Effects of Expanding Awareness

[pseudonymous]

Effects of Expanding Awareness

The following essay is from experience and sharing with others. One of the first things that you notice when you make a jump in awareness, is that those around you that have shared the previous level sometimes fall away from your circle of community. This is so common, and the bane of many seekers who have a problem with detachment. Old energies fall away in order to make space for new energies.

Another thing that falls away sometimes is abilities. Perhaps you were working as a spiritual servant only to find that the methodology, and even talents fade out (much to your dread if you were making a living from it). I can tell you from experience that the emergent properties of expanded Self awareness are far less glamorous than spiritual awareness. The wow! factor of spiritual work is at its core very limiting to Self awareness. Much of your service in Self awareness goes without the notice of those around you, and if your goal is to serve, and not to be served, then that should begin to appeal to you more and more.

The reason that family, friends, and spiritual associates may turn against you is that they can no longer 'see' you and 'hear' you. This has been a common complaint from people who I have witnessed expand in awareness. "Why are the ones so dear to me suddenly turning their backs on me?" It is because you no longer resonate with them, and a separation is necessary to welcome in new people that can resonate with you. People resonate with each other when their perceptions (or scripts in some cases) are similar.

When one first enters into expanding Self awareness, one immediately gets a hunger for all things intellectual - be it the sciences, meditation, or thoughts in writing of contemplatives. The spiritual level writings suddenly seem like pabulum to you, and you wonder why you ever thought there was any value to them. Well, there certainly was value if they helped to get you where you are. But it is prudent to go where you are being internally led. If you are thirsting for knowledge, but the spiritual level writings aren't talking to you anymore, turn to quantum physics, systems analysis, neurophysiology & neurobiology, psychology, comparative esoteric religion, philosophy, etc etc etc. The books conducive to your growth will come to you, or fall off the shelves to get into your hands.

One of the hardest things for someone to deal with who is going through a jump in awareness is finding like minds in the area around them. It is likewise difficult to express yourself clearly in expanded awareness. In an effort to not become the guy at the party who is the expert on the mating habits of the South American cave snail, I have learned when I am 'safe' to talk about 'what' I am, and when it is best to 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do'. This ability has saved me countless times from putting my foot in my mouth (although I am aware of the taste), or worse, getting me into a corner with a Fundamentalist of whatever bent.

The best way to deal with expanding awareness is to recognize that there is, in truth, nothing for you to 'do' - as it is what you are becoming. The best that you can do is to try to become aware of your awareness through reading, meditation, and contemplation...and when possible, treasure the times when you come into contact with someone who can 'see' and 'hear' you. I have yet to find anyone who was being guided (whether externally or internally) to Self awareness, who didn't find the whole universe supporting that expansion. Evolution is the program, or production, behind the scenes.

DC Vision

[I, Brian]

Oh, I'm still very good at putting my foot in my mouth.

As for the knowledge thirst - glad to see you mention that. Especially how empty commentaries on spirituality can seem. It's a case of living the experience, rather than reading about others writing about it.

I gave up on finding like-minded a long time ago. I figure I'm walking a solitary path, but ho-hum to that.

And I'll move this thread, to be your first, in your new writing column. :0

[samabudhi]

Originally Posted by Tao Te Ching

22.
The imperfect is completed.
The crooked is straightened.
The empty is filled.
The old is renewed.
With few there is attainment.
With much there is confusion.
Therefore the sage grasps the one and becomes the model for all.

She does not show herself, and therefore is apparent.
She does not affirm herself, and therefore is acknowledged.
She does not boast and therefore has merit.
She does not strive and is therefore successful.
It is exactly because she does not contend, that nobody can contend with her.

How could the ancient saying, "The imperfect is completed" be regarded as empty talk?

Believe in the complete and return to it.

I have always battled with trying to find like minded people, with trying to share with others what I learn. My dad was a teacher and it spilled over to me. I was always bored at home and always tried to get my sister to play with me. That is why the ideal of the Taoist sage appeals to me so much.
Most people find me wierd, but wise. This has made it all the more difficult to find like minds.

What Buddhism stresses is that this is a solitary path. It's getting easier to realise. Slowly but surely.

[Ciel]

Pseudonymous
When there are so few words and all become one sound,
and all beauty in silence that speaks volumes,
and all generosity of mind play an empty stage,
is it possible to reach out to another on a computer screen in a gesture of humanity one to one. We are not here to be strangers on this earth. Do you receive me, for it is possible I communicate through the same consciousness. have travelled the same journey, have witnessed the same inward, outward theatre of all, and all the out worn scripts, to the point of pure emptiness, and the riseing of pure consciousness. It is as it is. Beyond the beyond there is the simple wish to be in communication with others...............

[pseudonymous]

"to the point of pure emptiness, and the riseing of pure consciousness. It is as it is. Beyond the beyond there is the simple wish to be in communication with others..............."

ciel,

i recognize an eastern flavor here, but am not sure if this sounds anything more than a bit scattered in realization. in emptiness is pure consciousness which desires communication? does that make sense to you?

pure emptiness sounds like the passive principle before it is created into anything. pure consciousness sounds like active principle's latent state some 10+ billion years ago (which it shows no desire to return to if evolution of consciousness is any proof, in its increasing complexity). a simple wish for communication - without the unconscious state of Self - well, that is certainly something i could reach for.

not to say your message wasn't lovely...it is just an admixture of several concepts it seems to me, and needs to be ironed out, for logic and reason has a place in perfection too. that said, thank you for adding your voice, and welcome to the best forum on the web.

dcv-

[Avinash]

Namaskar,

Originally Posted by pseudonymous

The best way to deal with expanding awareness is to recognize that there is, in truth, nothing for you to 'do' - as it is what you are becoming. The best that you can do is to try to become aware of your awareness through reading, meditation, and contemplation...

Nothing for you to do? What about all those great souls who spent their whole lives trying to help and serve others as their "awareness" expanded?

[pseudonymous]

Originally Posted by Avinash

Namaskar,Nothing for you to do? What about all those great souls who spent their whole lives trying to help and serve others as their "awareness" expanded?

they would no doubt agree with there being nothing to "do"...doing here now comes naturally for the awakened, but "doing" to become awakened tends to slow the process down considerably.

my original statement pointed at pre-enlightenment. once enlightened, one serves naturally from (to some greater degree) lucidity. the statement meant there was nothing to do to become aware - it is a natural unfoldment - it didn't mean you should be in vegetative states in your daily life. it was more esoteric than that.

dcv-

[Ciel]

I live in consciousness beyond mind, in language beyond intellect.
It is enough that I touched a sense of 'lovely' in your heart Pseudonymous.

[pseudonymous]

Originally Posted by Ciel

I live in consciousness beyond mind, in language beyond intellect.
It is enough that I touched a sense of 'lovely' in your heart Pseudonymous.

you can see how definitions sometimes distract from the possibility that people are often speaking of the same thing, but using different wording...thus the language beyond the intellect is something most awakened folks can agree on.

i however see mind as consciousness. the mind is the witness. it can become cloudy as it settles into the physical brain in time/space, or it can become a cell of the organism (active principle) as it awakens to its true Self. definitions of words may vary, but the sensual experiences behind them may be quite universal.

it is unlikely anyone would set off a sense of lovely in my heart unless they had some degree of lucidity. art/creativity has been one of the greatest loves of my life since my awakening - it touches that eternal part of me. your being speaks lovely.

dcv-

[Avinash]

Namaskar,

Originally Posted by pseudonymous

they would no doubt agree with there being nothing to "do"...doing here now comes naturally for the awakened, but "doing" to become awakened tends to slow the process down considerably.

If the "doing" is performed without surrender, then that would be true. If the intention, the act and the result are surrendered in the proper way, then no new samskara will be generated and the "doing" becomes an integral part of the spiritual sadhana process.

So fear of acquiring karma is no excuse for remaining indifferent towards the plight of other beings. I agree that service should not be done for any kind of reward because that would indeed create new chains and slows down spiritual progress.

[pseudonymous]

Originally Posted by Avinash

So fear of acquiring karma is no excuse for remaining indifferent towards the plight of other beings.

i'm not sure where the communication breakdown happened here, but my original post had no mention of the virtues or burdens of being of service to others. the idea of not "doing" referred to you become aware of Self by being Self, and not by reading/reaching (doing) about/for Self.

i personally see no merits in the concept of karma. it strikes me as a reward/punishment ideology much like heaven/hell - and i am not referring to the revisionist version of karma (cause & effect)...the original texts regarding karma, as much as i have seen them quoted, were specifically addressing right action and living (value of good/bad), and not addressing a cause/effect chain. it seems to me to be a reasonable explanation for rebirth, based on the awareness of that time & place.

dcv-

[alexa]

Originally Posted by pseudonymous

One of the first things that you notice when you make a jump in awareness, is that those around you that have shared the previous level sometimes fall away from your circle of community. (...)

The reason that family, friends, and spiritual associates may turn against you is that they can no longer 'see' you and 'hear' you.

I have yet to find anyone who was being guided (whether externally or internally) to Self awareness, who didn't find the whole universe supporting that expansion. Evolution is the program, or production, behind the scenes.

Hi Pseudonymous,

Did you read ' The quest of the overself', by Paul Brunton ?

As Brunton said, people are afraid of this path, as they are afraid to loose their personality which is life itself for them.

This is a lonely path, by definition.

alexa

[Avinash]

Namaskar,

Originally Posted by pseudonymous

i'm not sure where the communication breakdown happened here, but my original post had no mention of the virtues or burdens of being of service to others. the idea of not "doing" referred to you become aware of Self by being Self, and not by reading/reaching (doing) about/for Self.

I kinda figured out myself that we were perhaps miscommunicating. I read your:

The best way to deal with expanding awareness is to recognize that there is, in truth, nothing for you to 'do' - as it is what you are becoming. The best that you can do is to try to become aware of your awareness through reading, meditation, and contemplation...

and missed any mention of doing selfless service (IMHO also a way to expand consciousness). Isn't it obvious that expanding your consciousness or awareness is not about "doing"? The starting point of the expansion is in the pure I-feeling and not in the "(I am) doing" or "(I have) done" part.

[pseudonymous]

Originally Posted by Avinash

Namaskar,I kinda figured out myself that we were perhaps miscommunicating. I read your: and missed any mention of doing selfless service (IMHO also a way to expand consciousness). Isn't it obvious that expanding your consciousness or awareness is not about "doing"? The starting point of the expansion is in the pure I-feeling and not in the "(I am) doing" or "(I have) done" part.

it should be self evident avinash, but we are taught after all from birth to have our reality defined for us...and in lesser (expanded) awareness there is a heavy lean on "you have to do this, and you have to do that...". that is the audience i wrote this essay for - the ones who were thresholding from external to internal guidance.

it is often a risk i run in offering teaching essays, in that whatever i write is read as reflecting my personal awareness, and not as a teaching tool for seekers. it is one of the blessings of belonging to this forum of brian's - the members tend to know what is their's, and what isn't, and generally only offer opinions if asked for them. it is nice to be around adults, considering my forays into the internet.

dcv-

[pseudonymous]

Originally Posted by alexa

Hi Pseudonymous,

Did you read ' The quest of the overself', by Paul Brunton ?

As Brunton said, people are afraid of this path, as they are afraid to loose their personality which is life itself for them.

This is a lonely path, by definition.

alexa

alexa,

i have read less than a dozen books in my 9 year calling, and mr. brunton's was not one of them. i think if seekers knew just how lonely the journey to Self awareness can be, they might be content in their blissful ignorance. once called, you hardly have a choice though.

dcv-