No. Consciousness is simply a word to describe that which is and is beyond all words, concepts, and knowledge. And consciousness is that which appears as all, right? So it can be said that you are that. Correct?
I appreciate your honesty, but it seems like a cop out. Why do we continue to write and read such things then? Why, it seems, are we afraid to follow the logic of our claims to their natural conclusions in order to understand reality and refine our attempted descriptions of it, all the while still recognizing that what we’re discussing transcends description? Isn’t this still worth doing with all honesty and rigor?
Absolutely, it must be done. I am all for investigating this! Just not in the comments on this Substack. ;-) The only thing I recommend is direct nondual inquiry. Find out in direct experience. In my opinion, discussing it in abstract concepts and theory is the cop out. But that is just me. I'm done with discussions. You can find many here on Substack and in nondual circles who are happy to discuss.
I find that discussion is the natural product of direct inquiry, and this type of discussion is most beneficial at refining the use of language. It’s not a means of argument but more akin to friends mutually discussing a beautiful piece of art. I’ll refrain from sharing further observations here.
So, I'm a mess by almost any standard how am I going to improve and get better? I know the answer will be some form of 'there's no you who could do anything about getting better, etc'
I'm 66 years old and need to make some lifestyle changes. I have heart disease, I'm 50 lbs overweight, with other ailments.
I could do something about it but I just seem to care enough to do the things that would help improve my health.
I'm reading your three books and loving how you've laid it all out clearer than I saw it with Tony Parsons and Jim Newman.
Does nonduality have anything to say about how to motivate myself to do the things that would benefit my health?
As you already suspect, nonduality has nothing to say about how to motivate a self because how would that work? Which self would be motivating the other self?
Have a look at where motivation to do anything comes from. How does it arise? Can you find anyone doing the motivating or causing motivation to happen?
It is the direct looking and seeing the mechanism of it that will make it clear and dissolve the questions.
Thank you. I'm rereading your response and seeing that my conditioning to not take care of myself was somehow ingrained very early and runs to this day. So would seeing that lead to motivation to do something about it or am I just stuck and doomed to my conditioning? I'm stuck it seems.
“Everything is US.” 🫥
“We are all connected.” 🐈⬛
Universal Consciousness.
Universal Awareness.
Uni verse.
One Song.
“One Love.” 🎵
Reading.
Writing.
Quoting.
All One.
Whole.
⭕️
Isn’t consciousness the agent, chooser, decider, and doer of all the unique appearances?
Is it? Is Consciousness an entity, a thing?
No. Consciousness is simply a word to describe that which is and is beyond all words, concepts, and knowledge. And consciousness is that which appears as all, right? So it can be said that you are that. Correct?
I do appreciate your comments but I don't go into these types of discussions anymore because words simply can't express it.
I appreciate your honesty, but it seems like a cop out. Why do we continue to write and read such things then? Why, it seems, are we afraid to follow the logic of our claims to their natural conclusions in order to understand reality and refine our attempted descriptions of it, all the while still recognizing that what we’re discussing transcends description? Isn’t this still worth doing with all honesty and rigor?
Absolutely, it must be done. I am all for investigating this! Just not in the comments on this Substack. ;-) The only thing I recommend is direct nondual inquiry. Find out in direct experience. In my opinion, discussing it in abstract concepts and theory is the cop out. But that is just me. I'm done with discussions. You can find many here on Substack and in nondual circles who are happy to discuss.
I find that discussion is the natural product of direct inquiry, and this type of discussion is most beneficial at refining the use of language. It’s not a means of argument but more akin to friends mutually discussing a beautiful piece of art. I’ll refrain from sharing further observations here.
If there’s no morality to fall back on, how does one behave?
The way one does?
Who is doing the behaving?
The one! 🙃 I’d say someone, no one and the one. Someone being subject to change!
But no fixed controllable entity. There's just behavior. So yes, one behaves the way one does. There's no other option. :-)
So, I'm a mess by almost any standard how am I going to improve and get better? I know the answer will be some form of 'there's no you who could do anything about getting better, etc'
I'm 66 years old and need to make some lifestyle changes. I have heart disease, I'm 50 lbs overweight, with other ailments.
I could do something about it but I just seem to care enough to do the things that would help improve my health.
I'm reading your three books and loving how you've laid it all out clearer than I saw it with Tony Parsons and Jim Newman.
Does nonduality have anything to say about how to motivate myself to do the things that would benefit my health?
Thank you!
As you already suspect, nonduality has nothing to say about how to motivate a self because how would that work? Which self would be motivating the other self?
Have a look at where motivation to do anything comes from. How does it arise? Can you find anyone doing the motivating or causing motivation to happen?
It is the direct looking and seeing the mechanism of it that will make it clear and dissolve the questions.
Thank you. I'm rereading your response and seeing that my conditioning to not take care of myself was somehow ingrained very early and runs to this day. So would seeing that lead to motivation to do something about it or am I just stuck and doomed to my conditioning? I'm stuck it seems.
*I just don't seem to care enough
Everyone thinks that there is no reality only views till they get punched in the face
The image shared here reveals a lot.
The trees clouds etc visible above and below the lake water are same because the seer of all these is same.
They also appear exactly as such in a dream also because there too the seer is same.
This photo is also the place in Thailand where I grew up. I even swam in that pond as a child. ;-)
...happy to know this....
Nothing seems as pure and as cherishing as things done as a child perhaps because there was no doer just pure doing like swimming singing.
Thanks for sharing.
The trick is to look in the mirror and seeing no self 🙏