Guest guest Posted March 6, 1999 Report Share Posted March 6, 1999 "Losing and Gaining" - An essay by Tim Gerchmez In my chats with others who are following the nondual perspective, people often mention "Losing the sense of 'me' or 'Gaining enlightenment', or Moksha, or speak of "Attaining Realization." This seems a most strange and backward way of referring to what is happening. In actuality, nothing whatsoever is being gained or lost. There was no 'me' there in the first place to lose. There is nothing to be "gained" or "attained" that isn't already there, hasn't already been there since the day you were born. Rather, a better description of "enlightenment" might be the gradual (or sudden) removal of a blindfold, or wiping clean a pane of obscuring glass (which makes "Enlightenment" a very accurate term, if you think about it). What is happening is that the false view of 'me' that does not exist is falling away, and the real view of 'I AM' that was there all the time but obscured by the "grime" of the illusory "me" is removing itself (and I mean that literally - removing ITSELF; no effort but to know the Truth deeply and fully is required, after which "Enlightenment" will come of itself at its own pace). Think of removing a blindfold. Did you "attain" or "gain" what you now see in front of your eyes? Was it not there all along? And what was "lost?" Only the "non-vision" of having the blindfold on. I suppose that may be considered a form of loss, but do we think when we turn on a lightswitch "I think I'll lose the darkness, and turn this light on?" Conversely, only rarely do we think "I shall gain some brightness." Rather, the typical thought is "I will turn a light on so what is there can be seen." And the flip is switched by our hand, effortlessly, without thought. This is precisely what is happening with "Enlightenment," and again illustrates the essential accuracy of the term. To see through a glass, darkly. This darkness can be removed. How? Only one way. By denying the truth of this world-dream on a deep level, and simultaneously affirming the Truth of I AM on a deep level. By cutting the knot holding the blindfold on with the "Sword of Truth." Then the blindfold will fall away on its own, in its own good time, through Grace, and Enlightment happens. We then see what was hidden. We do not "stop seeing" anything but "darkness" And "darkness" is not sight at all, but lack of sight. So the next time you think of saying "Attaining enlightment," pause for a moment to remember that enlightment cannot be attained, any more than you can attain your foot, or your hand, or the clothes you're wearing. "me" cannot be lost, any more than you can lose the rocketship sitting in your back yard (note: For those who live very close to the NASA space center, this may not apply to you :-) Only a blindfold preventing the seeing of Reality can be removed - and this process begins in the mind, through the knowledge of Truth. Faith isn't good enough; one must KNOW. Then this world-dream begins to drop away of itself, without effort, without gaining what is already there or losing that which isn't, and Reality is seen for what it really is. This is Realization. ----- The CORE of Reality awaits you at: http://www.serv.net/~fewtch/ND/index.html - Poetry, Writings, even Live Chat on spiritual topics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 6, 1999 Report Share Posted March 6, 1999 Yea. That was good. Harsha my hat off to you sir. This is a great group. Glad I came along by getting along. Regards. Tim Harris Tim Gerchmez wrote: > > Tim Gerchmez <fewtch > > "Losing and Gaining" - An essay by Tim Gerchmez > > In my chats with others who are following the nondual perspective, people > often mention "Losing the sense of 'me' or 'Gaining enlightenment', or > Moksha, or speak of "Attaining Realization." This seems a most strange > and backward way of referring to what is happening. > > In actuality, nothing whatsoever is being gained or lost. There was no > 'me' there in the first place to lose. There is nothing to be "gained" > or "attained" that isn't already there, hasn't already been there since > the day you were born. > > Rather, a better description of "enlightenment" might be the gradual (or > sudden) removal of a blindfold, or wiping clean a pane of obscuring glass > (which makes "Enlightenment" a very accurate term, if you think about > it). What is happening is that the false view of 'me' that does not > exist is falling away, and the real view of 'I AM' that was there all the > time but obscured by the "grime" of the illusory "me" is removing itself > (and I mean that literally - removing ITSELF; no effort but to know the > Truth deeply and fully is required, after which "Enlightenment" will come > of itself at its own pace). > > Think of removing a blindfold. Did you "attain" or "gain" what you now > see in front of your eyes? Was it not there all along? And what was > "lost?" Only the "non-vision" of having the blindfold on. I suppose > that may be considered a form of loss, but do we think when we turn on a > lightswitch "I think I'll lose the darkness, and turn this light on?" > Conversely, only rarely do we think "I shall gain some brightness." > Rather, the typical thought is "I will turn a light on so what is there > can be seen." And the flip is switched by our hand, effortlessly, > without thought. This is precisely what is happening with > "Enlightenment," and again illustrates the essential accuracy of the > term. > > To see through a glass, darkly. This darkness can be removed. How? > Only one way. By denying the truth of this world-dream on a deep level, > and simultaneously affirming the Truth of I AM on a deep level. By > cutting the knot holding the blindfold on with the "Sword of Truth." > Then the blindfold will fall away on its own, in its own good time, > through Grace, and Enlightment happens. We then see what was hidden. We > do not "stop seeing" anything but "darkness" And "darkness" is not sight > at all, but lack of sight. > > So the next time you think of saying "Attaining enlightment," pause for a > moment to remember that enlightment cannot be attained, any more than you > can attain your foot, or your hand, or the clothes you're wearing. "me" > cannot be lost, any more than you can lose the rocketship sitting in your > back yard (note: For those who live very close to the NASA space center, > this may not apply to you :-) > > Only a blindfold preventing the seeing of Reality can be removed - and > this process begins in the mind, through the knowledge of Truth. Faith > isn't good enough; one must KNOW. Then this world-dream begins to drop > away of itself, without effort, without gaining what is already there or > losing that which isn't, and Reality is seen for what it really is. This > is Realization. > > ----- > The CORE of Reality awaits you at: > http://www.serv.net/~fewtch/ND/index.html - > Poetry, Writings, even Live Chat on spiritual topics. > > ------ > Have you visited our new web site? > > Onelist: Helping to create Internet communities Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 6, 1999 Report Share Posted March 6, 1999 Hi Tim G, I appreciated your description and analogies of the process of enlightenment. Because I have not experienced the states described by most people on this list, it is most helpful when the process is put in terms that I can understand. I often wonder how and why some people have these experiences of losing the self, experience K and reach this point of leaving behind the conditioned awareness and behavior patterns. Love, Judy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 6, 1999 Report Share Posted March 6, 1999 Judy, It was a pleasure... I find that my experience of losing the 'me' is not yet purely consistent, nor absolute. What I have at this point is a "dimmed" sense of self (Richard Moss uses the analogy of the self being a sugar cube, and the Infinite being a glass of warm water - by his analogy, I am only partly "melted" :-) I find that I really don't *desire* a decreased sense of 'me' (such desire seems to get in the way of it happening!) so much as just knowing the Truth and living within it is causing this decreasing to happen perfectly naturally and spontaneously (since the 'me' really doesn't exist anyway, how can "it" sustain "itself" in the face of deep knowledge of Truth?). A strong knowledge that this visible world is illusion, and that the Real lies hidden by it is all it has taken (for this soul, at least) to start to lose the 'me.' The loss seems to continue at a gradual pace, which is just the way I like it... the thought of losing the 'me' suddenly, as in the Suzanne Segal account, is not much to my taste. With Love, Tim At 07:34 AM 3/6/99 -0500, you wrote: >Judy Walden <judyw > >Hi Tim G, > >I appreciated your description and analogies of the process >of enlightenment. > >Because I have not experienced the states described by most >people on this list, it is most helpful when the process is >put in terms that I can understand. > >I often wonder how and why some people have these >experiences of losing the self, experience K and reach this >point of leaving behind the conditioned awareness and >behavior patterns. > >Love, >Judy > > >------ >Start a new hobby. Meet a new friend. > >Onelist: The leading provider of free email list services > > ----- The CORE of Reality awaits you at: http://www.serv.net/~fewtch/ND/index.html - Poetry, Writings, even Live Chat on spiritual topics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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