And I Feel Fine....

 

 

I'll be honest and say that I'm not sure how Liberation Unleashed guides continue to conjure up the energy and momentum it takes to repeatedly analyze and counter concepts seeker use in weaving a sustained entity called a self.  If guiding is done well, the sessions become a tango during which guide has to be willing to stay at least two steps ahead of the seeker.  This little dance becomes an even bigger challenge when the seeker has brought along preconceived notions of what this seeing will look like.  When that happens, they will want to lead even while holding their baggage.  Conversely, when they believe it's all about following the guide in order to earn enlightenment, they will want to go limp so that they can be dragged around the floor even while holding their baggage.


Tip:  Seeing through the illusion can't look any different than it does now.  That there is no inherent you is already the case.


I've done this dance for a while and find that I've recently begun to slow down.  As a guide, I've taken a sort of sabbatical.  While I still work with a few individuals here and there, I feel that for some, interest in learning the steps has waned.  And since it's a dance, I often end up feeling as though I'm the only one left on the floor.  Oddly, I'm beginning to prefer to be left just standing there for a while.

Why?

The further you get into this, the more it becomes evident that working to convince anyone of an idea or concept is not the endgame.  There's just no real point in injecting new thoughts in an effort to replace old ones.  On the other hand, I'll say that if someone is willing to work hard and throw caution to the wind, this process can often turn out really well.  But in those cases there isn't a 'me' trying to convince a 'you' of some new idea. 

It's actually 'you' trying to wrestle with yourself. 

Now...


Here's the bad news, (although you might just enjoy hearing it):   If the inquiry is done right, you won't win.  Neither will I.  We end up just sort of walking away from each other after a handshake and some well wishes.  We'll likely never speak to each other again.  You might contact me again if you've scurried along, content in thinking that the self will never ever return, only to become disillusioned when you later find that that sense of self is still there.

Another tip:  The sense of self, or Conventional Self, is not a problem.  If it's bothersome, it's because you're still standing on 'the wrong side of the gateless gate'.

As for my being left standing on the floor, it's understandable.  There are lots of people who believe they want to see through this illusion as a means to relieve personal suffering, but what they haven't yet bargained for are the implications of it.  Because if there's no You, then what do you suppose that'll mean for your ideas about those you love?  What does it mean for every other self you assume is there and has always been there? 

Before engaging in this inquiry, consider those two questions first.  Are you ready for the world as you know it to disappear? 

Why?


(And if you're one of the folks still working with me, you'll know this post isn't meant for you.  With a willing partner, I do love the dance.)



photo credit:  Gosh, My World by ahmedwkhan on DeviantArt

Point of No Return

I have had a twitter account.  Or two. 

The strangest thing about the discovery that Delma is a character within a story is in trying to reconcile the pre-NotSelf online life with the post-NotSelf accounts.  Over the years, a few blogs and even online journals have been created out there, but now there's no desire to go back to those old web spaces. It's very clear that they were thought-based constructions through which "I" friended or followed lots of people in order to help sustain a certain identity.

And now, there's no returning.  

Once seen, this cannot be unseen, they say.  It's a Dharma Seal.

Seems about right.




photo credit:  Twitter by Light-Schizophrenia on DeviantArt