Ensuring one follows the prerequisites for awakening

[Guest guest]

At 05:06 PM 2/7/2000 -0500, you wrote:

> " Dan Berkow, PhD " <berkowd

>

>Top five ways to ensure that one follows the prerequisites for awakening:

>

>1) Find a guru who can spell out exactly

> what the required prerequisites are, what one's shortcomings are,

> what the path is, and how one will know when one's arrived (e.g.,

> one will feel the bliss, peace, joy, love, emptiness, openness,

> and certainty that the guru do).

 

In my opinion, (1) is less necessary and more difficult these days than it

used to be, although by *no means* less *helpful*. Many simply don't have

the means or opportunity to find a Guru anymore, and " these days " there is

more of a risk in giving total trust to a Guru. The sad thing is, few have

the courage to undertake the 'spiritual journey' on their own, especially

to its " completion. " Yet to compensate, we now have most of the translated

scriptures, thousands of " spiritual books " available, local workshops, etc.

 

Without a Guru, much more is required of the " seeker. " To start with,

understanding from the very beginning that there is nothing to seek.

Without this deep understanding, people can flounder for years " getting "

exactly nowhere. If there's no " outer Guru, " then " the inner Guru " *MUST*

be discovered as soon as possible, by any means possible.

 

(2 and 3 deleted, recognized as excellent suggestions)

 

>4) Use the Stuart method (looking in the mirror

> and giving oneself a good talking-to: " I'm empty enough, infinite

> enough, wise enough, compassionate enough, and gosh darn it,

> people like me " ).

 

A fine idea, indeed!! Seriously, some genuine self-esteem (not egoistic

self-indulgence or self-righteousness, but healthy *self-confidence*)

really helps.

 

>5) Employ the ever-popular prerequisite of doing nothing,

> which allows one to realize that there is

> no doer. As this prerequisite is already fulfilled by not needing to be

> fulfilled, one simply needs to accept that there is no one there to

> accept that there is no one there, and to neither think nor not

> think that thinking that one needn't think is necessary or helpful.

> This is the prerequisite called " natural simplicity " :-)

 

To realize there is no doer, it helps greatly to (initially) withdraw to a

certain extent from the activities of daily living (but usually only

initially), and *really* (physically) do nothing. Social isolation can

help differentiate between aloneness and loneliness, and awaken the " inner

Satguru " very quickly, as well as offering a great deal of free time to

devote to nothing but practice, thus making it the main focus of life.

Unfortunately, not so easy for people who still have to hold jobs, etc.

Things like extended spiritual retreats, etc. are a great suggestion. Take

a two-week vacation from work, go camping in the mountains alone, and

devote as much time possible to sadhana.

 

My " first year " was spent almost entirely alone (not working), and I

believe I " accomplished " more in that year than I could have in five years

of " ordinary " practice.

 

>Remember -

>Although all being is not-two, one is deluded by ignorance into

>thinking that one can be deluded.

 

ROTFL :-)

 

>As one imagines oneself to be imagining

>oneself a doer who can get or not get enlightenment, one will miss

>awakening if one does not fulfill the prerequisites for awakening from the

>delusion that there is someone who needs to awaken.

 

Ahem... just know deeply that you're already awakened, enlightened,

realized, whatever... that enlightenment is prior to yourself as

body/mind... and then proceed to remember it.

 

With Love,

 

Tim

 

-----

Sum Ergo Sum

 

Visit " The Core " Website at http://coresite.cjb.net -

Music, Poetry, Writings on Nondual Spiritual Topics.

Tim's other pages are at http://core.vdirect.net