The Release

I was visiting with friends this weekend and through conversation with them I began to realize how removed I was from the day to day conflict that most people are immersed in. The mind does not want to release its hold on the accumulations that give it a reason to be or exist. The mind looks for meaning in every contact and in every thought. It is never still, it moves from one word to another never realizing the peace that is between two word thoughts. How is it that we are unable to realize something so simple as the space between two words? The immensity of that space, of that emptiness cannot be calculated and is beyond all knowing. Yet we are unable to see that we are that emptiness, that space. It is difficult not to sound like some new age quackadoodle in using such words, but one must communicate the possibility of that which has no defined limit. To realize but not comprehend is difficult. Comprehension involves the defined understanding of an experience, an experience that can be repeated. Words are used to explain and to project a repetition that can be examined. Science, which is thoughts library of repetitious examination can never reveal the mystery that is that emptiness, the essence of non-beginning and non-ending. You are not a word or a definition, so you cannot be a repetition. You are original in the moment truth that cannot be duplicated, transfigured, or reincarnated. The true self is one with what is eternal and non-moving, all else is mind that is the illusion of time as the movement of a defined self, the duality of cause and effect perception.

There are so many spiritual teachers and guides out in the world that tell you to do this or that or not to do anything, that it boggles the mind. But you can listen and through listening you can realize a release. If in the moment you are acutely aware of the speaker and the words, then it is possible for you transcend the circumstance of your relationship with the one who is speaking. That is you see the truth of the moment that is absent the one who listens through what is sought. For if you truly understand then you will see the image of self in the words of all who speak. You will transcend definition and realize the true self that is the space between two words. It is a consciousness that is absent the one who is thinking from a position, drawing conclusions and either agreeing or disagreeing. Then you will realize the origin of all conflict as an entity that is incapable of projecting the known. There is no self or other, only the clarity and immensity of the absolute moment.

The Depth of Not Knowing

It seems that many of my friends and acquaintances have it in their mind that they must have some idea or ideal to fall back on as a sort of guide. I know that it is very difficult to stand totally alone and find your own way without the aid of teachers, guru's etc. But you must realize that the thing that you follow becomes the thing achieved. What is achieved is always the illusion of self. This very fundamental fact is what one must realize deeply so that there is a cessation of the minds proclivity to seek answers outside the self. The mind that seeks, seeks and finds only the projection of its own content. That content is its perception of reality in terms of the conceptual, it is never the actual. In order for thought as the self to exist it must seek out that which creates a continuity, what gives the self substance and definition. What gives substance and definition is perceived material or psychological results as the product of conceptual time. It is life as a movement in time. The mind says, "it takes time to achieve"..."I must have a method or follow some teacher, so that I can become". The problem is that one never arrives or becomes, there is only the illusion of having accomplished. Because it is an activity of thoughts desire to become or acquire, it is superficial and ultimately only results in further confusion and conflict. If you can see that it is essentially all about the minds desire to escape what is, then it may be possible for you to realize the absolute moment as the true reality of self. A self that is non-defined and therefore devoid of duality. An entity that seeks nothing and accepts the moment as the only truth. Within the moment is the original, the realization of illumination that has no defined limits and is therefore without the foundation of thoughts knowing.

The problem with all the "isms" and systems and practice's is that they never deliver what is hoped for or desired because the reality is that what is hoped for does not exist. It is the fantasy of a mind that wants the unknown to become the known. It is a conglomeration of the minds accumulations in an attempt to reach beyond using "what was" through "what is" to create "what should be". This is why it is illusion. Whatever the mind creates conceptually is the illusion of a self that thinks it knows or can know. So use the known to live and provide for yourself and others, for that is instinctual and natural, but realize that the known is not an end in its self and that one cannot realize peace and joy through what is known, only through what is not known. If you can grasp the depth of the meaning of this then you will be illuminated through negation and simplicity, which is the intelligence of not knowing. The intelligence of not knowing is the only intelligence there is, all else is the illusion of the self absorbed.

The Reality of Emptiness

If I am consciously observing the minds activity and seeing in this moment which is free of the past, then what is it that I realize? If you can ask this question and have a realization that does not answer the question, but instead sees directly the minds confusion in the asking, then you have realized the true self. Then perhaps you can get past the barrier that is the self that knows and seeks to know. It is experiencing in the moment which can never become experience. It simultaneously arises and dissipates such as a vapor that is seen and not seen in the same moment. A moment that is neither movement nor non-movement, but is instead that which is beyond the concept of beginning and ending. You can question the past which is the memory of a perception, but you cannot question the absolute moment...it is what it is. The truth of what is, is seen by the mind that is not referencing the past in order to make the moment an opinion and create a conclusion. Conceptual thought is not intelligence as the "known", it is projecting a belief and coloring the moment to fit ones agenda.

Because you understand something conceptually does it make life better? Is there more understanding of the self and way in which we interact with the other? Truly the human condition is not dependent on the science of the conceptual but on the reality of the relationship of the moment. If we are all present in this moment then all our theories and beliefs have no meaning they are only the observations of a mind that seeking conformity and escape. Peace and understanding are only in the moment, not in the projection of a mind that is consumed with its outlandish beliefs in a political, religious or psychological absolute. The mind must have a quality of emptiness that allows each moment to reveal its truth untainted by the past which is rift with the ideals of opinion and conclusion and its resulting conflict. This conflict is our creation it has its roots in our insecurity and our inability to accept the reality of what is. If you cannot see that it is your opinions and judgements that are the result and cause of all conflict and fear then you will never realize a life of peace and harmony. You will remain in a conceptual morass of self generating fear and violence. If you are ever going to realize the illumination of the unattached moment then you must leave it all behind and become a blank page, freedom that has no limitations or boundaries. Freedom that allows the moment to be without your constant projection of self promotion and agenda touting greed. Look and see the reality of the moment and free yourself directly without the need of systems or guru's or any other such nonsense.

Do Not, "Know Thyself"

Does a realization about your self become knowledge about who you are? Can a person ever truly "know" who they are? There are patterns of thought and habitual repetitive responses that are a product of our environment. It is a process of living that is the result of our instinct for survival. We are able to adapt because we can create a circumstance of repetition that becomes a reliance on or security of. In the mind their is a repetitive thought that becomes an action that in turn defines who we are. But the reality is that we must constantly modify in order to survive because life is not a predictable certainty, although we make assumptions of certainty. Each moment is new and contains the elements of something not known that defies definition and knowing. Because the mind is seeking continuity in knowing, it is unable to realize and grasp the originality of the absolute moment. If the mind can use the repetitive process of thought as a survival mechanism to make a living and be productive and in the same moment realize the illusion of it, then it may be possible to live a life of illumination. Acknowledging the transitory but without the concept of time as permanency. The idea of time as an illusion of thoughts movement is difficult to grasp. You cannot grasp its non-existence as a concept, otherwise you will be lost in a sea of mathematical cause and effect formulations that take you in a never ending circle. It can only be realized intuitively in the moment, because it is beyond the capacities of a mind that is self defined and therefore limited. When there is an emptiness, no self or no mind then there is a possibility of something beyond knowing. But that something can never be a product of thoughts time-bound movement. It is outside the normal activity of a brain that is seeking answers. Buddha alluded to it by negating what it was not, and creating symbolic comparisons that would hint at its immensity. So intuitive realizations are in the moment and pass instantaneously into obscurity. They are not to be sought out as a validation of knowledge to be applied in some future moment. If they are truly a seeing that is absent thoughts conclusions then they will not become a part of a memory to be referenced. It will not be possible for you to recall and reproduce that moment either conceptually or actually. For the mind that is illuminated each succeeding moment is new and untainted by the previous moment. This is why one can never know who one truly is, because the known is the past that is dead and without validity. It takes a mind that can probe deeply and realize a consciousness that is unconditioned by the illusion of time-bound thought.

Many people will read the above and think that it makes no sense at all and is rift with contradiction. But to the mind that is on the threshold of something that is beyond thoughts capacity to know, it provides a glimmer of intuitive light. To try and write or speak about something that cannot be fathomed by the conflict and confusion of a mind that thinks in terms of logic and definition is in essence an impossibility. All one can do is share a realization and communicate it over and over again in different words, in different circumstances, so that perhaps it may open a door or provide some insight. Because what is communicated is not the thing, it only points to a possibility. The individual must realize though their own efforts, so it is an original seeing that in no way mimics or has a resemblance to the past, including the teachings of all Buddha's, Master's, and Guru's. Your illuminated realization is not a copy of anything that has gone on before, it is new and original without the tainted judgemental conclusions of a hierarchy of long dead words and definitions.

Nothing Can be Taught or Learned

Discussion becomes communion when two individuals approach a circumstance with a mind that is free of the illusion of knowing. When both are free of belief and conclusion then there is an atmosphere of understanding that is not the result of a mind that is seeking conformity or reconciliation. A person must realize that you cannot "teach" another what you know or impart to another some sort of self indulged wisdom. Many people make claims of being able to heal psychologically or physically through some spiritual or new age alternative medical or spiritual procedure. But in reality all they do is create dependency in the mind of the one they claim to help. If you are totally free then you may have the realization that only you can come to self realization that frees the mind and is therefore not the result of the influence of another. People who claim to help whether a guru or self proclaimed healer only create a co-dependency of self perpetuating conflict. What is accumulated becomes a reliance on the repetition of an idealized practice. Such activity keeps one from seeing into the depths of ones own mind, and from realizing an intelligence that transcends the formulated hypnosis of so called masters and guru's. One must leave behind the clever intuitions of those that seek a following through an identified and defined system of learning. Truly, nothing can be imparted to you through any kind of practice or system that transforms the essence of your being. Transformational illumination comes from within when one has negated all outside influences, including the influence of the self that has been subjected to and brainwashed by all manner of viral ideology.

A person must be psychologically removed from the influences of the claims of self indulgent and self proclaimed "adepts". One should stay with ones "original" realizations and not seek the fantasy of what another has or claims to provide. A practice always remains a practice, it can never become what it is not. To practice Buddhism or any other spiritual or psychological pursuit is to deny the possibility of realizing the true self. The true self lies not in a system or practice but in the negation of the one who seeks. Because what he or she seeks is the illusion of the self created and self absorbed. A person must realize that nothing needs to be added, that one is complete within the existence of what is. One is a Buddha, it is the illusion of a mind that is seeking and projecting that keeps one in darkness. Nothing can be added to that which is in essence emptiness.

Who Are You?

When you converse with people, what is your mind set? Do you have an agenda or a position that is constantly in need of reinforcement? When you listen, are you consciously aware of the self that is projecting? Do you then listen with a mind that is free of the baggage of opinion and comparison? If you are acutely aware, you are in the present moment thus the mind is sharp and attentive. Then perhaps your understanding can go beyond issues and judgements into the very nature of the mind that is in conflict and confusion. When you speak you do not speak to subjective arguments or the confusion of positional thinking. One goes to the heart of the minds distress. It is seeing into the origin of a persons emotional state. When the mind is centered then there is a clarity that cannot be defined or labeled. Since what is observed is a reflection of the minds state of knowing, understanding that follows is either comparative or insightful. Insight is the outcome of a mind that is free of its own issues with what is observed. This means that the mind is not projecting, it is seeing into the nature of the relationship of the moment. It is absolute reality that reveals the true self and the truth of the circumstance of the moment. It is a state of existence that cuts through the illusion of self absorption and self promotion.

If Buddha had referenced "No Mind", then the aforementioned is the essence of what he meant. The problem is that people make it (no mind) a conceptual ideal to be emulated, an accomplishment of the "higher self". How can a person "attain" that which is the negation of the self that is seeking? People desire affirmation rather than negation because they are seeking a positive reinforcement of the known. It is the result of idealization, of the minds propensity to accumulate and reference. But what it references is always the illusion of the conceptualized rather than the actual reality of moment. It is very difficult to see the true reality of the moment because the mind is self absorbed with images of definition and ideology. You cannot say to yourself "I will negate the self that knows", because that is, in reality an affirmation of self. Anything that is an acknowledgement of an activity of self is of its self an affirmation of the illusion of duality. Duality is the separation of thinker and thought. So a person can only be aware of thoughts movement as an entity that is seeking to know. Out of that awareness comes a realization of the non-dual. One may realize that in the moment there is no one, there is only an emptiness that is the spontaneous intelligence of the reality of the absolute moment.

Living Without Time

Is it possible to live without the notion of time as a conceptual imperative? When we are bound by time we tend to disregard or bypass the importance of the moment. We are always looking back or looking ahead. But the moment is the only reality, so the moment is very important. The mind is escaping the moment because we are caught in the thought process of comparative analysis. The mind looks at the past in order to define the moment and project the future. The moment cannot be known until we experience it. It becomes the illusion of repetition because of the minds tendency to seek security in knowing. Familiarity with events leads us to believe that we understand the moment. But this type of understanding is partial and incomplete. It does not get to the origin of the self "that is" in this absolute moment. You have to understand the self that is thinking and referencing before you can truly understand the circumstance of the moment. For therein lies truth which is the constantly new and ever changing. If one sees the moment as a repetition, then one does not see, one only looks. Looking involves the opinionated and discriminating self that thinks it knows.

Since time is the movement of thought, it is by nature an illusion of separation and duality. If there is no self that knows, is there time? Reality that is the process of thought is always relative. So truth that is a product of thought is perception based on ones individuality. Understanding the depth of the dual nature of thought is the beginning of a consciousness that sees through this process and goes beyond experiential relativity. If there is a dissipation of ones duality through understanding, then the outcome is a mind that is one with what is. A person is absent the activity of discrimination. When one is without discrimination then there is the dissipation of the minds propensity to engage in exploitation as an activity of acquisition or accomplishment. Suffice to say that to live without time is to discover the beauty and truth of the moment. As long as the mind is moving through time it can never fully realize peace that is the negation of all conflict and confusion. If you are aware of thoughts movement, then it is a very simple thing to see in the moment. The mind must be free of all judgement and comparison, otherwise you will just be creating a conceptual model to be followed, worshiped and promoted.

Is the Answer Outside the Self?

What happens when we stop looking for answers outside our own mind? If you can realize that the very fact of seeking is born of our inner conflict, then perhaps a new way of approaching life's difficulties will arise. Is it possible for you to probe the mechanism that causes us to live in fear and apprehension? To understand deeply the origins of a troubled and confused mind. You cannot understand yourself by reading what others have written. It only feeds the illusion of opinion and conclusion. One must live a life of intelligent uncertainty. Freedom is insecurity and not knowing. It is the beauty of spontaneous understanding that is not born of or the result of what has gone on before. Freedom is the outcome of a deep understanding of the origins of a self that is caught in its own illusion of knowing.

There is nothing complicated or mysterious about understanding the self. One just has to allow freedom to take hold of ones consciousness so that it is possible to see without the self that is trying to exert influence. You must leave all the baggage behind so that you can see clearly in the moment. How utterly beautiful and peaceful is the mind that is without the clutter of the known. It is the simplicity of a mind that has left behind the concept of time and of being. The conceptual mind cannot understand beyond its content, because it is its content they are not separate. As the mind increases its knowledge, it continues to add to its conceptual image of reality. Seeking outside the self only increases confusion and adds to an already conflicted mind. If it is possible to let go of the tendency to conceptualize based on what is accumulated, then the mind may experience freedom that is not the result of another concept. Instead the mind realizes a deep understanding of its self that leads to a clear understanding of the circumstance of the moment. Rather than looking through the image of self (ones knowledge), a person looks with an emptiness that is the negation of a self that is comparing and concluding. If you can look without conclusion, which means without referencing then something quite illuminating may happen.