Truth is startling--but only in its hushness, bareness, and clarity.
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Life goes on quite nicely without this imagined you of yours. Aliveness, richness, and spontaneity are the very nature of living. And you are that Livingness. You are giving undue attention to a sporadic appearance (the ego) instead of to the majestic course of existence itself.
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Nonduality is not the transformation of anything (especially oneself). It is the seeing or understanding of a presence that has always been in place.
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Awareness is always "choiceless." You don't have to practice to make it so. You will only be getting in the way of something that is already incomprehensibly pristine.
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There is blessedly little spiritual drama in nonduality. There are no sannyasins in some fiery state of concentration, desperately attempting to burn away the last vestiges of the ego. But as I keep saying here, the only time the ego will be dead is when you are dead. Just see through the ego (i.e., that it is merely a momentary arising of a sense of individuality), and it's no longer a problem.
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Just to clear: There is no one to "let go" of anything. What happens is a thought or notion or sentiment comes up. And if you don't like it, you say, "I've got to let go of that." That sentence is just another thought. No defined "me" has been created. Nor was there ever one.
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You are awareness itself. There is nothing to "journey to" or to "work towards." See the utter foolishness of those lines of thinking, and you are free.
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You are fixated on this spiritual mirage of "enlightenment" and of it being ecstatic and rife with visions and spirals of energy cruising throughout your body. But self-knowledge is none of those things. In fact, it's not even spiritual in its purest sense. We are talking about a very natural state--of peace and limitlessness--that is simply not being noticed.
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"Strengthening your spirit," "awakening the mind," and "expanding your awareness" are just catch-phrases for doing nothing at all. They sound like spiritually important endeavors, but they aren't. In fact, they are ludicrous. The recognition of your natural condition requires none of the above.
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No separate objects are ever witnessed--only awareness.
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Self-knowledge is not a process. It is an end in itself. It is the abandonment of all rituals, practices, and sadhanas. It is the simple seeing of your unalloyed Self.
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"Om" is wrongly chanted to achieve enlightenment. But when that is done, you are focusing on it as if it is something "outside" of or beyond you. Also, even a single chant is too much and entirely unnecessary. Just sit quietly and see that "Om"--which The Bhagavad Gita beautifully notes "designates the Divine" and is "heard throughout the universe"--is emanating from within you. Hear your own divinity. It is both present and silent, uttered and unsaid. And there is no place where it is not. It is the loveliness sound that you could imagine, and it is pouring--at this very moment--from your very own vastness.
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News & Info
John Wheeler's Web site is no longer up. But earnest and serious seekers (and that's the only kind we have here at "Radiance") can reach him at: johnwheeler111@yahoo.com
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RECENTLY IN: The beautiful and informative Nonduality Magazine has published a new discussion with Rodney about his book, A Vastness All Around. The extensive and wide-ranging interview was done by John LeKay, the magazine's editor.
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"Loved the book, Rodney. Enjoyed it as much as John Wheeler's first book, Awakening to the Natural State. My favourite quote of yours was "you are no more your personal history than you are your toothbrush." I like the fact that you included little tidbits of your life and surrounds. It felt more like reading a book on travel or history than some of the other textbook style books on nonduality. I think for anyone serious about a direct approach, your book and John Wheeler's are the two to have." -- Ian
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A Vastness All Around: Awakening to Your Natural State is Rodney's first collection of essays, discussions, interviews, and powerful pointers. It can be ordered directly from the publisher at Lulu Press.
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If you would like to meet Rodney, have him to discuss nonduality, sign books, or read, you can email him at: writerguy@fastmail.fm. Such events are self-organized, so funding is key, with groups and universities that can cover travel expenses getting priority. And much appreciation!
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This blog is now updated every Sunday afternoon, Eastern Standard Time.
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