Self: Capital "s"

[kurt]

The Self is non dual consciousness, the unchanging, independently existent, eternal, infinite, imperceptible essence of everything, ever free of all action and experience. 

Can you find an object that is separate from you?  All objects appear as thoughts in your mind.  Has anybody ever managed to find an objective reality beyond what is appearing as thoughts in the mind?  No.

Therefore, can you find a thought that is separate from your mind?

Can you find and difference between the mind and the knowing of the mind?

At any time, the only thing that IS is you, the Self, despite appearances.

In the ring example when the silver changes shape, all we do is assign a name to that particular form (shape).  Even though the silver, the ring shape (form) and the corresponding name "ring" are "ONE" they are not the "same".  

Non duality= Consciousness (YOU) can appear to be different names and forms appearing IN/AS consciousness can change, come into existence, stay a while and disappear etc. etc, but the ESSENCE of the forms (consciousness) remains the same.

The consciousness is always there (obviously) but the names and forms always change.  If consciousness was dependent on the names and forms then there would not be a continual stream of knowing.  The knowing is always there no matter what name and form is appearing.

All the forms are consciousness (no separation), but consciousness is not any of the forms.  The only thing that is constant is consciousness.

However, even though everything is "One" this does not mean that everything is the same.  To make room for the obvious experiential aspect of subject / object duality (which is always experience of the enlightened person anyway, just as the experience of the sun rising and setting is not altered by the knowledge through the empirical understanding that the sun in fact does not "set" but that the Earth in fact orbits around the sun but only gives the appearance of a sunset) we need to take this apparent appearance seriously as it is our direct experience.  If the objects are me that is fine, there is no conflict with the objects.  But if I AM the objects then I am subject to the limitations of the objects.  I die, I grow old, I suffer etc. etc.

TBC