Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Theravada Meditation Teacher Shane Wilson: Finding Freedom

We, on Liberation Unleashed, have a book coming out. One of the people I worked with was Shane (our Direct Pointing work). Today I want to introduce you to Shane Wilson, his new video, and his article about the benefit of Direct Pointing.

Introduction (from the book): Helping Shane Wilson was an honor. Shane is an ordained Buddhist minister and meditation teacher. He is a very humble man, and extremely open about this work with me - he feels that bringing traditional meditation path with direct pointing will help many practitioners to realize Anatta - no-self. He is helping his students now with classical meditation instructions and direct pointing. 

Shane Wilson: "Love affair with the Truth"

Shane Wilson: "Finding Freedom"
As is true for many spiritually motivated people, life had been filled with seeking and searching for the gate to enlightenment. Looking for a way to open that gate once it was found was the goal. For many years there was a great deal of striving to become something more and the idea of acquiring more spiritual knowledge and doing more practices seemed to be the logical solution to find an end to this striving. Of course all of it was desire driven, but now the desire was for the desire-less state. In Theravada Buddhism, this is call Nibbana, in Sanskrit Nirvana, some know it as enlightenment or awakening. When it comes down to it, the best single word we can use is “Freedom”. 

When we speak of freedom, several things can come to mind. The opposite of Freedom is imprisonment, which can be looked at as a physical or mental detention or confining. In the area of Buddhism, where I have spent many years practicing as a Theravada Monk and currently as an ordained Buddhist minister. We refer to the fetters or bindings that imprison us to this life of non-contentment, this non-contentment is the motivation that is pushing the seeking and searching. Freedom from this cycle is the end of searching. That is what we seem to wanted more than anything, in my situation I was not finding it through the classical Methods of practice such as the three or more daily hours of meditation that I had been doing or through the study of the scriptures.

Earlier this year I heard of these people who were doing things a little bit different. People were waking up but the method was so foreign to me  that I could not believe it could work. People were attaining enlightenment on the internet? People using their computers to wake up in the privacy of their own home or even at the office! People were realizing their true nature in such an abnormal way.  I could only imagine what my previous Buddhist teachers would think, some of who where in Thailand and have never even used a computer. I needed to find out more about this. I figured out how to get a message off to Elena Nezhinsky, one of the key people behind this phenomenon. The rest is a story of freedom for many people. 

Freedom from what? From the mind made prison that I was living in. Even as a serious practitioner, serious enough to ordain as a Buddhist monk and minister I had not experienced this freedom. 

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Direct Pointing vs “Who AM I?” Inquiry. Simplified.


What is the method and what are the differences?
I would like to make it clear how direct pointing (“I” does not exist) differs from Inner inquiry in non-duality (Who Am I?)
In Direct Pointing we hold seeker’s attention, focus very narrow - on one and only thing - that “I” does not exist. 
“Who AM I?" Inquiry implies that there is some "who" that exists. From the start of your inner inquiry, by formulating your questioning in this way you assume a basis, a default - there is "who" there, and I just need to find it. 
In Direct Pointing we are focusing on NOT FINDING. 
In “Who AM I?" Inquiry we are focusing on FINDING.
If you notice that the seeker is mixing and matching these two methods, while working with you - explain him the difference of these methods, and show him that mixing both only will give him either temporary fuzzy, blissy state, or his brain will start to “explode” from trying to solve this riddle.
What are the results?
If you find through Direct Pointing that “I” does not exist, then gradually, you will start to recognize Who YOU are.
If you find through “Who AM I?" Inquiry who YOU ARE, then you also will see, more immediately, that "I", that we are looking into with Direct Pointing, does not exist.
Both methods lead to the same.
Direct Pointing is seeing the illusion of separate entity from the start, then continues unfolding.
“Who AM I? Inquiry is continues unfolding, seeing the illusion of the separate entity somewhere in a process.
Direct Pointing is more efficient, quick right from the beginning, therefore falling of beliefs structure (what we call unfolding) can be either light and restful or intense and violent, and all in between. 
“Who AM I?" Inquiry more contemplative, slow, sometimes takes years and years, allows for gradual unfolding.
It is not a coincidence that Direct Pointing was born in the times where we see rapid changes in consciousness of the human and his environment. There was a need, an intention for consciousness liberating itself more rapidly. 
Who we are?
In both ways there is no separate entity “who is looking” or “who is guiding”. These are just different movements of the same vastness.  We do not choose the way, or choose being guided, or be a guide, we are just an appearance that presents itself as Direct Pointing guides at this moment.
This ride
on the very 
edge
of
the
~
 wave
~
is awesome!





Woo-hooo!

Monday, November 7, 2011

Is Awakening a Bliss, a Void, an Empty Space and other shit?

A. asked me about Jed McKenna's "Done" and do I experience as Jed wrote "launching into empty space, reality in its infinite form, the void of undifferentiated consciousness"

As of right now, A., I am in a deep ditch. Just had a month long depression happened after the burning of my house, and cat, loose of privacy, breaking all the usual structure and routine. How do I see it? Even though it was not easy, lightly said, I felt underlying appreciation, trust for what is happening. I only trust what is here. Not what others talk, say, write, whatever - I don't care. I might read and click, but what I trust - it is only here. So, how would I know when I am "Done"? I know I will know. Thats all i know.  


Seeing is binary - you either see it or not. Before Stream Entry can be various experiences, samadhi, and no self states like kensho or satory...belive it or not you can have all this without actually mind clearly see that there is no you. You then come out from the state and think that You had that experience and You are progressing. 


Stream entry is very important. Before it you perceive as You are progressing. With seeing clearly that self does not exist as an individual, separate entity there is no perception of progression in time and in knowledge, progression in having different "spiritual" experiences, becoming more or less relaxed, calm, reactive, better  and etc. It is rather emptying, becoming less. And there is no really structured practice for that, except, I would say, embracing, surrendering to what is. And this can come in different ways for different people. For some, they will continue their formal classical meditation practice, for some it will be dropping it completely and immersing in daily life fully, for some - something that will catch their attention, and it can be anything - sport, psychotherapy, energy work, any work on arising feelings or whatever can resonate for them.  


Awakening itself will guide emptying. Even depression is an unfolding, or falling in love, or sitting in samadhi. The truth for you is with you, it's not somebody's else truth. Just like we all came to the Gate walking our own paths, same after awakening - the emptying out is unique, and what you only can do is trust and follow the movement. 


There is no you to follow anyway, only the movement, see that surrender and trust is not what we do, but what is, and there is no choice as to just be. 

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Fear was really a Fire for Looking


  • Elena: hey, friend. What is "I" for you? tell us.
    18 hours ago 
     


  • Sudheer:   Hi Elena,After reading blogroll, this concept of "I" is being chipped away slowly. I get the "no self" conceptually but I have lot of fear since I started looking with real honesty. What does this entail if liberated? Would that be disappointment? I expect lot of things (no fear/anxiety/shyness etc) and it'd be funny if there is no "I" anymore to receive these expectations :)

    Right now, "I" is the sensations that come up when there is an internal dialog (thoughts) comes up. Like "I am typing this". Then, immediately another thought arises that says where is this "I". Then arises a feeling of some solidity around my upperbody that shouts out "this is me; I am the cause; I am the center and things are happening to me". I know this "me" is not reality but it feels like real real. I also feel like I am at the edge but its not fully there. But, I have stopped analyzing the topic too much and started just looking/seeing for where the "I" might be with much more attention. 17 hours ago   ·  1

  • Elena: Do not run from fear. Invite it and ask where it points you? WHat it wants to tell you. Seriously. Sit quietly and tell the fear to come and tell you anything it wants you to tell. As you stop analyzing, its great. So she down this analyzing. And just listen to whatever will come when you ask the fear. Really do it, and then come back and tell what you found.
    17 hours ago 
     


  • Sudheer:   Fear points towards the possibility of loosing the "me" story, past, present and future. I have a comfortable life just chugging along with relative ease and not too many risks. And, how about all these years spent in self-improvement and now possibility of realizing that there is never such a "person". At the same time, I also wants this liberation as of more self-improvement and afraids that the gate would never appear. It also eagarly anticipates the day where "I" can be seen as in third person. "I" also fears and doubts the quick liberations and thinks its not so simple, or even if it is simple, it will be not for me.
    6 hours ago  

  • Elena: It's all comes from your mind. Analyzing. Nicely put, thought. Go deeper.Go into the body. Feel fear, where it is. Allow it to come closer, even closer. So you feel the fire in your bones, ok? Then start to look closer into your experience what is real and what is not.
    5 hours ago
      

  • Elena: Here how you do it: you choose an object in your surrounding that you for sure now - it exists. Like your table or a chair or window - anything. Hold this object as your anchor. This is real, you know it. Then everything else start question, look at your body and compare against the object of your reality - your anchor - it is that vivid, is it clear, does it exist? So you compare table, body, thought, feeling, "self" - anything that comes up to your anchor. If anything feels vague, not clear, look again, look if it is possible to break it into parts and compare those parts to the anchor. Write dow everything here.
    4 hours ago
      


  • Sudheer:   As I type on this keyboard, it is real. The mug over there is real. Falling rain sound is real. Chill in my bones is real. Body moving as if it knows what to do is real. Why "I" am needed. Elsewhere, you said "look for unicorn" in the room. A few intense seconds of looking and letting go of looking happened. There is nothing to look anymore, "no unicorn" or "no self". I am not going to find something that doesn't exist, am I. No need for approval anymore. It seems so simple, a subtle shift. I really don't know this will stick, but I have seen clearly that there is no self. I really don't have much to say because there is nothing to be said. Just a human traversing its environment, just lifing.
    about an hour ago  

  • Elena: that's it. it is simple. Stick? nothing needs to stick. Life was before when "I" thought to be very real, life is the only what is - in any way it is lifing - l-i-f-i-n-g: in any way - it's only life. If there is a perception of "I" there - it is only a perception, a dream, a thought, a belief. But this is also life living itself in this particular unfolding. will you look and tell me if there was you in any shape or form in the reality before? Except in the form of a thought? Look. now.
    39 minutes ago  

  • Elena: what do you see?
    39 minutes ago  


  • Sudheer:   It is easy to let go of this old friend now. There was never me, it is just a deeply ingrained thought/somatic pattern that propped itself as "I". "I" before felt like the whole being, which seemed to arise even before a thought is registered - it was so ingrained. Now, this is seen as it is, a fleeting thought. No need to identify with it anymore.
    26 minutes ago  

  • Elena: very good, my dear friend. that fear, it was really a fire needed for looking :)
    24 minutes ago  

  • Elena: dow does it feel to be liberated?
    23 minutes ago  

  • Elena: and liberated from what? tell me
    21 minutes ago  


  • Sudheer:   nothing really changed. there is just the recognition that there is no need for "Sudheer:  aka self" to take ownership of this life. life just happens, body moves, thoughts arise reacting to the environment, it all happens like a well oiled machine and of course a few billion years of evolution helps.
    12 minutes ago  

  • Elena: There is so much gratitude for you, my friend, for diving in spite of the fear present, into looking, into real discerning what is real. Thank you, my friend! Hugs!
    8 minutes ago 
     
    • Sudheer:   Thank you for being there and your blog is of tremendous help to cut though the bs.
      4 minutes ago  

    •  
      Sudheer:   Here is a comment you made to Rachel R. that hit me like thousand bolts "Ok, if i tell you to find unicorn in the room, would you? No. Because you know it does not exist. so why YOU KEEP LOOKING for self???"
Elke Heinrich

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