WHO AM I?

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Pravin Kumar
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WHO AM I?

Post by Pravin Kumar » Sat Sep 22, 2018 5:59 am

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Self-inquiry and investigating perception both reveal the same Absolute Reality.

It is interesting to note that Self-Inquiry and investigation into the factors necessary for perception reveal the same (facets of The) Absolute Reality. Consider the following stanzas from two poems on the subject:

Who Am I?

"When we ask ‘who am I?’"

This question is the basis of ‘the direct path’ championed by Raman Maharshi as being the quickest, and most direct, way to awakening to the truth of self-identity.

"We discover by and by,"

Once we have discarded body, mind, sensation and thought as being ephemeral, ever-changing, and thus not our ‘essence’.

"Absolutely nothing there,"

What’s left is ‘no-thing’, a nothingness that is full of Consciousness at rest (Pure Awareness). Therefore there are no ‘things’ as these consist of cosmic energy which is ever in motion.

"Radiant, pristine, ever aware."

This is radiant in the sense that for anything to be ‘seen’ it must be illuminated. In the case of seeing with eyes this radiance is physical light, but in the case of seeing with the mind (becoming ‘aware’ of) this is the radiance of Awareness Itself. This latter is pristine in that it is unaffected by that which it ‘sees’ and thus no ‘thing’ can degrade it in any way.
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"This radiant aware nothingness"

This follows from the notes above.

"Is still resting Consciousness"

Another name for Pure Awareness.

"Which is The Tao, Jehovah, Brahman, Allah, Rigpa – God"

The same Absolute Reality which all religions are based on, although many of them (and their ‘sects’) would undoubtedly dispute this!

"Revealed to mystics on the many paths they trod."

If you read the accounts of the ‘negative’ mystics of all religions The Absolute that they describe is almost identical. Which validates the previous comment …

So it turns out that the answer to the question ‘who am I ?’ is the milieu in which the question appears and is seen, that is ‘radiant aware nothingness’.
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Perception and Awakening

"For perception of any thing there to be,
There are three basic factors, easy to see,"

To perceive any thought, mental image or sensation (in fact any ‘thing’) the following factors must be present.

"Radiance by which we can ‘see’ it’s there,"

Radiance is vital in the sense that for anything to be ‘seen’ it must be illuminated. In the case of seeing with eyes this radiance is physical light, but in the case of seeing with the mind (becoming ‘aware’ of) this is the radiance of Awareness Itself.

"Nothingness, to which we must it compare," 1

Everything that we perceive takes place relative to the nothingness in which it exists. For instance sounds relative to silence, forms relative to space etc …

"And Awareness, so of it we are aware." 2

This is self explanatory for without Awareness we could not be ‘aware of’ anything.
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"If this we, in this moment, see,
Then awake we will come to be,
Radiant aware nothingness is Consciousness at rest,
In which movements are cosmic energy - the manifest."

We awaken by seeing that we are this Awareness (Radiant Aware Nothingness) Itself, rather than the perceptions (thought and sensations, in fact any ‘thing’, which are these movements) that come and go in this.

So asking the question ‘who am I?’, and considering the milieu (and factors) necessary for any perception to occur, both come to the same conclusion.
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All poems are in 'Poetry From Beyond The Separate Self' based on chapters of 'Beyond The Separate Self'. For more see comments on photos.
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Footnotes:

1/ Consider a form sculpted from a single block,
Before the chiseling begins it’s just a rock!
As the stone is removed revealing the space,
We are aware of the sculpture taking place.

Or a nightingale singing loud and clear.
If a band is playing we don’t know it’s here.
As soon as they have finished their set,
The song can be heard in the silence that’s met.

Likewise for perception of any sensation,
This must be relative to its negation.
For any thought, or image, the mind to see,
On the screen of Awareness it must be.

2/ Awareness is simply the total ‘seeing’ and perceiving (or seer and perceiver) of everything detected by the mind and senses, whereas becoming aware of is the partial ‘seeing’ of those thoughts/sensations on which the mind is focussed, or which are noticed. So these are not different, the mind’s awareness just being a limited version (or incidence) of Awareness.

Colin Drake
For detailed palm reading and spiritual guidance Consult at: pravinjsoni97@hotmail.com

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