Pointers

Some teachers claim that meditation should be intense and demanding, while others say it should be easy. But self-knowing is beyond even easy! For it is the simplest of things. You are woefully overlooking something that is totally and continually present—pure awareness.

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What is this understanding? Some say that it is that there is nothing to understand. But that’s not accurate. The understanding is that you are presence itself, as you are reading these words. Your stereotypical notions of “enlightenment” (e.g., the ascent through multiple stages of bliss) are pretty much all that is getting in your way of directly perceiving who and what you truly are.

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Just sitting with this inherent peace and spaciousness is more beautiful  than any yoga or meditative pose that you could ever possibly indulge in. Why? Because when you are sitting like that, you aren’t faking it. You aren’t attempting to be something that you are not. You are simply relaxing in your very own fullness. And there is no capacity to that fullness. It is completely beyond measure. And you’re it. You Are It!

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Grace is continually given to you. There is no time or moment when you are without it. You ask for “God’s grace,” but it has already been given. It extends from where you are right now to the furthest reaches of the universe. Indeed, it’s beyond all time and things!

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Allow this abiding background of awareness to become a living reality for you. That reality is fully present, of course. It is both the foreground and the background of your daily existence. It is in both places simultaneously.

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I’ve said this numerous times, but its truth cannot be overstated: If I could hand this realization to you, I would. But it would take more effort and energy for you to take it from my hand than it would for you to see it for yourself.

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Bondage, liberation, and freedom are all aspects of the mind. They have nothing whatsoever to do with what you are, which is presence itself. They don’t figure into the recognition of your natural state at all!

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I’m more of a writer than a teacher. The teacher only appears when I’m asked a question, at which time a response arises from this body/mind. Sometimes that response is curtailed a bit, because I'm rather long-winded when it comes to this stuff. But there are silences during the reply, and they are just as instructive as the response!

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It would be the easiest thing in the world for me to give you a mantra or a spiritual exercise. But one cannot be hypocritical about nonduality. Its inherent simplicity pretty much negates any purported gurus from rationally charging you exorbitant fees for awakening methods or processes; yet there are people who are doing exactly that!

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You have to find out for yourself what is continuously present. No sage or teacher can do that for you. All he or she can do is point. That’s why there appears to be a lot of repetition in this teaching. But actually, there isn’t. Each pointer from a self-realized person is at once original, potent, and life-affirming. Even if the very same words are used, the intonation is different and there are nuances in the intent. So you aren’t merely hearing the words—you are being supremely alerted to that which is simultaneously subtle and profound. And that is the way to your very own Truth.

News & Info

The Only True Life: Living from the Natural State can be purchased from Amazon by clicking on the above link.

Or you can buy the book directly from the publisher, Lulu Press

"If you want to learn about non-dual awareness, you must read Rodney Stevens' brilliant book, The Only True Life. His collection of essays, conversations, and pointing-out instructions will take you over and over again to what you perceive to be the edge of your own awareness, only to remind you ultimately that there is no such edge. However, as Rodney himself will teach you, if you are ready to experience non-dual awareness, then you must stop reading and recognize that this book has pointed you only toward what has always been, what you already knew about living The Only True Life. Open this book's pages and prepare to see, in the space surrounding each letter, the truth that no book can teach you." — Karen Wyatt, M.D., Author of What Really Matters: 7 Lessons for Living from the Stories of the Dying

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Susan Ferguson is a talented artist, writer, and book reviewer, who lives in the gorgeous, green hills of North Canterbury, New Zealand.

You may read her review of The Only True Life at her beautiful Web site: Metaphysical Musing:

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Feel free to check out Jimmy Dabrowski's beautiful and downloadable MixTape. Jimmy's a great guy, and I am honored to be one of the nondual authors in his collection.

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Rodney's earlier book is State of Wonder: Awakening to Presence.

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Click HERE to purchase Rodney's Fully Present: Daily Reflections on Nonduality.

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"Fully Present is an elegant addition to the growing literature on nonduality as it is being uncovered, lived and understood in the modern West."

—Philip Goldberg, author of the best-selling America Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation—How Indian Spirituality Changed the West. Philip's Web site can be found at www.philipgoldberg.com.

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"Rodney Stevens opens his daily life and thoughts to us in these immensely natural and pleasant ramblings of one who is fully engaged in life, love, nonduality, and cinnamon muffins."

—Catherine Ann Jones, award-winning screenwriter, spiritual workshop leader, and author of The Way of the Story: The Craft and Soul of Writing. Her Web site is www.wayofstory.com

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Rodney is also the author of A Vastness All Around: Awakening to Your Natural State, a powerful and elegant collection of essays, discussions, interviews, and powerful pointers. It can be ordered directly from the publisher at Lulu Press.

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"I like your approach in A Vastness All Around. The stories, thoughts and vignettes of your life seem wonderful ways to make people stop and pay attention to where they actually are right now, rather than in some imagined past or future. They show that you don't have to be some specially qualified person, preferably with a title and a name in Sanskrit, to pursue the spiritual quest. Your message comes across particularly well in such pieces as 'Sheerness of Being.'"

—Valerie J. Roebuck, Ph.D., Honorary Research Fellow, University of Manchester (England)

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I am now doing phone consultations via Skype! Each conversation will take about an hour, and a $25 donation will be greatly appreciated.

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This blog is generally updated every month.