Excerpts from the May 28, 2011 Satsang:
All that exists is consciousness. There is a play of consciousness within which, we as people live and die.
But there is part of us that does not exist, which lies entirely outside consciousness, and to which consciousness comes and shows its forms.
Nisargadatta called it the witness or the absolute, and Ramana referred to it Turyatta, beyond the four states.
The goal of advaita is to find That and then identify as that.
This is the mystery. You see, spirituality is all about identification and what you identify with.
You can identify with nothing, and become a passive witness to everything.
You can identify with the peacefulness and detachment of the Void.
You can identify with yourself as an individual.
You can identify with the many types of love and call it everything.
You also can, and most people do, identify with lots of negative mind states, such as anger, rage, depression, guilt and so forth.
And, you can get stuck in any of these identifications, and get lost in them, as I was lost in identification of the I Am with the Void.
This is where I was 4 months ago, lost in the void, with a strong sense of presence settled there, detached from the world, peaceful, and yet still fairly active.
But I was also stuck on the concepts of advaita, the four states, Consciousness, the absolute, etc.
You see there are so many spiritual concepts, so many types of Buddhism and Hiunduism, Jnana approaches to enlightenment, Bhakti approaches, Raja Yoga approaches including Kundalini, Tantric approaches using desire to obtain enlightenment, karma yoga approaches of self-sacrifice and good deeds. So many schools, gurus, teachers, all with differing paths, including psychotherapy and psychoanalysis.
So what happens if we throw out all concepts and all paths?
Is it possible?
What happens?
Can one be free in the moment instead of in the absolute?
Do we not get into spirituality or psychotherapy because we are stuck somewhere we don’t want to be, and all paths offered appear to offer a way out of stuckness.
For some people it is knowledge, the ultimate truths. For some love or being loved. For others it is accomplishing or creating something.
And you search for that exit until somewhere you find rest.
I found rest in an imperturbable Void, peacefulness, completeness, a strong sense of presence. But I was indifferent. I refused engagement with my students a lot.
But the love of all of you out there brought me back into life, into engagement, into caring.
Freedom is the ability to either follow consciousness as it takes you through differing states, or your ability to choose your states.
It is important that you have access to a completely resting state, and one of the best is of complete love and surrender—if you can. You love completely and sort of become a puddle at the feet of your beloved, whether it be love of God, Kali, Christ, or a human lover.
One can rest too in the Void for a while.
But after awhile, you attain an ability to be at rest, or be at peace, without any concept, theory, idea or thinking. Just resting in the present with whatever that moment brings, from pain and suffering, to complete rest in God or a lover, and anything between.
Isn't that the divine dance? Sometimes you lead consciousness sometimes you follow, sometimes everything is clear, and than mystery strikes you on the head. Rest, putting it all down, sounds good right about now.
ReplyDeleteShawn
The point is not to get caught in concepts. Find the I Am and stay there. Trust the I Am wherever it takes you. The I Am contains all illusion and itself is illusion. But if you love it, rather than just dive deeply into the Void, it will show you everything.
ReplyDeleteThe Revelation of the I Am is full of Divine Grace. I feel so blessed finding this most profound way. Thank you Edji. Thank all of you making this possible and share in this Love.
ReplyDeleteEd, I now realize the I Am is not the clear light of the void, I am experiencing whatever I am experiencing, be it regular life or mystical realms. The void opened up after doing my modified kirtan kriya/zen breathing bullshit and then abiding into the moment/myself. With the usual weird energies and sensations came something really different, an opening, a vortex in my stomach area but above my naval. Focusing on this opened up my "inner eye" area merging with the stomach vortex into illuminating void, than dark void, than both, the void is both pure light and empty of light. It was awesome and great fun but I didn't get carried away. I just remained focused on the I AM. I know better then to get excited about sensations, energies, extasys, and remained diligent and focused on the I AM throughout. It was something else though, a one in a kind experience and I would be a fool not explore this further if the opportunity comes again. Thanks Ed, your advice came exactly on cue, pushing me where I needed to go. I'm not big into guru worship, but I will give credit where credits due.
ReplyDeletePeace,
Shawn
Edji,
ReplyDeleteThose last posts are really inspirational. Having an Advaita Vedanta Master as well versed in Zen and as rich in experience of other methods is magic.
You have certainly completed my practice and stabilized my fear and madness when I had no ground to hold on to. I was stuck in the bliss of pure consciousness and as the ‘I’ was dissolving into the void I thought I was dying and there was a great wall of fear and madness that I could not cross, because there was no cause for it.
But once I connected here and understood what was happening everything stabilized, the fear left because I understood I had to let go completely and I can’t thank you enough for that. As for the madness…
How do you describe a schizophrenic Zen Bushidoist?
One who is at two with the Universe
Love
Lord Sam A Ram A Lam A Ding Dong
Beloveds,
ReplyDeleteThis is an Urgent Appeal ...
Edji's Heart is Full of Tender Loving, GIVING, Care for each and every one under the Sun.
And His Beloved cats need YOUR HELP ... More than ever.
Please give whatever you can in support of His Service.
Together, WE can make a difference that Truly matters.
THAT'S The HEART of the matter.
Her Love,
Deeya
Why identify with something at all, why not giving up all identification itself and let everything be unfolding out of itself ?
ReplyDeleteGenerally no one chooses their identifications. They grow up in them. Spirituality allows one to open identifications with other parts of their experience. There is an opening to more, even a totality, and a loss of identification to prior identities.
ReplyDeleteBut identifications--I think--are important for a number of reasons. It helps to maintain compassion, for example. If I don't identify with life. I may not care about the living. Without identification, you can grow very cold and dispassionate.
I think there is a misconception in a few traditions about "removing" samskaras, mental imprints, conditioning, learning, in order to be totally "clear". This is bullshit in a sense. If you were totally free from all mental imprints you would be like a feral child, shitting your bed and unable to do anything. Samskaras remain even after different illuminating experiences, but Awareness expands and takes over where the mind once ruled, turning everything upside down and inside out. Everything in the mind is still there though, and may arise into awareness briefly. There are techniques to reprogram your subconscious and alter your thinking, perceptions, and experience, but what good is rearranging a prison cell? Paint the walls a different color, hang up some new posters. That won't give you spontaneity, knowledge of infinity and no-thingness, or a feeling of connection with your world.
ReplyDeleteShawn