There is the misconception that it is possible to find happiness through the small self and its dealings without recognition of Source. To discover the eternally existing peace of Source, transcending the editor of the ego is in order. Without doing so, one is seemingly trapped in a world of appearances, in a world that forever complies with “what goes up, must come down”. One literally cannot get off the roller coaster that entangles one in the mundane world without looking to Source. To transcend this roller coaster by transcending the editor of the story is to recognize already existing peace.
Letting go of the editorial eye
I may look and act like a body, yet, I am not just a body. I appear to be functioning as a body, yet, I am aware that what I truly am goes far beyond the material.
From Discovery of the Presence of God by Dr David R Hawkins pg 163 re: contextualizing the appearance of decision making (when the spiritual student is innately aware there is no doer or planner and action is sourced from within):
“In decision-making, it’s best to be aligned with context and the field instead of content. It is difficult at times to differentiate sacrifice from service. Consciousness at the level of awareness/witness/observer is free of involvement. If perfected, however, at a later time it may allow re-participation because of non-involvement consequent to surrender of attachments, attractions or aversions. Actions may also represent karmic propensities, and the same course of action may actually have very different meanings and consequences in different individuals at different times and circumstances. Therefore, there is no supposed ‘spiritual’ way to be or attitudes to have about worldly events, as there are multiple options.”
No “body” gets enlightened
Several years ago, I chose enlightenment as my number one goal in life. The thought was, “I want to be enlightened”. When the statement was made, it was an ego desire, driven by the intellect of a tortured mind. I wanted to be free of myself.
I sought to transcend the programming I received as a young child, and the resulting belief systems – in the beginning, mind said, “I can do this”. I sought to exist in space without looping, powerless thoughts; I sought to exist as pure awareness, so I could recognize the divinity of all that is. I sought to be free from imprisonment by beauty’s opposites of sin and suffering. I sought not religion; I sought only peace. The heart said, “we can do this”.
In the seeking of peace as being something I had to strive for, to “get” in the form of a consumable, I was faced with karma, with the opposite of peace. I was faced with the war between truth and falsehood that is ongoing for the material mind, and is always breaking the material heart. There was the discovery that no ‘body’ ever becomes enlightened; rather it’s like a return to the original state of consciousness that is devoid of programming, perhaps akin to returning to the potential of a clean hard drive with no software installed. It isn’t always pretty, but all is surrendered, nothing is worthy of a permanent installation, because no body is ever enlightened. Via letting go of the old error ridden programs and the conscious abstinence from installing new ones – perception – no longer necessary – dissolves, and the original peaceful state reigns.
On releasing content to align with Context via Self-Inquiry
Identifying with a body and a mind means that along with awareness of the witness one is subject to the editorial eye of perception and it is that eye that constantly describes events, conditions, emotions, etc.
Perception analyzes the body’s actions by way of the mind’s thoughts and determines either personal credit or blame after the event has already occurred of its own accord (events being sourced by millions of variables the mind cannot possibly be aware of).
Judgment serves as a basic axiom (leveraging tool) upon which the human editor and interpreter of both cosmic and personal events, the ego, rests. Judgment is typically the first thought to arise upon waking in the morning. The previous night’s sleep is judged, the new day’s weather is judged, the internal state is judged, the day of the week is judged, one’s actions (and the actions of everyone around a person) yesterday are recalled and judged, one judges pretty much every thing that comes to mind. Once a judgment has been made, then action is taken. “Action follows thought”; judgment reinforces or redirects the doer, but never releases the attention of the mind.
On the path to enlightenment, the first thing obstructing the way is judgment. There is a sense of “How can I, a spiritual person by definition, be so judgmental?”
It is because judgment is the axiom upon which the mind relies to process information and determine whether it is ‘good’ or ‘bad’. The mind is in an ongoing state of judging content worthy or not worthy, likable or not likable. Judgment can be a helpful tool when it’s applied to the basics, when it’s a matter of common sense.
Otherwise, judgement serves no real purpose other than to keep one entangled in the mundane. One is constantly caught up in categorizing and analyzing events and conditions as if the mind actually can determine cause and effect, when the mind cannot actually determine cause and effect (as the mind is limited by the senses and cannot determine which variables are factors in an event and which are not), and this blocks peace and joy of the witness of awareness itself from experiential reality.
The enlightened view, on the other hand, that of the witness/observer/awareness, witnesses the event as it occurs; there is no separation between consciousness and events, there is no judgment, no “I can’t believe that just happened” as one identifies with the nonlinear field (context) vs content.
With perception though, via the ego editor (that which ‘tells the story’), there is a delay between when the witness records the event and when the ego editor of the mind perceives the event and begins to play it back within its own frame of reference for mental assessment. It is that silent delay, when noted without the judgment of perception, that frees the peaceful, non-involved witness from the editor and allows the mind to simply observe. With self-inquiry and intention to let go of the ego’s constant edification of content, the karma wheel of constant judging can be noticed and surrendered to the greater will.
To see the enlightened view it takes some inquiry into the Self with a capital “S” vs identification with the small self or ego and it’s perceived content. Simply notice the gap before perception kicks in and surrender the content. When the ego starts to spin a version of what just happened, instead of paying it attention, just let it go.
Context is not dependent on content
Whenever a spiritual student looks to the mind or body of a teacher of enlightenment for peace vs actively following the instructions for self-inquiry, they are most assuredly missing the point. The point of teaching enlightenment by definition is describing how to recognize the state and showing interested parties how to go about self-inquiry in order to realize the state for themselves.
Self-inquiry is teachable by example and it’s very simple (no complicated actions needed). The role of the spiritual teacher is not intended to show off the mind or the body, because peace is not dependent on form.
Dr David R Hawkins – simple instructions for spotting the opening for Self-Realization
Enlightened Smoothie
Another of the spiritual techniques I learned from Dr David R Hawkins MD PhD is how to surrender the ego editor and its perception of content to the presence of God or Context/Peace in the midst of physical pain, emotional trauma, or the experience of fear/anxiety.
The technique is simple and it brings immense relief; when the sensation is occurring, instead of fighting it, one asks for more of it and sits with it until it passes. Surrender is all about letting go of resistance and the compulsion to editorialize experience. Surrender works because resistance is the source of tension, and the presence of Love is the nonlinear source of relaxation (peace).
I was sitting at McDonald’s with two of my daughters. I’d ordered an iced Chai smoothie tea drink and I was really looking forward to it. It was my second one and I’d really enjoyed the first. I took a big sip of it and swallowed it fast.
Sudden freeze brain sensation right smack between the eyes.
INTENSE freeze brain sensation.
Not subsiding, getting WORSE and WORSE – sweat breaking out, urge to run around screaming –
Give me more of it, then. Sitting with it. It gets really, really bad – as bad as it can, all at once and then
Poof.
Completely gone.
And sensation-wise in it’s place was its physiological opposite – one goes from being in intense pain, to suddenly feeling like being on heroin. Instead of the fight or flight response that comes with resistance to sensation/content, surrender to God/Context triggers a natural cascade of endorphin.
Darcie French 