tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753087563111129672023-11-16T05:11:58.446-08:00Finding the BuddhaAKA: This is All There IsNatalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-57999450167347842032014-11-02T17:32:00.001-08:002014-11-02T17:32:36.505-08:00The WaveThe wave does not create itself,<br />
direct itself,<br />
or destroy itself.<br />
<br />
It is no more separate<br />
from the "ocean"<br />
than the water<br />
that makes it up.<br />
<br />
It is created,<br />
moved,<br />
and destroyed<br />
through no will of its own.<br />
<br />
Such is the way<br />
for all of us forms<br />
in the "ocean"<br />
of the uncreated void.Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-544836116315807992012-08-22T11:43:00.000-07:002012-08-22T11:43:29.976-07:00A KoanRealization and non-realization are one and the same. What, then, is there to seek?Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-5933019862761747972012-08-20T18:31:00.003-07:002012-08-20T18:39:59.611-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<span style="background-color: #f4f5f7; color: #71767a; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px;"><i><b><a href="https://vimeo.com/47797571" target="_blank">Living Nonduality</a></b></i> - the Film</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f4f5f7; color: #71767a; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px;"><br />
</span> <span style="background-color: #f4f5f7; color: #71767a; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px;">Candid dialogue with six "regular people" who attended Robert Wolfe's Non-dual meetings regarding their direct non-dual realization and their experience living everyday life from this enlightened perspective. Robert and his book "Living Nonduality" are the inspiration for this documentary. The film is available here for free, and if you would like a copy on DVD, please contact the film makers.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/47797571"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyOyHtPdcQ6GPRjlXAKtUoI9YTEvWvvIoXCVhsk8Sw8BVPH-1HS18Ny4Z3rVLaG-8VGhBqY2Lpx520YcrbZ9j08jfOQyNPTvYNhAA_IidPrph_krz2LvhnF4xABQnhsiRFCLapRWFM0zih/s400/Still+from+Living+Nonduality.PNG" /></a><br />
Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-87529412557892756242012-06-22T12:54:00.000-07:002012-06-22T12:54:01.562-07:00Right Here, Right Now<div>
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Q: </span><span style="background-color: white;">Does
The Absolute as It's limited self have any free will over It's own awakening?
I know there is no "me" that could do that, but what about The
Absolute? It produces the yearning, so can it also produce the
"liberation?"</span></span></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My answer is this: What do "YOU" think? When you sit with this
question, what "answer" arises? Is there some thing called the Absolute that is separate from some thing called "you"? I'd be very interested to hear what
comes to you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The only thing stopping "you" from seeing your own
liberation is the belief that you are not liberated. In other words, there is
still a belief that there is a state called "liberated" and it will look/feel
differently (maybe is more desirable) than the state that exists now (which I
hear you are calling non-liberated). Whatever exists NOW, and NOW, and NOW,
(whatever it looks like, feels like, etc.) is the liberated state. IS the
Absolute, the One, manifesting in this way in this moment. There is NOTHING
else.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Love,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Natalie :^)</span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-19433302945945993262012-05-21T00:00:00.003-07:002012-05-21T00:11:30.254-07:00SeparationToday I heard a comment like, "Separation causes suffering." Many in the room were quite quick to agree and there was much nodding of heads and murmured yeses. Separation is looked at as something to overcome; an undesirable, unrealized state of being. While it is so that "separation causes suffering," it seems that a vital understanding of what separation really "causes" is often overlooked.<br />
<br />
What is experienced here, these days, is that separation causes <u>everything</u>. Without separation, nothing would appear to exist. Separation causes all phenomena to appear, so, yes, separation causes suffering; and it also causes joy, happiness, sorrow, me, you, rocks, trees, other, birds, love, hate...all apparent objects, feelings, thoughts, etc. exist, because of the apparently separated "I". In short, separation causes life.<br />
<br />
It is because of this idea of separation that "I" experience beautiful sunsets, birds singing, the embrace of another, the sting of rejection, the pain of acid reflux, aging in the body, a solar eclipse, being flipped off by another driver, and on and on and on.<br />
<br />
Separation is not a "state of being" to be overcome. It's not a feeling that needs to be conquered. It's what allows It/Me/One to experience Itself/Myself/InfiniteForms.<br />
<br />
With separation: life, existence, phenomena. Without separation--the undifferentiated void.Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-72577384935384618112012-04-05T23:12:00.000-07:002012-04-05T23:12:29.221-07:00Behold the Great I AmBehold the Great I Am.<br />
<br />
In sweep and scope<br />
eternal.<br />
Unimaginably vast.<br />
Everywhere present.<br />
Always.<br />
<br />
Beyond the vastness<br />
of the Universe.<br />
As tiny<br />
as a grain of thought.<br />
<br />
The Mover and Shaker<br />
of ALL.<br />
The eternal Source.<br />
The Creator of Itself<br />
and Its senses.<br />
<br />
The millions of myriad forms<br />
through which it experiences<br />
its unceasing nothingness.<br />
<br />
To behold the<br />
Great I Am<br />
is to forever more<br />
be shattered<br />
and rebuilt...<br />
over and over again.<br />
<br />
<br />Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-50708156858214246832012-03-12T10:00:00.001-07:002012-03-13T00:59:22.257-07:00It Makes No Difference<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">So happy to receive your e-mail. I'm not sure what I can say, as you are already saying it so beautifully and of course it seems as though you also "understand" it as well.</span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I'm reading that you had an awakening about 2 months ago and that you are also experiencing "stuff" around that. This "stuff" is no more or less important than any other "stuff" that "you" experience, for instance, brushing your teeth or washing the dishes. Yet, we can often get attached to comparing "this" experience to "that" experience and then saying "this" experience is more connected to awakening and "that" one is not. </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">My question is: what is it that is having these awakening experiences and what is it that is not having these awakening experiences? Is not the one having the former the same as the one having the latter? And if so, then what is the difference? Attachment to the "I" thoughts is no problem for one who understands that the One attaching to the "I" thoughts is the same One realizing abiding nondual awareness. </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">In other words. There is only the One and it "experiences" Itself through these apparently separate forms, which sometimes look like "awake" and sometimes look like "attached." </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Waking up does not necessarily mean an end to identification with "I". In fact, what is experienced here is that it no longer matters whether there is attachment to an "I" or not. The awareness is that what appears makes no difference. It is all simply the One.</span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I will be interested to know your thoughts on what has been said here. What a fun thing for "you" to be experiencing!</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">**************</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">P.S. I invite you to check out the <a href="http://onespaciousness.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">blog</a> of the person with whom I had this conversation. Her nondual awareness (and the expression of it) is lovely and clear! </span></span></div>Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-75568468943532284222012-02-22T12:54:00.001-08:002012-02-24T13:36:50.156-08:00Expectation<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Are you expecting non-dual realization to look like something in particular?</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Yes, I was expecting it to be the end of suffering.</span> <br />
</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Do you suppose that realization of the nondual nature of all will end suffering?</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Yes, I thought so. I was thinking that non-dual realisation would end suffering and would change experience in some way, like maybe there would be an experience of love.</span><br />
<br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">If you are expecting realization to be something other than what you are experiencing now then you will miss it. Realization is understanding that there is only THIS, whatever THIS is. All there is, is what is happening right now, and right now, and right now--WHATEVER that is. And all that is, is the One/God/Life/the Source expressing Itself as the infinite variety of forms that appear in the world. What you are looking for is already here, right here, right now. You are already IT. You cannot be not IT. Nothing and no one cannot be not IT. There is nothing that IT is not and there is nothing that is NOT it. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Please understand that when I say that, I mean it literally and I mean EVERYTHING--thoughts, feelings, emotions, people, animals, things, ideas, etc. ALL are IT appearing in these supposedly separate forms.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Realizing the nondual nature of all does not mean an end to those things that we think of as negative or bad or wrong. Those are labels that are applied to some of the forms that the Infinite expresses Itself as. Who says that you are suffering? What is it that is suffering? If there is nothing but the One, what then is it, that is suffering? Even the idea that you are a separate being, experiencing suffering, is merely the One experiencing Itself as a separate being experiencing suffering. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Again, please understand that I am not merely being flip or casual. The illusion that we will somehow experience the end of suffering, the end of negativity, the beginning of endless bliss, are deeply ingrained in some of us. I am being direct, because that is what it takes to see this. The willingness to give up EVERY concept, EVERY idea that there is anything other than THIS, that nondual realization will change ANYTHING or has any relevance. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">You say that you thought nondual realization might bring an experience of love? It will, but not the love that most of us think of as love. It will be love in the form of a complete and utter knowing that whatever appears is okay, does not need to be changed, does not need to be fixed. It is complete and total surrender to whatever is happening (and YOU are not the one surrendering, because YOU will no longer exist). It is the complete and utter infatuation and fascination with Itself.</span></div>Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-29331254105867085212011-12-04T01:37:00.000-08:002011-12-04T01:37:19.830-08:00Death?<div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Q: D</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">o you have any sense or knowing of what happens when we die; when the form dies?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">A: The answer to your question lies in the answer to this question: “When we die, who or what is it that has died?” In the relative world, the world of duality, we are taught to see ourselves as “me”, and we are taught that anything that is not “me” is “you”. Therefore, we experience separation. We literally experience a feeling of being separate from everything around us. We experience this separateness in the form of thoughts of separation, like “I am this.” “He is that.” Or, as you state: “</span><u style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I</u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> am a mother, </span><u style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">those</u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> are my children.” Or “</span><u style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">He</u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> is my son.” Or “</span><u style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">She</u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> is my daughter.” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I believe the way we are taught to see ourselves as a separate being is the mechanism that allows us to experience life and the so-called world. The pain happens when we forget that we were <u>taught</u> to view the world this way, but what we were taught is not the truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Can you remember the first time that you believed that you were a separate self? Can you remember what life was like before you believed in “I”? My experience is that “Natalie” was born the moment the “I” thought was first believed. Before that, “I” did not exist. I cannot find “me” before that. As far as I can tell, I did not exist until the first moment I believed in “I”. Until that moment, no one was identifying itself as “Natalie”, a separate being, so there was no sense of separation, no sense of pain, no sense of happiness, no sense at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Then, for whatever reason, the sense of “Natalie” as a separate person was born. As soon as that happened, so did all the rest of the world (e.g., mother, father, sister, brother, happiness, sadness, dogs, kittens, school, etc.). And in that moment, “Natalie” became someone who had been born, who was living, and would therefore, subsequently die. However, what is it that really dies? If “Natalie” is nothing more than a concept of a separate being, then the only thing that dies is a concept. “Natalie” as a person can never die, because “Natalie” as a separate person only ever existed as a concept in my head. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">In other words, “I” have never been separate from the original source, except in my own mind. That belief that “I” am separate no longer exists, therefore, “Natalie” no longer exists. She has died. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Your son existed for you as something separate from “you” (and from all others). What if your son has never been separate from you, because “you” have never been anything but an idea, born from your conditioning? Without your idea that “you” are a separate entity, and “you” gave birth to another separate entity called “John”, what is it that has died? Without the separating belief of “you” and “John”, aren’t you simply source? Aren’t you and John simply different names for the same thing? Isn’t John simply a name given to source? As your name was given to you, which “you” believe is separate, but which is just a name? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">What if “Mary” and “John” and “Ginny” are all just names that stand for the different forms of Source? If “John” is a name for Source, and Source is what you also are, what, really has been lost? How could anything or anyone die?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">My heart is with you. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Peace to you, Mary.</span></div>Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-79715835874599671782011-11-28T23:18:00.000-08:002011-12-04T01:43:25.881-08:00Interview on Buddha at the Gas Pump<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Tf22x2U_mGs?rel=0" width="480"></iframe>Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-75111442566639049352011-10-30T22:34:00.000-07:002011-10-30T22:34:42.228-07:00To a Friend...<div class="MsoPlainText">Hi B,</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Sorry to be so long in answering. I was trying to think of how best to answer your questions. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Advaita is not a concept for me, it's a reality. There is nothing but the One; and all is going as it should. Since it is a reality, there is no practice. In fact, there is nothing <b><u>to</u></b> practice. I mean, in all honesty, what would "I" practice? There is no longer any belief that "I" exist, apart from the One. There is seriously no thing that believes itself to be Natalie any longer, even though "I" answer to that name and seem to be experiencing a life that is "hers."<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Apologies if I sound flip. I assure you, that is not the intention. Since you are a follower of Advaita and read the nondual literature, I am speaking to you as bluntly and "truthfully" as "I" know how to do so, coming from the experience that appears to be happening now. Words no longer work well to describe this, and they never really have.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">There's a nonduality group that I began attending last year in September. I like to attend the meetings, because the members are serious about waking up (finally seeing that there is nothing but God/the One), and are committed to getting rid of everything that doesn't support that, including doctrines, philosophies, ideas, practices, etc. To realize that God is All means being willing to die to let <u>everything die</u>!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">How about you, B? What are you willing to give up to finally realize that there is nothing but God; meaning are you willing to give up "you" as a separate entity? "You"; everything that you think of as "you" (thoughts, feelings, beliefs, practices, will, actions, directive, soul, etc.). Are you willing to give that up to understand that "you" are God, masquerading as "B" and that all those things you think "you" need to find the truth are really God experiencing Itself as that? Realization is so simple that it is overlooked again and again. Nothing but God, and not even that.<o:p></o:p></div>Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-757630075439801722011-10-21T14:50:00.000-07:002011-10-21T14:56:37.554-07:00Nondual Awareness: How Did You Do It?Got an excellent question from someone. Here's how I responded.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/cDREx6LARN0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-46985162277861736072011-08-08T23:08:00.000-07:002011-08-08T23:14:23.265-07:00Whatever Form Appears<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Question:</b> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #ffffcc; line-height: 25px;"><b> </b></span>Given your non-dual realisation, can you identify what was the essential factor, method or practice that allowed you to notice or realise your natural, non-dual state of being or realisation in a permanent way? Does remaining in non-dual awareness, for you, require effort, or is it effortlessly spontaneous? I have practiced meditation and studied in many traditions for many years. I have made good progress, with many non-dual realisations through time. However, I have not been able to realise my essential nature in a permanent, stable manner. Buddhist meditation is my main practice, however, I am very interested to [know] how I can permanently realise Self with instruction from any and all traditions and those who are awake. How to do this? I know that I am the absolute and utterly complete. There remains that disconnect, however subtle, that is an apparent barrier to recognising here and now, all that I am.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: normal;"></span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><b>Answer:</b> </b>There is a flaw in the question you ask, which is leading you down a dead-end road, and this is creating the apparent barrier of which you write. You ask if there was a method or practice I used to notice or realize my non-dual nature and you ask how you can do this. The flaw is the use of the words "you" and "I". Having nondual awareness is not something that "you" can do. It is not something that "I" did. Nondual awareness just happens (and feeling separate also just happens). </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A more effective question might be, "What or Who is It that has or does not have nondual awareness?" Ask yourself, "Who is It that is using a method or practice? What is It that is trying to realize Its non-dual state of being? Who or What has practiced meditation, studied in many traditions and made good progress?" Isn't the One "with many non-dual realisations through time" the same One who has "not been able to realize Its essential nature"? </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The answer to all these questions is the same--<i>It</i> is (as the sages have said through time) the One, the Absolute. <i>No matter which state is appearing</i>--nondual realization or a sense of separation--it is not "you" experiencing it, nor is it "you" causing it. It is the Absolute. It is never NOT the Absolute. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When you say, "There remains that disconnect, however subtle, that is an apparent barrier to recognising here and now, all that I am," you are failing to recognize that "all that you are" in any moment is what appears in that moment, whether what appears is nondual awareness, a feeling of separation, or any other thought, state or emotion. "You" are simply a manifestation of the Absolute, and sometimes "you" are aware of that and sometimes "you" are not. And "you" is always and only a manifestation of the Absolute, whether "you" realize it or not. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Realize that nondual awareness will not change what appears by one iota. "You" will not suddenly have continuous, uninterrupted nondual awareness, continual bliss or continual anything, because when nondual awareness shows up, the "you" that sees one state as 'enlightened' and one state as 'unenlightened' will no longer exist. All states (and all experiences for that matter) are manifestations of the One--nothing more, nothing less. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Therefore, longing, seeking, meditation practice, awareness, non-awareness (even the experience of "you") may continue to appear. And "you" have not been, nor will "you" ever be the one experiencing it or causing it. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There is nothing that "you" can do--no method, no practice, no meditation</span>, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">no belief--to get yourself there, because "you" are already That; That is already "you," in whatever form (thought, state of being, awareness, emotion, physicality) that appears. </span>Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-34732292824613395942011-08-02T15:18:00.000-07:002011-08-02T15:18:15.209-07:00Relentless RealityReality is relentless. There is no escaping It. We can wish with all our hearts that things, events, people, or emotions were different, and that won't make one iota of difference to the unfolding of Reality.Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-36843624925460404262011-07-27T00:02:00.000-07:002011-08-08T01:23:11.230-07:00Nondual Awareness: Nothing ChangesHi everyone. I've got a new video up on YouTube. If you're interested, please check it out. I look forward to your comments. [Edited version]<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyR5CQNbqUI">Nondual Awareness: Nothing Changes</a>Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-59685767014709736442011-06-01T14:08:00.000-07:002011-06-01T14:08:07.495-07:00An AnchorI've lost everything, yet now there's a feeling of being anchored.<br />
<br />
What have I lost? Any belief in "me" as real. Any identification or belief that there is a self and this self has control. Any desire to try to fix, change, alter, or improve what this one known as "Natalie" does or thinks or feels (or what anyone else thinks or does or feels, for that matter). Any belief that "I" have control of any kind. Even the idea that "I've" lost everything has been lost.<br />
<br />
Yet, in all this losing, there is a feeling of being anchored--anchored in the Abyss, planted in the Void (like a balloon tethered to a buoy that is floating in the great Ocean of All).<br />
<br />
When, seemingly, "All-is-lost," the anchor of All That Is appears.Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-21243138863479535942011-05-03T15:15:00.000-07:002011-05-03T15:15:26.584-07:00Gift from a friend...Misty rain on Mount Lu,<br />
And waves surging on the river Che;<br />
When you have not yet been there,<br />
Many a regret surely you have;<br />
But once there and homeward you wend,<br />
How matter of fact things look!<br />
Misty rain on Mount Lu,<br />
And waves surging on the river Che.<br />
~ Su Tung PoNatalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-90069382645965820832011-04-15T12:12:00.000-07:002011-04-15T12:12:24.029-07:00Defense of "Self" = SufferingWhen I defend or protect what is thought of as "myself" or "me," suffering occurs--in fact, all suffering. Some say that merely believing in a separate "self" is a cause for suffering, but there's no suffering in merely thinking there is such a thing as "me" or in perceiving Reality through the filter of "me." The suffering--unhappiness, fear, resentment, anger, denial, loss of freedom--happens when that "me" becomes something that must be defended or protected.<br />
<br />
For example, if my husband says that he wants to leave me, that he isn't happy, that he doesn't think he loves me anymore; there is nothing in what he says or does that could cause pain, unless I thought that his words and actions were an attack on or harmful to "me." The minute I suppose that his words or actions are a threat to "me," suffering begins--pain, outrage, unhappiness, sorrow, anger, unrest and struggle. Because now, I must defend "me." I must try to get back, keep, or hold on to the security that is threatened. <br />
<br />
In this moment, I am totally immersed in self. Totally sunk in self-centeredness, selfishness, self-absorption. Separation, panic and anxiety occur. The mind races--"How can I fix this?" "How can I make sure that I am okay?" I have now completely separated from the unity of All That Is. Feeling alone and trapped in a strange, lonely, and hostile world, my only recourse is attack and defense. "I" must win at all costs. I must stop this from happening, or if I can't stop it from happening, I must protect myself against the attacker (in this case, my husband). He is now the enemy. In fact, what has happened, is that I have allied myself to a non-existent perception of self, which requires that I wage war against all perceived threats. I can no longer feel at peace, content or right.<br />
<br />
This stance makes the world a very unsafe and hostile place in which to live. "Self" is constantly under siege. Seeing life through the filter of "I must protect this 'self' at all costs," guarantees that we will live in constant fear and readiness to do battle.<br />
<br />
This recognition does not come because "self" wishes it to. "Self" cannot will its own destruction, which is what this ultimately means. However, questioning might lead to realization. "Who or what do I resent?" "Why do I resent them?" "What have they threatened (usually either 'my' security, 'my' self-esteem, or 'my' personal relationships)?" One may begin to see how resentment, anger and fear are all based in the belief that there is a "self" and it must be protected and defended.<br />
<br />
What, however, could your life be like if you no longer tried to defend this self? No longer defended against criticism, anger, dishonesty, loss, hatred, abandonment or any of the things "self" fears might happen to it. Let it burn. Let it die. See what happens.Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-9716258466790686572011-03-02T00:44:00.000-08:002011-03-02T00:45:58.376-08:00Freedom..."I" am whatever shows up in this moment. If there is any such thing as freedom--and there isn't--it is realizing that.<br />
<br />
I say there is no such thing as freedom, because "I" cannot possibly know how "I" will think, act or feel--<u>ever</u>! I cannot control that. I cannot manage it. I cannot predict it. I cannot change it.<br />
<br />
I used to believe that I controlled myself; that I was in charge of my reactions, my emotions, my thoughts. I actually believed that "I" was the power that ran "me," that "I" was in charge of myself. I spent a lot of effort trying to control this "me," only to be frustrated over and over again. I spent a lot of time and money attending workshops on how to manage myself, manage others, manage my expectations, manage my thoughts, manage my emotions, become empowered, help myself. Now, I understand that "I" have no power to manage or control anything, because "I"--the collection of beliefs, thoughts, emotions and behaviors I think of as Natalie--doesn't exist. In fact, it never existed.<br />
<br />
Now I understand that all there is is the One, manifesting itself in each moment. There is no separation from that, and there is no way to know or control how It will appear.<br />
<br />
Because of that, there is a kind of suspenseful wonder, a holding of the breath. What will the Absolute, masquerading as "I", do next? What will "I" think? How will "I" react? It is thrilling to realize that "I" never had control--of anything--and to understand that "I" never will. Perhaps that is the real freedom...Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-8848937987141512032011-02-09T12:27:00.000-08:002011-02-09T12:27:16.548-08:00There is no-thing here,<br />
yet everything is present.<br />
What, then, is missing?Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-48072181946800188912011-01-25T00:34:00.000-08:002011-01-27T22:39:56.508-08:00PeaceIn the dualistic perspective, peace feels a certain way and peaceful people look and act a certain way.<br />
<br />
This is a trap. It keeps us striving to achieve this thing we think of as peace. But by this very definition, peace, in this sense, must have an opposite. This opposite would be any state or action that we would think of as not peaceful (such as agitation, restlessness, upset, anger, annoyance, violence, war, etc.).<br />
<br />
Since this "peaceful" state is held up by many as a sign of enlightenment or as a path to enlightenment, we see it as desirable, worthy of our effort, worthy of our striving. The common supposition is that if we strive to achieve a state of peace, we will be closer to enlightenment. What most people don't see is the contradiction inherent in that. Strive for peace. Hmmm...<br />
<br />
So, in this dualistic perspective, what happens to us when "non-peaceful" states arise? We are compelled to change them. We must fight against them. We must strive to remain or return to a state of peacefulness. In other words, we must become less peaceful. We are trapped. Trapped by our lack of understanding about what true peace is.<br />
<br />
The way out of this trap is to realize the limitations of our imagined idea of peace. For many, the imagined idea of peace is that when we achieve it, we will no longer feel any of those "opposite" qualities of peace. In other words, we will no longer experience feelings of agitation, distress or anxiety--any state that could be thought of as "not peace."<br />
<br />
<div>And THAT, that belief that peace feels and looks one way, but not another, is what keeps us trapped. True peace is an understanding that ALL states of mind, ALL thoughts, ALL feelings and ALL behaviors, are simply forms of the One/the Absolute--<i>including</i> agitation, distress, and anxiety. True peace is realizing that nothing about these states of being needs to change (including the desire to change them). Nothing needs to be made to be other than what it is.<br />
<br />
This is the peace we are striving for, and it is already here.</div>Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-67022707556688746742011-01-04T00:09:00.000-08:002011-01-04T00:09:21.145-08:00PerfectionPerfect--what I am. I used to strive and strive to be perfect, never guessing never knowing that I already was what I wanted. Now I know there is no other way to be. It is not possible for me to be less than perfect.<br />
<br />
Perfect--what everyone else is, as well. I used to believe that others were flawed, wrong, at fault, evil. Now I know it is not possible for anyone to be less than perfect. And even the beliefs that would say we are, are perfect.<br />
<br />
Perfect--what happens in each moment. I remember struggling to control events, people, time itself. Things were either not good enough or too good and gone too soon. Now I know that whatever happens--and I mean WHATEVER--perfect. Even feeling that this moment is less than perfect--perfection!<br />
<br />
Perfect--the world, the universe, all that is. It is not possible for anything, anyone, any moment to be other than perfect. Not possible.<br />
<br />
Some definitions for perfect (from the Google online dictionary):<br />
<br />
<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">Having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">Free from any flaw or defect in condition or quality; faultless</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">Precisely accurate; exact</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">Highly suitable for someone or something; exactly right</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">Absolute; complete</span></li>
</ul><br />
<br />
Perfect--synonymous with complete, consummate, utter, lacking nothing, cannot be improved upon, total, flawless, ideal. Absolute.Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-36020058773245980452010-12-29T23:24:00.000-08:002010-12-29T23:24:25.832-08:00AliasWhat is the physical, emotional, psychological, mental world and all its aspects but the million aliases of the Absolute/All That Is? What is the Absolute/All That Is but that which goes by the million aliases that masquerade as the physical, psychological, mental, and emotional world?<br />
<br />
The Absolute/All That Is aka: apple, afraid, abs, art, banana, blueberry, beauty, coffee, crime, cool, crazy, deluded, dance, desire, duality, existence, eagerness, everything, eggs, fat, forests, freedom, future, god, grapes, grit, grime, happiness, hilarity, hate, high heels, hurt, ice, ice cream, icicles, iciness, ideas, inspiration, insanity, juice, jumping, jam, justification, judgment, juries, killing, kindness, karaoke, laughter, lightheaded, light, love, mistakes, murder, music, muscle, mind, nature, nuts, nervous, now, nipples, nothing, onions, opinions, oddities, oranges, oceans, oneness, past, ponds, pandering, putrefication, puzzlement, pain, peace, pleasure, queens, quips, queries, raspberries, rape, religion, release, running, rum, rams, sandwiches, sanity, sadism, sacredness, seeds, sarcasm, trains, thoughts, tunnels, twisters, torture, temptation, truth, untruth, universe, ugly, unity, virility, vitality, verity, water, war, world, weirdness, wonder, x-rays, yams, youth, yawns, zippers, zest, and on and on and on...Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-6920839488117488732010-12-29T16:11:00.000-08:002011-12-07T16:57:13.495-08:00What the Ego Demands<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Came across these questions in a workbook; thought they were interesting. "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><i><span style="color: black; line-height: 115%;">Have we insisted on being the center of attention? Have we acted offensively just to be noticed? Are we afraid that we won’t be recognized or respected or loved? Do we fear that we won’t get our share or that we won’t be listened to? Do we push to be first in line? How has prideful self-centeredness caused us to act?" </span></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><i><span style="color: black; line-height: 115%;"> </span></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It's interesting answering these questions from the perspective that's here now, because it's like an anthropological study of the identified human. It's not that I still don't act in the same ways that I acted before, because that hasn't really changed all that much, it's that the story of WHAT was causing that and WHY I was acting that way is no longer there. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The story that was cherished before was the story of "me." The story that there was a "me" and that this "me" needed to be cherished, protected, loved and adored. This "me" needed to be the center of attention--as all "mes" do--and that "I" needed to do anything within "my" power to make this all happen. Like Gollum with the Ring--as I consider what "I" used to be like, the picture comes to mind of how "I" would cradle this "me" in my hands, call it Precious and believe it was what was in control, what was in charge, what made things happen.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">And just like Gollum, I would have and did do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING to make that "me" the center of attention; to make sure that "I" would be noticed--hopefully in a "positive" way, although "negative" ways worked if that's what was needed--"I" would be paid attention to, "I" would be petted and admired and ooh-ed and ahh-ed over.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Fear that I wouldn't get my fair share, especially of attention, or that I wouldn't be listened to ran the show, and that fear drove me to do anything: act the clown, talk louder than everyone else, make jokes at other peoples' expenses, drink, do drugs, sleep around, lie, cheat, steal, become violent, put others down, act condescendingly, act superior, act inferior, play second best, manipulate and most obviously, try to control, control, control--not only myself, but others and situations as well.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This is what the Ego demands. This is what believing "I" am real, "I" exist does/did. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I'm trying to be precise with this, because as I write it, I'm aware that whatever happened in the past was perfect, The Absolute, nothing out of place. So there's no belief that the behavior of then should have been any different or, for that matter, could have been any different. It was as it should have been, and it is fascinating to notice it and see if there is any change.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">And, there is nothing now that is all that different in the makeup and personality of what is considered "me." The difference--if you could call it that--is simply that before the thought was, "I am doing this," and really believing "I" was the power and "I" could change, "I" could make it different, "I" could get that attention and these were the ways to do that.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Now, the thought of "I" doesn't resonate, has no reality. There is simply appearance: the appearance of an "I," the appearance of doing, the appearance of moods and personality. What that is, is simply All That Is. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Doing/being without demand.</span><br />
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="Style-2" style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1175308756311112967.post-2420193994750384492010-12-05T23:07:00.000-08:002010-12-05T23:13:39.699-08:00What Non-Attachment Really Looks LikeThere is a lot said in the relevant literature about attachment and the search for enlightenment. Most believe that in order to achieve enlightenment, we should let go of attachment. I've come to see that this is out of order. Non-attachment is an outcome of self-realization, not the other way around.<br />
<br />
Letting go of attachment happens after self-realization, and is not something that we control. Before, although I practiced non-attachment, I had no idea what it really looks like. Before, I thought non-attachment meant not being attached to material things or to other people. Now I see that that is only a small part of true non-attachment.<br />
<br />
After my search ended, attachment fell away on its own. And the fundamental attachment that fell away was the attachment to how things should be. I stopped needing to control the moment, others, myself.<br />
<br />
The most amazing example of this occurred recently. I was bit in the hand by a cat with whom I was trying to make friends at the humane society. I was not upset at the cat, nor was I upset that he bit my hand. In fact, I was fascinated as I watched it all unfold. Cat bites are notorious for becoming infected, so the staff had me scrub my hand for 20 minutes and urged me to go to the doctor for antibiotics. Since the cat had bit me, he was now no longer fit to be put up for adoption, so he was moved to a different shelter to be quarantined and then, most likely, to be put down--unless someone adopted him before his time was up. When I found out that the cat would be moved, I felt a sadness fill me and move through me. I cried. And then, it was done. I spent most of the rest of that day, as I went to see the doctor and got the prescription for antibiotics filled, marveling at the events that had unfolded. How amazing that I would go spend time with cats, with whom I am incredibly fond, and end up being a player in the cat's possible death. How amazing that it was I who was bit and not some child. I didn't care that the cat bit me. It's what cats do sometimes. I kept waiting for the day to feel difficult or upsetting, but all I could feel was amazement and wonder and no attachment to any idea that what was happening should be different. And there still isn't, even through my hand getting infected and through the pain of it healing.<br />
<br />
We are so attached to our beliefs that this moment--what is happening now--is not right, not complete, lacking something. We humans are so attached to our judgment of Life as it unfolds, and I mean to our judgment of every part of Life. We believe thoughts like, "I should be happier. Life should be easier. She should listen more. I don't have enough--money, love, looks, time. I have too much. I shouldn't have done that. I should have done that. I should be a better person. It shouldn't be like this. I shouldn't feel this way. His reaction is wrong." And on and on and on.<br />
<br />
Can we accept Life as it unfolds, ourselves as we experience it, others as they act and react? Non-attachment means letting go and knowing that all of it--every emotion, every event, every thought, EVERYTHING--is as it should be.Natalie G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021745361112803593noreply@blogger.com3