Death

Should I fear death and the dissolution of the body?

No. We were never a body to begin with. No object ever existed except as a movement of the light of consciousness. Our nature is clear, timeless, immaterial, unmanifest. Though the appearance of forms arises from and within our spacious field of knowing, we are not, nor were we ever limited to any form. Form is the expression of the formless. The finite is the appearance of the infinite. The particular is the expression of the universal. Time is the appearance of the timeless. We are that universal, infinite being and not subject to such things as birth, death or decay.

Clarity IS

Clarity IS, regardless of whatever thought story is currently appearing in it, even a tale of abject suffering and confusion. It takes the clarity--the empty, knowing presence--that spacious, aware void, for anything to appear. It is that very absence that expresses itself as every thing. It is present and absent at the same time. This is amazing beyond words. Grace and gratefulness gush out of this void. It is love. To be that without identification with the obfuscating belief in division is bliss.

Concepts and other forms arise like clouds in front of the sun. They all pass and the sun still shines. The sun gives rise to them and also burns them away. This all happens without any personal involvement.

Suffering under the idea of isolation leads to the urge to escape and seeking is born. One doesn't enjoy the sensation of limitation and rightly so--it is a dis-ease! Seeking will play itself out, sooner or later when one sees that the isolation isn't real, that one was never apart from the infinite, that there is ONLY THAT. You realize that, as the infinite, you were playing a game with yourself and that all of the drama, pain and suffering were because of an identification with form and misapprehension of one's true nature as clarity. The seeing is the being is the knowing--non-conceptually. This is inevitable as it is already the case.

Am I really awakened?

Sometimes, upon hearing of other folk's enlightenment stories, the thought will arise: "Am I really awakened?" and then, "Of course not. Where is there a 'me' for such a thing to happen to?"

If you meet Ramana on the road, kill him.

As of NOW, I am officially saturated with Ramana Maharshi quotes. While it's true that he had a great, simple way of expressing things, to deify him and think that he had something that we don't is a HUGE mistake. His life was no more sacred than yours. You are no less a perfect expression of the infinite than he was. He is kind of the ultimate non-duality poster boy with his ascetic, slender body and loin cloth but it would be silly to make some kind of template out of his image, to assume that his lifestyle made him closer to God/truth than we are. I very much respect Ramana, his eloquent pointers and his (reportedly) kind demeanor but I don't worship him as any holier than anyone else. Love is reverence for everything, the innate knowing that life in ALL of its expressions is sacred.

I am a "liver", I like to enjoy life. It is no more sacred to meditate in a cave than to have a beer in a pub. Both appearances are expressions of the unmanifest, the aware emptiness at the heart of life. That anything appears at all is amazing! It is a fabulous, inexplicable miracle.


Wherever you are,
well there you go,
you've got to admit,
it's a hell of a show!

Words

When we let go of words, they come back to serve us.

There are times when I think about talking about non-duality or answering questions and, in these moments, I struggle to find the right words to express it. There might be some "cookie-cutter" non duality platitudes that I think to myself: "It's all oneness" or whatever. It's a pointless exercise. I find the clearest expressions come through when one lets the words come out by themselves. The unprepared answer is the most honest and applicable to the situation or question. One becomes a conduit for speaking and finds that they can express things that they don't even consciously know. The conscious mind can hold an amazing amount of information but it is still and always limited. The empty awareness holds ALL knowledge and experience, I find that it can express itself better than an imaginary "me" ever could.

The Parable of Form

When anything is seen, it is God (the infinite) seeing itself as the parable of form.
Pondering the parable of form doesn't bring any clarity, clarity is already present as that which sees.

Another way to say this: When we see the objective appearance as having its own independent existence, life seems extremely complex and perplexing. How did it all start? How will it all end? How did I get here? etc. But, when we see that the universe is simply an appearance of and within consciousness then we know that it relies on the knowing principle for its existence. I am that awareness from which the universe arises and to which it will set. Being this, that I AM, is ultimate clarity, unobstructed and unbound by any concept. We are already free, we just believe in a thought story of bondage and limitation.

Radio interview

To anyone who is interested, here is a link to an interview with me on the radio show, "Conversations with Avant-garde Sages with Trip Overholt and John Troy. They have a new show every Tuesday between noon and 1pm. They are based out of Chapel Hill, NC at WCOM 103.5 FM but you can listen to it anywhere in the world using this link and clicking on the red button at the right. All of their shows are archived as well on the same page. Enjoy!

Oneness

When the thought story of separation is no longer believed in then life is experienced as oneness.

In oneness, all dualities are seamlessly merged as that which knows them. This is already and always the case but gets overlooked in favor of fascination with concepts, selflessly and effortlessly arising in oneness.

What is already present

The thought of a future enlightenment keeps one distracted from what is already present.

While identified with a certain portion of the appearance that we call "me", we feel isolated, limited and afraid. This contraction doesn't feel good or right (it's a dis-ease), so we seek a way out of it. Some "spiritual teachers" might have some suggestions how we achieve awakening to escape this state of suffering. In the hoping and striving for that better future state, we miss what is already the case, here and now. 

The "me" is just a thought story. It is a conceptual bundling of certain perceptions into a nonexistent separate self. If that story is not believed in or pauses for a moment then it is seen that there is an open, sentient space in which thoughts and other forms appear. This openness knows no boundaries or limitations and has no problems. This is what we are, not the fleeting images. Please don't take my word for it though, look for yourself. Any believed in concept, including that of non-duality is detrimental to direct seeing. Being (shared by all) is not a concept.

"You are close to attainment!"

A young student of zen asked his wizened old master how to tell if he was near enlightenment.
His master replied: "When you can pee two streams at will, you are close to attainment."
The student knew what he had to do so, every time he urinated, he started trying to force his urine into two streams. He started drinking more water so he could piss more often and he struggled and pushed to make this happen.
After two years of trying day and night, he gave up.
He went to his master and said: "Master, I have tried for a very long time to piss in two streams and found that it can't be done. I have given up."
The master replied: "Now, you are close to attainment!"
The next time the student peed, without even trying, the miraculous happened.

Whatever works.

Whatever works is fine. There are a million different ways to say what is being said. There are an endless variety of words that the subject could be cloaked in. There are paths that appeal to heart, mind and body. Some explain it with concepts such as God and Goddess. Some use ideas such as Mind and no-mind, Self and no-self to attempt to point at "it". Some say it is the only thing we can know, others call it the ultimate Mystery. Some call it "emptiness" and some say "fullness". Some don't think about it at all and never will and that's perfectly appropriate too. All of these words represent the seeking of a transpersonal understanding--a perspective that isn't limited by narrow definitions of self, space and time.

My expression is no better than anyone else's. If you find it helpful, that's good. If not, that's fine too. All words come from and are known by the same source, regardless of if they seem to be clear or confused.

To me, it is important to be able to put aside the words, no matter how cherished they are. In this moment, without clinging to conceptual models, what IS? If we can briefly set aside our ideas about the nature of existence, what is left? What is our direct (non-conceptual) experience in this moment?

Love...

Love is God recognizing itself.

For folks for whom the word "God" has negative connotations: Love is the infinite recognizing itself.

While mistaking arising concepts for truth, we believe in a complex world of separate objects. When no longer confounded by the thought story, we recognize the entire universe as our Self. This is unconditional love.

Who am I?

I am not a "teacher". Teaching and learning are useful when learning functional knowledge but being/existence can't be taught. If being didn't exist, you wouldn't be reading these words that I am typing. Presence is already present and doesn't need to be learned. We all ALREADY share this common awareness. Beware of those who would sell it to you.

The personal is the perfect expression of the infinite

With the human species, it seems that the development of the ego obscures our unity with all things and their source. We can trace back all of our "problems" to this idea of separation. Why did such a concept arise? In the appearance, humans have a highly (some might say "over") developed brain and the capacity for abstract thought. This ability to think abstractly is useful in solving functional problems but we don't stop there, we try to understand ourselves and the universe we live in with it. This leads to a self image and then a concept of the universe, apart from oneself. This is the primary (first) dualistic notion from which all others arise. While living under this assumption of separation, life seems extremely complex and fearsome as one has become identified with a particular body/mind appearance and fears its destruction.

What has really happened, though? We're we ever apart? Of course not. Even from a purely materialistic standpoint, we are intimately connected to the universe from the moment of conception. The body is nothing other than the elements of the planet configured in a certain pattern and we would die in moments without air, water and food. Take a step further and you are in the unified field of physics where all matter is really just energy in motion and we know that energy cannot be created or destroyed.

So what is life? Why is all of this happening? Did God make a huge mistake by creating humanity, inviting evil into the world? No. Everything that appears, including the human race with all of it's ignorance and knowledge, beauty and ugliness is the perfect expression of the infinite. It is all the only way it can be. Humans have done what any species would do given our capabilities. It is leading to a mass-extinction event as have happened before in Earth's history. We ARE a mass-extinction event. At the same time, many people are waking up to the fact that we aren't separate from nature or eachother. Whatever happens, though, is the appearance of God. Every human with all of their particular quirks and traits is the expression of the divine. Even the sense of individuality, the ego, is a totally impersonal arising.

There is no way you can lose oneness. You can be ignorant of it but that doesn't mean you aren't part of it. Whatever you think you are, you are God playing a role. To harm another or to harm the planet is to harm yourself. There's no point in making an image of any of this. The awareness by which you know the world is the absolute. You are that without question.

*

All categories are arbitrary intellectual constructs. There is no mind or body or any "thing" for that matter. There is only the living light of awareness that appears as the universe of form while still retaining its pristine, incorruptible essence. 

This is already the case and cannot be made "more so" by the efforts of an imaginary separate entity.

Conversations with Avant-garde Sages

I will be on the radio show, Conversations with Avant-garde Sages on WCOM 103.5 FM Chapel Hill and Carrboro, NC on Tues Nov 15th from noon to 1pm. They stream the broadcast online as well. They have shows every Tuesday, schedule here. Enjoy!

The most radical expression of spirituality

The most radical expression of spirituality is ordinariness. I met the sage John Troy (also known as The Wizard) yesterday. You can read the details of his life story here and he also makes his books "Wisdom's Soft Whisper" and "The Human Gospel of Ramana Maharshi" available for free here. I am reading the Human Gospel now. In it, John shows the human side of Ramana. Some who would choose to worship him as something super-human didn't like the book that reveals an ordinary man with an extraordinary understanding.

I have met some "spiritual superstars" who radiate an air of specialness. You can tell when they walk in a room by the way that they hold themselves that they are "different". With John, there were no airs of superiority or fronts, there was just sitting together and sharing and a deep sharing it was. Some people, by their open presence embody oneness. It is not a "you and me" or an "us and them" duality game that is being played but a simple basking in the universal awareness that is the true source and heart of life. I am that. You are that. It ALL is that.

Thank you John. I only found out about you a week ago but being with you, your wife and companions was like being with a group of life-long friends. I say "yes" to your message of true spiritual equality--non-duality.

Death, obsession of the ego

Death is an endless object of fascination for the ego idea. Interestingly enough, death isn't an object and, in an honest examination, we can't state authoritatively that there is such a thing as an object at all. Death and decay are one of the transitional forms of appearances as are birth and growth. Every form comes into appearance at some point and disappears at another. This is readily observable in life. By what trait or capacity is this known? Consciousness.

Some say that consciousness is the eternal principle. Obviously it isn't as transient as the perceptions that appear within it but still consciousness (in the traditional understanding of that word) gives way to unconsciousness.What is this entire process known by? THAT is the absolute. That within which all experiences arise and fade. It is that which gives rise to the appearance of life and death and is beyond both. Only appearances are born and die. Life is the timeless show of the infinite.

Advaita is not complex

All that is ever being pointed to is the simple fact of being--the presence that all experiences and sensations appear in. It is impossible to lose this. At this moment, fingers are typing on a keyboard and I glance out of the window at the brilliant colors of changing leaves. This is the way being is appearing at the moment. Now, in this moment, something different is appearing but only because consciousness is present.

The ever changing colors, forms and other perceptions are the way the absolute sees itself. The absolute is that which registers all--pre-conceptual and self illuminating. There is nothing apart from this. Where ever "you" are is only where this is. Without this, nowhere, no one or nothing would manifest.

More stores

Blessed Disillusionment is now also available from Barnes and Noble and Buy.com.

Which Advaita?

Scott: I enjoy reading your pointers and posts.  Great content.  I do have one question I hope you can shed some light on.

I discovered Advaita Vedanta recently, a couple of months ago.  More recently, I have stumbled upon a "different" philosophy, the followers of which call "True Advaita".  Yours is what they call "Neo Advaita", and of course they say it lacks truth, substance, and is a perversion of the "real thing".  From what I can tell, "true" advaita requires me to basically quit my job, move to India, learn Sanskrit, and spend an undetermined amount of time sitting at the feet of a guru who also has dedicated his life to advaita.  Since I don't really care to abandon my family or my career to become "realized", this caused me to basically abandon the idea of ever escaping the karmic cycle of rebirth in this lifetime.  Maybe next time around.

But then I found your site.  So here it is:  Which advaita is true?  Why?  You speak of kindness as being the fruit of realization.  If nothing is real, why be kind?  You see where I'm going.  Anything you can offer to help me figure this out is much appreciated.

Morgan: Hey Scott. My book "Blessed Disillusionment" was published recently and in it I have a chapter that quotes extensively from "Crest Jewel of Discrimination", a classical Advaita Vedanta text. I also suggest the Ashtavakra Gita to my readers. In it, I also say: "What in the hell is neo-Advaita? Advaita means not two, non-duality. So there is a new non-duality as opposed to an old one? Once again, thought makes distinctions where there are none."

Dennis Waite seems to be one of the people who coined the term "neo-Advaita" but I've emailed extensively with him and he admits that Sailor Bob and John Wheeler's approach has value for those who are ready and I couldn't agree more. It really comes down to seeing that seeking isn't getting one anywhere and that the wild goose chase could go on forever. Why not see what is here now instead of looking to an imaginary future for satisfaction?

Some say you have to study scripture and follow a guru for years before realization can happen but the respected sage Ramana Maharshi realized the Self at the ripe young age of 16 through self inquiry, without a guru. To me, "realization" means seeing past the arbitrary conceptual frameworks of thought to the common ground of "being/consciousness/bliss". The absolute is always present and appears as the world of form. Thought, one of the aspects of the world of form, describes what appears as being separate objects apart from a subject who sees but, in our own direct experience, we see the unity of consciousness and its objects. If they were isolated from each other, life would not be. It is all one unified movement--non-duality, Brahman, God, whatever we want to call it.

As a hobby, I have read a lot about cults. Often, in groups headed by a charismatic leader, you hear reports of abuses at the hands of this person who is supposed to be an enlightened being. It seems that this cruelty still shows that, deep down within them, they believe they are separate from and better than their followers. If you don't believe in this concept of "higher and lower", i.e.--duality, then you treat others with the same love and respect you would like to be shown. That is why I say kindness is the proof. Some talk about non-duality and high minded concepts but their abusiveness reflects that they still believe in the self idea (ego).

I don't claim to be an authority on these things, I just try to communicate how I see it. In the absence of belief in the divisions of thought, there is effortless oneness. This is our direct experience.

Scott: What you say makes a lot of sense and resonates with me.  It seems to be common sense.  I already know what I am, what everything is, so what am I expecting to accomplish by more seeking?

Thank you so much!

My book, "Blessed Disillusionment" is now for sale on Amazon

Link here. Thanks to Julian and Catherine at Non Duality Press and John Wheeler for his kind words.

Thoughts are not our enemy

They are a manifestation of the divine energy like every other appearance. While it can be noted that ideas are at the core of most of our misery, it's not the thoughts themselves that generate suffering but the belief in them as representing reality that makes it so. When this simple "problem" is remedied by seeing concepts merely as concepts then there is a freedom from the burden of painful ideas. When you don't believe that the rope is a snake anymore, you aren't afraid.


Thoughts don't limit, describe, identify me or anything. They have usefulness in functional terms, allowing us to do many tasks efficiently and in an orderly fashion but in terms of understanding ourselves or the oneness of life, they are useless. They are one aspect of existence but shouldn't be confused with truth. Being doesn't need concepts to be.

Ignorance and truth

In ignorance, we believe in a division between self, world and God. We interpret perceptions arising within the wholeness of our being as referring to duality and a multiplicity of objects. Seeing the world through the bars of this "cage of concepts", everything appears fragmented. This division is only an idea, though. In our directly observable experience, there are no thick, cartoonish lines separating things.

There is the field of awareness in which appear forms, patterns and sensations. It is one, undivided movement--no seer and seen but SEEING, no knower and known but KNOWING. This is utterly simple. Concepts cannot aid one in seeing this. It is undeniably the case. No special experience is needed for it to be so--it is so now.

Who or what is it that experiences?

If you say "me", meaning--the collection of perceptions of thought, body and feeling, isn't that also an experience? "The body" is experienced the same way "the world" is. It appears as an object within the field of vision. It is the perceived. What perceives it?

Consciousness.

By what is consciousness known? Consciousness comes and goes. By what capacity is this known? Nothing can really be said about this undifferentiated awareness. In that simple, all-knowing background, words have no meaning. This is the undivided absolute. Always present, even amidst the seeming chaos of life. Everything we see is only the shifting patterns of light, radiated within this singular reality. You cannot escape, become, control or do anything with this. It is "one without a second". It is all there is.

Enlightenment: The End Game of the Ego

With so many claiming to be enlightened these days, what exactly does that mean? Who or what is enlightened? The separate individual? Some folks can tell you the exact second they were "awakened" and have dramatic stories surrounding it but were they really ever "asleep" to begin with?

There are some really huge egos that claim "enlightenment" as the ultimate feather in their cap but the truth is that enlightenment is a non-event meaning--nothing happens. If there really was an independent "me" that could be re assimilated into oneness, then, of course, liberation could be real, but, as all there is is undivided being in this very moment, there is no one who could "wake up". Mistaking the ego for something real is a sort of "sleep" but it can only appear in awareness, wakefullness. In deep sleep, when there is no consciousness, there is no idea of a self and, therefore, no problem.

Generally, the imaginary seeker doesn't want seeking to end. It's the lure of "hitting the lottery" and attaining the unattainable. Hearing about their true nature isn't what they want, they want exercises and tasks they can do to become, but the Self--what we are, has no use of becoming because IT IS. Becoming can only happen in the dream of self, time and space. In the absence of belief in these falsehoods, there is WHAT IS and it doesn't need to be any other than what it is.  

An individual who claims to be enlightened in taking part in another form of self hypnosis. The ego is "hiding" within the idea of egolessness. The truth is, though, that there is no ego and there never was one to begin with, there is only the movement of the divine energy which can be called "God" or whatever you like. It doesn't matter what you call it.

Seeing through the "me" concept is not a positive event, it is a lack of something--the very core belief in the separate self. It is nothing and it is already the case. The separate self is a figment of God's dream but God doesn't sleep.

What the seeker is after

What the seeker is after is an experience that they feel will make themselves complete. When the ego idea is seen as a reality, there is a feeling of separation and lack. From this sense of lack, one either seeks satisfaction in "material" existence or they conjure up an image that there is "something else out there" that will make them happy and satisfied. This can lead to years, decades and even a lifetime of searching for that "something". One may have read certain descriptions of enlightenment and even have a very specific idea of what it will be like.

There are many who have amazing experiences and intense spiritual visions. After these, what happens? One comes back to "everyday" reality, of course. All experience is fleeting. The thing that is missed in all of this seeking is the most obvious aspect of existence--being. This is the constant in a seemingly ever-changing life. When the ego idea isn't believed in, being is unobscured and living is natural and effortless. When one's life is no longer dominated by thought then it can truly be said "All there is is God.", the words aren't necessary though--one doesn't need them to be.

Do you understand non-duality?

If so, kindness is the proof. If you are lacking in compassion then that is proof that your understanding is intellectual. It shows that the ego idea (concept of separation) is still at work. The ego idea is the essence of violence. It is resistance against the flow of life and it is the very belief in a world apart from oneself. I am making no claims to be permanently free of ego. Sometimes it arises, other times it is absent. When it is absent, there is peace, no matter what is happening around one. When it is present, there is struggle. Seeing the ego as another arising of the divine energy is a way to be at peace with even this most difficult manifestation of life. Though it appears to indicate a distinct self, it, itself, is a selfless arising, from God/source/being like everything else.

You don't need me

In 2007, I went and saw Wayne Liquorman when he spoke in Frederick, MD. It was my first encounter with what I, at the time, considered to be an "enlightened human being". When I entered the hall where he was speaking, there was a strange charge in the air. He came out, in front of everyone, and folded his hands and bowed. Then he sat down and silently made eye contact with each person in the audience for a long time. When it was my turn, I felt extremely anxious, like I wanted to shit myself. After he had gone around the entire room in this manner, he spoke for awhile then had a question and answer session. Luckily, the main thing I came away from this experience with was the deep down realization that I didn't need him or ANYONE to be complete. How is the worship of another person or a seeing of them as "better" or "purer" than oneself going to make one a healthy, independent human being?

Recently, I've been reading a book about UG Krishnamurti called "Goner". It was written by a person who was with him during the last years of his life. It depicts UG as a coarse man who was verbally and physically abusive. I would not subject myself to be around someone like that. He would often tell his "followers" that it was all pointless and that he wasn't a religious or holy man but they still venerated him. Maybe there was a special energy in his presence, I don't know. Maybe his words and actions didn't reflect his true inner sweetness but why do we look to anyone else for answers, even someone who tells us not to look to others for truth? I don't need any of them. None will bring us closer to truth/God. Truth is in this moment, wherever we are, whatever we're doing. It is life. It is the aware presence that gives expression to all things. We trick ourselves when we believe we need a guru, hero or God to experience it. THIS IS IT.

Curious emptiness

Even amidst the life-story drama of being an apparent individual, there sometimes is recognized a curious emptiness. It seems alien to the story of strife and struggle. It is is an aspect of ourselves that really can't be defined. While wrapped up in identification with the passing forms, it will usually just be skipped over because nothing can be done with it and it doesn't seem useful in "fixing" our imagined problems, which is, of course, our focus. Perhaps at some point the ego (self idea) gets called into question. There may be the seeing of it as merely another thought arising in awareness. This is the dis-identification with the belief in the limited person. Without this core concept, life is known as a sentient emptiness in which everything appears. This knowing void is always present, through every experience of life. Being absolutely nothing, it is absolutely everything. How curious! This conscious void has no problems and is perpetually at peace, always in the only moment there is--the present. Past and future are insubstantial phantoms, they never have nor never will exist. Right now, when is it? Now, of course. Now, look again, when is it? Now.

These words are unimportant. Do you see what they're pointing at? It is the most obvious aspect of existence, and, being so, it is the hardest to see because every where you look, it's all you see. We miss the forest for the trees.

An interesting position

In life, we find ourselves in an interesting position, that is: we are the infinite, mistaking itself for the limited and, therefore, seeking the infinite. The light of awareness gives rise to all manner of sensations, thoughts and feelings. Certain of these perceptions are sometimes mistakenly translated, in thought, into a separate self. After this limited self is taken to be real, there is the attempt to escape the feeling of limitation and to be re-integrated with all that is. The ironic part of this search is that one was never apart to begin with.

It's kind of like this: A person who was born free becomes an actor and starts playing the role of a slave. They play the part so well and for so long that they actually forget who they really are and totally identify with the role. One day, a friend might recognize them or they might naturally grow tired of living "in bondage", ending the masquerade, throwing aside their stage prop styrofoam chains, and they realize the natural freedom that has been theirs all along. There's no need to struggle against chains that aren't real. Bondage never existed, except as an idea and, therefore, liberation doesn't exist either. All of the drama of individuality and isolation has only been the boundless movement of the light of God. There is nothing apart from that.

This is the experience of love

This, whatever is being experienced in this moment, here, there or anywhere, is nothing other than the manifestation of love/oneness. Thoughts might arise that interpret it as "good" or "bad", desirable or undesirable but, here it is, this is it. When we no longer judge experience against what we think it should be, then there is peace. This peaceful sentience is the natural ground of everything. When the self idea (ego) isn't at war with life, there is effortless being. This is always in all ways the case, just overlooked sometimes in favor of the "surface ripples" of thoughts, which can imagine conflict and discord. All is one, one is all. That's all.

The birth of the seeker

In some lives, at a certain point, there arises the idea: "This is not the way things should be." and, the seeker is "born". After this, one usually has some idea of what would make things better, perhaps a change in personality or maybe something being "fixed" in "the world". This is seen as being the key to an imagined future state of happiness. The future state never arrives, though, and we find ourselves stuck with a "flawed" universe and suffering.

The very resistance to life and the concept that it is imperfect is what creates suffering. This resistance is nothing more than the ego idea in action. When it is seen that the ego is nothing more than a passing thought then struggle and psychic pain end because, whatever arises is nothing less than the appearance of the absolute, even the things we consider "imperfect".

This is not to say then that one merrily accepts all of the questionable things that appear like war, child exploitation and destruction of the environment. When one is confronted with these happenings and reacts with disgust, THAT is also an appearance of the divine energy. Whatever arises is watched without any concept of personal involvement or preference and it is found that life is functioning effortlessly and without any individual input. This happens silently and without commentary and it is not disturbed when thoughts inevitably arise. Preferences, even the preference to not have preferences, are illusory manifestations of the ego idea. Attachment, even to non-attachment, would only be another symptom of this.

God is perfectly realized in life, as life and the knowing presence that all arises in. The  dream of form and matter don't change who you are one bit. It has never been divided. Wholeness reigns supreme. The infinite has never been broken. Our personal experience bears this out, unless we mistake the spontaneously arising thought commentary for truth, then there can be confusion over the matter.

The end of suffering

The end of suffering is the realization that there is no one who suffers. Without the belief in an individual who is capable of suffering, without something it is supposedly in reference to, it ceases. In the clear field of being, psychic pain has nothing to plant its roots in--it can't take hold. Emptiness is incapable of suffering as an object or a person as such things are only an abstraction of that which is unbroken and whole. This aware emptiness is what we are, right now! This is not merely a philosophical idea. If we look at our own experience, without getting lost in mentation, we find that there is a knowing presence in which thoughts and sensations of body and universe appear. This presence usually isn't conscious of itself as it isn't an object of knowledge, but it's obvious that it is here. It is everywhere that is anywhere for, without it, nowhere or no one would appear!

If one felt the need for scientific proof of non duality, they only need to look to modern physics. It is pointed out that matter is really energy. Though we think we perceive a world of "solid", "separate" objects, apart from us, we find that the world of form is only a movement of energy and, without consciousness, it wouldn't appear at all! In the absence of conceptual thought, peace and wholeness reign, without even being known as such. Without the unreal fragmentation imagined in thought, suffering can't arise. Thoughts will come and go but, without being mistaken for reality, they aren't problematic. 

Truth

Truth is not in the heart (feelings).
Truth is not in the mind (thoughts).
Truth is not in the soul (individuality).
Truth is the very fact of being,
It needs no proof--IT IS.
Who can deny this? The very denial is an affirmation.

Bliss

Bliss is not a sensory experience. Many seekers have the idea that bliss is a state that one can reach where they will be happy and feel good all of the time. When, after many years of various spiritual and devotional techniques, they still haven't achieved this permanent state, they may wonder why. The reason is that no thought, feeling or perception is eternal.

Bliss is that which underlies and is aware of the objects of experience. It is the ever present field of being. Every thing is only an appearance of this backdrop--everything. While the images and thought forms are fixated on, there is a tendency to get lost in the dramas and conflicts that appear but, when it is seen that all arises within undivided consciousness, then ideas of struggle cease and only naked presence remains. This presence shines all of the events of life into manifestation with equanimity. No sensation or experience is favored above any other. Even in the "bad" or painful happenings, what we really are remains at peace. This is bliss.

Thought can't create oneness

Thought conceptually dissects life and then tries to put it all back together again. The catch is that things were never apart to begin with! Thought imagines disintegration and then tries to reintegrate the illusory multiplicity, which it is incapable of. It's much easier to realize that oneness was never broken in the first place. When the projections of the intellect are no longer mistaken for reality then there is a natural sense of peace and unity. This is what is sometimes referred to as "the natural state" though it really isn't a state at all--it is the ever present background on which the universe appears. 

An excerpt

Here's an excerpt from a new book by J.C. Amberchele. I love his writing style and the message is pure Advaita. Enjoy!

http://www.non-dualitypress.com/sample/Almighty%20Mackerel_sample.pdf

If you were enlightened, would you know it?

When the ego (thought) isn't active, is there any criteria by which to measure one's progress or station in life? No. When thought is silent, all such abstractions are gone and there is only the naked, essential witnessing presence. In this open presence, words such as sage and saint loose their meaning -- in pure, conscious perception, such things aren't designated and differentiated between. This is always the case but sometimes overlooked in favor of arising thought stories.

For there to be an "enlightened one", there would have to be an "unenlightened one" and such a distinctions appear only in thought, not actuality. Anyone trying to sell you on the idea of their "specialness" is still worshiping at the throne of ego. Being is an undivided field and to call one aspect "special" and another "common" is an unreal abstraction, looking non-conceptually, no such divisions appear -- it's all one.

Simplicity itself

What is always being pointed at, that which is referred to as Advaita, is not some special, vaunted experience but simple, everyday, garden variety consciousness. When separation (the ego idea) is believed in, there is the idea that one needs an experience of reunion with all that is. But, when one realizes that they were never limited by arising images but, instead, are the open, borderless presence in which everything appears, then the search is over.

Authoritarian power structures

When one hears accounts of the relationship between gurus and disciples, it seems that their social organizations are often modeled on a sort of hive mentality with the guru representing the "queen" and everyone else being workers, warriors or drones. All decisions come from the guru and move downward through the organization. Is such a surrendering of one's will to another healthy? Is the guru actually closer to truth/God than any of their followers? If they are such a great, wise teacher, why aren't they able to help their students to become self-realized and independent?

We've all heard the phrase "Power corrupts" but I think it could also be said that only the corrupt seek power. A teacher may start out with the greatest of intentions but, once the idea that they are special and others are not enters the picture, it's clear that the false self-image of ego is rearing its ugly head. Consciousness is universal. For one appearance to aggrandize itself at the expense of another is pure egoic delusion, no matter if the person doing it is considered a saint or not.

A good book on Sri Chinmoy's organization is "Cartwheels in a Sari". It is suggested reading for those interested in how "spiritual" groups become corrupted. Of course political power structures operate on the same principles but generally there is less of a pretense of holiness.

The pinnacle of control seems to be repression of the human sexual instinct. Most gurus demand to be the center of attention and romantic love certainly thwarts this, so many "spiritual" groups develop rules against sex. Truly, to control sex by blind obedience is an amazing feat. Of course, one of the main functions of these bodies isn't so easily suppressed so sexual deviancy usually results and we find that the guru, priest or whatever has often broken all of their own rules and, often, worse.

If God is the creator, maintainer and destroyer of the universe, then who created sex? Isn't the answer obvious? To brand sexuality evil is ignorance and leads to true perversions, if in doubt, look at the problems within the Catholic Church.

Advaita isn't likely to win any popularity contests

For the simple reason that, in its pure essence, it offers nothing to seekers. Most "spiritual" or religious systems suggest actions that you can take to "get closer to perfection": meditation, prayer, devotion, fasting, contemplation, submitting to authority, etc. There is the idea that: "Now I am imperfect but, if I take the right steps, in the future I will be closer to truth." Non duality doesn't even allow for a future apart from the past, and, without a conceptual future, seeking goes right out the window. That which is being pointed to must be present in this very moment.

Do you see that you see? Do you know that you know? Of course. Most of the confusion lies around who sees. We think that we are a separate material body with a brain in it that is the seat of consciousness and perceives that which is outside of it, but, looking now, aren't the body and mind (thoughts) just more sensations/perceptions, as "the world" is? All of these experiences would be impossible without the witnessing presence that is the kernel of everything. There is no division in the process of knowing. The knower and the known are merely conceptual phantoms that dissolve into natural, effortless unity when thought is silent. Thought will make a jumble of this because it's too easy; it is absolutely already the case.

Once it's seen that we aren't the chaotic and confused self-image but the seeing itself, seeking is done. It's a blessed realization.

How to be a successful modern guru

First off, claim that you have achieved a state called "enlightenment", then, claim that you have the ability to show others how to "achieve" it. You'll have seekers banging down your door all times of the day and night trying to get close to the special "enlightened one". Claim to have special powers, to be able to make ashes appear from your fingertips or to walk on water. Only surround yourself with people who worship you and who you can mistreat without pissing them off because their self esteem is so low. Take the highest seat in the room and wear special clothing that distinguishes you from everyone else. Talk about renunciation while owning a fleet of sports cars and wearing astronomically expensive jewelery. Talk about celibacy while taking the "choicest fruits" of your flock for your own pleasure. Talk about how everything you do is without ego while demanding that you are always the center of attention and in control of the minute details of your follower's lives.

This game goes on all the time. Does this have anything to do with truth? Of course not. Who could be nearer to God than you are at this moment? The stream of thoughts (arising from source) conceptually dissect life and, when we mistake these projections for reality, we believe in limitation and separation, but, in the absence of such ideas, there is simply boundless being.

There is no mind to be in bondage. There is no separate self. Laboring under the weight of these concepts is suffering. With or without these beliefs, the aware presence that is the source of all creation shines and appears as the ever-changing kaleidoscopic universe of experience. Nothing is apart from that.

A change of mind can make all of the difference

We feel like our "problems" are real things with mass and weight but a simple shift of perspective takes all of the gravity and feeling of substantiality away from them. What is the ultimate change of mind? The realization that I am no mind. I have never been bound by arising thought forms, they are just another expression of my emptiness as form. I am nothing and that is a damn beautiful thing. It is total, utter, unconditional freedom.

It's OK if identification with the life story and appearance arises, it's not a personal thing. Anything you have ever seen, felt, known, touched and dreamt of has been nothing less than the dream/play/dance of God. What happens when the dream ends? Nothing - it never began.

Thought is God's ultimate game of hide and seek

As Ramana pointed out in the post below, when thought is absent, there is no concept of a "world". There is only raw perception which hasn't been conceptually split into seer and seen. It is, at heart, a nameless and boundless experience. Identification with thought is God's way of forgetting itself. It seems to become completely immersed in the game of consciousness, this is only an appearance though - in reality, the being/consciousness/bliss of Brahman is always present.

With the arisal of mistaking ideas for reality comes what we call the "universe" of objects and every conceptual division that can be imagined. This pseudo reality is superimposed over the infinite, undivided being of Brahman. One interesting thing to note, though, is that this very idea of separation is only another movement of the God energy. God is playing hide and seek with itself and it always wins. Every false mask is stripped away. Every cherished belief is put aside, revealing everywhere and in all things the face of God - the infinite.

The story of the monsters

When the ego (false self idea) appears to grab ahold of this notion of Advaita, it usually expresses itself as "I am God and you are not." leading to guru-worship, authoritarianism and abuse of power. It's funny that many claim to speak from this realization but claim that there is such a thing as a "higher" and "lower" understanding - another obvious duality.

In the manifestation, there can appear to be a guru and disciple, a teacher and a student but, in the reality that we are, all such dualistic ideas are meaningless and one is left with "I am what you are" - the conscious presence that is the only source and reality of everything.

If anyone approaches you and suggests that they are enlightened, I would take such a claim with a gigantic grain of salt. "Who", exactly, is enlightened? When did this supposed event happen? How long has it been so? Only a self-image (ego) could seem to become enlightened, before which it was in darkness. The light that we are is without beginning or end. The shining of awareness is all that allowed this life to appear. It was never absent. The light is not in need of enlightenment.

On the joy of being no body and having no mind.

What is your self image? How do you conceive of yourself? I think it's safe to say that, for most of us, there is the idea that we are a "solid" body that has a brain inside of it that is the center of thinking. Outside of this "solid" body, there is a whole universe of other bodies and things. This is what we have been taught. Is it true?

This concept of being a body brings with it a great feeling of gravity and seriousness. It is a corruptable, fragile object that must be protected at all costs. When we invest so much of our sense of self in it, our happiness and sadness seem to hinge on whether it is doing well or ill, whether it has good or bad fortune.

Is a body what we are?

Without thinking, describe yourself. Can you? In the absence of thought, there is obviously no description. What is left? Conscious presence. In this pure awareness, there is no identification with the body or thoughts (mind). There really IS no body or mind besides the sensations and thoughts that arise in the registering emptiness. This non-material sentience is what we really are - it is the permanent by which the ever-changing is known. The body image and thoughts change from moment to moment but the presence is constant. When we say "I", this is what we are really talking about. When we say "my body" or "my mind", this is the "me" that "owns" those things.

To hang one's happiness on the world is foolishness. To hang it on the Self (awareness) is wisdom.

The world (everything that appears, including the body/mind) is always in flux. To be dependent on anything there is to be in a perpetual state of insecurity. The Self (conscious presence) cannot leave you because it is what you are and it is unwavering and steadfast. It is complete in itself and needs nothing to fulfill it. It is the source of all experience, but, ultimately beyond and untouched by it. When you build a house, you look for a strong, solid foundation - such is the Self. Trying to build a house on air (fickle appearance) is foolhardy at best.

From "The Collected Works of Ramana Maharshi"

"There is no ignorance apart from the mind. It is the cause of the bondage of birth and death. With the emergence of the mind, everything arises and with it's subsidence, everything ceases."

"It is only the mind that conjures up before the Self subtle and gross objects and all the variations of body, caste, and station in life, qualities and actions, causes and effects. So doing, it tempts and deludes the Self, which is really unattached pure intelligence, binding it by the qualities of body, senses, and life and deluding it with the idea of "I" and "mine" in the fruits of action that it creates. By means of this false representation, the mind creates the myth of samsara (bondage) for the spirit."

If I may, I would also like to add that there is no mind, only Self, of which thought is one of the "surface ripples". Mind (thought) is not apart from Brahman, only an expression of it as form. There never was a separate self (ego) who was deluded or in bondage, belief in arising thoughts as absolute reality only made it appear so.

Another quote:

"The phenomenal world... is nothing but thought. When the world recedes from view - that is when one is free from thought - the mind enjoys the Bliss of the Self. Conversely, when the world appears - that is when thought occurs - the mind experiences pain and anguish."

Hello and welcome to my blog!

Concepts are the source of confusion and suffering. The idea that I am separate from life and the universe (uni = one), so prevalent in our materialistic culture, is the sole cause of the feeling of alienation. Are we really apart from anything? Is it possible to be isolated?

If we look at the image below, the top graphic is an illustration of the standard way that modern human beings view the world. There is the idea that they, as a body/mind organism are viewing a world outside of themselves. This feeling of being apart from the world also gives rise to desire and fear - fear that "things" in the world will hurt them and the desire that "things" will bring a feeling of completion. It seems to be worthwhile to look directly and see if this model is correct.

In our direct (non-conceptual) experience, is anything apart from anything else? Looking at what we call "the world", are objects in their own separate boxes or does one thing connect and touch everything else? Could we even notice different objects if things were truly separate? Isn't it the contrast between things IN CONTACT that lets us see anything? Is the awareness that percieves objects apart from them? Does anything appear outside of consciousness (such as in deep sleep)? So, what is being pointed to is that awareness and objects of perception, are not separate but one, indivisible whole. It is only from mistaking arising concepts for reality that we believe otherwise.

All objects, including the sensations and thoughts that we call the body and mind are dependent on awareness, without which they couldn't be percieved. This simple sentience is what gives birth to the appearance of the universe and, at heart, is what we truly are, what every "thing" is. There is nothing but this infinite, eternal being.