How we mistake The Layers of Being for The Self

[Guest guest]

How we mistake The Layers of Being for The Self

 

 

Here I will seek to reveal how the many layers of experience gathered

over millennia hide the truth from us

and how we have mistaken these many layers for the self.

 

Our very first experience as a being when we first came forth from

The Absolute, or were born as a human being (regardless if we believe

in reincarnation or not) caused a unique chemical pattern to arise in

our nervous system this unique pattern was stored as a memory, and

the indwelling consciousness was overlaid with it. It does not

matter how or where we entered the life-stream because the result is

the same. From this point onward we gathered more and more layers of

experience and began to lose our ability to notice the clarity of the

truth.

 

It will serve no purpose to argue with this or try to disprove it

because the fact remains that experience is stored as memory, no

matter what the nature of the creature\being. However we will deal

with the human being here, because the written language is for them

alone. Also disputing the truth of having come up through countless

layers of being from the primordial swamp as a result of the

interaction of chemicals in that swamp or as an indwelling spark shot

out from the big bang or from The Self existing in The ONE

consciousness of The Self as the yoga I want to say; can only be a

further overlaying of the reality of the recorded information in the

human brain\ sub-conscious, or more properly, the sheath of the soul

which in Sanskrit is called the Sharira.

 

My only purpose here is to reveal how the information gotten from

experience hides the truth of unified consciousness and being, and

how this sheath of experience is mistaken as being The Self.

 

Regardless what anyone will say the fact remains that experience is

recorded as memory, the very D.N.A of any being is a memory map of

the experience of many beings of a particular genus over millennia

this is fact, else how did the D.N.A get programmed?

 

The religious people amoung the readers might cite god as the cause

saying; He made each the way it is as a unique expression of His

Will. While this might be true in context of the particular D.N.A of

a given genus it does not account for our ability to deliberately

record things in our minds by learning, we would also find it

difficult to remember anything because it would not stick in our

heads. Memory would depend on gods whim as-it-were. We would be

reduced to mere responding and reactionary automatons, driven only by

the pre-existing D.N.A. We might also ask then if we are that much a

victim of our D.N.A, where does free will enter the equation? Why is

it possible to learn from experience such as it hurts to put out hand

in the fire?

 

In modern times it is generally thought that the characteristics of

behaviour and character of an individual are also due to D.N.A

programming, again if we are mere victims of our D.N.A there is

literally no hope of changing. But many, many people change

intrinsically at very deep levels due to experience and\or decision.

But at the risk of getting into a far to technical debate about this.

We have merely established that D.N.A plays a part in the layering,

because it is itself a series of layers.

 

The fact that we in the modern age have discovered the D.N.A and the

Gene, means that some mysterious and unfound something other then the

genetics is the source of the being. Religion says it is the soul, or

indwelling spirit etc. This may or may not be true, but the fact

remains that we learn by experience and the information is stored in

the brain as chemical patterns with emotion attached to those

patterns, which when we think of them produce brain waves that

simulate the particular experience.

 

In short each recorded experience has a unique signature, which is

recognized by some indwelling something or other. This is the common

view. However what is not commonly understood, is that each and every

memory effects how we look at each and every new experience.

 

Memory could be thought of as a series of cellophane sheets through

which we view reality. This would mean that memory distorts our

perception in such a way as to make it almost impossible to discern

the true nature of a new experience. Further, each new experience is

always distorted in this way.

As a whole it is not experience that is the problem, nor is the

memory the problem in the context of finding out who The Real Self

is, (regardless of the great mass of experiences either good or bad

that we have been through or have stored as memories), the problem is

in the fact that we identify The Self as the mass of experience.

 

An understanding of it, might be to picture the mass existing in the

inner space that is always referred to as "I" as emptiness wearing

clothing..

 

We might meditate for a hundred years and remove all this clothing,

only to find we cannot speak of the unspeakable, so we put on another

set of clothing. We might not do this meditation or this sadhana, but

we might try to change the clothing we are currently wearing by

putting on another set over the old – or we might think we can turn

the clothes we currently wear into new clothing like a chameleon

without removing it.

 

Whatever we do when we come out into the world or down from the

mountain, it seems we are doomed to put on some clothing or wear some

hat because it seems others cannot bare to see the naked one.

 

We ourselves come out of our meditation or out of samadhi and upon

interaction with the world put on some form of clothing or assume

some sort of identity which is merely another form of clothing or

cover over the reality of the Self.

 

None of this is a problem, the problem is the identification with the

clothing as self.

 

When one realizes The Absolute reality, there is the tendency to put

the clothing back on, but in the case of The Self who has realized

Himself in Himself AS Himself, there is the understanding that The

Self is clothed in the robes of Maya (illusion). That one understands

that there is no person called "I", there is the understanding that

the clothing covers no ONE.

 

To him all are naked-of-self, though The Self presents the clothing

of each one, and says "Here I am" the realized ONE knows The Self is

not resident only in the clothing presented, but is resident in all

things as the existence of beings as well as things.

 

None of the clothing reveals any self nature to The Self.

 

We who would realize The Truth of The Self run about and think that

we can modify our existing clothing so that it will miraculously

become The Self, or at least cover The Self is such a way as to make

ourselves and others believe that The Self dwells within the clothing

do not understand that The Self cannot be represented or reproduced

by any means.

 

The very reference to "WE" or "OUR" or "ME" or "I" or "THEM"

or "THEY" or "OTHERS" or "THAT" which does or who might comment on or

connote that the clothing is The Self or can be The Self, or even

remotely resemble The Self; IS THE CAUSE of our trouble, because this

is a reference to I-NESS which by its very nature refers to another

in THE ONE SELF.

 

Of course referring to another as existing IN THE ONE SELF is absurd

because there is but ONE not many.

Thinking therefore that the clothing can be miraculously transformed

into The Self, or that the clothing can contain or represent The

Self, is to assume that by changing clothes the one who is defined by

the clothing as existing separately to The Self can become The Self.

In short this means we are deluded if we think mere empty clothing

can become The Self.

 

A man comes into the dressing room and takes off his clothing, he

quickly dons the garb of a football player

or golfer or some other form of identity. He forgets he cannot hide

the fact that even his skin, bones, meat and sinew are also clothing

which he has donned, such that the idea he thinks is himself can

appear to exist in an illusion.

 

Going back to his seat the same man after having removed the layers

of his outer garb, sits naked in his body and begins to go deep

inside the clothing seeking The Self.

Layer by layer, he removes his clothing, it matters not there names

or there appearance or effect on the other pieces of clothing or how

they complement or clash with the other layers all these layers must

be removed if he is to find who wears the clothing.

 

The layers of the senses and their effects, the layers of perception

which come through or reach the inner witness, the layers of emotion

and how these distort the perceptions gotten via the senses, the

countless of concepts in which these perceptions are clothed are

removed on by one, or in great masses by reaching the deep places

where a group of layers converge and removing them. We must strip

away every layer until finally the self stands free as a mere concept

of "I-ness".

 

This concept is not The Self, it is the Jiva\Soul\Ego, it is the

impostor who wears the clothing, he is a mere concept which as such

has no self-nature at all. He has no attributes, no being, no form.

He is clothed in empty-mind. He is not The Self. He exists by not

existing, and wears the clothing of reality. His name is Maya.

 

Something in the meditating person says I am meditating, or he comes

out of samadhi and says I was in samadhi. He says I sat in and as

empty mind for such and such a period. He says I realized void in

void as void… I became the Void! The watchers who saw him meditating

for 5 days, comment that he was unmoving, that he had attained no-

mind, he had attained Nirvi-kalpa Samadhi. But he was merely clothed

in emptiness. The clothing called the body did not move, but none-the-

less the meditator was IN samadhi. Another set of clothes.

 

After years and years and years, the one who had began to remove his

clothing, understood that the meditator had no self-nature and could

not be IN anything, not even that absorption called samadhi.

 

He found the empty core was like an onion that had been peeled and

eaten layer by layer; it had gone away with the removal of the last

layer of clothing to leave nothing at all. He saw that the clothing

was a mere shell containing nothing what-so-ever.

 

For aeons he would realize, Alas! I am NOT, I do not exist! feared

he! Suddenly he ran away as a mere concept, to the dressing room, and

grabbed the nearest robe. But this must finally end.

 

Deciding to refuse the clothing great fear arises, the barrier that

clothes the subconscious as if it exists is rent and the contents

spills out. The meditator begins to have visions, see gods etc… The

clothing referred to as the body begins to manifest all manner of

effect brought on by ripping away the subconscious clothing.

 

Remaining dedicated to finding The Self, he dives deep into the

terrifying abyss from which all manner of beings arise, Very Gods

stand there. Terrors, devils, horrors, demons, wonders, stupendous

realizations abound all are empty-of-self to the very last all are

clothing. The Self Himself can be seen there, He-who-appears-as-The-

Self, having dependence on None but The Naked One, Himself, clothed

in the light emanating from Love! No matter the beauty. No matter the

value, no matter the perfection of the clothing, all is as rags in

comparison to He who is the naked reality.

 

But a man comes to the teacher asking a cupful of health, of

sweetness, such that he succor his dying ego, but the teacher gives

him a poison that will kill it. The man wants to heal a rent in his

robe, he is afraid. The teacher tells him of love, of acceptance; Of

recognition! He wants to give the man the gift of immortality not

mere rags.

 

Momentarily the robe is pulled aside to reveal an endless Self. An

indomitable Oneness and a Love beyond exception. But the man takes

exception to this love and hides his face in shame and embarrassment

because he knows he refuses to love. He begs the teacher for a new

robe to cover his refusal, he asks for a new rag, but the teacher

having destroyed the factory and burned all the rags, has nothing to

give him.

 

The master knows The Self seeks Himself, he knows The Self Seeks

Love, he knows The Self has mistaken the rags for himself, he knows

The Self has mistaken the clothing for the Being, hence he will not

give mere rag, which will only cover The Self anew.. No the master,

tells the man to strip off his clothing. He says do show me rags. He

asks for the man's heart.

 

The man cries and says: I want…. I need…. Where is my robe? What

have you done with it? The master throws it into the fire!

 

The man feels violated! He screams How dare you?!!! The Master

laughs…. He says: look now you do not exist! Your clothing is on

fire! Who are you?

 

He says: Now you are naked where can you run? He says my dear friend,

run to The Self. Open your heart get rid of your selfishness.

 

The man leaves, humbled but goes to a shop and buys new rags! The

idiot!

 

Again he comes to the master, begging for rice. But the master puts a

snake in his shirt! The man tears off his clothes in terror! Again

the master asks, Now you are naked who are you?

 

 

 

Om-Tat-Sat