Inner Guru - Nisargaddatta

All that a Guru can tell you is: "My dear Sir, you are quite
mistaken about yourself.  You are not the person you think
yourself to be."

Trust nobody, not even yourself.  Find out, remove and
reject every assumption till your reach the living waters
and the rock of truth.

[.....] if you stay with the idea that you are
not the body nor the mind, nor even their witness, but
altogether beyond, your mind will grow in clarity, your desires -
in purity, your actions - in clarity and that inner distillation will
take you to another world, a world of truth and fearless love.

[.....]  Confide in your inner self.

The greatest Guru is your inner self.  Truly, he [she] is the supreme
teacher.  He [she] alone can take you to your goal and alone meets
you at the end of the road.  Confide in him [her] and you need no
outer Guru....

Nisargadatta

~

Silence is the Guru,
all the rest is imagination...

Eric Baret

~

With thanks to Love Is A Place

~

I have come to realize that the "Great Silence" is
my Friend and Teacher/Guru.  And through meditation I rely on the
Great Silence within to reveal what I need to see and know...

MM

Photo - Mystic Meandering

 

Timeless Source - Nisargadatta

 Just live your life as it comes.
Keep quietly alert, inquiring into the real nature of yourself.

You agree to be guided from within and life becomes a journey
into the unknown.

Give up all names and forms, and the Real is with you.
Know yourself as you are.
Do not think of the Real in terms of consciousness and
unconsciousness.
It is utterly beyond both.

Go beyond the personal and see.
You are utterly beyond all existence and non-existence,
utterly beyond all that mind conceives.
Question yourself: Who am I?

What is behind and beyond all this?

You are infinite potentiality, the inexhaustible possibility.
You are timeless Source.

Nisargadatta

from: I am That

with thanks to No Mind's Land

~

Photo - Mystic Meandering

If You Seek Reality - Nisargadatta & Adyashanti

If you seek Reality you must set yourself free of all
backgrounds, of all cultures, of all patterns of thinking
and feeling.

Even the idea of being a man or a woman, or even human,
should be discarded.  The Ocean of Life contains all,
not only humans.

So first abandon all self-identification, stop thinking of
yourself as such-and-such, so-and-so, this or that.  Abandon
all self-concern, worry not about your welfare, material or
spiritual, abandon every desire, gross or subtle, stop thinking of
achievement of every kind.

You are complete, as you are...

Nisargadatta

~

You have to be willing to ask, "Who am I?" or "What am I?"
without any script or role, without the story about who you
are and what you are, releasing the script of what you think
your life is about.  Every sense of identity has its script - like,
"I'm a spiritual seeker."  We each have a specific role and our
stories about that role.  But our roles and stories are not
what we are...

When you start to realize what the truth is, you wake up from
the story of you.  You recognize that truth is not an abstraction,
it is not something to learn.  You discover that truth is who you
are without a script or role...

There is a state in which mind says, "I have no idea who I am",
because it can't find the right script.  Awakening is the
realization that happens after the mind says,"I give up.  I just
have no idea who I am."  When you start to understand this,
you realize that if you put down your script and just drop the
roles for a moment, you are not what you have taken yourself
to be.

What you are without your role is often assumed to be hidden.
So when you look past your character called "me" for the truth
of your being, you may think there's someone to find who is
somewhere hidden.  Looking for the "enlightened Self" is just
another role, another script.  If you drop the script, what are you?
Enlightenment is to have no script...

Give up the script, the role, the identity -
even if it is to have no identity..

Adyashanti
from - Emptiness Dancing

~

Photo - Mystic Meandering

Unburden Yourself - Nisargadatta

You are so accustomed to think of yourself as bodies having
consciousness that you just cannot imagine Consciousness
as having bodies...

...bodily existence is but a state of mind, a movement in
Consciousness.  The Ocean of Consciousness is infinite
and eternal...

You are not the body.
You are the immensity and infinity of Consciousness.

You are not the person you think yourself to be.

Trust nobody, not even yourself.  Search, find out,
remove and reject every assumption till you reach the
living waters and the rock of truth.

If you stay with the idea that you are not the body, nor
the mind, nor even their witness, but altogether beyond,
your mind will grow in clarity, your desires - in purity, your
actions - in charity and that inner distillation will take you
to another world, a world of truth and fearless love.

Leave it all behind you...
Go forth unburdened with ideas and beliefs.
Abandon all verbal structures, all relative truth...

Nisargadatta

~

Re-examine all you have been told.
Dismiss what insults your soul...

Walt Whitman

~

Art - Mystic Meandering
digitally altered

The True Teacher - Francisco Albanez & Nisargadatta

Each day I long so much to see
The true teacher.  And each time
At dusk when I open the cabin
Door and empty the teapot,
I think I know where he is:

West of us in the forest.

Or perhaps I am the one
Who is out in the night,
The forest sand wet under
my feet, moonlight shining
On the sides of the birch trees,
The sea far off gleaming.

And he is the one who is
At home.  He sits in my chair
Calmly; he reads and prays
All night.  He loves to feel
His own body around him;

He does not leave the house.

Francisco Albanez
Original title: "The One Who is at Home"
translation by Robert Bly

~

Confide in your inner Self.
The greatest Guru is your inner Self.
Truly, he is the supreme teacher.
He alone can take you to your goal
and he alone meets you at the end of the road.
Confide in him and you need no outer Guru.

Nisargadatta

The Tao of Physics - Fritjof Capra

...the intuition behind the physicist's interpretation of the sub-atomic
world, in terms of the quantum fields, is closely paralleled by
 that of the Eastern Mystic who interprets his or her
 experience of the world in terms of an ultimate underlying reality.The Brahman of the Hindus, like the Dharmakaya of the
 Buddhists, and the Tao of the Taoists, can be seen,
 perhaps, as the ultimate unified field from which spring
 not only the phenomena studied in
 physics, but all other phenomena as well.
In the Eastern view, the reality underlying all phenomena is beyond
 all forms and defies all description and specification.  It is therefore
 said to be formless, empty, or void, but this emptiness is not to be
 taken for mere nothingness.  It is, on the contrary, the essence of
 all forms and the source of all life.  Thus the Upanishads say:

Brahman is life.  Brahman is Joy.  Brahman is the Void.
Joy, verily, that is the same as the Void.
The Void, verily, that is the same as Joy,

(Chandogya Upanishad 3.14.1)

The Eastern sages make it clear that they do no mean ordinary
 emptiness, when they talk about Brahman, Sunyata or Tao,
 but.....a Void which has infinite creative potential...
Like the quantum field, it gives birth to an infinite variety of
 forms, which it sustains and eventually reabsorbs.

Fritjof Capra
From: The Tao of Physics

via: No Mind's Land

~

"...in reality only the Ultimate is...
When you understand that what is real is
nameless and formless,
pure energy of life and light
of consciousness,
you will be at peace -
immersed in the deep silence
of reality."

Nisargadatta

Note: I know nothing of Quantum Physics or the "unified field theory" from a scientific perspective.  But this excerpt caught my attention.  The subject fascinates me as a mystic, and sometimes confirms
to me what I have experienced in "meditation."  _/\_

Photo: Mandala Art

Beyond/Behind Mind - Nisargadatta & Wu Hsin

The mind must learn that beyond the moving mind there

is the background of awareness, which does not change.

The mind must come to know the true self and respect it and

cease covering it up, like the moon which obscures the sun

during solar eclipse.

What you need

is to be aware of being aware. Be aware deliberately and

consciously, broaden and deepen the field of awareness.

Look at it this way. The mind produces thoughts ceaselessly,

even when you do not look at them. When you know what is

going on in your mind, you call it consciousness. This is your

waking state—your consciousness shifts from sensation to

sensation, from perception to perception, from idea to
 idea, in endless succession. Then comes awareness,
the direct insight into the whole of consciousness,
 the totality of the mind. The mind is like a river,
 flowing ceaselessly in the bed of the body;

you identify yourself for a moment with some
particular ripple and call it: 'my thought’. All you are conscious of is your mind;

awareness is the cognizance of
 consciousness
 as a whole.

Our minds are just waves on the ocean of consciousness.
 As waves they come and go.
 As ocean they are infinite and eternal.

 Know yourself as the Ocean of Being,
the womb of all existence.
These are all metaphors of course;
 the reality is beyond description.

You can know it only by being it."

Nisargadatta 

Via: No Mind’s Land

Awareness is primordial;
it is the original state of
Pure Potentiality.
It is beginningless and endless…

Go behind all perceptions, conceptions
and ideas to that which is aware…

Free your self from preoccupation
with names and forms
and see what remains...

No Source of illumination is
required in order to see the sun.
One simply turns toward it and
rests in the attention of it.
How can you expect to
see the sun if your
attention is
fixated
elsewhere?

The peace you seek
is where you are.
Merely stop masking
it with thought.

Wu Hsin
Excerpts from

Behind the Mind:

The Short Discourses
of Wu Hsin

Art Speaks "The Mystery"...

Art speaks in a language I cannot express, from a wordless place, through imagery and symbolism – whether abstract or the precision of a mandala - allowing entry into the Mystery of Being that we all are…  

Lately I have been running out of things to say (except now of course) :).  So I have been allowing the mandala art and photography to speak, and even that has gone silent for the moment. Sometimes I may feel inspired to add a few lines of words, whether mine or others, :) and at times add a few lines of explanation, or clarify something in a comment, as we all see art differently, assign different meanings, different interpretations, or significance, based on our conditioning, our unique view of Reality, and our level of awareness of the “the Mystery” within.    

Some have the “just here”, “just now”, “just this”, grounded view of life – for me, limiting the view to our humanity - projecting that onto the greater Reality.  But that is my interpretation – or possibly mis-interpretation.   Words like “cosmic” or “mystic” or “mystery” may seem “otherworldly” to some – and they may feel a need to ground the mystics in “reality.”  But whose reality?   Are we forgetting that earth is only part of a larger cosmos, a grand infinity; a tiny speck whirling in space, not the ground of Beingness ItSelf?  Have we become grounded in our perceived solidity and forgotten how impermanent it all is?

Reality (capital R), like art, is always as we see it, not as it really is.  Others, like me, are more cosmic in nature, oriented toward seeing “the Mystery” of Life, in and as everything; the spacious aliveness of living Being animating everything – projecting a cosmic view of “spirituality.”  Both views are true – the Eternal Mystery of Being *is* “just this”, “just now”, already here.  But I do not write to persuade, correct, or convince.   I write to clarify the View for myself.  We do not need to convince each other of our point of view, either directly or indirectly. We can leave that to the spiritual teachers, gurus and sages of old.  Reality is what it is, no matter what we *believe* about it, or what we project into it.  And the “point” of the “spiritual journey” (if there is only one point) is to let go of our “beliefs”, our personal point of view, and realize the essence of Reality for ourselves (or so I’ve been told), in whatever way IT reveals ItSelf to us, through whatever means.  For some through mediation, prayer, and a contemplative lifestyle; for others through time in nature; through art, creativity, writing poetry, music, or through spiritual teachings; ultimately, through listening to the “Spirit” of Life ItSelf – for the “Spirit” of Life within speaks to us in a language that is beyond words, much like art, a language that speaks to the Heart, a language that we can hear and receive, if we are open to it.

Whatever our personal mental understanding of “the Mystery” is, IT is still a wordless mystery, and IT speaks to each one of us differently. For we are all different wrinkles in time, unfolding uniquely in the cosmic fabric of Reality. 

Namaste…

~*~

Speaking of View :)

The pictures below were taken as I was lying on the couch
 for a few moments of needed rest last week.
My awareness was captured by the simplicity
of Life living ItSelf outside my window…

The images speak to me of the Stillness of just Being
which is probably what I needed :)…

Enjoy the View however It speaks to you…

“The timeless dimension of our being is awaiting realization.”
   Tara Brach – True Refuge

“Everything you see has its roots in the unseen world.
The forms may change,
yet the essence remains the same.”

Rumi

“…what is really true?
Is there something behind the appearances,
something boundless
and infinitely spacious,
in which the dance of change
and impermanence
take place?”

Sogyal Rinpoche

“The real world is beyond our thoughts and ideas.
We see it through a net of pleasure and pain,
right and wrong, inner and outer.
To see the universe as it is
you must step beyond the net.”

Nisargadatta

“Don’t expect anyone to understand your journey,
especially if they haven’t walked your path.”

Author Unknown

~

Photo: Cosmic Meditating Monks Mandala
Zoom Blurred

More Medicine...

“Beyond the realm of mind,
beyond limitations of humanity’s conditioned consciousness,
lies that which can be called the sacred.

And it is from the sacred
that a new fluid consciousness is born…
that brings to life a
living and undivided expression of

Being…
beyond all notions of self…

When we perceive from an
undivided consciousness,
we will find the sacred
in every expression of life.

Therefore we must leave
the entire collection of
conditioned thought
behind
and
let ourselves be
led by
the inner thread of silence
and
intuitive awareness,
beyond where all paths end,
to the place of sacredness
where we go innocently,
or not at all,
not once but
continually.”

Adyashanti
The Way of Liberation

 “If I come to life with eyes

 that are tuned to
other levels of consciousness,
and if I [don’t] get lost in my old reactions
to the situation,
suddenly
there it all is:
Living Spirit...

Reinvesting our society
with Living Spirit
happens through
being
Living Spirit…”

Ram Dass

Paths to God

”…We just need to tune in to our awareness
and we’ll see that it’s already there…

We are not seeking the Truth,
the Truth is seeking us,
is seeking ItSelf…”

Nisargadatta

“Lose yourself.
Lose yourself.
Escape from the black cloud
that surrounds you.
Then you will see your own light
as radiant as the full moon.

Now enter that Silence.
This is the surest way
to lose yourself…”

Rumi

“Love draws you into Itself.
Give yourself to the tides of the Ocean…
absorbed by Love…”

Llewelyn Vaughan-Lee

Sufi Mystic

 ~

The Sacred, Living Spirit, the Truth, The Silence, Love

It’s all the same…  Namaste…

~

Bottom Photo:
Northern Lights over Yellow Knife,
Northwest Territories, Canada

Repose...

“In reality only the Ultimate is…
The rest is a matter of name and form.
When you understand that names and shapes
are hollow shells without content,
and what is real is nameless and formless,
just pure energy of the life and light
of Consciousness,

you will be at peace -
immersed in the deep Silence of reality…”

Nisargadatta

Sweet repose… J

Photo: Shadows of a glass
and two little wooden houses

Seeing Red... It's not what you think!

Seeing color was an exercise from The Practice of Contemplative Photography by Andy Karr and Michael Wood.  See their website here.  The idea was to only see color, not to identify the object of the color – as in red *car*, yellow *sign*, blue *house* - but to just see the color – any color – all colors.

~~~

This photo was taken last Fall
outside a restaurant.

 ~~~

~~~

I was out in the car doing errands one day this last week and thought I’d try the exercise.  No camera to tempt me to snap every shot of color I saw…  I just had to be aware…   I began to see red – naturally drawn to it… Interesting…  I just became naturally *aware* of the color red as it passed by me or in front of me, and wondered if this is what the authors meant: The object itself  is not important – don’t need to identify it – only see color…

~~~

~~~

And then – a couple of days later I began to see red all around the house. (We have red trim, red car, red fence, red doors, red curtains – all shades and hues of red. J)  Only this time the camera was readily available and I began snapping like a snappin’ fool.  After all, it was an *assignment* and my mind evidently took it seriously. Intuitive seeing left the room and thinking took over.  I became obsessed with red, on an expedition to find red, planning, and arranging – oh-oh…  I broke one of the rules of contemplative photography – no contrivance – if I understand them right.  According to the authors – contrivance is “how we want things to appear and not how things actually are - directly *seeing* your immediate experience unfabricated and uncontrived.”  I started to specifically *look* for anything red, looking for “good” shots – not just spontaneous “flashes of perception/seeing” as they call it in the book – but purposely *looking.*  And I could tell the difference.  There wasn’t a *natural* relaxed, spontaneous *feeling* of perception that flowed from within.  I wasn’t just being *aware* - but conceptual thought took over the process.  I didn’t get absorbed in the moment of awareness, just noticing, instead, my mind became the controller of the moment. I felt stressed and anxious about “getting the shot.”  I think you can see the difference in the two photos at the end of this post with the previous photos.  

The authors say that “true seeing comes through seeing from your basic nature/Beingness which gets ‘reflected’– producing ‘equivalents’ of what you saw from your basic Being, drawing on a deeper level of intelligence than the usual way of seeing..... through being present to something in an open space (of awareness) that is created by letting go of the currents of mental activity that obscure our natural insight and awareness.”  One could call it the awakened eye, just *seeing* life as you find it, rather than manipulating it…   Am not saying I’m there yet… Just sayin’ what they said…

~~~

contrived

So – obviously - I am learning to *see* without the conceptual overlay, without manipulation, without interpretation, judgment, or contrivance – just seeing what is - from that sense of Aware Beingness – that which is seeing through the mask of me.  Not as easy as I *thought.* J

“In reality only the Ultimate is…
The rest is a matter of name and form.
When you understand that names and shapes
are hollow shells without content,
and what is real is nameless and formless,
just pure energy of the life and light
of Consciousness,
you will be at peace -
immersed in the deep Silence of reality…”

Nisargadatta