Enlightenment: Beyond Traditions

~tffcring, which is ilV}orance. After Enlightenment tlw liJnmmiksted Essence of our totality becomes awakened-tht• sphere of non-snfft•ring, the final peace and freedom. But rhat is lllll all. Enlightenment is nlllp1t.~tion. Buddha, thl" Awakt·rwd Ont.' I!<> not only the l'nborn, the "not corning, nut gnin~. not st.ayin~t:" ll<'/she is also a ht.m><m bt·ing, a p.nt of tht· (1()\',; o( lift· in it~ t"lC:nlaljonrnt~\ ill Cil11t.' l\t'll if tht' Fnhghlt•nnu.•nt to llu." Unh(ull ha' bt•c:n e
Ulll\'t"r"-1

Tilt Fifth So/M T1111h

83

("("Oiogictll S\"Stt•m uf Fxistence. It is ht·c·.nl't" ur suffcnng lh.iU u~ ()ppn,..itt•': jnv, h.1ppint=~' .UHI ht•atat\' (olll he expc.·ricnccd. SufTt·ring can h_t· st"t"ll .t~ .ttl uuli\ is1hle

pan of that t·m·rgy throu!(h.wh~rh t>tll t'\ohuum, growth ,mel ~xp;nl'll>ll IMppens. L1herauon '' not till' purpos
rompktion, suflnin~ is not annihilatt·d hut •·mhJan·rl in a "ickr, holistic Jll'l"('<'Cli\'1:. The sky of Fnlightclllllt'J\l 1, rompktdY om· with the clomh of suflt·• ing and tlw wmd of bliss. Nothing is l'xclucltod in tiH' appnn·ption ofTot..1.lity. The Fnlightenmcnl is so profound bt•catht: it is in absolute alignment with the wtsdom of Otllembracnlg Totality In the Enlightened vision thcr<' " still a plac<- for indi,·idual imperft'ction and sufft•nng. It b a pIution ol lhc Unh<·r"'· Tht• purpose of sullning l'llllllll lx.· c..·xpttinc.-d in 'implt• L<:nns-it h ..L\ LU be." •tppt·rrcin·d h()m 1ht.· tinu:le'' place of 1\ilencc. from rlu- plac.T w·h~1c.• I mu 11111 .\t thi, puma we.· di'>('O\'Cf the clc.·t•pt.•r mt'.ming of Suthnc·s!'o . Sue hnt''' j, nut ju'tt .1 cool. thnughtft-,, ,mel c-lt·t•ulu·d fWicqniun of tcoalil)' Trtw .SudiiiC.''' h .111 otppc·ac.c·IIIIOU ol tlw Totalll\ in wlwh Olll .tlht'IUC.

84 senSitiVity, wisdom and the warm fullness of ernpath become completely the Now. Enlightenment g~ beyond the liberating a~pect~ of self·n·alization, that 1~ beyond the attainment of the ..end of suffering." In thi; act of ''going beyond.'' life. for tlw fir,t time, j, experienced in its wholeness. It is neitlwr the sufli:ring nor the end of it that is the whole truth . Tlw Tn nh 1, a paradox operating within the non-lirwar intelligence of Life. In this understanding W<' set· clearlr the mysterious and profound wisdom behind the expc;ience of suffering. The purpose of suffering b its vcn· t"XIKrit'llct'; thi' experience points to the :'-Jow and the :-.:o11 points back to the !\hstery.ln the process of spiritual awa~emn~we certainlv extinguish the tmni'Ci'SSt!IJ sufft·ring th.u i' a product of conditioned, neurotic mind, but cH'n then. the rrnlum/ suffering always remains as a pan of a ,,ide varil'ty of human experiences T o arrive tntll· at the romplett·. non-dualistic and wholl' \'ision of reafio·. not only sufft·ring has to be transcenclecl but libt·t,llion as well. Tht romplett· human is bt•rond sullC.·nn!( and hlwratinn-berau ....c: of this, ht• · sh.c i~ one with tht" ~lvstt'l"f. whit h is the totality of tilt' \:n "

hrbghtnrmmt

&,ond

Tratlitiooaa

. t:nti.:htrnment doe!! not de.stroy all that ia 2 rraditi•.nall)' ,-0 n.,idered as negative tn our.~. h , not t";t'\ 10 be: .a lu_11nan bt-1ng, rn hvt" wuh lhr. 1 conflnt' ._uul l ont~Jtchcuon\ of uur htunan nalurc.'lnat, "'" n ,tm·•n't 'uq>n'e "' that tht• lughe•t of hu 111 •1n .,u,unnu·nt,, Enlig-htl·nnlC:nt. IS dirf"ctly "'"''o.ttt·cl \\lth !(l'ltinl'( rid of all that '' cli,turhing our pt'·" t'ful h\lllj(. \\'hill I..inc! of feehng' '" <' W<' ,tllnw<·d tn kt•l il "'' w.mt to he •Pmlr111f: \\'hich dc'lrt'' art! w·r 01 1101,·,-d tn howe? I low ,hould wc bchaVl' in ord.-r tn ht· lil.t• tlw FnlighH·ned supennen? In the 'P'ritual field thcll' " a lm nl judgment about how nnc ,}umld 1><·, and unlo!lun•udv. mo\1 are coming from thc de,irc to nq;".lll' nur human nature. Beginning tht· 'Pintual 1oumt·}. orw i' nltt·n gi1en a model dt•<;(nl>lng whtch par'' of nur (lt'r-t>nalitv 'hould be rq~ardt·d ,., negatl\r and "lud• po>iuw. But can wc rt•all) '·'' wh:n h ncgatin·? It j, pll·tl\ cat·ings. <:ut we tc·••lly 'a), that emntinn' nf .H1s,.tt'l', ft•.Jr, tt.•Mks.,Jtt.''' ur hort·clom au: nt"~.Hiv<· h\ n.ttlllt'? <:.111 wt.• not lind \.\:t~lum hdund thc... m? Au.•n't they .tn unpcHtouH pan ul Irk ir-•·11? Ont· lt·rh t·mh.ulav.t·d n·..uhng .til tlu- ch.·Mnptann' .thnut tlu• pt·r!t-c t ",\w.tlt•nt:cl ()au·" \ln't .ut• mhum•m nr s1mpl} •Hnurant

tTnl()rttUMh·h, 11 , the·

P'rudo-

spunual cnn"' ICHI,tH.'M, all tlldt i' rc-l.uc·cl tu , h.tlkngt.. dnd ~ul£enng 1s ru-gau·d, whilt• .all th.u '" Jlo\\t-c:t, lu\lng and IH"art•lul bc..·f.UIIW5 the lth·.tl? lluv. tolU "'t' durnn.Ut' a.unu- nf nur fc-c·lmM:s .tnd k.&\t' tlw ullu.- 1 ,~ h 1, sunph· nut puu1l•lc' 'llu-tt· '' nu lift~ \\tlhuut ct(·,uc•, h .tr ,t.nd angc.-t \\UIIfHII lhc·m \\o't' Y.uuld h.t\c' 1ilnl ,, long Ulllt"' ngtJ! llwlM."' tc·c·huKs t.UIY lhc:' Wl\«lum u t l1ft• .mel allow

,\(f.\(tmrtjlllfW\ .\hnul

hnlil{htrnmrut

3. Many associatt> <>nlightenment ,.;th desirl'lcs~nes~ 1, 0 ·1il unlwlinahlt•? I low manv st•ekt·rs "'' tlw l'.uh Mt•

nti'kd h) \\TOll!! '·ie'" like this! Withom dt·\lrt·s how could ort<' lin·? It is life that desires lift•. \\"t· lin·. for we art' an cxpre"ion of this ba.
!){I

an <'' trn..,inn nf our hdng. and it i~ nnl) rluc lo th~rn that,.,. ,11 ,. ,chit' tn face~ the challc•nf;t<' of ltf<' I h~ •mh dung rh.:H nt·crl' 10 tx· u:tnsfonnf'.ci •~ nur unron~tous nund .uHi t•mutional tntm~turt t). _ C>ur t'm
inhcrfr;111 rc mu't ht· imhrbed Mth mtt'lhgenc <', "'"'llni~ .uul ,_.1,dmn. !'hi' is the wa~·· F.nhght<·nmt·nt al(r,o,,,. 11, to -.·c our pn,onalrt:y from thc plate o f ''lcncc and nann.tl ,1Joofnc" of pure consciou\1\C:\\. From that P""pccun·. wc· c.m becom e reallv human . 4. Enlightenment does not end the p rocess of learning and growing ll is 1en nnporta nt to understand that "''"" aftc·r completing our inne r jourrwy and gaining tht· fin.•l peace. on the personal lc1cl wc· ,Jre alwa1·s b<'ginnt'"· nu~n· is no e n d to our emotional clt·ldoprnem and the deepen ing of our St'n,iti,;n. There i' '"' end to gaining under,tandmg o f life and the Unnt•r,~· \H' are li\ing in _ Leantin1{ j, Lift:. \\'e can that Fnlrghtenrnent in the real m of Be ing is finite, hut till' Fnlightenmt'nt in th t' realm o f Bct·orning is

"'I

tH-\c:r c:nding

5. A perfect state of Presence docs n ot necessarily manifest itself as p erfect action . Is FnligiHt•ned llt'ing .tlw-;w, n·,ponding in an appropnatt.. man1u·r to rhe t hallc·ng:e~ of the llHlntt:n t becuJ'l' his <·nn,rinusnt·~~ is in the M;th' nf pt·rh·n d ar it,·? In man\' nwdit.ttion ~ lwoh. rutt· pr .u tin.-, lnJndful n t.·'' tll the <"11\irnnmt•nt. \\hil h Is ·• l<X•I lll n--mnect the pr.Ktitiunt·r wirh t•mpirical time II l 'i tlu- Prr-..t.·nc-t.• lttnH·vr.•, which j, rlw ,,,,.irnr~'\lng of ~mpuacal lmu•. Oru- l·an bt· Jlt'rfc.Tth .1woue of thr \\ilh()ut lx·ing in tht• Prt•!ftt•ncr. Bring being in lht· P.rc~nct" are nor rhr same i

arC" aw.trt: of this. we nn 'Iunger

or the object with the Presence

lhotd i'nltghtmmmt

.ruon


rwrfe'("t. for ll hclnng:\ to th,• rt"iatn:r SCJ(lU'nrs..o;. llw 1 C"l.ltl\~ conS<:J(lU~IWS.~ 1\ thrrro nut :':...pedanticall)' mctic:uluus but, \CI"'I' llllp<>rt.lllth, to b<:
6. Enlightenment does not necessarily results in utraordinary psychic powers. \\lMt clnt·' ,\w,tkt·rwrl Or.c .ec, hear .md know? \\bat '"pt·rn.nural I""'~''' d~ he haw? Doc' he -ec all? Dol'\ ht• l.rww ;Ill? h hh (>O"cr .tbsolutr? The,<· rather embarra"ing que,uon' ha\-r hcen thc 'llbJt'Ct ol seriou\ inH'\tig;niun fur mam Ruddlmt .l!ld non-Buddhist thinkers durin!( th<• '·"' two thou.,..nch yc;~rs. A~:ain, what is n•,pon\lblt• forth" misundt'l\llutr

~ctl\11)' iu1cl

Llw tt·lati\'c cult·. wt• \\111 nut lx.· ahlt· to

how tht• ( lnc• ~!nul and th<• pt·rSt>ll who has n~.aliled ltl •·ac h uthl'r. If the little flowt·r grt.s aw-.alu."nnl . r ul tht· whole planet ur f'\'C:n the: whnlr still rermtin a little: 1111d delicate

J~nbJ.(IIIntmrnt lirvmul 'l'rnitrtunu

plan!. I he llltiorloll<' Subjnll\ 11y h.,, noiiHnl( I<>
not alKnu llldhirluat ahnut 5lnfl 111g

Cjlll'"itinn .,

kr1nu'ln~'omc.·thing n1 lun,mg-~nnwthmg .,~ .m

The.· oppn,uc.· '' 11 ut·- Fnlightc.·nnH·nt _i, to rht· chrnc.·n,inn of tnn'-<·iou~n<.·'s that., l><·)nrHird~ltivc knowlt-cl~t· .md 1d.IIIH' power, IJt·t"aus<• all knowlt•dge Hllcl

pow('r

oUt"

rclati\'('

Rt·c-nnung

(JIJe

with 1he Orw '' hcmnd knowing-it is Ill<' utmo" innon·nn:

Tht• rcl.ttln' subjeo " by its nature limiled, it "hut an anglt- from which the Totality bccnnws awart• of rtsclf as 1he manifestation and finally as the Unmanift'stl'd-it is necessarily limited. Because of this creati\'t' limitauon, the Totality can Jre=thc perc~:ption and recogni~t· it as Time. Buddha knows all, for hehhe knows Ihat all is Consciow;ness. He is present Cn'l)"here for he is the Presence; and he is be)·ond manifestation for he is bcvond Consciousness. Enlightenment is not an acquisiti~n. but rather dissolution of the eg<Xcntered percep1ion of reality. The question is no1 about knowledge or power; the Enlighrened state is pure!)' btynnd. \\~1en one is awakened to be a no-thing, nothing in the Uniw,.t· can be a hindrance. The Nothing melts with the Nothmg-this is the ultimate knowledgt· and the ultimalt' power. This is the grearest rnrraclt•. l.t't's not forget that. From this Nothing lht• trut• human being can b<· born, the human being wh<> knows what beau!\·, low and humility are. ~1<-ditation (';In open cenrun psychic charurt•b. ,1\,-.lkt•n kundalini lorn· and dc\'elop sotnt• unusual ahiliti<"•· Bur cit·\ doping Ihe skill of manipulating t•nt'r!(it·s i•not C<Juatt·d ,,·irh lht· Enlightt'lll'd stalt'. Tlw,..- ahilitie• r.ur n·rrainly ht• dt•\duped, btrt 1o thrnk that they have anything 10 do with the Awakt•ning is a serious misundt·rstanchng. The s chic rt·alrn, as well as !he

Disidentification l)r,iclt•!tlllit'alwn h;~, ah,-ays heen tlw lllilin foet" of all rraclllwn.d teachrngs on our planet rr·garding Enllghtnl~lH"nt. Because hft- as ,uch ;, " form of tckntificalton, to cltsirlentify, ont• rwech to chon"-· the uumamft•,tc·cl: 1ha1 which is prior 10 existl'nn·. If we look mon• dowly at this choin·, \\'l' can ,t·e how qrongly it has bt•t•n condilioncd by n·nam life ncga1ing philosophies. lhc deep longing to find frl'eclom from suffering and to exit the challenge of lift• 111 confltcting realitY. gan· rise to the ideal of renunciation. From the otlwr siclt·, tht· shift LO the Absolute ncalt's a natural pull, a gnl\"itational force towards non-im·olvement, norhtctivity and passi\itv. Compared to the effonle" rt''t in the Absolute, any action in tht' manifes1ation '''erm likt• an effort. So we can see that behind the ideal of disidcntification are two elemenh. Om· is the namral qualit\ of the Absolute State with its pull towards the L'nmanifc,tecl, and the second is tlw traditional philosophy that ht• radictlly tunwd inward to n·adt th•· Source

100 .tg.un .thcnll thC' t"-t()num~· of cnr-rgy. the nl .ttct·nunn. Ab..olute di~idt·ntiriGUion cannot cxht unit''' nra· rhno\.C\o death. \\'c~ would rathf'r 14 abotn nun unum ickntificalion, mininlum ~ncrgy IP\'al

It

j, onn•

(.'("000111\"

to tht· pt'r"m.thty and life. L.-t"< call it the minim11111 cgn.

Allhough di'ltkntification " a vahcl attitude toward life. it ;, ,ull paru.tl and incomplc!<'. It is incomplete for it dut•,tft '<.'t.' •1ll-it choo~es ncgcllin· frt·t·dom. to exit from tin· mamft'stcd. Identification, on the other hand. i' mcompkte because it lacks tht· frt•t•dom of the B~"ond: it rt•ft•rs onlv to the participation; that's why it ".i'N an illu,ion. Identification negates the Source, the foundauon of all bt•ing. because it i~ outside the field of ib perct·ption . From the other side, disidentification n"!!"t<·, lift·, the positi\'e expression of the Source; it is .tho parual Dbidentification is a tool that needs to be used in an intelligent manner; otherwise it will bring ll> to tlw n·rge of ''Enlightened" alienation. In the beginning, we are totallv identified with our pht·nomt·Hal expression. The inh~rent dcsin• to survM: and to attain maximum physical and psychological well being, gowrns our life. Identification is purely instinctive and unconscious. Unless we are able to step out of our per">rlal ll'r our e••olution. To renounu· lll<':tll> to take the energY and focus froiD domg" a.nrl "hanng" to the realm. of "being." penonaln:y doc,n't "'e the state of Being as a auJmsnwn-at j, nmditioncd to invt"st its tht· .dn~u·~tsion of timt". That's why carnt·s lllltst·ll IItt· c:lt•mt·nt nf re,nunciatioln. economy c.f <"\'olution that to reach the to renounn~ th~

/)nn/rul•firutum

101

J·tnlll ulc-nl•fk.•~•nn wt· ntnvt· u, tll .. ich·nlifir ..tllun J- rnm nne.• c.·xuc.·mc.· 101~ anotht·r. \\1tu arn 1in ~JMr'ahnn

f1 or~1 _'h" hodv ancl mmd? Titc.· rentt·r nf my uh·utity as ,Jn\\~\ mu\·111g Bc."\·ond . flu- \\ltnes.."'mg ( :lmscimL... ne~\ ,,J><·mg bu! n : lht• P~~naJ~t}· is !'\('('J1 asrnnrt· ancl mtne ()Jl l h~· pt'11phc:r1"· n._'i.tdenu~caticut f.ll lh" o;.f.tge can he pc:n c.·•n ·d ,, ... ~l sJufl of •dt·nfirir:uiun-frorn the pt:r,onaJu'"· 10 tlw Presence. The.· fin;tl cli"irlt·nlifkarion rakes plan · when c.·v~n the..· Prescnn· is tr;m\Cenclt·cl in

rlw \hsohot<· Stat<·. m tht· state without any rrnt<·r or point of identity Hu t tiH' pt•rsonality still exists, with rertain rlcmes and •we<" · IIow is it possible? We n<•t•d to und<·r.tancl that th<· tt•rm clisiclentification points to two an·as. One " th<' nature of reality which ultimately r<'f(,., w the .\bsolmt- State. Second, is a choice rnadt• within the per-<>nalitv. Within the personality there is ah,-a~.., pre<;ent an t·conorny o f identification, choosing where to panicrpatc a nd where to withdraw one·~ energv. Between these two shores, the life of personal it)· flows. As far as personalit) rs concerned, the complett' disiclt·ntification, a.s we h ave said, is impossible. What ot·curs is relative disiclentification. Relative disidentificatitHl ;~llows a ct·rt;un l'lf, we havt' an inten•sting situation: th<· complete disidcntification co-t•xist< w1th th..- rdativt' tclcntificauon Howe,·er at this stagt', tht' wt•rght of bcinR rs ,,·ith. the disid~ntification,
Beyond Enlightenment Th,. Fnlightnted Mate is one of di~icle ntifkation . There i'> no n ·ntn, no liKal point, no connection with realitv. The onlr connection with the world can he one ~f rompa.~o,ion , o f Bodhisattv·sided clisidentification or negative fret>dom. Now we leave lw hind the teachings about EnlightenmenL This teadung is directed to those who are alread,· in the Enlightetw d state. Enlighten ment is not the ~nd . \\'hat to do 1\ n h tt? How to live? How to evolve and go further? TI1e wi.,dom of the Absolute does not allow u' to n•main in the clinical situation of disidentilication. The Absoluu.• mmt meet the reality o f its own Manifestation. The meeting ofthe Absolute with the Creation can take place only if a new center is opened . It canuot happen in tlw no- where the non·:lhid ing" and the "abidmg in tht' hean'' become nnt• Th" plan· i' neither in nor Q!!!, neither within nor 1\'Hhum , bnond identifi~at.ion and disidentificat.ion. H~cre tlw t\Vo dunensions o f seeming ly opposite realities 11 l<'ct lene,... Without knowing the Soul, experienc:iq ODaelf Uld

lUI

r·ulightrumrut llryrmd "l'rndafiott,

life• m gc·nc.·r.d ·'' h.l,lt.dh· pn,iti\·c.· .uc.· imJtU!l'\ihl~. On~ ,,111 1 ntunh t"\JH'tU"nn• the- pc·.uc• .uul hhs~ .,( mnrr -.ilc·•u ,.~ hut the· lu.·.ut, the.• Soul, i' 'ttll unfulfill~ Comp.uc-d Hllh the.· c.·xpcric.·nn· nf tllC' Suul, thf' inn~r 1 111fli11H'~' nr thnuglulc·'-' 't~lh' ~'. dn ...n to nc.·utrat, ll.nnr, th.m po:>otttln· llw t·xpc.·twnc-e of tlllci hh" tom trttlv happc.·n nrtl\' tht nugh thtlft·.ur Bc.·c..HI"'t' ntH' j, n·,tin~ in tlu- Hc.·tlrt, tht~r•lvit.HHlll.ll pull from the Ah~olutc.• clot·,n 't hring .my \Hihc)lll

h.1ppmc·,,

mon· dtMdnuilit;Hion Tht•rt• is,, p<Tit'<·t halann·, which ,tlhw•.·~ mu· to he.· .u ease in the.· unn1ill1ift·Mc.·cl and

lll;.Wing mhcrs. Tlw Heart j, a climc.·n\iun of its own and sen·es it.s own purpose. Olll ptu post• in opt•ning the Heart is not to ln\'t' others, hutto find who w~ rcallv arc. After Enlighlt'nment. our h.1sic iclt-ntitv i' di"ol\'{:d. The personalitY still functions, hut it ctntwt gtn· l" a sense of idcntirv any lo nger. It " c•as\ at this poiut, w conclude that thcrt• is actually ''uubucly" hett',
this idt·ntitv is in tht' He~nt<'r. Th.c Absolute enten through tl;,. Crown n•ntt•r and dissolves everything until it dissoh·t·s itself in the Hara. From the Hara. il needs w rt·turn to the Heart to establish the diviDe balance ht·twt•c•n the Unmanifested and the WorkL Without the· Heart, one cannot really live, for there il no cunn<"clion whatsoever with existence. One~ aloof, d
105

a H'l}' d.mgt·rous idea that WI' are lwrc In find hbt•ratinn . It is much mnre positin· th; 111 this. So Wt' open the Heart centt·r, not to hct·orne a Bodlu s.ttt\,1 ot out of compa"ion (unlt·ss it i~ the comp.t"ton f()r ourselves first) . Com(M"ion ;u tlus point, n.11111 all~· arises based on the inhert·m wisdom of the Heart. \\'ithom the Heart, although wt· might think that the suiTenng has been transcended, in truth our Soul is still sufl"t·ring and longing for herself. Bt·cause we have a Soul, t•ven after the realization of thc Absolute State. we still remain in the realm of suflcring. It is only the awakening o f the Heart that brings us to \\l10leness. In the H eart, the Absolute meets the manifested and the Creator meets the Soul. The Heart brings warmth to the coolness of the Absolute and brings fullness to the Emptiness of disidentification. It is the only place where we can free ourselves from the powerful pull from the Unmanifested. As there is an Enlightenment to the Absolute. so there is an Enlightenment to the Heart; a full opening of the H eart center. For many years and man\' life times we have bee n suppressing our sensitivil)', mlnerabilitv and innocence in order to be strong and reach the Ultimate. Fspeciall)' on the path of will, ont• must use H:ry masculine energy which closes tht· Ht•art. All of us have been dct•plv hurt in our childhood. wludt arlditi()nallv pn·vc;lls us from opt•ning our H.-arts. nu:rt· arc many demt'nts, but It-t's rt•main dt"ar thalli " !lot· \\·i ll of the Oivine itself whidt .ollows us 10 °P'"11 "'" I It•art and 10 nWI'l its beauty and St'nsithity. lkc~use it '' tht· will of tlw Divine, do wt· truly h
1\

The Soul: Our True Identity \\lw .1111 I? ,\m I the Absolute? Am I the llllrc· '"I Am"? ,\nll Consc:lousne-.s? In t~lt: se,trch for our true· l!lc-ntit) we .ne mm·m~ through d1ffereni layt·rs and clinwnsions of ,mr tot.tht\". But who are we truly? Tht· Absolute. the ConscimJSIH'" .111d the personal self are nothing but chlfert·nt chnwnsions of what we arc. To choose one of tht•st• clinll'llSIOI" and say "I am That" would he incorrect and one-sickd. \\\• an· all nf that. We are the mind. the hoch. tht• state of Presence and fundamcmallv the undcrlpng timeless Source. But there i\ something mort·. \\'ithin all ot what we arc. there is the hean of 0111 uniqut identit\ the Soul. Unfortunatelv, the word "Soul," as well a.s other similat· wmds like· the "Self' or "Higher Self," is common I) used withmll the experiential understanding nf ns rt·al meaning. This notion seems ro be a sort of a tnctaph)•sical excuse to fill up the:- hole in understnin!l; an individual with etern ity and God. On tht· othn hand, marw New Age thinkers and channels 'Peak ahoul the Soul without h.tving the proper expntetKe and knowlt'dgc of til<' Buddha Statt'. :\nd 111 reality. only when reOected in the pmt• nurrur uf the 0 11Rtnal \tate, 1he Soul can be full\' disn)n•red. h ts not trut· 1hat evervbody ..,;a,·· a Soul. h is a Paradox that .tlthough evervbodv IS an t•xpn·ssion of one\ Soul, not t'\'t'l)'hodv "has" .1 Soul Tht' Soul in

J()H

run't c-.1,c·~

I'

unronsdou,, a' rht• "'I Am" i,, It

i5

hke a


dulcl ''hido m.ol..c·' the mother discmc·r ht·r~lf as mnllwo , \uti 11 '' lwc.m...- of tht· c·go, tht• Soul can be , 111~ 1 1-.c·•wtl In Jht• 1ll1"'"" of pcr">Jlcl'n fulfille-d Tia· Soul i\ the knowing of one's own identity, which can be expt·rit"nced on many levels, depending on the awal..eJung. nois knowing is based on feeling. which is dm·cth· mtimate The mjnd is the thinking and emoticinal t·xtt·nsion of the Soul in the world. Prior to all.tkc·ning. the Soul doesn't know its true identity. and therdort· is identified with the mind and lost in the 1>CI\Ol1illity.

\\ltat is n·ally tlw Soul? Yes, it is Me. the "I" that is dirt•cth rnogni~t•d in the heart and that l'mbr.1ces all of our ht·mg. It is the unique taste of Me, the child of thc lklowd I he t·xpt·nence of tht• Soul is one of bliss. fullnc·" and "·" mth. To feel thl' Soul is to be touched b) the· fidol<'!l It is an cxperil'llrt• nl the celestial rt~thn; tht• Jt·,lfm of puritY, beauty, kindnes.• and lowe. Tht· innt·J sttlhtt·" nf ou~ bein!l: st't'ms like a "natural stiltt·," hut it is no1 what I am. I am something much JJU>rt· suhtl<·. Tht• Soul is n<>t the "I Am." The "I Alii" is impc·rsonal ;mel univl'rsal. Tht• Scud i• absolutdr

{/If'

smtl (),, 'J'nlr ldnlfity

109

p<. 1,.011,,1 II ch..·t•ll, WJ.Ihin the H(""".trt, tnu aw-.tkcn' through thr J , \Ill I I •~ the.· Soul that cveryon~ p
the Hca1t Slw is within the Heart. She i• what i< "Me" "'tlun tht• hNrt It is so \imple and '<> suhtl.. at the . .ame unw Only wlwn till' Heart center is open, dot·s one discol"rr that till' lll<1St intimate, persunal and direct expcnenrc of oneself, takes place in the Hearl. The Soul becomes awakened. This is what "I
Jill art." nor .1\\.:tkcru•d

Thr Hcar11' the pl.1cr \\111'1<' "" lllr'<'l th<' lh1111e and at lht• s.um· umc 11 1, 1he ll11 10<' ht•rst•lf I he II ran 11 mull dmu~IISIOII.I), hcrng pJ.ICt•d Ill lhc lllllllilR d 1mt•nsJon.md ,,., H>Oicd Ill lht· so1111 e of MH~t•n Th~ 1Jco1rl bt-lnngs 10 1(1<' Ct<•alnr hut ,.,p.mds IIIIo Its mchl!dual c:'p1e"1on. In llus "·1\, "!' ,,,. on•· \\Hh rh~ Creator and "'I'•" olin I from ht'l .II lht• ,,IIIII' IIIII<' fhc: So11l1s th.111durh l..n<1ws Ill<' tlllt'IH'" .nu ll Ia• ''')MI.Ition. Tht• <'XJl!'llt'llt'<' t>l tht• Clllt'IH'"" po"chlt· only ht•r,IUSC: k<'ltht• "'p.uauon. That\ 11hy !wing,, Soul is uniq11<' 111 C.t'.llwn. !'hen· an· m.ul\' clnnt·nsu>ns of t·xhten"· .111<1 intt'lligt'IKe, hut being n•mplt•tt•h· one: \\1th tht· lll\111<' al.ltion arc not <"'Jit'rit·nn·d. The found.mun of the llean is tht· D11 int• ll<'rsc:lf. TI1e Ht•.m nl the h11man bein!! is tht· Soul. But rhe depth oltht· lk.utcs the space ;>fdl\llllt\' ht·twc·t·nrhe Son! and tht• fit'lowd. Nt·ither one nor tim, hur The Myst<'t).

'""' ,-.m

The Journey to Our True Identity 111<" So ul "tilt" '<'nt·t lx·hincl tht• journt·y of imll\if hllull' n·cognlltnn, a hhtl'flllltl th.tt knows all rhe stcps in·ht"twt•t•n She ~•·t·ks herself ancl h•·• <:n;arnr, the llclowd. I his .Jnurnn ts takmg plate through the evolution o f con~dousncss. lntellis,t('lln: and 't·n,itivitv. Tht· Soul cannot cliscowr herself lulh until tho.;., facultit·s att' nnnplt•telv open. This journt·ving into tmc idt·n tity " an ama;-ing ad,·entun: of the Soul. It is OC\Ollcl words. Let us look at the diflen:nl sra!o:'" of this search tha t is happening in the arms of t'tt·rni" In the human being, the Soul bt•comt•s "•lf,on,cious J.s an ••go. I he ego is her false iclcntitv. Ego has no Jt•ahty apan from the mo\·ement of intt'lligt·nn·. The <'Ro i;, a momc11taJ)' aet of consciousm·ss t·voh ing around tlw st"illlnag<· Tlw t•go always rdates am· act of rcrognll to n to an imaginary subjt't't whirh common 'tnst· tran,ltl1l"' ,,, "rne" but dt:void uf t..Ul)' ,ubstantial ulc·mit\. lht· t·gn is real ·" a funnion. hut nut '"an id<"nlll\". \\'hn is tlunking, "hn is fet•ling, who is behind tht" !\~:lf~lnJagt·? \\'t· c,utnor {·ornl' to ,, ronclu~iun too quae. kh; to makt• a rnist._tkc ahuut lhi' P'' nutch t•asic:r th~111 l() lind lht' nu rt'<'l answer. \\"ht·n the Scud "·t·s thll with lho ugllls .uul It-dings is not lu:r n·alult·ntin:. sht• starts lq \CTk witlnn the nlnsciuusnt·s.\ lor ht•J tl ut• lat·e. h is

112

uo;.ualh· •11 thi' .. t.tq:t· \\'lll'n .one_ dtsn:H·rs rh:- 5ta~ of Pr<"'-<'fl< c• rlw Sc:ml ,, t•xp<"nennng h('. r purt" I Am for th<" first time· It'" ~J <""
\\"hen tht•l,\rn is ,tw.tkt·ned, what actually i• rcaliz.,d? nt't'd Ill ....,. IIMtlht• onlv war the Soul can experi.,nce

\\'t•

her,df 1s through fnnsciousness. C".on,.,ciouMu·~, in the

global "·n,1• ont•ans "10 know., Without consciou•n"ss tlw1c is nn knowmg: it is a tool for knowing. Tlw ego, fm t·x.unplt-. is .1 nwntal and psrchological moremem of con,cJou,nt'''· that is. of knowing. That's whr wh.,n thc ego " bo1n. the Soul knows a part of hcnelf, ahhOl;gh not her true identitv. The I Am is the e'-<;enc" of conscJousncre? Is the mirror onlv reflecting the mirror? Tlw Soul has discO\·ered Lhe tool bv which she can recognize ht·r't·lf. the e<sence of consci~usness, bul sull It i\ IIUI ht•r true identi[V, Tl1e Soul is looking for happine" and complelioD· ~\'hen the Soul ,.,,.,that being in tht• I Am t·annol fulfiD er, for thi, M:ttt· dnt·sn't have thc qualities of complele and ease 1 • srest • ' I<' provokes Lhc. shift tn the• .......,.ull! lalt·. In the Absnl 111 • S h __..Jif 1 a.. h . < ·tate, t w Sun! rcn>gmzes .,._ at wludl was nt•wr hom, thc \Jnhom source nstiUUMtt·~,. In tlw Ahsnlutt" .

L_,..

c.:

}1tt Jo~tnu··· lo Our

·r;,,,. ldnrtir,

llll

1., c ~lll~ wu,nc·.,..s.

n·c ngni1cs thar whit h i!\ prinr to "cHI..;fiOtl'llt'"• pnor ln ~"lnV c.'XJ><"riencr. Hrrr she• ha11. lJu· t·xpt"IIC,'IU (' nl ~•bsolute I'('SI and C'a!W, Shr rrr.l!\ rd!eH·d from Ihe mnn·mc.•nr of ~-on'i.Cinu'n""'· ,1h1cting fin.tlh Ill the pl.ut• o( UOCOildltinna) Jlt'"f\(('_ t\1 thl'\ rnouH·nt tJw Soul mi~otht concluclt·; ''I .un ·nl.lt,"' ''I Am not Con,CinU,Ilt''~· I ""'m the Unborn:· Rut lht• journey ,, not c:nmpktc-d H't. .\lthnu~th tht· \hsolute has ht•t·n funn What is the intimate cnrt• bt•hind tht· 't'll\C of m)wlf? The Soul, expanding into the difll-rent realms of consciousness and intdligt·nce, is c-oming do,e,·r and clo~r to a"~'kenin~ hc.·r:-.df to h<'fself, as hcrsdf This awakening can takt• plan· unh· •f the matunty of intelligence met·ts till' depth of !l«'n$otl\"ll\ wuhon the Ht•an. I am that whid1 I ft·t'l d.re< tlv ~u rnv J leart as nwsclt. The tatnu,,l inti1n ltt' touc-h HI my ,n\\-'11 tt.'t ognitiun uf rnvM·If is .thsulutdy perMmal. llurnilitr, innnrc.-nn· and sc.·n,llivilv mt•t•t in

IJ.I I he• Jlc.ut 11" a dltc·t·1 kncw,:rng of nw!
highc:t lt·\c•l!!o ol

tlW.Ut"nn&

1, \C'n· unporl.mt. Onh· if rht· poncl 1s Mill .met !!oilcnt. c..u1 rht• 1dkcucua of tht· moon lw dc·.u. llw Suul can he <'XJX'rwnct·d wuhour the a\\~.tkerung o[ llu: I Am or llw .\h~ohllt" St..ltt\ but in thi' ca,t· lh<" <'Xpc·ru.·nce i5

n·n· \.tg1w and cpudd~ disturbeci. by the re~tlc·ss mind. In rht• had\ground of th<" Soul\ t.·n,haunu, 1~ her

bluqlllnl, 1lw plan of her cnce, the experience of Impersonal C.omciousnt•ss. Tht' I Am state, although it is based on th.: cxpcricncl' of i\mncss, at the same time refers to itself as "I." \~'l' might think that it is simply a creative faculty ul our mtt'lhgence to relate to its<·lf, btu although 1 1 " correct, it doesn't bring us to the es.o;ence of that \It' wluch I am. It is the Soul t!Jat is t•xpcriencing aU states, kncm·ing at the same time, in llt'r own way, !his "~')' t~uth. Tlw "I" is the Soul and the "Amness" is the ConsnuuSJwss. Ultimately the I Am refers to tlw oncnt•ss of the Soul,

f/rf Jalll1lrl to

Our Tn" ldnrlily

115

the ,\h..,>hllt'. I Am mran• that M.-, th.- Soul, 11 1 •' ' · S fl"~ung upon thf' ~' Itanl~tf" . latr .rs rc:"cognlllng h er~If 111

thl' 1111 rt or of Con~rousnt"s."l.

Jlw Con" iousnt''-' wrthout thr Soul r"pr.-..-ms th" qu.thl\ of I'"''"• the recognition of Bemg, tht' pure . forrnauon of t"Xt"'tcnrc. In tht"' case nf human hetngs. 1 1111, pun·ml<mnauon is rnixt·d \\ilh the ..-not• nf "I" which 1, .Ill his poin t a ~t·flt·ctton of tht· unconS<"ious Soul. The "'""'of ''I" 111 rts fullness is a unity of tht· Pn·st'nn· and the Soul \\'lwn till' l'rescnre and the Soul are not aw.tkt·twd. the sense· of "Mt>'' reft•rs to tht• illusion of tlw 1 ma~lllat} t•go-image. The Soul is a combination nf the Prn<"nn· .111d tht• Heart, cxperi(•nced in a uniqu<' and mtimalt' way. Although it has universal qualities, it is at the ,anw time absolutely personal. The st'nlutc• and reaches Pure Rest. And finally she discovers ht·r Ht•.ort, a nd in this Hean-hcrst'lf. . Tht·rt· " both the Soul that experiences and the <·xpt·ric·nn· o f the Soul. To cxpcricnn• the Soul is to know what o nt• truly ;,. To find thc.- Soul is to experit'ncc wuluntlw I !t-an tht' deepest, the most intimatc.-, personal •nd u_niqut· ft·t· lin~ of Me. It is quite simpl<". Bill the '>out IS <<wt·rl'CI bv la\·t'rs of insensiti\iry, ignorance, '~'LI""' nund .md · lals~ idemifirations. Tht' Soul can ""-•lin· ht·"•·lf fullv nnl\' if she mt"ets the 8el0\·ed. Th" ~";•I Ill lt',lfity . c·xists only in r...Jatiun to the .:~· ,~•'<·~!. 1 .,~;,,. a oay uf tht' Sun, although """' can look •Jr,,,.~ 11 t·x~sts only ~canSt' of the Sun and tkt ~~~ llw Sun. 1 hr Soul 1s a reflKtion of lhe

f>·"·""'":

(J\'t•f\

\\•Ill

The Beloved (lne can real in·. the_ Emptiness and not to 'K't• the Sun "ithin it. Tins Sun ts _the Creator. tlw Divine force of Jm<" and wtsdom bdund the power of Crt·ation. The Bdon·d cannot be felt unless the Soul is awakened. To e~ perien ce any snte we need certain faculties. For ~xample. to e;xpenence the Absolute, the consciousness must be complt'tely mature and semitivc. Similarly one cannot sense the Creator unless the Soul has flowered. The Soul is the link between an individual being and , Cre;ttor: there is no other link. The Creator ha~ no name and d oesn't belong to any religion or cult created b) ignorant people. She doesn't belong to any human tradition and can be known only in the realm of aloneness, where the Soul directly prays to the Beloved and is touched by her. There is no medium, no priest, no church in-between. There is onlv the Soul and the Beloved, n o thing else. . We have left the dimension of Consciousness and the Absolute. Now we are entering the clinlt'nsion of the Divine One becomes a child again, but a child that carries within itself the sage, t11e F.nlightent•d es."~nce. \\ben the sufkring has be.en left behind and the inner peace realited, it .is timt: to rt:tlllll t<> tht• positive, to beauty, erst;ISy and praver. The dimt·nsion of loH' • ~>:auty and gt
/·.'nllghtrumNII /lt-ynnd

I Ill

tlu• ckc·pt·'t longn1~s nf nut· ht•;ut, nonr i!\ deeper tlw dc."";SII ,~ tn he.· 'C.Til .mel lOll< heel h\ lh.tt wh1ch tl't' to ow C''"'tcnu·. h\ the 1\c·loH·d \VhC'n cncrors our hk•. 111 lw« mnc.·, tr.m,fo~mc-d to the core \\1wn rlu• llt\lllt' toucht'' u,, thc.·tc.· I'\ no c•nd to treaq nf rn\· ,md gt.liHudc•. \\c• .Ill w.anc to he lon.·d. but we• do not knnw where lin• lon• c .111 , emu· from. Bd111Hi Ihi' lougtng, lht!re 11 the· , 11 htlc: krum·mg o( our rhvint• 111lwr it.•nn·. Tht•

know' th.tt it " jUSt

Soul

child of tlw Rdnvt•rl, a child n·,ung c·tc.·rnalh .in her arms of }()\'(.' and grace. All is well, fn1 tht• lklon•d b. Onlv thp<'n to (;r~re can "''' 11. \\'t• h.tvc \IHnt· freedom, st rcngth and will but wht·n· , .m ou1 Will and freedom It·ad '" uhimately? \\'hal dst· r.tn '"' do but suncndcr lO till' higher love of tht• ( re.uor' l'lll' child knows thll'llllt\', l lumatl'lr IH' all feel alone in this world, eoen .unong pl·ople, r:n in Lrulh uur lwing cannot be fulfillt·r, tht• Bdoved. It IS tht• on)~ \\";ltt·t that c-:an nl~ rhos.c.· whu l'Xpt·rit.·nce it have.• no doubts. But tllt"n_~ i:\ •• wiMlom hdtind Cract-. h cnm~s when the lin~mg is nght <md whcn tht· Soul is ready to recei\'C tl. rhe Beloved can qul'nch all our longings, and 1111 onl)· she that can do it. For all is happenina' by pow"r of the Creator. All is happening throll8h ,t

[ht Rdnl'l'd

119

Jk(tl\Cd .. En-n ~he rcalitation of tlw Soul and higher ,tat<'' of n msnousncss take plan· only through the Cr;ICC of the 1\clowd. \\'e have some n·lative freedom and our dTmts n·rtainly maucr, but tlw transformation on occm only as an intervention from the Bcwmd. There is no o ther war in this dinwnsion of suffering and slow evolution. The mysH' l} of the Soul is that although slw dwells 11ithin the H eart of the Beloved, she is at the same time able to fed he rself as separated from the Beloved. Because of th is scpar.Hion, the meeting and its joy can take place. The Soul is deeply sad, being separated from the Bc lm·ed. But she is also full of joy, bliss and love, for it feels the Beloved within and without. As the Sun is the secret of the shining moon, so is the Beloved the secret of tht• So ul. The Soul is simplr a reflection of the Infin ite, the spark of eternal fire which comes from the Hean o f the Creator.

Desirelessness and the Soul-Desire The pun• purpmc of the quest for desirelt•"n<•'-' is to reach the dimension that is empty of p<·rsonal self. On 1)le relati\"t' k\'cl, thrs means that one gives up his/her identification with personal well being, so to speak. The personal self always must more or less face a lack of fulfillment in the realm of desire. This is the nature of our reality. For this reason, disidentification with the ego and identification with the empty Self bring a certain solution to this problem. But when we close the door against the thief, the beautiful guest cannot ,;sit us either Oesirelessness is a solution to the problem of suffering, but when taken as absolute, it "ill block am possibrlity of expansion. . An rmportant problem with the teachings of the past is that their simplistic conclusions do not reflect the richness of reality. Even though some masters, withom a dunbt, have realized the Soul, their intellect and the conceplual tools of their particular traditions are not able to distinguish the experience of the Soul from the experience o f the Self, or to understand them in a um,.nsal context The understanding and the experience always go hand in hand. Without the drfferenuation between the Soul and the Self wt· will nt·ver be ablt• to gra.-.p the paradox of right cit-sire in the reahn o f
c·,·olutunl al"'"' nHHt'' frnm tiH· Snul IIIC' Soul"~dcsa~

" nothing httt tht• w;l\ the C~t•.tt
dntrclt'"nt:ss negates lift•. It's aim is only to t·xit from life. Tlu- S<ml, lwrausc she is direnly linkt·d with the Bl'lon•d " nnt• wrth th~ purpose of evohttton and i• ~iming onh toward c-ompletion and posit in- fulfillnwnt. lkhind ilw existence of ewry Soul is a divine plan that got'\ tnuch lmther than what we call human cmlution. nw purpose of evolution b not to reach nin;ma or di"olution, but to infinitt>ly (·xpandtlllo the hl'art of the ~hstt't'). On!) this uncler'>tanding brings real frt·t·dom. The negative conclusion of Buddhism ultimau:lv bring\ an impasse, for it blocks the llon ol c:volutiun.

:"\t·H·nhclc" we must not forget that the Soul which is not resting upon the Absolute is incomplete and separated from the Source. \Ve can be ont• with the Somcc and separated from the Creator, or we can he in direct connectton with the Creator whilt• st•pardted from tht• Source. When the•e two aspt'ns are integt at<-d, tht• evolution of the Soul is in nunplt't<" alignm<'nt with Uni,·ersallntclligcncc. and has support frnm above· and bdow. from within and withmn. Titis ;, tlw Ia,,. \\'<" t·xpc.·rit~llt(• variou\ kinds of clt-sirt"s. Frnm dtt' ln.llt·rial. phv ..lr.tl. emotional and uucllt•t·tual to rhe purdy "~Jllri~u.,l, 'uch a!) reaching the~ sw.tc- of Prrsencc "' m tht· Suul or from the egtHubcoJUCiCJUii b our de,.nc.• arising from our pa!tt conditioningl « II

{lt.lirdrJ.\ 1/rll

rmd thl' Sou[-D,.sirt'

l2S

11,, oighl rt·sponse to the necessi~ of t~e ~ow? The only "JI' we can know 1s by lookmg wnhm our heart, ;;..coming one with our So~I, a_nd feeling deeply whether or not this particular des1re IS what we really want If the heart feels nourished and deeply responds "yes" to wh
The Soul and the Absolute In the ,\INllute State, the e nergy of the personality is constantly being pulled to its original absence. One l>t>comes dt.sidentified with reality as if om· W.t.~ without much will to li\'l'. The state itself, although with some positivt• qualttie~ of complete unchanging peace and silt'nre. is mon• neutral than positive. It represen t~ the absrnce of suffering and freedom from consciousness. From the perspective of this state, all people are seen to be suffering. But how the State present~ itself to the one in the state, ts more like an absence of the negative than a presence of the positive. Because the "absence" is much stronger than the presence, one is "not really here." Because we see that the personality is not really our identity, while the Absolute is rather our non· identity, we have no center and we live "nowhere". !! is freedom but not happiness. From the higher perspective, one sees that the Absolute State is not beyond sufft·ring because our true identity has not been awakened yet. Our Soul is erving within o ur unawakent·d lwan. It is possible for one in tht• Absolute State to t'\l'll comn11t suictdc. for living in t•mptint•ss b ag-atnst our nature.

\\'e must awaken the Soul to find om tnlt' idt·ntit\. \\lwn tlw lwart n·mer is open. ont• mt·t·ts .11 l.l>t tlw t"SSt·nn• ol. onc..·,t.•lf. Fron1 abid1n~ in i~nor,tnn..• "'"" sluht·tl to tht· ll
126

gt·ntk. ""'''t .111d frag1ant. Meeting tlw Soul changes tlw qu.tlit)· of our whole bemg. Tlw nmlm·.., of the ,\h,ohll<' bt·comcs filled '"th warmth ancl sweetness. nw det·p rt·st. innon·nce and beauty cn·a.tt· one whole. This is wh.ll bli" rs: tht· Absolute mt·eung the Soul. Onh this The opt•ning of the heart changes also the quali!y of the recognition of the Absolute. The state becomes e\'en more appreciated. It is only the Soul that can have the highest appreciation of the Ultimate Rest. On the other hand, it is in this Rest that the Soul can experience herself fully, because for the first time she has a foundation. The experience of the Soul, with its beauty and sensitiYity occurs together with the expcricuce of infinite Rest. The Rest giYes depth to the Soul and the Soul gi\'es sweetness to the Rest. In the moment of integration we cannot separate them, for they become one. It is here that the outer and the inner for the first time merge. One cannot say if one is inside or outside. One is nowhere, but this "nowhere" is the Heart of the Universe, the Beloved Herself.

The Suffering of the Soul \lln· .u e wt• bo rn as human beings? \\lhy do Wt> have a bodv? Why do we have to suller o;o much? The ,·xpt·tiCJKC of being human is very uniqut•. h is only in the body tha t the Soul can be expc•riencecl, and it is onh in the human body that the Soul can be awakened. Thi.s is the .law. There are many other beings in the universe that rcpresenLs various ~Lages of evolution, but they do not ha,·e a Soul. T h ese beings and entities do not have a ...-me of ·r.te"-they do not experience separation. It ''only in the body that separation can be experienced. \\'hy must we experience separation? Isn't it an illusion? 1\n't it somethmg negative in itself? We are touching here someth ing immensely profound-the mystery of being human . The purpose of being in the body and experiencing ~eparation is to realize the Soul. The Soul can be realized only through the experience of suffering. Sullering is po ssible only in the body, for it is only in the body that the Soul can feel separated from the Creator T he d eepest purpose of suffering is to realize the Soul It ''only because we experience sufiering that we can experience joy. It is only because we_ feel scparatt'd from the Beloved that we can t•xpt•nt'nce Grdcc and Onene". Other beings do not t•xpcrit•nre Onene", fen th<·y arc p~:rmant'Jllly on<' with th_<· lklon:d l'lwy do not expericnn• happin<"s.~. IC>r tht·tr 'lall· i'> OJH' "' p<·rmatwnt joy ancl <
12!! j, vt•ry spt•ciat. fOr it livc.·ti •n chro r~alrn Of pol.uitws. lhc.· ,c.·tl'..t· or .\fc.· can arisr only if one.· i\ 1n a 5ituation of -<·p;mnion from the Belon·d. From tlw ultima~ P''"l'''rtivt·, tlwr<· os only one ~!c-th<· Bt·loved. To <·xp<·r i<·nn· tlw sense of Me i5 a rt·al miracle, a transr<·nclental paradox. We must <ec th;u at th~ moment the Me arimple!c unless she clearly sct·s ht·rst'lf as separated from the Bd<We
hum.ut ht·lng

Tht .\ulfrnn~: fifthr Soul

129

,\, nnh bee .ut~c· uf t_hc· Rc·lun·rl

. rJu- lull rc.,luauon of tht· Snul penni" m twu

chrt>CIHlll\ Onc

4

1\

the.· c.·xpcric·nrc• of th<" Soul u 1 itself,

the fullnt'"'' (lf lht• he-_art m_t·rgc.·d wnh nur u 111c111f' -.rtl~lll\"ih·. The• ~·rond 1!\ feclm~ the 1\c·ln\·c·cl, h·c·ling

the· Rc:l(ln·rl hting,, at the ~me tjnw, th<· c:xp<·ric·ncc elf ...c.·paratinn .uul on<·ness. joy and ,;,dnc·s,, The• Soul ;, 111 ht•J ,,.11 a n>mbination of JO)' <111<1 sarlm·s.•. The ~ufnt"" W<' 'pc.·ak ahout ls not frnm our pa,t-it 1s an "'istt•nu<~l ,,ulncss. It is the saclne" ol the Soul being

st•paratt•d from the Beloved. h is only through this """'''" 1h,11 tlw Soul can be discovered, not nlhcrwisc. Th<' s;~dn<'" links the Soul with the lklnvcd, and through this link joy arises. It is only ht•cause we are in the body that wt• have a Soul. Onlr because we suffer can we realite our Soul. The suffe~mg is not Lhe purpose, but suflering has a purpose. Awakening to Lhe Soul and to the Beloved can occur only if one passes through Lhe depth of suffering. To reali1e the Soul is to see the essence of separation. All suffering ultimately points to the subject. I am suffering... I am suffering(!)-why? V.~1y am I here? \'110 am I? Who has brought me here? If these questions are '"kt·d within our heart-the prayer is born. The prayer is a love amur of separdtion and oneness between the C•tator and Lhe Soul. In rt•alitv, it is the sufTenng that allows us to fully experience our -eparatiun. From th1s comes prayer and opt'llll<''-' to tht· Bt:lo\'l'd. When Lhe Soul is touched b1· tht• lklm'I'Cl she is dc<'ply 1110\'Cd and full of gr.uiw~l<·. T he true libt·rauon h nut to realize that wt· ha\'e "no s(')f"' hut the tJppw•itt·' to di~CO\'('f our Sou) ancllu·r St'JMr.uiun frnrn the C11·.uo, Only this can bring '"had:. tn tht• I\<- loved. It " lik<· " < h1ld who has rt•alil<•d 11~<11 slw h.os gotten

1<>st h "'" lu·• n•otht•J Sht• !t-t'ls tkspa•r. sulh-ring and

130

Jonelinc". These are the basic experiences of the Soul But when the mother is found, the child is immt>di.·11eh fulfilled and full of jm·. The Grace of the Creator ts all around us. But there is no higher Grace than that which bring-; us to the realilation of the Soul. .-\nd it cannot happen without suffering. That's why the Grace of the Beloved allows us to suffer. But the closer we are to our true idenlit:y, the less we suffer. Bliss, joy and fulfillment replace our pain. At this point we see the "isdom of evolution and the presence of the divine law behind it. To be born is painful. So it is painful to give birth to the Soul. It happens amid tears, but those tears \\-ash our heart before the di\ine communion with the Beloved. And those same tears are eventually transformed into tears ofjoy and gratitude. This is the Divine Alchemy...

The Soul and the Beloved: Unity and Separation If tht> Soul "''" o nly one with the Belowd, tlw Soul would n.'ast• to t•xist. The So ul is tht• ll<'loved, but the Bclo\'ed that ' ces herself as a Soul. In tlus set•ing, the Beloved b separate d from herself. This is the mystery of Creat•on. These a rc not only beautiful words, but a rcnection of the Truth. How can we exp e rie nce the Beloved? I low can we see and feel the n e loved? ll is extremely difficult to gr.!Sp the neloved for the simple reason that she is not ..eparated fro m m . The Soul is separated from the Creator but th e Creator is not separated from the Soul. Withou t th e o pe ning of the Heart, we cannot even dream about tou ching upon the dimension of the Di\1ne. The lleart is the entrance. The Soul herself rests deeply in the Heart. The Heart resting within it~elf is the Soul; no t the Hean that moves outward, but dre Hean that sees itself, feels itself and surrenders to itself. The Soul in her natural state, is the Soul at rest She n•sts in herself fully self-contained. Wht•n thoughts or feelings t'nter, the Soul exper·iences herself tn motion. Rest and motio n arc the rwo fundamental ch;u~rctt·ristics of the Soul Tlwy are intenvoven togt·dra. intt·rchan~-:ing and complementing each other. . In the \t'arch fo r our true identity. \H' must find""~ S.>UI and tht• plan.- in which sh<• ahidt·s. Tlw ";~mn<"'-' ot Lh<:" Soul, tht· t•ncrgy of her conscinuMu's.s n:!\ls 111 lht·

Ll2 -------- ~:rtuglilmmmt

lfl7tmd T~

,\11" 11uw, hul "lw~e· d<ws tlw Soulll<'nclr dwell? Whl!ll !Ill' Soul :1\\00kt·n• In hn"·lf w11h111 Ill<' Hl'aft, she hrcnme~ nru- ''"h ht·r,(·IL But ""·hen ':'t• t•xplor~ d~ chc nluna.ll<' II on Ill'" uf our ult·ntity, a new auul•·"c;uulnag l~ecnm1·s revealed. Wt• divt·tic or philosophical conn·pt. The doorway to clw experience of this oneness is our crue idellliiV, che Soul It is onlv tht.• Soul that is one ,.;th the Ue.lml'd. not th<: ego. To be what we tnah· are. is to he one with the Bt:!oved. We do no1 ll<'"d co .. lx·comc• OIW with ht'r-this oneness is already prC"senl. Wht·r<· i' clw Udovcd? How ran tht• 11<-lnn·d IX' found' !low tan clw Soul know tlw lkl<>n·
155 }ughc·~l t·t·,ta,\·~ tn. lht• t·r ..tas~ of rhe OIVinr h 11 not

onh rh<' ,.,·q.rw o f rlw Soul dL'IC<wning tht• lkl"""d-rhe , ...,,.. ,~ o f rht· Beloved di'Cnvt·ring hcr..,lf \11t<"JJ rht• Snul " a""kencd, •lu' know• her...,lf in a mo't 11 wma1<· wav. :\t·vcnhelc « she may still b., unable 10 recognilt' rht• Bdoved. \\'e can f being ~paa~tl<·d. Thl' Soul at complete rest is rhe &lmed ~~rsell T h" " tlw highest revelation ,1bout our rme lfkJJlll)'. 'I ht· lklon·d u mnol be graspt'd, hul can he t lt-arh 11 1,

t"X(klil·nu·d . Tlw Soul is that which mt't"!5 lhc- 01\·mr. In this uu·t· ling,, lht• Soul b. dissoln•d intu ht•r dt·c·ptr IC\t·nlity. 1\ut thnugh sht• ht.·t·onws dis..'iol\'t"d, in suml"'

Will and Grace 11 h tht• Icci,-cs help in her journev. but she must reach mal\ully o n he r own. In truth, any major ~hifL~ and tr3 nsfonnations in our life are caused by intervention from the Beyond. Human beings are quite helpless creatures. The most a person can do b to bring oneself to the \'erge of a po"iblt: expansiOn. From that place Grace enters. The elfe\rt, inquiry an d suffering allow maturitv and sensitivity to ~row Intelligence and consciousness must evolve. The heart need s to become more and more pure and 'i<'nsiti\'e. Our sincerity, striving and prayer invite the Grace of the Beloved into our life. Without Grace we 1nmld be u nable to come close to the Oi1·inity. The tme d t•fi nition of a human bt:mg is: the child or the Beloved . We did not bdng ourselves here. l"llnll. Tlw unponann· of Gn tce doesn't tak<" from th our dignny olll!lnobilttv T he oppositt' is Unl'. \\·, . ar<' nohlt• onh lwt·anst• ol tht• Belovt"d. The 1\t>loved is All That 1s. Tht• t·xi\lt·nn· of Grace links us with our ltll<' tdtntity. Onlv ht•ing to uched b1· Ct,l("t' ,rllows '" W Pt'n in gr~uitud<· to tht· Bclo,·c~l. wl' lht•t. I kr lc,n·, kuullws\ .uu l wi..,c\onl an· all 1hat wt· ho\\t'. <>n our

0

Enlighte nme nt to the Heart ,\s then· exists an Fnlighwnmt·nt t<> tlw l're...,nn· and Enliglllt'nmt·nt to the Absolutt·, S
r,...._ gonrl 1111c·nunn, wirhmll which we· would bee~ conrplc-rdy '""'""."c. I hc· mn1m11nn of heart pr~ 11 "' h nm IX"nlllH" mhuman, hut rs not c·ncmgh to truly hn· I ht• fro~t·n heart" an <'-'<·nroal pmblem of human noluronn. It is a big dr~llcnge tn opt•n our heart while livmg in •• world which is insensiuvc.· and immcncd in rgnonmct• and clarkne~s . But withcmt an awdkcned I k;ort, wt· nught '" wt>ll be dcarl \\"t• need to allow mu sc·ln·s t<> ag-din lw innocent ;mel 11ilncrabiC". Tiris 15 tlw pnce we pay for our Soul. It " a bargain for the Soul ts priceless. In realil)• wc· hrg<"t that th<"rr au· lwing:s. COlT$-{it'' ollld arclu:typt'\ in lhi ... Cn·.tlu1fl.

\vlw

1lways

rt',puncl tu

out c..'"-(Mil!
.md duubtlc.'"-'h

our longutg!\ and prayt>rs. (;ran.· i-. not s.tllllt'thllll( unu..;ual-we an· 'UJ rounded hv Gt ,tcT P•.tyt•r is cxtn·mt·ly imputtani. fnr ll is onl~ the Onr" who.< rt"";.ltc..·d our llt·•u t th.u c:o1n opt·n 11. No h~&hng 15 possthlc.· \\'lthnut the.· C:re.uot 1\udclhiMn spt""aL' ahoUI the l.tw of karroo.t, Inn who n , ..~Ut..-cl k.u m.t?" In rc.tJny, WC' arr u·~pon,ihk fo1 0111 la\'c::') on y lo .1 \C.' f) small cxlt"Pl

tlUMYt't

Buddha Mind and Christ Consciousness In the~ day~ of our Spiritual evolution as seeken, it ia a common belief to a.-.mme that the notions "Buddha Mind" and "Christ C..onsciousness" represent the same Enlightened state of human spirit that reaches the ultimate. This popular and rather simpli~tic conclusion doe~ not reflect reality. It is extremely important to understand that the revelation of sages who reached the Inner State and the one of saints who have realized the Di,ine are not the same. They represent, in fact, two different aspects of human illumination. Our concern is not to evaluate which one has the higher importance but to see really what the complete selfrealized human being is. It is about us-about our wholeness. That to which we refer as the Buddha Mind and Christ Consciousness, on the deeper level, are the archetypes of our inner reality. So to know them fully is to know oneself. The insight of Buddha pointed to the realization of the Source of all existence. He found that the essence of our being, prior to manifestation of indivi~ per$0nality, is one with the source of creation. ThiS JS what he called liberation. In the moment of his great Enlightenment, he recognized clearly that at the roofS ofour individual existence there is an abeolute praeDCe of the eternal Self, which in itself represents the uaiq ofem tiness · e. He become• the muter'

112 ol •p111 c· 1\t·m~."' lin\ t nnthtion 1c·kr A In tlu- t'XJ»<:'fl~nc~ lf1 \\hi( II tllf' mclt\rclu.ll <'HII'•< IOII\IH'5..' Iwe otu.:·s une,,ich the• ~dc:ru c· .nacl .th:~;.C)htlc u·M ut tlu- ptnn,rdlal umdt''" ~t.nc \\'hc·n llw tlhr ... ron uf a hmitccl persona) ..dr "'"'''<Til thrcnl!£h-tlw uni\·t·r~tl <tru-ru·~os ..tnd peace

,,c·u· rcu·.th·d r hi' j, tht· rcalil.ltlon uf tlw unh... ,rn. ,rknt n1 c·mpl\ u·.Lhn of cxist(·nn.·. rl~t· nut• nf C'luist's ntCS'Is--which is the primordial womb of creation, while the Christ C.onsciousness is experienced as the fullne's of Heart, the dh~ne flavor of Heart. being embraced by the Beloved. When these two are in~egrat.ed, one experiences a beautiful paradox of bemg snnultaneously separated, that is, rdating as a child to tht' Creator, and in the $latt' of complete ont'nes.• with the Universe. Beyond the mind, thert' is an absolute silence and

Houitlha .\lrnd nnd Chrut Cmuaou.mn.s

143

mounnkMnc•s.o;;. nf rons:-·iott.'\n~u. Thi1 IS the goal of C\Cn uue m<'lhlatnr._ \\ e call n the S..lf. Th11 15 a lllate ofrotal pc:.o«: .md doMdenuficauon with the penonality \ltho ug h a ho~h .lc~HC'\'~m.em. we arc otill not complete, bcc:alL«' tht· Soul '' "''"'"ng. Rc5ting in the absolute ,tiiJnc " of tlw origina~ stale, one is finally at peace but not )'t'l fullolkd ; one " at last free but 5lill '<'parat~mc for what we feel when wur hing our Heart. Wht·n tht' Heart is touched, it is alwavs the Beloved, the Creator, who wuchcs it. This is ~,·hat prayer tntlr io;-opening the heart to th e Be loved and being touched br her. The two m agnificent human beings. Buddha and Chri,t. gave us amazing gifts. Both, with their authoritv, confirmed that there is, without shadow of a doubt, a direct connectio n with the source and the power of Creation Buddha showed us that we can directly experien ce and become one with the timeless stillnes_s of the primo rdial Self--that which is prior to Creation. He pointl'd 10 the dimension of the Sdl, till' Godhead. the bottomless \!illness of Being, the titnelt•s.s EmptineS-s, which cmbraCI:s the Soul and the Cr<'ator. Christ f!'\C us that the love and gran· of tht· Creator can bt· t·xpc ricnccd directly within our own ht•art-for the 1\tlnn-d ancl her child are om·. His was tht• nwssagc of love ancl pril}'('l , of direct cnnm•ctinn with (;od. the llt•lon·d. I ht· original Sdf is like a [Hilt', t·mpl\' sl')~ the Coc-;n
WHh light .ulCI "'·'l'llllh. The:\' c·annnt })(• st•paratrd. lithiiCJugh wt· tuighl n·ali.1e th(•m s«"par.tu·lr. Tn M"t:" tht" C:t(·~UfJJ withuut tilt' Sourn.· is like.• st•(•ing the sun

144

without ..-t·ing the sky. To see the Sourc" without the Brlc>\1'0 is like ><"ring tht! sky in tht! det!p bottotnJe. night. Both art• inromplett!. TI~t• Soul 'l\1thmu the &If ha• no roota, has no foundation in the inner realm. The &If without the Soul ts unh· nt·utral. lacking love, lacking joy. It is Ulte a flo"'Cf without rolor and fragrance. The Source and tht• Bt"lon·cl art• the two fundamental aspecta of Creation. Only .titer awaltening to both within ouncJvn, can w<· <·xpcricncc wholcne... We arc directly linked to the Ohirw, but the conscious illumination to this fact is a dtalkngc of our evolution. This experience and unders~;mcling are not given-they must be awakened. When the Buddha ~lind and the Christ C..cmsciousness become orw indi,isrble whole in each of us, the c\'olution of human kind can be said to have reached iL• highest and mmt noble destiny. It is not enough to have a spiritual or mystical experienct~the "isdom has to support it. Without wisdom and 'ensiti\'ity there is no power of transformauon, for one is not in alignment with the Truth. And it is only the Truth which can transform the ignoranre into light. Now we understand clearly that in the world of rt·al rnysrks there are only two possible expericnct·s: that of the Soul and that of the Self; and they are not thc same. More common is, of course, the experience of the Soul, for it dwells in the Heart of each one of us. To reach the Self, to reach the Buddha Mind, the unconscious and mechanical mind must be transcended. This is not an easy task, therefore only a few complete it fully. But if the mind is not transcended and inner silence is not reached, even the Soul can not be grasped fully. It is only the inner thoughdns alleDce !hat can give it roota-
Rol \lrlhiR .md 1\rrnw '11rnt-1 Am

1!11

tral111 b<"l\\t'<"ll tht·m. This '"hc·twc•c•n" placr 10 th dinll'll'ion wht•tt• till' Ctt·ator ami tlw Creallon 11\~L ·nw rot.ll Pncqllion is dire< llnnlrM anti (("15 m the um~r .uul uull'r simultant•nu\ly. It i\ not the !\<)o c,tllt'm tht' pl;trt' of Inner Suchnt'" is 1lw scc·ing of 1hc Onenes,, while• the apperception we spc·ak ahou1 is the Om·ne" itsdl The To tal Pt•rception occurs through the channel of :"-le. that is the particular and unique navor of how the I .-\:-.1 perceives itself in Creation. That apperception is dtrectionless, but contains within itself the Rest in the Ab,olute and the full and sudden awakening to the :\ow, which is the explosion of the I AM into I A~l. The heart is the doom-ay, but when the inner is tran'K:ended the heart is no lo nger placed within. The realm of the Creator can be perceived only in the act of Creation. Perception i~ co-creation; The Total Perception, which is the Comple te Understanding-is the Creation. Me. at the peak of its evolution, becomes one with the Creation. The Creation is occurring neither iD nor Q!!!· It is an explosion of the I AM into I AM. It is the Now. Seeing this, rest within and know that! AM. Onlv I AM.

ar:

Samadhi: The Absence of Me? There are manr mi~understanding~ about the real meamng of tht• term "Samadhi." Partiwlarly those conditiont'd by Hindu spirituality associate it with a rrance-likt• absorpuon. To be totally "gone" is the highest spiritual auainmcm for them. The ability to fall into coma, using certain practices, elevate anyone to the rank of "holy one" or "sage" in the eyes of certain people with limited understanding. But the reality of Samadhi is much more complex than simple identification with trance or loss of consciousness. Because Samadhi refers to the state of absorption, we shall look upon two fundamental aspects that relate to the phenomena of absorption: one is the state of absorption itself, and the other, the simultaneous position of Me. There are two essential realms of absorption, where the absorption takes place-the I Am itself, and the Absolute. Samadhi in the I Am is not complete, for it is not able to reach the state of complete Rest and Nondoing. The absorption takes place within the aspect of Being. The more the energy of Being is freed from the personal will, the deeper it is pulled by the gravitational force of the Absolute. But it is only when the gate to the Absolute opens. that the Being aspect of I Am reaches the Beyond and is entirely freed from the personal will Samadhi is not about the disappearance of Me. In the actual state of coma, Me is absent, but we- Ct'rtainly

1!'>4

"uuldn l c.tll u ~madhi h t< o nh dut" to lhe on.___ , of !.he Ml" thal ' arn.tdht can be <"Xpenenced E~~en ID a uance-hkl" ').J.rnadht, .1 ' ub!le elcmt"nt of Mro ts prl"lenL for .:unadht I ' an expenence .md no t merdy a ~CUe of being uncon,c:iou' frue ">amadht does not conct·rn the absorption of Me. Me can be fulh· fu nctio n ing while tlw <"nergy of being i' at compktt• rest. drop ped into th<" original ab<ence. S:mtadhi applies to the Being asp<"rt of I Am, not to tht· "hole of :\!e. The consc io us prest"nce of Me or it' ab-orption. which is relative absence, is not dire• th· connected wilh the unconditio nal Samadhi. In rela::,,· S.unadhi, the re is a mo vement of consciousness that ;::-ot·s in. deeper and dee per. This consciousness cannot !!;O beyond itself. I t is o nly when the Absolull" is realized that consciousness drops lO the Beyond. This a
Me in "Non-duality"

Th~ e<<.ence of the "Non~ual" perception is the desire of 3 parucular ~fe to identify itself with the Source and the Totality of Creation. In awakening to the Onene~'· which 1s Enlig hte nment, Me may wish to negate its very own existence. Me wants deeply to dissolve its identity witl1 in the ocean of Existence. The personal wants to become the Impersonal, the Universal. So the q uestion arises: can Me really negate its own existence? Can it simply disappear in the experience of \\boleness? At this point o ne can see that Truth and Reality are subject to the interpretation of the individual ~fe \\ith its unique psychology and desire to position itself in a way that suits its intelligence best. But one thing is clearly certain: for any proclamation of "I am That" 10 take place, the individual Me has got to be there to proclaim it. How could the Universal be expressed, without the existence of the particular? Me ' is the experie ncer of all states and cannot cease to be present. When Me dissolves, one returns to the Original State, prior to consciousness. Me is that which allows us to experience the I AM. Th~ I AM which one experiences is not Me-it is that wh1ch created Me. One can never become the Creato r. It is true tha t Self-realization is a state of complete Onene•s with the universal 1 AM but Me which experiencts this Oneness is not thi~ I AM. Me can ~sidentify with the whole universe, but is not able 10 1 ent1fy W1th it~ Creator. The Self-realized Me rests

156 upon the t 'lum.ll<" Suhj<"<'U\1ty and rxperlenc:es through illl:lf. \k cannot lwrmne thr Uhimate, 110 matter how dt·c·pll' 11 t< ""~tkt'm·d to tlu· dtmrnllOil of Pmc Rt·'t ,111d \\llOit·nt·'-'· \\lw? For thr. 11mple tea""' tiMt .\k alwav<, rcgardlc-.• of th<" State 11 is an. ft•t•f, tl>dl. Tht• "philo•ophv" of ="on-dualil\· traditionally de negate the <"'-'-t'ntial pn·..,·nn· of Mr in all 'latt'< and kn·l< of t•xperience. The nature of Mr, is front a cert;tin p<·r,pccth·c, much mort• ~uhtlr than all the inner >rates, for 11 is the Nt·arest. Mt• •·an not simply d~te. .\le expands infinitelv imo the \',t."neM of thr L'ni\ersal Intelligence It is the journt•y of thr Spirit into the ultimatt• experience of Jon•, l>t'auty and happme". It ts pmstble to call the Creation an illusion, the Creator~·mptiness, and the Soul-non-t'xistent. This would be the shon('st wa)' to the impersonal. Sremingly, the impersonal is reached by the impersonal and dissolvt•s 11110 tlw impersonal. This is the ideal of Nonduality. Rut in truth, to meet the impersonal facr to face, tht• per'><mal must be there to face it. Here, thr uhnnatt· duality 0\Cr\t'< its supreme purpo!lr, and Me """ tn full arct·ptance of its supreme "dual" existence

'"'fY

c.tnd truth . :-;.,~HluahtY, without the awakening w Me, r<"prnents ~lw \\ holt·ut·,, uf Pt·rrt"ption in whadt M(" rrfusrs to see ll•dl ·" ·•
In thi• appc-rr.-ption, th<'

~

In tdligc.•nce: The Power of Recognition \k 1, 1wtlung hnl ,t flo\\ ul nlldhg1' 1H t', whu h clot'MI't ;H'l 1 nldh~t'lll<' ulln Rt·.lllt\ . \\'hl'n Rt·.tlm i' lllt'l (ulh, tltt• llllt' lli):t'lll'l' IWn HI\t'' Jl,tii,(OIIIIt'd IIIIo putt' !..111>11 111~. wh irh " rumplt' lt' into the II . ' l'lw rnlt• 1>l i mdli~t·nn· 111 the I<'):lllltnu nf IIIIli' I \(,Ill" ,\lid t>lllt'l I t•.tlitV I' lll'tllt'lldllll\1\' IIIIJIOII.tlll. J'IH' traditinn.tltt'.Khi n~ ' d u no t .trknowktl~t· the • 01 ll'l.uinn bt·t,n•t•n tlw t'' P''' it·n n• o l the imH't .11ul th.ll "hit h is rnul(ntzing it. It is n o t o nh th.tl o111 intdhgt'lllt' rt·n>~niZt'' tht• mn t'l st many .Ingles of knowing suuult;u u•nusll'. It i"plt-nclid .uulmagnilkent. This inll'lligt'IKt' ts<'.lp.thlt• nf rd"'' in)! to it"·ll 111 many ways. It <1 111 gt.ISJ> tht• 111ust ~uhtlt· ·''Pt't ls n f tt•,tlity Ill the for rn of urult·r sl.tllllillg. It h 1\111 l'llllllgh I
Wt• 1.111 1 t'(

'·'Y th;ll

there an• twu m•!i"' kl't'ls ol

U~IHIHHl o f the· inau.-r ~lah·s. First is the• prirn aJ

lliO "luc h I' Ill<' c'rlt'l ~«'lie p1 c•sc•nrc• of !hr SL1lt" J[,r)f For cx;unpk, !he• ''·"'' nl I'IC''<' Ilc c• llllroduct"s ron,!.ull mfclllli.IIIOII c>f 11' ''"''•·nc c• IIIIo !he suhtlr p.tn of cllll tc\ll'c Hlll\11<'"· \\hc•!hc•t '"' .nc• ol\l,llr ur II or no! llw ,!,llc'lc'cllgllllo 11\df .t, II' 0\111 Jlll':W.'Ilc" m.ltH'U!ral "·" llw 'l'«llllllnt•l of IC'coynilton nn-un ,,h1·n 1lw 11\ll'llt~t'lltc' of l\lt• hting' IIIIo ,, highrr J'k'l.,pc'f lhc• lllllt'l \laic· is undc·r,!Oc'd .md .lp)lH'rialt'd dc•pc•ncls c•xrhi,IVd} on the lnt"l ol t•wlution of the recogni1ing inldhgc·ncc. 11w dquh ()[ lwing. the clan!) c>f 1lw mind and lhcpwfound '''nsi1i1ir. of the heart create· tlw rompktc· fidd of intl'lli~t'nn·. This intelligenn>, t'Xprt""'''d through thr channt'l of tlw indi1idual in thc· proct'" of ~rowth, Lran...:rnds mort' and more the frontiers of indi1iduoleness, i! is capabk of kno"ing n and reft·rnnJ.: b
. , final Unlf'llllion About M,

16!

Wholc'Jl<""· In this c·xperien cc, Mt• i~ transcended, but 001 anmhilatc·cl-it remains an indivisible part of the appNcqHion of th;H \\11CIIeness. \\I thou! the c·xpc·nc·nn· of \ \1H>lc·m•s.,, Mc· in realiry cannot hc• ,,.,.n m it.s fullnc~s. T lw Wh olc·nes., of I AM rdk< ts l>ac k to I hc· wholt·ne,, of Me·. The Whole· ness i• 1 ,\~1; Thc· whole-ness o f ;\k is what "I Am," resting within rhc· Totality. I am not the I AM, but the I AM is !\lr. \\'h;u does it nwan to t•xperiencc• tht· wholeness of !\it- within tlw Wholeness of I AM? It is to t~mbrace all as1H-rts of my unique self-conscious sensitivity and mtellignlC<' within the complctc apperc t·ption of the I A\1. \\l~at dot·s it mean to experience the· Wholt·ness of I A\1 through the wholeness of \It-? Bt·yond the mne1 and the outer, the I AM is known directlY as I A;\f. In this pun· knowing, Me dissolves. But altho;1gh it has dbsohc·d, it expt·ricnces ultimate beauty, the ultimate t:(stasy-it " being touched by the hand of the Divine ~lystt·l') .

Enlightenment to Me ;\It· is ,imply who one is. Unless the stabk awareness and the quality of being is awakened, we arc not able cxpt•ricnn• \lc. There must be continuity of 10 e.xpt•rienn•, fret• from the mind, in order to become fulh conscious of oneself. We can say that prior to Fnlightcnment. Me is not yet born. What exisLs is only a frakcned, Me experiences the fullru-ss of itself in its own dirnell\I()Jl. RealiLing the inner statt•s is not all that\ rt·qu1n·d w enter the Divine. Tht· Soul must be «>mplt·wl} aw,lkt·lwd t<> herself. Tht•n, in tht• wholeness of ht"IS<:I!, she lt'
Hill

Enlightrnmmt Rlyond Tradilitms

;tllt'ntin· w itst•lf, it has a crysw.lliz<'d and centralized qu.1JitY When 1t rests in iL~elf, its knowingness, iu <''pericnn• of itself dissolves within th<' space of being. But prior to anh·ing at the Absolute State, the presence of \It', even in the state of rest, cannot free iLself fully from the characteristic of being self-oriented; of referring to itsC'If in terms of attention, recognition and cnt'r!,'Y The Absolute State brings the quality of Pure Rest which allows the transcendence of will which is the indivisible part of the self-referral mechanism. To rest in the Absolute is not sufficient however, in order to be frt•e from the self-referral tendency. As we alread' know, although the will is transcended in the Absolute State, it is still present on the side of the :\le. It is not how :\le rests upon the Absolute, but how it resLs upon iLself that concerns us. How can .\1c transcend the will in the \ery experience of itself? How can the \le go beyond crystallization and its inherent mechanism of self-referral? It is only after reaching the continuity of the Presence, the Rest in the Absolute and the fullness of itself in the Heart, that the Me can rest, beyond any form of crystallization, in complete transparen<·y dtssolved into the Universal 1 A~l. It is only '''ht·n all states are transcended and the fullness of !\1c cn~brart·d within itself, beyond the innt·r and the nutt·r, " .1 tlw state of pure non-abiding, that Clll<' finally drop, toto ultimate transparency. tht• only true happmt·"

The State of Ignorance The state of ignorance refers simply to the level of e\·olurion of consciousness that does not recognize the 1Am. Consciousness is veiled by unconsciousness, being unaware of its own subjectivity. The us human. E'·en·one ha> this sense, and in reality it is the essence of being comciom.. Because the human consciousness is exteriorized in the objective reality, unless it e,·olves. it i> not capable of grasping the ven· subject of all experiences. The thing called "ego" is nothing but the <ense of Me referring ro objective realir.. The egotmage is the way Me sees itself in relation to the world. There is nothing wrong with the ego or self-image. The ability to create a self-image allows us to s(m·ive in the world, as well a~ 10 evolve in all areas of realir.·. Our inten•st is not to eradicate the ego, but to see clearl~ what this !\1c is behind the ego\ mechanism. \\'e can '<\\' that there are rwo dimt•nsions of !\ft>: one in mouon , a nd one "in itself," so to speak. !\It• in motion, 1\ the movement of intelligence. thoughts. feelings, the ahllir.· to create self-image and st> forth . !\1<: "in llst·lr' is a co.mplete and self-contaim•d <'XJ><'r it·r!~'' of our wholt· bemg, in the state of purt• rt'Sl. !\It• 111 it..\t•U" is what n\nst people ignore. 1hat is, an· unawar~

168

brt.ghlnlmn~l

Rryond "f radllum.s

of u.s ,,.ry exlstcnC<· Jgnoranct•, in the ca'l:' of human bemgs is wry particular All human bemgs S('me the Me. That i~lf IS a s1gn of a high level of e\'olution. But we are not sufficu:ntly aware of what, in rcahty, 15 sen<>ed. nu: aucntion of the human mmd is constantly iderlllfi<-d with thoughu and pcrcepunn, most often spent in a state of day dreaming. The sense of ~le is functioning mt·rely a~ a ~elf-comc10us ml"chanism within the nund, so it can become self-attenti\'e to liS own psychological ·nH'ntal actinty. The exce"ive idenuficauon with the :-te in motion, and the unawakened a\,-4l'eness of \le in itself, are the ~mptoms of what 1s C'alled ignorance. Ignorance 'imply means a lack of "'holene". The 'ense of bemg of mo't is fragmented and distorted. There is no IT!!.!££ of presence. Each thought and emotion creates a separate \1e, a mirage \\ithout mbstance. Complete identification with the psychological stream does not allow one to experience any sen-e of clear identity, any real connection with one's own self One is deprived of basic peace and sanity. Ignorance is a state of deep and unconscious suffering.

Transcending Ignorance Fwry human hemg e·xpcrit·nct·s the st·n'lf• <1f Me, a scn'i' of rht• suhjt·n l><'hinrl thoughts and fc'.-Jmg5. In the· dream st.ttt·. the st·nsc of Mt· rs mually cornplt·rt·ly clispt•rsc·cl in tlw I" OJCCtrons of tlw subconscious rmnd. In tlw dn·,un, <Jilt' t·xpt·ricnn·s fears and joy, sufft-ring ,rnd plt•astll ,. hut 1 ardy 1 dcrs i11 a< lt·ar way to the sc·nse of ~k In daily t•xpcric·nn•s, the• scnst• of Mt· romcs and got·s. bt·twt·t·n pc·rrods of absorption rn thought prnccs"''· The sc·nsc of Me, which is rn reality tlw Soul herst•lf. prewnts itself as a natural funcuon of our consciousness. Dtll' 10 immaturity, Me is not apprt•ciatcd and undt·rMood by the rgnoram mind. Our identification with what is thought and felt docs not allow us to bring the light of our attention to Me itsdf llowcvcr, when the attcntron turns back toward the vt·ry subject, one automatically stt•ps back from the m111d to the <'Xpcrit·nre of Me. The lack of under standing of what, in 1 eality Me· is, brings us to tht· point of full iclentificatron with the subsl.itutc hllse idt•nuty, tht• t'K<>imagt•. The ability to create the ego-image· rs n·rtainlv a natural function of human conscimrsiH'"· But tht• mnmt·nt we idt·nufy this ego-image• with Me·, with "what I am," tlw next layt•r of ignoranct• is acftkcf. Tlw '<'11"' of Mt• is availotblt• to ;til normal human bt•ing,, but chw 1 " t·xn·ssivt· rdt·ntilicarion with tht· mind, wt• harcff) rq~iM<·r lis vt·ry prt·'><"nce. Bringing had<. rlw ;l[(t•nrion that is tll\pt·r w
f'nlil!htnH•ar111 &yorul

170

Trtulitimu

" the onh w,l\ to tr.1n-.ccnd tht• lx>ndag<' of the unC'on,CIOU'~ mt.·rh.lnlcJ.I tnind.

\\'hal 01re tht• <'"t'nUal qualities of thts .\le, which 15 th'e , ...1'\ pnmal ..,penence of m\'>t'lf? nw) .trt• ft·eling. Attention, !kin~ •md lmt'lhgence. We can expcnence them ~par.Jtt'h·, but ulumatel~ tht'\ arc one. .1nd need to be inte~atcd. fhe original feeling-Oaw>r of .\le come> from tht' Heart. The Attcmion quo~.lity. the e"encl' t>f 11' .1\,,trcne"· is born in the third eye center. The Bt·mg aspt•ct rcpn"ents the encrgt•tic prt•,ence of our \t'l'\ existence which has its root m the belly, lntelhgentc " thc laculr. of recognition, knowing and bccommg ""~tre. To tramcend the unconscious mind, ont' must dC\clop tht· Aut•ntion aspect of :.te that is nothing but tht' dtrect, hare "<'If-conscious recognition of oneSt"lf. \\'hen one pulls the anenlion from the place of being tmmt:f'>t'd 111 thml..mg bacl.. to oneself. one shift.s to the Slatt' of "l'lf-attenuon. This experienct' is instantJ.neous, dtrect and '"" the na,·or of the impersonal. In the prO<ess of culuv:.uion, of bringing onest"lf const.·mth to the \1,11(" of st•lf·all.-ntion, gradually 011<' ;~rrin.-s al the point of stabilllatiun in this state, whkh is tht· go.tl of all ekcrs• .\ttachmt·nt tu tht• Attention ;~spect of ~k however. can pre\t·nt ont• hnm :geuing in touch '"·ith tht.• deeper :\'Pf:.c ~ \_,f Ft:~ling. I" hi' •~ the pn.·vailing tt"ttdt·ru.~ in ltacltuons such "' K111ldhism. for t"x.unplt-. Ot•\t'lt>ping thC' c~ntt•r of .tUt·ntton j, not the goal but tht· me-ans to go d""P<"< til to nm·scll. On... is 1101 able truh· to frd thC' Ht....drt \o\ithotn the ~•wakened awarenes...~. Th~ r~sdf:SS mind Mmph· dnt>~ not gin: us any chance to IX' present,

and H

l\ only

through tht- Presence- that our intt!lligencr

can entC'r tht· Heart.

Human cunSt:iousness is an evolution of Me. The

The Awakening of the I Am Thert· are three ba~ic aspects of I Am-Attention, Feeling and Being. The I Am we refer to 1s not the state of Presence but the wholeness of Me, the complete and awakened Me. We will not speak here about the aspect of Intelligence that represents the more dynamic essence of Me. Our interest is to describe the very foundation of Me, the I Am. The attention is generated in the mind; the feeling has its root in the Heart; and the being aspect represents our relationship to that on which e"erything rests, the Absolute. All human beings experience more or less the Feeling aspect of I Am as the most natural quality. We are not referring here to the experience of emotions, but to the direct and intimate feeling of oneself, such as in sadness or loneliness. These feelings do not always refer to the pure experience of I Am, for they are most often tainted by the play of ego-images and various circumstances. However, they do refer to the sense of Me and are recognized as such. Because the feeling of Me is born in the Heart, it is only in the Heart that it can be experienced fully and directly. . The reason that most people are not aware of Me in IL
174

.-ncrgy of aw-.trt"ne'-< can be directed to the ~ry subjea, to tlw root of Me, to within. That which transcends !he mind i< the aspect of I Am called Attention. Attention is the preocnt and consciou~ quality of our mind. It is that which i< attentive to thoughts, feelings and
ar•· namt-. goven to the Attention a<prct of the I Ant. C:onunumg the pr.tctice, one learns to rerain the stale of PrO<:"nu' in meditation as well a• in activity. The 8<-mg asprct of I Am can be exprrienced only in the vertic:.! reality of the Now. We opeak about dial which :.110\n tu to be motionleM and at.ill within die movement of time and the elemen.._ Attention, wbell

7'111 ,\wnJvrung t>flh' I Am

17!1

,lUt·nuu· In llM·II, 111\I,UJI.tnrtnnly llrpt •ml ol rhr 11 uund 111 tn llu· clauu~nsion uf tlw Nuw. Thl\ .Uit·nruu1 in Jt,df•' ctlkd .. Prc·'-t'IH c· " l"IH· l'rc·"·ncr ttlu hun II\ 1nto tilt• Now tUld ).::tvc·s us ronls whac h rc·•u h l)w llnu·lr,.,. , 1

1ht· atl ol .vt·mcnt of tinw 1s what wt• call "!king." hen wlwn aut·nLJOn ()(•comt·s aware of IL'idf only for •• spit! st·cond, tht• quality of lkmg " prt'~nl Ill um ,hon moment. In mt·ditation or rt'st, wht·n the Prcscncl' naturallv drops 11110 itst·lf and ()(•comes absorbt:rl, UH' 8cmg qu<~li t:y got·s dt•cpcr, and one rests more and more within the Now. In meditation, when tlw state of Presence is cl<.>arly expt·riencNI, o ne relaxes and lets the energy drop toward the bt•lly. The Being aspect 1s experienced in "non-<.loing" or "just sitting," wlwn one \Imp!)· reMs in the whole expenence. The e1o.sen~e of spiritual discipline is the cultivauon of the Ancntio n aspect ofl Am until it is integrated in itself, g1ving nse 10 the state of Presence_ Next •• the proces.\ of maturation and adjustment, in which Presence becomes more and more integrated wiutin our Being. This is the process of transmutation of energy and growth of intelligence and sensitivity. This leads tlt<" 'o('Cker t<> tlte final stabilization in the state of Presence. Stabiht.ation means that the state is constant; iiS ettergeuc and <self
tht" natural ener eti(: resenc~·awarrn~ of thC' state.

---.·.,.,.,~-------~.._,....,.,.._,..

·~"

,,..,....,

J1u"rr.' h a ~unultanr.uu~ rlr.rnrnt l'l lwcorrung cunvaous of thr •bte \nd there '"an ll' ••f< ulm-.um)! th<· u nf ,\tiMlllon .tnd 1\c-mg. Wr <•Ill '·'' th.u .tm n.pc'll<'ll"' i•" mixture of f,·,·lm)! ..tW.U<'II<'" .md imdh!(t'tl< <'. ,\ltt·t . m.tkc·mng In thr fullnt'" <'I I ,\m, .til tht''<' ts .ur tnlt'gr.ut·cl .mel b.tl.ua c·tl. .\l!ht>ll!th Ft·c·lnt)! '' ·'"'·''' ptt·,c·nt. ,... rXJ><"rtrnn· 11 onh mmnn.tlh wht•n ltxu,in!t nn lhr ,\uenuon or lkm,.: .t,pc:d t''< (u,iwh (.L, in Z.·n. lnr c•x.unple). We can ttxu' mort• c>ll tht• lkmR .L,pt"< 1. 'iumg oftc·n in ah><>rptinn, wllll Attt•nttt>ll "'Jll'tl, "hich Cl')'talltl<"' tlw •nil .md prt'\t'lll> tl\ from l~t·mg .thle In ''mph kt gn .md tl'l.tx. On the ntht•t h.ual, 11 " P""thlt· to rulttv.uc• tlw Fc•elin!( .tspnt .tltmt•, wllhnnl dnt'IOJllll!( tlw' ,\tlt'llllllll and lkill).: qn.tlitit'\, rht' ''· in l.tt t. tht· llln'l pnpul.u focu' in most 'Jlirittl.ll p.llh' th;~t Inn•' '"' thc· '''llt'IICnre ul lt>H' .uttl dnntttnt

a,,,..,

·"I''''

\\1 u-n llu.· mu un'4.:ic.nt' tnintl j, u ..\ll'lt'tUit·d .uul the.•

Prt':S<'IIh' aw,tl..<·n•·d, nil<' c.ut RO d<'<'J><'I tntc> the Fc·•·ling ~ct of the I k""· \\'hl'n Attc·nunn ha.' nmtmlul\ one not onlv C.·,· I• the lll'.U t but "actu;~ll\· pu·,..·nt \\itlun thr Hr-.u-t 1o be p!<">rnt "ithin the lk:ut i• tn l<':tCh the o.<•ncr of Mr I 'h.- I Am. though 11 <"min"'"' our "hoi<' bemg. h:t• ll• nx>t. m th<' ll<·.ut, and 11 ,. th<" Urart that IS thr C< ntrr of til<' I Am n .... Ulllll of clr.u Awarrnc... lkmg and H.-an ,. what thr
1~()

and en~..-r of all This booI. h.L< ~n M-ol,~ng ..round that wuc:-s. and now "'" w'JI tn to put thc pt«cs tog<"thcr Wc ...UI look at thc~ matte~ from the ,,....., pomt of \Olll0\15 potcnual pnfaU< th;u m;n prnent the ~d.cr from oomplrteh tnl
I. A SUMMARY OF THE CHARACrERISTICS OF THE INNER STATES

The State of Presence l11e reali1ation and stabilization in tJ1e State of Prt•st•nn~. the I Am, is the major attainment for everv tme '<'eker. This attainment is not easy, and usually requires some years of cultivation and the presenct• of a Rt•.tliJt•d master. How rlo we know that we havt> au,unt·d thts goal' It is quite simple. When the I Am is awakt·Jwd and st.abihJt•d, tlH"rc h. a recognition of its conManr

prt·sc.·nn""

at the ba< kground of our person 011iry, no m.l!l<'r wl~o~r we do. Huwc.·\·c.·r, wc.· may doubt that wt• lM\'C." ..utaint"d thi~ \talC" if Wt" n.unpar~ it with the..· dt·sniplinn~ gi\Tn

\mjirfllllm of t11111i"mn't

181

h\ tlw JMSt spirilltal traditions. Why i• thi•? lkcawe tlwY ,rrg!(t·st th.ll !his state ha.s tlw quali1y of a •table .rrrd 1111< hanging t·xpt•rit'nce. As we know, the a\".tilable lt·:telungs dn nnl differentiate be!Wt'C'n lh<' 1 Am and

tht· ,\b'-01111<' Sial<'. The Slate of Pr<'scnce, by il5 nature, flucwatt·s. lhnugh it is constantly prt,st•nt, it i• no! ab,olutt'l) motionless within ito;elf. hs flavor and taste ciMngt• cl<"pt•mling on the situation and the well being of out psydrt•. It is constantly conscious but affected by tht• quality of our energy and our ft•clings. To n·ad1 the I Am and to Stabilize in it is a very high anainmem on the spiritual path. But we may doubt that it is 1he "real" state when we notice that it is not absolutely free from the movement of energy. The very fact that there are different stages of absorption or samadhi shows us that there is change and movement within the state. This is the nature of the I Am consciousness. We must understand this clearly and accept it fully. Reaching this state is a sign of a highly evolved consciousness. Finally we have a refuge within our own Self from the tyranny of the mind, and we can res1 in our own center. The Absolute State Because of its unchanging qualities, i1 is fairly easy to verify the au.ainment of the Absolute State with one's O\\n intelligence. However, complete stability and the constant recognition of the Absolute takes place only after the integration process. After stabilization, one:- is dirt-nly hnkcd wi1h the state and can rest in it whenever ont• <1..-sirrs, bu1 still there is a difference of feeling betwt·t-n rt•Siing in the Absolute and not resting. Before linal inh•gr.uion wilh 1hc Absohue, one may sull c Pre nee thai

1infimtum of .~u,lnmn~t UlflCI si.Ht• 1\ ol

foundatinn upun whadl Mt'

18:!1 ft'!LU

H<>M'\l'J, the prc-.encc ol_!'.le is \;th
• f:nhghtrnmt·nt ha. nothing to do w11h desirdc.ness. TI1c u1ner ...talc certainly ha~t no dc,irc:\, but the Soul

who cxpt·rit·nce..-.. it. tn order to t:XiM, mu't ..de'!lire.'" from lht· per,pecuve of the imwr 'tate,"'' irn·levant wht·thcr \le desrres or not-the inner''''"' simply u prncnt. flw idea that 111 orcll'r tn reach Selfrealitation nne has to eliminate desires," very harmful and pulls set"kcrs more deeply into ignoranre. This is callt-cl spiritual ignorance. • Enliglllt'nmcnt does not take away tilt' l'Xp<·rience or suffering, particularly as the Buddlmt.s imagine Sufft•ring pertains to ~le. and because ~le does not magicalh di-appear after the awakening of the mner state, in the same wav, suffering continues 10 be a part of our reality. • Enlightenment docs not transform tlw pt·r-.onalil) automatically. It does not magicallv tr.msfoml O'le\ thinking, speech and action into pure positi,ity and compa,sion. The state of inner silence and stillness certainly has a sLrong impact on our personality. bm rt is not \ullicient to fully cleanse the ps)'che. It is P'"'iblt· !hal after Fnlightenmt"nl, ont·'s Me: may still bt· vc·rv Ullt·volvecl or even psychotic. The evolution of Me runs r-ar ,lllrl to the e\'olution tuwtud innt·r st.."ltt.''

·nu· u--an~furnMtion of the ~le is not a lint•ar outrorne of r.-a~hinK .my particular stale. The dt•t•pt·stJXmt·r of tr.rnsf
I lt:;tl't allows tht· prnct"s., of tran:or.fur nMIIUil .uut • purllk.uum uf Me• tu bt·gin TI1is takc:s rn.un H~U:o.. 1-nhghtt·nnu-nt to the: mnt•r .. ralt· rs nut rtc'n'"-""'-'"h' rluenly connt·ctc.·cl with the ope-ning uf tlu· Hc·atl h

\ 'mJrroll"" of .1ttmnmnu

1115

lhmi-.JUJ.(. II~ ''C"IY ptC'M"'IIf c· ll.tn'c c·ncl~ tlw umul 1hr .utc·mpl In c·omplrtt'l)' dtman,uc• clunkmK 1\ an .th~ofutc~ nu\l.tkf' and ·'K·linM rl.IHII c-11 ''nut tl•lfr.r«-nl

tuun c UIIIUJ.t nff unt•\ h.uuh .mel lq(!lo, I hmkutg

1.,

nf th~ muh•dinu.·ruintMI whult·nc·~~ uf \1r.. IIH'll"l
h> 1lw 'kt·p ''·II<' M.tny 'I'd,,.,. IIIHI'"''U<mingly .1dup1 lht• hdod on tht• IH'rt''-'ily ol lwroming .tw;tn· ul lht• """'' "·II<' in lht• Slt•o•p Si.llt· II i• lint• for the 1>hko ma'l<'l s who haw cumplt'lt·cl Iheir pt•rsonal gn>wlh In tht• C to the Absolutt· it'l"lf. For those who ha\t- shifted to the Absolute Slat<•, there is no longt•r will operating as far as "bt•ing within" is <"Oll<"t'rtlt'd If we look more deeplv mto thos idea of lwing .II> arc 111 sleep or controlling the Dream State, wha1 we find is lt-ar. Many even ft•;tr thai they will not be awan· in th" momem of de:uh. It is madness.

Can Enlighlenment be Lost? .\.\ ,,,. know, 1lw basic purpt>St' of our pr.lCiict' is IO 'tabihlt- in the.· 1nner state, whetht>r it is tJtt· Pn·st•ncc ur lh<' AIN>Itllt'. Wht'n one os slabililt'd, lht· nt't'd fnr pr~u un.• I\ o\·t·r. for the ~tate i~ pt•rman~nllr and

uncunditnm.dly prc.·\Cnt. However. our rd.uu.mslup \\lth tht• ,t.\tt" ~th~av' ha~ a dynamic quality. \\'ht•n the' innt"r 'tatt· " au~unt•d it is not }'t'l all o\·t•r. \\'t~ nna:-~t ..t~k. who 1\ Fnh).thtt."IU;d? \\'ho is ~xpt"rit·ncing the• uuwr '\tat<".? nu· 11\IWr Matt• ~~ nnt iolll tht'rt" i\ to Me·. M(" t"XI!'il5 tv b~· htltillt·tl in th own dimt"nNion, otnd not t"Xdn!livdy

The Last Word . . . . . From tht• \\'tllnh of ( .t t•.uinn, t\\n '>ouh '"'rc born tc> tlw ,mctent JOllrtl<'\ nl unw. ~.ulwnng. pit'«' b) Jlll'< c. the nnh Dl\111<' mirrnt that n>uld 1t'lkct tlwir '<'net fMn,

Ill'''''"·

their Tht'\ ,,1w in thts mirror tht· WJ1 'Jllltl, tht· '''~') intelligt'lltt' that mapped thei1 n•n l"'"nt·v and dt'"!:llt'd tht•it pat tintlar suffl't ing and .lnngii1R; and tht• H ' " lkatt of Grace. In this st•t·iny;, tht'll pt111Hll dial pun!\, pnor to y;athering the dust oftimt• was rnt·akdthe\ wt·n · w.~sht·d clean from tlw parado\. ol Being .md Beconung, from the Here and tlw '\m, In tht• th\'int· purification of their t•xistt'tKe m time. all was di"o.ln·d hack into the timelt·" ether. t·xn·pt one .Jt·wel: tht·ir first and ultimatt' met•ting with the Bnond. Thl\ supreme encountet remains t'tt•rnallv in the molt•cult·s of Universal Consciousm·s.s, for nnlv through the powe1 of this encounter collie! tht·v rt·tun.l again to the nrigmal womb. It ,,·a.s 111 this womb that the Rt•\'dation of the Suptt·nw l'ndt•rstancling reached their llt·art-frc>m this \'IT\' womh the\' w<.>n· touched hv tlw fan•lt·s.s hands that lr<;nsmitted t;, them. on<.> hv t~ne, tht• t•xistt·ntial ptt'ct·s of tlwit I>ivint• mirror. 1i was ht•rt· that tlu·ir journcv 111 tlw timedimension surn•tult'r<'d itsdf to tht'ir c~ohnion in timelessness. Hnt•, tlwir will t•xhaustt•d itself, giving birth to the tr.mspan·m·y. tht•ir inht•rcnl purity. In that transparent purity, that whkh lll't'ded lo be

The put t.raditJons pe-rtr.ivr-d Oft!) ooe dimension or gro\olt'lh: the c:xpa.mion into the Inne.r State-. Rttuming to the state of the original -..bite light~ w bem .IM highest ideal, resulting in the neption of o<Mr climensions of growth. Sine<: the return to the Original ~tale is !he purpose of growth in !Mir >islon, mtunll)· there is no place for the p&titive f:'\-olutioo into tbe all~inclusive wbolenen of ~. Howel-·er, th~ awakening to .\le, \11.-h.ich is the Soul. is oUT primal task. The Rainbow that is an expression of the same original white light can be manifested only "'-hen the Inner is completed :and lr.lnScended in a total acknowledgment and appreciation or the \·ery pr~e or ~le. -From l'llTOdudibn

EnlighLenmenL to •·~~," which is the

flowering of the Soul or individual evolution, reaches through its~lf~ its ultimate expansion. It m«gt"S into the apperception of that ""·hich is beyond its ultimate front.ien. tht Cni,·ersa.l I A.\1. Here, the indh;duat ~le l..r1ln5Unds it.se:lf into the Supreme Dimetuion beyond Unity and Separation. -From 1M !tfDp

of A....,..

A:L.u bu fnllowrd th" J,ath or \t-U· realization I('('Orclin~ 10 lhf' Buddhit:t 11 Wf'll •• lhe llindu Tradition~. pratticink for many ~·ears in Korea, Japan. ThaHand and India . Jlt> complt-ted hi• spiritual journey fully, reaching the traditional Enlit;:htenment. However, it wa_t the miraculous meeting with his Soul-brotbero Houman, that Opt"Ol"d the gate or Grace, through wh.ich the

Beyond c.-nccred into their lives, transfonning them completely. The spiril of Guidance has taken them into the dime.uion or Understanding, beyond the totality of human knowledge. Their Souls, longing for true clarity and freedom of int