The Essence of Reality

[deci belle]

Oh, ok, Breakingthewall— so upon return via seamless transformation, the psychological apparatus' quality of discriminatory consciousness has manifest as such …in terms of self-reifying terror (Yow!!), among other aspects of ordinary awareness solidifying the formal personality upon re-entry into conceivability).

I don't cotton to "students" per se. It's just my predilection to operate in such a fashion; I just write about what I know in anonymity, relying on the integrity of dedication to sincere and deep study of the ancient classics of all authentic teaching by students of all abilities. My relationship to others sharing this affinity parallels my life-long profession in alpinism, in terms of my client relationships. I haven't had the benefit of a true partner in terms  of climbing or glissé alpinism for what seems a lifetime. My undiminished passion for alpinism is still intact and I do have the benefit of a very high-quality client roster— mostly for above tree-line endeavor.

I appreciate your sensitivity, Awayfarer~ I don't see a problem with publishing the post here on this forum. Since you found its relevance useful in the context of this thread, others sharing your resonance may feel likewise.

Oops~ I failed to respond about the reference to a hexagram (ref: the wild west), Awayfarer. No, but there should be!! I was only making a sassy euphemism fit the context of negotiating realms beyond convention (but not the absolute). Now that's a path for which Breakingthewall may very well have the predilection (and a teacher) to do so. I do not. Complete Reality seems to be real enough for me. Even though I did camera for 25 years, I have had very little motivation to render my aesthetic vision or even partake of the medium in terms of the moving image. I don't watch movies at all~ and never did, simply because life is plenty real enough for me (the way I live it). Well, ok~ I own a copy of Orfeu Negro (Black Orpheus, 1959), only because my guitar teacher turned me on to its sound-track, which is is the planetary epicenter of the Bossa Nova musical genre, with which I am joined at the hip❤︎❤︎❤︎!! I used to sing and play all those tunes in the Portuguese on solo classical guitar for 15 years, during which time I totally burnt out on playing it. Since then, I have been a student of rock and roll since 2005. I'm getting the hang of it playing Cramps, Brian Setzer, Stones and classic Sun Studios recordings.

 

 

ed note: add last paragraph

Edited January 9, 2021 by deci belle

[Carl-Richard]

7 hours ago, Awayfarer said:

This is an older writing of Deci's from daobums.com that was very helpful. If she wants it taken down, let me know:

@deci belle Why are you posting on the same topic with two different accounts?

Edited January 9, 2021 by Carl-Richard

[Breakingthewall]

8 hours ago, Awayfarer said:

The gift

Of the Tree.

Awareness

at the Edge

of Time.

 

Beautiful, inspires calm, love ,and bit of risk

 

7 hours ago, Awayfarer said:

If she wants it taken down, let me know:

She?? Deci has the same feminine energy that conan the barbarian

[deci belle]

ahhahahhahaaa!! We doo all right, you should know I taught Conan all he knows, monsieur~ heehee!! Yes, Breakingthewall, you should also already know that it was a woman who taught Huang Di (Yellow Emperor) the art of strategy. It was only much later that Sun Tzu codified the martial lore in extent due to the 500 Years War that was ravaging China between the moribund later Zhou dynasty and the meteoric and extremely short-lived Xin dynasty. I don't want to rile anybody's feathers by omitting the former and latter Han which book-ended the Xin by a couple hundred years preceding and following the Xin's 20 or so year reign. At any rate, Conan is an old friend~ after all, he did come from the west, did he not?

I want to summarize below, the former discussion points in hopes of possibly delving further into the application of enlightening activity by virtue of the knowledge of potential inherently comprising the essence of reality as practiced by spiritual adepts of all authentic teaching.

As expressed in the provisional teachings of individual liberation, the term illusion is relative to the sphere of psychological function in each individual.

In terms of taoist Complete Reality (Quanzhen), Chan/Zen and Mahayana (Mind Only) buddhist teaching, illusion refers to the entire realm of creation, the created, karmic process and the incremental, (time), without limit, including the psychological function of all sentient beings (actually, we really shouldn't leave out insentient beings as described by Don Juan Matus of the Toltec Nahual shamanic teaching tradition). As well, without reservation, all buddhas, wizards, saints, sages and all prior illuminates also comprise the extent examples of delusional existence— not just ordinary ignoramuses.

Thus, in both provisional and authentic teaching, illusion is another name for temporal existence and denotes that which is bound to karmic rounds of birth and death continuously throughout lifetimes as a direct result of ignorance of the being's enlightened real essence.

As for the Absolute (unlimited) range of human experience as tendered by the nonoriginated (nonpsychological) spiritually perceptive capacity, it does have a limit, nevertheless, in terms of the unknowable. Also, the absolute does not "produce" manifestation of karmic evolutionary process. The only reason higher teachings refer to creation as "illusion" is that its created aspect is void of an absolute nature based on itself.

 The mystery of mysteries is that the essence of absolute (nonorigination) and creative (karmic evolution) is undifferentiated unified awareness. They are the same in essence, therefore spiritual adepts manipulate this homogeneity to arrive at the secret operation of the Celestial Mechanism to transcend creation's killing energy and instead, gather its unrefined potential for the purpose of further self-refining activity in the midst of everyday ordinary delusional situations without admitting intellectualism.

Therefore, creation has no need of some far-off creator or creatrix because it simply isn't necessary to believe in supreme being. What authentic teaching espouses is that one experience supreme natural being for oneself and realize one's a priori selfless identity as inherent nonoriginated selfless awareness. This is as far as a person (in terms of selfless potential) can go. The ultimate reality of human being is nonoriginated selfless awareness. It's just the way it is and no one knows why.

The topic of this thread is the essence of reality which is posited as neither manifest nor un-manifest, neither stillness nor movement, neither self nor other, and pertains to inconceivable entry into reality rendered by the uncreated essence of human awareness, which does not depend on sudden illumination. Why? Because nothing whatsoever is gained by the experience of complete, perfect enlightenment. It is already one's true nature. Rather, the selfless event of spontaneous enlightening experience is the direct and cumulative result of authentic enlightening activity by virtue of awakening to (recognition of) one's inherent enlightening capacity. One's inherent enlightening function is in seeing potential and responding impersonally to situational evolution without relying on self-reifying karmic pattern-awareness. Potential is inherent in the situation, not the person.

For those who see Suchness, or the essence of complete reality, in terms of everyday ordinary existence, arrival is not really a matter of stages, or personal developmental leaps and bounds toward brilliance in the manifestation of "spiritual powers". It is simply a matter of diligence, excellence, humility, patience and selfless open and clear intent based on a sense of selfless wonder and acceptance of one's inherent goodness.

The end-point of all authentic teaching is in the actual application of enlightening experience in terms of everyday ordinary situations, unbeknownst to anyone. It is necessarily my task to divulge the celestial properties of inherent real knowledge in the application of potential by virtue of delusional existence. Why is it possible to do so? Endless spiritual transformation along with creation without following karmic bondage in rounds of birth and death is possible only because illusion and reality are not different in terms of their essence. But it is necessary to work with essence directly, without intermediary, in order to transcend karma while intimately in its midst. It is by virtue of the false that the true is manifest and absorbed.

The firing process as described in taoist spiritual alchemy is the process of recognition, absorption and further selfless refinement of the creative's unrefined potential. It is naturally refined in the immaterial body of awareness, which has no location. That's a fancy way to say "you" don't do it. "You" don't recognize it. "You" don't absorb it. "You" don't seal it away in the empty vessel of nonpsychological awareness. And "you" don't "pass through" transcendent experience in its aftermath.

For now, this is enough.

 

 

ed note: add last line

Edited January 10, 2021 by deci belle

[Breakingthewall]

On 9/1/2021 at 3:59 AM, deci belle said:

 

One question that I cannot avoid about the essence of reality is: why? we live as separate individuals this being an illusion. there is a curtain that hides our true nature from us and creates the illusion of time, that something is happening. This something that happens is not pure delight, it is deliberate, it points to something, and it does not save on suffering, it does what is necessary. once the curtain fades you see that reason is not a valid tool, you have to discard it. but from this side of the wall, reason sees with complete clarity that all this dance has a goal, it is the work of an engineer who seeks ... what? I know it's a nonsense question, as I'm in the crazy dance, I have to dance, try to untie the knots, fulfill my mission as well as I can as an obedient little soldier. anything else is madness. But must be a reason for that. Evolution probably

Edited January 10, 2021 by Breakingthewall

[deci belle]

Well, I much prefer the question of "why", to the question of "so what"~ but the answer would be the same, Breakingthewall!

I had a thread called "So What" on the daobums forum, but I haven't been able to locate it. Some of my threads here on the Actualized forum are adapted from topics previously published on other venues, but this one (The Essence of Reality) was started from scratch just a few days ago.

The "curtain" is one's own mind not seeing in terms of selflessness. Dropping the façade of the personality's habitual perspective (unbeknownst to anyone else) draws the "curtain" aside. One doesn't act differently than ordinarily. One's own mind (no different than that experienced in the Absolute) is the nature of "who", seeing by virtue of the created conditional scene before the person. The "person" is not one's absolute identity, yet "who", is not something else either. Awareness is itself "who." "Who" be you. That's your own mind right now. The alternative is ordinary delusional bondage in karmic rounds of birth and death based on habit-consciousness. Either there is no habitual self-referencing inner dialogue accompanying sensory perception, or there is.

Inner observation of self-reifying thought and/or open consciousness in turn, this 24/7 observation is called continuous subtle concentration. One's unbending intent maintaining the practice of continuous subtle observation is the basic method of self-refining practice. Formal meditation regimens carried out by beginners are only an introductory exercise for entering into authentic self-refining practice in the midst of ordinary situations. It is a huge mistake to consider zazen meditation as the pinnacle of solitary "spiritual" life. It may very well be, but unless such practice is "proven" in the context of real situations, it is a relatively powerless method of comfort.

It is not an illusion that we live as separate individuals, but in dealing with everyday ordinary situations, conditioned activity is comprised of the sensory habits of ordinary people, or else the subtly non-reifying open consciousness maintained by those who dispense with self-conscious interaction with the situational environment and proceed with the forward step in full acceptance of one's inherent spiritual function of enlightening being.

The illusion of time can actually be manipulated, in terms of oneself. Just consider the way time is experienced when brushing one's teeth in a hurry compared to how long it takes to boil an egg. So, the manipulative aspect of illusion is really not a barrier at all as it is all there is to work with, and so, strictly speaking in the context of enlightening self-refining practice, we use it beyond any discriminatory perspective of personal gain in terms of habitually complacent opportunism. So, in that sense, we use illusion for the purpose of self-refinement by not using it. We use it constructively in terms of self-refinement by exercising our initially faint ability to see the situation before us without habitual employment of selfish pattern-consciousness. There is nothing wrong with selfish pattern-consciousness, per se— it's the habit-energy that is the problem. There is nothing wrong with personal gain. It's just that habitually complacent opportunism being selfish activity does not serve to diminish the illusion of the false identity of the psychological apparatus that is usurping the functional power of one's natural inherent enlightening potential.

The essence of reality just is. Those partaking of its potential already had that potential in terms of the situational milieu, but were unaware of it and only began to explore its potential at some point in their lives. Those who are still unaware of the essence of reality are just unaware and therefore unable to access the potential of the essence of reality. It does not change reality. This is the point: reality does not change. Illusion changes and the ignorant change along with illusions. Enlightening beings see Change and go along or not consciously. But in seeing Change, one absorbs its potential dynamically without being caught up in karmic momentum as created energy. As I mention from time to time, it is necessary to work with what is the same. If one works with polluted, creative energy by seeing potential as created things, or else works with psychosomatic energy in the various body-aware methods of so-called "inner alchemy" and other sexually-transmitted grafting techniques, still, all one has accomplished is relative to the created, and the created is nothing but birth and death— no matter what the temporary benefit is conceived of. On the other hand, in seeing the essence of reality by virtue of recognizing the inherent potential of illusionary, created cycles in terms of situational karmic evolution, one not only absorbs its potential for further spiritual evolution, but one also diminishes influences of karmic retribution and further dissolves accumulated accretions of karmic residue cloying the aperture of perpetually upwelling incipient potential (Dharma-eye).

Yes, the secret of spiritual realization is simply "evolving" in terms of refining away the conditional aspect of habit-energy (karmic momentum). "Evolving", per se, is only a matter of discovering what's already completely intact without ever having originated. Pablo Picasso said , “We have invented nothing new”, after seeing the ancient cave paintings at Lascaux, France. “After Altamira, all is decadence.” The paleolithic "Stone Age" is an immensely long prehistoric period of time in which people were being people, same as ever. We have invented nothing new, other than the tools of "progress" which keep us occupied in the realm of convenience by virtue of all-consuming technological manipulations and processes— not that I'm complaining…

Enlightening activity absolutely does not save on suffering— in fact, it faces it fearlessly; "neither courting honor nor avoiding ignominy."

So, in terms of "why", it's just a matter of realizing and exercising enlightening potential by virtue of the natural essence of reality or else striving to maintain one's ignorance of that very same nonoriginated unconditional nature underlying the conditional illusion, albeit unawares. The conditional and the unconditional are the same, in essence, whether one knows it and acts like it or not.

Reason is essential for this side (in terms of this side) for those unaware of reality. For those who are aware, there is no "side" to speak of: it's all the same. Nevertheless, enlightening activity adapts enlightenment to conditions, and such activity isn't void of situationally contextual "reason". Ordinary people do not know of enlightening activity, one way or the other— even while accomplishing such virtuous adaption. Those awakened to potential do not have a monopoly on "enlightening" activity. Action independent of thought relative to self and other, only deployed by virtue of spontaneous sensitivity to situational potential IS enlightening activity. Enlightening activity is absolutely inconspicuous, as it "makes sense" in terms of the situation. This is because potential is itself inherent in the created situationally karmic cycle comprising the situation in the first place. The "other" side isn't somewhere else and isn't even something else at all. It's just a matter of dropping the habitual self-referencing perspective one perpetuates from birth, and awakening to what is, without perpetuating personalistic views of self and not-self 24 hours a day. Just this is authentic meditation. Just this is the day-job of enlightening beings harmonizing enlightenment to conditions.

 

 

ed note: swap out five words at end of 7th paragraph

Edited January 10, 2021 by deci belle

[Awayfarer]

From Thomas Cleary's translation of Chang San-Feng's "Verses on Sitting Forgetting" (The Taoist Classics, Vol.3, p.203, ISBN: 978-1570629075)-

"Wang Che, ancestor of the Complete Reality School, said "When the mind forgets thoughts, it transcends the realm of desire. When the mind forgets objects, it transcends the realm of form. When the mind does not cling to emptiness, it transcends the formless realm. Detached from these three realms, the spirit abides in the homeland of immortals and sages, the essence exists in the domain of pure openness."

Edited January 10, 2021 by Awayfarer
ed note: added title of book

[deci belle]

This is a great example of the flowering of Complete Reality teaching by the founder of the Northern branch of this school, which had a very close affinity with Chan buddhism in the 11th~13th centuries. Here he aligns in a most simple and clear fashion, the three realms of desire, form and formlessness with thoughts, objects and emptiness, where clinging energy to these realms exacts illusion and detachment from within their midst clarifies one's open awareness, in terms of essence and settles the spirit in the homeland of all prior illuminates, in terms of potential.

Here, I have noted that Wang Che has paired open awareness with essence and prior illuminates with potential. This is because the substance of essence is open awareness and the function of enlightening being is mastery of potential. 

[zeroISinfinity]

Essence of Reality and Reality itself is Actual Love. Everything is Love. There you go. 

[deci belle]

Well, well~ god hisself has spoken!

And how do we apply this actual love thing, mr godhead, oh mr 10 thousand-plus drive-by posts to his credit.

Sure, as a rote definition being the selfless abstract intent of the Absolute— I got that much on my own AS GOD MYSELF. But SO WHAT.

Discern its APPLICATION, in the midst of real human beings, dear— and PUT IT IN WRITING.

There you go and here's a tip, ZERO-BOY> for extra credit, compare and contrast Reality and the essence of reality, since you brought it up in terms of two separate aspects.

Don't be a flash in the pan— a wimpy drive-by.

…and there YOU go❤︎!!

Quote

The topic of this thread is the essence of reality which is posited as neither manifest nor un-manifest, neither stillness nor movement, neither self nor other, and pertains to inconceivable entry into reality rendered by the uncreated essence of human awareness, which does not depend on sudden illumination.

mr zeroISinfinity, since you seem to be stuck in the absolute, which is indicative of CLINGING to emptiness, you might want to "take the forward step, accept your enlightening function, and share yourself freely with the world" without trying to protect your tiny little bit of white-hot enlightenment.

 

ed note: add "in terms of two separate aspects" in 5th line; quote; last paragraph

Edited January 11, 2021 by deci belle

[deci belle]

hahhahahahhahhahahhahhahahahaa!!! Love you back, my little zero-boy❤︎!!

People, please make it a general practice to JOIN the conversation— I may very well be a dominatrix, well versed in BDSM (I am), but I'm presenting something for those who have an affinity or have the potential to be so in terms of transcendent application of the essence of reality in the midst of actual delusional existence— otherwise, as mr zeroISinfinity has proven, comments such as his are just a jerk-off into the abyss.

 

 

ed note: gave him a little kiss

Edited January 11, 2021 by deci belle

[deci belle]

I consider that an incredibly weak excuse. The last patriarch of Chan buddhism was an illiterate wood-cutter who had to hide from jealous contemporaries for 15 years after the prior patriarch passed on the robe and bowl to him. After six attempts on his life, he eventually succumbed to poisoning.

Please submit a note from your moderator releasing you from further responsibility for your actions, zeroISinfinity.

 

 

ed note: add 1st paragraph

Edited January 11, 2021 by deci belle

[ajai]

On 10/01/2021 at 9:02 AM, deci belle said:

They are the same in essence, therefore spiritual adepts manipulate this homogeneity to arrive at the secret operation of the Celestial Mechanism to transcend creation's killing energy and instead, gather its unrefined potential for the purpose of further self-refining activity in the midst of everyday ordinary delusional situations without admitting intellectualism.

I wrote a short poem on the same, a while back, if you may, I would like to share here.

[Carl-Richard]

14 hours ago, deci belle said:

hahhahahahhahhahahhahhahahahaa!!! Love you back, my little zero-boy❤︎!!

People, please make it a general practice to JOIN the conversation— I may very well be a dominatrix, well versed in BDSM (I am), but I'm presenting something for those who have an affinity or have the potential to be so in terms of transcendent application of the essence of reality in the midst of actual delusional existence— otherwise, as mr zeroISinfinity has proven, comments such as his are just a jerk-off into the abyss.

I see no difference between your comments and your description of zeroISinfinity's comments, only the level of verbosity 

Edited January 11, 2021 by Carl-Richard

[Breakingthewall]

Right, "why" is a silly question because it is a question. Enlightening (as you said) activity,  is largely the gradual dissolution of the mind's constant conceptual activity, the tireless sorting, judging, questioning, pondering, and "understanding" . Limiting activity at he end, that never stops for a moment. That is the "curtain" that separates the two realities, which really are the same. On the illusion or not of being separate beings ... when the curtain dissolves completely, you are aware that you are not "you", you are the entire cosmos, and beyond that, the nothing that is, or the absolute . But I guess we are all three (the Holy Trinity ha). Regarding the role of reason in this process ... your style is rational but so dense, at times it touches deeply beyond reason

Edited January 11, 2021 by Breakingthewall

[Breakingthewall]

On 10/1/2021 at 9:29 PM, Awayfarer said:

Wang Che, ancestor of the Complete Reality School, said "When the mind forgets thoughts, it transcends the realm of desire. When the mind forgets objects, it transcends the realm of form. When the mind does not cling to emptiness, it transcends the formless realm. Detached from these three realms, the spirit abides in the homeland of immortals and sages, the essence exists in the domain of pure openness

Interesting idea about the emptiness. Many people think that that realm of formless is the essence of the reality. The void appears like unlimited, nothing, flat conciousness without content. Infinite, and as infinite nothing could be out of it, but in the other hand there is the dance of karma...there is the mistery. They solve it saying: the universe of karma doesn't exist, it's an illusion, dream. only the absolute is real . 

Edited January 12, 2021 by Breakingthewall