THEOPENPATH

FirstSentientPublicationsedition2012Copyright©2012bySufiWayLtd.

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Contents

PrefaceANoteabouttheSourcesoftheOpenPath

1.OpenAwarenessWhatIsOpenAwareness?ANoteabouttheWordsUsedHereTheUnconditionedandtheConditionedParadox

EXERCISES:OPENAWARENESS1.GravityandAwareness2.AttributesofAwareness

2.ThePracticeofSubtleOpeningTheContradictionofPracticingExpectingNothingPostureThePracticeofSubtleOpening

3.WhatObscuresOpenAwareness?IdentityMakingDoingLikingandDislikingWillingandControllingKnowingandMakingMeaningFearofVanishingNothingObscuresOpenAwareness

EXERCISES:WHATOBSCURESOPENAWARENESS?1.PersonalInventory

2.NoticingBehaviorPatterns3.Positive,Negative,andPureListening

4.NoticingMentalConstructionsandFixationsLearningtoNoticeMentalConstructionsandFixationsFixationsandTheirRootsNoticingFixationsActingWithoutBiasReleaseatInception

EXERCISES:NOTICINGMENTALCONSTRUCTIONSANDFIXATIONS1.ObservingFixations2.FixationDialogue3.MeditationPractice

5.Self-InquiryTheResonantFieldTheOneRuleUnfindabilityFurtherLinesofSelf-Inquiry

EXERCISES:SELFINQUIRY

AFEWCONTEMPLATIONSONTHEOPENPATH

6.MotivationandEffortlessnessAnOverviewMotivationAttitudeLongingandFindingEffortlessnessConclusion

EXERCISES:MOTIVATIONANDEFFORTLESSNESSMotivationandAttitude

EffortlessnessTheRiverFlowMeditation

7.OnNondualityandPrayerToBeginattheEndStartingWhereWeArePrayersofPetitionIndirectBenefitsofaPrayerfulLifePrayersofApproachandNearnessTheLimitsofPrayerLearningtoPrayWiselyPrayersofIdentityPrayersofSilence

EXERCISES:ONNONDUALITYANDPRAYER

8.TheArtofAwakeningTheIdeathatSomethingIsMissingTheArtofAwakeningPracticingtheArtConversationsthatReleaseDevelopingaNon-DoingContemplativePracticeReleaseatInception

9.AJoyousCosmology

IntroductionThemeI:RealizingtheAbsenceofStoryThemeII:ExperiencingtheIntimacyofOpennessThemeIII:SurrenderingAllatOnceThemeIV:TheJoyofUnboundedWholeness

10.TheOceanofKindnessImmanence1.NondualAction2.Equanimity3.UnconditionalKindness

EXERCISE:THEOCEANOFKINDNESS

11.TheHeartoftheMatterSummary,ChaptersSixThroughTenTheHeartoftheMatterFallingFromHeaven1.DoNothing2.NoNeedtoKnow3.NoSubject4.ListeningtoListening5.Pointings6.RelaxTheInvisibleOffering

NotesBibliographyGratitudetoTeachersandSourcesAcknowledgementsAbouttheAuthor

PREFACE

Thisbookisaguideforawakening to thespontaneouspresenceofawareness that isourmost intimatenatureandthesilentgroundofallbeing.Itismeantforanyonecommittedtorealizingthisawakeningnow,andforlearningtosustainandexpressitinthediverseconditionsofone’sdailylife.I originally wrote this book as amanual to accompany the nine-month Open Path trainings that are

currently held in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, and the United States. During thetrainings, these written teachings are supplemented by three residential seminars, frequent telephoneconferencing, and individual guidance.While such personal and small-group contact is ideal for thiswork,manyOpenPath students encouragedme to publish this coursematerial on its own for awideraudience.Theresultoftheirencouragementisthebookyounowholdinyourhands.Ihavekeptthestyleofthisbookclosetotheoriginalcoursemanual,trustingthatthosewhoaredrawn

toitwouldwanttoengagethissubjectaswhole-heartedlyasthestudentsofthenine-monthtrainings.Oneof the best ways to do thismay be to read this bookwith a friend or a group of friends, discussingpassagesthatareofmutualinterestandsharingtheexercises.Otherwise,ifyouarereadingthisbookonyourownyoumay find ithelpful to read through the text slowly, even rereadingportionsof it severaltimes. It may also help for you to become familiar with a number of the books suggested in thebibliography, reading themwith thesameattentionasyoudo thisbook. It isgoodtoexplore thedirectrecognitionofnondualawarenessfromanumberoftraditionsandstylesofexpression.In addition,many of the chapters here include exercises and practices. It is easy to skimover these

thinking you’ll get to them later, or that by simply reading them you get their point and don’t need toexplorethemmoredeeply.Sometimesthismaybeso,butmoreoftenyoumayfindthatbytakingthetimeto do an exercise— and bymaintaining a daily practice of calming your mind and simplifying youractivities—asenseofequanimityandnaturalinsightwillarise.However, I encourage you not to make studying the material in this book and engaging with these

practicesapressureor something thatyoumustdisciplineyourself todo.Thegentle fact thatyounowhold this book in your hands is evidence that awakening to the spontaneous presence of awareness isalreadywelcomingitselfinyourlife.Youdon’thavetodoanythingwithefforthere;justopentoitasitnaturallyarisesinyou.Doaslittleorasmuchstudyandpracticeasyoufeeltodo.Ofcourse,themoreyou open to it in your life the more it will welcome you. But don’t worry about outcomes. Directrecognitionoftimelessawarenessisnotsomethingyouattainthroughstrivingforit.Itisalreadypresentandistheverynatureofyourbeingnow.Myhope is that at least someof the teachings andpracticesherewill helpmakepossible foryou a

synchronisticrecognitionoftheclearlightoftimelessawareness.Iusetheword“synchronistic”becausein actuality recognition of the spontaneous presence of nondual awareness is not transmittable fromsomeonetosomeone.Thetransparentlightofawarenessthatistheever-presentgroundofbeingcanonlybe pointed to, although in truth there is no direction toward which one may reliably point. Even todescribe it as “transparent light,” or “presence,” or “nondual awareness,” or “it,” misses the mark.Nothingthatcanbesaidcanadequatelyrepresentthisthatissimultaneouslypresentandabsent,immanentandtranscendent,andinfactbeyondanydimensioninwhichthesekindsofpolaritiesmakesense.Itdoesnotyieldtoconceptualization.Andevenmoretothepoint,noguaranteedformulaleadstoitsrecognition.

Intheend,recognitionisamatterofsynchronisticgrace.Yetitispossibleto“putyourselfinthewayofit,”astheSufimysticIbnal‘Arabiremarked.Thatisthepurposeofthisbook.

ANOTEABOUTTHESOURCESOFTHEOPENPATHTheapproachoftheOpenPathasrepresentedinthisbookhasbeenprofoundlyshapedbymyfortyyearsof Sufi training, alongwith extensive study of othermystical traditions.An acknowledgement of thesesourcescanbefoundatthebackofthisbook.Consequently, the methods and practices of the Open Path have been drawn from many different

sources: classical and modern Sufi practices and teachings; contemporary psychological methods forreleasingmentalandemotional fixations;meditationpractices fromvarious traditions; formsof inquiryfromZen,AdvaitaVedanta,andTibetanDzogchenandMahamudratraditions;andfromtheteachingsofmanyhistoricandcontemporaryWesternnondualteachers.TheapproachoftheOpenPathisinclusive.Itdoesnotclaimtobeoriginal,anditborrowsfreelyfrom

manyothertraditionsandteachers.Iacknowledgetheseherewithprofoundgratitudefortheirpricelessgifts.

•1•

OPENAWARENESSAwarenessisprimordial;itistheoriginalstate,beginningless,endless,uncaused,unsupported,withoutparts,withoutchange…Itisthecommonmatrixofeveryexperience.1

SRINISARGADATTAMAHARAJ(C.1960)

Oneofthemostjoyfulmomentsinthelifeofthespiritualseekeriswhenseekingfinallyends:whenwerecognize that the longsought-forgoalof thespiritualquest isalreadypresentwithinusasournaturalawareness.Werecognizethatwhatweseek,weare—thistransparent,pureawarenessatthecenterofourbeingisaclearwindowintooneness.Withthisrecognitioncomestherealizationthatnothingmoreneedstobedone.Nothingneedstochange.Wedon’thavetoimproveourselves.Eachoneofusisalreadyworthy of illumined awareness because it is our innate nature. This realization opens in us anindescribable sense of relief and freedom from self-judgment. We understand in these moments ofrealizationthatwearecompletelyonewithallofrealityandhavealwaysbeenso,andthatthisnaturalstateisutterlysafe,free,kind,andradiantwithasupernalbeauty.Wedon’thavetodoanythingtomakethisbetrue.Itdoesitallbyitself.ThecentralpurposeoftheOpenPathissimplytobecomefamiliarwithopeningintothisfundamental

realizationofwhatisalreadytrue—learninghowtorelaxintoandstabilizethisrecognitionofourinnatenature,whatIoftencall“openawareness”orsimply“awareness.”

WHATISOPENAWARENESS?Thisquestionisattheheartofourworktogether.Wewillusemanywordsandexercisestofocusonthisquestion,sothat,againandagain,wecanlookdirectlyintowhatitasks.Buttheanswerthatcomeswillnothaveanythingtodowithwords.Eachofusmustleavebehindwordsandthoughtstoallowspacefortheanswertoarise.Itwillappearintuitivelytous,fromtheinsideout.Infact,itwillnoteven“appear”likeanimageorthoughtappearsinourawareness,becausehereweareaskingawarenesstobeawareofitself.This isasking the impossible:awarenesscannomorebeawareof itself thanoureyecansee itself.

Why? First of all, awareness is not a thing or an object of any kind. It has no shape or color. It iscompletely transparent and invisible.What ismore, it cannot be felt or sensed in anyway thatwouldreveal awareness to us as something knowableout there. And yetwe knowwe are aware,we knowawarenessis.Awareness is thefoundationofeverythingwehaveeverexperiencedorwillexperience.Everyobject,everythought,everyemotion,everysensation,everymemoryisknownbecauseitappearsinawareness.Otherwiseitcouldnotbeknown.Awarenessistherootofourentiresenseofexistence,andyetwhereisit?Whatisit?Howcanitbeapprehended?Weknowitis,butwheneverwetrytolookdirectlyintoawarenesswesee…nothing!This is a clue. Awareness is not a thing.Wemight say it is nothing, but is it simply nothing? It is

awareness! Whatever it is, it never takes substantial form. It is, as Buddhists might say, empty ofsubstantiality. It isopen. Ithasnoedges. It is spaciousness itself. It isboundless,yet somehowutterlypresent.Whatismore,itislucid:completelyclearandatthesametimelight-bearing,i.e.,“thelightofawareness.”Throughoutthisbookwewillreturnrepeatedlytothisquestionofwhatopenawarenessis—andwe

willinviteourselvestoinvestigatethequestionoriginally,forourselves,notintheabstractbutdirectlyandexperientially.Infact,youareencouragedtodothatrightnow.Notice,asyoureadthis,thatyouareawareofthewordsbeingused,thethoughtstheyevoke,theshapeoftheletters,thewhiteofthepaperorscreenonwhich they arewritten, a few things seenperipherally in the roomwhere you read this, thesenseofyourbodysittingwhereitis.Theseareallperceptionsappearingin“your”awareness.Theycanbeseen,felt,orsensed.Butwhatcanyousayabouttheawarenessthatisawareofthem?Lookasdeeplyandassteadilyasyou

can.Becomefamiliarwith that looking,as ifyouwere turning180degreesaroundfromlookingoutofyour eyesandnoware looking inwardlyatwhat is looking.Whatdoyou“see?”Explore thisonyourown, as often as you can.Here’s a hint: if you look for something, youwill be disappointed. Instead,simply allow yourself to relax from all “looking” and simply “see” without trying to uncover somediscovery.Relax.Whileawarenesscannotbeawareofawareness,itcanbeit.Itisit,naturally.Somesayitishelpfulatthispointtoshiftyoursenseoflookingforsomethingwithyoureyesoryour

intellectandallowyourhearttoopentothequestion“Whatisawareness?”By“heart”Imeanthewholepresenceofawarenessinwhichintellect,sensations,andemotionsappear.ThisiswhatSufiscallal‘aynalqalb— “theeyeof theheart.” It is thewholeof awarenessas it is experienced throughyourbody.Opentothepresenceofawarenesswithyourwholeheart.

ANOTEABOUTTHEWORDSUSEDHEREInthesepagesIwillusemanynamestosignifythisindescribable,butdefinitelyrecognizable,realitythatis thesublimegroundofallbeing.Thesediversenames,drawnfromspiritual traditions throughout theworld, indicate both this primal reality and our capacity to recognize it: nondual awareness, pureawareness, open awareness, presence-awareness, unconditionedmind, rigpa, primordial experience,This,thebasicstate,thesublime,buddhanature,originalnature,spontaneouspresence,theonenessof being, the ground of being, the Real, clarity, God-consciousness, divine light, the clear light,illumination,realization,andenlightenment.Thesetermsrefertotherealitythatcountlessseekersthroughouthistoryhaveinquiredinto,meditated

on,experienced,andspokenabout.Howeveritisexpressed,theselabelspointtotheultimategoalofallhuman desire for fulfillment, happiness, and belonging, and the goal of all spiritual searching: therecognition that we are essentially indivisible from what Sufis call the “shoreless ocean” ofunconditionedawarenessandlove.Inthischapter,andoftenthroughoutthebook,Irefersimplyto“openawareness”and“awareness”asa

nameforthisfresh,ever-presentreality,becausethesewordsarerelativelyfreeofreligiousconnotationsandpointtoamoredirectlyexperiencedrealitythan,say,thewords“enlightenment”or“realization.”Inthisway,ourordinary,intimatesenseofbeingawaregivesusanentryintoexperiencingtimelessbeing,free from concepts. The modifier “open” indicates that this is boundless awareness itself, utterlycontentless,empty,andunaffectedbywhateverphenomenashowup in it, justaswhat is reflected inamirrordoesnotaffectthemirror.Butthephrase“openawareness”isnotperfect.Bycallingsomething“open”—orbyusingalmostany

adjective—itsoppositeisimplied,whilewhatwearereferringtohasnoopposite.Inaddition,formanypeoplethephrase“openawareness”—orsimply“awareness”—doesnotcarryasufficientresonanceofthedivine,howeverthatmaybeinterpreted.However,ratherthangettingcaughtupintheseobjections,myhope is that throughout thisbookyouwillbecomeskillfulatgoingbeyond the limitsof thevariouswordsused,andallowwhattheysignifytoopeninyourheart.The problem is that language is fundamentally dualistic. It is continually affirming, denying, or

comparingtheworthofonethingagainstanother.Inaddition,itssubject-predicatestructurecan’thelpbutreinforce the subject-object polarity that situates us as separate entities negotiating ourway through aworldof separateobjects.Theuseofpronouns is anothergoodexampleof thedualisticnatureofourlanguage.Howeverconvenienttheyare,thepronouns“I,”“you,”“he,”“she,”“me,”“mine,”etc.,implydiscrete thingsor identities that actuallyexist.Another linguisticproblem ishowweuseprepositions.Forexample,whenwesayrestinnaturalgreatpeace,thereisanimpliedtopography:somethingrestsinsomethingelse;onceagainwearelocatingdiscretesomethingsinspaceinrelationtoeachother,whilewhatisseekingexpressionhasnothingtodowitheitherlocationor“thingness.”However, ifwe tried to avoid all language that couldbe interpreteddualistically,wewould endup

withapoortoolforthejobathand.SointhepagesthatfollowIdonottrytostayawayfrompronouns,orprepositions, or words that can be interpreted dualistically. I do, however, often modify or redefinewords,orput theminquotationmarks,orpointout their limitationswhilestillusingthem, trustingthatyouwill let themdotheirwork—howeverprovisionallytheymanagetodoso.Inanycase,ifwearelucky,thewords—andmethods—usedinthisbookwillfinallyfallawayasthenaturaltruthbecomesclear.Onefinalpointaboutlanguage:whenweusedescriptivewordsandphrasestorefertoarealitythatis

the“ultimategoalofhumandesire,”itisveryeasytomakethisgoalseemunattainabletomeremortalslike us.Most religions andmystical traditions throughout history have reinforced this notion of a gapbetween ordinary humans and sublimewisdom.To some extent each of us has inherited the view thatenlightenment is far from us. One of the central aims of theOpen Path is to free ourselves from thisfixation,sinceitisnothingmorethananidea.Pureawareness,enlightenment,awakening,realization,isourbirthright—infactwealreadyareit.Wedon’thavetodoanythingtoachieveit.Thetruthis,wearealreadydoingway toomuch,bothoutwardlyand inwardly,and thatvery“doing” iswhatstands in thewayofourrecognizingthispresent,spacious,invisiblyradiantnatureimminentinourverybeing,andintheexistenceofeverything.

THEUNCONDITIONEDANDTHECONDITIONEDAsyoumayhavealreadynoticed,wehavebeguntomakeadistinctionbetweenopenawareness,whichiscontentless,andthediversephenomenawhicharetheordinarycontentsofawareness.Thisisidenticaltothedistinctionbetweenwhatiscalled“theunconditioned”and“theconditioned.”Inlaterchapterswewilladdresshowtorecognizeandreleasethelimitationsofourconditionedmindsothatwemayopentounconditionedpureawareness.Ineffect,wewillpointtowhatmayatfirstsoundlikean“absoluterealm”of open awareness that is different from the “relative realm” of conditioned life. This distinction is apedagogical device that is essential in the early stages of our work. While it could be argued thatemphasizingapolaritylikethisisantitheticaltotheveryessenceofnondualawareness,Ibelieveitcanbehelpfultomakethedistinctiontobeginwith—topullthesetwoaspectsofourexperienceapartsowecan be freed from confusion about them. In the later phases of our work together we will see howeverydayconditionedexperienceandpure,unconditioned,openawarenessareinseparable.

Thisapparentpolaritybetweentheunconditionedandtheconditionedisfamousthroughoutallreligiousandspiritual traditions.Wesee it in thearchetypesofGodandLucifer, thesacredand theprofane, theabsoluteandtherelative,heavenandearth,nirvanaandsamsara,theinfiniteandthefinite,theoneandthemany, the eternal and themortal, and soon.An important rationale for “pulling these twoapart” is tochallengeourhabitualassumptionsaboutthesingularrealityofourconditioned,everydayexperienceandrecognizethetransparentgroundinwhichallexperiencearises.Weareallappearingashumanbeingswhosebody-mindsaretheresultofaninfinitehistoryofapparent

conditions leading to our physical existence in thismoment.We cannot escape this conditionality.Wecannot escape the karma that produced our body-minds in time and space. This vast field of apparentconditionsissocomplexandunknowablewecanonlystandinawethatwearehereinthisformatall.However,attachingoneselftoaparticularidentityasapersonal“I”intheinfiniteseaofconditionsis

thesourceofenormoussuffering.Imagine,forexample,afifteen-year-oldgirlwhohatesherselfbecauseshethinkssheisn’tasprettyoraspopularasherclassmates.Thisbeliefaboutheridentityexistsbecauseofmanyconditions—hercultureandsocial status,hergenetic inheritance,her religion,herparticulareducation,herfamilylife,etc.Seekingtoknowwhosheis,sheseesherreflectioninalltheseconditionsandbelievesherinterpretationofthemisaccurate.Thisis“self-referencingawareness”orconditionedmind.The conditionedmind believes in an entity, ame, that needs to getwhat itwants and avoidwhat it

doesn’twanttobehappy.Acomplexfieldoflikesanddislikes,ofhopesandfears,swarmsaroundtheideaofame,makingthemeseemsubstantialandexistent.Ouridentificationwiththismeisattherootofourdiscontentandsuffering.Throughout this book we will be working in many ways to see through the constructions — the

conditioning—weholdaboutouridentity,thoseformationswhich,likethoseofthefifteen-year-oldgirl,keepusthinkingwearewhatwearenot.Deconstructingourlong-establishedassumptionsandmentalandemotionalconditioning isnotalwayscomfortable,but it isentirelypossible,andnotasdifficultaswemightthink.Wetendtoconsiderourvariouspersonalfixationsashavingaconcreterealitywheninfacttheyhavenosubstanceatall.Whenfacedclearlyandsteadilytheyvanishlikesnowfallingonwater.This “vanishing,” so to speak, is the spontaneous presence of the unconditioned in themidst of the

conditioned.Everythingwebelievetobetrueisconditioned.Releasingourgrasponourbeliefs,weopentotheclarityofunconditioned,self-occurringawareness.

PARADOXIalsowanttopointtotheuseoffrequentparadoxicalexpressionsinourworktogether.“Paradox”inthiscontextisacollisionoflanguagethathelpsbreakthedualistic,subject-objectarrangementofthoughtandlanguage that defines our everyday world and our assumptions about it. Paradox appears when twoopposing statements both assert to be true. Their collision momentarily short-circuits the usualassumptionsofthought,andinthatgapaflashoftheRealmaybeexperienced.Forexample,asImentionedearlier,wemayfindourselves“experiencing”theopennessofawareness

asnothing.Andindeed,openawarenessisnothing.Butitisalsoawareness.Howcanitbe“nothing”and“aware”at the same time?Sinceopenawareness is seeminglya“state”wehavenamedandcan thinkabout, it iseasy to treat itasonemore thing.But it isnota thing,orastate. Infact, it isemptyofanyconditions or attributes. The spontaneous presence of unconditioned, open awareness has no limits orboundaries.Itisnotpersonaltous,thoughitistheessenceofourbeing.Oneanalogyisthatawarenesscan be imagined to be like space itself— unlimited, without beginning or end, empty by nature yet

allowingallphenomenatoarisewithinit.Andlikespace,awarenessiswideopen—meaningthatitiswithoutcontent,freeofstructure,freeofconditions,freeofthepersonalself.Itsopennesspervadesallthings.Itisnotathingbutitpervadesallthings.Whendescriptionsapproachthiskindofparadoxtheybegintobreaktheconfinesoflanguageandpointtoadifferentorderofunderstanding.Wefindthesameattemptatexpressingtheparadoxicalco-arisingof“theoneandtheall”intheworkof

thegreatSufimasterIbn‘Arabi:2

HowcanIknowThiswhenItistheinwardlyHiddenthatisnotknown?HowcanInotknowThiswhenItistheoutwardlyManifestthatmakesItselfknowntomeineverything?

HowcanIrealizeItsUnitywheninUniquenessIhavenoexistence?HowcanInotrealizeItsUnitywhenUnionistheverysecretofservanthood?

GlorybetoThis!ThereisnothingbutThis!NothingelsethanThiscanrealizeItsUnity,sinceItisasItisinpre-eternitywithoutbeginningandinpost-eternitywithoutend.Inreality,nothingotherthanThiscanrealizeItsUnity,andinsum,noneknowsThisexceptThis.

IthidesandItmanifests—yet ItdoesnothidefromItselfnordoesItmanifest toother thanItself, forThis isThis, there isnothingbutThis.

Howisthisparadoxtoberesolved,whentheFirstisLastandtheLastisFirst?

Becauseoftheparadoxicalnatureofreality—itssimultaneousthingnessandno-thingness—itwillsometimesbeusefulinourworktouseconflictingstatements,ortocorrectapreviousstatementwithaqualifierthatmayseemtocontradictthefirst.Thismentalping-pongcansometimeshelptotirethemindintorelaxingitsinsistenceonseeingthingslogically.Whenthathappensourobsessionwithmeaningfallsawayandwebegintoseeinanewlight.Although paradox may best describe the experience of open awareness, it is, nevertheless, an

unmistakableexperience.Itisprecise,yetatthesametimethis“experience”isfreeofallstructuresandattributes.At firstwemaycatchonly thequickestglimpseof this “it”weare speakingof.Though thespontaneouspresenceofopenawarenessisomnipresent,ourcapacitytorestinitislimitedbyourmentalreflexesthatwanttoresistitsvoidingofoursenseofself.Butthroughtheremindersandpracticesyouwill engage in throughout thiswork,youwill be encouraged to returnagainandagain to thisglimpse.Gradually the glimpses will get longer and we will develop more comfort to rest in unconfined,uncontrived,pureawareness.As one Tibetan teacher described this process, it is like ringing a bell.We touch for amoment the

experienceofemptyawarenessanditislikestrikingalittlebell.Itresonatesinusandifwedonothing,thesoundcontinuesuntilitnaturallyvanishes.Butifwestrikethebellofemptyawarenessandthenreactsharply,saying“Oh!That’sit!Oh,whereisit?”itisliketryingtohitthebellagainandagain,whichonlymufflesthetone.Inourrecognition,welearntostrikethebellandletthetonecontinueforaslongasitnaturallydoes.

Whenitvanishes,thenwestrikeitagain—whichmeanswewelcomeitwithouteffortonourpart—andletitbe.Graduallythetoneincreasesindurationandwelearntorestnaturallyinitsopenness,silence,andease.

Exercises:OpenAwareness

Findaplacewhereyoucanbealoneandundisturbedforat least twentyminutes.Sitcomfortablywithyourbackrelativelyverticalwithoutbeingstiff.Breathenaturally.Youreyesmaybeopenorclosed;youmaywishtoexploretheseexercisessometimeswithyoureyesopen,sometimesclosed.

1.GravityandAwarenessRestinyournatural,lucid,alertyetrelaxedstateofmind.Whenthoughts,feelings,orsensationsariseinyourawareness,justletthembewithoutresistingthemorfollowingthem.Nownoticethesensationsofgravityonyourbody.Allowyourattentiontonoticethepressureofyour

bodyonyourchairorcushion,theweightofyourfeetonthefloor,yourhandsinyourlap,etc.Nowcenteryourattentionononeofthesesensations.Next,verygently,askyourself:whatisitthatisawareofthissensation?Trytoaskthisinawaythatis

notlookingforaverbalanswer,butratherforafeltsenseoftheanswer.Feeltheanswerdirectly.Opentothefirst-handexperienceof“whatisaware,”ratherthananideaaboutit.Youwillfinditishelpfulnottobeaggressiveaboutthisinquiry—openingyourselfto“whatisaware”

ratherthanpeeringintotheunknownlookingforsomethingtoshowitself.

2.AttributesofAwarenessProceedingfromtheaboveexercise,oratadifferenttime,centeragainononeofthesteadysensationsinyourbodythatisasignofgravity—forexample,thepressureofyourbodyonyourchairorcushion.Askagaingently:whatisitthatisawareofthissensation?Onceyoufindthatyouhaveadirectintuition

of“thisthatisaware,”askthefollowingquestions,givingtimetoexplorethefeltsenseofyouranswers.”Goveryslowly,takeallthetimeyouneed.

• DoesthisawarenesshaveanouteredgeorboundarybywhichIcantellwhatitis?• DoesthisawarenesshaveacolorbywhichIcantellwhatitis?• DoesthisawarenesshaveatexturebywhichIcantellwhatitis?• Doesithaveafrontandaback?Atoporabottom?• Doesthisawarenesshaveacenter,a“point”oforiginationbywhichitcanbedistinguished?• Canyoufindsomewherewheretheawarenessisn’t,someplacebeyondit?• Canyoufindanydifferencebetweenthisthatisawareofthesensationofgravityand“you?”Ifso,whatisthatdifference?

Inexploringthisinquiryonyourown,youmayfindthatyoucannotfindanedge,acolor,atexture,afront and back, a center, someplace beyond, or some difference between you and “it.” If this iswhatoccursforyou,simplyrestinthatunfindability.If you can find an edge, a color, a texture, a front and back, a center, someplace beyond, or some

difference between you and “it,” then look carefully at thatwhich you find and ask:what is it that iscarefullylooking?Doesithaveanedge,acolor,atexture,afrontorback,acenter,someplacebeyond,

andistheresomedifferencebetween“you”and“it?”

•2•

THEPRACTICEOFSUBTLEOPENING

This chapter introduces a practice— the practice of subtle opening— that youmay find helpfulduringthisinitialstageofourwork.Trymakingitpartofyourdailyroutineforthenextfewmonths.Tentofifteenminutesadaymaybeenough,althoughyoumayfindyouwanttodothelastpartofthepracticeforlongerperiods.Onepurposeofthispracticeissimplytocalmthemind.Theintentionhereistohelpreducethedensity

andspeedofthoughtsandemotionsthatfloodourawareness,aswellastorelaxouridentificationwiththecontentofthesethoughtsandemotions.Afurtherpurposeistobecomefamiliarwiththeexperienceofinnerrelaxationandspaciousnessthataccompaniesacalmermind.Whiletherecanbeimmediatebenefitfromnolongerfeelingatthemercyofour“monkeymind,”thisis

notwhywedothesepractices.Byworkingwiththesepracticeswearenottryingtostopallthoughtsfromarising.Havingaquietmindisnotequivalentto“awakeningtoopenawareness.”Onecanawakentotheclear light of awareness and still have thoughts arise, just as one can still see themyriad colors andtexturesoftheworld,orstillheartheprofusionofsoundsoftheworld.ItisimportanttorecognizethatintheOpenPathwearenotdeclaringwaronourthoughts.Weletour

thoughtsbe,astheyare.Wesimplylearntotakelessinterestinthem.Thisdisinterestednesshastheeffectofcalmingourmentalenvironment.Inthiscalmerenvironmentwemayhaveabetterchancetorelaxintotheopenclarityinwhichthoughts,sensations,andemotionsappear.Thisclarityisawarenessitself,openandtransparent.Anotherpurposeofthepracticeofsubtleopeningistorelaxtheobjectifyinghabitsofourminds.For

example,ifwespeakofsubtletyasaquality—whatSufiscalllatif—wemightthinkofitasaqualityoflightness, spaciousness, and refinement. As we describe it in this way it already has the tendency tobecomeslightlyobjectified,turning“subtlety”intoaconceptualsomethingthatisinsomewaysubstantial.Partofourworkatthispointistobegintorecognizehowwedothat,howweobjectifydirectexperienceinto concepts and stories.Once this is seen,wecanmore easily relax from thisobjectifying tendency,allowing instead the invocationofsubtlety tobeagentledynamicofopening intoopenness.This isanimportant“skill”andcentral toourwork. (Iputquotationmarksaround theword“skill”herebecausewhileit isindeedsomethingwecanbecomegoodat,atthesametimeitisnotsomethingwe“do.”Werelaxintosubtlety.)Whysubtlety?Because the truthweseek—which isalreadyhere—cannotbepossessed.Wewill

neverfinditbyseeking.Itisnotathing.Itisnothing.Initselfitisneithersubtlenorcoarse.AndasIhavementioned, to call it an “it” is already betraying it. It is transparent,without center or edge.Yet it isprecise;whenyou“experience”it(anotherawkwardword),youareabsolutelycertain.Itisself-evident.Openingtothistransparentself-evidenceisaidedbyanintimateappreciationofwhatissignifiedbythewordsubtlety.

THECONTRADICTIONOFPRACTICINGAswebeginthisworktogetherandstarttalkingaboutandengaginginpractices,weneedtoacknowledgethecontradictionatthecenteroftheideaofpracticing.Indeed,itisthecontradictionatthecenteroftheOpen“Path”itself.Thecontradictionisthis:thatwhichweseektorecognize—ouroriginalnature—doesn’t require the accomplishment of any practice. In fact, all practices substitute some level ofconceptualizationfortherealityofourtruenature.Atthesametime,werecognizewearehypnotizedbymental and emotional identifications and beliefs that obscure realization of our true nature, and theseidentificationsneedtobereleased.Tocultivatethisreleaseweengageinvariouspracticesdesignedforthispurpose,andtheseconstitutea“path.”Yetpractices—aswehavenoted—tendtointroducemorelayersofconceptualizationandidentification…etc.Inourworkwewill repeatedly face this contradiction, since it is at theheartofwhatwearedoing

together.Atthispoint,wemightbestproceedbysimplyengagingallpracticesandexercisessincerelybutlightly.Somepeoplebuildupanattitudeaboutpracticesandapproachtheir“practicetime”withagreatdealofeffortorexpectationsofresults.Thentheyjudgethemselvesfor“notdoingitright”andstopdoingthepracticesaltogether.Youmightthinkofthepracticeofsubtleopening—andallthepracticesandexercisesinthisbook—

assimilar topracticingscalesonamusical instrument.Dothemwithcareandwitha lightheart.Overtime theywill help give youmore easewith this beautiful instrument, yourmind.On this pathwe arelearningtoopen,notclosedown.

EXPECTINGNOTHINGSince our mind stream is well conditioned to constructing subject-object duality in our moment-to-momentexperience,mostofusneedtopracticetheoppositetorelaxfromthishabit.Weexpectthatwhatweare seeking—pure,contentlessawareness—will somehowbe recognizable in the samewaywerecognizealltheotherobjectsorthingsinourexperience.Weexpectittobesomething“outthere”(anobject) perceived by something “in here” (a subject). It is this expectation that keeps us anticipatingsomething that can never appear as something. We must learn to expect nothing. Perhaps even moreaccurately,wemustlearnnottoexpect.Whatwearelookingforisalreadyhere.Manyofyoureadingthismayhavehadglimpsesoftheunconditionednatureofpureawareness.Others

mayhaveexperiencedmoreprolongedperiodsofit.Morecommonareexperiencesofopenawarenessthat are lightly structured— that is, they include perceptions of calmness and feelings of wellbeing,serenity,orelation.While thesefeelingsarewonderfulandaresurely tobeenjoyed,wemustbeclearwith ourselves that they are feelings, not direct recognition of nondual contentless awareness. Thisdoesn’tmeanwehavetopushthesefeelingsaway,however.Justlikemoreuncomfortablefixations,wesimplyneedtonoticethemforwhattheyareandnoticetheflowingoftheirenergy.Weare in the initial stagesof learninghow to recognizeandsustain the realizationofunconditioned

awareness,which,aswehavenoted,isnotathingthatcanberecognizedinthesamewaywerecognizethings,thoughts,feelings,orotherenergyeventsinourmindstream.No-thingness,emptiness,openness,transparencecannotbeseenorimagined.Thisthatweseekisknownbyitsabsence.Itisbecauseitisn’t.Whenwecloseoureyesandsitinmeditationweoftenuseformsofmantra,zikr,“breathingprayers”or

vipassanalabelingexercisestocalmourmentalactivityandachievealevelofserenity.Thewordsthatwerepeatsilentlyoraloudariseinourawarenessasobjectsorevents.Wewitnessthem.We,assubject,witness or perceive thesemental phenomena as objects of consciousness.When we experiencemoreemotivelevelsofprayer,weexperiencefeelingssuchaslonging,praise,orgratitude,andthesetooarise

inourawarenessasenergyeventsthatwewitness.Theyareobjectstooursubject.Whenwedonothingatallandaremomentarilyfreefromthoughtsorfeelings,westillmaysitinthishabitualsubject-objectmental frame. It may be that we simply experience the muted retinal displays behind our eyelids—objectstooursubject—orweexperiencethecompositesenseofbodilypresence,thefeelingofgravity,thelightfeelingofclothesagainstourskin,thesmallachesorpressuresofbodilylife—alltheseariseinourawarenessasobjectsinrelationtooursubjectivesenseofself.It is useful to recognize this almost constant dynamic of subject-object distinction and dependence.

Noticehowitseemstopervadeourentireexistence.Remember,itisnotanything“bad”thatwearetryingtodoawaywith.Subject-objectdiscriminationisanessentialsurvivalskill—withoutitwewouldhavebeenfoodforlionslongago.Butformostofusitistheonlywayweexperiencetheworld,aconditionthatleadstoignoranceandsuffering.Inopeningtonon-dualawarenesswedon’thavetoworrythatwewill loseourabilitytodiscriminateonethingfromanother,orbecomealion’snextmeal.Wearewellpracticedin thisdiscriminatingskill.Our intentionissimplytodevelop—alongside theperceptionofsubject-object dualities— a nondualway of perceiving.We do this by recognizing and resting in theclarityofunconditionedawareness.The key point here is simply to release all expectation — to let go of anticipating that timeless

awarenesswillappearinanywaysimilartothewaytheobjectsandexperiencesofourlivesappeartous.Thisiswhyweinvokesubtlety,becausesubtletyreleasesexpectation:itfreesusfromourtendencytoassert anddefine. Inone sensewecould say thatournatural state is subtlety—boundless, fresh, andwithoutconclusions.OrasJelaluddinRumisays:

Whenyoueventuallyseethroughtheveilstohowthingsreallyare,youwillkeepsayingagainandagain,“Thisiscertainlynotlikewethoughtitwas!”3

POSTURERegardingyourpostureduringtheseandotherpractices,thekeyistoarrangeyourbodyinarelaxedyetalert position, preferablywith your spine relatively vertical, so that itwill not disturb you during thepracticeperiod.Sittingcross-leggedonacushionorsittinginastraight-backedchairisfine.Lyingdownorslumpinginaneasychairmayberelaxingbutitleadstodrowsiness.Thepointisforyourbodytohelpyoustaypresent,clear,andundistracted.

THEPRACTICEOFSUBTLEOPENINGThepracticeofsubtleopeninghasthreeparts:

1.YaLatifThepracticebeginswiththreetosevenminutesofsilentrepetitionofthephraseyalatif(pronounced:yala-TEEF)asabreathingprayer.“Ya”means“oh”andsignifiesacallingforthof“latif”whichmeans“themostsubtle,themostrefined.”Simplyrepeatthephrasesilentlyonceonyourin-breathandonceonyourout-breath.Yalatif is an invocationof the subtletyofourbeing.By repeating itweare invoking the essenceof

subtletyinus,its“feltsense.”Explorethisforyourself,openingevermorefinelyintothesubtletyofyourbeing,andintothesubtletyofthenatureofbeingitself.Latifisaspecialkindofwordthattendstoavoidbecominganobject.Whenwerepeatitoftenenough,

wemaynoticethatitindeedinvokesafeltsenseofsubtletyinourawareness—alightness,anopenness,an indefinablypurequality.This isbecauseeven though it isanoun, its“thingness” isnotdefiniteanddoesnotofferanimagetoourimagination.Whatissignifiedbysubtlety—whencalledforthinprayerlike this — is not a substantial thing-in-itself but opens out to a quality beyond nouns or verbs oradjectives.Anotherwayofdescribing latif-ness is a senseofboundarylessness thatyoumayexperienceasyou

invokethisbreathingprayer.Youmightfeelasiftheedgesofyourbodybecomeslightlyindefinable,orthebackofyourskullmightfeelasifithasdisappeared.Youmightfeelasifyouareweightlessoreveninvisible.Thesesensationsarenothing toworryabout; in fact, theyare littlegraceson thepath.Enjoythem!Remember,thisisapractice—wearepracticingexperiencingourselvesfreefromhereandthere,free

fromsubject-object.Again,repeatingyalatifislikepracticingscalesonamusicalinstrument—itisnotthemusicitself,butitmayhelpthemusicarrive.

2.TheFourSignsThesecondpartofthepracticeofsubtleopeningisalsoabreathingprayer,repeatedforthreetosevenminutes as well. Its intention is to help set you up for the recognition of timeless unconditionedawareness.Butremember,expectnothing!This breathing prayer consists of fourwords:open, transparent, lucid, andawake. Here there is a

slightvariation—onlyrepeatthesewordsonanin-breath.Letyourout-breathsbesilent,experiencingtheinvocationinvoked.Therefore,simplyrepeatthewordopensilentlyonanin-breath,transparentonthefollowingin-breath,lucidonthenextin-breath,awakeonthenextin-breath,andthenbeginthecycleagain.Thesefourwordsare“signs”thatsuggest(notdefine)aspectsofpurecontentlessawareness.Likeya

latif,theyopenouttoqualitiesbeyondtheirdictionarymeanings.Theyare,bytheirverynature,subtle.Asyourepeatthem,againletthefeltsenseoftheirmeaningwashgentlythroughyou,oneaftertheother.You don’t have to struggle to sharpen that felt sense— it will accumulate by itself. Don’t worry ifsometimesyourepeatawordand it fails toregistera feltsense—itwill thenext timearound,or thenext. You will also discover that each sign modifies the others. By all means encourage this mutualmodifying—therearemysterieshere!Thesefourwordsdescribequalitiesofthis“no-thing”wearecallingopenawareness.Ofcourse,this

“no-thing”doesn’thavequalities—sothesefoursignsareatbestsuggestive.Atworst,theywillsimplyprecipitateintoconceptsandtherewillbelittlebenefitfromtheirrepetition.Sincereengagementwiththispracticecanleadtoasenseofopennessinourexperienceofexistence.

Initiallythismaybedisorienting.Imentionedearlierthetenacityofsubject-objectdualisminourwayofexperiencing the world. As we invoke subtlety in our being through this practice, and the subtlety ofrecognizingopenawareness—whichisnoneotherthanrecognizingourfundamentalpresenceasopen,transparent, lucid, andawake—wemaybe surprised to discover the subject (self) doesn’t exist assomethingparticularandneverdidexist.InclassicalSufitermsthisrecognitioniscalledfana,orself-annihilation.Buthereweseethatfanais

not actually annihilation or ego-death, because no self ever existed that could undergo annihilation ordeath.Thereneverwasasubject!ThisisdescribedsuccinctlybyIbn‘Arabi:

YoucannotknowyourLord[This]bymakingyourselfnothing.Manyawisemanclaimsthatinordertoknowone’sLord[This]onemustdenudeoneselfof thesignsofone’sexistence,effaceone’sidentity,finallyridoneselfofone’sself.This isamistake.Howcoulda thing thatdoesnotexist try toget ridof its existence?Fornoneofmatterexists.Howcoulda thing that isnot,becomenothing?Athingcanonlybecomenothingafterithasbeensomething.Therefore,ifyouknowyourselfwithoutbeing,nottryingtobecomenothing,youwillknowyourLord[This].IfyouthinkthattoknowAllah[This]dependsonyourriddingyourselfofyourself,thenyouareguiltyofattributingpartnerstoHim[theOne]—theonlyunforgivablesin—becauseyouareclaimingthatthereisanotherexistencebesidesHim[This],theAll-Existent:thatthereisayouandaHe[This].4

Wewillreturntotheprincipleoffanainfuturechapters—itisenoughnowtomentionitspotentialinthispresentworkandleavetheexperiencetoyou.Before we move on to the third part of the practice of subtle opening, let us look briefly at the

“meanings”wemightinvokeaswerepeatthesefourwords:open,transparent,lucid,andawake.

OpenThissignpointstotheedgelessqualityofnondualawareness.Itisunconfined.Neitheristhereacenteraroundwhichitcondenses.It isopeninalldimensions.Anotherwayof interpretingthesign“open”isthat it implies the infinite and all-pervading. The omnipresent. It suggests the sense that timelessawarenessisnotpersonalandisnotconfinedtohumanbeingsororganiclife-formsingeneral.Theclearlightofawarenessisnonlocal.Itisopen.Wemayrecognizeitbythissign.

TransparentThis sign points to the quality of emptiness of nondual, primordial awareness. It is ontologicallytransparent.Itisnothing,asintheQuran,42,11:NothingislikeuntoHim.Unconditionedawareness,aswellasourownnatureandallexistence, isopenand transparent.As theBuddhaansweredShariputrawhenShariputraaskedhimhowonecanawaken:Thismostsubtleawakeningoccursthroughremainingat every moment attentive and attuned to the inherent openness and transparency of the variousprinciplesofmanifestation,suchasformandconsciousness.Thetransparentcannotbevisualized.Wemayrecognizeitbythissign.

LucidThissignpointstothequalityofluminousclarityofopenawareness.Theword“lucid”meansbothutterclarityandradiance.Yetitisalightthatisnotthesameasthelightweseebyintheouterworld,asintheQuran,24,35:Lightuponlight!This is lucidity that is transparentandwithoutboundary.It isperfectlyclearandcannotbestained.Itisthe“energy”thatisthesustenanceofbeing,of“amness.”TheTibetanscall it Sambogakaya. It is the energy that we experience as the very texture of existence. Like thetransparentitcannotbevisualized.Itistheclearlight.Itcannotbehidden.Wemayrecognizeitbythissign.

AwakeThissignpointstothequalityofcognizantpresenceofboundlessawareness.Beingopen,transparent,andlucid, awareness is naturally awake and present. Effort is not needed tomake this be so. This awakequality is co-extensive with all existence and nonexistence, as in the Sufi prayer that speaks of theomniscient, omnipresent, all-pervading, theOnly Being.5 This sign is perhaps themost intimate andfamiliarofthemall,sincewithouttryingweknowthefeltsenseofawake.AsthecontemporaryBuddhistteacherTsoknyiRinpochewrites,Mindessence[pureawareness]isemptyandoriginallyso…Whenweactuallyexperienceit,what is it like?It’sa feelingofbeingopen, totallywideopen…unconfinedinanydirection…notaconcretething:notatall….Itistotallyclearandwideawake,sothereisnothing

topinpointas“Thisisit.”6Ithasneitherbacknorfront:likespace.Wemayrecognizeitbythissign.

3.Non-DoingThethirdpartofthepracticeofsubtleopening isboththeeasiestandthemostsubtle.Hereweceaserepeatingallthebreathingprayersandtheirsubtleinvocationsandsimplysitdoingnothing.We“do”thisforapproximatelyfivetotenminutes,orlongeriftimepermits.How do we do non-doing? By relaxing naturally, though remaining quiet and alert, and in an alert

posture, aswehavebeen for thepreviouspartsof thepractice.This is theSufi teacher InayatKhan’sdescription of meditation:mystical relaxation. No effort. Even no effort at having no effort. We aresimplystillandpresent.Whatarises,arises.Whatpasses,passes.Ifwenoticethatwehavebecomeinvolvedinwhatarises—thoughtsoremotions—wedon’tbother

about it,we simply notice it and allow it to passwithout our further involvement.Non-doing is purewitness.Weproducenointerferencewithwhatoccurs.

Since effort — which creates causes and effects, whether positive or negative — is unnecessary, immerse yourself ingenuine being, resting naturally with nothing needing to be done. The expanse of spontaneous presence entails nodeliberateeffort,noacceptanceorrejection.Fromnowonmakenoeffort,sincephenomenaalreadyarewhattheyare.7

—LONGCHENPA,FOURTEENTH-CENTURYDZOGCHENMASTER

Manypeoplehavedifficultywithnon-doing.Evenwhenwereduceouroutward“doing”toanabsoluteminimum(sittinguprightandstill),inwardlythemindcompensatesby“doing”atafiercerate.Sincemostofusarelargelyidentifiedwithourmindstream,thistendstomakethepracticeofnon-doingfrustrating.Ican’tstopdoingmymindstream!Inafuturechapterwewillturntothesubjectofindividualwillandactionimpliedintheword“doing.”

Thequestionoftheexistenceornonexistenceoffreewillcanbedisorientinginausefulway,butitcanalsoproduceamassofthoughtconstructions,whichforourpurposesatthemomentwouldbedistracting.Fornowweneedtobeconcernedonlywiththepracticalquestionsthatarise:ceasingalldoingandactingforaperiodoffivetotenminutes.Herewemight benefit from some advice of the greatHindu teacherSriNisargadattaMaharaj as he

respondstoaquestionerwhocomplains,“Mythoughtswon’tletmerest.”

Paynoattention.Don’tfightthem.Justdonothingaboutthem,letthembe,whatevertheyare.Yourveryfightingthemgivesthemlife. Just disregard.Look through….Youneednot stop thinking. Just cease being interested. It is disinterestedness that liberates.Don’tholdon,thatisall.Theworldismadeofrings.Thehooksareallyours.Makestraightyourhooksandnothingcanholdyou.Giveupyouraddictions.Thereisnothingelsetogiveup.Stopyourroutineofacquisitiveness,yourhabitoflookingforresults,andthefreedomoftheuniverseisyours.Beeffortless.8

•3•

WHATOBSCURESOPENAWARENESS?

Sometimes I amasked, “Whybotherwith all this?Howwill recognizingpure awareness benefitmylife?”InresponseIamtemptedtorecitealltheenticingbenefitsofrecognition,includingequanimityandinnerpeace, freedom,a senseof completionandease,warmth in relationships, andanaturally arisinghappiness.Indeed,tobecomefamiliarwiththespontaneouspresenceofpureawarenessandtolearntoopenintoitsspaciousness is the“freemedicine” thepoetsandmysticswriteabout.Themore timewespendrestinginpure,contentlessawareness,withoutinterference,themoredeeplywerecognizeitandthemorenaturallywegravitatebacktoitsopennessandease.Itisthefulfillmentthatisthegoalofthespiritualquest.But to speakof“benefits” isbasicallyadetour, and to seek them isadeadend.Correctly speaking,

thereisno“goal”ofthespiritualquest,sincethelucidopennessthatisthegroundofallbeingisalreadyhere.Thereisno“gravitatingbackto”becausethereisnoseparation.Andthereisno“quest”sincethereisnothingtolookfor.Allofthesewaysofthinkingobscuredirectrecognition.Directrecognitionofopenawarenessdoesnotresultfromthinkingaboutit,orseekingit.Thespontaneouspresenceofopenawareness is theverynatureofhere,now.We“arrive”byseeing

thereisnowheretotravel.Imaginingthatwehavetogotowarditiswhatcreatestheseemingdistance.Itisournaturalstate,andthenaturalstateofallbeing.Itisrightinfrontofoureyes,andbehindthemtoo.Yet it is obviously difficult to recognize this natural state.What causes this difficulty?What obscuresopenawareness?Inthisandfuturechapterswewillconsidersomeoftheobstaclesthatseeminglyhinderourrecognition

ofpureandtotalawareness,andsuggestmethodsandpracticesforreleasingthem.Butinstartingdownthis path, let us remind ourselves that methods and practices are not needed to produce or increasecontentlessawareness—itiscompletelyandspontaneouslypresentalready.Methodsandpracticesmaybehelpfulonlytotheextenttheyservetobreakloosehabitualpatternsofthinkingandviewingourselvesandtheworld.Whatobscures the recognitionofopenawareness isourdeeplyentrenchedhabitof attaching to, and

identifyingwith,ourthoughtsandbeliefs,thestoriesaboutrealitythatwetellourselves—aprocessweareallintimatelyfamiliarwith.Thisprocessoperatesonmanylevels,withitsprimarypurposebeingtocreate andmaintain the illusionof a separate self—a self thatmust perpetually struggle to affirm itsexistencebecauseitlivesintheconstantanxietythatitisfundamentallyinsubstantial.Releasingthissenseof a personal, autonomous self— with its complexity of story-making, opinions, likes, dislikes, andanxieties—isanessentialaspectofourworktogether.However,aswehaveseen,theterm“work”canbemisleading,becauseitimpliesindustriousnessand

effort. Perhaps we might more accurately call it non-work or non-doing, since the activity involvedsimplymeansopeningtowhatwearenaturally,priortostory-makingorinterpretationsofanykind.Itisaworkaseffortlessaslettingachildholdyourhand.

IDENTITYMAKINGWecreate andmaintain a senseof self, of personal referencepoint, inmanyways.Here are a fewofthem:

• byrestlesslydoingonethingafteranother• byassessingandseparatingourexperienceintolikesanddislikes• byassertingourimaginarypowertodecideaboutandcontrolwhathappensinthefuture• bycravingthingsandexperiences• bycontinuallyinterpretingtheworldaroundusandclaimingweknowit

ThesewaysoflivingevermorepowerfullyreinforcethesensethatIama“subject”inrelationtothe“objects”oftheworld.“I”needtodothis,andthenthat,andthenthat.“I”amtheonewholikesthisanddoesn’tlikethat.“I”amcaptainofmydestiny.“I”musthavethat.“I”knowwhatisrightandgood.Itisn’tdifficulttoseehowoursenseofrealityisgraduallyshapedbythisprocess,andwebecomeblindedbyourfalseimaginings.Many views attempt to describe the cause of our need to identify as a personal self and, as a

consequence,separateourselvessopainfullyfromtheworldaroundus.Perhapsthemostdirectviewinterms of ourwork together is simply to see that because our nature is fundamentally clear, open, andempty—thatwearenot,infact,entitieswithanyinherentself-ness—weareconsequentlysubjecttoanexistentialanxietyofgroundlessness.Our response to thisanxiety is to try to fabricateaground,somekindof identity thatwillconvinceuswearesubstantialand“real.”As thenondualphilosopherDavidLoywrites:

…ourdissatisfactionwithlifederivesfromarepressionevenmoreimmediatethandeath-terror:thesuspicionthat“I”amnotreal.Thesense-of-selfisnotself-existingbutamentalconstructionwhichexperiencesitsgroundlessnessasalack….Wecopewiththislackbyobjectifyingitinvariouswaysandtrytoresolveitthroughprojectswhichcannotsucceedbecausetheydonotaddressthefundamental issue….Aslongaswearedrivenbylack,everydesirebecomesastickyattachmentthat tries tofillupabottomlesspit.9

Whateverthecausesforcreatingasenseofapersonalselfoutofnothing,thecreationoccurs,anditsoccurrenceresultsinakindofbackgroundnoisethatdistractsusfromrecognizingourtruenature.Thisnoiseexpressesitselfinthevariousobstaclestorealizationdescribedinthefollowingpages.

DOINGPerhapsthemostconstantobscurationofopenawarenessisourcompulsiveneedtodosomethingnext.The desire to be distracted, to be stimulated, or to accomplish something succeeds in filling virtuallyeverywakingmomentofourlives.Thisissuchaconstanthabitthatwebarelynoticeit.Fromthemomentwe wake up in the morning until the moment we close our eyes at night we are doing something:daydreaming,strategizing,talking,moving,adjustingthecomfortofourenvironment,orlookingforwaystobeentertainedordistracted.Aswehavejustseen,eachoftheseformsofdoingreinforcesourpositionasaselfinrelationtotheworld“outthere.”Itisnowonderthataswefirstseektorecognizetheclarityofouroriginalnature,weaskwhatwecan

do tomake thishappen.Yet there isnothingwecando to recognizewhatweare—therecognition isprior to any doing on our part.Wemight think that not-doing in this waywould be easy, but after alifetime of practice we have become so identified with being the doer that not-doing is nearlysynonymouswithnot-being.Wemightevensay,“Ido,thereforeIam.”

Ofcourse,therearecountlessreasonsfordoingandstayingbusy.Forone,wemaybeconvincedthatifwearen’tpreparingforwhatmightbejustaroundthecorner,wewillbecaughtoff-guardandunpreparedforwhat’scoming.Whilepreparingandplanningobviouslyhaveanimportantroletoplayinoursurvivaland in our creative relationshipwith society,wemay use this natural function as a rationalization forperpetual busyness. Busyness increases to the level of a control-obsession, a belief that only bycontinuously doing or thinking can we adequately manipulate the future to suit our needs. Obsessivebusyness in this way obscures our recognition of open awareness precisely because it is focused onachievingsomefutureoutcome,ratherthanallowingustobeopentowhatis.Whenweareopentowhatis,weareabletorespondappropriatelytowhatisneededineachsituationwithoutobsessingaboutit.Anotherreasonwemaykeepourselvesbusyistoavoidtheunpleasantfeelingsorsensationsthatmay

occuraswequietdown.Feelingsofboredom, loneliness,sadness,orpainmayariseaswesettle intosimple spontaneouspresence.Constant activitymaybeourwayof “cruisingover”or repressing theseundesirable feelings. Yet often it is only by experiencing our feelings with their full intensity in themomentthattheyyieldtheirinsight,releasetheirholdonus,andresolve.At the center of our need to always be doing something is dissatisfactionwith theways things are.

Something could always be a little better— a littlemore intense, a littlemore relaxed, a littlemorestimulating, a little less overwhelming, a littlewarmer, a little cooler, a littlemorework, a little lesswork.Wehaveahabitofthinkingthat“whatis”isinconstantneedofadjustment.Thisdesire tochange things is rooted in thewish todisplacesomepresent feeling.Forexample, the

desiretoeatsomethingarisesfromthewishtodisplaceafeelingofhungerorrestlessness.Thedesiretohavesexarisesfromthewishtodisplacethefeelingofunexpressedarousal.Thedesiretoshoutangrilyatsomeonearisesfromthewishtodisplacefeelingsofwoundedness.Whenwerecognizethisdynamicandareabletoobserveitworkinginourstreamofexperience,wehavethechancetorelaxourfixationon thisneed todisplacea feeling,and insodoingwebegin to freeourselves fromacting impulsively.That“chance” is initiallyexperiencedasa littlegap—amomentofseeingwhat ishappening.Aswepracticenoticingwhatisactuallyhappeningandthusgivingmorespacearoundourthoughts,speech,andactions, this gap becomes larger andwe simply observewithout reactivity the internal phenomena offeelingsandthoughtsarisingandthendissipating.However,thisdoesn’tmeanwebecomedullorlovelessorsitpassivelyathomewhenwewanttotake

awalk in thefreshair.Westillact. In factweactwithmoreeaseandspontaneitybecausewearenotobsessedwithtryingtofulfillamentallyconstructedreality.Thisisthedifferencebetweenreactivityandacting spontaneously. Reactivity in this contextmeans action that arises from the internal logic of ourfixations.Spontaneousactionissomethingaltogetherdifferent.Aswelearntorecognizeouroriginalnatureandrelaxintoitsclearopenness,wefindthereisnolonger

aneedtogenerateasenseofselfasthedoerofactions.Actionhappensnaturally,byitself.Wedowhatcomestoustodo.Wearefreetobepresenttothismomentwithwhateverithastooffer.Oneofthegreatnondualteachersofthetwentiethcentury,JeanKlein,summarizesthisthemeofdoingin

thefollowingway:

Whenyoulookdeeplyduringdoing,you’llseethereisnoroomforanactor.There’sonlyacting.Itisonlyafterwardsthatthemindsays,“Iamdoingit.”Consciousnessanditsobjectareone.Therecannotbedoingandafeelingofbeingadoeratthesametime.Itmayappearsobutthereisaveryrapidmovementfromdoingtodoer.Whenyouidentifywiththedoeryouwillbecometired.Thefatigueispsychological.Weallhavehadmomentswhenwefeelverytiredbutthemomentsomethingneworastonishingcomesupthattakesusawayfromourselves,wearefullofenergy.10

LIKINGANDDISLIKING

Infuturechapterswewilllookmoreextensivelyintothesubjectofpreferring—ofmaintainingoursenseofselfbycontinuallyvaluingordevaluingwhatappearsinourawareness.Herewesimplyneedtonotehowthedynamicofidentity-makingisfueledbyourlikesanddislikes,andparticularlybyourholdingontothesepreferences.Inoneof theexercises suggestedat theendof this chapteryouwill explore three typesof listening:

negative listening,positive listening, andpure listening. In this exerciseyouwill get aprofound, first-handexperienceofhowpreferringwhatyouhear—eitherpositivelyornegatively—affectsthequalityofyourencounterwithothers,aswellasthequalityofyoursenseofyourself.Whenyoupositionyourselfin judgmentofothersorofwhat ishappening, thatpositionreinforcesyour identificationasaseparateself. In this exercise you will also see that when you listen purely, without either validating orinvalidatingwhatishappening,youaresimplyopentowhatis.Youareintimatewiththeworld.Herewe can see how like/dislike reaction patterns have the potential to obscure our recognition of

unconditionedawareness.Ofcourse,attractionandaversiontophenomenaarealsoessentialaspectsofour core survival responses — we avoid unpleasant sensations and are attracted to pleasant ones.However, there is an important difference between this kind of natural survival preference and thecontinual sortingof theworld intogoodandbad, right andwrong,what I agreewithandwhat Idon’tagree with. Preferring in this fashion is the common stuff of most social interactions and personalexperience.Aslongasweinsistonjudgingwhatisoccurring,wewillnotbeabletobepresentwithit.Wewillbe

caughtinthenetofourownposition-taking.Andtheworldwillcontinuetodisappointus,sinceitoftendoesnotcoincidewithourpreferences.Youcanbegintoexplorethisthemeinyourownlifebywatchinghowyoureacttothingsthatyoudon’t

like,andhowyouattempttoassertwhatyoudolike.Onceyoubegintospothowthisoccursinyourdailyexperience—aswithnegativeandpositivelistening—youcanexperimentwithrelaxingthesepositionsofliking/disliking.Atfirstyoumaystillbefloodedwithsignalsthatsay,“Ilikethis,Idon’tlikethis,”or“Iagreewiththis,Idon’tagreewiththis,”or“thispersonisdoingwhatIlike,thispersonisdoingwhatIdon’t like.” Just letwhathappenshappen,butdon’t react.Give space. Justbewithwhat isoccurring,includingyourpreferences,butdon’tdoanythingaboutit.Graduallythehabitofsortingwhathappensinyourexperienceintolikesanddislikeswillrelax.You

maystillwishtoexpressyourviewaboutsomethingwhenitisappropriate,buttheurgencywillbegone.Youwillbefreefromtheneedtoarrangetheworldaccordingtoyourpreferences.Thegiftofthisfreedomisnotonlyinreducingthestressoftryingtogettheworldtoagreewithyou.It

moreimportantlyfreesyoutoopenintoyourbasicnature,theopenawarenessthatisthebackdropofeachmoment,for thisopeningisnolongerobscuredbyclingingtolikesanddislikes, thoughtsandposition-taking.

WILLINGANDCONTROLLINGOneof themoststubbornmentalpatterns thatobscuresrecognitionof thespontaneouspresenceofpureawarenessisgeneratedbytheillusionthat“I”amanindependentagentwhocanfreelychoose,decide,orwill a thought or action. Simply put, volition obscures awareness. That is, the position I takewhen Iconsider myself the director of my actions and thoughts cannot help but create a sense of separationbetween this “position” and theworld I believe I ammanipulating.This sense of separation obscuresrecognitionoftheclearlightofawareness.Releasingourattachmenttothinkingofourselvesasindependentlywillfulbeingsisnoteasy.Itisatthe

root of the idea of being a doer, andwe are accustomed to arranging our view of reality and societyaccordingtotheimperativethateachoneofusisresponsibleforhisorheractions.Iencourageyoutoinquiredirectlyintothisassumption.Trytoseehowitis“you”makeachoice.Look

carefullyattheverymomentofachoice.Canyouidentifyhowyoudoit?Istherealittleyouinsideyourbrain hemming andhawing about options, and then throwing a decision switch?What exactly happenswhenachoiceismade?Forexample,whatdeterminesthethoughtsyouthink?Doyou?Ifyes,howdoyoudothat?Ifno,what

doesdeterminethem?Or,anotherexample,whatdeterminesthenextmovementyoumake?Lookcarefully.Trytoseeifthereissomeone—ayou—choosingyournextmovement,andifso,canyouseehowthatoccurs?Thesensewehaveofconsciouschoice—freewill—hasrecentlybeenthesubjectofconsiderable

scientificresearch.Whenvolunteerswereaskedtonotethemomenttheychoseaspecificmovementandthis processwas simultaneously trackedwith neurological scans, itwas discovered that the feeling ofconscious intention consistently came after brain signals had already initiated the movement. As onerecentstudyconcluded:“Thefeelingoftheconsciousintentiontomovedoesnotcausemovementgenesis;boththefeelingofintentionandthemovementitselfaretheresultofunconsciousprocessing.”11Thepoint here is not to conclude that youhaveor don’t have freewill, but simply to allow for the

possibilitythatyourfeelingthatyouarethecontrollerofyouractionsmaynotbeanaccurateorcompletedescriptionofhowactionoccurs.Here’sanotherwaytolookatthis:considerforamomentwhatisinvolvedinourfreedomtochoose

whetherornotwestanduprightnow.Canweisolatethat“choice”fromthefactthatwehavefeettostandon,ortheabilitytobalanceourselves,orthefactthatsomeonebuilttheflooronwhichwewillstand,orthatthereisgravity,orthatwewereborn,orthatwearetiredofsitting?Infiniteconditionsareimplicatedineveryoneofour“decisions.”Toclaimthatwehavefreedomofwillinsuchaninfinitecontextshrinksrealitydowntothesizeofourvanity.YoumayalsobeabletoappreciateherehowthebeliefthatIamanentitywhocanchoose,decide,and

controlwhathappensputsme inaprivilegedposition in relation to the restof theuniverse. I takemyplaceasalittlegodwhocancreatesomethingindependentlyfromwhateverelsemaybehappening.Howwonderful!Nowmyfearof“groundlessness”canbeovercome—Iamindeedsomething:adecider,achooser,acontroller!The nondual philosopherWeiWuWei, in his bookWhy Lazarus Laughed, offers these aphorisms

regardingwillandchoice:

Willisanimaginaryfunctionofanimaginaryentity.

AsultimateRealitywecanhavenowill,forNon-Being[openawareness]isdevoidofattributes.AsrelativeReality,inthedualisticaspectofConsciousnessandobjectsofConsciousness,Observerandallthatisobserved,we

areintegratedintheCosmosandactaccordingly.Asindividualswearemerelyfigmentsandcannothavewillotherthanasdesireanditsopposite.Will,therefore,isjustafigureofspeech.

Wearelikepassengersinarailwaytrainwhothinkthatwecanchangeourmindandmakethetraingoanywherewewish.12

Intermsofcultivatingtheconditionswithinwhichwemayrecognizeopenawarenessandsustaintherealizationofitsspontaneouspresence,itisessentialthatwelooksincerelyforactualevidencethatourindividualwill is the original cause of our actions. I have suggested severalways (above, and in theexercisesattheendofthischapter)foryoutoexplorethisquestiononyourown.Iamnotinterestedinconvincingyouonewayoranotheraboutthisage-oldissue,norisitimportantthatyouarriveatadefinite

conclusion about it.What is important is your direct encounterwith the question, free of assumptions.Livethisquestion!

KNOWINGANDMAKINGMEANINGLetusconsidernowthefunctionsof“knowing”and“makingmeaning”asthey,too,obscurerecognitionofthespontaneouspresenceofclearawareness.Eachofushasbeenwellschooledinthebenefitsofbeingknowledgeableandconstructingmeaningoutofexperiences.Havingconceptualknowledgeisassociatedwithintelligence,success,control,psychologicalskill,andsecurity.Themoreelaborateourstoryaboutwhoweare,whatwestandforandwhatisgoingon,themoresecurewefeel.Whilethereisofcoursenothingwrongwiththiskindofknowing,anditcancertainlybeofgreatvalue,itcanalsobeitsownkindofprison.“Thiswasagoodday,yesterdaywasabadday”isamodestexampleofmakingmeaning.“Ihave never been successful and this is because my father didn’t acknowledge me” is another morepsychologicalkindofknowing.We create a story about almost everything and then we live inside it. We forget that we are not

compelled to make everything meaningful. It is possible to just be with what is without needing tounderstandit,interpretit,ormakeitsignificant.In learning to recognizeand rest inopenawareness, theneed tomakemeaningand interpretwhat is

happening can work against us. When we are attached to knowing we are continually scanning ourexperiencefordefinitions,analogies,comparisons,andotherideasthatwillorientus.Theveryactivityof knowing in thisway relies upon a subject-object dichotomy—which, to repeat, is often useful ineverydaylife.However,inopeningourexperiencetotherealityofouroriginalnature,thesubject-objectpoint of reference is an obstacle to our realization. It obscures the Real with the wallpaper of ouropinions,andthepointofreferenceremainstheinsistent“I,”“me,”and“mine.”This is where it is helpful to relax into what mystics call “not-knowing” or “un-knowing.” At the

conditioned level, not-knowingmeans not judging, not asserting, and not painting the path in front ofourselveswithourownpreconceptionsandopinions.Fromtheperspectiveofunconditionedawareness,not-knowing means there is nothing to know, nothing to work out, nothing to analyze. We cannotunderstand the unconditioned experience because there is absolutely nothing finite to understand. (Yeteverythingwedoknowremainsimmediatelyaccessible.Unconditionedawarenessisnotatrancestate.)

Knowingsoftheveilcannotbearwhatappearswhentheveilistorn.13

—NIFFARI,TENTH-CENTURYSUFI

Howdowerelaxintonot-knowing?Onewayisthroughprayer,andthehumilitythatisprayer’snaturalcontext.Alsomeditation,withitspracticeofwitnessingwithoutinterference,cantrainustonoticehowthoughtsandsensationsariseanddissolveontheirown,looseningoursenseoftheirimportanceandourattachment to them. Still anotherway is throughmoment-by-moment vigilance of our assumptions andopinionsindailylife.Ourprocessofself-inquirycanincludequestionssuchas,DoIreallyknowthat?IsthisviewofminepartofalargerstorythatIkeeptellingmyself?Whatisactuallymyexperiencenow? Questions such as these reduce our certainty and open the possibility of catching the “I” in theprocessofsolidifyingitself.Whenfirstengagingintheprocessofopeningtothespontaneouspresenceofunconditionedawareness,

itiscommonforpeopletoconstructbeliefsandideasaboutwhatunconditionedawarenessisandwhatitmeans.Thismayoccurinreactiontotheteachingthatopen,contentlessawarenessis“nothing”andhasno“meaning.”Theseradicalstatementscansoundcoldorabstract,andinvitetheadditionofqualifiersandattributes,suchas“divine”or“sacred,”ormorecomplexreligiousnarratives.Atfirstglance,itisindeeddisconcertingtoconsiderthattheRealdoesnotpresentanygraspablestoryorthinkabledoctrine,orthatitcannotbeanobjectofunderstanding.Formanyspiritualseekersthisformlessnesscanbeespeciallychallenging.Wemayhavespentdecades

developing beliefs and ideas about practice or the meaning of life, the qualities of the divine or thedifficultyofthemysticalpath.Eventheideathatweareontherightpathpointstoabeliefsystemaboutrightandwrongpaths.Likewisewecanbecomeconsumedbyoursearchfor freedomordrivenby theneed todeliverothersfromtheir ignoranceandsuffering.Allof these ideasareconstructions(whethertheyareheldpersonallyorcollectively)and limitouractualexperienceof theunimpeded, indefinableawarenessthatiswhatSufiscallwadatalwajud—theOnenessofBeing.Wecanneverinterpretor“know”theOnenessofBeing.Itisunconditionedandthushasnostructuresor

limits,nocenterandnoedge.Thereisnoplacefromwhichitcameandnoplacetowhichitgoes.Wemightsayitisnothing,andyetitisbeyondbeingnothingorsomething.Infact,eventogiveitnameslikewe do: pure awareness, self-existing unconditioned awareness, our original nature, openness, etc.,risks placing it into some kind ofmetaphysical category. Self-existing awareness or openness doesn’tactuallyexist—atleastinthewayweusuallythinkofexistence.Assignifiers,thesenamesandwhattheysignify are “permanently under erasure, deployed for tactical reasons but denied any semantic orconceptual stability.” (Loy) Nevertheless, what we are talking about is present throughout; it is all-pervasive.Itsimplycannotbeknownasweknowthephenomenalthingsoftheworld.AsImentionedearlier,itisinitiallyhelpfultobeabletodistinguishbetweenconditionedexperience

and unconditioned awareness. Otherwisewemay thinkwe are experiencing unconditioned awarenesswhen in fact we are experiencing a lightly structured state of mind and heart in which we are stillidentifiedwithcertainspiritualthoughtsorfeelings.Forexample,thinkingweknowwhatishappeningorenjoyingaspiritualfeelingcanstillbeanobstaclecreatedbyourinterpretationsofreality.This is a subtle and important point. It is not to say anything is wrongwith having spiritual ideas,

feelings, orbeliefs, but simply thatweneed to recognize these forwhat they are: constructionsofourconditionedthinking,whichmayormaynotbehelpfultobeginorientingusonthepath.However, theyarenot,andcannotbe,thedestinationitself,whichisbeyondallideasandfeelings.Clingingtospecificinterpretationsofrealitylimitsourexperienceofwhatisbeyondthereachofourconceptionsandbeliefs.

FEAROFVANISHINGAnothersetofbeliefsandprojections thatcanoccurearly in thisworkareconsciousandunconsciousfears about death or loss of control. For example, some people may think that by opening to thespontaneous presence of open awareness they will lose touch with the real world and become lesscapable of fulfilling their daily commitments. If they give up their attachments to liking and disliking,approvingordisapproving,andjust“acceptwhatis,”lifewillbecomebland,boringanduninteresting.Orworseyet,theywillnotdoanythingatallandsimplybecomepassive.Othersmaythinkthatbecausepureawarenessisdescribedasbeingemptyofstructureandcontent,itmustresembleabarren,unfeeling,and lifeless blank field. Clearly, if we have these projections we will develop an aversion to theexperience.In part, these fearsmay arise from the initial sense of disorientation that can be experienced when

hearing about or first opening to the possibility of awareness that is contentless. If “it” is empty ornothing,thenwhatamI?WhereamI?Isthisnihilism?Theremaybeasensethatsomehowwhatisatstakeisthewholeegoprojectitself.“I”amrealaslong

asIdesireorrejectthings,oraslongasIlike,dislike,oramboredbythings.IfIweretostoplikingordisliking,whowouldIbe?WouldIvanish?Openingtothespontaneouspresenceofpureawarenessisinfactaprimalchallengetotheego’ssenseofexistence,soitisnowonderthatfearsofgroundlessnessandlossofidentitywouldarise.Atthisleveltheworkrequiresgreatcourage.Howdowenotrunfromthisseemingeffacementofour

existence?Throughouthistory,mysticshavebeenable topass this thresholdbyhavingcultivateddeepfaith, either in a religious narrative or as a sense of trust in the personal guidance and blessing of arevered teacher.This trustingcapacity, combinedwith the releaseofone’sneed toknow,provides thebasisofrelaxationbywhichonemayletgooftheideaofoneselfandrecognizewhatisalreadytrue:

Certainlyyouarenotyou;yetyoudonotknow.Knowthatthisexistenceisneitheryounornotyou.Youdonotexist;yetyouarealsonotanonexistence…Withoutbeingandwithoutnot-being,yourexistenceandyournonexistenceisAllah’sbeing,becauseitiscertainthatthebeingofthetruthisthesameasyourbeingandyournot-being,andatthesametimethetruthisyouandnot-you.14

—IBNAL‘ARABI

Aswereadthesekindsofstatementsfromthepointofviewofourconditionedexperience,wemayfeelanuncomfortableconfusion.Ifwedon’tgiveupatthispoint,thiskindofconfusioncanbecomeanally.Itgivesusahinthowdeeplytheworkofnondualawakeningisproceeding,andhelpstodislodgethefixityofourself-concept.

NOTHINGOBSCURESOPENAWARENESSUptonow,thischapterhasfocusedonvariouswaysinwhichrecognitionofthespontaneouspresenceofunconditioned awareness may be obscured. Yet even the very idea that this can happen— that openawarenesscanbeobscured—canbemisleading,andcanitselfobscureourrecognition.Aswearebeginningtoappreciate,openawareness—theever-present,timelessgroundofbeingthatis

ourmostintimatenature—isnotsomethingthatsomethingelsecangetinthewayof.Determiningwhatobscures open awareness is simply a way of thinking and speaking, a pedagogical style that may beprovisionallyusefulbutisbasicallyaconceptandnothingmore.Thegroundof beinghas no form.There is nothing to obscure.Our conditioned experience, i.e., our

needtodo,toknow,tomakemeaning,etc.,cannot“getinfrontof”spontaneouspresence.So what are we doing here?We are simply opening into the nature of paradoxes without trying to

resolvetheirseemingcontradictions.Wearebeginningtorecognizethatactionoccurswithoutadoerorachooser. We are beginning to recognize we no longer need to make an identity by asserting ourpreferences toothers andourselves.Wearebeginning to recognize that ourwell-practiced abilities to“know” things and to construct interpretations about what is real are limited tools, useful in manypracticalsituationsbutnothelpfulforrecognizingtheOnenessofBeing.Indeed,“recognizing”theOnenessofBeingdoesnotoccurinthesamewaywerecognizethissentence

or itsmeaning, or anything else that is phenomenal.While thismaybe confusing at this point,we arebeginningtoallowthepossibilitythattherecouldbeanotherwayofrecognitionthatdoesnotinvolveasubject“recognizing”anobject.Itisarecognitionthatoccursthroughbeingrecognition.Itistheendofwitnessing,ofbeingseparatefromwhatisknown.Recognitioninthisregardhappensallatonce,withoutdependenceonmemoryorinterpretation.

Inthiswaywebegintorecognizethatnothingcanobscurethespontaneouspresenceofopenawareness,becausenothingcangetin-betweenourbeingandBeing.

Exercises:WhatObscuresOpenAwareness?

1.PersonalInventoryGiveyourself time towrite answers to the followingquestions.Your answersdon’t have tobe in fullsentences—shortphrasesorevenlistsofwordsarefine—butengagewiththeintrospectionsincerely.

RESTLESSNESS

1 Whatkindofsituationsmakeyoufeelrestless?2 Whatkindofphysicalsensationsaccompanyyourrestlessness?3 Do you have typical “stories” or interpretations that arise concerning these feelings ofrestlessness,likeexplainingtoyourselfthatthesesensationsarebadorgood,ortheymeanthisorthat,ortheywillleadtoworsefeelings,etc.?

4 Whatdoyoudotoremoveorreducethesesensations?

BOREDOM

1 Whendoyoufeelbored?2 Whatisyourexperiencewithmeditation(allkinds)andboredom?3 Whatdoesitfeellikewhenyouarebored?Trytodescribethisfeeling.4 Whatdoyoutypicallydotoremoveorreducethisfeeling?

STIMULATION

1 Describeyourtypicalroutinesforkeepingyourmindactive.2 Whatkindsofactivitiesdoyouturntowhenyouwanttobe“distracted?”(TV,books,shopping,etc.)?

3 Whenyouturntoactivitiesthatofferdistraction,whatarethefeelingsthatoccurjustbeforeyouturn?

4 Whatdoyoumostoftenwanttobedistractedfrom?

MAKINGMEANING

1 Someofthewayswemakemeaningarebyconstructingandmaintainingstoriesaboutwhoweareandwhatwestandfor.Trytodescribeafewofthecommonstoriesyouusewhenexplainingtopeoplewhoyouareandwhatyoustandfor.

2 Inasimilarway,describeinsummaryformafewof thecommonstoriesyoutellothersaboutyourpsychologicalmakeup—whyyouhavesuch-and-suchapattern,whateventsinyourearlylifecausedyoutobesuch-and-suchaway,etc.

3 Listthreethingsthatyouknowtobetrue,andthendescribehowyouknowthemtobetrue.

2.NoticingBehaviorPatternsOverthecourseofthenexttwotothreeweeks,noticethefollowingbehaviorpatternsinyourdailylife.Thereisnoneedtotrytochangethesebehaviorsorjudgeyourselfforhavingthem,simplynoticetheiroccurrence.Ofcourse,youmay findyou forget tonotice thesepatterns forpartor allof aday.That’s

okay,justnoticethemasoftenasyoucan.1 Noticeyourneedtobedoingsomethingnext.2 Noticewhenyouseemtobemakingaproblemoutofaproblem, that is,whenyoumagnifysomeissuethatneedstobeattendedtowithanxiety,distress,judgments,etc.

3 Notice when you start to create “stories,” i.e., reviewing and making interpretations,corrections,elaborations,conclusions,etc.,aboutwhatishappeningorhashappened.

4 Noticewhenyousortyourexperienceintowhatyoulikeandwhatyoudon’t like,whatyouapproveofandwhatyoudon’tapproveof.

3.Positive,Negative,andPureListeningThisexerciseisbestdonewithafriendinastaged,role-playingway.Ittakesabouttenminutes,andiswell worth the time. If you can’t find a partner to do this with, you can explore it in your ownwaywhenever you are listening to someone. You can also observe these styles of listening in others,especially positive and negative listening. (I am grateful to Peter Fenner and Marie Barincou forinspiringthisexercise.)

1.PositiveListeningAsk your friend to start talking about something— an issue in their life, amemory from the past, anopinion,whatever.Silentlylistentotheminapositiveway,withinterestinwhattheyaresaying.Don’tspeak, but you can validate what they are saying by nonverbally giving energy to their story andencouragingthemtocontinue.Youwillbeveryfamiliarwiththistypeoflistening.Feelfreetogivelittlecuestoyourfriend,bothwithsoundsandinyourbodylanguage,thatshowyouareinterestedandaffirmwhat they are saying, although refrain from turning this into a conversation. This is an exercise inlistening.Noticehowthisstyleofpositivelisteningseemstoaffectwhatyourfriendissayingandhowtheyfeel.Dothisandthenexttwostylesoflisteningforaboutthreetofourminuteseach.

2.NegativeListeningWithyourfriendcontinuingtotalk,nowsilentlylistentotheminanegativeway,withnorealinterestinwhattheyaresayingbutwithaminimumofpolitenesssoyoudon’tjustgetupandwalkaway.Innegativelistening, you have no interest in validatingwhat your friend is saying, and youwish theywould stoptalking.Youexperienceyourselfdisconnectedanddetached,andinvolvedinyourownthoughts.Noticehowthisstyleofnegativelisteningseemstoaffectwhatyourfriendissayingandhowtheyfeel.

3.PureListeningWithyourfriendcontinuingto talk,nowsilently listen to theminneitherapositivewaynoranegativeway.Simplylistenwithfullattentiontowhattheyaresaying,butwithoutanyinvestmentonyourpartthattheyeithercontinuetotalkorstoptalking.Youneithervalidatewhattheyaresayingnorinvalidateit.Youarefullypresent,butyouhavenojudgmentoragendaofyourown.Ifyouexperienceyourselfinterpretingorassessingwhattheyaresaying,listentothatinthesamewayyouarelisteningtotheirtalk—withoutabiasofanykind.Noticehowthisstyleofpure listeningseems toaffectwhatyourfriend issayingandhowtheyfeel.Takeafewmomentswithyourfriendafterthisexercisetocheckhowitwasforthemwhileyoulistened

inthesethreeways.

4.Willing,Choosing,andControllingHere are several suggestions for exploring the question of individualwill. Explore them slowly,withcuriosity.Bethescientistofyourownexperience.

1 Intentionallygenerateathoughtaboutsomething,oranimageofsomething.Asyoudothis,lookcarefullytoseehowyoudoit.Howdidyouchoosethatthought?Why?Trythisagain.Seeifyoucan findhow,and if, the intention togenerate that thoughtor imageactuallydoes so. Is thereaconnectionbetweenthethoughtorimagethatappearsandtheintentiontohaveit?

2 Thinkaboutanissueinyourlife.Asyoudoso,seeifyoucandiscoverhowyouthink.Doyouwillwhatyouthink?Ifso,thatmeansyouareincontrolofthisthinkingprocess.Howdoyoudothat?

3 Trytorememberthenamesofeachofyourelementaryschool teachers.Watch,asyoutrythis,howyoudoitandhowyouareincontroloftheprocess.

4 Sitwithyourhandsrestingonyourthighs.Lookingcarefullyatthemomentofchoice,liftyourrighthandwhenyouchoosetodoso.Canyoufindwhatitisthatmakesthatchoice?

5 Make a movement you want to make. Nowmake a movement you don’t want to make. Is itpossibletodothelatter?

6 Nowagainmakeamovementthatyouwanttomake.Seeifyoucanfindoutwherethe“wantto”comesfrom.Doyoucontrolthat?

•4•

NOTICINGMENTALCONSTRUCTIONSANDFIXATIONS

Nextwemustundertaketheobservationofourdesiressoastounderstandwhatitisthatwearereallyseeking…Whatisdesiredisbliss,Ananda,whichexistsatalltimesinmyselfandineverything.Therealizationofthepresenceofthisbliss was lost to me when I became a separate ego, thereby losing sight of my essential identity with it. From thatmomenton,theworldofobjectsanddualitywasborn.Thisdualitymakesitimpossibleforustoperceivethepresenceofthisblisswhichabidesinourselvesasinallthings.15

—JEANKLEIN

Inthepreviouschapterandexercisesweexploredsomeofthewaysinwhichthespontaneouspresenceofopenawarenesscanbeobscured.Weidentifiedseveralpatternsofthinking,feeling,andbehavingthatkeep us identified with our conditioned existence. We focused especially on the ways in which weproduceasenseofidentityorpersonalselfhood:byidentifyingasthedoerofouractions,astheonewhomaintainsa fieldof likesanddislikes, as theonewhowillswhatheor shedoes, andas theonewhomakesmeaningoutofwhathappens.Wealsoconsideredthesubtextofallthesestrategiesforproducinganidentity:thefearofvanishing,ofbeingnothing.Thepointssummarizedintheprecedingparagraphcanbringupahostofobjections—forexample:Of

courseIamthe“doer”ofmyactions,whoelsecouldbe?OfcourseIhave“likesanddislikes,”howelsecan Inegotiatemyway in life, or enjoy things?Of course Iwillwhat I do,howelse canmyobviousfreedomtochoosebeexplained?OfcourseImakemeaningoutofwhathappens,howelsecouldIknowrightfromwrong,orcareaboutanything?Thesekindsofobjectionsfrequentlyoccurwhenoneisfirstconfrontedwiththeparadoxesofnondual

awareness.Noticeineachcasetheprominenceoftheideaofthe“I”anditsself-appointedroles.Byitsownlogic,the“I”insiststhatitiswhatkeepseverythinghappening.Butifwelookcarefullyatwhat ishappeningandhow ithappens,weseean infinitefieldofcausesandconditions implicated in the leastaction—theblinkingofyoureyeforexample,orthefallingofasingleraindrop.Whenweconsiderthattheexistenceoftheentireuniverseisimplicatedinthisever-flowing,spontaneousmoment,thenweseethereisneverjustasinglecauseorasingleagentforanaction.Yourcapacitytoreadthissentence,andthefactthatyouaredoingsorightnow,isnottheresultof“your”choicetodoso.Itisanactionthatis,ineffect,causeless,sincewecannotidentifyanyonecauseorseriesofcausesthatmakesitpossible.Forustothinkthereisan“I”thatcanchooseoractindependentlyfromtherestofrealityistheveryfantasythatcreatestheconditionsforfeelingsofalienationandexistentialloneliness.(Thesubjectofcausality,andwhether or not there really is a dynamic of “cause” and “effect” in an ultimate, nondual sense, goesbeyondourpurposeshere.Suffice it tosay thatyour reading this sentencemayverywellbecauselessbecause the infinite spontaneity of all being, of which your reading this sentence is a part, isfundamentallycauseless.)Nevertheless, the notion that there is an “I” is a durable one.Aswe have seen, the “I” continually

producesstoriesaboutreality,maintainingitsillusionofexistencethroughtheleadingroleitplaysinallofthem.Inthischapterwewillexploresomeofthetypicalwaysinwhichweconstructstoriesaboutwhoweareandwhatisreal.Wewillseehowwebecomeattachedtothesestories,thusmakingfixationsoutofthem,andwewillconsidertherootcauseofthisprocess:thetendencytodivideourexperienceintowhatwelikeandwhatwedislike.Once we become more adept at noticing the patterns of our likes and dislikes, and the mental

constructionsandfixationsthatweassemblearoundthem,wecanbegintounhookfromthereactivitysuchpatternsengender.Inthiswaywebecomefreetolivemorenaturalandspontaneouslives.Andbeyondthisgift,webecomeevermoreavailabletorecognizeunconditionedopenawarenessasthegroundofourbeing,andofallbeing.

LEARNINGTONOTICEMENTALCONSTRUCTIONSANDFIXATIONSMental constructions are simply the stories we constantly tell ourselves about the meaning of ourexperience.Theyarehowweinterpretreality,whatwebelievetobetrue,ourjudgmentsandopinions.Ratherthanbeingdescriptiveorfaithfultowhatis,theyoftencreatelayersofadditionalinterpretationsthatdistortourexperienceofreality.Ifwebecomeattachedtothesestories,theybecomewhatwecallfixations.Forexample, let’s imagine that cominghome fromworkafterahardday, I stumbleon the front step

whilecarryingin thegroceries.NowImight justpickupmyselfandthegroceriesandcontinueinside,constructingnothingoutof the incident.However, Imight instead feel a flashofanger.Already Ihavestartedconstructingsomething,evenonthisnearlyunconsciouslevel:somebodymustbeatfaultforthis.Ilookaroundforthecausesofmyanger.Whodistractedme?Whodidn’tfixthestep?WhydoIalwayshavetodotheshopping?Inarelativelyshorttimethesecausesorconditionsformysituationarepaintedwith an increasingly elaborate story in mymind. Soon, long histories andmultiple people and futurepredictionsareallwoven intoa reinforcingbelief: I doeverythingaroundhere.NoonenoticeshowoverworkedIam.Theyneverdidcareformeasmuchastheydoforthemselves.Ineedanewhouse.WhileImighthavebeenfreeinthebeginningtonoticetheangerandletitrelaxinitsowntime,Inowhave such a sequence of ideas, beliefs, and feelings that thewhole experience feels solid, dense, andunalterable.Theconstructionisbecomingafixation.Ofcourse,sometimesconstructionssimplyariseandthen dissipate — temporary little complaints about the world. But at other times they reinforce theconstellationoffixationswehavebuiltthroughoutourlife,andbecomepartofthem.Asweseewiththisexample,constructions—andthefixationsthatarisefromthem—oftendevelop

aroundsimpleproblems.Thingsdon’tgothewaywewantthemto.Weexperienceaproblem.Thenwebegintoaddlayersofinterpretation.Wemakemoreproblemsoutofourproblem.Recognizinghowandwhenweconstructthesestoriesorproblemsisessentialinreleasingourbeliefintheirtruth,andopeningintospontaneouspresence.Wheneverwesuspectwearecreatingastoryline,wecanaskourselvessimplequestionslike:Isthere

somethingbeingconstructedhere?WhatamIdoingnow?AmImakingaproblemoutofaproblem?AmImakingupastory?Whatisthestoryreallyabout?Whatistherootfeelingthatisbeingelaboratedhere?It’s also helpful to recognize the surface signs of constructions and fixations as they are being

manufactured.When we experience ourselves expressing inwardly or outwardly any of the followingsigns, there is a strong likelihood thatwe are constructing a story, or are alreadyunder the swayof afixation(oraclusterofthem):

• self-defense,self-protection• justifications,rationalizations,excuses• complaints• anger• self-pity• blames:self-directedorother-directed• categoricalstatements• repeatingsomethingyousayoften• talkingatlengthaboutyourselforothers• havingstrongopinions• insistingonsomething

Youmightthinkofothersymptomstoo.Wecanseefromthislistthateachbehaviormentionedimpliesidentificationwithastoryorpointofview.Sinceeachofusattachestoverydifferentstoriesandpointsofviewoverthecourseofalifetime,wecanseethereisnothingabsoluteaboutanyofourstories—theyaremerely the result of a particular streamof conditions at themoment anddonot reflect “the truth,”whateverthatmightbe.Theopinions,defensiveness,complaints,andjudgments,etc.,thatwefeltayearago, or five years ago, are simply no longer relevant.They don’t reflect “the truth” now. In fact, theyneverdid.Whenwe can clearly see howour blaming, complaining,worrying, justifying, and insisting have no

reliablebasis,wecanfinallyrelax.Wecanstop, right in themiddleofasentenceoranargumentoraworried thoughtstream.Since it takeseffort toproduce thestoryormaintainapointofview,stoppingactuallyrequiresnothing.Wejustrelax.Learningtocatchourselvesmid-streamandrelaxfromoureffortofconstructingstoriesinthiswayisa

rare skill of character, and is a gift for others towitness.We don’t need to get too serious about thisprocess;whenyouthinkaboutit,themostdelightfulpeopletobearoundarethosewithanonjudgmentalandhumorousviewofthemselves.

FIXATIONSANDTHEIRROOTSUltimately, livingour livesunder thedelusionof fixationsdrainsourenergyandspirit.TheAustralianBuddhist nondual teacher Peter Fenner in his ground-breaking work Radiant Mind, gives a succinctdescriptionoffixationsasthesourceofoursuffering:

WhereasearlyBuddhisttextsidentifythesourceofsufferingascravingorgrasping,theMiddlePath,orMadhyamaka,traditionofBuddhism uses the term “fixation.” The actual Sanskritword isdrshti, meaning “fixed opinion or belief,” but I prefer the term“fixation”becauseitbridgesthepsychological,cognitive,andenergeticaspectsofthephenomenon.Fixation refers to thewaywegraspontoourselvesand the things thatmakeupourworld,believing these tobeeither realor

illusory.Fixationoccurswheneverwetakearigidandinflexiblepositionaboutanyaspectofourexperience.Whenwe’refixated,weinvestmental,emotional,andphysicalenergyinfocusingononeparticularinterpretationofreality….Whenwe’re fixated,we see things throughdualistic categories, suchasgoodorbad, right andwrong, self andother,oneand

many.We’reeitherhappyormiserable,freetodowhatwewantorcontrolledbyourcircumstances,responsibleornotresponsibleforourbehavior.We’reprogressing towardourgoal,orwearen’t.Peopleare either enlightenedorunenlightened.To theextentwe’refixated,weintroduceabiasordistortionintoourexperienceofourselvesandtheworld….Ratherthanseeingthingsastheyare,weview theworld through the filterofouropinionsandpreferences, likesanddislikes, andwe’reconstantly trying toavoidwhatwedon’tlikeandtoobtainorprolongwhatwedo.16

AsFennerpointsout,therootcauseoffixationscanbetracedbacktoouridentificationwithourlikesanddislikes.Wetendtoreacttoourexperienceinoneoftwoways—either:(1)Ilikethis,Iapproveof

it,Iwantmoreofit;or(2)Idon’tlikethis,Idon’tapproveofit,Iwantittostop.Ofcourse,onone level this isquitenatural—asorganicbeingsweseek tosustain life through this

fundamentalpreferring.Webuildsheltertoprotectusfromtherainandsnow,wefindfoodwhenwearehungry,wewithdrawourhandwhenittouchesacandleflame.But as complex human beings embedded in a complex civilization, this natural, survival-based

preferringhasextended tosituations farbeyondsurvivalneeds.Ourpatternsofattractionandaversionhave become highly elaborate structures through which we identify ourselves. In fact, identification,attachment,attraction,aversion—thesearedifferentwaystospeakaboutthesameprocessresponsiblefor forming the illusion of a personal, separate self. The “I” believes it has found evidence for itsexistencebecause“I”amtheonewholikesthisordislikesthat.“Iammylikesanddislikes.”Aswesettleevermoredeeplyintothewebofourpreferences,wespinmorewebstorationalizeor

judgewhatishappeningaroundus.Wesay,Thisisgood;thisisbad.Iapproveofthis;Idon’tapproveofthat.Forexample,hereisatypicalpreferencestream:Idon’twantthosepeopletocomeovertonight.Idon’tfeelgood.Anyway,Idon’tlookgoodtoday.Myhair’samess.Itmustbethatnewshampoo.Inever wanted to buy it anyway. It was that clerk in the pharmacy who talked me into it. Etc. Weconstruct an internal logic to rationalize our preferences, and the result is our being convinced of itsefficacy.Webecomeinsistent.Insistency isahallmarkof fixations.We loseourcapacity forequanimityand flexibility, and instead

alignourwellbeingwiththedemandthatthingsturnoutjustaswewantthem.Orinsituationswhenweconfrontsomethingwedon’tlike—forexample,thestatementofapoliticianwedon’tapproveof—wereactwithatorrentofjudgmentandinsistentrighteousness.Wemaybe tempted to think that fixations are obviously unreasonable reactions andwe, beingmore

reasonable beings, are not susceptible to them. But this is not the case. The subtle and not-so-subtlepresenceofour likesanddislikes iswithuswhereverwego.Wereactpositivelyornegativelyto thisnoise or that voice, this idea or that feeling. For many people this “fixation reaction” is so deeplyingrained itbecomes theprimarywaytheyencounterreality:sorting itaccording towhat isacceptableandwhatisnot,whattheywanttocontinueandwhattheywanttostop.Anotherwaytolookattherootcauseoffixationsistoseethatidentifyingwithourlikesanddislikesis

anexpressionofneed.ByaligningmyidentitywiththingsI likeandthingsIdon’t like,Iamimplicitlydefiningmyselfasincomplete.Thatis,IneedmyworldtoproducethingsIlikeandtoprotectmefromthingsIdon’tlike.Whenthisstrategyissuccessful,whentheworlddoesproducethingsIlike,thenIneedittokeepdoingthat.WhentheworldproducesthingsIdon’tlike,Ineedittochange.Thusthe“I,”asabeingdefinedbyitslikesanddislikes,isbydefinitionabeinginneed.SomethingisalwaysmissingfortheI.ThisperpetualinsecurityistheI’sdefiningcharacteristic.TheIcanneverbecompleteorwhole,thoughittriestomanufacturewholenessbypossessingthings,people,sensations,ormentalconclusionsintheformofopinionsandbeliefs.As we shall see as we proceed in this work, releasing the primal fixation of needing things to be

different allows the possibility of opening into the spontaneous presence of self-occurring awareness.Whentheformationoftheneedy“I”isseenforwhatitis—simplyanideaandnotafact—weareabletolet itgo.Weareabletoletthingsbejustastheyare.Lettingthingsbeallowsustoacceptwhatlifepresentswithoutinterferingwithit throughourneedinessorourcontrivingtomakethingsdifferent.Weacceptwhat isbecauseit is.Wearewideopen.Fromthespaciousnessofouropennesswearefreetorespondspontaneouslyandwithouttheturbulencecreatedbyneedingthingstobedifferent.Itisimportanttonotethattheemphasishereisonattachmenttooutcome.Thisistherootqualityofthe

tendencytodivideourexperienceintowhatwelikeandwhatwedon’tlike.Weareofcoursestillableto

enjoyahotshowermorethanacoldone,orakissmorethanalookofdisdain.Butifthehotwaterrunsout,orsomeonejudgesus,wedon’tneedtomakeabigdealoutofit.Itsimplyiswhatis.Wedon’tneedtoloadthesituationwithattachmenttoourlikingthingstobeacertainway.Whatoccurs,occurs.Werestin clear awareness and as clear awareness— no matter what occurs. Then we don’t contribute oursufferingorresistancetothesituation.Wewill return to this point shortly, because there ismore to explore regarding howwe actwithout

preferring,butfirstlet’sconsidersomeofthedynamicsofobservingandreleasingfixations.

NOTICINGFIXATIONSBeforewecanfreeourselvesfromfixationsandtheirreactivity,wemustlearntonoticethem.Webeginbysimplyobservingwhatishappening,bynoticingthepatternsofourpreferences,ourlikesanddislikes.Noticetheshapeandrecurrenceofyourfeelingsofneediness.Itisnotnecessarytoanalyzewhyyouhavethesepreferences;simplynoticethatyoudo.Noticehowyoursenseofidentityiswovenintothispatternofattractionsandaversions.Butdon’tbecomeobsessedwithfixingyourfixations—that’sanotherkindofinsistence.Justseethem

forwhattheyare.Itishelpfultobeabitlightheartedaboutthis.Manypeoplereportthatatacertainpointtheybegin to see fixations everywhere.They are dismayed anddisappointedwith themselves, orwithotherswhose fixationsarealsoondisplay.This iswhere lightheartednessandcompassionarehelpful.Remember,fixationsdonotactuallyexistassomethingsolidorimmovable.Theyarepatternsofthoughtandreactivity.Theyvanishwhennotrepeated.Ihighlyrecommendthispracticeofnoticingyourpreferencesandattraction-aversiontendencies.While

itisn’talwayscomfortable,itwillserveyouwell.Asyoulearntonoticeyourbasicresponsesintermsoflikingordislikingwhat’shappening toyouoraroundyou, theattachmentsyouhave to these responseswill,ontheirown,loosentheirgrip.Onereasonforthislooseningisbecauselearningtonoticeyourpatternsofpreferringinvolvesashift

fromidentifyingasthepersondefinedbythosepreferencestosimplybeinganeutralobserver.Sometimesthisneutralspaceofobservationiscalled“creatingthewitness.”Theideaofbeingawitnessallowsthecreationofsomespacearoundyourlikesanddislikes,whichmayhavebeenexperienceduptothistimeasanessentialpartofyouridentity.Iftheideaofbeingawitnessishelpfulforyou,byallmeansuseit.Justrealizethatthenotionofthewitnessisanintermediatestep.Therereallyisnowitnessassuch.Thereiswitnessing—awarenessitself—butnoentitythatwitnesses.Below are a number of situations we all encounter in life. They represent typical circumstances in

whichour identificationwithour likesanddislikes is fairlyapparent.Observeyourselfcloselyasyouencountertheminyourdailylife.Whatdoyounoticeaboutyourselfandyourreactivetendenciesoflikingsomethingordislikingit?

• Noticewhenyouaretryingtojustifyyourself.Noticehowyoufeelatthosetimesandwhatyouwanttohappen,ornothappen.

• Noticewhenyoufeelembarrassmentoruncertaintyaboutyourappearanceorsomethingyousay.Conversely,noticewhenyoufeelprideaboutthesethings.Noticehowyouactorwhatyoustartthinkingaboutwhenyoufeeleitherembarrassmentorprideintheseways.Seeifyoucannoticewhatyouwanttohappenornothappeninthesesituations.

• Notice when you try to draw attention to yourself, like talking loudly, interrupting others, ortryingtomakeotherslaugh.Whatpromptsthis?Whatdoyouwanttohappen,ornothappen?

• Noticewhen you try to avoid having attention turned to you, likewhen you avoid contact orconversation.Whatpromptsthis?Whatdoyouwanttohappen,ornothappen?

• Noticewhenyoutrytopleasepeople.Noticetheparticularwaysyoudothis—throughwordsandactions.Whatdoyouwanttohappen?

• Noticewhenyouresistotherpeopleandwhattheysayorwant.Noticetheparticularwaysyoudothis,howyouarecritical,judgmental,orattempttoblameorcorrectpeople.Whatdoyouwanttoavoidhappening?

• Noticewhenyouarecriticalorjudgmentalaboutyourself.Seeifyoucannoticehowyouthinkthiscriticismistrue.Whatistheevidence?Isitpermanentlytrueorprovisionallytrue?

• Noticewhenyoutrytointensifyyourexperience—throughsubstances,bodilyexertion,talk,or“mentalcatastrophizing.”Whatdoyouwanttohappen,ornothappen?Noticetherootsensationintheseinstanceswhenyouarefeelingyoudon’twantthepresentstatetocontinue,whenyouwantto intensifyyourexperience.Observe thatpreference,howitarises inyourawarenessandhowyoumakeconstructionsandfixationsaroundit,andthenidentifywiththem.

• Noticewhenyoudisagreestronglywithwhatothersaresayingordoing,orwhenyoubecomeangry. Notice the quickness of your reaction to them. What is happening there? What is thepreferencethatmotivatesyourreaction?

Thesesituationsareexamples;youmaydiscovermanyothersasyoumakethispracticeyourown.Asitevolves, youwill notice a gradual opening of your experience.Therewill begin to occurmore spacearoundyourreactionstowhatotherssayordo,oraroundyourownassertivenessorreluctance.Thepointisnottoengageinalengthyanalysisofyourdesiresandtheircauses,simplytonoticeyourpreferencethatsomethingcontinueorstop.

ACTINGWITHOUTBIASLearning to live and act free from the bias of our likes and dislikes is a subject that often producesconfusionorargument.Sometimespeopleobjecttothisapproachbyusingexamplesrelatedtosurvivalsituations:forexample,thehouseisonfire—doIacceptwhatisandjustsitthere?Ofcoursenot.Thesameistrueforrespondingtoinjustice.Restinginthespontaneouspresenceofopenawarenessdoesn’tmean we are passive. By being fully present to what is we can respond more appropriately when aresponseiscalledfor.Wedowhatisobvious.Wejustdon’twasteourenergyortheenergyinasituationwithturbulentreactionsstemmingfromourfixationsandtheneedyidentificationthatunderliesthem.Otherobjectionstolivingandactingwithoutbiasincludequestionslikethefollowing:Areyousaying

thatdesireandpreferencesarewrong?HowelsedoImakedecisionsormakethingshappenorstopthemfromhappening?It’snaturaltofeelpassionorangerorembarrassment!AreyousayingthatIshouldresistthesenaturalfeelings?AsImentionedabove,theemphasishereisonattachmenttooutcome,notonthesimpleinclinationto

either experience or not experience something.When I use the words liking, disliking, desiring, andpreferring,Iampointingtothegraspingqualityoftheseexperiences.Aswithmanyareasinthediscourseof nonduality, there do not seem to be adequatewords to describe, for example, desire that does notgrasp.Perhapswecouldcallitinclination,oropenness,ornaturalresponsiveness.If,forexample,youstoponapathtosmellaroseandbenddowntowardit, thatmovementcouldbe

callednaturalresponsiveness.Nowifsomeonecallstoyouatjustthatmoment,causingyoutoturnyourheadandstandup,thusmissingthemomentofsmellingtherose,youcouldeitherbeannoyedbecauseyou

wereinterrupted,orbecompletelypresenttothepersonwhocalledtoyou.Thedifferenceinthesetworeactionsisthedifferencecausedbyattachmentoritsabsence.(Andwecouldalsostandthisexampleonitshead:youare about to smell the rose and thenhear someonecallingyourname,butyou intuitivelyknowthispersonisjusttryingtodrawattentiontohimself.Inthiscase,youhavenoattachmenttosocialpolitenesseither,andcontinuesmellingtherose.)Whatweareinvitinghereis thepossibilityoflivingfreefrombiasandattachments,withoutneeding

things to be a certain way— simply accepting what is while still being completely responsive towhatevershowsupinthemoment.Aswelearntoopentonondualawareness,webegintonoticethevastfieldofourpreferencesandthe

thoughts, feelings,andactions thatarise from thosepreferences.We justnotice.Graduallyournoticingthem begins to reduce their insistence and reactivity.We experiencemore space around our thoughts,feelings, and actions. That spaciousness begins to be experienced as a greater and greater sense ofequanimity. Serenity opens in our life.We no longer lead with our likes, dislikes, and opinions.Wesimplyarepresenttowhatis.Noclamoringforit,andnoavoidanceordenialofit.Weacceptwhatissimplybecauseitis,includingourfeelingsaboutit.Wearenolongeravictimofthosefeelings,oroftherootpreferencestheygrowfrom.Likes,dislikes,feelings,identifications,attachments—thesemayarise,but we don’t experience ourselves as stuck to them. They are simply objects and sensations in ourawareness.Theyariseandvanish,asdoallobjectsandsensationsinourawareness.

RELEASEATINCEPTIONIn a future chapterwewill explore thedynamicdescribedby the fourteenth-centuryTibetanDzogchenmasterLongchenpa,calledreleaseatinception.Iwouldliketointroduceitherebriefly,however,asaway toconclude thischapter.Myhope is itwill serve toeaseanypossible senseyoumayhave,afterreadingallofthis,thatmentalconstructionsandfixationsrepresentproblemsrequiringalotofskillandefforttogetridof.Theydon’t.Yes,fixationshaveastubborntendencytoshowupagainandagaininourmind stream— that’swhy they’re called fixations—but in themselves they are like all othermentalphenomenathatariseinourawareness:theyoriginateoutofnothing(thatis,theyaren’ttherebeforetheyare),seemtoabideforamomentortwo(althoughtheydon’texactly“abide”inafixedway),andthentheyvanishbackintonothingwithoutanyeffortonourpart.Theyarereleasednaturally.Youcantestthisforyourselfrightnow.Trytogeneratethefeeling-toneofoneofyourcommonfixations

—forexample,atypicalsituationinwhichyoufeelyouneedtojustifyyourself.Ifyouaresuccessfulatgeneratingthisfeeling-tone,eventoasmalldegree,youmaynoticethatthepatternofthefixation,withitsaccompanying emotional state, arises in your awareness for a moment or two, and then begins todissipate,andwillvanishaltogetherunlessyourepeatthethoughtorimagethatstimulatedit.Overthenexttwenty-fourhoursyoumighttrythisagainwithafewreal-life“fixationsituations.”For

example,theremaybeasituationinwhichyoufeelunsureofyourselfanddon’tknowwhattodo.Noticethat the thought-feelingofuncertaintyappears, seems toabide forawhile,and thennaturallydissolvesintothenextthingthathappens.Andifyoulookcarefullyyoumaynoticethateveninthemomentswhenitseemsto“abide,”itischangingandmoving,becomingstronger,diminishing,addingnewelements,etc.Itdoesn’teven“abide”asthesamethingformorethananinstant.Let’stryanotherexample:sayyousuddenlyfeelaflashofangeratyourpartnerbecauseonceagainshe

didn’tput the topbackon the toothpaste tube,even thoughyou’veaskedher todosomany times.Youshout,“Ihateitwhenyoudothat!”Assoonasyoushout,yourememberthissuggestion,anddoyourbesttonoticewhat’shappening.Younoticethetypicalsensationsofanger:heatrisinginyourchestandface,

thedistancebetweenyourrighteouspointofviewandyourpartner’sbehavior,anear-immediatefloodofmentaljustificationsforraisingyourvoice,etc.Nowwatchwhathappens.Eitheryourpointofviewgetsreinforcedbymore justifications (e.g., recountingall thepreviouswrong-doingsofyourpartner),or itimmediatelystartstodissipate,naturally,onitsown,ifyoudon’taddfueltoitsfire.Thisnaturaldissipatingissometimescalledthe“self-liberating”qualityofphenomena.TheDzogchenrecognitionof“releaseatinception”pointstothesamequality.InthewordsofDzogchen

teacher/translator Keith Dowman, release at inception entails “confidence in the simultaneity of theinceptionandreleaseof thought that inducesaconstantopeningupthat turns intoseamless thought-freeopenness.”AndasLongchenpadescribesit:

Whatever occurs externally as themanifold appearance of the five types of external objects (forms, sounds, smells, tastes andtangibles)orinternallyassomementalactivity,attheverymomentofitsinceptionasafielditisseenjustasitis,andbytheforceofitsadventitisfullypotentiatedandthenvanishesbyitself—howcoulditpossiblyremain?—releasedwithoutatrace,andinthatmoment the three crucial functions — carefree detachment in whatever arises, access to wide-open spaciousness, and easyrelaxationintotheappearanceuponitsinception—areassimilated.17

It isnotnecessary tounderstandeverythingreferred tobyLongchenpa in thispassagerightnow.Theimportant thing is simply to begin to explore and appreciate, through your own experience, that everyperception that arises in your awareness,whether thought, emotion, or sensation, “vanishes by itself.”Whenwenolongerputenergyintorepeatingmentalphenomena,theyvanish!Thisisthenaturalreleaseoffixations.Throughtheconstantpracticeofrelaxingthegripofourattractions,aversions,andthereactivefixations

thatexpressthemselvesfromourpreferences,weopentoaserenityinourlivesthatallowsustoaccepteachexperienceasitarises—simplybecausethat’swhat’shappening—withoutturbulentreactivity.Ratherthanlosinganythingthroughreleasingattachmenttoourlikesanddislikes,ourexperienceopens

ustothepossibilityofthemostprofoundintimacy.Afinalexample:imagineyouareonyourdeathbed.Youknowyouhaveonlyanhourortwoleftinthis

life.Yourclosestfriendisbesideyou.Whatwouldbemosthelpfultoyouinthatmoment?Woulditbeyour friend responding toyour imminentdeathwith emotional reactivity from layersof fixations aboutloss,fearofdeath,attachmenttoyou,etc.?Orwoulditbemorehelpfulifyourfriendwereserene,freeoffixations,andcompletelypresenttoyouinthosemoments,acceptingwhatis?

Exercises:NoticingMentalConstructionsandFixations

1.ObservingFixationsThe purpose of this exercise is to become more aware of your fixations as they arise. The primaryinstruction is this: over the coming weeks do whatever you can to observe your fixations and theattractionsandaversionsthatmotivatethem.Remember,youdon’thavetomakevaluejudgmentshere;youdon’thavetoattackyourattractionsandaversionsorjudgethem.Justnoticethem.Becomeanexpertonyourfixations.Itisdefinitelyhelpfultofullyacknowledgeandacceptthatyou—likeallofus—havedeveloped constellations of fixations over the course of your life that formyour opinions, values, andbeliefsystems.Thereisnoneedtohidethemfromyourself,orthinkyouareafailurebecauseyoufeelyouaresubjecttothem.As mentioned in this chapter, you may choose to begin this exercise by noticing when you are

constructing something — a set of justifications or some other interpretation. You may continue thisprocesswithadeeperinquiry,asking:Fromwhatattractionoraversiondoesthisfixationarise?Conversely, you may find it easier to directly take note of your tendencies of liking and disliking

momenttomoment.Watchwhatyouapproveofandwhatyoudon’tapproveof.Continue this exercise byusing the list of typical “fixation situations”onpages59-60 to expand the

scopeofyourexplorations.Beawarethatyoumayexperiencesomeresistancetothisprocessbecauseyoumayfeelitmakesyou

self-consciousorself-critical.Ifthat’sthecase,thenexplorethatfeeling.Isthereafixationhere?This isanexercise inbecomingawareof thepresenceofyourpreferences,opinions,and judgments.

Allyouneedtodoistonoticethem—youdon’thavetopsychoanalyzeyourselforchangethewayyoureact—justmakea littlespacebetweenyour likingordislikingsomethingandthereactionthatarisesfromthatlikingordisliking.Inthatspaceyouwillbeabletonoticewhat’shappening.

2.FixationDialogueThisexerciseismosteasilydonewithapartner,atleasttobeginwith.Askafriendwhoisopentothiskindofexplorationtojoinyou;perhapsyoucanexplainyourunderstandingofthischaptertothem,oraskthemtoreadit.Ifworkingwithapartnerisnotpossible,youcanstillengageinthisdialogue;simplytakebothpartsyourself.At somepointyouwill internalize thiskindofdialogueanyway, inquiring into thenatureoffixationsdirectlywithouttheneedforapartner.Ifyoufeelreluctanttoworkwithsomeoneinthisway,orwithyourself,perhapsthinking,Iamtoobusy,theotherpersonwillbetoobusy,I’dratherwait and do this later, this won’t work for me, this is a ridiculous exercise, etc., notice these arefixations!Noticeyourpreferenceshereandtheleveltheyareworkinginyou.Inacoupleofmonthsyouwillbegladyoudid.This exercise introduces what Buddhists call unfindability inquiry — the main topic of the next

chapter.Inthisexercisewewillbeginwithjustoneelementoftheinquiryprocess;engagingwithitnowwillmakethenextstageofourworkunfoldmoreeasily.Thephenomenonoffixationisarelationalevent:ithasthreeelements:(1)someonewhoisfixated(the

fixator);(2)somethought,belief,feeling,event,etc.,towhichtheyarefixated(thefixation);and(3)the

processoffixationitself,howitworks(thefixating).Astrangeaspectofthisprocessisthatifwelookcloselyatanyoneoftheseelements,theobjectofourinquirydissolvesbeforeoureyes.Herewewillfocusspecificallyonnumberthree—theprocessoffixating—asking:Whatisit?Where

doesithappen?Howexactlydowe“fix”orgrasporclingtothisfixation?Howisitstuckontous?Inthisexercisetherearetworoles:thefixatorandtheinquirer.Takeeachroleinturnwithyourpartner

(oryourselfifalone).Herearetheinstructions:Thefixatorspeaksofapersonalfixation—somethingheorsheholdsontosuchasanideal,ananxiety,

animageofhimorherself,apossession,apastexperience.Thisexerciseworksbestwhenthefixationiscurrentlybeingexperiencedinthemoment;otherwisetheinquirycanbecometheoreticalandabstract.Tohelpthis,theinquirermayasktheirpartnertotryto“generate”thefeelingofthefixation,orfindonethatisreadilyexperiencedinthemoment.The inquirer listens carefully, respecting that your partner’s report is indeed what he or she is

experiencing,whileat thesame timegenuinelycuriousabouthowthis isactuallyhappening.Your tasknowistoinitiateaninquirywithyourpartnerthatquestionstheassumptionthatthefixationhassomekindofpropertybywhichit“sticks”tothefixator.Typesofquestionsyoumightuseare:Canyoucontactinyourselfhowthis(pastexperience,etc.)holds

ontoyou?Canyoulocatewhereitishappening?Isithappeningnow?Doesitholdontoyou,ordoyouholdontoit?Howdoesitdothat?Orhowdoyoudothat?Areyoudoingitnow?Doyouholdontoitwitha thought? How do you stick the thought to the fixation? Can you show me how you do that? Otherquestionswillsurface.Allowthemtorisenaturally,givingplentyoftimeforintrospection.Becreativewithyourquestions.Seewhereitgoes.Noticeifyougetcaughtupintheconstructionof

yourpartner’sfixation.Don’tbeconcernedifyoudo.Dothislongenoughsotheinquiryisauthenticallyexperienced,butdon’tlaborit towardanykindofconclusion.Thislastpointisimportant—avoidthefeeling thatyouoryourpartnerhas toaccomplishsomethingorhaveabreakthrough.This issimplyanopen-endedandhonestinquiry,withoutagoal.Ofcoursethisisaveryoddseriesofquestions—andonceyouhavereadthroughtheseinstructions

youmaythinkyougetthepointandthere’snoneedtodotheexercise.NeverthelessIencourageyoutotrythis,andtotrytoanswerthequestionsposedtoyou.Whatistheinternaldynamicbywhichyouattachtoafixation?

3.MeditationPracticeSittinginsilence“doingnothing”and“doingyourpractices”areexcellentfieldsinwhichtocontinuethisexerciseofobservingyourfixations.Herearetwoapproaches:

1 Ifyouhavebeengivingtimeeachdaytothepracticeofsubtleopening(chaptertwo)orothermeditationpractices,duringyourpracticetimeobservecloselyyourlikesanddislikes,andyourdesiretohaveyourexperiencechangeorremainthesame.Watchcarefullywhenyoustartfeelingyour present experience should change, or that you want it to keep happening as it is at thatmoment.Notice the root impulses of restlessness, boredom, the desire for stimulation, and thedesire formoremeaning (or, conversely, the desire formental silence).Notice howyou sensetheseimpulseswhentheyoccur.Becuriousaboutthearisingandpassingofyourimpatience.

2 Duringyourmeditationpractice,watchhowmentalconstructionsmaybegintoassembleinyourconsciousness.Becomeawareofyourinterest inthemandhowtheyformfixations.Watchwhathappenstothemwhenyounoticethem.

•5•

SELF-INQUIRY

Self-inquiryisastyleofradicalquestioningthatdeconstructsfixations.Thistypeofinquirycanrelaxthegripofhabitual“self-positioning”thatisattherootofallfixations:e.g.,beingtheonewhoapprovesofthisanddisapprovesofthat,theonewhoisunhappy,orhappy,orlost,orunworthy,orworthy,etc.Asouridentificationwiththese“self-positions”evaporates,thepossibilityopensforunfilteredrecognitionofourtruenature.Thischapterintroducestwolinesofapproachinself-inquiry:(1)questionsthatencourageustomake

contactwith the somatic experience— the physical sensations— that lurk at the root of the fixation-makingprocess; and (2) questions that lead to the recognition that each element of the fixation-makingprocessisfundamentallyinsubstantialandunfindable.These lines of self-inquiry are effective because they help undermine our belief in the logic of a

particularfixation.Self-inquiryturnsourattentiontonoticingwhatisactuallyhappeningnow,orwhatistrue right now— either in terms of energetic, sensate experience, or the direct recognition of pure,contentlessawareness.Itisimportanttonotethatthiskindofself-inquiryisnotmeanttoreplacepsychotherapy.Itspurposeis

not to heal a person’s psychologicalwoundsor traumatic experiences, or enhanceone’s coping skills.Thesekindsofthingsmayindeedoccurinsomecases,buttoengageinthisworkwiththeexpectationofsuchresultswouldbeamistake.Ifeelitisespeciallyimportantforustorecognizewhenpsychotherapymaybeappropriate,andtonotbeshyaboutengaginginitorencouragingotherstodoso.Self-inquiry has a different purpose. It employs a typeof simple questioning aimed at looseningour

beliefintheideathatweareaseparateself.Itdoesthis,asImentionedabove,byremainingfaithfultothequestions:Whatishappeningrightnow?andWhatistruerightnow?Therootednessofself-inquiryin the here and now is essential, because it cuts through thought constructions and emotionally ladenstories built ofmemory of the past and projections of the future.Coming into the presentmoment andrecognizingwhatisactuallyhappeningallowsourawarenessto“relaxinto”itsownnature,priortoanycontent.Formsofself-inquirydon’tfollowaneatrecipe.Theactualquestionsposedarechangeableaccording

tothepersonandthecircumstances,althoughcertainquestionsdotendtorecur.Rather,theeffectivenessofself-inquirydependsupontheclarityandequanimityofthequestioner.Butdon’tletthisintimidateyou— inmy experience one of the best ways to deepen our capacity for recognizing and stabilizing theexperienceofspontaneouslypresentawarenessistoengageinthistypeofinquirybothasthequestionerandtheonequestioned.Theformsofquestioningdescribedherearedrawnfrommajornondualtraditions:theHindusagesof

AdvaitaVedanta; the koans of theZenRinzai tradition, theunfindability inquiry of theBuddhist sageNagarjuna; the pointing out questions of the Tibetan Buddhist Mahamudra tradition; and the variousinquiryprocessesillustratedinthewritingsandsatsangsofcontemporarynondualteacherssuchasJean

Klein, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, Bob Adamson, Peter Fenner, John Wheeler, Tony Parsons, IsaacShapiro,KarlRenz,andAdyashanti.Intheexamplesdescribedhere,self-inquiryispresentedmainlyasaconversationthathappensbetween

twopeople:aquestionerorguideandthepersonbeingquestioned.However,theseformsofquestioningcaneasilybeinternalizedandusedproductivelyonyourown.

THERESONANTFIELDInworkbetweentwopeople,self-inquiryrequirescreatingasharedspaceinwhichthequestionerseestheonequestionednotasatroubledorconfusedperson,butinhisorherfundamentalnatureasopen,pureawareness. In theviewof thequestioner there isno separationbetweenhimorherself and thepersonbeing questioned. This shared space allows the questioner to “feel from the inside” the nature of thedissonancebetweenwhatthepersonexperiencesisrealandwhatactuallyis.A field of resonance occurs through the coming together of several factors: the clarity of open

awarenessinwhichtheguiderests;theguide’sskillwiththeinquiryprocess;thereadinessandsincerityof the one being questioned; and the safety and undistracted quality of the environment in which theinquiryoccurs.Theresonantfieldisbestservedwhenthequestioner/guideisfreefromanyagendaandisnotpushing

for a specific outcome. If the person being questioned experiences some level of liberation from afixation, that’s fine. If not, that’s okay too.This equanimity in the guide is helpful to the person beingquestioned, especially by reducing the sense that the guide is going to “do” something thatwill affectchangefromtheoutside,orthatanexpectationisplacedonthepersonquestionedthatheorshemust“getit.”Thenthepersonisfreetoengagedirectlywithwhatishappening,withoutpressure.

THEONERULE“TheOneRule”isanameI’vegiventoasimpledynamicinself-inquiry:whenworkingwithyourownfixation or guiding another’s inquiry with a fixation, move attention toward the actual physicalsensations occurring in themoment that signal the presence of the fixation. Thismeans that in theinquiry process one gently encourages a person to turn their attention to the physical sensations thatappearprior to interpretingthemas“fear”or“anxiety”or“anger”oranyothernamedemotion,oranycausative storiesassociatedwith the fixation inquestion.Theperson is instead invited to focuson theactual sensations they feel in the moment — their location, qualities, and intensity, and then simplyexperiencethemwithoutinterpretation.This processworks bestwhen the persondoing thework is actually experiencing the affect of their

fixation in themoment, rather than thinkingabouta fixation theyhavebeendisturbedby in thepast,orexpecttobedisturbedbyinthefuture.However,ifoneisnotexperiencingtheaffectofthefixationduringtheinquiryprocess,andismoreorlessreportingaboutthefixationfrommemory,thispracticecanstillbeusefulsinceitfamiliarizesonewithrecognizingthephysicalsensationsassociatedwiththefixation.In describing this process to someone who asked how she might overcome her fear, Jean Klein

remarked:

Find out and explore the actual perception, the sensation of fear, where it is localized in your body, its density and so on. Indiscoveringtheperceptyouaredisassociatedfromit.Inexploringwhatyouarenot,youdiscoverwhatyouare.

Togiveusamoreconcreteexampleofthedynamicsofself-inquiry,let’screateanimaginarydialoguebetweenyourselfandthewomanJeanKleinwasrespondingto.Let’ssayshetellsyouthatsheisoften

fearfulinsocialsituations,unsureofherself,andanxious.Youmightbeginbyasking:

Thisfearthatyouaredescribing,areyoufeelingitnow?“Yes.”

I’dliketoinviteyoutogetincontactwiththisfeeling,canyoudothat?(Pause)“OK,yes,it’squitestrongnow.”

Canyoudescribewhereitisinyourbodythatyousenseit?“It’sinmychestsomehow,aroundmyheart.”

Canyoudescribethefeelingitself,theactualsensation—isithot,orcold,orlikeapressureorpain,adullacheorasharpache?“It’smorelikeafeelingofcompression,aclenching,andafeelingofdread.”

Whatisthis“dread”feeling?Howdoesitshowupinyourbody?Isitthesameclenchingfeelingin your chest, or something different? (Pause) (Notice here that the questioner spotted theword“dread,”which isanemotional interpretation just like theword“fear,”and inquired into itsactualphysicalsensationinthemoment,ratherthanhavethepersongettangledinthementalinterpretationsignifiedbytheword“dread.”)“It’ssortofahollownessinsidethecompression,insidetheclenching.”

Isituncomfortable?“Veryuncomfortable.It’sawful.”

Okay, thisawful feeling, thishollowness inside theclenchingfeeling,canyouinvite it intoyourawareness,justletitbethereinitsrawfeeling?

Here you want to gently encourage the person to stay with the feeling they describe, howeveruncomfortable. Prevent yourself from talking too much at this point, or trying to comfort or offerexplanationsofwhatishappening.However,itisoftenhelpfulif,onceinawhile,yourepeatthewordsthepersonusedtodescribethefeeling—inthiscase,“compression,”“clenching,”“hollownessinsidetheclenching”—tohelp themstaywith it.Youmayalso repeat thewords like this,and thenask,Arethesefeelingsstillthere,orhavetheychanged?Thisallowsthepersontocheckinthemomenttonoticewhatisactuallyhappening,ratherthanpursuingtheideaofafeelingthatisnolongerpresent.Thedynamicatworkhereisthatthefixationisbeinglinkeddirectlytoitsrootsensations,andisthen

heldinthelightofawareness.Thepainful,preverbalenergyofthefixationisbeingexperiencedsteadilyratherthanavoided.Let’sreturnnowtoourimaginaryinquiry:

Howareyoudoingnow?Isthathollow,clenchingfeelingstillinyourchest?“Yes.It’sverystrong.”

Onascalefromonetoten,whatnumberwouldyougivetheintensityofthissensation—tenbeingthemostsevere?“Eight.”

OK.Juststaywithit,justallowthatsensationtotakecenterstageinyourawareness.Ifitchangesormoves,feelfreetotellmewhat’shappening.Canyoudothat?“Yes.”(Longpause.)

What’shappeningnow?“It’smoveddown;it’snowmoreinmysolarplexus.”

Canyoudescribethefeeling?Isitstillcompressed,withhollownessinside?“No,it’sdifferentnow.Itfeelsmorelikeanoldache,alonesomefeeling.”

Staywiththedirectsensation.Thislonesomefeeling,whatisit?Whatisthesensationthatshowsit?“It’schanging.Gettingmoredispersed,liketheachefeelingisgettingthinner.”

Ifyougaveitanumberrightnow,whatwoulditbe?“Morelikeafive,orafour.”

OK, stay with it, just allow it your full attention as it moves or stays. (Long pause)…What’shappeningnow?“Idon’texactlyknow.”

Istheacheortheclenching-hollowfeelingstillaround?Canyoulocateitsomewhere?“Onlyalittle.ActuallyIfeelmuchcalmer.Whathappened?”

SometimesfollowingtheOneRuleinaninquiryresults inahappy“conclusion,”as inour imaginaryconversation above. But remember there is no need to push it to a happy conclusion— just let theexperiencefollowitsownmovementandtiming.Mostoften,thesensationsdescribedtendtomoveinthebody, sometimes becoming more intense for a while, even producing severe emotional states: tears,shaking,etc.Iftheseoccur,asaquestionerjuststayinclosecontactwithouttryingtoconsolethepersonor distract them.Let the stuck energy get released, for this iswhat is happening:whatwe are calling“fixations”oftengetlodgedinthebodyasuncomfortablefeelingsthepersonwantstoprotecthimselforherselffrom.Whenyouinvitethesefeelingsintoawarenessinthissupportiveway,thesestuckenergiesareallowedtomoveandresolvewithouttheneedtoanalyzethemordelveintothestoriesthathavebeenassociatedwiththem.Thisisthenaturalhealingofopenawareness.Avarianton thiskindof self-inquirycan involve somesuggestionsof release, rather than letting the

stuckenergiesmoveoftheirownaccord.Herethequestionermayaskthepersonifheorshecansense“the space around” the sensation they are reporting. (This is best done after the sensation is well-established in the person’s attention.) Again, it is important to go slowly at this point. In effect, thesensationisbeinglocalizedasanobjectinspace,andthis“space”noticed.Thenthequestionerasksthepersonif theycanallowthesensation(thehollowfeeling, theclenchedfeeling, theburningfeeling, theache,etc.)toslowlydissolveintothespacearoundit.Anotherpossibilityhereistoasktheperson,Areyouinthesensationyouarereporting,orareyouinthespacearoundit?Thisisakindofshortcutyoucanusewithalmostanyfixationorthoughtpattern.TheOneRulecanbeespeciallyhelpfulinone’sownpractice.Thesameprocessapplies:asyounotice

youarecaughtinthewhirlpoolofastory,allowyourselftoexperiencedirectlythesensationsthatgiverisetoit.Watchhowyoutendtoelaborateonthereasonsforthefixation(anditssensations)ratherthan

simplysittingwiththediscomfort.Letyourselffeelit.Watchhowtheuncomfortablesensationschange.Repeatthiseverytimeyouareawarethefixationisrecyclinginyourthoughts.Youmaynoticeinsomecasesthatyouresistcontinuingthisprocessbecauseyouarenot100percentsureyouwanttoberidofthefixation.Thisisanimportantdiscovery!After a while you may find that when a familiar fixation begins recycling or elaborating in your

thoughts,younoticethisandarenolongerhookedbytheenergeticdiscomfortatitsroot,becauseithaslost its insistence. At that point you can simply turn your attention to the recycling thoughts and,unconcernedwiththeircontent,questiontheirsubstantiality,asdescribedinthefollowingsection.

UNFINDABILITYInthe“FixationDialogue”exerciseattheendofthelastchapter,youwereintroducedtothisformofself-inquiry,which isknownasunfindability inquiry inZen. Ithas itsorigins in theMadhyamaka traditionthat arose from the teachings of the great second-century Buddhist master Nagarjuna, andwas furtherelaborated in the Tibetan Mahamudra tradition as exemplified by the sixteenth-century master DakpoRashiNamgyal.Herewewillconsiderthisformofinquiryinmoredetail,sinceitisapotentapproachtolooseninghabitsofmindandself-concepts.Asmentionedinchapterfour, fixation isarelationalevent.Thereare threeelements involved in this

relation:(1)someonewho“has” thefixation(thefixator); (2)somethought,belief,orfeelingtowhichtheyarefixated(thefixation);and(3)theprocessorgluebywhichthefixatorisfixedtothefixation(theidentification).Itisusefultocategorizethesethreeareassimplytohelpyou,asaquestioner,shiftamongthem.Thereis

noneed,however,toexhaustoneseriesofquestionsaroundoneelementbeforemovingtothenext.Theymay be explored interchangeably as appropriate.Aswith theOneRule, youmay engage this form ofinquirywithapartner,or,ifyoudon’thaveone,internalizethequestionssuggestedhereasyouexplorethenatureofyourownfixations.Itishelpfultohaveafixationinmindasyoureadalong—forexample,“Idon’tfeelatease,”or“Iamconfused,”or“Imissmyyouth,”etc.The typeof questions raised regarding the first element— the fixator—challenge the identity and

realityofthesubject.Hereareafewofmanypossibleexamples:

• Canyoudescribewhoitiswhoishavingthesethoughts(feelings)?• Canyoupointtowherethis“I”is?• Doesithaveaphysicallocation?• Doesittakeupspace?• This“I”thatwekeepreferringto,whatexactlyisit?• Whatisitmadeoutof?• Howdoyouexperienceit?• Howdoyoudistinguishitfromsomethingelse?• Doesithaveanouteredge?Acolor?Atexture?• Whoareyou?• Whatareyou?• Areyoudifferentfromhowyouweretenyearsago?• Ifyouaredifferent,thenhowdoyouknowyouarestill“you?”• Ifyouarenotdifferent,whatisitthatstaysthesame?• Doesthatwhichstaysthesamehaveanyqualitiesorattributesthatyoucandescribe?

Thepointofthesequestions,andtheonesdescribedbelow,islesstoevinceadefinitiveanswerandmoretoproduce,wemightsay,asenseofbewilderment.Theideaistoloosentheingrainedassumptionsofone’sidentityasaperson,andevenmorepenetratingly,toloosenone’sidentityasafixedentityofanykind. As you will quickly see when you try this, there is no one way the inquiry process goes. It’simportant to stay flexible and creative, and engage in the inquirywith the qualities of immediacy andcuriosity.Avoidbeingaggressivewithyourquestions.Inasimilarway,wecanpositquestionsaround thesecondelement—the thought,belief,or feeling

thatformsthecontentofthefixation.Possiblelinesofinquiryhereare:

• Thisissuethattroublesyou—isitathought?• Ifso,areyouthinkingitnow?• Isitanimage?• Whathappenswhenyoudon’tthinkit(orseeit)—whereisit?Doesitstillexist?• Doesitexistonlywhenyouthinkaboutit?• Orifitalwaysexists,wheredoyoukeepitwhenyouarenotawareofit?• Orisitafeeling?• Ifitisafeeling,whathappenstoitwhenyouarefeelingsomethingelse?Doesitstillexist?• Areyoufeelingitnow?Ifso,canyoutellifithasabeginning,middle,andend?Ordoesitnothappenintimethatway?

• Doesitoccurinspacelikethischair?• Ifso,canyoupointtowhereitisoccurring?• Isthisissuethattroublesyouaboutsomethingthathashappenedinthepast?• Ifso,whereisitnow?• Isitaboutsomethingthatwillhappeninthefuture?• Ifso,whereisitnow?• Isitaboutsomethingthatishappeningnow?• Ifso,whereisit?Canyoushowittome?

In my experience, inquiry into the experiential nature of a fixation often results in reports that thefixationissensedinthebody—asacontraction,heat,tingling,pressure,etc.Whenthatoccurs,youmaywishtogototheinquiryprocessdescribedundertheOneRuleandletexplorationofthisrawenergytakeprecedence.When this isn’t the case, the inquiryworks at loosening assumptions around the substantiality of the

person’sthoughts,beliefs,andfeelings.Heorshefindstheyareunabletoansweranyofthesequestionsdefinitively.There arises anodd realization that theyhavebeen functioning “inside” an assemblageofthoughtconstructionsthatarenotverifiableorconsistent.Hereagain,ratherthanfindinganswerstothislineofquestioning,thepersonmaysimplyexperiencebewilderment.Theinconclusivenatureoftheself-inquiryprocessisitspoint.Forexample, let’s imagineapersonreportedfeeling troubledbyafearofdeath.Youbeginengaging

theminaprocessofinquiryusingsomeofthequestionslistedabove.Theremaybeamomentortwoofexasperation on the part of the person questioned, whether expressed or unexpressed, that might gosomethinglike:Yes,itisafeeling,butno,Ican’tpointtoit.It’snotlikethat.Itdoesn’ttakeupspacelikeachair.Butit’srealtome!Ofcourseit’saboutsomethingthatwillhappeninthefuture.No,it’snothappeningnow,butthefeelingoffearcouldbehappeningnow,eventhoughrightnowitisn’t.Oh,Isee.I’mafraidoffeeling,inthefuture,thefearthatIwilldie,inthefuture.

Sometimes, at apoint like this,youmight suggest that thepersondowhatever sheorhecoulddo togeneratethatfeeling,inthiscasethefearofdeath.Usuallypeoplesaytheyknowhowtomakethemselvesfeelit.Goslowhereandencouragethegenerationofthefixation.Inquireintotheirprocessasneeded—encouragethemtoseeforthemselvesthepatternofthinkinginvolvedintheproductionofthefeeling.This“seeing”ispreciousinitself.Remember,noconclusionsarenecessary.Thelooseningofassumptionsisthepoint.Again,withthethirdelement—theprocessorgluebywhichthefixatorisfixedtothefixation—we

playwitha lineofquestionsthatmayserveto loosentheassumptionssurroundingtheinsistenceof thefixation’saffect.Forexample,youmightask:

• Yousayyoucan’tletgoofthisfeeling.Canyoushowmehowyouareholdingontoit?• Orisitholdingontoyou?• Isithappeningnow?Howdoyouknow?• Doyouholdontoitwithyourthoughts?• Ifso,howdoesthethoughtsticktothisfeeling(fixation)?• I’mcuriousabouthowthishappens—howitworksthatthisfeelingkeepsrecurringandwhatmechanismitusestodothat.Canyoudescribeit?

• Whatexactlyishappeningwhenitcomesbackandstickstoyou?• Towhatpartofyoudoesitstick?Etc.

Herewe can see how the odd playfulness of the inquiry questions the very structure of our thoughtprocesses andour root assumptionsaboutwhatweare andwhat ishappening.At its root, this lineofquestioning refers back to the insubstantial nature of the “I” and reveals it. The whole mentalrepresentationofa“self” that“has”“fixations”maybeseen through.Wecannomore find the fixationthanwecanfindtheself,orhowthefixationvexestheself.

FURTHERLINESOFSELF-INQUIRYGraduallywecanextendthistypeofself-inquiryintootherbeliefsthatareproppedupbyunquestionedassumptions.Forexample,wemight inquire intotherealityof thethoughtIammybody.Tobegin,wemightscanthestatementforitscoreconcepts:(1)thereisanentitycalled“I”;(2)thisentitypossessessomething, namely a body; (3) not only does it possess this body, it is also identical with the body(signified by the word “am.”) If we can look at these core concepts from the nonreferential view ofnondualawareness,wemightaskquestionssuchasthefollowing:

1.THE“I”• Whoisitthatis“mybody?”• Whatdoyoulooklikewithoutyourbody?• Ifyoupossessabody (signifiedby thepossessivepronoun“my”)howcanyoualsobe thatbody?

• AreyouthisbodyIseenow?• Ifso,whataboutthebodyyouhadwhenyouweretenyearsold?Wasthatyoutoo?• Butthatbodywasdifferent,soyoumusthavebeendifferenttoo.• Wasitadifferent“I”then,orthesameasthe“I”thatisnow?• Andwhereisthis“I”located?• Isitsomewhereinsidethebody,orisitthewholebody?

• Ifit’sthewholebodyandyoulosealeg,wouldyour“I”beless?• Ifthe“I”issomewhereinsideyourbody,howbigisit?• Doesithaveedges?Ifso,whatdoesitlooklike?Etc.

2.MYBODY• Whatisthisbodythatyouare?• Canyoudefineitsborder?• Isityourskin?• Certainlyifyourskinwasn’ttherethebodywouldperish,sotheborderofyourbodymustbetheskin.Butiftherewasnoatmospheretobreathe,thebodywouldalsoperish,sodoesyourbody’sborderincludetheatmosphere?

• Iftherewasnosunintheskyyourbodywouldalsoperish,sodoesitsborderincludethesun?• Thisbodymusthavefood,otherwiseitwilldisintegrate,soisitalsoitsfood?• For its food to be produced theremust be a farmerwhogrows it, so is your bodyalso thefarmer?Thefield?Etc.

3.IAMMYBODY.• Howdoyou“am”—thatis,howdoyouexist?• Isitsomethingyoudo?• Ordoesitjusthappentoyou?• Towhomdoesithappen?• Howdoesithappen?• Willitstop?• Howdoyouknowitwillstop?• Whatexactlydoesitmeanto“be?”• Howdoyouknowwhen“being”ishappening—bywhatsignsdoyouknowit?• Howwillyouknowwhenitstopshappening?Etc.

Therearemanywaystoexplorethiskindofdeconstructiveself-inquiry.Learntobecomecreativewithit.Play.Assumenothing.Theopenandtransparentgroundofbeing,theclearradiancethatisournaturalstate, does not reveal itself through the lens of assumptions. We have to leave our identifications,fixations,andbeliefsbehind.

Constantlydeconstructing,investigatingkeenly,Noteventheslightestsubstancecanbefound;AndintheundividedmomentofnondualperceptionWeabideinthenaturalstateofperfection.18

—LONGCHENPA

Exercises:Self-Inquiry

Exploreworkingwith eachof the typesof self-inquirydescribed in this chapter— if possiblewith apartner tobeginwith,andthendirectlywithyourself.Onceyouhaveestablishedsomefamiliaritywiththeseexercises,self-inquirycanbeusedwithgreateffectivenesswhenfixationreactionsarise indailylife.Becomesensitive towhen it isappropriate toworkwith theOneRule:moving attention toward the

actualphysicalsensationsoccurringinthemomentthatsignalthepresenceofthefixation.Practicebecomingcreativewiththeseveralapproachestounfindabilityinquiry.Over time, develop your capacity for self-inquiry so that it becomesmore andmore natural to you.

Become skilled at trackingwhat is actually happening in themoment, rather than settling for thoughtsaboutwhatishappening.Thisskillisthekeytoallself-inquiry.Becarefultoapproachtheseformsofself-inquiryinaspiritofsincerityandgoodwilltowardyourself

and those you are working with. Students of nondual teachings sometimes fall into a casual style ofspeaking that uses nondual jargon, or self-inquiry questions, superficially or out of context. Whilelightheartedness is wonderful, there is no need to play “gotcha” as we help each other see throughassumptionsandfractionalpointsofview.Whenyou’reengaginginself-inquirywithyourself,inviteitintoeverypossiblesituationinyourlife.

Whenyou’reengaginginself-inquirywithanotherperson,however,takecaretodoitonlyafterhavingestablishedaresonantfield—asafe,sharedspaceinwhichthequestionerseestheonequestionednotasatroubledorconfusedperson,but inhisorherfundamentalnatureasopen,pureawareness.Themoreexperienceonehasincreating(andhonoring)theresonantfield—bothasinquirerandinquiree—themorequicklyandeffortlesslyitiscreated.Youmayfindthatyoudon’tquiteknowhowtostartaninquiryprocesswithapartner.Thisisbecause

wearetreatingself-inquiryhereasapracticeorexercise,ratherthanasanaturalresponsetosomeone—oryourself—strugglingwitha fixationreaction.Because this isanexercise,youoryourpartnerwillhave tocomeupwithan issue,afixation, thatcanserveas thebasisfor the inquiry.Sometimes this iseasy—anissueiscurrentforoneofyouandcanbeexperiencedinthemomentwithouttoomucheffort.Ifthisisnotthecase,youmighttryaskingaleadingquestionsuchas:Whatishappeningforyouright

now?orWhatareyoufeelingaboutdoingthisexercise?orWhatareyouexperiencingnowinresponsetoyourstudyofnonduality?Let’s sayyourpartneranswersoneof thesequestions,“Iamfeelingself-consciousaboutdoingself-

inquirywithyou.”Nowyouhave themakingsof a fixation: (1) the fixator, “I;” (2) the fixation, “self-consciousness;”and(3)howthetwoareconnected,thefixating,the“amfeeling.”Youcanstartwithanyof theseelements, remembering tokeep the inquiry inpresentmomentexperienceasmuchaspossible:e.g.,Areyoufeelingself-consciousrightnow?Canyoudescribewhatthatfeelslike?Lookcarefullyatthisfeelingofself-consciousness.Whenyoulookatit,canyoufindit?Andsoon.The only effective way to explore self-inquiry with someone is to open yourself into the spacious

identitylessness of your natural state, and inquire from that spaciousness. This also allows you torecognize thespacious identitylessnessofyourpartner’s intrinsicnature,even thoughheorshemaybestrugglingwithanonspacioussenseoftheiridentityinthemoment.

AFewContemplationsontheOpenPath

I encourage you to pause now in your reading of this book, and give a fewdays to contemplating thesuggestions andquestions you’ll findon the next four pages.Let eachof these contemplations becomeyours,asifthevoicethatisspeakingthemisyourown.Theworkwearedoinghererequiresdirectrecognition.Thisisdifferentfromsimplyreadingatextand

gatheringitsinformation,andagreeingordisagreeingwithwhatissaid.Directrecognitionmeanscomingtoanintuitionofsomethingfirst-hand,notfromsecond-handdescriptions.Thecontemplationssuggestedonthenextfourpagesaredesignedtohelpyouopeninthisway.Although these contemplations are expressed in words, your responses to them may not be. If this

occurs,relaxnaturallyandallowyourselftoopenintothesourceofthiswordlessresponse.Take all the timeyouneed for these.Return to themasoften asyou feel to, even after you continue

readinganddoingfutureexercisesinthisbook.

CONTEMPLATIONSONWHATYOUARENoticewhenyouwakeinthemorning,theopenqualityofyourpresence.

Noticewhenyouarewashingyourbody,theemptinessofyoursimplybeinghere.

Noticewhenyouarepreparingfood,thestillnessattheoriginofyouractions.

Noticewhenyouareinconversationwithsomeone,thesilencethatlistens.

Noticethatwhateverisnowtakingplaceinyourmind,youareuntouchedbyit.

Canyoufindyourself?

Canyoufindyourthoughts?

Canyoufindyourfeelings?

Ifyoucanfindanyofthese,aretheynowwhereyoufoundthem?

Ifyoucannotfindanyofthese,whatareyouwithoutthem?

CONTEMPLATIONSONCHOICEANDACTIONCanyoudiscoverthedifferencebetweentryingtodosomethinganddoingit?

Willyoutrytodiscoverthedifference,orwillyoudoit?Howwillyouknowthedifference?

Canyoudosomethingyoudon’twanttodo?Try.

Choosetodoasimpleactlikemovingyourhand.Canyoufindtheoriginofthe“choice?”

Recallanimportantlifedecisionyoumadeinthepast.

Isthereanyevidencethatyoucouldhavemadeadifferentchoice?Ifyouranswerisyes,wouldn’t thatdifferentchoicethenhavebeenmade?

Look closely at the choices youmake during the day, like deciding what to wear, or what to eat, ordecisionsinyourwork.Ask:whatchooses?Lookcarefullytoseewhatitisthatchooses,andhowthathappens.

Whateverisnowtakingplaceinyourmind,haveyouchosenthat?

CONTEMPLATIONSONATTACHMENTANDNONATTACHMENT

Considerallthethingsinyourlifeyouhavetolose.Namesomeofthemtoyourself.

Nowconsiderhowitisyou“have”them.Bywhatmeansdoyoupossessthem?Howareyouconnectedtothem?

Arethethingsinyourlifethatyoucouldloseherenow?Iftheyarenot,inwhatwaydoyouhavethemnow?

Iftheyare,inwhatwaydoyouhavethemnow?Forexample,ifyousay“Ihavemylifenow,andIcouldloseit,”investigatehowitisyou“have”yourlifenow.Andwhatisityouhave?Andwhathasit?

Explorefindingthespaceinwhichyouhavenothingtolose.

Considerhowthisspaceisdifferentfromthenormalspaceofyourlifeinwhichyouhavethingstolose.

CONTEMPLATIONSONBEINGINTHEMOMENTIfyouaskwhatishappeningnow,andthenwaitafewsecondsandaskagain—whatishappeningnow—youwillnoticethatwhatishappeninginbothcasesisnotthesame.Isanythingthesame?What?

Letyourselfrelaxinthismoment,completelyrelax.

Inthisstateofrelaxation,whatisitthatisrelaxed?

Ifyounoticeanythingthatisnotrelaxedinthismoment,whatisit?Isitanonrelaxationinyourbody?Thoughts?Feelings?Memories?Somethingelse?

Ifyouhavefoundsomethingthatisnotrelaxed,lookcarefullyatit.

Isitanessential,permanentpartofyou,ordoesitcomeandgo?

Ask:amIpresentinthismoment?Ifyouranswerisno,thenwhereareyou?Ifyouranswerisyes,thenask:whatispresent?

Canyoufindthepast?Thefuture?Thepresent?

Inthetransparencyofthismoment,ask:doIreallyknowwhatwillhappennext?

Ifyouranswerisyes,ask:howdoIknow?

Ifyouranswerisno,ask:amIatpeacewiththat?

Noticewhatisoccurringspontaneouslynow.Restinthatawareness.

•6•

MOTIVATIONANDEFFORTLESSNESS

Onlywhenweliveinourwholeness, freefromtheperson,freefromallgoals,preferenceandchoice,cantherebeafullexpressionoflife.Whenwelivewithoutqualifyingweliveinthemoment,theeternalpresent“now.”Here,intheabsenceof thoughtsof thepastand longings for the future,weare inour fullness.Fromfullness flows loveandallactionscomeoutoflove.

—JEANKLEIN

ANOVERVIEWLet’stakeamomenttoreviewthejourneywehavebeguninthefirstfivechaptersofthisbook.Inchapteronewe acknowledged our purpose: to recognize the spontaneous presence of clear, open

awareness that is our intrinsic nature and the ground of all being. We saw that this term — “openawareness”—issynonymouswithmanyothertermsusedintheworld’smystical traditionstoindicatethe ultimate goal of all spiritual endeavor: illumination, primordial mind, unconditional love, God-consciousness,enlightenment, theonenessofbeing,Buddhanature,etc.Aswebeganto talkabout“it,”wediscoveredthat“it”eludesalldefinitionandconfoundsanyattemptofourmindstograspit.Andyetitisrighthere,now,intheheartofeverythingthatisoccurring;thereisnowhereweneedtogotofindit,andnothingweneedtodotomakeithappen.Thisrealization—thatthereisnowhereweneedtogoandnothingweneedtodo—remainstrueateverymoment,yetwealsosensethatweareindeedtravelingapath.Such is thecuriousparadoxat thecenterof theOpenPath: there isnowhere togo,yetstepsaretaken.Chapter two introduced the “practice of subtle opening,” a basic meditation that helps to calm our

thoughts and emotions, reveals to us the transparent, ungraspable nature of timeless awareness, andwelcomes us to the ease of the “non-meditation” of simply doing nothing. Combining aspects ofmindfulnessandbreathingmeditations,devotion,mind-calming,visualization,zikr,mantra, andwhat isknown in Zen as shikantaza (“just sitting”) the practice of subtle opening relaxes the mental andemotionalurgenciesofourconditioning.Ofcourse,onceagainitisimportanttorememberthatrealizationofopenawarenessdoesnotcomeasaresultofthisoranyotherpractice—yetbypracticinginthiswaywearecreatingtheconditionsinwhichdirectrealizationmaybemorelikely.In chapter three we explored how recognition of the infinite presence of open awareness can be

obscuredby themanywayswesustain the illusionofbeingaseparateself: throughconstantbusyness,throughidentifyingour“self”astheonewholikesordislikesthings,whowillsandcontrolsthings,whoknowsthingsandmakesmeaning,orwhoispossessedbyhopeandfear.Chapterfourintroducedthenotionofmentalconstructionsandfixations—biasedattitudesthatdistort

ourviewof reality.Webegan tonotice thesignsof fixationsas theyarise, suchas self-defensiveness,self-pity, complaints, annoyance, assertiveopinions, etc.Wealsobecame familiarwith the recognitionthatatthecoreofthesebiasedattitudesisthebeliefthatIamapersonal,separateselfdefinedbymylikesanddislikes,abeingwhoisinchargeofmythoughtsandemotions,and,tosomeextent,whoisinchargeofwhathappens.Animportantpartofourworkhasbeen,andwillcontinuetobe,toinquireinto

theevidencebehindthesecorebeliefsofouridentity.Wealsoconsideredthatthemostreliablewaytoreleasefixationsissimplybyseeingthem,noticingthem,becomingawareofthepatternsofidentificationastheyarise.Noanalysisorefforttoeradicateisnecessary.Ifwemakethisgentlenoticingthe“practice”ofourlife,graduallyingrainedpatternsofreactivityandidentificationdisappear.Inchapterfiveweexploredtheprocessofself-inquiry,givingusfurther toolsforreleasingourfixed

attitudesandassumptions.Herewesawhowwemightfollowthe“OneRule”—remainingpresenttotheactualsensationsthatariseinourbodieswhenwereactfromfixedpatternsofthoughtandemotion.Wealsoexploredstylesofinquirythatrevealtheunfindabilityofthevariouselementswithinourfixations.Notbeingable to find theseelementsuponwhichwebasesomanyofourbeliefsandactions,wearereleasedintothepossibilityofexperiencingtheworldandourselvesfreshly.Insummarizingourjourneyinthisway,itmaysoundlikethereisalottodotoloosenthebondsofthese

“ingrainedpatternsofreactivityandidentification.”Andyes,wecouldlookatitthatway—Idon’twanttotrivializewhatwearefacinghere.Sufiscallthisprocessunlearning,anditisclassicallyunderstoodtobeextremelychallenging.Atthesametime,itisrefreshingtorealizethattheunlearningweareengagedin always happens instantaneously and effortlessly.We simply let go. The invitation of this work is,finally, an invitation to relax our lives into the clear openness of being, unadorned by attachment topersonalor societal stories. It iswelcoming theever-present freshnessofopenawareness,ournaturalstate,now.Inthischapterwewillconsiderthespiritwithwhichweapproachthiswork.Tobeginwith,wewill

lookatourmotivation.What isour realmotivation fordoing thiswork?Uponwhat isourmotivationbased?Relatedtomotivationmaybeaninnerexperienceoflonging.DoesourlongingforunionwiththeDivinedeepenourengagementwiththiswork,ordoesourlongingcreatefurtherobstaclesbybecomingan experience unto itself? We will also reflect on our inner attitude — the way in which we holdourselves as we engage with these methods of awakening — and begin our contemplation ofeffortlessness,akeytobothinvitingdirectrecognitionandsustainingitthroughoutourlives.

MOTIVATIONFirstletusconsiderourmotivation.Whydowedothiswork?Whenwefeelourinitialenthusiasmfornondualawakeningdiminish,whatenergydrawsusbacktoourpracticesandself-inquiry?Whatcallsusbacktoourstudy,discussion,andcreativitywiththissubtleprocess?Itcanseemsoinsubstantial,allthistalkofopennessandselflessness!Isitworthit?Willwegetanythingoutofit?Willitmakeushappier?Perhapswehavebeendrawnto thisworkbythe ideaofenlightenment,havingreadorheardenough

mystical teachings to sense that recognition of “clear empty awareness” is essential for that spiritualproject.Perhapswewanttoenjoythe“blissofpurebeing”thatwehaveheardabout.Perhapswesimplywanttobereleasedfromthetediumofourlife,orfromthemoreseriousburdensofourlife’ssufferings.We may have explored in our life a number of different approaches to spiritual experience andexpression,andfeelwehavecometotheirlimits.While nothing is inherently wrong with any of these motivations, we can nevertheless recognize in

statingthemlikethisthattheyareallrootedinagainingidea.Wewantaresult.Wewantenlightenment.Wewantbliss.Wewantfreedomfromsuffering.Wewanttoshowuptoothersasrealizedbeings.Aslongaswearepropelledinourpracticebytheideaofgainingsomething,wearelockedintothe

expectationsoftime—thattherewillbesomerealizationorexperienceinthefuturethatwillonedayappear tousasa resultofourpractice.Time-boundconsciousness,however,cannotconceiveofclearemptyawareness.Thusourlinearexpectationguaranteeswewillremainwithinitslinearlogic,andnever

“arrive.”A similar logic, and trap, canoccur in the cultivationof spiritual longing.An emphasis on spiritual

longingcanbeseenin thosemystical traditionsthathaveariseninrelationtoadeity-centeredorguru-centered religion. Such traditions include various forms of Jewish and Christian mysticism, Sufism,Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism, and indigenous shamanic traditions. In theseapproachesto“enlightenment,”itisoftenevidentthatunionwiththeDivine—whetherGodorguru—involvestheprojectionofanidealstatetowardwhichweaspire.Ourdesiretorecognizethespontaneouspresenceofopenawarenesscouldbecomethesametypeofreification—amysticalromanticism—ifwearenotcareful.Thecontradictioninherentintheseapproachesisthatmylonging,byitsverynature,keepsmeseparated

fromwhatIlongfor.Wewillreturntothesubjectoflonginglaterinthischapter,becauseitalsoholdsabeautifultreasure,butfornowitisenoughtoacknowledgethatallmotivationfortravelingthispaththatisstructuredwithagaining idea,bydefinitionmustmaintain the illusionofdistancebetween thesubjectanditsobject,betweentheloverandtheBeloved,untilthatgainingideaisrelinquished.Is there any sourceofmotivation that is freeof againing idea?Perhaps simply this: thatwedo this

workbecausewehaveto—fornoreasonotherthanwecannotnotdoit.Thosewhodon’thaveto,don’tcontinuewithit.Wemaythinkofsomemetaphysicalexplanationforour“havingto,”butintheendourdesireissimplyitsownproof.Perhapsthemostelegantwaytodescribethis“havingto”isthewayRumidoesinthefollowingpoem:

Amangoestosleepinthetownwherehehasalwayslived,andhedreamshe’slivinginanothertown.

Inthedream,hedoesn’trememberthetownhe’ssleepinginhisbedin.Hebelievestherealityofthedreamtown.

Theworldisthatkindofsleep.

Thedustofmanycrumbledcitiessettlesoveruslikeaforgetfuldoze,butweareolderthanthosecities.

Webeganasamineral.Weemergedintoplantlifeandintotheanimalstate,andthenintobeinghuman,andalwayswehaveforgottenourformerstates,exceptinearlyspringwhenweslightlyrecallbeinggreenagain.

That’showayoungpersonturnstowardateacher.That’showababyleanstowardthebreast,withoutknowingthesecretofitsdesire,yetturninginstinctively.

Humankindisbeingledalonganevolvingcourse,throughthismigrationofintelligences,andthoughweseemtobesleeping,thereisaninnerwakefulnessthatdirectsthedream,

andthatwilleventuallystartleusbacktothetruthofwhoweare…19

Themessagehere issimple: letusallowourmotivationforawakeningtooccur in thesamewaythebabyleanstowardthebreast:“withoutknowingthesecretofourdesire.”Andyet,thereissomethingelse.Thereisanotherlayertothemysteryofwhywedothiswork,although

whenwe speakof itwemay see it as another aspect of the “instinctive turning”pointed to inRumi’spoem.Ithastodowithwhatwemightcallnaturalgenerosity.Uptonowinthisreflectionwehavebeenframingthequestionofmotivationintermsofourowndesire

forenlightenment.Thisisunderstandablefromtheperspectiveoftheseparateself,fromourconditionedsensethat“we”aresufferingorindarknessandthereforewelongforlight.Butasweknow,theperspectiveoftheseparateselfisdistorted.Itisaperspectiveweareallfamiliar

with, one that produces gaining ideas and other anxieties about being incomplete. Released from thisperspective of separatenesswe sense—without the need to think about it— that at the heart of ourmotivationforawakeningissimplylove.Ultimately, we turn to this work not for our own sake but because we are inseparable from the

awakening of life to itself.We do this for the sake of everything—which includes our loved ones,childrenyettobeborn,allwhosuffer,everyone.Wedoitforthesakeofthisbeautifulworld.Atfirstwemayhavetoimaginethisistrue,butgraduallywecometosenseitistrue.Themostreliablemotivation— ifwe need one— that helps our heart openwhenwe feel ourselves contracting, is this desire toawakenforthesakeofall.Thisisastrangeandwonderfulthing—itisnota“spiritualsentiment”butanoccurrenceofnaturalgenerosity,thegraceintrinsictoeachlivingmoment.

ATTITUDEThose of youwho are familiarwith the literature of nondual teachingswill recognize thewell-knowncontroversybetweentwodistinctschoolsofthought.Thosewhochampiontheneedforeffortonthepathcontendthatthereisanecessityforpracticesandmethodstohelpusrecognizethetimeless,spontaneouspresence of awareness, while those who speak for effortlessness, maintain that there is nothing topractice,thatnothingneedstobedone,andthatwhatweseekisalreadyhere.(ThisparadoxisexpressedinthenameOpenPath itself, sinceapath isaspecific,definedroute to travel,whileopenness isnotlimitedbyanydefinitionorboundary.)Adherents of the gradual, progressive path assert that training is necessary becausemost people are

entangledintheillusionofseparatenessandfixations,andbreakingfreefromthosetangles—eveniftheyarefundamentallyillusory—requiressincereattentionandsustainedeffort.Incontrast,adherentsofthedirectpathholdthatalleffortinvolvingmethodsandpracticesforopeningtorealizationareuselessandare in themselves fixations and distractions, since they suggest a distance between “us” and“enlightenment,” whereas there is no distance at all — everything is already complete. Morefundamentally, the direct path contends there is no “us” and no “enlightenment”— these are simplythoughtsrepresentingtheillusorydualismofsubjectandobject.

I don’t believewe need to take sides in these controversies.Myown sense is that, except for theirinsistenceonbeingtheonecorrectview,bothsidesareaccurateintheirowncontext.Inmyexperience,thisworkisbothgradualanddirect.TheOpenPathofnondualityweareexploring

here is a gradual path to the extent it is a path of unlearning. It is a direct path because it alsoacknowledgesthatclearawarenessisalreadypresentandcomplete,andthusnoeffortandno“doing”isrequired to realize it. As an early Tibetan tantra points out: Once we are free of old habits andambitions…enlightened intent is spontaneouslypresentbynature.Nothingneedbedoneaboutwhathasalwaysbeenso.Wemaybeabletosensewithinourownexperiencehowtheseparadoxicalviewsregardingeffortand

noeffort,practiceandnopractice,areresolvedsimplybytheattitudewithwhichweembracethiswork.Ifwearefullofeffortfulpracticingweareclearlydividedfromwhatweyearnfor;however,ifweareseducedby the laxityofeffortlessnessandnon-practiceweareat riskofdispersion.Approaching thisworkwithanappropriateattitudemayreleaseusfromsettlingintoeitheroftheseextremes.InabeautifulpassageinSriNisargadatta’sbookIAmThat,herespondstoaquestionerwhoasksabout

theappropriate“mood”forinquiry.Nisargadattaresponds,Youmustbeserious,intent,trulyinterested.Youmustbefullofgoodwillforyourself!Andinanotherpassagehesays:

Ifyouareearnest,whateverwayyouchoosewilltakeyoutoyourgoal.Itistheearnestnessthatisthedecisivefactor.Earnestnessis the homing instinct,whichmakes the bird return to its nest and the fish to themountain streamwhere itwas born.The seedreturnstotheearth,whenthefruitisripe.

Nurturing an attitude of earnestness and goodwill for oneself is fundamentally different from beingmotivatedbyagainingidea.Itisamatterofbeingcoherent,notdividedagainstyourwholeness.TheSufiteacher InayatKhan,whenaskedabout theattitude that ismostessential for thosewhowish initiation,responded,“Itissincerity.”Thisisthesamequalityasearnestness.Onededicatesoneselftorealizationas“sincerely”asamothercaresforherchild,orafloweropenstothesunlight.

LONGINGANDFINDINGAsImentionedearlier,thecultivationofspirituallongingmaybeadetour,inthesensethatitmaykeepusentranced inasubject-object relationshipwith thatwhichwe longfor,whetherwecall this longed-forone“theBeloved,”“theTruth,”or“openawareness.”Andyet,aswehaveseen, theothersideof thisdilemmashowsusthatifwedonotdedicateourselvesthoroughly,wemayeasilybelostindistraction.Thearrowwillnever reach the target if thebowstring isnotdrawnbackwithsufficientone-pointed

intensity.At thesametime, if thearcherdrawsbackthebowstringbutnever letsgo,neverreleases itslonging,thearrowgoesnowhere.Youmightnot regardyourmotivation fordoing thisworkas“longing.”Evenso,youmaybeable to

appreciate thedynamic representedby theword, in that it signifiesaqualityofwhole-heartednessandreverencetowardwhatislongedfor.Forthoseofyouwhoarecomfortablewiththewordandexperienceof longing, it ishelpful to remember thatatacertainpoint longingmust free itself from itself. Itmust“self-liberate.”Hereagain,JelaluddinRumimaybeourbestguide.Hesaysoflonging:

Longingisthecoreofmystery.Longingitselfisthecure.Theonlyruleis:Sufferthepain.

Yourdesiremustbedisciplined,andwhatyouwanttohappenintime,sacrificed.20

What you want to happen in time — this is our longing, our hope for realization, which whendisciplinedbecomesitsowncure:ittranscendsitself.I am describing all of this not because I think it is an interesting subject, but because it is an

unavoidablechallengeontheopenpathwearetraveling.Ourmotivationforrealization,ourlongingforunion with the divine, and our attitude of sincerity, all support us in the not-always-easy work ofunlearning:observing, inquiringinto,anddeconstructingfixationsandhabitsofmindandemotion.Butwhenthatworkisfamiliarandhappensasamatterofcourse,theonlymoveleftistoletgoofallideasof“moves,”alleffort,motivation,seeking,longingforanything,orofhavinganappropriateattitude.InthewordsofJeanKlein:

Youmust leavebehind the ideaof improving.There isnothing tobefound,nothing toachieve.Searchingandwanting toachievesomethingarethefuelfortheentityyoubelieveyourselftobe.Don’tprojectanideaofreality,offreedom.Besimplyawareofthefactsofyourexistencewithoutwantingtochange.Seeingthingsinthiswaywillbringyouastateofdeeprelaxationbothphysicalandpsychological…Anyformofexerciseisboundtoagoal,toaresult.Butthisisanobstaclewhenthereisnogoaltobereachedsincewhatyouare

looking for is herenowand alwayshasbeen.When themind is freeof all desire tobecome, it is at peace….Bevigilant, clear-sighted,awareofyourconstantdesiretobethisorthatanddon’tmakeanyeffort.Whatyouareiswithoutdirectionsoalldirectiontakesyouawayfromknowinglybeingwhatyouare.

EFFORTLESSNESSIn human terms,we say something “takes effort” becausewe experience our body ormind expendingenergy.Wesayit takeseffort tobuildahouseor togivebirthtoababyorrideabicycle.Becauseweidentifywith thebodyand themind,we infer that“we”somehowsupply thatenergyandeffort. Is thisreallythecase?Wheredoestheenergycomefrom?Fromoureffort?Whatactuallyiseffort?Isitwilling?Isittrying?Isitstruggling?Itseemsourideaof“puttingeffortintosomething”isawayofassertingthatwearethesourceoftheenergythatmakesthingshappen.Isthisso?Lookcarefully,forexample,attheeffortyoumayfeelyouareputtingintoreadingandunderstandingthissentence.Wheredoesitstart,orcomefrom?You?Howdoesthathappen?Contemplate the sun for amoment, this enormous outpouring of stellar energy that has occurred for

billionsofyearsnowandthatwillcontinueforbillionsmore.Doesittakeeffortforthesuntodothis?Orwatchhowthewindmovestreebranches,orhowthecurrentofariverflows.Doesittakeeffortforthewind to move the branches, or for the river to flow? Obviously not, these natural processes happeneffortlessly.Rainfallseffortlessly,plantsgroweffortlessly,lightshineseffortlessly.Whatwoulditbelikeformetolivemylifeeffortlessly?Not,ofcourse,withoutexpendingenergy—

thishappenswitheveryblinkandmovementImake—butwithoutfeelingasifIhadtoexerteffort—tostruggle—tomakethingshappen,orthatIhavetosomehowleanintoeachactiontomakeitoccur.Theoperativewordhereis“I:”Ihavetoapplyeffort,Ihavetostruggle,Ihavetoleanintoanaction.Livingeffortlessly,firstofall,meansabandoningthebeliefthatIamanindependententitywhomakes

things happen through some kind of deliberate, original force that I apply, namelywill.All it takes toreleasethisbeliefistoinvestigate,firsthand,howactionactuallyhappens,andhoweffortemanatesfromus,ifitdoes.Thisinvestigationparallelsourexplorationsinchapterthreeintothenatureofvolition.Intheexercisesattheendofthischapteryouwillfindsomefurthersuggestionsforinvestigatingthenatureofeffortandeffortlessness.Herewearebringingourinquiry,onceagain,tolookdirectlyintothenature

oftheselfanditsclaimofagency.Butevenifweacceptintellectuallythatwearenotindependententitieswithindependentagency,this

doesn’tmagicallybringusintoalifeofeffortlessness.Livingeffortlessly—asRumidescribesit:like“an eagle gliding out from the face of a cliff”— also means living without resistance, and withoutworriesor complaints,which are expressionsof resistance.Whenwedo somethingwith effort— forexample,finishingour taxes,orpaintingaceiling,orchangingaflat tire—the“effort”orstruggleweexperienceislargelyaboutovercomingourresistancetodoingthetask.Let’simaginehowthismightplayoutwiththeexampleofaflattire.Resistance:OhIhaveaflattire—

Ihate that!Now Ihave togetoutofmyquiet car, endure theblastsofwind from traffic, rummagethrough the trunk, find the jack and spare tire, unscrew thewheel nuts,wrestle the flat off and thespare on, oh God! This is awful! I hate it! What an effort! The energy required to change the tireproceeds,buteachstepisencasedincomplaintandself-pity.Onefeelsenormouseffortisrequiredtodoeach step, effort that is actually expended in pushing through all the self-generated resistance to thesituation.Ascenarioofnoresistancetotheflattirewouldbemarkedlydifferent,althoughtherewouldn’tbemuch

commentary,exceptmaybe:Oh,aflattire.Betterpulloff.Here’saplace.Where’sthespare?Ohyeah,underthetrunk.Gottamovethatstufftothebackseat.Mmmm,howdoesthisjackfitintothestand?Ohyeah,thisway.Let’ssee,wheredoesthisfit?Ohyeah…etc.Noresistancesimplymeansacceptingwhatis,momentbymoment.Whenyoufacenotbeingsurehowthejackfitsintoitsstand,youacceptthatwithoutneedingtocomplain,andthengofromthere:Let’ssee,thisway?No.Maybethisway?Ah,thatpart fits in that thing.Problemsolving ismuchmorepossiblebecauseyou’renot spendingenergyonresistingthesituation.Thisisnotmakingaproblemoutofaproblem.Notmakingaproblemoutofaproblemappliesineverysituation—ifyoudon’thaveasparetire,orif

youcan’tphysicallyliftthetire,orturnthewheelnuts,thenyouacceptthatandgofromthere.Respondingtowhatiswithoutconditioningthenextmomentwithourdiscomfortforthisonefreesusfromalifeofefforting,struggle,anddistaste.Thismaysoundreasonable,butinthenitty-grittyofthemomentwhenyouareresistingdoingsomething,

howcanyoubreakfreeofthisreaction?HerewereturntotheOpenPathdynamicsofmotivation(goodwilltowardyourselfandallbeings),sincerity,observingwhatisactuallyhappening,noticingthenatureoftheresistance—howitsoundsandfeels,noticingtheimaginedentityofyourselftakingapositionofjudgment, looking directly into who or what this entity is that seems to be taking a position or isthreatenedbythesituation,etc.As we have seen earlier, noticing in these ways brings us face to face with the realization that

everything that occurs is spontaneously released— unless we keep generating a point of view aboutwhat’shappening.Generatingapointofview—thatis,resistance—losesitstractionthemomentwenoticewhat’shappening.Soouronly“job”istonoticewhatis.Does it take effort to notice what is? I don’t think so. Noticing what is is the natural function of

awareness.Sinceawarenessisfreelygiven,noeffortisrequired!AsImentionedabove,graduallyallofthisnoticingandreleasingbecomesintimatelyfamiliartousand

happensasamatterofcourse.Whendisturbancesoccurinourlife,astheymostassuredlywill,wefreeourselvesfromconsternationabout themintheseways,andthensimplyrespondtothemwithouteffort,withoutfuss,asappropriatelyaswecan.Intheend,effortlessnessisselflessness.Notconsideringourselvesanentitywhoneedstostruggleto

makeourwayinlife,weliveasopennessandspontaneouspresence.Wewillreturntothesubjectofeffortlessnessandnonactioninchapternine.

CONCLUSIONInthischapterwereflectedonthedelicatenatureofourengagementwith“path”and“goal,”andthespiritthatcallsustothiswork.Werecognizedthehookofagainingideathatcanbehiddeninourmotivationforawakening,andhowthemostnaturalmotivationforawakeningissimplybecausewehaveto—forthewellbeingofall.Wealso recognized that themethodsandpracticesofanyspiritualpath, theOpenPath included,can

easilymakeaconceptualnestinourminds,andinthatnestwecantrytosituateourselvesandbecomecomfortable. But the essence of this work is not about building nests. Through repeated experientialreleasewegraduallydiscoveranaturaleaseofbeingthatfreesusfromtheneedtocometoconclusions—ortoholdontoanything—includinganyself-concept,orhope.Finally, we began to explore the nature of effortlessness, and how it leads to releasing the idea of

individualagencyandofresistancetowhatis.HerewesenseagaintheveryopennessoftheOpenPath:in all theobservationof fixations, in all the lettinggoof identifications, in all our readingand talkingabout these subjects, and in our self-inquiry, the most important thing is to allow space, to allowourselvestobewhatwenaturallyare:effortlesslyatease.

Exercises:MotivationandEffortlessness

MotivationandAttitudeWriteyourresponses,orsharethemwithaclosefriendorpracticepartner,tothefollowingquestions:

1 WhatisityoumostwanttooccurthroughyourstudyandpracticeoftheOpenPath?2 Describeyourmotivationfordoingthiswork,especially:whatbringsyoubacktoitwhenyoufeel tiredof it, oroutof touchwith it, or indisagreementwith someaspectof the teaching,ordisappointedwithyourownexperienceofit?

3 Describethespiritorattitudeinwhichyouengageinthepracticeofsubtleopeningandtheothermethodsofnoticingfixationsandself-inquirywehaveexploredsofar.Wouldyoudescribeyourattitudeas“fullofgoodwillforyourself?”Wouldyoudescribeitaswhollysincere?Ifnot,canyousayanythingaboutthelackofsincerityorgoodwillinyourattitude?

EffortlessnessOver the next few days, on your own, investigate the difference between doing something with, andwithout, effort or struggle. For example,when you climb a flight of stairs, or a hill, explore howyoumightdothisbyexertingeffort,andtheneffortlessly.Whatinyourexperienceactuallyconstituteseffort?Noticealsothemanythingsyoudoeffortlessly,likerememberingsomething,orlaughing,orgesturing

withyourhandswhileyouspeak,orhavingaconversation.Experimentbydoinganyofthesethingswitheffort.Forexample,explorewhatisaddedwhenyoutryhard(witheffort)toremembersomething,andwhenyoudosoeffortlessly?Did it takeeffort foryou to read thischapter? If itdid,describewhatexactly it“took.”Does it take

efforttoanswerthisquestion?What role does overcoming resistance play in your doing something with effort? What about

overcomingworry?Orovercomingcomplaining?Lastly, identifysomethingthatyounormallydowitheffort—perhapswashingaburnedsaucepan,or

ironingapileofshirts,orscrapingiceoffyourcar’swindshield—andexploredoingthiseffortlessly,evenforafewmoments.

TheRiverFlowMeditationUptothistime,IhopeyouhavebeenabletoexploreonaregularbasisthePracticeofSubtleOpeningintroduced in chapter two. The meditation described here— the River FlowMeditation— offers aslightlydifferentwayforyoutoengagewiththethirdpartofthePracticeofSubtleOpening.Asyouwillrecall,theinstructionforthethirdpartissimply:“donothing.”Asyouwillsee,youcanincorporatethisriverflowpracticeintothesubtleopeningpracticewithoutmuchchange.The River Flow Meditation is an adaptation I’ve made of a Buddhist practice suggested by the

Dzogchen translatorand teacherKeithDowman. Its function is tocreateametaphorical image thatcanservetointegrateseveralaspectsofourworkinadirect,experientialway.Herearetheinstructions:

Sittingcalmlyinarelaxedyetawakeway,withyoureyesclosed, imagineagreatwideriver. In themiddleof theriver isasmalluninhabitedisland,andyouareonthatisland.Youwalktotheupstreamendoftheislandandseeawide,flat,moss-coveredrockattheveryupstreamtipoftheisland.Youstepontoitandsitdown,lookingupstream.Nowyourfieldofvisioniscompletelyoftheriverflowingtowardyou.Younoticetheflashesofsunlightonthewater,littlewaves

appearinganddisappearing,andvarious thingsfloatingdowntheriver.Whateveryouseeappearsforamomentor two,andthenpassesondownstreamintheriver’scurrent.Now just sit there doing nothing. Allowwhatever appears in your awareness— thoughts, sensations, emotions— to be like

branches,leaves,andfoamfloatingbyintheriver.Theyappearforamomentortwo,butyoudon’tdoanythingwiththem,youdon’ttrytocatchthem,orinspectthem,orevennamethem.Youjustletthemappearastheydo,andthenvanish,astheydo.Justrelaxinthe“firstmoment”ofwhateverisappearingintheriverofyourawareness.Ifyoufindyouhavebecomeinvolvedin

athoughtoremotion,noticethatinvolvementtooissimplysomethingfloatingpast,anddon’tdoanythingaboutit.Letitgo.Therivertakesitawaynaturally.Thereisnothingforyoutodo.Wheneveryoufeelyourattentiondrawnawaybythefascinatingthingsinthecurrent,simplyreturntothefirstmomentinwhich

newimages,shapes,thoughts,orfeelingsappear.Justbewiththeirappearing.Noticethatthis“returning”tothefirstmomentisnotreallya“doing”—it’swhereawarenessisnaturally.Holdontonothing.Donothing.

•7•

ONNONDUALITYANDPRAYER

OurexplorationoftheOpenPathuptothispointhasbeenfocusedonrecognizingthethoughts,beliefs,andemotionalhabitsthatfuelboththediscomfortsandambitionsofourlife,andthatpropupourbeliefthatweareaseparateself.Wehavebeenlearningtoreleaseourattachmentstothesebeliefsandthoughts,onebyone,againandagain,gently,withoutaggression,withthepurposeofopeningourawarenessintoitsseamlessunitywiththetransparentpresenceoftimelessbeing.While we use phrases like “the transparent presence of timeless being” and “open awareness,” we

continuallyremindourselvesthattheselabelsdonotrefertoanything.NotranscendentobjectorentityorGodisbeingnamed.Indeed,alargepartofourworkistodiscoverandreleaseourhabitualtendencyofreifying(objectifying)anyspiritualgoaloridealinourpresentexperience.Manypeoplepointoutthatsuchanondualdisciplineorviewseemstobeinconflictwithtraditional

approaches to spirituality. Subject-object, human-divine, samsara-nirvana polarities are emphasizedthroughout the greatmajority of theworld’s spiritual traditions. Sufism, for example, in its essence isgrounded in nondual realization—wahdat alwujud— “theOneness ofBeing.”However,manySufiwritingsandteachingscouldbeinterpretedasintensifyingtheismratherthanpointingtoapathbeyondit.Much IslamicSufiwriting is an affirmationof theOneTrueGodandHisProphet, describing ingreatdetailthecriteriaforaproperhumanrelationshiptoGod.Myownrootlineage—theWesternuniversalSufism introduced by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan—while not exclusively tied to Islam or any otherreligion—canbeseenasoftenemphasizingtheism,especiallyinthelanguageofmanyoftheprayersandaphorisms.Indeed, most forms of theistic and prayerful language are typically experienced as descriptions of

subjectandobjectrelationships.WhenChristiansprayOurFatherwhoartinheaven,hallowedbeThyName,theFatherissensedasanentitysomehowseparatefromus,towhomweaddressourprayers.Thiskindof implicitdualisminreligiousexpression is familiar tous,and isoftenpointed toasonereasonwhysomanypeoplehavebecomedisaffectedwithreligioninmoderntimes.Butprayerisnotsimplyaformalreligiousexpression.Eventhoseofuswhodonotpraynevertheless

participateinprayerfulattitudes.Wemaywishthatfriendswhodie“findpeace”or“restinpeace,”orthatthesufferingoftheworldmaybelessenedorthat“allbeingsmaybehappy.”Theseareprayers.EveniftheyarenotaddressedtoGodtheyareoffereduptotheuniversalpresenceweshare.Theyexpressoursincerewishesforharmonyandwellbeing.Evencommonexpressionssuchas“happybirthday”or“haveagoodday”or raisingourglasses ina toastcarryacertainqualityofprayer.The implicitdualismofprayerusing“God language” is lessevident in theseeverydayexamples,but still canbesensed in theveryfunctionof“makingawish.”Wewanttopositivelyaffectthefuturewithourwordsofinvocation.Wetakeaposition,apointofreference—wearean“I”whoseekstoaffectanoutcomebywishingforittobeso.Thepolarityofsubjectandobjectisanessentialpartofthiskindofwishingorpraying.So we have a dilemma: if our aim is to release the conceit of being a separate self and open our

awarenesstowhatisandhasalwaysbeentrue—thenondualunityoforiginalnature—thendoesn’ttheactofprayingreinforcetheideaofdualityratherthanreleaseit?Throughprayerarewenotimposingadualitybetween theonewhopraysand theOneprayed to?Nomatterhowsweet itmaymakeus feel,praying runs the risk of reifying the Unnamable into an object, causing us to be separate from our“Beloved,”touseafavoriteSufiword.In this chapterwewill explore this seemingdilemmaascarefullyaswecan, fordoing somayhelp

alignuswith,andbenefitfrom,thepracticeofprayer—orprayerfulintention—asweengagewiththeworkoftheOpenPath.I am not suggesting that you should develop an active prayer life if you do not already have one.

Recognizingpure,open,contentlessawarenessdoesnotdependonprayerorbeliefinGod.Nevertheless,manyofusdopray—oratleastweinvokegoodoutcomesforothersandourselves.Canprayerinanyofitsformsserveourlargerintentionhere?Myviewisthatprayercanbeengagedinwaysthatdeepenoursincerityandourcapacitytoopento

unconditioned awareness, rather than obstruct it. However, this is best accomplished with a clearrecognitionofthelimitsofprayerandthedetoursanddeadendsitmaypresent.Iwillconsiderherebothsome of the gifts and the limits of prayer, and suggest ways to pray that may serve the process ofliberation,ratherthanundermineit.

TOBEGINATTHEENDItmayhelpputourcontemplationsonprayer intoaclearperspective ifweconsider foramoment theplaceofprayer,ifany,fortheonewhohasopenedintothespontaneouspresenceoftimelessawareness.Does prayer have a function from the identityless and positionless perspective of nondual awakening?Probablynot,exceptasakindofcelebrationofloveandgratitude.Theneedforprayerceaseswhenweremembertheopentransparentawarenessweare,notdifferentfromtheawakenessofeverything.Thereis no need to use prayer instrumentally to ask that things be different than they are. The sameunderstandingisheldbySufisaboutzikr(therepetitionofsacredwords;literally,“remembering”):atthemostrealizedlevelsofzikr,thezikrceases.Oneremembers,andtheneedforremindingends.Nevertheless, there are stories of realized sageswho continue to chant their hymns and repeat their

manisonprayerbeads,eventhoughtheyarepurelyawakened.Askedwhy,theysay“BecauseIamhappyto do it.” This is prayer that is not instrumental but more like a song. We will explore both theinstrumentalandnoninstrumentalaspectsofprayerinwhatfollows.

STARTINGWHEREWEAREEach of us represents the leading edge of an evolving life-form that has been shaped by countlessconditions.These conditionshave resulted in thebodywehave right now, the languagewe speak, thetraumasandsufferingweendure,thebeautyweshare,andourthoughts,feelings,hopesandfears.Weareembedded in conditionality. As long as our view of reality is limited to conditionality we obviouslyexperiencethelogicofduality—ofsubject-object,good-bad,like-don’tlike,before-after,etc.Thegreatmajorityofhumanbeingsneverglimpsebeyondthislogic,atleastuntilthedeathofthebody.Prayer,beinglargelydualisticinitssyntax,simplystartsfromthesameplaceweare.Prayer’sduality

reflectsourownexperienceofduality.Weexperienceourselvesasseparatebeings,separatefromeachother,separatefromtheearth,andseparatefromwhatweconceiveofasGodorthetranscendent.Prayer—inmanyof its forms—acknowledges thissenseofseparationwhile itgathersus into itselfexactlybecause we are suffering from the illusion of separation. It is naturally compassionate in this way.

Although the sense of being a separate selfmust one day vanish, prayerwelcomes that sense into itsformulations, and thenworks tomake the self’s seeming solidity and importance less dominant in ourconsciousness.Nondual approaches to awakening often employ methods that cause a direct confrontation with our

habitualmannerofthinkingandexperiencinglife.Directapproacheslikekoansandself-inquirycanhavetheeffectofjoltingusoutofthesehabits.Buttheyalsocanhavenoeffectatall,simplyseemingodd,orcontradictory. If these approaches to nondual realization are a ladder to climb out of the holewe aretrappedin,thefirstrungoftheladdermayoftenbeexperiencedastoohightoreach.Prayercanserveasanotherrungontheladder,aneasierreach(eventhoughtheladderisafiction,asis

theclimber).Orwemightthinkofprayerasabridgethatisaccessibletousinourseemingconditionofdistance,confusion,andlonging.Itprovidesasenseofdirection,atowardness—TowardtheOneastheSufi prayer begins— a flowing, a promise of reconnection. In this way we hear the prayers of ourancestors,werepeatthem,andwefeelaliftfromthegreatchorusofsoulswhoalsohavesteppedontothatbridge.

PRAYERSOFPETITIONInmostpeople’sminds,prayerissynonymouswithaskingforsomething.Itispetitionandsupplication.While there are many other types of prayer — prayers of praise, gratitude, invocation, confession,blessing,celebration,etc.—weoftenfindprayer tobeacallingforsomebenefit, that is, instrumentalprayer.Eveninthecontextofthischapterandourworktogether,wecannoticethisinstrumentaltendencyatwork: e.g., I am inviting us to see prayer as amethod for (1) preparing us for awakening, and (2)initiatingthereleaseintoselflessness.Wewantsomethingtoprofoundlychangeinourlivesandthiskindofprayerexpressesthat.Thisisfine—althoughitdefinitelycarriessomedangersforourjourney(non-journey)ofawakening

intowhatisalreadyhere,thespontaneouspresenceofopenawareness.Wewillconsiderthesedangerslater.Fornow, letusnote thatprayersofpetitioncarry the fundamentalbenefit of stirringourdeepestlongingforthedivine,aswellasoffreeingusfromattachmenttotheinessentialinourlives.Aspiritualintegrationhappenswhenwepraysincerely.Ourexperienceasahumanbeingbecomeslessfragmented.Thesincerityofourprayers,thelovetheyexpress,islightinitself—aswehearinthispoemofRumi:

Onenightamanwascrying,Allah!Allah!

Hislipsgrewsweetwiththepraising,untilacynicsaid,“So!Ihaveheardyou

callingout,buthaveyouevergottenanyresponse?”

Themanhadnoanswertothat.Hequitprayingandfellintoaconfusedsleep.

HedreamedhesawKhidr,theguideofsouls,inathick,greenfoliage.“Whydidyoustoppraising?”

“BecauseIneverheardanythingback.”

“Thislongingyouexpressisthereturnmessage.”

Thegriefyoucryoutfromdrawsyoutowardunion.

Yourpuresadnessthatwantshelpisthesecretcup.

Listentothemoanofadogforitsmaster.Thatwhiningistheconnection.

Therearelovedogsnooneknowsthenamesof.

Giveyourlifetobeoneofthem.21

INDIRECTBENEFITSOFAPRAYERFULLIFEApart fromtheblessingsdirectlypetitionedfor inprayer,and thegiftofspiritual integrationand love-connectionmentionedabove,otherbenefitsofamoreindirectnatureariseinaprayerfullife.Itisasifbyreturning to the place of prayer, our experience is opened, purified, andmade resonantwith levels ofenergythatmaynotappeartoourconsciousminds.Imagine,forexample,theeffectonaTibetanBuddhistoraMoroccanMuslimwhoeachdayprostrateshisbodyinprayerstohisconceptionoranticipationofthe divine. It’s not hard to imagine what the long-term effects of such prayer might be: an increasedhumilityandcapacityforsurrender,andperhapsanaccompanyingeaseandopennessofheart.Therearethreebasicmodesofprayer:invocatoryprayer(asinzikrandmantra),spontaneousprayer

(personalandunique),and liturgicalprayer (traditionalwrittenprayers).Eachmodeyieldsbenefits intheprayerfulheart.Invocatoryprayerhelpstopurifyandcenterone’sattentionandreducethespeedandvolumeofstray

thoughts,emotions,andimages.Itcalmsus.RepeatingthenameAllahfivethousandtimeseachdaycanhavethiseffect; itcanalsodeepenourcapacityforreverence.Longrepetitionsofthe“Name”orothersacredformulas(Ommanipadmehung)mayalsofunctiononneuro-physiologicallevels,freeingneuralpathwaysthatmayhavebecomedysfunctionalthroughlong-establishedhabitsofanxiousthinkingorotherfixations.Thisisexperiencedaspurification.Spontaneous prayer of the heart offers different benefits. One quality that arises from spontaneous

prayerisamoreintimatekindofcenteringthanthatexperiencedthroughinvocation.Whenyousitonahillunderthestarsandprayspontaneouslyforguidanceoropeningorforgiveness,thesincerityofyourprayerbringsyou toacentered, intimate, face-to-facedimensionwith the reality towhichyouaddressyourprayer.Infactitistheface-to-faceaspectthatforcesyoursincerity—ifyourlipsarenexttoGod’sear,howsincerelyyouspeak!Spontaneousprayerisacureforinsincerity.Liturgicalprayermaynourishmanyqualities—reverence,humility,awe,faith,gratitude,forgiveness,

humane-ness, praise. Of course invocatory and spontaneous prayer can nourish these same qualities;however,thevasttreasuryofliturgicalprayerfromtheworld’sreligionshassurvivedpreciselybecauseitishelpfulinopeningthesequalitiesinus.Readagainthiswell-lovedprayer:

TheLordismyShepherd;Ishallnotwant.Hemakethmetoliedowningreenpastures:Heleadethmebesidestillwaters,Herestorethmysoul:HeleadethmeinthepathsofrighteousnessforHisname’ssake.

Yea,thoughIwalkthroughthevalleyoftheshadowofdeath,Iwillfearnoevil:ForThouartwithme;ThyrodandThystaff,theycomfortme.Thoupreparestatablebeforemeinthepresenceofmyenemies;Thouannointestmyheadwithoil;Mycuprunnethover.

Surelygoodnessandmercyshallfollowmeallthedaysofmylife,AndIwilldwellintheHouseoftheLordforever.(Psalm23)

Considertheeffectofrepeatingthisprayersincerelyeachnightbeforesleep.Itsimagesandthecalmcertaintyof its voice resonate inus, nurturing acceptance and faith inourhearts.Aswell, there is theimage of the Lord as shepherd, care-giver, protector, and guide. Although this is an image and anidealization, and therefore dualistic and conditional, it nevertheless stimulates both anticipation of apresencebeyondourconceptionandthereleaseofoursenseofself-importance.At itsbest,sincereprayerreachesbeyonditself towardthenon-conceptualperceptionofreality.The

Lord, the Shepherd, the Hallowed Name— these names are signifiers for what is beyond them: theNamelessandtheinfinitegenerositythatemanatesfromNamelessness.Bynamingthemandholdingthemas theobject of our prayers,we create a space inourselves, a capacityof heart andmind, anakasha(potential) for the presence of the Unspeakable and Unnamable to be intuited. Of course, each of usalready is that capacity and akasha, and there is actually no space that needs to be created —nevertheless,authenticprayerhasthecapacitytosimulateconditionsinusthat—asIbnal‘Arabisaid—“put you in theway of grace.” Likemeditation, prayer is not necessary for awakening, but it sets upconditionsthatcanmakethespontaneousintimationofournaturalstatemorelikely.I havementioned a number of these conditions already— qualities such as centeredness, sincerity,

humility, reverence,awe, faith, andgratitude.Bydeepeningourcapacity to live thesequalities,prayerservestomakethe“boundary”betweenself-identificationandidentitylessnessmoreporous.

PRAYERSOFAPPROACHANDNEARNESSOne function of prayer is to create a kind of spatial and temporal expectation. It heralds, alerts,announces,invokes,aswellasleads,guides,andbringsusclose.Forexample,manyprayersbeginwithaninvocation:

Bismillah!TowardtheOne!OmNamaShivaya!OGreatSpiritWhosevoiceIhearinthewinds,andwhosebreathgiveslifetoalltheworld,hearme!

TheeffectoftheseinvocatoryprayersistosignalitisnowtimetoalignourselvesasifweareactuallyapproachingGodandGod isapproachingus.Theirpurpose is togetus to lookup fromoureverydaypreoccupations,tosensethemajestyofwhatweareinvolvedinhere.Thiscreatesaninnerconditionofopeningandanticipation,areadiness,asinthisbeautifulprayer-songfromTaizé:

WaitfortheLord,Hisdayisnear,WaitfortheLord,keepwatch,takeheart.

Approachbringsusnear,andnearnessis intimacy.“God”andthe“Lord”become“Beloved”andthe“Friend” inSufi poetry.By addressing the unimaginableReal as “Thee” or “Thou”wemake a quasi-imaginableentitytowhichwecandrawnear.TomakeGodintelligibleyoumustmakeaGodofyourown.(InayatKhan)SufisarewellknownfortheirbeautifullovewordstoGod.Perhapsthisoriginatedfromthetraditionof

classicalArabicodes(qasidas)thattypicallybeganwithremembrancesofthelostbeloved.Thislove-yearning easily merged with the longing of the mystic, and over the centuries Sufis included in theirprayers, songs, and poetry the associated themes of love-madness, divine intoxication, perpetualwandering,andthetantalizingnearnessoftheBeloved.“NearnessoftheBeloved”isbestexperiencedratherthanreadabout.Wereadwordsaboutitlikethis

poemofHafiz,butthejoyandhelplessnessitreferstocanbeknownonlywhenitishappeningwithinus.

MyheartsitsontheArmofGodLikeatetheredfalconSuddenlyunhooded.

IamnowblessedlycrazedBecausemyMaster’sAstoundingEffulgenceIsinconstantview.

Mypiercingeyes,WhichhavesearchedeveryworldForTendernessandLove,NowlockontheRoyalTarget—TheWildHolyOneWhoseBeautyIlluminatesExistence.Mysoulenduresamagnificentlonging.

IamatetheredfalconWithgreatwingsandsharptalonspoised,Everysinewtaut,likeaSacredBow,QuiveringattheedgeofmySelfAndEternalFreedom,

ThoughstillheldincheckByamiraculousDivineGoldenCord.

Beloved,IamwaitingforYoutofreemeIntoYourMindAndInfiniteBeing.IampleadinginabsolutehelplessnessTohear,finally,yourWordsofGrace:“Fly!FlyintoMe!”

Hafiz,WhocanunderstandYoursublimeNearnessandSeparation?22

THELIMITSOFPRAYERWe have been surveying very briefly the lift prayer can give us in opening our hearts andminds. Tosummarize,prayer:

• startsfromwhereweare(compassionateaccesstothejourney)• givesasenseofdirectionandthereforepossiblerelease• focusesthedeepestdesireofourheart• freesusfromthenonessential• integratesasenseofself,sowemaybebetterabletoreleasethatsense• centersandcalmsthemind(invocatoryprayer)• deepensoursincerity• nourishesqualitiessuchasreverence,humility,awe,faith,andgratitude• helpstoreduceself-preoccupation• createsa“space”inus,anakasha,acapacityofheartandmindfortheunknown• stimulatesananticipationandreadinessfortheextra-ordinary• opensusto“intimacy-with”ratherthan“knowing-about”thatwhichiscalledGod

Andyettherearelimitstothesebenefits,andinmanywaysthelifttheyprovidecanturnintoaweightandburden.PerhapsthemostobviousdangercomesfromimaginingthatGodisanentity,andthenrelatingthat entity towhatwe think of as our own entityness. It is not surprising thatwepicture our religiouscosmologiesinthisway.Thenotionofmyselfassomethingthattakesupspaceandexistsintime,andtheimageofaGodthatdoesthesame,arisefromthecustomaryviewofourconditionedminds;itishowweexpectthingstobe.Hencewehaveideassuchas“approach”and“nearness,”ofajourneytoGodandtheexpectationthatawakeningisaneventthathappensintime.Fromthenondualperspective, theideasofapproachandnearnessare irrelevant.Fromthisviewany

grammar that imagines a distance between “us” and “God”makes a conceptual arrangement out of arealitythatcannotbeconceived.Theideathatthereareentitiescalled“we,”anentitycalled“God,”anda“space”betweenthem,whileitmayhavesomeinitialutility,islikeacaneonecannotpartwithafterthelegishealed.AsInayatKhanremindsus,Theidealisthemeans,butitsbreakingisthegoal.Thehumantendencyistograsptheconceptualidealitselfandrefusetoletitgo.Evennearness,theideasodeartoSufis,hasmeaningonlyasthedescriptionofarelationshipbetween

twoseparateentities.NomatterhowmuchconsolationGod’sproximitymakesusfeel,withinthelogicofnearnesstherecanneverbeameeting.

Prayers that emphasize a theistic entity canperpetuate a dualisticworldview in otherways aswell.Theycan reinforce the idea thatweare self-willedandsovereignbeings; thatGod judges“souls”andsomehowconsignstheseseeminglypermanententitiestoexistencesinheavenorhell;that“individuals”areto“blame”forcertaintransgressions;orthattheearthiscorruptbutGod’skingdomiselsewhereandpure. Most of us have experienced these kinds of dualistic and judgmental concepts expressed intraditional religions. It is not difficult to see how they have done immense harm to the potential forhappinessandforenlightenedhumansociety.

LEARNINGTOPRAYWISELYAcknowledging these pitfalls on the path of a prayerful life, is there any way for us to pray whole-heartedly,tobeupliftedbytheblessingsofprayerwithoutbeingweigheddownbydualism?I would answer these questions with a qualified “yes.” If we are to joyfully embrace prayer as a

supportforpreparingus—“anointingourheadswithoil,”sotospeak—asweopentocleartimelessawareness,thenwemustbecomeevermoresensitivetothetendenciesofdualisticlanguageinprayers.TheOpen Path, as I understand it, is inclusive. Thismeans, among other things, thatwe can embraceprayeraseasilyaswemightembraceanyothercompassionateandeffectivesupportforourawakening.Todo thiswemust learn tobegood translators, freeingdualistic language intonondual recognition.

ThusinourheartsthewordGodmightequalsomethinglikeradiantlyopenandspontaneouslypresentawareness — not specifically those words, but the clear spaciousness behind them. Becoming goodtranslatorsisnotjustamatterofshiftingwordstoourliking.Itisaboutreleasingourjudgmentsoftheirlimitationsintotheessencetheyhopetosignify.Alifeofprayercanprepareus,breakusopen,andreduceourself-importancetodust.Itcanscoopout

our small, preconceived thoughts aboutwhat is true, andhumbleusbefore theunknown.Allowing thepowerofprayertostrikeusinthiswaycanbeextremelypowerful.Forthistohappen,wemustbepoetsofprayer,continuallytranslatingandfreeingtheirmessagesfromthewordsthatenclosethem.

Lo,IamwithyoualwaysmeanswhenyoulookforGod,Godisinthelookofyoureyes,inthethoughtoflooking,nearertoyouthanyourself,orthingsthathavehappenedtoyou.There’snoneedtogooutside.

Bemeltingsnow.Washyourselfofyourself.23

—Rumi

PRAYERSOFIDENTITYAswematureinalifeofprayerweeventuallycometothemiddleofthebridge—thebridgethatprayercreatestocarryustothe“othershore.”Butsuddenlyweseeaheadthatthebridgehasdisappeared!Andas we take the next steps we notice that we too begin to disappear! We are vanishing! This is theexperiencedescribedinprayersofidentity.PrayersofidentityaredifferentfromprayersthatnurturetheapproachandnearnesstoGodinthattheyexplicitlyseektodeconstructtheirdualisticlanguagetorevealunity.ThebeautifulprayerofIbnal‘Arabi—Takemeawayfrommyselfandbemybeing,thenshallYou

seeeverythingthroughmyeyes—isaprayerofidentity.Asonepraysthisprayersincerely,theedgesofone’sselfaremadeporousandpermeable.Infact,removingtheimaginarydistinctionbetweenGodandself is the actual subject of the prayer — take this away! Dualistic language and doctrine becomeinstrumentsfortheirowndissolving.Inthisregard,prayersofidentityhavethesamepoweraskoans,orself-inquiry,orthepoetryofRumi,

Hafiz,andothermystics.Contradictionbuiltintotheirgrammarandtheirmeaningtwistsournormalwaysofcomprehension.Ifwearetoopentothepoweroftheseprayers,wemustbewillingtoletgoofwhatwethinkweknow.Toillustrate,letusconsiderthisbeautiful“prayerofidentity”fromInayatKhan:

Thylighthathilluminatedthedarkchambersofmymind;Thyloveisrootedinthedepthsofmyheart;Thineowneyesarethelightofmysoul;Thypowerworkethbehindmyaction;Thywillisbehindmyeveryimpulse;ThyvoiceisaudibleinthewordsIspeak;Thineownimageismycountenance.MybodyisbutacoveroverThysoul;mylifeisThyverybreath,myBeloved,andmyselfisThineownbeing.24

EachlineofthisprayergentlybreaksthroughthepolarizationofI-Thou,eventhoughthereiscontinualreference to “Thy” and “Thine.” The impact of the prayer is a deconstruction of the subject-objectfixation,revealingtheidentityoftheonewhopraysasthatwhichisprayed“to.”Thylighthathilluminatedthedarkchambersofmymind—Thisfirstlineistheonlylineoftheprayersetinthepasttense.Itsays:thishashappened,itisso,the

darkchambersofmymindhavebeenilluminated,andinthisilluminationIsee:Thyloveisrootedinthedepthsofmyheart—My heart, my most private and personally unique realm, is recognized as being not actually mine.

Neitheristhelovethatisrootedtheremine.Itsoriginisnotfromme.MyinnermostrealmisThylove.Thenwhatdoes“my”and“mine”mean?Wherearetheedgesofmyself?Thineowneyesarethelightofmysoul—Thislinemovesevendeeper.TheverylightbywhichIknowmy“soul”ormyexistence,thelightofmy

beingor“am-ness,”ishowtheNamelessOne(Thou)seesandisawake.Thypowerworkethbehindmyaction—Couldthisbe?Theseactionsofmine,thesemovementsofmybody,eachsmileorlaughorshout,each

word andwork—where does the power that drives them come from? Is it not “my” power? If it is“Thine”thenaretheseactions“mine”atall?Thywillisbehindmyeveryimpulse—Any distinction betweenmy life and “Thy” life ceaseswith this line.My every impulse!Who is in

chargehere?Wheredotheseimpulsescomefrom?IfeachimpulseisThywillthenIgiveup!Whogivesup?Whoeverhadanythingtogiveup?ThyvoiceisaudibleinthewordsIspeak—Eachremaininglineofthisprayerdrawsclosertheintimaterealization.Theprovinceof“me”losesall

sovereignty. Thesewords!Where do they come from?Who speaks thesewordswithmymouth? Thy

voiceisaudible,evennow.Whoisspeaking?Thineownimageismycountenance—My countenance? My face is my countenance, but not as I perceive it in a mirror, rather it is my

countenanceasIperceiveitfromtheinside.Iperceiveitnotasanimagebutasanopenness,anabsenceofimage.Thisabsenceofimageis“Thineownimage.”MybodyisbutacoveroverThysoul—Mybodyisacovernotover“my”soulbutThine!Whoishere?WhatamI?MylifeisThyverybreath,myBeloved—AfeatheronthebreathofGod…orevensubtler…Iambeingbreathed,notevenI—Rumisays—but

thisbreathbreathinghumanbeing.andmyselfisThineownbeing—HereIreachtheothershore,bridgedisappeared,andnoonehasreachedanything.Only“Thineown

being”remains,althoughwithout“I”thereisno“Thee.”OnlyIdentity.OnlyThis,whichhasneverbeenhidden.Ourprayerreleasesusbeyondprayer,wherethereisnolongertheideaofseparation.

PRAYERSOFSILENCEFinally,letusconsiderthemostsubtleformofprayer:silence,andtheradiantlifeitgivesbirthto.MySufi teacherMurshidFazal Inayat-Khanonce said, “Prayingwithwords isgood,butonedaywemustlearntopraywithoutwords.”Prayingwithoutwords—thesearetheprayersofsilence:pureopenness,responsiveness,transparency,lifepouringforth.Prayersofsilence,unlikeprayerswithwords,arenotinstrumental.Theydon’taskforanythingorlook

foraneffect.Theydon’tprepareusforunion—theyarisefromit,silentattheircoreandradiantinthelifetheyexpress.Livedinthisway,ourlifebecomesaprayerwithoutwords.Wepraywithoutceasing.Weplay.Anaturaljoyandcompassionarisesinthelivingoflife,alongwithaninnocentcuriosity,silentatitsheart,outwardlyasong.Thesewords of Inayat Khan about belief inGod can also apply to this contemplation of the living

qualityofprayer:

HappinesscannotcomebymerelybelievinginGod.Believingisaprocess.BythisprocesstheGodwithinisawakenedandmadeliving;itisthelivinginGodwhichgiveshappiness.ThedeepestprayerisaprocessinwhichawarenessofGodWithinandbeingWithinGodisawakened.Itisawakenedinaliving

silencethatpermeatesall.

Exercises:OnNondualityandPrayer

The following exercises are offered to those of you who wish to explore aspects of prayer moreexperientially.Someofyoumayalreadyhaveanactiveprayerlife,andtheseexercisesmayormaynotberelevantforyou.Othersmayhavenointerestinexploringprayerfurther.Thereisnoproblemeitherway.However,forthoseofyouwhoaredrawntoprayer,theseexercisesmayoffersomeexperiencesthatwillservetodeepenyourprayerlife,andopenqualitiesofprayerthatsupportawakeningtoournaturalstate.

1 InvocatoryPrayer.Youhavealreadyexperiencedonestyleofinvocatoryprayerinthepracticeofsubtleopening,particularly in the repetitionofYaLatif.Youmaywish to explore repeatingother prayers in thisway.At this point, to keep things simple, I suggest you choose one of thefollowingwordstouseasyourzikr:YaQayyum(theSelf-SustainingOne),YaHayy (theAlive),orHallelujiah.Beginbysittingquietly inagoodspace,withyourbackupright—feelingbothalertandrelaxed.Youcandotheseinvocationsinoneoftwoways:(1)repeatthewordaloudatacomfortable rate, aboutonceper secondor so;youmaywish touseprayerbeads— theyhelpkeepyousteady;trytodoatleastonethousandrepetitionsorforaboutfifteenminutes,andthenextend this amountgraduallyasyou feel ready,up to three thousand repetitionseachday; theserepetitionsmayslowlyshiftfrombeingpronouncedaloudtorepeatingthemsilently,atthesamerateoreven faster;or (2) repeat thewordsilentlyonyourbreath—onceon the in-breathandonceontheout-breath;sincethisisslower,youmaywishtobeginrepeatingthisbreath-prayerforaboutfifteenminutesandthenincreasethetimeasyoufeelready.

2 SpontaneousPrayer.Findaplacewhereyoucanbealone—innatureisbest.AddressGod,thefourdirections,spirit,or theuniverse—saywhoyouareandwhyyouarepraying: toexpressyourheart’sdeepestdesire.Thismaybeone thing, itmaybe several.Yourprayer canbe saideitheraloudorsilently;aloudmaynotbeaseasybutcangiveanaddeddepthtoyourprayer—youmaywishtowhisper.Whenyouarefinished,thankwhateveryouhaveaddressedyourprayertoandmakeagestureofrespect,suchasaboworplacingyourhandoveryourheart.

3 Using the followingprayer from InayatKhan—recite it over severaldaysatdifferent times.Becomeawareofitseffect,andperhapshowyourmindmayapproveordisapproveofdifferentwordsor lines in it.Explore“translating”whateverdualisticexpressionsyouexperience in theprayerintoanondualspirit,notnecessarilymakingupnewwords(althoughyoucandothattoo),butsimplyseeingthroughthemsotheirsubject-objectqualitymayrelaxintotheirnondualsource.Forexample,theword“Thou”couldbeseenwithasenseofitsinclusionofall.

OhThou,theperfectionoflove,harmonyandbeauty,Holderofheavenandearth,OpenourheartsthatwemayhearThyvoiceWhichconstantlycomesfromwithin.DisclosetousThydivinelightWhichishiddeninoursouls,Thatwemayknowandunderstandlifebetter.MostmercifulandcompassionateGod

GiveusThygreatgoodness,TeachusThylovingforgiveness,Raiseusabovethedifferencesanddistinctionsthatdividepeople,SendusthepeaceofThydivinespiritAnduniteusallinThyperfectbeing.25

4 Explore silent prayer— prayer without words.What does this mean for you? How do youexperience prayingwithoutwords?Can you experience howyour naturally occurring presencecanitselfbeaprayer?Youmightfeel thisasanopennessofheart,akindlookinyoureyes,anunspokenpresenceofblessingorgratitude,oftennotevennoticedbyothers.

Whilethesearesoloexercises,youmaywishtospeakaboutyourexperiencewiththemwithsomeoneyouarecloseto.

•8•

THEARTOFAWAKENING

Thisthingwetellofcanneverbefoundbyseeking,yetonlyseekersfindit.—ABUYAZIDAL-BISTAMI,NINTH-CENTURYSUFI

Lookingforit,thevisioncannotbeseen:ceaseyoursearch.Itcannotbediscoveredthroughmeditation,soabandonyourtrancestatesandmentalimages.Itcannotbeaccomplishedbyanythingyoudo,sogiveuptheattempttotreattheworldasmagicalillusion.Itcannotbefoundbyseeking,soabandonallhopeofresults.26

—SHABKARLAMA,NINETEENTH-CENTURYTIBETANTEACHER

Atthispointinourworktogetherweturntoexploremoredirectlytheparadoxicalnatureofawakening;inotherwords,of findingwhatweare seeking.Wewill encounterevermorecontradictory statementssuchas the linesabove fromBistamiandShabkar.Ultimately,however,wewillbe forced toabandonwordsaltogetherandsimplyopenourselvestothisintimatespacethatisforeverpresentbeforethoughtsappear or words take shape, and after they vanish. In either case, our explorations are by necessityimmediate,experiential,anddirect.Wecannotjustthinkaboutthesemattersandpresumetoknowwhattheymean.Directexperiencewithouttheintermediationofthoughtistheheartofourpractice.Contradictionwillbeourcompanioninthischapter.Statementswillbemade,reminderswillbegiven,

andwewilllearnevermorepreciselytopointouttoourselvestheheartofthematter;atthesametime,however, the transactional nature of those statements, reminders, and pointers (e.g., “this should benoticed,”“thatshouldbeopenedto,”etc.,)willalwaysneedtobereleased.Wearelearningtopracticethe art of awakening, and essential to that art is the realization that there is no awakening, no art, andnothingtopractice.

THEIDEATHATSOMETHINGISMISSINGFromtheconsensusviewofreality,lifeingeneral,andourindividuallivesinparticular,areinconstantneedofrepair.Thingsarenotaswewishthemtobe.Wearecoldandweneedtoputonasweater.Wearelonelyandweneedlovingcontact.Nationsareinconflictandneedtoliveinpeace.Somethingalmostalways seems to be missing, except for short moments when desire is fulfilled, and these momentsevaporaterapidly.Ourbottom-lineexperienceis thateverythingis inacontinualstateof incompletion.This is the reality from the perspective of dualistic perception, and these human bodies of ours areexquisitelydesignedtoperceivedualistically.The paradoxwe face in opening to nondual awareness is that while our ordinary dualistic view is

usefulforsurvivalpurposes,itproducesaconsiderableamountofconfusionandturbulenceinourliveswhenitismistakenforfundamentaltruth.Thisbecomesclearaswerecognizetheprovisionalnatureofidentifying ourselves as separate, individual selves. As we have seen, the idea that I am a separate,individualselfisshoredupbythecommonlysensedfeelingthatsomethingismissing.This is evident not only in the everyday experiences of our lives, but also in the dynamics of the

spiritualpathandofspiritualpractice.IamaseekerandIaspiretothegoalofspiritualrealization.Iammissingsomething.Myexperienceoflifecouldbebetter.IwanttofeelclosetoGod.Iwanttofindthemeaningbehindthisexistence.Iwanttobeatpeacewithmyselfandbealovingpresenceintheworld.These feelingsmay drawme to a formal religion or to a spiritual pathwhere I hope to findwhat ismissing—abeliefsystem,aninspiringteacher,acommunity,orapracticethatwillassuagemysenseoflack.ImplicitinthisconstructionistheexpectationthatIcouldsomedaypossessthesequalitieseventhoughI

feeltheirabsencenow.IfwelookcloselywecanseehowthisgainingideaonceagainrefersbacktoandreinforcesthesenseoftheseparateI.Forexample,bymakingmyselfsitstillinmeditation,tryingtotamethethoughtsandemotionsthatariseinmyawareness,IhopetofinallygainwhatIlack,i.e.,acalmmind.IwillbemorethanIwas.Hereweseehowtakingonspiritualpracticescanbecounterproductive.Insteadofreleasingthesenseofself,theyreinforceit.Insteadofresolvingthesubject-objectduality,theyemployit.Insteadofopeningmyawarenesstotheineffablemysteryofexistence,theygivemewaystodefineit.Andyetitwouldbeanerrortodismisstheentirereligiousandspiritualcurriculumofhumanitybecause

many of its expressions become caught in the same attachments they seek to free us from.Despite thepitfallsdescribedabove,spiritualpracticecanserveapositivefunction.Weseeevidenceforthisintheexperiencesof illuminated souls throughouthistory.Butwhatdoes it take for spiritualpractice tobeeffective?

THEARTOFAWAKENINGIfwe approach the process of spiritual awakening as an art rather than as a discipline or a series ofmanipulative practices, we may be able to avoid the gaining ideas that cloud it. All art requiresdiscipline,yetdisciplinealonedoesnotproduceart.Greatartarrivesthroughtheartist’sopennesstotheunknownandtheunexpected,inadditiontohisorherhistoryofpracticeanddevelopedskills.Inthesameway there is a ripening process whereby spiritual teachings and practices can serve to bring us to areadinessfromwhichwemaymoreeasilyopenbeyondpreparation,andpath,andripening.Wecanappreciatehowalltheteachingswehavebeenexposedto,plusallthepracticeswemayhave

experienced inour lives—sitting insilence,watchingourbreath, repeatingmantra,praying, inquiringintothenatureoftheself,respondingtokoans,etc.havehelpedripenusintwobasicways.First, theyhaveencouragedustoconsiderthepossibilitythatwearenotaseparateself,butmayinfactbeonewiththe transparent and radiant awareness that is the ground of being. This is initially an intellectualconsideration—weareinvitedbyteachingsandpracticestorelaxourassumptionsaboutwhatisreal.Weallowforthepossibilitythatrealitymaynotbeaswehadimagined.Weallowforthepossibilitythatthefamiliarawarenessweexperienceastheessenceofoureverydayperceptionissomehowcontinuouswiththeboundlessawarenessthatistheessenceofeverything.Thesekindsof insightshaveincreasedourcapacitytobecomfortablewithnotknowinganswersand

notneeding toknow.Theyhavehelpedusgiveup trying todefine theworldandourselves.Theyhavehelpedmakeroomfortheineffable.Thesecondwayinwhichspiritualteachingsandpracticesservetoripenusisbyhelpingtoclarifythe

internalstressesofourmentalandemotionallife.By“clarify”Imeantheircapacitytohelpusreducethespeed and volume of thoughts, become aware of habitual patterns of thinking, release attachments andidentifications, and to open our hearts. From this perspectivewe can see how a path of practices cancreateconditionsinourlivesfromwhichwearemorelikelytorecognizeouridentitywiththeclearlightofopenawareness.

Throughbothofthesefunctions—revealingthepossibilityofourtruenatureandclarifyingourmentalandemotionalenvironmentsothatwemaybebetterabletorealizethatnature—spiritualpracticescanserveusonourpath.Aslongastheyemphasizethesetwofunctions,theywillnotmisleadus.Teachingsandpracticesmust beutterly humble in this regard, recognizing their limits, not implying that they areindispensablekeysrequiredtounlockthemysticaldoor,butaremorelikethestillnessofthenightairthatallows the pond’s surface to reflect themoon.At their best, spiritual practices subtract fromour self-concept,reducingtheturbulenceofthepond’ssurface,notaddingtoit.Thisimagesuggeststhatteachingsandpracticesareusefultotheextenttheyprepareustonoticewhatis

alreadytrue.Whenwefinallyrecognizethisthatisalreadytrue,werealizeit’sbeenhereallalong,andnopreparationwasnecessarytorecognizeit.Aswecontinueinthisworkitiscrucialwenotlosesightofthis paradox, that we hold lightly all of our language about “awakening” and an “art of awakening,”recognizinghoweasyitistobelievethesewordsrepresentsomethingthatisspecialinitself,orthatwearespecialtopursueit.Asweknow,anyideaofspecialnesscanobscureouropeningintotheidentitylesspresenceofbeing.ThereasonIamintroducingthenotionofanartofawakeninghereisinrecognitionofthefactthat,for

thegreatmajorityofus,theprocessofopeningintotheidentitylesspresenceofbeingisnotaone-timeevent.Itisongoing.Onedaywemayexperienceaglimpseoftheinvisiblepresenceofopenawareness,finding thatwe are resting easily in its clear and spontaneous light. The next daywemay experienceourselvesasheavy,wooden,andfullofconflictingthoughts.Thissimplyhappens,theresultofdecadesofhabituatingtendencies.Sowecanrelax,learningtoplaycreativelywithwaystoreleaseourattachmentstothoughts,beliefs,andpreferences.Ratherthanexpectingfinalattainment,webecomeartistsofourownawakening.

PRACTICINGTHEARTSincetheintentionofthischapteristooffersomeapproachesthatmaycontributetoanartofawakening,Ihaveincludedhereinthetextsuggestionsforexercisesandformsofinquiryratherthanlistingtheminaseparate“Exercises”sectionattheendofthechapter.Whatdoesitmeantobetheartistofyourownawakening?Whatarethemovesofyourdance?Ofcourse, these“moves”mightconsistofanyofthepracticessuggestedinthisbook:thepracticeof

subtleopening,noticinganddeconstructingfixations,workingwithinquiry,prayer,andotherways.Butmostimportantly,eachmoveyouexplorewillrequirebeingcompletelysincereinyourpresencetothiswork,andengagingitonanoriginal,creative,on-goingbasis.Youmustmakeityourown.Theteachingsandpointersof theOpenPath,andin thegreatnondual traditionsrepresentedin thebookslistedin thebibliography,canbeusedbyyouasahostofreminders—inwhateverwaysworkforyou—tosuggestthedirectionlessdirection thatopensyou toyournaturalcondition, the transparencyofpureawarenessthatyouare.So far in thisbookwehave immersedourselves inboth functionsof spiritual teachingsandpractice

describedabove:openingtothepossibilityoftheextremeintimacyofthetruth;andclarifyingthemindstreamthroughobservingandreleasingmentalandemotionalfixations,calmingthetrafficofthought,andlearningtorecognizetheinsubstantialityofthoughtsintheirarisingandpassing.Nowyoumustbegintoexplorethesefunctionsinyourowncreativeways.Theyworknotbecausesomeonetoldthemtoyou,butbecausetheybegintoarisefromyourownunrelentinginquiry.Iwanttorepeat:thisisanongoingprocess.Nomatterhowclearourrecognitionoftheselfless,open

naturewesharewithallbeing,identificationsandattachmentsinevitablyariseinourmindstream.The

opportunitytoseethroughthemgivesusthechancetopracticeourarteveryday.Ittakescontinuousandsubtlediscernment.Ittakesourbeingopentoremindersastheyarisefromtheteachingswehearorhaveheard in the past. Evenmore, it takes the power of our own inquiry and steadiness, again and againopeningtotheremembranceofwhatweare.Of course, this remembering, this reminding, is still in the realmof “practice.” It is thepreamble to

awakening,notawakeningitself.Butsayingthatisalsomisleading.Tospeakofpracticesasapreambleto an event called awakening is only provisionally helpful. Ultimately practices cannot lead us toawakening.Infact,thereisnoawakening!Thenatureofeverythingisawakealready.Buteventhatisnotquitetrue.Tosayanythingatallabout“thisthingwetellof”complicatesourminds.TheprecedingparagraphisoneexampleofwhatImeanbypracticingtheartofawakening.Itisanart

thatispracticedbypointingtonothing,byreleasingallconclusions,andbyinvitingourawarenesstorestinwhatitis,thiscontentlessclearing.Intheremainderofthischapterwewillconsiderthreepossibleelementsoftheartofawakening.

CONVERSATIONSTHATRELEASEImagineyouaresittingsilently,doingnothing.Afterawhileyourealizeyouarelookingforsomething.YouarelookingforThis,forpureunconditionedawareness,thesenseofclearspaciousnessandnaturalease you felt at sometime in the past. You notice the experience of “looking for It” arising in yourawareness, and feel the pull it has on you.You notice also the sense of being the onewho looks, ofpeeringthroughthoughtsandsensationslookingforopenawareness.Nowwhatarisesnaturallyinyourmindstreammaybeaseriesofreminderslikethefollowing,interspersedwithlongpausesandsilence:

Iwonderwhat it really is that is doing this looking?What is it that receives the data fromlooking?IthinkIshouldlookforthat!Silence.What is this lookingprocessanyway? It needsa subject,me,who looks, andaprocessof

looking,andanobjectlookedat.This“looking”feelingiskeepingmyawarenesssplitintoasubject-objectset-up.Who’slooking?Silence.IwonderifIdon’tlook,whatwouldhappen?HowwouldIeverfinditifIdon’tlook?Silence.Idon’tknow.Ohwell.Silence.I can’t remember what I’m looking for anyway. It’s supposed to be open awareness, but

what’sthat?Silence.I remember it’s no different from the awareness I experience right now. What is this

awarenessnow?Silence.Oh.

You are probably familiarwith this kind of internal conversation. If it runs awaywith itself, it caneasilybecomeakindofnervoushabitofthoughtstalkingtothemselves.However,itcanalsobeausefulprocess of releasing patterns of thinking and feeling that are unnecessary elaborations on your directexperience.Thekeytokeepingsuchreleasingconversationsuseful is toallowthemtoalwaysproceed

toward “nothing,” toward spaciousness, toward identitylessness, toward unconditioned awareness.(However,byusingtheword“toward”adirectionalityisimpliedwhenthereactuallyisn’tone.Itismoreproperlyspeakinga“directionlessdirection.”)Playedwithdiscernmentandresponsiveness,thiskindof“conversation”isanaspectoftheartIamtalkingabout.Whiletheinternalconversationaboveiscarriedoutwithwordsandthoughts,theartofitcanbeeven

moreeffectivewhen it proceedsas akindof innerkinestheticnonverbalmovement “fromopenness toopenness”asthefieldappears.Oryoumayneedonlytouseaparticularkeywordorphrasethatholdspowerforyoutoeffectrelease.Phrasessuchas“listentolistening,”“openintoopenness,”“waitwithoutwaiting,” and “keep to the first moment,” or prayer phrases like “ya latif” can initiate a kinestheticmovementthatallowsyourexperienceandpresencetoopenfromimaginingitiscontainedinaspecificreferencepointtorecognizingthespaciousnessofitstruenature.It alsomay be helpful to realize that these kinds of releasing conversations are nothing other than a

spontaneous process of listening to inner guidance. We actually don’t “do” anything in these innerconversationsorshortreminders.Wearenotfiguringanythingout.Anaturalintelligenceisever-presentaswelearntorelaxfromthinkingweknowsomething.Wejustlisten,orrather,listeningjusthappens,andinthiscompletelynaturalwaythemind’stendencytoholdontobeliefsandconclusionsisnoticedandthemind relaxes.The essenceof the art of awakening, as the essenceof any art, is spontaneity.Guidancenaturallycomes.Noticinghappens.Awakeningopensinspontaneoussurprise.

DEVELOPINGANON-DOINGCONTEMPLATIVEPRACTICEWehavealreadybeenexploringtheexperienceof“non-doing”inthepracticeofsubtleopeningandintheriverflowmeditation.Iwouldliketosuggest,whenyoufeelyouareready,thatyoutakeonnon-doingcontemplationasacoreaspectof theartofawakeningyoupractice.Youmaywishtoalternateitwithother practices that you are familiar with and enjoy doing, or shift back and forth from the kind ofreleasingconversationsdescribedabove,andtheformsofself-inquirydescribedinchapterfive,tonon-doing contemplation as theweather of yourmind and emotions changes, and as you feel the need forreminding.Thisisyourart.Hereareafewabridgedparagraphsfromthedescriptionofnon-doinginchaptertwo:

Howdowedonon-doing?Byrelaxingnaturally,thoughremainingquietandalert,andinanalertposture,aswehavebeenforthepreviouspartsofthepractice.ThisistheSufiteacherInayatKhan’sdescriptionofmeditation:mysticalrelaxation.Noeffort.Evennoeffortathavingnoeffort.Wearesimplystillandpresent.Whatarises,arises.Whatpasses,passes.Ifwenoticethatwehavebecomeinvolvedinwhatarises—thoughtsoremotions—wedon’tbotheraboutit,wesimplynoticeit

andallowittopasswithoutourfurtherinvolvement.Non-doingispurewitness.Weproducenointerferencewithwhatoccurs.

Since effort — which creates causes and effects, whether positive or negative — is unnecessary, immerse yourself ingenuine being, resting naturally with nothing needing to be done. The expanse of spontaneous presence entails nodeliberateeffort,noacceptanceorrejection.Fromnowonmakenoeffort,sincephenomenaalreadyarewhattheyare.

—LONGCHENPA

Manypeoplehavedifficultywithnon-doing.Evenwhenwereduceouroutward“doing”toanabsoluteminimum(sittinguprightandstill),inwardlythemindcompensatesby“doing”atafiercerate.Sincemostofusarelargelyidentifiedwithourmindstream,thistendstomakethepracticeofnon-doingfrustrating.Ican’tstopdoingmymindstream!Herewemight benefit from some advice of the greatHindu teacherSriNisargadattaMaharaj as he

respondstoaquestionerwhocomplains,“Mythoughtswon’tletmerest.”

Paynoattention.Don’tfightthem.Justdonothingaboutthem,letthembe,whatevertheyare.Yourveryfightingthemgivesthemlife. Just disregard.Look through….Youneednot stop thinking. Just cease being interested. It is disinterestedness that liberates.Don’tholdon,thatisall.Theworldismadeofrings.Thehooksareallyours.Makestraightyourhooksandnothingcanholdyou.Giveupyouraddictions.Thereisnothingelsetogiveup.Stopyourroutineofacquisitiveness,yourhabitoflookingforresults,andthefreedomoftheuniverseisyours.Beeffortless.8

Non-doingisactuallyakindofnon-practice.Fundamentallyyouarenotdoinganything,justabidinginyour natural quiet attention.You are clear-headed.You have no agenda.Nothing has to change or getbetter.You’renolongerlookingforanything.Thereisnoonelooking.Thereisjustthiswelcoming,thisopenness.Itisalertandacceptingofwhatcomes.Thoughtsarise.Feelingsandsensationsarise.Youletthem be. You are simply not interested in pursuing them. They vanish. All thoughts, emotions, andsensationsdissolvenaturallyintoopenawareness.Yourecognizeyouarenota“you,”butsimplyawarenessawareofwhatishappening.Youdon’thaveto

doanythingtohavethisbeso—itistheverynatureofwhatyouare.Itiscompletelynonpersonal.Thereismulti-dimensional listening and seeing, but no center.You are no longer identifiedwith being yourmind,orforthatmatter,yourbody.Noidentificationisnecessary.ThereisonlyThisthatis.Inmyexperience it ishelpful tomaintaina fairlysteadydietofnon-doingcontemplativepractice—

perhapstwentyminutesaday,althoughallowinganumberofperiodsofnon-doingthroughoutyourdayisevenbetter.Asnon-doingbecomesmorefamiliartoyou,youwillfindyourselfopeningintoitsopennessmoreoften,whilewaitinginline,ordriving,orsittingtalkingwithfriends.Non-doingdoesnotmeanyoucannot perform daily functions, although you may want to extend your non-doing practice from itssecluded, meditative setting to social settings gently. It simply means living selflessly, with directperception,opentowhatevercomeswhileholdingontonothing.Actionstakecareofthemselves,arisingoutofthenaturalintelligenceofeachsituation.Wordsarespokenwhentheyarecalledfor.Youarethisself-arisingpresenceanditsflowofmovementandresponsiveness,withouthavingtodeviseanything.

RELEASEATINCEPTIONAhelpfuladjuncttothenon-doingcontemplativepracticeisthethreeaspects,orrecognitions,involvedintheTibetanDzogchen“pointingoutinstruction”calledreleaseatinception.Thisisasubtlepractice,sosubtlethatitisnotactuallyapracticebutcouldbedescribedmoreaccuratelyasaseriesofappreciationsofwhatisnaturallyoccurring.Youmayfindthattheserecognitionstakefrequentexperimentationforthemto feel natural. Yet they essentially involve no effort— simply noticingwhat is without adding anyinterpretation.The three recognitions are describedbelow.Thedescriptions aremyown interpretation and are not

necessarilyhowtheTibetansconceive them.Youmaywish tocontemplate theseaspectsand take themintotheintimacyofyourownpractice.Aswiththenon-doingcontemplativepractice,thesereminderscanberecalledatanytime,notonlywhenyouaresittinginmeditation.It could be said that the purpose of the recognitions of releaseat inception is the dissolving of the

subject-object relationship. With these recognitions our fascination with and attachment to thoughts,emotions,andsensoryimpressionsdissolves.Oursenseoftheirsubstantialitydissolves.Wenoticehowallappearances,allphenomena—includingourbodiesandallfeelingsofselfhood—areinseparablefromtheboundlesscontextofemptyawarenessinwhichtheyappear.Aswebecomemorefamiliarwiththisrecognition,wesenseaprofounddetachmentfromthethingsoflifethathadpreviouslyentrancedus.Thisisnotaconceptualstate,butanexperienceinthemoment.Atthesametime,wesenseaclarityandimmediacyofencounterwith“thethingsoflife,”althoughnowwearenolongerattachedtothem.Thereisintimacyratherthanclinging.

These threerecognitionsorappreciationsarenot intendedasasequentialpractice.Theyrevealeachother without any effort on your part, and they could just as easily be seen as one recognition withdifferentfacets,likeasinglejewel.

1.THECOINCIDENCEOFAWARENESSANDOBJECTSAllowyourmindandbodytosettle inarelaxed,natural,alertstate.Theinstructionsfor thenon-doingcontemplative practice are relevant here. Simply leave your awareness as it is, without contrivinganythinginyourmind,neitherblockingnorpursuinganythought,emotion,orsensation.Beateaseinthenaturalopennessyouare.Now,whatever arises in your awareness—whether it is an appearanceof external objects such as

forms, sounds, smells, etc., or an appearance of internal mental or emotional activity— at the verymomentofitsappearance,noticethepointofunionbetweenyourawarenessandwhatisappearing.Thisissometimescalled“thefirstmoment.”Noticethatwhateverisarisinginthefirstmomentiscoincidentwithyourawareness.Thisistheentireinstruction.Thereisactuallynothingyouaredoinghere,simplynoticing the coincidence of perceived objects with your awareness. You don’t have to objectify yourawareness,thinkingofitassome“thing.”Justnoticethatawarenesscoincideswithwhateverappears.Byrecognizingthoughts,emotions,andsensations justas theyare,as theyappear—at theirpointof

unionwithawareness—their“charge,”whetherconceptualoremotional,isreleased.Whateverpotencyandfascinationtheyholdisreleased.One of the challenges of this noticing is to keep flowingwith it.Youwill experience that one thing

arisesafteranother:asensation,athought,anemotion,anotherthought,anothersensoryimpression.Justrelaxinthefirstmomentofthisflowofappearances,withoutdoinganythingextra.Ifyounoticeyouhavestartedtoendorseandamplifyacertainthoughtthatarises,oranemotionalenergythatarises,justseethatwithoutcommentorreaction.Youalwayshaveafieldinwhichtoengagewiththispractice.Youwillexperiencethatifthissimplerecognitionofappearances,justastheyare,doesnotoccur,then

anordinaryobliviousstateofmindresults.Youmaydaydream,orbecomeentrancedinotherwayswithwhatappears.Youmaycommentonitandhaveopinionsaboutit.Thiscommentarythencreatesaspaceinwhichself-conceptthrives—the“ordinaryobliviousstateofmind.”Asyouexperimentwiththispracticeyoumayfeelitproducesasenseofdetachmentfromtheworldand

all the things that“matter” toyou.Thismaybeuncomfortableat first—somepeople retreat fromthisfeelingofdetachmentbecauseitcaninitiallyfeellikealossofthejuiceoflife.Icanonlyencourageyoutoopenyourselftoit.Theclarityandintimacyitmakespossiblewillsoonbecomeevidenttoyou.Youmayalsoexperiencethatthissenseofdetachmentbeginstoformafeelingofbeingawitness.AsI

havementionedinanothercontext,witness-consciousnesscanbeahelpfulinterimstepinfreeingyourselffromidentificationwithwhat’shappening,butifreinforceditcaneasilybecomeanotherhideoutfortheego.Inthecontextofthispracticeofseeingthecoincidenceofawarenessandobjects,itissimplesttoseetheformationofthewitnessasjustanotherappearance.Itwilldissolveofitsownaccord.

2.NOTRACEThesecondfacetofreleaseatinceptionoccursasyourecognizethatallexperiencevanisheswithoutatrace.Whateveroccursisseenasitis(thecoincidenceofawarenessandobjects),andthenvanishes“likeabird’sflight-pathinthesky.”Appearancesreachtheirfullnessinyourdirectperception,andthenyounoticetheyimmediatelydissolveoftheirownaccord,disappearinginthe“indeterminatespaceofpristineawareness.” This happens by itself — you don’t do anything to make it happen. It is the naturalspontaneityoftheuniversalmoment.Thereisnotimeinwhichthishappens.

Youmightsuspectthatthiscontinualdisappearingofwhatappearswouldmakeeverythingstop,orthattherewouldbenomemoryandthusnothingwouldbelearned.Butitisjustbecauseeverythingisreleasedatinceptionthattheuniversecontinuesbecoming.Andweseespontaneous“learning”everywhere,asthevinegrows toward the lightwithoutcommentary,and thebirdswoops through the treesandavoids thebrancheswithout commentary. Just socanwe live, freeofobsessive thoughts aboutpast and future.Anatural intelligence guides everything spontaneously,without deliberation, just as a baby grows in thewombwithoutdeliberation.In this recognition you may also experience yourself vanishing along with everything else. The

positioningthatoccurswhenyouendorseabelieforopinionoremotionvanishesjustaseffortlesslyasthethingsthatappearinyourvisionvanishwhenyouturnyourhead.Whenyoufirstexperiencethis,itcanbestunning,orevenalittlescary.WhereamI?WhatcanIholdonto?Heretheonlyadviceistorelaxandletbe.Theclearspaciousnessweare,dawns.Thereisnotraceof

needinessorfearofloss.Nothingneedstobedone.

3.UNITYThe third facet of release at inception is the spontaneous appreciation that every appearance of anyobject,sensation,thoughtoremotion,everymovementinawareness,arises,abides,andisreleasedinthewide-openunitaryspaciousnessofbeing,like“anotherwaveintheocean.”Therealizationhereisoftheunityofeverything.Relativeandabsolute,conditionedandunconditioned,materialandimmaterial,faultsandvirtuesarethesameinspaciousness.Itisasifthesurfaceoftheshorelessoceanoflightshimmerswith infinite little waves — these forms, sounds, textures, colors, thoughts, and emotions that weexperience—whilenothingisseparatefromthelight.Everywaveandripplearisesanddisappears,andisneveranythingotherthanthisshorelessoceanofinfinitegenerosity.Aswerecognizethisfacet,werecognizeourunitywiththeocean.Thisisourowntrueface.Werealize

that everything is all right and has been all right forever.We, and everyone and everything and everyoccurrence that has ever occurred — even the worst things we can imagine — have never left thecompassionateemptinessoftheclearlight.

CONCLUSIONTheartofawakeningdoesnotconsistofanyspecificmethodsorpractices,neithertheparticularbrushstrokessuggestedinthischapter,noranyothermenuofsuggestions.Itisalivingartthatisperformedinthesamewaya tree’sbranchesmovein thewind.Myhopeis thatyouwillbecomeyourowncreativeartistofawakening—curious,experimental,andhonestmomentbymoment,rememberingthatwhileyougiveyourselftotallytoyourartintheseandmanyotherways,noeffortisneeded.

•9•

AJOYOUSCOSMOLOGY

INTRODUCTIONAsweexploredinthepreviouschapter,“TheArtofAwakening,”itcanbehelpfultohavesomeintimatepointsofguidanceorremembrancetoserveourart.AsweproceedontheOpenPath,wefindexamplesofthesereminders—sometimesfromteachingsorscriptureorpoetry,sometimesfromexperiencesinthenaturalworld, sometimes from amore invisible sourcewithin themoment. In this chapter, “A JoyousCosmology,”Iwouldliketosharewithyoufourthemesthatcanserveusinthisway.IhavetakenthebasisofthesethemesfromatreatiseknownasThePreciousTreasuryof theWayof

Abiding,writtenby thefourteenth-centuryTibetanmasterLongchenpa,andfromoneofhissources, theearlyDzogchenscriptureknownasTheSupremeSource.27Whatfollows,however,isnotintendedtobeareportonLongchenpa’steachingsonthissubject.Itismyownimprovisationontheseancientthemes,and reflects my interest in exploring how these exquisite mystical realizations may land in our ownexperienceoflife.Thischaptercoversalotofground,andsinceyoumayfinditeasiertoreadsectionbysection,Iinclude

hereatableofcontentsofitsheadingsandsub-headings:

ThemeI:RealizingtheAbsenceofStoryTheNatureofThoughtsandFeelingsTheNatureofAwarenessTheNatureoftheRealWorldTheFaceofAbsence

ThemeII:ExperiencingtheIntimacyofOpennessWhatisOpenness?OpeningintoOpennessTheIntimacyofOpenness

ThemeIII:SurrenderingAllatOnce

ThemeIV:TheJoyofUnboundedWholenessAwarenessastheWholenessoftheOneAwarenessasSpaciousnessItselfTheOnenessofBeingDoesNotFollowfromaCauseTheOnenessofBeingRevealsItselfasPureEnjoymentandEndlessVariation

Thisis thelongestchapter inthisbook,andadmittedlynot theeasiest toread.Nevertheless,muchofthismaterialreferstoaspectsofourworkthatwehavefocusedonearlier,whichwenowcanexploreatadeeper level.Asyouwill see, Ihaveusedanumberof styles—someconversational, somepoetic,

somequitedense,andIhaveinterspersedpoetrywhereIcould.Isuggestyoureadthechapterslowlyandinseveralsittingsratherthantryingtodigestitallinonemeal.Ifyoucan’tfollowallofthis,don’tworry.Justletthewordsbelikeariveryouswimin,andreturntothemonceinawhilewhenyoufeelliketakingadip.Asyouknow,theOpenPathisnotareligionanddoesnotinvolvelearningoragreeingwithaparticular

doctrine ormetaphysical system. Asmuch as possible, in our explorations of the Open Path we stayfocused on the evidence of our immediate experience. I realize that in calling this chapter “A JoyousCosmology,”itmayappearthatI’minvitingusintosomekindofmetaphysicalspeculation,butthat’snotmyintention.Thepurposeofthischapteristoofferanumberofwaystocontemplate—mostlythroughdirectinquiryandpoetry—thenatureofreality.Ifittendstoinducealotofthinkingforyou,putitdown.Ifitsuggestsopeningsforyouintodirectexperiencebeyondthesewords,thenithasserveditspurpose.

THEMEI:REALIZINGTHEABSENCEOFSTORYThis first contemplation considers the nature of absence, looking at what this word signifies in twodistinctways.Thefirstistoregardabsenceasonesideofadualisticequation:thepresenceofsomethingandtheabsenceofsomething,inthiscasetheabsenceofstory(i.e.,mentalandemotionalconstructions).Withinthecontextofconditionedreality,ofseekingtofreeourselvesfromidentificationwithstories,thisdualisticmeaning is accurate andhas somebenefit.But in anunconditionednondual context, thewordabsencesignifiesaqualitythatismuchlesstangible;infact,itisnottangibleatall.Insteaditcarriestheimplicationof“emptiness”—asinanemptyskyorasinthesenseofpurecapacitylikeanemptybowl.Thebowlisabowlbecauseoftheemptinessitallows.Inananalogouswaywecanappreciatethatthewholenessofrealitycanbebecauseoftheemptinessthatisintrinsictoit.

THENATUREOFTHOUGHTSANDFEELINGSWhenwesitquietly,doingnothing,wenoticethatthoughtsorfeelingsappearandthendisappearinourawareness.Whenwelookcarefullywealsonoticethecuriousfactthatthisintermittentstreamofthoughtsor feelings seems to appear out of nowhere — that is, the thoughts or feelings are at one momentcompletelyabsentorunfindable,andthentheyappear!Youcancheckthisatanytimewithanythoughtorfeelingthatarises—simplytrytoseeifthethoughtorfeelinghasanyfindableoriginbeforeitoccurstoyou.Taking thisastepfurther,wecannotice that the thoughtsor feelings thatarise inourawarenessalso

seemtoconstantlytransformordisappear—theydon’texistimmutably.Whathappenstothem?Wheredotheygowhentheyarenolongerpresentinourawareness,orwhentheirappearancechanges?Again,itseemstheiroriginalappearanceorqualitydisappearsinto“nowhere.”Now ifwe lookat a thoughtor feeling itselfwhen it seems tobepresent inour awareness, canwe

actuallyfindit?Forexample,considerthethoughtof“finding.”Weknowwhatthewordmeansbutcanwefindthatmeaningwhenwelookforit?I’mnotreferringtoitsdefinition;Iamreferringtotheseemingexistenceofthethought“finding.”Trytofindit.Noticethatitactuallyvanishesinstantaneouslywhenyoutry to “find” it.You can’t find finding!You can’t even find not finding!This is true of any thought orfeelingthatarises—theydon’tactuallyexistasobjectsyoucanfindormakeholdstillorinspect.Theyvanish,ortheytransformintosomethingelse.Trythiswiththethought,orthefeeling,of“me,”ofyourprimarysenseofsubjectivity.Looktoseeif

youcanfindwhereitcomesfromjustbeforeyoubecomeawareofit.Nowlooktoseeifyoucanfindwhereitgoeswhenyounolongerthinkaboutitorfeelit.Andnowlooktoseewhatitis,preciselywhen

youarethinkingaboutitorfeelingit.Itwouldbebestifyouactuallytakeafewmomentsnowtodothisexercise—andtheothersthataresuggestedalongtheway—ratherthanassumingyouknowwhattheyreveal.Thiswillhelpgiveallthesewordsagroundinginyourdirectexperience.You may notice that in all cases — in its origin, its destination, and in its seeming existence as

something in itself — the actual thought or feeling of “me” is unfindable. I realize this may soundunreasonable,evenridiculous.ButIencourageyoutobethescientistofyourownexperienceandseeforyourself—don’ttakemywordforit.Whenyoulookfortherealityorsubstantialityorstraightforwardexistenceofthefeelingorthoughtof“me,”whathappens?Whatdoyoufind?Itishelpfultogoslowhere.Repeatthelineofinquiryjustdescribedatyourownpace,andasmany

timesasyouneedto.Indeed,thisexplorationcanberepeatedusefullyoverseveraldays,weeks,months,oryears.Youmightthinkitmakesnosensetosayyoucan’tfindthethoughtorfeelingof“me,”orwhereitcomes

from, or where it goes. It comes, you might say, from the whole interlocking system of linguisticconditioninganddevelopmentofself-conceptswehavepainstakinglylearnedfromanearlyage.Yes,wecouldusethisstoryasanexplanationof“me,”butitstilldoesn’tchangethefactthatwhenwelookfora“me,”wecannotfindit.Isn’t thisexplanationsimplyanotherthought?Wherewasthisthoughtbeforeitappeared?Whereisitafteritdisappears?Where(andwhat)isitwhenitispresent?Ifyoutrytofindthisstory-thoughtyoucomeupempty-handed.It,initself,andinitsoriginanddestination,isabsent.Ithasnodefinitive nature or constancy.When you try to touch it or report accurately about it, you discover itsnatureisbothephemeral(notlasting)andineffable(notabletobeexpressedinwords),justlikeeveryotherthoughtorfeelingyoumighthave.Itmaybethatyouhavefollowedthislineofinquirythisfar,butthensay,“Sowhat?”Itmayseemtoyou

thatthisisnothingmorethanaphilosophicalorlinguistictrickthathasnorelevancetohowweliveourlives,or towhat is actually true.Here,onceagain,youneed togovery slowly. If theactualnatureofthoughts and feelings is both ephemeral and ineffable, then we have to admit they have no reality inthemselves—thatis,theycanbenothingmorethanavividdisplayofabsence.Theyarisefromabsence,they disappear into absence, and inasmuch as they “exist,” they exist as an ephemeral andmomentarydisplay,notasthingsinthemselvesthatremainstableorconstantinanydescribableway.The implication of this revelation is that the entire vast interwoven fabric of stories by which we

describerealityandourselves—allthejudgments,discriminations,elaborations,theplacingofeventsinthepastorthefuture,alldeterminationsofcausality,alldescriptionsofgoodandbad,rightandwrong,blame and credit — these are actually ephemeral “displays” arising from a matrix of absence oremptiness.Theyhavenosubstanceorfixedattributesinthemselves.Theyarestories,andasstoriestheirnatureisabsence.Thatis,theyareemptyof,devoidof,anidentitythathasanyfixedcharacteristics.Stopnowandallowthis realization time tosink in. It implies thatour thoughtsandfeelingsareonly

provisionally accurate.Theydonot really exist, just as their “meaning”or storydoesnot really exist.They are momentary signs, like dreams, that do not exist independently in themselves. Realizing thisdoesn’tmeanwenolongergivecredencetoourthoughtsandemotionsorthestoriestheysignify.Wecanrecognizethemfortherelativemeaningtheypointto,andactonthatmeaningifappropriate,butnowwesee through them. This seeing-through releases us from any attachment wemay have to their ultimatesignificance.Becauseweseethattheiressenceisabsence—emptinessratherthansubstance—wearefreedfromtheirdominance.

THENATUREOFAWARENESSNowletustakeanotherapproachtothissamerevelationoftheabsenceofstories.Thisisanapproach

youarefamiliarwithbynowintheworkoftheOpenPath.Asyousitquietly,doingnothing,seeifyoucan find the nature of your awareness. You know it is the ground of your being, since without it—whatever it is— therewouldbeno chance tonoticeor explore anything, includingyour “being.”Butwhatisthisawareness?Doesithaveanyattribute?Color?Texture?Centerorperiphery?Frontorback?Is it visible in anyway?Does it haveanybasic feeling tone?Canyou find if it begins somewhereorsometime,or ends somewhereor sometime?Canyoudiscover if it is insideyouandnotoutsideyou?Whereisit?Doesawarenesshaveastory?Orisitalsotheabsenceofstory?We are already familiarwith this kind of question, but it is helpful to go through this inquiry often,

letting itbecomepartofyourdailyexplorationoveraperiodof time.Even though Iwill continueourinquiryhereandsuggestpossiblerevelationsarisingfromit,itisimportantthatyounottakemywordforit,butproceedthroughtheinquiryyourselfuntilyouhavecometothecertaintyofyourownexperience.Notsurprisingly,thisinquirybringsustothedirectrealizationthatthenatureofawarenessitselfcannot

beexpressed.Itsnatureisineffable,unutterable.Whilewecanbeabsolutelyconvincedofawareness’spresenceorreality,wecan’tsaywhatthatrealityorpresenceis.Itisungraspable,inthesamewaywediscoveredthatthethoughtsandfeelingsthatappearinourawarenessareungraspable.The implications of seeing awareness itself as absent of story are profound, as we have come to

recognize throughout thiswork.Every aspect of reality aswe know it is unitedwith the emptiness or“absence”thatistheessenceofawareness.

THENATUREOFTHEREALWORLDThisunityismostevidentwhenweconsiderthereliabilityorrealityoftheinformationreceivedthroughoursenses.Aradicaldeconstructionofthestorieswehavebuiltuponthedataprovidedbyoursensescanundermine theseemingsolidityofourworld.However, this isamuchmorechallengingdeconstructionthananinquiryintothesubstantialityofthoughts,feelings,andawareness.Ourcertaintyintherealityoftheobjectsoftheworld“outthere”isrootedinourevolutionasbiologicalorganisms.Ifwechallengetheultimaterealityofthesubject-objectdichotomy,thesuspicioniswemaynolongerbecareful.Wemightthinkthatifrealityisperceivedasonewhole,wewouldnolongerfeeltheneedtoprotectourselvesfromapartofit.Butbeyondthis,ourcertaintyintherealityofphysicalphenomenaseemsjustcommonsense.Youcan

imagineyourselfslammingyourfistonatableandsaying,“Thisisreal!”Youcanimagineseeingatruckspeedingdirectlytowardyouandsaying,“Thisisreal!”Youcanimagineholdingasmallchildinyourarmsandsaying,“Thisisreal!”With this basic predisposition we have toward the fundamental reality and existence of supposedly

externalobjects,anyattemptatdeconstructingthispredispositionfacesanenormouschallenge.Mysenseisthattobeabletoseethroughtheapparentsubstantialityofobjectsweneedtobeginwiththekindsofdeconstructioninquirymentionedabove,focusingfirstofallontheabsenceofthesubstantialidentityofthoughts and feelings, and on the direct recognition of the nonsubstantiality of awareness. When webecome convinced of the “emptiness” of thoughts, feelings, and of awareness itself, through our ownexperience,thentheideaofa“realworld”outtherebecomeslesssolid.FornowIwillmentionthispossibilityonlybriefly,andreturntoit inthesubsequentthemes.Hereit

maybeenoughtosuggestthat,sinceeveryexperienceofeveryphenomenonof“therealworld”appears—and canonly appear— in the context of awareness, then in someway the realityof theworld, itsapparent existence, is indivisible from the ineffable, unutterable, insubstantial nature of awareness. Ifawarenessisfundamentallycoincidentwithabsence—thatis,itcannotbedefinedbyanystory—thenallthestoriesthatappearinit,e.g.,therealityoftrucksandbabiesandtables,cannothelpbutparticipate

inthepresenceofabsence.Take amoment to see if you can find a boundary between your awareness and the phenomena that

appear in it. Ifyouareunable todoso,whatdoes this implyforourbasicassumptionaboutrealityasbeingdefinedbyasubject-objectstructureanddistinction?Istherereallyaworld“outthere?”Istherealinebetweeninsideandoutside?Orcoulditbethatsupposedlyphysicalrealityisnotseparatefromtheopenness(emptiness,absence,ineffability)ofpureawareness?WemayrecallheretherootphraseoftheBuddhainthePrajnaparamitaSutra(theHeartSutra),“Formisemptiness;emptinessisform.Formisnototherthanemptiness;emptinessisnototherthanform.”Butmoreimportantforourpurposeshereisnotanintellectualappreciationof thepossibility thatall

form is fundamentally empty (this is another way of saying it is absent of story), but rather, what isimportantforourpurposesisadirectrecognitionofthisrevelationatthelevelofourownidentitywithit.Thatis,recognizingthatmyownbeing—thisform—isemptiness.Itisnototherthanemptiness.Andemptiness—theabsenceofallstory—isnototherthanmyownbeing.

THEFACEOFABSENCESofarIhavebeenaskingyoutofollowacertainlineofrationalinquiry,andasyoureadalongtocheckitwithyourowndirectexperience,lookingintothenatureofyourthoughts,feelings,awareness,andyoursensations. Because we are limited here by the narrative prose form, wemay be asking this form ofwritingtocarrymoreweightthanitcanbear.SowithyourhelpI’dliketotryamorepoeticvariationtoconcludethisfirstsection,nowthatwehavesetthestagewiththeprecedingnarrative.Ourchallengeatthismomentistorealizethenatureofabsencebylettingitemergethroughourdirect

experience,andwhilestillreadingatext.Onewaymaybetoreadthefollowinglinesslowly,allowingsufficientpausesasnecessarytoletthesenseofthelinesemergefromwithinyourexperience.Ultimately,ofcourse,wearechallengingourselvestorecognizeabsence—theopenfreshnessofthemoment—inthespontaneouslivingofourlivesfarfromanytext.

Whatisthefaceofabsence?Hereinmyownfacethatislikethesky,spaciousandwithoutcenteroredge,thefaceofabsenceiswithoutanopposite.LookingforitIfindnothing.ButhowcanItellnothingisnothing?Liketheinnocenceofemptyspacebeforetheideaofemptyspacehasformed,inthisimmediacynostorycantakeholdandclearabsenceisrevealed.

Butevenifastorydoestakehold,whatcoulditholdto?Absence.Story-maker,whoareyou?Absence.Absence,showyourface!Here.Theabsenceofabsence.

Eachmoment,phenomenarisinglikepartridgesflushedfromthegrass,thetracesofmymemorythesame,thebeatingofwings,vanishing.CanIlocateit,thisawarenessinwhichthebirdsriseup?Andyou,there,inwhoseawarenessthebirdsalsostartle,dowesharethesamesky?Toseethefaceofabsencewemustbeveryquick,acceptingnothingandrejectingnothing.Whatdoesthismean?Itmeansthereisnobeginningtothisseeing,noend,andnomiddle.

Nostory,ourlanguageanawkwardconvenience.

ThefaceofabsenceismyownfacethatIcanneversee.Notseeingit,thatisit.Allthewindowsopen,nohouse,nooutside.

Spontaneouslypresent,absencepervadeseverythinglikespacedoes.Everyideaofmyselfandofyouvanishestheinstantitappears,andyetwewalktogetherliketwooldfriends.

Thefaceofabsenceisthefaceofthetree,thesky,thebird,thefaceofabsenceistheoceanbillowing,thefaceofabsenceisthewindvanishing,thefaceofabsenceisyourfacelistening,thefaceofabsenceismyfacelistening,thefaceofabsenceislucidsimplicity,thefaceofabsencecanneverbelostorfound.

Abandondeliberateacts.Thesearebasedonthestoryoftimeandimprovement.Volitionobscuresthefaceofabsence.Willprecludesattainment.Relaxinabsence,thenaturalstatefreeofintention.

Lettinggoofeverythingthefaceofabsenceendowsuswithacarefree,easymind.

Nobody,nosoul,noreligion,nodogma,nodoctrine,nobefore,noafter,nonow,freeofallconstraints,nostoriesatall,nopositionstodefend,nothingtoattain,nowaytothinkoforexpressthisessence,theintuitionofabsencerevealscauselessspontaneousjoy.

THEMEII:EXPERIENCINGTHEINTIMACYOFOPENNESSWHATISOPENNESS?The experienceof openness ariseswith the intuitionof the absenceof story.Aswe relaxour holdonconceptsandtheidentitiestheyprovideus,webegintoopentothewonderofrealitybeyondanythingwecanimagine.Oursenseofbeingamortalbody,ofbeingacertainperson,ofhavingadefinitivepointofviewon theworld,ofhavingopinions, likes,anddislikes—these familiarconstructionsmayofferussomecomfortandorientationinourlives,buttheyalsocarrywiththemthedistressofalienationandtheanxietyoftryingtocontrolourworld.Now,asweallowourselvestoperceivetheinnateabsenceofthesestoriesinreality,anineffablequalityofopennessbeginstodawn.Theterm“openness,”asweareusingithere,hasmanydimensionsofresonance.Firstofall,wemay

imaginetheopennessofspace.Spaceisinfinitelyopen.Notonlycanwenotimagineanouterlimittoitsvastness,weseemequallyincapableofimagininganinnerlimit.Similarly,wemayimaginetheopennessofawareness.Awarenesstooisinfinitelyopen.Canwefindanouterlimittoawareness?Aninnerlimit?In both cases — open space and open awareness — the nature of what we are talking about isfundamentally inconceivable and unexplainable, yet these “dimensions” of our experience seem

nevertheless to be characterized by an almost visceral sense of a lack of confinement. In thisway theobjectivefield(thepresenceofspace)andthesubjectivefield(thepresenceofawareness)arecoincidentintheiropennessandimmediatepresence.Opennessisthetotalityofreality,atotalitywithoutlimitorclosure.Asthereisnocentertoopenspace,

there is no center to open awareness. No boundary, restriction, or limitation: this is openness. Beingwithoutlimitation,realityisnotevenconfinedbyspace—itincludesoropensintothenonspatialorthatwhichisbeyondspace,justasitincludesoropensintobothtimeandtimelessness.Buttobecomeawareofwhatthesestatementsmean,wecannotrelyuponconceptsandournormalway

of knowing. Whatever the nature of openness and nonspatial and nontemporal reality is, it can beglimpsedonlythroughourparticipationwiththatnatureratherthanourviewofit.AsIbnal‘Arabipointsout:

IntheonenesswithAllahwhichwedescribe,comingclosehasnonearnessandbeingfarhasnodistance,forthereisnospaceortime.Someonemightask,“Whatisbeingclosewithoutnearnessandbeingfarwithoutdistance?”Theansweris:inone’sstateofclosenessorfarnessonemustrealizethatthereisnothingbutAllah.Yetyoudonotknowyourself,becauseyoudonotknowyouarenaughtbutHim.YouareHewithoutyourself.ItisonlywhenyouareHewithoutthelettersandthewordsofknowledgethatyouknowyourself,thatyouknowyouaretheTruth.28

Tobe“withoutthelettersandwordsofknowledge”istorealizetheabsenceofstory.Aswehaveseen,thiscapacityisnotremotefromus.Theverynatureofourawarenessinthismomentisofthenatureofopennessandechoesthenatureoftheentirecosmos.In the first theme of this chapterwe contemplated how all phenomena and experience are empty of

inherent story.We can see now how this emptiness or absence is anotherway of recognizing that allphenomena and experience are fundamentally open-ended. They are not things or experiences withseparatesubstance.Forexample,youarehavingtheexperienceofreadingfromthispagerightnow.Youmight say this is an experience unto itself, relatively private and separate from the enormity of realitybeyond you. But where can we draw the line between this experience of yours and the rest of theuniverse?Yourcapacitytoreadthesewordsdependsuponthecapacityoftheplanetbeneathyoutoexertgravitytoholdyouwithinitsatmosphere.Gravityitselfisapropertyoftheentireuniverse.Similarly,thepaperonwhichthesewordsareprintedcanbepresentinyourhandsonlybecauseofthecloudsthatgavetherainthatgrewthetreesoveryearsandyearsthatprovidedthepulpforthepaper.Thusthismomentofreadingincludesunknowncloudsoverunknownlands,andthosecloudscouldtakeshapeonlyinaworldwith an atmosphere formedabillionyears ago, on a coolingplanet spun froman exploding star in anevolvinggalaxymadepossiblebythebrilliantemptinessandboundlessextensionofcosmicreality.While this vision of the inseparability of all phenomena and experience is a “story,” the story itself

opensout beyond its parts, andwe see that it is openness itself that is the narrative, an expressionofinfiniteinterdependenceandimmanenceunconfinedbyspaceandtime.Andjustastheentire“objective”fieldispresentinthisuniversal immanence,sotoois theentire“subjective”fieldofomnipresentopenawareness, with both of these dimensions simultaneous and coincident with each other. This mutualidentityoftheobjectiveandsubjectiveiswhatRumicalls“God’sjoy:”

Thechildweanedfrommother’smilknowdrinkswineandhoneymixed,God’sjoymovesfromunmarkedboxtounmarkedbox,fromcelltocell.Asrainwater,downintoflowerbed.

Asroses,upfromground.Nowitlookslikeaplateofriceorfish,nowacliffcoveredwithvines,nowahorsebeingsaddled.Ithideswithinthese,tillonedayitcracksthemopen.29

OpeningintoOpennessThe entire journey on the Open Path could be described with these words: opening into openness.Learningtorecognizeouroriginal“face”ofopenawareness,learningtocalmourmindstream,learningtonoticethestructureofstoriesandidentificationsthatobscureouroriginalface,learningtheartsofself-inquiryandawakening, theseand theotherareaswehavebeenworkingwithallcontribute toour rootintentionofopening intoopenness.And insaying it in thisway,wehaveyetanotherchance to remindourselves that all ideas of intention and methods of attaining an outcome, of learning something andchanging ourselves so that we might “open,” all ideas, in other words, of effort, are fundamentallymisleading.This radical paradoxof theOpenPathhas beenmentionedmany times, and this timewillprobably not be the last. However, for our purposes at the moment we don’t need to revisit theimplicationsofthisparadox—weneedonlytorelaxfromalltryingandfromallpositioningofourselvesinrelationtoaworld“outthere.”Justasthewordabsenceimpliesitsopposite,sotoothewordopeningimpliessomethingclosed.We

sensesomeworktodo.Butoddlyenough,inthecontextofopeningintonondualawareness,wecometorecognize thatwhatwe thought needsopening—ourselves— is in essence already completelyopen.Whenwelookdirectlyatthenatureofwhatweare,weseeonlyopenness,which,afterall,isnotathingoranattributeinitselfbutatransparentclearingthatistheheart-essenceofourbeingandofallbeing.Admittedly,whenwe“see”openness, the transparentclearing thatweare,wedon’tseeanything.Thisnon-seeing is attained only by relaxing— relaxing the tendency to fixate on appearances, or to assertopinions,ortoholdontoabeliefinthecogencyofastreamofemotion.Relaxinginthissenseisthesameasopening.Itmeanslettinggointoafullyreceptive,freeandeasy

stateofmind.Torelaxistocompletelyceasemakingeffort.Nolongerprolongingatrainofassociation,you simply let things be as they are in the seamless openness of now. As we have seen with thecontemplationon“releaseatinception,”everythought,emotion,intention,andsensationisallowedtobejust as it is without attachment or identification on our part— each event simultaneously arising andreleasing exactly as it does in the undivided openness of pure being.Like the countlesswaves on theocean’s surface, arising and vanishing without trace, the infinite events of the universe are foreverreleasedatinceptionincompleterelaxation.

Sostayrighthere,youluckypeople,letgoandbehappyinthenaturalstate.Letyourcomplicatedlifeandeverydayconfusionaloneandoutofquietude,doingnothing,watchthenatureofmind.Thispieceofadviceisfromthebottomofmyheart:fullyengageincontemplationandunderstandingisborn;cherishnon-attachmentanddelusiondissolves;andformingnoagendaatallrealitydawns.Whateveroccurs,whateveritmaybe,thatitselfisthekey,

andwithoutstoppingitornourishingit,inanevenflow,freelyresting,surrenderingtoultimatecontemplation,innakedpristinepuritywereachconsummation.30

—LONGCHENPA

THEINTIMACYOFOPENNESSInitially,thewordsabsenceandopennessmayhavetheconnotationofaqualitythatisbothemotionallycoolandconceptuallyabstract.Aslongaswhatthesewordssignifyisnotexperienceddirectly,theyverylikelywillstaycoolandabstract.Surelytheimageofsteppingfreeofallstoryandinterpretationintoanopennesswithoutendcanseemlikeawayofdescribingdeath.Butthatisnotthecase.AsRumitellsit:

Thisemptiness,morebeautifulthanexistence,itobliteratesexistence,andyetwhenitcomes,existencethrivesandcreatesmoreexistence!31

Realizing the “emptiness” of absence and openness frees us from all boundaries, from all sense ofpersonalretractionintoaseparateidentity,or,forthatmatter,fromallsensethattheworldofobjectsandphenomenaareretractedintotheirownidentities.ThisistheobliterationofexistenceRumispeaksof.Experienceddirectly,werecognize,inHeidegger’swords,wearenomorethanaclearinginwhichthe

world gathers. We are an openness, completely interpenetrated with the openness of reality. Thisinterpenetrationisthemostintimateexperiencewecaneverhave.Itistherealityofallbeing,wadhatalwujud,“theonenessofbeing.”Allofourworksofar,thesepagesofwords,theinquiryanddeconstructions,thequietpractices—all

ofthesearedevotedtothissimplerecognitionofintimacy.Usuallywethinkofintimacyasrequiringtwo,arelatingbetweentwoentitiesinanintimateway.Buttheintimacypointedtohereisnottheintimacyoftwo-ness, it is the intimacy of oneness. Let’s let the poet Wallace Stevens conclude this section bydescribingthisintimacyinhisinimitableway:

Lightthefirstlightoftheevening,asinaroomInwhichwerestand,forsmallreason,thinkTheworldimaginedistheultimategood.

Thisis,therefore,theintensestrendezvous.Itisinthatthoughtthatwecollectourselves,Outofalltheindifferences,intoonething;

Withinasinglething,asingleshawlWrappedtightlyroundus,sincewearepoor,awarmth,Alight,apower,themiraculousinfluence.

Here,now,weforgeteachotherandourselves.Wefeeltheobscurityofanorder,awhole,Aknowledge,thatwhicharrangedtherendezvous.

Withinitsvitalboundary,inthemind,WesayGodandtheimaginationareone…

Howhighthathighestcandlelightsthedark.

Outofthissamelight,outofthecentralmind,Wemakeadwellingintheeveningair,Inwhichbeingheretogetherisenough.32

THEMEIII:SURRENDERINGALLATONCEThethirdthemeofourcontemplationistheubiquitousmysteryofspontaneity.Likethenatureofopennessandabsence, thenatureofspontaneity is inconceivableandcannotbeexpressedby language.And likeopennessandabsence,spontaneityhasnoplaceofitsown,yetthereisnoplaceitisnot.Itisthetotalityofhereandnow,everywherepresent,boundless,unceasing,and inexhaustible.Toperceivespontaneityyouneedonlytorealizethereisnothingelsetoperceive.Inthiswayitremainshiddenbecauseitisthefountofallexperience.Spontaneous presence is the all-at-once-ness of reality; it is completely synonymous with open

awareness,sinceallphenomenaspontaneouslyappearthroughtheavenueofawareness.Yeteventhoughitisthetotalityofallphenomena,spontaneityhasnospatialdimensions,nobeginningorend,noinsideoroutside, no up or down, left or right. And though it is the very birthplace of time it is timeless, thezeropointinstantthatnevermoves,butthroughitsinfiniteimmediacyeverythingappearsandisreleased.Asanancienttext(TheSecretTantraoftheGarlandofPearls)says,“Theplaceofreleaseiswhereitallbegins.” In this sensewecan see that spontaneity is theessenceofopenness since it is the infinitepotencyofbecomingaswellastheuninterruptedandinexorablereleaseofwhatappears.Spontaneityisawordthatmakesanounoftheunthinkableemanationoflightthatisthedisplayofall

phenomenainallmodesnow.Butevenasanoun,thewordspontaneitytransformstheideaofnowintoaverb.Spontaneityissimultaneouspresence:thesimultaneityofawarenessandemptiness,thesimultaneityofappearanceandrelease,andthesimultaneityoflightandtransparence.Freeofexistence,spontaneityiseverabsent.Freeofnonexistence,spontaneityiseverpresent.Freeoflasting,spontaneityiseverfresh.Freeofnotlasting,spontaneityiseverdiverse.Itisthegenerousone,thequietone,theholyone,thefreeone.Itistheinfiniteuncontrivedplayofspaciousness,thesingleendlessactofuninterruptedcreation.Itistheonlyteacher,theonewhorevealsthenatureofreality.Itisthegreathallofboundlessclearlight,the enormous sanctuary for all beings, compassion itself, the all-good. To attain spontaneity there isnothingtodo.Surrenderingallatonceweneverarrive.Withouttrying,leavingeverythingasitis,aslazyasafeatherfloatingonthegreatriver’sback,wedwellnowhere.Surrenderingtospontaneityisthekeytosustainingpureunwaveringawareness.

THEMEIV:THEJOYOFUNBOUNDEDWHOLENESSTocometoourfinalcontemplationhereonthenatureofreality,weturntothethemeofoneness—theunified field that expresses all phenomena. Here again we cannot really speak of it, since we arewhateverwearespeakingof,andbyspeakingwemakeitseemtobeother.Perhapsthisisthefirsthintwecangiveourselves: it isnotother.Ourpresence in thisverymoment isnotother thanwhatwearecontemplating.Soletusconsiderafewoftheimplicationsoftheunboundedwholenessoftheone,andletusdosobyinvitingourselvestolookthroughthewindowofourownpresenceforanintimationoftheonenessweare.

AWARENESSASTHEWHOLENESSOFTHEONE

Aswehaverecognizedmany times,everythingweexperienceappears inawareness,andyetwhenwelookcloselyatouractualexperiencewecannotfindaboundarybetweenwhatappearsinawarenessandawarenessitself.Thustosay“everythingweexperienceappearsinawareness”isnotreallyaccurate.Allwe can say is that awareness and the contents of awareness are inseparable — anything else istheoretical.And as we have also recognized many times, we cannot find a boundary between awareness and

whateverwemightthinkcouldbeoutsideofawareness.Ifwecouldbecomeawareofsomethingoutsideofawarenessitwouldnolongerbeoutsideofawareness.Byitsverynature,awarenessisunconfined.Toreleasethestorythatawarenessisaprivatematterproducedbyourbrainsopensustotherecognitionofthewholenessoftheone.Allphenomenasharethesamefundamentalground:awareness.Awarenessisthesinglesourcecommon

to everything we know. In this way, everything— every experience, phenomenon, thought, sensation,intuition,dimension,formofmatterorformofenergy,everythingmaterialorspiritual—isintegratedintheunicitythatispureopenawareness.Nomatterwhatphenomenonwename,whetherjudgedgoodorbad,peacefulorvicious,rightorwrong,itisundifferentiatedinitsessence:openawareness.Withthisfundamentalrecognition,basedonourmostdirectexperienceofreality,whichisouridentity

withthespontaneouspresenceofopenawareness,webegintointuitthenatureofwholeness.Theimagehere thatmayhelp—onewehaveusedoften—isof theoceanand the infinitewavesdancingon itssurface.Thewaves,thoughappearingmomentarilyasthingsinthemselves,areneverotherthantheocean.It is thesamewith theappearanceofphenomenain theshorelessoceanofawareness.Allappearancessharethenatureofawareness,andinthatcommonidentitytheundividedwholenessofrealityisrevealed.

AWARENESSASSPACIOUSNESSITSELFNowwhenwelookwithinourowndirectexperienceatthenatureofawareness,aswehavedonemanytimes,we“find”onlyitsbasicunfindability.Thefaceofawarenessisempty,absent,open,insubstantial,unconfined,anddimensionless—withoutcenteroredge.Thismeansitissynonymouswithspaciousness,a spaciousness that includes both external physical space and internal imaginal space, as well as thespaciousness of time and timelessness. For ifwe look again into our own direct experience to see ifawarenessissomethingthatexistsintime,withanoriginandanend,wecannotfindeitheritsbeginningoritsdissolution.Itincludesall.Thespaciousnessofawarenessembracestheentirehere-and-now,butwithoutanytraceasevidenceofitself.Whilethistalkmayseemtobeflirtingwithabstractmetaphysics,itactuallypointstooneofthemost

directrouteswehaveforrecognizingtheonenessofreality.Sincewecannotfindanedgeto“ourown”awareness, it is not our own. Its innate spaciousness is the spaciousness in which everything arises.Anotherwaytosaythisisthatthe“subjectivespace”ofawarenessisidenticalwiththe“objectivespace”of appearances. We can have an immediate intimation of this oneness by recognizing there is nodiscoverable boundary between our awareness and the phenomena that appear in it. In their commonspaciousnesstheyareinfinitelycongruent.

THEONENESSOFBEINGDOESNOTFOLLOWFROMACAUSEWhenwelookatthenatureofourexperiencerightnow,andthroughoutourlife,weseethateverythingthathappensappears tohappenasaresultofacause.This is theconsensusviewofrealityconcerninghowthingstakeshape,exist,anddissolve.Bythissimpleequationwemanageourlives.However,ifwelook closer still, aswe did in our earlier inquiry into the nature of openness,we see thatwe cannotreliably point to any one cause that is solely responsible for an effect — rather the entire universe

throughouteternityisimplicatedineachevent.Youareabletoreadthissentencebecausethetidesebbandflow,thesunlightstheheavens,andallspaceisspontaneousopenness.Thethemeofourcontemplation—thewholenessofbeing—isrevealedaswerecognizetheenormous

implication unleashed by the simple questionwe asked earlier:what is it that causes you to read thissentence?Ratherthanasinglecause,oradozenorahundred,wefindourselvesimmersedinaninfiniteseaofallcausesandalleffects.Yourreadingthissentencecannotbeseparatedfromanything!Itisasifwestandbeforethespontaneouspresenceofallandeverythingandseethatthereis,inthisultimateview,no cause and no effect. The oneness of being does not follow from a cause, and so nothing does.Ofcourse,itneverthelessappearstousthatoccurrencesfollowfromcauses—ifwewalkbarefootinthesnow we get cold feet — but this is because our brains are wired to make these obviously usefulinterpretations,notbecausetheyareacompleterepresentationof“reality”orhowitshowsupinthewaysitdoes.Sinceallisoneinspontaneouspresence,nothing“causes”anything.

THEONENESSOFBEINGREVEALSITSELFASPUREENJOYMENTANDENDLESSVARIATIONFinally, inone lastplunge into themysteryof theonenessofbeingand thenatureof theall-embracingcosmos,letusaskthisbasicquestion:whatisreallyhappeninghere?Andinoursinceredesiretoanswer,let us imagine, if it were possible, that in preparation for our answer we have first been completelyobliterated fromexistence, awareness, andbeing for abillionyears, and then suddenlyweare thrownback into existence, awareness, andbeing just aswe are at thismoment.Cleansedof all assumptions,whatwouldwereportishappeninghere?Ibelievewewouldnoticetwofacts.One,theastoundingandbeautifuldiversityofthings,theendless

variation of beings, places, sounds, shapes, colors, smells, thoughts, insights, and feelings, each onedistinctlyuniqueandneverrepeated.Andtwo,thesinglelucidindescribablesenseofpurejoy:thejoyofbeing—notbeingsomething—butbeingbeing,theineffableblissoftheonenessofbeing.But letusallowWaltWhitmantoanswer thisquestionforus—what ishappeninghere?—andso

concludeourmeditation:

WeareNature,longhavewebeenabsent,butnowwereturn,Webecomeplants,trunks,foliage,roots,bark,Wearebeddedintheground,wearerocks,Weareoaks,wegrowintheopeningssidebyside,Webrowse,wearetwoamongthewildherds,spontaneousasany,Wearetwofishesswimmingintheseatogether,Wearewhatlocustblossomsare,wedropscentaroundlanesmorningsandevenings,Wearealsothecoarsesmutofbeasts,vegetables,minerals,Wearetwopredatoryhawks,wesoaraboveandlookdown,Wearetworesplendentsuns,weitiswhobalanceourselvesorbicandstellar,weareastwocomets,

Weprowlfang’dandfour-footedinthewoods,wespringonprey,Wearetwocloudsforenoonsandafternoonsdrivingoverhead,We are seas mingling, we are two of those cheerful waves rolling over each other andinterwettingeachother,

Wearewhattheatmosphereis,transparent,receptive,pervious,impervious,Wearesnow,rain,cold,darkness,weareeachproductandinfluenceoftheglobe,

Wehavecircledandcircledtillwehavearrivedhomeagain,wetoo,Wehavevoidedallbutfreedomandallbutourownjoy.

•10•

THEOCEANOFKINDNESS

Is there tobe foundoneartha fullnessof joy,or is therenosuch thing?Is theresomeway tomake life fullyworthliving,oristhisimpossible?Ifthereissuchaway,howdoyougoaboutfindingit?Whatshouldyoutrytodo?Whatshouldyouseektoavoid?Whatshouldbethegoalinwhichyouractivitycomestorest?33

—CHUANGTZU

This chapter is about discovering a reliable basis for our actions in theworld, a basis wewill bedescribingasunconditionalkindness.I realize that to introduce an apparently qualitative attribute like “kindness” into these nondual

contemplations(muchliketheintroductionofthequalityof“unconditionaljoy”inchapternine),Iruntheriskofgettingusattachedtoa“something.”Sweetandcomfortingqualitieswithnameslikekindnessandjoycanswiftlybecomeobjectsforourmindtoholdto,whichwethencanexpectandlookfor,andwecanbedisappointedifwedon’tfindthem.Sowehave toproceedvery lightlyhere, remindingourselves thatwhatever it isweare referring to

whenwespeakofunconditionaljoyandkindness,itisinessencewithoutqualities,withoutstructure,andwithout affect. I know this sounds contradictory, since joy and kindness are typically experiencedaffectively—wesense theminvariousways—butit isacontradictiononlyonthesurface.Totrytodescribe thebasicnatureof reality,wecanonlyusewords that limitandobjectify,and thus fallawayfrom their intention. Our challenge is to allow words to suggest and then, their function fulfilled,welcomethedirectrealizationofwhattheyarepointingto.Weareatapointinourworktogetherwhenwecanreleasetheoriginaldistinctionwemadebetween

theconditionedand theunconditioned—orat leastwecan treat these two“realms”as transparent toeachother.Fornowweareconsideringthesubjectofaction,of themyriadwaysweinteractwiththisconditionedworld,andwewillattempttodosofromthebasisofnondualawarenessratherthanrelyinguponideasofpersonalresponsibility—repletewithassumptionsofselfhoodandindividualwill—oruponthepromotionofasetofethicalpreceptstoguideouractions.Torestatethefundamentalquestionofthischapter:isthereareliablebasisforouractionsthatdoesnot

requireustoabandonthelucidityandnondualityofunconditionedpresence?Itisnotatrivialquestion,becauseon theonehandweexperienceourselves immersed inconditionalitywithall theneedsofourrelationships, ourwork, raising children,makingdecisions, responding to ignorance and injustice, andgenerallytryingtoimproveourworldandourcapacitytolivethelifewehopetolive.Ontheotherhand,we realize that in themost intimate, primal, and here-and-nowwaywe are already complete.We arewhole.Theidentitywethoughtweareissimplyaconstellationofthoughts.Wearenothingotherthantheopen, transparent awareness that is thegroundof all being, thispresence that cannot be objectified. Itpervadeseverything,itiseverything,andassuchnothingneedstobeimproved,norcanitbe.Expressed in these two ways, it seems we are caught in an irreconcilable contradiction between

needingtorespondtoourbrokenworldandrecognizingthatnothingisbroken.It is importantforusto

faceintothisseemingcontradictionbecauseitsuggestsadualityinourthinkingwhereinfactnoneexists.Morebroadly,itbringsupseveralinterrelatedandfundamentalquestionsaboutactionitself:Whoacts?Towhatend?HowdoIactwithoutresistingorendorsingsomething?Howdoesactionoccurwithoutan“I”whoactsandwhointendsacertainoutcome?Isitpossibletoacteffortlessly?AndbywhatlightcanIactsothatthisclearpresenceandeaseofbeingisnotobscured?Wewillexplorethesequestionsfromthreevantagepoints,considering(1)thepossibilityofnondual

action,(2)therequirementofequanimity,and(3)theimmanenceofunconditionalkindness.

IMMANENCEBeforewebeginthisexploration,however,Iwouldliketoappealonceagaintoeachofustocontinuallycheck our own present-moment experience for evidence rather than simply following along with theconceptsexpressedhere.Tosay“checkourownpresent-momentexperienceforevidence”simplymeans:lookforwhatisimmanent.Immanentmeansthatwhichisinherentandin-dwellingtothenatureofathingandtothemoment,andwhichinprinciplecanberecognizedimmediately.Whenwelookatthebluesky,bluenessisimmanentinthisexperience.Itoccursbeforeanythoughtwemighthaveaboutblueness.However, even thoughwhat is immanent is not hidden,wemay in some casesmiss this immanence

becauseitissoobvious.Forexample,althoughtheimmanenceofopenawarenessisrightoutfrontandutterlyclear,itis“hidden”byitsbeingtheOnlyBeing,orinIbn‘Arabi’swords,“ThatwhichhidesItisItsOneness.”ItisRumi’s“opensecret.”Recognizing this “hidden immanence” is central to our contemplations as we learn to open to and

sustain nondual awareness.We are recognizing that which is the essence of being at thismoment, anessence without identifiable attributes — totally transparent, open, inclusive of everything, andspontaneously present. Our appreciation of just this immanent presence will be our most dependableguide aswe contemplate in the following pages concepts such as “nondual action,” “equanimity,” and“naturally-occurring, unconditional kindness.” As concepts they remain concepts — helpful to someextentbutwithout thepowerof livingrevelation.At this timeinourwork togetherweareready to letconceptssuchasthese“openintoopenness”andbefreedfromtheirmeaningssothattheyarenolongerthoughts,butareeffortlesslyrevealedintheimmanentpresenceofourimmanentpresence.

1.NONDUALACTIONLetusexplorefirsttheideaofactionitself,andthepossibilityofwhatmaybecallednondualaction.Tobeginweneedtoacknowledgethatusingtheword“nondual”asanadjective—inthiscase“non-dualaction”—runstheriskofmakingthenotionofnondualitysomethingthathasanopposite,thatis,nondualaction as opposed to dualistic action.Whilewe canmake this distinction, let us do so provisionally,givingenoughspacetotheideaofnondualactiontoallowittobeofadifferentorder—nottheoppositeofanythingbutapossibility freeofduality, apossibility immanent in the spontaneousnatureof things.Thisallowancewillhelpusstayintunewithwhatfollows.Ourcustomaryunderstandingofactionincludesthesenseoftherebeinganactor(onewhoinitiatesthe

action), the action itself, and the effect of the action.These three are linked together by intention.Theactorintends,withhisorheraction,toachieveacertainoutcome.Thepossibilityofnondualactionbringsthisequationintoquestion.Ononehand,aswehavepreviously

exploredatlength,theideaofanactorwhodecides,intends,andinitiatesanactionimplies“aghostinthemachine,” a little “self-god” who maintains the power to choose independently from the rest of theuniverse.Ontheotherhand,ourintentiontoproduceacertainresultembedsusinaconceptualworldof

expectationsandattachmenttothoseexpectations.Nondual action is action that is free of intention. Not that such intentionless action is aimless or

random,butitsimplydoesnotsituateitselfinanillusionofbeingtheproductofaspecificagentorinanillusionthatitwillresultinaspecificoutcome.Bothillusionsrequireacertainamountofself-consciousprideoregoism:Iamthecauseofthisaction,andIdefineanddetermineitsoutcome.Nondual,intentionlessactionisonewayofdescribingtheprofoundprinciplecentraltoTaoismknown

aswei-wu-wei.Sometimestranslatedas“non-doing,”wei-wu-weiisfreeofbothselfandintention—itisaction that does not force an outcome but yields freely, like water. Also understood as nonwillful,naturallyarisingaction, theprincipleofwei-wu-wei transcends thedualityofpassivity andactivity, ofrestandnonrest.TheancientCh’an(ChineseZen) text, theHsinHsinMingof the thirdpatriarch,Seng-ts’an—itself

deeplyinfluencedbyTaoism—echoesthisunderstanding:

Whenrestandnorestceasetobe,Thenevenonenessdisappears.FromsmallmindcomesrestandunrestButmindawakenedtranscendsboth.

Herewhatispointedtoisthepossibilityofactionthatisnonaction:movementthatissimultaneouslystillness. It neither arises from a cause nor culminates in an effect.We recognize the same principleexpressedinthefamouspassagefromtheHinduscripture,theBhagavad-gita:

Hewhoinactionseesinactionandactionininaction…whohavingabandonedattachmenttothefruitofworks,evercontentwithoutanykindofdependence,hedoesnothingthoughheiseverengagedinwork.

Tobringtheseinsightsevencloser,toexperiencetheirimmanenceinthismomentnow,wemightalsorecall the senseofspontaneityweexplored in theprevious chapter.Aswe relax in thismoment, freefromallattachmenttoideasofselfandthefruitsofwork,wemayrecognizeourselvesasnothingotherthan one with the spontaneity of the whole cosmos, the spontaneity of all being, this immanence thatcannotbepointedtobecauseitiswhatispointing.Fromtheunspeakablespontaneityofthisall-presencewemaybeabletoexplore,eachinourownmoment,whatissuggestedbythespontaneityofnonaction,the complete immanenceof nondual action.Ourhearts beat spontaneouslywithout anydefinable causeandfornodefinablepurposeoutsideoftheirbeating.Thoughtsariseinthesameway,spontaneously.Welook up from this page in the sameway, spontaneously, for no reason.As a contemporaryZenmasterremarked:

Thereisnoreasonforthe“why”inanything!Whenwestandup,thereisnoreason“why.”Wejuststandup!Whenweeat,weeatwithoutanyreason“why.”Whenweputonourrobe,wejustputiton.Ourlifeisacontinuousjust…just…just.34

Atthispointwemaybeabletoappreciatethatevenwhenwebelievewearethedoerofouractionsand there isa“why” fordoing them,even then in themidstof supposedlydualisticaction,wearenotactually “doing” anything ourselves, or for the reason we believe we are. Everything always occurs“just…just…just,”evenourbeliefthatitdoesn’t.Recognizingthis,werelaxfromallconsternationwitheffortandproducingresults.Everythingthathappensjustdoes.Justthis.At thebeginningof thischapter Iquotedapassage from theTaoist sageChuang-Tzu thatasks:What

should be the goal in which your activity comes to rest? This question points to the heart of ourexplorationhereof thenatureofnondualaction.Aftercommentingat length,Chuang-Tzuconcludeshiscommentarywiththesewords(inarenderingbytheChristianmonkThomasMerton):

Heavendoesnothing:itsnon-doingisitsserenity.Earthdoesnothing:itsnon-doingisitsrest.Fromtheunionofthesetwonon-doingsAllactionsproceed,Allthingsaremade.Howvast,howinvisibleThiscoming-to-be!Allthingscomefromnowhere!Howvast,howinvisible—Nowaytoexplainit!AllbeingsintheirperfectionArebornofnon-doing.Henceitissaid:“HeavenandearthdonothingYetthereisnothingtheydonotdo.”35

To summarize, nondual action (“the goal inwhich your activity comes to rest”) is action that is notelaborateduponbythoughtsoftheeventbeinginitiatedbyaself;itisactionthatdoesnotlookforwardto,or claim, a specificoutcome. It ismotiveless.Nondual action iswhole andcomplete in itself.Notbeing“done”byanyone,allactioneverywhereisnondual—thewholeuniverseacts tomakeanythinghappen,orrather,istheactionofeverythinghappening.The only difference between nondual action and action perceived from our usual perspective is the

conceit that we are an agent and that we know what results from our agency. Released from thisassumption,everythingcontinueshappening:westretch,smile,moveintheworld,speakorremainsilent,eachactoccurringfreelyfromthetranquilityofnonaction,thesilenceweare.Ithappensbyitself.Likethewindmovingthebranches,cloudsformingandvanishing,themoonreflectinginthelake,everythingactswithoutmotiveoranticipationofresult—aneffortlessdance.AsT.S.Eliottellsit:

…atthestillpoint,therethedanceis,Butneitherarrestnormovement.Anddonotcallitfixity,Wherepastandfuturearegathered.Neithermovementfromnortowards,Neitherascentnordecline.Exceptforthepoint,thestillpoint,Therewouldbenodance,andthereisonlythedance.36

2.EQUANIMITYEquanimityisawordforthestillpoint,awordthatdescribeshowthisprimalstillnessshowsupinus.EquanimityisnotreallysomethingnewontheOpenPaththatwehavetolearnaboutorpractice—infactitisidenticalwiththeessenceofopennessitself.Aswe have recognized, openness is our clear, silent nature: empty, awake, and boundless. It is not

containedinsideourskin,butisthetransparentpresenceofallbeing.Aswelearntorelaxfromourself-conceptsandopinionsandopenintothisnaturalopenness,ourlivesbecomeexpressionsofequanimity.Gradually, yet without effort, we begin to notice a deepening capacity for calmness and even-

temperedness.Forexample,ratherthanbeingpropelledinconversationsbythetendenciesofpositiveandnegativelistening,werelaxmoreeasilyintopurelisteningandpurespeakinginwhichwenolongerfeel

wehavetovalidateorinvalidatewhatisbeingsaid.Ouridentityisnolongerontheline.Werestateaseineachmoment,fullypresentandcapableofofferingthenaturalwisdomintrinsictothatpresencewithoutneedingtomanipulatewhatishappening.Weexperienceourselvesascentered,yetwithoutanyedgetothecenteredness.Thisisequanimity.Itis

calmwithoutany restraintofenergy. It iseven-temperedwithoutbeinguptight. It isvery relaxed,veryclear,andcompletelyopenfromtheinsideout.Thecarefreeeaseofequanimityarisestotheextentthatweareabletoreleaseourattachments—our

attachments to the idea of being a self-willed actor, our attachments to the fruits of our actions, ourattachments to our preferences, judgments, beliefs, and opinions, and our attachments to how thingsunfold.Ofcourse,whilewemayappreciatetheconceptofnonattachmentandtheequanimityitexpresses,wemaywonderhowtorealizethisinoureverydaylives.Asweknow,thisquestionisattheheartoftheOpenPath.Ourongoingworkofrecognizingrepetitivementalandemotionalpatterns(fixations)andreleasingthem

naturallybysimplydoingnothingwiththemisthemostobviouswaywerespondtothisquestion.On an even subtler level, we have been practicing — that is, getting used to — the profound

recognitionofemptiness.“Emptiness”isastarkwayoflabelingtheinsubstantialnatureofopenness,pureawareness, and indeed, all of what we mean by reality. As we gradually get used to the radicalimplications of this qualityless quality that is universal emptiness, our attachments naturally fall away.Therealizationofemptinessandthearisingofequanimityarethusunited.Thefourteenth-centuryTibetanphilosopherTsongkhapapointstothisunityinthefollowingthreelines:

Unbornemptinesshasletgooftheextremesofbeingandnon-being.Thusitisboththecenteritselfandthecentralpath.Emptinessisthetrackonwhichthecenteredpersonmoves.

Unbornemptinesshasletgooftheextremesofbeingandnon-being.Thismeansthatwecannotsayemptinessexistsandwecannotsayemptinessdoesnotexist.Whatisrepresentedbythewordemptinessisnotaboutexistingornotexisting.It’slikethismoment:wecannotsaythismomentexistsandwecannotsayitdoesnotexist.Thismomentisitselfemptyofbeingsomething.Inthiswaywecanunderstandthatemptinessisunborn:itisbecauseitisnot,andthusletsgooftheextremesofbeingandnon-being.Thus it is both the center and the central path. This means that what is represented by the word

emptinessisthestillpoint,thepresence-awarenessofsilencethatisthesourceanddestination,thealphaandomega,ofeveryeventandphenomenon.Thusemptiness isalso“thecentralpath”sinceeverythingthatoccursdoessothroughitswelcomingopenness.Emptinessisthetrackonwhichthecenteredpersonmoves.Thislinebringsusbacktoourprimary

contemplation:itmeansthatthecenteredperson,thepersonfirmlyrootedinequanimity,movesnaturallywithintheopennessofemptiness.Thisisaprofoundpoint,andifyouhavefollowedmethisfaryouwillrecognize it is the heart essence of what is meant by the Open Path. On this path we are guided byemptiness,orwecouldsay,bytheopennessofemptiness.Freeofself-concepts,beliefs,opinions,andallattachments,wearespontaneouslyoccurringastheactionoftheuniverse.I realize thesewords justbarely touchour ability to realizewhat theyarepointing to.Asweknow,

recognizing the ineffable reality of emptiness and its implications does not depend on conceptualunderstanding.StephenBatcheloremphasizesthispointinhisbookBuddhismWithoutBeliefs:

Toknowemptinessisnotjusttounderstandtheconcept.Itismorelikestumblingintoaclearingintheforest,wheresuddenlyyoucanmovefreelyandseeclearly.Toexperienceemptinessistoexperiencetheshockingabsenceofwhatnormallydeterminesthesense of who you are and the kind of reality you inhabit. It may last only a moment before the habits of a lifetime reassertthemselvesandcloseinoncemore.Butforthatmoment,wewitnessourselvesandtheworldasopenandvulnerable.37

From the basis of clear equanimity, action appropriate to themoment is spontaneously and naturallyrevealed. Equanimity is not a rulebook for nondual action; it is the necessary ease within whichappropriateactionispossible.Althoughitmaysoundlikeadifficultbalancingact,equanimityisutterlysimple.Itissimplebecauseit

doesnotveerfromthetrackofemptiness—theopenpaththatisthecommonspontaneouswayinwhichalleventsoccur.Thecenteredpersonis,inBatchelor’swords,“openandvulnerable,”vulnerablenottothreatsbuttothefreshopennessofthemomentfreefromclingingandjudgment.Andinthefreshopennessofthemomentwesense,withouteffort,thepresenceofunconditionalkindness.

3.UNCONDITIONALKINDNESSIconfessthatIwouldliketosweepintotheword“kindness”awholepoetryoflove-wordstogivethiscommon word a light we would recognize as sacred. Kindness as ultimate and unconditional love,compassion,joy,mercy,caring,gratitude,forgiveness,benevolence,blessedness.Iwouldlikethissmallword“kindness”tobecomebrilliantwiththeradianceofallthesequalities,andthennamethatradiancesacred,anunspeakablycompassionatelightinsideofthingsutterlywithoutcauseandcompletelyidenticalwithwhatwecallemptiness.Ofcourse,todothiswouldseemtogivetheabsencethatisemptinessallsortsofqualities,andIdon’t

actuallymeantodothat.WhatIwouldreallyliketodoisbreakthroughanycomplacencywemighthavethatweactuallyknowwhatthemysteryisthatwecalltheOne,orpureopenawareness,orbuddhanature,ortheclearlight.Wedon’tknowit.Itcan’tbeknownbyourwayofknowingthings.Andyetsomehowinourworldly humannesswe nevertheless faintly recall an endless, beginningless, infinite and ineffablelightof—whatshallwecallit?—“unconditionalkindness”behindorwithineverything,andthatfaintremembranceiswhatbringsusheretoread,andwrite,thissentence.Icallit“kindness”becauseitisahumblewordthatisintimatetous.Ibnal‘ArabicalledittheBreath

of theAll-Merciful.GarabDorjecalled it theAll-Good. InayatKhancalled it thePerfectionofLove.JulianofNorwichcalleditGod’sGrace.JackKerouaccalledittheGoldenEternity.Countlesstimesourancestorshavetriedtorepresentitinwords,thisfundamentalgenerositythat,eachmoment,givesrisetoall.However, as we have seen throughout our journey on this path, ascribing positive names like “the

perfectionoflove”and“unconditionalkindness”tothenondualnatureofrealityclearlyrunstheriskofcreatingconsolingreligiousimagesinourmind.Wordsliketheseimply“experiences”thatwemaynothavenowbutcanlookforwardtoinsomefuturemomentofrevelation.Thisiswhymostofthegrammarofnondualrealizationavoidsgivingpositiveattributestothe“clear

lightofnow”—Thisthatis.Itpointsonlytowhatisimmanentinthismoment.Itdoesn’taskthatwetakeanythingonfaith,itasksonlythatweseethroughallprojectionsofthemindtotheopen,uncompoundedpresencethatisawareness,thisthatwecan’tseebutthatweare.Myownfeelingisthatthisisthemostdependable“method”forrealization,becausemostattemptstoqualify“whatisrealized”onlybecomeanobstacletodirectrealization.That said, I want to acknowledge that the great mystery we are opening to is not limited by any

conception,notevenbytheconceptionthatitiswithoutqualities.HerewemightrememberthelinefromIbnal‘Arabi:ThejourneytoGodisfinite;thejourneyinGodisinfinite.Thisistosaythatemptiness,nothingness, the equanimity of complete openness is the necessary door. Passing through the door wevanish (althoughwhatvanisheshasonly the realityofadream),and thenwhat is isunspeakable.Thatunspeakablenessisunconditionalkindness,theperfectionoflove,theBreathoftheAll-Merciful,etc.Itis

notofthenatureofthingsthathaveopposites—onlybytalkingaboutitlikethisdoweflirtwithmakingupdualities.“It”—This—istheveryonenessinwhichdualitiesseemtoarise.HereishowLongchenpapointstoitinhismasterpiece,ThePreciousTreasuryoftheBasicSpaceofPhenomena:

Withinthisultimatewombofbasicspace,timelesslyandspontaneouslypresent,samsaraiswhollypositive,nirvanaispositive.Withinthewhollypositiveexpanse,samsaraandnirvanahaveneverexisted.Sensoryappearancesarewhollypositive,emptinessispositive.Withinthewhollypositiveexpanse,appearancesandemptinesshaveneverexisted.Birthanddeatharewhollypositive,happinessandsufferingarepositive.Withinthewhollypositiveexpanse,birth,death,happiness,andsufferinghaveneverexisted.Selfandotherarewhollypositive,affirmationandnegationarepositive.Within the wholly positive expanse, self, other, affirmation, and negation have neverexisted…

Everythingiswhollypositive,asupremestateofspontaneouspresence.38

Is there somewaywe can directly apprehend, immanent in thismoment, that “everything is whollypositive?”Canwe“see” the lightofunconditionalkindness, if it indeedissofundamental toreality?Ibelievewecan,althoughittoois“hiddenbyitsoneness.”Onewayistosimplynoticetheclearemptypresenceofawareness,a“move”wehavepracticedoften.

Nownoticethatthismostessential“presenceofawareness”iscompletelygiven.Itisfree.Nothingneedstobedoneforawarenesstobeawareorpresencetobepresent.Yourappreciationofthisgiven-nessmaystart out conceptually, but let it drop deeper into the immanence of this most basic fact: presence-awarenessisgiven.Howisitgiven?Whatinexhaustiblegenerosityisthis?Nownoticeyourbreathing.Theairyoubreatheisgiven.Itisallaroundyou.Itiscomposedperfectlyof

alltheelementsneededforyourlifetobenow.Andyourbody—noticethatittooisgiven,andittooknowshowtobreatheandtransformtheairtofuelthemetabolismofyourlife.Bywhatgenerositydoesthisoccur?Thebeadofsemenandthewaitingeggyouoncewere longagoformedinyourmother’swombyour

newlittlebody,eachbloodvesselandnerveappearinginitsplace,eachorgantodoitsjob.Bywhatkindnessinthestar-fillednightdidthisoccur?Noticelight.Whatisit?Howgraciouslyitgives!Lightmadeoutofnothingtangiblewarmsandcolors

everything,freely!Howunspeakablykinditis!Thistypeofcontemplationontheuniversalityof“kindness”cangoonandon.Thepointisnottolabel

alltheseaspectsofbeingwiththeword“kindness.”Thepointistosimplynoticethatweareembracedinamiracleandwearethatmiracle.Wemightjustaseasilycallthisembrace“unconditionallove”aswellas“unconditionalkindness.”Buttheword“love”hasbeenmadetocarryaheavyloadforalongtime,sowe might give it a chance to rest. (The English word “kindness” comes from the Old English wordmeaning“natural”and“native,”andcarriesthesenseoffamily[“kin”andtheGerman“Kind”]whichinturncarriesthesenseofnaturalcaringforfamily,motherlove,andselflessconcernforthewellbeingofothers.)Thecentralorganizingquestionofthischapterhasbeen:uponwhatbasiscanweactsothatouractions

occur without recourse to the dualism of moral codes but simply arise naturally, in the Tao — the

immanentcurrent—ofnondualawareness?Withtheprecedingcontemplationonunconditionalkindnesswecanseean“answer”forming,yetourchallenge,asalways,istoexperiencethisanswerdirectly,inthenatureofthemoment,ratherthanasaconceptualconclusion.To accomplish this, aswe know,we have only to rest in the selfless emptiness of awareness. This

“emptiness” is the only teacher. By it we realize our identity with the “emptiness” of all being.Werealize,alongwiththegreatZenmasterDogen,thatwearenothingotherthanmountainsandriversandthegreatwideearth,thesunandthemoonandthestars.OrinthewordsofJackKerouac:

Discardsuchdefiniteimaginationsofphenomenaasyourownself,thouhumanbeing,thou’rtanumberlessmassofsun-motes:eachmoteashrine.Thesameastoyourshynessofotherselves,selfnessasdividedintoinfinitenumbersofbeings,orselfnessasidentifiedasoneselfexistingeternally.Beobligingandnoble,begenerouswithyourtimeandhelpandpossessions,andbekind,becausetheemptinessofthislittleplaceoffleshyoucarryaroundandcallyoursoul,yourentity,isthesameemptinessineverydirectionofspaceunmeasurablyemptiness,thesame,one,andholyemptinesseverywhere:whybeselfyandunfree,ManGod,inyourdream?Wakeup,thou’rtselflessandfree.“Evenanduprightyourmindabidesnowhere,”statesHuiNengofChina.We’reallinHeavennow.39

The entire world is our body. By learning to disidentify with our limited self-concept, we learn toidentifywiththewholebiosphere,andbeyond.Itisnotalearningwehavetostudy;itisalearningthatcomesnaturallywhenweceaseprotecting the littlespaceofourselfnessandrealizeourseamlessnesswithallbeing.TheNorwegianphilosopher,ArneNaess, inhis formulationofdeepecology, calls thislearning the “first ultimate norm of Self-Realization”— the non-duality of the human and nonhumanrealms.From itwe care, naturally, for all being.There is noneed for an external codeof conduct—though many have been and will be written. Recognizing that the emptiness of the universe is ouremptiness,andthebodyoftheuniverseisourbody,thewayofkindnessappearsbyitself.Thereligionsoftheworldhavecodifiedthisnaturallyoccurringkindnessinmanyforms.TheGolden

Rule appears universally and always reduces to this formula: be kind. Sometimes religiouscommandments,precepts,andlawshavebecometwisteduntiltheyarenolongerkind,butareintendedtobenefitonegroupoveranother,ortochastisetheirfollowerswithsternrulesofmoralitythatcompletelylosetheessenceofthekindnesstheybeganwith.Weareallfamiliarwiththis.Thisiswhywehaveexploredsocarefullyhere“areliablebasisforouractionsthatdoesnotrequireus

toabandonthelucidityandnondualityofunconditionedpresence.”Mostmoralsystems,becausetheyrelyupon polarized equations of right and wrong, can’t help but obscure the lucidity of unconditionedpresence.Perhapsmoralcodesat times inhistoryhavehelped tokeep thesocialorder intact,but theyhavealsoreinforcedthesenseofalienationoftheselfandcreatedformsofmoralfundamentalism.Nevertheless, the beauty of the light of kindness is that it can be experienced, so to speak, both

unconditionally and conditionally. In the preceding pages we have explored the possibility ofexperiencingunconditionalkindness:itsimmanenceinthenatureofthings.Wecanalsoexperiencekindnessasaformofdailypractice in thousandsofways,andbypracticing

kindness,intheBuddha’swords,wewill“soonattainhighestperfectwisdom.”Intheexerciseattheendof this chapter a few of these “kindness-practices” are suggested, and I am sure you can createmanyothers.Eitherwaywemightexploreit—through“conditional”practicesor“unconditional”spontaneity—themostreliablebasisforouractionsiskindness.Toconclude,letuslistentoanothersutrafromKerouac’sScriptureoftheGoldenEternity:

Kindnessandsympathy,understandingandencouragement,thesegive:theyarebetterthanjustpresentsandgifts:noreasonintheworldwhynot.Anyhow,benice.Rememberthegoldeneternityisyourself.“Ifsomeonewillsimplypracticekindness,”saidGotamatoSubhuti,“hewillsoonattainhighestperfectwisdom.”Thenheadded:“Kindnessafterallisonlyawordanditshouldbedoneonthespotwithoutthoughtofkindness.”Bypracticingkindnessalloverwitheveryoneyouwillsooncomeintotheholytrance,definitedistinctionsofpersonalitieswillbecomewhattheyreallymysteriouslyare,ourcommonandeternalblissstuff,thepurenessofeverythingforever,thegreatbrightessenceofmind,evenandonethingeverywheretheholyeternalmilkylove,thewhitelighteverywhereeverything,emptybliss,svaha,shining,ready,andawake,thecompassioninthesoundofsilence,theswarmingmyriadtrillionaireyouare.40

Exercise:TheOceanofKindness

Bekind,foreveryoneyoumeetisfightingagreatbattle.—PHILOOFALEXANDRIA

Imagine—withyoureyesclosed—thereare threepeoplebeforeyou.41Thefirst isaclosefriendofyours.Thesecondissomeonewithwhomyouareveryuncomfortable—an“enemy”orsomeoneyoujustdon’tlike.Thethirdisastrangerforwhomyouhavenofeelings—perhapsthewomanatthesupermarketcheckout.Considereachpersoninturn,noticingthemoodthatisevokedinyoubyyourimageofeachone.Your

friendmaymakeyoufeelsecureandatease.Yourenemymaymakeyoufeelinsecureanduncomfortable.Thestrangermaymakeyoufeelnothingatall,perhapsjustpolitedistance.Consider for amomentwhatmakes you feel in these differentways toward these three people. Is it

somethingtheydidinthepast,orsaid,orhowtheylook?Noticethatyoulikethefriendbecauseheorshemakesyoufeelgood;thatyoudisliketheenemybecauseheorshedoesn’tmakeyoufeelgood;andthatyoudon’tcareonewayoranotheraboutthestrangerbecauseheorshedidn’tmakeyoufeelanything.Nownoticehowthewayyouperceivethesethreepeoplereinforceshowyoufeelaboutthem,andhow

youfeelaboutthemreinforcesyourperceptions.Nowbegintoexpandyourperceptions.Startwithyourfriend.Imaginehimorherasanewbornbaby

lookingupatyoufromhercrib.Lookintohereyes.Benddownandsmellthefragranceofthesofthaironherhead.Nowtrytopicturehergrowingupfromthislittlebabytoachild:playinginthesummer,sittinginschool,laughinginagame,cryingwhenshefallsfromherbike.Continueyourimagining,picturingherasanadolescentconcernedaboutherlooks,orwonderingifsheisOKasaperson,ordreamingaboutherlife.Seeherasayoungadult,fallinginlove,findingherwayinlife.Imagineherhopes,whattheymighthavebeenyearsbeforeyoumet.Imagineherassheisnow,someonewhovaluesthemomentsofherlifeandhereverydayfeelingsasmuchasyouvalueyours.Nowpicturehergrowingolder,becomingfrailandill,andfinallypictureheronherdeathbedanddying.Takeyourtime,anddothesameimagining—guidedbytheparagraphabove—withthepersonyou

don’tlikeandwiththestranger.Nowimaginethemagainsittingbeforeyou,equalinbirthandequalindeath.Letyourselfnoticehowthisexpandedperspectivehasaffectedthewayyoufeelabouteachperson.You

witnesseachoneintheirownright,notashowtheymakeyoufeel.Youseetheirsuffering,theirbravery,theirdisappointmentsandtheirsuccesses.Youseethemjoyous, themomentswhentheyarehappywiththebeautyof things,andyousee themgrieving,whentheyhave lostsomeoneorsomethingprecious tothem.Nowallowyourself,ifyouareable,toextendtoeachofthesepeopleinturnyoursincerewishfortheir

happiness and wellbeing. No matter what your previous feelings have been, allow yourself to wishblessingsontheirlife,thattheymayrealizetheirdeepesthopesandthattheywillexperiencetheirlivesasabenefitfortheirlovedonesandtheworld.Finally,considerhowyouroriginalperceptionsand feelingsabout thesepeoplewere restrictiveand

selective.Recognizehowyouhadinterpretedtheirvalueaccordingtothelimitsofyourperceptions.

•11•

THEHEARTOFTHEMATTER

Wanderer,thereisnopath—Thepathismadebywalking…Wanderer,thereisnopath—onlytracesoffoamonthesea.

—ANTONIOMACHADO

In this final chapter we circle back once again to the heart of the matter: the recognition of thespontaneous presence of open awareness. But first I would like to summarize our work together inchapterssixthroughten(justaschaptersone throughfiveweresummarizedat thebeginningofchaptersix).Indoingso,wewillreviewanumberofthe“moves”wehaveconsideredthathelp“setusup”forthissynchronisticrecognition,especiallysomethatmayhelpwhenwefeelwehavelostourconnectionwithopenawareness.

SUMMARY,CHAPTERSSIXTHROUGHTENInchaptersix, “Motivation andEffortlessness,”we considered the stylewithwhichwe approach thiswork, particularly the delicate nature of our approach to methods and practices.We reflected on themotivationwemight have for seeking realization, the double-edged sword of “a gaining idea” and oflonging forunionwith theBeloved.Wesaw that the least entanglingmotivation fordoing thiswork issimply because we have to, “because,” to quote from that chapter, “we are inseparable from theawakening of life to itself.We do this for the sake of everything—which includes our loved ones,childrenyettobeborn,allwhosuffer,everyone.Wedoitforthesakeofthisbeautifulworld….Themostreliablemotivation—ifweneedone—thathelpsourheartopenwhenwefeelourselvescontracting,isthisdesiretoawakenforthesakeofothers.”Inchaptersevenwe turned to the question of prayer and its seeming conflictwith realizing nondual

awareness.Acknowledgingthedualisticnatureofmuchreligiousexpressionandprayer,werecognizedhowprayercanneverthelessserveasabridgethatisaccessibletousinourjourney“towardtheOne.”Weconsideredtheseveralformsofprayer—prayersofpetition,invocatoryprayer,spontaneousprayer,liturgicalprayer,prayersofapproachandnearness,and theirbenefitsand limitations.Sincepraying inoneformoranotherarisesnaturallyformanyofus,howcanwelearntopraywiselysothatwedonotinadvertently reinforce a dualistic mindset?We reflected on what it means to be “good translators,”allowing the words of our prayers to open beyond their literal meanings to the essence they seek torepresent. And we contemplated the intent of prayers of identity and prayers of silence, in whichawarenessof“Godwithinisawakenedandmadeliving.”Chapter eight described “TheArt ofAwakening,” an art that calls upon our spontaneous and direct

engagementwithperception. In itwe reviewed the familiar sense that “something ismissing,” and theparadoxofspiritualpracticeinaidofrealizationversustherecognitionthatnothingwedowillresultin

therealizationwewishfor.Inthecontextofthisparadoxweconsideredtheartofawakeningandformsofitspractice,specifically:conversationsthatrelease,developinganon-doingcontemplativepractice,and the“practice”ofreleaseat inception.Theessentialpointof thischapterwas toencourageyou tobecome“yourowncreativeartistofawakening—curious,experimental,andhonest.”Inchapternine, “A JoyousCosmology,”we dived into a series of contemplations inspired by early

Dzogchenteachings,exploringthenatureofabsence,openness,spontaneity,andonenessas they touchourmost intimate sense of being.Within these contemplations we considered once again the ways inwhich thoughts, feelings, and perceptions of “the real world” arise and vanish in our awareness; theineffablenatureofawarenessitself;andourexperienceofthe“face”ofabsenceoremptiness.Herewealsocametoappreciatehowopeningintoopennessistheessenceofourwork,andtheintimacyofbeinga clearing in which the world gathers. Finally, we touched for a moment the mystery of universal,timelessspontaneityandwahdatalwujud,theOnenessofBeing.Chapter ten, “TheOcean ofKindness,” turned to discovering a reliable basis for our actions in the

world.Wewereguidedinthisbylookingthroughthelensofourownpresent-momentexperienceasweexploredthepossibilityofnondualaction(weiwuwei)and thestillpointofequanimity—equanimitybeing “the necessary ease within which appropriate action is possible.” Lastly, after all ourcontemplationsofabsence,nothingness,openness,andtheineffable,weattemptedto“breakthroughanycomplacencywemighthavethatweactuallyknowwhatthemysteryisthatwecalltheOne.”Allowingitto be beyond our knowing, we considered the possibility that it — the mystery of Being — is, inLongchenpa’s words, “wholly positive,” in Inayat Khan’s words, “the perfection of love,” in GarabDorje’s words, “the All-Good.” This “basic goodness” (Trungpa Rinpoche’s words) appears in ourrealization as a fundamental tendency toward kindness — “done on the spot without any thought ofkindness.”

THEHEARTOFTHEMATTERNeartheendofhislife,InayatKhangaveatalkontherelationshipbetweenspiritandmatter.Thetalkconcludedwiththesewords:

Whatisconsciousness?Consciousnessistheknowingfaculty,butitistheknowingfacultywhenithassomeknowledge—itisonlythenthatwecallitconsciousness.Oneisconsciousofsomething,consciousnessmustalwaysbeconsciousofsomething.Whenconsciousnessisnotconsciousofanythingitispureintelligence.Itisinthisrealizationthatthegreatestsecretoflifecanberevealed.

OnemightsaythattheexperienceofpureintelligenceispossibleonlyfortheonlyBeing,forGod,butnoonecanstandoutsideoftheonlyBeing.TheonlyBeingincludesall.

Andundoubtedlythereisacertainprocessbywhichonecanattaintothispureintelligence.

Manisnotconsciousofitanymore—hehaslostthehabitofexperiencingwhatpureintelligenceis.Butallthemeditationsandconcentrations,thewholeprocessbywhichthemystictreadsthespiritualpathbringsusfinallytotherealizationofthatpureintelligence.

Ifoneaskswhatbenefitonederivesfromit,theansweristhatsinceallthatbenefitsuscomesfromonesource,thatsourcemustbeperfect.Itmustbeall-beneficial.Itisbeyondourlimitedimagination,butitisthegreatestthingonecanattaininone’slife.42

These words point directly to the central purpose of the Open Path: realization of the “pureintelligence”(inourwords,pureopenawareness)thatisthegreatest“secret”oflife.InayatKhanspeaksof“thewholeprocessbywhichthemystictreadsthespiritualpath”—themeditationsandconcentrations—asdedicatedtothisfundamentalrealizationofpureawareness.Asweknowbynow,whatever“process”wefollowtoattainrealization—nomatterhowsubtle—

walks a very fine line between serving our realization and serving, in Keith Dowman’s words, “theanxietyentailedbyprostitutingthemomentforsomefuturebenefit.”TheveryideaofcreatingaguidetotheOpenPathlikethisbook,andoffollowingitaswehavedone,couldbecriticizedforitstendencytodetourusinthisway—fixingourhopesandeffortsonthepromiseofrealizationtocome.Andyet,aswealsoknow,thereareclearandobviousbenefitstopracticesthathelpustocalmourmind,openourheart,andreleaseouridentificationwithourhistoryoffixations.Irepeatthisparadoxheresothatweareawareinthepresentmomentofourtendencytolookto“some

futurebenefit”whenweconsidertheideaofrealization.Realization?weask.AmIrealizednow?HaveIattained it? We look around in our present-moment experience: where is realization? I don’t seeanything special. Imust not be realized.Uhoh! Is everyone else realized exceptme?Howwould IknowifIam?WhatcanIdotohurryupandattainrealization?Questions like these are beautiful. They seem to stop us in our tracks. They hang awkwardly in the

moment, surrounded by silence.When we look closely at them they begin to reveal how we assumeourselvestobeentitiesthatarelocatedsomewhere,alocationthatcaneitherbedescribedbythisideacalled realizationorby its lack.Thus inour imagination the ideaof realization that is at thecenterofthesequestionsisalsolocatedsomewhere:eitherhere,now(inspaceandtime),orsomewhereelseinspaceandtime.Aswe notice this spatial and temporal basis of our idea of realization,we see howwe are indeed

“prostitutingthemoment”forthepromiseofsomefuturebenefit.Wearesellingoutthismomentnowbyasserting that something is missing (that is, realization)— it is somewhere else. In so doing we aremissingthepresentaswellasconditioningthefuture.Seeingthisplainly,akindofinnersigharisesfromusattheimpossibilityofourpredicament:wemay

notfeelourselvestoberealizednow,butthatveryfeelingisthemainimpedimenttoourrealization!Atthismoment,nothavinganyalternative,itmayhappenthatwesimplygiveup.Westoptryingtofind

realization.Westoptryingaltogether.There’snothingwecando.And,afterall,theredoesn’tseemtobeanyonetodoit,eveniftheremightbesomethingtobedone.Readingthis,orgoingthroughasimilarprocessafewhoursfromnow,wemightlookupfromthispage

orfromthemiddleofwhatwe’redoingandsimplynoticewhatis—whatiswithoutourcommentaryorinterpretations. “Is?” What does that mean? The shapes and colors, sounds and sensations of ourenvironment are present as always, butwhenwe look closelywe see even theseapparently existingphenomenawaver and shift inour awarenessmomentbymoment. I can’t really say that anyof thesethings“is”since theykeepchanging,at least inmyperceptionof them,whichisall Ireallycanbesureof.Sowhat“is”thatisnotwaveringorshifting?If we stop now in the flow of our thoughts and simply wait to see if we can discern what is not

waveringandshifting,wemaynoticewhatcouldbedescribedasa“transparentopenness”—althoughtosaywenoticeitmaybemisleadingbecauseitdoesn’tappearasanythingatall.Ithasnocharacteristics,exceptthatitseemstobecongruentwithbothawarenessitselfandthepresentinstant,anditdoesn’tseemtohaveanyspatiallocation.Itcompletelypenetrateswhatwehavethoughtofasinsideandoutside.Anditissomehowavastquietness—theepitomeofsilenceitself—yetthesoundsofourenvironmentdon’tstop.Now ifwe shout, I’vegot it!Realization!,we observe that thosewords appear and vanishwithout

doinganything.Noonehasanything.Nothingchanged.“Realization”isneithermorenorlessherethanithasalwaysbeen.Butit’ssosimple!There’snothinghere!The“nothing”thatishereissimultaneouslytheentire,vastcreation.AsLongchenpadescribesit:

Withintheexpanseofspontaneouspresenceisthegroundforallthatarises.Emptyinessence,continuousbynature,ithasneverexistedasanythingwhatsoever,yetarisesasanythingatall.43

Ifyouhavefollowedthisnarrativesofar,youwillrecognizethattheheartofthematterissimplydirectperceptioninthetimelessmomentofthehere-and-now,withoutanyevaluationofaperceiveroraworldperceived.Everythingisresolvednow.Anythoughtsofrealizationandgettingitornotgettingitarejustthat—thoughts.In thismoment,and this,and this,wedon’thave todoanything,orpracticeanything,or improve,or

movetowardanydimensionotherthanthis,now.Infact,whatcouldmove?AsInayatKhanremindsus,“NoonecanstandoutsideoftheonlyBeing.”Thisistheheartofthematter.Nooneisincontrol.Thistransparent,silent,pureintelligenceisit,thoughithasneverexistedasanythingwhatsoever!

FALLINGFROMHEAVENTheprecedingsectiontracksoneoftheinnumerablewayswecan“talkourselvesinto”realization.Likeallclustersofwords,thewordsaboveareapproximateandhavealimitedshelf-life.Aswerecognizedinchaptereight,“TheArtofAwakening,”ourjobistocontinuallyrefreshthesekindsofcontemplations—whethertheyareverballikethisoneorareexperiencedmorekinestheticallyandintuitively—sothatwecanseethroughtheaccumulationofouropinionsandsimplyrestintheopennessofthemoment.Andyet it happens that nomatter howclearlywemayhave experienced the lucid presenceof open

awareness,therecomesatimewhenwefeelwehave“lostit.”Mundanerealitystubbornlyresumesitsholdonourperceptions,andwesenseourselvesisolatedandidentifiedintheoldway.Itmaybethatwehavegottenattachedtoanoutcomeofatask,orhavehadadisagreementwithsomeone,orhavebecomealittleanxiousaboutwhatmighthappen in the future, and then…gone,gone,gonemyenlightenment!Wehavefallenfromheaven.

How shallwe bewith this?What canwe do?How shallwe find it again?This is one of themostfamiliar issues that come up for all of us as we proceed on the path. While I have addressed thisexperienceanumberoftimesthroughoutthisbook,I’dliketosummarizehereafewoftheremindersthatmaybehelpfulwhenwerealizewehave“lostit.”

1.DONOTHINGProbablythemostunderstandablereactionwehavewhenwefeelwehave“lostit”istolookforit.Afterall,wedothiswhenweloseanything,likeourcarkeys.Welookforthem!Howelsecouldwefindthem?Hereit ishelpfultorememberthatthe“realization”wearelookingforisnotathinglikeourcarkeys.Rather, it: (1) is invisible; (2) has nomarks or contours; (3) has no location; (4) does not appear asanythingatall;and (5)cannotbe foundby looking for it. Itdoesnotandwillnotarriveasa resultofanythingwemightdoorstrivefor.Thesekindsofremindershelptofrustratetheacquisitivetendencyofourmind.Sincewedon’tknow

what to do, and in any case doing somethingwould be useless, we simply stop doing anything. This“stop”isessential.Initselfitisnota“doing”sinceitisthecessationofdoing.Itdoesn’ttakeanyeffort.Wejustrelax,presenttowhatis.Nocommentarynecessary.Wetakeiteasy.Wemaybecomeawareofhowourmind tries to reasserta“me”andan“other”—by thinkingabout realization,ordoubtingourability,ordistractingourselfinsomeotherway.Butwejustnoticethesemovementswithoutresponse.Westay“stopped,”doingnothing.Intheemptinessofthisstop,werecognizethat“realization”isalreadyhere.Infact,weseethereisno

realization.“It”—whateveritis—isemptyofbeinganything.Itisthistimelessmoment,perfectlypure,pristine,andeverywhere.Itistransparentlypresentlikespaceitself.

2.NONEEDTOKNOWAnotherresponsetothesenseofhaving“lostit”istorecognizethattheidea“Ihavelostit”isathought.As a thought it can’t help but reify into an “it” (some sort of object, even if only a conceptual one)whateveritiswefeelwehavelost.Byassertingtoourselvesthatwehavelostitwearealsoassertingthatweknowwhatitis.Butthisthatwe’retalkingaboutcan’tbeknown.Itis,afterall,notathought,athing,orafeelingofanykind.Themindcan’ttouchitandneverwill.Remindingourselvesofthisfactbringsustothesamestopmentionedaboveinrelationtoourwanting

todosomethingtomakeheavencomeback.Butthehabitofwantingtoknowisevenmoreinsistentthanthehabitofwantingtodo.Thisisnotsurprising—oureducationthroughoutlifehasengrainedinustheimportanceofknowingthings.Inmanyrealmsthisisquitelogical,butinrecognizingtheopenawarenessthatisthegroundofallbeing,thinkingweneedtoknowwhatitisjustgetsinourway.Whenthepossessivenatureof theneedtoknowisgone,what is left?See ifyoucanexperience this

directly,now.Allowyourselftonolongerneedtoknowwhatthissentenceisabout,orthisparagraph,orthis chapter, or the Open Path, or anything. For this moment at least, see if you can relax theacquisitivenessofyourmind.Noneedtofigureoutanything.Ifyoucanrelaxlikethisandstillreadthissentence,that’sfine;ifnot,experimentwhilenotreadingandthencomebacktoreadinglater.Whentheneedtoknowisrelaxed,perhapsyouwillnoticeakindofclear-headedness,afreshness,that

isn’t exactly a sensationbutmore like a relief— like the absenceof apressure thatused tobe there.Whilethisclear-headednesscan’tbeproducedbysomethingyoudoorthink,itbecomesevidentwhentheneedinessofneedingtoknowisreleased.Clear-headednessisawayofdescribingtherecognitionofclear,contentless,openawareness.Restin

thisclear-headedness.Itisalsoclear-heartedness.Resthere—itisfree!Nothingtodo,nothingtoknow,nothing to figure out, nothing to improve. It is the ever-freshmoment,without any need to grasp it ormanipulateit.

3.NOSUBJECTAnotherdirectresponsetothefeelingof“Iamlost”or“Ihavelostit”issimplytoturnaroundandnoticethatthisconstructionprivilegesthe“I.”Whatisitthathaslostopenawareness?Becarefulhere,sincewehavelearnedthisinquiryearlyonanditcaneasilybecomejustarepetitivegameratherthanaprofoundinquiry.Letyourselfbepresenttotheunfindabilityofyourself(whichadmittedlyisanoddwaytosayit!).InJeanKlein’swords,“Gettoknowthosemomentswhenyouarenothing.”Youcansubstituteanysubject-centeredthoughtsorfeelingshereiftheyarepresenttoyou,suchas“Iam

bored,”or“Iamlonely,”or“Idon’tgetthis,”or“Iamdepressed.”Whatisitthatisdepressed?Whatisit that is lonely? If the response is “me!” notice how that sense of “me” is actually anobject in yourawareness.Thetypicalthingwecallasubject—theme—isactuallyashiftingconstellationofthoughts(reflections)thatareinterpretedasevidenceofaninternalentitycalled“me.”Whatistherealsubject?Whatisawareofthefeelingorthoughtofme?Whoisbeingdescribed?Whatareyoureally?By now you are familiarwith this turn, andwill notice quickly thatwhatever you really are is not

perceivable by your mind. So relax. Whatever it is that feels it has “lost it” is unfindable. In thisrecognitionallfixationsandconstructionserodeaway,sincetheyhavenoplacetodwell.

4.LISTENINGTOLISTENINGLetusalso rememberhere thesimpleguidancewe focusedonearly in thisbook: startwhereyouare.Acceptwhatis.Listentowhatisarising.(YoumightrecallherethelinefromLongchenpainchapternine:Whateveroccurs,whateveritmaybe,thatitselfisthekey….)Soifyouareexperiencingthesenseofhaving “lost it,” you can startwith that.What exactly is arising that signifies for you this loss? Is it athought?Afeeling?Whatever it is, let itbe inyourawarenesswithoutelaboratingonit.Noticethatnomatter how intensely the sense of lossmay appear, after a periodof time it is replacedby a differentfeelingorseriesofthoughts.Soyoulet thatbe.You“listen”dispassionately,unattachedtowhatcomesup.Atacertainpoint theshiftingobjects—thethoughts,feelings,andsensations—appearinginyourawarenesslosetheirinterestforyou,andyourelaxintothelisteningitself.ThisdynamiciswhatJeanKleinspeaksofas“listeningtolistening,”aprocessoflisteningthatmoves

fromafocusonthecontentofwhatarisestothecapacityoflisteningitself.Inthefollowingpassagehedescribesthissuccinctly:

To discover your innermost being youmust start fromwhere you are at this verymoment,wherever that is. You cannot beginanywhereelse.Whateverappearsbeforeyou—yourbody,sensations,feelings,thoughts,etc.—mustbeaccepted,listenedtoasawhole.Thisdoesnotmeanyoushouldanalyze,interpret,understandorlookforaninnermeaning.Whatisimportantistodiscoverlistening itself,whichsooneror laterwillbe revealed toyou.At first theaccent isonwhat is listened to, thesensation, feelingorthought.Butthemorethelisteningissustainedthemoreemphasisisshiftedtothislisteningitselfwithoutalistenedto.Thenyouareatthethresholdofthesourcefromwhichthelisteningderives.Thatveryinstantlisteningwillbecomealivingreality.44

5.POINTINGSSometimes all that is neededwhenwe feel separated from recognizing the transparent groundof openawarenessistoopenabookofnondualteachingsandreadafewlines.Perhapsapoemorpartofanoldscripturewillserve.Perhapsasimplewordlike“spaciousness”willdoit,orapracticelikethepractice

ofsubtleopening.Keepitsimple.Itmaybethatallyouneedtodoiswalkaloneinnatureandexperienceyouronenesswithitspureintelligence.Oryoumaybefortunateenoughtohaveagoodfriendwhoalsohasexperiencewithnondualrealization.Asyouexpresstohimorheryoursenseofbeingoutoftouch,you may receive the most relevant guidance or encouragement, or through sharing the communion ofsilencetogether.However,youneedtobecarefulwheninconversationwithotherswhileyouarefeelinglost and vulnerable.Youmay receive a lot ofwell-meaning advice that ends up onlymaking you feelinsecureorconflicted.Thereisadifferencebetweenapointingoutandapointofview.Pointsofviewtendtobefixedandassertive.Apointingoutisalwaysopen-ended,likethekoanquestion“whatisthis?”anddoesnot create separationorgiveyoumore to thinkabout. It gestures tonothing, and is “onyourside”sotospeak,recognizingthatwhatyoufeelyouhavelosthasalreadybeenreturnedtoyou,andinfactitneverleft.

6.RELAXFinally,ifyoufeelyouhave“lostit,”beatease.Youcanbesureasdawnfollowsnightthatrealizationofpure,openawarenesswillreturn.Youcanabsolutelytrust that.It is thenaturalconditionofyourbeingandofallbeing.Actuallyyouknowalreadythatitcan’tgoanywhere,soitcanneitherreturnnorbelost.Noneedtospendenergybeingconcernedthatyou’velostit.Thegroundofallbeingcannotbelost.Knowthat simply by opening yourself to “it” again and again, in all theseways, your capacity to sustain itsnaturalpresencethroughoutyourdailylifewillincrease.

THEINVISIBLEOFFERINGAswecome to theendofour journey together, Iwould like tomentionadynamic that,whileperhapsunspoken, has been present with us throughout this introduction to the Open Path. Let us call it theinvisibleoffering.Itisnotcomplicated—thesewordssimplyrefertoyourparticipationinthenaturalgiftofawakening.YourdedicationtoexploringtheOpenPathisanaspectofthisgift.Yourengagementwiththisbook,andinhundredsofconversations,inbeingcurious,insharinginquiry,inhelpingotherstounderstandsomething,insittingaloneincontemplation,alltheseareaspectsofthisgift.Yourrealizationitselfistheheartofthisgift,bothtoyourownlifeandtoallthelifethatyourlifetouches.Itisinthisrealizationthatthegreatestsecretoflifecanberevealed.Tocallitagiftoranofferingistosaythattheawakeningyouhavecometorealizegivesofitself. It

isn’taprivateattainment.TheopennessoftheOpenPathcanbedescribedinmanyways,oneofwhichisitsnatural,opengenerosity.Itisaninvisibleofferinggiventousandthroughus.Nocreditisdueanyone.It simplygivesof itself.Perhaps this isoneway tospeakof the innatequality Icalled in thepreviouschapter“theoceanofkindness.”Itgivesofitself.Asimpleprinciple:ifyouwishtodeepenyourrealization,giveit.Beit.Letitofferitselfthroughyou.

Thisdoesn’tnecessarilymeanthatyouhavetoteachothers,ortrytoexplainthespontaneouspresenceofopenawareness,orshareyourexperienceswiththem,althoughthismightverywellhappen.“Lettingyourrealizationofferitselfthroughyou”fundamentallymeansrestinginitasoftenandasnaturallyaspossible,andallowing“its”presence todo the rest. It isnaturallypatient,compassionate,unencumbered,andatease.Itispresentandunopinionatedandresponsive.Itisdignifiedandcarefree.This dynamicof “invisible offering” is like a sacred current—a continuous initiation thatwehave

openedourlivesto.Perhapswecouldalsocallitthecurrentoftransmission.Butwedon’thavetogettoocomplicatedwithourthoughtsaboutit—all that is impliedhereis thatwerecognizetheinvisiblebeautyofthiscurrentandletitflowthroughushoweveritwill.

Giveagifttoyourbrother,butthere’snogifttocomparewiththeassurancethatheisthegoldeneternity.Thetrueunderstandingofthiswouldbringtearstoyoureyes.Theothershoreisrighthere…45

—JACKKEROUAC

Notes

1.SriNisargadattaMaharaj,IAmThat:TalkswithSriNisargadattaMaharaj.TranslatedbyMauriceFrydman,Durham,NC:TheAcornPress,2005,p.241.(Ms.)InduRastogi.BusinessManagerTheAcornPress,Durham,NC27715-3279.2.InthispassagefromIbnAl‘ArabiIhavetakenthelibertyofchangingthepersonalpronoun“You”thatappearsintheoriginaltext—a

typicalwaySufisaddressGodorAllah—totheimpersonalwords“This”and“It.”Thesewordssignifyunconditioned,open,self-occurringawareness,thegroundofbeing,Buddha-nature,etc.,justastheword“You”doesforSufisandothermysticswhoarecomfortablewiththeintimacyimplicitinthiskindofpersonalization.However,inthequotationsfromSufisandothersthatoccurintherestofthisbookIleavethesewords — “You,” “Thee,” “God,” “Lord,” “Allah,” “He,” “Him,” “Beloved,” “Friend,” etc., — as they appear in the original texts, andencouragethosereaderswhoarenotcomfortablewiththiskindofpersonalizationtosimplytranslatethemto“This,”“It,”oranyothersignifieryoupreferforthisthatwearespeakingof:thespontaneouspresenceofthegroundofbeingthatisultimatelyandalwaysunnamable.HereistheoriginaltranslationoftheIbnAl‘Arabitext:HowcanIknowYouwhenYouaretheInwardlyHiddenwhoisnotknown?HowCanInotknowYouwhenYouaretheOutwardlyManifest,makingYourselfknowntomeineverything?HowcanIrealiseYourUnitywheninUniquenessIhavenoexistence?HowcanInotrealiseYourUnitywhenUnionistheverysecretof

servanthood?GlorybetoYou!ThereisnogodbutYou!No-onebutYoucanrealiseYourUnity,forYouareasYouareinpre-eternitywithoutbeginning

andpost-eternitywithoutend.Inreality,nootherthanYoucanrealiseYourUnity,andinsum,noneknowsYouexceptYou.YouhideandYoumanifest—yetYoudonothidefromYourselfnordoyoumanifesttootherthanYourself,forYouareYou.Thereisno

godbutYou.Howisthisparadoxtoberesolved,whentheFirstisLastandtheLastisFirst?From:MuhyiddinIbn‘Arabi,SevenDaysoftheHeart:PrayersfortheNightsandDaysoftheWeek (Oxford,UK:AnqaPublishing,

2000),43-44.3.JelalludinRumi,TheEssentialRumi.(SanFrancisco,CA:Harper-One,2004),168.4.MuhyiddinIbnAl‘Arabi,WhattheSeekerNeeds(VT:ThresholdBooks,1992),31.5.InayatKhan,TheDanceoftheSoul:Gayan,Vadan,Nirtan(NewDelhi,India:MotilalBanadsidass,2008),“Saum.”6.TsoknyiRinpoche,CarefreeDignity:DiscoursesonTrainingintheNatureofMind(Berkeley,CA:NorthAtlanticBooks,2004).7.Longchenpa,ThePreciousTreasuryoftheWayofAbiding(JunctionCity,CA:Padma,1998),174.8.SriNisargadattaMaharaj,IAmThat:TalkswithSriNisargadattaMaharaj.TranslatedbyMauriceFrydman,Durham,NC:TheAcorn

Press,2005,p.241.(Ms.)InduRastogi.BusinessManagerTheAcornPress,Durham,NC27715-3279.9.DavidLoy,“AvoidingtheVoid:TheLackofSelfinPsychotherapyandBuddhism,”JournalofTranspersonalPsychology,vol.24,no.2,p.

176(1992).10.JeanKlein,TheEaseofBeing(Durham,NC:TheAcornPress),99.11.IndeepMedia,MichaelCourtney,“SciencevsPhilosophy,ForethoughtandFreeWill,”indeepmedia.wordpress.com/2011/09/15/science-

vs-philosophy-forethought-and-free-will/12.WeiWuWei,WhyLazurusLaughed(Boulder,CO:SentientPublications,2003),80.13.MichaelSells,EarlyIslamicMysticism(Mahwah,NJ:PaulistPress,1995).14.IbnAl‘Arabi,WhattheSeekerNeeds,39.15. JeanKlein,BeWho You Are, translated byMaryMann. Copyright©Non-Duality PressAugust 2006& 2007Coyright© Emma

EdwardsISBN:978-0-9551762-5-8(Salisbury,UK:Non-DualityPress,2006),9-10.16.PeterFenner,RadiantMind(Boulder,CO:SoundsTrue,2007),88.17.Longchenpa,NaturalPerfection,©KeithDowman,2010.Reprinted fromNaturalPerfection: Longchenpa’sRadicalDzogchen

withpermissionfromWisdomPublications,199ElmStreet,Somerville,MA02144USA,p.107.www.wisdompubs.org.18.Longchenpa,NaturalPerfection,23.19.Rumi,TheEssentialRumi,112.20.JelalludinRumi,TheSoulofRumi(SanFrancisco,CA:HarperOne,2002)96.21.Rumi,TheEssentialRumi,155.22.FromthePenguinpublicationIHeardGodLaughing,PoemsofHopeandJoy,RenderingsofHafiz,copyright1996&2006Daniel

Landinsky,andusedwithhispermission.23.Rumi,TheEssentialRumi,13.24.InayatKhan,TheDanceoftheSoul:Gayan,Vadan,Nirtan.NewDelhi,India:MotilalBanarsidass,2008.25.Khan,TheDanceoftheSoul,(Khatoum).26.ShabkarLama,TheFlightoftheGaruda,©KeithDowman,2003.ReprintedfromTheFlightoftheGarudawithpermissionfrom

WisdomPublications,199ElmStreet,Somerville,MA02144USA,p.118.www.wisdompubs.org.27.RootsourcesofChapter9:Longchenpa(Dowmantranslation).NaturalPerfection.(Somerville,MA:WisdomPublications,2010).

————(RichardBarrontranslation).ThePreciousTreasuryoftheWayofAbiding.(JunctionCity,CA:Padma,1998).Norbu, ChogyalNamkhai, andAdrianoClemente (translators).The Supreme Source: The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde

(Ithaca,NY:SnowLionPublications,1999).28.IbnAl‘Arabi,WhattheSeekerNeeds,40.29.Rumi,TheEssentialRumi,272.30.Longchenpa,NaturalPerfection,261.31.Rumi,TheEssentialRumi,105.32.Wallace Stevens, “Final Soliloquy of the Internal Paramour,”TheCollected Poems ofWallace Stevens (NewYork, NY: Vintage,

1990).33.ByThomasMerton,fromTHEWAYOFCHUANGTZU,copyright©1965byTheAbbeyofGethsemeni.Reprintedbypermissionof

NewDirectionsPublishingCorp.34.KounYamada,GatelessGate(LosAngeles,CA:CenterPublications,1979),86.35.ByThomasMerton,fromTHEWAYOFCHUANGTZU,copyright©1965byTheAbbeyofGethsemeni.Reprintedbypermissionof

NewDirectionsPublishingCorp.36.T.S.Eliot,TheFourQuartets,“BurntNorton”(MarinerBooks,1968).37.StephenBatchelor,BuddhismWithoutBeliefs:AContemporaryGuidetoAwakening(NewYork,NY:RiverheadBooks,1998),80.38. Longchenpa (RichardBarron translation),The Precious Treasury of the Basic Space of Phenomena (JunctionCity, CA: Padma,

1998),9.39.JackKerouac,TheScriptureoftheGoldenEternity,Copyright©1994byJanKerouacandAnthonySampatakakos(SanFrancisco,

CA:CityLights,2001),34.40.Kerouac,53.41.IamindebtedtoStephenBatchelorandJoannaMacyforinspiringthisexercise.42.InayatKhan,TheSufiMessage,vol.11,Philosophy,Psychology,andMysticism(NewDelhi,India:MotilalBanadsidass,2011).43.Longchenpa,ThePreciousTreasuryoftheBasicSpaceofPhenomena,3.44. Jean Klein, I Am, Copyright © Non-Duality Press August 2006 & 2007, Copyright © Emma Edwards ISBN: 978-0-9551762-7-2

(Salisbury,UK:Non-DualityPress,2006),116.45.Kerouac,40.

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Loy,David.LackandTranscendence:TheProblemofDeathandLifeinPsychotherapy,Existentialism,andBuddhism.Amherst,NY:

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Norbu,ChogyalNamkhai,andAdrianoClemente.TheSupremeSource:TheFundamentalTantraofDzogchenSemde.Ithaca,NY:SnowLionPublications,1999.

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———.andKennethBradford,eds.ListeningfromtheHeartofSilence(secondvolumeofNondualWisdomandPsychotherapy).St.Paul,MN:ParagonHouse,2007.

Rumi,Jelalludin(versionsbyColemanBarks).TheEssentialRumi.SanFrancisco,CA:HarperOne,2004.———.TheGlance:SongsofSoulMeeting.NewYork,NY:Penguin,2001.———.TheBookofLove:PoemsofEcstasyandLonging.SanFrancisco,CA:HarperOne,2003.———.TheSoulofRumi.SanFrancisco,CA:HarperOne,2002.———.TheBigRedBook.SanFrancisco,CA:HarperOne,2011.Schuon,Frithjof.Sufism–VeilandQuintessence.Bloomington,IN:WorldWisdom,2006———.TheTranscendentUnityofReligions.Wheaton,IL:QuestBooks,1984.Sells,Michael.MysticalLanguagesofUnsaying.Chicago,IL:UniversityofChicagoPress,1994.———.EarlyIslamicMysticism.Mahwah,NJ:PaulistPress,1995.ShabkarLama(translatedbyKeithDowman).TheFlightoftheGaruda.Somerville,MA:WisdomPublications,1994.Spira,Rupert.TheTransparencyofThings.Salisbury,UK:Non-DualityPress,2008.———.Presence:TheIntimacyofAllExperience,Vols.I&II.Salisbury,UK:Non-DualityPress,2011.Tarrant,John.BringMetheRhinoceros.Boston,MA:Shambhala,2008.Tolle,Eckhart.ThePowerofNow.Novato,CA:NewWorldLibrary,2004.———.ANewEarth.NewYork,NY:Penguin,2008.Tolifson,Joan.AwakeintheHeartland:TheEcstasyofWhatIs.Salisbury,UK:Non-DualityPress,2006.TsoknyiRinpoche.CarefreeDignity:DiscoursesonTrainingintheNatureofMind.Berkeley,CA:NorthAtlanticBooks,2004.———.FearlessSimplicity:TheDzogchenWayofLivingFreelyinaComplexWorld.Berkeley,CA:NorthAtlanticBooks,2004.WeiWuWei.FingersPointingtotheMoon:ReflectionsofaPilgrimontheWay.Boulder,CO:SentientPublications,2003.———.WhyLazarusLaughed:TheEssentialDoctrine,Zen—Advaita—Tantra..Boulder,CO:SentientPublications,2003.Welwood,John.TowardaPsychologyofAwakening.Boston,MA:Shambhala,2002.Wheeler,John.AwakeningtotheNaturalState.Salisbury,UK:Non-DualityPress,2004.———.RightHere,RightNow.Salisbury,UK:Non-DualityPress,2006.———.ShininginPlainView.Salisbury,UK:Non-DualityPress,2005.

GratitudetoTeachersandSources

TheOpenPathasexpressedinthisbookborrowsfreelyfromthewisdom,language,andmethodsofalonglistof teachers.SomeofthesemenandwomenIhaveworkedwithdirectly,othersIhavestudiedthroughtheirwritings.I’dliketoacknowledgeheremydebttothem.IntherealmofSufis,myspiritualpathhasbeenofcoursedeeplyinfluencedbySufiInayatKhan,thescopeofhisvision,itsgenerosityand

beauty, and its basis in nondual realization.My long relationship as a student of Piro-Murshid Fazal Inayat-Khanwasmost crucial for theunfoldmentofthiswork,especiallytheinfluenceofhismysticvisionandarticulation,hisinsightintopsychological-spiritualdynamics,hismusic,andhisgiftforexperientialeducation.MurshidaShahzadiKhan-de-KonigandPir-o-MurshidaSitaraBrutnellwerealsoprofoundteachersandexemplarsforme.ShaykhAhmedKostasoftheQadiriOrderinFezopenedmetothemysticismofIslamandtothepowerofzikrpractice.OfcourseamongtheclassicalSufisIoweanimmensedebttothenondualwisdomevidentinthewritingsofNiffari,JelaluddinRumi,Hafiz,Kabir,andIbn‘Arabiinparticular.TurningtomyBuddhistmentors:JoannaMacywasanimportantteacherandfriend—heraccessibleteachingsrevealedthemeaningof

non-self, and her skill with experiential exercises was a priceless teaching. Roshi Joan Halifax both taught me a mystical activism andwelcomedmeintotheLineageoftheMatriarchsoftheWhitePlumSanghaoftheSotoZentradition.AchaanSulakSivaraksa,ThaiBuddhistactivist, teacher,andfriend,wasaformidableinfluenceonmyteachingandactivismforoverfifteenyears.TheBuddhistauthorDavidLoyhasalsoinfluencedmyunderstandingofthedynamicsoftheego.IntherealmofChristianmysticsIhavebeenprofoundlytouchedbytheexampleofFatherPaoloDall’OgliooftheMonasteryofSt.Moses

inSyria,andthewritingsoftheHesychasttradition,whichadvanceaChristianmysticism.Inaddition,IhavebeeninfluencedbytheworkoftheChristianSufiFritjofSchuon.FromtheJewishtraditionIhavebeenguidedbytheteachingsandfriendshipofRabbiZalmanSchachter-Shalomi.Iamthankfulfor theessentiallynondual teachingsIreceivedoverseveralyearsfromWilliamandSpottedEagle,roadmenof theNative

AmericanChurchandtheAssembliesoftheMorningStar.Inthesamevein,themanyyearsofrites-of-passageteachingsIreceivedfrommydearfriendsStevenandMeredithFosterinthedesertsofsouthernCaliforniataughtmeaboutdeathandtransformation.In theexpanding fieldofnondual teaching, Iammost indebted tomyfriendand teacherPeterFenner,a formerTibetanmonk,andneo-

Dzogcheneducatorand therapist.Hisworkhasbeenacentral inspiration in thecreationof theOpenPath inmanyways,especially inhisteachingsregardingfixationsanddeconstructive inquiry,andinhisclearpresencingofnondualawareness. Iamalsodeeplygratefulfor theradicalDzogchenteachingsofKeithDowmanandhisbrillianttranslationsofDzogchentexts.TheclassicAdvaitateachersRamanaMaharshiandSriNisargadattaMaharaj,throughtheirbooks,havebeensteadycompanionsformany

years,and their insightsandmethodsof inquiryhavealsobeen formative in thestyleof theOpenPath.Theworkof thegreat fourteenth-centuryTibetanDzogchenmasterLongchenpahasbeenpivotalforme,andisprobablymymostfrequentsourceofinspiration.HisworkiscomplementedformebythewritingsofmanyotherTibetanmasters,DakpoTashiNamgyal(sixteenthcentury) inparticular,aswellas theprofound tantras found in the book The Supreme Source. Another important teacher has been Jean Klein— traces of his insights andmethods are to be found throughout this book. Further debts are owed to the teachings of Shabkar Lama, Tsoknyi Rimpoche, ChogyalNamkhaiNorbu,LexHixon,JohnDaidoLoori,JohnWheeler,Adyashanti,PeterFrancisDziuban,FrancisLucille,RupertSpira,andperhapsmostofall,JackKerouac.

Acknowledgements

First and last and all theway through Iwant to thankmywife, Elizabeth Rabia Roberts, for her love, support, and inspiration during thecreationofthisbookandtheOpenPathtrainingsfromwhichitcame.Foryears,ourmorningdialoguesandinquiriesweretheprovinggroundwherethematerialinthesepageswastestedandclarified.Thisbookwouldn’texistwithoutherinsightandencouragement.Italsowouldn’texistwithoutthefinancialsupportoftheSufiWay,andthespiritualfriendshipsthatareitsreasonforbeing.Allmyfriends

andstudentswithintheWayandinOpenPathtrainingshavecontributedtothecreationofthisbookthroughtheirpersonalcommitmenttotheartofawakening.Theirclearpresence,intelligence,humor,andgood-heartednesswerethecontextinwhichitgrew.Iwouldliketonameallof you but the listwould be too long, so please accept heremy bow of thanks for every conversation, question, comment, telephone call,meditation,andprayerthatwesharedovertheseyears.Ithasbeenaprivilegetotravelwithyouonthispath.SpecialthankstoJeffFuller,CarolBarrow,AmritaSkyeBlaine,andBoudewijnBoomformuchneedededitorialhelpandsuggestions,and

toConnieShawofSentientPublicationsforherbeliefinthisprojectandtheeaseandprofessionalismwithwhichshebroughtitintobeing.Finally, Iwant toexpressmywarmestgratitude toMelissaStuart, JohnandMargoSteiner,LynnaeaandRickPaine,Ginny Jordan, and

RobertGassfortheirfriendship,guidance,andfinancialsupportduringtheyearswhentheOpenPathwasborn,andwhenRabiaandIweresimultaneouslyventuringforthtoplaceslikeBurma,Syria,Iraq,Iran,Pakistan,andAfghanistan.Yourconfidenceinus,andyourrealizationoftheclearlightofbeing,wereasupportbeyondmeasure.

AbouttheAuthor

EliasAmidonisthespiritualdirector(Pir)oftheSufiWayInternational,anon-sectarianmysticalorderinthelineageofSufiInayatKhan.Aninitiateof theSufiWay for thepast fortythreeyears,PirEliashas studiedwithQadiriSufis inMorocco,TheravadanBuddhist teachers inThailand,NativeAmericanteachersoftheAssembliesoftheMorningStar,ChristianmonksinSyria,ZenteachersoftheWhitePlumSangha,andcontemporaryteachersintheDzogchentradition.Eliashaslivedamultifaceted,engagedlife,workingasaschoolteacher,carpenter,architect,writer,environmentaleducator,peaceactivist,

andwildernessrites-of-passageguide.Hehelpeddevelopseveralschools,includingtheBoulderInstituteforNatureandtheHumanSpirit,theInstitute forDeepEcology, the graduate program inEnvironmentalLeadership atNaropaUniversity, and theOpenPath.Co-editor of thebooksEarthPrayers, LifePrayers, andPrayers for a Thousand Years, he hasworked formany yearswith hiswife, ElizabethRabiaRoberts,asacitizenactivist forpeaceand interfaithunderstanding inIraq,Syria,Afghanistan, Iran,Pakistan,andIsrael/Palestine,andwithindigenoustribesinThailandandBurmaonissuesofculturalcontinuityandlandrights(see:www.pathofthefriend.org).Hewasinstrumentalinfounding theMasar Ibrahim Al Khalil (Abraham’s Path), an international project dedicated to helpingMiddle Eastern countries open anetworkofculturalroutesandwalkingtrailsthroughouttheregion.Pir Elias has been leading programs in Sufism for over three decades, and Open Path programs since 2005. Nine-month Open Path

Trainings are offered frequently in theUnited States, England,Holland, andGermany. These trainings give participants a chance toworkdirectlywithEliasover an extendedperiod, learning to recognize and sustain the freshnessofnondual awareness in their lives.Week-longsolitaryOpenPathretreatsarealsoheldfrequentlyatNadaHermitageinCrestone,Colorado.InformationaboutcurrentOpenPathprogramscanbefoundatwww.open-path.organdatwww.sufiway.org.

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