Also by Burt Harding: Hiding in Plain Sight The Power of Awareness The Fire & Mystery of Awareness
The Truth the World Doesn’t Want You to Know BURT HARDING
In the GardenPublishing a media company of WHAT WOULD LOVE DO INT’L LTD
Copyright © 2015 by Burt Harding www.BurtHarding.com
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Contents The Most Glorious Emptiness Unconditional Love Consciousness is All There Is Unraveling Beliefs 5 Ways to Speed Up Inner Knowing The Effortless Way to the Emptiness Experience The Law of Attraction Inquiry: The Direct Path to Truth Opening the Heart; Only Love Works About the Author
The Self The Nothingness from which everything emerged. To Sivia Whose love never wavered. To Al and Shirely Ransom My Beloved Friends. To Christine Horner My publisher whose work is impeccable.
The Most Glorious Emptiness
My incessant searching for truth led me eventually to a surrender that happened during a conflicted relationship. This surrender happened out of exasperation and frustration from seeking solutions to my dilemma when I thought I knew the answers. Years of psychology led me nowhere except to giving up. This giving up the struggle to understand led to the awakening experience known as, “There are no answers to Life. There is only Life! Life is Now beyond time and space!” However, it was many years later that I fell in love with the greatest and only truth known as Emptiness in which I wrote this book, The Truth the World Doesn’t Want You to now. What is Emptiness? It is the Emptiness of mind that immediately brings Pure Awareness into Being. It is the Presence that plays the role the world calls “me” which never existed as an independent individual.
Emptiness is bliss simply because there is nothing that can bore you, which can make you feel dull, which can create anxiety, which can make you afraid, which creates anguish. There is nothing at all! This state is called bliss because it lacks greed that causes all unhappiness in humanity. After all what is happiness? Isn’t it the contentment of this moment? Yet, it is more than contentment because there are the knowing and experience of joy. Joy is the natural expression of innocence. This is seen in the infant up to three years of age. Innocence is lost the moment the infant identifies with an egoic name and body and says the first, “It is mine.” This is the beginning of unhappiness and suffering. The world is afraid of Emptiness of mind because it looks up to the mind. The world worships the mind. All the psychology I studied was about the mind and improving it, gaining more and more information to get more control of life. No one told me that all control is in Life and not “me.” I didn’t know that “me” not only was unimportant but that it actually never existed. It was this eventual clarity and realization of Emptiness that proved the inevitable knowing of my true nature as Pure Awareness. Calling it Emptiness is of tremendous importance because nobody wants emptiness. It is feared and, therefore, avoided like the plague. The world teaches you the opposite of Pure Being, and that’s the simple answer to the question, “Why is there so much suffering in the world?” The
slightest glimpse of Emptiness during meditation brings the knowing of inner sweetness known as joy. Emptiness is innocent and totally devoid of greed and thus awakens the Heart of true knowing. In Emptiness, all that is needed to know is immediately known and, love, beauty, joy, sweetness, and fullness become immediately apparent.
Unconditional Love
One evening I decided to watch the sunset at Kits Beach in Vancouver. Sat on a bench as passersby went along their merry way. As dusk set in and was completely relaxed, I watched. The sunset slowly ignited the sky with fiery shades of gray and orange and, in the distance, dark clouds rolled over the horizon riding the Summer winds. Soon, day would give way to night and, with that, would come Silence that would wash over everything. I was transfixed by a Silence that defied explanation, and yet, more eloquent than words could express. In that moment of expanded being there was no person but Spirit—Essence seeing Itself. Moments like this leave one with trust and confidence in a universe-being that is all unconditional love. Goodness is the natural flow of our natural wholeness. This filled me with a warm universal embrace combined with the knowing that nothing bad could happen to me. I am being lived! As I groped my way home in the dark, I was filled with
timeless recognition of my essence. That beauty and splendor that I had often experienced were not something I could express freely, for it was unconsciously denied and feared by most people. I recognized that people fear silence and the reason for blaring music, loud speakers, thrilling movies, fascination with murder and wars and violence, much as people hate to admit it, they look forward to exciting horror movies and grotesque adventures. Captivated by anything unusual and extra-ordinary just to escape an empty life. A life filled with struggle and suffering. One evening while giving a Satsang I asked this courageous question, “What is the major cause of suffering in the world?” I paused until I received some response. Many were given but the major point was missed. The point was, of course, that we do not know who and what we are! If we ask ourselves what is the purpose of life (why are we here, why does anything exist), What answer would we come offer? For many people this question never surfaces, because they are occupied just getting through each day. They may have a vague sense of life being about surviving, but since this does not offer much comfort, the investigation does not go any further. The plain fact is most people do not know why they exist. And, considering we do all exist, it’s surprising the exploration of existence isn’t more overtly pursued.
In the gap between daily life and the truth of existence, there’s a lot of room for assumptions. Assumptions, by definition, are formed in the mind without investigation to back them up. They are hasty conclusions about our experiences. They lack the direct knowledge of existence that can only come through conscious experience. The time has come for a shift in human consciousness. So when we ask, “What am I doing here?” “Is there an end to suffering?” “How can I find and live the truth of my Being?” Then the vision of a harmonious life is not only possible now but one we can’t afford to pass up. This book will show you a simple, unique way to transform our fundamental understanding as human beings and, how life really works. This simple knowing can be applied effortlessly to daily life and business. Follow the process in this book page by page and thus prepares you for something so simple, so effective that you will wonder how you could have missed it before. OUR FIRST CLUE What is it that fills us with frenzy to avoid? What causes the greatest psychological suffering? Isn’t it the emptiness we all feel in our life? Have we ever looked into this feeling, really looked? The moment it is experienced we start seeking to escape it with the hope of filling it, such as seeking a lover; go on a drug or drinking spree; loud party; pornography; watching
an exciting movie that temporarily takes us away from the emptiness and any activity that drowns out this pesky but horrible feeling of emptiness. And yet, despite our “doing” to escape it or fill it with addictions, the emptiness persists even more. What is this emptiness-feeling that has driven people to insanity, crimes, and suicide? Everyone experiences this feeling at some time, and it is almost always followed by an attempt to escape it. This feeling often results in loneliness, guilt, shame, feeling notgood-enough, low self-esteem and personal self-hate. Why is this feeling so persistent in everyone who has not awakened to its truth? Picture the ocean with billions of waves on its surface. Now imagine that each wave is an individual which is different, unique and separate from the rest of the waves. Now also imagine that the wave can think and feel emotional, and it sees this separation from the others and itself as an individual. It feels afraid of being sucked into the ocean and drowned to be no more. Now, imagine even further that this wave has a larger lifespan than a few seconds. Can you begin to see why separate individuals feel fear, anxiety and lack of security in a world they don’t understand? In the subconscious lurks the fear of annihilation, of death, of being left and alone. Although this basic fear is unconscious yet it expresses as emptiness, devoid of meaning, purpose and significance. Of course, this is all happening on a deeper unconscious level
that automatically prompts action and search for meaning. This seeking is inevitable because the conscious mind wants to understand on a personal level. This seeking is a seeking of love one feels deprived of. Why is this so prevalent? Why is the emptiness feeling so frightening to the point of even driving one to insanity? Here’s your first clue—emptiness is your true nature. Emptiness is merely the inner Silence of the Heart because there is no person or a separate individual, but a wholeness experienced as personal emptiness. Just like the wave feeling separate from the rest of the waves is horrified of being alone and disappearing, so is the person agonized by emptiness who feels so personal and separate. When I was a teenager I suffered from excruciating loneliness and no matter how popular I seemed to be, I could not escape this dreaded feeling. It was constantly eating away at me. I would watch my pals having fun while I pretended to do the same while feeling separate. It was many, many years later that I realized that the loneliness I felt was nothing more than Oneness in reverse. When feeling empty and seeing others having fun what is the result? Isn’t it self-pity, loneliness, feeling unloved? Yet, what if you realized that it was all personal identification (ego) that prompted the emptiness as a negative, when in truth, it was Oneness if for a moment was able to forget yourself?
In moments of exalted feeling we recognize our oneness with all, in fact, we realize we are being lived. We are LIFE itself. You are BEING playing the human role. It is life that takes care of us and always teaches us what is needed to expand our inner trust and knowing. Life or Consciousness is all there is, and it appears in billions of forms. If you dig deep into the earth, you will find a living creature that has a life, plays and enjoys itself with never a worry about what to eat or how to think. Look at the birds and their freedom. Yet, the personal human being known as “person” is a misnomer by the belief that it is separate. It is this separation that causes all the known psychological suffering. The human person wants to do, to plan, to think of the future and learn from the past, it wants to understand, to be in control and become “somebody” special. This is inherent in the conditioned ego. The paradox is this: it goes after what it already is thinking that it can gain it personally. It seeks what LIFE already is—security, safety, love, and control. And, because it seeks these qualities which are LIFE itself, it creates the belief it is limited and must gain these qualities and, it is this very seeking of approval, safety, and control that causes all the known psychological horror and insanity. How is emptiness, the thing we fear, being the wholeness itself?
The greatest human fear is annihilation, death, being no more. This fear happens because there is the belief in being
a person, or rather, a separate individual. In LIFE separation is a misnomer, after all, how can the wave be separate from the ocean. Isn’t it all the same one water? Therefore, emptiness, the most glorious beauty of love and fullness of heart as wholeness, is seen as a threatening monster for one simple reason–the person has extricated himself from the ery LIFE that lives him. He feels alone and so emptiness, which is Silence of the Heart, is experienced as a threat by the unawareness of the seeming separate individual. A human being is a wholeness for, after all, it is BEING playing the human role. Once we see the truth, even for a moment, we would also see that emptiness meant Silence, inner joy, tranquility, peace, bliss. When the human recognizes itself playing the role and comes to know, beyond any doubt, that it is Consciousness doing everything. There is only Consciousness, the Source, doing everything. The personal suffers because they simply see separation. It is like the One Ocean with billions of waves on its surface. Each wave is unique, separate and different, and yet, it is all the same one water. Now, if one wave believed for a second that it is truly separate then the fear of annihilation, death and being—no-more would take over the feeling of its existence. It has replaced its Oneness the ocean by believing it is just a wave. Imagine now if you pause for a moment and feel this statement that is the truest statement you will ever hear: There is only Consciousness. Everything that seems to be taking place is a play of Consciousness.
Consciousness is All There Is
This statement, “Consciousness is all there is,” says it all. Consciousness has been named God, Life, Oneness, Unconditional Love, Spirit, Absolute, Almighty, Infinite Being and so on. It is all there is, and it plays all the roles. You are a human being, and, therefore, you are BEING playing the human role called John or Mary. It does everything and is everything. It is both unmanifest as pure awareness and manifest as consciousness in appearance. The world controlled by thought (mind) is unaware of this play initially. Then it wakes up and becomes aware that there never was or could be a personal, individual self. It is not possible to have a separate individual life any more than a wave of the ocean can have a separate life from its ocean. However, there are FOUR STAGES before consciousness can recognize itself as the Whole Consciousness. Whatever is written here is the way it is, however, keep an open heart as you read. Write down the questions as they
arise and keep them handy and you will see that as you go from stage to stage things become not only clearer but actually begin to make sense as the conditioned mind gives way to clearer seeing. These four stages will be covered in greater detail as we go on. Briefly they are:
1. STAGE
ONE comprises of 90% of the population (at the time of this writing). This is known as the average human consciousness that is oblivious of its true essence. This is the belief in being a separate person.
2. STAGE
TWO is the seeking stage where one asks consciously or unconsciously, “There has to be a better way to live!” It still believes in being a separate person, and so seeks answers, systems of belief, doctrines, teachings, programs, and so on that can bring meaning to one’s life.
3.
STAGE THREE is the time of confusion yet the bridge has been crossed and there is no way back. Either one gives up from lack of answers, surrendering to Grace and awakening happens or, stays stuck for the rest of his or her life. A Teacher is essential at this stage to help cross the bridge to Stage
Four. One still believes in being a person. The years of seeking have brought knowledge and intellectual understanding but no peace, love or joy.
4.
STAGE FOUR is the actual awakening or seeing clearly. At this point, you will see that everything you believed takes a headlong leap into oblivion and see a whole new perspective where nothing you thought about truth had any validity. This happens through Grace and Surrender.
Let us now take these stages one by one. Remember, in truth there are no stages but simply expanding ways of seeing LIFE as Oneself. However again, these stages are my own realization through many years of study, meditation, hypnotherapy work and my own final seeing clearly. Read with an open heart and see where you fit in without identifying with it but simply to help you expand deeper inner knowing. And here’s the paradox: initially you learn a lot until finally everything drops away and see that there never was anyone to awaken or see clearly. But, we are getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s take it step by step. FIRST STAGE OF AWAKENING All my life, as with most of us, I’d had this consciousness notion of an individual in control of his life. We were
taught this in our psychology and advice from elders. If things seemed to be going my way I was very satisfied and proud, but when things weren’t going my way, which wasn’t unusual, I was angry, disappointed and generally miserable. But there was always the thought that I had just to work harder or do something different and could make life go my way. This stage usually has a belief in God–a God that is an entity up in the sky somewhere. In other words, a belief that if there is a God then it is outside you. This stage covers a wide range of humans, but all have these characteristics–they all believe that they are their body and mind even though they refer to their body as “my body.” They all have their own set of beliefs without direct proof of their validity. In other words, they either belong to some religion or are atheists yet without knowing their true nature. If you ask anyone at this stage, “Who are you?” they will answer by their name, past or occupation, etc. They are completely convinced that the world is real and that what happens to them is also very real. If adverse circumstances happen to them, then they blame someone or something for their occurrence. They also believe in time and space as facts and can’t see or understand how NOW is all there is. This stage is given in brief because if you are reading
this then you are already moving beyond it into the second stage at least. SECOND STAGE OF AWAKENING You are aware that life is filled with suffering and thus carry the burden of sadness at how the world is going. You are often shocked at man’s inhumanity to man and at wars, animal cruelty and general hypocrisy of mankind whether it is politics, profession, business or even religions. You are often shocked by hearing news of how even religions create wars and hatreds even among themselves. Hindus against Muslims; Catholics against Protestants; how some countries still treat women unfairly and so on. This stage begins the SEARCH consciously or unconsciously for a better way of life. This question is often asked or experienced, “There has to be a better way to live.” This is a seeking stage often getting attracted to some system of belief or some program. The internet is full of them promising all kinds of benefits. Chances are you gravitate to some structured form that suits your personality. Here you start believing in God but often with reservations or not fully convinced. You often carry the belief that you could help the world reform or belong to something that would bring some positive change. This seeking can’t be helped for in your heart you wish
to make a difference. In other words, in this stage you mean well. This stage could last a lifetime if you become stuck in a system of belief you think is the best one yet. THE THIRD STAGE OF AWAKENING This stage is inevitable after years of seeking. This is the inevitable stage of confusion where you know where you want to go but unsure and insecure. This confusing stage has thousands of questions that can’t be answered to your satisfaction. You have seen so many controversies, paradoxes and incompatible beliefs that you don’t know anything for sure. Most intelligent inquiring people end up in this stage. It is inevitable. Why? The truth you are seeking is the very thing you are unconsciously avoiding. For example, it is here that you begin to discover that it is all about LOVE and yet the one thing you fear the most is love because you don’t fully understand it. You had believed that love was emotional, and yet you slowly discover here that LOVE is the Source itself, it is the Wholeness you are. Love is the emptiness you fear. However, it baffles you because you still do not feel this love that is found in Silence, beyond thought, time, and space. You thought of love as loving rather than BEING our very nature of Heart. Yet that would imply rising above being a separate individual.
You see, here you gradually begin to see that love is the whole ocean, but you still see yourself as the wave separate from the other waves. You still want to be separate and different. You still want to be different and better without facing the fact that such a state of Being implies selfishness, self-consciousness, greed, narrow-ness and withholding. In truth, you are beginning to know that LOVE is the only thing that works, and yet you still want it on your own terms which is not possible. Truth is Oneness. Truth is that which is beyond limitation and is perfection itself which is a staggering mountain in your path. Yet, you can’t help wanting to awaken fully and find lasting peace often referred to as the Kingdom of God, Nirvana, the fullness of Heart. This stage, when driven by a sincere drive for truth often finds a teacher who can guide you. There are many wonderful clear teachers still living that can bring clarity and open you to the fourth stage. This third stage is a very difficult stage because you have burned the bridge behind you and can’t go back, and et, you are afraid to go forward beyond your own made-up identity. Teachers who have passed on from their body are Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, Poonjaji, and other Advaita Vedanta masters. Presently still alive (2015) are the following I respect and love and can help you see the simplicity of Truth as already that which you are right now.
They are . . . Mooji (Satsang teacher) Jon Bernie (Satsang teacher) Rupert Spira (Advaita teacher) David Bingham (Conscious.tv) Roger Linden (Conscious.tv) THE FOURTH STAGE OF AWAKENING This awakening happens when all seeking drops and finally see that everything you thought about Truth was just concepts. The taste of Truth is truly magnificent beyond words. This awakening happens to no one because you, as a body/mind person just disappears and yet, paradoxically, nothing changes in your character. You just see clearly.
Unraveling Beliefs
What does it mean “there is no person?”
It means that all seeking to be better; to be different; to plan for tomorrow and learn from the past is seen so clearly that all fears are gone, and only the eternal NOW remains. In other words, you are free from personal limiting belief in separation. You see clearly that the word ‘personal’ means FEAR. When you take anything personally you are easily hurt, offended, defensive, judgmental, seek revenge (getting even) and so on. Fear is spelled F.E.A.R. meaning–False Evidence Appearing Real. Thus, our whole personal made-up behavior works that way. Take a moment to feel this out and how accurate it is. When the personal falls away, it simply means that fear has fallen away. And remember, that all anxiety, stress, apprehension and even doubt of yourself are fears resulting from personal selfidentity.
When the personal self is absent, there is the clarity of how glorious and beautiful NOW is. Even a moron has the capacity to eventually see that NOW is all there is. NOW is Oneness and has no separation. All fears have dropped because only the person can have fears. Nothing has changed but the actual process of finally waking up to the truth that has no beginning or end. The past is gone and the future not-yet. Nothing can happen outside of NOW! See it this way: Are you the body that keeps changing from infancy to old age or the one who witnesses these changes? If you are the witness of all these changes, then, how can you change? The awareness that witnesses all changes in consciousness is itself unchanging, eternal, beginningless and endless. Awareness knows no birth or death but works through the form and beyond it. You are a human BEING–BEING playing the human role. There are now over seven billion people on this earth. Here’s the kicker. There’s only ONE AWARENESS. Each human believes it is theirs. There is no individual awareness–there is only ONE AWARENESS! As you read these words, who is reading them, seeing them? The “person” will answer, “I DO,” but the Truth is this: it is awareness seeing the words. Repeating, there is only One Awareness manifesting as consciousness in many bodies. The recognition you are not a person is the freedom everyone is seeking. It is the liberation from all psychological suffering. It is actually the realization of the
obvious. When it suddenly strikes you that you are not a person, you will be amazed at how obvious it has been but there was never the courage to look at it. This freedom from the person is the freedom from fear, any fear, even doubt, confusion, death or change. In fact, seeking stops and fear drops like the leaves in Autumn. What is assumed to be at the heart of all experience, namely that I have to be there experiencing it, is not what’s happening. It is not “you” (the person) who is experiencing reading these words – the experience is of you reading! In other words, you don’t do anything as it all simply happens through consciousness. Here’s an example, a boy is playing with his ball and having so much fun that there is no boy having fun—just the experience of fun taking place. When the mother stops the boy and asks him, “Are you having fun?” he will probably not know what to say. The boy wasn’t having fun–he was the fun! Here’s another example: A couple meet and feel a magnetic attractive force of love. He may say, “I love you,” and she may also say the same. However, in truth there is no one loving another but LOVE happening. Nothing is ever personal except in our fear-based daily life where we believe we do things. Consciousness does everything through us, and it makes us also believe we are doing it personally. This personal human addiction brings with it attachment, fear of loss, fear of rejection, fear of not doing enough, fear of tomorrow and
generally all negative pain and suffering is the result of this fear. We wake up to our glorious, beautiful BEING when we see this clearly. There is no person. Thoughts, emotions, a sense of physicality and muscular sensations and contractions support the illusion that there is a personal self located within the body. Do you get this feeling? “I seem to be in my head looking and experiencing life from this perspective.” This is merely the experience of seeming duality that affects all humans until they wake up to the truth of their being. What about the feeling of “I?” Isn’t this “I” personal?
Actually, there seems to be an “I” but it is Consciousness. This “I” believes it is making choices and initiating action. Every human being has this basic “I.” This “I” which we usually call “me” is the first name given to the newborn prior to his name such as John or Mary. In other words, this “I” starts to feel “mine” in a child when it reaches the age of three or so and attaches itself to its new name. This “I” then becomes distorted into this “me” that says “this is mine” and thus the personal gets born. From then on suffering starts as the attachments to comfort, preference, owning, competing and judging good and bad and so on and on. In Truth, this “I” is the I AM of the eternal Being in us. It is a mystery how we seem to be ONE with all. Consciousness is all there is often known as God. It plays all the roles and creates all the stories.
When the awakening happens through seeing clearly there is only Consciousness playing all roles and stories, we become silent, happy, fulfilled as a human being. We actually feel, “I AM FINALLY AT HOME,” where beginning and end is no more but eternal perfection and unconditional love. In other words, “I AM BEING LIVED.” I feel strongly I am making all the decisions and choices?
Yes, this is the whole point initially until we wake up and find that in retrospect whatever happened had to be and was not consciously planned. Consciousness plays the role, and our body/mind acts. If the action leads to suffering, then it was something we needed to learn. What is it that we need to learn in every case?
Very simply: to know that we are being lived! This knowing is itself trust in the ultimate Being. The Ultimate Being, which we are, has our best interest always. The reason our life gets caught in the never-ending struggle, pain and suffering is because we haven’t learned to let go et of our need to control what-is! I can’t quite get my head around that I am not in control of my life?
Welcome to the club. The “me” has no control since there is only Self doing everything. The aim of this Self is always
unconditional love, believe it or not. But if it is all Oneness then why aren’t I in control when I AM Oneness itself.
I AM is Oneness, but not personal or individual. Look at it this way, when you make someone happy don’t you feel happy also? This is LOVE. Only LOVE works. What about loving myself?
Yes, loving yourself is the result of waking up and seeing there is only LOVE known as Consciousness or Oneness. Seeking, which I can’t help, is driven by a sense of incompleteness, of something missing, a longing to feel at ease and at home in myself. How is that wrong? There is no wrong but simply what you are conscious of. You meditate and practice spiritual ritual believing that would help. They do bring benefits but do not fully satisfy. This is because they cannot alter or remove the compelling assumption that there is an “I” experiencing them. How can we become free from so many years of conditioning and belief systems?
Liberation, that is, freedom of Being awakens complete and permanent evaporation of any sense of separate self. This doesn’t happen through practice but through seeing clearly there has never been, or could be a personal self. What awakens is a silent spacious clarity of Being, the
realization that there is only Wholeness. This experience is ery sweet, tender, soft, feminine wondrous translucent immediacy of unconditional love. When I took up spiritual seeking and practice, all I wanted was to feel good!
Yes, that’s the initial motivation until the third stage when we get all mixed up and confused that all the practice did was just temporary feel-good. Only through transcending the personal self can we find lasting peace and true power. When we realize the truth, we assume that the personal self did it! Yes, and that’s why we seem to lose it after or is only temporary. There is no personal self except in our hypnotized unconscious conditioning. It is awareness seeing itself. It is Oneness in which Life is appearing. In the awakened state (fourth stage), everything is seen as radiant, unconditional love. This is not acquired but seen as always having been the case. This is why it is called “an awakening.” Is answering the questions here helping us?
It only helps to clear the cobwebs from our seeing, that is, if we are willing to see. These answers do not remove the cobwebs of a personal self unless there is the willingness to see this truth in life. Initially, it appears that everything is personal. After
awakening the opposite becomes clear that there has never been a separate person, but simply life appearing. What is it that causes so much pain and fear to the personal self?
It is the personal self itself which is the pain and fear. Psychology never taught us that the personal self is itself fear. It taught us how to cope which is which is so limited and weak in comparison with seeing clearly how things are. Healing pain and psychological suffering are so simple that ou’ll wonder how backward our educational system is. The moment you start seeing how things truly are, that in itself becomes the permanent healing. Lately, I have been involved in Skype sessions worldwide, and the results of those interested students were akin to miraculous. When the personal self is seen clearly for what it is, then there is the never changing realization that the problem was the personal itself. Why is the personal self alone the cause of the problem?
The personal self tries to protect and reinforce the illusion of being separate; then it is also seen that the personal was itself the problem. Why do psychiatrists, psychologists and counselors not help us to see this?
They don’t for many reasons. First, they do not know what their true nature is (although, to be fair, many psychiatrists and psychologists are waking up). Secondly, people do not want to hear about their personal identity being an illusion. It is scary as hell for the average consciousness to hear the truth. And yet, when fully understood, two things happen. First, they see that problems only exist from the self-image created by personal identity, and secondly, that for the intelligent student it is not hard to grasp. So to repeat: all problems, fears, and emotional pain are the personal self itself. It is the identity with it. The personal self (the person) is nothing more than the strain and resistance of life. It is always seeking to feel better and seek pleasure thus blocking true lasting joy of BEING. Hearing the news about the personal self being THE problem itself is sort of a shock.
Yes, but this shock is needed to ground you into the NOW, which is the only possible solution and lasting healing. I admit that the very conception that there is no personal self can sound very odd indeed. It can feel like a real loss. A loss that seems to be crucial and fundamental to the ordinary experience of life. I have heard the cry, “What will I be without ‘me?’” People might think it is like being a zombie or some such thing to be without personal self, and yet, the opposite is true. Living without self-consciousness has been my
greatest and lasting joy. No matter how many reasons I hear that the personal me is an illusion, I am still scared to death in losing it!
I understand, but it is not the loss of something that was real but the assumption what was mistaken. In other words, we fear losing the personal self because we haven’t realized it was never real but an image of the mind, a false identity creating havoc in the background. How many people do ou know who are afraid of being vulnerable, open, free and often afraid of being taken advantage of and misrepresented? Here is my fear–how shall I act with my family if I lose “me” idea?
They will not notice any difference at all except that you are sweeter and more warm and loving, easier to get along with. How come we never knew about this teaching until the last few years?
This teaching was taught to us by Jesus, Buddha, and other great masters, but we didn’t hear it as the teaching became lost in religious concepts by priests and ministers who never grasped the real meaning of truth. For example, Jesus said emphatically, “It is when you lose yourself that you find yourself.” This teaching has been in all scriptures but has been mislabelled by scholars who were not “ready” for
such depth in their translations. Remember that the real teaching of truth was often given in Aramaic or another language difficult to translate into English. What actually happens when we lose our personal identity?
The word “loss” is a misnomer because you can’t lose that which is not real. Also what happens is a great sense of freedom. If only I could find the right words to impart the real meaning of joy and celebration that such so-called loss creates. So when you transcend the ego-mind (personal self) will ou stop mentioning your name and your past history? No, once you clearly see that there is no ego self (personal self) then you also see that all past is a story. You might still tell your story, but you know, beyond a doubt, it is just a story. Life becomes so rich every moment and, there is no longer any sense of personal reference although the memory has not been erased. I find that my mind is always busy thinking this and that that a lot of energy is burnt up, and yet it happens beyond my control. What can I do?
When the personal self starts to fall away so does the busyness of the mind. However, I will show you in the next few pages ways to awaken greater awareness with simple, effortless methods. Make sure that what you are reading is
being absorbed by your heart. The less you think about it, the better. Truth cannot be figured out and not grasped by the mind. However, the wonderful thing is this, that the moment your heart is open to this truth then you can actually start feeling subtle energies happening within you. So, when one realizes this truth what state would they be in?
It is not a state. It is the natural being restored. What is realized is the nature of Being. The nature of BEING is BEING “to be.” This means there is that aha! Moment of actually seeing that NOW is all that ever was and IS! It is quite something to actually see this truth. The nature of BEING is timeless! It is timeless and absolute. Please hear this as I for the first time! Has there ever been anything that did not happen NOW? Has NOW a beginning or end? Is there an exit to NOW?
It is quite something to realize that NOW is all there is known as Consciousness. The moment it strikes you like a bolt of lightning that there is only NOW then a miracle or Grace can happen. The personal self just drops! We take it for granted that the past happens when we remember it. However, even the remembering is NOW. Actually past and future are illusions. There is no continuity to NOW. There is only NOW! Get it! Now answer this question . . . Pause and listen.
How can there be a personal self in the NOW?
The personal self is a history made up from a story of the past which changes in its meaning every time it is repeated. The personal self is made up of a past previously assumed to be the experience of life. This carrying on cannot happen in a timeless NOW! When we think of the eternal, then we think of a continuity that goes on forever. There is nothing that goes on forever. There is only NOW that has no beginning or end in truth. All this becomes clear the moment our heart actually HEARS IT! The word “forever” implies something that goes on and on. There isn’t something that goes on and on; there is only the eternal timeless NOW. This is why people believe in past lives and future lives because there is still the belief in continuity. Continuity implies a horizontal stretch of time. Whereas in truth there is only NOW as TIMELESS and that ery simple truth known to the heart is sufficient knowing of truth. When we realize this truth, is there a chance of losing it?
See it this way, let’s assume you don’t know whether you are a man or a woman and then you see when naked that ou are a man. Do you feel you can lose this knowing? Once realization happens you have just awakened to the truth of how it is and has always been. When you awaken, it’s solid. You always believed you were a separate person and
never questioned it. Then one day, you realize that all seven billion people feel that way too. How can we be all alike and same consciousness and be separate? It is this whammo hit on the head that awakens us. Actually, it is SEEING THE OBVIOUS! Will your friends, relatives, and family find you greatly changed?
The chances are that people do not notice much because they are all absorbed into their personal, illusory lives. However, someone who always cared for you might notice that you have become stronger, clearer, sweeter and warmer. Since seeking stops after awakening do you still practice meditation?
There is no practice, but meditation happens by itself. There is such a sweetness and joy in just BEING still. The very thing that bothered the person, which was emptiness, is now our greatest joy. Our seeing now sees wholeness everywhere and even in traffic and bustling downtown we can still see the beauty of Being and stillness. It has been said that Truth is simple and obvious. Can you clarify?
Everything that had been taken as “my” experience of life,
“my” experience of what was assumed to be “me” being conscious, “me” being aware, a “me” who felt expansion— all of that was appearing in that which is timeless and unchanging. In other words, the seeing of life is directed by the timeless and unchanging. You see, the person sees constant change, activity, motion, noise and things happening. The awake-being sees the same things but in the context of timeless, unchanging beingness. One day I sat near a running brook taking a rest from cycling. At that moment I witnessed things as they actually were—silent, still, timeless. Everything was lit with a whole new beauty. I noticed the miracle of a twig forcing its way through a rock; a bird alighting next to me and the orchestrated sound of water. In that ordinary place was heaven. Why does awakening happen to some and not others?
The answer is very simple. Are you willing to look and see without any egoic identity? When we look with open heart there is no judgment, good or bad, right or wrong, should or shouldn’t. There is ust what-is as the stillness of Being. It has nothing to do with spiritual practice but only with innocent, pure eyes of love that see beyond personal measurement and agenda. So, such a one doesn’t see problems, right?
Daily life is filled with people who are suffering from stress and a study made by the Health Department in the US stated that the greatest percentage of the population are stressed-out. When the question was asked, “What is the major problem?” nobody could pinpoint according to a survey study. Some claimed financial worries, others health problems, many blamed government and so on and on. Yet, what is stress? You have read about it here, so what is stress in simple terms? Isn’t it self-concern? The awakened one is no longer self-concerned because he/she realized they are being lived by an infinite intelligence that will never let them down. The awakened have no problem. When does the problem start?
It starts very early in life and subject to the country, tradition, religion and parental conditioning. No one teaches ou that there is no separate individual. This Truth is what the world doesn’t want you to know. How can one get rid of this personal identity quickly?
Any effort, no matter how small, will increase the personal attachment. So how does one go about it? The answer is so simple, but it is probably missed even after reading this far. The answer is this: are you willing to see if there’s such a thing as personal self in reality? If you pursue this inquiry
until you discover the truth, then it will fall away by itself. No effort is needed. How will you discover this directly?
Ask yourself if there is a problem in your life no matter how minute. Find out what it is that is causing the fear, anxiety, insecurity, loneliness, anger, depression, worry, unrest, etc. and you will be led automatically, in every case, to egoic identification. What if I find I cannot do it?
That’s okay! Nobody can really, but, when the drive for what is true and beautiful and glorious and happy is strong, then it will start to happen through the awareness of your own need, which in this case your need to block your joy and love nature. The personal self is driven by the need to be right; the need to be approved of and loved; to be in control and power; to be safe and secure. When these needs begin to lose their grip, to that extent you will start being free. It all happens through the judgmental mind wanting control. But here’s the thing, I want to be in control and be right if I am to be truthful!
That’s right! And that is because you haven’t yet discovered your true Self and that it is this True Self (Oneness) that lives you. Once you trust it implicitly to take care of you, the dream illusion will fall away, and so will
our ego. Then by allowing yourself to be lived by Wholeness (God) you will be in control without trying; you will be safe without trying; you will be secure without trying; you will be loved without trying. This is why Jesus said, “When you get rid of yourself you will find YourSelf.” WHAT ABOUT FEELINGS? It is all about feeling! How you feel physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually is affecting you. Feelings can be ery subtle because they can be unconsciously experienced such as, “How do I feel about this book or person?” We udge, understand, act according to how we feel. Unconscious feelings become so much a part of us that we believe there is no other way we can be. In fact, we are feeling-being. How do you feel right now reading these words? You are being affected by how you feel every moment and yet it is all happening on an unconscious level that then becomes a belief. A belief feels so real that we do not question it. Our whole view of Life is determined by how we feel about it, no matter what “it” is! The truth of our Being is Pure Awareness. From this awareness emerges thought. When thought is believed to be real, it becomes an emotion and then we feel stuck in that emotion and believe it is who we are. When we ask, “Who
am I?” we find ourselves numb, uncertain, insecure and even frightened. This is the average state of the person in daily life. How important is it to be aware of feelings and how to deal with them? No answer is needed here because its grave importance stands out like a sore thumb. How do we start? The first step is to know yourself as simply pure presence, pure awareness. You could be locked in a dark room, wearing dark clothes with nothing around ou in that room and still, despite the absence of objects, ou still know YOU ARE! You might not know what and who you are, but, you still know you are! Got it! You exist, and you know you exist. This is your first step. How you came into being and why are not important in this case. What is important is knowing that you simply are here now. Who is here now? You might not know, and it is okay! Just stick with the fact that you know you exist because your true nature is awareness. This is your first in awakening your heart. Your mind has many concepts and ideas about all this according to how it was raised to believe, however, lay aside all ideas and beliefs and stick with what is obvious. What is obvious? I exist! What is the first word that identifies you? Isn’t it this “I” you believe you are? You believe you are unique, different and separate from all others and yet you have the basic same “I” everyone else has. What differs from everyone else is not this “I” that you are. What differs from
everyone else is what you think this “I” is! Therefore, here we are making progress already. We know “I” is universal and what we think about it is personal. Let’s stick with this “I” without what you think about it, okay? Are you with me so far? Now we are in a state of BEING just with this “I” which is not only what we are but also the truth of our BEING. Put aside what you think about it and just feel this BEINGNESS – just awareness of everything around you without actually thinking about them. You are aware you are here and now. You are aware you have a body and mind. You are aware of any sounds and activities taking place both inside and outside you and yet, without thinking about them, you are in a state of BEING. This state of Being, as you stay for a few seconds longer without reading further, ask yourself this question, “How do I feel right this moment being nothing?” Feel your feeling. Be the feeling fully! Just be still . . . At this moment, there is peace, tranquility even contentment. It is subtle feeling of being relaxed. This natural state has the potential of being completely joyous even ecstatic when recognized. This is your true natural state of pure awareness without thinking. This subtle, pure feeling is known as the heart. The heart always knows what you want because it is who you really are. For example, let’s say you are feeling bad. Ask
our heart, “How do I prefer to feel instead of this?” Without thinking and without looking for an answer the heart will respond, “I prefer to feel good!” Agreeing with that even follows your heart that says, “It is natural to want to feel good.” Why? Because it is your natural state of Being. LIFE is good, and it is living you fully unless you interfere by thinking about it. Is thinking about it wrong? No, of course not, thinking is essential for living daily life. However, thoughts identify the “I” with whatever judgments the mind makes about good and bad and that’s when we fall from Grace. Remember the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were prohibited from eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. By eating from that tree, they were lost in duality and thus confused, uncertain, and afraid became their lot. Now, by getting in touch with our heart (which is beyond thinking), we find what is the natural thing for us. What is the natural thing for us? Isn’t it feeling good? Goodness, happiness, peace, love and joy are our true nature. These feelings are not emotions but our natural state when we abide in the heart. The word “heart” refers to our ery essence, core being. Now that you have had a glimpse of your true nature, which is pure awareness, which is also the “I” in its universal meaning, you know that you are good, powerful, beautiful and grand Being. What blocks us from knowing something so simple and
obvious? It happens when we believe that this “I” is strictly your mind and thoughts, beliefs, conditioning. Therefore, it is when you start believing you are a separate person instead of a beautiful, awesome yet innocent human being. When we return to our fundamental feeling nature, it is always a good feeling. This is why we like feeling good because it is who who we are. When you find yourself facing some difficult or unpleasant feeling, let yourself be that feeling. Don’t be with the with the feeling, as a passive observer, rather, BE THE FEELING ITSELF. When you are being the feeling, there’s no thinking. You are not judging it good or bad. If you are being with the with the feeling, there’s still separation. There’s the personal “you,” and and there’s the feeling feeling “you” are being with. There’s still ego functioning; there’s still someone having the feeling. But freedom is not for someone (individual); freedom is for NOW-HERE BEING. This is how healing happens. As long as there’s someone having feelings, you are still identified. Identification is the source of suffering; it is the ery definition of suffering. But when you are being feeling, there’s no more identification. Once you drop the personal ego–that is, is, once you allow yourself to be fully present in this moment–there’s moment–there’s no more personal personal ego, no more identity, and, therefore, no more suffering. Make sure you understand the above for it is the key to healing physical, mental and emotional problems. The
secret of healing is simple and obvious once you fully understand being in the heart instead of the mind. I don’t get this idea of being the feeling as you described it.
This is a common question, and it requires the feeling of merging. This merging is of both feeling and awareness as one. For example, if you are feeling pain, can you tell the difference from pleasure. How do they differ? For example, there are people who actually enjoy the pleasure of pain in sex, where do you cross the line? At this point, there is no longer “me” and my feelings! The separation between them anishes. This is what is meant by being awareness, same thing. You see, at this moment there is no connection with the story of that emotion. It’s being one with the rush of energy moving through. I can’t help getting into my story; it is just there and get caught.
Seeing that you are getting caught in the story is a good start. The story fuels the emotion; it is the surface. You go to the source. The story helps you to access what is being felt, but it is way deeper than the story. One time a man wanted to know why he kept failing at everything he tried. Every failure, no matter how small, drove him into excruciating pain, and it kept repeating
throughout many years. One time I asked him to go to the source of the story and really be with the feeling. Then it happened. As a young man, he always wanted to help his father in the workshop. His father impatient and abrupt kept telling him that he is a failure and will never amount to anything (as he kept dropping the nails, etc.). This story was unconscious until he went directly into the feeling beyond the story. The direct oneness with with the feeling brought him directly into the source of the problem problem without looking for it. We make a feeling into a problem when we either try to avoid it or recall stories around it which may not be the source of the pain. In other words, we block or prevent it from fully moving. moving. Many people have to relearn how to feel. This is not coping with the pain (emotion) but being one with it. In other words, you are not telling yourself how awful this pain is but rather what what is it really when you look into it and be one with it without without judging it. In brief, the hardest part is getting to understand just to hang in there! This understanding of how to feel is not easy for the mind that wants to get rid of it; to escape and avoid pain and discomfort. This is one of the biggest lessons initially in our spiritual seeking. We believe we can find truth by seeking for it when in fact it is staring us in the face, and we don’t see it! It is through seeing our own discomfort that we find the gem of clarity and awakening. It is when we ask, “Who is
experiencing discomfort?” that we start seeing a little clearer. Why is it like this? Why do we need to suffer in the first place? What’s it all about anyway?
If I say that Life is perfect, it is not enough. When Masters talk about their fulfilled lives, we still wonder if it is all a hoax! Let us go back into how it all started or, as the Heart comes to understand it when it awakens. Pure Awareness is the eternal Infinite Being. It lived in great joy. The Yogis called it sat—chit-ananda which meant pure awareness is bliss. In the scriptures, it was given as Garden of Eden or Heaven. Buddha called it Nirvana. This pure awareness, which was pure unbounded joy, wanted to experience itself. It was like the eyes that see but cannot see themselves. So, it created thought in order to experience itself directly. So now, awareness, could witness the thought it creates. The moment thought was created consciousness was born. Consciousness expressed itself as a form so it could see itself. This also created duality. Duality meant opposites to experience through comparison, as comparison provided means of realizing the truth of Heaven. For example, how can you know tall unless you experienced something shorter? How can you know warm unless you experienced cold? Similarly, how can you know oy unless you experienced sadness? And so this creation by consciousness was called
“human Being.” Being appearing human in order to experience directly its own magnificence. Thought also created a “mind” to cope with survival based on measurement, comparisons, stages, evolution and primarily time-consciousness. These aspects were not the truth, but temporary states to experience itself. Time created beginnings and endings that were also temporary states of experiencing the Infinite Being of Oneness. The BEING (pure awareness) which appeared having human form made up of trillions of living-and-dying cells provided the perfect background for direct experience. The world as we know it was created by thought (mind). Therefore, the world, which the human began to believe is truth, became immersed in it and temporarily lost connection with his true Being. This was called the “Fall of Man” in the scriptures. Man’s mind began different studies to understand itself such as science, biology, philosophy, psychology, astrology, anthro-pology physics and so on. These studies were based on the assumption that man evolves into the greater potential. However, a great confusion arose because of these studies implying imperfection leading to perfection through trial and error. Although there was some truth in this trial-and-error bit, yet the Wholeness, which Man already is, was not seen. Human Being meant the Wholeness which already IS! And thus Man (man and women) made the belief in time so real that it became blind to its own perfect state called NOW!
Pause for a moment and reflect on NOW and you will gradually start awakening in a way you never dreamed possible. NOW has no beginning or end; NOW is Eternal and Infinite; NOW is the Truth that continually escaped us. We didn’t realize that this NOW was, and IS, the Truth we could never see. Thus, time took its toll on the human mind and created all the wars, control issues, different religions that meant well initially but succumbed due to lack of clarity about time. Yes, yes–it is all about NOW, and there is nothing hidden, no truth other than NOW itself. And, this is the great paradox of our ignorance. TRUTH BEING NOW IS SO SIMPLE that we could not see its obviousness. If we give ourselves, here and now, direct experience into NOW and realize its truth, we will awaken here and now. There are no stages to clarity, no levels of understanding other than ways to make us understand simplicity. There is nothing to attain or accomplish or control in life. There is really no choice, no purpose and no goal necessary to be achieved once NOW is fully grasped! Can anything happen other than NOW? Can NOW have a beginning? Can NOW have an end? We try to understand, even NOW as we look at NOW, without mind trying to figure it out and reach some conclusions and miss the point because NOW is beyond mind. NOW is the Heart itself!
We believe we have problems but only because we miss this NOW! Yes, this is the ultimate truth that the world doesn’t want you to know! There is nowhere to go and nothing to accomplish or control or change because NOW is utterly PERFECT!! Our confusion stage happens because we keep missing the NOW in trying to figure out and reach our own intellectual understanding when in truth there is nothing to understand! NOW is nothingness itself because it is pure awareness beyond fear and suffering. Did you know that fear cannot happen NOW? Fear is always something we fear which means a future concept. Death is not fearful when it happens but only when ou think about it. Why? Death is Life itself. It is the end of time as we know it and continues in the NOW! Yet, there is no continuity in NOW since NOW is eternally SO! The mind cannot understand NOW because it can only think in time. NOW is beyond time! The mind would rather block itself rather than admit its own ignorance. There’s literally nothing to know but SEE THE TRUTH that is NOW! How is NOW connected with feeling?
NOW itself is pure feeling whereas time is the negativity of feeling and any attempts at trying to avoid, suppress, ignore
and rid oneself of bad feelings is merely to perpetuate their power over you. So what do you do with negative feelings? NOTHING. Just bring your NOW awareness into it and see it directly and it will heal instantly! Problems and fears cannot exist NOW. They only exist in time. So is that what is meant by awakening, seeing there is only NOW!?
That’s it! Anything so-called negative is not bad but mind produced through hypnotic conditioning. See directly into it as it is experienced and healing is instant. How and why? Negativity is a time feeling. Time is the illusion of separateness. When we are beingawareness our experience is timeless, seamless. And when separation dissolves, when being-awareness is no longer something special, but just the way things are, then we are one with the truth, the Divine, whatever you want to call it. When we are at peace, when we are Oneness, then nothing is lacking. It is not something to do but to see that NOW is perfection itself! WHAT HOLDS US BACK? What holds us back from being free?
For the last 12 years or so I have been replying to viewers of my videos regarding their problems. Most complained that no matter how simple truth is, they feel stuck. Now the
key question becomes: what causes this stuckness? Here is the reply to that question. The only thing holding us back from being free is that which we are avoiding! It feels easy and simple enough, but the real issue in this avoidance is this: we are not aware we are avoiding. It is all done unconsciously. So how can we become conscious of this avoidance? But more importantly–how can we uncover it? Here is the first clue. Everything we are avoiding is trying to reveal itself all the time. This is where we have to be aware of our stresses. These are unconscious pressures that we are either pushing outward or drawing inward. In other words, it is what we are trying to control in our world or what we are suppressing and holding inside us. In my hypnotherapy practice, I briefly studied the nine Enneagram types of people and their needs for fulfillment. These are arious ways in which we express our conditioned minds. Briefly they are: 1.
Perfectionists and therefore often feel not good enough or not done well.
2.
Need to feel loved and therefore easily hurt or disappointed if they feel rejected or unloved as they expected to be.
3.
Belief in achievement to feel worthy. They are often setting goals reaching outwards.
4.
Need to identify themselves; often felt abandoned.
5.
They seek intellectual knowing and miss the heart.
6.
They seek safety and security and so have set ways.
7.
They are optimistic but plan for a future and miss NOW.
8.
They seek to control and are often out of touch with the heart.
9.
They seek harmony and afraid of making waves when angry. Thus, they avoid the negative instead of learning from it.
Note: You can find your Enneagram type by computer research. Query free Enneagram tests. The Enneagram type is not who you are. It merely indicates how you block freedom from Being. It is what holds you back from realizing your true nature. Another way to discover how you block your freedom is by getting to know your beliefs. This approach is not as easy to face. After all, beliefs are what you believe to be true. If you have had a strong religious background or traditional or very strict parents, then chances are you hold beliefs that you deem to be true, and thus not question them. They are your unconscious blocks. A simple way to start looking at what you believe is by knowing this: all beliefs are unreal! Truth is not a belief but rather what you know in your heart beyond any doubt. It is what you fully trust. That’s quite a statement and very shocking to most people. However, look at it this way. Is it
bringing you freedom? That is to say, freedom from fear, inhibition, right or wrong morality, guilt, low self-esteem, feeling trapped, restricted, ashamed and or stuck in a rut. The wonderful thing about Truth is that it is not a belief but a “knowing” beyond doubt that you are an eternal and infinite being, not subject to limitation in the way we see our life. Examples of common beliefs: you see age in a set way. You believe you are the body/mind you own. You believe ou are a certain nationality. You believe you are your back-ground. You believe you are limited if uneducated in the conventional way. You believe in a God as an entity outside of you. You might believe that money is worldly. You might believe that sexual expression is not clean. You believe you are separate from other people especially if they are a different class and so on. Now, often what we believe is not entirely conscious but nevertheless running the show. Some beliefs are so deeply programmed into us by our culture and conditioning that we do not even know we believe them. We have accepted them as facts or reality. The best way to identify these unconscious beliefs is to find where is the emotional or energetic charge in your thinking. In other words, what pushes your buttons or what makes you squirm. When your unconscious beliefs are challenged, you will get agitated. Be immediately aware of this.
Spiritual freedom is your birthright, and it is divine freedom to be as pure and innocent as a child when dealing with people. Be aware of your emotional nature and its expression and everything that you believe is wrong. Did you know that an enlightened Being sees no wrong or right but only what-is as it actually is and thus no udgment? It might be hard to believe such freedom and pure awareness, but it is our true nature, and it is also our Heaven on Earth because it is backed by Unconditional Love! Does it feel like a tall order to be free? Here is a scoop that might shock you. In your true nature, even as you read this, you are PURE and INNOCENT. Just take a pause in front of the mirror and ask yourself, “What am I right now?” Stick completely to the moment as it is. You might be surprised with your sincerity and honesty. You might find that you are EMPTINESS itself because you are whole. Everything you believed about yourself might be shaken positively. Just like the Course tells us that we are guiltless children of God. Can you imagine the peace and beauty of feeling that way? Yes, it is your right. It is who you are and do not let any thoughts or feelings that would contradict this Truth. You do not awaken tomorrow or next week or next ear. You are, in this very moment as you look deeply into our eyes, a pure spirit. Why? Because in truth, you cannot
be anything else. You are NOW being, and the past is gone. Did you know that the moment you realize this moment and the past is past and gone, you are completely forgiven at that moment no matter what happened? Hard to believe isn’t it? This is what every awakened human being knows beyond doubt. LIFE IS GOOD! When you are alert, that is, aware of this moment, you are also alive to every emotion. By not judging the emotion but just seeing yourself as Pure I AM BEING then the process starts working in you. You start feeling like a new being, and your health improves, your energy awakens, and our heart becomes simple and innocent. So be alert to emotions as they are without judging them. Just take a pause, be aware of the emotion in the body and without judging it, let it play itself out. From this process of letting go often termed as forgiveness emerges our true Self. The true Self emerges when you start seeing our beliefs, your hang-ups and fears without the slightest need to get rid of them. The very awareness of them without judgment begins the cleansing process of your past conditioning. This cleansing happens by unjudged seeing of them and without attachment. After all, they are not real but conditioned. They are not who you are. This very awareness unblocks our usual avoidance and thus complete the purifying act without pain or remorse or guilt. In other words, your need to avoid, suppress and hold inside you are no longer a part
of you. So, be alert to every emotion felt in your body and allow it free movement and expression to work itself out without udging it good or bad. You may be very surprised by what’s under there. It may not be what you think. How do you start? Very simply, become aware of what pushes your buttons and give it a moment of love and acceptance. Remember the most powerful truth you will ever learn . . . Only Love Works! Then having seen what pushes your buttons, take the LOVE that will purify you. For example, besides our buttons we have such beliefs as . . . I shouldn’t have my buttons pushed
People should respect me more I shouldn’t be reactive anymore I should be calm from now on And so on. These inner rules of behavior are what keeps us bound and chained. These rules keep us locked in our emotional beliefs and thus block us from our natural spiritual freedom of innocent love. Remember that the more rules you impose on yourself, the more bound unfree you become. Also, these rules not only keep us bound but create physical symptoms. I have known so many people carrying the world on their shoulders, by their own guilt and rules, suffering from backaches and lack of energy. Your only rule is forgiveness known as letting go with love. The only rule to follow is this: be there completely with whatever is moving inside you without judgment! Suppose you are an #8 Enneagram, so prone to anger, it is almost instinctual. Tell yourself it is okay and let it move through you by fully accepting yourself as you are. Then having allowed it without judgment just as an energetic physical action, smile and say “Thank you for making me aware.” We are often faced with this challenge, the process of finding the balance between instinct and clarity. How do we allow anger? Simply, be aware of it in the body. Do not use the word “anger” but simply energy that
needs to move. Keep the heart open and focused completely on the action without judgment or labeling responsibility for it. Smile and finish off by saying, “Thank you for making me aware.” You will be surprised by the results of what happens to ou when you are this open. The benefits are so many that I don’t have the room here to enumerate them. One of the benefits is the dropping off of fear so that our identity becomes wholeness itself rather than personal. This process discussed in the last few pages will transform ou in ways you cannot even imagine right now. So what have we learned from this AVOIDANCE? It is this realization: you will come full circle that what you have been avoiding to look at was that what you had been avoiding was what you wanted most. Most unaware people do not know this great truth. What ou are afraid of is the very thing you, need and want, to transform you! How do I know when I am ready to live the truth?
Here is the simple answer. You are ready when you can’t be bothered by anything else. You are done hiding and running and avoiding. Also you know when you are ready because it is all you want, and you know that there’s no other way that can satisfy and keep you feeling free. You know that the mind cannot get it because it lives in
linear logic and time. It is a fact that many physicists, psychologists, psychiatrists and Counselor steeped in ways of living a successful life rarely awaken. Why is it like this? It took me a long time to understand something so very simple. I was always intellectual and trying to make sense of life and living until one day during a conflicted relationship and having no answers, in frustration I surrendered knowing that I didn’t know anything. In that moment of surrender, I received the message clearly and it never left me. It was this . . . There are no answers to life. There is only NOW! It was then that “things” became clear. I had read hundreds of spiritual books plus physics and psychology and yet was no closer to seeing clearly. I taught Yoga in Toronto and was one of the seeming pioneers. I appeared on TV interviews like CBC “Food for Thought” and CFTO, plus gave talks on A Course in Miracles. For 27 years I taught I knew but it wasn’t until that fateful day in 2000 that I saw clearly the Truth that had no words, but simply the Silence of NOW. After that, I was blessed by frequent and deeper glimpses into the unknown. Being ready is a form of paradox. For example: are you willing to give up everything you think you know until you find yourself empty? If you are willing to do that, then there is a chance of the heart opening to receive what words cannot give.
When I gave Satsangs, I found people trying hard to understand by figuring it out; by reaching some conclusions based on what they have read. However, what if you are faced with a question or problem. Are you willing to give up seeking its answer and looking at who has the problem? The mindset and its problem are one. If the individual mind is based on illusion and can never get to the truth, then what good is it?
It is true that the mind lives in linear time and blocks our seeing of the eternal NOW. Yet, we can use the mind as our servant. The thinking mind, as much trouble as it can be, is also a function of the inexpressible. Thus when the heart is fully trusting and open, and there is a need to help someone understand, the mind can be as your servant to find the necessary words to convey the meaning. When the mind becomes our ally, it becomes supportive and caring, and I have seen this happen when I felt inspired. A relaxed, smoothly functioning mind is an amazing tool to have at one’s disposal. Thus, when there is the recognition that the mind is no longer our master but an open servant to the heart, a wonderful eloquence is possible. Within the next few pages, you will be given five very simple exercises that will help you to awaken the heart and still the mind. These methods or exercises are so very
simple if fully understood that advances can be made rapidly towards opening mind and heart to receive the inner knowing Silence.
5 Simple, Progressive Ways to Speed Up Inner Knowing “If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is–Infinite! ~ William Blake
The following ways are inspired simplicity itself. They will progressively open your heart and quiet the mind and awaken feelings of celebration and love. So, before we go on with this book, follow each step one day at a time. These steps are so simple that they can be overlooked saying, “I will do them later,” which usually never happens. This first step is a relaxed, effortless way of looking inside your head. It will feel like you are not doing anything, which in fact it is so. However, the intention is to LOOK, and WATCH, and WITNESS. It is this disciplined awareness that will yield inner knowing beyond words. Start first by sitting still and fully relaxed. Make sure ou turn off your phone or any other possibility of interruption. Your intention at this point is to watch your mind’s activity detached. As you watch, you may feel you are failing as you get caught and identified with a particular thought such as, “Did I turn off the phone?” “Has my cat eaten so he won’t interrupt me?” and so on.
These wayward thoughts are common-place and frequent since it is the nature of conditioned mind. Just remember to be kind to your mind, which is always trying to protect you and control you. It is all okay because, at this point, all you are doing is observing this incessant activity. Be very kind towards these thoughts and do not feel you are failing if you keep getting caught and identified with them. Just stop as you become aware you are caught and say, “Thank you for making me aware that I was caught.” And continue watching. The goal of this very simple method is to observe and witness how your mind actually works most of the time, however, this time you are making it your job to watch it at its play. The more often you get caught and become aware of it, the more alert you are getting. Do this about 3 times today for about 5 minutes each time. Notice if there was the slightest “progress” each time. You would know by how alert in watching you have become. It is this simple but do not underestimate its importance and your intention to watch the play of mind. Above all, as ou become aware of how busy your mind is, that very awareness is the progress. Do not judge yourself by saying, “Oh my gosh how busy my mind is. I will never be able ust to watch without getting identified or caught.” However, if you judge yourself then be aware that you udged yourself. Now this would be great progress. You are beginning to see how your mind influences your moods,
behaviors, emotions, thinking and acting in daily life. The key here in this exercise is to watch (witness). Now having done it three times for 5 minutes each time, you are now ready for the next phase which is progressive. Congratulations! SECOND STEP Do this one only after you have done the first. This is also ery simple and a little progressive from the first. Relax completely and close eyes. Take a few deep breaths from the lower abdomen. When you breathe to the count of 4 seconds, feel the stomach blowing up like a balloon with the in-breath. Then follow it with full exhalation for the count of 6 seconds. Repeat three times. This breathing is very, very important and generates many physical and mental benefits as well. Next raise your closed eyes towards the spot between the eyebrows (as if you are looking from the inside). Do not strain but rather remain relaxed. Relaxation is immensely important. Now your intention is watching the thoughts just as THOUGHTS. Did you get that? In other words, do not see thoughts as some activity that your mind believes is real. Just observe thoughts as simply thoughts and nothing more. It is like watching the sun and then seeing how the clouds form to cover the sun. At that point when the sun is covered we see cloudiness or darkness, but the truth is that nothing
really important happened, just clouds that covered that wonderful light of day. Similarly, this is how thoughts deprive us of energy, alertness, and joy in life. However, do not judge them. The key is the intention to watch thoughts as simply thoughts; that’s all. If while watching thoughts the mind starts identifying or dwelling on those thoughts, again, become aware that this is happening, and it is all okay. Remember that the progress is in our awareness of the truth as it happens. THIRD STEP Again make sure that you have done the second exercise three times before embarking on this one. You cannot rush this progress. Start by sitting still and closing your eyes. Taking 3 separate breaths as before to the count of 4 for inhalation and 6 for exhalation through the mouth. In through the nose and out through the mouth. Keep it relaxed and enjoy these brief, simple moments of the day. Your intention this time is to ask yourself after 3 minutes doing the exercise, “I wonder what the next thought will be?” and then wait for the thought to happen. The power of this exercise is in the waiting for the thought because at that point you have stopped thinking. The moment you start thinking again just be aware, watch the thought as a thought and ask again for the second time, “I wonder what the next thought will be?” and wait again
for it to happen. This is a very important part of this series since it gives ou a chance at emptiness (the gap between thoughts). It is during this silence between thoughts that the heart opens to receive. Truth resides in silence, and it has no words, but it is a “feeling” devoid of emotion. If you have succeeded in doing this exercise 3 times well, then you are ready for the fourth one. Do not stay longer than 5 minutes or so, so that there is no strain, no discomfort or any possibility of getting bored. Your total alertness is imperative followed by its intention. FOURTH STEP Now that you have succeeded in watching the gaps between thoughts, you have progressed beautifully. Sit still with back straight, eyes closed and focused on the spot between the eyebrows from the inside your head. Breathe 3 times again starting with exhalation for 6 seconds and followed by inhalation for 4 seconds. Do this 3 times. The intention is to FEEL how the gap between thoughts feels. Remember, it is not an emotion and so people FEEL according to their awareness of the heart. At this point when people practiced this step (my Skype clients) the remarks were often, “I feel relaxed.” “I feel calm.” “I feel good.” Some more advanced people actually remarked, “I feel so much joy during this emptiness.” Practice 3 times a day for 5 to 10 minutes spending
more time between thoughts. If you succeed in seeing emptiness, then visualize a blank screen and just watching it. When it is thus described, the mind often expresses unconsciously “how boring,” but here’s the key that most people are fully unaware of. This emptiness is itself the kingdom of God but initially it is a scary place of non-thinking. With direct experience of these exercises, you will begin to note how powerful and beautiful your inner Silence is. It will teach you more in a few months than reading and studying can do in many ears. Also what you experience directly during these subtle moments will never leave you. They become your inner knowing. Your trust in emptiness will grow to the point of experiencing even ecstasy at times. Of course, this happens only with sincerity, honesty and total love of truth. FIFTH STEP Start with the usual seated position relaxed, breathing three times and then followed with the intention of experiencing the feeling between gaps of thought. Eventually you will be able to sit for 5 to 10 minutes without a thought in your head. This progress will depend upon your love of who you are. If your mind remains busy throughout all practices, then you have learned a precious lesson, which is, low self-worth. You have learned that your busy mind is wayward because you had forgotten your nature is free and love itself. Thus, you have realized how much you allowed your conditioned mind to have its way
with you. However, this is also good news since how many people have actually been faced with this fact directly through their own observation? So, this is still great progress because honesty leads to real Self-knowledge. Now here’s the scoop. All that we have searched for in our life was never what we thought. It was always what we already are. For example, how many people want wealth to buy their own home with swimming pool and so on? Is this success or merely a blind seeking for comfort, security and peace that can only be found within you in your empty space? How many people search for meaning and happiness and never fully succeed because it is not an external object but an internal knowingness of our own inner richness. True lasting peace, happiness, Beingness, wisdom, joy, knowing of our infinite nature, the understanding of NOW and its heavenly state are not objects but rather a KNOWINGNESS from an open heart which is Emptiness known as Spirit. It is the Kingdom of God within that Jesus talked about. It is Nirvana that Buddha mentioned. It is the awakening of the heart that has nothing to do with the world. It is the freedom we have hungered for. At this point, you have probably directly experienced the joy of spirit through direct contact with emptiness. More importantly you have also awakened the knowing, beyond words and doubt, that you are this NOW itself. And, do you know what it means to know that you are this eternal
unchanging NOW. It means you are Infinite Being. Now the key question, “How do you keep alive this feeling in you all the time?” Here is a little secret. Do it every morning upon awakening and at night before going to bed. I call it the “Open Door” method. Just say, “I AM!” and you can follow it with your favorite Spirit Feeling such as infinite, joy, abundance, happiness, fullness, freedom, etc. All qualities of Emptiness when fear is no more. Just say every morning “I AM” followed by your particular choice of Spirit qualities. I often repeat “I AM INFINITE,” and again at night. Here’s an effective way to relax fully and even have a great sleep doing it. Repeat this mantra, “I am Infinite,” and begin to FEEL its possibilities. Keep focused on it and let our heart swim in that knowing. Just stay with it for about 10 minutes and see where it takes you. The possibilities are endless.
The Effortless Way to the Emptiness Experience
Now that you have attempted the 5-step way towards EMPTYING the mind, chances are you have experienced moments of release, deep sweet relaxation, and even joy. Now you can do the whole thing in this effortlessly enjoyable meditation. Sit comfortably on a chair or floor and relax with back straight. Close your eyes and let your mind wander wherever it wants to go. Become fully aware and detached from whatever you are thinking. All you are doing is just watching. Pretend you are watching TV or any movie. Just watch it happening without involvement. The content of the thoughts is not important, but just know that thoughts are there. Just watch as thoughts parade in front of you. Let them float across the screen of your mind. Remember you are just looking at your thoughts and NOT indulging in them . . . just watching!
NEXT STEP Next, look past the thoughts and notice that there is nothing there. Continue to be aware of nothing as long as you are comfortable. When thoughts begin again, watch them for a while and then again look beyond them, or between them, at nothing! Do this for about 5 minutes. How do you feel? Now, notice how you feel. Is your body more relaxed? Do you feel quieter in your mind? After 5 minutes or so you are already beginning to reap the benefits of actually doing nothing but witnessing! You didn’t have to imagine ourself on a beach or some tropical island, or to breathe only through one nostril or sit in an uncomfortable lotus posture like a yogi. The moment you switched your awareness from thoughts to nothing, relaxation, and inner peace began growing, expanding by their own momentum. As soon as ou become aware of just the screen, you left your thoughts behind, didn’t you? Next time you are watching a movie at a movie theater ust become aware of the screen that makes the movie possible. Then when the lights come on the movie disappears but the screen remains. This screen is like your pure awareness, always eternally present while the movies ou watch upon that screen are made up of conditioned thoughts. This is what determines your life experience. Now imagine with this simple practice how clearly you
begin to see how you are creating your daily reality. No udgment here, just clear seeing and immediately forgiving what you have identified. Your pure awareness, which is your daily presence, is always, always at peace and happy (believe it or not). It is our natural state. The moment you feel negative, bad or guilty is because you have been unconscious of the thoughts that were occupying your mind. This simple practice is so unbelievably healing that after a few weeks of it, you will start feeling more at peace, secure and happier. When you became aware of Emptiness (nothingness), ou actually cleared your mind of thought! It didn’t take ears of practice but merely a few minutes a day. If you did this practice daily and nothing else, you would have learned a most powerful effortless technique that alone would have a marked impact on your life. But this is only the beginning of the tip of the iceberg. Answer this question . . . Now take a pause and truly answer the following simple question. What is in that nothing? What is this emptiness? It sounds like a silly question, after all, our mind will immediately react by saying, “Nothing is nothing!” However, stay with this question without reaching any conclusion. Just feel the question itself! Let me assure you (which you will come to know beyond doubt) that this nothingness, this emptiness is the
ery secret of Life, of who you are, of creation itself! And, this is just the beginning of inner knowing that you don’t have to study to come to know. This nothing is truly the secret TRUTH all great masters have known. This “something” that is in nothingness is known as Pure Awareness. Masters have fallen in love with it! Many have called it “their Beloved,” for it all holds all the unknown in its bosom. It is the highest peak of human experience and bestows all wisdom, abundance, intelligence, peace, love and all beauty beyond imagination. Do you think I am exaggerating? When it dawned on me how grand this was, I wanted to shout it to all the world that suffered. In fact, suffering was the result of ignorance of this great truth. Nobody can give you this Truth. It is who you are. It to ou. It is your birthright! It is who you are right this moment. It is eternal and, therefore, timeless. You do not need to perform sacrifices to “get it” but simply claim it as our unborn truth of Being. This grand revelation is not like an object achieved like a car, house or a million dollars. It is a knowing, beyond any doubt, that does not require you to be anything but this very truth itself. It is not your personality; not your conditioning, and definitely not your past. In fact, this very knowing wipes out your past without the need for paying thousands of dollars to psychiatrists and therapists. It wipes your past for one simple reason: you clearly see there is no past but NOW eternally without an exit.
Who are you? If you are thoroughly sincere you will say, “I really don’t know!” and it will be the truth. The truth of your nature is Pure Undying Awareness! Pure awareness is the ground state of Being. There are over seven billion humans on this earth. Now stop for a moment and consider this: There is only One Being! Can our mind understand this? Of course not! You are that One Being. It is all Oneness, but the wonderful thing is you don’t have to figure it all out. Just know you are Emptiness and the rest is done for you directly. That’s a promise! The earth, which is a living organism, is also the outcome of this Pure Awareness. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that this awareness has not created out of itself. Just like a spider weaves a web from itself. There is nothing to figure out because the mind has become our servant at this point and we can use it creatively without IT controlling us. Everything we experience is through pure awareness. Most people don’t even know they have pure awareness and so become victims of their minds. All insanity, suffering, wars and hell are simply the result of the mind gone wild. The mind is a beautiful tool and becomes our servant for creative living when we can CLEARLY SEE every thought without it controlling us. Albert Einstein reminded us that the Heart is our Sacred Place and the mind its tool. The world has it in reverse. The average human, unaware of their true nature as pure awareness, are literally slaves to their mind gone awry!
When the mind is in control of us without awareness of its play, then we are close to insanity. All the craziness you see in the world is the result of the mind’s gone awry. One might ask, “What created the mind, wasn’t it awareness?” Yes, thought became possible through awareness. However, when we are not aware of our true nature as awareness, then thought takes over automatically. Why? We are awareness but not aware that we are awareness itself. Awakening happens when awareness becomes aware of itself as the truth of Being. Thus, we also realize that thought is a thought and not reality. Due to unawareness of our aware nature, thought becomes a belief. This belief is closer to insanity than we can even realize this moment. Do we have control over our thoughts? The fact that we can observe them and let them go gives you a hint of how powerful clear-seeing is. Clear-seeing is the true healer. I have had Skype sessions that brought healings within a short space of time by awakening one’s true nature as Pure Awareness. Throughout the years, I have witnessed people transform and who have found peace, love, happiness, security and above all, a LOVE that transcended their own ego. (Read and study the chapter, Opening the Heart.) Pure Awareness is more intimate to us than our very own breath. It is our true identity known as “I AM.” It is Pure Awareness that makes it possible for us to feel and to think. Pure Awareness is our very essence. Therefore,
awakening implies knowing beyond a doubt that you are Pure Awareness so that you are AWARE that you are AWARENESS itself. There is no ego or conditioned-self other than thoughts made real. And, since thoughts are the clouds that hide the sun, we can even see their unreality because the sun, despite the clouds, is always shining. The awakening of Pure Awareness brings us in touch with vibrant, dynamic beauty and, life will take on a brightness and glory unimaginable by those who have not experienced their EMPTINESS. When we become aware of pure awareness, we become like it, and the mysteries of life unfold before our very eyes. In Quantum Physics, pure awareness is loosely analogous to implicate order, the formless non-energy from which all form and energy come. The Problem is not understanding the truth about mind. Your mind is NOT interested in the least about Pure Awareness because it cannot directly perceive it. To the mind, which is thought, pure awareness is nothing. The mind is linear and, therefore, cannot even conceive of timeless essence; it lives in the past and future and thus create blocks to its own happiness and truth without having the slightest idea it is doing so. The mind wants to have, control, manipulate, figure out, analyze, conclude, judge and so on.
The Law of Attraction
The Law of Attraction is basically the law of mind. It is based on one fact: what you believe will come to pass. If ou believe that you can have a million dollars, then that ery belief will manifest it. In fact, you are now a product of your LAW OF ATTRACTION. If you are suffering from lack of abundance or any lack, then you have manifested it through your belief system whether consciously or unconsciously. This law of attraction can bring you power, wealth and everything you desire provided you fully believe you can and deserve it. However, there’s another snag: it cannot manifest what you REALLY WANT which is peace, love, fullness of Being, beauty, happiness joy, meaning, and fulfillment. Why? Because these qualities of glory are the attributes of the heart that has awakened to its true nature as Pure Awareness. Another wonderful awakening experience that results from SEEING EMPTINESS and loving it. Is all negativity wrong or but simply an unconscious hunger for love? Thus
negative and positive are polarities that blend and become one. All is that Oneness known as Pure Awareness Being. (See the chapter, Opening the Heart.) HOW TO BE FREE! Freedom is our true nature, and when we don’t experience it, which is most of the time, we hunger for it. Yet, what is real freedom? Most people have no idea what true freedom is. It is dissolving of the personal individual, and it can be very uncomfortable to the ego. People want freedom, but they are also afraid of change, afraid of the unknown. You want freedom, but you also want to know what’s going on. But here’s the real kicker: being free means not knowing what’s going on and no driving desire to find out. Why? Because being free is free from time and the baggage from yesterday and the outcome of tomorrow. Being free is being real, and, being real means being NOW which is the only moment you have. But you see this moment that never changes, and so, trusting it, being free, also means that you are now aligned with its Infinite possibilities. No worries, no concerns, no regrets, and no fears. What you have just read is comfortable to someone who is open hearted to the moment and unconcerned about the outcome. On the other hand, the analytical mind can’t wrap itself around it. It worries, frets, gets stressed about results and in short works against his own freedom while wanting
it desperately. What is this great desire to hang on to our ego?
We believe it is who we are and want to survive. Our whole culture, education, system of belief including our traditions and religions teach us that we are the past conditioning. Even our therapists tell us we are the past and must learn to work out our fears and beliefs through the struggle to cleanse ourselves. In fact, our whole belief system centers on the idea of being a person and trying to make the most of it. I studied psychology, and I bought into the belief that I have to work hard to forgive the past and work it out of my system. No one told me how simple it all was until I awakened to my true nature. Seeing who you are is enough to dissolve all illusions. All past fears, conditions, and even traumas are embedded in our unconscious and control us during our dreams and daily patterns of behavior. What a grand relief when you finally clearly see that this heavy burden of being a person is just another lie we accepted blindly. Listen carefully. Listen with an open heart right this moment. All suffering including all fears, stresses, problems and strained living have one source: the belief ou are a person. In the olden days of the wild West, actually not so long ago, men killed each other for land and gold, and very few men experienced healthy old age. With so-called
civilization, things got a little better but the egoic struggle to maintain control never left us. And, the paradox is this, that we want freedom so badly without having the slightest idea what true freedom is. Real freedom is egoless with no concern, no worry, no guilt, no fears and no problems other than day-to-day living. I didn’t think such a state was possible. It is not only possible, but there is no LIFE without it. The egoic survival is the outgrowth of survival instinct. Through awareness of our real nature which opens our heart to trust in the timeless Infinite being we are, is the only way to find Oneself. You see, another paradox is this, we feel that losing our persona means loss when in truth it is finding who you really are. And, it is this very discovery that finally brings lasting freedom from bondage to an idea that simply is a lie. We are Oneness itself. Nothing is separate when awareness is awakened by seeing the truth that you are LIFE yourself. Then that wholeness shines and radiates our being and all that is not true will fall away from you. This is unconditional love of who and what you are. Let’s make it brief because there is always the idea to the conditioned mind that it requires hard work to attain what you already are. Why is it hard to become what you already are? Isn’t it enough to recognize the truth. Yet, this writing is not a teaching but a pointer to what already is. You do not need
to accept blindly, but you do need to see it for yourself directly through inquiry. Inquiry is the way to direct experience of the truth. Please prepare to read the following chapter interactively. It will pay great dividends.
Inquiry: The Direct Path to Truth “Sit with the question. Sit with the anxiety, the energy of not knowing. Feel what follows.” Krishnamurti said emphatically: “. . .freedom from the desire for an answer is essential to the understanding of the problem.”
True understanding happens through the heart that sees the obvious. The conditioned mind merely complicates things. So here we are going to learn how to go from the mind into the heart. Inquiry is a mental process of questioning that goes beyond the mind. For example, often people ask, “Why am I suffering?” This is a question that the mind is unable to answer simply because it is caught in the problem itself. Therefore, rephrasing the question might suggest a solution by drawing us away from the personal attachment. We can ask, instead, “What is suffering?” “Who is suffering?” This will lead directly to the person asking the question. Now, this in itself is not the solution but it helps to clarify what the problem is about and even what caused it. “Who asked the question?” The reply is, “I did!” This has given us a clue of how to go deeper by asking,
“Who am I?” This question may lead us to our past conditioning, personality and our name, occupation or simply the form-body we think we are. However, a deeper question than that would be, “I want to know what and who I am beyond the appearance and external life.” Thus, by removing my entire past for just a moment including my present body/mind-construct that changes all the time, who am I? Now this is where the real inquiry starts by giving us direct hints. This question, “Who am I?” without labeling or including the past and present form that change, what is left? We are left dumb. We just don’t know. Here we have to be honest so that we do not lie by saying, “Well, I am Spirit.” If you are a heavy reader of spiritual material you might say, “I am a child of God,” which is not inquiry but a belief. “How do you know for sure?” You have to admit at this point that you might not know at all, in fact, not even have a hint of who you really are beyond the form and conditioning. So where are we now? Believe it or not, you have taken a giant step if you sincerely realized you that you don’t know. Imagine the relief of knowing you don’t know and fully accept it. You also realize that you thought you were a personal
self made up of conditioned beliefs. Now, at least you know, that you actually don’t know and admit it. This acknowledgment that you really don’t know is the beginning of great inner knowing and wisdom. How do I feel now after acknowledging that I don’t know and accepting it fully? Here is where your total honesty is imperative. After all, we don’t want to go back to conditioned beliefs; to programmed thinking; to the fears we thought we were or to religious beliefs that had no proof or validity. We are here empty of ideas and thus we are open through acceptance. You have taken a giant step towards our true Self. To repeat, how do you feel now that you have accepted not—knowing? Dig deep into your feeling and you might discover a sense of relief, an actual feeling of okayness through acceptance. Remember that our suffering was due to resistance to the fear of being nothing, thus disappearing or dissolving. But now wait a minute. Go deeper still, suppose you dissolve right here and now, what is left? Aren’t you still aware that you are here no matter what that is? Why do you need to know who and what you are? Isn’t it enough knowing you are here? Can this knowingawareness ever disappear? Can it dissolve? Do not reach for an answer because if you do, you will be stuck forever.
You see, at this point of not-knowing you have an advantage. You have an OPEN HEART! It is your heart that knows beyond the mind and, therefore, is the truth itself. Sit in silence and remain empty enjoying this moment of not-knowing. It is this moment that will bring riches beyond your comprehension. Now throughout the day whenever you are anxious or agitated or simply afraid then ask, “Who is being afraid?” Without reaching for an answer, feel this feeling (without labeling it “fear”), and allow it to do its movement (sensation). Give it space. In that allowing you have taken another giant step. The giant step means that you are moving from conditioned mind into the heart of inner knowing beyond words. The realized awakened man or woman never say, “I am awakened,” because it is redundant. There is no one who awakens but simply a movement from the mind into the heart and seeing emptiness. Emptiness encompasses all knowledge. How? Did you ever meet a realized man or woman? They are ordinary looking, like everyone else, except that they are at peace with themselves. Fears have dropped. Future outcomes don’t matter. Expectations may play a part, but et unimportant. They have found inner security by trusting
that they may not know who they are, but yet they are LIFE itself. All their needs are taken care of, and there are no worries or concerns or fears but simply BEING HERE. The mind concludes because it sees only its conditioned beliefs and fears. Someone asked, “You said that Truth knows no wrong. Do you mean that rape and murder are okay?” Such a question is common because it sees only from its own perspective. In Truth, there is no wrong because one is aligned with the Source of Love, and, the word “wrong” is not in their vocabulary. However, if someone believes that they are a separate person, then that very belief creates the illusion of “wrong” and, therefore, the suffering it incurs automatically in beliefs, actions and thoughts. What is the meaning of “wrong?” Isn’t it the idea and belief that duality is truth? Duality is not wrong either because the Being created the human to experience itself. The BEING plays the role of seven billion humans on this earth so that anyone can discover their true nature as “I AM” and find the treasures that have been sought for many lifetimes. Inquiry, when it is awakened in one’s heart, is a great blessing, and there will be no need for beliefs or any conventional religion but rather love for all humanity in all its diverse ways.
Opening the Heart; Only Love Works
We are now expanding consciousness at an accelerated rate and within the last few years (2003 to 2015) we have seen thousands of people, especially young people, waking up to their spiritual essence potential. Teachers like Mooji; shows like Conscious.tv; Rupert Spira, and many others have been catalysts towards this great shift. Spirituality is not a belief nor a religion or a system but the very essence of our Being transcending the individual conditioned mind. Briefly, it is all about LOVE by opening the heart to new ways of seeing Truth beyond good and bad, right or wrong but what-is as Oneness itself reaching towards itself. How do we learn to love fully?
Love with the Light of Being and, never with a limited mind based on beliefs, judgments, and separation. How do we grow in our understanding?
By allowing yourself to see that everyone carries that Light
of Spirit Essence. Each one of us is a unique, different wave of the ocean, but, the same one ocean. What is the major block in spiritual clarity?
One of the problems with the spiritual quest is that it can become so intellectual that the one quality that will help ou the most is lost. That quality is the ability to love. Many say, “I don’t know how to love,” and that we are so immersed in the world that this inner heart has closed and instead of loving it seeks love from others. Did you ever notice the several dating and matching services on the internet? There is so much hunger to be loved without knowing what love is. So what is love?
It is our very Awareness nature. It is this essence that is love. How? There are seven billion humans on this earth but only One Being—Awareness. You are now reading these words, or so you think, but in Truth it is awareness that is reading. In other words, reading is taking place. There is no one doing anything but love doing it. When we try to do anything without love for the sake of personal gain, we end up unhappy and unfulfilled. So you are saying that our true nature is love!
Yes! It is lying dormant in most humans until awakening
happens. What is it that awakens?
It is the Heart, the core essence of Being! Is it that we have lost the ability to love?
Love is our true nature, but our focus on being-a-person with the world trying to change you with ambition, greed and personal gain, you lose contact with what is real and important. If a loving human knows he is loving, isn’t that ego?
A really loving human rarely sees himself as loving, so he will be unable to offer any explanations or instructions on the spot of the moment. No one needs to learn how to love. What is necessary is something far easier, effortless, which is to drop the belief ou are a separate human. This way all fears drop from you and love is what remains. When your fear is gone, love is present. Love and fear cannot exist together. What is fear?
Fear is the belief that you are a separate human being from others. In truth, you are a wave in the same one ocean with all other waves. It is all ONE. Fear is a combination of all negative emotions that
block love. Yet, and here’s the paradox, for fear in all its arious negative aspects, is unconscious seeking of love (in other words, a need for love). When this fear is not addressed through awareness, then when we find someone to love or find it easy to love, fear surfaces at the most unexpected moments. For example, let’s say you have found someone you love. Within a short period of time, you will start entertaining fear of rejection; fear of trusting; fear of being exposed; fear of being replaced and even get moments of ealousy, possessiveness, and control. These are all different forms of fear unresolved. How do you get in touch with these fears?
You get to know them by how you feel emotionally and physically. You come to a place where the very thought of giving love causes constriction in the body (always listen to the body as it never lies). You can feel it in the throat by trying to clear it, chest contraction and stomach unease. You try to say something loving, but you tighten up. This is fear of love. It is not that ou are an unhappy human, but the fear of love that has not been awakened causes a discomfort. But if love is our true nature, then we are also loving without actually knowing it, right?
Yes, that’s correct. This is why awakening is so simple if
we just see our basic inner Silence of Heart beyond thought. It is only our personal stories (which are all unreal) that block our love (open heart). Aren’t these basic fears of love from our childhood?
Our childhood has a lot to do with our inability to love or fear of it. Yet again, the less we are capable of being open to our love, the more we seek it from others. What are some ways of seeking love?
As children, we sought love through attention. The child riding a bicycle for the first time relishes the praise from his parents. If this praise and attention never surfaced, then there is a chance of becoming a bully to get attention or cause mischief and jealousy. Some who are introverts may gain weight by addictions to food or addictions to voyeur sex and so on. What about making love, is it affected by our inability to love?
The sexual act is a wonderful expression between two people in love. However, if love has not awakened in the heart, then love-making turns into sexual lust that is not satisfying and becomes an addiction. What if one becomes aware that sex has become an addiction or lustful rather than love-making in a sweet, tender way?
Since our nature is love, then that very awareness can be the trigger for greater caring, tenderness and softness. It is all a matter of how open one’s heart is willing to be. I see myself scrambling for love, needing love and so realized my impotence!
There is nothing as wonderful as loving! But the first thing needed is to see yourself differently. Do not view yourself as a little worm scrambling for love but as a full-blown, wonderfully open being, filled with abiding love. Can you suggest some method or technique where I can experience this full-blown feeling?
Yes! When you sit still as suggested in this book, with eyes closed and having taken a few deep breaths, put your attention on your heart center (the area of the heart). Be willing to experience the reality of something moving there. The quieter you get in your stillness, the more you will experience a feeling in the heart center and, if you were paying attention, you would begin to sense just a little warmth. The movement experienced there is as heat energy. And when this energy begins to warm you a little, then you will know that the heart center is coming fully into your consciousness. I do not like to meditate as I fidget and squirm and get bored. Is there something else I can do?
It is more difficult, but you must start realizing that you are
a loving human. Most people think that loving someone is being nicer to them, or more agreeable, or whatever. That belief places you in a very vulnerable position, for all of those ways of loving come from outside of you, and if you depend on outside things to make people love you, you will fail and even experience deep disappointment. I see your point but what about starting being kinder?
Yes, it helps but you have to start believing that you are a loving human being. I have so many people writing me and telling me that they are judgmental, critical and even obnoxious at times. They are being honest, but dwelling on those qualities will block them further from the LOVE they already are. So if one feels awkward or judgmental or often critical, what is one to do?
Follow the inquiry method in this book, that chapter alone is priceless. Ask yourself about this need to put people down and you will discover important issues about ourself. When we suffer low self-esteem, we project this feeling onto others and so create a vicious circle. The reason for being awkward or obnoxious is to cover up your illusory shame. Go in front of a mirror and look into your eyes, say out loud, “I AM LOVE.” See and feel the Emptiness and Silence behind your eyes which is the Spirit of Love in you. The moment you start to see it, the more you will begin to
feel it and be it. Do I focus on loving someone?
No! Focus on being love, period. Love is not loving someone but simply being love. LOVE is wholeness, oneness, pure awareness itself, the essential spirit we are. It is the wave of the ocean finally seeing how all other waves are the same One Water you are. Once you put this energy into motion, then an aliveness will emerge from you, and ou will also feel greater love for who you are–just as you are! Why are you emphasizing so much on being loving?
The reason is simple enough, and it is this: your true nature is pure awareness, and thus it is love. When this love awakens in you, then you will feel so alive, happy, zestful and often inspired by everything—a child’s smile, a flower, a sunny day or even a rainy day will fill you. The spiritual life is the life of fullness of Being. My problem is I love others, but I do not love myself!
I have heard this very often, and it is a fabrication of the ego. You cannot love “out there” unless you love “in here.” Are we talking about love or emotional love?
Excellent point. Emotional love is made up of both love and fear or love/hate. Romantic love is often like this when one gets excited about being in love until there is a
disagreement or incompatible behavior and the emotional love shifts completely into its opposite becoming even hateful. This is not true love but a needy love. It has possibilities but only when both are willing to grow in spirit-clarity. I am interested in true love that lasts because it is the true spirit within me. Is falling in love valid?
True love and falling in love are not the same. However, they can be compatible when there is clarity about spiritual energy. Falling in love is more of a chemical attraction and may lead to true love. However, spiritual compatibility is imperative. If there is no spiritual compatibility, then the love affair may last a while through sexual attraction but soon disagreements will arise, and parting will become inevitable. I have heard that spiritual awakening leads to falling in love, is that true?
Yes! When someone truly awakens the Emptiness of Spirit and sees its glorious Silent Beauty, then there is falling in love with it. It is also like saying falling in love with the God within. This will also help you to love others the same way. An awakened human does not fall in love with another the same romantic way of the movies, but it is still a beautiful lasting love. Are there other ways to activate the softness of the
heart?
Yes, quiet yourself and within that stillness picture the color pink. See it filling your heart center and be with that GLOW. When walking, feel it; when sitting, feel it; when talking, feel it; Snuggle with it. Feel wonderful about it. And, all of a sudden you will feel alive, and you will sparkle, and your eyes will dance, and your face will radiate it. Is disease, correlated with lack of ease when there is no love?
That’s insightful of you. The body goes out of harmony when there is no love present. This lack of alignment with Source love then brings discomfort and gradually leads to disease. What about people who do not eat healthy food, is that correlated to not loving yourself?
Dead food that is not nourishing or pure is often called comfort—food for the soul hungering for love. What about co-dependence, people who live together because they need each other. Is that a form of love?
Co—dependence is a great fear of being lonely and alone and so find comfort in being with another. However, this co-dependence does not know love but neediness. It often leads to great disharmony leading to can’t-live-with-them
and also can’t-live-without-them. It brings further loneliness and much pain with little possibility of growth unless there is an awakening of the situation. Can love ever become unnatural such as when you try to make someone love you?
People hang on because they are afraid of losing love and being alone. Older people go through this pattern, but it leads to a dead life devoid of heart and full of conditioned mind patterns. So what is our responsibility towards love?
Your responsibility, which is response-ability, is to love our true nature above everything else. That will lead automatically to the love of others because we are all one humanity bound in oneness by Spirit. Are there people incapable of love?
No one who walks the earth is incapable of love. We are made of and from love. It is our Oneness. It is true that too much emphasis on personal identity will block love, but then, we can be aware of that and transcend it through sincere devotion to Spirit-Emptiness (wholeness). You say that awareness is love itself, how is that?
You are a human being. This means you are BEING (awareness) playing the human role. Focus on this for a moment: the human form is different, unique and even
seems separate from the others but, just like the one ocean links all waves as one, so does Awareness link all seven billion people into one awareness. If a million people look at the moon, they all see the same moon because it is one awareness. However, some may like the moon and others will not, therefore the awareness is the same but the interpretation, comparison, perception, view-point may differ in the seeing according to the consciousness of like and dislike. Pause for a moment and feel this out: you are now reading these words. Who is experiencing these words? It is the same one awareness. What you understand from them is according to consciousness and sensitivity, the openness of heart and awakened love. I have heard it said that all is Consciousness!
Yes, all is Consciousness (with a capital ‘C’). This Consciousness is one with Awareness. Awareness can be aware of consciousness and not the other way around. Awareness is the Emptiness which is Fullness; it is the Spirit that appears as objects in the world of form. Awareness is our true love nature. When we discover that our true identity is the I AM which is Pure Consciousness then we can say we are awakened. Sometimes when I meditate or sit very still aware of Spirit I become hot, often may seem like burning, why is that?
This warm energy, even hot, is the energy of love. This is why when we are ‘ready’ to learn and meet someone who is awake we begin to feel warm, even hot inside almost like a fever. This is also why we shed tears in the nearness of someone awakened. Why do we use our minds and not our heart?
As humans, we cannot help it initially since the mind is our tool to survive the body. Also, it is our way to measure, calculate, reason and organize our earthly experience. The mind lives in limitation such as time and space, whereas our heart (Spirit) is free of bounds. Spirit and Pure Awareness are synonymous. They are Emptiness itself or also known as Nothingness. A paradox exists between mind and heart so that the more we think we know, the more ignorant we are of our true nature. The more open in heart we are, the less the mind’s information attracts us and thus the more we live from Spirit Joy. People who live fully from the mind might be clever and shrewd and smart but miss the innocent joys of the heart which a child knows well. Most people live from the mind, and they are even proud of it, they do not realize that they have blocked their Spirit-Knowing of fullness and beauty. Can we live from both at the same time?
There is a balance, but eventually we fall in love with Spirit
and begin to feel so alive and happy that we back off from worldly information and intellectual details. It is said that love has a fragrance of its own like a flower!
Yes, definitely! Is it better to love myself first before I love another?
When you totally love yourself, you are automatically loving another. They are both one. We start loving by falling in love with who we are–Pure Awareness also known as pure Being or Spirit-Essence. So tell me, how do I love myself?
True lasting results from Spirit require no effort at all, but clear seeing of its obviousness. To love yourself there is nothing to do! That is, nothing you have to change or overcome. Just be snuggly and cozy with what you already are! Spirit awakening is so simple that the mind finds complicated. There is nothing simpler than simply being YOU just as you are in your emptiness. Just the way you are NOW! (Do you recall how you felt when you did the Inquiry chapter?) It is all being aware that you are the awareness itself. The perception you have—just be aware of that perception. The perceiver is becoming aware of his own perception; that is loving YOU. You are pure awareness and NOT a
person. A person is the past conditioning. conditioning. YOU are this NOW moment without without frills just like an innocent innocent child. Feel the energy of your BEING and you are flooded with it. Then keep aware of this I AM, and that’s it. It will gain its own momentum. So actually it is simply to love and without trying to make others love you, right? Right! “I want to love, and I don’t care if anyone loves me,” and that becomes the real great power to love yourself beyond ego. We know that the road to the Light is through Love. More than anything else man wants to go Home. The more love awakens, the more Home feels near until such time when the wings of love will carry us there.
About the Author
BURT HARDING, founder of the Awareness Foundation in Vancouver, Canada, offers a radical invitation to recognize the truth of our being as already whole and fulfilled. He reminds us of the love we really are beyond the personal stories we we carry. In this way, way, we come to recognize what we have always known but did not live from—the beauty and wonder of our own true essence. Burt conducts sessions and workshops in SuperSentience, a system devised to help heal deep wounds and promote a shift in the perception of who we really are. He has conducted studies in higher consciousness for
thirty years and had his own television series on the mind/body connection. www.BurtHarding.com
HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT by Burt Harding One of the most powerful books on the planet for Awakening Consciousness. Burt Harding offers a radical invitation to recognize the truth of our being as already whole and fulfilled. He reminds us of the love we really are beyond the emotions and personal stories we carry. In this way, we come to recognize how beautiful we really are in our essence. Through Burt, perfection unfolds as it lovingly embraces and lifts you, the reader, to a higher state of consciousness. www.IntheGardenPublishing.com
THE PERFECTION OF AWARENESS by Burt Harding Imagine your heart warm and open, your spine pleasantly tingling. As you look, the colors are brighter, the sounds clearer, like you are truly experiencing your surroundings for the first time. This is how you’ll feel when you release the holdings of your conditioning. You’ll discover the sacred, the radiant, beautiful awareness of presence everywhere you look.
www.IntheGardenPublishing.com
