A Profound Lesson in Nonduality
It will admit it's aburdity at first glance. It has taken me some time to really grasp where nondual proponents are coming from. And I don't believe that it is a logical stance as much as it is a "felt" stance.
(if you're interested in learning more, go to a bookstore, pick up Ken Wilber's "The Simple Feeling of Being" and read the last chapter)
But today a profound lesson in nonduality fell into my lap. I was researching a few teachers and came upon nondualist teacher Ramana Maharshi's website. I started to read an article on there, but was tired of sitting at the computer and so I decided to print it so I could go enjoy an article and some coffee. So I set the printer to "Print" and set it up so that it would print on both sides and do a double staple on the left of the page (making a book). The printer is not in my office so I went to grab my new "book" from the printer.
Upon picking it up, I saw that that it was 10 blank pages stapled together. Grr. So I went back to my computer and tried again.
Yup, 10 blank pages stapled together. And right as I was getting ready to throw it in the recycling bin, it hit me.
There is nothing to learn. There is nothing to attain. You are already it.
Posts
10 comments:
There may be quite a bit of wisdom in your book of blank pages!
Ditto Greatfulbear-
...and I feel the same everytime I contemplate a new book purchase.
Great post Trev.
You are.
Hahah, nice andrew.
That's freaking hilarious... especially since I don't know the Cubs from the Colts.
Slather THAT in Sour Cream and eat it.
i'm digging the mindset that the spiritual experience and the physical experience are separate, but without one the other need not exist. however, their co-existence and dependence on each other also make them the same, parts of the whole, without one of which the whole does not exist. duality is for the physical, but necessitated by the spiritual; all living things perform a role of living in a dualistic space so that we all may take advantage of the experience of life and of learning through "the lense" of duality. the reasons for this are beyond our understanding for the most part, but we can catch glimpses of how it works. when one begins to appreciate each moment as its own, without which all other moments need not exist, one begins to find peace and bliss even in the face of what mortals deem tragedies. "happiness" that perceived negative events happen is not the same as having "peace" about those events, but i find myself being able to focus more on spiritual transformation when i have peace that all is well.
Cool post, Trev.
I think the whole duality thing is what is also called separateness. The game is to find the point in between. That's tough enough, but the real game is to not only find the point in between, but to reside there, to live from that point... no matter where we are (physical, emotional, mental or spiritual dimension), and no matter what we are doing.
What? Are baseball players really not wearing cotton anymore?
Ha, not exactly. My good buddy Andrew is as full of sh*t as the bathrooms at Union Station.
:)
He was just being uber-sarcastic. And damn funny at the same time.
This is a wonderful post, and I am glad that it has aroused so much humor - that is a little glistening from our humanity laughting at itself.
You write, "And I don't believe that it is a logical stance as much as it is a "felt" stance." This is critical - there is so much intellectualizing of sprituality, and reaching, or grasping the profound notion of nonduality is certainly not about thinking...it is a feeling of Being, already found, experiencing in each moment that we are both viewer and the view.
I'm laughing too... how hard it is to articulate this without relying on a duality-based mindset.
The blank pages are a great example of nonduality, inconnectivity and inter-be. Great post. I too am really studying nonduality lately and the more I do the more I realize that everything is already complete and perfect. We just have to unite with what is already united.
Oh...food for thought. Just when I'm hitting a few mental roadblocks, this is perfect -- because it makes so much sense to me.
On an unrelated note, Kalliopi is adorable, and love the name.
Post a Comment