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The Nectar of Self Awareness ~Sri Jnaneshwar

After reading a number of books over the last couple of years I came to a new point of view in which I ask what we actually are. Premises: We are the vehicle of reproducing DNA (like all living organism0 We also seem to be a vehicle of spreading memes (little bits of information that that bundle into bigger clusters to form ideologies, culture,...) We are also not our thoughts We have an ego that is not our true self After struggles with this and the concept of soul (in the sense of our eternal self) I become more and more convinced that the whole universe is an organic matrix and everything are just patterns (whether amino acids or thoughts and memes) that spread in the form of entropy. It seems that our true selves are buried beneath it all and it takes a lot of work and uncovering to find oneself under all this conditioning. I'm sorry if I'm not more clear but it is hard to but the insights I got into words. We do not seem to have the right language and some of the concepts border and go beyond what the rational mind can conjure. In the end we don't need to explain what we are, but more how to live with the insight of what we are instead of living based on the will of DNA and memes.

There is a game. There's a game being played. Players play it using pieces and boards. Everyone plays it. And even though not everyone actively plays... everyone is involved. Everything is involved. Everything is game. Even non things. Default. The game excluding none, is utterly and wholly, entirely all inclusive. All pieces, all Players, playing or not are part of the game... as is The Board. As to Players and Pieces, there seems some ambiguity. There seems no agreement on whether Pieces are just pieces, or if some pieces are Players, or if Players are Pieces, or if players use pieces to Play... the rules aren't cut in stone you see. But the game is very clear. everything is game. Even the box is part of the game, it's in the rules... i think. The Rules: There is no book of The Rules. Although there are many books about rules. The Rules are entirely implicit, revealed most clearly when broken. Never explicit. And prone to regular shift. It seems. Any rule broken is penalized, but there are other rules for how much penalty, how often and for how long. It also seems there is no agreement among Players as to The Rules about the penalizing of broken rules. One thing is certain though, every broken rule is penalized, (even if only through praise). The Rules are most vividly unveiled only when broken. There are layers of rules and there are even Rules for The Rules. Some of the rules, while seemingly discoverable and understandable to an extent, are rarely conveyable in a manner capable of insighting lasting agreement among all players. It also seems an axiom that whenever some aspect of the rules seems to be explicitized and concretized, explainable by a player, new aspects of the rule become unveiled, often revealing the former rule's irrelevance. All rules seem prone to shift, subtle and radical, without signal or forewarning. As do the pieces... and the players come to think of it. Indeed, a definitive knowable, concrete source for having them explained to one outright, in no uncertain terms, is perhaps the rarest thing imaginable. The one impossible thing? Many people claim to know the rules. Many people will tell you the rules. Some seek to enforce them. Some try to follow them. Some rules i break, others i seem to break upon. Some follow some of them... some of the time. Some by trying and some accidentally find they follow them. Though they are broken in precisely the same manner... Some rely on them, others revile them. Disagreement over them seems one of the few truly unifying principles among Players and Pieces alike. The Board: There is a board for the game. It's huge. vast. As unimaginable as it is palpable. Beautiful, and Terrible. It's beyond reckoning. Literally. And yet, much of the board seems concrete. Players move about the board. Players meet on the board. Pieces are moved by players and by... the board? Players who are pieces, interact with pieces and players and Pieces who are Players... players encountering the rules... playing the game. To some players, the board is also a player. To others, the board is a dull box of rocks... more rules it seems. Clever buggers... into everything. The board is so vast because it's comprised of... other boards. Each piece of the game brings its own board to the game. Each player has a board as well, or is a board... i forget... Bit of a grey area, if players are boards as well as players... Have to check the rules... All boards comprise 'The Board' and 'The Board' shifts with the rules players and pieces. Among all this inherent implicitness, there arises and abides a sense of pattern among the board and playerpieces... in the playing of the game. Players refer to the patterns arising... it seems central to the play. Patterns: comforting, familiar, terrifying, auspicious, awe=inspiring, and all encompassing. Though The Board embodies an ambiguity that abides, no matter how many patterns arise, and agreement flies whenever explicit descriptions of the board are claimed or championed. so... there's a game. are you playing?

Do you think your own thoughts? Or those offered by others? Between any two thoughts there is a magical place. A pregnant pause. The next thought could be any thought. There is no limit here. Predispositions perhaps, but no limit. The next thought could be any thought... even none. Awareness returns to this lately, so I chew it and share it here in case it intrigues. These are open questions, requiring and perhaps having no firm answers. Do you think your own thoughts? How many of your thoughts arise from within? How many arrive from without? From where do thoughts come? Does it matter? How many of them are repeats? Do you choose what you eat? Do you know from where you eat comes? How much of your food do you grow? And how much is brought to you by others? Awareness returning repeatedly to the parallels between what I eat to maintain health and vitality and what I allow my mind to eat and its effect on my inner world and experience of reality. If what I experience is my effective reality. Then thoughts are a major portion of this reality. Buddha speaks to it. What will I allow my mind to ruminate on... what will I feed it? Where will I go for and what will I do with, the thoughts that arise today?

Hi, I believe that everything in life exists in a neutral state. and its usage may lead to both positive or negative result upon intention. I was wondering, what is the positive side of: Attachment, desire, resentment, judgement and escapism. what is the negative side of: acceptance, forgiveness, letting go, authenticity, empathy, awareness, present moment. Also, what is the positive and negative side of your current belief/practice ? I believe the inability to find the positive in what we call negative or the negative in what we call positive reveals a lack in awareness and flexible perspective of life. Thank you.

Here's a fun musing that settles on my thought pond from time to time. It arose again rather insistently this morning and I felt like sharing the process with words. Nothing serious in it, though it is sincere. I'm endlessly curious... what makes me human? Where exactly 'in me' is the 'human bit'? This usually plays out about the same, and I've shared it before, but da Bums has shifted and so I feel like sharing again and seeing what comes of it. so: what is human? I'm re-minded that while seemingly being human, no where inside this body, do I encounter the human element. Not even in my very human DNA, not even in that which is unique only to humans do I find the human element, for even my DNA forms of the same elements as the rest of the manifest universe. I'm re-minded that what I used to think of as my solid human body. Seems a fluid, ever-shifting collection of several trillion independently identifiable small life forms, each themselves comprised of the same elements as the rest of the universe. These life forms arise naturally and self arrange without thought, or command, (indeed often in spite of thought and command), into various patterns that results in what I refer to as my human body. and yet... human is what? when does the human bit come into it? I'm re-minded that, that which seems to distinguish me from all else in the universe, my body, seems to be a pattern of elements. One pattern among myriad. A pattern comprised and arranged in the shape of what my mind refers to as human, comprised of many other patterns called organs, limbs, etc. The same elements arranged into another form, in varying amounts, is recognizable as not human. I'm re-minded that, that which comprises the body, which is similar to the rest of the universe, is all of it; while that in the body which is different from the rest of the universe, is none. That seems really significant. No where is body comprised of that which the rest of the universe is not. So when is a pattern of elements human? Human city, human art, human music, human politics, human clothing. I'm re-minded that the core of all manifest elements seemingly so solid and permanent... are temporary and comprised of vibration, resonance and emptiness. Thus it seems my human body, is an expression of the vibration of inherent emptiness, resonating as elements arranging in layers of patterns distinguishable as a human typing figures on a screen, with far more in common with distant black holes than is dissimilar. how bout that? whew. it's rather staggering at times... like now. funny too, how it's always been now, I've never been me in the past, or the future. i am only now. every human experience now. each human experience memory, re-membered now. each fantasy of the future, in mind now. and all the while, awareness underlying each individual cell, aware to sit as this, body in a chair and simply be... such a miracle is this?! how many miracles in a yard of common earth? in a 'human' eye? in a thought? What a miracle to just sit here and be, as this moist spec of dust I sit upon, simultaneously spins about itself, orbiting a rather common yellow ball of light, itself corkscrewing through the galaxy... one pattern amid myriad... ever unfolding... fluid, never static, inherently empty, yet expressing form so generously. I'm reminded of the arms of galaxies, in the spiral of my son's ear. and i'm re-minded of that in mind. where is this mind? what is mind? what is human?

I learned humans bodies are truly only designed to eat fruit, flowers, nuts, seeds, and herbs... **note: I don't care to "convert" anyone's dietary life or anything, this is simply my experience and innerstanding of it all... Tho, I grew up with the S.A.D. (standard american diet) eating meats, processed foods, dairy - you name it. I slowly became aware through the years of health & our biological requirements, what dis-eases really are, etc. I began to transition to vegetarianism, then to veganism, and now to raw vegan Not for longevity or even to feel good (tho, those would be included). It was to expand my awareness of All That Is... and it has been working. I no longer have anxiety, and I have way more energy now, and am more clear minded. I aim to be frugivore at some point and see what it's like (I heard for some, they really get into the astral realms and have to start eating vegetables again to ground themselves if they have to deal with other people). Anyway, thought I would share my experience for anyone interested in this. When the body is purified, energy can flow w/o obstruction (qi/chi/prana/etc.), the mind is less taxed, the emotions are more clear, etc. Everything is connected... so it was logical for me to start cleaning up my physical vessel. I have been taking a class for a certification at the International School of Detoxification (taught primarily by Robert Morse). If anything I said, you vibe with, then I recommend checking out some of his videos on youtube. Namaste, my friends

Lot of people confuse Turiya or the 4th state with conscious sleeping. I read some posts and articles where it states about retaining awareness consistently in sleep just like in the waking state. This is simply not possible and just a myth. It can happen for brief intervals in the dream state and this is called Lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming can be lot of fun and it seems to happen in a certain stage in the journey This lucid dreaming state is not the state of Turiya. The lucid dreams generally happen in the early stages after the opening of the 4th/5th chakras (heart & throat) and before the crown opening. It is extremely rare after the crown opening and the inner heart or the 8th chakra opening, after a person reaches the light stage. It is possible to induce lucid dreaming in the early stages, but some of the methods that do so can be harmful. Lucid dreaming just increases the awareness a bit, but there is not a whole lot of benefits besides that. Some traditions promote practices such as this as part of dream yoga. What is Turiya? It seems to be the fully awakened state that transcends all the other 3 states and is present all the time, generally described as the 4th state of consciousness that is beyond dreaming, wake and deep sleep states. Turiya and the states that lie beyond Turiya (Turiyatita) are extremely rare, as in may be one or two who have reached the state of a Buddha might experience this state. Temporarily having awareness at night during sleep for few hours or even few days is certainly possible. After a yoga nidra practice or when in nirvikalpa samadhi, a person might retain awareness in sleep. Once again this is not the state of Turiya or awakened sleep. Turiya seems to be a permanent shift into a new state that completely transcends all the other 3 and there is no going back after reaching this state once. The following article explains this concept and turiya in some detail.

Work is utterly nuts this last month... a near fantasy world of incredible noises, construction machinery, indoor cranes hoisting thousand pound lighting instruments overhead, forklifts, dust everywhere. Five departments simultaneously trying to prep a high end product for the pickiest of clients. In midst of this cacophony. Routinely, i unfold into silent emptiness in the midst of my task, for the last several days, amidst this losing of self in the task a thought repeatedly arises... what is least obvious? While i've spent countless evenings contemplating what is most obvious, only recently has this question been arising, unbidden, unsought... but repeatedly. what is least obvious?

No matter how auspicious an idea may appear as it is known by a knower from within the mind, identification with being anything in particular is essentially self-imposed limitation. The guru admonishes to leave concepts behind, to relinquish the identity of doership and acting, to be free of burdens not needful which may become to us as obstacles. Being is without doing. One can not help but simply Be oneself. All that must be done is then done rightly and naturally. Simply be as one has been, as one already is and as one will forever be. Be as you are, for the naturalness of this being that we are is that which makes the supposed becoming of anything in particular possible. Being this being, is to naturally abandon this or that identity. In this being, it's revealed that one is the knowing-ness of knowledge, the doing-ness of that which is done; the essence, the very being-ness of being itself. The Power of power. There's no being of this or that, there is only this-ness or that-ness, through and through. The heart of being, which is being, and beyond it. The Paramakash, so far removed from what the mind can imagine, that even the pure consciousness "I AM" seems to be an almost alien thing. From Paramakash, to Mahadakash: The gods and devas may possess names and forms, but the "light" of consciousness is completely attributeless. Without a body, it embodies all. That "light" which illuminates the mind as a reflection, is no more the mind or its contents than the Sun is equal to the daylight it provides. Lord Krishna: "By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them. And yet everything that is created does not rest in Me. Behold My mystic opulence! Although I am the maintainer of all living entities and although I am everywhere, I am not a part of this cosmic manifestation, for My Self is the very source of creation." Innumerable states seem to appear upon or within this "light", along with the appearance of one(s) who appear(s) to traverse them. Eternally back and forth, seesawing up and down, the actions and inaction of the apparent many is reflected in the waking dream and deep sleep states. One can get comfortable in a dream of one's own making, lucid even, yet become mesmerized by the powers of awareness in the dream. One can become engrossed in the indulgences of physicality, unsatiated by desires of experiencing waking life to its presumed fullest potential. These states come and these states go. Yet there exists a "state" which never comes and never goes, beyond even the self-love that is undifferentiated bliss experienced in deep sleep. It is all there is. Conscious, unconscious, both conscious and unconscious, and Neither. The original being, experienceless, stateless in its state, in which all states and all experiences appear as if they were themselves dreams of a dreamer unknown.

So I've been thinking allot recently.. about my life and the stage I'm in regarding spiritual development.. And I figured that there is a huge gap in my life between me AND The Buddha.. or otherwise the awakened one.. who loses attention not.. and does not hinder away from stillness.. I came to the sober truth that I lose my awareness too often.. in dreams at night.. projections and thoughts during the day.. And I am left with two questions..: Why do we lose awareness when we dream..think and project, remember etc.. And my second question which has two parts is why do we die, and why do we lose consciousness in the bardo thodol? The land of death..?

Hello from Germany / Europe, thank you for granting me access to this forum ! My main intention is learning and asking questions, plus being able to learn from other experienced practitioners. I am coming from the Yang Style Tai Chi form and started out with basic health improvement goals. Nowadays I focus more on topics such as Nei Kung, safe ways to open energy channels and in general similarities and differences in meditation practice ( Taoist / Chan / Zen / Shamatha practice ). I welcome all guidance and once again thank you and my best wishes to all here in the forum.

"At this point, you can't yet comprehend the import of all this, not only because you don't have sufficient energy but because you're not intending anything. If you were, your energy body would comprehend immediately that the only way to intend is by focusing your intent on whatever you want to intend. This time I focused it for you on reaching your energy body." "Is the goal of dreaming to intend the energy body?" I asked, suddenly empowered by some strange reasoning. "One can certainly put it that way," he said. "In this particular instance, since we're talking about the first gate of dreaming, the goal of dreaming is to intend that your energy body becomes aware that you are falling asleep. Don't try to force yourself to be aware of falling asleep. Let your energy body do it. To intend is to wish without wishing, to do without doing. "Accept the challenge of intending," he went on. "Put your silent determination, without a single thought, into convincing yourself that you have reached your energy body and that you are a dreamer. Doing this will automatically put you in the position to be aware that you are falling asleep." "How can I convince myself that I am a dreamer when I am not?" "When you hear that you have to convince yourself, you automatically become more rational. How can you convince yourself you are a dreamer when you know you are not? Intending is both: the act of convincing yourself you are indeed a dreamer, although you have never dreamt before, and the act of being convinced." "Do you mean I have to tell myself I am a dreamer and try my best to believe it? Is that it?" "No, it isn't. Intending is much simpler and, at the same time, infinitely more complex than that. It requires imagination, discipline, and purpose. In this case, to intend means that you get an unquestionable bodily knowledge that you are a dreamer. You feel you are a dreamer with all the cells of your body." http://www.federaljack.com/ebooks/Castenada/books/9. The Art Of Dreaming.pdf Pages 15-16

This video reminds me of Primordial Qigong as well as Mantak Chia's Tai Chi form and highlights how awareness, breath and intention can be applied universally for making connections in embodied practice.

I'm curious what examples of absolutes others harbor as I find the concept to be inapplicable to all but a few very abstract concepts related to experiences which are really beyond words. It's usually a red flag and thus unsettling for me whenever a conversation enters into notions about complete, absolute, unchanging, never ending, undiminishing, etc, anything. Specifically I find the seemingly inherent notion within the common definition of absolute of any thing completely independent of all other things to be impossible. As to unchanging, or undiminishing... perhaps a few conditions I have experienced seem to fit the notion as I list below, but only from my current perceptual model, which is far from absolute and thus, for me, is not really considered definitive... it all seems very subjective and relative. Anyway, here's what the all mighty dictionary says Absolute: as an adjective: 1: not qualified or diminished in any way; total. "absolute secrecy" 2: viewed or existing independently and not in relation to other things; not relative or comparative. "absolute moral standards" as a noun: 1: a value or principle that is regarded as universally valid or that may be viewed without relation to other things. "good and evil are presented as absolutes" The notions of second definition of the adjective version and the noun definition of absolute moral standards and good and evil being absolute are ridiculous in the extreme for me. Utterly human mind notions that are fluid in nature based on cultural, familial and individual filters and as malleable as the context in which they are used to serve the needs of the one speaking in the current moment. Without any hardcore certainty, I consider my experiences of the concepts of Void... Emptiness... Clarity... and Awareness as potential examples for absolutes. These seemed to embody for me, as I recall them, to be experientially beyond the potential for diminishing and thus seemed to be unchanging which would satisfy one of the inherent conditions of the definitions above for an absolute. This however is based on my recall and memory of the experience and so pulls in all of my perceptual filters based on my reality tunnel and thus adds a rather high degree of malleability. I really can't fathom how they are in any provable way, independent from each other, or the rest of experiential perception based 'reality', nor can I conceive of a manner in which anyone could establish that they are, in fact, independent. So what is an absolute?

I just posted this at my blog: https://blisswriter.wordpress.com/2015/01/07/mini-lesson-practicing-presence-and-pooping/ In this mini lesson I will give you a very simple practice that anyone, and I mean anyone, can do. It does not matter how busy you are, at least once a day you will have to go to the bathroom, you will have to sit down and go number 2, as my parents call it. The next time you have to go to the bathroom, instead of taking a magazine or the newspaper with you, instead of sitting there thinking about what you will do or where you will go next, just sit there and practice awareness of your physical body as it expels waste. I have started doing this myself recently. Normally I want to think about anything else, or daydream. It is resistance to being present minded, to a practice of awareness and presence. Now I see this for what it is, and without criticizing myself, condemning myself, judging myself, feeling ashamed or guilty, I just gently, but persistently, bring my attention back to my physical body and what's going on during this process. I usually have the window open if I want to practice breathing, but if the smells of the process become overwhelming, I can just bring my awareness into my body. Everything my physical body feels as it pushes this waste out. There are so many sensations, focusing on them can keep my mind occupied for a long time, and in the meantime I am being fully present and living in the present moment. An additional benefit is that there is no strain. I am not rushing off somewhere else. I am fully with my body's process of expelling waste, fully aware and present. So I will never again get a hemorrhoid because I was pushing and straining out of a desire to be somewhere else. Instead I am right there, allowing my body to do its thing, in its own natural time, according to its own natural processes, and I am just being aware of this, just observing it. I know exactly when my body is finished because I am so tuned in, and for 5-20 minutes I have not only meditated, but practiced awareness. I am following the instructions of Ram Dass to, "Be Here Now." So the next time you need to go to the bathroom, leave all the distractions behind. Go in there, focus completely on what you body is doing, and just observe. Just be with the process. Just be aware of it, and, if conditions allow, practice your breathing. Take a moment to breathe deeply in and out. This is a way for those who say they have no time for mediation, no time to practice awareness, to do so, at least once a day, and maybe several times a day. It is a beneficial, healthy practice, both physically and spiritually. It is also a process of loving and accepting yourself as you are, as your physical form, instead of feeling ashamed of your body, causing you to rush through its functions.

An hour's worth of wisdom, suffused with warmth, clarity and personal experiences. In keeping with Rinpoche's reputation as 'The Happy Lama', he approaches the subject in a very light, humorous, yet meaningful way. Please Enjoy!

Was recently asked the question: what is the goal of your spiritual path? My pat answer is 'enlightenment'. Which is wholly unsatisfying to me these days. It is like a sound byte I've regurgitated from some Saturday morning talk show. What does it mean? When I thought about it a bit more I refined it into more practical terms. I want to heal the old pains I still hold onto. I want to be more open and loving and aware. I want to release those things that hinder loving kindness and inhibit greater awareness. Awareness is the most tangible thing I could point to in my pursuit of a spiritual path. I want to expand my awareness and simultaneously pinpoint and anchor it deep within. And then a strong mental image blared in my head. A spiral path along a toroidal sphere. As above, so below I've always been obsessed with spirals. When viewed from above, or head on, they look like a circle. When viewed from outside, they are ascending or descending, depending on the perspective. In my new understanding, I see my path as this spiral along a toroidal sphere. The sphere represents my awareness and as I transverse it, it expands and contracts in a natural cycle. Oscillating energy outward and upward, then inward and down. Like waves, as they grow when they arrive at the point of highest extension/yang, then duality is expressed and the weight of the wave, the force of its excessive yang tumbles into its opposite/yin and the wave softens and yields to the conditions around it striking balance. A drawn bow settles in balance, this is one expression of the energy of Tao. My own path follows a natural cycle. Periods of growth (learning, seeking), upward and outward and then a natural retreat, into solitude and introspection. Discovery, adaption and synthesis leading to greater awareness, which triggers in me a desire to reach out again with this new awareness to look at all I saw before with new eyes and before I know it, I'm back, expanding outward, reaching out and exploring again. Although it can appear to be redundant and repetitive, I have not found this to be the case. Each trip around the sphere results in another aspect of awareness. The work is cumulative. One analogy I like is the ball. If I experience a ping pong size awareness and I read a book or have a conversation, I will have a ping pong ball sized understanding. If I experience a planet sized awareness... Much like working through emotional problems, it can feel like we are repeating the same cycles over again and simply reliving the past. But I have found similarly, that this is also cumulative, at least in the context of actual spiritual introspection and work. If you are really pursuing to experience the source of your suffering, you will peel layers of the built up injury over time. Much like an onion is peeled. It will often feel like you've done this so many times before, why am I still here? Am I making no progress? etc... In my experience I have found that I was not simply spinning in place, but peeling the many layers that built up over time. I have experienced in a couple areas of my life, peeling the onion to its core and finding nothing. The story I was carrying, I realized after peeling enough away, was a story that no longer applied to me. Dropping that emotional baggage was then as easy as dropping a heavy bag at the airport. My path is beautifully spiraled. Cyclical and cumulative, leading to a more natural, open and loving awareness of life. Think it might be time for me to ask my teacher to introduce me to Bagua. edit: add pics

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Ram Dass once said something, somewhere to the effect that we need to have one "me" watching all the other "me's". Does anyone else often feel that their concept of "self" is indeed fractured into many, many, many different selves that show up at different times? In my instance, there is the lazy me, the productive me, the heartless me, the generous me, the greedy me, the angry me, the sad me, the self-absorbed me, the kindhearted me, the homosexual me, the heterosexual me, the depressed me, the elated me, the caring me, the apathetic me, the me that finds meaning in everything and at the same time meaning in nothing, the me that is a dreamer and the me that is a realist. I am disturbed when I recognize selves that do not seem to come from a completely pure source, for instance self-absorption or vanity. i have struggled with feelings of bisexuality and didn't understand where any of it came from. But I don't know whether it is right to deem them as completely evil and needed purged, or whether to indulge them when appropriate and as balanced by other more heartful acts. I had a teacher once who told me the secret was integration, not destruction. any thoughts? thanks and peace

Greetings all, This post is a copy of a recent statement I made last week on another forum, one dedicated to Carlos Castaneda. However, it is thoroughly relevant here as well, as I'm sure many will agree. I offer it for the sake of discussion... My intent here, (as elsewhere) is to outline various benefits of certain principles of truth. Many years of experience demonstrate to the practitioner, revelations of extremely significant value, to say the least. Such knowledge has saved civilizations, even worlds... it is the very root of life and wise living. This knowledge has been called, “the science of sciences” and it is conveyed here so that others may gain such benefits that I and others have received. “Consciousness” is it's name, and its' expansion is fundamental to all true progress. The reason consciousness is fundamental to all true progress is because it is the basis of life, including every human life. In meditation and similar practices where a state of “no-thought” prevails, certain truths about the self may be readily Seen. Those who engage meditation soon realize that we do not, “lose ourselves” when the mind is no longer dominated by strings of words. This is because we are not thought...thoughts are things that we DO not things that we ARE. On the contrary, we consciously regain focus upon the true self which underlies them....consciousness itself. That consciousness has three fundamental components, which are; intent, awareness and energy, and in that order of importance. All three of these components of the true self, (aka “soul”) can be readily verified by any person who earnestly seeks to know themselves. Our energy, or “chi”, (aka “prana”, “ki”, “orgone”, “sub-atomic energy”, etc) is the animating essence for all our actions, just as it is for all living things. This chi is focused in accordance with our awareness. Awareness is like a magnetic field that coordinates iron filings, (chi) into a cohesive pattern. It clarifies and gives order to the fields of chi-energy which surround us. Intent gives awareness its' parameters of focus...it is the manifesting source of all our actions, the very essence of decision-making and change. So in answer to your question about how the self is defined; Intent, awareness and energy are the irreducible essence of the true self, not thought, emotion, memory, culture or any other learned behavior. These three are the essence of the consciousness that we are, and which all other life likewise IS. It is precisely because of this common essence, which we share with each other and all life, that we are capable of knowing other peoples' thoughts, feelings and intentions. This commonality of SOURCE stands behind the truth of the statement “we are all one”. From this truth springs our ability to intimately know nature, natural laws and all living creatures. It is from the consciousness that we are which allows us, “mystical”, gnostic and direct perception into truth, that which is called “God” and the core of the soul/true self. Einsteins' unified field is in fact consciousness. To expand consciousness is to elevate all aspects of the self and society in general. If we have any hope as a species to outlive our own uncontrolled folly, it will not be through political, social or religious measures, it will be through that expansion of the true self. You asked me how I know that, “the purpose of life is the expansion of consciousness”. “All of the above” is the brief answer to that question. In short, this truth can be “cognized”, or “Seen” by anyone who looks deeply into themselves and into the nature of reality. Life is based on consciousness. In fact, life also arises at the behest of consciousness, or in other words, “at the behest of the intent at large”. That which is called “God” is on-going in its' “creation”, and so too are the processes of evolution. As life evolves it's consciousness expands, which is to say, “becomes more sophisticated and capable of higher states and actions”. Likewise, when consciousness expands, it accelerates the further evolution of physical and energetic forms. Contrary to popular opinion, “creation” and “evolution” are therefore complimentary forces. It is interesting to note, however, that the majority of human beings DO NOT See, simply because they don't look. They don't look, because they don't want to know. They don't want to know because of the fear that what will be revealed is contrary to their cherished notions of self and reality. Such notions are usually little more than the product of cultural and historical folly.

Hi, Well, I have to write again.. I have been doing breath meditations regularily, for 2 or 3 hours per day, every day for months now. The breath meditations progressed until, a few days ago during one meditation, I dissolved the body and found that there was a sphere of awareness, much the same 'feeling' as the substance that emerges during my satori moments, which inhabits the body. It is like the inner layer of the body is a field of clear aware light that is aware, not in a point or center, but as a whole. The whole field is aware, each of its own things, and as one thing (if that makes sense). It reminds me of Nisargadatta's "focus on the I AM". On the day following that meditation, the aware field did not come back.. I was kind of sad. Over the weekend, I listened to Alan Wallace's Dzogchen broadcast, #29 over again. I have been listening and performing the meditations in his 30 podcast Dzogchen retreat for the second time. In #29, he reveals the higher practice of shifting one's attention without object, directly above the head, then to the right, then, to the left and finally he says to visualize that your centre of attention in the head takes an imaginary elevator downwards to the heart and remains there! I was flabergasted that this is actually one of the highest Dzogchen practices, as taught by Padmasambhava in his book called "Natural Libertaion". I haven't verified that yet, but the whole idea that one finally ends up in the heart was amazing to me. The heart is magical. It really is. Today, during my breaks at work, I spent some time doing sambhavi, and really sucking in from the forehead, simulating sleep. I had to reassure myself that I hadn't lost the kundalini effects this practice produce. Yup.. still there.. Within a few seconds, I saw the layers of consciousness pass by, lights, visions etc as one would while falling asleep, and the root started acting up again with ecstatic bliss.. Same old, same old.. When I came home from work, I noticed that I had an intuition that a book had arrived. I was looking forward to receiving the book about the Third Eye from Del Pe, which is being delivered from India so I thought that that was that book. When I got to the mail box, there was a very small parcel.. Hmmm.. The Del Pe book was 475 pages so it couldn't be that one. When I got inside the house and cut the parcel open, it revealed that the book was "The Mirror" by Namkhai Norbu! I had ordered it a while back. Now, I really like Namkhai Norbu. When I first learned of him he visited me astrally and gave me some kind of transmission. The effect from that experience was that this golden aware light in head, close to the "I" grew over the span of a couple days. Lack of sleep and the feeling of pure awareness expanding were the characteristics.. N Norbu has 'visited' a couple times since then. Every now and then I will see him, smiling at me (well not quite smiling, more like 'wising' at me) in the astral. He is quite adept to be visiting me so much. I am grateful. Anyway, It was just before my 'home-from-work' meditation and I decided to read just a bit of "The Mirror". It was a very small book and it looked interesting. The gist of the book is that one must remain in presence and awareness, not just during meditation, but 24 hours a day. One must make an effort, once a meditator learns how to access the 'presence and awareness' to remain in there during all the activities of the day: walking, eating, working.. etc.. It seemed like very good advice to me. To remain in presence and awareness. I had read for about 40 minutes and finished the main part of the book. I was a little late for my pre-supper meditation.. No big deal. I sat in my meditation area and set my timer for 45 minutes instead of 1 hour because I was a little off schedule. I wondered what it meant to sit in 'presence and awareness'. So, I closed my eyes and looked straight ahead. Hands on thighs, open and palms up. Lower back resting on the wall. No kechari or anything fancy. I first focused on 'presence' which immediately brought my attention downwards towards the energetic sphere of the body. Then I focused on 'awareness' and tried to be aware of everything at the same time, mostly with the eyes. Vivid awareness. I tried to hold the combination of presence (which morphed into a feeling of being centered in the heart) and awareness. As instructed in the book, if thoughts were to come up, you simply ignore them or dissolve them away. Thoughts came up, and I noticed that they dissolved away very quickly. I maintained my focus of the combination of presence and awareness. Images came up, the pulsing of the etheric body matching the breath, visions, thoughts etc and I maintained my focus through the rough stuff. It was almost easy. I just kept turning my attention downwards towards the body and cranked up the attention, interest, awareness of all senses in order to catch every detail, every sound, every thump and bump that living in a shared residence produces. Gradually, after most of the winds settled down, I discovered that I was no longer a point of consciousness or center of attention in the head. I had become a sort of bubble or round sphere of awareness, with the center in the general area of where the heart should have been. Not a point, but a sphere of awareness.. Then, the magic started happening. I would see a scene, but it was no longer a scene like looking through the third eye. The scene was on the outside of bubble, surrounding the whole bubble. It was like I had travelled to and had become immersed in another land, one with green leafy vegetation and strange looking plants. Again, I focused on presence and awareness because I thought it was just a more elaborate vision, and again I was immersed in another landscape. It was like I was in a bubble and was travelling to other planes, or dimensions or planets. It was amazing! I noticed that while this was going on, my mind was relaying thoughts and at first I ignored them and dissolved them.. They would disappear into a fine mist. Then, I realized that I could actually think and still be in the bubble and be immersed in a landscape, all at the same time. But, for fear of losing the experience, I maintained a focus on the presence and the awareness as the primary interest. I experienced about 10 or 12 immersions into places I had never seen before.. Next I also noticed that I could see the physical world even though my eyes were closed, the room where I was meditating in, the whole house, like it was transparent, as a sort of background to the landscapes I was seeing. I was seeing everything at once, like layers of visible transparency.. Then I noticed that I felt like I could just float off in the bubble, and float around the room if I wanted to. I didn't do it because I thought that that was enough. Then my mind started getting afraid and wishing the whole experience was over because it was an experience that it was not used to, had never experienced before and wanted time to analyze and digest this new phenomenon. I kept at it, hoping to hear the 45 minute bells from my "Insight Timer". I noticed that there was no body sensation, that I was a very light sphere of aware luminescence. It felt superb. I was a ball of presence and awareness! I wondered if I could somehow transport myself, body included, to other locations in the world. The thought of the merkaba came to mind. I wondered if this was all the magic of the heart, where the real power lies. Then the timer bells went off. YAY!!! Post meditative digestion by the conceptual mind. One of my favorites activities.. I've been so happy since that meditation. I'm bouncing around as I walk, with a big smile on my face. I feel like I've discovered a key, a hidden secret. The key is presence, just like Eckhart Tolle talks about, and awareness. Not pointed awareness like a concentrative laser, but relaxed mind awareness with peripheral attention, not focusing on any point except downwards towards the body for the presence part. And, being aware of 360 degrees around with high attention and interest at the same time. Presence and awareness.. Space and Light. Hmmm.. Presence.. perhaps it is the dharmakaya. Or primordial consciousness? Awareness? The luminescence of awareness? The Sambhogakaya? The Heart? WOW! Magical. TI

Self realization is the realization of the Self, or Atman. The Self can be related to the experience of impersonal being, or the sense that you are pure consciousness, or that you are silence itself or awareness itself. Self realization could also be said to be the freedom from the sense of being a personal “me.” You transcend your ego identity and realize that you always were and always will be consciousness itself. Stress is created out of this sense of being a personal “me.” This personal me arises out of identifying with your thoughts. You believe you are the thinker of your thoughts. The thought arises “I don’t like potato chips” and you are the “I” in that sentence. And so every desire, fear, worry and thought that arises, you are the subject that is in fear, that desires, that worries. So it is a feeling of being bound, of being trapped in a separate sense of “I” that is in opposition to the rest of the world. It is the source of all conflict. But once you start turning your attention back upon this “me” that claims to be and have all of these thoughts, you find there is no “me” there. And this happens through meditation. Beyond the thought that “I am this,” there is no sense of personal “me” here. There is only impersonal being. And this being is aware, it is awareness itself. It exists beyond all thoughts. In fact, all thoughts arise out of it. So through this inquiry or other meditation techniques you begin to rest your attention on what is prior to this sense of being a personal me. And after a while there will be a shift, that attachment to being a separate “me” gets broken and you realize the Self, you realize you are consciousness. The feeling of this is very freeing, very peaceful and blissful. It can be a feeling of being silence or being love. But although you realize that consciousness is all that there is, there is still a very subtle sense of separation that is still there. It is not a concrete separation, but it is still there. The experience of Oneness is when you go even beyond The Self, and you feel you are everything. So self realization is you are consciousness and in oneness you are everything. Understanding this from the mind may seem like a small distinction, but it is quite a big difference. In self realization, as you remain identified with The Self, it is an inward experience, not an outward experience and there is that separation between inward and outward. You often here self realized teachers saying there is no world, it is all illusion. But in oneness, there is no separation between inward and outward. There is no denying the world. You are everything. You are fully free from being anything. There is a great release in this, an intense feeling of unconditional love. You feel yourself moving through everyone and everything. Everything is alive and radiating love just as you are alive and radiating love and there is no separation in that. You are the universe. You are the world. You are love itself. To experience either Self Realization or Oneness, spiritual practice especially meditation is needed, a healthy diet and lifestyle is also quite important and other spiritual disciplines beyond that will probably be practiced. But the most important part of attaining self realization or oneness is to receive the shaktipat from an Enlightened Master. When you receive shaktipat, the process of self realization and oneness begin to happen automatically deep within you. You begin to experience a spiritual energy within you, vibrating and moving through your body, awakening you to deep states of meditation and unconditional peace. Kip Mazuy is the Creator of Bliss Music Shaktipat Meditation Music Proven Repeatedly to Awaken You into Deep Meditation & Oneness To Hear Free Samples Visit the Spiritual Awakening Website For More Free Teachings on Meditation & Self Realization Please Visit the Spiritual Enlightenment Website