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#3651 - Thursday, September 10, 2009 - Editor: Jerry Katz
The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights
I'll be publicizing this book when it comes out in October, but I would like to announce it along with another new contribution from the untwisted mind of Greg Goode:
Standing as Awareness: The Direct
Path
The book's title comes from one of Sri Atmananda's teaching
methods. When you take a stand as awareness, you don't take
yourself as an object such as the body or a personalized mind
state, but as awareness itself. Sri Atmananda passed away in
1959, but his teachings are as radical and crystal clear today as
ever.
This new edition retains the selection of dialogs from a decade
of New York City nondual-dinners, but adds three new
chapters on the fundamentals of the Direct Path, such as
How to Stand as Awareness, Falling in Love with Awareness, and
"The Witness - from Establishment to Final Collapse into
Pure Consciousness."
The new chapters include several experiments in awareness that
can help establish and stabilize your experience that the world,
body and the mind are nothing other than pure consciousness
itself.
~ ~ ~
Greg is also the subject of 10 videos: http://heartofnow.com/files/links.html#videos.dp. He writes on his website:
In May 2009, filmmaker Roger
Ingraham and I had a long conversation. He ended up
making it into a set of 10 videos, like a long interview divided
into parts. I can't remember if this is the order in which the
parts occurred, but it's AN order. For more videos by Roger, go
to rogeringraham.com.
A Guided
Self-Inquiry Exercise, 8
mins.
Non-dual teacher Greg Goode conducts an experiment to find the
place where Roger's "I" is located. Illustrated with
drawings by Roger Ingraham.
Presuppositions
about Enlightenment; Forms of Samadhi, 11 mins.
Discusses how enlightenment is not an exprienced object, and
isn't transmitted by contact with other people. Also discusses
various kinds of samadhi, which are easier in the direct path.
Greg's Path of
Self-Realization, 11 mins.
Discusses the particular path of nondual inquiry that Greg
traveled. It began in childhood, continued off and on throughout
graduate school, and culminated with the encounter with ATMA
DARSHAN from Sri Atmananda.
Progressive and
Direct-Path Teachings, 6
mins.
Discusses how direct-path teachings differ from progressive-path
teachings, and characterizes non-dual realization as "seeing
the cover come off" and recognizing what was underneath as
having been present all along.
The Purpose of
Self-Realization, 4 mins.
Discusses how during the earlier stages of one's inquiry, one
feels a purpose, and how the closer one gets, the more this sense
of purpose dissipates. Self realization recognizes the
non-existence of one to whom a purpose could apply.
Who Am I, 9 mins., 51 secs.
Discusses how self inquiry is like a treasure hunt. Also
discusses how all perception is always done by awareness, and how
everything experienced is always already awareness.
The Collapse of
Physicality, 8 mins., 43
secs.
Discusses how his sense of the independent existence of physical
objects collapsed. Also discusses how physicality serves as a
metaphor for all separation, even within one's own psyche.
Self-Realization
through Body-Work or the Path of Devotion, 6 mins., 15 secs.
Discusses how the direct path is largely contemplative, but how
realization can also be attained by working with the body or
through opening the heart in devotion.
All Words Point to
Consciousness, 8 mins.
Discusses how the meaning of words isn't dictated by objects or
by social convention, but point to awareness only.
Literal and
Figurative Language, 10
mins.
Discusses the various motives one might have for pursuing nondual
teachings. Also discusses how nondual teachings have literal and
figurative ways of using language.
Another Nondual Perspective...
Nonduality and Retail
The following blog entry brings the teaching and understanding of nonduality to the retail setting. It's another showing of how the teaching and understanding of nonduality is penetrating mainstream spirituality.
Practicing Nonduality
http://evolutioninconsciousness.blogspot.com/2009/09/practicing-nonduality.html
The Institute for Noetic Sciences claims that “an especially mystifying aspect of consciousness is the elusive notion of nonduality, whose philosophical roots can be found in ancient Eastern cosmologies. It has been defined in many ways but basically refers to a state of being (emphasis on being) in which there is no sense of separation between the viewer and what is being viewed—a difficult concept to understand intellectually” (see iShift #38, September 2009: The Nondual Brain, Intuitive Soldiers?) and an even more difficult concept to live and experience.
Take my heroes of the day, the people who work in any kind of retail position dealing with the hustle and bustle of selling stuff and who manage to keep on smiling and being gracious to the all consuming public. Ever notice how everyone is in a rush to get out of the store, not paying attention to the people providing service, not making any eye-contact and even when they say “thank you”, it is as if it is a robotic appreciation to some unknown being out there in the ethers. We are so focused on getting what we want as quickly as possible and rushing out to get back to another scenario or perhaps to home, where we can finally feel safe! Whatever our stories or reasons might be, we are not connecting or engaging with “the other” or the viewer is not even connecting with “what is being viewed”. This at best is avoiding duality. I know I am prone to being this way. However, when I do set my intention to notice the salesperson or the check-out person at the grocery store, connect in some manner with them, I have extraordinary experiences. It is as if the whole outside craziness is not real. I connect in a nonduality manner or in a new consciousness manner with those I am least likely to connect with and the world of duality collapses on to itself!
Perhaps my retail heroes do the same thing. Perhaps they connect to whomever they can, they set their intention to be present and whoever recognizes their connection, is the beneficiary of experiencing a moment of nonduality. In this sense, it is almost as if working in a place like that would be a tremendous opportunity to practice nonduality. I am not recommending anyone to go out there and look for retail jobs to experience new consciousness, but I am sure that we all face plenty of situations where we feel the world of duality pulling at us, where we find ourselves taking sides, getting judgmental, etc. and we can use those opportunities to expand into the peace that is ours to experience. Connecting with others in a way that denies our separation brings us peace in the most non-peaceful places. So, my wish for you is to give it a try. Be the peace, be the grace, be the space for whatever it is that is happening, and the magic is yours to experience.
The Leap Movie is $10 until Sunday night. (Plus shipping) Regular price is 20 or 25. http://nonduality.com/htmlredir.html
Leap! explores the ageless idea that the world is an illusion.
Is the world literally an Illusion or is it just your perception that is the illusion? If the world is an illusion, what then?
Leap! features interviews with contemporary visionaries, scientists and authors and takes you on a journey that offers you a powerful way to perceive yourself and the world.
Leap! is a good, basic introduction to nonduality that most people should be able to absorb and understand. Click on the link to view the trailer and to find out more: http://nonduality.com/htmlredir.html