Don't waste your time in arguments and discussion
attempting to grasp the ungraspable.
Each thing reveals the One,
the One manifests as all things.
To live in this Realization
is not to worry about perfection or non-perfection.
To put your trust in the Heart-Mind is to live without separation,
and in this non-duality you are one with your Life-Source.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hsin Hsin Ming
Translated by Richard B. Clarke
Jim Carrey ...
Jim Carrey is on stage, explaining his spiritual awakening.
“I woke up and suddenly got it,” Carrey says. “I understood suddenly
how my thoughts were just an illusory thing. And how 'thought' is
responsible for most of the suffering we experience ... and suddenly I
had this amazing feeling of freedom – from myself, from my problems. I
saw that I was bigger than what I do. I was bigger than my body. I was
no longer a fragment of the universe – I was the universe.”
“I woke up and suddenly got it,” Carrey says. “I understood suddenly
how my thoughts were just an illusory thing. And how 'thought' is
responsible for most of the suffering we experience ... and suddenly I
had this amazing feeling of freedom – from myself, from my problems. I
saw that I was bigger than what I do. I was bigger than my body. I was
no longer a fragment of the universe – I was the universe.”
Death and Life...
Whether we confront the mystery called death or the equal mystery called life, the revelation must come in one or the other state: there is a connection with HE WHO IS. For this are we born and our oscillation between the two happens at the Mind of the World's behest. As, so sleepily and unwittingly, we shape and light up these fragments of being that we are, quite simply the connection gets uncovered more and more.
— Notebooks Category 9: From Birth to Rebirth > Chapter 2: Rebirth and Reincarnation > # 211........Paul Brunton
— Notebooks Category 9: From Birth to Rebirth > Chapter 2: Rebirth and Reincarnation > # 211........Paul Brunton
Vigilance of Ego...
This vigilance that we speak of is called Awareness.. It is the ability to watch the thoughts of your mind and eliminate the thoughts from the ego.. Eventually, you will find that the more the ego is eliminated, the more Love will appear.. The ego is the veil that covers the Truth.. The Truth will appear as you remove the veil.. The ego is an illusion that we have been taught to believe is us.. To fully rise above the ego is accomplished through meditation by surrendering this illusion and becoming Nothing.. If you are able to achieve this state of Truth, you will feel as though you are dying.. This is why Jesus said;" you must die to be born again".. but, if you are courageous and face this death of the ego and accept the death of all that you believe is you, you will find yourself immediately in the state of Reality and Consciousness.. this state is Union with God.. and then you can say as Jesus said;" I and the Father are One"...........namaste, thomas
Prayer...
It is according to the extent of our consciousness of prayer that our prayer
reaches God.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
Our follies and errors are natural; but when we defend ourselves, making virtues
of our shortcomings and trying to hide our errors, it is as if we nurtured our
errors, trying to make them grow. The only real method of growth is to judge
ourselves constantly and to see where we fail; then in prayer to ask for pardon
and right guidance.
Man often thinks that, as God is the Knower of the heart there can be no need of
any recital or gesture in prayer; but that it would surely be sufficient if he
were to sit in the silence and think of God. But this is not so; it is according
to the extent of a man's consciousness of prayer that this prayer reaches God.
If your body is still and only your mind is working, it means that part of your
being is in prayer and part not; for man has both mind and body, so that the
complete being must be praying.
But an inquiring mind will ask, 'If God is within man, then all our troubles and
difficulties, our feelings and our attitudes towards Him and also our faults,
are known to Him. So what need is there to express them in prayer?' It is like
saying, 'Because I love a certain person, why should I show it?' Expression is
the nature of life. When every part of man's mind and body expresses his
feeling, his thought, his aspiration, then it produces its full effect.
reaches God.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
Our follies and errors are natural; but when we defend ourselves, making virtues
of our shortcomings and trying to hide our errors, it is as if we nurtured our
errors, trying to make them grow. The only real method of growth is to judge
ourselves constantly and to see where we fail; then in prayer to ask for pardon
and right guidance.
Man often thinks that, as God is the Knower of the heart there can be no need of
any recital or gesture in prayer; but that it would surely be sufficient if he
were to sit in the silence and think of God. But this is not so; it is according
to the extent of a man's consciousness of prayer that this prayer reaches God.
If your body is still and only your mind is working, it means that part of your
being is in prayer and part not; for man has both mind and body, so that the
complete being must be praying.
But an inquiring mind will ask, 'If God is within man, then all our troubles and
difficulties, our feelings and our attitudes towards Him and also our faults,
are known to Him. So what need is there to express them in prayer?' It is like
saying, 'Because I love a certain person, why should I show it?' Expression is
the nature of life. When every part of man's mind and body expresses his
feeling, his thought, his aspiration, then it produces its full effect.
Pain...
O my soul, don't flee from the pain inflicted
by the Beloved. Pain will make you ripe.
Without pain you'll stay unripe.
- Rumi
by the Beloved. Pain will make you ripe.
Without pain you'll stay unripe.
- Rumi
Joel S. Goldsmith [Practicing The Presence]
God is individual being, which means that God is the only Self, and there is
no way for any hurt or evil to enter to defile the infinite purity of the Soul
of God, nor anything at which evil can strike or to which it can attach itself.
When the Master repeated the age-old wisdom: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye
would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and
the prophets," he was giving us a principle. Unless we do unto others as we
would have others do unto us, we injure, not the others, but ourselves.
>
> In the days to come, when men recognize the great truth that God is the
Selfhood of every individual, the evil aimed at us from another will never touch
us, but will immediately rebound upon the one who sends it.
>
> The Christ-mind has in it no criticism, no judgment, no condemnation, but
beholds the Christ of God as the activity of individual being, as your Soul and
mine. Human eyes do not comprehend this because as human beings, we are good and
bad; but spiritually, we are the Sons of God, and through spiritual
consciousness we can discern the spiritual good in each other. There is no room
in spiritual living for persecution, hatred, judgment, or condemnation of any
person or group of people. It is not only inconsistent, but hypocritical to talk
about the Christ and our great love for God in one breath, and, in the next
breath, speak disparagingly of a neighbor who is of a different race, creed,
nationality, political affiliation, or economic status. One cannot be the child
of God as long as he persecutes or hates anyone or anything, but only as he
lives in a consciousness of no judgment or condemnation.
no way for any hurt or evil to enter to defile the infinite purity of the Soul
of God, nor anything at which evil can strike or to which it can attach itself.
When the Master repeated the age-old wisdom: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye
would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and
the prophets," he was giving us a principle. Unless we do unto others as we
would have others do unto us, we injure, not the others, but ourselves.
>
> In the days to come, when men recognize the great truth that God is the
Selfhood of every individual, the evil aimed at us from another will never touch
us, but will immediately rebound upon the one who sends it.
>
> The Christ-mind has in it no criticism, no judgment, no condemnation, but
beholds the Christ of God as the activity of individual being, as your Soul and
mine. Human eyes do not comprehend this because as human beings, we are good and
bad; but spiritually, we are the Sons of God, and through spiritual
consciousness we can discern the spiritual good in each other. There is no room
in spiritual living for persecution, hatred, judgment, or condemnation of any
person or group of people. It is not only inconsistent, but hypocritical to talk
about the Christ and our great love for God in one breath, and, in the next
breath, speak disparagingly of a neighbor who is of a different race, creed,
nationality, political affiliation, or economic status. One cannot be the child
of God as long as he persecutes or hates anyone or anything, but only as he
lives in a consciousness of no judgment or condemnation.
Intoxicating...
The sense of being alive, being present, is so intoxicating
that one is enchanted by the manifestation it presents and
gets so involved as to forget to find out if the spectacle really
exists or is merely a hallucination, a dream, a mirage.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
that one is enchanted by the manifestation it presents and
gets so involved as to forget to find out if the spectacle really
exists or is merely a hallucination, a dream, a mirage.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
The World...
The world of humans is ruled by the ego, therefore, the world is doomed..
But, do not fear, as we cannot die.. If you have not attained Salvation from
Ignorance then you will enter another body of a physical or non-physical being
to continue your learning.. You are the mirror of God, meant to see Itself..
but, God can only see Itself when you are non existent as a separate ego.. The
false self is the veil covering the mirror.. Love removes the
veil............namaste, thomas
But, do not fear, as we cannot die.. If you have not attained Salvation from
Ignorance then you will enter another body of a physical or non-physical being
to continue your learning.. You are the mirror of God, meant to see Itself..
but, God can only see Itself when you are non existent as a separate ego.. The
false self is the veil covering the mirror.. Love removes the
veil............namaste, thomas
Sin and Salvation...
Much has been written about sin and salvation, but, what exactly are sin and salvation?.. I have learned that sin is acting in thoughts and deeds from the mentality of ego.. When you act in thoughts and deeds from non-ego, you are in the mental "state of Love".. This is why the main teaching of Jesus was to show you that you should be living in the state of Love, the state of selflessness.. As God is composed of the energy of selflessness, we become united with God when we are in the state of selflessness.. The incredible feeling that we experience when we are in this mental state of selflessness and non-ego is called Love..This is also called Joy and Bliss.... Salvation means to be saved.. But saved from what?.. We are saved from the false belief in the separate ego.. We are saved from the hell of selfishness.. We are saved from future reincarnations back into the material world of pain.. We are saved because We have become only " I AM".. We have become Selfless.. We have arrived Home.. We have become Free............namaste, thomas
Within Oneself...
God is within you; you are His instrument, and through you He expresses Himself
to the external world.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
In reality God is within man; man is the instrument of God and through him God
experiences the external world. Prayer is the way of conveying the God within to
the God without; and thought, speech and gesture make the prayer complete.
The words 'within oneself' might confuse some people. They might think 'within
oneself' means inside one's body; but that is because man is ignorant of
himself. Man has a very poor idea of himself, and this keeps him in ignorance of
his real self. If man only knew how large, how wide, how deep, how high is his
being, he would think, act, and feel differently; but with all his width, depth,
and height, if man is not conscious of them he is as small as he thinks himself
to be. The essence of milk is butter, the essence of the flower is honey, the
essence of grapes is wine, and the essence of life is wisdom.
For the secret of all knowledge that one acquires in the world, whether worldly
knowledge or spiritual knowledge, is the knowledge of the self. For instance,
music is played outside, but where is it realized? It is realized within. A good
word or a bad word is spoken outside, but where is it realized? It is realized
within. Then where is the realization of this whole manifestation, all this
creation that stands before us in all its aspects? Its realization is within.
And at the same time the error of man always continues. Instead of finding it
within he always wants to find it without. It is just like a man who wants to
see the moon and looks for it on the ground. And if a man sought for thousands
of years for the moon by looking on the earth, he will never see it. He will
have to lift up his head and look at the sky. And so with the man who is in
search of the mystery of life outside; he will never find it. For the mystery of
life is to be found within.
to the external world.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
In reality God is within man; man is the instrument of God and through him God
experiences the external world. Prayer is the way of conveying the God within to
the God without; and thought, speech and gesture make the prayer complete.
The words 'within oneself' might confuse some people. They might think 'within
oneself' means inside one's body; but that is because man is ignorant of
himself. Man has a very poor idea of himself, and this keeps him in ignorance of
his real self. If man only knew how large, how wide, how deep, how high is his
being, he would think, act, and feel differently; but with all his width, depth,
and height, if man is not conscious of them he is as small as he thinks himself
to be. The essence of milk is butter, the essence of the flower is honey, the
essence of grapes is wine, and the essence of life is wisdom.
For the secret of all knowledge that one acquires in the world, whether worldly
knowledge or spiritual knowledge, is the knowledge of the self. For instance,
music is played outside, but where is it realized? It is realized within. A good
word or a bad word is spoken outside, but where is it realized? It is realized
within. Then where is the realization of this whole manifestation, all this
creation that stands before us in all its aspects? Its realization is within.
And at the same time the error of man always continues. Instead of finding it
within he always wants to find it without. It is just like a man who wants to
see the moon and looks for it on the ground. And if a man sought for thousands
of years for the moon by looking on the earth, he will never see it. He will
have to lift up his head and look at the sky. And so with the man who is in
search of the mystery of life outside; he will never find it. For the mystery of
life is to be found within.
Christhood...
Christhood is the final step of non-duality.. It is the Realization that You and God are One.. this is why Jesus said;" I and the Father are One".. This state of Consciousness called Christ is the Realization that You are not the ego,and in fact do not exist as a separate entity.. This Enlightenment called Christhood is reentering the Energy of selflessness called Love.. Christhood is meant for all souls, It is the reason that we are in the material plane.. To live in Christ Consciousness is to live in the material world in the complete state of Love.. Jesus was not the only Christ, He was one of many past and future Christs.. This is why He said that those who come after Him will do greater works than Him... So, you see, the only door to Freedom is to become a Christ.. This is the Realization of the Consciousness of Love and non-ego that you already are but, you have been blinded by the illusion of the ego.........namaste, thomas
Your Only Hope...
All Knowledge is already within you.. As Jesus said;'The kingdom of God is
within you".. the only wall that prevents you from Knowing Truth is your belief
in the ego that you call yourself.. As long as you believe that you are separate
from God and from each other, you will remain trapped in a jail of your own
making.. You will only Know Truth and Reality when you have surrendered the
ego.. As Jesus said;" you must die to be born again".. you have been given the
map to Freedom but your ego prevents you from using it.. As long as the mind
convinces you that words will Free you, you will remain trapped.. Only
meditation and surrender will Free you.. Forget words, they are only thoughts
from other men.. Realize Reality.. That is your only Hope..............namaste,
thomas
within you".. the only wall that prevents you from Knowing Truth is your belief
in the ego that you call yourself.. As long as you believe that you are separate
from God and from each other, you will remain trapped in a jail of your own
making.. You will only Know Truth and Reality when you have surrendered the
ego.. As Jesus said;" you must die to be born again".. you have been given the
map to Freedom but your ego prevents you from using it.. As long as the mind
convinces you that words will Free you, you will remain trapped.. Only
meditation and surrender will Free you.. Forget words, they are only thoughts
from other men.. Realize Reality.. That is your only Hope..............namaste,
thomas
Ram Tzu Speaks...
Your New Age
Is neither new
Nor will it last an age.
You ride a pendulum
On a clock wound
To run for eternity.
Your despair has
Today turned to hope.
Tomorrow it will
Turn back again.
The walls of oppression
You tear down here
Will be rebuilt
There.
The meek shall
Inherit the earth
Then the clever ones
Will take it back from them.
The torture chamber
Will empty
And refill.
A disease will
Be conquered
And a new one will
Appear to take its place.
This strikes you
As a bleak vision
But Ram Tzu knows this...
It is your hope for a better future
That keeps you in chains today.
Is neither new
Nor will it last an age.
You ride a pendulum
On a clock wound
To run for eternity.
Your despair has
Today turned to hope.
Tomorrow it will
Turn back again.
The walls of oppression
You tear down here
Will be rebuilt
There.
The meek shall
Inherit the earth
Then the clever ones
Will take it back from them.
The torture chamber
Will empty
And refill.
A disease will
Be conquered
And a new one will
Appear to take its place.
This strikes you
As a bleak vision
But Ram Tzu knows this...
It is your hope for a better future
That keeps you in chains today.
the Self...
To know the self as the only reality and all else
as temporal and transient is freedom, peace and
joy. It is all very simple. Instead of seeing things as
imagined, learn to see them as they are. When
you can see everything as it is, you will also see
yourself as you are. It is like cleansing a mirror.
The same mirror that shows you the world as it is
will also show you your own face. The thought `I am'
is the polishing cloth. Use it.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
as temporal and transient is freedom, peace and
joy. It is all very simple. Instead of seeing things as
imagined, learn to see them as they are. When
you can see everything as it is, you will also see
yourself as you are. It is like cleansing a mirror.
The same mirror that shows you the world as it is
will also show you your own face. The thought `I am'
is the polishing cloth. Use it.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
Non-Separate...
All there is, is space appearing inseparably as everything. Not two. In that seeing, the fear is seen through.
A witness is still fear operating from the sense of a separate entity, one that is afraid of what’s happening, trying to keep some distance from it. It’s very easy to hide in words like “awareness” or "being" or "Oneness" and walk around convincing yourself and others of your certainty. This is all in some attempt to avoid the total uncertainty, vulnerability, and unknowing involved in the kind of freedom being described here. It is much safer to just hang out in the idea that I’m watching everything come and go. When there is seen to be no boundary between that which is watching and what is being watched, between awareness and its content, there is no way to know or control what is going to happen. This means one could die in the next moment or win the lottery. And there is a knowing that, whatever happens, that is what I am. I am what is happening. It’s that simple. No division. No boundary. No desire to change circumstances, people, or things. Everything--every thought, emotion, state, and experience (good or bad) just comes and goes, leaving no trace. All is, perfect as it is, just because it is, and that isness is what you are.
Scott Kiloby
for the complete article
Reflections on Non-Separation
A witness is still fear operating from the sense of a separate entity, one that is afraid of what’s happening, trying to keep some distance from it. It’s very easy to hide in words like “awareness” or "being" or "Oneness" and walk around convincing yourself and others of your certainty. This is all in some attempt to avoid the total uncertainty, vulnerability, and unknowing involved in the kind of freedom being described here. It is much safer to just hang out in the idea that I’m watching everything come and go. When there is seen to be no boundary between that which is watching and what is being watched, between awareness and its content, there is no way to know or control what is going to happen. This means one could die in the next moment or win the lottery. And there is a knowing that, whatever happens, that is what I am. I am what is happening. It’s that simple. No division. No boundary. No desire to change circumstances, people, or things. Everything--every thought, emotion, state, and experience (good or bad) just comes and goes, leaving no trace. All is, perfect as it is, just because it is, and that isness is what you are.
Scott Kiloby
for the complete article
Reflections on Non-Separation
Bliss...
...Bliss is not something to be got.
On the other hand you are always Bliss.
This desire [for Bliss] is born of the sense of incompleteness.
To whom is this sense of incompleteness?
Enquire. In deep sleep you were blissful.
Now you are not so.
What has interposed between that Bliss and this non-bliss?
It is the ego.
Seek its source and find you are Bliss.
Sri Ramana Maharshi
On the other hand you are always Bliss.
This desire [for Bliss] is born of the sense of incompleteness.
To whom is this sense of incompleteness?
Enquire. In deep sleep you were blissful.
Now you are not so.
What has interposed between that Bliss and this non-bliss?
It is the ego.
Seek its source and find you are Bliss.
Sri Ramana Maharshi
The Sun...
I only speak of the Sun
because the Sun is my Master
I worship even the dust at His feet.
I am not a night-lover and do not praise sleep
I am the messenger of the Sun!
Secretly I will ask Him and pass the answers to you.
Like the Sun I shine on those who are forsaken
I may look drunk and disheveled but I speak the Truth.
Tear off the mask, your face is glorious,
your heart may be cold as stone but
I will warm it with my raging fire.
No longer will I speak of sunsets or rising Moons,
I will bring you love's wine
for I am born of the Sun
I am a King!
--
Mevlana Jalaluddin RumiGhazal (Ode) 1621
Translated by Azima Melita Kolin
and Maryam Mafi
Rumi: Hidden Music
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 2001
because the Sun is my Master
I worship even the dust at His feet.
I am not a night-lover and do not praise sleep
I am the messenger of the Sun!
Secretly I will ask Him and pass the answers to you.
Like the Sun I shine on those who are forsaken
I may look drunk and disheveled but I speak the Truth.
Tear off the mask, your face is glorious,
your heart may be cold as stone but
I will warm it with my raging fire.
No longer will I speak of sunsets or rising Moons,
I will bring you love's wine
for I am born of the Sun
I am a King!
--
Mevlana Jalaluddin RumiGhazal (Ode) 1621
Translated by Azima Melita Kolin
and Maryam Mafi
Rumi: Hidden Music
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 2001
The Mind Panics...
"The mind becomes panicky when it meets a problem it cannot solve.
In its anxiety to relieve the tension it turns toward a false
solution which just creates another panicky situation. So the
mind's owner travels in an endless circle of despair. There is
a way to end it. First, the man must dare to see that his usual
kind of thinking can only make things worse. Next, he can realize
the existence of a totally new way of thinking. Finally he can
follow esoteric principles which will accurately guide him out
of his circle of panic."
Esoteric Mind Power, p. 60....Vernon Howard
In its anxiety to relieve the tension it turns toward a false
solution which just creates another panicky situation. So the
mind's owner travels in an endless circle of despair. There is
a way to end it. First, the man must dare to see that his usual
kind of thinking can only make things worse. Next, he can realize
the existence of a totally new way of thinking. Finally he can
follow esoteric principles which will accurately guide him out
of his circle of panic."
Esoteric Mind Power, p. 60....Vernon Howard
An evil friend...
An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind........Gautama the buddha
Inner Peace...
"We have devoted our lives to seeking knowledge of the heart; knowledge that will carry us to our soul's destination. Our arrival will be signaled by a profound inner peace; as a ship sails best in deep ocean waters, so the soul loves to swim in the ocean of Divine Knowledge. Your minds have limits, but not your hearts, for they are receptacles of endless capacity. But, you must open your hearts to this knowledge, as nothing may pass through what is closed."........ Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Adil Al-Haqqani
St. Francis of Assisi...
One of Francis's most famous sermons is one he gave to a flock of birds. One day while Francis and some friars were traveling along the road, Francis looked up and saw the trees full of birds. Francis "left his companions in the road and ran eagerly toward the birds" and "humbly begged them to listen to the word of God." One of the friars recorded the sermon, which overflows with Francis's love for creation and its Creator: "My brothers, birds, you should praise your Creator very much and always love him; he gave you feathers to clothe you, wings so that you can fly, and whatever else was necessary for you. God made you noble among his creatures, and he gave you a home in the purity of the air; though you neither sow nor reap, he nevertheless protects and governs you without any solicitude on your part."
Thomas of Celano records that the birds stretched their necks and extended their wings as Francis walked among them touching and blessing them. This event was a turning point of sorts for Francis. "He began to blame himself for negligence in not having preached to the birds before" and "from that day on, he solicitously admonished the birds, all animals and reptiles, and even creatures that have no feeling, to praise and love their Creator."
Thomas of Celano records that the birds stretched their necks and extended their wings as Francis walked among them touching and blessing them. This event was a turning point of sorts for Francis. "He began to blame himself for negligence in not having preached to the birds before" and "from that day on, he solicitously admonished the birds, all animals and reptiles, and even creatures that have no feeling, to praise and love their Creator."
Mind...
Mind must be distinguished from the states of mind, as the object must be
separated from knowing it, the act of knowledge. Spinoza opposed the phenomenal
world to the substantial, phenomena to substance; what others call relative to
absolute; what the Hindus call illusion to reality; and what the religionists
call matter to spirit. But all these statements can only be made because the
mind originally makes them, for the mind is the witness of both. We must give
the primacy to mind, for it Is. Whether illusion exists or not, whether the
absolute exists or not, Mind IS. If the world is constantly present to me, it is
a mind which is making it present, for awareness is a power of mind. It is mind
which makes the thought of material objects possible for us; and to make mind a
by-product of an alleged matter is a contradiction in itself........Category 21: Mentalism > Chapter 5: The Key To the Spiritual World....Paul Brunton
separated from knowing it, the act of knowledge. Spinoza opposed the phenomenal
world to the substantial, phenomena to substance; what others call relative to
absolute; what the Hindus call illusion to reality; and what the religionists
call matter to spirit. But all these statements can only be made because the
mind originally makes them, for the mind is the witness of both. We must give
the primacy to mind, for it Is. Whether illusion exists or not, whether the
absolute exists or not, Mind IS. If the world is constantly present to me, it is
a mind which is making it present, for awareness is a power of mind. It is mind
which makes the thought of material objects possible for us; and to make mind a
by-product of an alleged matter is a contradiction in itself........Category 21: Mentalism > Chapter 5: The Key To the Spiritual World....Paul Brunton
In Meditation...
However rich the experiences may be which such meditation brings. For the
deepest possible experience of meditation is to empty consciousness of the
world-experience and thus to point out its unreality. But That which does the
pointing, and that which is having the experience, and the experience
itself--all, in the end, originate from the Real. The discovery of the unreality
of the world is useful, for it offers the needed complete detachment from our
bonds. But this cannot be the unique, the sole highest purpose of our existence,
for then there would be no need to continue existence in the body after the
discovery. A mystic must move on and seek the still farther realization which
shows the world under a new light and offers an entirely new standpoint for
understanding it. And this is that the uniquely real is not less present in the
world than in his meditation, only it is present in a different way. It is like
the dreamer who wakens to the fact that he is dreaming and who continues to
dream but knows all the time that it is a dream experience. In just the same way
the highest realization is that the Real is Consciousness--the pure, the
ultimate Consciousness--but this consciousness can take different forms and yet
still remain what it really is.
deepest possible experience of meditation is to empty consciousness of the
world-experience and thus to point out its unreality. But That which does the
pointing, and that which is having the experience, and the experience
itself--all, in the end, originate from the Real. The discovery of the unreality
of the world is useful, for it offers the needed complete detachment from our
bonds. But this cannot be the unique, the sole highest purpose of our existence,
for then there would be no need to continue existence in the body after the
discovery. A mystic must move on and seek the still farther realization which
shows the world under a new light and offers an entirely new standpoint for
understanding it. And this is that the uniquely real is not less present in the
world than in his meditation, only it is present in a different way. It is like
the dreamer who wakens to the fact that he is dreaming and who continues to
dream but knows all the time that it is a dream experience. In just the same way
the highest realization is that the Real is Consciousness--the pure, the
ultimate Consciousness--but this consciousness can take different forms and yet
still remain what it really is.
The Real...
Since the Real is unique, the One without a second and not the One which is related to the Many that spring out of it, it cannot correctly be set up in opposition to the Unreal, the Illusory, the Appearance. They are not on the same level.......Paul Brunton
Pearl of Wisdom...
When you see a pearl on the bottom,
you reach through the foam and broken sticks
on the surface. When the sun comes up, you forget
about locating the constellation of Scorpio.
When you see the splendor of union,
the attractions of duality seem poignant
and lovely, but much less interesting.
- Rumi
you reach through the foam and broken sticks
on the surface. When the sun comes up, you forget
about locating the constellation of Scorpio.
When you see the splendor of union,
the attractions of duality seem poignant
and lovely, but much less interesting.
- Rumi
Control...
There is no way you can control the consequences
of your actions. Life is an impersonal flowing, and
you cannot control either your life or anybody else's life.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
of your actions. Life is an impersonal flowing, and
you cannot control either your life or anybody else's life.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
Birth and Rebirth...
I came to this birth and rebirth universe
and found the self-lighting light.
If someone dies, it's nothing to me,
and if I die, it's nothing to anyone.
It's good to die,
and good to live long.
- Lalla
14th Century North Indian mystic
and found the self-lighting light.
If someone dies, it's nothing to me,
and if I die, it's nothing to anyone.
It's good to die,
and good to live long.
- Lalla
14th Century North Indian mystic
Only Now is Real...
We are all hardwired for happiness. It's absence is the driver of action. The search for happiness can not occur without unhappiness, or suffering. It is this desire to complete ourselves, to make ourselves whole and complete, this notion that we are incomplete as we are, that motivates us to "do."
Think about this. It is ultimately a rejection of the "now", the present.
And what about this rejection of the now? Do we ever experience anything but the present moment? Is there a future beyond a thought that arises in the present moment?
If the answer is no, then, our seeking is nothing other than a perpetual chasing of a moment that will never, ever exist.
This awareness allows us to realize that if we are ever able to locate happiness that it will only ever be discovered here in this present moment. There is no point in avoidance of what is. The portal has always been right here... and by welcoming the now, we uncover the simple fact that what we have always sought is what we are.... right here, right now. Ignorance is discovered to be just that..ignoring what actually is.
In the end, it is realized ... that happiness can never be found in an object, that this search for happiness is the exactly the same as the search for our true nature, which was always right here, right now. The reality of all of our seeking, be it for money, fame, relationship, sex, vanity or, more subtly enlightenment is simply misdirected love for our true nature.. In the end, it is the realization that the seeker itself is the illusion, apparently separating the seeker from the sought. It is ALL the only journey ever occuring: the journey home.
Enjoy this magnificent meditation from Francis Lucille on The Present Moment:
"Go deeply into the present moment.
The only cause for suffering is our refusal or rejection of that which the present moment is offering.
We want it to be different. We want it to be according to our own projection, to our own personal plan. We reject everything that goes against the personal plan and we want everything that is in accordance with our own personal plan for happiness.
The problem is that the personal plan for happiness is flawed and doesn’t work. We have had enough experience with it in the past to know that it is flawed and that it doesn’t work. We have inherited the personal plan for happiness from our parents, from our friends, from our surroundings. And if we look at them, did it work for them? And if it didn’t work for them, why would it work for us?
If we welcome the present moment, we will discover that in the present moment there is never a problem. The problems and psychological suffering arise only in relation to the past and to the future of a personal entity. In the now there is no such personal entity. That’s the beauty of it. Only the now is real. The past doesn’t exist any longer and the future doesn’t exist yet, so only the now is real. In the now there is no personal entity.
The personal entity exists only as a rejection of the now.
Ask yourself, “What is so unbearable in the now?” We assume that the now is unbearable only because we have never experienced it to its fullest. In fact, it is quite bearable. In fact, the now is at peace and free from problems, free from suffering. All we have to do is to meet the now in our welcoming.
The now is the bridge between time and eternity. When we stop oscillating between the past and the future we start walking on that bridge.
The bridge is extremely narrow for the now is like an extremely narrow interval between the past and the future. At the other end of the bridge there is Presence, timeless, eternal.
When we stop rejecting the now, things become simply neutral. It is not that they become pleasant. Appearances are neither pleasant nor unpleasant. They are somehow irrelevant in terms of peace. They become neutral. We become indifferent to them. They become as neutral as the ‘tick’ and the ‘tock’ of a clock, ticking away in the room, measuring the silence, measuring the Presence. Because the rhythmic sound is so neutral, it doesn’t grab our attention for too long. Our attention gets liberated from the object and meets itself as Presence.
These words are like the sound of the clock. In and by themselves, they are just vibrations of little importance, revealing the timelessness from where they came, to which they return.
You cannot make an object out of this timelessness. If you do so, you lose it. You lose the freshness, the immediacy, the intimacy of it. You cannot rest on any sensation. You cannot even rest in the present moment. Your eternal repose is in the Presence which is already here, which you already have because you already are it.
We are that which we are looking for.
Remember to always take your experience to its true level, which is the level of Presence. Take it back to Presence, because that’s where it takes place.
Remember that no matter whether there is a world outside or no matter how many worlds, subtle or gross, there are, still the reality of our experience is unavoidable, undeniable, totally certain.
If you abide in the reality of your experience, which is your true nature, your true being, what can happen to you?
Everything that arises in the mind and in the world is this Presence exercising its infinite power to create, to sustain, to dissolve. So take the experience of your mind, the thoughts, to their true level, which is Consciousness, this Presence. There is no mind at that level, only thought arising in Presence. During the presence of the thought, the thought is the Presence. The thought and the Presence are one, because there is nothing separate from Presence, nothing outside this Presence, nothing that is not this Presence.
In the same way, take your bodily sensations to their true level. Their true level is not the body; that’s not where they take place. Their true level is not the mind. Their true level is the Consciousness.
And when you do so, there is no mind and there is no body. When you do so, you go straight to your deepest Being, to your true Being.
Francis Lucille, 2007.
Think about this. It is ultimately a rejection of the "now", the present.
And what about this rejection of the now? Do we ever experience anything but the present moment? Is there a future beyond a thought that arises in the present moment?
If the answer is no, then, our seeking is nothing other than a perpetual chasing of a moment that will never, ever exist.
This awareness allows us to realize that if we are ever able to locate happiness that it will only ever be discovered here in this present moment. There is no point in avoidance of what is. The portal has always been right here... and by welcoming the now, we uncover the simple fact that what we have always sought is what we are.... right here, right now. Ignorance is discovered to be just that..ignoring what actually is.
In the end, it is realized ... that happiness can never be found in an object, that this search for happiness is the exactly the same as the search for our true nature, which was always right here, right now. The reality of all of our seeking, be it for money, fame, relationship, sex, vanity or, more subtly enlightenment is simply misdirected love for our true nature.. In the end, it is the realization that the seeker itself is the illusion, apparently separating the seeker from the sought. It is ALL the only journey ever occuring: the journey home.
Enjoy this magnificent meditation from Francis Lucille on The Present Moment:
"Go deeply into the present moment.
The only cause for suffering is our refusal or rejection of that which the present moment is offering.
We want it to be different. We want it to be according to our own projection, to our own personal plan. We reject everything that goes against the personal plan and we want everything that is in accordance with our own personal plan for happiness.
The problem is that the personal plan for happiness is flawed and doesn’t work. We have had enough experience with it in the past to know that it is flawed and that it doesn’t work. We have inherited the personal plan for happiness from our parents, from our friends, from our surroundings. And if we look at them, did it work for them? And if it didn’t work for them, why would it work for us?
If we welcome the present moment, we will discover that in the present moment there is never a problem. The problems and psychological suffering arise only in relation to the past and to the future of a personal entity. In the now there is no such personal entity. That’s the beauty of it. Only the now is real. The past doesn’t exist any longer and the future doesn’t exist yet, so only the now is real. In the now there is no personal entity.
The personal entity exists only as a rejection of the now.
Ask yourself, “What is so unbearable in the now?” We assume that the now is unbearable only because we have never experienced it to its fullest. In fact, it is quite bearable. In fact, the now is at peace and free from problems, free from suffering. All we have to do is to meet the now in our welcoming.
The now is the bridge between time and eternity. When we stop oscillating between the past and the future we start walking on that bridge.
The bridge is extremely narrow for the now is like an extremely narrow interval between the past and the future. At the other end of the bridge there is Presence, timeless, eternal.
When we stop rejecting the now, things become simply neutral. It is not that they become pleasant. Appearances are neither pleasant nor unpleasant. They are somehow irrelevant in terms of peace. They become neutral. We become indifferent to them. They become as neutral as the ‘tick’ and the ‘tock’ of a clock, ticking away in the room, measuring the silence, measuring the Presence. Because the rhythmic sound is so neutral, it doesn’t grab our attention for too long. Our attention gets liberated from the object and meets itself as Presence.
These words are like the sound of the clock. In and by themselves, they are just vibrations of little importance, revealing the timelessness from where they came, to which they return.
You cannot make an object out of this timelessness. If you do so, you lose it. You lose the freshness, the immediacy, the intimacy of it. You cannot rest on any sensation. You cannot even rest in the present moment. Your eternal repose is in the Presence which is already here, which you already have because you already are it.
We are that which we are looking for.
Remember to always take your experience to its true level, which is the level of Presence. Take it back to Presence, because that’s where it takes place.
Remember that no matter whether there is a world outside or no matter how many worlds, subtle or gross, there are, still the reality of our experience is unavoidable, undeniable, totally certain.
If you abide in the reality of your experience, which is your true nature, your true being, what can happen to you?
Everything that arises in the mind and in the world is this Presence exercising its infinite power to create, to sustain, to dissolve. So take the experience of your mind, the thoughts, to their true level, which is Consciousness, this Presence. There is no mind at that level, only thought arising in Presence. During the presence of the thought, the thought is the Presence. The thought and the Presence are one, because there is nothing separate from Presence, nothing outside this Presence, nothing that is not this Presence.
In the same way, take your bodily sensations to their true level. Their true level is not the body; that’s not where they take place. Their true level is not the mind. Their true level is the Consciousness.
And when you do so, there is no mind and there is no body. When you do so, you go straight to your deepest Being, to your true Being.
Francis Lucille, 2007.
Karma...
Now and then karma unloads trials and troubles which are not pleasant to endure. All the same they have something to teach us--if only the ancient lesson of the need to find a more satisfactory inner life to compensate for the transiency and the vicissitudes of the outer life. He cannot escape from these so long as he lives upon this earth but he can hope to understand them and eventually to master his mental reactions to them. Therein lies peace and wisdom...........Paul Brunton
Yeshua Speaks...
Jesus said, "Let him who seeks continue seeking
until he finds. When he finds,
he will be much troubled.
When he becomes troubled, he will be astonished,
and will rule all.
Jesus said, If those who lead you say to you,
'See, the kingdom is in the sky,'
then the birds of the sky will precede you.
If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,'
then the fish will precede you.
Rather, the kingdom is inside of you,
and it is outside of you.
When you come to know yourselves,
then you will become known,
and you will realize that it is you
who are the sons of the living father.
But if you will not know yourselves
you dwell in poverty
and it is you who are that poverty ."
Gospel of Thomas
Nag Hammadi Library*
Verse 2,3
until he finds. When he finds,
he will be much troubled.
When he becomes troubled, he will be astonished,
and will rule all.
Jesus said, If those who lead you say to you,
'See, the kingdom is in the sky,'
then the birds of the sky will precede you.
If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,'
then the fish will precede you.
Rather, the kingdom is inside of you,
and it is outside of you.
When you come to know yourselves,
then you will become known,
and you will realize that it is you
who are the sons of the living father.
But if you will not know yourselves
you dwell in poverty
and it is you who are that poverty ."
Gospel of Thomas
Nag Hammadi Library*
Verse 2,3
The Tao...
Intelligent people know others.
Enlightened people know themselves.
You can conquer others with power,
But it takes true strength to conquer yourself.
Ambitious people force their will on others,
But content people are already wealthy.
Prudent people will abide.
People unconquered by the idea of death will live long.
People who live according to their means last long.
Enlightened people know themselves.
You can conquer others with power,
But it takes true strength to conquer yourself.
Ambitious people force their will on others,
But content people are already wealthy.
Prudent people will abide.
People unconquered by the idea of death will live long.
People who live according to their means last long.
The Song of God...
The story of your life is the cosmic "song of God"
that's being played out through the instrument
of your body.
The déjà vu patterns that you're experiencing in
your life play out like the repeating chorus of the song
of your soul.
Even if you're able to change the words, doesn't it
often seem like just another variation on the same
old theme?
So here's the Big Question:
Is your Song happening to you,
for you,
in you,
or as you?
- Chuck Hillig
that's being played out through the instrument
of your body.
The déjà vu patterns that you're experiencing in
your life play out like the repeating chorus of the song
of your soul.
Even if you're able to change the words, doesn't it
often seem like just another variation on the same
old theme?
So here's the Big Question:
Is your Song happening to you,
for you,
in you,
or as you?
- Chuck Hillig
Dreams...
We want our dreams to come true
but
is the value in dreams
or Truth?
What if we were seeing only Truth?
In Its light
all dreams would be
fictitious conceptions
wishful thinkings or notions
or cherished pet ideals.
Howsoever philosophically we may explain
it won't satisfy us
unless we come to Truth
back to the Source.
- Swami Amar Jyoti
but
is the value in dreams
or Truth?
What if we were seeing only Truth?
In Its light
all dreams would be
fictitious conceptions
wishful thinkings or notions
or cherished pet ideals.
Howsoever philosophically we may explain
it won't satisfy us
unless we come to Truth
back to the Source.
- Swami Amar Jyoti
Realization...
Space and time, male and female, subject
and object, being and nonbeing - all are
lost in the flood of Realization.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
and object, being and nonbeing - all are
lost in the flood of Realization.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
Self-Control...
When the mind and body are restless, nothing in life can be accomplished.
Success is the result of control.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
When a person allows himself to be disturbed, that shows that his concentration
is not good. And if his concentration is not good, that shows that his will
power fails him. The best way, therefore, to protect oneself from disturbance is
to develop the power of concentration, so that the will power develops naturally
and one is able to withstand all the disturbances which arise when one has to
live in the midst of the crowd.
Independence is achieved by indifference. It does not mean that one should take
no heed of what anyone does or says; it only means one should discriminate
between important and unimportant things of everyday life; that every necessary
and unnecessary thing should not demand so much of one's attention, thought, and
feeling. Political economy has become a subject of education, but spiritual
economy is the main thing in religion. All one says and does and all that one
thinks and feels puts a certain strain upon one's spirit. It is wise to avoid
every risk of losing one's equilibrium. One must stand peacefully but firmly
before all influences that disturb one's life. The natural inclination is to
answer in defense to every offense that comes from outside, but in that way one
loses one's equilibrium. Self-control, therefore, is the key to all success and
happiness.
Another sign of progress is that, at times, one begins to feel peaceful. This
may increase so much that a restful feeling comes in the heart. One might be in
the solitude, but even if one is in a crowd, one still feels restful. Life in
the world is most exciting; it has a tiring effect upon a sensitive person. When
one is restless, the conditions in life can make one experience the greatest
discomfort, for there is no greater pain than restlessness. If there is any
remedy for the lack of peace, it is spiritual progress. Once peace is developed
in a soul, that soul feels such a great power and has such a great influence
upon those who approach it and upon all upsetting conditions and jarring
influences coming from all sides. Just as water makes the dust settle down, so
all jarring influences settle down under the feet of the peaceful.
Success is the result of control.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
When a person allows himself to be disturbed, that shows that his concentration
is not good. And if his concentration is not good, that shows that his will
power fails him. The best way, therefore, to protect oneself from disturbance is
to develop the power of concentration, so that the will power develops naturally
and one is able to withstand all the disturbances which arise when one has to
live in the midst of the crowd.
Independence is achieved by indifference. It does not mean that one should take
no heed of what anyone does or says; it only means one should discriminate
between important and unimportant things of everyday life; that every necessary
and unnecessary thing should not demand so much of one's attention, thought, and
feeling. Political economy has become a subject of education, but spiritual
economy is the main thing in religion. All one says and does and all that one
thinks and feels puts a certain strain upon one's spirit. It is wise to avoid
every risk of losing one's equilibrium. One must stand peacefully but firmly
before all influences that disturb one's life. The natural inclination is to
answer in defense to every offense that comes from outside, but in that way one
loses one's equilibrium. Self-control, therefore, is the key to all success and
happiness.
Another sign of progress is that, at times, one begins to feel peaceful. This
may increase so much that a restful feeling comes in the heart. One might be in
the solitude, but even if one is in a crowd, one still feels restful. Life in
the world is most exciting; it has a tiring effect upon a sensitive person. When
one is restless, the conditions in life can make one experience the greatest
discomfort, for there is no greater pain than restlessness. If there is any
remedy for the lack of peace, it is spiritual progress. Once peace is developed
in a soul, that soul feels such a great power and has such a great influence
upon those who approach it and upon all upsetting conditions and jarring
influences coming from all sides. Just as water makes the dust settle down, so
all jarring influences settle down under the feet of the peaceful.
The Holy Trinity...
Paramhansa Yogananda explained the Christian Trinity (God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost) in a cosmic sense. God the Father, he said, is the Infinite Consciousness from which all things were manifested. God's consciousness was one and undivided ("Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One"); apart from that consciousness there was no substance out of which the universe could have been made. The universe is His dream. To produce the dream, the Creator had to set a portion of His consciousness into motion. You, I, our earth, the sun and galaxies, our thoughts and inspirations, our very longing to be one with Him again-all are products of the vibrations of His consciousness, separate manifestations of the vast primal vibration of Aum, the Holy Ghost. The Son of the Trinity represents the underlying presence in a vibratory creation of the calm, unmoving consciousness of the Creator, so called because it rejects the Father's consciousness. Vibratory creation itself is also known as the Divine Mother. The devotee must commune first with Aum, or the Divine Mother. Uniting his consciousness with that, he must proceed to realize his oneness with the Son. Only after achieving union with the Son can he proceed toward oneness with the Father beyond creation. The Hindu Scriptures name this eternal Trinity, Sat Tat Aum. Sat stands for the Spirit, the Supreme Truth, which is God the Father. Tat is the Kuthastha Chaitanya, the Christ Consciousness which underlies all creation. And Aum is the Word, the Holy Ghost, called also the Comforter in the Bible.
Is Enlightenment Easy?...
Is
it easy to achieve complete Enlightenment?.. It is probably the most difficult
job of your life.. To Realize complete Unity and live a life of Christ
Consciousness is rare but not impossible.. It is also your duty and the reason
for entering the physical plane..But, you will find that as you eliminate the
ego daily, Unselfish Love will become more and more You.. This points to the
fact that the Real Self is Love and Love is the name that we give to the very
meaning of God.......namaste, thomas
it easy to achieve complete Enlightenment?.. It is probably the most difficult
job of your life.. To Realize complete Unity and live a life of Christ
Consciousness is rare but not impossible.. It is also your duty and the reason
for entering the physical plane..But, you will find that as you eliminate the
ego daily, Unselfish Love will become more and more You.. This points to the
fact that the Real Self is Love and Love is the name that we give to the very
meaning of God.......namaste, thomas
Karmic Debt...
Sin is just another word for "Karmic Debt", so when Jesus said;" your sins are
forgiven", He was speaking of the end of this cause and effect.. What was the
method of erasing this debt?.. Could it be that all karma is linked to the
belief in the false ego?..Could all karmic debt be released by the Realization
that You are not the ego that is attached to this debt.. Since God is beyond
karmic debt and has no lessons to learn, you therefore, through Realization of
your True Nature leave all karmic debt to the illusion of ego and this ego does
not exist anymore...........namaste, thomas
forgiven", He was speaking of the end of this cause and effect.. What was the
method of erasing this debt?.. Could it be that all karma is linked to the
belief in the false ego?..Could all karmic debt be released by the Realization
that You are not the ego that is attached to this debt.. Since God is beyond
karmic debt and has no lessons to learn, you therefore, through Realization of
your True Nature leave all karmic debt to the illusion of ego and this ego does
not exist anymore...........namaste, thomas
God Is...
God is; Life is. We are permitted no further judgment. God is. It is a matter of training oneself to form no opinion whatsoever. It is so easy and satisfying to one's ego to be a good judge of human nature, to be able humanly to evaluate those whom we meet, and of course humanly we may be right; but looking out at the world and judging mankind, putting labels on people, and abiding by those human opinions and decisions will only lead to trouble. There is but one way to come out from among them and be separate, and that is in our agreement that God made all that was made, and all that God made is good; in our agreement that God, Spirit, is the life, the Soul, and the mind of individual being. How can we possibly accept a teaching which reveals God as the Life of all being, as the creative Principle of all being, and then designate some good and some bad?
There can be no spiritual demonstration while we hold to human opinions of good and evil.
~ Joel S. Goldsmith. Living The Infinite Way
There can be no spiritual demonstration while we hold to human opinions of good and evil.
~ Joel S. Goldsmith. Living The Infinite Way
Was Jesus God ?...
Of Course!..Because Everything is God including us.. There is no place that God is not.. Souls keep thinking of the image of a human shaped god and then try to place this image upon a person that has the ability to heal and perform what we perceive as miracles.. But, Jesus taught His Apostles to Heal and perform Miracles.. So, this is not the mark of a single god.. It does prove, however that there is a source of energy that we call Consciousness.. This Consciousness is Jesus, this Consciousness is God, this Consciousness is Us.. There is no difference, We are All the same Consciousness.. Only the illusion of the False self that we believe we are keeps us from this Truth.. If you truly wish to know Truth and Reality, then you must defeat this false image that you have of yourself.. Then and only then will you Realize that God is Inseparable................namaste, thomas
Dialogue - Greg Goode...
Q: What is your experience like?
A: There is no identification of a “your” or “my” in it. I don’t see a gap between me and my experience. I don’t see myself as “having” experience. Being and experience are inseparable.
No, I mean is it nondual? Is it happy? Is it better than mine?
Many people ask this. They look for a teacher who they feel has more blissful experiences than they do. Then they hang around, trying to get the same for themselves. They interpret experience in a personal way, and they are interested mainly in the emotional or affective component.
Sometimes the teacher encourages this message. But this comes from arrogance and a sense of separation on the teacher’s part, from thinking that he or she is different from or better than the student. The age-old message of self inquiry is not about emotions or feelings or interpersonal comparisons, but about knowing yourself. When one knows one’s self as awareness, the basis for interpersonal comparison has evaporated.
Yes, I’ve heard this….
But if you, seeing yourself as a person, desire more pleasant feelings, there are many ways to proceed. Eat healthy foods, get plenty of sleep and exercise, think good thoughts, and treat people well. These are the things that grandmothers tell their grand kids. It’s common sense that still holds true.
Meditation helps as well. Two quick examples. There is an emotional high and an expanded feeling from doing chanting meditation. The feeling is even greater if the chanting is in a tradition where you feel attracted to the symbols and images. Also, there is a heart-opening feeling from the Buddhist metta meditation, where you direct the wish for happiness and well being first to yourself, and then to wider and wider groups of people and beings, including all the sentient beings in all universes everywhere. The benefits from these meditations are tangible and immediate. You always feel better, lighter, more open and more loving afterwards. And the more you do them, the less you do them for your own benefit, and the longer the benefits last.
But what the ancient wisdom teachings talk about is something else.
Yes, but I want my experience to be lastingly blissful and nondual. Like yours and like the satsang teachers I hear, and Ramana’s and Nisargadatta’s experience.
Part of the reason you have this requirement is that you imagine others being separate but in this same state. But this isn’t what they say about themselves. It isn’t even what they’re talking about. Ramana and Nisargadatta – not only are they not talking about emotional, phenomenal feelings states, but they are also not personalizing experience. The pointer given by all these teachings is not personal. The pointer directs you to see through the presumption of the separate person. The person cannot withstand inquiry. So it is not the person’s experience they are talking about.
Then what are they talking about? I thought Ramana and Nisargadatta were talking about themselves.
Nisargadatta did speak later in his life of the pain. This is a clue that he wasn’t speaking about blissful feeling states….
Yeah, what about an experience of pain? Isn’t that a case of suffering in experience?
Experience is the vast, edgeless clarity in which things seem to arise. It possesses no point of view or stake in things. Maybe it seems like experience is “yours” – but actually everything you can point to that feels like “you” is an arising in experience.
What do you mean?
Look at your hand. … Now close your eyes and allow your hand to rest on your knee. … It probably seems like it’s your hand. But everything you can say about it is based on a thought, or image, a kinesthetic feeling, or a belief. These thoughts and feelings aren’t tied down to an owner. They are not located or centered, but float free in awareness. There is nothing about these feelings, and nothing in awareness, that makes any of it “yours.” There is no tie to a person. The person is not the experiencer; the person is experienced.
How can I know that? It seems like I have a definite stake in things. Because I want, what did you say? – The “edge…”
Edgeless clarity?
Yes! Once I hear something like this, it feels natural to want it for myself.
Yes it does. This is natural as long as you take yourself to be a container of experience. It seems to you that experience is something that happens inside you, and that other people have their own experiences inside them. But it is the other way around. Your body, your mind, and everything identifiable about you are experiencED, witnessED. Body, mind, thoughts, values and memories are all objects. The clarity is the light within which they arise.
Wow! It’s like backwards. But is this something I can see?
You’re seeing it now! Actually, all seeing is it. You can’t possess it, because it is the space within which you appear. It’s like the airline passenger wanting to hold up the plane, when the plane is holding up the passenger.
Ah, I felt a shift there…. But a moment later, when I think about it a little, it doesn’t seem like that to me.
Don’t try to reason it out. Stand farther back for a moment and be open…. The person is something you seem to observe as if from a small distance. You aren’t actually the skull, mind, body or memories of the person – those are objects that are observed. You are what they appear to – that global experience, that openness, within which things seem to arise. The body, the mind, even the entire person seems to arise within this openness. The openness is you, which is why it seems that “you” notice things arising.
But why aren’t all my experiences like these close, direct ones you mention?
These seemingly close, direct experiences are teaching metaphors for what is now and always the case. All experience is always direct – there is no partition or mediation, no veil, and no subject/object split.
From http://www.advaita.org.uk/discourses/teachers/experience_greg.htm
A: There is no identification of a “your” or “my” in it. I don’t see a gap between me and my experience. I don’t see myself as “having” experience. Being and experience are inseparable.
No, I mean is it nondual? Is it happy? Is it better than mine?
Many people ask this. They look for a teacher who they feel has more blissful experiences than they do. Then they hang around, trying to get the same for themselves. They interpret experience in a personal way, and they are interested mainly in the emotional or affective component.
Sometimes the teacher encourages this message. But this comes from arrogance and a sense of separation on the teacher’s part, from thinking that he or she is different from or better than the student. The age-old message of self inquiry is not about emotions or feelings or interpersonal comparisons, but about knowing yourself. When one knows one’s self as awareness, the basis for interpersonal comparison has evaporated.
Yes, I’ve heard this….
But if you, seeing yourself as a person, desire more pleasant feelings, there are many ways to proceed. Eat healthy foods, get plenty of sleep and exercise, think good thoughts, and treat people well. These are the things that grandmothers tell their grand kids. It’s common sense that still holds true.
Meditation helps as well. Two quick examples. There is an emotional high and an expanded feeling from doing chanting meditation. The feeling is even greater if the chanting is in a tradition where you feel attracted to the symbols and images. Also, there is a heart-opening feeling from the Buddhist metta meditation, where you direct the wish for happiness and well being first to yourself, and then to wider and wider groups of people and beings, including all the sentient beings in all universes everywhere. The benefits from these meditations are tangible and immediate. You always feel better, lighter, more open and more loving afterwards. And the more you do them, the less you do them for your own benefit, and the longer the benefits last.
But what the ancient wisdom teachings talk about is something else.
Yes, but I want my experience to be lastingly blissful and nondual. Like yours and like the satsang teachers I hear, and Ramana’s and Nisargadatta’s experience.
Part of the reason you have this requirement is that you imagine others being separate but in this same state. But this isn’t what they say about themselves. It isn’t even what they’re talking about. Ramana and Nisargadatta – not only are they not talking about emotional, phenomenal feelings states, but they are also not personalizing experience. The pointer given by all these teachings is not personal. The pointer directs you to see through the presumption of the separate person. The person cannot withstand inquiry. So it is not the person’s experience they are talking about.
Then what are they talking about? I thought Ramana and Nisargadatta were talking about themselves.
Nisargadatta did speak later in his life of the pain. This is a clue that he wasn’t speaking about blissful feeling states….
Yeah, what about an experience of pain? Isn’t that a case of suffering in experience?
Experience is the vast, edgeless clarity in which things seem to arise. It possesses no point of view or stake in things. Maybe it seems like experience is “yours” – but actually everything you can point to that feels like “you” is an arising in experience.
What do you mean?
Look at your hand. … Now close your eyes and allow your hand to rest on your knee. … It probably seems like it’s your hand. But everything you can say about it is based on a thought, or image, a kinesthetic feeling, or a belief. These thoughts and feelings aren’t tied down to an owner. They are not located or centered, but float free in awareness. There is nothing about these feelings, and nothing in awareness, that makes any of it “yours.” There is no tie to a person. The person is not the experiencer; the person is experienced.
How can I know that? It seems like I have a definite stake in things. Because I want, what did you say? – The “edge…”
Edgeless clarity?
Yes! Once I hear something like this, it feels natural to want it for myself.
Yes it does. This is natural as long as you take yourself to be a container of experience. It seems to you that experience is something that happens inside you, and that other people have their own experiences inside them. But it is the other way around. Your body, your mind, and everything identifiable about you are experiencED, witnessED. Body, mind, thoughts, values and memories are all objects. The clarity is the light within which they arise.
Wow! It’s like backwards. But is this something I can see?
You’re seeing it now! Actually, all seeing is it. You can’t possess it, because it is the space within which you appear. It’s like the airline passenger wanting to hold up the plane, when the plane is holding up the passenger.
Ah, I felt a shift there…. But a moment later, when I think about it a little, it doesn’t seem like that to me.
Don’t try to reason it out. Stand farther back for a moment and be open…. The person is something you seem to observe as if from a small distance. You aren’t actually the skull, mind, body or memories of the person – those are objects that are observed. You are what they appear to – that global experience, that openness, within which things seem to arise. The body, the mind, even the entire person seems to arise within this openness. The openness is you, which is why it seems that “you” notice things arising.
But why aren’t all my experiences like these close, direct ones you mention?
These seemingly close, direct experiences are teaching metaphors for what is now and always the case. All experience is always direct – there is no partition or mediation, no veil, and no subject/object split.
From http://www.advaita.org.uk/discourses/teachers/experience_greg.htm
No self...
Having found no self that is not other, The seeker must find that
there is no other that is not self, So that in the absence of both
other and self, There may be known the perfect peace, Of the presence
of absolute absence.
"The Tenth Man" by Wei Wu Wei
there is no other that is not self, So that in the absence of both
other and self, There may be known the perfect peace, Of the presence
of absolute absence.
"The Tenth Man" by Wei Wu Wei
Timeless...
You must realize first of all that you are the proof
of everything, including yourself. None can prove
your existence, because his existence must be con-
firmed by you first. Your being and knowing you owe
nobody. Remember, you are entirely on your own.
You do not come from somewhere, you do not go
anywhere. You are timeless being and awareness.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
of everything, including yourself. None can prove
your existence, because his existence must be con-
firmed by you first. Your being and knowing you owe
nobody. Remember, you are entirely on your own.
You do not come from somewhere, you do not go
anywhere. You are timeless being and awareness.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
Surrender...
There are never any guaranteed pathways
to enlightenment.
However, you'll still be compelled to walk some
of them anyway until you're finally convinced that,
in the end, they'll all have to be abandoned, too.
The great awakening lies in discovering that, all
along, you've only been "marching in place."
And then…you just stop marching.
And stay perfectly still.
And surrender…to your Self.
- Chuck Hillig
to enlightenment.
However, you'll still be compelled to walk some
of them anyway until you're finally convinced that,
in the end, they'll all have to be abandoned, too.
The great awakening lies in discovering that, all
along, you've only been "marching in place."
And then…you just stop marching.
And stay perfectly still.
And surrender…to your Self.
- Chuck Hillig
The Ocean...
The ocean itself is one big drop, but it is also made
of small drops; many little drops put together become
an ocean. But actually, in the ocean, the drops don't
exist; they are one integral whole. So, you may say there
are no drops in the ocean, yet you can say it is made up
of drops. Both notions are correct. Actually, the drops
in the ocean are only conceptual. The mind says that
there are many parts. Ideas move the world.
- Swami Krishnananda
of small drops; many little drops put together become
an ocean. But actually, in the ocean, the drops don't
exist; they are one integral whole. So, you may say there
are no drops in the ocean, yet you can say it is made up
of drops. Both notions are correct. Actually, the drops
in the ocean are only conceptual. The mind says that
there are many parts. Ideas move the world.
- Swami Krishnananda
Nonduality...
The state of nonduality is a state of intense peace and perfect balance. It is so peaceful because everything is seen as it belongs--to the eternal order of cosmic evolution; hence, all is accepted, all reconciled.........Paul Brunton
Thinking...
"In the strictest sense, we cannot actually
think about life and reality at all, because
this would have to include thinking about
thinking, thinking about thinking about
thinking, and so *ad infinitum*. One can
only attempt a rational, descriptive philosophy
of the universe on the assumption that one is
totally separate from it. But if you and your
thoughts are part of this universe, you cannot
stand outside them to describe them. This is
why all philosophical and theological systems
must ultimately fall apart. To 'know' reality
you cannot stand outside and define it; you
must enter into it, be it, and feel it.”
- Alan Watts
think about life and reality at all, because
this would have to include thinking about
thinking, thinking about thinking about
thinking, and so *ad infinitum*. One can
only attempt a rational, descriptive philosophy
of the universe on the assumption that one is
totally separate from it. But if you and your
thoughts are part of this universe, you cannot
stand outside them to describe them. This is
why all philosophical and theological systems
must ultimately fall apart. To 'know' reality
you cannot stand outside and define it; you
must enter into it, be it, and feel it.”
- Alan Watts
A Readers Question...
A question from a reader asks; " Are we not just animals that need the ego to survive in this world, and were not the Apostles just common men that did not know what the ego is?"................................................................................... We
are not earth bound animals, as Jesus said;" Is it not written that you are
Gods".....Jesus taught parables to those without deeper Spiritual Knowledge but
He taught the deeper esoteric Knowledge to His Apostles.. The Feeling of Love is
non-ego.. you cannot feel Love if the ego is present, Jesus taught that Love is
the only path to God.. Therefore, Non-ego is the only path to
God..........namaste, thomas
are not earth bound animals, as Jesus said;" Is it not written that you are
Gods".....Jesus taught parables to those without deeper Spiritual Knowledge but
He taught the deeper esoteric Knowledge to His Apostles.. The Feeling of Love is
non-ego.. you cannot feel Love if the ego is present, Jesus taught that Love is
the only path to God.. Therefore, Non-ego is the only path to
God..........namaste, thomas
What is the ego?...
Is
the ego, your body?.. Is the ego, your mind?.. Is the ego, your thoughts.. Is
the ego, your happiness.... you will find that the ego is not anything but your
belief in separation.. It does not really exist.. we believe that it exists
because thoughts of self-ishness and desires create a false image that we
believe is our self.. When you have finally Realized that the ego is just an
illusion that keeps us in ignorance and pain, then we can throw away this lie
and become that which we are, which is self-lessness .. Selflessness is called
Love because we are already the only Self called Love (God).. "There shall be no
other gods before Me"..............namaste, thomas
the ego, your body?.. Is the ego, your mind?.. Is the ego, your thoughts.. Is
the ego, your happiness.... you will find that the ego is not anything but your
belief in separation.. It does not really exist.. we believe that it exists
because thoughts of self-ishness and desires create a false image that we
believe is our self.. When you have finally Realized that the ego is just an
illusion that keeps us in ignorance and pain, then we can throw away this lie
and become that which we are, which is self-lessness .. Selflessness is called
Love because we are already the only Self called Love (God).. "There shall be no
other gods before Me"..............namaste, thomas
Reality...
Reality is simply the loss of ego. Destroy the
ego by seeking its identity. Because the ego is
no entity it will automatically vanish and reality
will shine forth by itself.
- Sri Ramana Maharshi
ego by seeking its identity. Because the ego is
no entity it will automatically vanish and reality
will shine forth by itself.
- Sri Ramana Maharshi
Nirvana...
Before you cross the threshold into dreamless
sleep, absolutely everything in the world that you
hold near and dear will have to be surrendered
and left behind.
You can only enter that empty kingdom with
empty hands, empty mind and an empty heart.
If you're coming with anything in your hands,
mind or heart, you're required to wait at the
threshold until you finally put it down.
Even the in waking world, surrendering fully to
how life really is also requires that, sometimes,
you sit quietly in the middle of your mess and
in the core of your chaos…and just wait.
Wait…with no expectations.
Wait…in your own emptiness.
- Chuck Hillig
sleep, absolutely everything in the world that you
hold near and dear will have to be surrendered
and left behind.
You can only enter that empty kingdom with
empty hands, empty mind and an empty heart.
If you're coming with anything in your hands,
mind or heart, you're required to wait at the
threshold until you finally put it down.
Even the in waking world, surrendering fully to
how life really is also requires that, sometimes,
you sit quietly in the middle of your mess and
in the core of your chaos…and just wait.
Wait…with no expectations.
Wait…in your own emptiness.
- Chuck Hillig
The Wall...
Self stands as a wall between man and God.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
God speaks to everyone, not only to the messengers and teachers. He speaks to
the ears of every heart, but it is not every heart which hears it. His voice is
louder than the thunder, and His light is clearer than the sun -- if one could
only see it, if one could only hear it. In order to see it and in order to hear
it man should remove this wall, this barrier which he has made of the self. Then
he becomes the flute upon which the divine Player may play the music of Orpheus
which can charm even the hearts of stone; then he rises from the cross into the
life everlasting.
Our limited self is like a wall separating us from the Self of God. God is as
far away from us as that wall is thick. The wisdom and justice of God are within
us, and yet they are far away under the covering of the veil of the limited
self.
Humility is the principal thing that must be learnt in the path of training the
ego. It is the constant effort of effacing the ego that prepares man for the
greater journey. This principle of humility can be practiced by forgetting one's
personality in every thought and action and in every dealing with another. No
doubt it is difficult and may not seem very practicable in everyday life, though
in the end it will prove to be the successful way, not only in one's spiritual
life but in one's everyday affairs. The general tendency is to bring one's
personality forward, which builds a wall between two souls whose destiny and
happiness lies in unity. In business, in profession, in all aspects of life it
is necessary that one should unite with the other in this unity, in which the
purpose of life is fulfilled.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
God speaks to everyone, not only to the messengers and teachers. He speaks to
the ears of every heart, but it is not every heart which hears it. His voice is
louder than the thunder, and His light is clearer than the sun -- if one could
only see it, if one could only hear it. In order to see it and in order to hear
it man should remove this wall, this barrier which he has made of the self. Then
he becomes the flute upon which the divine Player may play the music of Orpheus
which can charm even the hearts of stone; then he rises from the cross into the
life everlasting.
Our limited self is like a wall separating us from the Self of God. God is as
far away from us as that wall is thick. The wisdom and justice of God are within
us, and yet they are far away under the covering of the veil of the limited
self.
Humility is the principal thing that must be learnt in the path of training the
ego. It is the constant effort of effacing the ego that prepares man for the
greater journey. This principle of humility can be practiced by forgetting one's
personality in every thought and action and in every dealing with another. No
doubt it is difficult and may not seem very practicable in everyday life, though
in the end it will prove to be the successful way, not only in one's spiritual
life but in one's everyday affairs. The general tendency is to bring one's
personality forward, which builds a wall between two souls whose destiny and
happiness lies in unity. In business, in profession, in all aspects of life it
is necessary that one should unite with the other in this unity, in which the
purpose of life is fulfilled.
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