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#3986 - Wednesday, August 18, 2010 - Editor: Jerry Katz
The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights
James Traverse responds to the interview with Scott Kiloby reported in Issue #3985
Hey Jerry,
Thanks and Thank You to Scott.
I feel that Scott's description of his nondual journey is very much like the Zen commentary...
First there are mountains
Then there are no mountains
Then there are mountains
I feel that Scott communicated the distinction well when he described Nonduality as 'seeing through' and qualified it by saying that this 'seeing through' is seeing the idea of separation and a separate self as just that - ideas, mental constructs, or beliefs... I describe this as seeing 'with' the mind (rather than allowing Awareness to do what it naturally does which is to be aware/to see).
Said another way, I say that 'seeing with the mind' is the process of separation.
I also like to speak about 'seeing through' - in my case it is Awareness that sees through the mind whereby the mind is the instrument of Awareness and wherein the mind itself is seen as a form of Awareness; And similar to Scott's usage, it is Awareness that 'sees through' the false by seeing it as it is.
Lastly I resonate with Scott's views on the inclusive nature of Nonduality such that it includes the 'play' (lila) as duality; it is like the comment that is common to many wisdom traditions "without God it cannot be done; without human beings it will not be done" - (formlessness expresses itself in form | form is emptyness ~ emptyness is form).
Much Love,
James
James Traverse, teacher of nondual Yoga for 25 years, was the first interview on Nonduality Street. I kept a little of the conversational repartee at the beginning because it leads right into the more formal interview and talks about the intent for the radio show. Listen to my interview with James Traverse here:
http://nonduality.com/nondualitystreet_jamestraverse20july2010.mp3
James's website is http://beingyoga.com
James, I look forward to meeting you and a few others at Starbuck's for our MeetUp in a few weeks. Anyone who will be in Nova Scotia is welcome: http://www.meetup.com/NondualitySatsang/.
And please, no Starbucks jokes anyone.
Starbucks Spirituality
I used that expression today, saying that Starbucks Spirituality
tasted
of the paper cup. I don’t have to explain what I meant by
that. Twitter,
Facebook and anything with “e” before it tends to be
fairly generic. For
myself I prefer to make my own brew and drink it like green
tea, with
mindfulness and in the comfort of my own home.
I love to brew a cup of wisdom and sit silently with it. I watch
my mind
slow down and my body along with it. My emotions are placid and
life is
good. I have to choose to do this; otherwise I am running on
autopilot.
I find myself standing in a long Starbucks line where people are
espousing half-caf wisdom to go. Slow down, folks, this is your
life you
are are rushing through.
As I sit with myself, I am able to see things passing across the
sky of
my mind. At first the airlane may be crowded with thoughts lining
up in
a holding pattern. But the longer I sit, the quicker the planes
land and
disperse their passengers. On the whole they were just
restless
thoughts carrying my emotional baggage as they deplaned. What’s
left is
silence. I sit in the deserted holding gate and see that there
are no
more planes in sight. I go to the window and look up at the
stars.
Vicki Woodyard
http://www.bobwoodyard.com