#134 Abiding in Awareness that transcends time and space.
- Posted by SwaminiB
- Categories Podcast transcripts
- Date 10 August 2021
- Comments 2 comments
This episode can also be used as a guided meditation.
What is the truth of time, or rather the reality of time?
Reality for us is that which cannot be negated, that which always is.
When we look at time all yesterdays that have gone by were once today.
Each yesterday, that had gone by, was a today.
When you woke up on a given day in the morning, it was today.
When your grandfather got up on a given day, it was today.
When your father got up on a given day, it was today.
When some years before on a given day you got up from the bed, it was today.
Yesterday, when you woke up it was today and today when you woke up, of course it is today.
Tomorrow, when you wake up, it will be today.
After many, many years when you wake up, it will still be today.
So, the truth of the past and the future is today.
Even your memory of the past exists today. Your anticipation or dreams about the future, don’t exist in the future, they exist today.
Today itself is full of hours, but then is today the truth of time?
The past hour when it was, it was in the present.
The future hour when it comes to unfold itself, it will be the present hour.
Today is nothing but many hours and then an hour is 60 minutes.
So, when the first minute of the hour unfolds, it was the present moment.
The second minute the present moment, the third, the present moment and so on.
And again, the next moment, still has to come that again will become the present.
The truth of time that which is, seems to be the moment.
Really? But the moment has 60 seconds.
The first, second, well, it was the present second, and the second second was the present second, the future second will unfold itself, and it still it will be the present.
Therefore the truth of time is the present second, but No, hold on. The present second can be divided still.
You are aware of the present second.
This present second is a length of time which is subject to many divisions. It can divide itself into many microseconds and however much we divide time, the question is
Who is aware of the truth of time?
The gap between two seconds or rather the gap between two micro or nano seconds – I am aware of that.
Split second almost to no length of time and it is so miniscule that time almost erases itself.
The length of time erases itself. Then what is present when there is no time? ‘I’.
I am aware of that presence or absence of time.
Even time is relative. The meaning of this becomes very clear to us when you realise what a minute feels like on this side of the bathroom door if you are waiting to go, then it seems like eternity. As they say, how long a minute is depends on which side of the bathroom door you are on.
When the length of time is erased, what is present?
What is always present?
The one who is aware of the presence of time, or rather the absence.
All time, whether be divided into seconds, nanoseconds, minutes, hours, days, months – it is all present in awareness.
So, the truth of time is awareness.
That awareness that is You, which is not bound by time.
I am that awareness, that is free from time, that is the truth of time, that is present in the past, that is present obviously in the present, and it is present in the future which is only an idea, but even that future is in the present.
And, so you ask, What about space?
Well, space is one.
Space is one undivided whole.
All universes, solar systems, our own Mother Earth, space accommodates all that is tangible, even air. All that is seen, known by our sense organs and telescopes, space accommodates everything.
Akaasha and the beautiful definition of space in Sanskrit is avakaasha pradaatra, which means – that which accommodates everything.
Since space is not divided, it is in and through every object in space, and because it is in and through every object in space, it transcends every object.
The presence of an object in space, makes no difference to space.
The absence of an object also does not make any difference to space.
Space remains as Is, whole, undivided.
While it is in it through every object, it is free from every object. It accommodates, everything.
And at the same time, it itself is free from everything.
This space – I am aware of.
Whatever is in space, I am aware of it or rather, all that I’m aware of, Is.
All objects in space are in my awareness and the awareness, because of which I’m aware of space, is that divided by space?
I awareness is undivided.
It is complete.
It accommodates everything. Awareness is in and through every object I know.
It accommodates every object that I’m aware of.
I awareness is not affected if more objects come into my awareness, or if some objects move away.
If an object is removed, I awareness remain the same.
If objects are added, I awareness remains the same, undivided, whole accommodating everything.
I awareness has no lack, no want, no longing, no craving.
I awareness is free, simple.
I am that awareness.
With respect to an object it is object awareness.
That because of which an object is known, what is that?
It is pure awareness.
Awareness that is not conditioned. Awareness that cannot be divided.
Awareness that cannot be limited.
I am that awareness that is free, that awareness that always accommodates.
Immanent awareness that awareness that is in and through everything.
I see the meaning of these words.
And then you say, oh, but I’m not… but my mind is not getting it.
Well, an abiding mind knows no problem.
A reactive mind on the other hand is one that doesn’t abide, that reacts.
So then, how can I neutralise reaction?
The only way is to have an abiding mind.
An abiding mind sees what is silly as silly, what is petty as petty, what is profound as profound.
On the other hand for the reactive mind, the silly is profound. The petty becomes important and the profound is forgotten. The abiding mind is concerned only with the profound. It does not mistake the silly for the profound. It does not mistake the petty for the important. It concerns itself only with an abiding love for the profound.
The abiding mind is natural for the one who has given up the reacting, petty, silly mind.
The mind that abides in its own sufficiency.
If it reacts then the knowledge has not seeped into me.
The recognition that all is well with me,
everything around is fine with me,
that I am a centre of peace wafting peace all around me,
a recognition that all is well with me, for me,
my mind can only then be centred in its own sufficiency despite its reactions.
And even if the mind reacts I again and again pull it back to its own sufficiency.
Whenever the mind reacts, the moment I realise it’s reacting, I don’t judge, I see it, I pull it back. Atmani eva vasham nayet, I just bring it back.
I bring the mind back to rest in awareness to abide it in its own peace and glory.
Sometimes when it reacts, I don’t know why, but I do know one thing that I build up thought by thought. I keep building up to a point where I become the built up thought.
Think about it. There is anger. I am angry, some cause for this reaction. But then look at how I build it up, How dare that person behave like this with me?
Why is it that I keep getting angry all the time?
When am I really gonna learn how to control my anger?
And then of course when I get angry I say all the worst possible things.
And then the relationship is unrepairable, but really how can people be so annoying?
And I shouldn’t be getting angry, I’m giving away too much power.
Why is it that I am like this? I hate it.
Can you see how, I got angry?.
I can put a full stop, rather than a comma. It need not produce further reaction, but as I build it up, I become the built up, thought.
So to get out of the reaction is to find the sufficiency in myself, I pull the mind back into the awareness that all that is here is whole, undivided. I like nothing.
The awareness, that is aware of my reactions needs nothing, wants nothing, is adequate.
The awareness that I am, is free from all reactions.
The awareness accommodates all reactions. We understand that the mind reacts by habit and so the mind rests in the awareness, it can truly abide, that all is well with me.
I am well despite problems.
I am well and have been given the ability to resolve my problems.
I the awareness is aware of the changes in the mind and in that awareness, the mind can abide.
It can awake to its own silence. And for that silent abiding mind, I can be awake to reality.
And then you say, Well, what about my physical body? What about my sense organs?
Well,they too fall within your awareness, your thoughts, my thoughts, they are within my awareness.
My pleasures, my pains, my sorrows, my jealousies, my hatred, all of that are present within my awareness.
My longings, my desires, my cravings, my successes, my failures are all within my awareness. Because I’m awareness, I can be aware of each of these without I awareness, being affected.
Can there be any joy minus awareness?
Can there be any sorrow minus awareness?
What about success minus awareness?
What about failure that is away from awareness?
In every knowledge that I have, including that of cryptocurrency, there is this awareness.
In every error that I make, there is this awareness.
In ignorance also there is awareness. I know, and what I don’t know, there is this awareness.
This awareness does it lack anything?
I want moksha, even this want falls within awareness.
I am aware of my wants, I am aware of my lacks.
In whose presence is a want, or a lack known?
This awareness – does it have any lack?
Does it have a sense of inadequacy?
Does it have a sense of insufficiency?
Awareness being what it is, is free from a sense of good or bad, a sense of lack.
It accommodates everything much like space, untainted, unbound.
It remains the same without lack, without want.
I am that awareness, that awareness, which is not a part of this body, mind, that awareness which always Is.
I am that awareness that is not a product of any activity that the mind and the body can do.
I am that awareness, that is not a property of this body or mind, that which always is. That because of which there is awareness of the body and mind.
The awareness that I speak of has no dimension, and therefore it is not a concept.
It is You, that which always Is.
The body and mind exist in this awareness that is undivided, that the Rishis is also referred to as the Atma, that which pervades everything, that which is limitless.
This awareness transcends the past, present and the future because it always Is.
And we have seen that the truth of time is not a unit of time but the awareness that is present in and through every concept of time.
This awareness cannot be located in space either because it is aware of all space.
All the way, I awareness is complete in and of myself.
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2 Comments
Dear Swamini B,
Your student Rashmi with whom I learnt the 16 step puja just posted your meditation. It is outstanding. Profound. I shall go back again to assimilate the wisdom inherent in the simple words you share.
I’ve had a relapse into depressive symptoms and this seems to address those symptoms and give the most beautiful, accommodative context: abiding awareness.
My symptoms are worse in the morning.
I shall listen again then to see the effect.
Have you addressed depression exclusively in any of your previous River of Wisdom talks?
Thankyou for today’s sharing on Abiding Awareness.
Namaste
Philip
philipgatt@yahoo.com.au
Thank you Phil. I am sure it is a phase and we can deal with it.
Writing to you by email.