Friday, December 8, 2017

Jean Dunn - Find Out Who You Are



Jean Dunn speaks about life with Nisargadatta Maharaj. This interview was recorded by Malcolm Tillis in 1981, while Jean was living in Bombay, India.
 

Jean Dunn: I am just a normal person of fifty-nine who has been searching all her life until, ten years ago, she heard of Ramana Maharshi. She visited his ashram, went back to the States, then returned to India, where she has been living for the past four years. Two years ago she met Nisargadatta Maharaj, and he became her guru.

Did he give you some form of initiation?
He gave me a mantra and initiation.

How did you first hear about him?
At Ramana Maharshi’s ashram. Many people come to see him; ­there seems to be a tie.

Is it because of the similarity of Self-Inquiry?
It’s no longer that. Maharaj has had cancer of the throat for the past year, so his teachings have been polished; he is saying he’s no longer the consciousness, he observes the consciousness—he’s the Absolute. His teachings are now on that line.

Can you tell me something about his book, I Am That?
It’s in the form of questions and answers. The fifth edition is just coming out. It came out in two volumes in 1973, having been collected and edited by Maurice Frydman, who in late life became a disciple of Maharaj. There has been no further book published. Last year I asked Maharaj—I had been recording all his question and answer periods—if he wanted me to put them together for a book. He said yes. So Seeds of Consciousness will come out this year. Another volume will appear later: Beyond Consciousness.

In spite of his illness he gives darshan every day?
He is in much pain at times but manages to talk twice a day. He is one of the hidden saints, so he only draws a few people at a time. His teachings aren’t for the general public—we are blessed to listen to him.

How does he usually teach?
Up until his illness, it was by questions and answers. Now he will no longer teach the ABCs—he doesn’t have the physical strength; ­ he tells us the position, then it’s up to us.

He seemed to insist that I ask questions.
He wants questions to come out; then there will be silence so that remaining questions will be answered within yourself.

His following is mainly Western, by what I saw.
Westerners are in predominance; thousands have seen him—some for a few days, some stay for months. Some he makes leave at once. He says he doesn’t know why he sends people away, although they want to stay.

Are you living in India on a permanent basis?
Yes, I have a residency permit. I have finished work on the second book; the work is complete. Everything he has to say has been said.

Do you ever miss Western society, your home life?
Never.

Can you say something about your personal relationship to your guru?
There are no words to describe that . . .

Do you have an aim in life? For instance, to become one with him?
My aim in life is to lose an aim in life—that’s his teaching. There’s no purpose to this life; it’s just entertainment. That’s all.

That sounds rather Krishnamurthi-esque.
Many of Krishnamurthi’s followers come here—ten came recently.

How did Maharaj attain enlightenment?
You will find that in the first part of I Am That. I can tell you this: the first time he met his guru— his friend insisted on taking him; he even had to buy the garland to present to the guru—he never wanted to go.

Was he very young then?
He was in his thirties. The bidi (Indian cigarette) shop at the corner belongs to him; his son runs it. He had eight shops, but when his guru died, he left everything—his family and business. He wandered for months all over India, until he met a fellow disciple who convinced him it was better to live in the world. He returned to Bombay, but all the shops had gone except this one. He didn’t want anything; all worldly ambition had gone. When people started coming to him, he built that upstairs room.

It’s minute. What are the dimensions?
Oh, about nine by twelve. I’ve seen that room crowded, mostly by Westerners. He says Indians are not ready for his teachings.

Do you think it was because he didn’t want personal publicity that he appeared to be annoyed with me?
That’s correct. I feel sure that was the idea. He doesn’t want disciples—if they come, it’s fine; if not, that’s also fine. He gains nothing. He has reached the peak because he isn’t enamored of any­thing the world can offer.

Does he ever talk about other gurus and their methods?
He talks about the self-styled gurus who propagate their own con­cepts; but there’s nothing wrong with that at that level.

Does he admire any living teachers?
As far as I know, J. Krishnamurti. In the past, Ramana Maharshi. The other day he said, “Krishnamurti, Ramana and myself are one.”

Does he advocate a vegetarian diet?
That pertains to the body; he doesn’t teach anything to do with that. All he wants you to do is find out who you are.

His followers can drink and indulge in free relationships?
Whatever comes naturally to each person, he should do.

He gives no ethical guidance?
No. As long as you think you are a person and this world is real, then you live by certain rules. Once you understand the complete thing, your life lives itself … There are no rules, no good, no bad—I should do this, I shouldn’t do that. If you think about it, all this is taking place in this life span, in this span of consciousness, and when this consciousness goes, what difference does it make?

Does he not advise detachment from worldly activities?
This comes naturally. The main and only thing he teaches is to find out who you are. The closer you come to this, the more detached you become from the world; that will happen naturally. You can’t do anything to make that happen. This idea of doing something is an ego idea “I” can accomplish. Maharaj says the consciousness drags you there by the ear because it wants to know about itself, your true nature.

What has he said about leaving the body at physical death?
For him, it will be a great festival— he’s looking forward to it. For those thinking they are the body, it will be a traumatic experience. For an enlightened person, it’s a joyous time.

When he gives you meditation, does he ask what you see inside?
There has to be somebody to see something! (laughter) . . . No, he doesn’t. Visions and experiences take place in consciousness; they have no meaning whatsoever. Before you were born, did you know anything about this world? When you die—will you know anything about this world? You didn’t know you existed—you exist as the Absolute, but you aren’t aware of your existence. When this con­sciousness comes, spontaneously, you know “I am.” You grab a body and become identified with that. He wants you to go back, back, away from this into your true nature. Right now it’s consciousness; the longer we abide in that consciousness only and observe it, we see that everything we see is not ours—there’s a “you” seeing this.

But what does he teach about God?
Without me, there’s no God.

Really?
Yes.

And he’s teaching that?
Yes. Was there a God before you were? Without you, is there a God?

What brought me back into this body?
Do you remember a previous body?

Many people have that recollection. Are you saying we have never taken birth before?
There’s no “we”; there’s no entity; there is universal consciousness, which is continually expressing itself through these bodies.

Maharaj doesn’t believe in karma and reincarnation?
Correct.

Ramana Maharshi taught that, surely?
They will talk to you on this level if this is your level. But if you un­derstand what I’m saying—there’s only universal consciousness ex­pressing itself; there’s no individual—then he will bring you there. He will no longer speak of this. If you die with concepts, these concepts take another form, but they will not be you— you don’t know what that form will be. Concepts will come again until they are all gone.

What does Maharaj teach about selfless service, helping others?
On their level, it’s good. But his teaching is that there are no others, no individual entities; everything happens spontaneously; there’s no doer. He teaches: Let this life live itself and understand you are not this.

We are not “this”— then we are “that.” What is “that”?
“That” is consciousness right now.

Right now? What will it be when we leave the body?
The Absolute.

Then what comes back?
Consciousness is continually renewing itself. You throw a piece of food into a corner; within a few days, worms will come—life, con­sciousness. The same consciousness in that worm is in you. It’s not “my” consciousness, “your” consciousness; it’s one universal con­sciousness, and that universal consciousness is you.

At our level of understanding, aren’t all these concepts? Didn’t you find these theories confusing at first?

The first day I came to Maharaj, he said, “My beingness is a product of food . . .  and the same consciousness in the donkey was in Sri Krishna.” I went to get a reservation back home; none was available, so as something inside knew this was true, I went back. He had jerked the rug from under my feet, and he kept on doing this until I lost any place to put my feet. He forces you to let go of all concepts.

Does he often send people away who come to see him?
Often. He never knows why, though. Every moment watching him is like a spectacular movie; every person’s need is taken care of­. I’ve watched that happen. You can sit quietly, but questions you have inside will be answered. Everything happens according to your need. There’s no him; he has no purpose of his own: that’s why this can happen. There’s no ego there to bump against.

Living so close to an enlightened being can’t be easy.
It’s not easy if you have any ego left.

Can you say something about the positive side?
There are no words for it; everything is taken care of automatically. There’s no “you” to thank God for anything anymore. You let go of everything. There’s no you, no separate entity; everything is hap­pening spontaneously. It’s like there’s a quiet space where you are, yet everything is happening around you.

What work did you do in America?
I worked on newspapers.

Is there a reason why people get involved with imperfect teachers?
We as human beings think there’s a reason for everything; there are no reasons, no causes—it’s a causeless happening. As long as we are on this human level and think there’s a cause, we will be able to come up with one. If some people are taken for a ride by false gurus, you can say this is happening to them to get rid of something­—whatever happens is perfect. We are just to understand there’s no personal consciousness; everything is impersonal, you see.

But when we meet a perfect teacher, it’s our consciousness which recognizes that, surely?
Yes.

Then our lives change.
Yes.

That’s the new life?
Correct.

That’s part of the divine plan requiring no effort?
No effort.

To round off, could you say what are the benefits gained from coming into contact with your guru.
I’ve gotten rid of the idea there’s somebody going to benefit from something . . . (much laughter)


source text here

 

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Karen Richards - My Nature is Silence



Oh what can possibly be uttered,
Of that beyond all time?
Which apparently asks for nothing,
Nor questions as to why?

Life, the greatest mystery,
Oh what does it all mean?
Is there something lying beneath,
The surface of all that’s seen?

Amidst the suffering and chaos,
There lies the greatest gift.
To live life anchored in the Self,
No longer seemingly adrift.

In this crazy world of opposites,
Is it possible to simply see,
That experience is but a mirror,
And that there is no you nor me…?

Deep dissatisfaction and striving,
A symptom of forgetting,
The truth of who you ARE –
The source of all the fretting.

Suffering is the great awakener,
Although it can be hard to tell,
That there is a deeper reality,
Beyond mind’s living hell.

What if it was suggested,
You are not what you think.
Would this ease your troubles,
Or take the mind to the brink?

For once the beloved calls,
From beyond even a name,
Nothing remains but silence,
All seeking is in vain.

Diving off the cliff of false identity,
Beyond all ideas and sense of Self,
Beyond the image of a ‘me’,
Outside of conceptual thought and time,

Lies hidden – seemingly from view,
The truth of who you ARE,
Something you always really knew.
Although it seemed so far –

Instantly into life’s heart ‘you’ melt,
Without a sight or sense or sound,
Sweet clarity abounds –
And, what was forgotten – simply found.

My nature is silence,
No words can explain,
To speak of apparent paradox,
Is to re-enter the illusion game.

Upon the deepest letting go,
It’s all so very clear,
That life is forever simply ‘this’
All that ever was, just ‘here’.

Love reigns on ‘earth’ right here, right now,
Impossible to miss,
Ruthlessly ending the search for peace,
Revealing life’s eternal kiss…


 
“Being anchored at the seat of yourself is paradoxically like total freefall with nothing to understand & no place to land. Nothing to do but respond here now to what is happening without knowing why, nowhere to go but where life appears to be inviting you to go this moment – without there ever be-ing an escape from HERE. A continuous flowering of infinate petals from a centre-less centre.”




Matt Kahn - Abiding in consciousness



 “Before attempting to abide in consciousness, first investigate consciousness directly to see if there is anything else to abide in. After close examination, which might not take you more than a few seconds of inquiry, you may realize a few important things.

You may see for yourself how you cannot abide in thoughts. Thoughts appear in consciousness. You are the witness, abiding in consciousness, conscious of however thoughts momentarily appear.

You cannot abide in reactions. Reactions appear in consciousness. You are the witness, abiding in consciousness, conscious of however reactions momentarily appear.

You cannot abide in body. Body appears in consciousness. You are the witness, abiding in consciousness, conscious of however body momentarily appears.

You cannot abide in the world. The world appears in consciousness. You are the witness, abiding in consciousness, conscious of however the world momentarily appears.

When you realize there is nothing but consciousness to abide in, you’ll realize how consciousness is always effortlessly abiding in the vastness of itself. Inevitably, the teaching of abiding in consciousness is recognized, not as a formal instruction, or a repetitive practice, but a reminder of what is already so. As this insight dawns upon you, abiding in consciousness will be recognized as everyone’s reality and nobody’s spiritual practice.”



 

Bob O’Hearn - Lovers’ Pantoum



White light infiltrates me as I expand into it.
The interpermeation of self and supreme —
there are no words with which to say this.
I am the one who writes down words.

The interpermeation of self and supreme —
you are the one who makes up words, I am
the one who writes down words. You asked,
“Who is there?” I replied, “Your Darling!”

You are the one who makes up words, you
wanted to know what I wanted most, I said
“Everything, nothing. I am your Darling!”
Somewhere, a softly glowing silence.

You wanted to know what I wanted most.
I responded, “To see you happy!”
Somewhere, a softly glowing silence.
I claimed an unconditional love.

I said, “I wanted to see you happy!”
We whispered as lovers across the pillow.
I claimed an unconditional love.
One love was playing as if two.

We whispered as lovers across the pillow.
I had no patience for a waiting game.
One love was playing as if two.
You wanted to know where I had been.

I had no patience for the waiting game.
I replied, “I have been within you!”
when you asked me where I had been.
What did I see there? “Only God!”

I have always been here, within you.
There has never been a speck of distance.
What do I see there? “Only God!” I say.
You replied, “Then why is it so empty?”

There has never been a speck of distance.
This is the essence of our timeless truth.
You inquired, “Then why is it so empty?”
I answered, “Only to reveal our truth!”

This is the essence of our timeless truth: pristine
feeling to infinity, boundlessly expanding space.
This is how I would answer to reveal our truth.
You asked, “Can it be done?” I answered, “No.”

Feeling to infinity, boundlessly expanding space —
“Where can one safely live then?” You asked.
You wanted to know if it could be done.
“Only in that silence.” I replied.

“How can one safely live then?” You asked.
“Only by resorting to the guidance of the Heart,
Beloved, only in that silence.” I replied.
“Where can such silence be found?”

Only by resorting to the guidance of the Heart,
can one transcend any threat of disaster.
You asked, “Where can such silence be found?”
Only by relinquishing any resistance to the Heart.

One can transcend any threat of disaster, by seeing
the uncontrived presence of things as they are.
Only by relinquishing any resistance to the Heart,
can the truth of everyone and everything be revealed.

The uncontrived presence of things as they are
is the effortless state of our own true nature, where
the truth of everyone and everything is revealed.
After this, words themselves could go no further.

The effortless state is our own true nature.
There are no words with which to say this.
After this, words themselves can go no further.
White light infiltrates me as I expand into it.

If I tried to say more, listeners would hear
their own heartbeat . . . there would be
no flesh, no bone, nor any limit.
Amen, Amen, Amen.


 

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Paul Goldman - Straitjacket of Belief



With my arms tightly bound,
that which I cling to ensnares me.

The harder I try to escape,
the more entangled and trapped

I become.

As I let go of the serious need
to struggle, Houdini enters

the scene and that which binds me
comes free. I cannot know what

I do not know. Keeping my mind
open, I am in possession of the

magician’s secret tools needed to
break free of all chains, that I imagine

confine me.  In truth, to the degree
that I implode all belief within me,

and simply settle into what is going
on in the sanctity of this serene

uncomplicated moment, I am unbound
from the straitjacket of belief.


 
 
 

Hafiz - Roof of this world



I saw you dancing last night
on the roof of your house
all alone.
I felt your heart longing for the Friend.
I saw you whirling
beneath the soft bright rose
that hung from an invisible stem in the sky.

So I began to change into my best clothes
in hopes of joining you,
even though I live a thousand miles away.

And if you had spun like an immaculate sphere
just two more times,
then bowed again so sweetly to the east,
you would have found God and me
standing so near
and lifting you into our arms.

I saw you dancing last night
near the roof of this world.