Deva
Fri Jul 31 2009, 5:42pm
Here's the latest post at www.radicalhappiness.com by Gina:
Nonduality, No Self, and Channeling
I receive a lot of questions about how I can be teaching nonduality and still be a channel. While it’s wise to be discriminating about such things as channeling, many dismiss it entirely without having any real understanding or experience of it. It’s surprising how easily and quickly people (their egos), even spiritual teachers, form opinions and judgments about things they know little or nothing about. Most people who pass judgment on channeling have never had the experience of speaking to a being on another dimension themselves. I doubt that anyone who had the experiences I’ve had would turn their back on such a blessing. “By their fruits, you shall know them.” If something increases your love, acceptance, wisdom, and compassion, then say yes to it. If it takes you in the opposite direction, run like hell.
Nonduality means “not two” and refers to the absolute truth that everything is a manifestation of One Being. This Oneness is inclusive of everything; nothing can be outside of it. If it exists, it must be part of the Oneness, even channeling, even nonphysical beings and other dimensions. There is room for it all. There is a place for it all. Oneness created it all and is expressing itself in these many ways.
People say things like: “If this is nonduality, how can there be a channel?” or “Who is there to channel—there’s no separate self?” These questions come from a place of confusion. The questioner is confusing the absolute truth of Oneness with the relative truth, which is that the Oneness manifests as seemingly separate objects and individuals. The absolute truth is that no separate self exists, and the relative truth is that there is—there is a person here, there is a channel here, there are nonphysical beings here. These are all manifestations of the Oneness, not separate from it.
It’s true that there is no separate self; that is what we come to see when we awaken. And yet, until we awaken, there is the experience of a separate self. To deny that, is not going to help anyone awaken. Trying to understand this with our mind or declaring that we don’t exist or that there is no separate self is not going to bring us the experience of No Self. Teachers whose focus is on describing the Absolute to students who have never experienced it are often not helping them awaken but confusing them and making it more difficult for them to behave in ways that would support awakening. When they tell people that what they do doesn’t matter because there’s no free will and no doer, this only gives an already problematic ego free license to behave badly. The ego doesn’t need to hear that what you do doesn’t matter or that you aren’t responsible for your behavior. That’s not a helpful message to someone who isn’t awake, no matter how true it may seem from the awakened teacher’s perspective.
Doing is happening in this world. What’s important is: Is that doing coming from the ego or from alignment with your true nature? This world is not a literal dream—a senseless experience the Oneness is having. Spiritual teachers compare it to a dream because when we awaken, we realize that the ego, like the dream self, is not the real Self. But this is a metaphor for the Truth, not a literal description of it. The Oneness is alive and active in this world and in every other world and dimension it has created—it is it. Life has a purpose, and we are here to experience, do, grow, learn, and love.
The more we realize that we aren’t the false self (the ego) and we are, in fact, that which is alive and consciousness and looking out of our eyes and expressing itself through our body-mind and personality (and everything else), the more we will be able to ease the suffering in this reality. Many people are here for just that purpose—to help ease the suffering here by seeing through the illusion. The problem is not that you think you’re the doer and you’re not, or that you think you have free will and you don’t. Understanding these conundrums is not the key to spiritual freedom. The problem is that you believe you are who you think you are (i.e. you believe your thoughts) and you believe that your desires and fears are meaningful and valuable guides to your behavior—and they’re not. It does matter what you do because what you do either contributes to the suffering on earth or eases it, so why would you choose to contribute to it?
Suffering matters. It is a real experience here, and if we are here, we must be here to deal with it—to either overcome it within ourselves or ease the burden from someone else. What would be the point of being here and ignoring that? Why wouldn’t you reach out to others if those others are your very own Self (which is the truth)? If all of this is a manifestation of the Oneness—of you—then why would you turn your back on it? Nondual teachers who say that what you do doesn’t matter are standing apart from the Oneness. They are stuck in the Absolute perspective and, ironically, not necessarily helping others awaken, but confusing them. If they fully knew themselves as the Oneness, they would embrace life and live with love and in service to it. This is the sign of a fully awakened human being.
This Oneness has manifested this reality, and this reality includes other dimensions, other planets, and other beings, both physical and nonphysical—beyond our wildest imagination. Some of us can communicate with those in other dimensions, many of which are assigned to assist us in evolving toward love, as are all beings, including those that are channeled. The Oneness helps and serves itself by giving itself other life forms that support and assist evolution. What a beautiful plan this is.
Channeling and other forms of doing are not irrelevant to the Oneness. Who is doing the channeling and everything else, if not the Oneness? Sometimes the ego takes control in doing these things (which the Oneness allows), but ultimately, the Oneness is doing it all, since there is actually no thing called the ego. The ego is the illusion; the rest is all precious Life.
Source: http://www.radicalhappiness.com/all-blog-articles/134-newest-blog-post-nonduality-no-self-and-channeling
Nonduality, No Self, and Channeling
I receive a lot of questions about how I can be teaching nonduality and still be a channel. While it’s wise to be discriminating about such things as channeling, many dismiss it entirely without having any real understanding or experience of it. It’s surprising how easily and quickly people (their egos), even spiritual teachers, form opinions and judgments about things they know little or nothing about. Most people who pass judgment on channeling have never had the experience of speaking to a being on another dimension themselves. I doubt that anyone who had the experiences I’ve had would turn their back on such a blessing. “By their fruits, you shall know them.” If something increases your love, acceptance, wisdom, and compassion, then say yes to it. If it takes you in the opposite direction, run like hell.
Nonduality means “not two” and refers to the absolute truth that everything is a manifestation of One Being. This Oneness is inclusive of everything; nothing can be outside of it. If it exists, it must be part of the Oneness, even channeling, even nonphysical beings and other dimensions. There is room for it all. There is a place for it all. Oneness created it all and is expressing itself in these many ways.
People say things like: “If this is nonduality, how can there be a channel?” or “Who is there to channel—there’s no separate self?” These questions come from a place of confusion. The questioner is confusing the absolute truth of Oneness with the relative truth, which is that the Oneness manifests as seemingly separate objects and individuals. The absolute truth is that no separate self exists, and the relative truth is that there is—there is a person here, there is a channel here, there are nonphysical beings here. These are all manifestations of the Oneness, not separate from it.
It’s true that there is no separate self; that is what we come to see when we awaken. And yet, until we awaken, there is the experience of a separate self. To deny that, is not going to help anyone awaken. Trying to understand this with our mind or declaring that we don’t exist or that there is no separate self is not going to bring us the experience of No Self. Teachers whose focus is on describing the Absolute to students who have never experienced it are often not helping them awaken but confusing them and making it more difficult for them to behave in ways that would support awakening. When they tell people that what they do doesn’t matter because there’s no free will and no doer, this only gives an already problematic ego free license to behave badly. The ego doesn’t need to hear that what you do doesn’t matter or that you aren’t responsible for your behavior. That’s not a helpful message to someone who isn’t awake, no matter how true it may seem from the awakened teacher’s perspective.
Doing is happening in this world. What’s important is: Is that doing coming from the ego or from alignment with your true nature? This world is not a literal dream—a senseless experience the Oneness is having. Spiritual teachers compare it to a dream because when we awaken, we realize that the ego, like the dream self, is not the real Self. But this is a metaphor for the Truth, not a literal description of it. The Oneness is alive and active in this world and in every other world and dimension it has created—it is it. Life has a purpose, and we are here to experience, do, grow, learn, and love.
The more we realize that we aren’t the false self (the ego) and we are, in fact, that which is alive and consciousness and looking out of our eyes and expressing itself through our body-mind and personality (and everything else), the more we will be able to ease the suffering in this reality. Many people are here for just that purpose—to help ease the suffering here by seeing through the illusion. The problem is not that you think you’re the doer and you’re not, or that you think you have free will and you don’t. Understanding these conundrums is not the key to spiritual freedom. The problem is that you believe you are who you think you are (i.e. you believe your thoughts) and you believe that your desires and fears are meaningful and valuable guides to your behavior—and they’re not. It does matter what you do because what you do either contributes to the suffering on earth or eases it, so why would you choose to contribute to it?
Suffering matters. It is a real experience here, and if we are here, we must be here to deal with it—to either overcome it within ourselves or ease the burden from someone else. What would be the point of being here and ignoring that? Why wouldn’t you reach out to others if those others are your very own Self (which is the truth)? If all of this is a manifestation of the Oneness—of you—then why would you turn your back on it? Nondual teachers who say that what you do doesn’t matter are standing apart from the Oneness. They are stuck in the Absolute perspective and, ironically, not necessarily helping others awaken, but confusing them. If they fully knew themselves as the Oneness, they would embrace life and live with love and in service to it. This is the sign of a fully awakened human being.
This Oneness has manifested this reality, and this reality includes other dimensions, other planets, and other beings, both physical and nonphysical—beyond our wildest imagination. Some of us can communicate with those in other dimensions, many of which are assigned to assist us in evolving toward love, as are all beings, including those that are channeled. The Oneness helps and serves itself by giving itself other life forms that support and assist evolution. What a beautiful plan this is.
Channeling and other forms of doing are not irrelevant to the Oneness. Who is doing the channeling and everything else, if not the Oneness? Sometimes the ego takes control in doing these things (which the Oneness allows), but ultimately, the Oneness is doing it all, since there is actually no thing called the ego. The ego is the illusion; the rest is all precious Life.
Source: http://www.radicalhappiness.com/all-blog-articles/134-newest-blog-post-nonduality-no-self-and-channeling