There is no light at the end of the tunnel. You are the light and the tunnel. You are looking for something to change, for something to be different. In that you assume that this, right here and now, is not it. You assume that what IS, right now, is not good enough, that something else needs to arrive in the form of some state or experience.
The only concern is the idea you have about yourself, about what you are, about reality. Look and you'll notice that everything you believe, therefore everything you think you know, is based on the idea of separation, of independent existences. You have mistaken the coming and going of forms or appearances for the coming and going, the creation and destruction of existence.
It is not existence which comes and goes. What appears is not an absolute "thing". It is not a stand-alone existence. It was not popped into existence from nothing - not existing, then existing, then ceasing to exist.
The ocean is there - then the ocean expresses as a wave. The wave is an appearance OF ocean, a form OF ocean, something ocean is doing. Wave did not come into existence. There is no such "thing" or entity as "WAVE" apart from ocean. If we speak of wave doing this or that, we are speaking conceptually, because it's really OCEAN doing it. It's ocean-appearing-as-wave. We don't need to speak that way because it's clumsy however we have somehow been tricked by the convention of naming appearances, naming activities or expressions.
Tree is Life "treeing". Life-appearing-as-Tree. Yes?
Rock is Life "rocking".
There is no "thing", no stand-alone existence called "tree" or "rock". There is only Life or Existence appearing or expressing AS what we call TREE or ROCK.
All "things" are like this. The body and thoughts are expressions of Life. The body took shape but did not come INTO existence. Existence took shape as BODY. Yes? Life took shape as what we call "body".
And then body will cease to function, naturally. It will take it's last breath, beat it's last heartbeat, and then it will stop functioning. Consciousness will cease to return. That window or perspective or kaleidoscope will close. But nothing happens to Life. Nothing happens to Existence. The wave crashed to the shore and dissolved back into ocean. Nothing happened. Ocean remained ocean. Life remains Life.
The question is - who is present right now, aware or expressing as this appearance we call Consciousness, this stage upon which the stories play out? Who is the intelligence which can say "I EXIST"? Who is seemingly looking out the eyes?
Isn't it Life? Isn't it that Existence or Intelligence? Aren't you Life itself, aware of itself, so to speak? Aren't you that Intelligence, that singular existence?
"Reality is whole and you are that."
"The world is Brahman - ultimately "I" and Brahman are identical."
"You are already what you are seeking."
It isn't difficult. The difficulty lies in breaking with the idea that reality is made up of independent "things" or "EXISTENCE-S", that you are just one of these existences and your existence is finite and separate.
It is not.
9 comments:
Exactly. Like you say, it seems silly to have to point out that no one can be a seperate piece of reality. Whatever reality is. But how is the felt sense of a seperate thing dropped, or let go of?
What is a felt sense of anything? A pattern or vibration or expression of that very same singular reality.
Why does it have to have a condition to drop or be let go of? Why would manipulation be needed if reality isn't actually divided or separate?
love
randall
You're right. I don't suppose any condition would have to be dropped or let go of. Neither would manipulation be necessary if I KNEW reality wasn't divided or seperate. Define "know". Apparently what I refer to as knowing,is conceptual, and not the same animal to which you refer when you say "know".
Dennis,
The only question or concern is - what do you take yourself to be? Explore that. Were you born? Really look into that idea that your existence began, that existence begins and ends, that existence is independent and finite.
If we don't explore that, we leave it intact and then pursue spirituality FOR that separate entity which began. But it isn't FOR that entity - the search is to find out if that entity is true, if you began, in other words if existence is separate, yes?
We don't really want to go there because we're really discussing the limits of your existence. On one hand we want to have some realization that what we are is limitless yet on the other hand we cling to that idea of finite existence because, although it's taken to be finite, it's all we have.
Therefore question that at it's root. Did you begin? Were you born? Is existence starting and ending? What is the world? What comes and goes?
We can ponder a thousand "advaita pointers" but we will always be chasing our tail until we look our supposed finite existence in the face and ask - IS IT TRUE?
If you would like to have a discussion you are welcome to email.
love
randall
Hello Randall,
I just read you most recent post (which was totally enjoyable) and it seemed to open up a whole new way of looking at this...particularly your suggestion to investigate the beginning and end of existence in relation to any appearance... particularly the body mind configuration.
I can see that the body pattern arises and disappears...this body pattern has sophisticated instrumenatation that seems to be able to ceate this I concept plus a whole lot of other concepts.
I know that many teachers say to investigate the reality of the I and on really seeing it is false then that is the end of suffereing...because who is suffereing!
Would you mind commenting on how to investigate this deeper.
You have said in many posts to really look at this and something seems to escape me!
I can see that the manifestation appears in the seeing...I am pure subjectivity...but that seems to be different from investigating my birth.
Thank you.
Bill Tys
Bill,
Hello again my friend.
Investigate the idea of separated, independent and finite existence by tracing back that body you take yourself to be, trace it back to that so-called birth. Body is a pattern of cells - the cell of the father and cell of the mother combined to form a different pattern, taking root in the womb, changing and growing until we call it fetus. That fetus or pattern of cells grows various organs and hands and feet. At about 9 months the body begins to expel that bundle of cells and we call this birth. When it is in the mother it is fetus. Once it is out we call it infant.
At what point did existence begin? When did YOU begin in this process? Was it the moment the father's cell combined with the mother's cell? Did your existence begin? Are you just a mass of cells? Was it when the brain began to form? Once again are you simply a mass of cells? A pattern? When the brain became active is this the beginning of YOU? If so are you a bundle of firing neurons?
It is clear that a new pattern appeared, but did a new EXISTENCE appear? You tie your existence to the beginning and end of that body, that pattern of cells.
This is very important to know, because IF a new EXISTENCE begins, if you were NOT there and then you WERE, if you BEGAN at a certain time and date, then spirituality is fantasy - why because you are the proof it's a fantasy - you are the proof of separated, finite existence.
If your existence did not begin, then spirituality is STILL a fantasy because it is chasing after something which is already the case - the wholeness of reality. If you are not a separated existence, then existence isn't separated, only appearance.
This points us directly at our error. We have taken APPEARANCE as absolute. We are fooled by the coming and going of appearance. We attribute appearance with existence.
We have an acorn. That acorn goes into the ground and with sufficient light and moisture it starts to take root. From that beginning an oak tree shoots through the soil. It grows to be tall and "lives" for a long time. In that "lifetime" it produces many acorns, some fall to the ground, and some take root to form new oak trees.
Is EXISTENCE beginning with the new acorn, with the new tree? Or is it just new patterns, new appearances? When that oak tree "dies" what happens to existence? Nothing. A form ceased to function or a pattern changed. Nothing happened to existence.
So now that our root idea is in limbo, we ask what IS existence anyway? Isn't it that life force, that Intelligence, that which IS? Life itself? So the fetus begins, or a particular pattern changes, an acorn turns into an oak, which grows and drops another acorn which in turn sprouts an oak tree. IS that existence beginning and ending or is that Life expressing? Is that this Intelligence behaving in different ways?
So these are ways to investigate these ideas we call "birth" and "death". We see, where we did not notice before, how we apply reality or absolute independent existence upon appearance. And that pure "subjectivity" is what? That pure knowing that does not participate in appearance? That which knows no matter what is the coming and going of appearance?
That pure "subjectivity" is another expression of that Intelligence - the capacity to know itself. Who is it knowing this right now? Isn't it that Intelligence? Isn't that Intelligence what IS?
So you are that essence, expressing as everything, falling for the story of finite existence named "Bill" then later discovering it was never bound by the coming and going of names and forms.
Nothing was gained or lost in this discovery but the false falls away naturally.
love
randall
Hello Randall,
That is just the best reply.
I have never investigated so deeply and I see now that the investigation is paramount.
Thank you.
Love bill
Bill,
When that body takes it's last breath, beats it's last heartbeat - the body ceases to function. It gets cold and hard - it begins to break down - the cells are carried away by bacteria and maggots. The pattern changes - the form changes - yet nothing happens to Life. Life carries on - the form changes, the pattern changes.
The second law of thermodynamics says - energy is never created or destroyed - it only changes form or state. Nothing is being created, nothing is dying. It is one Intelligence, one Essence, appearing AS everything.
What else can you be but THAT Intelligence? You know that you are - Is it Bill knowing that? Bill is a name for a particular pattern which comes and goes - yet what-you-ARE never comes and goes. That Intelligence is aware of itself right now - no need for a lifelong investigation - see what is being pointed to and it's done.
You are that One Essence - what else can you be?
love
randall
Hey Randall,
I went to investigate to look for that I... and got a serious case of laughter!
I recall the second law of thermodynamics which clearly points out that there is no death...only transformation and changing patterns...new forms...
It is easy to grasp in the sense that when a body pattern breaks down then all that happens is a new set of patterns come about like maggots and maggot dropping in which a seed might sprout or flies feed from and etc etc.
There is only existence or Life or seeing or knowing...
Thanks again.
Love bill
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