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#3904 - Wednesday, May 26, 2010 - Editor: Jerry Katz
he Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights
Charlie Hayes responds to questions:
"Tan1772" writes: I
totally "buy" that I exist and I have awareness.
C: Please DON’T! There is absolutely NO way to say a truth
that can be bought or believed; “The truth that can be said
is NOT the Real Truth”. Do not believe, accept or “buy
into” ANY concept! As must be repeated over and over until
it really sinks in: These are conceptual POINTERS ONLY. Look
where the pointers POINT rather than taking them on board as some
“truth!” And have a look: WHO is it that “buys”
this anyway?
Q: But that's exactly where I am stuck:
C: WHO is this “I” that “is stuck?” That is a
concept, nothing more and nothing actually real. That “I”
seeming to be stuck on itself; and the stuckness (glue) itself,
is just a habitual firm yet false belief that what you are IS
that “I” thought. You assume you ARE that sense of
being a separate “me”. No matter how much you try to
get “unstuck” you stay stick until and unless you root
under that “I:” sense to find out if it is actually
real! The glue is your belief in that person, your mask that you
wear to prop up a sense of insecurity that “you” have
been fighting since about age three.
Q: I feel that my awareness is a function of this body. When my
body is gone, my awareness will also be gone.
C: This is a confused view: You do not "own" awareness;
you ARE awareness. And yes, the body is required for
consciousness, for sure. The Awareness, the Timeless Being, is
That which ALLOWS consciousness, body, world etc to appear yet
That is absolutely independent of all that, including the
consciousness of being-awakeness. That body and its
consciousness disappear in deep sleep every night while Awareness
remains ever present giving life to a sleeping body, breathing
it, living it, growing its hair, fingernails, being its heart
etc., all with NO consciousness whatsoever. So let the seeing be
clear that awareness IS PRIOR and Eternal while consciousness
comes and goes.
Awareness IS, eternally free, nondual and empty, clear and full
in Itself; duality-consciousness is the first appearance IN
Awareness. Awareness is Eternal, while consciousness comes and
goes. Don’t confuse or collapse these. Awareness ALWAYS IS
regardless of the happening of consciousness OR unconsciousness.
Q: Of course I can't say that with experiential certainty…
C: Right. So that cannot be a timeless actual truth, can it!?
Q: but it seems to be true by observing people who died.
They are no long aware of what happens. While I can't locate my
awareness (I can't because it's a function of the body rather
than something solid), my awareness is nonetheless dependent on
the body. The best analogy I can think of is actually the one
often used in non-dual teaching: the body is the light bulb that
shines the light of awareness. The light is not specific
anywhere, but if you take away the bulb, the light also
disappears.
Q: Can you 'enlighten' me on this, literally?
C: No. But YOU can, the Real You, which is that unperceivable
self shining Light-Of-Knowing that exists forever, prior to,
during, and after any and all concepts, experiences and all the
manifest passing phenomena. That (Noumenon) is what IS; all else
is what APPEARS. AND, these are NOT TWO. Ungraspable for the
mind, which can only understand opposites. Stop trying to figure
this out There is NO joy in the mind, the field of opposites,
positions and concepts and points of view are all useless for
this. Stop. Now. YOU ARE. That simple Isness-Awareness which
registers consciousness and unconsciousness is what You are. BE
That and nothing else. Full Stop Period. And the bottom line is,
these are Not Two. You need NO "enlightenment". You
already ARE the Light of Being, Awareness arising as
Consciousness. It is that simple!
Thanks for writing; feel free to stay in touch until any and all
confusion is dissolved.