seeing with the eyes of Christ...

When the mind gives up it's exclusive focus on external sensory objects and thoughts and beliefs and turns it's attention toward the pure light of consciousness alone,

it will sink into the heart and forever remain there.

Henceforth one lives from the heart and sees only with the eyes of the heart and no more with the eyes of mortal mind.

One sees all with the eyes of the Christ.

One looks with compassion on this world and everything in it!

And by beholding the world thus, it is transformed into a paradise!

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In both the teaching of Sri Ramana and Sri Nisargadatta there is found talk of the jnani (the knower of Reality) as being one who is "not perceiving" a body, others, or a world. Clearly this does not mean that the knower of reality cannot physically see all these seemingly material things all around them. Of course they can! That is to say, they can apart from certain deep states of "absorption" or samadhi that the knower is indeed quite prone to "sink into" on a fairly regular basis. It is true that in those states, the body, others and a world do disappear and are not perceived at all, much like they disappear and are not perceived at all in deep sleep.

However, normally, all these apparent "things" can certainly still be physically perceived by the jnani. The difference is in HOW the jnani and the ajnani (ie...non-knower of reality) perceives them. The jnani NEVER perceives any of it as separate entities that exist somehow distinct from or apart from God. What I mean here when I say, "God" is simply pure Consciousness/Spirit/"Atman"......God immanent, dwelling as the ground of being , at the very heart/core of all that exists. The "knower of reality" ALWAYS directly, experiencially (not just philosophically) perceives all that is, as being in God and God as being in all that is. The ajnani perceives these things as being separate entities. That is why a true "knower" can say that God is all, God alone IS, and really mean it! Nothing whatsoever can exist somehow apart from the beingness of God. How could it? Nothing ever is separate, never in reality, never ontologically, only in appearance. The knower of reality just as it really is, looks around and sees God everywhere she/he looks. That's why these "knowers" are almost always in such a "good mood"! Wouldn't you be?!


Francis Bennett