It is very simple, so very simple!

Well, they come from far away with stories of a 'very special state' to be achieved, by following their very special instructions - instructions that only they know and understand, because they are so extra special and so awake. - Seekers fall for the same old garbage over and over and they get caught in complex games of the mind and feelings. - Endless neediness and the hunger for that special 'someone', that special teacher to be their beacon of guiding light. - The seeker ignores their own 'light of immediate knowing' and ignores the present evidence available in the 'right here, right now' and that clear evidence is shoved aside, in preference for a bunch of second hand, grandiose glossy concepts.
To be rather blunt, which Australians often are, 'franchised truth' merchants from America, selling ‘awakening’ are nothing but charlatans. – It is all money down the drain.
If all you want is to feel special, join an elite group of some sort.
These fortunetellers, gypsy scum, are ‘on the make’ and they are full of themselves and their own stinky ‘special-ness’.
Now you may imagine that I have an issue with these 'teachers' - and it sure looks that way - but as far as I am concerned, they are just another part of the silly spiritual parade - entertaining for a few moments but they are all empty of any value whatsoever.
Basically they are NOT what they pretend to be....once you know that, what harm can they do? - All these words are just thoughts appearing in the mind. – They are not binding in this mind in any way whatsoever. – Words are totally known here, to be insubstantial.
Do you see that yourself? - Truly see it? - No point in deluding yourself about it.
Any attachment to any (provocative) words (for the reader) may bring up feelings, states or attitudes – but one can see that none of it is truly binding at all, except seemingly so as belief goes into them and the reference point that they are judged from is engaged, believed in – the ‘me’ – the sense of separation.
This will always ‘cause’ a problem until it is seen clearly, seen that NO thought, sacred or profane, has any power at all.
It is only 'in the appearance' of substance, that the mind 'takes sides' creating a seeming biased mindset and so it appears that through belief one enters into a conflicting internal drama.

But is it true? - Do you really disappear into that stuff?

I have written many controversial notes on this website and often there has been ‘trouble’ from it, expressed to me via emails.
Even though I repeatedly point out the ephemeral nature of words, the 'hangers on to sacred beliefs' keep swallowing the bait, missing the point, which is their habit - seeking itself is a habit.

There is a point to this - it is not mere entertainment or provocation.
The point is this: - Can you read this with an open mind, and cease to be caught in the reactions of the mind? - even when it appears that I myself am 'appearing' to be caught in it?

Basically it is very, very simple and because it is so simple, everyone misses it.
Let’s see what happens as you read through this. – By the end of it, I am guessing the bait will have been snapped up and an automatic reaction comes into play. – The whole point is to witness the automatic and in that witnessing, know that you are not that reaction.

Okay, so here we go. - Stay alert, if you can.
Thoughts appear in the mind. - The mind is nothing other than thought, image, concepts and ideas etc. – The clear nature of mind is actually awareness – non-conceptual awareness. Through habit one ‘goes with’ the thoughts and so one seemingly becomes those thoughts – that is what I call 'identified consciousness' – it is belief.
The energy, which is an aspect of one's natural presence, seemingly creates a time realm of past and future, plus for most, a fleeting awareness of the present.
Some occupations require, a more or less, complete attention to the present.
It is only when the mind is diverted away from the present immediacy, into theoretical ‘time’, that problems or inner conflict can appear. - They appear in the mind and flow back into the worlds as behavior and so they are a self feeding mechanism - and the 'evidence' supports more belief. - It is a bit like a worm eating its own tail - saying 'Life is suffering - ouch! it surely hurts'.

The unease in the mind, the conflicting reference points are nothing but content of mind and they have no substantial existence in the clear and present evidence of what is immediate, in what is, right now.
If the mind activity is stopped, awareness does not disappear - in fact an open view is clearly present. - That is not some 'state' that comes or goes.
It is the nature of awareness itself.
In that moment of clear open cognition you have gone beyond all conditioning, all notions about time and everything is clear and obvious, without any thought, label or concept.
This profundity is easily passed over because it is subtle and the mind is used to grossness, flags and whistles blowing.
All that is necessary is to get a really good taste of this clear spaciousness and to know that what I am is this awareness - an awareness of this spaciousness, free from all mind content and in that knowing, which is knowingly present and active, the habitual biases of the mind cease to grab, they cease to drag you into any time realm.
(For the stubborn types, the mind may well 'throw a tantrum'. - Watch it - be vigilant.)

So in this spaciousness, one is no longer floating about, one is, as though pinned down into the now.
And in that stable view, one watches the river flow. – All the content flows through without being fixated upon, without being internalised into a drama - and in that, quite naturally without thinking about it, one no longer 'gives' any of it any sense of identity - It is not 'what I am'.
The habitual tendencies are ignored and in the ignoring of them, they slip away – like hungry dogs, when these 'dogs of war' realize they will not get any nourishment here, they move on.
We use metaphors and symbols to point at that which is otherwise indescribable.

Awake:
One realises that I am awake. - I am not the content of mind, never was, never will be.
In being this wakefulness, there is no need to play guru or set oneself up as a teacher.
It may certainly unfold that way.
In the true and simple knowing of this profundity of clear seeing, there is no ego sense and no desire to set oneself up as someone special - to do so would set off 'an alarm bell' so loud it would wake the dead.
In this wakefulness, there is absolutely NO need (for anyone) to create conceptual realms about time and deliverance, methods or practices. - Such things belong to the mind and they have no place in immediate being, except as concepts and a concept has no independant existence, no matter who expresses it. - If anything is sacred, then everything is sacred. - If everything is sacred, then why do we need the word and what could it mean?
It is all concepts, and all stories are merely pedagogical, a mere transient 'means', if not then they are simply false information.
Speaking in the relativity of time, the introduction to one’s own natural state is nothing but this immediacy. – The pointing IS the immediate and this is relentlessly immediate. – It can’t be anything but this immediacy. It is the time bound mind that must step aside and that may take a little time. We are talking hours here, not years or decades. - Those who say that you need to do certain things, purify the mind and body are speaking nonsense and they are ignorant and the awakening they advertise about themselves is really a self-promoting rumour and nothing but that. In Australia, we have visiting gurus from America bringing time bound concepts about deliverance and fancy practices.
These teachers or gurus are just facsimiles or ‘bad photocopies’ and they are nothing but a pest. – But the ‘spiritual public’ have no discerning discrimination and they are drawn to these charismatic characters like flies. – They will, no doubt, get enticed into the admiration of that ‘special’ person, that someone who promises to give them what they seek. - An empty promise that has no substance, whatsoever!
There is no 'more' consciousness available in any of it, no more than there is in a pile of horse manure.
The 'pathway of acquisition' is a dead path and it will keep the mind caught in slavery, a slave to ‘time’ itself and to the guru that depends on keeping his flock caught in time, bound into his concepts about ‘how it should be’.
Make no mistake, these teachers are ‘clever’, they know the lingo far better than most and they know how to use it to entrap the seeker.
Turn around and leave these false teachers to their own devices (which by the way, don't work).
Oddly enough, a clear teacher may spend decades unknown, seemingly in obscurity. – He is not concerned with self-promotion - he is totally free from time and has no need to push himself onto anyone.
Those that do find their way to him are fortunate.
He does not emphasis or even talk about 'the future' except in passing – his 'pointing' is always back to this present moment and it is that clear 'message' which ‘strikes’ at the core essence of what one IS. - That is totally immediately available - no time stories are needed or wanted in this.
Words are potent things, it seems. – With a few words, one can set the neck hairs up on end, on those special spiritual seekers, those who have not seen through words – those who are still stuck ‘in process’. – To point out the uselessness of ‘process’ is unbearable for them. – They habitually ignore the immediacy of 'their own presence' and the fact that awareness is untouched by the content of mind. – They can't see this because they are caught in their own concepts about the future and that limitation is not in being - it is only in the mind.
The natural compassion of 'a true teacher' relieves the mind of the seeker from all notions about time.
However, the seekers are ignoring the obvious. - Shake them, wake them, they refuse to budge – so thick is the identified consciousness.
No harm done to anyone.
So, I can tell stories too, I say, "Spit the dummy now, go home Yankee Doodle - and take your stories and your special atmosphere of ‘franchised truth’ with you. – We don’t need any of it. We already have Coke, KFC and MacDonald’s – we don’t want any more franchised nonsense here.
Franchise banners that say ‘Truly awakened being’ – what a load of bollocks – awakened being - my ass! - Conceited Brat, more like it.
Only after you have truly set free all your bound up followers in America, only then can you come here. – Then we will sound the trumpets and lay down the red carpet for you and sing your praises – but not until you stop telling ‘whoppers’, stories about your awakening and about ‘time’ and deliverance. In Australia, our folk heroes are Bushrangers and Poets.
God Bless America! ‑ Fortunately most Americans a decent folk but the competitive atmosphere allows only the pretentious wanky types, the philanderers, to rise above the ordinary.
Biased opinion is of the mind.
What is your feeling right now? Are you disturbed by a few words? Like it, don't like it - it is just words.
You are still aware, still present. Whatever 'state' is happening there right now, it will pass – that which does not change is reality. Do you have to cling to it? – Or is it effortlessly present? Awareness is simple, unbiased, no dual, ever-present.
Ordinary awareness is the key and this is always 'the immediate nature of awareness', it IS, before the mind adds its 16 different flavours and secret herbs. Some say to me, why bother having a go at these charlatans?
It is fun and like everything, it only appears and disappears - what I am is not touched by it - and the same can be true for the reader - that is the point - one that is consistently missed UNTIL it is SEEN. - That is the point. - Any 'apparent method' is valid as long as it is seen. No harm done to anyone.
Anyway – you want some practical advice - here it is: - Drink more clean water; eat decent healthy food with lots of nutrients. - Have some fresh carrot juice regularly and take some Brahmi powder for a week or two.
Be conscious of how you treat the body – it is a vehicle of consciousness – it is a gift – look after it and it will serve you well.
Avoid those franchised food outlets, those fast and fatty foods, which only fatten the pockets of the rich and put an extra layer of fat on yourself. - It is a bad deal - good money for second-rate scraps with very little food value in it. If they had any integrity, they would not offer inferior ‘food stuff’ to the public. - I bet they don't eat their own produce, except for some press gathering.
The big corporations and governments are basically unconscious, mechanical machines, naturally self-serving and power, growth and profit are their main concerns. - No point in preaching to the converted, so I will now let it go and like all thoughts, it will vanish, only to spring back when someone gets upset or wants to praise my feeble efforts to awaken those who imagine that they are already awake or some such nonsense.
Everything is valid in 'the appearance' yet all reference points are invalid - because they are only 'mind content' - ephemeral points in space, which have no substance or independence from the primary awareness, which is WHAT you ARE.
Everything is awareness - appearing to be 'this and that'. Knowing that is what makes the difference and the difference is only in the mind - awareness remains untouched.