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#2951 - Tuesday, October 9, 2007 - Editor: Jerry Katz
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One: Essential Writings on Nonduality: http://snipurl.com/1rycd
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This is an excerpt from an important nondual document online, The Course in Consciousness, by Stanley Sobottka.
The Course is a continually updated free online book. Sobottka is Emeritus Professor of Physics at The University of Virginia. He writes, "From 1992 through 1995, I taught several seminars on reality and consciousness according to quantum theory for humanities undergraduates at the University of Virginia. These seminars attempted to outline in an understandable way to the nonscientist the reasons why consciousness is a necessary part of the most widely accepted interpretations of quantum theory."
Featured in this issue is The Dialogue, a short question-and-answer summary of the course.
The Course in Consciousness, by Stanley Sobottka: http://faculty.virginia.edu/consciousness/
Dialogue in Consciousness
a. A concept is a result of conceptualization, which is the process of separating and naming.
b. Conceptualization is a process learned in early
childhood. The infant does not conceptualize because its
intellect is undeveloped. In contrast, the sage has a
well-developed intellect and conceptualizes but sees that
separation is an illusion.
c. Without conceptualization, there are no objects (e.g., in
dreamless sleep, under anesthesia, or in samadhi) because, by
definition, objects are always separate from each other.
d. Reality is not a concept. Rather, It is absence of
separation. Therefore, It is also absence of concepts and
objects.
e. Conceptualization appears to fragment Reality (which is
also Wholeness) into separate objects so that Reality no longer
seems to be whole. However, Reality remains unchanged by
it.
a. A belief is a concept to which the mind is strongly attached.
b. A belief that cannot be verified by direct seeing is
always subject to attack by a counter-belief. Therefore, it
must be constantly reinforced by repetition of the belief.
c. Since Reality is absence of separation, It cannot be
perceived. Therefore, concepts cannot describe Reality (but
they can be true, see g and h below).
d. Example: A material object by definition is
separate from other material objects. Therefore, material
objects are not real. The belief that material objects are
real is constantly reinforced by materialistic culture, and is
sustained only by a failure to see the distinction between
objects and Reality.
e. Although concepts cannot describe Reality, they can point
to Reality.
f. A pointer is an invitation to see directly the
distinction between an object and Reality.
g. If a concept asserts or implies the reality of any
object, it is untrue. If it negates the reality of an
object, it is true (but not a description of Reality). A
true concept can be a useful pointer to Reality.
h. Example: The concept that material objects are not
real is true, and is a pointer to Reality.
a. The world (the universe) is the collection of objects consisting of the body-mind and all other objects. The world appears to exist in time and space.
b. However, time and space are nothing but concepts.
They are not real.
c. Time is the concept of change. Since all objects
change, all objects are temporal concepts.
d. Space is the concept of extension (size and shape).
Since all objects are extended in space, all objects are spatial
concepts.
a. Conceptualization always results in inseparable pairs of concepts (polar, or dual, pairs) because every concept has an opposite.
b. Reality is apparently split into polar (dual) pairs by
conceptualization. However, no concept is real since
Reality cannot be split.
c. The result of apparently splitting Reality into polar
pairs of concepts is called duality.
e. Example: "I"/not-"I" is a polar
pair of concepts. If the "I" and
not-"I" merge, neither concept remains.
a. Awareness is what is aware of the world.
b. Awareness is self-evident because you are aware and you
know that you are aware. It does not change and It has no
extension. Therefore, Awareness is not a concept or object.
c. The terms “Awareness” and “Reality”
are equivalent conceptual pointers.
d. All objects appear in Awareness and are Its contents.
a. You are not a concept or object. Clear seeing shows that You are not the body-mind because You are what is aware of the body-mind.
b. Therefore, You are Awareness.
c. The world and the body-mind appear in You--You do not
appear in the world.
a. An object formed by conceptualization plus identification is said to exist.
b. Without identification, there is no object—it is
just a concept.
c. No object is real because Reality is absence of
separation. Therefore, no object exists.
d. The apparent existence of objects is called dualism (not
duality--compare with duality in 4c above).
e. The sage, being only Awareness and knowing only
Awareness, sees no separation, thus he/she sees concepts but no
objects, i.e., duality but not dualism.
a. The "I"-object is an assumed entity that results from identification of Awareness, which is real, with the "I"-concept, which is unreal. The "I"-object seems to exist, but clear seeing shows that it does not.
b. You are not an object and You do not exist--You are
Reality (Awareness).
a. Whenever the "I"-object appears to arise, the non-"I" object also appears to arise. Then the dualism of desire for, and fear of, the non-"I" object appears to arise also.
b. Thus, the non-"I" object seems real.
c. Further conceptualization then splits the apparent
non-"I" object into a multitude of objects, and
fear/desire makes them also seem real.
a. God is another word for Consciousness, which is what You are.
c. Transcendent God is pure Awareness, while immanent God is the Background of the objects of Awareness.
d. Thus, God is What is aware of objects, and God is also the Background from which objects arise.
e. The Background is not different from its objects. Together with Awareness they comprise Consciousness. God, Consciousness, and What-Is are all pointers to the same thing.
f. God, Good, and Love are all the same. Therefore, you are God, Good, and Love.
a. The illusory "I"-object carries with it the illusory personal sense of doership.
b. However, since the "I"-object does not exist,
there is no doer, no thinker, no chooser, and no observer.
c. Therefore, You can do nothing. Thus, if something
is supposed to happen, it will. If not, it won’t.
a. Doership is a concept that assumes that both the doer and causality exist (“'I' can cause this to happen”).
b. However, since there is no doer, causality is nothing but
a concept and is not real.
c. Since all objects are nothing but concepts and do not
exist, everything that appears to happen is also nothing but a
concept and does not exist.
d. Everything that appears to happen happens causelessly
(spontaneously).
e. Even if objects existed, it is easily seen that no
putative cause could ever be isolated from the rest of the
universe, so it could never act alone. Therefore, the
entire universe would have to be the cause.
f. Because the "I"-object and causality are
nothing but concepts, so is free will. It too does not
exist.
a. Suffering is the desire/fear dualism (i.e., where there is desire, there is fear, and vice versa) plus all the emotions that derive from desire/fear.
b. Separation of
c. Identification with the concept of doership leads to the
belief that “I” can change what-is and get what
"I" want.
d. With this belief comes the sense of personal
responsibility.
e. With the sense of personal responsibility, comes regret,
guilt, and shame for the past; and worry, anxiety, and fear for
the future.
a. Awakening is disidentification of Awareness from the "I"-concept, and therefore also from the sense of personal doership.
b. With awakening comes the awareness that there is no
person or entity, and there never has been any person or entity.
c. Consequently, there are also no other objects, and there
never have been any other objects.
d. Since there is no doer, there is no
e. With awakening also comes the awareness that Reality,
which is what You are, has never been affected by either
conceptualization or identification.
a. Since direct seeing shows that there is no doer, there is nothing that you can do to awaken.
b. Since awakening transcends time, and all practices are time-bound, no practice
can bring about awakening.
a. Definitely not. There are many practices that will lead to less suffering. However, like all other actions, they are never done by a doer since there is no doer. Therefore, you cannot do them, but if they are supposed to happen, they will. If not, they won’t.
b. Any practice of direct seeing can reveal Reality.
c. Example: To see that there is no “I”, look
inward for it and see that there is none. See also that
everything that happens, including all thoughts and feelings,
happens spontaneously, so there is no doer.
d. Example: To see that no object exists, look and see
that, if there is no separation, there are no objects.
Then, look and see that nothing in the world can ever bring you
peace. Finally, see that nothing can affect You who are
pure Awareness and Peace.
a. Choose and use a mantra. Do it mindfully!
b. Go
inward to Awareness/Presence. This will bring you to the present
moment where there is no suffering.
c.
Meditate. Find a meditation teacher and group that suit you, and
give your practice the highest priority.
~ ~ ~
The Course in Consciousness, by Stanley Sobottka: http://faculty.virginia.edu/consciousness/