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Nonduality Highlights: Issue #3765, Sunday, January 3, 2010, Editor: Mark
Awakening is the Beginning
We begin something anew. As my teacher used to say waking up
means you've actually begun. You've got your foot in the door.
Waking up means now we can begin. Which I always thought waking
up means now we can end. And depending on how deep and how
thorough it is, of course it is an ending. You can, by and large,
tell how deep it is, by how much of the seeker the awakening
removed. Destroyed. As the more reality comes in, then the less
the seeker is. Eventually when Reality has come fully into
consciousness there is no seeker of it. There is no possessor of
it. There is no user of it. There is no grasper.
Adyashanti, posted to The_Now2
Earth, mountains, rivers -
hidden in this nothingness.
In this nothingness -
earth, mountains, rivers revealed.
Spring flowers, winter snows:
There's no being or non-being, nor denial itself.
Saisho (circa 1490), posted to Allspirit
You have said that seeing non-duality is the end of meaning and
the end of purpose. Would you say that duality has meaning and
purpose?
It appears to. For as long as there is the sense of a separate
person, the world of duality is taken to be utterly real and
probably highly meaningful and very purposive. The mind has a
powerful urge to search for meaning. But when it is seen that
there was never any person, this is seen as a dream and it seen
as without purpose. In the same way, when we wake up from a
night-time dream, it is obvious that it is without purpose,
although the mind may very well be tempted to add a meaning to it
later on by interpreting it.
Is there a purpose in non-duality manifesting as duality?
We pretend that we've lost paradise only for the joy of finding
it again. When paradise is regained, it's realised that it was
never lost. But as long as we're searching for paradise, it is
impossible to notice that this is already it.
- Richard Sylvester, from The Book Of No One
Man is the only escapist animal. The escapism has become a deep
rooted mechanism in man. The same he goes on doing with
psychological things. If there is fear, then rather than
encountering it he goes in another direction - prays to God, asks
for help. Feeling poverty, inside poverty, rather than
encountering it he goes on accumulating wealth, so that he can
forget that he is poor inside. Seeing that he does not know
himself, rather than encountering this ignorance he goes on
collecting knowledge, becomes knowledgeable, like a parrot, and
goes on repeating borrowed things. These are all escapes. If you
really want to encounter yourself, you will have to learn how not
to escape.
Life has to be encountered. Whatsoever comes before you, you have
to look into it deeply, because that same depth is going to
become your self-knowledge.
- Osho
Sit quietly and look inside, feel the sensations in your chest.
Notice how some are protective. These are the "felt"
defenses. Honor and thank them. Now look behind them to what they
are protecting. There might be a quiet, or an ordinary, openness.
Let yourself get curious, and feel it.
You might notice it is restful, with not a lot happening there.
Rest and allow the body to be nourished by the stillness. If
there is a sense of relief or gratitude, let that express
itself... if there is any lingering agitation, let it be as it is
and notice it is appearing in a calm openness.
Now, the mind might express some doubts; if it does, allow them -
and invite the mind to take a rest.
As your attention is resting, notice that it does this naturally
when it encounters peacefulness. Also invite the body to rest.
Any sensations and emotions will alert you to where there is
remaining tension, and where gentleness is needed. As everything
within starts to relax, feel it deeply with gratitude.
Now, observe attention itself... become curious about its ability
to soothe body and mind.
Express gratitude for no reason, and then rest as you are.
When the body and mind are at rest, it is easy to see who we are,
innate naturalness, the presence that is always in the
background. Before, your attention was on the personality - not
the property of being that was wearing it. Now that role can be
surrendered.
Somehow, the body, emotion and sensations have always known our
true nature. They have always presented themselves to this gentle
openness within, asking for kindness and understanding.
- Pamela Wilson