' They call it, 'Good Friday '...
A few thoughts are appropriate upon the destruction of Truth..
This end of a selfless guru..
Love appears to hide under covers, when fear arises..
But, perhaps, there is nothing left to find, but Truth..
You will find a body within each incarnation..
But, you will never find Freedom, within Dreams..
The 'I' that speaks to you now, is just a voice within your own dreams..
The Jewish Rabbi called Yeshua ben Yosef, also known as Iesous and the name known as Jesus..
It is so sad to contemplate the suffering of one of my Teachers..
Jesus and Gautama have always been my most advanced Teachers..
" I and the Father are One ",
said the Teacher..
You must learn more than the Teacher,
or you will fail them...
-thomas
' Undeceive Yourself '....
Being the source of both, the self is
beyond both knowledge and power.
The
observable is in the mind.
The nature
of the self is pure awareness, pure
witnessing, unaffected by the presence
or absence of knowledge or liking.
Have your being outside this body of
birth and death and all your problems
will be solved.
They exist because
you believe yourself born to die.
Undeceive yourself and be free.
You
are not a person.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
"I Am That"
Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Acorn Press, 1973
' You will not suffer '...
These forms are transient and to be attached to them
is to be confused. Anything that rises, be it thought,
desire, emotion, feeling or object will give you suffering
and no one in the world can avoid this.
Both the
enjoyer and the enjoyed are washed away.
But the wise discriminate between the Real and the
unreal.
They know what is Real and so allow their
feelings and thoughts to arise because they know all
is One and the same!
In this way you will not suffer.
- Papaji
"The Truth Is"
Sri H.W.L. Poonja
Yudhishtara, 1995
' Your Kaleidoscope '...
The world is your kaleidoscope,
and the
varying combinations of colors which at every
succeeding moment it presents to you are
the exquisitely adjusted pictures of your
ever-moving thoughts.
- As a Man Thinkth
James Allen
' Enlightenment '...
"The idea of enlightenment is of utmost importance.
Just to know that there is such possibility, changes one's entire outlook.
It acts like a burning match in a heap of saw dust.
All the great teachers did nothing else.
A spark of truth can burn up a mountain of lies.
The opposite is also true.
The sun of truth remains hidden behind the cloud of self-identification with the body."
-Sri Nisargatta
' There are never any mistakes '...
Although the Truth shall be known in the
twinkling of an “I,” you do not hold the Truth.
In fact, it’s just the opposite.
The Truth is really holding you.
And the Truth is absolutely perfect, right here
and right now..
And it’s always perfecting itself perfectly.
There are never any mistakes.
Not ever!
Everyone already knows their part in the great
Dance of Life.
“Who-does-what-and-to-whom” has already
and always been decided.
In short, justice is whatever happens.
- Chuck Hillig
' Contemplate this '...
You are no thing, presently conceiving of yourself as
something.
The body is something, but without the mind,
the body could not be seen.
And without the consciousness,
the mind cannot be seen And without the absolute, the con-
sciousness cannot be seen.
Contemplate this.
- Mooji
' The Teacher '...
"There is no known comparison in all the three worlds for the venerable teacher that bestows knowledge.
If the philosopher's stone be assumed as such, it only turns iron into gold, but, alas! cannot convert it into philosopher's stone.
The venerable teacher, on the other hand, creates equality with himself in the disciple that takes refuge in his feet.
He is therefore peerless, nay, even transcendental."
-Sri Shankaracharya
The Century of Verses, 1
in Select Works of Sri Sankaracharya
Translated by S. Venkataramanan, [1921]
' Consciousness '...
Consciousness is able to play all opposing
sides simultaneously.
Consequently, it’s not interested in any of the
ego-based distinctions of “either-or.”
Since it’s able to contain all opposites,
Consciousness does not, and cannot, ever
take a firm position on anything.
Only the ego wants to take a firm position.
Unlike all of the “gods,” though, Consciousness
doesn’t take sides.
- Chuck Hillig
Seeds for the Soul
Chuck Hillig
Black Dot Publications, 2003
' Reason as an ally '...
He would not be so bad a judge of value as to prefer reason over intuition, whenever he had the absolute certainty that it was intuition.
But past experience has shown how difficult it is to arrive at such certitudes, how deceptive are the masks which impulse, desire, rashness, and selfishness can assume.
Until, therefore, his development has reached the point where a genuine intuition is at once recognized as such and a pseudo-intuition quickly detected for what it is, he must not abandon the use of reason but rather regard it as a most valuable ally.
-- Notebooks Category 22: Inspiration and the Overself >
Chapter 1: Intuition the Beginning > # 195
Paul Brunton
' Source is Everywhere '...
"There cannot be anything hidden from the One who is everywhere present, for He is everywhere. And it naturally follows that when there cannot be anything hidden from this One He must also be All-Knowing, knowing everything.
The infinite-Knowing is 'seeing' everything at one and the same time, and seeing it NOW. It is that Knowledge which does not begin and does not end; which is indivisible and continuous, and to which nothing can be added and from which nothing can be subtracted.
It is that Knowledge which makes God at this moment know that which He knew when it occurred countless aeons ago, and makes Him know that which will occur countless aeons hence; that Knowledge which makes everything known to God simultaneously and NOW. It is the Knowledge of the Perfect Masters and the Avatar.
In terms simpler to you it means that which you as individuals know at this moment I knew aeons ago, and what you individuals in ages to come will be knowing at a particular moment, I know now."
-Meher Baba
The Everything and the Nothing, 33
Beacon Hill, Australia: Meher House Publications, 1963, p. 58
' Non-Duality '...
To know this Reality directly is possible only through
practicing non-duality..
When you live this non-separation,
all things manifest the One, and nothing is excluded.
Whoever comes to enlightenment, no matter when or
where, realizes personally this fundamental Source.
- Hsin Hsin Ming
Translated by Richard B. Clarke
' The Infinite and Freedom '...
The way in which he got his first glimpse, especially if similar to subsequent ones, becomes a fixed form in his belief about it or in his search for a repetition of it.
This may become a handcuff, an unnecessary restriction which the finite self puts upon infinite being.
Those who have been instructed in philosophy and therefore in the way glimpses, with the reactions to them and the interpretations of them, happen are not likely to make this mistake; but those who know only religions, aesthetics, and other mysticisms may do so.
Let them not dogmatize but leave the Infinite its freedom.
-- Notebooks Category 22: Inspiration and the Overself >
Chapter 5: Preparing for Glimpses > # 167
Paul Brunton
' My God '...
Your God...
Who are you, to own a God ?..
You will declare that you are a servant,
but, you have chosen a separate entity to represent Reality..
When will you awaken to the Knowledge that there is only One..
You do not exist..
You are a Dream..
But, your ego will tell you otherwise...
-thomas
' Source '...
"The one who sees Me everywhere,
And who sees all things within Me;
I am never lost unto him,
Nor is he ever lost to Me."
Krishna
Bhagavad Gita 6:30
Translated by Swami Nirmalananda Giri
Atma Jyoti Ashram, 2004
' Liberation from desire and fear '...
Discard all traditional standards.
Leave
them to the hypocrites.
Only what liberates
you from desire and fear and wrong ideas is
good.
As long as you worry about sin and
virtue you will have no peace.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
"I Am That"
Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Acorn Press, 1973
' The Glimpse of Reality '...
The Glimpse will be at its best when his ego is not present to interfere with it.
Such interference can not only come from its misinterpretations and distortions, against which philosophy so constantly warns its disciples, but also from the self-consciousness which wants him to notice how the experience is happening, to analyse what effect it is having, and to observe the reactions of other people to it.
All these may be done but not then, not at the same time as the glimpse itself.
Instead, they may be studied afterwards, when his consciousness has resumed its ordinary state.
During the glimpse, he must let himself be completely surrendered to it.
-- Notebooks Category 22: Inspiration and the Overself > Chapter 5: Preparing for Glimpses > # 165
-- Perspectives > Chapter 22: Inspiration and the Overself > # 75 Paul Brunton
' The Oneness '...
It's not the Cosmos
that's going to tumble down
back into your bottleneck,
into the bottle;
it's the breath in the bottle
which has to mingle
with the Cosmic breath.
It's the Oneness
which the objective world
has to seek
rather than expecting
the subjective Divine to descend
into
egotistical bottles
with labels on them.
- Swami Amar Jyoti
"In Light of Wisdom"
Swami Amar Jyoti
Truth Consciousness, Boulder, Colorado, 1983
' The Messenger '...
In the case of persons who are not consciously seeking for the reality or truth, the glimpse may also come but may be turned away, refused, and rejected.
This may happen because of their earthy character, materialistic belief, or excessively outgoing orientation.
The first faint beginning of the glimpse is suppressed and its importance simply unrecognized.
Even if its hushed gentle beauty is momentarily felt, it will be pushed aside as mere daydreaming.
Thus these people deny, unwittingly, the messenger and lose what could have been a precious chance to discover what is best in them.
-- Notebooks Category 22: Inspiration and the Overself >
Chapter 5: Preparing for Glimpses > # 163
Paul Brunton
' Beyond Thought '...
Thought is the aspect of ego-mind..
Once the human ego is surrendered to Source,
The Real Ego of Divine Consciousness is experienced..
This is called 'Enlightenment',
as You discover that You are the Creative Energy of Light..
From this point of Being,
You must travel deeper into the Mystery of not being separate from Source,
which has no ego and is Pure Conscious Awareness..
-thomas
' The Door '...
"Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you".
-Yeshua ben Yosef
' Himself '...
When he first faces the mystery which is at the heart's core and in the mind's essence, he knows nothing about it other than that it is the source of his being and that it possesses a power and intelligence utterly transcending his own.
Yet he feels that it draws his love and, in his best moments, inspires his character.
He feels the Presence of something higher than himself, wise, noble, beautiful, and worthy of all reverence. Yet it is really himself--the best part come at last into unfoldment and expression.
-- Notebooks, Category 22, Intro
Paul Brunton
' Wisdom '...
“A man is not called wise because he talks and talks again;
but if he is peaceful,
loving and fearless then he is in truth called wise.”
― Gautama Buddha, The Dhammapada
' Being Peace '...
“If in our daily life we can smile,
if we can be peaceful and happy,
not only we, but everyone will profit from it.
This is the most basic kind of peace work.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Being Peace
" I am I "...
There is still a centre of consciousness in him, still a voice which can utter the words or hold the thought "I am I."
The ego is lost in an ocean of being, but the ego's link with God, the Overself, still remains.
-- Notebooks Category 22: Inspiration and the Overself >
Chapter 6: Experiencing a Glimpse > # 266
Paul Brunton
' Mooji's parting words at the end of a 2016 retreat in Rishikesh, India '...
It is said that 2600 years ago, there was one man who having come to the discovery of the timeless within himself forgot his person and became a light in this world. 2600 years later, new Buddhists are emerging and following these ancient teachings and experiencing for themselves what he discovered.
2000 years ago, another man also found the Light and himself became the light of this world. To this very day, many people are immersing themselves in this Christ-light to find the living truth within themselves. And there are many other examples.
And we know in these times, the lives of Sri Ramana Maharshi or Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj or Papaji, they pointed out the truth in the most direct way, an ancient wisdom that had also sprouted here in India but remained dormant until the great sage Adi Shankara revived interest in the path of Advaita—the non-dual path to Self-realization. These great masters continue to shine the light and grace of this perfect understanding, and many many beings have thus come into the light for themselves.
This is our chance now, to make use of the same timeless pointing, the same place pointed to. These masters had bodies just like ours. They looked at the same moon and the sun just like we do, but they saw the power, harmony and the all-encompassingness of Truth. And like moths to a flame, they died to themselves to bring this light into the world. It is now our turn, our chance in this present age. No one is exempt from this discovery, because all beings are, in essence, this Reality. I am not speaking poetry to you but what I have seen and comprehended in and through my own experience—that this chance to awaken to the eternal truth and timeless existence is there for everyone.
Wherever you are, whether you are on the other side of this screen or sitting in this room, know that wherever there arises this urge, this pulse for freedom, for ultimate understanding, for coming home, for Self knowledge or Self-realisation, right there is a door to your complete awakening.
However diverse we may appear to be, in truth, we all speak the same one language, and that language is consciousness. All the other languages like Hindi, English, Russian or German are only translating consciousness. Consciousness is our common language, our essence and source self—the ground of being. I don’t have the sense I am here to convert or persuade anybody. Already a movement began in you to bring you here. The food need only be put on the table. If you are hungry you will put it in your mouth. But here, the food is put in your heart also—if you have the love and space for it. My teaching is like a tree that bears immediate fruit and its fruit keeps getting sweeter and sweeter each moment.
I know amongst you there are those whose lives will never again be the same, for whom there is no past to go back to and as for the future, they perceive it as mere speculation. They find the fullness of their lives now—not in the now of time, but in the now of timelessness. The clock of time ticks away, but the opportunity to discover the timeless is being revealed to all seekers of truth according to their capacity to hear truth deeply. In each one there must arise the urge to be free from the influence of the psychological mind—to be free from the hypnosis of personal conditioning. Sometimes it can appear as though you are making too big a sacrifice, like, ‘Why must I give up the things I enjoy most in order to find my truth?!’ But no one is really being asked to give up anything but rather to give attention to the unchanging space which is the background to the movement called mind. And in paying attention to that with full heart, you discover your natural mind and your true Self.
I have nothing to give you. I only point to that which has been overlooked though, in truth, it is the womb of this universe. It is the resting place, the dying place and the birthplace of all life. It is the giver, the creator, the sustainer, the destroyer, and beyond the dream of all such play. To humanity, this should be a great news, a real chance to find lasting happiness, because it’s not merely news but an invitation to look within and discover the one true Self—the non-dual pearl of ultimate Truth. Man’s latent desire is to discover that which, in fact, he can never not be, but yet he remains asleep to this—a sleep that robs him of his inherent joy. Let each man come to know that his true heart is the light of this world. He must strive to prevent his mind from hiding this.
When he succeeds, his earth will become heaven.
' A polished mirror '...
"Dear friend, your heart is a polished mirror.
You must wipe it clean of the veil of dust that has gathered upon it,
because it is destined to reflect the light of divine secrets."
Al-Ghazali
in J. Fadiman and R. Frager, Eds.
Essential Sufism
San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1997, p. 124
' Whenever thoughts arise '...
Apart from the futility of effort itself, any attempt
to prevent thoughts from arising divides the mind
artificially into that which does the prevention against
that which is being prevented, creating only neurosis
and conflict.
Whatever thoughts arise (being without
substance) will promptly vanish by themselves if they
are not accepted and pursued as effective reality.
To try to erase thoughts consciously and deliberately
is like trying to wash away blood with blood.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
"A Net of Jewels"
Ramesh S. Balsekar
Advaita Press, 1996
' Does anyone Know ?'...
Does anyone know what Christ means ?...
Does anyone know what Buddha means ?..
To 'Be' the Consciousness called Love is the Christ and Buddha Nature..
It is the 'State' of NOW..
To put into the future is just, joy denied..
The future only contains an entity, a character of drama..
The paragraph is ending soon, and therefore, the answer must be presented..
The answer is No-thing..
" you must die to be born again ",
said the Nazarene...
-thomas
' The Long and Short Path '...
The changeover to the Short Path does not entirely cancel out his Long Path work but affects it in three ways.
First, it reduces the labors and disciplines involved.
Second, the reduced work is done without anxiety and without tension.
Third, it frees him from the excessive sense of self-responsibility for his inner and outer life--that is, from excessive ego-depending.
-- Notebooks Category 23: Advanced Contemplation >
Chapter 4: The Changeover To the Short Path > # 58
Paul Brunton
' What is God ?'...
The aspect of an old man on a throne was not within my desires..
Therefore, the Energy called Source was called upon..
This is where non-egoic desire found Heaven..
This complete White Light that somehow has the power to Dream..
As you already know, Dreams appear completely Real..
As long as you desire to experience Dreams,
you will continue..
They will call it Reincarnation and Karma,
but, I will call it Desire...
-thomas
' Seek the Owner '...
People become speechless at the sight of the
trees, the flowers, the pond....
But, alas, how few are they who seek the owner
of all these?
- Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
by M. (Mahendranath Gupta)
Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Society, 1942
' Unchanging Happiness '...
Only reality exists and you are that.
Only consciousness exists and you are that.
Only love exists and you are that.
If you only realized who you were you would be the happiest person
that ever lived, and I mean happy, totally happy, unchanging happiness.
Is there such a thing? Yes there is.
Unchanging peace. Unchanging love.
~ Robert Adams
' Who am I ?'...
When you ask yourself the question, Who am I?
you will immediately notice a vast space, and that vast space is the answer. You, your natural state as presence/awareness, is the answer. This is all that there ever was, is, and will be.
Ask the question, and then stop there, at the edge of a vast aware space of not knowing. Go no further. Allow the answer to reveal itself. This is not an intellectual knowing.
If you just continue to pursue the question rather than paying attention to what is actually there, thoughts and ideas will continue to flood in to try to fill that unknowingness.
You will never find the answer in the realm of the mind, because the mind seeks always to fill in the space with ideas, concepts, and imaginings. Why? Because the mind, the false self, is uneasy with not knowing! Generating fantasies gives the mind a reason to exist.
As you gain experience with this, you will stop rushing to fill the gap. You will no longer try to fill the space. You can be content with not knowing..
~ Enza Vita
' Meditation '...
Zen Buddhism and Hindu meditations have entered this consciousness..
The only pain felt was the fact I had to meditate to be Free..
I was never told that my ego was free to decide upon love or ego..
Meditation is Silence...
This is the State of Entrance..
You must stop before you walk further..
Do not stop walking..
Keep seeking Truth...
-thomas
' Grown from you '...
We consider bibles and religions divine –
I do not say they are not divine,
I say they have all grown out of you, and
may grow out of you still..
It is not they who give the life, it is you
who give the life.
Leaves are no more shed from the trees,
or trees from the earth, than they are
shed out of you.
- Walt Whitman
' Understand your nightmare '...
Understand your darkness and it will vanish, then you will know what light is.
Understand your nightmare for what it is and it will stop , then you will wake up to reality.
Understand your false beliefs and they will drop ,then you will know the taste of happiness.
~ Anthony De Mello
' The Glimpse '...
The glimpse is as much subject to grace as the Enlightenment which endures forever.
It happens outside the man's own will, although inside his consciousness.
-- Notebooks Category 22: Inspiration and the Overself >
Chapter 5: Preparing for Glimpses > # 83
Paul Brunton
' Three kinds of afflictions '...
I am free from the three kinds of afflictions - those in
the body, those from other beings and those caused
by higher powers.
I am different from the gross, subtle
and causal bodies.
I am the witness of the three states
of waking , dream and deep sleep.
I am the very Self,
indestructible and changeless.
- Adi Shankara
' Emptiness '...
My take is that "emptiness", (what is called "Shunyata" in the Buddhist teachings), is probably better translated as "unconditional openness"....or perhaps "spaciousness". The short 2 word phrase, "unconditional openness" better communicates the essential nature of this reality for me. And that is really just another name for love!
The true "emptiness" of Shunyata is really anything but empty in the normal english sense of that word imho and experience....So ultimately, I see no difference between love and what is often called "emptiness" in spiritual teachings. Perhaps the Heart Sutra's "Form is emptiness and emptiness is form" is kind of pointing here.
-Francis Fran Bennett
' The Divine Estate '...
Whoever has been led into the cave of timeless life will poise his pen in a futile attempt to find words which will accurately measure this sublime experience.
He rises renewed from the exquisite embrace of such a contemplation. He learns in those shining hours. That which he has been seeking so ardently has been within himself all the time.
For there at the core of his being, hidden away underneath all the weakness, passion, pettiness, fear, and ignorance, dwells light, love, peace, and truth.
The windows of his heart open on eternity, only he has kept them closed!
He is as near the sacred spirit of God as he ever shall be, but he must open his eyes to see it.
Man's divine estate is there deep within himself. But he must claim it.
-- Notebooks Category 22: Inspiration and the Overself >
Chapter 3: The Overself's Presence > # 3
Paul Brunton
' The Death of Lies '...
Have you never thought of the 'ego' dying ?..
This is your Quest..
Do not forsake, this challenge..
The rest of all of our words are just ego seeking power..
The ego is a lie..
This is a world of lies ruled by those that worship power, wealth, and fame..
Move beyond these monsters..
Return to Love and the non-attachment to a separate consciousness called ego...
-thomas
' Home is Self '...
Rumi says, “Whatever brought me here
must take me home.”
Now I ask you, What is home?
How much distance to home?
How many kilometers from home are you?
Inquiring like this, one finds the home
that is distanceless and inseparable
from one’s own Self.
~ Mooji
' To love, Love Itself '...
We can be aware of our Source of Being.
The illusions of the mind may hold our love for a time, but to love, Love itself, we must turn within.
The soul's longing for its true Home is the guide to finding this Love.
Follow the lover of the Beloved back upstream to your Source.
- St. John of the Cross
' The word, Consciousness '...
The word "Consciousness" is ordinarily taken to mean the totality of thoughts and feelings and knowledge held by anyone at any time: all his perceptions, ideas, remembrances, imaginations--in brief, his total awarenesses.
But in this philosophy, by capitalizing the initial "C," the term is given a fresh and deeper, still more abstract and subtler meaning.
It then becomes the self-contained being or entity which is aware.
This is the profound sense in which the word was used by Brahmin thinkers and mystics thousands of years ago, speaking and writing in the Sanskrit language.
The man who introduced it into the English language in 1690 was John Locke when he wrote: "Consciousness is the perception of what passes in a man's own mind."
This definition shows how long is the distance between those profounder Indians and the less metaphysically minded Europeans.
-- Notebooks Category 21: Mentalism > Chapter 5:
The Key To the Spiritual World > # 167
Paul Brunton
' This Moment '...
My teacher called this world ‘the great heartbreak.
’ When we really begin to wake up to our true nature, we become more conscious of the suffering around us.
We feel the people and the events of our lives more profoundly, not less profoundly.
We become more present here and now.
What we see is that, even though our vision may have expanded, even though we may have woken up not just to reality, but as reality, still we can’t control anyone.
Everything and everyone has their own life to live, and we can’t just wipe away their suffering because our hearts are open.
Although we would love to have everyone wake up and be happy, part of the heartbreak is accepting this moment, this world, just as it is.
~ Adyashanti
' Without Will '...
All your goodness,
All your years of practice,
All the prayers you have spoken,
Mean little to Wu Hsin .
Instead, tell me if
You are prepared to relinquish
The control that you exercise
On every aspect of your life?
Are you now ready
To enter into the flow of life
Without the oar of your seeming will?
~ Wu Hsin
' Advaita Vedanta '...
In the East, non-dual teachings are referenced by the term Advaita Vedanta. In Sanskrit, "Advaita" means "not two" and "Vedanta" means "the end of knowledge." Non-dualism is the "experience" which is beyond knowledge.
However, in non-duality, there is no experiencer and no experience. There is no perceiver or perception. The points of reference of the experiencer, the perceiver, as well as the witness, are limited and therefore, all objects of perception can only exist in limitedness.
Self-realization is the discovery of oneself as the infinite Peace, the eternal formless, the indescribable Love, the unfathomable Sacred, which is transcendent of conditioned thought. It is transcendent of you, as you think that you are, as well as transcendent of the world and all objects. It is the Mystery beyond the dual mind.
With integration and the full embodiment all form is recognized as none other than the Real and as the manifestation of the formless as Itself. There is no self-referencing whatsoever and no abidance anywhere.
Who you are is beyond the mind and cannot be intellectually understood. When the illusory veil of the ego is lifted, the perception of duality culminates, which removes the illusion of separation and the illusion of all opposites. The concept of individuality is released into the Ocean of Love. Like water pouring into water, without the possibility of return, it then manifests as waterfall, river, or ocean.
Sacred Love is the topic of enlightenment. Although we speak about it and use words to point to it, the Love remains untouched. Presence shines to Itself, by Itself and in Itself. The dual altered state of consciousness is freed and it realizes the incredible beauty of its true nature, which is the eternal Silence. Then, in service, becomes the hand-maiden to Truth. Consciousness recognizes Itself by being fiercely now, by intense investigation and, once the mind is tranquil, by making no effort.
At this point, effort is seen to be a future endeavor and a moving away from the Truth of Being. Until that time, it is essential to observe the functioning of dual thought and recognize that you are the spaciousness in which all comes and goes. You remain still, immovable, being vigilant, being Heart. It is the realization that Love is all there is, Love is all there ever was and that you are this Loving now and naturally free. The illusory pain and suffering were caused by the shadow cast by duality and the uninvestigated assumption of "me."
- Katie Davis, Author, Awake Joy
' Beyond the witness '...
You live, you feel, you think.
By giving attention to your living, feeling and thinking, you free yourself from them and go beyond them.
Your personality dissolves and only the witness remains.
Then you go beyond the witness.
Do not ask how it happens.
Just search within yourself.
- Nisargadatta Majaraj
' Total revolution '...
After this passing-over into the Overself's rule, does he carry a loss of identity?
Is he no more aware that he is the named person of the past?
Were this so he could not exist in human society or attend to his duties.
No!--outwardly he is more or less the same, although his pattern of behaviour betrays recognizable signs of superiority over the past man which he was.
Inwardly, there is total revolution.
-- Notebooks Category 25: World-Mind in Individual Mind > Chapter 2:
Enlightenment Which Stays > # 186 Paul Brunton
' Practicing the Presence '...
Practicing the Presence is returning into Reality from Dream..
The Presence is You..
We can play the game of ego for ninety years,
but Reality enters the game..
Do not Fear Death,
Thought and Energy is not destroyed by time..
Images are always presented to the mind..
Look into the Presence of the Energy called Love..
This is Your Real Self...
-thomas
' The paradox of Self-Realisation '...
The ‘I’ casts off the illusion of ‘I’ and yet remains as ‘I’.
Such is the paradox of Self- Realisation.
The realised do not see any contradiction in it.
-Sri Ramana Maharshi
Talks With Sri Ramana Maharshi: Three Volumes In One — Extract Version
Tiruvannamalai: Sri Ramanasramam, 2000, Talk 28
' Do Good Anyway '...
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.
Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten.
Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.
Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.
-Found written on the wall in Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta
' From the Dzogchen tantra, '...
“Thig le Kun gsal chen po 'i rgyud”, translated by Keith Dowman:
“A metaphor for present awareness as the intrinsic clarity of dharmakaya is a crystal prism with refracted light shining within it.”
Consider behind and at your eyes, the vast, empty, inner space of the wisdom eye or third eye, floats suspended like a large, pristine crystal sphere. That’s your sphere of consciousness and awareness.
(see picture)
Within it appears thoughts, images and perceptions like reflections in a mirror. Your awareness is the changeless context as the crystal and transparent sphere while the content appears as thoughts, images, and perceptions.
“Pure reality-display occurs in its pure potential within uncontrived reality and imperturbable space. It arises in the pristine sky as the radiant brilliance of the four great elements. Such envisionment is cognized as utterly insubstantial evanescence arising as uncrystalizing ubiquitous effulgence. '
“The continuous display of samsara in one's own mind' includes all external outer world experience as well as internal inner world experience.. Failing to realize that, what is grasped at as the attributes of our own mind, something perceived as substantially specific, is what is called 'samsaric display'. To an adept who has realization, all the multifarious diversity of manifest ornamentation and display, like a conjuror's illusion, is apparent yet has no substance. To the adept, dharmakaya and spacious reality are the invisible intrinsic nature. With his realization of the nonexistence of existence, the notion of concreteness is outshone”
-Jackson Peterson
' Practicing the Presence '...
Practicing the Presence is returning into Reality from Dream..
The Presence is You..
We can play the game of ego for ninety years,
but Reality enters the game..
Do not Fear Death,
Thought and Energy is not destroyed by time..
Images are always presented to the mind..
Look into the Presence of the Energy called Love..
This is Your Real Self...
-thomas
' Mystic Understanding '...
"Mystic understanding of truth is not perception or cognition.
That is why it is said that you arrive at the original source by stopping the mind,
so it is called the enlightened state of being as is,
the ultimately independent free individual."
Non-ch'uan (748-834)
in Teachings of Zen
Translated by Thomas Cleary
NY: Barnes & Noble, 1998, p. 21
' The Freshness '...
The Freshness
When it's cold and raining,
you are more beautiful.
And the snow brings me
even closer to your lips.
The inner secret, that which was never born,
you are that freshness, and I am with you now.
I can't explain the goings,
or the comings. You enter suddenly,
and I am nowhere again.
Inside the majesty.
Rumi, version by Coleman Barks, from Soul of Rumi
' Consciousness '...
Consciousness is the infinite Presence which is reading these words right now.
-Francis Lucille
' The Voice of the Holy Spirit '...
Interior Word.
When he succeeds in penetrating the still depths of his being, another mind will appear to superimpose itself on his own, directing, teaching, and inspiring him.
It will speak to him out of the silence within himself yet it will not be his own voice..
Its tone will be friendly, and when he becomes familiar with it he will know it to be none other than the voice of the Holy Spirit, the word of the Higher Self.
-- Notebooks Category 22: Inspiration and the Overself >
Chapter 2: Inspiration > # 123 Paul Brunton
' me ' is demolished '...
The joke is that it is the ego, the “me,” that
wants enlightenment, and enlightenment
cannot come until the “me” is demolished.
- Ramesh S. Balsekar
“A Net of Jewels"
Ramesh S. Balsekar
Advaita Press, 1996
' The notion of Grace '...
The notion of grace as given out in popular religion was helpful perhaps to
the masses but needs a large revision for the philosophic seekers.
It is
not granted at the whim of a Personal God nor solely after deserving
labours for it.
It is rather more like a steady permanent emanation from a
man's own Overself, always available, but of which he must partake by
himself.
If at times it seems to intervene specially on his behalf, that is
an appearance due to the immense wisdom in timing the release of a
particular good karma.
Notebooks Category 18: The Reverential Life >
Chapter 5: Grace > # 77 Paul B runton
' What is meant by Transparent and Luminous ?'...
I would like to ask you to expand upon the words, transparent and luminous, that you use a lot, both here and in your book, which I feel reflect a greater depth of understanding and Presence.
Excerpt: Dear Ian,
Ian: "In the knowledge that 'I am', Consciousness and Being are one.
When this is known, the mind, the body and the world become transparent and luminous. They shine with Presence, as Presence."
Rupert: The world is made only of seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and smelling. Let us call these, perceiving.
Perceiving is made of mind and mind is made of Consciousness.
Consciousness has no colour of its own and as the world (that is, perceiving) is only made out of this colourless Presence, it is sometimes referred to as being transparent.
Consciousness is the light that illumines all experience and as there is no other substance to our experience of the world other than this luminous Consciousness, the world is known to be luminous, made out of the light of Knowing. Consciousness illumines the apparent world and its light is also the sublightsstance of that which it illumines and knows. In other words, the Knowing of the world and the Existence of the world are made out of the same transparent, luminous stuff.
-from http://non-duality.rupertspira.com/
' Practicing the Way '...
"The light of lights is not blue, yellow, red, white or black.
It is not matter, not mind.
It is not existent, not nonexistent.
It is not a phenomenon resulting from causes.
It is the source of all Buddhas, the basis of practicing the Way of enlightening beings, fundamental for all Buddhists."
-Shakyamuni Buddha
in Thomas Cleary, Tr.
Minding Mind: A Course in Basic Meditation
Boston: Shambhala, 1995, p. 65
' The Witness '...
In the state of perceiving the world, there is no need for your Sadhana to be interrupted; practise to abide in the Witness State.
Whatever happens is good for us. All are good people. Practise to have this feeling; that is sufficient.
There should not be any delusion in your relationship with names and forms: "This is that person," "She is the wife," "He is the husband," "This is a child," "This is a friend," "This is a subordinate,"- these differences should not be there.
One person exists in all the names and forms. He is the Indweller. He is the Lord. He is the Witness. If you have this conviction, that is sufficient. Or you have the conviction that Gurudeva is in all names and forms.
It is sufficient if you have this conviction so you can be established in the Witness State easily. Once you attain the Witness State, reaching the Witness-of-All State is very easy. Practise and effort are needed to attain the Witness State. Then practise and effort are not needed anymore.
-Thuli Baba from Winter Satsangs 2015-6
' Always Present '...
This experience of self-annihilation (fana, the Sufis call it) teaches several valuable truths,
but the one which needs mention here is that whether you feel the Reality in an overwhelming mystic experience or not,
what matters is that you should carry the unfaltering faith that it is always there,
always present with you and within you.
-- Notebooks Category 23: Advanced Contemplation >
Chapter 7: Contemplative Stillness > # 151
Paul Brunton
' Asleep and Awake '...
It is interesting to witness the modern human..
It appears that violence is a cousin to mind..
Thoughts and writings that gave you stars in school are shown to be false..
You have to look into a mirror to see who you are..
The thoughts of others are enticing to join the group, but soul is missing..
Is existence more important than Love ?..
The Future of Dreams are yours..
Will this little star called Earth, continue to remain ?..
If You are Consciousness, it does not matter..
If you are satanic, it does not matter..
Both are sides of a Mental Dream, called Source...
-thomas
' Only 'THAT' exists '...
The ordinary mentalness of the world and the superior reality of Mind illustrate the reign of relativity.
This does not mean that the world is so utterly illusory that it is non-existent.
It has a relative existence for everyone.
But the enlightened ones are aware of the truth that Mind-in-Itself is there.
They know it also by the wonderful experience of cosmic consciousness when everything falls away--including their own personal ego--and only THAT remains.
This is not merely their point of view but something far and away beyond it that can only happen in the state of contemplation; hence it is a temporary one but--as Plotinus mentioned--a recurrent or accessible one.
- Paul Brunton
' Asleep or Awake '...
In its true sense spirituality is not a plaything or a pastime. It has nothing to do with enhancing you or your status in the dream state. Nor is it about gurus in long flowing robes, secret oral teachings, ancient traditions, or holy books that people claim were written by God. It's about here and now and you, and whether you are asleep within the dream state or awake within the awakened state.
It is the nature of all dreams that the characters therein are so busy being - well, dream characters - that the bigger reality of what lies outside the dream state eludes them. But then again, dream characters don't wake up from the dreams they are a part of; the dreamer does. If spirituality is to be meaningful it must address what lies beyond the dream state that most of us create in our minds and humanity lives in day-to-day, for unless we awaken from our personal and collective dreams we will continue to live in a state of unconsciousness on the surface of a life of infinite potential.
Only that which is real and true has the power to liberate us from the mechanical and magnetic draw of the dream state. For ultimately it is ignorance (the belief in things that are untrue) that imprisons us within a trance state, which is induced by taking the conditioned stream of thinking within one's mind to be true. If we are to awaken from the mind's hypnotic embrace, we must question all of our beliefs and assumptions down to the very source of our being until that which is true, real, and everlasting reveals itself.
Truth is that which lies beyond the grasp of the dreaming mind. It is not something that can be captured and stated like a fact can. Truth is a timeless reality and therefore sacred in the true sense of the word. Please do not think of truth in mystical terms or even in spiritual terms. Truth refers to the whole of existence and beyond. Truth exists as much in your teacup as it does in your temples and churches. Truth is as present in shopping for your groceries as it is in chanting to God. To think of truth only in spiritual or religious terms is to miss the whole of it, for in doing so you create the boundaries and divisions that are the very antithesis of truth.
Truth is an immeasurable reality not at all separate from your own being. For in the revelation of truth, all beings rest within your being. Put more simply, if you cannot find it now underfoot, I'm afraid that you have missed it entirely.
- Adyashanti
' Absolute Perfection '...
Absolute perfection is here and now, not in some future, near or far.
The secret is in action - here and now.
It is your behavior that blinds you to yourself.
Disregard whatever you think yourself to be and act as if you were absolutely perfect - whatever your idea of perfection may be.
All you need is courage.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
' A Great Game '...
"It’s all only a great game of pretending".
- Sri Ramana Maharshi
"Be As You Are"
The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi
edited by David Godman
Arkana, 1985
' The Beloved '...
When the desire for the Friend became real,
all existence fell behind.
The Beloved wasn't interested in my reasoning,
I threw it away and became silent.
The sanity I had been taught became a bore,
it had to be ushered off.
Insane, silent and in bliss,
I spend my days with my head
at the feet of My Beloved.
- Abu-Said Abil-Kheir, Nobody,Son of Nobody
' The Eternal Identity '...
There seem to two kinds of searchers: those who seek to make their ego something other than it is,
i.e. holy, happy, unselfish (as though you could make a fish unfish),
and those who understand that all such attempts are just gesticulation and play-acting, that there is only one thing that can be done,
which is to disidentify themselves with the ego, by realising its unreality, and by becoming aware of their eternal identity with pure being.
-Wei Wu Wei
' What more can be said ? '...
So many Mystics speak of the same Reality..
The many religions that somehow contain a few mystics..
Of course, Francis, I speak of you and Teresa of Avila..
My sandals as yours are worn..
The Manifestation of Dream drains Energy..
Source, looks upons the Dreams as Entertainment, but, we only feel pain..
Source must open the Gate called 'Needle's eye'..
Ego is left outside of the Gate of Reality..
Love enters this conversation as Master of All..
We have spent this Dream in aquisition..
How can we release All ?..
Freedom requires Courage...
-thomas
' Without ego '...
When one is without ego, one becomes immediately
free of all personal judgments, and perceives life
and the world with divine eyes and mind.
Nothing is
offensive to them and they remain in perfect serenity
and peace always.
- Mooji
' Knower and Known '...
In Dzogchen teaching, the totality of reality consists only of a consciousness that has a permanent and flawless capacity to know, and that which is known.
In Dzogchen that which is “known”, is the energetic potentials of the knower itself. There is no separation between the “two”.
The knower is “awareness” and the known is mind. Mind is the potential of all possible appearances of awareness and their active appearance.
Awareness can know only it’s own mind, because there is no other phenomena outside of its mental formations.
What we mistakenly call “externally existing objects” are actually immaterial “perceptions” generated by mind. There is no findable “external world”, besides mind generated perceptions.
Therefore what’s known is “mind”. Perceptions are occurring in the empty mirror of awareness, the “knower”.
To release any uncomfortable experience, just notice yourself to be the “knower” of that experience. It’s like suddenly “snapping out” of a daydream. What remains is the empty and aware knower without a known.
Longchenpa wrote in his "Choying Dzod":
"The method is directing attention ( awareness) upon attention or awareness. When any arising is experienced, especially thoughts, moods, emotions, or feelings of personal self-identity, one simply notices one’s present naked awareness."
"By directing the attention back to awareness, the arising (energetic formation) dissolves back into its origin and its essential nature, awareness." (the energetic formations dissolve)
The mind is like the “quantum wave function” which contains its infinite potentials to manifest. It’s the “knower” (a Buddha) that causes a particular “phenomena” to appear by an act of intention along with a “conceiving” of the characteristics of the appearance. That would be the “collapse of the wave function”.
For most, the entire process just described, has been put on automatic, where all things seem to appear from a subconscious or unknown source, unbidden; much like a dream at night. However, a dreamer can become a “lucid dreamer”, in full control of the dream’s contents.
Likewise the “knower”, a Buddha, can become a “lucid conceiver” of its world of self-generated perceptions. We create our “self” and world of perceptions, either through knowingly or unknowingly, “conceiving” the appearances and defining their characteristics.
It’s the “unknowing” creativity that causes a sense of “victimization”.
••••••••••
The “Knower”:
From the Kunje Gyalpo Dzogchen tantra and its commentary:
“Then the All-Creating King, Pure Perfect Presence (rigpa), spoke about how he, the Creator, existed before any phenomenon.”
‘After explaining the way in which all phenomena of samsara and nirvana are encompassed by the five Perfections, then the All-Creating King, Pure Perfect Presence, spoke about how he existed as all-creating Pure Perfect Presence, rigpa, self- originated wisdom, the Source, the Creator of all, before any phenomenon included in samsara and nirvana existed.’
-Jackson Peterson
' It is just another Dream '...
The common objections to mentalism may be summarized in three forms:
(1) A thing does not cease to exist when we cease to think about it; thus, Australia is still to be found on the map even when we are not thinking about Australia.
(2) The fact that we do not think of a thing does not prevent such a thing coming into existence.
(3) Our awareness of things is largely quite involuntary; we do not choose to think them into existence--they just are there.
The answer which mentalism makes to these objections, and to all others which may arise, is a simple one.
It is this: consider your life as a dream!
All possible objections will then have no ground on which to stand.
They appear true while we are under the illusion of dreaming, but they are seen to be false as soon as we awake from the dream itself.
-- Notebooks Category 21: Mentalism > Chapter 3:
The Individual and World Mind > # 25
Paul Brunton
' Phantoms '...
Even the body is a state of consciousness
only; it is not an object which exists ultimately.
It appears to be there, but it is really not there.
This 'you' and 'I' and all that are phantoms.
You have made a gulf of difference between You
and I, which is not really there. It is a mistake
that the mind makes.
Just as in dreams
persons are there, but are really not there, they
are only split parts of the same mind, one
appearing as the I, the other appearing as you
and both are integrated in the single mind in a
certain condition.
- Swami Krishnananda
Facets of Spirituality
Complied by S. Bhagyalakshmi
Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 1986
' Silence becomes lifestyle '...
Silence must become a lifestyle.
If we wait just a bit longer poised and intense, silence will act.
This simultaneously encompasses all vital practices of any earnest teaching: stillness, surrender, and devotion.
-Atreya Thomas
' Visions '...
It is a mistake to believe that because some saints and mystics saw pictorial visions of a striking kind, he also must see them.
On the contrary, he may not.
They not only are not to be sought after but, if they should come, are to be treated as of secondary or even no importance.
-- Notebooks Category 16: The Sensitives > Chapter 2:
Phases of Mystical Development > # 32
Paul Brunton
' The Final Ascension '...
The destiny of the ego is to be lifted up into the Overself, and there end itself or, more correctly, transcend itself.
But because it will not willingly bring its own life to a cessation, some power from outside must intervene to effect the lifting up.
That power is Grace and this is the reason why the appearance of Grace is imperative.
Despite all its aspirations and prayers, its protestations and self-accusations, the ego does not want the final ascension.
-- Notebooks Category 18: The Reverential Life >
Chapter 5: Grace > # 96 Paul Brunton
' Vajrapanjara Sutra '...
Since the beginningless state of existence,
external reality has been perceived as such.
But all things are the manifestations of the mind,
because everything is the projection of the mind.
- Gautama the Buddha - from Vajrapanjara Sutra
' The Wordless '...
Not believing your own thoughts, you’re free from the primal desire:
the thought that reality should be different than it is.
You realize the wordless, the unthinkable.
You understand that any mystery is only what you yourself have created.
In fact, there’s no mystery.
Everything is as clear as day.
It’s simple, because there really isn’t anything.
There’s only the story appearing now.
And not even that.
- Byron Katie
' True Happiness '...
"True happiness cannot be found in things that change and pass away.
Pleasure and pain alternate inexorably.
Happiness comes from the self and can be found in the self only.
Find your real self (swarupa) and all else will come with it."
- Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
' Something more must happen '...
Meditation and self-discipline
are not all that's needed, nor even
a deep longing to go through
the door of freedom.
You may dissolve in contemplation,
as salt does in water,
but there's something more
that must happen.
- Lalla
14th Century North Indian mystic
From "Naked Song"
Versions by Coleman Barks
Maypop 1992
' The essence of Tao '...
Look, it cannot be seen -- it is beyond form.
Listen, it cannot be heard -- it is beyond sound.
Grasp, it cannot be held -- it is intangible.
These three are indefinable;
Therefore they are joined in one.
From above it is not bright;
From below it is not dark;
An unbroken thread beyond description.
It returns to nothingness.
The form of the formless,
The image of the imageless,
It is called indefinable and beyond imagination.
Stand before it and there is no beginning.
Follow it and there is no end.
Stay with the ancient Tao,
Move with the present.
Knowing the ancient beginning is the essence of Tao.
- Lao-tzu, from the Tao Te Ching, Translation by Gia-fu Feng and Jane English
' What is a Mystic ? '...
A person who seeks by contemplation and self-surrender to obtain unity with or absorption into the Deity or the absolute,
or who believes in the spiritual apprehension of truths that are beyond the intellect.
-merriam-webster
' We only dream this bondage '...
“Feel nothing, know nothing, do nothing, have nothing, give up all to God,
and say utterly, 'Thy will be done.'
We only dream this bondage.
Wake up and let it go.”
― Swami Vivekananda
' Releasing Good Karma '...
The notion of grace as given out in popular religion was helpful perhaps to
the masses but needs a large revision for the philosophic seekers.
It is
not granted at the whim of a Personal God nor solely after deserving
labours for it.
It is rather more like a steady permanent emanation from a
man's own Overself, always available, but of which he must partake by
himself.
If at times it seems to intervene specially on his behalf, that is
an appearance due to the immense wisdom in timing the release of a
particular good karma.
Notebooks Category 18: The Reverential Life >
Chapter 5: Grace > # 77 Paul Brunton
' Merge in it '...
"Just keep in mind the feeling "I am," merge in it, until your mind
and feeling become one.
By repeated attempts you will stumble on the
right balance of attention and affection, and your mind will be firmly
established in the thought feeling "I am."
Whatever you think, say,
or do, this sense of immutable and affectionate being remains as the
ever-present background of the mind."
-Nisargardatta Maharaj
' You deserve Love '...
You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere.
You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.
- Gautama the Buddha
' One implies the other '...
"What is wrong in letting go the illusion of personal control and personal responsibility?
Both are in the mind only.
Of course, as long as you imagine yourself to be in control,
you should also imagine yourself to be responsible.
One implies the other."
-Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
' There is no escape from seeking '...
No man has any choice as to whether or not he should seek the kingdom of heaven, his higher Spiritual Self..
Every man is seeking it, knowingly or unwittingly, and is preordained to do so.
There is no escape.
There is no satisfaction for him outside it.
-- Notebooks Category 13: Human Experience >
Chapter 2: Living in The World > # 5
Paul Brunton
' No Mistakes within Truth '...
Although the Truth shall be known in the
twinkling of an “I,” you do not hold the Truth.
In fact, it’s just the opposite.
The Truth is really holding you.
And the Truth is absolutely perfect, right here
and right now..
And it’s always perfecting itself perfectly.
There are never any mistakes.
Not ever!
Everyone already knows their part in the great
Dance of Life.
“Who-does-what-and-to-whom” has already
and always been decided.
In short, justice is whatever happens.
- Chuck Hillig
' Good and Evil '...
Life is neither good or evil,
but only a place for good and evil.
- Marcus Aurelius
' Restrictions upon the ego '...
This is the final vindication of the practical truth that you must deal with human nature as it is, not as you would like it to be or as you imagine it to be.
The man of today lives, moves, and has his being in his personal ego and will continue to do so until he has learned, grasped, thoroughly understood, and completely realized the truth of the illusiveness of the individual self.
Until that happy day arrives, it is far wiser to take a human being as he is and simply to place checks and restrictions upon his egoism.
-- Notebooks Category 13: Human Experience >
Chapter 2: Living in The World > # 410
Paul Brunton
' Thoughts on a ' Thor's Day '...
The warmth of Reality is without the recognition of the pain of cold..
Pain is not found within the Self that has arrived Home..
Physical pain only exists within the third dimension, the lower of frequencies..
The pain of higher existence exists within the Knowledge that the illusion of separation keeps You from Reality..
The 'ego' is sacrificed to enter Divine Consciousness, but this Consciousness, is the Child of Source..
Desire still enters this Heaven..
The Desire to Know Complete Truth..
You may stay within this Heaven of Love and Knowledge or You can walk further..
You must walk until, there is no walker...
-thomas
' Leave the mind alone '...
"You are the Self, here and now.
Leave the mind alone,
stand aware and unconcerned and you will realize that to stand alert but detached,
watching events come and go, is an aspect of your real nature."
-Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
' The Pathless Path '...
The path that leads to the center is unmarked and filled with uncertainty
. There are many signs that point to it and it’s important to trust these, but the trail-head lies in one’s own heart.
There is no guide when one steps onto it, as we must leave behind all that is known and familiar.
Completely alone one travels forward, and it is only out of sheer devotion for the Inner Beloved that one is willing to pay the ultimate price and trade in “my life, my will.”
This begins a journey for which one scarcely understands, and there is no turning back from.
-Atreya Thomas
' The ordinary '...
Despite Somerset Maugham's assertion that "there is nothing better than to be like everybody else," the commonly accepted and familiar view,
the normal and ordinary way of living--these may have to be reversed when the truth hits one's consciousness..
-- Notebooks Category 13: Human Experience >
Chapter 2: Living in The World > # 335
Paul Brunton
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