I finally found my path...

[Godspark]

Originally Posted by JustASimpleGuy

I know you know this but it's worth repeating for all who peruse this thread: The path beyond mind is through mind. There is no path, but only a fool doesn't follow it. Embrace the paradox. LOL!

Godspark,

When all this started for me late in 2019 I bought these books and if you don't have them I'd suggest 1 & 2 are beyond helpful and the others are optional.

1 - The Ten Principal Upanishads translated by Shree Purohit Swami & W.B. Yeats
2 - The Bhagavad Gita by Eknath Easwaran
3 - Vivekananda: The Yogas and Other Works by Swami Nikhilananda
4 - The Heart of Awareness (A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita) by Thomas Byrom

They can all be found on Amazon.

The only caveat and it's an admonishment often voiced by Swami Sarvapriyananda is #4 is dangerous as it's the same statement of ultimate reality stated over and over again in different prose. The danger is one takeaway can be since one is already One a conclusion can be made no further study, effort or practice is necessary and that's a great mistake.

I'm not certain, but think Miss Hepburn might have been referring to the fact "you can't think yourself into enlightenment"

Perhaps what she meant, and what all those great philosophers meant was, to ignore the voice of the mind, the intellectual critic that never shuts up. You can't avoid mind completely though, because everything - all reality - is conscious. Awareness is a base component for anything to actually perceive an existence.

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by Godspark

...because everything - all reality - is conscious.
Awareness is a base component for anything to actually perceive an existence.

Yes.
What I got at 19 reading these brilliant men's words was, You're not going to reach 'It' ---
ultimate happiness, joy, wisdom, deep insight into existence - with the intellect.
You're not going to 'figure it out'...with thinking, with thought.
What? What a moment that was.

I didn't even know about meditation, going within, enlightenment, nirvana, Gurus or about Cosmic Consciousness....yet.
I had not come across the 'breakout book' - 'Be Here Now' by Ram Das, yet.
What an exciting time of discovery.

[Godspark]

Awesome stuff!

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

I had not come across the 'breakout book' - 'Be Here Now' by Ram Das, yet

I've been watching Ram Das on Gaia, so good!

Originally Posted by Godspark

I'm not certain, but think Miss Hepburn might have been referring to the fact "you can't think yourself into enlightenment"

Perhaps what she meant, and what all those great philosophers meant was, to ignore the voice of the mind, the intellectual critic that never shuts up. You can't avoid mind completely though, because everything - all reality - is conscious. Awareness is a base component for anything to actually perceive an existence.

Yup, I know where Miss Hepburn's coming from.

Here's a great answer to the question "What is the role of the mind in self-realization?". It takes Swami about 40 minutes to get there and it's basically explaining the difference between knowing of mind and "knowing" from beyond mind. In essence the mind can't realize Atman itself. Atman reveals Itself to mind and that "knowing" is then known to mind.

https://youtu.be/Bf45_kW2yI4

[Godspark]

Originally Posted by JustASimpleGuy

Yup, I know where Miss Hepburn's coming from.

Here's a great answer to the question "What is the role of the mind in self-realization?". It takes Swami about 40 minutes to get there and it's basically explaining the difference between knowing of mind and "knowing" from beyond mind. In essence the mind can't realize Atman itself. Atman reveals Itself to mind and that "knowing" is then known to mind.

Interesting.

40 mins you say? I might be able to explain in a paragraph...

When you meditate on your inner self, and you go deep enough into your self, your core essence of being, you start finding that everything originates from a single point, from the point of perception into reality. I perceive, I exist, I am, there is a focal point where we perceive existence, constantly within the now, in this present moment we perceive a reality but it all traces back to a single point of perception of existing. Beyond this focal point of perception, is the pure awareness, pure existence, pure self in connection with divine unity, the all that is.

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by Godspark

Interesting.
40 mins you say? I might be able to explain in a paragraph...

Hahahahahahah...oh boy that cracked me up! Cuz, I thought...Hmm,
"Gee, I could say it in probably 2 sentences." (The role of the mind in self-realization.)

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by Godspark

When you meditate on your inner self, and you go deep enough into your self, your core essence of being, you start finding that everything originates from a single point, from the point of perception into reality. I perceive, I exist, I am, there is a focal point where we perceive existence, constantly within the now, in this present moment we perceive a reality but it all traces back to a single point of perception of existing. Beyond this focal point of perception, is the pure awareness, pure existence, pure self in connection with divine unity, the all that is.

Yes.*
Now who is it that says the Zero Point ---Gregg Braden?
BUT who is it I was just reading 2 days ago that called it the Atom Point.
Makes no difference we all are in our own little group of knowing that Point.
Yay!

*And I must say: Well said.

[Miss Hepburn]

Here Godspark, this is a good time to give you this as a little gift.

If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them.
They are not a sort of prize which God could, if He chose, just hand out to anyone.
They are a great fountain of energy and beauty spurting up at the very centre of reality.
If you are close to it, the spray will wet you: if you are not, you will remain dry.


CS Lewis

[Godspark]

Thanks Miss Hepburn, I enjoyed that. Love the water reference! very refreshing :)

Zero Point, Atom Point?

How about Spirit Point or God Point? or maybe, point of perception... the perception point where the self experiences an existence.

My nickname is kind of a play on words, because we are a spark of God, but also in Gods park. Hehe :)

Another similar one I like is Godsword, because Gods word will cut through anything like a God Sword.

[angel007]

Originally Posted by Godspark

Hey all,

Just wanted to share what I discovered a couple months ago as it may help others on their journey...

It came to me that I have been spending over 20 years researching everything and anything considered to be spiritual, supernatural or esoteric since my awakening in 2001. Yet, I've never had a mentor or teacher to guide me! It's extremely hard to find a guru in western civilization unless you join a church, cult or monastery.

So I came to a realization that I am my own teacher and mentor! I've always just gone with what resonates as truth when reading and researching, only picking what corresponds to things I've already experienced in the past as truth. I started to see just how much I look inwards, into my inner self for answers and truth which I've been doing for many years without really knowing it. I also started to discover that this whole inner self teaching thing, is what many philosophers and teachers have hinted at throughout history - to know thyself!

Here are some examples:
Lao Tzu - "Mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true power"
Aristotle - "Mastering yourself is the beginning of all wisdom"
Socrates - "To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom"
Pythagoras - "Man know thyself, then thou shalt know the universe and God"
Confucius - "What the undeveloped man seeks is outside, what the advanced man seeks is within himself"

Not to mention...
Jesus Christ "The kingdom of God is within..."

I've also spent many years doing consistent meditation and believe I've reached what buddhists term "Samadhi" a number of times. So it became very clear to me that my inner self is the most important aspect to develop. Afterall, you only experience things through the perception of your self, and through deep meditation discovered that my self, the self, goes beyond all time and space, all reality, all dimensions, all form, everything to ever exist. At a very deep and core level, the self exists eternally as "I AM" and anything else we experience is just an extension from that point of perception, as though all reality is just added on top from the point of "I EXIST" or "I AM". We are constantly perceiving a reality around us, but when we stop and sit in silence just observing, we begin to notice the deeper thread of just pure existence as self.

I love all those truths. The more I read the more I understand everyone is saying the same thing from different angles. Some resonate with us more than others. I really like Look within, within is your fountain of good. I still remember when I was really young and first heard 'know thyself' I was confused and asked myself ..what in the heck does that mean. Now I love the words Know thyself and it must follow as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man