HINDU BY “BIRTH,” BUT INVESTIGATING ADVAITA, Part Four

FROM A SITE VISITOR: [Please see the 02 November 2007 post for the e-mail which is being responded to today]

F.: (The exchange continues):

V.: Now, in every religion there is no parallel existence to God. God does not change also. Even if there is Consciousness, how could God become aware of It's existence, unless there is some percievable change within it? Hypothetically, if i became deaf,blind,numb to touch, insensitive to smell all at the same time and there is no bodily feeling inside me, and my memories got erased too that wud mean i'm in a coma right?

F.: The suggestion for you at this point, Vignesh, is to keep it simple. A piece of advice received during the early stages of the “journey” will now be passed along to you: “It is obvious, at this juncture, that you should ask more questions, make fewer statements, and meditate upon the pointers offered.” To that end, pointers for meditation will be offered.

As for the comments above, when the “you” that you think you are is sleeping, the consciousness knows that the elemental plant-food-body is sleeping. That said, focus more on the fact that you are using the "mind" to over-analyze, but the “mind” will prove to be useless in this process. In actuality, it is part of “the problem,” but if the process is completed, the “mind” (a repository of all ideas, concepts, lies, distortions and erroneous beliefs) will be eliminated.

[A pointer for further consideration in quiet meditation: Also eliminated along with the “mind” will be your programming to desire more. You mention religion. Understand that religion is about more: more “life,” more “advancement,” more “rewards,” more “blessings,” more "security," more "power," etc. Understand that Advaita, in its purest form, is a philosophy that is about less.]

Next, to the concept of “God” you mention:

Regarding this “God” of which you speak, would that be (A) a “creator God,” (B) a “sustainer God,” (C) a "God of destruction" or (D) all of the paganistic, multiple gods of lore, sometimes all rolled into one (as is the case of “Abraham’s One God”)?

If “A,” understand that neither matter nor energy can be created; thus, wherefore a “creator”? Infinite is infinite, whether speaking of it at the end of an imaginary timeline as the religious often do or whether reconsidering it in “the other direction”—not “after” but “before” and “always.” Energy and matter have existed infinitely and will exist infinitely.

[A pointer for further consideration in quiet meditation: What IS has always been and was not, therefore, "created." The religious can seem to grasp the notion of “infinity” after death but refuse to accept that infinite is as valid "to the left" on their conceptual timeline as it is "to the right" on their "birth-life-death-judgment-reward or punishment" conceptualized timeline.]

If your "God" reference is to “B”—a sustainer God—understand that energy/matter is continuous…without support, without a sustainer, without any contribution from anything. Thus, energy/matter is not “sustained” but simply is…forever independent of any creator…forever independent of any sustainer…beyond creation and beyond destruction.

[Consideration for meditation: The same applies to That Which You Are and to That Which I Am: I have been continuous and shall be forever, present before all time and present at the initiation of all universes. And that is the factual reality though no “former” plant food body existed. Further, it is also a factual reality though this present plant-food-body is not Me and though no “mind” or “personality” ever existed or currently exists.]

Why has there been no sustaining of matter or energy? Elements cycles into temporary forms and out of temporary form-ness and then return to the universal pool of elements; the breath cycles into and out of spaces/forms, and then eventually returns to the universal pool of air; the conscious-energy manifests and unmanifests, thus returning to the universal pool of energy. Neither creation nor sustenance is involved in that which cycles (or "circles," as opposed to that which religion would measure with a straight line, namely, their fictional beginning-end-eternity continuum).

[A consideration for meditation: Understand that timelines are fiction, understand what actually cycles, understand what does not cycle, and then You'll know why You were not born, why You cannot die, and why You, therefore, cannot be re-born either.]

If, however, the God you are speaking of is (C) a God of Destruction, then understand again that neither matter nor energy can be destroyed. Thus, no creation, no sustaining, and no destruction.

V.: How could i be aware of my own existence, without even knowing any external or internal changes happening?

F.: That Which I Truly Am and Which You Truly Are has never changed at all. I Am the constant. You Are the constant. Anything that is “changing” is illusion.

The challenge you face, Vignesh, is to set aside all that you think you know about Advaita and Hinduism and life and death and Brahman and God and the functioning of the totality and the Void and to take the primary steps required to build the foundation that is required for the full understanding to happen.

Go back to the starting point (the body identification) and be free of that first. Then, the “mind” that is being overly-utilized can be cast aside, as can identification with all personas (including any religious and/or spiritual personas that are lingering).

Only then can you move through the steps to Realization in the logical order required. Regards. Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
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IDENTIFICATION: Something, or No thing? Part Fourteen, The Conclusion

[EXCERPTS from the book FROM THE ABSOLUTE TO THE NOTHINGNESS, to be released next week. The pointers in this book are only for the most advanced seekers. The reading of this book should follow a reading and an understanding of the pointers in FROM THE I TO THE ABSOLUTE and CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS.]

FROM A SITE VISITOR: No identity at all? Everybody is SOMETHING, and whatever that SOMETHING is, is our identity.

F.: The Direct Path Method of no-concept, non-dual Reality takes no prisoners; gives short shrift to those who want to fight to defend their ego-states; gives nothing to anyone; encourages de-accumulation rather than more accumulating; takes away all of the mirages that persons have attached to; eliminates the “mind”; and brings to an end the belief in all false personas and roles and phony images in order to put an end to disharmony-causing personality once and for all.

If one completes the entire “journey” to Full Realization, then what manifests afterwards, spontaneously and automatically, is the sweetness of the resulting Void…the peace that manifests when beingness happens from The Sweet Void of zero concepts.

Personas experience a constant state of flux, so happiness and unhappiness will constantly “come and go.” Persons are caught up in a play in consciousness, and it has many characters…some of which they play and others which they take to be real. In that fictional play, there is no stability. Ultimately, of course, there is no stability, period. All is in a constant state of fluctuation.

Persons, taking the relative to be real, feel incomplete; they are trapped in the turmoil and flux. As a result of that constant fluctuation, their “relationships” will be marked by fluctuations as well; thus (in their "minds"), their favorite sinner will become an intolerable saint, or their beloved saint will become a much-despised sinner. They will constantly shift into and out of states of emotional intoxication, whether in traffic, at work, at home…wherever…whenever.

Such is the relative existence for those trapped in any identity and experiencing the fluctuations. In their attachment to the play and the drama and the roles, persons will walk the stage of the Drama of the Lie and will be the histrionic mouthpiece of “the something” and the “someones” and the "somebodies." By contrast, what functions here is the consciousness which speaks as the mouthpiece of the Nothingness and the Void.

Whereas the Consciousness/Awareness is the Final Frontier of the understanding, the Nothingness was prior to the Frontier.

Seekers are only able to move to Stage Four and toward Stage Five when they truly grasp the simplicity of natural functioning. [See The Essence of the Teachings for an explanation of “The Five Stages” discussed by the early Advaitin sages, not to be confused with "the Seven Steps to Reality."] The relative is maddening to persons; abiding as the Absolute, madness cannot happen since there is no “mind.”

Similarly, “something” can always be maddening to persons; the Nothingness, on the other hand, can have no effect at all…“good” or “bad.” The Nothingness is the essence of AS IF living after Stage Five de-accumulation. The nothingness, and even the no-nothingness, are at the core of no-concept non-duality.

The ultimate freedom and independence can only happen if abiding as that Void. In that mode, abiding as that state of Nothingness with zero concepts, the relative existence happens naturally as the consciousness remains manifest but does not attach to any identities or ideas or beliefs or dogma or religious teachings or so-called "spirituality" or any other form of "learned ignorance." Functioning in that void, even the noble (and often ego-supporting) identity of THAT is of no concern.

The alternative to the peace of the Nothingness is that state of innumerable concepts in which most will live out the manifestation, trapped in personas, driven by fears and desires, imprisoned by attachments, never able to relax and take it easy, but convinced in that dream (or nightmare) state that they are free and happy. They will be in such denial that they will really believe, and enthusiastically proclaim, that they are not bored and that they are not depressed.

Yet they are not free, so they cannot possibly be happy. They are so bored that they can eventually develop an addiction to chaos in an effort to try to counteract their world-weariness (rather than seeing that "the world" is just another part of their dream—their Drama of the Lie). They are depressed, often on two levels: organic and situational. Why? They want to be “SOMEBODY” and they want to "be someone" significant or important or relevant or successful. Those aims will always be illusory and will generate desires that cannot be met, so frustration is guaranteed.

Happiness begins when the Stage One and Two search for more goes and when being content with less comes at Stage Five. Happiness becomes fixed when nothing is desired. It reaches a new height during AS IF living when the Void is enjoyed. It reaches the ultimate bliss after it is seen that, paradoxically, the Void is the fullness.

The re-purified consciousness will lead to de-accumulating, to understanding the bliss of the nothingness, to touching the validity of the void, and to being free of the insanity and/or personality disorders that will otherwise dominate their relative existence.

To understand the sweetness of the Void does not prevent the happenings that will happen for the remainder of the manifestation. It will merely allow the arrogance that drives the seeking of significance to dissolve, will allow persons to stop thinking that everything matters so much, and will allow the end of making mountains out of proverbial molehills. That can bring to an end their living in the shadows of the valleys generated as a result of over-reacting and misperceiving.

The Full Understanding can end your attachment to illusions such as “this life”; such as, “my significance”; such as, "the great meaning that my life has"; such as “the need to cling to certain 'valuable' concepts, though they haven’t provided the real answers even after thirty years or more”; ad infinitum. See, and then you can stop screaming for help and just…be.

Understand the Void. Rather than “having it all,” go for “The Grand Prize”: Nothing. When aligned with the nothingness, what needs to be said? Nothing. What needs to be heard? Nothing. In terms of noise, what is required? Nothing. What is there to be concerned about? Nothing. What is desired? Nothing. What is needed? Nothing. What can take away your independence? Nothing. What can take away your peace? Nothing. Via this understanding, what can happen in the relative existence that is not natural and peaceful? Nothing. What can move you from your position of neutrality and non-attachment? Nothing.

Will the elements still always return to the pool of universal elements? Yes. Will the air return to the pool of universal air? Yes. Will the energy return to the universal field of energy? Yes, but now, that which was before the elements, before the air, and before the manifestation of energy and matter, will be understood.

That which is beyond beingness and non-beingness will also be understood. That which was prior to either is understood. When that is understood, no desire for an identity manifests, and no fear of having “no identity” can manifest. What manifests is a position of zero concepts.

Zero concepts guarantees zero identities, zero fears, zero desires, zero unhappiness, zero anxiety, zero restlessness, zero conflict, zero attachments, zero imprisonment, zero…period.

Enjoy the Nothingness and even the No-Nothingness. Peace and Light. Please enter the silence of contemplation.

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POINTERS ON CONSCIOUSNESS FOR “ADVANCED SEEKERS,” Part Three, The Conclusion

F.: Please see the September 12, 2007 posting for the e-mail being responded to in this posting.

3. Today’s post will focus on…

…the Absolute is my “true identity” prior to the appearance of the body-cum-consciousness.

Understand that, once divested of body-mind-personality identifications, many will take the consciousness to be “their true identity.” At certain points along the “path,” some Advaitin Teachers will leave it at that until more of the seven steps are completed. For you, more can now be shared.

First, expand upon yesterday’s sleeping/not sleeping example in order to move to a deeper understanding. See that “You” are still there in the sleep state even if body awareness is not. Via consciousness, all experiences take place, but as the Absolute, there is no “one” to even “have experiences.” (Talk about “freedom” and “peace”!)

The senses function via consciousness, but no sensations exist as the Absolute. Consider: if you lose an arm, are You still you? Yes. Both arms? Yes, You’re still You. And both legs? Yes, You Are still You. What about after heart replacement? Yes, You Are still You.

WHO (or WHAT) is that which is aware if Your You-ness Which Is, beyond bodily presence? WHO (or WHAT) is that which is answering “Yes”? WHO (or WHAT) is that Real You that is aware of ItSelf even after body identification is abandoned…even after self-ness is exposed as being nothing more than fiction?

After seeing that You Are not the body, see next that You Are also not the manifested consciousness that is dependent upon a three-dimensional space in order to manifest. Is it not obvious how truly infantile the belief is that Reality is limited to that which is three-dimensional?

Is it clear that nothing which takes itself to be three-dimensional can understand that which is beyond three dimensions and beyond five senses? Are you realizing that even the sense of presence, once identified with three dimensions and five senses, will also obstruct the understanding of what is Real?

Not a day went by, while walking along deer trails during the two forest years, that birds weren’t flushed from their perches. They would fly some twenty or thirty yards away and land on another limb, moving away from what they sensed to be a threat to the continuation of their presence. They had no understanding of that which is beyond the three-dimensional but they were aware of a sense of presence. Wanting to continue that sense of presence, they experienced fear and desire.

But the birds did not experience any attachment to the fear, getting over being startled very quickly and then moving on in peace throughout the relative existence. While those bird-bodies-cum-consciousness were aware of self, they were incapable of being aware of Self, and need not be since they have not been burdened with the illusions of a “mind” and “memories.”

Such is not the case with persons who want to “move on in peace throughout the relative existence.” Because of programming and conditioning and the resulting “mind,” persons become attached to the body-cum-consciousness, accepting that as their “true identity” and thereafter being burdened with desires and fears (which they do attach to).

Peace can only happen with persons if false identities and the “mind” are transcended. Only is no longer absorbed in self, and only if free of identification with the manifested consciousness, and only if free of all that is invoked by that sense of presence and that body-cum-consciousness, can persons Realize and thereafter move on in peace.

So that covers the false identities which must be abandoned before You can find Your “true identity.” Now, consider: (1) What is that You which is neither the body nor the accidental, spontaneous manifestation of consciousness? (2) Where were You during the days prior to conception? That is, where were You prior to the manifestation of consciousness?

As noted on several occasions, Szent-Gyorgyi said, “What drives life is … a little electric current, set up by the sunshine.” If persons do not understand the simple, basis scientific facts concerning fornication, impregnation, and the grouping and un-grouping of elements, then they will be foolish enough to believe anything.

That foolishness can include belief in concepts such as “an everlasting body,” such as “being a gift from God,” such as “pre-existence and sacred contracts,” and such as any of the other dreamed-up nonsense that charlatans have used for millenia in order to control the masses, to gain access to their money, to have sex with virgins and then kill/”sacrifice” them, as well as all of the rest of the nonsense that fools accept as fact.

Do you understand? If you would find the answers to questions “1” and “2” above, you must find your “True Identity” which is “Your Permanent Identity”…not some temporary identity assumed or assigned during a phenomenal experience that involves the appearance of an elemental plant food body-cum-consciousness, chemicals, light, images, and a plethora of other misperceived appearances as well.

Identification with the Absolute rather than with the manifest consciousness is a shift toward Reality. Yet post-manifestation, Awareness is not even aware of awareness. Remember the pointer that "the only reason that things appear to be different is the variance in vibrational rates"? Temporary identification with The Absolute allows bliss to happen. Why?

As the Absolute, all vibrations are undisturbed. That is peace. That is freedom from disturbance. Such freedom and peace can only happen during the relative existence if the relative existence happens while abiding as the Absolute. That is the ultimate mode of AS IF living...abiding as the Absolute.

Understand that and then You will also understand that, ultimately, there's no identity to be concerned with at all. You can function as Awareness without conscious of-ness and even without aware of-ness, right now, if you Realize Fully. What would be worth being aware of if all involved with the relative existence is nothing more than one misperceived appearance after another anyway...if all of the sturm und drang of persons is really much ado about nothing anyway?

The egotistical will hate the emotions which that pointer invokes; the reasonable will enjoy the relief it evokes. So it is. Please enter the silence of contemplation.
READINGS RELATED TO TODAY’S TOPIC:

Click THE ESSENCE OF THE TEACHINGS

and

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

and

Click CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS (The Nature of Reality Beyond SELF-Realization)

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POINTERS ON CONSCIOUSNESS FOR “ADVANCED SEEKERS,” Part One

FROM A SITE VISITOR: Apologies for the length of this e-mail but there are several points I am requesting you clarify. After reading FROM THE I TO THE ABSOLUTE, I thought I “had it”—had a clear understanding of self and Self and “how all functions”. Now, reading CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS, I’m seeing I really didn’t understand as much as I thought. You quote your teacher who seems to contradict himself (and I know that can’t be the case) but in one quote he says that the consciousness is in the juice of the body but he also says that the consciousness never comes or goes but only appears to have come. Then, when the discussion turns to Awareness, he says that the Absolute is my “true identity” prior to the appearance of the body-cum-consciousness. I no longer conclude that your pointers or his are self-contradictory--you’ve made clear the difference in paradoxes and contradictions. I also know the difference in pointers offered for beginners and pointers reserved for the “advanced seeker”. Still, I am requesting further explanation regarding the above, especially after so much talk of “cycles” and “cycling”. Thank you. Steven

F.: Hello again, Steven. First, the term “advanced seeker” can be used in the discussion as long as it is clear that the reference is to seekers who have completed most of the seven steps on the “journey” to Reality and as long as it is clear that there is really no “journey,” no “path,” and nowhere to go since You already Are That which you seek.

1. Today’s post will focus on the consciousness is in the juice of the body. Take “the body” to refer not merely to a human body but to the body of a leafy plant or the body of an acorn or the body of a bird as well. Consider the body of a leafy plant. The following pointer was posted earlier:

A plant will change the direction of its leaves by a micro-degree each day before sunrise in order to maximize the amount of light that it can gather during the daylight hours. It knows—is conscious of the fact—that the sun will rise at a slightly different point on the horizon each morning. At night, the energy moves to the lower regions of the plant and is “at rest,” and as the plant “awakens,” the energy moves back up and throughout the plant and makes its pre-sunrise adjustments.

So the consciousness “in the juices of the body” points to the chemical aspect of the functioning of consciousness. When Awareness that is not aware of itself manifests as consciousness which can be aware of itself (and which, if pure, can be aware of itSelf), nothing more than a natural, chemical process is happening. Compare that to the chemistry involved with photography:

In the 1990’s, a photography business that was owned required the use of film each day. Film is actually just a strip of plastic with a chemical coating applied to its surface. That plastic-cum-chemical was exposed to light and was “developed” with more chemicals. Next, paper that was also coated with chemicals was exposed to light and placed in more chemicals in order to generate a print. The process allowed images to “appear” on paper. Similarly with humans, perceiving—and misperceiving—involve a body-cum-consciousness, chemicals, light, images, and appearances.

The act of a human holding a photograph and supposedly perceiving another person, or even supposedly perceiving an image of another person, is happening because of the juice of the photo chemicals and because of the consciousness in the juice of the body. Yet what is thought to be seen is not what is being seen at all. All of the illusions and delusions addressed by the Advaita Teachings are subsequent to an accidental, spontaneous chemical process involving consciousness and juices.

In the case of the photo, a person is actually viewing a series of tightly-compressed dots. The more dots per square inch, the clearer the image seems to be. Yet it is just a set of dots that are mistakenly taken to be something that they are not. They are not “the real thing” and they are certainly not that which was “behind” the image. (Use a magnifying glass to look closely at a full-page picture in a magazine for evidence: even when people know they are seeing something that is not real, they can still miss what is real “behind” or “beyond” the image.)

The more relevant pointer involving this “consciousness and juice” topic, however, is this: the warped consciousness cannot perceive “the real thing.” Awareness is “the real thing” that is “behind” any perceptions that the warped-by-faulty-programming-consciousness only thinks it is perceiving.

What the warped-by-faulty-programming-consciousness thinks it is seeing is all merely one image after another. To the contrary, the pure or re-purified consciousness can understand That Which Is beyond all the images and misperceptions and delusions that persons mistakenly take to be real. The pure or re-purified consciousness can be aware of itSelf (that is, its presence) as well as That Which Is beyond beingness and non-beingness.

In comparison, when humans-cum-warped-consciousness think that they are seeing something, nothing more than a chemical process is happening as a result of the consciousness manifested via the juices. There is a physical, chemical process under way; additionally, there is also an unnatural cause behind that act by which non-Realized persons think that they are certain of what they are seeing when they are not seeing that at all. Persons only misperceive.

As far as any relationship between “The Consciousness” and “me,” understand that the “me” is a misperception which appears in consciousness after it has been corrupted with misinformation. Understand, too, that--as long as the juices-cum-corrupted-consciousness are flowing through the human body--anything supposedly witnessed by a "third party observer" is a misperception. Meaning?

Meaning that no subject-object witnessing is truly Pure Witnessing. The pure conscious presence can be aware of its presence…that’s all. The pure, non-dual consciousness is not aware of “this” or “that.” Among the Realized, there is no belief that (1) a subject is viewing an object or (2) that a third party can view a subject as it views an object. Such would be an act in duality, and all supposed dualities are illusion. Knower-known-knowing is a triad appearing to be real but that is also just a faulty misperception. Why?

Because the recognition of presence that can happen via the pure consciousness becomes misdirected when exposed to faulty programming and conditioning. Programming and conditioning can lead the warped consciousness to assume a sense of separation, can lead the warped consciousness to assume the role of a subject witnessing an object, or can led the warped consciousness to assume the role of a third party observer and take subjects and objects to be real when they are not "The Real" at all.

Subject-object witnessing is only one of two levels of witnessing. The pure consciousness merely witnesses its own presence. There is nothing else to witness, Really. Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
READINGS RELATED TO TODAY’S TOPIC:

Click THE ESSENCE OF THE TEACHINGS

and

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

and

Click CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS (The Nature of Reality Beyond SELF-Realization)

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AWARENESS/CONSCIOUSNESS, Follow-Up

FROM A SITE VISITOR: I’ll grant that the explanation of consciousness/awareness over the last few days was clearer than any I’ve read, but I’m more inclined to seek the scientific view, always. I read an article on your other website and it said that Maharaj said that science would some day affirm the content of the teachings he offered. How about a bottomline explanation from that viewpoint. Alfred

F.: OK:

In the expanse of space, energy can move via wave and/or particle form. Subatomic particles of specialized energy exist and are moving through that expanse freely. Because the expanse is so vast (limitless in fact), the particles are not forced together into large-quantity clusters or groupings of energy within that space. Consciousness only happens when large-quantity clusters or groupings of energy occur in compact spaces with nervous systems. Otherwise, the background of Awareness IS and energy is moving without confinement in that vast space labeled "the Absolute"; however, by definition at least, "consciousness" capable of being conscious of (as a result of manifestation) is not. Awareness is, even when there is no "one" to be conscious of.

[Another visitor also wrote yesterday to ask, "Isn't consciousness all there is?" Yes, if you want to accept that there are levels of consciousness ranging from "pure and unadulterated" to "totally corrupted" and modalities of consciousness ranging from "manifested" or "not manifested." Then you would consider some levels of consciousness to be "pure and unmanifested" and some levels of consciousness to be "manifest and soon-to-be corrupted." Next, you would likely speak of "the THAT state" as opposed to "the I AM state." If you take that stance, then you have to conclude that "sticky" and "stickiness" are the same. In the no-concept, non-dual Reality, the conclusion above can be valid. The discussion of Awareness/Consciousness is only mentioned in the last book in the Advaita series of books that are offered on this site because an understanding of Awareness/Consciousness is only "relevant" if it guides seekers to the total freedom, during the relative existence, which manifests if abidance happens not as the consciousness but as the unadulterated Awareness or the Absolute.]

Now, back to Alfred's request. As the energy particles move, some enter the atmosphere of earth and strike plants and begin to gather there. In that limited space, the particles of specialized energy (energy able to be conscious of if manifested in something with a nervous system) gather into “tighter” groupings as a result of manifesting in a limited, confined space. Advaitins point to that happening as “the manifestation of consciousness.”

Thus, the term “the manifestation of consciousness” really points to nothing more than a spontaneously-occurring gathering of atomic and subatomic particles of specialized energy into a compact grouping. Consciousness happens only when larger groupings of particles of this specialized energy come together in a “tighter” cluster and in a more confined space than occurs in the vast space of unmanifested energy-awareness. Here's another analogy which can illustrate the "different while not being different" aspect of the Awareness/Consciousness discussion.

Consider an ice cube "versus" water vapor. Really, the ice cube/water vapor is "not two," just as "I AM THAT"/"I AM" is "not two" and as "consciousness/awareness" is "not two." Yet "aspects" exist. When H20 atoms are compacted and close together in a smaller space, water can take on the appearance of "a cube." When quantities of H20 are subjected to intense heat, water can take on the appearance of "vapor." The cube takes on an aspect of being fixed, confined, restricted. The vapors, on the other hand, are free to move about over a far broader area. The "cube" seems confined in a small space; the "vapors" seem free.

Consider the manifested consciousness to be "the cube" (confined and compacted) and the awareness to be "the vapor" (free and not compacted). The discussion of consciousness/awareness then becomes nothing more than a discussion about location and density. The same is true of the discussion of "THAT"/"AM-ness." Located "here" with an aspect of density? Consciousness. Located "there" with no aspect of density? Awareness.

As a side note to this cycling of energy, do you see, therefore, why the concept of “death” is given no credibility by the Realized, much less any “concern”? It is understood by the Realized that what persons call “death” is merely the unmanifesting of consciousness, is merely the releasing of compact groupings of energy that are just “ungrouping” and being “freed up” to move about in a wider, less-limited (actually infinite) space, exactly as prior to manifestation. That "ungrouping" and "releasing" of energy from a confined space (called "death" by persons) is a totally meaningless happening except to the corrupted consciousness that believes in the distorted, dualistic concepts of "good vs. bad" and "right vs." wrong" and some subsequent "punishment vs. reward" of a body-mind-personality triad with eternal continuity. In fact, only the energy is infinite and eternal; the body and "mind" and personality are illusory phenomena that are finite and temporary.

So that which persons refer to as “the moment of death” is really just the unmanifestation process whereby those larger groupings of energy particles in a confined space are freed from that space and enter into an expansive, unlimited energy field or space (called “The Absolute” in order to emphasize the pure and unadulterated state of the energy while in that space). By “relocating” from a confined space called “the human body,” for example, those elementary particles can group together in that vast and expansive ocean of energy; however, they will group into smaller gatherings and into fewer configurations since they are not being compacted into a small space.

During the process whereby consciousness unmanifests, therefore, particles of energy are merely “spreading out” or "being freed from ‘confinement’ in a compact space." After being freed from the confines of a relatively small space with a nervous system—such as a plant or a plant food body (which persons dualistically call "a human" or "an animal" or "a bird")—the energy moves into the limitless expanse of The Absolute and the particles “move apart.” In that freed-up space, the essence of Reality (Awareness) IS.

Now, are you also seeing that though the cycles are natural happenings, the manifesting of consciousness is actually, on one level, a very unnatural event? Why? That which is normally and naturally free to move about in an unrestrained environment and in an unrestricted manner is temporarily not free to function in that manner. Manifested consciousness, as the physicist will understand, is actually "restricted" and "restrained" when compared to the "normal" state of particles of energy which move about in a limitless field or space. Compare (a) the unrestricted movement of light waves moving instantly from the sun to the moon and reflecting off that surface with (b) the restricted movement of conscious-energy striking one synapse after another within the limited space of a human brain.

Here is another side note for the advanced seeker: the essence (awareness) is always in the background, even as consciousness is manifested. That awareness in the background can account for the disconcerting notion generated by the "trapped" and "confined" manifest consciousness that results in persons sensing that "I am not free" and "I need to be free" and "I long for more freedom," all of which mark the relative existence and that happen as long as consciousness is manifested and as long as abidance is happening as that consciousness rather than as the Absolute. Are you understanding why the corrupted consciousness, and even abidance as the Self-Realized consciousness, can never produce a sense of true freedom? The "journey" to true freedom does not end at the point of Self-Realization, and to transmit that fact is the only reason this discussion is warranted.

Awareness is beyond both consciousness being manifested and consciousness not being manifested. Thus Consciousness is what allows consciousness of to happen, but Awareness is why the Consciousness can happen. Consciousness, while manifested via a temporary combination of physical elements, has no independent existence apart from its fundamental background of Awareness. (Does that ultimately mean that "sticky" = "stickiness"? Or, is "stickiness" the essence of something that is "sticky"? "Sticky" can only happen when physical elements temporarily combine. "Stickiness," though, is permanent and forever. Ultimately, it's all definition, all thorns that can be used to remove thorns, and you know that the thorns are all to be tossed eventually. All else should fall into the realm of "entertainment." So only for the sake of entertainment, Alfred, will the response to your request continue.)

When the previously pure energy manifests in humans, it is soon subjected to programming, conditioning, and enculturation. “Minds” form and the endless chatter of “thoughts” soon follows, all because specialized energy gathered into a limited space. The more that electrons accumulate into a natural coherence within a confined space and the more that conscious-energy takes itself to be “a human”, the more frequently will abstract "thoughts" occur and the more frequently they will continue on a large-scale basis once personas are accepted as true identities.

By contrast, when single or elementary particles or coherent groups of energy-capable-of-being-conscious-of come together, smaller-scale abstract "thoughts" in consciousness happen. When the energy is totally “free” and is not gathered into large groups that are confined within relatively small spaces with nervous systems and is not bastardized with programming, then no thoughts occur...but awareness remains. (That is the way that AS IF Living happens: You Are Aware, but there are no "thoughts," no "mind," no separation, no sense of confinement, no fighting with others who are not as "good" as your ego-states and egotism convince you that you are, and no chatter of a thousand monkeys inside your head.)

The manifested particles of energy can be freed of close confinement and compacting via the unmanifesting of consciousness. Prior to that, it is possible that particles of energy can be freed of the distorting effects of programming and conditioning and enculturation via the Full Realization process. Then, the energy can function in the pure and free and uncorrupted manner in which it functioned prior to consciousness, prior to manifestation, and prior to being corrupted.

Awareness Is, without consciousness of subject and objects and without consciousness of any "thing" and without consciousness of some "thing." After "The Nothingness" is understood, You Are the same as the "Awareness Is": just being and just aware. The effects of compacted, manifested consciousness can be transcended and the manifested energy can function as pure, free, unconfined, unlimited awareness instead. So there it is in its scientific cloak, Alfred. Now the invitation is to please enter the silence of contemplation.

TOMORROW: More on de-accumulation.

CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS, Part Four, The Conclusion

FROM A SITE VISITOR: Please explain consciousness as opposed to awareness. Thank you. Harish

[The discussion continues by referencing the picture posted on 3 May 2007. Please review the picture before continuing.]

F.: But all of the happenings in the picture's background of unicity, as well as all of the supposed happenings that are occurring via the manifested, dualistic consciousness in the foreground, are only possible because of the energy of the sunlight breaking through the clouds in the background. Without that background energy which is manifesting in the plants, nothing in the foreground could be happening. (As Szent-Gyorgyi said: “What drives life is…a little electric current, set up by the sunshine.”) Consciousness could not happen except for the background of Awareness, but Awareness IS, whether consciousness is manifested or not and whether consciousness of “this” or “that” is happening or not. Similarly, “stickiness” exists, even after the elements that form the glue stick return to the original pool of elements.

At the atomic and sub-atomic levels of matter/energy as “clouds” and “mountains” and “trees” in the background, Awareness IS. Yet there is no “one” that is conscious of anything. So it is when the temporarily manifested conscious-energy unmanifests and is subsequently “re-absorbed” into that unmanifested field of The Absolute.

Note too that in the foreground, many things seem significant: a delivery must be made on time; people must be at work on time; and food must be purchased in the mercato and consumed in order for the consciousness to remain manifested in the physical space. In the background, however, everything is merely cycling and nothing matters at all: clouds come and go; mountains that had formed will someday crumble; and trees that are rising will one day fall. So it is when abidance happens as the Absolute: what happens will happen, yet “the insignificant” is never misperceived as “significant.” That faulty perception that results in the insignificant being considered significant only happens via warped consciousness, via assumption of personas, and via the emotional intoxication that personas generate.

Revisiting the second analogy (the glue stick), take “sticky” to be a relative existence attribute of the elements combining as "glue" but take “stickiness” to be the underlying essence of glue; similarly, take Awareness to be the underlying essence of Reality that is beyond the relative and beyond attributes. Take “stickiness” to be the actual “identity” of the temporarily manifested elements called “glue,” and take Awareness to be the actual “identity” of that which is temporarily manifested and called Consciousness. Just as scientists discuss the various “forms of energy,” take Consciousness to be a form of the originally pure, unadulterated energy which manifests and which then becomes impure and adulterated as the consciousness is programmed and conditioned and enculturated.

If that is understood, and if it is understood how consciousness is corrupted, then it also becomes understood why seekers need a guide (or a guidebook with clear-cut directions, or both). As explained earlier…

…here is why the seeker must transition seven steps in order to realize: In the limitless expanse of energy called “The Absolute,” that energy which has the ability to be aware of, if manifested, is uncontaminated, unconditional, unconditioned, unqualified, unlimited, pure, unadulterated, and unambiguous. When the consiousness manifests in the space called “a human,” programming and conditioning and enculturation soon result in it being contaminated, conditioned, impure, adulterated, and ambiguous. That contaminating process results in seven degrees of separation from Reality, in seven degrees of separation from awareness of What the consciousness Truly Is, and from awareness of its original, unadulterated nature. Seven steps were involved in the-graduated-bastardization-of-consciousness process, so seven steps of re-purification must happen if the consciousness is to be restored to its natural, non-dual, no-concept, unadulterated state.

Only after Self-Realization can the movement to the next level happen, which is abidance not merely as the (re-purified) Consciousness but as the Absolute. This is often missed: even Self-Realization is not the end of the “journey.” That is why protégés have been encouraged to understand the post-Realization Teachings as presented in CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS: The Nature of Reality Beyond Self-Realization (Peace Every Day When Abiding as The Absolute). Even after having read From the I to the Absolute, even after completing the seven-step journey to reality, and even after Self-Realization, there is no guarantee of unwavering peace unless the Consciousness/Awareness is understood in order to abide as The Absolute for the remainder of the manifestation.

Even the Self-Realized, abiding as the re-purified consciousness, will experience instability since all consciousness must necessarily involve some element of duality, conscious of-ness being inescapable in that abidance. Absolute stabilization can only happen via abidance as the Absolute whereby Awareness happens without any "one" thinking there is someone or something that is present and able to be “aware of”: Realization is four steps beyond “The Religious One” and “The Spiritual One,” and awareness is even beyond that One which knows the unicity and which knows the beingness and the non-beingness. Abidance as the consciousness guarantees that duality will never be forfeited completely. Only the Awareness is “One” without any “one.” Consciousness can know the "not two." Awareness is the absolute "not two." If you stay alert to the reality of "not two-ness," then for the sake of discussion you might take consciousness to be the essence of beingness, the re-purified consciousness to be the essence of non-beingness, and awareness to be the essence of the Reality beyond both beingness and non-beingness.

Now, Harish, all that having been said, return to the original pointer: in the no-concept, non-dual Reality, there is no "one thing as opposed to some other thing." Therefore, the Advaitin understands that "I AM THAT; I AM" can be stated and understood without any sense of duality at all. So can "Consciousness/Awareness." Please enter the silence of contemplation.

CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS, Part Three

FROM A SITE VISITOR: Please explain consciousness as opposed to awareness. Thank you. Harish

F.: The excerpt from the book, CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS: The Nature of Reality Beyond Self-Realization (Peace Every Day When Abiding as The Absolute), continues and the picture referred to is in the 3 May 2007 post:

Please review the picture posted yesterday. Next, for purposes of illustration, take the foreground in the picture to represent the I-Amness and the background to be the I AM THAT-ness. Take the foreground to represent Consciousness and the background to represent Awareness. Note that consciousness involves being conscious of (something) so consciousness is always, ultimately, about duality: “this” is conscious of “that.” (Thus, the seeker who thinks he/she is Fully Realized and is the unicity because he/she knows the True Self is mistaken. That seeker might be Self-Realized, but That Which Truly Is is beyond self-ness, Self-ness, beingness, non-beingness, and realizing. It is even beyond “conscious of-ness.”)

PLEASE NOTE: The (Peace Every Day When Abiding as The Absolute) referred to in the aforementioned title manifests when abidance “beyond conscious of-ness” happens. The relative existence comparison offered by Advaitins is "the deep sleep metaphor" wherein peace happens beyond relative consciousness. (Compare the “beyond conscious of-ness” to the awareness of the body’s need that automatically, spontaneously keeps the heart and the lungs functioning even as there is no “one” present to consciously “do” that. Also, understand the automatic, spontaneous functioning in order to understand how your relative existence can happen with no illusion of a “do-er” being present and with abidance happening even beyond conscious of-ness. That happens when abidance as the Absolute happens.)

To continue with the discussion of the picture from yesterday, the doingness in the foreground is marked by consciousness and a sense of duality. Persons unaware of the unicity believe that they are conscious of some vast multiplicity of things: houses, roads, crops, intersections, buses, mercatos, etc. In the background of the picture, which includes trees and clouds and mountains and sky and sunlight, there is no sense of duality. Why? There is no “one” to be conscious of anything, yet there is awareness. In what way is “Awareness without Conscious of-ness” present in the background?

Observe that there appears to be a variety of “cloud” formations, but see that “the clouds” are not the real. What is “real,” for the sake of this example, is H20. As for awareness, a series of two hydrogen atoms are aware of an oxygen atom, but there is no “one” that is present to be conscious of anything. Awareness is just happening, so Awareness is not dualistic in its nature. (Yes, this explanation is beyond what has been offered on the site to some seekers who were not ready for this level of discussion. By virtue of the fact that Harish asked, there is evidence that he might be.)

The H20 can manifest in various "forms" or "spaces" which persons try to separate with labeling into “rain, rivers, lakes, clouds, vapor, water, snow, snowmen, snowballs, snow cones, snow flurries, snow flakes, snow piles, slush, ice, steam, lakes, pools, waterfalls, streams, fog, ponds, hail, drizzle, floods, mist, swamps, oceans, seas,” ad infinitum, but it’s really all one thing, all H20, merely appearing to be different. (See why persons live in the delusion of duality? See why persons are not "in the world" and why "the world" is in them...in their wrongly-perceiving "minds" that take what they think they see to be real and that try to support "differentiation" through labeling?)

Similarly, consciousness can manifest via the spaces labeled as "plants, animals, humans, birds," etc., and though it’s really all consciousness manifested, it appears to the non-Realized to be multiple and different things. For any perception of rain, rivers, plants, or animals to happen, conscious of-ness must also happen, and as a result of inaccurate suppositions rooted in distorted perception, the illusion of duality manifests.

(Again, it should be seen why it is frequently repeated on this site that, ultimately, there is no “goal” of abiding as Consciousness. For full freedom to happen during the manifestation of consciousness, abidance must happen as the Absolute.)

As with the “atoms as clouds,” whereby awareness can happen without any “one” being conscious of, so it is as the Absolute. Awareness is, even as there is no “one” to be aware of. Thus Awareness involves no duality. To use the second analogy, the glue is considered “sticky” as it adheres one thing to another (so it is dualistic in its very nature) but that which is independent and eternal is the glue's fundamental essence of “stickiness” (which is non-dual in its nature).

In both the foreground and the background of the picture from yesterday, everything is merely happening; however, in the foreground where consciousness has been corrupted, consciousness takes itself to be something it is not and leads persons to believe that they are making things happen and that they are seeing separate things. Persons are taking themselves to be “do-ers,” are lacking an understanding of the unicity, and are, therefore, strapped with delusional thinking generated by an illusory "mind."

So Harish, are you beginning to understand why you were advised that “in the no-concept, non-dual reality, there is nothing ‘opposed to’ anything else” but that your question could be addressed by discussing the supposed “attributes” of Awareness and Consciousness? Glue sticks and Scotch tape and Post-It Notes can be discussed; while manifested, they can each exhibit the "attribute" of being sticky; but someday the atrophy process will happen and those elements will return to the universal pool of elements. Then, what remains? Not glue sticks and Scotch tape and Post-It Notes but only “stickiness.”

Now, please understand what can and what cannot happen with the Post-It Notes in order to understand what cycles and what does not. If you understand this, then you can be free of nonsensical beliefs such as the Dalai Lama's “New Orleans was struck by Hurricane Katrina because of the bad (dualistic) karma of the people” or such nonsense as “Harish is going to cycle and cycle and cycle again, until he gets it right (duality)”:

it could be that millions of old Post-It Notes might be processed through a pulper that chops the paper into small bits and then heats them in a mixture that breaks them down into fibrous strands of cullulose (which is merely organic plant material). Then, the pulp can be screened and, if necessary, de-inked and color-stripped. After bleaching, that can be processed in a manner that results in it again taking the form of paper which can, in turn, take the form of Post-It Notes again. But what cycled? The organic elements. Are these the same Post-It Notes that existed before? Of course not. Will all Post-It Notes be recycled? No. Can their “form” end permanently? Yes. Can the organic material used to make paper be destroyed? No.

If recycled, it is the same organic material which can cycle into a form that appears to be the same, but that material could as easily take the form and appearance of a legal pad, a magazine, or a book. (That is how trillions upon trillions of "humans and animals and birds" have cycled into and out of manifested form on the planet while the planet has experienced zero-gain and zero-loss: organic material is merely being cycled, and it all happens with a speck of energy manifesting via plants. In the relative, you are what you eat and nothing more. It happens spontaneously with no master-control or Master-control involved. With condolences to those who take themselves or their offspring to be "gifts from God," what is really going on, and on-going, is a simple and natural organic happening, not a supernatural happening.)

Conscious-energy cycles (or not) in the same manner as the Post-It Notes. In the case of the legal pad, the magazine or the book, the attribute of "being sticky" would not happen, yet “stickiness” still remains though the original "sticky note paper" does not remain in its previous form. (Dennis Waite makes this clear by noting that those who are inpeccable with their words will talk of "tably wood," not of a "wooden table.") Do you grasp fully the functioning of the totality? Do you understand completely what cycles, how it cycles, what does not cycle, what remains forever, and what is only temporarily manifested? Please enter the silence of contemplation. (Tomorrow: The Conclusion)

CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS, Part Two

FROM A SITE VISITOR: Please explain consciousness as opposed to awareness. Thank you. Harish

F.: Hello, again, Harish. Now the discussion begun in Tuesday’s post will continue. In the no-concept, non-dual reality, there is nothing “opposed to” anything else, but the terms are pointers used in explanations of energy manifested, energy not manifested, pure energy, corrupted energy, and energy unmanifested. Know first, though, that since reality is non-dual, consciousness/awareness is not two, just as I Am/I Am That is not two. That said, “attributes” can nevertheless be pointed to for the sake of discussion and understanding.

In the consideration offered in the 1 May 2007 post, did you find an understanding in the “light analogy”? Those who missed the analogy can review this summary:

A storm approached; skies darken. Along a walkway, lights on posts came on automatically. Water puddled and the lights cast diagonal reflections that appeared to become a thousand smaller lights. The reflections were not the real light, were they? The appearance of a thousand different lights was also a misperception. The actual light fixtures in the background were the source of the perceived perceptions, but they are only a temporary combination of elements that happened as a result of human conduct. Ultimately, behind/beyond the light bulb and the supposed reflections and the supposed smaller lights was a form of energy that actually allowed the entire scene to happen.

In that analogy, the bulb temporarily Is because of human behavior, just as an act of friction involving two humans made possible the temporary Is-ness of the short-term manifestation of consciousness presently being called “Harish.” Because that bulb (consciousness) Is, the reflections seem to be. Yet neither the consciousness (bulb) nor the perceived reflections are real; that is, neither are That Which Is permanent. The bulb (consciousness) will someday not be as the elements combined as the space called "a bulb" will return to the pool of universal elements. When the consciousness (bulb) is manifested no more, then the reflections that only appear to be real will no longer be perceived at all. What remains? The energy that made possible the temporarily manifested consciousness (the lit bulb), which had made it possible for false reflections to seem real and which made it possible for the false smaller lights to seem real.

That Which Is behind and beyond the bulb—the Awareness—allowed the consciousness to be temporarily manifested. The temporary manifestation of consciousness generated the temporary misperceptions. Thus: “Those alone who understand that I, the Absolute, am beyond the states of being and non-being realize my true nature, and all others are fools.”

Here's another analogy that might provide more clarify for some seekers regarding the nature of reality beyond Self-Realization:

Consider glue sticks. Happenings by humans result in elements being combined and result in the temporary manifestation of glue sticks. Glue can be described as “sticky” but, ultimately, “stickiness” is why it can be sticky. Similarly, Consciousness is what allows consciousness of to happen, but Awareness is why the Consciousness can happen. (To extend the metaphor, and possibly the understanding, Awareness is the “stickiness” that allows the sticky glue of Consciousness to happen. The sticky glue is temporary; "stickiness" is the nature of the glue that is eternal.)

NOTE: The full treatment of this subject matter is book-length. All aspects of Consciousness/Awareness are explained completely in the soon-to-be-released book, CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS: The Nature of Reality Beyond Self-Realization (Peace Every Day When Abiding as The Absolute). For now, here’s an excerpt from the book, which is only for those who have already Self-Realized. The “glue stick” passages might provide some clarity for you:

Realize that glue, while a temporary combination of physical elements, has no independent and eternal existence apart from that fundamental background of “stickiness.” Similarly, Consciousness, while manifested via a temporary combination of physical elements, has no independent existence apart from its fundamental background of Awareness.

To illustrate, look at this picture taken from a window of the apartment used during stays in Tuscany:

In the foreground, preparation is being made to harvest crops; a new house is being built; some people are driving to work; down the road to the right, people are waiting to catch the local bus to the mercato in nearby Villafranca; someone is making a delivery in the white van approaching from the right. In the foreground part of the picture, drivers are conscious of obstacles and intersections and traffic signs and lane markers. It appears that there are do-ers and it seems that they are doing. Take the background to include the portion illustrating trees, mountains, clouds and sky. Beingness, rather than doingness, appears to be happening there.

Now, you’re invited to study the picture and (a) determine the ways in which the foreground might represent Consciousness manifest and (b) determine what the background might reveal about Awareness. Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)

CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS, Part One

FROM A SITE VISITOR: Please explain consciousness as opposed to awareness. Thank you. Harish

F.: Hello, Harish. In the no-concept, non-dual reality, there is nothing “opposed to” anything else, but the terms you mention can be used post-Realization to allow seekers to understand the nature of reality beyond Self-Realization.

An out-of-town group of some 40 seekers has asked for a discussion of “The Illusions of Mind and Personality,” so it will be Thursday before your question can be addressed. In preparation, please consider the following:

From the third-floor balcony early last evening as a storm approached, the skies were seen to darken. Walkways cross the green terrace that leads down to the lake, and all along their path, soccer ball-sized lights are mounted on two foot posts to illuminate the way. As the remaining daylight was blocked by the heavy clouds, the bulbs inside the fixtures were seen to come on automatically. As water puddled in the walkways, the lights began to cast diagonal reflections of themselves that appeared to be two to three-feet in length. Those golden lines of reflected light glistened in the water and appeared to become a thousand smaller lights, twinkling as the raindrops began to splatter into the gathered pools.

As you consider consciousness/awareness, find a message in that happening. The reflections were not the real light, were they? The appearance of a thousand different things was also a misperception. If you had been there and looked beyond the reflection, you would have seen the actual light fixtures in the background. Too, you would have understood that there was something even beyond that which was housing the light, namely, a form of energy. No one had to tell that energy how to behave in order for the light and reflections to appear. It just all happened automatically. In preparation for the discussion later this week, consider what that analogy might reveal to you about consciousness/awareness. Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued Thursday)

CONSCIOUSNESS IS, Part Two

FROM A SITE VISITOR: there’s all these contradictions, the part I don’t get is “there’s only consciousness” but at the same time “in the Absolute state there is no one to be consciousness of anything.” Then Maharaj talked about “even in the sleep state the consciousness still is conscious” but at the same time “even in the Absolute state there is consciousness or awareness but no one to be aware of it.” Then, “neither matter nor energy can be created nor destroyed” but “this is finite while that is infinite.” Help! BraD

F.: So an attribute of conscious-energy is an ability to be conscious of, and that can happen whether manifested via a space called a “plant,” a “bird,” a “human,” an “animal” or even if not manifested at all. Too often this is not understood: consciousness is, whether it is conscious of itself or not, yet it must be conscious of something to be consciousness. You might say, “I understand that conscious-energy can be conscious of itself if manifested in a space with a nervous system, but how—if unmanifested—can consciousness be 'conscious of' something without being conscious of itself?” To understand, consider the functioning of the subatomic particles of an atom:

One attribute of the subatomic particles at the core of atoms—the electrons, protons and neutrons—is that they are conscious of each other and function spontaneously in certain ways in relationship to each other…as do atoms as well. Electrons are conscious of a nucleus and swirl around it as if the two are dancing some subatomic dance together that is resulting from their “magnetic attraction” to each other. (The notion of manifested consciousness that the natural way for humans to behave when the consciousness is manifested via a “human space”—namely, to relate, to interact, to bond, and to break bonds, etc.—is subatomic in its nature.)

It’s all automatic, it’s all happening spontaneously, and it's all natural. No one teaches the electron to revolve around the nucleus…it’s natural. No one need teach humans to be "attracted to" each other; no one needs to teach a human to masturbate; no one needs teach two humans or two birds or two mammals to fornicate. It’s all natural. Only the bastardized “mind” (filled with all of its dualistic nonsense and the arrogant belief among persons that they have the right to manage the conduct of other humans and to control the bodies of others) will teach persons that it is unnatural to do what is natural: “Our dogma teaches that you can be supernatural (that is, super spiritual) if you do not do what is natural, because we believe that some natural things are actually unnatural!” Such a teaching provides an excellent example of how persons can be stripped of logic, how the consciousness can be programmed and corrupted, and how persons will end up behaving as fools.

Are you seeing how asleep persons are when programmed by their “leaders”? They can actually be taught that something which is completely natural is unnatural, they will then believe that something which is natural is unnatural, and then they will try their best thereafter to avoid behaving naturally. And in that process, they will be convinced that they are pleasing some supernatural entity by unnaturally avoiding the natural. That kind of learned ignorance, which bastardizes the consciousness and which thrives on blind faith, can produce either a nation of repressed, uptight and hypocritical persons or “an army of god” whose members are masochistic, sadistic, and suicidal. Such is the relative existence toll of corrupted consciousness and duality…and the subsequent unawareness of awareness.

Now, note the other ways that electrons reveal that they are conscious of: they can play a role in establishing chemical bonds, “A” being conscious of “B” and bonding with it. An ion from one atom can be transferred to another atom as all involved are conscious of each other. Electrons can also be shared between two or more atoms, so an electron in one atom can be conscious of other atoms, can interact with them, and can bond with them.

Is any “one” directing an electron’s behavior or orchestrating the way it conducts itself in relation to other particles about it? Of course not. Is consciousness present? Obviously. An electron can be conscious of an object (in this example, the nucleus around which it is spinning). Is any “one” present within the atomic substructure to be conscious of a subatomic particle’s consciousness of other particles? No. Even though no “one” is present to be conscious of consciousness, is consciousness present nevertheless? Obviously, yes.

At this very moment, there is a field of energy that can be called “the absolute” in which acts of consciousness are happening even without any self-consciousness. Take that to be a “pool” of energy or an “ocean” of energy or a “field” of energy or a “system” of energy. It doesn’t matter what term is used to point to that field, but know that it is limitless and infinite and boundless and omnipresent. Understand that transferences of energy can and do happen between a “system” of energy and adjacent regions and understand that energy can also undergo transformations.

Thus, energy moves in wave or particle form "into" the field, throughout the field, and (sometimes) "out of" the field and manifests. In the meantime, the consciousness is still consciousness and is still conscious of, even though it is not conscious of itself when not manifested in some space with a nervous system. Compare that to the manner in which consciousness functions as it operates your heart and lungs even during your "unconscious" state of sleep. You are not conscious of your self, but the consciousness is conscious of. That is a natural function, not taught and not learned. AS IF living happens exactly like that.

Also, see the examples on planet earth of such energy transferences and energy transformations: sunlight can strikes a human in a non-usable form, but if it strikes a plant, then the process of photosynthesis will transform that energy into a form that is usable by humans. That "transference" and "transformation" process facilitates the manifestation of consciousness. (See “photosynthesis,” July 31, 2005; August 13, 2005; December 23, 2005; May 24 and 26, 2006; August 26, 2006; December 8, 2006; February 26, 2007; March 24, 2007.) The ability of energy to undergo transformation and transference sets the stage for (a) a plant to transform energy which (b) can be consumed and can thus (c) be transferred and transformed within a human space. Yes, "We Are what we eat." Please enter the silence of contemplation. [To be continued]

“MIND” and MEMORIES: When Nature’s “Assets” Become Warped into “Liabilities,” Part Eight

Psychiatrists and psychotherapists attempt to treat mental illnesses. Realization offers the treatment for personality disorders.

FROM A SITE VISITOR: Loved your expression “brain-flush”?! Now that resonates. I’ve been visiting your site off-and-on since the early days - you did a piece one time on the brain and mind and consciousness but I can’t find it in the search. Can you tell me how to find that and then tie it in with “brain-flush”? LOL Thanks.

[Continued from yesterday]

F.: “Mind” and “personality” cannot be separated since the former generates belief in the latter. The latter, in turn, generates all emotional intoxication. [Search the site for “feelings” vs. “emotions.” The short version is, while the Realized can witness feelings rise and fall, only ego-states—only assumed personas—emote. When personas believe that they are experiencing some slight, hurt, threat or interference, a series of actions and reactions are inspired that trigger emotional intoxication as well as destructive and/or self-destructive behavior.] When persons are trapped in the agendas of their false roles, then emotions will always overwhelm cognitive functioning, so now a new pointer is available:

It has been seen that the “mind” can override the constructive functioning of the brain; now it is seen that persona-generated emotionalism can also subdue the manner in which nature had originally intended that the brain should function. Now the degree of wisdom behind the Advaitin pointer that one must relinquish identification with the “mind” and the personality as well as with the body becomes clear. Review the evolution of the brain in regards to this latest understanding:

Humanity functioned with a mind-less brain for thousands of years. The brain evolved, developing an area for storing memories and an organ that could retrieve memories. Those two areas of the brain were intended to help humanity survive and to behave constructively. No personas were taken to be identities.

As language developed, information being stored in the brain was less and less of the character of things observed and became filled more and more with the remembering of things told. To observe a friend who touched a burning log, to see his pain, to file away that memory, and to recall that memory when next in the presence of a burning log produced behavior that would be considered “sane.” To the contrary, to observe crops dying as a result of the lack of rain, and then to be told that the rain is being withheld by an angry god who wants a priest to fornicate with a virgin and who wants the priest to cut out her beating heart with a sharp-edged rock and pass it through the crowd during a commune-with-god service produced behavior that would be considered “insane.”

The result of thousands of years of being conditioned to believe in whatever one is told rather than witnessing objectively and believing in that which is observable and provable has resulted in a planet that is populated with masses of ...

This is an excerpt from the book
THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS “PEACE OF MIND”
(There Is Only Peace if You’re Out of Your Mind)

For information on the book, visit http://advaitavedantabooks.blogspot.com/

To order the book, visit
http://floydhenderson.com/order.htm
(You can use the Special Message box)

Please enter the silence of contemplation. [To be continued] For additional information, click

here

“MIND” and MEMORIES: When Nature’s “Assets” Become Warped into “Liabilities,” Part Five

The brain (which was intended by nature to function in a “sustain and preserve” capacity) has now been overridden by the “mind” (which is bent toward chaos, destruction, and self-destruction).

FROM A SITE VISITOR: Loved your expression “brain-flush”?! Now that resonates. I’ve been visiting your site off-and-on since the early days - you did a piece one time on the brain and mind and consciousness but I can’t find it in the search. Can you tell me how to find that and then tie it in with “brain-flush”? LOL Thanks.

[Continued from yesterday]

F.: To review, the brain (which was intended by nature to function in a “sustain and preserve” capacity) has now been overridden by the “mind” (which is bent toward chaos, destruction, and self-destruction). The parts of the brain that store and retrieve memories are overshadowing and overpowering all of the rest of the brain in determining how persons emote and behave. Historically, humankind in general attempted to take all necessary action to survive. That has changed.

Today ...

To continue, here are a couple of current examples of the “mind” overruling the brain, and the subsequent consequences:

1. The brain ...

It should be seen that all conduct that is considered harmful or destructive in the relative existence is a result of programmed and conditioned “minds” overriding the natural aspects of persons' brains. Therefore, all harmful or destructive conduct (relatively speaking) is based in that which is supernatural or in that which is unnatural ...

The “mind,” intended by nature to function in coordination with the brain in order to inspire sane, constructive, and self-constructive behavior (relatively speaking) now short-circuits the natural process and ...

This is an excerpt from the book
THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS “PEACE OF MIND”
(There Is Only Peace if You’re Out of Your Mind)

For information on the book, visit http://advaitavedantabooks.blogspot.com/

To order the book, visit
http://floydhenderson.com/order.htm
(You can use the Special Message box)

Please enter the silence of contemplation. [To be continued] For additional information, visit: http://www.floydhenderson.com/

“MIND” and MEMORIES: When Nature’s “Assets” Become Warped into “Liabilities,” Part Four

[NOTE: To those trying to place an order, the server is not yet repaired. In the meantime, if you want to place an order, you can send a message to the book sales division at http://floydhenderson.com/contact.htm and arrangements will be made. Sorry for the temporary inconvenience. Thx. ]

Because of programming and conditioning and enculturation, that which had been an asset (memory) has became a liability.

FROM A SITE VISITOR: Loved your expression “brain-flush”?! Now that resonates. I’ve been visiting your site off-and-on since the early days - you did a piece one time on the brain and mind and consciousness but I can’t find it in the search. Can you tell me how to find that and then tie it in with “brain-flush”? LOL Thanks.

[Continued from yesterday]

F.: The “deficient and distorted” part of the brain that Maharaj referred to is, of course, that part which stores and accesses memories, so all memories are deficient distortions. Nothing is as it appears to you, and nothing that has ever appeared to you was really the way it was perceived. You have been fooled because that which "they" gave you to use for perceiving is an accumulation of foolishness. Since the “mind” is the sum total of memories, and because all memories are distortions, then the “mind” is the sum total of your distortions. Want to be free of distortions and to Realize truth? Be rid of the “mind.” Yet you cannot go beyond the “mind” when you are constantly looking at the “mind” (that is, paying attention to "thought"). In order to go beyond the mind, Maharaj said, you must look away from the “mind” and its fictional contents. That means, therefore, that “minds” are nowadays so deficient and distorted that they should be ignored.

If you have not Realized, you do not see things now the way that they truly are, so it would have been totally impossible to have seen them the way they truly were in the past; therefore, the invitation is to Realize, to see that none of the memories that you are clinging to are accurate (including memories about “happenings,” memories involving “persons,” and all of the things you were taught to believe that are still stored “in your memory”).

Next, understand the reason that there is some talk in the teachings about “Now.” (By the way, there is no “power of now” since there is no power. Power is just a concept to which persons become addicted). “Time” too is a concept, so why even speak of now? Because anything supposedly recalled from the “past” is a memory, and it has been established that memories are distortions, so there is no past and there are no accurate memories. In fact, your entire world is in you...in your "mind," so how could that which is merely in your "mind" and which you think is "the world" possibly be real?

The most that the I-Amness can ever claim, therefore, is now, but if Realization has not happened, even perceptions regarding "now" are distortions. (Eventually, even that speck of now-time measurement will become meaningless, if you Realize.) If Realized—and thereby free of (false) memories—no action now would be triggered by a memory of something past. That in itself would be another level of freedom. For example:

MEMORY-DRIVEN DISTORTION LEADING TO EMOTIONAL INTOXICATION: “I am upset because we are no longer together and I don’t have the love now that I had back then.”

CLEAR PERCEPTION NOW AS A RESULT OF NOT BELIEVING IN A DISTORTED, ILLUSORY MEMORY: “What I thought I had back then was not even close to ...

This is an excerpt from the book
THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS “PEACE OF MIND”
(There Is Only Peace if You’re Out of Your Mind)

For information on the book, visit http://advaitavedantabooks.blogspot.com/

To order the book, visit
http://floydhenderson.com/order.htm
(You can use the Special Message box)

Please enter the silence of contemplation. [To be continued]

“MIND” and MEMORIES: When Nature’s “Assets” Become Warped into “Liabilities,” Part Three

[NOTE: To those trying to place an order, the server is not yet repaired. In the meantime, if you want to place an order, you can send a message to the book sales division at http://floydhenderson.com/contact.htm and arrangements will be made. Sorry for the temporary inconvenience. Thx. ]

Because of programming and conditioning and enculturation, that which had been an asset (memory) has became a liability.

FROM A SITE VISITOR: Loved your expression “brain-flush”?! Now that resonates. I’ve been visiting your site off-and-on since the early days - you did a piece one time on the brain and mind and consciousness but I can’t find it in the search. Can you tell me how to find that and then tie it in with “brain-flush”? LOL Thanks.

[Continued from yesterday]

F.: It is emphasized again that (1) it’s all energy at the core, that (2) nowadays natural living can only happen under the auspices of the brain and never while under the influence of the corrupted "mind," and that (3) all learned ignorance—stored as a “mind”—must be tossed if peace is to happen. Note how each step in the following analysis moves from something wrongly-perceived (such as "a human body") down to the most basic “ingredient” of the universe that is common to all in the universe. (Call it "strings," call it "that," call it "sparticles," or point toward it with any term you choose, but there is that single, most basic "whatever" that all is. Differences in appearance are caused by nothing more than a variance of the vibrational rate at which "that" moves when manifested.) Here’s how it works, as explained in earlier postings:

1. A human’s body mass is mostly water. Carbon, the basic unit of organic molecules, is the second most common element.

2. A “molecule” is a group of atoms in a definite arrangement held together by chemical bonds.

3. In August of 2005, this pointer was offered:

At the core of the sun, four hydrogen nuclei fuse together to form one helium nucleus, and that happens over and over. The part of the energy that process releases as light travels in particle and wave form. Plant photosynthesis sets the stage for another cycling of manifested energy-consciousness.

4. Likewise, the energy drawn into a cycle from the Absolute pool manifests in plants after it “travels” in a particle or wave form; humans consume the plants (or the animals that ate the plants), triggering a “transfer” of energy; multi-part atoms of energy are at the core of organic molecules, and organic molecules are at the core of the human body. Everything that is considered “body” can be traced back to its most basic ingredient and that ingredient can be seen to be a temporary manifestation of energy from that field of energy called the Absolute.

What does that have to do with clarifying for students the role of the brain, the “mind,” and the consciousness in the Teachings? Recall the earlier pointer: “Consciousness is rooted in the Absolute. The brain is rooted in the elements. The ‘mind’ is rooted in wrong programming and faulty conditioning and lies and concepts and ideas and superstitions and falsehoods.”

THE CONSCIOUSNESS: The conscious-energy, temporarily manifested, is “real” to the degree that it is a form of energy with specific levels of functioning that can be measured. (Why “real” in quotes? Because even this manifested consciousness is time-bound, a temporary expression of that which is truly and eternally real.) Among the triad of elements-breath-consciousness that sustains “life,” the manifest consciousness is required. The energy cannot be destroyed. It is and will be.

THE BRAIN: The science above shows that the brain, at its most basic level, is elemental and that conscious-energy is temporarily manifested via those elements; therefore, it is “real” to the degree that all is energy. (This differs not at all from what is revealed about a steel beam if it is studied under an electron microscope: what is not real is the beam as it appears; what is real is that swirling mass of energy that is not visible to the naked eye. Such is the case with the body and with parts such as the brain.) Among the triad of elements-breath-consciousness that sustains “life,” the elemental brain is required, the modern use of resuscitating equipment to sustain a body notwithstanding. The elements cannot be destroyed. They will be.

THE “MIND”: The “mind” is neither elemental nor energy, so it is not ...

This is an excerpt from the book
THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS “PEACE OF MIND”
(There Is Only Peace if You’re Out of Your Mind)

For information on the book, visit http://advaitavedantabooks.blogspot.com/

To order the book, visit
http://floydhenderson.com/order.htm
(You can use the Special Message box)

Please enter the silence of contemplation. [To be continued]