Hi Nicholas, great post. Reading it, the thought popped up that no one is choosing to embrace or resist, and there is nothing wrong with resisting, or anything else. However difficult it is to recognise, or whatever apparent guise it takes, everything in the appearance is the divine expression, or however we refer to it on Friday mornings. We are lived, and some roles are more comfortable than others! It's worth remembering that the meatiest roles, those sought after by actors as the most fun, are the villains. The ones with the most self-will run riot, the megalomaniacs, the most separate and therefore the most selfish and ruthless. Luckily, "my" role seems to be much more ordinary. Resistance pops up along with everything else, but seemingly less often. It's all a lot more fun than it "used to be." And some of the fun is reading your blog! Great disclaimer at the end, about never knowing what truth is, truly. How pointless is all this writing about awakening nonsense? Just as pointless as everything else. But fun.
nicholaspowiull
· 7 months ago
Perfectly said Suzanne, gratefulness arises for 'your' response. Of course there is nobody choosing anything; to embrace or resist and either way what is going to happen is going to unfold the what It Is (if you can say it unfolds at all). I don't see anything wrong or right with embracing or resisting, it just seems that's the way the words were formed and seemly to suggestion otherwise.
Indeed beautifully said, it's all the Divine expression, how could it not, it's all the same One expressing the appearance of infinite varieties and so if the words come out in a way that sounds as if there someone with a choice to do something, that is perfectly Divine. I also don't see anything wrong or right with a separate 'self' that thinks they have a self-will who is selfish and ruthless, that is the Divine too. Thank you for that expression.
I consider this all very ordinary and extraordinary in every-way, I can't find any part of it that is not ordinary and extraordinary simultaneously, although the words may suggest something else. Yet, ordinary or extraordinary, matters not, as you simply put; it is all so very pointless.
Yes fun, I do find I am Loving every bit of it, including all the ideas of things that can't or shouldn't be enjoyed.
You are a beautiful expression Suzanne, thank you for stopping by and expressing Truth from your end. Always a pleasure to have you here adding pointless words to my pointless words, simply Lovely. :)
Suzanne
· 7 months ago
Glad pleasure arises for you, and no that's not meant as a double entendre! And at no "time" am I ever suggesting that "you" haven't "got" it. I have the occasional email exchange with Advaita Classic people who are extremely lost in the concept of a special and specific path to Oneness or whatever we're calling it today. I don't find defensiveness arising, but frustration, as there is no way any wise words of any syntax are going to convince them that we're talking about the same thing. Perhaps the only way is to meet them, and give them a good shake!
nicholaspowiull
· 7 months ago
Indeed I never felt any energy of defensiveness from you or ever thought that you were suggesting such and to be Truthful I could careless if you were *laughs* (but I do thank you for saying so) even as frustration might arise here too, I would still be one with feeling the frustration and enjoying it :)
I know of such Advaita Classic people that you speak of, also known as Neo Advaita (which I feel is a fitting term because they make it sound as if they are the Neo of ALL Advaita 'teachings') and I found frustration arise with them too *laughs*, for sure the only way to talk to them is to meet them where they are. That is one of the ego-traps I was talking about in this article (although from that perspective it arises as egolessness), I know because that is one of the traps I fell for too, but I was much too naive, innocent, and wanted Truth above anything else to stay there for long. Anybody can have a genuine 'enlightenment/oneness expereince' but if you think there is only one way to talk about it, then you have not had a 'full realization'. A full realization would show you that everything is perfect no matter how you think about it and even if that perfection is realized, the ego can still sneak back in and claim the Absolute or the no-self.
This is exactly why the last article (http://consciousflex.blogspot.com/2009/04/map-t...) unfolded, in hopes to explain how this can gradually unfold through a process. The way you responded to the last article, I can tell that your 'awakening' was one of the really rare ones with a single moment of Full spontaneous realization, without a process of the ego sneaking back-in.
Suzanne
· 7 months ago
Oh, I don't know, ego seems to arise occasionally, but that's oneness too; there's definitely no one who gives a f*** if ego arises or not, that's for sure!
nicholaspowiull
· 7 months ago
Well if the ego does seem to arise occasionally, then there would be some sort of the illusion of a self there (even if it's claiming no-self or whatever). If an illsuion is seen through as it's created then it's not really an illusion because it holds nothing. Therefore, I can see what you're saying about it arising occasionally and it does so here too (since oneness plays that way), but it's never seen as a problem, or something to get rid of, or something to defend; therefore ego arising in that way is not the ego I am referring to because it's seen through.
I don't know why people clap their hands together when someone says something they whole-heartily agree with, but I would stand and clap for you (and that's for sure too)! :)
abbiejoice
· 7 months ago
Hi Nicholas! I'm just curious, after you have found enlightenment, how do you live your life differently from before? Do you still do polyphasic sleep? Are you still looking forward to your meals? To meeting friends? Because people have an impression that enlightened ones do nothing anymore but meditate all day. :-)
nicholaspowiull
· 7 months ago
Hello Abbie, well there is not much that changes, but yet there is a lot that changes simultaneously. Just to explain it would cause confusion, so I will explain the basics.
Basically anything you did that came in a form of searching or seeking for something outside yourself to make yourself happy stops. The reason I was on polyphasic sleep had to do with seeking for better and different spiritual states, so that stopped.
The more 'time' that goes on, the less some-things appear and the more other things appear. Generally life gets more fun, playful, new, exciting; and less stressful, fearful, or worrisome.
Yet, the personality stays the same. To any outside observer that knows me, there is no change that they can see or pin-point (unless I talk about it, but it's not something most people want to hear).
Thank you for stopping by and commenting with your wonderful questions Abbie, always a pleasure to have you here.
All Comments
Indeed beautifully said, it's all the Divine expression, how could it not, it's all the same One expressing the appearance of infinite varieties and so if the words come out in a way that sounds as if there someone with a choice to do something, that is perfectly Divine. I also don't see anything wrong or right with a separate 'self' that thinks they have a self-will who is selfish and ruthless, that is the Divine too. Thank you for that expression.
I consider this all very ordinary and extraordinary in every-way, I can't find any part of it that is not ordinary and extraordinary simultaneously, although the words may suggest something else. Yet, ordinary or extraordinary, matters not, as you simply put; it is all so very pointless.
Yes fun, I do find I am Loving every bit of it, including all the ideas of things that can't or shouldn't be enjoyed.
You are a beautiful expression Suzanne, thank you for stopping by and expressing Truth from your end. Always a pleasure to have you here adding pointless words to my pointless words, simply Lovely. :)
I know of such Advaita Classic people that you speak of, also known as Neo Advaita (which I feel is a fitting term because they make it sound as if they are the Neo of ALL Advaita 'teachings') and I found frustration arise with them too *laughs*, for sure the only way to talk to them is to meet them where they are. That is one of the ego-traps I was talking about in this article (although from that perspective it arises as egolessness), I know because that is one of the traps I fell for too, but I was much too naive, innocent, and wanted Truth above anything else to stay there for long. Anybody can have a genuine 'enlightenment/oneness expereince' but if you think there is only one way to talk about it, then you have not had a 'full realization'. A full realization would show you that everything is perfect no matter how you think about it and even if that perfection is realized, the ego can still sneak back in and claim the Absolute or the no-self.
This is exactly why the last article (http://consciousflex.blogspot.com/2009/04/map-t...) unfolded, in hopes to explain how this can gradually unfold through a process. The way you responded to the last article, I can tell that your 'awakening' was one of the really rare ones with a single moment of Full spontaneous realization, without a process of the ego sneaking back-in.
I don't know why people clap their hands together when someone says something they whole-heartily agree with, but I would stand and clap for you (and that's for sure too)! :)
Basically anything you did that came in a form of searching or seeking for something outside yourself to make yourself happy stops. The reason I was on polyphasic sleep had to do with seeking for better and different spiritual states, so that stopped.
The more 'time' that goes on, the less some-things appear and the more other things appear. Generally life gets more fun, playful, new, exciting; and less stressful, fearful, or worrisome.
Yet, the personality stays the same. To any outside observer that knows me, there is no change that they can see or pin-point (unless I talk about it, but it's not something most people want to hear).
Thank you for stopping by and commenting with your wonderful questions Abbie, always a pleasure to have you here.