The Ocean of Consciousness from Steven Kaufman's blog

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.