Clear Seeing
Written on February 9, 2009 by Tom Stine
I finished another 5 day silent retreat with Adyashanti on Friday, and from that retreat came something new: an intense desire to see everything clearly. I want to know, really know, what is real. Clear seeing seems, at this point in my journey, to be the most important thing in the Universe. Nothing matters but the clarity of my vision.
What do I mean by clear seeing? That’s kind of hard to describe. At this point, the best I can do is say that clear seeing is perceiving the world, life, self, everything, with the purest of sight. Only what is true seems to matter. Anything that I don’t know for absolute certainty must go. Basically, all beliefs are not wanting to be believed. Clear seeing appears to be freedom.
I’ll have more to say about my retreat, my experiences, this blog, you name it, in the near future. For now, I wanted to share the above as I sit here at San Jose International Airport enjoying American Airlines postponing my flight. Ain’t life a trip? Seriously, it’s a blast.
Be well, my friends. More soon. Namaste.
on February 9th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
Tom,
That is beautiful! So cool to be a part of the Adya Retreat. Would really like to see how your journey is going and how you are experiencing clear reality. It is brave, scary and eternally rewarding. Meeting the universe half way will have it meet you too, the results will be a revelation. You must share!
One Love
on February 9th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Since you said you had “an intense desire to see everything clearly”, this makes me recall an interesting web site which cotains a chapter called “How To Awaken The Extremely Intense Desire For Liberation”: http://www.albigen.com/uarelove/most_rapid/contents.aspx. I am by no means associated with the author. In fact, I tried to contact him by email and never got a reply.
on February 9th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
Me too, Tom!
I look forward to seeing clear and you posts on this.
on February 9th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
@Diane Come along for the ride.
@Psiplex I will be sharing more soon.
@Kevin The site you mention is related to a book that I have read. The book is very odd, but it proved extraordinarily helpful to me. Someday I will have to review it. But the link you put below would appear to be a complete online version of the book. How cool! The most important chapters are Chapters 6 & 7. The author, from what I could find, posts occasionally to some message boards. There is much good in Chapters 6 & 7. The rest of the book is kind of silly, if you ask me.
on February 10th, 2009 at 9:32 am
Very nice! Looking forward to your new account of the Adyashanti retreat. So I guess my question regarding learning to see ‘clearly’ is this: Your mind creates the thoughts, the perceptions and the stories that build on the thoughts and perceptions… it also is a great justifier and rationalizer… so how do you know what you are seeing clearly is actually seeing clearly or just a new story/view your mind has made up? When do you know that ‘you know’? Thank you for a great blog site to discuss awakening.
on February 10th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
I look forward to more details, Tom
Just one little point – this is a natural next step but it has no end. Refinement of perception and increasing clarity is a continual process.
In a certain way, it does end because the process of perception itself collapses when the observer and observed become one. But the refinement of clarity continues.
Interesting book reference. Only a few advanced teachers talk about becoming aware of awareness aware of itself, or awareness watching awareness. Witness to the witness. There are of course layers to that, but it’s how one becomes aware of what’s actually going on. (laughs)
on February 10th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
BTW – a quick look at the book page mentioned reveals a Yahoo Discussion group/ newsletter
http://www.thefreedomreligion.com/
and the higher page, which illustrates something of his process into what became the book:
http://www.albigen.com/uarelove/
Interesting…
on February 10th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
@Carl Thanks! I’m glad you are enjoying. As for seeing clearly…. By seeing clearly, I mean seeing WITHOUT the usual mental commentary. And even more to the point, seeing without ANY mental commentary, seeing beyond the mind, seeing without limits imposed by the mental apparatus. We could almost call it NAKED seeing. Raw perception. Utter clarity of WHAT IS.
@Davidya I agree. Never an end point. Never a beginning, too. I think one of the distinguishing characteristics of Jesus, for instance, was his clarity of vision. So clear that little details like death or blindness meant nothing to what was awake in him. “SEE!” and the blind would see. Not your every day parlor trick, but the response of this world to utter clarity of vision. And yes, Michael Langford’s book is an interesting one. Strange to read. But utterly effective. Adyashanti has been lately focusing on simply turning attention to awareness as THE process, if there is to be a process. Reading Langford’s story of how he came upon the process is fascinating. He got it from a wonderful little book written by Sri Sadhu Om, a disciple of Ramana Maharshi who got the process from Ramana. Simple and succinct. And if one is ready for it, well, it really works.
on February 10th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
yes, I read his page on how he came to this. It is indeed fascinating to see the process unfold. What immediately struck me though, and I’ve seen this before, is he appears to fail to recognize what his previous practice had brought to the table.
How he came to be able to recognize he was aware, then had the clarity to be aware of awareness. Only then could he practice this. As your last line observes – if one is ready for it.
on February 10th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
Could you please clarify on the location of the place.. I could not get it.
on February 10th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
@Raman I’m not sure what place you are referring to. Please be more specific and I will be glad to help.
on February 10th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
Raman – if you mean how the off-topic author found his process, it’s under the second link, 2 of my comments above. Look for “How I Discovered the Awareness Watching Awareness Method”, ‘This Site’ link.
It was not my intent to take comments off topic, but I’m fascinated by peoples stories of their journey. The essential process is the same but the varieties of journey are as varied as there are people…
on February 11th, 2009 at 11:10 am
@Tom Stine
I was referring to Adyashanti. But now I noticed your earlier post on it and got it. Thanks.
on February 11th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Ah – he was on topic (laughs)
What place is Adyashanti in? Big topic (laughs)
on February 11th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
@Davidya and Raman Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think Raman was looking for the URL of Adyashanti’s website: adyashanti.org.
As for “what place is Adyashanti in?” you are right, that is a huge topic. So, I will say one thing now, and then maybe write about it later. Ready? Whatever enlightenment is, Adyashanti is it.
on February 11th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Thanks for this post. It sounds like there are some similarities to my own experience here — if I follow the tension in some part of my body, with no desire to know anything but why it’s there, the tension usually ends up relaxing no matter what answer I come to. This is true even if I find that the tension is there because I’m not okay with myself in that moment.
on February 12th, 2009 at 2:18 am
…but the problem with Direct Path is that your mind must be calm and ready, so is not proper for the most people who have issues. And is hard to describe what means Awareness Watching Awareness because u always caught in the ego, and ego is searching… I prefer just sitting with nothing to looking, searching, evaluating, investigating, just be What Is…
here is the most up-to-date book about master of direct discipline:
web site:
http://www.happinessofbeing.com/happiness_art_being.html
here you can download for free:
http://www.happinessofbeing.com/Happiness_and_the_Art_of_Being.pdf
…and here is author blog:
http://happinessofbeing.blogspot.com/
on February 12th, 2009 at 10:27 am
@Chris Yes, I see the similarities. However, what I am discussing is a seeing that goes ultimately to the truth of being. You see just the truth.
@Dee You know, I don’t see there to be any problems with the Direct Path. Essentially, if you find yourself on the Direct Path, then that’s your path, no matter how messed up you are! Actually, I was still having panic attacks when I was introduced to the teachings of Ramana and others, and it was the doing of inquiry into “Who am I?” that led me to the end of my panic attacks. Inquiry completely changed my life in a worldly sense, and all for the better. That isn’t to say that some people with “issues” may not find the direct path very distressing. Spirituality can be a rough business. But if you find yourself on the path, then you should walk it.
on February 12th, 2009 at 11:55 am
It’s interesting. For myself, I had to go deeply into it, understand it thoroughly. Then I saw through it. Meditation was key to deepen the experience.
Easy for me to sit and be now as I am That, but would not have been before. It is curious though. So many paths that are only one path that is pathless. (laughs) It was never the person waking up anyway…
on February 12th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
That’s an interesting perspective (if I understand you right) — that following a sensation in your body wherever it takes you, like I described, may lead you to the truth, but it won’t get you to the ultimate truth. Or perhaps that kind of inquiry can lead you to the ultimate truth over time, with practice?
I’m thinking about this because I’ve been very into practicing “inquiry” as A.H. Almaas describes it recently.
on February 13th, 2009 at 5:30 am
I read the book at http://www.albigen.com/uarelove/most_rapid/contents.aspx . I will be frank. It is a good book and a good method when your life sucks and is in ruins and the sorrow becomes unbearable. But it is potentially dangerous. It can send you in a wrong direction, away from what makes you happy. Because everything depends on what you want to experience. This book tells you (or very strongly suggests you) what you SHOULD want. But well. There really is no substitute for the pleasures of ego driven life. You must know what you really really want. Do you really really want to be egoless & detached & aware? The ego may be the root of your sorrow. But it is also the root of your delight. Of many a delight!
on February 14th, 2009 at 11:18 am
@Chris Anything can lead you to “ultimate truth.” While it is difficult to put into words, let’s just say that the ultimate truth is that all is One. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. So anything, being One, is in fact, One. Seeing that is, well, seeing the ultimate truth. Adyashanti likes to tell the story of one of his Zen teachers beating his stick on the floor, holding it up, and shouting, “THIS is the highest dharma!” The highest truth was a stick? YES!
@Teri Hmm…. Not sure I can go along with your line of thought. I agree that the spiritual journey can be dangerous. But when one is led to this path of inquiry and seeing through to the truth, well, it’s the path to walk, no matter how your life appears, good or bad. As for the ego being the root of sorrow or delight, I would agree that this whole notion of slaying the evil ego is way over done. But the ego is the root of NOTHING. It seems to me that sorrow is simple the ABSENCE of joy and love. When we turn to the light of being, and discover for ourselves that we are the light of being, all suffering disappears. The ego is seen for what it is, just a collection of messy thoughts. It never caused our sorrow. It never gave us delight. Thinking that I AM THOSE THOUGHTS, that leads to suffering. Learning that I am NOT THE EGO leads to joy. Simple.
on February 14th, 2009 at 11:49 am
Tom – well put and apropos for the articles title.
Teri – what Tom says is critical. The ego may claim to be the source of delight but it’s not. And once that construct falls away enough, you discover the ocean of delight is within you.
Detachment is just the first step. Anyone describing awakening as just detached freedom is only just there. The juicy stuff has not arisen yet. (laughs) The benefits so surpass anything the ego can even imagine. And it keeps getting better. The ocean has no bottom.
on February 14th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
@Everyone: With regard to the link someone left below: http://www.albigen.com/uarelove/most_rapid/contents.aspx. This is the electronic copy of a book I read 2 years ago entitled “The Most Rapid and Direct Means to Eternal Bliss.” After exchanging a few messages with one of my readers, Teri, I want to make a few points very clear. On the whole, I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone. It is poorly written. It contains a lot of basically worthless condemnation of the poor, much maligned “ego” that so many spiritual people are desperately trying to get rid of. The only part worth reading of the entire book, in my opinion, is chapter 6 and 7, in which the author outlines a process that he learned from Ramana Maharshi and one of Ramana’s disciples, Sri Sadhu Om. The process is a wonderful one. I will have more to say about it in a later post.
But as for beating up the ego, and referring to it as the source of all suffering: it isn’t. Believing that you ARE the ego is the source of all suffering. All of spirituality, the entire spiritual journey, awakening, enlightenment, all of it, is just simply a question of identity. When you know what you are, at every level of your being, through and through, that what you are is the One, the infinite, all suffering is done. And you can happily enjoy whatever amount of ego that still hangs around as you move in and out of the world. Life becomes deliciously sweet.
So, bottom line: forget the link above. Go buy Nisargadatta or Adyashanti. You’ll enjoy them much more. Namaste.
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