Experiences come and go. Joy, sadness, grief, anger, bliss, temporary release of identification, strong identification and contraction, openings, periods of clarity, ease, surfacing shadow material. It all comes and goes.
From this may come insights, and these are a bit more lasting although also transient. I may notice I am what all this happens within and as. I may notice the circle eight pattern of going “up” (clarity, bliss) and “down” (shadow material, wounds). I may notice the effects of identifications and beliefs.
And from this may come a shift – in perspective, noticing, identity, or identification. For instance, there may be a shift into more consistently exploring and noticing that I am what experiences happens within and as. There may be a shift into more consistently meeting what’s here in satsang.
An experience or series of experiences leads to an insight or noticing, and this in turn may lead to a shift in perspective, noticing, identity, or identification.
I see how this is also the case with “spiritual” experiences or openings.
There may be an experience of oneness, all as one. It comes into the foreground of experience, clear, undeniable. As this experience goes away, as any experience does, there may be an insight that all is one even if it’s not experienced directly. Further, there is an invitation to notice this oneness within any experience. Is it true oneness is not here?
There may be an experience of all as awareness, or all as love. Again, it’s strong, in the foreground, undeniable. As it goes away, what’s left may be an insight that all is awareness or all is love, whether it’s noticed or not. And there is an invitation to notice this too within any experience. Is it true this is not awareness? Is it true love is not here? Is it true this is not love?
There may be an experience of selflessness, of no self, and this too may be strong, clear and undeniable. And this experience too shifts and something else is here, leaving an insight of selflessness even if there appears to be a self here. And again, there is also an invitation to see what’s really here independent of any particulars of experience. Is it true there is a self here? Is it true that this, that appears as a self, really is a self?
In this way, the different facets of reality can be an experience (a visitor that comes and goes), which translates to an insight, and with an invitation for it to be noticed within any experience. The first is given, the second may or may not follow from the first, and the third may require some intention, shifts and new habitual grooves.
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notes
– experiences come and go
– insight, noticing, a bit more lasting (although also transient)
– insight leads to shifts, in orientation, identity, identification
– experiences –> insight –> shift (in perspective, noticing, identity, identification)
experiences, insights, and shifts
Oneness – one of the facets of reality – may come into the foreground, as an experience. It will come and go, and bring with it an invitation to notice oneness in any experience. It may lead to an insight about oneness always being here, and a shift in noticing it within or independent of any particular experience. The same goes for all as love. And selflessness or no self.
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I see how this is also the case with “spiritual” experiences or openings. There may be an experience of oneness, all as one. It comes into the foreground of experience, clear, undeniable. As this experience goes away, as any experience does, there is an invitation to notice this oneness within any experience. Is it true oneness is not here? There may be an experience of all as awareness, or all as love. Again, it’s strong, in the foreground, undeniable. And as it goes away, there is an invitation to notice this too within any experience. Is it true this is not awareness? Is it true love is not here? Is it true this is not love? There may be an experience of selflessness, of no self, and this too may be strong, clear and undeniable. And this experience too shifts and something else is here. Again, there is an invitation to see what’s here. Is it true there is a self here? Is it true that this, that appears as a self, really is a self? In this way, the different facets of reality can be an experience (a visitor that comes and goes), with an invitation for it to be noticed within any experience. The first is given, the second may require some intention, shifts and new habitual grooves.