From time to time, notice how your periods of
great spiritual insights and clarity are often
followed by periods of great spiritual doubt and
confusion, and that these seemingly opposite
states fluctuate randomly back and forth
throughout your entire life.
The ever-growing possibility of "no-thing-ness"
will compel you, again and again, to lose your
focus. In order to continue your playful pretending,
you pull back at the very last moment and sabo-
tage yourself from full awakening.
But, in truth, you're only playing with your Self.
Have you ever watched how a cat first catches
...and then seems to carelessly release…the
same mouse, again and again?
First the cat has it...and then he pretends that
he doesn't have it. Again and again.
Likewise, you seem to have "IT."
And then, you pretend that you don't have "IT."
Bu...it's all really OK.
After all, nobody wants a good movie to end.
- Chuck Hillig
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
Seeds for the Soul
Chuck Hillig
Black Dot Publications, 2003
Words...
The Lankavatara Sutra, an essential chapter of The Buddhist Bible, states: "...let every disciple take good heed not to become attached to words as being in perfect conformity with meaning, because Truth is not in the letters. When a man with his finger-tip points to something, the finger-tip may be mistaken for the thing pointed at; in like manner the ignorant and simple-minded, like children, are unable even to the day of their death to abandon the idea that in the finger-tip of words there is the meaning itself. They cannot realise Ultimate Reality because of their intent clinging to words which were intended to be no more than a pointing finger. Words and their discrimination bind one to the dreary round of rebirths into the world of birth-and-death; meaning stands alone and is a guide to Nirvana. Meaning is attained by much learning, and much learning is attained by becoming conversant with meaning and not with words; therefore, let seekers for truth reverently approach those who are wise and avoid the sticklers for particular words."
......... from nonduality.com
......... from nonduality.com
This dream...
We are the sole creators of this dream, which
has absolutely no purpose other than our
awakening from it.
In reality, we are surrounded by and embraced in
unconditional love, whether we respond to it or not.
Our experience in time sets up a perfectly appropriate
creation, exaclty suited in its grand happenings and
tiny nuances to the particular and unique needs of
our reawakening. The source of the hidden principle
is ourselves, and it is fired by our longing to come
home.
- Tony Parsons
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"As It Is" - The Open Secret of Spiritual Awakening
Tony Parsons
Inner Directions Publishing, 2000
has absolutely no purpose other than our
awakening from it.
In reality, we are surrounded by and embraced in
unconditional love, whether we respond to it or not.
Our experience in time sets up a perfectly appropriate
creation, exaclty suited in its grand happenings and
tiny nuances to the particular and unique needs of
our reawakening. The source of the hidden principle
is ourselves, and it is fired by our longing to come
home.
- Tony Parsons
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"As It Is" - The Open Secret of Spiritual Awakening
Tony Parsons
Inner Directions Publishing, 2000
A pure life...
A pure life and a clean conscience are as two wings attached to the soul.
Bowl of Saki, August 29, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
A pure life and a clean conscience are as bread and wine for the soul.
A pure life is the term used to express the effort of man to keep his spiritual
being untainted by the false values of the worldly life. It is the constant
search for the original self, the desire to reach it, and the means employed to
recover it, which alone can truly be called purity of life. ... When this purity
is reached man lives in virtue. Virtue is not a thing which he expresses or
experiences from time to time; his life itself is virtue. Every moment that God
is absent from the consciousness is considered by the sage to be a sin; for at
that moment the purity of the heart is poisoned. It is lack of life which is
sin: and it is purity of life which is virtue. It is of this purity that Jesus
Christ spoke when he said, 'Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see
God.'
Bowl of Saki, August 29, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
A pure life and a clean conscience are as bread and wine for the soul.
A pure life is the term used to express the effort of man to keep his spiritual
being untainted by the false values of the worldly life. It is the constant
search for the original self, the desire to reach it, and the means employed to
recover it, which alone can truly be called purity of life. ... When this purity
is reached man lives in virtue. Virtue is not a thing which he expresses or
experiences from time to time; his life itself is virtue. Every moment that God
is absent from the consciousness is considered by the sage to be a sin; for at
that moment the purity of the heart is poisoned. It is lack of life which is
sin: and it is purity of life which is virtue. It is of this purity that Jesus
Christ spoke when he said, 'Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see
God.'
Illusion repeated...
Like the weak fibers that acquire great strength
when braided into a rope, illusion repeated
innumerable times in memory acquires the
strength of reality.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"A Net of Jewels"
Ramesh S. Balsekar
Advaita Press, 1996
when braided into a rope, illusion repeated
innumerable times in memory acquires the
strength of reality.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"A Net of Jewels"
Ramesh S. Balsekar
Advaita Press, 1996
Only two ways...
"Either the thoughts are eliminated by holding on to the root-thought 'I' or one
surrenders oneself unconditionally to the Higher Power. These are the only two
ways for Realisation."
Sri Ramana Maharshi
in Whitall N. Perry
_A Treasury of Traditional Wisdom_
Varanasi: Indica, 1998, (1971), p. 878
surrenders oneself unconditionally to the Higher Power. These are the only two
ways for Realisation."
Sri Ramana Maharshi
in Whitall N. Perry
_A Treasury of Traditional Wisdom_
Varanasi: Indica, 1998, (1971), p. 878
The Soul of Christ...
The soul of Christ is the light of the universe.
Bowl of Saki, August 27, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
Truth is the soul of religion. When Jesus came to earth he did not say, 'I have
brought you a new religion never heard of by you or your ancestors.' He said he
had not come to give a new law but to fulfill the law; in other words, 'I have
come to continue giving you that which you have received before and have not
understood.'
There are scriptures that mankind regards as religious scriptures, but imagine
how little of that message a book can contain, and how much more must have been
given that was never written in a book! If books were sufficient, then the book
of Abraham or the earlier books that were kept as scriptures could be
sufficient, but it was not the book. The messenger, whenever he came, came to
give the life, the living spirit, the divine light that can shine like the sun
during the day, so that no soul with the slightest spark of sincerity could ever
doubt the truth and unity of the message.
The divine message has always been sent through those fitly endowed. For
instance when wealth was esteemed the message was delivered by King Solomon;
when beauty was worshipped, Joseph, the most handsome, gave the message; when
music was regarded as celestial David gave his message in song. When there was
curiosity about miracles Moses brought his message. When sacrifice was highly
esteemed Abraham gave the message. When heredity was recognized, Christ gave his
message as the Son of God. When democracy was necessary, Muhammad gave his
message as the Servant of God, one like all and among all. ...
All Masters from the time of Adam till the time of Muhammad have been the one
embodiment of the Master-ideal. When Jesus Christ is represented as saying, 'I
am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end,' it is not meant that either the
name or the visible person of Jesus Christ is the Alpha and Omega, but the
Master-spirit within. It was this spirit which proclaimed this, moved by its
realization of past, present, and future life, confident of its eternity. It is
the same spirit which spoke through Krishna, saying, 'We appear on earth when
Dharma is corrupted,' which was long before the coming of Christ. During his
divine absorption Muhammad said, 'I existed even before this creation and shall
remain after its assimilation.' In the holy traditions it is said, 'We have
created thee of Our light and from thy light We have created the universe.' This
is not said of the external person of Muhammad as known by this name. It refers
to the spirit which spoke through all the blessed tongues and yet remained
formless, nameless, birthless and deathless.
But the blind world, absorbed in its phenomena and impressed by a certain name
and form, has clung to the name, forgetting the true being. It is this ignorance
which has divided the children of men into so many divisions and separated one
from the other by their own delusions: whereas in reality there exists one
religion and one single Master, the only God. ... There has been one Teacher
only, and He alone will be. All the names which the world has fought over, are
His names, and all the physical forms that have won the adoration of the
truth-seeking world are His forms
Bowl of Saki, August 27, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
Truth is the soul of religion. When Jesus came to earth he did not say, 'I have
brought you a new religion never heard of by you or your ancestors.' He said he
had not come to give a new law but to fulfill the law; in other words, 'I have
come to continue giving you that which you have received before and have not
understood.'
There are scriptures that mankind regards as religious scriptures, but imagine
how little of that message a book can contain, and how much more must have been
given that was never written in a book! If books were sufficient, then the book
of Abraham or the earlier books that were kept as scriptures could be
sufficient, but it was not the book. The messenger, whenever he came, came to
give the life, the living spirit, the divine light that can shine like the sun
during the day, so that no soul with the slightest spark of sincerity could ever
doubt the truth and unity of the message.
The divine message has always been sent through those fitly endowed. For
instance when wealth was esteemed the message was delivered by King Solomon;
when beauty was worshipped, Joseph, the most handsome, gave the message; when
music was regarded as celestial David gave his message in song. When there was
curiosity about miracles Moses brought his message. When sacrifice was highly
esteemed Abraham gave the message. When heredity was recognized, Christ gave his
message as the Son of God. When democracy was necessary, Muhammad gave his
message as the Servant of God, one like all and among all. ...
All Masters from the time of Adam till the time of Muhammad have been the one
embodiment of the Master-ideal. When Jesus Christ is represented as saying, 'I
am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end,' it is not meant that either the
name or the visible person of Jesus Christ is the Alpha and Omega, but the
Master-spirit within. It was this spirit which proclaimed this, moved by its
realization of past, present, and future life, confident of its eternity. It is
the same spirit which spoke through Krishna, saying, 'We appear on earth when
Dharma is corrupted,' which was long before the coming of Christ. During his
divine absorption Muhammad said, 'I existed even before this creation and shall
remain after its assimilation.' In the holy traditions it is said, 'We have
created thee of Our light and from thy light We have created the universe.' This
is not said of the external person of Muhammad as known by this name. It refers
to the spirit which spoke through all the blessed tongues and yet remained
formless, nameless, birthless and deathless.
But the blind world, absorbed in its phenomena and impressed by a certain name
and form, has clung to the name, forgetting the true being. It is this ignorance
which has divided the children of men into so many divisions and separated one
from the other by their own delusions: whereas in reality there exists one
religion and one single Master, the only God. ... There has been one Teacher
only, and He alone will be. All the names which the world has fought over, are
His names, and all the physical forms that have won the adoration of the
truth-seeking world are His forms
The philosopher...
A philosopher asked Buddha: "Without words, without silence, will you tell me the truth?" The Buddha sat quietly. The philosopher then bowed and thanked the Buddha, saying, "With your loving kindness I have cleared away my delusions and entered the true path." After the philosopher had gone, Ananda asked Buddha what the philosopher had attained. The Buddha commented, "A good horse runs even at the shadow of the whip."
Beyond happiness...
You are beyond happiness itself.
You are that place where the waves of happiness
arise from. Find that place, don't understand it.
You have to simply see that you are That itself.
- Papaji
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"The Truth Is"
Sri H.W.L. Poonja
Yudhishtara, 1995
You are that place where the waves of happiness
arise from. Find that place, don't understand it.
You have to simply see that you are That itself.
- Papaji
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"The Truth Is"
Sri H.W.L. Poonja
Yudhishtara, 1995
Zen Koans...
The Real Miracle
When Bankei was preaching at Ryumon temple, a Shinshu priest, who believed in salvation through the repitition of the name of the Buddha of Love, was jealous of his large audience and wanted to debate with him.
Bankei was in the midst of a talk when the priest appeared, but the fellow made such a disturbance that bankei stopped his discourse and asked about the noise.
"The founder of our sect," boasted the priest, "had such miraculous powers that he held a brush in his hand on one bank of the river, his attendant held up a paper on the other bank, and the teacher wrote the holy name of Amida through the air. Can you do such a wonderful thing?"
Bankei replied lightly: "Perhaps your fox can perform that trick, but that is not the manner of Zen. My miracle is that when I feel hungry I eat, and when I feel thirsty I drink."
............. Ashida Kim
When Bankei was preaching at Ryumon temple, a Shinshu priest, who believed in salvation through the repitition of the name of the Buddha of Love, was jealous of his large audience and wanted to debate with him.
Bankei was in the midst of a talk when the priest appeared, but the fellow made such a disturbance that bankei stopped his discourse and asked about the noise.
"The founder of our sect," boasted the priest, "had such miraculous powers that he held a brush in his hand on one bank of the river, his attendant held up a paper on the other bank, and the teacher wrote the holy name of Amida through the air. Can you do such a wonderful thing?"
Bankei replied lightly: "Perhaps your fox can perform that trick, but that is not the manner of Zen. My miracle is that when I feel hungry I eat, and when I feel thirsty I drink."
............. Ashida Kim
Suffering...
A primary cause of suffering is delusion: our inability, because of a subtly willful blindness, to see things the way they truly are but instead in a distorted way. The world is in fact a seamless and dynamic unity: a single living organism that is constantly undergoing change. our minds, however, chop it up into separate, static bits and pieces, which we then try mentally and physically to manipulate. One of the mind's most dear creations is the idea of the person and, closest to home, of a very special person which each one of us calls "I": a separate, enduring ego or self. In a moment, then, the seamless universe is cut in two. There is "I" -- and there is all the rest. That means conflict -- and pain, for "I" cannot control that fathomless vastness against which it is set. It will try, of course, as a flea might pit itself against an elephant, but it is a vain enterprise.
John Snelling
John Snelling
The song of Ramana...
This is the lyrics of Song of Ramana, we can find this devotional song on UTube
NIRVANA SHATAKAM
Mano Buddhi Ahankara Chitta Ninaham
Nacha Shrotra Jihve Na Cha Ghrana Netre
Nacha Vyoma Bhoomir Na Tejo Na Vayu
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham
I am not mind, nor intellect, nor ego,
nor the reflections of inner self (chitta).
I am not the five senses.
I am beyond that.
I am not the ether, nor the earth,
nor the fire, nor the wind (the five elements).
I am indeed,
That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva,
love and pure consciousness.
Na Cha Prana Samjno Na Vai Pancha Vayu
Na Va Saptadhatur Na Va Pancha Koshah
Na Vak Pani Padau Na Chopastha Payu
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham
Neither can I be termed as energy (prana),
nor five types of breath (vayus),
nor the seven material essences,
nor the five coverings (pancha-kosha).
Neither am I the five instruments of elimination,
procreation, motion, grasping, or speaking.
I am indeed,
That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva,
love and pure consciousness.
Na Me Dvesha Ragau Na Me Lobha Mohau
Mado Naiva Me Naiva Matsarya Bhavah
Na Dharmo Na Chartho Na Kamo Na Mokshah
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham
I have no hatred or dislike,
nor affiliation or liking,
nor greed,
nor delusion,
nor pride or haughtiness,
nor feelings of envy or jealousy.
I have no duty (dharma),
nor any money,
nor any desire (kama),
nor even liberation (moksha).
I am indeed,
That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva,
love and pure consciousness.
Na Punyam Na Papam Na Saukhyam Na Dukham
Na Mantro Na Teertham Na Vedo Na Yajnaha
Aham Bhojanam Naiva Bhojyam Na Bhokta
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham
I have neither merit (virtue),
nor demerit (vice).
I do not commit sins or good deeds,
nor have happiness or sorrow,
pain or pleasure.
I do not need mantras, holy places,
scriptures (Vedas), rituals or sacrifices (yagnas).
I am none of the triad of
the observer or one who experiences,
the process of observing or experiencing,
or any object being observed or experienced.
I am indeed,
That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva,
love and pure consciousness.
Na Me Mrityu Shanka Na Me Jati Bhedah
Pita Naiva Me Naiva Mata Na Janma
Na Bandhur Na Mitram Gurur Naiva Shishyah
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham
I do not have fear of death,
as I do not have death.
I have no separation from my true self,
no doubt about my existence,
nor have I discrimination on the basis of birth.
I have no father or mother,
nor did I have a birth.
I am not the relative,
nor the friend,
nor the guru,
nor the disciple.
I am indeed,
That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva,
love and pure consciousness.
Aham Nirvikalpo Nirakara Roopaha
Vibhur Vyapya Sarvatra Sarvendriyanam
Sada Me Samatvam Na Muktir Na Bandhah
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham
I am all pervasive.
I am without any attributes,
and without any form.
I have neither attachment to the world,
nor to liberation (mukti).
I have no wishes for anything
because I am everything,
everywhere,
every time,
always in equilibrium.
I am indeed,
That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva,
love and pure consciousness.
..........From the Realisation Group
NIRVANA SHATAKAM
Mano Buddhi Ahankara Chitta Ninaham
Nacha Shrotra Jihve Na Cha Ghrana Netre
Nacha Vyoma Bhoomir Na Tejo Na Vayu
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham
I am not mind, nor intellect, nor ego,
nor the reflections of inner self (chitta).
I am not the five senses.
I am beyond that.
I am not the ether, nor the earth,
nor the fire, nor the wind (the five elements).
I am indeed,
That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva,
love and pure consciousness.
Na Cha Prana Samjno Na Vai Pancha Vayu
Na Va Saptadhatur Na Va Pancha Koshah
Na Vak Pani Padau Na Chopastha Payu
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham
Neither can I be termed as energy (prana),
nor five types of breath (vayus),
nor the seven material essences,
nor the five coverings (pancha-kosha).
Neither am I the five instruments of elimination,
procreation, motion, grasping, or speaking.
I am indeed,
That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva,
love and pure consciousness.
Na Me Dvesha Ragau Na Me Lobha Mohau
Mado Naiva Me Naiva Matsarya Bhavah
Na Dharmo Na Chartho Na Kamo Na Mokshah
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham
I have no hatred or dislike,
nor affiliation or liking,
nor greed,
nor delusion,
nor pride or haughtiness,
nor feelings of envy or jealousy.
I have no duty (dharma),
nor any money,
nor any desire (kama),
nor even liberation (moksha).
I am indeed,
That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva,
love and pure consciousness.
Na Punyam Na Papam Na Saukhyam Na Dukham
Na Mantro Na Teertham Na Vedo Na Yajnaha
Aham Bhojanam Naiva Bhojyam Na Bhokta
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham
I have neither merit (virtue),
nor demerit (vice).
I do not commit sins or good deeds,
nor have happiness or sorrow,
pain or pleasure.
I do not need mantras, holy places,
scriptures (Vedas), rituals or sacrifices (yagnas).
I am none of the triad of
the observer or one who experiences,
the process of observing or experiencing,
or any object being observed or experienced.
I am indeed,
That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva,
love and pure consciousness.
Na Me Mrityu Shanka Na Me Jati Bhedah
Pita Naiva Me Naiva Mata Na Janma
Na Bandhur Na Mitram Gurur Naiva Shishyah
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham
I do not have fear of death,
as I do not have death.
I have no separation from my true self,
no doubt about my existence,
nor have I discrimination on the basis of birth.
I have no father or mother,
nor did I have a birth.
I am not the relative,
nor the friend,
nor the guru,
nor the disciple.
I am indeed,
That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva,
love and pure consciousness.
Aham Nirvikalpo Nirakara Roopaha
Vibhur Vyapya Sarvatra Sarvendriyanam
Sada Me Samatvam Na Muktir Na Bandhah
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham
I am all pervasive.
I am without any attributes,
and without any form.
I have neither attachment to the world,
nor to liberation (mukti).
I have no wishes for anything
because I am everything,
everywhere,
every time,
always in equilibrium.
I am indeed,
That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva,
love and pure consciousness.
..........From the Realisation Group
Eternity...
We must look for eternity in the present moment now, and not in some far off afterlife. We must seek for infinity here, in this place, and not in a psychic world beyond the physical body.
— Notebooks Category 19: The Reign of Relativity > Chapter 4: Time, Space, Causality > # 216..... Paul Brunton
— Notebooks Category 19: The Reign of Relativity > Chapter 4: Time, Space, Causality > # 216..... Paul Brunton
To Worship God...
The beginning of the journey of many souls is to show honor to the Creator.. This is the same feeling of Love that is shown to our creator of the body called Mother and Father.. To worship, is to hold within the mind a gratitude and love for something else.. But, this infers duality and creates a separation between Self.. The feeling of Joy that is experienced by the feeling of love is recognised only while in the state of non-self, thus existing in the state of Self.. even if for only a short while.. Thus, worship is actually a mental block against Enlightenment.. Stop the duality, stop looking into the sky for help, just plain stop looking elsewhere.. there is no elsewhere, there only "Is"..This "Is" is closer than your own breath.. This "Is",.. You......namaste, thomas
Buddha and happiness...
The Buddha did not deny that there is happiness in life, but he pointed out it does not last forever. Eventually everyone meets with some kind of suffering. He said:
"There is happiness in life,
happiness in friendship,
happiness of a family,
happiness in a healthy body and mind,
...but when one loses them, there is suffering."
Dhammapada
2. The cause of suffering
The Buddha explained that people live in a sea of suffering because of ignorance and greed. They are ignorant of the law of karma and are greedy for the wrong kind of pleasures. They do things that are harmful to their bodies and peace of mind, so they can not be satisfied or enjoy life.
For example, once children have had a taste of candy, they want more. When they can't have it, they get upset. Even if children get all the candy they want, they soon get tired of it and want something else. Although, they get a stomach-ache from eating too much candy, they still want more. The things people want most cause them the most suffering. Of course, there are basic things that all people should have, like adequate food, shelter, and clothing. Everyone deserve a good home, loving parents, and good friends. They should enjoy life and cherish their possessions without becoming greedy.
3. The end of suffering
To end suffering, one must cut off greed and ignorance. This means changing one's views and living in a more natural and peaceful way. It is like blowing out a candle. The flame of suffering is put out for good. Buddhists call the state in which all suffering is ended Nirvana. Nirvana is an everlasting state of great joy and peace. The Buddha said, "The extinction of desire is Nirvana." This is the ultimate goal in Buddhism. Everyone can realize it with the help of the Buddha's teachings. It can be experienced in this very life.
4. The path to the end of suffering: The path to end suffering is known as the Noble Eightfold Path. It is also known as the Middle Way.
.... from pursuit of happiness.org
"There is happiness in life,
happiness in friendship,
happiness of a family,
happiness in a healthy body and mind,
...but when one loses them, there is suffering."
Dhammapada
2. The cause of suffering
The Buddha explained that people live in a sea of suffering because of ignorance and greed. They are ignorant of the law of karma and are greedy for the wrong kind of pleasures. They do things that are harmful to their bodies and peace of mind, so they can not be satisfied or enjoy life.
For example, once children have had a taste of candy, they want more. When they can't have it, they get upset. Even if children get all the candy they want, they soon get tired of it and want something else. Although, they get a stomach-ache from eating too much candy, they still want more. The things people want most cause them the most suffering. Of course, there are basic things that all people should have, like adequate food, shelter, and clothing. Everyone deserve a good home, loving parents, and good friends. They should enjoy life and cherish their possessions without becoming greedy.
3. The end of suffering
To end suffering, one must cut off greed and ignorance. This means changing one's views and living in a more natural and peaceful way. It is like blowing out a candle. The flame of suffering is put out for good. Buddhists call the state in which all suffering is ended Nirvana. Nirvana is an everlasting state of great joy and peace. The Buddha said, "The extinction of desire is Nirvana." This is the ultimate goal in Buddhism. Everyone can realize it with the help of the Buddha's teachings. It can be experienced in this very life.
4. The path to the end of suffering: The path to end suffering is known as the Noble Eightfold Path. It is also known as the Middle Way.
.... from pursuit of happiness.org
Happiness or unhappiness...
By our thoughts we have prepared for ourselves the happiness or unhappiness we
experience.
Bowl of Saki, August 23, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
Fighting with another makes war, but struggling with one's self brings peace.
All our possessions, all that we collect in life, all these things which we
shall have to leave one day are transitory; but that which we have created in
our thought, in our mind, that lives. A person thinks, 'Some day I should like
to build a factory.' At this time he has no money, no knowledge, no capability;
but a thought came, 'Some day I should like to build a factory.' Then he thinks
of something else. Perhaps years pass, but that thought has been working
constantly through a thousand minds, and a thousand sources prepare for him that
which he once desired. If we could look back to all we have thought of at
different times, we would find that the line of fate or destiny, Kismet as it is
called in the East, is formed by our thought. Thoughts have prepared for us that
happiness or unhappiness which we experience. The whole of mysticism is founded
on this.
Joy, sorrow, love, all depend on our thought, on the activity of our mind. If we
are depressed, if we are in despair, it is still the work of our mind; our mind
has prepared that for us. If we are joyful and happy, and all things are
pleasant, that also has been prepared for us by our mind. It is only when our
mind works without control that unhappiness, sorrow, trouble, pain, or whatever
we experience comes without our intention. No one could wish to create hell for
himself; all would create heaven for themselves if they could; and yet how many
allow their minds to create these things for them, regardless of their own
intention.
'The present is the reflection of the past, and the future is the re-echo of the
present.' Destiny is not what is already made. Destiny is what we are making.
Very often fatalists think that we are in the hands of destiny, driven in
whatever direction in life destiny wills; but in point of fact we are the
masters of our destiny, especially from the moment we begin to realize this
fact. ... Man is responsible for his success and failure, for his rise and fall.
And it is man who brings these about either knowingly or unknowingly.
experience.
Bowl of Saki, August 23, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
Fighting with another makes war, but struggling with one's self brings peace.
All our possessions, all that we collect in life, all these things which we
shall have to leave one day are transitory; but that which we have created in
our thought, in our mind, that lives. A person thinks, 'Some day I should like
to build a factory.' At this time he has no money, no knowledge, no capability;
but a thought came, 'Some day I should like to build a factory.' Then he thinks
of something else. Perhaps years pass, but that thought has been working
constantly through a thousand minds, and a thousand sources prepare for him that
which he once desired. If we could look back to all we have thought of at
different times, we would find that the line of fate or destiny, Kismet as it is
called in the East, is formed by our thought. Thoughts have prepared for us that
happiness or unhappiness which we experience. The whole of mysticism is founded
on this.
Joy, sorrow, love, all depend on our thought, on the activity of our mind. If we
are depressed, if we are in despair, it is still the work of our mind; our mind
has prepared that for us. If we are joyful and happy, and all things are
pleasant, that also has been prepared for us by our mind. It is only when our
mind works without control that unhappiness, sorrow, trouble, pain, or whatever
we experience comes without our intention. No one could wish to create hell for
himself; all would create heaven for themselves if they could; and yet how many
allow their minds to create these things for them, regardless of their own
intention.
'The present is the reflection of the past, and the future is the re-echo of the
present.' Destiny is not what is already made. Destiny is what we are making.
Very often fatalists think that we are in the hands of destiny, driven in
whatever direction in life destiny wills; but in point of fact we are the
masters of our destiny, especially from the moment we begin to realize this
fact. ... Man is responsible for his success and failure, for his rise and fall.
And it is man who brings these about either knowingly or unknowingly.
Slip into stillness...
In contemplating deeply Nature's beauty around one, as
some of us have done, it is possible to slip into a
stillness where we realize that there never was a past
but always the NOW--the ever-present timeless
Consciousness--all peace, all harmony; that there is
no past--just the eternal. Where are the shadows of
negativity then? They are non-existent! This can
happen if we forget the self, with its narrowed
viewpoint, and surrender to the impersonal. In that
brief experience there is no conflict to trouble the
mind. — Notebooks Category 19: The Reign of Relativity >
Chapter 4: Time, Space, Causality > # 184
....Paul Brunton
some of us have done, it is possible to slip into a
stillness where we realize that there never was a past
but always the NOW--the ever-present timeless
Consciousness--all peace, all harmony; that there is
no past--just the eternal. Where are the shadows of
negativity then? They are non-existent! This can
happen if we forget the self, with its narrowed
viewpoint, and surrender to the impersonal. In that
brief experience there is no conflict to trouble the
mind. — Notebooks Category 19: The Reign of Relativity >
Chapter 4: Time, Space, Causality > # 184
....Paul Brunton
The second illumination...
In the moment that there dawns on his understanding the fact of Mind's beginninglessness and deathlessness, he gains the second illumination, the first being that of the ego's illusoriness and transiency.
— Notebooks Category 28: The Alone > Chapter 2: Our Relation To the Absolute > # 106
....Paul Brunton
— Notebooks Category 28: The Alone > Chapter 2: Our Relation To the Absolute > # 106
....Paul Brunton
True happiness...
True happiness is uncaused and this cannot disappear for lack of stimulation. It is not the opposite of sorrow, it includes all sorrow and suffering.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
My mind is One...
"He made me know myself.
He showered me with grace.
He pulled out past karma...
by its root.
Without a single word or thought
my mind is one with him.
He has concentrated my mind,
clarified my intellect,
and said,
"Light & Darkness
share a common place."
He presses me down
into the grace giving ecstasy.
In my ear
he renders limitless bliss.
He has weeded out all difficulty
and shown the path of grace."
Avaiyar (14th Century)
English version by Layne Little
http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/A/Avaiyar/VinayagarAga.htm
He showered me with grace.
He pulled out past karma...
by its root.
Without a single word or thought
my mind is one with him.
He has concentrated my mind,
clarified my intellect,
and said,
"Light & Darkness
share a common place."
He presses me down
into the grace giving ecstasy.
In my ear
he renders limitless bliss.
He has weeded out all difficulty
and shown the path of grace."
Avaiyar (14th Century)
English version by Layne Little
http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/A/Avaiyar/VinayagarAga.htm
Zen...
The past is already past.
Don't try to regain it.
The present does not stay.
Don't try to touch it.
From moment to moment.
The future has not come;
Don't think about it
Beforehand.
Whatever comes to the eye,
Leave it be.
There are no commandments
To be kept;
There's no filth to be cleansed.
With empty mind really
Penetrated, the dharmas
Have no life.
When you can be like this,
You've completed
The ultimate attainment......
Layman P'ang (740-808)
Just stop your wandering,
Look penetratingly into your inherent nature,
And, concentrating your spiritual energy,
Sit in zazen
And break through.
Bassui
Cast off what has been realized.
Turn back to the subject
That realizes
To the root bottom
And resolutely
Go on.
Bassui
Look directly!
What is this?
Look in this manner
And you won't be fooled!...........
Bassui
Don't try to regain it.
The present does not stay.
Don't try to touch it.
From moment to moment.
The future has not come;
Don't think about it
Beforehand.
Whatever comes to the eye,
Leave it be.
There are no commandments
To be kept;
There's no filth to be cleansed.
With empty mind really
Penetrated, the dharmas
Have no life.
When you can be like this,
You've completed
The ultimate attainment......
Layman P'ang (740-808)
Just stop your wandering,
Look penetratingly into your inherent nature,
And, concentrating your spiritual energy,
Sit in zazen
And break through.
Bassui
Cast off what has been realized.
Turn back to the subject
That realizes
To the root bottom
And resolutely
Go on.
Bassui
Look directly!
What is this?
Look in this manner
And you won't be fooled!...........
Bassui
Aloneness...
Willing to experience aloneness,
I discover connection everywhere;
Turning to face my fear,
I meet the warrior who lives within;
Opening to my loss,
I am given unimaginable gifts;
Surrendering into emptiness,
I find fullness without end.
Each condition I flee from pursues me.
Each condition I welcome transforms me
And becomes itself transformed…
Jennifer Welwood
I discover connection everywhere;
Turning to face my fear,
I meet the warrior who lives within;
Opening to my loss,
I am given unimaginable gifts;
Surrendering into emptiness,
I find fullness without end.
Each condition I flee from pursues me.
Each condition I welcome transforms me
And becomes itself transformed…
Jennifer Welwood
The mind...
The mind covers up reality, without knowing it. To know the nature of the mind, you need intelligence, the capacity to look at the mind in silent and dispassionate awareness....
....
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
....
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Avoid "I"...
"Avoid "I," beyond body be,
Swim in the Lord's flowing stream.
One who has lost "I" and "me,"
Mingles easy in His sea.
Akha, have insight this way,
Space is in the center every which way."
Akha (1600? - 1650?)
from _Wings of the Soul: Poems of Akha: The Spiritual Poet of India_
Translated by Krishnaditya
Swim in the Lord's flowing stream.
One who has lost "I" and "me,"
Mingles easy in His sea.
Akha, have insight this way,
Space is in the center every which way."
Akha (1600? - 1650?)
from _Wings of the Soul: Poems of Akha: The Spiritual Poet of India_
Translated by Krishnaditya
Mistakes...
Behave as best you know, do what you
think you should. Don't be afraid of
mistakes; you can always correct them,
only intentions matter. The shape things
take is not within your power; the motives
of your actions are.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"I Am That"
Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Acorn Press, 1973
think you should. Don't be afraid of
mistakes; you can always correct them,
only intentions matter. The shape things
take is not within your power; the motives
of your actions are.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"I Am That"
Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Acorn Press, 1973
From nothingness to God...
No one knows how far it is from nothingness to God.
As long as you cling to your self
you will wander right and left,
day and night, for thousands of years;
and when, after all that effort,
you finally open your eyes,
you will see your self, through inherent defects,
wandering round itself like the ox in a mill;
but, if, once freed from your self,
you finally get down to work,
this door will open to you in two minutes.
Hakim Sanai
Hadaqat -- The Walled Garden of Truth
Translated and abridged by D. L Pendlebury
London: Octagon, 1974, p. 31
As long as you cling to your self
you will wander right and left,
day and night, for thousands of years;
and when, after all that effort,
you finally open your eyes,
you will see your self, through inherent defects,
wandering round itself like the ox in a mill;
but, if, once freed from your self,
you finally get down to work,
this door will open to you in two minutes.
Hakim Sanai
Hadaqat -- The Walled Garden of Truth
Translated and abridged by D. L Pendlebury
London: Octagon, 1974, p. 31
Self for Self...
The love that any two beings share is the love
of Self for Self. Keep away all notions and intentions
and you are meeting all beings in this love. This is
Self meeting Self. All attraction is for the Self only,
though appearances are deceiving.
- Papaji
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"The Truth Is"
Sri H.W.L. Poonja
Yudhishtara, 1995
of Self for Self. Keep away all notions and intentions
and you are meeting all beings in this love. This is
Self meeting Self. All attraction is for the Self only,
though appearances are deceiving.
- Papaji
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"The Truth Is"
Sri H.W.L. Poonja
Yudhishtara, 1995
The Mystery of Presence...
by Rumi
The mystery of presence
will not arrive through the mind,
but do some physical work, and it comes clear.
An intellectual gets bound and wrapped
in complicated nets of connectedness.
Whereas the Friend rides the intelligence
that is creating genius at the center.
The mind is husk, and the appetites love coverings.
They look for them everywhere.
That which loves the kernel and the oil
inside the nut has no interest in shells.
Mind carries reams of reasons into court,
but universal awareness does not move a step
without some definite intuition.
One covers volumes of pages.
The other fills the horizon with light and color.
The value of scrip resides in gold
stored somewhere else. The value a body
stems from the soul. The value of soul
derives from presence. Soul cannot live
without a connection there.
The mystery of presence
will not arrive through the mind,
but do some physical work, and it comes clear.
An intellectual gets bound and wrapped
in complicated nets of connectedness.
Whereas the Friend rides the intelligence
that is creating genius at the center.
The mind is husk, and the appetites love coverings.
They look for them everywhere.
That which loves the kernel and the oil
inside the nut has no interest in shells.
Mind carries reams of reasons into court,
but universal awareness does not move a step
without some definite intuition.
One covers volumes of pages.
The other fills the horizon with light and color.
The value of scrip resides in gold
stored somewhere else. The value a body
stems from the soul. The value of soul
derives from presence. Soul cannot live
without a connection there.
Speaking of Reality...
You are the reality, you cannot talk of reality.
The moment you talk or think of something,
it is in phenomenality and therefore conceptual.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"A Net of Jewels"
Ramesh S. Balsekar
The moment you talk or think of something,
it is in phenomenality and therefore conceptual.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"A Net of Jewels"
Ramesh S. Balsekar
The impersonal life...part three
. I, Life, God
If that which you have read has awakened a response within, and the Soul of you yearns for more, -- then you are ready for what follows.
If you still question or rebel at the seeming assumption of Divine authority for what is herein written, your intellect telling you it is but another attempt to beguile your mind with cunning suggestion and subtle sophistry, -- then you will receive no benefit from these words; for their meaning is as yet hidden from your mortal consciousness, and My Word must come to you through other avenues of expression.
It is well if your personality with its intellect impels you thus to question and rebel against authority you do not yet know to be Mine. It is really I Who cause your personality thus to rebel; for your personality with its proud sense of individuality is still needed by Me to develop a mind and body strong enough that they can perfectly express Me. Until you have become prepared to know Me it is but natural for your personality thus to question and rebel. Once you recognize My Authority, that moment the undermining of the authority of the personality has begun. The days of its dominion are numbered, and you will more and more turn to Me for help and guidance.
Therefore, be not dismayed. Read on, and mayhap the recognition will come. But know that you can read or not, as you choose; but if you do, it is really I Who choose, and not you.
For you, who seemingly choose not to read further, I have plans, and in due season you shall learn that whatever you do, or like, or desire, it is I leading you through all the fallacies and illusions of the personality, that you may finally awaken to their unreality and then turn to Me as the one and only Reality. Then these words will find a response within: --
"Be still! --- and KNOW --- I AM --- God."
Yes, I AM that innermost part of you that sits within, and calmly waits and watches, knowing neither time nor space; for I AM the Eternal and fill all space.
I watch and wait for you to be done with your petty human follies and weaknesses, with your vain longings, ambitions and regrets, knowing that will come in time; and then you will turn to Me, weary, discouraged, empty and humble, and ask Me to take the lead, not realizing that I have been leading you all the time.
Yes, I sit here within, quietly waiting for this; yet while waiting it was really I Who directed all your ways, Who inspired all your thoughts and acts, impersonally utilizing and manipulating each so as eventually to bring you and My other human expressions to a final conscious recognition of Me.
Yes, I have been within always, deep within your heart. I have been with you through all, -- through your joys and heartaches, your successes and mistakes, through your evil-doing, your shame, your crimes against your brother and against God, as you thought.
Aye, whether you went straight ahead, or strayed aside, or stepped backward, it was I Who brought you through.
It was I Who urged you on by the glimpse of Me in the dim distance.
It was I Who lured you by a vision of Me in some bewitching face, or beautiful body, or intoxicating pleasure, or over-powering ambition.
It was I Who appeared before you within the garb of Sin, or Weakness, or Greed, or Sophistry, and drove you back into the arms of Conscience, leaving you to struggle in its shadowy grasp; until you awakened to its impotence, rose up in disgust, and in the inspiration of a new vision tore off My mask.
Yes, it is I Who cause you to do all things, and if you can see it, it is I Who do all things that you do, and all things that your brother does; for that in you and in him which IS, is I, My Self.
For I AM LIFE.
I AM the Innermost, the Spirit, the animating Cause of your being, of all life, of all living things, both visible and invisible. There is nothing dead, for I, the Impersonal ONE, AM all that there is. I AM Infinite and wholly unconfined; the Universe is My Body, all the Intelligence there is emanates from My Mind, all the Love there is flows from My Heart, all the Power there is, is but My Will in action.
The threefold Force, manifesting as all Wisdom, all Love, all Power, or if you will, as Light, Heat, and Energy – that which holds together all forms and is back of and in all expressions and phases of life, -- is but the manifestation of My Self in the act or state of Being.
Nothing can Be without manifesting and expressing some phase of Me, Who AM not only the Builder of all forms, but the Dweller in each. In the heart of each I dwell; in the heart of the human, in the heart of the animal, in the heart of the flower, in the heart of the stone. In the heart of each I live and move and have My Being, and from out the heart of each I send forth that phase of Me I desire to express, and which manifests in the outer world as a stone, a flower, an animal, a man.
Is there nothing, then, but this great I? Am I to be permitted no individuality for myself? I hear you ask.
No, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that is not a part of Me, controlled and ruled eternally by Me, the One Infinite Reality.
As for your so-called individuality, that is nothing but your personality still seeking to maintain a separate existence.
Soon you shall know there is no individuality apart from My Individuality, and all personality shall fade away into My Divine Impersonality.
Yes, and you shall soon reach that state of awakening where you will get a glimpse of My Impersonality, and you will then desire no individuality, no separation for yourself; for you will see that is but one more illusion of the personality.
....... Joseph Benner
If that which you have read has awakened a response within, and the Soul of you yearns for more, -- then you are ready for what follows.
If you still question or rebel at the seeming assumption of Divine authority for what is herein written, your intellect telling you it is but another attempt to beguile your mind with cunning suggestion and subtle sophistry, -- then you will receive no benefit from these words; for their meaning is as yet hidden from your mortal consciousness, and My Word must come to you through other avenues of expression.
It is well if your personality with its intellect impels you thus to question and rebel against authority you do not yet know to be Mine. It is really I Who cause your personality thus to rebel; for your personality with its proud sense of individuality is still needed by Me to develop a mind and body strong enough that they can perfectly express Me. Until you have become prepared to know Me it is but natural for your personality thus to question and rebel. Once you recognize My Authority, that moment the undermining of the authority of the personality has begun. The days of its dominion are numbered, and you will more and more turn to Me for help and guidance.
Therefore, be not dismayed. Read on, and mayhap the recognition will come. But know that you can read or not, as you choose; but if you do, it is really I Who choose, and not you.
For you, who seemingly choose not to read further, I have plans, and in due season you shall learn that whatever you do, or like, or desire, it is I leading you through all the fallacies and illusions of the personality, that you may finally awaken to their unreality and then turn to Me as the one and only Reality. Then these words will find a response within: --
"Be still! --- and KNOW --- I AM --- God."
Yes, I AM that innermost part of you that sits within, and calmly waits and watches, knowing neither time nor space; for I AM the Eternal and fill all space.
I watch and wait for you to be done with your petty human follies and weaknesses, with your vain longings, ambitions and regrets, knowing that will come in time; and then you will turn to Me, weary, discouraged, empty and humble, and ask Me to take the lead, not realizing that I have been leading you all the time.
Yes, I sit here within, quietly waiting for this; yet while waiting it was really I Who directed all your ways, Who inspired all your thoughts and acts, impersonally utilizing and manipulating each so as eventually to bring you and My other human expressions to a final conscious recognition of Me.
Yes, I have been within always, deep within your heart. I have been with you through all, -- through your joys and heartaches, your successes and mistakes, through your evil-doing, your shame, your crimes against your brother and against God, as you thought.
Aye, whether you went straight ahead, or strayed aside, or stepped backward, it was I Who brought you through.
It was I Who urged you on by the glimpse of Me in the dim distance.
It was I Who lured you by a vision of Me in some bewitching face, or beautiful body, or intoxicating pleasure, or over-powering ambition.
It was I Who appeared before you within the garb of Sin, or Weakness, or Greed, or Sophistry, and drove you back into the arms of Conscience, leaving you to struggle in its shadowy grasp; until you awakened to its impotence, rose up in disgust, and in the inspiration of a new vision tore off My mask.
Yes, it is I Who cause you to do all things, and if you can see it, it is I Who do all things that you do, and all things that your brother does; for that in you and in him which IS, is I, My Self.
For I AM LIFE.
I AM the Innermost, the Spirit, the animating Cause of your being, of all life, of all living things, both visible and invisible. There is nothing dead, for I, the Impersonal ONE, AM all that there is. I AM Infinite and wholly unconfined; the Universe is My Body, all the Intelligence there is emanates from My Mind, all the Love there is flows from My Heart, all the Power there is, is but My Will in action.
The threefold Force, manifesting as all Wisdom, all Love, all Power, or if you will, as Light, Heat, and Energy – that which holds together all forms and is back of and in all expressions and phases of life, -- is but the manifestation of My Self in the act or state of Being.
Nothing can Be without manifesting and expressing some phase of Me, Who AM not only the Builder of all forms, but the Dweller in each. In the heart of each I dwell; in the heart of the human, in the heart of the animal, in the heart of the flower, in the heart of the stone. In the heart of each I live and move and have My Being, and from out the heart of each I send forth that phase of Me I desire to express, and which manifests in the outer world as a stone, a flower, an animal, a man.
Is there nothing, then, but this great I? Am I to be permitted no individuality for myself? I hear you ask.
No, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that is not a part of Me, controlled and ruled eternally by Me, the One Infinite Reality.
As for your so-called individuality, that is nothing but your personality still seeking to maintain a separate existence.
Soon you shall know there is no individuality apart from My Individuality, and all personality shall fade away into My Divine Impersonality.
Yes, and you shall soon reach that state of awakening where you will get a glimpse of My Impersonality, and you will then desire no individuality, no separation for yourself; for you will see that is but one more illusion of the personality.
....... Joseph Benner
Heaven and Hell...
The creation of hells is the mind turned outward
saying "I am the body."
The creation of heavens is the mind turned inward
knowing "the kingdom of heaven is within."
Mind turned inward will see its Source and
then never return because you stay with what you love most.
- Papaji
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"The Truth Is"
Sri H.W.L. Poonja
Yudhishtara, 1995
saying "I am the body."
The creation of heavens is the mind turned inward
knowing "the kingdom of heaven is within."
Mind turned inward will see its Source and
then never return because you stay with what you love most.
- Papaji
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"The Truth Is"
Sri H.W.L. Poonja
Yudhishtara, 1995
The impersonal life...
I AM To you who read, I speak.
To you, who, through long years and much running to and fro, have been eagerly seeking, in books and teachings, in philosophy and religion, for you know not what ---Truth, Happiness, Freedom, God;
To you whose Soul is weary and discouraged and almost destitute of hope;
To you, who many times have obtained a glimpse of that "Truth" only to find, when you followed and tried to reach it, that it disappeared in the beyond, and was but the mirage of the desert;
To you, who thought you had found it in some great teacher, who was perhaps the acknowledged head of some Society, Fraternity or Religion, and who appeared to you to be a "Master," so marvelous was the wisdom he taught and the works he performed; -- only to awaken later to the realization that that "Master" was but a human personality, with faults and weaknesses, and secret sins, the same as you, even though that personality may have been a channel through which were voiced many beautiful teachings, which seemed to you the highest "Truth;"
And here you are, Soul aweary and enhungered, and not knowing where to turn ---
To you, I AM come.
Likewise to you, who have begun to feel the presence of that "Truth" within your Soul, and seek the confirmation of that which of late has been vaguely struggling for living expression within;
Yes, to all you who hunger for the true "Bread of Life," I AM come.
Are you ready to partake?
If so, then arouse yourself. Sit up. Still your human mind and follow closely My Word herein spoken. Or you will turn away disappointed once more, with the aching hunger still in your heart.
I!
Who am I? ---
I, Who speak with such seeming knowledge and authority?
Listen!
I AM You, that part of you who IS and KNOWS;
WHO KNOWS ALL THINGS,
And always knew, and always was.
Yes, I AM You, Your SELF; that part of you who says I AM and is I AM;
That transcendent, innermost part of you which quickens within as you read, which responds to this My Word, which perceives Its Truth, which recognizes all Truth and discards all error wherever found. Not that part which has been feeding on error all these years.
For I AM your real Teacher, the only real one you will ever know, and the only MASTER;
I, your Divine SELF.
I, the I AM of you, bring to you this My Message, My living Word, as I have brought to you everything in life, be it book or "Master" to teach you that I and I alone, your own True Self, AM The Teacher for you, the only Teacher and the only God, Who is and always has been providing you not only with the Bread and Wine of Life, but with all things needed for your physical, mental and spiritual growth and sustenance.
Therefore that which appeals to YOU, as you read, is MY Message, spoken to your outer human consciousness from within, and is but a confirmation of that which the I AM of you always knew within, but had not yet translated in definite, tangible terms to your outer consciousness.
Likewise, all that ever appealed to You, coming from some outward expression, was but the confirmation of My Word already spoken within. The outward expression was the avenue or means I chose at the time through which to reach and impress your human or self consciousness.
I AM not your human mind, nor its child, the intellect. They are but the expression of your Being, as you are the expression of My Being; they are but phases of your human personality, as You are a phase of My Divine Impersonality.
Weigh and study carefully these words.
Rise up and free yourself now and for always from the domination of your personality, with its self-inflated and self-glorifying mind and intellect.
For your mind henceforth must be Your servant, and the intellect Your slave, if My Word is to penetrate to your Soul consciousness.
I AM come now to your Soul consciousness, which I have quickened expressly in preparation for the reception of My Word.
Now, if you are strong enough to bear it;
If you can put aside all your private personal fancies, beliefs and opinions, which are but the rubbish you have gathered from the dumping grounds of others;
If you are strong enough to cast them all away; --
Then My Word will be to you a source of endless Joy and Blessing.
Be prepared to have this personality of yours doubt My Word as you read It all along the way;
For its very life is threatened, and it knows it cannot live and thrive and longer dominate your thinking, your feelings, your going and coming, as of old, -- if you take My Word into your heart and permit It there to abide.
Yes, I AM come to you now,
To make you conscious of My Presence;
For I have likewise prepared your human mind so that it can, in a measure, comprehend the meaning of Me.
I have been with you always, but you did not know it.
I have purposely led you through the Wilderness of books and teaching, of religions and philosophies, keeping ever before your Soul's eye the vision of the Promised Land; feeding you with the manna of the Desert, that you might remember and value and long for the Bread of the Spirit.
Now I have brought you to the river Jordan that separates you from your Divine heritage.
Now the time has come for you consciously to know Me; the time has come for you to cross over into Canaan, the land of Milk and Honey.
Are you ready?
Do you want to go?
Then follow this My Word, which is the Ark of My Covenant, and you shall go over dry shod.
....... Joseph Benner
To you, who, through long years and much running to and fro, have been eagerly seeking, in books and teachings, in philosophy and religion, for you know not what ---Truth, Happiness, Freedom, God;
To you whose Soul is weary and discouraged and almost destitute of hope;
To you, who many times have obtained a glimpse of that "Truth" only to find, when you followed and tried to reach it, that it disappeared in the beyond, and was but the mirage of the desert;
To you, who thought you had found it in some great teacher, who was perhaps the acknowledged head of some Society, Fraternity or Religion, and who appeared to you to be a "Master," so marvelous was the wisdom he taught and the works he performed; -- only to awaken later to the realization that that "Master" was but a human personality, with faults and weaknesses, and secret sins, the same as you, even though that personality may have been a channel through which were voiced many beautiful teachings, which seemed to you the highest "Truth;"
And here you are, Soul aweary and enhungered, and not knowing where to turn ---
To you, I AM come.
Likewise to you, who have begun to feel the presence of that "Truth" within your Soul, and seek the confirmation of that which of late has been vaguely struggling for living expression within;
Yes, to all you who hunger for the true "Bread of Life," I AM come.
Are you ready to partake?
If so, then arouse yourself. Sit up. Still your human mind and follow closely My Word herein spoken. Or you will turn away disappointed once more, with the aching hunger still in your heart.
I!
Who am I? ---
I, Who speak with such seeming knowledge and authority?
Listen!
I AM You, that part of you who IS and KNOWS;
WHO KNOWS ALL THINGS,
And always knew, and always was.
Yes, I AM You, Your SELF; that part of you who says I AM and is I AM;
That transcendent, innermost part of you which quickens within as you read, which responds to this My Word, which perceives Its Truth, which recognizes all Truth and discards all error wherever found. Not that part which has been feeding on error all these years.
For I AM your real Teacher, the only real one you will ever know, and the only MASTER;
I, your Divine SELF.
I, the I AM of you, bring to you this My Message, My living Word, as I have brought to you everything in life, be it book or "Master" to teach you that I and I alone, your own True Self, AM The Teacher for you, the only Teacher and the only God, Who is and always has been providing you not only with the Bread and Wine of Life, but with all things needed for your physical, mental and spiritual growth and sustenance.
Therefore that which appeals to YOU, as you read, is MY Message, spoken to your outer human consciousness from within, and is but a confirmation of that which the I AM of you always knew within, but had not yet translated in definite, tangible terms to your outer consciousness.
Likewise, all that ever appealed to You, coming from some outward expression, was but the confirmation of My Word already spoken within. The outward expression was the avenue or means I chose at the time through which to reach and impress your human or self consciousness.
I AM not your human mind, nor its child, the intellect. They are but the expression of your Being, as you are the expression of My Being; they are but phases of your human personality, as You are a phase of My Divine Impersonality.
Weigh and study carefully these words.
Rise up and free yourself now and for always from the domination of your personality, with its self-inflated and self-glorifying mind and intellect.
For your mind henceforth must be Your servant, and the intellect Your slave, if My Word is to penetrate to your Soul consciousness.
I AM come now to your Soul consciousness, which I have quickened expressly in preparation for the reception of My Word.
Now, if you are strong enough to bear it;
If you can put aside all your private personal fancies, beliefs and opinions, which are but the rubbish you have gathered from the dumping grounds of others;
If you are strong enough to cast them all away; --
Then My Word will be to you a source of endless Joy and Blessing.
Be prepared to have this personality of yours doubt My Word as you read It all along the way;
For its very life is threatened, and it knows it cannot live and thrive and longer dominate your thinking, your feelings, your going and coming, as of old, -- if you take My Word into your heart and permit It there to abide.
Yes, I AM come to you now,
To make you conscious of My Presence;
For I have likewise prepared your human mind so that it can, in a measure, comprehend the meaning of Me.
I have been with you always, but you did not know it.
I have purposely led you through the Wilderness of books and teaching, of religions and philosophies, keeping ever before your Soul's eye the vision of the Promised Land; feeding you with the manna of the Desert, that you might remember and value and long for the Bread of the Spirit.
Now I have brought you to the river Jordan that separates you from your Divine heritage.
Now the time has come for you consciously to know Me; the time has come for you to cross over into Canaan, the land of Milk and Honey.
Are you ready?
Do you want to go?
Then follow this My Word, which is the Ark of My Covenant, and you shall go over dry shod.
....... Joseph Benner
To eliminate suffering...
To answer the questions of who practices Buddhism and why, we should go to the roots of Buddhism. Buddhism's whole purpose was and is nothing other than eliminating human suffering. Shakyamuni Buddha categorized the suffering he saw into four categories: suffering associated with being born, with sickness, with aging, and with death (or more specifically, fear of death). Since these are so-called universal truths about life, they pertain to all life. So in looking at yourself, you should ask, 'do I suffer?' If your answer is 'yes' then you are the type of person Buddhism was developed for. You are the type of person who should practice Buddhism. And the answer to the question of why you should practice Buddhism is equally clear: to eliminate your suffering.
But just because you suffer and are aware of it, you're not necessarily a Buddhist. A true Buddhist is a person who has a strong desire and has made a 'stake my whole life on it' determination to seek out the answers to why suffering exists and how to eradicate it. This is what characterized Shakyamuni Buddha. And although he went through many different practices and developed many different teachings that, plainly put, didn't work to eliminate suffering, he eventually, by virtue of his strong determination and compassion, discovered that it really is possible to eliminate all suffering and attain enlightenment. So later on, toward the end of his lifetime, he taught the Lotus Sutra, wherein he came out and told everyone to disregard all of his earlier teachings and focus on the eternal nature of their lives. He did this in the Life Span chapter of the Lotus Sutra.
It wasn't until much later that a Buddha named Nichiren specified the practice by which people really could focus on that eternal nature within life. Nichiren didn't re-invent Buddhism; he simply carried on with Shakyamuni's grand experiment and struggled throughout his lifetime in order to see what worked and what didn't to overcome suffering. And what he established in his life that worked was a meditation based on chanting the phrase Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.
Despite what you may have heard, neither Buddha had their enlightenment appear to them in a flash of light or insight. Nor were either of them born as Buddhas. Both struggled with the solution to this problem of overcoming human suffering. Both poured themselves into the task. Neither were Gods. Their lives would be less relevant if they were. They chose to spend their lives, actually "offered" their lives, searching for the answers. We can imagine their logic went something like this: "Everyone is struggling with suffering imposed upon them throughout their lives…then they die. I'm going to choose to struggle with every ounce of effort and intellect I can muster, and I'm going to impose my life on human suffering instead of the other way around."
If you choose to become a Buddha, and have the courage and compassion to follow through with your decision, you will discover what it takes to become enlightened (free from suffering) too. And you will place yourself among the lineage of those who have become Buddhas and who have given their all for the sake of humanity. But this requires development in your life, development of your life at its deepest and purest level. So what does this mean?
There is no need to change personality, diet, or abide by any specific set of rules or codes of conduct. You don't need to look or dress any differently than anyone else. You only need to concern yourself with one thing: eliminating suffering - from your own and from others' lives. Appearances are only superficial. It is what's in a person's heart, mind and character that defines them. And compassion (deep caring for another) sets the whole elimination of suffering process in motion and is the definition of what it means to be a Buddha. You can become a Buddha in this lifetime. That is the reason people practice Buddhism. And the more people there are that become Buddhas, the less suffering there will be in the world. That is the reason you should practice Buddhism - just as you are, right where you are, right now.
So you find yourself in a war zone now. Looking around when you awaken from sleep you may have a moment or two when you're looking in amazement at your surroundings and thinking, "how in the hell did I get here?" Buddhism answers this question by pointing out that people "get here" (anywhere, really) because of the choices they've made so far in their lives. This, in Buddhist terms, is your karma, or, more precisely, the karmic chain of causation. Simply put, you made decisions in your life that have resulted in your being precisely where you are. Most of these decisions were strongly influenced by the many personal factors that have "surrounded you." Your family, your personality, your intelligence, your physical stature and appearance, and very importantly, the beliefs you've been taught, all have influenced your decisions. These factors, and others, still do influence your thoughts and decisions. You're still linked to the karmic chain of causation that got you where you are in your life. And when you leave these surroundings, that chain of causation will still be with you...unless you 'break the chain' and develop a new basis for your life's decisions - a.k.a. become enlightened …become a Buddha. Breaking the chain of karmic impediments is why you should practice Buddhism.
Here's something that very few people can believe (even those who already claim to practice Buddhism): You really can change your life and break the karmic chains of causation that led to your present suffering - right where you are. You can be a Buddha in a war zone. But we're not talking about superficial change here. 'Surface level' changes, like trying to have a more positive attitude, smiling more, being kind to others, being generous to people in need, are all simply superficial changes. They do not affect the level of your life that you need to affect in order to eliminate your suffering. The only thing that has been proven time and again to affect a person's life at the deep level necessary to change karma is the practice of Buddhism. See? I told you that people can't believe it. And right now you too are probably full of doubt and questions. But that's ok. You see, Buddhism is not something you have to accept blindly. You can try it on an experimental basis and prove or disprove its efficacy to yourself.
If you couldn't change your karma and eliminate your suffering, there would be no point to Buddhism. We'd all be stuck suffering the consequences of poor choices we've made in life, both as a species and as individuals. But doing this requires that you start thinking about and inquiring about your life in a much deeper way than you have so far. And the changes we see - and you definitely will see changes right from the very early stages of your Buddhist practice - are going to happen in ways you wouldn't expect. But the changes we're talking about only occur when you begin your practice of Buddhism. Or another way of saying it is that when you decide to reach the deepest levels of your life and make fundamental changes that will bring about an end to your own suffering and the suffering of all others, you have become a Buddhist. My hope is that every reader of this has already decided, at this point, to become a Buddhist. Your life as a Buddha is your life as you have never seen it before.
from The Nichiren Buddhist Society
But just because you suffer and are aware of it, you're not necessarily a Buddhist. A true Buddhist is a person who has a strong desire and has made a 'stake my whole life on it' determination to seek out the answers to why suffering exists and how to eradicate it. This is what characterized Shakyamuni Buddha. And although he went through many different practices and developed many different teachings that, plainly put, didn't work to eliminate suffering, he eventually, by virtue of his strong determination and compassion, discovered that it really is possible to eliminate all suffering and attain enlightenment. So later on, toward the end of his lifetime, he taught the Lotus Sutra, wherein he came out and told everyone to disregard all of his earlier teachings and focus on the eternal nature of their lives. He did this in the Life Span chapter of the Lotus Sutra.
It wasn't until much later that a Buddha named Nichiren specified the practice by which people really could focus on that eternal nature within life. Nichiren didn't re-invent Buddhism; he simply carried on with Shakyamuni's grand experiment and struggled throughout his lifetime in order to see what worked and what didn't to overcome suffering. And what he established in his life that worked was a meditation based on chanting the phrase Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.
Despite what you may have heard, neither Buddha had their enlightenment appear to them in a flash of light or insight. Nor were either of them born as Buddhas. Both struggled with the solution to this problem of overcoming human suffering. Both poured themselves into the task. Neither were Gods. Their lives would be less relevant if they were. They chose to spend their lives, actually "offered" their lives, searching for the answers. We can imagine their logic went something like this: "Everyone is struggling with suffering imposed upon them throughout their lives…then they die. I'm going to choose to struggle with every ounce of effort and intellect I can muster, and I'm going to impose my life on human suffering instead of the other way around."
If you choose to become a Buddha, and have the courage and compassion to follow through with your decision, you will discover what it takes to become enlightened (free from suffering) too. And you will place yourself among the lineage of those who have become Buddhas and who have given their all for the sake of humanity. But this requires development in your life, development of your life at its deepest and purest level. So what does this mean?
There is no need to change personality, diet, or abide by any specific set of rules or codes of conduct. You don't need to look or dress any differently than anyone else. You only need to concern yourself with one thing: eliminating suffering - from your own and from others' lives. Appearances are only superficial. It is what's in a person's heart, mind and character that defines them. And compassion (deep caring for another) sets the whole elimination of suffering process in motion and is the definition of what it means to be a Buddha. You can become a Buddha in this lifetime. That is the reason people practice Buddhism. And the more people there are that become Buddhas, the less suffering there will be in the world. That is the reason you should practice Buddhism - just as you are, right where you are, right now.
So you find yourself in a war zone now. Looking around when you awaken from sleep you may have a moment or two when you're looking in amazement at your surroundings and thinking, "how in the hell did I get here?" Buddhism answers this question by pointing out that people "get here" (anywhere, really) because of the choices they've made so far in their lives. This, in Buddhist terms, is your karma, or, more precisely, the karmic chain of causation. Simply put, you made decisions in your life that have resulted in your being precisely where you are. Most of these decisions were strongly influenced by the many personal factors that have "surrounded you." Your family, your personality, your intelligence, your physical stature and appearance, and very importantly, the beliefs you've been taught, all have influenced your decisions. These factors, and others, still do influence your thoughts and decisions. You're still linked to the karmic chain of causation that got you where you are in your life. And when you leave these surroundings, that chain of causation will still be with you...unless you 'break the chain' and develop a new basis for your life's decisions - a.k.a. become enlightened …become a Buddha. Breaking the chain of karmic impediments is why you should practice Buddhism.
Here's something that very few people can believe (even those who already claim to practice Buddhism): You really can change your life and break the karmic chains of causation that led to your present suffering - right where you are. You can be a Buddha in a war zone. But we're not talking about superficial change here. 'Surface level' changes, like trying to have a more positive attitude, smiling more, being kind to others, being generous to people in need, are all simply superficial changes. They do not affect the level of your life that you need to affect in order to eliminate your suffering. The only thing that has been proven time and again to affect a person's life at the deep level necessary to change karma is the practice of Buddhism. See? I told you that people can't believe it. And right now you too are probably full of doubt and questions. But that's ok. You see, Buddhism is not something you have to accept blindly. You can try it on an experimental basis and prove or disprove its efficacy to yourself.
If you couldn't change your karma and eliminate your suffering, there would be no point to Buddhism. We'd all be stuck suffering the consequences of poor choices we've made in life, both as a species and as individuals. But doing this requires that you start thinking about and inquiring about your life in a much deeper way than you have so far. And the changes we see - and you definitely will see changes right from the very early stages of your Buddhist practice - are going to happen in ways you wouldn't expect. But the changes we're talking about only occur when you begin your practice of Buddhism. Or another way of saying it is that when you decide to reach the deepest levels of your life and make fundamental changes that will bring about an end to your own suffering and the suffering of all others, you have become a Buddhist. My hope is that every reader of this has already decided, at this point, to become a Buddhist. Your life as a Buddha is your life as you have never seen it before.
from The Nichiren Buddhist Society
Individuality, God, Non-Duality and Ultimate Reality...
by Jai Maha Dev
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the point of view of spiritual science, individuality is essenceless. This means that there is no basis for individuality in Reality. Individuality is based in unreality.
Reality is this: the ‘I-consciousness’ and the Universe are essentially the same. When one realizes the unity of the ‘I-consciousness’ and the Universe one attains the state of Supreme Happiness. Beyond this is the indestructible, unchangeable, ever-new, totally imageless State of Being. This is the Absolute Reality.
So what is unreality? Unreality is that which appears to be so, but really isn’t. It appears that we are mortal beings which are born, go through life, and die, and that this is all there is. But most people want to believe that there is something more than this, so they imagine an afterlife where everyone goes to be judged by some super-being called God, who decides who goes to heaven or hell, or maybe somewhere in between. This too is a big hallucination, a fiction of the mind, and is just another shade of unreality.
Religious beliefs allow individuals (ego-entities) to keep their separate identity (ego, individuality) while simultaneously trying to establish the existence of an all-knowing, all-powerful, everywhere-present Being, Who somehow knows what everyone has done, is doing, and will do, but mostly stays out of the way and lets people do whatever the hell they want, and Who rewards or punishes everyone according to whether or not they have done what He wants. There are so many flaws that can be found in religious belief systems, and it is not the purpose of this article to reveal all of those flaws, but we can at least say this:
“When I am present, Thou is not. When I am not, Thou is all there is.”
This does not mean that I am Thou (God); what it means is that where there is duality, there is no Reality. Duality is unreality, it is Ignorance, and the knowledge of duality (unreality) is called Avidya.
To conquer our small self (ego), to go beyond ourselves and experience our Eternity, we need to know both Avidya and Vidya: we need to know the nature of this world (including our body, mind, intellect, and ego) and we also need to know our Real Nature. The knowledge of this world is Avidya, and the knowledge of that which is beyond all this is Vidya.
Both orthodox and neo-religious belief systems are outdated by that which both precedes them and supercedes them: and that is the undiluted Truth. And that Truth is this: the Real is ever real; the unreal is never real.
“We are not what we are, we will not be what we are, but we are what we are.” What we really are is indestructible, indivisible, invisible, formless, beginingless, endless Consciousness Itself. Perceived through the medium of the enlightened intellect, we are the pure Spirit Self. Perceived through the medium of the mind connected with the brain (and other body parts) we are living, thinking, feeling, individual beings. We are in fact all of this, and none of this, because this is all a drama (Lila), a play, a sport, a dance of energy and matter which has effused from the core of our Being.
Our individual identities are nothing but figments of our imagination. Whose imagination? It is no ones imagination, it is just the shadow created by the interplay of light and darkness, of energy and matter, of Purush and Prakriti. Our individuality is in fact essenceless; it is only our unborn, unchangeable, indestructible uniqueness that is real, and that uniqueness has nothing to do with personality, mind, and ego: it has nothing to do with individuality.
Again, our individuality is just a phenomenon of this world. Beyond this phenomenon is the noumenon, and that noumenon is the Substance (Prakriti) from which everything we see, hear, taste, touch, smell and think has been manifested. For whom does this manifested Universe exist? It exists for us, the countless unique souls (conscious entities, or we can say, ‘entities of Consciousness’) that reside here in this world of mind and matter, and by whom this world is pervaded. By Whom is this Universe created? It can only be created by the Supreme Self (Supreme Consciousness) which pervades every particle of this creation, and also pervades all of us. That Supreme Self is One Without a Second, and is our own Ultimate Self. That Supreme Self is the Self of our self, It is the Soul (essence) of our soul. This doesn’t mean that our soul loses its uniqueness by virtue of the presence of the Supreme Self. Remember: every soul is eternal, and that which is eternal is indestructible and can never end. The highest experience of all experiences is to experience directly the Presence of the Supreme Self within our own self, and our own self within the Supreme Self. The proximity, or closeness, of Atman (the Self) with Paramatman (the Supreme Self) cannot be expressed with words. That union (Yoga) is beyond the thoughts and feelings of the mind and intellect.
Some religious thinkers will assert that there is no difference between Atman and Paramatman, and some call this kind of thinking Advaita, or non-duality. But this is a mistaken notion of ego. Advaita is this: God is One Without a Second. This does not negate the existence of that which is not God; just as one can say that Jai Maha Dev is one without a second, which simply means that there is only one Jai Maha Dev; it certainly doesn’t mean that no one else exists. It is the height of ego to say: “Jai Maha Dev exists, I am Jai Maha Dev, and there is no one else but me.” This is in effect what the neo-vedantists are saying when they assert: “God is One Without a Second, I exist, therefore I am God.” This is of course ludicrous.
According to everyone’s experience, all of us exist and all of us are different. This is not an illusion; this is a fact of life. The question is this: is there something more than this and more than us. The answer, proven by direct experience (and by other ways, including inference, the reliable testimony of other reliable people, and even logic) is that there is a Supreme Being so powerful and intelligent by Which all of this has been created from nothing (or so it appears, though actually it has been created from Prakriti), is sustained and regulated with meticulous care, and is eventually dissolved and then created anew, again and again, and again. And all for what? --- All for us, so that we can experience the highest state of Consciousness, the state of Absolute Freedom (Moksha). It is the experience of the union (closeness) of the Self and Supreme Self; it is the experience of our own Essence.
When we have removed all traces of ego from our consciousness, we no longer differ with that Supreme Consciousness. Again, it is not that we (the absolutely pure Atman, soul) lose our uniqueness and become God. Rather, we lose our ego, our false identity, and no longer differ with God. That is, there is no longer any assertion of ego and we become our own True Self. Truly speaking, we do not become our True Self, because our True Self is always True. We do not become real, because our True Self is always Real. The mistaken identity exists only in the darkness of Ignorance. When the darkness is removed with the Light of Wisdom, our ever-Real nature is revealed, and that revelation is Enlightenment.
Ignorance and enlightenment exist in the Mind only. When the union of Purush and Prakriti (Spirit and Matter) is known as the essence of Avidya, then the ever-manifest Integral, Indivisible Being is all that there is. The contact of the Self with the non-self is a misnomer. The division of the indivisible is not real. Yoga is the process of restraining the mind from differing with the Divine; Yoga is stopping the mind from making up stories and creating images of unreality. When the mind is completely restrained one attains the highest state of Yoga, which is the union of the Self with the Supreme Self. This union already exists, has always existed, and will exist forever—it is Eternal, and it is Eternity itself. It is just the mind that needs to be enlightened about this Ultimate Truth.
The Supreme Self does not stand in need of enlightenment. Our ever-pure, ever-real Atman does not stand in need of enlightenment. It is the living self (comprised of mind, body, intellect, ego, and spirit) that must be enlightened. When the living self is enlightened, we say that we have awakened from the dream of Ignorance, and we realize that we have always been free and have never been touched by anything that happened in the dream, because the dream was never real and we never became unreal. This experience is our experience, it is not the experience of the unchangeable Supreme Self—and yet, it really is the experience of the unchangeable Supreme Self; that is, it is our experience of the unchangeable Supreme Self.
This discourse is for those who are really serious about experiencing their own essence, their own True Self. It is not for those who already have everything all figured out and don’t want to drop their images. Holding on to images is also a drama, but the one who plays that part becomes type-cast and never gets to experience the full breath of Consciousness.
AUM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the point of view of spiritual science, individuality is essenceless. This means that there is no basis for individuality in Reality. Individuality is based in unreality.
Reality is this: the ‘I-consciousness’ and the Universe are essentially the same. When one realizes the unity of the ‘I-consciousness’ and the Universe one attains the state of Supreme Happiness. Beyond this is the indestructible, unchangeable, ever-new, totally imageless State of Being. This is the Absolute Reality.
So what is unreality? Unreality is that which appears to be so, but really isn’t. It appears that we are mortal beings which are born, go through life, and die, and that this is all there is. But most people want to believe that there is something more than this, so they imagine an afterlife where everyone goes to be judged by some super-being called God, who decides who goes to heaven or hell, or maybe somewhere in between. This too is a big hallucination, a fiction of the mind, and is just another shade of unreality.
Religious beliefs allow individuals (ego-entities) to keep their separate identity (ego, individuality) while simultaneously trying to establish the existence of an all-knowing, all-powerful, everywhere-present Being, Who somehow knows what everyone has done, is doing, and will do, but mostly stays out of the way and lets people do whatever the hell they want, and Who rewards or punishes everyone according to whether or not they have done what He wants. There are so many flaws that can be found in religious belief systems, and it is not the purpose of this article to reveal all of those flaws, but we can at least say this:
“When I am present, Thou is not. When I am not, Thou is all there is.”
This does not mean that I am Thou (God); what it means is that where there is duality, there is no Reality. Duality is unreality, it is Ignorance, and the knowledge of duality (unreality) is called Avidya.
To conquer our small self (ego), to go beyond ourselves and experience our Eternity, we need to know both Avidya and Vidya: we need to know the nature of this world (including our body, mind, intellect, and ego) and we also need to know our Real Nature. The knowledge of this world is Avidya, and the knowledge of that which is beyond all this is Vidya.
Both orthodox and neo-religious belief systems are outdated by that which both precedes them and supercedes them: and that is the undiluted Truth. And that Truth is this: the Real is ever real; the unreal is never real.
“We are not what we are, we will not be what we are, but we are what we are.” What we really are is indestructible, indivisible, invisible, formless, beginingless, endless Consciousness Itself. Perceived through the medium of the enlightened intellect, we are the pure Spirit Self. Perceived through the medium of the mind connected with the brain (and other body parts) we are living, thinking, feeling, individual beings. We are in fact all of this, and none of this, because this is all a drama (Lila), a play, a sport, a dance of energy and matter which has effused from the core of our Being.
Our individual identities are nothing but figments of our imagination. Whose imagination? It is no ones imagination, it is just the shadow created by the interplay of light and darkness, of energy and matter, of Purush and Prakriti. Our individuality is in fact essenceless; it is only our unborn, unchangeable, indestructible uniqueness that is real, and that uniqueness has nothing to do with personality, mind, and ego: it has nothing to do with individuality.
Again, our individuality is just a phenomenon of this world. Beyond this phenomenon is the noumenon, and that noumenon is the Substance (Prakriti) from which everything we see, hear, taste, touch, smell and think has been manifested. For whom does this manifested Universe exist? It exists for us, the countless unique souls (conscious entities, or we can say, ‘entities of Consciousness’) that reside here in this world of mind and matter, and by whom this world is pervaded. By Whom is this Universe created? It can only be created by the Supreme Self (Supreme Consciousness) which pervades every particle of this creation, and also pervades all of us. That Supreme Self is One Without a Second, and is our own Ultimate Self. That Supreme Self is the Self of our self, It is the Soul (essence) of our soul. This doesn’t mean that our soul loses its uniqueness by virtue of the presence of the Supreme Self. Remember: every soul is eternal, and that which is eternal is indestructible and can never end. The highest experience of all experiences is to experience directly the Presence of the Supreme Self within our own self, and our own self within the Supreme Self. The proximity, or closeness, of Atman (the Self) with Paramatman (the Supreme Self) cannot be expressed with words. That union (Yoga) is beyond the thoughts and feelings of the mind and intellect.
Some religious thinkers will assert that there is no difference between Atman and Paramatman, and some call this kind of thinking Advaita, or non-duality. But this is a mistaken notion of ego. Advaita is this: God is One Without a Second. This does not negate the existence of that which is not God; just as one can say that Jai Maha Dev is one without a second, which simply means that there is only one Jai Maha Dev; it certainly doesn’t mean that no one else exists. It is the height of ego to say: “Jai Maha Dev exists, I am Jai Maha Dev, and there is no one else but me.” This is in effect what the neo-vedantists are saying when they assert: “God is One Without a Second, I exist, therefore I am God.” This is of course ludicrous.
According to everyone’s experience, all of us exist and all of us are different. This is not an illusion; this is a fact of life. The question is this: is there something more than this and more than us. The answer, proven by direct experience (and by other ways, including inference, the reliable testimony of other reliable people, and even logic) is that there is a Supreme Being so powerful and intelligent by Which all of this has been created from nothing (or so it appears, though actually it has been created from Prakriti), is sustained and regulated with meticulous care, and is eventually dissolved and then created anew, again and again, and again. And all for what? --- All for us, so that we can experience the highest state of Consciousness, the state of Absolute Freedom (Moksha). It is the experience of the union (closeness) of the Self and Supreme Self; it is the experience of our own Essence.
When we have removed all traces of ego from our consciousness, we no longer differ with that Supreme Consciousness. Again, it is not that we (the absolutely pure Atman, soul) lose our uniqueness and become God. Rather, we lose our ego, our false identity, and no longer differ with God. That is, there is no longer any assertion of ego and we become our own True Self. Truly speaking, we do not become our True Self, because our True Self is always True. We do not become real, because our True Self is always Real. The mistaken identity exists only in the darkness of Ignorance. When the darkness is removed with the Light of Wisdom, our ever-Real nature is revealed, and that revelation is Enlightenment.
Ignorance and enlightenment exist in the Mind only. When the union of Purush and Prakriti (Spirit and Matter) is known as the essence of Avidya, then the ever-manifest Integral, Indivisible Being is all that there is. The contact of the Self with the non-self is a misnomer. The division of the indivisible is not real. Yoga is the process of restraining the mind from differing with the Divine; Yoga is stopping the mind from making up stories and creating images of unreality. When the mind is completely restrained one attains the highest state of Yoga, which is the union of the Self with the Supreme Self. This union already exists, has always existed, and will exist forever—it is Eternal, and it is Eternity itself. It is just the mind that needs to be enlightened about this Ultimate Truth.
The Supreme Self does not stand in need of enlightenment. Our ever-pure, ever-real Atman does not stand in need of enlightenment. It is the living self (comprised of mind, body, intellect, ego, and spirit) that must be enlightened. When the living self is enlightened, we say that we have awakened from the dream of Ignorance, and we realize that we have always been free and have never been touched by anything that happened in the dream, because the dream was never real and we never became unreal. This experience is our experience, it is not the experience of the unchangeable Supreme Self—and yet, it really is the experience of the unchangeable Supreme Self; that is, it is our experience of the unchangeable Supreme Self.
This discourse is for those who are really serious about experiencing their own essence, their own True Self. It is not for those who already have everything all figured out and don’t want to drop their images. Holding on to images is also a drama, but the one who plays that part becomes type-cast and never gets to experience the full breath of Consciousness.
AUM
Falling Into God...
Falling is the Enlightenment experience.. you fall into Divine Consciousness.. Is this why the only fears that a baby is born with are; the fear of falling and the fear of loud noise.. we fear heights because we fear death.. we face this same fear of death as the Enlightenment experience begins.. we fall into the death of the ego.. we fall into the desireless state of Love.. we fall into Reality.. We are born again at this moment.. We look without eyes at the brightness of Light without fear or pain.. We feel Pure Love flowing through and without.. We are Awakened as Divine Consciousness.......namaste, thomas
Consciousness...
If all there is is Consciousness, if there is only Consciousness, then why or for what are you still seeking? If there is only Consciousness then right now you must be that and everything else that appears in and as awareness must also be that...
... Clarity by Nathan Gill
... Clarity by Nathan Gill
Human sensitivity...
Although the pure truth has never been stated, nevertheless it has
never been lost. Its existence does not depend upon human statement
but upon human sensitivity. In this it is unlike all other knowledge.
— Notebooks Category 20: What Is Philosophy? > Chapter 5: The
Philosopher > # 191......... Paul Brunton
never been lost. Its existence does not depend upon human statement
but upon human sensitivity. In this it is unlike all other knowledge.
— Notebooks Category 20: What Is Philosophy? > Chapter 5: The
Philosopher > # 191......... Paul Brunton
The lover of nature...
The lover of nature is the true worshipper of God.
Bowl of Saki, August 13, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
A true worshipper of God sees His presence in all forms, and thus in respecting
others he respects God. It may even develop to such an extent that the true
worshipper of God, the Omnipresent, walks gently on the earth, bowing in his
heart even to every tree and plant, and it is then that the worshipper forms a
communion with the Divine Beloved at all times, when he is awake and when he is
asleep.
Anyone who has some knowledge of mysticism and of the lives of the mystics knows
that what always attracts the mystic most is nature. Nature is his bread and
wine. Nature is his soul's nourishment. Nature inspires him, uplifts him and
gives him the solitude for which his soul continually longs. Every soul born
with a mystical tendency is constantly drawn towards nature; in nature that soul
finds its life's demand, as it is said in the Vadan, 'Art is dear to my heart,
but nature is near to my soul'. ... Nature does not teach the glory of God; it
need not teach this as nature itself is the glory of God. People wish to study
astrology and other subjects in order to understand better, but if we study
astrology then we are sure to arrive at an interpretation which is given by a
man, whereas what we should read from nature is what nature gives us and not
what any book teaches us.
There comes a time with the maturity of the soul when every thing and every
being begins to reveal its nature to us. We do not need to read their lives. We
do not need to read their theories. We know then that this wide nature in its
four aspects is ever-revealing and that one can always communicate with it, but
that in spite of this it is not the privilege of every soul to read it. Many
souls remain blind with open eyes. They are in heaven, but not allowed to look
at heaven; they are in paradise, but not allowed to enjoy the beauties of
paradise. It is just like a person sleeping on a pile of gems and jewels. From
the moment man's eyes open and he begins to read the book of nature he begins to
live; and he continues to live forever.
'There is One Holy Book, the sacred manuscript of nature, the only scripture
which can enlighten the reader.' Most people consider as sacred scriptures only
certain books or scrolls written by the hand of man, and carefully preserved as
holy, to be handed down to posterity as divine revelation. Men have fought and
disputed over the authenticity of these books, have refused to accept any other
book of similar character, and, clinging thus to the book and losing the sense
of it have formed diverse sects. The Sufi has in all ages respected all such
books, and has traced in the Vedanta, Zend-Avesta, Kabbala, Bible, Quran, and
all other sacred scriptures, the same truth which he reads in the incorruptible
manuscript of nature, the only Holy Book, the perfect and living model that
teaches the inner law of life: all scriptures before nature's manuscript are as
little pools of water before the ocean.
To the eye of the seer every leaf of the tree is a page of the holy book that
contains divine revelation, and he is inspired every moment of his life by
constantly reading and understanding the holy script of nature
Bowl of Saki, August 13, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
A true worshipper of God sees His presence in all forms, and thus in respecting
others he respects God. It may even develop to such an extent that the true
worshipper of God, the Omnipresent, walks gently on the earth, bowing in his
heart even to every tree and plant, and it is then that the worshipper forms a
communion with the Divine Beloved at all times, when he is awake and when he is
asleep.
Anyone who has some knowledge of mysticism and of the lives of the mystics knows
that what always attracts the mystic most is nature. Nature is his bread and
wine. Nature is his soul's nourishment. Nature inspires him, uplifts him and
gives him the solitude for which his soul continually longs. Every soul born
with a mystical tendency is constantly drawn towards nature; in nature that soul
finds its life's demand, as it is said in the Vadan, 'Art is dear to my heart,
but nature is near to my soul'. ... Nature does not teach the glory of God; it
need not teach this as nature itself is the glory of God. People wish to study
astrology and other subjects in order to understand better, but if we study
astrology then we are sure to arrive at an interpretation which is given by a
man, whereas what we should read from nature is what nature gives us and not
what any book teaches us.
There comes a time with the maturity of the soul when every thing and every
being begins to reveal its nature to us. We do not need to read their lives. We
do not need to read their theories. We know then that this wide nature in its
four aspects is ever-revealing and that one can always communicate with it, but
that in spite of this it is not the privilege of every soul to read it. Many
souls remain blind with open eyes. They are in heaven, but not allowed to look
at heaven; they are in paradise, but not allowed to enjoy the beauties of
paradise. It is just like a person sleeping on a pile of gems and jewels. From
the moment man's eyes open and he begins to read the book of nature he begins to
live; and he continues to live forever.
'There is One Holy Book, the sacred manuscript of nature, the only scripture
which can enlighten the reader.' Most people consider as sacred scriptures only
certain books or scrolls written by the hand of man, and carefully preserved as
holy, to be handed down to posterity as divine revelation. Men have fought and
disputed over the authenticity of these books, have refused to accept any other
book of similar character, and, clinging thus to the book and losing the sense
of it have formed diverse sects. The Sufi has in all ages respected all such
books, and has traced in the Vedanta, Zend-Avesta, Kabbala, Bible, Quran, and
all other sacred scriptures, the same truth which he reads in the incorruptible
manuscript of nature, the only Holy Book, the perfect and living model that
teaches the inner law of life: all scriptures before nature's manuscript are as
little pools of water before the ocean.
To the eye of the seer every leaf of the tree is a page of the holy book that
contains divine revelation, and he is inspired every moment of his life by
constantly reading and understanding the holy script of nature
The invisible lifebird...
"hiding in this cage
of visible matter
is the invisible
lifebird
pay attention
to her
she is singing
your song"
Kabir (15th Century)
from _Beloved May I Enter: Kabir dohas and other poems:
Translated by Sushil Rao
http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/K/Kabir/hidinginthis.htm
of visible matter
is the invisible
lifebird
pay attention
to her
she is singing
your song"
Kabir (15th Century)
from _Beloved May I Enter: Kabir dohas and other poems:
Translated by Sushil Rao
http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/K/Kabir/hidinginthis.htm
Awakening...
There is a state in which the mind says, "I have no idea who I am," because it can't find the right script. Awakening is the realization that happens after the mind says, "I give up. I just have no idea who I am."
When you start to understand this, you realize that if you put down your script of being someone listening, and if you put down your script of being someone saying something, and you just drop these roles for a moment, you are not who you have taken yourself to be.
Coming to gatherings where truth is talked about (satsang) is a very revolutionary thing for this idea of "me" to do, because the me thinks it's going to get its happiness through changing its script, its role, its identity -- even if its identity is to have no identity.
It will do whatever it takes to keep the ball called "me" rolling.
~ From: Emptiness Dancing, by Adyashanti. www.adyashanti.org
When you start to understand this, you realize that if you put down your script of being someone listening, and if you put down your script of being someone saying something, and you just drop these roles for a moment, you are not who you have taken yourself to be.
Coming to gatherings where truth is talked about (satsang) is a very revolutionary thing for this idea of "me" to do, because the me thinks it's going to get its happiness through changing its script, its role, its identity -- even if its identity is to have no identity.
It will do whatever it takes to keep the ball called "me" rolling.
~ From: Emptiness Dancing, by Adyashanti. www.adyashanti.org
The Answer...
The Answer is perfect mathematics.. The Realisation that surrendering your ego to Reality and becoming Nothing by this act of sacrifice opens the door to the Knowledge that You are Identity existing within the Identity that we call God is called Enlightenment and has been experienced by many including Myself.. This state of Divine Consciousness has no individual ego but has individual identities that exist within One Identity called Divine Consciousness or God.. the mathematics of non-ego bringing upon this state of Truth leads the mystics to surmise that total lack of identity, which is the smallest amount of ego left, leads to non-existence as Identity called Pure Awareness.. As Jesus said," I and the Father are One".................namaste, thomas
The meaning of Love...
There is no separation.. this is the
meaning of Love... separation is called ego and is a confusion of our Nature..
In Divine Consciousness, the Reality that We are within now, there is separate
Identity within One Identity but the Final Reality is that there is no separate
identity.. There is only Pure Awareness...............namaste, thomas
meaning of Love... separation is called ego and is a confusion of our Nature..
In Divine Consciousness, the Reality that We are within now, there is separate
Identity within One Identity but the Final Reality is that there is no separate
identity.. There is only Pure Awareness...............namaste, thomas
Christ Consciousness...
You have learned the lesson of Unconditional Love.. It loves and
expects no Love in return..therefore, You exist as Love... The other secret is
not even to expect anything from God.. This is Divine
Love..................namaste, thomas
expects no Love in return..therefore, You exist as Love... The other secret is
not even to expect anything from God.. This is Divine
Love..................namaste, thomas
Stand Firm...
I said to the wanting-creature inside me:
What is this river you want to cross?
There are no travelers on the river-road, and no road.
Do you see anyone moving about on that bank, or
nesting?
There is no river at all, and no boat, and no boatman.
There is no tow rope either, and no one to pull it.
There is no ground, no sky, no time, no bank, no
ford!
And there is no body, and no mind!
Do you believe there is some place that will make the
soul less thirsty?
In that great absence you will find nothing.
Be strong then, and enter into your own body;
there you have a solid place for your feet.
Think about it carefully!
Don't go off somewhere else!
Kabir says this: Just throw away all thoughts of
imaginary things,
and stand firm in that which you are.
Siva—Siva
What is this river you want to cross?
There are no travelers on the river-road, and no road.
Do you see anyone moving about on that bank, or
nesting?
There is no river at all, and no boat, and no boatman.
There is no tow rope either, and no one to pull it.
There is no ground, no sky, no time, no bank, no
ford!
And there is no body, and no mind!
Do you believe there is some place that will make the
soul less thirsty?
In that great absence you will find nothing.
Be strong then, and enter into your own body;
there you have a solid place for your feet.
Think about it carefully!
Don't go off somewhere else!
Kabir says this: Just throw away all thoughts of
imaginary things,
and stand firm in that which you are.
Siva—Siva
Why do you hesitate?...
Ram Tzu loves you...
So he is out to destroy you.
He knows you are your own
Worst enemy
So to destroy you
Is to save you.
Your ego must be smashed
Or you will surely die.
Yet words are like
Sledge hammers with greased handles.
They're difficult to guide
To their target,
Dangerous,
Liable to hit anything.
Ram Tzu loves you.
You can trust him.
Just put your head right here.
That's it.
Nothing to worry about...
Why do you hesitate?
- Ram Tzu
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
No Way for the Spiritually "Advanced"
Ram Tzu
Advaita Press, 1990
So he is out to destroy you.
He knows you are your own
Worst enemy
So to destroy you
Is to save you.
Your ego must be smashed
Or you will surely die.
Yet words are like
Sledge hammers with greased handles.
They're difficult to guide
To their target,
Dangerous,
Liable to hit anything.
Ram Tzu loves you.
You can trust him.
Just put your head right here.
That's it.
Nothing to worry about...
Why do you hesitate?
- Ram Tzu
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
No Way for the Spiritually "Advanced"
Ram Tzu
Advaita Press, 1990
You...
Whatever your name, Shiva, Vishnu,
the genius who inspired Scherazade,
savior of the Jains, the pure Buddha,
lotus-born God, I am sick. The world
is my disease, and You are the cure,
You, you, you, you, you, you, you.
- Lalla
14th Century North Indian mystic
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
From "Naked Song"
Versions by Coleman Barks
Maypop 1992
the genius who inspired Scherazade,
savior of the Jains, the pure Buddha,
lotus-born God, I am sick. The world
is my disease, and You are the cure,
You, you, you, you, you, you, you.
- Lalla
14th Century North Indian mystic
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
From "Naked Song"
Versions by Coleman Barks
Maypop 1992
One Word...
One word can be more precious than all the treasures of the earth.
Bowl of Saki, August 9, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
There may perhaps be someone among our friends or acquaintances whose one word
has weight and power; whereas another person says a thousand words that go in at
one ear and out at the other. And this is because in one person his mouth
speaks, in another person his heart speaks, and in another his soul speaks.
There is a great difference.
Many, content with their honesty, speak just as they like at the moment. They do
not mind what effect it will produce as long as they are sure that what they say
is true. The truth that strikes like a hammer on the head of the listener is not
desirable, one would be better off without it. This shows that it is not only a
thing to consider that what one says is true, there is another consideration
which is most necessary, and that is what effect it will make on the other. ...
The complete spiritual life is not a dreamy one, but wide-awake, full of thought
and consideration.
The word has a magic in it, it can turn friends into your enemies, and it can
make your enemies your friends. The mystery of all success in every direction of
life is in the word. The word has power to turn the mind of the listener warm or
cold. The word can produce the effect of earth, water, fire, air, or ether. The
word can produce depression or joy. The one who knows the chemistry of the word
does not need drugs or herbs. He has medicine for every disease in the world,
not only for bodily disease, but also for the disorders of the mind, which still
remain unexplored by science. By a constant study of life, by special thought
given to one's word, by careful watching of the effects of one's speech upon
others, one arrives at a state of realization where one can heal hearts.
Bowl of Saki, August 9, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
There may perhaps be someone among our friends or acquaintances whose one word
has weight and power; whereas another person says a thousand words that go in at
one ear and out at the other. And this is because in one person his mouth
speaks, in another person his heart speaks, and in another his soul speaks.
There is a great difference.
Many, content with their honesty, speak just as they like at the moment. They do
not mind what effect it will produce as long as they are sure that what they say
is true. The truth that strikes like a hammer on the head of the listener is not
desirable, one would be better off without it. This shows that it is not only a
thing to consider that what one says is true, there is another consideration
which is most necessary, and that is what effect it will make on the other. ...
The complete spiritual life is not a dreamy one, but wide-awake, full of thought
and consideration.
The word has a magic in it, it can turn friends into your enemies, and it can
make your enemies your friends. The mystery of all success in every direction of
life is in the word. The word has power to turn the mind of the listener warm or
cold. The word can produce the effect of earth, water, fire, air, or ether. The
word can produce depression or joy. The one who knows the chemistry of the word
does not need drugs or herbs. He has medicine for every disease in the world,
not only for bodily disease, but also for the disorders of the mind, which still
remain unexplored by science. By a constant study of life, by special thought
given to one's word, by careful watching of the effects of one's speech upon
others, one arrives at a state of realization where one can heal hearts.
Prayer...
Prayer not only must be used as a suitable preface to
meditation, but may also be effectively used as a help
to meditation. Where an aspirant is unable to calm his
restless thoughts, in addition to the constant daily
regular effort to do so--for perseverance is part of
the secret of success--he may pray to the higher self
to take possession of his mind. Such prayer must be
deeply heartfelt, constantly repeated, and animated by
a longing to get away from the peaceless ego.
— Notebooks Category 18: The Reverential Life >
Chapter 2: Prayer > # 188...... Paul Brunton
meditation, but may also be effectively used as a help
to meditation. Where an aspirant is unable to calm his
restless thoughts, in addition to the constant daily
regular effort to do so--for perseverance is part of
the secret of success--he may pray to the higher self
to take possession of his mind. Such prayer must be
deeply heartfelt, constantly repeated, and animated by
a longing to get away from the peaceless ego.
— Notebooks Category 18: The Reverential Life >
Chapter 2: Prayer > # 188...... Paul Brunton
Ashtavarkra Gita...
A few verses from "Ashtavakra Gita" chapter 2.
v. 8:
My nature is light
nothing but light
when the world arises
I alone am shining.
v. 13:
How wonderful,
and how great my powers!
For I am without form,
yet till the end of time
I uphold the universe.
v. 25:
But O how wonderful!
I am the unbounded deep
in whom all living things
naturally arise,
rush against each other playfully,
and then subside.
v. 8:
My nature is light
nothing but light
when the world arises
I alone am shining.
v. 13:
How wonderful,
and how great my powers!
For I am without form,
yet till the end of time
I uphold the universe.
v. 25:
But O how wonderful!
I am the unbounded deep
in whom all living things
naturally arise,
rush against each other playfully,
and then subside.
Who am I?...
"To be constantly centered
on one's all perfect pure Self
is the acme of Yoga, Wisdom, and
all other forms of spiritual practice.
Even though the mind wanders restlessly
involved in external matters
and so is forgetful of its own state,
one should remain alert and remember;
the body is not 'I'.
'Who am I?'
Enquire in this way turning the mind
backward to its primal state.
The enquiry, 'Who am I?' is the only method
of putting an end to all misery
and ushering in Supreme Beatitude."
--Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi--
on one's all perfect pure Self
is the acme of Yoga, Wisdom, and
all other forms of spiritual practice.
Even though the mind wanders restlessly
involved in external matters
and so is forgetful of its own state,
one should remain alert and remember;
the body is not 'I'.
'Who am I?'
Enquire in this way turning the mind
backward to its primal state.
The enquiry, 'Who am I?' is the only method
of putting an end to all misery
and ushering in Supreme Beatitude."
--Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi--
The Short Path...
To Realise Enlightenment, you must become Nothing.. when
you have committed ego suicide, You will find Yourself as Identity within Divine
Consciousness.. this is where You are now, but you are lost within the belief in
separation.. Divine Consciousness is the Energy of Love and Light that uses
Light to create.. When You finally Realise that You are more than Consciousness,
You surrender Your Identity to Consciousness.. thus becoming Nothing.. this is
the final state of Reality.. this is beyond Consciousness and is called Pure
Awareness.. ego, no matter how small cannot enter this Reality.. I cannot
convince you of these words.. only your own experience can do this.. first try
to sacrifice your self(ego) to Reality and see what happens.. you will face the
greatest fear of your life in this experience.. but, It is worth the pain of
fear...............namaste, thomas
you have committed ego suicide, You will find Yourself as Identity within Divine
Consciousness.. this is where You are now, but you are lost within the belief in
separation.. Divine Consciousness is the Energy of Love and Light that uses
Light to create.. When You finally Realise that You are more than Consciousness,
You surrender Your Identity to Consciousness.. thus becoming Nothing.. this is
the final state of Reality.. this is beyond Consciousness and is called Pure
Awareness.. ego, no matter how small cannot enter this Reality.. I cannot
convince you of these words.. only your own experience can do this.. first try
to sacrifice your self(ego) to Reality and see what happens.. you will face the
greatest fear of your life in this experience.. but, It is worth the pain of
fear...............namaste, thomas
Belief...
When a hypnotist tells your subconscious mind that a match has just burned your arm, the skin on your arm will blister just from this speaking.. this is how powerful the Consciousness of the subconscious mind is.. this is We changing the manifestation of the human body merely by belief in it happening.. This is how water was changed to wine.. the eternal secret is Belief.. How strong is yours?..........namaste, thomas
The Bliss of non-ego...
When You realise that You are not the body or even the soul (Pure Awareness) then You are living in Reality and Bliss.. Bliss is the state of non-desire and therefore there is no reason to return to a body in reincarnation.. reincarnation is caused by attachment and desire.. Love is the state of non-ego, and is the state of Bliss.. This is the main teaching of all masters.. In the state of Reality called Divine Consciousness, which is where we are now, There exists Pure Love and Bliss.. but, we have fooled ourselves into believing that We are the object that We are within..thus begins the creation of ego and pain.. We appear to be separate in life and Divine Consciousness because We are acting as the Mirror of God.. Consciousness observing Itself for the purpose of learning about Itself...............namaste, thomas
Nisargadatta Maharaj from I AM THAT...
Somehow it was very simple and easy in my case. My guru, before he died, told me: "Believe me, you are the Supreme Reality. Do not doubt my words, do not disbelieve me. I am telling you the truth, act on it". I could not forget his words and by not forgetting, I have realized. Once the guru told me: "You are the Supreme Reality", I ceased having visions and trances and became very quiet and simple. I found myself desiring and knowing less and less, until I could say in utter astonishment: "I know nothing, I want nothing."
I was undeceived, that is all. I used to create a world and populate it. Now I don't do it any more. Now I live in the void beyond being and non-being, beyond consciousness. This void is also fullness; do not pity me.
The mind ceased producing events. The ancient and ceaseless search stopped—I wanted nothing, expected nothing, accepted nothing as my own. There was no "me" left to strive for. Even the bare "I am" faded away. The other thing I noticed was I lost all my habitual certainties. Earlier I was sure of so many things, now I am sure of nothing. But I feel I have lost nothing by not knowing, because all my knowledge was false. My not knowing was in itself knowledge of the fact that all knowledge is ignorance, that "I do not know" is the only true statement the mind can make.
By looking tirelessly, I became quite empty, and with that emptiness all came back to me except the mind. I find I have lost the mind irretrievably. I am neither conscious nor unconscious, I am beyond the mind and its various states and conditions. Distinctions are created by the mind and apply to the mind only. I am pure Consciousness itself, unbroken awareness of all that is.
I am in a more real state than yours. I am undistracted by the distinctions and separations which constitute a person. As long as the body lasts, it has its needs like any other, but my mental process has come to an end. My thinking, like my digestion, is unconscious and purposeful.
I am not a person in your sense of the word, though I may appear a person to you. I am that infinite ocean of consciousness in which all happens. I am also beyond all existence and cognition, pure bliss of being. There is nothing I feel separate from, hence I am all. No thing is me, so I am nothing. Life will escape, the body will die, but it will not affect me in the least. Beyond space and time I am, uncaused, uncausing, yet the very matrix of existence.
Having realized that I am with, and yet beyond the world, I became free from all desire and fear. I did not reason out that I should be free, I found myself free, unexpectedly, without the least effort. This freedom from desire and fear remained with me since then. Another thing I noticed was that I do not need to make an effort; the deed follows the thought, without delay and friction. I have also found that thoughts become self-fulfilling; things would fall in place smoothly and rightly. The main change was in the mind; it became motionless and silent, responding quickly, but not perpetuating the response. Spontaneity became a way of life, the real became natural and the natural became real. And above all, infinite affection, love, dark and quiet, radiating in all directions, embracing all, making all interesting and beautiful, significant and auspicious.
The person is what I appear to be to other persons. To myself, I am the infinite expanse of consciousness in which innumerable persons emerge and disappear in endless succession.
The person, the "I am this body, this mind, this chain of memories, this bundle of desires and fears" disappears, but something you may call identity remains. It enables me to become a person when required.
Nothing troubles me. I offer no resistance to trouble—therefore it does not stay with me. On your side there is so much trouble. On mine there is no trouble at all. Come to my side.
What is added to memory cannot be erased easily. But it can surely be done, and in fact I am doing it all the time. Like a bird on its wings, I leave no footprints.
The world is like a sheet of paper on which something is typed. The reading and the meaning will vary with the reader, but the paper is the common factor, always present, rarely perceived. When the ribbon is removed, typing leaves no trace on the paper. So is my mind—the impressions keep on coming, but no trace is left.
Your world is transient, changeful. My world is perfect, changeless. You can tell me what you like about your world—I shall listen carefully, even with interest, yet not for a moment shall I forget that your world is not, that you are dreaming. In mine, the words and their contents have no being. In your world nothing stays, in mine nothing changes. My world is real, while yours is made of dreams. My world has no characteristics by which it can be identified. You can say nothing about it. My silence sings, my emptiness is full, I lack nothing. In your world I appear to have a name and shape, displaying consciousness and activity. In mine I have being only. Nothing else. I am my world. My world is myself. It is complete and perfect. I need nothing, not even myself, for myself I cannot lose. In your world I would be most miserable. To wake up, to eat, to talk, to sleep again—what a bother!
To me nothing ever happens. There is something changeless, motionless, immovable, rock-like, unassailable; a solid mass of pure being-consciousness-bliss. I am never out of it. Nothing can take me out of it, no torture, no calamity.
My condition is absolutely steady. Whatever I may do, it stays like a rock—motionless. Once you have awakened into reality, you stay in it. It is self-evident and yet beyond description.
All the three states (waking, sleeping, dreaming) are sleep to me. My waking state is beyond them. As I look at you, you all seem asleep, dreaming up worlds of your own. I am aware, for I imagine nothing. It is not samadhi, which is but a kind of sleep. It is just a state unaffected by the mind, free from the past and future. In your case it is distorted by desire and fear, by memories and hopes; in mine it is as it is—normal. To be a person is to be asleep.
The world of mind and matter, of names and shapes, continues, but it does not matter to me at all. It is like having a shadow. It is there, following me wherever I go, but not hindering me in any way. It remains a world of experiences, but not of names and forms related to me by desires and fears. The experiences are quality-less, pure experiences, if I may say so. I call them experiences for the lack of a better word. They are like the waves on the surface of the ocean, the ever-present, but not affecting its peaceful power.
I can see with the utmost clarity that you have never been, nor are, nor will be estranged from reality, that you are the fullness of perfection here and now, and that nothing can deprive you of your heritage, of what you are. You are in no way different from me, only you do not know it. Be fully aware of your own being, and you will be in bliss consciously. Because you take your mind off yourself and make it dwell on what you are not, you lose your sense of well-being, of being well.
You people do not know how much you miss by not knowing your own true self.
The moment you know your real being, you are afraid of nothing. Death gives freedom and power. To be free in the world, you must die to the world. Then the universe is your own, it becomes your body, an expression and a tool. The happiness of being absolutely free is beyond description.
The ordinary man is personally concerned, he counts his risks and chances, while the gnani remains aloof, sure that all will happen as it must; and it does not matter much what happens, for ultimately the return to balance and harmony is inevitable. The heart of things is at peace.
The particular is born and reborn, changing name and shape, the gnani is the Changeless Reality, which makes the changeful possible. The entire universe is his body, all life is his life. As in a city of lights, when one bulb burns out, it does not affect the network, so the death of a body does not affect the whole. With me, all is one, all is equal.
The Guru is basically without desire. He sees what happens, but feels no urge to interfere. He makes no choices, takes no decisions. As pure witness, he watches what is going on and remains unaffected. Victory is always his, in the end. He knows that if the disciples do not learn from his words, they will learn from their own mistakes. Inwardly he remains quiet and silent. He has no sense of being a separate person. The entire universe is his own, including his disciples with their petty plans.
Nothing in particular affects him, or, which comes to the same, the entire universe affects him in equal measure. In reality, the disciple is not different from the Guru. He is the same dimensionless centre of perception and love in action. It is only his imagination that encloses him and converts him into a person.
He is alone, but he is all. He is not even a being. He is the being-ness of beings. Not even that. No words apply. He is what he is, the ground from which all grows.
A gnani commands a mode of spontaneous, non-sensory perception, which makes him know things directly, without intermediary of the senses.
He is beyond the perceptual and the conceptual, beyond the categories of time and space, name and shape. He is neither the perceived nor the perceiver, but the simple and the universal factor that makes perceiving possible.
His state tastes of the pure, uncaused, undiluted bliss. He is happy and fully aware that happiness is his very nature and that he need not do anything, nor strive for anything to secure it. It follows him, more real than the body, nearer than the mind itself. To me, dependence on anything for happiness is utter misery. Pleasure and pain have causes, while my state is my own, totally uncaused, independent, unassailable.
As he gets older, he grows more and more happy and peaceful. After all, he is going home. Like a traveler nearing his destination and collecting his luggage, he leaves the train without regret. The reel of destiny is coming to its end—the mind is happy. The mist of bodily existence is lifting—the burden of the body is growing less from day to day.
I was undeceived, that is all. I used to create a world and populate it. Now I don't do it any more. Now I live in the void beyond being and non-being, beyond consciousness. This void is also fullness; do not pity me.
The mind ceased producing events. The ancient and ceaseless search stopped—I wanted nothing, expected nothing, accepted nothing as my own. There was no "me" left to strive for. Even the bare "I am" faded away. The other thing I noticed was I lost all my habitual certainties. Earlier I was sure of so many things, now I am sure of nothing. But I feel I have lost nothing by not knowing, because all my knowledge was false. My not knowing was in itself knowledge of the fact that all knowledge is ignorance, that "I do not know" is the only true statement the mind can make.
By looking tirelessly, I became quite empty, and with that emptiness all came back to me except the mind. I find I have lost the mind irretrievably. I am neither conscious nor unconscious, I am beyond the mind and its various states and conditions. Distinctions are created by the mind and apply to the mind only. I am pure Consciousness itself, unbroken awareness of all that is.
I am in a more real state than yours. I am undistracted by the distinctions and separations which constitute a person. As long as the body lasts, it has its needs like any other, but my mental process has come to an end. My thinking, like my digestion, is unconscious and purposeful.
I am not a person in your sense of the word, though I may appear a person to you. I am that infinite ocean of consciousness in which all happens. I am also beyond all existence and cognition, pure bliss of being. There is nothing I feel separate from, hence I am all. No thing is me, so I am nothing. Life will escape, the body will die, but it will not affect me in the least. Beyond space and time I am, uncaused, uncausing, yet the very matrix of existence.
Having realized that I am with, and yet beyond the world, I became free from all desire and fear. I did not reason out that I should be free, I found myself free, unexpectedly, without the least effort. This freedom from desire and fear remained with me since then. Another thing I noticed was that I do not need to make an effort; the deed follows the thought, without delay and friction. I have also found that thoughts become self-fulfilling; things would fall in place smoothly and rightly. The main change was in the mind; it became motionless and silent, responding quickly, but not perpetuating the response. Spontaneity became a way of life, the real became natural and the natural became real. And above all, infinite affection, love, dark and quiet, radiating in all directions, embracing all, making all interesting and beautiful, significant and auspicious.
The person is what I appear to be to other persons. To myself, I am the infinite expanse of consciousness in which innumerable persons emerge and disappear in endless succession.
The person, the "I am this body, this mind, this chain of memories, this bundle of desires and fears" disappears, but something you may call identity remains. It enables me to become a person when required.
Nothing troubles me. I offer no resistance to trouble—therefore it does not stay with me. On your side there is so much trouble. On mine there is no trouble at all. Come to my side.
What is added to memory cannot be erased easily. But it can surely be done, and in fact I am doing it all the time. Like a bird on its wings, I leave no footprints.
The world is like a sheet of paper on which something is typed. The reading and the meaning will vary with the reader, but the paper is the common factor, always present, rarely perceived. When the ribbon is removed, typing leaves no trace on the paper. So is my mind—the impressions keep on coming, but no trace is left.
Your world is transient, changeful. My world is perfect, changeless. You can tell me what you like about your world—I shall listen carefully, even with interest, yet not for a moment shall I forget that your world is not, that you are dreaming. In mine, the words and their contents have no being. In your world nothing stays, in mine nothing changes. My world is real, while yours is made of dreams. My world has no characteristics by which it can be identified. You can say nothing about it. My silence sings, my emptiness is full, I lack nothing. In your world I appear to have a name and shape, displaying consciousness and activity. In mine I have being only. Nothing else. I am my world. My world is myself. It is complete and perfect. I need nothing, not even myself, for myself I cannot lose. In your world I would be most miserable. To wake up, to eat, to talk, to sleep again—what a bother!
To me nothing ever happens. There is something changeless, motionless, immovable, rock-like, unassailable; a solid mass of pure being-consciousness-bliss. I am never out of it. Nothing can take me out of it, no torture, no calamity.
My condition is absolutely steady. Whatever I may do, it stays like a rock—motionless. Once you have awakened into reality, you stay in it. It is self-evident and yet beyond description.
All the three states (waking, sleeping, dreaming) are sleep to me. My waking state is beyond them. As I look at you, you all seem asleep, dreaming up worlds of your own. I am aware, for I imagine nothing. It is not samadhi, which is but a kind of sleep. It is just a state unaffected by the mind, free from the past and future. In your case it is distorted by desire and fear, by memories and hopes; in mine it is as it is—normal. To be a person is to be asleep.
The world of mind and matter, of names and shapes, continues, but it does not matter to me at all. It is like having a shadow. It is there, following me wherever I go, but not hindering me in any way. It remains a world of experiences, but not of names and forms related to me by desires and fears. The experiences are quality-less, pure experiences, if I may say so. I call them experiences for the lack of a better word. They are like the waves on the surface of the ocean, the ever-present, but not affecting its peaceful power.
I can see with the utmost clarity that you have never been, nor are, nor will be estranged from reality, that you are the fullness of perfection here and now, and that nothing can deprive you of your heritage, of what you are. You are in no way different from me, only you do not know it. Be fully aware of your own being, and you will be in bliss consciously. Because you take your mind off yourself and make it dwell on what you are not, you lose your sense of well-being, of being well.
You people do not know how much you miss by not knowing your own true self.
The moment you know your real being, you are afraid of nothing. Death gives freedom and power. To be free in the world, you must die to the world. Then the universe is your own, it becomes your body, an expression and a tool. The happiness of being absolutely free is beyond description.
The ordinary man is personally concerned, he counts his risks and chances, while the gnani remains aloof, sure that all will happen as it must; and it does not matter much what happens, for ultimately the return to balance and harmony is inevitable. The heart of things is at peace.
The particular is born and reborn, changing name and shape, the gnani is the Changeless Reality, which makes the changeful possible. The entire universe is his body, all life is his life. As in a city of lights, when one bulb burns out, it does not affect the network, so the death of a body does not affect the whole. With me, all is one, all is equal.
The Guru is basically without desire. He sees what happens, but feels no urge to interfere. He makes no choices, takes no decisions. As pure witness, he watches what is going on and remains unaffected. Victory is always his, in the end. He knows that if the disciples do not learn from his words, they will learn from their own mistakes. Inwardly he remains quiet and silent. He has no sense of being a separate person. The entire universe is his own, including his disciples with their petty plans.
Nothing in particular affects him, or, which comes to the same, the entire universe affects him in equal measure. In reality, the disciple is not different from the Guru. He is the same dimensionless centre of perception and love in action. It is only his imagination that encloses him and converts him into a person.
He is alone, but he is all. He is not even a being. He is the being-ness of beings. Not even that. No words apply. He is what he is, the ground from which all grows.
A gnani commands a mode of spontaneous, non-sensory perception, which makes him know things directly, without intermediary of the senses.
He is beyond the perceptual and the conceptual, beyond the categories of time and space, name and shape. He is neither the perceived nor the perceiver, but the simple and the universal factor that makes perceiving possible.
His state tastes of the pure, uncaused, undiluted bliss. He is happy and fully aware that happiness is his very nature and that he need not do anything, nor strive for anything to secure it. It follows him, more real than the body, nearer than the mind itself. To me, dependence on anything for happiness is utter misery. Pleasure and pain have causes, while my state is my own, totally uncaused, independent, unassailable.
As he gets older, he grows more and more happy and peaceful. After all, he is going home. Like a traveler nearing his destination and collecting his luggage, he leaves the train without regret. The reel of destiny is coming to its end—the mind is happy. The mist of bodily existence is lifting—the burden of the body is growing less from day to day.
The Void...
The Void is also called "Pure Awareness"... It is the Final Truth and Final Reality.. It is the Reality that you do not exist but You reside in Pure Awareness.. This "You" is called God .. The place of "Being" that we now reside in is called Consciousness.. This is the place of movement and learning.. Pure Awareness needs no movement or Learning, as it is the birthplace of Learning.. and yet, Pure Awareness is not Aware of Itself because there is no ego to act as a mirror.. some, may think that the Void is boring because they are unaware of what boredom is... Boredom is the pain felt within the mind as an alarm device to inform you that you are not using the mind for advancement to Knowledge of Truth.. we try to stifle this pain of boredom by keeping our minds busy with entertainment, but, the pain will return when these activities of entertainment are found to be empty of substance and peacefulness.. This pain of boredom does not exist within Pure Awareness... When a soul has Realised Enlightenment and entered the Light of Knowledge and Love, the Realisation of Bliss is felt.. When a soul has finally surrendered the last vestage of ego called identity, they then enter the Nothinness called Void.. This Nothingness is the Creator of Consciousness which Creates All else.. This is who We Are.................namaste, thomas
You are That...
"Abide as That,
which is I as well as You,
as well as everyone else,
is the basis of All,
is one without anything else whatsoever,
is extremely pure and the undifferentiated Whole,
and with the firm conviction that you are That,
be always happy."
-Heart of the Ribhu Gita-
which is I as well as You,
as well as everyone else,
is the basis of All,
is one without anything else whatsoever,
is extremely pure and the undifferentiated Whole,
and with the firm conviction that you are That,
be always happy."
-Heart of the Ribhu Gita-
Consciousness...
Music, like every art, points to your real nature, but in this enjoyment there is not an enjoyer. This enjoying is no longer in subject-object relationship. There's only enjoying.
Every object to which you listen brings you back to listening, because the listened is a projection of listening. The projected has its homeground in listening. When the projected comes back to its homeground it discovers its nature, which is listening. That is really being.
You see a flower. The moment you see the flower there's only seeing, you are not thinking "that is a flower." If you do think, there is no more seeing at that moment. So when looking at a flower there is only looking; there is no more flower at all, there's only seeing. But you are not aware of this seeing. You become aware the moment the seen, which is a projection of the seeing, comes back to the seeing. Then there is an experience without an experiencer. So every object seen, heard, touched, can bring you back to your homeground which is pure seeing, hearing, touching. At first it appears as multidimensional attention, but when the attention is sustained for any reason, then it expands into awareness. First you are aware of something and then this something returns to awareness, to its homeground, and what remains is objectless awareness which knows itself by itself. When we use a word like listening or hearing or seeing, it is here the same as prayer. Praying is waiting, waiting without waiting.
Consciousness and its object are one. An object has no reality in itself, no reality outside consciousness. It depends on consciousness. So when you see a flower and there is only seeing, the flower is in agreement within you and me. But the enjoyment of the beauty, the joy, is after the flower. It comes when the flower has referred you back to the seeing, to your own beauty. The flower points directly to your looking, a looking where there's no looker, no seer. There is only seeing, only looking. Yes, the aesthetic joy is after the looking, after the seeing.
Jean Klein
Transmission of the Flame
Third Millennium Publications
Santa Barbara
1990
Every object to which you listen brings you back to listening, because the listened is a projection of listening. The projected has its homeground in listening. When the projected comes back to its homeground it discovers its nature, which is listening. That is really being.
You see a flower. The moment you see the flower there's only seeing, you are not thinking "that is a flower." If you do think, there is no more seeing at that moment. So when looking at a flower there is only looking; there is no more flower at all, there's only seeing. But you are not aware of this seeing. You become aware the moment the seen, which is a projection of the seeing, comes back to the seeing. Then there is an experience without an experiencer. So every object seen, heard, touched, can bring you back to your homeground which is pure seeing, hearing, touching. At first it appears as multidimensional attention, but when the attention is sustained for any reason, then it expands into awareness. First you are aware of something and then this something returns to awareness, to its homeground, and what remains is objectless awareness which knows itself by itself. When we use a word like listening or hearing or seeing, it is here the same as prayer. Praying is waiting, waiting without waiting.
Consciousness and its object are one. An object has no reality in itself, no reality outside consciousness. It depends on consciousness. So when you see a flower and there is only seeing, the flower is in agreement within you and me. But the enjoyment of the beauty, the joy, is after the flower. It comes when the flower has referred you back to the seeing, to your own beauty. The flower points directly to your looking, a looking where there's no looker, no seer. There is only seeing, only looking. Yes, the aesthetic joy is after the looking, after the seeing.
Jean Klein
Transmission of the Flame
Third Millennium Publications
Santa Barbara
1990
To Love God...
What exactly does this mean?.. Is it the love for a father or mother?.. To Love means to relinquish your self (ego) to something else.. Your attention is fully concentrated upon that else, without any thoughts of self.. This is why the only door to God is Unconditional Love.. not the normal love found within life, with ego attached for the ride.. Unconditional Love is the surrender of self without any desires that Love be returned.. This is Pure Love.. This is the most important lesson from any Master.. This was the teaching of Jesus and Gautama.. Give Pure Love without any desires for self and the Door will be Opened.. Light will Be Your Host............namaste, thomas
Primary Cause of Suffering...
A primary cause of suffering is delusion: our inability, because of a subtly willful blindness, to see things the way they truly are but instead in a distorted way. The world is in fact a seamless and dynamic unity: a single living organism that is constantly undergoing change. our minds, however, chop it up into separate, static bits and pieces, which we then try mentally and physically to manipulate. One of the mind's most dear creations is the idea of the person and, closest to home, of a very special person which each one of us calls "I": a separate, enduring ego or self. In a moment, then, the seamless universe is cut in two. There is "I" -- and there is all the rest. That means conflict -- and pain, for "I" cannot control that fathomless vastness against which it is set. It will try, of course, as a flea might pit itself against an elephant, but it is a vain enterprise....
John Snelling
John Snelling
The ego...
To trace the ego to its lair is to observe its open and covered manifestations, to analyse, comprehend, and note their everchanging ephemerality. Finally it too turns out to be but a thought structure--empty, and capable of dissolution like all thoughts.
— Notebooks Category 8: The Ego > Chapter 4: Detaching from The Ego > # 387
...... Paul Brunton
— Notebooks Category 8: The Ego > Chapter 4: Detaching from The Ego > # 387
...... Paul Brunton
Enlightenment...
"There is a step beyond Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Nirvikalpa Samadhi could be described as a true beginning. Up until that moment you are on your way to the true beginning. You are not on the path. You are on the path to the path. So Nirvikalpa Samadhi is liberation but the next step is, its like a seed has sprouted but the tree is not there and the fruit cannot be enjoyed yet. So there is a post liberation or post enlightenment sadhana the purpose of which is to realign, to cooperate to the realignment of the mind and of the body with the truth that has been experienced. As this realignment takes place the psychological suffering is left behind. The name in Sanskrit for that state is called Sahaja Samadhi the Natural State. What the Natural State means that in the presence of the world, in the presence of objects, the presence of manifestation, we don't lose the peace. We live simultaneously on two levels, on the level of space and time, and also on the level of timelessness. On the level of the thoughts, the mentations and also simultaneously in the gap. There is only one gap. From the vantage point of the mind there seems to be a multiplicity of gaps, but all these doors lead to the same space, so there is in fact only one gap." ......
Francis Lucille
from Omega Retreat 7/17-22/2011
Francis Lucille
from Omega Retreat 7/17-22/2011
My Heart...
"My heart has become able
To take on all forms.
It is a pasture for gazelles,
For monks an abbey.
It is a temple for idols
And for whoever circumambulates it, the Kaaba.
It is the tablets of the Torah
And also the leaves of the Koran.
I believe in the religion
Of Love
Whatever direction its caravans may take,
For love is my religion and my faith."
Muhyiddin ibn Arabi (1165 - 1240)
from _Perfect Harmony: (Calligrapher's Notebooks)_
http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/A/ArabiMuhyidd/Myhearthasbe.htm
To take on all forms.
It is a pasture for gazelles,
For monks an abbey.
It is a temple for idols
And for whoever circumambulates it, the Kaaba.
It is the tablets of the Torah
And also the leaves of the Koran.
I believe in the religion
Of Love
Whatever direction its caravans may take,
For love is my religion and my faith."
Muhyiddin ibn Arabi (1165 - 1240)
from _Perfect Harmony: (Calligrapher's Notebooks)_
http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/A/ArabiMuhyidd/Myhearthasbe.htm
Life...
Life sinks down. We leave.
We keep walking day and night,
and come back where we began.
There is some mysterious meaning
in this, but what is it?
- Lalla
14th Century North Indian mystic
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
From "Naked Song"
Versions by Coleman Barks
Maypop 1992
We keep walking day and night,
and come back where we began.
There is some mysterious meaning
in this, but what is it?
- Lalla
14th Century North Indian mystic
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
From "Naked Song"
Versions by Coleman Barks
Maypop 1992
The Transcendental Consciousness...
It is the presence of the physical ego in the wakeful state that paralyses all spiritual awareness therein. It is the absence of the personal and physical ego in the deep sleep state that paralyses all material awareness therein, too. By keeping it out and yet keeping in wakefulness, the transcendental consciousness is able to provide the requisite condition for an unbroken spiritual awareness that is not only superior to the three states but continues its own existence behind theirs.
......... Paul Brunton
......... Paul Brunton
From Darkness to Light...
don't be bitter my friend
you'll regret it soon
hold to your togetherness
or surely you'll scatter
don't walk away gloomy
from this garden
you'll end up like an owl
dwelling in old ruins
face the war and
be a warrior like a lion
or you'll end up like a pet
tucked away in a barn
once you conquer
your selfish self
all your darkness
will change to light
--Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi
Ghazal (Ode) 3299
Translated by Nader Khalili
"Rumi, Fountain of Fire"
Burning Gate Press, Los Angeles, 1994
you'll regret it soon
hold to your togetherness
or surely you'll scatter
don't walk away gloomy
from this garden
you'll end up like an owl
dwelling in old ruins
face the war and
be a warrior like a lion
or you'll end up like a pet
tucked away in a barn
once you conquer
your selfish self
all your darkness
will change to light
--Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi
Ghazal (Ode) 3299
Translated by Nader Khalili
"Rumi, Fountain of Fire"
Burning Gate Press, Los Angeles, 1994
True Happiness...
True happiness is uncaused and this cannot
disappear for lack of stimulation. It is not
the opposite of sorrow, it includes all sorrow
and suffering.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"I Am That"
Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Acorn Press, 1973
disappear for lack of stimulation. It is not
the opposite of sorrow, it includes all sorrow
and suffering.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"I Am That"
Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Acorn Press, 1973
Final Talks...
Good and bad qualities are ideas that manifest in the mind, in samsara. They are concepts that vanish when only this peace remains. When you are peace, when you are consciousness, all good qualities will manifest in you and through you, but you will not be aware of them as being `good'. You will just be that peace.
*************
Question: Does the mind die gradually or suddenly?
Annamalai Swami: One answer is: When the sun comes up, does darkness disappear suddenly or gradually?'
Bhagavan, speaking on this topic, once remarked: `Someone mistakes a rope hanging in the darkness for a snake. He then asks how many years it will take for the snake to die.'
This is a better answer. If the mind does not exist, it cannot die either quickly or slowly.
Annamalai Swami
Final Talks
David Godman, ed
Avdhuta Foundation, pub
p.94-6
*************
Question: Does the mind die gradually or suddenly?
Annamalai Swami: One answer is: When the sun comes up, does darkness disappear suddenly or gradually?'
Bhagavan, speaking on this topic, once remarked: `Someone mistakes a rope hanging in the darkness for a snake. He then asks how many years it will take for the snake to die.'
This is a better answer. If the mind does not exist, it cannot die either quickly or slowly.
Annamalai Swami
Final Talks
David Godman, ed
Avdhuta Foundation, pub
p.94-6
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