You are not what you think you are. A sincere investigation by none other than yourself will blow away the false identity you have assumed for all these years. By assuming this false identity of being a somebody with a name and a form( the body), you have limited your self and created the bondage and suffering associated with it.
By changing the reference point from being an entity with a form and name, a Mr. So and So or Ms. So and So, to that infinite REALITY, realize(through direct investigation and not based on beliefs or reading this) that you are indeed the infinite, dimensionless, nameless, timeless, always present, Awareness beyond any concepts. By abiding as THAT, it becomes immediately clear that there is no seer and the seen, only seeing. That is, only the functioning going on as it is. All functioning is happening. Happening spontaneously.
It is just a matter of change in the reference point.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The Seeking is itself the cause of suffering- Part 2
Once, it is seen that there is awareness always present, without any effort on your part, the next question is who is it that is seeking? If awareness is self-shining, ever fresh and present, and the thoughts including the "I-thought" are occurring because of the presence of awareness ( or call it awareness of presence), then it becomes clear that all that is occurring is a content of the Awareness. The seeker is an imaginary entity called "me", which we have not been able to pinpoint or locate so far on investigation. This imaginary entity called "me", wants to find or hopes to find the Awareness one fine day, ignoring the fact that Awareness is already here and present and no effort had to be made even by the "me" to cause it. Stop right here. There is awareness present right here and right now. Or else, how could reading and writing be taking place? Stop, pretending to be an entity "me". Realize, right here and now that apart from Awareness, nothing ever is. Abide as the Awareness.
Now, the next question arising in the mind is what is this awareness? How come I still don't get it? Please understand that the answer is not in the mind. The mind cannot describe what it is itself a content of!! An analogy would be, can the eye see itself. Point a finger towards your face and on present evidence can you see your face? Not based on memory, but on present evidence, you cannot see your face or the eyes. In the same way, this Awareness cannot be described just like space cannot be described. What is space? Well, space is space, right?!! So, this Awareness is space like, indescribable yet undeniable as you are currently aware of being aware and alive. When there is a "me"(I-thought), there is Awareness. When the "me" or (I-thought) is absent on investigation, there still is the Awareness. Awareness is not affected by the thoughts and feelings, it remains always ever fresh and self-shining. No questions are asked by Awareness. Irrespective of the thoughts, emotions, feelings, actions, Awareness remains untouched. You are That Awareness. It is here and now, present as always. Stop being ignorant ( which does not mean you are stupid)- stop ignoring, what is obvious and present right here and right now. Now, what effort did any entity make to be aware? Can anything be added to Awareness to make it better? Can anything be removed from Awareness? Is it not already full and complete? Will 10 years of spiritual search or meditation or other spiritual endeavours by an imaginary entity called a "me', in any way change the fact that he/she is aware and present then as he/she was present now? One thing that has not changed throughout the many years of "your life" is the fact that awareness/presence has been there throughout, UNCHANGED!! What changes is not Real.
The imaginary seeker thinks that by doing something or some action, there will be something better than the present moment. He/she has this feeling that the current status is somehow not good enough because the mind is constantly pursuing pleasure in the world of objects. All pursuits in the world of objects are transient and as soon as the pleasure is over, the mind starts the search all over again. This continues all through one's life resulting in suffering as the mind makes one believe that the present is not good enough. Even, objects that once gave a lot of pleasure fail to please after some time. The mind says "bored" or "not good enough anymore" and the seeking for the next pleasure continues. In fact, spiritual seeking is not any different. It is the mind wanting a permanent happiness. How can a mind, which is itself constantly changing, find permanent happiness? Is that not an oxymoron? Therefore, permanent happiness or peace can be only beyond the mind. Perhaps, one has read about enlightened persons who walk as if on a cloud, all hazy and mystical. This thinking that what is present is somehow not good enough, is the cause of seeking for something better in the future. This seeking for something better results in constant suffering. Because one is not realizing the fact that presently, here and now, you ( Awareness) are already full and complete. So, stop imagining to be an entity with a name and form, and abide as the Awareness. The seeking can only stop when the seeker is unveiled to be a false, imaginary, concept. The seeker falls away exposing the ever present, ever shining, clear, obvious Awareness. And that can happen right now, if only one is willing to investigate with sincerity and wanting nothing in return. Just investigate for the sake of investigation.
Now, the next question arising in the mind is what is this awareness? How come I still don't get it? Please understand that the answer is not in the mind. The mind cannot describe what it is itself a content of!! An analogy would be, can the eye see itself. Point a finger towards your face and on present evidence can you see your face? Not based on memory, but on present evidence, you cannot see your face or the eyes. In the same way, this Awareness cannot be described just like space cannot be described. What is space? Well, space is space, right?!! So, this Awareness is space like, indescribable yet undeniable as you are currently aware of being aware and alive. When there is a "me"(I-thought), there is Awareness. When the "me" or (I-thought) is absent on investigation, there still is the Awareness. Awareness is not affected by the thoughts and feelings, it remains always ever fresh and self-shining. No questions are asked by Awareness. Irrespective of the thoughts, emotions, feelings, actions, Awareness remains untouched. You are That Awareness. It is here and now, present as always. Stop being ignorant ( which does not mean you are stupid)- stop ignoring, what is obvious and present right here and right now. Now, what effort did any entity make to be aware? Can anything be added to Awareness to make it better? Can anything be removed from Awareness? Is it not already full and complete? Will 10 years of spiritual search or meditation or other spiritual endeavours by an imaginary entity called a "me', in any way change the fact that he/she is aware and present then as he/she was present now? One thing that has not changed throughout the many years of "your life" is the fact that awareness/presence has been there throughout, UNCHANGED!! What changes is not Real.
The imaginary seeker thinks that by doing something or some action, there will be something better than the present moment. He/she has this feeling that the current status is somehow not good enough because the mind is constantly pursuing pleasure in the world of objects. All pursuits in the world of objects are transient and as soon as the pleasure is over, the mind starts the search all over again. This continues all through one's life resulting in suffering as the mind makes one believe that the present is not good enough. Even, objects that once gave a lot of pleasure fail to please after some time. The mind says "bored" or "not good enough anymore" and the seeking for the next pleasure continues. In fact, spiritual seeking is not any different. It is the mind wanting a permanent happiness. How can a mind, which is itself constantly changing, find permanent happiness? Is that not an oxymoron? Therefore, permanent happiness or peace can be only beyond the mind. Perhaps, one has read about enlightened persons who walk as if on a cloud, all hazy and mystical. This thinking that what is present is somehow not good enough, is the cause of seeking for something better in the future. This seeking for something better results in constant suffering. Because one is not realizing the fact that presently, here and now, you ( Awareness) are already full and complete. So, stop imagining to be an entity with a name and form, and abide as the Awareness. The seeking can only stop when the seeker is unveiled to be a false, imaginary, concept. The seeker falls away exposing the ever present, ever shining, clear, obvious Awareness. And that can happen right now, if only one is willing to investigate with sincerity and wanting nothing in return. Just investigate for the sake of investigation.
The Seeking is itself the cause of suffering Part1
If one has read or heard any of the literature on Advaita, it is repeatedly mentioned that you are already what you are looking for or seeking. You already are THAT. Meaning that what is being sought is already the one who is seeking. The well known Mahavakya " Tat tvam asi" ( that thou art) is self explanatory. Even though the ancient sages tried to make it very simple, it escapes most seekers. There are several reasons for this. The mind has been conditioned since early childhood to believe that there is an entity, a person, which is the body-mind. The other reason is that the mind is led to believe that no results can be obtained without effort. Therefore, there must be some effort to "get" or "attain" this whatever you are looking for- call it "enlightenment", "peace of mind" or "Self - Realization". Therefore even the simple and clear statement that you are already what you are looking for, can be misinterpreted by the mind to believe that there is an entity here called "me" which will find by pursuing a course of action. The other misconception is that by repeating the Mahavakyas ( Great words) one will attain "liberation" or "enlightenment" etc.
Let us SEE and find out if there is really a "me" here. I ask you as who you really are. You say "I am so and so" by which you mean that you are the body-mind standing in front of me. If you are indeed the body, can you please point out to yourself, where exactly in the body are "you"? Meaning, where exactly in the body is the headquarters or the centre? As you are perhaps aware, every part of your body is constantly changing every day, every hour and every minute. The skin cells are discarded. Waste matter including body cells are discarded in the feces and so on. Would that not mean, that you are dying and being born every minute, so to speak!! Look and SEE, if you can find a centre called "me" in the body. Don't just read this!! Really LOOK and SEE. Some will say that the entity "me" is in the mind. O.K., assuming you are indeed the mind, can you please look and see where is the mind? If you point to your head, then where exactly in the head is the mind? ( For the scientific minded, please be aware that science has so far failed to locate the source of mind). Have you heard of the statement "it has a mind of its own"? Ever seen a chicken without a head? The body continues to run even without a head. That is why people use the term " running around like a headless chicken". That should make it clear that the mind is not in the head. In fact, you cannot find anything like the mind. It is just a bundle of thoughts. Now, what are thoughts? Can you look and tell me what are thoughts? Are they not just vibrations of energy without any location in particular?
Having not found a centre anywhere in the body or the mind, why is it that you continue to believe in an entity called "me"? Is it not clear that the entity called me is an imaginary entity created out of memory of the past and projected into the future. Is it not clear that the "me" is itself nothing but a thought. In fact, all thoughts are latched on to the primary thought -I, the I-thought. But, when this simple investigation into the "I" is undertaken, one cannot find the "I".
Despite not finding the "I' or the "me", one still exists. This Knowing or knowledge of existence is present even in the absence of thought. Try holding your thoughts for a fraction of a second. Do you disappear? Obviously not. Why? Because, the thoughts are not what is holding you together.
Can you deny your existence/awareness/presence at this very moment? No thoughts, and yet you are aware. Is it not the existence/awareness, which sustains the thoughts or is it the thoughts that sustain existence/awareness? Unless, one himself or herself investigates along these lines, there is no hope of finding the Truth. Do not believe the above statements in the least bit. Please, investigate yourself.
Now, what are you doing to be aware at this very moment? Are you "doing" anything to be aware? Is it not true that presence-awareness is self-shining, always fresh, without any action or effort on your part?
Let us SEE and find out if there is really a "me" here. I ask you as who you really are. You say "I am so and so" by which you mean that you are the body-mind standing in front of me. If you are indeed the body, can you please point out to yourself, where exactly in the body are "you"? Meaning, where exactly in the body is the headquarters or the centre? As you are perhaps aware, every part of your body is constantly changing every day, every hour and every minute. The skin cells are discarded. Waste matter including body cells are discarded in the feces and so on. Would that not mean, that you are dying and being born every minute, so to speak!! Look and SEE, if you can find a centre called "me" in the body. Don't just read this!! Really LOOK and SEE. Some will say that the entity "me" is in the mind. O.K., assuming you are indeed the mind, can you please look and see where is the mind? If you point to your head, then where exactly in the head is the mind? ( For the scientific minded, please be aware that science has so far failed to locate the source of mind). Have you heard of the statement "it has a mind of its own"? Ever seen a chicken without a head? The body continues to run even without a head. That is why people use the term " running around like a headless chicken". That should make it clear that the mind is not in the head. In fact, you cannot find anything like the mind. It is just a bundle of thoughts. Now, what are thoughts? Can you look and tell me what are thoughts? Are they not just vibrations of energy without any location in particular?
Having not found a centre anywhere in the body or the mind, why is it that you continue to believe in an entity called "me"? Is it not clear that the entity called me is an imaginary entity created out of memory of the past and projected into the future. Is it not clear that the "me" is itself nothing but a thought. In fact, all thoughts are latched on to the primary thought -I, the I-thought. But, when this simple investigation into the "I" is undertaken, one cannot find the "I".
Despite not finding the "I' or the "me", one still exists. This Knowing or knowledge of existence is present even in the absence of thought. Try holding your thoughts for a fraction of a second. Do you disappear? Obviously not. Why? Because, the thoughts are not what is holding you together.
Can you deny your existence/awareness/presence at this very moment? No thoughts, and yet you are aware. Is it not the existence/awareness, which sustains the thoughts or is it the thoughts that sustain existence/awareness? Unless, one himself or herself investigates along these lines, there is no hope of finding the Truth. Do not believe the above statements in the least bit. Please, investigate yourself.
Now, what are you doing to be aware at this very moment? Are you "doing" anything to be aware? Is it not true that presence-awareness is self-shining, always fresh, without any action or effort on your part?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)