The Jar, the Ground, the Angst, etc. /Silver Headless Monkeys

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In the 1930's D.E. Harding was asking himself the question Who am I?

He realised that what he appeared to be to others depended on their

range from him. His observations and thinking included the following:

at several feet he appeared human, but closer to he was just an eye,

cells, molecules, atoms, electrons and so on, down to practically

nothing. Moving away but still looking at him, the external observer

lost sight of his individual form which became absorbed into humanity,

life, the planet, the solar system, the galaxy. The map he drew of

himself looked like an onion with many layers. The human layer was

half-way out from the centre.

 

The question Harding became particularly concerned with was: What or

who is at the centre? This question was of vital importance to him

partly because it was during the Second World War, Harding was in

India, and threat of invasion from the East loomed. He wanted to find

out who he really was before he died. In a sense, any other question

became secondary to this one: Who am I really?

 

Harding finally discovered what and who was at centre not by thinking

but simply by looking. This moment is described in his book 'On Having

No Head' (Arkana). Basically, he realised he could see his legs, arms,

trunk, but not his head. From where he was looking, he was headless.

Instead of his head there was nothing - clear space, emptiness. And in

this space was the world. He had 'lost a head and gained a world'.

 

This experience corresponds to what in other traditions might be

called Liberation, Enlightenment, seeing God, seeing the Void, being

centred.

 

http://www.headless.org/English/main.html

 

 

Nisargadatta , " s_i_l_v_e_r1069 "

<silver-1069@h...> wrote:

>

> Yeah, Douglas Harding! I just read a little bit of his stuff earlier

> tonight and I find it pretty interesting. No face. The headless

> way, he calls it. I never saw his stuff before tonight and strangely

> enough, I'm seeing it twice. It is a funny world.

>

> Silver

>

> Nisargadatta , " Werner Woehr " <wwoehr@p...>

> wrote:

> >

> >

> >

> > Right Silver, we are stuck in each other's heads. Its a funny world.

> > BTW, I am also a fan of Douglas Harding.

> >

> > Werner

> >

> >

> > Nisargadatta , " s_i_l_v_e_r1069 " <silver-

> > 1069@h...> wrote:

> > >

> > > Lol, Werner. The truth is both you and Bill are stuck in my

> > head.

> > >

> > > You know, come to think of it, I can't see my head. What am I

> > > pointing to when I look at my finger pointing at my face?

> There's

> > > nothing there! I've lost my head. I don't have a face. There's

> > > just this empty space filled with material and mental things.

> Oh,

> > > oh. Help. :|

> > >

> > > Silver

> > >

> > > Nisargadatta , " Werner Woehr " <wwoehr@p...>

> > > wrote:

> > > >

> > > > No,no, Bill,

> > > >

> > > > I am stuck in your head

> > > >

> > > > Werner

> > > >

> > > > Nisargadatta , " billrishel "

> > <illieusion@h...>

> > > > wrote:

> > > > >

> > > > > Like I said, Werner, you have to be there.

> > > > >

> > > > > Perhaps you are stuck in your head?

> > > > >

> > > > > Bill

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > > Nisargadatta , " Werner Woehr "

> > <wwoehr@p...>

> > > > wrote:

> > > > > >

> > > > > > Hmm,

> > > > > >

> > > > > > But how can it do the laundry when it just sees waves and

> > > energy ?

> > > > > >

> > > > > > Werner

> > > > > >

> > > > > >

> > > > > > Nisargadatta , " billrishel "

> > > > <illieusion@h...>

> > > > > > wrote:

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > ****I understand but there is nothing for my mind to grip

> > > > onto....

> > > > > > > Hey, wait a minute! I think that's the point here, right?

> > > When

> > > > the

> > > > > > > mind realizes that there is nothing left to grip onto, it

> > has

> > > > > > reached

> > > > > > > the last rung on the ladder: It has climbed to the top,

> > step

> > > by

> > > > > > > step, and with each step taken it has reasserted itself.

> It

> > > has

> > > > > > > identified itself with the climbing of the ladder. When

> it

> > > > reaches

> > > > > > > the pinnacle where there are no more rungs left to climb,

> > the

> > > > mind

> > > > > > > has nothing more to do but relax and accept it. The mind

> is

> > > > still

> > > > > > > there on the last rung but realizes it and rests from the

> > > > climbing.

> > > > > > > >>>>

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > Fabulous.

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > When the mind comes to the " end "

> > > > > > > recognizing the utter futility,

> > > > > > > a great time to do the laundry!

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > Bill

> > > > > > >

> > > > > >

> > > > >

> > > >

> > >

> >

>