Friday 6 November 2009

You Have No Such Mirrors As Will Turn Your Hidden Worthiness Into Your Eye.

Why even talk about this? Concepts about enlightenment are fruitless, and can never be it. Why not spend time eradicating poverty? Last night I heard a comedian end his act by saying "If we [America] used all the trillions of dollars spent on weapons to eradicate poverty - which it would do, many, many times over - we could explore space together as a unified world". Well, in spite of the massive logistical social/national problems with such a task, and the fact he left out disease, he has a point. What I and so many write about, whether they emphasize there is no utopia but this or not, there seems to be a real lack of putting value on the story of life, and making that story a more compassionate one. It's an illusion, we say; you have no choice in anything you do. Yet seeing reality clearly brings with it - or can - a certain lack of fear, a loss of ego-concerns. The apparent actions of one's life can usually change to something "better", when we are not in the way, boxing our delicately constructed ego into a tight, protected corner, or lashing out in fear-driven anger against apparent others who threaten us. This is not a philosophy of life; it is merely seeing through the illusion.

"There is ONLY seeing-knowing. The expression is NOT it – the expression is like a reflection in the mirror. The reflection is never what is reflected and there is a SEEMING distance between these APPARENT two and YET they are actually One." -Gilbert Schultz

Gilbert's pointer to pure awareness - or seeing-knowing, beingness, or whatever we call it on Fridays - can be confusing, when in one breath the writer says there is only seeing-knowing and the the appearance is not seeing-knowing, yet in the next breath says that the appearance is, indeed, oneness. It's the kind of paradox the mind hates - the mind can't stand mutually exclusive yet co-existing concepts. They are, after all, just concepts. You can pay attention to the machinations of life - the ins and outs of the expression - pay attention to the apparent causes and effects - or there can just be paying attention. Thought, it is often said in these blogs and books about enlightenment, is overvalued; too much importance is placed on it, it is said. Boundless, infinite, eternal, timeless awareness is before thought; without thought. Thoughts, and the ego-structure they create and reinforce, are the problem; or perhaps put more mildly, the difficulty.

Well, maybe so. But it seems to me we have the perfect mechanism to explore, act, ponder and emote right here, staring us in the face; it is the face. We are boundless, and not limited; yet any apparent limitations of manifested life are the perfect playground for any and all actions. So if a strong urge to eradicate poverty comes up, volunteer. If not, don't. Without embracing the ego-fears of worthlessness, the energy for action is available and the freedom can be intense. However, the danger of trying to describe any supposed benefits of enlightenment is that the ego will desperately cling onto the idea of a "better" life. Life doesn't have to be orchestrated by a small self, just seemingly executed by it; All-ness takes care of it, opening up the story in ways the ego could never have imagined. And if the small self seems indelible, the playground is still here, oneness is, and many possibilities are always ripe. If there is a point to awakening, and there isn't for the ego, it is the intrinsic value of liberation itself. But don't take my word for it, or any word. It is everything you are, seem to be, thought or no thought; this, just as exactly as it is. See it "for yourself"; just see it; it is simplicity itself; it is everything, now, here, this.

53 comments:

Julian said...

We could try and save the world I suppose and see what happens.

Things certainly do arise, more and more frequently, that seem to have lots of positive energy about them when the world of ego is seen through, but the moment we try to possess them or build upon them, they seem to rebound,go wrong, bad, whatever.

The point is we just havn't any clue what's really going on here. Try looking into what happened on 9/11 and you will see what I mean.

Mercy and grace are like snowflakes. They simply fall and cover the earth.The joy of this seeming life, body, whatever, is simply a face upturned towards the sky as the snowflakes fall.The snowflake melts into the face....and vice versa.

zafire said...

The world population currently just under 7 billion has grown continually since the end of the black death around 1400. Some theories say that a population somewhere between 10/12 billion would be unsustainable on this planet. We could certainly speed up this process by eradicating poverty and disease and as we stand shoulder to shoulder we could say to each other "what smart ass thought of this".
(Maybe just as well we're not in control)

Léon said...

Gilbert also asks you to pause thoughts or to say "no mind no mind" over and over,and guess what? the seeing will happen!...Suzan,what do you really think of these kind of crappy suggestions?? if there was an efficient technic to see this,we would have found it for a bloody long time!it's like the Douglas Harding "having no head",it seems to work perhaps as a temporary experience,but no one can allow the dissolution of the contraction of "me"...but try it harder if you are moved to do so!:-))

Shanto said...

What a beautiful little YouTube clip. Kind of says all there is to say, doesn't it?

No One In Particular said...

Hey Zafire, boy, did I laugh at your comment. What smart ass indeed! Hey Leon, you're brave! I'm scared of Gilbert. (Doing nothing is probably the best advice.) Nice analogy Julian. Boy, am I enjoying myself! So to speak. Svante, The Breakfast Club is my favourite film...right up there with Brainstorm. And yes, it says it all.

Fernando Rozas said...

Leon: What Gilbert (and Bob Adamson) tries with this 'full stop' is that you see you are not your thoughts. Once this is seen, the thoughts are no more 'problematic'.
And Suzanne: the mirror and the image are apparently two, but really one. You can't separate the mirror and the image in the mirror.

Léon said...

Don't forget to pause thoughts or to say no "mind ,no mind"!if you don't do this,you are the laziest of the laziest! liberation is like any good thing,you have to merit it!
Please Gilbert and do your homework !:-))

Léon said...

Suzan, I am a bit insistant because Gilbert on the UGC asked you a question inspired by Byron Katie: are you absolutly sure there is nothing to do? and he gave himself the answer,which is his two pens recommendation...:-)

Léon said...

Fernando,like any experience,there could be an experience of no thought...and that also passes until the next story comes up!:-)Léon

No One In Particular said...

Hey Leon, merit it by existing. There is nothing anybody can do except what is done, whatever is happening, now. That is all that is ever done, no matter what the guise, whether it is some good, deep cleansing nose-picking or saying "no mind, no mind" over and over. It is the same thing. You are not your thoughts; but your thoughts are busy busy busy! Fernando, I thought Gilbert said the reflection was not the I. Or something like that. I've undoubtedly got it wrong again! Just to be clear: I was using Gilbert's handy dandy pointer to illustrate how the mind can use confusion to keep on hangin' on. It's a lovely pointer, a perfectly good pointer. Suh-weet. I mean it!

Léon said...

Busy,busy thoughts,yes,and that could be great until it's not!:-)

No One In Particular said...

Leon - good luck with that Dude!

Léon said...

Suzanne,I simply don't care about this dude...he seems like a ruler,pretending he's liberated!what a good job!:-)

Andrew said...

I think the compassion that Suzanne is referring to is not born of the ego, but is the Divine Imperative: "when God Himself takes possession of us, by His love, and does His work through us." - from The Divine Imperative by Emil Brunner. (Pg 132 at Google Books)

In other words, "Not I, but the Christ in me." This kind of divinely inspired action is a blessing to the world and may arise while the ego is active, latent or destroyed.

When God acts through you, AS you, in the world of duality then She does so with power, certainty, courage, love and all other dualistic virtues.

In this enlightened activity there is no ego claiming ownership of the activity or trying to make the world 'better', but God out of love for Her creation is acting through you to do Her will.

If the ego is latent, such as in the case of the 'absolute ego' that Adyashanti talks about (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sqbSqtDsa4), then there will be witnessing of thoughts, and general indifference to the world, and declarations that that world is just a meaningless concept, and false justification of bad behaviour ("I didn't get my students pregnant - I am the witness - there is no me - all activity is God's - therefore God did it.")

So I'm not talking about an empowered ego, but rather divine individuality/divine personality which has its foundation in egolessness.

Admin said...

Hey Suzy,
I like the the apparent evolving of "your" pointing style.

No One In Particular said...

Hey Leon, fair enough. Andrew, I'm thrilled you're using "your" words to express the "God's will becomes my will" thingy! And Nicholas - it's fun to watch that, isn't it? Who's watching? I have absolutely no idea!

claudia said...

After reading the comments of a character called Léon, another character called Claudia feels urged to throw in her 2 cents regarding the Gilbert character: Léon hasn't read or listened carefully to what Gilbert says - he seems to be holding on to one sentence read 'en passant', blinded ever since by the fixed idea that Gilbert is a "ruler who orders seekers to repeat some words which will bring about enlightement"...

What is it that (seemingly) annoys Léon so much? Maybe he should have a good look at that...

Gilbert also says:
"Witness the disappearance of thoughts... Observe the absence of the witness."

It is not an order. No one is forcing no one to do anything (as if that would be possible). It is a directive, and a very powerfull one, given to any apparent somebody that is fed up with his or her miserable life story and want's to find out "what's really going on here!"
Alas, no one will do this for you, you have to see for yourself... This is the apparent contradiction.

However this is put into words, it will always be contradictory from the mind's point of view, because what ever is said, it's not IT... There is no way that the mind will ever, ever understand this... Who is afraid of this?

No One In Particular said...

Hi Claudia, thanks for visiting and commenting on the "war of pointers". As good a way as any for the despotic mind to stay on its throne!

Léon said...

I am looking forward to see what this body mind called "Suzanne" looks like on conscious tv very soon!By now we only have heard the sound of her voice!:-))Léon

claudia said...

Haha, Suzanne, thanks for that! There is no way for the mind to win this battle...

claudia said...

You know, I actually had proposed myself to not say anything anymore, till THIS was fully understood - that is, identification has fully dropped - what a ridiculous proposition - the play just plays itself, regardless of any thought's that might come up...

By the way, I very much enjoy your writing!

No One In Particular said...

Hey Leon - I fear I was having a bad hair day. Claudia - I have that thought every day! The one about stopping trying to write about the ineffable. There is no bloody choice! It's fun, that's for sure.

Wellness Education Institute said...

if no one points at no-thing,
if Nothing points to Bliss,
then what's the point of pointing if the One is All there Is?

if Nothing points to no one,
if no one points (for fun),
is pointing out the pointless just a Game of All and nOne?

(the show has just Be-gun :)

________________________
the (above) poem wanted to make a point, but then It divided itself by zero, leaving nothing but nada...

...which led to the pointed yet backwards reflection that "Everything divided by One = Itself, multiplied by its inverse reciprocal, I."

I/i = One, when 1 is All, eye (See)

huh?

:) my apologies, no one :)
(one-two many express-ohs)

No One In Particular said...

Hey Len, there may seem to be everything and nothing, meaningfulness and meaninglessness, fun and sorrow; this perfect playground is certainly enhanced by your proficient wordplay!

Wellness Education Institute said...

thanks, sue!

upon further review, that thoem (and math) needs further review, as it is deeper than i thought.

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

"perfect playground"

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
:)

Ronna said...

Hi Suzanne, I am just laughing and smiling as I read all these comments about Gilbert! I really hope he reads these as I am sure he will be rolling with laughter especially at being quoted like Nisargatta or someone equally "up there" in the world of non-duality. I very much "needed" Gilbert's "nasty Zen master" personna to "piss me off" so much that I was determined to prove him wrong with all his constant talk about just investigate see what you really are etc, so I did only that for about 3 days straight nothing else and it was exactly as he constantly points to and so it turned out he was right and I am very grateful to him for what he does and how he does it. I really laughed when you wrote "Gilbert scares me". Anyways good to see that you are continuing to do what you obviously love. Are you also going to be on Never Not Here with Richard Miller? Did you check out Rupert Spira's podcasts on UGC or his website? I am also interested in Greg Goode, he will be doing a month long online study session that I am going to participate in.

No One In Particular said...

Hi Ronna, yes, different teachers seem to work for different apparent personas...but let's not forget...nothing is happening! Try as "you" might, there is no getting it "wrong". Or right, for that matter. Whatever it is.

Fernando Rozas said...

“It all is perfect just as it is.”
The mind resistance to this pointer is… perfection too!!
There is absolutely no possibility to go wrong… Incredible!
Gilbert’s approach and yours, Sue, are in my view complementary.
Says Gilbert:
“Seeing is happening, knowing is happening, and you are THAT.”

No One In Particular said...

I completely agree. There is room for it all; there is room, obviously, for everything.

lune said...

This Gilbert/Suzanne thing continues apparently.

COOL ;)

Wish I could see the swans on the Thames......

....they are probably some of the best pointers around, if you are in London, of course.

I'll be there soon........

Ronna said...

Hi Suzanne, yes it was so clear in that flash of cognition that there is no "right or wrong" no duality at all. I feel gratitude

No One In Particular said...

Hi Lune, look forward to it! Time is mind...and mind likes visitors. and it's not so much a Gilbert/Suzanne thing as a Gilzanne thing, or maybe Suzbert. No separation. Hi Ronna, whatever it is that seems, you are a sweetie pie. Thanks for following and commenting.

Léon said...

Suzanne soon on conscious.tv and ... on nevernothere!!Suzanne, you are becoming a non duality star!I hope you will stay a humble woman after that!:-))

claudia said...

I like Suzebert - sounds delicious, and a cup of coffee... strong, of course

No One In Particular said...

Hi Leon, it's not the messenger, it's not even the message! And humility...well, all these words are meaningless. So I suppose that is as humbling as it gets. Claudia, Suzebert it is. Poor Gilbert's apparent ears must be seeming to burn.

Léon said...

It's not even the message and the messenger but it seems so...apparently something very meaningful is shared and that is called non duality;books,tv shows,satsangs are created for that...don't mistake,this is as serious as it could be!:-)

No One In Particular said...

Perhaps part of this is...not taking it all so seriously.

Léon said...

Suzanne,just kidding of course!if you want to be serious enough,first laugh of yourself!:-))

No One In Particular said...

Well, apparently I take YOU very seriously Leon! Forgive me!

Léon said...

Seriousness,absence of seriousness,all of that is meaningless!but it's so good to have a good laugh!:-))

Léon said...

It's funny because it seems to have meaning whereas it's totally meaningless!...it's funny because we all pretend whereas we have not a damn of control over anything!Tony Parsons says he used to tell jokes and now he stays with one only,this big joke!:-))Léon

Léon said...

Everything is a joke and we are pretending it's not,that's why I can't stop laughing!not too much however!:-))

No One In Particular said...

By George (whoever that is) Leon, I think you've got it.

Léon said...

One day,when I was lost in my seeking,the non teacher Karl Renz told me: "if you are serious enough,you have to laugh as loud as you can"...in the same way,Tony Parsons often speaks about people laughing after the joke has been seen!and the laughter keeps the doctor away!:-))

Lisa (Mommy Mystic) said...

I have no idea who Gilbert is, but certainly enjoyed his quote and the comment discussion around him...
I can't do the non-duality thing of writing with no pronouns and circling verbs...
So I will just say that I am still torn on this one: " So if a strong urge to eradicate poverty comes up, volunteer. If not, don't." I am still stuck in moral imperatives, I must admit. I would rather see more people try, whether driven by ego or guilt or whatever, than not. At one time I did not see it this way. But since having kids, it has changed for me. I am looking at it, we will see where it leads me...

No One In Particular said...

Hi Lisa, nothing wrong with moral imperatives!

Fernando Rozas said...

Hi Suzanne,
I am reading all your blog again. Really beautiful. There is authentic poetry in your prose.
'Accept all, including rejection...' Yeah…
It's the first 'bhakti' convincing approach that I've ever read.
Love
Fernando

No One In Particular said...

What's bhakti?

No One In Particular said...

Ah - just looked it up. Thanks Fernando.

Anonymous said...

Wow! Couldn't walk away from this one. Jeeeeeze! I feel like I should start swinging. You need some help in here Suzanne? Back up maybe? I could be a bouncer.

No One In Particular said...

Don't worry Mike - the commentary is lovely. I should probably just get a new blog entry up!

Julian said...

"just see it!" - now there's the rub. The idea of adding value to 'just seeing' is a good subject that would be worth pursuing.Tease it out a bit.

Thanks for all the work that went into this. It is so well written and relevent.
x

No One In Particular said...

Thanks Julian. New post soon!