Saturday, May 10, 2008

Notes from May 08 - Part 1. - Falling leaf.

Today’s Note:

Part 1.
At the core of all the major religions, lies a direct ‘pointing’ to our true nature. – Those words are there for anyone to read – understanding it is clearly only present when there is a reciprocal (or resonating response – ‘knowing’) experience – experiencing, present. - All of the major religions have been ‘added to' with various conditional concepts and these proliferate into a thousand beliefs, which all lead away from the simplicity of what is true.
Most teachings promote a lot of beliefs and they endorse labour intensive practices and so many methods for the adherent to use, in order to achieve the desired ‘result’. – It is all misleading and completely unnecessary but this fact is not examined closely by anyone. - Belief is NOT Knowing and belief will never be Knowing! - Knowing is immediate and belief is 'time bound notions'.
Rare teachings point directly at what is clearly true and present, at what we have ignored – and so what is completely and immediately ‘free’, our true essence, may be tasted directly. – The long and protracted commitment to any teacher or any teaching is not necessary – but this fact will not be mentioned by ‘the teachers of time trodden paths’.
What is not so easily recognized is that no teaching contains the truth. - The best that a so-called teaching can do is point directly at what is true and THAT is nothing other than your own essential being. – It is this essential true nature that dispenses with erroneous beliefs. – The ‘resonation’ of this being-ness is ‘truth’ and nothing ‘false’ or erroneous can withstand its ‘presence’.
Direct and immediate experiencing is uninterrupted. - This direct and immediate experiencing ‘happening’ right now, is ‘all there is’. - It never ‘becomes’ anything other than what it is. This ‘direct and immediate experiencing’ remains, while everything we know of, without exception, is composed of energy patterns, subtle and gross, which merely appear within, or ‘pass through’ this ‘experiencing presence’. - What the so-called ‘mind’ does is to collect ‘experiences’ and ‘store’ them away as ‘memories’ – at least that is how it may be explained in ordinary language. - All such ‘things’ are questionable and yet we never question them because it is a ‘general agreement’ that our life is made up of experiences and conditioning, which apparently make us what we are. – At least it appears to be so.
What ‘I am’ is presence, un-interrupted presence, awareness. What ‘I am’ can never be reduced to mere concepts or words. – So it is that what ‘I am’ remains indescribable and beyond the grasp of the habitual mind’s so-called ‘understanding’.
All memories and all so-called conditioning can only ever ‘appear’ in THIS experiencing of ‘right now’. – Does a memory ever appear ‘yesterday’ or ‘tomorrow’? - Does a memory appear five minutes ago or five minutes in the future?
Such notions about ‘time’ are purely conceptual and such notions can only ever appear in this ‘right now’. – This ‘right now’ is not a series of consecutive moments, as we may seem to believe. – That miss understanding is due to the nature of belief in conceptualizing notions. – I am not speaking about something that is anywhere else than right here, right now. - This ‘right now’ is ‘presence’ and presence does not deviate from what it IS. – How could it? - Where could it go? - What would or could replace ‘this presence’ except ‘this presence’? - If it could be replaced, then ‘when’ could it be replaced, except right here ‘with-in’ this ‘right now’? – See such things for what they are – mere concepts.
Nothing could ever replace it, except itself, and that cannot be termed as ‘a replacement’ at all. – We cannot replace the ocean with water – it is all ‘water’. – The notion of there being a continuum is still a time-based notion, so that word fails to embrace the wholeness of what is. - All such notions are concepts and this presence is never divided or separated into any parts whatsoever.
What gives ‘the appearance of separation’ and deviation, is the dualistic nature of ‘mind’.
Mind is restlessly vibrating between the ‘pairs of opposites’. – Thoughts are ephemeral ‘appearances’ and they do not have any substance or location that you can pinpoint or grasp. – This may appear to be far too subtle and yet it is extremely obvious, since it is the nature of awareness to be naturally clear – to be ‘the light’ that shines ‘forever’ upon the obvious. – The nature of dualistic mind is also obviously ‘transient appearances’.

What ‘knows’ the transient?
By the nature of belief, the personalized drama of a personal life ‘appears to be added’ to those ‘core believed in thoughts’ of personalization - ‘me’. – In that drama, arguments may follow and even bruised egos and bloody noses etc. – Such things appear to make the world go round.
Take a break – have a closer look into things. - Have you ever questioned what ‘belief’ is?

Have you ever looked closely at your own beliefs to see if they have any true or intrinsic value?

Notes from May 08 - Part 2.

Part 2.
All beliefs are equal if only in ‘the fact’ that they are ‘beliefs’. - Is it not a fact that a belief, by its very nature, has the status of being so, only because the evidence is not there to support it (the ‘subject’ of belief) as being a fact? - The Moon is not made of cheese, even though a million ‘people’ may believe it is made of cheese. Belief is belief and facts are facts. Many ‘people’ will fight ‘tooth and nail’ for their beliefs and will be willing to die for them. - What meaning can such a life have? Are such attributed meanings, merely more beliefs? What supports belief, any belief?
Investigate this.
Struggling seekers never ‘become heroes’ except in dreams. - A ‘seeker’ is a dream only. The seekers struggle and battle is all for nothing and the suffering is completely unnecessary – however, because of resistance to what is true, the ‘seeker’ does not want to hear such news. - They bravely forge their own ‘story’ everyday, avoid their ‘enemies’ if possible and repeat the same old ‘ideas’ much like a wind up toy mechanically goes through its motions. - They may punish their bodies with yogic practices and a strict diet while imagining that they are purifying themselves in order to be worthy of enlightenment. - Such ignorance is based on BELIEF only. - No fact has ever proved that anyone ever purified themselves in such a way. - How can you perceive perfection in ‘another being’ if you do not see or recognize it in yourself first? - ‘We’ project our imaginary notions (about perfect beings) and believe that those projections are reality. - Then ‘we’ may wonder why we can never achieve such perfection ourselves. - We continue the farce by taking on methods and practices which only bind that ‘self-image’ to TIME – and TIME can never be this actuality of THIS immediate PRESENCE.
From the perspective of the body, all we are made of is of the five basic elements. Space, water, fire, earth and air. - These elements can be arranged in all manner of combinations and they are – it is called ‘The Universe’.
In no uncertain terms the message comes – “You are not the body – nor are you the mind”. - How is such a ‘pointer’ ignored? - Why do so many by pass this pointer?
Have you ever found the ‘self’? - Is it in the body somewhere?
What we truly are has never been soiled or damaged, nor is it in need of any repair or in need of any rearrangement. - The believed in battle between body and soul is a complete fiction projected by the mind. - The drama of life appears to depend on such fiction. It is all stories only. - They are ‘believed in habitual stories’ and so the suffering goes on, moment by moment, year after year and these ‘poor souls’ never seem to reach any state of purification or true peace. - Yet they all appear nowhere other than in THIS immediacy of presence awareness. - Why are they not recognized for what they are?
Contemplate this.
Untold numbers of medals of honour and bravery, never worn by any ‘living hero’, fade away and tarnish in dusty forgotten drawers. - The stories can go on and on till ‘time stands still’ - and they do. - What is truly achieved?
Are you truly interested in seeing through ‘the mirage’ of being a seeker?
Is it an ego wanting to secure itself or is it something much deeper?
What are you doing here and what do you wish to achieve? - Do you know ‘why’ you exist? - Endless explanations just tire ‘the mind’ – is that all we have – endless explanations?
Explanations are just conceptual frameworks that appear in or on awareness. - One may be satisfied by their belief in an explanation and another may not.
What is belief?
You ‘know’ that you exist – that is a fact – THAT is NOT a belief. - Do you truly, truly, truly see the difference between knowing and belief? – Is the knowing of this without the slightest doubt? Is it just another belief?

Notes from May 08 - Part 3.

Part 3.
In the ‘appearance’ and in ‘time’, belief is one ‘thing’ that keeps millions upon millions in bondage for their entire lives. - What is it all about? Opinions are opinions and we are all entitled to our opinions and bloody wars are fought over mere opinions.
There is an old saying that says 'The truth hurts'. - It could be said that ‘the actuality’ (the truth) undermines all that is ‘false’ without exception. - A mirage of water is a false apprehension. - There is no water in a mirage – fact. - The belief that there is water ‘in the image’ is insubstantial and upon investigation the misapprehension vanishes by itself, not because of anything the observer ‘does’ – it vanishes because ‘the fact’ is that there is no water there and that fact reveals itself spontaneously on close examination. - This equation applies to ALL beliefs without exception.
One need not live in ignorance. - The ‘bondage of self’ is unnecessary.
There is no reason for suffering, except the reasoning that supports the belief ‘in being someone suffering’. “Yes but…..” – add your own story here.
In THIS actuality of PRESENCE there is no one suffering, so why tell a story about someone suffering? Be THIS actuality and drop the stories.
‘Seekers of truth’ only ‘appear’ to remain in a ‘state of seeking’ and ‘what is true’, what is real, continues to evade them, only because ‘what they truly are’ does not investigate those erroneous beliefs closely enough. Is it simply a question of being present with ‘what is’? – Not as an entity – but as what you ARE – presence itself. – Surely it ‘makes sense’. What is true reverberates with livingness – what is false is shallow and hollow, a misapprehension.
What ‘each and every one of us is’, is this most genuine ‘fact of existence’ itself, THIS authentic nature of ‘being-awareness’ is ‘True’ and cannot be otherwise. - Reality IS.
Whatever you truly ARE - must BE Real.
Our imaginary problems belong to a dream, a habit of ignoring ‘what is’ – it can be broken just like any habit can be broken.
What you imagine or consider this 'you' to be is based on conceptual notions and memory – all of which is ‘an appearance in mind’ –and that can only be a believed in concept. – Everything or anything can only appear in this immediacy – and since awareness is this immediacy and it cannot be NOTHING but THAT, then everything is clear and obvious. Remove the belief in that ‘something’ that ‘habitual self image’ and what you truly are does not disappear – why? Because what you truly are is not dependant on concepts or any ‘thing’ at all.
All arguments against such facts are basically resistance to letting go of habitual beliefs – that is bondage.
My pity for the seeker is useless – all that can be done is to point at what is true as clearly as possible, without embellishment – no stories. Just like you, the one reading this, in this very moment, ‘I’, the writer, have ‘no choice’ in this activity. - The core of this activity is KNOWING.
There is only ONE knowing presence pervading the whole universe – it is totally nameless and indescribable.
Your inner most secret name is ‘I AM’ – it is also God’s name.
Both GOD and your inner most secret name are ‘conceptual appearances’ in THIS nameless PRESENCE – this singular BEING. - THIS is sometimes called Non Duality.

Notes from May 08 - Part 4.

Part 4.
The complete evidence of ‘what you truly are’ cannot be hidden from you – it is totally obvious – what (only) seemingly hides it from you is ‘mind content and erroneous beliefs’.
Many beliefs are harmless and do not need to be questioned. - Some beliefs however are a continuous ‘cause’ of trouble for ‘us’. - Quite often these very beliefs are the ones that ‘appear’ to be surrounded by a very tenacious defence mechanism.
Over the years I have met many seekers who have remained searching, some of them have been seeking for over thirty years. - Nothing has really helped. - It is a pitiful situation and ‘the fact’ that these ‘poor souls’ are still ‘searching (looking) in the wrong places’ does not present itself to them clearly. - Having invested so many years in ‘the search’, the simplicity of ‘what is true and obvious’ is discounted and even scoffed at. - “What to do?” Often they feel insulted if they are asked to look at certain beliefs. - A spiritual ‘self –image’ appears to have almost crystallized in them and for them that image held to be ‘sacred’ by them. - It is ignorance to believe in an image while what is real is blindingly obvious. An appearance is an appearance. It is that appearance, that same ‘self-image’, that only appears to bring them so little satisfaction in a ‘personal life’ dominated by unnecessary suffering – and further more, how dare anyone suggest that that ‘sacred self-image’ may be the main culprit, the ‘cause’, of their suffering.
Frankly I find it almost useless to talk with them. - Their indulgence in ‘being someone special’ has almost suffocated them - and yet they continue to ‘parade’ about like a peacock. - They imagine that they hide their suffering under a thin disguise but it is far too obvious (for those who see clearly) and if only they knew how obvious it is they may well give it up instantly.
In this ‘instant of seeing’, in this ‘present moment’ (which is all there ever is) a lifetime of erroneous beliefs can be penetrated and those beliefs can fall away, never to return. -
With such a clear and precise insight (seeing) there is no indulgence in any story of ‘I am now enlightened’.
Such notions are instantly recognized for what they are. - Only those who have partial insights tell stories about “I am enlightened’ or allow other to tell such stories ‘about them’.
The ‘time has come’ to put aside false teachers. - ‘You have one chance in this life’ – so don’t waste it on ‘false prophets’ and ‘self-indulgent merchants of the truth’.
The sense of belonging is a common factor amongst ‘seekers’.
The most profound teacher from any eon is only needed for ‘the duration’ of recognizing and absorbing the fullness of the ‘message’. - The message is always simple – far too simple for most. - We expect it to be complex and so we look for unnecessary complexities and they merely keep us ‘in the mind’ and forever searching.
In realizing your own true nature, ‘stories about enlightenment’, unnecessary complexities and a sense of ‘belonging’ are not needed. - Once you receive the required ‘accurate information’ about your true nature, then you no longer need anything from ‘outside’ of yourself and, in fact, it is recognized that everything ‘appears’ within your own true nature. - Even that accurate information only ‘appears’ to come from ‘outside’ – the recognition and resounding nature of what is true, is and can only ever belong to what you truly ARE. - The words “I am That’ has many ‘meanings’ – one meaning is that it is an expression of the above mentioned fact, that ‘everything, without exception, appears within the boundless-ness of what you are’. Awareness.

Other words that ‘point’ to this fact are: ‘Advaita. - One without a second’. - ‘Non Duality’.
‘There is no duality in Non Duality’.
All these words are appearing within awareness RIGHT NOW. - These words ARE ‘awareness’ appearing as words. - Nothing recognizes them but awareness itself. -
Like an arrow piercing into the darkness of night – ‘no one knows’ where it lands, not even the bowman.
But in the instant the arrow strikes its target, the target ‘knows’ without a doubt.


. -

Notes from May 08 - Part 5

Part 5.
The basic nature of what we call mind is clear and empty, like a crystal ball. - It is flawless and totally empty. - It is so obviously so, we miss it. - This is because our habit is to approach everything with habitual conceptualising. - In hearing about this the habit of thinking is quick to translate ‘that clear and empty nature of mind’ into ever more concepts and even into a denial of the clear and obvious fact. - Non-conceptual awareness is never a concept.
“I spend an hour every day meditating and only ever have brief moments of clarity” is often expressed by those addicted to convoluted practices and methods. - We are so used to going with what ‘the mind’ tells us, we do not recognize that the mind is only a ‘tool’ – in being a tool, it could serve us well if only we recognize it for what it is. -
The subtle fact is that what we call ‘mind’ is only a transient appearance ‘in or on’ awareness. - The mind is not aware of anything – it, the mind, is ‘the past’ and it is also the home of the ‘self-image’, which is, in its basic nature, a conceptually based notion and nothing more than that.
The ‘problem’ is that there are so many erroneous beliefs that spring into the picture at the slightest provocation and they are not recognized for what they are. - These beliefs continue, only because they are not questioned or looked into. - The mechanical nature of a mind, operating with belief, is very obvious but this fact is missed by the one caught up in ‘habitual mind stuff’. - That ‘someone’ has no possibility to wake up at all and it cannot see or know anything at all. - It is entirely made up from conceptual stuff – mind-content. - Some traditions name that condition as ‘waking sleep’. - In the ‘appearance of things’ any apparent attempts to wake someone from such ‘sleep’ is most usually fervently defended by the ‘sleeper’. - Awareness does not sleep. - The body-mind organism sleeps.
The clear and empty nature of ‘mind’ is obvious in sleep but there is no one there to recognize it as being so.
What is your opinion about this? Is it merely a belief? Is there a ‘knowing’ without doubt?
That ‘knowing’ is not reliant upon any beliefs whatsoever. - It relies on nothing at all. -
It is the first and foremost nature of your own existence. - Recognize that.
In re-cognising that cognition replaces re-cognition instantly.
This ‘direct and immediate cognising’ may have a sense of coming home to it. -

Conversely, it ‘appears’ that belief, by its nature, must defend itself in order to continue the habitually believed in fiction.
The only thing that can recognize anything at all is ‘awareness’ – THAT is ‘what you are’. -
With a resonating urge to inquire into what is really going on, so things are recognized for what they are. - If this does not happen then the mechanical nature of mind and belief will continue to turn on a ‘dead spot’.
The ‘character’ that appears to be caught up in such a drama is a complete fiction. - It only seems to be real because it is supported by habitual belief. - None of it can stand on its own – it cannot withstand a direct and immediate inquiry.
Some teachers suggest that “any form of investigation is just more seeking” - but that is just an ignorant statement and a denial of the potentiality (that each of us is).
The innate capacity of pure knowing belongs to our true nature and it lies at the core of what we are. - What we truly ARE is not depending on anything at all. - It needs no time to find completion – it requires no method to adhere to and it requires no concept at all. -
Its nature is NON conceptual. - Recognize that.
In seeing through our habitual beliefs, they are let go of. - The core essence of pure knowing itself ‘cuts through’ every belief and renders them inactive. - If such direct insights are conceptualised as being a ‘new event happening to someone’ then the mind quickly builds a story around such insights – but recognize that this can only ever be merely ‘more thought patterns appearing’ - these must be recognised for what they are. - An ‘insight’ is not an ‘event’ at all – the essence of an insight is ‘seeing’ - and seeing unconditionally belongs to our true nature - which is timelessly present and free of all time realms and free of all burdens. What joyous news it is for those who hear it clearly. - How annoying it is for those who resist what is true.

Notes from May 08 - Part 6

Part 6.
Why is it said that we will never find an answer in the mind?
Could it be because all that the ‘mind’ is, is thoughts, concepts, memories and images?
Are these nothing more than mere content that appears nowhere other than ‘in’ or ‘on’ awareness?
The very notion that there is a thing called ‘mind’ is insubstantial – no one has ever found something with any substance or location that they can call ‘the mind’. - The brightest scientist has only theories to offer on this mystery. -
Do any of the transient appearances in ‘mind’ have, of themselves, the capacity of cognition or knowing?
What is it in us that knows anything?
Naked awareness is ‘knowing’. -
There is nothing more subtle than ‘knowing’.
The very notion of something more subtle than ‘knowing’ would depend on ‘knowing’ for its apprehension.
Now, it is not difficult to see that the extremely subtle nature of knowing itself is not found in the expressions called thoughts or concepts. - These ‘things’ only appear and disappear and they are ‘known’ by the ‘activity of knowing’. -
That which is ‘knowing’ can never be found by the mind because it is always beyond the grasp of any observer or witness. - We could ‘name it – give it a conceptual framework’ and say that awareness is ‘a formless witness’, yet such a description quickly leads to additional concepts and so it is inaccurate.
The observer is really only composed of ‘the reflective nature of awareness’ and this nature is what we commonly call ‘mind’, which is nothing but translations, concepts, thoughts etc. - All such things are easily observable and we miss the subtleness of ‘what it is that is seeing these things’.
Some repetition is necessary – hammer it home – ‘something subtle’ sinks in and the chains of bondage loosen.
We have bound ourselves with concepts and it is concepts that release the bondage. -
Thinking about this is a challenge for ‘mind’ because the mind is a constant activity and the subtle nature of knowing is not contained in that activity – it is always ‘prior’ or ‘beyond’ that activity. - Or we could say that the ‘knowing’ contains all these activities.

In a similar manner ‘being’ appears ‘in or on’ that which is ‘non-being’. -
What we call ‘the inner most experience’ is not ‘something’ that has any substance. -
The ‘outer life’ is that which registers on the inner most experiencing.
‘People’ are lost and are searching for something missing in their lives.
The richness of this innermost life has been ‘lost’ to them only because they ignore it. -
They constantly gravitate to the grossness of ‘materialism and appearances’, ‘that’ which registers or ‘that’ upon which the impressions register, is ignored because it is very subtle.
THAT can never be ‘named’ and so it can only be ‘pointed at’. -
In re-discovering this innermost life, this ‘natural state’, then a new balance takes place. -
The grossness of ‘outer things’ loses its hold over ‘the mind’ and ‘the mind’ is released from its unbalanced ‘concerns’.
The so-called ‘mind’ is a functional aspect of awareness and it’s ‘thinking’ is merely one of many senses. - Like hearing and tasting, thinking has its place and thinking functions very well when the unnecessary ‘weight’ is taken off it.
The boundary between inner and outer disappears because it is only a ‘point of view’.
All fragments of relativity are an appearance in the absolute. - Therefore they must be absolute also. -
You are present and aware in this moment – that is an absolute fact. - Where is the doubt?
Why does the mind raise objections?
See that all thoughts are only appearances in ‘the awareness that you ARE’. -
Awareness is awareness. - We are not talking about ‘awareness of’ here. -
‘Awareness of’ is dualistic and that contains the habitual ‘entity’ or witness. -
Speaking in relative terms - the ‘unfortunate’ situation is that so many ‘teachers’ are NOT pointing directly at what is true. - They are far too concerned with their own ‘image’ and ‘self importance’ and so their ‘advice’ is always coloured by a falsehood. -
However, in relative terms, ‘this situation’ appears to be changing in ‘recent times’. - Many are seeing through these teachers and ‘the guru game’. - So many more are now finding what they need and are ‘hearing’ a very direct message and so the ‘fruit’ of that ‘hearing’ is that many are truly realizing their ‘true nature’. -
In the appearance of relativity, for many centuries, the secret beyond all secrets was ‘hidden away’ from ‘common people’. -
It is true that common people ‘trample over flower beds’ and do not value things they do not understand. - Yet it is ‘everyone’s right’ to ‘know what is true’ and ‘in coming to know what is true’, the impulse to ignore what is true is vanquished in them. -
Of course much of this written note is relative and could be criticised by others. -
What is beyond question or criticism is that inner most experiencing which ‘each one of us’ is. -
It matters little what it is that ‘inspires’ us to examine the ‘place’ where knowing is happening. -
Once that ‘inner flame’ starts to burn, once the resonation ‘starts to hum in your being’, it consumes every obstacle in its path. - That clear light of knowing reveals everything for ‘what it is’ without ‘it’ ever ‘becoming’ anything other than ‘what it is’. -
It is only the ‘appearance’ that changes and that is its nature. -
THAT which never changes, never will change – it simply IS. -
Be what you ARE. -Is-ness - IS. -