http://www.thewa.net Fri, 13 Apr 2007 00:47:14 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Some people have asked me to write about what has changed for me after four years of studying non-dualism and leading the Wa explorations, so I share here some of my reflections. * * * Reality is. It is present now. It cannot be explained. It is unfolding even as you read ... http://www.thewa.net/archives/13 In Advaita, the most fundamental statement one can make is, “I am.” Let’s examine it. I am. From which I deduce the following statements: There is existence. I am aware of existence. I exist, at least, as an awareness of existence. So, I can be sure of this statment: I exist as an awareness of existence. ... http://www.thewa.net/archives/12 Besides the Ghost, the Organism, and Thou (see earlier posts), another type of “I” exists: the “I” that comes forth in a relationship with another. Since we generally assume that “I” exist as a unique and willful individual, we assume that I am consistently myself with others, or that any ... http://www.thewa.net/archives/11 On an overnight flight to Europe last night, I thought to myself, "I'm tired." But as I looked further, I realized that "Thou" can never be tired. Thou cannot have any qualities. It is adjective-less. Thou is the space in which all experience and all possible experiences appear. It itself, ... http://www.thewa.net/archives/10 The Ghost exists and does not exist. Let us begin with how it does not exist. It does not exist in the way we presume it to exist: as the controller of our actions. It does not have any control over the actions of the Organism. It arises because of ... http://www.thewa.net/archives/9 One of the challenges in conversations about the nature of what we are is the confusion created by the lack of words to distinguish different dimensions of the phenomena “you” or “I.” I share here my first attempt at inventing some distinctions for speaking about these phenomena. I introduce the ... http://www.thewa.net/archives/8 A dozen of us just completed the twelfth Wa this past weekend. I left with the same sense I have left the other explorations—grateful for the remarkable space it provides for going deeply into life with others. And, once again, I am very clear it is not of my doing. ... http://www.thewa.net/archives/7 In response to Mike's post that maybe sentience does not re-emerge: I don't think that's possible. I see two perspectives, either of which lead me to the same conclusion. First, from a scientific viewpoint, add infinite time to the stirrings of the universe, and eventually some configuration involving sentience is certain to ... http://www.thewa.net/archives/6 Let me share a thought experiment with you. I recommend you play with it yourself. For simplicity’s sake, assume that our planet is the only planet in the universe with life on it. Now imagine that all life on the planet is completely destroyed—nothing is left alive. What happens to the universe? Consider: Nothing would ... http://www.thewa.net/archives/5 The other day, while lying on a bed getting an acupuncture treatment, an interesting experience happened to me. Without any obvious prompting, I began to imagine what dying must be like. Not death, but dying—the final moments. What happened was a sense of fading attachment to the concerns that constitute my ... http://www.thewa.net/archives/4