I believe in taking a surgical approach to the truth. Anything to do with Zen, or Buddhism, or Spirituality, in my opinion, is not very surgical.
My first teacher, Adyashanti, came from a Zen Buddhist background and his retreats were like meditation boot-camps. The format included 7 meditation sessions per day from early in the morning until late in the evening. (I participated in three of these 7 day silent retreats)
I know that Adyashanti understood the truth, however, I do not understand this approach to truth seeking. I'm not complaining, since it was my path. You might say it was the path that led me to the path.
Looking back, it seemed like I spent a lot of time asking myself, "Who am I?" or "What am I?"
Personally, I find these questions confusing, ineffective and don't lead to anything but frustration.
Asking the question "Where is Consciousness?", on the other hand, is surgical and effective. It is effective because getting really clear on the answer to this question is an extremely powerful way to destroy beliefs. In other words, 'Where am I?' in this picture right now?
This approach very much reminds me of Copernicus because he also took a surgical approach to the truth. Simply by tracking the stars, (and trusting his intelligence), he was able to confidently say, 'that can't be true'. He knew from his observations that the world wasn't stationary and couldn't be at the center of the universe. This was contrary to everything believed at the time by physicists and theologians.
Believe me, it takes courage to be a truth seeker. It requires certainty, which means in most cases (like myself), it needs to be validated in different ways and we need to see it over and over many times.
I would estimate that over 99% of people believe that Consciousness is located somewhere inside the body. Why? Because that's what everyone believes.
They assume that it is located somewhere inside their head. Let's be clear...there is absolutely no evidence that Consciousness is located in the body. Zero.
Therefore, it is a widely held belief, not a fact. Let's face it. We are easily fooled by our senses and we've been wrong before. The truth is not a democracy. Do you trust the wisdom of society or are you interested enough to answer the question for yourself?
The truth is available to anyone interested enough to investigate. What I love about the truth is that the more the truth is investigated, the more true it becomes.
Let's be clear on something else....when we are trying to answer questions about Consciousness, no one has more direct access than yourself. There is no secret lab someplace in Switzerland with the ability to examine Consciousness.
So by a large fucking country mile, the most powerful tool available to the truth seeker is his/her own direct experience of Consciousness. This is not about manipulating your experience....it is about getting surgical. It is about taking the time to discriminate your experience. What is the truth? Where is it? How do I answer this question for myself?
When I take the time to investigate, perhaps with the help of a teacher, it does not take me long to arrive at the following conclusion....the belief that Consciousness is located somewhere inside my body is not consistent with my experience. This is a pretty important piece of information for a truth seeker, is it not?
Some battles need to be won to win the war...I suggest throwing all reserves into this battle until there is absolute certainty and clarity. This is a place where I can hang my hat...based on my own direct experience, there is absolutely no evidence to support the belief that Consciousness is located inside my body. This certainty can quickly bring a truth seeker back to the top of the truth mountain.
But no one can do it for you. You need to be interested enough to do your own investigation. The beauty is because no one can give it to you...no one can take it away from you either.
I spent many years in school. Unfortunately, school did not teach me to find my own answers. I was given the answers. This path is not about trusting the wisdom of society...or a guru for that matter. It is about answering the questions for yourself and trusting your own intelligence.
Whether you are aware of it or not, your entire worldview about life, death, the universe...basically EVERYTHING you ever believed about yourself and the world is based on the assumption that Consciousness is located somewhere inside the body. Isn't this worth spending some time investigating? Don't you want to answer this question for yourself?
Like Copernicus, once you clearly see that 'this can't be true', the foundation upon which the walls of your beliefs are built will inevitably start to crumble...assuming you have the courage to trust your own intelligence and are ready to let go of your beliefs. Personally, I think most would rather hang onto their beliefs. The truth isn't for everyone.
Assuming you take this simple question all the way...your beliefs will start to crumble until you are left with the experiential understanding that "nothing I ever believed is true".
We don't need to worry about trying to be Consciousness...because we already are it. We just need to remove the beliefs and concepts that prevent us from experiencing it. For me, this is the most surgical and effective way.
So ask yourself, "Where am I looking from right now?"
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