tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61565057349000524032024-02-02T00:46:34.113-08:00Awakening in the marketplaceThis book is for people who are interested in waking up, (becoming enlightened, becoming a Buddha ) , who have started down the path or are about to.
Good luck. You’re going to need it.formerlyskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075739986214432008noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156505734900052403.post-57837774529512345042011-03-31T02:29:00.000-07:002011-07-21T13:36:22.735-07:00Awakening in the Marketplace<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Or how to become a Buddha in three easy steps</span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">By the man formerly known as Akash</span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Available on blog at</span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="http://awakeninginthemarketplace.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">http://awakeninginthemarketplace.blogspot.com/</span></span></a><br />
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Feel free to email me at<br />
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<a href="mailto:formerlysky10@gmail.com">formerlysky10@gmail.com</a><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">This blog has been organised sequentially so the material written first appears first. Ie Mar 4 was written befor the Mar 1 and Feb material.<br />
If you want to read the more recent material see the links on the side <br />
of the page that are earlier or the link down the bottom for 'older' posts.</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This book is for people who are interested in waking up, (becoming enlightened, becoming a Buddha ) , who have started down the path or are about to. </span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Good luck. You’re going to need it.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you are not in one of these categories then I suggest you think hard before reading this book. There is a reason this ended up in your hands and you are reading this right now ....and despite the fact <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the universe has your best interests at heart</i></b> it is quite likely that you will disagree with that statement before getting off the path that this book may start you on.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you choose to continue reading then I repeat the above.</span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Good luck. You’re going to need it.....</span></span></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To my wife for understanding about the rope....</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Not only is the rope an illusion – so is the cliff, the person falling and for that matter the person reading this...</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Awakening in the Marketplace</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Why am I here</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What is enlightenment anyway</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Why wake up</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How do I get enlightened</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Still mind</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Single point</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">b.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many points</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">c.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Space between thoughts</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">d.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Who am I</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">e.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Awareness turned in</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Open heart</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Open up</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">b.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Willingness</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">c.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Letting go (of the tiller)</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">d.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Any price</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">e.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Likely price</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">7.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Pay the price</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Suppressing</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">b.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Burning</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">c.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Clearing</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">d.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Letting go</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">8.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Weird stuff</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">9.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Waking up</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">10.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How long does it take</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">11.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Advanced variegated emptiness </span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Garbage man and shifting energy</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">b.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The sight</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">c.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Slap downs</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">d.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Samjana</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">e.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Recognition of non separateness of selves</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you want to cut out all the description and entertainment here are the nuts and bolts of the book in three steps. How to wake up, achieve enlightenment, become a Buddha ect</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 54pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Clear your mind</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 54pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Open your heart (be willing to feel what is there)</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 54pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Pay the price (feel what is there without running away or suppressing)</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 54pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Repeat the above steps until enlightened.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 54pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 54pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Easy right....</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 54pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">At this stage anyone who has gone down this path will smile. Anyone who is still going down it will laugh hysterically. Read on if you want the fine print (and it’s worth reading)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So why am I here.</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I woke up while in my early 20’s for a while and again for a month or so in 2008. It seems that I am starting to wake up again so now would be the best time to start writing about this stuff... I thought that others who might be thinking about going down this path could use a handbook or some useful pointers. I know I could have the first time around. The point is when I’m awake I may not be able to see where I am now anymore or have the inclination to write any of this down. Or if I can it may be irrelevant. So now as always it the only time to begin.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Most books and texts I have read and other sources I have learned material on the awakening process have had descriptions and explanations that were obtuse at best. At worst they described awakening as an unattainable goal, in this lifetime. In addition to this they tend to describe waking up as a process that requires severing of ties from the normal world (retreating to a cave). The process described here is for the person who wants to wake up in the ‘normal’ world. To still be a part of the world and to wake up at the same time. To be able to have a job, family ect and function in the world and still wake up.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If that sounds like you, then this is for you.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Despite the fact that this may annoy any number of Buddhists and ‘spiritual seekers’ I was never interested in waking up. Enlightenment was something I’d get to later. I was interested in normal things. Money, sex, power ... that kind of stuff. The thing that got me into it eventually was my curiosity...... I was sucker punched.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was always a curious kid. I wanted to know everything. How things worked, how they were put together, how they ticked. That applied to myself and other people too...</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So I studied Science and found that my school didn’t have the answers. I was told I’d find them at university. That was a lie – to cover the fact the adults I was questioning at the time didn’t have a clue as to what the answers were themselves. If they’d told me that - that would have been useful. But as it was I spent several years in the higher education system before I realised a fundamental truth.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Science couldn’t answer my questions.... Not only could it not answer my questions because the information wasn’t available. (Simple stuff like how does gravity work) but it could never answer my questions because it’s basis was founded on assumptions that have no reality other than those given to them by an unconscious consensus. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">(the assumption that atoms exist for instance.)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Science can describe.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">(we think this is an atom)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It can’t answer.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">(Why is that atom? – or anything else – here?)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So at the age of 21 and after an epiphany (More like a sequence of ongoing epiphanies) from reading a book called Beyond Violence by a guy called J.Krishnamurti I had my first experience in what could be described as waking up.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Credit to Krishnamurti. He describes very well how to wake up. He even builds a bridge for you and helps you get across. All this with a book. Amazing... However my problem was I had no idea where I was going or even what I was when I got there. And that was without the weird stuff that I had going on at the same time.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was like building a bridge to another part of the world but not providing a map of the territory for people when they get there. Or food or water and the landscape keeps changing every moment when your concentration wanders. .... Something like that.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So I was pretty messed up and pretty together at the same time which makes perfect sense if you’re in that same place.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I left uni and had a year of ‘travelling’ – which basically meant trying to find the answers that I had expected science to solve.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Just to let you know – I did get those answers. Just not in any way I could have predicted.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I read every book I could lay my hands on. I tried every process and exercise that I could. I had all sorts of mystical experiences from communicating with fairies to downloading the total consciousness of a crow and going for a spin in its body.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Like I said - Weird Stuff.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For me reality had become somewhat pliable. Things that didn’t exist for other people were normal in my world. This didn’t make me special it just meant we were in different worlds.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">During all of this I eventually found what I was looking for. I found the answer. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Curiosity got the cat. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was an obscure aspect of yoga that enables the individual to directly perceive reality.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now that’s the business for a man who wants to know everything...</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I tried this on my partner at the time and knew we would be breaking up (not only that we would but there was no possible way to avoid it).</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I tried it with a friend and saw that he thought I was insane because my reality was so far outside his that he could not comprehend it.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I tried it on a magpie and a crow and found a lot about what it is to be a bird....</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Being a smartass ....I tried it on the universe...and I had an experience of knowing everything. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was the most painful and pleasurable experience of my life. A bit <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">like trying to cram an ocean into a melon</i>. It could be experienced but not taken home... at least not by me. Talk about biting off more than you can chew. Strangely enough I lost all my curiosity for about 2 years.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Anyway I was trying to figure out how to take smaller bite of the whole universe at one time and so I started looking for a teacher who could show me how to do this. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is a saying. When the student is ready the teacher will appear. (Note: it doesn’t specify the teacher is human, a person or even alive)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So I met a guy who could teach me what I wanted to know. The problem was he wasn’t interested in teaching me. He was awake (referred to by some as enlightened or a Buddha) and the only thing he was interested in teaching was how to wake up. So I hung out with him for a while, curious and learnt about waking up and also tried to learn about taking smaller bites of the universe at a time.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So I got on the rollercoaster called waking up. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Let’s be clear about this. I think waking up is a great idea. I think everyone should do it. I also think that no sane person would think about doing it in a million years if they knew what they were in for. It’s suicide by a trillion paper cuts. But worse.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The closest analogy I have read about that seems accurate is that it is like having a very very very bad case of a stomach bug that causes vomiting and diarrhea. Assume that this condition can GO ON FOREVER.... Vomiting, suddenly stomach cramps that double you over. Pain like you would not believe. So strong that you are sure you are going to die and in many ways that would be a relief. Pain killers are available that will help and but you have committed yourself to NOT TAKE THEM. This goes on for some years. Occasionally you feel better and this is like a light at the end of the tunnel. This doesn’t last for very long. A few hours or days at best and then it’s back.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">People call it the dark night of the soul. The funny thing is I have never heard of it taking a night and when you mention in to people who are going through it or have been through it they either smile or laugh hysterically. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s never a night – and it may be forever. You don’t know...</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So that’s the down side, what’s the up side and why would anyone jump off this particular cliff.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some people are curious and want to see what’s at the bottom (if there is one)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some people have a life that is so painful they have to jump.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some are pushed or pulled (a loved one jumps off and forgets to tell you they attached a rope to your leg). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This is generally a consequence of having a conscious relationship among other things.(wife’s comment) </i>So if you’re in a conscious relationship and are looking at taking this path it’s a good idea to tell your partner about it. They can’t stop you and no one can avoid the consequences but they may decide to tie a rope to your leg before you jump off. (or they may notice the one you surreptitiously tied to theirs)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And what’s the up side.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well this is where it gets tricky. As there is no way I can accurately describe the experience as it is outside language and by its nature, language assigns labels to things and at best a label is just that – a label. So as I am currently limited to this media the best I can do is offer pointers. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Peace (Nothing much bothers you)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Silence (the mind may be quiet)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Happiness (there may be periods of extended happiness)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Openness</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Expansiveness</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lack of suffering, baggage, conditioning and the like.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is an awareness of a lack of separation between all things</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Joy, happiness, compassion, Love...</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sound good? </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Also there are a range of normal human abilities that you get access to that most people are not aware of (everyone has them but not everyone can use them). There is other stuff too but we’ll look at that later.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So how do I become enlightened?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The question you haven’t asked... or answered is </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;">What IS enlightenment</span></b><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;">?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well the typical accepted answer is... abiding non dual awareness. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Great.. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Perfect</b>. A definition that only makes sense to you WHEN YOUR ALL READY AWAKE. May as well throw that one out.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are a range of other definitions that are equally useless. Passing through the gateless gate and the like. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have only found one explanation that seems useful to me in the sense that it gives you some direction as to how to wake up and makes sense from both an intuitive and cognitive fashion.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But first some definitions. This is necessary so we are both talking about the same thing.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Awareness- The essence within you that is aware, that senses and perceives things. This is the part of you that is aware of your own existence and perceives it directly. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mind is the operating system for your brain. If the brain is your biological computer then your mind is Windows 95, 98, 2000 vista ect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It holds the skills and abilities that allow you to operate in the world. And occasionally it crashes.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ego is the driver that pushes you to survive. If the brain is the computer and the mind the operating system then the ego is the Virus protection and the virus. The ego is all your beliefs and attachments along with some cool preloaded programming all rolled into one neat package. It tells us things should be this way or that way.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Normally what happens is awareness looks at the world through the mind and ego.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In this symbolization awareness is represented by the first circle and the arrows. So awareness views the world through the mind and the ego. While the mind is active and the ego in turmoil the emotional content and noise colours awareness’s perception of reality.</span></span></div><br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDeqZM9T0wAC_6I_cD63BiOx6vrKNTFaXksQ9MfqJmzN8_3qyDQxLo2AUruxL-NS3_JyQ7tiKCLeIoTmTXGOMNubxuDQaQgf_NG4zcltx97Xm8jt1zvjkuOZTCz7Pgo1o3-o2drdnFaM/s1600/awakening+1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" height="1" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDeqZM9T0wAC_6I_cD63BiOx6vrKNTFaXksQ9MfqJmzN8_3qyDQxLo2AUruxL-NS3_JyQ7tiKCLeIoTmTXGOMNubxuDQaQgf_NG4zcltx97Xm8jt1zvjkuOZTCz7Pgo1o3-o2drdnFaM/s640/awakening+1a.jpg" width="1" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDL-Gs_qrSXv1AfX5vkjAkVi80uMuxE1aTgmUIXBk8rXcd-ZO3MEcNw11bAN6kqy8OZw3EVXlvYtVOheDJG5nf6x73OW2I7P3NRImuuAwrPXzur1BKxYkyaLh6rwMYIoxooDF5-7lQrqU/s1600/awakening+1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" height="125" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDL-Gs_qrSXv1AfX5vkjAkVi80uMuxE1aTgmUIXBk8rXcd-ZO3MEcNw11bAN6kqy8OZw3EVXlvYtVOheDJG5nf6x73OW2I7P3NRImuuAwrPXzur1BKxYkyaLh6rwMYIoxooDF5-7lQrqU/s400/awakening+1a.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">Normally what happens is awareness looks at the world through the mind and ego.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: currentColor; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">In this symbolization awareness is represented by the first circle and the arrows. So awareness views the world through the mind and the ego. While the mind is active and the ego in turmoil the emotional content and noise colours awareness’s perception of reality.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: currentColor; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">In the above diagram awareness perceives the world through the chattering mind and the raving ego. This means any perceptions of the world are coloured by what is going on in the mind and ego. Like looking at the world through rose coloured glasses.</span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">When the mind is stilled and the ego is dropped the world can be seen for the first time without distortion or colouring.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">Enlightenment is when awareness becomes aware of itself. When awareness turns on itself.</span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: currentColor; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: currentColor; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPFP5fRxAYphZxgcPeBY0qelqAoOc_Ooe5CXYso570prS6v3pdAHYdoGzTvFDo5apBsG25m2dCaB9Wq-KfFS5cNytWmbpsChxk42H-9cgg4pXh4_6TdwzjTpTLuIkIE1lL4I0WSZwhNg/s1600/awakening+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" height="125" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPFP5fRxAYphZxgcPeBY0qelqAoOc_Ooe5CXYso570prS6v3pdAHYdoGzTvFDo5apBsG25m2dCaB9Wq-KfFS5cNytWmbpsChxk42H-9cgg4pXh4_6TdwzjTpTLuIkIE1lL4I0WSZwhNg/s400/awakening+3.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="color: white;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJrWH5ofAPxU_tVsIUp7lsAmcNr0d2ClgoeVv4rcN5WdTyQlO2d_Oo8QfDY1KRCSTLvOD983tsokhpj9c6bHQQbkQ9JyW5OXjMM6JrXjPL4lix0DtMvUvqzMIR5CF9K17CyjkdsL9xdg/s1600/awakening+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" height="125" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJrWH5ofAPxU_tVsIUp7lsAmcNr0d2ClgoeVv4rcN5WdTyQlO2d_Oo8QfDY1KRCSTLvOD983tsokhpj9c6bHQQbkQ9JyW5OXjMM6JrXjPL4lix0DtMvUvqzMIR5CF9K17CyjkdsL9xdg/s400/awakening+4.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><group coordorigin="3218,5886" coordsize="1642,1224" id="_x0000_s1026" style="height: 61.2pt; margin-left: 88.9pt; margin-top: 24.75pt; position: absolute; width: 82.1pt; z-index: 251706112;"><oval id="_x0000_s1027" style="height: 1089px; left: 3218px; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; position: absolute; top: 5886px; width: 1064px;"></oval><shapetype adj="-11796480,,5400" coordsize="21600,21600" id="_x0000_t99" o:spt="99" path="al10800,10800@8@8@4@6,10800,10800,10800,10800@9@7l@30@31@17@18@24@25@15@16@32@33xe"><stroke joinstyle="miter"></stroke><formulas><f eqn="val #1"></f><f eqn="val #0"></f><f eqn="sum #1 0 #0"></f><f eqn="val 10800"></f><f eqn="sum 0 0 #1"></f><f eqn="sumangle @2 360 0"></f><f eqn="if @2 @2 @5"></f><f eqn="sum 0 0 @6"></f><f eqn="val #2"></f><f eqn="sum 0 0 #0"></f><f eqn="sum #2 0 2700"></f><f eqn="cos @10 #1"></f><f eqn="sin @10 #1"></f><f eqn="cos 13500 #1"></f><f eqn="sin 13500 #1"></f><f eqn="sum @11 10800 0"></f><f eqn="sum @12 10800 0"></f><f eqn="sum @13 10800 0"></f><f eqn="sum @14 10800 0"></f><f eqn="prod #2 1 2"></f><f eqn="sum @19 5400 0"></f><f eqn="cos @20 #1"></f><f eqn="sin @20 #1"></f><f eqn="sum @21 10800 0"></f><f eqn="sum @12 @23 @22"></f><f eqn="sum @22 @23 @11"></f><f eqn="cos 10800 #1"></f><f eqn="sin 10800 #1"></f><f eqn="cos #2 #1"></f><f eqn="sin #2 #1"></f><f eqn="sum @26 10800 0"></f><f eqn="sum @27 10800 0"></f><f eqn="sum @28 10800 0"></f><f eqn="sum @29 10800 0"></f><f eqn="sum @19 5400 0"></f><f eqn="cos @34 #0"></f><f eqn="sin @34 #0"></f><f eqn="mid #0 #1"></f><f eqn="sumangle @37 180 0"></f><f eqn="if @2 @37 @38"></f><f eqn="cos 10800 @39"></f><f eqn="sin 10800 @39"></f><f eqn="cos #2 @39"></f><f eqn="sin #2 @39"></f><f eqn="sum @40 10800 0"></f><f eqn="sum @41 10800 0"></f><f eqn="sum @42 10800 0"></f><f eqn="sum @43 10800 0"></f><f eqn="sum @35 10800 0"></f><f eqn="sum @36 10800 0"></f></formulas><path o:connectlocs="@44,@45;@48,@49;@46,@47;@17,@18;@24,@25;@15,@16" o:connecttype="custom" textboxrect="3163,3163,18437,18437"></path><handles><h polar="10800,10800" position="@3,#0"></h><h polar="10800,10800" position="#2,#1" radiusrange="0,10800"></h></handles></shapetype><shape id="_x0000_s1028" style="height: 1339px; left: 3722px; position: absolute; rotation: 90; top: 5971px; width: 938px;" type="#_x0000_t99"></shape></group><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">Awareness is aware of itself</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXkMlgOh1YuFwRhm_wGy6N9SjsbFiO_VO7sGXIp9XNX5ZCYgO7Wwg9h6UW2dXnsh88A5fDHn5dpKThVR-eJD-1_ChIF4S3gVGSMEIBZIMmO6xgNGTEiFfwifJdLY6xxwfZ6dgJWCbATs/s1600/awakening+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" height="125" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXkMlgOh1YuFwRhm_wGy6N9SjsbFiO_VO7sGXIp9XNX5ZCYgO7Wwg9h6UW2dXnsh88A5fDHn5dpKThVR-eJD-1_ChIF4S3gVGSMEIBZIMmO6xgNGTEiFfwifJdLY6xxwfZ6dgJWCbATs/s400/awakening+5.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: currentColor; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Enlightenment</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">The ego drops (eventually) and the mind and awareness are left.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">Awareness is aware of itself, the mind and reality. The mind is used as required but not necessary for all things.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">Don’t get stuck in the technicalities here. If I don’t have a desire to move my arm how does it happen ect. Without a driver how do I act in the world. This all becomes clear later. Things that seem to be a paradox are in fact straight forward when viewed from a different paradigm. You don’t have to believe me. Find out for yourself. Wake up and smell the roses.</span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">Why wake up</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">So given all the doom and gloom and downside I mentioned earlier why would anyone want to get on this merry go round (or get off).</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">This is an interesting one to describe – particularly because I am still in the mill at the moment so to speak. This would best be described by someone already there. I will ask and add in some more detail later. But my memory of the times I have woken up can be described in the following way.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">The best, most profound and most ordinary experience you can imagine. My first impressions were. Is this it? Really? This is what they were talking about. How can there be 6 billion fish on the planet searching for water but unable to find it. How can anyone have missed this. How could I not have seen it. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">Here is some material I wrote at the time I woke up a while ago</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">It seem my awareness expands – looking in on itself without limit.</span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">It feels like my thoughts are words into a vacuum – no sound is heard...</span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">The new consciousness feel strange. What was once only there in moments is there all the time now – or so it seems.</span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">Open, empty, expansive, clear.</span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">I think it is important to record what is happening and how it feels.</span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">I no longer seem to harbor any old resentments. Previously I could think of a person who i had perceived had done me some harm and an emotion (usually of anger or pain) would be felt in consequence.</span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">Now All of that has gone.</span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">It seems I not only have dropped the baggage but thrown out the suitcase as well...</span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">I feel like i am on a slippery slope with consciousness pulling me down into its depths. </span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">I am very happy a lot the time for no apparent reason.</span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">It’s a bit like flicking a switch. Off, on, off, on ...ect ect until one day it just stays on.</span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">What is happening .. awareness is looking at itself and then through my senses looking at the universe.</span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">Fear seems very remote</span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">Conditioning that would have prevented me taking action in the past seems to be gone.</span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">In its place is a clear awareness of what is the best thing to do right now..</span></span></i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The problem with writing in the awake state is that there seems to be little motivation to do those sorts of things and the human species has an amazing ability to forget pain. It seems that when you wake up you may forget how difficult it was to get there. I did.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So to me waking up seems to be the best thing in the world to do. Everyone should do it. I am not sure everyone would want to. The price may be too high. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So if you want perfect freedom, freedom from suffering, openness and a new awareness, then enlightenment may be for you.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Also maybe your life is just so painful that you need to jump off a spiritual cliff. This may also be for you.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You may just be curious(what is at the bottom of that cliff?- is there a bottom? and how do you grow wings on the way down?)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Only way to find out is to jump.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How do I get enlightened</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now this part is actually relatively easy. Just follow these steps.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 54pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Clear your mind</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 54pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Open your heart (be willing to feel what is there)</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 54pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Pay the price (feel what is there without running away or suppressing)</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 54pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Repeat the above steps until enlightened.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Simple right? Then why isn’t every person and their canine companion enlightened.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s not that simple .....and it is. While being a relatively simple process the actuality is like fighting a war internally nonstop for some years. This work is full of these seeming contradictions.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Clear the mind.</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is the first and easiest of the steps and this is crazy difficult in itself. Try it right now if you don’t believe me. Still your mind for 30 seconds without allowing any stray thoughts to pass through. Use a stopwatch. How did you go. 5 seconds, 10, 15... </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Clearing the mind is simple and yet can be very difficult to master.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The main thing is it just takes practice.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Set aside some time each day for some mind clearing exercises. Other awareness exercises try to use throughout the day.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My formal experience in stilling the mind was almost non existent before getting to university, with the exception of practice in concentration from years of martial arts. I found my combat was always best when my mind was empty as it allowed me to see the opponents’ techniques and contest them. At Uni someone gave me a copy of a book called Creative Visualization, By Shakti Gwain. While most books like this would have come up against my inner scientists fruit loop radar I found it extremely valuable as it had been written in such a way that it didn’t use terms like meditation, chakras or vibrations which would have promptly ended with the book in the trash. As a result I learned to meditate and focus my mind very effectively while doing everything under the banner of visualisation. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So I learnt to still my mind while fighting, meditating and doing just about any other activity. It just goes to show that you don’t have to just practice this stuff for only 20 minutes a day. Every action in your daily life can become a point of focus.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have recommended techniques in the appendix but here are a few of the basics</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Focus on a single point</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This exercise involves focusing on a single point, object or thought to the exclusion of all others (often called one thorn to remove a thousand). Simply pick an object or process, like a candle or the breath and focus on it. When your mind wanders and you notice, gently bring it back to the point of attention. Try not to beat yourself up.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Focus on many points</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As above but with multiple points of focus, focus on the breathing, the heart, sounds around you and the actions you are taking, all at the same time.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Focus on space between thoughts.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this exercise you watch your thoughts and focus on the space between them. Don’t worry about the thoughts as they float in and out, just watch.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Who am I?</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This famous technique <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>from Ramana is amazingly simple and is ultimately all you need to do, if followed correctly. You ask yourself who am I. You then say ‘ No I am not that’ and then repeat the question. Keep going until nothing remains.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Turn awareness on itself. </span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is the ultimate technique. Look for the part of yourself that is observing, that is aware. Focus on that to the exclusion of all else. I have recently observed a refinement in this technique. It involves applying some mental effort or tension to your awareness to turn it inwards. The aim of this is to lock awareness into observing itself. So while you are observing the outside world you are also observing the inner one. The aim here is to observe everything that is going on internally including the observing. I have found that initially some effort or tension is required to maintain this state but once it has been maintained for a while it becomes effortless.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The still mind stuff left a path for Krishnamurti to open up. I couldn’t see that then but it’s as plain as day now. If I hadn’t done that work I wouldn’t have had the realizations I did.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Back to why we do it. The mind is like a chattering monkey – bouncing all over the place. It is not necessary to have a quiet mind to wake up but it helps. So as this seems to be a difficult task for most people we do everything we can to help. When the mind is still it is like looking into a pond when the surface is blown by the wind (mind/ego) nothing can be seen. But when the mind stills the bottom and the reflection of the sky can be seen. When the mind is bouncing around all over the place awareness will focus on it. When the mind and the ego are still there is an opportunity for awareness to turn back on itself. So in stilling the mind we are clearing the way for awakening.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Open heart</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Like the previous section this one is both simple and amazingly hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reason it is hard is that we all are loaded with emotional like pain from before we are born and all of this has to come out of us. For most of us in our typical societies that is a lot of pain and it hurts as much coming out as it did going in. So how does this work.... Well the good news is that if you are not living in a cave somewhere away from the world (and possibly even if you are) the universe has an amazing way of helping us. It helps us like this. If we have some area that is painful in us it will find a way to stimulate it so the pain comes to the surface. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Now this is important<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">. </i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">If we stay open to the pain when it is stimulated, it will pass through us and leave.</i> This means no suppressing by eating, drinking , avoiding, ect or whatever your preferred suppression techniques are.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So an event happens, pain is triggered and rather than suppressing the pain we allow it to be and let it through us.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Other key things to note are – to start this technique all you have to do is stop all the suppression techniques you have been using and allow whatever is coming to be felt. This is not a walk in the park. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When the pain comes <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">turn your awareness to it to see if you can understand it’s nature</i>. This is necessary as sometimes pain can come from a buried source and sometimes it is because you are dwelling on something and/or banging your head against a wall. If you find you banging your head against a wall it’s a good idea to stop. While the pain that is inside you will pass through and sometimes it takes a while.... if you are banging you head against a wall you can do that forever and not realise it.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Just before you get started... This is not an exercise for the fainthearted. Any old pain, hurt, humiliation, shame, fear and any other negative emotions that were suppressed will be dragged up and it will not be easy. Or maybe it will be for you. However it seems that most people have a lot of trouble with this part of the process. To put it in perspective it took me 18 months of ongoing abject pain, terror and misery to burn through one aspect of this process. This for me was the survival drive which I must admit is a pretty core drive and was triggered by spending a lot of time not knowing if I was going to be broke and on the street from one week to the next.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: auto 0cm 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">a.</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin: auto auto 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: background1;">a.</span><span style="color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-themecolor: background1;"> </span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: background1;">Open up</span></span><span style="color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-themecolor: background1;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: background1;">This would seem to me to be the 'easy' part however most people do not even get past go. What is required with this part of the process is to stop holding back and suppressing what you feel. What is likely happening with you right now is that a whole bundle of uncomfortable feelings, thoughts and emotions are trying to make their way into your awareness. To prevent this you may be doing any one of a number of things to suppress these feelings (eating, drinking, drugs, sex ect ect)So to open up the main thing you have to do is to stop suppressing what is coming up for you and to let it be there without suppressing. </span><span style="color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-themecolor: background1;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: auto auto 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: background1;">b.</span><span style="color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-themecolor: background1;"> </span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: background1;">Willingness</span></span><span style="color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-themecolor: background1;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: background1;">In order for step a.) to be successful you must be willing to take that step. It sounds self evident but it is quite easy to assume you are willing to take the step and all the while suppressing anything that comes up for you. You must be willing to feel whatever comes up for you on a daily basis. The more you are willing to feel the faster this process seems to go. I personally found that while I was willing to feel what was there somedays it just got too much to handle and I would use a suppression technique. I was aware of what I was doing and quite ok with it. We all do what we can.</span><span style="color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-themecolor: background1;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: auto auto 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: background1;">c.</span><span style="color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-themecolor: background1;"> </span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: background1;">Letting go (of the tiller)</span><span style="color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-themecolor: background1;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: auto auto 0pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: background1;">When we take action from an ego based centre the action is coloured by the desires behind the action. A very useful step in this process is letting go of your decisions in the process of action. Allow action to happen. Let the emptiness decide. Make no decisions of your own. When this is done actions are obvious.</span><span style="color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-themecolor: background1;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: auto auto 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: background1;">d.</span><span style="color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-themecolor: background1;"> </span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: background1;">Any price</span><span style="color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-themecolor: background1;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: auto auto 0pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: background1;">The thing most people don’t like about this process the most (other than losing the illusion of control) is that you have to commit to paying a price not knowing how much it will be. It may be everything. Imagining you have a nice family, kids, house ect. The way this process works is the universe will point out areas that you are stuck and attached. There is a chance you may be attached to your family. Most people are. Are you willing to give them up. It is possible to have a family and a job during this process it is just very difficult. </span><span style="color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-themecolor: background1;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: auto auto 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: background1;">e.</span><span style="color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-themecolor: background1;"> </span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: background1;">Likely price</span><span style="color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-themecolor: background1;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">My teacher has told me on a number of occasions awakening only requires one thing. Everything. It does not mean it will cost you everything but that is what you have to be willing to pay if it comes to it.</span></span></div><br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Pay the price</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The hard part of this work is paying the price. This usually means sitting with whatever pain is going on and being ok with it. Don’t underestimate this – it can quite literally be hell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things to be aware of:</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Suppressing</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is when you feel something (and it may be unpleasant) and you choose and action that suppresses what you are feeling and consequently makes you feel better. Great examples of this are eating, drinking, drugs, sex, music, reading, movies... any escape. These things are in no way bad by themselves it’s just in the context of trying to wake up anything you do to suppress is going to make the process longer.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">b.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Burning</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Is what happens when you stop suppressing . Everything starts coming up and gets thrown on the fire. Generally it feels like it is you that are in the fire and in many ways that is true. </span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">c.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Clearing</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is useful if you can learn to do it yourself or can find someone to help you by clearing you for you. (if you do ask someone to help you make sure it is someone you trust) I was fortunate. A friend of mine has the amazing ability to clear others and helped me immensely with this process. There are not many people who can do this and generally they have to be<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>awake to do it but there may be others who can do the same thing. The process works by shifting the pain you have and clearing the stuff out of your system that is causing the pain. The experience itself is quite weird. It feels like someone is poking around inside your head and moving the furniture so to speak and it’s not you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See the Advanced Variegated Emptiness on how this is done. There is a subtle point to be aware of and that is what is your motivation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Observe it and understand your true motives.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">d.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Letting go</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This one came as a real revelation for me as I have heard the term ‘let go’ so many times in spiritual circles and I never really got what it meant. Letting go means to give up your need to choose. “Not my will but thy will be done”</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So it means letting go of the tiller( steering wheel,controls,ect ect)</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is dropping the controller and letting the universe decide what happens next.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: background1;">(just so we're sure on a specific point - this does not take away your ability to act responsibly or to take action to take care of yourself and others. Some people take this to an extreme and assume that they require no actions. Great way to starve. As the saying goes 'trust in god but tie up your camel')</span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Weird stuff</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As I said earlier I went through a period (that seems to continue) where weird stuff seems to be normal. After a while it’s not that this stuff is weird or different it’s just that your understanding of reality is different. A bit like living in the matrix but in real life. Waking up gives you access to a range of abilities that everyone has but not that many people use. It’s a bit like waking up (ha) one morning and going ‘what the f..k.. I have two extra arms’ . Ok not much I can do about it now but it will come in handy when I’m doing the dishes. And that’s really how it feels. A small amount of surprise and then an acceptance that this may be useful but otherwise not much use. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So here is what happens as I understand it and some of the mechanics.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When we start waking up there is an experience of the awareness turning inwards so that awareness is aware of itself. In this space (it feels like an empty space) awareness is observing itself. This may happen for a few moments initially but as one continues with the process the spaces become longer and the amount of awareness you observe become larger. Eventually it seems that the time out of the awake state diminishes until you are awake all the time. This is when that state has stabilised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Note that people who have been awake for years can snap into an a sleep state for brief periods) When the awakened state is stabilised then you are technically a Buddha (or arahant, bodi ect ect depending on your definition)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the early stages when you are just beginning this work you may experience a lack of separation between you self and others when it comes to emotional states. What this means in practical terms is that water flows down hill and in a similar way if you are hanging out with someone with a lot of emotional pain ect<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and you have been clearing a lot of yours then their pain may well flow into you. Net result is they may feel ‘better’ for a while and you may feel what is going on for them. Lucky you – you get to help out another human being for a while.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I experience this state all the time with my wife (and vice versa now) so if she has something going on I can feel it directly and vice versa. This puts a new meaning to the term ‘I share your pain’.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As you sit in awareness for a while (weeks to months) awareness of awareness expands you may become aware of the fact that everything has awareness in it and there is no space in awareness. The separation between my awareness and everything else is a myth. This becomes quite clear in this state. It is possible to see the reality that there is no distance between us and everything also exists in awareness.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another thing of note that happens during this process is the formation of a Buddha field. There is something about the awareness turning in on itself that creates an energy field that speeds up the process of clearing pain or other forms in either you or those around you. I have no idea if you can measure this but it is really obvious once you have been doing this work for a while. I also don’t know how it works only that it seems to. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The other thing that appears is what seems to be an awareness of different forms of energy (And coming form a Physics and chemistry background I really hate using terms like energy but it is hard to find an appropriate similar term)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What I mean by this is any emotional or physical sensations that are experienced in the body.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For instance pain is the most common form of energy we experience and recognise readily. Other forms include hyperactivity, lethargy, anger, fight or flight, bliss, calm and emptiness.ect</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is also the masculine and feminine forms of energy.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once one becomes aware of all of these forms of energy working with them becomes possible.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Waking up</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As this state stabilises it seems as though there is the development of two types of awareness. The ‘normal’ awareness of the material world and the internal awareness of the ‘awareness’ world. There is also a concurrent awareness of the connection between the two. Ego appear to get dropped and the attachment to outcomes is destroyed.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The awareness is deepened over time and with the shifting of awareness further within itself. Look as deep down the rabbit hole as you can.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is an experience of emptiness and space within. This space while having the quality of empty also appears to have form and variegation. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The process may take some while to stabilise or it may happen in an instant.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Others hearts may speak to you and you may share their joy and pain.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There seems to be a feeling of compassion/love that is held for all beings/things.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The illusion of separation between myself and others can be seen through. We may appear to be separate waves but we are all one ocean. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The illusion that is I seems to dissolve until only emptiness remains</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How long does it take.</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Good question. One of the interpretations of Patanjali in his yoga sutras has a good comment on this.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">‘Success is rapid for the hotly impetuous’</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In my first waking up experience seemed to take a few months to arise. However I committed everything to the process and burned everything that didn’t help me (family, friends, reality ect). If I’d know what I was doing I may have been able to stabilise the state instead of retreating back into the dream. However I don’t regret my path as the rout I have travelled has allowed me to learn compassion. It seems that it is possible to wake up without using the heart. This can result in a person with a sword only philosophy.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My second waking process took a while longer.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I started hanging out with my first awakened teacher about 8 years ago and I hung out with <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>him for about a year. I then spent a couple of years hanging out ’by myself’ then found out my current teacher had woken up(I had got to know him while we were both hanging out with the first guy). So I would catch up with him in a process called ‘satsang’ or mindfulness meditation as often as once a week but initially more like once a month.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I hung out with this guy and still do about once a fortnight. He has a bunch of other people going through the same process.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My second waking up process occurred in 2008 for about a month or so after I shifted a major pattern with the assistance from my friend who was helping me with this work.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">At the moment I am sliding in and out of the awaked state on a daily basis so I can see a more permanent change occurring but I am not sure when this will happen. So all up to get to this point has taken about 8 years. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My original teacher woke up in about 2 years and my current one in about 5. I know of others who have taken many times longer and less. My guesstimate for people waking in the marketplace would be the average is between 1-10 years with an average around 5.Here is the thing. It takes as long as it takes. You may not even accomplish it before you die. It might only take you a month. As stated above ‘Success is rapid for the hotly impetuous’</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Generally when you say you’re willing to pay the price there is a part of you that does not agree</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is a point you hit in this work if you follow it far enough where you get to say ‘OK – I’m willing to pay the price- whatever it is...’ .....and mean it.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Success is a rapid as your commitment.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Advanced variegated emptiness </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This stuff may not make sense to you and is deliberately written that way but if you get to a point of waking up it may be useful</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Garbage man and shifting energy</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I met a lama once who explained to me how he became a lama and when I asked him what he did now he said he was a garbage man. He smiled and I assumed he was referring to the fact that he would clear or get rid of other people’s baggage, pain or ‘garbage’. As far as I am aware this is not something that happens consciously all the time although it can.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When awareness turns in on itself there can be recognition of the lack of separation between oneself and another. In this space it is possible to see any energy occurring within yourself and to shift it. This results in the effects occurring in the other as well. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Water flowing downhill can result in this occurring involuntarily.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">b.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The sight</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When the awareness turns in on itself there comes an awareness of the form and shape of emptiness that as it deepens expends to encompass all material things. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through turning the awareness inwards and recognising the lack of separation between two points, awareness of different objects are realised.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">c.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Slap downs</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: background1;">Being something of a rebel, a non linear thinker and having a tendency not to respect established boundaries led me to do a number of things that over the years (and I can’t tell you what they were in case some <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>other</u></i> idiot try’s them) that appeared to have immediate and significant effects- usually resulting in me either being unable or uninterested in completing said action. Performing actions that may have overreaching consequence may result in other agencies taking actions against you. How these occure or how they are actioned is unclear at this time only that it appears that they are. </span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">d.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Samjana</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If the mind is clear, awareness focused on a single object and the free flow of awareness is occurring and these three processes are practiced simultaneously then samjana (samyama) is the result. This allows a direct perception of different aspects of reality. For details see patanjalis Yoga Sutras</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">e.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Recognition of non separateness of selves</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Through expansion of the awareness of itself there comes a recognition of the lack of separation of space between all things.(non duality)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
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</div><h3 style="margin: 16.75pt 0cm 0pt;"><span style="color: white; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;">Recommended reading and Useful links </span></h3><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Patajali yoga sutras are a useful guide along the path. However they were first written a while ago and in sanscrit. The result is there are a number of interpretations of them and most (from my viewpoint) don't seem to know what they are talking about. The best one I have found so far is </span></span><span style="color: white; mso-themecolor: background1;"><a href="http://theosophytrust.org/tlodocs/SamadhiPadaYogaSutrasBookI.htm"><span style="color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">http://theosophytrust.org/tlodocs/SamadhiPadaYogaSutrasBookI.htm</span></span></a></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><br />
</span><span style="color: white; mso-themecolor: background1;"><a href="http://theosophytrust.org/tlodocs/KriyaYogaYogaSutrasBookII.htm"><span style="color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">http://theosophytrust.org/tlodocs/KriyaYogaYogaSutrasBookII.htm</span></span></a></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><br />
</span><span style="color: white; mso-themecolor: background1;"><a href="http://theosophytrust.org/tlodocs/VibhutiPadaYogaSutrasBookIII.htm"><span style="color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">http://theosophytrust.org/tlodocs/VibhutiPadaYogaSutrasBookIII.htm</span></span></a></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><br />
</span><span style="color: white; mso-themecolor: background1;"><a href="http://theosophytrust.org/tlodocs/KaivalyaPadaYogaSutrasBookIV.htm"><span style="color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">http://theosophytrust.org/tlodocs/KaivalyaPadaYogaSutrasBookIV.htm</span></span></a></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Recommended Reading</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">By Jed McKenna</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; mso-themecolor: background1;"><a href="http://www.wisefoolpress.com/"><span style="color: white; font-size: 12pt; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">http://www.wisefoolpress.com/</span></span></a></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 12pt; mso-themecolor: background1;"></span></div><div style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-themecolor: background1;"><a href="http://www.wisefoolpress.com/setdt.htm"><span style="color: white; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;">Spiritual Enlightenment: The Damnedest Thing</span></a></span><span style="color: white; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"></span></div><div style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-themecolor: background1;"><a href="http://www.wisefoolpress.com/sie.htm"><span style="color: white; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;">Spiritually Incorrect Enlightenment</span></a></span><span style="color: white; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"></span></div><div style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: white; mso-themecolor: background1;"><a href="http://www.wisefoolpress.com/sw.htm"><span style="color: white; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;">Spiritual Warfare</span></a></span><span style="color: white; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 12pt; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">By J Krishnamurti</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Beyond Violence</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
</div><span style="color: white;">Link to this document as a pdf</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 72pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><a href="http://www.freefilehosting.net/wakinginthemarketplace1"><span style="color: white;">http://www.freefilehosting.net/wakinginthemarketplace1 </span></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">To be continued</span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: white;"></span></div>formerlyskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075739986214432008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156505734900052403.post-4613834236223985612011-03-01T03:50:00.000-08:002011-05-25T04:07:08.793-07:00Awake dudes and #$xf%% (Not such nice people)It seems that waking up does not necessarily mean that you automatically become a nice person. I personally would have thought that waking up would by default have lead to one having a nice nature filled with love and compassion for all beings. This however is an assumption.<br />
If you also have this assumption then sorry to burst your bubble but it seems to be possible to be quite awake and still be a complete jerk at the same time. As the book says if you see the buddha on the road kill him. (this is not literal) but if you find some palce, anyplace inside you where you are putting other people - including 'awake dudes'- on pedestals then you need to destroy the idol to go on. <br />
I can relate to the above statements for two reasons. <br />
The first one is that in my first waking up experience I was definately waking up. I was also a complete a##$$%#le to many people close to me. I didn't see that at the time as I was in a missionary mindset and my tool was the sword. By this I mean I used the truth to cut lack of awareness from other people. This is never a gentle approach and in my experience is rarely appreciated by the recipient.<br />
Don't get me wrong - the sword definantly has it's place in this work and it may be a fast track for some. But it's not for everybody.<br />
The second reason is that I've met some teachers that seem to be complete jerks.<br />
Completely awake but still jerks.<br />
So here is the heads up. If you decide to hang out with a teacher and they're awake then while they may be a saint that doesn't exclude them from being a jerk.<br />
Preconcepions suck dont they.....formerlyskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075739986214432008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156505734900052403.post-49236618006543651622011-02-27T20:42:00.000-08:002011-06-24T20:46:08.167-07:009th of june... Letting go<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Went to satsang with my teacher again today.<br />
Just sat in the space<br />
It seems I have finally let go of the tiller<br />
Handed over the wheel<br />
Let the universe take control<br />
<br />
Got to say<br />
It feels amazing<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></span>formerlyskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075739986214432008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156505734900052403.post-38289022410674929302011-02-26T20:47:00.000-08:002011-06-24T20:51:05.000-07:00Deepening on 17th of june<b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"></span></b> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The state seems to be deepening. Not much else happening although- the experience is basically the same as the one that occurred in 2008. The state has stabilised with the exception of a few hours of non awakeness when a lot of stuff was travelling through at the beginning of the week.<br />
My wife describes me as 'chilled out' which I think is a pretty good description of my experience now.<br />
<br />
6 billion fish trying to find water and unable to... funny hey . What's even funnier is when one of them does find water the other fish put him up on a pedestal and go 'wow this guy is amazing and holy and the most beautiful being in the universe because he found </span><b><u><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">water</span></u></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">'<br />
Now the amazing thing about maya and illusion(if I may be so bold as to streach a bit more out this analogy)is that while we are all fish swimming in an ocean we all think we are dessert lizards whose entire diet consists of seeds and ants and we never see any water because it is so rare out here that our bodies have adjusted to extract all we need from the food we eat. When it rain we don't know what it is. I think that’s funny, sad and the tragedy of the human condition.<br />
<br />
Wake up dammit.!!!! </span></div>formerlyskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075739986214432008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156505734900052403.post-71785622032275701842011-02-25T20:51:00.000-08:002011-06-24T21:11:32.693-07:00Functionality and awakening 25th june<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Functionality and awakening 25<sup>th</sup> june</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Just another heads up. It appears that during this process that along the way there may be some loss (or total loss) of functionality with your normal day to day things. Work, sleeping, doing anything....</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My own experience in the process appeared at various stages through the process and varied in degree from not being able to complete a piece of work to being completely unable to move myself from the couch. I have heard of other instances where people lost all motor control and similar things.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It seemed to pass fairly fast (3weeks in the most recent form) and what remains seems to be a higher level or hyper functionality although I am still trying to figure out how that works. It seems to be a deeper version of hands off the tiller and letting go on a deeper level.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Emotional shadows and reactions 25<sup>th</sup> june</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It seems that the experience of ‘negative’ emotions seems to be reduced so they seem like shadows of their former selves.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Interestingly enough the programmed reaction seems to be the same/ and or stronger or less inhibited.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Worth paying attention to. As I watch it – it seems to be dissipating/unravelling the reactions.</span></span></div>formerlyskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075739986214432008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156505734900052403.post-35953509535384283552011-02-24T06:03:00.000-08:002011-07-16T02:50:34.947-07:00Awakening and PartnersA while back I said something to my wife like ' you know what - I think I'm awake'<br />
Her response was something like' That's nice dear'<br />
I burst out laughing because this was the perfect response.<br />
My wife knew better than anyone what I had gone through and the path I had taken to get here.<br />
I had started my dark night of the soul around the time we first started seeing each other.<br />
She had seen everything.....<br />
Awakening is both the most profound experience possible and also the most basic<br />
6 billion fish unable to find waterformerlyskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075739986214432008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156505734900052403.post-86381772987309210212011-02-22T02:51:00.000-08:002011-07-16T05:49:53.669-07:00After the agony...Reading back over my material it seems that there is a lot of emphasis on how dificult this process is.<br />
Well I don't want to try and understate that point because it is difficult however the end point seems to be worth it.<br />
So having reached this point how can I describe the experience.<br />
Firstly we have to accept that I am using language to convey the description and by it's nature langage is limited in it's ability to convey experiece as it is based in symbols. Direct perction is better... however as we are stuck with this medium we can also agree that while terms like 'I' are no longer accurate or even appropriate they are functional for the vast majority of the human race as opposed to statements like 'the experience of emptiness moving/acting through this experience of form' ...I is simpler.<br />
There is an experience of a lot of joy,happiness and bliss.<br />
I think bliss needs something of an explanation here as it's not a hugely coommon experience.<br />
It's like being happy - only really really happy. <br />
It's like being in love.<br />
It's like being euphoric and elated and calm at the same time.<br />
So that's bliss<br />
Which is only an aspect of this place. It comes sometimes and it goes.<br />
The beauty is it doesn't matter if it's there or not.<br />
So how about the rest of it.<br />
Awareness seems to be looking at itself all the time now. The intensity of it varies however.<br />
The buddha field I spoke about seems to be there most of the time and it deepens when I hang out with people in a similar space or awake as well. It's like the one plus one equals 5 principal.<br />
I'm fortunate as I have a few friends I hang out with who are either awake or moving in and out of it like I was for the last months/year or so.<br />
Terms like space, emptiness and peace seem to be decriptors of the internal landscape.<br />
<br />
This seems to be one of the benifits of having a teacher.<br />
You get the option of sitting with someone who is already in this state. <br />
This seems to make it easier to experience the awakened state...and become familiar with it.formerlyskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075739986214432008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156505734900052403.post-37053102003639073042011-02-20T04:45:00.000-08:002011-07-21T13:31:21.440-07:00Rocket ScienceIt seems a number of people around me are waking up.<br />
It may be like the tiny green car effect.... where a friend of yours buys a small green car then suddenly you see small green cars everywhere...<br />
It kind of helps that I am hanging out with people who are interested in this stuff and are moving in the same direction.... but not all of it.<br />
If you include myself I am currently hanging out with a half a dozen people who are either awake or spending most of their time there.<br />
Given how rare this state seems to be this seems to be a suprisingly large number.<br />
So what gives....<br />
Firstly ... my teacher seems to be able to convey very effectively how to follow this process... and it seems to work.<br />
Secondly .. and hence the name of the article .. it's not rocket science.<br />
There are no delaval nozzels, specific impulses, combustion chambers or transfere orbits.<br />
Although on second thoughts maybe there are ....<br />
It is however stuff that just about everyone can understand... or even if they can't they can do the actions.<br />
As someone I knew once said - understanding is the booby prize.<br />
<br />
And it seems that many roads lead to Rome.<br />
A hell of a lot of them don't however.....<br />
<br />
If you read this article and get anything out of it.... let it be this.<br />
Awakening is within your reach....formerlyskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075739986214432008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156505734900052403.post-6635090396971076532011-02-19T06:14:00.000-08:002011-07-21T06:20:19.062-07:00This is Awesome...Ok .. I'll probably be saying this more and more as time goes on .......But just for the record....<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This is Awesome...</span>formerlyskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075739986214432008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156505734900052403.post-39289745258985644742011-02-18T12:42:00.000-08:002011-07-23T21:42:12.316-07:00Chop wood carry water<strong>There is a Zen saying, "Before Enlightenment chop wood carry water, after Enlightenment, chop wood carry water." </strong><br />
It does seem to be the case.<br />
There does seem to be more drive to share what is here however.<br />
This blog is an extension of that....<br />
Other actions may result as well although the form this will take is not clear at this stage.formerlyskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075739986214432008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156505734900052403.post-48141218544591899862011-02-18T03:03:00.000-08:002011-08-04T03:52:40.488-07:00Somewhat non dual reality - 30th julyThe last week has been interesting.<br />
A lot of stuff has been moving through. <br />
Doesn't feel like a lot compared to say 6 months ago however and I have had the experience of dropping out of the awake state and back into the dream.<br />
The mind/ego can be very sneeeky when it wants to be ( which seems to be all the time)<br />
I have become attached to being awake...So in order to stay awake I have to let go of the attachment to it<br />
This dropping in and out can be common in the early stages apparently and even teachers who have been sitting in unbroken awakening for years can still drop into the dream.formerlyskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075739986214432008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156505734900052403.post-80550835489888763442011-02-17T00:39:00.000-08:002012-01-05T00:59:50.785-08:00New year new beginningsHello to everyone from Australia, USA, UK, Malaysia, Netherlands,Germany,Sweden, Denmark Spain and Canada.<br />
I hope the blog has been useful for you and provided some insight to get you off the path.<br />
It's been around 6 months since my last post and I've had little inclination in that time to post. I've spent much of that time awake and significant periods deeply unconsious. Clarity is pretty high right now though. Who knows - maybe it will last until I die or maybe thiss too will pass. I read a while back about an indian sage who after 40 years of unbroken awakening dropped back into the dream when one of his followers mistreated a girl. He phisically dragged the guy from the ashram by his ears yelling and screaming at him and kicked him out.<br />
Later when his students asked him what had happened he said...'For a few miniutes there I forgot I was a saint'<br />
My experience is the awakened state can be unbroken or you can drop back into the dream at the drop of a hat and this has happened to all the teacheres I have met. They just get back on the horse quicker than most.<br />
<br />
Who can say what is next.<br />
<br />
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<br />
How do you know if you're awake.<br />
Sounds stupid doesn't it<br />
You achive the state that millions of buddhists and spiritual seekers are striving to achive......<br />
And YOU DONT EVEN NOTICE.....<br />
Can happen... Believe it.. for various reasons.<br />
The first one - is maybe you don't know what waking up is and have no idea what it feels like.<br />
That happened to me the first time round and caused me no end of troubles.<br />
Secondly - Maybe you are not trying to wake up of believe it is so far off that you won't achieve it this lifetime.- this happened to a friend of mine recently<br />
Thirdly- waking up - the initial stages - are fairly subtle. The second time I woke up (20 years after my first time) my first thoughts were "Really!!!! - This is it...was expecting something more" and yet later it became more than I could have possibly imagined.<br />
So what are the symptoms of being awake<br />
1.) Your awareness is turned in on itself all the time. Whenever you are doing something and at every moment during the day you awareness is watching the world and itself at the same time .. the observer is the observed ... to quote Kirshnamurti<br />
2.) You get to take on others negative energy. When you have cleared so much of your own stuff and are burning brightly negative energy and forms will leave others and come to you to get burned in the fires of awareness. It's a bit like water flows down to the lowest point. If your vessel is empty then if you hang out with somone who is feeling heavy, sad, angry, ect ect then some of their pain will shift to you and they will feel better for a while. Some people who are not awake can do this but everyone I know who is awake does it just by being.<br />
3.) You get a buddha field. It's kind of an extension of the above effect but has a palpable presence. People near a person who is awake can feel the buddha field and it can help them drop into awakening as well. One of the benifits of having an awake teacher.<br />
4.) There seems to be a lot of space,emptiness and peace inside you<br />
5.) You may experiece a lot of bliss and joy<br />
6.) You may be happy all the time for no particular reason<br />
7.) People may ask you (in all seriousness) what drugs you are on and where they can get some (This actually happened to me).<br />
<br />
If you have all of the above symptoms you may be awake<br />
Goodluck with thatformerlyskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075739986214432008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156505734900052403.post-75542030934166365872011-02-15T04:17:00.000-08:002012-06-20T04:18:58.880-07:00Instant AwakeningI have been reflecting recently on my first awakening experience<br />
It took only two weeks to wake up and lasted for around a year.<br />
in itself this was an amazing accomplishment for Krishnamurti.<br />
So here is my recommendation....<br />
If you want enlightenment and want it fast go out and buy<br />
Krishnamurti's Beyond Violence<br />
Read it<br />
See if you wake up<br />
Good luck if you do.<br />
<br />
If you don't then don't worry there is still the slower but surer path. herein .....formerlyskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075739986214432008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156505734900052403.post-22844943412811592842011-02-14T15:41:00.000-08:002012-12-27T15:57:44.808-08:00NamesteNameste is a simple word - a greeting spoken by millions the world over every day.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I has a number of translations but the most relevant one here is remarkably simple.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The spirit that is with in me greets and recognizes the spirit that is within you.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In it's translation then it is not just a word by a practice that occurs every time you meet someone.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When you are awake it is impossible not to do this</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My soul salutes your soul...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My heart loves your heart</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My Awareness sees your awareness and sees the lack of separation between the two.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Two waves looking for water...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Seeing they are part of an ocean...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Nameste</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
formerlyskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075739986214432008noreply@blogger.comperth, Australia-36.031331776331868 116.3671895-64.585647776331868 75.0585955 -7.4770157763318679 157.6757835tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156505734900052403.post-53061840781678505132011-02-14T04:42:00.000-08:002012-06-20T04:43:14.379-07:00The reality of waking in the marketplaceSometimes it can be hard....<br />
It's called the hero's journey for a reason.<br />
It's dangerous, there are lots of obstacles<br />
and there is a pot of gold at the end<br />
<br />
I'm not sure anyone who hasn't done this can get how hard it can be<br />
<br />
Ironically it can also be incredibly easy.(see instant awakening)<br />
<br />
In my own personal journey I may have decided to do a bit much at once...<br />
<br />
Start a new company....<br />
Start a new family....<br />
Wake up.....<br />
All at the same time....<br />
<br />
I think that one would be enough for most people...<br />
<br />
On the plus side the family and business are going great....<br />
<br />
The waking up....hmm<br />
<br />
I feel a bit like a guy who has spent a lot of time being in the land of awake and I've even lived there periodically but now I am camping on the outskirts and walk in and out of the land pretty regularly.<br />
<br />
So I can see it all the time... I'm just not experiencing it all the time...<br />
<br />
Or am I...<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Isaac would say this is also an illusion and that we are always ever there....</span><br />
The thing is I can remember being able to see that ...<br />
<br />
So clearly...<br />
<br />
6 billion waves.. Searching for water...<br />
<br />
<br />
Nameste<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />formerlyskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075739986214432008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156505734900052403.post-13300284515856411732011-02-05T05:02:00.000-08:002013-05-19T05:03:10.294-07:00TeachingHmm ... seem to be spending a lot of time in the space and chilling out. I am getting a stong urge to teach some of this or share some of it. Sitting with others would be enough and is the primary reason I go to satsang these days. More to give back than to recieve... I also enjoy the naps.<br />
<br />
I find the emptiness deepens when i share this with others and would like to do some formal sitting with others one on one or in small groups. Not sure how to manifest this but I have a sneeking suspicion the universe will sort it out..... <br />
<br />
Nameste everyone and my heat opens to you all. May you find what you seekformerlyskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01075739986214432008noreply@blogger.com