Thursday, September 20, 2007

"Do 'Dualistic' Practices Have Any Value?"

Do 'dualistic' practices have any value?

Who does a dualistic practice? Let's look into that first. If you are assuming that you are a separate person, an individual, then you may also find, in doing a practice, that you are getting some benefit from it. Only the quality of the benefit will be as limited as the assumption that it is predicated on.

The most helpful practice that I am aware of (it may be more accurate to say that this is an anti-practice; because it helps to reveal the present nonexistence of the practitioner!) is that of turning back repeatedly to your own natural awareness--initially by asking "Who am I?" This is helpful for the simple fact that to be continually misapprehending yourself is similar to banging your head against a wall. Nothing new is added to the scene for you to stop banging your head against a wall. Only something extraneous is left off from. And the very instant that you stop the "action" of banging your head against the wall of one thing or another--you may discover that no wall exists. There is only this simple and ever-present and natural awareness.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Right Now

Right now is the time to have a look and see if the separate person that you imagine yourself to be can even be found.

It can not be that you are your body for the simple fact that you do not always see or experience your body (as in deep dreamless sleep)--and yet you remain to come back around to some experience of your body. Nor can it be that you are your mind; for, once again, you do not have a constant experience of your mind. Also it can not be that you are "in" that place that you might imagine yourself to be "in"--you can not be that invisible marble inside your head, between and behind your eyes. In sleep you are not "there".

So where are you? What are you? Who are you?

***

Right now, in the natural immediacy of your experience, you can not deny that you are. And you can not say what or who you are. You are simply not findable. You can not even say that you are the awareness that thoughts about your experiences are arising in because that would seem to negate these thoughts. And all thoughts and all things--however ephemeral or dreamy they may appear to be--do exist as the plain shining out of what is.

You are what is. Right now. Don't take my words for it. Have a look now and now and always now.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

The Natural State

What kind of state were you in [when you wrote the poems in your book]?

I was in the natural state. In sanskrit this is sometimes called sahaj samadhi--which means the natural state. 'Sahaj' means natural and 'samadhi' means state. It is the same state that both of us are in right now.

It is perfectly natural to not find a line drawn around yourself, to not find that you seem to be separate from other people. In fact everyone and everything is with us in this natural state right now. Only so often people take themselves to be in a state where they seem to be separate. If you look now you can not explain in what way you are separate. So it must be only a passing assumption--a very simple misunderstanding.

And if you cut out the misunderstanding, if you question into the assumption by looking for 'who' or 'where' the seemingly separate person is, you will see immediately that such a 'one' can not be found.

"Thank You"--"You're Welcome"

Can anything conclusive be said about what is?

Certainly! Much can be said and much is said. And yet, is anything that is said final? Is anything that is said conclusive?

No!

What is 'conclusive'? It is a word, a concept, a thought--like anything. It is only energy pulsing in the mind, only breath vibrating some vocal cords.

AND 'conclusive' is also a pointer to your own natural being which is complete, whole, joyful, at ease, pure, and simple. This being, this awareness is the you that you already are. You can not be anywhere other than right here and there is no happening, no occurence apart from now. This here is what is. You are what is. And if you are not realizing that you are what is you can look now and realize now.

What do I realize?

Well you do not realize any 'what' at all. 'What' is simply another passing word, another passing thought. It is simply the content of the moment. You realize you are the you that you already are. Which means that you stop putting mental energy into trying to get or realize anything, and you stop trying to become someone or become something more--and you simply rest in your own always-present being.

Thank you.

Yes. You're welcome.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

On Turning 35

Thirty-five years ago tomorrow my body was born as an expression of this that is as birthless as it is deathless.

I can not say what I am. I can not say that I am not.

I am neither born nor unborn.

I am not awareness or aliveness or beingness or no-thing-ness either in part or as a whole--apart from the person that I appear to be.

My body is right here. With my fingers I am typing these words as they float up in my mind.

Tomorrow Jamie and I will celebrate my birthday.

It will laughable.

It will be so much fun.

To Be Simple...

To be simple is to be in your own natural being which is prior to all feeling.

The first feeling is the feeling "I am". And this feeling is a seed of assumption that all other assumptions grow out from. So if you feel like you are separate you investigate as any assumption arises back to this fundamental assumption.

When you investigate your basic feeling of being a separate, independent someone, you can not find where this "one" is. You may feel like you are somewhere in your body. But then which you is seeing the "you" it feels like is somehwere within your body.

***

There is only the open spaciousness of aliveness, beingness, awareness that every feeling and every thought is appearing in and playing out of. And this is you--as you are shining out through the body and the mind and the heart of the person that you are--as you are shining out as all that is. Now and now and always now.

***

This matter is so damn simple that you will never get it. You are the you that you already are. Now and now and always now.

You are as undeniable and as you are indescribable. Simple awareness. Simple beingness. Simple aliveness. Seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, smelling, and thinking. Now and now and always now.

A Sage

A Sage lives in not-knowing. What does a Sage know? Not a thing?

Not-knowing is awareness, aliveness, beingness, what is. This is not known. It is only pure knowing--knowing-ness.

All that is is in not-knowing and it is that same not-knowing. And so the Sage is nothing other than not-knowing. His body is not-knowing. Her mind is not-knowing. His heart is not-knowing. Her actions and words are entirely not-knowing.

What is not-knowing?

Not a thing that can be know. And yet, and yet IT alone IS.

Saturday, September 1, 2007

More?

Is it true?

Do you need more?

Do you need more energy, more intelligence? Do you need more wealth or more love? You are the you that you already are. So what might happen (what does happen!?) when you get more?

When you get more of anything are "you" satisfied in a lasting way? Doesn't getting more simply make this "you" want...more?

Anytime you find yourself wishing for more of anything, this is the time to have a look to see if that "one" who seemingly wants more is even actually here.

***

Who wants more?

I do.

Who am I?

I am.

Who? What this I? Where is it located?

A hand can not grasp itself. Eyes can not see themselves. Yet how is this I talking to itself? Is it talking to itself?

Who am I?