Q & A: Clear and Direct

Question: We have come across your blog via John Wheeler's website. I want to thank you for your clear and direct pointing to our natural state.

Rodney: You are welcome. And I'm glad that you discovered John's fine site. It's a pristine multiplicity of bright truths and pointing. All one needs to do is heed what is there. And because pointers don't have to be verbal, John is now including beautiful pictures of the universe that just may give you pause. Other powerful visual pointers you might want to check out is the picture of the park in Tony Parsons' As It Is, the cover-photo of U.G. Krishnamurti on his The Mystique of Enlightenment, the dock-image on Charlie Hayes' Website and blog, and certain pictures of Nisargadatta gazing directly into the camera.

Question: Yes, I will look into those. And I love the information that John includes at the bottom of each image.

Rodney: After reading the info, go back to the picture itself. Allow the beauty, power, and majesty of it to bring you to a stillness that is nothing less than your true Self. Don't make it an effort. You will resonate with some pictures more than others, of course. Or you may not resonate with stellar images at all. Every personality is different.

Question: Relatedly, I wonder what the process was for you, subjectively, on how were you able to recognize your natural state?

Rodney: I could easily go into detail about that. And by "easily," I mean give an even and accurate accounting how this seeing occurred. Why do I bother (though I have grown a little bored with telling it)? Because the answers to such inquiries can sometimes help point the way to someone else's understanding, as long as that someone knows that there is no actual "person" that awakens, and that his or her understanding will, in all likelihood, not occur the same exact manner. It's the knowing that's paramount here, not the manner in which is happens. That said, it would be, easier for me to give you a link in which I speak about the recognition of my natural state in the spring of 2007:

http://www.advaita.org.uk/discourses/teachers/vastness_stevens.htm

This is an article I did for Advaita.org last year. If you have any questions after perusing it, please feel free to write.

Question: Thank you, I eagerly look forward to reading it...One quick question--How have you been able to abide in that natural state, without the mind or the ego constantly over shadowing the pure awareness that you are?

Rodney: Abiding as pure awareness involves no effort or maintenance. It is a discovery that you are That, presence itself. You never move from this. Thus, the mind, which is nothing but the appearance of thoughts, is never an over shadowing presence. Thoughts and emotions appear in awareness, and then disappear. There may be some brief and occasional identification with them, but it's never a problem. Having thoughts is a normal functioning of life. It's a part of this body/mind being lived. What's vital is to take note of is that there is a boundless and unchanging background that is nothing less than your true nature. Thus, it is the what--not the who--that is to be discovered and understood. Just see this for yourself. It isn't at all difficult to recognize. You're simply looking passed it, thinking that it is somewhere outside of yourself, or even heavenward! But it is the Presence behind these very words that you are reading right now. You know doubt feel it: An indefinable immediacy and spaciousness. Allow that feeling to bring you to pause. Because in doing that, it is bringing you to yourself. Then you see that were always home.

Question: Thank you for the beautiful response, Rodney. I'm tearing up a little, but don't know why.

Rodney: No worries. If tears appear, tears are fine.

Question: I will check into the article above. I'm sure I will have an extra question or two. In the meantime, thank you again.