Awareness

[dee]

Without awareness what are we?

 

These scriptures and readings that we use to advance ourselves and understand, none have any significance without us being present of our own awareness.

 

If one can cultivate and be present with his awareness he has transcended any scripture/advice or experience.

Edited February 14, 2014 by dee

[Marblehead]

Nothing left for me to say.

[dee]

Nothing left for me to say.

 

Ever since I got my official shiny title as "Tao Wizard", nirvana has been realized

[silent thunder]

Without awareness what are we?

 

These scriptures and readings that we use to advance ourselves and understand, none have any significance without us being present of our own awareness.

 

If one can cultivate and be present with his awareness he has transcended any scripture/advice or experience.

I'm echoing this experience recently in a big way.

Well said.

[Spotless]

"Being present with ones awareness" - a simple phrase - seems self evident

 

A satisfying and sweeping small phrase that is clear and appealing

 

The suspicion that "ones awareness" is perhaps a bit identified is overwhelmed by the completeness of the phrase.

 

"Ones awareness" may be the wall we are putting our chisel to

Edited February 22, 2014 by Spotless

[ThisLife]

I, too, am intrigued by the same idea you have expressed,... that the concept of "One's awareness" may be what we are putting our chisel to. But words and their related concepts, are all products of our dualistic mind. They cannot be otherwise. (Look at the underlined words in your explanation of this dilemma : "may be the wall we are putting our chisel to).

Yet,... how to communicate about 'non-duality' when our only tools are a dualistic mind and dualistic words ? This, I think, is the wall we inevitably come up against in any attempt to pursue this line of reasoning.

 

This problem is compounded in my own particular dase because I have never knowingly had so much as one single, direct spiritual insight myself. Yert, I have for many, many years been intrigued often to the point of fixation, on spiritual questions. All the most personally satisfying answers that I have been able to find, have come from the writings of others.

 

With regards to this question of "One's awareness" that you too seem to be fascinated by, the most pleasing response to it for me, came from a bookcalled, "I Hope You Die Soon", by Richard Sylvester. Somewhere in it he describes the first insights that came to him after the dualistic 'side' of his mind disappeared. Or 'died'. Maybe it will have something to say to you as well :

 

*

*

 

 

Liberation is freedom from the burden of being a person who apparently has to make choices and decisions; choices and decisions which have consequences. What a wonderful relief it is to see that there is no choice, no person, no separation. Nothing you have ever done has ever led to anything because you have never done anything. No one has ever done anything although it appears that things have been done.

 

One thing that is immediately seen is the nature of all the apparent spiritual experiences that arose during the years of searching and following false paths and gurus. Suddenly they are seen for what they really are, emotional and psychological experiences happening to an unreal person and no more significant than putting on a shoe or having a cup of coffee.

 

Spiritual experiences are not difficult to evoke. Meditate intensively, chant for long periods, take certain drugs, go without food or sleep, put yourself in extreme situations. That will probably do it. I had done all of these things and there had been many spiritual experiences. I had chanted for hours and meditated to the beating of mighty Tibetan gongs. I had seen the guru, sitting on a dais in impressive robes, dissolve into golden light before my eyes. Personal identity had refined and dissolved into transcendental bliss. The universe had breathed me as my awareness expanded to fill everything.

 

So what ?

 

There had always been someone there, having the spiritual experience. A person, no matter how refined, had always been present. These events had all happened to ‘me’. None of them had anything more or less to do with liberation than stroking a cat.

*

Edited February 22, 2014 by ThisLife

[Marblehead]

Hi ThisLife,

 

I think you are selling yourself short.

 

Just from reading the above I will suggest that you have had your very own spiritual experiences. Yes, without the drugs and all that other stuff.

 

What caught my attention was this paragraph: Liberation is freedom ...

 

You know what that is. You have experienced it within. Living it externally is next to impossible so don't expect too much from yourself in this regard.

[Seph]

Without awareness what are we?

 

These scriptures and readings that we use to advance ourselves and understand, none have any significance without us being present of our own awareness.

 

If one can cultivate and be present with his awareness he has transcended any scripture/advice or experience.

I was going to post this as a reply but thought I'd post as a new topic.:

Awareness & Seeing

[C T]

I found this clip interesting....

 

[Seeker of Wisdom]

What is awareness without things to be aware of?

[Captain Mar-Vell]

...

Genie in a body.

 

No-one, nothing can stop me!

 

I'm liking it already.

 

Great clip CT!

 

The chap seems to have a good handle on the emerging new paradigm(s).

 

One thing that is immediately seen is the nature of all the apparent spiritual experiences that arose during the years of searching and following false paths and gurus. Suddenly they are seen for what they really are, emotional and psychological experiences happening to an unreal person and no more significant than putting on a shoe or having a cup of coffee.

 

I gotta say, yes and no.

 

What about, say, a "spiritual experience" that makes your skull catch fire, blasts all the thoughts from your head, lifts you bodily from your death bed essentially, heals you, shakes you and makes you dance like a puppet, makes your joints snap, crackle and pop, makes you dance the dance of shiva, puts you in contact with higher realms, blasts every cell of your body, effects a mysterious transformation of mind body and soul, pours insights and knowledge into your skull, produces wracking pains thereafter and paranoid delusions and mind numbing, stomach clenching, heart stopping fear which takes you to the edge of insanity and back. And which quite possibly in some mysterious way remakes all of reality.

 

What about that sort of "spiritual experience?"

 

I shouldn't say these things...

...

Edited February 22, 2014 by Captain Mar-Vell

[gatito]

What is awareness without things to be aware of?

 

That would be nirvikalpa samadhi

[Spotless]

The following is a post by This Life from only a few posts above this one:

 

QUOTE FROM THISLIFE:

I, too, am intrigued by the same idea you have expressed,... that the concept of "One's awareness" may be what we are putting our chisel to. But words and their related concepts, are all products of our dualistic mind. They cannot be otherwise. (Look at the underlined words in your explanation of this dilemma : "may be the wall we are putting our chisel to).

 

Yet,... how to communicate about 'non-duality' when our only tools are a dualistic mind and dualistic words ? This, I think, is the wall we inevitably come up against in any attempt to pursue this line of reasoning.

 

This problem is compounded in my own particular dase because I have never knowingly had so much as one single, direct spiritual insight myself. Yert, I have for many, many years been intrigued often to the point of fixation, on spiritual questions. All the most personally satisfying answers that I have been able to find, have come from the writings of others.

 

With regards to this question mof "One's awareness" that you too seem to be fascinated by, the most pleasing response to it for me, came from a bookcalled, "I Hope You Die Soon", by Richard Sylvester. Somewhere in it he describes the first insights that came to him after the dualistic 'side' of his mind disappeared. Or 'died'. Maybe it will have something to say to you as well :

 

*

 

*

QUOTE FROM RICK SYLVESTER:

 

Liberation is freedom from the burden of being a person who apparently has to make choices and decisions; choices and decisions which have consequences. What a wonderful relief it is to see that there is no choice, no person, no separation. Nothing you have ever done has ever led to anything because you have never done anything. No one has ever done anything although it appears that things have been done.

 

One thing that is immediately seen is the nature of all the apparent spiritual experiences that arose during the years of searching and following false paths and gurus. Suddenly they are seen for what they really are, emotional and psychological experiences happening to an unreal person and no more significant than putting on a shoe or having a cup of coffee.

 

Spiritual experiences are not difficult to evoke. Meditate intensively, chant for long periods, take certain drugs, go without food or sleep, put yourself in extreme situations. That will probably do it. I had done all of these things and there had been many spiritual experiences. I had chanted for hours and meditated to the beating of mighty Tibetan gongs. I had seen the guru, sitting on a dais in impressive robes, dissolve into golden light before my eyes. Personal identity had refined and dissolved into transcendental bliss. The universe had breathed me as my awareness expanded to fill everything.

 

So what ?

 

There had always been someone there, having the spiritual experience. A person, no matter how refined, had always been present. These events had all happened to me. None of them had anything more or less to do with liberation than stroking a cat.

 

*END QUOTE FROM RICK SYLVESTER

 

END ORIGINAL POST FROM ThisLife

 

 

 

Pease note - the start and end to the quote from Rick Sylvester was not clear on the original post by ThisLife so I have added them above. Several comments after this post attest to the misunderstanding regarding the quote on the original post.

Rick Sylvester is an Awakened individual that is quoted above and you may listen to an interview with him at Buddha at the Gas Pump.

Edited February 22, 2014 by Spotless