Our Real Nature

There is only AWARENESS. Sages have called this by many names—God, Pure Spirit, I AM THAT AM, the Absolute Self, Clear Light, Tao, Brahman/Atman, Being-Awareness-Bliss, Buddha-nature, Dharmakaya, Zen Mind, and so on.

Awareness is THIS that is right now looking, hearing, touching, smelling, tasting, thinking, intuiting. Awareness has also manifested Itself as all these sensible/perceptible objects—namely, the various sights, sounds, textures, smells, tastes, thoughts, memories, emotions, and psychic impulses.

Awareness is thus WHO YOU REALLY ARE and Awareness is WHAT EVERYTHING ESSENTIALLY IS. The phenomenal universe of bodies and minds (99.9999999999% empty space at the subatomic level, according to physics) is the marvelous, mysterious “dream-play” of Divine Awareness. In other words, all worlds of form (on physical and subtle levels) are the expression of formless Awareness. All changing “things” are manifestations of the unchanging NO-THING (the transcendent Awareness/Spirit/God).

One cannot know, perceive, find or grasp Awareness as an object of experience, since Awareness is fundamentally not an object. Rather, Awareness is the eternal Subject (one might even say: Awareness is THIS which subsumes and transcends the subject-object split). Therefore, one can only BE Awareness, abide as THIS Awareness, remain as THIS, operate from THIS, flourish as THIS, shine as THIS Awareness. One cannot touch or look at formless Awareness, just as a fingertip cannot touch itself or the eye cannot directly see itself. In short, though Awareness is not knowable or perceivable, Awareness is quite be-able.

Everyone is always coming from pure Awareness. But not everyone is conscious of This. A kind of Divine sport, mischief or play (Sanskrit: lila) is rampant, wherein beings (who are, after all, God-in-disguise) appear to have forgotten their real nature. They masquerade in various forms of egotism, not living in/as Divine Love. They appear to be caught in various states of greed, aversion, shame, anger, frustration, fear, euphoria, and so forth.

How, then, does it feel to be awake to one’s real identity as Divine Awareness? Direct experience along with the testimony of sages reveals that Divine Awareness is most authentically and gloriously being lived when the following enlightenment factors are present:

• A sense of utter freedom and simplicity, akin to “zero-gravity”; behavior is spontaneous, free-flowing, unstuck, unfixated. One is motivated only to love and serve all beings as OneSelf.

• No more being trapped in narrow, exclusive identifications with a petty “me” (“my” needs, roles, opinions, abilities, emotions, possessions, etc.).

• No more felt-sense of separation between a “me over here” and a “you/it/them out there.” Rather, there is a sense of profound oneness with all beings.

• No pulling or pushing of experience with heavy, binding likes/dislikes, attachments/aversions, greed, lust, anger, fear, disgust, hate, and so on. (Various emotions may arise from time to time, but are immediately or fairly quickly recognized as not one’s real nature but passing Divine dream-expressions, and so are dissolved in the light of Awareness.)

• Whatever happens in the world of forms (the field of Awareness) is not resisted, but loved and appreciated as the poignant, playful expression of Spirit. And, paradoxically, there is a Divine urge within this non-resistance and sense of inherent perfection to remedy injustices, right wrongs, heal traumas, and improve conditions for all sentient beings.

• One is quite content to just be, not driven by any restlessness or a sense of dilemma into the busy-ness of egocentric having and doing. One is deeply relaxed, living out of the peace of “deep sleep wakefulness” (as sages paradoxically call it), even in the midst of helpful actions.

• Genuine happiness prevails, not restless giddiness: a simple bliss, not dependent on circumstances or people for fulfillment. The essence here is being clear, not "getting high."

• Though fallible aspects of the personality may still arise, their transformation happens lightly within an overall Taoist sense of “perfection perfecting itself perfectly.”

• One is in Love, radiant as Love, always dying into and reborn as Love in each timeless moment.

If you somehow feel that you aren’t authentically living your true nature, your real identity as Spiritual Awareness, there is nothing “you” as an ego-sense can really “do.” Spiritual realization occurs spontaneously via the Grace of Awareness, not via ego efforts. Being in the presence of true sages is a big help. Enlightenment communicates itself.

Sages have also given some classic messages for the ego-sense to subside, so that awakening to THIS which is “always already the case” may occur: Just deeply relax and let go of all sense of being a thing-like “me.” Let self dissolve (“die”) into Being. Detach as undisturbed Witness from all sensations, thoughts, memories, emotions, self-images, and whatever else may be fixating you. (Whenever things arise in consciousness, just watch and let go of them, moment by moment...) Empty out. Dwell as no-body, no-thing, pure Presence. Just be (and no need to get restless or make a big deal out of just being.) Be quite simple and uncomplicated, without struggle or striving or posturing. Come from your natural depth, not the surface mind.

Remember that there is no need to become pure Awareness--you already are THIS in your original truth. Let body-mind function spontaneously according to the Divine Will, and simply abide as what you fun-damentally always are: the vast, spacious, seamless, unlimited, radiant expanse of Clear Light-Awareness. Know that, amidst all the changing aspects of your world, you are the Changeless One that has been and will be unchangingly present throughout your life (or lifetimes). Underlying all perceptible forms, you are the formless Awareness that is “dreaming” these forms. This Awareness is complete and unimprovable--the pristine emptiness/fullness of Divinity.

Moreover, this Divine Self of Absolute Awareness, your real identity, is not “in the world.” No, the world is in You, it floats in Awareness like a dream. The world is the mysterious, poignant expression of this creative Awareness, which is eternally savoring all kinds of experiences of ItSelf.

Beyond/before/during all forms and experiences, AWARENESS ALONE IS ... right HERE, the Ground of All, the Only Being.

May all beings awaken to this Absolute Being, this Divine Love, this Bliss, this Freedom.

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