From my shallow understanding ( I apologize) everything that we perceive in life are mere interpretations of our limited minds.

You might also say, everything we interpret is our perception. But that all depends upon how one uses the word perception.

In perception there is one that perceives, or one that interprets. But that is not how everyone uses this word. I have heard some use the word to mean the physical seeing of the eye, but that is not quite it.

Perhaps being a passive observer can generate much sense than allowing our mind to find meaning.

You might want to ask within yourself if there is such a thing as a passive observer. Or perhaps, is there a perception without the perceive-er? It very well might destroy the notion of a person capable of allowing the mind to do anything.

Or perhaps not…

Another point is that these are all words, and words themselves can never be truth. That’s too much to expect of them, no matter who is giving them.

It is so easy to build an image from the word, or word from the word, or image from the image. It is rare that one investigates the word to discover if there is really any power there, or if it is just a fantasy.

How we relate to the word, or simply the idea that there is a contrary person that can wrangle and control the word, may be the only real difficulty in this beautiful world full of humans.

What i do and what i say have nothing to do with me. Me trying to make things about me has nothing to do with me. My issues, patterns and limiting beliefs have nothing to do with me. Nothing personal.

Someone in my family, and I cannot remember who, used to say, “What you think about me is none of my business!” I suppose they could just have easily said, “What I think about me is none of my business!” Thoughts do seem to happen from time to time, but it is really no big deal. It is as you’ve said, Nothing Personal.

I write what i feel moved to write when i feel moved to write it. I’m not really involved with any process around the writing.

Ah, that is lovely. It is not forced, coerced, or otherwise pushed out.

We are certainly not in control. We may go back in after it is finished, correct spelling, add a line break, or whatever, but it is an expression that is really out of our hands. Quite like tending a garden…we might dig here, prune there, add some azalea, but it is not at all within our control. It is life.

I appreciate your gracious inclusion of this vocal newcomer.

You are more than welcome to visit as you wish. You have a valuable expression and I am certain the readers of this site will be quite interested in what you have to say. And if they aren’t, it is just as lovely…

Thank you!

This is key. Another point is that these are all words, and words themselves can never be truth. That’s too much to expect of them, no matter who is giving them

Cool. Some common language between us.

Nothing ever happens through any “intention” or “effort” of “ours”. Intention and effort are stories that attribute what’s already happening to our (illusory) selves. Nothing is personal. We don’t do any of what we tell ourselves we do. We’re like an eye at the end of one of the divine’s fingertips. We have no influence on what the finger does but we make up stories that we do. We’re simply watching what’s happening as it happens from a very intimate perspective. Sometimes the illusion of self is moved to believe that it is in charge of moving the finger. Sometimes the illusion of self is moved to notice that it has nothing to do with how the finger is moved.

I don’t write or speak because i’m trying to get somewhere. I haven’t seen anywhere to get to in a while. I write what i feel moved to write when i feel moved to write it. I’m not really involved with any process around the writing. It happens and i’m along for the ride. Even when life makes me drive, it’s not me who’s driving. I’m just riding in the driver. Sure, sometimes “pretending that it’s really me driving this car of ‘my’ life” happens, but not so much anymore.

Enough for now. I appreciate your gracious inclusion of this vocal newcomer. Namaste, Takuin.

shinai

These eyes seem to be particularly tuned to the question “How to talk about non-duality without using dualistic language and concepts” lately, regardless of where the speaking is happening.

Ah, I see. This might help clear some things up for you.

What you say is true, but it is not through any intention or effort on Takuin’s part.

I don’t use that language – the common words or phrases of non-duality – because I am not capable. I do not read books on spirituality, books on non-duality, books on enlightenment, or anything like that. So I am not sure how one is to use the language properly.

It is not that I avoid these things. It just holds no interest for me.

Even though I have not read about it, I still hear the common words and phrases, usually through meetings with others, dialogues, skype calls, or whatever. But even so, it takes some back and forth before we can meet for the first time, mostly due to my lack of understanding of the phrases.

For example, in a recent call someone used the phrase Christ Consciousness. I had absolutely no idea what that meant, so I asked. And the caller was good enough, and patient enough, to help me understand the meaning. Even so, a short time later he decided to discard the phrase, at least for the remainder of the call. He found that it ‘got in the way of his exploration’ (his words).

There are some people that might hope to find freedom through the word. Perhaps they hope to be able to see through the false with the “right” combination of words and phrases. And there are others that feel some sense of security through the knowledge they possess and the words they wield. They might like to assert the correctness of their words and position, and feel the need to correct the ‘incorrectness’ of others. But all of these arise from the frightened images they’ve built of themselves.

And while the word can build the most beautiful guitars or fantastic skyscrapers, it can never use itself to go beyond what it knows.

It is neither a blessing, or a curse.

Nothing personal.

Rarely have truer words been spoken.

Sometimes “awakening” seems to happen. Sometimes belief in a separate self seems to happen. Believing in separate selves is what’s called dreaming. When belief in separate selves is happening it’s possible to believe that there is a dreamer who is dreaming the belief in self. When belief in separate selves isn’t happening, there is no possibility of believing in a dreamer. There is no dreamer.

In addition, the concept of helping people presumes that there are people… who need help… and that there’s a someone else… who can help them. Again, fraught with duality. Helping doesn’t actually happen. It just looks like it does from the perspective of the dream of self. There are no selves, no dreamers. It just looks like there are from the perspective of the dream of self.

These eyes seem to be particularly tuned to the question “How to talk about non-duality without using dualistic language and concepts” lately, regardless of where the speaking is happening. Nothing personal.

Namaste.