Comments on: 31. Tony Parsons – The Open Secret – Interview

By: gilbert

gilbert — Mon, 04 May 2009 08:38:15 +0000

No, there is no second part. It was fun though, wasn’t it.
We may do another interview but I think Tony got across everything he is on about in this program. You can watch lots of videos of him in action on the net and he has DVD’s you can purchase. You can’t help liking the man. I guess the secret is out in the open now.
But ‘seekers’ keep seeking because they don’t HEAR the message. Listen again, if that is what it takes. It is the same message hammered at over and over.

By: David Janssen

David Janssen — Mon, 04 May 2009 05:54:32 +0000

Is there a second part to the interview?

By: gilbert

gilbert — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 22:40:27 +0000

The in breath is not the out breath. The out breath is not the in breath. They are distinctly different. They exist together. You cannot breath in without breathing out – each has its natural limit. Breathing exercises only alter the state of mind – they do not touch awareness.
There is the smallest gap between these apparently separate movements called in breath and out breath.
All of it is contained in breath-ING. Breathing is the function-ING. Nothing is divided. Everything is awareness appearing as this and that.
The cycle of life, like the rainbow contains all the shades of colors. Yet the rainbow has no substance or location of its own.
It is ALL Light.
It is ALL Presence……undivided by anything……not even time.

All words are vibrations. Vibration is energy. Energy is light. Light is love.
You love to be. And you ARE. What ‘more’ do you want?

You can love it or hate it – what difference does it make? It is only thought that ‘creates’ a problem with LIFE.
LIFE isn’t interested one way or the other. Finicky little creatures play with their preferences and opinions and build castles in the sky.

By: mark

mark — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:03:03 +0000

Awareness !;-)

By: kale

kale — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 10:40:20 +0000

Strange, how we must have the last word in order to feel special; this false sense of self importance is somehow so important that in order to maintain it we are ready to live in a world of concepts; after all, the known hell is better than unknown. We feel that we have the answer (in form of fancy sounding words / concepts) but, is the answer it? What remains at the pause of a thought? Can that be deepened? It can only be recognized….anything added to that can only be a concept.

By: Djihi Sangita

Djihi Sangita — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:52:38 +0000

Thank you Gilbertji! I feel these pointers are starting up a dialogue with the chakra’s of my painbody ! Haleluja !
Nameste,
Djihi Sangita

By: Charlie

Charlie — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:18:57 +0000

Just can’t help but love Tony, as well Gilbert, Bob, all the participants here … appreciating the endless wonder of this variety … ALL the clear and clouded pointed and un-pointed expressions of that One Essence … Being Is, who cannot “recognize” this?

By: gilbert

gilbert — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 21:22:22 +0000

Thanks Jimbo. I have not read a Newspaper in ten years, apart from a quick glance here and there. Maybe we should start a Urban Guru News-limited. Pity these multimillionaires are not interested in ‘this stuff’. Anyway I will give it some ‘thought’ – maybe a PDF Newspaper that is down-load-able. I used to make one with some friends years ago called ‘The Shite Times’ – it was hilarious and would have people flipping between fits of anguish and laughter. I will see if I can find one of them and I will email it to you. I know you would enjoy it for sure. The puritans would have a seizure. Poor poor pitiful ‘me’.

By: Kimo (Jim)

Kimo (Jim) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:50:47 +0000

G- I’ll concur and say that this is better than reading the newspaper. Please keep the site running; only stop trying to top John & Randall with your posts (just kidding!)

By: gilbert

gilbert — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 07:34:27 +0000

There is NO embodiment. NO deeper. Consciousness does NOT inhabit the body – it IS the body. All these ‘ghost in the machine’ concepts are misleading.
EVERYTHING appears in the SEEING – in the AWARENESS.
The multiplicity is an appearance in the SINGULAR Presence.
It is ALL THAT – One without a second.
Call it Allah or God or Self or Buddha Nature or whatever you wish to call it.
The WORD is not IT.
The label you place on that immediate space of knowing (where you appear to be) is only a label – it is mind and mind is time.
No label sticks to the timeless.
The pure cognition is untouched. Billions of sufferers can weep and moan but nothing touches the ‘Knowing’ – The knowing is the first instant, the only instant – it is the unmoving ‘background’ that remains present, no matter what. It is here as the eyes scan these words. The mind registers the words instantly and everything is understood until something grinds up against a belief. The mind says ‘NO’, this is not correct, etc.
Without the KNOWING, none of this activity can be known at all.
Do not speak of the suffering of another by name. You have no evidence of the suffering of another. Speak of your own neurosis and suffering, if you can. Maybe you pretend not to have any. Your understanding is clearly muddied by concepts about embodiment and deepening and they are all concepts without any true and clear evidence.
They are nothing but concepts. Where is this deeper? Where is this embodiment?
You have to talk about them and conjure up images in the mind. Recognize this.
Then we can communicate far more efficiently.

By: Djihi Sangita

Djihi Sangita — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 06:55:19 +0000

“Do we have to keep going back to basics every second line?”

No certainly not , on the contrary it would be nice to have a session about the embodiment over time of the consciousness that inhabits our body. To let it settle and deepen. I think it would be very helpful for people who after hearing this message still suffer, like Ralph for instance. Otherwise the seeing just remains as a glimpse which after passing only makes us more aware of our neurotic nature then that it liberates us.

By: gilbert

gilbert — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 05:09:24 +0000

These squiggles on a screen amount to ziltch.
The bottom line is that throughout this vast expansive appearance called the universe there is not even one ‘entity’ anywhere. It is all appearances within a single scope.
Until this is recognized then any ‘means’ to ‘bring about’ that recognition is valid. If the ‘machine’ is massage well enough and pummeled from all sides, who knows? Something my just click.
Everyone is a unique expression of THAT. ‘We’ have all manner of ‘people’ looking at this site. Yes, it is all in the appearance. Do we have to keep going back to basics every second line? The direct pointing is here for those who can ‘receive it’. The most direct and profound pointing usually goes over everyones heads. You must admit it is better than reading the Newspaper, isn’t it? Maybe not. I can easily stay quiet and do other stuff instead. Or you could go do something else yourself. What are you looking for anyway?
No need to answer this. warm regards – Gilbert.

By: billtys

billtys — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 04:24:55 +0000

…and as the “dream state” dissolves, what remains aware to receive the “sleep state” in which there is no idea of a person or experience?

The same Principle that receives the “waking state” and the “dream state”… except there is no sensation or perception arising during the “sleep state”.

If there is nothing in front of the mirror…nothing is reflected…except empty space.

By: Randall Friend

Randall Friend — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:44:45 +0000

Have an honest look at direct experience. Forget the concepts and just look at what you know beyond doubt.

This “person” has seemingly come about “after you woke up”. We call this the “waking state”. It came about. Something had to be there prior to.

This character, this “person” appears IN this “waking state”, that which comes about and passes. In direct experience, doesn’t this character appear WITH this state? Doesn’t this “person” arrive with the state?

What knows this passing state? Can the character, which disappears along with the state itself, know of the passing?

This character or “person” appears in the “dream state”, also another state which comes about and passes. What knows this passing state? Can the dream character, which disappears along with the dream, know of it’s passing?

Does the dream “character” know it’s in a dream? Does this “waking state” character realize it’s also in a passing dream?

Something remains aware during the passing of the very states in which the “person” appears. Isn’t this direct and obvious experience? Hasn’t this simply been overlooked, ignored or basically conceptualized as that “person” moving through states? Nonsense!

Stay with direct experience, with what you know for certain. You see these states come and go – something remains to know “I slept”. How do you know?

What is present to know the dream? What is the principle that is SEEING anything in a dream? Can a dream character see? Is the dream character having actual functioning senses? Does the dream character have a little dream brain functioning and “generating awareness”? Wouldn’t it have to, in order for the conceptual to actually fit Reality?

Isn’t the ME a learned concept?

That same PRESENCE is aware of the “waking state” right now. It is a superimposition of concepts which creates the idea of a “person” – yet this Presence isn’t hidden, not obscured… that Presence is SEEING right this very moment, the seeing in vision, the knowing in touching, the awareness in tasting, the consciousness behind the hearing.

Something is SEEING right this moment. That seeing isn’t being “done by you”. That seeing is the space in which the “person” appears. That seeing is the condition necessary for any sensation or perception to arise. That SEEING right now is the same seeing that witnesses the passing of the waking and dream states. Is it not? Take a look.

We are incorrectly trying to force-fit conceptual awareness onto something that isn’t conceptual. This pure seeing cannot be conceptualized yet is undeniable if we just look, if we don’t ignore direct experience, if we don’t conceptualize what we know into what we think we know.

As the “waking state” dissolves, what remains aware, to receive the “dream state”?

By: Guru Orgy

Guru Orgy — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:20:28 +0000

I really don’t care who you denounce. I’m just pointing out to you how incredibly idiotic it looks to set up a dichotomy of “Me” (the one who knows) vs “Them” (those who pretend to know) on a website that is all about exposing the illusion of a “me” and a “them” who know anything at all.
But maybe you already realize this and just don’t care? Maybe ’cause there’s no one there to care? I dunno. It’s whatever man. Do your thing.

By: gilbert

gilbert — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:23:34 +0000

Diatribes – and where is the taste of that bitter, abusive denunciation tasted?
‘Who’ perceives someone denouncing gurus? The world is full of all sorts of crap, so it seems, but do we have to have a sterile website where only the pure expression abides? Impossible.

By: Guru Orgy

Guru Orgy — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:06:07 +0000

in spite of the silly anti-guru diatribes, The Urban Guru Cafe is a really cool, innovative site, and the podcasts are beautifully done. Hats off to no one.

By: gilbert

gilbert — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:41:48 +0000

Nothing can happen anywhere else than right now. The mind is TIME.

By: Bill Tys

Bill Tys — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:39:18 +0000

That’s right! Everything is happening right now! Except… me winning the lottery!

By: Tom Allen

Tom Allen — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:30:11 +0000

Well, let’s face it, all this stuff is just happening–just as this post is happening right now.It is all the same kind of stuff–spontaneous…what? Quien sabe?

By: gilbert

gilbert — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:03:13 +0000

In SEEING that there is no ‘me’ here…….one knows beyond doubt that there is no ‘me’ anywhere. The sword cuts both ways my friend. You say who cares? and then particularize about someone scoffing. It is ALL in the appearance.
Some comments are addressed to the believed in ‘me’. There is plenty of direct pointing going on here on the site – particularly in the programs.
The ‘entity’ does not have the capacity to know anything but it believes it does, so it seems. It needs to be questioned.
That ‘me’ is a seeming ‘agent’ for what? – for whom?
We can stir up the bucket of water as vigorously as we wish. If we leave it alone it will return to stillness. The water never changes its basic nature.
You can put your finger in a glass of water and then remove the finger. A few ripples soon settle down. What impression is left of that depression?
The believed in ‘me’ leaves a seeming depression in consciousness ONLY because it is believed in.
‘Smaskaras’ (the sanskrit word for past impressions) are only memories arising in the present. If they are not engaged with or believed in they just appear and disappear.
Who knows what may turn someone around to really look. Just because you refuse to do it or imagine that you have ‘already done it’, is no reason to accuse anyone of anything.
WHO has a problem? If you truly don’t have a problem then the direct pointing isn’t going to be of assistance.
And Seinfield (field of sein or sin) can give relief from the sad story of ‘me’……and Jewish comedians and comedy writers are very good at it.
Well, keep stirring that bucket.

By: Bill Tys

Bill Tys — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 23:50:18 +0000

Perspective is another beautiful appearance manifested by the intelligence…and the perspectives are endless…

Yet if ‘we’ look FROM our true nature and not FOR our true nature (Randell Friend’s words in one of the posts above) it is seen that all perspectives arise in the intelligence.

All perspectives, including the body… and the mind which darts all over the place like a monkey in a tree jumping from one banana to the next…are simply content appearing as the intelligence… but not separate from the intelligence.

Dare I say it! There is no duality in non duality.

By: Guru Orgy

Guru Orgy — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 23:22:15 +0000

Honestly, “who” cares? If people want to spend $165 to listen to some asshole spew spiritual bullshit, “who” gives a damn? People fork over money for all kinds of stupid crap. We go to concerts and sporting events to watch people moan into microphones or throw a ball back and forth across a field for several hours. Spirituality is no less entertaining and no more meaningless than anything else. Why take up arms against these guys? Especially when the whole message of non-duality is about oneness, inclusiveness, non-separation, etc. Rejecting other people’s ideas over and over again, labeling them “dualistic,” getting caught up in the most correct expressions of something that is ultimately beyond expression–how is that not “dualistic”?

“Who” is it that has a problem with these alternative viewpoints and expressions? “Who” is it that scoffs at those who “embellish and embroider their spiritual self-images?” Could it be the “one who knows”?

By: Mark Ellis

Mark Ellis — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 23:04:54 +0000

It seems as if time passes and in that “movement” the body/mind goes about doing stuff, either completely lost or engaged IN the “movement” called doing.
Watching a movie, playing my guitar, sex…. ya know what I mean…

Then all of a sudden *Bang* some thing shows up in that space of movement or flowing sensation and somehow “claims ownership” …. I am doing this, doing it really well in fact, did it better yesterday though, and on and on.

Scenario: A teaching that i paid good money for called “A weekend of presence”, playing itself out… OK~

I am paying close attention (being present>lol), washing the plate…. warm water… smell of soap… “Trying” to be in the moment>< meanwhile somewhere in the background giving myself credit for my active participation in my journey toward wholeness, enlightenment and so on.

Drifting away from that, the hands keep scrubbing and the mind goes into a tree of thought….this that…bla bla. Then the attention comes back to the “movement” that is happening in front of me… thoughts of… Shi^* I wasn’t being present, got lost in thought again…. gotta get back to this moment..and so on.. AKA “Working Toward Enlightenment”.

Somehow hours go by completely engaged in whatever is happening… Not “it should be different”, not “am I doing it right etc. Then the reviewer seems to enter the stage and analyze, make progress reports based on , well, the “Teaching” and conditioning and crap like that…. all of a sudden ‘I’ am again “Trying” to be what ‘I’ have heard or read is the Way to be in order to get something in the future.

It’s like a hamster in a wheel, playing out the same scenario in different ways.
But there is something watching ( I can FEEL it back there) all of this happen whether ‘I’ am aware of it or not and it just seems to not make any difference which “movement’ is playing itself out anymore. It’s like I’m here whether i know it or not. A sense of what can (not accurately) be termed “well being” or “faith” or Trust”….or maybe nothing left to gain or loose seems to permeate the atmosphere and life just keeps unfolding.

Lots of squigglys~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By: Ralph

Ralph — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 22:19:51 +0000

Good one …

“Here at the Urban Anti-Guru Cafe the dogma of Direct Pointing is the one and only approach to Truth”.

By: Bill Tys

Bill Tys — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 22:16:34 +0000

Make a cup of coffee…toast up a piece of bread and put some honey on it! Sit in front of the television and watch old Seinfield episodes…and have a good laugh!

That is it!

That is pure and immaculate cognition. Nothing fancy! The intelligence makes, toasts, sits, watches and laughs. (That should be enough to make the restless mind come to a dead stop!)

‘You’ do nothing. The imagined entity does nothing.

Whatever ‘you’ are doing right now is pure cognition…there is only cognition…there is only intelligence.

The intelligence is the appearance…the appearance is the intelligence…they are not separate. The appearance does not obscure the intelligence. The appearance could not appear without the intelligence.

The intelligence is so smart it even manifests thinking to accompany the appearing body. That appearing body then thinks it makes, toasts, sits, watches and laughs!

Intelligence just playing…

By: Ralph

Ralph — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 22:14:37 +0000

Hi Sully,

Its not that I am determined to SUFFER but instead to acknowledge that suffering is still there. It appears that ‘direct pointing’ alone is not enough for psychological suffering to come to a full stop , instantly. That’s all I’m saying.

By: Nobody

Nobody — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 22:05:27 +0000

Karma, soul, lifetimes…oh dear, not those ‘old’ new age bullshits here please!

By: Guru Orgy

Guru Orgy — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 21:46:55 +0000

Now, now. Lets not get too carried away. Here at the Urban Anti-Guru Cafe the dogma of Direct Pointing is the one and only approach to Truth. Nevermind that “nonduality” points to all-inclusiveness and no separation. If other ideas fill your head just remind yourself, THERE IS NO [fill in the blank].

By: gilbert

gilbert — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 21:44:47 +0000

Oh dear…..dear….dear.
I think that something that Ramana is reported to have said, demonstrates the crux of ‘our’ dilemma. I will paraphrase it, from memory, as close as I can:
“You ARE the Infinite BEING.
Then you take yourself to be a limited creature.
Then you create (imagine) methods and practices in order to free yourself from these limitations.
But HOW can these methods and practices bring any freedom so long as they IMPLY those limitations?” – end of quote.
It is worded slightly differently I am sure but the gist of it is there.
All of your limitations are imaginary.
Everyone is THAT ONE. Or more correctly put – ONE is every-one, without exception.
There is no ‘relationship’ that arises in that ONE. How could there be?
Relationship requires TWO.
There is no TWO in Non Duality – even by its definition.
So, the problem is in dualistic mind.
LOOK into the mirror like nature of ‘your own mind’ and SEE that there is no separate entity there.
ALL of the doubts and questions will dissolve in that SEEING.
‘You’ as that believed in ‘self’ have NO choice – and yet, that essence of the ONE contains ALL potentialities.
Where is your potentiality RIGHT NOW? Stop squirming and BE what you ARE.
Stop going into the habitual mind looking for an answer – there is no answer in the mind.
Teachers and gurus are a dime a dozen but the rare one who is open to hear the message is truly rare.
This ‘stuff’ expressed here only ruffles the feathers of the ‘many’, keeps them awake at night and it is like sand in their knickers.
In ONE Instant of SEEING – what needs to be seen is seen.
The SEEING has never not been available and IS ‘happening’.
It is the believed in ‘entity’ that puts up every conceivable obstacle in the view.
It is made of belief.
Nothing can exist without energy.
SO CUT OFF its supply.
CEASE from believing in it. SEE it for what it is.
BE what you ARE – as Ramana points out: “You ARE the INFINITE BEING”
- You are NOT this limited being that imagination has seemingly created.
What SHOCK is needed to bring you to THIS immediacy so this will be recognized?
Cosmic Consciousness is not altered by any movement or imagined limitation. Your ‘self-importance’ is the problem.
‘You’ are nothing but the constant referencing of every experience to a fictional character ‘me’. All of that stuff is NOTHING but a story.
STOP the story and SEE. Only the mind asks ‘Who is going to stop thought?’
WHEN will you cease to pretend to be what you are not?
All your friends may pamper your self-image due to an unspoken deal – “You scratch my back and I will scratch yours” or “I wont tell the truth about YOU, so long as you don’t tell the truth about ME”. It is all dualistic nonsense and what is more – you know it is. Prior to thinking it through.

‘People’ pay gurus, over the decades, thousands upon thousands of dollars to ‘make this happen’ for them.
The IRONY is – the introduction to your own true nature is ‘instantaneous’. It does NOT require TIME. It is totally FREE.
True Compassion is to POINT DIRECTLY in this immediacy. A hand coming out, asking for PAYMENT prior to the message being delivered is the scoundrel.
Foolishly ‘people’ pay amounts like $165 for one sitting, WHY? – Just so that they can embellish and embroider their ‘spiritual self-image’ and have something new to talk about with their facade loving friends?
I say piss it all off. All of it. It is nothing but crap and it WILL keep you bound into endless time. Offering you an image of being a ‘pain body’ is the most insidious gift I have ever heard of. Only someone brought up on Grimm Fairy Tales could come up with such a grim and gruesome tale. If you want LIFESTYLE then please go to any of the Lotus bearing websites, because there will be no peace of mind found HERE. ( nor there either).
P.S. ONLY a true friend will tell you what you need to hear.

By: Mark Ellis

Mark Ellis — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 21:22:32 +0000

Words and their meanings……. Who drops them?
Disengagement from thought… Who does this?
Where does the confusion “take place”?

As long as there is a perceived “me”, ask these questions relentlessly>

The mind eventually (it seems) gets exhausted when constantly given questions that can’t be answered…. in truth. Again…. Stay with what is (Yea, who? stays? right?)

By: Djihi Sangita

Djihi Sangita — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 21:06:47 +0000

Dorothy, just consider that what you are is eternal aware space or consciousness. You have a body, but you are not that body. So, while your body can be permanently harmed just like your car or your camera can be harmed, you as consciousness eventually heal or recover from all of the experiences that affect you. Even if the affect lasts for lifetimes, eventually the karma or debt is released. From the perspective of something eternal, even many lifetimes is not that long.

By: dorothy hoffman

dorothy hoffman — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 20:59:45 +0000

Thanks Sangita, just the words are confusing. What is the soul? If my true nature is empty awareness, then how can it be enriched? Sorry, but this is creating more confusion…please don’t mind me. It’s just easier for me when all words and their meanings are dropped…simply disengaging from thought; sometimes it happens at other times not….but thanks for trying to explain…

By: Sully

Sully — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 20:55:29 +0000

Ralph,
It seems as if you are determined to SUFFER! Maybe the direct pointers are not working for you because you believe there is something more to DO or GET.

By: Mark Ellis

Mark Ellis — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 20:51:15 +0000

Dorthy,
In other words>
Everything that arises……. Falls away>

By: Djihi Sangita

Djihi Sangita — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 20:34:26 +0000

Hi Dorothy Hoffman,

A simple question to ask is, What effect does this experience have on my eternal soul? And while everything leaves an impression on your awareness and ultimately your soul, nothing can ever permanently harm your soul, your true nature as empty awareness. In fact, every experience enriches your soul. Every moment adds to the depth and richness of your deepest knowing. We sense this in people who have faced a lot of difficulty in life and who are willing to accept their fate. There is a depth and wisdom that only comes from a wide range of experience, including painful and unwanted experiences.

This willingness to meet and have any experience can come from the simple recognition that what you are is open spacious awareness. Your body, mind, personality, emotions and desires all appear within that awareness, but they are not you, and the real you cannot be harmed.

By: dorothy hoffman

dorothy hoffman — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 20:06:50 +0000

Sangita, could you please explain in simpler terms? Many Thanks…

By: Ralph

Ralph — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 19:21:02 +0000

…… just a comment:

There are alot of ‘pointers’ here that aim to describe the indescribable but very little spoken here on how to end the psychological suffering.
Yes, there is no ‘separate self’ so ‘who’ is there to suffer but this direct pointer will not do it for most so-called seekers, don’t you think?

….. maybe your next one or two programs will touch on this or maybe not ?

By: Djihi Sangita

Djihi Sangita — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:21:11 +0000

Consciousness is affected but not harmed. It is the nature of aware consciousness to be affected by everything it experiences. Every color and sound, every event and experience, and every passing thought or feeling affects your consciousness. That is why we call it consciousness. And yet consciousness is not harmed by anything. That is its nature, that it cannot be harmed. The form of anything can be permanently changed or harmed. Your body can be harmed, but the consciousness that inhabits your body cannot be harmed. There is nothing that can harm you. No one and nothing has ever harmed you. This is not to say that consciousness is not affected deeply by both the good and bad things that happen to us. Every hurtful and unkind act leaves an impression in the consciousness of those involved. It is just that the impression does not permanently limit or damage the awareness of those involved. If something has an effect on us that is permanent, then it could be said that it has harmed us. But if the effect is temporary, then what is the ultimate harm? Everything that profoundly affects our awareness, from the painful to the tragic, eventually passes. It is the miracle of our consciousness that it can heal from any wound, even if our body cannot.

By: Mark Ellis

Mark Ellis — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:13:45 +0000

Gilbert,
You ask for comments etc……… revealing oneself as not knowing is the same as saying I got it… Both equally false as the “oneself” who never was.
You and the UGC have seemingly helped clear some of the debris… The Neti Neti is more appearant , as is THIS. Whenever there is pause, even for a brief moment (in time) the whole world, universe, IT…rushes in to fill all seeming space. That’s as best as can be described.
The interest here these days is the “normal” and Full life that shows up here when the eyes open. As I have said… Here and Now is Soooo much more simple than How and Why?? Just Chillin in that`
Warmly,
Mark

By: Nobody

Nobody — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 12:41:24 +0000

This knowing presence is enough…the ordinary is enough…what needs an energetic shift? What would be gained by that? Some look for a pleasant experience but that is just an other passing appearance…one or two programs won’t add nothing to that, perhaps more confusion! – but why not?:-)

By: gilbert

gilbert — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 09:29:44 +0000

Yes, ordinary is the KEY. Everyone goes looking for the extra-ordinary. There are plenty around who will offer that and get you to pay heavily for it too. Pity it never pays off.
Plenty of long term devotees of these gurus pretend that it has paid off and they set up shop as a teacher or guru, to recoup their loses.
Gilbert isn’t tough at all, he’s a pussy cat. REALITY is what is tough.
Was is Socrates who took too long to ‘get it’ because his teacher’s wife was too kind to him? Anyway, this isn’t about pampering any spiritual self-images. Far from it.
I had that crap beaten out of me one way or another. There is no nice way to deliver the message. There are thousands of ways to deliver false information in the guise of ‘truth’.
This website is rather unique because it is packed with hundreds of clear pointers.
There is no one here pushing themselves as gurus or whatever. Those chaps don’t get past the front gate.
I know for certain that many are actually ‘hearing’ what is on offer. Many emails come in and from what is said it is obvious that there is a strong resonance happening with not just a few. I say it is a very welcome thing to see happening. THIS is not for ‘the select FEW’.
Far too many gurus have played the elite club game. ‘People’ are better off putting all their money in a slot machine – at least there is a slim chance of a payout.
ANYWAY…have you had enough yet? Want MORE programs? How many do you need?
There is another one or two coming. So relax.

By: Sleepless In L.A.

Sleepless In L.A. — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 09:00:31 +0000

This site, relentlessly, repeatedly and constantly pounding the one simple reality is important to the overworked, naturally hyperactive rattlings of a brain and so-called seeker such as me. By reading here, it enables me to “give it a rest” for just a moment or two every once in awhile and maybe even loose the me for short periods. Thanks! I have been lucky to have met Bob Adamson, Gilbert, John Wheeler, Areti and a few others for a brief time on a recent visit to Australia. All have, what appeared to me, to be “normal” and ordinary outer personalities. However, their underlying oneness and huge scope was obvious in the unselfish time and effort spent with me in sharing of the same truth expressed from slightly different perspectives. As personalities, they had nothing to gain in doing this. That was refreshing and has kept this personality listening, because I am naturally the type looking for the “catch” in everything. Staying objective about the subjective (!) on this site is important, I think.

P.S. Gilbert…your tough. Don’t soften. And you seemed like such a nice guy when I met you! Wished I had the opportunity to hear you play and sing, though, like I did with John.

By: gilbert

gilbert — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 06:31:29 +0000

No prisoners are taken here. No one is held captive for years of waiting for deliverance.
No teasing out some special knowledge and no favoritism. No crawling, squirming seekers are allowed to enter the ‘temple’. Everyone is ‘beheaded’ without exception. No kid gloves are employed here. No torture and no service to the guru will be allowed.
The ‘golden calf’ has been melted back into pure gold. No worship of anyone is tolerated.
False gurus will be served up as ‘meat pies’ on Sunday afternoons. Tomato ketchup will be supplied to give the pies at least some flavor. Anyone without a sense of humor will be tickled until they at least utter a faint giggle.
Where are the brave ones to make some comments? What are you afraid of?
Someone may recognized ‘who’ you are? Do you know who you are yourself?
No contracts will be drawn up.
THIS moment is fresh and new. It has never happened before. It will never happen again.
Liberation? Who needs it?

By: gilbert

gilbert — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 04:06:27 +0000

Correct. All the patterns are suffused with knowing – they ARE knowing but NOT as anything separate. The patterns know nothing ‘of themselves’.
There is ONLY one Knowing happening. Just as there is ONLY one Seeing happening. Same, same.
THIS is so utterly profound it will stop the mind dead in its habitual tracks.
SEEING this without any need of being a ‘seer’ is what is required.
This is impossible to contrive. The mind has no interest in this.
The impulse arises spontaneously from pure being.
Everyone seems to get caught on this idea of enlightened beings.
‘Beings’ is plural.
‘Being’ is Singular.
What we are talking about is Non Duality.
The WHOLE is enlightened and there is NO SEPARATION.
So, what you truly ARE MUST be THAT.
‘When’ the mind stops engaging with thought – SEEING-KNOWING remain immaculately present.
The mind seemingly divides THIS ‘unicity’ – it can’t do anything but divide and compare, name and label.
It is only the habit of ‘me’ (mind) that will try to contradict this Obviousness, this peace of natural unity.
It’s pathetic mind game is nothing but habit. Break it. Cease from believing in what the mind is telling ‘you’.
The mind has no power to delude the pure awareness which is totally available right now.
Belief is the scoundrel – but it loses its seeming power once it is seen clearly.
Seeing is happening right now.
So what is it that stands in the way?
It can only be belief in ‘me’. It is a mirage.

By: mark

mark — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 20:57:29 +0000

In allignment of previous post it is seen that “the one ‘who’ knows” is just an appearance appearing in and as THAT boundlessness. A pattern which is not aware yet not separate from non-conceptual awareness. Just a concept arising without any separate existence … an apparent movement in a rest.

By: gilbert

gilbert — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 20:30:04 +0000

Note to previous comment, no man ever wrote those words.
Space and time appear on awareness.
Within this space, points, lines and planes, apparent solid objects seemingly stationary and moving appear.
In the ‘place’ where all these things are appearing (in the SEEING0 there is nothing at all that can be perceived.
There is only one knowing, one seeing, one awareness, one consciousness, one uninterrupted pure duration.
This is NOT hidden from anyone. It is the most obvious factor and yet it is totally impossible to grasp it with a concept. I can weave words around it and ‘point’ at it – YET the apprehension, the recognition, springs forth from that empty space of knowing without notice.
Wisdom is not a mind construction. It is a Well without bottom or end.
It is not contained in the mind.
The Sign Post will fall over and no one will be able to re-erect it correctly unless they have found their true nature. The true compassion is to share some simple pointing for those who appear to be lost. It is extremely simple to recognize this true nature – but the mind is complex and hard headed.
These programs are a wealth of ‘pointing’. Already many have been ‘pointed’ in the ‘right direction’. Each one must align themselves with the ‘pointing’ in the most intimate way.
The HEART of the recognition is COGNITION (Seeing-Knowing).
The ‘power’ of cognition is ‘seemingly’ increased with a little clear direction from one who knows – one speaking from beyond the mind.
This GIFT is freely offered. The takers are few – yet the potential is here for everyone.
If the recognition is not happening for you….then WHAT is it that stands in the way?

By: Dan

Dan — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 20:28:41 +0000

Thank you Gilbert for your precise pointing here…!!

By: mark

mark — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 18:31:36 +0000

Hi Ralph I can imagine how astounded you were when you discovered how much work needs to be done by ‘me’ to free ‘me’ from those ever-present personal thoughts with no end in sight, but to face all those ‘old’ habbit patterns until … until what really?….

By: mark

mark — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 18:23:48 +0000

Please consider inviting to the UGC and interviewing the man who wrote these words !:
“Before Abraham came into existence ‘I Am’. “I Am” once again, the simple “I Am” stands before us in all its mystery, though now defined in contrast to Abraham’s “coming into existence”. Jesus’ “I Am” stand in contrast to the world of birth and death, the world of coming into being and passing away. We have here a clear statement of Jesus’ claim to a totally unique way of being which transcends human categories” – Pope Benedict XVI

By: Ralph

Ralph — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 18:03:43 +0000

hmm…. what is the point ? what purpose could there be ?
the answer to these questions could be endless and still no answer in sight.

perhaps a better question to ask is why am I not free ? what keeps me in bondage ?
the answer to these questions, if done in earnestness, will astound you.

By: Nobody

Nobody — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 18:02:10 +0000

What about Tony’s interview 2? what carrot does he dangle this time?

By: suki

suki — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 17:41:54 +0000

‘Pointless’ in the sense of ‘Orientation-less’ or ‘Reference-less’ and naturally ‘Meaningless’ without a story.u know what i mean:)

By: mark

mark — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 16:41:15 +0000

pointless as opposed to purposefull. What purpose could there be? A purpose is far to limited for this exuberance which is this fullness/emptiness. Out of sheer abbundance this Universe exists for no reason whatsoever. It is NOT pointless, that’s a story. It IS because it has to BE !

By: suki

suki — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 15:48:47 +0000

Without a story! – Everything is ‘Pointless’! But, isn’t this the ‘Whole Point’?

By: gilbert

gilbert — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 11:03:03 +0000

‘WHO’ is always connected to a story about ‘who’. What ‘who’ can there be without a story?
‘Who’ is far too associated with stories about who I am, to be all that clear a word.
Therefore I say “Who am I”? is not so useful. I suggest the question “What am I”?

You are without any doubt, this immediate experiencing – without any substance named as a ‘who’ actually being there in that clear space of knowing.

Someone wrote and asked me to express something about identity. So……..
This immediate knowing is not divided by time. Identity is time based and requires some ‘substance’ to be the identity.
All apparent substance is ‘matter’ and matter appears with duration (time) otherwise it would not be apprehensible.
What I am is timeless and without dimension. Zero degrees of separation is zero dimension.
The first dimension is a point. An infinite number of points laying next to each other (a line) is the first dimension. An infinite number of lines laying next to each other is the second dimension – a plane. An infinite number of planes laying next to each other is the third dimension – a cube.
The forth dimension is debatable and appears to us as the movement of ‘bodies’ in space and this we call ‘time’.
All of these dimensions are appearing in the seeing. The seeing has no dimension at all. It is transcendental to these mentioned dimensions.
Where are you seeing from?
Isn’t is clear and empty. No point with any substance is present in that seeing. This clear evidence is stunningly clear and obvious, yet few recognize it.
The ‘seeker’ is a seeming substance and this ‘substance’ is being referred to constantly as ‘what I am’. Therefore the open view is seemingly obscured.

By: mark

mark — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 10:55:25 +0000

What happens if you ask the question:
“Who are you… NOW?” When you don’t go looking in the mind for an answer. You must know who you are NOW. Since you are that functioning actuality right now. It’s the flame not the candle. It’s the burning comet not the trail of byegone ideas. And what do you find? Everything and Nothing! You already are that pure functioning self when you don’t go looking for something beyond ‘ordinary’ awareness.

By: gilbert

gilbert — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 04:00:47 +0000

FYI – the comments by Eckhart Tolle and Adyarshanti as made by someone other than who he says he is. But isn’t that the case all the time.

By: Randall Friend

Randall Friend — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 03:42:09 +0000

The watcher or witness is a provisional insight based on the obviousness that there is a transparent seeing happening – that seeing objectifies all, including the world, the body and the mind or thoughts. That seeing is pure subjectivity – what the word “I” actually refers to, what we really mean by “I”.

This seems to be where the confusion is – we know THAT we are – we know this “I” intimately – only the “I” is conceptually mixed up with the body-mind. It is this concept that seemingly creates the “person” AS belief only.

It is believed that the body-mind is the source of the subjectivity until it’s investigated, pointed out, seen clearly that even the body and mind appear TO you. Then it’s no longer conceptual, it’s direct experience, direct knowledge beyond concepts, silent “understanding”. That primary seeing or activity of knowing is self-evident, only overlooked in preference for objective experience.

You are the seeing, not the body-mind or “person” which is believed to be the “seer”. The body-mind and concept of “person” appears as passing content to the stable, unchanging seeing or awareness or Consciousness.

Isn’t this already obvious if we just look?

Then it may become clear, as that primacy of Consciousness is no longer conceptual but is known directly as the most intimate aspect of ANY experience, that any object appearing cannot appear without that seeing – in fact it actually IS the seeing, just as the reflection IS the mirror. The object only seems to be separate of the seeing due to a subtle belief in separation.

Standing upon that platform of belief, nonduality will never make sense. The very platform itself must be examined and discarded as only an assumption. Nonduality doesn’t mean forcibly re-fitting that which has become separated. Nonduality means that there IS NO separation, period.

Right this moment, without any resolution to the search, without having to understand anything, without any special spiritual states, actual direct experience is nondual. Right now. THIS is One. Actual experience right this very moment contains NO boundaries between a “seer” and “seen”. Actual experience right this very moment contains no subject and no object – this equation is entirely conceptual already. Investigate that concept, see that everything you take to be real comes from this solidified belief that is quite obviously false. Once the false platform dissolves as a concept, nondual reality is revealed as simply no big deal and already the case, already and always actual experience.

Life experiencing itself.

By: dorothy hoffman

dorothy hoffman — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 03:08:34 +0000

Eckhart, somehow your pointing feeds the “me”. Where is the watcher? Is there a watcher apart from watching? Isn’t watching happening without the watcher? Confusion here….

By: gilbert

gilbert — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 00:57:52 +0000

In the last 7 or 8 years, I have been notified of being a LUCKY ONE, of having won hundreds of millions of dollars in various lotteries. At no point could I muster any belief in these notifications.
I hear tell that they actually take money out of your account – not give any.
The belief in the ‘me’ is similar. It robs you of SEEING what IS.
Yet as SOON as the belief is dropped, the SEEING is clearly unobstructed.
The fact is that this clear and unobstructed seeing is here ALL THE TIME.
Nothing actually EVER obscures awareness. It is only a story in the mind that suggests that there is some alienation happening.
There is NO separation. Period.

By: gilbert

gilbert — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 22:05:10 +0000

Note: A concept CANNOT See OR Know anything. There is so much crap tossed around about ‘when this concept sees that concept etc.
There is only one seeing happening. Belief is not the actual. The me is a thought and includes associated thoughts of being able to do, see, hear and BE.
Look into that ‘place’ where seeing is happening (if you dare). Some have taken this advice and the whole house of matchsticks comes tumbling down.

You can say whatever you like. This intelligence energy is never split into two or more.
It appears as everything without dividing itself.
Eckhart can tell you to merge with that energy but it is impossible. There is no two-ness in THIS Energy. The Universe in an Open System – One Flow – Omni-Way.
What we talk about here is Non Duality. Language is dualistic. A one word sentence isn’t much good for discussions.
The word is not the REAL – it is not what is described.
Speaking in the relativity, at any moment, everything is as it is. So what? People believe that they have a choice. A teacher professes his ‘knowledge’ and students take notes.
The concept of a ‘Fallen Angel’ can give a spiritual aspirant a jolt and send shudders through the body. All that ‘work’ and to reach SO HIGH and then be dashed into the ‘dirt’.
Many talk about surrender and other such dualistic nonsense. It is all ballderdash, intellectual shite. How so many can swallow that indigestible crap is really remarkable.
The Mind is Time. What you are seeking is Timeless – so it wont be found ‘in the mind’.
All time appears in the timeless without dividing it.
I will make an exception right now. Here is an exercise.
Get an old wind up clock with a second hand or a loud tick-tock. Wind it up and sit looking at it or listening to the sound of the tick-tock. Set the alarm in this NOW for 30 minutes in the so-called ‘future’.
Now sit and listen, watch the clock. The second hand divides what? The sound divides what?
See if you can detect any division taking place in this ‘presence-awareness’ or in this famous ‘TIME’.
What is making the measurement? Where is the data point A or the data point B?
Each tick and each tock happens in the NOW.
The hands of the clock go around and around – repetition – seeming repetition. ‘When’ the alarm goes off, (if you get that far) it ‘goes off’ in ‘this now’.
The sound of the alarm appears in the silence, just as each tick and tock. Each seemingly separate sound returns to silence, just as each thought returns to the clear and empty mind.
Stay awake – and watch – listen. Cognition is not being divided. The mind (the me) will appear to not ‘like it’ at all, it will want to escape – it is resistance to what IS – it will not ‘like this’ because its hypnotic state of belief is being undermined or confronted. It, the belief in me’ appears to prefer to pretend to seek ‘awakening’ not BE the actuality of AWAKE.
Seeing is happening.
SEE – KNOW. At the core of all activities is the activity of knowing. Be that.
What reveals itself is the timeless – that is what you are.

What is on offer here is totally radical. It may appear that never before have you come so close – (in my own experience there appeared a long period of ‘time’ where I felt so frustratingly ‘close’) – but what is being pointed out to you NOW is that there is NO ‘close’ – there is NO SEPARATION – you are THAT (or THIS). It is the mind that tells a story about being close. Drop it.

These simple things are enough to dismantle belief in things that are NOT. In the appearance of things, few will take the plunge.
In actuality everyone is THAT (THIS) undivided presence.

Do not throw the clock out the window.

By: Alois

Alois — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 21:18:56 +0000

Gilbert,

Can one say that there is a messenger with a message that resonates.

Or, there is no messenger, no message, no resonating.

Alois

By: Roger

Roger — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:58:00 +0000

I tell you what, Mr. Tolle. If I ever meet you on the streets I’m going to give you a swift kick to the pain-balls.

Love,
Roger

By: mark

mark — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:23:59 +0000

Dear Eckhart Tolle,

Thank you for your clear and compassionate pointing. You give us at least something we can think about! I have been meditating a lot on my painbody and I’m starting to get the impression I can really feel it ! Concerning the talk of Tony I was wondering if you have any instructions on how to get to the park he’s talking about?
thanks in advance !
best regards,
mark

By: Ron Marson

Ron Marson — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 18:09:46 +0000

Gee Ralph. I notice that right after you post, Eckhart Tolle posts. I wonder if Eckhart is inspired by you or trying to top you?

You and Eckhart both seem to be saying the DOING something in time is NOT a monumental error, the other side of Gilbert’s golden coin.

Working in the mind, with the mind is something like the War of the Worlds. And the different worlds are different concepts. And they destroy each other until the last concept is left standing: I AM. And then that concept too sees that it is just a concept and spontaneously combusts leaving…. What?

This here now.
What never changes.
What can’t be calculated or explained.
The only thing you’ve always known and never been told.
Subtle and obvious shake hands.
Nothing disguised as everything.
Not-doing masquerading as doing.

By: Eckhart Tolle

Eckhart Tolle — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:50:08 +0000

Make it your practice to withdraw attention from past and future whenever they are not needed. Be present as the watcher of your mind. Become aware of the inner energy field of the body. Don’t think about it – feel it.

Merge with the energy field so that there is no longer a perceived duality of the observer and the observed, of you and your body.

So use your inner body as a portal through which you enter the Unmanifested.

I’ll be back later with more instructions on what you can do to end the identification with the egoic mind.

By: Ralph

Ralph — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:36:14 +0000

Yes Gilbert, “There is no one, NO ONE, in bondage” but this must be SEEN.
By who ? …. by the one who ‘believes’ themselves to be in bondage. The ‘beliefs’ are what keeps the separate self in place.

and yes Gilbert, “The one who believes it is bound is only a thought” but the thought keeps reappearing ……. why?

Quote : â€The secret to life is die before you dieâ€“and to discover there is no death.â€

…… and yes, I know, there are no secrets to life.

By: Guru Orgy

Guru Orgy — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:34:04 +0000

Milton,

you say: “it seems to superimpose itself entirely over the seeing, obscuring it for the moment”

but how could the “me”-thought even be known were it not for the seeing?

you say you may use the Sri Sri Claire de Plume moniker when you become liberated/enlightened. but are you not AWARE already? or is awareness something you can become? you see my friend, you are liberation itself! so the time to use the Sri Sri claire de Plume moniker can only be NOW!

Love,
Guru Orgy

By: milton

milton — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:41:03 +0000

Thanks for the response. Yes it is frustrating, but UGC has got me by the throat and won’t let go, no way out. Talking to UGC is like talking directly with presence awareness or whatever you want to call it. Amazing.

Moments of clarity are unaffected by confusion. However, when the “me” comes it seems like more than an idea in the seeing, it seems to superimpose itself entirely over the seeing, obscuring it for the moment (rather than an idea in the seeing it is a whole reality including thought, feeling, perception, sensation,etc). Even though I can see that the seeing was always there, in the “me moments” it seems to disappear, temporarily. Sometimes I see only the reflection in the mirror but not the mirror. Happens automatically, or so it seems.

Ralph, thanks for the tips on dealing with old patterns.

Gilbert, I like the moniker “Sri Sri Claire de Plume,” I vote for it if you are going to use one. If not, may I use, it if and when I become liberated, enlightened or whatever the appropriate term of the day? I ran across some of your words which have been helpful: “Psychological suffering is resistance to what is.” Spot on! I have a question: how to go about: “2. The mind must be understood, otherwise it will keep you turning on a dead spot.”

By: gilbert

gilbert — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 04:04:46 +0000

What needs to be recognized VERY Clearly is that everybody, EVERY-BODY and everything, EVERY THING, including the so-called great sage or guru or teacher is an appearance in THIS presence and THAT or THIS is what you ARE.
THIS is one without a second. You are THAT.
Don’t get caught up with words and terminology.
The word ‘THAT’ is an inert word, used precisely because it has No Flavors or Associations for the mind. It applies to all ‘things’. That bird, that chair, I want that sandwich, not that one. So, ‘THAT’ is universally particular without being particular at all. It has no particular associations for the mind.
What you are is indescribable, so words never encompass what you are.
Associations are seemingly linked concepts, words and ideas. Stimulate one and a whole bunch arise with it. An ‘attitude’ is similar. A ‘mood’ or ‘state’ is also similar.
Awareness, not ‘awareness of some thing’, just plain ordinary awareness is untouched by any thing, word or concept. It remains immaculately clear as pure seeing, is pure seeing and knowing.
Many say that it feels like coming home when this ‘clear view’ opens up.
Whatever comes and goes is not IT – yet IT has always been here.
Innately we know this – THIS.
Endless words don’t help much.
WHO can claim to be a liberator of ‘man’? No one was ever in bondage. They just think they are. A thought cannot bind anything and is an ephemeral appearance equal to no thing.
Note: You do not have to be clever or smart to realize what is being pointed out. In fact it helps a great deal if you are not a ‘bright spark’. Many bright sparks are still running around in circles pretending that they ‘got it’. It is a super joke to watch them in action. So, you don’t have to have a degree in philosophy (better not to) or be extra smart. If some text or spoken words stop the mind, then it is the ‘right direction to go’ – if they simply spur the intellect on and on into complexities of the mind, then it is not going to help much at all. Many get high on ‘chemical release’ in the brain, from indulging in complex conceptual postulations – eg, the Holographic universe concepts.
THIS, however, is so simple it is no wonder some crack into laughter when the transparency reveals itself.
What you are is invisible.

By: gilbert

gilbert — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 03:17:51 +0000

There is no one, NO ONE, in bondage. The one who believes it is bound is only a thought.
A thought is an ephemeral appearance and the bondage is equally ephemeral.
It is nothing but appearances that are seemingly real for a believed in ‘me’.
There is NO WAY out of it for that believed in ‘entity’ – whatever name is placed on it, Eckhart, Adyashanti, Ramana, Gilbert or Joe Bloggs, the label is just a label.
The ‘pain body’ is just a conceptual fabrication. ‘People’ LOVE the concept because it allows them to continue on without being confronted by the fact that the me and this imaginary pain body are nothing but concepts and associated feelings in the body. All ephemeral appearances. To promote such concepts as a pain body or a future time of deliverance or liberation in the future, only gives the imagination lots ‘material’ to play with, to weave its story around. It is all about ME. Self-Pity is certainly not the way to go. Telling seekers that they have to DO something ‘in time’ is a monumental error and worthy only of one who HAS NOT seen through the concepts he promotes. No matter how spiritually pure his or her calculated image projection is – they are all whimpy puppy dogs, every one of them.
“KNOW the truth and the truth will set you free.” – quoting that young man from Nazareth again.
There is no ‘reason’ or ‘excuse’ for misleading anyone. There are no great sages or great teachers except in your own mind.
ALL of the so-called great teachers were ordinary beings who had SEEN THROUGH the appearance. Those who call them great have NOT seen through ‘the appearance’ or the concepts.
This clear and empty SEEING is happening with you right now, without the conceptual ‘you’ hindering the view. Why is it ignored?
This open view is ignored by the mind because it has NO labels for it.
When ‘you’ label this space like awareness with a ‘me’ or a ‘self-image’ it seemingly blocks the open view. What needs to be recognized is that EVERYTHING appears in this clear and open view. It is nothing but SEEING and seeing is KNOWING.
There is no NEED of TIME in THIS.
Drop the concepts and SEE.

By: Ralph

Ralph — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 02:51:21 +0000

Hi Milton,

Frustrating isn’t it ? what to do ? Well, if the pointers of Gilbert, John Wheeler, Randall Friend does not bring you to a ‘full stop’, then what is one to do ? I assume this is what you are asking. There are glimpses but then your are back with the old patterns. I think the answer is right there in your question ” but then old habit patterns and a onslaught of problems appear and I re-identify with them”. Well, what helped me was to be ‘present ‘ and face these old patterns when they appear and taken as real, especialy the ones that were running my so-called life (you know, the ones that we suppress and avoid facing at all cost). We re-identify with them because we ‘believe’ them to be real. This is who we ‘think’ we are.
Yes, the ultimate answer is just seeing/knowing (full stop!) but you have tried this and yet the struggle and frustration is still there. Then, if so, investigate as to why this is so and what brings you back to this phenomenal world that sends you reeling.
Investigate these thoughts that keep you in bondage by being ‘present’ with them when they arise and see them for what they really are ‘just thoughts believed’. This is where true freedom lies.
Eventually, it will be seen that what sets you free is to be ‘in this world BUT not of it’ and what keeps you in bondage is to be ‘in this world AND of it’.

By: Eckhart Tolle

Eckhart Tolle — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:44:10 +0000

Oprah considers me to be a prophet. And Oprah is prior to Awareness.

By: Adyashanti

Adyashanti — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:42:48 +0000

Oh, I guess I’m not good enough to get an interview, either.

Come on Eckhart! Lets blow this joint and go play leapfrog in the meadow. Face-book rejected my face.

By: Eckhart Tolle

Eckhart Tolle — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:38:31 +0000

*sniff* *sniff* I smell pain-bodies.

When do I get to be interviewed??? Hmm? I might have to join the Urban Guru Cafe Face-book site to get a chance.

By: gilbert

gilbert — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 23:57:36 +0000

Ha. Oh dear I have been spotted. Poor poor me, whatever will I do now?
I didn’t think anyone would notice. Ah, well I guess the game is over now. We can close this thing down since the chance of ME fooling everyone is finished. It is okay though because I am a creative type and I can always find another way to express myself.
Funny how the impact of direct pointing is the only factor that seems to slip by everyone, leaving them with nothing but gossip, innuendo and inference to play with.
It is all words – empty words. But don’t let that stop us. There is no competition going on. John writes very clearly and his ‘style’ is probably a lot more presentable than mine. John and I have always been on friendly terms, we even had a great ‘jam’ together when he was here a few months ago. (He on Guitar, singing and me on an Irish Mandola – a mandolin that is slightly bigger)
The simple fact is that I make regular comments, to keep things flowing and to share whatever insights that arise ‘here’ from this ‘discourse’. There are so few who take the plunge and make a comment. It would seem that only a few are listening to the programs but the downloads and the visits to these pages show clearly that the number is not small by any means.
Some have written emails to me saying that they love the programs and enjoy especially the comment pages – but they just have nothing to offer apart from a short supportive comment. If the comment pages were just full of positive affirmations, it would be rather boring I think.
I know that the stimulation of a ‘deep’ interest in this ‘subject’ does no harm, so long as the concepts are pointing back at the core essence.
When comments are made that are divergent, if no one else does it, I may step in and bring it back (convergent) to the essentials in one way or another.
Almost all of the ‘Spiritual’ and Non Duality sites around are full of the ‘belief system’ of the ‘teacher’. It is all about them…their special ‘me’.
If you think I am playing that game, then you are mistaken. Many have already benefited from these comment pages – and if I can stimulate the discourse, then well and good. It is all in the appearance of things, of course – but EVERYTHING is in the appearance – without exceptions.
What you truly are has NEVER appeared – re-discovering THAT is what THIS is all about. Once this has ‘happened’ there is no need to come here again.
It is a CAFE. No one lives in a CAFE.
Maybe I should remove my name and call myself ‘nobody’ or some other ‘name’ – ‘Sri Sri Claire de Plume’.
All of the ‘speakers’ on this site are all welcome to make comments. Few do. The one that did make a lot of comments was, it turned out, in my opinion, a ‘wanna be guru’ and even his program had to be removed eventually.
There is a freedom ‘here’ to move about – I can be very direct and uncompromising (without the ‘I’) and I can be playful and comical. ‘People’ get annoyed because they don’t know where I am coming from from one moment to the next.
The WHOLE point is WHERE ARE YOU COMING FROM?
Are you free of ‘YOU and ME’? Whatever trips the switch is totally Valid.

By: Richard

Richard — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 23:07:37 +0000

Hi Gilbert,

I noticed once here and many times on the comments following the last show (John Wheeler’s), whenever John Wheeler posts a comment, the next comment is always from you.

Is this because you are trying to top him, or because he inspires you to post, or what?

Thanks for the shows and the place for folks to post.

All the best,
Richard

By: gilbert

gilbert — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 19:49:34 +0000

“Don’t hide your light under a bushel” - quote from the young man from Nazareth.

The light by which you see and know is prior to every-thing.

By: Ron Marson

Ron Marson — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 19:42:18 +0000

Be Seeing Light prior to eye/brain translation, like falling asleep while wide awake.

This is how we came out of the womb. This is how we have always been. This is how we are even now, in the gap between thoughts or lost in habitual mind chatter.

It makes no difference. Nothing to calculate. Light is light.

By: gilbert

gilbert — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 19:15:23 +0000

The mind is time.
Awareness is timeless.
It seems that ‘we’ or ‘I’ need to re-cognize what ‘we are’ or ‘I am’.
‘We’ is collective and ‘I’ is singular.
Siddharameshwar says (said): “Do not try to see through someone else’s eyes”.
The way I put it is “There is only one seeing happening”.
The body can’t see, the mind can’t see.
What animates the body? What is that living spark that animates the body in THIS instant?
Isn’t it a living, pulsing, vibrant intelligence, which is here ‘prior’ to the concepts.
The mind is time. Awareness is timeless (non dual).
The me is bound into the realm of time because it is a concept.
What is it that animates this ‘seeming me’?
A wind up clock needs to be wound regularly for it to keep ticking.
The spring is set in tension by winding it up tight.
When the spring is unwound completely the ticking stops and the ‘hands of time’ cease to ‘measure’ this ephemeral thing called time?
What time is it? The answer is NOW.
The ‘Big Spring’ that animates the Universe doesn’t need a ME to wind it up.
The ‘timeless-ness’ is what animates the time-bound mechanical nature of ‘matter’.
You or what you truly are is not in time. The believed in ‘you’ is not able to enter the timeless.
Can something come out of nothing?
Can matter know spirit?
Can spirit know matter?
That which has never been alive, can never die.
Can the mechanical clock know the timeless? Can it know time?
As Nisargadatta says: “Stop pretending to be what you are NOT – and don’t refuse to be what you are”.
If you truly wish to go beyond the mind in one instant, then stop thought, drop the ideas, even for only an instant.
If you cannot ‘seem’ to do that then contemplate what ‘re-cognition’ truly IS.
What separates re-cognition from cognition?
It cannot be a concept can it? A concept cannot separate anything except other concepts – and they are all ephemeral appearance.
There is NO separation happening anywhere.
Some Tips:
1. The First Instant of Being is cognition.
2. The mind must be understood, otherwise it will keep you turning on a dead spot.
3. Re-cognize what has already been cognized – you already KNOW – only it seems that you have forgotten.
4. There is NO you as such.

By: John Wheeler

John Wheeler — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:48:58 +0000

Keep with the simplicity of this. You are present. Your own being is what is being pointed to. You can never find that as absent in direct experience. The phrase â€˜your own beingâ€™ is only a pointer. Seeing what is being pointed to, there is a natural dropping of the word. There is no â€˜perfectâ€™ or â€˜rightâ€™ word for that immaculate presence that is entirely non-conceptual to begin with. It is pointless and somewhat naÃ¯ve to negate one set of words in favor of some â€˜betterâ€™ word. Being, awareness, presence, oneness, aliveness, love, true nature, no person, etc. are all pointing to the exact same reality, the natural state of things. If you get into slicing and dicing the words and then using those distinctions to support flimsy arguments as a basis for â€˜one-up-man-shipâ€™ (i.e., who â€˜has itâ€™ and who â€˜does notâ€™, etc.), you would be falling right back into the belief in duality and the concept of separate selves. You can say â€˜onenessâ€™ in language, but if the interest returns to conceptual hairsplitting and reinstates the person concept in a different guise, it defeats the purpose, donâ€™t you think?

By: Randall Friend

Randall Friend — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:23:55 +0000

Milton,

Does the aware space in which these “moments” of clarity and confusion come and go become affected or changed?

Did the false identity actually ever obscure this clear seeing? Isn’t it still there even when there seems to be a ME?

Isn’t the ME just a thought, which itself is nothing but a sensation appearing TO the seeing, ON the seeing, even AS the seeing? Isn’t the sensation itself dependent on that seeing to even appear?

You are the seeing – you do not disappear depending on the content of thought or the presence or absence of identification. The “thoughts” are nothing BUT appearances OF the seeing – objects in a mirror are MADE OF mirror. The mirror isn’t changed no matter the content of the reflection.

The reflection itself was never separately existing – it was only ever mirror – when the reflection appears, there may be a focus on that reflection and an assumption that the actual substance (mirror) is not present – yet when the reflection dissolves the mirror remains as it was.

In the same way, this seeing, this Consciousness, is always present and cannot be lost in transit with temporary thought.

By: Jesse

Jesse — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:09:31 +0000

Yes, I know exactly what you mean, Milton. In spite of clear seeing, the “I” does not want to give up its imaginary throne. Sometimes simply recognizing that it’s all happening within this Seeing/Knowing, or questioning the validity of the “me,” is enough to put it all to rest. At other times it does no good. “Disorienting” is a good description.

By: milton

milton — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:58:44 +0000

I am in a cycle in which I seem to recognize what I am for a few moments and then there don’t seem to be any problems or a “me” to have problems, and there is clarity, but then old habit patterns and a onslaught of problems appear and I re-identify with them. After reading pointers I feel I have “got it” but then a little taste of the phenomenal world sends me reeling. It is a little disorienting. Appreciate any advice on this.

By: Nobody

Nobody — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:53:54 +0000

Jesse,
all words are farts in the wind…you can forget them and have a good beer at the local pub!:-)

By: kale

kale — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:30:24 +0000

Either way is fine; as long as it is recognized…

By: Jesse

Jesse — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:12:08 +0000

but don’t you see that recognizing what you are, and recognizing that liberation is already here, is exactly the same thing!!!! (or to be more accurate, the same no-thing).

to recognize what YOU ARE is to recognize that liberation is already here.

and so to say that “it is not really important to recognize that liberation is already here, only to recognize what YOU ARE” is exactly like saying “it is not really important to recognize what YOU ARE, it is only important to recognize what YOU ARE.”

And yeah, I’ve read John Wheeler’s books too. why negate Tony’s message, and reiterate John’s message, when they are exactly the same message in different words!! why not recognize that they are the same message, instead of adopting one message as a belief system and then dismissing the other message w/ “all words are empty” blah, blah, blah. even “all words are empty and so is their meaning” is another belief!

By: kale

kale — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:37:04 +0000

The words are essentially pointing to something that is wordless.
But the common tendency is mystification with words and to look for some special meaning within them.
All words are empty and so is their meaning.
It is not really important to recognize that liberation is already here, as stated; the only important factor to recongnize is what YOU are. Until this is recognized all else is conceptual.

By: Jesse

Jesse — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:52:53 +0000

It’s been helpful for “me” to relax and let go of some of the mental conflict by sort of translating between the different communicators on this–that is to say, by recognizing that for instance, “liberation” and “awareness” and “oneness”, etc, are essentially the same pointer. As Gilbert said, terms like “liberation” can really fuel the seeking. But nevertheless, “liberation” is often emphasized. And so it’s very helpful to recognize that “liberation” is not an event that occurs in time–it’s always already the case.

And yes, these are just words, sounds, arbitrary symbols. But saying, “it’s just words” over and over again is pretty useless. “It’s just words” is just more words! What are we using to communicate with right now? Words! What do Tony and and John Wheeler and Sailor Bob, etc, use to communicate this message? Words!

By: Nobody

Nobody — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:39:07 +0000

Awakening,Liberation,energetic shift,final understanding,just farts in the wind!:-)

By: gilbert

gilbert — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:52:15 +0000

Good to see some clear expression popping up here. Even though the mind can’t understand THIS, still sometime ‘sinks in’ and bubbles up again in fresh expressions.
Anyone interested in following what Tony is on about will have NO trouble finding lots of material. There are no rules books. If you cant find a direct pointing to WHAT IS here, then going off somewhere else won’t do much good either. Let’s keep it simple.
No one needs to get paranoid or offended, especially Karl. Wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more.

By: kale

kale — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:42:40 +0000

Like Gilbert said, it’s all words…empty words.
Drop the words and what remains?
It means really nothing. It is…
When you say I am Presence Awareness; it creates a seeming split. As though, there is a you who’s trying to understand that it is Presence.
Look for that “you”.
What is found? Can it be described in any words? Presence, Awareness, Liberation? More concepts for the mind to work with….

By: Karl

Karl — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:32:17 +0000

Gilbert says:

“Note: These pages are not for placing links. If â€˜peopleâ€™ are genuinely interested they can find what they need on the internet by searching via the normal means.”

Do the Advaita Police have the same rule in their rule book?

Any more rules we should know?

(;-)

Karl

By: Sully

Sully — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 06:41:22 +0000

Ok, then that means I am â€œPresence-Awarenessâ€ pretending not to be â€œPresence-Awarenessâ€!!!

By: Jesse

Jesse — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 03:32:06 +0000

Tony uses the word “Liberation” quite a lot in the interview. So it’s helpful to clarify that “Liberation” and “Presence-Awareness” are interchangable and point to the same non-thing.

By: gilbert

gilbert — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 02:53:49 +0000

It is all words – empty words.
There is NO liberation and nothing bound by anything.
‘WHO’ talks about liberation? Except those who believed that they WERE someone or something bound.
To make a big deal out of this thing called liberation is just ‘creating more seeking’.
Seeking and liberation are both words.
WHERE do the words register?
WHAT do they mean?
It is ALL subsumed in this living presence which is SOLID Presence – unmoving – unchanging.
There is no future in the past – there is no past in the future.
All there is is THIS presence of awareness – THIS awareness of presence – NOT two. One Essence.
No one ever, EVER realizes that – the movement of the apparent realizing of that appears and returns to stillness. No ‘you’ ever went there.
Only an apparition appears as a ‘form’ and that form has no duration. It is a mirage.
Where is the seeing happening?

If you could see the binary code for this simple web-page it would appear as a complex series on data, a pattern. The meaning that you perceive with these words would be lost. Each word is simply a shape, recognized because it has been learned. It is simply a bunch of pixels – light, electronically produced on a screen. The same pattern appears on hundreds of screens in the ‘same moment’ possibly. The meaning of the words varies tremendously according to what? Some readers find a resonance and others find annoyance or arrogance.
It is simply light appearing. Who do you think you are? What are you made of?

Note: These pages are not for placing links. If ‘people’ are genuinely interested they can find what they need on the internet by searching via the normal means.

By: Sully

Sully — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 02:43:43 +0000

I am Liberation pretending not to be liberated!!! WOW!

By: Jesse

Jesse — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 02:33:41 +0000

“Liberation doesn’t happen. Liberation is all there is….”

By: gilbert

gilbert — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 22:17:08 +0000

Exactly. Who cares? Who is making all these calculations? For what benefit and for whom? All there is is knowing. No knower and no one who ever ‘got it’.
Everything is that intelligence energy.
As soon as these simple ‘pointers’ are engaged with, with a mood of the contrary, then the dream is already weaving its dream.
There is NO separation – there is NO duality in Non Duality. – Period.

This little piece just happened to spill out:
The lamppost stands erect and true. The clear light shines up, down and all around.
Seekers wander in a dream, in the darkness on fictitious ground.
Mumbling to themselves all manner of mantras and learned things.
They follow each other like sad lost sheep, bumping each other in their sleep.
They follow some textural guiding map, or straggly bits of well-worn strings.
Halt. Arrest your weary legs. Cease from this madness.
Come lean upon the lamppost and rest in this clear light.
The post is â€˜Iâ€™ and the â€˜amâ€™ is being.
The light is â€˜knowingâ€™.
Recognize that this knowing does not actually rest upon the â€˜Iâ€™ or post.
It shines without a need for â€˜reasonâ€™ – and everything appears in this light.