ANNOUNCEMENTS
[Walter Driscoll asked to interview me in order to preserve on video some of the latest modifications and evolutions in the versions of the message offered here since 1989. He would label the discussion, “Unlearning with Floyd Henderson.”
Please note: For those who have a problem hearing what is being shared, the video offers a fairly accurate set of closed captions which some listeners might want to activate.
The interview is available for viewing by clicking on video “NUMBER THIRTEEN” in the column to the right. Also, by clicking on NUMBER FOURTEEN,” visitors can also see the introductory discussion on non-duality on Walter’s non-duality site and then a Q and A session which followed.]
1. [See the offer in gold text following this post for details on how you can watch a retreat on video which includes a detailed discussion of all of the steps on the path as used by Maharaj]
2. Here, with those who are still driven to talk about “god,” the “Son of god,” the “Holy Spirit,” “Buddha,” “Krishna,” etc., etc., etc., the invitation to them is to view those as verbs, not nouns. See the green text after today’s post for the full meaning and implications of that.
3. A newer video (“Number Ten: Awakening Together Satsang, March 2018”) has now been added in the far right column of this page, offering the opportunity to view a recent 2018 satsang session with Floyd being interviewed by Regina and Jacqueline of “The Awakening Together Group.” (See the details in the blue text after this post.)
4. Some prefer paperback books even if they have to wait a day or so to receive it and have to pay more for a printed book and its shipment. Now, 10 paperback books by Henderson are in print and available in two anthologies through Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and over 40,000+ booksellers around the globe including in the Americas, Germany, India, Italy, Poland, Russia, China, Spain, Brazil and South Korea. See the end of this post in red text for details.
5. Would you like to have us send to someone as a gift from you a copy of any ebook in our inventory?
6. You may purchase a Floyd Henderson Shopify Gift Card here for someone and offer recommendations for the books in Floyd’s store which might be of assistance to them.
7. You may click here to visit Floyd’s bookstore which offers both digital books and paperback books which deal with non-duality, non-duality-based fictional adventures, recovery, and financial budgeting.
CONSCIOUSNESS AND AWARENESS
Wednesday's post sets the stage to transition to a new series dealing with the consciousness (conscious-energy) discussed yesterday and with awareness.
This was offered yesterday:
No
Supreme Being guides the (reproduction) process. To the contrary, scientist
Szent-Gyorgyi explained it accurately: “What drives life is thus a
little electric current, set up by the sunshine.” That allows
unmanifested conscious-energy to be transferred from a free-ranging
field of energy into a space formed by elements cycled into forming a
temporary, elemental body.
So it goes like this: sunshine to plants to a pregnant woman's digestive system to the formation of a composite, three-part, unified triad which is (1) an elemental plant food body which (2) automatically circulates oxygen and which (3) automatically circulates conscious-energy as long as water and food continue to be consumed.
At some point, that process will end when mahasamadhi is taken; at that point, the elements will return to the universal pool of elements, the oxygen will return to the universal pool of oxygen, and the conscious-energy will return to THAT, to the universal pool of no-longer manifested consciousness / conscious energy.
As for that conscious-energy which manifests: in its original form, it is the pure, universal consciousness prior to being corrupted via warped and insane programming, conditioning, etc.; prior to the mind parts of the brain being pumped full of nonsense and lies and complicated belief systems;
prior to persons being set up to be egotistical and arrogant and entitled and controlling and judgmental and believing that they are better-than "those others" that are taken to be "different" and therefore less-than;
and
prior to losing any sense of the sameness and prior to losing the
original sense of oneness beyond the imaginary multiplicity, a supposed multiplicity which they will be taught by ignorance-driven ancestors
and by religion and by politicians and by business people.
ON CONSCIOUSNESS
“Understand then, that it is this conscious presence that you are, so long as the body is there. Once your body is gone, along with the vital breath, consciousness also will leave. Only that which was prior to the appearance of this body-cum-consciousness, the Absolute, the ever-present, is your true 'identity.' That is what we all really are. That is reality. It is here and now. Where is the question of anyone reaching for it?”
Maharaj made clear that, if the understanding comes, no “person” will remain who could try to meddle in the play of consciousness. He also affirmed that there is no omniscient creator that is meddling in the play. All is merely happening spontaneously. How did he define “spirituality” then? “Spirituality” is merely understanding that (1) a spontaneous play is happening, (2) recognizing the play is a fraud, and then (3) finding the basis of the play.
Maharaj was asked, “Where does consciousness come from?” He answered, “It never comes or goes; it just appears to have come.”
He was also asked, “Where is the seat of consciousness.” He replied, “In every particle of the juice of the body.”
ON AWARENESS
From Maharaj:
“I told the consciousness, ‘It is you who is suffering, not I’.”
“Awareness is not aware of its awareness.”
Maharaj explained that that which he truly is was prior to consciousness. He made clear that there is no “he” to experience anything or do anything and that what persons take to be an experience is actually just the consciousness experiencing itself.
He explained that the realized understand that the “world,” indeed the entire “universe,” exists in consciousness alone. No two of the billions of humans on the planet have the same exact definition or perspective about what "the world" is and what it is like.
Neither “the world” nor “the universe” is real, and both only seem to appear in consciousness. Knowing that, he was able to take his stand in the Absolute. In the Absolute, no consciousness of the “I-Amness” or the “Beingness” or the “Is-ness” happens. In the Absolute, there are neither thoughts nor words nor deeds. The Absolute is prior to all of that . . . is prior to consciousness.
Among the non-realized, the consciousness has become identified with the space or form. A few move beyond body identification. Fewer still reach an understanding of what lies beyond the body-mind-personality identities. Even fewer will come to know “the source” that is beyond all accculturation, programming, and conditioning of the consciousness.
“I am really not manifested. Can you live like that, as the non-manifest?”
Now transcendence of the consciousness has also occurred. With the appearance of consciousness, the Absolute knows it is, ‘I Am.’
Even this primary concept, "I-am-ness," is dishonest, just because it is still only a concept. Finally, one has to transcend that also and be in the nirvikalpa state, which means the concept-free state. Then you have no concept at all, not even of "I am." In that state one does not know that one is.
Full realization, contrary to "Self-Realization," is simply being free of all of the nonsense passed down to every human. Not only does abidance then happen beyond the "I am" but it also happens beyond the "I."
An Overview of Consciousness / Awareness
All is matter or energy. Neither was created and neither can be destroyed; thus, consciousness was not created by anyone, nor was it created by any “Supreme One.”
Just as a mirage is a phenomenal manifestation that can be witnessed by the naked eye - though witnessed incorrectly - that which it appears to be can vary from one witness to the next. The identification of what a mirage is remains open to interpretation, depending upon the imaginings of the observer of the image. In the end, though, it really is just an image. The same happens when consciousness is perceived by the naked eye and is imagined to be something that it is not, such as “I am this body.”
Does the body / space / form play a role in the manifestation process? Of course, but with no more significance than the space or form known as “a plant” plays a role in the manifestation process; therefore, Maharaj’s point that “the seat of consciousness is in every particle of the juice of the body.” The body can be perceived, just as a mirage can be seen, but that does not mean that either is what it is perceived to be. Both are frauds, images only.
Thus, while seekers at one level can be told that “Consciousness is all there is,” at this highest level, another understanding is presented: that which is perceived is not that which is real, and even that which is perceiving is not the real, either. Maharaj explained that the realized understand that the “world,” indeed the entire “universe,” exists in consciousness alone;
but since that which persons take to be “this world” or “the universe” is not the reality that it is taken to be via consciousness, then consciousness is the perpetrator of myths as well. If “the world” that the “I Am” takes to be its “place of existence” is a lie, then the “I am” is also a lie.
Since neither “the world” nor “the universe” is real, both only seem to appear in consciousness. Knowing that, the realized take their stand in the Absolute. In the Absolute, no consciousness of the “I-Amness” or the “Beingness” or the “Is-ness” happens. In the Absolute, there are neither thoughts nor words nor deeds. The Absolute is prior to all of that . . . is prior to consciousness.
Recall that Maharaj said, “Understand then, that it is this conscious presence that you are, so long as the body is there. Once your body is gone, along with the vital breath, consciousness also will leave. Only that which was prior to the appearance of this body-cum-consciousness, the Absolute, the ever-present, is your true 'identity.' That is what we all really are. That is reality. It is here and now. Where is the question of anyone reaching for it?”
He said, “Awareness is not aware of its awareness.” How dissociated was he from body identification? While that space was in the throes of the physical pain of debilitating cancer, he said, “I told the consciousness, ‘It is you who is suffering, not I’.”
Once consciousness manifests, the Absolute knows it is, knows ‘I Am’,” but among the fully realized, transcendence of the consciousness has occurred. Only when abidance happens as the Absolute can peace / contentment happen every day.
To be continued.
Please enter into the silence of contemplation.
To watch the most recent talk and Q&A with Walter and his guests, click:
Walter Driscoll and Floyd Henderson
To watch the interview when Walter and Floyd discussed the fact that the Ultimate Sickness is a mental / mind sickness and why learning more is not the answer and why unlearning is the answer, click:
