SENSE OF PRESENCE......C&A 6-14-81

[Guest guest]

Excerpt from:

Consciousness and the Absolute

 

 

Questioner:

Continuous daily activity is making

the mind dull. I want to know how

to make the mind alert.

 

 

 

Maharaj:

I do not speak about the body-mind,

and what goes on in the world.

 

I talk only about your true nature,

and your true nature is the

" sense of presence " you have,

" this consciousness " .

 

 

 

 

If you are not conscious,

then there is no world for you.

 

There is nothing there.

 

The world exists for you,

only when you are conscious.

 

So it is about this consciousness,

this " sense of presence, "

that I talk.

 

 

 

 

Once this " sense of presence "

comes, how you act and what you

do in the world, I don't deal with.

 

This " sense of presence, "

this consciousness,

is it not prior to anything else?

 

Even thinking about anything

for which you have to use your mind,

if you are not conscious,

can any thought come?

 

 

 

 

Therefore, this " sense of presence, "

this consciousness,

is it not the primary thing

without which nothing else can happen?

 

Nothing, no thoughts, no concepts,

can arise by themselves.

 

No activity can arise,

if the " sense of presence " is not there.

 

 

 

 

The " sense of presence "

does not need any activity of the mind,

to know that you are present.

 

You do not have to ask yourself,

" Am I present, am I conscious? "

 

There is that intuitive " sense of

presence, " you know you are

present.

 

 

 

 

This " sense of presence " is not,

the sense that I am present,

you are present,

or any individual is present.

 

The " sense of presence, "

is the " sense of presence, "

as such.

 

 

 

 

Because one identifies oneself

with his body, he thinks he is born

and is going to die.

 

What is born, is the general

" sense of presence, " as such.

 

The " sense of presence "

which has come spontaneously,

will leave spontaneously.

 

There is no individual,

except through identification

with the body.

 

 

 

 

The sense of time, or duration,

or the event happening in time,

all that can come about only

if there is consciousness.

 

If there is no consciousness,

do you have the sense of time?

 

 

 

 

There is the wick, and there is

the fuel; only then can the light

be there.

 

So the light depends on the

duration of the fuel.

 

That is how the time factor comes in.

 

 

 

 

The " sense of presence, "

this consciousness,

is everything.

 

So find out how that arises,

and how long it is going to last.

 

 

 

 

Just as the light will remain

only so long as there is fuel for it,

so this consciousness will last

only so long as this fuel is there,

 

fuel being the body

which is made of the five elements

which are an accumulation of food.

 

 

 

 

If the food is not supplied

constantly to the body,

the body will not last.

 

And if the body will not last,

then the consciousness will not last.

 

 

 

 

Therefore, this consciousness

will depend on how long the body

is there.

 

Even this consciousness is not

everything, and it is not going

to last for all time.

 

 

 

 

Find out how that consciousness

has arisen, the source of the

consciousness.

 

What is this body?

 

The body is only the

accumulation of food and water.

 

This food and water are certainly

not you, and this consciousness

is merely the nature of this food

and water.

 

Therefore, you are something

separate from either the body

or the consciousness.

 

 

 

 

So long as the body is there,

anyone who considers himself

an individual, has as his only

capital the " sense of presence " ,

this consciousness.

 

Treat that as the highest God,

and worship nothing else

other than the " sense of presence. "

 

And when you are one

with the " sense of presence, "

then whatever is necessary

by way of spiritual knowledge

will sprout by itself.

 

 

 

 

If you have any problems or questions

with which you are concerned,

you will find these problems and

questions are based on your identity

with the body and mind as an individual.

 

 

If that identification is not there,

then no questions can arise.

 

You will come to this conclusion.

 

 

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