existential anguish

 

source

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We are supposed to be upbeat and full of optimism about how wonderful this world can be once we are liberated from all outer and inner bondage. And it probably can indeed be wonderful, but is that the point? How can I be released from bondage if I am not ready to face reality?

So what is reality? First of all it is the fact of Eternity with a capital “E”. This has all been going on for millions and billions and quadrillions of time. It did not start and there is no way it can end. 

off the trail

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I was drawn to a spot off the trail. Now, mid-July, the tall grasses are drying and it is easier to walk. The spot was not many yards off the trail and was pleasant as it was partly shaded. As I sat my thoughts settled and my mind was void and free of all effort. My body was at ease resting on the dried clay earthen surface.

I noticed the usual slight discomfort when siting without a cushion was absent. There was a sense of being “off the track” as a train might be on a waiting track, or so-called ‘siding’. I was off the main ‘trail’ of my conditioned consciousness: there was no content rising in the mind – there was only the living forest I was in the midst of, sitting on the earth. 

What the Self looks like…

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“The Self looks like the world.

But this is just an illusion.”

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My Comment:

Eckhart Tolle introduced me to the Ashtavakra Geeta, (a Hindu scripture that dates from ca. 400 BCE)  when he read some excerpts on Eckhart Tolle TV. He pointed out some of the basic concepts in this scripture that could be useful for those wanting to examine their conditioned  way of thinking. I find it helps to align my own thoughts with those expressed in the Ashtavakra Geeta as a way of divorcing myself from the illusion created by our upbringing and the current dominant culture in the world.

When revisiting this text today I am struck especially by the line:
“The Self looks like the world.” The thought form that I am used to is ‘The world is actually the Self but we don’t recognize It because of the veils to our consciousness.’ To state that the Self looks like the world strikes me as much more direct. It says that I am actually always looking at the Self when I look at the world!

Here are a few verses from this scripture and a link at the bottom to access a PDF of the full text.

Enjoy!

The Heart of Awareness – The Ashtavakra Geeta

Dear Friends,

I bring to you today chapter one (of twenty chapters) of a classic enlightenment text: The Heart of Awareness – in Sanskrit the Ashtavakra Geeta.

This text was recommended to me by Eckhart Tolle, the author of The Power of Now and The New Earth.