Pointers

You are awareness. You never move from being precisely that.

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My concern is simply with what you are, and not with any theories or concepts related to that whatness.

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Even questions are a kind of "move away" from your natural state. This isn't to dissuade you from asking questions. But rather, to simply see the truth of issue.

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A thought can't be aware of itself. And neither can it be aware of other thoughts. So thoughts definitely have their limitations! Further, when no thought is present, you continue to be present. So what is it that never alters from being unequivocally THERE? It is the serene presence of your natural state.

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After this understanding occurs, the "I" and "me" continue to come up. But they are no longer defined and actual points of reference. They are usages to facilitate communication and comprehension. They come and go, come and go. So they are no more your actual Self than your DVD player.

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God, Brahman, Enlightenment, Spirituality, the Tao, Buddha-mind, Supreme Freedom, etc, are just words that point to your core existence. After your understanding is clear, you'll find yourself using the above terms less and less, if at all. For you'll see that however lovely and legendary the expressions may be, they fail to approximate the boundlessness of your inherent nature.

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What you are after is the direct experience of your natural state. Anything less than that is of little consequence, spiritually speaking. Self-inquiry ends with the Self. Don't get caught up with needless conjecturing and philosophizing. Such talk is endless and won't bring you one iota closer to presence. For you are that at this very moment. And that is the fact to which you should attune yourself.

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Turn your attention not to what is happening, but to whatever it is that Is Not Moving.

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Any pause between thoughts and feelings is an immediate opportunity to perceive what has always been fully present. Don't try to grasp the pause or to be the pause. Simply see that there is a very real presence of awareness before and within you. It is limitless and unvarying, and you are That, limitless and unchanging.

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When you come to this understanding yourself, you will discover how superfluous self-appointed gurus and spiritual practices are. Even my sitting in this chair and talking with you is a bit much. But if we stick to the key issues and keep the pointing clear and direct, then some genuine benefit is possible in such discussions. Yes, I could sit here in complete silence, and that, too, would be a legitimate way of expressing this teaching. But who would get it? Who would understand what the silence is directing them to? That's why silent retreats tend not to work--because the seekers are focused on being silent, rather than on recognizing That to which the silence is pointing. For even silence is an action and an idea. It is in no way related to who and what you truly are at this very moment.

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News & Info

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Fiona Robertson interviews Rodney on Nic Higham's NONDUALITY NETWORK!

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Rodney's new book, Fully Present: Daily Reflections on Nonduality, is now out. It is $18.95 for the paperback (excluding postage). You can order it directly from the publisher right HERE.

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Fully Present is now on AMAZON! It can also be purchased at Barnes & Noble, and is available through bookstores nationwide.

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And go HERE for the press release for Fully Present.

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For Tami Brady's review of Fully Present in TCM Reviews, go HERE.

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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 American 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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For the book's Press Release, click Here.

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Check out Rodney on YouTube talking about "The Fundamental Thing."

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Feel free to read a review of the Kindle Edition of Vastness on Amazon.

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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.

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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.

I am also scheduling teaching events at this time. If you would like to arrange something in your area, you may email me at: writerguy (at) fastmail (dot) fm

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This blog is generally updated every Sunday afternoon, Eastern Standard Time.