The Difference is Awareness

There has been some discussion about that which is conditioned and that which is unconditioned. Is there anyone who is not conditioned? It is not possible to exist and not be conditioned. To think is to accumulate. What is accumulated becomes conditioning. Because thought is movement in time, there is memory, the past. The conditioned self projects memory as the concept of what is. It is the definition of logical thought. The mathematics of the linear. Can conditioned thought become unconditioned? Thought is the result of the conditioned, it can never be that which is unconditioned. One can only have a realization of the conditioned mind, when there is observing in the absolute moment. Direct observation becomes awareness when there is a cessation of the referencing of thought as a separate individuality. When there is no self then there is no conclusion or opinion (no choosing or choice). It is a state of timelessness in which awareness its self has no validity. It is a state of non-being, which is the flowering of the unconditioned. The unconditioned may be hinted at, but it cannot be known. It is of the unknown, that which is understanding in the absolute moment. It has no validity as memory and loses its significance in time. If one attempts to retain the realization of the moment as concept, one creates only confusion in the mind. The ego/self cannot grasp the significance of the moment as an idea. Mind can only create the illusion of approximation. Thought which is word, definition, attempts to know. But the unknown cannot be known, otherwise it is just an idea. One can only know and verbalize what it is not.

Awareness begins as a practice of mind. It starts on a superficial conceptual level. But as one continues to be aware that awareness begins to reveal the deeper layers of self and of the motivations of self. When there is an awareness of the experience of knowing and of projecting the known that is absent the self, then one may come upon the unconditioned. But it cannot be sought out as an accomplishment or an achievement. Whatever is sought is the projection of mind and not the truth of the moment. Awareness ultimately is a non-movement, a timeless state of non-being.

The activity of awareness opens new levels of understanding that were previously hampered by ones preoccupation with the self and becoming. One sees directly when the self has been understood. There is a dissipation of self as the one who interprets and concludes. There is understanding through the self, but not of the self. One understands the projection of ones owns thoughts and that understanding is freedom from the known and from knowing. Awareness leads to the true self, which is the peace and freedom of the moment.

One cannot become unconditioned, it is not a state of mind. Through awareness the ground work is laid for what may or may not happen. If there is awareness there is the possibility of that which is unconditioned, but it cannot be made to happen through any type of individual or communal effort. Awareness is the meditation of the moment, of non-movement. It is the only difference between living in what was and living in what is. The realization of the unconditioned is the stillness of peace and love.

If one has realization of the unconditioned then the world is different. One does not see struggle and resistance as that which needs to be overcome. One instead has understanding that transcends the self absorbed. There is realization into the very source and origin of all fear. One sees into the essence of the ideal self.

Living the Esoteric

Esoteric comes from the Greek "Eso" which means "within". In recent history it has been associated with a kind of "secret" knowledge that is available only to the "enlightened", "initiated", or to one of advanced intellectual capacity. To this writer "esoteric" means to realize the truth that is within and to live that truth. To live within, is to live a life of total awareness. It is a state of consciousness that transcends the self. That which is a sober realization of the consequence of the absolute moment and thoughts movement within that moment. One assumes total responsibility for the activity of self. There is no projection of the self as victim or beneficiary. There is only the truth of what is.

It makes no difference what line of work one is employed in or what has been ones past accomplishments or failures. Married or single, have children or not, religious or non-religious, believer or non-believer all this is of no consequence. To live the esoteric, awareness that is the truth within requires nothing save the passion to want to understand the self and its motivations. Understanding that is not the accumulation of knowledge, of a psychological profile of yourself, which means nothing, but understanding that is seeing directly. "Directly" means seeing without the intervening self with its conclusions and opinions. To look without the self means that one stays in the moment and understands the moment as the only truth and the only reality. This direct experiencing of truth can only occur when one is not referencing and projecting thoughts movement as the self absorbed, as that which is caught in time.

If one can realize this very simple truth, not as concept but as actual in the moment direct action then life will change of its own accord. The peace and tranquility of the unknown will enfold you and one will realize the beauty of just living. It will not matter what comes your way, there will be no perception of good or bad, right or wrong , only the love and joy of existence. One who lives such a life will affect all that one touches, even those who one has never met.

The Infinite

Is it possible for thought which is the finite to imagine and "know" the infinite. Thought separates in order to understand. It divides perceived reality into compartments of mathematics. The logic of equation provides many insights into the nature of the physical universe. Equation means "equal to". It is a language that allows one to solve complex physical variables involving the relationship of man and environment. Equation seeks truth in the logic of mathematics. So if one were just a computer, then one could instantly solve the mystery of life and realize truth through the mathematical process. But we are not computers, we are the infinite. We are not "part" of the infinite for that would imply logic and mathematics. There cannot be an opposing self. If there is a separation then there is thought as the one who thinks. When there is subject and object there is illusion.


The mind can only conceive of the finite. The finite is that which can be defined and known. If there is thought of the infinite, it is within the limitation of the finite. The mind conceives of the infinite as limitless space, which is linear thought. The idea of limitless space implies boundaries of self imposition. With the dissipation of space/time there is only the infinite there is no separation of a defined identity as the self.

In the reality of the moment one is the infinite, that which has no beginning or end. But to fully experience that which is beyond time/space one cannot dwell psychologically within an idea. The infinite should not be aligned with a concept of god or of superior being. Because being is the illusion of separation. All conceptual ideals are a perversion of truth. The mind which organizes experience into concept and thus a systematic way of seeking, of finding a repetition of the known, destroys the truth of the absolute moment. The organized is a perversion of that which is in the moment. The infinite is the energy of the cosmos and its realization is the realization of the true self.

Argument

Some like to create an air about themselves, they want the world to view them as they view themselves. They believe that they have achieved some great spiritual or intellectual advantage. So they engage others in argument, attempting to justify the beliefs they have about themselves. To confront another with ones mental prowess, is to admit ones own feelings of insecurity. One argues and demeans another to gain a sense of self. That sense of self is the illusion of knowing. What is known is the projection of the accumulated. One wants desperately to be acknowledged to break out of feelings of inadequacy. Their conflict is within and where there is conflict there is violence. The violence of words spoken to discredit or embarrass.

One may disagree or see the that there is a lack of truth in what is said, but one would do well to not point a finger directly. Because in the end one is pointing to oneself. Many live a life of justification, of trying to make sense of the opposition that is within. One should not disagree or agree, but see in another that which mirrors the self. Whatever is understood in the words of another is a reflection of ones own inner conflict and disharmony. If there is no conclusion or judgement then there is capacity for love and the understanding of the true self.

One can engage in a fencing match of words and concepts, but nothing comes from it, only the further disintegration of the conditioned consciousness. To be free of ones own prejudiced mind with its opinions and conclusions to realize a totally new life. To accept oneself and to accept others. To love where there is only conflict and misunderstanding is to create an air of peace that transcends the self.

Rationality

What is rationality? Does it bring peace of mind? Does logical thought lead to an "answer" or a "solution"? Why does the "answer" always create another question? A line of logical thought, if taken to the extreme, always leads back to its origin. The question and the answer are one in the same. One is seeking a direction. So one creates a plan of action, a formula for success that provides answers to perceived problems. In the mind there is the duality of the seeker and that which is sought. It is the self created conflict of the problematic. Mind as a movement is ever seeking to establish an identity as that which gives a sense of permanence. This entity seeks an expansion of its self through the accumulation of the material and the intellectual.


Rationality is the manner in which we proceed to mentally acquire and conclude. What is rational thought depends on ones perspective. It is a process that is largely influenced by ones culture, experience, and perceived motivational realities. One can, in ones own mind, rationalize the killing of people if it is "perceived" as preventing ones own demise. There are no rational absolutes, there is only the perception of the self absorbed. Rational is what is rational for the self and its continuance.


Can a mind that is in the conflict and confusion of opposing ideals be rational. If one gives much attention to what is in the mind/memory, one can instantly realize that one is constantly in opposition. One will agree and disagree with what is within and wrestle with ones own mind, with what is perceived as a rational response to circumstance. What is the outcome of ones rationality? What is the reality of the moment? Have people been exploited? Have people been killed? Is there personal benefit beyond life's necessities? Is there destruction of the earth and its resources? One must realize that there is no rationality, there is only the projection of ones own mind. What is rational is irrational. There is only the truth of what is in the absolute moment. One only needs to look without the mind that is concluding and justifying.


One can go through life with a mind that is oblivious to the realities of the moment, that exist within the illusion of ones self created rationality, or one can be awakened to the truth. Because one seeks the security of repetition one will probably go on as one has. One will continue to live in ones confusion, conflict and violence. But if one realizes that ones rationality is the projection of ones conditioning of ones beliefs and desires, then it possible for one to come upon that which is not a continuity. Something totally new, that moves one in a different direction. But one cannot realize that which is untainted by the mind if one dwells in the duality of the rational. As long as there is the movement of thought as time, as the self, one rationalizes existence.

The "rational" can never experience the truth of the moment. Rationality is escape from what is into what should be. Rationality is the illusion of answer and solution to that which is created by the mind that is confused and in conflict. One must see that ones rationalizations are only a continuance of the fear and violence that is within the self absorbed. If one can fully realize this one important fact then one may find peace that is not a result of time.

Emotion

What is emotion? Is it an indication of a sensitive person? Does emotion come from the heart? One is always looking for fulfillment. One feels incomplete, so one tries to find that special something that will bring peace and love into ones life. One primarily seeks this fulfillment through relationship with another individual (s). Some may seek a religious experience that one believes will fulfill ones longing. The complexity of understanding this need for fulfillment lies in the consciousness of ones accumulated mind. It is a product of ones genetic code and of ones life experience. As a species humans have a genetic marker that is controlled by hormones. These hormones drive one to seek out a mate for the purposes of pro-creation. It is an energy that transcends human logic. One can understand the mechanics, but mind is incapable of realizing the core event. It is because this event is not a material object that can be observed. It is pure energy. One can only observe the results of that energy, one cannot "know" directly the source of all that is. It is beyond knowing, mind cannot tap into it. There is no mathematical equation that can probe its depths.

Emotion is a complex reaction to the problems that one encounters in life. The mind creates a projected image of that which is desired. It is enhanced by chemical reactions in the body that are a direct result of the brains pre-programing. Contrary to belief emotion is not grounded in the heart, it is grounded in the mind, in thought. Thought is the seeking and when what is sought does not materialize as projected there is emotion. Emotion is the seeking of a release of chemical reactions taking place in the body. The body is out of balance when the chemistry (energy) is pent up and seeking release.

One may realize that all the reactions of our bodies both the physical and the psychological are a result of the minds perception. The mind triggers all that takes place in the body and in the psyche. One may see that ones life is controlled by the mind that is projecting the ideal which is supported by ones physical needs. When the mind is quiet and not seeking then there is no projection. There is a stability in ones consciousness. The pure energy that is within and without exist freely without the disruptive influence of thought. That energy is channeled into an understanding that transcends self. But it cannot be an activity of thought. One cannot channel it as a method or activity of self. It is realization that is a non-movement. It may be realized or it may not, there is nothing that one can do to assist in its realization. As one has said, one can only be aware timelessly. Awareness brings an understanding of self that lays the foundation for the illumination of what is.

When one is totally aware in the moment, then one cannot be touched by the disruptive. It is as though one is everything and nothing in that moment. One is completely aware of all that is happening within and without. One is aware of the mind that is projecting, of thoughts that are arising, and though that awareness there is a dissipation of minds illusion of self. One has a clear understanding of all relationship, understanding that transcends the self. There is no emotion because ones being is in balance. When there is no emotion there is the truth of love that is not a projected condition of the self. Love that is of the heart, which is absent the motivations of the self.

Subjective Reality

Why does one think in the subjective? Is there thought that is not the subjective? Seeking answers through that which one "knows" is a form of referencing. It is deductive and inductive reasoning. To logically formulate from a set of perceived facts. But perceived facts involve the individual proclivities of self (subjective) which is projected by the one who observes. One observes according to ones individuality. It is impossible to separate the subject from that which is being observed. The individual is always part of what is observed, in point of fact he or she is what is observed. This realization is very important because thought is always grounded in the subjective. There is not thought and then that which thought observes, there is only the perception of thought as that which is observed. What ever is observed is the subject. Subject and object are one in the same. One conceptually defines the other. So what is observed is always contaminated by the observer. Thought is the subject that projects and what it projects is always the subjective. This is the illusion of the conceptual.

One often talks about the dissipation of the self, of the subjective. One cannot voluntarily eliminate the subjective. It is ones survival mechanism. It is the relationship of that which is the instinctual perception of reality as the movement of time. But it is possible for one to have a full realization of the effects of subjective and objective reasoning. One only needs to look at the results of ones life. Not just your immediate family, your work, and relationships, but how you affect all that is. What one does affects "everything". If one can look without the self that is concluding and judging, then one will realize a truth that is not tainted by subjective accumulation. How does one look without the subjective? There is no book of instruction, no formula that can be followed. Whatever is sought is the illusion of subjective reality. Many will give you words to follow or a method, but in the end it will only lead one to the conclusive. The illusion of achievement or non-achievement. One will go on as one has before in the conflict, confusion and violence of the self absorbed.

When one is grounded in the consciousness of the self one is aware only on a subjective level. That is, one is thinking in terms of the self. Whatever one experiences is seen through the self, the subjective, so one realizes only that which affects the self either directly or indirectly. The self is the reference point, the beginning and end of thoughts movement. The subjective is always that which is conditioned, that which is absorbed with image as the movement of thought.

One may ask, is there thought that is not the result of conditioned self? Can one transcend the subjective? If one can realize a moment in which one has a consciousness that is the direct seeing into the nature and origin of time/thought/movement, then it is possible to have a realization of the unconditioned. Consciousness that is outside the self, that which is not a movement. It is a realization and experiencing of mind that is in a meditative state of timelessness. There is only that which is in the absolute moment. Within that moment is the illumination of the truth of all that is existence. It is not something that one cultivates or is trained to achieve. It is not an achievement or an objectified accomplishment. One may never experience, all one can do is be aware. Awareness that becomes a living, breathing, walking, talking meditation. Ones consciousness may be active and reasoning, but one is totally aware and in the moment. It is like two people walking side by side one is talking and one is listening. The one that is talking is the self as the movement of thought. The one that is listening is the consciousness of the unconditioned, the truth of the moment. Illumination is the dissipation of all duality, which is the meditation of the timeless.

The Business of the Spiritual

The Divine has always been big business. The wholesale distribution of God, the unseen, the illuminated. Many have gotten rich and powerful off the God thing, the manipulation of gullible people who will worship almost anything if you subject them to enough mind control. They may be beat either physically or psychologically into conformity. The ages have produced an incredible array of sect's and esoteric anomalies. What is today's cult is tomorrows cultural necessity. How is it that one gets caught up in such dogma and suppression of intellect?
Does one go with the crowd because one does not want to be left out? Do you not want to miss anything that would leave you outside the flow of ones perceived beliefs.  The desire to be identified with the latest fad, to conform to non-conformity. The seeking of non-conformity is the deepest and most psychologically damaging type of conformity. A person may think that this is not following through non-conformity, but one is caught in and consumed with the desire to be acknowledged through difference. Desiring that others should conform to ones difference, thereby creating a sense of power and exclusivity.
This is the mentality of so-called "New Age" guru's. They take what has been taught by truly enlightened person's and put there own spin on it. They make up stories about how they attained some kind of realization and from that they paraphrase the writings of others and attempt to create some formula to an awakening that they themselves have not had. It has been observed how that these persons take the profound teachings of others and attempt to make them their own. This is why they sound so convincing, because they copy and repeat through modification that which is truly profound. There is nothing original from any of them.
If an authority writes books and lectures others on the way to a new life, you should be suspicious of there motives. Most are seeking self aggrandizement and do much to convince all that they are only interested in world peace and harmony. But can the world find peace and harmony through the words of another? Can the conceptually clever ideas of another create peace? Such activity only creates suspicion and opposition. Because a person is caught in the conceptual one cannot escape the conflict of position. One must defend that which one believes. You must be constantly coming up with a "strategy" to dispel opposition. So a person is caught in the conflict and violence of ones own self created "Spirituality".
As has been said, one must have a realization that peace and harmony comes only from within. One must project and create that which is within. But one must be free from images and concepts of so-called awakened and enlightened individuals. The truth of what is, is in the absolute moment. There can be no movement of the self as time, for there to be the realization of that which is beyond knowing and known. When all else is not the truth is.

The Media as MInd Control

One is continuously bombarded with information. One lives in the information age, where the clever and psychologically resourceful can manipulate and indoctrinate the mind with all sorts of religious, political, and philosophical opinions and conclusions. There are those in the media that command an audience of followers, and will subject there viewers to the mind control of whatever new philosophical fad is coming down the pipeline. They believe in something or someone so they subject people to an onslaught of systematized brainwashing. People with money and power are not content with their own influence pedaling, so they bring in outside persons who they become attached to and in the name of "humanity" declare that "this" is truth.
Money and power are not enough they want to control and move people, to create a world in their image. One can see how that these persons try to control the media, through T.V. magazines, through their highly publicized "do-gooder" donations and give aways. It is the conceit of the moneyed of those who have so much poverty within, that they must live outside themselves.

One cannot become wealthy with out exploiting others. They live in exploitation, in the greed of there own self absorbed image. If they were truly awakened to the self, they would chuck it all and find the truth of simplicity, but they cannot because they are attached to the image of self. Whatever they do is a projection of that image, of the control and influence pedaling of the wealthy. They do it because they can and because they are self absorbed.

One would do well to throw the T.V. in the trash and find that which is not an outside influence. If one has any common sense at all one can recognize when one is being subjected to mind control. The media has created a vacuity in ones consciousness that requires a daily dose of ones preferred personality drug. One needs to wake up and find that which is not a repetition, that which is not a fix for ones addiction.

What is left in the wake of this onslaught of mind control? What is the result when the latest fad has faded and one is left with the realization that one has been manipulated? One may become depressed because what was promised did not materialize. One is as one has always been, in conflict and fear. There are many out there that teach and say that they represent awakening, but they are really just looking for confirmation of their beliefs and conclusions. They do it at the psychological expense of others. One must realize that published awakening is the illusion of the instigator. That one cannot cause another to be awakened through words and concepts. Such a person gets caught in the opposition of position. One can do great harm by purporting to teach that which cannot be taught.

One can only find truth within, in the simplicity of what is.One must negate all that is without. One must move away from the temptation to be influenced by that which is outside the self.
As one has said there are no guides to truth.There is no system that can cause one to realize.
There is no higher self, there is only the true self, which is the realization of the moment, the unknown.

The Teacher

One has discussions with people who are seeking an awakening an illuminating event that will take one to a higher level. Some actually believe that they have been awakened through the teachings of another either personally or through there writings. One should realize that one cannot experience the truth of what is through another. They are only repeating that which they have read or been taught. It is the repetition of the old. It may have a new wrapping but it is still the old. If one believes or "knows" that one is awakened, then one must realize that it is the result of the self that is seeking. The result is the illusion of that which one desires. One cannot say that one is awakened or illuminated. It is a trick of the mind that is self absorbed. One wants to be above others, to have a sense of spiritual superiority. Those who "know" and those who "don't know". If one believes, then one is still caught in time, in that which is the illusion of self. To believe in the organized thoughts of another is to be lost in a sea of opinion and conclusion. No matter how conceptually clever another may be, the test is in the reality of what is. One only needs to look at the truth of the moment. What is the manifestation of ones life in the moment. Is one consumed with the material. Does one seek remuneration for ones so-called spiritual teaching. Does one affirm ones freedom and then deny it by the disposition of ones beliefs in the self that is manipulating others. Is one caught in thoughts desire to control and seek conformity to ones opinions and conclusions. If one's "teacher" is all this then one is caught in the illusion of the self absorbed. One must realize that a "teacher" (spiritual advisor) is caught in what they teach, it is there prison. They are consumed with its advocacy, so they write books and give lectures. They are not awakened and they are not illuminated, they are conceptually clever. It is there living to be so. One is taken in by what seems to be truth. But one must realize that truth cannot be taught, and it cannot be realized through any teaching. One is either totally free or one is not free at all. Do not follow others, find the truth that is within, then it will be your truth and not the repetition of some personality on T.V. or on a computer.

One must realize that all these so-called enlightened people are just as lost as anyone else on the street. If they were truly awakened they would not be spouting off in the media. They are caught in there own importance. They only create opposition and fear and a large bank account for themselves.

If one truly wants to realize the true self and find peace that is not the result of a teaching, then one needs to negate all attachment to the organized thoughts of another. Truth is in the simplicity of what is and not in the ramblings of those who are a repetition of the known. One teaches because one is trying to understand through ones thoughts. A teacher is looking for the affirmation of those that he or she lectures to. A teacher seeks security through the audience. One cannot remain private, because one is seeking approval in what is taught. One that is a "teacher" is the one who is in the most fear and conflict. So one writes a book or lectures to allay some of that fear and conflict. To teach without "teaching" means that one lives the moment, ones life is that which teaches. If one is in the peace of the moment, one has no agenda or beliefs to convey, one is totally free. Then if one is asked, one can verbalize the truth of what is. One cannot overstate the importance of not getting caught in the ideas of others. One must remain free of all attachment, other wise what is realized is only the superficial. If you think that you have learned and are awakened, then you are not. You are caught in the illusion of the self absorbed.