Awakening to Infinite Presence The Clarity of Self Realisation

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As with Living Non duality (first published in 2009) and Abiding in Non-dual Awareness (five years after), this is a continuing exploration in the territory of experiential non duality, also known as spiritual awakening Like the other volumes, many of these monographs were written in response to queries, from seekers of Self-realization. There are included here several longer discussions, of imperative matters, which space didn't permit before. Since each monograph was written independently of the others, there is unavoidably some repetition; but each was chosen for its variation of expression of the multiple facets in a profound paradox. The material was organized to be read consecutively, with earlier discourses amplifying later topics.

"I am awake." Buddha, speaking of his enlightenment

It is recorded that someone came to Ramana Maharshi and said, "I understand that you can give enlightenment."

Ramana replied: "Yes. I can give it. Can you take it?"

The age-old precepts which are known as Self-realization are not difficult to understand. Upon awakening, an aspirant will sometimes exclaim, "It's so simple!" Or, "This is it!" Or, "It's right here. Now!"

Many more, who are aspirants still, lament: "I've had a glimpse of the underlying reality, but somehow I've lost it." Or, even more commonly, "I have an 'intellectual' understanding of nodularity, but I feel there's something about it I'm still missing."

It's one thing to understand the implications of the spiritual teachings, and another thing to apply them to our worldly circumstances with consistency.

The ancient word for remaining in existential confusion is "ignorance"; that is, to not be aware of what it is that one can be aware of.

What is to be known, in the instance of Self-realization, is an amazing paradox. It would not be too fanciful to say that spiritual awakening can make our worldly life seem to be an optical illusion. And this is because what we're searching for, in terms of ultimate reality, has always been everything that we see. And that includes ourselves.

So, when we ignore this part of the teaching - and leave ourselves out of the equation - we are bound to entertain incomplete, and inconsistent, conclusions.

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