Formlessness in the service of form from Steven Kaufman's blog

We are Formlessness

living in the service of a form

that we ourselves are creating.

 

And with each service we perform

in service of the form

that we ourselves are creating,

the form seems to become more real

and we seem to become less real.

 

And as the form seems to become more real

and we seem to become less real

it seems more and more important

that we serve the form

that we ourselves are creating

through service to the form.

 

We serve the form

that we ourselves are creating

by defending it from that which appears

to cause its diminishment.

 

And we also serve the form

that we ourselves are creating

by clinging to that which appears

to cause its enhancement.

 

And what is it that appears

to cause the diminishment of the form

to which we are enthralled?

 

Only that which seems to threaten

that to which we cling

in our effort to enhance the form

that we are ourselves creating.

 

And what is it that appears

to cause the enhancement of the form

to which we are chained?

 

Only that which seems to protect

the form that is our master,

the form that we ourselves are creating,

from that which would seem to cause its diminishment.

 

We build up the form-master

to protect it from threats,

and we protect the form-master from threats

to preserve that which we have built up.

 

A self-perpetuating cycle

that goes nowhere

and accomplishes nothing

other than to keep hidden

our formless Self

and so perpetuate the illusion

of form-identity

that keeps the cycle going.

 

The height of futility.

The human condition.

 

But I have misspoke.

The cycle of self-ignorance

does accomplish something other than

its own perpetuation.

 

What else does it accomplish?

It creates suffering.

 

And the suffering it creates

places a limit upon

how lost to our Self

we can become.

 

If you are so completely insane

that you try to suffocate yourself

with your own hands,

you will pass out

before the deed is done

and will once again

be able to breath.

 

Likewise, while in the insane state

that is called normal,

we can oppose and so stifle

our own Flow

with our Flow

as we serve the form-master,

so much so that our suffering becomes so great,

as our Flow becomes so diminished,

that we must either Awaken

or commit suicide

before we are able to completely cut off

our own Flow.

 

Either way, Self-opposition ceases,

or is greatly diminished,

and so either way we Awaken,

to some degree,

from the dream of form-identity

to what we truly Are.

 

Suffering is sort of like Slugworth

who only pretends to be

in competition with Wonka,

to help Wonka identify

those who are ready

to run his factory.

 

That is, suffering only appears to be

in competition with Awakening,

while all the while

actually working for Awakening.

 

And if one can realize this

while in the midst of the suffering

that is caused by the Self-opposition

that arises when one serves the form-master,

then the reflexive resistance to suffering decreases,

allowing another way to appear

that does not require increasing suffering

in order to Awaken.

 

One path may not be

better than the other,

since both lead

to the same destination,

but one is certainly

more enjoyable than the other.