The mind cannot free itself
When most of us approach a spiritual philosophy such as nondualism, we habitually turn it into a self-improvement project. We say, "Well, there is Ramana, or Niz, floating in bliss, and then there's hopeless little me", and so the comparative mind projects an imaginative gap between the holy enlightened ones on one side of the spectrum, and this miserable, frightened ego (I) on the other end, and consequently becomes attracted to strategies that seem to promise a way to bridge that gap. This project then becomes "the struggle" -- the struggle to change oneself and become holy, free, happy, fulfilled, better. In identification with all that appears undesirable about ourself, we feel weighed down by the burden of our "sins", and come to believe that, if we could only rid ourselves of these faults, we could be happy, realized, liberated.
In fact, this doesn't work. The mind cannot free itself, despite monumental efforts. Sometimes those efforts may be necessary to realize the utter futility of any effort, but regardless, sooner or later it will become obvious that all the efforts have failed to achieve the desired result. There is, of course, a very good reason that they do not work. The very self that was believed in need of salvation, awakening, and enlightenment, does not actually have any inherent substantiality. We've been feeding and nurturing a flower in the air!
We've been trying to change what never existed in the first place! When the impact of this finally sinks in, the whole momentum of the struggle collapses in on itself, and what we are left with is a kind of natural acceptance. We find that we can accept ourself, just as we are, and in this acceptance, we can finally love ourself without any condition. In this love of ourself, we gradually notice that everyone and everything is included in this embrace -- not based upon an ideal of love, but anchored in the very clear recognition that loving is the only possible response to the unknown. We have surrendered trying to be knowers (and the fear that not knowing once implied), and so learn to be comfortable with the unknown, to love it as ourself, without the internal conflict, without imagining ourselves to be some problem in need of a final solution, without the guilt-filled need of purification, restoration, re-distribution, or transmigration to a superior metaphysical plane.
In fact, despite our warts and bumps and goofs, we can be happy, and in fact this happiness is our natural state. Have you ever noticed, however, when everything is sweet and blissful, there comes a little voice whispering, "Yeah, but what about the dead-end job, or the pain in your back, or the mean letter you got from Joe, or the criminals in power, or the meteors heading towards earth?" This little voice is the invitation to unhappiness, but because you recognize now that your actual nature is happiness, you learn to ignore this annoying critter, and so stop feeding it. After a while, it will die from lack of fuel, but you won't even notice, because your natural state has become so present that nothing can disturb you.
Then Ramana is happy, Niz is happy, you are happy. Your happiness is no different than theirs, and all the books and philosophies have become superfluous -- superfluous to your own prior happiness, your own immense heart, in which the whole world is lovingly reflected. At least that's the way it seems to me. Happy New Year, my Brother!
Love Always,
Bob O'Hearn, posted to Unsay Myself,
via NDhighlights@yahoogroups.com
In fact, this doesn't work. The mind cannot free itself, despite monumental efforts. Sometimes those efforts may be necessary to realize the utter futility of any effort, but regardless, sooner or later it will become obvious that all the efforts have failed to achieve the desired result. There is, of course, a very good reason that they do not work. The very self that was believed in need of salvation, awakening, and enlightenment, does not actually have any inherent substantiality. We've been feeding and nurturing a flower in the air!
We've been trying to change what never existed in the first place! When the impact of this finally sinks in, the whole momentum of the struggle collapses in on itself, and what we are left with is a kind of natural acceptance. We find that we can accept ourself, just as we are, and in this acceptance, we can finally love ourself without any condition. In this love of ourself, we gradually notice that everyone and everything is included in this embrace -- not based upon an ideal of love, but anchored in the very clear recognition that loving is the only possible response to the unknown. We have surrendered trying to be knowers (and the fear that not knowing once implied), and so learn to be comfortable with the unknown, to love it as ourself, without the internal conflict, without imagining ourselves to be some problem in need of a final solution, without the guilt-filled need of purification, restoration, re-distribution, or transmigration to a superior metaphysical plane.
In fact, despite our warts and bumps and goofs, we can be happy, and in fact this happiness is our natural state. Have you ever noticed, however, when everything is sweet and blissful, there comes a little voice whispering, "Yeah, but what about the dead-end job, or the pain in your back, or the mean letter you got from Joe, or the criminals in power, or the meteors heading towards earth?" This little voice is the invitation to unhappiness, but because you recognize now that your actual nature is happiness, you learn to ignore this annoying critter, and so stop feeding it. After a while, it will die from lack of fuel, but you won't even notice, because your natural state has become so present that nothing can disturb you.
Then Ramana is happy, Niz is happy, you are happy. Your happiness is no different than theirs, and all the books and philosophies have become superfluous -- superfluous to your own prior happiness, your own immense heart, in which the whole world is lovingly reflected. At least that's the way it seems to me. Happy New Year, my Brother!
Love Always,
Bob O'Hearn, posted to Unsay Myself,
via NDhighlights@yahoogroups.com
