Self-realization
On Beyond Being Human: a Sort of Poem
Let’s consider this scenario: It’s all or nothing: because there is no partial Self, and self-realization is not for persons (egos) or separate entities. Since there is no one anyway. No bodies. And “Mind” with a small “m” is synonymous with movement, as in “a movement and a rest” (Gospel of Thomas, 50). We could…
Read MoreOn Beyond the Body Mind World (or, Liberation for Whom?)
Happiness and Pleasure Happiness from objects makes no sense. Where is the happiness experienced? Let’s not even talk about happiness, for the time being, let’s just look at pleasure. Where is the pleasure experienced? If you’re thinking the pleasure is in driving a luxury car, or a woman’s company, or a man’s company, or making…
Read MoreNon-Duality is Not Idealism
Nor is it materialism…. But is it so obvious it’s not materialism? It will be obvious they are two sides of a mistaken coin, once you see it. First, some definitions. By “Idealism” here we won’t be meaning ethical or socio-political idealism (such as “living up to the ideals of a Judeo Christian ethically-based law”).…
Read MoreLiving For the Moment or In the Moment?
Journal missive from the balcony… another set of highly imperfect notes. I once said to a young friend who I let crash in my living room, that was deep into spiritual teachings, but seemed to be very much in her own world, closed off, and often upset, taking things personally and running away (yet again),…
Read MoreDialogue With A Sage: The Thousand Deaths
This article, after a brief discussion to set the stage, follows with is an email dialogue with a living sage* (whose identity will remain anonymous for reasons of privacy). About 38 years ago I—a past “me”, which does not exist except as a memory-thought, or traces on film in the present—experienced what was could be…
Read MoreOn Beyond Being Born
I make fun of birthdays (my “birthday” is today – this calendar date – when I’m writing this), calling them “Unborn Days”. To distill the logic to its essence (what philosophers like to do, though I wouldn’t pretend to be one, and certainly not a professional one) it’s like this: The theory, or the assumption…
Read MoreMeditation: “Are We There Yet?”
The scene: a group in meditation. The teacher guides them to “Open their attention”, and “Simply be in awareness”, and observe, notice the thoughts going by, the feelings as sensations in the body… The teacher starts to end the session and encourages the participants to gently open their eyes. A student pipes up, “Are We…
Read MoreThe Enlightenment Contest
The scene: a non-duality spiritual retreat, led my a teacher named “Francis” and his wife “Laura”. Someone gets up, in the evening, after the meditation and dialogue, when announcements are made: “I have a little announcement. Since everyone here is interested in not only becoming enlightened—or perhaps thinks they already are—and furthermore would love very…
Read MoreKissing a Sweet Goodbye to The Three Principles
From a recording: “If you’re listening to this in your car and you find yourself in a beautiful feeling, roll down your window, pop the tape out of the tape player, and throw it out the window. Stay with the feeling, and it will teach you everything you need to know.” ~ Sydney Banks…
Read MoreThere Is No Such Thing as Enlightenment
I once heard the spiritual teacher (of Advaita, Non-duality) Francis Lucille tell his students (who he would rather refer to as “friends”): “Would you rather be enlightened, or happy? Would you rather be enlightened and unhappy, or unenlightened and happy?”. While I laughed and thought this very insightful, part of me also was taken aback:…
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