Hey Carson,
Is there anything that isn’t like that?
I’m just askin’ …
Hey Carson,
Is there anything that isn’t like that?
I’m just askin’ …
all forms are like that
Hey Carson & All,
Okay - “but seriously now” … or as serious as it’s ever useful to be …
The issue with any analyzing - with respect to so-called “spiritual” things/views, is that it tends to (create and) hold the “idea me” in place … the “idea me” who has something to understand.
That’s why (literally) … immediately after stating “Caitanyamatma” - Self is Awareness Unbound … the Shiva Sutras tell us “Jnanam Bandhah” - Knowledge is Bondage.
Yet … the highest state a yogi or yogini can attain, is that of a Jnani … a Knower … or more accurately … One Knowing.
So … what’s up with that?
Just This:
Knowledge is Bondage; Knowing is Liberation.
If there’s a sense of something to know, and something to know it about … especially if the “something” is “me” … it perpetuates the cycle of limited subject chasing limited knowledge about limited objects (even if the object is thought to be oneself, by the thought thought of as “me” or “I”).
Essentially, seeking to interpret dreams is simply the dream-self in collective awareness dreaming that there is understanding to be had about the dream-self in apparently individual awareness.
If there’s any actual value in dreams … it’s seeing that you dream of a “me”, experiencing objects, situations, “other people” … and yet, cycling into the so-called waking state, and “remembering your dream” … and understanding that the entire dream was generated by your own mind … everything, everyone … subject-perception-object … in your dream … was/is generated by mind-stuff … your mind-stuff.
And then going … “HMM …”
(“It occurs to me, that at this very moment … it seems that I am a me … experiencing objects, situations, other people … HMM …!”)
… And thereby noticing that this dynamic (me->perceiving->stuff) happens in just two states of consciousness … Dreaming and the Dreaming-Called-Waking.
Yet, in Deep Sleep … there is no content.
No me, no perceiving … no stuff.
And … in Turiya/Samadhi … there is no content.
And then … one fine moment, it clicks:
Ah! Form requires formlessness!
Formlessness comes first.
All form is appearing in, and to, formlessness.
Now - do appearances have relative reality?? Of course they do.
To sit around an say “None of this is real!” - When the boss is in a bad mood, and you have a headache and your butt itches … is just ego-mind trying its volleys from another angle.
And so, what of the relative realities of dreaming … either this one, or the ones at night?
Essentially: meaning only matters to the illusory self; forget it; keep flowing.
However, in the dream of being at the effect of causes … causing meaning can be useful, as long as ego-mind isn’t allowed to run with it.
Simply put: two ways of relating to dreams, have been shown to be useful to sadhana, in my awareness:
- Sophian Gnosticism teaches that all dreams are to be released upon waking with gratitude, and a positive interpretation. For instance, if one has a dream of having cancer, one might say, “Wow! I’m glad I had the cancer in a dream, and not in the waking-dream!” … And let it go.
- There’s also deity yoga, practiced by Tantric yogis and yoginis … which basically has two forms:
A. Creating the “deity mandala” … ultra-detailed imagination of self-as-deity … which tends to show up energetically, or in form, in dreams (complete with clothing and adornments, mantras, weapons, and so on) — effectively, it’s a way to concentrate the mind on a form that helps to transcend form … as opposed to a form which further enslaves to form.
B. Creating deep bhakti as you go to sleep … holding awareness of self as formless awareness … and/or holding deepest, authentic desire for enlightenment (one teaching literally uses the phrase “let the tears flow” — that level of authentic desire) – which, somehow … literally creates the space … the container … for enlightenment to fill.
Basically: if you’re going to use thought-as-dream … you might as well apply the energies toward highest awareness … it’s a better use of thought-form than dreaming we’re a separate self “at effect” of dreams or anything else.
In reality, there’s no cause and no effect … but since there sure seems to be … might as well use the hammer to chip our way to freedom … (if we can’t just set it down) … rather than to continue to bonk ourselves on the head with it … as we continue to wonder when and how the suffering might end.
Hope this helps!
And to paraphrase Aerosmith:
“Dream On … Dream On … Dream Until The Dream Is You …!!”
Intending Dream-Free Reality For All,
Kirtanman
PS- Did you know that thought-constructs (aka thinking) is created by the same parts of the mind as dreaming (when asleep)? There’s a fascinating book that contains the actual dialog from roundtable discussions between the Dalai Lama, neuroscientists, psychologists and philosophers … and they all agree on this point; so do I – it’s not that remarkable a thing to experience; pure awareness has no content; dream awareness has fluctuating/vacillating content – whether it’s called “a dream” or “thinking”, “waking” awareness is direct perception of a given moment, without conceptual overlay — we all experience all three of these, every moment … contained within this pure being we are, now.
The book, if anyone is interested, is called Sleeping, Dreaming & Dying by The Dalai Lama.
Also: http://www.mindandlife.org/conf92.html
Hey Carson,
Is there anything that isn’t like that?
I’m just askin’ …
all forms are like that
Exactly what my post (quoted above) is intended to highlight, as well! :slight_smile: