MasterPok'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.

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.