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the idea of core
is a brilliant tickle

the experience of core
is bright and empty

the name of core
has always been myself

the boundary of core
is imagination

the quality of core
is nonexistence

even love
is too much
between the one of us,

cee
__________________________________________________________________

CORRECTION:

Jerry.. Tim wrote the paragraph you attributed to me by
mistake here:

My life is devoted to 'nondual discovery.' This isn't a
sunday afternoon church thing to me. Sometimes (often?) I
get too serious, because... well, I can't put it into
words. Dan-Ji used a term I forgot, maybe it was "urgency."
These matters are of utmost urgency here. There is a lot of
choicelessness involved. The motive is love, the obstacle
is thought.

Nisargadatta: "The mind creates the bridge, the heart
crosses it."

I love you too,

Tim

TIM GERCHMEZ

Those who stand on the shoulders of others are liable to
fall and break their necks. It is only useful until the
"inner Guru" (Grace, Satguru, the Self) is discovered.
After that, there is only standing alone. You do yourself a
great disservice by clinging to the belief that others are
necessarily on a spiritual "quest." ... All thought is
derivative, but "Being-knowing" (see Jean Klein) is not
derivative. If you do not believe in the presence of an
"inner Guru," it is because you have not discovered It yet
within yourself. It *is* yourSelf.

_________________________________________________________

THE HIGHLIGHTS FOR TUESDAY RESUME:

GLO: "...................... Isn't it something how your
teenagers don't want to hear your "wisdom" just because
it's coming from MOM..oh, horrors! Then they they think
it's the greatest thing in the world if they hear the same
damn thing from someone else.

HANS: That's something i am experiencing too. My daughter
is now taking Yoga lessons and she tells me the things that
the Yoga teacher is telling her and then i say, but isn't
that something we have been talking about lately and you
didn't want to talk about it ? "No,No, that's not the same
thing" :))))

_________________________________________________________

JERRY: I have to challenge myself for having an image of
you. What's contracting in me that bends the lens of the
pure eye and creates an image? Because I DO have images of
everyone. I couldn't advise you to correct the bend in your
lens until I correct the bend in mine. I could only say to
see it for what it is. That's a challenge right there which
calls for a person to be vigilant at all times.

MATTHEW: Yes, see it for what it is. It is only the mind
doing what it does so well.What i mean is that having
images, ideas, opinions,conclusions is no big deal. The
mind just does that. Trying to correct that is a total
waste of time. But what we can do is self-observe. Watch
the the mind, and emotions and try not to be at the effect
of them.Act differently than the behaviour they usually
dictate. The mind draws conclusions about everything,
endlessly but we dont have to believe or act on those
conclusions.

____________________________________________________________

GLORIA LEE: You ever listen to Car Talk on the NPR? They
always end the show saying, "Well, you've squandered
another perfectly good hour listening to Car Talk." I think
all time is wasted, in the sense that there is absolutely
nothing to gain anyway, so I like to waste mine
tastefully..you know have a bit of class while you're at
it. I'm leaving here with exactly what I came in
with..nothing. Actually I treasure and savor every second
of my dwindling time left on this gorgeous planet and I am
very very fortunate these days to have the leisure to do
so, so it matters very much to me how I "waste" my time.
INHO, time spent unhappily is wasted, if you know what I
mean. If you gotta argue and be upset, better find a way to
enjoy doing that.

***

I've noticed that the mind has quite a tendency to
prematurely conclude "knowing" almost as if it cannot stand
not knowing. And I do love this curious inquiring mind we
are blessed with, always wanting to fugure out what is
going on here. It seems only the heart may become content
with trusting this "unknowingness" ..the ongoing mystery of
life.

__________________________________________________________

MARCIA PAUL

"In the 'Second Descent, the story of engulfed Atlantis may
be compared with the Objective Conscience, buried deeply
within us, swallowed up by personality. Objective
Conscience is the function of a normal being; it is the
representative of God in the essence. What is John the
Baptist? It is objective conscience crying in the
wilderness of the body; beheaded by external life."

- From Orage's Commentary on Beelzebub

Gurdjieff's magnum opus Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson
is supposedly a work of objective art. On one level it is
the story of what happens to us. Something breaks off and
gets buried deep within us and is swallowed up by
personality. John the Baptist was beheaded. If that
something gets buried in our essence and is the
representative of God in our essence then John the Baptist
is crying in the wilderness and is beheaded by external
life or the personality.

If anything I think it would be the opposite of karma. It
would seem to talk about that which is not karma. What do
you think?

The book is well over a thousand pages and it can and
should be read over and over. It begins to worm it's way
into one's subconscious. It is a wonderful, wonderful book.
IMO. :-)

_________________________________________________________

GENE POOLE

The New NonDuality Salon FAQ v1.0 May 8 2000 Compiled by
Gene Poole

Part 1: Introduction: NonDualitySalon FAQ

Q: What is Nonduality Salon FAQ?

A: NonDuality FAQ (pronounced 'FAH-QUE' or 'FAK' [as in
'FAQ me, baby!]) is your comprehensive guide to the wild
and whacky world of 'Nonduality', especially in the context
of the renowned NonDuality Salon, a world-famous mailing
list. To subscribe to NonDuality Salon (NDS), go to:

<URL>

Q: Who should be reading this FAQ?

A: Anyone who can keep their balance while standing on the
shoulders of others; anyone who cannot keep their balance
in those apparent circumstances; anyone who does not NEED
to stand on shoulders; anyone who has fallen, and cannot
get up; anyone standing less than free; anyone standing in
the shadows; or, anyone standing on the shoulder, thumb
elevated in the classical 'hitchhiker' motif.

Also, anyone wishing to engender feelings of 'inherent
superiority', 'not good enough', 'Better than', 'suspicious
of other's motives', or of oscillating ocelots.

Q: Is it true that NDS is inhabited by numerous 'hopeless
cases', who have for the most part, not quite realized such
as yet?

A: Who have you been talking to? Those of us who
participate in NDS have passed beyond 'hope', and have thus
risen far above 'hopelessness'.

Q: How can 'nonduality' have a FAQ, when essentially
nothing is known about 'it', since when 'it' appears, there
is (by definition) nobody there to experience 'it'?

A: Little is known, and even less understood, about the
unknown. This FAQ is based SOLELY upon undiscovered
evidence, which links an unimaginable experience with the
sayings and advocacy of persons reputed to have had this
aforementioned nonexperience. The lack of an experiencer is
in no way evidence of lack of experience.

"It takes a nonperson, to have a nonexperience!"

Q: What about this thing about standing on shoulders? Is
that best done with, or without, footwear?

A: The seeker is advised to wear spiked golf-shoes, to get
the attention of the one upon whom they wish to stand. Only
in this way, can the essentially annoying, repetitive
whinings of the 'seeker' be fully heard. Then it is up to
the Master to make up, on the spot, pithy yet enigmatic
'sayings', which will be transcribed as immortal words of
transcendental wisdom.

Q: Isn't that a little judgemental?

A: "Who" is to judge? Who is the warden of your personal
prison? Who enjoys the pizza that you eat?

Q: Does nonduality have a special diet?

A: Nondual Abidance removes any arbitrary restrictions of
diet. Knowing that we literally are 'what we eat', we eat
each-other and ourselves with gusto. This is of course, to
be understood outside of the context of sexuality.

Q: This sounds really cool... does this mean that I can do
what I want, and eat what I want?

A: Absolutely! Any eating, is simply something eating
itself. If the nature of self offends, spit yourself out!

Q: If there is only 'one thing', what about 'cause and
effect'? Can thousands of years of 'common sense' actually
be wrong?

A: Imagine a tape-recorder, playing back a tape. Now,
imagine that machine saying to itself; "Wow, I am so
creative! Just listen to this beautiful music I am making!"
This is our situation and the flaw in our 'common sense'.
We continually mistake what is happening, to be the
products of our 'doing'. It is questionable that anyone has
ever really 'done' anything!

Q: But what about 'free will' and 'volition'? I mean... are
you saying that we are mere robots, enacting a script?

A: We are free to perceive directly, or through layers of
interpretation; that is the extent of 'free will'.

We are free to enact upon either version, the 'direct' or
'interpreted' version, as we will; that is the extent of
'volition'.

The human concept of 'robot' is of course, arranged to make
'robot' seem less than human, and human 'more than' robot.
In reality, human and robot are the same.

Q: Now, just a minute! Are you calling me a robot?

A: What is a robot?

Q: Uh... a robot is a machine that does what it is told or
programmed to do.

A: And you are not a robot?

Q: Well... robots are made of metal or other nonorganic
materials, aren't they?

A: Most are not, no. A very few are, in comparison to the
organic ones.

Q: Now I am really confused! How can a robot have
'self-realization'?

A: Perhaps by realizing it's robotness...

Q: Shit! That was a dirty trick!

A: Gotcha!

________________________________________________________

HARSHA

Often on the spiritual path, the topics of best postures,
best technique of meditation, best behavior conducive to
spiritual growth, best guru, etc. come up. All of these
questions are appropriate to their time and space.
Underlying such questions is the fundamental theme or
inquiry as to what constitutes superior spiritual practice
that will lead to improvement in one's condition and
finally Self-Realization. In this perspective,
Self-Realizations is viewed as an attainment. This point of
view emphasizes the need to focus consciousness on
"something" or to "do something" with consciousness. it can
involve meditating in a particular posture, focusing on
chakras, mantras, breathing, etc. The Yoga paths are based
on this perspective. What practice or behavior will be
helpful to the seeker on such a path seems to depend on
one’s conditioning, physiology, culture, background, etc.

For the one abiding spontaneously and inherently in the
Truth of Reality, questions of method, technique, and
practice become moot. When Clarity of Self arises, any
technique may be practiced and any path may be walked or
one may give up all techniques and paths. For such a
person, the Self-attention itself absorbs attention
regardless of where it is focused outwardly. The essential
element in this understanding is the Recognition by
Awareness of its Innate Wakefulness. Awareness is always
self-aware by its very nature.

When awareness remains pure and unfocused (focused on
nothing in particular and falling continuously upon itself,
consuming itself), the subtle duality between
awareness/attention (as Pure I AM) and its Source is seen
to be illusory. Here the witness disappears, there being
nothing to witness. The I AM disappears. Spontaneously with
the I AM/Awareness/Shakti merging in its Source, It
Recognizes It Self as the Source. It Sees and Recognizes
that It has Always Been the Source. That It Is the Eternal
Source. This is the Supreme Beauty of the Heart. It absorbs
the Shakti, and along with it, swallows time and space
itself. How can one speak of that Silence. Great sages like
Ramana never tire of pointing out that, That Which is Real
and Absolute Always Exists and is not absent even now.
Grasp this present ordinary awareness, hold on to it like a
mother holds on firmly to her child. Keep Coming back to
This, until you See that you have never been without It and
everything rises and fall in It Alone.

_______________________________________________________

MIGUEL-ANGEL

I feel that this "I don't know" is meaningful only after a
good amount of inquiry, otherwise it's just laziness or
dumbness. I'd say there are two sorts of inquiry: outward
inquiry and self-inquiry. The former results in recognizing
that we are wearing a mask (the personality) and eventually
discarding it, by asking "am I really this, that...?"
Self-inquiry is trickier, as there seems to be no answer to
the question "whan then am I?" But at least the very asking
may lead to feeling the presence of the unknowable, and
come to a rest there. The result is silence, which is
another word for "I don't know".

________________________________________________________

XAN

I used to be an "understanding" addict. I was caught in
that desire with a passion. That's one level - the craving
for something I didn't have or wanted more of and expecting
that satisfaction/fulfillment would come through what I
desired.

I also had a strong identity as a smart person who seeks
greater understanding. That's another level

A third is, I didn't discover until this boundless silence
took over, that understanding arises as needed and requires
no advance questioning on my part.

Then there's this - I just found I had no more questions.

Joy instead.

___________________________________________________________

ANDREW MACNAB

Hi all, good to be back. Mark, you asked about lovely
things and places in Boston. From my visit, I recommend;
1.) Baseball at Fenway, bleachers seat, something sublime
about the whole thing, the light fading in the sky, the
floodlit grass, happy rowdy fans, beer hotdogs peanuts,
that long moment as 33000 people watch the ball soar over
the wall for a homerun. 2.) The Arnold Arboretum, 250 acres
of beautiful exotic and domestic trees, ancient bonsai in
the bonsai house, the rhododendrons weren't quite out yet,
but should be out when you're there. 3.) The Museum of Fine
Art (MFA), which would take a day at least to see properly,
but two things there in particular, a 10 foot tall stone
statue of Guanyin (bodhissatva of compassion) from China
6th century, she's tall, slim and lovely, you could fall in
love with her, and an El Greco painting of Saint Catherine
in the European paintings section, which is so charged with
spiritual bliss it almost knocks you down.

_________________________________________________________

ED: When words resonate in the heart, Grace allows them to
be heard.

XAN: Sometimes, sometimes not, no guarantees.

ED(?):True, but if you take out Grace Insurance you can get
your money back. :-)

JAN: The only insurance of Dr. Yama's waiting room is the
exit :)

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