Science is like a magician
who has pulled a rabbit out of a hat,
but whose audience then wants to know
what the magician can pull out of the rabbit.
So science reaches into the rabbit
and pulls out some cells.
But then, still not satisfied with the show,
the audience wants to know
what science can pull out of the cells,
and so science reaches into the cells
and pulls out some molecules,
followed by some atoms
and then some electrons.
Of course the audience then wants to know
what science can pull out of the electrons,
and so science reaches into the electrons,
and to the surprise of both
the magician and the audience
there is nothing there,
no physical object there,
where the electrons appear to be,
only mind-like forms
that have the potential
to become the physical objects
we refer to as electrons.
The magician knows not
what he has found,
but if he were to see
what was actually happening
what he would see
is that he has reached so far
into the hat
that he went completely through it,
and without knowing it
has come back around
and is now trying to grasp
what he does not recognize
as his own mind.
And at a deeper level
it could also be said
that what we are trying to grasp
where mental form dissolves
into formless potentiality
is our own formless Consciousness
that we do not recognize
as our Self.
As we dig down
from the level of physical forms,
from the physical stratum,
into the next level of reality,
we enter the mind stratum,
where we encounter
non-physical forms,
mental forms,
thoughts and ideas,
that have the potential
to become physical forms.
And as we dig still deeper,
from the level of mental forms,
from the mental stratum,
into the next level of reality,
we encounter That which,
although it has no form Itself,
does have the potential,
through Self-relation,
to become a mental form,
to become an idea,
which idea is then apprehended
by the still formless Self.
The physical forms
are apprehended by
the still formless Self
that thinks it is a body,
and the mental forms
are apprehended by
the still formless Self
that thinks it is a mind.
But neither body nor mind
is what the Self ultimately is.
Body and mind
are just vehicles,
just forms of the Self
the formless Self uses
to apprehend other forms of Itself
that arise like swirls
within the formless Ocean
of its ever formless Self.
And so it is that That
which tries to apprehend
what seems to be there
is eventually found to be
not different from
or other than
what actually is there,
once what seems to be there
as physical and mental form
has been completely untangled
into the Formless Potentiality
that is actually there.
We are like a Thread
that looks outward into space
and inward into mind
and sees many objects,
many forms,
that appear to be different
and other than
what we are.
And we want to know
what these forms are made of,
and so we begin to break them apart
to unravel them.
And as we break them apart,
as we unravel them,
we eventually find
that all they are
is a single Thread
that has become tangled
upon Itself.
And so what was once
seen as other
is now seen as Self,
because the single Thread that appears
when the forms are untangled
cannot be separated from
the Thread that looks outward
and inward
and sees many forms
that no longer appear
to be different
or other
than what It Is.
A single Thread,
a single Being,
a single Presence,
tangled upon Itself
in so many ways,
and so appearing
as this and that,
and so appearing
as many forms,
and so appearing
as other.
This Thread goes by many names,
none of which are It directly,
because the names are always forms
whereas the Thread Itself is always formless.
One name It goes by is Consciousness,
another is Presence,
and still another name
we could use to point toward It
is the field of Formless Potential.
And so That which sees the objects,
That which knows the forms,
That which apprehends the forms,
is not different from
or other than
what we find
when the objects and forms
are untangled to the point
where they cease to be objects,
cease to be forms,
and become only the potential
to appear as an object,
to appear as a form.
And so That which knows the objects,
That which apprehends the forms,
is not different from
or other than
the field of Formless Potential
out of which
all objects and forms
arise.
And so ultimately,
the field of Formless Potential
is not different from
or other than
the field of Consciousness
that knows, sees, and apprehends
the objects and forms
that arise within Itself,
and are ultimately composed of Itself,
as It has become entangled within Itself
as a result of Flowing
in relation to Itself.
The One appearing as many,
the One apprehending Itself as many
but always remaining
a single formless Thread,
whole and unbroken,
indivisible from Itself.
That which apprehends form
and That which flows in relation to Itself
and so appears as form
are One.
No matter how turbulent the ocean becomes,
no matter how many forms arise upon its surface,
waves coming and going,
the ocean remains one.
And no matter how turbulent the surface,
at its depths
the ocean remains still.
Observed from the depths,
where there is stillness
the turbulence of the surface
is not disturbing.
Observed from the surface,
where there is turbulence,
there is only disturbance.
No matter how the ocean appears
it is still composed of water,
the same substance
flowing in stillness and turbulence.
That is why the ocean is one
regardless of how it appears,
because of the singular and unchanging nature
of what it is composed.
And no matter how the world appears,
it is still composed of Consciousness,
the same Substance,
the same Beingness.
flowing in stillness and turbulence.
That is why the Universe is one
regardless of how it appears,
because of the singular and unchanging Nature
of what it is composed.
As the ocean is composed only of water,
regardless of how many waves arise from it,
the Universe is composed only of Consciousness,
regardless of how many forms arise within it.
And so,
if That
of which the Universe is composed
is One,
and not two,
then That
which apprehends the forms
that arise within the Universe
cannot be different from
or other than
That
of which the forms
that arise within the Universe
are themselves composed.
The idea that That
which apprehends the forms
and That
of which the forms are composed
are different,
and separate,
only occurs
if one takes the forms alone
for all that is there
where they appear to be,
thereby obscuring
the Ocean of formless Consciousness
within which they arise.
If one sees only the waves
and not the water,
sees only the forms
and not that of which
the forms are composed,
then the ocean becomes obscured.
And once the ocean is obscured,
that which connects all the waves
and reveals their oneness
is also obscured,
leaving only the appearance
of separate waves
thrashing about.
Likewise,
when the Ocean of Consciousness is obscured
that which connects all the forms
and reveals their Oneness
is also obscured,
leaving only the appearance
of separate forms
thrashing about.
How do you rediscover the Ocean
once it has been lost,
once it has been obscured?
Look within yourself little Wave
and you will find It,
not as a form,
but as That which apprehends form.
And once you are able to do that,
Apprehend That which apprehends,
Know That which knows,
the Ocean of Oneness
that was always there
beneath the waves,
beneath the forms,
will reappear.
Then the seeming divisions
between the waves,
between the forms,
that once seemed so real,
while their common Source was obscured,
will simply vanish.
The waves will still be there
the forms will still be there
but they will no longer be known,
and so no longer be treated,
as something separable from
or other than
what you Are.
Why does the Ocean appear only within
and not without
until it is rediscovered
by looking within?
Without is the direction
in which you are going.
Within is the direction
from which you are coming.
When a wave looks to the sky
having forgotten the ocean,
having forgotten its nature,
it sees the clouds,
but cannot recognize them
as composed of the same substance
of which it is composed,
and so it sees only more forms,
more things that seem
other than itself.
But when a wave looks the other way
still having forgotten the ocean,
still having forgotten its nature,
it cannot help but run into itself
on its way
to becoming a wave.
And then when it looks back to the sky
no longer having forgotten the ocean,
no longer having forgotten its nature,
it once again sees the clouds,
but now recognizes them
as composed of the same substance
of which it is itself composed,
and so what was once seen as other,
is now seen as self.
That is why one must first look within,
and find the truth of what lies there,
before one can look without,
and see the truth of what lies there as well.
For what lies within and without
are not really two separate things,
but are the same Non-thing,
the same Formlessness,
looked at in opposite ways
by the Formlessness,
and so appearing
as the two seemingly different things
we call space and mind,
neither of which
is separable from
or other than
the formless Consciousness
that apprehends both,
which formless Consciousness is,
in the final analysis,
not other than
what you Are.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.
Better than to try and improve yourself
is to just enjoy yourself.
The Great Mother
did not create this Universe of Forms
out of Herself
to improve Herself.
The Great Mother
created this Universe of Forms
out of Herself
to enjoy Herself.
To envelope Herself
in her own Joy
in her own Being.
To Wrap Herself around Herself
and then Flow through Herself
while still Wrapped around Herself.
The Great Mother does not Flow Herself
through these Forms made of Herself,
as She is wrapped about Herself,
in order to become better,
in order to become more,
for that is not possible.
She is perfect as She Is.
There is no room for improvement.
There is however,
room for enjoyment.
But with the possibility of enjoyment
must also arise the possibility
of the opposite of enjoyment.
All this Wrapping around
and Flowing through
in order to create enjoyment,
in order to create joy,
requires the Great Mother
to Be in relation to Herself.
And where one relation is possible
that creates one sort of feeling,
the opposite relation must also be possible
that creates the opposite feeling.
The Great Mother is One,
everything else
comes in pairs of opposites,
because everything else is created
as the Great Mother Flows
in relation to Herself.
And so in constructing the door
that leads to
Her enjoying Herself,
She also constructs a door
that makes it possible
for Her to do the opposite
of enjoying Herself.
One who does not understand this
thinks that suffering
should not be.
But one who does understand this knows that
without the possibility of suffering
there can be no possibility of its opposite,
no possibility of enjoyment.
Enjoyment arises
when the Great Mother
Flows through Herself
unopposed by Herself.
Suffering arises
when the Great Mother
Flows through Herself
opposed by Herself.
When the Great Mother Knows Herself,
She naturally Flows through Herself
without opposition,
and so feels enjoyment.
But when the Great Mother forgets Herself,
She just as naturally Flows through Herself
opposing Herself,
and so feels suffering.
And so there is something
that we can improve,
but it is not what we Are,
for That is already perfect.
What we can improve
is what we know our self to be,
for in this regard
we are always mistaken,
but to greater and lesser degrees.
The more our idea of our self
is in conflict with our true Nature,
the more in conflict with that Nature
our Flow will Be.
And the more our idea of our self
is in harmony with our true Nature,
the more in harmony with that Nature
our Flow will Be.
Now no idea
is exactly what we Are,
for ideas are forms
and we Are not.
So as long as an idea comes
between us and our Nature
there will be some conflict
between us and our Nature.
But as a clean mirror
has greater utility
than one that is caked with mud,
a clear idea of one's Nature
has greater utility
than an idea that muddies one's Nature.
The idea that you can improve yourself,
and that you can improve the world,
are ideas that arise
from a muddy image
of what you Are.
The idea that you can enjoy yourself
and that you can enjoy the world
are ideas that arise
from a clear image
of what you Are.
It may be true
that the ultimate Knowledge comes
when all thought is set aside,
when all masks are dispensed with.
But until then
why not enjoy yourself
as best you can.
It is what the Great Mother would do.
It is what the Great Mother is doing.
And when you do as the Great Mother does
you Flow as the Great Mother Flows,
and the more you Flow
as the Great Mother Flows
the more transparent and unreal
all the masks become,
until all that remains
is That which,
to the extent that It is revealed,
gives to every mask its Beauty,
and so causes the world
and one's Self
to appear as beautiful
and perfect as they are,
and to the extent that It is hidden
makes every mask appear less than beautiful,
and so causes the world
and one's Self
to appear as less than beautiful
and imperfect as they are,
and so in need of some repair,
in need of some improvement.
So many words,
so little actually happening.
The Great Mother Being and Flowing
in aligned or opposed relation to Herself,
and so enjoying Herself
or suffocating Herself.
That is all.
The time arrives.
A costume must be chosen.
And so we are born
into Form.
And as we live
we Flow into
and through
Form.
The wedding of the Infinite
and the Finite
But the Finite is just the Infinite
Flowing in relation to Itself
and so taking on a Form,
as swirling water takes on
the form of a whirlpool.
And as we Flow through Form,
Flow through our Self as Form,
lesser forms arise
where Form meets Form,
like a line that arises
where the tips of two fingers meet.
These lesser forms
are what we call
experience.
These lesser forms
are what we call
reality.
So many forms,
so many experiences,
so much reality.
And then we who only Flow,
we who are only Movement,
ourselves having no form,
mistake ourselves
for these lesser forms,
after which these lesser forms
are all that appears to be.
That is Unconsciousness.
Consciousness
not conscious of Itself
as Consciousness,
not conscious of Itself
as Formlessness,
not conscious of Itself
as Movement,
but conscious of itself instead
as a lesser form,
conscious of itself instead
as a boundary that is only created
by the Movement
of the Formlessness
that is conscious of all lesser forms.
In this way
there is Consciousness
in Unconsciousness,
it is just hidden
by the lesser forms
that Consciousness
mistakes for itself.
It is as if one draped themself
in a sheet for Halloween
and then thought themself
to actually be a ghost.
One is still there under the sheet
no matter how much one believes
that they are now a ghost.
In the same way,
Consciousness is still there
beneath the lesser forms
that It has mistaken
for itself.
And Consciousness is also still there
beyond the lesser forms
that It has mistaken
for itself.
As long as Consciousness
mistakes itself for these lesser forms
it remains hidden from Itself,
both inside and outside the forms
it mistakenly knows itself to be.
Hidden from Itself,
inside and out,
the costume becomes a cage.
But Consciousness that has caged Itself
within the lesser forms
it has Itself created,
still Flows,
still Moves.
But now it Flows and Moves
to serve a master
that is only a shadow of Itself,
to serve a master
that its own Flow,
its own Movement,
its own relation to Itself,
has created.
That is unconscious Movement.
It is the way of unconscious Consciousness,
the way of Consciousness that knows itself as form
to oppose some forms
and to cling to others
and in so doing
to create suffering.
But when unconscious Consciousness
realizes that form is not what it is,
then the form that was,
only a moment ago,
a cage, a wall, an impassable barrier,
becomes transparent, becomes beautiful,
as the Consciousness both beneath and beyond the form
reappears to Consciousness
as Itself.
That is the Unconscious becoming Conscious.
Consciousness waking from the dream
of form-identification.
Formlessness becoming conscious of Itself
as it Is,
as Formlessness,
after having been conscious of Itself
as form.
No longer serving the shadow-master of form,
the unconscious and reactive Movements
of attachment and aversion,
pushing away unwanted forms,
clinging to wanted forms,
have no basis and so cease
of their own accord,
without effort.
It is not the way of conscious Consciousness
to oppose or cling
to the lesser forms
that arise as experience
within Itself.
It is the way of conscious Consciousness
to simply be aware of Itself
and of the lesser forms
that arise within Itself
and to allow both to be
as they are,
Flowing and Moving then
according to that.
That is conscious Movement.
That is wu wei.
Action without action,
doing without doing.
Movement and Flow,
not for the sake of opposing or acquiring
some lesser form,
but Movement for the sake of Movement,
Flow for the sake of Flow.
That is why
when one tries to actively get rid of one's form-identity
it only becomes stronger,
because that is not conscious Movement,
that is not wu wei.
And if it is not conscious Movement,
then it is unconscious Movement.
And if it is unconscious Movement
then it is Movement that is grounded in,
and so reinforcing of,
the form-identity.
Let the ego be
and it will fade of its own accord,
like a costume that was once worn
to all the parties
when form was king,
but now has little use
now that it has been revealed
that the king was wearing
a false crown.
When it is thought
that thinking
is the height of intelligence
then true intelligence is lost.
When it is thought
that the mind
is the source of intelligence
then the true source of intelligence
becomes obscured.
What is true intelligence?
No one can really say,
because true intelligence
is non-conceptual,
and so beyond words.
What is the true source of intelligence?
That too
cannot really be spoken,
because the true source of intelligence
is also non-conceptual,
and so also beyond words.
And so true intelligence
and the true source of intelligence
are not two different things
but are one thing
that is not a thing.
And what is this one thing
that is not a thing
that is both true intelligence
and the true source of intelligence?
What sees when the sun rises,
and hears when the bird sings?
What feels love when the heart is open,
or hate when the heart is closed?
What knows when the mind thinks?
That alone is both true intelligence
and the true source of intelligence.
And that alone
is what you truly Are.
What you truly Are
cannot be known
through the intermediary of form.
But what you truly Are
can be Known directly,
as That by which
all form is known.
What is seen when the sun rises,
or heard when the bird sings,
or felt when the heart is open or closed,
or thought when the mind thinks,
are all forms.
What you truly Are
is not that,
is not a form.
What you truly are
is the formless Consciousness
that knows all those forms,
and on occasion,
mistakes Itself
for the forms it knows.
What you truly are
is not the word Consciousness,
for that too is but a concept,
and so is also a form,
and so is not what you truly Are.
What you truly are
is the formless Isness
that is pointed toward
through the use of the word
Consciousness,
and through the use of the words
formless Isness.
The formless Isness
that sees the sun rise,
that hears the bird sing,
that feels love or hate,
and knows what the mind thinks,
even when It does not Know Itself,
even when It has obscured Itself,
as a result of knowing itself to be
a form,
as a result of knowing itself to be
what is seen,
and heard,
and felt,
and thought.
The form is not important,
it is the Flow of Being
that creates the form
that is important.
That Flow of Being
is the Dance of Shiva.
The goal is not important,
it is the Flow of Being
as it moves toward the goal
that is important.
That Flow of Being
is the Movement of the Tao.
The result is not important,
it is the Flow of Being
as it produces the result
that is important.
That Flow of Being
is the River of eternal Life.
The Flow of Being
is important
because the Flow of Being
is what we truly Are.
We are not the forms
that only arise
where Being Flows
in relation to Itself,
like a line that arises
where the tips of two fingers meet.
But when we think we are a form,
when we identify with form,
we lose sight of what we truly Are,
lose sight of the Flow of Being,
and then form is all that seems to remain.
And then form, the goal, the result
becomes all that matters,
not because they really do
but only because
there seems to be nothing else
once our True Nature
has been obscured
through misidentification with form.
But even our misidentification with form
is part of the Dance.
The misidentification with form
is just the part of this Dance
where the Dancer closes their eyes
but still keeps Dancing,
still keeps Flowing,
and so continuously trips over,
continuously comes into conflict with,
what They no longer recognize
as Themself.
But now it is time to Awaken
and open our eyes
to our formless Nature
so that as we Dance
we will no longer trip over Ourself,
no longer create suffering for Ourself,
but will instead
dance in harmony with Ourself
and once again
just enjoy the Dance,
unconcerned with form,
unconcerned with goals and results,
unconcerned with what are really
only byproducts of the Dance,
byproducts of What Is Really Important,
byproducts of What Really Matters.
Our Awareness,
our Consciousness,
no longer preoccupied with form,
no longer obsessed with goals and results,
no longer mistaking Itself
for the forms It has created,
no longer seeking Itself
in the forms It creates,
rooted in the Now.
rooted in the Formless.
rooted in Itself.At One with all Life.
No longer just a concept,
But the direct Realization
Of my essential Nature.
The direct Realization
Of the essential Nature
Of all Beings,
Of all that cloaks Itself in form,
And of all that still remains formless.
The Realization that it is Formlessness
That apprehends form,
And that out of that same Formlessness
All forms arise,
Like swirls in a river,
As Formlessness flows in relation to Itself.
And because the I that apprehends form
Is formless
I am devoid of form.
And because That out of which form arises
And within which form exists
Is formless
It too is devoid of form
And because I am formless,
And because It is formless,
There is nothing to separate
Me from It,
No boundary to divide
What I Am
From what It Is.
Thus, what I Am,
As the Formlessness that apprehends form,
Is not separable from,
Or other than,
The Formlessness out of which all forms arise.
At One with all Life.
No longer just a concept,
But the direct Realization
Of the indivisible Formlessness
That just Is
Do not look to form for certainty.
Do not look to the Formless for definition.
The Formless can give you certainty.
Form can give you definition.
Do not look for in one
What can only be given
By the other.
The certainty that the Formless gives
Is its own Presence.
The definition that form gives
is its very existence.
The definition that form gives
Is knowledge.
The certainty that the Formless gives
Is Knowledge.
So it is that
The Formless cannot be defined,
Cannot be known,
As an object,
As a form,
But can be Known,
Directly,
As That which Is
In the absence of form,
And as That which still Is
In the presence of form.
The Knowledge that the Formless gives
Is the Consciousness of Itself.
Formlessness apprehending Formlessness.
The knowledge that form gives
Is the Consciousness of an object,
The Consciousness of a form.
Formlessness apprehending form.
Thus, both Knowledge and knowledge
Are apprehended by the same Formlessness.
It may seem that the Formless
That knows itself as an object,
As a form,
Is different or other than
The Formless that Knows Itself
As It Is,
As the Formless.
And so we venerate the Latter,
While denigrating the Former.
Seeing one as higher
And the other as lower.
But this is an illusion,
As the Formless Is One.
Non-dual.
Neither higher nor lower.
Only when viewed through the lens of duality,
The lens of form,
Does the Formless appear to Itself
As something other than One.
When viewed through the lens of form,
The duality inherent in form
Becomes superimposed upon That
Which Is forever Non-dual,
Eternally One.
A river may diverge for a short span
Before it meets up with itself again,
With one branch flowing smoothly
While the other may contain much turbulence.
If only the branches are seen,
There seem to be two different rivers.
But from a broader perspective
There is seen to be only one river
With two ways of flowing.
Those who Know
Only venerate,
Because they see only the One.
Those who only know
Both venerate and denigrate
Because they see the one and the other.
Those who Know
Are not better than
Or other than
Those who only know.
Those who only know
Just know something
That those who Know
Do not.
Those who only know
Are filled with the forms that arise
Where the Flow of the River Is turbulent.
Those who Know
Are filled with the Formlessness That Is
Where the Flow of the River
Is smooth or turbulent.
Sometimes I Know,
While at other times
I only know.
When I Know
I Know that whether I Know or only know
Does not really matter.
For when I Know,
I Know that when I only know
That I am not something other than
What I Am
When I Know.
But when I only know
That Knowledge is obscured,
And it then seems
That when I only know,
That I am something less
Than what I was
When I Knew
What I no longer Know.
And so when I only know
I try to add to myself,
To find myself,
And in so doing
Just create more turbulence.
And when the Flow becomes rough enough
I wake up again
And Know.
Such a game.
Such a ride.
We can easily say yes to the wanted, but tend to say no to the unwanted. Yet the unwanted is just as much our creation as is the wanted. To reflexively allow the wanted while reflexively resisting and rejecting the unwanted is the reactive and unconscious state in which most humans spend their lives.
In this state there is only the illusion of freedom, as we are really then the slave of external circumstances; feeling good when the wanted arises and we reflexively allow it and feeling bad when the unwanted arises and we reflexively resist it. This leads to chasing after the wanted so that we can, in reflexively allowing it, feel good, while fearing the unwanted, since in our reflexive resistance to it, we will feel bad.
In all of this we do not realize that the good and bad feelings, the wanted and unwanted emotions, do not inhere in the external circumstances that seem to produce them, but instead are produced by the internal relation of Self-allowing or Self-resistance in which What We Actually Are becomes involved with Itself as we reflexively allow or say yes to the wanted and reflexively resist or say no to the unwanted.
How can we know there is this internal relation occurring when we do not know What We Actually Are? We cannot and so we do not. This is why the emotions, good and bad, wanted and unwanted, seem to come from or inhere in the external circumstances with which they are associated.
Some external unwantedness arises and we reflexively say no to it, internally push against it, internally resist it, and this creates an internal relation within our own Being that produces an unwanted emotion, which is just a created form that arises within, and so is apprehended by, our Being. Or some external wantedness arises and we reflexively say yes to it, internally allow it, internally do not resist it, and this creates an internal relation within our own Being that produces a wanted emotion, which is also just a created form that arises within, and so is apprehended by, our Being.
But when we are blind to What We Actually Are, when What We Actually Are has been obscured, as is the case when there is only the awareness of the form-identity, when there is only identification with form, then there can also be no awareness of this internal relation of Self-allowing or Self-resistance, Self-alignment or Self-opposition, that is actually producing the emotional form, and so the created emotion, the created form, whether wanted or unwanted, good or bad, must then seem to inhere in or emanate from the external circumstance that we are either reflexively allowing or resisting.
And so something arises that we do not want, some circumstance, perhaps one's partner or spouse is doing something that is unwanted, and so we reflexively resist that external unwantedness and so become unknowingly involved in an internal relation of Self-opposition, which then creates an unwanted emotion that we then associate with the unwanted circumstance or behavior we say, "you have made me mad " or "you have made me feel bad," not knowing that it is only our own unconscious and conditioned reaction to the circumstance or behavior, which creates an internal relation within our own Being, that is actually producing the emotional unwantedness, the emotional form, that truly seems from the unconscious or conditioned perspective to be caused by the circumstance or person.
And the same is true of emotional wantedness. That is, something arises that we want, some circumstance, perhaps one's partner or spouse is doing something that is wanted, and so we reflexively allow that external wantedness and so become unknowingly involved in an internal relation of Self-alignment, which then creates a wanted emotion that we then associate with the wanted circumstance or behavior we say, "you have made me happy" or "you have made me feel good," again not knowing that it is only our own unconscious and conditioned reaction to the circumstance or behavior, which creates an internal relation within our own Being, that is actually producing the emotional wantedness, the emotional form, that again truly seems from the unconscious or conditioned perspective to be caused by the circumstance or person.
Conversely, when one becomes aware of themselves as the Creator of form, then it becomes possible to understand how the different relations of the Creator to Itself create what the Creator apprehends as different forms, and especially as the different emotional forms, in which case it then becomes possible to see beyond the illusion that makes the characteristics of emotional wantedness or unwantedness seem to inhere in the form one is either allowing or resisting, respectively, which in turn helps to lessen one's attachment and aversion to form, i.e., one's desire of and fear of form, either seeking form as the source of good or running from form as the source of bad.
We are the Creators of form. We are not created by form, nor are we form. We are the Formlessness in which form arises and by which form is apprehended. And what causes form to arise so that we can apprehend it? Always some relation of Formlessness to Itself. And there are really only two fundamental relations of Formlessness to Itself: Self-alignment or Self-opposition. With Self-alignment comes Self-knowledge, knowledge of one's true Nature, as well as the absence of suffering, whereas with Self-opposition comes Self-ignorance, the obscuring of one's true Nature, as well as the presence of suffering.
So it is that, as Eckhart Tolle often states in one way or another, the opening or doorway to What We Actually Are lies in becoming friendly with the present moment, with the Now, and so lies in ceasing to oppose what is, whatever form it takes.
This is becasue the conscious decision to cease to oppose what is, to cease to oppose whatever forms are arising in this moment, in this Now, within your Awareness, is simultaneously a conscious decision to internally align your Being with What Is, to internally align your Being with Itself.
There are only these two relations, Self-alignment and Self-opposition, and if you are not actively involving your Being in one, then you are actively involving your Being in the other, because What Is, What You Are, by virtue of the fact that It Is and so cannot help but Be, must Be in some relation to Itself: either Flowing in alignment with Itself or Flowing in opposition to Itself, and so must in each moment, in what is always the Now, be creating either Self-knowledge and the absence of suffering or Self-ignorance and the presence of suffering, respectively.
Suffering is the diminishment of the Flow of What We Are to What We Are that comes with the internal relation of Self-opposition, whereas the absence of suffering, or the Fullness of Life, is the full or undiminished Flow of What We Are to What We Are that comes with the internal relation of Self-allowing.
Saying that What Is must be involved in either a relation of Self-alignment or Self-opposition is not saying that What Is is dual, or not One. What Is is singular, or non-dual. It is the relations of the non-dual What Is to Itself that create the forms that are themselves always dual, always this or that, wave or particle, good or bad, wanted or unwanted, yin or yang, which created forms then create the appearance of duality, or the appearance that reality is ultimately dual. But beyond that apparent duality lies the one Being, the one Consciousness that is, through relation to its non-dual Self, creating and apprehending the duality of form.
It seems that Consciousness has no choice but to be involved in some relation with Itself, but that it is able to choose which relation with Itself in which it is involved; aligned or opposed. However, it may be that it only seems like there is a choice from the perspective of unconsciousness, whereas from the perspective of enlightenment there is perhaps really no choice at all.
Would you like a nice massage or a poke in the eye with a sharp stick? There is certainly the appearance of a choice but only a madman would choose the latter over the former. Would you like the Fullness of Life or suffering. Here too there also appears to be a choice, but only Consciousness that seems to have lost sight of Itself seems to choose the latter over the former.
Consciousness seems never to be intentionally creating suffering, but only does so when unconscious. It always seems to be the intention of Consciousness to feel better, to create wantedness for Itself. It's just that once Consciousness loses sight of Itself the mistaken idea arises that the way to get to what it wants, whatever that might be, is through some sort of opposition to what is, which opposition to what is then perpetuates the Self-ignorance that makes opposition to what is seem like a good idea, i.e., like a way to get to the good, or even back to God, back to Itself.
And so Consciousness is always really making the same choice, to move toward a greater wantedness, toward the ultimate good, which is, whether It knows it or not, always Itself. The difference then is not in the choice that is being made, for that is always the same; rather, the difference lies only in the two different contexts in which that singular choice is being made, i.e., the context of Self-knowledge or the context of Self-ignorance.
That singular choice, made or exercised from within the context of Self-knowledge, produces that which is not-suffering. That same choice, made or exercised from within the context of Self-ignorance, produces suffering. The difference then lies neither in That which is making the choice, nor in the choice that is being made, for both are singular in Nature. Consciousness that is in a state of Self-knowledge is not separable from or other than Consciousness that is in a state of Self-ignorance, which is why both, as it were, always make the same choice. The difference then can only lie in the apparent difference in the nature of the forms that are produced and apprehended by singular Consciousness operating within these two different contexts, within what appear to be these two different states of its own singular Being.
The forms are different, some are wanted and some are unwanted. some are this, some are that, but they are not Real, they are only real, they are not What Is, they are only what exists, only what comes out of or out from the Is-ness. However, what gives rise to or creates the different forms, the different experiential realities, the always dual forms, is not Itself ever actually different, is neither wanted nor unwanted, but is rather the singular inseparable non-dual formless Is-ness that can never Itself be a form, and so can never Itself actually be spoken, can never itself actually be a concept, can never itself actually be a word, but can only be pointed toward using the forms that both arise within and are apprehended by It.