Guest guest Posted February 10, 2002 Report Share Posted February 10, 2002 - Jan Sultan sufiMystic Sunday, February 10, 2002 2:46 PM [NDS] Constant Consciousness - Ken Wilber > Ken Wilber / Journal / January 1999 > > Constant Consciousness > > "That which is not present in deep dreamless sleep is not real." -Ramana > Maharshi > > Sitting here on the porch, watching the sun go down. Except there is no > watcher, just the sun, setting, setting. From purest Emptiness, brilliant > clarity shines forth. The sound of the birds, over there. Clouds, a few, right > up there. But there is no "up," no "down," no "over," and no "there"-because > there is no "me" or "I" for which these directions make sense. There is just > this. Simple, clear, easy, effortless, ever-present this. > I became extremely serious about meditation practice when I read the following > line from the illustrious Sri Ramana Maharshi: "That which is not present in > deep dreamless sleep is not real." > That is a shocking statement, because basically there is nothing-literally > nothing-in the deep dreamless state. That was his point. Ultimate reality (or > Spirit), Ramana said, cannot be something that pops into consciousness and > then pops out. It must be something that is constant, permanent, or, more > technically, something that, being timeless, is fully present at every point > in time. Therefore, ultimate reality must also be fully present in deep > dreamless sleep, and anything that is not present in deep dreamless sleep is > not ultimate reality. > This profoundly disturbed me, because I had had several kensho or satori-like > experiences (glimpses of One Taste), but they were all confined to the waking > state. Moreover, most of the things I cared for existed in the waking state. > And yet clearly the waking state is not permanent. It comes and goes every > twenty-four hours. And yet, according to the great sages, there is something > in us that is always conscious-that is, literally conscious or aware at all > times and through all states, waking, dreaming, sleeping. And that > ever-present awareness is Spirit in us. That underlying current of constant > consciousness (or nondual awareness) is a direct and unbroken ray of pure > Spirit itself. It is our connection with the Goddess, our pipeline straight to > God. > Thus, if we want to realize our supreme identity with Spirit, we will have to > plug ourselves into this current of constant consciousness, and follow it > through all changes of state-waking, dreaming, sleeping. This will: 1) strip > us of an exclusive identification with any of those states (such as the body, > the mind, the ego, or the soul); and 2) allow us to recognize and identify > with that which is constant-or timeless-through all of those states, namely, > Consciousness as Such, by any other name, timeless Spirit. > I had been meditating fairly intensely for around twenty years when I came > across that line from Ramana. I had studied Zen with Katigiri and Maezumi; > Vajrayana with Kalu and Trungpa; Dzogchen with Pema Norbu and Chagdud; plus > Vedanta, TM, Kashmir Shaivism, Christian mysticism, Kabbalah, Daism, Sufism... > well, it's a long list. When I ran across Ramana's statement, I was on an > intensive Dzogchen retreat with my primary Dzogchen teacher, Chagdud Tulku > Rinpoche. Rinpoche also stressed the importance of carrying the mirror-mind > into the dream and deep sleep states. I began having flashes of this constant > nondual awareness, through all states, which Rinpoche confirmed. But it wasn't > until a few years later, during a very intense eleven-day period-in which the > separate-self seemed to radically, deeply, thoroughly die-that it all seemed > to come to fruition. I slept not at all during those eleven days; or rather, I > was conscious for eleven days; or rather, I was conscious for eleven days and > nights, even as the body and mind went through waking, dreaming and sleeping. > I was unmoved in the midst of changes; there was no I to be moved; there was > only unwavering empty consciousness, the luminous mirror-mind, the witness > that was one with everything witnessed. I simply reverted to what I am, and it > has been so, more or less, ever since. > The moment this constant nondual consciousness is obvious in your case, a new > destiny will awaken in the midst of the manifest world. You will have > discovered your own Buddha Mind, you own Godhead, your own formless, > spaceless, timeless, infinite Emptiness, your own Atman that is Brahman, your > Keter, Christ consciousness, radiant shekinah-in so many words, One Taste. It > is unmistakably so. And just that is your true identity-pure Emptiness or pure > unqualifiable Consciousness as Such-and thus you are released from the terror > and the torment that necessarily arise when you identify with a little subject > in a world of little objects. > Once you find your formless identity as Buddha-mind, as Atman, as pure Spirit > or Godhead, you will take that constant, non-dual, ever present consciousness > and re-enter the lesser states, subtle mind and gross body, and re-animate > them with radiance. You will not remain merely Formless and Empty. You will > empty yourself of Emptiness: you will pour yourself out into the mind and > world, and create them in the process, and enter them all equally, but > especially and particularly that specific mind and body that is called you > (that is called, in my case, Ken Wilber): this lesser self will become the > vehicle of the Spirit that you are. > And then all things, including your own little mind and body and feelings and > thoughts, will arise in the vast Emptiness that you are, and they will > self-liberate into their own true nature just as they arise, precisely because > you no longer identify with any of them, but rather let them play, let them > all arise, in the Emptiness and Openness that you now are. You then will > awaken as radical Freedom, and sing those songs of radiant release, beam an > infinity too obvious to see, and drink an ocean of delight. You will look at > the moon as part of your body and bow to the sun as part of your heart, and > all of it is just so. For eternally and always, eternally and always, there is > only this. > > Material in this column appears in One Taste: The Journals of Ken Wilber, from > Shambhala Publications Inc., Boston. Copyright Ken Wilber, 1998. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 10, 2002 Report Share Posted February 10, 2002 Dearest Lynette: You probably got this from Harsha? Welcome home. I missed your love, Will write another one next or soon. Love you love me, Alton Constant Consciousness - Ken Wilber > Ken Wilber / Journal / January 1999 > > Constant Consciousness > > "That which is not present in deep dreamless sleep is not real." -Ramana > Maharshi > > Sitting here on the porch, watching the sun go down. Except there is no > watcher, just the sun, setting, setting. From purest Emptiness, brilliant > clarity shines forth. The sound of the birds, over there. Clouds, a few, right > up there. But there is no "up," no "down," no "over," and no "there"-because > there is no "me" or "I" for which these directions make sense. There is just > this. Simple, clear, easy, effortless, ever-present this. > I became extremely serious about meditation practice when I read the following > line from the illustrious Sri Ramana Maharshi: "That which is not present in > deep dreamless sleep is not real." > That is a shocking statement, because basically there is nothing-literally > nothing-in the deep dreamless state. That was his point. Ultimate reality (or > Spirit), Ramana said, cannot be something that pops into consciousness and > then pops out. It must be something that is constant, permanent, or, more > technically, something that, being timeless, is fully present at every point > in time. Therefore, ultimate reality must also be fully present in deep > dreamless sleep, and anything that is not present in deep dreamless sleep is > not ultimate reality. > This profoundly disturbed me, because I had had several kensho or satori-like > experiences (glimpses of One Taste), but they were all confined to the waking > state. Moreover, most of the things I cared for existed in the waking state. > And yet clearly the waking state is not permanent. It comes and goes every > twenty-four hours. And yet, according to the great sages, there is something > in us that is always conscious-that is, literally conscious or aware at all > times and through all states, waking, dreaming, sleeping. And that > ever-present awareness is Spirit in us. That underlying current of constant > consciousness (or nondual awareness) is a direct and unbroken ray of pure > Spirit itself. It is our connection with the Goddess, our pipeline straight to > God. > Thus, if we want to realize our supreme identity with Spirit, we will have to > plug ourselves into this current of constant consciousness, and follow it > through all changes of state-waking, dreaming, sleeping. This will: 1) strip > us of an exclusive identification with any of those states (such as the body, > the mind, the ego, or the soul); and 2) allow us to recognize and identify > with that which is constant-or timeless-through all of those states, namely, > Consciousness as Such, by any other name, timeless Spirit. > I had been meditating fairly intensely for around twenty years when I came > across that line from Ramana. I had studied Zen with Katigiri and Maezumi; > Vajrayana with Kalu and Trungpa; Dzogchen with Pema Norbu and Chagdud; plus > Vedanta, TM, Kashmir Shaivism, Christian mysticism, Kabbalah, Daism, Sufism... > well, it's a long list. When I ran across Ramana's statement, I was on an > intensive Dzogchen retreat with my primary Dzogchen teacher, Chagdud Tulku > Rinpoche. Rinpoche also stressed the importance of carrying the mirror-mind > into the dream and deep sleep states. I began having flashes of this constant > nondual awareness, through all states, which Rinpoche confirmed. But it wasn't > until a few years later, during a very intense eleven-day period-in which the > separate-self seemed to radically, deeply, thoroughly die-that it all seemed > to come to fruition. I slept not at all during those eleven days; or rather, I > was conscious for eleven days; or rather, I was conscious for eleven days and > nights, even as the body and mind went through waking, dreaming and sleeping. > I was unmoved in the midst of changes; there was no I to be moved; there was > only unwavering empty consciousness, the luminous mirror-mind, the witness > that was one with everything witnessed. I simply reverted to what I am, and it > has been so, more or less, ever since. > The moment this constant nondual consciousness is obvious in your case, a new > destiny will awaken in the midst of the manifest world. You will have > discovered your own Buddha Mind, you own Godhead, your own formless, > spaceless, timeless, infinite Emptiness, your own Atman that is Brahman, your > Keter, Christ consciousness, radiant shekinah-in so many words, One Taste. It > is unmistakably so. And just that is your true identity-pure Emptiness or pure > unqualifiable Consciousness as Such-and thus you are released from the terror > and the torment that necessarily arise when you identify with a little subject > in a world of little objects. > Once you find your formless identity as Buddha-mind, as Atman, as pure Spirit > or Godhead, you will take that constant, non-dual, ever present consciousness > and re-enter the lesser states, subtle mind and gross body, and re-animate > them with radiance. You will not remain merely Formless and Empty. You will > empty yourself of Emptiness: you will pour yourself out into the mind and > world, and create them in the process, and enter them all equally, but > especially and particularly that specific mind and body that is called you > (that is called, in my case, Ken Wilber): this lesser self will become the > vehicle of the Spirit that you are. > And then all things, including your own little mind and body and feelings and > thoughts, will arise in the vast Emptiness that you are, and they will > self-liberate into their own true nature just as they arise, precisely because > you no longer identify with any of them, but rather let them play, let them > all arise, in the Emptiness and Openness that you now are. You then will > awaken as radical Freedom, and sing those songs of radiant release, beam an > infinity too obvious to see, and drink an ocean of delight. You will look at > the moon as part of your body and bow to the sun as part of your heart, and > all of it is just so. For eternally and always, eternally and always, there is > only this. > > Material in this column appears in One Taste: The Journals of Ken Wilber, from > Shambhala Publications Inc., Boston. Copyright Ken Wilber, 1998. Sponsor Post message: RamanaMaharshi Subscribe: RamanaMaharshi- Un: RamanaMaharshi- List owner: RamanaMaharshi-owner Shortcut URL to this page: /community/RamanaMaharshi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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