In other countries, they are allowed out with a chaperone, but
only if their entire body is covered and their eyes veiled. What is
"wrong" with showing their eyes? Good question, eh? At least it’s a good
question in your part of the world.

Christians have beliefs, and in different sects of Christianity, different
beliefs. Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Sufi’s all have different
beliefs. "Belief" is another word for conditioning. Notice that beliefs
are often rooted in religion, and each religion is certain that it is not
only right, but that it is the only one that is right. How can that be?
How can everyone have a different point of view, and everyone be right?

It is essential to realize that whether you are religious or not, you are
equally conditioned. It is a fact– you are more like a machine than a
human being. The leading edge of science accepts this. We as "normal
humans" have been conditioned not to accept it, but your views on life
emerge from the part of your brain that has been conditioned from birth.

Not being allowed to show the eyes is obviously ridiculous– to our culture
anyway. But what about your genitals? For certain "primitives," it is
ridiculous to cover any part of your body. What is wrong (even criminal in
most countries) with showing yourself as you were born? You have genitals,
your parents have them, everyone has them. You see your own, and in the
right societal situation, it’s "okay" to see another’s. In some cultures
people are not even allowed to look at their own!

Where did this idea come from? It is conditioning. Most of it comes from
religion– one of the most suppressive forces on the planet. From the
moment you are born you are taught (conditioned) what is right/wrong,
good/bad, allowed/not allowed, possible/not possible. Each country, each
religion, and even individual sects of the same religion, have different
rules.

When you are "educated," you form hard wiring in your brain. Literally.
From then on, anything that does not match that wiring is "wrong." And,
incidentally, you then assume that you are superior to those whose wiring
is different and that they are more "primitive."

Conditioning is the main thing that reduces your feeling of freedom and
happiness. Let’s take another example: sexual education. As you grow up,
you are conditioned not to be free with your feelings. You are taught not
to express how you feel about the opposite (or same) sex until you are
‘old enough.’ What is ‘wrong ’with this natural way of being?

It is important to question it for yourself and not automatically accept
what you have been told or what I suggest. Look for yourself. Well, that’s
the trouble– you can’t look for yourself if you are conditioned. You think
you can, but everything you think goes through your conditioning, so you
cannot see objectively. A Catholic will see it one way, a Jew another, a
Muslim another, a Hippie another. And each one is certain they are right.
Can they all be equally "right?" Their different beliefs are just
conditioning.

Are there any techniques to clear you of your conditioning? No. Forget it.
The Hindus have been trying for eighty thousand years. Just look at the
state of India! There are techniques to re-program you, but re-programming
is programming (conditioning.) So, is there anything that works?
Meditation? The East says stop the mind. There are two difficulties with
this simple solution. One is that the mind does not easily stop– even with
many, many lifetimes (let alone years) of devoted meditation. The other is
that all ideas come from the mind, which is the source of conditioning,
and therefore any idea for going beyond the mind comes from the
conditioning of the mind. It does not work.

So, is there any hope? Yes! Absolutely. It is simple. Most people would
like to have happier lives, but they do not want to change the way they
live. The difficulty is obvious, isn’t it? If you keep doing the same
thing in the same way, things are likely to stay the same. Human beings
really don’t like change. That’s part of the conditioning of the mind.

However you may not have to drastically change your living conditions to
change your life. It is not what you do; it is the way you do it. So, here
is the way to set yourself free of the conditioning of the mind without
needing to radically alter your normal living conditions.

In Each Moment, be unconditionally present. Simple. Of course the same
thoughts will be there, but you do not have to listen to them. If the mind
says something practical (avoid that on-coming vehicle,) take action.
Otherwise, dare to not listen. Ignore what the mind says. It takes
practice. The more you want it, the quicker and easier it becomes. For
instance, if you have a terminal health condition, you tend to be more
motivated. Eventually the non-essential part of the thinking fades away.

At first nothing seems to change– except you will see situations more
clearly, as though from a distance. You will watch the reactions of the
body, mind and emotions, and instead of automatically reacting, you will
find space and time to respond in a more human way. Your addictions to
certain behaviors start to fade. As you devote yourself to this process,
you will find that life totally changes– without you having "done"
anything.

You will be more aware. You will be more awake, sensitive, caring, loving
to yourself and others. And the most important result is that you will
feel freer, and will delight in your own happiness.

• Australia