Today's Considerations
31. [To return to what a Cherokee Grandmother revealed regarding abidance as Your Original Nature and freedom from delusion]
For a young child longing for peace and for respite from an existence that was plagued with far too much nonsense and craziness and violence, with far too many judgments about being "good" or "bad," and with the administering of excessive punishment when deemed to be "bad," the contrast offered during summer and holiday visits with a calm, serene, Cherokee grandmother became a welcome balm.
To be in her presence in the quietness of the natural surroundings of a forest and in a home where serenity reigned was to be in what some would call "Nirvana" or what others, such as Maharaj, called "abiding as That Original State." At least it was for a young child who was already trying to escape an environment in the worst part of a city which was . . .
. . . far too chaotic;
. . . far too noisy;
. . . far too castigatory in character;
. . . far too dominated by abusive and ignorant authority figures in the home and in school and in church;
. . . far too dominated by adults who were spouting nonsense which even a six-year-old was able to identify as ignorant and insane but which was never to be seen to be nonsense by the spouters; and thus
. . . far too illogical and irrational for one to whom logic and reason were innate qualities or traits.
Because of the respite which Grandmother offered from all of the nonsense and ignorance, the concept in India of undergoing "the forest dweller stage" became my experience long before I ever heard the term.
The next fifty-six years would provide hundreds of thousands of examples of (1) the ways that political authorities use fear and (2) the ways that religious authority figures use fear of punishment now and fear of punishment forever and (3) the ways that "Parental and Boss Types" all use fear and intimidation in order to try to control and manipulate the masses.
Later, an understanding of the silliness of fear-based prayers and the selfishness of desire-based prayers would make clear why Grandmother - abiding as she did without having ever assumed any of the personal identifications which inspire fear or desires - was never driven to invent a "God deemed to be personal" and was never driven to pray to an "invented God" (per Maharaj) out of fear or out of desire.
MORE LESSONS IN AN EAST TEXAS FOREST IN THE EARLY 1950'S
To be in her presence in the quietness of the natural surroundings of a forest and in a home where serenity reigned was to be in what some would call "Nirvana" or what others, such as Maharaj, called "abiding as That Original State." At least it was for a young child who was already trying to escape an environment in the worst part of a city which was . . .
. . . far too chaotic;
. . . far too noisy;
. . . far too castigatory in character;
. . . far too dominated by abusive and ignorant authority figures in the home and in school and in church;
. . . far too dominated by adults who were spouting nonsense which even a six-year-old was able to identify as ignorant and insane but which was never to be seen to be nonsense by the spouters; and thus
. . . far too illogical and irrational for one to whom logic and reason were innate qualities or traits.
Because of the respite which Grandmother offered from all of the nonsense and ignorance, the concept in India of undergoing "the forest dweller stage" became my experience long before I ever heard the term.
AN EARLY LESSON FROM GRANDMOTHER REGARDING THE ILLUSION OF DEATH
When in the city with my parents, bedtime was marred with an obligatory nighttime prayer which included the phrase ". . . and if i die before I wake . . . ." That always struck me as a peculiar concept to introduce to a child just prior to the child's trying to go to sleep, but my protests regarding that prayer were ignored and the prayer with a line about the possibility of imminent death during sleep had to be spoken in the dark every twenty-four hours.
[Moreover, it became clear to me early on that adults attach to blind traditions which are rooted in nonsense and insanity and are then willing to fight to make others accept their nonsensical beliefs and force others to model their insane behaviors, all the while being convinced that what they are doing is what is "best" for their child or children. The levels of rigidity (rigidity being the guardian of ignorance) always amazed, even at the age of five and six.]
Later, an understanding of the silliness of fear-based prayers and the selfishness of desire-based prayers would make clear why Grandmother - abiding as she did without having ever assumed any of the personal identifications which inspire fear or desires - was never driven to invent a "God deemed to be personal" and was never driven to pray to an "invented God" (per Maharaj) out of fear or out of desire.
Thus, that evening prayer which I was subjected to at home (the one which reinforced a belief in the possibility of dying during sleep before awakening and which had to be prayed nightly in the city) was never a requirement at Grandmother's; in fact, as noted, Grandmother never prayed any prayers at all, but she did offer to a young child a hug and a kiss on the cheek and a pat on the head at bedtime, so sleep in her home came quickly and was long and deep. Except for one night.
One night, when fears generated by strange noises outside the open window drove
me from my bed to hers, she calmed me with a hug and shushing sounds. That
night, the noises outside the window triggered a fear that “this might finally be the night that I die
before I wake,” a seemingly real possibility after years of having been conditioned to believe in that possibility as a result of constant exposure to a perverse prayer.
The thought of that possibility drove me to seek something to assuage the fear in a way that would allow me to return to sleep, so it was asked, “Grandmother, am I too bad to get to go to heaven if I die?” After a moment of silence, in which she was processing a hurt that I only now realize she was feeling, Grandmother said, “Not only are you not bad, but there is no death, so do not be concerned. Just go to sleep and rest.” A combination of confusion and exhaustion at that point prevented me from even responding.
With that, I staggered back to my bed with her assistance, but after she returned to her bedroom, I repeated silently and sleepily, "There is no death?" "There is no death?" "What? There is no death?" Suddenly, I wanted to run to her and ask for more explanation, for more assurance, but I wanted even more to return to sleep, so nothing more was said after a few incoherent mumblings from a child transitioning from abject fear into the quiet-breath sounds of sleep.
It would be approximately forty-five years before it would be seen in retrospect that the transitioning from abject fear into the quiet-breath sounds of rest would be a metaphor for what can come via the Advaita “journey” and what can free persons from (A) a relative existence that had been marked by imagined fears and unmet desires and “mind”-generated misery and suffering to (B) being able to enjoy the quiet-breath moments of rest, post-Realization.
Later, at one point, my path crossed with that of a young girl who was able to come to me quietly and watch the squirrels and deer that had also come to me quietly. At another point my path crossed with that of a person who had no respect at all for the peace and quiet and silence which she interrupted and brought to an end with her loudness.
Consider how like Grandmother that young girl was, and how like the deer both Grandmother and the little girl were, all three being natural and therefore all three being: subdued; still; silent; hushed; calm; tranquil; undisturbed (and, therefore, undisturbing); serene; muted; understated; restrained; and unobtrusive.
Then, consider how unnatural the loud person was: shrill; strident; blaring; noisy; turbulent; piercing; obviously disturbed and therefore disturbing; bustling; blustering; overstated; unrestrained; and obtrusive. In short, she embodied everything that all which is natural is not.
Which type are you allowing yourself to be subjected to? Are you tolerating the intolerable? Are you normalizing the abnormal? Are you accepting things unnatural and things supposedly supernatural rather than abiding in a Nisargan, natural manner? Is there a chance that you might "die" before you awake? Have you been so driven by a desire to escape boredom that you have developed an addiction to chaos?
Can you relate to a child running about in the darkness of abject fear, driven by things imagined that are not even real? Can you relate to an adult still doing the same? Do you relate more to unnaturally-loud persons or to those who are quiet and merely want to enjoy all things natural?
Are you ready for the quietness to replace the chaos? Are you ready for the sleep-state level of peace to manifest during the waking hours as well? Are you ready for peaceful surroundings? Are you truly ready to take all seven steps that are required to complete the journey that can take you to that?
Or, as Maharaj recommended, would you at least be willing to begin with a commitment to completing at least four of the seven steps on the "path" and thereby shift from identifying with a body and mind and personality and abiding instead as Your Original Nature?
For the complete discussion, some take into silent consideration the pointers offered in the eBook below entitled "The Relative Results of Returning to 'The Child Ignorance Stage' or "The Child No-Knowing State'." Some read "Your Original Nature." Additional pointers are available if required for those who have reached a state of readiness.
Sitting in front of Maharaj in a loft, "richard" was invited to understand that which is beyond both the beingness and the non-beingness and to abide as that / THAT (meaning, "in that / THAT fashion") for the remainder of the manifestation. Right now, as you are sitting in front of this electronic loft, you are invited to do the same.
To be continued.
Please enter the silence of contemplation.
