Me:- Stilling the mind will
slow its intensive activity and bring some peace with it.
Seeker:- “It
stops when I observe it carefully, it's strange, why is it that it stops when
being observed?”
Me:- Yes
strange isn’t it? Be thankful as it gives you a way in. It’s the same with
pain; it reduces with observation especially psychological pain. An old friend
used to say that when we resist (psychological) pain it’s like putting our
finger on the pause button (on a cassette or DVD player) of life. We don’t get
rid of it but simply pause it thereby insuring that it will be there bothering
us, in the background, again and again for much longer – until we confront it
fully. Bhagwan used to say "the difference between you and I is that I’ve felt
all of my pain".
Frustrating
isn’t it – what Harry (http://www.harryliantziris.blogspot.com.au/) said – but absolutely true. It’s just an example of
knowing from a non-dualistic point of view. I remember how it was. It’s a bit
like dreaming; in my dreams I totally believe it – until I wake up. This is the
same – until awakening.
Yes
a paradox indeed; there is nothing to do but doing nothing produces nothing and
doing something will stop it happening but nothing happens unless we do
something. Ramesh Balsekar described it as we all have so many steps to climb
but don’t know how many – i.e. you might have 2937 steps towards enlightenment;
also you don’t know how many you’ve already climbed. You just keep climbing up
and up because you have no choice. Every step is another insight and then
reveals the next challenge; we just keep on climbing and it’s gradual. Then one
day we take the last step, and it’s sudden – you’re there! The process is
gradual but the arrival is sudden.
Seeker:- “I've read a lot
of enlightenment stories, every one of them had a teacher, went to satsangs, and
all these things, or listened to John
Wheeler, or something, none of them awakened then spontaneously
all of a sudden one morning without having thought about it before it
happened”.
Me:- The
effort to understand is of the ego (and something much deeper) and the ego can’t
come to know. Not thinking about it brings the chance of the truth (that as
always there) to surface all on its own. I read the same story about The
Buddha; he went to the best teachers in the land for years, almost killed
himself renouncing food but it was only when he gave up and relaxed under a
Bodhi tree that it all happened for him. In my case I was reading
John Wheeler’s website when it
happened.
The
mind will tell you some interesting stuff; it’s just doing it’s best to help.
Seeker:- Maybe I'll
understand later, but for the moment, from where I am at, it's totally
impossible.
Me:- Yes,
it is. That’s why you need some-one outside your mind, to guide you. The mind
can’t work it out by itself.
Seeker:- It makes me
wonder if watching the mind isn't a bit dangerous, in the sense of that it could
lead to have two fragmented personalities?
Me:-
Yes,
it is dangerous – to the mind. The mind says fragmented personalities but it’s
not fragmented it becomes integrated. There will be two understandings – the
dual and the non-dual. But there will be no problems in there being two and
there will be no conflict. It’s strange how gaining a second understanding
brings non-duality.
I
believe my dreams because that’s all there is at the time and so the mind’s
(daily) creation is the same. Watching closely slows it down and allows the
space between thoughts to be experienced. That puts thoughts into perspective.
When you can sit in the stillness first there is nothing happening although a
closer look at that reveals a rippling effect in consciousness – like on a pond
in a very light breeze – the surface isn’t entirely still. Later this settles
down and becomes like looking in a mirror with no movement at all – just pure
reflection. This is the ‘state’ of awareness and yet full self knowledge, a
full sense of presence and detachment from the daily mind stuff. This is how I
see the difference between consciousness and awareness. Consciousness is more
human while awareness is what we are – the absolute. Being aware(ness) with the
sense of presence – knowing the ‘I AM’ without the mind’s
interference.
Be
still and know that I AM.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home