Water by the River

Not so good for ones inner Feng Shui. Answering your questions is not for the faint of hearted considering the occasional, um, "tough love feedback" But, as in Dinner for One, I will do my very best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XKFoF8jWgE Lots of Love from the chap selling Water by the River!

Koans you can have from SWbtR. I assume that the gig with the cane you can get from other Sellers by the River. Too lazy for that... Koan: So who exactly is mumbling "Si tacuisses, philosophus mansisses" towards certain Water Sellers by the River? PS: Just let the Limitlessness you write about saturate and drench your life. Sounds like a good and potentially quite relaxing path to me. Godspeed!

"It is neither being nor nothingness": Madhyamaka: "Its character is neither existent, nor nonexistent, / Nor both existent and nonexistent, nor neither. / Centrists should know true reality / That is free from these four possibilities." in (Not quite) guilty as charged by the River

When you say that absolute being/consciousness is dreaming reality, you are operating from a limited perspective. You perceive the reality of form as a hologram, a mirage, that "consciousness" dreams. something without substance. For you, enlightenment is the perception that this consciousness is permanent. This undoubtedly implies that you haven't opened yourself to the essence of reality. Form is not a dream; it is the inevitable expression of totality, and any form contains totality in the same way that it is contained within it. Truly, any form is totality. Conciousness is just an expression, a possibility that happens , the reality is beyond conciousness and unconsciousness. Absolute reality is a bottomless, boundaryless abyss that is conscious because consciousness arises within it, since its potential has no limitation. But what is is not consciousness. The reality of form is not a tranquil dream of consciousness at play, but the inevitable expression of total depth, a manifest potential that contains totality in its absolute plenitude. The Buddhist perception of form as illusion is a closed perception. It is purely mental, but without the essential openness, which is that of the "heart" in quotation marks, signifying the real substance of reality, its unlimited vitality, its total power. Look, everything that exists as form unfolds in infinite forms; this is absolute life, total glory. Nothing is illusory; everything is real, because the depth of everything is absolute. The depth of a thought encompasses all of reality. Illusion or mirage implies flatness, and that implies limitation. The unlimited lives, and its life is total, because it has no limits. Well, poor chap Selling Water by the River. Writes a disclaimer... So that means all pointers are.... limited! Because a pointer/word/statement is by definition... dualistic and limited. ... and then gets a Pleads guilty as charged I guess. Maybe you like Halaw, especially the statement marked in red: ... and "even consciousness itself". and https://www.actualized.org/forum/search/?&q=Halaw&author=Water%20by%20the%20River and https://www.actualized.org/forum/search/?&q=sentience&author=Water%20by%20the%20River and https://www.actualized.org/forum/search/?&q=Neti%20Neti&author=Water%20by%20the%20River If you allow, before we turn in circles and many replies are requested, instead of continuing discussing about pointers which are by definition insufficient and limited (see the disclaimer), lets do a shortcut. You can consider the quote below as a general answer in case I can't always give feedback on your points and questions: Besides: It is very good that you don't equate (self)-consciousness (which is an appearance) nor anything else that is merely temporarily arising with Absolute Reality. Neti neti. Chanting who is stating all these points again by the River PS: “That which is not present in deep dreamless sleep is not real.” -Ramana Maharshi PS PS: Complaints and unclarities about this statement please directly to its author. Preferably in the form of a Koan. Because the essence of Ramana is also right here, right now.

Depends: 1. If the thought hypnotizes, then maya. If it moves through ones Infinite Being like the wind, non-grasping, non-hypnotizing, its essence seen immediately once arising out of ones Infinite Being, as ones Infinite being: then the manifestation of the Absolute in the form of a nongrasping/non-hypontizing conceptual thought. Although, paradoxically, there is only Absolute Being and its dream-arisings/mere apperances, either hypnotizing/maya/gripping, or non-gripping/non-hypnotizing. It is fully realizing what one can never not be. What Reality is. Not as idea, but as always available realization, beyond any possible doubt. Because that would just be more thought dream-arisings happening within ones True Infinite Eternal Reality/Being. Besides which nothing can exist. That which is always the case. Truth/Absolute has to be present always, even in Deep Sleep. That gives an idea how utterly empty and non-personal, yet real and permanent/timeless Absolute Reality is. Koan: What is Deep Sleep? What is present in Deep Sleep and right now also? Necessarily always and eternally so? Truth. Unborn. Ones True Infinite Eternal Being. Infinite Consciousness/Being. Giving rise to all manifestations/arisings as the Clear Light of mere dream appearance, lucid and ultimately empty of self-existence. Infinite Consciousness/Being, dreaming all possible realms, dreaming all illusion-beings. Utterly impersonal, silent in its raw-state, and eternal and unborn in time. An Infinite Abyss/Opening, yet containing all possible appearances and realms arising within this Opening of Reality. And yet giving rise to illusion arisings/appearances of personal, separation, center, location, Maya. And of course all words/pointers are based on Duality, and ultimately fail. So, much more precise than pointers are Koans. Like: Koan: Who exactly is asking this question again? Who or what is this Openess/Opening? Selling Water by the River

Zen at War - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_at_War -> Wilber-Combs Lattice Complicated dream...

You made me smile. . Sorry that I didn't ask about your metaphor. Didn't understand it while reading it the first time. I guess for ones Inner Feng Shui "selling Water by the River" helps a lot for not taking ones dream-endeavours too serious/grasping. Extreme 1: Going into a cave & smile and wave: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4tF7e_2Gvw is a bit extreme, and taking it all really serious & hard selling is also an extreme: Extreme 2: Hard Selling: The other extreme, grasping "selling sand by the mirage, and constantly trying to convince others that it's water" - There are large organized religions and many Solo-Prophets engaging in that business, and never quite delivering the promised results. So that dream-field is already quite crowded. I prefer the more relaxed Selling Water by the River approach-congregation, like Harada for example. If one can say something like Harada at the end of this dream-cycle, I assume one has been smiling for the latter 40 years engaging in a balanced approach of responsible dream-walking: For forty years I have been selling water by the bank of a river. Ho, ho! My labors have been wholly without merit. Forty years of selling water by the river, and about fifty years before that gathering water in a wicker basket. Ho, ho! - Sogaku Harada

For forty years I have been selling water by the bank of a river. Ho, ho! My labors have been wholly without merit. Forty years of selling water by the river, and about fifty years before that gathering water in a wicker basket. Ho, ho! - Sogaku Harada So why should SWbtR end up with more merit than Harada? PS: Chapt-GPT: Interpret "In my observation, the main thing that will get the "Everyone is already enlightened/God-realized/whatever" crew to wise up is continued suffering of the self-contraction. And then, hopefully, at some time this life or the next, transcend the self-contraction and let it die&release, which most often a daunting endeavour since it is a form of Harakiri. And yet, all ships end up in the Ocean. The River knows the ocean, and carries all ships slowly towards it, over many lifetimes. But most of the ships do not know the ocean. Some ships traveling the River declare that they already swim in the ocean and declare that there are no sandbanks of suffering in the River. And since the chap Selling Water by the River has limited trust in his abilities to convince these ships about the existence of sandbanks, sometimes a & Godspeed shout from the bank of the River has to be sufficient. Shouting Godspeed & bon voyage & sandbanks to all fellow appearing ships in the River. And selling water. By the River." This poetic and metaphorical passage is a critique of a certain kind of premature spiritual certainty—specifically, the claim that "everyone is already enlightened/God-realized/whatever." Here's a breakdown of the metaphors and meaning: 🔍 Core Ideas 1. "Everyone is already enlightened" - A critique The speaker refers to people who claim that enlightenment or realization is already fully present in everyone, and nothing needs to be done—no path, no practice, no transformation. The speaker argues that this belief, while perhaps metaphysically appealing, often ignores the lived reality of suffering, especially what they call the "self-contraction"—a term often used in nondual and spiritual traditions to mean the sense of separateness, ego, or personal identity. 2. "Continued suffering of the self-contraction" as a wake-up call The speaker suggests that continued suffering is what eventually forces people to re-examine their spiritual certainty. True transcendence of this self-contraction is possible, but it's daunting—compared to Harakiri (ritual suicide) because it feels like the ego/self must die. 🌊 River, Ocean, and Ships — Spiritual Metaphors River: The journey of spiritual development or life across lifetimes. Ocean: Enlightenment, God-realization, or union with the divine. Ships: Individuals on the spiritual path. Sandbanks: Obstacles, suffering, egoic attachments that remain unacknowledged by some. Some ships think they’re already in the ocean (already enlightened), denying the presence of sandbanks (suffering, delusion). But the speaker implies that they’re still in the river—on the way, not at the end. 🧘 "Selling Water by the River" — The Speaker’s Role The speaker takes the humble, somewhat ironic role of someone offering help (water) to those already surrounded by water (the River)—a reference to the Zen koan: “Selling water by the river,” which points to offering teachings where they’re already available or pointing out the obvious. But they also acknowledge the limits of their influence: they can't force realization or insight, so sometimes all they can offer is a smile ("🙂") and a Godspeed. 💬 Closing Tone There is a tone of gentle resignation, compassion, and quiet wisdom. The speaker blesses everyone on the path—regardless of whether they acknowledge the obstacles or not. “Godspeed & bon voyage & sandbanks” is both a blessing and a warning: may you travel well, but also be aware there are real challenges ahead. “And selling water. By the River.” — with humility, they continue offering guidance to those willing to receive it. 🧭 In Short: This passage is a poetic message to spiritual seekers—especially those who claim to have arrived. It reminds them that real realization often involves confronting deep suffering and ego-death, and that the journey isn't over just because someone says it is. All will eventually reach the ocean, but until then, be wary of sandbanks—and kind to fellow travelers.

In my observation, the main thing that will get the "Everyone is already enlightened/God-realized/whatever" crew to wise up is continued suffering of the self-contraction. And then, hopefully, at some time this life or the next, transcend the self-contraction and let it die&release, which most often a daunting endeavour since it is a form of Harakiri. And yet, all ships end up in the Ocean. The River knows the ocean, and carries all ships slowly towards it, over many lifetimes. But most of the ships do not know the ocean. Some ships traveling the River declare that they already swim in the ocean and declare that there are no sandbanks of suffering in the River. And since the chap Selling Water by the River has limited trust in his abilities to convince these ships about the existence of sandbanks, sometimes a & Godspeed shout from the bank of the River has to be sufficient. Shouting Godspeed & bon voyage & sandbanks to all fellow appearing ships in the River. And selling water. By the River.

Excellent meant excellent. He is completely correct with his statement. The ship is on course so to say, so godspeed. For me. it seems he is currently a bit irritated with the corruption of the fellow members of our human-family. Who could disagree concerning that, here on our lovely planet Earth where in our times it seems that mostly the 2nd,3rd and 4th graders of the Kosmic Kindergarten Schnool of Souls incarnate? The cure for that is compassion/love/Boddhichitta, or else one continues a bit, um, irritated considering all the daily show of madness of this world. Awakening and and compassion/love are the two legs on which stable Awakening in daily life rests, but he will find that out also in time In schāʾa ʾllāh if God wills. And then he will smile on all children of his Infinite Being. And the children will tend to smile back. Watching the ships by the River & back

Excellent. Retired by the River

https://www.actualized.org/insights/actualized-quotes-238 "Reach a point where you know nothing at all. This is the closest state to God. God is not known like other things. God is experienced as an infinite mystery." Chapeau! Neti Neti https://www.actualized.org/forum/search/?&q=Neti%20Neti&author=Water%20by%20the%20River "The applause of the unprincipled is not only worthless, it is a warning." — John Ruskin

I have consumed all the resources you provided. I have mixed feelings. I see truth in what you said above. A highly spiritual but well-integrated soul should be able to immerse itself in a world that embodies both divine form and divine formlessness. But simultaneously, I also feel that there is truth in the last incarnation video. If a soul has reached the highest level of spiritual accomplishment on Earth, then it's sensible that Earth might seem too boring and lowly. Consequently, the soul should feel out of place in this world. I resonate with both ideas. I'm not interested in human affairs or in humans in general. I feel as though I'm an alien. But I also love some human accomplishments such as laptops, the internet, AI, etc. I love walking and running on concrete roads with grasses and trees on each side, enjoying my solitude. I love enjoying beautiful girls and experiencing the 4 seasons, especially autumn. But I also love trading currencies, considered low-consciousness by many spirituality enthusiasts. I'm not interested in business in general, but I really feel excited to start a business involving a modern 2-story cafe, secluded in romantic natural scenery. The cafe is a mixture of modern and ancient styles - a concrete building but with surrounding balconies on the 2nd floor, resembling a Japanese castle. It feels very good imagining myself just hanging out on the balcony drinking coffee and eating cookies while watching the nearby spring or autumn trees on the horizon. This is divine beauty and spirituality. From time to time, I feel I'm a mystery to myself. I asked for Deepseek's analysis of what I just wrote. The analysis is impressive but its thought process is even more impressive. "And I realized that this being appeared very briefly and said, “you know, the challenge with humanity is not that you’re too incarnated, it’s that you’re not incarnated enough.” And that was such an interesting and provocative statement that I thought, “okay, what exactly does that mean?”" https://batgap.com/david-spangler-transcript/ The quote is from the book Apprenticed by Spirit, David Spangler. Integration/Balance/healthy exchange on all levels of being = Joy and health, and full incarnation (with the potentials of the higher realms also incarnated). Or suffering and escapism, state chasing, and so on. Ken Wilbers take on that: Wake up, grow up, clean up, show up. A synonym for trying to live a happy and joyful, with integration on as many levels of being as possible. A physical universe with near 100% congruent physical/chemical/biological/mental/psychological rules/cause effect (aka little to no magic) is one of the playgrounds of Spirit. Subtle Realms with a near immortal subtle body and no need to bring food on the table.... maybe your soul considered that a bit boring previously?

Endless. No problem. Space is imagined, and your thinking sounds like 3D-thinking and bubbles. 3D-space, and any space, and any dimension (and be it n-dimensional) is just imagined. Space is not real. Absolute Reality is dimensionless and contains/manifests/imagines endless dimensions. Just add a 5h dimension to our 3D-world (and 4th dimension is time), and this 5th dimension is the endless amount of further perspectives/"beings" that are "forgotten" real-time. Et voila, you have endless beings/perspectives, but only one formless and infinite (and that is not not 3D-space or any space/dimension contained) fundamental Reality/Awareness. Add one more dimension and you have endless universes. Cluster them, loop them, do all kind of funny things with them. Mathematics can easily do that with Euclidian or Non-Euclidian dimensions, and mathematics is contained by Reality, so Reality can do it. Now mathematics can handle endless dimensions, and these can even be looped/contained/whatever funny non-euclidian dimensions are possible. Indras Net is just a simplified model/version of the One Reality looking through an Infinity of perspectives/beings/eyes. https://www.actualized.org/forum/search/?&q=Indras Net&author=Water by the River https://www.actualized.org/forum/search/?&q=leavitt&author=Water by the River

Exactly. And conversations between Solipsists & Solipsism aficionados always seem to end a little bit like this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCkerYMffMo Solipsists in the plural is a contradiction in itself, but hey.... Selling Water by the (only) River