Robert Wolfe

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Robert Wolfe is one of my teachers. He was kind in sending me his new book "Awakening To Infinite Presence"
The book is written with small nuggets of non dual wisdom. As time permits as I need to hand type each nugget out I will try to add 1 every other day o so for the reader. I posted 2 on this beginning day for you.

Non-Conceptual Seeing:

An "intellectual seeing," as you put it,is a matter of understanding that I and the Absolute are one.

The "experiential seeing", that you speak of , is the disappearance of the subtle duality in which two(supposedly "different") concepts are "united."

You need to first recognize that the 'I' is a (separative)concept. Then you need to understand that the 'I', which is unreal, seeks to complete itself by the addition of (unification with) the Absolute: in this context, we have a concept-ion of the Absolute as some thing we could possibly be apart from, in the first place (thus the uniting.)

When you comprehend what the enlightened masters have said-you ARE what you seek; or, the observer IS the observed-
the I "disappears," and the I's (false) conception of the "other" dissolves; with what remains, there are no ideas about seeking, anything.

It is alright to say, "there is an individual here"; from the  relative, dualistic standpoint, that would appear to be so.

But if, as you say, " there can be no separation," then in truth there can be no such reality as "individuals."

It is the INDIVIDUAL who is seeking unity; the Absolute condition, itself IS one of no separation: not two. not even one(nothing to conceive, or conceive being apart from)

At present, you are insisting, at least by way of concept, that there is a separate YOU (this is the "seeker"). When it's thoroughly taken seriously that there can in actuality be no such things as a separate you, what "is left" is the Absolute condition. And it is impossible to unite with this, because it's already always ever-present. If you weren't conceiving otherwise, you know that you can't

come into union with that which no one has ever been apart from.


Not Knowing:

The realization, which one has in Self-realization, is not an experience. And, contrary to being a "knowing," it  is a un-knowing.

The reason why this can be said is because Self-realization is merely a profound insight into the total and complete absence of limitation. In other words, it is entirely outside the bounds of both experience and knowledge.

In fact, to the Self-realized, the word which comes closest (to the condition described above) is nothingness.

In actuality, it is not a matter of "knowing Oneness" or "experiencing sublime consciousness." It is an irrepressible realization that the ultimate condition is of no-thing; nothing.

In other words, in this absolute awareness there is not anything about which we suppose we will be certain, as a conceiver knows a concept.

It may sound peculiar, but this is the Self-realized state.

[Deleted]

Nov 14, 2016 17:17:37 GMT -5 @awakesowhat said:

Robert Wolfe is one of my teachers. He was kind in sending me his new book "Awakening To Infinite Presence"
The book is written with small nuggets of non dual wisdom. As time permits as I need to hand type each nugget out I will try to add 1 every other day o so for the reader. I posted 2 on this beginning day for you.

Non-Conceptual Seeing:

An "intellectual seeing," as you put it,is a matter of understanding that I and the Absolute are one.

The "experiential seeing", that you speak of , is the disappearance of the subtle duality in which two(supposedly "different") concepts are "united."

You need to first recognize that the 'I' is a (separative)concept. Then you need to understand that the 'I', which is unreal, seeks to complete itself by the addition of (unification with) the Absolute: in this context, we have a concept-ion of the Absolute as some thing we could possibly be apart from, in the first place (thus the uniting.)

When you comprehend what the enlightened masters have said-you ARE what you seek; or, the observer IS the observed-
the I "disappears," and the I's (false) conception of the "other" dissolves; with what remains, there are no ideas about seeking, anything.

It is alright to say, "there is an individual here"; from the  relative, dualistic standpoint, that would appear to be so.

But if, as you say, " there can be no separation," then in truth there can be no such reality as "individuals."

It is the INDIVIDUAL who is seeking unity; the Absolute condition, itself IS one of no separation: not two. not even one(nothing to conceive, or conceive being apart from)

At present, you are insisting, at least by way of concept, that there is a separate YOU (this is the "seeker"). When it's thoroughly taken seriously that there can in actuality be no such things as a separate you, what "is left" is the Absolute condition. And it is impossible to unite with this, because it's already always ever-present. If you weren't conceiving otherwise, you know that you can't

come into union with that which no one has ever been apart from.


Not Knowing:

The realization, which one has in Self-realization, is not an experience. And, contrary to being a "knowing," it  is a un-knowing.

The reason why this can be said is because Self-realization is merely a profound insight into the total and complete absence of limitation. In other words, it is entirely outside the bounds of both experience and knowledge.

In fact, to the Self-realized, the word which comes closest (to the condition described above) is nothingness.

In actuality, it is not a matter of "knowing Oneness" or "experiencing sublime consciousness." It is an irrepressible realization that the ultimate condition is of no-thing; nothing.

In other words, in this absolute awareness there is not anything about which we suppose we will be certain, as a conceiver knows a concept.

It may sound peculiar, but this is the Self-realized state.

"And it is impossible to unite with this"

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gross

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In his latest book Robert Wolfe includes correspondence to other students. This is a response to a student question.

Glimpsing It:
Student: " I've had glimpses of the Presence you write about, Robert. But I haven't yet had the experience of being fully and lastly in touch with that Reality.

Robert:
Nonsense. Where could Reality, or Presence, be hiding from you? With your eyes wide open, look around you right now, where ever you are.What you are seeing is exactly what Buddha himself would be seeing. It's the present reality! Not only what you are seeing, but what you are hearing, feeling, thinking, doing, or aware of-that's Reality. What you are "glimpsing" right now is Reality.

You are, whether you realize it or not, "experiencing" Reality. And for Reality to make itself even more boldly plain and obvious, the experiencer, the glimpser itself, is present as Reality.

How much more "fully and lastly" can you be in touch with Reality, than to recognize that even when you are not aware of it, you cannot ever escape present Reality.

What you are looking for is,everywhere you look-or don't look! Either way, you are "experiencing" Reality.

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Robert Wolfe to me is one of the clearest, sharpest man I know in delivering the non dual message. He has a good reason why. In his life for more than 50 years after his awakening not a single day has pass, to which he has not written or spoke on non duality. He is ever sharp because of this simple fact and a inspiration to me not to be a lazy man.This is from his book " Abiding in Non Dual Awareness" I think his 3rd or 4th book he has written 9 or 10 to date.
++++++++++
To a Truth-Seeker
It's good to hear that you have begun to introduce your understanding of the teachings of non duality to your contacts.

There's no better way to keep a sharp edge on Absolute awareness than to(as I have)speak about it, write about it,or read about it day after day. Not everyone whom you share this teaching will be receptive to it, of course, but there will always(eventually) be some few who will be grateful for you having been a catalyst in their awaken life.

The reason why you have been able to absorb so much of this material, in a short time, is because you read, and contemplate what you read. This is how, and why, it worked for me, too.

While you continue to remind me how thankful you are, I am thankful to you for giving open-minded attention to the words that I devoted time to writing to you. Not everyone has the capacity(or tendency) to receive, even when something been freely given. Your concern for the truth has been it's own reward. "The truth shall set you free." (John 8:32)

[Deleted]

Neti, Neti



Without focusing on any particular question, here are some general comments that might be helpful.

Bear in mind that such terms as awakening are not meant to suggest a movement from one “state” to another, such as to a “higher” state.

When you awaken from sleep in the morning, you are not moving to a “higher state”: you are merely continuing your existent life in a different form; more actively. Thus, a “spiritual awakening” is a continuation of the present life—in a different form.

What is on the other side of the coin of awakening is not a “higher (or lower) state” but “a different way of living”: living from the perspective where the ego self is no longer the center of the relational universe.

In a sense, this represents the abandonment of the illusionary world, as waking represents the discontinuation of a fascinating dream. In this way, it could be said to be the ending of self-deception, similar to the way that the dream self was an illusion. In this case, the waking self is realized to be similarly an illusion, and our “belief” in this self—as a “separate entity”—a deception.

That this awakening—the ending of “self”-centered deception— has occurred for some and not for others appears to be related to how deeply one aspires to abandon the saccharine dream for the glaring reality of “awakened” life. If realization of the true nature of the self is not at the top of one’s list of priorities, the egoic self “fulfillment” will ever take precedence.

But for awakening to be the number one priority, it must be acknowledged that the pilgrim will have to be willing to confront fears of “annihilation” of the self-created person-ality, the person-al image. It is this fear of the disappearance of “self” identity which stands as a barrier, even for those for whom awakening is their fundamental priority.

What is discovered is that there is no “individual” self to be annihilated, neither in life nor in death. The self that “dies” is nothing more than an illusion that dissipates. With the dissolution of the self, goes the dis-appearance of the self’s fears —including the fear of “nothingness” or “the void”. To the question, “Why is this fearful (or blissful) experience occurring (or not occurring) for me?”, the answer is finally evident: “It’s not.” Are the experiences that “occur” for the imagined figure, in a dream, real or imaginary? In deep sleep, when the imagined figures and their activities are absent, what can be said to be the present condition—except for nothingness, or the void?

We cannot even say what this nothingness or void is “like”, as an experience. If we could come away from this condition as a knowledgeable “experiencer”, it would not truly be the condition of nothingness. So we need not fear the condition of nothingness, because there is no identifiable experiencer of it. If there is any residue—any thing at all—in (or as a part of) the “void”, it’s not the void.

Thus, all we can say about it is that there can’t be more than one actuality that could be represented as nothingness. And because it is the one thing of which there can be no “parts” or fragments, it is that which has been characterized as “oneness”, the all-encompassing essence, or Absolute.

From this nothingness, or void, arises the dream; and from the dream, awakening. And if we trace anything—whether waking occurrences or dream occurrences—back to the source, we inevitably arrive at the actuality, or presence, of the one, ineffable formlessness.

So, it is from this formless source that consciousness arises, and thus self-consciousness, or the “I-thought”. And it is to this insubstantial “I” to which all “other” appears; the embodied “seer” and the “seen” world and universe, manifestations of the same, one source—the formless, through form, seeing “its self”; embracing itself, as the all-embracing.

The formless, as the all-embracing actuality, knows nothing of exclusion. All manifested forms, whether material or immaterial, arise from—rather, as—the same essential presence. You are that, and anything that you would rid yourself of—or become—is that. You are already that which any “higher state”—which any conceivable form—could possibly be.

So, realization is not about going from one form or condition to another—both already being a manifestation of the same, one thing. It is not about moving from one form (“me” as the body) to another form of the formless (me as “pure consciousness”). Therefore, realization is not what most people think it is.

It is not about having some particular experience.
It is not about getting to be a “better” person.
It is not about making anything (such as the world) better.
It is not about maintaining a spiritual “practice”.
It is not about an entity (“me”) becoming some other entity (Buddha).
It is not about something that can be objectified, since it is formless, and thus inseparable, in essence.
It is not about something which appears (or is present) in a particular time or place, since time and space are dependent manifestations of this source.
It is not about something of which there is any subject apart from it (such as “me”), since the formless essence cannot be fragmented.
It is not about something that can be associated with any special experience, state or phenomenon, since all conditions are equally in its embrace.


What is referred to as awakening is the realization that there is no actual I apart from the formless essence; it is about the dissolution of self identification; the egoic mind’s relinquishment of the hold on its projected image; the conscious erasure of the line between “observer” and “observed”. And it’s about living life from the continual reference point of this profound realization. As the sages have assured us, it is possible to live a fulfilling life without the persistent condition of a self image.

For everyone, there is at least the occasional experience, during the day, when one does not exist as a separate entity—to one’s own consciousness; when one is so deeply engrossed, in what one’s attention is focused on, that there is no sense of “self”-awareness. And yet we do not cease to function bodily, even though we are free of the image of our identity, in these moments.

To be spiritually “re-born” is thus to again abstain from self image, as if we were a baby: to be, without the brackets of “was” or “will be”, without “did” or “will do”; the individual that would “be something” or “do something” gone, with only that which is aware and present remaining. This is the relaxation of tension, so that one is in attendance to “what is”—just as it is.

If one were to coin a phrase for the awakened perspective, it might be “proscient awareness”: that is, a “knowing before” in the sense of an operative intelligence which continually directs one’s behavior. It is merely a generally unrecognized aspect of the Absolute, of the source of even our superficial, egoic consciousness—the source, in essence, of all that is done. All that everyone says, does or thinks originates with this ever-present source. So, this essence is the only identity which any of us can rightfully claim. Recognize that this formless essence is your fundamental condition; and that proscient awareness will dictate the direction of your every act—without a “self-ish” perspective to be concerned about any outcome.

This extension of your present existence, into freedom, is “awakening”—just a different form, an inclusive form, of living.

So, while it’s not about “doing good deeds”, as a means to a desired end, being of dedicated service to others is an uncontrived consequence when personal self fulfillment has disappeared from the agenda.