Who's Living Your Life?

There is a "me" lurking inside your head.  It's his/her life that is being lived.  All actions are in service to him/her.  All ongoing thoughts are generated as a dialogue between him and his future self or his former self.  I want this or that.  I didn't want this or that.

This "me" is a composite of all the thoughts about itself.  The thought of "me" has become the self to which we live our lives in service to: his fears, his dreams, his desires, his god.

This "me" is like a parasite which appropriates all sense impressions to confirm his existence and sovereignty over life as an independent, self-determined separate self, in the pursuit of happiness.

Who is living your life?  The little "me" which began as the first realization as a child of "I am separate from my mother" has accumulated millions of sense impressions which become grist for the mill to existentially confirm that a separate me exists, when actually they are sense impressions belonging to no one.  Mind attributes these impressions to a person it imagines itself to be.  There is no me to which sense impressions can attach to unless a thought is assumed to be the thought of this false "me."  Thoughts occur in themes according to our interest in them.  For every thought there is an implied justification of reality because similar "me" thoughts automatically arise from memory as allies.

When it is seen that the patterns of thought, and thus the conditioning which forms a psychological character which we take ourselves to be, are not who we are but who we believe (a "thought" of believing) ourselves to be, then there is no longer a mental entrapment from which we take our point of view.  Instead, free from the conditioned responses to circumstances that usually arise, we as conscious beings are consciousness only, not unconscious mental characters reacting (creating more thoughts) to the ongoing stream of sense impressions which cause a particular reaction according to core beliefs about ourselves.

The grip of this mental "me" is such that even when the whole mechanism of mental conditioning is exposed, the "me" thought converts into a deceptively cooperative self for self preservation only; masquerading as an ally in trying to find its true Self!  Even trying to eliminate conditioning is a form of conditioning, because even in this scenario the "me" that is trying to be free of conditioning remains - as the intact "me" without conditioning, ha!  What is needed is not improved thoughts, or improved conditioning, but rather a direct seeing that the central thought of "me" is an illusion.  Only then will the constellation of thoughts which support the illusion of "me" collapse into the no thing from which it arose.

The "me" is not an ally.  As long as there is any iota of assumption that a separate self, a "me" exists, with its own personal history, there is no freedom to live a spontaneous, loving life, free from conditioned responses to circumstances.  There is no "me" that can be free of itself!  The "me" is an imposter.

The whole illusion of a "me" can be seen in an instant when there is the courage to be free of all reference points in memory and in imagination.  When we imagine, aren't we imagining the me's life?  When we remember the past, aren't we only remembering the me's reactions to life events?  In this moment of experiencing, when the me arises as "I," aren't we forfeiting our moment of living free to an imaginary self and living in service to it?

Begin now to live without the shackles imposed upon us by our own inner conspiracy to believe life is being lived by the assumed self we take ourselves to be.   Whatever impressions, assumption, opinions, perceptions, emotions we believed were ours - were not - they were the evolving stream of personal history of a mythical self which was held to be our inner self, influencing our lives and making decisions based upon past actions and impressions  -  the composite self which is assumed to be who we are.

The mind is like a magic spell under which we live our lives. A spell which has become the means by which a little me has appropriated our life force, consciousness, and limited it to patterns of behaviors and conditioning which we take to be ourselves, and therefore we live in service to, by always trying to find improvement ... because intrinsic to the spell of the "me" is the constant discontent the "me" engenders.

Realizing that the "play of consciousness" accords the freedom to taking on certain points of view without forgetting our true nature, without being prisoners of the mentally constructed character who poses as "me," is an aaha! realization of great magnitude.

Summation:

Our likes and dislikes, our goals and aspirations, our fears and self-evaluations of self-worth, the "whole catastrophe," is a super-imposition upon our infinite consciousness by a finite mind whose sole motivation is to impose and construct an impression of unique separateness by a unique ego, the "me."

When you are not being lived by the mental "me" life becomes unfettered by preferences and personal history.

Jyoti Masters
January 2016

Riding the Waves

Riding the Waves

Looking out behind you (the past), you see a wave that appears to be a good one - like one you once knew, or read about in a book, or heard someone describe.  Getting into position on your surfboard (rallying all your resources, talents, beliefs and concepts), you decide when to let go and sail free on the sea of life. 

But the wave (appearing to be apart from the ocean) seems to have a course of its own, taking turns and dips that you did not expect, sometimes getting larger, getting smaller, in places where you were not prepared to makes changes.

By now you have either crashed back into the ocean from where you came;  you have lost your footing and been tossed to and fro out of control like a cork on a stormy sea; or perhaps you have flowed gently to shore having ridden the wave without fear.

Whatever means it took, it is sure you became aware of the power of the sheer and ever present totality that you are a part.  There will be a looking back in awe at the immense horizon of life from which you just came, having passed through the stages of longing, expectations, trials and tribulations, failures and successes, and finally, the need to control the outcome.

From the ocean the waves always return, and in this way: from the all-inclusive oneness which is called by many names, you, the individual, returns and becomes one with all that is, thus realizing that you were actually never alone and apart.

The world can seem like this: filled with trepidation, beset with fears, a struggle for survival.  Like the wave, the world is not a thing apart from you.  The wave is to the ocean as you are to the world.  Distinctions are imaginary.

Know this and understand.  Be accepting, be kind, and be fearless.  The world is none other than a reflection of your beliefs.  See if this is not so.  Without looking back at your memories in order to steer a course through your life, step into the world minute by minute not burdened by past events or future uncertainties or desires. Ride the waves, your personal challenges, with full trust that there is a greater presence than personal will that directs the flow of events. 

Your part is to let go of any personal control - as the wave cannot control the ocean, so your beliefs and concepts have no bearing on outcome except to either reject or accept, thus giving you countless opportunities to be quiet, accepting, at peace with life.

Be at peace with whatever happens.  Know that you are at the right place at the right time, and it is NOW.  This is It.  The world will direct your course according to your ideas – be it gently or be it tumultuously.   Let concepts fall away.  Be free of them and know what real freedom is: freedom to be what you always already are.

Suddenly, you realize that at first it was you that thought you could ride the wave; in order to do this you became one with the wave; thus you understood that the wave was always the ocean.   You laugh. 

You are free at last from being the doer, the wave, or the ocean.

Who Are You?

Who are you? 

There is no 'me' in the 'I'...means that there is no longer a separate idea of self, referencing a personal history, likes and dislikes, etc. 

Depends on what point of view the question is asked.  If you think you are a person, I appear to you as a person also.  If you know that there is no me and no you, there is no question to be answered, because there is no duality between us.  We are aspects of the One. 

What is enlightenment, are there any qualifications for enlightenment?

Enlightenment is a concept conceived by mind as a superior state.  In reality there is no lack, no seeking, and no seeker after enlightenment.  Our natural state is free from lack.

What do you say about self-inquiry?

Self inquiry is the master key in unlocking the door of false perceptions.  Who am I really?  Am I my thoughts, my body?  The very question creates a distancing from the you which you formerly took yourself to be.

What is the true understanding of the world?

The world is created out of the mind’s imagination.  Your interests predispose you to circumstances of the world, the world you experience.

Do you have a mind, does it have to be destroyed?

The good news is that you are only one thought away from being free from mind, which is only consciousness which has been channeled into the idea of a separate person.  We reincarnate in each moment that we pick up the thought “ I am so and so.”

Do vasanas need to be removed first?

No, all that is needed is to be aware of them by witnessing.  There is no need to remove or reject anything that is already transient, which comes and goes.

 Are there stages of enlightenment?

No, there can be many insights. But the final break comes with the total annihilation of dependence on thought.

Who is the guru? Is a guru necessary, what is a guru’s role, how to recognize the true guru?

The Guru is your own Self.  When there is a sincere longing, your own Self may appear in the form of a teacher.  The Guru’s role is to illuminate one’s Self.

Please say something about bhakti, devotion in the role of enlightenment!

Devotion comes without effort.  Just as love does not need approval of the mind to know itself – it is spontaneous.  Devotion is being in spontaneous joy – like when seeing the smile of an infant or a beautiful sunset.  It overwhelms.  It does not need to be validated by the mind.

Describe your typical day and how you perceive the world.

I don’t have any expectations.  I perceive the world as dreamlike, and I respond instead of react.

What is your short advice to a person with a passion for awakening?

Watch what you do in your free time.  Observe the tendencies of the mind to prefer one thing over another.  Use selfinquiry.  Ask yourself:  if all is One, where is the separate ego?  Remember that you are not your body or your thoughts, even though you may not thoroughly understand this.

Contemplate Sat Chit Ananda – when Conciousness comes into recognition of ItSelf as Truth, this is bliss.  Bliss is self-luminous, full with no lack.

The Master Key

Finding the key that unlocks the door of perception takes some effort

– however the entering into sweeps you away from the seeking forever.

Realizing that you yourself are the most interesting "phenomena" out

there is a key. Being more fascinated by the "noumenon" of being

aware rather than being aware of some person, place or thing in

particular is a key. Being aware of oneself trying to be aware – this

is also a key; by asking oneself "Who is aware of (this or that)? or,

"To whom does this thought come?"



What is obvious is that keys must be used! Having a lot of unused

keys is like having a huge library but not reading. Don't let your

mind confuse you, making you indecisive, about which door to enter –

the key will unlock all the doors!



Let's look at the nature of the key.



It is made up of curiosity and determination. It burns a hole in your

(mental) pocket because it wants to unlock the door which creates the

concept of inside/outside (duality). The key is therefore an

alchemist's tool – opening doors of perception so that one's fixed

ideas can be transformed.



When you realize that there is a key, it is like knowing your own name

- you will never forget it, even if you try! There will always be a

nagging curiosity to upon the door into the unknown. Even whilst

endeavoring to be successful in the world of the "known," contentment

will not be yours until you use the key of "real" curiosity and "real"

determination. Reality becomes an issue.



What is real - really real?



Having used the key to unlock the door of personal perception of

people, places and things, one realizes that the "personal" takes up a

lot of space! and that all of our perceptions are very personal! And

moreover, these perceptions are ever-changing along with the changing

perceptions of who we think we are. So what is really real takes on a

tremendous importance. If "out there" is constantly changing

depending on our own subject position, our own personal perceptions,

then naturally we are drawn to look into the assumption we have of

being a "person." The key of self-inquiry is used. The door of

perception opens. Ahaaa! I am not "who" I thought I was: that

person whose thoughts are always changing.



I am the awareness of that person whose thoughts are always changing!



With Infinite Love

Jyoti













- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

The Door to Nowhere

The elusive door, appears and disappears.  It's either in front or behind.  But then, who can say what is back and what is front, inside or outside, here or there?

No one.

The one that seems to be moving through the door must also appear and disappear. 

Doors imply a movement, a passage.  At once, inexpicably, an image of a person arises and claims to be moving through the door.  What and who is this person? Where is this person actually located? 

The mind.

What is actually moving?

The mind.

By what means does a person (an image taken to be real in the mind) arise from no thing?

Division by means of Consciousness separated from Being, in a state of "be-coming" as a person

The Totality of Being can never be a particularized, fractionalized, individual - a division of ITSELF.  There is only THIS: Life Living ItSelf, from all directions, and through all points of view (the seeming multiplicity we call the world, the individual, and other).

What moves?  Only the mind. 

What is the mind?

A brief experience of Being, by means of a thought-form (a person), recognizing ItSelf through Consciousness. 

What is Consciousness?

The movement of Being as awareness.

When Consciousness comes into recognition that It is ItSelf that pure Truth of Being, not the limited personal point of view, than This is bliss  - Sat Chit Ananda.

Inspired by "Silent Places"

                                   

                                   
                                   
                                    Quiet, by Artist Gopal Ram
                                    www.Silent-Places.Blogspot.com



In the silent space of the heart, all is given, all is seen, all is One, appearing as me.

In the silent space of the heart, I is unknown, quiet, not two.

The firelight reflects contentment, serenity, peace with all that Is.

This I AM.

With no place to go or anything to do or gain, neither satisfaction nor attainment have any meaning.

What else is there to know except This?

LOVE

I Am Presence Prior to All Manifestation

I Am Presence prior to all manifestation, and yet all that

appears as manifested is My Self.

I Am the only Enjoyer enjoying MySelf, in joy, which is My

Nature.

I Am Being, the first and only I, One.

I Am and only I Am.

I Am known as Being, felt as Existence, Consciousness,

Bliss.

The Knower is My Own Self and yet there is nothing I know,

only my manifestation knows, because I know.

This Knowing is the Presence and the Present.

When Consciousness comes into recognition of ItSelf as Awareness, This is Bliss.

Sat Chit Ananda.

Unconditional Acceptance

That which is unconditionally accepting is not attached to your expectations.

That which is unconditionally accepting has always been with the you that has been constantly changing throughout your life.

That which is unconditionally accepting is the silent detached Self, within the you that is always changing, and it has always been your innermost Self.

That which is your innermost Self is that which you long to be.

That which is your innermost Self is separated from you only by your belief that your mind and body is yourself.

That which is your innermost Self is the true Self of all appearances: you and your world.

That which is your innermost Self is the innermost of all that appears to you because all that appears is within you.

That is the Self.

And you are That.

Excerpt from "Relationship Inquiry"

Reality Free of Concepts

INQUIRY:

Hi,

Of course i don't need to go to India to "find myself."

I have no concept of reality..... there is no way to find it within my own personal consciousness.

How amazing!

What to do, what to do..?

My own paltry notions of comfort and happiness.... how small they must be in the light of Truth.

So...i cant find it with my mind.

But i keep watching and seeing ever more subtle aspects of what i currently call "me".

and so on and so forth...


Response

To have no concepts about reality - how wonderful! Whatever is
happening, whatever appears and disappears (including the notion of an
experiencer), IS the Real when there are absolutely no
preconceptions superimposed upon what is Now.

Now! Reality is living without reference to thoughts which compare, analyze and interpret.

And there is nothing you can do ultimately to find yourself because
you are not lost. You reference an "idea" of needing to find yourself
because the perfect Self that you already are, here and now, is hidden behind thought - like the sun behind clouds.

Better to be more interested in Consciousness ItSelf, than what you are conscious of. Just breathing in "I AM" without referencing an object - I am this or that, or, I am watching this or that, is quite enough. Just this.

Otherwise, the endless subtle aspects of the "me" with which you currently misidentify, will manifest even more subtle aspects in order to perpetuate the idea of a "me." Simply be "I Am" without an object.

There was a time when I realized that anything, and I do mean anything!, that I could add to any sentence beginning with: "I am ..." was absolutely false.

The mind imagines a greater "me." For some this can be the beginning of a spiritual quest. Like Narcissus looking at himself, the mind turns inside to its source and becomes annihilated.

And so on - it's all a play of Consciousness. But so much more fun
when you know you're really not the character you or others are
pretending to be, on the mindscreen of life. Your happiness is not at the effect of events or conditions. Freedom is free of conditions having to be met. Unconditional Love is free from conditions like: I love you because, or I love you if, or I love you when.........

Being Love, unconditionally, is to be free of all preconceived thoughts that superimpose upon the present Now. Freedom is really freedom from thought.

Of course, there is no need to come to India but at the same time
there is no need to feel lost wherever you are. Better to be in an
atmosphere which supports your natural state of unity.

Jyoti

Spiritual Retreatants

Living in Tiruvannamalai offers seekers many opportunities for retreats and satsangs. Here one sees the full spectrum of spiritual aspirants: the newly curious, the monks, the new-agers, etc. The 
diverse paths from which they come are revealed by behaviors ranging from concentrated introspection to flamboyant extroverted expressions of spiritual community and togetherness. Some time ago I immersed myself in solitary retreat at a center in southern Colorado. Many many years later while at the Ramana Maharshi Library in Tiruvannamalai I happened to read an interview with Father William MacNamara, the head of the Spiritual Life Institute whose retreat center I had attended.

He exposes the variety of pre-conceived beliefs people bring with them to retreats in a relevant, uncluttered, matter of fact way. We have all had the occasion to witness these personality types. Some readers may even see themselves being described! I offer this quote to poke fun at the personal baggage many retreatants still carry with them into the inner sanctuary, a place where all needs to be discarded.

During satsangs, I used to have a sign at my door which read: Leave all your concepts at the door, along with your shoes.

The following quote is from that interview transcribed in the book "Speaking of Silence," Christians and Buddhists on the Contemplative Way, edited by Susan Walker. 1987, Paulist Press, New Jersey.

Some people find it difficult: the overly fastidious who aren't rugged enough; the health food "freaks" who fuss over what they eat, the pseudo-pious who like to hold hands and "share" prayer, who wallow in unctuous grooving on Jesus and talk casually and glibly about him; the excessively horizontal people looking for chummy rap sessions, blissful camaraderie and hugs and kisses at the sign of peace; the "psych-idolaters" who turn psychology into religions and tell you "where I'm at" or "where I'm coming from" and try to bulldoze their way into your inner sanctuary; the pseudo-independent who have no appreciation of the centrality of obedience in the spiritual life; those who use contemplation and prayer as a cop-out, an escape from reality, or a painkiller.

When Sadhana Goes Wrong

Making extreme distinctions between what is "sadhana" and worldly life creates an oppositional and unfriendly world - the more extreme the distinctions, the greater the proportion of separateness.

At some point the tension between the two is unbearable, as in the case of a sadhu who was my neighbor at one time, and she began to see the world as hostile to her and "her sadhana."

The irony is that by definition sadhana would imply a seeking of Self, or Oneness, non-duality Consciousness; but, constantly reinforcing distinctions between what is considered "spiritual" and non-spiritual creates an even greater duality field with a stronger ego to see and project itself as good (interpreted as spiritual) opposed to forces bad (interpreted as non-spiritual).

She polarized even to the extent of not living a satvic lifestyle: not taking care of her living space, rationalizing that even maintaining cleanliness, etc. took time away from sadhana.

It took on at last a messianic complex: her spiritual ego. At some point the pretense of acting "spiritual" was not able to be sustained. The fall from Grace was anti-climactic. And it was a hard fall. She had to be taken away to a mental ward. The very obstacle from which sadhana is hoped to set one free from, the mind, became her prison in the end.

Duality in Non-duality

In each moment "I Am" wakes up as I. I wake up inside dream images of a person and a place. There is a dog. There is a new vista. Sensations in the body. Hearing. Seeing. Touching. And I am here! I am always already present even as the senses register my location. Then the I-mind gives coordinates of time and space - like what came before and might come after this moment. This play of consciousness is what I am - the whole of it, all inclusive - and it is Life itself. Life is the entire play, the appearances and disappearances, duality in non-duality.

I am here! And I have always been here. The eternal witness. The Self of all I's. Now, and now, and now................

Dear Readers

Because of very poor internet service I have not been able to publish since August 10th (and very few posts since June). Please check back periodically as I am endeavoring to fix the problem with the local internet provider in India.

Thanks for all your feedback to my posts by email. Let's open it up a bit more - your "comments" are encouraged for all to see and benefit from.

Jyoti

Doing Nothing with Effort or No Effort? That is the Question

I was recently sent an essay on the subject of Western Neo-Advaita. Because some of the points made in the essay concern differences to classical Advaita, I would like to address two which seem to cause great confusion for most seekers: that of "doing nothing" espoused by Neo-Advaitins, and the question of making effort. The author of the essay also discusses the theory that "vasanas," (tendencies) have to be dealt with before self-realization can occur. Here are my comments:

Doing nothing is being interpreted in many ways - as are the terms effort, no effort, and effortless. These guidelines have confused many a seeker. In fact, two factions have arisen: on the one hand there are the "doers" - they follow a prescribed set of spiritual instructions which include structured meditations, devotional rituals, and mantras and so on; and the newly popular "non-doers."

Simply, doing nothing means that life is being living spontaneously, devoid of any projection arising from memories or the construct of being an individual. Many so called non-dual teachers are dispensing this means without any true understanding. It is not a passive thing at all – in fact the opposite is true: it is an open receptivity and a quiet alertness; a fullness, in contrast to the emptiness pointed to by traditional yoga systems whose goal is to be empty of thought, a half-baked teaching which does not enlighten, and is not helpful. The Self is already free of thoughts so there would be no reason for it to destroy the mind. What is always already Unconditional is not dependent on conditions being met. Therefore, a thought-free mind is not a requirement to awakening because obviously the question then arises: what happens to enlightenment when the mind begins to think?

Nisargadatta has said that when effort is needed, effort will appear. Clearly then, there is effort until effort is no longer needed. Whenever you are interested in learning something new, effort is needed – like learning to ride a bike for instance. Afterword, riding a bike becomes effortless. It is only after awakening that the discovery is made that what you sought you already were; thus many have taken this to mean doing nothing from the beginning. Your interests determine the theme of your thought world, your attention and enthusiasm and perseverance for Truth dispels the false.

The transition from ignorance of Self to realization of Self generally takes this route: effort, to no effort, to effortlessness.

The essayist talks about his theory of how the vasanas (tendencies) have to be exhausted before self-realization can take place. He subscribes to the progressive path, doing battle with mind-held tendencies believing that when they are all exhausted, what remains is the Self. The problem with this theory is that no one knows how many vasanas (tendencies) are stored in the unconscious so it might take millions of lifetimes to exhaust them! And, by the way, this is why psychotherapy is ineffective unless it is based in a transpersonal or existential approach. Why do battle with tendencies that come and go? The sum total of these tendencies is often said to be the individual yet until and unless the central I-thought which is the foundation for individuality is examined, the battle of the vasanas is never ending. If vasanas are the Self but the Self is not the sum total of the vasanas, the Self is already free of them and no work needs to be done to gain the Self.

It was also asserted that Ramana Marharshi taught classical Advaita. In actuality, Ramana was not at all familiar with Vedanta until much later in life, after he settled near Arunachala Hill and began to converse with spiritual seekers who told him that his message was similar. Ramana’s own life contradicts assertions that self-inquiry must be practiced, and that exhaustion of vasanas must occur before realization of one’s true nature is understood.

He also discounts the word “ordinary” as a descriptor of self-realization. Here I am going to play devils’ advocate and speak out for the Neo-Advaitin who probably means, with all sincerity, that Truth, Consciousness, Bliss is our very nature, and so this is our most “ordinary” state, our real state. Furthermore, one who knows she is the Self operates through a very ordinary life, and anyone coming into contact with her would have no idea of her state. This is usually the rule rather than the exception, as not every one who wakes up becomes a public teacher. Not all sages are teachers – not all teachers are sages.

Becoming

Okay-

Please respond to the following statements..

There is only one I.

The I is common to all people.

We all recognize I, but believe it to be connected to the body and formed by thoughts.

This I is not removed and far off .. it is not different from the I that is always present for each person, except in that it isn't personal. The I is without personal individual descriptors. The I is just plain.. I-ness and it is always present..

The end.

Response:

That is the entire "story!"

The "I", which is Consciousness itself, becomes personal when "thought of" from the ideas which comprise a mental image of "I."

There is actually no "I," no absolute and relative, no time, no space - it's all a fiction of the mind, which is like saying: the mind is another word for the function of "becoming" - all arises, in and as thoughts, with the first thought of "I am."

Beyond Ideas

"Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing, there is a field. I'll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about. Ideas, language, even the phrase "each other" doesn't make any sense. Rumi

The field is the presence of Being, free from a "me" who interprets where or what this might be!!!!

Who Knows?

Question:

As i am watching myself.. my small mini-me, i find that everything, EVERYTHING, is self-referenced to this individual me. I like this blue sky; that person is annoying me; its too hot; I want something to make me feel good, etc. And the whole point of just about every thought is to protect me or make me feel good. Ok, make who feel good? Who is this me? I dont get much of a response to that question. Just quiet, then i bounce back into "Do i like this? Do I like that?" I tire myself when i realize what i'm doing, but return to observing this separate, "suffering" self.

I went to a Satsang last friday. It was good. I liked it! hahaaaa

Response:

You have to know what the ego is to let it go. That "me" that you refer to, that "me" you self-reference everything to, that "me" is a composite of ideas powered by the central idea of "I am." Each subsequent thought becomes a mirror of this central Narcissus who reincarnates as the thinker of every thought.

The ability to witness the "little me" and all her likes and dislikes forces the AHAA!! moment which is: since I can observe the little me -- this thinker thinking thoughts – truly I Am That which is not the little me. Once you can observe that patterns of mind concerning likes and dislike are repetitive, they will cease to hold your interest. At last you might notice that the compulsion to obsess on likes and dislikes is no longer there - that you are content in just "being."

Question:

Yes-- i "know" that.... it may be slowly leaking its way deeper into my existence, but "I" feel just as i have.... still tied to the body and thoughts that i "know" are not mine.

Response:

The feelings and thoughts are of the body whose name is A____. You are not A____. You are the animating presence which "knows" A____.

In your email you say: "Yes--i "know" that..." The body, with its feelings and thoughts, cannot know anything independent of the Consciousness That you are - and this Consciousness is prior to any knowing you "think" you know.

This is the common dilemma of spiritual seekers - they have not examined the "I" that is seeking, yet they proceed forward into the world armed only with the light of their minds projecting forth pre-conceived images and concepts before them. There is an uninvestigated assumption that one's sense of self, the composite of ideas, memories, assumptions, emotions is qualified to be the seeker. And that the seeker will somehow be transformed into a higher self, and more spiritual self.

And of course they are bound to fail because the "I" that they take themselves to be is in fact an idea – an arbitrary composite. A very abstract idea which continually reinforces itself with the self-projected idea of doership. It is imperative that a sincere seeker contemplate that central position which they assume is real, but will be revealed as false with investigation.

This composite "I" is like a lens through which we not only create a self image, but also world images. This "I" lens is not unlike a filter. The filter is comprised of beliefs, assumptions, attitudes, concepts and emotions. Therefore, it is the very lens we use which makes us doomed to failure in our search for the profound. In fact, the very “idea” that a search is required is just that: an idea which we entangle ourselves in, propelling ourselves into more abstractions based on time and space.

And of course this begs the usual questions: How and why does this occur? Why do we not know who we truly are? The short and simple answer is that Being becomes limited as a persona, and this persona thinks that he is separate from Being and needs to journey back through a set of thought-produced practices (conditions) in order to attain his true Self which is unconditional. That which is unconditional is not dependent on any conditions being met.

See also: "Anatomy of an Ego...."

All is the One Self

All is the One Self.

As such, the Self is always seeing the Self.

Consciousness is the quality of the Self which manifests a play of opposites in order for the "seeing" of Self in All.

Consciousness is also called Maya.

There is within It a potential for "knowing" Itself through the other (duality).

Yet It is All the Self in play!

Life is a manifestation of this play.

I am this play of Life.

BEING

BEING is not what it seems.

NOR NON-BEING.

The world's existence is not in the world.

Jelaluddin Rumi

Truth of Love

Seeing, hearing, touching – all my senses have melted into my Heart, and now complete seeing is being known, not by vision, but by Love alone.  

My senses have become devotees of my Self!

In this Love there exists only This. 

And your face comes from This.

And, my face comes from This. 

And I find myself looking into your eyes to see the Truth of Love. 

Inside this Heart, form and formless in eternal embrace, without beginning or end. 

My Heart is bursting with This Love.