De-Throning The False King
There are no practices to be at one with and experience the aware reality we are, only to open the mind that blocks this understanding. Sometimes called true self (Advaita Vedanta-like) or no self (Zen-like) or heart (Sufi-like), or God's Being (Christian Mystic-like), depending on tradition. The important thing is that the experience is the same. It is important to understand that any methods put forward are focused on the mind and not about being Aware as this would imply even subtly that we are somehow unaware but have to do something to become it. We generally don't recognise we are it because we are seeing the world through the mental experience of our mind and its interpretation of the sensorial experiences of our body, and these are entirely crowding out the experience of being at one with the Aware Reality we already are. Methods such as Ramana Maharshi's self-enquiry use the mind's rational and imaginative nature to take us back to recognising our true nature.
However, All methods attempt to open the mind from its closed belief that it is the King of life and that the only experiences that can be known are mind-like. They all, in one way or another, assert the possibility that this Aware Reality can be aware of itself without the mind's help. The mind, however, eschews the possibility of this experience and discourages the possibility that any experience can be recognised without it. The mind has made itself an unelected dictator of reality. It has assumed the mantle of the King of reality without any consent. It proceeds to claim that any experience without it is a primitive or fantasy, and we, this Aware Reality, give all our attention to these beliefs and live our life in their shadow like a person does a dictator's bidding. Or it misguides us and tries to imply that this experience of true reality must be extra-ordinary rather than super-ordinary. It makes us look in the wrong place.
However, it takes little effort to realise the deep intuition that the human mind is not the King it purports to be, for we are always at one with our true nature. Just because we are not conscious of gravity and cannot name it does not mean it does not exist. It's only that the mind convinces us we are not because it has taken ownership of being aware and made itself King of existence, claiming it is the one who is aware. Nevertheless, if we care to remind ourselves, we soon discover that this Aware Reality we are is not mind-like; it can be aware of itself, and the mind is not involved in that. This is the core of most spiritual teachings. The effect of being directly aware of the Aware Reality we are is described by poets, mystics, spiritual teachers, and others worldwide. These descriptions are only designed to encourage, but those minds convinced they are King of reality will not be impressed. No hyperbole or rational description can convince a mind that believes it is King to give up its mantle. Often, the only teacher is the suffering that ensues from the illusion of this Kingship.
The job is to open the mind to the possibility that it is not the King of reality and that we are this Awareness knowing ourselves directly. The job is to realise that the mind's way of seeing the world is simply like a pair of psychedelic sunglasses we have made for ourselves, which is the purpose of spiritual teachings. We don't need to take the sunglasses off. We just need to persuade this mind to be open to the possibility that it is a pair of sunglasses and that whatever forms, shapes, and colours they present are all possible because of a singular experience we call light. In reality, this light is the light of Awareness we are and is continually being experienced directly, for without it, no refraction would be possible. The mind cannot see this light, though it can describe the effects of it being seen. Only Awareness can "see" itself. We don't have to go looking for it. It is everywhere and always there.
The key path to recognising it is understanding it must be there and what we are in essence and persuading our would-be King's mind that it is not the King but a pair of psychedelic sunglasses. Being aware of Awareness is easy once we recognise it. It's like falling off a log. Recognising it is not difficult as it is not something we don't know and, remarkably, is something that every individual can choose to do if they are so inclined. This Universally accessible taste of the true nature is evidence of its universality.
Understanding this is the central purpose of The Universal Family sessions I offer at www.naturallybeing.one, and beyond that, it helps us understand how to align our living experience in the light of it.
Love
Freyja
