My path has been a search for the foundation of the longing for truth. The search never felt like a choice for me, it was imperative. There was a rejection of clinging to any tradition, but any pointer that resonated I paid attention to.
I find the intellect a valuable tool. I find that an honest intellect even enjoys discovering its own limits. And beyond the intellect's knowing, there is a deeper knowing. That knowing is a presence, a peace, an ability to be comfortable with the unknown.
It seems to me that forgetfulness is in the design. To have experience there have to be boundaries, limitation. Thus we have form, and an ego to protect the form. Limitation is baked into our existence so that Source can experience and know Itself. Transcending form, seeing past the veil, is also an experience. The greatest game of hide and seek ever imagined.
I don't see it this way. I like to distinguish between "Awareness" and "Consciousness." Awareness is presence, the field in which all possibilities may appear as objects, feelings, sensations, etc. Consciousness is that which appears in the field of Awareness. That which appears is certainly tangible, felt, seen, and heard.One might also say that if one is conscious of "The Silence," or "Emptiness," they are tangible, an object in awareness.
Being yourself is of great service to nature, for nature evolved to the point of producing you as a unique expression. Expressing what wants to come through you is nature examining what it is to be you.
Effort to make yourself into something others expect you to be will not be fulfilling or make you happy. This does not mean we do not cooperate for the good of all. It means that we should be gentle with our self, accept our self, and forgive our self.
To be fulfilled and be of service, we must let our self be. Pay attention to what intuitively wants to be expressed through you. Let nature express what it wants through you. We may not fully understand what is pushing through us. It may be a powerful push or the still small voice. But one must listen to it and let it be.
The first thing we need to do is accept things as they are. From that peaceful place we can work towards change. To keep our peace we also need to keep in mind that we are not in charge. Non attachment to results leaves us with the process which we can choose to enjoy.
Age has taught me to let go and let God. I don't even have to know much about God and certainly can't define God, but I sure can let go, accept, and trust. There is no other way to obtain peace.
Basically when you know you are not the doer, doing things happens rather naturally. Since consciousness changes one person at a time, little things are essentially giant steps. Since all life is connected, if my mind is at peace, and my happiness is not dependent on others, what I have become is greater than any doing.
To my mind, if anything at all exists, even for a moment, there must be something permanent in which those things appear. I can assure you I do not have a better explanation than this. Not provable. But that's how it is for me.
The one thing you cannot deny is that you exist. To know you exist is to be conscious. All your knowing is because you are conscious. Consciousness is fundamental. The world you see is only in consciousness. Therefore, you and the world are an appearance in fundamental awareness. That universal mind, or awareness is what you really are. As that, you can never die. The body you identified with is just a temporary focal point for experience.
The I of a donkey is filtered through a donkey brain. The I of a tiger if filtered through a tiger brain. The I of a person is filtered through a human brain. The I of each is the same simple awareness, just filtered through a different lens. That universal I is what you are, and not fundamentally separate from all life.
