RE: Digest #444

[Guest guest]

"...Karen wrote:

Can those who have not realized the Supreme Self perceive the

oneness of all beings? Is perception the same as realization or is

perception the intellectual attempt to understand>>>"

 

Namaste everyone (esp. Karen and Linda),

Firstly, forgive me for not being present with you this week, as I

am recovering from a bad flu. I have done Ganesh Atarvashirsha

everyday..so 5..and a mala of Ganesha mantra (but it is a different,

longer one so, I think, can't be added to the "tally"). I was moved

by your email, Linda, of your experience in the cornfield and I

wanted to add my own enthusiastic "yes"! to the question that Karen

posed above.

All of my life,ever since I can remember, I have had these

experiences of "oneness of all beings". I think, in many ways, they

are what originally brought me to sadhana and also what have kept me

on the path during some of the roughest times.

Just last week, I walked over to "The Glades" (a peninsula of wild

forest and rocks that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean about a mile

from where I am living).A little way in, there is an abandoned

granite quarry. The slabs of granite make perfect meditation

platforms and you can gaze out at the ocean, the seabirds and the

clouds from something that seems alot like a traditional "meditation

cave", where a wandering sadhu might practice for a while. As I sat

there, observing everything around me, the feeling arose in me of

complete lucidity..a feeling of being more "myself" then at any

other time yet, at the same time, being totally transparent and

without boundaries. I could sense the same lucid awareness in

everything around me: the rocks I was leaning against, the sea

moving and breathing, the birds flying by, the scrub pines clinging

to the rocks, the sun above my head. Everything seemed conscious and

very "specific", very "individual" but, at the same time,

transparent. It's always this strange paradox of the individual and

the oneness that amazes me whenever I experience this "oneness". It

has helped me to understand that the "individual incarnated being"

is not, necessarily, at odds with experiencing "oneness with all

beings".

To respond to your question directly, Karen, I don't believe

there is anything "intellectual" at all about the perception of

oneness; it's an experience that comes through the pure Grace that

every incarnated being (rocks, plants, oceans, birds, animals and

humans)is capable of giving as a gift when we are able to slow down

and accept it. Every incarnated being carries the seed of oneness as

its/his/her inner being.I think this experience is constantly

available to us every minute but we (certainly including me) are

too busy looking elsewhere for it. I believe that when "realization"

occurs, we are able to hold this state of oneness as our state

but,at that time, the paradox changes and "we" don't exist any more,

so that there is no one there to experience it. Nisgardatta Maharaj

used to say we should "enjoy" the time of longing and conscious

awareness of separation and oneness since, after realization, there

is no "us" to savor the experience.

best regards to everyone,

sadhvi

[Guest guest]

the one is bigger than the litte ego! but the little ego has created

such interesting reflections on the wall of the cave! so we are

enchanted. but the reflections and their hypnotic effects makes up

the wall itself, walling our the divine. which cannot be walled out,

and therein lies the paradox.

 

looking, looking, looking; thinking, thinking, about this self-

center. the entire point of devotion is to turn attention from the

self in the cave to the infinite divine unity and oneness. no it is

not intellectual. pranams! i wish to remain with this forever, do

not make me go away ganesh.

 

 

 

, "nityashakti" <sadhvi@p...>

wrote:

> "...Karen wrote:

> Can those who have not realized the Supreme Self perceive the

> oneness of all beings? Is perception the same as realization or

is

> perception the intellectual attempt to understand>>>"

>

> Namaste everyone (esp. Karen and Linda),

> Firstly, forgive me for not being present with you this week, as

I

> am recovering from a bad flu. I have done Ganesh Atarvashirsha

> everyday..so 5..and a mala of Ganesha mantra (but it is a

different,

> longer one so, I think, can't be added to the "tally"). I was

moved

> by your email, Linda, of your experience in the cornfield and I

> wanted to add my own enthusiastic "yes"! to the question that

Karen

> posed above.

> All of my life,ever since I can remember, I have had these

> experiences of "oneness of all beings". I think, in many ways,

they

> are what originally brought me to sadhana and also what have kept

me

> on the path during some of the roughest times.

> Just last week, I walked over to "The Glades" (a peninsula of

wild

> forest and rocks that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean about a

mile

> from where I am living).A little way in, there is an abandoned

> granite quarry. The slabs of granite make perfect meditation

> platforms and you can gaze out at the ocean, the seabirds and the

> clouds from something that seems alot like a

traditional "meditation

> cave", where a wandering sadhu might practice for a while. As I

sat

> there, observing everything around me, the feeling arose in me of

> complete lucidity..a feeling of being more "myself" then at any

> other time yet, at the same time, being totally transparent and

> without boundaries. I could sense the same lucid awareness in

> everything around me: the rocks I was leaning against, the sea

> moving and breathing, the birds flying by, the scrub pines

clinging

> to the rocks, the sun above my head. Everything seemed conscious

and

> very "specific", very "individual" but, at the same time,

> transparent. It's always this strange paradox of the individual

and

> the oneness that amazes me whenever I experience this "oneness".

It

> has helped me to understand that the "individual incarnated being"

> is not, necessarily, at odds with experiencing "oneness with all

> beings".

> To respond to your question directly, Karen, I don't believe

> there is anything "intellectual" at all about the perception of

> oneness; it's an experience that comes through the pure Grace that

> every incarnated being (rocks, plants, oceans, birds, animals and

> humans)is capable of giving as a gift when we are able to slow

down

> and accept it. Every incarnated being carries the seed of oneness

as

> its/his/her inner being.I think this experience is constantly

> available to us every minute but we (certainly including me) are

> too busy looking elsewhere for it. I believe that

when "realization"

> occurs, we are able to hold this state of oneness as our state

> but,at that time, the paradox changes and "we" don't exist any

more,

> so that there is no one there to experience it. Nisgardatta

Maharaj

> used to say we should "enjoy" the time of longing and conscious

> awareness of separation and oneness since, after realization,

there

> is no "us" to savor the experience.

> best regards to everyone,

> sadhvi

[Guest guest]

Namaste ALL esp Sadhvi,

Your comments on oneness were very comforting, and it was so good of

you to share your experiences. The quote with which you ended your

post was a wonderful summary. It seems to say, "Relax, enjoy, and go

with the flow." What else is there to do, right?

Dhanyavaada,

Karen

-

nityashakti

Friday, September 17, 2004 7:56 AM

RE: Digest #444

Nisgardatta Maharaj used to say we should "enjoy" the time of longing

and conscious awareness of separation and oneness since, after

realization, there is no "us" to savor the experience.