The FREEDOM Blog

Many people talk of spiritual realization - seek it, treasure it, even speak as if they have 'achieved' it, but often it is not REAL-ization, but rather a form of spiritual MENTAL-ization or INTELLECTUAL-ization. The key facet of REALization is the word REAL. It is a concrete recognition, not simply a mental or intellectual understanding. Now, I am not demeaning a mental or intellectual understanding of spirituality or Truth, but only wish to make the distinction clear. Let me give a couple of my common examples. First, nearly anyone who has ever had a child knows that there is a HUGE difference between thinking about having a child and actually conceiving and giving birth to one. When you look down at your own child, lying there, alive, virtually helpless, and squiggling, you know...YOU KNOW... that your life will NEVER again be the same! Or, going to India. Many people know far more about India than I do. They can name every sacred site, teacher, language spoken, etc. They ca...

The other day it came to my attention, when a friend cried out, "I have Power!" that this is part of the fundamental problem, particularly when it comes to some of the new age and alternative thinking. It is the basic distinction of Having versus Being: like I 'have' prosperity' rather than I 'am' properity; or I 'have' enlightenment, rather than I 'am' enlightenment. (Also note the distinction 0f I am enlightenMENT versus I am EnlightenED.) The I "Have" creates a duality that is less subtle even than I Am. I AM is a doorway; I HAVE is a very definite 'me' and 'not me'. Let's get into grammar for a moment. In Sanskrit (and a number of other languages) there is actually not a verb for 'to have'. You can 'be with' something, like 'I am with this car' or 'this car is being with me' or even 'it is my car,' but not I have this car. (I know, subtle distinction.) But it does s...

Aja: So imagine for a moment, that you have heard about this great place, Puddletown, and it sounds like a really great place, where everyone is happy and peaceful, and blissful, and there's no problems there. Puddletown is the place to be.  It's filled with people and everything is wonderful. So what's the first thing you do? What would you do? Student: Be skeptical. Aja: Be skeptical? Good! What else would you do? Student: Find out what they're eating. Aja: Find out what they're eating?  Okay. Well, that wasn't exactly where I was going, but along those lines. But yes, you'd start studying it, researching it, finding out what you could about it. Now, as you did that you'd start finding out a lot about Puddletown and you would start to believe in this place called Puddletown. You'd even know their diet. You'd probably start eating like a Puddletonian. Then you start trying to figure out how to get there. But the problem is that the informati...

Everyone knows what a diode is. Well, actually, I have no idea what a diode is - some electrically thing. But forget that. You are a DIOD. So what is a DIOD? Let me explain: Part 1. There are two basic ways of looking at the universe, Existence, All of THIS: one is that it is a totally mechanical spontaneous arising, of elements that randomly came together much like the pieces of a watch that just happened to fall together into Watchness, or the thousand monkeys on typewriters ultimately coming up with Shakespeare, OR There is intelligence behind all of this, a God/Dess, Isness, a great Singularity of Intelligence, Cosmic Beingness, Wisdom, Creator, Creatress, Creatrix, Network, Hoo Haa, Divine Wow, Big Bangaroonie, that Expressed, Imagined, created, manifested the 100 trillion stars and 100 trillion cells of you and everything else perfectly, OUT OF HIM/HER/IT-SELF. Now, we're not saying that the first group is dummies, but....duh! Which makes more sense? Which feels right? Which ...

I know it's hard to imagine, sometimes, but all that is, whatever is, is perfect. In honor of my good friend and former student, Jnanacharya, I'd like to point out, as he did, that perfect does NOT mean 'double good'. Perfect means that there is nothing wrong; things are exactly as they are meant to be. Whatever is happening in the Uni-verse is happening just as it is meant to happen. So, why don't you believe this? Because your 'mind' is telling you differently. The mind says"No, it should be like this or that or the other." But if your mind wasn't speaking, would it not be perfect? It's very much like the question, "If a tree falls in the woods and there's nobody there to hear it, would it make a sound?" So, rephrasing this - "If a situation arose, but no mind to say it is a problem, would there be a problem?" Obviously not. Does that mean you do nothing? Yes and No. You do nothing. The universe does everything. B...

I broke my phone. It's okay, I think it's getting fixed, so don't worry for me. (By the way, if you didn't know, I'm kind of a closet geek, or geek wannabe, or something. I love hanging out with geeks, cuz how many of them can say "I use to give 'noogies' to Bill Gates, which I did. But I tarry... In the process of seeking a replacement or repair for my phone, I started emailing someone who had what I was looking for, and several email tags back and forth later I noticed a wonderful simple sentence. Now many of you may laugh that I didn't know this quote, but I was living in temples when this guy was around. Anyway, the quote goes, " I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." The speaker of this quote is none other than the late (i.e. dead for you non-sophisticates) Kurt Cobain - alleged suicider grunge musician. So what do you think? Now, the interesting thing is many people would agree with this in principle ...

A few random thoughts and comments.... First, I recently came across this quote from Shantideva amongst my collection: "All the joy the world contains is through wishing happiness for others. All the misery the world contains has come through wanting pleasure for oneself." The basic difficulty is selfishness (and that is with a small 's'). But it's slightly more complicated then that. Let's see if we can't disentangle it a bit. 1. Our initial idea is to find happiness for ourselves. While in and of itself there is nothing wrong with that, in too many cases it involves getting something from someone else or in someway depriving others of something to do it. For instance, the basic 'necessities' of life are a given, and under normal circumstances there is plenty to go around. However, when certain people find that they need more than someone else, then things go bad. This is in essence the human condition because of a lack of satisfaction. People wan...

In the sixth part of the Yoga Vasistha it says: "The belief in a knower and the known is called bondage. The knower is bound by the known; he is liberated when there is nothing to know." This is so contrary to most people's way of being that it's hard for most to even get a hint at this, primarily because everyone is anxiously awaiting the point where 'they' will be a 'knower' of the Absolute; 'They' will have achieved enlightenment. Once more, dear friends, it doesn't work that way. For a moment, just stop. In that moment, is there anyone to know anything? Is there anything to know? In the silence between thoughts - no! However, a half moment later a thought will probably arise saying, something like, "Cool" or "But I was there knowing I was not a knower", or some other such evaluatory statement. (Is evaluatory a word?) Where there is no thought, that is where there is no knower or known. That occurs through letting go ...

I came across a line of Ramana's where he compared trying to solve the problem of the mind by using the mind as something which simply 'fattens' the mind. I loved this thought and it reminded me of an image I have had recently of 'feeding the dream'. Attention is very much like food. It is an energy, and where our attention goes, that is being fed. It is one of the semi-true aspects of the 'Law of Attraction' that has been making such a hit lately. Where the attention goes, there is the outcome. That is what is being fed. Astavakra Samhita also states it very well, "ya matih sa gatih" - wherever the attention (mind, intention, etc.) there is the goal (outcome, etc.). So...what are you feeding? This is where the razor's edge comes in. It is a very fine line (as well as an enormous gorge) between putting the attention on and feeding the dream, or putting attention on and feeding the recognition of Reality. Every moment... EVERY MOMENT your atten...

Okay... Amar at the Indian store convinced me to take two samosas instead of one. So, you might consider this a guilt blog. If you don't know what a samosa is, you are missing one of the great Indian culinary delights, particularly if it is made well. Deep fried, vegetable savory...well spiced, just plain yummy. So, how is it that in the dream we are concerned with such things as culinary delights? Why not? So, I have a question for you: when you wake up in the morning, where does your dream go? Where does the dream you go? You recognize that it was just a dream and that it had no depth, no substance to it. Similarly, when you wake up from the waking dream, you recognize that it too has no substance to it. However, that doesn't change it. It doesn't necessarily go away...only the experiencer as a separate, localized and independent dreamer as seen as part of the dream scape. The you that disappears in the sleeping dream when you wake up in the morning, is no less substantia...

The other day, my brother in law, who is not philosophical by nature, sent my mind into an interesting story. He had come out to replace our toilet (in exchange for which my wife will sew him a new vest - his wifecan't sew, I don't do toilets). At one point he was taking a short break and was on the phone with a friend who had obviously said something to the effect that they were "Dealing with shit," to which my brother in law wisely replied, "That doesn't do any good, there's always more shit!" Indeed, I thought, there IS always more shit, and yet this is what all the world is trying to do - deal with their shit, as if, at some point there won't be any more. How ludicrous! There will ALWAYS be more shit. The end of shit is the end of the game, and there is no end of the game. The end of the game is called dying...and then you get another life, and try again. At least, that's the way it works in the games. Your character dies, and then you tr...

One of the primary difficulties when it comes to Enlightenment is that hardly anyone understands in the least what it is. For instance, I have often made the distinction between Mastery and Enlightenment, while 'Jed McKenna' makes the distinction between Mysticism and Enlightenment. Expanding those three a little, I would like to give a quick overview of what I'm calling the 5 M's : Morality Maturity Mastery Mysticism Moksha (Moksha being one of the Sanskrit words for Enlightenment and essential means 'Freedom') Many of these categories will have overlaps, and many 'individuals' overlap in where they 'are' or in their 'recognition' of these 5. But the general idea is that if you are seeking something, you better know what the heck that it is you're seeking. If you're not clear, you're not going to be even looking in the right place, and chances are extremely good you're going to get something that ISN'T enlightenment...

First, let me tell you about the miracle... I woke up. And I received a revelation... Everyone can wake up. And what's more... All the 'problems' in the world are due to being asleep, i.e. not knowing who they are, truly as simply the dream of the Absolute. However, the great revelation continued (it was a voice...I heard it in my head as plainly as I hear you groaning right now). It said to me, "Aja, get everyone to come together and we can create another miracle. Get everyone to come together at a particular time and recognize who they are and the entire world can wake up from the dream." "WHEN?" I asked. "Why, Right Now in This Moment!" "Which moment?" I pleaded. "This moment. What other moment is there, bozo?" "But," I remonstrated, "aren't some moments more spiritual than others?" "Yes, of course. This moment, Right Now, is (according to our incredible celestial and cool calculations, and t...

Ooh! Ooh! I've done it again. I seem to have gotten myself in trouble for telling the truth (well, at least my truth). Is there an ultimate Truth? Only God knows. And I get the picture of God sitting alone wondering whether he/she exists - "Most of the people I talk to can't hear me or don't believe it's Me, and half of those who claim I talk to them, I wouldn't give the time of day to. Hmmm?! I wonder if I do exist?" The last few days have been interesting. A wonderful friend wrote me that to him, a friend is, "One with whom I can think out loud," in other words, someone who is totally non-judgmental, totally accepting, etc. In the last day, I have been accused of chewing on rotting corpses, overly flirting, being too ordinary (for an enlightened teacher), and on and on. I recently wrote about 'Being As You Are", and I guess I'd have to say how fascinating it is to see how delightfully the Universe responds: I Am as I Is, and the ...

First, a major caveat: This is not about awakening in the traditional sense. In other words, it is not about exploring consciousness, recognizing who you are, in the Radical Enlightenment way. However, what we are about is Truth. More than anything, our life has been dedicated to the pursuit of what is Truth, what is real, and sometimes this incorporates what is part of the apparent dream. Everything is part of the great Lila, the divine dance. To hide from any aspect is to hide from Truth. So, sometimes it is necessary to ask oneself - are you truly seeking Truth, in EVERY aspect, or are you seeking mollification and escapism? It's all an illusion, right! So whatever happens in the dream is only a dream. If you are sure of this, then truly let it all go and totally retreat into the pure essence of consciousness without stopping. However, if you are only seeking happiness (i.e. pleasure and pleasantries in the name of spirituality) then you are NOT seeking Truth. Truth comes in m...

Many people are familiar with the phrase "Be as you are," and many are also familiar with the book of the same name by David Godman, about the teachings of Ramana Maharshi. But how many are really familiar with what it is to Be As You Are? What I'd like you to do for a moment is really explore and investigate the 'feeling' that accompanies being as you are. Right now, be as you are! Now a question might come up of what does this mean, or how do I do that. The real question is how do you NOT do that? How can you not be as you are? Primarily by trying to be something that you're not. I ran into a wonderful quote the other day. It's from the Hasidic tradition featuring Rabbi Zusya. The quote has Rabbi Zusya saying, "When I reach the next world, God will not ask me, 'Why were you not Moses?' Instead, he will ask me, 'Why were you not Zusya?'" This is exactly the problem. Everyone is trying to be a Buddha or a Jesus or an anything ot...

"Is there an out there, out there? I don't recall where I first heard this phrase, but it re-arose in consciousness the other day. I like I because it really begins a process of self inquiry. People - most people - take it pretty much for granted that there IS an out there out there - that what they perceive is certainly real and concrete. But as both the mystics from nearly all variety of traditions, and many of the modern day quantum theorists and scientists are telling us is that there is no out there. Of course, this begs the question, if there is no out there out there, then what is there? Or what is here? Or even what is? The traditional response is to start spewing out mentally or intellectually conceptions based on what you have heard. But what if you take a different approach? What if you begin to directly explore what is present, right now? Where do you begin? The best place to begin is with the idea of who or what is it that is assuming that there is an out there, i...

Stop and Be Presence! Being Presence is being Pre-Sense...before the senses Being Presence is Being the Self, the Awareness Being Presence is Abiding as the Self Being Presence is Resting in (and as) the Infinite Being Presence is the eradication of the false self Being Presence is the Gateway to the Absolute Being Presence Awareness of Awareness Being Presence is not.... Discussing how to do it, Arguing over who does it better, Philosophizing on why it is important, Checking out which teacher says it better, Wondering if it's the right path for you, Deciding on how it will look when you get there, Even trying to figure out HOW to do it... It's simply Stopping and Being Presence, And when you've noticed you're not being presence Stopping (again) and Being Presence And when a thought comes up Stopping (again) and Being Presence Ignoring the thousands and millions of strategies the ego has for catching your attention and bringing your attention back to attention Bringing ...

Often the path must be paradoxical by nature, apparently contradicting itself in order to point out the truth. The following is a perfect example of that. It is a quote from the Ashtavakra Samhita (or Gita) 'My son, you may recite or listen to countless scriptures, but you will not be established within until you can FORGET EVERYTHING.' 16.1 So, how would you know this unless you read the scripture (Ashtavakra Samhita) which tells you not to read scripture? Actually, it doesn't tell you not to read scripture, but rather forget all. Often, reading scripture (or other spiritually oriented matter) becomes a pastime to escape the Reality. After all, the scripture is still in the dream world. Who is reading it? Who is contemplating it? This was Ramana's constant question. A large percentage of the time when a question was asked of him, he pointed the questioner back to them-Selves by posing, "Who is asking the question?" The moment you recognize the I Am or I-I ...

Enlightenment... Is simply a word that points to... Bondage... Is simply a word that points to... Enlightment... Is simply a word...

Well, the last blog, as well as the following satsang, precipitated quite a diverse mixture of responses, and if nothing else, response (whether "good" or "bad") shows that at least it is registering on some level. Looking up something, I came across a quote that my teacher had written. Throughout the Vedic scriptures, satyam, or truthfulness is touted as one of the highest principles. Indeed, Kali yuga, or the present age, is defined by the fact that the last leg of dharma IS truthfulness, and that it steadily declines as we progress through this age, until it basically disappears altogether. I have often quoted Orwell, and his "To speak the truth in times of universal deceit is an act of rebellion," and those who know me, know that I love to rant and rave regarding political, spiritual or cultural 'correctness' which is generally little more than ignoring Truth, in the name of how we would 'like' it to be. But what we want and what is don...

Okay, this one may piss a few people off, but that's okay. It's 'Perfect' right. And that, in fact, is what I'm going to talk about. First, let me define a few terms: (I love acronyms) NAD - Narcissistic Advaita Disorder NDA - Non-Dual Apathy POD - Philosophical One-ness Destructionism First, POD. Philosophical One-ness Destructionism is essentially where the 'individual' holds to the One-ness view as a philosophy, a theory, an intellectual understanding. It basically states that "my understanding from the teachers, scriptures, and everything, is that all is One, all is Perfect, exactly as it is. 'I' don't need to do anything to change it, because it is Perfect as it is." Now while, in Reality, this is a truism, that ultimately, nothing can happen if it isn't perfect for it to happen, doesn't mean that it is necessarily perfect that it STAYS THAT WAY! So, let's give a very simple and practical example. You are sitting at a ...

Problems in language so often tend to take us astray, and I fall prey to it as much as the next. Take the word 'glimpse'. We use it, suggesting that the 'individual' which is in fact part of the dream, can experience the Absolute. In reality, what occurs is that for a moment, the Self shines, or reflects (all inadequate) through to the mind and says it has a glimpse of the Reality. So imagine it like this. You are dreaming, and for half a moment, you wake up, and then fall back asleep. The dreaming self, which is entirely a dream creation (the dream body, the dream mind, the dream world) and 'remembers' a moment of being awake and 'thinks' that it had a 'glimpse' of being awake. So from this 'awake' perspective, we can recognize that the dream person had no experience or glimpse of being awake; they simply remember in the dream state that there was a place of not being asleep. That dream person will not ever wake up...they will disappear ...

What many people don't get, particularly here in the West, is that there is a difference between recognition of the Self and Recognition of God. Ultimately, God and the Self are one, but it is a oneness like the wave and the ocean, the sunlight and the sun. Recognition of the Self is relatively easy. It can be done in an instant. After all, it is who you are. When you simply stop and be, letting go of the stuff that is in awareness, what is left is always the Self, the light of consciousness. However, at this point, the so-called litte self, or ego, remains. However, the experience is so profound, compared to the normal moment to moment infatuation with the mind, that many feel this is the end. This is only the beginning. It is, as I have said, like landing in India and thinking you have seen the entirety of the country. You have only walked through the door. This is where the real work begins. Now begins the work of staying there, of remaining situated in that Self, in that ...

It turned out I (non-expert that I am) had not turned the comment capability on. Now, you are able to make comments to posts if you like (at least until "I" change my "mind".)

Ever ready to watch TV, I watched the entire convocation at Virginia Tech for the 32 (33 if you include the gunman) dead from yesterday's mass killing. I find the whole thing fascinating on numerous levels: 1st. The fact that one more thing grabs the attention of the American public so readily, pushing everything else aside. Have you any idea how many people die every minute in the world? Doesn't really matter how - guns, suicide, war, starvation, disease, etc. It's a part of the life cycle. Yes, it is a sad thing for those involved, a loved one dead under such bizarre circumstances. But then so are the tens of thousands of deaths that are taking place in the middle east, Darfur, and (dare I say it) the slaughterhouses. 2nd. This caught my attention quite quickly. Everyone immediately started blaming the school, the police, somebody, anybody, that after the first two murders (which looked like a basic domestic squabble) the entire campus of some 26,000 students should have ...

How much energy does it take to maintain a lie? Everyone knows the stories of how the layers of lies become more and more complex as the truth shines through and there is a desperate attempt to plug the holes, to strengthen the façade of the lies, before the entire lie comes crashing down and the truth becomes self evident. And yet, in our own lives, we strive desperately to maintain that which, deep down we know is a lie - the lie of our own image, of a story of personhood and deeply identifying with that person, that body, that mind - when all we have to do is STOP - just relax our hold and let it all collapse! Stop, for a moment. What is there? What and where are YOU? What is left is infinite Reality without the shaky structure of a personal you getting in the way. What is left is the joy of pure Presence...free from form or thought or ... So for this moment, stop and BE. And again for this moment... and this one... and this one...

Okay, so everything is this ocean of Oneness, and from this ocean 'you' arise as a wave. Got it! So now what? What do you mean? I mean, now that you're a wave, what do you do? I don't know. Just be a wave, I guess. Well, perhaps, but chances are it's more than that. Probably, one of two things will happen: Either you will go out or in. Explain please! If you're a wave, one of several billion, you're not going to see much. Nor are many other waves going to see you. So, you may want to get just a bit above the other waves - perhaps get a better perspective - be a little higher than the other waves. At first, it's innocent enough, but those other waves are growing too, also trying to see (and be seen) over the crowd. Aha! Like a competition!? Exactly. And you also need to defend your waveness from your competitors - all those other waves. But, no matter what you do, there are always bigger and better waves. Plus, there's always a feeling, perhaps even a...

Well, April 1st has passed and the teachings of Sri Lirpa Loof no longer apply (see the post for April 1st). If you didn't quite catch on, here are some hints: 1. In lirpa loof's tradition the capital is at the end of the name... lirpA looF, 2. That they consider all things to be REVERSE projections of reality. 3. And it only works on April 1st! (and if you still didn't get it, well, we'll just try again next year!) And what is the blessings of the geat spiritual lesson: Don't believe every piece of "spiritual" crap somebody feeds you - including (perhaps especially) ME!

Today is a very special day. There was once said to be a truly great and deeply enlightened sage in Tibet by the name of Sri Lirpa Loof. All matter of miracles were attributed to him and it was said that by meditating on his name one could remove great heaps of accumulated karma. However, if one truly wanted to achieve the ultimate goal of Absolute Enlightenment, they should spread the holy blessings of Lirpa Loof by loudly proclaiming to each person they meet today, "You and I and the great Lirpa Loof are all One! You are the great Lirpa Loof! And I, above all, am the great Lirpa Loof!" If one does this devotedly today, they are certain to receive the blessing of the greatest spiritual lesson. With the love and blessings of Sri Lirpa Loof.

I know I'm not always big on links and such, but I ran into these two and loved them both: The first is funny, but exceptionally true. For those of you who are apparently in my age bracket (or thereabouts) you remember when the "News" meant something. I confess that I first saw this link on Leno, who played this cartoon from JibJab, the makers of such comic satirical hits as "This Land". It's called, "What We Call The News" and the link is http://www.jibjab.com/what_we_call_the_news It is a hysterical yet sadly true commentary on what we call important news. Anyway, just something to enjoy! The second video is at the website: http://www.becomingme.com/ and is itself called Becoming Me, based on the children's book of the same name. It is a brief description of the author's idea of how all "This" came to be manifested, but reflects what most philosophies (and mystics) consider to be a 'True' understanding. But in any cas...

Two books have come across my desk (which is really the table next to my couch), but that I would like to recommend: The first is Byron Katie's new book, A Thousand Names for Joy. Using her husband, Stephen Mitchell's translation of the Tao Te Ching, Katie takes just a line or two from each of the 81 verses and then expresses her own recognition. Although she makes reference to her process, "The Work" and gives instructions in the back, this is primarily simply the beautiful expression of Pure Presence. The Second is Dennis Waite's new book, Back to the Truth: 5000 years of Advaita . If you are interested in a deep and rich understanding of classical Advaita (non-duality) this book is bound to become the classic. (And not just because he quoted us numerous times.) He differentiates the various paths of Advaita from it's Upanisadic origins up to the present day; extensively and clearly expresses the various aspects of Advaita; and backs it up with extensive qu...

For years I have spoken on, and written, about Self Inquiry, but I'd like to make a clearer distinction. There are two basic facets of Self Inquiry: 1. The direct recognition of Self, and 2. The letting go, or deconstructing of that which is NOT the Self, specifically, the beliefs. 1. The direct recognition can best be described through the teachings of Ramana (the inquiry "Who am I?) or Nisargadatta's abiding as 'I Am'. The consistent and continuous practice of these methods, point us directly at that which precedes our thoughts and beliefs. It is the discrimination between what is sat and asat, or real and unreal, or permanent and impermanent. The focus of attention is not on the objects of awareness, but on the recognition that You ARE the awareness itself, without bounds or constrictions - formless. Generally, in going through this process, we 'drop' into this recognition, realize our freedom, and for moments, hours, or even days, there is just what I...

Conditioning - subtle and pervasive. We can call it belief or ideas, mental constructs, habits, it really doesn't matter. The point is that it appears to be there, points upon which we fixate. We believe we ARE or we are NOT enlightened. We believe that there can only be one or ten or fifty enlightened people on the planet at any given time. We believe that everyone is already enlightened. It doesn't really matter what the fixation, whether it is a 'good' one or a 'bad' one - in some way it is still holding us to an angle of vision, a perspective. The question is, "Who the hell said it had to be this way or that way???" People are constantly quoting someone or some scripture to me to prove their point, as if I give a damn! Sure, I love quotes as much or more than the next person. I collect them like stamps or coins, but I also recognize that they give a flavor, they point a direction. I never take them as unalterable Truths. "It takes three mill...

"The mind & body happen to you because you find them interesting." - Nisargadatta Maharaja I saw this quote and loved it. It doesn't matter how you find it interesting - it's just that it is more interesting than the alternative: the emptiness. So when it comes to the body, and particularly, when it comes to the mind, it doesn't matter if we hate it, or love it, or love to hate it, or hate to love it, or, well, you catch the drift, it's downright interesting. We'll look at every aspect of it. We will analyze it until we're blue in the face. But let it go? Ignore it? Inquire what precedes it? These are not our first choice. I once heard an interview on the radio with Fred Rogers...you remember him, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. In this interview, he was pointing out how powerful silence is, and how we have an aversion to it. He then proceeded to stop talking for only about 10 seconds, but it was the longest 10 seconds I had ever heard (or not heard)...

The title above really says it all, but it recently popped into my head, and I rememer singing this song (Me and My Bobby McGee) and that wonderful line - "Freedom's just another name for nothing left to lose." These days, however, most people think of freedom as nothing more to gain - in other words, that freedom comes through getting more and not losing everything. Freedom (Enlightenment) comes not by gaining, but by losing everything that is personal, or rather the personal identification with it. There's a wonderful story in Yoga Vasistha where a king goes to the forest to renounce everything. He becomes more and more austere, giving up his hut, his clothes, eating less and less (all the suggestion of his teacher) who keeps saying "Renounce more, renounce more". Finally he can think of nothing else to renounce. The teacher says to him, "You have failed to renounce the one thing that really needs to be renounced - your mind." You see, it is the...

How long can you rest as 'I Am'? Perhaps you'd like to take a moment to try it now...simply resting as that sense of I-Am-ness. Go ahead...I'll wait........... Well? How did you do? Judgments perhaps? There are always two things happening: 1. Is the actual thing happening, and 2. Is the story about what's happening. The problem is that we normally focus on the story about what is happening. This even includes our thoughts. So, for instance, in the exercise above, you may have had thoughts, and then you proceeded to have numerous thoughts ABOUT those thoughts. So, like anything, there are two things happening...in this case, the first is that there are thoughts that are happening, and then we proceed to feed those thoughts by having thoughts ABOUT the thoughts. These initial thoughts are generally harmless. They simply arise, like the sun. But because we impart supreme importance to our thoughts, we then judge them, or believe them, or chase after them, or rational...