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Group: NDhighlights Message: 5040 From: Dustin LindenSmith Date: 2013-09-29
Subject: #5040 - Sunday, September 29, 2013 - Editor: Dustin LindenSmith

#5040 - Sunday, September 29, 2013 - Editor: Dustin LindenSmith

The Nonduality Highlights • http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights/

Personal time constraints prevent me from including any exhaustive commentary or new material in my issue of the Highlights today. In fact, yesterday's issue from Jerry was so good I was tempted to re-post it today as a Highlight of the Highlights... :)

Instead, however, I've selected a July 4th edition from 2011 from Gloria which spoke to me in various ways.

The first quotation reminds us about the perils of "trying" to become enlightened or "trying" to release attachment

to desire
.

The second reminds us of the fallacy of our perception of "difference"

between
 the world's religions.

The third reminds us not to take ourselves so seriously, nor to seek perfection so strongly.

The fourth reminds us of the healing we can experience when we stop "hiding from ourselves," which I read more personally as a reminder to be abjectly truthful with

my
sel
f
about where
I am
, and to eschew the belief in the
seemingly
unending stories
I
 tell
myself
 about
"who I am
.
"

The fifth is a nice Alan Watts film from the 1970s that discusses nature

, among other things
. I tend to find his stuff a bit dated now, not quite as fresh, although like a Lee Morgan album on Blue Note from the 1960s, if you consider it as it would have been received in the time of its original release, some of what's discussed is kind of groundbreaking for that moment in time.

Here's an animated video of a short talk given by Watts that's part of his long-form podcast series that's totally worth listening to if you want to unpack the pedagogy of Zen and other Eastern spiritual traditions. The title claims it was animated by the creators of South Park, but I doubt that claim's veracity. It's just kind of fun to watch: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YgEhvZDZVg

Dustin

PS: Please forgive some of the formatting errors we've been experiencing lately; we're working on resolving them in the coming issues.
Photos included in Gloria's original 2011 issue may also not come through properly in today's edition.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Gloria Lee" editglo@...>
Date: 5 Jul 2011 01:43
Subject: [NDhighlights] #4299 - Monday, July 4, 2011 - Editor: Gloria Lee
To: "NDH" NDhighlights@yahoogroups.com>
Cc:

#4299 - Monday, July 4, 2011 - Editor: Gloria Lee
The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights

 
"Desiring happiness is the illness of attachment.
It is through the absence of desire, that one gains happiness.
 
Buddhahood does not happen by being made to happen.
It is unsought and naturally indwelling, and so is
spontaneously present.
 
Rest nonconceptually in this effortless, natural abiding state."
 
~The All-Creating Monarch Tantra, from Longchenpa's
Treasury of the Basic Space of Phenomena
 
 
posted to Daily Dharma by Amrita Nadi
 
 
 
 
 
 
Don't talk of different religions.
The one reality is everywhere,
not just in a Hindu, or a Muslim,
or anywhere else!  Realize:

your awareness is
the truth about God.

- Lalla
                  14th Century North Indian mystic

posted to Along The Way
 
 
 
There is no worse sickness for the soul,
O you who are proud, than this pretense of perfection.
The heart and eyes must bleed a lot
before self-complacency falls away.
 
~Rumi
 
----
 
Life has taught me the wisdom of moving toward what scares me.
 
Although it is embarrassing and painful, it is very healing to stop hiding from
yourself. It is healing to know all the ways that you’re sneaky, all the ways
that you hide out, all the ways that you shut down, deny, close off, criticize
people, all your weird little ways. You can know all of that with some sense of
humor and kindness. By knowing yourself, you’re coming to know humanness
altogether. We are all up against these things. We are all in this together.
 
~Pema Chodron
 
 
posted to Facebook by Belle Heywood
 
 
No one’s mouth is big enough to utter the whole thing.

— Alan Watts
 
 
 
Painting by Tino Rodriguez, Voice of the Poet, 2005
 

Alan Watts: A Conversation with Myself - Part 1

A 1971 television recording with Alan Watts walking in the mountains and
talking about the limitations of technology and the problem of trying to keep track of an infinite universe with a single tracked mind. Video posted by Alan's son and courtesy of alanwatts.com.  (Parts 2, 3, 4 are also there.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aufuwMiKmE

Thanks to Christopher Chase for suggestion.
Group: NDhighlights Message: 5041 From: Gloria Lee Date: 2013-09-30
Subject: #5041 - Monday, September 30, 2013 - Editor: Gloria Lee

#5041 - Monday,В September 30, 2013 - Editor: Gloria Lee
В 
В 
В 
One day the sun admitted,
I am just a shadow.
I wish I could show you
the Infinite Incandescence
that has cast my brilliant image!
I wish I could show you,
when you are lonely or in darkness,
the Astonishing Light
of your own Being.
В 
~ Hafiz
В 
В 
"I donÂ’t think there is any such thing as an ordinary mortal. Everybody has his own
possibility of rapture in the experience of life. All he has to do is recognize it and
then cultivate it and get going with it. I always feel uncomfortable when people
speak about ordinary mortals because IÂ’ve never met an ordinary man, woman, or
child."
В 
Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth
В 
The very source of all happiness is your beingness, be there.
В 
~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
В 
В 
В 
There's an unwoven web in the spider's dreams.
The moon is caught there like a fly.

Yet the silk is woven of moonbeams,
and the spider is stuck in her own desire.

For every approaching wave, be the trough
and rise even higher.

To be dark and nameless is enough.
lose your life at the end of this breath

in the tiny black dot of the ??? ???,*
the pointless explosion of golden death.

Be starless possibility, like the sky.
Contain it all and you'll never get caught.

This poem is about what is not.
Its letters self-weave from black fire.
В 
~ Fred LaMotte

??? ???: 'ain soph', 'point of nothing' from which all light and all worlds arise in Jewish mysticism.
В 
Photo: spider on my porch, harvest moon
В 
В 
В 
Being still does not mean don't move.
It means move in peace.
В 
~ E'yen A. Gardner
via Tao & Zen on Facebook
В 
В 
"What is grace" I asked God
and he said ...
В 
"all that happens"
В 
~ St John of the Cross
via Sarah Hughes on Facebook
В 
В 
В 
What Do White Birds Say
В 

The earth has disappeared beneath my feet,
It fled from all my ecstasy,
В 
Now like a singing air creature
I feel the Rose
Keep opening.
В 
My heart turned to effulgent wings.
When has love not given freedom?
When has adoration not made one free?
В 
A woman broken in tears and sweat
Stands in a field
Watching the sun and me
Trade jokes.
В 
But never would Hafiz laugh
At your blessed labor
Of finding peace.
В 
What do the dancing white birds say
Looking down upon burnt meadows?
В 
All that you think is rain is not.
Behind the veil Hafiz and angels sometimes weep
В 
Because most eyes are rarely glad
And your divine beauty is still too frightened
To unfurl its thousand swaying arms.
В 
The earth has disappeared beneath my feet,
Illusion fled from all my ecstasy.
В 
Now like a radiant sky creature
God keeps opening.
В 
God keeps opening
Inside of Me
В 

Hafiz From Г‚вЂ˜The GiftÂ’ by Daniel Ladinsky
Group: NDhighlights Message: 5042 From: Jerry Katz Date: 2013-10-02
Subject: #5042 - Tuesday, October 1, 2013 - Editor: Jerry Katz

#5042 - Tuesday, October 1, 2013 - Editor: Jerry Katz



---------------------------------------------------------


Thanks to reader BoundlessPresence who sent in the Louis C.K. and Mr. Kanamori links.


--------------------------------------------------------

Inline image 1

Listen to Nonduality Network Talk Radio today, Wednesday, from 12:30 to 1:30PM Eastern Time. We have a special guest, plus your calls, and other segments, clips, and surprises.

Our talk line number is 1-902-494-2487. Or call via Skype using our id, nondualitynetwork. Now you may also email us during the show at nntr@..., let us know what you think, ask a question, or just say hi.


----------------------------------------------------------

 “Your secret sense that there is far more to you than has yet been revealed is true; and your secret fear that you are nothing and nobody is also true. Realize how both are true simultaneously, and you are free.”



Louis C.K. and the bawdy mystic

Posted By: Mark Morford ( Email , Twitter , Facebook ) | Sep 24 at 7:48 PM

What’s that you say? British sex god/ubercomic Russell Brand’s wickedly insightful takedown of celebrity culture in last week’s Guardian wasn’t enough to make you cheer the fact that sly intelligence in popular culture isn’t yet dead? No problem.

Behold, here comes Louis C.K., this generation’s bawdy philosopher/guru masquerading as curmudgeon jackass comic, throwing his particular brand of deadpan observational wisdom all over the digital zeitgeist, explaining on Conan O’Brien’s show, firstly, why he won’t let his two young daughters have smart phones. Did you see?

But wait, before you look, that’s not really the best part. Because C.K. then goes a great existential leap further and explicates why the damnable digital demons spell the end of humanity and the human soul, simultaneously, simply by their ability to help us avoid deep, honest personal moments. It’s really quite fantastic. Watch the whole bit on YouTube, or read the transcript at Gawker. Like too few things on the Internet, it’s entirely worth your six minutes.

Maybe you remember a few years back when C.K. also just happened to explode into viral fame on Conan’s show, with his fantastic “everything’s amazing and no one’s happy” bit? This is the next level. This is C.K. maturing from befuddled observer of everyday absurdity, into a cheerfully indelicate Cassandra, the go-to font of dumbfounded, forehead-slapping insights into the awfulbeautiful chaos that is the human condition.

The essential questions: Do smart phones, perhaps more than any other device to date, short circuit kids (and millions of adults) from developing a fundamental sense of empathy and kindness? Of course they do. Do they, along with the Internet, encourage a sort of easy, heartless cruelty, given how they allow you to be as mean and stupid as you want, with almost zero shame or face-to-face, heart-to-heart emotional consequence? Absolutely.

Even further: Does this disconnect, this isolated sense of distance result in a cowardly, nasty, intellectually lazy culture populated by trolls and fools? Skim through the comments below this – or just about any – personality-driven column or article on the Internet, and see for yourself.

I know, I know, you’ve heard it before. And truly, C.K. is only half right: devices, even for kids, can occasionally be potent tools for progress and learning and, well, if not good per se, then at least some healthy curiosity about it. Sometimes.

But what’s most astonishing, and what instantly vaults C.K. into that rarified status of sagacious guru/everyday mystic, is his observation that our devices, particularly when coupled to social media, give us more power than ever to enact the worst self-abuse of all: to sever what it means to be simply human. Which is: to sit still and be truly alone, flooded to the core by deep sadness (or full happiness), and then to wail – in complete, terrified isolation – into the Void.

And I let [the sadness] come, and I just started to feel ‘oh my God,’ and I pulled over and I just cried like a bitch. I cried so much. And it was beautiful. Sadness is poetic. You’re lucky to live sad moments. And then I had happy feelings. Because when you let yourself feel sad, your body has antibodies, it has happiness that comes rushing in to meet the sadness. So I was grateful to feel sad, and then I met it with true, profound happiness. It was such a trip.

That, right there? That raw honesty coupled to a sage understanding that real humanity lies in out ability to go fully into our experiences, our purest moments, without buffer or distraction, without texting or Facebooking or Instagramming, even if – especially if – those moments are uncomfortable or terrifying?

That’s the real deal. That’s a full-throated, honest-to-goodness spiritual teaching. Simple and straight to the core. And these days, they don’t come around nearly enough.

Do you deny it? The moment we feel the slightest pangs of loneliness, longing, sadness, or even overwhelming joy at the profundity of a given moment, what do millions of us do? Reach for the phone. The camera. The validation. The junk food, TV, drug, “retail therapy,” cocktail, the unhealthy and shallow diversion. In other words, we seek to immediately numb, to label or categorize, to do almost anything to avoid sitting still for a single moment, to feel the full weight of our emotions, dramas, existential angst. Why? Because it’s terrifying in there. Or at least we think it is.

The thing is, because we don’t want that first bit of sad, we push it away with a little phone or a jack-off or the food. You never feel completely sad or completely happy, you just feel kinda satisfied with your product, and then you die.

Here is where genius lies. Here is a superbly humanistic point to which nearly everyone can relate. Because if modern culture does one thing fantastically well, it’s yank us out of stillness, out that place where, like C.K., we realize we are infinitely beautiful, deeply alone and thoroughly horrified, all at once. One of my dear friends and teachers, the fantastic Shaiva Tantra scholar and author Chris Wallis, sums up this particular bit of paradoxical wisdom this way: “Your secret sense that there is far more to you than has yet been revealed is true; and your secret fear that you are nothing and nobody is also true. Realize how both are true simultaneously, and you are free.”

Ah, but we are not so easily disabused of our delicious illusions. Our devices, after all, are shiny and perfect and contain all manner of useful miracle. It’s sort of insane (echoing C.K.’s previous Conan rant) how much everyday magic is now available to us with a simple tap and finger swipe. Personally, I’ve been hugely amused/annoyed by all the tech geeks puling like constipated Chihuahuas about this or that tiny glitch, missing feature or misaligned font in iOS7, the stunning new operating system from Apple, completely ignoring the 17,000 things it does more beautifully, more powerfully, with more intuitive grace than any device in the history of man. As our lazy, First World entitlement races forth, perspective and humility take a beating.

We know, without much prompting, that junk food is horrible for us. We know TV is called the ‘idiot box’ for a reason. But smart phones? High technology? These often represent the culmination of all our modern desires: hyper-convenience, pricy status symbol, sexy accessory and genuinely useful tool, all wrapped in one. But as it turns out, they’re also one of the most lethal weapons yet developed to sever the one thing that keeps us human: our ability to connect, to go deep, to fully engage.

I sort of lied before: The truth is, when you’re dialed into such things, you can get spiritual insights just about anywhere, from just about anyone, from sexist rapper to meatball wrapper. But it’s one thing to hear some half-baked university study tell us that Facebook is sort maybe of making us lonely, or a new claim that millennials are desperate narcissists, or to hear some pop starlet accidentally mention that she feels really lonely when she’s in front of a million fans.

But it’s quite another to hear a surreptitiously gifted comic and TV writer (one critic called C.K.’s indie hit show, Louie, “performance art disguised as a sitcom” for its effortless way with main character’s life of quiet desperation) lay it all out in plainly brilliant terms that drive right to the heart of the matter. After all, when it comes to our beloved modern addictions, it’s the heart that’s suffering most of all.


---------------------------------------------------


A Fourth Grade teacher in Japan has an approach that has been made into a documentary. I enjoyed it very much. 

"Your class goal is to understand how to be happy and care for other people." 


a comment to the video:

The genius & wisdom of Mr. Kanamori to have the children feel comfortable enough to trust him. Through this trust they were able to share there deepest feelings & thoughts. This has been a learning tool for the rest of there lives. Hopefully this will help them live life fully with thought,compassion & for them selves & others.
Group: NDhighlights Message: 5043 From: Jerry Katz Date: 2013-10-03
Subject: #5043 - Wednesday, October 2, 2013 - Editor: Jerry Katz
#5043 - Wednesday, October 2, 2013 - Editor: Jerry Katz



--------------------------------------------


Mace Mealer was a delightful call-in guest on Nonduality Network Talk Radio. So was 
Pete Sierra in an excerpt from an interview with him. Amar Chebib, director of 
the documentary WAJD: Music, Politics & Ecstasy, also called the show. 
Mandee and I welcomed silence as yet another guest. Today's show may be heard 
here: 


Mark your calendar to tune-in to our show next Wednesday at 12:30PM Eastern Time


----------------------------------------------



Here's more from the works of our guests on Nonduality Network Talk Radio:

Mace Mealer

It Is And It Isn’t

Pure paradox is easier to accept
if those elements in it are separated
by time and space.
In a strictly logical sense
it is the only way that
it can be completely
encompassed conceptually.
Unfortunately time and space
present an intrinsic paradox
in their fundamental nature.
Leaving no legitimate
ground for the assumption
of logic.
Thus paradox itself
is left as the primary
basis for the elocution
of it's observance.

Check out Mace's book of poetry, which is only 97 cents on Kindle:

Support a darn poet darn it! Mace has been on the nonduality forums since the beginning in the 90s.

~ ~ ~

The Ruling Class

by Pete Sierra

A ruling class sets the goals a society seeks.
In such way, a very limited spectrum of
sensations considered pleasurable, exciting,
fun, and happy have commandeered the mind
to seek only them. This ruling class makes the
mind to reject, or neglect the 99%. Pleasure 
myopia needs to be corrected to see the full 
spectrum. Get new glasses!

All sensations could be pleasurable if seen the
right way. Don't let society, and merchants define
what is fun. To an unbiased mind most sensations
and activities are fun.


Pete

~ ~ ~

Born in 1986, Amar Chebib was raised throughout the Arabian-Persian Gulf by a Canadian mother and Syrian father. He began experimenting with filmmaking during his adolescence and pursued his interest by completing a film internship with Oneira Pictures International in 2005 and the film production program at the Vancouver Film School in 2006.

In 2008 he directed his first short drama ‘Le Boucher’ which subsequently screened in international film festivals worldwide. Last year he received support from the Canada Council for the Arts to complete his second short film ‘Mish Mush’. The film premiered at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2010 and was nominated for a Muhr Award for excellence in Arab Cinema.

Amar is now based in Kelowna, Canada but continues to travel throughout the year. He is currently in development with a feature documentary on the Sufi roots of the Arab-Ottoman musical tradition.

Find out more about Amar's movie WAJD:



-----------------------------------------------------


James Traverse's new publication, The Power of Here: Nonduality Now, may be downloaded for free at


Introduction

This material is written from the perspective of you as a separate self that is associated with your body and experiences a world of shapes and forms that is external to you. The intention is to present a form of knowledge that is distinct from the typical knowledge of book learning such that there may be insights into the true nature of your being. This perspective considers the problem to be self-ignorance and the solution to be self-knowledge. 

This approach begins by clearly describing the problem as duality and its components and how you have been conditioned to identify yourself as a localized, limited, temporary and separate being. By itself this description of duality provides a means of insight into the problem of self-ignorance whereby you think that you exist in time and feel that you exist in space. Then it proceeds to provide self-knowledge via two insights, one of time and one of space, that allow the notions that you exist in time and in space to fall away, without denying that space and time have relevance in the realm of form, and simultaneously it fosters the realization that you cannot know what you are, yet you can know that you are.

If you are familiar with Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now you know that it is an excellent work, and yet it may not be enough to dispel the notion that you are a separate self. This is because the idea of you as a separate self exists in both time and space. In this light, this material follows the directions of sages who say, neti neti, which means not this, not this, as they direct you to see that the problem of self-ignorance is deeply rooted as it is held in two realms, time and space. In other words, two insights, or one compound insight-epiphany, are required as self-knowledge to understand the true nature of being.

Selling water by the river – in a certain way it can be said that this is what I’m offering via this material. The question here is, “Why would you buy water from someone who is selling water beside a river when you could simply dip a container in the river and get the water he is selling?” The answer is that it is true that the water I’m offering comes from the river, yet the distinction is that it is presented in a manner that reveals that the way you have been observing that water up to now is not accurate, and that there is another way of seeing it. In this metaphor, the river water represents knowledge and what is presenting is self-knowledge, which is a different quality of knowledge than the knowledge of a science or language – it is more commonly called wisdom.

Lastly, it is important that you do not believe anything that is said here and that you test everything that is presented via your own experience such that the understanding that flowers out of it is authentic. This material does not attempt to tell you what you are by replacing the notion of identification as a separate self with a more subtle or more global one; instead it is a means of returning to childlike innocence, while maintaining the functional abilities of an adult, and it is an invitation to celebrate life free of psychological suffering, and to embrace the mystery and wonder of true being. 

~ ~ ~

Download and read the entire document:



-------------------------------------------
Group: NDhighlights Message: 5044 From: Gloria Lee Date: 2013-10-04
Subject: #5044 - Thursday, October 3, 2013 - Editor: Gloria Lee

#5044 - Thursday,В October 3, 2013 - Editor: Gloria Lee
В 
В 
В 
Long ago I noticed how many of the best quotes IВ saved for putting into NDH were
from Daily Dharma.В If you don't want to miss any, please consider subscribing.
Like us, it is only one a day, and always excellent.
В 
В 

Man is equally incapable of seeing the nothingness from which he emerges
and the infinity in which he is engulfed.
В 
~ Blaise Pascal
photo: Jay Daley
В 
В 
В 
В 
But why worry so much about causation?В 
What do causes matter, when things
themselves are transient?В  Let come what
comes and let go what goes - why catch
hold of things and enquire about their causes?
В 
~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
via Along The Way
В 
В 
В 
В 

"The art of life is to stay wide open and be vulnerable, yet at the same time to sit
with the mystery and the awe and with the unbearable pain — to just be with it all.
IÂ’ve been growing into that wonderful catchphrase, 'be here now,' for the last
forty years. Here and now has within it a great richness that is just enough."
В 
~ Ram Dass
В 
via Daily Dharma by Amrita Nadi
В 
В 
В 
"The times when you are suffering can be those when you are open, and where you
are extremely vulnerable can be where your greatest strength really lies."
В 
"Say to yourself: 'I am not going to run away from this suffering. I want to use it
in the best and richest way I can, so that I can become more compassionate and
more helpful to others.' Suffering, after all, can teach us about compassion. If you
suffer, you will know how it is when others suffer. And if you are in a position to
help others, it is through your suffering that you will find the understanding and
compassion to do so."
В 
~ Sogyal Ripoche, from Glimpse of the Day
via Daily Dharma by Amrita Nadi
В 
В 
В 
I lost my world, my fame, my mind
В 
By Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi
(1207 - 1273)
В 
English version by Andrew Harvey
В 
В 
В 
I lost my world, my fame, my mind --
The Sun appeared, and all the shadows ran.
I ran after them, but vanished as I ran --
Light ran after me and hunted me down.
В 

www.Poetry-Chaikhana.com

В 


"Like a shimmering reflection in water,
appearance is not simply non existent,
В 
and yet it is not existent--
beyond both existence and non existence,
the yogin or yogini has no chatter in the mind.
Rigpa in itself is unoriginated
and appearances never crystallize;
the attributes of rigpa are intangible
and the fruition of rigpa is uncontrived."
В 
~ Longchenpa
В 
From "Natural Perfection: Longchenpa's Radical Dzogchen"
via Daily Dharma by anipachen
В 
В 
В 
В 
"Seeing all things as naked, clear and free from obscurations, there is nothing to
attain or realize. The nature of phenomena appears naturally and is naturally
present in time-transcending awareness. Everything is naturally perfect just as it
is. All phenomena appear in their uniqueness as part of the continually changing
pattern. These patterns are vibrant with meaning and significance at every
moment; yet there is no significance to attach to such meanings beyond the moment
in which they present themselves.
В 
This is the dance of the five elements in which matter is a symbol of energy and
energy a symbol of emptiness. We are a symbol of our own enlightenment. With no
effort or practice whatsoever, liberation or enlightenment is already here.
В 
The everyday practice of dzogchen is just everyday life itself. Since the
undeveloped state does not exist, there is no need to behave in any special way or
attempt to attain anything above and beyond what you actually are. There should
be no feeling of striving to reach some 'amazing goal' or "advanced state."
В 
~ HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
В 
From the website http://www.nyingma.com/dzogchen1.htm
via Daily Dharma by anipachen
В 
В 
В 
В 
Not taking air for granted brings vitality. Not taking light for granted brings
clarity. Not taking water for granted brings purity. Not taking earth for granted
brings stability. Just breathe, open these eyes, taste, feel the stinging wetness on
the soles of your bare feet: this is true wealth, complete enlightenment, heavenly
grace. Thank you, Mother.
В 
~Fred LaMotte
Group: NDhighlights Message: 5045 From: Jerry Katz Date: 2013-10-04
Subject: #5045 - Friday, October 4, 2013 - Editor: Jerry Katz
#5045 - Friday, October 4, 2013 - Editor: Jerry Katz


--------------------------------------------------------------

Excerpt from article in One The Magazine

Pursuing the "I Am" and Beyond

by Jerry Katz

Triple Rainbow Initiation into Awareness, “I Am,” and Death/Rebirth

Closer to age 12, there were out-of-the-body experiences in which a part of me would awake from sleep and hover over my body.  I would see my body sleeping.  I would see the body breathing, the chest going up and down, and I’d think, “Wow, look at that kid there.”  The realization was that what I was, was the awareness that sees the body.  It was obvious.  This I-as-awareness, by the way, wasn’t a kid.  It had no age or any qualities at all.  It was awareness.

Then I-as-awareness would turn in the direction opposite the sleeping kid.  Instead of a body sleeping, there would be a black sky full of stars.  I felt an intimacy with that, as though it, too, was this awareness.  Focusing upon one star, it would expand, open up like a flower, and merge with I-as-awareness.  Realizing that a total merging would mean no more association with the body, fear would arise and awareness would join the body again.

My sense is that in the death experience, one meets this starry sky and if rebirth is meant to happen, there will be a merging with one of the stars.  My experience is that one does not choose a star; it’s not as though you’re sitting down with a pencil and paper and considering the pros and cons of each star.  Rather there is a meeting, a merging, of qualities of awareness.  When I would merge with a star, it seemed random and at the same time obvious.

If all the stars are lives, it could be asked whether they are past lives, potential future lives, or present lives.  I would suggest they are none of those, since in this realm of the starry sky there is no time.  I would like to suggest trying to imagine an experience that is timeless in the sense that is even more present than the “Now.”  Is the experience even possible to imagine?

These out-of-the-body experiences were initiations on three levels.  One, I was initiated into the knowledge that I am not the body, but a formless seer of the body known as awareness.  Two, the unfolding star was the shape of “I am,” on a level that was neither body-based nor vibratory, but subtle in some way.  Three, there was an initiation into the nature of death, rebirth, and past lives.  I guess I could call it a triple rainbow of initiation.  It happened on a subtle level.

Awesome Spiritual Experiences Are Not Necessary

These are the kinds of experiences you have when existence is trying to shake you out of your sleep.  They may be viewed as indicators that one is missing the obvious reality that awareness and experience are not separate.

Awesome spiritual experiences aren’t necessary.  They are the universe’s way of saying, “What the heck do I have to do to wake you up?”


~ ~ ~

Subscribe to One The Magazine and read the rest of my article:


----------------------------------------------


Part 2 of my interview with Galen Sharp is online:


Galen Sharp is a sculptor and author. In the 1970's he began a correspondence with the brilliant and enigmatic non-duality sage Terence Stannus Gray, who wrote under the name Wei Wu Wei, that was to last several years. His teaching was to completely transform Galen's worldview and life. Galen is the author of What Am I? A Study in Non-Volitional Living. His book and his other interests may be researched at the following sites:


Contents by time cues:

0:00 -7:19 Mountain Path magazine discussed http://www.sriramanamaharshi.org/resource_centre/publications/mountain-path/. "Have you ever had an urge to go to India?" Necessity of going to India prior to internet days. Chinese and Japanese cultures noted. Western nature of Galen's book What Am I? 

7:19 - 10:08 Galen's family, kids, grandkids, greatgrandchild! Family support and understanding in writing What Am I? 

10:08 - 20:12 Reality Meditation #1 from What Am I? discussed. "Intuitive research" discussed. The "I" charts. "Nothing perceived can be me or mine." -Nisargadatta. What labels do we identify with? Nature of Galen's workshops as participatory rather than lecturing. 

20:12 - 29:55 Galen's new and upcoming workshops being planned. Interest in sculpture discussed as a primary pursuit. Galen's meeting with Chuck Hillig at a sculpture show. Galen's opinion of travel. Science and Noduality Conference. Value of meetup groups.

29:55 - 38:16 "I learn by fumbling around." What would you say to a seeker who wants to know for themself that there is only awareness? Wei Wu Wei discussed. "Obnubilation." Life as oniric. Dreams. 

38:16 - 49:13 Living life with open eyes and wondering. Workshop Galen taught in the 60s. People are fooled into thinking they already know who or what they are. Value of using new words as shifting the dualistic mindset imposed by religions. How Galen creates disruption in his workshops. Zen koans. The word nonduality as disruptive.

49:13 - 52:49 Wei Wu Wei and his wife Natalie discussed. 

52:49 - 1:02:19 Appreciation of haiku and Zen expressions. Nature of the quotes Galen uses in his book What Am I? Raising of questions. "You can't tell people what they are." Mainstreaming of nonduality discussed. Evan Gattis mentioned as source of mainstream nonduality. 

1:02:19 - 1:13:38 Can Wei Wu Wei's work be presented in a more accessible way? The letters Galen and Wei Wu Wei exchanged. The Sixties discussed and teachers of the era. Handling difficulties of seeking and pursuing understanding. Challenge of the current internet days and how they compare to Zen days in Japan many years ago.

1:13:38 - 1:19:30 Mainstream disclosure of nonduality at the heart of religions. Nonduality communities as self-regulating. Galen's interaction with people with regard to nondual understanding.
Group: NDhighlights Message: 5046 From: Jerry Katz Date: 2013-10-05
Subject: #5046 - Saturday, October 5, 2013 - Editor: Jerry Katz
#5046 - Saturday, October 5, 2013 - Editor: Jerry Katz

The Nonduality Highlights http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights/


--------------------------------------------------------


Arvind is creating a revolution in the nonduality interview game with his apparently unedited video interviews using Google Hangouts, interviews he can upload within an hour or so of conducting. I was pleased to see that yesterday Arvind interviewed James Traverse, one of the organizers and founders of our Nova Scotia nonduality satsang meetup group. Here are Arvind's interviews:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TransferOfAwakening

Anyone can do an interview! Go to Google Hangouts and figure out how use it,

http://www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/

then let us know when you've done your first interview and we'll publicize it.

Your discussion can be with anyone in the world you're interested in talking to about some version of the nonduality theme. You don't have to be like anyone else currently doing nonduality interviews. If you consider conducting such interviews and you find you are thinking about questions you "should" ask, you're off on the wrong foot. Forget what you "should" be doing and just start talking to someone out of a sincere interest to learn something about him or her. Don't try to fit into the nonduality scene.

Good luck!


--------------------------------------------------------


This is a long thread on enlightenment topics as inspired by the movie The Matrix.

http://uni5.co/index.php/en/forum/realize-self/1347-questions-on-nothingness-emptiness.html

Here is the initial question. It is followed by many fine responses:


More then a year ago I bought the book of Pradheep Kumar, Journey to the Source, the book about the Matrix movies. I find the movie very inspiring and helps me on my personal quest.

I read lots of things about self realization, and although there are different approaches like hinduism, buddhism, zen, etc. I sense that, they are all talking about the same thing.

Whatever method/teaching you choose, all end up realizing of "I am" and nothingness.

This is where it gets complicated for me.

I don't really understand nothingness, and maybe the whole point of enlightenment is "understanding it".

I am also not sure what it means "I am nothing". For me, nothing sounds like non-existence to me.

When I think deeply on meanings and purposes, it ultimately leeds to "nothing". Even if you believe in god, you can ask what is beyond god, and the answer will be "nothing". Maybe this is what it called as Para-Brahman.

Right now, nothingness, sounds to me like being meaningless, being purposeless. Maybe this is what they call, "living the moment" or "being in present".

Because all desires, hopes, expectations, ultimately leads to suffering. Because everything you own, even owning your "memories" which are the building blocks of your personality, causes a fear of losing. Which in the end causes suffering.

But, what enlightenment offers to solve this? Nothing really, "Nothing" really. As I understand it just offers you to accept that, everything comes from nothing, and goes to nothing, so it just says, "live with it".

I don't really like this, and also I do not see an escape from this. It seems like we are trapped in "life".

The enlightenment idea, started to seem to like just another psychological defense mechanism: disassociation.

Disassociation is a psychological defense mechanism, and the enlightenment thing seems like just the most extreme version.

The seeker, somehow, disassociates himself from everything, and starts to see himself as nothing, so, when he loses something, which could be anything material or mental, feels no suffering because he does not own it.

So, the enlightenment doesn't really answer any question, or solve any problem, it is just what i call "a mind hack".

We are trapped here, there is no escape, and the only thing we can do to not experience the suffering, is the ultimate psychological disorder: disassociation of self mentally from everything else. You will still be trapped here, but you will not see yourself as "someone". Just another illusion of mind.

Please, prove me that i am wrong.


---------------------------------------


Here is one of several responses:


making all the products confuse

It is a nice indication that all are confused. The word "con" is to bring together and fuse is to connect or join. This means everybody are going to connect to the Truth. which is known in different names Reality, Knowledge etc.

"viscious cycle" There is only one path to one destination. However, the "I" does not want to go away and so creates viscious cycles of different paths, different, traditions, different religions, different beliefs, different concepts, different teachers (guru,s acharya,s prophets etc) different justifications........ This is the viscious cycle the Ego wants to keep itself , if possible eternal.

"Acharyas, they are still in the cycle" It is the knowledge that liberates by removing the "I". No teacher, no Acharya, no Guru, No God can remove the "I" and its accompanied suffering. Only "Truth" or knowledge can liberate and so the "I" self-creates new methods to "justify" and lengthen the time to stay alive.

No ritual, no technique, no touch of a holy person or saint can remove the "I". Only knowledge of light can remove the darkness of "I". The "I" wants somebody to come and help, only to while away the time. it is scared of Knowledge, like darkness is afraid of light.

This does not also mean that without technique or ritual or a Guru/Acharya/Teacher can this "I" can go away. Rituals, technique, Acharya's are a means to impart the knowledge. It is the knowledge that finally removes "I" and not the physical, ritual, technique or the teacher.

How to get the knowledge: Corner the "I" from justifying, step by step move the "I" to the higher Energy levels. From Body energy, move to mental energy, then to intelligence, then to Self awareness and then to Consciousness. The "I" grows thin and thin and finally vanishes.

This is the only path to the only destination we all seek. Justifications to while away time and move to the next level are the viscious cycle of of path we create.

There are several festivals designed to corner the Ego. One of the most powerful is Navarathri, focusing on the visible Energy form (All-things), which is a slow way and the other is Shiva Rathri (accelerated way), focusing on the invisible (No-thing-Consciousness)

Even this discussion is a trap, The "I" finds a new way of thinking or doing an action to "while away time", even in any discussions that gives or imparts Truth.

stage of dream
Another justification of the "I" to get more time to live. A dream is a dream only when the "I" sleep gets over and the sleeper get awakened. Till then it is a reality for the "I".

If "I" was not the creator of itself, then how can it perform something by itself. "I" is an illusion and not any product that can be created. "I" is darkness (absence of light), "I" is cold (absence of heat), "I" is Evil (lack of love), "I" identifies (lack of infinite space-time knowledge) .

In sum total "I" is the absence of "Truth or Knowledge". Fill in with experential knowledge and not justifying intellectual knowledge. Darkness in a room is not real product, however when light is shown in each and every inch of the room, there is no darkness.

Live life to bring the Experiential Knowledge (Gnana) in every moment of life (and all walks of life).

~ ~ ~

Read the entire thread here:

http://uni5.co/index.php/en/forum/realize-self/1347-questions-on-nothingness-emptiness.html
Group: NDhighlights Message: 5047 From: Dustin LindenSmith Date: 2013-10-06
Subject: #5047 - Sunday, October 6th, 2013 - Editor: Dustin LindenSmith
#5047 - Sunday, October 6th, 2013 - Editor: Dustin LindenSmith

The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights/

In case of formatting errors, the issue I'm highlighting today is #4129 by Mark Otter, which you may access directly here:

http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/NDhighlights/conversations/topics/4129

Today's issue originally came out when Gabrielle Giffords was shot in 2011. For some reason, that brought to mind an article I read this week on how the effect of diminished belief in free will might affect interpersonal behaviour and relationships. The author of the piece also cites some recent research on the topic:

http://mindhacks.com/2013/09/29/the-effect-of-diminished-belief-in-free-will/


The article referred to a book I'd never heard of by the co-discoverer of the DNA double-helix, Francis Crick, called The Astonishing Hypothesis. In the book, which he wrote later in his career after changing course from molecular biology to neuroscience, Crick discusses his belief that our mental life is entirely generated by the physical stuff of the brain.

I recently heard this described another way: namely, that our mental activity unfolds naturally without our conscious involvement just like any other pattern of molecular movement found anywhere else in the universe. The only difference? It seems to us as though we have free agency over that activity, over those thoughts, and over those actions. But neuroscientists are pretty much agreed on the conclusion that this is an illusion in our own minds, a trick of perception.

I can think of numerous biological reasons for humans to possess this illusion of free will; without it, it could well have been too difficult for us to organize into communities and work together to develop as a race. Now, however, we find ourselves a part of a swirling movement throughout humanity that seeks to look beyond those appearances. And of course like anything else, this movement is just as much a natural part of the universe's unfolding as any other phenomenon.

In other words, it's no big deal either.

Dustin



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mark markwotter704@...>
Date: Mon, Jan 10, 2011 at 4:24 AM
Subject: [NDhighlights] #4129 - Sunday, January 9, 2011
To: NDhighlights@yahoogroups.com


 

Archived issues of the NDHighlights are available online: http://nonduality.com/hlhome.htm

Nonduality Highlights: Issue #4129, Sunday, January 9, 2011




Ed note: I have to admit, I'm wrestling with the recent shooting of the only Arizona politician whom I really love and respect... Oh well. Gabrielle Giffords is an amazingly lovely person. I wish her well, and I regret the atmosphere here in AZ and in the US, which may have lead to her difficulty and the other folks who died at the hands of someone whom I suspect was deeply troubled. I hope this edition of the HLs points to another, better way to be.



For me the moment of death will be a moment of jubilation, not of fear. I cried when I was born and I shall die laughing.

- Nisargadatta Maharaj, posted to ANetofJewels



It is silence behind the words,
not the meaning of the words,
that is the substance of speech.

It is the emptiness of my heart,
not my longing,
that fills me with joy.

Bill Rishel, posted to The_NowTwo



Liberate yourself by examining and analyzing.
Know your own mind with honesty and fearlessness.
See what leads to more freedom and what leads to more suffering.
This can liberate you from continually getting hooked
by self-centered thoughts and emotions,
the root of all dissatisfaction.

- Pema Chodron, from Always Maintain a Joyful Mind, posted to DailyDharma



It's good to leave each day behind,
like flowing water, free of sadness.
Yesterday is gone and its tale told.
Today new seeds are growing.

- Rumi, posted to Distillation



Your true substance is concealed in falsehood,
like the taste of butter in buttermilk.
Your falsehood is this perishable body;
your truth is that exalted spirit.
For many years, this buttermilk of the body
is visible and manifest, while the butter, which is the spirit,
is perishing and ignored within it -
until God sends a prophet, a chosen servant,
a shaker of the buttermilk in the churn,
who skillfully shakes it, so that you might know
your true self which was hidden.

- Rumi, Mathnawi IV: 3030-3034,, version by Camille and Kabir Helminski, from Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance, posted to Sunlight



In my world there is community, insight, love, real quality; the individual is the total, the totality is in the individual. All are One and the One is All..

- Nisargadatta Maharaj, posted to ANetofJewels.



Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.

- Mark Twain
Group: NDhighlights Message: 5048 From: Gloria Lee Date: 2013-10-08
Subject: #5048 - Monday, October 7, 2013 - Editor: Gloria Lee

#5048 - Monday,В October 7, 2013 - Editor: Gloria Lee
В 
В 
В 
"In silence one can receive more because all oneÂ’s activities become concentrated
at one point. There is only one real rhythm; in silence you hear it. When you live to
the rhythm of this silence, you become it..."
В 
~Mother Meera
В 
В 
В 
I don't know what the question is,
but I know where to find the answer.
The answer is not in India.
The answer is not in America.
The answer is not in the stars.
The answer is not on the earth.
The answer is not in the realm of the gods.
The answer is not in body or mind.
The answer is not in the Bible, Koran,
or the mantras of Rig Veda.
The answer is not in the voice of the Avatar
or the breath of the Guru.
I don't know what the question is,
but I know where to find the answer.
The answer is a baby's laughter
at the nothing you become
when your eye strikes hers
and you leap into that fire.
В 
~ Fred LaMotte
В 
В 
В 
В 
В 
There are never any guaranteed pathways
to enlightenment.
However, you'll still be compelled to walk some
of them anyway until you're finally convinced that,
in the end, they'll all have to be abandoned, too.
The great awakening lies in discovering that, all
along, you've only been "marching in place."
And then...you just stop marching.
And stay perfectly still.
And surrender...to your Self.
В 
~ Chuck Hillig
В 
Yasar Koç photography
В 
В 
You will find something greater in woods than in books. Trees and stones
will teach you that which you can never learn from masters.
В 
~ St. Bernard de Clairvaux
В 

Nachhauseweg - in the morning ~ Germany
В 
В 
"At any moment, you have a choice, that either leads you closer to your spirit or
further away from it. Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only
condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything - anger, anxiety,
or possessions - we cannot be free."
В 
~Thich Nhat Hanh
В 
В 
В 
New post on Non-Duality America
В 
В 
series continues on youtube:
В 
AND/OR dialogue with a skeptic, Michael Shermer
В 
В 
(I expect to hear from other Deepak Chopra skeptics, so enjoy the questions.)
В 
В 
Group: NDhighlights Message: 5049 From: Jerry Katz Date: 2013-10-09
Subject: #5049 - Tuesday, October 8, 2013 - Editor: Jerry Katz
#5049 - Tuesday, October 8, 2013 - Editor: Jerry Katz



------------------------------------------------------


I would like to take a moment to thank my co-editors Gloria Lee, Dustin LindenSmith, and Mark Otter for keeping the Highlights fresh and of high quality. Even though Mark isn't (intentionally) active, he's present among us and lives in Dustin's Highlights and as a standard for all the editors to strive for.


------------------------------------------------------


Mandee Labelle and I will be broadcasting Nonduality Network Talk Radio, Wednesday, October 9, at 12:30PM EST.

You may listen online at http://ckdu.ca

Our call-in number in Canada is 902-494-2487

Or call via Skype, accessing the show through our id, nondualitynetwork. Skype is free to download and use: http://skype.com

For further info about our show please visit http://nonduality.net

This is real, live, FM radio!


-------------------------------------------------------


I was honored to have been a guest on Arvind Singh's Transmission of Awakening, a video interview at 


He asked me if I thought I was enlightened, if I thought Jesus, Ramana, and Buddha were awakened, he asked about free will, the Nonduality Salon group, lots of people, and there was some fun happening. I don't think I gave standard answers to his questions. How would you answer them?

Mostly I became enlightened about using Google Hangouts as a platform for interviewing. I hope to use it to interview a nondualist sometime, somewhere, soon. 


-------------------------------------------------------

Here are some recent writings by Arvind Singh:

The Innocent Child

...Everyone gets this part by birth...

This is the playful, joyous, "in the moment" child...

This is the part that feels instantly happy on seeing a puppy...

This is part that feels happy on just seeing a bloomed flower...

This is the part that feels like dancing in the wind just by seeing a rainbow...

This is the part that enjoys running after birds for no reason...



This is the part that feels instant joy, instant freedom...

But, also instant heartbreak, sadness and disappointment....

It doesn't remember things for long...

This part is ready to forgive and forget instantly...


~ ~ ~


In this Compassionate Clarity...

...one can also see that...


...this Joyful, playful, "instantly happy",
"naturally forgiving" inner...


...doesn't really... ..."grows up"...


...It only learns... ...to "hide"...



To "hide"... in a corner, a room...

...or... a "shell"...



It goes wherever it can find some freedom
to just be itself... ...unconditionally...





And, it is good that this inner child... never really changes... never really dies...

Otherwise,
with its destruction and death... 

...all that is beautiful in life... ...would get destroyed too...


Life would become barren...
...devoid of any beauty...
...devoid of nay good reason to live...



However...
this (critical) voice in head... is so persistent,
loud and strong and this inner child... learns to hide in a shell...

...and...

...in some extreme cases... 
...almost never comes out to play!


That is truly a dreadful situation!

...Being being lived... only as a burden...
...devoid of... any real joy...
...devoid of... ...any real beauty...



The wise one sees...

...that the inner child... never... really grows... ...never... ...really... changes...


The wise one see...

...that the only way to deal with the (inner) child... ...is to fully welcome it... with open arms... to hug it... to completely, fully, unconditionally accept it... ...to conditionally love it...


And... ...in welcoming this (inner) child fully... the life becomes worth living... for the first time... again...




The wise one sees...

...that each of these three sides...
...the inner joyous child,
the (critical) voice in head,
...the wise, compassionate, kind one...

...are present in each of us...


They might be more of less active...
more or less prominent... that's all...


The wise one sees...
...each one of these... ...also inside himself/herself...
Group: NDhighlights Message: 5050 From: Jerry Katz Date: 2013-10-10
Subject: #5050 - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - Editor: Jerry Katz
#5050 - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - Editor: Jerry Katz



------------------------------------------------------

The most recent Nonduality Network Talk Radio show may be heard here:


Description of nondual understanding from the indigenous-inspired writings of Joanne Light. We play Indian Love Chant, by Douglas Spotted Eagle. Power of vision quest, dances, drumming, rituals. Song: Land of Promise. Interview with Jerry discussed and the question of whether he is enlightened. Audio clip of Robert Adams speaking about his meeting with Ramana Maharshi and how RM was "a natural man."


------------------------------------------------------

Here are some excerpts I extracted from an article noted in Facebook by Laura Caitlin Burke:


‘Dozens of mental disorders don’t exist’ and DSM-5 is ‘a fiction’ of ideology, U.S. therapist claims

In his riveting tale of how psychiatrists “medicalize” human suffering, Gary Greenberg recounts that, in 1850, a physician called Samuel Cartwright reported a new disease in the highly respected New Orleans Medical and Surgical Journal. Cartwright named it drapetomania, from the ancient Greek drapetes for a runaway slave; in other words, here was a disease that “caused Negroes to run away.” It had one primary diagnostic symptom — “absconding from service” — and a few secondary ones, including “sulkiness and dissatisfaction just prior to flight.”

~ ~ ~

Updated at regular intervals — DSM-5, the fifth edition, was published in May — it has considerable influence worldwide, including in the U.K., where it underpins several clinical guidelines on mental health. Yet Greenberg holds that by imposing a pseudoscientific model on our “hopelessly complex” inner world, it creates a “charade” of non-existent disorders.

~ ~ ~

So what needs to happen? Psychiatrists, he believes, must narrow their scope — to make a “reasonable claim” for certain mental illnesses falling within their domain. “When the DSM was published there were 14 mental disorders and now there are 250 — it needs to scale back.”

There is a place for drug treatments, he says, although “you only have to look at the clinical trials to see they help some people but not all.”

Above all, psychiatrists need to be more honest with their patients, he believes. “They shouldn’t tell people their illness is caused by a chemical imbalance when there is no evidence this exists. Psychiatry has little knowledge of the underlying processes governing mental health and it should not pretend otherwise.”

—The Book of Woe: The DSM and the Unmaking of Psychiatry’ by Gary Greenberg is published by Ingram International Inc.


------------------------------------------------------




While the psychiatry community (with plenty of individual exceptions!) has us fooled about much regarding mental illness, the dietary/nutrition community has us fooled about the value of wheat and grains. Here is an open letter from Dr. William Davis to Tom Hanks. Hanks recently made a public statement that he had been diagnosed with diabetes 2.

Here's the letter:

Dear Mr. Hanks–

I believe it was very courageous to share your diagnosis on television with a national audience. I am sure you will be flooded by well-wishers as well as many people with advice. I’d nonetheless like to alert you to several issues relevant to diabetes:

–The majority of diabetes is reversible. Most people can make the choice to have diabetes or to not have it. I hope that you choose not to have it. This is because it is caused by diet. Sadly, it is caused by conventional advice to “cut your fat and eat healthy whole grains.” People often blame too many soft drinks and junk food, but there are many people like you who, I’m sure, try to eat well and don’t drink or eat sugary foods–yet have diabetes. This is due to grains.

More than sugary foods, grains raise blood sugar to high levels. The glycemic indexes, for instance, of whole wheat bread, oatmeal, and multigrain breads are among the highest of all foods. They ENSURE having high blood sugars. (To see for yourself, use your glucose meter and check a blood sugar immdiately prior to a meal; consume the food in question, then recheck a blood sugar at 1-hour after eating, not 2 hours as often advised to assess the adequacy of blood sugar control on diabetes medication. You want the blood sugar peak, which is around 1 hour. You will see blood sugars of 200, 250, or 300 mg/dl after eating grains.) High blood sugars from “healthy whole grains” are also toxic to the beta cells of the pancreas (“glucotoxicity”), making blood sugars go even higher. In some people, the loss of beta cells means there can be no reversing diabetes, but this is less common early in the diagnosis.

–Ignore conventional dietary advice. Even better, do the opposite. Unfortunately, in the world of conventional diabetes advice, including that from most healthcare professionals, “Stupid is as stupid does.” The diet advised for people with diabetes makes fasting blood sugar and HbA1c (the 90-day measure of blood sugar) go higher, not lower.

–There are a number of other reasons that grains, especially wheat (white and whole) can be blamed: The gliadin protein of wheat is degraded in the gastrointestinal tract to small peptides that act as opiates and bind to the opiate receptors of the human brain. This triggers appetite for carbohydrates, the worst foods to eat for anyone with diabetes. Wheat germ agglutinin, another protein in wheat, blocks leptin and cholecystokinin, both of which should trigger satiety. In the presence of wheat, appetite is not satisfied.

Beyond the powerful strategy of grain elimination, we do not restrict fats but get plenty of olive oil, coconut oil, and the fats from animal organs and meats and supplement with:

–Vitamin D–The insulin-sensitizing effects of raising your 25-hydroxy vitamin D level to 60-70 ng/ml helps regain control over blood sugar. A typical male requires 6000 units of D3 in gelcap form to achieve this level.

–Magnesium supplementation–While the effect is modest, correcting common magnesium deficiencies stacks the odds in your favor of regaining control over blood sugar. I advocate magnesium malate, 1200 mg, twice per day.

–Omega-3 fatty acids–from fish oil. After eating a meal, there is a flood of particles in the bloodstream (lipoproteins), representing the digestive byproducts of the foods consumed. These particles can block insulin. Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil activate an enzyme that accelerates clearance of after-meal lipoproteins, reducing their insulin-blocking effect. I advocate 3000-3600 mg per day of the EPA + DHA omega-3 fatty acids, divided in two doses for assured day-long reduction of lipoproteins.

Those of us who follow the above principles drop fasting blood sugar and HbA1c precipitously, often enough to get off medication, reduce HbA1c into the 5.0% range, and become assuredly NON-diabetic. Even if you are among the few who have impaired pancreatic beta cells and produce insufficient insulin, elimination of grains will minimize need for medications. And, by the way, we should also pass this information onto David Letterman, who also admitted to having high blood sugars during your interview.

My sincerest hopes that you benefit from these suggestions, I remain

William Davis, MD
Author, Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight and Find Your Path Back to Health
Group: NDhighlights Message: 5051 From: Gloria Lee Date: 2013-10-11
Subject: #5051 - Thursday, October 10, 2013 - Editor: Gloria Lee
#5051 - Thursday,В October 10, 2013 - Editor: Gloria Lee
В 
В 
Something Missing In My Heart
Daniel Ladinsky On The God-Intoxicated Poetry Of Hafiz
by Andrew Lawler
В 
excerpt:
One of his close friends told me that Ladinsky wakes up spouting poetry, and in
conversation, when prose fails, he begins reciting verses by heart, growing still and
closing his eyes. “Someone asked me why I close my eyes when I read my poems,” he
told me. “I said, Г‚вЂ˜Who makes love with their eyes open?’” There is an untamed
quality to Ladinsky, a feral shyness. He is not a scholar, has trouble spelling, and is
self-conscious about a slight stutter. He is clearly wounded by criticism of his
work and was hesitant at first to speak to me at length. The interview was on and
then off and then on again. Occasionally he will drive solo into the country in his
Land Rover, hiking by day and sleeping in the car at night.
В 
His once-black hair is still long but graying, and he has a beard that, with his kind
eyes, gives him the look of a Santa Claus in Carhartts. He can swing abruptly from
reserved and solitary to gregarious and giving. Before our first chat, at a coffee
shop following his Mardi Gras reading, he apologized to three teenagers for
inadvertently cutting in line. Though they protested that he hadnÂ’t, he pressed a
few dollars into their hands and later inscribed two of his books to them as gifts,
chatting affably, asking their birthdays, and reading each one the appropriate
poem from A Year with Hafiz.
В 
В 
Lawler: Do you always engage the world like that?
В 
Ladinsky: Rumi and Hafiz can have a great effect on the young. They can safeguard
them and point them in the right direction. They are like that Emmylou Harris song:
“I would swim the sea for to ease your pain.” They are pain eaters. I see fine
poems, whether by Rumi or Hafiz or Mary Oliver or [Rainer Maria] Rilke or Walt
Whitman, as baby salvations.
В 
I think so many people in the West are fragmented, and if I hadnÂ’t been so
fragmented when I was young, I would have felt the miracle of all this beauty that
we are immersed in. The average person suffers all day long, and it is a rare
moment when IÂ’m not doing battle. If I have thirty minutes of peace in a day, thatÂ’s
a lot. And even then it comes in snatches of five minutes here and five minutes
there. All creatures are doing everything they can to have a sense of well-being.
Rumi and Hafiz can help you in those battles.
В 
Lawler: What do you mean by “battles”?
В 
Ladinsky: Rumi says:
В 
Great lions can find peace in a cage. But we should only do that as a last resort.
В 
So those bars I see that restrain your wings, I guess you wonÂ’t mind if I pry them
open.
В 
Every single poem by Rumi and Hafiz offers people more freedom. What is
freedom? It is not suffering from the tyranny of the past or the future, from the
anxiety about tomorrow or the unresolved things of yesterday. It is seeing
something of the wonder of this moment. It is not a dull experience. The freer one
becomes, the more magical the world. And if there is any sanity in us, all we care
about is love. We want to be in love, because that is the greatest freedom in this
mad, mad, mad world.
В 
Lawler: So what is the obstacle to freedom?
В 
Ladinsky: People are bruised from events in their lives, and bruises, whether
physical or emotional, take time to heal. A serious bruise can impair the way you
walk, talk, and feel. But you can use, say, a broken heart as a way to be present.
Or you can be afraid to give up that heartache, because then the present will seem
empty.
В 
Lawler: Has your heart been broken?
В 
Ladinsky: Yes, by two events. I lost two creatures I was closest to: a woman I was
with for ten years, and my dog. I donÂ’t want to lose the memory of that which I
love most. Who wants that, even if it causes heartache? Once you love something,
you canÂ’t forget about it. And it might transform you. Hafiz says:
В 
How did the rose ever open its heart and
give to the world all of its beauty?
В 
It felt the encouragement of light against its being,
otherwise we all remain too
frightened.
В 
Lawler: How do you reconcile your commercial success with your spiritual
pursuits?
Ladinsky: I have to be balanced. I sometimes have a couple of books in the top ten
in Germany or Australia or the United States. It is amazing how Coleman [Barks,
renderer of Rumi] has changed things. For fifty years The Prophet, by Khalil
Gibran, was the king on the throne of spiritual classics, but recently Hafiz and
Rumi — especially Rumi — are often at the top of the inspirational-and-religious
category. And itÂ’s a tough category.
В 
Lawler: So how is your ego doing?
В 
Ladinsky: I donÂ’t think I have too much of a problem with it. My house is falling
apart, my body is starting to fall apart, I have a broken heart, and IÂ’m
overwhelmed — though itÂ’s a fortunate problem to have — with opportunities I
canÂ’t really manage. The books get rushed, and there are poems that arenÂ’t perfect.
I have an ego. I can get nuts sometimes, and other times I can find equilibrium.
Just today I went to get milk and lay there in the Land Rover and looked up at the
sky and said, “I donÂ’t give a damn about this poetry reading tonight. I just want to
lie here and look up at the sky. I donÂ’t want to be Danny. IÂ’m glad the books are
there, but it doesnÂ’t matter that my name is on them.”
В 
The six years I spent at Meherabad in India have been a fantastic aid. I had
remarkable intimate contact with Eruch Jessawala [one of Meher BabaÂ’s disciples,
who died in 2001]. I considered him a living saint, and he still affects my every
hour. He was a genuine teacher. He was so profoundly, naturally humble. HeÂ’s a part
of me. He used to quote an ancient poet, saying that a personÂ’s pride and ego can be
so hidden that it is like trying to see the black foot of an ant on a mountain a mile
away. That is how careful one should be about saying one has no ego and pride,
because they are so deeply concealed.
В 
Lawler: You were born in the Midwest. How did you end up in India?
В 
Ladinsky: After fooling around at a couple of small colleges, I enrolled at the
University of Arizona when I was about twenty. I tooled down there in a Jaguar
XK Roadster — my father was a wealthy developer in St. Louis, Missouri. I wasnÂ’t
a serious student. I took nine hours of classes, smoked a little grass, and messed
around in Mexico.
В 
I started to spend a lot of time alone. In the desert outside Tucson I heard a
persistent voice — it was nothing weird — saying, “What do you really want?”
Given a choice, I knew I wanted what gave me the greatest pleasure, and that was
being in love. In high school being in love had given me a sense of life and
enthusiasm. So I wanted to love someone or something deeply, and somehow God got
factored into this. I became my idea of a good boy, a virtual monk, quite the
opposite of how I had been living. And out in the desert I experienced sublime
beauty for the first time in my life. Amazingly, when I stopped all chemical
ingestion, the experience didnÂ’t go away. It lasted continuously for more than two
years. I was in a blessed state.
В 
At one point I came across the book God Speaks, by Meher Baba, as well as my
first Rumi poems. I wanted to find a living teacher to integrate this feeling, to go
deeper. On the back of God Speaks were the addresses of five centers. I sent
letters to all of them but got only one reply, from a sweet woman in Australia. That
was too far away, so instead I traded in my Jaguar for a Jeep and outfitted it
with gas cans. I felt drawn to the Andes Mountains and planned to drive there. But
first I thought I would take a little detour, a thousand miles or so out of my way,
to visit the center listed in South Carolina.
I pulled up at a motel in Myrtle and asked the guy behind the desk if he knew
about a spiritual center, and he said it was just down the road. I parked on the
highway outside the center and walked in the half mile or so. ItÂ’s a beautiful place
— five hundred acres on the ocean. I arrived in the winter, and it seemed deserted.
Finally a woman asked me what I was doing. I said I was looking for someone who
knew about life, love, and God. “Oh,” she said, “youÂ’d better talk to Kitty.” Kitty
Davy was a woman in her seventies who had spent fifteen years in India with Baba.
We talked on the phone for a minute, and she invited me to her office. When I was
ten feet away from her, I felt a huge wave of love hit me. I knew this was a person
who knew about life, love, and God. I began weeping and even got down on one knee;
she let me kiss her hand. Then she told me to sit down, asked if I was hungry, and
ordered cheese sandwiches. She told me to just watch her work until the food came,
clearly as a way to ground me. I stayed for three or four months at the center and
then got a place in town. She told the others that she had never seen someone in the
West who was so God-intoxicated without any kind of meditation or other practice.
В 
But I didnÂ’t become grounded, and after a few more months she called me in.
Normally, she said, she would send someone like me, with no financial or emotional
obligations, to India. “But you, Daniel, are in a rare state. The best thing you can
do is go back to your family and get a job with your hands.” She wanted to bring
me down into the world. So that is what I did. I went back to my crazy family. I
told my father I wanted to become a carpenter, and he said fine, heÂ’d get me into
carpentry school.
I got a job with a remarkable tyrant. I thought I could do this for the rest of my
life: put me out on a subfloor, and I could nail forever. I had an enormous amount
of endurance. One day I was nailing a huge roof that went on for what seemed a
hundred yards, and I thought, What more could I want? I started whistling. My
boss said, “This isnÂ’t any hootenanny out here. You canÂ’t whistle on the job!” And I
thought, Boy, they are really trying to bring me down.
[...]
Ladinsky: A few years after the carpentry job, I started working for my father in
his investment company and living a very worldly life. I wasnÂ’t angelic anymore.
And for the first time I started to think that I wouldnÂ’t care if I died. I wasnÂ’t
suicidal, but my life seemed empty. So I went back to the center in South Carolina.
Kitty told me how good I looked, but I told her I wouldnÂ’t care if the moon fell on
me. She said, “Do you really feel like that?” I said yes. She said that I was now
ready to go to India. So I went in 1978 and met Meher BabaÂ’s sister and Eruch
Jessawala, who became deeply significant to me. They changed my life. But though
IÂ’d planned to stay for months, I lasted only two weeks. It was like being locked in
a room with [psychologist] Carl Jung, who wouldnÂ’t let you get away with any
bullshit. They didnÂ’t do it consciously; it was just what happened when you were
around them. And as soon as I got home, I knew I had to go back.
В 
Lawler: What was your relationship to your teacher?
В 
Ladinsky: Eruch was a low-key guy who wore baggy pants and a t-shirt. He never
had private time outside his room or a small prayer hall, except when he went for a
daily walk for an hour or two. He allowed me to walk with him hundreds of times,
and he probably initiated conversation only twenty or thirty times. The first walk
I took with him, he said, “Danny, I canÂ’t really speak candidly to Westerners, since
they would be hurt. But since you are going to be staying with us over the years, I
will tell you something I donÂ’t want you to forget: There is absolutely nothing I
want to say and absolutely nothing I want to hear. If something stirs deep inside of
you, and you need to spit it out, please make sure it comes from a sincere part of
yourself.”
[...] later:
В 
Lawler: Hafiz is IranÂ’s most beloved poet. Have you had second thoughts, as an
American, about putting your name together with his?
В 
Ladinsky: Twenty years ago I read my first Hafiz rendering to Eruch. He said,
“ArenÂ’t you from a Jewish family?” I said, “I have a Jewish name, and my father
was Jewish.” He said, “Danny, you would be risking your life tampering with one of
IslamÂ’s literary treasures.” My response was that my life isnÂ’t worth shit. I had the
sense that this work was about more than me.

Another time I read him this poem:В 

I know the one you are looking for.
I call that man MuhammadÂ’s twin.
You once saw him, so now your eyes

are weaving a great net of tendernessВ 

that will one day capture God.

В 

Eruch playfully said that people werenÂ’t going to like the suggestion that
Muhammad had a twin. “They might kill you for that — but it would be worth it.”

On the verge of my first book coming out — I Heard God Laughing: Renderings of
Hafiz — I told Eruch it would create a stir. People would ask him why heÂ’d allowed
me to put HafizÂ’s name on this book. I asked if he would stand behind me. He said a
remarkable thing: “Danny, if someone comes to me and says you are crazy and asks
why didnÂ’t I stop you, I will say to them that all the poems have passed through the
most discerning regions of your heart. I will say more than that — that all of
DannyÂ’s poems have come from my heart. You can say anything you want, and I will
stand behind it.” That was a most remarkable statement. When he was dying, I
called and said I would like to come and take care of him. He said no, I should stay
in the U.S. and do the work that heÂ’d given me. That was more than a decade ago,
and I havenÂ’t been back to India.

__________________________

more can be read here:
В 
There is more of the introduction to Ladinsky, more about his teacher Eruch, but even so
this isВ less than half the full interview in The SunВ Magazine.
The entire interview is only available to online or print subscribers. The Sun Magazine
may be found at someВ bookstores.
Group: NDhighlights Message: 5052 From: Jerry Katz Date: 2013-10-11
Subject: #5052 - Friday, October 11, 2013 - Editor: Jerry Katz
#5052 - Friday, October 11, 2013 - Editor: Jerry Katz



-----------------------------------------------------

The Ashes of Love: Sayings on the Essence of Non-Duality

by Rupert Spira

A beautifully produced new hardback book containing 280 sayings by Rupert Spira.
 
This book is a distillation of penetrating statements, gleaned from the numerous teachings of Rupert Spira: at times borrowing the musicality of a haiku, the terseness of a pith instruction, or the persuasive power of an oration. But no matter their shape, each one bears the treasure of a full teaching. -From the Foreword by Monique Proulx


Excerpts:


From the viewpoint of the earth, the sun 
comes and goes, whereas it is, in fact, always 
present. likewise, from the viewpoint of the 
body and mind, our essential nature of pure 
Awareness comes and goes, but, in its own 
experience of itself, it is ever-present.

~ ~ ~

All experience is illuminated, or made 
knowable, by the light of pure Knowing 
this Knowing pervades all thoughts, feelings, 
sensations and perceptions, irrespective of 
their particular characteristics. We are this 
transparent, unchanging Knowing.

~ ~ ~

Our self – luminous, open, empt y 
Awareness – cannot be enlightened. It 
is already the light that illuminates all 
experience. Nor can a separate self be 
enlightened, for when the separate self faces 
the light of Awareness, it vanishes, just as a 
shadow does when exposed to the sun. 

~ ~ ~

To invest one’s identity and security in 
something that appears, moves, changes and 
disappears is the cause of unhappiness.

~ ~ ~

The separate self is not an entity; it is an 
activity: the activity of thinking and feeling 
that our essential nature of pure Awareness 
shares the limits and the destiny of the body 
and mind.

~ ~ ~

Just as a screen is intimately one with all 
images and, at the same time, free of them, so 
our true nature of luminous, empty Knowing 
is one with all experiences and yet, at the same 
time, inherently free of them.

~ ~ ~

We are the open, empty, allowing presence of 
Awareness, in which the objects of the body, 
mind and world appear and disappear, with 
which they are known and, ultimately, out of 
which they are made. Just notice that and be 
that, knowingly.

~ ~ ~

Learn more, read a longer excerpt, and order the book here:


--------------------------------------------------------------------


Before you drop of to sleep and when you wake up, just before memories flood the brain, Self is revealed briefly. You will find there are absolutely no thoughts. I-ness is there. If you try and hold onto it, this moment will be prolonged. Slowly you will be able to carry it over into the day or postpone sleep. Even if you manage just briefly before your thoughts return,  do this exercise every day. It will bring results. I am vouchsafing for it with my own sadhana.

 Om Shiva Shankar
 
Christiane Cameron (Sri Mata Devi)
 
'Lets re-invent the gods!'  Jim Morrison


------------------------------------------------------------------------


The paradox

by Anamika

Who is the one reading these words right now?
What is it that perceives these words?

Is it confined to the body?
Does the one reading this stops at the skin?

Or is it confined to the mind and its processes.
The comprehension,  the reactions,
the thoughts coming and going?

If one takes the trouble to investigate,
just where one is right now,
inevitably one finds that there is no end to This.

Everything is perceived,  is known in This and as This.
Including the body,  the thoughts,  the emotions,  the perceptions,
the swaying trees,  the sound of water,  and a car passing by.

Everything is perceived equally.
There is not one thing more yours than other things.
Life is impersonal

AND

Everything is perceived equally
Everything you meet and encounter is You,
There is no other.
Not Two. 

Life is Personal
Everything is You 


The total paradox...
Group: NDhighlights Message: 5053 From: Jerry Katz Date: 2013-10-13
Subject: #5053 - Saturday, October 12, 2013 - Editor: Jerry Katz
#5053 - Saturday, October 12, 2013 - Editor: Jerry Katz

The Nonduality Highlights http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights/


--------------------------------------------------


Some awesome discoveries from Facebook


---------------------------------------------------

Matthew Moore

A thousand-mile journey

The turtle swims ashore
Drawn through blue ocean-way breeze with a guiding-hum
Delivered by old sea-lore


But if emerged an echo
Inquiring which-way, why, how, what-else, what-for?
If from abiding loomed-up a weary-load
Serene-drift could be no more


He’d swim in corkscrew spirals
Fits and starts and stops
Zig-zag see-saw staggers
Stuttering loops and lops


And as the echo pulsated outward
And feedback span around
Turtles spread beyond would jolt and jam
Under shattered sound


Climbing liquid stairs and ladders
To try and gasp a breath
No more gliding sideways
Lurching up and down


But the air up there is barren
No place for a rest
No golden sands to cradle
No burrow for a nest


Then as a mellow old slow-coach meanders by
Desperately they ask the secret of freewheeling through
He says the current guides him
And about that he hasn’t got a clue


The amorphous wisdom
Of nature’s mystifying sub-bass powers
Is burned as a leaf under magnifying-glass spotlight sun
Through knotted introspective hours


If you wish to be a turtle
Gayly floating free
Have a look around you
And ponder what is really me?


Are you a spaceman in a ship
The master of a corporeal tomb
Do you choose every which way to go
Or are you sliding down a flume?


Divulted spiritual wisdom
In seeing the prison a bond
May say it’s all an illusion
You must transcend beyond


But this kind of bittersweet wisdom
Going round on old dusty tape
Means not gliding sideways
But clambering for escape


The answer to the question
To let life and love be fair
Let simply be together
Mind, body, birds, trees and air


You cut it and then say it’s made of pieces.
Take a rest.

~ ~ ~

more at http://www.bobbybottlessocks.co.uk/?p=521


-------------------------------------------------


Look at yourself steadily - it is enough. The door that locks you in is also the door that lets you out. The "I am" is the door. Stay at it until it opens. As a matter of fact, it is open, only you are not at it. You are waiting at the non-existing painted doors, which will never open. -Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj


--------------------------------------------------


Science and Nonduality Conference

may I be I is the only prayer--not may I be great or good or beautiful or wise or strong.
~ E.E. Cummings


------------------------------------------------------


Wayne Ferguson

Jerry: I know you are always keen to point out examples of nonduality going mainstream. Are you familiar with Cynthia Bourgeault? I don't know how mainstream she is, but she is certainly talking a lot about nonduality in this broader discussion of religious education in a Christian context.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BIubBa0PYk

I watched this and liked it very much. Here are some notes I sketched while watching:

"The nondual brain." Thanks Wayne. I'm only aware of Cynthia's name but never knew much about her. "Bringing nondualistic thinking into the daily life of all our classrooms." This is mainstream nonduality. Good basic teaching on meditation or centering prayer and its relationship to current neurological findings. Christianity as a portal through which we open the gateways to the infinite while respecting and honoring other portals, other religions. You can't be out of union with God. God perceived as missing. The gate of heaven is everywhere.
Group: NDhighlights Message: 5054 From: Dustin LindenSmith Date: 2013-10-13
Subject: #5054 - Sunday, October 13, 2013 - Editor: Dustin LindenSmith
#5054 - Sunday, October 13, 2013 - Editor: Dustin LindenSmith

The Nonduality Highlights
—
 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights/

It might seem strange to our American readers here, but this early fall weekend is when we Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving. I have a lot of things to be thankful for in this realm, but for this audience, I'll just say that I'm most grateful for this opportunity to highlight these older issues of our little daily magazine here, and I'm also grateful for the huge breadth and depth of insights that I've gleaned directly as a result of what I've read on these pages over the years.

The
somewhat lengthy issue I'm highlighting today was originally edited by Mark in 2010, and it contains some nice, deep material in it. The first is an excerpt from a rewritten portion of a book by Dennis Waite which revisits the time-honoured but deeply relevant metaphor of our identity manifesting in a way similar to an actor with a role in a play.
The issue continues with a piece by Francis Lucille on how easy it is for us to confuse the witnessing consciousness with the witnessed mind, but how liberating it is when you transcend that misunderstanding. In a similar vein, Scott Kiloby picks up this thread with the following nugget:

As this unchanging, unmoving empty space is seen to be what you are, it becomes obvious that the intellect and all the conceptualizing has no separate existence from the space.

The issue concludes with a friendly warning from Jean Klein about the razor's edge we're walking with this dawning understanding of our true nature.

Dustin

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: markwotter704 markwotter704@...>
Date: Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 6:30 AM
Subject: [NDhighlights] #3786 - Sunday, January 24, 2010
To: NDhighlights@yahoogroups.com

Archived issues of the NDHighlights are available online: http://nonduality.com/hlhome.htm

Nonduality Highlights: Issue #3786, Sunday, January 24, 2010




Editor's note: Dennis Waite has rewritten his book The Book of One: the Spiritual Path of Advaitai, improving and adding new material. The new edition is due out in April. Here's the new version of the bit that I quoted yesterday:

ahaMkAra means the making - kAra - of the utterance `I' - aham - but, in practical terms, it describes the process by which the real Self is identified with something in creation. In order to communicate meaningfully with others, we have to use the word `I' but most of us do not think that we use it merely as a convenience. We believe that it refers to something unique about us as an individual; something concrete that could be pointed to or picked up, except that, if asked exactly where or what this `thing' is, we begin to find it difficult to define. Moreover, we believe that we are separate, autonomous entities that do and think things in our own right. Effectively, we mis-take ourselves for something limited. It is this single act that is the root of all of our problems. As soon as we attach the basic feeling of `I am' to anything at all, we create duality because if `I am something' (e.g. a woman), I have simultaneously defined something that I am not - a man.

It is as though an actor becomes so identified with the role that he is acting in a play that he goes around in his day to day life thinking the thoughts and feeling the emotions that might be felt by that role and entirely forgetting that he is an actor, merely pretending to be the role in the play. There is no reason why he should not play the part of a murderer in the matinee performance and a lover in the evening; who-he-really-is has nothing to do with either.

In an analogous manner, Advaita says that the Self actually has `nothing to do with' the world - is totally unaffected by it. What happens is that the process of ahaMkAra identifies the Self with something in creation and that `something' is bound by the laws of creation. Thus, whilst it seems as if our real Self is bound, subject to misery and death, it is not really so. It is only the body that dies.

Don't worry if these ideas appear to be rather far-fetched. Just let them rest for the time being, rather than throwing the book out of the window. We'll return to them in more convincing detail later... and the window will still be there



If the body-mind is an object, a personal and limited collection of mentations, there must be a witness to which it appears. This witness is usually referred to as consciousness or awareness. If we investigate what we are, it becomes clear that it is this awareness that is precisely what we call "I." Most people identify this witnessing consciousness with the witnessed mind, and in doing so they superimpose the personal limitations of that mind onto consciousness, conceptualizing it as a personal entity. When we make a deliberate attempt to observe this witness, we find an unusual situation: Our attempt seems to fail, due to the subjective nature of consciousness, and the inability of the mind to recognize something that is not objective; but mental activity, made up of the current train of thoughts and sensations, seems to stop for a moment. Although this "stop" doesn't leave any memories at the level of the mind, this non-experience generates a strong feeling of identity and an ineffable certitude of being that we describe using the words, "I" or "I am." After a while, the ego resurfaces with the thought, "I am this body-mind," projecting once again the space-time limitations of the personal entity onto the limitless "I am." The limitlessness of the "I am" can't be asserted from the level of the mind, but remains with us as an "aftertaste" when the objective world reappears.

Having been informed of the presence of this witnessing background, and having had a first glimpse of our real self, a powerful attraction, which brings us back again and again to this non-experience, is born. Every new glimpse reinforces the "perfume" of freedom and happiness that emanates from this new dimension. As our timeless presence becomes more and more tangible, our daily life takes a new turn. People, distractions, and activities that used to exert a strong appeal to us are now met with indifference. Our former ideological attachments become weaker for no apparent reason. Our focus on investigating our true nature intensifies without any effort on our part. Higher intelligence sets in, deepening our intellectual understanding of the truth and clarifying our ontological questioning. Many personal conflicts and antagonisms are reduced or resolved.

Then, at some point, the ego is reabsorbed into our witnessing presence, which reveals itself as the eternal beauty, absolute truth, and supreme bliss we were seeking. Instantaneously, we are established in the certitude of our primordial immortality. This sudden revelation of our non-dual nature can't be properly described through words to someone who is still under the illusion of the duality of subject and object. Such a person will understand those words in relative terms, as an objective experience. It is the only kind of experience he can conceive.

How is it possible to convey the feeling of absolute happiness to someone who only knows relative experiences? Given any relative experience, no matter its intensity, there is always the possibility of an even more intense experience. But this is not the case when we are referring to the bliss of our true nature. How is it possible for someone who knows happiness only in relation to objects to comprehend the autonomy, the causelessness, of this bliss? How is it possible to convey the non-localization and the timelessness of this unveiling to one who only knows events in space-time; its absolute certitude to one entangled in relative truths; its divine splendor to one for whom beauty is a relative concept?

If we say that our universe, with all its richness and diversity - the apples in the basket, the loved ones around us, the Beethoven quartet on the stereo, the stars in the nocturnal sky - at every instant emanates from, rests in, and is reabsorbed into our selfrevealing presence, our words still fail to adequately describe the immediacy of this unveiling.

They fail to do so because they still convey the notion of a transcendental presence from which this universe emanates as a distinct entity, whereas such a distinction is nowhere to be found in this unveiling. Our self-luminous background, which is the common thread of the dialogues in this book, constitutes the sole reality of all that is.

- Francis Lucille, from Eternity Now, from the StillnessSpeaks.com site



From Geo:

I must repeat how much I apreciate your intent in driving one back to the source!

There is such a strong drive to conceptualize, to try to "understand".

Thanks Scott!

From Scott:

Hi Geo. Glad the pointers are helping. Yes, it can be very helpful to just allow thoughts to rest more and more and be only with present, non-conceptual space. This is a radical, direct approach.

As this unchanging, unmoving empty space is seen to be what you are, it becomes obvious that the intellect and all the conceptualizing has no separate existence from the space.

But unless and until this radical empty awareness is introduced, this inseparability very often remains elusive. For many (of course not everyone) until this basic ground of presence or awareness is recognized as the stable unchanging source, the mind just continues to put different pieces of the puzzle together, sort of running on a treadmill, not really going anywhere, but rather just getting different configurations of thought. Some of the configurations are clearer than others, relatively speaking. For example, a post-modernist philosophy or an integral framework or a particular teaching may be a clearer configuation or conceptual framework. But to see that even those things are coming and going within a boundary-less space is real freedom. It's not about denying mind or any mindstuff but rather seeing first what is here, prior to thought, emotion, experience, sensation, and other appearances. As this basic formless space reveals itself, everything is seen to be inseparable from it.

I don't want to give the impression that this is true for everyone or that this is the only path. It certainly is not. It's just been my own personal experience. And I have seen it help many others.

For me, the value of a pointer is not in how clear it sounds conceptually, but in the extent to which it provides or reveals actual freedom, unconditional love, acceptance, compassion and to what extent it reveals one's actual identity beyond the limited sense of "me and my story."

- Scott Kiloby, from AOStudyGroup

Q. Is this source that you turn to see, the ultimate subject, your real nature?

A. Be very careful. The subject that can be seen is not your home-ground. What is sometimes called the ultimate subject is nothing other than silence, sunyata, emptiness of images. This is consciousness, the light behind all perception. The subject that is talked about is still in duality, the subject-object relationship.

- Jean Klein, from: Who Am I? The Sacred Quest



The world is full of remedies,
but you have no remedies until God
opens a window for you.
Though you are unaware of that remedy now,
God will make it clear
in the hour of need.

- Rumi, Mathnawi II: 682-683, version by Camille and Kabir Helminski, from Rumi: Daylight, posted to Sunlight
Group: NDhighlights Message: 5055 From: Gloria Lee Date: 2013-10-15
Subject: #5055 - Monday, October 14, 2013 - Editor: Gloria Lee

#5055 - Monday,В October 14, 2013 - Editor: Gloria Lee
В 
В 
"Hi there, my name is Norman Fox and I have been receiving these updates for about a
year I think? Almost always inspiring and if not, at least keeps me reminded about who
I am."
В 
And Norman went on to briefly relate how nonduality and photography were connected
with his process of overcoming addiction. But wow, the photographs on his website
simply blew me and Dustin away. So we asked if he would explain more about this
connection, and he generously did. Thank you, Norman, for letting us get to know you.
В 
Gloria and Dustin
В 
В 
В 
There is a point where spiritual solutions to a problem change from being an option, into
an absolute must. For myself, this point came after a two-year break from alcoholism
and addiction, where I had thought that I conquered things but found myself again
behind the dumpster and completely hopeless. I was fortunate to have a few people
around me that continued to suggest strongly enough that I simply did not have the
power to step away from crack and booze. My friends persisted, and I accepted the
ultimatum; that I was incapable of running my life on my own power, and that I must
find and broaden a relationship with God. They said I suffered, as many do, with the
bondage of self.
В 
This was the wee start of things. What happened next is something that could not ever
have been planned, nor created by my own will power, and nor was it the result of my
self at all.
В 
You may guess by now that I was hanging with one of the recovery fellowships, one that
I regard as the saving grace in a time of complete despair and one that I continue to
love every day.
В 
And the instructions were simple enough; find a connection with God, and do some house
cleaning. The best part was having a man who had been through the process, guide me
lovingly and honestly through the steps. Now I know that many millions of people have
done the exact same thing as I did. They followed an experiment that worked for others
and found it worked for them. This is my experience.
В 
The first days of sobriety, which ultimately turned into weeks and then slowly into
months were fairly calm. They were about me, wandering around my downtown
neighborhood, through the same places where I used to hide behind the shadows and
sneak through the night only this time I carried a camera, which I was desperately trying
to understand how to use properly, and a relationship with God that I was equally
desperate to know. At some point these two concepts began to parallel. Focus,
composition, absolute honesty, trust and integrity and composure and a balance of light:
these ideas seemed to be as much about my desire for truth as for a good photograph.
And this went on for two years and I stayed broke, but I did find the odd job and I did
remain sober.
В 
However at about two years, things began to go sideways again. My understanding of
God continued to puzzle me and then, I remembered hearing Stephen Wolinsky talking
at an event in my town about 15 years earlier. I was hooked by something then, but was
unable to really put my finger on it. I bought all his books, (even tried to carry them
into a treatment center on one of those separation from addictions retreats) and was
told no. "Not in here".
В 
I remembered Stephen talking about Nisargadatta and so I went right to Google and I
was completely fired up by all of the available film footage of him. And I began to
devour everything I could find. (Which is also how I came to find this group)
В 
I bought all the transcripts and books about Non dualism that I could afford and for
the next year continued my wanderings with the camera but now included doing what
Nisargadatta was told to do; pay attention to all I know for sure: "I am".
В 
So this is what a day of myself and my camera would look like:
В 
I would turn some corner and see something or someone down an alley that seemed
beautiful to me. I approach, start framing a shot and as always, I see more detail so I
move closer. I heard from the photographers I was studying to "move in on the detail" and
I tried to practice just that. But then, more detail would appear and this would go on
and on. At some point, I would just take the shot and hope that something good had been
seen.
В 
В 
I would end the day at my kitchen table staring at the images and sometimes enjoying
what I saw but for the most part, not very confident about my choices. Not very
confident about my ability to take good photographs and full of thoughts that said I am
not good enough, I don't deserve, I have burned too many bridges, or worse that this is
all a sham, that I am a fraud and that restitution for my life of mistakes would be that
the closeness to beauty had been removed. As if the nearness of God had boundaries
that I had overstepped along the way.
В 
But on one very simple afternoon, lining up a shot under the viaduct near my home, I saw
the truth; that there is simply no end to the detail. I could just keep moving closer and
closer and seeing more and more and it seemed un-ending. It was a bit baffling. At what
point, do you simply push the button, and is that the point where you capture the truth?
В 
And suddenly and very calmly, all of the teaching I had read, that had somehow lingered
long enough in my world for me to actually see and understand had come together.
В 
I experienced that there is no end point of beauty in photography, and I realized this
was also true of God. That there is no destination, and the alarming logic that follows: if
there is no destination then there is no journey, exactly as Nisargadatta had talked
about. What had been so confusing, so endlessly difficult to comprehend, at once became
the simplest of all things.
В 
I'm telling you I fell to my knees just stunned, and then I cried those tears that happen
very rarely in life.
В 
I stopped experiencing in the most serene of ways.
В 
Soon after this, another job I had found ended and I decided to use the last of my
money to print my photos, for the first time. It was a shock to learn that two thirds of
the large format images were lost. I retained some smaller versions, but only about 75
that were large enough to print remained. It was simple and perfect, a sort of cosmic
editing. Out of these came my portfolio; for no reason and because of nothing they
became a story.
В 
I walked the portfolio around, talked with the "art world", and was asked to do a show.
I spent three months preparing for that; staring at the images, sharing a bit with my
friends about what I had come to see, and continuing to be of help to my fellowship.
В 
Initially, the fellowship told me that I must focus on being "self-less". I always thought
that to mean simply being kind, generous, and thoughtful of others. What I came to
know, is that this concept is much much more, and in fact not a concept at all, but the
truth, and that the "practice" of Selflessness is only the beginning.
В 
The truth, that we are not individuals, that the essence of who I am is exactly the same
in all things, means that the bondage of self that my friends spoke of is in fact the
experience of thinking that I am an individual. When I stopped seeing myself as an
individual, when in a manner of speaking I "died", I was ready to hang these images on a
wall and share this story. In the images, I see a story of nobody and the futility of
individualism as a priority and the recklessness of uniqueness as a cure. And I see the
embrace of nature, and the roots of experience and I truly hope others find something
inspiring in them as well.
В 
Norman Eric Fox

www.normanericfox.com

В 

В 

Despite it all, follow your dreams...

By Wayne Moriarty, Editor-in-Chief
В 
Cat perches on an aging cedar fence in Strathcona in new work by
Vancouver photographer Norman Fox.
В 
В 
“I feel an emotional attachment to the Old World tones of Strathcona, the train tracks,
older buildings and businesses. I have everything here a photographer needs.
В 
“We have coyotes, eagle nests, the subculture of East Hastings and the waterfront,
diverse people, cheap breakfasts, trains running through the night, Chinatown, lots of
kids. But the thing I like the most is the mix of regular working families and the more
shadowy culture that lives along the fringes.”
В 
His photos in the show are selling in the $200 range. If everything moves, he will recoup
the precious funds used for printing and framing, rent will be paid and the cat will be
fed.
В 
Bob Carroll is another friend of mine. More important for the purposes of this column,
Bob is a legendary Canadian photojournalist and the greatest photo editor this country
has produced.
В 
I asked him to give me an honest assessment of NormÂ’s photography.
В 
“Some outstanding art photography here,” Bob said. “Good eye for light, nice use of
black and white. Knows value of soft, flat or contrast lighting. Hard blacks when
needed. Same for colour. No big reds when not necessary Â… Some of his work, like the
cat on fence, looks like illustration. It works that way, too ... I see a number of
Г‚вЂ˜framersÂ’ already. IÂ’m sure there will be more to come.”
В 
Honest, supportive words from the most respected photojournalist I know.
В 
Thinking back on that coffee six months ago, I know how close I came to telling Norm
his photography will never be more than a hobby and, for the sake of his well-being, he
ought to get his feet back on the ground and find something that will pay the bills and
feed the cat. I wanted to say that without having ever really and deeply looked at his
work.
В 
What a mistake that would have been. I think my friend may actually have himself a
career here.
В 
Norm told me the other day, “Right now in my life I am fascinated by how much we
chase the idea of individualism, the competition that comes from this, and how it really
seems to get in the way of so many peopleÂ’s happiness.”
В 
IÂ’m not too sure what all that means. But IÂ’m sure as hell not going to question him on it.
В 
NormÂ’s show runs until the end of October.
В 
Group: NDhighlights Message: 5056 From: Jerry Katz Date: 2013-10-16
Subject: #5056- Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - Editor: Jerry Katz
#5056 - Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - Editor: Jerry Katz



-------------------------------------------------------------


A bunch of interesting bits and bytes in this issue. 


-------------------------------------------------------------


Tune in to Nonduality Network Talk Radio, Wednesday, October 17, from 12:30 to 1:30PM EST, at http://ckdu.ca

Chat with us about what can't be spoken. Tell us a story, tell us a joke. But most importantly, tune in, sit back, and enjoy. 

Call-in number: 1-902-494-2487 

Call via Skype using id nondualitynetwork 



-------------------------------------------------------------


Scott Kiloby is in Halifax/Dartmouth, Nova Scotia for the weekend for a special workshop, Living the Inquiries.  We would like to invite you to come just for Friday night if you're interested in hearing him. Cost is $20 at the door  and sliding scale is welcome. After Friday night, October 18, you'll have the option to attend Saturday, Sunday or both. You can register online or at the door. Please plan to arrive between 6:30 and 6:45 so we are ready for a 7 PM start. Thanks, Lynn

Friday, October 18, 2013 7 to 9 PM (Please arrive by 6:45)
http://nondualinquiry...­ for more details.

This is a weekend retreat where we explore how deliciously simple real freedom is. We will spend the whole weekend on what is really important. It’s not about changing your experience. It’s about seeing through everything that you ARE NOT. That’s the only seeing necessary. Let’s cut to the chase. Freedom is not a special state. It’s a way of looking differently at your present experience. We will be talking about everything including the Living Inquiries and the Compulsion Inquiry. Join us.

Email Lynn fraseryoga@...­ for more information.


---------------------------------------------------------------


Nick Day posted this in Facebook:

Banksy Sells Original Artwork for $60 in Central Park:


Street artist Banksy set up a stall in New York's Central Park Saturday, selling his original pieces — worth tens of thousands of dollars each — for $60.

The event was documented on video and posted on Banksy's website. It took several hours for the first artwork to be sold, to a lady who managed to negotiate a 50% discount for two small canvases. There were only two more buyers.


---------------------------------------------------------------


This was also posted on Facebook:

Interview with Russell Brand who is sharing his awakening to the dominant cultural narrative via an understanding of oneness. You may not feel he's totally nondual, but he's out there on the main stage speaking to millions and, like Banksy, disrupting the accepted and fixed mind set. 



-----------------------------------------------------------------


The Science and Nonduality Conference is happening next weekend. If you've never attended, I highly recommend it. As one of the original co-organizers I can tell you the conference upholds the spirit of nondual diversity, fun, joy, and freedom.



-----------------------------------------------------------------


Have you seen my video interview? What odd questions I was asked. "Do you think Ramana, Jesus, etc., were enlightened?" The only thing weirder was probably my response. 
Group: NDhighlights Message: 5057 From: Jerry Katz Date: 2013-10-17
Subject: #5057 - Wednesday, October 16, 2013 - Editor: Jerry Katz
#5057 - Wednesday, October 16, 2013 - Editor: Jerry Katz

The Nonduality HighlightsВ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights/


------------------------------------------------


Dear Fellow Explorers,В 
Here are the covers and reviews of my new books available athttp://www.lulu.com/spotlight/ColinDrakeUntil midnight on October18th Lulu is offering 20% off, just enter PUMPKINS at the coupon code.
Inline image 1

В Awareness of Awareness - Reviews

This book is composed of articles written since the publication ofВ Awakening and Beyond, the final in my trilogy on awakening. It is written to stand-alone as a book of pointers to awakening, not requiring the reader to have read any of my other works. Here are some comments by readers of these articles:

В 

Fantastic topic thank you so much for this! I was holding back because I didn t want to give up personality and character this gives a different way of looking at things. Tracy Beshara

В 

I want to thank you for expressing a clear way for seeing my true nature. Hugh Tollan

В 

Dear Colin, I love this latest posting.....the open way.........I appreciate the clarity and lightness of expression. -Paul Bedson

В 

Thanks Colin for the wonderful books. You write with so much clarity that one can immediately become aware of the awareness that we all are.В Love Jeff Bradley

В 

Hi Colin, It is such a wonderful thing to see that your writings are engaging people in such a healing way. You invite them to arrive home and that awareness is the greatest gift they can embrace.В Love,В Cheryl Freeman

В 

I must tell you that I find your writings most helpful. They are full of very strong pointers that bring me immediately into pure awareness. Thanks very much for that. Best regards

Theodosis

В 

Thank you Colin for your great work, their (the articles) arrival is always timely and inspiring. And that NOW is always the right time to get at it.В Best to you and yours. Continued success, Brent
Inline image 2

В Poetry From Awareness of Awareness - Reviews

This book is composed of poems based on chapters ofAwareness of Awareness The Open Way

В 

Here are some comments by readers ofВ some of my poems:

В 

I love the clarity of your rhyming poems. The Dharma teaching is so direct and uncluttered. Wonderful. -- Colin Yardley

В 

Very well put Colin, fun, playful and sincere, I get it at the deepest level and my heart sings once more. -- Suzanne

В 

That poem is really beautiful! Thanks for sharing it. Dede

В 

The poetry is succinct and I have used it like a sutra. Hugh

I want you to know whatever the reason was you have done something no one else has been able to, point me to awakening.В ---- Hanumandass after reading :В Awakening is Immensely Practical

As always Colin, you amaze me and stimulate thought...oh goodness, maybe I should say that the poetry isВ stoppingВ thought in order to welcome awareness!! --- Cheryl

В 

A truly beautiful poem to begin my day with. Thank you Dear Colin. -- Ally

В 

В 

If you are interested in more articles, poems, or myВ paperback books, including in the new books:В Awareness of AwarenessВ -- The Open WayВ andВ Poetry FromВ Awareness of AwarenessВ -- The Open WayВ these may be found atВ В http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/ColinDrake
If you wish to purchase a book always checkВ www.lulu.comВ for discounts/sale prices which Lulu is constantly offering.
---------------------------------------

Awareness of Awareness – The Open Way

by Colin Drake


вЂ˜By observing mental states you also become aware of the seven factors of enlightenment. These are: awareness of Awareness, investigation of the Way, vigour, joy, serenity, concentration and equanimity.’ (The Buddha, Maha Sattipatthana Sutta 14-16)


The first two are paramount and the last five are outcomes of these. This is what my books are all about, becoming вЂ˜aware of Awareness’ through direct investigation and then continuing with further вЂ˜investigation of the Way’ (the Tao, the nature of reality). I call this the Open Way for it is open to all and is a way to awaken. The are many вЂ˜ways’ but many of them are closed in that they require their adherents to have special knowledge, ability and discipline; whereas, awareness of Awareness is a simple direct seeing which when cultivated leads to full awakening.


At this stage we need to become clear as to the meaning of the term вЂ˜awareness’ which has two meanings which we must not confuse. The phrase вЂ˜awareness of Awareness’ utilises both of these meanings and for this reason I have used a capital letter for the second one so that they may be easily distinguished in what follows.


The first occurrence (awareness) is synonymous with mindfulness, that is вЂ˜seeing’ with the mind, or keeping (something) in the mind. It also means вЂ˜becoming conscious of’, noticing, or perceiving, as in вЂ˜I became aware of …’ This is the normal everyday usage as in the OED definition of вЂ˜aware’ – having knowledge or perception of …


So the term вЂ˜awareness of Awareness’ means becoming conscious , or having knowledge or perception, of Awareness. We now need to define this Awareness which is simply the total вЂ˜seeing’ and perceiving (or seer and perceiver) of everything detected by the mind and senses, whereas awareness (becoming aware of) is the partial вЂ˜seeing’ of those thoughts/sensations on which the mind is focussed, or which are noticed. So these are not different, awareness just being a limited version (or incidence) of Awareness.


This is easy to directly experience by closing one’s eyes and seeing whether you can simultaneously be вЂ˜aware of’ (notice) all of the thoughts/mental images and sensations that are occurring. This is found to be impossible and yet these are all there in Awareness, which becomes apparent when one focuses one’s mind on , or turns one’s mind to, any of them…. and there they are! About this I wrote the following in Beyond The Separate Self:


It is obvious that we would not вЂ˜know’ (be aware of) our own perceptions without Awareness being present. This does not mean that we are always conscious of each one of them, as this is dictated by where we put our attention, or upon what we focus our mind. However, all sensations detected by the body are there in Awareness, and we can readily become conscious of them by turning our attention to them. It is also true that our thoughts and mental images immediately appear in Awareness, but these require less attention to be seen as they occur in the mind itself. So Awareness is like the screen on which all of our thoughts and sensations appear, and the mind becomes conscious of these by focusing on them. Take, for example, what happens when you open your eyes and look at a beautiful view: everything seen immediately appears in Awareness, but for the mind to make anything of this it needs to focus upon certain elements of what is seen. вЂ˜There is an amazing tree’, вЂ˜wow look at that eagle’, вЂ˜what a stunning sky’, etc. To be sure, you may just make a statement like вЂ˜what a beautiful view’, but this does not in itself say much and is so self-evident as to be not worth saying!


The point is that the mind is a tool for problem-solving, information storing, retrieval and processing, and evaluating the data provided by our senses. It achieves this by focusing on specific sensations, thoughts or mental images that are present in Awareness, and вЂ˜processing’ these. In fact we only truly see вЂ˜things as they are’ when they are not seen through the filter of the mind, and this occurs when what is encountered is able to вЂ˜stop the mind’. For instance we have all had glimpses of this at various times in our lives, often when seeing a beautiful sunset, a waterfall or some other wonderful natural phenomenon. These may seem other-worldly or intensely vivid, until the mind kicks in with any evaluation when everything seems to return to вЂ˜normal’. In fact nature is much more vivid and alive when directly perceived, and the more we identify with the вЂ˜perceiver’, as Awareness itself, the more frequently we see things вЂ˜as they are’.


This Awareness is the constant conscious subjective presence in which our thoughts/mental images and sensations arise, abide, are spied and subside. Before every one of them Awareness is present, during each one of them they are вЂ˜seen’ by This and This is still here after they go. Just check this out now – notice that before each thought/sensation there is Awareness of вЂ˜what is’ (the totality of these at any given moment) , during each of these there is Awareness of them within вЂ˜what is’ and after each of them has gone there is still Awareness of вЂ˜what is’.


Rumi described this as: the clear conscious core of your being, the same in ecstasy as in self-hating fatigue. That is to say the Awareness in which the ecstasy or the self-hating fatigue appears. Now generally you would just be aware of, and affected by, the phenomenal state. If, however, you become aware of the Awareness in which this state is occurring and can fully identify with, and as, this Awareness then the state loses its power to affect your equanimity. For Awareness is always utterly still and silent, totally unaffected by whatever appears in it, in the same way that the sky is unaffected by the clouds that scud across it.


It is this identification with Awareness that can be achieved by вЂ˜investigation of the Way’ and the easiest way to do this is to directly investigate the nature of one’s moment-to-moment experience, see the appendix. When this is successfully accomplished and you can see that, at the deepest level, you are Awareness itself, then this is an awakening. If this cultivated by remaining вЂ˜aware of Awareness’ (and identified as Awareness) then this leads to full awakening.


Appendix: Investigation of Experience


For the full process, and its implications, see any of my books on awakening , available at http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/ColinDrake, but briefly:


Life, for each of us, is just a series of moment-to-moment experiences. Any moment of experience has only three elements: thoughts (including all mental images), sensations (everything sensed by the body and its sense organs) and Awareness of these thoughts and sensations. Thoughts and sensations are ephemeral, that is they come and go, and are objects, i.e. вЂ˜things’ that are perceived. Awareness is the constant subject, the вЂ˜perceiver’ of thoughts and sensations and that which is always present. So the body/mind is experienced as a flow of ephemeral objects appearing in this Awareness, the ever present subject . Thus this Awareness exists at a deeper level than body/mind and we are this Awareness.
Group: NDhighlights Message: 5058 From: Gloria Lee Date: 2013-10-18
Subject: #5058 - Thursday, October 17, 2013 - Editor: Gloria Lee
#5058 - Thursday,В October 17, 2013 - Editor: Gloria Lee
В 
В 
Something Missing In My Heart
Daniel Ladinsky On The God-Intoxicated Poetry Of Hafiz
by Andrew Lawler
В 
Daniel Ladinsky
В 
В 
excerpts continued from previous issue #5067:
В 
Lawler: Do you get much feedback from your readers?
В 
Ladinsky: Sure. You witnessed what happened with those young people just now. And
recently IÂ’ve had a request from an author to reprint a poem that was very helpful to
her as she cared for her dying mother. Another writer, I just learned, plans to
include in her book a poem from I Heard God Laughing because she credits it with
saving the life of her daughter, who had stopped eating because of psychological
problems and was heading toward death. Somehow this poem "got in" and helped when
nothing else seemed able to. The poem goes:
В 
There is a beautiful creature living in
a hole you have dug,

so at night I set fruit and grains,
and little pots of wine and milk,

beside your soft earthen mounds, and
I often sing to you,

but still, my dear, you do not come out.

I have fallen in love with someone who
is hiding inside of you.

We should talk about this problem, otherwise
I will never leave you alone!
В 
Lawler: So where does Hafiz end and Daniel Ladinsky begin?
В 
Ladinsky: You remember the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind? I have had a
close encounter with Hafiz in the most extraordinary way. I donÂ’t know why he
picked me out of billions of people, but he put something into me that has affected
every single poem I have written. And I pray like hell for help. Is it Hafiz or Danny?
I donÂ’t know. Does it really matter? All I know is, there is something in my books
that many feel is of wondrous value and that may help those who are drowning.
В 
Lawler: Some modern scholars argue that your poems are nothing more than your own
work, couched as HafizÂ’s.
В 
Ladinsky: Yes, some people say that there isnÂ’t a single poem of mine that can be
documented as Hafiz. ThatÂ’s ridiculous. A serious scholar could never say that. “See
the kind nature of the tavern master / In his loving eyes, everything we rowdy
drunkards do is beautiful.” My rendering is: “Know the true nature of your Beloved. /
In His loving eyes, your every thought, word, and movement is always, always
beautiful.”
В 
Lawler: When the Canadian prime minister recited one of your Hafiz poems, no one
could find anything similar in the traditional Hafiz canon.
В 
Ladinsky: “Even after all this time / the sun never says to the earth, / Г‚вЂ˜You owe Me.Â’
/ Look what happens with a love like that, / it lights the whole sky.” If that isnÂ’t in
the spirit of Hafiz, I donÂ’t know what is! IÂ’ve come to believe that the deeper one
studies Hafiz, the less of a foundation there is to have an intelligent debate about
what he actually said. And some of my greatest critics have come from my community,
like Rick Chapman, who wrote Stealing Hafiz. He says in his introduction that he is
jealous of my work. He sent me a signed copy of the book with a cordial greeting. I
thought heÂ’d lost his mind. Lots of books with the name Hafiz on them are available,
and I think there is a reason mine do as well as they do. The beautiful, sacred, and
vital truths wonÂ’t die. When captured in words by grace, they will take root.
В 
Lawler: Do you feel there is any validity in critique ofyour work?
В 
Ladinsky: Hafiz is one of the literary treasures of the world, and a jewel in the
crown of Islamic and mystical verse. I began working with Hafiz by studying Persian,
but then I started to rely almost entirely on English translations of Hafiz in the
public domain. I feel I have seen HafizÂ’s soul as probably very few have, and I feel
he has sanctioned my work in profound ways. How could it then not happen that some
scholars — or anyone with a great love for Hafiz via the Persian language — would
not be tremendously challenged by my claims and work? It is be expected, and I am
sure it will continue.
В 
Lawler: What kind of person was Hafiz?
В 
Ladinsky: As I said, not much factual information about his life exists. But Meher
Baba and Eruch were able to say some things that, to me, rang very true and were
thus a big help to my work. Imagine a great poet-saint and realized being who has all
the trimmings, who emits an intoxicating aroma, as well as light, and who can play
great bluegrass and jazz; someone who can crank anyoneÂ’s party way, way up. He is an
atmosphere so pure, one that we long to breathe.
В 
Lawler: What is the difference between the poetry of Rumi and the poetry of Hafiz?
В 
Ladinsky: With Rumi, we can see a true shadow of him in English. The only way we can
see that shadow with Hafiz is to take great liberties, and that is going to create a big
ruckus. When you work with Rumi you have the luxury of walking into an existing
building, a magnificent skyscraper. And you can move around the furniture or paint a
wall or open up another window. I feel that so much has been lost of Hafiz and his
true genius that sometimes you are working off incomplete blueprints. You are gluing
together bricks, building from the foundation up, and that is going to create a certain
controversy. And I wouldnÂ’t be able to bear it without the backing of a teacher who
I felt had some authority, and unless I felt some inner sanction. I wouldnÂ’t be able to
bear the cruel, cruel interactions with some people about it.
В 
Lawler: But how do you think Hafiz and Rumi differ as poets?
В 
Ladinsky: To any fully enlightened soul there is only God, or divine light and infinite
knowledge. Any perfect poet — and I feel both Rumi and Hafiz were — experiences
existence nondualistically. They live as one. I donÂ’t think they would see any
difference between themselves. Any difference we might see is due to our transitory
and distorted perception. Rumi, Hafiz, you, me — these are just costumes that came
to life when the Beloved wiped his lips with us for whatever drunk, wild reason. [...]
В 
В 
Lawler: Why did you leave India?
В 
Ladinsky: At one point while we were walking, Eruch turned to me and said, “Danny,
tell me the truth. ArenÂ’t you just counting the days until you can leave me and this
place?” I said, “Yes, this place is killing me. IÂ’m dying here. It is turning me inside
out.” He said, “I just wanted to hear your response.” He said, “That is the nature of
being around real teachers: they are going to annihilate you, kill you. Kill you.” Baba
said that the more dead you are to yourself, the more extraordinary your experiences
become. The more dead you are to yourself, the greater your awareness and power. It
is one of the great ironies. And to be boiled down to gold is no joke. IÂ’m not gold, but
I know something of this process. It can be living hell. Most of the pyrite is gone.
Sometimes IÂ’m silver.
В 
Lawler: You used that phrase “boiled down” earlier. What does it mean?
В 
Ladinsky: A lot of the so-called teachers these days are not fully cooked themselves.
A trusted friend or teacher who has some wisdom and your best interest at heart can
be a treasure. I feel that the real teacher, though, at some point will cease playing
patty-cake and break you in two. This can be an excruciating process and the start
of a marvelous transformation that may then go on for the rest of oneÂ’s life. It is said
Hafiz was ground to dust by his Master over a forty-year period and thus became
nothing. But, oh, what a glorious nil that is: “I am a hole in a flute / that the ChristÂ’s
breath moves through / — listen to this music,” says a line in one of my Hafiz books.
And what is more nothing than being a hole in something else? But look what can
happen then. Look what one can then give. I am boiled or distilled some, but there is
still a lot of Danny lurking here and there. I often feel far from enlightened.
В 
Lawler: You once said that all acts and thoughts are inherently selfish. What did you
mean?
В 
Ladinsky: There are, in a way, only selfish acts. But at some point oneÂ’s acts become
more intelligent. For me a saint is someone who acts from a place of intelligent
selfishness. They benefit themselves and others. The person operating from ignorant
selfishness and fear often hurts themselves and those close to them.

В 
The small man shackles everyone he can.
While the sage, who has to duck his head
when the moon is low,

keeps dropping keys and jeweled hacksaws
all night long — for us beautiful rowdy
prisoners.
В 
ThatÂ’s a Hafiz poem. Someone put it on a greeting card. [...]
END
В 
В 
With That Moon Language
В 
В 
Admit something: Everyone you see, you say to
them, “Love me.”

Of course you do not do this out loud, otherwise
someone would call the cops.

Still, though, think about this, this great pull in us
to connect.

Why not become the one who lives with a full
moon in each eye that is always saying,

with that sweet moon language, what every other
eye in this world is dying to hear?
Group: NDhighlights Message: 5059 From: Jerry Katz Date: 2013-10-19
Subject: #5059 - Friday, October 18, 2013 - Editor: Jerry Katz
#5059 - Friday, October 18, 2013 - Editor: Jerry Katz

The Nonduality Highlights http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights/


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It's great to see people marching for solidarity and sacred lands, building real-life communities, travelling to teach, going on the radio, in other words, living nonduality. All these activities are given space in this issue.


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Scott Kiloby's in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and I went to see him speak last night. This weekend he is leading his Living Inquiries event. From Scott's website he writes:

Scott is reaching out to all people who are suffering or seeking or cannot seem to find fulfillment in this life, no matter where they go or what they do. He is bringing a very simple approach called the Living Inquiries to cities across the nation. These inquiries contain three elements and one question and are used in different ways to free you from the entanglement of seeking, addiction, anxiety and every other form of suffering. Come see this approach in action for yourself. Scott is not teaching anything. He is merely showing you how to look into your own experience and recognize a joy and freedom that cannot be captured in words.

Learn more here:

http://scottkilobytalks.com/


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Our most recent Nonduality Network Talk Radio show may be heard here:

http://nonduality.net/16october2013.mp3

Topics: Canadian Thanksgiving, Autumn, everything knowing That, the Science and Nonduality Conference. What is Breema all about? Andre Krylov: Simple Truth in Tranquility of Peaceful. A vibrant call from David in Cambridge, Massachusetts, peering into his open awareness meditation meetup group. David reads a poem he wrote inspired by friendship.

Mark your calendar to listen to our show this Wednesday, October 23, from 12:30 to 1:30PM EST. We'll feature coverage of a solidarity march Mandee and I attended, whose purpose was protest and bring attention to proposed fracking on lands which the Mi’kmaq native people of Elsipogtog, New Brunswick, consider traditional hunting ground. The Mi'kmaq fear fracking will damage the environment and specifically the water supply. I felt my participation in this march was a chance to remind people of what is sacred, much as what we do in each issue of the Highlights.

A one minute video is shown here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FwQz2CiWd8

We'll have much more, including interviews, in our radio broadcast this coming Wednesday.


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One of the original ten members of Nonduality Salon, David Hodges, now runs the Nonduality page on Reddit. Visit, contribute, enjoy.

Big thanks to David for including issues or portions of issues of the Nonduality Highlights on his page. At the same time I'll be scouring his site for material for the Highlights! hmmm

http://www.reddit.com/r/nonduality


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David Hodges started Outermost Village Green, in Vermont, which "is an Intentional Community dedicated to transformational living through spiritual growth, the arts, healing and sustainable living. Our goal is to build, together, a way of life that is mutually supportive of the individual as well as of the whole."

Learn more here:

http://outermostvillagegreen.com/2013/10/17/the-heartbeat-of-community/

This is from the blog:


The Heartbeat of Community

OCTOBER 17, 2013 BY DAVID HODGES

It is late Sunday afternoon. A community member is in the kitchen, cooking for the community dinner . As the time approaches 6:30, people drift into the kitchen. The dining room table gets set. Or, if the weather is warm, the picnic table out on the deck is prepared. People supply themselves with their favorite drink and we sit down for our weekly community dinner and meeting. There are the usual sounds of food being dished up and plates passed. There is a lot of random chat and a good deal of laughter. It feels great to me to have our whole group together, to see 7 or 8 faces around the long table, to feel like this place, around this table, is where I want to be and where I am supposed to be.

Dinner over, we clear the dishes, refill our drinks, and gather again for our meeting.

The person who is chair for the week calls the meeting to order. When it is your turn to be the chairperson, you can choose to start with an activity if you want.

Activities bring us together in a special way. We have had scavenger hunts. We have played games, given massages, done craft projects or writing exercises, done listening exercises, and given presentations on things that interest us. Some weeks we are all tired and we just get on with the meeting.

After the activity, we have a check-in. We go around the circle and share where we are, what’s going in our lives, how we feel. People don’t interrupt during our check-in but its ok to give feedback when its over. We each get to feel that people are listening to us and are interested in what is going on with us.

Then we go to accomplishments. It is important in community to celebrate our successes, to give each member attention and recognition. So we list our accomplishments, big and small, whether they relate to our community or not. They can be such things as completing a construction project, getting eggs from the chickens, cutting, splitting, and stacking firewood, scoring an A on a test, buying something that is needed for the house, taking a trip, getting a job, and so on. Whatever they are, we are glad to hear them.

After accomplishments, we discuss upcoming travel plans, and guests that are coming to the house. This keeps us all informed about where our community members will be and who will be in the house any given day. I know for me, I like to know who is in the house each night.

If it is summer we have a garden report from Natalie and a flower report from Jaimie. In the autumn and winter we have a firewood report from Daniel. We might have a report on the animals from the various people that tend the animals.

Read the rest of the article and learn more about Outermost Village Green here:

http://outermostvillagegreen.com/2013/10/17/the-heartbeat-of-community/

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