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From PIETER......

It may sound too simplistic to say
this, but we are already that which we
are trying to give a Name to.

It's somewhat like the story of the
seven blind men, each holding a part
of
the elephant and saying "The elephant
is..." and they describe their
experience.

That Light that is our True Self, our
very being, That through which we see,
enables the mind to provide a
description of what this Self must be.

"The Light shineth in the darkness (mind) and the darkness comprehendeth it
not." John Ch I:5.

Thus we are all blind, and while holding to the Elephant Self, we are each
describing our own experience and say "The Elephant (Self) is ......." ("I
am this and that..")

All the practices and all the psychic, pranic, mystic sensory and extra
sensory and Kundalini experiences we all try to convey in trying to give a
Name to the experiencer by referencing the experience are not the
Experiencer.

There is nothing that can be done, no practice to be engaged in that will
result in this awakening.

The True Hearer, the True Seer is always already awake.

Relinquishing the grasping of attention, relinquishing the need for naming
the experience, we abide singly as Self.

It's as though we are all on a Path that we cannot see. Each of us crawling
along the roadway feeling in the darkness and calling out to others we feel
will call back to us with our mutual descriptions of like experiences that
give us the sense that we are all in some way on track.

So, if all the attempts to describe and give a name to the experience are
ultimately of no use whatsoever, like blind leading the blind by road maps
they cannot see, what is the solution?

There is no solution, only relinquishment.

Alternatively, there are those on the Path that do see, as Christ said in a
prayer to the Father in John 17:24

"Father, I will that they also, whom thou has given me, be with me where I
am, that they may behold my glory, which you have given me: For you have
loved me from before the foundation of the world."

Reading such books with the words of the Illuminated, such as those that can
be found for example on the website http://www.ramana-maharshi.org/ with the
single attitude of an "earnest quest" and without trying to name or wrap any
impression with a thought or attention, that which is True begins to shine
of Its Own accord, Itself dissolving the fog that now fills the mind.
Others include "Faith Mind" of the Third Zen Patriarch or Ch 26 of the Ribhu
Gita.

By such rereading, the True Hearer hears Its Name and shines forth the Truth
of Its own accord.

Or for those that believe in the Light a that illumines the Way from the
Bible, reading and rereading the First and Second Commandments of the
Nameless God "I AM" to Moses. These Commandments are forceful statements
against having any images before the sense of "I AM" and commanding against
the use of the word "I" in relation to any impressions regarding a
self-identity (which Christ calls the sin against the Holy Spirit - the
unforgivable sin). Unfortunately, these Commandments have degenerated into
the vague idea that they referred to idols and cussing.

When this single seer (the subject "I") is realized to be ones Self, there
is an automatic "Enlightenment of the Whole Body."

"The light of the body is the eye (the seer/subject "I"): Therefore, when
thine eye is single, thy whole body will be filled with light...." Luke
11:34

"The way is neither easy nor difficult, but those with limited views are
fearful and irresolute." ---- "When thought is in bondage, the Truth is
hidden" (from Faith Mind - Third Zen Patriarch)

The Way involves the relinquishing of all impressions.

"Go first to God ("I AM") and all things will be added unto you." Luke 12:31

For those with the view that all religions are teaching a single Truth, if
we could somehow hear it, the rereading of
http://www.nonduality.com/pieter.htm is also a help in disengaging the habit
of the mind towards attention.

"Those that have ears to hear, let them hear what the Spirit has to say..."

In hearing, we abide singly as Self - "empty, clear, self-illuminating, with
no exertion of the mind's power." from Faith Mind.

Having read this text above, don't you feel the outshining? the
Transfiguration in the Singularity of the Heart?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

JODY and JAN:

Jody:

Here's a question. While we don't know much about
Patanjali,
let's assume that he was the author of the Yoga Sutras. We
can also
assume that he knew the experience of Moksha before he
formulated the sutras.

The question is, wouldn't it be impossible for him to do so

without a felt sense of "I"?


Jan:

It is most unlikely the sutras were written with the intent "
I want to write a book" as such a thought just won't appear.
What remains, is that they were written as a response to, for
instance what was perceived as "wrong or useless practice", in
the same sense that Buddha practiced asceticism for some five
years in vain. With the disappearance of "I", sensitivity and
responsiveness are greatly increased as "I & mine" is a kind
of wall that weakened or even prevented empathy. In this
respect, it might be useful to take another look at
self-immolation and similar remarks that can be found in
spiritual literature.

What propels one into action are samskaras ("subliminal
activators") and although with the demise of "I", the
influence of past samskaras will end too, the samskaras made
in the present life are enough to provide for adequate
response (no response or being baffled is a kind of response
too). Even formulating a "new idea/concept" can be seen as a
response instead of an initiative. From the perspective that
samskaras, rising to the surface, force to action, it can be
said there is no free will, only choice. A choice made, will
give rise to conditions, favoring the rising of certain
samskaras, giving choices again etc. For "I", the primary
choice is to give up or not :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

from DAVID:


If the dream
I had last night
Had a message,
It still hasn't reached me.

Midnight, but night roars!
There is no one coming.
My bed can wait.

Rescuing me from myself
Is high on the list
Of no one in particular.

I sit and write.
Steps on the landing -
My neighbors' voices!

I woke up shaking
From this dream:
Thank God I have such an enemy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From GLORIA:


In Meditations with Meister Eckhart, by Matthew Fox, Bear & Company, Inc. Santa
Fe, New Mexico, 1983, Meister Eckhart (1260 - 1329) says that:

"God is not found in the soul by adding anything,
but by a process of subtraction."

"How should you love God?
I will tell you.
Love God as God is -
This means: love God as God is
A not-God,
A not-mind,
A not-person,
A not-image.
More than this, Love God as God is
A pure, clear One
Who is separate from all twoness."

Although Martin Luther admired Meister Eckhart, unfortunately there is no
tradition, lineage or direct methods taught and Meister Eckhart was almost
ex-communicated from the church.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LARRY introduces some of us to Anandamayima:

Here's some advice from Anandamayima, one of the many great Indian
saints of the twentieth century. She was contemporary with Nisargadatta
Maharaj but realized early and had a huge following in spite of refusing
to set herself up as a guru. Also she was and is my first guru. Thank
heaven for libraries :-)

Q: God has given us the sense of "I", He will remove it again. What is
the need for self-surrender?

A: Why do you ask? Just keep still and do nothing.

Q: How can one possibly keep still?

A: This is why self-surrender is necessary.

Q: What is the means of entering the tide?

A: To ask this question with desperate eagerness.
------------------
To do pranam (obeisance) means to put one's head where it should be - at
the feet of God. His feet are everywhere and therefore one may do
namaskar (salutation) everywhere, remembering the feet of God. To do
pranam means to open oneself to the Divine Power, which is always
streaming down on everyone. One usually shuts oneself away from it. To
do pranam means to give one's mind, one's I to Him, to surrender oneself
to the One, so that there should be only He and not you.
---------------------
What is wanted is genuine Awakening, an awakening after which nothing
remains to be attained.... To become fully conscious is not enough, you
will have to rise beyond consciousness and unconsciousness. That which
Is has to shine forth.
-----------------------
Relentless one-pointed perseverance brings about the change in
perspective which will establish you in Peace.
-----------------------
The Beloved is comparable to ice, which is nothing but water, and
consequently He is without form, without quality and the question of
manifestation does not arise. This is the state of Self-realization. For
to find the Beloved is to find one's Self, to discover that God is one's
Self, wholly identical with Oneself, one's innermost Self, the Self of
one's Self.
-------------------------
When one has become still, that is to say when one has become
established in a state of tranquility, then the activity of nature which
continues at every moment in sleep and in waking and is part of the
movement of the pilgrimage from birth to death, this and the thinking
mind become caught in that Stream and eternally remain floating in it.
Ever to keep the mind poised in the Self, wide-awake in the current
Reality, where the Unfathomable, the One-without-end is ever revealed in
His infinity - this must, with the intensity of a possession, be your
one and constant endeavor.
------------------------
Q: If Mataji has found peace why does she keep wandering about?

A: If I stayed in one place the same question could arise, could it not?
Pitaji, don't you know I am a very restless little girl. I cannot stay
in one place. This is one answer. From another point of view, I might
say it is you who see me traveling. In reality I do not move at all.
When you are in your own house, do you sit in one corner of it?
Similarly, I also walk around in my own house - I don't go anywhere - I
am always at rest in my own home.
--------------------
[a variation on the Gayatri]

He who creates, preserves and destroys,

whose form is Universal,

He Himself inspires our intellect,

He Himself is Supreme Being

and the Knower within each creature;

I meditate on His sublime countenance
-----------------------
above selections from "Anandamayi: Her Life And Wisdom"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENE offered, in part:

Our dependence on verbal languaging has screened from us, all of the
prior levels of communication; however, these other kinds of
communication are still happening, it is that most of us are
oblivious to them. To allow the opening of the contracted 'Shushumna
Nadi', to allow the interpenetration of Other, can be a major event
of healing. It seems that we can be in sharing with Other on the same
channel that Mother Shakti also uses; the 'secret' of allowing this
awareness to occur, is to learn first, to _abide_ in the tumultuous
and scary feelings which arise when confronted by actual contact with
Other. When the boat begins rocking, can you remain relaxed, calm,
and open, and even have fun and humor?

This event (the dawning of sharing between persons) is identical to
the event of actual _Tantra_, but this concept can confuse the issue.
I am not suggesting that you are verging on actuating some alien
talent... on the contrary, I am suggesting that what is before you,
is the most natural and desirable event/experience... but that our
_invaded and thus contracted_ condition fearfully reacts to slam the
door shut, using any bit of fear or fantasy-story as justification
for further isolation. That is why, learning to _abide_ in every
situation, will prepare you for this grand opening.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
also from GENE:

"The I that is We

Can only be

When you are you

And I am me"

Understanding 'boundary issues' is a simple as understanding _skin_.
We want perfect skin, skin suited for our chosen lifestyle; skin that
is durable, yet sensitive. We desire touch and feeling and sharing...
neither NO-SKIN or IRON-SKIN is called for here... instead, actual
real skin. The same goes with 'psychic boundaries', the proper name
for which is 'ego'. Ego is subject to the same gamut of
disorders/dysfunctions as is skin, and responds exactly the same way
to treatment. It is SO simple!

{It is my wish for the reader to 'deeply meditate upon' this simple
concept... for hours, days, and years, until it is realized: Ego is
simply the 'skin' of the psyche. We have ego because we are
_social-communal-tribal Beings; we _need_ this skin/boundary/ego,
because our rightful place is to be embedded in the communality of
the Living Universe. Please let go of any idealistic fantasies of
'oneness' which would lead you to assume otherwise.}

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HARSHA:


Someone had asked me about the use of terms Consciousness and Awareness.
Consciousness and Awareness are basically the same. The use of terms by people
might differ. Consciousness can
implies the "other." We are conscious of this or that. When Consciousness is
Conscious only of It Self, it may be called Awareness. There is nothing outside
Consciousness at this point and so there is nothing to be conscious of. Here It
is Pure Awareness. All paths ultimately
disappear in the No Path. When one has reached the destination, then there is
no other place to go. Everywhere is Home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OH responds to Harsha:

Your Gentleness, Harsha says: ".... All paths ultimately
disappear in the
No Path.
When one has reached
the destination,
then there is no other
place to go.
Everywhere is Home."

Thank you for all your lovely posts, Y.G. Here are some more quotes
about "Home" from beings who also know no other:

"When you are
as huge
as the universe,
when you
contain all;
when stars
start moving
within you,
and the earths
are born in you
and disappear;
when you are
this cosmic expansion
then the work
is finished.
You have come home!"
Osho
~

"To return to the condition
one was before one became -
when one was a thought
in the Mind of God."
Kahn
~

"That is the paradox of
a human being,
longing to return Home
but so afraid to begin
the journey."
Sanders
~

"From the very beginning there has not been so much as a speck of dust
to mar the intrinsic Purity. She observes the waxing and waning of life
in the world while abiding unssertively in a state of unshakable
serenity. This is no phantom or illusion. Why then is there need to
strive for anything?
The waters are blue,
the mountains are green.
Alone with himself, he sees things endlessly changing.

He has returned to the Origin,
come back to the Source,
but his steps have been taken in vain.
It is as though she were now
blind and deaf. Seated in her hut,
she hankers not for things outside. Streams meander on of themselves,
red flowers naturally bloom red."
Ox-Herding Pictures
~

"Fly away, fly away bird to your native home,
you have leapt free of the cage
Your wings are flung back in the wind of God,
Leave behind the stagnant and marshy waters,
Hurry, hurry, hurry, O bird, to the Source of Life!"
Rumi
~

"In any way that men love me in that same way they find my love: for
many are the paths of men, but they all in the end come to me." Krishna

~

"You speak of various paths as if you were some place and the Self were
some place else, and you had to go attain it. But in fact the Self is
here now and you are It!
Ramana

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

from MICHAEL:

One of my teachers (Bruce Caelin) told me that he tries to keep in
touch with that inner voice that knows the right thing to do.

Karma is fast
Dharma is slow
Dogma bites itself

You have not left the world. Now see the entire thing as one. All
levels of existence are one. All dimensions and types of beings are
one.

We all have more to experience. Yet we desire not the experience nor
do we shirk from experience.

Live a moral life but try not to be a prude! ;-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENE updates us on the VPN (Virtual Private Network):


The VPN (Virtual Private Network) concept is now a reality, but as
yet unperfected, according to the majority of IT professionals.

Using a VPN is 'just like' using the regular internet, but instead of
being a public network, it is made private by the means of constant
_encryption_. That is why it is called a _virtual_ private network.

Each person/user/node has on their computer, the special software
which when used, allows access to the (password-protected) private
network. The VPN works best on a high-speed connection; cable or DSL
is the minimum, I think, T1 being preferred.

The VPN is implemented over the public internet by what is called a
_tunneling protocol_; this allows the special stream of packets to be
sent and received selectively, only by those nodes meant to have
access.

Concerning the 'tunneling protocol', it is interesting to note that
our use of verbal language is itself, a 'tunneling protocol'; we
manufacture encrypted symbols (words in a specific language, ruled by
a specific grammar) and share those encrypted symbols with other
'nodes' who are 'in the know' (have user privileges) as to the
specifics of the meanings of the symbols used. This 'tunneling
protocol' of language is implemented upon the already-existing
technology of mouth, ear, fingers, brain, etc.

For example, this communication is in English, and is ruled by the
grammars of common speech. However, it is laced with jargon which is
specific to Information Technologists, and so will inevitably simply
'bounce off of' a certain percentage of those who read it. Only those
'nodes' (readers) who can understand the terminologies used, will be
in actual communication with my intended meanings.

Similarly, those who use specialized jargons in the arena of sharing
of concepts, advice, or guidance concerning _'spirituality'_, risk a
similar drop-out/bounce-effect with a certain percentage of readers.

Use of Jargon can allow a great increase in the information-density
of communication; for instance, I can say:

"VPN allows inexpensive VoIP"

and few if any readers will know what I am talking about. Similarly, I can say:

"Shakti arrives, when Shiva abides"

and few will understand either the meaning or utility value of this
information-dense statement.

One of the major Goalless Goals of the NonDuality Project is to
demolish/deconstruct the password-protected domain of Elitist
Spirituality. We set the stage for this by stating that 'everyone
already has it', and then working backwards toward the Source of
Confusion, clearing the obfuscating rubble of ages-past as we do so.
By selectively revealing the actual inner definitions of jargon, we
depotentiate the magnetic grip that this jargon has on those who
'would attain'. Thus freed of the illusion of hurdles and hoops, the
aspirant is suddenly realized as-sHe-is; "There is nothing to
realize".

"Shakti arrives, when Shiva abides"...


Having fun,

==Gene Poole==

[Verbal communication: Consider the alternative]

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