Tash Shadman, Spiritual Teacher

Fundamentals

Two Extremes

The mind often 'places' experiences into one of two camps — seeming opposites: the crux of it is good / bad.

Separation is more easily recognised when it appears in the 'negative' camp, such as criticism. It is less visible when separation appears to be 'positive' - such as praise. This form is less easily seen, as it is easily perceived and presented as loving behaviour by the majority of people. Yet, both are judgements obscuring 'what is'.

These opposites may appear as:

Right / wrong
Good / bad
Amazing / terrible
Okay / not okay
Perfect / imperfect
Holy / unholy
Gentle / harsh
Whole / broken
Worthy / unworthy
Healthy / unhealthy

In each case, experience is obscured, and gives rise to the structure: should / should not.

There is also a subtler layer of good / bad where language appears less obviously positional:

Better / worse
Beneficial / non-beneficial
Safe / harmful
Helpful / unhelpful
Supportive / unsupportive

These can appear more neutral, yet they still carry an assumed direction. Something is being measured against an intended outcome, preference, or goal. Within that frame, something is described as moving toward or away from what is wanted.

Context is what gives these descriptions relevance. If there is a goal of weight loss, eating fewer calories could be described as supportive within that framework. If there is a desire for less mental noise, not engaging with certain thoughts may be described as helpful. In each case, the label arises in relation to a direction. Outside of that context, the same action does not carry an inherent quality of benefit or harm.

Ultimately, 'what is' is not bad / good — it simply is.

Did something wrong

A mistake is made in a task, such as sending an email with an error. Immediately there is a reaction: 'That was stupid,' or 'I should have known better.' The event is relatively inconsequential, but the judgement is that it's bad, and the mistake turns it into a statement about competence or adequacy. Attention shifts toward making a 'me' wrong, rather than correcting the error or simply noticing it and continuing.

Smoking is bad

The same pattern is visible in common beliefs such as 'smoking is bad.' 'Bad,' 'unhealthy,' 'not good for me' are labels placed over the experience of smoking. The label compresses a wide field of experience into a single conclusion. In lived reality there is only what is occurring: craving, mental imagery, movement toward or away from smoking, smoking, not smoking, and its bodily effects. The moral framing is a layer placed over these movements.

Emotions are beautiful

Emotions are sometimes described as sacred, positive, or beautiful. They are elevated and placed into categories of spiritual or psychological value. In direct experience, an emotion is simply 'there' or not. Value is added through interpretation.

Apologising is the right thing to do

Apologising is often treated as a fixed moral act. In lived experience, it is a movement that may arise in response to context, communication, and relationship. Sometimes an apology arises and flows with 'what is', sometimes it does not. Any moral framing is added afterwards.

Next: Stories vs Experience

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