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10/3/01 Wednesday

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JAN SULTAN

from Metta Zetty
http://awakening.net/Archives.html

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Reader:
~~~~~~~~~
As for me, my epiphanies have been somewhat acute, but not as
experientially long lasting.
~~~~~~~~
Reply:
~~~~~~~~
Even with my 3-hour epiphany, the state of overwhelming
euphoria eventually did pass. And, although a profound measure
of this euphoric Satisfaction has lingered (or, more accurately:
it is now inherent within my present moment experience), most
of my daily experience still feels quite "ordinary" and normal.
It is just that the context and framework for understanding and
appreciating this experience have shifted completely, and it
is difficult now *not* to see everything within the light of
this Awakening....

As the Buddha, himself, said:
I obtained not the least thing from unexcelled,
complete awakening, and for this very reason it
is called 'unexcelled, complete awakening.'
Vajracchedika

In other words, with the experience of Awakening, absolutely
*nothing* is added to our experience. We simply awaken into
a deeper understanding and appreciation of our experience,
exactly as it is, and as it has been all along.

~~~~~~~~~
Reader:
~~~~~~~~~
I feel at times that I am enlightened, but at other times
I just feel like the same old fearful, ego-centered putz.
~~~~~~~~
Reply:
~~~~~~~~
What a *delightful* image! From my perspective, Enlightenment
is simply freedom from past patterns of blocking Reality --
or, an experiential Recognition of the relativity of all
things.

This does *not* mean, however, that relative things disappear,
or even that they are suddenly and mysteriously transformed.
Actually, I think this is one of the most common misconceptions
about the experience of Awakening.

In my own case, before my epiphany, I imagined that if I
ever really *did* "wake up," somehow all the old, fearful,
ego-centered parts of who I am would suddenly and mysteriously
vanish. I imagined that nothing would be left except a pure,
saintly vision of equanimity, and that in order to achieve
this exhalted state of Clarity, I thought I'd have to work
and struggle for years to eradicate or "purify" those "putzy"
parts of who I am....

But, to my utter astonishment and delight, I realized during
the epiphany that all the teachers and saints and sages who
said, "IT is here and now" really weren't kidding! IT *is*
here and now, with things exactly as they are! And, this
includes *all* of who we are within the present moment --
including all the "putzy" and idiosyncratic aspects of
being human.

This is what is so amazing and heartening and liberating for
each of us, i.e., the recognition that we don't need to do
or fix *anything* in order to "achieve" Buddha-hood! Our
innate nature -- this state of exquisitely pure, awakened
and naked Awareness -- in already inherent within our
"ordinary," immediate experience.

Perhaps the best reminder of this is the clear insight of
Garab Dorje, the first Dzogchen master:
Directly discover your state.
Don't remain in doubt.
Gain confidence in self-liberation.

The unobstructed clarity of this teaching has (in my mind)
often been misinterpreted to assume that transmission from
a realized master is a necessary pre-condition for this
recognition or direct discovery. But, if that were, in fact,
the case, then this would not be a "direct discovery" then,
now would it?


______________________
With Love,
Cyber Dervish
````````````````````````````````````````

MATTHEW

********************
...........yes and then after the identity of the seeker drops away
up comes a new identity, the non-seeker. Ta-Da! "I am no longer
seeking", "here what arises is no-seeking" or some such mumbo-jumbo,
advaita shuffle bullshit, self delusion.
have a nice day

.....matthew
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HARSHA

**************************
Thanks Matt for pointing out the wonderfully obvious. :-). The contest of
words rarely brings satisfaction as it does not resolve the conflict in
energies behind the words. Words are mysterious. They can be used as weapons
or they can become the soothing balm for the soul and bring peace. Have you
heard that old song, I can't remember it now, something like "Words are all
I have to take your heart away."

I hope we all have a nice day as well :-).

Love
Harsha


DAN BERKOW

Having a nice day. You, too!

Some random observations on this:
The nonmaintenance of seeking is
not equivalent to an identity as
a nonseeker.

What is, is nothing special, not a
special state available for
those with a non-seeker identity.

What need to have others
notice oneself as a non-seeker?
Are there others who are to be impressed,
or is there a self with a new stance
to be impressed with?

"What is" simply is, as natural openness, peace,
nonclinging, non-nonclinging ...

-Dan



JAN SULTAN

From "This is it." by Alan Watts

"The central core of the experience seems to be the
conviction, or insight, that the immediate *now,*
whatever its nature, is the goal and fulfillment of
all living. Surrounding and flowing from this insight
is an emotional ecstasy, a sense of intense relief,
freedom, and lightness, and often of almost unbearable
love for the world, which is, however, secondary.
Often, the pleasure of the experience is confused with
the experience and the insight lost in the ecstasy, so
that in trying to retain the secondary effects of the
experience the individual misses its point -- that the
immediate *now* is complete even when it is not ecstatic.
For ecstasy is...necessarily impermanent....But insight,
when clear enough, persists." pp. 18-19

______________________
With Love,
Cyber Dervish
````````````````````````````````````````

JERRY KATZ

RE: Any comments? on Catherine Ingram

The only comment I have is that this sounds good to me. There is the natural state. It invites itself into itself.
And this invitation of itself into itself is given many names, such as satchitananda. being consciousness bliss.
It invites itself into itself. Everything is contained within that sentence. There is 'it'. There is 'it' again. There
is the lovemaking of 'it' with 'it'. Bliss is generated from this coming of the natural state into itself.
Consciousness is another word for the churning of the natural state. Being is being the natural state, being
the invitation of natural state into natural state, and as such nothing is seen to be happening. One can ask
how any of this is known. This is the nature of consciousness, to invite itself into itself. If anyone thinks
anything else is going on, if it is other than natural state inviting itself into itself, please tell me what it is.

--jerry

~~~~~~~

I'm re-reading the words of Ingram, and I think it's really cool and
effective how she refers to her teacher, Poonjaji. That really seems to
be a key thing, eh? I suggest everyone mention Poonjaji in their posts.
It'll really jazz them up! A phrase like 'until I met Poonjaji' is
guaranteed to generate a shitload of respect and interest.

seriously, until I met poonjaji, or whatever his name is, i thought I
could get by on my own knowledge. go know!

jerry

JERRY KATZ

on memory

I consciously remember the formation of my first memory, at the age of two. Although I
didn't have the words, I consciously said to myself that I was always going to remember
this, that I was having an experience, that it was impressing itself into my 'form' through my
eyes, that I had now awakened into the world as an aware person.

What was this awakening all about? Who knew that an experience was happening when I'd
never before been aware of experience? How did I know what memory was all about, and
how did I know I'd remember the experience for all time? Where did the understanding
that every experience is for all time, come from? Who was this old person kid toddler? This
is the experience by the colored water described at http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/umbada.
At the time I remember not wanting to leave the colored water. It was 1951. Yesterday.

And right now a person can awaken to this experience, ask what it is, who is experiencing
and how that one woke up here and now, know that it is for all time, feel it being burned into
nervous system. Consciousness inviting consciousness inviting consciousness. That is what it
is, and what is, and what is it.

jerry

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