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#4181 -
Friday, March 4, 2011 - Editor: Jerry Katz
The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights
The Practical
Application of Awakening
by Colin Drake
'By observing mental states you also become aware of the seven
factors of enlightenment [awakening]. These are: awareness of
awareness, investigation of the Way, vigour, joy, serenity,
concentration and equanimity.' (The Buddha, Maha Sattipatthana
Sutta 14-16)
The first two are paramount and the last five are outcomes of
these. This is what my book Beyond the Separate Self is all
about, becoming 'aware of awareness' through direct investigation
and then continuing with further 'investigation of the Way' (the
Tao, the nature of reality). Once one is 'aware of awareness'
then one can undertake further investigations not needing to
relying on any 'teachings', although these may be useful for
confirming what one has discovered. These investigations lead to
awakening, but many people question the usefulness of this in
helping us to live in the world.
My neighbour is the sole carer of three young children.
Consequently he finds life very hard and, having had two children
of my own, I can fully sympathize with his plight. However this
is not very helpful. For us to sit together and agree how
difficult such a situation is will not improve things. It will
only strengthen his opinion of the problems of raising three
infants and increase his desperation. The negative mind state can
only be strengthened by other's sympathy, for this fuels one's
justification for feeling this way.
What is required is a paradigm shift which will change his moment
to moment experience for the better. The easiest way to do this
is for him to enquire into the nature of life which entails
investigating experience itself:
1. Consider the following statement: 'Life, for each of us, is
just a series of moment-to-moment experiences'. These experiences
start when we are born and continue until we die, rushing
headlong after each other, so that they seem to merge into a
whole that we call 'my life'. However, if we stop to look we can
readily see that, for each of us, every moment is just an
experience.
2. Any moment of experience has only three elements: thoughts
(including all mental images), sensations (everything sensed by
the body and its sense organs) and awareness of these thoughts
and sensations. Emotions and feelings are a combination of
thought and sensation.
3. Thoughts and sensations are ephemeral, that is they come and
go, and are objects, i.e. 'things' that are perceived.
4. Awareness is the constant subject, the 'perceiver' of thoughts
and sensations and that which is always present. Even during
sleep there is awareness of dreams and of the quality of that
sleep; and there is also awareness of sensations; if a sensation
becomes strong enough, such as a sound or uncomfortable
sensation, one will wake up.
5. All thoughts and sensations appear in awareness, exist in
awareness, and subside back into awareness. Before any particular
thought or sensation there is effortless awareness of 'what is':
the sum of all thoughts and sensations occurring at any given
instant. During the thought or sensation in question there is
effortless awareness of it within 'what is'. Then when it has
gone there is still effortless awareness of 'what is'.
6. So the body/mind is experienced as a flow of ephemeral objects
appearing in this awareness, the ever present subject. For each
of us any external object or thing is experienced as a
combination of thought and sensation, i.e. you may see it, touch
it, know what it is called, and so on. The point is that for us
to be aware of anything, real or imaginary, requires thought
about and/or sensation of that thing and it is awareness of these
thoughts and sensations that constitutes our experience.
7. Therefore this awareness is the constant substratum in which
all things appear to arise, exist and subside. In addition, all
living things rely on awareness of their environment to exist and
their behaviour is directly affected by this. At the level of
living cells and above this is self-evident, but it has been
shown that even electrons change their behaviour when (aware of)
being observed! Thus this awareness exists at a deeper level than
body/mind (and matter/energy ) and we are this awareness!
8. This does not mean that at a surface level we are not the mind
and body, for they arise in, are perceived by and subside back
into awareness, which is the deepest and most fundamental level
of our being. However, if we choose to identify with this deepest
level - awareness - (the perceiver) rather than the surface
level, mind/body (the perceived), then thoughts and sensations
are seen for what they truly are, just ephemeral objects which
come and go, leaving awareness itself totally unaffected.
When one identifies with awareness each moment is encountered
freshly and directly, uncoloured by past experiences. Most of our
mental suffering and frustration is caused by our mind judging
our experience as unsatisfactory, or by projecting into the
future and worrying about the imaginary problems that this might
hold. Whereas from the viewpoint of awareness itself each moment
is enough (in itself) as awareness does not judge but just
witnesses 'what is'. With this outlook one is much more capable
of handling what the world may throw at us, as each moment is
taken as it comes without relating it to the past, future or any
imaginary self-image based on identifying with thoughts and
sensations (mind/body). This does not imply that life will be
without problems just that we will become more able to solve
these as they arise.
With regard to solving these problems we have at our disposal the
most amazing instrument, the human mind, our own inbuilt onboard
computer. This is a wonderful problem solving device, but to
function properly it needs to be supplied with accurate data. All
computer errors are due to incorrect data or program bugs. The
main program bug in the mind occurs when we identify ourselves as
the mind. In this case it colours all of the data it receives
with its own opinions, judgements, self-interests and so on,
which naturally leads to erroneous conclusions. As we learn to
identify with the deeper level of pure awareness, this bug is
fixed, and we learn to see things 'as they are', rather than
through the filter of the mind. Now data is fed in
uncontaminated, and problem-solving activity continues more
accurately and spontaneously.
So when one is 'awake' each moment is encountered freshly and
responded to (rather than reacted to) appropriately, which
enhances our problem-solving ability, thus making life easier and
more enjoyable.
~ ~ ~
Much of this article is taken from Beyond the Separate
Self - The End of Anxiety and Mental Suffering
This book is available to sample, or buy as a downloaded file at http://nonduality.com/colindrake.htm
Beyond the 'Separate Self'
The End of Anxiety and Mental Suffering
A Simple Guide to Awakening
Based on the Meditations, Contemplations, and Experiences
of Forty Years of Spiritual Search and Practice
by Colin Drake
Your book is excellent in its brilliance and clear simplicity. I
must have read hundreds of books on the subject by now and this
is truly a great treasure. I also want to say that I feel drawn
to recommend this beautiful work to many friends on the
"seeker circuit" and I sincerely hope that many of them
will buy it and love it as I do. Deep gratitude and good wishes
from Sweden. - Peter Signell
Enjoyed Colin Drake's new book. Clear, unpretentious and honest.
-Tim Rowe
I bought Colin Drake's book off the internet . He has to be
congratulated on the most clear and succinct book on the subject
that I have read. He has managed to distil the essence. A must
read for beginners and for seasoned travellers. -Garry Booth
Colin has a passionate love affair with Truth. This has
culminated in him writing, simply and clearly, what has been
revealed to him. Hiswritings are an invitation to those with a
similar interest, to explore and discover for themselves. Enjoy.
-Isaac Shapiro
This book is available to sample, or buy as a downloaded file at http://nonduality.com/colindrake.htm