Sunday, March 14, 2010

The first thought is already false

The mind cannot come to terms with it.

Like a veil, the concepts you have about the world and your self create a false reality, a reality of "things". As a "thing", you will always be limited by all that you are not.

Lay aside all concepts and paradigms - rest only as your Self. The various concepts about what you are will continue to splash against the screen, like a stormy ocean. Don't worry.

That pure Self is empty of all content. You simply ARE - nothing more can be said. The first attempt to grasp it, to place a category, to label it, to quantify it, is the very content of that veil.

Be content with silence - stillness. That stillness remains as the background, the silent activity of knowing which can never be negated.

You ARE - even that is a concept.

12 comments:

No One In Particular said...

Yay! A new post. Short, sweet and simple.

Unknown said...

Hi Randall,

"You ARE - even that is a concept."

You mean Presence itself or the knowledge of I AM? The knowledge of I AM comes and goes - but it comes and goes on soemthing, Presence, this, that, whatever. When I AM is absent, that is cognized by some XYZ - that XYZ is not a concept is it?

I may be getting stuck on words but wanted to be clear on your sentence..

You are saying that the "background, the silent activity of knowing" is NOT the "I AM" -right?

thank you!
Shiva

Randall Friend said...

Shiva,

Hello again my friend.

First we must know what IS the "I AM". What do you mean when you say "I AM"? You are REFERRING to a body-mind, to an individual, to a separate thing. So "I AM" means I AM this or that. And AS this or that, as a particular thing, you are automatically isolated by all that you are not.

Therefore to take yourself as any "thing" at all is to take yourself as limited.

This sense "I AM" is Consciousness itself - the knowledge of existence. Conscious OF existence, yes? That's why you can say "I AM". You're conscious of existence. THAT is the I AM.

Yet once again, what that is TAKEN TO BE is the question. Is that existence in fact separate or independent of other things? Did existence come INTO existence? Are there separate existences or realities?

That points to the veil or "maya" - taking appearance to be absolute reality, when that appearance must be the result of some underlying essence, yes? The sky APPEARS blue, yet that's a reflection. The rock APPEARS solid, yet we know from science 101 that the essence of rock is the elements, which are atoms - atoms are empty - "emptiness".

The Buddhist Heart Sutra says - emptiness is form - form is emptiness. It doesn't say emptiness is over here and form is over there. It doesn't say emptiness is cool and form really sucks. It says they are the SAME THING.

The same reality. Nondual reality. One essence - expressing or manifesting as everything.

You are that one essence. Therefore the true meaning or reference of I AM - is either everything, or nothing at all. No-thing at all.

love to you
randall

Matty Boy said...

Hi Randall, I was listening to your podcast where u have mentioned even conciousness is also duality which passes away with body or when we are asleep. I know I am, but this knowing comes with conciousness, at some stage the conciousness will pass away too with the body. Hence conciouness is not permanent ad well. You have also mentioned, what you are doesn't come and go and is timeless. It's the platform on which everything appears. How can this be known when there is no one to know?

Randall Friend said...

Nopath,

I AM is still transitory, is it not? Therefore it is an object of knowledge - Who is the subject which knows I AM.

That pure subject has no properties of which you are aware - yet you undeniably exist.

There are many paths if you take yourself to be one of these objective things. If that is so, find the path which resonates.

If you negate all that appears - you come to recognize the empty subject. Only there is nothing which can be done with that - it only ever IS.

You ARE. Same thing.


love
randall

Randall Friend said...

Matty,

"How can this be known when there is no one to know?"

This question comes because you are conditioned to believe that knowing is the property or possession of an individual.

Is there presently knowing? Where does the "knower" arise? Is the knower present before the knowing, or is the knower an appearance or object of knowing?

Therefore consciousness is required first - then the "knower" arises as a concept. But even consciousness is an object of knowledge.

When consciousness is NOT - you still ARE. Do you not know yourself intimately already?

You overlook it because you are always giving attention to objects, passing content. Rest as the empty background upon which even consciousness appears.

That is not a "thing" - therefore it is never the object of awareness - it IS what we call "awareness" itself.


love
randall

Unknown said...

Randall thank you.

When all this "stuff" - world, this that, "I am', consciousness etc - comes and goes, I can aver that it comes and goes because I am there to see it come and go. "I" as I think of myself (name, body, thoughts) also comes and goes, so when i say "I(2) see it come and go" I(name) dont know anything about that I(2) except that it must me what i truly am because it is the lowest common denominator that is a constant.


I92) is a pre-requisite for anything else, for any arising. This "stuff" does not exist independent of I(2) as Sailor Bob said - i see it. It is therefore all.

Matty Boy said...

Thanks Randall, for your pointers and clear message. Knowing or Seeing is happening... That is all we can say.... Even the mind can't deny that. What is known or to whom it is known is not relevant I guess ? When u say rest in the I am only, this what you mean I guess I.e be in the immediacy or activity of knowing or seeing. Love Matty

Randall Friend said...

Shiva,

Yes, when all objective content is negated or known to be objective - you still remain as the subject-"I".

Therefore the true "I" cannot be objective at all - that "I" is pure and empty - devoid of any quality. It needs nothing - it is perfection itself, freedom itself.

Because it is conditionless, we may refer to it by the words peace, love and happiness.

That is your actual state always - when the appearance or content or concept comes - IF it is identified with, there comes suffering, discontent, conditions, seeking, wanting.

Your true Self - the true "I" has no wants at all. It is only mind which wants. And mind appears to or IN that "I"-ness.

Is it not true and obvious, right here and now? Are you not already that perfection? What you truly are - that pure "I"-ness - that which cannot be defined or qualified, yet can never EVER be denied?

You express it as "I AM". Yet it requires no expression at all.

Randall Friend said...

Matty,

The "who" is appearance - content - thought or sensation or image. Yes?

Therefore notice that arising "I"-thought - notice that it rises to accompany all the various activities, sensations, thoughts. "I am thinking", "I am working", etc.

That "I" is a thought. It refers to an individual who only exists as assumption.

Therefore follow that "I"-thought - watch it dance, watch it come and go. Then notice - what is it that knows this "I"-thought?

That knowing is empty of any individual, particular or personal self. That knowing is prior to any content. That knowing is simply always there. You are there.

Therefore the true reference for the word "I" is just that presence of knowing. "I" or "subject" really means - AWARENESS.

Unknown said...

thank you so much Randall.

Shiva

Matty Boy said...

Thanks Randall!