Self Mastery – Part Two
20/06/2012 13:56
The concepts engaged in part one of this essay basically boil down to the fact that what you perceive on a daily basis within your life is not what you thought it was.
For millennia, the great sages have always said that the world that we perceive is false. The Vedic philosophy as well Hinduism and Sikhism call it maya, while the Buddhists refer to samsara, different names for the same idea. The idea being that what man perceives as reality is illusory. 
The true seeker MUST WORK THROUGH THIS PARADIGM SHIFTING IDEA in order to proceed. One cannot just bypass this part of the process without fully digesting it. Digestion can often take years because the reality we call waking life is such a fantastic show!
This worldly reality is best conceptualized with the analogy of a cinema. When you go out to the movies, you are seated in some comfy chairs, chewing on some popcorn and if the movie is good, you get absorbed into the show. When the bad guy gets kicked in the crouch you flinch, when the hero triumphs at the end you cheer. Yet it is all illusion. This analogy is VERY close to the truth of the situation. I say this because light is at the basis of the cinema show just as it is “here” in what we call reality.
If one can grasp the truth of why I am sharing then you’ll have more even questions. But I will move on in order to focus on the specific topic of this essay.
If this reality is illusion then one might say that “nothing matters” as it’s all just some type of play, show or game. There is a bit of truth in that reasoning, but this knowledge should lead to a higher understanding if you continue to seek the bread crumbs along the path.
Fully understanding that this reality is an illusion does not diminish the fact that there is a consciousness perceiving the show. This is where the jolt comes, this will be the aha! moment. Truly understanding, grasping, digesting the fact that you are that conscious awareness which experiences all things is the enlightenment. The Taoists have eight immortals in their folklore and of course there is Buddha and Christ and Zoraster, all enlightened. But all that means is that they have fully digested the truth, nothing more. Immortality has nothing to do with the body living forever, immortality is our nature, most just don’t know it due to being immersed, anchored and subject to this reality.
There’s a great Zen saying –
Before enlightenment, chop wood carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood carry water.
What this means is that conscious awareness will not change after enlightenment, after realization of the truth. Conscious awareness cannot change as it is the primal witness to the cinema show. Think about it and you might grasp why all those statues of the Buddha show him with that slight all knowing smile.
To be continued
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