VII. Enlightenment

Contents: i. Introduction I. “In the Beginning…” II. Synchronistic Webs III. Daily Encounters IV. Infinity’s Point V. BodyTemple VI. Observations VII. Enlightenment     Awareness Freak     Enlightenment: Before/After    Gnostic Secret Teachings: Christian Enlightenment VIII. Alternatives IX. The New Age Center X. “At the End…” Vol. 2 XI. Enlightenment Poems XII. Worldly Concerns

NOTE: In honor of Anthony DeMello, S.J., my kind of Jesuit. Awareness Freak The Unknown, the Unknowable, the Unexplainable! The ultimate: to know that we do not know. To Saint Catherine of Siena from God:     "I am He who is; you are she who is not." Your "is-not-ness" have you ever experienced?   "To deny the self, to die to it, to lose it,     is to understand it's true nature." Do that and it disappears. Self-observation! When you cling, life is destroyed; When you hold on to anything,     you cease to live.   Step One: Realize you really don't want to wake up! Step Two: Cultivate a willingness to UNLEARN,     to listen, to challenge your whole belief system -     ALL your beliefs. For example: I am me (myself). But who is "I" and who is me (myself)?1 Who is the person doing the understanding? Shattering illusions.   The "I" is the world of the awakened: unself consciousness   Am I my thoughts? No. (Thoughts come and go) Am I my body? No. (Bodily cells are constantly changing) Am I my roles, my identifications, my labels? No. Then, what am I? I am a nobody! I am an "is not."2 How do this?   Emotional reaction dis-identification: Do this till you wake up. "a) identify the negative feelings in you,  b) understand that they are in you, not in the world,     not in external reality.  c) do not see them as an essential part of "I;"     these things come and go;  d) understand that when you change, everything changes." And, if you don't, so what!   The realtor says: location, location, location. The sage says: awareness, awareness, awareness     and more awareness. This is the key.   Good Fate! Footnotes Awareness: the Perils and Opportunities of Reality, by Anthony DeMello, S.J., pp. 43-50. Also, Sadhana: Christian Exercises in Eastern Form. Additionally, see Ken's poem, "Walking Between Two Worlds." Yet Sri Misargadatta Maharaj in I AM THAT, will say that the only thing I can be sure about is that "I am." This "I am-ness" is, being conscious of consciousness, being aware of itself. A future poem will address all of this. Yet try this: "Ultimately even the observer you are not. You are the ultimate potentiality of which the all-embracing Consciousness is the manifestation and expression." Back to top ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Enlightenment: Before/After Before Enlightenment, unawareness:     anger overcame me,     sadness grabbed me,     I felt lonely, empty,     somewhat depressed on occasion,     I needed to do/accomplish such and such,     shit happens!     in fact, a seemingly infinity of "negative emotions"   Enlightenment happened:     First the Shift, the First Step1     Now working on Deliverance         with all its resistances.   After Enlightenment, awareness:     anger still arises,     sadness comes again,     loneliness reappears,     depression raises its ugly head,     no need to do/accomplish anything,     shit happens!     and so on...   THE ONLY DIFFERENCE NOW     is that I allow all these to pass through me,     with no resistance     with no identification with these emotional reactions     They come and go, leaving no disturbance.   Thus, peace and calmness remain     as the constant underlying state of being. No more suffering - no more me. Deprogrammed! Only the "I," who with awareness,     observes, witnesses, listens, perceives clearly,     understands - all with detachment. Happiness - a state of nonillusion - abounds Eternal life is now, in the timeless now. Only thus will you enter into eternal life.   Isn't that enough? Footnotes: See Ken's poem "Nadeen." Back to top ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Gnostic Secret Teachings: Christian Enlightenment Heaven and Hell are here on Earth. Hell: the spiritually dead unawakened masses,     souls trapped in a body prison     wallowing in ignorance of who they are.1 With "Soul" Initiation: God as wise parent/the Big Person.2 Lastly, "Spirit" Initiation, brings awareness of ourselves     as spirit or Consciousness.3 Thus, "being saved" is realizing the permanence of our     essential identity: the ineffable Absolute Mystery.   Resurrection (anastasis) symbolically represents     spiritual awakening - awakening the Christ within.4 We die daily to ourself and resurrect daily to our     true identity, which is Christ. Heaven: is Gnosis, awareness of our essential nature as     the Christ - having immediate experiential     knowledge of the Truth, the knowledge that all is One.5   Jesus is the Consciousness of God the Father The Father is the mystery - the dazzling darkness of     unconscious Consciousness.   Thus, a self we are not. The Absolute Mystery we are!6 Footnotes: What the ancients called Hylics (materialists), those who don't think of God at all, or that God is the Ultimate external religious authority. We identify ourself with our body. The "Psychic" Initiation of the ancients: identification with the psyche (soul) and the initiates are taught the exoteric teachings of the Outer Mysteries (Literalist Christianity religion). Personal transformation: know what your personality is like - personal self knowledge; become a better person by purifying (baptism) self of selfish ego; yet, still the false self exists. The "Pneumatic" stage, the initiates are taught the secret esoteric teachings or Inner Mysteries. Personal Transcendence: know who you really are - transcend the ego and deserver yourself as the experiencer, the ground of all experience; we are impersonal Consciousness. Jesus: "The Kingdom of God is within." There is no longer God and the devotee, only the mystery of God in love with itself. NOTE: The Eastern Indian Sages teach the same thing except there is no need to bring Christ into the picture. For example,. the Sages say we talk about awakening to Awareness, while the Christians speak of awakening tot he Christ within. I guess it depends on where you were born and which appeals to you more. I personally like the more "neutral yet all-inclusive" teachings of Eckhart Tolle. See Awareness, by Anthony DeMello, S.J. and/or I AM THAT by Sri Nisargadatta Maharj. Have you ever wondered what "THAT" is? Back to top ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ [ Back ] [ Next ]