What Seems True

1. I have never known non existence. I can conceptualize non existence, but I can never know it.

2. Awareness implies existence. The one thing I cannot deny is that I exist.

3. Experience informs me that something does not come from nothing. Therefore, this universe, observed as coming forth from the big bang, did not come from nothing.

4. Everything I experience seems to have a cause. It does not seem plausible that there was no cause.

5. Whatever is created in this universe has to be created by that original cause. That cause, whatever it is, exists, and I cannot be other than wholly that.

6. Knowing that I am That, whatever That is, I have no choice but to surrender to That. Which means I accept everything without choice.

7. The limitations of this body are a contraction only, of That. When the limitations cease on death, That still remains. Knowing that I have never been anything but That, whatever That is, I remain that.

8. As a limited person I experience no free will. How could I? I did not create this set of limitations, this focal point of consciousness. It's a setup I inherited.

9. However, as I can be nothing but that which created me, That being the essence of what I am, I am freedom itself.

10. I am this presence, this awareness. I do not imagine it limited to this body/mind. When this body/mind goes, It would be presumptuous to believe that the remaining presence awareness in all beings is not me. 

Paper and Watercolors

Paper and watercolors are a good metaphor for the Self. For example, I take clean white sheet of paper and paint a picture. Then I paint another one, and another.

All three pictures are nothing but paint. I have created name and form with the lines and colors. Yet each picture is just paint.

The essence of all the pictures, the blank page, is a metaphor for unlimited awareness, the Self.

The pictures are all mythia, paint creating name and form.

The paper is not dependent on the paint, name or form, but the picture is totally dependent on the paper. 

Presence Is

One can entertain ideas,
Yet hold them lightly.

In holding lightly,
The unknown is embraced.

Free fall is still
A presence.

Being is, a concept
It is not.

Be the presence.
It cannot be lost.

Awareness Is

If awareness is, Existence is. I see no difference. Ideas come and go. In the coming, is awareness, in the going is awareness. All I know is awareness With name and form. Without an object, Awareness is. In this body, Or no body, Awareness is. We can conjure Many things, Destroy many things, And only Awareness Remains. When this body dies, This focal point is mute. Yet existence remains, And therefore awareness remains. Am I awareness without A body? Only Awareness knows.

Cause and Effect

Awareness, the creator, sustainer, and knower of all that is, has no second to question its perfection. Any cause in the universe falls under this ultimate cause. Sort of answers all the questions, doesn't it?

The Search for Truth

I always wanted freedom. The path for me was the pursuit of truth. Truth was finding an answer to the existential questions: Why me? Why here? For what? In order to pursue truth without interference I went into business. The simple equation was this: perform a required function and get paid enough to have a stable life providing time for contemplation. I did not want to have my income tied to my questions, or in any way impinge on my freedom of exploration.

For this reason I did not want a job as a priest, or minister, or philosopher. Business I could pursue dispassionately. I did not want to own my own business because I wanted to be free of it. I did not want to be a manager because I did not bring home worries from work.

I spent most of my free time reading and studying whatever interested me in my pursuit of truth. Many people asked me why I read so much. The answer was simple. I couldn't figure this all out on my own. If I was going to find the answer, I needed help. I needed input. I needed the knowledge others had gained.

This pursuit took me through psychology, self help, evolutionary biology, sociology, philosophy, etc. It took time. But I had provided time by being a simple householder. I lived simply beneath my means. I did my job. I did it well. I left it at my desk when I walked out the door

I found in my search mostly what was not the answer. It was a process of "not this, not this," separating the wheat from the chaff. Christian mysticism came close, but it was very individualistic and tied to experience. It was not knowledge that could be easily passed to another. What experience would I have to have to know?

Advaita Vedanta eventually rose to the top. It was knowledge that was supremely thought out, logical, and thorough. When contemplated as edified by a knowledgeable teacher, it makes sense. Vedanta is a science of consciousness. It can only be said to be religious or spiritual, because it answers existential questions. Who am I? What is God. What to I need for happiness?

It was astounding for me to realize that my questions had all been answered thousands of years ago. The knowledge and understanding provided by Vedanta is deeply satisfying. It answers fundamental questions posed in any psychology, philosophy, and religion. It transcends them. Self realization brings peace. The search drops. Freedom is revealed to already be the case. The truth becomes self evident.  

Absolute Dream

When you dream at night you create a whole world full of people, animals and a storyline. You experience it with no knowledge that it is a dream until you wake up. Then you know it was entirely your own creation. One can even say it was entirely unreal, and yet you touched, felt, smelled, and experienced a material world.

How is it then so hard to realize that the waking world is no different? This whole world of name and form is a projection, a dream of the Absolute? Where is the difference? The Jiva dreams. The Absolute dreams. No difference. Not two. Sat, chit, ananda. 

No Separation

If you have two people in a room you can do an interesting experiment. The first person says, "I am here and you are there." "No," says the second person, "I am here and you are there."

Since both persons statements are true, both are here and there. So where is the separation? Here and there are both appearances in awareness. In each case awareness is primary and the position of the bodies makes no difference. Both bodies are experienced in awareness which has no separation.

Existence

Can that which is not an object exist? You, the subject, Awareness, do you not exist? Of course! You, the  knower, unmanifest though you may be, know you exist.

With the projection of Maya every name and form appears. All are objects. They exist. Therefore, existence is primary. Manifest, or unmanifest, you are existence, consciousness, bliss. Wherefore then, can the sting of death be real?

The Bane of Existence

In the pot and the clay example, no matter what shape the clay becomes, it is the shape that determines its usefulness: a platter, a pot, a jar, a cup. Naturally we lock onto the usefulness of the object, not on the fact that it is made of clay. We dismiss the essence and latch onto name and form.

This is what we do with ourselves and others. We take the objective function, name and form, and neglect the underlying reality. Everything is objectified and given a value based on its usefulness. The underlying reality is forgotten and becomes unavailable. Thus the presence of Ishvara, reality, existence, consciousness, bliss, is overlooked. This alienation from the whole becomes the bane of our existence. 

Only That

You could say that I searched for nonduality for many years. But, after arrival one does not claim to have searched at all! He who searched has left town, never to be seen again. Who was the doer? That!

I am not the doer. You are not the doer. That is the doer. All one doer, not two doers, as in a me or a you. "The sinner and the saint are just exhanging notes" to quote Nisargadatta. Where is good and bad when there is only That?

Some have called nondual awareness impersonal. But in fact, when there is only you, nothing but intimacy remains. When there is only all that is as you and me, everything is intimate. Nothing could create more intimacy. When the "observer is the observed", as Krishnamurti says, where is the distance?

Where is the harm when no one is doing anything to you, nor you to them? What opinion can you have about what is going on? Everything is allowed. There are no winners or loosers. Only That. Only That, being what it is. Loving what is. No one to save. Only That. 

Impeccable Logic

Intelligence is not enough to discover who you are. Intelligence based on false assumptions, unexamined, just creates beautiful rationalizations. Creates castles in the sand. It takes courage, fearless self examination, uncompromising questioning and the risk of your own self conception. Truth has to be number one.

I've been around a lot of intelligent people with incredible logic based upon false assumptions. From that false base, the logic and consistency can be impeccable. But, if you go to the root on which the logic is based, the whole structure is null and void.

If one is doing self inquiry, one must be willing to go beyond the personal to the impersonal. One must be willing to ask, not just, "Who am I?" but "What am I?" That jump to the impersonal makes all the difference.  

Me and I

"Me" is a mental object. "I am" is being. You say, "I am angry," not "Me is angry." Why? Because "I am" refers to awareness, the real self. It is awareness that knows the experience, while "me" is just reflected awareness in the bodymind. 

Dream Characters

Awareness takes on the Jiva just like we take on the characters in a dream. No difference. When you wake up from a dream you go, "Oh, I had a dream." In waking life when you wake up you know, "I am not limited to this person. I was sleeping.

Survival Instinct Moved

The drive to survive, to maintain is hardwired into us. We got it from our evolutionary past. This instinct to survive is necessary and natural, but that survival instinct now has moved and mapped itself to our ego. Now we act as if our ego is what we must protect as if it is our life. But, is it really so? Is it necessary that our ego be protected as a live or die object?

The ego is a structure of our upbringing, our culture, our beliefs. It has very little to do with our survival. It's a story, opinion, assumption. Can we see this?

As awareness we can step back and look at this object, see it for what it is. It is an ephemeral object. It is not who we are. It is not our life. Only by stepping away from ego can we see it objectively, purely, and have compassion for ourselves and others. 

Attitude Affects Karma

Suppose you have the idea there are bad people in the world that should be hurt. Your attitude is that they need to be punished. You take yourself to be the virtuous one, and you are going to do some of the punishing.

You decide that a number of bad people hang out in the dive bar at the edge of town. So you take it upon yourself to go there and have a few drinks. Surely you'll find someone that needs to be hurt.

You arrive and have a few drinks. Soon enough you're feeling cocky. A rough looking dude walks in and starts behaving badly. He is pestering some young woman who wants nothing to do with him. You approach the tough guy and confront him concerning his behavior.

Now you have an argument and you smile as it escalates. Being virtuous, you let the other guy throw the first punch. You are rather tough yourself, you get the better of him. You both get kicked out of the bar, but you are satisfied that you hurt someone who needed to be hurt.

You attitude keeps you going back. You repeat the same scenario over and over. Soon, you are no longer allowed in that bar. You find another one. Same story.

Thirty years later you find yourself alone, banned from all the bars. Half your bones are broken. Your nose is off kilter, and a piece of your ear is missing. As you sit pondering, you suddenly realize that all the other people who thought some people needed to be hurt, were also gathering at the dive bar. You had found each other and provided the correct karma. 

Universal Awareness

Awareness is universal. In order to have a point of view it must create a scene and a focal point of awareness. Sentient beings are vehicles for reflected awareness. Since awareness has no qualities, it takes on the qualities of the vehicle it reflects. 

In the case of the human, reflected awareness takes on the view of the particular jiva. At the focal point of the individual, awareness responds as that person as if it were that person. The individual takes the reflected consciousness and responds according to the sense organs and personality that develops.

It is rare that a person doesn't perceive awareness to be indigenous to the physical and subtle body. The senses are in the body and the personality acts through the body. For all practical purposes, our mistaking ourselves to be the body is hard-wired. It is the rare person who discovers that awareness is not personal. Fewer still are able to see this without the teaching of Advaita Vedanta.

Vedanta turns the subject object relationship on its head. It shows that awareness itself is the subject. That you, and all sentient beings only borrow awareness. When you realize yourself to be awareness, you see that you are the field in which all the characters play. You awareness, take on the identify of each character. Then you play. Vedanta shows that you are not the doer, not the character. That is freedom. 

Qualifications, Knowledge, Means

There is no doubt that a qualified mind is required to realize the self. Since Vedanta is a complete means of knowledge, if you come to it as your first real foray into the spiritual world, you are lucky. The whole method is there. You can use the tools to quiet your mind and develop the subtlety required.

As James has said repeatedly, if you arrive with a qualified mind, your understanding may come quickly. In my case, I had been slopping around all over the place. The Christian mystics, new age thought, self improvement, Sufism, J. Krishnamurti, etc. You name it, I read it, studied it, did it. But there was one thing I had wrong. I thought it was some kind of experience that I needed. This was the greatest piece of ignorance I had. It was the biggest stumbling block.

As far as qualifications go, I did have one thing going for me. Having wandered in the swamps for so long, I had learned to separate the wheat from the chaff. Gestalt therapy, Primal therapy, and dream work, had cleaned up most of my projections. Taking back my projections and owning up to all the crap stored in my unconscious, got me fairly clean.

Progress was made, clear thinking and self confidence improved. But the one thing I didn't know was that I still had a knowledge problem. I kept trying to feel my way into the space the great teachers came from. J. Krishnamurti took my head apart, but there was no means of getting into the space he spoke from. I was still trying to get the right experience.

Experience is a tricky thing. No matter how unitary, ecstatic, blissful, or out of this world they may be, they don't last. What's worse, is that after a taste of bliss, the return to the mundane feels like hell. The only solution seems to be to try harder, to chase experience better.

All this to point out, that when I discovered Advaita Vedanta as taught by James Swartz, what he taught made complete sense. When he stated that I didn't need to chase experience, it was a relief. When he said it was knowledge that set one free, that was good news. Especially good because Vedanta has a "means of knowledge." 

Having a "means of knowledge" is the solution. Half baked experiential teachings didn't work for me. I was ready and open for correction. His book, "How to Obtain Enlightenment" was a complete view. It stated clearly what I needed to know, and it had a means. Since I was pretty cleaned up, the knowledge poured in. Then freedom was experienced.

Reincarnation or the Truth

What do you want more, to reincarnate because you enjoy this life, or the truth? If you want reincarnation, then don't be coming to satsang pretending you are seeking truth. Even Jesus said "The truth will set you free." And if you are free, you won't be reincarnating. Why? Because once you know your are the Self, you know you were never born and will never die. 

A Born Jnani

I was born a Janna yogi. As far back as I can remember I was always wanting to know why? How? I wanted to understand. This wasn't some wonderful thing. I was always in trouble for questioning what I heard. I wasn't opposed to authority, I just wanted them to be true to the knowledge.

I had an itch for truth that I scratched till I bled. Most of my life I considered this absolute, unwavering search, a curse. It prevented me from living the assumptions I found all around me. The constant search made me an outsider, an inward dweller. 

I didn't like prayer, or meditation, or symbols. But I was contemplative. There was always some abstract something behind the veil that was calling. That was my curse. And I literally told people that I was cursed because the search was not a pastime. It was life or death.

You might say I had a quest for knowledge. I read voraciously. I made progress. I could feel it, but the veil was still there. Who was I? How did this work? What was real?

It all boiled down to the fact that I was ignorant of something my very soul needed. Some profound instinct had hold of me. There was something I needed to understand. Yet I could not name it.

Enlightenment I heard of, and I pursued it. But there was a boatload of crap to wade through. When I discovered Advaita Vedanta, and it informed me that I had a knowledge problem, it was hallelujah for me! I was what I was looking for, Awareness itself.

Since I was a born jnani this knowledge was nirvana. It was the healing of the itch. The end of the search. I still don't meditate and symbols don't do much for me. But understanding is all. And bless the teachers. I never would have figured this out.  

Automatic Value Judgments

"Feelings are automatic value judgments," was a statement made by the American psychotherapist Nathaniel Brandon. If you consider this statement deeply you can understand how feelings can deceive you. If your assumptions (automatic values) are based on falsehoods (things you picked up from your parents, and unexamined experience), trusting your feelings may keep you on the wheel of samsara.

An automatic value judgment is a determination, an assumption of value, that you no longer question. Animals have instincts, but we humans have feelings. Most are developed in childhood when we have little choice about inculcation. We take on automatic value judgments to respond quickly and correctly in the environment we find ourselves. 

No matter how strong our feelings are, these judgments may not be in line with the truth. If our feelings are exceptionally strong, we will have a hard time examining them. There is no doubt that questioning strong feelings causes insecurity. The threat to our psychological security is reason enough not to question them. We take our feelings to be the truth.

Unexamined experience and feelings may be presenting a false view of reality. This is where Advaita Vedanta has tremendous insight. Vedanta tells us that it is knowledge that sets us free.

For knowledge of reality, feelings and unexamined experience need to be questioned. Vedanta is a means of knowledge to examine our assumptions. It takes courage to view ourselves in the light of knowledge, but the end of suffering is a worthy goal.

Swami Dayananda wrote a book called "The Value of Values." This would be a good start. You can look at your feelings and see what values they express. Are they in line with freedom and true security? Examining our values based on the knowledge revealed in the Vedas is a proven path to freedom and out of samsara. 

Nothing Simpler Than This

I see my computer screen. Therefore I say it exists. I feel my fingers on the keyboard. Therefore I say it exists. I hear the birds outside my window. Therefore I say they exist. All my sensory input does one thing. It points out existence.

The input from my senses is different, but all of them reveal existence only. The name and form varies, but all resolve into existence. And what is existence? It is knowing.

You know the computer screen by sight, the keyboard by touch, and the birds by their sound. All this input is knowing. To know is to exist. Does this not reveal that existence is consciousness?

Consciousness alone exists. If you exist, you are that consciousness. There is nothing simpler than this.

Imagine a Robot

Imagine a robot that has been sent to the moon. It has legs so it can maneuver on the moon landscape. It has cameras so it can create images and send them back to earth. It has recording equipment, so it can send recordings back to earth.

On earth in the space lab where all the receiving equipment is located, humans see and experience all the information the robot is capturing with its equipment. The humans get excited and are awed by what they see and hear.

Consider that the robot is inert. It experiences nothing. It's just equipment. The humans on earth are the ones who experience what the robot sees and hears.

Take another step and consider that the human body is the robot for the Self. The body is inert. You know and experience the body, but the body does not know you. You are that Self, that Awareness, in which all of creation exists and is experienced. You alone are eternal Existence Awareness in which all appears and disappears. 

Awareness Is Fluid

Awareness is the most fluid thing because there is nothing that cannot appear in it. From the largest thing, to the smallest, nothing appears outside of it.

It does not matter how far the universe expands, it is contained in awareness. The smallest quark seen through the most powerful electronic microscope, appears only in awareness. So where is any limit on awareness?

Since nothing exists without awareness, you can be nothing but awareness. How freeing is that?  

A Rendition of Advaita Makaranda by Maury Lee

A Rendition of Advaita Makaranda by Maury Lee Sri Laksmidhara Kavi wrote 28 verses on the essence of Advaita Vedanta. Using reasoning and logic, the verses establish non-dual Brahman, One without a second. Note: I couldn't find a modern English version of "Advaita Makaranda." Archaic wording made the versions I found difficult to digest. I wrote a version I could understand. It is below. Hopefully I have retained the meaning. Just thought I would share it. Verse 1 Salutations to Brahman who is infinite bliss, whose essence is auspicious to the whole world, and who, by a revealed means of knowledge, removes all ignorance. Verse 2 I awareness, exist without beginning or end. I shine the light of awareness on everything. Therefore, every form of consciousness is nothing other than myself. There is nothing about myself that I dislike. I am Brahman, Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. Verse 3 In Me, awareness, does the whole of Space appear, and all things in it. A bodymind appearance therefore, is nothing but the presence of Brahman, the all-knower and the cause of all. Verse 4 I awareness, never perish, though forms come and go. I continue always. Though forms are destroyed, I remain. I am partless, though I appear as many. This is my creation and needs no other support. The destruction of any form is not my destruction. Verse 5 The element of space cannot be altered. Whatever appears to divide, does not affect space. When any form in space changes, space remains. How then can I, the pure Consciousness, be destroyed by things superimposed on Me? Verse 6 The universe is inert. Nothing can be known or experienced without my presence. I, Awareness/Consciousness, am present everywhere. Verse 7 The world cannot be known without Consciousness. It is I which shines the light by which experience is known. No experience of the world lights up without my presence. Every name and form is a superimposition. I Awareness, am one without a second. Verse 8 I am not the body, nor the sense-organs, nor the pranas, nor the mind, nor the intellect, because these are all objects known to me. Verse 9 I am the witness, all-pervading and ineffable. I am not the ego, feeling limited and separate. I am everywhere, and not confined. All modifications appearing and disappearing are only appearances. I know their appearance and their absence. Verse 10 Sorrow and other travails of samsara are known to me, but not experienced by me. The world of name and form belongs to appearances which change. But I do not change. I am the witness only. Verse 11 The person that sleeps does not know sleep. I Awareness, do not sleep. I witness the dreamless sleep, the dreaming sleep, and waking state. I know the three states, therefore I am beyond them. Verse 12 The presence or cessation of any state is known to me, an object in Awareness. Waking and dreaming and the absence of either is known to me. But I am not affected. How can these belong to Me, their witness? I am ever the knower, not the state or object. Verse 13 Being Awareness, the knower of all modifications, who could give me attributes? Who could provide my description? Verse 14 If appearances are born and then disappear, how can such a changing thing remember the changes? It is I, Awareness/Consciousness that remembers. Verse 15 Only Awareness sees one’s birth and death. The moment of appearance is birth, and the moment of death is the beginning of absence. I am the knower of both. I was present at your birth, and present at your death. I will know your absence. Verse 16 I am not touched by ignorance. "I know" and "I don't know” are illumined by me, the light, Awareness. Knowing youth and old age, presence and absence, how can the Self be ignorant or time-bound? Verse 17 Without inquiry, ignorance of the Self remains. We are born aware, but consciousness of our surroundings takes up all our space. The mind misinterprets and ignorance remains. In the absence of inquiry, samsara repeats. Freedom is born of inquiry, applied with a means of knowledge. Verse 18 This projected appearance of a universe provides a place for apparent selves. But separate selves never feel at home until the light of realization dawns. Liberation springs from knowledge and understanding. Then we are Brahman, eternally in the home we never left. Verse 19 This division of objects, including sentient beings (jivas) are imagined in Me, Awareness, just as in a dream. Yet all is One, just like objects in a painting are nothing but paint. Verse 20 Every apparent witness has borrowed my Awareness, but forgotten, and claims it as his own. The individual witness is only an assumption in the ocean of Consciousness. Verse 21 There is no adding or subtracting from Awareness. I am not affected. No wave of appearance detracts from the ocean. No ripple on a pond is separate from the water. Ignorance does not bother me. I am the light. Verse 22 Existence is my very nature. It is not one of my qualities. Existence is all there is. What is separate from that? Verse 23 Consciousness is my nature, and not a quality. All of existence is Consciousness only. I am eternal. Non-existence is not possible. Verse 24 I am bliss. If one does not know this bliss, one is ignorant. This is no sin. It is only a mistake. A means of knowledge is provided because I am dear to myself. Verse 25 Reality is that which does not change. Though I appear as many with various natures, I do not change. The nature of form can be dismissed, as the differences belong to the world, not to me. I remain undivided, the existence only, of each and every form. Verse 26 I am the light. All is light. That light is Awareness. When I take form, Consciousness appears with many attributes. But every attribute is one essence. Existence itself. That existence, I am. Therefore, “That thou art” is true. To know this, apply the means of knowledge, Advaita Vedanta. Verse 27 I am the eternal Awareness/Consciousness. I am all existence. I am that Self which you are. I am complete, without beginning or end. All appearances are projections only, all resolve back into me. Verse 28 May this nectar of non-dual Brahman be revealed as your very self. May these verses, like lotus flowers full of nectar, be joyfully drunk by all wise persons.

What You Love the Most is Yourself

What you love the most is yourself. When you can see others as yourself, who's not to love. 

Subtle Inquiry

Awareness has always been with us. We fail to notice it, because it doesn't change. At birth it is known as sensory input. We have no way of knowing what it is other than what we experience. We simply respond. At that age there is know other way to look at it. 

In time we learn that this body has choices on how to respond and personality develops. The ego has to develop because it is the interpreter and chooser of how to respond. It is natural. It is hard wired. There is nothing inherently wrong with it other than the fact that the body and sensory input is not what we are. 

Awareness is so basic, so obvious, that it is overlooked by everyone.  Because we want to survive, we are paying attention to the input, and how to respond. We learn what is required to survive in our family, our group, our society. This learning usurps all our attention.

At some point, for some people, due to suffering, we begin to question. If we have a strong enough ego, we begin to question ourselves. Eventually, inquiry gets subtle and continuous. We begin to love quietness and peace as that is required for this level of inquiry. Less is more becomes a valuable asset.

At some point, if we persist, we catch sight of that which allows us to know. On examining this, we see that if we are anything, we are That. 

Right Action

Do not go looking for people to help. You may be trying to gain virtue, which likely is ego identification. Rather, be what you are, where you are, available to respond to needs presented to you. Ishvara knows what is needed, and if you are to do it, that need will appear. Respond accordingly.

Seek the truth so that you become the light. Then people will present themselves to you with questions, or with physical needs. Responding as life unfolds, where you are, as you are, lets you respond without chasing virtue.

It is freedom that you want, not virtue. It is truth that you want, not virtue. From  freedom comes truth and virtuous action. Then when you respond, it will be right action, not some superimposition.

For The Sake of Happiness

When we are unhappy we feel that something must be wrong. We just know that happiness is our real nature. We can't argue this feeling, our inherent nature tells us this is our birthright.

However, happiness for any length of time seems fleeting. 
That tells us that we are not in right relationship to what is. Mental suffering is a messenger that tells us we are not seeing correctly.

If we can take the suffering as an indicator that we are out of sync, then that suffering is a key. That key opens us to searching for a different way of seeing.

Since our way of seeing is our way of being, we need to see differently. Some radical new way of seeing is required.

Vedanta is a new way of seeing. It is radical and not easy to accept. But if our suffering is great, and our search for truth is strong, we can try to understand that way of seeing.

Vedanta says that freedom is happiness. Who doesn't want to be free? But freedom has a price. Only those willing to pay the price receive.

What is required? Commitment to listening, to reflection, to understanding, to letting go of seeking happiness in objects: people, places, and things.

Vedanta needs no outside proof, because we are subject. If we make the effort, we become the proof. Jesus said, "The truth will set you free."

Vedanta is a means of knowledge. It reveals the truth. When the student is ready he will seek the truth. When he understands, he will apply the truth. And when the truth abides, the suffering will stop. Then happiness abides. That is the proof.   

Stillness Itself

The one thing you cannot deny is that you exist. This begs the question, "How do you know you exist?" Because you are aware.

Awareness is the knowing faculty regardless of form. Since forms are varied, they have their own particular form of consciousness. Each form of consciousness is but a focal point of awareness.

Forms come and go, but that which is essential, awareness, rests behind all forms. Awareness lights the different forms, but the  essential nature remains unchanged.

Forms come and go, but awareness does not. Only the form changes. Thus, being awareness, we do not come and go. We are existence itself, free of form, eternally at peace. Always stillness itself. 

You Are The World

When you dream, you are the creator. The dream is only there because you are there. It is your dream from beginning to end. It is an effect of your consciousness alone. In your dream you can touch, feel, see, and experience in time, and space. A physical world is there which you navigate. 

When you awake you ask, "how is this waking world any different from my dream world?" It isn't. The waking world is created by Awareness/Ishvara, the beingness that you are. The only difference is that it is not personal.

When you understand that you are that Awareness/Ishvara which manifests this world, you can relax in knowing that this waking world is also your creation. You are the world. 

Seeing Correctly

Imagine that you have poor eyesight. If you are confronted with a book, you only see pages with blurry lines. You know you are looking at a book, but you don't know what the book is about. You can't discern the meaning.

If an eye doctor prescribes you a pair of glasses that corrects your eyesight, you can discover the meaning of the book because you can read it. Now you know if it's a romance novel, a detective story, or a text book.

Vedanta is like glasses that correct your vision of the world. It doesn't tell you what to believe, or how to be good. It is a means of knowledge that allows you see factually, clearly, what is. Nothing is changed, you just see correctly for the first time.

Consciousness Is Primary

We can say that the physical world exists because we experience it. However, the obvious part, which somehow we overlook, is that it is only our experience that proves the existence of the physical world. This being the case, experience and therefore knowledge of the physical world is totally dependent on experience. Further, the only thing we can say about experience is that it is the result of awareness, a conscious experience. Therefore, consciousness is primary.

Advaita Vedanta

Vedanta is the idea that knowledge is primary over experience. Mystical, unitary,and transcendental experiences are wonderful and amazing, in so far as they are experienced. But it is the excavation of the knowledge those experiences reveal that is essential.

A mystical, unitary, or transcendental experience may last a few seconds, a month, or several years, however, they end. Most are only minutes long. However, the message they bring, the information they reveal, is knowledge that can last a lifetime.

Advaita Vedanta is an empirical distillation of these experiences revealing the incredible information experiences provide. It's interpretation has stood the test of time, even now confirmed by Quantum Physics. It is the premiere science of consciousness, validated from direct experience. It is an astounding mental achievement, awesome in its understanding of reality.

Superimposition

The superposition (pure potentiality) of quantum mechanics, superimposes upon itself this whole universe of things and beings. It is self observation alone that imagines this universe. It is not the "big bang", but the big dream. We are not the characters of this hologram, but the dreamer itself, that singular potentiality imagining and perceiving itself into this and that. Hallelujah! Enjoy the play.

I AM IS

I am tall, I am male, I am old, etc. This is how we refer to ourselves. However, tall, male, old, etc., are all qualifiers describing "I am." The "I am" is constant, whereas the qualities vary. This shows that even language assumes there is a constant reality on which qualities are added.

All these qualifiers assume that one is a body with these qualities. However, if one says, "I am a body," the "I" is the subject and the body is the object. Again, "I am" is the constant. So, I knows body, tall, male, old, etc. as objects and qualities.

The subject "I" cannot be any of these qualities because they are known. The knower of this object with qualities can be nothing other than consciousness. It exists as the body changes, and when the qualifiers change. "I am" is there if the body is female, short and young.

Is it not obvious that consciousness is the de facto reality? It changes form and qualities, and yet remains the constant without any any qualities permanently attached. "I am" is, all else is name and form. 

Dreaming the Waking State

If you want to know if the world we live and breathe in is made solely of consciousness, a perfect example would be dream sleep. In dream sleep a whole world is created from consciousness alone. Familiar objects are seen as well as objects created by the dream state. One may travel far and wide, visiting places one has never been to before.

Upon awakening, one is overjoyed with the dream, or dismayed. If enjoyed, one says, "I wish this were true." If one did not enjoy the dream, one says, "Thank God that was just a nightmare." No one claims the dream to be real since one knows that one went to bed and slept, arising in the morning from the same bed. It was a creation of consciousness alone.

How far a step is it to realize that the waking world is any different. Consciousness alone allows you to know you are in the waking world, and consciousness alone is therefore the creator of it. The only difference is that waking consciousness has more continuity. In no other way are they different.

Consciousness alone is the creator and destroyer of worlds. We are that consciousness. In dreams we admit that we are the creator, but in the waking state we don't see it. That ignorance in the waking state  is what prevents us from knowing, I Am pure awareness itself. 

A to Z

If the path from ignorance to truth was a trip from A to Z, would one jump from A to Z, or would one go from A to B to C, or maybe C to E? Jumping from A to Z might be quite chaotic, disruptive, and much less than fun. Taking smaller jumps would let one absorb the disruptions with more ease. That is what I did. Early in childhood I had no words such as conditioning, or vasanas, but I intuitively knew that people were stuck in ruts, beliefs of all kinds that were adopted to fit in. For some reason I detested this, and it created a deep disgust in me. I refused to get baptized even though my father was a minister. I told him I would only be doing it to please everyone and that was the wrong reason. At eighteen I went to college in Southern California. It was the late sixties. It only took a couple weeks for all my beliefs to come crashing down. Even though I had resented conditioning, I had absorbed a shitload of it. When my whole structure of beliefs came crashing down, stark emptiness, meaninglessness, and confusion became my world. If there is a hell, I was in it. I didn't know that I could survive without beliefs, so I got busy getting new ones. I read voraciously, but I could only read what was close to where I had been, but with a little stretch. That was A to B to C. However, one day I noticed that what I was doing. I saw that I would take a little step, drop a belief and pick a new one that seemed more in line with the truth. When I saw the process, I thought why couldn't I just drop them all? Around that time I picked up a book by J. Krishnamurti. It was right up my alley. He proposed dropping all beliefs and just living with the unknown. He took my mind apart, but in a good way, because he showed that one could live without a self. It was the jump from A to Z. That jump caused me to have mystical experiences of oneness. But they didn't last. Those glimpses were so powerful, that even though they left, the ecstasy and meaningfulness of them, remained powerful drivers for further seeking. Eventually I came to Advaita Vedanta as taught by James Swartz. This satisfied me in a way that J. Krishnamurti and others did not. Of primary importance was that the teaching was complete. No holes, well explained. What does Advaita do? It breaks down unexamined beliefs, shows why they are false (reversed per Maya), and provide answers that make sense, and can't really be challenged once you understand them. Advaita takes one gently from A to B to C, step by step and leads you home. It's a formal process similar to what I found going on in my own search. Vedanta was a confirmation of the process I haphazardly went through. Vedanta is just much better as it is thoroughly vetted and answers all the questions. Things would have been much easier for me If I had found Advaita Vedanta sooner. Thank you James.

Awareness Is Not Personal

Awareness is not personal, so personal experience of oneness is not enlightenment. Enlightenment is the knowledge that I am awareness. With this knowledge, personal experience becomes rather unnecessary, for every experience is just an object in awareness. Only extracting the knowledge of awareness from experience makes the experience valuable. 

Awareness Is All

You can negate any label, form, or experience as not you. But you cannot negate the knower, Awareness. You can only be That! Awareness is, and when it recognizes itself, what more is there to know?           

The End of Suffering

We only suffer mentally when we are out of touch with reality. Reality is that which doesn't change. Therefore, to end suffering, we must be that which doesn't change. We know that awareness is always available and doesn't change. It just observes. What we think we are, a body/mind, changes. We observe the changes. We know we are different today and yesterday, and we will be different tomorrow. Since we observe that, we must be that awareness that never changes. To realize that is to end suffering, to be awake to reality.

Freedom From Samsara

Existentially, the only thing needed, to bring peace and contentment, is to realize that fundamentally, essentially, factually, we are awareness itself. Everything that comes after that, objects, feelings, thoughts, judgments, are trifling matters. They are appearances in consciousness only. They are not fundamental to what we are. They are diversions that drag us off into samsara.

Presence

The one thing we can know is that there is a precense here, without judgement, observing, and it is everything being observed. That precense is you.

Choiceless awareness is the field which the body/mind corrupts with ideas, prejudice and desires. Stepping back from our filters, turning inward, reveals this awareness. It is peaceful because it isn't judging. It is the silence that is joy unto itself.

Stability

It is much more comfortable to say "I am awareness," rather than say "I am Maury, a person." The reason is simple. Awareness never changes, but Maury does. I am not the same person I was as a child, teenager, or young adult. But the awareness of these states hasn't changed. It follows then, that the only stable factor is awareness. Can I depend on Maury who never stays the same? Or can I depend on awareness that does not change.

So Much Time. So Little To Do

All of us are aware, but few of us realize that WE ARE awareness. It is ordinary awareness, always available, and never takes any effort. Being eternal there is no rush, and it really has nothing to do but watch. Pretty simple. So much time. So little to do.

Open Senses

Senses

The eyes do not chose what they see. They are an open system. Whatever appears, the mind forms the images.

The ears do not choose what they hear. If a sound occurs, pleasant or ugly, the ears hear it.

The nose may like certain smells and despise others, but whatever smell arises, it registers.

The tongue likewise, tastes whatever is put into the mouth, good or bad.

Touch is also open to whatever is in the environment, hot or cold, windy or still.

What is common to all these systems is that they are open. One might say that they possess choiceless awareness.

Of course our bodymind can take action and avoid certain sights and sounds, and select the food we like. But the senses themselves are open, choiceless.

We can see that the essence of all our sense organs is open Awareness.

All sentient beings, regardless of name and form, have senses that are open. In essence, sentience is Awareness.

Awareness at the cosmic level registers all the sensations, all the experiences of all the sentient beings. It is open to all, choicelessly, and that is love.

Since Awareness is the essence of all experience and knowledge, we must be that love. 

My Body, Mind, and Personality

The hints are all over in plain sight. Our self referencing talk is full of it: my mind, my body, my personality. Yes, there is a body, mind, personality for each of us. But isn't it strange that we always use a linguistic subject object split? We always refer to the subject "my", and the objects: body, mind, and personality.

We all say "my" when referring to body, mind personality. The "my" is universal, the body, mind and parts are just functions.The subject has no attributes, it's simple ordinary Awareness.

This obvious linguistic split we use every day, points directly to our true self, Awareness. The objects are the body/mind parts and attributes. So, even our everyday language reveals the truth of Advaita Vedanta. We are not these bodies, parts and minds. We are the universal Awareness that knows them. How much more obvious can it be? 

The Destination

You can be assured of one thing. The destination is always available. It is always here. Always everywhere. Presence is a good word. You Awareness, is always present. So really, how far do you have to look?

Any Movie Will Do

Imagine going to the movies without caring about what movie is showing. It doesn't matter, any show is fair game. Whatever the movie, you watch without judgement, without opinion. You just enjoy it. Sort of like Awareness. 

Peace

I watch the jiva flow every day, from where? From wherever I am. I Awareness, just watch. Thoughts, feelings, movements, come and go. I am always here to know them. If some of these experiences are intense, the mind remembers them. If those memories surface, I awareness know them again. And yet, I never had a thought, a feeling, a movement. I just observed them. How peaceful.

Trusting Awareness

I am not privy as to why I am here, or what I am supposed to do. As an apparent individual I just arrived with a body and an environment to play and suffer in. Since that wasn't enough, I discovered that I am That Awareness that was never born and never dies. For me, that does away with any concerns as to why I am here or what I am supposed to do. The jiva just responds to what comes up, knowing it's all one, all connected, all in order, and there is nothing for me to do but trust.

Our True Self

The most we can know about our true Self is that it is aware. Whether we are male or female, rich or poor, religious or not, we are aware. That Awareness has no filters, no attachments, and no aversions. Anything that appears, and whatever happens is observed without judgement.

Awareness is not an object we can gain, or use to any advantage. It is what we are, and therefore we can only know Awareness as all pervasive, ineffable, open, and limitless.

It is said that Awareness is without qualities, but when we stand as Awareness and look, we see that everything is accepted, and therefore loved. As a Jiva, we can only say that we are loved unconditionally. 

Means and Method

Pronouncements about realization are fun, and the story of how it happened are entertaining. Statements about realization are a good starting point, but not helpful for getting there. That is where a "means of knowledge" comes in. Without a means, a method, there is no map to get there. The map is not the territory, but we are lost without it, if we want realization. This is where Vedanta stands tall, it has a means, it has a method, and if you follow it you realize you never left home.

An Erroneous Concept of Enlightenment

You have an erroneous concept of enlightenment. It is not about being good, spiritual, perfect, or otherwise a better person. It is about knowing who you are. Vedanta is the science of consciousness, or as Nisargadatta would say, "The I am." 

Enlightenment is about knowing "You are That." It is not about being a better person, a more spiritual person, a non smoker, etc. Many enlightened sages smoked, some drank. It is also not about anger management. It's about knowing who you are.

Granted, enlightenment tends to make positive changes, but the character of the sage will remain much the same. Personality style will just be the vehicle through which the knowledge comes. 

Enlightenment is not only for the jiva, but release from the jiva. Since Nisargadatta knew who he was, the Self, he spoke from that. But he still had the vehicle he had when the knowledge came. 

If you want to be a saint, quit smoking, drinking, and be celibate if you like, but that has nothing to do with enlightenment.

Around the Block

One person is meditating, another is praying, another is doing Jihad. All are trying to experience the truth while deeply immersed in it, as there is nothing else.

The mediating is happening where? In awareness. The praying is happening where? In awareness. The Jihad is happening where? In awareness.

All these activities would immediately cease were the participant to realize they were the awareness in which all this activity was happening. With that realization all foolishness stops.

All identities other than awareness are equally foolish. All efforts at getting somewhere, are going nowhere, as all activities are already home in awareness.

All paths lead to Rome since none of them is outside of Rome. How's that for a circle around the block? How much better was your path over another? How's that for nowhere to go and nothing to get?

You, awareness, never left home. You, awareness, never went anywhere. You, awareness, just had a grand tour around the block. You, awareness, never went to the theater, never left your seat, yet a pretty good show was had by all.

Enjoy the ride. You're going nowhere. It's a grand lila, a play, just act your part as well as you can. Nothing ever happens to you, awareness. Presence is all there is. You are that presence. Peace. 

Advaita Vendanta, the Light and the Way

62. The inquirer said. “I negated the five sheaths but I see only emptiness. Is there something else to be known through inquiry?”
63–64. The teacher said, “Yes, it is the knower of the emptiness. That is you, limitless awareness. You are adept at inquiry.”   ~ From Vivekachudamini ~

Apparently "emptiness" is not the last word. The knower still exists when "emptiness" is seen. Existence, consciousness, bliss. This is a wonderful reminder that whatever we perceive is not who we are. So even emptiness is not the ultimate. The knower of emptiness is. It can't be empty because it is has no attributes. It is full of potential. And we are That! hallelujah!

After many years I came to the complete Advaita Vedanta teachings via James Swartz. He ties it all together so well, laying out a careful path that just can't be denied. The complete teaching was necessary for me. I intuitively knew there were missing parts, but I did not know what they were.

I do admit that I studied everything else first, so I was a pretty mature failure of understanding by the time I found James Swartz complete teaching. So much fun to be humbled in the right way. True knowledge is the light and the way. 

Effortlessness Free of the Thinker

Seeing, hearing, tasting, feeling all feel effortless. But, as soon as we start thinking, we add an assumption that "I am thinking." With that assumption the whole bodymind thing takes off. We are stuck in that assumption and and never question it.

So, seeing, hearing, tasting, feeling now take on the same assumption, "I am seeing, hearing, tasting, feeling, etc." It's a lie. These are just happening and you are not the owner.

And not  being the owner means you are not the doer, feeler, taster, hearer or thinker. You are bigger than that! You are the unbounded awareness in which all this is seen and done. Relax and be that. It's effortless. 

Awareness and Potentiality

Awareness is the ground of potential. Any form may appear in it and become an object of consciousness. This conforms to quantum physics where the collapse of the wave function creates the material universe.

One of the conundrums of quantum physics is how can matter come from something as nebulous as awareness/consciousness. It seems the rishis answered this question long ago by examining our experience.

Their answer was that everything we see, everything we hear, touch and feel, is nothing but perception interpreted through our sensory organs. Since all these sensations are interpretations experienced in consciousness, everything in existence can be nothing other than awareness/consciousness.

Long before the invention of virtual technologies, the Vedas pronounced that this very universe we live it is a virtual world, a projection, an illusion in awareness. Not that our world does not exist, but that its existence itself is a projection, like a movie appearing on a screen.

Just as the movie is a projection on the screen, just so, all objects are projections created in awareness by our sense organs. Just as the movie has one source - the film - just so, everything we see has one source, awareness itself. Existence, consciousness, bliss; everything else is illusion, entertainment only, Lila. 

FALSEHOOD

If you believe one falsehood you are likely to defend it with more falsehoods. It's a downward spiral. The root falsehood is often unconscious. Its purpose is to protect the ego.

Falsehood propagates untruth, and since untruth is ignorant, one cannot follow dharma. The result is suffering.

Vedanta goes to the root of ignorance, the falsehood that "I am the bodymind." With realization that falsehood is removed and following dharma then becomes easier, or natural.

Sat Chit Ananda

Pain totally focuses attention. That was a major point I was making. Pain so severe that one can only look at it, examine it, feel it out, and know it entirely. Then there is only one question. What is the error that is causing the pain? I went looking for that error. It was my own thinking, my own beliefs, my own bias that was wrong. The answer was dropping all beliefs, starting from scratch and examining my own experience. Quantum physics and non duality agree, existence is primary, awareness itself. Any form that arises in Awareness points directly to awareness, as only that can be conscious of anything. The bottom line is that my bodymind, your bodymind, are appearances only. I am that eternal Awareness, and so are you. Knowing this dissipates mental suffering. Only the dream remains. 

A Peaceful Mind

There may not be different truths, but there certainly are different levels of understanding. Having determined that I was missing something, I went looking. I read everything in psychology, philosophy and religion. I did therapy. There was progress, and suffering lessened. The process I went through could only be described as deconditioning. It stands to reason that this had to happen because I had beliefs, and misunderstandings that had to be undone. Unfortunately there were layers and layers that needed undoing, and that takes time. I remember telling so many people that I was cursed. Why? Because I had this mission to find the truth, and I could not let it go. It was karma. I had no control over it. The pursuit was a given, a fact of my life that was not to be denied. The result of all this inquiry, this undoing, was a more and more peaceful mind. Instead of a million conflicting thoughts, only a few major questions remained. There was now enough space to contemplate these few. These were now fundamental questions, subtle questions. After forty years of this process, with mental anguish much diminished, I found Advaita Vedanta. What was beautiful about it was that it corresponded to my experience. For example, Advaita says that one must be qualified to understand it.

I remember telling so many people that I was cursed. Why? Because I had this mission to find the truth, and I could not let it go. It was karma. I had no control over it. The pursuit was a given, a fact of my life that was not to be denied.

The fundamental fear is death. We want permanent happiness, and we cannot avoid wanting this even though life contains a lot of suffering. The existential question has always been, "Is this all there is?" Perhaps we could not even ask this question if on some level we knew that this was not the case. When I was in my twenties, I suffered greatly. It was mental anguish, and it manifested in the body in various ways. The suffering was so great that I could only surmise that this had to be an error. No being would choose to live if this were the truth. The only conclusion was that I had a error, a misunderstanding. It turns out that I was correct. There may not be different truths, but there certainly are different levels of understanding. Having determined that I was missing something, I went looking. I read everything in psychology, philosophy and religion. I did therapy. There was progress, and suffering lessened. The process I went through could only be described as deconditioning. It stands to reason that this had to happen because I had beliefs, and misunderstandings that had to be undone. Unfortunately there were layers and layers that needed undoing, and that takes time. I remember telling so many people that I was cursed. Why? Because I had this mission to find the truth, and I could not let it go. It was karma. I had no control over it. The pursuit was a given, a fact of my life that was not to be denied. The result of all this inquiry, this undoing, was a more and more peaceful mind. Instead of a million conflicting thoughts, only a few major questions remained. There was now enough space to contemplate these few. These were now fundamental questions, subtle questions. After forty years of this process, with mental anguish much diminished, I found Advaita Vedanta. What was beautiful about it was that it corresponded to my experience. For example, Advaita says that one must be qualified to understand it. A major qualification for a student of Advaita Vedanta is a quiet mind. Various yogas are prescribed to obtain a quiet mind so that one can hear and understand. I never liked meditation, but I was contemplative and inquisitive. I was a knowledge seeker. It just so happens that one of the yogas is Jnana yoga (knowledge yoga). Jnana yoga is a thinkers yoga, best for intellectuals. That fit me to a tee. Vedanta also goes through a process of stripping away false premises. That's what I had been doing. In other words, what I had been doing was what Vedanta proposed. Vedanta confirmed a process I had been doing for years. I did not on my own come up with the answer. I was close, but Advaita Vedanta not only supplied the answers, but the questions as well. Right before my eyes was a complete system pointing the way out of the wilderness. It also confirmed a process I had been doing for forty years. Vedanta is very scientific, very thorough, and provides the means of knowledge to know the Self. It confirmed my experience that a primary requirement is a quiet satvic mind. By the time I found the complete teaching (the means of knowledge) I was ready. It was a quick trip to realization once the means of knowledge was found. It is humbling to know that this knowledge has been around for thousands of years. "There is nothing new under the sun," is a true statement. It is also true that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. When I was ready, I found Vedanta. I had found the Christian mystics much help. And I found the Indian sages extremely helpful, but it was the actual study of Advaita Vedanta that finally brought peace.

Awareness Is Like Water

Awareness is like water in a bucket. If you place a rock in the water, it takes the shape of the rock. If you place a hammer in the water, it shapes itself into the form of the hammer. Whatever is placed in the water, the water conforms to that shape. When the objects are removed, the water goes back to its original state.

Awareness is like water. It accepts whatever form is available, makes it conscious, and when the form is no longer available, it returns to unqualified awareness. Nothing happened to awareness itself.

Awareness as Presence

All a sentient body does, is shape Awareness into a particular form of consciousness. The awareness behind the form taken, is unaffected.

A bee sees a different spectrum of light than we do, and therefor sees the world in a different form. But, the awareness behind bee consciousness is the same as ours. That awareness is not affected by the bee's form of perception.

Our brains have different areas of function. Areas for sight, sound, taste, etc. However, these areas are just interpreting and creating a perception - a form of consciousness.

All sentient beings are just interpreting "what is" according to their form. They are not seeing or experiencing "the thing in itself." The thing in itself is the knower, the subject of all that exists.
So, we can say, "The observer is the observed," because everything is of the same essence.

Awareness is the base of experience, the field in which all appears. It is an open field of potential. Any living form has a certain structure of interpretation based on its sensory apparatus. Awareness interprets according to that pattern, that structure, and provides consciousness accordingly.

All of science is based on what we observe. But, do we appreciate that everything we observe is an interpretation by our senses. The true state of what we observe is never known. It is always an interpretation.

The hard problem of physics has been called materialistic reductionism. But, no matter how detailed science can get into the physical world, it cannot answer the question of conscious awareness.

What comes first, a dream or awareness? Without awareness would a person ever dream at night? To say a dream causes awareness doesn't make sense. But to say a dream appears in awareness does.

We can be nothing other than awareness. Awareness is the primary potential - the open field in which any form of consciousness appears. Since all living beings are aware, all are That. Thus the phrase, "That thou art." Beyond that we cannot go. We are the mystery.

Everything that exists can only be known by a conscious experience in awareness. Nothing can be said to exist without it being known, and the knower is Awareness itself.

All experiences are therefor nothing but appearances in awareness. Thus, when one is enlightened, it is known that one is That Presence that is aware - the one eternal essence that was never born and never dies.

With that identity, life is just an experience of a particular form. What we really are is Awareness, and knowing that, one knows one is eternal and can never die. 

Can One Claim Enlightenment?

One aspect of spirituality that I find entertaining is the question of enlightenment. There seems to be some confusion. No two answers the same. Without a common definition, who's to say what enlightenment is? There is also the myth that "He who knows doesn't say and he who doesn't know, blabs all over town."

The statement, "Everyone is enlightened," also creates a lot of misunderstanding. If this were the case, we wouldn't even have the word "enlightenment." Saying "Everyone is enlightened" simply means, whether you are enlightened or not, you are That. Well, that may be the case, but since most don't know it, they are not enlightened.

This quandary, I believe, can be explained by using the expression "Realization." Already being "That" is of no use if one doesn't know it. The enlightened one knows he is "That," and the rest don't. That's the difference.

Enlightenment is simply the realization. "You are That." It doesn't change the fact, it's just an understanding. There is only one reason everyone isn't enlightened and it's that they don't realize their identity as That. As long as anyone holds to the idea of separateness, of individuality, realization of the fact of non duality doesn't happen.

Because duality, separateness, is an appearance only, it can only be a misunderstanding. So if you don't know all is one, you are in ignorance only. That's why all the ancient sages called Vedanta knowledge. When you get the knowledge and you bring it home, you understand, you realize, "You are That."

If you understand non duality, and you know "You are That," I believe it's okay to be bold and admit it.  It's not stupid to be enlightened. But it is ignorance to be unenlightened. To summarize, there is enlightenment or realization, and it is an understanding. Yes, it doesn't change the fact that everyone already is That. But there is a difference in those who know and those who don't. So let's not keep saying everyone is enlightened. It's not the fact. Let's admit everyone is "That," but some know, and some don't.

Time to Know

You can't see the Oneness because of all the concepts you already have. These concepts were taught to you, consciously and unconsciously before you were three and they stuck. All these concepts are the veil you are looking through. You are not even cognizant that you have never examined those concepts. You think you have to look from there. How can you see Oneness through that?

But that is why you can't see. You are imprisoned in a web of concepts that you think are true. Standing on that platform, non duality, enlightenment, is not visible from that stand. But you don't know that.

First, that house of cards needs to come down. And since it is your home, the place you know, your security, you  only dismantle it a piece at a time. That creates a process that wouldn't take any time at all, if seen directly.

A second factor that adds to this dilemma, is the fact that you do not know what you are looking for. No doubt there is a strong urge for something; something that is missing. A known unknown. This not knowing the goal, and being caught in a web of unexamined concepts, creates a double whammy that will leave you seeking for years. Only in hindsight will you laugh your ass off at how simple enlightenment really is.

Once you know, it is amazing when you read the sages and realize that they were saying the Truth in numerous ways, in the most subtle and obvious ways possible in words. And how those words, at that time, were paradoxical, and strange, and confusing. And now they are not.

So many phrases now make sense.

"You are not the doer."
"You are That."
"Awareness is all there is."
"Nothing is really happening."
"You are the Absolute."
"You are everywhere."
"Nothing exists without you."

All are factual statements once you realize.

So, what are you looking for? Yourself. Not the body. Not the mind. Not your personality. But your real Self. And your real Self is not even a person! That's too small. In fact, you are the impersonal Absolute, Awareness itself, masquerading as all that is.

Jesus, A Non Dual Teacher

There is difference between science and theology. Much of religion is anthropomorphic and cultural. For example, the Jews sacrificed animals for their sins. It was a long tradition. So, when Jesus, a truly enlightened spiritual being, was killed, the Jews interpreted his death through their tradition. What did they come up with? He died for our sins. Just like the lambs they slaughtered, they called him "The lamb of God.

In the case of Christianity, Western theology doesn't understand Christ in the least. Being a direct realizer of the Truth, Jesus taught what he knew to be the Truth. Unfortunately, he was not in a culture where their was an understanding of Awareness/consciousness, so he had to speak in parables and metaphors. He did the best he could.

I come from a long line of protestant preachers, seminary presidents, and missionaries. Having been raised by Christian missionaries, I got to travel the world as a child and grow up comparing cultures, beliefs, and traditions. I know what fanaticism is. It took a big toll on me.

I recommend the book by Eric Hoffer "The True Believer" for a deep look into fanaticism. Hoffer discusses the psychological causes of fanaticism. It will aid in looking at your own beliefs. We are all looking for psychological security, but we can double down on beliefs, or we can examine rationally, coolly, who and what we really are.

You see, the bottom line isn't whether we believe in Christ, or Buddha, or Krishna. The bottom line is existential. The bottom line is the discovery of what we truly are. Quantum Science and Advaita Vedanta both point to Awareness/Consciousness as that essence. Vedanta, like Quantum physics is the result of investigation. One uses the discoveries of external world, and one uses the discoveries of the internal world.

Vedanta, like science, does not ask you to believe; it asks you to investigate. In both cases the evidence points to the truth of non duality. The point here is that although Hinduism may be a religion, Vedanta is not.

In my case, I never believed I was a sinner because I didn't create the world, nor myself. I knew something else was responsible for my existence. I guess I had a premonition from childhood that "I was not the doer." This being the case, I knew that Jesus did not die for my sins. You might say he died because of our sins, namely, the big sin of ignorance.

When I discovered non duality as edified by Vedanta, I was suddenly struck with an understanding of Jesus. When I looked at what Jesus had to say, it was non duality, pure and simple. What a delight to finally understand what he was saying. What a joy to finally be able to understand what he was pointing at.

If you ask the Vedanta sages about Jesus, they will say, "Yes, he was an enlightened master." Why because they recognize their own. It's not a matter of belief, it's a matter of knowing. I never found the reverse to be true. When you ask a Western theologian about the Eastern sages, they call them pagans.

Don't get me wrong. I love the Christian mystics. Meister Eckart stands out as a pure non dual realizer. However, I think it is much harder via Christianity to realize the truth of non duality. Why? Because it is not a science. That's why we call it mystical.

For me it was the discovery of Vedanta that set me free. I don't have to convince anyone else of this truth. It's for them to discover. The science of awareness/consciousness is fundamental, unchanging, and only requires understanding, not belief. 

Understanding That

I was always aware that my seeking was not a choice. I always considered seeking a curse. Like an addiction. As a child I was a seeker of truth. Consciously or unconsciously, I wanted to know who was behind the curtain of all things, of all phenomena.

From the moment I first heard of enlightenment I was off in pursuit of understanding That. It was not a choice. I would look at others playing, enjoying themselves, while I was not. Playing didn't seem important until I knew what That was.

So, now that I realize That, is it a feather in my cap? No! It happened. This body-mind for whatever reason had the seeking bug. It was inevitable. It could not have been otherwise.

Being realized does not put me above another. It is simply an understanding, a knowing if you will. And that knowing is not mine. It never will be. The understanding belongs to That. The understanding is just an appearance in That. 

Liberation

Jesus said, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Well, we know that life in this world is temporary. It will end. As will everything in the world. Whatever comes into existence passes from existence. All effects are transient. Our life is a wink and a nod. Jesus said, "Believe in me and you shall have eternal life." But believing in the person Jesus, was not what he meant. Jesus was speaking of his message. That message was, "The truth will set you free." All his teaching was pointing to that knowledge that would set us free. He died due to our misunderstanding. For all sin is missing the mark. Therefore, he died because of our sins, not for our sins. Moksha, or liberation, is the answer the Vedas provide. It is no different from Jesus' message. Both point to the pure knowledge that sets one free. Freedom from the person, from the body, from the mind. It is so simple and obvious that we miss it. It is the knowledge that reveals our true nature as Self. That ultimate. As the Vedas say, "You are That." The world does not disappear. Your body, mind, personality, do not disappear, but your identity changes. You shift from knowing yourself as a limited body-mind, to knowing you are the Absolute. In knowing that, all ontological questions are answered. The world and everything in it is simply That. That is ineffable, without beginning or end. It is awareness itself, and every appearance, every form, is That. All form and life manifests from That. All life borrows awareness and knows the form. That knowing makes us conscious. But we mistake our consciouses of form as who we are. A hardwired mistake. To free yourself, consider this. Think of your dreams. Everything you create in dream is immaterial. You make it up each night. It seems real, but is made up of consciousness only. Just so, the world is dremt by That. You are not the character you play by day, nor the forms and characters you create at night. You are That, the creator of all forms, all dreams, and free of all of them.

Absolute and Relative Truth

As for truth, it is not Absolute or Relative, it is both. There is that ineffable Absolute. However, it's application in consciousness varies depending on the level of consciousness in human beings. The levels limit or expand the view. Therefore the context varies. Whatever the Absolute Truth may be, we only have our own windows into it, and some windows are opaque. If we simply admit that our relative positions are just windows on that Absolute, we have both the relative and the Absolute truth. One does not oppose or deny the other. 

In God's Hands

You do everything for your self. But the results will be very different depending on who you think you are. If you think you are an individual, alone against the world, your efforts will reflect that limitation. If you know you are Awareness (the the ground being), your efforts will reflect that limitlessness. Either way, you cannot avoid being selfish. In the first instance you will be clutching and grabbing for your little self, in the second instance you will be a blessing to yourself and all beings. Everything is done for the sake of the self, but knowing who you really are, Awareness, will bring peace amidst the apparent struggle. As Awareness, being selfish does feel selfish, as there are no others. Being Awareness, all your actions will reflect the whole. As Awareness you will know and understand that you are the world. And, that the "Observer is the observed." You will know you are in God's hands. Your very own hands.

THE PRIMACY OF AWARENESS

Happiness and anger are very different feelings, but they both appear in awareness. Sweet and sour are very different tastes, but they are known by awareness. Light and dark are very different, but known by awareness. Hot and cold are very different, but awareness knows this.

In all these instances there is one constant, awareness. So, if you were going to describe yourself, would you use sweet, sour, hot,cold, light, dark, happy, angry, or awareness. Surely awareness is the one constant.

Does awareness ever leave you? No. So while the personality has traits, feelings, thoughts, and conditioning, they all exist in awareness. Think about it. Are you these thoughts, feelings, experiences, or are you Awareness? All the Vedas, all of non duality is simply pointing to this.