Spiritual Materialism

All,

The other day, I opened randomly (a practice I often like to do) the book Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism, and there was the following excerpt:

Q: Can you remove the watcher by force? Wouldn't that be the game of evaluation again?

A: You do not have to regard the watcher as a villain. Once you begin to understand that the purpose of meditation is not to get higher but to be present, here, then the watcher is not efficient enough to perform that function, and it automatically falls away. The basic quality of the watcher is to try to be extremely efficient and active. But total awareness is something you already have, so ambitious or so-called efficient attempts to be aware are self-defeating. As the watcher begins to realize it is irrelevant, it begins to fall away.

What struck me was the phrase "the purpose of meditation is not to get higher but to be present." I have some thoughts on it, but I wanted to open this up to the people here for your thoughts.

"What struck me was the phrase "the purpose of meditation is not to get higher but to be present." I have some thoughts on it, but I wanted to open this up to the people here for your thoughts. "

What a coincidence: I picked up my well-worn copy of "Dragon's Play" this morning and saw this--
"In ancient times, a growing preoccupation with artifice and obsessive notions of cultivation motivated the critiques of technical yogic practice made by Chuang Tzu, perhaps even earlier by Lao Tzu. It's sometimes said that they were 'anti-yoga', but this overlooks the possibility that they were recommending... a proper view on what yogic experimentation is, and how and to what extent a cultivator needs to practice it. Chuang Tzu in particular was urging people not to make an obstacle of technique, and to feel free to abandon it, in the sense that we should abandon all pretense and unnaturalness. Our own individual nature is the Way..."

Here's what stood out to me...

"But total awareness is something you already have, so ambitious or so-called efficient attempts to be aware are self-defeating. As the watcher begins to realize it is irrelevant, it begins to fall away."

One of my favorite ways to realize this is through sound/hearing. If a sound happens, do you have to "try" to hear it? No. It arises spontaneously, and is known spontaneously. By simply paying loose attention to this process, one may reconnect with that aspect of their nature which effortlessly knows all that arises. The "watcher" serves no function here, and eventually realizes its futility. Somewhat embarrassed, tail between its legs, it leaves the scene. Though, it later returns and assumes a more appropriate role

~Jackson

I guess what stood out to me was the following image:

On one hand, you have all attainable states: bliss, peace, happiness, magic powers, super states, money, sex, drugs, fast cars, good movies, whatever.

On the other: awareness, mindfulness.

You have to make a choice.

"I guess what stood out to me was the following image:

On one hand, you have all attainable states: bliss, peace, happiness, magic powers, super states, money, sex, drugs, fast cars, good movies, whatever.

On the other: awareness, mindfulness.

You have to make a choice. "

I don't get it.

If one practices awareness, mindfulness of their experience in a systematic way like vipassana then there is a chance at some point they will find out their true nature. There may be some bliss peace happiness powers, maybe not.
don't see what money, sex, drugs fast cars, etc. has to do with it, though of course an enlightened person could have some of that i guess.
You could be aware and mindful while driving a fast car and having sex.
I guess I don't get what the "choice" is.

"You have to make a choice."

Everything happens in awareness. You can't choose not to experience your life (love, joy, hate, embarassment, anger, loud noises, soft kisses, good tea) unless you commit suicide, and even then you have to experience that... and who knows what you might experience afterward

So maybe, msj123, you can elaborate on what you meant? Maybe we're missing something!

What I mean is: it strikes me that the purpose of practice is not to get anything at all. Anything you can obtain is an object--- i.e. impermanent, unsatisfying, not self. But how often do we sit, hoping we'll experience bliss, or a transcendental experience, or a liberating insight? How often do we quickly note to have a trippy alternate state of consciousness? How many of us really wish we were somewhere else, other than where we are, right here, with these objects, with this awareness? Expand that beyond the mat. How many of us live to be happy? To better our lives? To become something, some one?

It strikes me that much of what we do is about getting something, going somewhere, getting, obtaining. Essentially, shuffling the objects in our awareness. Replacing these objects with other objects. But in the end, they are all objects. Rearranging our jail cell.

What I mean is, it seems to me that the key to all of this is to turn away from ALL objects, in a sense, and toward the light of awareness. It may not be blissful. It may not bring us what we want. It may not bring anything at all. Can we relinquish all these things? Can we give up on peace, love, joy, bliss and go straight for awareness?

"What I mean is: it strikes me that the purpose of practice is not to get anything at all. Anything you can obtain is an object--- i.e. impermanent, unsatisfying, not self. But how often do we sit, hoping we'll experience bliss, or a transcendental experience, or a liberating insight? How often do we quickly note to have a trippy alternate state of consciousness? How many of us really wish we were somewhere else, other than where we are, right here, with these objects, with this awareness? Expand that beyond the mat. How many of us live to be happy? To better our lives? To become something, some one?

It strikes me that much of what we do is about getting something, going somewhere, getting, obtaining. Essentially, shuffling the objects in our awareness. Replacing these objects with other objects. But in the end, they are all objects. Rearranging our jail cell.

What I mean is, it seems to me that the key to all of this is to turn away from ALL objects, in a sense, and toward the light of awareness. It may not be blissful. It may not bring us what we want. It may not bring anything at all. Can we relinquish all these things? Can we give up on peace, love, joy, bliss and go straight for awareness?

"

I don't think so. The key is to turn toward everything in your experience. No matter what it is: desire, bliss, pain, wishing. All thoughts, feelings, sensations. That IS the light of awareness.

"What I mean is, it seems to me that the key to all of this is to turn away from ALL objects, in a sense, and toward the light of awareness. It may not be blissful. It may not bring us what we want. It may not bring anything at all. Can we relinquish all these things? Can we give up on peace, love, joy, bliss and go straight for awareness?"

Yes... ultimately. What Kenneth Folk calls first gear practice is all about turning toward objects and investigating what they truly are. That's vipassana. At some point, if we want to get beyond that, we do need to turn toward the light of awareness, which is classically what Kenneth calls third gear practice. As Christopher Titmuss says, there is something we can find in between subject and object. Something very clean, something true, something outside the three characteristics of impermanence, suffering and not self.

"What I mean is: it strikes me that the purpose of practice is not to get anything at all. Anything you can obtain is an object--- i.e. impermanent, unsatisfying, not self. But how often do we sit, hoping we'll experience bliss, or a transcendental experience, or a liberating insight? How often do we quickly note to have a trippy alternate state of consciousness? How many of us really wish we were somewhere else, other than where we are, right here, with these objects, with this awareness? Expand that beyond the mat. How many of us live to be happy? To better our lives? To become something, some one?

It strikes me that much of what we do is about getting something, going somewhere, getting, obtaining. Essentially, shuffling the objects in our awareness. Replacing these objects with other objects. But in the end, they are all objects. Rearranging our jail cell.

What I mean is, it seems to me that the key to all of this is to turn away from ALL objects, in a sense, and toward the light of awareness. It may not be blissful. It may not bring us what we want. It may not bring anything at all. Can we relinquish all these things? Can we give up on peace, love, joy, bliss and go straight for awareness?

"

In essence all objects are the same. Turning towards or away from an object is still an object. They key is to keep objectifying, nothing more a YOU can do.