ONENESS.
An infinite number of paths;one destination.Links
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- Nisargadatta Page.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Simple Truth.
Unity indicates the infinite,duality the finite.The infinite is eternal,the finite,temporal.
The Absolute gives birth to consciousness. All else is in consciousness.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Absolute gives birth to consciousness. All else is in consciousness.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Monday, August 22, 2005
Self Realisation in Hinduism, Brahman, and Worshipping.
Unity indicates the infinite,duality the finite.The infinite is eternal,the finite,temporal.
Beginning to realise that I naturally believe quite like the Hindus.The following just about sums it up. I only have some slight reservations about re-incarnation and maybe worshipping some God form like Shiva, but in the end if He or It, God or Brahman, is everything, what does it matter ? (See for instance Ramana Maharshi's arguments to the two Muslims who visited him, in footnote.) Anyway, here we are talking about the formless God Brahman.
=====UNDERSTANDING HINDUISM===== Self Realisation From Svetasvatara Upanishad Translations by Swami Prabhavananda Sri Ramakrishna Math The Rishis (seers of truth) inquire within themselves:
What is the cause of this universe? Is it Brahman (the Supreme Reality)? Whence do we come? Why do we live? Where shall we at last find rest? Under whose command are we bound by the law of happiness and its opposite?
Time, space, law, chance, matter, primal energy, intelligence- none of these, nor a combination of these, can be the final cause of the universe, for they are effects, and exist to serve the soul. Nor can the individual soul be the cause, for being subject to the law of happiness and misery, it is not free.
The Rishis (seers of truth), absorbed in meditation, saw within themselves the ultimate Reality, the self-luminous Being, the one God, who dwells as the self-conscious power in all creatures. He is one without a second. Deep within all beings He dwells, hidden from sight by the coverings of the gunas – sattwa, Rajas, and Tamas. He presides over time, space, and all apparent causes.
Like oil in sesame seeds, butter in cream, water in the river-bed, fire in the tinder, the Self dwells within the soul. Realise Him through truthfulness and meditation.
Like butter in cream is the Self in everything. Knowledge of the Self is gained through meditation. The Self is Brahman (Supreme Reality). By Brahman is all ignorance destroyed.
Fire, though present in the firestick, is not perceived until one stick is rubbed against another. The Self is like that fire; it is realised in the body by meditation on the sacred syllable OM (AUM).
Let your body be the stick that is rubbed, the sacred syllable OM the stick that is rubbed against it. Thus shall you realise God, who is hidden within the body as fire is hidden within the wood.
He who is realised by transcending the world of cause and effect, in deep contemplation, is expressly declared by the scriptures to be the Supreme Brahman. He is the substance, all else the shadow. He is the imperishable.
The knowers of Brahman know Him as the one reality behind all that seems. For this reason they are devoted to Him. Absorbed in Him, they attain freedom from the wheel of birth, death and rebirth.
Matter is perishable. The Lord, the destroyer of ignorance, is imperishable, immortal. He is the one God, the Lord of the perishable and of all souls. By meditating in Him, by uniting oneself with Him, one ceases to be ignorant.
Know God, and all fetters will be loosed. Ignorance will vanish. Birth, death and rebirth will be no more. Meditate upon Him and transcend physical consciousness. Thus will you reach union with the Lord of the universe. But you must know this. Nothing further is there to know. Meditate, and you will realise that mind, matter, and Maya (the power that unites mind and matter) are but three aspects of Brahman, the one Reality.
To realise God ....
To realise God, first control the outgoing senses and harness the mind. Then meditate upon the light in the heart of the fire - meditate, that is, upon Pure Consciousness as distinct from the ordinary consciousness of the intellect. Thus the Self, the Inner Reality, may be seen behind physical appearance.
Control your mind so that the Ultimate reality, the self-luminous Lord, may be revealed. Strive earnestly for eternal bliss.
With the help of the mind and the intellect, keep the senses from attaching themselves to objects of pleasure. They will then be purified by the light of the Inner reality, and that light will be revealed.
The wise control their minds, and unite their hearts with the infinite, the omniscient, the all-pervading Lord. Only discriminating souls practice spiritual disciplines. Great is the glory of the self-luminous Being, the inner Reality.
Hear, all ye children of immortal bliss, also ye gods who dwell in the high heavens: Follow only in the footsteps of the illumined ones, and by continuous meditation merge both mind and intellect in the eternal Brahman. The glorious Lord will be revealed to you.
Control the vital force. Set fire to the Self within by the practice of meditation. Be drunk with the wine of divine love. Thus shall you reach perfection.
Be devoted to the eternal Brahman. Unite the light within you with the light of Brahman. Thus will the source of ignorance be destroyed, and you will rise above karma.
Sit upright, holding the chest, throat and head erect. Turn the senses and the mind inward to the lotus of the heart. Meditate on Brahman with the help of the syllable OM. Cross the fearful currents of the ocean of worldliness by means of the raft of Brahman – the sacred syllable OM.
With earnest effort hold the senses in check. Controlling the breath, regulate the vital activities. As a charioteer holds back his restive horses, so does a persevering aspirant hold back his mind.
Retire to a solitary place, such as a mountain cave or a sacred spot. The place must be protected from the wind and rain, and it must have a smooth, clean floor, free from pebbles and dust. It must not be damp, and it must be free from disturbing noises. It must be pleasing to the eye and quieting to the mind. Seated there, practice meditation and other spiritual exercises. As you practice meditation, you may see in vision forms resembling snow, crystals, smoke, fire, lightning, fireflies, the sun, the moon. These are signs that you are on your way to the revelation of Brahman.
As you become absorbed in meditation, you will realise that the Self is separate from the body and for this reason will not be affected by disease, old age or death.
The first signs of progress on the path of Yoga are health, a sense of physical lightness, clearness of complexion, a beautiful voice, an agreeable odour of the person, and freedom from craving.
As a soiled piece of metal, when it has been cleaned, shines brightly, so the dweller in the body, when he has realised the truth of the Self, loses his sorrow and becomes radiant with bliss.The yogi experiences directly the truth of Brahman by realising the light of the Self within. He is freed from all impurities – He is pure, the birthless, the bright.
He is the one God, present on the north, the east, the south and the west. He is the creator. He enters into all wombs. He alone is now born as all beings, and He alone is to be born as all beings in the future. He is within all persons as the inner Self, facing in all directions.
Let us adore the Lord, the luminous one, who is in fire, who is in water, who is in plants and trees, who pervades the whole universe. At the periods of creation and dissolution of the universe, He alone exists. Those who realise Him become immortal.
The Lord is one without a second. Within man, and within all other beings, He projects the universe, maintains it, and withdraws it into Himself.
His eyes are everywhere; His face, His arms, His feet are in every place. Out of Himself He has produced the heavens and the earth, and with His arms and His wings He holds them together.
He is the origin and support of the gods. He is the Lord of all. He confers bliss and wisdom upon those who are devoted to Him. He destroys their sins and their sorrows.
He punishes those who break His laws. He sees all and knows all. May He endow us with good thoughts!
This vast universe is a wheel. Upon it are all creatures that are subject to birth and death and rebirth. Round and round it turns, and never stops. It is the wheel of Brahman. As long as the individual self thinks it is separate from Brahman, it revolves upon the wheel in bondage to the laws of birth, death and rebirth. But when through the grace of Brahman it realises its identity with Him, it revolves upon the wheel no longer. It achieves immortality.
The Lord supports this universe, which is made up of the perishable and the imperishable, the manifest and the unmanifest. The individual soul, forgetful of the Lord, attaches itself to pleasure and thus is bound. When it comes to the Lord, it is freed from all its fetters.
Mind and matter, master and servant- both have existed from beginnigless time. The Maya that unites them has also existed from beginningless time. When all three- mind, matter, and Maya- are known as one with Brahman, then is it realised that the Self is infinite and has no part in action. Then it is revealed that the Self is all.
O Lord, Thou hast revealed Thy sacred syllable OM, which is one with Thee. In Thy hands it is a weapon with which to destroy ignorance. O protector of Thy devotees, do not conceal Thy benign person.
Thou art the Supreme Brahman. Thou art infinite. Thou hast assumed the forms of all creatures, remaining hidden in them. Thou prevadest all things. Thou art the one God of the universe. Those who realise Thee become immortal.
Said the great seer Svetasvatara:
I have known beyond all darkness, that great Person of golden effulgence. Only by knowing Him does one conquer death. There is no other way of escaping the wheel of birth, death and rebirth.There is nothing superior to Him, nothing different from Him, nothing subtler or greater than He. Alone He stands, changeless, self-luminous; He, the great one, fills this universe.
Though He fills this universe, He transcends it. He is untouched by its sorrows. He has no form. Those who know Him become immortal. Others remain in the depths of misery.
The Lord God, all-pervading and omnipresent, dwells in the heart of all beings. Full of grace, He ultimately gives liberation to all creatures by turning their faces forward Himself.He is the innermost Self. He is the great Lord. He it is that reveals the purity within the heart by means of which He, who is pure Being, may be reached. He is the ruler. He is the great light, shining forever.
This great Being, assuming the form of the size of a thumb, forever dwells in the heart of all creatures as their innermost Self. He can be known directly by the purified mind through spiritual discrimination. Knowing Him, men become immortal.
This great Being has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, and a thousand feet. He envelopes the universe. Though transcendent, He is to be meditated upon as residing in the lotus of the heart, at the centre of the body, ten fingers above the navel.
He alone is all this- what has been and what shall be. He has become the universe, yet He remains forever changeless, and is the Lord of immortality.
Without organs of sense, yet reflecting the activities of the senses, He is the Lord and ruler of all.He is the friend and refuge of all. He resides in the body, the city of nine gates. He sports in the world and without in innumerable forms. He is the Master, the ruler of the whole world, animate and inanimate.
He moves fast, though without feet. He grasps everything, though without hands. He sees everything , though without eyes. He hears everything, though without ears. He knows all that is, but no one knows Him. He is called the Supreme, the Great One.
Subtler than the subtlest, greater than the greatest, the Self is hidden in the heart of all creatures. Through His grace a man loses his cravings, transcends grief, and realises Him as Brahman Supreme.
If the truth of these scriptures are meditated upon by a man in the highest degree devoted to God, and (devoted) to his guru (spiritual teacher) as to his God, they will shine forth. They will shine forth indeed!
Om… peace – peace –peace.
Footnote from Ramana Maharshi;
Talk between the Master and two Moslems.
• Q. Has God a form?
• M. Who says so?
• Q. Well, if God has no form, is it proper to worship idols?
• M. Leave God alone because He is unknown. What about you? Have you a form?
• Q. Yes. I am this and so and so.
• M. So then, you are a man with limbs, about three and a half cubits high, with beard, etc. Is that so?
• Q. Certainly.
• M. Then do you find yourself so in deep sleep?
• Q. After waking, I perceive that I was asleep. Therefore, by inference I remained thus in deep sleep, also.
• M. If you are the body, why do they bury the corpse after death? The body must refuse to be buried.
• Q. No, I am the subtle jiva within the gross body.
• M. So you see that you are really formless; but you are at present identifying yourself with the body. So long as you are formful, (have a form) why should you not worship the formless God as being formful?
• {The questioner was perplexed.)
Extract from "Talks with Ramana Maharshi"
When it comes to Karma the following is also a useful clarification from the jnani point of view.
• M. See whose karma it is. You will find you are not the doer. Then you will be free. This requires Grace of God for which you should pray to Him, worship Him, and meditate on Him.
The karma which takes place without effort, i.e., involuntary action, is not binding.
Even a jnani is acting as seen by his bodily movements. There can be no karma without effort or without intentions (sankalpas). Therefore there are sankalpas for all. They are of two kinds: binding — bandha-hetu, and muktihetu — non-binding. The former must be given up and the latter must be cultivated. There is no fruit without previous karma; no karma without previous sankalpa. Even mukti must be the result of effort so long as the sense of doership persists.
(Emphasis mine.)
Beginning to realise that I naturally believe quite like the Hindus.The following just about sums it up. I only have some slight reservations about re-incarnation and maybe worshipping some God form like Shiva, but in the end if He or It, God or Brahman, is everything, what does it matter ? (See for instance Ramana Maharshi's arguments to the two Muslims who visited him, in footnote.) Anyway, here we are talking about the formless God Brahman.
=====UNDERSTANDING HINDUISM===== Self Realisation From Svetasvatara Upanishad Translations by Swami Prabhavananda Sri Ramakrishna Math The Rishis (seers of truth) inquire within themselves:
What is the cause of this universe? Is it Brahman (the Supreme Reality)? Whence do we come? Why do we live? Where shall we at last find rest? Under whose command are we bound by the law of happiness and its opposite?
Time, space, law, chance, matter, primal energy, intelligence- none of these, nor a combination of these, can be the final cause of the universe, for they are effects, and exist to serve the soul. Nor can the individual soul be the cause, for being subject to the law of happiness and misery, it is not free.
The Rishis (seers of truth), absorbed in meditation, saw within themselves the ultimate Reality, the self-luminous Being, the one God, who dwells as the self-conscious power in all creatures. He is one without a second. Deep within all beings He dwells, hidden from sight by the coverings of the gunas – sattwa, Rajas, and Tamas. He presides over time, space, and all apparent causes.
Like oil in sesame seeds, butter in cream, water in the river-bed, fire in the tinder, the Self dwells within the soul. Realise Him through truthfulness and meditation.
Like butter in cream is the Self in everything. Knowledge of the Self is gained through meditation. The Self is Brahman (Supreme Reality). By Brahman is all ignorance destroyed.
Fire, though present in the firestick, is not perceived until one stick is rubbed against another. The Self is like that fire; it is realised in the body by meditation on the sacred syllable OM (AUM).
Let your body be the stick that is rubbed, the sacred syllable OM the stick that is rubbed against it. Thus shall you realise God, who is hidden within the body as fire is hidden within the wood.
He who is realised by transcending the world of cause and effect, in deep contemplation, is expressly declared by the scriptures to be the Supreme Brahman. He is the substance, all else the shadow. He is the imperishable.
The knowers of Brahman know Him as the one reality behind all that seems. For this reason they are devoted to Him. Absorbed in Him, they attain freedom from the wheel of birth, death and rebirth.
Matter is perishable. The Lord, the destroyer of ignorance, is imperishable, immortal. He is the one God, the Lord of the perishable and of all souls. By meditating in Him, by uniting oneself with Him, one ceases to be ignorant.
Know God, and all fetters will be loosed. Ignorance will vanish. Birth, death and rebirth will be no more. Meditate upon Him and transcend physical consciousness. Thus will you reach union with the Lord of the universe. But you must know this. Nothing further is there to know. Meditate, and you will realise that mind, matter, and Maya (the power that unites mind and matter) are but three aspects of Brahman, the one Reality.
To realise God ....
To realise God, first control the outgoing senses and harness the mind. Then meditate upon the light in the heart of the fire - meditate, that is, upon Pure Consciousness as distinct from the ordinary consciousness of the intellect. Thus the Self, the Inner Reality, may be seen behind physical appearance.
Control your mind so that the Ultimate reality, the self-luminous Lord, may be revealed. Strive earnestly for eternal bliss.
With the help of the mind and the intellect, keep the senses from attaching themselves to objects of pleasure. They will then be purified by the light of the Inner reality, and that light will be revealed.
The wise control their minds, and unite their hearts with the infinite, the omniscient, the all-pervading Lord. Only discriminating souls practice spiritual disciplines. Great is the glory of the self-luminous Being, the inner Reality.
Hear, all ye children of immortal bliss, also ye gods who dwell in the high heavens: Follow only in the footsteps of the illumined ones, and by continuous meditation merge both mind and intellect in the eternal Brahman. The glorious Lord will be revealed to you.
Control the vital force. Set fire to the Self within by the practice of meditation. Be drunk with the wine of divine love. Thus shall you reach perfection.
Be devoted to the eternal Brahman. Unite the light within you with the light of Brahman. Thus will the source of ignorance be destroyed, and you will rise above karma.
Sit upright, holding the chest, throat and head erect. Turn the senses and the mind inward to the lotus of the heart. Meditate on Brahman with the help of the syllable OM. Cross the fearful currents of the ocean of worldliness by means of the raft of Brahman – the sacred syllable OM.
With earnest effort hold the senses in check. Controlling the breath, regulate the vital activities. As a charioteer holds back his restive horses, so does a persevering aspirant hold back his mind.
Retire to a solitary place, such as a mountain cave or a sacred spot. The place must be protected from the wind and rain, and it must have a smooth, clean floor, free from pebbles and dust. It must not be damp, and it must be free from disturbing noises. It must be pleasing to the eye and quieting to the mind. Seated there, practice meditation and other spiritual exercises. As you practice meditation, you may see in vision forms resembling snow, crystals, smoke, fire, lightning, fireflies, the sun, the moon. These are signs that you are on your way to the revelation of Brahman.
As you become absorbed in meditation, you will realise that the Self is separate from the body and for this reason will not be affected by disease, old age or death.
The first signs of progress on the path of Yoga are health, a sense of physical lightness, clearness of complexion, a beautiful voice, an agreeable odour of the person, and freedom from craving.
As a soiled piece of metal, when it has been cleaned, shines brightly, so the dweller in the body, when he has realised the truth of the Self, loses his sorrow and becomes radiant with bliss.The yogi experiences directly the truth of Brahman by realising the light of the Self within. He is freed from all impurities – He is pure, the birthless, the bright.
He is the one God, present on the north, the east, the south and the west. He is the creator. He enters into all wombs. He alone is now born as all beings, and He alone is to be born as all beings in the future. He is within all persons as the inner Self, facing in all directions.
Let us adore the Lord, the luminous one, who is in fire, who is in water, who is in plants and trees, who pervades the whole universe. At the periods of creation and dissolution of the universe, He alone exists. Those who realise Him become immortal.
The Lord is one without a second. Within man, and within all other beings, He projects the universe, maintains it, and withdraws it into Himself.
His eyes are everywhere; His face, His arms, His feet are in every place. Out of Himself He has produced the heavens and the earth, and with His arms and His wings He holds them together.
He is the origin and support of the gods. He is the Lord of all. He confers bliss and wisdom upon those who are devoted to Him. He destroys their sins and their sorrows.
He punishes those who break His laws. He sees all and knows all. May He endow us with good thoughts!
This vast universe is a wheel. Upon it are all creatures that are subject to birth and death and rebirth. Round and round it turns, and never stops. It is the wheel of Brahman. As long as the individual self thinks it is separate from Brahman, it revolves upon the wheel in bondage to the laws of birth, death and rebirth. But when through the grace of Brahman it realises its identity with Him, it revolves upon the wheel no longer. It achieves immortality.
The Lord supports this universe, which is made up of the perishable and the imperishable, the manifest and the unmanifest. The individual soul, forgetful of the Lord, attaches itself to pleasure and thus is bound. When it comes to the Lord, it is freed from all its fetters.
Mind and matter, master and servant- both have existed from beginnigless time. The Maya that unites them has also existed from beginningless time. When all three- mind, matter, and Maya- are known as one with Brahman, then is it realised that the Self is infinite and has no part in action. Then it is revealed that the Self is all.
O Lord, Thou hast revealed Thy sacred syllable OM, which is one with Thee. In Thy hands it is a weapon with which to destroy ignorance. O protector of Thy devotees, do not conceal Thy benign person.
Thou art the Supreme Brahman. Thou art infinite. Thou hast assumed the forms of all creatures, remaining hidden in them. Thou prevadest all things. Thou art the one God of the universe. Those who realise Thee become immortal.
Said the great seer Svetasvatara:
I have known beyond all darkness, that great Person of golden effulgence. Only by knowing Him does one conquer death. There is no other way of escaping the wheel of birth, death and rebirth.There is nothing superior to Him, nothing different from Him, nothing subtler or greater than He. Alone He stands, changeless, self-luminous; He, the great one, fills this universe.
Though He fills this universe, He transcends it. He is untouched by its sorrows. He has no form. Those who know Him become immortal. Others remain in the depths of misery.
The Lord God, all-pervading and omnipresent, dwells in the heart of all beings. Full of grace, He ultimately gives liberation to all creatures by turning their faces forward Himself.He is the innermost Self. He is the great Lord. He it is that reveals the purity within the heart by means of which He, who is pure Being, may be reached. He is the ruler. He is the great light, shining forever.
This great Being, assuming the form of the size of a thumb, forever dwells in the heart of all creatures as their innermost Self. He can be known directly by the purified mind through spiritual discrimination. Knowing Him, men become immortal.
This great Being has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, and a thousand feet. He envelopes the universe. Though transcendent, He is to be meditated upon as residing in the lotus of the heart, at the centre of the body, ten fingers above the navel.
He alone is all this- what has been and what shall be. He has become the universe, yet He remains forever changeless, and is the Lord of immortality.
Without organs of sense, yet reflecting the activities of the senses, He is the Lord and ruler of all.He is the friend and refuge of all. He resides in the body, the city of nine gates. He sports in the world and without in innumerable forms. He is the Master, the ruler of the whole world, animate and inanimate.
He moves fast, though without feet. He grasps everything, though without hands. He sees everything , though without eyes. He hears everything, though without ears. He knows all that is, but no one knows Him. He is called the Supreme, the Great One.
Subtler than the subtlest, greater than the greatest, the Self is hidden in the heart of all creatures. Through His grace a man loses his cravings, transcends grief, and realises Him as Brahman Supreme.
If the truth of these scriptures are meditated upon by a man in the highest degree devoted to God, and (devoted) to his guru (spiritual teacher) as to his God, they will shine forth. They will shine forth indeed!
Om… peace – peace –peace.
Footnote from Ramana Maharshi;
Talk between the Master and two Moslems.
• Q. Has God a form?
• M. Who says so?
• Q. Well, if God has no form, is it proper to worship idols?
• M. Leave God alone because He is unknown. What about you? Have you a form?
• Q. Yes. I am this and so and so.
• M. So then, you are a man with limbs, about three and a half cubits high, with beard, etc. Is that so?
• Q. Certainly.
• M. Then do you find yourself so in deep sleep?
• Q. After waking, I perceive that I was asleep. Therefore, by inference I remained thus in deep sleep, also.
• M. If you are the body, why do they bury the corpse after death? The body must refuse to be buried.
• Q. No, I am the subtle jiva within the gross body.
• M. So you see that you are really formless; but you are at present identifying yourself with the body. So long as you are formful, (have a form) why should you not worship the formless God as being formful?
• {The questioner was perplexed.)
Extract from "Talks with Ramana Maharshi"
When it comes to Karma the following is also a useful clarification from the jnani point of view.
• M. See whose karma it is. You will find you are not the doer. Then you will be free. This requires Grace of God for which you should pray to Him, worship Him, and meditate on Him.
The karma which takes place without effort, i.e., involuntary action, is not binding.
Even a jnani is acting as seen by his bodily movements. There can be no karma without effort or without intentions (sankalpas). Therefore there are sankalpas for all. They are of two kinds: binding — bandha-hetu, and muktihetu — non-binding. The former must be given up and the latter must be cultivated. There is no fruit without previous karma; no karma without previous sankalpa. Even mukti must be the result of effort so long as the sense of doership persists.
(Emphasis mine.)
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Unity indicates the infinite,duality the finite.The infinite is eternal,the finite,temporal.
Here's a nice blog with quotes around non-duality;
http://moavahall.blogspot.com/
Here's a nice blog with quotes around non-duality;
http://moavahall.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Self-enquiry
Monday, May 02, 2005
Gallery of Saints
Ramana color picture
Sri Ramana Maharshi
The Forty Verses On Reality By Ramana Maharshi
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Sufism and Zen
Friday, April 29, 2005
All the world's a stage,as Sheakespeare(Sheikh's Pir) said.
Unity indicates the infinite,duality the finite.The infinite is eternal,the finite,temporal.
If you stand aloof as observer only, you will not suffer. You will see the world as a show, a most entertaining show indeed.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
If you stand aloof as observer only, you will not suffer. You will see the world as a show, a most entertaining show indeed.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Unity indicates the infinite,duality the finite.The infinite is eternal,the finite,temporal.
Here I am again,back at the old lappie.What am I doing here?Waking up from the siesta,enjoying the peace of the countryside.I would like to say,communicating..but that is supposed to be a two way business ...well ..anyway..
What about this ...
"The idea of responsibility is in your mind. You think there must be something or somebody solely responsible for all that happens. There is a contradiction between a multiple universe and a single cause. Either one or the other must be false. Or both. As I see it, it is all day-dreaming. There is no reality in ideas. The fact is that without you, neither the universe nor its cause could have come into being. " (Nis)
This , unfortunately I’m not completely in agreement with..I don’t see any necessary contradiction between a multiple universe and a single cause,either in the sense of a single cause at the beginning and a chain of responses or reactions..or in the sense of a God Who is the Controller and Cause of every minute thing as and when it happens. It all depends on one’s view of God and what is possible or impossible.I personally believe that anything is possible with God…and less than that would be to limit Him in a ridiculous way.
I suppose this is where one begins to talk of God in a way that is either limiting..or impossible to put into words..and Nisargadatta is always talking if the latter .. he tends to talk about any God as limited..but what he always talks about as The Supreme is part of my idea of God too..but the part which it is forbidden to talk about in Islam …Dhat ..or essence. .. let us say God in Himself.. which to me would nbe equivalent to Brahman..or the Absolute or whatever …
Perhaps this is an advantage for westerners who have lost all their religion,that they can see some common denominator in all religions without being so attached to any one form.
My particular problem is that if one does not practice any of them how does one affect one’s own conscience in terms of morality and thoughts and acts. A lot of what we see in the world today is a result of this non-religious type of thinking.
Stop imagining yourself being or doing this or that, and the realization that you are the source and heart of all will dawn upon you.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
This is also , although ultimately true,pretty hard to swallow,unless, I suppose,one is enlightened. … I’m not going to try to get into wether perhaps he just talking about anindividual consciousness being aware of things and when that consciousness ceases then for that individual consciousness the things cease to exist also..a) because I think Nis is talking about something far beyond that..and b) because it is an old cheesy philosophical concept which really can never be answered.
However ….
Here I am again,back at the old lappie.What am I doing here?Waking up from the siesta,enjoying the peace of the countryside.I would like to say,communicating..but that is supposed to be a two way business ...well ..anyway..
What about this ...
"The idea of responsibility is in your mind. You think there must be something or somebody solely responsible for all that happens. There is a contradiction between a multiple universe and a single cause. Either one or the other must be false. Or both. As I see it, it is all day-dreaming. There is no reality in ideas. The fact is that without you, neither the universe nor its cause could have come into being. " (Nis)
This , unfortunately I’m not completely in agreement with..I don’t see any necessary contradiction between a multiple universe and a single cause,either in the sense of a single cause at the beginning and a chain of responses or reactions..or in the sense of a God Who is the Controller and Cause of every minute thing as and when it happens. It all depends on one’s view of God and what is possible or impossible.I personally believe that anything is possible with God…and less than that would be to limit Him in a ridiculous way.
I suppose this is where one begins to talk of God in a way that is either limiting..or impossible to put into words..and Nisargadatta is always talking if the latter .. he tends to talk about any God as limited..but what he always talks about as The Supreme is part of my idea of God too..but the part which it is forbidden to talk about in Islam …Dhat ..or essence. .. let us say God in Himself.. which to me would nbe equivalent to Brahman..or the Absolute or whatever …
Perhaps this is an advantage for westerners who have lost all their religion,that they can see some common denominator in all religions without being so attached to any one form.
My particular problem is that if one does not practice any of them how does one affect one’s own conscience in terms of morality and thoughts and acts. A lot of what we see in the world today is a result of this non-religious type of thinking.
Stop imagining yourself being or doing this or that, and the realization that you are the source and heart of all will dawn upon you.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
This is also , although ultimately true,pretty hard to swallow,unless, I suppose,one is enlightened. … I’m not going to try to get into wether perhaps he just talking about anindividual consciousness being aware of things and when that consciousness ceases then for that individual consciousness the things cease to exist also..a) because I think Nis is talking about something far beyond that..and b) because it is an old cheesy philosophical concept which really can never be answered.
However ….
Sunday, April 24, 2005
He is One.
Unity indicates the infinite,duality the finite.The infinite is eternal,the finite,temporal.
In form you are the microcosm;in reality you are the macrocosm.-Mathnawi [IV, 521] (Islam/Sufism)
For the Self is everything.When the seeker knows this, He falls silent.He no longer thinks,"I am this, I am not that."Such thoughts melt away.-Ashtavakra Gita 18:9 (Hinduism/Advaita Vedanta)
If you are confused, there are a thousand differentiations, ten thousand distinctions. If you are enlightened, everything is the same one family.-Wu-chien
(Buddhism/Zen)
In form you are the microcosm;in reality you are the macrocosm.-Mathnawi [IV, 521] (Islam/Sufism)
For the Self is everything.When the seeker knows this, He falls silent.He no longer thinks,"I am this, I am not that."Such thoughts melt away.-Ashtavakra Gita 18:9 (Hinduism/Advaita Vedanta)
If you are confused, there are a thousand differentiations, ten thousand distinctions. If you are enlightened, everything is the same one family.-Wu-chien
(Buddhism/Zen)
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Chain of transmission.
Unity indicates the infinite,duality the finite.The infinite is eternal,the finite,temporal.
The unitive state cannot be attained through words or thoughts or through the eye.How can it be attained except through one who is established in this state himself ? - Katha Upanishad
The unitive state cannot be attained through words or thoughts or through the eye.How can it be attained except through one who is established in this state himself ? - Katha Upanishad
Friday, April 22, 2005
"I am." therefore He is. He is..therefore I am.
Unity indicates the infinite,duality the finite.The infinite is eternal,the finite,temporal.
We want to worship a living God. I have not seen anything but God all my life, nor have you. To see this chair you first see God, and then the chair in and through Him. He is everywhere, saying, "I am." The moment you feel "I am," you are conscious of Existence. Where shall we go to find God if we cannot see Him in our own hearts and in every living being?-Vivekananda
From "Teachings of the Hindu Mystics," © 2001 by Andrew Harvey. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.
We want to worship a living God. I have not seen anything but God all my life, nor have you. To see this chair you first see God, and then the chair in and through Him. He is everywhere, saying, "I am." The moment you feel "I am," you are conscious of Existence. Where shall we go to find God if we cannot see Him in our own hearts and in every living being?-Vivekananda
From "Teachings of the Hindu Mystics," © 2001 by Andrew Harvey. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Break the shell..then leave the nest!
Unity indicates the infinite,duality the finite.The infinite is eternal,the finite,temporal.
One word may convey several and even contradictory meanings. The "I am" that pursues the pleasant and shuns the unpleasant is false; the "I am" that sees pleasure and pain as inseparable sees rightly. The witness that is enmeshed in what he perceives is the person; the witness who stands aloof, unmoved and untouched is the watch-tower of the real, the point at which awareness, inherent in the unmanifested, contacts the manifested.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
All changes in consciousness are due to the "I-am-the-body" idea. Divested of this idea, the mind becomes steady. There is pure being, free of experiencing anything in particular.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Of course,the thing is,if one leaves the "I am the body." idea,then one has to leave also the five senses and the ego's search for comfort and pleasure.
Hmm...
[Once the person is eliminated] nothing will remain, all will remain. The sense of identity will remain, but no longer identification with a particular body. Being-awareness-love will shine in full splendour. Liberation is never of the person, it is always from the person. A vague memory [of the person] remains, like the memory of a dream, or early childhood. After all, what is there to remember? A flow of events, mostly accidental and meaningless. Is there anything worth remembering? The person is but a shell imprisoning you. Break the shell.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The shell?..!.. how this reminds me of my idea at what? seventeen years old,of the person as symbolised by an egg..The ego personality being the shell..the collective unconscious..or something archetypal and common to all humans being the white..and the real spiritual essence..that which is inseperable from That One .. the Atman - Brahman continuum ..being the yoke.
Break the shell and fly ..or,simply,stop living in the shell area of consciousness..believing that your ego is you and all there is to you ..Rubbish! Nonsense! .. There's so much more and it's all and everybody at the next level..and all and everything at the next level .. and then .......
The more you know yourself, the less you are afraid [of dying]. Of course, the agony of dying is never pleasant to look at, but the dying man is rarely conscious.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
As the Prophet peace be upon him, said,"Die before you die." .. Die to the illusion of this world..die to the illusion and the tyranny of the ego ..live in Him..The One The Only ..live in love and know that you are everything ..live in wisdom and know that you are nothing ..aaaahh!
Use your mind to know your mind. It is perfectly legitimate and also the best preparation for going beyond the mind.
Sri Nisargadatta MaharajFor people like me and probably you,(if you're reading this there must be some link or similarity) the mind or the intellectual path is the way to destroy the mind..the mind has to undo itself..destroy itself in its repeated impossible attempts to scale the walls of the castle of Truth..until finally,knowing that it is not 'the man for the job' it lies down exhausted and patiently waiting..submitted until that One who is inside simply lets down the drawbridge and invites one in..Now one is with One..one and One makes One ,not two
One word may convey several and even contradictory meanings. The "I am" that pursues the pleasant and shuns the unpleasant is false; the "I am" that sees pleasure and pain as inseparable sees rightly. The witness that is enmeshed in what he perceives is the person; the witness who stands aloof, unmoved and untouched is the watch-tower of the real, the point at which awareness, inherent in the unmanifested, contacts the manifested.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
All changes in consciousness are due to the "I-am-the-body" idea. Divested of this idea, the mind becomes steady. There is pure being, free of experiencing anything in particular.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Of course,the thing is,if one leaves the "I am the body." idea,then one has to leave also the five senses and the ego's search for comfort and pleasure.
Hmm...
[Once the person is eliminated] nothing will remain, all will remain. The sense of identity will remain, but no longer identification with a particular body. Being-awareness-love will shine in full splendour. Liberation is never of the person, it is always from the person. A vague memory [of the person] remains, like the memory of a dream, or early childhood. After all, what is there to remember? A flow of events, mostly accidental and meaningless. Is there anything worth remembering? The person is but a shell imprisoning you. Break the shell.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The shell?..!.. how this reminds me of my idea at what? seventeen years old,of the person as symbolised by an egg..The ego personality being the shell..the collective unconscious..or something archetypal and common to all humans being the white..and the real spiritual essence..that which is inseperable from That One .. the Atman - Brahman continuum ..being the yoke.
Break the shell and fly ..or,simply,stop living in the shell area of consciousness..believing that your ego is you and all there is to you ..Rubbish! Nonsense! .. There's so much more and it's all and everybody at the next level..and all and everything at the next level .. and then .......
The more you know yourself, the less you are afraid [of dying]. Of course, the agony of dying is never pleasant to look at, but the dying man is rarely conscious.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
As the Prophet peace be upon him, said,"Die before you die." .. Die to the illusion of this world..die to the illusion and the tyranny of the ego ..live in Him..The One The Only ..live in love and know that you are everything ..live in wisdom and know that you are nothing ..aaaahh!
Use your mind to know your mind. It is perfectly legitimate and also the best preparation for going beyond the mind.
Sri Nisargadatta MaharajFor people like me and probably you,(if you're reading this there must be some link or similarity) the mind or the intellectual path is the way to destroy the mind..the mind has to undo itself..destroy itself in its repeated impossible attempts to scale the walls of the castle of Truth..until finally,knowing that it is not 'the man for the job' it lies down exhausted and patiently waiting..submitted until that One who is inside simply lets down the drawbridge and invites one in..Now one is with One..one and One makes One ,not two
Searching for a means.
Unity indicates the infinite,duality the finite.The infinite is eternal,the finite,temporal.
The problem arises only when the memory of past pains and pleasures, which are essential to all organic life, remains as a reflex, dominating behaviour. This reflex takes the shape of "I" and uses the body and the mind for its purposes, which are invariably in search for pleasure or flight from pain. When you recognize the "I" as it is, a bundle of desires and fears, and the sense of "mine" as embracing all things and people needed for the purpose of avoiding pain and securing pleasure, you will see that the "I" and the "mine" are false ideas, having no foundation in reality. Created by the mind, they rule their creator as long as it takes them to be true; when questioned, they dissolve. The "I" and "mine", having no existence in themselves, need a support which they find in the body. The body becomes their point of reference. When you talk of "my" husband and "my children", you mean the body's husband and the body's children. Give up the idea of being the body and face the question: Who am I? At once a process will be set in motion which will bring back reality, or rather, will take mind to reality.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The world is but a show, glittering and empty. It is, and yet it is not. It is there as long as I want to see it and take part in it. When I cease caring, it dissolves. It has no cause and serves no purpose. It just happens when we are absent-minded. It appears exactly as it looks, but there is no depth in it, nor meaning. Only the onlooker is real, call him Self or Atma. To the Self, the world is but a colourful show, which he enjoys as long as it lasts and forgets when it is over. Whatever happens on the stage makes him shudder in terror or roll with laughter, yet all the time he is aware that it is but a show. Without desire or fear, he enjoys it, as it happens.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Here somehow, in my mind, there is a connection through to EFT ... because EFT helps to drop or dissolve the bundle of memories of pleasure and pain which have solidified to become the self image.. intimately connected to the idea of the body as oneself.
I'm not an enlightened person,but I'm damn sure that this is the right direction to get to that state.The knowledge it seems is programmed into the human being and .. sadly,or frustratingly or "angry-makingly" .. our crazy society does its level best to make us cover and forget that knowledge..That is the real 'kufr'.. that is the real covering of the only valuable knowledge that a human being has.The knowledge that all is one and that this world and its events are like a drama on a stage or a film on a screen. The knowledge that there is nothing but He ..that we are He and that there is no 'I' or we that really exist because nothing can exist or does exist beside Him..because that would be shirk or association..or polytheism..setting up some reality beside Him or His reality ..Hah!
" Thou art that." say the Hindu scriptures.. the vedas," Tat tvam asi ." "Ana al Haq." said Hallaj and they killed him for it! But these days..you can say what you like and they'll pat you on the back and give you another pill or they'll make a study in university and and add it to the pile of crap called anthropology or sociology or comparative religion .. but what they won't do is let anyone truly live that reality .. they won't let you spread the message..stop believing in this mad materialist society because it is not real ..It is set up in duality ..just like virtual reality on the computer screen is set up with nought and one ,nought and one, on and off, on and off..and from this simple basic duality of on/off, zero/one ..a whole 'virtual reality' is set up..It is a great big mithal..an example right in our faces to reflect the fact that man has discovered..(i.e ..dis-covered..or uncovered) a reality..of how the whole illusion of existence is set up in duality and now man, instead of trying to get to that real unitary reality ,has invented and developed another reality to escape into, ..'virtual reality' ..joder! ..but it's the wrong direction tio!
Rebel..go against duality..remember All is One! Only He exists..or ..if you like Brahman..or Om or Aum.. or God ..any name is not It ..It is The Nameless,The Changeless the Eternal Uncreated..The Emptiness..The Tao that is named is not the real Tao..
NOW begins the work!.. Be it. Feel it..Do it .. by whatever method that suits ..but know it and know it to be the truth as communicated by all mystics..
There is a Koranic verse which says.."Search for the means that will take you to Him."
All is He ..Thou art That ..your real self is The Self ..Brahman is Atman and Atman is Brahman.
All that interests me now is practice or method .. I think that this time it has to be my method .. whatever I've learned from whoever I've learned it..and applied to my everyday existence..Nisargadatta is one of the greatest and most uncompromising and perhaps most relevant and useful exponents ..
Ibn Arabi is great too. .. and of course Jalalu'din Rumi.
The problem arises only when the memory of past pains and pleasures, which are essential to all organic life, remains as a reflex, dominating behaviour. This reflex takes the shape of "I" and uses the body and the mind for its purposes, which are invariably in search for pleasure or flight from pain. When you recognize the "I" as it is, a bundle of desires and fears, and the sense of "mine" as embracing all things and people needed for the purpose of avoiding pain and securing pleasure, you will see that the "I" and the "mine" are false ideas, having no foundation in reality. Created by the mind, they rule their creator as long as it takes them to be true; when questioned, they dissolve. The "I" and "mine", having no existence in themselves, need a support which they find in the body. The body becomes their point of reference. When you talk of "my" husband and "my children", you mean the body's husband and the body's children. Give up the idea of being the body and face the question: Who am I? At once a process will be set in motion which will bring back reality, or rather, will take mind to reality.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The world is but a show, glittering and empty. It is, and yet it is not. It is there as long as I want to see it and take part in it. When I cease caring, it dissolves. It has no cause and serves no purpose. It just happens when we are absent-minded. It appears exactly as it looks, but there is no depth in it, nor meaning. Only the onlooker is real, call him Self or Atma. To the Self, the world is but a colourful show, which he enjoys as long as it lasts and forgets when it is over. Whatever happens on the stage makes him shudder in terror or roll with laughter, yet all the time he is aware that it is but a show. Without desire or fear, he enjoys it, as it happens.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Here somehow, in my mind, there is a connection through to EFT ... because EFT helps to drop or dissolve the bundle of memories of pleasure and pain which have solidified to become the self image.. intimately connected to the idea of the body as oneself.
I'm not an enlightened person,but I'm damn sure that this is the right direction to get to that state.The knowledge it seems is programmed into the human being and .. sadly,or frustratingly or "angry-makingly" .. our crazy society does its level best to make us cover and forget that knowledge..That is the real 'kufr'.. that is the real covering of the only valuable knowledge that a human being has.The knowledge that all is one and that this world and its events are like a drama on a stage or a film on a screen. The knowledge that there is nothing but He ..that we are He and that there is no 'I' or we that really exist because nothing can exist or does exist beside Him..because that would be shirk or association..or polytheism..setting up some reality beside Him or His reality ..Hah!
" Thou art that." say the Hindu scriptures.. the vedas," Tat tvam asi ." "Ana al Haq." said Hallaj and they killed him for it! But these days..you can say what you like and they'll pat you on the back and give you another pill or they'll make a study in university and and add it to the pile of crap called anthropology or sociology or comparative religion .. but what they won't do is let anyone truly live that reality .. they won't let you spread the message..stop believing in this mad materialist society because it is not real ..It is set up in duality ..just like virtual reality on the computer screen is set up with nought and one ,nought and one, on and off, on and off..and from this simple basic duality of on/off, zero/one ..a whole 'virtual reality' is set up..It is a great big mithal..an example right in our faces to reflect the fact that man has discovered..(i.e ..dis-covered..or uncovered) a reality..of how the whole illusion of existence is set up in duality and now man, instead of trying to get to that real unitary reality ,has invented and developed another reality to escape into, ..'virtual reality' ..joder! ..but it's the wrong direction tio!
Rebel..go against duality..remember All is One! Only He exists..or ..if you like Brahman..or Om or Aum.. or God ..any name is not It ..It is The Nameless,The Changeless the Eternal Uncreated..The Emptiness..The Tao that is named is not the real Tao..
NOW begins the work!.. Be it. Feel it..Do it .. by whatever method that suits ..but know it and know it to be the truth as communicated by all mystics..
There is a Koranic verse which says.."Search for the means that will take you to Him."
All is He ..Thou art That ..your real self is The Self ..Brahman is Atman and Atman is Brahman.
All that interests me now is practice or method .. I think that this time it has to be my method .. whatever I've learned from whoever I've learned it..and applied to my everyday existence..Nisargadatta is one of the greatest and most uncompromising and perhaps most relevant and useful exponents ..
Ibn Arabi is great too. .. and of course Jalalu'din Rumi.
Search for the means that will take you to Him.
Unity indicates the infinite,duality the finite.The infinite is eternal,the finite,temporal.
I'm trying to get a bit up from a Word doc that I use for Nisargadatta quotes and I've added a bit of my own to it.It seems that Blogger(or my old computer,is not having it ..so..I'll just post this and try a bit longer..If it won't have it ..I'll precis it and do it again.
I'm trying to get a bit up from a Word doc that I use for Nisargadatta quotes and I've added a bit of my own to it.It seems that Blogger(or my old computer,is not having it ..so..I'll just post this and try a bit longer..If it won't have it ..I'll precis it and do it again.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Brahman
The Advaita Ved�nta Home Page - Theories of Creation and Causality
The Advaita Ved�nta Home Page - Theories of Creation and Causality
O.K. .. here's some 'real' stuff on the question..which also throws some light on the same thing in Islamic sufism ..(so far as the mind can deal with it!)
O.K. .. here's some 'real' stuff on the question..which also throws some light on the same thing in Islamic sufism ..(so far as the mind can deal with it!)
Lord is Lord and servant is servant. (S.N.)
Unity indicates the infinite,duality the finite.The infinite is eternal,the finite,temporal.
One of the difficulties with the 'Oneness' concept is the easy excuse it becomes for not worshipping..or 'doing' anything about one's belief in a Supreme Being ..(perhaps it is the very word being that gives the clue to the answer here) ..the argument is the rather shaytanic one of,"If I am God already then why do I need to worship Him?"
Here is something on the subject...
Misunderstandings regarding the status of the World-process.
There has been a lot of misunderstanding regarding the status the phenomenal world in Advaita, even by some of it's modern proponents. According to this false interpretation in which the universe is considered nothing but illusion. Many people therefore reject Advaita as "illusionism". But in fact Shankara was a staunch empiricist and fully acknowledged the phenomenal reality of the world, God (Ishwara) etc. He was actually very critical of the Yogachara Buddhist position that the world is a subjective product of the mind). When Shankara discusses the reality or otherwise of the world of duality, he is talking from the point of view of his attainment of Enlightenment, according to which the world-process really did appear unreal or false. But as far as the ordinary consciousness goes, Advaita propounds pragmatic realism, including worship of deities separate from oneself, etc.
What Sheikh Nazim always says about this is,"The Lord is always the Lord and the servant is always the servant."
By rhyming language we know that "The rope is always the rope and the serpent is always the serpent." !
My way of resolving it is to say that what Islam says rings true..even though nothing exists except Him..He created us in this illusory form in order to test us and..see if we can remember where we came from and worship Him ..etc etc blah blah blah ..
One of the difficulties with the 'Oneness' concept is the easy excuse it becomes for not worshipping..or 'doing' anything about one's belief in a Supreme Being ..(perhaps it is the very word being that gives the clue to the answer here) ..the argument is the rather shaytanic one of,"If I am God already then why do I need to worship Him?"
Here is something on the subject...
Misunderstandings regarding the status of the World-process.
There has been a lot of misunderstanding regarding the status the phenomenal world in Advaita, even by some of it's modern proponents. According to this false interpretation in which the universe is considered nothing but illusion. Many people therefore reject Advaita as "illusionism". But in fact Shankara was a staunch empiricist and fully acknowledged the phenomenal reality of the world, God (Ishwara) etc. He was actually very critical of the Yogachara Buddhist position that the world is a subjective product of the mind). When Shankara discusses the reality or otherwise of the world of duality, he is talking from the point of view of his attainment of Enlightenment, according to which the world-process really did appear unreal or false. But as far as the ordinary consciousness goes, Advaita propounds pragmatic realism, including worship of deities separate from oneself, etc.
What Sheikh Nazim always says about this is,"The Lord is always the Lord and the servant is always the servant."
By rhyming language we know that "The rope is always the rope and the serpent is always the serpent." !
My way of resolving it is to say that what Islam says rings true..even though nothing exists except Him..He created us in this illusory form in order to test us and..see if we can remember where we came from and worship Him ..etc etc blah blah blah ..
All in all.
Unity indicates the infinite,duality the finite.The infinite is eternal,the finite,temporal.
I find that somehow, by shifting the focus of attention, I become the very thing I look at, and experience the kind of consciousness it has; I become the inner witness of the thing. I call this capacity of entering other focal points of consciousness, love; you may give it any name you like. Love says "I am everything". Wisdom says "I am nothing". Between the two, my life flows. Since at any point of time and space I can be both the subject and the object of experience, I express it by saying that I am both, and neither, and beyond both. --Nisargadatta Maharaj
That's it you see..Love .. the universal appeal of Rumi .."I am everything.." ... and then that tough thing of Sheikh Nazim's.. wisdom.."I am nothing.." ..whew!
and the ..Oneness..non-duality ..beyond everything..just 'being'
It's so curious how all this stuff just rings true because it is almost exactly what I discovered .. or what was revealed to me..or whatever language one may chosse to express it .. when I was about seventeen ..
I said Zen and hash at the beginning of my story .. because it summed up two of the big influences that were around at the time .. I think it is an archetypal knowledge that is inherent in ..'programmed into', if you like .. the human being.
I think it is the core reality of the way the universe and existence and 'reality' works ..
Reality with a capital R is One and reality of our day to day consciousness and the world, which seems so solid, which we habitually percieve, is set up in duality ..the 'trick' is to move out of the duality and apprehend the unity .. in whatever way possible..
Nisargadatta's way ..which seems simple and useful and highly adaptable/adapted to present day circumstances..is just to concentrate on the feeling "I am" as emphasised by his master ..
Rumi's way of saying it is "Who's this speaking through my mouth? Who's this hearing through my ears?"
When we are convinced..as Ibn Arabi points out ,that we are not ..and that only 'He' is then at least we get the chance to start to live that reality ..only remembering Him ..or staying with the feeling 'I am' ..or as Gurdjieff put it in the title of one of his books .."Life is real then only when I am."
etc etc etc .. now do it! ..
Buddha pointed to the same thing.. and gave a path which,recognising the 'oneness' of all things ..and the interconnectedness of all things..advised people to be thoughtful compassionate and kind towards all living things.. as well as emphasising the unreality and the temporariness of our physical vehicle,non-attachment to it and all material things ..and meditation to help break down the minds veil of dualistic functioning..
My Sheikh's sheikh was angry at him for removing a stone from the road (considered a good action in Islam) because he kicked it..he ordered him to use his hand..In Islam it is said in the Koran that everything in the creation is glorifying Allah..this then includes stones and indicates that in some way,they too have life.
Seest thou not that it is Allah whose praises all beings in the heavens and on earth do celebrate, and the birds (of the air) with wings outspread? Each one knows its own (mode of) prayer and praise. And Allah knows well all that they do.-Qur'an, Light, Surah 24:41
Once the prophet PBUH held out a handful of pebbles and his companions were able to hear their glorification.
Ibn Arabi says that if the glorification that you hear from the creation is the same as your own,then it is not real..but when you can hear the different 'dhikrs' of all the various things,the, that is the real hearing.
I find that somehow, by shifting the focus of attention, I become the very thing I look at, and experience the kind of consciousness it has; I become the inner witness of the thing. I call this capacity of entering other focal points of consciousness, love; you may give it any name you like. Love says "I am everything". Wisdom says "I am nothing". Between the two, my life flows. Since at any point of time and space I can be both the subject and the object of experience, I express it by saying that I am both, and neither, and beyond both. --Nisargadatta Maharaj
That's it you see..Love .. the universal appeal of Rumi .."I am everything.." ... and then that tough thing of Sheikh Nazim's.. wisdom.."I am nothing.." ..whew!
and the ..Oneness..non-duality ..beyond everything..just 'being'
It's so curious how all this stuff just rings true because it is almost exactly what I discovered .. or what was revealed to me..or whatever language one may chosse to express it .. when I was about seventeen ..
I said Zen and hash at the beginning of my story .. because it summed up two of the big influences that were around at the time .. I think it is an archetypal knowledge that is inherent in ..'programmed into', if you like .. the human being.
I think it is the core reality of the way the universe and existence and 'reality' works ..
Reality with a capital R is One and reality of our day to day consciousness and the world, which seems so solid, which we habitually percieve, is set up in duality ..the 'trick' is to move out of the duality and apprehend the unity .. in whatever way possible..
Nisargadatta's way ..which seems simple and useful and highly adaptable/adapted to present day circumstances..is just to concentrate on the feeling "I am" as emphasised by his master ..
Rumi's way of saying it is "Who's this speaking through my mouth? Who's this hearing through my ears?"
When we are convinced..as Ibn Arabi points out ,that we are not ..and that only 'He' is then at least we get the chance to start to live that reality ..only remembering Him ..or staying with the feeling 'I am' ..or as Gurdjieff put it in the title of one of his books .."Life is real then only when I am."
etc etc etc .. now do it! ..
Buddha pointed to the same thing.. and gave a path which,recognising the 'oneness' of all things ..and the interconnectedness of all things..advised people to be thoughtful compassionate and kind towards all living things.. as well as emphasising the unreality and the temporariness of our physical vehicle,non-attachment to it and all material things ..and meditation to help break down the minds veil of dualistic functioning..
My Sheikh's sheikh was angry at him for removing a stone from the road (considered a good action in Islam) because he kicked it..he ordered him to use his hand..In Islam it is said in the Koran that everything in the creation is glorifying Allah..this then includes stones and indicates that in some way,they too have life.
Seest thou not that it is Allah whose praises all beings in the heavens and on earth do celebrate, and the birds (of the air) with wings outspread? Each one knows its own (mode of) prayer and praise. And Allah knows well all that they do.-Qur'an, Light, Surah 24:41
Once the prophet PBUH held out a handful of pebbles and his companions were able to hear their glorification.
Ibn Arabi says that if the glorification that you hear from the creation is the same as your own,then it is not real..but when you can hear the different 'dhikrs' of all the various things,the, that is the real hearing.
Nisargadatta Maharaj
advaita
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
"Whoso knoweth himself." Ibn Arabi.
Unity indicates the infinite,duality the finite.The infinite is eternal,the finite,temporal.
Bismi'llah arRahman arRahim. There is no refuge from Allah but in Him.
After explaining that there is really nothing in existence except Allah..and therefore there is nothing to know Him except Himself by Himself through Himself .... Ibn Arabi says .."And for this the Prophet PBUH said:"Whoso knoweth himself knoweth his Lord." And he said PBUH "I know my Lord by my Lord."The Prophet PBUH points out by that that thou art not thou:thou art He,without thou;not He entering into thee,nor thou entering into Him,nor He proceeding forth from thee,nor thou proceeding forth from Him.And it is not meant by that,that thou art ought that exists or thine attributes ought that exists,but it is meant by it that thou never wast nor will be,wether by thyself or through Him or in Him or along with Him.Thou art neither ceasing to be nor still existing.Thou art He, without one of these limitations.Then if thou know thine existence thus,then thou knowest God;and if not,then not."
K?
Bismi'llah arRahman arRahim. There is no refuge from Allah but in Him.
After explaining that there is really nothing in existence except Allah..and therefore there is nothing to know Him except Himself by Himself through Himself .... Ibn Arabi says .."And for this the Prophet PBUH said:"Whoso knoweth himself knoweth his Lord." And he said PBUH "I know my Lord by my Lord."The Prophet PBUH points out by that that thou art not thou:thou art He,without thou;not He entering into thee,nor thou entering into Him,nor He proceeding forth from thee,nor thou proceeding forth from Him.And it is not meant by that,that thou art ought that exists or thine attributes ought that exists,but it is meant by it that thou never wast nor will be,wether by thyself or through Him or in Him or along with Him.Thou art neither ceasing to be nor still existing.Thou art He, without one of these limitations.Then if thou know thine existence thus,then thou knowest God;and if not,then not."
K?
Intuitive knowledge.My story.
Unity indicates the infinite,duality the finite.The infinite is eternal,the finite,temporal.
Let's see if after my siesta I can try to put down something about my story with ,on the one side,the human being as an egg..three layered being ..and on the other the realisation of duality and the first attempts to solve that problem .. In the end it is not really Zen that resolves it for me..and sufism I still can't really say ..but Advaita Vedanta seems to have it for me.There was some interesting stuff also on one site this morning around the traditional teachings of advaita on Brahman as creator ..I may have to take quotes at first to communicate this aspect...but it is certainly also very near to what I somehow have 'deep in my soul'.
Let's see if after my siesta I can try to put down something about my story with ,on the one side,the human being as an egg..three layered being ..and on the other the realisation of duality and the first attempts to solve that problem .. In the end it is not really Zen that resolves it for me..and sufism I still can't really say ..but Advaita Vedanta seems to have it for me.There was some interesting stuff also on one site this morning around the traditional teachings of advaita on Brahman as creator ..I may have to take quotes at first to communicate this aspect...but it is certainly also very near to what I somehow have 'deep in my soul'.
Thou art That.
Unity indicates the infinite,duality the finite.The infinite is eternal,the finite,temporal.
Believe me, there is no goal, nor a way to reach it. You are the way and the goal, there is nothing else to reach except yourself. All you need is to understand, and understanding is the flowering of the mind. The tree is perennial, but the flowering and the fruit-bearing come in season. The seasons change, but not the tree. You are the tree. You have grown numberless branches and leaves in the past, and you may grow them also in the future - yet you remain. Not what was, or shall be, must you know, but what is. Yours is the desire that creates the universe. Know the world as your own creation and be free.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Believe me, there is no goal, nor a way to reach it. You are the way and the goal, there is nothing else to reach except yourself. All you need is to understand, and understanding is the flowering of the mind. The tree is perennial, but the flowering and the fruit-bearing come in season. The seasons change, but not the tree. You are the tree. You have grown numberless branches and leaves in the past, and you may grow them also in the future - yet you remain. Not what was, or shall be, must you know, but what is. Yours is the desire that creates the universe. Know the world as your own creation and be free.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Unity in Advaita Vedanta.
Unity indicates the infinite,duality the finite.The infinite is eternal,the finite,temporal.
Hre is a nice piece from http://vedanta.org
The Oneness of Existence: Unity in Diversity
The unity of existence is one of the great themes of Vedanta and an essential pillar of its philosophy. Unity is the song of life; it is the grand theme underlying the rich variations that exist throughout the cosmos. Whatever we see, whatever we experience, is only a manifestation of this eternal oneness. The divinity at the core of our being is the same divinity that illumines the sun, the moon, and the stars. There is no place where we, infinite in nature, do not exist.
While the concept of oneness may be intellectually appealing, it is nevertheless difficult to put into practice. It's no hardship to feel oneness with great and noble beings or those we already love. It's also not too much of a stretch to experience a sense of unity with the trees, the ocean, and the sky. But most of us balk at experiencing oneness with the cockroach or the rat—let alone the obnoxious co-worker whom we barely tolerate. Yet this is precisely where we need to apply Vedanta's teachings and realize that all these manifold aspects of creation are united in and through divinity. The Self that is within me, the Atman, is the same Self that is within you—no matter whether the "you" in question is a saint, a murderer, a cat, a fly, a tree, or that irritating driver at the four-way stop.
"The Self is everywhere," says the Isha Upanishad. "Whoever sees all beings in the Self, and the Self in all beings, hates none. For one who sees oneness everywhere, how can there be delusion or grief?"
All fear and all misery arise from our sense of separation from the great cosmic unity, the web of being that enfolds us. "There is fear from the second," says the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Duality, our sense of separation from the rest of creation, is always a misperception since it implies that something exists other than God. There can be no other. "This grand preaching, the oneness of things, making us one with everything that exists, is the great lesson to learn," said Swami Vivekananda a century ago.
. . . . The Self is the essence of this universe, the essence of all souls . . . You are one with this universe. He who says he is different from others, even by a hair's breadth, immediately becomes miserable. Happiness belongs to him who knows this oneness, who knows he is one with this universe.
Hre is a nice piece from http://vedanta.org
The Oneness of Existence: Unity in Diversity
The unity of existence is one of the great themes of Vedanta and an essential pillar of its philosophy. Unity is the song of life; it is the grand theme underlying the rich variations that exist throughout the cosmos. Whatever we see, whatever we experience, is only a manifestation of this eternal oneness. The divinity at the core of our being is the same divinity that illumines the sun, the moon, and the stars. There is no place where we, infinite in nature, do not exist.
While the concept of oneness may be intellectually appealing, it is nevertheless difficult to put into practice. It's no hardship to feel oneness with great and noble beings or those we already love. It's also not too much of a stretch to experience a sense of unity with the trees, the ocean, and the sky. But most of us balk at experiencing oneness with the cockroach or the rat—let alone the obnoxious co-worker whom we barely tolerate. Yet this is precisely where we need to apply Vedanta's teachings and realize that all these manifold aspects of creation are united in and through divinity. The Self that is within me, the Atman, is the same Self that is within you—no matter whether the "you" in question is a saint, a murderer, a cat, a fly, a tree, or that irritating driver at the four-way stop.
"The Self is everywhere," says the Isha Upanishad. "Whoever sees all beings in the Self, and the Self in all beings, hates none. For one who sees oneness everywhere, how can there be delusion or grief?"
All fear and all misery arise from our sense of separation from the great cosmic unity, the web of being that enfolds us. "There is fear from the second," says the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Duality, our sense of separation from the rest of creation, is always a misperception since it implies that something exists other than God. There can be no other. "This grand preaching, the oneness of things, making us one with everything that exists, is the great lesson to learn," said Swami Vivekananda a century ago.
. . . . The Self is the essence of this universe, the essence of all souls . . . You are one with this universe. He who says he is different from others, even by a hair's breadth, immediately becomes miserable. Happiness belongs to him who knows this oneness, who knows he is one with this universe.
Monday, April 18, 2005
More wisdom from the source.
Unity indicates the infinite,duality the finite.The infinite is eternal,the finite,temporal.
The witness attitude is also faith; it is faith in oneself. You believe that you are not what you experience, and you look at everything as from a distance. There is no effort in witnessing. You understand that you are the witness only, and the understanding acts. You need nothing more, just remember that you are the witness only. If in the state of witnessing you ask yourself 'Who am I?', the answer comes at once, though it is wordless and silent. Cease to be the object and become the subject of all that happens; once having turned within, you will find yourself beyond the subject. When you have found yourself, you will find that you are also beyond the object, that both the subject and the object exist in you, but you are neither.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The witness attitude is also faith; it is faith in oneself. You believe that you are not what you experience, and you look at everything as from a distance. There is no effort in witnessing. You understand that you are the witness only, and the understanding acts. You need nothing more, just remember that you are the witness only. If in the state of witnessing you ask yourself 'Who am I?', the answer comes at once, though it is wordless and silent. Cease to be the object and become the subject of all that happens; once having turned within, you will find yourself beyond the subject. When you have found yourself, you will find that you are also beyond the object, that both the subject and the object exist in you, but you are neither.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Turn away from desires and fears.
Unity indicates the infinite,duality the finite.The infinite is eternal,the finite,temporal.
Nothings stops you from being a gnani here and now, except fear. You are afraid of being impersonal, of impersonal being. It is all quite simple. Turn away from your desires and fears and from the thoughts they create and you are at once in your natural state.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Nothings stops you from being a gnani here and now, except fear. You are afraid of being impersonal, of impersonal being. It is all quite simple. Turn away from your desires and fears and from the thoughts they create and you are at once in your natural state.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Why am I trying to chop it all up?
Unity indicates the infinite,duality the finite.The infinite is eternal,the finite,temporal.
In reality only the Ultimate is. The rest is a matter of name and form. And as long as you cling to the idea that only what has a name and shape exists, the Supreme will appear to you non-existing. When you understand that names and shapes are hollow shells without any content whatsoever, and what is real is nameless and shapeless, pure energy of life and light of consciousness, you will be at peace -immersed in the deep silence of reality.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Why am I trying to chop it all up?I have known the truth for so long now..I must really try to live it.For me at the moment that means recognising that nothing but The Supreme..(as he calls it) will bring satisfaction..everything else is just passing desires and fears and plans to bring one and avoid the other if referring to the future,which is my greatest pre-occupation now..When referring to the past .. (which I have greatly finished with..as it can't be brought back or changed) .. it is only sadness or regret.
We all know it is about living in the present..but..that means living with Him/It ,,what Buddha refused to name,because it is nameless..
Living in the present with the nameless causeless timeless spaceless non-dual Reality ..that's what it is about.
K?
In reality only the Ultimate is. The rest is a matter of name and form. And as long as you cling to the idea that only what has a name and shape exists, the Supreme will appear to you non-existing. When you understand that names and shapes are hollow shells without any content whatsoever, and what is real is nameless and shapeless, pure energy of life and light of consciousness, you will be at peace -immersed in the deep silence of reality.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Why am I trying to chop it all up?I have known the truth for so long now..I must really try to live it.For me at the moment that means recognising that nothing but The Supreme..(as he calls it) will bring satisfaction..everything else is just passing desires and fears and plans to bring one and avoid the other if referring to the future,which is my greatest pre-occupation now..When referring to the past .. (which I have greatly finished with..as it can't be brought back or changed) .. it is only sadness or regret.
We all know it is about living in the present..but..that means living with Him/It ,,what Buddha refused to name,because it is nameless..
Living in the present with the nameless causeless timeless spaceless non-dual Reality ..that's what it is about.
K?
Unity indicates the infinite,duality the finite.The infinite is eternal,the finite,temporal.
[One reaches the Supreme state] by renouncing all lesser desires. As long as you are pleased with the lesser, you cannot have the highest. Whatever pleases you keeps you back. Until you realize the unsatisfactoriness of everything, its transiency and limitation, and collect your energies in one great longing, ever the first step is not made. On the other hand, the integrity of the desire for the Supreme is by itself a call from the Supreme. Nothing, physical or mental, can give you freedom. You are free once you understand that your bondage is of your own making and cease forging the chains that bind you.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Yesterday I was reading one of these wonderful quotes from Nisargadatta Maharaj and ...how was it?..He said something like..You can't know the knower because you are the knower..but the knowing is proof of the existence of the knower just as colours are proof of the existence of light.
[One reaches the Supreme state] by renouncing all lesser desires. As long as you are pleased with the lesser, you cannot have the highest. Whatever pleases you keeps you back. Until you realize the unsatisfactoriness of everything, its transiency and limitation, and collect your energies in one great longing, ever the first step is not made. On the other hand, the integrity of the desire for the Supreme is by itself a call from the Supreme. Nothing, physical or mental, can give you freedom. You are free once you understand that your bondage is of your own making and cease forging the chains that bind you.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Yesterday I was reading one of these wonderful quotes from Nisargadatta Maharaj and ...how was it?..He said something like..You can't know the knower because you are the knower..but the knowing is proof of the existence of the knower just as colours are proof of the existence of light.
Oneness of the source of His Names.
Unity indicates the infinite,duality the finite.The infinite is eternal,the finite,temporal.
Yes .. here is an article of interest shedding light on the infinitude of His Names and how they all indicate the source.
http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Islam_and_Hinduism/id/50222
Once the prophet (PBUH) was in a room with some companions and in the adjacent room was a sick man.The man was groaning and the companions were concerned that the noise should not disturb the Prophet SAWS. so they said they were going to ask him to be quiet.The Prophet SAWS told them to leave him alone as even the groan of the sick man is one of the names of Allah.
Yes .. here is an article of interest shedding light on the infinitude of His Names and how they all indicate the source.
http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Islam_and_Hinduism/id/50222
Once the prophet (PBUH) was in a room with some companions and in the adjacent room was a sick man.The man was groaning and the companions were concerned that the noise should not disturb the Prophet SAWS. so they said they were going to ask him to be quiet.The Prophet SAWS told them to leave him alone as even the groan of the sick man is one of the names of Allah.
Friday, April 15, 2005
Daily Zen.
Unity indicates the infinite,duality the finite.The infinite is eternal,the finite,temporal.
Here's a nice piece from the "Daily Zen." site.They are kind enough to send me stuff like this free of charge and sometimes it offers one a respite in the middle of all the daily whirring of the mental wheels.
The Ultimate Way Yuan-wu (1063-1135)
The ultimate Way is simple and easy, yet profoundly deep. From the beginning it does not set up steps. Penetrate directly through to freedom and make it so that there is not the slightest obstruction at any time, twenty-four hours a day, with the realization pervading in all directions.
Then your heart will be clear, comprehending the present and the past. Picking up a blade of grass, you can use it for the body of Buddha; taking the body of the Buddha, you can use it as a blade of grass. From the first there is no superiority or inferiority, no grasping or rejection.
When your insight penetrates freely and its application is clear, then even in the middle of complexity and complication, you yourself can move freely without sticking or lingering anywhere. Thus, without setting up any rigid views or maintaining any state, respond freely: "when the wind blows, the grasses bend."
When you enter enlightenment in actual practice, you penetrate to the profound source, cultivating this until you realize freedom of mind, harboring nothing in your heart. Did the Zen founder actually "bring" this teaching when he came to China from India? He just pointed directly to the inherent nature in every one of us, clear and clean, to not be stained by so much false knowledge and false consciousness, delusory conceptions, and judgments.
Study must be true study. Open your heart, without the slightest sense of the ordinary or the holy and see for yourself. When you do not seek outside, real truth is always there, resting peacefully, immutable. No one can block this realization, not even a thousand sages or teachers; having attained a pure, clean and naked state, you pass through to the other side of the empty eon. Why even speak of seeking from others?
The Zen masters were all like this, ever since the founders. Take the example of the Sixth Patriarch: he was an illiterate woodcutter in south China, but when he came and met the Fifth Patriarch, at their first meeting he opened his heart and clearly passed through to freedom.
Once you merge your tracks in the stream of Zen, spend the days silencing your mind and studying with your whole being, knowing this great cause is not attained from anyone else. It is just a matter of bearing up bravely and strongly, day by day dropping away, like pure gold smelted and refined thousands of times.
This work lies in one's conduct: in everyday life's varied mix of myriad circumstances, in the dusty hubbub, amidst the ups and downs of situations. Be present and clear without being too distracted by any of it. Actively transmute confusion into clarity. Keep to the middle way, immune to outside influences; this is your
On reaching emptiness, there is no duality between noise and quiet. Even when it comes to extraordinary words, marvelous statements, unique acts, and absolute perspectives, you just level them with one measure. Ultimately they have no right or wrong, it's all in how you use them.
When you have continued grinding and polishing yourself like this for a long time, you will be free in the midst of birth and death and look upon society's useless honor and ruinous profit as like dust in the wind, phantoms in dreams, flowers in the sky. Passing unattached through the world, would you not then be a great saint who has left the dusts?
When Zen study reaches this point, one is flexible, compassionate, and empty, not susceptible to human deceptions.
Yuan-wu (1063-1135)
— Excerpted from "The Five Houses of Zen" Trans by Thomas Cleary
Here's a nice piece from the "Daily Zen." site.They are kind enough to send me stuff like this free of charge and sometimes it offers one a respite in the middle of all the daily whirring of the mental wheels.
The Ultimate Way Yuan-wu (1063-1135)
The ultimate Way is simple and easy, yet profoundly deep. From the beginning it does not set up steps. Penetrate directly through to freedom and make it so that there is not the slightest obstruction at any time, twenty-four hours a day, with the realization pervading in all directions.
Then your heart will be clear, comprehending the present and the past. Picking up a blade of grass, you can use it for the body of Buddha; taking the body of the Buddha, you can use it as a blade of grass. From the first there is no superiority or inferiority, no grasping or rejection.
When your insight penetrates freely and its application is clear, then even in the middle of complexity and complication, you yourself can move freely without sticking or lingering anywhere. Thus, without setting up any rigid views or maintaining any state, respond freely: "when the wind blows, the grasses bend."
When you enter enlightenment in actual practice, you penetrate to the profound source, cultivating this until you realize freedom of mind, harboring nothing in your heart. Did the Zen founder actually "bring" this teaching when he came to China from India? He just pointed directly to the inherent nature in every one of us, clear and clean, to not be stained by so much false knowledge and false consciousness, delusory conceptions, and judgments.
Study must be true study. Open your heart, without the slightest sense of the ordinary or the holy and see for yourself. When you do not seek outside, real truth is always there, resting peacefully, immutable. No one can block this realization, not even a thousand sages or teachers; having attained a pure, clean and naked state, you pass through to the other side of the empty eon. Why even speak of seeking from others?
The Zen masters were all like this, ever since the founders. Take the example of the Sixth Patriarch: he was an illiterate woodcutter in south China, but when he came and met the Fifth Patriarch, at their first meeting he opened his heart and clearly passed through to freedom.
Once you merge your tracks in the stream of Zen, spend the days silencing your mind and studying with your whole being, knowing this great cause is not attained from anyone else. It is just a matter of bearing up bravely and strongly, day by day dropping away, like pure gold smelted and refined thousands of times.
This work lies in one's conduct: in everyday life's varied mix of myriad circumstances, in the dusty hubbub, amidst the ups and downs of situations. Be present and clear without being too distracted by any of it. Actively transmute confusion into clarity. Keep to the middle way, immune to outside influences; this is your
On reaching emptiness, there is no duality between noise and quiet. Even when it comes to extraordinary words, marvelous statements, unique acts, and absolute perspectives, you just level them with one measure. Ultimately they have no right or wrong, it's all in how you use them.
When you have continued grinding and polishing yourself like this for a long time, you will be free in the midst of birth and death and look upon society's useless honor and ruinous profit as like dust in the wind, phantoms in dreams, flowers in the sky. Passing unattached through the world, would you not then be a great saint who has left the dusts?
When Zen study reaches this point, one is flexible, compassionate, and empty, not susceptible to human deceptions.
Yuan-wu (1063-1135)
— Excerpted from "The Five Houses of Zen" Trans by Thomas Cleary
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Unity,infinite,duality,finite.Infinite,eternal,finite,temporal.
Said the sage Sanatkumara to Narada:"Where one realizes the indivisible unity of life, sees nothing else, hears nothing else,knows nothing else, that is the Infinite. Where one sees separateness, hears separateness,knows separateness, that is the finite. The Infinite is beyond death, but the finite cannot escape death."-Chandogya Upanishad
Excerpted from The Upanishads, translated by Eknath Easwaran. Reprinted with permission from Nilgiri Press.
Excerpted from The Upanishads, translated by Eknath Easwaran. Reprinted with permission from Nilgiri Press.
Oneness and nothingness.
BRR.
So then .. all these years trying to go beyond duality,,seeing The One everywhere("Wherever you look there is His face." says the Koran.) ..What about zero then?
I wontget into it all now but,If no;1 is The Magician. and no;2 is The Fool....Bah! Theory ...
So then .. all these years trying to go beyond duality,,seeing The One everywhere("Wherever you look there is His face." says the Koran.) ..What about zero then?
I wontget into it all now but,If no;1 is The Magician. and no;2 is The Fool....Bah! Theory ...
Monday, April 11, 2005
Bismi'llah.
Bismi'llah arRahman arRahim.
For the sake of Muhammad ,blessings and peace of Allah be upon him and all his family,and for the sake of Sheikh Nazim al Haqqani,may Allah protect his secret.
05.35.Hrs.
Here is the beginning of what could be my way of working as Sheikh instructed.
I know that I can copy and paste this into my blog.
What I don't know yet is wether I can put photos in a Word document and then copy and paste them with the rest.Somehow I don't think so,yet ...but I could take the photos and then send them through Picasa.Therefore if I just get a battery for this dear old thing ..I could take it anywhere and sit anywhere and write.Take photos anywhere and then take both to the internet cafe and one on a floppy and the other on whatever one uses and send them ..daily or whatever is available.I could start practicing this summer if I get a camera.Show where we work and the compañeros etc.write a bit about them.Practice for something similar in the Islamic/sufi world.
That way also ,not only am I not tied to the internet and the desk all day,but I would also have my diary much safer on my hard disk and always have that as a backup when Blogger goes squew whiff and hopefully plus a backup copy on disk if I go squew whiff!
Let's see what happens this way ..(the photo was the first one to come up)
Of course the photo did not go in ...but ..it's still a good way to work.
06.00Hrs.
Another thing is that I would have my posts in the right order.Certainly that (this) blog is a nice simple clear one.I am very 'coldified' this morning and that is probably enough for now.
Interesting that I was doing EFT tapping ..(or a slightly adapted version which just involves pressing and rubbing the points) when I thought of this so clearly.(Astaghfiru'llah that I should imply that this is the cause of it when I know that Allah is the first cause of all but this is the medium,His medium,perhaps I could say,for helping me in the right direction.)
I was doing the 'tapping' for "Even though I don't want to do anything." which seems true .. but only when I am berating and hurting myself.(Interesting the outcrop of people actually physically hurting themselves with cutting and burning and such things amongst young people in our crazy society..what is that?..a guilt thing or what?..Also leads on to discussion of suffering and purification as well as 'conscious suffering'. ..but those are other topics.)
Sheikh says that we should do what we love ..that we should love our work.I must say I love writing and photos.With the old digi things could be a lot easier.
Also ..I believe in The One ..(there,I've said it..!) ..I know that it is a name/facet of Allah Who is All and much more than that ..beyond what we can ever imagine (Allahu Akbar!) and perhaps in wanting the Truth ..(which somehow I will try to get to/explain or describe, in another place ..on "Personal Stuff" for instance) I was apparently 'biting off more than I could chew' .. but ...(that Geko is making that noise behind the cupboard by the front door and I think it will drive me mad soon...the connection with the hadith of the Prophet saws and Abraham and the fire ..!)
For the sake of Muhammad ,blessings and peace of Allah be upon him and all his family,and for the sake of Sheikh Nazim al Haqqani,may Allah protect his secret.
05.35.Hrs.
Here is the beginning of what could be my way of working as Sheikh instructed.
I know that I can copy and paste this into my blog.
What I don't know yet is wether I can put photos in a Word document and then copy and paste them with the rest.Somehow I don't think so,yet ...but I could take the photos and then send them through Picasa.Therefore if I just get a battery for this dear old thing ..I could take it anywhere and sit anywhere and write.Take photos anywhere and then take both to the internet cafe and one on a floppy and the other on whatever one uses and send them ..daily or whatever is available.I could start practicing this summer if I get a camera.Show where we work and the compañeros etc.write a bit about them.Practice for something similar in the Islamic/sufi world.
That way also ,not only am I not tied to the internet and the desk all day,but I would also have my diary much safer on my hard disk and always have that as a backup when Blogger goes squew whiff and hopefully plus a backup copy on disk if I go squew whiff!
Let's see what happens this way ..(the photo was the first one to come up)
Of course the photo did not go in ...but ..it's still a good way to work.
06.00Hrs.
Another thing is that I would have my posts in the right order.Certainly that (this) blog is a nice simple clear one.I am very 'coldified' this morning and that is probably enough for now.
Interesting that I was doing EFT tapping ..(or a slightly adapted version which just involves pressing and rubbing the points) when I thought of this so clearly.(Astaghfiru'llah that I should imply that this is the cause of it when I know that Allah is the first cause of all but this is the medium,His medium,perhaps I could say,for helping me in the right direction.)
I was doing the 'tapping' for "Even though I don't want to do anything." which seems true .. but only when I am berating and hurting myself.(Interesting the outcrop of people actually physically hurting themselves with cutting and burning and such things amongst young people in our crazy society..what is that?..a guilt thing or what?..Also leads on to discussion of suffering and purification as well as 'conscious suffering'. ..but those are other topics.)
Sheikh says that we should do what we love ..that we should love our work.I must say I love writing and photos.With the old digi things could be a lot easier.
Also ..I believe in The One ..(there,I've said it..!) ..I know that it is a name/facet of Allah Who is All and much more than that ..beyond what we can ever imagine (Allahu Akbar!) and perhaps in wanting the Truth ..(which somehow I will try to get to/explain or describe, in another place ..on "Personal Stuff" for instance) I was apparently 'biting off more than I could chew' .. but ...(that Geko is making that noise behind the cupboard by the front door and I think it will drive me mad soon...the connection with the hadith of the Prophet saws and Abraham and the fire ..!)
From Word Doc to blog1,from blog1to blog2.
08.15Hrs.
But,what? ... but Oneness is perhaps the single most important quality of Allah..(well apart from Mercy and Compassion ..Al Rahman Al Rahim..I mean,who am I to judge? astaghfiru'llah.) in that ,when asked about Allah,what was He like?The answer that was revealed ,(after sixteen days ..a humbling experience for the Prophet saws ... we are told, because he said,"I'll tell you tomorrow.",without saying"Insha'llah" or "God willing."...) ..was the short sura "Qul Hu Allahu Ahad" ..or,"Say,He is One."Say He is One.... Can you imagine it ?!..Put yourself in the position of a true believer in the Prophet SAWS,someone who believes that the Koran is the last revealed word from God Almighty Himself,Allah. and that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and all his family and friends.) is that one who is worthy for that word to be revealed through him..pure enough and sincere enough and strong enough and true enough and humble enough ...(Icould go on)..and ... when asked what Allah is like ... the word comes from Allah The One True God,Creator of all the universes seen and unseen,of man and djinn ...the answer comes,and begins with (Bismi'llah arRahman arRahim)..."Qul Hu Allahu Ahad,"..."Say He is Allah One,"....
ONE
Yes ..try to understand that sense of faith of a true believer,and then think about that.The first thing that Allah says about Himself, in order to try to help us understand what He is like,is that He is One.
More of this later probably...(insha'llah!) .... but I do think it is the key to where the human race is going..that recognition of oneness is spreading, and has to spread throughout man's consciousness from Mysticism to Physics.Two places apparently poles apart...which can't help but begin to recognise each other, as the Truly Spiritual turns out to be the same as the Truly Physical ...(all paths lead to God.)
But,what? ... but Oneness is perhaps the single most important quality of Allah..(well apart from Mercy and Compassion ..Al Rahman Al Rahim..I mean,who am I to judge? astaghfiru'llah.) in that ,when asked about Allah,what was He like?The answer that was revealed ,(after sixteen days ..a humbling experience for the Prophet saws ... we are told, because he said,"I'll tell you tomorrow.",without saying"Insha'llah" or "God willing."...) ..was the short sura "Qul Hu Allahu Ahad" ..or,"Say,He is One."Say He is One.... Can you imagine it ?!..Put yourself in the position of a true believer in the Prophet SAWS,someone who believes that the Koran is the last revealed word from God Almighty Himself,Allah. and that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and all his family and friends.) is that one who is worthy for that word to be revealed through him..pure enough and sincere enough and strong enough and true enough and humble enough ...(Icould go on)..and ... when asked what Allah is like ... the word comes from Allah The One True God,Creator of all the universes seen and unseen,of man and djinn ...the answer comes,and begins with (Bismi'llah arRahman arRahim)..."Qul Hu Allahu Ahad,"..."Say He is Allah One,"....
ONE
Yes ..try to understand that sense of faith of a true believer,and then think about that.The first thing that Allah says about Himself, in order to try to help us understand what He is like,is that He is One.
More of this later probably...(insha'llah!) .... but I do think it is the key to where the human race is going..that recognition of oneness is spreading, and has to spread throughout man's consciousness from Mysticism to Physics.Two places apparently poles apart...which can't help but begin to recognise each other, as the Truly Spiritual turns out to be the same as the Truly Physical ...(all paths lead to God.)
Safety in oneness.
At least I feel safe with oneness.Seems as if others do too.
(Others,do two.)
(Others,do two.)
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Oneness test.
ONE?
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