The Importance Of Knowing Reality
All appearances are seen within the clear space of mind. That space of clarity is pure consciousness, sometimes called Emptiness, or Shunyata in Sanskrit.
The senses are non-conceptual: things are experienced by virtue of pure perception – in other words, pure consciousness. Appearances only become conceptual when memory and judgement are applied.
We make the mistake of seeing these appearances as reality because we empower them, but they have no true reality as they come, get muddied by memories and judgements, and then go. Unfortunately, however, we don’t let them go: we hang on, and it is this that creates our mannerisms, personality and life.
We have been the original clear space of pure consciousness all the while, so in the very first instant of recognising appearances, those appearances are simultaneous with emptiness. That includes emotions. This is the unity of the relative and absolute realities of non-duality, not two, oneness. We are free in the moment of seeing our self image.
In the very first instant, thoughts and emotions actually brighten the mind. It is only when we use memory and judgement that darkness descends. The good news is that the very recognition of darkness is the light of pure consciousness.
So what’s our problem? It’s people!
There is absolutely no problem with the Buddha’s, or Christ’s, or Advaita teachings – or any genuine spiritual teaching that manifests the wisdom of empathetic compassion. But people are still people. Buddhists, Christians, Advaitists – all religious-minded people – want to make something out of nothing, and that nothing is the purity of empty cognisance.
Meditation and prayer are only tools to reach the silence of emptiness,
where there are no rules or rituals or things we have to do.
Give up the meditation and prayer:
we only meditate and pray when we forget to rest in pure consciousness.
Mud is created when we muck around with reality.