Learning and Enlightenment... Who are we?

Learning and Enlightenment

And, more learning.

Learning and Enlightenment Game #1:

We’ve already done this, in a way: what is the difference in being present and not being present.

Let’s take a very common variation of that.

1. Feel overwhelmed. Have your mind full of the auditory hallucination / thoughts, that there is “too much to do.” Exult in the feeling that you are going to have to rush to get even part of this done.
2. Slow down. Don’t worry about the future. Take a deep breath. Stand up and let your breath get deeper and your arms raise over your head. Smile. Feel your feet on the ground. Go outside. Feel the you-ness of you, alive, right now.

How is that?

Learn the difference between hurried and slowing down.

EXULT in the difference:

Who and how you are just now, outdoors, slow and aware.

Who and how you are as “thinking”/ auditory hallucination/ the “overwhelm” game. 

This is huge. This is a life lived from soul and a life lived from our programming.

THIS IS A LIFE LIVED FROM SOUL VS. A LIFE LIVED FROM OUR ROBOT.

Go slowly often, at least once an hour. See what happens to your life.

One way to look at enlightenment is to be in a state of connection with What Is. 

WHAT IS changes.

Life is impermanent.

The Now keeps shifting.

We breathe in. We breathe out.

We are born.

We die.

We go to sleep at night.

We wake up each day.

Miracle.

Miracle.

Miracle.

Miracle.

Each moment is different.

We can be seeing different, hearing different, feeling the sensations of our body in a new position, moment to moment.

As we go about our days, and try to get things done, we are in motion, and our bodies are always in a position that loves to be held in awareness.

We always have awareness.

An experiment worth trying is to play the learning game with awareness.

Learning and Enlightenment Game #2:

1. Look out a window and find something that you enjoy to look at. Go “into” the looking and the enjoying. First, pay attention to the object you are seeing as primary.
2. Now, make this shift: feel the awareness, the awareness that is aware of that object you enjoy.

Notice the difference.

C. LEARNING IS NOTICING THE DIFFERENCE> Go back and forth: you are what you see. “Something” is this awareness that is seeing. You are what you hear. “Something” is this awareness that is seeing. You are what your feet feel against the ground. “Something” is this awareness of your amazing body in gravity.

This seems “odd.”

Good.

We have spent our lives NOT realizing that what we are, in a certain way, awareness. You are glued to the outside show.

And yet, all along, at six months old and one hundred and six, awareness is aware. 

Who are we really?

Could be that we are this awareness.

Not, “have” this awareness. 

“Are” this awareness. 

And… as before, don’t believe me. Don’t “listen” to me.

Try it out.

Anything you are aware of: alternate between the object of your awareness and the awareness itself.

Notice that there may be no one who is “having” this awareness. We’ll get to that later.

For now, simply feel yourself as awareness. Try this out, as it were.

Learn. Learn the difference: I am what I see. Vs. I am this awareness that is seeing.

I am what I hear. Vs. I am this awareness that is hearing.

Play with this.

Remember children and how everything is play.

Play with feeling this shift in awareness of what you are, as awareness.

Who am I?

The central question in life
and one best faced before that last month before we
die

is.

who am, I?

what is this being alive thing?

Here's a quote I found on facebook,

A rabbi in Jerusalem was once giving a talk about relationships. 

He said, 

"When you're looking at the person you're with, 

the question shouldn't be, 

'Is this the person I could spend the rest of my life with?' 

Rather, the question should be, 

'Am I the person, 

when I'm with this person, 

that I could be with for the rest of my life?"

And, 

why does it have to be the rest of your life?

How about a half a year at a time?

Plants don't live forever and we don't think a California poppy is a failure

what of six months at a time,

to see what can blossom into beauty in that time

then again,
who am I?

who is the me
that I want to be

to live with me

and to love as many people
as possible
for the rest of my life?


ah, that might be worth asking,
sure
yes

why not?

The Love Game, The Wake Up Game, Are they the Same

The love game
The wake up game
ARE THEY THE SAME?

You know, around here, if you've read enough of my blogs, that this is a rhetorical question.

And it's a rhetorical question worth examining for awhile.

Because love is big.
It has kisses.
It has affection.
It has caring for.
It has all sorts of old wounds and junk coming up.
It has chanced to grow up.
It has touch.
It has sex.
It has all sorts of chances to heal old wounds and old junk coming up.

(This isn't a poem.
This is an essay being written out more or less line by line to make the possibilities more obvious, to make the richness more clear.
Maybe it makes it easy to understand.
I hope so.)

Love is very much this strange feeling of connection and caring and being willing to DO for the other person. Let's leave aside all the hooey about co-dependence and simply hone in on the kind of love like a parent has for their child.

They want what's best for the child.
If the child is normal, sometimes they drive the parent a little or a lot crazy.
If the parent is good enough, they get riled by that, and then let it go.
They over all are putting their energy into wanting what's best for the child.

Unless this relationship gets stuck
as often happens with teenagers
in power struggles.

Power struggles.
Who gets to say who does what when?
Ugh.

And let's expand that out to a couple.

We love our mate.
They drive us a little or a lot crazy sometimes.
We get riled, or maybe not, and then we go back to wanting what's best for them.
We, really, when love is what it should be, a force for unity and expansion, want what's best for the WE, the US, that is being created.

This is cool.
This is exhausting.
This goes against the me me me grain of either,
the ego
our capitalist society
our insecurities.

And so what?

Love is being uncomfortable for the sake of another.
Not as a masochist.
Not as a doormat.
But as someone who is willing to hang in there with the mess of life.
We are not the same person.
We feel unity
Sometimes.
We want to be closer and more loving
Sometimes

and that is going to require backing off from the
two traps of ruined or struggling relationships;

The "I am right, you are wrong" trap
and
the Do it My Way, and Do it when I say so.

Control.
Righteousness.

Ah, what a fine mess we can get into with another person.

And here's were the rhetorical question's answer comes to our rescue.

If love is a wake up game,
we can wake up to our wish to be right,
we can wake up to our agitation in the present,
we can wake up to our wish to run the show to make the agitation for away,
or
we can wake up to our wish to run away to avoid the agitation
and
we can wake up to our wish to blaming the other person for our buttons having been pushed
and
we can wake up to our love, in the moment, when we feel and see and hear the other person without our story

ah:
back to Byron Katie land, in a way:

Who we really are
is who we are in the present without our story blocking the way

And,
it is only our real self that can love

that is why it feels so good.
We are being what we are meant to be.

This is good.
We are good.
The other is good.

We push each other's buttons.
We stay present.

Life is good.
Love's problems are stepping stones to a quick route to enlightenment.

Really?
It could be.
It just might be.

Try it and see.

Only your experience of your present moment by moment can guide you to what is real.
With good fortune, you'll have love's messes as the motivating elixir to speed you back into this present moment.


And when we aren't there: we suffer.

Again, don't take my word for it.
Discover, feel, sense this on your own.

Good.

The Blind Deficit Disorder World, Seeing in a Blind World

From the Wayseers,
by Garret John LoPorto

"A Vital Breakthrough for Free-Spirits, Visionaries, Misfits, Rebels and Pioneers"


Seeing in a Blind World

Imagine a world where just about everyone is born blind and you are one of the only ones who can see. Because blindness is pervasive, human culture in this imaginary world has developed a blindness for blindness. People would not even realize they were missing a key sense.

As a child growing up with working vision in this world you would have some peculiar experiences. When you opened your eyes, you would notice everyone else’s were closed. When you described your ability to “see” you would be placated, ignored and told you had an overactive imagination. Eventually, at quite a young age, you would probably become uncomfortable with keeping your eyes open – because your vision would prompt you to say and do things that disturbed and upset your parents and teachers and peers – so you would learn to close your eyes like everyone else just to feel more in harmony with your community.

Your well-meaning, but blind parents and teachers, would insist on teaching you critical life skills for the blind. The academic disciplines of groping, stick tapping and pace counting would be beaten into you “for your own good”. You would try to do things like open your eyes and walk to where you wanted to go, and at first a parent or teacher might have thought you were a very advanced pace counter; but when they discovered that you didn’t know how many paces you’d traveled, you would be reprimanded for being careless, impulsive and foolish. “Just walking freely” without the use of proper blind navigation strategies such as stick tapping or pace counting would be seen as reckless, irresponsible and dangerous to yourself and others.

You found all of these blind navigation strategies very hard to focus on with your eyes open, because they were so unnecessary with working vision. Your teachers may have complained to your parents that there was something very wrong with you; because you were such a sloppy stick tapper and a forgetful, inattentive counter. You simply wouldn’t focus on your blind navigation studies. Maybe they thought you had ADHD or BNDD (Blind Navigation Deficit Disorder).

At this point your approach to living as a seer in a blind world may have taken one of a couple different directions. The first would have been to acquiesce and become sympathetically blind in some way. You would find that you could tolerate and focus on your blind navigation studies much better with your eyes closed. Plus, you would fit in better and wouldn’t seem so strange to others. There would be no glorious vision to distract you from the pace counting and the stick tapping, which seemed so silly and useless before. Now, it becomes surprisingly essential with your eyes closed. If you had trouble keeping your eyes closed, a family doctor might prescribe you a Blind Navigation Deficit Disorder medication that would chemically blind you for hours at a time, making the discipline to keep your eyes closed and stay focused much easier.

The second course your life could take would be that of a misfit and a rebel. You would say “to hell” with this blind navigation B.S. – you could get where you wanted to go without learning all these “stupid” academics. Maybe instead of dropping out, you still went to class, but you would coast. You would pretend to do the blind navigation, but whenever you got lost you would just open your eyes. You’d lose points for not doing your homework and not “showing your work,” but you could do surprisingly well on tests when you weren’t accused of cheating.

Then as you came of age you might begin to overcome your shame of seeing. You might start to embrace it instead of hiding it. You might muster the inner liberty to throw down your tapping stick and do horrifyingly risky things like running through a forest. You might use your vision to make “impossible” discoveries as far as blind people are concerned. You might solve cases in unexpected ways because you can see things others can’t. You might invent things, change ways of doing things, lead.

You would be heralded as a modern day miracle worker, for

doing what came naturally to you, just because you could see.

“The superior man is the providence of the inferior. He is eyes for the blind, strength for the weak, and a shield for the defenseless. He stands erect by bending above the fallen. He rises by lifting others.”

~ Robert Green Ingersoll

http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/3186387/350371029/name/The-Wayseers-1st-chapter-v0-3-7-8.pdf

Day 26< Left/ left and left right/ and an Adyashanti game

This is a nice "warm up for the day" and
"take a break and get less creaky"
game

Stand
Put your weight on one foot or the other,
let's say the left

Now, with your weight there,
reach toward the ground,
bending legs all you want,
with your left hand,

and keeping your weight on the left side,
reach for the sky,

now,
still weight left,
reach down with the right hand
and up with the right hand

then switch,
weight right
and one time down and up left hand
one time down and up right hand

various rotating and breathing patterns
can be played with

and what of the mindfulness game of the day?

try combos of left leg/ left arm
left leg/ right arm
right leg/ left arm
right leg / right arm

as you are doing various things today

and
oh, yeah,
from Adyashanti's talk last night
(play at Adyashanti.org, if you'd like):
Stop thinking for 5 seconds
and see what you lose
and what remains as the real you.

Fun.

Just Remember Yourself, "Just"

 the self

the paint

the world

it could all be exploration

discovery

communication

love

creation

food

?

?

?

the word "just" gets put to use
too slight for what follows,
at times,
maybe even often

today:
"just" remember yourself

that's it.
you can use all or some of the mindfulness
elements
you've been served up
over the last eleven days

or not

"just" remember yourself

how can you tell when you are doing it?
what is "yourself?"

hint: if you are describing your experience
you are remembering your describer,
go deeper,
go now-er:

"just remember yourself."

Good.

Love is Easy, except it often feels like "losing"

You are having this argument
"thing,"
you and your sweetie are,

and it's the damndest thing:
they think they are right and you are wrong,
and you think you are right and they are wrong

Sometimes, one of you will cave in,
or be argued under,
or start to cry,
and then maybe the battle will cease,

but
who was the one in you that wanted to be Right?

This is an enlightenment question.

Really.
What part of you was so sure that you had been "wronged,"
or that the other person was "wrong,"
or that you were the Victim,
or that whatever went down SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED

 Which is to say,
what part of you wants to be the one
that says how
reality should be?

Which is to say,
who runs this show, anyway?

......
You may be following me.

You may not.

Don't worry.
Think back to a time when you were SURE the other person
was wrong.

Find the part of you that is so sure.

Where does this part live?

What is it made up of?

What does it live for?

What is it all about?

And then think about/ and remember the miracle:
you are alive.

Now.

And experience that,
without any part to describe it,
or catalog it,
or talk about it,
or explain it.

Just experience your aliveness
in this moment.

That's you.

And see,
honestly,
does that you,
want to be right?

This isn't theory.
This is practice.

Love is enlightenment when the tests
come up.
When the hurdles arise.

Leap over.,

See who is leaping,
and what you are like,
when free that way.

And it's not a long way off.


It is, of course, right here now.

Good.

Remembering

this moment
is our life

we can remember that
and be flooded
with grace
gratitude

and the abilities
to move
in new
and interesting ways

not just "move" move
but emotional
and business
and thinking
and "even"
spiritual

when present
the chances are there
chances to be try experience
something new

and we are awake enough
to take them

so,
sounds like a cool
thing
remembering
ourselves
in
the moment

in
the moment

in
the
moment


each one was different
wasn't it

and these words,
not real,
shapes that create white shapes that
the eye
and
brain
put together

they point
somewhere

back at you?

the real you
behind the words???


i (whoever that is)
hope
so



ciao
for
NOW

you in the Chris form tonight, for a few moments

prayer to enlightened and ecological abundance

life has many ways
to delight us
and allow
help
goad
encourage us
to be
"Who we really are"

that magnificent Self
inside all the conditioning

One way out of the little
self
is love

and that's a big story
and path of being present
to the other person
or yourself
without the
"Story"/ thought/ judgment
that always brings unhappiness

A second way out
is prayer:
some sort of chat,
talk,
plea
demand,
thanks,
song,
dance
to the Divine, Spirit,
God, whatever

down below is a little prayer of
affirmation for the goodness of life,
a modification of something from the Abundance
Book by John Reynolds Price


and then,
but now now,
nor ever really on the computer,
except to point toward it
and hint you
go down to the river,
or out to the garden,
or under the stars
and find "it" yourself,
the third and great "escape"
back into "who we really are"
is to be
in silence
emptiness
stillness

the empty taking to, listening to,
basking in the vast Void/ Immensity
of "it all," The Universe,
God, call it what you will,
but it has no name,
right,
it's the word less ......
underneath
around
behind
....
"it all"

Anyway,
here's the little lover prayer to the possibility
of how wonderful we are and how wonderful life is:

My inner supply
instantly and constantly
takes on experience, form
& mysterious delight

according to my deep and real needs
and desires

And,
as the Principle of Supply in action,
life is sending my way constantly
and easily
fulfillment, delight, bliss &
opportunities of love, awaken &
serve

This service is of ease, delight and learning
for me
and those around me
in each and every
delightful and awakened
moment

Good
Happy prayer,
and some say always pray
and always start your prayer with thanks
(Paul, Ephysians 4)

Chapter 90: Facing/ enjoying criticism, and Who is the Real "me" anyhow

Moshe Feldenkrais, in his book
Awareness through Movement,
comes across very strongly in his view of
most of humanity stuck behind their "masks,"
the social construct foisted on them by their social conditioning.

He points out that aware movement, and especially the awareness we
can foster in aware movement,
is the quickest way to begin to connect with somethng
real about ourselves, and make changes that take us behind
our habits and our conditioning.

This is chapter 90 of the book whose name is still in flux:
Write yourself a Love Letter
108 ways to new our way to Now
108
4 Brain Mindfulness
4 Brain Fitness

This chapter itself,
could be in the moving, the thinking, the emotional or the soul section,
but it has some useful hints in finding and loving ourselves, I think.

Loving the all of you.

Make a list of five or ten things that someone thinks are “wrong” with you. This can be a Difficult Person in your life right these a days, or any old dastardly person who has given you a hard time at some time in your life.

Write down the five to ten things, the so-called criticisms.

Breathe.

Smile.

Stand on one foot with one hand behind your head as in the prior game/ activity/ meditation and circle the elbow in the air in such a way that your back, ribs, pelvis, feet, and “whole self” are participating in this circling. Notice both arms and both legs and spine and breathing while you do this.

Make it slower, reverse direction, come into the present, meditate with this motion.

Sit back down. Move your head to the right as you move your eyes to the left, and then, and as always, slow, slower, slowly, move your head to the left as you move your eyes to the right.

Then rest, and notice the non-verbal you.

Now, back to the world of words and concepts. Look at the “list.” Feel how these “criticisms” are at least partially true about the social you, and feel and sense that the “real you” may be closer to the one who can pay attention and standing on one foot and circle the elbow with awareness.

Feel and realize and understand that in some respect, each and every one of these “criticisms,” is at least in part true.

About part of you.

And maybe this “part of you” is not the “real you.”

But nevertheless the character who goes around using your name and behaving in your behaviors at least sometimes seems to act in the ways of the “list.”

You know: “selfish,” “mean,” “unkind,” “withdrawing,” whatever “they”/ someone has told you over the years..

Really, get this. Part of you does this not so wonderful stuff.

Oh, well.

Don’t feel bad. Just realize: hmm, the social not me “me” is not perfect.

See how far you can go with where this could be taken:

Can you feel the difference between the verbal you and the you underneath all the words?

Can you realize that the “list” has a lot of truth about the not you “you?”

Can you look out into the social constructed world and see that almost everyone else has the same “list” of imperfections?

Can you feel love for this so-called “imperfect” being that happens to the socially constructed “you” that might not be “you” at all?

End of chapter, this is around page 200 of the book.

The book is for sale,
as a pdf
over the Internet,
you purchase and I email it to you.


In case you want the book
without looking at the table of contents that
this link will get you to,
here's the pay pal
thing:

108 Paths to Awakening

4 Brain Transformation

Extra for Tuesday, chapter 76 from the book

Chapter 75 was thinking about the difference between

what is Reality, and what I want from Reality,
and can there be healthy, non-grasping "wanting."

Here's chapter 76:

Who am I?

If we aren’t the wanting, wanting, “having to have it” thing, if we “do” but aren’t that activity that seems obsessed with filling and getting, who are we?

If we aren’t some image that wants to be filled and fortified and propped up, who are we?

Without our story, who are we?

If we go very quiet, quieter than any words to explain or say it, and get some experience of “ourselves,” what is it that we are experiencing?

Who are we?


A good fine immense question: Who am I?

And can the answer ever be in words?