Here	again,	there	is	no	entity	that	is	doing	thinking;	neither	is	there	a
witness	behind	witnessing. Witnessing	is	an	impersonal,	inborn	aspect	and
characteristic	of	consciousness	itself. One	can	retreat	from	involvement	with
the	content	of	thought	and	choose	to	adopt	the	point	of	view	of	observing	or
witnessing. To	be	proficient,	this	does	take	some	practice. To	get	a	feel	for	it,
one	can	practice	watching	out	the	window	of	a	car	by	fixing	one’s	gaze
through	a	specific	spot	on	the	window;	the	focus	is	then	no	longer	on	each
object	specifically	but	on	an	imaginary	slit	through	which	objects	seem	tostream	by,	and	as	a	result,	one	cannot	with	certainty	identify	each	object
because	one	does	not	focus	upon	them	individually. Witnessing	or	observing	does	not	focus	on	any	idea	or	image	but	allows
them	to	flow	by	without	involvement. One	then	realizes	that	the	thought
images	are	occurring	spontaneously	and	the	thoughts	are	not	choices	made	by
personal	decision	but	that	the	thought	stream	is	impersonal. The	thoughts	are
not	‘mine’	as	there	is	no	‘me’	involved. As	the	physical	eye	sees	images,	it
does	not	claim	authorship	of	the	images	nor	does	the	ear	claim	authorship	of
sound. Therefore,	with	some	experience	with	witnessing	and	pure	observing,
it	also	becomes	apparent	that	the	thoughts	are	not	authored	by	a	unique
personage	called	‘I’. They	are	the	result	of	combinations	and	permutations	of
ideational	and	emotional	programs	that	are	playing	on	the	game	board. The
realization	that	the	mind	is	not	the	same	as	‘I’	or	‘me’	breaks	the	identification
of	the	self	with	the	mind. This	realization	also	extrapolates	to	the	body	as	one	realizes	that	one	is
merely	the	witness,	experiencer,	and	observer	of	sensation. One	does	not
actually	experience	the	body	but	only	the	senses. Proximate	to	witnessing	or	observing	is	experiencing. There	is	witnessing
and	observation,	and	then	there	is	the	experiencing	or	that	which	is	witnessed
and	observed. By	moving	the	point	of	observation	from	what	is	being
witnessed	to	that	of	witnessing,	the	next	step	into	the	field	of	consciousness	is
awareness	of	experiencing. Is	experiencing	done	by	a	‘who’	or	by	a	‘what’? One	will,	by	observation,	discover	that	‘something’	rather	than	‘someone’
is	functioning	as	the	impersonal	experiencer	and	observer,	which	is
unchanged	and	unaffected	by	the	content	of	that	which	is	being	experienced,
observed,	or	witnessed. The	next	thing	to	notice	is	that	the	content	of	mind	is	form. For	form	to	be
observable,	it	must	occur	against	a	background	of	nonform. Analogously,
objects	are	visible	only	in	space	because	space	is	empty	and	without	form. Similarly,	one	can	only	hear	sound	against	a	background	of	silence. The	use
of	white	sound	to	blank	out	speech	is	an	obvious	example. Because
consciousness	is	formless	and	devoid	of	content,	it	is	able	to	recognize	form. Thoughts	are	only	discernible	if	they	move	in	a	field	of	non-thought. The
background	of	the	mind	is	therefore	the	silence	of	the	field	of	consciousness
itself. In	turn,	consciousness,	which	is	a	field	of	potential	energy,	is	detectable
because	it	is	illuminated	by	the	light	of	awareness,	which	is	the	Self. Meditation:	Observation	of	The	Mind’s	Stream	of	Consciousness
IntentionalThe	stream	of	thought	is	propagated	and	energized	by	layers	of	motives
and	intentions	that	can	be	identified	as	follows:
1. The	desire	to	language	emotions:
This	takes	the	form	of	recall,	rehearsing,	and	repetitious	processing	of
events	and	ideas	that	are	linked	to	emotions. This	process	is	sometimes
referred	to	as	the	mind	working	through	its	failings. 2. Anticipation:	Making	plans	for	expected	or	possible	future	events	or
possible	conversations	or	encounters. 3. Rehashing	the	past. 4. Rewriting	scenarios,	real	or	imaginary. 5. Creating	imaginary	scenarios—daydreams. 6. Remembering—reruns	and	recalling. 7. Solving	problems. Unintentional
1. Unasked	repetitions	of	the	above. 2. Senseless	ramblings,	phrases,	fragments	of	mentations,	background	voices,
and	music. 3. Commentary. 4. Dysphoric	memories,	painful	moments,	unpleasant	events	and	feelings. Silencing	the	Mind;	Going	Beyond	It
Motives
One	can	observe	that	the	mind	gains	satisfaction	from	its	musings	and
thought	processing. Pleasure	results	from	thinking	and	the	function	of	‘doing
something,’	e.	g.,	“Don’t	bother	me;	I’m	thinking.”	Part	of	the	pleasure	of
doing	something	is	the	illusion	that	one	is	accomplishing	some	goal,	creating
solutions	by	rehearsal	and	planning,	righting	imaginary	wrongs,	or	giving
other	people	a	piece	of	one’s	mind. There	is,	therefore,	the	motive	of
reworking	one’s	life	and	its	history	into	a	more	favorable	and	satisfying
picture	that	reflects	more	favorably. There	is	an	attempt	to	restore	self-esteem
and	increase	one’s	capacity	to	survive. The	basic	intentions	of	ordinary
mental	activity	are	(1)	to	feel	better,	and	(2)	to	survive. The	Formation	Of	Thought
To	accomplish	the	objectives,	it	can	be	observed	that	the	mind	is	primarily
concerned	with	its	own	moment-to-moment	operation	with	the	control	of	the
next	instant;	it	is	endlessly	poised	in	anticipation	of	being	on	top	of	the	nextsplit	second,	and	it	tries	to	monitor	each	succeeding	instant	of	experiencing. This	core	intention	underlies	all	the	forms	that	mental	processing	can	take,
and	it	is	ever	present. It	lies	just	beneath	the	surface	of	the	content	of	thought
itself. Its	motive	is	the	survival	and	perpetuation	of	its	own	functioning. The
mind	seems	to	have	a	fear	that	it	will	disappear	if	it	is	silent	for	even	a
moment. (Most	people	drown	out	silence	with	background	music	and
conversation.) To	quiet	the	mind,	certain	motives	have	to	be	surrendered	and
relinquished	to	God:
1. The	desire	to	think. 2. The	desire	for	the	pleasure	of	thinking. 3. The	comfort	of	the	guarantee	of	the	continuation	of	one’s	existence. It	is	not	recommended	to	try	to	stop	thought	by	an	act	of	the	will	as	that
merely	perpetuates	the	mind	by	forcing	it	to	continue	to	will	its	own	stoppage. A	more	effective	technique	is	to	let	go	of	the	wanting	to	think	and	the
imaginary	rewards	or	benefits	that	one’s	thinkingness	would	presumably
bring	about. There	is	actually	no	personal	entity	behind	the	thoughts. They	are
selfmotivated	out	of	habits. Thoughts	actually	serve	mere	convenience	but	not
survival	because	when	the	mind	becomes	silent,	life	goes	on	joyously	without
them. As	one	approaches	surrendering	the	mind,	one	will	first	notice	that	the
mind	is	creating	stories	and	lengthy	scenarios. Its	desire	to	do	this	can	be
surrendered. Then	the	mind	talks	in	shorter	paragraphs	and	then	in	shorter
sentences,	phrases,	and	word	groupings. Underneath	whatever	form	the
thoughts	take,	irrespective	of	the	thought	content	or	images,	there	is	the	same
motive	for	the	desire	for	self-propagation	and	thinkingness	directed	toward
controlling	and	anticipating	the	experience	of	the	next	instant. Thoughts	take	on	increasing	detail	of	form	as	they	emerge	from	a	more
diffuse	
anlage
	that	arises	out	of	the	energy	field	that	supports	and	propagates
thought. As	one	focuses	on	letting	go	of	the	motives	behind	thinkingness,	it	is
possible	to	catch	the	thoughts	as	they	are	in	the	very	process	of	formation. This	thought-form	matrix	can	be	detected	in	the	split	second	just	preceding
the	formation	of	a	specific	thought. This	matrix	is	the	locale	of	the	subtle
pressure	behind	thought	production. Surrendering	this	intention	results	in	the
cessation	of	thought. In	the	silence	that	ensues,	the	stillness	of	the	Presence
prevails	as	All	That	Is. The	divinity	of	its	Essence	radiates	forth	as	the
formlessness	behind	all	form	in	exquisite	perfection	beyond	all	time	and
space.The	letting	go	of	thinkingness	is	facilitated	by	the	awareness	from	the
spiritual	viewpoint	that	all	thoughts	are	vanities	with	no	intrinsic	reality	or
value. Their	attraction	stems	from	the	exaggerated	value	that	accrues	from
their	being	considered	as	‘mine’	and	therefore	special,	worthy	of	respect,
admiration,	or	careful	preservation. To	undo	the	grip	of	the	mind	requires	a
radical	humility	and	an	intense	willingness	to	surrender	its	underlying
motivations. This	willingness	receives	energy	and	power	from	the	willingness
that	arises	from	the	love	of	God	and	the	passion	for	surrendering	love	of
thought	for	love	of	God. One	reluctance	to	letting	go	of	thought	is	the	illusory	identification	of	the
thoughts	not	only	as	‘mine’	but	also	as	being	the	‘me’. The	mind	tends	to	be
proud	of	its	thoughts	as	though	it	were	preserving	a	great	treasure. It	is	helpful
to	realize	that	the	Self	is	comparable	to	the	hardware	or	the	main	frame	of	a
computer,	and	the	thoughts	are	really	just	on	the	software	as	replaceable
programs	of	external	origin. Of	all	the	programs,	opinions	are	often	highly	valued,	although	when
looked	at	critically,	opinions	are	basically	worthless. Every	mind	has	endless
opinions	on	everything,	even	it	if	knows	nothing	at	all	about	the	subject. All
opinions	are	vanities	with	no	intrinsic	value	and	are	actually	the	result	of
ignorance. Opinions	are	dangerous	to	their	owners	because	they	are
emotionally	charged	triggers	for	dissent,	strife,	argument,	and	positionality. One	cannot	hold	to	an	opinion	and	at	the	same	time	transcend	the	opposites. The	undoing	of	opinion	is	facilitated	by	humility;	when	the	mind	penetrates
through	its	own	self-infatuation,	it	discerns	that	it	is	not	actually	capable	of
knowing	anything	in	the	true	sense	of	what	knowing	actually	means. The
mind	has	only	information	and	imaginations	about	anything;	it	cannot
actually	‘know’	because	to	know	is	to	be	that	which	is	known. All	else	is	only
speculation	and	supposition. When	the	mind	is	transcended,	there	is	nothing
to	know	because,	in	reality,	the	Self	is	All	That	Is. There	is	nothing	left	out	to
ask	about. That	which	is	complete	lacks	nothing,	and	that	completion	is	self-
evident	in	its	Allness. The	letting	go	of	all	pretensions	to	knowledge	or	of	knowing	about
anything	is	a	great	relief	and	is	experienced	as	a	tremendous	benefit	instead	of
as	a	loss	as	one	had	feared. One	had	been,	without	knowing	it,	in	bondage	to
the	content,	and	therefore	the	release	from	mind	is	accompanied	by	a
profound	sense	of	peace	and	absolute	security. When	this	occurs,	one	is
finally	profoundly	at	home	at	last,	with	no	doubts	remaining. There	is	nothing
more	to	be	gained,	nothing	that	needs	to	be	accomplished	or	thought. Its
finality	is	absolute,	profound,	motionless,	and	still. The	endless	nuisance	of
desires	and	wants	and	pressure	of	time	have	come	to	a	final	end	and	theirhollowness	stands	revealed. Positionality
As	positionality	ceases,	one	becomes	aware	that	it	was	the	source	of	all
prior	miseries,	fears,	and	unhappiness	and	that	every	positionality	is
inherently	in	error. All	positions	that	were	held	can	be	forgiven. Because	of
programming	and	context,	they	sounded	like	a	good	idea	at	the	time. All	such
ideas	were	based	on	the	same	erroneous	notion	that,	in	some	way,	they	served
to	propagate	the	survival	of	a	separate,	independent	ego/self	identity. Actually,	when	it	disappears,	no	loss	is	possible	and	no	gain	is	necessary. It
was	illusion	itself	that	was	the	actual	cause	of	endless	pain	and	suffering. By	its	very	nature,	structure,	and	qualities,	the	false	ego/self	is	not	capable
of	realizing	peace	or	true	happiness. At	best,	it	experiences	pleasure,	which	is
based	on	conditions	whose	loss	brings	about	grief	and	the	return	of
unhappiness. In	the	end,	it	will	be	found	that	the	sacrifice	of	letting	go	of	the
mind	is	actually	the	greatest	gift	one	can	receive. The	reward	so	greatly
exceeds	any	expectations	one	could	have	had	that	it	is	not	explicable. As	the
ego	dissolves	and	the	mind	loses	its	insatiable	grip	on	one’s	sense	of	identity,
some	new	fears	arise. Without	a	mind	to	ensure	survival,	how	will	the	‘I’
survive	and	life	go	on? How	will	dinner	get	made	if	I	don’t	plan	for	it? How
will	the	necessities	of	life	be	met? Isn’t	the	ego/mind	necessary	for	survival? All	these	questions	are	based	on	the	limitations	of	the	ego/mind’s	concepts
of	causality. These	in	turn	are	based	on	the	imagined	duality	that	there	is	a
thought-self	identity	which,	by	its	thoughts	and	desires,	causes	things	to
happen	through	actions. A	‘that’	is	said	to	occur	as	a	result	of	a	‘this’	in	the
world. There	is,	therefore,	an	illusory	separation	between	cause	and	effect,
between	a	separate	‘I’	and	an	event	in	the	world	caused	by	this	‘I’s’	plans	and
ideations. Therefore,	if	it	is	believed	that	if	there	are	no	ego/mind’s	thoughts
to	cause	anything	to	happen,	how	will	survival	be	supported? This	is	the
source	of	much	fear,	insecurity,	and	raging	anger	when	obstructions	to	plans
appear	and	threaten	this	imaginary	survival	mechanism. In	serious	spiritual	work,	it	is	necessary	to	have	a	few	simple	basic	tools
that	are	absolutely	dependable	and	safe	to	rely	on	in	order	to	walk	through
fear	and	uncertainty. One	basic	truth	that	is	of	inestimable	value	and
usefulness	is	the	dictum	that	all	fear	is	fallacious	and	not	based	on	truth. Fear
is	overcome	by	walking	directly	into	it	until	one	breaks	through	to	the	joy	that
the	fear	is	blocking. The	joy	that	follows	facing	any	spiritual	fear	comes	from
the	discovery	that	it	was	merely	an	illusion	without	basis	or	reality. The	ego/mind	is	limited	to	the	Newtonian	paradigm	of	reality	and	is	notcapable	of	really	understanding	the	nature	of	life	itself. In	reality,	everything
occurs	of	its	own,	with	no	exterior	cause. Every	thing	and	every	event	is	a
manifestation	of	the	totality	of	All	That	Is,	just	as	it	is	at	any	given	moment. Once	seen	in	its	totality,	everything	is	perfect	at	all	times	and	nothing	needs
an	external	cause	to	change	it	in	any	way. From	the	viewpoint	of	the	ego’s
positionality	and	limited	scope,	the	world	seems	to	need	endless	fixing	and
correction. This	illusion	collapses	as	a	vanity. In	Reality,	everything	is	automatically	manifesting	the	inherent	destiny	of
its	essence;	it	doesn’t	need	any	external	help	to	do	this. With	humility,	one
can	relinquish	the	ego’s	self-appointed	role	as	savior	of	the	world	and
surrender	it	straight	to	God. The	world	that	the	ego	pictures	is	a	projection	of
its	own	illusions	and	arbitrary	positionalities. No	such	world	exists. Another	source	of	hesitation	when	doing	spiritual	work	occurs	because
there	seems	to	be	a	transitory	conflict	between	customary	social	attitudes	and
the	work	of	spiritual	evolution. Out	of	habit,	there	is	claim	to	sets	of	beliefs
and	values	that	derive	from	customary	values,	expectations,	and
programming. These	are	believed	to	be	of	value	to	oneself	and	society,	and
there	may	be	some	reluctance	to	relinquish	them. For	example,	one	may	feel
guilt	over	abandoning	cherished,	mechanistic,	or	religious	convictions	or
good-person	programming	held	to	be	ideals. To	move	through	these	sources
of	conflict,	it	is	useful	to	remember	that	the	spiritual	journey	requires	the
relinquishing	of	all	beliefs	and	attitudes	in	order	to	create	space	‘for	Reality	to
shine	forth’. The	emphasis	on	and	expectations	of	one’s	efforts	shift	from	the	expected
and	the	mundane	to	what	appear	at	first	to	be	exceptional	and	unusual. There
is	a	temporary	abandonment	of	what	was	fantasized	to	be	of	value	to	society. What	were	thought	to	be	crucially	important	viewpoints	are	seen	to	be
impertinent	presumptions	and	hollow	rhetoric. The	relinquishment	of	pet
slogans	reveals	them	to	be	primarily	forms	of	operational	propaganda	with
hidden	motives	to	control	others	and	influence	their	minds. With	humility	comes	the	willingness	to	stop	trying	to	control	or	change
other	people	or	life	situations	or	events	ostensibly	‘for	their	own	good’. To	be
a	committed	spiritual	seeker,	it	is	necessary	to	relinquish	the	desire	to	be
‘right’	or	of	imaginary	value	to	society. In	fact,	nobody’s	ego	or	belief
systems	is	of	any	value	to	society	at	all. The	world	is	neither	good	nor	bad	nor
defective,	nor	is	it	in	need	of	help	or	modification	because	its	appearance	is
only	a	projection	of	one’s	own	mind. No	such	world	exists. Another	habit	of	the	mind	that	creates	temporary	obstacles	is	the	frequent
use	of	the	hypothetical	as	a	source	for	argument	and	doubt. It	is	always
possible	for	the	intellect	to	construct	an	imaginary	set	of	concepts	in	such	away	to	refute	anything. The	unconscious	purpose	of	the	hypothetical	position
is	always	the	vanity	of	being	‘right’	and	refuting	some	other	point	of	view. The	hypothetical	has	no	validity	and	no	existence	in	reality. The	‘what	if	’
never	has	to	be	addressed	in	spiritual	work	inasmuch	as	it	is	a	spurious
product	of	imagination	and	languaging	whose	motive	is	self-justification	of	a
positionality. The	consciousness	level	of	intellectualization	calibrates	in	the	400s,which
is	useful	in	the	physical	world	of	human	endeavor	but	a	limitation	and	a	great
barrier	to	enlightenment. The	intellect	itself	is	a	great	limitation,	and	the
greatest	geniuses	of	science	and	the	intellect	all	calibrate	at	approximately
499.That	is	as	far	as	the	intellect	can	go	due	to	the	limitations	set	by	its
context	of	reality. To	go	beyond	that	limit	requires	a	greater	context	and	takes
one	into	noncausality,	nonduality,	and	the	nonlinear	and	non-Newtonian
dimensions	of	thought	and	understanding. It	is	necessary	to	see	that	everything	is	what	it	is	as	a	consequence	of	the
entire	universe’s	being	what	it	is	in	its	totality	throughout	all	time. Every
‘thing’	we	think	we	see	is,	in	itself,	perfect,	total,	and	an	expression	of	the
entire	universe. At	most,	the	intellect	could	merely	grasp	this	as	an	idea	but
not	experience	the	actual	truth	of	it. Even	if	the	ego	could	comprehend
totality,	it	would	still	speak	of	its	perception	of	an	event	and	not	comprehend
its	own	existence. It	is	helpful	to	realize	that	nothing	can	be	described	or
experienced	except	from	outside	itself. All	descriptions,	no	matter	how
elegant,	are	nothing	more	than	perceptual	measurements	and	definitions	of
imputed	qualities	that	have	no	self-existence. Nothing	is	as	it	can	be	described;
	therefore,	all	descriptions	are	of	what	a
thing	is	not. The	realization	of	absolute	reality	and	truth	is	the	greatest	gift
that	one	can	be	to	the	world	and	all	humanity. Spiritual	work,	in	its	essence,	is
therefore	a	selfless	service	and	surrender	to	the	Will	of	God. As	one’s
awareness	increases,	the	power	of	that	field	of	consciousness	increases
exponentially	in	logarithmic	expansion,	and	that,	in	and	of	itself,
accomplishes	more	than	all	effort	or	attempts	at	relieving	the	suffering	of	the
world. All	such	efforts	are	futile	because	they	are	necessarily	misguided	by
the	falsifications	and	illusions	of	the	perceptual	function	of	the	ego	itself. The	Impersonality	of	The	Ego
While	there	is	a	belief	in	a	singular	‘me’	or	‘my’,	it	seems	as	though	one	is
sacrificing	by	letting	go	of	the	ego/mind. It	is	viewed	as	a	sacrifice	because	it
is	thought	to	be	something	unique	and	precious	because	it	is	personal. It	is
helpful	to	realize	that	the	ego	is	impersonal;	it	is	not	unique	at	all. Everybody’s	innate	ego	operates	about	the	same	as	that	of	everybody	else.Unless	modified	by	spiritual	evolution,	all	ego/selves	are	self-serving,
egotistical,	vain,	misinformed,	and	committed	to	endless	gain	in	all	its
customary	forms,	such	as	moralistic	superiority,	possessions,	fame,	wealth,
adulation,	and	control. Because	of	its	positionality,	everybody’s	ego	results	in	guilt,	shame,
greed,	pride,	anger,	rage,	envy,	jealousy,	hatred,	etc. Because	the	ego	is
constructed	of	positionalities,	it	has	no	option	to	be	anything	else	than	what	it
is. It	therefore	becomes	an	inescapable	source	of	endless	suffering	and	loss. Above	all	else,	it	fears	the	future	and	the	specter	of	death	itself,	which	is
intrinsic	to	the	ego’s	structure. What	the	ego	clings	to	most	is	its	conviction	of
its	own	existence	as	an	independent	reality. For	a	while,	the	ego	even	resorts
to	seeking	enlightenment	as	a	secret	means	of	securing	its	survival	unto
Eternity. By	this	slight	of	hand,	the	spiritual	ego	emerges	in	a	desperate	but
now	sophisticated	form	of	survival. Our	fantasies	about	our	reality	are	dear	to
us,	and	we	are	reluctant	to	relinquish	them. The	process	requires	both	courage
and	faith. To	let	go	of	the	known	for	the	unknown	requires	great	commitment,
willingness,	and	devotion	to	surrendering	one’s	faith	to	God. Causality
Certain	realizations	bring	about	major	leaps	in	consciousness	and	are
therefore	worth	repeating	because	they	are	often	comprehended	primarily
through	the	process	of	familiarity	rather	than	sequential	linear	logic. Progress
is	facilitated	by	letting	go	of	certain	limiting	but	strongly	held	belief	systems
that	themselves	are	positionalities. In	Reality,	nothing	is	‘causing’	anything	else. Everything	is	the	expression	of
its	own	essence	and	is	self-existent. Its	appearance	is	dependent	on	everything
else	in	the	universe	and	the	point	of	view	from	which	it	is	observed. Everything	is	actually	self-existence	in	its	reality	because	everything	is	part	of
All	That	Is	and	has	no	individual	parts,	separateness,	or	independent
existence. Inasmuch	as	it	is	not	separate	from	everything	else,	its	existence	as	it	is
requires	no	external	cause. That	which	appears	as	manifest	arises	directly	out
of	the	unmanifest	by	the	process	of	creation. It	does	not	arise	as	an	effect	of
something	else. There	is	no	‘else’,	and	only	in	duality	does	it	seem	to	require
an	explanation,	such	as	causality,	to	explain	what	appear	to	be	separate
events. Actually,	there	are	no	separate	events,	no	separate	things,	and	no
happenings	to	be	explained. The	Newtonian	paradigm	of	causality,	which	is	the	main	limitation	of	the
calibrated	level	of	the	400s,	postulates	a	mysterious	process	called	‘causality’. If	we	watch	and	closely	examine	sequences	of	events,	we	note	that	they	areactually	sequences	of	appearances. They	are	created	by	an	arbitrary	selection
of	a	beginning	and	an	end	in	time	or	space. Causality	is	an	abstract	concept,
and	like	all	abstractions,	has	no	intrinsic	reality. It	is	a	linguistic	concept
useful	in	the	physical	world	of	ordinary	activity. We	can	only	see	conditions. An	obvious	example	is	that	one	can	only	‘start	from	where	you	are’. We	could
say	that	the	prerequisites	for	‘events’	are	not	causes	but	certain	necessary
conditions. Even	intellectual	humility	requires	the	relinquishment	of
hypothetical	constructs	that	have	only	heuristic	value	as	linguistic
explanations. This	is	clear	from	the	child’s	question,	“Why	does	the	flower
turn	to	face	the	sun?”	‘Heliotropism’	is	the	explanation	given,	which	fulfills
the	question	but	which	is	really	a	non-answer. A	rhetorical	question	can	only
produce	a	rhetorical	answer. Because	the	mind	that	operates	out	of	the	paradigm	of	Newtonian
causality	has	no	means	of	discerning	truth	from	falsehood,	the	scientific	mind
substitutes	skepticism	or	even	cynicism	in	an	attempt	to	defend	itself	from
being	misled. All	kinds	of	devices	are	utilized	to	overcome	this	limitation,
including	elaborate	statistics	that	are	subcategorized	under	the	title	of
“Scientific	Method.”	This	results	in	so-called	double-blind	experiments	or
dependence	on	replicability	of	results,	implying	statistical	and	mathematical
criteria	that	become	self-reifying	with	causality	as	a	purported	operative
mechanism. From	nonlinear	dynamics,	however,	we	observe	that	it	is	out	of
sameness	that	difference	arises	or	all	of	Creation	would	be	at	a	standstill. It	is
out	of	a	hundred	million	generations	of	black	beetles	that	a	white	beetle
suddenly	emerges. The	blocks	of	skepticism	in	the	hypothetical	arguments	are	all	delays	to
spiritual	progress. Faith	implies	a	voluntary	suspension	of	disbelief,	which
supports	the	humility	that	underlies	all	spiritual	progress. Conviction	occurs
later	since	truth	is	self-revealing,	self-evident,	and	comes	about	as	an
effortless,	self-fulfilling	presentation. If	there	is	no	causality	and	nothing	is	causing	anything	else,	then	how	do
we	bring	about	desired	goals	or	changes? In	actuality,	there	is	the	setting	up	of
necessary	conditions	that,	by	historical	observation,	have	always	been
present. What	is	desired	is	the	witnessing	of	a	sequence;	then	causality	is
implied	as	operating	through	that	sequence. When	observed	closely,	it	will	be	realized	that	sequence	itself,	like
heliotropism,	is	merely	an	intellectual	construct. There	is	neither	a	sequence
nor	a	happening	but,	instead,	successive	points	of	observation	on	an
imaginary	time	scale. At	best,	one	could	see	that	they	obscure	what	appears	to
be	a	change	of	appearance. To	let	go	of	assuming	an	arbitrary,	artificial	point	of	observation	in	time,the	illusion	of	change	disappears. The	assumption	of	a	‘this’	as	compared	to	a
‘that’	is	an	artifact	of	duality	and	an	arbitrary	point	of	observation. In	Reality,	there	is	no	‘this’	or	‘that’,	no	‘here’	or	‘there’,	no	‘now’	or
‘then’. These	are	only	mechanisms	of	mentation,	just	as	locality	cannot	be
described	without	a	basic	point	of	reference. In	Reality,	there	is	no	‘this’	to
become	a	‘that’,	nor	is	there	either	time	or	distance	other	than	the	illusion
created	by	the	arbitrary	selection	of	a	point	of	reference. The	arbitrarily
selected	point-of-reference	locality	is	not	possible	or	describable;	therefore,
Reality	is	spoken	of	as	nonlocal,	beyond	space	and	time. It	is	not	describable
in	those	terms	that	are	only	categories	of	thought	and	abstractions	of	the
reasoning	process. These	are	useful,	however,	to	the	levels	of	consciousness
that	calibrate	primarily	in	the	400s. At	500,	there	is	a	major	paradigm	jump	so
that	what	was	real	now	seems	unreal,	and	what	is	unreal	now	seems	to
become	‘the	real’. Each	level	of	awareness	has	its	own	understanding	of	truth,
and	clarity	comes	from	understanding	this	quality	of	levels	of	consciousness. If	causality	has	no	reality	and	mechanistic	determination	is	not	the
explanation	for	what	we	observe,	what	other	explanation	could	be	substituted
in	the	interim	until	a	greater	awareness	reveals	itself? The	mind	is	life’s
conundrum,	so	we	can	answer	its	questions	with	the	temporary	but	obviously
satisfactory	explanation	of	Creation. If	the	unmanifest	becomes	manifest	through	continuous	creation,	then	no
other	intellectual	devices	or	premises	are	required	as	attempts	to	explain	the
obvious. We	could	say	that	everything	is	created	to	be	self-evolving	because
that	is	intrinsic	to	its	existence	and	the	nature	of	Creation	itself. This
explanation	then	imputes	another	duality,	that	of	‘created’	versus	‘creator’. This	can	be	transcended	easily	by	seeing	the	obvious,	that	Creation	and
Creator	are	identical. In	nonduality,	there	is	no	separation	between	a	creator
and	that	which	is	created. As	limitations	are	released,	the	universe	reveals
itself	to	not	be	different	from	Divinity. As	the	Self	is	realized,	the	divinity	of
all	Creation	in	all	its	expressions	goes	forth	with	shining	power	and
absoluteness. It	is	self-effulgent,	self-revealing,	self-identical,	and	complete	in
total	unity	and	oneness. The	Absolute	is	exactly	that. The	infinite	Presence	within	all	that	exists	is
beyond	all	time	and	space,	forever	complete,	perfect,	and	whole. All	points	of
observation	disappear	and	there	is	the	omnipresence	of	that	which	Knows	All
by	the	fact	that	it	Is	All. As	Reality	stands	forth	in	its	stunning	self-evidence	and	infinite	peace,	it
appears	that	the	block	to	Realization	was	the	mind	itself,	which	is	not
different	from	the	ego;	they	are	one	and	the	same. The	state	of	Awareness	is	the	level	of	‘no	mindedness,’	which	is	not	thesame	as	‘void’	or	‘nothingness’. Those	terms	refer	to	form. The	Ultimate	is
the	realm	of	nonform,	nonlimitation,	and	nonlocality,	and	therefore	of	the
ever	presence	of	the	totality	of	the	All. There	is	only	Existence. Existence	requires	no	cause,	and	to	think	as	much
is	to	create	a	fallacy	of	logic. By	Existence,	we	mean	discernible	through
observation,	and	it	imputes	a	hypothetical	change	of	conditions	from
nonexistent	to	existent. However,	that	which	is	always	was	in	its
completeness	beyond	all	time;	looking	for	a	primary	cause	is	an	artifact	of
mentation	that	arises	along	with	the	concepts	of	time	and	space. Beyond	time
and	space,	there	are	no	events,	no	beginnings,	and	no	endings,	which	are
beyond	the	categories	of	human	thought	or	reason.CHAPTER	8
Beyond	Causality
By	watching	the	phenomenon	of	the	mind	in	its	operations,	its	mechanisms
become	apparent	and	then	tend	to	dissolve. The	presumptions	of	the	mind	are
its	separateness,	its	belief	in	a	progression	of	time	with	its	beginnings	and
endings,	and	the	categories	of	thought	that	constitute	and	ensure	its	survival. To	survive,	the	ego	has	to	believe	it	is	real,	and	that	it	has	a	separate,
independent	existence. The	other	motive	for	its	continuance	is	the	belief	that
through	the	ego	and	its	betterment,	happiness	can	be	found	at	last	and	the
perfect	conditions	for	it	are	secured. Therefore,	the	ego/mind	constantly	seeks
control	and	gain	in	all	its	various	forms	and	appearances. It	seeks	successes
by	whatever	yardstick	it	measures	that	illusory	goal. Happiness	is	always
around	the	next	corner,	so	it	strains	harder	to	achieve	its	goals. At	some	point,	the	illusion	breaks	down	and	the	opening	for	the	start	of
the	spiritual	quest	commences. The	quest	turns	from	without	to	within,	and
the	search	for	answers	begins. With	good	fortune,	one	comes	upon	the
teachings	of	true	enlightenment	and	does	not	deviate	from	the	core	of	those
teachings. Over	time,	many	of	the	explanations	and	understandings	that	were
presented	along	with	the	original	teachings	have	been	lost	and	have	slid
instead	into	misunderstandings. Over	the	centuries,	some	of	the	greatest
teachings	have	been	distorted	to	arrive,	amazingly,	at	their	exact	opposite
meaning. These	then	become	the	basis	of	strife	and	the	obstruction	of	truth. It	is	not	only	useful	but	also	critical	to	have	some	authoritative	source
available	to	recheck	one’s	bearings	and	what	directions	to	follow. It	cannot	be
said	often	enough	that	the	calibrated	level	of	truth	of	any	teacher	or	teaching
should	be	obtained	and	confirmed	before	becoming	a	student	or	follower,
much	less	a	devotee	or	initiate. One’s	commitment	should	be	to	God	and
Truth	only. Teachers	are	to	be	respected,	but	devotion	should	be	restricted	to
only	the	Truth. As	Buddha	said,	“Put	no	head	above	your	own,”	meaning	that
one’s	only	true	guru	is	the	Self	(the	Buddha	nature). The	Self	of	the	teacher	and	one’s	own	Self	are	one	and	the	same. The
teacher	becomes	a	source	of	inspiration	and	information. It	is	the	inspiration
that	supports	the	quest. Does	spiritual	commitment	mean	one	has	to	give	up	the	world? No,	of
course	not. It	means	merely	that	worldly	life	needs	to	be	recontextualized,
restructured,	and	envisioned	differently. It	is	not	the	world	that	is	a	trap	butone’s	attachment	to	it,	along	with	one’s	observations	that	cloud	the	search	for
Truth. Some	attractions	themselves	are	merely	time	wasters,	while	others	are
serious	traps	with	grim	consequences	in	which	the	unaware	become
immersed. On	the	other	hand,	it	is	sometimes	only	as	the	result	of	the	sheer
agony	of	one’s	having	gone	astray	that	hitting	bottom,	letting	go,	and
accepting	better	choices	occurs. Therefore,	one	can	never	say	it	is	wrong	for
anyone	to	follow	any	particular	pathway	for	it	may	be	the	very	means	of	their
ultimate	salvation,	as	painful	as	it	may	be. We	can	say	with	certainty	that
anything	that	fails	to	make	one	go	strong	with	the	muscle-test	method	is	not	a
direction	that	a	committed	spiritual	seeker	of	enlightenment	wants	to	follow. One	source	of	error	is	often	the	seemingly	innocuous	human	capacity	for
curiosity. The	lure	at	the	door	to	disaster	is	not	obviously	something	negative
but	a	more	sophisticated	bait	that	conceals	the	wolf	in	sheep’s	clothing. It	is
therefore	necessary	to	avoid	that	which	does	not	make	one	go	strong	with	the
muscle	test	because	that	which	makes	one	goes	strong	supports	life	and	leads
to	Truth. Can	one	explore	the	domains	that	lead	away	from	Truth	and	return
unscathed? The	answer,	at	least	for	the	present,	is	that	it	is	unlikely. Let	us
look	at	the	fact	that	seventy-eight	percent	of	the	world’s	population	tests	as
being	below	the	level	of	Integrity	(200).There	is	also	the	social	reaction	to	be
dealt	with,	which	might	be	called	the	‘crab	phenomenon’. In	a	pail	of	crabs,
as	one	or	more	try	to	get	over	the	edge	to	freedom,	the	other	crabs	reach	up
and	pull	it	or	them	back;	in	some	people,	there	is	a	contrary	reaction	toward
those	who	are	seeking	the	light. Indeed,	if	a	member	of	a	negatively	calibrated
cult	begins	to	discern	the	negativity	that	is	present	behind	the	façade	of
holiness	and	tries	to	leave,	they	are	often	denounced	and	subjected	to	abuse	or
even	violence. Most	traditional	pathways	therefore	recommend	that	one
congregate	with	others	who	have	a	similar	spiritual	dedication. It	is	also
significant	that	the	consciousness	level	of	mankind,	which	stood	at	190	for
many	centuries,	has	now	recently	jumped	to	207;	therefore,	the	sea	of
consciousness	of	mankind	as	a	whole	now	supports	the	positive	instead	of	the
negative. The	Spiritual	Direction
It	is	helpful	to	remember	that	neither	Truth	nor	Enlightenment	is
something	to	be	found,	sought,	acquired,	gained,	or	possessed. That	which	is
the	Infinite	Presence	is	always	present,	and	its	realization	occurs	of	itself
when	the	obstacles	to	that	realization	are	removed. It	is	therefore	not
necessary	to	study	the	truth	but	only	to	let	go	of	that	which	is	fallacious. Moving	away	the	clouds	does	not	cause	the	sun	to	shine	but	merely	revealsthat	which	was	hidden	all	along. Spiritual	work,	therefore,	is	primarily	a
letting	go	of	the	presumably	known	for	the	unknown,	with	the	promise	of
others	who	have	done	it	that	the	effort	is	more	than	well	rewarded	at	the	end. On	the	earthly	level,	gold	is	not	created	but	merely	revealed	by	chipping	away
that	which	obscures	it. One	of	the	main	spiritual	tools	is	intention,	which	sets	up	priorities	and
hierarchies	of	values	that	energize	one’s	efforts. Spiritual	work	is	a
commitment	and	also	an	exploration. The	way	has	been	opened	by	those	who
have	gone	before	and	set	the	possibility	in	consciousness	for	others	to	follow. Just	as	Roger	Bannister	broke	through	the	‘M-field’	of	the	four-minute	mile,
so	have	beings	of	advanced	consciousness	left	markers	for	others	to	follow. In
turn,	every	advance	that	we	make	in	our	awareness	benefits	unseen	multitudes
and	strengthens	the	next	step	for	others	to	follow. Every	act	of	kindness	is
noticed	by	the	universe	and	is	preserved	forever. When	seen	for	what	it	is,
gratitude	replaces	spiritual	ambition. In	traditional	Buddhism,	one	seeks
enlightenment	for	the	good	of	all	mankind;	all	gifts	return	to	their	source. In	due	time,	one’s	spiritual	intention	and	focus	come	to	replace	worldly
ambitions	and	desires. It	is	as	though	one	is	progressively	drawn	into	the	Self
as	if	there	were	a	spiritual	gravity	acting	by	attraction. A	style	of	knowingness
replaces	reason	and	logic,	and	intuitive	awareness	focuses	on	the	essence	of
life	and	its	activities	rather	than	on	goals	or	the	details	of	form. Perception	begins	to	change	and	the	beauty	of	creation	literally	shines
forth	from	all	persons	and	objects. A	simple	scene	may	unexpectedly
suddenly	become	overwhelmingly	beautiful	as	though	revealing	itself	in
three-dimensional	Technicolor. There	are	moments	when	suddenly	all	is	still,
and	the	experience	of	the	quality	of	All	That	Is	takes	place	within	an	all-
encompassing	Presence. It	is	this	Eye	of	the	‘I’	that	gives	the	sense	of	reality
to	life. That	which	enables	us	to	experience	what	we	think	of	as	an	individual
‘I’	is	actually	the	Infinite	‘I’. The	radiance	of	God	is	the	light	of	awareness	that	reveals	the	divinity	of
all	that	exists. In	the	stillness	of	the	Infinite	Presence,	the	mind	is	silent	as
there	is	nothing	that	can	be	said;	all	speaks	for	itself	with	completeness	and
exactitude. With	this	realization,	one	transcends	the	final	duality	of	existence
versus	nonexistence	because	only	existence	is	possible. The	opposite	of	Truth
does	not	exist	because	Reality	excludes	nonreality. In	this	realization	resides
the	peace	of	God. Evolution	Versus	Creation
This	is	a	favorite	source	of	contention	for	politicians,	school	boards,	and
courts. In	reality,	there	is	no	conflict. Evolution	and	creation	are	one	and	thesame. Creation	is	the	very	source	and	essence	of	evolution. Evolution	is	the
process	by	which	creation	becomes	manifest. The	physical	world	is	a	world	of
effects	and	has	no	power	of	causality	within	it. From	paleontology,	we	can	see	that	species	and	life	forms	have	changed
over	millions	of	years. Likewise,	the	early	versions	and	forms	of	mankind	that
are	available	for	study	demonstrate	a	progression	of	form. Evolution	occurs	as	a	progression	within	consciousness	itself	to	form
through	greater	adaptability	to	the	environment. This	evolution	occurs	on	the
plane	of	consciousness,	which	includes	intelligence	and	intention	as	well	as
aesthetic	awareness. Thus,	evolution	occurs	within	the	invisible	domain	of
infinite	potentiality	and	then	becomes	manifest	as	the	consequence	of
creation,	which	is	intrinsic	to	the	essence	of	the	universe	itself	and	is
continuous	and	ongoing. If	Creation	were	a	solitary	act	by	God	at	some	point	in	the	distant	past,
then	all	living	things	would	be	exactly	as	they	were	millions	of	years	ago. Inasmuch	as	neither	God	nor	Reality	has	any	beginning	or	end	and	exists
outside	of	time,	no	single	act	of	God	in	time	and	space	is	tenable. Continuous
creation	by	an	ongoing	and	ever-present	God	does	fit	with	what	is	apparent. Basically,	there	is	no	conflict	between	evolution	and	creation	as	one	is	merely
an	expression	of	the	other	in	the	visible	domain. Evolution	does	not	negate
God	but	reflects	God’s	presence	as	ever	present	in	everything	that	exists. Because	of	creation,	all	that	exists	takes	joy	from	its	existence	because	of	its
innate	Divinity,	which	is	the	consciousness	of	God. Consciousness:	The	Way	to	God
The	Intellect
The	risk	in	providing	information	is	that	the	listener’s	ego	will	try	to
assimilate	the	information	as	data	by	the	intellect,	and	there	it	stops. There	are
spiritual	students	who	have	attended	literally	hundreds	of	workshops	and
lectures	and	have	rooms	full	of	spiritual	books	but	have	not	moved	forward	in
awareness	at	all;	they	are	at	a	standstill. Their	search	goes	on	to	the	next
workshop	and	the	next,	the	next	book,	the	next	guru,	and	so	on. Spiritual	work	is	not	of	the	intellect	(which	leads	to	a	Ph.D.	in
Comparative	Religion	or	Theology). True	metaphysics	is	an	abstraction	to
facilitate	languaging	and	verbalization	in	order	to	communicate	that	which,	in
truth,	cannot	be	communicated	in	words. The	words	are	not	the	things	to	be
realized. The	truths	learned	have	to	be	put	into	daily	practice	to	be	effective,
and	they	exist	beyond	the	words. If	this	is	done,	change	takes	place. The
purpose	of	information	is	for	it	to	be	absorbed	with	familiarity	and	thenmature	into	understanding. Understanding
In	spiritual	work,	understanding	in	itself	has	the	capacity	to	bring	about
change. It	acts	as	a	catalyst	and	opens	new	ways	of	looking	at	things. It	brings
about	growth	and	spiritual	advancement. As	spiritual	growth	continues,	old
styles	of	thinking	and	contextualizing	are	surrendered	and	accompanied	by
the	joy	of	new	discoveries. Anger	at	the	absurdities	of	life	is	now	replaced	by
laughter,	and	what	a	lot	of	the	world	bemoans	and	makes	much	of	as
melodrama	is	now	seen	as	comical. Spiritual	teachings	need	to	be	accepted	to
become	integrated. Resistance	comes	from	the	ego,	which	lacks	humility,	and
that,	out	of	pride,	resents	being	‘wrong’. It	is	better	to	realize	that	one	is	not
giving	up	wrong	views	but	instead	is	adopting	better	ones. That	peace	is
better	than	war	and	that	love	is	better	than	hate	makes	sense	to	the	intellect,
but	the	ego	may	rebel	at	giving	up	its	favorite	hate	and	justified	resentments. There	is	a	multitude	of	millions	of	people	on	the	planet,	whole	cultures
and	societies,	whose	only	theme	and	reason	for	survival	is	hate. Their	entire
society	is	based	around	revenge	and	the	duality	of	victim	and	perpetrator. Whole	areas	of	the	world	are	devoted	to	the	expressions	of	hatred,	which	are
constantly	rejustified	by	reiterating	the	distant	past. In	society,	there	is	no
dearth	of	justifications	for	hatreds. One	can	always	cite	long-dead	ancestors
and	justify	hatred	toward	their	ancient	enemies. This	can	even	be	seen	as
heroic,	patriotic,	laudable,	or	politically	correct. Willingness
Letting	go	of	the	old	is	facilitated	by	willingness,	courage,	and	faith. Spiritual	progress	literally	benefits	all	mankind	in	that	it	raises	the	general
level	of	consciousness. Even	one	iota	makes	a	difference. Another	obstacle	to	spiritual	growth	is	impatience. This	can	be	overcome
only	by	surrender. Meditation
A	general	orientation	and	a	technique	have	been	described	elsewhere. We
may	think	that	thoughts	are	connected	together	by	associations	or	some	other
seemingly	plausible	psychological	explanation. By	observation,	however,	one
will	note	that,	on	the	contrary,	thoughts	are	occurring	in	a	senseless,	random
fashion. They	jump	from	one	subject	to	another,	with	no	real	connection	to
each	other	at	all. The	thought	stream	is	usually	described	from	the	limits	of
the	Newtonian	linear	paradigm	that	imputes	causality	where	none	exists	inreality. Thoughts	appear	to	be	random,	nonlinear,	and	chaotic,	with	no
calculable	predictability. They	seem	to	be	haphazard. Despite	laudable	efforts,
there	is	really	no	verifiable	explanation	for	thoughts,	images,	concepts,
memories,	fantasies,	feelings,	hopes,	or	fears,	and	the	content	of	mind	refuses
to	be	controlled. The	sum	stratum	of	mind,	the	matrix	of	thinkingness,	is	the
constant	production	by	thinkingness	that	prompts	an	endless	succession	of
thoughts. These	are	purposely	interjected	to	prevent	all	possibility	of	silence. The	more	one	attempts	to	control	it,	the	more	it	plays	tricks,	becomes
rebellious,	refuses	to	be	controlled,	and	appears	to	be	untamable. In	meditation,	one	can	see	from	the	viewpoint	of	the	witness,	the	observer,
that	the	field	of	consciousness	itself	is	watching	the	mind	and	that	it	is	futile
to	struggle	with	it. It	is	helpful	to	realize	that	the	mind	is	not	‘me’. It	is	an
impertinence;	it	is	seductive. It	tries	to	convince	you	that	you	are	it. The
identification	with	the	body	is	not	overcome	by	destroying	the	body. Neither
is	the	identification	with	the	mind	transcended	by	destroying	the	mind. If
neither	the	body	nor	the	mind	is	the	real	self,	there	is	no	need	to	destroy	it,
conquer	it,	or	do	battle	with	it. Thoughts	are	occurring	on	their	own,	not
because	they	are	caused	by	anything	or	anyone. The	nature	of	the	mind	is	to	think. One	can	force	it	into	sequential,	logical
thought	for	short	spurts	by	focus	and	intention. In	this	way,	it	can	solve
‘problems’. The	mind	is	fast	and	clever. It	claims	credit	for	its	thoughts	(good
thoughts,	that	is). One	has	to	be	razor	sharp	and	focused	with	attention	to
catch	that	the	claim	of	authorship	of	the	thoughts	happens	a	split	nanosecond
after	the	thought	occurs. The	illusion	of	‘I	thought’	disappears	when	the	mind
is	caught	red-handed. The	Buddha	said	the	same	thing;	‘Buddha	mind’	is	discovered	between
the	thoughts. Thoughts	actually	don’t	mean	anything	and	are	not	necessary
for	survival. The	ego’s	claim	that	it	authored	the	thought	actually	takes	place
in	about	1/10,000th	of	a	second. In	reality,	everything	is	actually	happening	of
its	own. One’s	life	is	a	continuous	gift,	and	its	continuity	from	moment	to
moment	is	sustained	by	God,	not	by	the	ego. There	is	no	point	in	trying	to
block	out	thoughts;	they	just	return. People	fear	that	if	they	let	go	of	their
mind	or	thinkingness,	or	do	not	carefully	watch	it	or	try	to	control	it,	they	will
either	die	or	go	insane. The	objectives	of	the	ego/mind	can	never	be	achieved. Its	efforts	are	noisy
and	upsetting. In	actuality,	one	is	much	better	off	without	it. Once	one	observes	that	it	is	hopeless,	one	can	begin	to	abandon	it	by
withdrawing	interest	from	it. One	can	begin	to	disown	its	hypnotic	fascination
and	step	back	progressively	from	watcher	to	observer,	to	witness,	to
consciousness	itself,	and	finally	to	the	awareness	that	illuminatesconsciousness	and	enables	awareness	to	be	aware. The	Self	can	be	pictured	as
a	space	that	is	essentially	clear	of	form. The	mind	is	under	the	constant	pressure	of	anticipation	to	attempt	to
control	the	next	split	nanosecond	of	experience. One	can	focus	in	on	the
source	of	this	will	to	think	and	let	go	at	the	level	of	the	willfulness	that
underlies	its	obsession	and	drive	to	control	the	experience	of	the	next
moment. Spiritual	work	is	thus	an	endless	surrendering,	letting	go,	turning	away
from,	withdrawing	from,	and	ignoring	that	which	is	irrelevant	and	essentially
unrewarding. The	direction	of	focus	then	moves	from	the	content	of	thought
to	that	which	is	observing	and	experiencing	the	thought,	and	then	to	the
discovery	that	the	awareness	is	aware	as	the	result	of	an	innate	quality	and	is
not	really	a	volitional	act	by	an	imaginary,	independent	self. Awareness	transcends	location,	body,	space,	time,	mind,	thought,	and
feelings. Like	the	sky,	it	is	the	backdrop	through	which	the	clouds	float. The
ultimate	witnessing	of	awareness	is	undisturbed	by	any	content	and	does	not
depend	on	content	for	its	own	existence. To	go	beyond	the	known	requires	courage,	faith,	and	conviction. It	also
requires	spiritual	power	and	energy	whose	source	is	innate	with	the	higher
fields	of	consciousness	and	the	great	teachers	and	their	teachings. Enlightenment	itself	is	by	the	grace	of	God,	but	it	also	occurs	only	by	one’s
own	inner	agreement	and	choice. Forgiveness	and	the	Innocence	of	Consciousness
Forgiveness	is	a	difficult	step	for	the	average	mind	to	take	by	virtue	of	its
arbitrary	positionality	that	creates	a	conflicting	duality	of	right	and	wrong,
deserving	versus	undeserving,	fair	versus	unfair. This	is	the	‘problem	of	the
opposites’. The	resolution	of	the	opposites	requires	some	understanding	about
the	nature	of	consciousness. Compassion	for	human	frailty	tempers	judgmentalism. The	human	mind
places	hypothetical	standards	on	human	conduct	that	has	a	moralistic	attitude. In	this	country,	for	instance,	what	is	termed	morality	is	actually	merely	an
expression	of	Puritanism. They	are	not	the	same	at	all. Puritanism	is
judgmentalism,	which	is	devoid	of	compassion,	love,	or	forgiveness. Its
attitude	is	harsh,	pitiless,	and	punitive. It	appeals	to	egotism	by	feeling	right,
virtuous,	and	righteous. It	operates	by	condemnation,	shame,	guilt,	and	fear
and	seeks	retribution	and	punishment. In	contrast,	consciousness	itself	is	innately	innocent. It	becomes
progressively	programmed,	often	merely	by	accidental	social	influences. It	is
born	into	a	specific	subculture. At	the	lowest	level,	it	finds	itself	amongneighborhood	gangs	or	peculiar	secular	cults	with	allegiances,	symbols,
secrets,	initiations,	and	obedience	to	the	group	and	its	leaders. On	this	level	of
society,	consequences	for	violation	of	group	codes	may	result	in	death. There
are	group	clothing	styles,	symbolic	gestures,	utterances,	and	tight	group
control. The	members	are	brainwashed	and	intimidated;	the	chance	to	escape
is	slim. From	one	view,	these	behaviors	are	antisocial. From	another,	they	are
merely	adaptational	and	dissocial. Although	these	attitudes	are	dissonant	with
society	as	a	whole,	they	are	internally	consistent. The	core	of	subcultures	is	programming. The	content	is	spelled	out	in	the
lyrics	of	the	music	of	the	subculture. The	norms	of	society	are	ridiculed	and
have	no	significance. On	progressively	higher	social	levels,	the	same	type	of	programming
takes	place	but	is	less	obvious	or	blatant. Again,	group	loyalties	to	social
programs	are	expected. Variance	is	punished	by	subtle	means	or	rejection. The	consciousness	of	people	on	every	level	of	society	is	entrained	by	a
calibratable	level	of	consciousness	that	prevails	as	a	hidden	‘attractor	field’. Attractor	field	is	a	term	derived	from	nonlinear	dynamics	and	signifies	that
within	what	appears	to	be	random	or	unconnected	occurrences,	there	is
actually	an	invisible,	organizing	pattern	field	of	influence	that	affects	the
occurrence	of	phenomena	within	each	level	of	consciousness. It	also
establishes	parameters	that	limit	understanding	and	awareness. If	a	concept	is
beyond	the	reach	of	understanding	of	a	certain	level	of	consciousness,	people
say,	“I	don’t	get	it.”
When	we	look	at	the	nature	of	consciousness,	we	could	say	that	the	mind
is	innately	innocent	as	it	has	no	means	to	prevent	its	becoming	programmed. It	is	an	instrument	that	can	be	involuntarily	imbued	with	any	‘software’. Unaided,	human	consciousness	cannot	discern	truth	from	falsehood. The
mind	lacks	a	protective	mechanism	and	is	easily	damaged. Emotions	further
decrease	capacity	for	mature	or	balanced	perception. In	addition,	the	mind	has
an	inherent	defect	in	that	it	operates	via	perception	itself,	which	automatically
dissociates	reality	into	duality	and	creates	the	spurious	pseudoreality	of	the
seeming	polarity	of	the	opposites. Consciousness	is	like	the	hardware	of	the	computer,	and	social
programming	is	like	the	software. No	matter	what	the	content	of	the	software,
the	hardware	remains	uncontaminated	and	innately	innocent. In	the	past,	spiritual	progress	was	limited	by	the	dominance	of	religious
authority,	and	dogma	and	was	surrounded	by	fear	and	threats	of	persecution. Anyone	who	transcended	the	commonly	held	belief	system,	such	as	mystics,
was	suspected	of	heresy	and	was	treated	as	though	they	were	threats	to	the
ecclesiastical	establishment	and	its	authority. (This	still	prevails	in	somecountries.) In	the	Western	world,	this	has	changed	and	is	continuing	to	change	in	a
favorable	direction. Cruelty	is	no	longer	acceptable	or	condoned. The	Holy
See	of	the	Catholic	Church	now	speaks	against	capital	punishment	and	has
renewed	its	spiritual	authority	and	power	by	the	demonstration	of	humility
and	spiritual	integrity. The	fault	was	not	within	religion	itself	but	in	the
misinterpretations	of	it	by	those	who	did	not	truly	understand	its	essence. Because	ordinary	human	consciousness	is	blinded	by	the	very	nature	of
perception,	it	is	completely	unable	to	tell	truth	from	falsehood. Because	of	its
innate	innocence,	it	can	be	misled,	and	all	error	is	ignorance. The
consciousness	level	that	prevailed	in	mankind	for	the	past	centuries	was
actually	inhospitable	to	spiritual	truth,	but	now	that	the	consciousness	level	is
at	207,	truth	has	found	a	fertile	ground	in	which	it	is	welcome	and	can	grow. The	Will:	Understanding	and	Comprehension
Will	is	determined	by	understanding	and	comprehension	that,	in	turn,	is
influenced	by	meaning,	which	is	then	determined	by	context. Out	of	meaning
and	context	arises	value	and,	therefore,	choice. The	will	energizes	the	efforts
to	achieve	that	which	is	valued	by	virtue	of	its	meaning. To	the	worldly,
motivation	is	based	on	wants	and	desires	and	the	seduction	of	attraction. These	wants	and	desires	lose	motivational	force	when	they	become	overruled
by	will	and	decision. Will	is	thus	the	basis	for	spiritual	growth	and	the
evolution	of	consciousness. One	becomes	attracted	by	truth	rather	than
repelled	by	falsehood. Spiritual	evolution	is	almost	like	a	space	ship	taking
off	from	Earth’s	gravity;	it	is	difficult	at	first,	but	it	finally	leaves	the
gravitational	field. Energy-consuming	intentionality	eventually	dissolves	into
effortless	surrender,	and	one	becomes	the	recipient	of	unfolding	awareness. Revelation	replaces	discovery. Understanding	presents	itself	and	becomes
self-revealing	by	grace,	without	effort. The	inner	pressure	to	achieve	spiritual	awareness	is	replaced	by	being	the
witness	of	Truth	rather	than	its	seeker. Effort	is	replaced	by	the	effortlessness
of	spontaneous	discovery. Essence	progressively	shines	forth	through	form,
which	loses	its	delineation. Then,	even	essence	fades	into	the	domain	of	the
awareness	of	existence	itself	with	its	self-revealing	Divinity. On	The	Nature	of	Peace
The	Profound	Peace	prevails	in	the	Silence,	which	marks	the	ending	of	the
experience	of	time. The	illusion	of	time	precludes	Peace	in	that	it	occasions
an	expectation	of	a	feeling	of	loss	or	anticipation. At	ordinary	levels	ofconsciousness,	this	time	pressure	and	its	accompanying	anxiety	are	outside
awareness	and	go	unnoticed,	just	as	people	who	live	next	to	elevated	trains
eventually	become	oblivious	to	the	noise. But,	if	the	trains	stop,	they	are
overwhelmed	by	the	sudden,	strong	silence. Some	people	who	have	become
used	to	tumult	and	noise	feel	upset	by	silence	and	peace	and	seek	to	return	to
the	familiarity	of	noise	and	disruption	of	people. Many	people	cannot	tolerate
the	quiet	of	the	country	or	an	empty	room. The	silence	of	Divinity,	by
contrast,	is	profoundly	comforting	and	fulfilling.CHAPTER	9
Advanced	Awareness
Nature	of	The	Pathway
The	direct	avenue	to	advanced	awareness	via	consciousness	bypasses
form,	duality,	and	perception. Conflict	and	error	arise	from	form,	which	is
also	the	home	of	force. Power	resides	within	the	‘domain’	of	the	formless. Formlessness	might	be	said	to	emerge	noticeably	at	the	consciousness	level
that	calibrates	at	500	and	progresses	to	600,	at	which	level	form	disappears
into	formlessness. Eventually,	it	is	recognized	that	form	is	constituted	by	the
formless,	and	that	they	are	one	and	the	same,	but	until	that	realization	occurs,
form	itself	is	a	distraction	and	a	delay	that	is	best	avoided. Avoid	The	Distraction	of	Form
Many	‘spiritual’	teachings	that	are	expressed	in	form	frequently	lead	to
what	is	best	termed	as	‘astral’	realms	of	consciousness,	which	in	themselves
can	be	seductive,	unending,	and	pleasurable,	but	they	do	not	lead	to
enlightenment. Form	reinforces	the	illusion	that	there	is	a	seeker	on	some	sort	of	pathway
with	rungs	and	signposts	and	even	‘spirit	guides’	positioned	along	the	way. On	the	spiritual	climb	to	the	peak	of	Enlightenment,	there	actually	are	no
entities	to	meet	you	along	the	way. Astral	‘planes’,	like	teachings,	can	be	calibrated. There	are	low	planes
(hells),	intermediate	planes	(purgatory	or	limbo),	and	the	higher	astral	planes
(celestial). These	are	all	possible	destinations	of	the	soul	or	spiritual	body,	or
focus	of	consciousness. Each	of	these	levels	has	its	own	hierarchies,	‘gods’,
and	folklore	that	are	‘real’	to	the	inhabitants	of	these	planes. These	may	be
gratifying,	even	joyful	and	thrilling,	but	they	are	not	enlightenment. That	which	is	Reality	is	beyond	all	form	and	yet	intrinsic	to	it. Let	form
reveal	its	own	nature. There	is	no	need	to	seek	it. Also,	one	needs	to	be	wary
to	not	be	caught	in	the	supposed	opposites	or	alternatives	of	form	versus
formlessness,	or	Allness	versus	void,	or	fullness	versus	emptiness. These	are
merely	descriptive	linguistics,	with	no	intrinsic	reality. One	does	not	have	to
choose	between	the	real	and	the	unreal	since	the	unreal	does	not	exist. The	Direction	of	The	ExplorationThe	search	is	progressively	‘within’	to	discover	the	source	of	the
knowingness	of	the	sense	of	‘I’. People	say,“I	know	myself.”	But	what	does
that	mean? In	ordinary	parlance,	it	means	to	be	aware	of	the	nature	of	the	ego
and	therefore	implies	awareness	of	one’s	own	psychology,	the	ego,	and	its
forms. The	awareness	of	the	Self	is	an	actuality	that	replaces	the	ego	as	the	seat
of	the	sense	of	‘me’	or	‘I’. In	the	process	of	spiritual	discovery,	one	looks
instead	to	discover	what	it	is	that	is	aware	of	and	has	the	authority	to	sense	the
existence	of	‘I-ness’	or	the	quality	of	‘Iness’,	rather	than	a	specific	or
circumscribed	‘me’	as	the	‘I’. Note	that	both	God	and	all	references	to	the	Divine	are	capitalized,	and
that	of	all	the	possible	pronouns,	only	‘I’	is	capitalized. The	individual	‘I’	can
only	be	aware	of	itself	or	its	existence	as	a	consequence	of	the	greater
Awareness. This	is	the	innate	quality	of	the	Divine	‘I’	that	is	its	source	and	the
focus	of	the	spiritual	search. As	such,	it	is	thus	nonverbal	and	the	source	of
experiencing,	witnessing,	and	observing. By	analogy,	one	comes	to	realize
that	one	is	the	water	and	not	the	fish. The	Basic	Process
To	look	within	is	an	attitude	rather	than	a	technique	or	spiritual	practice. This	means	to	relinquish	the	fascination	with	the	content	of	mind	and	the
world	that	it	reflects. This	detachment	may	be	felt	initially	as	a	possible	loss,
as	if	one	is	facing	experiencing	the	death	of	the	world	and	all	its	promises. Such	a	death	may	be	passively	experienced	as	such,	but	it	is	merely	the
passing	of	an	illusion. The	source	of	pleasure	never	was	without	but	was
always	within. It	was	never	the	world	that	granted	pleasure	at	all	but	one’s
own	enjoyment	of	it. It	is	not	really	the	loss	of	the	world	itself	that	is	feared,	but	boredom. Boredom	passes	when	it	is	recognized	as	merely	the	consequence	of	clinging
to	a	yearning	for	the	past	or	the	future,	and	it	is	only	the	ego	that	can	be
bored. The	ego	thrives	on	novelty	and	is	completely	dependent	on	what	is
happening	‘next’. The	ego	therefore	thrives	and	lives	on	anticipation	of	future
satisfaction	instead	of	experiencing	the	absolute	completion	that	is	available
only	in	the	Now. Akin	to	the	fear	of	boredom	is	its	underlying	illusion	that	boredom	is
constituted	by	nothingness. The	illusion	of	a	possible	void	presents	itself	and
seems	a	threat. The	path,	then,	is	from	letting	go	of	the	illusion	of	the	realm	of
the	everythingness	of	the	mind/world,	through	the	illusion	of
void/nothingness,	to	the	goal	of	the	awareness	of	Allness	that	replaces	both
prior	illusory	states. It	is	reassuring	to	remember	that	all	states	are	illusionsand	capable	of	being	traversed	by	the	spiritual	will	and	progressive
awareness. Who	Is	Doing	The	Seeking? The	illusion	of	the	ego	dissolves	as	the	prefix	‘I’	is	removed	from	all
action. What	ego	claims	as	its	actions	are	merely	self-existent	characteristics
whose	functions	are	automatic,	determined	by	local	conditions,	and	without
an	imaginary	‘I’	to	activate	them. One	does	not	think,	feel,	or	even	exist
because	of	an	action	or	decision	by	some	inner,	invisible	‘I’. Thinking	and
feeling	occur	unasked. What	is	searching	for	higher	truth	is	not	a	personal	‘I’
but	an	aspect	of	consciousness	itself	that	expresses	as	inspiration,	devotion,
dedication,	and	perseverance,	all	of	which	are	aspects	of	the	spiritual	will. Therefore,	the	source	of	the	search	for	the	Self	is	the	Self	itself	actualizing	the
necessary	processes	by	virtue	of	its	own	qualities,	which	are	facilitated	by
Grace. As	another	example,	curiosity	is	a	quality	that	exists	without	a	personal
self	or	decision	to	activate	it. Curiosity,	one	might	say,	is	an	independent,
impersonal	quality	of	consciousness	and	is	universal	throughout	the	animal
kingdom. It	does	not	need	an	‘I’	to	be	curious. There	is	no	inner,	independent
personal	‘I’	that	makes	decisions;	to	prefix	all	thinking,	action,	and	feeling
with	the	pronoun	‘I’	is	just	a	convenience	of	speech. The	inner	personal	self
could	be	referred	to	just	as	well	as	an	‘it’. There	are	stages	during	spiritual
evolution	when	both	the	mind	and	body	do	seem,	for	periods	of	time,	to	be
‘its’. The	body	goes	about	its	business	as	though	it	had	rehearsed,	and	the
mind	speaks	to	others	in	conversation	without	an	inner	personal	self	to	direct
it. There	is	no	inner	‘thinker’	behind	thoughts,	no	‘doer’	behind	actions,	no
‘seeker’	of	enlightenment. Seeking	occurs	on	its	own	when	the	time	for	it	is
right,	and	it	emerges	as	a	focus	of	attention. All	aspects	and	qualities	of
consciousness	are	self-actuating	and	energize	each	other	under	the	general
direction	of	the	Will. The	Will	As	A	Tool
The	capricious	and	carnival-like	nature	of	the	mind’s	activities	precludes
it	as	a	fruitful	focus	for	spiritual	evolution. One	can	order	the	mind	to	do	one
thing	or	another,	but	it	will	refuse. To	try	to	control	the	mind	is	like	a	cat
chasing	its	tail. To	try	to	control	the	mind	already	results	in	the	duality	of	the
‘controller’	and	the	‘controlled’,	as	well	as	the	contents	of	what	is	to	be
controlled	and	the	‘how’	of	controlling. The	only	space	from	which	to	address	mind	is	from	that	quality	calledWill. One	can	locate	this	area	without	too	much	difficulty. Whereas	thoughts,
feelings,	and	images	pass	through	the	mind	continuously,	the	will	is	relatively
motionless	and	fixed. It	tends	to	persist	in	a	more	stable	and	therefore
approachable	manner. The	will	can	indeed	be	quite	fixed,	committed,one-
pointed,	and	immovable,	unlike	the	mind	that	flits	about	like	a	nervous
butterfly. Therefore,	the	most	profitable	point	of	view	from	which	to	approach
the	mind	is	afforded	by	focusing	the	sense	of	Self	as	emanating	from	the	will. The	will	is	malleable,	but	only	slowly	and	deliberately	so	by	reflection. It	is	a
workable	‘place’	from	which	to	proceed	and	explore. The	will	is	closer	to	the
true	Self	than	is	ordinary	mind	with	its	thoughts,	beliefs,	concepts,	ideas,	and
fluctuating	emotions. Contemplation
This	is	the	most	fruitful	and	meaningful	activity	of	spiritual	work. With
very	little	practice,	one	can	acquire	the	capacity	to	function	in	the	world	with
only	minor	interruption	of	reflection	and	contemplation. Meditation	as	it	is
usually	practiced,	however,	is	limited	in	time	and	place	and	often	involves
seclusion	and	cessation	of	activity. Although	contemplation	and	reflection
seem	less	intense,	actually,	by	their	constant	influence,	they	wear	away	the
obstacles. Contemplation	is	therefore	a	mode	of	meditation	that	is	not	less
than	or	inferior	to	sit-down,	cross-legged	meditation. Empowerment	of	The	Spiritual	Will
The	will	is	activated	and	empowered	by	devotion,	and	it	responds	with
inspiration,	which	leads	to	illumination	by	Grace. The	personal	will	dissolves
into	Divine	Will,	and	the	spark	that	leads	to	the	spiritual	search	and	inquiry	is
a	divine	gift. The	readiness	to	initiate	the	journey	cannot	be	forced	nor	can	people	be
faulted	if	it	has	not	occurred	in	them	as	yet. The	level	of	consciousness	has	to
have	advanced	to	the	stage	where	such	an	intention	would	be	meaningful	and
attractive. Once	inspired,	a	seeker	will	often	forego	all	customary
conveniences	and	life	styles	and	sacrifice	anything	that	stands	in	the	way. The	illusions	of	the	ego	are	tenacious	but	relatively	fragile	when
subordinated	to	the	spiritual	Will. The	ego/mind	is	fortified	by	habit	that
crumbles	when	its	underpinnings	are	removed. The	ego	is	not	an	enemy	to	be
subdued	but	merely	a	compilation	of	unexamined	habits	of	perception. The	Self	that	activates	the	spiritual	Will	is	the	home	of	infinite	power
against	which	the	ego’s	house	of	cards	cannot	stand. The	Self	is	like	an
infinitely	powerful	magnet	that	has	the	capacity	to	dissolve	the	structure	ofthe	ego	if	and	when	the	spiritual	Will	gives	assent. There	is	no	one	to	take
credit	for	the	progression	of	spiritual	awareness,	nor	is	there	anyone	to	blame
if	it	does	not	seem	to	occur. With	spiritual	work,	the	terms	‘is’	or	‘are’	become	progressively	replaced
by	the	term	‘seems	to’,	which	is	due	to	the	increasing	realization	of	the	degree
to	which	perception	is	the	mask	that	hinders	truth. Until	the	Absolute	Reality
reveals	itself,	it	is	closer	to	reality	to	hold	all	seeming	knowledge	as	merely
hypothetical. Even	now	in	society,	this	understanding	is	surfacing	as
evidenced	by	the	frequent	use	of	the	term	‘perceived’,	e.g.,	the	person	reacted
to	a	‘perceived’	threat. The	emergence	of	this	discernment	is	a	very	important	and	significant
development. It	is	the	first	real	indication	of	an	emerging	awareness	of	the
limitations	of	the	ego	and	the	fallibility	of	perception. This	increase	in	social
awareness	of	the	limitation	of	the	ego	is	reinforced	by	the	recent	discoveries
of	false	judicial	verdicts	as	revealed	by	DNA	testing,	and	by	the	research
which	shows	that	witnesses	are	actually	very	unreliable	and	prone	to	serious
error	to	a	great	degree. Psychologists	have	also	discovered	retrograde
falsifications	of	memory,	with	displacements	of	events	in	time	and	place. Society	thus	struggles	to	differentiate	truth	from	falsehood	but	thus	far	is	not
aware	of	how	it	can	actually	be	accomplished	dependably. The	spiritual	Will	is	enforced	and	activated	by	love	and	devotion	and	its
willingness	to	surrender. Love	is	without	form	and	is	that	capacity	through
which	one	becomes	willing,	out	of	that	love,	to	surrender	one’s	positionalities
to	God. The	classical	way	of	the	great	religious	saints	was	the	adoration,	love,
and	worship	of	God,	either	unmanifest	or	manifest	as	the	great,	divine
teachers. Profound	dedication	and	devotion	can	overcome	all	resistance,	and
thus	the	way	of	the	heart	and	the	way	of	the	mind	or	consciousness	eventually
merge. Meditation
It	is	rewarding	to	initiate	the	meditative	process	from	the	viewpoint	that
the	‘I’	or	‘me’	is	located	within	the	spiritual	Will. Because	the	will	is
relatively	steady	and	unchanging,	it	becomes	the	seat	from	which	to	progress
through	consciousness	to	the	transcendent	awareness	of	the	self,	which	is	the
expression	of	God	as	the	Absolute	‘I’,	the	Eye	of	Reality. It	is	actually	the	spiritual	Will	that	determines	destiny	or	karma. The	Will
is	the	seat	of	power	of	the	Self	as	it	extends	to	mind	and,	as	such,	is	the	region
of	direct	contact	with	the	Holy	Spirit. At	the	level	of	Will,	form	and
formlessness	‘meet’. Here	the	formless	qualities	of	love,	devotion,	gratitude,
humility,	inspiration,	and	faith	meet	with	the	particulars	of	the	mind	with	itsforms	of	ideas,	thoughts,	memories,	conflicts,	and	images.
_OceanofPDF.com_The_Eye_of_the_I_-_David_R_Hawkins.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Here	again,	there	is	no	entity	that	is	doing	thinking;	neither	is	there	a
witness	behind	witnessing. Witnessing	is	an	impersonal,	inborn	aspect	and
characteristic	of	consciousness	itself. One	can	retreat	from	involvement	with
the	content	of	thought	and	choose	to	adopt	the	point	of	view	of	observing	or
witnessing. To	be	proficient,	this	does	take	some	practice. To	get	a	feel	for	it,
one	can	practice	watching	out	the	window	of	a	car	by	fixing	one’s	gaze
through	a	specific	spot	on	the	window;	the	focus	is	then	no	longer	on	each
object	specifically	but	on	an	imaginary	slit	through	which	objects	seem	tostream	by,	and	as	a	result,	one	cannot	with	certainty	identify	each	object
because	one	does	not	focus	upon	them	individually. Witnessing	or	observing	does	not	focus	on	any	idea	or	image	but	allows
them	to	flow	by	without	involvement. One	then	realizes	that	the	thought
images	are	occurring	spontaneously	and	the	thoughts	are	not	choices	made	by
personal	decision	but	that	the	thought	stream	is	impersonal. The	thoughts	are
not	‘mine’	as	there	is	no	‘me’	involved. As	the	physical	eye	sees	images,	it
does	not	claim	authorship	of	the	images	nor	does	the	ear	claim	authorship	of
sound. Therefore,	with	some	experience	with	witnessing	and	pure	observing,
it	also	becomes	apparent	that	the	thoughts	are	not	authored	by	a	unique
personage	called	‘I’. They	are	the	result	of	combinations	and	permutations	of
ideational	and	emotional	programs	that	are	playing	on	the	game	board. The
realization	that	the	mind	is	not	the	same	as	‘I’	or	‘me’	breaks	the	identification
of	the	self	with	the	mind. This	realization	also	extrapolates	to	the	body	as	one	realizes	that	one	is
merely	the	witness,	experiencer,	and	observer	of	sensation. One	does	not
actually	experience	the	body	but	only	the	senses. Proximate	to	witnessing	or	observing	is	experiencing. There	is	witnessing
and	observation,	and	then	there	is	the	experiencing	or	that	which	is	witnessed
and	observed. By	moving	the	point	of	observation	from	what	is	being
witnessed	to	that	of	witnessing,	the	next	step	into	the	field	of	consciousness	is
awareness	of	experiencing. Is	experiencing	done	by	a	‘who’	or	by	a	‘what’. One	will,	by	observation,	discover	that	‘something’	rather	than	‘someone’
is	functioning	as	the	impersonal	experiencer	and	observer,	which	is
unchanged	and	unaffected	by	the	content	of	that	which	is	being	experienced,
observed,	or	witnessed. The	next	thing	to	notice	is	that	the	content	of	mind	is	form. For	form	to	be
observable,	it	must	occur	against	a	background	of	nonform. Analogously,
objects	are	visible	only	in	space	because	space	is	empty	and	without	form. Similarly,	one	can	only	hear	sound	against	a	background	of	silence. The	use
of	white	sound	to	blank	out	speech	is	an	obvious	example. Because
consciousness	is	formless	and	devoid	of	content,	it	is	able	to	recognize	form. Thoughts	are	only	discernible	if	they	move	in	a	field	of	non-thought. The
background	of	the	mind	is	therefore	the	silence	of	the	field	of	consciousness
itself. In	turn,	consciousness,	which	is	a	field	of	potential	energy,	is	detectable
because	it	is	illuminated	by	the	light	of	awareness,	which	is	the	Self. Meditation:	Observation	of	The	Mind’s	Stream	of	Consciousness
IntentionalThe	stream	of	thought	is	propagated	and	energized	by	layers	of	motives
and	intentions	that	can	be	identified	as	follows:
1. The	desire	to	language	emotions:
This	takes	the	form	of	recall,	rehearsing,	and	repetitious	processing	of
events	and	ideas	that	are	linked	to	emotions. This	process	is	sometimes
referred	to	as	the	mind	working	through	its	failings. 2. Anticipation:	Making	plans	for	expected	or	possible	future	events	or
possible	conversations	or	encounters. 3. Rehashing	the	past. 4. Rewriting	scenarios,	real	or	imaginary. 5. Creating	imaginary	scenarios—daydreams. 6. Remembering—reruns	and	recalling. 7. Solving	problems. Unintentional
1. Unasked	repetitions	of	the	above.
The mind is not a personal entity, but rather an impersonal, inborn aspect of consciousness. It is an illusion and a source of suffering and pain.
What is the nature of the mind, according to the text?
The primary intention of the mind is to seek survival and perpetuate its own functioning. It does this by creating scenarios, rehearsing, and rehashing past events, and seeking control over the next instant.
What is the primary intention of the mind, and how does it manifest?
The key to spiritual growth is not through intellectual effort or willpower, but through surrender, humility, and devotion to the divine. This is facilitated by the recognition that the ego is an illusion and that the true nature of reality is beyond the ego's understanding.
What is the key to spiritual growth and evolution, according to the text?
The intellect is not the means to attain truth, but rather a tool to facilitate understanding and recognition of the illusory nature of the ego and the world. It is limited by its own paradigm and is not capable of comprehending the true nature of reality.
What is the purpose of the intellect, according to the text?
The ultimate goal of spiritual work is not to achieve a specific state or level of consciousness but to transcend the ego and the illusion of a separate self, and to realize the unity and oneness of existence.
What is the ultimate goal of spiritual work, according to the text?