We keep saying “I” think this and “I” want that, while at the same time saying that we want to understand what is real! One must come to understand who one is before one can comprehend what is “out there” - if in fact there is anything “out there” that is independent from this “I”.
Who is the “I”?
- Desthein's blog
- Login or register to post comments
Consciousness is fluid in
Consciousness is fluid in nature, it is a constant state of movement, and this is what we really are; we are nothing solid. But our mental apparatus functions through the conditioning of language, and the western languages are composed of subjects, objects, and verbs. The structure of "I" is shaped by our peculiar way interpreting absolute reality in terms of subjects and objects. When we think "I", we are forming a concept of something solid, rather than perceiving the continual movement which is what we really are. So my question is: Considering the way the mind works, the way it is conditioned to find orientation in subjects and objects, how can we undo this tendency and thereby become aligned with the natural flow of consciousness ?
The best understanding the
The best understanding the mind can have of the world of form is that all is in movement since the mind, in essence, is but a constant flow - being of a transitory nature itself. However, the mind is rarely inclined to deeply inquire about whether everything is in movement, or about the essential nature of this movement, for it would necessarily come to the realization of the futility of all attempts to grasp reality as solid and tangible. It prefers to believe in what is seen out there as solid forms and objects. Otherwise, obviously, it would have to reflect on itself and realize also, that it is but of transitory nature, and it would have to face the inevitability of its eventual demise.
The mind itself is not intelligent, it does not have the capacity to act with independent intelligence. It is merely a mechanical process and this is why the mind cannot doubt that the world it perceives, as forms and objects, is real. The mind cannot but act as if it were a solid object. This is simply the way the conditioned mind functions, its very mechanical nature, its crude orientation which is limited to form; it grasps at things just like a hand grasps at things, and when faced with the enigma of emptiness, all it can do is grasp in futility. In contrast, when the mind reverts its attention inwardly, to the source of its thought process, it encounters its limitation as I-thought... and this is where the I-thought undergoes its transformation, creating space for that which neither comes nor goes - that which is permanent - the true identity of infinite being. This is the true nature of oneself, which is absolute and permanent. The I-thought, just as any form and object, just as the entirety of the universe, begins and ends within that true identity.
The “I thought” is, at
The “I thought” is, at its core, the thought of the physical body as a separate entity, separate from the totality. When we truly know the falsity of this concept, it disappears entirely. But understanding this on an intellectual level and knowing are two different things. Wouldn’t you say that this intellectual understanding, this rational intelligence, can expand to the point where total and absolute knowing takes over? And is this process of expanding understanding to the point of pure awareness the very thing that reading as meditation seeks to effect?
There are two essential
There are two essential processes involved to make the transition from ignorance to a state of union. One first needs to practice self-awareness in order to know what composes the “I thought”. Along with this practice comes self-knowledge. As the mind becomes accustomed to residing with the knowledge of its mental processes, it gradually acquires a sense of true identity, independent of the “I” identity. Its knowledge slowly leaves space for true knowledge, which is timeless. At some point this timeless knowledge, or true knowledge becomes an integrated sense of being.
This reading as meditation will allow you to remain in the gap between your thoughts, so that you may directly experience the integrated state of true being. The reader may well read this material as an intellectual exercise, but such a reader will soon be left dry. True knowledge can only be experienced directly, and this is what this reading leads to. This material is only made for the ones who want to go for the experience of what is.
Stillness
To bring the mind to a place of stillness, it is necessary to not just bring about the cessation of thought, but to deal with the cause of all thought. How does one accomplish this?
The “I thought” lies at
The “I thought” lies at the root of all other thoughts; without the “I thought”, there is no subject/object dichotomy on which all thought is based. The primary thought that is the essence of the “I thought” centers around the physical body. This is the thought of identification with the physical body, which serves as the bridge between the body and the soul. With this individuated perception of a physical body comes the idea of a separate existence. When awareness is focused on this idea of a separate entity, it becomes apparent that there is in fact no such thing as a separate anything - that nothing can be removed from the totality of existence. With this realization, the mind does not identify with a thinker, and thoughts are perceived as merely thoughts - they can just come and go, part of a natural mechanical process.
We must remember that the “I thought” is an integral part of the human evolutionary process. In order for the soul to interact with physicality there must be an “I thought” to act as the intermediary between spirit and matter. The “I thought” is the vehicle for the soul, just as the brain is the vehicle for the thoughts. The “I thought” serves the spirit up to a point, but as awareness expands it becomes obsolete.
Dualistic consciousness and
Dualistic consciousness and the consciousness of unification are really two different things, by definition. Though you might say that the world of dualistic consciousness isn’t real, that we are already abiding in universal consciousness, that we are already there - on a universal level this may be true, but still, we are not there. These are two different worlds. Like oil and water, they don’t mix. Even when we can easily perceive the space between thoughts, these worlds do not intersect, they don’t touch. How does one bridge the gap? Where, if anywhere, do the two worlds meet?
The dualistic consciousness
The dualistic consciousness appears to be real only to the observer. This is the “I thought” identifying with its thoughts, thus creating the world of separation. The world of duality can only appear when one is identified with the thought process. Without identifying with any thoughts, or without pursuing any thoughts, how would one know that one is? Therefore, if one cannot get a sense of identity without thoughts, how can one see the world as separated? The world can only be a creation of one’s mind, while assuming the reality of separation. What is the world without the mind? What is the world without anybody to witness it?
If in reality there isn’t anybody, the world can only be one. Anything else is illusionary. When the mind starts thinking about two realities, one of separation and one of unification, it is not aware that it is identifying with its thought process. Therefore it unconsciously gives substance to the world of separation.
Is there any distinction
Is there any distinction between the “I thought” and the ego?
The “I thought” in its
The “I thought” in its primitive state is actually a mental body that serves as intermediary between the corporeal body and the spirit. The “I thought” is the essential product of individuation. The ego develops from the “I thought”. Ego manifests when the mind is no longer connected to its true nature, which is the universal consciousness. Because the eyes have turned outwardly, the mind seeks to retrieve a sense of belonging, which it only can achieve through an ego existence. As the soul journeys through the life of an ego it accumulates the fruits of ego’s actions, and thus finds itself with the necessity to purge itself from them, which draws the soul’s journey into the cycle of life and death in this physical world. The ego is basically the result of ignorance, an ignorance that is based on a separation from universal consciousness.
If one reverts one’s attention to the very center of ego, one comes to the “I thought” - the skeleton of thought which serves as a root channel between the soul and the body, just as the physical skeleton supports the envelope of the flesh. The “I thought” is a thought form - the projected thought of the soul, whose purpose is to propagate other thought forms which contribute to the structure of ego.
This discussion of the
This discussion of the nature of the “I thought” raises some questions about the actual practical working relationship between physical body and ego. By its very animal nature, the physical body is subject to fear and desire. Since the spirit is removed from the dimension of form, its essence remains unaffected by events in the world of form. But the mind, through its false identification with ego, perceives the activities and events that are of the body as things which affect the “I”, which is, as you’ve stated, a “thought body”, which would be removed from all physical sensation. The physical body may experience pain, but this thought body, this “I” would only believe that it too is experiencing pain if it identifies with the physical body.
You have described the “I
You have described the “I thought” as a “skeleton of thought that serves as a root channel between the soul and the body”. This makes perfect sense. But the nature of the “I thought” is that it doesn’t perceive itself as such. It identifies itself with the body, even though any self-reflection would immediately reveal that it is not the body. And thus the mind, which is ethereal and without limitation, identifies with this gross physical manifestation of the flesh, with a crude form that is really something foreign to its true nature. This case of ethereal mind identifying with solid form tends to create a distorted world, where everything is mistakenly perceived as solid form; we have no sensitivity to anything beyond solid form. Thus we encounter a world with no depth or dimension or spirit - a dead world. The whole problem seems to have its roots in the mind’s identification with form. This mental fixation is so deeply ingrained that even when we understand that it makes no sense, we continue to maintain the illusion.
So let’s say we wish to
So let’s say we wish to examine the relationship between this “I thought” and the physical body, with the hope that if we see what’s going on, we can break that habit of identifying with the body and identifying with the world of form.
How can the mind be made to understand its relationship with the body? And also, do you have anything to say about the mind’s connection to the physical body? How are mind and body actually connected?