Saturday, December 1, 2012

Don't Just Dream About Waking Up

It's good to get some free stuff every once in a while, especially when it's a book or two on waking up.   After all, you've probably paid for quite a few already.


While bookstores or online stores are full of intriguing titles, these freebies linked down below take a different tack.  What they aren't about, is THEORY. 


Live Lucidly.




The first, from Liberation Unleashed, contains actual accounts of guides working one on one, in conjunction with an individual, to point them to their OWN awakening.

The second book, from TruthStrike,  is a collection of best blog posts written by those who've successfully been doing the guiding for a long while.  It's a great read and can be digested in sections.  Yes, my posts are in there too.

Anyway, oth books are compilations.  There's no one voice, one guru, one Truth.  And that's the point.  Find your own!

For now, enjoy.  And.... I mentioned that they're free, right?  Yes, all resources at TruthStrike and Liberation Unleashed are free, just like 'you'.


photo by M0THart on deviantart

Tuesday, November 13, 2012


 


Examining the nature of Time and Phenomena?  Here is an excellent post by StepVhen over at his blog, BurningTrue.  If you're feeling stuck at all, I'd highly recommend clicking that link and reading through.

 

by Stephen Stark
Short conversation I had with a student recently. Her questions are in bold:

Is there no such thing as an independent phenomenon? A thing that exists as exactly what it is, as itself,  regardless of any other factors?

  Is there anything safe from the ravages of time?

What about time itself in that case?

  Do you think time exists as a phenomenon? I'm talking here in terms of our personal and social conceptions of time rather than the scientific concept of time which closer resembles the view I'm about to put forward: We speak about it in metaphorical terms as though it were a medium we travel through, or that travels to us. That's a heuristic, a shortcut of thought we make, a leap of faith, that allows us to make use of the concept of time for our everyday lives. Our concept of time allows us to make use the fact that every phenomenon is in a state of flux and change so that we may structure our experience. The ever-changing and fluctuating nature of phenomena is so reliable that we literally set our watches to it . Phenomena are in a constant state of flux. We conceptualise the existence of discrete "states of change" in a linear manner (at times mistakenly projecting causality from one state to the next). We imagine phenomena to exist within time and imagine it as either traveling through time, or time as flowing around/over it. As this happens the phenomenon morphs and changes "as it passes through/with the passing of time". We imagine the phenomenon to be unchanged at a basic essential level however.

Viewing our world in this way makes it seem more concrete as phenomenon remain unchanged overtime at a basic level. Your old toys are still your old toys years later, they're just a bit "time-worn". Your old friends are still your old friends, they've just "changed over time" maybe even "grown up a little".

This isn't the case. Time "itself" does not exist. The concept of time is a useful way of structuring our reality, it allows us to make plans and co-ordinate our activities with others. It also lends a false sense of stability to phenomena. The concept of time does not exist independently from human cognition. In fact when considered the way we have considered it here, the concept of time stands as further proof of the non existence of independent and stable phenomena. This calls the validity of phenomena, the validity of our theories of stability and independence into question also.


So you think there is no such thing as "phenomena"?

Well anyone can see for themselves that there is no such thing as a stable phenomenon; if a phenomenon isn't stable then can it still be considered a phenomenon? We think of and treat phenomena as though they are stable entities when they are not. Phenomena do not exist. Processes exist. What we think of as a "phenomena" is a thin slice of a process taken at a certain point in it's fluctuation. Phenomena are cognitive constructs. Static snapshots of ongoing process. They do not exist  independently of human cognition because nothing is actually static.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Awakening's Jedi Mind Tricks

So, you've been doing inquiry for a while now, looking for the self.  Or maybe the self is an illusion already seen through, and yet it remains persistent, a seeming obstacle to 'furthering' any realizations.

Here's where you can catch a Jedi Mind Trick in the act.  

Hint:  It's a fractal.




From here on in, pardon the use of pronouns.  I know it gets confusing at points, especially when I say that you need to 'catch your own' mind in the act.  Yes, there's no you, and there's no real mind or container holding thoughts, but let's roll with the analogies.

Step 1.  Looking for a self happens.  Or maybe it's any looking at the nature of reality.  But suddenly!  there is a breakthrough.  Eureka!  It's clearly seen that what was thought to be real or true, is not.  There's no tangible self anywhere in existence.  Maybe you're working with Time or Space, or any particular aspect of 'reality'.  Anyway, it's clear.  Things are not what they seem.

You smile.  Maybe there's a sort of bliss.



Here's the Jedi part....   Another thought pops up to say, "OHMYGOD!  I can't believe it's always been this way and I didn't see it!"  And then the analysis of the realization begins.

And what's missed, is that the analysis is also just thought, happening one at a time, to no one.

The continuity of thought is APPARENT.  It isn't.  There is only one thought appearing at a time, including those which APPARENTLY reflect upon supposed 'previous thoughts'.  No.  Each thought is not a reference to the one which came before, it's actually a completely NEW THOUGHT in which the concept of "reference" appears.   So as soon as the "OHMYGOD there's no ME!" lands, start looking at all the thoughts which seem to follow, because they can easily  begin spinning back on themselves.  Before you know it, you're caught in a thought loop.

Where thought is concerned, this is a particularly intricate loop.  Not only does the self love looking at itself, but now it gets to look at itself looking at itself.



Coming up Out of the Loop


Step 1.   Looking for a self happens.  Or maybe it's any looking at the nature of reality. But suddenly!  there is a breakthrough.  Eureka! The next thought is almost self-congratulatory and you marvel at how you've figured this out.

STOP.

The next thought about how you've figured this out, is also just a single thought appearing right now, to no one. Take a look at THAT.  Then watch how it continues, endlessly, one thought at a time.

Do this until it's thoroughly seen through, especially the recursiveness.


photocredits:  Lost in FractalLand  and FashionVictim by DianePhotos on DeviantArt


Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Painting Reality

Buddha-nature



"In art we use value onto shapes to create the illusion of form.


This is all for the process of replicating what the eye sees.


But we mistakenly believe what the eye sees to be some sense of objective reality.


Are we not painting with the eyes colors into shapes and shapes into forms with light.


Art is reproduction of suchness as suchness. This is a metaphor for concepts as they are suchness as well.


But that also doesn't mean that there is some kind of hierarchy between the symbol and what the symbol represents. Both are equal in that they are empty of inherent existence.



Be it a painting we paint in the painting.


Or the painting we deem as reality.


Its all fabricated. And all fabrications crumble.


Just a rant!"


-
Artwork and rant by Albert Hong

Saturday, September 8, 2012

The Internal Compass

Adyashanti asks a question which points True North.  It's the first you should ask yourself when undertaking a 'spiritual journey', and it's one which should continue to be asked each time you find yourself confused about whether or not you are on the so-called Right Path.

What's this really about, for You?

Without an answer to this query, you will likely find yourself pushed and pulled by the various teachings or "guides", including the one writing this post.  In other words, without that initial internal compass, you can easily drag yourself through other people's beliefs.

Rest in your own authority.  Risk making your own mistakes.

If you're going to start out with a belief, make it your own.  Can it set you off on the wrong foot?  Maybe.  But eventually it'll become clear that it's only the sense of 'you' who has to live with that.  For every teaching you come across, you'll likely find several people saying it's The Very Wrong One.  They'll hand over, or even push you into investigating a new map, and "someone else's terrain" is the very place you don't want to wander around for too long.... not unless it nicely lines up with your own.

I wouldn't recommend starting your journey without making sure you know how to reference that internal compass setting.  And if you find yourself adrift right now, it's not too late.


photo credit:  Compass01 by ~Dipiie

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

The Container

Lisa:  What's the goofiest thing you ever believed to be true that turned out, of course, to be bunk...?


Well...


That there are people, including this one, walking around with entire histories held in a little invisible container.

That I never really knew where this miraculous container was kept, how big or small it was, how long it would last, where it came from, or what would happen to it.

That I thought this invisible container might go to an invisible fluffy place called heaven where it could somehow sit at the right hand of a man with a white beard. Because he apparently has a thing for empty containers with no sides, bottom, or top. Or that depending upon what was carried in that container with no properties of containing, it might go to a different invisible and really very hot place called hell.

That I'd get crazy about protecting that invisible container and claim ownership of it, defend it, take photos to honor and preserve the non-existent thing, and generally do anything imaginable to protect it.

That the container ever existed at all, because other people told me so, even though they hadn't seen it either.

That's pretty goofy.



Photo credit:  *antontang at deviantart

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

There is Running.



A Thought-full Run...

"I'll do some walking.  Maybe I'll run today."

*beep* *beep*
"I hate this treadmill."

"I should practice good breathing technique."
"ok, BREATHE."

"I need to move faster.  I'll 'up' the incline."

"Ok that's better."
"I'm walking faster."

"I wonder what I'll have for dinner?"
"Concentrate!"

"OK. I'll match my breath to the music."

"I like this music."
"I feel good."
"I'm having a good workout."







Actually....

Thought pops, just comes, an image of walking on the treadmill.
Putting running shoes on the body
Walking to fitness center
Stepping on the treadmill.  Pushing buttons.
*beep* *beep*

Thought pops, 'faster'
*beep* beep*

breath.  breath. breath.
No within, No without.  Just breath, Everywhere breath.
Everything breathing.

Sensations happening.  The body adjusting.
Water appears.
*drip*
*wipe*

Sound appears in headphones...music.  No one's listening.
Hearing is hearing.

Sensations in the feet, legs, hips.  

Seeing sees jerky motions. 

breath.
breath.
No one breathes.
Everything breathing.
Everything running.






photo credit:  on the edge by ~jakejames - Deviantart
Second photo:  don't feel like running by ~rockingmarcia - Deviantart

Thursday, July 19, 2012

When the Bubble Bursts

The point of no-self realization is not to denounce the self.  It's to see it for what it is.... thought, appearing based on conditions, empty of any inherent qualities.

How is it empty?

Compare the self to a soap bubble.  Does it exist without soap, without air, without breath? Without the hole it forms through?  Without moisture in the air?



When the conditions are no longer right for the bubble to appear or be sustained, what happens? 


The sense of self is just as fragile and transparent, its existence dependent upon the thought constructs of memory and belief. Conditions for its appearance? Reflection upon an action of or within the body.


How to burst the bubble....

As a seeker, if there's an effort to stop the self thoughts from appearing, don't bother. The desire is 'you' trying to overcome your 'self'. That's impossible. It's a circular reference, an endless loop.

Let that go.

Just notice. Notice when the thoughts of self appear. Notice when they are absent. Then ask how anything inherent or vital can disappear without a trace for minutes, hours, or days on end, without anyone even noticing it was gone.



photo credit:  ~kkokosz on deviantart

Monday, July 2, 2012

The Truth about being Ruthless



Was RuthlessTruth really Ruthless?  Yes.  But there was no way to make a guru out of any one of us, and that's what I liked most.  It left the seeker completely free of even the person who 'liberated' them.  So it's ironic, now, when I read facebook posts judging the method.

You see, in the end to be completely free, even the teacher must be slayed.  And in that regard I'd say it was a job very well done.


http://www.truthstrike.com/ - The Phoenix from Ruthless Ashes

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Shiny, New

So, in my last post I listed a host of realizations which hit after crazy-deep contemplation of the buddhist ideas of emptiness and dependent origination.  It seems that while doing this, another aspect of the initial no self realization that took place a year ago jumped out to the fore.  Or maybe you could call it ' a deepening' of the initial shift, though that's not quite accurate.

I'd compare it to finding a diamond, and then a year later, figuring out that its sparkle was not in the stone itself, but in the fact that it has many facets which reflect the light very differently.

Yeah.  That's it.





photo credit:  Starlight, by ~kyokosphotos

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Clean

About a month ago, several realizations hit at once.  I've debated putting them here because they're not really of use to anyone.  On the other hand, documenting these things just *may* be helpful to a reader.  This post isn't meant to explain the details, but I'm sure it will prompt those with whom it resonates to contact me directly.

Consider this a journal entry, a logging of sorts.  It's a copy of what I've posted to a facebook group today.   At this point, I'm not certain what direction this will head in but should any of this resonate with you, reader, I suppose that's the entire purpose of this exercise:



In thinking about what was seen here a month or so ago, it seems that the experience is sort of indescribable and yet what you post both here and in your blog seems to explain it. I can, however, see how difficult it is to express these things.

What was seen here were these things, and I'm listing them here to sort of get them down and look at them closely. I'm not certain what model they 'fit', but I'm sticking with them since it's direct experience.

1. Luminosity when looking at objects, to the point where there was nothing BUT luminosity. The 'self' was sort of absorbed into it.

2. Complete disappearance of the sense of self. Everything else is alive and fully present. Only it's not exactly 'everything else', it's just what IS. There can't be an Other because there is no reference point 'here'.

3. The aliveness arises every moment. Continuously. It is Being Done.

4. Thoughts appearing about all of this are also being done.

5. Sensations are being done.

6. Everything falls away immediately. There is no time, only now which isn't even able to be pinpointed. It's illusory in that there is no substance.

7. Space is a thought. There is no inside or outside.

8. All 'things' aren't things, they appear based on conditions.

9. Every appearance is whole and complete in and of itself. All conditions are appearing as what is appearing now. Nothing exists outside of what appears now, and this appearance would not happen exactly as it does without all of those causes/conditions. Everything is exactly as it is, perfectly so.

10. Each sense 'stream' is separate. They do not cross over. Only thoughts claim this.

11. There are no other selves. Other people are also being done.

12. Seeing the 'thing' IS the thing. The same goes for hearing, touching, tasting.

13. This has always been like this. We've just not noticed.

14. There's more to come. Since nothing repeats and each moment is fresh, the insights have to continue. Enlightenment is no state, it's a moment-to-moment flow.... sometimes seemingly 'there', sometimes not. Both the same.

15. There are no people to be enlightened or unenlightened. It's just a word, an idea.

16. The debates will continue. That, too, is the flow.

All of this has since waxed and waned, or the same insight has been realized under different circumstances. But this has been the base of all insights since then.


From here, everything is being revisited.


photo credit:  I-see-shapes

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Like Fire to Flame....

An excerpt from an awakening journal from An Eternal Now, available here from the excellent blog, Awakening to Reality.


"When we look at a candle, a flame is burning brightly, flickering moment by moment, not having a fixed shape.

We may question, where does the fire come from? Does it come from north? South? East? West?

Does ...
it come from the candle? It would appear so, but before the candle starts burning there is no fire. When the fire starts burning, it appears out of nowhere - the candle and a sudden spark ignites the fire, but the fire came from nowhere - it is merely dependently arisen, without a place of origin - entirely fresh and new.

Where is it? The fire is constantly flickering, cannot catch a location at all. Merely dependently arisen, no substantial core that can be pinned down or located. In fact - try moving your hand across the fire - it's totally hollow and transparent.

Where does it go after the fire is blown out? Does it go north, south, east, west, up or down? Doesn't apply. For what is dependently arisen, ceases upon the cessation of conditions, and is empty of an entity. The notion of an entity that persists and goes somewhere does not apply at all. Fire is empty of IT-ness. There is no fire-ness of fire.

For what dependently originates does not come into being, and what ceases upon the ending of conditions has no destination, nor can it be said that a 'thing' has been 'annihilated'. It simply means the absence of conditions for further arising.

Look at your current experience. How is it any different from flickering fire?

Isn't it the case that whatever you think, see, hear, and smell, are spontaneously appearing out of nowhere via dependent origination? That it is constantly flickering, unlocatable, insubstantial? That there is no destination to which things proceed to and remain - rather, they simply cease upon the parting of conditions?

If you are to pay a little more mindfulness to your experience, it will not be difficult to directly observe your experiential reality constantly dissolving moment by moment like your fingers drawing on a pond utterly vanishing without a trace upon its inception.

We however have ideas of substantial reality that exists objectively, causing obscuration and proliferation that grasps at solid self and things.

For example we imagine that there is an observer, a self, that is peering out through the eyes at an objective world. The objective world is seen to consist of solid entities and objects each with their own inherent characteristics.

We reason ourselves that if we close our eyes and open them again, we will again see similar shapes and colours. We then reason to ourselves that these shapes and colours are inherently present as the characteristics of objects regardless of whether we are present to observe the objects.

We fail to consider that for example, dogs see no colours, beings of other realms can see something different, and if we look at the quantum level we see mostly void. We fail to consider also that 'colours, shapes, and forms' are merely our visual experience arisen due to specific causes and conditions. There is no such thing as vision without colours, shapes, and forms. And there is no colours, shapes, and forms without vision. They are synonymous. In any case, they are simply dependently arisen experiences. Our framework of there being an observer observing the world of objects are baseless, no such delineation can be found in our investigation. There is no seer that is seeing objects, nor objects that stay the same and exists apart from our observation of them. There is rather simply a wide array of appearances, which are dependently arisen but no solid entities can be posited or established whatsoever. Whatever object we investigate to see if they could be characteristics 'belonging' to truly existent objects are found to be more of the same hollow and substanceless, dependently arisen appearance, like an empty shell which only 'appears' but do not pertain to any true existence or core. Being dependently arisen, nothing whatsoever exhibits the characteritics of inherent existence - core-like, singular, partless, independent, unchanging. There are no objects behind the colours, shapes, forms that we experience moment to moment... nor a seer behind the seeing.

It is also not the case that objects pass through our field of awareness or experience. To say that "things arise in awareness" is fundamentally wrong already since it implies there is "things" that can
arise and pass away in some unchanging "awareness". But actually both "things" and "awareness" are merely conventions that point to a single self-luminous experience. In actuality there is no 'awareness' other than what is seen, heard, smell, taste, touched, thought, awareness is simply the self-aware, self-luminous quality of each experience, and there is no sight, sound, smell, ... etc that is not the self-luminous display of mind. In short, there is nothing apart from the suchness of every manifestation. Language and thought falsely construes artificial dualities and frame our experience in these false constructs causing confusion, ignorance, clinging and suffering. Awareness is empty of any intrinsic identity - being merely a convention, like everything else are also conventionally designated without any substantial ground to be found."

Friday, April 20, 2012

What is the Self?

Oh, the visuals! 

Can a watcher of this video be pointed to except as an afterthought?  Does it come in to watch or does it appear only upon reflection?

Monday, April 16, 2012

The Art of Deceptive Self Maintenance

In the year I've been guiding those inquiring into No Self, there have been several who have expressed that they've directly seen the truth of it, but then just stopped.  Some, faced with the threatening notion that there is utterly no evidence for the package they'd thought themselves to be, turned and ran.  After an "OhMYGOD" moment of stark realization, I never heard from these folks again.

I wonder how they're doing, because once this is seen, there's just no unseeing, as they say. 



In the last entry I talked about how simple it is to see the truth of the complete absence of a self in tangible existence.  And I mentioned that it takes just seconds to verify this.  It's not at all difficult, and chances are if you're reading this, you've probably had a glimpse.

Have you dismissed it as a trick?  Do you doubt the seeing, or the guide who pointed?  Do thoughts appear to argue with that very direct experience?   Do you invest more weight in thought than in the tangible world?  Do you think the truth of it is impossible because what you've seen is so simple that everyone should have realized it by now?

"I" is a thought.  "Myself" is a thought.  Test this.  Where do they appear?  And how do those thoughts that come along to dismiss the realization appear if not in the same way.  They just come.  There is no you thinking them or controlling them. 

Verify your findings against everything your "sages" have said about this if you must.  Find the commonality, the instructions to see the world as a child, or that this seeing is so simple that it's often overlooked.  Then find those who've said that the realization is already here, or tell you to go "outside of the mind"  and see whether your experience verifies what THEY've expressed, not the other way around.



Sometimes the things you really want
sneak in the back door.
Notice.
- Mary Anne Radmacher




"Seeing that there's no self is also a thought." is what some have said in an effort to wriggle out of what they've seen. 

No.  THINKING "Seeing that there's no self is also a thought.", is a thought.  Checking and SEEING the truth of No You was direct, clear, and unshakable.  So, in considering direct experience versus thought, take a moment to review how many of "your" thoughts have mislead you, contained poor judgement, or were just plain dead wrong. 

In all the times you've checked for a self, how many times has verification of direct experience ever been refuted.

Under what conditions do you suspect it will be?




photo credit:  Autumn Swirl by Temmerson on DeviantArt

Saturday, April 14, 2012

On a Clear Day...

Attempting to find better pointers for a  friend, I reviewed "my" moment of no self realization to look for any clues I could give on where and how to "look".  The following is an email which came out of that review.  It's posted here just in case it's helpful to a casual reader.

Understand that this is not a prescription.  And no moment of realization is ever the same for anyone, so don't look to "how it happened" as an event to be expected or grasped.  The clues here are in the complete surrender of the intellectual grasping at no self.  It's that relaxing of what had been an entirely intellectual pursuit that lead me to begin a very clear and direct examination of experience.



But how to get outside the intellect?  How do I "look" if not with the mind?  Where are all of the pointers pointing to?  


They are pointing you into looking for cracks in the flow of thought.  It's there.


Email sent 04/14/2012


I know I've told you about my final "moment of seeing" (there were several glimpses beforehand).  Well, I'm not sure I told you about the part where something surrenders, and what is surrendered is the notion that the world has to be a certain way or another.  So, let me see whether I can describe what happened again, but include the part about surrender.  


I was sitting at my computer after a few weeks of reading just about every thread on Ruthless Truth, and also no-self.com.  But it was RT that explained it most clearly and in the end I found that the best directive which can be given is, 

"Just Look".  


You may not see that right now, but looking back, it is obvious that this is the clearest pointer...  The question comes, "how do I look?"  And just before realization, I just happened to come across a thread which explained it something like this:



Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Practicalities.. Burn After Reading II

A review from Part I of this series:

Thought is real.  The content of thought is not.

So what does that mean, and what does it have to do with freedom or liberation?  

Thoughts are real events which actually occur.  There's no doubt that they appear, and even if the source or form can't be pinpointed, they are a phenomenon with presence.  They happen, and only one at a time.  There's no such thing as multitasking when it comes to thought. 

Try it.

Think about picking up that object in front of you while simultaneously thinking about the object itself.  While a switching back and forth may happen quickly, the thoughts are never simultaneous.  There's a distinct switch between the two, and EXPERIENTIALLY, there's a whole lot of difference in each of those types.

The first thought involves a mechanical action on the part of the brain and body.  It's a functional thought in that it can directly lead to a "how to", to performing an immediate physical action.  The second thought is a reflection or mental commentary wholly unnecessary to the action itself.  It's useless except for entertainment value, and what's more, the commentary likely includes judgments as to whether you "like" the object, or "dislike" it.

How much of the process of sustaining physical life is related to commentary?  

None.  

But what percentage of "your" thought fits into that second category?  


Friday, February 10, 2012

Burn After Reading

The first thing you should know about what you're about to read is that it's not Truth.  And this is good, because it relieves you of having to try to parse the message, or follow any advice.  If you'd like to take something away from this post, and I advise you not to, just jump to the last line now.  It's the only sentence possibly worth taking a good long look at.  A pointer to freedom is there if you're willing to do the work.

If you're still determined to read through to the end, however, let's get started.  We'll take it from the top:

The Teachings

What concepts do the most prevalent teachings about enlightenment share?

1.  There's No You.
2.  There's nothing but nothing. It's sometimes called The Void.
3.  It's all one thing.

Not too long ago those seeking the secrets to enlightenment, or maybe just an end to suffering, could join Ruthless Truth, a forum where we'd verbally beat the tar out of the You until with a single look, the reality of your existence was seen for what it is.  You Are No Thing.  Nothing.  And you're not even that, because there is an utter absence where you thought yourself to be.  Seeing that one thing brought a lot of people, including me, an amazing new paradigm from which to exist.  The success of our group was staggering, and there have been spin-offs with even more exposure and success.

Thanks to Ciaran Healy's direction, People Got Free.

But what happens to the individual after that initial shattering realization has often been a source of hot debate in the online spiritual community.  It's caused the splintering of groups, made a few self-described "lost souls", and caused a bit of general mayhem.  Reading through the various enlightenment Facebook groups which pop in and out of existence would leave you with the conclusion that this No Self shit is not worth the trouble.  From the outside looking in, it seemed to do more harm than good.

It wasn't all bad, though.  Some... Many of us moved on to continue to deepen realizations or are actively working on developing a framework from which life is lived to its fullest.  A lot of us were able to find refuge in The Void, the big, black nothing of peace.  Oneness became a byproduct of seeing that there was no separation, ever.

It still wasn't quite enough to end suffering.  There's no living in the Void, and for many, the peace couldn't be sustained.  As a matter of fact, our original Ruthless Truth group absolutely imploded after the very public suffering of its founder.

Why?

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Book of Change - Gateless Gatecrashers

This is a book that can change everything.


"I'm Extremely happy to announce that our book Gateless Gatecrashers is finally finished and is available to download for free from LU website and http://gatelessgatecrashers.com You can click on the tab above "Book" and you will get there.

It is made up of 21 conversations that Elena and I had during summer months, they are all on our blogs and perhaps you read them. We are hoping that this book will find everyone, who is struggling with search and will help to see through the illusion of separation. " - Ilona Ciunaite
 
If you're still seeking, stop.  Read it now.  You won't find pointing more direct than this.
 
 

Monday, January 16, 2012

Compassion Games

My husband's just recently had a double organ transplant and as I write this I'm sitting here in his hospital room.  This is a return admission.  He was discharged at the end of December then developed very high fevers a week ago.  After several days of testing, the doctors still don't know what it is.

That's the story.

Here's the reality of it:  The "wringing of hands" that usually accompanies the watch over a sick spouse or loved one seems to be absent.  It's because of a realization brought on by discussions with StepVhen who writes a powerful blog post over at BurningTrue,  Honesty and Comfort.

Reading it, I realized that all of the years "I've" suffered for my husband's illnesses was due to selfishness, a thought pattern which allowed the perception of an identity as a "good wife" suffering for a "good cause". 

It was all about the creation and sustaining of a ME.


In truth, there is no such thing as suffering for another.  It's not even possible!  How exactly would that work?  Would the person feel your suffering and get better?  Would their feeling your angst or worry help their situation?

There's no suffering for the homeless, the starving, the sick.  Honest compassion which comes from realizing the lack of a self, opens wide the world.  It leaves nothing but life, happening, and allows an unselfish caring for another.  Rather than using that cause or person to prop an idea, a notion of a good and kind, compassionate self, action can be taken to comfort or assist without selfish motivation impeding the process.  Does that mean that sadness, anxiety, or worry doesn't arise?  Yes.  It does continue.  But take a look at why it comes and whether there is a "who" that it serves.  If it points back to a sense of self, complete with attached emotional payload, it's the very defintion of self serving.

True compassion isn't owned or claimed by anyone, and no suffering should ever impede the process of aiding another. 

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Viral Liberation - The Machine is Changing Us

Liberation is going mainstream.  As a whole, we may just be waking up.

This isn't about the spiritual community or gurus helping to enlighten the world, it's about the world, life, waking itself up.  And the mechanism seems to be working through our incessant "Me-ing", the narcissism we're witnessing through new technologies..... our favorite self-centered mediums:

YouTube
Facebook
and blogs like this one




















Kansas State University professor, Michael Wesch, in addressing the topic of YouTube and the The Politics of Authenticity, has unwittingly laid out a path to a possible increase in the number of people taking a natural course to liberation from the self.  It seems an unlikely description of a route to realization, but this video  appears to offer an unintended message, one very much in line with every sage's admonitions.

Why is this a message about liberation?

Because the void, the No Thing everything springs from, is inherently balanced.  There is nothing to tip any scales.  As a matter of fact, there are no scales.   The world, as it appears, is based on this balanced principle....light doesn't exist without darkness, wrong without right, here without there.


So what's this got to do with the world waking up, despite itself?

Through social media and reality television, we are intently examining our selves.  At this point in human evolution, things seem to be moving in the direction of extreme and exaggerated Selfing.   Millions of people are now sharing very personal stories with the masses, exposing their ideas of self to both praise and criticism.  Selves are publicly created, propped, and torn down at a rapidly increasing rate.


There are two ways this new trend could contribute to the world waking itself up:

The first way is in life's tendency to behave like a pendulum swing.  As a society, we tend to tear down whatever it is we layer with a false esteem.  Media stars are born and die at a rapidly increasing rate, and with the proliferation of social media and reality tv, everyone has the opportunity attempt stardom, to have at least 15 minutes of fame.  This focus on the creation and maintenance of a well-considered and groomed sense of Self is destined to fall as fast and hard as it's risen.  It's simply about balance.

The second way is in the fact that we are now reflecting upon or focusing on the Selves with an intensity never seen before.  We are becoming aware, in ways both subtle and overt, that the face we present to the world is wholly fabricated. The creation of a Facebook, YouTube, or blog site is an exercise in rapid self construction, self tweaking, and self reflection.


Following the void's rules of balance, eventually, this selfing will implode.

This video above is 33 minutes long.  The speaker has no ties to No Self, talks nothing about spirituality, awakening, or enlightenment.  But he's got a lot to say about liberation, right up to the end where he shows us scores of people send a message into the void (webcam).   Individually, behind cameras all over the world, they point to the same thing.  Wake up.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Hundred and One Monkeys

How many of these things were initially paradigm-shattering discoveries, knowledge reserved for a select few?  How long was each regarded as Special before spreading wide enough to reach the Tipping Point:


  • Building huts instead of living in caves
  • Purposeful cultivation of crops
  • Understanding that the Earth's seas are continuous (the Earth is round)
  • Travel by flying through the skies


Each of these signaled a turning point in humankind's development, one from which there was no turning back.  And each bit of knowledge necessary to make those achievements commonplace had to pass the 100th Monkey mark, the point where the number of people holding that knowledge went from a select few, to the masses.


But what about the basic Mystery of Enlightenment, the clear seeing that there is no You, No Self, anywhere to be found?

There's no need to see No Self as an entitlement held by special "enlightened ones".  It's a fact simpler to discover than any of those now commonplace life-altering Paradigm Shifts listed above.  Why? Because it is already the case, and has always been the case.  There's nothing to develop or learn, no skill to acquire.

So the thoughts about "reaching enlightenment", "practicing to reach enlightenment", or "earning enlightenment" are all just plain false.  All of that is bullshit.  No guru, practice, time, or method is necessary.

Go Ahead.  Before googling your next guru, stop and do a simple check right now.  Point to the self, the thing that's credited with reading and digesting this message.  Was it here while reading the start of this post, or did it appear just now, after reading that last sentence?

Unless you're in love with seeking, don't dismiss the obvious.

photo credit:  Mugshotsocial on DeviantArt

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Bullshit Enlightenment (Just B.E.)


This is a trip, going nowhere, and without any markers. No one's navigating. There's no crew. The map's been burned, there's nowhere to dock, no terrain. Yesterday's midpoint might as well be today's starting line. Or near finish. Hard to tell, and it doesn't matter. It's not a race anyway and You can't win.

Forget getting your bearings. They don't work here. They don't work "there" either, which ends up being the same frigging difference. Where "you" are in seeing This is fine, until it isn't, and then the next seeing through may appear to happen. Or not. Of course, that's the state things appear to be in now, anyway.

photo credit:  JulianNulian on DeviantArt