TzuJanLi Posted December 13, 2009 Greetings.. We are not these aging bodies, we are the eternal energy that animates them.. We are traveling to where we have always been, from ignorance to enlightenment.. awareness is the vehicle.. We are the "source" experiencing its own existence.. Bed well.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zazaza Posted December 13, 2009 (edited) Without it [self-realization], you will be consumed by desires and fears, repeating themselves meaninglessly in endless suffering. Most of the people do not know that there can be an end to pain. But once they have heard the good news, obviously going beyond all strife and struggle is the most urgent task that can be. You know that you can be free and now it is up to you. Either you remain forever hungry and thirsty, longing, searching, grabbing, holding, ever losing and and sorrowing, or go out wholeheartedly in search of the state of timeless perfection to which nothing can be added, from which nothing taken away. In it all desires and fears are absent, not because they were given up, but because they have lost their meaning. (331) The preparation is gradual, the change itself is sudden and complete. Gradual change does not take you to a new level of conscious being. You need courage to let go. [if you lack courage,] it is because you are not fully convinced. Complete conviction generates both desire and courage. And meditation is the art of achieving faith through understanding. In meditation you consider the teaching received, in all its aspects and repeatedly, until out of clarity confidence is born and, with confidence, action. Conviction and action are inseparable. (492) By looking tirelessly, I became quite empty and with that emptiness all came back to me except the mind. I find I have lost the mind irretrievably. I am neither conscious nor unconscious, I am beyond the mind and its various states and conditions. Distinctions are created by the mind and apply to the mind only. I am pure Consciousness itself, un-broken awareness of all that is. I am in a more real state than yours. I am undistracted by the distinctions and separations which constitute a person. As long as the body lasts, it has its needs like any other, but my mental process has come to an end. My thinking, like my digestion, is unconscious and purposeful. I am not a person in your sense of the word, though I may appear a person to you. I am that infinite ocean of consciousness in which all happens. I am also beyond all existence and cognition, pure bliss of being. There is nothing I feel separate from, hence I am all. No thing is me, so I am nothing. Life will escape, the body will die, but it will not affect me in the least. Beyond space and time I am, uncaused, uncausing, yet the very matrix of existence. (221-2) What is religion? A cloud in the sky. I live in the sky, not in the clouds, which are so many words held together. Remove the verbiage and what remains? Truth remains. (512) Until you are free of the drug [of self-identification] , all your religions ans sciences, prayers and yogas are of no use to you, for, based on a mistake, they strengthen it. (443-4) That which you are, your true self, you love it, and whatever you do, you do for your own happiness. To find it, to know it, to cherish it is you basic urge. Be true to your own self, love your self absolutely. Do not pretend that you love others as yourself. Unless you have realized them as one with yourself, you cannot love them. Don't pretend to be what you are not, don't refuse to be what you are. Your love of others is the result of self-knowledge, not its cause. Without self-realization, no virtue is genuine. When you know beyond all doubting that the same life flows through all that is and you are that life, you will love all naturally and spontaneously. When you realize the depth and fullness of your love of yourself, you know that every living being and the entire universe are included in your affection. But when you look at anything as separate from you, you cannot love it for you are afraid of it. Alienation causes fear, and fear deepens alienation. It is a vicious circle. Only self-realization can break it. (213) I would add more but you can find them yourself, below. http://www.nonduality.com/asmi.htm Because of his razor sharp and very energetic way of teaching, Nisargadatta was sometimes referred to as "the tiger of bombay". Edited December 13, 2009 by zazaza Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TzuJanLi Posted December 13, 2009 Greetings.. Until you are free of the drug [of self-identification] , all your religions ans sciences, prayers and yogas are of no use to you, for, based on a mistake, they strengthen it. (443-4) You cannot, nor should you be, be free of self-identification.. that's what existence IS.. certainly, we can each better understand the relationship between self-identification and that which is doing the identifying.. we exist like ice-cubes in the sea, same 'stuff' vibrating at different frequencies.. understanding this relationship is Clarity.. Be well.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adventure1 Posted December 14, 2009 Don't blame anyone for what you feel about them. That is the most important lesson that I've learned in life so far - trying to live up to it is a different (dare I say - gray) matter. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C T Posted December 14, 2009 (edited) A contemplation that sums up the essence of spirituality: From day to day, ordinary life is filled with beginnings and endings. As each moment passes, a new one appears to take its place. Waking up in the morning, we rise and go about our ordinary activities of washing, getting dressed, eating breakfast and so on. Nothing in life stands still. Movement and change are the very essence of life and yet our normal tendency is to hold on (or cling) to the belief that everything is fixed and solid. We wish to believe that all we see is real and secure, even though our ordinary experiences tell us that nothing remains unchanged and nothing lasts forever. On the contrary, everything in the world around us is constantly falling apart and requires a great deal of maintenance and effort on our part if we wish to try and hold it together some- how, or in some other respect, to try and resist this unfolding. What happens during this process of change is the great mystery. In some traditions, this process is called "the transitional phase." This phase is the actual MOMENT OF CHANGE, occurring between the end of one phase and the beginning of the next. It is the state of flux itself, the only state that can be called 'real'. It is a condition of great power and potential within which anything could happen. It is the moment between moments. It may span an entire lifetime, like the moment between being born and dying, or it may be imperceptibly short and fleeting, like the moment between one thought and the next. Whatever its duration, however, it is a great opportunity for those who perceive it. Anyone who can be mindful of this and habitually seize this opportunity is called one who is liberated. Such a person has the power of destiny in their own hands. He or she has no need of a priest, guide, guru, teacher, or any other transmission in any shape or form to guide him or her towards the clear light of truth. He or she has gone beyond these props and have seen through all the subtlest hints of dependency. Refusing to be trapped in the false belief that all about him/her is fixed and solid, the liberated one moves with calm and graceful ease through life, confident that changes are now under his/her own directions. He/she becomes the master of change instead of being its slave. To one who fully understands this and develop some skills in its applications, the difficult uncertainties of life become no more troublesome than the intermediate state of the routine of getting up each morning, washing, getting dressed, and deciding what to have for breakfast. This should not be a problem. Similarly, between any encounter and one's reaction to it, there is a transitional phase, an intermediate space, that offers choice to those who can see it. One is no longer obliged to react on the basis of habit or prejudice. The opportunities for a fresh new approach is always present in the intermediate states for those who have learned to recognize them. Such recognition can be stabilized through the practice of mindfulness meditation, which is simply to train in the ability to see these 'gaps' and utilize the potential that lies within. This is the essential message for those who aspire towards awakening. Thats all. (From the writings of Stephen Hodge) Edited December 14, 2009 by CowTao Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
atena Posted December 14, 2009 (edited) .. Edited December 14, 2009 by atena Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
3bob Posted December 14, 2009 Unconditional love is of the essence of spirituality, Without it spirituality would be an unrealized and unexpressed potential. It forces nothing yet is of the greatest force... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
3bob Posted December 14, 2009 T.T.C., chapter 21: It lies in the nature of Grand Virtue To follow the Tao and the Tao alone. Now what is the Tao? It is Something elusive and evasive. Evasive and elusive! And yet It contains within Itself a Form. Elusive and evasive! And yet It contains within Itself a Substance. Shadowy and dim! And yet It contains within Itself a Core of Vitality. The Core of Vitality is very real, It contains within Itself an unfailing Sincerity. Throughout the ages Its Name has been preserved In order to recall the Beginning of all things. How do I know the ways of all things at the Beginning? By what is within me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DalTheJigsaw123 Posted December 14, 2009 Move with the flow... Or move with the water... Why fight situations... When you can go around it... Just like water... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
immortal_sister Posted December 14, 2009 (edited) the great secret of the world of man is that the world of spirits exists.. the great secret of the world of spirits is that there are no secrets Edited December 14, 2009 by immortal_sister Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adventure1 Posted December 15, 2009 "Keep going." I would love to know who you are quoting Scotty? Stuck a cored thats all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aetherous Posted December 15, 2009 It is just my opinion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
innerspace_cadet Posted December 15, 2009 The essence of spirituality is dropping an "us versus them" mentality. The essence of spirituality is not letting some guru or pastor tell you what to think. The essence of spirituality is favoring being over having. The essence of spirituality is admitting to yourself that you don't know jack shit. The essence of spirituality is being what you are, not what you aren't. The essence of spirituality is not frittering away your life in the hopes of a good afterlife. The essence of spirituality is knowing that happiness is nothing compared to bliss. The essence of spirituality is taking what I've just said with a grain of salt. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fiveelementtao Posted December 15, 2009 "Strength is No Strength" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted December 15, 2009 The essence of spirituality is dropping an "us versus them" mentality. The essence of spirituality is not letting some guru or pastor tell you what to think. The essence of spirituality is favoring being over having. The essence of spirituality is admitting to yourself that you don't know jack shit. The essence of spirituality is being what you are, not what you aren't. The essence of spirituality is not frittering away your life in the hopes of a good afterlife. The essence of spirituality is knowing that happiness is nothing compared to bliss. The essence of spirituality is taking what I've just said with a grain of salt. Nice. Peace & Love! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soaring crane Posted December 15, 2009 Shit Happens Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
forestofclarity Posted December 15, 2009 Shit Happens In my opinion, this is one of the three marks of Buddhism: 1. Shit happens = anatta = no self 2. Everything changes = anicca = impermanence 3. Life sucks = dukkha = unsatisfactoriness/suffering Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thelerner Posted December 15, 2009 A Clear mind and Open heart Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hagar Posted December 15, 2009 A Clear mind and Open heart This is it h Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TzuJanLi Posted December 15, 2009 Greetings.. Hi Hagar: i hope you will indulge a minor revision: A clear mind, a compassionate nature, unconditional sincerity, and.. a radical gusto for Livin'... Be well.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hagar Posted December 16, 2009 Greetings.. Hi Hagar: i hope you will indulge a minor revision: A clear mind, a compassionate nature, unconditional sincerity, and.. a radical gusto for Livin'... Be well.. I don't dare go into the discussion about virtues, natural or aquired. I second all of the above though. I have one more: "Be springtime with everything" (Chuang Tzu) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
