Michael Jeffreys

Latest Review:

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The Silence of the Mind

Ilie Cioara

(O-Books pub., 2011, $16.95, 136 pgs)

“If the Eternal wasn’t already within us, we would not know Eternity.”

–Ilie Cioara

Ilie Cioara was an enlightened mystic who was born in Romania (1916-2004). While he is not as well known as some other awakened masters, his writing is no less potent in relentlessly pointing to, again and again, one's true nature, which is beyond form. Part of the reason for his lack of notoriety may have to do with the fact that he did not awaken until he was in his mid-fifties. Says Ilie:

I was 55 years old. One morning, waking up from my sleep, I noticed that, psychologically, I was functioning differently from the night before. The mind had lost its usual turmoil. In a state of serenity I had never felt before, I was functioning in perfect communion with my whole somatic structure.

My surprise was so great that it prevented me from understanding the mysterious phenomenon as I didn’t manage to put it into words. I had read, of course, lots of descriptions of Enlightenment, Liberation, but there is a great difference between mere intellectual knowledge and directly experiencing the phenomenon.

"A silent mind allows the senses to perceive things as they are."

–Ilie Cioara

Only after a couple of hours I realized what had happened to me, without pursuing this “something” as an ideal to accomplish. I was, to use a simile, in the situation of a man blind from birth, who had just gained his sight after undergoing surgery. Everything around me was as new. I had an overall perspective on things. A silent mind allows the senses to perceive things as they are.

The mind in its totality had become, through silence, an immense mirror in which the outside world was reflected. And the world I was perceiving directly through my senses revealed its own reality to me. My fellow beings, close friends or complete strangers, were being regarded indiscriminately, with a feeling of love I had never felt before.

If any reaction of the mind surfaced, it disappeared immediately in contact with the sparkle of impersonal Attention. A state of quiet and all-encompassing joy characterized me in all circumstances, whether pleasant or painful. My behaviour was that of a simple witness, perfectly aware of what was happening around me, without affecting my all-encompassing state of peace.

The words in The Silence of the Mind cut like a sharp razor through the mental conditioning and programming that most human beings on the planet have fallen under the spell of. As you read, it becomes obvious that the "goal" is not to get rid of or kill the ego (as if that were possible!), but rather to see clearly that it is not YOU. Says Ilie:

 “As long as we live tied to this earth through the body, there is nothing more valuable or useful to accomplish than the detachment from the slavery of the ‘ego’.” 

This is not a book to be read with the mind but rather with the heart, for intellectual understanding brings little relief from the mind's victim story. Indeed, it is the dropping of all stories that reveals the peace that has always been our experience, but was veiled by the mind's fantasies. In the book's Introduction, Ilie reminds us that our true nature is the only theme of the book:

"All the poems in this volume tackle the same subject: the meeting

with oneself, viewed from different angles."

How does one get to know one's authentic self? Says Ilie:

"'Self-knowing' is based on the simplicity of listening and watching, both the outside world as well as the inner world - as reactions of the knowing mind. Finally, outer-inner become one single movement."

In order for this shift in identification to happen (from ego to Being), meditation is recommended; and the starting point for meditation, according to Ilie, is silence:

"In this simple state of 'being', there is no center from which we look outwards and no boundaries which set our limits. We are the Infinite in constant movement, unfolding moment to moment."

Before I finish, I want to share with you one of my favorite quotes from the book:

“Be still for a moment and ask yourself: why do you run towards the past? What is the point of reliving the moments which are already gone? All that is old has no value in the present.”

If you have enjoyed/resonated with these excerpts from, The Silence of the Mind, you will be pleased to know that O-books is planning to release a second book by Ilie Cioara called, The Wondrous Journey into the Depth of Our Being in April of 2012.

-Michael Jeffreys

You can purchase The Silence of the Mind here:

http://www.o-books.com/books/silence-of-the-mind-the

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essence revisted

Slipping Past the Shadows of Illusion

Darryl Bailey

(10.95, 117 pages, Non-Duality Press)

"We do not exist as anything apart from the flow of nature and that flow

is an unformed, inexplicable dance accomplishing itself." -Darryl Bailey

Many find Darryl Bailey's perspective on "Life," on the totality of our experience of whatever it is we are experiencing moment to moment, to be extremely refreshing. While technically  essence revisited would fall into the category of "non-duality books," you will not find any mention of awakening, enlightenment, meditation, bliss or any of the other usual spiritual jargon.

Instead, Darryl asks not that you believe anything he writes, but that you simply consider a few fundamental observations about your present moment experience. First, that you did nothing to bring it about. Stop for a moment and let this sink in. What, exactly, did you do to make "this moment" BE this moment? The only honest answer is nothing (and if you think otherwise, just go ahead and try to make this moment NOT be!). The moment "happens" spontaneously, all by itself. When this really hits you, or "lands" as I like to say, it can be quite freeing. So, in a sense there is something to "get." Says Darryl:

The realization that life isn't our doing; we're a movement of nature. Everything, just as it is in any moment, is the already complete and pure expression of existence; it's never been a person accomplishing anything.

This is the power of illusion, the irrational fear of an ego losing control, when all the while there hasn't been an ego in control.

Of course, the sense that the ego is running the show feels very real. However, as soon as it is acknowledged that we did not create our ego/ this sense of "I", and in fact we didn't create anything about us or this experience we are having, the mind is "checkmated."

Darryl Bailey

More from Darryl:

We don't create our bodies and we don't create our brains. We don't create the physical abilities, mental abilities, and lack of abilities, we are. We don't create the apparent needs, interests, and concerns that arise in any moment. All of this simply happens on its own.

Even if it appears as though we make decisions, they grow out of the needs, interests, and concerns that arise in any particular moment and there's no "self" that makes it happen.

The key to understanding where Darryl is coming from, to me, is contained in the following sentence:

Nature presents situations that demand a decision and the response to those situations is a movement of the only body, need, interest, and ability that nature also presents.

In other words, there is nothing that is appearing or happening that is NOT nature, Life, Source, the great mystery, or whatever you want to call it. Even the sense of being a "separate self," was not put there by you, but is only experienced because nature put it there!

"No one has the impression that a plant is in charge of its growing; it's a
movement of nature. Why would you think it's different for us?' -Darryl Bailey

To be able to see this for yourself, it can be helpful to notice a few things about Life. First, that everything is constantly changing. Says Darryl:

It doesn't matter what it is--an atom, a thought, a sound, a situation, a body, a mental state, a plant a storm, a mountain, or a galaxy--everything that we know of is changing, either quickly or slowly. Inward and outward, big or small, there is only this shift and flux. If this is fully acknowledged, it may be realized that this is all that actually exists. No object or "thing" is ever truly formed anywhere. Nothing is ever established or defined. No thing ever comes to stay, to exist, to "be."

In other words, by the time you are aware of something, it is already on its way to becoming something else. That, in fact, the only constant in life is change (the ultimate oxymoron!).

In practical terms, this means that when we hold a thought of something in the mind, whatever we are thinking of has already moved on to become something else. And since this is always the case, that means that ANY definition or conclusion we arrive at is already obsolete by the time we think of it!

Another observation that Darryl brings to our attention, and one that is common to several eastern teachings such as Buddhism, is that everything is impermanent. And if EVERYTHING is impermanent, than how real or true can anything be when its very existence is temporary?

And, not surprisingly, Darryl finds the the whole notion that there is someone who can awaken to be a fantasy:

Most so-called spiritual practices are the attempt to develop and control something. They're based on the fantasy that you're in charge of existence... that you're going to make something happen by practising.

While some advaita and nondual traditionalist may have a problem with essence revisted, since it doesn't embrace any practice or even the concept of awakening, I found Darryl's words to be wonderfully refreshing and helpful. No jargon, no paths to follow, nothing to do except see what is already taking place, right here and right now, and realizing that this has always been the case!

I also want to mention that Darryl has another excellent book out called, Dismantling the Fantasy, which is similar in content (meaning if you like this one, you will like that one) and worth checking out.


-Michael Jeffreys

You can purchase Darryl's books here: non-dualitypress.com

Darryl's website is: darrylbailey.net

And here is Darryl being interviewed on conscious.tv: "Dismantling the Fantasy"

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Suffering – A Path of Awakening 

Dissolving the Pain of Incest, Abuse, Addiction and Depression

Shellee Rae

(10.95, 136 pages, Outskirts Press, Inc.)

The wound is the place where the Light enters you. -Rumi

This little book (with the great cover) is a rare bird in that just the very act of reading it can be enormously healing. Why? Because Shellee's pain and suffering is our pain and suffering. While we may not have had a father that molested us, was an alcoholic, suffered from mental illness and eventually committed suicide, many of us know what it's like to feel lost, completely alone, and utterly worthless. To wish we were dead, but not have the guts to do anything about it.

And yet something inside us, a tiny pin-hole of light in a sea of blackness, keeps us going. So when Shellee finally begins to get her bearings, to see that who she really is is so much more than "her story," we too see that who we are at our center is so much greater and infinite than we ever imagined!

What makes this book work so well are, in my opinion, two things. First, Shellee's brutally raw honesty and unflinching willingness to share uncomfortable, painful, and self-destructive events from her life that most of us would be too ashamed to even disclose, much less put out for publication. And yet, it's this very authentic honesty that draws us in and makes us care about her and her story. It's what makes us want to turn the page to see what happens next!

The second reason why this book is so powerful is because Shellee is an extremely gifted writer. She makes her points and then, whether you like it or not, moves on. She doesn't allow the mind to get lost in the details, but simply shares her story as authentically as possible. Here's a taste:

By 1989, cocaine (along with alcohol of course) was pretty much a daily fare. I had discovered how to embezzle money out of the company I was working for and was able to spend hundreds of dollars on cocaine and drink for free all night long while working. The coke kept me from crashing and the alcohol was my best friend.

I never set out to disappear into a stupor of drugs or alcohol. Most of the time, the story my mind would tell me was ‘I will just have one or two this time and stop’ but one or two always turned on the compulsion for more. And more was never enough.

Shellee in her youtube video on "mistakes"

Interestingly, when I showed Shellee's book to people, it seemed to get three reactions: 1) I can't relate since those are not my experiences. 2) This hits too close to home and I am not ready yet. And 3) Wow, this book so speaks to me, I can't wait to read it!

For those that are ready, Suffering - A Path of Awakening could be the perfect book at the perfect time. Highly recommended!

-Michael Jeffreys

You can contact Shellee or order her book via her website:

www.shelleerae.com

“Everything is a confirmation of Awareness. Even a denial of it is
yet another confirmation of it. And so it’s inescapable… and the
inescapability of this is what makes it so beautiful.”
–Bentinho Massaro

If you are into non-duality and are on facebook, you already know who Bentinho Massaro is. In less than a year the exuberant, handsome, and wise-beyond-his-years 23 year old from the Netherlands has gathered a loyal and ever growing following of all ages from all over the world.

Like many, I first began seeing his non-dual posts and was taken with just how amazingly clear and “on the mark” they were. Truth has a feel or a vibe to it, and Bentinho’s words, his pointers toward our true nature made you feel lighter, freer, and more open. However, it was his spontaneous 2-5 minute YouTube videos that he would make during his day while, for example, walking to the bus stop, that really got people buzzing. In many of the clips, he would begin by just looking lovingly into the lens of his I-phone and then break into a big smile, as if he could barely contain his happiness. And there, right before your eyes, before he even said a word, was “causeless joy” in action.

“Awareness is that which knows that you are here right now.”

–Bentinho Massaro

Additionally, he has very high standards in regards to the material he shares. With Bentinho, it’s not about whether one teaching is superior than another, i.e., is “Advaita” better than so called “neo-Advaita,” but rather, does it work? What can he say to this person, right here and now, that will touch them and help them see what he sees: unconditioned Awareness is our true nature.

“Let everything be a confirmation of Awareness.” –Bentinho Massaro

How this DVD came into existence is a story unto itself. While Bentinho was staying here, I happen to overhear him tell someone that he was going to Temecula, CA after he left my place. Well, that night I was on the phone with Chris Hebard, who mentioned that he might like to do an interview with Bentinho. A bit stunned, I said, “Chris, Bentinho is going to be in Temecula tomorrow!” You see, Chris lives in Temecula. And so, the stars aligned, and the next day Chris hired a film crew and the result is this 1 hour and 21 minute DVD, The Emptiness of Being.

Bentinho Massaro

Chris Hebbard

Relax Your Focus

Says Bentinho:

We experience the fact that we exist and that there is a cognizance about that; there is a sense of existing, but even the sense of existing is known. That which knows it cannot be found because it’s not a thing; it’s not an experience in itself, it’s not any particular sensation, it doesn’t look or feel like anything… so we cannot define it. 

You are Not Your Thoughts

Conclusion = Duality

The mind’s nature is to compare and conclude, however ANY conclusion becomes a reference point or a dualistic position. Says Bentinho:

We are not trying to find the ultimate nature to reality because there’s nothing to find. We are not trying to find anything; we are not trying to come to any conclusion. Because the moment we arrive at a conclusion, we need a reference point; we need to say, “Ah, this is how it works,” then automatically there is, “This is how it DOESN’T work.” So there’s duality right there; there’s conflict, there’s war… this religion versus that religion.

A Fresh Set of Eyes

The last 20 minutes of the DVD is a “bonus segment” that came about when Chris spontaneously asked a friend of his who was there watching the taping, to sit and work with Bentinho one-on-one. This proved to be a very powerful and moving experience for Dean, if tears are any indication.

Final Thoughts

It is obvious that Chris greatly enjoyed his time with Bentinho, and the result is a very engaging and intimate interview. As always with Stillness Speaks DVDs, the graphics (in this case an exquisite wheat field) and the music, are first class. This is the kind of DVD that you will want to watch again and again, as each viewing is bound to reveal some more nuggets.

Lastly, at the end of his interview, Chris mentions a quote which Bentinho had told me the night before their interview. I will never forget Bentinho sitting in my living room, when I asked him what he would say if he could only share one thing with humanity. After reflecting for a few moments, he looked up at me and said with total conviction:

“You are already perfect. You don’t have to listen to anything that doubts that. Inadequacy is just a thought.”

-Michael Jeffreys

You can purchase The Emptiness of Perception DVD in the StillnessSpeaks store.

You can watch a clip from the DVD of Bentinho explaining his profound “Coin” analogy here.

Bentinho's website: www.free-awareness.com

Bonus Material

Because so much of what Bentinho shares on this DVD is so good, I transcribed several portions of it which you will find below. The material can be amazingly helpful, such as realizing that you can remain totally undisturbed by thoughts… such a blessing! And the “coin” and “jewelry shop window” analogies are superb.

-Michael

The Mind’s Story is an “Overlay”

Bentinho: So perception or appearance or experience are all synonymous; they are only as they are. Without saying anything about them mentally,  verbally, or emotionally… just experiencing. That’s all we can say about it truthfully.

When we describe it, when we think about it, when we form a story of it, then that story within itself contains that entire universe that we are experiencing. So, it’s like one single thought contains the entire universe.
That single reference point, within itself, contains that experience. There is no proof, apart from perception. So, that story, we overlay or superimpose upon experience as it is. It is our own projection that we experience, not the universe out there… it’s our own subtle reference point that is experienced.
For example, if I say that “I am depressed,” then depression is already a description. But if we can leave that be exactly as it is, even if the story has already arrived, memories are triggered, association is triggered, and there it is again, “I am depressed,” almost simultaneously. But if we notice it… there is already a freedom.

Belief in Story Blocks Freedom

Bentinho: Just the simple noticing of story is already a freedom from story in a sense. And we can deepen this by relaxing the focus, the tendency, the belief in the description, in the story. We leave everything be, we leave it alone. It’s almost like disregarding it… it’s not denying it and entering into some other thought… it’s like being there totally naked, naked being.

Remain Undisturbed

Bentinho: We’re totally vulnerable and we allow the sensation to rage and the stories to come… but we don’t enter the story. We see the story as another appearance on the surface of empty awareness. And so we are totally undisturbed by the changes and we stay with the knowing of it. And the knowing of it is always the knowing of it, it is always already here. And I can rely on it. I don’t have to get lost in the world of illusion. I can simply allow the thoughts to be as they are, to allow the descriptions to come and go. And to see that they are not leaving any trace in me as the knower of them.

They come and go, they fluctuate in intensity, and they reach an increasingly frightening height… but if you can even see the thought, “I can’t handle this,” as an appearance,” then you are totally undisturbed throughout all these thoughts, all these projections, all these explanations about what’s going on with the experience.

Standing naked, undisturbed, not needing anything, not becoming anything, not wanting anything. Just to be and to know that you are, in the midst of depression, is one of the most powerful things you can do. And we find that we cannot find the depression. And so the perception we are having is inherently empty or devoid of having an actual existence. The thought assumes it exists outside the experience.

Bentinho: Experience is like a coin. One side of the coin is the story, and the other side is a confirmation of what we are. For example, the experience of depression is saying, so to speak, “By the very fact that I am known, you are aware!” That is all it ever confirms. So, whatever the sensation is, whatever the thought is, is projecting a story, but it’s also confirming that there is an awareness of the story.

So you approach the same experiences from a different viewpoint, which allows everything to become a natural confirmation of empty awareness which is the source of every perception. So suddenly, depression is no longer depression, it is confirming awareness.

Nothing Exists Outside of Experience

Bentinho: Whatever experience you are chasing, ask yourself, “Where will that experience take place?” And you will find that it’s just going to be another perception within that which knows you are here right now. And it won’t have a nature of its own.

So, it’s not a body you are experiencing…  the BODY IS the EXPERIENCE. Another way of saying this is that you have no body apart from your experience of a body. So, there is no independent “you.” There is only the “experience of you.” So, the experience is the thing.

Just like in the dream, the thing doesn’t actually exist independently of your experience of it. We only “know” experience. We don’t know anything outside of it.

Bentinho: You can either look at the jewelry, or you can see your own reflection in the window. It’s the same space, the same experience, but when you are completely focused on the jewelry, you won’t notice your reflection. For that moment, your reflection doesn’t seem to exist.

You can also let go of wanting the jewelry, and naturally without doing anything, simply by relaxing your focus on the jewelry, the relaxed gaze of being, and suddenly the window reflects your own reflection. And for that moment, the jewelry is not known. And so, in our analogy, for that moment the depression is not known.

-End-

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Non Duality: Life as it is


(DVD, 29 minutes, $26.00, www.acadun.com)


Based on the books of Dr. Vijai S. Shankar

 

“The documentary unveils time and reality for what they really are,
which is an optical and auditory illusion of light and sound.”
–Dr. Vijai Shankar

For most human beings, it seems so obvious that we are the “commander in chief” of our actions, i.e., that we have the power to decide what we will do in the next moment, that this belief that we are the “doer” is rarely questioned.

This, no doubt, has to do with the fact that we have been told our entire lives that we are responsible for our actions. In fact, our whole legal system is based on this premise: choose your actions wisely or suffer the consequences!

And yet, not a day goes by when we don’t hear in the news about our fellow human beings making what are seemingly insane and incomprehensible decisions. For example, a few years ago a mother drowned all 5 of her own children in a bathtub. Now, if she truly had free will to make her own decisions, why on earth would this be her #1 choice of action in that moment? Why didn’t she choose to go into the kitchen and make a tuna fish sandwich instead? Notice that all attempts by the mind to definitively answer this question fall short.

So, is our ego really calling the shots or have we been deceived into thinking that we are the doer, thinker and speaker by a trick of the mind?

"At the time a thing is being done, there is no thought or feeling that one is doing it. This is further proof that one is not a doer. Claiming to have done a thing after the doing cannot make one a doer." -Sri Atmananda

 

Dr. Vijai Shankar

In this original and stunning short film, Non Duality: Life as it is, Dr. Vijai Shankar endeavors to explain how the illusion works, i.e., why the mind believes it sees something that does not actually exist: an ACTION.
The film begins by showing 2 boxers in the ring throwing punches at each other. One of the boxers, as well as his coach, appears to be frustrated because his punches seem to be missing their intended target. The question is then raised, what constitutes a punch? In other words, where does the action that is labeled a “punch” definitively start and end?
 

 

Where does a “punch” start?

At first the mind may think that it occurs when “the arm is cocked.” However, then one has to ask, okay, then when did the cocking of the arm begin? This too proves to be a tricky question to answer because, as the narrator points out, neither fighter has stopped moving since they got up from their *stools at the beginning of the round. And so suddenly, it begins to dawn on the viewer that the definitive starting point of a punch is impossible to pinpoint! This logically means that the absolute starting point of ANY action cannot be conclusively identified!

(*And even when the fighters are sitting on their stools, movement is still occurring. In fact, from the day we are born we never stop moving, even in sleep!)

“Life is a flow rather than a sum of events. Since the source of life is singular, beginless and endless, it obviously means that multiple events in life are impossible. If there are events separate from each other, then life cannot be a flow. A flow means absence of intervals.” –Dr. Vijai Shankar

As the above quote from Dr. Shankar points out, life is one continuous unbroken flow, and thus trying to break that flow into separate, independent events is not possible since everything is connected and interdependent.
Another point to be considered, and one which is often overlooked, is just how long is “the present moment”? According to the film, the present moment only occurs for an attosecond, which is a billionth of a billionth of a second!

So, what can we actually “see” in a billionth of a billionth of a second? As you can imagine, not much! In fact, there isn’t even enough time to see a movement, let alone determine a starting point. All we actually “see” is a single unit of light called a photon. So, it turns out that actions do not actually exist in life, but merely as a mind-made overlay, i.e., a thought.

“We think what we see, not see what we see.” –Dr. Vijai Shankar

And since a thought is sound, and life is light, and sound is always slower than light (e.g. lightening happens first, then thunder), our thoughts are always in the past. And yet, sound is necessary for it’s what gives light meaning. For example, if you look at an apple, but don’t tell yourself it’s an apple, than how would you know what you are looking at!? Likewise, a sound without an image to go with it is just gibberish. For instance, if the word “雪 (xuě)” does not bring up an image in your mind, it has no meaning to you. But if you speak mandarin Chinese, then the word represents “snow” and does hold meaning.

The point is that thoughts are the minds attempt to label, understand, and control that which cannot be definitively labeled, understood, or controlled. Again, thoughts are past, Life is present.  Says the film’s narrator: “A thought, being a delay of life itself, can never understand life’s true nature. For if one understands what life is, no thought is present like in deep sleep.”
Basically, it comes down to understanding that Life happens, as it happens, regardless of what we think about it. That the control our ego believes it possesses is merely an illusion.
 

“And what could man control when he is unable to control his own birth, the starting point of his life? And what could man control when he is unable to control his own death, the ending point of his life? When man is unable to control the beginning point and the ending point, how could he control the in-between, illusory story?”
-Dr. Vijai Shankar

If the full magnitude of this realization hits you (and only life can bring this understanding about, not you!), then resisting or struggling with WHAT IS is understood to be the source of suffering and misery. Instead, the sage marvels at the awesome intelligence that brings about this unfathomable dance of light and sound, and is truly humbled by what he sees, hears, feels, tastes and touches! 

 

 

Final Thoughts

The DVD covers several other important topics, such as Cause and Effect (which, like actions, are an illusion), as well as Space and Time (which require each other to exist), but which I will not comment upon so as to keep my review a reasonable length.

I have no doubt that the serious student of non-duality will find the material covered both fascinating and illuminating. However, that is not to say that the ideas presented here are easily grasped. First, you are going against a life time of conditioning. Secondly, the ego is not going to relinquish its control (even if only illusory!) without a fight.

I myself required many viewings along with hours of copious note taking, as well as reading pertinent chapters from several of Dr. Shankar’s books, before understanding of the films more subtle points transformed from confusion to clarity.)
Lastly, the special effects were done by a gentleman from the Netherlands who did the Harry Potter movies, and so needless to say, they are quite spectacular.

-Michael Jeffreys

You can order the DVD Non Duality: Life as it is, from the Academy of Absolute Understanding: http://www.acadun.com/en/

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Dissolved

“Enquiry doesn’t lead one to the truth. Enquiry leads to

dissolving of the one who is seeking the truth.”

-Tarun Sardana

I could go and on about this wonderful little book, as clarity shines through on every page. Tarun Sardana is to be commended for his skill at taking deep and often confusing spiritual concepts and presenting them in a short, fun to read little book that is a must for any seeker.

-Michael Jeffreys

You can order DISSOLVED on Amazon: Dissolved by Tarun Sardana

Or on the author's website: www.knowi.org

"When you know I, there will be no I." -Tarun Sardana

-29-

Spiritual Stepping Stones

Embark on a life-altering spiritual journey from conflict

and unhappiness to love and freedom

Sampo Kaasila

($11.95, 185 pgs., www.kaasila.com

"Your soul is not from the world of form; this explains why the
world of form cannot fully satisfy your soul." -Sampo Kaasila

Western Masters of Non Duality Vol 1

(StillnessSpeaks.com, 2 DVDs, 29.95)

 

Disc One features:

Francis Lucille, Rupert Spira, Greg Goode, and Jeff Foster

 

Disc Two features:

James Swartz, Chuck Hillig, and Joel Morwood

Q: What is the cause of suffering?
 



 

 
 

Q: What is the cause of suffering?

 

 

 

Q: What is the cause of suffering?


 

 
 

Q: What is the cause of suffering?
 

 


                    

 

Q: What is the cause of suffering?

 

               

Q: What is the cause of suffering?


    

 

Q: What is the cause of suffering?

 

 

 


Final Thoughts

 

Western Non Duality Masters DVDS
 

Rupert Spira: What is the Cause of Suffering?

On this DVD, which was filmed at the 2009 Science and Non-Duality Conference in San Rafael, CA, Chris Hebard sits down with Jeff Foster and has an in-depth and extremely candid conversation with Jeff about his life and awakening experience.

Jeff Foster

Chris Hebard

While Jeff is one of the most popular non-duality teachers out there, and has put out several DVDs and books, I don't think you could meet a more humble person. I attended his talk at The Mystic Journey Bookstore in Venice, CA in 2009, and can tell you he has a low key, but charismatic presence. He doesn't appear to take anything too seriously, and is quick to have a good laugh.

However, this was not always the case. On Awe and Wonder: It's Darkest Before the Dawn, Jeff tells how he grew up in England painfully shy and insecure, so much so that his teachers would often write on his report card, "What's wrong with Jeff, why doesn't he talk?" Jeff points out the irony of this given that these days he goes around the world giving public talks!

Hearing Jeff share, in detail, about how much pain and suffering he went through before awakening will, I suspect, prove enormously helpful to many who are currently going through their own "Dark night of the Soul."

The spiritual path can feel awfully lonely and confusing at times, especially if you are the only one in your family who is going through it, which is often the case. Hearing a fellow seeker share how he too felt alone, confused, depressed, etc. lets you see that in fact you are not alone. Indeed, far from it.

What's more, as Jeff takes you step-by-step through how he came to see that the "Jeff" he thought he was did not actually exist, you can't help but begin to question your own belief in a separate self. In other words, the very process of listening to Jeff tell his story of awakening can lead one to draw the same conclusion about their own life-long belief in a separate self: that it doesn't actually exist.

Specifically, what he came to see was that the "Jeff" he thought he was, was just that, a thought, and nothing more--full stop. So seeing was happening, hearing was happening, thoughts and sensations were arising, but for no one. Says Jeff, "I used to think that life was all about Jeff; what Jeff wanted, what Jeff needed. And it turns out it never was about Jeff... Life has its own way."

A Common "Spiritual Trap"

On the DVD, Jeff also covers some of the common "spiritual traps" that many seekers fall into (as did Jeff himself). One that he talks about could be called the, "Jeff must die before he can awaken" trap.

In other words, he initially thought that he needed to get rid of, or somehow kill off the "Jeff" he thought he was, and then he would be free. As he talks about this period in his life, he shares now what he couldn't see then: "What would try to get rid of an ego, but an ego!?" That the attempt to "kill Jeff" was what was actually keeping the seeking going!

Remember, the mind doesn't care what you try to do to it, even attempting to "kill" it is fine, as long as you engage it it is happy because it can continue to perpetuate the story of a separate self. When one awakens, one simply lets the arising thoughts be as they are, as it is enough to see that that they are not you.

It's worth noting that while many seekers look for teachers, Jeff says that he knew that he had to go the path alone: "I wasn't interested in having teachers... maybe it was my scientific background, but I knew I had to do this myself, I had to investigate this by myself. No one else could do this for me." This is a crucial point, for regardless of how many wonderful spiritual teachers you sit with, books you read or videos you watch, in the end you have to figure this stuff out for yourself, otherwise it will always stay at the conceptual level.

For Jeff, who grew up an atheist, his suffering and depression eventually lead to a complete physical and emotional collapse, and he ended up in the hospital. It was there that it suddenly dawned on him how precious life was and how easily it can be taken away:

What did everything mean... achievements, what we own, relationships, if it can all be taken away in 5 seconds time? I suddenly felt the need to know what the hell 'this' was, and who the hell 'I' was! These were questions I had never asked before. And suddenly I found that I needed to find the answers to these questions. That it suddenly became life or death. And I knew I couldn't go back to the way things were. -Jeff Foster

As I was preparing this review, I happened to check Rupert Spira’s website and saw to my pleasant surprise that he would be giving a two hour talk in Santa Barbara on the evening of February 5, 2011. Since I live in Los Angeles, about 90 miles south of Santa Barbara, I knew I had to attend.

And I am so glad I did. What sets Rupert apart from many other non-duality teachers is that he knows that having an intellectual understanding of Advaita is about as useful as having an intellectual understanding of water.

What good does it do you to have a PhD in the chemical makeup of water when you are thirsty and in need of a sip of water? Likewise, many of us have read dozens of books on non-duality, watched numerous hours of video from Advaita teachers on YouTube, and yet we still continue to feel a sense of separation and therefore suffering.

So what’s the problem? The problem is that we still have not had a direct experience of our true nature. Our understanding is still conceptual, still mental. What we are has nothing to do with the mind, yet if we are still trying to figure out what we are utilizing the mind, we can never have that direct experience.

I am not saying that the mind is the problem. It’s not. It’s the fact that you believe that you are the mind that is causing the suffering. And a big reason for this ‘mistaken identity’ as to what you are, as Rupert points out, is because from the time you were born, your parents, teachers, and culture all related to you as if you are your body-mind. And since virtually everyone lives this way, we as a human species, en masse, have come to accept this as being so obvious as to not even need investigation. Thus, any changes that we seek to make in ourselves start from the premise that we are our mind-body. But is this actually true?

LOVE: The Underground River, the newest double DVD offering from Rupert Spira and Chris Hebard, seeks to deeply explore what our actual direct experience is of our self as opposed to what our mind thinks, believes, was told, or imagines our self to be.

Rupert Spira

Chris Hebard

I should mention that these DVDs are sort of a continuation of a conversation that Chris had with Rupert on their first set of DVDs that was released in 2009 called, The Transparency of Things (which is also the title of Rupert’s first book—his second, currently titled Presence, is not out yet). Chris says that those discs are the #1 best selling DVDs on StillnessSpeaks.com (Note: it is not necessary to have seen those before watching these new ones, as each stands fully on their own.)

Before we delve into the content of LOVE: The Underground River, a word about the picture on the front of the box: 7 red rose peddles against a pristine white background. The photo is striking for both its beauty and simplicity. This same lovely picture appears, to the strains of beautiful classical music, throughout the DVDs as a lovely lead-in to each segment—so kudos to the editors/design team.

Okay, now let's move on to the content of the two DVDs.

The four Chapters on Disc 1 are:
 

A Sound Experiment; The Path of Love; What is Nama Rupa?; What is Sat Chit Ananda?

The three Chapters on Disc 2 are:
 

The Separate Self; The experience of Resistance and Desire; The Role of the Teacher

Rather than go over each chapter individually, which would make this review quite lengthy, I will instead talk about my favorite chapter, which is the first one on Disc 2: The Separate Self.

It’s my favorite chapter because Rupert deals head-on with one of the biggest “sticking points” in Awakening: the feeling inside us that we are a separate entity. As many a seeker has found to their utter dismay, intellectually understanding that the separate self is an illusion does not make it go away. We can honestly believe that there is only Oneness, only God, and yet still feel separate from Life.

The reason for this, as Rupert points out, is because the belief that we are a separate entity is just the tip of the iceberg. The primary work has to be done at the level of feeling; and feelings have to do with the body. So we must inquire deeply into the sensation(s) that we are somehow located (and thus limited by) a body. Are we really our body or is this an assumption we have lived with our entire life, but never really fully investigated? Do we actually experience a physical body or do we in fact experience different sensations about which the mind then draws conclusions from?

On the DVD, Rupert leads the viewer through a powerful inquiry where we close our eyes, go within, and look directly at our inner-being, the actual “I” that we find. The key is that we are not relying on thoughts, memory or imagination, but only what we actually experience ourselves to be right here and right now in this moment.

Next, he has us draw a picture of what we find in our mind’s eye using an imaginary piece of paper and pencil. We discover that what we actually find ourselves to be is far different then what we imagined. What we find is a sort of amorphous energy, with no clearly defined qualities. No distinct edges or specific shape or weight or color or size or sex, or even location! (For example, while your body may be sitting in a chair while doing this inquiry, the “you” that you find inside is not sitting anywhere… it just is!)

In other words, what we actually are is not definable. As Rupert says, if you were to stand up and take a step in the direction of your true self, which direction would you move toward? You somehow intuitively know that any direction you step toward wouldn’t quite be right, nor would it feel entirely wrong. So suddenly, it dawns on us that we aren’t really located anywhere! We are everywhere, yet nowhere. And so, if we are not definable or locatable, it becomes obvious that any label we attached to ourselves, such as that we are a body, is seen to be patently false! And in this seeing, a relaxation and a fully resting into this 'no-thing-ness' that we actually are is now, finally, able to take place.

It is important to understand that this Consciousness that we actually are is NOT personal in anyway. There is not ‘your consciousness’ and ‘my consciousness’ and ‘Rupert’s consciousness.’ There is only and ever ONE Consciousness experiencing itself at all times. Says Rupert:

In order to say that Consciousness is personal, we have first to imagine that there is something that is personal. Personal means belonging to the separate entity. There is no separate entity EVER in experience for anything to belong to. Once we see this, we don't have to state that Consciousness is impersonal. We just cease stating that it is personal and then we leave it to be whatever it is; unknowable by the mind, but knowable by itself.

Here are some pointers from Rupert that you may find helpful:

“The mistake we make is we come to believe that there is a
separate ‘I’ or ‘Me,’ and the second we do this we automatically
make everything else not me, i.e., the world.”

“The mind breaks up the seamless totality of
‘all that is’ into fragments, into parts.”

“Mind says two, experience says one.”

“We don't move through life, life takes its shape and moves through us.”

“The key is to stay as close as possible to
your actual direct experience.”

Having written a book on great speakers, I am always interested in what makes an effective communicator successful. In my opinion, Rupert does three things extremely well (both on the DVDs as well as in person). First and foremost, he abides in presence. And so, a sense of deep peace and calmness emanates from his being that we are drawn to. And when he speaks, we can feel that his words emanate not from beliefs and opinions, but from a deep inner-knowing that is beyond mind. In a word, he is credible.

Secondly, he is very confident in his material and this confidence transfers to us and helps remove any doubts we may have. Also, he is very deliberate and precise in the words and examples he uses. Like an expert surgeon, he only does what needs to be done—no more and no less. And thirdly, you sense that he truly cares. He is there to do whatever he can to help you experience your true nature so that you can live as freedom, just as he now does.

And of course, as the interviewer Chris plays no small role himself. He not only asks insightful questions, but does his best to get clarification of key points so as to make the material as lucid as possible to the viewer.

On a personal note, credit has to go to Chris for not being afraid to share his emotions on camera. At more than one point during the filming, he is overcome with emotion and weeps openly. No doubt this is due both to being in Rupert’s loving and gentle presence, along with directly experiencing himself as the love that he is, indeed that we all are.

In fact, at the very end of Disc 2, while Rupert is sharing a story about a powerful dream he had about his teacher, Francis Lucille, the dam bursts open and Chris begins to sob uncontrollably. I happen to pause the video at this moment and when I looked at my computer screen I stared in amazement at the picture before me:

Chris weeping as he directly experiences the Love that he is… that we all are.

Somehow, and this was not planned, I had stopped the video exactly when the larger, second picture of Chris was perfectly superimposed over the vase of beautiful yellow flowers. The Flowering of Human Consciousness is the title of chapter one in Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth, and there it was right before my eyes!

“Tell them who it is that bears the light. There never was a ‘me.’
There was only and forever Consciousness knowing itself.”

Because our edifice of mental constructs and beliefs can be so thick due to a lifetime of building them, in order to get the maximum benefit out of these DVDs, I suggest multiple viewings.


You can watch a clip, "The Path of Love," from the DVD here: Path of Love video

You can purchase LOVE: The Underground River DVDs at: www.stillnessspeaks.com

Rupert's website is: www.rupertspira.com


Much Love,

Michael Jeffreys