Here suffering does not apply

Bernard had the following questions so that he could return to his real identity, free from suffering.

Hello Michael,

Nice to know that you are still available for conversation. It has been quite a long time since I last wrote to you.

On this journey I keep discovering how MIND manages to trick me from going deeper. It does this mostly by splitting itself into two parts… the observer that thinks he is going deeper and the other world of conflict.

I have begun to recognize that this is all mind and that I cannot of my own free will go past my mind. When I stop trying to do this then I seem to become very ordinary, just awareness of the very ordinary state of beingness. Then conflict comes up and I can deal with this by recognizing that it is all mind stuff having a go at itself and this also passes. In that ‘ordinary’ state I sometimes feel really good with the world and myself and sometimes I don’t.

There is no doubt that I am far more at peace and have far more joy than anytime in the past but the question still comes up about transcending mind and what that would feel like and would I even recognize it.
 
Clearly I must already be in that place beyond mind because that is my original state and I sense that all I need to do is accept that as already true. It’s quite strange to just accept oneself as the light of the mind and not the mind, that the mind is only the screen that wants to become ME and does this by creating the whole world of illusion using thought and emotions.

As I write I almost seem to be answering my own question to you, nevertheless your response would be most appreciated.

            Warm greetings,
                    Bernard

Hi Bernard,

It is good to hear from you again. I see that your meditations are going well. It sounds like that little thought ‘I’ is trying to usurp your identity and turn it into a mental state. When you recognize this, you are automatically standing as Awareness and not as a mental state. You do not have to take thought of awareness or anything like that. Awareness is just your normal and natural state. Here you feel right at home.
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Making Your Wisdom Come Alive is like a novel where you are the main character. It takes many surprising twist and turns, and in the end you find yourself standing in the place of wisdom and joy, where you always are,and always will be.

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Your sense of reality comes from Awareness
Here things feel ordinary like, This is just the way things are. And yet from here you see that the sense of reality, which the world seems to have, and your mind and body seem to have, comes right from Awareness. You know that shiny sense of reality that your emotions and thoughts  have, especially when you are caught up in them. That sense of reality comes from Awareness and not from your mind.

To explain this, Ramana Maharshi used the analogy of a movie. For all of the motion going on in the movie like wars, hate, and love scenes, when you reach out to touch the movie you find only the still screen. In the same way, the still Awareness is the screen that the world and your mind play out on. And of course it is Awareness that makes the character called Bernard seem so real!

Thus the practice of Self-Knowledge is a matter of finding your real identity. Are you Awareness, or are you the one who occasionally visits Awareness and has a great experience? You will find that your state will become permanent when you finally see that you are the Awareness that you are looking for.

How to resolve conflict and suffering
Now for the second part of your question: Then conflict comes up and I can deal with this by recognizing that it is all mind stuff having a go at itself and this also passes. In that ‘ordinary’ state I sometimes feel really good with the world and myself and sometimes I don’t.

First understand that when conflict comes up it is not the time for self-judgment; it is rather the opportunity to free yourself from suffering. In fact when you are at peace, it is normal for unresolved concepts and mental conflicts to come up. It is like you create a vacuum that draws up suffering so you can examine its cause and release it for good.

Remember the hook that brings about suffering is when you take conceptual frameworks to be reality. It is not really thoughts that cause suffering. It is rather certain thought patterns like, I can’t, that seem to come up again and again. Once you see the beliefs that cause these patterns, they dissolve and go back to the place where they came from.

As you get clearer, suffering stands out more
It is not that you just created this suffering. It’s just that now you see it from a clearer place, where it stands out more. But now that you see the things that bothered you for many years, you have the opportunity to resolve them for good.  If you want a review on looking at and resolving limiting concepts see: What does it mean to question assumptions? on page 87 of “Making Your Wisdom Come Alive.”

While much of my practice was spent meditating on the nature of my Consciousness and Being, there was a point where I was hoping for every unresolved concept to come up, so that I could look at it and resolve it. But long before that last bloody concept came up, I saw what I really am. That was final; the one who the concepts applied to was gone.

Practice is not an endless process
I can see that your practice is progressing nicely. You are no longer fooled, taking a mental state to be reality. If you are willing to face one or two frameworks that seem to cause limitation and suffering, I think you will be surprised by how things will open up for you. You will find that suffering will almost magically disappear.

Just remember that spiritual practice is not an endless process. The end of practice comes when you return to your real identity. It is not a matter of seeing your identity as if it were an object. It is rather a matter of being what you really are.

There is no separate entity that accepts or rejects reality. You see reality by abiding in your true home, not by standing separate. Another way of saying this is that reality reveals itself by itself without the need for a separate you.

Feel free to ask questions
Please feel free to continue asking questions. I’m always glad to hear your reactions and clarify my answers. Unlike the path of faith, on the path of Self-Knowledge it is curiosity that destroys limitation and allows you to abide in your natural freedom.

If the comment section of this blog doesn't work, please send your questions and comments to michael@ananya.com. To find out where this all leads go to, www.light-up-your-life.com. And finally, if you enjoy these blogs please tell your friend

Best Wishes,

Michael Gluckman