RECENT INSTANCES OF THE CONSCIOUSNESS SPEAKING VIA SOME OF THE LONGER-TERM VISITORS TO THIS SITE, Part Two, The Conclusion

An Advaita Vedanta philosophy site, focusing on Realization, enlightenment, nisarga yoga, non-duality (nonduality), your original nature, dwelling as your natural state, and the teachings of Maharaj.

RETREATS OR SATSANG w/ floyd ONE-ON-ONE, by TELEPHONE, by INTERNET CHAT ROOM, and via THE ADVAITA COURSE BY INTERNET (see link to right)
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F.: If you do not see the True Love evidenced in the last e-mail yesterday, then you are invited to follow the “path” to You. Then You will know that (A) You have always been That Which You Seek and that (B) You have always been “where” you would go and that (C) Love is the natural condition of the manifestation prior to corruption and that (D) You need but recognize all of that as fact.

Now, what of this notion of “trust” that was raised in that e-mail, especially in light of the fact that you are told by the Advaitin teacher to “question all.” First, any Realized teacher is completely open to being questioned. At some point, though, what was described as a “certainly of this trust” must happen if the seeker is to complete the “journey.”

As shared with that writer, the requirement is an "accidental" crossing of paths with the pure consciousness that triggers an internal resonance. That resonance is the timbre of the inner guru or the inner resource that—even as it might not yet know ItSelf—nevertheless is “felt.”

[That speck of awareness had been advised by a “Buddhist meditation teacher” to ignore “a kind of inner spiraling” that was beginning to manifest. She described what eventually happened in this manner: “Either just before or when I found You, I noticed a pattern of when the spiraling showed up – it seemed to occur when I was in the presence of Truth. This is part of how I recognized the authenticity of your blog – I could hardly read, the spinning was so intense…with this inner recognition of Truth….”]

Yet the readiness must be present in order to sense that resonance or timbre or inner spiraling; however, among persons (when the pointers to Truth are heard) they take those words to be nonsense, so attached are they to their false concepts. But if the resonance is felt, it might be likened to that first “kick” that a pregnant woman feels. It was exactly like that with “floyd” and “maharaj.” The path with Maharaj was crossed. The transcripts were read.

There was a “kick”—that “inner spiraling,” that resonance. I felt some sort of reverberation as his words were absorbed and as that purified energy began entering into Me; yet the teachings were not understood, presented as they were in no particular order that indicated the way “I” came in and therefore the way “I” had to go back out.

Then, with the clarification provided by the vision, the exact order of the steps was revealed. Maharaj said “…I trusted my Guru. What he told me to do, I did.” I trusted Maharaj the first time the words of that speck were received; yet even with that trust, clarity did not come. Further explanation and the vision were required.

The writer and this speck of awareness have shared exchanges for some time. In between, the pointers offered have been steadfastly taken into contemplation. Yet at no time was that trust misperceived here as “a trusting of floyd.”

What was being trusted was that inner guru, that inner resource, which was initially nudged at times in an effort to begin the process of raising it from its repose; which may have felt kicked at times when “tougher Love” was offered via pointers on the site; and which was finally shaken in order to stimulate it into awakening fully once it finally began to be aroused from its too-long sleep.

The result of all of that can be reviewed in some of the words and phrases that were written: "consistent kindness; gentleness; no strangers any longer; a recognition of myself everywhere; complete certainty; fundamental stability, and knowing My presence as Her presence."

That speck can never again be “alone.” The Am-ness can, but THAT cannot. The same can happen with “you.” If what is manifesting via that speck is not manifesting via the speck that You Are…if that inner guru has not been awakened from it slumber…then all of that awaits.

The writer studied the seven steps and contemplated them. They are available to all seekers that would also know the joy of consistent kindness; gentleness; a stranger-less existence; recognition of What You Truly Are;

complete certainly rather than doubt and confusion; fundamental stability during the relative existence; and complete and total presence…to the moment…to the presently manifested Self…to the natural state…to freedom…and to happiness ("whether the life events are so-called 'good' or 'bad' ").

For many seekers, the road has been long…far too long. For many, the pain has been far too severe; for many, nothing was done that deserved anything close to the levels of suffering and misery that have been heaped upon them by blocked specks of consciousness throughout their relative existence.

I say to you and to You that I—and every Realized speck—cares enough about You to point you to a “path” that is far less arduous than the road you have traveled. I say to you and to You that the pain and the suffering and the misery can be transcended.

I say to you and to You that freedom and peace and happiness and joy are not mere possibilities but are manifested—as shown via the sharings of certain specks in the e-mails they sent—if you would but take the seven steps that lead back to the You which your programmers and conditioners have blocked You from knowing.

You came in with no say-so or choice whatsoever. You can now have a say, a choice. You can go out…go back, and abide as that natural state that is characterized by freedom and peace and happiness and joy.

Many seekers have lived a relative existence that exceeds in misery any “hell” that the dogmatic mistakenly think is geographically real. In that regard, I say:

"To the non-Realized (including those who would threaten persons with the concept of hell), to hell with your personas and to hell with this existence. Be done with your attachment to it once and for all, even as it continues.

"Detach from any lingering fondness for this ever-moving consciousness and abide in the stability of the awareness that is not aware of…NOW. Then only can the joy come and be known. Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS TOPIC:

Click

CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS: The Nature of Reality Beyond Self-Realization

Click FROM THE I TO THE ABSOLUTE (A Seven-Step Journey to Realization)

and

Click WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I DIE?

RETREATS OR SATSANG w/ floyd ONE-ON-ONE, by TELEPHONE, by INTERNET CHAT ROOM, and via THE ADVAITA COURSE BY INTERNET (see link to right)
For details click ADVAITA VEDANTA RETREATS & SATSANG
or contact floyd by clicking CONTACT floyd

RECENT INSTANCES OF THE CONSCIOUSNESS SPEAKING VIA SOME OF THE LONGER-TERM VISITORS TO THIS SITE, Part Two, The Conclusion

An Advaita Vedanta philosophy site, focusing on Realization, enlightenment, nisarga yoga, non-duality (nonduality), your original nature, dwelling as your natural state, and the teachings of Maharaj.

RETREATS OR SATSANG w/ floyd ONE-ON-ONE, by TELEPHONE, by INTERNET CHAT ROOM, and via THE ADVAITA COURSE BY INTERNET (see link to right)
For details click ADVAITA VEDANTA RETREATS & SATSANG
or contact floyd by clicking CONTACT floyd

F.: If you do not see the True Love evidenced in the last e-mail yesterday, then you are invited to follow the “path” to You. Until then, the "you" will see the "world" through your eyes rather than through the eyes of that writer or through My eyes. Follow the "path" to Realization and then You will know (A) that You have always been That Which You Seek and that (B) You have always been “where” you would go.

Now, what of this notion of “trust” when you are told to “question all.” Does one part of the message contradict another part of the message in that regard? No. First, any Realized teacher is completely open to being questioned. At some point, though, what was described as a “certainly of this trust” must happen if the seeker is to complete the “journey.”

When questioning comes form a seeker truly seeking, it is discussed. When it comes from a persona with a hidden agenda, the discussion will end until the readiness manifests.

As shared with the writer of the last e-mail yesterday, the requirement for Realization to happen is a crossing of paths with the pure consciousness that, when heard, triggers an internal resonance deep within the listener. That resonance is the timbre of the inner guru or the inner resource that—even as it might not yet know itSelf—nevertheless is “felt.”

It might be likened to that first “kick” that a pregnant woman feels. It was exactly like that with “floyd” and “maharaj.” The path with Maharaj was crossed. The transcripts were read.

There was a “kick”; I felt some sort of reverberation as consciousness spoke and the words of that purified energy began entering into Me; yet the teachings were not understood, presented as they were in no particular order that indicated the way “I” came in and therefore the way “I” had to go back out.

Then, with the understanding of the exact order that came via a vision, the exact steps were revealed. Maharaj said “…I trusted my Guru. What he told me to do, I did.” I trusted Maharaj the first time the words of that speck were received; yet even with that trust, clarity did not come. Further explanation was required.

Exchanges have taken place with the writer of yesterday's last e-mail for some time. In between, the pointers offered have been steadfastly taken into contemplation. Yet at no time was that trust misperceived here as “a trusting of floyd.”

What she had been trusting all along was that inner guru, that inner resource, which (1) was initially nudged at times in an effort to begin the process of raising it from its repose;

which (2) may have felt kicked at times when “tougher Love” was offered via pointers on the site; and which (3) was finally shaken in order to stimulate it into awakening fully once it finally began to be aroused from its too-long sleep.

The result of all of that can be reviewed in some of the words that were written:

*consistent kindness

*gentleness

*no strangers any longer

*a recognition of MySelf everywhere

*complete certainty

*fundamental stability, and…

*My presence which is nothing more than Her presence as well

Now, "she" can never again be “alone.” The Am-ness can, but THAT cannot. The same can happen with “you.” If what is manifesting via that speck of awareness is not also manifesting via the speck that You Are…if that inner guru has not been awakened from it slumber…then everything on that list awaits.

The writer studied the seven steps and contemplated them. That which comes via completing all seven of those steps is available to all seekers that would also know the joy of consistent kindness; gentleness; a stranger-less existence; recognition of What You Truly Are;

complete certainty rather than doubt and confusion; fundamental stability during the relative existence; and complete and total presence…to the moment…to the Self…to the natural state…to freedom…to happiness (whether the life events are so-called ‘good’ or ‘bad’).

For many seekers, the road has been long…far too long. For many, the misery has been far too severe; for many, nothing was done that deserved anything close to the levels of suffering that have been heaped upon them by blocked specks of consciousness throughout this relative existence.

I say to you (and to You) that I—and every Realized speck of pure awareness—cares enough about You to point you to a “path” that is far less arduous than the road you have traveled. I say to you and to You that the suffering and the misery can be transcended.

I say to you and to You that freedom and peace and happiness and joy are not mere possibilities but can truly manifest—as shown via the sharing of certain specks above—it you would but take the seven steps which lead back to the You that “they” have blocked You from knowing.

You came in with no say-so or choice whatsoever. You can now have a say, a choice. You can go out and abide as that natural state that is characterized by freedom and peace and happiness and joy.

Many seekers have lived a relative existence that exceeds in misery any “hell” that the dogmatic think is real. In that regard, I say to you, “To hell with this existence. Be done with it once and for all, even as it continues.

“Detach from any lingering fondness for this consciousness and abide as the awareness that is not aware of…NOW. Then only can the joy come and be known.” Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS TOPIC:

Click

CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS: The Nature of Reality Beyond Self-Realization

Click FROM THE I TO THE ABSOLUTE (A Seven-Step Journey to Realization)

and

Click WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I DIE?

RETREATS OR SATSANG w/ floyd ONE-ON-ONE, by TELEPHONE, by INTERNET CHAT ROOM, and via THE ADVAITA COURSE BY INTERNET (see link to right)
For details click ADVAITA VEDANTA RETREATS & SATSANG
or contact floyd by clicking CONTACT floyd

RECENT INSTANCES OF THE CONSCIOUSNESS SPEAKING VIA SOME OF THE LONGER-TERM VISITORS TO THIS SITE, Part One

An Advaita Vedanta philosophy site, focusing on Realization, enlightenment, nisarga yoga, non-duality (nonduality), your original nature, dwelling as your natural state, and the teachings of Maharaj.

RETREATS OR SATSANG w/ floyd ONE-ON-ONE, by TELEPHONE, by INTERNET CHAT ROOM, and via THE ADVAITA COURSE BY INTERNET (see link to right)
For details click ADVAITA VEDANTA RETREATS & SATSANG
or contact floyd by clicking CONTACT floyd

FIRST, FROM A SITE VISITOR: Many of us are hurting financially. Your message is about peace and calm, but I wonder if your message has been put to the test. You know, an ‘easy for you to say’ kind of deal? Have you been hurt in a way you can identify with those of us who are hurting?

F.: That called “floyd” had been impacted, relatively speaking: retirement fund down 45%, then informed last Tuesday that an $18,000 annual contract for consulting was being cancelled, effective immediately. As far as the relative is concerned, the “putting to the test” has happened. Remember, though, hurting and pain is about the body; misery and suffering is about the body and mind and personality triad. Can I identify with those suffering? I can’t even identify with a Self, much less other "selves" or "bodies" or "minds" or "personalities," but the suffering of all persons always registers here.

Now, to today's topic: when the consciousness speaks via site “regulars,” pointers become available for seekers at various steps along the “path”:

FROM A VISITOR IN THE MIDWEST, U.S.: After working the online course, answering the four questions in The February 4^th blog was a “no-minder.”

FROM A VISITOR IN THE NORTHEAST, U.S.: It may be the clinging to a thought thread that says there is a personal aspect to Consciousness that can still bind the "Realized." An inkling that although i am not this, not this, not this...that somehow i remain over the years SOMETHING that remains now.

The "hardest," and now easiest and most freeing fact is as "That," yet beyond That, there is no burden of self/Self. No answering to "history." There is no me that "used to be." No "special girl," no "smart woman," no "hard worker” etc. Just an observer, if that, now.

Language makes it difficult to explain and indeed there is no explanation but You are making "it" as utterly clear as possible to "me." Don't laugh floyd but i used to believe that one had to be in the physical presense of the teacher to have "transmission" and now i know that indeed i am... in the very "presence" of You/Love.

FROM A VISITOR IN MUMBAI, INDIA: i am called “raj” (not to be confused with “raja” whose escalation i have followed!) Thank you for your words. They have helped me through the procedure of ridding myself of the effects of recent events. Again i have seen that realization is not an option if i want to be free of being affected by the world’s insanity and hate. It is comforting to read your words of reason and love (Love, you would say, i believe). Signed raj in Mumbai, with Love to you and all who write to the blog or only read but don’t write to the blog as is usually my custom.

FROM A VISITOR IN THE UPPER MIDWEST, U.S.: I have got a lot out of From I To The Absolute. I may not have had a direct experience but I appreciate the book's use of concrete terms to describe the path back to Yourself.

FROM A VISITOR IN SOUTH AFRICA: Dear Floyd, The hopelessness of words … often there is an impulse to write – but somehow the words are too small and inadequate ... There are often questions – and as they are framed the response from you is immediate - this infinite empty silence – that reminds me of who I am whatever the question. I am moved by this resolute, unshakeable trust for you and the teaching – as I mentioned in an early email – I have never been a joiner of groups or follower of a teacher – so the certainty of this trust – with little direct communication – is amazing and very precious.

A question / conundrum that showed up some weeks ago is: the absolute cannot be seen or experienced – yet in some subtle way I am looking for an experience – something perceivable. It dawned on me that this is completely impossible. Anything I perceive cannot be the absolute – there can be no experience.

At the same time, there is this completely mysterious emptiness of everything – the trees in the garden in the moonlight, the white rabbit, the filing cabinet, the coke can in the rubbish bin – everything – is this alive emptiness – and it is like the colour and shape or form is a veneer on this emptiness. The phrase that came to mind is that the physical objects are like an exclamation mark on infinity. When there is relaxation into this emptiness of everything, I am overwhelmed by feelings of awe, recognition relief – often accompanied by spontaneous tears.

In the relative – I have noticed a consistent kindness and gentleness in the words and actions from here – there are no strangers any longer – I recognize myself everywhere. There is complete certainty about Who I Am. There is also a fundamental stability – whether the life events are so-called “good” or “bad”. Your presence as a friend, teacher and companion is part of this stability – as it feels most accurate to be entirely silent about what is revealing itself here.

There is no dramatic peripetia – so clearly there are “steps” to be completed. I like to check in – just in case I am deluding myself or need a push or shove somewhere – I know you will pick this up and let me know. I am happy to put in place anything you think is indicated – books, emails, phone calls ... And of course to express the depth of my gratitude to you – a gratitude that is always present even if the emails are few. Love,

If you read those words as they are spoken by the consciousness but cannot relate to them, then you are invited to heed those awarenesses and contemplate them until they become Your understanding as well.

If you do not feel at one with each speck that has spoken above, and if you did not receive an awareness or recognition of some feeling that has not previously been recognized, then you are invited to continue the “journey.” More discussion tomorrow of the understanding revealed in the last e-mail cited. Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS TOPIC:

Click

CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS: The Nature of Reality Beyond Self-Realization

and

Click FROM THE I TO THE ABSOLUTE (A Seven-Step Journey to Realization)

and

Click THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS “PEACE OF MIND” (There Is Only Peace If You’re Out of Your Mind)

and

Click LIBERATION

RETREATS OR SATSANG w/ floyd ONE-ON-ONE, by TELEPHONE, by INTERNET CHAT ROOM, and via THE ADVAITA COURSE BY INTERNET (see link to right)
For details click ADVAITA VEDANTA RETREATS & SATSANG
or contact floyd by clicking CONTACT floyd

PRIOR TO CONCEPTION: What and Where? Part Seven, The Conclusion

An Advaita Vedanta philosophy site, focusing on Realization, enlightenment, nisarga yoga, non-duality (nonduality), your original nature, dwelling as your natural state, and the teachings of Maharaj.

RETREATS OR SATSANG w/ floyd ONE-ON-ONE, by TELEPHONE, by INTERNET CHAT ROOM, and via THE ADVAITA COURSE BY INTERNET (see link to right)
For details click ADVAITA VEDANTA RETREATS & SATSANG
or contact floyd by clicking CONTACT floyd

UPCOMING POSTS:

1. WHEN THE CONSCIOUSNESS SPEAKS VIA SOME OF THE LONGER-TERM VISITORS TO THIS SITE

2. WHY YOU MUST BE EMPTY IF YOU WOULD BE FULL

FROM A SITE VISITOR: Just finished reading the series on doubt. Believing I was farther along the path, but not even sure I’ve passed what you called obstacle one. Any suggestions? Thx.

F.: (First, note that the last two posts in this series are only for those specks of consciousness that have “completed” most of the “journey.” The pointers today are not for novices or for those at the “wet charcoal” or “dry charcoal” stage.)

The caloric value of food varies from one particular type of food to another. Different foods contain different amounts of potential energy. By eating and digesting plant food or by eating and digesting things that have eaten plants, the potential energy trapped within any given food’s chemical structure is released.

Prior to conception, what you have called “mother” and “father” ate food that turned into cells, some of which came together via an act of friction. That began a spontaneous, automatic chain of happenings that allowed conscious-energy to manifest as an elemental plant food body-cum-consciousness.

That elemental body which eventually emerged began to circulate air, was soon programmed and conditioned, and finally began a search for freedom in various areas of the one same prison rather then seeing that the prison must be vacated completely.

It is by way of that process described above that consciousness manifests and is transferred to various forms or spaces, but the manifesting (and unmanifesting) is an on-going process, via each body. It is a “daily occurrence.” Just as the consciousness embedded within an acorn knows how to eventually generate a forest, so the consciousness embedded in every space or form knows as well.

But the consciousness is ever-moving, ever-shifting, ever-cycling, ever-manifesting and unmanifesting. Consider for proof the example of those members of the IRA who in the early 1980’s participated in hunger strikes. It was reported at the time that ten of them had “starved themselves to death.” You know differently, yes?

When food was refused for approximately 50+ days, bodies slumped into comas and it was said that “death followed soon after.” That is not what happened. What happened was that the energy trapped within the chemical structure of previously eaten plant food was “time-released.”

The chemicals that sustain the manifestation of consciousness do not fade away in a day in one fell swoop. The energy is “released over time” under typical circumstances. (A bug striking the windshield of a car or a brain being struck by a bullet will allow for a hastened release, but such immediate release is not the typical scenario.)

Maharaj’s comments about a “daily occurrence” referred to the daily consumption of plant food that allows for the replacing of previously manifested consciousness via the body with a renewed supply of the same. Again, consciousness comes and goes, so even that cannot possibly identity YOU.

So, there has been no continuity of consciousness via the space you call “your body.” To be done with that belief is to set the stage for You to be free of any and all sense of continuity associated with the relative, including the manifestation of consciousness. So “what” were You prior to conception? Energy/matter. “What” are YOU post-manifestation? Energy/matter.

“Where” were You prior to manifestation? In that limitless pool of energy/matter from which the consciousness might be pulled into a cycle of manifestation…or not. Next, this consideration was raised in the February 6, 2009 posting:

Some have asked: Then how can the understanding continue if there is no “mind”? The answer: "Via the consciousness." "But," it is then asked, "if the consciousness is not continuous, how can the understanding continue?" Once Realized, one need not re-Realize each day.

How can that be? The closest that any “continuity” can be said to be is when the Pure, Unblocked Consciousness realizes that it is a temporarily-manifested speck of energy/matter that involves nothing more than a slight interruption in what is otherwise the ever-present, unchanging Awareness.

The Pure Consciousness presently, if understood in light of the above statement, can be considered to be a fraction of a facet of the one continuous unbroken chain of awareness (in fact, the only continuous unbroken “chain”).

Awareness in the Absolute state is awareness which is not aware of. Manifested as “consciousness,” its attribute of conscious-of-ness can happen briefly. Thus, the daily occurrences of consciousness coming and consciousness going do not require restarting the “journey” each day. I have been present for the formation of all universes. Knowing what has happened in totality is evidence of the continuity of Pure Awareness.

Maharaj said that pure awareness is “beyond the subject object nexus.” (It is also, however, beyond not only the subject-object witness nexus but is also beyond the Pure Witness nexus.)

But it is only as the consciousness is manifested and cycling that the awareness of the continuity of pure awareness can happen. The awareness IS and always has been. I know I was present for the formation of all universes even if no consciousness was manifested that knew of those formations at the time.

Yet prior to conception, the awareness without any form or selfness or Selfness could not be aware of its own awareness-ness. The more relevant pointer is this, though: if you would be free of the machinations and movements and fluctuations and chaos of the ever-in-motion consciousness, then unblock that consciousness in order to understand awareness and abide as that/THAT.

Only as that original state can peace happen. Only as that natural state can the ever-changing be transitioned and stability known. Yet even that knowing which results via the consciousness being used in such a fashion will be finite.

Once abidance happens as pure awareness, all desire and supposed sense of need ends. Even the delusions of Am-ness and continuity end, though the manifestation might continue for a period. That is the condition called “bliss.” Bliss can only be known NOW, not “later.”

That natural state is real; this relative state is not. Yet even that Reality cannot be named or labeled or described, but it can be known…for now.

Without awareness there can be no consciousness, yet there is awareness without consciousness. Prior to manifestation, that was the case. Post-manifestation, that is the case.

But even now, during the manifestation, I have transcended consciousness and abide as awareness. Early on, seekers are taught that they are the pure consciousness; at certain points along the path, the pointer is appropriate, but it has no overall validity. In fact, I Am beyond even pure consciousness, and so are You. I am abiding now as My natural, original state. So can You. Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS TOPIC:

Click

CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS: The Nature of Reality Beyond Self-Realization

Click FROM THE I TO THE ABSOLUTE (A Seven-Step Journey to Realization)

and

Click WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I DIE?

RETREATS OR SATSANG w/ floyd ONE-ON-ONE, by TELEPHONE, by INTERNET CHAT ROOM, and via THE ADVAITA COURSE BY INTERNET (see link to right)
For details click ADVAITA VEDANTA RETREATS & SATSANG
or contact floyd by clicking CONTACT floyd

PRIOR TO CONCEPTION: What and Where? Part Six

An Advaita Vedanta philosophy site, focusing on Realization, enlightenment, nisarga yoga, non-duality (nonduality), your original nature, dwelling as your natural state, and the teachings of Maharaj.

RETREATS OR SATSANG w/ floyd ONE-ON-ONE, by TELEPHONE, by INTERNET CHAT ROOM, and via THE ADVAITA COURSE BY INTERNET (see link to right)
For details click ADVAITA VEDANTA RETREATS & SATSANG
or contact floyd by clicking CONTACT floyd

UPCOMING SERIES:

1. WHEN THE CONSCIOUSNESS SPEAKS VIA SOME OF THE LONGER-TERM VISITORS TO THIS SITE

2. WHY YOU MUST BE EMPTY IF YOU WOULD BE FULL

FROM A SITE VISITOR: Just finished reading the series on doubt. Believing I was farther along the path, but not even sure I’ve passed what you called obstacle one. Any suggestions? Thx.

F.: (First, note that the last two posts in this series today and tomorrow are only for those that have “completed” most of the “journey.” The pointers today are not for novices or for those at the “wet charcoal” or “dry charcoal” stage.)

Yesterday’s “point D” offered the following:

And even among those seekers moving along “the path,” they are deceived by the obstacle of believing in the continuity of a specific speck of consciousness—of a static and singular True Self, of a fixed and unique Pure Witness—assuming that there has been only one uninterrupted manifestation of that certain speck of consciousness that could be pointed to as “You.” Even that is false.

[NOTE: That is likely a pointer that few Advaitin seekers have heard. It will be explained in more detail tomorrow, but talk about removing any "sense of uniqueness" and "special-ness"! Talk about banishing once and for all any credibility given to the concept of "continuity"!]

What a “radical” teaching, yes? One seeker during satsanga protested: “First you take away the body…then you strip away the mind…after which you strip away every identity I’ve ever had. Then I am left with nothing to turn to except the consciousness, to the Pure Witness, to My True Self. Now, surely you are not going to strip away even that!”

Indeed, I am. I give you nothing. I will remove it all. Only then can the Fullness come. Here, you will not be asked to accept anything, to acquire anything, or to learn anything; instead, you will be invited to unlearn it all, to cast it all aside, to be done with it all. To review:

as long as there is food, a body, but not the body, can remain. As long as the body remains but Realization has not happened, then the “mind” too will remain.

If the “mind” remains, this understanding cannot come since the “mind” acts to filter out all that is heard or read that is contrary the learned ignorance stored therein. If the food stops, the body is said by the non-Realized to “die” and then the mind dissolves.

The other option for being rid of the “mind” is to follow the “path” to Realization and to see thereby that the “mind” was nothing more than the storehouse of lies, all of which are to be discarded. The discarding of belief in ideas and concepts and convictions and attitudes automatically brings “the mind” to an end.

Then, the brain and intuition and higher senses and natural instincts function to drive living naturally in place of living unnaturally and in place of efforts to live supernaturally (that is, “magically.”)

The consciousness as energy/matter remains, but not confined within “the body.” Further, the speck that is released today is not the same speck that existed two months earlier. Be done with that false sense of continuity as well.

The body exists because food is transformed…into cells, into usable energy, etc. So the body is made of food, is a plant food body, but it has no continuity. Nor is the witness-consciousness permanent. Some say,

“Yes, I know that the witness shall fade away when the body returns to the universal pool of elements and when the breath returns to the universal pool of air. The consciousness shall return to the universal ocean of energy/matter or to the unmanifested state, to the consciousness-at-rest state, or to the state of awareness, whatever. I see I am not the body or mind or personality, but surely I am that True Self and always have been.”

Not true. This consciousness—this Am-ness, this beingness—is not what I Am. That which I Am is beyond beingness and non-beingness, beyond selfness and Selfness, beyond True Self and Pure Witness, beyond any notion of Infinite Self and non-self and non-Self.

In the end, at the “highest” level of understanding, it is Realized that there is no self or Self and never has been. No more than the energy behind the electrical outlet in a kitchen has “selfness” or “Selfness,” no more than that has any speck of consciousness ever “had” either selfness or Selfness. The terms are just thorns used to remove thorns.

Therefore, there has never been one uninterrupted manifestation of a particular speck of consciousness that could be pointed to as “You.” Even that is false. It has all come and all gone except for a “stored” quantity that can remain for 50+ days or so.

Whatever consciousness is manifested today was not there 50+ days ago. Whatever consciousness is manifested in a body-cum-consciousness now will not be there 50+ days from now. The manifesting and partial unmanifesting is on-going.

For some Self to have existed, even if the supposedly noble term of “True Self” is applied, there would have to have been some continuity of the manifestation of that Self…if only for a few moments or for months or years or infinity. Yet that is not the case.

Or, there would have to been some Self-Identity as the Awareness, or as the Absolute, or…Whatever. Yet that is not the case either. If that were the case, then the awareness would be aware of its Selfness post-manifestation, but the awareness is aware of nothing.

The Real is permanent; the not real is transitory. Consciousness comes and goes and, as Maharaj explained, is actually a “daily occurrence.” Since any daily occurrence is transitory, it cannot be That Which Is Truly Real.

I am beyond beingness and non-beingness, beyond consciousness and non-consciousness, and so are You. I am the Essence, as free of consciousness as the non-Realized are free of consciousness at that point they call “death.” Maharaj said, “Consciousness is intermittent, full of gaps.” It is not continuous.

No matter how far along the “path” you as a seeker have traveled, have you Realized that fact—that the consciousness is intermittent, full of gaps, not continuous? Now, the knowing of that fact will suddenly shatter certain assumptions about having Realized Fully, yes?

This talk of You as a speck is a temporary tool that can be used while guiding a seeker farther along the “path,” but the blinding part of the use of that tool is that persons can come to believe that they are Fully Realized if they assume that they are and always have been and always shall be “a particular speck or quantity of consciousness.”

But they are not that and You are not that. Elevate not the status of the ever-manifesting and unmanifesting consciousness. See that consciousness comes not just at that moment that the non-Realized call “birth.” See that consciousness goes not just at that moment that the non-Realized call “death.”

Via this body that the non-Realized take to be who “floyd is,” trillions and trillions of specks of consciousness have already come and gone. Those quantities of consciousness cycled “in” and cycled “out”; they have come together in a space and have subsequently gone from the space.

Do you understand the implications of that fact in light of the mythical concept of “continuity”? Do you see how many trillions of persons have been controlled over the ages by the dangling of the carrot of continuity by the leaders of the sky cults of Abraham?

Do you see how so much of the insanity on the globe today can be traced to persons whose dogma teaches the continuity of body and mind and personality?

How many would still strap on a bomb vest if they knew nothing awaited? How many would idealize suffering now to earn a reward later if they knew there was no later for their "selves"?

How many would continue to avoid all things pleasurable if they knew that neither reward nor punishment waited? Damn the nonsense. Realize and be done with it all. Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS TOPIC:

Click

CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS: The Nature of Reality Beyond Self-Realization

Click FROM THE I TO THE ABSOLUTE (A Seven-Step Journey to Realization)

and

Click WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I DIE?

RETREATS OR SATSANG w/ floyd ONE-ON-ONE, by TELEPHONE, by INTERNET CHAT ROOM, and via THE ADVAITA COURSE BY INTERNET (see link to right)
For details click ADVAITA VEDANTA RETREATS & SATSANG
or contact floyd by clicking CONTACT floyd

PRIOR TO CONCEPTION: What and Where? Part Five

An Advaita Vedanta philosophy site, focusing on Realization, enlightenment, nisarga yoga, non-duality (nonduality), your original nature, dwelling as your natural state, and the teachings of Maharaj.

RETREATS OR SATSANG w/ floyd ONE-ON-ONE, by TELEPHONE, by INTERNET CHAT ROOM, and via THE ADVAITA COURSE BY INTERNET (see link to right)
For details click ADVAITA VEDANTA RETREATS & SATSANG
or contact floyd by clicking CONTACT floyd

[UPCOMING POST: WHEN THE CONSCIOUSNESS SPEAKS VIA SOME OF THE LONGER-TERM VISITORS TO THIS SITE]

FROM A SITE VISITOR: Just finished reading the series on doubt. Believing I was farther along the path, but not even sure I’ve passed what you called obstacle one. Any suggestions? Thx.

F.: Consciousness is energy, but it is also matter by all except definition. There is no duality. Inertia and energy are attributes of matter. Maharaj said of matter, “You may consider it in a way as a form of very subtle energy.”

Since energy/matter has always been, and since Advaitins look at a specific type of energy/matter, it may be asked, “So WHERE was it prior to where it is now?” Prior to conception and prior to this body-cum-consciousness, where was the speck of consciousness that manifested and triggered a process that resulted in what has come to be considered "you"?

Further, where are the not-yet-manifested specks of consciousness that will manifest on a daily basis? To come to the total understanding, you must first comprehend these four pointers:

1. To believe that a body has anything to do with You is delusion;

2. to believe that the “mind” has anything to do with You is delusion;

3. to believe that either the personality or personas have anything to do with You is delusion; and

4. standing in the way of knowing the consciousness, of knowing the awareness, of understanding the “what” and of understanding the “where” are several obstacles that must be discarded, including:

A. The belief that you have had the same, continuous body since “birth.”

B. Memories, which delude you into thinking that there has been continuity as evidenced by “remembering when you were three, and ten, and fifteen, and twenty, and thirty,” etc.

C. The belief that the roles you have played for a time give proof of continuity: “I have been a spouse for twenty years now.”

D. And even among those seekers moving along “the path,” they are deceived by the obstacle of believing in the continuity of a specific speck of consciousness—of a static and singular True Self, of a fixed and unique Pure Witness—assuming that there has been only one uninterrupted manifestation of that certain speck of consciousness that could be pointed to as “You.” Even that is false.

[NOTE: That is likely a pointer that few Advaitin seekers have heard. It will be explained in more detail tomorrow, but talk about removing any "sense of uniqueness" and "special-ness"! Talk about banishing once and for all any credibility given to the concept of "continuity"!]

For now, understand that the only continuity that is real is awareness. Consciousness comes and goes. If you do not believe that, stop eating plants or things that eat plants and see what happens. Consciousness is transient; Awareness IS, period.

More than a year ago on this site, the deception of “continuity” was discussed. For newcomers to the site, the explanation shall be offered again, along with further discussion of point D above.

First, there has been no body continuity: the human body is constantly replacing and regenerating cells to maintain proper and efficient function. If you spend ten minutes reading this post and considering the content, during that time you will have shed 250,000 skin cells and those will have been replaced by 250,000 different cells. Not one cell of the billions of skin cells that came about during the last twenty-eight days is now present.

There has never been in Your case one body with continuity, and there will never be any case of a body with continuity (whether talking about pre-manifestation, during the manifestation, or post-manifestation. It is the illusion of “memories” that contribute to the false belief that the body “has had” continuity.)

So much for body continuity. Secondly, there has been no “mind” continuity, that storehouse of ideas and beliefs having been in constant flux. How many things that you “loved” in the past mean nothing to you now? Did you “change your mind”? No.

The “mind” is constantly changing automatically since it is a storehouse of lies and beliefs and attitudes, and new ideas and concepts are being added regularly as a few of older ones are discarded: the belief “I love him” can be discarded and replaced with “I hate him.”

Thus, that speck of consciousness which calls itself “a seeker” might have certain understandings about reality today but can be totally out of touch with reality tomorrow because of attachment to the consciousness and because abidance as the unchanging Absolute is not happening.

[Some have asked: Then how can the understanding continue if there is no “mind”? The answer: "Via the consciousness." "But," it is then asked, "if the consciousness is not continuous, how can the understanding continue?" Once Realized, one need not re-Realize each day. The answer to that involves awareness and will be discussed tomorrow.]

Thirdly, there has certainly been no continuity of personality. Some identities you assumed ten years ago, you do not assume today. Also, those roles you are assuming and playing today, you will not assume and play in “the future.” Further, any labels which you accepted years ago but which you have not subsequently questioned and rejected will be a part of that mass of lies that blocks the light of truth.

To differentiate between the Real Self and the false self requires an understanding that the self, and the world in which you believe the self resides, are “nothing but the picture of your own ‘I’ consciousness” (Maharaj).

There is no “you” that “has” consciousness. The consciousness manifested without plan or rhyme or reason, (an act of friction notwithstanding). And someday the consciousness will simply unmanifest as well. Prior to manifestation, there was no form, and post-manifestation there will be no form.

The apparent form is temporary. All that is apparently personal is temporary. The form might be referred to as a form-cum-consciousness or as a space-cum-consciousness for the sake of discussion, but that is not You. (Just because you might fly in a plane does not mean you are the plane.) The substance lies beneath what is supposedly the form; the truth lies beyond what can supposedly be perceived.

It is seen clearly from My view that “you” (the self which you think you are) is a total misperception. When You see clearly, You will also know that there is no self to be rid of and that there is nothing for you to do to be rid of the false self except to see as I see.

Then you will know that there is nothing that You need to work to kill off, any more than teams need to be sent into the desert to kill off the mirages in those regions. What an impossible undertaking, for them...for you. All they need is an understanding that mirages are mirages. All you need is to see that which You are not and then That Which You Are. Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS TOPIC:

Click FROM THE I TO THE ABSOLUTE (A Seven-Step Journey to Realization)

and

Click WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I DIE?

RETREATS OR SATSANG w/ floyd ONE-ON-ONE, by TELEPHONE, by INTERNET CHAT ROOM, and via THE ADVAITA COURSE BY INTERNET (see link to right)
For details click ADVAITA VEDANTA RETREATS & SATSANG
or contact floyd by clicking CONTACT floyd