A New Dimension of Silence
Written by takuin on Saturday, April 12, 2008 – 5:00 pmIt is wonderful to be alone. Not lonely, which is the feeling of lack; a need for an incomplete center to reach for wholeness; but a true moment by moment discovery of what one is.
But not who one is.
The who is the story. It may be sad, grand, greedy, lustful, reckless, wanting, or any number if things, but it is a story, and the story is always imagined.
“Doesn’t one need the story? Doesn’t it give substance, or give rise to the individual?”
This who is not an individual. It is comprised of consciousness, and this consciousness we all share. All of its contents are shared between us. No, not that it is shared; we are it. All of the neuroses, compulsions, stories, sorrow, knowledge, systems, and symbols are handed to us from the multitude of persons that have come before, and it is from this that we build the shaky stories of the self.
This brick and mortar is common to all, living and dead.
(This is not good or bad, nor is it something to accept or reject. It just is what it is.)
Who - the creation of consciousness - is made up of what we believe, experience and share; handed to us from every direction, but absent from those moments of utter silence.
Pure, passionate aloneness.
A question may arise, “What is one to do?” The only thing one can do is find out for themselves. To sit alone, reject all that has been handed down, all that has come before, and see with new eyes, hear with new ears. Sit and sit and sit until that aloneness is all that remains.
It is not acceptance or rejection, but a silent allowing of things to arise as they will. Without acceptance or rejection, one has the ability to be silent, to be alone.
It is freedom without the need to be right, or the need to avoid being wrong.
Freedom from the need reveals a new dimension of silence.
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Posted in Posts, Quick Thoughts |
April 13th, 2008 at 3:24 am
Beautiful.
April 13th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Thank you, Nur. Nice to see you again!
April 14th, 2008 at 11:07 am
“Doesn’t one need the story?” My mind is at times not happy with this question. The answer is truly no, but what is a poor mind to do without stories? Sitting and being is so boring says the mind. So, it tells its stories. And sometimes I listen and get lost in them. But sometimes I don’t.
You write beautifully, Takuin. I really enjoy your blog…. Tom
April 14th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
@Tom
Thanks for the complements! I appreciate it, along with your participation. It is always nice to see you lurking about. (Not to make it sound all stalker-ish.)
I understand what you mean when you say the mind is not happy. But where does that unhappiness, or unsettling feeling come from? Let’s see if anything is there…
Could the unsettling feeling come from the idea of what one thinks the future might be?
The future, in this case, refers to what one believes will happen after liberation. One reads about it, or meets a guru, or sees a video and then the idea of what it must be like surfaces.
One popular idea, as I am sure you know, is that enlightenment is the answer to everything. It is the highest goal and finally, when one breaks through that final wall of the self, they will have everything they have always wanted.
And it is so heartily pursued. But what is it that they want? Do they really want it, or are they just pursuing their idea of what will happen when they get there? Wouldn’t you say this is just more stories of what might be?
A projection of the future is made; what will happen in liberation; but in liberation, is there a future at all?
Then there is the other side; the nihilistic view. “Nothing is there so it must be miserable,” etc. But again, how can one be sure if they are not themselves there?
Of course, one might make up a story about liberation and actually be right. But in liberation, who is going to come to that conclusion? Certainly not me.
It is easy to answer these questions through knowledge, but that is never enough. And it certainly is never enough for the person answering the question, because they won’t be satisfied with the answer.
The idea of what happens when liberated is only an idea. At best (and worst), the self can only guess at what happens, but it will never really know. And if one does find out, they will never know it because there will be no one to know anything.
The mind might say, being is boring, but it can only come to that conclusion through a story.
I say conclusions are boring! Ha.
But I love making up stories, and I write them whenever I have the chance. But I suppose that it has little to do with me.
I look forward to anything you have to say, or any insight you might have into the whole thing. It is all very interesting over here.
April 15th, 2008 at 4:13 am
Thank you so much Takuin. The post on being silent without any need whatsoever just rang true with me. No, I did not get the “glimpse” of reality as I have had before. Probably because “I” was looking for answer. But hearing what I need to do is the best advice right now. I’m just grateful for that.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Hey Takuin… Adyashanti has said before that every person he has ever met who has experienced awakening has said to him, “This is NOTHING like what I thought it would be like.” It echoes what you are saying. The mind can never know. Because liberation is outside the mind. It is before and after the mind.
I have some experience with this, too. Maybe I will send you a private message, to share a few things you might enjoy. Until then….
April 20th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Thanks Stefan. I appreciate it.
Keep dropping in and let us know how it all unfolds for you.
April 20th, 2008 at 11:21 am
Thanks for the message you sent, Tom. Let us know how everything is going @ the retreat with Adyashanti.
April 20th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Hi Takuin,
well, wouldn’t you know it, I had the glimpse the other day, again, a couple days after I posted my comment on this site. But of course, unlike it was for you, the stateless state came and went. I don’t know if it is because I don’t go deep enough or if this is a natural process that will unfold incremently. I’m not too worried, but at the same time, I(the mind) just wants it to be over and done with. It’s kind of frustrating is all I’m saying. Thanks for again for your support.
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:42 am
Thanks, Stefan.
Be sure to pay close attention to the movements of your mind at these times. Did it come and go, as you say, or did it come then you chased after it to keep it? (I am not saying it happened that way at all, by the way.)
It may or may not unfold for you. It isn’t a matter of going “deep enough,” as this elusive thing is everywhere at all times. It may be a matter of letting it all be as it is. But only you can know for sure.
Once it ends, if it does, you’ll see how simple it all is.