Guest guest Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 ATTD NewsLetter 109Dear yogis and yogins, Can any of you boil this down to 50 words or less so us dumb ones have a shot at SEEING too? - Awakening to the Dream<News ATTD News Letter<otsclu Tuesday, January 15, 2008 5:51 AM ATTD Number 109 January 15, 2008 * ATTD News Letter Number 109 Tuesday, January 15, 2008 * This news letter and more; available at the website http://www.awakeningtothedream.com/<http://www.awakeningtothedream.com/> Table of Contents. Q & A<about:blank#1> | Consciousness<about:blank#2> | Awakened Poetry<about:blank#3> | Quote of the moment!<about:blank#4> | Smile of the moment!<about:blank#5> | Links<about:blank#6> | Fair Use Notice<about:blank#7> | Q & A. Question: I've just finished " Awakening to the Dream " and have also recently digested " Oneness " by John Greven and " Awakening to the Natural State " by John Wheeler. Since I'm a child of the 60's and a Rinzai Zen practitioner, I can say the phrase " mind blowing " is not inappropriate. The insights gained from " Awakening to the Dream " are greatly appreciated. For the first time there is clarity on the Heart Sutra; such questions as " What was your original face before your grandparents were born " and the monk stories (Can you pacify my mind? Bring me your mind) etc. I find it hard to write for clarification without falling into duality/non-duality traps but there are two areas were doubt (perhaps that's the right word) lingers. I haven't yet gotten the gut absolute belief/feel/certainty that there is " nobody home " and that my true nature is in fact presence/awareness. Maybe I'd say it feels more like 20% in the gut and 80% in the head. How do " I " approach this now? What I have been doing is marinating in the awareness (being the real me) and continuing to look into the fabric of this little " me " illusion by examining my thoughts and feelings. The second area of clinging doubt relates to the rest of the world. I have read that the world arises in our true nature, awareness/Budda-mind/cognizing emptiness. In some writing the world is likened to a dream, an act of play by Awareness (like the waves are part of the ocean). When I am awareness as described above it seems I am definitely the unchanging background to this local presence but I don't feel it as the generator of the world. Could you perhaps provide some insights on how to approach this element? Response: Let's see what comes up. You say " I haven't yet gotten the gut absolute belief/feel/certainty that there is " nobody home " and that my true nature is in fact presence/awareness " Can the paradox in this be seen? If there is 'nobody home' then who would have this certainty? The 'I' that would have or know this certainty, doesn't 'know' as it is itself part of 'the known'. One if its attributes is the idea that this 'I' is the knowing subject, while in fact it is a known object. You say that the conviction of 'your' true nature being in fact presence/awareness feels like 20% in the gut and 80% in the head. There is 100% awareness of this imagined 20/80 split, which only exists in thought. THAT what knows the coming and going of all thoughts, is itself not a thought. Similarly, THAT what knows the lack of certainty is itself not uncertain. IT clearly sees doubt as doubt without a shadow of doubt. The Ultimate-Subject -THAT what knows this 'I-dea'- cannot be made into a known object; this 'knowing' cannot be known for the same reason sight cannot be seen. We could call this 'Unknowable-Knowing' or 'Ultimate Subject' Consciousness, Tao, IT or the 'True Self of all.' There is no 'you' to get or be THIS. IT is being you and all that appears. IT is here right now aware of the reading of these words. IT really, really is not an experience for someone but IT IS the inexperience-able experiencing itself. The lingering assumption that 'something' should happen to make this clear is itself the seeming obstruction to clearly see this. This 'catch 22' is in fact a 'fake problem' which cannot be resolved by action. It is more of a 'seeing through'. It is like the recognition of apparent 'water on the road' as a mirage. Or the recognition that polishing the mirror to get rid of our reflection is futile: Such recognition does not remove the reflection, but the attempt to eliminate it comes to a halt. The problem with this 'let it be' suggestion is of course that now the attempt to let it be, may replace the attempt to polish the mirror to 'full Clarity'; which is in fact another attempt to resolve this non existing problem. Whether or not a sense of there being someone home appears makes no difference to IT, just like it makes no difference to the mirror what it reflects. If a sense of personal self appears, it is simply the way the One appears to It-Self. IT is the Infinite, experiencing It-Self through assuming the role of a finite character. This is the way the 'game is played' and nothing has to be done about it, nor is there any one to do it. The 'you' that would do something about this, is that which is being done. There is no you living this life, there is only LIFE living as you and all. Now as to the other part of your question: The Taoists call the appearance of the world and its unchanging background " Mutual Arising. " We could say that Awareness is the 'generator' of the manifest world because all appears in awareness, but the split between awareness and its object is purely conceptual. Again, 'Mutual Arising' seems a great pointer. Can we conceive of something that does not appear in awareness, can we find a difference between hearing and a sound? Can we find colors separate from the seeing of colors? Perhaps it is obvious now that splitting 'the generator of the world' and the world itself is purely an idea. The generator and the generated -the dreamer and the dream- are not two. When the scissor of the mind, which divides this manifestation in 'this and that' in 'you and me' in 'up and down' is quiet for even just a moment, when all labels are gone; THIS is just AS IT IS. There was never a point in time when IT was created or 'generated' as time itself is part of 'the generated appearance'. Here IT IS, appearing (or 'being generated') presently. This is the Unborn Mystery of 'some-thing' out of 'no-thing. 'You', as a character, will never get closer to IT, nor can 'you' get away from IT. IT is all there is and -as said in the Upanishads- YOU Are THAT. -- If or when you have a question you'd like to see answered in this newsletter send it to: author<author Art by: Brooke Anderson Title: 'Presence' Found at: http://www.sbandersonart.com/index.html<http://www.sbandersonart.com/index.html> Fair Use Notice<about:blank#7> Consciousness <about:blank#top> You are Consciousness, oneness, all that is, the source and appearance of all. All appearances rise and fall in awareness, nothing else is ever happening. People are passing, clouds are going by, conversations are going on, thoughts appear and disappear. All unfolds presently in awareness. This appearance as the character is already the perfect expression of oneness - nothing needs to change for this to be so. No awakening or enlightenment is needed - all of this is simply the story in the play. There is only already awakeness as oneness, regardless of whether there is mesmerisation with the play of images, or resting in recognition as your true nature. This present appearance, however ordinary or extraordinary, is the content of awareness. Awareness and content are one - Consciousness. You are Consciousness - awake and aware and presently appearing as everything. -- Already Awake by Nathan Gill<http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8 & keywords=Nathan%20Gill & tag=awakenit\ othed-20 & index=blended & linkCode=ur2 & camp=1789 & creative=9325> Art by: Alex Grey Title: 'Wonder'<http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8 & keywords=Alex%20Grey & tag=awaken\ itothed-20 & index=blended & linkCode=ur2 & camp=1789 & creative=9325> Found at: http://www.alexgrey.com/<http://www.alexgrey.com/> Fair Use Notice<about:blank#7> Awakened Poetry <about:blank#top> LIFE IS BUT A DREAM by: Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) BOAT, beneath a sunny sky Lingering onward dreamily In an evening of July-- Children three that nestle near, Eager eye and willing ear, Pleased a simple tale to hear-- Long has paled that sunny sky; Echoes fade and memories die; Autumn frosts have slain July. Still she haunts me, phantomwise, Alice moving under skies Never seen by waking eyes. Children yet, the tale to hear, Eager eye and willing ear, Lovingly shall nestle near. In a Wonderland they lie, Dreaming as the days go by, Dreaming as the summers die; Ever drifting down the stream-- Lingering in the golden gleam-- Life, what is it but a dream? -- ~ Lewis Carroll ~ The Hunting of the Snark and Other Poems and Verses.<http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8 & keywords=The%20Hunting%20of%20th\ e%20Snark%20 & tag=awakenitothed-20 & index=books & linkCode=ur2 & camp=1789 & creative=93\ 25> Art by: Connie Tom Title: 'Fishing at First Light' Found at: http://connietom.blogspot.com/<http://connietom.blogspot.com/> Fair Use Notice<about:blank#7> Quote of the Moment! <about:blank#top> Before I had studied Zen for thirty years, I saw mountains as mountains, and waters as waters. When I arrived at a more intimate knowledge, I came to the point where I saw that mountains are not mountains, and waters are not waters. But now that I have got its very substance I am at rest For it's just that I see mountains once again as mountains, and waters once again as waters. -- ~ Seigen Ishin ~<http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8 & keywords=Seigen%20Ishin & tag=awakenitot\ hed-20 & index=books & linkCode=ur2 & camp=1789 & creative=9325> Art by: Wu Changan Title: 'Living by the waterfall.' Found at: http://home.flash.net/~cameron/painting/wuchangan/wuchangan.htm<http://home.flas\ h.net/~cameron/painting/wuchangan/wuchangan.htm> Fair Use Notice<about:blank#7> Smile of the Moment! <about:blank#top> -- Cartoon by Guy and Rodd<http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8 & keywords=Cartoons%20Guy%20and%20Rod\ d & tag=awakenitothed-20 & index=blended & linkCode=ur2 & camp=1789 & creative=9325> Fair Use Notice<about:blank#7> ATTD Links <about:blank#top> Questions, jokes, quotes or suggestions for the news letter? Please send them to news<news. You are invited to use the Awakening Forum at: http://www.awakeningtothedream.com/forum1/<http://www.awakeningtothedream.com/fo\ rum1/> Here you can respond to the contents of this newsletter or start your own topic. PS. The forum is closed for now, but it can still be accessed for reading. To or click here.<http://domainmaid.com/cgi-bin/datacgi/database.cgi?file=Mailing & report=Sub\ scribeUn> If you do not see a link go to: http://www.awakeningtothedream.com/<http://www.awakeningtothedream.com/> and click on the newsletter link. Awakening to the Dream web site: http://www.awakeningtothedream.com/<http://www.awakeningtothedream.com/> -- Fair Use Notice In legal terms: This news letter may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. The material in this news letter is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C Section 107. On a more personal note: It has often been difficult to contact the artists or copyright owners of the art in the news letters in a timely manner. I hope you consider it a compliment that your work has been selected and that it pleases you to have an extra link (or free add) to your web site. If not, please contact me at news<news and I'll replace your material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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