EnfiKhfrnmtnt Rl"lnnd Tradtom l a

and r("\olutiona.ry book. Through

tlus hook h.u <ho.nn.l<d lh< light
of Pun- l'nd<,..tanding thot brings us to
the With an
pn-ci.tion, it Jtad.s us through
the compltlC and dange ... ow: realm of
awakening. "0 many got lost. This
book is truly traditions, thot is,
th< past knowl<dge. The vision
of Eoilightenment which it presents is
multidimensional, doubtlessly,
the eternal paradox of Being and
Becoming; Lhe human and the ctemaJ.
Here the ancient ideal of liberation is
itself transcended within the awllkening
of the Soul, who reaches her final
destiny: Dilinity.
In this New Understanding, the
e,olution into the Ultimate Peace and
awakening to the Heart are seen clearly
as belonging to different planes or
expe.rience, being met, bowe,er, within
the complet<" human being. The cncial
message or this book is the positi,e role
of the Me, which is the subject
behind all experiences. It is no longer
denied, but on the contrary, seen as the
only verucle lhrougb which the Universal
I AM joume)'S in the human dimension
towards Its own tigbt.
ENLIGHTENMENT
BEYOND
TRA.DmONS
AziZ KRJSTOF
H ouMAN EMAMI
MOTILAL BANARSIDASS PUBLISHERS
PRIVATE LIMITED eDELHJ
ISR"'I fl. I .,>j)jl.fh "Hlolh)
I''U'- "I %M 11-!i'lK 1r.apr)
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" ?.bh2La.'-mt ( h.lmtwr ".ankn Ro::ad, \l!.lftlbai 400 02ft
:ORmapttuh lltlh Ro;wt. \1ybporr,C.hnm.uti00001
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1h o,;l \t.nl. J Road. B.ut('A.Inrr "M.O 001
"'c:..mM 'unt. C.ll,utt..' iiiO 017
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C hr\\l.. \',u.m,\\1 :121 Ofll
l'kiii.Utli!\l'ml\
P.\JAIM!\1*-'I'k.'lt..'"''l'"
''
AAUPliUblltlllll ""4Kt'U.U.I1l'""'-""'J.'I"' ft*
.. ont.AI uwrnn
M'tr.:t04l.U._ ROAh t.eUIIII4trh
'/11i.1 /Jook i.1 tlrdiwtrd to lhr IIIVtltiJ/1' llllrihwnrr-p;mrP
that had auralwnrd thr fin! human /wing to 1/w
ab.10futr .llfllr, .\111/P of heml a11fl fwyoml .... 'fhu.1
initialing thr vny rxislenre ofthr rnfighlmmrnl inthr
rmt.Hioii.\1/I'S.\ of mankind.
To thi.1 fma wP bow in resjJect rmd g;mtitudr j11r it.!
unconditio11allove and guidance. May i/.1 1mivmal
pre.ln!Cl' bhss llzP earthly existence of all who seek iL1
wisdom within their own presence.
Conte nts
lntlcKiurcinn xi
flu Rnd.tunn from tht lkynrul xtu
Iht \'isinn nf !Ius llnnk xv
I ht \l.lp nl ,\wakcnmg X\ii
Realm of tht.' Inner
l'nw.u d t ht PHsenc<" 3
J'nw.ud the l nhnrn 17
Ill<' Ptc"nn and the Ab">httt 19
:lkdnaunn 23
Beyond \'ipasana 29
\tindfuhlcss: on%at? 37
lknand :-\ow 39
,\J< Knans the Unhersal Language of
Fnhglnenment? 41
Rtaching the Absolute Rest 45
llu tc Pillars of Reaching the Absolute State 53
'lht Ren>gnition of the Absolutt 55
'lhc Inu: \leaning of F:mptintss 61
State 63
Otl<'llt'" and :-.Jon-separation 6.'>
II Realm of the Human
1\ting I Iuman 71

llu Rnlt nf Ego 77
n ... Ftlth :'\nhl<' Truth: l'lw 1'111 post nl
Sufltllng
About Enlighltnnu.:nt
Ul Realm of the Divine
The Pitfall of F.nlightenrnent 97
Disidcntification !l9
Beynncl Fnhghtenment 103
The Snul: Our True Identity 107
The lO Our True Identity 11 1
The Beloved \17
Dcsirelessness and the Soul-Desire 121
The Soul and the Absolute 125
The Suffering of the Soul 127
The Soul and the Beloved: Unity and
Separation 131
Will and Grace 135
Enlighttnment to the Heart 137
Buddha Mind and Christ Consciousness 141
IV Realm of the Wholeness
Rest Within and Know That-! Am H9
Sarnadhi: The Absence of Me? 153
Me in "Non-duality" 155
Intelligence: The Power of Recognition 159
The Final Revelation About Me 161
Enlightenment to Me 165
The Staw of Ignorance 167
Tramccnding Ignorance 169
The Awakening of the l Am J7:J
Vt>rification of Attainment: The Setker's (;ual I i9
The Last Word , , . . . 189
Introduction
This Book is manifestation of the same Spirit that has
aliowed the human intelligence from the \'Cry bcgmning
to reach the light of Understanding. This Spirit docs not
negate that which has been attained, as spiritual
traditions, but embraces and transcends them as a pan
of iL\ own past evolution. The mind wants to frcct.e the
past spiritual conclusions as Lhe ultimate, but the Spirit
cannot stop in its eternal journey of expansion; for that
would be against i ~ very essence: Freedom.
Now the human collective consciousness has reached
a very profound understanding of the Ultimate Reality.
This understanding is present in a few of the great
spiritual schools of Enlightenment. These traditions,
having been created a few thousands years ago, have
been evolving continuously until our time. However,
their evolution so far nmnot go beyond certain
philosophical understandings that had been founded in
their times, based on thcit given circumstances. Our
attempt is to bring an understanding relevam 10 the
current stage of spiritl.tal evolution that can allow us to
expand fully into the Uniwrsal Wholeness. F'or that
reason, with the full respen and gratitude to the pa.>t
traditions, we present in this book a Revelation of the
New dimension of Awakening and Undtrstanding
The pa'>t traditions pencivt<i only one dimension of
growth: till' expansion into the Inner St<lle. Rtttllning
to the statt of till' original ''\dtlle light" has bttn the
highest ttkal. nsulting in tht negatJUil of other
The Revelation from the Beyond
1\nond th.- collntiH' consri<HISill'" ol ht1111anitv thnt
;, tht' ocean ol Lniwrsallmdhgenn Om
nolllllfln, taking place within the limnatinus nf hum;m
intdhgenn, 111 order to rt'ach the Realm of Wholt:m"
nal\tllansnnd the frontiers of lh OWIIJMM. The human
dimtnsinn, which is the di\ int limitation, merelv
npnstnt- a stage of growth of tlw Spn!lm ih txpansiOI;
ltl\\.trds tht Supreme l ' nderstanding. The human
uaclitinns. that is, the Past, art the ultimatt' hmitation of
our '\ow The past gi,ing bird1 to our prtstntmtl'lligence.
h<IS brought us to the point when no lunhn expanSion
is po"hlt. This is where the Rt'H'Iauon from the
lkrond nttds to enter. And it t'rllers Unexpcctedl).
Grace is the hand of the Universal l ntelligcnce that is
leading its own past towards the Ultimate Fulfillment.
which is the Supreme Now. It tmtrs whtn cvoluuon
cannot fret' itself from its own p;l\t, and brings the
lilwraung Light of the New. The quantum leap intu tlw
hi)lhtr l 'ndtr-stancling, freed from the p;rst, canrwt bt
dorw; it has got to be Revealed \nd it ;, ht'ing Rt'\taled
The Vision of This Book
11m i' not nwr..tr a dt-cnptoon of tht Snprt:mt'
l ndtl't.uahng. l'arh rhaptn rt'l"'''t'll!< <t'rtam
unporl.tnl nf human evolution ruw.u-rh a more dnd
mol<' tnmpktt understandong of tlw Rtaluy It is a
nmtirHIOU\ tran\f'('ndtnfe of what hctn ,l(tainect.
Fvtn rh.lpl<'J is a prece of tnllh, .m <tnglt of S<"<"mg the
pirtut< of rl'alitl We are, m a non-lirwar way. reaching
higlwr .mclluglwr underst.anding, c-ommg closer to the
final momtnt when our mtellig<ncc and tlw Realitv
nwrgt into nne :\10\ing within the '>horc'> of
lt'arhings and using their highest we
rontmuomlv test them with the fire of our intelligence.
\\'t rtmove' and transcend those element< of past
undcr-t.anding that might obscure our growth and
prennt us from reaching the Complew Underst.anding.
The Mmple purpose of this book is to show clearly the
jounl!'y of consciousness from ignoranct ;md confusion
towards the full realiLation of the "I Arn." The I Am we
speak about is not merely what traditionallv is called "no-
mind, "prest"nce" or "witnessing COII\Ciousnes,. The"'
'"''JUst "P<'CL> of the I Am. The cnmplettl Am;, a unit1
of Enlighttned Awareness, fnlighlt'rwd Heart and
Fnlighttntd Rest upon the Absohott. Hownn, it is not
nwr..ty tht rc:aliLation of tht I Am that " our ulumate
goal, but tilt' Enlightenment to "Me.
Tht 1 taluv of Me is even mort nwswnou' than all til<'
tx.thtd inrttr Me i"} not gi\'t';l, but mu'l he:
hirth to. Tlw nali.t.ation of the inntr sr.uc.' allu,.,, Hn.tlh
,.;vi
till" nnpkt<' "'''ill!( ol what :\k is. l l1< '"'''"''lllllg of
rht llliH'I 'i.l.;t(t'' j, not cl final goa) hilt .I IOtiiHI.tiiOfl Upon
whi< h tht ,.al goal r.m ht au.unecl Tlus gotl is tlu
rcnnp1
1
u ;maktning to the dinunsion nl :'lit- '[hough
it is lwvoncl stall", :\It rests upon th<m. Tht Final
Enliglllenmtnt uansntHb tlw lnmr, '" wdl as tlw
ouur in th" Jllll<', ltilmparent, ahsolutd)' cllll'< 1. personal
a nd intimal! apperception ol wh,tl "I Am "
F.nlighl<'lllltl'llllo Me is tht real ptu pm< of 0111 evolution.
We an IWH' In clisnwer fullv and dnuhtlt"h what Me
is. ;\h , th<' <'Xptrienct'r and cnjowt of .til stalts. finalh
must lw to itself. Ti1is is the highnt
and tlw !(natnt jov: going bnond tht illusion dr
spirituality, ont ill I<N discmcrs Ontsl'lf.
The Map of Awakening
1.
knoranct t- a valid dimen>ton, fot II cotbtitute' tht
e.xpenence of most human bein!(> l!(noranct an
expentnct of oneself in which :\k i>
fra!!mented. unconscious and without anv Ct'rl!er or
foundauon. The mechanical mind tmalh owrpowers
the P''che, not allo11ing one to experitnce either the
Bein!! or the HearL In this >tate. one is totalh identified
w1th P"chological e\ents. thoughts and emotions.
BecatN" there i;; no center. e,er\' thought and emotion
creates a -.eparate :'-.le. an idemified :'-.le. As in a dream,
one lives in a fulh objectified reality or one is this
objectified real it\. 11ithout the existence of a subject. :'-.1e
is objectified and identified with what is percei,ed and
thought For that reason. one experiences suffering and
negathit\ to a much higher degree.
The state of ignorance a verv flat and
narrm, realitY There is no depth to it The of
awart>nl"" and sensiti\it:y are ,erv limited and unconscious
in this state. In this state the Soul sufl<rs . md at the
'\d1ne tiJnt. ;, not aware of itself. The uncnn:"\tiou\ reigns.
One h\es in the world of ego-image" how one percei'e'
Clllt..'Mlf alwav' relates to the outer. c-annot be
regardtd a tonscious It is bt.n .. tht con,ciotb
and the. lllltnn!\<.lou,. It is unrlt-.u o\nd e1npv of
any real s.nbstanu.. 1t is to ht l"his
challt:ngt. suunc:r or later, of enry hu1nou1
X\'111
II. AWAKE."HNG OF nn: I AM
1 J\m" 1\ lht" full t'Xpt>ritnn n( ntH'"'<-U pnor to th
1110\t'IOCO( Of thnught-.. and t"IIJOiiUil'S. CXpent'II(C
., uuit)" of flf Jlfmg and tlu- H(art
Alltht>-< a.'pcct' need to lw llllt'gf.ll('(l w1tlnn on<'< II to
m;mlfcst the \\1lolene,s.
Attention
In 01dcr to transnnd the mind wt 11111\l first aw-Jken the
;Lspect of Auention, the \etd of h<ng romrinm withm
tht mind. This auention is !(t'llt'latt'd in tlw mmd, and
due lO it, the UnCOn,ciOUS, nwchalllt"ill <l\peCI O( the \"CIY
mind becomes transcended. Tht
allt'nlion, when \Cen in iaself as ""paratcd from the
"pcrct"hed." gi,es rise 10 the state of Prt,,.nce. The
purpo"' of the culli\'aUon of auention is of
and stab1liLalion in the Prcsenct, "' that it final!)
becomes a constant and saahle ct'flltr of a"'drent" at
the background of the pwchol<>gJcal sdf. HoweHr. if
other aspects of "I Am" are not devclop<'d, and the
is cultivated alone, one can btcomt \Cf)
imbalanced.
Being
The Being a.spcet is what gives to the l'rtstnn tin
neces.sary depth. The: Presence 1\ithout 11<-m!: '' 100
inten'C and depriH:d of tilt' quahty of rnl, nl.1xation
and ll'lling go. Cuht\'llliu!( tht !king a't>e< 1 .ttlows the
ent"rgy nf Prcstncc to 1>e clrnpptd .md pull<"<l h' th<'
naturdl g1 avitational furet, dol\ nw;u cl throughout the
whnl.- bcxtr Fi"l, one ltrs go of lh 111111<1 I" luf1111g tht
attt-ntiun to cuw 1 c-J.l'\.ts tht' "Ill uf
!K"If-reh-rnng Prt"stncc which wiJl gtntl't into tht"
5tak' ot IUm-<I<Jtng, tfiurtJt''' .md p111 t"I1Jtclitation.
XIX
t'.llttr,tiJy. 111 actlvily the Attt'ntJnn i-. mun txpc--.!-.erl,
whik in rneditalion, cht Btmg fl\pc.n Pi At thl'\
point, tht> Auenuon and Bc.ing of tht I Am are
prt''('l1l.
Heart
\\'i1hout bringng into the state of Bting and Attenuon
1lw of deep sensitivity of the awakened Heart,
om" r;u from experiencing the complete I Am. Although
wt describe the Heart as the cente1 of fteling, at the
sam.: time it is a dimension of Being. The energetic
pn<nce of the Heart brings warmth to the coolness of
awareness and being. Heart is the balance between the
inner and the outer, without which one is pulled in too
much, and the relationship with the outer cannot be
harmonious and expansive. We are essentially feeling
beings, and the intimate center of our identity as "Me"
is placed in the Heart. Without the Heart we cannot
experience fundamental sensitivity and inner beauty.
Developing the attention and working simultaneously
with the other two aspects, we come closer and closer to
the holistic experience of the I Am. Only when all of
these aspecLs are integrated, do we feel fulfilled and
happy.
HI. THE ABSOLUTE STATE
Beneath the I Am is a place of Absolute Rest. The
Absolut< is a secret oflhe Being aspect of the I Am The
or Hean cannot reach the Absolute. The
complete surrender happens onl) through the Bemg.
Prior to tlw shift to the Ab>olute, the experience of
bein11 bdongs to the I Am. We can say it is a part of Me,
as if the c1wrgy of being couldn't go heyond it> fr.une
of refennct. For that reason, the Bem " ect of I
\X
.\m \\-I tic Jt '' for the. f.'XJWricncc nf .111d
"'''' ('.Uli10t I (',I( h the Ahsoluu Rt'\( r lw JWCIC (' ;;uui
C'JH'I icnncl wuJun llu. I ,\m h(l'!o - qu.duy or .. nnam
mo\cmcnr of t'lll'fJCY and ccm'c ... It i\ hc..miful
.tntf fur mn't \Ouh: ultimatc.. Huwl'\'C'I, l}wrc j,
ckeptr txptritncc: that goes fxoyoncl tlw I Am.
nw \hill I<> tht .\l>"<>lut<" txpancl' the: lkrng <l\pl'rt
of tht' I \rn to it\ onginal absence. IO the realm prior
10 ron,c1omnc" .mel energy. Tlw nnt<r of irlcnul}
within th(' !king aspect is pulled to tlw Source IL\Cif, so
one 1\ 111 a wry mysteriou> way plaet"l prior to the I Am.
I fer(', the stal<' of Pure Rest IS manlfCst<cl. rhc Being
aspect of the I Am can completely let go of ill>df, and
be recei\'ed bv the Unbom. It is here that !\lc can finally
expc:ricn<e it' own absence withrn the pre'ience of the
uniHrsal I t\;\1.
rv. FINAL ENLIGHTENMENT: TO ME
The "Me" that entered the spirimal path and i'> completing
all of the 1nnc1 states, is still in a mysteriom wa1,
unconsciom of uw:Jf. One can be Enligh.tencd to the. I
Am and to 1hc Absolute, and still be unaware of the wry
Me who has rcad1cd Enlightenment. Who;, the seeker?
\\1w i' the linclt-r? It is hen .. that a totalh new
unclcrstandrng hcvoncl the knowledge of u adttions
emerges: awaktning to But without the rc:alruuon
of tlw inrwr state\. one ;., not capable of ,ccing what this
truly is. The rnne1 stat<, <T<"<Ht tht ptrlcct
a spntl"" rnirro1 in which tlw .\le .It "'''
can ht refltcttcl and appcrccl\td
\\lthout awitk(rung to tltt. llean, ,\tc. c.mnut ht 'l't'tl
as anything in p.u trn1lar n,e cenlt'l, tht ''"tnn nl ,\k,
is in tlw lk;u t. Wt <all i1 tllt' Soul. Onh in th<" htw 1 ran
Me fully mttt it"' If. Howc\'cl, fir-t tht iuuud;ltloll of the
XXl
lllllt'l' 'rknn:. dt>plh nf ht.ing and 'lou Hv n( w.u trwv.;, .u t
.th,nhttcly \\'htn Lht '' .tW<lkttH"cl. tt no
lnngt'l' nmain" in Lhc middJt ul nu1 du,o,.t hul Jwnntlt''
tlw tot.thn of our being.
\ll!al ";\It-' It;, the wholent'" or ""II I '111 WhiCh
b ,,h,nhndr personal and intilll<llt' It " tlw of
Prc'<nn, 'tiline"' of Being, wa1nllh .md stn"t""" olthc
Htart and the movement of lmdhgtn Wlwn the Me
;, ;twakcntd to it>elf, it no long<:r ll'Sts in tlw "nthcr"
states, but in itclf. In effot tlcss abiding, it lwwnws one
with the universal I AM, and meets the C:te<ll!ll
Fnlighttnmentto "Me," which is thtllowcring of the
Soul or individual evolution, reaches through itst'lf, iLs
ultimate txpansion. It merges imo tht apptrccpuon of
that which b berond its ultimate frontitf', the l.;nivcrsal
l A.\1. Here, the individuall\le transcench itst'lf into the
Supnme Dimension beyond Unit} and Sep<uation.
Toward the Presence
\\'al.ing up from the dream of i' a
painful and procc'.' Our_ cJc,ire is to show
how the per,onal and sptnmal dunens1ons correlate and
con,titnte each other: to show how the proces- of
,pirimal realization unfolds. The person ali tv is seen not
:1!> an ob,tacle in th1s process, bm rather as an indivisible
ancl integral pan of the path towards the Unmanifested.
Later we \\ill return to the personality itself. as it fulfills
it' mm purpose in the manifestation (apart from spirirual
fulfillment) while simultaneously being witnessed by the
original 'tate.
TOWARD THE SELF
How could a person, being fully idemified 1-ith the
functioning of his/her mind, be able to tum the light
back from becoming, toward being? Be-coming is a
ncver-(:nding, never satisfied movemcm of coming to be.
Becoming can ne,er COITIJ! ro bf because it is not able ro
rest Becoming doesn't know what rest 1\. Becoming is
time, and time is manifestation. is the
becoming. In the search for the state of Being. we
expr"" our longing to find in existenct a place be,ond
becoming. From a certain p'rspectin-, '"' are the:
pnsoners ol time; we han.- no wav to we On'
t1me itself.
What is !king? The original s1aw unh 11: 1here i' no
element of time in it. Being is tlw pl.lrt' 1he
I
J;nltl{htrnmn,t ll')mui fuuhtumt
Sourrc. Th" mttlmg c a ru-w
qu.tluy '')He h 1\ l><yond becoming dud h<youd llw i'rH""S.\
of tlw Ah,olutt. Tim new qualuy os rotlkd llc,ing !Ic-ing
1\ 4:1 Slate.' of reMing. that i'\, heiug unrnn\td It
15
nccunin.g in tunc. but is nor from time. lkmg \tatt
in \vhkh tht hccoming, which 1s time, bc.runwt; unr: \\ilh
it.lri tinwll's' origm. giving ric,t to tlu \t<itt of RcM.
THE PATH
Wlwn thl' aspiration of going beyond the ollmion ari'K'!>-
it" tioou tn enwr the precious Path. The inner call has
bttn heard, but how to respond tO it' dorecuon
to go? How shall one begin?
Meditation and Inquiry: The rwo mc>-t \ignificant
of our journey. Medication is the art of entering
our onner reality directly. lnquir; rtlatts to the \CI)
important use of certain intuitive faculties of our intellect
which accelerate the process of growth and give a roo!
to discern the real from illusion. We can look at them
as scparaw, but in reality they are deeply interconnected
Meditation develops concentration, mindfulness and
samadhi, but without inquiry there would be: no
und(rstancling or wisdom.
On the dttpcr lc\cl are two esscnual qualities of that
which we arc: lking and Understanding. Bt>ing without
L'nckr-t;utding is dull and p<L'-""' tnckr-.o.llldmg llithout
Bdng i\ ag-itoued, and deHJid of b;t,it rahn ;.md
stilhlt'.\..\, must be ';Uppnnc:d by iru1uuy, while
inquiry without meditation j, nuaninglc.,, .tnd
intdlt<tual.
A ont sided attitude. is <Juiw common. fn<Jllirv \\Uitnut
meditation is a \'t'I)' limited approal"h. 011c. ,IU.'IIIUUJatt''
. lol nr information. }{('I:\ to know rtltlll}' tn;L'\t(rs
and has pkntv of conceptual answtro; rt'latinf.( tu
wilhnut going into acaual Otlt lrulv
dnc' nut rt'ach an\ state; on the contran-nnc
mon .mel mor<' clisconncct<cl from Ill<' nalm of stlenn.
'"ithout inquin. also .t ven con1mon
app narh .unong those ,;lw M<" IH>I somehow
inl<'lltcHJall\ '>t'nsuive to I he dimenston of Being. lhuallv
lht'\ t.tkt fnr granted all the OIW\Idtcl vitws cla.ming
nwdit.llion is "not-thinking," <llld h)' following them,
lhtv hlork I he lllllttra/inquiring mind. M;my Zen stlldents
fallundl'r this category. They prdt-r to think about some
.thstnJSt' Zen S;l\ing or intervi<w's answer. than to
colllc:mplate directly their own mind
!\kditation is not simply "not-thinkmg." It is bC)ond
thinking. and beyond thinking includes thinking and
not-thinking. To sit in meditation is to lw in a state of
consciousness which is naturally deeper than the
occnrnncc of thoughts. Thinking docs not decrease its
dt"pth nor does not-thinking increR<e it . .\!editation is
"non-doing" in which we let go of our rclati,e
consciousness. But although it is non-<lowg, it must still
be attained.
There is "meditation" "re;Khing It
is a goal to be attained, the path ,,, this goal and the
prest"nre of a compll'te state, all atlht s;nne time. In the
prort'ss of arriving at tile pure nwdilation 'tate (Sinbn-
laZa). the goal ;, ahead1 "cre1lv pre,,nl, and prtsents
itself from lllnt to tim.e a' a pan of the mt'ditator\
The further we !(O, tht mon onr goal and
lhe path become unified-until the path di"ofw, inro
lhe goal.
Before we go further into the clttptr kHls of
let's say something abnul lht btgmnong of
need to thou lht matunt) uf
,,,,k i' tn lr<.Ul'hum thi'> ,("Jf-('"01\\(.'l(l\1'\ 1111put .. c 11110 cl
nmttniHHI' of .utc.ntum
In nudu.uwn wt. arc thl" .. t"U-<nn'(mu,nnpuJ,c.
a., a tnolw hnng nuroehc, back tn the. pn,tnt mnmtnt-
tnuncln our h.tbHua1 in,ohemc.nt in thmkmg. \\'t en tn
'<'C nm"ln, think1ng anrl romc. "' <tmrkiY a' po"iblc
ro rhc nnpu rral rtality. in ,,.-hi<. h , ... ,.h-e.: I nm,c.lno,; '1uing
;111cl .u c. pn,tnt to our surrounding,_ nc.cau,t the nund
,, ,t'ff-<-Clll'iCinu' onlr for a 'Piit \t'nmcl. nottcing pt.l.'l
uwolwnwnt 111 thou!':hts whllt sunultarwously falhng
inrn tht li<'Xl thought, 11 is otlkd ;m "impub<" The
mind '' sttll not sdf-<'onscious, hut ll h." man\' sc:lf
cnn,cinu' impuhes.
nw prt''<'lll moment is cxpcntncl'Cl hen: 111 " nrv
1<1gm referring to objectil'ity. l'lw mmd ran not
l>f' sdf-umscio"' I'<: I, for it simph is not able to cmbrnce
tlw "lfnmscious tmpulse in itsflj. that is, to l>f' in it. \\'e
r.m tilth is touch of self-conscious impulse "hemg 111 the
momtnt. This kind of "being in the moment" cluesn't
haw the qnalil'. of Presence yet. Rather 11 is about being
in tmpiricaltime (as opposed to mental time) Here, the
flm, nl lrmt from the imrnediatt' past uHo the present
lht au:xt ntomenl, is iden1ificcl bv a :-.uhtle
as UJlt:
\\'h<n the mmd learns how w tt'CH'<Ilt' this sclf-
run,rinu.., impulse.. as often po.-.:..ibk, we. li\l' more and
mol( m tmpiriCill realiLy. The. itnpuht.
bring' u' back not onlY from out narratin" lhinking. btu
from uur invoh(:tnenl in empincal re.llit\, which
u' to uarnlngt: our anitudt Ulllf<'J wh._u i'
around
Although the '-ol'lf-consclnu, impulst nHliH.'C'h ll' with
tlw pn:o.c.nt mumc:nt, Llu. [\;on-domg 01 Slul..,m-t.ll.t j,
sull tnlld l dtepcr. \1\'e ll t't'd to inn,ug.Ht' and diH' Jnto
tht znu point, wlwre tlw iou' nnpubt clot'' nnl
dimc:n,icm .. \\'c: ran :o;p(ak .1hou1 I he. fur th dauu-
11
,
1011
of
c.<Hl'< Hlll'lll'\1.;, \\"t" 110nnally lin" in \'C.' IV n;u
du.-rc: '' nn clt.pth the. ,n.,.j, nut (Ut,cntto
It
1
, nnh 1hc awa.ktning oftht \"OitiU.'''JliC.''t'll(t' t1Mt can
t''f>.tlld nur three dintensional ptrn:pltnn into a
panoramic is a rnoHmtnt that hd..' got
to ptrpttuaw its continuity. Til at's why rt'lrMininK in the
st.ll<' of non-abiding \\ithom support is <tg<umtll' habitual
ttndt'tKits. But thanks to our practKt', thl' mmd expands
1nto ns det'per lavers. and the mo,tmcnt gradually
suhstdes into the stillness.
\.\l1cn the tt>nus "mind" and "no-mind" are used, we
tend to belicl't' that they are scparattd. This creates
chnicultits 111 understanding tht whole proccs' of
rt'aching the no-mind from l11c perspecuve of the mind.
Ont wants to eliminate the mind in order to attain the
no-mind. This is a big misunderstanding. First of all, it
is through the mind that we reach the no-mind in a
comcious war. Second, after we reach it, we ee clearly
that ll1e mind is a natural extension of our own Presence.
The original no-mind is not aware. It is through
consciousness that we can reach the no mind, that
is-to become conscious of it. To be conscious of no-
mind does not mean that it becomes an oldect of
Consciousness without content is what
we call "no-mind." The mind expands into its 01<n
nature. It awakens to that which is inherent m it,
although not fullv acrualized yet
We an part of the evolution of con'c
t:\'o)mionthat i' conscious. It is no longtt pureh
and instinctive. Our ego-mind i\ int?
using its will, intelligence. .ulcl In
tht mind learns ho\\" 10 It''' in lh n.uun
Which. is Jlilltl'll, and through HHilllr\ W(' .twaktn
1
tht
CORICioua link between our m;uufc:-.tc-d n11ncl ,uH
11
'
Ill
'""'c-nu.1J cnnnaturc. . _
\\'c lht\'(' rnc:nuontd IIH}tllry. In c;umc
mv,unnll' w.l\', the pa.rt of 11' that mulrntmui' 1\ alr.r.ohuc..tv
mcii\'J'Ihlt hnm lht proC"f"f\-' or nHchtouion. lnqulf)' is nOt
,
11111
,1\ ,tbouf" or rnnn:ptual11ing.lt to
tlw \'t'n mnutl\'t" part of our mtdltC"t. U ndt'rstandmg

pl.l' when the cxpericnn 01 IH7ng tl.- "'/"'nmr,

and inl<'lktlll.ll msight. intuillvdy htromc one In our
,p
1
nn1.tl mqm11: we.. idtas and in a very
skillful w.w-as 1f them ancl let ling go of them
,
11
tlw '\anw time. While inquiring, Wt' are hrmgwlth our
''""' ancl 111 it In this looking,
th<'"' " no/xJdv who is looking, ncithtr is it just a
"< hoirtlt'" awareness"-thcrc is a profound desire to
undtrstand. In inquiry, the understanding can not be
rtMhed-it must be re,ealcd! We allow the
undtr\landing manifest itself. f..ven so. we are not
nwHIy passive; in a very subtle and nnpathetir our
mtdlectual 'cnsitivit:y triggers the knowmg to present
"''If. Thi' is very significant, for it shows m how the
nuoHI-t!.(o, from its layers of deep ,,cnsitiviry, participates
111 tlw Jli<>Ct'" of shifting to the dimenSion of the no-
mind
Who am I? Continuing the i:;sue of inquirv, we would
hkt to slwcl a linle light upon one o! the most
luncl.nutn.tl 111quiring The question ''\1110

1111
I?" " tht """net of tlw wholt juurnn of human
nulntion. It i' thmugh this qut"tion that
agnm finallr begins to know ibciLt'- \\'e
wed 'lotrtat dtal of spiritual "t('ll'itt' itY co hecomt'
nl tlu- l.ln I hat Wt really do not know who are Tilt"
Clllt,tum,''\\"hu am I?" b.rint-ts an es..\t'Jllial doubt inw \")UI
ultt uhualit:4Hinn with tht ptrsc)JHliiV 1\lll doubt j.., not
dt"sire to resolvt it is \rathuut tlus
O\t rwhthnmg longing to fiml out, wt ,,ill not he .tbk tf
II
, OIIW UUI nf I ht dot!
r he-re .ut JlloJJl\" of approtu hing lh(' qutstlon
\l'ho.ml J?" On tht "'l><rliciallnd, "'' nHght.JHM gn-
cuuMhc, 'onu llt'W P'c:udn .. ,pirilnal labth like '\oul''
aml"hght 01 up. fur tx.unplt-, llw Buddhi't ronn:pt
nf "'uo-,dl.'" being: con\lflC<d that wt havt 'olvc:d the
But this is vel') naive fm orw r.umot solve this
11<fdk r<maimng nn the level of nmnplS. I he ttrhmque
u"d 111 \d1a11a \'tdanta approach got's much <l<c:ptr.
\\'i1h this lll<'thod, we take iniually an HSS\HIIption that
wh.u '"' 1 tally <II<' is "crcrnal," "nmstant," "unchanging,"
and inttlltTtuallv we eliminatt' all that doesn't fulfill
1lws!' <llt<lla Wt contemplate: "I am nottlw body, lam
nnt tla mmd-who am l really? What is there that
This kind of inquiry combines the
....... kmg 111111<1 with a deep l.!l.ISt-kno\\ing that what we are
lookmg f<u '' alread1 present. In this the inquiry is
happtntng """' refers to the now and final!\', a.s the
the Now.
Tht dtTptst meanmg of the question "\\no am !?" is
<"\I'll 111111<' suhtk. II goes beyond the inquiry itself. The
lll<>nl!llt w< want to find any re,olution, the mind
mnns-it g<h drntcd somewlwn. But that which we
uuh <lit' < .. tllTlOt be found in nnv dirertion: it is
clnntiunl<ss. That\ whv the <tll<'lllpt to find ontst:!f as
wm,tluttJ!.ot \f11111'1tllwrris a mistakt. It is like
lnoktng lor ouc. 's head, \\hennr we loClk we miss the
flOIIH llw '<'t'k< r is thl' sought llw dnp<st purpost of
uur ttUtsuon 1s JUl to gtt to 'OIIle pJ.u-c. 01 ro protnote
fl dnuhr. but to c uo.uc. tnside of our hc:iug .1 profound
I.fOJI, \\huh 1\ fht /tTO poirH uf our n)ll'' JOll'rttss. ()ur
kiHI\'.:s Jl,e kno\,:Jedg-t ot our IJtu Hit'ntirv I'
prr. ... tltt \\'hal \\'(' llt'l'tl Ill do IS lO
Mop Ill II

CUI .TIVATlON
(
11
r
11
,,uicut
1
, nnt '<'par.uc.cl hom lht P.uh hut u io;,
lx,.uul tht' gn1'' lc.HI of 't'tl..ing. \\'c. h.t\t' prt\iow .. h
mnUJOflt'cf 1h.H the t:U\.11 IS lli\'\IC'IIUU'\Iy pt t'"otnt i.ll
tiiiH"' the pro<:<.''' ul pt .lnin. ="c.nrtlwlc.s\,
< uhi\,tllclll \\IHn the gnal i' dc..uly nc.:ognilcd
t 'nlt'"Wt' knclw who \H' arc. unlc:ss we. dt'<HI\ n.t:ognil'l
tht ,t,ltt' uf PIC.'C.'IlCt:, .:trc. lllU1 (' ()I It'S\ in lht.
d,ultw" Wlwn tlw go;ol " finally cltat, th< real
mtdllallon l><gills. CometO\JSII<'sS is '1111 nm fully
lllU.'!otlHt'd with ih butt he prarticc. i' no longt=t
l"hi' mea11> that wlwn mindfulness i>
pn's<nt-its objen (the Pll'Sl'l1<"l') is spontaneomly
pnstlll
Tht'lt' .trt.' ,;ews rega.rding how nllti\'atlon and
relate. \\'e need 10 1 emcmb<r that the
tnm Fnlight<nmem has rwo basic meanings. One is the
terognition o! the nature of the mind-an imight into
du.- untlt-thing- 'late of Presence. rhc. :\(,'(Uilcl is a state
htHmc! < ultivation. Usuallr whl'n W<' 'P"ak about
"Comp!ttl' I nlightcnmcnt" II'<' rt'ftr w the 'tagc of
n.\lit<lltO!l 111 whirh culti\'ation dotsn't.tpply any longer.
In l.t:n or txample:::, son1ctin1es we.. find st.llt'tncnts
Jbout the. non-ending cultiVflllUn. Some masters
.. u opinion that one has got to practice !lllen
a' nne. j, ali\'e. h thatttally :r,o? \\'tll, we do not
min<l sllllllfol '"'''" for plt'a'ltrt, lJut the Fnhghll'tll'd
Pt'hun 1' < c:ltainl\' bevond p1 artin_ S()tnc.. 11 adiuons
tc..,lh gtt .uhlint'd to pnt<ticc.. l'llt'\' don't 't't'lll tn ha\'c'
full. c lou itv .thout the.: propt'l rclation,hip hc.I\H't'll
c uht\,Uum <llld the final '\Lltt nl Sc.-11-rrotli/ollion lln\nur.
\H' ''ould like. to 111akt- rkar thai lht "hc.\ortd
'ulls\iHion" nrtainly dot's c.xi.to.t .
\nolhtr I'XIrt'ntt ,vitw assumc., lholl St't'il1g 11110 one.:',
:\anuc tqu.ols tlw end of culti,;uion t "'lly thnw
optJ,IIIn!t 111 .onodt,ohsllchne;nlogic' pmp;ogatt this kind
of \itw_ to their,iew, tither one '('C.'\ tht truth
nr not. I htn" no for cullll'ation htn l'hty don't
<cern to ht rn touch wnh the pwchologoral of
practin l'ht situation the) dc\Crihe IS 'but
occuos nn, nn rarch. It is call eel "sudden
Fnlighttnment-sudclen cultivation."
\\'t should also mention that Ut thost who are
a hie to rtco!(ttllc tht' essence of practice <'llttring
the Path. Itt tlwse cases, they st:lrl the Path with
We call this "sudden
cultil'atton " But for most practitioneos, the natural
dnl'lopnll'nt consists of entering the Path, t:nhancing
all thost quahttcs which Cl'enruall) promote the insight
into till' nauuc ofConsciottSness, cultivation and finall)
shifting beyond cuhhation. The name for this is "gradual
practicc-gradual (or sudden) Enlightenment-gradual
cultiration"
\fttr the ntognitiott of Presence, there is sull a long
way to go, htll our praclice is more and more positive.
Thl' prarlicc j, slowly turning into non-pracun. wher_e
tht: (llhivation unfolds naturally. Now we truly stan to sll
Shikan-tMa, the non-doing. Wt finall) arc .tblt to rest
lwyoll(/ thmhiug in the inner stillncs.s.
In nH.ditation, we can distingui ... h a ft\v lc:n+ of
run,c iou\nt:s,. \\'11nessing Consciou,nc'' '' the.
foundation and m l'ing of gross orr111' on tht
\UJfau , lnht(WC.'l'll j, \Urflt'thing which Wl' nmJcf f,ill
1
IHO\"tnwrn of uHuitin intc:lli,qtnn. J"lu, lllllllliH'
c ,,
111
clvnamic rcl.uinn , ... ith the of
.t\ the. m.Ht'l iii I Ufit'rt.d {()II by t)ll" \Uhc. Oll'l'IOtl\
Ul oiS .l lt',l( 11011 tu lh \l11"0UI'ldlllg"\ II dec ide, whcthtr
"' lct )(u of tilt, iufcu mat ion or 10 JMtlinp.tu Ill It 1 Ius
intuitl\c i\ ,th.U in .t <hII.HUit rd.t!IUil \\IIIL
14
1-:uhJ!.hfrnllu'lllflt;tmd 'l"ttul1tmuJ
tJw \ftiiH'"II1).t Cnn'iriOU\Tlt''' For c.xonnplc., how it
rd.ttc, 1'' tlw Pn,c.nn "a chH'ft <<HI'<' fJf diHtJcntlt."'\l'h
df ah,orpuon 111 \\'l c nul<lnanw thi' uf
uut ,(')n, .1, tht crcati\"c centt'l nf CHII pt'P\nnal
intllligcnn.
\\'hcu we 'pc..tk .about "'unt','illlg Con,ritHI\IlC\'\ or
.tw,\rt'IH:'SS," \\'t" tllU'( lt.'llll'nlhtr that
,thlwugh ll I' JlHI pu.ll'lll, it is not ;.tt all stHir; it i'\ a
mnHmtnl. the. nHl\'t"mcnL of sikncc-a flunuation of
cons< IOII,nto.;, ihdf. It i.; not to bt: aware of it.
W.- n.-.-d lo I<> know it.-likl' a ckar friend. We need
10 lw w11h 11. <IIHI in !his "being"-learn. That's why ru
1
ltmtnl of mqniry absoltucly nnd, to be present
lhe culti\'ation process. This intuit:\'e
imdhgt'IH<" ran he delicately aware of 1hc qualit: of the
'tale of l'u,cnrc wilhout disturbing i1. \\'c can <el' how
11111<'1 'ullm" and a subtle obser.ing inquir: beauufulh
< O<'XI't" a ha1 ntonious whole. !\'either the whit<' cloud'
ol"' til,. 1 Itt blue 'ky nor the deep blue 'h hindel'\ Lhe
(lone".
l.tl '" '"' lhott however deep out mccht<llion is, it is
not cuott!-!h. unltss we u-uly understand ourselves. To
uudtbt;uul ourselves we have to sit in llw of
dmug, ''hilc ltat ning at the sante titlH.'. This is not a
< tmtr.ulu tum, for t:ts wt: alreadv know, tneditalion is not
1"'1 nut 1luuking" bul bi,,md rlw \l.ttc of
Preser1rc.', though purely now, h,,, man\ It
hdong'> to tlae \etticaJ n:alttvoJ tht 1Ww, whit h ,,mw call
the nnmmd Hut thi" nHIItidnncn,tonal l"hc Hf)-
mmd 11011011 dot-sn't tcftr to somt kuul nJ ,t,tiiC 't.tll',
btat to .111 .tiiH ancl H'f) rid1 UIJ.folllhtn of< oust wu,nt':-.
It run onh bt-mg, it is ftvmf{.
(A I011Sill"\S h,ts to he nuupltJd\' lliHkJ o;,(ood \\.\
IHtd lu kno'' it hkt our nwll J::.udt"ll II "' h.t\t" .t
bettullful huh g.utl,n in tht, tHlllti'V'ittli \\hi< h \H' lou

15
wq mu<lt ,tnd 'J>l'Jtcl all of om 'J>.ttc 111111' t.tking care
of,'"' '1111plv know Jt. AlthOliJ.:h it" .tll\,11' < h,
11
Jgtn!'l, all
that 11111 ,,.,. there, the flowt" lltts .mel pl.lnh, are
,,)1,,11., familiar and known. This is wh.tt ts meant bv
Ulukr't4tnrling con\cinuc;nc''-il btrtutu, trnbraced.
Ont clmsn't Jll'ed to be highly accnmpJi,Jwcl to see that
thnt art m.tny different statts of al"'u ption \\1tat this
tmans i' that consciousness, n<n whik 1-(IOs., tlnnking
is <thsent, ran expenencc Jtstlf in \'arious w;ws-it tmte.<
difft'H'Illly. Ft om the sharp and rkar a1;areness in
;tction it rc:achcs deeper and cleeptr s of calmness.
!(OIIlJ.: graclualh n1to meditation. until it completely
forgets itself and its surroundin!'ls in a tranc<-lik<
S;unaclht. Thc:re is no judgment about which of these
st;uts arc more preferable. They arc: all \'alid as a pan
nf the natural mo1ement of comuousnc": hill u is
to comprehend them.
IL is txtrcmel\' important to rtaht< that u is our
inuuuw mtl'lligence that dircnh affects the qualm of
witnc"tng. It is this imelligcncc that cleciclcs whether it
,,ants to be invohed in the personal nahn. or to rest in
1\cing. When it is involved in till' ''xwtnal rtaht)' or the
mill!!, the witnessing is ju't P"""dl J>ll'st'llt in the
background. When it withdr..tw\ front tilt' l'Xlt'JIIal realit\,
"' tntt !-.'" naturally drop' JC> tlw inmt 't<llt' .mel the
witnt,sing gots dtcper into irsdf. _
In c uluv.uinn the nl t.nns< iou,nt." ''
But it i' even mort: irnport.liH to 't41hdut
<Hu.MII Jinnlv in tht: stau: of Pn,tru t. llw prt,c:H c: ul
tlw goal lobe. constanth na\\,lktuc:cl uuul linllh
it btcurncs our constant r<alin . ( )ltl dlnr I
with tlw natural and spnnt.uuou' dfor rlc""llt''' of
our txinK. c ultiv<nion tllllh ullo norH ulll\.ttum. ;uul
that which was our oo.tl tr<tll'C c.ncb tlu )ilth.
lh
BEYOND CUI.TI\'ATIO"'
n
1
c Mth tht g:oal ho.l\c. fin.lll\ ht<nnu- <nu ll1e
1
lg
1
, :'\o nc:ccl In c:nh.uu c one',
\\111lt'"" ' .. ' ' .
praflin .Hl\ But. we haq .... , .. cl, thl dn1rntuc
rdatinn,hip berwt:f:n the pc.1 :nul Prt'\Cnce


Thi' i.,. a part of hrc. \\t ha\c to fact.
cht wnsc.mt ch.lllenge of ncr<"aung, chrcmghout our
life. elm equilibrium between our inmlwnwnt in che
P"""'"" dimension and rcting in lht' imwr freedom
This balance is not c.nllomaucally g1nn fnr an awakened
penam, '''some teachings might 'ugg<''' .. \lchough tht:
and the mundane have h<conlt' lull\ one-the'
are two at the same time. We must hn thcs
paradox, for it represents
Going beyond cultivation means l<l be human ag-.un
\\l1atevcrour spiritual insight imo the natuct of realitY is,
being human is our destinv. \\'ith tht' completion of our
cuhi,ation the goal is forgouen. \\l1en c.lw go;d is forgonen.
the naturalness is reached. \\l1cn tht' naturalne'-" is
reached, our sensiti,itv and life become one
This b not the ec;d of the spiritual '>carch. The
Absolute has not been reached yet. Cultivation can not
go beyond consciousness, for it belongs to this ven
consciousne-s. The under>tanding of the nature of
consciousness takes place in consciousm'" bm the
longing to go bevond it comes from che liltimatt' itself.
The L'ltimate is' pure sensiti,ity; ic cs calling 11' and
responds to our longing through Gl.lt<'. Thert i' '"'
cultivation any more. onlv surrt'mkr Tht 'untntkr of
the of consciousn.ess can not ht dnne unit''' n
r:ncounters Gntce. We know tt'lrlll lU lw ,tu 1 endend
but we do not know how and tn what. In thi.., nut knrJ\"1ng
the surrender itstlf .tnd unplndt.., iuto
Freedom. We can find no uthtr word rh.ut
Toward the Unborn
This as the joumc\ of Cons(U1U,nes..'\ toward lhc
rcahtauon of l'himat<- SubJt'CUVI!\' from whach
l'\'er\1.hmg has cmcrgt'd and w which remrn'
This as a journey of tht tminrt into lt,df, .utd through
1
a,..lf into tht lk-ynnd. All That " "hut an exprc"ion
of tht l'himatc Suhjeni,ity whirh xptritn('c' ih<'Jf in
it< own \\', need to tuHitr,wnd that all
that i< occurring in the field nf ptrnption, that which
i< p<-rethwl. exp<-riencecl ancl exptric:nnabk-all of it
is bur an c:xprc:"ion of the L'lumatt Suhjtcti\itY. Let',
male no mhtake: our spiritual journc) i' kaclmg u'
he>ond t'Xpericnce, which i' it,elf the ultimate
exp<-rience. That which we are is nothing hut cxi,tence
becoming self.-conscious of as tht m;mife,ted and
waking up tn its own absence. "' its ipenti,..,.
We, the manifested, are e"ciHiall\' that which i'
everlastingly unmanifested.
Consciousness is a tool with which tlw unmani!Cstcd
translates itself into experience. It is in itself. the
manifested reality. Consciousne" is tht '"".l in which
the manifested is recognized as maniftsttcl. btll at the
same lime the only tool through which tht unmanifestecl
can be reached and recogni/ecl. Th" t''"nn of
consciousness is in itstlf, tmptied frnm
Ill content We call it the statt' of Prcstnn or Pure
That's the point wlwn tht l'himate
begins to Jal itself. Hen is the
Source and the manifestiltiun. Thtl'hnnatc
Ill
., JUiUt IO il.
Jkfnr<' 1h<' unrnanifcstld is lht ('S\fnre <>!
, onsnou"l<'" must be reah"cl. \\ h<t1 IS 1hat which ;.
rca
1
1his rtalilation? It is til<' nptr.uaw '<:11-<:onsci<>u\
<<'!11<'1 of ronsciousness, whach 111 our case is recognized
as 1hc JWrsonaliry or the ego. Ego is tlw sclf-<:onscious
lllO\l'lllt'lll of our intelligcnn without which there is
no spin1ll<ll starch and no Enligh1enment. Personali ty
i.s 1ht manifts1cd aspect of reality. Initially it is directed
towards 1lw exploration of the exlca nal world. 13m
wlwn i1 is directed inwardly, personality can create a
conscious bridge between the external reality and the
source of manifestation. This is what is called Awakening.
The Presence and the Absolute
Pnstnn '' nothing but the awakc'IH'<I ''"t'llfl' ol
manikst.uion. \\1wn the manikstation " unnmsnous
it is nunpll'tth confined to hoi\ it aJI/11'1111 to lw: it is
ptnel\' idtntificd with its own objt'ltl\ll<ltioiL l'n:sence
" hcin!( manilt'stcd but it is not iu tlw manil('station
It i' nl'ithtr tmptincss nor fm 111, hut somethmg n-
betwtcn. Consciousness can hmt tlute 01 it'lll<Hicms: it
can ht present to tht.' manifcsttd, which is life; it can
he pnstnt to itself. which is Prcs(.'llC'<'; and a can be
pnsenL simultaneouS!)' to the maniftsttd and LO itself,
which is Witnessing. Apart from this. we han the state
of no-<lrientation, which is being in the Absolute.
From the perspecti\e of thoughts, the operating
imelligencc is in the center of consnousness (illusion
of ego): from the perspective of operating intelligence,
tht Presence is the center. This Presence knows itself
as a feeling of being, as a non-dual \\'hen
the consciowmess shifts from personality w its mm
nature, it stops in itself. In this stop it knows itself as
itself.
The dimension of Bcingness, from wh1ch the
consciousne\S arises is called the Absolute. The Absolute
never appears. It can not appear, for to whom could
It prestm itself? The seer prccedts the sttn. Of course
the Ultimate seer is not an entity but a pottnual of all
that can h<.> sttn. \\'hen we spc<tk about nun-du;tl
perception, W<' must rememlwr th<lt unit'>' that which
makes <vcrythi ng possible is nalitecl, the true meaning
21
,,}urt thr knowing nf lht Ahsoluh.' IS hurn. nw onl\'
\\,t\ to rc.trh the is snrrtrHIr. ( l1w rlrop
the ccnter ol inrn rlw norHTntt t ol nnn-
\\'e call it through
diffcnnr l.n,.., nf COilli;CIO\I"illt'" wt 'cc mort anti
more: dr.trh that it cttnnot rt,t. It <..tnnnt n,t tnn
tJu- point of for it ha' a cnn,tant frt"ali\t'
unpuJ,c.-a \\ill to mo\c, to bcrnml' ... :\o wnn(kr it j,
llw ,.,,cnn of limt.. Onlv that whirh j, not of 111nr can
h<" at cnrnpktt' The :\bsohllc " tht Rt,-st ihdf.
\\1wn pr.t<lidng absorption, wt ntOikt an allt'tnpt to
nrwunct till' will. Falling with om hnath tlltn th(' total
ltlllng go of any will. we see that at thl' bottom of the
hnath, whtn the exhalation is compltttcl tlwrc is a.
tap. Tht' Presence, falling with the bHath, drops mto
thclf; hut although it drops into itself. it cannot ""lain
this split stmnct of not-doing; it get. juflomtrdwith il"'lf
.md has to mme, has to fluctuate. It cannott t'st m non-
Onl\ when we fully understand cnn'-l:inusne"
art wt nadv to receive Grace, which responds to our
snrrtndt"L Onlv thanks to Gract, can we entl'r into the
AbsnhJtt Staw-into this bouomlcss R<'st. It is truly
ama1ingl That which seems to be impossiblt becomes
true. Snddtuly we are in a place which b nut WtKhed
by anv uf tht functions of consciousnt"- \\'(.' rc't
ai>soh;tl'l\.
This is.the tnw meaning of Tht:rt is no
changt. in this which is This rnv,terinth
lrnowing. which allows us to know that till' l
1
nhm n h;b
bt-t"n reali1ed-is This tnmtnduus fnTdorn
which takes place conscinthntss 1s fn._tdnm Jrom
consciousnes . .<\. It is the con1pktinn of our l,alh toward
the Ultimate Subjecti\ity. The Unborn,
Uncreated, Unmanifested has renivtd us. full uf our
infinite longing, into its Eternal home uf Peace.
Meditation
:'\kclll.ttUHl ., 1hc an of trano;cttaling tht rn1nd \\ilh
mind \\'h.H W<' nu.-an thcll huruan < nn'< inH'-Ot'''

it' inh<'l tnt can 1 t'il<"h ,, 111uc-h
,,pnitnn of then th<.' ment,tl nalm l'lttnhtttk
nwdit;llinn is a stat<.' of being and not a '>tatt ol
hut w uansccnd the mind's ignm ann, nnain l'ltmtuts
mnst be llltrndnted.
ConsCHH"ness is a fonn of auention. Nm malh this
attt'IIIIC>II is dispel sed in mental anivil), whtdt turns
the hcamiful human intelligenn: into an unnmsrious.
medt<tlliral and ignorant mass of chaos. I o dntlop the
quali!) of altnness, we might utilite \'arious of
fncus. Fot example. observation of tht bnath,
sensations or arising of thoughts. \\'e tall tt akrtnt'" to
the The alertness is somehow n>nnentcl with
tlw nnttT or consciousness in the mind. That's wh)
when it i' strengthened and prolongtd, it diretth
affects the middle of the head, ancl slowly hegins the
pronss of al,aktning one from the day-dn<tm stalt' \\'e
netd to lt'lllt'llllwr that it is an indirect pat he 111 theca"'
of a lll<tllllt' pnson, the center of consciousnt'" tan he
<IIIOIK!'Jler( clit tnh',
Tlwn are two ,;speus ofmindfuhwss: mindfulne" of
an ohj l and mindfulness of the t't'lllt'r. :\linclfnhll'"
of the nnttr is, of course, our goal. \\'h,rtCH'f
observation is chostn for the ntedit.uion, it is JUSt .l
tool. We can say that any medit.rtion ou an object,
21
v.IJC"tlur it i!!ri hrrath, minrl, hoch 01 kcl111g'i., I'- ,
1
'<nu.
mnlrt.IIUIII nr mednatton. ht:<<lllf\(
11 rtfcr rlu nhjcn and not tlw 1 Ilw objcq
hdnug' lo tht. pa-;t. II I' nnh tlu- 'llhjtrt, dl(
.Hlcnunn fUtnr In pc-rctptinn. tiMI 1wlong ... to

\\"Ju-n the' is nor u.u1v lfl rc.fog
1111
e


ccurtr. \\'(' 11111"1 fir'' prepare the ground. Ohscrvatron
ol th<' hr<'.Hh. of lht mind ancl 'o forth clc-nlop <l'rt<un
.nc',l' \\it hill tilt' nJil'-t iou\ mind. so fin.llh 11 <an rlirk
mtn tlw "-loll c.- ol sc:lfattcnunn_ Dtvdopulg- thl i'lWarenes,
of wh.ll '' in our mrnrl ;md hndv
otw .tt Ja,t inrn a c:on'iciuus Frorn tlw hurnan
rohot, th<' being is .awak(ntd Thi' '' .. t stage
''hc-tt one. j, ht'nntdng consdou\, Inn ''ill not o;df-
c. on'c 1011' in tht" right sense of this t{nn.
\\'h.111s lh.ll which is mindful of an objeCI? \\llt'll lhis
<Jllt'slloll " ,1\ked within ourschts, the minclfulm" f()r
tlw fi1s1 1inw tt'ftrs 10 itself, aucnt10n btnnnts <UHnliw
to ihl'il .md ont finds oneself tn till' nnttr of
c.ons(Jou,nc.,s. Thit; is what lht. proplr Saton. the
"umili< S.uori should look likl'. ( :l,tritv, WN!nm and
simpli<ill' ill t' the: qualities of 1his <1<11<' l'lw proper
nwdi1a1inn '''"'' <11 this poi111. f'he inquiry s11ppom
nwtli1a1inn lnumedilation got'S hnond it. .1h1a\'s ht1ond
it.
Wlwn lht' "I Am" blossoms 111 tht middlt: of ou1
hc.ing, \\c.' lan ht. fairh content. At \H' ha'"e solllt"
ground undc.r c.nu h.-c.:L Jongtr at c. \\t' in
the d.lrknc.ss sc.ar<"hing for nlirac.ui(HI' Fnlighttnment.
I An," is what I Ant. Tht" t"'Xptric.tue of JU\ ,t'ff herornt,
solidified Now unc. i!\ lc.arnill'-!" how to 1 c.t.tlll tlw 'c.'ll'l'
of I Am Ill nuditatiun and in sHualitH1s ..,., ,J\nd\ it
becomes the real center ol c.Htt's lilt.. In mnln.Hiou ont
u leamtng how to keep the ctn((r of Prc.stnn. hem hl
be constantly mindful of it. This I'
In n.llit\, it j, nnt 'in llliH h tlw dlltilll<Hiotl
01
pc1,<111;tl \\Ill, hnt ahout .uldmg th,u whu h MmpJv i' ;u
llu h.IC 1 \latt of (." 11.1'\ ' \\"Ill ur lh
o\\U It 1" tht' \nil nf t'IH:"rg\ \\ltlun the 'lcn< t, \\ithlll
rlw \\.htn tl1t' ptt"H''' \\til !'\tllltnrltr, to
the: ,t.lll' of PH''t'IU t", tht t"nHHUll\ nf .Hlcmicm htc-nnu-.
lllllllt'ch.IIC'h lr.m,fomwcl Tlw mmd j, ,,ill run< hnlllng
111 .1 '11htk w.n. hut tht .\w,uc.n("" nf lt.',lins,c in thc.
cTntcr nf Pt t''('tH t' contalll'\ tiH p<"ro.;nnal will within the
'Jli1U' of 'OilH'thing 11111Ch big-g"t't J"IH" llllllrl l'i almost
,In 10 1l111>k 111 lht pnscnn of lht ''" ll'illlt'"ing "I Am"
, on'>< iou,IH'" B111 we: should not think that thc.re h no
1\ill n1 lht '!.II<' nf lhnc "11'111, but 11 is
nad; lht will of personalotl ;, 1 the
"ill nf ,,Jt-nn.
l.tl\ '<"<' "1"11 lht P"'siblc lll<'ntal ani1i1it' in lht
Sluk.ul-tata arl'. TI1en can bt' a P"""'' of
though I' I hat rome and go; the nu:dllalnr b unmond
"''ling 111 tht 'till ness of thl' I Am. \\'lwn lht nuelligencc
uf tht" ruc:dit.;.ttor chooses, consd0\1'\IV or
tn (Mill< ip<nt in the aCiion of 1he hill i' active
Tl"' " fully acnp1abk <ts tht I \111
is pnstnt. In rnedilation, we.'" cousciousl) thnost tn
minimitt tht fH'l sonal will, tn tht iunt'r
stlllnt"' but we: cannot clin1inatt' il < otnpktdv II we
clc-,iu to 1 cmain {onscious. l"lH \dll ts ' pan t>f
couscJou,nc" .-tncl as we ,,jiJ st-c:, t'H'll tlu: ,t.llt' uf
c ounc' tht denlt"nl of 'uhth. ,,ilJ
\\'lu-n tlu l'rescnc.t. j.,. awal..c.ntd, then. is .tn
lnuntdiatt u .uastonu.uion rn tlu. huu twning of nur
consnousnts., \\'hctht'r we think < ons( Juu'h tlr not
the IUt'tH.d .u ll\U\ tloes litH IOIKh tht sUI Inc .. , t)f I e
center. How wt arc optz.uing Willi IHII nwnt.d c llt' '
does not C"hangc tlw (H (sent c ctl the t cnft'l h111 clt>c
change the quaht\ ol it nw at(" of PI ('''<'Ill l', .tltlll
1

27
\\1tnt''"'K llw mt.rnal rlitnCihlon m a n.tHII.tlh tltt.adwd
"", .tt the. .... tnw ume lxing datc.nh .tfkc. ud h' th(
ducCIIUil nl attt.ntion. Th.H\ \\hy we han
difTt'l<'lll kHJ, of b-orpuon. for It ;, n<>tJll\1
tht Plt'\t'Jirt .1bsorbcd in the l'lt'\Cil<t' It ;, thc.-
.con,dnu.., t'IH:rJ.,'Y of to the
tnntt ''"'' that j!'tns ri<e to tlw dttp<r and (f<-eper
txptmnn nl s.unadht.
\\'t ran '"' that there are actually two nnt<'r\ prc\cnt
m the inntJ Jtalitv of the meditawr One is the stat<:
of Pnstnn, which in the ca.sc of an integrated p('Json
i' nHlstant Stcond is the center of p<r"mal Will. Thc<e
two um" .u e affecting each otlwr con'lantl;. The
per"mal wll is alwavs wimessed b)' th< ""ll.' of Prc't'nce.
On the othe1 hand. how the personal aw:ntion relates
tn tht p, <:'<nee immediate!\ chanl!'C\ tlw <JUalitv of this
stall'. So 111 Shikantaza, the \\ill of personalmtelligence
" not l'limmated. bm minimind 10 the Jt:,eJ of
,.,ptritncmg deep rest and non-doing as a foundation.
\\'e can call it a minimum ego.
Fm tlw non-doing to occur, the of peNmalitv
11111\l '""'' a place of abiding. In cnmnousnc". tlw
non-abtdtng cannot take place. The nnh place "'here
tlw ptrson<tlity can be frc<'d from itsl'lf is tht ,j}ent
hackground of Presence. The per-.ouaht\ ran n:'M onh
tntht J,\m !'he I not scpar.twd from p<'r""'""''
but t\ b<vund it
Kt:tping the: \en\t- of I Am until it
con\tant. and hoh tn n''t Ill 11
.an tlu. .. twu ,;,unclation:o, of nwdit.tttun. ul ShiJ....m-1."'
l 'sing ub,tn.auon. ltat n tum otn nund .uul
llu M.ttc ul l,u,tncc. co-txi't and n:l.ut to c:.u h udtcl
\\'c lc.un .ithnut tlw cconomv of .Hunuun .111<1 tilt"
tf cmomv uf \\ill. \\'t tlw pt'J '011<1l \\Ill .md
tlu- ul I Am ('OHI be JHt,cnt. \\'c
!(t'l mon and more in tout h with tht' comph-xrt\ anrl
tw;HII\' of tht' inner world of tlw Stlf
Thi, world i' not at all \I;Hic It i'> a dyn<utllc rlann
of siknn. energy and intelligenct. Pracucing
meditation, one need\ to bt t'xtrt'mclv focnst'd and
sensitive. 1\kdttation is an art form that takts us bevond
It is the cssenct of lift-. Whotvtr enters thi,
path, trlll)' for thf' first time enters lift.
Beyond Vipassana
r>ms \'iJ"'"""" liberate? TI1c I might
15
one
ol rht techniques left by the Buddha in his
n>rnpa"Hlll for those who destrc frc(dom. However, no
It'ChniCJII<' can be the means lor arriving at the
Enliglll<'ncd state. because techniques only deal with
ignOI<UKt' and never with the Truth itself. Removing
ignorance and the awakening to the truth, though
inrcrconnt'Cted, are not the same. On l.he path to
Enhghtenmtnt one often has to utilize some skillful
ml'ans, hut the Awakening is not a simple outcome of
om tfTons. The reality of the Inner State is unknown
until the moment when one clearly experiences iL Our
challenge is to bridge ignorance and EnlightenmenL It
is not a simple task, for we intend to reach the
transcendental state from the of our limited
wnsciousne:;s. How can it be clone? The awakening is
a hmrllon of the Now, and all our indirect methods are
only a prtparation for the moment when we are ready
to face the tr11th of our ultimate identity.
The foundation oflnsightmeditation is the conviction
that by stcing dearly the world and om psycho-somatic
idtntlly as having no self, no permanence and being
hasrcally painful, we reach somehow auwmaucally the
understanding and liberation. How often we
t;xpni.:nn, these insight'> in our dail)' lift and nothmg
happtns? Dcvdoping actin obsenation and to
rtac(, nt tain conceptual clisitlentification clunng
llll'dii.Haon '' ,, \cn d.tfl$(crnus te-e luru
1
u, . for
tcm.un' .tt all IIIIH' un IJIC' lc\d of rlu- muul
h mtclirarinn unh _ _I"' tiH'
01
nHclu.uron unh to rt.JII/t' I hal all 1\ an \\lt('-n
wt '<t tlw nf Buddha bn't n oh\HHI\ lhJI he
,. . .,, h .. d somtthong cxto <'noelv pmot"''' ' 1\ud<lha
1101
onlv ,,uclr_har thc.Tt '' nnthlllg pennantru 111 thi, ''"'lrld,
h<' ''"' """ that thc1<" thc l'nborn llc s.ticl charly
lllat rf the-n wa' no l 'nhu1n Lhtre ''""<Halcln't ht am
po"ihHit) of lilwr .I !Inn. Enb"lrtmmmt and th,
111/n prdttlum of unht\ IHtVd on Enlightrn mrnt ru, not tlv
wuu, l"JH. \ 'ipa''<Hl.il prac uriont:r u-ics to rc.rtain
Bnddhist philosnphifal rnnclusiom withnm l>cong in
the Fnlighteowd statc, hoping that whtn those
cnndl!sron-insighl\ an fully rcalited, hc/ slw bcconws
automaticalll libtratcd. This however, is an ill t"oon.
\\'c must see cleao II' that the Vipas.o;;ma onsighh are
occu.-ring onlv in tht mind. It is t.he mind which "
ob"ning the mind and t.he mind certainh cannot go
lwmncf ibdf, for it alway, opcrates in the pwdwlogical
pa" l'nclt'rst.ancling is important, but it cannotlol)t'ratt:
it dntsn't luw" the pown of transccndenn .
The teaching about the no-$elf needs be ustd
inwlligtntl)'. This teaching is not a dogma hut a wol
clcaling with certain tcndennes of the human nunc!
The concept. that thtrt is act.uall\' "nuhnch "
mcdi!<ues, "nobody" who h;ts an insight and ' nobodl'
who b"comcs Enlighttntcl "n>nect. onh from a nrtalll
poi111 of view and int"nrn.n fronl anorhcr l"he n;thl)
of Enlightenment. os ht'ynncl the concept of '\df' and
"no-\l'lf' as well. Behind the movement nf iu1dllgcnn._
lhoughr, and feelings thc.n is a Lranscendl'lll.\l ,r.uc of
Bting whic:h to bt awakened. Di,idtraufic:auu.
11
doesn't libtr.tte. undtr,tanding doesn't

1
'
thr . into tht Rtal which lilwratt' \\ lwn
:\I
Uuddh. c,ptllt'nnd hi' FnhghttnnU'IH undt1
rhc Hoddlu IH't' 1u 1101 only 4Ul in,ight mto tiH.
11
,trlllt' of llhl'lfHI-hc.; ;Ktuailv \hitud into tlu- ncw
ff
1
nuf1'1nll cl wh1rh zc;. the. Unhn1n ,S(HIItt of
nMmft-,t.tlion It '' nt"ithcr the <,e,l( nnr 1lw
rfnc,n r hot\'C' ' nount but 11 i' rcal!
t.cl 11' npc:.u the. fir't condu\1on if \'P'"Uli tnc"
1, .m 10'1ght intn mptrmancnce, nc. ... ,t'fr .utcl ,uflc-llllJ.(
1t nt.unh dnc.,n't flhc.rHt:" For rht. 'tllllt" na,on, tlln"tt
(>'\'dto-thc.J;tpll"' now.1ciays do not wnrk. Ont twrni!H''\
onlr .tw;tn of orw\ IH'J.t<tfl\'11)' <tnd l'lCIIrotir t('ndtnrtts
and thi' il\\',IIC'Ilt'" in itself doesn't hav< the. pnwc.t nf
u-an,f<u matic111 It'' .tlw,"'' the positive which tran,forms.
ll't clun't '""'' 10 bt'<<>lllt' disidentified for tht '>itkt of
d"rdtntilkation T'he disirlcntification pornts to
bnond. The "beyond" is not simplv <tn
ab'ot'rKe of lht and illusion. The "btmrul" i'
a dmwnsinn of rt\ own. and it represents the qu<tlm of
ah">lut<' The Awakened One i> not nnl1 frt't'
from suOtr inq-lw/ sht is in the state: of inner fulfillment
and bliSs.
lltis lullillnttru is rHH met ely satisfaction from Jt-;ning
this world ht'hind, It rs a transcendental statt. A stat<'
exalted withnr rtwll. It is wry diflicult in the contt'Xt of
the "nn-sc:lr' theory to describe tht positi\'l' quality of
the ''"<"Ill<' of tht Mind. It rs H'n
Ito\, a <"On<-tpt tan, in a dogn1a1ic way, nuuroJ our
means of txprt\\inn. \\'h;uenr orw "tis, ortt will bt
acn"'d nltlw fa),,. btlid m the sell. !Jbtmlwll rx11t 110/
becmnr tlu jalv H \t'fll (1\ Jlllsr but {}tfmor ami onh lllfUlll\f'
""' Tntth 11 vm '" tlrr 'fhliiL It " the JU>'itin th.u
lilJ('ratt' And it uulv dot'sn't wht1hc.1 wt t.lll ll
being or nnnbting: or both or neithtr-tht pnsrtl\t',
the Truth, tht Uuclclha Nature simpl)' 11.
The question arhW!\, how ccul W(' make a quantum
____ .....

lllllp a- "Depde" lnliabt medllauon k> """"'""
How can - 10 beyond Vl.........,a,
1
II DOl chat Vl.,._..a IS not a uodul


lldmique, for II IL It II a tool 10 tiC' uord, but w.,
11111
,.
-lhe Umlta of lhla tool. It and
bat 81 - 1faF needa 10 be dropped, ao any '"'";;
eedmique does. The Unknown can only b.. rnltul
aalted. So how 10 fonvard?
1"be leCI'et liea In lhe very attention which nh..."
1
ng
lhe mind. All that is arising in the mind '" rraing "'
well. When the attention, whtch is th" ""'"" of '""rv
CIDIIKioul IIClion of lhe mind, suddenly turn, "I"'"
illel, one finds oneself at the zero point of exp<ritn<t
'lblt liCI'O point ia called the state of Pr.,senc.,, StTtl\t
ia concerned only with the obj.,<t, .,,,h thr
oblened, while positive meditation p<>inll to tlu,
...,.eerioua "place" from whjch the olcrvation "''""'
1"be IUI!jec:t. which is the essence of meditation, ;, nut
lbe eao but the primordial direct experienrr of illt'\\,
1"be ..re of Presence directly recognizes iL'I<'If "ithuut
lbe medium of mind. We can call it the renttr ol
COIIICioumeu, preceding always ill ph.,nonlt'rul
apolliillioaL For aa,one who is completely integrated
1l'ldl lbe 11ate of Presence, it is experienced in '""'"'
- a an unceuing Oow of sdf-recogni11ng
IJI Some masten take it for the ultimate ,t.llt'.
It ia rather a link between the mind and
call it "Atrnan." This stat<'"
I becauee in it the unconsoou>
-:t:::::=:: Thia state ia already ix)"nd
II or inlighu created within
ud mindfulness of the
lali!l the climeJPion of
... .... turn
:l'l
inw Sluk.mr.v<l Sllik .. uHtua is not a Ztn h'< hnicpu- hut
, 1
11111
,tt ,aJ 'tate of TJu: lll('aning of
SluJ..an-1.11.1 :;u ... t being." that i-.. nun-dning ,,hilt
htJng- ron,rrnu,."' The "non-doing" i' pn-.siblt nnlv if
lhtrt I\ ,1 pJan. where OUr COnsciOU'iU(""' C'<.trl cfw(")J ;;nd
rc,t; nnlv 1f tht'l c ;, " place in \>hich tht autnm.tllr "ill
of our con,C"inw .. mind can be 'uspendc.d and rdc.a'\trl.
:JuM s1uin,q" cannot rake place unlcs' tht mnvtmc:nt of
P''che ,.,panels beyond II> franw of r<'fntncc IIllo tlw
deeptr kn-1 of existing. That which allows '" .u this
>t.tge In go hevond our psrchc is tht stat< of i're"nct.
From tlw point of view of one who is in tlw state of
l'rcstncr, it ftcls like an experience of absolute
subjrctility. To pron: that this is so, some practitione,-,;
tn nen to bring this state to the Sleep State. But this
is tllllri"' for to be aware during sleep ultimately can
create "'rious imbalance in the psyche. The presence
of awarenc" during Sleep State interferes With the
natural healing process of our subconscious. To kno"
when to control and when to let go is a function of
intt:lligcncc There is no need to control the sleep
state, as there is no need to control the moment of
death, when all dissolves into the Sourct and then: is
no forn 111 the universe that can stop it.
The .\latt: of Presence, called abo rigpa in 01ogchcn
or clear nund 111 Zen, is not the ultimate, and linalll
has to he tramn.nded. :-.1evenheless we han to"''' that
this statt already has the quality of the pmltl\l'. It has
the quality of stmi-constant exptrienn. nl hli" and
peace. It is only "'ml-constant hecau" .tlthough It "
bc)ond tht mind, H't sull it bdongs to tht of
entrR') \\:hiC"h ha ... tile characteri,tic of mon1ncnt .utcl
fluctuataon. It j, only deep and intdltgcnce
that allow, u' to the 1 lhttraflt'J uf thi' 'talc
Seeing this wt 'an go dec per.
Although we about the '\t,ltc of nnn-<lning (1.,,
the pcro;onal .... ;u rcsL< withm the M.tte of Pre'tncc), lrl
realitY the subtle will is still operating on th.s lnel Th,.
t"nerg\ of con<eiousnc\.<, of the Prtsenct. has a "ill <>f
iL<
0
....,,, that on the subtle lnd is uuerwnven IVlth
will of our psyche We can "')' tiMt restnlg in the Swte
of Pr.-M>nce gives us mnely an experience of relauve,
incomplett" Shikan-wa The absolute Shikan-t..va, pure
being or non-doing, can take place only 1vhcn the ,tate
of Prt'<ence IS transcended. We can only speak about
tilt' absolme subjecuvit} at that moment: the
non-abiding ground of all existence. The state of
Presence is still abiding, in its own center.
The fmal shift has a very mysterious nature. Wlwn
the center of attention which is the state of Presence.
expands into tile original timeless sphert" of pre-
attention, into tile non-aware womb of manifestation,
tile rt"alm of empty origin-the final expanston
place. Mterward, there is no longer any center. for one
is resting in tile state prior to experience, prior to
awareness. Certainly tllcre is a recognition oftl1c Unborn
which creates a new quality tllat comes from tl1e meeting
of the Presence witll the Absolute (tile non-presence
state). Thi recognition is extremely subtle and can be
described as a knowing-ness of pure rest without ,Ul)
center. It is here tllat our Presence a' a nnter of
consciousness, that is, pure att(ntion, meets tlu Unborn,
the primordial source of all.
This meeting gives birth to the expencnce of pua.
motionless rest. The totality of our consciousnt.;s
becomes one with th" absolute tim<"less Void .\nd nut
only does one realize '"what has been there alwars.'" hut
the very fact of our recognition give!t to
lhat ia totally new. It is tile nowering of tvofuuun. Tht
35
lighr of rlw pn-a_w,tn .
1
..,
11
rn: of
cre.tllon. And rruly 1h1s 1s whar all lwmg, arc longin!(
for. 1r nor lo drop rht manift,rcd rtaliry, h1H lo enrer
and nsr in our original honw of houomk-'s
From rhar place. e\tn impermantnct is wtn '"beautiful.
,\II is finallv embraced.
Mindfulness: Of What?
p;l\ing .utention to the environment" ont of tlw basi<.
nlt"ditation tooh for :\1inrlfuhH"
tllilt one is <<m,cim" of certain area of mw\ expentnce.
The of mindfulness doesn't nt'('(i to be the
external reality. One can be mindful of one\ own mind
as well nw artivity of being "conscious of" is very
interesting. \\'hat docs it mean to he "ronscious of?" It
means that thnf:' is already a touch of the Presence
behind the process of experiencing. I hiS touch of
Presenre ts still not self-conscious, but then is a knowing
that one is present to the experience.
\\'e can speak about mindfulness or "consciousness
of' as a passage from the unconscious, objectified
psyche to the state of Presence. Mindfulness somehow
roots us in reality, freeing the psyche from mechanical
mental activity. To be free from the mincl, which is
excl'ssively active in all human beings. we have got to
eitlll'r become rornpletely numb and unconscious or
start paying attention, that is becoming "conscious of."
We can ust various objecLs of mindfulnt'" We can
be mindful of the external realitv and our We
can pay auention to our its monmtnts or
We can be conscious tht brtath. And we
can become mindful of our own mind.
As far as uansfonnation is concerned. the awareness
oflbe brealb ia"Yery important. Particularly, mindfulness
combined wilh alow and deep breathing to the belly
a ICroDS impact on the mind and the
tr . tll' Ulltl. tiiUII o f t ' IH'IJ..ry. Unit'' the cnctgy ol cnu
h<r ng
1
, IMI.uu cd .u HI rnc<l , tn 1 c;t( h .t ny ol 1lu
lllllt' l I S JU. U
But
1
1 \H' ,u c tn ch{)(l'e the nh)t'C I ol ll liiU\tnhws_-.
( .
011
, lht' \'icwpoi n t of the awaktntng i t,< lf . \o.; c. would
,'
110
.,,c th<'
111111
ct \\1Jy th_e mind? Fm. tlw \t'ri ""'Pic
reason t hat tht .ll t<ntum 1s 1n t hl' n11ml and
tht thmkinf.( p nH<"SS is the nC"an,t tu the n ntc
1
ol
w.m hfuh11" F01 mo q people, 1<> htt o nw <\Wilt <" of
thinking " alnadv a big step. To ahk t.? n <ate a
disl<liHT .nHI span between the watrht'l and the
rhinklll !( fHO<TSS IS ext re me ly import.ull Most
,.,cnon<' " able, more or less, to become aware o[ one\
sunoundlllf.:' body sensations or the br<ath, but to be
(onsnous of one's mind, is for most people, a \'t'l")'
difficult task. It is si mplv too dose to :'l ie.
Rnoming nmsdous of the content of tlw mind is
ustd ht'rt' for the process of awakening. not for
psyrhological work. At this point, tt is not what Wt' think
that matters, but the distance between Me and the
thought. Because the center of attention is not full\'
awakenec: yet, one still experiences difficulti es
grasping that whkh is conscious of the mind. When we
are able to turn the attention back to itself, it be( ome'
self-conscious.
Mindfulness oscillates between tht anas we an
"conscious of' and being "sdf.c'nnsnous "
Becomang "conscious of' is the Hcrt' and lwing self-
co . .
as the Now. They are not the samt'. The
awakemng refers to the state where the aucntion
rccoanizea itaelf, that is, becomes self<onscious. It is
that the llate of Presence is born.
Here and Now
h hcmg ' ht'H' .tnd now" all th,ll " rtqu
11
<I
111
orrlcr
to <' the awak_etwcl st.Ht?
dtsnlpllon nl the medttaUVt' nuncl, although ccurnt
em ht quttc miskading. From tlw vitw point nf <Hit:
who has 1 tadwd the Absolute Statt, "chopping wood
and c;nin!( 1\,tt<.'l" IS a way of txprcs'>mg the
Enlighlt'nccl stalt' of mind. But certainly it 1s not the
rase fot sonl<.'onc who has not compkttcl the inner
wmk.
To ht' "in the momem" is not the same a' being in
the Tnuh. fht Truth is a unity of the suhjtnive and
objectin polarities of existence. One Gill be pnfectly
in the moment without any conmction mth the state
of Presence. In this case, one is Here but not :\ow.
The Hen refers to empirical time, to the esper1ence
of being aware of external reality. The Here is a
mixtun of the pnceived and the clement of being
"aware of." It is the element of being "aware of' that
makes us f(:d "Here." In this case, one txpniences a
level of freedom from the mind and a ronmnion with
empiriral reality.
\\ltat is tlw :-.low? \\'bile Hert refers to the a\\,Ut'lll'"
of our connenion to tht reality, in truth
points to tht suhjecti\'e realit\', to tht I Am. 1s nm
the act of drinking tea, for exam pit, hut cUlt'' 0\\Tl
Presence within this act. When the Now is grasped fullv.
the Here can be forgotten. The Now is a foundauon
and the essence of our practice.
To conncct mon clt-cplv 10 the ol 1'1 ''"'"' ,., \\c
often necd to withclra\\ om aucntion ltom the
emironment. W1 p11llthe allention i1mard, ttlll'n"h 1ng
it onlv to the cxtrnt in which WI' can ntallt 0111 ccnttr
the Ollll'r II'Otlit}' \\'ht>n the state ol l'tc''t'tl<t' 1s
graped firmly, WI' can let g-o of innn tmt<cntr<llion
and relax into tht Hne. In tim way, tht tnllt't
slate of Pnscnn) and the outer an t'XI)('rtcnnd more
and more as one. B11t until one is stabilittd in the
Presence, tlw mcclto pull back from the outer naturall)'
arises, from tinll' to time; when the energetiC pnsenn
of the I Am loses its strength. Tlw t'llt'rgv of attention
intensifies the state of Presence and one t'Xptnenccs
the claril) and strength of the inner n:ntt'r. It is
importalll to know that unless onc is stahili1ed in the
I Am, it is not possible to be fulh Here aud 0:ow Pnor
to stabilil."llion, one oscillates between the 0:ow .md the
Here. To expt'ritnn fully and cffonlessly the fine .md
Now a a unir:y, WI' need kt go of the in Ill'! focus, which
is possible only afttr stabilization.
Awarenes. of the objective and 1 eafitll'' "
the same. For this reason, tht' teaching of "hein)!
m the moment" is not fully sufficient f(>r thost who ,m.>
at the beginning of the path. For thest, the '""1keuing
to the lltate of Presence is much more import.mt than
wood and carrying w-.tter." This a\\,tkening
to the area of subjectivir:y. tl1.1t '' to
MDeritolllll'... directly, prior to the
we can relax fully mto
,._Uit be reached.
Arc Koans the Universal Language
of Enlightenment?
Wt lll<l) lw "" p1 ised to know th<ll hcn1g
111
the
Fnlightt'md St,llt' does not <mtnn1attcallv t'IMble nne to
tc'SJl<lllcl "!" npt'l lv" In Zen qtte'SIIOils 01 intclltnnal
rhalkngcs. lhtsc "'"also p1cscnt in other
11 acliuons. Om is expt'Cted to answn in a tt'l lain way,
to spccific qucstlnns according lO tlw philosophy <mel
ronnntinn nf the particular school of Enlightcnmcnt.
in orde1 to <Ju<tlify one's attainment. Hut IH' mav ask iln
important question: is there a Untlcr'i<tl language of
Enlightt'lllllt'llt?
The relautmship between the Enlighttmcl State and
the pwdw that t'XJ>t'IWnccs it, is nn nnupltx. How
the \1\.tkened being responds to the tmnnnmcnt .1ncl
what kind of nndnstanding he/she t'XJH<'"''' dqwnds
on many f<KIOI'. II is not the inner stale alnnC' thai
rnatts ;,111 pnnption of reality. ThC' iniH'r stat<' .ulds
to tiK Jhldlt' the background of siltnn .tnd stilln<'"
hut tlw pe1nptun1 itsdfis formed withinthtmind and
<.hanneltcl tlnough our scnsitivitv. \\'c tantH>l simph
defint a f1xcrl stand.trrl of speedt .111<1 heh.1v1or for .111
"ho art 111 the Fnl,ghtt1wd State r hc lllttlllg<'nre and
'i<'nSillll"' of'''" h fu!!!l is uniq1u and must bt nspcned
The <l.tngtr of t er iain tr.tditions is th.tf lht\' ancrnpt
to (nndit1o11 c\Cl)'otu according to lhtu nlocfd,.. of
reality. l'art l< ul.trly in 1lw schools ol ZtJI thai liSt' lht
Knan l)'llem, tht proces.' uf sh.tping ,, Ct'fl.till I)'(H' of
Urymu/
personality gO<< w 1lw txlrtmc. 'JIll" l.t11 u.nnong ,
1
loans can be highly fm lht Soul, wlut h
11
lelllithe and ddi< alt. This lraming is IM'<d
011
1
1,..
preconceprion rh.n unit'" mw respond, In lht l.tn
chaiJenge!li in a \'tn siMI lll<l'.,fllllnt. , ..... ,,, .u corchng
tO the sel COU\'t'rltinn, OllC." IS nnt ln a "nRhr'' or
mind. Howewr ustflalrlw Koan system ;, tn nannnlra
11
.
the mind and II ansmil a cenain highlv sophisticattt!
vision of realiry. il is mtrdv an ;mgk of lht ''"P"'"ion
of Truth. No ";mgle" of p<rccplinn of lnllh r.an pmsihh
be establishcd as tlw absolute rt"fcrtnllal pcnntlo l"trifv
the anainmelll nf Tnnh.
ll is pos.iblt that someone with a sharp mancl nM\ ht
able ro answt'r ptrfccrll' a Koan wi1hou1 ht'ang 111 lht
Slate of Presenn. On rhe orhcr hand. it as pn"ible 1ha1
someone may not be capable of 10 .rm
Koans. though rooted in the Absolutt SlaW \Ill\" is
this? For rhe \'ery simple reason that the Kn.tns .art nol
the universal language of Enlighrt nmcnl. ,\ml "'
mentioned. lht're can never be a uninrsotl of
Enlightenment, only a unique individualtxpn"ion of
the Universal Truth.
The Koan system may be helphal li>r lhnst' who h.rn
a cenain type of mind and personalirv. In lht ,.,,,... '''
the one who ia not ready ro see directly rhc t'S-st'n<<' of
Conlcioumeu. a Koan can be used a. a mt.ms of
c.oacea!I'IWWl aacl inlpiration for inquiry. In rhis c.L',
_.. .....,.., lllallifat the correct respon.., a. if one
tfiiiii&4J4!flae-d lillie. It is limilar 10 the Vipassana
to the Buddha
,.,.._,.,..,.,-.._ ID lbc Buddha Slate
tTII.llll poll II IH'C.'d._ In ll"Olll"it t'IICl thl, < UIHhtaming of
ptrrc-ption Ill Ul clcr tn 4.'\"0ht furthesmto 1hc nu:
uhtm.llt" pcrc <'JHIOII is born when t1w complttc
reo1111.atum of the lnntr Realin. th.ll IS, 1- nlighttnmcnt
mcth fulh the umqtw '-t'ns111\1ty .md mtdligtnn ol .tn
ntdl\idu.ll Soul. nus j, maturin
nw languaHt' of Fuhg:lllt.'lllllt'lll is IIOI hut
I tn t'HliUIIOil. Th1' C\'Oitllion is rd.1tc.-rl to tht
u ("<Hi\'itv of many Souls who an -.t.TI..ing tlwir uniflllt..'
pcrnptinn and expression within tht <ontcxt nf
\\'t should 1101 forgtt th<ll tht hightst
proof of nne:\ .tltainment is not in hc.htWiot or
dtnnw" 111 'I'<'<'Ch and action. Th" l11ntr fnnh
txpn'-'t'-' it..,l'll through our being. heart and
In rtalil\' FnhJ.:hlt'tlllH?nt cannot bt pmH'tl Hnt ;,
how ntht' ft-el around the htm,:: md
how lhdr is affcned that makt them
bdine that he/she is 111 the transnndtrual 'tatt. In
tht t.l"it.: of lht ma"ittr-disciple rchuionslup. whtn tlure
1' lnH: righl tnnnection. ma'ltc.r i' .tbk to
thnrtll' the inne1 stall' of tiH' chsriple. :-:o
< larking system 1> necdt'd. Thi' is th<' '''"'nn
nl !Ia prolCl1111d 'pirit oJ Tran-.mission
Reaching the Absolute Rest
AfteJ stabilization in the state of Prest"IKe, one needs
10 rcccin _ttachlng in order to shift to the llhimate.
This tcachmg cannot be found 111 books, for It hasn't
been elaborated Yet by a_ny master or tradition. It is very
d
1
fficult to speak about ll, for the experience is unique
and subtlt. bc)'Oild imagination. It can be transmitted
only in the atmosphere of deep love, sincerity and
openness bctweeu the disciple and the master It doesn't
need to be a human master. The highest state 1s rare.
On this planet only very few people are blessed to be
in it. EYen among the masters it i5 rare to reach the
Cltimate. \\11} is that? Because it is the Ultimate!
Ali we alread)' spoke abou t, even the state of Presence
is operating withi n the subtle wi ll. It 1s the will of
consctousncss to recreate itself in every moment; it is
the wi ll of energy to create, to move, w fluctuate. This
will is interconnected wi th the personal wi ll, because
the I Am and the ego, although not the same, are not
separated . For that reason, resting in the state ?f
Presence is still not an absolute Shikan-taza. It IS sull
occurring in the dimension of rhe manifiosted. It is
deeper than the personal mind but is not deeper than
the manifestation. .
Now we will attempt to discover tlw complttt nll'anmg
of Shikan-laZa the absolute Shikan-t.ua. It cannot t t ~ e
Ia
' . . , 1 d That whKh
P ce unless consctousness ts transe< tH t . . the
takes us beyond the will and movcm..-nt IS onl\
1
. k
AL __
1
H find the 1n
"'<110 Ute, the original state. ow to
lh
hcl\H'cn llu !!.l.th' of c I he Srntrr
1 JmJ... ts c .din-t expansunl It totl..cs tl!ii ht\ourl tlu I
\m \\Uhutll iUIIIiluJ.tUng: lht t'XJWIIc-!l<t' ftf
t Ol1!otCIOU'i. \\'hl'll Otlt' )0\0('\ l Oil\( 1011\llf'M,, fHH' IS IH
hut \\1lhoUI J...nnWttlg ll, !loU it rfut''loll'l hOl\'C' an\
ust' for llu- nHII\1rlu.tl That \\hid m.alcs tlw
an J.x.dltd 'lalt'l' the prc-'l'll(e oft on'< ioliMH'!\"i, whtch
1.5 like the llglu c-nuttng llu- \'nid of nnthingnc'' lllt'
Ah .. olutt ,, .tn or (011\f in\1\IH''S ;tnd
, on,nou,nc-'' '' the thstnct. nf kiiO\\'IIlg tlw .\b:-;olutt
\\'h,n Ill<' 1 talot.llion nf llw Absolul<' Slill<' l.ok<s pbl!(',
lhn<' owo 'JlJ>oll<'11lh nppnsll" dllntn,ion' ondt wilh
t'H fl nthtt. \\'ithin the C0Jl'\ciOUSJ1t'\'i, lht knowing o(
tlw ,\ho.;oJntt i' horn. lhe knowing of li1C' unknowable
Tht nur.Kit l.tk<s place. But kl\ look .u 1Im matter
'l\1th a noor pranical eye.
\\'hen on< clearlv lh<H nwclll<llion ;, occurring
m lht H'alm of which rcprn<'llh in il"Cif
lh" qua hi) of will. Lhe question arises as to lum one can
transnnd 1h1' l imitation. The ccnlt'f of cnnsliuu,ness.
tlw I ,\on, rannm re lease irsdf from irs inherent
flunuot lions. 1\ecause of this cc.:ntc.r. nne ran transcend
tht ouind, hut ncn within the I Am il is not possible
w bt < omplcttly ar case. One slillmusl gn cl"eper. How
can W< r<'ach llw nn-will stat"? How can we lind lhe
ultimate lrttdum which is lh" absl"nce of oneself,
withour losing consdousness?
The mind cannot gr.tsp ir. Only the clear experience
allows us to know it fully. This experience can
place only through Grace; Grace in the form of uaM'
I1UI&Ion. This transmission can come from a
who is in the Ahlolute Slate or from
-.n. from the Beyond. To the I
even though the
IH
f:nilKhtrnmnu U'""rmd .
1
.
. _, rrulrtum,
..... th_al be)ond the fhrntu,
100
,,
1
I Ju,. 'llrr trHitt 1\ Jt.self an cxp;m$mn, hu w Will
cx,Mn\tnn tht .. r<: ,, no 'iurrendtr llhout
\\llt"n 'HUng in absorption and c-onttrnplar
111
of the clarin ari'\t::o.: lhlc. - R the
( 'I , . ' _ " not rhr
. uma((, Compared wnh the mtnd, tht \t.lfe of Pr.,.
1!1. a.\ and but <'Omparcd

Absohue, the Presence is per_c_eiwcl as
111
,
11
,
1

_ . ,omp rte
'tatt. rtprt'senung the quahues of rt'"le,,ne,, a d
ntre"ty to fluctuate. It is not merely that the \tate :r
Pnsen' has got to move. It is Me, who "on<' wnh the
Mat!' of PHscnc( that must move. The state of Prc,encc
can bt described as a constant act of wtll. It " bemg
born 111 C\cry moment as an act of will, followed
immt'diatelr by the next act of will. It is a n-rv subtle
will, the Will Of COnsciousness. It SunpJv Cannot re.t.
Because at this st:age the Presence ha.s become mv
identity-it is Me who cannot rest, it is Me who is a pan
of this amomalic will of consciousness that must
ito;elf from moment to moment.
Consnousness lives only through moi'Cmem. Without
movement there is no consciousness. 1! applies fullv to
"thoughtless awareness" as well. There is no
from it. Ewry act of the state of Presence is an act of
will. This will is Me-this has 10 be clear. That's why the
concept of "witnessing consciousnes." is, in a wav.
incorrect. The state of Presence, although \\itnt>SSing
the p<"rsonality, is at the same Me, for my center
of identity dwells in these two dimensions. Becawe I
am the Presence, I am caught in its mow-ment. ln
act of Presence, it recreates itself, it gi\'CS birth to ttself.
The state of Presence is a movement within time.
What is this which wishes to rest in the srate of
What is this which is identified with the
Pretence and Ia experiencing frustratlon, for thilllllfe
49
1
-,
111
nul fin ll,clf hnm it.s 11H)\'t'UWI11? \\'e know that thr
tr.uhiHHlll .mw.-n I\ "nohorlv." llo\'o'c,ct . an!ne'r
dcX'' not .tpplv 1n In uuth I .un nnl llw state nf
PH''t'llfC' I which wan I\ IO H'\1 Hlll. n .... which
txpc.ru:nn, .Ill '' ncithc:r ( :nn\t 1Ul1\l1t'!\.' nor t hr.
\h,oluu. It " !he SouL
Situng in ption, we rest at the hnuom nf 1hc
Tlu., is a vt.'t)' lnteref\ting pnint. Ont clrops
into of Presence. surrcndtring tnmpltttly the
will. htll ll the samt umc one "nvcn.oktJI by tht ntxt
rncnu('rltum nf con!iciousncss that rcc:reaus itsc:H. ThC:'
art of clmpping imo the non-d oing afft-ciS dirtnly tlw
Presence. as if it reaches the minimum of its will, as if
it dropped illlt) the non-doing as well. llut all uf this
can occur onlv for a short moment. for the Prtsence
gets ""suffocated'" with the suspension of wi ll and must
create within it<elf a new movcm<nt. a ntw act of
comciousness; one cannot rest in the "ate of Presence.
All one can do is to repeat the act of surrendering the
\'Oiition and drop into the bottom of the exptrience of
Presence. In this act, the surrender eru:uunters the
inherent will of the Presence to recreate conscious
recognition. It is like hitting the wall. It seems that
there is no way of breaking through the walls of
consciousness. But this surrendering is very impor tant .
for it allows us to become more and more sensitivt ttl
that which the consciousness is, what the Presenn i<
and what the will is. The will is a fundamental qualil\
of consciousness. So the Soul cannot lind true rest
within the dimension of Presence.
AI one aaae. the IIUI'I'ender of the Soul encounten
- IIDI!IIIIIIR widlin the 11a1e of Prelence. In this openma
the Absolute. Tbe "1111111- uf 11t
to the of the Abtniute
i l
So alw dc,Jit' In 1 t'ft( h the 'Late.. I he_ l nrr
Rc,l, '' !lw \\Ill oJ lht Soul It 'CTIII' c nntr.tclu tOf\'
111
tcrl11' thotl ()J)C' C .111 lt'Otcll lht.. will-Ie.,, IJMilg \\111 l l o\\:t"Vcr.
tllCit' ... nu nmlhtt 1f ,.,c._ lntly unclc:rscuul \\"h.at "
haJ>JH'Illtlg. ll<Tall'f' the tradtion;tl rc:;u rwgatcd
lht t''-l"'ltnn nf tlu- .. on(-"' who rtaclus rhc l lt
1
m,uc.,
rht'\ nnafdn't get nut of this paradox. I h'" rlto.;in: to
r<o;trh till''''"' ol l'mt Rest is likt knu< king .11 tlw galt
ufthe t ' himi\tt' f'ht point where the Pnstnn reacht::s
i" hnth<'sl l11nll.s, its dtep<'>t bouom. is tlw plar< wh crt
one r1<1lill tnds and the second <nttr. Wt 'IW<tk
about tlw mnnlc..'nl in absorption when o n ( surrtndc..r\
th<' will and <Imps into pure Nondoing stale, into
Slnkan-1.11.1. \ l'lan the will is dropp('(l through tlw
channl'l of Presence, the bei ng nc.ss o f the l'rtsencc
r"rchcs its limits. So far, the wi ll can I)(' snn tndercd
onlv tu llw stat< of Presence for it is the dttpcst root
of 0111 As we a lread v spoke of, withrn the
Prc,ence. !Ill' ::S:<>-wi ll state, tlw Sh ikan-1a1a can he
cxptrienccd o nly for a split second. The state of
Presence gtt> i mme diately suffocated in the no-will
n mcli1ion. so it creates a new wave of moYc. ment- i!
till' will again.
The lllOIIIl'lll of suspension of mo,cna' nt in the
<tbsnrption ran h<. sc.cn as a tiny ntontcnt of rest
l>ctwttn two stqutmial acts of wilL The Soul's an uf
'ltrrcndcr, the \'t' l)' fan of dropping inw tht .thsmption
" 'ith the imention of being in a stare uf !'l:on-<loing,
gi\'ts a longer moruentum to this suspc.nsinn. if
putting a weight on the stale of Prcst"ncc. This weight
is the mrrender of the Soul; the Soul ha. hcr own
weight of being that can be directed towards differcnt
areas of consciouaneu.
deci.Aon of the Soul to transcend the will is not
It Ia imponant in preparinl( the
,,;:round fm futurt' exp.ansiOn Snll, by :"It 11 , ,
1111111
t
lntak rhrough tlw tluck wall of C<lll'! rnu\nt" The
cicnstnn of tht: Soul to trdnsccnd tht and
htr dlmr to hn ak the momentum of tlw ,df'l(t'llttatlng
will, mll\1 encounter, at one stage, the Cract lr<>m the
Beyond. Thb b the Grace from tht Absolute nsdf.
Something rwcds to enter. Something mmt open ,
0
rhat Pur< R<st can be manifested.
In Pun Rest the Soul can fully, cffortlt"IY and
unconditionally rest upon the primordial original void,
free from change and fluctuations of consciousness.
Grace is not accidental ; there is a law bthind 11. The
maturity of the Soul, the sincerity of the heart, destiny
and right timing are the essential elements which must
be present. The destiny of the Soul is in the good hands
of the all encompassing wisdom and love of 1Jniversal
I melligence and the power of evolution. This i' nothing
but the Beloved herself.
At the moment of shifting to the Absolute State. the
Soul docs not change her identity. She txpands mto
the dimension of Pure Rest. Something is added to her,
the Foundation, the place of Ultimate Abidance. The
Soul still has an element of will, but the dimension of
no-will has been added. This allows us to grasp the
appar<nt paradox of using the will and being beyond
it at the same time. The no-will state is a foundation:
tht> will is an expres,ion. It is like tht" mmeml"nt of till'
tree and the." motionlessnes of its roots--the\ .tr<" on<".
Three Pillars of Reaching
the Absolute State
The thrct pillars of reaching the Absolute State are:
,\wakcnin!{ (the shift);
Stabilitallon: and
Integration.
In the Awakening, the passage to the Absolute has
become open, and one is capable of slipping into it
from time to time. But although the passage i open in
the Crown chakra, the energy is not fully pulled to the
Hara. Although many traditions speak abom pulling
the Kundalini energy upward, in realit} the final
completion tnvolves the turning of that energy
downward into the Hara. The gra\'itational force of the
Absolute pulls everything in. So only after the radical
shift of the energy into the Hara, can we speak about
the constant presence of the Absolute. The Stabilization
directs this energy constantly into the Abolute ~ t r
the Stabilizarion, some time is needed for the lntegrauon
to take place. In Integration, the recognition of the
Absolute and the n r ~ n are in complete alignment.
56
AhWJiutr. j, ltkt a _clark rn og:nrliun b
lik<" turnmg tla hght on. \\hat " th;u which ,
1
11.,w,
10
to rerogn11c' thc .-\bsoluu. State? l.t is nothing btl! th;
St"nsitl\il\' ol tht Soul and tL'I llltuitl\1' lllltlltR<'ntt f'he
recognition lhe pure ,,;sd,orn nf clirta<t knowing. It
sc_ts, disn.nt' and understands.
\\l1.11 .tctualh happ<'ns at the moment nf 'lhirt to the
Absolute? Tht <'ntrg}' or the Presence expands into the
original stall' or 11on-presence. This expansion happens
to the Pn:senet as if it had melted into its own original
absente withom losing the quality of alll'ntion. So
whtn the Pn.scnc< expands, the ccntet of one's tdcmity
drops to lhl' state of absence, pushing the
exptrit'nC<' of any modification of consciousness to the
periplwry. In this way, the state of Pure Rest becomes
manifested.
Purr ReM is a condition free from the mo .. ement of
consciousness. though the Presence is still experienced
on the ptriphery. \\'hat does it mean that the Presence
is exptritnced on the periphery? How do we know that
it is on the periphery? Because the motionlc.ssnc.s of
Pure Rtst is presem simultaneously. What is the acwal
exptrit'IIC<' of Pure Rest or motionl<'ssncss? The
abscnn of any modification of consciousnc" is prcst>nt
as unronditiOtlt'd rlllmness. It is very mysttrious, for the
state of Pmt Rest belongs neither to tlw Presence nor
to the Ahsoluu. It is something in-bttwten . . 1
dimension of tht meeting of the Prt'St'nn and the
Absolute. new dimension displavs the qu.tlit\ of
both Slates: it is present as an actual tUmmtl\' subtle
and is "absent" as existing prior tu .un
recognition, any experience.
A. we already have mentioned, the Absolut<' Stat<'
can be pretent with or without recognition. Thr
reallzadon wtthout recognition allows us neither to
undtl nur In 1ht sLut. J
0
he
111


,
1
atc. wilhour tlu nc llMIIhc
\\l1h pn:'('nn
1
, lf'gl\ltring
onh lht of con"<"Jou\nts,. \ \'lun tlu
and antc.lllgtnn: are nut ful1y llMtmt, lht
.. wu: or .- \hS("Jlct .01 Pure Rest is simply nnt ngi\lt'rtd.
Tim" the mg.ttln "no-mind." Tlw r<>< ngnnum of llw
.\ bsnlutt Sr.uc r;111 takt place only wlwn nnt: is \t.nsitive
1
nnugh to wnse and difTcrenuatc that whtch "
011
lht
edge of tlw two realities, beyond a nd it..:;
ab<encc. All is rl'lau:cl to the c.:connmy of aucnt.ion
which can he aware.: of tvcrything that is happttnng in
the field of conscious cxperiencr. and at the. \fllll(' timt>
be fulh prtstnt in the knowingne" of Pun Rtst.
In tht ,\ bsolute State, tl1e nonprestnn of thc.: tundc"
and the pre'tnce of consciousness crcatt ont cfynamtr
whole. The intelligence that somehow optr.ttts bc.:twctn
these two. a llows o ne to participate in tht dynamic
aspect. while bc.:mg abl e to recogni1e and dwtll withm
the p<t"i,e, non-active aspect. 1l1is recognition is clirccth
ronnecttd wtth a feeling of ease and absolutt rest. The
recognition ft>c ls, discriminates, knows and " The
dtpth of the Absolute State beconws unc wnh the
clarity of intcllig<.alcc. and :;ensitivity of
As wt han ahcady mentiontod, no tradition from tht
past darifit-d that tht Ultimatt" and ih rtrognitiuu arc
two differtnt things. Thcv did uut st't' th;u
Enlightenment is an event occitrring in tinw and
1
' '
fruit of evolution. Enlightenment is Iikt a light
the darkness of the timeless state. We nut only dtM"<>H'r
that "which is," but we actually add sorn<"thing totallv
Dew. This new qualil)' is the secret behind the.
of "nncoanilion. We need to see clearly .that It \
- into the knowmgness, t te
prc. .. cnt ancl If '' Jlfll jttsl It i' lint I"''<
011
,(
.uul il 1' nul Jll'r r1nh\\Var<- I1 1s tlw \Jt.c.t
111
g Pnuu flu
, . .,,<'IH c: of .tn h is kit i'' ou
1

rw c." frtT frum .any fllO\'l'fll(_Jlt c.f f011\CIOtl'tlt"SS or-
ntodifkaunn' of A libtrurnn from l'XIMtnct:.
infinitt t',l't' .tncl rdief, a Finod Peart.
JJnw can rht tnnc-r auenuon runctJon twtwc('n the
,hnns nf 1 l''l and nloLionles,nC"s'\, and th( one of
ac uvit) and fl')' hologocal movement? II "<ln imponant
'1"'''11<>11 whic-h c.u1 lrer us from quite popular ;implisuc
.llld statiC toncluSions. The inner state'' wry rich and
rhnamic fhr 111nc <lll<'ntion is like a sp<Kc mntatnmg
th<' moH'Ill<'llls of mmd and fccling.s, the fluctuation of
the 'talt' of Presence, the activity in cxttrnal reahrv.
and at the s.une time, the dimension of Absolute
and absenn. This attention can focus more readih on
some of thtse areas, and less on other areas. This
att<:lllion, bting completely effortless and relaxed. is at
tht" -.une timt> one with that which we call ptrsonal "ill.
The ant>ntion cannot be separated from will.
Ont can, for example, choose, to be absorbed in
thoughts and ltelings, or to surrender and rest in the
Absolute State. But we should not forget that we are in
the dimtnsion of wholeness, and although the inner
antntion can go to different areas, still all is contained
in the Absolute State. Even if one is absorbed in the
act;vity of tlw mind, the anention is at .til tim<'s
<urnplt-t<:lv linked with the Absolute State. his all about
th.- enmom1 uf anention within the slitle that h;t.
mergt"d witt{ the non-attention. Of tmuse the qualitv
of Rc,st within tht" Absolute changes if the amntion
goes out, from the quality of resting exclusivell in the
Inner. But this is completely namr.aL . . .
To rest only in the Absolute is a hmnauon lor many,
Do in the name of self-realizalion cut off their
The Tme Meaning of Emptiness
Th<' notion of '"Fmpti nc.ss" is panicular popularlv in
Buclclhism, Buddha hirnstlf spoke about as
th<' nawre ofrtalitv and the basic charancristic of the
l'llimat<' h '<'<'Ills unponant to clarify the real meaning
of this ronnpt i\lany seck the "littral" expt'l icnce of
F.mptine" without the full knowkdge of what this term
is pointing 10 h is a fundamental challenge of all
Enlightened beings, that to give a description of the
inner realil\. one must operate within the limitations
of the givcn vocabulary and language. For this reao;on,
in order to comprehend what Buddha meant by
Emptiness, we need to remove all of that which is
commonly associated with this word.
\\11at is empty? Is Emptiness an object to be seen? Is
it the scientific that the material universe is
fundamentally empty, as a form of energy? Is it the true
meaning of Emptiness? Or perhaps it means that there
is no substance behind our mind and personality? Is
the experience of Emptiness a perception of illusory
nature of our ego? Is it the experience of bliss or
thoughtless awareness in meditation?
All of these areas of experience and ptrception are
not Emptiness. Emptiness is not the or the
Been .. Neither is Emptiness the percei,er, wluch :'lie.
Empuness is not the state of Preseme, wh1ch IS an
enersetic experience. Emptiness is "the place" from
tlhicb tbe leeing arises: the Absolute. .
" " of Emptiness is not an ordanary
(i2
hnfighflnuullt !lt;'olltl 1'1mbt
1
nru
txpt'IWIHt' II is tht uhimatt' t:-.pnuru t whrrh
1
,
lll'\'Ond ,m c:-.pcnt:'nre of "the t'XJlt'ntnrtrl." fo
cxilnierKt' Fmpuntss is to be in the AbsohHt' Stalt'. In
the AIN>hllt' State, the Being aspect of I Am is plan<!
prior to const 1ousness, that is, prior to txpenence. In
this stat<'. one\ being is dropped to the dirntnsron of
non<tbiding, whidt is the origin. Here one sees reali11
from till' place which gives nse to the seeing. ~
txpericnce F.rnptrrlt'Ss is to rest in it. In this rest one
1s frtc, but that freedom is not an objen
Empuntss '' not what one is, neither is Emptine&s
the I Am. Emptiness is where we originate from, and
come into the Now, and where the I Am originates
from, and comes into the :-.low. The realintion of
Emptiness has a ,ery mysterious and subtle nature. This
is the reason it is so difficult to describe it. But it is not
impossible, that's why we do speak about it.
Emptiness cannot be seen or grasped; but its imisibk
hands sustain the whole of the Universt and tht' "I
Am".
Mystical State
It
1
, impootat11 10 know that apan from tlw \\'itflts"ng
Consnousllt"'' and the Absolute Statt', thnt os a
po"ihtfity of_ a tlurd state: the mystKal st<l!t The
111
,stical st;l!t" os somewhere between the st<llt' of Presence
and the \hsnhlle Stale Mall)' get stuck on this level of
reali1ation unle" they receive proper guoclance. In the
nwstkal st;ttc, the Presence no longtr experienced in
a solidified way but one sti ll is th>l resting in the
Absohttc. Ont is in-between, as if suspcnclt-d, like a leaf
floating above the mountain and unahlt to land.
In rt.'ality there are many different kinds of mystical
state\. f,en prior to the realization of the state of
Presence, some people experience a variation of the
tn\stical stat<'. What this means is that thei r ;\le al ready
has a certai n amount of Presence, tho ugh it is not solid
and has a quality of being "spaced o ut." Yt t it is not fully
unconscious o f itself eithe r . Here, the person is
Oucwating in a partial energy experituce of the state
of Presence while his/ her center is not solidified either
in ignorance or in Presence.
;\!any of these who seek energy statts, or don' t
belie\'e in pranking Presence, li\'e in this realitY in
satisfaction. The positi\'e of the mystical state is
that it gives the person a temporary energt'tic suspension
or freedom from being one's "normal" identity (similar
to the effect of drugs). The negative aspects are the
of getting stuck in this dimension, for it gives
a CeeHn, of freedom, and the fact that this state has no
Oneness and Non-separation
\(,Ill\ of us dccply c(,.sin 10 t'X))('fi('tH c tlw ( of
th" reality '"' ;uc living in. !low can II lw
\\1tal I' this ( )mnt"? rJw rt'l<tliVI', Jimittcl \llhJCr!
,,;nll' to hnnmt om with all that is .trnund ... C;m the
OtH'Ill'" lw t'XJHritnrcd at all? \\,. ran not nallv talk
ahout the txpnit'tKt' of Oneness unltss wt knnw what
:-lotHt'IMr<ttion is. While the eXIX'' it'IK<' of Ontnc" is
rxlmrll(l' mttmed, Non-scpatatinn potnts to tht subjeCt
Jkfun ,,... ntatt an attitude toward nhjectin reality.
'"' should imcstigate who the pcrceiwr actually is.
There is no othtr way than to stan. as always. with the:
quesuon-\\'ho am I? The obsercer dc:sins Oneness.
hut who is tim obser\'er? This should ht qutsuontcl
first.\\,. haw many opinions about tht exltrnal realirv
whilt' taking our'>t'lvt's for granted, hut who is the om
who knows? Trving to pinpoint it, wt can nm find
anytlung substantial. The subject ts onh a funcuon.
\\'hat is lll'hind that function? That's what the spiritnal
"'<llrh is all about.
'[he sulljt< 1 " a function, hut a function that can
nl.llt' to itwlf. Wlwn it rdatts tn itsdf. tht fc-C'Iint[ of
lwing "'[l<ll a ted "0111 the rest of tl'alitv ,, hotn nw
'uhjtct i\ a funttion that has. at the -...tnlt" tinlt", .t qu.tlirv
o[ l><mg .tl thl' < tnttr It is till' nnHt o( hnuoning. It
is Jlt tht c tntta ot bting. To g:o htvorHI ,tpa1.11Jon, we
IWt:"d to clisptl the illusion that the oh,t"rnJ 1' in lla
ctutt-J of T his Jlhp,ion can he fla,pt"llc:d nuh
tluough the. positi\'t' of ,,hit h wt rt'tlll'
an \\lJtn tJu llluHon I hat n l.lU\'C L\ our
Jx,mg drop oiT, \H' f011J IIllO ol dCt'fH'r plarc "'-1">nd
subJl'Ct obJect I h.n pia e 11. a lll-"'1111 rca.hn
of suhf<'CII\11), frl'c frnm tht mn\cmtnt of thought>
\' long '' th<"rt" a thdt c.tn rdd.h" to
that n, tu 'cc ll!df '' ,m ohjcn-lhC"rt' I!\ Sf'(Mr.u
10
n'
flu hnul.untnt.al ITO.I(,on for lht. t.xpcratuc c of
i\ nnr lunl' the ptr,nn ptrc rlw re-.thty
hut tht' lout th.ll at '-t't'\ Its< If wmrllung. llu- ruozmnt
\\'(' '>hlfl tn lht \f,Ut of COn\t IOU\JH'\\ \\'hi( h )11\t l"i, all
i' 't'tn ,,, It '' All i' from the nonmod11"\
1
ng
pc1 SnnH..tmlt'S we call it On<nt's hut It ii
,1c ( ua.ltt' tn tch-ntificct it a\ tht" \l.iltt of :-\un-s('p.uauon.
i 110! an cxperirnn hut th< lad. or
c:xpt"dtnu of 'eparation. It (, 'on-
'' ah,ay:) there. il j,
Thc nptriencc of Onene'-' in truth," lx1m m
IllS,, lt-dingunclcrstandingperception of the Toulil\
a' lxtng cnruainC'd in this infinite i'nt" nf \\hat I am.
j\ll1s On<, hut tht. experience of ontne, ... , ,u,,t., m time
.uui in tirnc-it i' not ab ... nluu.- \\'c. can
ho.udh tall ahout an actual c>.per itnn of Ontllt''' It
1' mou likt ,, fompletc Opcnnt''' to tht' \h,rtn In
that OptruH'' tiH' o.tll"{mbradng \\'nn<ltr i' lt.'t"t'h<"ti.h
ntu o\\U Pu,tnu
< >ntnt:S."i .met .tn 1he 1wn furul.tmC'nLII
aspecu uf uur lctoalit\ :\un\t'par.tuon ,, our fmmdauon-
"\\c:' rntmn Orune"''
.u tht" moml'nt \'th{'n Wt"", Iii' Pun throll8h thl'
channel ol p("'rsort.t1it\ tmbr.ut tlw
f.xn.tt'O(c"lll tht" ftdingl)t'"Hq,tum urun
1 hi" \.olllllut be t'XJ>('I U'IU td umtmthlU"'h
htc auSt llw 1 tl.ltl\c t un'<iuUMlt'':.., ,., huh a'
fur tt, h<c nrnts Hnd AI tlw monlc"rll 11 h("cornc'' me c
nr wulull.,w .. lh .ltlentiun lrum 1lw m.uuftitecl, .1ll
67
nlllrl1" IU rlu.- sttt" of Tht"' slate or
i"' cllCrtlts.."' and inclctK"tuhnl from thro
nI.Ut\C" ronw:icnasnc.s.o\. This is nur hnnw
rrahn hcvorul and 1x\nrul t'X(X"fit"nn.
Th<' f<'thng nl 011<'11<"" tan bt t'XP<'I i<'IHT<I nnly if
the ccnur or our hc.ing is non-abiding. th.tt is, w1wn we
.lrt' plancl nnwhnt. That whirh is h;wing this
c:spt'llt'IHT j, tht naniftsted consrtou"'ncss, txprcsst>d
,
1
, a pnson.rhl\. This personality can lt-d tlw Omrwss
lwc.\Ust' it ran !t-el tht separation as wdl. In itsdf, it
opn.ues in the realm of separ<.ttion, hut htraust it is
witrHsstd hv till' Absolute. it feels cmhrand fmm the
lkmnd. In this embrace it knows Ontne"-
Tiwrt .rn stwral wavs of experiencing Ontnc". The
must common is the unconscious Orwne<\. a
person is wry absorbed in an object or an event, one
forgets .thout oneself, that is. does not rt'latc to oneself
fur ,, moment. In that instant one doesn't know that
one txists in oneself and therefore dot's not feel
stparattd. The subject loses itself in tht object. Artists
or people ,,ith very empathetic It-cling nature often
han these experiences.
,\ dceptr level of Oneness arises when tht \\'ilntssing
Consciousness is awakened. The cemtr of itlcntirv
shifts from the relative subject (oncst'll), to
lranstenckntal state of Presence. The ptrson still
remairl\, but is witncssed-<me lmes the illusion ofhl'ing
in tllC' nnrtr In that state. the polaritv suhjtcr/ objt'ct
is ptrwtrated hv the all-inclt"ht light of
shining from the hMkgrnund. Ahhnugh
it j, ()rara,,, it is no1 tol31 Oneness. It J, tht ()ntnt's
of in till nlaniftstatiun. nu. \\'itllt''-'lllg
C:nnstitnlsnc.ss, as we: know. is nnt tlH.
Suh)t'<livity. !hough it has qu;llilit's that l<''<'lllhlt it.
llw state: of Pnst:nct cannot c.mhran nunplete
68
Fnbglrtn11nn1/ llr\mul Trudl/J i
Onenc:" [01 at is not .thk to rt'fll.tlll unm<>\trl
C.onscionsnt'" hv its nature c.mnot lulh n t Ont'
could ... th.tt tlw Con-. IOUsncs.' allo'l\-.;

to <'Xp<'nc:ncf' tht in tht tt.alm of 1\econ mg.
In this ca,c it i' Conscim1s Ontnt"
llw final oa lot. a I Omnt" whirh i' propct h called
:-;0 n-wpaa.uwn, ptt,cnts il\t'll whtn ,\b, olnte
Suhjt'tli\iiY di"olns the nnu.tl posilion nl lhe
Wi1mssing ( \s '" lhtn i' all\'
nnlt'l, lht Totalit\ t;mnm be tmhr<arec!. In 1he fin,al
'hih. oua twin!( litlls to the Primordaal \ 'olfl, whach is
:-;,whtre. II is not just nothing, in the t>rdan<ar. ,,.n,e
II tnalv c,, .a!thnu!(h it can not be expt'llt'llred II ha'
on!) Ollt' aurihmc-it b. Onlv from thai pl.an can we
talk about Oneness. And eH:n then \H' llt'c:d 10
rtrnemher lhat lhis Oneness is far bcnmd .am kmd of
rxf'm,?an of Oneness. The experi<nn of Omne" ''
onh a timtfy txpression of thai u ;mscendena.tl. linttlt''
Oawnt" ah,u-purelv Is.
c
Being Human
Being human is to kel d!'tply the paradox of heing
a lin. \\'t cannot just live spontancomly likt plants and
animal-. \\'t an too conscious of tlw nmtraclictinns
0
lift'! Our understanding and sensitivitv an cnmtantl\'
bctng 1 hallengcd bv till' "rcsistann" of ita outer
0111 gtt'<llest rhallcnge b that W<' arc not just {!;nwn:_
1n> have to create ourselves. We arc becoming. A
human bcing is not an entity, but a flow of intt'lligence,
a pnKcs., of self-creation. Apart from living in the
pranical, objective world, we live in a lhPorrlicnl,
conccptual rl'alit). We not only liH in the world-we
al\o think about the world. Our thcorttical reality b '
ccmsumtly confronting and being confrontcd bv the ,
reality of our direct experiences.
Our thoughts have a tremendous impact on the
objectill' 1mrld; they give us great manipulative power-
IW can transform the world, as well as destroy it. That
is the pmcntial, and the dangerous side of <llll mind.
On the other hand, our mind is constatllly bl'ing
<tlfccwd and shaptd by objective real111 What wc think
<llld !tTl has becn large!} conditioned by the phlstGII
and nrhural ctll'ironmcnl. \\'c and tht world nK rt'i Ht'
<'ath othct in the dance of li1ing. This is tht ch nunk
tht suhjtclin and objtnilc polanuc.s ul
xhttntt We lin- in the world and
!llit <>1vn thcorelical dtsl:tnns
11
'
ol ltving; and we ktl :tntulr "'Jl.lt.tl<d
lnuu txis1t'lln:. \'\'c. slrongly t-xpc.JJC'IH c. 1he wc.n lei
72
llCIIl" tmlutlt' I hi' P"' holo;.tit ttll\ chfht uh MIU.tllun tn
,,hit h \u' .uc tlcpnutl ,,t ltTimR urHtctl \uth hf<"
lunHur. )o:ti\C'i. the" pot<ntl.ll tu go ht"\nttd no
1
unk
ttlllM"ItUI' hut .d ... o Ull<"Or'-'-
\\t leU ,llllllloll liUJttiOIU. \\)lie. h I' the \IIUClll\Ctnu,
IJ.:IU.UolllU.', lt.l t'\UIH Ollf Jllt.''t"llt
lJ;!JlUI oliH t" UllU the. Hlll' ,U\ol\...4.'1lll1g
\p.111 fon1 tn thf. c.xttrn.tl '"rhl, \H."' h.nr
the. c.tp.tflt\ nf upnn nttt'd't''-to t lt'".Hc an
cgt}-il1tctgc. \\"t h.t\"l' .1 1H:t'cl to ,,,,,., 1 ntu,chc.,,
"' gan .u. tn ntH ... o lh.u \\t' tc:d
.tutpt.thk Ill UUI own l'h1' '' thll.tlh
b .1 ""'<h.mi< .11 .111d uncn'"' ""'' "'' lin' 'htckmg
h,t, ,lit "ilfUll}.: l'ltlUtHUM) 111tp.trl, fu1 Ullt \'
lulh Hkntititd wtth the 1\n .. Hl,<.' tlnt,nt
lthl\\ tht i' cuw' , onh tr,tcr
of Hklllll\ .111<1 tht onh 'l>lll<"<' ol I''""'' .md 'rllml\
Ill till' \\cHid.
\\"t 'hunld nnt ftli)"!<'Lthcu till' .1h11it' h> crt.n '"If
una){t'. h.ning egtl linuung t:cllllltll.ttUllh, .tlso
h.t, .l Hn unpnt t;uu rtlk tn our pct ,,llt.\1 ,., ulutwn .md
dt,dopm<"nt In tht pmce>.< nf ,..Jf-nt'.\1111)(. '"' nttd
to ).{ruw 111 tnany ph,,ir.tl. tmuu,m.tl,
and '\piritual. Otep dn"n wt .uc.
to lullill tht ,;,itlll of our Soul. winch w.llll' t<> t'XI>rt'SS
itsdl 111 th" rt.lm in .1 uniqut "'' ll.unHlll\ , ln .md
.tn tht
hu\ll.unc.nt.tl pttnt ipk' ht.htnc,l the. ck,itt' l\\ tl\\
\\'htn \\C' .ut honl. thl' ,c.n,tll\it\ uf ,nu S..ul
tllt'l"l' 1}U, IU't'll'iU\t' \\lU)tf :'\:t\ \\\Hltkt tht:t 1'
n1uth p.un in utu n,t huh. duht. llu,l\\U u1h.l
t ru.-1 rc..du). 11.1' tn 'tll\t. to P"' .1ll\ and
'n't tt '-.td? Faom tht" \H' .ut h.,Jd
wh.u .uut hu\\" \\C.' !hould lx.. p.u Ut ul.u . , un;alh
at.n >ltd <" 't' b iln u,c.d u )On u' lw nul' p.tunt ...
"73
.. Hlci...:Jt ul\'. 11'11.1llv wrth inlc:ntlnn-.. Tht'\o' OIM'rate


rhc ,,,uulpntnt of < nllttun hurn.tn c
.md their o\\ 11 pcrsorMI c:xpc:ru:n< t"". \\'e h;t\c no other
chotH' hut tu h.un front what .uul out
.. urrutmclutg' h;t\"t' to offcr U'\. ()n the.: othtt h.uul, we
:
1
b,cliU1ciV IH'td rn find our nwn uncknt.lllchng :uul
rct.un cnrr (H\Il unique. 'ensitinty. In the,,, tH ,.,, c,( 'tlf-
' rc;ttillJ.t. oru- !t-arns ft ntn a wide vat ic.t\ ol c:xp<'t ienn'
hom uu1 Jurman rultural inh!"rit..tutn, tn tht st1 tu
,
1
..,,cn nrH's uniqta sensitivity. pernption and
un<kr,t.llldilll( ol reality.
!'htn ;ue two hasic polarities in ""' inttnal lilt.
Ont" tdatt'' to all our idt'alistic ttnclencit' ancl dtsir<s.
,\ncl tlw 'ccond-to the realistic, survi\al ancl p artical
"'lwns of om life. One we could call "ickali"n," and
the other. 'nalism." If we look deeper mto our Idealistic
tenclt-ncits, while removing all shallo\\
lin keel to tlwm, we get close to an '" ta ol txtrtmel)
cleep exi,l!.'ntial sensitivity. The desire for Jo,e, harmony.
compt"ion, kindness and beauty an: the basic qualities.
tlw bluC.'prints of our soul. They art dirtctly conmcwcl
with our dhinc, universal inheritance. Our moralil\ is
only a pale and distorted reOcction of that tmth.
llut human life is a paradox. The deepest aspir;Hions
of our soul arc confronted with the hiologkal ;md
psvchological restrictions of the world '"" happen to bt
hvlllg in. And howc\tr we inttrpret it-thi, " Rtahty. t1
"tbe Truth. Tlw T1uth is bevond ;mel "'"li"n
"' wdl. Truth 1s a paradox!. In cnaung uur,dn:"' \H'
con,tantly 'llivc.ttl harmoniz.l the: ,uttl \\i,Ju.s of
our l_u:att with a 1 pcrspcctin .. on rtaliay \\'h,Ut.'H'I
cnu uh.as aht>\U life. are-life is 11\0ft" than thn\t' 1dea'
is <HI\ challtng".
l
1
ht tdigu-HI\ ideal is lO rcnounte .,.onu. pan oJ uur
ttuuan nature in urdl'r 10 est:tl )t' hom tht >;.n.ulox_ It
74
is tlworetically po"ihlt. One t;m repnss natm,,( clt:s
1
rcs
and lt'lldtm its in the nanw of itt.,
1
hsm.
Spiritual idtal.-m l1<1s gin-n rise to tlw imtitut1on of tht
"holy man." It is a symbol or an an llt'typt of lh;u
anrient longing fc1r an escape from linng in rlw
contradinion-inhttween the txtnmts nf irltalism
and realism But wt need to see reality"' it is, if \W
to lin in tht r, uth. Our desire f()l low ancl harmon)
is the truth, as wdl as the contrachCiious of hfc, tht
imperferllon of our human nature, our emouonal
vulncrabilit)' and our needs in many art'<J!>--all of th"
is the truth. Th1s should not be judged. The rehgious
judgments went \CJ"\ deep into our psyc!w. prmokmg
feelings of guilt. Thev were created from a place
without compassion. We must hme compas..,ion for our
human nature, because it is a part of the wholt truth
Human lift is abom bringing balance and harmom
into tht' contradictions we must face Nothing is to l.lt'
discarded; all is valid, all has place. We an lea ning
how not to l'limmatc of our human naturt, such
"' dt,ns m conflicting emotiOJh, but w dtwlop
wisdom and understanding within tlwir txi,ttnre. Thi'
" tilt" jonrnty toward compa"1un btf.:ill'
Free Will
,, ... ,.go inrn highn levels of abstranion, wt cnrountcr
~ higlll'r ckgnt of nunplexity.' Thcrt an those times
whtnth<' mind is t.tkcn away by H.s clesuc to romprchend
rt;
1
Jir, :mel sonlt'how loses contact with this \'1'1)' reality.
Tht ,;wmtnt, for example. we try l<> look at ourselves
from the ptrspectin of All-Embracing Consciousness,
11 is rliflicult to find a place for an individual. If all is
God. if all is Fmptiness, if all is Consciousness, how can
w
1
t,rlk .rbnut individuality and free will at all'
Transcendental logic however, goes beyond this way
of thinl;.ing. \\l1en we understand that the incli,'idual ~
not a static tmity separated from the now of life. but
rather. a unique expression of that now itself, we have
insight into the: Paradox.
t:nderstanding is a unity of an idea and realit:y.
\\l1cn the: weight of the idea is heavier than reality, we
go astr..1y from the alive truth. The Paradox is: it is alive ..
Transcendental logic appears when the highest
conceptual insight into the nature of rc:ality meets the
factual cxpnience of what zs and these rwo melt into
the Paradox 1 o uuly o;ee the Paradox is only possible
frorn tlw non-umrcptual state. Unless till" Paradox is
ernbrarccl in tht space of allowanre. it ,.,Ill not ht"
COIII<tiii('(J.
nrc truth i' .rbsolutc:lv present. Tht'll' i' IIIli ;t \l!aciO\\
of a <louht. All questions arc alivt' as lht an,wtr,-
'-'Hhin lhl' l'ataclox. TransCt'IHit-ntal logH allow'
l'\IT\'Ihing lu 1)(', htycmcl nnnprl'lll'mion. Although
7fi
thcr.- is c crt.unly no place for the inchvulu,tl 111 rhis '<L't
totality, still thtH b a place to lw an inclividual. That
being an individual is theonuc;tlly impo"ihle and
pntcticallv po\\thlc- is the Paradox. Whcn tlw pcmibll'
and impo"iblt r n n ~ t transcenckmal logic <:mbraccs
it-fL\ lllfh.
\\1rat is lrcc will? What b the will? Will is life. It is
tht f<rrn to he, to create, to manifest ... Will i ~ Time.
The flow of Time is the will. TillS i\ the foundation
\\'hat is It ee? When the cause turns into the effect,
it is a m;tlttr of law; the effect is determined-there rs
no qm.,tion of being free or not free here. There is
onh one arca where free will could possiblv apply-the
arta of making decisions. If we look at the indi,idual
from tlw exllrnal perspective, as the result of collective
consciou\ncss, the environment and i L ~ own past-we
can hardly wnceive that there is a possibility of free
will. Onlv by sning that the Universal lmelligence. the
source of Existence, creates us from Within, can we
semc tlw rnystt"J)' of free will present as a Paraclol<. That
which wc art is the Mystery being experienced from
within. Thc drvine light ofimelligcncl' operating within
th b mutl'd in thc unknown. \\'ithrn our condruont:d
and limitcd nnncl is the l 'nprnlirlabu. \\'e art till' pa't
txploding imo ria ;\;ow This cxplo"on, within aU
linlitatinn\. j, Fr t'< .
The Role of Ego
In mo't 'pirimal tradttions, the rok of the
per,onalil) Ill tht proces' of reaching Fnlightl"nmcnt
1
,, to
1
greatextt'lll underestimated and nusunderstood.
l"nlt"" wt ,,.,. ckarly that the ego in 11sl'lf is .somtthing
ah,ohnelr positin and, as such, the only tool for
arrinn!( at higher le\'els of awareness, we han no way
to understand the process of awakemng.
:O.Iam seekers are confused and not able tO
comprehencl the apparem paradox of transcending the
e!(o withom anualh annihilating it. In Buddhist
there is a concept that ego is not real, for
it is only a play of so called five skandhas. This concept
is missing the elemental understanding that our body-
mind operates as an alive and coherent organism of
intelligence in a purposeful and meaningful wav. The
ego cannot be found anywhere as such, for the one
looking for it-is the ego. It is too close to be found,
but certainly it is always there.
It is difficult tO define what the ego is, for it is not
anything substantial. We would define ego as a self-
conscious function of individualized consciousness
capable of relating to its surroundings and itself in a
centralized and intelligent manner. The ego is not an
entity, but rather a unified field of identity-it is not
fiXated on a poim, but operates within a spatial
consciousness. It has many layers and many aspects.
In Buddhist tradition there's a concept of"no-mind,"
and so we tend to think that our being is simplv divided
78
intn thr minrlotnd lfW ll0..1111Hfl. b fitr hH'J \11Ttp Jin
1
r
hrn wlwn we go l>e)mHI tlw !(IO"-' of tlunkm
thr nun<l j, mil fum llnntng and tht ahilin for ,,lf.
rrl.cllng " l'"t,rinc:d. I his thrng callcd ego is wm
1
,
11111
Y
an nmpan\1ng llu prc>n' "" nf nH: cht.ttion and. allo\\"1 tl\
to crt.Ht" clant\' and undc"t.mdmg 1 he art of rt."l.ng
withm th<" 'trllnc" uf our lwmg, and the , ,lf-<:on-c
14
n"
rnn\'t'mtnt nf our an not wp.u.ned frorn
mw .rnothcr \\"ithout the gentle dwr king of our Mate
durmg mtclitauon and cultiv<Hion 111 g<nt"r.tl, we would
he unabk to makt <lilY progress in the pracucc. Thi,
is thc funcuon ol the ego.
1'\ow. bt"loJt goiug dec>p!"r into the rssuc of how tlw
cgo and enlighten<"d stall' relate to one another. '""
rwecl to understand what Enlightenment is True
Enlightenmcmt ha' nothrng to do wi th <tnv modifi cation
or transformation of the cgo-pcr, onalitv 111 terms of
eliminating desircs. negatn e nH>trnm or dc1elopmg
positrve qualities. i\eithcr docs it imohc wt"ing lilt<>
the ""non-existence"" nr of till' ego. ,\ m
.. or cunlincd nnh
tn thc relatiw funuions of our inlt'lli!:<"H"C". fht , t.llr
of EnliS{hlt'llJnent is truh il IH" \\' nf bting,
bt\nnd llw lt'O\Jm nf P<"J 'onalitv
Mn"'t traditlon' nfer to Fnli ghtl"nnunt .an
awaktning .uHl p('rmanl'lll .tbicllntt in tlu. , t,IH" t)l
''tlu)uf.(htlt" .t\\'aJ t'llt'"" '"' c tllttl ng-pa." "\\ tnc.,,uu:
.. nt Compltlt' F nltgh t'l 11 till
hn\\'C\'C.'T "'Ot'S illiO lht ILIIIIH' nJ ll' ;&J il\ F\l'll
ul l'rt.'M'Ilt t', whit h np1 c,c u h t on't HHI'IU'"'
in Its punst lurm, In rlw u -ah n nl c,pc.r Jt'llft"
tllat is, to tht rf'alm uf tmu. llw tin.d
takea us to tht" piau of Pur c Rt''' 111 the I l Oll ,thidm!o::
JP'C)Und Of alJ t"Xis(C"U< t, his ht"\IHUI , t\'t.IICI IC''' a nd
modificauons. ll1is i' \\h.ll tlw l "nho111 ' '
Tht' t'gopenonality not only participates and
promot<,. the shift of our bring into the deeprr
dom<'nsinns of rt'ahty. from the state of Prc!lt'nce to
rl'sting in thl' Absnlntt, but it also allows us to
rnonpnhtoocl our post-F.nlightcnmcnt situation.
FnlightcnnOt'nt is not the end of our growth. The
undt"t.tnding of tht Enlightcowd stat< and its relation
to tlw tgo .IS wdl as to Llll" maniftsted nalitv is
ronstantl\' t'\'olving. Tht ego <tnd Enlighttned state' co-
txist in a \'t'l')' int<rtMing way-th<y rl'lflll to mrlo oth/7".
In tht raw of tht non-awakened person, thtre is
total ickntifit <Ilion with the functioning of tlw mind.
On.- is lo,-ing in a "'mi-Hmscious, statt. This
'' tallt-<1 tht darkness of ignorance. ,\Jtcr awakening,
thl' thought J>lllC<'" is no longer in the ctnwr of our
hcmg: nne abides in the unconditioned sullnt'" of the
onginal st.m Uut we should not forgot that at the same
unw, tlw st"!f-<onscious imelligence can and does relate
hack to that stillncS>. For example, how the relates
to tht F"tnct results in various stagts of absorption.
1\,n <tftto fl'.olitauon, the ego and ow FS\t'llCl' art in
a woy rOth and dynamic relauomhip-thty arc
'IIHUI!arwott"''l)'
I ho ... t mot'-ltt>J \ \Yho daim lh(lt tht') haH' no t'J{U.
to htl\'t ,, nrtain u1
lhtlt''u "'ill!{ lht: ll.'fll) in an impropet I ht-'} oUt"
mo, t hl..t:h \itlinh n( ccuain luu:.ar .tnd
sunpl1,lH ,pitttual Jugic. Tht tran,rtrult-nt.tl Ju!{it
nnht,u:mg lht .app;,annt par .. tdox (tht rut"Xi\ttun of
the. .mel tht tgnl<'' ,t.uc). bc.:yund thi' 'implt
lctgit 111 tht .tpptlc.t.puc>n of tlu: uuth which h nnt
ccmc.tptu;al lntt all\t.
I ht HcMI and put pos ... of Fnlig-hurwunt '' not to
tlsmnJ;atc tltt' hut tn c.uli).d11l'll it. I hm c nuld \H'
Ps\tl,l) 1t If wt: d<'n\ ns \'lT)' txisltntc-i'' J'o
CIIUI' dDielea
wlde.lt. here that the ... _--.,.:_; -
the hfPat apintual realizatiOn meet.
of our penonality, afller
the Saurc:e, must face this never-endina
...... of IUIIiiiiDtf the dynamic balance between ill
f!J ;l .,....._ Ia the manifested reality and of resting in
.. Alllolule. The abeolute dimension and human
penptclhe are truly one. But although they are one,
tlleJ PIC binh to one another in the continuous
..... ol arrmng at wholeness.
The Fifth Noble Truth:
The Purpose of Suffering
\\1wn Huddha Shakhyamuni clcscrihecltht "Four
Truth-.'' his main concern was to rtvtal the painful
asp<'tt nf Exi\ltnn and to show the way of liberation
from it. It was ahsolut('ly sufficient in his times, for even
the nwssa!{e of lntclom from the relutiVI' phenomenal
realitY W<Ls exllcmcly difficult to he grasped However,
the of human consciousness continues. and
althnu!{h we live in a very complex world, our capacity
to compnhcnd the mystery of Existence and our role
in it has greatlv increased. In our emlution, we are
continuously transcending the human linear logic,
coming closer and closer to the transcendental logic of
Life il'>t'lf, to the understanding that is embraced in the
"isdorn ot Totality. The "Fifth Noble Tntth" points to
a highcr ptrspectivc of viewing the problem ofsuffcdng,
lwyond tlw dualism of suffering and the end of suffering.
h compkmcnts the "Four Noble Truths," containing
them in a mon complete vision.
Bl'fort we talk about the "Fifth 1\:oble Tntth" we
need to S<'t' dtatly what is mcam 1)\ the notion "the
of su!kring ... whtch is the l'-"L'IIC'l' of tht' "Four
Trutl"." It is alhollllel) wrong 10 ""umt that
dr1/rtrp suffering. Su!Ttring ranll<ll hl'
d,,ttowtl r . . . . I . ,,, I.
. . <H It :\llnp v part nf Lift Buc c 1a "IH'" ll
'
11
"1 th,u', why ht that tht nuly way to ""nd"
\'''t' tn gu htyond txi.,tc.nn itMII \\'htt e j,
82
lkvmul Trwi
1
t
1
ntJJ
that
111
,.,.t,rima. "plan" of til<' 1\t')'Uil<P It ",, hit
1
trhfl,.
for all uf those. who ;ut in scoud1 .nf . fr<"cclruu 1 htlt
whirh is Rt'yuncl . that ,..,hich is Frt( Ill thdf <anruu l1e
found in the nolln1 of space and timt, f4U1nnt herornc
an objeu of c.xpcricnct.'-but cenainh: it b and
11
c.
111
be rcali/(d. The timcll'ss, non-abidmg h\t'nrc that
gives rist to tht totality of manifestation is trul\' our
own innate n.uure. and the awakening mi/r.\ it with the
conscious mind of an indhidual. Fnlighttnment docs
not end til!' suff<"ring-it is that to whic-h one "
enlighttnecl that is the "end" of sufr< ing or more
properly speaking: it is the "non-suffering" mdf. \\'hat
this means is that we do not eliminate suffenng hut
ratlH'r add the dimension of non-suffering.
Enlightenment is not about negation but about
expamion. This needs to be clearly understood.
We em sptak about the pre-Enlightenment and post-
Enlightenment experience of suffenng. Prior to
Enlightenment, not knowing our tntc naturc. we are
completth identified "ith the phenomenal aspect of
our being, which results in excessive which
is ilV}orance. After Enlightenment tlw liJnmmiksted
Essence of our totality becomes awakened-tht sphere
of non-snfftring, the final peace and freedom. But rhat
is lllll all. Enlightenment is n<ll just about libtt,tllon-
it i\ Buddha, thl" Awaktrwd Ont.' I!<>
not only the l'nborn, the "not corning, nut not
ll<'/she is also a ht.m><m bting, a p.nt of tht
Ulll\'t"r"-1 (1()\',; o( lift in ill Cil11t.' l\t'll
if tht' Fnhghltnnu.nt to llu." Unh(ull ha' btc:n
e<nnplt"tc.d. the. Er1hghtt'nrncnt to futadit\ j, h.tppcnmg
l"tc:rnaiJy ol!\ I)W fUOt'linn nl lht :\'O\\
. In the rtahn uf ignorance.. ,uflc.r ing Ltll' for
hberauon In the nalm nf Fnli!{htcruncnt, .,ulkrlllg ''
seen as a pan ul Tototlity, a nt,.-e,,,ll,. t"ltnurll ol the
Tilt Fifth So/M T1111h
83
("("Oiogictll S\"Sttm uf Fxistence. It is htc.nl't" ur suffcnng
lh.iU ()ppn,..itt': jnv, .UHI htatat\' (olll he
expc.ricnccd. SufTtring can h_t st"t"ll .ttl uuli\ is1hle
pan of that tmrgy t>tll t'\ohuum, growth
,mel IMppens. L1herauon '' not till' purpos<-
but .
1
tool, b\' v,hich we can ai1n o:tt rnmplc:tinn In this
rompktion, is not annihilattd hut mhJanrl
in a "ickr, holistic Jll'l"('<'Cli\'1:. The sky of Fnlightclllllt'J\l
1
, rompktdY om with the clomh of suflt ing and tlw
wmd of bliss. Nothing is l'xclucltod in tiH' appnnption
ofTot..1.lity. The Fnlightenmcnl is so profound btcatht:
it is in absolute alignment with the wtsdom of Otll-
embracnlg Totality In the Enlightened vision thcr<' "
still a plac<- for indi,idual imperft'ction and sufftnng.
It b a p<uadox that cannot be grasped by th< linear
mind. The Awakened One is not just a liht'r<llt'CI bting.
Buddha Js a realm of pure perccp1ion, pun
cxperitn<t' and pure Rest, where the Primordial, the
Uncondiliontd, the Unborn is the very lift of human
personality, which certainly includes suffering
The 'Fif1h Noble Truth" has been introduced Ill tal..c
'" beyond an over simplistic understanding of
Enh&llltnmcnt <llld its relation to uur human life in
'eg<mb to tht problem of su!Iering. Fxistenn ;, no/ our
enemy, and I he suffering 1ha1 is an inagral pan of lite
\Ia,, without a \hadow of a doubt, an ampnnant purpost
and funuiun in uur evolution as well as in tht t.'H>Iution
ol lhc Unh<r"' Tht purpose of sullning l'llllllll lx.
c..xpttinc.-d in 'implt L<:nns-it h .. L\ LU be." tpptrrcind
h()m 1ht. tinu:le'' place of 1\ilencc. from rlu- plac.T
I mu 11111
.\t thi, puma we. di'>('O\'Cf the clc.tpt.r mt'.ming of
Suthncs!'o . Sue hnt''' j, nut ju'tt .1 cool. thnughtft-,, ,mel
c-lttulud fWicqniun of tcoalil)' Trtw .SudiiiC.''' h .111
otppcac.cIIIIOU ol tlw Totalll\ in wlwh Olll .tlht'IUC.
84
senSitiVity, wisdom and the warm fullness of ernpath
become completely the Now. Enlightenment
beyond the liberating of selfnalization, that

beyond the attainment of the .. end of suffering." In thi;
act of ''going beyond.'' life. for tlw fir,t time, j,
experienced in its wholeness. It is neitlwr the sufli:ring
nor the end of it that is the whole truth. Tlw Tnnh
1
,
a paradox operating within the non-lirwar intelligence
of Life. In this understanding W<' set clearlr the
mysterious and profound wisdom behind the expc;ience
of suffering.
The purpose of suffering b its vcn t"XIKrit'llct'; thi'
experience points to the :'-Jow and the :-.:o11 points back
to the !\hstery.ln the process of spiritual
certainlv extinguish the tmni'Ci'SSt!IJ sufftring th.u i' a
product of conditioned, neurotic mind, but cH'n then.
the rrnlum/ suffering always remains as a pan of a ,,ide
varil'ty of human experiences To arrive tntll at the
romplett. non-dualistic and wholl' \'ision of reafio. not
only sufftring has to be transcenclecl but li btt,llion as
well. Tht romplett human is btrond sullC.nn!( and
hlwratinn-berau .... c: of this, ht sh.c one with tht"
whit h is the totality of tilt' \:n"
hrbghtnrmmt &,ond Tratlitiooaa
2
. t:nti.:htrnment doe!! not de.stroy all that ia
rraditi.nall)' ,-
0
n.,idered as negative tn
h
1
, not t";t'\ 10 be: .a lu_11nan bt-1ng, rn hvt" wuh lhr.
conflnt' ._uul l of uur htunan nalurc.-
'lnat, "'" n ,tmn't 'uq>n'e "' that tht lughet of
hu
111

1
n .,u,unnunt,, Enlig-htlnnlC:nt. IS dirf"ctly
"'"''o.tttcl \\lth !(l'ltinl'( rid of all that '' cli,turhing our
pt'" t'ful h\lllj(. \\'hill I.. inc! of feehng' '" <' W<' ,tllnw<d tn
ktl il "'' w.mt to he Pmlr111f: \\'hich dc'lrt'' art! wr
01
11
01
,,-d tn howe? I low ,hould wc bchaVl' in ord.-r tn ht
lil.t tlw FnlighHned supennen? In the 'P'ritual field
thcll' " a lm nl judgment about how nnc ,}umld 1><,
and unlo!lunudv. mo\1 are coming from thc de,irc to
nq;".lll' nur human nature. Beginning tht 'Pintual
1oumt}. orw i' nlttn gi1en a model dt<;(nl>lng whtch
par'' of nur (lt'r-t>nalitv 'hould be ,., negatl\r
and "lud po>iuw. But can wc rtall) ''' wh:n h
ncgatin? It j, plltl\ ca<y to put asidt a widt 'pectnun
of conllll ung lct"lin!(' and emotiom ll\ rl.t"ifvmg them
as tlt-ftlt-nwnt .md ignnrann-but h1 doing "' IH'
"rri<lt-nh lmt a ll<Hural pt'r 'P<'ctiw nf nur lrlt " human
l>tings. <:ut we tclly 'a), that emntinn' nf .H1s,.tt'l', ft.Jr,
tt.Mks.,Jtt.''' ur hortclom au: h\ n.ttlllt'? <:.111 wt.
not lind hdund thc. .. m? Au.n't they .tn unpcHtouH
pan ul Irk ir-11?
Ont ltrh tmh.ulav.td n .. uhng .til tlu- ch.Mnptann'
.thnut tlu ptr!t-c t ",\w.tltnt:cl ()au" \ln't .ut mhumm
nr s1mpl} Hnurant tTnl()rttUMhh,
11
, the P'rudo-
spunual cnn"' ICHI,tH.'M, all tlldt i' rc-l.uccl tu , h.tlkngt ..
dnd 1s ru-gaud, whilt .all th.u '" Jlo\\t-c:t, lu\lng
and IH"artlul bc..f.UIIW5 the lth.tl? lluv. tolU "'t' durnn.Ut'
a.unu- nf nur fc-clmM:s .tnd k.&\t' tlw

h
1
, sunph
nut puu1llc' 'llu-tt '' nu \\tlhuut ct(,uc, h .tr ,t.nd
angc.-t \\UIIfHII lhcm \\o't' Y.uuld h.t\c' 1ilnl ,, long Ulllt"'
ngtJ! llwlM."' tcchuKs t.UIY lhc:' Wl\lum ut l1ft .mel allow
,\(f.\(tmrtjlllfW\ .\hnul hnlil{htrnmrut
3
. Many associatt> <>nlightenment ,.;th
1
,
0

1
il unlwlinahlt? I low manv stektrs "'' tlw l'.uh Mt
nti'kd h) \\TOll!! 'ie'" like this! Withom dt\lrts how
could ort<' lin? It is life that desires lift. \\"t lin. for we
art' an cxpre"ion of this ba.<ic desire \\"t !"<Ill reach the
ll!imalc onl! because we desirrd it-there is no doubt
ahout 1hat We can be sure that rcacltin!! 1he ltltimate
has no1hn1g to do wi1h being dcsirelcss-i1 is a new
dimension ol consciousness and not JUSt an empty
space 1ha1 remains after annihilating human nature.
Buddha doesn't become a Buddha because lw/shc ha.s
di"olred auachmenL and all sons of disturbing
lcndencies-although that might be an omcomt His
her state is bevond. It is our nature, whether we are
hoh or unhol;.
\\ithom one would be killed by the car the '<'')
fiN day on the street. How often anger helps m to get
olll of difficult situations? What a powerful encrl-tY it is!
If someone, in the name of spiritual ideas, wishes to
renounce desire and choose death-there is IW.Jllclgment,
bu1 lc1's lllll forget thai it has nothing 10 do with lhe
of Self-realization. We need 10 bt hones!
abou1 rt"alily. Thert' is no human being who docs nol
txptoritnct ftelings of desire, anger, fear, unp<uience ...
8111
along comes a religious leader wi1h atllhoriiY who
<ondemns lhesc feelings as standing in tlw "')
10
h.,-,en or F.nlightenment.
,. In r.-alily, it i not about wha1 kind of kdutJ.." ";
wfll.<Jtaon!\ Wt" experience:, but rather why tht\
111
''" ..
l hat wr- do with them. \\'c arc Jea.rninJ,t hlt
.lhW to live in harmony v.ith our inhcn:nt
:"d Titere is JHl nt'-d to c-hnun.ttt
hYt.lung as auch. All these fedings and .ut
!){I
an <' ' trn..,inn nf our hdng. and it nnl) rluc lo
that,.,. ,
11
,. ,chit' tn the challcnf;t<' of ltf<' I mh
dung rh.:H ntcrl' 10 tx u:tnsfonnf'.ci nur
nund .uHi tmutional _C>ur t'm<nional
inhcrfr;
111
rc mu't ht imhrbed Mth mtt'lhgenc <',
.uul ,_.
1
,dmn. !'hi' is the F.nhght<nmtnt al(r,o,,,.
11
,
to -.c our pn,onalrt:y from thc plate of ''lcncc and
nann.tl ,
1
Joofnc" of pure consciou\1\C:\\. From that
P""pccun. wc c.m become reallv human.
4. Enlightenment does not end the process of learning
and growing ll is 1en nnportant to understand that
"''"" aftcr completing our inner jourrwy and gaining
tht fin.l peace. on the personal lc1cl wc ,Jre alwa1s
b<'ginnt'" is no e nd to our emotional
cltldoprnem and the deepening of our St'n,iti,;n.
There i' '"' end to gaining under,tandmg of life and
the \H' are li\ing in_ Leantin1{ j, Lift:. \\'e can
"'I that Fnlrghtenrnent in the real m of Be ing is finite,
hut till' Fnlightenmt'nt in tht' realm o f Bctorning is
tH-\c:r c:nding
5. A perfect state of Presence docs not necessarily
manifest itself as perfect action. Is FnligiHtned llt'ing
.tlw-;w, n,ponding in an appropnatt .. man1ur to rhe
t of the llHlntt:nt becuJ'l' his is
in the M;th' nf ptrhn d ar it,? In man\' nwdit.ttion
rutt pr .u tin.-, lnJndful nt.'' tll the <"11\irnnmtnt.
\\hil h Is l<XI lll n--mnect the pr.Ktitiuntr wirh tmpirical
time II l 'i tlu- Prr-.. t. nc-t. lttnHvr., i which j, rlw
of lmu. Oru- lan bt Jlt'rfc.Tth .1woue of thr
\\ilh()ut lxing in tht Prt!fttncr. Bring
being in lht are nor rhr same
arC" aw.trt: of this. we nn 'Iunger
or the object with the Presence
lhotd i'nltghtmmmt
<II
.ruon I" IJC\C'I rwrfe'("t. for ll hclnng:\ to th, rt"iatn:r
SCJ(lU'nrs..o;. llw 1 1\ thrrro nut
:':...pedanticall)' mctic:uluus but, \CI"'I' llllp<>rt.lllth, to
b<: <ufTiCJcnt 111 the pro:" of ll\1ng
Wr could .,,l th.llll ":t' if there art 1\\o ""aktnmg..
onC"
15
to the pcrfc.< tinn of our c..tnnal
rrmote, ;uul l'\Trl<l\tlltg Strorul, to thr
unpt"rfn uon nf tun htunan c.. II ere. unpcrfe< uun
doc.sn'tnu..m thou 'omc:thnlg 1' wrung-It 1'\ the. natun
of hcronung that the id<"al ran 1101 ht rt'MIH"cl . In t)u,
ctumn,tnn nf c:vohnion we iltl' nut \cc.kmg pc.rfc.:c tmn
hut for hal.lll<t' anrl harmony within tht pol.uni'
6. Enlightenment does not necessarily results in
utraordinary psychic powers. \\lMt clnt' ,\w,tktrwrl
Or.c .ec, hear .md know? \\bat '"ptrn.nural
he haw? Doc' he -ec all? Dol'\ ht l.rww ;Ill? h hh
(>O"cr .tbsolutr? The,< rather embarra"ing que,uon'
ha\-r hcen thc 'llbJt'Ct ol seriou\ inH'\tig;niun fur mam
Ruddlmt .l!ld non-Buddhist thinkers durin!( th< '"'
two thou.,..nch what is n,pon\lblt forth"
misundt'l\l<tncling is a kind of simplistk lt))(lr .md
phllusophy. f:rtlightenment i a reali1.llion of the
oncnt" Wtth tlw source of all manih'stollion. In
Buddhism it as rall<d-One Mind. Wt mav think th.ll
!he ptrswa who unitt' with the Om :O.Iind natural!)
Would hii\'C :tHt'" 111 the content t1f tht whtllt
lllaruftstatt<rrt. But this kind of rt'iiStllling is quu
PriiiUU\'t .tncl IUdi< ahs a narrow JH)int or \1(""'.
u.nle"' Wt tht' distinction httwttn the t\l,..>lutr
iu1cl Llw ttlati\'c cult. wt \\111 nut lx. ahlt to
how tht ( lnc and th< ptrSt>ll who has
ltl ac h uthl'r. If the little flowtr grt.s aw-.alu."nnl
. r ul tht whole planet ur f'\'C:n the: whnlr
still rermtin a little: 1111d delicate
lirvmul 'l'rnitrtunu
plan!. I he llltiorloll<' Subjnll\ 11y h.,, noiiHnl( I<> <lo WUh
rhc md,idual pn.._pc:rtivc:. The: Cjlll'"itinn ., not alKnu
n1 .m llldhirluat
The. oppn,uc. '' 11 ut- Fnlightc.nnHnt _i, ahnut 5lnfl
111
g
to rht chrnc.n,inn of that.,
.md 1 d.IIIH' power, IJtt"aus< all knowltdge
Hllcl pow('r oUt" rclati\'(' Rtc-nnung (JIJe
with 1he Orw '' hcmnd knowing-it is Ill<' utmo"
innonnn:
Tht rcl.ttln' subjeo " by its nature limiled, it "hut
an anglt- from which the Totality bccnnws awart of
rtsclf as 1he manifestation and finally as the
Unmanift'stl'd-it is necessarily limited. Because of this
creati\'t' limitauon, the Totality can Jre=thc
and it as Time. Buddha knows all, for hehhe
knows I hat all is Consciow;ness. He is present Cn'l)"here
for he is the Presence; and he is be)ond manifestation
for he is bcvond Consciousness. Enlightenment is not
an but rather dissolution of the eg<Xcntered
percep1ion of reality. The question is no1 about
knowledge or power; the Enlighrened state is pure!)'
btynnd. one is awakened to be a no-thing, nothing
in the Uniw,.t can be a hindrance. The Nothing melts
with the Nothmg-this is the ultimate knowledgt and
the ultimalt' power. This is the grearest rnrraclt. l.t't's
not forget that. From this Nothing lht trut human
being can b< born, the human being wh<> knows what
beau!\, low and humility are.
(';In open cenrun psychic charurtb. ,1\,-.lktn
kundalini lorn and dc\'elop sotnt unusual ahiliti<"
Bur cit\ doping I he skill of manipulating tnt'r!(its inot
C<Juattd ,,irh lht Enlightt'lll'd stalt'. Tlw,..- ahilitie r.ur
nrrainly ht dt\duped, btrt 1o thrnk that they have
anything 10 do with the Awaktning is a serious
misundtrstanchng. The s chic rtalrn, as well as !he
Disidentification
l)r,iclt!tlllit'alwn ah,-ays heen tlw lllilin foet" of all
rraclllwn.d teachrngs on our planet rrgarding
Because hft- as ,uch ;, " form of
tckntificalton, to cltsirlentify, ont rwech to chon"- the
uumamft,tccl: 1ha1 which is prior 10 existl'nn. If we
look mon dowly at this choin, \\'l' can ,te how
qrongly it has bttn condilioncd by nnam life ncga1ing
philosophies. lhc deep longing to find frl'eclom from
suffering and to exit the challenge of lift 111 confltcting
realitY. gan rise to the ideal of renunciation. From the
otlwr siclt, tht shift LO the Absolute ncalt's a natural
pull, a gnl\"itational force towards non-imolvement,
norhtctivity and passi\itv. Compared to the effonle"
rt''t in the Absolute, any action in tht' manifes1ation
'''erm likt an effort. So we can see that behind the ideal
of disidcntification are two elemenh. Om is the namral
qualit\ of the Absolute State with its pull towards the
L'nmanifc,tecl, and the second is tlw traditional
philosophy that h<l' created within the psvdw a
auitudc towards the personalitv and its posrun
participation in life. .
represents monmtnl from
ignor;tnn to tilt' Self, to the Sourn. It i' txtnnwh
nnpo1tant "' a part of the process. Onl' cannol n.tch
tht' Sour<<' nnlt'ss there is a nenss.tn ;unounl of
<letachmt tll and from in\'ol\'t'IIH'Ill. Th
Cll('t!,'\' of lile that is nmtinuously IIIO\'ill!( out\\.trd,
lrtttst i>t radictlly tunwd inward to nadt th Source
100
It j, onn .tg.un .thcnll thC' of cnr-rgy. the
(.'("000111\" nl .ttctnunn. Ab .. olute cannot
cxht unit''' nra rhno\.C\o death. would rathf'r 14
abotn nun unum ickntificalion, mininlum IP\'al
to tht pt'r"m.thty and life. L.-t"< call it the minim
11111
cgn.
Allhough di'ltkntification " a vahcl attitude toward
life. it ;, ,ull paru.tl and incomplc!<'. It is incomplete
for it dut,tft '<.'t.' 1ll-it ncgcllin frttdom. to
exit from tin mamft'stcd. Identification, on the other
hand. i' mcompkte because it lacks tht frttdom of the
it rtftrs onlv to the participation; that's why it
".i'N an illu,ion. Identification negates the Source, the
foundauon of all bting. because it outside the field
of ib perctption. From the other side, disidentification
n"!!"t<, lift, the positi\'e expression of the Source; it is
.tho parual Dbidentification is a tool that needs to be
used in an intelligent manner; otherwise it will bring
ll> to tlw nrge of ''Enlightened" alienation.
In the beginning, we are totallv identified with our
phtnomtHal expression. The dcsin to survM:
and to attain maximum physical and psychological well
being, gowrns our life. Identification is purely instinctive
and unconscious. Unless we are able to step out of our
per">rlal ll'<tlity, we cannot C\'Ol\'e spiritually. To
renounce :mel \Urrender the personal. so that the
h1gher can be rt:IC htd is the price f<>r our eolution.
To renounu lll<':tll> to take the energY and focus froiD
domg" a.nrl "hanng" to the realm. of "being."
penonaln:y doc,n't "'e the state of Being as a
auJmsnwn-at j, nmditioncd to invt"st its
tht of timt". That's why
carnts lllltstll I Itt c:ltmtnt nf re,nunciatioln.
economy c.f <"\'olution that to reach the
to
/)nn/rulfirutum
101
Jtnlll wt ntnvt u, tll .. ichnlifir .. tllun
J- rnm nne. c.xuc.mc. anothtr. \\1tu arn 1 in
f1 _'h" hodv ancl mmd? Titc. renttr nf my uhutity as
mu\111g Bc."\ond . flu- \\ltnes.."'mg ( :lmscimL ...
,,J><mg bu! n: lht is !'\('('J1 asrnnrt ancl mtne
()Jl pt'11phc:r1" f.ll lh" o;.f.tge can he
pc:nc.n d ,, ... sJufl of dtnfirir:uiun-frorn the
pt:r,onaJu'" 10 tlw Presence. The. fin;tl cli"irltnlifkarion
rakes plan when the.. Prescnn is tr;m\Cencltcl in
rlw \hsohot< Stat<. m tht state without any rrnt<r or
point of identity
Hut tiH' ptrsonality still exists, with rertain rlcmes
and we<" II ow is it possible? We n<td to und<r.tancl
that th< ttrm clisiclentification points to two anas. One
" th<' nature of reality which ultimately r<'f(,., w the
.\bsolmt- State. Second, is a choice rnadt within the
per-<>nalitv. Within the personality there is pre<;ent
an tconorny of identification, choosing where to
panicrpatc a nd where to withdraw energv. Between
these two shores, the life of personal it) flows. As far as
personalit) rs concerned, the complett' disicltntification,
a.s we have said, is impossible. What otcurs is relative
disiclentifi cation. Relative disidentificatitHl a
ctrt;un <UilOIIIJt of energy to be left for the ptrsonalir/s
sake, but most of the <ncr!,')' toward tin Source.
When complete disidentification is rt'alillcl. which is
th., Abwlute Stale it'>l'lf, we havt' an intensting situation:
th< complete disidcntification co-txist< w1th th..- rdativt'
tclcntificauon Howe,er at this stagt', tht' wtrght of
bcinR rs ,,ith. the <L< if the rdati\'C."
idcntific:ation was only a neces.,..ary
From ignoram identification we havt' to
Enlrghl<twd disid<ntiftcatiun, which allows a mtmmum
uf irltnriliratinn. Is this the end? If this was the end ll
wuuld h.- ,,,,.., the end of evolution! Evolution is much
Beyond Enlightenment
Th,. Fnlightnted Mate is one of There
i'> no n ntn, no liKal point, no connection with realitv.
The onlr connection with the world can he one
of Bodhisattv<l, which is the last excuse to
give oneself a reason to live. The ideal of the Bodhisatva
can be seen as a compensation, an attempt to avoid
ont>sided clisidentification or negative fret>dom. Now
we leave lwhind the teachings about EnlightenmenL
This teadung is directed to those who are alread, in
the Enlightetwd state. Enlightenment is not the
\\'hat to do 1\ nh tt? How to live? How to evolve and go
further?
TI1e wi.,dom of the Absolute does not allow u' to
nmain in the clinical situation of disidentilication. The
Absoluu. mmt meet the reality of its own Manifestation.
The meeting ofthe Absolute with the Creation can take
place only if a new center is opened. It canuot happen
in tlw no-<t:nter state. This new center, the place where
thl' Absolute meets the world-is the Heart.
\\lwn till' lle;ut center opens, one shifts from the
n"IH<hi di ng of t h<' Absolute to the plact> where the
non:lhiding" and the "abidmg in tht' hean'' become
nnt Th" plan i' neither in nor Q!!!, neither wi thin nor
1\'Hhum, bnond and disidentificat.ion.
tlw t\Vo dunensions of seemingly opposite realities
11
l<'ct <llld 101 the first time one experiences real
"'h<>lene,...
Without knowing the Soul, experienc:iq ODaelf Uld
lUI rulightrumrut llryrmd "l'rndafiott,
life m gcnc.r.d '' h.l,lt.dh pn,iti\c. .uc.
,,111 1 ntunh t"\JH'tU"nn the- pc.uc .uul .,( mnrr
-.ilcu hut the lu..ut, the. Soul, i' 'ttll
Comp.uc-d Hllh the. c.xpcric.nn nf tllC' Suul, thf'
1 nr thnuglulc'-' dn ... n to nc.utrat,
\Hihc)lll ll.nnr, th.m po:>otttln llw txpc.twnc-e of
h.1ppmc,, tlllci hh" tom trttlv happc.n nrtl\' tht nugh tht-
lft.ur Bc.c..HI"'t' ntH' j, in tlu- Hc.tlrt, tht-
pull from the clot,n't hring .my
mon dtMdnuilit;Hion Thtrt is,, p<Tit'<t halann, which
,tlhw . mu to he. .u ease in the. unn1ill1iftMc.cl and
lll<llllltst<d ill the s,111H' time. The lit-an is tlw middle
potnt. It "'"''tnds tht polanty of th< So11rn and
Cn.ttinll fnt 11 '' dinetly linked with tht Crt01tor. It i
unh in tht I kill! that all ft:els fill filled and rnmplete.
flw .m.tl.tning of the Heart has nothing to do with
tilt' idtills of t'<llllf""'ion or of >;.Wing mhcrs. Tlw Heart
j, a climc.n\iun of its own and senes it.s own purpose.
Olll ptu post in optning the Heart is not to ln\'t' others,
hutto find who rcallv arc. After Enlighlt'nment. our
h.1sic iclt-ntitv i' di"ol\'{:d. The personalitY still functions,
hut it ctntwt gtn l" a sense of idcntirv any longer. It
" cas\ at this poiut, w conclude that thcrt is actually
''uubucly" hett', <lnd t'\'crything is <'lllpty without the
\df. Bu1 rhi' is no1 true.
1h tilt' dinwnsinn of the Ahsolutt mcds to be
al\<tktntcl, "' uur True Identity. Tht ;mswer to
this idtntitv is in tht' Th.c Absolute enten
through tl;,. Crown nnttr and dissolves everything
until it dissohts itself in the Hara. From the Hara. il
needs w rtturn to the Heart to establish the diviDe
balance httwtcn the Unmanifested and the WorkL
Without the Heart, one cannot really live, for there il
no cunn<"clion whatsoever with existence.
aloof, d<!tached and isolat...t, missing the
105
lik II 1\ a H'l}' d.mgtrous idea that WI' are lwrc In find
hbtratinn. It is much mnre positin th;
111
this.
So Wt' open the Heart centtr, not to hctorne a
Bodlus.ttt\,1 ot out of compa"ion (unltss it the
comp.t"ton f()r ourselves first) . Com(M"ion ;u tlus
point, n.11111 arises based on the inhertm wisdom of
the Heart. \\'ithom the Heart, although wt might think
that the suiTenng has been transcended, in truth our
Soul is still sufl"tring and longing for herself. Btcause
we have a Soul, tven after the realization of thc Absolute
State. we still remain in the realm of suflcring. It is only
the awakening of the Heart that brings us to \\l10leness.
In the Heart, the Absolute meets the manifested and
the Creator meets the Soul. The Heart brings warmth
to the coolness of the Absolute and brings fullness to
the Emptiness of disidentification. It is the only place
where we can free ourselves from the powerful pull
from the Unmanifested.
As there is an Enlightenment to the Absolute. so
there is an Enlightenment to the Heart; a full opening
of the Heart center. For many years and man\' life times
we have bee n suppressing our sensitivil)', mlnerabilitv
and innocence in order to be strong and reach the
Ultimate. Fspeciall)' on the path of will, ont must use
H:ry masculine energy which closes tht Htart. All of us
have been dctplv hurt in our childhood. wludt
arlditi()nallv pnvc;lls us from optning our H.-arts.
nu:rt arc many demt'nts, but It-t's rtmain dt"ar thalli
" !lot \\i ll of the Oivine itself whidt .ollows us 10 P'"
11
"'" I It art and 10 nWI'l its beauty and St'nsithity.
it '' tht will of tlw Divine, do wt truly h<tv<" a chorce?
The Soul: Our True Identity
\\lw .1111 I? ,\m I the Absolute? Am I the llllrc '"I Am"?
,\nll Consc:lousne-.s? In t ~ l t se,trch for our true l!lc-ntit)
we .ne m m ~ through d1ffereni laytrs and clinwnsions
of ,mr tot.tht\". But who are we truly? Tht Absolute. the
ConscimJSIH'" .111d the personal self are nothing but
chlfertnt chnwnsions of what we arc. To choose one of
thtst clinll'llSIOI" and say "I am That" would he incorrect
and one-sickd. \\\ an all nf that. We are the mind. the
hoch. tht state of Presence and fundamcmallv the
undcrlpng timeless Source. But there i\ something
mort. \\'ithin all ot what we arc. there is the hean of
0111 uniqut identit\ the Soul.
Unfortunatelv, the word "Soul," as well a.s other
similat wmds like the "Self' or "Higher Self," is
common I) used withmll the experiential understanding
nf ns rtal meaning. This notion seems ro be a sort of
a tnctaph)sical excuse to fill up the:- hole in
underst<nldiug. For most, it is just an abstract, \"ague
notion gn1ng a It-cling of something spiritual,
connt>ni n!l; an individual with eternity and God. On
tht othn hand, marw New Age thinkers and channels
'Peak ahoul the Soul without h.tving the proper
expntetKe and knowlt'dgc of til<' Buddha Statt'. :\nd
111 reality. only when reOected in the pmt nurrur uf the
0
11Rtnal \tate, 1he Soul can be full\' disn)nred.
h ts not trut 1hat evervbody .. ,;a, a Soul. h is a
Paradox that .tlthough evervbodv IS an txpnssion of
one\ Soul, not t'\'t'l)'hodv "has" .1 Soul Tht' Soul in
J()H
run't I' unronsdou,, a' rht "'I Am" i,, It i5 hke a
<Inn hght hchond tlw illmion of pnson,ohty. Without
rhc Soul, tlw ptr,nnality couldn't txiH, fnr it is a child
c.lf tlw hut al 1hc: .... 1mC' time the" cgn ran creoaee
an mlifio:-.1 naht, , a .. if 111 sepou
4
tuon fnun the Soul.
Tht t'\nluunn uf is '-"t"J)' lllY'ttrious. h i5 the
dulcl ''hi do m.ol..c' the mother discmcr as
mnllwo , \uti 11 '' lwc.m...- of tht cgo, tht Soul can be

In Jht 1ll1"'"" of pcr">Jl<llity, tlw tnl( identity

of tilt" Soul " hoo n I his reality works through the law
of polarttl<'' It is Ignorance tll.tt gins rise to
F:nlighlt'nmcnt !"he Soul, through tlu illusion of
person.1l11y. tht incomplete identity, finally discoven
heJself It ".1 monwnt of celebration, for thl' decpet
pmpo" or l'ntering this dimension of suffering has
l>cl'n fulfille-d
Tia Soul i\ the knowing of one's own identity, which
can be exptrit"nced on many levels, depending on the
awal..eJung. nois knowing is based on feeling. which is
dmcth mtimate The mjnd is the thinking and
emoticinal txttnsion of the Soul in the world. Prior to
all.tkcning. the Soul doesn't know its true identity. and
therdort is identified with the mind and lost in the
1
>CI\Ol1illity.
\\ltat is nally tlw Soul? Yes, it is Me. the "I" that is
dirtcth in the heart and that l'mbr.1ces all
of our htmg. It is the unique taste of Me, the child of
thc lklowd I he txptnence of tht Soul is one of bliss.
fullnc" and "" mth. To feel thl' Soul is to be touched
b) the fidol<'!l It is an cxperil'llrt nl the celestial
tht Jt,lfm of puritY, beauty, kindnes. and lowe.
Tht inntJ sttlhtt" nf bein!l: st't'ms like a "natural
stiltt," hut it is no1 what I am. I am something much
JJU>rt suhtl<. Tht Soul is n<>t the "I Am." The "I Alii"
is impcrsonal ;mel univl'rsal. Tht Scud i absolutdr
{/If' smtl (),, 'J'nlr ldnlfity 109
p<.
1
,.
011
,,1 II ch .. tll, WJ.Ihin the H(""".trt, tnu aw-.tkcn' through
thr J , \Ill I I the. Soul that but that
... \Cl 't'C.'Il, amating. Nut IC) M:'(" the
\h'ohttc: c.ul ht for il i\ a
Ul ,.
0
me w.ty; but not to -;ec th<' Soul? Sot en u-e our
'""'
1
dtntity? It "'tms like an irony. The Soul "not ju.t
the Hca1t Slw is within the Heart. She i what i< "Me"
"'tlun tht hNrt It is so \imple and '<> suhtl .. at the
... ame unw
Only wlwn till' Heart center is open, dots one
discol"rr that till' lll<1St intimate, persunal and direct
expcnenrc of oneself, takes place in the Hearl. The
Soul becomes awakened. This is what "I <tm"-the
fullnc<S <tnd wanmh within my own Hearl. I am the
Soul. the child of the Creator. That's what I am. When
this " reali1ed, the sage again becomes innocent, the
Buddha becomes the child, and the most beautiful
flower of el"olution opens fully.
The Soul is, however, not simply the sen<e of "Me;"
it is tl1at in Me which meets the Divine. The Soul is
eternally the child of the Beloved, of her divine Mother.
TI1e personality becomes adult, accumulates experiences
and knowledge and is always the outcome of the past.
What is becoming an adult? What is accumulating
experiences throughout life, hiding more and more
behind the thick wall of insensiti,it)' called common
sense? Issues of survival, mind games and sinking deeper
and deeper m the falsity of the ego identity, closes our
Hean and takes us away from innocence. sensiu,ity and
beauty. The Hean is the only truth, our only idt'ntity
and the essence of real life. All else is a form of death.
We live: in a society of robots; we live among humans
who have lost their souls. That's wh\' it i the plane of
It is the world of suffcrir;g not hecause we
ave deMre:r, and au.achn1cnts, but hc.t'otust" nur Souls
Jill
art." nor .1\\.:tkcrud
Thr Hcar11' the pl.1cr \\111'1<' "" lllr'<'l th<' lh1111e and
at lht s.um umc 11 1, 1he ll11 10<' htrstlf I he II ran
11
mull hcrng pJ.ICtd Ill lhc lllllllilR
d
1
mtnsJon.md ,,., H>Oicd Ill lht so1111 e of
1Jco1rl bt-lnngs 10 1(1<' Ct<alnr hut ,.,p.mds IIIIo Its
mchl!dual c:'p1e"1on. In llus "1\, "!' ,,,. on \\Hh
Creator and "'I'" olin I from ht'l .II lht ,,IIIII' IIIII<' fhc:
So11l1s th.111durh l..n<1ws Ill<' tlllt'IH'" .null Ia ''')MI.Ition.
Tht <'XJl!'llt'llt'<' t>l tht Clllt'IH'"" po"chlt only htr,IUSC:
'""' ,-.m k<'ltht "'p.uauon. That\ 11hy !wing,, Soul is
uniq11<' 111 C.t'.llwn. !'hen an m.ul\' clnntnsu>ns of
txhten" .111<1 intt'lligt'IKe, hut being nmplttth one:
\\1th tht lll\111<' <II romplctch "'P" .lied f1 om her-
hnlh the JOI of Ontness and the sunol\ of sq>al.ltion
arc not <"'Jit'ritnnd.
The found.mun of the llean is tht D11 int ll<'rsc:lf.
TI1e Ht.m nl the h11man bein!! is tht Soul. But rhe
depth oltht lk.utcs the space ;>fdl\llllt\' httwctnrhe
Son! and tht fit'lowd. Ntither one nor tim, hur The
Myst<'t).
The Journey to Our True Identity
111<" Soul "tilt" '<'ntt lxhincl tht journty of
cvoluunn ()o igin.tll\' the Soul is tlll:l\\olll' nl hto Mll: slw
g1n-s " ' '' to nnhtllnn whiil' htr"ll in the
,h,ul<m. In tht htgutning, tlw Soul is I'"' a hhll'prim
c>f hllull' ncognlltnn, a hhtl'flllltl th.tt knows all rhe
stcps in ht"twttn She herself ancl h < :n;arnr, the
llclowd. I his .Jnurnn ts takmg plate through the
evolution of lntellis,t('lln: and 'tn,itivitv.
Tht Soul cannot cliscowr herself lulh until tho.;.,
facultits att' nnnplttelv open. This journtving into
tmc idtn tity " an ama;-ing ad,entun: of the Soul. It is
OC\Ollcl words. Let us look at the diflen:nl sra!o:'" of this
search that is happening in the arms of t'ttrni"
In the human being, the Soul btcomts "lf,on,cious
J.s an go. I he ego is her false iclcntitv. Ego has no
Jtahty apan from the mo\ement of intt'lligtnn. The
<'Ro i;, a momc11taJ)' aet of consciousmss tvoh ing around
tlw st"illlnag< Tlw tgo always rdates am act of
rcrognll ton to an imaginary subjt't't whirh common
'tnst tran,ltl1l"' ,,, "rne" but dt:void uf t..Ul)' ,ubstantial
ulcmit\. lht tgn is real " a funnion. hut nut '"an
id<"nlll\". \\'hn is tlunking, "hn is fetling, who is behind
tht" \\'t c,utnor {ornl' to ,, too
quae. kh; to makt a rnist._tkc ahuut lhi' P'' nutch tasic:r
l() lind lht' nu r t'<'l answer.
\\"htn the Scud "ts th<ll till' itkntifi< .l!ic>ll with
lhougllls .uul It-dings is not lu:r nalultntin:. sht starts
lq \CTk witlnn the nlnsciuusnts.\ lor htJ tl ut late. h is
112
uo;.ualh
11
thi' .. t.tq:t \\'lll'n .one_ dtsn:Hrs rh:- of
Pr<"'-<'fl< c rlw Sc:ml ,, txp<"nennng h('. r purt" I Am for
th<" first time It'" to srop at th1t. M.1gr, a..\..\unun
1
that thiS ts uur Ull(' So manY ha\'e !litoppect
here. con\u
1
ud thotl tJu, is the- of tlw Journey, but
11 h much too "oon.
\\"hen thtl,\rn is ,tw.tktned, what actually i rcaliz.,d?
\\'t nt't'd Ill .... ,. IIMtlht onlv war the Soul can experi.,nce
her,df
1
s through fnnsciousness. in the
global "n,
1
ontans "10 know., Without conscioun"ss
tlw
1
c is nn knowmg: it is a tool for knowing. Tlw ego,
fm tx.unplt-. is .1 nwntal and psrchological moremem
of con,cJou,nt''' that is. of knowing. That's whr wh.,n
thc ego " bo1n. the Soul knows a part of hcnelf,
ahhOl;gh not her true identitv. The I Am is the e'-<;enc"
of conscJousnc<cs. The moment the Presence is born,
tht' chaotic movt'ment of consciousness is tran..cendl'd
m its ccntcr of stillness. \\'hen the Soul discovers the
Pr.--,ence, we can sar she has found the tool through
whiCh she ran recognize herself. Through the Presence,
the Snul " conscious of herself as pure consciousness.
It is like sttmg the crvstal clear mirror in which pure
knowmg can bt nflectcd. Who is the ont in front of
that ancient mirror? Am I the Presence, or is there
sonwthing IIH>re? Is the mirror onlv reflecting the
mirror? Tlw Soul has discO\ered Lhe tool bv which she
can recognize htr'tlf. the e<sence of bul
sull It i\ IIUI htr true identi[V,
Tl1e Soul is looking for happine" and complelioD
the Soul ,.,,.,that being in tht I Am tannol fulfiD
er, for thi, M:ttt dntsn't have thc qualities of complele
rest and ease 1 L_, ..
s ' I<' provokes Lhc shift tn the .......,.ull!
lalt. In the Absnl
1
S
1
. h __ ..Jif
a.. h .
11
< tate, t w Sun! rcn>gmzes .,._
c.: at wludl was ntwr hom, thc \Jnhom source
In tlw Ahsnlutt" .
}1tt lo Our r;,,,. ldnrtir,
llll
1
., c wu,nc.,..s. nc ngni1cs thar whit h i!\ prinr to
"cHI..;fiOtl'llt'" pnor ln c.'XJ><"riencr. Hrrr she ha11.
lJu txpt"IIC,'IU (' nl I'('SI and C'a!W, Shr rrr.l!\
rd!eHd from I he mnnmc.nr of ,
1
h
1
cting
fin.tlh Ill the pl.ut o( UOCOildltinna) Jlt'"f\((' _ t\1 thl'\
rnouHnt tJw Soul concluclt; '' I .un nl.lt,"' '' I Am
not I ""'m the Unborn: Rut lht journey
,, not c:nmpktc-d H't.
tht \hsolute has httn funn<l and the
pt.on n.olind, ,uu tht true identity of tlw Soul has not
bt'<'ll recognllt'cl. Who is bchmd the stnst nf I Arn?
Who rcrognllt's tho: Absohne St<Ott? Who ft-ds this
<lntaJing nM of being in the Absolntt? It is n<Jt simply
and it is not "nohocly." There is
..omtthing more to 11, much more. Thts "mort"
Ill' Tnt idenutv. \\1mt is it? Mv lrUt' ickntitv is not
per..onalit:y, not the I Am, not t:he Absolute The
is just a mo,ement of Ill)' intelligenet:: tht I Am is
thf.' of that by which I am consdous and I can
txpcricnct: knowing; the Absolute is simpl)' Ill)
foundation, the source of my bcingm"" on which I
eternally rest. But who or what am I?
All life we experience Me as a fto:ling of "being
<mestlf," mixed with our longings, desires, fears ;,nd
moods. " the center of identitY bthind my
cxptritnce of life> What is the intimate cnrt bthind
tht 't'll\C of m)wlf? The Soul, expanding into the
difll-rent realms of consciousness and intdligtnce, is
c-oming do,e,r and to hc.r:-.df to
h<'fself, as hcrsdf This awakening can takt plan unh
f the matunty of intelligence metts till' depth of
!l'n$otl\"ll\ wuhon the Htan. I am that whid1 I ftt'l
d.re< tlv rnv J leart as nwsclt. The tatnu,,l inti1n ltt'
touc-h HI my ,n\\-'11 tt.'t ognitiun uf rnvMIf is .thsulutdy
perMmal. llurnilitr, innnrc.-nn and sc.n,llivilv mttt in
IJ.I
I he J lc.ut 11" a dltct1 kncw,:rng of nw!<i-df lll)"k'l
JKc.tll"i(' 1hc Soul lwr!'iclf m tht rtalm of
( A.liHiCIIIII"'II('S.'i., I COte lht highc:t lt\cl!!o ol tlW.Ut"nn&
1
, \C'n unporl.mt. Onh if rht poncl 1s Mill .met !!oilcnt.
c .. u1 rht 1dkcucua of tht moon lw dc.u. llw Suul can
he <'XJX'rwnctd wuhour the o[ llu: I Am or
llw St . .ltt\ but in thi' ca,t lh<" <'Xpcru.nce i5
nn \.tg1w and disturbeci. by the mind.
In rht had\ground of th<" Soul\ t.n,haunu, her
bluqlllnl, 1lw plan of her <kstiny, 1he uhnnau ""ion
ol Jwr fnllillnwnl. It is the cmlllol nf 1lw Soul's
pa1h 1ha1 mnws from the Source ltsl'lf h is nothing
dse, Ill II lht f01ce of Evolution. The dcsllll)' ol1lw Soul
is rnoted 111 tlw wisdom of the Universe. in I he ecological
"st<m of Oneness. The ultimate future of the Soul
brings hcr p\1 into the present and tlw present into
the future The unconscious Soul is being taken care
of and It'd in many mysterious ways to its future
fulfillment. The eternally awakened He<trt of the
Creator embraces within itself the Soul's destim and
her relative freedom, like the mother who brings the
unconsciom child into its fumrc.
We arc coming to the full understanding of what the
I Am reallv means. This I Am is something much more
than the of Pre>cnce, the experience of Impersonal
C.omciousntss. Tht' I Am state, although it is based on
th.: cxpcricncl' of i\mncss, at the same time refers to
itself as "I." might think that it is simply a creative
faculty ul our mtt'lhgence to relate to its<lf, btu although
1
1 " correct, it doesn't bring us to the es.o;ence of that
\It' wluch I am. It is the Soul t!Jat is txpcriencing aU
states, kncming at the same time, in llt'r own way, !his
Tlw "I" is the Soul and the "Amness" is the
ConsnuuSJwss. Ultimately the I Am
refers to tlw oncntss of the Soul,
f/rf Jalll1lrl to Our Tn" ldnrlily
115
1
the ,\h..,>hllt'. I Am mran that M.-, th.- Soul,
'
11
' ' I S . h If
upon thf' . latr rs rc:"cognlllng
111
thl'
1111
rt or of
Jlw Con" iousnt''-' wrthout thr Soul r"pr.-..-ms th"
qu.thl\ of I'"''" the recognition of Bemg, tht' pure
1
. forrnauon of t"Xt"'tcnrc. In tht"' case nf human hetngs.
1111
, punml<mnauon is rnixtd \\ilh the ..-not nf "I" which
1
, .Ill his poin t a of tht unconS<"ious Soul. The
"'""'of '' I" 111 rts fullness is a unity of tht Pnst'nn and
the Soul \\'lwn till' l'rescnre and the Soul are not
aw.tkttwd. the sense of "Mt>' ' reftrs to tht illusion of tlw

tgo-image. The Soul is a combination nf the

Prn<"nn .111d tht Heart, cxperi(nced in a uniqu<' and
mtimalt' way. Although it has universal qualities, it is at
the ,anw time absolutely personal. The st'n<t' of "I"
ulumauh belongs to the Soul and only 10 the Soul.
l.ctus npcat. In the beginning, tht Soul experiences
he self as ptrsonalil) and the mind. Sht is at this stage,
complt-tl'IY unconscious. Later she discnwrs ht'r Amnes-s
nd tr;mscends the mind. Afterwards. she slips to the
.\h">lutc and reaches Pure Rest. And finally she discovers
htr Ht.ort, and in this Hean-hcrst'lf. .
Thtrt " both the Soul that experiences and the
<xptricnn of the Soul. To cxpcricnn the Soul is to
know what ont truly ;,. To find thc.- Soul is to experit'ncc
wulunt lw I !t-an tht' deepest, the most intimatc.-, personal
nd u_niqut of Me. It is quite simpl<". Bill the
'>out IS <<wtrl'CI bv la\t'rs of insensiti\iry, ignorance,
nund .md idemifirations. Tht' Soul can
""-lin ht"lf fullv nnl\' if she mt"ets the 8el0\ed. Th"
Ill lt',lfity . cxists only in r...Jatiun to the
a o ay uf tht' Sun, although """' can look
f>" ""'": 11 only of the Sun and
tkt llw Sun. 1 hr Soul 1s a reflKtion of lhe
(J\' tf\ \\Ill
The Beloved
(lne can real in. the_ Emptiness and not to 'K't the Sun
"ithin it. Tins Sun ts _the Creator. tlw Divine force of
Jm<" and wtsdom bdund the power of Crtation. The
Bdond cannot be felt unless the Soul is awakened. To
any snte we need certain faculties. For
to e;xpenence the Absolute, the consciousness
must be complt'tely mature and semitivc. Similarly one
cannot sense the Creator unless the Soul has flowered.
The Soul is the link between an individual being and
, Cre;ttor: there is no other link. The Creator no
name and doesn't belong to any religion or cult created
b) ignorant people. She doesn't belong to any human
tradition and can be known only in the realm of
aloneness, where the Soul directly prays to the Beloved
and is touched by her. There is no medium, no priest,
no church in-between. There is onlv the Soul and the
Beloved, nothing else. .
We have left the dimension of Consciousness and the
Absolute. Now we are entering the clinlt'nsion of the
Divine One becomes a child again, but a child that
carries wi thin itself the sage, t11e F.nlightentd
\\ben the sufkring has be.en left behind and the inner
peace realited, it .is timt: to rt:tlllll t<> tht positive, to
beauty, erst;ISy and praver. The dimtnsion of loH'
and gt <l<'e is all ;trouncl us. Tht Bl'loved, the
is li\'ing secrctlv in eadl unt of us. This t-.lll
1
'" rtalilt'd cmlv wlwn cn;r hcut and inttlligtnce reach
a dctp ltvd or' mal\ II it}". Tht Bl'loved is. If we look at
I Ill
/.'nllghtrumNII /lt-ynnd
tlu ckcpt't nf nut ht;ut, nonr i!\ deeper
tlw dc."";SII tn he. 'C. Til .mel lOll< heel h\ lh.tt wh1ch
tl't' to ow C''"'tcnu. h\ the 1\cloHd \VhC'n
cncrors our hk . 111 lw mnc., to the core
\\1wn rlu llt\lllt' toucht'' u,, thc.tc. I'\ no cnd to treaq
nf rn\ ,md gt.liHudc.
\\c .Ill w.anc to he lon.d. but we do not knnw where
lin lon c .111 , emu from. Bd111Hi I hi' lougtng, lht!re
11
the ,
11
htlc: krummg o( our rhvint 111lwr it.nn. Tht Soul
know' th.tt it " jUSt ,t child of tlw Rdnvtrl, a child
n,ung ctc.rnalh .in her arms of }()\'(.' and grace. All is
well, fn1 tht lklond b. Onlv th<N' <>p<'n to can
"''' 11. \\'t h.tvc \IHnt freedom, st rcngth and will but
whtn , .m ou1 Will and freedom It ad '" uhimately?
\\'hal dst r.tn '"' do but suncndcr lO till' higher love
of tht ( re.uor' l'lll' child knows th<u it b<:lnng to its
mothtr-whtn tbe could it go? \\'e art children of
lme; wt <tlntt from the Di1ine :\lothtr. h is our
mhcrit;ntct and our dignitY Snrrcndtring lO the
'' tht hightst the wisdom of the heart.
h mu heart open to hear the whisptr from the
lkmud? Do we ftel that we are surroundtd by love?
Th.""' qut,tiom arc not only bt'autifttl, thtse ;;re the
quc,tion' indicating truth. Onlv the ht;trt that is
'i""'"' humhlt and tan' t'nttr tht nalm of
l>ll'llllt\', l lumatl'lr IH' all feel alone in this world, eoen
.unong plople, r:n in Lrulh uur lwing cannot be
fulfillt<l uul'"'' \H' lllCl't the Cn:al<>r, tht Bdoved. It IS
tht \\";lttt that c-:an <tuench our thirSI. Grace
rhos.c. whu l'Xptrit.nce it have. no doubts. But
i:\ wiMlom hdtind Cract-. h when the
is nght <md whcn tht Soul is ready to recei\'C
tl. rhe Beloved can qul'nch all our longings, and 1111
onl) she that can do it. For all is happenina' by
pow"r of the Creator. All is happening throll8h
[ht Rdnl'l'd
119
Jk(tl\Cd .. En-n ~ h rcalitation of tlw Soul and higher
,tat<'' of n msnousncss take plan only through the
Cr;ICC of the 1\clowd. \\'e have some nlative freedom
and our dTmts nrtainly maucr, but tlw transformation
on occm only as an intervention from the Bcwmd.
There is no other war in this dinwnsion of suffering
and slow evolution.
The mysH' l} of the Soul is that although slw dwells
11ithin the Heart of the Beloved, she is at the same time
able to fed herself as separated from the Beloved.
Because of this scpar.Hion, the meeting and its joy can
take place. The Soul is deeply sad, being separated
from the Bclmed. But she is also full of joy, bliss and
love, for it feels the Beloved within and without. As the
Sun is the secret of the shining moon, so is the Beloved
the secret of tht Soul. The Soul is simplr a reflection
of the Infinite, the spark of eternal fire which comes
from the Hean of the Creator.
Desirelessness and the Soul-Desire
The pun purpmc of the quest for desirelt"n<'-' is to
reach the dimension that is empty of p<rsonal self. On
1
)le relati\"t' k\'cl, thrs means that one gives up his/her
identification with personal well being, so to speak. The
personal self always must more or less face a lack of
fulfillment in the realm of desire. This is the nature of
our reality. For this reason, disidentification with the
ego and identification with the empty Self bring a
certain solution to this problem. But when we close the
door against the thief, the beautiful guest cannot ,;sit
us either Oesi relessness is a solution to the problem of
suffering, but when taken as absolute, it "ill block am
possibrlity of expansion. .
An rmportant problem with the teachings of the past
is that their simplistic conclusions do not reflect the
richness of reality. Even though some masters, withom
a dunbt, have realized the Soul, their intellect and the
conceplual tools of their particular traditions are not
able to distinguish the experience of the Soul from the
experience of the Self, or to understand them in a
um,.nsal context The understanding and the
experience always go hand in hand. Without the
drfferenuation between the Soul and the Self wt will
ntver be ablt to gra.-.p the paradox of right cit-sire in
the reahn o f <h.,irelessness.
Expi.tnsion can oc:<ur only because: of clt.sin. Rut ego
d("'ll_<s du not hring fur rht tgo atts uutside
lhc hdct of untwr-.tl Oncnes. Tht cit-sin which brings
c,olutunl al"'"' nHHt'' frnm tiH Snul IIIC'
" nothing httt tht w;l\ the mlh to expand
through tlus pat tic ular mdi,idu;ll t'Xptcsston. Thc:-
dt,in of tlw Soul is present 111 tlw ronttxt of ( lnencs..
nw Soul h;t, got l<l noln. It cannot stop. for to Slop
is tn

life, ln Crc:auun. Tht ronccpt of

dntrclt'"nt:ss negates lift. It's aim is only to txit from
life. Tlu- S<ml, lwrausc she is direnly linktd with the
Bl'lond " nnt wrth purpose of evohttton and i
onh toward c-ompletion and posit in- fulfillnwnt.
lkhind ilw existence of ewry Soul is a divine plan
that got'\ tnuch lmther than what we call human
cmlution. nw purpose of evolution b not to reach
nin;ma or di"olution, but to infinitt>ly (xpandtlllo the
hl'art of the On!) this uncler'>tanding brings
real frttdom. The negative conclusion of Buddhism
ultimau:lv bring\ an impasse, for it blocks the llon ol
c:volutiun.
:"\tHnhclc" we must not forget that the Soul which
is not resting upon the Absolute is incomplete and
separated from the Source. \Ve can be ont with the
Somcc and separated from the Creator, or we can he
in direct connectton with the Creator whilt stpardted
from tht Source. When thee two aspt'ns are
integt at<-d, tht evolution of the Soul is in nunplt't<"
alignm<'nt with Uni,ersallntclligcncc. and has support
frnm above and bdow. from within and withmn. Titis
;, tlw Ia,,.
\\'<" variou\ kinds of clt-sirt"s. Frnm dtt'
ln.lltrial. phv .. lr.tl. emotional and uuclltttual to rhe
purdy 'uch a!) reaching sw.tc- of Prrsencc
"' <hst<mrirtl! thl' S.HII. Manv arc valid and importanl
to he lulfillccl. llut how do know if our desire
nmung tht Suul or from the egtHubcoJUCiCJUii
b our de,.nc. arising from our pa!tt conditioningl II
{lt.lirdrJ.\1/rll rmd thl' Sou[-D,.sirt' l2S
11
,, oighl rtsponse to the of The only
"JI' we can know 1s by lookmg wnhm our heart,
;;..coming one with our a_nd feeling deeply whether
or not this particular des1re IS what we really want If
the heart feels nourished and deeply responds "yes" to
wh<tt we desire, that is what we call the Soul's desire.
we mature in our spiritual journey and enter the
inner realms of silence of being, awaken the heart and
evolre in our creative intelligence, a clarity is born that
translates itself as sensitivity. It senses and discerns what
is coming from the personality and what is coming
from our Soul. It knows our Soul's desires. To be in
touch wi1h our Soul's desires means to flow in harmony
11ith the wide river of personal and universal evolution.
The Soul and the Absolute
In the ,\INllute State, the energy of the personality is
constantly being pulled to its original absence. One
l>t>comes dt.sidentified with reality as if om without
much will to li\'l'. The state itself, although with some
positivt of complete unchanging peace and
silt'nre. is mon neutral than positive. It the
absrnce of suffering and freedom from consciousness.
From the perspective of this state, all people are seen
to be suffering. But how the State itself to the
one in the state, ts more like an absence of the negative
than a presence of the positive. Because the "absence"
is much stronger than the presence, one is "not really
here." Because we see that the personality is not really
our identity, while the Absolute is rather our non
identity, we have no center and we live "nowhere". !!
is freedom but not happiness. From the higher
perspective, one sees that the Absolute State is not
beyond sufftring because our true identity has not
been awakened yet. Our Soul is erving within our
unawakentd lwan. It is possible for one in tht Absolute
State to t'\l'll comn11t suictdc. for living in tmptintss b
ag-atnst our nature.
\\'e must awaken the Soul to find om tnlt' idtntit\.
\\lwn tlw lwart nmer is open. ont mttts .11 l.l>t tlw
t"SStnn ol. onc..,t.lf. Fron1 in .. "'""
sluhttl to tht ll<llhlhiding of the 01 st,llt', .111d
11
.Hre at l.t\M wt wokt' up to. abicling- Hl o111 trut idtruit\'.
1
hcu \vluc h we ;ut is Hn ursonal, u
126
gtntk. ""'''t .111d frag1ant. Meeting tlw Soul changes
tlw qu.tlit) of our whole bemg. Tlw nmlm .. , of the
,\h,ohll<' btcomcs filled '"th warmth ancl sweetness.
nw detp rtst. innonnce and beauty cna.tt one whole.
This is wh.ll bli" rs: tht Absolute mteung the Soul.
Onh this
The optning of the heart changes also the quali!y of
the recognition of the Absolute. The state becomes
e\'en more appreciated. It is only the Soul that can have
the highest appreciation of the Ultimate Rest. On the
other hand, it is in this Rest that the Soul can experience
herself fully, because for the first time she has a
foundation. The experience of the Soul, with its beauty
and sensitiYity occurs together with the expcricuce of
infinite Rest. The Rest giYes depth to the Soul and the
Soul gi\'es sweetness to the Rest. In the moment of
integration we cannot separate them, for they become
one. It is here that the outer and the inner for the first
time merge. One cannot say if one is inside or outside.
One is nowhere, but this "nowhere" is the Heart of the
Universe, the Beloved Herself.
The Suffering of the Soul
\lln .u e wt bo rn as human beings? \\lhy do Wt> have
a bodv? Why do we have to suller o;o much? The
,xpttiCJKC of being human is very uniqut. h is only in
the body tha t the Soul can be expcriencecl, and it is
onh in the human body that the Soul can be awakened.
Thi.s is the .law.
There are many other beings in the universe that
rcpresenLs various of evolution, but they do not
ha,e a Soul. These beings and entities do not have a
...-me of r.te"-they do not experience separation. It
''only in the body that separation can be experienced.
\\'hy must we experience separation? Isn' t it an illusion?
1\n't it somethmg negative in itself? We are touching
here something immensely profound-the mystery of
being human.
The purpose of being in the body and experiencing
is to realize the Soul. The Soul can be
realized only through the experience of suffering.
Sullering is possible only in the body, for it is only in
the body that the Soul can feel separated from the
Creator The deepest purpose of suffering is to realize
the Soul It ' 'only because we experience sufiering that
we can experience joy. It is only because we_ feel
scparatt'd from the Beloved that we can txptnt'nce
Grdcc and Onene". Other beings do not txpcritnre
Onene", fen th<y arc on<' with th_<
lklon:d l'lwy do not expericnn IC>r thttr
'lall i'> OJH' "' p<rmatwnt joy ancl <<Ullcntmtnt. Th<"
12!!
hum.ut htlng j, vtry sptciat. fOr it livc.ti n chro Of
pol.uitws.
lhc. ,c.tl' .. t or .\fc. can arisr only if one. i\ 1n a 5ituation
of -<p;mnion from the Belond. From tlw
P''"l'''rtivt, tlwr< os only one Btloved. To
<xp<r i<nn tlw sense of Me i5 a rtal miracle, a
transr<nclental paradox. We must <ec th;u at
moment the Me ari<cs, the separation from tht: Creator
"pr<stnt. For this r<'a<on the pa.<ttraditiom allc,mpted
to negaw tlw Me, calling it illusion and ignorance. But
10 ntgatc Me is itsl'lf an illusion. Me is real, for the
separation from the Beloved is real and has a noble
purpose llnless the true meaning of the Me is
discovered, we cannot know the purpose of being
human.
\\'e have got to see what the essence of separation is.
The Soul is not the so called ego-image. Ego is a mental
self-reference. The Soul knows herself Of
course, the element of intelligence is very important in
the recognition of the Soul, but this intelligence has
nothing to do with creating mental conetpt<. This
imclligt:nce serves the heart and resL< in the heart.
Who is experiencing the sorrow of separation? Who
is that one? The traditional inquiry brings us to
state of I Am or Presence. But this is incorrect. The
Presenn doesn't experience anything, for it is
an experience. That which experienres the sorrow of
separation is Me. But the irony is that although e\'C'l)'OilC'
has a few know what this Me in truth is. Only the
awaktning ol the heart allows us tn xperience our
Soul Tlw realind Soul is awakened 10 in the
hean. Slw is not just the heart. Me and tht' heart meeL
Reahtation uf Ill!' Soul is nut n>mple!c unless she
clearly scts htrst'lf as separated from the Bd<We<i
!hi.' baby txist.s only bl.'causc of it mother, so
Tht fifthr Soul
129
,\, nnh bee uf t_hc Rclunrl .
rJu- lull rc.,luauon of tht Snul penni" m twu
chrt>CIHlll\ Onc
4
1\ the. c.xpcricnrc of th<" Soul u
1
itself,
the fullnt'"'' (lf lht he-_art m_trgc.d wnh nur u
111
c
111
f'
The 1!\ the 1\cln\ccl, hcling
the Rc:l(lnrl hting,, at the tjnw, th< c:xp<ricncc
elf ... c.paratinn .uul on<ness. joy and ,;,dncs,, The Soul
;,
111
htJ ,,.11 a n>mbination of JO)' <111<1 sarlms.. The
W<' 'pc.ak ahout ls not frnm our pa,t-it 1s an
,,ulncss. It is the saclne" ol the Soul being
stparattd from the Beloved. h is only through this
"""'''" 1h,11 tlw Soul can be discovered, not nlhcrwisc.
Th<' links the Soul with the lklnvcd, and
through this link joy arises.
It is only htcause we are in the body that wt have a
Soul. Onlr because we suffer can we realite our Soul.
The is not Lhe purpose, but suflering has a
purpose. Awakening to Lhe Soul and to the Beloved can
occur only if one passes through Lhe depth of suffering.
To reali1e the Soul is to see the essence of separation.
All suffering ultimately points to the subject. I am
suffering ... I am suffering(!)-why? am I here?
\'110 am I? Who has brought me here? If these questions
are '"ktd within our heart-the prayer is born.
The prayer is a love amur of separdtion and oneness
between the Ctator and Lhe Soul. In rtalitv, it is the
sufTenng that allows us to fully experience our
-eparatiun. From th1s comes prayer and opt'llll<''-' to
tht Bt:lo\'l'd. When Lhe Soul is touched b1 tht lklm'I'Cl
she is dc<'ply 1110\'Cd and full of The true
libtrauon h nut to realize that wt ha\'e "no s(')f"' hut the
tJppwitt' to our Sou) ancllur St'JMr.uiun frnrn
the C11.uo, Only this can bring '"had:. tn tht I\<-loved.
It " lik< " < h1ld who has rtalil<d slw h.os gotten
1
<>st h "'" lu nothtJ Sht !t-t'ls tkspar. sulh-ring and
130
Jonelinc". These are the basic experiences of the Soul
But when the mother is found, the child is
immt>di.11eh fulfilled and full of jm. The Grace of the
Creator ts all around us. But there is no higher Grace
than that which bring-; us to the realilation of the Soul .
.-\nd it cannot happen without suffering. That's why the
Grace of the Beloved allows us to suffer. But the closer
we are to our true idenlit:y, the less we suffer. Bliss, joy
and fulfillment replace our pain. At this point we see
the "isdom of evolution and the presence of the divine
law behind it. To be born is painful. So it is painful to
give birth to the Soul. It happens amid tears, but those
tears \\-ash our heart before the di\ine communion with
the Beloved. And those same tears are eventually
transformed into tears of joy and gratitude. This is the
Divine Alchemy ...
The Soul and the Beloved:
Unity and Separation
If tht> Soul "''" only one with the Belowd, tlw Soul
would n.'ast to txist. The Soul is tht ll<'loved, but the
Bclo\'ed that ' ces herself as a Soul. In tlus seting, the
Beloved b separated from herself. This is the mystery
of Creaton. These arc not only beautiful words, but a
rcnection of the Truth.
How can we experience the Beloved? I low can we see
and feel the neloved? ll is extremely difficult to gr.!Sp
the neloved for the simple reason that she is not
..eparated fro m m. The Soul is separated from the
Creator but the Creator is not separated from the Soul.
Without the opening of the Heart, we cannot even
dream about touching upon the dimension of the
Di\1ne. The lleart is the entrance. The Soul herself
rests deeply in the Heart. The Heart resting within
is the Soul; not the Hean that moves outward, but dre
Hean that sees itself, feels itself and surrenders to itself.
The Soul in her natural state, is the Soul at rest She
nsts in herself fully self-contained. Whtn thoughts or
feelings t'nter, the Soul experiences herself tn motion.
Rest and motion arc the rwo fundamental
of the Soul Tlwy are intenvoven togtdra.
and complementing each other .
. In the \t'arch for our true identity. \H' must
S.>UI and tht plan.- in which sh< ahidts. Tlw
ot Lh<:" Soul , tht tncrgy of her conscinuMu's.s n:!\ls
111
lht
lfl7tmd
,\1
1
"
1
1uw, hul d<ws tlw Soulll<'nclr dwell? Whl!ll
!Ill' Soul :1\\00ktn In hn"lf w11h111 Ill<' Hl'aft, she
nru- ''"h htr,(IL But ""hen ':'t
chc nluna.ll<' II on Ill'" uf our ultntity, a new
auul"c;uulnag revealed. Wt div<l\.-r that the
Soul an J<',tliiY rc.111 r<'M only in the BclovNI herself. 1be
Soul ran nol. r<'<l an her-elf exclusovcl}' for he doesn't
1xis1 'JMII from tht Creator The Soul cxl'ts only in the
1\l'lmtcl. When I he Soul rests in herself, she tnlly restJ
in clw I k;ut of che Creacion.
What \n' call 1 hl' "Soul in rest" is the state of onene""
with tlw Helond It is the Beloved herself. In any
moment, the Soul can wake up to herself and the
lt(ling of .\!<-, which gives rise to the Separation. It is
nnlv hera"''' of this state that we can pra\, have
gratitudt and experience our Soul. The prayer is not
dircctl'd out\\".lrdly. neither is it directed inwardlr. The
prayer Marts in the Heart where the feeling of separation
is born. and n:aches the same Heart that is the Belo,ed
herM:Il. The prayer is born in separation and dis<;OJ\es
in Onenc ... The separation of the Soul and the Beloved,
and tlwir oneness, are One.
Without finding chc Soul we cannot know that wt" are
one with the Creator. To be one means--to b< one. h
is not just a p1>ttic or philosophical connpt. The
doorway to clw experience of this oneness is our crue
idellliiV, che Soul It is onlv tht. Soul that is one ,.;th
the Ue.lml'd. not th<: ego. To be what we tnah are. is
to he one with the Bt:!oved. We do no1 ll<'"d co
.. lxcomc OIW with ht'r-this oneness is already prC"senl.
Whtr< i' clw Udovcd? How ran tht 11<-lnnd IX'
found' !low tan clw Soul know tlw lkl<>n<l? fhe!it'
<JutMauns mt uuly ht'<llltlful. This iuqull"\' kouh us not
to llw .. l.u litm of tlw mind, but lo tt-sta.w. pure
muh1 b1dtHiiug hi hm n lu rlw Ut.ou 1 "'i\'t:s nst to rhe
155
tn. lht tr .. of rhe OIVinr h
11
not
onh rh<' ,.,q.rw of rlw Soul dL'IC<wning tht lkl"""d--
11
1
, rhe , ... ,, .. o f rht Beloved di'Cnvtring hcr..,lf
\11t<"JJ rht Snul " a""kencd, lu' know her...,lf in a
mo't
11
wma1< wav. :\tvcnhelc she may still b., unable
10
recognilt' rht Bdoved. \\'e can <av that
111
this ,....,
the Soull10l\ nol been fully reali1ecl. Tn re<tli1c the Soui
full\, feeling he a is '?ol enough; a subrh unckmanding,
a deep knowmg wathm rhc actual experience of lhc
Soul is absolutely necessary. To rcalitc the Soul means
ro enter lhc realm of the Beloved. Bur similar to the
rcaliurion of rhc Absolute, one can e nter the realm of
rhe Beloved and not recogni1e it. And onh this
recogmtion brings the full understanding, completion
and ecstasy. This recog niti on revea ls finally and
doubtlely that which we truly are: (The) Di,ine.
How can the Beloved be recognized? The Beloved is
rhe -ecrct of the Absolme State-its inner treasure. The
Beloved can be feh, as long as the Heart is experienced.
but it can be directlv touched only in the Absolure
Stalt'. Why? Because she is the secret of rhe Absolute
and can be recognized fully only in complete rest, in
lhe original The Soul always expedences rhe
dynamic quali ty of feeling herself within the heart
space as tlw most intimate touch of l\le. \\1tere is this
l<mch of Me arising from? The closer we come ro our
lruc iclemit\, tlw more we see that the Soul al complele
rest< l'ast, io be a Soul, for it loses the quality t>f being
Thl' Soul at complete rest is rhe &lmed
Th" " tlw highest revelation ,1bout our rme
lfkJJlll)'.
' I ht lklond u mnol be graspt'd, hul can he t lt-arh
t"X(klilnud . Tlw Soul is that which mt't"!5 lhc- 01\mr.
In this uut ling,, lht Soul b. dissolnd intu htr dtcptr
IC\tnlity. 1\ut thnugh sht ht.tonws dis..'iol\'t"d, in suml"'
Will and Grace
11
h tht I<IW that only if a human being has done
enough d l01 t on his/ her part, can (:race enter from
the bnond. It always enters at the right time. The Soul
rt>cci,-cs help in her journev. but she must reach
mal\ully on her own. In truth, any major and
tr
3
nsfonnations in our life are caused by intervention
from the Beyond.
Human beings are quite helpless creatures. The most
a person can do b to bring oneself to the \'erge of a
po"iblt: expansiOn. From that place Grace enters. The
elfe\rt, inquiry an d suffering allow maturitv and sensitivity
to Intelligence and consciousness must evolve.
The heart needs to become more and more pure and
'i<'nsiti\'e. Our sincerity, striving and prayer invite the
Grace of the Beloved into our life. Without Grace we
1nmld be unable to come close to the Oi1inity.
The tme dtfi nition of a human bt:mg is: the child
or the Beloved . We did not bdng ourselves here.
l"llnll<ltel\, wt did not even creatt: 01, 11 karma. \\'ithout
tht 1\dnwd \l't art utterly helple", lmt .uul miscrabft.>.
Tlw unponann of Gntce doesn' t tak<" from th our
dignny olll!lnobilttv The opposi tt' is Unl'. \\, . ar<' nohlt
onh lwtanst ol tht Belovt"d. The 1\t>loved is All That
1s. Tht txi\ltnn of Grace links us with our ltll<'
tdtntity. Onlv hting touched b1 Ct,l("t' ,rllows '" W
0
Pt'n in to tht
wl' <Itt only tht r hildten nf Olll Cli\1111' I kr
lc,n, kuullws\ .uul wi..,c\onl an all 1hat wt ho\\t'. <>n our
Enlightenment to the Heart
,\s then exists an Fnlighwnmtnt t<> tlw l're...,nn and
Enliglllt' nmtnt to the Absolutt, S<l tlwrc t'XiMs an
F.nlightennwnt to the Heart. It has nothing tn cln with
cultl\,tung cettain qualities like comp<ISsinn or loving
kindness. Uwst arc ultimately just tlw txprcssmns of
an awakened I kat L The Heart is a dimension of its
own, which links us with our Soul <lllcl with the Btlovcd.
Without an awakened Heart, one cannot bt complete.
The Heart is <Jbsolutely important, hn it is emir through
the Heart that we can experience richness, beauty and
love. The Heart is a gateway to the Divine, a secret
passage.
The Heart can be awakened before or after reaching
the htgher Je,els of consciousness. However, the Heart
can be exper ienced in its depth only from the state of
the Absolute. On the other hand, one can be in the
Absolute State with a completely closed Heart. In the
middle of our chest there is the secret cave of our SouL
Although we feel it in our physical body, it is rooted in
the dtmension of the Beyo nd, the Cekstial Realm.
The Htart is the source of perception-feeling. the
source of sensitivi ty. Because we are hun in our
childhood and later, we build many layers ofprott'ltinn
around our Heart to avoid pain. So our contatt with
the Hcan space lwcomcs weaker and wtak.-r unul II
htconws <ompl ett'lv fro
1
en. Most ptoplt lin with wh.ll
W< nmld all : tht minimum Soul. This ntinintutn Suul
allows us 10 experience somt f(,tlill)(' of kiuclnt' " ancl
r,...._
gonrl 1111cnunn, wirhmll which we would
conrplc-rdy '""'""."c. I hc mn1m11nn of heart

"' h nm IX"nlllH" mhuman, hut rs not cncmgh to truly
hn I ht heart" an <'-'<nroal pmblem of human
noluronn. It is a big tn optn our heart while
livmg in world which is insensiuvc. and immcncd in
rgnonmct and But withcmt an awdkcned
I k;ort, wt nught '" wt>ll be dcarl \\"t need to allow
mu sclns t<> ag-din lw innocent ;mel 11ilncrabiC". Tiris
15
tlw pnce we pay for our Soul. It " a bargain for the
Soul ts priceless. In realil) wc h<ll'e nothing to dc.-fcnd
hut our illusious and misery.
lim, can we optn the Heart? How can we melt
around our Heart and access the w,umth
,,;thm it? Usually it takes some umc. \\'e need a
inwnuon that we want to regain our heart. Pulling our
hands on our chelit, feeling our I lean, praying to the
Belnwd, listcnmg to music that touches and mol't's us
art wav' of getting in touch wllh our Hearl. Ent'r),'l'
healing rs very import<tnt, as 1cll ;Ls being in the IO\ing
environment. }.lost helpful to an intimate
conrwction with someone with an awakened He;tr!. As
in tlw c;"e of Enlightenment to the Absolute, tht
dilllt'nsion of tht Hc;u l can be uan"niued clinctll.
the full Fnlightenmem tu the Hean <><Tllf'
onll through Gntct . \\'c ,houlcl nntr f<>rg<"t that th<"rr
au lwing:s. COlT$-{it'' ollld arclu:typt'\ in lhi ... Cn.tlu1fl.
\vlw 1lways rt',puncl tu out c..'"-(Mil!<!IOI1, .md duubtlc.'"-'h
tlUMYt't our longutg!\ and prayt>rs. (;ran. i-. not s.tllllt'thllll(
unu..;ual-we an 'UJ rounded hv Gt ,tcT
P.tytr is cxtnmtly imputtani. fnr ll is the Onr"
who.< rt"";.ltc..d our lltu t th.u c:o1n optn 11. No
15
possthlc. \\'lthnut the. C:re.uot 1\udclhiMn spt""aL' ahoUI
the l.tw of karroo.t, Inn who n , .. k.u m.t?" In rc.tJny, WC'
arr fo1 0111 la\'c::') on y lo .1 \C.' f) small cxlt"Pl
Buddha Mind and Christ
Consciousness
In of our Spiritual evolution as seeken, it ia
a common belief to a.-.mme that the notions "Buddha
Mind" and "Christ C..onsciousness" represent the same
Enlightened state of human spirit that reaches the
ultimate. This popular and rather conclusion
not reflect reality. It is extremely important to
understand that the revelation of sages who reached
the Inner State and the one of saints who have realized
the Di,ine are not the same. They represent, in fact,
two different aspects of human illumination. Our
concern is not to evaluate which one has the higher
importance but to see really what the complete self-
realized human being is. It is about us-about our
wholeness. That to which we refer as the Buddha Mind
and Christ Consciousness, on the deeper level, are the
archetypes of our inner reality. So to know them fully
is to know oneself.
The insight of Buddha pointed to the realization of
the Source of all existence. He found that the essence
of our being, prior to manifestation of
per$0nality, is one with the source of creation. ThiS JS
what he called liberation. In the moment of his great
Enlightenment, he recognized clearly that at the roofS
of our individual existence there is an abeolute praeDCe
of the eternal Self, which in itself represents the uaiq
of em tiness e. He become the muter'
112
ol p
111
c lin\ t nnthtion 1 ckr A In tlu-
lf1 \\hi( II tllf' mclt\rclu.ll <'HII'< IOII\IH'5..' I we otu.:s une-
,,ich the c .nacl uM ut tlu- ptnn,rdlal
umdt''" \\'hcn llw tlhr ... ron uf a hmitccl persona)
.. dr "'"'''<Til thrcnl!h-tlw .. tnd peace
,,cu rcu.thd r hi' j, tht rcalil.ltlon uf tlw unh ... ,rn.
,rknt n1 cmpl\ u.Lhn of cxist(nn..
nut nf C'luist's ntCS'I<tl(e "tlu- lltilrt, which i
tht "'" of tht Soul. The expent'nl"t' of tht Soul links
u.s with tiH' nn11ll' The Sdf r<'pn'"'"" the
tumnndcntal impnsonal of our b<,.ng, and the
Snul, wh1< h is the essence of sensitivity, rcprestnts the
uniqm txpt ''"ion of the Crtator as an individual
Ht.ut Buddha rlisco\'cred tha liberation us from
incli\'irlu.tlitl. Christ discovered that one is always a
child of Dinne, a child of the Creator, and 'that
which lmks us eternally with the Belo\'ed, is our own
Hean. Thtse two seemingly contradictory conclusions
rtOcct the whole of Reality. They complement each
other, touching different spheres of our being. We
netd to sec that the Self and the Soul, though belonging
to different dimensions of existence, together constirute
our wholeness.
From the point of view of the spiritually integrated
the Buddha Mind is experienced as the
unconditioned stillness, clarity and peace of thoughtless
awarcne>s--which is the primordial womb of creation,
while the Christ C.onsciousness is experienced as the
fullne's of Heart, the flavor of Heart. being
embraced by the Beloved. When these two are
one experiences a beautiful paradox of
bemg snnultaneously separated, that is, rdating as a
child to tht' Creator, and in the $latt' of complete
ont'nes. with the Universe.
Beyond the mind, thert' is an absolute silence and
Houitlha .\lrnd nnd Chrut Cmuaou.mn.s
143
mounnkMncs.o;;. nf Thi1 IS the goal of
C\Cn uue m<'lhlatnr._ \\ e call n the S..lf. Th
11
15
a lllate
ofrotal pc:.o: .md doMdenuficauon with the penonality
\lthough a we arc otill not complete,
bcc:alL' tht Soul '' "''"'"ng. Rc5ting in the absolute
, tiiJnc" of tlw stale, one is finally at peace but
not )'t' l fullolkd; one " at last free but 5lill '<'parat<!d
fo om the Bdowd, from the highest t'Cstao;y. To
fulfilk d . fntdom is not enough-the hight"st positi,ity
has yet to be discovered, the divine Htart of the
ulu' erse, dll' di,inc Mother, who rests always within
ouo own I kart. The "Soul.'' is just a for what we
feel when wur hing our Heart. Whtn tht' Heart is
touched, it is alwavs the Beloved, the Creator, who
wuchcs it. This is prayer tntlr io;-opening the
heart to the Beloved and being touched br her.
The two magnificent human beings. Buddha and
Chri,t. gave us amazing gifts. Both, with their authoritv,
confirmed that there is, without shadow of a doubt, a
direct connection with the source and the power of
Creation Buddha showed us that we can directly
experience and become one with the timeless stillnes_s
of the primordial Self--that which is prior to Creation.
He pointl'd 10 the dimension of the Sdl, till' Godhead.
the bottomless \!illness of Being, the titnelts.s EmptineS-s,
which cmbraCI:s the Soul and the Cr<'ator. Christ
f!'\C<llcd l<> us that the love and gran of tht Creator
can bt txpcricnccd directly within our own htart-for
the 1\tlnn-d ancl her child are om. His was tht nwssagc
of love ancl pril}'('l , of direct cnnmctinn with (;od. the
lltlond. I ht original Sdf is like a [Hilt', tmpl\' the
Coc-;n<n, tlw fklowcl is hkt the sun filling tht tmptmess
WHh light . ulCI "''l'llllh. The:\' cannnt })( stparatrd.
lithiiCJugh wt tuighl nali.1e th(m s"par.tulr. Tn M"t:" tht"
withuut tilt' Sourn. is like. st(ing the sun
144
without ..-ting the sky. To see the Sourc" without the
Brlc>\1'0 is like ><"ring tht! sky in tht! det!p bottotnJe.
night. Both art inromplett!.
Soul 'l\1thmu the &If ha no roota, has no
foundation in the inner realm. The &If without the
Soul ts unh ntutral. lacking love, lacking joy. It is Ulte
a flo"'Cf without rolor and fragrance. The Source and
tht Bt"loncl art the two fundamental aspecta of
Creation. Only .titer awaltening to both within ouncJvn,
can w< <xpcricncc wholcne ... We arc directly linked to
the Ohirw, but the conscious illumination to this fact
is a dtalkngc of our evolution. This experience and
are not given-they must be awakened.
When the Buddha and the Christ C .. cmsciousness
become orw indi,isrble whole in each of us, the c\'olution
of human kind can be said to have reached iL highest
and mmt noble destiny.
It is not enough to have a spiritual or mystical
"isdom has to support it. Without
wisdom and 'ensiti\'ity there is no power of
transformauon, for one is not in alignment with the
Truth. And it is only the Truth which can transform the
ignoranre into light. Now we understand clearly that in
the world of rtal rnysrks there are only two possible
expericncts: that of the Soul and that of the Self; and
they are not thc same. More common is, of course, the
experience of the Soul, for it dwells in the Heart of
each one of us. To reach the Self, to reach the Buddha
Mind, the unconscious and mechanical mind must be
transcended. This is not an easy task, therefore only a
few complete it fully. But if the mind is not transcended
and inner silence is not reached, even the Soul can not
be grasped fully. It is only the inner thoughdns alleDce
!hat can give it roota-<ontaining it within itxU: 'l'be
not only adds a new dimension to the
Rol \lrlhiR .md 1\rrnw '11rnt-1 Am
1!11
tral111 b<"l\\t'<"ll thtm. This '"hctwccn" placr
10
th
dinll'll'ion whttt till' Cttator ami tlw Creallon ar:
nw rot.ll Pncqllion is dire< llnnlrM anti (("15 m
the .uul uull'r simultantnu\ly. It i\ not the !\<)o
c,tllt'<l hnt'''" perceplion of sut , nncs
fn>m tht' pl;trt' of Inner Suchnt'" is 1lw sccing of 1hc
Onenes,, while the apperception we spcak ahou1 is the
Omne" itsdl
The Total Ptrception occurs through the channel of
:"-le. that is the particular and unique navor of how the
I .-\:-.1 perceives itself in Creation. That apperception is
dtrectionless, but contains within itself the Rest in the
Ab,olute and the full and sudden awakening to the
:\ow, which is the explosion of the I AM into I The
heart is the doom-ay, but when the inner is tran'K:ended
the heart is no longer placed within. The realm of the
Creator can be perceived only in the act of Creation.
Perception co-creation; The Total Perception, which
is the Complete Understanding-is the Creation. Me.
at the peak of its evolution, becomes one with the
Creation. The Creation is occurring neither iD nor Q!!!
It is an explosion of the I AM into I AM. It is the Now.
Seeing this, rest within and know that! AM. Onlv I AM.
Samadhi: The Absence of Me?
There are manr about the real
meamng of tht term "Samadhi." Partiwlarly those
conditiont'd by Hindu spirituality associate it with a
rrance-likt absorpuon. To be totally "gone" is the highest
spiritual auainmcm for them. The ability to fall into
coma, using certain practices, elevate anyone to the
rank of "holy one" or "sage" in the eyes of certain
people with limited understanding. But the reality of
Samadhi is much more complex than simple
identification with trance or loss of consciousness.
Because Samadhi refers to the state of absorption, we
shall look upon two fundamental aspects that relate to
the phenomena of absorption: one is the state of
absorption itself, and the other, the simultaneous
position of Me.
There are two essential realms of absorption, where
the absorption takes place-the I Am itself, and the
Absolute. Samadhi in the I Am is not complete, for it
is not able to reach the state of complete Rest and Non-
doing. The absorption takes place within the aspect of
Being. The more the energy of Being is freed from the
personal will, the deeper it is pulled by the gravitational
force of the Absolute. But it is only when the gate to
the Absolute opens. that the Being aspect of I Am
reaches the Beyond and is entirely freed from the
personal will
Samadhi is not about the disappearance of Me. In
the actual state of coma, Me is absent, but we- Ct'rtainly
1!'>4
"uuldn l c.tll u h t< onh dut" to lhe on._ __ ,
of !.he Ml" thal ' arn.tdht can be <"Xpenenced ID
a uance-hkl" ').J.rnadht, .1 ' ub!le elcmt"nt of Mro ts prl"lenL
for .:unadht I' an expenence .md no t merdy a
of being uncon,c:iou'
frue ">amadht does not conctrn the absorption of
Me. Me can be fulh functioning while tlw <"nergy of
being i' at compktt rest. dropped into th<" original
ab<ence. S:mtadhi applies to the Being asp<"rt of I Am,
not to tht "hole of :\!e. The conscious prest"nce of Me
or it' ab-orption. which is relative absence, is not
dire th connected wilh the unconditional Samadhi. In
rela::,, S.unadhi, there is a movement of consciousness
that ;::-ots in. deeper and deeper. This consciousness
cannot !!;O beyond itself. I t is only when the Absolull"
is realized that consciousness drops lO the Beyond. This
a<pect of consciousness that rests within the Absolute,
the polarity of going in or emerging out .
The Abwlute Rest allows the consciousness to be fully I
present, and Me to participate in the world and I
in il5 own evolution.
Only when we can fully see the elements which lhe
I Am of, do we have, for the first time, !.he
ability to grasp the reali ty of Samadhi. Because Sarnadhi
apphe\ to the Bei ng aspect of I Am, the presence of
Awart-nes<, tht Hcan and the Intelligence have no
unpac.t on the dtpth of absorption. Pure Rest is beyond
tlw ftt'lcl of conscio usness, although it is being
xptrl('nctd within the 1 Am. The of the
Unborn <nul lht flowering of evolution, !.hat is, lhe I
Am. lwnmw Ont-.
Me in "Non-duality"
e<<.ence of the perception is the desire
of
3
parucular to identify itself with the Source and
the Totality of Creation. In awakening to the
which 1s Enlightenment, Me may wish to negate its very
own existence. Me wants deeply to dissolve its identity
witl
1
in the ocean of Existence. The personal wants to
become the Impersonal, the Universal.
So the question arises: can Me really negate its own
existence? Can it simply disappear in the experience of
\\boleness? At this point one can see that Truth and
Reality are subject to the interpretation of the individual
\\ith its unique psychology and desire to position
itself in a way that suits its intelligence best. But one
thing is clearly certain: for any proclamation of "I am
That" 10 take place, the individual Me has got to be
there to proclaim it. How could the Universal be
expressed, without the existence of the particular? Me '
is the experiencer of all states and cannot cease to be
present. When Me dissolves, one returns to the Original
State, prior to consciousness.
Me is that which allows us to experience the I AM.
I AM which one experiences is not Me-it is that
wh1ch created Me. One can never become the Creator.
It is true that Self-realization is a state of complete
Onenes with the universal 1 AM but Me which
experiencts this Oneness is not I AM. Me can
with the whole universe, but is not able 10
1
ent1fy W1th Creator. The Self-realized Me rests
156
upon the t 'lum.ll<" Suhj<"<'U\1ty and rxperlenc:es
through illl:lf. \k cannot lwrmne thr Uhimate, 110
matter how dtcpll' 11 t< to tlu dtmrnllOil of
Pmc Rt't ,111d \\llOitnt'-' \\lw? For thr. '"'fY 11mple
tea""' tiMt .\k alwav<, rcgardlc-. of th<" State 11 is an.
fttf, tl>dl .
Tht "philoophv" of ="on-dualil\ traditionally -
t<> negate the <"'-'-t'ntial pn..,nn of Mr in all
'latt'< and knl< of txperience. The nature of Mr, is
front a cert;tin p<r,pccthc, much mort than all
the inner >rates, for 11 is the Ntarest. Mt an not simply
in am state, for without the experirncr
of that verv 'tate -.mishe<. \\"hat "I .un" is not rtemal
though it eterna.llv within tht unin.-.al I AM.
It is born and it dies. It dies, and is reborn into a nrw
:>te . .\le expands infinitelv imo the \',t."neM of thr
L'ni\ersal Intelligence It is the journty of thr Spirit
into the ultimatt experience of Jon, l>t'auty and
happme".
It ts pmstble to call the Creation an illusion, the
and the Soul-non-t'xistent. This
would be the shon('st wa)' to the impersonal. Sremingly,
the impersonal is reached by the impersonal and
dissolvts 11110 tlw impersonal. This is the ideal of Non-
duality. Rut in truth, to meet the impersonal facr to
face, tht per'><mal must be there to face it. Here, thr
uhnnatt duality 0\Cr\t'< its supreme purpo!lr, and Me
""" tn full arctptance of its supreme "dual" existence
c.tnd truth.
without the awakening w Me, r<"prnents
\\ holtut,, uf Ptrrt"ption in whadt M(" rrfusrs to see
lldl " <lvnamtt and ali\'<' centt'r of identity bt'hmd
l'<rc <"t\'t'd Wllt'n M .. ;, aw-al<.t'n<'d to ttself foe the
htst lln1r-, th(" ntw and trul" Non-dual vision of realkJ
In thi appc-rr.-ption, th<'
Intdligc.nce: The Power of
Recognition
\k
1
,
1
wtlung hnl ,t flo\\ ul nlldhg1' 1H t', whu h clot'MI't
;H'<C'"uth nw.m th.lt ;\k is '"'"' "1utdhgcn1" ;\k j,
0111
1
,ohii1PII t>l ulln Rt.lllt\ . \\'hl'n Rt.tlm
i' lllt'l (ulh, tltt llllt' lli):t' lll'l' IWn HI\t'' Jl,tii,(OIIIIt'd IIIIo
putt' !..111>11 whirh " rumplt' lt' into the II .
' l'lw rnlt 1>l 111 the I<'< t>):lllltnu nf I IIIli' I
\(,Ill" ,\lid t>lllt'l I t.tlitV I' lll'tllt'lldllll\1\' IIIIJIOII.tlll. J'IH'
du not the 01 ll'l.uinn
btt,ntn tlw t'' P''' itnn ol the imH't .11ul th.ll "hit h is
rnul(ntzing it. It is not o nh th.tl o111 intdhgt'lllt'
tht mnt' l st<llt' s, bntthatth" nn tntdhgtnn
is .m pan o f state,. Fnn th.11 ''hit h Wt'
"Pun is nothing but a lmm of intdhgtnn
tntrgetiollv wuh tht mntinnltssntss nl the
st;llt', 1\ut without Lht fiKIIIt)' th.ll alluws 11s to
knnw thatwt know. tht cxpcnl'IKt' oltht' nlnt'l is tmirdy
Omtntdhgtnct is 1111lv mllltulumnsinnal,
lot 11 tum ht' '> many .Ingles of knowing suuult;uunusll'.
It i"plt-nclid .uulmagnilkent. This inll'lligt'IKt' ts<'.lp.thlt
nf rd"'' in)! to it"ll 111 many ways. It <1111 gt.ISJ> tht 111ust
''Pt't ls nf tt,tlity Ill the for rn of urultr sl.tllllillg. It
h 1\111 l'llllllgh I <I ht ,\1\",\kt'llt'd to lht' ill llt'L ( h lt' IIIIlS!
lw aw.ll..ttttcl tu tht IMl uf awaktntd to tht
ntnc.r
Wt 1.111 ''Y th;ll there an twu m!i"' kl't'ls ol
1
t'( of the inau.-r First is the prirn aJ
lliO
;..
11
,,,,
111
g, "luc h I' Ill<' c'rlt'l p1 cscnrc of !hr SL1lt"
J[,r)f For cx;unpk, !he ''"'' nl I'IC''<' Ilc c llllroduct"s
ron,!.ull mfclllli.IIIOII c>f 11' ''"''nc c IIIIo !he suhtlr
p.tn of cllll tc\ll'c Hlll\11<'" \\hc!hct '"' .nc ol\l,llr ur II
or no! llw ,!,llc'lc'cllgllllo 11\df .t, II' 0\111 Jlll':W.'Ilc"
m.ltH'U!ral "" llw 'l'llllllntl of IC'coynilton nn-un
,,h1n 1lw of l\lt hting' IIIIo ,, highrr
J'k'l.,pc'<lt\t' !hc pu,,.,,..., of ,,h,ll ahc.Hh i\. II only
!ht' mlt'lh!:t'ti!T !h .. ll can !(lit' .Ill)" \,lhll' In llw pncnrr
of ,ill). ''"" I low llw pn,cnn c>f lhc lllllt'l \laic is
undcr,!Oc'd .md .lp)lH'rialt'd dcpcncls cxrhi,IVd} on
the lnt"l ol twlution of the recogni1ing inldhgcncc.
11w dquh ()[ lwing. the clan!) c>f 1lw mind and lhc-
pwfound '''nsi1i1ir. of the heart create tlw rompktc
fidd of This intelligenn>, t'Xprt""'''d through
thr channt'l of tlw indi1idual in thc proct'" of
Lran...:rnds mort' and more the frontiers of indi1idu<tli1y,
becoming transparem and melting with Lhc wholcness
of I A\ I Thi, intelligence, operating wi1hin !ht fitld of
hmi!ations. ;u the peak of its evolution, dissolvcs into
tht' pafeCiion of the all-embracing I Al\1. Bu1 all hough
it ha, bctone lransparem and mehed wi1h !he
lnowngnc" nl the \\l>oleness, i! is capabk of kno"ing
n and reftrnnJ.: b<ttk to i!self. This is how the I AM is
ad1emunng within the infinity of Being hself
., final Unlf'llllion About M,
16!
Wholc'Jl<"" In this cxperiencc, Mt transcended, but
001
anmhilatccl-it remains an indivisible part of the
appNcqHion of th;H \\11CIIeness.
\\I thou! the cxpcncnn of \ \1H>lcms.,, Mc in realiry
cannot hc ,,.,.n m it.s T lw Wholc nes., of I AM
rdk< ts l>ac k to I hc wholtne,, of Me. The Whole ness
i 1 Thc whole-ness of ;\k is what "I Am," resting
within rhc Totality. I am not the I AM, but the I AM
is !\lr. \\'h;u does it nwan to txperiencc tht wholeness
of !\it- within tlw Wholeness of I AM? It is to
all as1H-rts of my unique self-conscious sensitivity and
mtellignlC<' within the complctc apperc tption of the I
A\1. dots it mean to experience the Wholtness
of I A\1 through the wholeness of \It-? Btyond the
mne1 and the outer, the I AM is known directlY as I A;\f.
In this pun knowing, Me dissolves. But altho;1gh it has
dbsohcd, it exptricnces ultimate beauty, the ultimate
t:(stasy-it " being touched by the hand of the Divine

Enlightenment to Me
;\It is ,imply who one is. Unless the stabk awareness
and the quality of being is awakened, we arc not able
10
cxptricnn \lc. There must be continuity of
e.xptrienn, fret from the mind, in order to become
fulh conscious of oneself. We can say that prior to
Fnlightcnment. Me is not yet born. What exisLs is only
a fr<l!o"{lllCilt of it, nothing more. Me is first an experiencer
of ignorance and unconsciousness, the one who suffers
and seeks freedom from it. After Enlightenment, Me is
that winch experiences peace, silence and stillness of
the inner state. In both cases, Me refers to the
experienced, to its "environment" so to speak. In both
cases, :O.fe h not aware of itself. Even if one becomes a
Buddha and recognizes the Unborn, it is possible that
still is not aware of itself.
The Final Enlightenment takes us beyond states:
beyond the state of ignorance and the inner states as
well. For tlw first time, Me discovers itself. ll is neither
in nor out. It is in a mysterious middle point where
thtse realities meet. It can choose to rest in the inner
or to participate in the outer. But when the Heart is
a'>akcned, Me experiences the fullru-ss of itself in its
own dirnell\I()Jl. RealiLing the inner statts is not all
that\ rtqu1nd w enter the Divine. Tht Soul must be
>mpltwl} aw,lktlwd t<> herself. Thtn, in tht wholeness
of ht"IS<:I!, she lt'<Khts the ultimatt' txpansion. Mt dues
001
hill its frontiers nwrgt within till' Wholeness.
\\hen Mt rt"lers w it.sl'lf, 1hat is, becomes
Hill
Enlightrnmmt Rlyond Tradilitms
;tllt'ntin w itstlf, it has a crysw.lliz<'d and centralized
qu.
1
JitY When 1t rests in its knowingness, iu
<''pericnn of itself dissolves within th<' space of being.
But prior to anhing at the Absolute State, the presence
of \It', even in the state of rest, cannot free iLself fully
from the characteristic of being self-oriented; of
referring to itsC'If in terms of attention, recognition and
cnt'r!,'Y The Absolute State brings the quality of Pure
Rest which allows the transcendence of will which is the
indivisible part of the self-referral mechanism.
To rest in the Absolute is not sufficient however, in
order to be frte from the self-referral tendency. As we
alread' know, although the will is transcended in the
Absolute State, it is still present on the side of the :\le.
It is not how :\le rests upon the Absolute, but how it
resLs upon iLself that concerns us. How can .\1c transcend
the will in the \ery experience of itself? How can the
\le go beyond crystallization and its inherent mechanism
of self-referral? It is only after reaching the continuity
of the Presence, the Rest in the Absolute and the
fullness of itself in the Heart, that the Me can rest,
beyond any form of crystallization, in complete
transparen<y dtssolved into the Universal 1 It is
only '''htn all states are transcended and the fullness of
!\1c within itself, beyond the inntr and the
nuttr, " .1 tlw state of pure non-abiding, that Clll<' finally
drop, toto ultimate transparency. tht only true
happmt"
The State of Ignorance
The state of ignorance refers simply to the level of
e\olurion of consciousness that does not recognize the
1 Am. Consciousness is veiled by unconsciousness, being
unaware of its own subjectivity. The <tate of ignorance
is very difficult to describe, for it is not a state, but
chaos. The subjeCt is not present yet. It is onlv sensed
in the trance of experiencing. The state of iinorance
is ,erv much like a dream.
sense of is what make> us human. E'enone
ha> this sense, and in reality it is the essence of being
comciom.. Because the human consciousness is
exteriorized in the objective reality, unless it e,olves. it
i> not capable of grasping the ven subject of all
experiences. The thing called "ego" is nothing but the
<ense of Me referring ro objective realir.. The ego-
tmage is the way Me sees itself in relation to the world.
There is nothing wrong with the ego or self-image. The
ability to create a self-image allows us to s(mive in the
world, as well 10 evolve in all areas of realir.. Our
intenst is not to eradicate the ego, but to see
what this !\1c is behind the ego\ mechanism.
\\'e can '<\\' that there are rwo dimtnsions of !\ft>: one
in mouon, a nd one "in itself," so to speak. !\It in
motion, 1\ the movement of intelligence. thoughts.
feeli ngs, the ahllir. to create self-image and st> forth.
!\1<: "in llstlr' is a co.mplete and self-contaimd <'XJ><'r
of our wholt bemg, in the state of purt rt'Sl. !\It
111
it..\tU" is what n\nst people ignore. 1hat is, an
168
Rryond "f radllum.s
of u.s ,,.ry exlstcnC< Jgnoranct, in the ca'l:' of human
bemgs is wry particular All human bemgs S('me the
Me. That IS a s1gn of a high level of e\'olution. But
we are not sufficu:ntly aware of what, in rcahty, 15
sen<>ed. nu: aucntion of the human mmd is constantly
iderlllfi<-d with thoughu and pcrcepunn, most often
spent in a state of day dreaming. The sense of is
functioning mtrely a ml"chanism within
the nund, so it can become self-attenti\'e to liS own
psychological nH'ntal actinty. The exce"ive
idenuficauon with the :-te in motion, and the
unawakened a\,-4l'eness of \le in itself, are the
of what 1s C'alled ignorance.
Ignorance 'imply means a lack of "'holene". The
'ense of bemg of mo't is fragmented and distorted.
There is no IT!!.! of presence. Each thought and
emotion creates a separate \1e, a mirage \\ithout
mbstance. Complete identification with the
psychological stream does not allow one to experience
any sen-e of clear identity, any real connection with
one' s own self One is deprived of basic peace and
sanity. Ignorance is a state of deep and unconscious
suffering.
Transcending Ignorance
Fwry human hemg expcritncts the stn'lf <1f Me, a
scn'i' of rht suhjtn l><'hinrl thoughts and fc'.-Jmg5. In
the dream st.ttt. the stnsc of Mt rs mually cornpltrtly
clisptrsccl in tlw I" OJCCtrons of tlw subconscious rmnd.
In tlw dn,un, <Jilt' txptricnns fears and joy, sufft-ring
,rnd pltastll ,. hut 1 ardy 1 dcrs i11 a< ltar way to the scnse
of In daily txpcricnns, the scnst of Mt romcs and
gots. bttwttn pcrrods of absorption rn thought
prnccs"'' The scnsc of Me, which is rn reality tlw Soul
herstlf. prewnts itself as a natural funcuon of our
consciousness.
Dtll' 10 immaturity, Me is not apprtciatcd and
undtrMood by the rgnoram mind. Our identification
with what is thought and felt docs not allow us to bring
the light of our attention to Me itsdf llowcvcr, when
the attcntron turns back toward the vtry subject, one
automatically sttps back from the m111d to the
<'Xpcritnre of Me. The lack of under standing of what,
in 1 eality Me is, brings us to tht point of full
iclentificatron with the subsl.itutc hllse idtnuty, tht t'K<>-
imagt. The ability to create the ego-image rs nrtainlv
a natural function of human conscimrsiH'" But tht
mnmtnt we idtnufy this ego-image with Me, with "what
I am," tlw next laytr of ignoranct is acftkcf. Tlw '<'11"'
of Mt is availotblt to ;til normal human bting,, but chw
1
" txnssivt rdtntilicarion with tht mind, wt harcff)
lis vtry prt'><"nce. Bringing had<. rlw ;l[(tnrion
that is tll\ptr w<l rn tlunking anivity w tht stnst of Mt
170
f'nlil!htnHar111 &yorul Trtulitimu
" the onh w,l\ to tr.1n-.ccnd tht lx>ndag<' of the
mt.rh.lnlcJ.I tnind.
\\'hal 01re tht <'"t'nUal qualities of thts .\le, which
15
th'e , ... 1'\ pnmal .. ,penence of m\'>t'lf? nw) .trt fteling.
Attention, md lmt'lhgence. We can expcnence
them but tht'\ arc one . .1nd need
to be fhe original feeling-Oaw>r of .\le
come> from tht' Heart. The Attcmion the
e"encl' t>f 11' .1\,,trcne" is born in the third eye center.
The Btmg asptct rcpn"ents the encrgttic prt,ence of
our \t'l'\ existence which has its root m the belly,
lntelhgentc " thc laculr. of recognition, knowing and
bccommg
To tramcend the unconscious mind, ont' must
dC\clop tht Autntion aspect of :.te that is nothing but
tht' dtrect, hare "<'If-conscious recognition of oneSt"lf.
\\'hen one pulls the anenlion from the place of being
tmmt:f'>t'd 111 thml..mg bacl.. to oneself. one shift.s to the
Slatt' of "l'lf-attenuon. This experienct' is instantJ.neous,
dtrect and '"" the na,or of the impersonal. In the
prO<ess of culuv:.uion, of bringing onest"lf const.mth to
the \1,11(" of stlfall.-ntion, gradually 011<' al the
point of stabilllatiun in this state, whkh is tht go.tl of
all <t>ekcrs
.\ttachmtnt tu tht Attention of however.
can pre\tnt ont hnm :geuing in touch '"ith tht. deeper
:\'Pf:.c \_,f I" hi' the pn.vailing in
ltacltuons such "' K111ldhism. for t"x.unplt-. Ot\t'lt>ping
thC' of .tUtntton j, not the goal but tht me-ans
to go d""P<"< til to nmscll. On ... is 1101 able truh to frd
thC' Ht ... .drt \o\ithotn the
mind Mmph not gin: us any chance to IX' present,
and H l\ only through tht- Presence- that our intt!lligencr
can entC'r tht Heart.
Human cunSt:iousness is an evolution of Me. The
The Awakening of the I Am
Thert are three ~ i c aspects of I Am-Attention, Feeling
and Being. The I Am we refer to 1s not the state of
Presence but the wholeness of Me, the complete and
awakened Me .. We will not speak here about the aspect
of Intelligence that represents the more dynamic
essence of Me. Our interest is to describe the very
foundation of Me, the I Am. The attention is generated
in the mind; the feeling has its root in the Heart; and
the being aspect represents our relationship to that on
which e"erything rests, the Absolute.
All human beings experience more or less the Feeling
aspect of I Am as the most natural quality. We are not
referring here to the experience of emotions, but to
the direct and intimate feeling of oneself, such as in
sadness or loneliness. These feelings do not always refer
to the pure experience of I Am, for they are most often
tainted by the play of ego-images and various
circumstances. However, they do refer to the sense of
Me and are recognized as such. Because the feeling of
Me is born in the Heart, it is only in the Heart that it
can be experienced fully and directly.
. The reason that most people are not aware of Me in
IL<ielf, 1s their low le\'el of consciousness and intelligence.
The recognition and awareness comes from the mind,
but becauM: the mind is controlled by the mechanical
and unconscious thinking process, it cannot be used as
a tool of awakening. In order to recognize the I Am,
one must transcend the unconscious mind so that the
174
.-ncrgy of aw-.trt"ne'-< can be directed to the subjea,
to tlw root of Me, to within. That which transcends !he
mind i< the aspect of I Am called Attention. Attention
is the preocnt and quality of our mind. It is
that which i< attentive to thoughts, feelings and
<urroundongs. It goes beyond daydreaming and allows
u< to bt aware withon the thinking proceM. It is only
aucnunn that makes us and present,
nothmg t'l<e.
Becau<ot, a. we mentioned, nothing but the attention
can liberatt' us from the unconscious and mechanical
mind, the founda6on of all real spiritual disciplines is
the cullivation of this attention. The es'l<:nce of this
culti,-alion is to bring the attenlion to the point in
which it refer\ to itself and becomes aware of itself. At
this stagt we could, for example, usc the thought "here
and no"," as a focal point of concentration. One must
rep<at tlus thought like a mantra, being fully consciom.
auenu,e and present to it. In this exercise one
experiences the preM:nce of atten6on as directed toward
the thought. After contemplating it for a time, one is
a.' ked to discern, "what is that which is aware of our
mantra?" "What is this attention behind the thought
here and now?" One learns how to turn tht focus of
autntion to the attention itself. Then one i< able to
expent-nc t thi' attention in itSt'lf, .L< separ.md from
menr.al objtc ''It is here that rhe Pn..-ncs: is bow. The
Purt A"'-.treneM or \\'irnc:ssing Conscious11ns
ar namt-. goven to the Attention a<prct of the I Ant.
C:onunumg the pr.tctice, one learns to rerain the stale
of PrO<:"nu' in meditation as well a in activity.
The 8<-mg asprct of I Am can be exprrienced only
in the vertic:.! reality of the Now. We opeak about dial
which :.110\n tu to be motionleM and at.ill within die
movement of time and the elemen.._ Attention, wbell
7'111 ,\wnJvrung t>flh' I Am
17!1
11
1
, ,lUtnuu In llMII, 111\I,UJI.tnrtnnly llrpt ml ol rhr
uund
111
tn llu uf tlw Nuw. Thl\ .Uitnruu
1
in
Jt,df' ctlkd .. Prc'-t'IH c " l"IH l'rc"ncr ttlu hun II\ 1nto
tilt Now tUld ).::tvcs us ronls whac h rcu h l)w llnulr,.,.
1 ht atl ol .<I It'll linn fH't'lt's tlw flow nf unw,lnn tml
1
,.,
11
i' t<'\,IIIH'd, it not h.tvt tlw qnahty of l\t1ng. ' I he
<'XJl<'ritnn of lkmg <an occtu only 1f tht Mtllrtr$' ol
.lllt'llll011, that is I'H"t'IICt', IMs tOllllll\IIIY Within lht
lln" of ume Tlrt uf \Lillnt'\\, of lt'st, of
tllortlt" abiding Wltlnn the nH>vtmcnt of tinw 1s what
wt call "!king."
hen wlwn autnLJOn ()(comts aware of IL'idf only for
spit! stcond, tht quality of lkmg " Ill um
,hon moment. In mtditation or rt'st, whtn the Prcscncl'
naturallv drops 11110 itstlf and ()(comes absorbt:rl, UH'
8cmg gots dtcpcr, and one rests more and
more within the Now. In meditation, when tlw state of
Presence is cl<.>arly exptriencNI, one relaxes and lets
the energy drop toward the btlly. The Being aspect 1s
experienced in "non-<.loing" or "just sitting," wlwn one
\Imp!) reMs in the whole expenence.
The of spiritual discipline is the cultivauon of
the Ancntion aspect ofl Am until it is integrated in itself,
g1ving nse 10 the state of Presence_ Next the proces.\
of maturation and adjustment, in which Presence
becomes more and more integrated wiutin our Being.
This is the process of transmutation of energy and
growth of intelligence and sensitivity. This leads tlt<"
'o('Cker t<> tlte final stabilization in the state of Presence.
Stabiht.ation means that the state is constant; iiS
ettergeuc and <self<onscious aspect is continuously being .
The state of Presence is always a mixture
ol Auenuon and the Being quality. There is always a
play of ""'er.tl aopeciS that con&tituLC thi1 state. 1bere
1
,. tht" natural ener eti(: of thC' state.
,,..,....,
J1u"rr.' h a rlr.rnrnt l'l lwcorrung cunvaous
of thr bte \nd there '"an ll<fJ<"Cl of 1\t-mg that allOW!!
the t.att to be, lettmg gn .uul droppmg thr uf
conSt tn IL' u'" n l.n, of grd\1t\, ttp.tn fron1
flCrnlllal ... ,u \II of tin' contllutrJ the dHtarmc re;thtv
of th<' l'rcsrncr
lbe F.-elmg apcct "ulw'"' d p.ut of the rn!IC of Me,
.md n '""ulrr th.u 11 '' snmchnw constlnll) pre5rnt.
"'''" mth<'l""':r.>' f< ulm-.um)! th< a,,,.., u nf ,\tiMlllon
.tnd 1\c-mg. Wr <Ill ''' th.u .tm n.pc'll<'ll"' i" mixture
of f,,lm)! .. tW.U<'II<'" .md imdh!(t'tl< <'. ,\lttt . m.tkcmng
In thr fullnt'" <'I I ,\m, .til tht''<' "I'''' ts .ur tnlt'gr.utcl
.mel b.tl.ua ctl.
.\l!ht>ll!th Ftclnt)! '' '"'''' ptt,cnt. , ... rXJ><"rtrnn 11
onh mmnn.tlh whtn ltxu,in!t nn lhr ,\uenuon or
lkm,.: .t,pc:d t''< (u,iwh (.L, in Z.n. lnr cx.unple). We
can ttxu' mort c>ll tht lkmR .L,pt"< 1. 'iumg oftcn in
ah><>rptinn, wllll<lllt dnrlopmg aw.trt'll<''-' .nul c:l.um
Or "'' t.lll chtlll\t' onl\' the> Atttnttt>ll "'Jll'tl, "hich
Cl')'talltl<"' tlw nil .md prt'\t'lll> tl\ from .thle In
''mph kt gn .md tl'l.tx. On the nthtt h.ual, 11 "
P""thlt to rulttv.uc tlw Fcelin!( .tspnt .tltmt, wllhnnl
dnt'IOJllll!( tlw' ,\tlt'llllllll and lkill).: qn.tlitit'\, rht' ''
in l.tt t. tht llln'l pnpul.u focu' in most 'Jlirittl.ll p.llh'
Inn' '"' thc '''llt'IICnre ul lt>H' .uttl dnntttnt
\\1u-n llu. mu un'4.:ic.nt' tnintl j, u .. \ll'lt'tUitd .uul the.
Prt':S<'IIh' aw,tl..<nd, nil<' c.ut RO d<'<'J><'I tntc> the Fcling
of the I k"" \\'hl'n Attcnunn ha.' nmtmlul\ one
not onlv C., I the lll'.U t but pu,..nt \\itlun thr
Hr-.u-t 1o be p!<">rnt "ithin the lk:ut i tn l<':tCh the
o.<ncr of Mr I 'h.- I Am. though 11 <"min"'"' our "hoi<'
bemg. h:t ll nx>t. m th<' ll<.ut, and 11 ,. th<" Urart that
IS thr C< ntrr of til<' I Am n .... Ulllll of clr.u Awarrnc ...
lkmg and H.-an ,. what thr < nmplrtr I Aru lo.
h '\ cnlll' thl" lkrond. hownrr, that alloW" the- I Am

and of all This boo I. h.L< ..round
that wuc:-s. and now "'" w'JI tn to put thc ptcs
tog<"thcr Wc ...UI look at from the ,,.....,
pomt of \Olll0\15 potcnual pnfaU< th;u m;n prnent the
from oomplrteh m his her iltblnm .. nt
\ 'erilicauon of auamment I' tmport.mt, for
unle<s "" know full\ that we have "" eannot
C\Ol,e further. Realizauon of thc mner is not the onlv
goal of our journe\ There i' much mme. rn nuhc
further, we need tn tramcend the inntr \l.lte\ .md rlrop
the practiet \\'e can do this only if \H' know full) th.u
the inner has been completed. If the seeker comp.lrt's
him.elf ( her,elf with the master, there "ill alw'"' be,,
feeling of not \t't having arri,ed. The reaiDn mav not
be attainment of Enlightenment it.,elf. but mav be the
age of the master, the maruritv of his evoluuon 111 the
inner state, and the energy of lo,e and devotion of the
that surround him. We "ill summari1e the
inner states and their relationship to the per<onal '<'If.
in order ro accurately assess our spiritual auainmenL
I. A SUMMARY OF THE CHARACrERISTICS OF
THE INNER STATES
The State of Presence
l11e reali1ation and stabilization in tJ1e State of
the I Am, is the major attainment for everv tme '<'eker.
This attainment is not easy, and usually requires some
years of cultivation and the presenct of a Rt.tliJtd
master. How rlo we know that we havt> au,untd thts
goal' It is quite simple. When the I Am is awaktJwd and
st.abihJtd, tlH"rc h. a recognition of its conManr prtsc.nn""
at the ba< kground of our person
01
1iry, no m.l!l<'r
we do. Huwc.\c.r, wc. may doubt that wt lM\'C." .. utaint"d
\talC" if Wt" it with the.. gi\Tn
\mjirfllllm of t11111i"mn't
181
h\ tlw JMSt spirilltal traditions. Why i thi? lkcawe
tlwY ,rrg!(tst th.ll !his state ha.s tlw quali1y of a table
.rrrd 1111< hanging txptrit'nce. As we know, the a\".tilable
lt:telungs dn nnl differentiate be!Wt'C'n lh<' 1 Am and
tht ,\b'-01111<' Sial<'. The Slate of Pr<'scnce, by il5 nature,
flucwatts. lhnugh it is constantly prt,stnt, it i no!
ab,olutt'l) motionless within ito;elf. hs flavor and taste
ciMngt cl<"ptmling on the situation and the well being
of out psydrt. It is constantly conscious but affected by
tht quality of our energy and our ftclings.
To nad1 the I Am and to Stabilize in it is a very high
anainmem on the spiritual path. But we may doubt that
it is 1he "real" state when we notice that it is not
absolutely free from the movement of energy. The very
fact that there are different stages of absorption or
samadhi shows us that there is change and movement
within the state. This is the nature of the I Am
consciousness. We must understand this clearly and
accept it fully. Reaching this state is a sign of a highly
evolved consciousness. Finally we have a refuge within
our own Self from the tyranny of the mind, and we can
res1 in our own center.
The Absolute State
Because of its unchanging qualities, i1 is fairly easy to
verify the au.ainment of the Absolute State with one's
O\\n intelligence. However, complete stability and the
constant recognition of the Absolute takes place only
after the integration process. After stabilization, one:- is
dirt-nly hnkcd wi1h the state and can rest in it whenever
ont <1..-sirrs, bu1 still there is a difference of feeling
betwtt-n rtSiing in the Absolute and not resting. Before
linal inhgr.uion wilh 1hc Absohue, one may sull
c Pre nee thai
1
infimtum of
18:!1
UlflCI si.Ht 1\ ol foundatinn upun whadl Mt' ft'!LU
H<>M'\l'J, the prc-.encc ol_!'.le is \;th<lmrL'Cif, fulfilhng
ats tit"Slrt''\ and t'\olnng tn o"'n rlmtnsion.
f:nhghtrnmtnt ha. nothing to do w11h desirdc.ness.
TI1c u1ner ... talc certainly no dc,irc:\, but the Soul
who cxptritnce..-.. it. tn order to t:XiM, mu't .. de'!lire.'"
from lht per,pecuve of the imwr 'tate,"'' irnlevant
whtthcr \le desrres or not-the inner''''"' simply u
prncnt. flw idea that 111 orcll'r tn reach Self-
realitation nne has to eliminate desires," very harmful
and pulls set"kcrs more deeply into ignoranre. This
is callt-cl spiritual ignorance .
Enliglllt'nmcnt does not take away tilt' l'Xp<rience or
suffering, particularly as the Buddlmt.s imagine
Sufftring pertains to and because does not
magicalh di-appear after the awakening of the mner
state, in the same wav, suffering continues 10 be a
part of our reality.
Enlightenment docs not transform tlw ptr-.onalil)
automatically. It does not magicallv tr.msfoml O'le\
thinking, speech and action into pure positi,ity and
compa,sion. The state of inner silence and stillness
certainly has a sLrong impact on our personality. bm
rt is not \ullicient to fully cleanse the ps)'che. It is
P'"'iblt !hal after Fnlightenmt"nl, ont's Me: may still
bt vcrv Ulltvolvecl or even psychotic. The evolution of
Me runs r-ar ,lllrl to the e\'olution tuwtud inntr st.."ltt.''
nu of the is not a lintar outrorne
of .my particular stale. The dttptstJXmtr of
tr.rnsf<llmauon comes from tht optning or lht llt-.rrt
lbc combination of tlu Rt"!'il .uH.I .m open
I lt:;tl't allows tht prnct"s., of tran:or.fur nMIIUil .uut
purllk.uum uf Me tu btgin TI1is takc:s rn.un
1-nhghttnnu-nt to the: mntr .. ralt rs nut rtc'n'"-""'-'"h'
rluenly conntctc.cl with the ope-ning uf tlu Hcatl h
\ 'mJrroll"" of .1ttmnmnu
1115
lhmi-.JUJ.(. ''C"IY ptC'M"'IIf c ll.tn'c tlw umul 1 hr
.utcmpl In complrtt'l)' dtman,uc clunkmK 1\ an
nu\l.tkf' and 'KlinM rl.IHII c-11 ''nut tllfr.r-nl
tuun c UIIIUJ.t nff unt\ h.uuh .mel lq(!lo, I hmkutg
1
.,
fMII nf muhdinu.ruintMI uf \1r..
IIH'll"l<lt<' lhmkong t.umnl lw do" .llclocl
not 1\("(("'\S.uily hrmg o\Wt\f("Jlf"'S
h> 1lw 'ktp ''II<' M.tny 'I'd,,.,. IIIHI'"''U<mingly
.1dup1 lht hdod on tht IH'rt''-'ily ol lwroming .tw;tn
ul lht """'' "II<' in lht Sltop Si.llt II i lint for the
1>hko ma'l<'l s who haw cumplt'ltcl I heir ptrsonal
gn>wlh In tht C<tst of young Jlt'npk, hJOnging
.tw.llt'l\t'" w the.' Sleep Slat< is v<ry unhtahh}'. It
Iundt" lht' n.ttural process ol stlflwalong and the
ot'le,,,,. nf I he.' subconscious monclm lht' dream \tate.
Tlw dtnsotm .Ls to whetht.'r awartm i< present on
'lt'<'P or not bc.'long> to the Absolutt it'l"lf. For those
who ha\t- shifted to the Absolute Slat<, there is no
longtr will operating as far as "bting within" is
<"Oll<"t'rtlt'd If we look more deeplv mto thos idea of
lwing .II> arc 111 sleep or controlling the Dream State,
wha1 we find is lt-ar. Many even ft;tr thai they will not
be awan in th" momem of de:uh. It is madness.
Can Enlighlenment be Lost?
.\.\ ,,,. know, 1lw basic purpt>St' of our pr.lCiict' is IO
'tabihlt- in the. 1nner state, whetht>r it is tJtt Pnstncc
ur lh<' AIN>Itllt'. Wht'n one os slabililt'd, lht nt't'd fnr
un. I\ o\tr. for the and
uncunditnm.dly prc.\Cnt. However. our rd.uu.mslup \\lth
tht ,t.\tt" a dynamic quality. \\'htn the' innt"r
'tatt " it is not }'t'l all o\tr. .. who
1\ Fnh).thtt."IU;d? \\'ho is the uuwr '\tat<".?
nu 11\IWr Matt nnt iolll tht'rt" i\ to Me. M(" t"XI!'il5 tv
htltillttl in th own dimt"nNion, otnd not t"Xdn!livdy
The Last Word .....
From tht \\'tllnh of ( .t t.uinn, t\\n '>ouh '"'rc born tc> tlw
,mctent JOllrtl<'\ nl unw. pit'' b) Jlll'< c. the
nnh Dl\111<' mirrnt that n>uld 1 t'lkct tlwir '<'net fMn,
their Ill'''''"
Tht'\ ,,1w in thts mirror tht WJ1 'Jllltl, tht
intelligt'lltt' that mapped thei1 nn l"'"ntv and
dt'"!:llt'd thtit pat tintlar suffl't ing and .lnngii1R; and
tht H' " lkatt of Grace. In this sttiny;, tht'll pt111Hll dial
pun!\, pnor to y;athering the dust oftimt was rntakd-
the\ wtn clean from tlw parado\. ol Being .md
Beconung, from the Here and tlw '\m,
In tht th\'int purification of their txistt'tKe m time.
all was di"o.lnd hack into the timelt" ether. txnpt
one .Jtwel: thtir first and ultimatt' metting with the
Bnond. Thl\ supreme encountet remains t'ttrnallv in
the moltcults of Universal Consciousms.s, for nnlv
through the powe1 of this encounter collie! thtv rttun.l
again to the nrigmal womb.
It ,,a.s 111 this womb that the Rt\'dation of the
Supttnw l'ndtrstancling reached their lltart-frc>m
this \'IT\' womh the\' w<.>n touched hv tlw fanlts.s hands
that lr<;nsmitted t;, them. on<.> hv tht txisttntial
ptt'cts of tlwit I>ivint mirror. 1i was htrt that tluir
journcv 111 tlw timedimension surntult'r<'d itsdf to
tht'ir in timelessness. Hnt, tlwir will txhausttd
itself, giving birth to the tr.mspanmy. thtir inhtrcnl
purity.
In that transparent purity, that whkh lll't'ded lo be
The put t.raditJons pe-rtr.ivr-d Oft!) ooe
dimension or gro\olt'lh: the c:xpa.mion into
the Inne.r State-. Rttuming to the state of
the original -..bite w bem .IM
highest ideal, resulting in the neption
of o<Mr climensions of growth. Sine<: the
return to the Original is !he purpose
of growth in !Mir >islon, mtunll) there
is no place for the p&titive f:'\-olutioo into
tbe wbolenen of
Howel-er, awakening to .\le, \11.-h.ich is
the Soul. is oUT primal task. The Rainbow
that is an expression of the same original
white light can be manifested only "'-hen
the Inner is completed :and lr.lnScended
in a total acknowledgment and
appreciation or the \ery or
-From l'llTOdudibn
EnlighLenmenL to which is the
flowering of the Soul or individual
evolution, reaches through its
ultimate expansion. It mgt"S into the
apperception of that ""hich is beyond its
ultimate front.ien. tht Cni,ersa.l I A.\1.
Here, the indh;duat l..r1ln5Unds it.se:lf
into the Supreme Dimetuion beyond
Unity and Separation.
-From 1M !tfDp of A....,..
A:L.u bu fnllowrd th" J,ath or \t-U
realization 10 lhf'
Buddhit:t 11 Wf'll lhe llindu
pratticink for many
in Korea, Japan. ThaHand
and India. Jlt> complt-ted hi
spiritual journey fully, reaching
the traditional Enlit;:htenment.
However, it wa_t the miraculous
meeting with his Soul-brotbero
Houman, that Opt"Ol"d the gate or Grace, through wh.ich the
Beyond c.-nccred into their lives, transfonning them completely.
The spiril of Guidance has taken them into the dime.uion or
Understanding, beyond the totality of human knowledge. Their
Souls, longing for true clarity and freedom of int<lligence, in
their unity, ha' e been uplifted to the Other Shore of the UnnersaJ
I AM.
HOL'MA.' his entire life to
the spiritual search. His heart was
always full of deep longing for
becoming one- with the Divine. He
has studied man)- teachings, being
particularl) clo,e 10 the palb of
Sufism and Advaha Vedanta. His
quest for the truth couldn't be
however fully satisfied within the
frame of traditional teachings, for
his soul was too vast. Meeting with his beloved spiritual brother.
Aziz and the spirit of Guidance, brought a radical aeleralioo to
his inner t"\'Olution lO"'--&rds completion. He- has reachl'd at lMl
that "bich io the only true goal of spiritual path: pure rest witbiD
the Hean of the C,..,ation.