DISQUS

chadagg · 8 months ago

I don't think reason and logic should be put on a scale describing spirituality. Reason and spirituality are like two sides of the same coin. We need reason to survive and we need spirituality to enjoy life.

nicholaspowiull · 8 months ago

Enlightenment is the natural true nature of all beings. Life has no opposite. Death is the opposite of birth. When you come to your own realization that life has no opposite, then you have no need to survive because you couldn't not survive if you tried.

This body operates and survives just fine without me through stimulus response and reason is part of that, so I don't need to have reason for the body to survive, the body automatically applies reason when necessary.

I have no control over any of it: I couldn't not stop surviving, spirituality is life (not separate from life) and life is eternal, survival comes automatically with this instinctive body and logic is part of that built-in system of the body. It all just flows naturally and spontaneously. It's all connected.

Suzanne · 8 months ago

It seems I'm at most levels from "time" to "time". And I have no urges, ever, to capitalise one, beingness, etc. as in: "Beingness of the One Life is the Infinite Intelligence bringing Its Infinite Knowledge to Beingness through the One Life which is translated as the Unknown Mystery of Unknown Knowledge Being Beingness or Lifeness". Whew! What a mouthful. Also, illusion, even when seen through, is often WICKED. And another thing: it's really, really obvious, like an anvil on the head. Real and unreal, "simultaneously". How cool is that? Very. Now I'm off to do the ironing, which I wish was more unreal than real.

nicholaspowiull · 8 months ago

Yes indeed, it's common to recognize every level or get short glimpses since it's the true nature of all human beings.

That 'mouthful' really only means that you let go of 'your' life and allow life to move through you spontaneously and naturally. Living in the mystery. The only way life can be lived in the mystery is by dropping all personal knowledge, beliefs, and thoughts. You simply stop trying to figure anything out and allow life to unfold how life moves. This is not as difficult as it seems once you begin to question who you are, who it is that is trying to control life and desire life to go a certain way (the other articles mentioned are designed to trigger that).

When the illsuion is truly seen through, it's not WICKED at all. In fact the illusion becomes a funny irony. Like watching all the magic tricks being revealed and you wonder how you were fooled by something so easily seen through. This is the Great Laughter or also been called the Cosmic Joke.

Yes there is a paradox in everything simultaneously, when this is seen then you are happy to let go because there is no way around it. There is just no possible way to grasp any of it, so you stop trying and 'leave the machine'. Only than can life really begin and all the mundane things, like ironing, will become Fresh and New without fail.

Suzanne · 8 months ago

Oh for Goodness', or whatever's, sake, Nicholas. I was using WICKED in the vernacular, meaning "cool." Or shining with intrisic meaning in every atom, if you will. "I" am lived, to put all that in a nutshell. I often refer to the cosmic joke in my blog, and part of it is that while the ironing is always fresh and new, as is everything that seems to arise, what also seems to arise is a dread of ironing, and there's nothing wrong with that; it's just dread, not my dread. It never seems to hang around too long. Listen, Dude, you want to come to London and do my ironing? I would insist you do it a la Snow White or Cinderella, singing, dancing, etc.

I like my apparent character, she is celebrated. Even her dread of ironing. There is nothing wrong with dread of ironing. There is nothing wrong with anything, or right with it either. It is. The paradox of it all is fabulous.

nicholaspowiull · 8 months ago

*laughs* Words are quite funny, they can take on many meanings. I am sure if I heard you say it, the word would have translated the sense of the word in the sound of your voice.

For sure, as long as the sense of self is not seen as being you "I am dreading", then yes there is a freeing of dread, but dread can still arise indeed. Thank you for clarifying your meaning.

This character is not much a fan of ironing either, in fact, I just don't do it. *laughs* Yet right now there is a sense that perhaps if I did someone else's ironing, rather then 'my own' per say, it might arise as dreadless. Especially with the singing and dancing etc.. that might spring some enthusiasm to arise. *laughs*

Suzanne · 8 months ago

I wish my character could get out of ironing. Kids, husbands, work shirts...before enlightenment, chop wood, iron. After enlightenment, chop wood, iron, throw dream-iron out the window.

nicholaspowiull · 8 months ago

I don't know why but reading what you wrote, it reminded me of when I first awoke (which was very recently as far as relative time goes). And during the awakening I had trouble with what it means to make a decision. The whole process of decision-making.

When before, it was all about what the mind thought. "Is this decision good, will it lead to where I want to go, is it right, etc..." Now with no desires, no ambition for a future outcome, no concern about what I will get out of it, no direction to move, etc... there is a flow of how Life decides to move without cause or reason, yet the next obvious natural thing unfolds. It moves the way It moves without a why or how.

The whole idea that I ever thought I was making decisions, is funny. That illusion of control is so powerful. The illusions and delusions of Life is perhaps the most shocking realization and to know that no matter how enlightened a person is, the potential to fall back into illusions/delusions are always there.

Of course with time (in my experience) the distance between a thought arising and believing that thought becomes smaller and smaller. Yet, I realize to say that there comes a point when no thought can ever be sticky, is a delusion in itself.

I am not applying that this has anything to do with you or the life that leads you, that is just what came up and out from reading what you wrote. Again, Life just unfolding the way It does.

Suzanne · 8 months ago

My lack of attachment to ironing is a small thing, even in the story. It's a good comedic device, certainly. Decisions appear to be made, or confusion arises; the gap between thought and believing it may appear to close; illusion or delusion may seem to reign, for a time; but nothing is really happening. So what if there is doubt? So what if thoughts can still be sticky? Sticky for whom? It is always just as it must be, perfection itself, seen or not. The thoughts and feelings arising around ironing, decision-making, enlightenment, absolutely anything, are always just what they are: perfect. It only seems to unfold as a story. But the stories are often a lot of fun! Or at least very...interesting.

nicholaspowiull · 8 months ago

Indeed stories are extremely fun. Like children, it doesn't matter if they play Tag or Hide & Seek, it's all just a game. It doesn't matter if we play Illusion or Enlightenment, Decision-making or Not Moving, No-Self or Self, Perfect or Imperfect, Story or Truth, because it all comes down to Life or Life.

Fun truly, a celebration and dance. A musical play of infinite notes. Life is unfathomably gorgeous in every-way and any-way It plays. :)

Suzanne · 8 months ago

You betcha. "You" said it Brother.

JOCELYN · 8 months ago

We are here to allow life to unfold, to enjoy its unfolding and to experience life like it's happening for the very first time :-)

nicholaspowiull · 8 months ago

Yes this life unfolds spontaneously and naturally without the mind, the 'you', and without the continuous commentary. People can't trust life to spontaneously unfold without referring to the mind of thoughts for direction. Without our thoughts, beliefs, knowledge, and experience then who are we?
There is no way to know who we are or what this life is, there is only a way to Be this life.

FranktheTank4 · 8 months ago

Hi Nicholas!

I experienced the state of unconditional love some months ago, which I think corresponds with the state of Joy. It was truely amazing, you are so full of constant joy it makes the content of life seems pale.

So for now I'm very eager to get back to this state. For now I'm trying to transcend the seven deadly sins, which cause tensions between the now and the future and cause a lot of suffering. I know that there are 3 "stages" chakra 2-4. And as far as I can tell chakra 2 and three should be handled by now.

I don't know just about a week now I have this "tension" that I get SELF-CONSCIOUS when I meet people. I can literally feel how I drop in my head and are not very present. And when I try to get out of it, i'm even more stuck in it. Sometimes when I forget about it, I become present again. But as soon as I remember in my head the undesired "stuck in the headness efffect" it pulls me right back in.

How would you handle that?

I can just tell that I got rid of all "tensions" with awareness by now and I as far as I can tell in the state of unconditional love it was not possible to be self-conscious because you were blissed out and free of restraints.

Maybe this comes from "desire" in the 4rth Chakra (from thoughts)?!

Thanks for your answer, it means much to me

Frank

nicholaspowiull · 8 months ago

Who you really are is not located in a temperate state or experience. All things that arise, stay a while, then die in the same place they were born: is not you. You are the awareness of these states and experiences. These state and experiences only unfold in your awareness for you to be aware of this awareness and infinite potentiality of it.

Once these states and experiences unfold, it shows you what was already there (and still is there). You didn't lose the unconditional loving state, it's just in the background and more subtle. Don't seek it out, just realize and look for yourself that it's still there.

When you seek for the experience again, you are claiming that it's lost and you will never be aware of it being in the background. The experience doesn't have to be intense to know it's there. It was only intense to begin with in, order to unfold your attention to it. Now that you know it's there, you don't need that intense 'constant joy' because it's constantly still there in the background. You have to let go of it by realizing it in the background. You can't lose it or claim it because you are it. Just let what arises to happen and stop trying, awareness is effortless. Effortlessly realize it's there because it always has been there, it may never be that intense again ever, and that's okay because you are aware of it as reality now.

You as awareness is always present, you are powerless to not be present. Awareness is always present and it's never changing. Self-conscious arises in awareness and then it fades away into the same place it arose. You are not ever self-conscious, you are aware of self-consciousness arising. Allow it to arise. As you said "when I try to get out of it, i'm even more stuck in it", resist nothing. There is nothing wrong with self-conscious arising, so let it be. Yes, it's uncomfortable when you assume that it's YOU who is self-conscious but let the uncomfortableness be there, let it arise because you are powerless to change it. You can't change it because it's not who you are. It's just what is arising in your awareness, it's just what is arises inside the awareness of who you are. Just because your attention seemly moves from the awareness of who you are, doesn't mean that you're not present, it just means you are aware of fixating on being self-conscious as you. That doesn't change who you are, it just changes how you as awareness experiences what is arising.

How do I handle it? I just let it be, I let life flow through me. If self-conscious arises then I let it be. If awareness fixates on self-conscious then I let it be. If self-consciousness is seen from awareness and I feel free from self-conscious arising even as it arises then I let it be. I see nothing wrong with anything that arises. If something is uncomfortable then I let the uncomfortable feeling be. There is nothing ever wrong in my awareness, no matter how it chooses to arise because I am not choosing it, I am only aware of it.

On the other hand, how do you know you're self-conscious? The only way you can know that is if a thought arise telling you that. No thoughts hold any value for anybody. Thoughts are born and then they die. They have no substance and never speak of your true nature or the truth of reality. If a thought arises that says "Nicholas, you're are being self-conscious!" that holds no reality for me. If there is tension, it's from the body not being relax to allow what is arising to be there. It's not the thought that holds the tension, it's the body reacting to not being relaxing and allowing. Once everything and anything is allowed, there is no tension in the body.

As far as chakras go, I pay no attention. Knowledge that was given to me from an outside source of appearances and images on the screen of awareness hold nothing for me. I know nothing and believe nothing of chakras or anything else that can be accumulated by the mind. The mind of thoughts are sticky and love to hold onto something/anything as substance and value. The mind is full of concepts, ideas, knowledge, separation, beliefs, and comparing. Chakras can be a pointer or map to lead awareness to be aware of itself but it's not truth. Nothing holds any truth 'in and of itself'. Truth can only be pointed to and talked around, only in this are chakras or any other map useful fictions to pointing (at their best). Don't get stuck on the pointer.

Mihail · 7 months ago

Very nice map, thank you :)

nicholaspowiull · 7 months ago

You're welcome, my pleasure :)

Lisa Cunningham · 6 months ago

This is beautiful Nicholas. I was completely blown away by it. You are both Superwoman and Superman! You will have a fabulous time in your bedroom (he, he).
"Power Versus Force" is one of my favourite books. I quote it all the time and live by it.
My silly ego convinced me over the past few days that I am not enlightened because I'm so pleased with myself as God. I'm not pleased with myself as Lisa for finding out she's God (that is ego). Couldn't give a f*** about that. Where is Lisa? She is gone. Where is God? Right here, loving herself to bits! Seeing the beauty of herself in everyone she meets. Like an excited kid - smelling her own armpits like it's perfume (yes - I'm quite sick). While I was getting the garbage ready to put out the other night I opened up my nostrils for the first time and really smelt it. It was beautiful. I dive into pain and explore it like its an amusement park. I discover that there is no pain there at all. I allow others to inflict pain on me (literally and figuratively) so that I can experience it. I relish it. That's when I am God. When I am Lisa, I winge and complain and think I'm an idiot who keeps announcing that she's enlightened when she's not. She believes the thoughts that she not as smart as other people. She believes the thoughts that she needs to be more humble. I go back to being Lisa when I believe thoughts that say I have to be humble about the fact I'm God. No way. OMG I'm God. Do you know what that means? I can do whatever I want and have whatever I want forever. Yeeehaa! The possibilities are endless. So what do I decide to do? Just BE, right here right now because these are the best seats in the house. When I'm not just watching the show, I'm serving others. Why wouldn't Jesus wash someone else's feet? He has all the time in the world (and more) and all the love in the world (and more). I delight in surrendering myself to my children. Suffer the little children to come unto me and do not try to stop them.
This message is too much for some people. I can understand why it's too much for people who are still asleep. But for the people who know they're God - why aren't they superpleased with themselves? Not their ego selves. Their True selves. I'm chuffed to bits with my True self and everything in the world created by me.
Lighten up you so called "enlightened ones". God is like a child.

nicholaspowiull · 6 months ago

Yes I am Superwoman and Superman because I am everything, but I am not here to be the everything. Awareness is everything it observes, but when the awareness is traced back to find the source of the awareness, there is nothing there. The same can be said about you. You are God, but you are not there. God is all things but God is not doing anything because It is the everything. In order for anything or anybody to be doing any of this, it must be outside of the everything (And yes I am fabulously amazing in the bedroom, even when I am not being Superwoman and Superman *laughs* At least that is what I am told).

Smelling armpits (or even licking armpits!) and smelling garbage, liking pain (even in the bedroom!), taking pain, complaining (even complaining about being God!), believing thoughts, suffering, asleep, superpleased, washing feet, ego selves, true selves, lightening up, being serious, or any other thing 'you' can think of that 'people' label "weird", "too much" or "ordinary and normal"; is this too. Whatever arises in this, is this, as it is; whatever this is. Whatever this is, I don't know, but it is whatever it is, as it is. There is nobody here to know what this is, but thoughts act like thoughts know what this is and that is this too.

Lisa you are appreciated and loved.