Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2011 9:58:02 GMT -5
I'm reading his book Liberation from the Lie right now. It's pretty good.
Here's a bit from his blog:
liberationfromthelie.com/2011/08/03/you-can-awaken-now-a-meditation-to-self-realization-now/#more-10795
You Can Awaken Now: An Immediate Pathway
First, know that you can sever the trance with the identification with the ego self now. Know that. This is the way, so please follow these directions carefully. I know they work.
Part One
The purpose of Part One is to get a sense of the true self.The true self is the ‘silent … nothingness that underlies all experience. It is the ever present background that allows experience to happen.
Get in touch with what you are seeing or hearing. It must be real and immediate. Since I don’t like speaking in abstractions, lets use a specific example. We will use seeing this computer screen.
We see the screen and we are aware of someone seeing the screen. It is very important to not only be aware of the seen object (the screen) and the body/mind that is seeing the screen. Try being aware of the object and the seer as one process.
Now as you are aware of the seen object and the body/mind seer (remember to retain these in consciousness as you read on) feel the essential silent nothingness that undergirds the seen object (the screen) and its seer (the body/mind). This is the most important and essential instruction.
This silent nothingness is your Authentic Self. It is always present. It is not an object. It is completely free of any attributes. If you notice the pull of wanting to affix any attribution onto it, just notice that pull as an object of consciousness, no different from any other thought.
As you practice with simple objects and sounds notice subtle feelings as they arise. Don’t neglect or ignore anything that arises. Apply the very same technique we used for the computer screen to every sensation that arises. Be especially aware of subtle body tensions. These often occur around the eyes and mouth, but they can happen anywhere in the body. Also notice that breathing that is always happening. Often the breathing is the most direct and accessible portal to the silent nothingness (awareness) that allows our body/mind to be aware of breathing.
Continue doing this. Also don’t repress or ignore thoughts and feelings as they arise. They want to be seen and felt. For every thought and feeling realize that they are objects that are perceived by a perceiver. Always be aware of both the object and the perceiver (body/mind). And as you do this, always feel the silent nothingness that undergirds all experience. It is absolutely unchanging and always present.
Re-read these instructions several times to be perfectly familiar with them.
Brief Discussion
As you do this, you will be become aware of two separate but connected processes. The first is attention. Attention is essential to experience anything. Anytime an object is seen, attention is brought to the object. Noticing a thought or feeling requires attention. Attention is very much like a muscular contraction. It feels like effort or work. It feels that way because it is. Just as it takes strong muscles to run, its takes the muscularity of attention to perceive and focus on objects.
I said to become mindful of body tensions which often manifest around the eyes. When we attend to a seen object, there will be some tension around the eyes. This is natural. But the tension I’m talking about is in addition to that essential tension that accompanies the simple act of attention. As with everything else in this meditation, if there is absolutely no intent to change anything in our experience that too should be noticed. Just notice everything as it arises in natural attention. The body is full of tension, that is often a wonderful rainbow of experience to attend to.
So attention is one process that is happening. It is essential. The other process (I said there were two) is awareness. It is awareness that is aware of attention! Awareness is source and it is the active body of the silent nothingness that undergirds attention. The less we say about awareness the better. It is your authentic being. It is not an object of attention. It can’t be seen or heard or grasped. It just is. The body/mind will resist the migration of identification from its array of objects to the objectless ground of being that is awareness. Notice that and don’t give it undo attention. It’s just another kernel of thought arising in consciousness.
Part Two
Now deepen your experience. Take a walk in your area and do exactly what you were doing in Part One. Come alive to your senses. See and hear the world. Feel your body as it moves through the world. Allow attention to go where it wants. Remember that there are the seen objects, the seer (the body/mind) and the aware presence.
I like to feel objects falling into nothingness; the Authentic Self. The more you allow this silent nothingness to become your only real identity, the more joy you will experience. A smile should effortlessly form on your lips. A feeling of extraordinary lightness should begin to happen for you. Your identity is no longer tied to the objects of attention or the body/mind that sees them.
Remember to hold nothing back. Feel everything just as it is. Feel the body moving. Feel tension and stress. See whatever attention wants to see. But never loose touch with the silent nothingness that is the Source of all of this. Don’t try to make an object of this.
This takes some practice. Stay with it. Nurture it. You should feel a love well up within you. This love is the ease with which everything manifests in attention. You are home to the universe. A softness arises in you. You will begin to see that what was hard and tense was the exclusive identification with the objects of attention and the body/mind. As both are experienced as essential elements of living, but not as your identity, the hardness of personal identification will become soft and luminous.
Part Three
When we converse, the energy of attention will tend to draw us away from free awareness. In conversation (or watching TV or a film) the power of attention grows. We tend to focus much more on the objects of attention and loose touch with the body/mind and the underlying awareness. So in Part Three we make a little effort to retain some attention on the body/mind, as well as a connection with the silent nothingness that is always present, even in the most intense and personal conversations.
You will notice that the nature and quality of your conversations will change when you allow the attention to move to the body/mind and away from the ego needs of you the talker. The ego wants to be heard. It wants to talk. We are aware of that and are perfectly okay and comfortable with that. But we also realize that there is a body/mind and a silent nothingness that is awareness that sees and notices everything as it arises. That is your Authentic Self.
Notice how the quality of your conversations transforms with this process. You should be astounded by the changes. Now everything is changed and it should feel wonderful and freeing.
Tomorrow I will talk about ego as a simple object of consciousness in the context of this life-changing realization.
If you have any problems with this discussion and process, I hope you feel free to contact me with your question.
Here's a bit from his blog:
liberationfromthelie.com/2011/08/03/you-can-awaken-now-a-meditation-to-self-realization-now/#more-10795
You Can Awaken Now: An Immediate Pathway
First, know that you can sever the trance with the identification with the ego self now. Know that. This is the way, so please follow these directions carefully. I know they work.
Part One
The purpose of Part One is to get a sense of the true self.The true self is the ‘silent … nothingness that underlies all experience. It is the ever present background that allows experience to happen.
Get in touch with what you are seeing or hearing. It must be real and immediate. Since I don’t like speaking in abstractions, lets use a specific example. We will use seeing this computer screen.
We see the screen and we are aware of someone seeing the screen. It is very important to not only be aware of the seen object (the screen) and the body/mind that is seeing the screen. Try being aware of the object and the seer as one process.
Now as you are aware of the seen object and the body/mind seer (remember to retain these in consciousness as you read on) feel the essential silent nothingness that undergirds the seen object (the screen) and its seer (the body/mind). This is the most important and essential instruction.
This silent nothingness is your Authentic Self. It is always present. It is not an object. It is completely free of any attributes. If you notice the pull of wanting to affix any attribution onto it, just notice that pull as an object of consciousness, no different from any other thought.
As you practice with simple objects and sounds notice subtle feelings as they arise. Don’t neglect or ignore anything that arises. Apply the very same technique we used for the computer screen to every sensation that arises. Be especially aware of subtle body tensions. These often occur around the eyes and mouth, but they can happen anywhere in the body. Also notice that breathing that is always happening. Often the breathing is the most direct and accessible portal to the silent nothingness (awareness) that allows our body/mind to be aware of breathing.
Continue doing this. Also don’t repress or ignore thoughts and feelings as they arise. They want to be seen and felt. For every thought and feeling realize that they are objects that are perceived by a perceiver. Always be aware of both the object and the perceiver (body/mind). And as you do this, always feel the silent nothingness that undergirds all experience. It is absolutely unchanging and always present.
Re-read these instructions several times to be perfectly familiar with them.
Brief Discussion
As you do this, you will be become aware of two separate but connected processes. The first is attention. Attention is essential to experience anything. Anytime an object is seen, attention is brought to the object. Noticing a thought or feeling requires attention. Attention is very much like a muscular contraction. It feels like effort or work. It feels that way because it is. Just as it takes strong muscles to run, its takes the muscularity of attention to perceive and focus on objects.
I said to become mindful of body tensions which often manifest around the eyes. When we attend to a seen object, there will be some tension around the eyes. This is natural. But the tension I’m talking about is in addition to that essential tension that accompanies the simple act of attention. As with everything else in this meditation, if there is absolutely no intent to change anything in our experience that too should be noticed. Just notice everything as it arises in natural attention. The body is full of tension, that is often a wonderful rainbow of experience to attend to.
So attention is one process that is happening. It is essential. The other process (I said there were two) is awareness. It is awareness that is aware of attention! Awareness is source and it is the active body of the silent nothingness that undergirds attention. The less we say about awareness the better. It is your authentic being. It is not an object of attention. It can’t be seen or heard or grasped. It just is. The body/mind will resist the migration of identification from its array of objects to the objectless ground of being that is awareness. Notice that and don’t give it undo attention. It’s just another kernel of thought arising in consciousness.
Part Two
Now deepen your experience. Take a walk in your area and do exactly what you were doing in Part One. Come alive to your senses. See and hear the world. Feel your body as it moves through the world. Allow attention to go where it wants. Remember that there are the seen objects, the seer (the body/mind) and the aware presence.
I like to feel objects falling into nothingness; the Authentic Self. The more you allow this silent nothingness to become your only real identity, the more joy you will experience. A smile should effortlessly form on your lips. A feeling of extraordinary lightness should begin to happen for you. Your identity is no longer tied to the objects of attention or the body/mind that sees them.
Remember to hold nothing back. Feel everything just as it is. Feel the body moving. Feel tension and stress. See whatever attention wants to see. But never loose touch with the silent nothingness that is the Source of all of this. Don’t try to make an object of this.
This takes some practice. Stay with it. Nurture it. You should feel a love well up within you. This love is the ease with which everything manifests in attention. You are home to the universe. A softness arises in you. You will begin to see that what was hard and tense was the exclusive identification with the objects of attention and the body/mind. As both are experienced as essential elements of living, but not as your identity, the hardness of personal identification will become soft and luminous.
Part Three
When we converse, the energy of attention will tend to draw us away from free awareness. In conversation (or watching TV or a film) the power of attention grows. We tend to focus much more on the objects of attention and loose touch with the body/mind and the underlying awareness. So in Part Three we make a little effort to retain some attention on the body/mind, as well as a connection with the silent nothingness that is always present, even in the most intense and personal conversations.
You will notice that the nature and quality of your conversations will change when you allow the attention to move to the body/mind and away from the ego needs of you the talker. The ego wants to be heard. It wants to talk. We are aware of that and are perfectly okay and comfortable with that. But we also realize that there is a body/mind and a silent nothingness that is awareness that sees and notices everything as it arises. That is your Authentic Self.
Notice how the quality of your conversations transforms with this process. You should be astounded by the changes. Now everything is changed and it should feel wonderful and freeing.
Tomorrow I will talk about ego as a simple object of consciousness in the context of this life-changing realization.
If you have any problems with this discussion and process, I hope you feel free to contact me with your question.