Guest guest Posted November 20, 2002 Report Share Posted November 20, 2002 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 un qualifiable 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2002 Report Share Posted November 20, 2002 Very good quote, Jan, thanks. Pete --- Jan Sultan <swork wrote: > 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 un qualifiable 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. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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