On the Same Conscious Wavelength

It is like being the sky instead of a cloud, being the ocean instead of a wave. - Arjuna Ardagh

I met Daniel Goleman of Emotional Intelligence fame last Friday. He's helping to promote the book Blazing Splendor on his teacher Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. After the talk, I approach him. He asks me somewhere in the chat if I am Buddhist. I stammer. Uh, I'm ah uh duh uh... "I'm very familiar with the Dharma," I finally collect myself, "but no I'm not a Buddhist."

How do you explain that you've gotten to the point where you don't care one whit about "spirituality". I only want to know what's true, what's reality. As Father Alan Jones recounts in The Translucent Revolution: "I'm not interested in "Is this Christian?" I'm interested in "Is this true?""

So I was very pleased to find this post by Steve Pavlina. I had this experience myself (which I've tried to allude to here and there as I find words lacking) over Labor Day so I know he's not lost all his marbles. Read on:

For a long time I considered myself an overall happy person. [This is where Steve and I differ; I was mildly depressed my whole life until 2002.] However, a few months ago, I went through a shift in my awareness that left me with this non-stop pervasive feeling of happiness. Perhaps a better word for it would be bliss. If you’ve done a lot of meditation, you’ve probably experienced this feeling of total oneness at some point. This intense feeling is now with me all day, every day. Sometimes it is so strong I have to stop and take some deep breaths for a bit in order to be able to function instead of just melting into the feeling. I can still be knocked into negative emotional states, but even when that happens, I can simply focus my attention on this background feeling of bliss (which is always present) and just allow the negative emotion to dissolve into it. If you’ve read The Power of Now, I think Eckhart Tolle describes this state as a feeling of being totally in the present moment. I didn’t fully understand that state when I first read the book. Now I do.

This level of happiness is unconditional, not rooted in circumstances, so even if my life circumstances were to radically shift one way or another, I can’t imagine this feeling would be affected at all. I can still see it persisting even in the most dire circumstances. I also know how I reached this state and locked into it, and because I did it consciously instead of accidentally, I think I can explain to you how to get there too if you so choose. It has to do with the way in which you use your consciousness, and more specifically, the way in which you view reality. When you adopt a certain view of reality and learn to use your consciousness a certain way, a pervasive feeling of bliss is the natural consequence. This frees you from the thinking that you must achieve anything in order to be happy. So you’ll gain the ability to always act from a state of happiness instead of for it.

I'm excited to hear what Steve has to share in the next month: "But for at least the rest of this month, I’m going to fast-forward to the present to write about the front edge of what I’ve been experiencing and thinking about".

p.s.  Quietness by Rumi
Inside this new love, die.
Your way begins on the other side.
Become the sky,
Take an axe to the prison wall.
Escape.
Walk out like someone suddenly born into color.
Do it now.
You're covered with thick cloud.
Slide out the side. Die,
and be quiet. Quietness is the surest sign
that you've died.
Your old life was a frantic running 
from silence.

The speechless full moon
comes out now.

tags spirituality consciousness meditation power of now presence awareness | flickr photo by mcaretaker

Comments

[TonyD]

Wonderful quotation on the true and the christian. My literature professor in college had a similar saying, he'd say "if it's true it's Christian". The implied challenge upon us was to grapple spiritually with truth in our reading of literature.

[Irina]

I'm thinking about your post... I am not sure I *want* to be in a state of bliss all the time!

And I love that Rumi quotation!

[kamal]

Wow, beautiful post. Came to me just at the right time, too. I need to copy that Rumi quote.

[Evelyn Rodriguez]

Thanks, Tony, Irina, Kamal.

Good catch Irina. I think the word bliss conjures up a dreamy hazy (but pleasant) state of mind. I think it's just a matter of words. But this is a constant presence that's alert, energized, gentle, comforting, solid, silent, still, profound, deep, lighthearted, and intensely powerful.

My teacher says don't hang out too long in the bliss realm - it's just beginning. Addiction to 'Heaven' is still an addiction and he's pointing us to total freedom.

[davidcoe...]

Whenever I'm asked about my faith I explain it all seems like a very natural progression - Church of England - Jedi - Buddhist - Taoist...

[davidcoe...]

Whenever I'm asked about my faith I explain it all seems like a very natural progression - Church of England - Jedi - Buddhist - Taoist...

[yamayo]

hi, i am sort of puzzled and amazed with all this spiritually looking activity. this is not in regards to any certain posting, on the contrary, as i say i am amazed.

just tell me, and i dont mean to question any experience that you are having but let me ask this - have you ever wondered how much of it is a trend ? and then i wonder how well can one's mind elude to the seeing or feeling what others seem to?

is this a global phenomena or is it just in the west ? well, it is certainly thrilling - thanks for this service - and bless

[Evelyn Rodriguez]

No trend per se but if it seems like more people are having "experiences", it's only because there is only one Self. This isn't about experiences, as experiences are ephemeral and fleeting, it's about getting to essence of what we ARE.

I doubt it is just Western phenomena - perhaps its that Westerners are more apt to attempt to talk about something unnameable because of our inclinations (as Lao-tzu says, Those who talk do not know). For many years, Westerners sought out Indian teachers in India. But the words of the Upanishads only make "sense" in the present and when we look at that which is always without thinking it into existence.

I think perhaps more people are in contact with the concept that it's not a future state to be attained, and it's what's now and always now. That alone is a huge clue.

Bishop Halloway says, "There does seem to be the sense that this is happening to a lot of people. I think they're discovering that the prison door was never actually locked. I don't quite know what it is that made them get up and push it, and see it swinging open and discover that all the prison guards had disappeared." (from book, The Translucent Revolution)

[yamayo]

Yes - i have got the book alright and while reading i remember myself saying most of these things as well and using the same words from possibly the same state. in great part i loved the book and i happen to love Arjuna Ardagh. as being in the most fragile state for years, i can appreciate him for not being aggressive in anyway but cooperative.
and in my mind, as i see it, it is the communicating of these materials or as you say it communicating what we ARE that transmits this to so many people more.
still, while i travel in other than California and North Europe, i hardly find the same level of communication and the commitment - not with the masses - not yet !
thanks