Self-realization is not an end in itself, it cannot be adequately conceptualized. Therefore, it cannot be pursued, nor fathomed by mere intellect. It is a spontaneous act of the present and an innocent experience of the immediacy of being. It is a state of consciousness which is whole and undifferentiated, the actualized awareness of the infinite source of all that exists... which lies right at our feet.
The mind may only approach this state indirectly as it surrenders to the totality of the present moment. The mind's identification with thinking and the body has evacuated the abode of consciousness, giving way to emptiness - the presence of the beyond. This is the realization of one's true and only real nature, which is all encompassing, and yet absolutely independent of all manifestation. This is the realization of permanent unity with the totality of being.
State of being in the now
When one observes the ego and becomes aware of its basic operation, it becomes abundantly clear that this animal lives and breathes in the context of past and future. Without these deluded notions of time, ego is like a fish out of water. This is very simple, a truth that cannot be denied, and yet, even when people are aware of ego’s bondage to the illusion of time, they are unable to get past it. And now millions of people have been informed that the only reality is now, but they continue to maintain the illusion of time, even though they acknowledge its falsity. Why is this?
The first step towards
The first step towards self-realization comes with the understanding that time as a movement of past, present and future is but a conceptual world - a projection of the mind. A world created by thinking which acts as a preservation of a false sense of permanence and identity which is ego. It is not enough to have a single realization or understanding of the mechanics of ego and to know that only the now is real. One must also walk the steps towards purifying consciousness of its unconscious latent tendencies, which are the accumulation of endless thought patterns and emotional scars from the past. One must keep practicing self-inquiry to know who one is exactly in the moment, so as to rid one's consciousness of preconceived ideas about reality and one's sense of identity. One must constantly withdraw attention from the outward world of form and sensory input in order to reside in the silence and vastness of pure consciousness.
As long as there is some unconscious thought process, self-realization won't reveal itself as a permanent state of being. Until self-realization is fully actualized, self-knowledge will be incorporated into the realm of experience and will come and go amidst the scattered glimpses of awareness that are interspersed with the unconscious thought processes and behavior. This state of mind is bound to fluctuate with circumstance until consciousness becomes fully purified of all latent tendencies.
One must come to a place of complete dedication to mindfulness and passively observe all that appears on the screen of consciousness throughout the course of daily living. With this practice, one's life comes to revolve around the very center of consciousness, rather than its usual orientation, which is external. The ordinary state of consciousness is a movement on the periphery. Everything of one's existence is looked at as something outside of oneself and when we start having some understanding that only the now is real, we still hold on to the idea that self-realization is something external, an event or an experience residing outside of one's self - something to achieve in the future. This confusion is due to the influence of those latent tendencies which still maintain control of one's world view and state of mind and act as a shield against the experience of unity with what's real.
We must come to a place where all perceptions and all thoughts revolve around the center of consciousness. All energies must assume a focus on that awareness of and that direct connection to the genuine presence which dwells in silence. Everything must be considered from that place of awareness and presence. Without this awareness, the mind can only maintain and reinforce latent tendencies. Therefore, one must keep remembering to return to one's center of being in order to revert that degenerative process of accumulating latent tendencies. The practice of passive awareness will effectively subdue that unconsciousness, and sooner or later, the mind will come to the understanding of how essential awareness is. At some point, the mind realizes that this practice is mandatory... not mandatory because it seeks to possess an exalted state of consciousness, but because without awareness, it is entrapped in a vicious cycle of ignorance and bound to the fruits of unconscious thoughts and actions.
Self-inquiry has to become the main practice, the center of one's life before anything else. Self-realization must become an ingrained state of being, and not just an experience or an intellectual exercise that one pursues as another form of entertainment, another way to embellish a false sense of realization. Self-realization remains of the nature of intellectual knowledge until one has come to a place of complete dedication to the practice of awareness, of being aware from moment to moment, where reality alone resides. As self-knowledge deepens and one's life starts to revolve around that presence, self-realization becomes less of an experience or a source of knowledge and more an independent and natural state of being.
This emphasis on dedication does not imply that the permanency of self-realization is to be seen as something that may only come about through hard labor - or that its manifestation is commensurate with commitment to practice, for such practice only resides within the moment. As long as the mind remains fully aware of the moment, unconsciousness cannot prevail. As long as this is practiced, the latent tendencies evaporate from the field of consciousness. One is on the right path and sooner or later, without any expectation, that same practice becomes a permanent state of being. Once this is achieved, the whole world view changes. The only thing that is perceived is the self; nothing intervenes between what is seen and what is lived, for only the self remains. The individual comes to a place of wholeness where the world no longer appears as external or independent from one's sense of individual existence. There is no longer any doer, nor any individual caring about its little world of limitations. Only the self is seen as real and everything else somehow disappears; all that remains is the reality of infinite being.
The seeking mind
For a long time, it seemed to me that there were two basic elements on the path of self-realization: the dualistic illusory world of ego, which exists in the illusory world of past and present, and the absolute reality of undifferentiated consciousness. All I could perceive in meditation practice was the world of thought and the reality that is manifest in the passive awareness state. These seemed to be the two aspects of mind for one who is still caught up in duality, while attempting to transcend it. But recently it occurred to me that there is a third aspect of mind. And even though this is a relative concept, an arbitrary model, it seems like something worth mentioning. This third aspect is the seeking mind. It seems to have a momentum all its own, and it seems to be the intermediary between dualistic and non dualistic consciousness. What is this seeking mind? What is the nature of this intelligence that seeks truth?
Yes there is definitely a
Yes there is definitely a "third party" involved in this process of self-realization. But before we examine this, let's look at the nature of the practice of awareness itself. As the attention is drawn inwardly to the source of all thoughts of the mind, there is space created in between the thoughts themselves, and this space is of an expansive nature. What is expanding here is the vastness and silence of pure consciousness - the awareness of the nature of being which resides at the center of it all. This awareness permeates all the different levels of consciousness; it abides in spirit, mind and body. The practice of awareness not only integrates these three aspects of being, but acts as a bridge from the world of manifestation to the world of the infinite. Awareness is the intermediary in this process of self-realization, as it opens up space for this "third party" which you address in your question. This "third party" serves as catalyst for transformative interaction of the manifested and non-manifested aspects of the life force. The non-manifested aspect is the spirit's drive to return to the source of being, and it persists right up till that moment when purification from all sense of false identity is achieved.
The whole of creation itself, on all levels, may be conceived in terms of three basic elements. First, the Absolute; second, the reality of creation, which incorporates the manifested (the material world) and the non-manifested (the realm of spirit); and third, an element of balance - that which integrates the world of the infinite with the world of the finite. This aspect of balance is itself the drive to return home. It is the love that resides between the Absolute and the spirit. It is the heartbeat of the whole - the very momentum of all that exists.
On a physical level, this drive manifests as the physical body's will to stay alive, so as to support the mind. On the level of mind, this drive is engaged in the expression of spirit through the assumption of an apparently solid tangible sense of identity, while at the same time attuning itself to the intentions of the spirit and on the soul level, the drive may be seen as an intense desire to return home, to the source of all that exists - the will to attain true and everlasting presence. It is an energy that resonates through the body, mind and spirit that seeks to not only to align all aspects of being, but to fulfill the ultimate purpose of return to infinite being.
Your cosmological discourse
Your cosmological discourse clearly elaborates the relationship of mind and spirit. You say that we seek out experience on this gross material plane so that the spirit may come to purify itself and know itself through interaction with materiality. This makes perfect sense. However, when we are immersed in our usual patterns of coping with this material world, we have no sense of this spiritual evolutionary dimension of existence. We have no awareness of the spirit’s intentions when we swim through the sea of existence, but we are very much aware of our own intentions, which is to say, the intentions of mind. Is it possible to actually perceive the will of spirit, to know how the spirit is pulling the mind, why the spirit is compelling us to go in a particular direction, to do this or to do that? Is there a way to tune in to the spirit’s intentions, to get a sense of its influence from one situation to another?
The spirit within is always
The spirit within is always there to point out the right direction, so that our actions may resonate with its intentions. The way to connect with one's soul is to trust what comes from the heart. You may call it your gut reaction. When faced with a situation in which a critical decision is required, your mind should be subdued; you should be fully attentive to the voice or the predominant feeling within. This will not lie to you. When you discard the noise of the mind and become aware of the responses of the body so that they too subside, you will be tuned in to the voice of the spirit, and you can follow that voice with faith and conviction. You must tap in to that invisible dimension which exists on a different platform but runs parallel to the present outward circumstance. When you are quiet enough to hear its voice, the soul will direct your actions or allow you to perceive what is required in any given situation, and it will also give you some insight as to what there is to learn from any particular experience.
You must learn to trust the voice within and follow your heart, for the voice of the highest is not heard by the ears but through the heart. Since the highest is at the center of it all, when you listen with your heart you are tuning in to the whispering of the soul. The ability to listen to one's own voice is a matter of practice. It is something like developing a friendship with an animal or another person. How do you do it, if not by giving your total attention in that intimate moment of the communication? You do not come with ideas; you leave these aside and establish a connection from the heart. You must treat your soul as a great friend that comes to visit you. You must show respect, attention and love. This is the only way. You develop an intimate relationship with your soul by practicing mindfulness, by approaching that inner being from a place of absolute receptivity and devoting your full attention to its ethereal presence.
The mind and body always have to abide by the dictates of the soul, and if you can listen carefully, you will find that the spirit is always there to guide you. Not only will you hear what your own soul has to tell you, but you will also be tuned in to the very center of all life.
One must abide by the rule of destiny and follow its course no matter what difficulties may arise or what sacrifice is required. It is the only way that one can act in accord with what one truly is. Thus, one cannot but succeed in bringing to completion the trial of existence on this earthly plane. This is the culmination of the spirit's journey: the fully awakened return to the light of supreme oneness, which constitutes an alignment with the destiny of the entire cosmos.