Water - Life

News: I am pleased to inform a few, who may be interested, that a new book is now available - It is "George Adie: A Gurdjieff Pupil in Australia" - George Adie was my first teacher and this excellent book will be of interest to anyone in the Gurdjieff 'Work' or who comes from such a tradition. - It is not Advaita or Non Duality as such. - George's wife Helen Adie played Piano for the 'movements' group and a CD set is also available. - Helen played with such feeling that it was impossible to remain unmoved by the music. - I have very fond memories of them both and grateful for their influence. - If you ever read the book mentioned above or hear the music I speak of, you will understand something of what I am attempting to convey.
You can find the necessary links about these items in a google search. - Gilbert

Note for today:
Whatever you see, by its very definition it is an appearance. – One could say that it is all appearances only. – One may then ask, so what? – Another may say that such a statement is trivial like the saying about “Is-ness” - So what? – “It just is” – So what?
That is fair enough. – Then in the next moment that same ‘mind’ will come up with a ‘confliction’ about something in that Is-ness. – Something is particularised and objectified as being good, bad or wrong or right or whatever. – That too is just as it IS. – So what? - It can all go on and on ad infinitum. – So what?
The ‘devil’ and the ‘angel’ (the extremes of polar mind) struggle for supremacy and a permanent status, a holding ground in the mind.
– Nature will not allow anything to stay firm and unmoving, no matter what it is. – A thought or attitude is nothing but an apparent energy pattern and the continuity of any such thing is only apparent and completely depending on the energy of belief and ones attention. – As soon as something else comes along, that pattern is losing ground and it vanishes.
This is why these modern gurus and teachers grasp at surrounding themselves with devotees, just so their ‘image’ can be automatically ‘supported’ by the group attention. – All this activity attracts the attention and sucks you into believing that it is all real and not only that, that it is supremely real and even labelled as ‘the enlightened state’.
For the individual, all this noise and racket keeps the mind busy with the apparent process of believing in ‘something’. - When questioned about what it is, the answers are vague or fanciful notions that have no ‘ground’ in ‘the clear and present evidence’
of ‘This Moment’.
It would appear that the mind wants to believe in all these erroneous notions and its fabricated reality – which is nothing but a dream state of mind.
If you do not get to the roots of this ‘being sucked in’, how can you emerge from that hypnotised state? - However, the one that is believed in as having the possibility of emerging is a fictional character also and belongs to the dream.
– Have any of those characters, in your dreams, ever been sitting on your bed waiting for you to wake up?
Some 'seekers' have seemingly fallen into the belief of having transcended the drama of life and have made a career out of it by setting up shop as a guru.
Even some of the more innocent ones, are still dreaming of changing ‘the world’ into a better place. – They write books about that and so suck in more and more followers, all based on a dream state of mind.
All these cartoon characters promote their own methods and practices and multiple subtle exercises to capture the intellect of their devotees.
Now, it may seem that I am making a big deal out of all this, but I assure you that it is no big deal, because it is all ‘of a dream’.
It appears that devotees imitate their gurus simply by association and a few are granted ‘special status’ and of course that keeps the others ‘trying’ to attain that mezzoteric level.
Now I can teach a parrot to say “I am That” but it is truly meaningless or at best a funny joke. – Repeating the words of your guru is not going to change anything but in the dream, the dream character may feel elated and fulfilled.
– The parrot is a parrot and it makes no difference what it says or ‘appears to say’.
So, the ‘highest’ and most respected ‘teacher’ you can think of and the most ‘evil person’ you can think of are actually equally ‘appearances’ which appear nowhere else than in the clear and empty space of knowing that you ARE.
All effort to realise that are totally useless – you ARE That.
But you cannot build a spiritual empire on such direct revelations.
This ‘teaching’ is not a teaching at all. - It is simply a ‘pointing’ to That which already IS.
Any re-arrangement of the pattern in mind called a ‘seeker’ is completely useless but who wants to know that? – Try as long and as hard as you wish but know that it is only in the partiality - that ‘pattern of changing’, that changing pattern, which is already flowing just as it does with no consequence whatsoever within what you truly ARE.
Your natural state or ‘presence’ is all inclusive and formless – Clear and Present Evidence of its natural freedom. – That pattern called ‘me’ will never recognize its own origins.
Let me risk talking about my past for a moment. – During my ‘esoteric period’ I was taught many things which are generally held to be secret and beyond the grasp of the common mind. – Many exercises were given, some very difficult and subtle. – Many of the subtle sensations and inner movements were brought into view.
- It was a ‘rich time’ of experiences – relative experiences. – The mind loves to build up stories of personal advancement and achievements. – Obvious ego displays were shot down without mercy, so one appeared to learn how to negotiate the difficult territory. – The power of attention 'appears' to expand as one consciously receives hither to unnoticed impressions. – All this is what is termed ‘inner life’ – Esoteric life.
During this time, there arose notions about how 'ordinary people' appeared to be in a state of hypnosis and unaware of their mechanical lives.
– This brings a sense of being ‘special’ and that sense is all added to the self centre, the ‘me’.
– Of course it is all just elaborations, embroidery upon that sense of separateness - and so freedom eludes one indefinitely.
Some time after my teacher died, I left that group and dealt with the stigma of being an ‘outsider’. – What became almost immediately apparent was that I felt a sense of freedom, relative of course, but there was a definite sense of escaping from a treadmill to nowhere. – Then something miraculous happened - I was being given a copy of “I am That”. – What Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj was pointing out in that book struck 'a note' in the heart of my being. – So much so, that I picked up that book (2 volumes) almost everyday for 4 years (that was stage one).
'Stage two'- That lead me to India to see Ramesh Balsekar, who had been an English translator for Maharaj's meetings in the late 70’s. – In Bombay, Ramesh 'demonstrated' to me his understanding of this 'living teaching' through a lengthy conversation with me on the first two days I was there.
– 'Stage three' was when I followed up a lead given to me in India about an Australian called Bob Adamson who had been with Nisargadatta in 1976.
– I have spoken at length about meeting Bob elsewhere, so I won’t go over it all again.
So, it was in meeting Bob and through clear talks with him, plus a few other factors, that assisted in my making an investigation of my own consciousness, which revealed all my concepts and left the mind clear and empty (for a few moments) and in that emptiness, I found that I was still present and aware – nothing touches what I am. - That clear and obvious 'taste' did not leave me again.
That taste is beyond ‘words and telling’ and even though one can speak of it, it remains beyond language and notions of any kind of transmission.
(The relativity called a ‘seeker’ knits all its moments of ignorance into a garment and then wears it, saying “this is what I am”.)
All experiences depend on ‘this moment of experiencing’.
Experiencing (present tense) itself depends on nothing at all.
It is an aspect of what you ARE.
You can know nothing about it apart from that which ‘appears’ in it.
That is the paradox and it confounds the mind until it is seen to be unnecessary, conflicting reference points in mind.
That which appears in awareness is all transient – there are no exceptions whatsoever.
Nobody ‘gets’ enlightened. – No one is a seeker.
– All that happens, is that the mind drops its long standing fixation with mind content.
– This cannot be ‘done’ and all efforts to ‘do it’ are counter productive.
This is the ‘water’ that is offered – drink it if you wish.
– It is all water, water ‘anyway which way’ you look at it.
- Enjoy.