Marcus Stegmaier, M.A. Published on www.nevernothere.com USA 5th June 2010 |
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“The Illusion of the Cultivation of Oneness”
Man longs for peace. This is his predicament. And he has tried many a thing to get it. Therefore he believes to be able to think. He takes his mind for an instrument to shape, alter and control life. But the mind is just a mirror to reflect a world of thoughts, wherein actions, individuals and time appear as real as long as its illusory nature is not understood with clarity.
Man’s attempts to make the world outside into a peaceful place has failed and man is frustrated. That is understandable. But man has not enquired as yet and he has not come to the understanding as yet, that the world which he believes to be outside is in fact his own mind.
Life which is pure light reflecting itself as an illusion of reflected light, appears also as sound: gross sound in form of words and subtle sound in form of thoughts. The thought that there is someone controlling the thoughts, words and deeds of man is just another thought: it is the “I”-thought. This is the root of the illusion that man were the doer, speaker and thinker.
Life however is timeless and thoughtless for Life doesn‘t create and destroy but just reflects, meaning: the world which we perceive doesn‘t exist in the way the mind thinks it exists, it is not an actuality as such. The world is just held in thought-form, what there really is, is a reflection of light, just energy. The past, the present and the future appear as sounds in the timeless now, they are all one, this is the meaning of Oneness. This is the proclamation of the Sages.
A reflection could not be controlled by the mind because mind itself is a reflection. And the world which the mind thinks of is not there to be controlled in the first place. If you think for example that your arm aches because of a wound and you think it were real then ponder for a while: Observe what happens if somebody begins to talk to you. Before the other began talking, your mind thought the pain in the arm, while he is talking the mind thinks the words which are spoken and has forgotten the pain in the arm for a while. If the pain were real it must be there always, but it isn‘t.
In the same manner, actions are not there in the first place. Energy transforms itself spontaneously and uncontrollably and reflects thoughts of actions in man‘s mind which is energy too. If two persons observe the same “situation“ both will think different actions: This is why every mind lives in its own world of thoughts. Therefore the mind could not control anything, because it is not there as an actuality to be controlled.
The world is there in the mind like a film on a cinema-screen: If character A seems to react to the action of character B, the cause for both is the light projected by the projector. A and B are not in a relation of cause and effect as such.
Even if the world were real and could be shaped by a “thinker”, the thinker has to be created by the universe first, so for everything which he creates the universe would be responsible for.
But how could the “enlightened thinker” shape the universe? What are his criteria for what is right and what is wrong? Duality is in the mind and not as an actuality in life. What is right for one mind is wrong for another. Values are bound to be relative. If they were real, it would never be possible to perceive them, because a contrast is needed for it to manifest. The opposites good and bad give meaning to each other vice versa, they don‘t exist as such standing alone. Therefore they are illusory.
The ego believes in the reality of good and bad, right and wrong and is therefore frustrated. The ego, if it believes to be the “thinker“ is bound to become dogmatic, because for its deeds it has to proclaim what is right and wrong according to its own beliefs. Therefore the ego is frustrated. Therefore “we” are frustrated.
The ego wants to “crawl back in the womb of non-duality” without realizing that Oneness is all there is. If non-duality were the “cultivation of oneness” there were Two and not just One: there were a cultivator and the cultivated. The one who thinks that s/he can cultivate Oneness is the ego. And this is meant to be so, because the ego always thinks to be the doer, speaker and thinker.
The ego is deceived by the intelligence of Life that it were the doer, speaker and the thinker. This is the root of the sense of separation: the ego‘s claim of doership. Oneness could not be thought, nor spoken, nor done. Oneness reveals itself when the ego sophisticates spontaneously and uncontrollably to become the witness. The ego perceives the world as real and to be shaped, altered and controlled, the witness watches life as an illusion.
This is Peace, and Peace is Life. The Enlightened Being is “Peace in action”, illusory it may be. The Enlightened Being has nothing to defend and therefore could respond compassionately to Life as it is and not as the mind thinks it is. But this is not an act done by the Enlightened Being, it is how Life sophisticates itself in the reflection of the Enlightened Being.
Peace could never be done, spoken or thought of. Every thought would be in the duality of peace and war. Real peace is all there is. The sense of doership prevents the understanding that You are Peace which is Life. This understanding makes peace possible because the ego would have totally surrendered to the force of Life and man would be aware that he is one with Life and not separated as a “thinker” and a world to be cared of. The quality of illusory action manifested through a Sage is free from the egoic reactions of the conditioned mind and Life begins to respond to Life. This is how Life takes care of itself. The Sage is not holier than others, because it is Life which makes a Sage happen and not the mind. Everybody and everything is always as it is meant to be, illusory it may be.
Man is a thought manifested by sound in the ocean of Beingness. “We” are a reflection of this cosmic fact! Life takes care of itself as it is meant to be. Have trust in Life and understand how this illusion of light and sound manifests thoughts in the mind of man doing responsible actions to care for the world. This is the dream of humanity! Don‘t believe in the “enlightened thinker” - have trust in Life, because you are Life.
© Copyright 2010 Marcus Stegmaier, M.A.
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