Namaste,
I hope the sun is shining warmly upon you today!
I had a great day yesterday. I chose the winner and runners up in our PPS Success Mastery “Dream Big” contest.
There were 20 contestants and I was really inspired to see all the beautiful “Big Dreams”. We will announce the winner soon at www.ppssuccess.com so keep an eye out for that so you can join us in celebrating these Big Dreamers!
Amidst my writing, evaluating Dream Big contestant’s offerings, email and the rest, I enjoyed my morning and evening tai-chi as well as doing a workout of lunging, squatting, reverse Swiss ball crunches and some horizontal cable twists.
My body is still quite tired and sore from my previous deadlifting session, so I was gentle with myself.
My buddy Rory Mullin arrives to visit me for a few days today, so I’m looking forward to catching up with him. We always have a great time together.
THE WISDOM – TEACHINGS OF Nisargadatta Maharaj
Today, I’d like to share a few passages from the book titled, THE WISDOM – TEACHINGS OF Nisargadatta Maharaj, by InnerDirections Publishing (p. 42-49).
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I have several of his books in my library and have read him quite extensively.
He is not an easy read for the conditioned mind because the nature of the conditioned mind is to believe its thoughts, and Nisargadatta Maharaj teaches you that the ego construct is a mirage, or as OHSO would say, a paper boat.
In my discussions with others that have read his teachings, they usually struggle to understand him, even though he is unshakably clear.
To be present with his teachings is, for most people, like being at the beginning of a fire-walk; they know it can be done because they see others doing it, yet the thought of not having a head that is constantly thinking, of losing ego-identity, scares them as much as the 2600 degree coals ready to meet the soles of their feet!
The wisdom-philosophy of Nisargadatta Maharaj is not do distant from the approach taken by some zen masters, and also shares some kinship with the teachings of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu.
Nisargadatta Maharaj’s teachings could be summarized succinctly as a path of reduction; getting behind the ego-mind’s illusions to unite with your True Self, The One.
Nisargadatta Maharaj Shares:
Just as the dream state is untrue, the waking state is also an appearance.
Both happen spontaneously.
(Our talk is taking place in a dream)
The individual, the world, and the Supreme Self are all concepts.
The dealings of an entire lifetime are based on the concept “I am.”
Wen you try to be one with Consciousness, the mind stands in the way.
Keep trying.
Pay attention to the source from which the “I amness” has appeared.
Only after the concept of “I am” occurs does the idea “I am this” or “I am that” arise.
Before this happened, “who” was I?
The concept “I am” veils the Absolute—it is the source of misery and is itself untrue.
This is the essence of spirituality.
The belief “I am” is a memory you take to be yourself.
This sensation marks the beginning of time.
The nature of memory is forgetfulness of who you are.
The intellect is the play of the concept “I am.”
It is the string that flies the kite.
Nondual devotion is the devotion to our own Self.
Pay attention to “That,” which is always with you. You must fee its necessity.
Leave greatness to others. Become so small that no one can see you.
This conviction results from growing devotion to the supreme reality.
You do not exist without God, and God does not exist without you.
Paul’s Commentary:
As you can see by my diagram, “mind” is represented as everything inside the tai-chi symbol.
The ladder represents the construct of the ego-mind, yet, as Nisargadatta Maharaj suggests, it comes from, and goes to “nowhere!”
When you sleep at night, all your ideas, worries, judgments and pains are gone, yet as Nisargadatta Maharaj says, you wake up, and out of memory, you start your whole story over again and again!
By spending some time each day using any of the many practices I’ve shared in my teachings, my blog, and that a multitude of spiritualists have shared, one can reach the place we all go to each night.
The difference is that through a committed practice of spiritual development, you can arrive at that (non)place “conscious”.
This brings me to a koan that I created for my students:
If you tell me where you go when you sleep (in deep dreamless sleep) at night,
I’ll tell you who you are!
Enjoy your day and don’t forget to find some peace points along the way.
Without a reference to your True Self, it is very easy to start believing your story and the story of others. But remember, all stories are stories!
Love and chi,
Paul Chek
