YOU MUST BECOME AS DUMB AS A ROCK!

Many times you have heard me repeat Seung Sahn’s admonition, “You must become as dumb as a rock.”  But why, you ask?”

Because it is a state wherein you forget everything you know, you forget you have a body, you forget the energies in your body, you have no thoughts, no likes or dislikes, no judgments, no desires, no emotions.  Attaining this is a precondition to experiencing pure consciousness.

Let me give you a long quote from the book, “Master Key to Self-Realization” by Siddharameshwar Maharaj, to show you I am not just pulling this out of my arse.

“The third step in studying the self, is above and beyond the Subtle Body, and is the Causal Body, or “ignorance.”  The Causal Body That is a state of pure “forgetfulness” where the quality of ignorance (Tamoguna) is predominant.  Here in the Causal Body, there is no thought as to the well-being of or of any relationship with either the gross Body or with the Subtle Body.  The Causal Body means that there is no knowledge of anything.  It is like the state of deep sleep, but is not deep sleep.  The Causal Body is difficult to understand; however, it cannot be overstated that is very important to understand the state.  Those who proclaim to understand the principle of zero, or Nothingness, or the Void, came to this state and turned back saying there was nothing ahead.

“The Causal Body is the state of the unknowable or the Void which is presented in the point of view of Western philosophers.  This state is devoid of all thoughts, imagination and doubts, and is often mistaken and taken by aspirants to be samadhi, and thought to be the same as Brahman without concepts or qualities.  When this Void or state of emptiness is reached, one is likely to get a false satisfaction and say, “Today I saw Brahman.”  

“The interval or pause between where one modification of the mind disappears, and another one does not arise, such as the space between two thoughts or the intervening pause before sleep sets in and waking state disappears, is the state of pure forgetfulness.  This is what is described as the covering of bliss in the Scriptures.  In the Causal Body all chaos, struggle and the infinite number of waves of thought have ceased.  Therefore, there is a sense of peace in this third body that is not found in the other two bodies.  It is true that the aspirant experiences a certain joy, but this is not the ultimate peace or even true bliss.  One must understand this point of view very well.  This Causal Body is the natural state of all gods, demons and every human being.  The state of the Causal Body is the state of forgetfulness.

“The chief sign or indication of the Causal Body is to forget everything.  For example, unless one forgets everything he cannot get deep sleep.  To say I was asleep, but I remember something, is to really say, I never slept.  To really have deep sleep means not to remember a single thing.  Similarly, to forget everything while in an awakened state is to enter the Causal Body.  To be in a state where you do not know anything, is to also come to this state.  This is the natural state of a human being.

In order for one to fully understand the state of human forgetfulness, the method of studying the pause is prescribed.  If anything is very difficult, it is to be completely stabilized in the state of forgetfulness, and to know it thoroughly.  To achieve this is very important in one’s spiritual progress, and takes a great deal of effort on the part of the aspirant.  The Saints have put a particular emphasis on this point.

“The pause between two states is nothing but Pure Consciousness.  The state of the “mouni” (a silent one), is such that he does not allow a single word to rise, or even if it did arise, he does not allow the meaning to rise, but simply lets it slip by.  When the word arises, and is allowed to impress its meaning on the inner mind, the world is born.  Ignoring the word, and not allowing it to carry any meaning for the mind, is the eradication of the world.  When the word does not energize the mind, what remains is the pure energy of consciousness.  To experience this state continuously is called the state of silence.

“The Causal Body, which is the nature of forgetfulness, is nothing but a very deep sleep.  However, that which is described above, is the silence within that which is experienced “knowingly,” or consciously, during the waking state.  It is not the deep sleep state that comes “unknowingly,” without conscious awareness.  Nothing is known in the state of deep sleep which comes “unknowingly.”  However, the nature of the self can be known by means of employing the method of knowing “Forgetfulness” which is experienced while awake.  This is the difference between deep sleep and samadhi.”

The above quotes cover about 20% of the description of the Causal Body found in Siddharameshwar’s book, how to enter into it, and the importance of knowing nothing, knowing the Void empty of all objects, ideas, thoughts, because thereby, one knows pure consciousness without objects, also called being in the samadhi state.

Thus, Robert or I might say, “Shut the fuck up!”  While Ramana might say you must learn how to go to sleep while remaining awake by following the I-thought.  On the other hand, Seung Sahn would say, “You need to become as dumb as a rock!”

I cannot over emphasize how important having this empty mind is, empty of all words, all ideas, all questions, all thoughts, all desires, and to feel completely stupid, which goes so much against the grain of everyday life for we seek knowledge in order to gain control or to reach a particular end.  In this state, we give up everything, we surrender everything, and enter silence. But this is not the end.  There is one more step of entering Turya.

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