Presence of the Uncreated/ [future]

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Nisargadatta Maharaj: Awareness is primordial; it is the

original state, beginningless, endless, uncaused,

unsupported, without parts, without change. Consciousness

is on contact, a reflection against a surface, a state of

duality. There can be no consciousness without awareness,

but there can be awareness without consciousness, as in

deep sleep. Awareness is absolute, consciousness is

relative to its content; consciousness is always of

something. Consciousness is partial and changeful,

awareness is total, changeless, calm and silent. And it is

the common matrix of every experience. Since it is

awareness that makes consciousness possible, there is

awareness in every state of consciousness.

 

Therefore, the

very consciousness of being conscious is already a movement

in awareness. Interest in your stream of consciousness

takes you to awareness. It is not a new state. It is at

once recognized as the original, basic experience, which is

life itself, and also love and joy. (29)

The mind is discontinuous. Again and again it blanks out,

like in sleep or swoon or distraction. There must be

something continuous to register discontinuity. Memory is

always partial, unreliable and evanescent. It does not

explain the strong sense of identity pervading

consciousness, the sense " I am " . Find out what is at the

root of it. (307)

 

The person merges into the witness, the witness into

awareness, awareness into pure being, yet identity is not

lost, only its limitations are lost. It is transfigured and

becomes the real Self, the sadguru, the eternal friend and

guide. You cannot approach it in worship. No external

activity can reach the inner self; worship and prayers

remain on the surface only; to do deeper meditation is

essential, the striving to go beyond the states of sleep,

dream and waking. In the beginning the attempts are

irregular, then they recur more often, become regular, then

continuous and intense, until all obstacles are conquered.

(447)

 

Aziz Kristof: From the point of view

of one who is in the state of Presence, it feels like an

experience of absolute subjectivity. To prove that this is

so, some practitioners try even to bring this state to the

Sleep State. But this is unwise, for to be aware during

sleep ultimately can create serious imbalance in the

psyche. The presence of awareness during Sleep State

interferes with the natural healing process of our

subconscious. To know when to control and when to let go is

a function of intelligence. There is no need to control the

sleep state, as there is no need to control the moment of

death, when all dissolves into the Source and there is no

force in the universe that can stop it.

 

Enlightenment does not necessarily bring awareness to the

sleep state. Many seekers unquestioningly adopt the belief

in the necessity of becoming aware of the inner state in

the Sleep State. It is fine for the older masters who have

completed their personal growth. In the case of young

people, bringing awareness to the Sleep State is very

unhealthy. It hinders the natural process of self-healing

and the release of the subconscious mind in the dream

state. The decision as to whether awareness is present in

sleep or not belongs to the Absolute itself. For those who

have shifted to the Absolute State, there is no longer will

operating as far as " being within " is concerned. If we look

more deeply into this idea of being aware in sleep or

controlling the Dream State, what we find is fear. Many

even fear that they will not be aware in the moment of

death. It is madness.

 

Here, we are entering the mystery of awakening to the

Uncreated. There is a stage of realisation which the Buddha

experienced and later called reaching Nirvana. At this

stage, consciousness merges with that which is prior to

consciousness. The experience of it is like entering a deep

sleep state while remaining fully present.

 

Here, one is

fully present and fully absent. There is no movement in

that state, only absolute stillness exists. The absolute

stillness is the presence of the Uncreated.

 

And the

presence of the Uncreated is the absence of consciousness.

 

The meeting between these two is called the Absolute State.

 

The ultimate experience is of non-abidance.

Susan Segal: Walking home from that bus ride, she felt like

a " cloud of awareness " following the body.

 

The cloud was a

witness located behind and to the left of the body and

completely separate from body, mind and emotions. The

witness was constant and so was the fear, the fear of

complete physical dissolution. The witnessing continued for

several months, even during sleep, and Segal had to endure

the fear and the accompanying stress, finding relief in

long and frequent sleeps.

 

from NDS