tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63141603214103774882024-02-18T21:06:23.809-05:00TabulaRasaRadical change through personal inquiryDelma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-77802317334236763382018-08-15T16:09:00.002-04:002019-04-01T11:25:42.604-04:00Is it Time for Another Mainstream No You Book?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Intro:</span></i><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">What would it mean to you to access
more peace in any situation? </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">What would it mean to you to end
disagreements with your spouse or friends? </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">What would it mean to you to put
that nasty coworker in her place? Or to handle negotiations with ease? </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">And what would it mean if you could
stop believing you need to fix your flaws before you can really start
living?</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">If I could give you one
single takeaway from this book, it would be this:</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">You don’t need to fix
anything because you are not who or what you think. There is no
psychological method to fix what's broken in you. There is no higher self to
become, no spiritual path to follow, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with
you right now, as you are.</span></i><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Instead, just take a look at
who you think you are and you'll discover that it's not at all what you've been
taught. Not only that, but you are right now and have always been free to be
whomever you wish and who you really want to be. You have the freedom to dream
up and be a new self any time you like. Want to change the patterns in
your life? There is absolutely nothing truly holding you back.</span></i><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Intuitively, you already know this.
I’m just here to remind you, and to show you that there's a door. And don't
worry, this book is here to hand you the key so you can unlock it for yourself.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Outro:</span></i><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">This
is the opening to a "Hey Look! There's No You!" book idea I've been
throwing around since 2011. Because I believe that even if you're not a seeker,
there are positive effects from understanding a basic truth about the self.
That's because it's the very foundation for human behavior and seeing it for
what it truly is, and experiencing that truth on a gut level. But even an
intellectual understanding can sometimes work wonders to draw attention to the
fact that reality is not as it seems. Once that bridge is crossed, (and some
would still call that a gateless gate rather than a bridge), options for experiencing
the world differently are endless.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">There's just
one little problem with my "dream".<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I've
tried to bring this to non-seekers, and most don't like the idea. Some think
it's a New Age idea (and it's been appropriated by New Agers), and others think
it's just some sort of method of escaping reality. And some believe they
understand it and so dismiss it, but have not realized the implications.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">How
ironic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The
very thing that exposes reality for what it is, is seen as a fantasy and
escape.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Of
course I'm not the first to try to write about this. A few great reads come to
mind <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ego-Tunnel-Science-Mind-Myth/dp/0465020690/ref=pd_sim_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0465020690&pd_rd_r=d0770d6b-a0c3-11e8-8ff8-8125ad5e991d&pd_rd_w=Se0cb&pd_rd_wg=dk9sg&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=a180fdfb-b54e-4904-85ba-d852197d6c09&pf_rd_r=VFG5DVSFE2RET1MDAC9H&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=VFG5DVSFE2RET1MDAC9H" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">The Ego Tunnel</span></a> by
Thomas Metzinger. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Self-Illusion-Social-Creates-Identity/dp/0199988781/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1534362108&sr=1-1&keywords=self+illusion" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">The Self Illusion</span></a> by
Bruce Hood. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Self-Comes-Mind-Constructing-Conscious/dp/030747495X/ref=pd_sim_14_5?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=030747495X&pd_rd_r=4a604f7a-a0c4-11e8-9d58-2bd2892833fa&pd_rd_w=ndYwe&pd_rd_wg=UzF9h&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=a180fdfb-b54e-4904-85ba-d852197d6c09&pf_rd_r=P26KPATS5FGGGANA4RSD&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=P26KPATS5FGGGANA4RSD" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Self Comes to Mind</span></a> by
Antonio DaMasio. They are all excellent books that take a scientific approach
and explain the concepts thoroughly and extremely well. Maybe too well in that
they allow the reader to repeatedly "think the concepts through" when
what's really helpful is to give them a tool to separate reality from thought,
and to then investigate the problem for themselves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The
discovery that there is no you isn't life-altering or paradigm-shifting until
it's experienced first hand! And then it's like dropping.. well... everything
you've carried. It's an unparalleled sense of freedom and equanimity. Sure, it
may come and go after the first taste, but if you've got the tool to continue
to investigate, the door is always just a step away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Sometimes
it hurts to see humans interact while blinded by their selves. And
pointing out that, "hey, there's another way to view this scenario"
is dismissed. Emotion and ego rules.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">
But I'll keep plugging away. Chapter 1 is just about complete. The book
most certainly won't be on the bestseller list. But it'll be there just in case
someone's looking for that particular message.</span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-23107322738418247342018-05-02T16:42:00.000-04:002018-05-02T16:47:19.242-04:00At The Drop of This Leaf<a href="http://amitsindhuclicks.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_0696.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://amitsindhuclicks.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_0696.jpg" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="800" height="210" width="320" /></a>Well hello there.<br />
<br />
It's been quite a few years, I guess. I've come back to this blog time and again but never really found much to talk about. It seems that whatever needed to be said has already been written.<br />
<br />
Until now.<br />
<br />
No longer involved in Liberation Unleashed, Truth Strike, Ruthless Truth, or even No-self.com, I can say that I miss those early days and feeling as though the biggest secret in the history of mankind had been discovered. When this was fresh and new, it was heady.<br />
<br />
It's still heady, but not quite in the same way. Now, it's about flashes of realizing the implications of that discovery, and also realizing that it's endless, sort of like taking a long walk on an infinite pier.<br />
<br />
It's also about navigating the world with this realization.<br />
<br />
It's about trying to explain what is now understood about human dynamics.<br />
<br />
It's about trying to not talk in Yoda riddles all the time.<br />
<br />
Sometimes it seems that there are only two paths left. One is to forget moving in the world of seekers and instead just assimilate back into the everyday. And the other is to stay within the small worlds of seekers because at least they know what you're talking about when this weird and contradictory stuff comes out of your mouth.<br />
<br />
I dunno.<br />
<br />
One way I tried to work it out was to start a Facebook group about life after realizing that it's not your life and yet there's freedom to imagine any old self at all. But that's absolutely contradictory if you think about it. And yet, here it is, happening. It's an awfully hard concept to work with because it doesn't fit any other paradigm that can be referenced. Not a one.<br />
<br />
Whew. What a non-place to find. <br />
<br />
Life is a free-float with imagined moorings. Sometimes I get a bit sad about that, especially when noticing emotional pain all around. The understanding that it's illusory was supposed to bring freedom, and it does. But it also brings so much compassion for the human condition that it can move my emotions to and fro. They whip around as though caught in gust of wind causing the final drop of a leaf.<br />
<br />
Wouldn't trade it for anything.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-24106275927571147912015-11-13T13:06:00.000-05:002015-11-13T15:09:08.456-05:00Red Pill vs. Blue Pill - Take Both<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Using the term spiritual enlightenment when talking about waking up to no separate self is very much like treading on thin ice. There's just too much opportunity to drop through the cracks of misleading people into thinking that they need to have a religious or spiritual background to see the true nature of reality. <br />
<br />
But this no self stuff? It's one of the most practical truths I've ever come across. As a matter of fact, the success of our inquiry sessions, whether at <a href="http://www.liberationunleashed.com/">www.liberationunleashed.com</a> or through email, can so often become derailed by ideas and concepts that this is a spiritual pursuit.<br />
<br />
Let me clarify.<br />
<br />
Inquiry has to be done as a factual exploration of the nature of reality. We need to peel back the layers of thought to expose our direct sensory experience and not an interpretation of it. This means that not only is it necessary to put spiritual teachings aside, but any teaching at all, including the early education your well-meaning parents have given you. Sometimes it's impossible to see that our view of how the puzzle pieces of the world fit together is created within the structure of language.<br />
<br />
You probably don't remember when your mom pointed to your nose and pronounced it, "<em>Your</em> nose", but that's the very kind of thinking we question when engaging in inquiry. Our examination goes back that far into your personal history because the separation between a <em>you inside</em> and <em>mom outside</em> started with those first instructions. But it gave you only half of the story. It also led you to believe that you are separate from the rest of the environment and is how and when you probably began to feel alone and insecure in a big and strange world. In effect, you swallowed the Blue Pill.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>So Just Take the Red Pill Too</strong><br />
<br />
Though the Matrix movie would have us believe otherwise, it's not necessary to choose. The truth is closer to the discovery that the experience of life is not one way or another. It's a combination of both. We can have our separation, and an understanding that there is only one thing happening, too. It's not spiritual, though. It's not about merging with everything or becoming oneness. It's very ordinary and evident if we know how to look. And how do we look? By taking our sensory experience at face value, then seeing what kinds of truths that view leads us to. We find that there's nothing in <em>here</em> that needs to merge with what's out <em>there</em> because life has always been a singular event, including the idea that there's an individual "you" <em>inside</em> the mind.<br />
<br />
<strong>Practical vs. Spiritual Inquiry</strong><br />
Where practical investigation gets mixed up with spiritual inquiry and talk about higher consciousness is in that finding the truth about reality does indeed reveal something very mysterious. The amazing mystery, however, is in the fact that <em>we completely miss the obvious</em>. We have trouble seeing what's directly experienced because we rely on those early teachings which were based in language structure that included nouns. Our intellect overrides our sensory input to the degree that we discard one for the other.<br />
<br />
We think in language structure. But if we just look, there are no nouns. Life is only ever a verb.<br />
<br />
For more, email me or visit <a href="http://www.liberationunleashed.com/" target="_blank">liberation unleashed</a>.Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-25516170008937595212015-10-06T22:00:00.001-04:002015-10-06T22:02:23.279-04:00Facebook "Spiritual" Groups: Training Ground for Factions at War?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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How many times have we fallen into facebook debates that quickly escalate into ego battles? The subject of discussion is never the actual issue, whether the talk is on spirituality, religion, or the right way to raise a child. When the exchanges get heated and nasty, we're left with a vague uneasiness and or even embarrassment at our reactions. Worse, our posts are immortalized for future onlookers to sit in judgement of our poor self control, lack of self esteem, or bullying behavior. <br />
<br />
A lot of times after engaging in these "talks" we end up exiting our browser in disgust, vowing to never EVER participate in the group again. <br />
<br />
Until next time. <br />
<br />
<br />
There's more than good reason why on and off the internet talks turn into debate, and debate into arguments or even physical altercations. It's the exact same dynamic at work as conflict escalates into war and collective reaction results in destruction so large that we appeal to the entire human race to never. ever. let it happen again.<br />
<br />
And then it happens again. <br />
<br />
<br />
Just take a good look at the symbol for this dynamic which has stood the test of both time and place. In it, is both war and peace. Your position for or against any given idea is there. So is mine. And so is our enemy's.<br />
<br />
In taking a meta view of conflict in general from trading insults to full out war, we can start small and use the social media example introduced above, because the dynamic is the same. It's just a matter of scale.<a href="http://www.tabularasablog.com/2014/11/spirituality-forums-fresh-take-from-lm.html" target="_blank"> Lucy Cargill has written a long and thoughtful post about the mess that are spiritual facebook groups</a>. And despite so many of us wanting to make them work, newly created groups eventually fall into one of two states:<br />
<br />
Explosive Endings<br />
Withering Death<br />
<br />
The factors in the cause of both is the same. When people see eye to eye on an issue, there's really nothing to talk about and the group discussion collapses in on itself. On the other hand, disagreement, when left unchecked, leads to an explosive crash and burn with members either leaving abruptly, and in worst cases, dissolution of the group. We're left with the death of another community and several splinter groups being formed by members who believe they are "like-minded".<br />
<br />
We're not like minded. Not for long. It's just a reprieve because opposing viewpoints are necessary for our continued interaction. There's no escaping it entirely.<br />
<br />
But there's another way to look at these exchanges. That's what I'm calling the "meta" view, and it's one in which we observe the patterns of behavior. When we do, we can see that while there are the appearance of individuals in conflict, it's actually happening on a grander scale<em> as the Whole, balancing itself.</em><br />
<br />
Have you ever read a conversation that leans too far into wholehearted agreement on a topic? You're guaranteed to see a voice of dissention appear, and the intensity of the objection will be in proportion to the person's perceived idea as to how much of a correction is necessary to bring the conversation into balance. If a third person joins in, they will likely come in with a position meant to tip the scales to whichever "side" requires it for balance. And If the original objector is alone in their opinion, they will likely voice their views in an exaggerated way, particularly if they feel that they're up against a prevailing headwind of opposing voices.<br />
<br />
Yes. It's always, and only about the balance.<br />
<br />
Notice when it's you who feels compelled to join in a thread. Is there a feeling of needing to "correct" someone's position, or do you feel the need to make the opposite opinion heard? This feeling of compulsion can sometimes seem to come from nowhere or even take you by surprise. Ask yourself where that voice comes from. Take a look at it to see how it came to be and which way it's meant to tip the scales.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://personaltao.com/teachings/questions/what-is-yin-yang/" target="_blank">For My Yin, You've Gotta Have a Yang</a>. <br />
<br />
Conversationally, we're always chasing each other. It's the reason this exchange is possible in the first place. Within each opposing point of view is enough truth to give conviction to its expression. But more than that, the seed of its converse is within it. And that converse is also both true and false. One feeds the other. If one side of any position feeds too much (gets heavy and tips), the balance is disrupted and the conversation ends. And when there is too much agreement, there is conversational starvation or inertia, and the dynamic dies.<br />
<br />
So the next time you find yourself in a facebook debate, take a step back and take in the view of the whole. Look for the seed of truth in each side, as well as the seed of what's false in each. The exchange is a fractal, a small demonstration of the balancing forces found in every exchange in the natural world. And our online interactions are no different... they are pushed and pulled by the very same forces shaping politics, religious conflicts, and all out world war.<br />
<br />
It starts so very small.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-46119178233824292802015-09-27T23:34:00.000-04:002015-09-28T12:44:59.804-04:00When You've Seen No Self then "Lost It"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br>
<br>
The sudden realization of no separate self isn't as elusive as some like to pretend it is. Teachings have spread like wildfire through the internet and people are waking up after just weeks rather than years of seeking. But the truth is that I've run into quite a few seekers who've quickly seen it then run back to the safety of selfing claiming that they haven't. It's a fairly natural response. After all, how many of us really want to be exposed as an elaborate work of fiction or nothing more than character in some fantastic story?<br>
<br>
Then there are those who clearly see that there is no central controller "inside" and the revelation brings a tremendous sense of openness, freedom, and a lightness of being. For the first time, they feel real joy. Unfortunately, the bliss of initial realization may wear off rather quickly, leaving the seeker with a sense that they've lost something precious.<br>
<br>
But that just can't ever be true.<br>
<br>
No matter how many times it's seen, <i>of course</i> the self comes back. There's no reason for it not to as it's as natural a part of life's function as the fact that it was seen to be false. As Liberation Unleashed co-founder Ilona Ciunate says in her <a href="http://markedeternal.blogspot.com/2015/09/sometimes-i-hear-this-i-think-i-havent.html" target="_blank">"I think I haven't seen it"</a> post, life doesn't stop. It was life that created the sense of self in the first place!<br>
<br>
That there isn't a You is a fact, not a state. It's a fact that can be looked at through all of "your" history. Examine it. Has the you ever been there? Is it here right now, ready to be pointed to? If not, rest assured that nothing has changed and that a separate self hasn't suddenly popped into existence. <br>
<br>
Do you feel a sense of self now? Where? Take a look to see whether it can be found in this moment, and if you need to do it again in the next moment, do so. <br>
<br>
Has it been located yet? No? Keep checking until you stop looking over your shoulder.<br>
<br>
<br>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">photo credit: <a href="http://www.deviantart.com/art/Light-and-Sound-71108500" target="_blank">Light and Sound by ahermin on deviantart</a></span></i>Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-28106247452863202292015-09-19T10:26:00.001-04:002015-09-27T22:50:59.546-04:00Rocking You Like a Cat 5 Hurricane<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
For those new to the idea that there may not be a central controller of the mind or body, to begin to understand this notion, you might want to take a look at a hurricane. Make it a really very powerful one.<br />
<br />
See that well-defined eye? <br />
<br />
It's made of an absence. Just like you. The hurricane itself continues to move and form but its core can't be found. The round shape and seeming existence is entirely dependent upon everything <em>else </em>that's swirling around it. The eye is quiet, calm, and welcome in any storm because NOTHING happens there. Nothing happens in what is usually thought of as a Self, either.<br />
<br />
Take a look.<br />
<br />
See all of the things and people that are supposedly moving and forming around you? Ok. Then turn 360 degrees.<br />
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Yep. "You" are the eye of a hurricane.<br />
<br />Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-26903134491764225332015-09-07T10:12:00.003-04:002015-09-27T22:51:56.475-04:00Enlightenment, The Robin Hood Spirit, and A Tale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There's just no way to not be heard as a radical voice when it comes to talking about enlightenment. There was nothing mainstream about what Jesus or Buddha had to say about the nature of reality and in their time they stirred up enough controversy to get themselves shunned, tortured, or killed. Since then, select groups of self appointed guardians have packaged, preserved, and placed select teachings high on shelves of churches and temples, outside the reach of many. That act effectively transferred the value from what was being pointed to, to what was pointing. <em>Since then</em>, newer radical voices have dusted the cobwebs from the teachings and found ways to communicate the pointers, making realization available to many during their lifetimes. <br />
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<h4>
Oh, but they didn't have Oprah and DSL.</h4>
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Within the past few years I've watched as new internet voices have joined in on a chorus to pull the teachings from their lofty perches, dust them off, then repackaged them in pragmatic wrappings meant for a hungry new line of guru-weary seekers. <a href="https://www.eckharttolle.com/" target="_blank">Eckhart Tolle</a> kicked off the mainstream discussion. <a href="http://www.samharris.org/podcast" target="_blank">Sam Harris</a> has thrown his spin on it. But what's more interesting is the groundswell of everyday people who've added their experiences and pointers to the pool of information now freely available to anyone with a computer and connection.<br />
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This blog has been an attempt to add to those voices. There are lots of folks who've taken offense to this movement, calling it disrespectful and not a TRUE awakening. But they're the very folks who should know better. What's their mantra? Everything changes. And yes, the secrecy and mystery surrounding waking up is also changing. <br />
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When it comes to thought, change is exponentially accelerated by the internet.</h4>
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That my family and friends kind of look at me funny when I mention these ideas surrounding self, time, space, and reality has stopped giving me pause. The truth of the findings have held, and there's no denying the obvious. You've heard the line...Once seen, this cannot be unseen. There's no turning back and I don't think I'd ever want to. Instead, I will press forward.<br />
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Today, I sat in a Barnes and Noble, reading books on blogging and growing an audience. My intention in growing a blog following is one initiated alongside friends on and old forum... to make direct and pragmatic pointers into the nature of the self available to everyone, everywhere, free of charge.<br />
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That original 2011 intention remains.</h4>
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The reason making this promise was bound up in the collective and then radical act of grabbing straight for the treasure of core realizations first, then freely distributing wealth. The many posts on this blog and others listed in the right hand column of this page, have constituted just some of the everyday voices currently caught the act of trying to communicate what's been hidden, even though it's in plain sight. <br />
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And then we have my own take on the repackaging. It's just part of the direction I want to move in, and this blog's future direction is something I've been mulling over for quite a while. The next questions too explore is what does this realization actually MEAN? Because the implications are really extraordinary.<br />
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It's becoming clearer. </h4>
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In the end, this blog's purpose and direction isn't about pointers on the self. Though that's the core of all "mystical" teachings, it's not enough unless thoroughly explored in the context of seeming to live in the world. Friends and loved ones still get sick. Babies are born. Change comes. Life doesn't magically begin bending to your will, simply because there isn't a you for it to bend to. Ultimately, even when getting to the heart of enlightenment, the show does go on. There' a return to the world. After all, there isn't anything that lives outside of it<br />
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And there was never anyone here to leave it. <br />
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I'm excited to explore ways to integrate and grow <em>Tabula Rasa</em> and <a href="http://seeingnoself.com/" target="_blank"><em>Lill Inpsiration</em></a>. I hope they will become a fuller, richer communication not just about pointers on the core teachings of enlightenment. There's more to explore when it comes to pointing to "the rest of the story" and how this new seeing affects the amazingly juicy experiences that make up this ALWAYS wide open world. <br />
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delma (thassa)<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>photo credit: </em></span><a data-ga_click_event="{"category":"Deviation","action":"description_title","nofollow":0}" href="http://cenkduzyol.deviantart.com/art/Monk-vol-1-48484269"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Monk vol.1</em></span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em> <small><span class="by">by</span> <span class="username-with-symbol u"><a class="u regular username" data-ga_click_event="{"category":"Deviation","action":"description_author","nofollow":0}" href="http://cenkduzyol.deviantart.com/">CenkDuzyol</a></span></small></em></span><br />
<br />Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-85410777976887688892015-08-23T19:51:00.003-04:002015-09-27T22:52:44.807-04:00What to Do When Earnestness meets Desperation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's at some point in your search that you'll discover the difference between earnestness and desperation. The distinction between these two approaches can easily get lost when a seeker is in the midst of dogged inquiry. It's a difference worth fully grasping, though, and here's why.<br />
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When you're earnest, you'll look at everything a guide asks you to examine because you fully trust that they've been down the same path with others who've come before. You'll find yourself working with any pointer given, and from every angle imaginable. You'll focus on finding the gem that it might possibly reveal, no matter how simple and inconsequential. At this stage of the game you understand that any small crack in the façade could expose the entire secret.<br />
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When you're desperate, you're a drowning victim awash in spiritual concepts. In a hurry to hold onto insight, you grasp harder and faster at the surface of the water <em>even when you realize that it continues to slip through your hands.</em> I've even seen drowning seekers attack the guide out of an overwhelming sense of frustration, even as they recognize that the guide is there to show the way. Why does this happen? It stems from a basic lack of trust in the process, in the guide, or in yourself. Looking for a belief to cling to, none is found. The shore seems farther away than ever. Panic begins.<br />
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Don't grasp at the water. Instead, stop. Grasp at the pointer itself and be earnest in using just one pointer at a time. <em>Keep true to that pointer.</em><br />
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"Look" is a perfect pointer. <br />
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Do it now. Look.<br />
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Point to the things seen. Point to the thing seeing it. Then do that again.<br />
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Scour the list for what is found and what is suspiciously but utterly absent. Then <u>trust</u> that the answer is as ridiculously simple as it first seems.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>photo credit: </em></span><a data-ga_click_event="{"category":"Deviation","action":"description_title","nofollow":0}" href="http://katelizabeth23.deviantart.com/art/treading-on-glass-117452681"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>treading on glass</em></span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em> <small><span class="by">by</span> <span class="username-with-symbol u"><a class="u regular username" data-ga_click_event="{"category":"Deviation","action":"description_author","nofollow":0}" href="http://katelizabeth23.deviantart.com/">katelizabeth23</a></span></small></em></span><br />
<br />Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-9452718192718128432015-05-07T17:43:00.002-04:002015-09-27T22:53:10.431-04:00One Simple Question to Wake Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is from an email exchange with a seeker. Note that Answers can only ever be met by more Inquiry....<br />
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<strong> Inquiry</strong>: Pull this sentence apart: <em>"I am"</em><br />
What is the "I" in that sentence. Don't think about it. Point to it right now. Then stop. Point to it again. Then stop. Point to it again. Then stop.<br />
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<strong>Seeker: </strong>"I" is this body sitting here. The head, the body, the arms, the legs, the eyes... That's "I".<br />
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<strong>Inquiry: </strong>If that sentence is true, why do you say, "my body"? What is the My in My Body? Point to it.Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-87131582405484589582015-04-30T08:49:00.000-04:002015-09-27T22:54:20.705-04:005 Lessons from the Road to No Self<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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And they said the path was pathless? Here are those I'd consider the top five of the thousands of self (less) lessons learned from this three year "trip". <br />
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<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Number 1. Yes, Virginia, there is no self.</strong><br />
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There. I said it. Lots of folks have the idea that it's wrong to say "There's no you!", but I disagree. It's not wrong. It's exactly right, depending. I've noticed that it's always people who have already seen through the separate self who tend to denounce that phrase. I'd ask them to just remember, there are those who have not traversed the same path and may need to read or hear something which shakes up the paradigm. Remember the Bahiya Sutta? It's brilliant. Why? It's the same as saying, "There's No You!". Just read it:<br />
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<em>There is thinking, no thinker</em><br />
<em>There is hearing, no hearer</em><br />
<em>There is seeing, no seer<br /><br />In thinking, just thoughts</em><br />
<em>In hearing, just sounds</em><br />
<em>In seeing, just forms, shapes and colors.</em><br />
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Paradigm-shaking? It's what opened my eyes to a new way of seeing. Had it not been framed in such a startling way, I may have missed... well... Everything.<br />
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<strong>Number 2. But also, Virginia, there IS a self</strong><br />
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It's just that it's not what I was taught. The self is literally what "I" think it is, but that's all that it is. It has or owns no history, no future. It can't. Impossible. But thoughts make it seem so, moment by moment. The sense of a me feels like a me and will continue to feel like a me. But it's just feeling without a me feeling.<br />
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Buses and trains will still hurt. So do my toes when hitting up against coffee tables.<br />
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<strong>Number 3. If you're trying to make the self disappear, it won't.</strong><br />
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Looking for a state of persistent No Self (complete with capital letters) isn't going to work because it's the very <em>supposed self</em> that's looking for it. Moments of nondual seeing come through grace. Yes, grace may be preceded by practice or inquiry, but just when there's no me looking... BAM. And, well, that's the only way this can happen, isn't it. Grace.<br />
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<strong>Number 4. Big Self is not the same as No(t) self</strong><br />
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The reason why looking for the core self and <em>clearly seeing that it is not found</em> is important is because the sense of self is an unimaginably persistent thought. It colors everything, including awakening. So you can bet that it's really easy to jump right into Big Self because it just feels so good. It's heady. But what about that small self? It's a good idea to see whether it's been seen through completely, or just merged into a Big Self. How will I know the difference? Well, if I feel big, wide, or enlarged somehow... it's still a me feeling it. If there is just everything.... limitless everything without a me in the mental picture, then we're really onto something.<br />
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<strong>Number 5. There is just one Enlightenment SuperPower</strong><br />
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Once seeing the ego's bag of tricks, the only superpower I found is that I can understand human emotions and dynamics in ways I'd never dreamed. Without a separate me, it's much easier to see the trajectory of human interactions on scales both large and small. The same dynamic happening on facebook posts is the one that goes to war. Both could be diffused if everyone saw this.<br />
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Seeing and anticipating the trajectory means that sometimes I can appear to be wise. Don't be fooled. It's not wisdom, it's just understanding.<br />
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I can see how anger is pain, how arrogance is pain, how judging others is pain, and how terrorism is pain. I see what it is that is in pain, and how the only response left after seeing through all of this, is compassion. It doesn't even have to be cultivated because it's a natural result. Compassion has the effect of diffusing wars big and small, conflict, envy, jealousy, ill will, and a host of negative emotions. And that, for all intents and purposes, is one hell of a superpower. Too bad there's really no one to have or own it.<br />
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<br />Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-60320124345525174992015-04-03T11:52:00.002-04:002015-04-04T08:23:46.491-04:00All I Needed Was a Lill Inspiration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm actually pretty tired of being direct and pointy all the time. <br>
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While this blog is full of advice on how you should go about your inquiry, I'd begun to think that maybe the best way to do this was to walk the walk in order to DEMONSTRATE what I've been going on about here in these posts. Because after a few years of guiding, I noticed that it was still a real challenge to communicate exactly what inquiry should <em><u>look like</u></em>. <br><br>The answer to this million dollar question was often left unresolved and lots of folks remained frustrated. <div><br></div><div>It's the question I continue to get on a regular basis...<br>
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<h3>
<em>"What do you mean by JUST LOOK?!" </em></h3>
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And just when I'd begun to wonder whether I'd ever really be able to answer this in a blog, along comes <a href="http://ingridlill.de/" target="_blank">Ingrid Lill</a> with a wonderful series of inspirational nondual doodles. You can find them all on her facebook page, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/#!/ingen.findes?fref=ts" target="_blank">Ingen Findes</a> but I've got to warn you, <em>they're deceptively powerful little pointers delivered in a new and fresh medium</em>. Why I love this new doodle idea is because like a lot of people who have done "looking" for a while, it seems that reading books can really help structure linear inquiry. But for those of us who are visually oriented, pictures are where the juice is. <br>
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Truthfully, I don't know a lot of people who don't respond to visuals, and so Ingrid's doodles hit home in ways words just can't. As soon as I saw them, I wanted to play with the ideas. Soon, I realized that unlike reading articles or books, they were perfect for more focused inquiry as I was free to move into them as deeply as I wanted to without being distracted by the next sentence or paragraph. And they were fun!<br>
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<em>Along comes an idea!</em></h3>
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The idea went like this: Why don't I just collaborate with Ingrid? I could write out the inquiries inspired by each doodle and post them in a new blog. At the end of the post I could add some pointers or questions they've also inspired. In that way, the blog reader can play along by using the visuals, reading the text, or just plain doing their own thing with either the structured stuff I'd place at the end, or do it freestyle as inpired by Lill.<br>
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Seemed rather like a good idea to me. So yeah. Hope you enjoy the new blog.<br>
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You'll find it here. It's a joint venture called, <a href="http://seeingnoself.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">With a Lill Inspiration</a>.<br>
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Fitting, no?<br>
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Now Go Forth and Look!<br><br><br><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">photo credit: </span></em><a href="http://www.deviantart.com/browse/all/photography/?order=9&q=pointy#/art/Pointy-End-Up-35314228?_sid=388413be" target="_blank"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dark Lil Angel on DeviantArt</span></em></a><br>
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<br></div>Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-23120101705141659142015-03-01T11:48:00.000-05:002015-03-01T11:48:23.613-05:00Doubt Nothing About Your Awakening<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A question on my last post has led to this one. Specifically, the comment asked whether I was questioning my own awakening. In reading again, I could see the confusion. Apparently, I hadn't been clear in communicating that it was someone else's awakening I'd been in some doubt over.<br /><br />The comment misses the same point I did, however, and I wondered <i><b>why</b></i> this individual wanted to understand whether I had begun to question my own experience. Was it possible that they were in the midst of their own lapse in confidence and wanted to compare notes? Could it be that they only wanted to read a blog written by someone they believed to have "fully awakened" and if I didn't fit that model, they'd need to move on? This is not an uncommon belief or desire. No one wants to be led astray by some half-baked and self important writer full of her own opinions and theories.<br /><br />But is it necessary to only read or talk with someone you believe to be "the real deal"... a fully awakened teacher? Do you need to wait until you've found a place of no doubt whatsoever?<br />
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No.<br />
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The first reason is because there's no way to tell what "fully awakened" actually looks like because we're all operating, as soon as we take any action, from the perspective of a self. There may be degrees of our operating from ego, but no matter what the degree, it's an act, a character. And awakening also looks like operating from a character. <br />
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The second reason is that awakening also looks like doubt. There's no one way it appears because it is everything. Nothing is separate or apart, and so fear, doubt, ego... it's all the same. Doubt is free to be there and doesn't mean that any previous experience or insight should be dismissed or diminished.<br />
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This is really good news. It means that anyone, anywhere, and at any time, is free to be your teacher, but they can only do it <i>through, or along with,</i> you. When reading, listening, or watching any pointer, just look for the resonance in the moment. There's no need to find someone to model, admire, or follow, because the world itself is a teacher but there is no teaching until you allow it to be so. The ultimate judge doesn't lie outside of you.<br /><br />
In other words, it's All teaching, All the time. You're teaching yourself.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>photo credit: <a href="http://www.deviantart.com/art/The-world-in-her-hand-60791133" target="_blank">The World in Her Hand by Incredi on DeviantArt</a></i></span>Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-40955016986191416792015-02-27T15:11:00.001-05:002015-02-27T15:13:19.333-05:00How to do better than Just FineA brave client recently came to the LiberationUnleashed.com forum. This individual introduced himself by writing that he'd already seen through the illusion of self , then very carefully described the process of how it happened as well as the ways in which his day to day perspective had changed since this significant shift had occurred.<br />
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What I immediately noticed was that he did not describe his experiences using the same language or well-worn phrases I would have, and yet what he wrote resonated very strongly. The words he used surrounding this description of waking up was so different from my own, though, that I found myself waffling back and forth between resonance and doubt, and sometimes wondering whether his experience was the "IT" everyone talked so much about.<br />
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Thankfully, I caught that mistake.<br />
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What's important.. no... What's KEY is to trust your own awakening and no one else's. If what has happened "to you" brings an undeniable peace and new understanding of life, or allows for a more holistic view of the world, stop doubting it, at least for a while. Is there further to go? Maybe. But then again, fully and enthusiastically entertain the possibility that there is not. The difference between your awakening and everyone else's... including that teacher you marvel at... may just be a matter of language.<br />
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Seriously.<br />
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Stop doubting. Stop looking and comparing.<br />
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Just stop.<br />
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You are more than just fine. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkaVafNNnK1s713pWxAwS53UWqju_TLtwErdosYNjGrYW-mXfSrL4g6WV_UaXkV-qfakpAzJ8JuxSxqY2tu0S1R-quc7p0Ys8gBc6hpaMfDHdTdO395wAkgo-LkU6pXjte-cywFhLttN_/s1600/doubt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkaVafNNnK1s713pWxAwS53UWqju_TLtwErdosYNjGrYW-mXfSrL4g6WV_UaXkV-qfakpAzJ8JuxSxqY2tu0S1R-quc7p0Ys8gBc6hpaMfDHdTdO395wAkgo-LkU6pXjte-cywFhLttN_/s1600/doubt.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>photo credit: </em></span><a href="http://www.deviantart.com/browse/all/photography/?order=9&q=doubt#/art/A-Handful-Of-Doubts-196407076?_sid=6631e118" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>A Handful of Doubts by oo-Rein-oo on deviantart</em></span></a>Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-51557397849075872582014-12-30T09:09:00.001-05:002014-12-30T09:16:28.943-05:00The Key to the Got It/Lost It Problem....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxgJUxHvUvBB869MrKmEt3MHXjh86_Lc2codpBtkFlZsnD1-Rq2hqauMhqiyissDIEQ9vycTXPWegJcjR_4j1ukRvcEdSwyfvwCNK79i3qy5Xbst7iBKbzi8L8aZv48aUpZK6dESKH7Mm/s1600/lost_and_cold_by_faintsmile28-d39vnb9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxgJUxHvUvBB869MrKmEt3MHXjh86_Lc2codpBtkFlZsnD1-Rq2hqauMhqiyissDIEQ9vycTXPWegJcjR_4j1ukRvcEdSwyfvwCNK79i3qy5Xbst7iBKbzi8L8aZv48aUpZK6dESKH7Mm/s1600/lost_and_cold_by_faintsmile28-d39vnb9.jpg" height="320" width="306" /></a></div>
<span data-reactid=".jx.1:3:1:$comment757460261013083_757496477676128:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><br /></span>
<span data-reactid=".jx.1:3:1:$comment757460261013083_757496477676128:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><br /></span>
<span data-reactid=".jx.1:3:1:$comment757460261013083_757496477676128:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><br /></span>
<span data-reactid=".jx.1:3:1:$comment757460261013083_757496477676128:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;">On the "got it/lost it" phenomenon, something I'd written in response to a comment on the subject:</span><br />
<span data-reactid=".jx.1:3:1:$comment757460261013083_757496477676128:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><br /></span><span data-reactid=".jx.1:3:1:$comment757460261013083_757496477676128:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><i>This is common but what I've found is that it signals that a step back needs to be taken. There is often an assumption going on which says that there is a you who doesn't have a you, but who now still feels all of the anxiety and suffering.</i></span><br />
<i><br data-reactid=".jx.1:3:1:$comment757460261013083_757496477676128:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$3:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;" /></i><i><span data-reactid=".jx.1:3:1:$comment757460261013083_757496477676128:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$4:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;">But the separate self is utterly absent except within thought. If you take a moment to inquire into that, you will see that there is no self who is experiencing anxiety, and no self who experiences no self. Can thought experience thought? Can thought experience anything? </span></i><i><br data-reactid=".jx.1:3:1:$comment757460261013083_757496477676128:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$7:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;" /></i><i><span data-reactid=".jx.1:3:1:$comment757460261013083_757496477676128:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$8:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;">The sense of self is projected, but onto what?</span></i><i><span data-reactid=".jx.1:3:1:$comment757460261013083_757496477676128:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$10:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;">Does the ego actually have power to do anything?</span></i><br />
<i><br data-reactid=".jx.1:3:1:$comment757460261013083_757496477676128:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$13:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;" /></i><i><span data-reactid=".jx.1:3:1:$comment757460261013083_757496477676128:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$14:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;">Examining these questions is what I call "stepping back". No one steps back, but it's seen that these things, too, happen to no separate individual. They are then free to happen, just as they are. </span></i><br />
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<i><br data-reactid=".jx.1:3:1:$comment757460261013083_757496477676128:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$17:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;" /></i><span data-reactid=".jx.1:3:1:$comment757460261013083_757496477676128:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$18:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;">Just some opinions. Hope that comment is useful in some way.</span><br />
<span data-reactid=".jx.1:3:1:$comment757460261013083_757496477676128:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$18:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><br /></span>
<span data-reactid=".jx.1:3:1:$comment757460261013083_757496477676128:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$18:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><br /></span>
<span data-reactid=".jx.1:3:1:$comment757460261013083_757496477676128:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$18:0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><i>photo credit: <a href="http://www.deviantart.com/art/Lost-And-Cold-197991621" target="_blank">Lost_and_cold_by faintsmile28 on deviantart</a></i></span>Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-57145000205709630192014-11-09T15:36:00.001-05:002014-11-09T20:01:39.992-05:00Spirituality Forums: A fresh take from LM Cargill...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Bj0jHzUZo3rcSq-QUsKW39zEg7Auy0B3O6bIq3hB_VXKSX2Gxy6rj5mRMczl-zalj6jJUByeQjKrH1LYclpSC8VsxFuobffX5pUMBya-90Hc77gXNWI30POmXVRoq-pKE9n5wtEyLdzc/s1600/colour_me_hot_by_bigheaddude2000-d47b8n2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Bj0jHzUZo3rcSq-QUsKW39zEg7Auy0B3O6bIq3hB_VXKSX2Gxy6rj5mRMczl-zalj6jJUByeQjKrH1LYclpSC8VsxFuobffX5pUMBya-90Hc77gXNWI30POmXVRoq-pKE9n5wtEyLdzc/s1600/colour_me_hot_by_bigheaddude2000-d47b8n2.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">If you've signed up for any of the numerous FB groups on spirituality, you've probably noticed the endless bickering. I was just about to dump FB and clear away when I heard from an old friend.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">We talked briefly about the state of communities, and he proposed to write a piece on it. There's been something missing in the spiritual community, and maybe we need to address it.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Without further ado, here's Cargill. .............</span></i><br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Facebook is a Hot Mess of Spirituality</span></h3>
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">I'm sick of Facebook. I'm sick of forums.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">And I bet you are too.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">If you've been in Spiritual Facebook land at all, you'll know that there are a ton of groups devoted to no-self, advaita, nonduality, enlightenment, awakening, etc. etc. etc.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">You'll typically find two types of conversations.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;"><i>a) insert quotation or spiritual belief -> everyone agrees and says it's beautifully said</i></span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">or</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">b) "I disagree with" insert quotation or spiritual belief -> everyone takes a position and starts throwing arguments</span></i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">But either way, neither of these conversation threads are helpful. It's about agreement, or disagreement, but it's not a <b>mutual pursuit of truth or betterment</b>. You're not looking to better yourself, they're not looking to better themselves, it turns into a flamewar.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">And regardless of whether or not you've seen no self, egos get flared up.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">These conversations are not conducive to anyone. They're a distraction from real searching. And if you haven't crossed the gate, they're not doing you any good.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">The other option, is where things just get monotonous and robotic. It becomes procedural. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Which ends up looking something like this:</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">a: I'd like a guide to see no self</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">b: I'll help you see it. here are some questions.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">a: I believe the self is __x__</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">b: it's not because __y__. look.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">(repeat as long as necessary)</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">a: I get it now! Thanks!</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">b: Congratulations. Will you stick around to help show it to others?</span></i><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">It's transactional. You're unliberated, you get liberated, and then you're supposed to help liberate others.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">The problem runs deep, and it's structural. This sort essay examines how we can make these groups better.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">##Why try to fix this steaming hot mess?</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">It's all in the game, right? Everything's perfect as it is, so just leave it alone.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Not quite.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Because you know, there are people that want to be liberated, folks that are genuinely trudging along in their quest for awakening. And they want help, and need help.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Is this the best we can do for them?</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">People want enlightenment. They just don't know how to ask for it and how to get it. It's our job to make it as easy as possible.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Put yourself in their shoes. Try to remember from before you woke up, and how hard you searched.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Imagine running into facebook groups or forums where it's all about which belief system you subscribe to, or which guru you study under. Where the conversation always devolves to petty bickering, conflicting ideas, or pulpit soapboxing. Where the mods are supposed to be awake, but they're the ones most full of ego.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Imagine that being the impression you get of awakening.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">You'll either join in, and continue to perpetrate the error, or you'll run away screaming.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">"Fuck those advaita people, they're assholes. The mystical ki power/ energy healing people are much nicer. They teach that everything is love, and practice compassion, kindness, etc. etc."</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">And they'll have every right to ignore you based on how you act.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">As someone interested in genuinely helping others wake up, it's your responsibility to communicate in a way that is receivable by the other person. It's their responsibility to look, but it's your job to make it as easy as possible.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">That's why this is important.</span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;"><br /></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">How can we fix the community?</span></h3>
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">The most common approach to fixing the issue, is to set up rules.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Often times, you'll see rules like:</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<ul>
<li><i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">no using abusive language</span></i></li>
<li><i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">no comments that are constantly disruptive or off topic</span></i></li>
<li><i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">no spam</span></i></li>
<li><i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">no trolling</span></i></li>
<li><i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">no advertising or selling</span></i></li>
</ul>
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">And these do work to prevent the most common abuses. These are good ground rules. I think everyone community should at the very least, have these rules.</span><br />
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<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Rules don't address the root cause</span></h3>
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Rules act as a sliding scale.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">The less rules you have, the more freedom a community has. But this invites folks who abuse "free speech" and turn the place into a pulpit, bullies, and egos that just want validation for their beliefs And you also get a lot of weird, erroneous thinking, that if left unchecked, WILL take over the group. You'll have a bunch of myths and errors being spread as if they were true.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">On the other end of the spectrum, more rules and more moderation makes a place feel dead and empty. It becomes a nepotistic circle jerk where the only ones allowed into the club are those that conform, everyone else is banned. You're all just confirming each other's beliefs and status.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">And ultimately it gives a small, elite, moderatorship all of the power. A community ends up becoming a dictatorship.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">What was once a community of people who are brought together by a common cause, is now loosely held together by rules and common belief. It's not fun to stay there anymore.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">And so guess what? We fractionate ourselves more and more. We break off into new groups, with a slightly modified rule set. And we just keep forming more and more groups that are essentially, cliques.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Like we're back in high school.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Why does it end up like that? Why do they feel like there's a lack of purpose.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">The root cause is that the TYPE of communities that have sprung up, are broken. The problem is inherent in how we structure and set them up.</span><br />
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<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Communitiy of Interest</span></h3>
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">They don't work, because they're communities of interest. A CoI is a group defined by a few characteristics.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Namely, they are:</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">* A group of people interested in sharing information and discussing a particular topic that interests them.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">* Members are not necessarily experts or practitioners.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">* The purpose of the CoI is to provide a place where people who share a common interest can go and **exchange information**, **ask questions**, and **express their opinions** about the topic.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">* Membership in a CoI is **not dependent upon expertise** - one only needs to be interested in the subject.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">It's a flat heirarchy, which allows information to spread widely. But because information is disseminated, it's tough to wade through what's good information, and what's bad information. And because the two are difficult to distinguish, we humans skip to using the next best heuristic: which argument is most convincing.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Instead of being helpful hubs of information, our communities devolve into debates and arguments, where one group or another is attacked or belittled. And so it turns into a popularity contest. Eventually, Communities of Interest dissolve into a ton of little cliques and niches.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Which is what we see in spirituality.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Surely there's a better model.</span><br />
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<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Form Communities of PRACTICE</b></div>
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">A new type of community has a tough job to do. There are four key areas that it can improve on.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">We can improve the onboarding of new members. Not only should it be a welcoming environment, it needs to be an easier learning curve.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">We also need to be able to respond to new questions, new types of needs as they come up and as the group evolves. A static community is a dying community. Can we address new questions after someone sees through the illusion of self? We need to be able to do that, or we'll lose members on the back end.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Every single liberator knows the feeling of "I'm saying the same exact thing over and over again." Look. There's no you. Look. It gets FRUSTRATING. And why wouldn't it? You can only repeat yourself so many times. We need to eliminate that.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">A better community will be an innovative community. You can only talk about "There's No You" so many times before you're a one trick pony. It's the core of enlightenment, yes. But enlightenment doesn't exist in a vaccuum. Let's use it to address other problems and issues in this world. It's the most powerful insight we have for dealing with cultural narcissism, for example. Let's wield it to create small, meaningful changes. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">In short, a new community needs to:</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Decrease the learning curve of new members</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Responds more rapidly to needs and inquiries</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Reduces rework and preventing "reinvention of the wheel"</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Spawns new ideas</span></li>
</ul>
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">It allows us to teach faster, respond more quickly to evolving demands, reduces rehashing ourselves, and allows us to evolve new ideas. It's dynamic. It's free-flowing. In other words, it's a living, thriving community.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">That's what a community of practice does.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">A CoP is a group of people who are active practitioners.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">CoP participation is not appropriate for non-practitioners.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">The purpose of a CoP is to provide a way for practitioners to share tips and best practices, ask questions of their colleagues, and provide support for each other.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Membership is dependent on expertise - one should have at least some recent experience performing in the role.</span></li>
</ul>
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Seekers of all kinds, be it spiritual enlightenment or truth, would benefit from this type of community. Let's make one.</span><br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">If you wanted to learn how to take photographs...</span></h3>
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">And you joined an online community, and you ask "What's the best camera to buy?", you'll quickly be directed towards the <b>search</b> function. It's a common question, and it's been answered again and again and again. And that answer is, "Depends on your situation and what you need."</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">And if you picked a camera, and you start to take photos with it, you'd have more substantial questions like, "What does ISO, aperture, and shutter speed?" And there would be links to a comprehensive blog post or wiki entry that has a complete answer for you.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">As you gain more and more experience and take more and more photos, you'd be able to ask more detailed, in depth questions. "How do I recreate a photo with this style? How do I take a photo with this effect?" And you'd get recommendations based on your equipment and what equipment you'll need, etc. etc.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Detailed answers for detailed questions. A community based on practice and experience. Practical answers, demanded by practical questions.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Instead of being a community to share opinions and ideas, it's a community to share expertise, tips, and best practices.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">That's the kind of community we want to emulate.</span><br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">A Community of Practicing Awakening</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">The spiritual community is a hot mess. Every thread devolves into debates and arguments, where posts or people are attacked. It's all posturing and pontification. And that's because it's a community of interest.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">We need rules, but rules are not the answer to this structural problem. We have to build communities of practice. If we want better communities, we have to nurture our communities with practice and experience, instead of argumentation over conflicting ideologies.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">A community of practice is built by practicioners, in order to share tips, tricks, and best practices, ask questions from colleagues, and provide support for each other. We can do that with our spiritual community.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">~~~~~~~~~~~~</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">What do you think? If you like this post, reply and tell us how you think we can make the community better! We want to hear from you.</span><br />
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<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" />
<i><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">You can follow <a href="http://l.facebook.com/l/uAQEkRYgeAQF7CffpSvGUxDoCenhEL8D9_oe28FLbNA3gyQ/theresnoyou.com" target="_blank">Cargill on facebook</a></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;"> , where you can find out more about his upcoming step-by-step guide on awakening.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;"> </span></i><br />
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<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">photo credit: <a href="http://www.deviantart.com/art/colour-me-hot-254146430" target="_blank">colour me hot by bigheaddude2000</a> on deviantart</span></i>Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-25141770594228585162014-11-05T14:59:00.000-05:002014-11-05T15:03:22.276-05:00Look! An Illustrated GuideHere you have it. The latest book from the folks at Liberation Unleashed....An illustrated guide on how to look. <br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Look-Illustrated-Guide-Seeing-What/dp/1612428681/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415217250&sr=8-1&keywords=look+liberation+unleashed" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrUPQNA9Iy8z8xGCXZvyxEAVYCKuXtLif9aSSt5cZzEIXaWPxoofR3b9H4lHbKYYOEr9U2ZW_NHcMpZ1FwAzEduyJKpzbCAOkXtZw9e63o_QS5yEOR9L7knyA0AA0socILO1fV4gHZid4u/s1600/download.jpg" height="400" width="257" /></a></div>
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<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Look-Illustrated-Guide-Seeing-What/dp/1612428681/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415217250&sr=8-1&keywords=look+liberation+unleashed" target="_blank">LOOK!</a> is available from Amazon.<br />
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From the description:<br />
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<i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">"LooK!-An illustrated guide to seeing what IS" takes us on a journey of discovery, points to the so-called 'gateless gate' and shows us how we might investigate the difference between what is real and what is imaginary. This self-exploration can lead us to question our most deeply-rooted beliefs and assumptions until we see for ourselves that life is an indivisible whole, and that separateness, including the "I", is nothing but an assumption created by thought. Liberation Unleashed is a global internet-based community of volunteer guides who strive to transmit the message that separation is only a thought, that there is no entity behind the word "I", and all one needs to do is to look."</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><br /></span></i>Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-27390506443035972202014-09-12T09:41:00.002-04:002014-09-12T09:41:50.371-04:00Why You Should Believe What You Don't SeeImagine you're sitting in a room, 10x10. It's a perfect box shape. The ceiling is of unremarkable height, the walls a smooth texture. Paint the room any color you wish, but sticking with gray or even white might be best as it's less distracting.<br />
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Sit in the middle and set the angle of your gaze straight ahead.<br />
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Now, Look.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxL34pXv3NWskR1WneKne_Wb84LeOyts-mEIX5MYKZcj3stWREWZRab9P3kONB_5R0Xi4dEmVRoHph_aw2V4w04wSGOXKAXqhw0jtc6qG57c5YOYU-pDIlgh0hxzkZgDGnWWrH5PyHcfQ/s1600/08-the-white-room-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxL34pXv3NWskR1WneKne_Wb84LeOyts-mEIX5MYKZcj3stWREWZRab9P3kONB_5R0Xi4dEmVRoHph_aw2V4w04wSGOXKAXqhw0jtc6qG57c5YOYU-pDIlgh0hxzkZgDGnWWrH5PyHcfQ/s1600/08-the-white-room-8.jpg" height="195" width="320" /></a></div>
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Done?</div>
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</div>
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Believe what you (don't) see.</div>
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It's that second step that's the toughest. That's because it goes against everything ever learned and everything you'll read or hear today. For just a moment, it will become clearly evident that there is nothing between the body and the wall. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. <br />
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Empty.<br />
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That's it. All of the evidence of the truth of reality is right there and has been there all along. It's rock solid and will never change. You can bet your life on it. <br /><br />If you can remember just one instance where a separate self was witnessed, you can toss out everything I've just said and walk away with your 'self' in tow. But if you can clearly see that the view has never, ever been obstructed, if you can clearly see that hearing, tasting, smelling, or touching has never been obstructed or interrupted, you can say that you've clearly seen the truth of reality.<br />
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You're seeing it now. Is there a self blocking this blog post?<br />
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Love,<br />
DelmaDelma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-57117853444357885922014-08-26T09:51:00.002-04:002014-08-27T08:00:45.173-04:00A FishBowl of Freedom<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_GYekCNfN0IJ1hRYMnbeu1HbvjsTppeYi3X5wYsWMId5ZrKR_GjFCIFbwJN9YLncX4gkmMZ2dzTgWGGFKGutcrmbGGP3HBUMxg0jXLYak71k3siLeQUauCMBjqdwO8jRDYuDE8vXxOfc/s1600/fished.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_GYekCNfN0IJ1hRYMnbeu1HbvjsTppeYi3X5wYsWMId5ZrKR_GjFCIFbwJN9YLncX4gkmMZ2dzTgWGGFKGutcrmbGGP3HBUMxg0jXLYak71k3siLeQUauCMBjqdwO8jRDYuDE8vXxOfc/s1600/fished.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a>Please don't come to me or any other 'guide' asking to help you see no self. It's not that I won't try to be of some help, but, no offense here, I'm just not going to help You.<br />
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Most of the folks who contact me or any other guide are looking for one thing... to be a self who sees No Self. Because then, they reason, they will be free. The problem is that they're not willing, even after it appears that the selfing has been seen through, to make the final leap into seeing that they can never be free. Sure, the first phase or two may have become clear... no doer, no seer, etc., but that last bit remains elusive. And the last bit is to turn around to see who it is who just got Free.<br />
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That's when the scary bit comes in. <br />
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Let it sink in. <em>You can never, ever be free no matter how many guides you go to. You can never be free no matter how many facebook groups you join</em>. <em> And you can never be free even if you see it so well that you are successful in guiding others. There is no graduation into enlightenment.</em><br />
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You may have read that paragraph and mentally agreed that it's true, even as you thought, "Oh, that's not me, that's not what I'm doing." <br />
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But do you see that reflexive little thought right there? It comes along pretty fast, and brings the You right back into the inquiry. <br />
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So let's just say that little loop of thought is recognized as a trap and you're pretty sure you've seen through it. Maybe you're gaining some confidence in the No You arena and have begun to talk about it with others. On facebook, you post the most insightful soliloquies on the topic of reality. <br />
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You still won't be Free. It'll just be the You doing all of that. <br />
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Nothing can never assert itself. And let me rephrase that: What is No Thing, what has no form and substance, can ever assert itself. It's the You who does that. And it's the You who began this journey that the You can't possibly finish.<br />
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Stop looking to get free. As a last step in the inquiry, turn around to find out who or what has been inquiring. When it's clearly seen that there can be no resolution or freedom for you, you'll also clearly see why and how seeking goes on forever. Then, when sadness, worry, shame and frustration, or any other negative emotion you expected to ease up or disappear shows up, the understanding comes that it was just the You who thought that they were going to go away. It was just the You who wanted to be No One.<br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">photo credit: </span></em><a href="http://oo-rein-oo.deviantart.com/art/They-Want-To-Control-You-419364838" target="_blank"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">They Want to Control You by oO-Rein-Oo on DeviantArt</span></em></a>Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-43356148260435431062014-02-13T11:40:00.001-05:002014-02-13T11:51:08.498-05:00You: The Collection<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-oqNq4ioyHreKEGQFxCbSA2URYXtNagVO8qtNLvDV9nTWdH__JRueQo1-zPGFRFlcaHfT0B53S1N1W3QI4hZKAXAZQnanpfcn0AXkTcP2B8LNGF_Idn_dTd5lKWNAZgMCO1DaW32MG67/s1600/Passion_BW_by_winterofwishes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-oqNq4ioyHreKEGQFxCbSA2URYXtNagVO8qtNLvDV9nTWdH__JRueQo1-zPGFRFlcaHfT0B53S1N1W3QI4hZKAXAZQnanpfcn0AXkTcP2B8LNGF_Idn_dTd5lKWNAZgMCO1DaW32MG67/s1600/Passion_BW_by_winterofwishes.jpg" height="150" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
This exercise requires a pen and paper.<br />
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I'll wait.<br />
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Got it? Ok....<br />
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<br />
Please list all of the things that make up You. <br />
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Once you've completed the list, note that they are attributes. Categorize each item as a Physical or Personality attribute, then run through the following questions...<br />
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<i>If it's a physical attribute, does it describe the self or the body?</i><br />
<i>If it's a personal attribute, does it describe the self or pattern of events?</i><br />
<i>Does the personal attribute actually list what others have told you about yourself, or patterns of behavior the body and brain has demonstrated?</i><i> </i><br />
<i>What were the factors in contributing to this construct called the self?</i><br />
<i>Is any of it unchanging?</i><br />
<i>If it is unchanging, then can there be a core and sustained self? Look for that self now.</i><br />
<i>Is the list a collection of things you might say you ARE? </i><br />
<i>Look back at the YOU that is supposedly has all of these attributes. Can the YOU both HAVE the attributes and BE the attributes?</i><br />
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Are you part of an attribute? <br />
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Do you say you HAVE a body? What is it that has this body?<br />
Do you say you HAVE a brain? What is it that has this brain?<br />
Do you say you HAVE a heart? What is it that has this heart?<br />
Do you say you HAVE a soul? What is it that has this soul?<br />
Do you say you HAVE a spirit? What is it that has this spirit?<br />
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Which item on the list is you? Or are you a label for a collection of ideas? What and where is the entity or unchanging being that the label points to?<br />
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Love,<br />
Delma<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>photo credit: <a href="http://www.deviantart.com/art/Passion-BW-175673006" target="_blank">Passion BW by WinterofWishes on DeviantArt</a> </i></span>Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-905509584154691192014-01-22T09:58:00.001-05:002014-01-22T09:58:15.011-05:00What Does "Just F'ing Look" Mean?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzZ_R-rGpZK0oGdcQrXpv2nnsQKh4Jsnnq4qJU0RLyPRYV8cVhOmemJ-yJsDDpuws2TRAqtq1Syj8Nd9BBJ1NqrnEgIhQ_TOwYPoAgmRgE3WD9Qv0UseBYYdHyTtGnYtN-TRIsGxESGoV/s1600/1308413715_just_be_lie_ve_by_maskqueraide-d3j8gsf.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzZ_R-rGpZK0oGdcQrXpv2nnsQKh4Jsnnq4qJU0RLyPRYV8cVhOmemJ-yJsDDpuws2TRAqtq1Syj8Nd9BBJ1NqrnEgIhQ_TOwYPoAgmRgE3WD9Qv0UseBYYdHyTtGnYtN-TRIsGxESGoV/s1600/1308413715_just_be_lie_ve_by_maskqueraide-d3j8gsf.png" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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<em></em><br />
<em>Hi Delma,</em><br />
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<em></em> </div>
<div>
<em>how to look to see there is no me?</em></div>
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<em> </em></div>
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<em>I have read your blog posts about pointers, but that does not help. What do you mean when you say "Just f*cking look?".</em></div>
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<em></em> </div>
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<em>Regards,</em></div>
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<em></em> </div>
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<em>P</em></div>
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<br />
This comment was left here this morning, but I don't seem to be able to see it on the blog. Fortunately, I get email notification and could still read the contents. The commenter probably thought twice about his question and decided it wasn't a good idea to post, but it highlights something important.<br />
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Seekers are so muddled in thinking that they deceive even, and <em>especially,</em> 'themselves'.<br />
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I assume the commenter did indeed read the blog, and in doing so, he should have found several posts which explain exactly how to look. He also should have found full guiding sessions in which "looking" is demonstrated, as well one of my most popular posts highlighted in the sidebar, titled, <a href="http://thassa.blogspot.com/2013/09/self-phone-logic.html" target="_blank">Dear Seeker</a> or maybe <a href="http://thassa.blogspot.com/2013/09/self-phone-logic.html" target="_blank">Self Phone Logic</a>.<br />
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So what's wrong here?<br />
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The construct that is YOU can't believe that what I'm pointing to is truer than what you've been taught and conditioned to believe. YOU cannot suspend that mountain of belief for a even a moment to think that JUST MAYBE it's as simple as it is. YOU want it to be more complicated, more sophisticated, more wondrous, more special, and more challenging, or more <em>intellectually superior</em> than it is. YOU can't believe that years of tradition, effort, practice, and ritual can be trumped by simply looking. YOU don't want to have wasted 10, 20, or 30 years of seeking.<br />
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It's ok, though. It really is. Because it keeps teachers in business, and seeking also keeps the precious 'you' going. <br />
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Let me get to the point. Let's talk about looking for the thing that's supposedly been carried around forever. <br />
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<em><strong>Just look. Just look. Just look.</strong></em> <br />
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Looking means regular, plain old, vanilla looking. There's no hidden mystery, no special way to look, no magic tricks. <br />
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<strong><em>It's what's NOT there that's remarkable.</em></strong> <br />
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Look now. What do you see? Yes, that's right. Everything in the view. Not a thing is blocked, or in the way of seeing. Well, then, ask yourself this, "Where's the controller of the view?" Behind the eyes? Ok, why haven't brain scans found it? And why haven't they EVER found it?<br />
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<em>"What?", </em>you say<em>. "I cannot believe that that's IT. Ridiculous. If that was really all there is too it, I should be seeing things in a whole new way!"</em><br />
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You see, that thought right there is the problem, and the self is sustained only within thought.<br />
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Get it?<br />
<br />
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Hope you come back commenter. Or at least join liberation unleashed so that we can work on it. Volunteers are there and I'm here, to demystify this.<br />
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With love,<br />
Delma<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>photo credit: </em></span><a href="http://www.deviantart.com/photography/?order=9&q=just+look#/art/just-be-lie-ve-213706239?_sid=5abd505d" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Just be.lie.ve by masqueraide on deviantart</em></span></a>Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-67849083076336021752014-01-19T19:33:00.002-05:002014-01-19T19:33:38.491-05:00How much do you know about your 'self'?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyu1F7myJx2yAISl2tLwivaUU4bs5zwLn_h-iy6qy-0ET6gxPnsZM0vNBwlMw_b79fWfphPLMkufEua4nLjHbLYLvW-WqOE8zGYyDQgLDJ-MbpuezZKjCdnrbvIQMcWnwazwAzlVIVdhYp/s1600/the_puppet_show_by_anggalanell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyu1F7myJx2yAISl2tLwivaUU4bs5zwLn_h-iy6qy-0ET6gxPnsZM0vNBwlMw_b79fWfphPLMkufEua4nLjHbLYLvW-WqOE8zGYyDQgLDJ-MbpuezZKjCdnrbvIQMcWnwazwAzlVIVdhYp/s1600/the_puppet_show_by_anggalanell.jpg" height="278" width="400" /></a></div>
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"Can you tell me something about yourself other than the information that you gathered, what you know?" - U.G. Krishnamurti<br />
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I like this inquiry more than infamous "who am I?" because that question presupposes a Who. A better question asks what is left of the self other than collected concepts and ideas. Is there anything left at all?<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>photo credit: </em></span><a href="http://www.deviantart.com/art/the-puppet-show-149324160" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>The Puppet Show by anggalanell on deviantart</em></span></a>Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-86291108817434515642014-01-17T16:06:00.002-05:002014-11-08T08:14:50.290-05:00And you see that there is no thing here..My very first exposure to the idea that the separate self did not exist came in reading a variation of something I'd later find out was this sutra. <br>
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To reveal the nature of the reality of self, no more than this is needed.<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw6rpNdRgDQVbt-KljW6xEl7EtK2o-HCcPaUWwoYgCzurUwMj9Tdo9EIYaH-IffPvPhCOnqCTnqWInyaRIo9oPLNCFicJe2zub1cRUNvP9U2mo3tZXrFuEAiHlf93VDRMuAPRXWbsAnpjQ/s1600/the_great_decease_by_davidmcb-d4b4q5p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw6rpNdRgDQVbt-KljW6xEl7EtK2o-HCcPaUWwoYgCzurUwMj9Tdo9EIYaH-IffPvPhCOnqCTnqWInyaRIo9oPLNCFicJe2zub1cRUNvP9U2mo3tZXrFuEAiHlf93VDRMuAPRXWbsAnpjQ/s1600/the_great_decease_by_davidmcb-d4b4q5p.jpg" height="266" width="400"></a></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">In the seen, there is only the
seen,</span><br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">in the heard, there is only the
heard,</span><br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">in the sensed, there is only
the sensed,</span><br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">in the cognized, there is
only the cognized.</span><br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">Thus you should
see that</span><br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">indeed there is no thing
here;</span><br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">this, Bahiya, is how you should
train yourself.</span><br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">Since, Bahiya, there
is for you</span><br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">in the seen, only the
seen,</span><br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">in the heard, only the
heard,</span><br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">in the sensed, only the
sensed,</span><br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">in the cognized, only the
cognized,</span><br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">and you see that there is
no thing here,</span><br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">you will therefore see
that</span><br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">indeed there is no thing
there.</span><br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">As you see that there is no
thing there,</span><br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">you will see
that</span><br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">you are therefore located
neither in the world of this,</span><br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">nor in
the world of that,</span><br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">nor in any
place</span><br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">betwixt the
two.</span><br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">This alone is the end of
suffering.” </span>Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-69791815111065603322014-01-08T21:32:00.001-05:002014-01-08T21:32:20.558-05:00Best. Selfie. Ever.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-U33DB93rZImuw6flsEXMBnydcvJ73zs3BKrI7ogsjCr6vR9KDyJY6XPE6K5MvQudMCmrpZkrWHa_kCYEcXjecsfCmofugoOI1oLJUngcX07HUwKCohdVL77ZzwtEGKrIZ9S2sPz5DsS/s1600/This_sure_beats_any_selfie_I_ve_done_up_to_now.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-U33DB93rZImuw6flsEXMBnydcvJ73zs3BKrI7ogsjCr6vR9KDyJY6XPE6K5MvQudMCmrpZkrWHa_kCYEcXjecsfCmofugoOI1oLJUngcX07HUwKCohdVL77ZzwtEGKrIZ9S2sPz5DsS/s1600/This_sure_beats_any_selfie_I_ve_done_up_to_now.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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<li><b>Title</b> This sure beats any “selfie” I’ve done up to now</li>
<li><b>Released</b> 11/07/2013 11:50 am</li>
<li><b>Copyright</b> ESA/NASA</li>
<li><b>Description</b> These images were taken by ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano during his spacewalk, together with NASA's Chris Cassidy, 9 July 2013.<br /> </li>
Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-49866674387978226902013-12-31T00:32:00.001-05:002014-01-07T09:20:47.323-05:00Tabula Rasa gets a companion blogFor those interested in personal stories rather than just pointers, you may want to click on over to my new blog. In it, I tell the story of searching for enlightenment on the internet. Does it work? Can facebook really serve as a guru? Are satsangs, retreats, or teachers actually required for truth realization? And what about forums like Liberation Unleashed or Ruthless Truth. Are they worth the hype?:<br />
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Let's take a look:<br />
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<a href="http://seeingnoself.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Streaming Enlightenment: The life an times of an internet-inspired inquiry</a>.<br />
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<br />Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314160321410377488.post-12601684031712702742013-12-26T19:59:00.000-05:002013-12-26T20:06:34.068-05:00SelfieExactly what does a Selfie point to?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ69eiFjnaZqoHSkQmyn5SSh6qVSooLqDa21wHBt1PMgvLbYTalGytexOwK4p0h8us_oa2I_dA6_n7v05objXAFGeBX9gx1I6abt64ApYvxeSAezdY0xDi8g7jwLuepltmVyW5ub4ifDJG/s1600/photograph_the_universe_by_bottle_of_love-d37f9o4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ69eiFjnaZqoHSkQmyn5SSh6qVSooLqDa21wHBt1PMgvLbYTalGytexOwK4p0h8us_oa2I_dA6_n7v05objXAFGeBX9gx1I6abt64ApYvxeSAezdY0xDi8g7jwLuepltmVyW5ub4ifDJG/s400/photograph_the_universe_by_bottle_of_love-d37f9o4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>photo credit: </em></span><a href="http://www.deviantart.com/art/photograph-the-universe-193868212" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Photograph of the Universe, by bottle-of-love</em></span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em> on deviantArt</em></span></div>
Delma http://www.blogger.com/profile/02846893293840651458noreply@blogger.com1