~~~~~~~The Whole Truth~~~~~~~

 

"I am" alone is; and not "I am so and so", or "I am such and such". When existence is absolute it is right; when it is particularised it is wrong. That is the whole truth.

~ Sri Ramana Maharshi

...from "Talk 363"; 20th February, 1937

~~~Who Can Lead Us Out Of This Mess We're In?~~~

  

 

   Society is not changed by example. Society may reform itself, it may bring about certain changes through political or economic revolution, but only the religious man can create a fundamental transformation in society; and the religious man is not he who practices starvation as an example to impress society. The religious man is not concerned with society at all, because society is based on acquisitiveness, envy, greed, ambition, fear. That is, mere reformation of the pattern of society only alters the surface, it brings about a more respectable form of ambition. Whereas, the truly religious man is totally outside of society, because he is not ambitious, he has no envy, he is not following any ritual, dogma or belief; and it is only such a man who can fundamentally transform society, not the reformer. The man who sets out to be an example merely breeds conflict, strengthens fear, and brings about various forms of tyranny.
   It is very strange how we worship examples, idols. We don't want that which is pure, true in itself; we want interpreters, examples, masters, gurus, as a medium through which to attain something - which is all sheer nonsense, and is used to exploit people. If each one of us could think clearly from the very beginning, or re-educate ourselves to think clearly, then all these examples, masters, gurus, systems, would be absolutely unnecessary, which they are anyhow.

         
   Madras, India | 2nd Public Talk 15th January 1956

~~~~~The Observer Is The Observed~~~~~

One image, as the observer, observes dozens of other images around himself and inside himself, and he says, 'I like this image, I'm going to keep it' or 'I don't like that image so I'll get rid of it', but the observer himself has been put together by the various images which have come into being through reaction to various other images. So we come to a point where we can say, 'The observer is also the image, only he has separated himself and observes.' This observer who has come into being through various other images thinks himself permanent and between himself and the images he has created there is a division, a time interval. This creates conflict between himself and the images he believes to be the cause of his troubles. So then he says, "I must get rid of this conflict", but the very desire to get rid of the conflict creates another image.
Awareness of all this, which is real meditation, has revealed that there is a central image put together by all the other images, and the central image, the observer, is the censor, the experiencer, the evaluator, the judge who wants to conquer or subjugate the other images or destroy them altogether. The other images are the result of judgements, opinions and conclusions by the observer, and the observer is the result of all the other images - therefore the observer is the observed. Commentaries On Living II, Chapter 50

Two women came down the path carrying firewood on their heads. One was old and the other quite young, and the burdens they carried looked rather heavy. Each had balanced on her head, protected by a roll of cloth, a long bundle of dried branches tied together with a green vine, and she held it in place with one hand. Their bodies swung freely as they came down the hill with a light, running gait. They had nothing on their feet, though the path was rough. The feet seemed to find their own way, for the women never looked down; they held their heads very straight, their eyes bloodshot and distant. They were very thin, their ribs showing, and the older woman's hair was matted and unwashed. The girl's hair must have been combed and oiled at one time, for there were still some clean, sparkling strands; but she too was exhausted, and there was a weariness about her. Not long ago she must have sung and played with other children but that was all over. Now, collecting wood among these hills was her life, and would be till she died, with a respite now and then with the coming of a child.
Down the path we all went. The small country town was several miles away, and there they would sell their burden for a pittance, only to begin again tomorrow. They were chatting, with long intervals of silence. Suddenly the younger one told her mother she was hungry, and the mother replied that they were born with hunger, lived with hunger, and died with hunger; that was their lot. It was the statement of a fact; in her voice there was no reproach, no anger, no hope. We continued down that stony path. There was no observer listening, pitying, and walking behind them. He was not part of them out of love and pity; he was them. They were not the strangers he had met up the hill, they were of him; his were the hands that held the bundles; and the sweat, the exhaustion the smell, the hunger, were not theirs, to be shared and sorrowed over. Time and space had ceased. There were no thoughts in our heads, too tired to think; and if we did think, it was to sell the wood, eat, rest, and begin again. The feet on the stony path never hurt, nor the sun overhead. There were only two of us going down that accustomed hill, past that well where we drank as usual, and on across the dry bed of a remembered stream.  Commentaries On Living, Chapter 44

~~~~What's Our Problem?~~~~~~~

 "Relationship is our problem, and not the idea about relationship not at any one particular level but at all the levels of our existence."

 

 

    Jiddu Krishnamurti

~~~~~~What Happened To The Knower?~~~~~~

 

 

Advaita (Nonduality, Oneness, One Love)

In Advaita Vedanta, the knower is the last to go. What comes after the knower? Silence! There is nothing else.

Just think how much knowledge you've gathered all these years. Reading so many books. Meditating for years. Seeing so many teachers. Having so many discussions, debates, arguments. Can't you see now this is what's been holding you back? This is what has been holding you back. For you have believed that you're the knower. For you have to become a knower to become free. Yet no one has to know anything for there is absolutely nothing to know. Why is there nothing to know? Because there is only omnipresence, infinity, absolute reality and there is no name for this.

In other words, you cannot know absolute reality. You cannot know pure awareness. As long as there is someone who knows about it, it doesn't exist. It's only when you put an end to knowing that you become the Self. The Self has no shape, no form, no identity. It is no thing. Yet you are that. What are you going to do about it?

~ Robert Adams

...from "The Knower Is The Last To Go!" - January 9th, 1992

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~sum quod eris~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

sum quod eris~~~that's an old latin graveyard phrase meaning: i am what you will be~~~or as Charley would say: dirt :) in spacetime~~~death is at the end of everything. this is a picture of the top of one of the three stone pillars that led into what was The Jennifer Estate in Timonium, Maryland~~~the property that The Lamb of God Christian community bought in 1977 and sold in 1991.....the property is now a development called Pebble Creek. this pillar was erected when the land was a working farm...and as in most things in this life~~~how something ends.....the ending.....is contained in it's.................beginning. it used to define a port of entry....and now it's a gravestone....a historical marker.......of the spiritual life that a small group of people tried to find together.....in the summers of their youth. 

Seeing Things As They Actually Are

There is no hiding with LSD Sue Blackmore Comment is free guardian.co.uk

~~~~~~Becoming Somebody~~~~~~~

  The Horror~~~The Horror~~~~The Horror. Isn't it a damn shame that when you're young and have all that good energy you have to consider becoming somebody~~~measuring yourself with all the rest~~~psychically wrestling with all comparison and envy~~~anxiety and never knowing~~~exactly where you're headed~~~and where it's all gonna end~~~or~~~as Krishnamurti put it~~~in choice there is no freedom. So we follow the artists and listen to the music of our generation~~~and watch a lot of medias and TV~~~taking in society's cues~~~as to how one should be~~~becoming lost~~~in our own conditioning~~~trying to grow our psychic roots into the truth of what is~~~and longing for a world view~~~that is true and real and fulfilling. Psychological becoming is a bitch~~~it robs you of~~~just being~~~who you are~~~and besides that~~~it really doesn't exist~~~it's an illusion~~~Maya~~~just the measure of  insanity needed to make things seem what they are not~~~and isn't that~~~the nature of this world in which we live? We're all fragile human beings~~~all with a wide range of capacities~~~and if you make it to The Today Show and Willard Scott features your longevity on national TV~~~don't worry~~~he won't ask you if you became somebody~~~he'll just wanna know what it is that you do everyday~~~or~~~what is it that you still like to do. So~~~Be Who You Are~~~don't waste your energy on trying to become something different~~~life is for living~~~not accumulation~~~'cause you can't take anything at all~~with you. There is no such a thing as a comfortable life~~~and there is no psychological security~~~for~~~Impermanence~~~does not allow for such things to exist~~~in this world~~~of ours.

Will You Pass Through The Sun?

   When I was 21 my bother David told me something his friend Ron McClinton said to him: "If you don't make the same mistake that I made you might pass through the sun.". Years later~~~David realized what Ron's mistake was~~~he attempted to take his self along with him. Pass Through The Sun?  What a spiritual statement! Does this have to do with ending the cycle of reincarnation? Does it have to do with returning to the source of our consciousness~~~the source of all that is? Isn't the sun a one way street~~~with timeless light emitted from it's nuclear fires? Why can't you take your self with you~~~and where does one go if they pass through the sun? THIS IS ONE of the most captivating spiritual statements that I ever heard~~~between two of the most spiritually awake individuals~~~that I've ever known.

It Is~~~The Seeing Of Things As They Actually Are~~~That Changes You

Alan Watts: A Conversation with Myself - Part 1

~~~~~~~Like A Rolling Stone~~~~~~~

Our Earth is just another Emergency Spiritual Rehabilitation Clinic

I hope that you are aware of the fact that we physically live within a very low~~and  impermanent plane~~~of existence~~~where there is always need and a stomach to feed~~~and tremendous violence~~~of all sorts. I'm not sure if we did something bad to be here~~~or~~~through the brokenness that this life leads us to~~~we then spiritually learn empathy and compassion~~~for all living things. It's for sure that management has it set up that we can't take anything with us~~~when we leave~~~and the most important thing of all~~~The Creator~~~is not obvious and seems completely hidden~~~or~~~not to exist at all. One thing about rehab~~~only those that know they're sick have a chance to get well~~~just as~~~ the ones that know they're crazy~~~are the only sane ones. And so we are born here on Earth~~~unconscious and conditioned~~~ever seeking to become somebody~~~and so we all become stars~~~in the monkey show. And then? When we reach our mid-thirties~~~there seems to be a chance for a breakthrough~~~when psychologically becoming somebody~~~loses it's luster. Do we all get cleaned up? Do we all let go of our crutches of competition and individuality~~~and personal fame? No. Not in one lifetime~~~for most of us~~~so we keep on coming back~~~and checking into rehab~~~until we kick all the habits~~~of thought~~~and of  self. And how many times to we have to go to rehab~~~it's my guess we keep on coming back~~~until~~~we see the timeless light~~~leaving the individualistic self behind~~~and embrace~~~The One :)