Guest guest Posted March 1, 2004 Report Share Posted March 1, 2004 When I came across Bob Adamson's teachings, book, and CD, inner changes started to happen. I didn't consciously do anything, but the grip of the conceptual thoughts began to loosen. Things were shifting and falling away. I could not even articulate it, but intuitively there was a sense of freedom and I sensed it was right. Bob encourages folks to read the book and listen to the CDs and just stick with it and things will continue to open up. When you come across a good, clear teaching, it is the wisdom and the clarity of the teaching that is liberating, not necessarily anything you do to make understanding happen. Ultimately, it is your own innate wisdom that is functioning in response to the clear pointers of the teacher. The " you " trying to understand, who (seemingly) gets it and loses it, who struggles, etc. is not who you actually are RIGHT NOW. It is just a play of thoughts, of concepts, of unexamined assumptions about yourself and the world, that you have innocently picked up of the course of life. It is these thoughts that create the perplexity and confusion. Notice that when you are asleep or absorbed in some fascinating activity that your problems disappear. It is a key point to see that all problems are just created by thought AND NOWHERE ELSE. This is fundamental. What's Wrong with Right Now, Unless You Think About it? (Bob Adamson). All conundrums, problems, issues are generated in thought. Not being clear on our true nature, we believe the concepts and stories in the mind and they take us for a ride. Your living awareness, who you really aware is utterly present and not affected in the least by the thoughts. You are aware OF the mind, just like the sun shines on the clouds. You are utterly free of thought. Whatever thought says about you is untrue. You ARE prior the mind. There is knowing, hearing, seeing, sensing going on all the time, spontaneously. This fundamental awareness is present. It is prior to any conceptual activity. There is a fundamental difference between awareness or the direct experience of knowing and conceptual thought, which is just words and labels. We take the words and labels to be real. Can you drink the word " water " ? Is the thought " I see " the same as actual seeing? Do the eyes say " I see " ? Or is there simply seeing and later the thought comes up " I see " ? Is the same for all the other senses. This is a line of teaching that Bob often uses. Try to see the difference between awareness/non-conceptual knowing/direct knowing and the labelling activity of the mind. Of course thought is also directly known in awareness. Thought is happening in awareness directly, spontaneously. Later the thought comes " I am thinking " . That " I " is spurious and is not really present, except as a concept. You shine constantly as the living light of pure awareness at all times, never touched by thought or its definitions. Out of ignorance we tend to focus on the thoughts and labels, the stories, and the " person " created (imagined) in thought. A subtle shift brings you back to the simple recognition of the fact of your true nature as presence-awareness, as Bob calls it. The mind can never grasp " IT " (your true nature) be cause IT contains thinking. However, you intuitively at any moment can know for certain your real nature because you know you are aware, you know you exist, without taking thought about. Normally, this is overlooked because it is so simple. The mind is apt to minimize this pointing, but it is utterly profound. If you have the good luck of meeting someone living in this direct understanding, they will keep pointing you back to this relentlessly, until it is as plain as the nose on your face. Buddha, Nisargadatta and all the sages are not remote beings but exist NOW, as your very being-awareness. It is useless to struggle to get this; just let the pointing draw you in, feel the resonance within; it will get you. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 3, 2004 Report Share Posted March 3, 2004 That's beautiful, John. Your posts are so clear & inspirational. They are like a breath of fresh air. Thanks. Danananda Nisargadatta , " johnwh111 " <johnwh@c...> wrote: > When I came across Bob Adamson's teachings, book, and CD, inner > changes started to happen. I didn't consciously do anything, but the > grip of the conceptual thoughts began to loosen. Things were shifting > and falling away. I could not even articulate it, but intuitively > there was a sense of freedom and I sensed it was right. Bob > encourages folks to read the book and listen to the CDs and just > stick with it and things will continue to open up. When you > come across a good, clear teaching, it is the wisdom and > the clarity of the teaching that is liberating, not necessarily > anything you do to make understanding happen. Ultimately, > it is your own innate wisdom that is functioning in response > to the clear pointers of the teacher. > > The " you " trying to understand, who (seemingly) gets it and loses it, > who > struggles, etc. is not who you actually are RIGHT NOW. > It is just a play of thoughts, of concepts, of unexamined > assumptions about yourself and the world, that you have > innocently picked up of the course of life. It is these thoughts > that create the perplexity and confusion. > > Notice that when you are asleep or absorbed in some fascinating > activity that your problems disappear. It is a key point to see > that all problems are just created by thought AND NOWHERE > ELSE. This is fundamental. > > What's Wrong with Right Now, Unless You Think About it? > (Bob Adamson). > > All conundrums, problems, issues are generated in thought. > Not being clear on our true nature, we believe the concepts > and stories in the mind and they take us for a ride. > > Your living awareness, who you really aware is utterly present > and not affected in the least by the thoughts. You are aware OF > the mind, just like the sun shines on the clouds. You are > utterly free of thought. Whatever thought says about you is > untrue. You ARE prior the mind. > > There is knowing, hearing, seeing, sensing going on all the time, > spontaneously. This fundamental awareness is present. It is > prior to any conceptual activity. > > There is a fundamental difference between awareness or the direct > experience of knowing and conceptual thought, which is just > words and labels. We take the words and labels to be real. > Can you drink the word " water " ? Is the thought " I see " the > same as actual seeing? Do the eyes say " I see " ? Or is there > simply seeing and later the thought comes up " I see " ? Is > the same for all the other senses. This is a line of teaching > that Bob often uses. > > Try to see the difference between awareness/non-conceptual > knowing/direct knowing and the labelling activity of the mind. > > Of course thought is also directly known in awareness. Thought > is happening in awareness directly, spontaneously. Later the thought > comes " I am thinking " . That " I " is spurious and is not really > present, except as a concept. > > You shine constantly as the living light of pure awareness at all > times, > never touched by thought or its definitions. Out of ignorance we > tend to focus on the thoughts and labels, the stories, and > the " person " created (imagined) in thought. A subtle shift brings > you back to the simple > recognition of the fact of your true nature as presence-awareness, > as Bob calls it. > > The mind can never grasp " IT " (your true nature) be cause IT contains > thinking. However, you intuitively at any moment can know > for certain your real nature because you know you are aware, you > know you exist, without taking thought about. > > Normally, this is overlooked because it is so simple. The mind > is apt to minimize this pointing, but it is utterly profound. If you > have > the good luck of meeting someone living in this direct understanding, > they will keep pointing you back to this relentlessly, until it > is as plain as the nose on your face. > > Buddha, Nisargadatta and all the sages are not remote beings > but exist NOW, as your very being-awareness. > > It is useless to struggle to get this; just let the pointing > draw you in, feel the resonance within; it will get you. > > John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 3, 2004 Report Share Posted March 3, 2004 Danananda, What I found is that whatever clarity comes through is really the innate wisdom inside of us recognizing what we intuitively have known at some level to be true. That's why I think teachers like Nisargadatta Maharaj or Bob Adamson are so valuable. The clarity is so present, that it allows our own clarity to come to the fore rather quickly. Perhaps it is the " tuning fork " phenomenon; one vibrating tuning fork can set another in motion through resonance. Or as Nisargadatta said, it is just consciousness speaking to consciousness about consciousness. For what it is worth, I have updated my website to capture some of the postings in a more readable format. Thanks to folks who have mailed me with comments and questions as my responses were really an outcome of those inquiries. John http://www.employees.org/~johnwhee/index.html http://www.employees.org/~johnwhee/articles/articlelist.html Nisargadatta , " danananda2004 " <danananda2004> wrote: > That's beautiful, John. Your posts are so clear & inspirational. They > are like a breath of fresh air. Thanks. > > Danananda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 3, 2004 Report Share Posted March 3, 2004 I agree wholeheartedly with what you have written. It's like a " tuning fork " phenomenon. I finally finished the Sailor Bob website you cited. It's good. I'm thinking about getting his book. But, I still got a couple of other books I wanna finish reading first before I go to another one. I have your site bookmarked. I want to read your articles & stuff. I have had some insight into this " no self " realization, but, like others have said, I sometimes " lose it " & get caught up in egotistical traps & so on. But, I just keep practicing like Ramana & Nisargadatta said to do: " Who am I? " There is no " I " , but, then the illusory " I " comes back around the backdoor, so to speak, & sneaks back in & I get caught up in the ego-illusion again. You probably know what I'm talking about. I wish you & Bob didn't live so far away. I'd come visit. But I live in Ohio & am just a poor, ignorant peasant. But, I appreciate your all's message. I will keep on keeping on, either way. Thanks for your posts & insights & so on. peace Danananda Nisargadatta , " johnwh111 " <johnwh@c...> wrote: > Danananda, > > What I found is that whatever clarity comes through is really > the innate wisdom inside of us recognizing what we intuitively > have known at some level to be true. That's why I think > teachers like Nisargadatta Maharaj or Bob Adamson are so > valuable. The clarity is so present, that it allows our > own clarity to come to the fore rather quickly. Perhaps > it is the " tuning fork " phenomenon; one vibrating > tuning fork can set another in motion through resonance. > Or as Nisargadatta said, it is just consciousness speaking > to consciousness about consciousness. > > For what it is worth, I have updated my website to capture > some of the postings in a more readable format. > Thanks to folks who have mailed me with comments and questions > as my responses were really an outcome of those inquiries. > > John > > http://www.employees.org/~johnwhee/index.html > http://www.employees.org/~johnwhee/articles/articlelist.html > > Nisargadatta , " danananda2004 " > <danananda2004> wrote: > > That's beautiful, John. Your posts are so clear & inspirational. > They > > are like a breath of fresh air. Thanks. > > > > Danananda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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