The end of all is truly the beginning of all. “Simply relax and take it easy” is the invitation.
F.: So meditation is a tool for those on a “journey,” enabling students who are receiving pointers from a teacher to sit in the quiet, to remain fully awake, and to consider the pointers offered. The tool is to be used to lead to realization. To the degree that the pointers invite the student to shift the focus from things of the material realm to things of the non-material realm, they are described as being “spiritual” in nature. Such labeling has led to major misunderstandings among persons who conclude that the ultimate goal of the seeker is to become spiritual, to stay spiritual, and even to work to improve and possibly become a "Spiritual Giant" someday. Find the most spiritual person on the planet—one who is meditating most of the day and doing spiritual exercises and following spiritual disciplines—and all you have found is (1) a person and (2) one trapped in a role and (3) one not even to the midway point of the "journey" to realization. We saw in our discussion of the content of the book From the I to the Absolute: A Seven-Step Journey to Reality that there are “Seven Degrees of Separation from Reality.” We saw that the religious and spiritual roles are only the 3rd stage of the journey; therefore, that "most spiritual person on the planet" that you have found is still not even halfway to full realization. To use the third stepping stone to progress along a seven-stone path that can lead to realization is wise; to stand on the third stone and believe that one has reached the end of the path is delusional. Do you want to work all of the remainder of the relative existence to be spiritual and to live supernaturally? Rock and roll. But who wants that? Or, on the other hand, has realization happened and therefore nothing is wanted? The latter describes natural living. In the world of those personas who live in the most unnatural manner of going and doing and zooming, their efforts to pause and “meditate” or “still the mind” or “slow the body” or “experience the rapture” are all well-intentioned. If those persons find a teacher who can channel their energy and who can guide them into consideration of pointers, so be it. If realization is to happen, however, it must be preceded by the realization that a “mind’ is an illusion—nothing more than contaminated consciousness in motion—and can’t be stilled any more than a mirage can be stilled; by the realization that peace is enough and that a sensation of rapture cannot be sustained in a continuous mode; by the realization that only personas experience; and by the realization that the body can be slowed quite well via resting, napping or reaching the delta level throughout sleep cycles. That’s all natural. For persons who want more, I ask, “Who wants more? Who is claiming to be spiritual? Who is still seeking? Who thinks that unnatural or supernatural living is better than natural living? Who is still involved with thinking, especially with the magical thinking of those programmed to try to live supernaturally? Who is behaving more spiritually than others? The Advaita Teaching offers less, not more. The Advaita Teaching offers being, not doing. The Advaita Teaching offers de-accumulation, not accumulation. The Advaita Teaching offers peace and relaxation, not work, work, and more work. With realization, the mind dissolves and peace comes naturally and automatically. It need not be sought after or worked for or toiled over. The end of all is truly the beginning of all. “Simply relax and take it easy” is the invitation, whether the space is involved in an occupation or not, whether the space is involved in an avocation or not. Freedom does not exist in degrees. “Free” can only come in the “completely-free” variety. Please enter the silence of contemplation. [To be continued 3 September 2005]
