I was talking with a person the other day who described her meditation practice as focusing her attention on Awareness. She wanted to know if this sort of practice was a good one. I told her that if her aim was self-knowledge this practice is not very good. So you may be curious: If your nature is Awareness why don’t you want to focus on it?
When we say that you are Awareness we mean that you are the seer of objects, not the one limited by them. This means that you are Aware of your mind and body. You are not limited by your thoughts or the shape of your body.
Then what’s the problem?
But there is one problem; you do not see Awareness as if it were an object. Well then, if you can’t see it or sense Awareness how do you even know that it exists? Awareness shines by its own light. So you know Awareness by standing as Awareness. Just like you know the sun by its own light without needing a flashlight, Awareness shines in its own glory. In fact I think you will find as your practice progresses, that it is Awareness that makes everything else seem real.
So you are limitless Awareness and not limited to an object that you see: So what’s the problem? Not seeing Awareness, you assume that you are limited to the objects that you see. As your body changes you assume that you change, when it’s sick you assume that you are sick, when it dies you assume that you will die.
Similarly as your thoughts change you seem to change. When they are sad, you think that you are sad. When they are angry, you think that you are angry. But in reality, the whole time you are the still Awareness that sees these changes. You were never really the one affected by them.
Then how do you find this Awareness?
The difference between the deep and lasting joy shining from Awareness and the ups and downs of life, where you find happiness alternating with suffering comes from where you stand. If you stand as an individual mind and body, you will feel caught by the ups and downs of life. Returning your identity to Awareness you will find your freedom.
Superimposition the real villain
Superimposing this freedom on limitation is like assuming that a rope is really a snake. You were walking through the forest as the sun was setting and you stumble. You see a scratch on your leg and you start to cry. You were just bitten by a poisonous snake and you know that you are about to die.
Later a fellow hiker comes along and sees you crying and asked, “What’s your problem?” You answer that you were bitten by a snake and are now about to die. The hiker looks around and sees a rope in the middle of the path and a branch with a drop of blood on it.
In an instant this hiker understands what happened. He said, “See that rope in the middle of the trail, and see the branch with the drop of blood. It is obvious that you just tripped on the rope and scratched yourself with the branch.” You then thank your fellow hiker and with much relief go on your way.
So what happened? In the evening light you were not able to see the rope clearly. So you took it to be a snake and the branch a poisonous fangs. So based on this assumption, you experienced the fear of suffering and death.
When the rope returned to its true state as rope, and the branch once again became a branch, you were relived. This is the story of superimposition. The nature of the rope was covered and a snake was projected on it. When the true nature of the rope was revealed, the snake disappeared.
Now what about reality? When you think that reality is limited to a mind and body, then you seem to suffer the fate of the mind and body. This is superimposition. But when you return reality to its source, the Awareness that sees these changes, you gain your freedom.
So recognizing that reality comes from what you are and not from what you see is the process of gaining self-knowledge. This allows you to let go of the limitations that you are not and return to the place where you really stand.
But what about focus?
Focus and attention are states of mind and not Awareness. For instance sometimes your focus is sharp and sometimes it seems to be diffuse or scattered. How do you know about the changes to your focus? It is because you stand as Awareness free of the conditions of your mind.
So here’s the reason why focusing on Awareness is a mistake. You are assuming that you are a state of mind trying to find Awareness. This is like assuming that the snake is a snake and trying to find the rope. No matter how much you struggle you will not be able to turn the snake into a rope. All you can do is look again and see what’s really there. It is then that you will see that the supposed snake was nothing but a rope.
In the same way, only by standing as Awareness will you find the source of peace and joy. Standing as the mind in the guise of focus, you will just end up with the mind and not your true nature. No matter how hard the mind tries it will not be able to turn thought into Awareness. Only by looking afresh and seeing what’s really there will you be able to stand as the Awareness that you really are.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Question everything
Here
I always encourage questions. People take too much for granted about
the world, their body, mind, and their nature. Questioning encourages
you to take a fresh look. Looking afresh, once again life becomes fresh
and a real adventure. Without changing a thing, everyday experiences
become completely new. If you need help with your questions you can
write me at
michael@light-up-your-life.com.
Please join us
Every
Tuesday we hold a meeting here in our house in Los Gatos California.
All too often it is only my wife and I that attend. But we still have a
wonderful time. If you find yourself in this area and would like to
attend here is a link where you can find more information
www.light-up-your-life.com/talks.html
Other resources available to you
Another resource that we offer is the book, Making Your Wisdom Come
Alive, a step by step guide taking you from your everyday experience to the
highest wisdom and truth. To find out more, click on the link below:
To join our mailing list go to: http://www.light-up-your-life.com/join.html
Please tell you friends.
Although we don’t have an advertising budget, we hope that everyone who wants
to can find out about and wake up to this wisdom.
Michael Gluckman
