Questioner: Hey, man. It's been a while since I've written. Sorry about that. I've been concentrating on work, wife, and kids.
Rodney: It sounds like you've got three full-time jobs there. Don't be concerned about writing to me. Just focus on getting your rest and sleep!
Q: I hear ya! Still, I just wanted to give you a shout-out and let you know how much your writing continues to mean to me. Sometimes, I may not be getting what you're saying. But I'm still captivated, you know? I've even found myself glued to the computer screen, and not knowing why.
Rodney: The "not-knowing" is perfectly fine. The important thing is the pause (or at least the slowing down of thought and conceptualization), and your recognition of it. Most people overlook that the "full stop" (as Bob Adamson nicely terms it) has momentarily happened, which is unfortunate, to say the least. For the pause is both the gateway to presence and is presence itself. I even hesitate to use the term "gateway" because awareness isn't something that you move into. And neither is it some rapturous state, which is just an experience and not awareness proper, which is your fundamental reality.
Q: But how to I stay at that full stop?
Rodney: Once presence is recognized, you don't have to do a thing to "remain" there or to maintain the seeing. The seeing and and understanding fully stops you to who and what you actually are. Presence is then beautifully apparent and unmoving. Thoughts, feelings, silliness, anger, and joy will still come up; but they will come up and disappear within a pristine expanse that is nothing less than Existence itself. So that is very little identification with any thoughts and emotions. They are like waves in the ocean, rising and falling, coming and going. But what is it that remains? What is it about the waves that does not change?
Q: I don't have a clue.
Rodney: It's the fact that all waves are water. It's all one sea.
Q: Oh man, how did I miss that?
Rodney: Don't stress about it. You'll likely be saying the same thing about awareness one of these days.
Q: That's the plan! (Laughing)
Rodney: And be careful about queries relating to "how" when it comes to nonduality. If such questions naturally come up (as it did here), we can certainly address them. But know that when you are centered on the "how" as it relates to this understanding, you are focused on a "future" event, rather than on what is right here, at this very moment. So if you're going to remain with anything, remain with the fact that you are seeking something that is directly in front of you. And even that is a bit of a stretch; for you are It. You are awareness itself, which--within the body/mind--expresses itself is a peace and presence that defies all acclamation.
Q: I've been trying to read The Lamp of Non-Dual Knowledge and Cream of Liberation, because Ramana Maharshi recommended them. What do you think about those books?
Rodney: Well, I have those titles on my own bookshelf, and they aren't easy reading. They are over five-hundred years old and dense with advaitic and metaphysical references. And much of what is recommended in them isn't necessary at all (and some of it is even flat-out wrong). So if I were to recommend anything, it would be for you to explore more contemporary writers and teachers with whom you resonate. Then when your understanding is clear and beyond doubt, you can go back to those books (if you feel any inclination to do so) and read them anew. Then you will have a better sense of what the authors were saying or attempting to say. You will also be able to readily perceive statements that badly translated, romantically rendered, or simply incorrect.
Q: I know that this is probably a stupid question, but do you still remember how it felt like before you awakened?
Rodney: Vaguely. I really have to struggle for that remembrance to come up. Then, after while, the sense of isolation, malaise, and anxiousness are briefly recollected.
Q: Yep, that's me! Every one of them.
Rodney: They are only the apparent you. And that's one of the central tenets of this blog: That what you take to be yourself is not that at all. You are that in which all of your body and mind arise. And really, this natural state is beyond spaciousness. That's just a pointer to Beingness itself. Our sense of spaciousness is contained within presence, which is beyond description. Yet, it is so plainly and radiantly evident that you will wonder--upon its discovery--how it ever could have been missed.
Q: Well, I'm on it, That's all I can say. I just can't let go of this.
Rodney: It sounds like earnestness to me.
Q: Happy to hear it. At least that's a start!
Rodney: More of an ending, without a doubt.
Q: Thanks, man. That really touches me....It's good I'm not the crying type, right?
Rodney: You and me, both.
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Here is an interview that I recently did for the new online publication, Nonduality Magazine: http://www.nondualitymagazine.org/nonduality_magazine_volume_1.contents.htm
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Monday, August 30, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Pointers
Stay with the spaciousness.
*****
Nondual inquiry creates its own devotion. You don't need to struggle to foster it or to maintain it. Your own deep desire to know your fundamental Self creates your earnestness.
*****
There is no truth to be found in the concept of awareness.
*****
Nondual inquiry creates its own devotion. You don't need to struggle to foster it or to maintain it. Your own deep desire to know your fundamental Self creates your earnestness.
*****
There is no truth to be found in the concept of awareness.
*****
Sitting around, comparing spiritual experiences (no matter how mystical or transcendent) gets you no where. For no understanding of your basic self comes from such discussions. How could it, given that you remain on the level of experiences rather than penetrating to the source of them?
*****
Truth requires no oaths, ceremonies, commitments, or spiritual names.
*****
You think (and are told) that you need to "become one" with your true self. But you don't. You are already That--which expresses itself as sereneness, spaciousness, and self-shining sheerness. The recognition of this Freedom is the understanding of it. And the understanding of it is the recognition of it. One connotes the other.
*****
The so-called "pain-body" is just another thought. It appears and then disappears. Why give it significance? The only significant thing about it is the presence from which it originates.
*****
When you talk about blissful states, you aren't talking about awareness proper. You are speaking about experiences, nothing more and nothing less. And experiences are on the same level as thought. Both are things of the body/mind. So no matter how grand the thought or experience, you haven't discerned the principle in which concepts and experiences appear and then disappear.
-----------
A recent interview I did for the new online publication Nonduality Magazine can be found at the following link:
Sitting around, comparing spiritual experiences (no matter how mystical or transcendent) gets you no where. For no understanding of your basic self comes from such discussions. How could it, given that you remain on the level of experiences rather than penetrating to the source of them?
*****
Truth requires no oaths, ceremonies, commitments, or spiritual names.
*****
You think (and are told) that you need to "become one" with your true self. But you don't. You are already That--which expresses itself as sereneness, spaciousness, and self-shining sheerness. The recognition of this Freedom is the understanding of it. And the understanding of it is the recognition of it. One connotes the other.
*****
The so-called "pain-body" is just another thought. It appears and then disappears. Why give it significance? The only significant thing about it is the presence from which it originates.
*****
When you talk about blissful states, you aren't talking about awareness proper. You are speaking about experiences, nothing more and nothing less. And experiences are on the same level as thought. Both are things of the body/mind. So no matter how grand the thought or experience, you haven't discerned the principle in which concepts and experiences appear and then disappear.
-----------
A recent interview I did for the new online publication Nonduality Magazine can be found at the following link:
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Pointers
Who is it that says that awareness isn't fully present?
*****
Your natural state does have a blissful quality to it. But that is only one of its many magnificent aspects. The others include peace and spaciousness. These are not experiences. They are the features or qualities of awareness that do no change.
*****
The thought "I'll never get this" is just an idea arising in what you already are--self-shining presence. You are That, right at this very moment. There is nothing that you have to attain or to work toward. Notions of having to do either of those only turn your attention away from what is right here, right now.
*****
Say to yourself: "I am...." But stay with the pause that has no name.
*****
You are already in full possession of your natural state. You just need to confirm this for yourself. Your own direct seeing and understanding leave you with absolutely no questions about the validity of your inherent reality. And when that recognition occurs, you may shout, smile, tear-up, shake your head, or sit in silence. Every body/personality is different.
*****
No practice can quiet the mind.
*****
What is it that is subtly present that is not a thought, a sensation, an emotion, or an object? What is it that is none of these? Do Not Move From This. See it to the end, which, ironically, is your beginning. It is all Oneness, which, in actuality, has no beginning or end.
*****
"Accessing" your natural state requires no sustained effort or practice. Please don't believe anyone who tells you this.
*****
You give the ego credibility when you attempt to engage it in any manner, particularly if that engagement involves controlling, watching, or annihilating. What is present before the ego is present? What is there before any thought, feeling, or conceptualization arises?
-----------
The interview that I recently did for the new online publication, Nonduality Magazine, can be found at the following link: http://www.nondualitymagazine.org/nonduality_magazine_volume_1.contents.htm
If the link isn't highlighted (or is highlighted but won't open), simply copy and paste it into your Subject line, and click.
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*****
Your natural state does have a blissful quality to it. But that is only one of its many magnificent aspects. The others include peace and spaciousness. These are not experiences. They are the features or qualities of awareness that do no change.
*****
The thought "I'll never get this" is just an idea arising in what you already are--self-shining presence. You are That, right at this very moment. There is nothing that you have to attain or to work toward. Notions of having to do either of those only turn your attention away from what is right here, right now.
*****
Say to yourself: "I am...." But stay with the pause that has no name.
*****
You are already in full possession of your natural state. You just need to confirm this for yourself. Your own direct seeing and understanding leave you with absolutely no questions about the validity of your inherent reality. And when that recognition occurs, you may shout, smile, tear-up, shake your head, or sit in silence. Every body/personality is different.
*****
No practice can quiet the mind.
*****
What is it that is subtly present that is not a thought, a sensation, an emotion, or an object? What is it that is none of these? Do Not Move From This. See it to the end, which, ironically, is your beginning. It is all Oneness, which, in actuality, has no beginning or end.
*****
"Accessing" your natural state requires no sustained effort or practice. Please don't believe anyone who tells you this.
*****
You give the ego credibility when you attempt to engage it in any manner, particularly if that engagement involves controlling, watching, or annihilating. What is present before the ego is present? What is there before any thought, feeling, or conceptualization arises?
-----------
The interview that I recently did for the new online publication, Nonduality Magazine, can be found at the following link: http://www.nondualitymagazine.org/nonduality_magazine_volume_1.contents.htm
If the link isn't highlighted (or is highlighted but won't open), simply copy and paste it into your Subject line, and click.
---------
Monday, August 9, 2010
Q&A: Shifting Your Attention
Question: Hello Rodney! I'm a coed at the University of Florida, and I've been listening to and thoroughly enjoying the Urban Guru Cafe podcast that you did last year.
Rodney: Happy to hear you're enjoying it. I've never been to Florida, but I've always wanted to visit South Beach--even in the summer, with all of SoBe's heat and humidity.
Q: Come on down! I'll give you a personal tour. Maybe we can even have a Satsang on the sand. :)
Rodney: Only if we have a very shady umbrella and numerous bottles of cold, green tea.
Q: Not to worry. I'll take care of all the details...While we're on the subject, are you planning any talks near Florida, or anywhere actually? I would really make it a point of trying to attend. For the way you explain nonduality and its related matters are so interesting and clear.
Rodney: There is the possibility of some talks being set up here in Columbia (SC), perhaps sometime in the Fall. It's really in its infancy stages, and is largely dependent upon local interest and the generous efforts of a fine West Columbia-based nonduality group. But I will announce it on my blog when and if the talks begin.
Q: Great!...In the meantime, I have a question. When I close my eyes, there is a definite spaciousness. But, after a moment, I get caught up in thoughts and feelings again. What is it that gets caught up, if I am ever present awareness?
Rodney: Ultimately, there is no one who gets "caught up" in such things. What happens is that while you are sitting with your eyes closed (neither the sitting nor the eyes being closed is a prerequisite for realizing your natural state, by the way), a thought comes up in presence and is recognized by presence. If your attention remains on the thought, you'll probably get another thought saying something to the effect of "Why can't I still my mind?" or "Why am I such a bad meditator?" And by then, of course, there are a slew of other similar questions and assessments popping up. But the thoughts are inconsequential. They are a part of the body/mind experience. Be thankful that they are there! In order to perceive that even your body/mind is an appearance, shift your attention away from the thoughts to that presence of awareness from which they arise. And this shift requires no strain or undue effort. It is a relaxed and simple understanding of something that has always been available to you.
Q: Okay, I think I see what you mean now. It's like all of this spiritual stuff--yoga and meditation etc.--are things "on top" of what we already are.
Rodney: Precisely. Though if you enjoy yoga, meditation, and sitting, by all means enjoy them. (For I certainly still enjoy yoga!) Just know that they are not a route or a way to discover your true Self.
Q: It's really great to know that it can be that easy.
Rodney: It is that easy. Just reflect upon all of this when you feel an inclination to do so. See that no matter what thoughts, emotions, or questions are there, that there is an unchanging presence of awareness in which all of those things are appearing. You will then discern, in no uncertain terms,that this pristine sheerness is who and what you actually are. Again, you are the spaciousness. That point is central to your seeing this for yourself. And this apperception and understanding is one of the simplest things in the world to come by. It is just a matter of seeing what you have been overlooking.
Q: Thanks so much, Rodney! I'm getting the cooler out for our bottles of green tea as I type, which is no easy task, mind you. But, hey, anything for our SoBe Satsang!
Rodney: Happy to hear you're enjoying it. I've never been to Florida, but I've always wanted to visit South Beach--even in the summer, with all of SoBe's heat and humidity.
Q: Come on down! I'll give you a personal tour. Maybe we can even have a Satsang on the sand. :)
Rodney: Only if we have a very shady umbrella and numerous bottles of cold, green tea.
Q: Not to worry. I'll take care of all the details...While we're on the subject, are you planning any talks near Florida, or anywhere actually? I would really make it a point of trying to attend. For the way you explain nonduality and its related matters are so interesting and clear.
Rodney: There is the possibility of some talks being set up here in Columbia (SC), perhaps sometime in the Fall. It's really in its infancy stages, and is largely dependent upon local interest and the generous efforts of a fine West Columbia-based nonduality group. But I will announce it on my blog when and if the talks begin.
Q: Great!...In the meantime, I have a question. When I close my eyes, there is a definite spaciousness. But, after a moment, I get caught up in thoughts and feelings again. What is it that gets caught up, if I am ever present awareness?
Rodney: Ultimately, there is no one who gets "caught up" in such things. What happens is that while you are sitting with your eyes closed (neither the sitting nor the eyes being closed is a prerequisite for realizing your natural state, by the way), a thought comes up in presence and is recognized by presence. If your attention remains on the thought, you'll probably get another thought saying something to the effect of "Why can't I still my mind?" or "Why am I such a bad meditator?" And by then, of course, there are a slew of other similar questions and assessments popping up. But the thoughts are inconsequential. They are a part of the body/mind experience. Be thankful that they are there! In order to perceive that even your body/mind is an appearance, shift your attention away from the thoughts to that presence of awareness from which they arise. And this shift requires no strain or undue effort. It is a relaxed and simple understanding of something that has always been available to you.
Q: Okay, I think I see what you mean now. It's like all of this spiritual stuff--yoga and meditation etc.--are things "on top" of what we already are.
Rodney: Precisely. Though if you enjoy yoga, meditation, and sitting, by all means enjoy them. (For I certainly still enjoy yoga!) Just know that they are not a route or a way to discover your true Self.
Q: It's really great to know that it can be that easy.
Rodney: It is that easy. Just reflect upon all of this when you feel an inclination to do so. See that no matter what thoughts, emotions, or questions are there, that there is an unchanging presence of awareness in which all of those things are appearing. You will then discern, in no uncertain terms,that this pristine sheerness is who and what you actually are. Again, you are the spaciousness. That point is central to your seeing this for yourself. And this apperception and understanding is one of the simplest things in the world to come by. It is just a matter of seeing what you have been overlooking.
Q: Thanks so much, Rodney! I'm getting the cooler out for our bottles of green tea as I type, which is no easy task, mind you. But, hey, anything for our SoBe Satsang!
-----------
The interview that I recently did for the new online publication, Nonduality Magazine, can be found at the following link:http://www.nondualitymagazine.org/nonduality_magazine_volume_1.contents.htm
If the link isn't highlighted (or is highlighted but won't open), simply copy and paste it into your Subject line, and click.
---------
The interview that I recently did for the new online publication, Nonduality Magazine, can be found at the following link:http://www.nondualitymagazine.org/nonduality_magazine_volume_1.contents.htm
If the link isn't highlighted (or is highlighted but won't open), simply copy and paste it into your Subject line, and click.
---------
Monday, August 2, 2010
Pointers
How can there be a path to what you already are?
*****
Where is the separation between you and awareness? There absolutely is none. All that happens (to take a very basic example) is that a thought or an emotion appears and disappears in this cognitizing spaciousness. And you are that spaciousness, not the thought or the feeling. The latter two change, but the former does not.
*****
This understanding can only occur suddenly--timelessly. There is no gradual seeing of this.
*****
Say to yourself, "I am...," but softly stop before saying your name. You are that presence of awareness that is prior to any thoughts or identifications. You have continuously overlooked this eternal antecedent. Once again, say to yourself: "I am...." But stay with the pause that has no name.
*****
The Tao Te Ching beautifully notes that "the gateway to all is understanding." And this understanding is beyond all paths, spirituality, and religions. Indeed, every single one of them culminate in this ultimate reality--pure awareness.
*****
You are what you are. There is nothing to be done other than to recognize the underlying truth of that stunning fact. Any doubts, concerns, or intellectual discord are just thoughts rising and disappearing in your pristine clarity.
*****
Note how much conceptualizing you are doing about nonduality. It's not that the topic isn't interesting (even fascinating) to speak and write about. It's just that there needs to be an understanding that only so much can be shared about it. The most potent and most elegant talk that I could ever give you would be for me to sit here, in complete silence. But it would not be the silence that is found at so-called silence retreats. That silence is forced and thoroughly unnatural. Why? Because there are assumed-individuals (seekers and teacher!) attempting to be silent.
*****
You say that you have stopped seeking, but that you have not yet discerned your natural and ever-present state. What now, you ask? Well, enjoy the not-seeking, for starters. For over 99% percent of the world's seekers have not stopped. So right away, you are in a very select group. You are to be commended for allowing yourself to pause, to take note of your abiding Reality, which is directly in front of you. Take some time ponder this, to see your Self for yourself. And remember, we are speaking about something that, while subtle, is one of the simplest things in the world to discern. Listen carefully to those who know, who have discovered this for themselves. For their every word, smile, gaze, pause, and utterance are saying more than you can ever know.
-----------
The interview that I recently did for the new online publication, Nonduality Magazine, can be found at the following link: http://www.nondualitymagazine.org/nonduality_magazine_volume_1.contents.htm
If the link isn't highlighted (or is highlighted but won't open), simply copy and paste it into your Subject line, and click.
---------
*****
Where is the separation between you and awareness? There absolutely is none. All that happens (to take a very basic example) is that a thought or an emotion appears and disappears in this cognitizing spaciousness. And you are that spaciousness, not the thought or the feeling. The latter two change, but the former does not.
*****
This understanding can only occur suddenly--timelessly. There is no gradual seeing of this.
*****
Say to yourself, "I am...," but softly stop before saying your name. You are that presence of awareness that is prior to any thoughts or identifications. You have continuously overlooked this eternal antecedent. Once again, say to yourself: "I am...." But stay with the pause that has no name.
*****
The Tao Te Ching beautifully notes that "the gateway to all is understanding." And this understanding is beyond all paths, spirituality, and religions. Indeed, every single one of them culminate in this ultimate reality--pure awareness.
*****
You are what you are. There is nothing to be done other than to recognize the underlying truth of that stunning fact. Any doubts, concerns, or intellectual discord are just thoughts rising and disappearing in your pristine clarity.
*****
Note how much conceptualizing you are doing about nonduality. It's not that the topic isn't interesting (even fascinating) to speak and write about. It's just that there needs to be an understanding that only so much can be shared about it. The most potent and most elegant talk that I could ever give you would be for me to sit here, in complete silence. But it would not be the silence that is found at so-called silence retreats. That silence is forced and thoroughly unnatural. Why? Because there are assumed-individuals (seekers and teacher!) attempting to be silent.
*****
You say that you have stopped seeking, but that you have not yet discerned your natural and ever-present state. What now, you ask? Well, enjoy the not-seeking, for starters. For over 99% percent of the world's seekers have not stopped. So right away, you are in a very select group. You are to be commended for allowing yourself to pause, to take note of your abiding Reality, which is directly in front of you. Take some time ponder this, to see your Self for yourself. And remember, we are speaking about something that, while subtle, is one of the simplest things in the world to discern. Listen carefully to those who know, who have discovered this for themselves. For their every word, smile, gaze, pause, and utterance are saying more than you can ever know.
-----------
The interview that I recently did for the new online publication, Nonduality Magazine, can be found at the following link: http://www.nondualitymagazine.org/nonduality_magazine_volume_1.contents.htm
If the link isn't highlighted (or is highlighted but won't open), simply copy and paste it into your Subject line, and click.
---------
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