What is it that is fully present but is not an object?
*****
You can't come to this understanding intellectually. No amount of philosophical debating or conceptual parsing will help you to recognize your natural state. That recognition can happen only when the conceptualizing has naturally and temporarily stopped. Concepts and reasoning can point to presence, but not "take" you to it.
*****
Before you can articulate any doubt or reservation, you are presence already. Before you utter a single word of denial, you are what you are and have always been--awareness itself. So how can that doubt or skepticism have any significance?
*****
You think you are your body and your mind. So you act, respond, and live at that level. Hence, suffering permeates your life. But you are above all of that! Your essence is pure awareness! It manifests itself in your physicality as unending peace and boundlessness. It's there right now for the seeing. Bring your attention to that with which you have always been endowed.
*****
You are neither consciousness nor the contents of consciousness. All of those things come and go. Anything that begins or ends cannot possibly be you. What is it that remains after any of those things are gone?
*****
When you finally recognize presence, remain with it. Don't move. This is not to solidify or maintain anything. You are merely seeing and understanding what exactly has always been your inherent state.
*****
If you enjoy meditating, meditate. If you enjoy sitting, sit. If you enjoy concentrating, concentrate. Everyone is where he or she assumes themselves to be. You just need to be clear on the fact that if you truly want self-realization, those roads won't take you there.
*****
Everyone comes to this understanding in a unique way. The Truth is the same, but the actual recognition of your natural state is different. Just go with how you feel. If you are drawn to a particular teacher, go with that teacher. If you feel some sort of contact with that person would help you, then arrange to have it happen. As always, let your heart be the guide.
*****
I have no mission or "life-purpose." My spiel (whether writing or speaking) is simply to clarify who and what you are. I have zero interest in reincarnation, the birth of the universe, dream interpretation, spiritual experiences, and psychic phenomena. There are plenty of teachers and people with whom you can discuss all of that. The only thing that comes up through this body/mind with any drive or earnestness is the illumination of your natural and ever-present state, which is merely being overlooked.
-----
News & Info
~~~~~
"I love A Vastness All Around! I just can't say enough good things about it! It keeps stopping me in my mental tracks, and it always does it in this really deep and beautiful way. I could go on and on, of course. But I know you understand exactly what I am pointing to! :)" -- Terrence Smith
~~~~~
I am now scheduling teaching events. If you would like to arrange something in your area, you may email me at: writerguy@fastmail.fm
I am also doing one-to-one phone consultations for anyone who is vitally interested in self-knowledge. Each conversation will take an hour or so, and donations of around $25 will be greatly appreciated.
~~~~~
~~~~~
Tami Brady reviewed Vastness on her TCM Reviews page.
~~~~~
Here's a review of the Kindle Edition of Vastness on Amazon.
~~~~~
Nonduality Magazine has published a discussion with Rodney about his work and book. The extensive and wide-ranging interview was done by John LeKay, the magazine's editor.
~~~~~
"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
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~
~~~~~
~~~~~
This blog is generally updated every Sunday afternoon, Eastern Standard Time.
3 comments:
Great post Rodney- thank you.
I'd like to ask for some clarification regarding the terms "consciousness" and "awareness" and "presence." Some people use these words interchangeably as basically synonymous- as different pointers or symbols or sounds pointing to the same ineffable reality.
Here is a sentence from your post: "You are neither consciousness nor the contents of consciousness." You say that we are not consciousness, but we are awareness or presence. I'd be grateful if you could clarify for me why we are not consciousness. What is consciousness and how is it different from awareness or presence? Thank you, Colleen
Hi Colleen,
Consciousness is many things to many people. The common definition is that it is one's individual awareness.
But when I refer to consciousness, I am almost always referring to it as either a state of alertness (awake, dreaming, sleepy, drowsy, etc) or as sentience (that discerning mental quality that allows us to KNOW that we exist).
But when you recognize your natural state, you are seeing not only that you exist, but that you exist as awareness itself! Now consciousness can't make that recognition. Only awareness, in conjunction with consciousness, can do that. Pure awareness is objectless. It cannot know that it exist.
Awareness/presence remains the ultimate witness. Thoughts, feelings, ideas, concepts, beliefs, and images could certainly be labeled as the contents of consciousness. But the contents are temporal. Things are coming and going, coming and going. And awareness, of course, envelops and shines through even consciousness. For consciousness too is constantly changing. And this ultimate You can't be anything that changes.
I hope that helps. :)
Rodney
Thank you for the helpful response Rodney.
Post a Comment