To “Die Before You Die”

Sri Nisargaddata Maharaj is considered one of the most notable sages of the twentieth century. Named Maruti Shivrampant Kambli at birth, he was given his honorific title when he recognized his true nature at the age of thirty seven. “Nisargadatta” means sharing of that beyond phenomena. He lived a humble life as a smoke shop owner in Bombay, India, which was renamed Mumbai in 1995. Soon after he realized the Truth of his Being, seekers began to flock to his home, where he held satsang until the time of his body-mind’s death. The following short discourse is borrowed from his spiritual classic entitled I Am That:

***

Questioner:

“Imagine you are ill–high fever, aches, shivers. The doctor tells you the condition is serious, there are only a few days to live. What would be your reaction?”

Maharaj:

“No reaction. As it is natural for the incense stick to burn out, so it is natural for the body to die. Really, it is a matter of very little importance. What matters is that I am neither the body nor the mind. I am.“

***

The majority of persons are tremendously afraid of death; it may seem the final fear. For some, there is the faith that there is an afterlife; but in the case of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, he didn’t surmise that there was more, for one profound reason:

He knew with absolute certainty that he wasn’t what he appeared to be on Earth.

Recognition of true Self, as distinct and separate of the body and the mind, can be known directly now. In fact, such is the only way that true realization is known. Realization is not dependent on any belief system; for belief is of the mind, and our true Reality is prior to the mind. To know this is “to die before you die.” Religion sometimes expresses this as follows: “To find yourself, you must lose yourself.” From the perspective of the person, this might seem the most twisted conundrum ever posed.

To recognize our essential nature, we must discern clearly and understand the nature of the false self, which is conceptual only. We are not the mind; for we, Awareness, witness the mind. The false “i” of name and form is unstable, changing, and relatively short lived. Conversely, true Self is stable, changeless, and eternal. Due to innocent ignorance which is part and parcel of the human condition, we have erroneously identified our Being with that of apparent flesh and bones. To do so invites fear and great suffering.

This is the reason that Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj was fearless when asked a question about impending death. He knew. He was neither guessing nor believing. Anything short of direct realization is inadequate. He realized that he was and still IS the foundational Awareness (aka Consciousness) in which the body-mind and the “world” appear. For anyone who is earnest about recognizing Truth beyond name and form, you might contemplate this question: Are you one hundred percent certain that there’s a “you” located somewhere in the body or the mind? Or is that an erroneous assumption? Self-inquiry will help you discover the real answer…and the real YOU.

Dare to Dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

P.S. Please share this article if you enjoyed it. If you’d like to view my latest book (This Taste of Flesh and Bones), press here. My YouTube videos can be found at Think2wice@I-Am-Aware. May the content of either or both help you along your spiritual journey. “Thank You” & “Note to Publishers” 🙏🏻🧡

“The Heavenly Life”

James Allen was a New-Thought author of several books; his most famous one entitled As A Man Thinketh. For more than thirty years, a framed quote from it has held a place of honour in my bedroom. It begins as follows: “Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream so shall you become. Your Vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your Ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.” In this article, I’m going to focus upon another of his works, a little masterpiece entitled The Heavenly Life. He originally published the work without copyright, so that its rich content could be enjoyed by as many readers as possible. The following are some of the quotations that leapt to my attention:

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“The toil of life ceases when the heart is pure.”

***

“Heaven is in the heart. They will look for it in vain who look elsewhere. In no outward place will the soul find Heaven until it finds it within itself; for, wherever the soul goes, its thoughts and desires will go with it.“

***

“Heaven is here. It is also everywhere. It is wherever there is a pure heart. The whole universe is abounding with joy, but the sin-bound heart can neither see, hear, nor partake of it. No one is, or can be, arbitrarily shut out from Heaven; each shuts himself out.”

***

“If you have a trouble it is in your own mind, and nowhere else; you make it, it is not made for you; it is not in your task; it is not in the outward thing. You are its creator; and it derives its life from you only.”

***

“Think lovingly, speak lovingly, act lovingly, and your every need shall be supplied.”

***

“Purify your thought-world until no stain is left, and you will ascend into Heaven, while living in the body.“

***

“Herein lies the peace and patience and beauty of Love–it sees no evil.”

***

To help you mine the rich content of these quotations, I offer the following quote from The Law of Success, by Paramahansa Yogananda: “The mind is the creator of everything.” As challenging as this may be to accept, this includes our body-minds, all objects, and the “world.” None of them have existence independent of the mind that perceives them. The degree to which this seems impossible is represented by the density of the apparent veil of egoic identity. All body-minds are only representational forms of various perspectives of the ONE, Consciousness. The quality of our life depends on the beliefs that we hold in our heart, true Self. It is from these deeply held paradigms (models, or patterns) that our apparent “reality” is formed. When better than NOW to ask ourselves what we’ve habitually been imagining?

Dare to Dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Falling From Truth

Here, an offering of one of my poems:

***

Falling From Truth

Damn it

All the way to hell

And back! Sometimes, I

Still slip—forgetting Truth—

And slide down the muddy slope of ignorance. At the bottom,

In a big puddle of conceptual identity,

There is suffering and delusion.

For ten imagined minutes

Or half an illusory day,

I once again believe, without question,

That I am the historical person of my story; thus, caught,

In the web of Maya, I

Grieve the loss of past family and friends who

I assume real, as name and form. How foolish

And painful, it seems

To mourn the passing contents of a mirage.

When such appears to occur,

The real issue, of course,

Is that I’ve forgotten “What,” not who,

I really Am; I’ve lost my footing, so to speak.

In Truth,

I just Am, as are You and They,

Omnipresence going nowhere,

Creating everything while

Doing nothing.

***

Dare to Dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

P.S. Please share this article if you enjoyed it. If you’d like to view my latest book (This Taste of Flesh and Bones–released September 8, 2020), press here. My YouTube videos may be found through this link. May the content of either or both help you along your spiritual journey. 🙏🧡

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

Three-B And The Mysterious Man

Bartholomew Bentley Beckham (better known as Three-B, since he was a child) was bothered–a lot. He grew into that way of living and unconsciously clutched it, the way that a four-year-old child clutches an ice cream cone. He was bothered when projects didn’t turn out right; he was bothered by weather that didn’t behave; he was bothered when siblings, friends, colleagues, and strangers made remarks that irked him. He once ranted for a full day about an increase in the price of stamps. To Three-B, this was not odd in the least; it was his habitual way of being. That life could possibly change for the better never occurred to him…until.

One day, at the age of forty-two, Three-B was sitting on a park bench for his lunch break. As he examined the sandwich he had purchased from a local fast-food restaurant (the order was incorrect again!), his facial muscles assumed the trademark grimace that friends and family knew all too well. At that instant, a mysterious man with white hair and a cane approached him and asked if he could sit on the other end of the bench.

“Certainly,” said Three-B, feigning politeness with a nod. In truth, he would have been happier to be left alone with his misery.

“Thanks,” said the man, who sat down, propped his cane against the bench, and began to sip his cup of coffee.

Again, another nod came from Three-B as he took a mouthful of food.

“Something bothering you?” asked the man.

“My lunch is wrong,” mumbled Three-B. “I told them to hold the mayo, mustard only. I also asked for pickles, but they added tomato instead.” To the man’s shock, Three-B then spent the next fifteen minutes recounting an unwanted summary of the other horrible aspects of his life.

“I see,” said the man. With great daring, he said, “Would you like my opinion?”

“Not really,” replied Three-B, with an automatic look of disdain.

Undaunted, the man said, “It appears to me that you’re unaware of a great secret, the ignorance of which is hindering your enjoyment of life.”

“Oh, yeah?” said Three-B, with a roll of his eyes.

“You’ve made the mistake that the majority of beings do in an incarnation; they identify completely with their dream character and assume that it has independent existence of its own. It does not. Nothing does. To quote The Tibetan Book of The Dead: Phenomena only ‘exist’ in the mind that perceives them.”

“Say what?” said Three-B.

“I said, basically, that your suffering occurs because you’ve identified with being the “person.” You are not. You are Consciousness, dreaming an apparently human existence. Consciousness is fundamental–it doesn’t arise from so-called matter. Go ahead, try to have an experience in the absence of Consciousness. It’s impossible. You’ve assumed that you are the person due to innocent ignorance of your Being. It’s why “Know Thyself” was inscribed on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, Greece. Change your personality, and your apparent reality will reflect that change. Galatians 6:7, expresses it clearly: “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Be grateful in all of your daily interactions. Stop complaining, and think of ways to be of service. Monitor your thoughts, words, and actions as though the quality of your life depends on them—because it does! We are both dreaming this right now. Our human life is nothing but a psychological drama that occurs in what is termed the waking state; which is akin to the dream state, only sharper and more defined, with a continuing plotline. Infinite Living Mind is the creator of all of this. If you’d like a greater understanding about the nature of matter, you can go online and look up the Double-Slit Experiment and the Observer Effect.”

“That’s absurd,” said Three-B, “you must be raving mad!”

“Really?” said the man politely. “It seems to me that you’re the one who’s mad–at the world. I’m having a lovely day.”

A minute later, the mysterious man picked up his cane and said, “Anyway, I must be going. I’ve got a big date tonight, and I’m looking forward to it.” With a departing grin and a wave, he turned and soon disappeared beyond a knoll.

As for Three-B and the negative attitude that he had harbored for so long, people soon noticed subtle changes in his behavior. He seemed less angry at himself and others; and he was even occasionally overheard offering compliments. In a few days he actually did make the effort to research the hard problem of consciousness, which is a phrase coined by David Chalmers, and discovered that neurologists truly can’t explain the origin of consciousness. This was surprising—enough to spark his spiritual journey to know true Self.

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Party Of The Heart

The mind and its persistent “i” informs us that we are all different; that we appear in a multitude and diversity of name and form. Some are short and others tall; some are big and others small; some are young and others old; some are shy and others bold. With know-it-all authority, it adamantly proclaims that we are limited to the edges of our skin; that a separate “i” resides within my container of flesh and bones and that a “you” resides within yours.

Of colour and class, status and nation, it has its favourites. To all, (including itself), it judges fair or foul; worthy or unworthy. In judgments that are often ruthless and swift, it deems that some are friends but more are foes. In private, the “i” of mind is almost always competing in varying degrees; its aim is to win! Its version of happiness, which is always brief and fleeting, is dependent on circumstances fashioned from fool’s gold; it contains nothing real and lasting. Even a first-place win often contains the need to do so again repeatedly. Its core energy is divisive.

The good news, for those seeking to knowingly recognize their essential nature, is that beyond the apparent boundaries of the body and the blind assumptions of the mind, lies the unitive energy of Truth–a placeless place of transcendent beauty, peace, and LOVE. Here, all are welcome. In the Now, everyone is accepted as we are. There is no need to fear or boast, for such is realized as behaviour befitting illusory selves, “who know not what they do.”

***

Today, in this article, I invite you to a limitless Party of The Heart–a party in which everyone is not only welcome but also celebrated and applauded. To attend, you need not qualify or prove your worth in any way; your ticket is your very BEing. You’re worthy because you are a child of God. Please trust me, you’re more than enough–here, now, forever. You need bring no-thing; for that, indeed, is what we, Spirit, are.

Dare to Dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

Invictus Spiritus

Vibrantly resonant within each and every one of “us” is a brave and courageous heart that is formidable beyond compare. When human legs are spent, wobbling, and their aching muscles cry, “we can run no more,” it is Invictus Spiritus that says, “Run on.” When human lungs are taxed, wheezing, and their tired tissues gasp, “air, more air,” it is Invictus Spiritus that says, “Breathe on.” When the human heart is weary, failing, and its slowing rhythm threatens, “I can beat no more,” it is Invictus Spiritus that says, “Beat on.” This Invincible Power is the Substance of our BEing!

This silent, invisible, and eternal power, That, is the Greatest of All. It is the heart of all that ever was, is, and will be. To those who are lost in innocent human confusion and foibles, who claim that we are merely flesh and bones and can bear no more, Invictus Spiritus, calmly guiding, is capable of rallying strengths in us that were previously unknown. When we, in our human hours, claim exhaustion, and our mind seems a time bomb ticking with fear, it is Invictus Spiritus that whispers, “peace, my child, trust.” True Self, I Am That I Am, is indomitable.

To those who seek to recognize a deeper dimension of Self, please deeply contemplate the following two questions: If everything and everyone descend from Oneness, what distance can there be between you–whether knowing or unknowing–and the God of your BEing? Can you, thus, recognize your inherent Holiness here and now?

***

I dedicate this article to That in all of us; I salute IT in you, my spiritual brothers and sisters. May we strengthen one another in TRUTH.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

P.S. Please share this article if you enjoyed it. If you’d like to view my latest book (This Taste of Flesh and Bones–released September 8, 2020), press here. My YouTube videos may be found via this link; and my Linkedin profile via this link. May the content help you along your spiritual journey. 🙏🧡

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

Are You Tired, Yet?

Have you grown tired, yet, of pretending to be the person that you can never actually be? Or do you still feel quite content claiming to be John or Jane Doe? The majority of persons have been conditioned to tolerate/endure life’s teeter-totter of apparent ups and downs until they reach a breaking point. It’s then that their coping skills are seriously put to the test. Some people attempt to drown their sorrows in excessive drink, drugs, and distraction; others seek relief through therapy, new relationships, or changes in lifestyle. Could it be that our uninvestigated assumptions have led us deeply into ignorance of our true nature? Let’s approach this subject from a different level of understanding, through the following passage from a book entitled Open Secret, by Wei Wu Wei:

Maybe a quote from Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, borrowed from the spiritual classic I Am That, would be of benefit. Named Maruti Shivrampant Kambli at birth, he recognized the Truth of his Being at the age of thirty-seven, after his guru (Shri Siddharameshwar Maharaj) assured him that he was–already–the Supreme:

Perhaps a passage from The One in The Mirror, by Ramesh S. Balsekar could help clear up our confusion about the nature of the person who is suffering:

But, what did these three guys know, right? It’s probably just coincidence that our nighttime dreams also feel very real when they occur. Yes, that’s it, coincidence. Or maybe they stayed out in the sun too long. I’ve heard that it can get quite hot in India. Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and Ramesh Balsekar were born there; and Wei Wu Wei (Terence Gray) stayed at Sri Ramana Maharshi’s ashram in Tiruvannamalai. That could explain why they referred to our seemingly very real lives as occurring within a dream. It couldn’t actually be that we’re eternal BEings, dreaming an earthly existence…or could it?

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Whisper From The Heart

Burdened by aches

That went bone deep,

The man lifted his head, tears flowing, and sobbed:

“Master, I am so tired of being a slave.

This world lashes me with its pain–

I don’t know how much more I can bear.

Why, Lord, why

Must this world whip me so?

A silky whisper arose in the man’s heart;

And he, feeling a gentle Hand light upon his shoulder, heard:

“Because, dear child,

You know not That which you are.

Whilst you carry the belief

That we are separate,

You will suffer.

Turn within,

And know that we are One.”

***

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Mission I AM Possible

Note: To cue my original no-expenses-spared rendition of the theme music from “Mission I Am Possible, please press here. In this performance, I’ll be whipping up some “music” with spoons–😎. Tickets are selling out fast, but there are still a few seats available. Now, let’s begin:

***

Just prior to entering this incarnation, “each” of us might imagine that we were standing on a high diving board, preparing to take another plunge into the realm that’s referred to as Earth. Why would we do this time and time again? As a method of refinement. In a manner analogous to rubber automobile tires that pick up bits of gravel, grit, and even nails, human beings pick up the energy of certain tendencies–some that serve ourselves and “others” well; and some that make suffering very likely. The trip, in which we actually never go anywhere, allows us to learn what serves a higher ideal, and what belongs to the “person” in the lowlands of Earth.

From my own experience and knowledge gained from books about spirituality, I believe that the soul (and sole) purpose of our journey, at least from a human perspective, is to find our way back HOME; in other words, to recognize our essential nature. We Are of God; therefore, our essential nature must be God-like. The main challenge related to this purpose involves dropping, or at least questioning, our murky human assumptions long enough to allow the Light of Truth to shine through. As long as we cling to a false ‘i’-dentity related to name and form, the likelihood of realizing our true nature is slim. Suffering “as” the human is the one natural solution that provides opportunity for expansion out of the prison in which we have figuratively been placed. This isn’t literally true; but it certainly feels that way.

How will we know if we’ve recognized true Self. Trust me, if you will, the realization is unmistakable; but don’t expect to see signs of It as an object. The Bible states this clearly in Luke 17:21: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” Another way of verifying if we have arrived is that most, if not all, of the fear, pride, and arrogance related to performance (for example, of a rendition of Mission I Am Possible) has been jettisoned along with our belief in the illusory person. This is the meaning behind the well-known but, perhaps, puzzling expression: “to find yourself, you must lose yourself.” When we lay down our false assumption that we can–ever–possibly be the “person,” we open ourselves to recognition of our Oneness. Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to find That.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

From The Horse’s Mouth

Switch Mental Microphone to “On,” to allow the message to be broadcast around the barn and beyond:

***

“Hello folks, it’s wonderful to meet you. If I could talk–that is, in a language that humans understand–I would tell you the following: They call me With-A-Twist, but I’d like you to understand that such is not actually What I Am. They could have called me Fancy Pants or Lancelot, and it wouldn’t have made one whit of difference. You don’t have to be the smartest horse in the paddock to understand that a name cannot possibly be What you are. As much as people might like to assume that I’m just a horse, I’d like you to know that I Am an expression of The Divine Creator. Newflash: So are You.

My other horse friends and I are happy for just “BEing;” that’s because we don’t have a nag in our head–the little “i”–that would pretend to be otherwise. From what I understand about the ego, it’s the false self that often has you folks running around in circles for no particular reason. Rumour has it that the ego will cause you to say silly stuff, like–“When I was President of the world…”–just to impress other egos. Me, I’m happy just to Be.

Lately, I’ve noticed that you humans seem inordinately preoccupied with fear. You allow fear to rule your minutes, hours, and days because you believe the almost continuous narrative of the little “i.” Because you don’t recognize your essential nature, you believe that you must protect it. Here’s the rub, folks: It’s just a thought; it’s not “That” which you Are. If you folks were cars, it seems you’d rather rust to death than crash. Not me, I was born to run. I also know that the Essence of That which I Am is immortal and eternal. Worry not, right? “Let not your heart be troubled.”

With-A-Twist backs away from the mental microphone but then steps toward it again:

“Before you go, would you mind unbolting the lock on the stable door? It’easy–just grab the handle and slide to the left. Grab handle, slide to the left. I’d do it myself, but as you can see, I lack the opposable thumbs; fingers, too, for that matter. I’ve been penned up for far too long; and I’m beginning to feel it. I was meant to be outside, mingling with other horses in God’s green acres–know what I mean? Oh, and some oats, a couple of carrots, and an apple would be nice. Thanks.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Think2wice

CONSCIOUSNESS, SPIRITUALITY, & LAW OF ATTRACTION

Category: Freedom

To “Die Before You Die”

“The Heavenly Life”

Falling From Truth

Three-B And The Mysterious Man

Party Of The Heart

Invictus Spiritus

Are You Tired, Yet?

Whisper From The Heart

Mission I AM Possible

From The Horse’s Mouth

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