“I think, therefore I am” – Rene Descartes
or…?
I think, therefore, I think I am.
Around here people automatically greet with: “How are you.”
In theory it is a question – in fact it is an automatic cliché.
They don’t listen for the reply, they are so focussed on themselves, even if you don’t
reply they continue the conversation as though you had replied.
Interesting question though – ‘How are you?’
Better still, ‘Who are you?’ – in this very moment.
‘Who Am I’ is a classic Eastern technique.
Here in the West we don’t really understand the technique.
‘Who Am I’ seems to be an every moment awareness.
And as far as I have got so far, there isn’t an answer, or even an experience.
What we call the moment – has gone already – and who we were in that moment has
gone with it. Just asking the question changes reality, and just attempting to answer
also changes reality. All is change – to moment moment. Wonderful.
I know many spiritual teachers do explain what is Enlightenment. Some seem to have
had an experience, and some just read about it. After having an awakening experience the
feeling is: ‘this Is It.’ In my experience there seems to be endless ‘Its’ – levels and levels until
– the unexplainable. “The truth cannot be said, and if it is said it is not the truth.” Lao Tzu.
And I find it fun attempting to explain what is called the unexplainable.
Although it is true that it seems it cannot be said, just attempting to say it does seem to remind
some people of what they already know.
And how do I know ‘this Is It’? I don’t. Every time I have had a realisation there seems to
come another level. Until – and that is so unexplainable I have not been able to explain it to
what I call myself. That is why I resonate with Loa Tzu: “Everyone seems so certain, and I walk
as though upon thin ice.” When anyone says they are sure, I am not sure about their surety.
Especially my own. But of course I do not know that!
Some teachers seem to indicate that this reality is Maya – illusion, and ‘the other state’ is real.
Duality? In my experience, so far anyway, everything is real. Everything has its own reality.
When I sit and just be with what we call reality it does seem to have what we could call
‘different levels.’ Not an accurate description, but we will use it for now. The tree is a ‘something’
tree. Then it is just a tree. Then the tree-ness starts to dissolve into a circular movement. Then
into a transparent shimmering. Then it dissolves into the vibration of everything else and all
become one vibration. Then… I think the watcher disappears into the same vibration – but
I am not sure as everything seems to fade.
So a balance. Being here with what seems to be here, and being open to the possibility that there
may be another depth – to everything – including ourselves.
It does seem pretty certain to me that we do project what we think is reality.
Event though science is now telling us, very clearly otherwise, the majority of us still believe
what we are seeing is all that there is.
As I have found, so far, everything has a consciousness. It may not be in the same form as ours
– we have become very evolved, and still, there seems to be depths and depths – to everyone and
everything. Especially ourselves.
To me, the most exciting adventure we can be on (and are no – whether we realise it or not) is
ourselves. For the maximum potential of the adventure – every moment unconditional awareness;
not taking anything too seriously; and having what we find is fun.