The Dao

Recently, I’ve seen a couple of books on the Tao Te Ching, originally written by Lao Tzu some 2,500 years ago. Just 81 short verses, it is widely translated in many versions. The 2 versions in question are neither scholarly nor standard.

The first showed up as a reading source to open a discussion group. Written by Wayne Dyer, “Living the Wisdom of the Tao” is a curious juxtaposition of the 81 verses, each with an affirmation. Evidently Wayne put aside his possessions and absorbed himself for a year in the study, a few days for each verse. He blended multiple translations using what “most resonated with my vision and interpretation“. Wayne has stated that he’s not awake.

The other was Byron Katie’s “A Thousand Names for Joy.” The book indicates she has no background in spiritual classics or traditions. Her husband Stephen Mitchell had translated the Tao before they met. He ended up reading her the verses and writing down what she said. This became the book. The book thus has 81 chapters, but starts with only an excerpt from the relevant verse, followed by her commentary.

Stephens translation is one of the ones Wayne mentions using but if one compares the 2, the words are very different. I found Wayne’s pleasant to read and more visual than other translations I’ve seen. But beside Lao Tzu, the affirmations were meaningless. And it did not inspire the depth that Katies/Stephens does.

A simple example. Verse 15, 3rd paragraph.

Wayne:

But the muddiest water clears
as it is stilled.
And out of that stillness
life arises.

Stephen:

Do you have the patience to wait
till your mind settles and the water is clear?
Can you remain unmoving
till the right action arises by itself?

The verse clearly defines what faces many on the spiritual journey. Stepping out of the need to do and into the flow of allowing. Letting it be as it is. Trusting the process.

It was exactly what I needed to read when I read it. When I told a friend about the verse yesterday at an event, we noticed the book was sitting nearby. The verse was exactly what they needed to read for a different reason. This is how Self speaks to Itself, the same thing is what everyone needs to hear in their way.

[Addendum:]

In Katie’s commentary, she speaks of relationship. Near the end she says “Only by seeking the truth within will you find the love you can never lose. And when you find it, your natural response is appreciation.

This would be my one prayer, because the answer to it brings the end of space and time. It brings the energy of pure unlimited mind, set free in all its power and goodness. When you stop seeking love, it leaves you with nothing to do; it leaves you with the experience of being “done,” in a doing that is beyond you. It’s absolutely effortless. And a whole lot gets done by it, beyond what you think could ever have been accomplished.”

Are you listening?
Are you waiting?
Davidya

The Goal of Enlightenment

For many years, my top goal was enlightenment. Until I had kids, it trumped all aces, even career.

And then one day, I saw that there was no such thing as the enlightenment I had so long sought. It was just a concept. It had nothing to do with being. The me I had wanted to awaken would never awaken as the me cannot. Self awakens to Itself.

Enlightenment is not a place nor is it anything that can be achieved. It is an unending deepening of being. While there may be some signposts, it is a journey. Thus it cannot be a goal.

It is useful to speak about it so that people understand the journey. But once it is heard, the mind will naturally build a concept and create a goal. The key is to see this and not be caught too much by it. Then, when the understanding is deeper, we can shed the concept and open the way to being.

As Lorne has observed, the concept of awakening is often the last barrier to being it.

You may notice that many teachers seem to hedge about making statements like “I am Enlightened”. They seem to talk around it, indirectly. This is not modesty but rather staying truthful. A statement of state suggests an achievement or place that is not there. It is a concept which is false. Yet sharing parts of the journey or experiences remains truthful. It is sharing what the experience has been and what the journey is about.

This came up from Takuin’s recent post, Are You Enlightened? He talks of a conversation he had with Boosy exploring this. Takuin also touches on some other points of note. I’ll mention a couple of things I’d like to highlight from the perspective here.

Firstly, on meditation. I recommend an effortless meditation. It is not the nature of the mind to be controlled but rather try to be the controller. Any effort to control the mind is just the mind trying to control itself. That’s like asking a monkey to be a police officer. Much simpler and more potent is a practice that transcends the mind. Then mind gets out of the way with no doing.

Takuin also makes the statement “never trust someone that tells you they are enlightened“. I certainly agree that “I am enlightened” and other such overt declarations are highly suspect, as I discuss above. But I would hesitate to say “never”. Just as the ego will use concepts of enlightenment for a goal, it will grab onto apparent judgments as a weapon. “Anyone who says they’re enlightened isn’t” can be used to discount almost any opening experience. This does not add to the discourse and understanding but rather takes us back into concepts. Something a little more circumspect like “Careful of anyone making statements about their state. It suggests they are not that.”

Context always helps. When Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the light“, he didn’t mean personally. He meant the Christ, in the same way he said a short time later “Abide in me, as I abide in you.“

It may seem a minor quibble, but I’ve seen the hammer in use. It can be a larger barrier than positive ideas of it are. But it’s also true I’ve seen false and suspect gurus. The deluding and the deluded. Look for those who illumine your process and dump a salt lick on anyone who makes it about themselves or their truth.
Davidya

Questions

Sometimes, what is more important than answers is questions. Answers will take you into the mind. Questions can take you past the mind.

Who am I?

What am I?

Where am I?

Am I?

Who is asking the question?

Who needs to know?

What is true right now?

Is this the right question?

What am I truly longing for? asks Mary O’Malley.

How do I know?

Is helplessness okay? asks Neelam

What is love?

Is this true? asks Byron Katie.

Are you listening?

Are you willing to be seen? asks Gangaji.

This is the essence of inquiry. Dyad is asking you the same question over and over, to go into it more deeply. Interestingly, when we come to a place where there is no answer, that is when the question ends. That outside edge of mind is pure satisfaction.

Now, go back and read the questions again. But wait & listen this time. Instant answers are the habit mind. That’s not the truth. It’s the truth that sets you free.
Davidya

Conversation

On the journey of awakening, many aspects of the person fall away. Here and there, we can run into unexpected and amusing consequences for a short while during adaptation. Simple things like routine conversation can reveal profound inner changes. The witness experience, for example, where the body is having a conversation but the person no longer appears to be involved. We simply observe, and may see things we didn’t before, like odd habits of speech.

Perhaps we’re walking down the street and run into an old friend. They’ll ask “What’s new?” It’s not considered good social etiquette to respond that change is an illusion. But if the mind has not been reciting it’s story about what’s “happening”, it may take a moment to come up with a suitable response. “Interesting question” will not be expected. “Nothing much” may not work, but the mind may be silent.

If someone asks “how’s life?” and we respond with an enthusiastic “Absolutely Fantastic!”, some people may be confused if you didn’t win the lottery. “Nothing much” really won’t work then. Surely there’s a reason you feel so happy??

When we first meet someone, usually the first 2 questions asked are your name and your role, what you do for a living. They expect something formatted like “I’m Fred. I sell used cars“. If your identity has just fallen away, even though the person may still sell cars,  questions like “What do you do?” may at first draw a blank or seem meaningless.  If they ask “What’s your name?” and you respond “What do you mean?“, they’ll probably not ask again. If they ask “Who are you?“, they won’t be expecting poetry. Nor a statement like “Oh! You mean this thing. (pats chest)“

Of course, I’m being silly. But it can be amusing how internal changes can show up in unexpected places. Friends may think you’ve moved to another planet – even without talking about the experience. (laughs)

It also illustrates how fundamental social interactions revolve around ego identification. Indeed, the English language is founded on ego. Even the most basic verb conjugation is To Be. I am, you are, she is… And this reveals another unspoken question ego uses to differentiate itself, gender.

Who am I? The answer is a hallmark of the spiritual journey until there is no longer an answer. No longer an I or an am, no longer a seeker, no longer a question, no longer words. But we still have to answer the question sometimes.
Davidya

The Power of Forgiveness

“Most questions of “why” or “how” indicate the need to escape from facing the truth of what is happening. Looking at what is, is the fastest way to understand… Thus, trying to figure out “why” or “how’ are ego ways to avoid looking directly. This escape is a ‘natural’ act of the ego which exacerbates the problems.

The most powerful solution to daily conflicts, problems, misunderstandings, and negativity is forgiveness.”
– Burt Harding, The Transforming Power of Forgiveness booklet.

Many people have trouble with forgiveness. Ego avoids it as it negates ego’s need to make wrong. It can invalidate the ego’s need to suffer. As Burt observes, mind cannot understand it as it is not a movement of mind. Forgiveness is of the heart.

Burt suggests that what is forgiven is the unconscious guilt. An inner discomfort with ourselves and the way our life is. I would describe this as the shadow story which may also have related deadening emotions, something that varies by person. But it certainly creates a fundamental discomfort that overshadows our ability to enjoy life.

From whence does this arise? It results from the ego idea of being separate. This in turn begins as a natural consequence of our move to separate from mother in our first few years. The “terrible twos” reflect the process. In many ways, this is what we seek to outgrow. And this is why it is non-verbal and difficult for the mind to grasp. It arose before the mind matured.

Burt suggests the way to forgiveness is in knowing who you really are, what is not ego. To ask yourself who you are, then listen for the answer. If you do not stop and listen, the mind will just regurgitate an “answer”.

As he observes, forgiveness is also called “acceptance, allowing, letting go and surrender.” It is a way to see what is true now and release what is not true, what is being held against what is.

For myself, I found that culturing an inner connection to source helped immensely. Then, culturing gratitude helps break some of the resistance to allow allowing. That allows trusting what is.
Davidya

One Process

A question from a good friend drew out an important point. Recently, I’ve written still more about the way reality can change in posts like “What Changes?“

Yet it doesn’t matter what model or way of seeing reality you have. We may see that the world is happening to me. We may see events as some sort of karma balancing or consequence of the past. We may see life as bring us lessons for the future. Or it can all seem to be a dream or game. Perhaps even a remembering of what is. All of these are different ways of experiencing one process.

How we explain it is just the story du jour. What’s more important is that there is an experience to be had. How we respond to that experience is what makes all the difference. In other words, it’s not about what happens or our explanations for same, it’s how we respond that matters. Our relationship with what is.

We have experiences because there is some experiences to be had. That is what is. If we can find a way to allow any difficult experience to be as it is, then the experience can be had fully and completely. If we are not fully present with it or there is some resistance, the experience will be extended or will loop back and return for completion.

Inversely, if we try to hold to an apparent positive experience, it will end. The secret in all cases is in allowing it to be as it is.

Another way we may describe allowing is gratitude and forgiveness. Or surrender. Not investing in it emotionally but rather simple being with it.

This will not only complete the challenges but is the process of releasing the grip of the experience, plus we release our binding to the past. It is the way to both peace in the moment and permanent peace. The way to both be with the truth of what is and be what is. To be just who you are.
Davidya

The Shadow Knows

In the opening of Within Bliss, I joked about the ‘spiritually positive’. Some New Age and New Thought communities are rife with ‘Think Positivists’, the idea that if you think happy you’ll be happy.

Now, there is some truth to the idea. What you put your attention on grows stronger. Gratitude is a powerful tool as well. But if that positivity is a resistance or denial of how you really feel, then it is simply another illusion. Another mask. It is working against being OK, being present to what is, as it is.

Until we wake up to our true natures, all of us carry what I call the shadow story. A sub-conscious background agenda about what’s wrong. What’s not OK. It’s like a big, dark shadow that follows us around, like a boogey man under the bed. As long as we are unwilling to see it, we are caught in it’s drama, throttling our happiness.

“It’s not just to love the good but to love the dark as well.“

This may sound like a gross caricature and not how you experience life. But are you experiencing joy right now? If your life is not flowing on a background of ever-present happiness, you have a shadow or mask. A covering over your light. It’s that simple.

Most of the teachers on the spiritual talk circuit don’t talk too much about this. It’s considered a “downer” and people want peppy stuff to be inspired. But as long as we’re unwilling to see ourselves fully, that inspiration will fast fade. The shadow will rise again.

“Hello darkness my old friend, I come to talk to you again…”
(Yep, Simon And Garfunkel, Sound of Silence)

Today I got an email about a new film being released now by Debbie Ford called The Shadow Effect. Judging by the trailer it goes right into it, complete with black and white imagery and effects. They address the Shadow head on.

“A journey to your Dark Side” (shades of Star Wars).

It features Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, Mark Victor Hansen, and more. They also have a 2 DVD version that includes 8 exercises. And it looks like there’s an on-line viewing option and a “Starter Kit”, workshops, and more.

I’ve not seen the film so can’t speak to it’s excellence. The trailer looks great but it’s hard to say what the approach is. If you are familiar with her earlier books (I’m not) like “Why Good People Do Bad Things” and “The Dark Side of the Light Chasers“, one would expect the film to be built on that.

Opening up to the story is an important part of the spiritual journey. But you need slightly different tools for it. Otherwise, you can be amplifying the drama, making it more real. The idea is NOT to wade into the muck but simply bring innocent attention to it, bring in the light. See it. In the seeing, it is diffused. The repressed feelings are allowed and released. The load is lifted. The mask removed. The vision cleared.

It can take some time and patience. Especially patience. And lots of self kindness. This is not a story of blame. There are no mistakes here, just resistance.

If you explore the journeys of a number of todays popular teachers, some of them speak openly of their own journey through the dark side – Eckhart Tolle and Byron Katie come to mind. Those with a long meditation practice are more likely to diffuse the bulk of it over time. But even there, it must be faced.

“You can’t fight darkness with darkness but you can switch on the light.“
– all quotes from the film’s trailer

And in that is the key. When all the massive energy you’re using to keep it held down is released, not only do you regain your power, but you open channels that have been blocked. This is the story of kundalini, of both personal and spiritual awakening.

I look forward to seeing the film and seeing how well they did.
Davidya

Fear vs Intuition

In a recent article, Dr. Judith Orloff talks about “How to Tell the Difference Between Fear and Intuition“. At first, the title surprised me as these are in many ways polar opposites. But then I remembered that when the emotions are noisy, it’s not always easy to hear the voice of intuition. And occasionally fear is a signal that intuition will carry, such as in a warning.

She makes several observations that I think are quite good. Intuition is neutral and not caught up. I can also mention it doesn’t have a judgment with it, like good or bad – just a sense of rightness. It brings clarity. She also notices that it’s “seen” first, then felt. This indicates it’s coming from deeper within. Really strong intuitions can even have a quality of being “heard”, like a voice, although many people are not comfortable with that mode.

Fear is basically the opposite: charged, brings up the past, confuses, and no sense of correctness. The judging voice is often there too, the voice of blame.

In the second example Judith uses, you can see how a clear intuition can bring up fear with it. So the key here is to be able tell them apart. What’s the signal and what’s the reaction. This is much the same as how a spiritual opening can trigger release and we can confuse them, thinking the reaction and purification are the “truth”.

She makes the useful observation that if you are empathic, you may be picking up on someone elses fears. Moving away from them is useful. Even more potent is to make that inner connection to source. Then over time you will become less and less overshadowed by anothers noise. Being able to sit in the observer does wonders for intuition.

It’s also worth mentioning that some people gain energy from social situations. Others require personal time to “recharge”. If you are of the second type, it’s much easier to discriminate if you are not drained. Again, making that inner connection can help immensely.

There is one place where I differ from Judith though. She talks about it feeling right in your gut. Clearly, this is a common experience as there are sayings like a “gut feeling”. But not everyone feels it like that. If I have a feeling in the gut, I know it’s resistance. Charlie Brown style. (laughs) For me, there is a sense of feeling right but I would describe it as being “in the field” or nonlocalized. It feels, but not in a place. She does use “on-target feeling” as an alternate term.

When the spiritual connection gets deeper, intuitions can become far more multimedia. A whole scene can show up. This makes more sense if everything is memory. But keep in mind that such things can be more generalized than our usual space-time experience. In intuitive space, space and time are less localized so blended elements may show up. What we might think of as symbolic.

For example, we may see someone, then see someone else behind them. The 2nd person is actually  “after” them in time rather than space. We’ll meet one, then the other. It’s the understanding that comes with the experience that will explain it and what differentiates it from a dream. But you may have to learn to shut up and listen rather than react when something shows up. The noisy mind is very good at masking that ‘still small voice’. Although it’s really not very small. (laughs)

The other trick is that intuitions may not make a memory impression if there’s no emotional reaction. Like a dream, they vanish on the wind. So write it down. Observe, write, then think about it after. I have a pen and post-it notes stationed all over the house. And with me. Boy Scout, eh? (laughs)

But if you miss it, not to worry. If it’s important enough, the signal will come more than once. And get louder. Pushy even. (laughs)
Davidya

BTW – the post-it notes don’t mean I’m obsessed with the future. The stuff I write down is deeper understandings, openings, and so forth that come up. Some of that shows up here.

What Changes?

When we look around us, it’s not hard to notice that everything changes. People come and go. That nice forest is now condos. Mountains slowly crumble into the sea.

But what is it that’s changing? People may tell us that the world is relative and changeable. The truth is only found within. That’s the only place we’ll find what is unchanging, permanent.

Well – that is true. At one point. When we begin our spiritual journey, it’s usually by going within that we’ll meet ourselves. This is where we’ll find peace and happiness rather than in the changing world “out there”. However, we may still get tastes of beauty and peace in and of the world.

We’ll also have people tell us (including me) that the world is like a movie screen. That consciousness is not an effect of brain function but rather the brain is an effect of consciousness. (laughs) That consciousness projects the world out from itself.

The world is like a kind of waking dream. This is why they describe enlightenment as waking up. We wake up from this dream. But that’s not the whole truth either.

When we discover that peace inside, it gradually deepens until it starts to move forward into the world. Kind of like stepping down through the purushas. Then we discover that the screen of our projections – the apparent world – is ourselves as well. There is no “inside” and “outside”, just observing observing itself.

We see the dream, then we see it is our dream, then we see the dream is in us. Finally, even the dream itself does not change. It’s not a dream at all. It’s a remembering. Remembering who we are.

What is it then that is changing? How is it things seem to change if it’s all part of the unchanging? What changes is perception. Attention is moving within itself, in memory.

That’s all that’s happening, if that word is even suitable.
Davidya

Within Bliss

Lots of space cowboys and the ‘spiritually positive’ out there like to make statements like “Life is Bliss”. When it’s not the experience, statements like that are just making a mood. Pretend. And pretend is illusion, it has nothing to do with rapturous bliss.

Yet Life IS Bliss, quite literally. That subtle energy some call prana or chi, is a vibration of the surface of being. As we cleanse and refine the physiology, subtler values of perception and experience are gradually unmasked.

Over on Bodies and Energies, we reviewed the energy bodies that surround our physicality. The 5th is Anandamaya. In this context Anandamaya is the purusha, body or sheath. Ananda means bliss, so this is our bliss body.

In other words, you literally live in a body of bliss at all times. I would not think of it as a “jacket” as the body fully infuses all others. Many describe it being like an ocean of bliss. This is when the body is connecting more deeply to unboundedness.

Anandamaya is a compound word. The second part, maya is typically thought of as illusion but it’s also the dreamer or creator of the dream. It is thus both the illusion and the means to overcome it.

When we wake from the illusion, what remains? Ananda. Sat Chit Ananda to be precise.
Davidya