As we are entering a very interesting and critical phase of human and planetary development, which is reflected in the changes now happening to Mother Earth’s form, we will now start to see many of the Sages enter or come forward on the world stage. As fear will automatically be a byproduct and natural response to the current events for numerous people, great discretion is required and the development and heightening of ones personal guidance system is essential in order to discriminate between wisdom and information generated by those with personal agendas. May all beings be happy.

For more interesting Videos Check out Part 2 Krishmamurti

It would be very easy to disregard the material of Castenada  because of the usage of psychotropic plants.  But anyone who has ever read between the lines of The Journey to Ixtlan and Tales of Power will realize immediately that the agenda behind all of the experiences was to help break down the normal way of thinking.  Please note, I am in no way saying that people need to use any substances to break through from limited thought.  There are a number of books in the series, if I was to recommend any I would say to read The Journey to Ixtlan followed by the Tales of Power, within these two books is the essence of the teaching.

Journey to Ixtlan

A brilliant book by Carlos Castenada

Enlightenment

The question itself could be a little bit of an issue. I remember Krishnamurthi once saying, Can we ever ask the right question? NOTE: I am not a Krishnamurthi clone either.

What is Enlightenment? As soon as we say “IS” it implies that such a thing exists. We have read oodles of books o the Spirit, some very profound and others that are best suited for the fireplace on a cold winters night. They all seem to have an opinion about Enlightenment, Freedom,Truth or the God thing. Well I’d like start fresh and challenge the lot, not for the sake of an argument but because I am reasonably clear that there is a serious issue with the question.

So I see a problem a big one What IS Enlightenment? As soon as we say IS, it is saying there is something there and the next logical step is to go and find; and what is the thing we are seeking to obtain or achieve and that is Enlightenment, that’s a no-brainer really. The issue for me is, at the very beginning of the quest we are beaten, we are seeking, the sought being Enlightenment and us being the one who wants it, the needy, the lacking, the one that is minus the thing we seek.

Let’s go a little further with this. I’ll throw this in because I think it is relevant ‘Any movement in any direction is a movement away from ourself’, please read that line again and think on it for a moment.

The very question ‘What is Enlightenment?’ Implies lack and when we look at it even harder, it’s easy to see the separation; we are sepearated from Enlightenment. I need to challenge that, not for the forum or an argument but because it is misconception. Underlying us, is the very thing that is sought, the very experience which we are seeking is the very thing that is at our core. If we move towards solving the question, we are defeated because there is no need to take the journey, because we are moving away, out of God space, trying to solve a question which has come from thought. The mind is wanting to know, the mind asks a question, it creates its own self imposed perameters and says ‘ Hey Answer this’, it’s really saying, look I am great, I have the ability to understand what is outside the framework of thought, but I shall pretend to be wise, I shall because I’m pretty shifty, proud and haughty, I can pour the ocean, the whole of it into my little bucket.

So where am I now? Ok , here it is. The question just doesn’t do it for me, the question is a problem to itself and try as you might, you’ll be on the path of Endles Becoming, on the quest like the deer chasing the musk, always seeking the elusive Beloved and moving away from yourself

There is nowhere to go and nothing to do.  And that’s what people find so difficult

Be There Now

Peace

Tony

And here is Part 2 Conversations Alan Watts

And Part 3 Conversations Alan Watts

Then Part 4 Convesations Alan Watts

For more Alan Watts check this out Alan Watts Video

Singing Bowl

ZEN KOAN

A monk told Joshu: `I have just entered the monastery.
Please teach me.’ Joshu asked: `Have you eaten your rice porridge?’
The monk replied: `I have eaten.’
Joshu said: `Then you had better wash your bowl.’
At that moment the monk was enlightened.

It’s always a terrible feeling when you feel like you’ve beren tricked  You go to the market, buy something and three hours later you realize what you bought was rubbish and not only that, the rug salesman also short changed you. It wasn’t a magic carpet after all. 

 Life and God are pretty much the same, it’s not intentional though, it’s just that you put the pieces together of life’s puzzle and thought it was something but then someone walks along and says “Hey silly, you are holding the thing upside down”

What has happened, and it is the greatest trick ever done to mankind, in fact it’s the Divine Comedy, we have mistakenly elevated some things to the holy level and others to the mundane.   If you get this, then suddenly you are looking at the puzle the right way up. 

Within the heart of all things is the same pulse, vibration, essence…unfortunately, whether you can cope with it or not it is also in those people who you find incredibly annoying, or even those things that you call evil.  And in saying this, I am not saying go and do whatever you like because God is present in all things, so it must be ok.  With knowledge comes responsibilty, and without the Dharma, the planet would disappear over night.

Buddha

Who do you pray to, is that a silly question?  It’s a very interesting thing when you’ve let go of the old Gods which you carried around until they were too heavy to carry anymore.  Before I get too far, I must clarify that I am not anti-God, anti Christian or anything like that.  I just think it’s important to seperate our projection of what we think God is, from the real God.  And I don’t think it’s anyone’s job to tell anyone else who or what God is.  This is a very personal thing, and if it is to be real, it must be the individuals experience.

So what happens when you get to the point that the old God has been moved aside because it is now impossible to cling to something which was only a fabrication anyway?  People told you what God is and you packed all the ideas together and created a picture in the mind.  People find themselves in the situation of creating a new version of God, maybe swapping over to Buddha, the beautiful blue skinned Krishna or may even take on a Guru who claims to be the embodiment of God Himself / Herself.  Any guru worth their weight in incense is going to tell you, if you are looking for God, go look in the mirror, don’t follow me.   At least they’ll do this at some point of the guru /disciple relationship; if they don’t, I’d be packing my packpack immediately, signing out of the ashram and heading to Ganges or somewhere to cleanse myself of their nonsense.  Great teachers like Ramana, will always do that, they are not interested in groupies, they are interested in your well being, which is freedom.

Is this clear, people are praying to a projection of what they think God might be?  God, give me money, a new car, a new wife, heal my indigestion, make it rain on my neighbours cleanly washed car, please make my son’s football team win the competition and please God, let me win American idol.  It gets a bit silly.  So we have another dilemma.  What to pray for, do we petition God to fulfil our desires?  Oh God give me a gorgeous wife….blah blah blah.   So what to ask for?

I guess for me, if I had to write prayer it might sound like:

“Dear God who lives in all that is, and lives in me and also in my worst enemy who smells pretty bad, help me extract the beauty within every moment of my life and help me to see the creation around me as part of the giant garment I am part of, allow me to embrace things totally when they come into my life, and let go of things gracefully when it’s time for them to leave.  And please tell that cat next door to stop pooing in my garden, as I know you live in all thngs but I’m not quite ready to deal with that aspect of you”.

Prayer doesn’t need to be stuffy, it can be something that makes you smile and tickles your heart.

Bodhidharma - Courtesy Black Mountain Zen Center

We live in a world where it’s normal to act and then wait for a response or some type of reaction.  That’s the way most of us have been shaped… for every action there is a reaction type of stuff, this is logical; being logical is practical but it does not mean it is always wise.  We’ve all seen pictures and sketches of wandering sages and Buddhas in Asia, and read poems about mendicants whose homes are beneath stars out in the open. The image portrayed implies a certain amout of freedom and carefreeness, that feeling is something that most people I have met are envious of, not envy in an obsessive, jealous sort of way, more like ‘wouldn’t it be nice if all my problems disappeared and I didn’t worry about anything, I could just cruise through my day’.

The great Avatar Krishna, the Beloved of Radha and the cowherds, spoke lovingly to Arjuna the great warrior when Arjuna  realized he had to go into battle against his relatives.  Gopala (Krishna) eased Arjuna’s suffering by telling him not to look for the fruit of his actions, to just follow his dharma, do his duty and all would be taken care of.  Arjuna was a great warrior and did not wish to go to kill those he had grown up with and loved. Arjuna had slumped into a state of helplessness prior to this, Krishna’s words were the very healing balm he required.

Although the following idea is contrary to our programming, it is worth considering.  Here we go:

Not all actions need to be response based. Does that make sense?  We can do things without expecting an outcome.  This will sound a little odd to some people; most of us want and expect to get something back from what we do or put out.  There is a viewpoint that some of the great Lover’s of God have had, I’ll use these people as examples, although I ‘m not suggesting that they are the only ones who live this way.  These Lovers do what ever they do as an offering of service and are not interested in the outcome, they take action because it is their impulse from within to do so and do not turn around to measure how successful the response was.   By doing this, there is never any suffering if what they attempted has failed in some way.  And if what they did was very successful it also doesn’t matter because it is done in a selfless manner. Everything they do is selfless service to the world around them and they do not expect anything in return.  Everything gets done, they are the instrument of their chosen God.  They are not taking action and then looking up for some reward from heaven.  The act itself is complete.  Here’s an example: Imagine a musician playing music, being absorbed in it, he experiences it when it is happening, the applause really means nothing, it’s the ecstacy of abandonment into the music which is the thing of real value.  When the music is finished, the musician puts the instrument down and goes about his business.

To live in such a detached manner is very freeing.  We do not need to sign up with any God, we may come from the perspective that God itself is at the core of our being, it doesn’t matter so much unless you want it to, God or no God is not important here.  This approach of not looking for the results of what we do, makes it easier to get through life’s disappointments.  Yes we will still feel the joys and sorrows, but we will be free to move on to the next experience without being slowed down by our supposed self professed failures or hindered by our sometimes over inflated sense of brilliance .

In this is the Path of Not Doing, and in future articles I shall explore this a little more.