Illusion ( part 7) - Awareness and Presence

 

After ten years of study, a monk attained the rank of Zen Teacher. One rainy day soon after his advancement, he journeyed to visit his old Zen Master.
 
When he walked into the house, the Master greeted him with a question.
“Tell me, did you leave your sandals and umbrella on the porch?”
“Yes,” replied the Teacher.
“And tell me,” the Master continued, “Did you leave your umbrella to the left or to the right of your sandals?”
The Teacher realized he did not know the answer, and that he had not yet attained full awareness and needed to deepen his practice.
 
Just like the Zen Teacher, on a day to day basis most of us are carrying out activities on auto-pilot and later wonder if we turned off the cooktop or if we closed the door of our house when we left home or did we leave the iron turned on. All of these are indicators that we have not been fully aware when we were carrying out these activities.
 
For those that are on the Path of Knowledge, awareness implies being the witness to all that appears while remembering that I am the experiencer.

 

What is this awareness ?
 
Colloquially speaking the word awareness is used loosely to imply having knowledge or a perception of something. However in this particular context we will define awareness as a special kind of mental activity, where the knowledge of the experiencer is present. When in awareness the attention maybe focussed on a single activity or multiple activities.
A pre-requisite to being in awareness is the realisation of the self and a prerequisite to which is the knowledge of the experiencer.
 
Why do I need to be self realised in order for me to be in awareness ?
 
Before a house can be built, special attention is given to the foundation of the house. The stronger the foundation, more stable the structure that sits on the foundation will be. The knowledge of the self and the illusion is the foundation on which the awareness sits. Self realisation is the knowing that consolidates the knowledge that has been gained of the self. If for example, the foundation of the house is not reinforced with concrete any shift or settlement of the land is likely to make the structure of the house unstable and lead to cracks initially, but in adverse cases collapsing of the house. So it is with knowledge of the self, if it is superficial and not based on knowing / realisation, then the resulting awareness easily drifts with the object that is observed.
 
Just like the house needs to be anchored to a foundation or a boat needs to anchored with an anchor, the awareness needs to anchored on the self, without which it will continually drift.
 
How do I gain this essential knowledge of the self ?
 
To gain the essential knowledge of the self, illusion and oneness, the path of knowledge is the easiest path to follow. This path has been taught by various gurus such as Ramana Maharishi, Mooji, Tarun Pradhan. The Three Day Program (takes approximately three hours in total) is one of the quickest way to gain this essential knowledge.
 
How will this essential knowledge and being in awareness change my life ?
 
When one drives from point A to point B they can either drive in the general direction towards B and hope to reach there, frequently stopping to ask for directions and at times getting lost or they can take a GPS which can take them through the shortest route, saving them time and money. So it is with knowledge and awareness, in of itself, it is of no use, however when used correctly, essential knowledge and awareness can save time, energy and effort by providing the most optimal path to the seeker's goals.
 
Without essential knowledge, most people are going around in circles, repeating the same mistakes, caught up in ignorance hoping for a different outcome. With essential knowledge, that which is necessary is only retained, everything else is discarded.
 
Where does awareness sit with respect to the intellect ?
 
The body mind structure is a multi-layered structure, with intellect being one of the higher layers of this structure. Most people have experienced that decisions that are made using the intellect are more logical and rational, compared to decisions made by lower layers such as emotions, feelings or physical desires.  Similar to intellect, awareness is another layer, which is higher than the intellect. Just like the intellect can be used to govern the lower layers, similarly awareness can govern the intellect and the layers below it. Actions carried out in awareness are devoid of the sense of doer ship and free the seeker from the consequences of the actions.
 
Is there a layer higher then awareness that a seeker can aspire to ?   
 
Awareness is the highest layer of the body mind structure that a being can aspire to and as such is also a mental activity. There is however a state wherein the mental activity stops, in this state the seeker becomes one with existence, the experience and the experiencer merge. This is the state of being or presence.
 
What do I need to do to be in this state of presence ?

The body mind structure that we are born with is an amazing structure that functions most efficiently on its own, with various checks and balances already in place to ensure it remains stable, survives and evolves. The various organs of this structure perform their functions seamlessly, without any intervention. However when one organ gets excessively prioritised over everything else then the body mind structure becomes unstable, for example when mind related activity dominates to the point that a separate egoic identity is created then the structure becomes unstable. This egoic identity then becomes the master and makes decisions, drives outcomes that perpetuates its survival even though it may be to the detriment of the overall body mind structure. Creating thoughts that strengthen it are far more important to it, even if they create toxicity in the body. So it is that as the egoic identity takes control, fear, anger, lust, greed, attachment rule the roost, despite the fact that all of these have adverse impact on the physiology of the body. Over time the natural state of the body mind structure is forgotten and new habits, new beliefs driven by the ego take root. 

Presence is this natural state which despite the control of the ego, still shines from time to time. When one sees something spectacular, their mental activity stops for a few seconds and then they are in this state of presence. Everyone has experienced this state at one time or another, but people have forgotten this is their natural state, which is minus the conditioning, the beliefs, the ego and the thoughts. This state is right here, right now and to be in this state nothing needs to be done. The act of doing and ignorance has masked this state of presence, we all are already in the state of presence. Just dropping the doing will simply get one in this state. 

It is easy to say drop the doing, but an egoic identity that has overtaken one's being is very hard to overcome. I realise there is nothing I can do to be in the state of presence, but there must be something I can do to reduce the stranglehold of the ego ?

The simplest steps a seeker can take is, choose a path, find a guru and remove the ignorance. To enter the state of presence, nothing needs to be done, nothing can be done, however beyond the foundational knowledge of the self, illusion and oneness, below are some techniques that can be used to loosen the grip of the ego and prepare a seeker to enter the state of presence -

• Nature. Being in nature, alone, in silence is known to connect one to their natural state. The more picturesque and overawing (snow covered mountains, glaciers, beautiful gardens) the experience, the more quickly and the longer the natural state can shine. The important thing to remember is to not get addicted to the experience, rather use the experience as a gateway to enter the state of presence.
• Music. Music can create a similar effect to nature if one is musically inclined and connect one to their natural state, which is empty of any qualities.
• Physical activity. Similar to nature and music, intense physical activity such as sports can lead to state of being. In this category is included various physical activities related to breathing called pranayama, balancing chi (called tai chi), yoga (various forms of physical and meditative practices), all of which have the effect of quietening the mind or at times shutting down the mind such that thought related activity is dropped.
• Acceptance. A seeker may be musically inclined or inclined towards sports or any other experience, whatever it may be, is an opportunity to be present. Every experience no matter what it is, whether a seeker likes it or not is an opportunity to be in presence. Stronger the the likes and the dislikes, easier the possibility of entering presence through attention and absorption. The key here is acceptance of what is. Stronger the emotion associated with the experience, the easier it is to transmute the energy to become present. 
• Attention and Absorption. Keeping the attention on what is being attended to, excluding all other objects can lead to an absorbed state which makes the experiencer one with the experience. The more absorbed a seeker is, the more stronger the presence. There can be situations when the boundary between the seeker and the object of attention disappears and the seeker becomes one with the object of attention. If one experiences such states, there is nothing to be scared of, as the bondage of the body mind will always bring the seeker back to its egoic identity. Attention and absorption offer very well tried pathways especially on the paths of devotion in loosening the ego. 
• Awareness. Being in awareness of the self is one of the most tried and tested way to loosen the grip of the ego and get detached from the egoic identity. Being aware of the thoughts and the ego provides a ready pathway into presence. With practice the body mind structure gets habituated at continually being in awareness. Another technique that uses inclusive attention, creates a state of heightened alertness, with the body mind structure aware of all that appears to it. 
• Surrender. Letting go and surrender is another failsafe mechanism in reducing the grip of the ego. More details on surrender and how to achieve it can be found here.

It is worth noting presence is right here right now if a seeker is willing to drop their ignorance.

Why should I aspire for presence and what are the benefits of being in this state of presence ?

Presence is not a state you can achieve by doing something, you are already in this state, so aspiring for it will not make you present. The mind incorrectly believes that doing something will get one to the desired state, unfortunately presence is beyond the mind, hence no amount of mental activity or physical activity can get one into the state of presence.

In a state of presence, the being is one with existence, free from suffering, liberated from karmic or any other bondage. There is eternal freedom, nothing to do, nowhere to go, no one to impress, no desires. All that is unnecessary is dropped, there is eternal freedom.

      

In summary, presence is the most natural state of a being, nothing needs to be done to be in it, yet it is the state that provides eternal liberation and freedom from suffering.

Illusion ( part 6) - Knowledge and Truth

Once a Zen master announced it was time for him to step down and one of his disciples was to succeed him. He decided that the disciple who best summarised their learning in a sentence would be his successor. The learning had to be original was his only condition.

One of his very bright disciples wrote, "The human mind is like a mirror on which, over time, the dust of experience and knowledge accumulates; clear the dust and then the free mind is settled in truth."

All the disciples thought that this could be the best answer there was, but were surprised when the master rejected it outright. In the monastery was a young boy who had come into the monastery for learning, but had been asked by his master to go away. The boy stayed at the monastery working in the granary grinding rice 12 hours a day every day for the past 12 years waiting for his master to call him. 

When the rice grinder boy heard about the quote, that the master had discarded, he agreed with the master stating that this is not the supreme truth. The disciples mocked him and said if he knew better, he should come up with a better quote. 

The rice grinder boy wrote - "what mirror and which dust, there is no mirror and no dust. The one who knows this is always stationed in truth."

The master saw the quote and immediately anointed the boy as his true heir.   

The boy had realised the truth and the master recognised it as soon as he saw the writing. As it is in the story, the boy recognised that all that appears is changing and hence not the truth. What then remains unchanged is the truth. 

The truth is the existence is appearing to itself as illusionary experiences. The essence of existence is emptiness, it is devoid of concepts, ideas and substance, just empty. When a seeker is in the state of experiencing, presence or being, the seeker realises this and then becomes one with existence. 

However for purposes of survival, all of us have established what we call as relative truths and the criteria used can be as strict as the one used by the boy in which case only the true self that is changeless, ageless, birth less, deathless and eternal is the truth, everything else is an illusion. If on the other hand a more relaxed criteria is used for measuring truth such as that which my direct experience tells me as truth is the truth or that which logic says is the truth is true, you arrive at relative truths, based on individual direct experiences. 

Does that mean that we can't trust what others are saying if everything that changes is false or an illusion ?

For the purposes of day to day living or survival we have to accept untruths into our decision making process as otherwise we will not be able to make decisions that help us survive. For instance one can argue that the body itself is an illusion as it is changing, as is death, so believing this one can jump from a hill thinking that they will not die because death is an illusion. This type of reasoning is foolish as it ignores the basic laws of survival and the need to take necessary precautions to preserve the body in order for the being to survive. Similarly for the purposes of survival the body needs food, clothing and shelter to a certain level, beyond which it is unnecessary.   

What is the purpose of knowing the greater truth, when I still have to make decisions using relative truths ?

Once the universal truth is known, then the being can easily discard the unnecessary. For example once it is known that all that appears is an illusion, then running after experiences stops, whether it be physical objects, concepts or relationships or other experiences. Everything is then seen from the perspective of the truth and all entanglements with false hood drop, till one only does that which is necessary for survival and the rest is discarded. Most people are slaves of their minds, which continually keep them in their past or the future, expending energy. Once the truth is known, all this unnecessary wastage of energy stops and one then only deals with relative truths that are necessary.

Does that mean that even the knowledge I have gathered is unnecessary and if so what knowledge is necessary ? 

There is some knowledge that is required for survival and hence it is necessary, everything else is unnecessary. It is worth noting that knowledge is just information gathered about all that appears, which once understood to be illusory is really the knowledge of the illusion. What purpose can this knowledge serve if it does not help survival. Once a person looks at knowledge from this perspective, it is observed that most of the information that has been collected is of no use.

Other than the knowledge required for survival, the only other knowledge that is necessary is the knowledge of the self, the knowledge of the illusion and oneness. Once this knowledge is gained, everything else becomes unnecessary.

What about all the spiritual knowledge that is in various scriptures, which eventually provides various techniques to find the truth ?

If we establish a very strict criteria that, all that changes is not the truth, then using this criteria all the below sources are not reliable as sources of knowledge -

• Spoken word - as it continually changes and is based on the speaker and their interpretations.
• Written word - is written based on the perceptions of the writer.
• Any object, concept or experience that can be perceived.  

The above immediately discounts, scriptures, books, media, teachers, even the gurus, everything.

If that is the case then how can I find the truth ?

To find the absolute truth the traditional method of gaining knowledge, which is cumulative or additive is not appropriate. From childhood we are taught the alphabet, the numbers and these are then used as building blocks to construct sentences, communicate and understand all aspects of the illusion. We have been taught to build layer upon layer of information, mostly from unverified sources, some on beliefs, some on conditionings and these we call knowledge. This knowledge is flawed as it is based on the errors of perception and unreliable sources. Hence this type of knowledge is very unreliable for arriving at the truth and to a large extent in decision making for survival.

There is another way of arriving at the truth called negative knowledge, which examines all that appears and discards it one by one based on the strict criteria of truth, that if it changes, it is not the truth and using this criteria what then remains is the truth.  This method is very effective at especially identifying truths of concepts that are unknowable. Not only is this approach useful in arriving at the truth, but it also assists in discerning between reliable unreliable sources of knowledge. This method is ideal for removal of ignorance and living a life free from indoctrinations and false beliefs. 

In summary all that changes is not the truth, however to navigate through this illusion we need to make decisions based on what we call as relative truths all of which are based on sources of information and knowledge that are illusory. The only truth that exists is all that is, is the existence, which in essence is empty and is appearing to itself as illusionary experiences. When the seeker abides in the state of presence, the seeker becomes one with the existence and the truth.