexico City, raised by an angel dressed as a warrior. As a kid, she wanted to be invisible when she grew up or become a contortionist so she could fit silently in little spaces. She has a degree in Nutrition and Food Science and believes in veganism as a living statement of love. She is a very imperfect yogi, loves animals more than anything in the whole wide world, and is a strong advocate for animals´right to just be animals. There is often a dog, a kitten or a palm tree hidden in her purse on the way to safety. She often gets in trouble for saying exactly what she thinks and feels, no editing, that is her trademark. Her world tends to be often black or white, gray disorients her. She is in love. She lives in Playa del Carmen with her three dogs, two birds and one cat. She does not know yet how come or why she writes.

~

Editor: Maja Despot

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