Question 25
I have run into the most intense frustration ever since I was introduced to the Advaita Vedanta community. I just can't "get" what they are saying. They say that there is nothing "to get" - just wake up and you're enlightened!!!. I realize we are all ONE, yet I still feel that I am an individual being. I feel such pressure to try to eradicate the notion that I am an individual. I try to force myself to see that I am the same being as everyone else. I have not slept a decent night's sleep in three months and have the worst kind of headaches and full body energy spasms because I don't know how to be "me", since I am told there is no "me". I no longer know how to "be" because my mind keeps coming in and saying "no, this is wrong, you are not enlightened, you are still believing that you are an individual".
Answer
You are lost in a deep misunderstanding. Your confusion arises because there are different levels of consciousness available to us at any given point of time, and what is true for you will depend on which level of consciousness you are functioning at.
The Advaita teaching is essentially true. It refers to the deepest level of consciousness. And the Advaita Teachers are trying to make it easy for you. They are saying that what you seek, you already are. Just wake up and be that. Then you will be in the truth of life. You will be enlightened. You will be in Oneness and timelessness and so there is no soul, no journey, no separation, no seeking and no finding. Everything dissolves in the moment of NOW. All that exists is you in this moment and no other.
The reason that they are trying to make it simple for you is that the dimension of you which seeks to become enlightened is the ego and the ego will never arrive at that which it is seeking. There needs to be a relaxation, a letting go. That which you seek, you already are, and it is the seeking and striving and trying that keeps you future and goal orientated and away from the doorway to truth, which is the present moment.
When you are fully awake, there is nothing left of you from the past and nothing of you projecting into the future. You are utterly here now.
This is the awakened state. It is an exalted state of consciousness.
At the deepest level of this state, separation dissolves and you enter into Oneness. Occasionally, through Grace, the sense of your self as an individual dissolves completely and all that exists is perfect Eternal Presence, Love and Oneness.
But you cannot ask or expect the ego to be this. This awakened state of consciousness exists at a level that is transcendent of the ego. When the ego is exposed to this information, it creates a desire in the ego for something that is impossible. It accentuates the ego's sense of unworthiness and supports the ego's desire to escape from itself. All of this has the effect of strengthening the ego, which thrives in an environment of fear and rejection. The ego can never awaken. The ego can never arrive at the goal. Awakening occurs when the ego is transcended.
So the question arises as to how to awaken into the full consciousness of Being. If you cannot do it, then how is it accomplished? A relaxation must occur. You simply bring yourself out of the world of the mind and the ego by becoming fully present. The key is to bring yourself fully present with that which is already present. Eventually you will know yourself as the one who exists in this moment and no other. Then you are awake in the truth of life.
But who is awake?
I AM. And then there is only silence.
No more words. No more thoughts.
No more concepts.
Not even about nothingness.
Just full awakened all embracing Eternal Silent Presence. It is the Presence of pure consciousness.
But if you awaken into this level of fully awakened consciousness, you cannot function in the world. Quite literally, there is no time. And there is no YOU to function in the world. You would need a team of caretakers to take care of you.
Very few souls have awakened to this level and remained there. Sooner or later, a sense of individuality is restored to allow them to function within the world of time.
This does not mean that the ego is restored to dominance in their lives. The ego is still there, but it is surrendered. There is nothing wrong with the ego. In fact, to deny the ego its place in your life is to invite it to function unconsciously.
This has happened to many of the Masters who have appeared on the earth. The denial of their own ego and their human-ness has led them into aberrant behavior. Sexual, psychological and physical abuse is common in the world of the Masters. Manipulation of the seeker's ego by the Master's ego is also commonplace. Those who declare themselves God are completely unaware that it is the ego within them that is doing so.
To anyone who declares themselves God, I would ask, "Who is God?" The only possible answer is "I AM."
And then only silence remains.
It is the same with enlightenment.
To anyone who declares themselves enlightened, I would ask, "Who is enlightened?"
The only possible answer is "I AM."
And then only silence remains.
Silence and Presence is your true nature.
Pure consciousness is your true nature.
I AM Presence is your true nature. It is impersonal.
But that does not mean that you cannot also exist at the personal level. At the personal level you are a personal expression of the Impersonal. You are a personal expression of God. This is the whole point of our journey.
It is an absurdity to try to rid our selves of the personal and human aspects of our existence. That would be against the will of God. What is required is that we awaken into the impersonal dimension of existence and that we recognize that Impersonal dimension as the truth of who we are and allow that to be the foundation of our lives. We will never again become identified with the world of illusion. We will never again believe in the past and future world of the mind as the truth of life.
In truth, there is no life outside of this moment and we can relax into that simple truth. As long as you are well established in Presence, and as long as you are not identified with life at the level of the personal, then the ego will not present any problem. There is nothing wrong with the ego as long as it is surrendered, and it will only relax and surrender if certain conditions are met.
The first condition is that you must be genuinely established in a state of silence and Presence, to the extent that that level of consciousness is always available. It never goes away and so the ego can depend on that. This will overcome much of the fear that drives and motivates the ego, because, when you are fully present, you exist as love, strength, acceptance and compassion. This is just what the ego needs if it is to truly surrender.
This makes the fulfillment of the second condition of surrender possible. The ego will not surrender if it detects that there is any judgment arising within you. The ego is programmed to know that the true Master, arising from within, is completely without judgment.
The ego is afraid of annihilation. It is afraid of judgment, which leads to annihilation. The ego must be unconditionally loved and accepted into a state of surrender. That includes all the feelings and emotions and character traits associated with the ego. To deny the ego, or to try to eliminate the ego in any way is a judgment of it, and so awakening will be impossible.
The ego is a trickster. When your mind tells you that you are not enlightened because you are still an individual, it is the ego trying to trick you, so that you do not become present. It has no intention of allowing itself to disappear, but it creates fear, doubt and conflict by telling you that that is what should happen. This is a very effective strategy to keep you out of the present moment and in the world of the mind, where it prevails. Next time the ego intervenes in this way, just be gentle with it and reassure that you love it, and that it is important and that it will not be annihilated. It will relax and then you can be more fully present. Do not try to eliminate your individuality. It is most unhelpful. In fact, in the context of awakening, do not try to do anything at all. Just be fully present and the truth will be revealed.
Share This Post | Print This Post
- |
