Hi All,
This lesson on freedom/liberation was shared recently with someone. It happens to be the last lesson in the Main Lessons, summarizing the AYP approach, and where it can lead. You might find it interesting.
The guru is in you.
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Addition 430.2 again, âmany are called but only a few are chosing to do itâ that seems to be trending lately. 
Very few people know me and my practices, most people wouldnât care anyway, I whish I could help them all but I feel they should show some will to be helped first. Am I wrong?
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Personally I wait until asked. I find Iâm repulsed by preachy people so I expect others are too. I donât avoid the subject but I tend not to start those conversations with others unless prompted. Itâs a delicate balance, too pushy and you just push them away.
I also feel itâs too early for me to be teaching anyone, as Iâve only been practicing 5 years, there is still much to find out.
I also believe that when it is time to help people spiritually, people will probably just show up with questions. I donât go looking for it, And like you, I donât expect anyone to care about my journey. I think itâs important to guard against the âwannabe guruâ energy, seems like a pitfall to me.
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In my view, each âmodule of God consciousnessâ anoints itself in timeless time. As such, no one needs to be ârescuedâ. Some wake up earlier, others indulge awhile.
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Liberation is simple.
It is the quiet simplicity of recognizing who we already are.
Liberation is not a destination we reach once and forever claim. It is something we live, moment by momentâalive, breathing, ever-unfolding. It changes as we change, and our practices exist only to return us to this remembrance again and again.
It is not found in spiritual fanfare, borrowed identities, sacred costumes, or perfected spiritual voices. Liberation lives in being fully and honestly yourselfâbecause the universe is experiencing itself through your body and mind, and it delights in doing so through you.
We may share practices with those who are ready to receive them, but often our simple presence is enough. To be truly present with another is already an act of liberation.
In the end, it all comes down to tending to our nervous system through practices - creating enough safety, softness, and steadiness for the divine to move freely through us and into the world.
Sunyata.
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PS: Below are the two AYP Plus additions to Lesson 430:
The rest of the AYP Plus lesson additions (twice the original lesson content) are available to subscribers. All are welcome there. Thank you!
The guru is in you.
Addition 430.1 - Ripeness and the Realization of Non-Duality in Daily Life (Audio)
Nov 20, 2014Much has been made of ânon-dualityâ as the reality of existence and the ultimate destination/realization of human evolution. So it has been said in the scriptures of Advaita-Vedanta, Jnana Yoga, and other philosophical systems.
But what is non-duality really?
We know from high school physics that underlying everything there is empty space, sporting endless interactions of vast invisible energies. The result is what we see as the universe, everything, right down to the words you are reading now. An Advaita purist might say that there is no universe, only the illusion of one, and no words you are reading now. According to him, there is only emptiness. But even he must climb out of bed in the morning and get dressed, and he is using words like the rest of us. And all of that may be claimed to be emptiness too.
As has been discussed in many of the lessons on self-inquiry (see Topic Index), this kind of thinking and teaching can be counterproductive if the aspirant has not cultivated a sufficient degree of abiding inner silence (witness), within which such thinking can dissolve and find fruition quite naturally, without disrupting our motivation in ordinary living. We call this becoming âripe,â and we designate self-inquiry (including non-duality assertions) to be ârelationalâ in that ripe situation, meaning, entertained (barely touched) and released in stillness. This is a form of samyama. So there you can see the relationship between deep meditation, samyama, self-inquiry and, ultimately, life in non-duality (unity) in daily living.
Once we have âgone outâ and experienced life from the point of view of the silent witness, and then âcome backâ via relational self-inquiry to find that we are not only no longer identified with the objects of perception, but also becoming one with them, what do we have then? What is life in unity like?
We can say for sure that it is not the bland emptiness, or nothingness, that is implied when the non-duality philosophies of the world are doled out with inflexibility and a lack of practical methods, which can lead aspirants into a nihilistic state of denial of the preciousness of life, or into rebellion against all things spiritual. It is certainly not that.
Rather, it is stillness in action and an endless outpouring of divine love. You see, living in unity simply cannot be a condition of everything being seen as nothing, for this is a dual view, where the subject is denying the reality of the object. In unity there is no object, only subject. But that does not mean we cannot interact in the world. On the contrary, we can do it better, in the never-ending paradox of divine flow.
What does the enlightened one see when looking at the world? It is an interesting question that has been asked from time to time. The answer depends on the enlightened person who is seeing. Like everyone else, enlightened people see the world in a way that corresponds with their personal inclinations. Otherwise, enlightened people would not have opinions or preferences, which we know they do. The difference is that enlightened people also can see what underlies everything, and they know themselves to be That. But this does not nullify the diversity of existence. It enriches it.
Imagine a beach. What do we see? Sand dunes rising up? The sea caressing the shore? Footprints? A sand castle? Or is it endless sand with no attributes whatsoever? The last would always be true if we were looking at the level of the sand only, and not noticing the many forms it inhabits. The question is, do enlightened people see only sand with no attributes, and none of the things that are made from it? Of course not. Like anyone, they can see the sand and all of its lovely expressions. How they see the expressions of the sand (or not see them) is a function of their nature, and their choice. Likewise, the enlightened can see the undifferentiated emptiness that inhabits all expressions of it in the world, and they can interact with those expressions according to individual tendencies and choices.
There is an idea out there that enlightened people all see the world the same way, as an infinite field of enlivened emptiness, or whatever, and that they float through life in a sort of endless mystical reverie. Surely it can be like that at times. Many who have been involved in AYP for a while have experienced that aspect to one degree or another. But there is also a choice in the seeing and, in that, enlightened people can be found doing all sorts of things according to their individual attributes and preferences. That is, after all, why it is called âfreedom.â That is, freedom to do as one is moved to do, effortlessly in harmony with the surroundings, without suffering, even when it is all going down the drain.
Down the drain? What drain? That is the difference. For the enlightened, there is eternal joy whether life is on the way up, on the way down, or anywhere in-between. It is all a wonderful play occurring as stillness in action. This is why the enlightened may often be found laughing for no apparent reason. It bubbles up out of nowhere, regardless of external circumstances. Practices bring us to this ongoing experience of joy and freedom, and to this understanding. We come to know by becoming that which is beyond all knowing. And there is peace.
The guru is in you.
Addition 430.2 - You Are The Light of the World (Audio)
May 15, 2020There is an infinite and eternal storehouse of peace, wisdom and creative energy within all of us. For those who have touched it, lived it, and found it to be the essence of their self, and of all selves, there is no doubt about this. The many scriptures of the world, and those who have âgone publicâ over the centuries, flowing visibly into the world as this living essence of love and power, stand as testament to the fact of what we are. It is the fact of what you are ⌠the eternal light of the world.
Why is it that so many of us do not see this or live this, the very essence of what we are? We all would like a life of peace, living in the power of love. It is what we all seek, consciously or unconsciously. All of our striving is for that. Yet so few fully find it. In most human endeavors there are only a few âchampions,â those who become the icons for the rest of us to admire, to emulate, and to envy. Why are there so few, first admired, and then sometimes reviled by the unfulfilled masses?
The only things that hold us back are our own inner obstructions (products of our past actions), and our own choice to do less than is necessary to reveal our true nature. With more than adequate tools available for dissolving our inner obstructions, we are left only with the choice to do it, or not to do it. Part of the fog of our inner obstructions is a kind of laziness, a matrix of distractions that continually pulls us toward the lesser things in life, seeking them as ends rather than means â money, sex, power over others, or just seeking comfort, riding in the wake of others. These are not bad things, if seen and utilized as means, as stepping stones to greater truth, rather than as ends. As ends, they lead to misery, for ourselves and others.
So then, what does it take to become a spiritual champion? Personally, I think everyone can become one. Certainly we are all spiritual champions in the making. That is why the AYP lessons have been written. Not for the few, but for the many. What remains is a choice, your choice. Doing the work, doing the practices, day in and day out, going on retreats, immersed in deep abiding inner silence, and all the rest, for as long as it takes. Then the process of human spiritual transformation will happen, and you will see what it is first hand.
We can come up with all kinds of excuses for not achieving all that we could achieve in this life. I certainly could have done more. We all do what we can. But is it enough? It is never going to be enough. So we keep on, until the doing is no longer a doing, and one day we realize that we are doing nothing while doing everything. Dissolved in the transcendent eternity of life, living and flowing in stillness, shining from within, becoming a bright light in the world. This is your destiny. You can claim it now, or you can claim it later. If you feel you are coming up short, donât blame it on anyone or anything other than your own choice and lack of commitment. Do not harbor blame, or regret. Just do more to advance along your path. All of our frustrations can be turned to good purpose.
Champions in every field of endeavor know this. We get out of life what we put in. The same is true in this grand spiritual adventure. If you really want your freedom, you have to be prepared to do what is necessary. It wonât happen in a day, or a week, or a year. It wonât happen due to someone elseâs effort. There is no free ride. It is you who will claim your destiny. No one else can do it for you. There will surely be helping hands along the way, but to expect them to deliver you is a mistake. It is that laziness that lurks in all of us. It is the tonic of spiritual mediocrity. There is so much more. Step up and claim it!
So if you find it soothing to hear me say, âYou are the Light of the World,â donât use it to be complacent. It is absolutely true, but you will not know it fully in your daily life unless you practice deep meditation daily, and go out into the world fully engaged. This is the formula for becoming a living expression of Light in the world. There is no amount of thinking about it that will make it happen. Only practice will steadily bring up the living Truth from within, until you continually experience yourself and all of life as That. Then life flows in joy, peace and progress, and injury and death will hold no sway. It is freedom.
It is not something we can own. It is something we can become, ultimately surrender to, and live in our ordinary daily life, effortlessly illuminating everyone and everything around us, simply by being. You are the light of the world.
So there is the challenge. It is up to you.
The guru is in you.
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A thought provoking and illuminating write.
The paradox of awakening is that ego must thin out, if not fall away altogether for non-dual awareness to be embodied in the body-mind complex. As such, we may well ask, who wakes up when there is no one here?
Desire is a controversial word. Where exists desire when in active cognition we are the Self in singularity, dwelling in ineffable peace, with full freedom no doubt but feeling no lack, resplendent in our luminosity? Yet actions are impulsed of course, arising from spontaneity. That brings us to the question of how does spontaneous impulse arise âŚ
Several years ago, I received a direct message, an instant knowing, suggesting that I should cease looking at outer form and instead attune to the spirit indwelling each entity. Sounds simple enough but if we are truthful, we perhaps must admit we have no such claim to fame ⌠yet.
Recognition of oneness is not quite the assimilation and embodiment of the realisation in an unbroken continuum. The flower blossoms in its own time, wherein an effortless, thought rested meditational orientation of vibrant emptiness is optimal in my view.