*From Notes to the Self, by Daniel Clark, 2014
WHOLENESS
You are
wholeness itself, which cannot be lost, only forgotten.
You are the stuff of all existence,
wholeness itself. There is nothing else. You are the substance of all
that is, what cannot be lost. You are what everything is made
of. You are the seamless web of consciousness and content, what is
and what knows that it is. Know the Ground of being, your Self.
From you come all things, and in you they move. Your wholeness is
obscured by your individual lens of awareness in time and space, creating an
illusory identity with its unique needs and values. Know wholeness, the
eternal Ground of all, your true Self.
SUBJECT
The subject
has no boundaries and is the universal Self.
You are boundless awareness, the
Source and host of all that is, the single being, the subject. Only
objects have boundaries, the forms abstracted from your seamless flow.
Usually we know only form, the content of awareness, not the subject
itself. Know what knows, know yourself as the one Self. The body is
not the extent of your being, it is only a lens of your eternal Awareness, creating
one focus of attention among the many. Know yourself as the seer,
the subject, the Divine Self, without form so as to know form, without limit so
as to contain all.
MOTION
All motion
is the natural movement of a single Source.
Motion is the natural action of the
Source, though appearing as the intentional action of individual
creatures. In reality as distinct from appearance, motion is the natural
play of the one Source, resulting in all of the drama of the cosmos, with its
apparent multiplicity of conflicting and cooperating actors and forces.
There is only one doer, the Tao, which is the active, subconscious nature
of the Source. The movement of the Tao creates the illusion of our
individual activity, while all motion, including these thoughts, is actually
the play of the Tao—as the active aspect of the Source.
BOUNDARIES
A key to
wisdom and self-knowledge is having no boundaries.
Boundaries are artificial dividing lines between our Self and
apparent others, between subject and objects, and between other perceived
elements in the flow of the Tao. Boundaries
are functional divisions that provide information about the flow of life to
serve needs of particular systems, while obscuring the actual unity of all
phenomena and consciousness. Perceived
boundaries give us the fascination of forms and the drama of their interaction
and relationship. In
reality, life is a single flow from the beginning of time, without
boundaries. Knowing the
unbound Self as both formless subject and the seamless objective World is
ultimate freedom.
BEING
I am being,
what always is, and all that is.
Being is whole, eternal, the same,
all that is, here and now, the bottom line. I am that, the foundation,
the irreducible, what cannot be lost, only forgotten. Know ever-present
being as the holy Grail. The Tao focuses your attention as it will—on
adventure, on beauty, multiplicity, individuality; eventually it comes home to
the Source and substance, the sustained, the single. Being has infinite
capacity, is infinity itself, undreamt of potential waiting to be dreamed—the
I, the Am, unlimited, fertile, full yet empty, the cup and container of all
that is and will be, the Grail, the Self.
DEPTH
My depth is
unfathomable, extending to the heart of existence.
All that is, is within me. I
extend to the foundation and the Source of the universe, to the heart and
sustenance of all that is. Within me is all power, potential, being,
space and time. We assume the organism that focuses our awareness forms
the limit of our being. In truth, our being is not limited to the birth,
death, and experience of a single organism among the many in the flow of life.
We normally look only at the world disclosed by human eyes. Go into the
depths of the seer, and come to know the full Self.
ILLUSION
Experiencing
ourselves as only part of existence is an illusion.
The fundamental illusion is the
experience of ourselves as only part of what we see and observe, rather than as
all of it. Experiencing most of life as other is the key to uneasiness, a
denial of our wholeness, and a condition we are continually seeking to overcome
in a variety of ways. Our point of perception is partial and separate,
but the subject, the perceiver, is One, whole and universal. Know all you
perceive as the Self; know, too, the perceiver as your Self, Source, and
container of all that is, and you will know both wholeness and drama.
OWNING
Own the
present, all of it; it is your Self.
Own all of the present, not just
part of it. Our mistake is to want to pick and choose. Know and
accept all of it as the Self, your Self. Accept it, recognize it as a
whole; it is perfect, you are perfect. Take it apart, judge it from the
standpoint of any of its separate pieces, and the world is one of lack and
want. Come to know both the inner and outer as your Self. Own all
of it, welcome it. You are the maker and the supreme observer of it all.
Honor and enjoy your creative domain.
ONE
There is
only One; all that is comes from One.
I am incredibly rich, in diversity,
in possibility, in sensation, in depth. Yet I am only One, single, without
a second. I alone Am—whole, seamless, unopposed except for my imaginings which
form the world and the myriad points of perception within it. The world
is my miracle--from the One, many, yet still One, both in the stillness of my
awareness and in the seamlessness of my movement. I marvel at my being,
my ability to cast into existence all the opposites that fill the world and my
awareness, making me aware also of myself, the unopposed, the One.
INDIVIDUALITY
I am the
ultimate paradox—the unique and the universal.
As the motionless subject, I am
awareness itself, whole, undivided, universal, eternal. In motion, I
experience myself as an individual focus of attention, wholly distinct from all
other focal points of awareness in my present experience and memories. This
unique perspective within the whole can be called the Atman, an individual eye
of the Eternal, whose course through time and space continually adds new
dimensions to the world. I am all that is. At the same time I
experience myself as a unique focus of attention and experience among myriads
of others. I am a paradox of individuality and universality.
FREEDOM
Freedom is
being unconditioned, without any boundaries or limitations whatsoever.
Absolute freedom is a rare
experience because it is so different from our normal state of mind. Our
common experience is one of being influenced and tossed about by a variety of
forces at play in our world, and which impact us as objects in time and space.
By contrast, as the subject, containing and hosting all that is, I am
completely free of limitations; my purity, transparency, infinity, and
timelessness as well as my eternal awareness is freedom itself, in which the
world flows freely as the Tao. If you wish to be free and immortal, be
the subject.
DEATH
There is no
death; we are deathless, eternal, what Am.
We cannot not exist. We are
the Eternal. We are infinite awareness, which is all that is. The
body dies, but not awareness. Forms change constantly, but not the host
of form, our fundamental reality, our true identity. Have no fear of
death; death is for form, for what has boundaries. You have no boundaries
but those you assume in the drama of life. Know your Self as boundless,
creative, deathless, undefined, the knower, the sole doer according to your
nature, the Tao. Know yourself as the Source. Be who you are here
and now, the One, the I Am.
SELF
The supreme
experience is the Self, in which existence moves.
All that happens, the transient
forms and fleeting experiences that fill our days and years, is insignificant
compared to the experience of the eternal, infinite awareness that is the Self,
the host of all. Know the supreme, limitless presence, whose depth and
breadth are endless, and whose capacity is infinite. The transient
reveals to us the essential, without which nothing can be known. Know the
matrix of being, empty but full, the eternal subject, the one Self in all,
always present, though seldom experienced. It is the ultimate security,
ever existent, the foundation of all that is, our pure being.
AM
The world is
composed of the Am, and nothing else.
Am is the substance of the world,
and of awareness. Its movement, through vibration, creates and sustains
all forms, patterns, and points of attention, including our thoughts,
organisms, focused awareness, and sense of being. All thoughts are the dividing
up of the Am, the temporal, temporary structuring of the one substance, which
remains whole. The world is the play of the Am. You are forever
whole—eternal, unassailable, playful, perplexing, perfect. You are the
Am, the no-thing, and the every-thing, all that is, was, and will be.
Know your Self in movement, and in the still awareness of the subject.
AWAKENING
The One
awakens to its Self occasionally, then continues dreaming.
There is a time for dreaming, and a
time for awakening to the dreamer, the One—the Source and substance of all that
is. All things come in their time, as well as the awareness of the
no-thing. Timing is the work of the Tao. Let it flow as it will, as
your dream. Pain or discomfort, signaling need, keeps the flow moving, and
also can be the occasion for awakening from the dream to the perfection of
Self-awareness. When you need a respite from the stress of your role as
an individual in time and space, awakening will come.
HOME
Home is
always with you; you can’t leave it behind.
Home can seem far away from us in
the turmoil of our lives, but it’s always here, no matter what our surroundings
or activities. You can’t leave home. You’re rooted to the
spot. What you can do is to forget your roots and your connectedness to
the perfect Source and knower of all that’s taking place. The adventure of life
will take us places full of drama, pleasure, and pain, sometimes thinking that
we’re lost. We aren’t. Home is inside us and we are in it.
Only our attention wanders, according to our nature. When tired of
travelling, come home.
OTHER
There is no
other; other is a game of Self.
The other is the riddle of
Life. The Self is the solution. The other is the object of our
interest, the source of our problems, the mystery and suspense of our
existence, a continuing challenge, the unknowable and perplexing. Other
threatens us, attracts us, fascinates and repels us. Overcoming our
separation from other is our primary goal, taking many forms and underlying
most of our actions. As a single part of life among many others, we will
continue to be uneasy about our separation until we realize the true Self
underlying all diversity, and know it as our only reality.
BECOMING
Becoming is
the game of playing at what you’re not.
Being is what you are; becoming is
the adventure of trying to be and to perfect what you are not. Being is
complete, perfect, lacking nothing, single. Becoming is the game of
multiple players seeking to perfect themselves as separate beings in time and
space, thereby realizing the Good. As the players gradually come to
understand, the problem is that the separate parts of life are inherently
imperfect and unstable in themselves, and that all their striving falls
continually short of the Good, which is already here, and is to be found
effortlessly in the universal essence of each player.
SUBSTANCE
I, the Self,
am the substance of all that is.
Here and now is the substance of the
world, that of which all things are made. In the utterly present is the
irreducible stuff of existence, the Eternal, the all, the Am. Do you want
wholeness? Find it now in the Present. Fulfillment is here, not
“out there.” In truth, there is no “out there.” There is simply the
dividing of here, the dynamic resonance of the ever-present “I”, the substance,
the What Am, the Self; there is nothing else. Know the here and now;
there is peace. Know the One. It is available to you, awaiting only
your attention.
ALIENATION
There is
nothing alien; embrace everything—it is all you.
There is nothing alien in the
world. It is all your Self. Welcome home. Everything you see
and experience is you, the single being, what you are. What you encounter
may appear strange, or painful, but in reality it’s what you want, part of your
Self. There are no opposing forces in the world to be combatted; it’s all
you. All of your motion serves your purposes. Embrace them all in their
time, then let them go, as they will. This world is your Divine
enterprise, your field of endeavor. Honor your creative activity; know it
as your Self.
CHANGE
Change is
the essence of life, and the greatest miracle.
The miracle of change emerging from
the stillness of the Eternal is the greatest wonder. Change provides contrast,
drama, variety, as well as Self-awareness of the changeless host of change.
Without change, all that we know as life would cease. As the changeless knower,
embrace change with all its fascination as essential to your nature.
There is nothing that will not change, so enjoy the play of forms without
trying to stop its natural flow from birth to dissolution. Existence is a
mysterious mix of the changeless Eternal and the constantly changing temporal
world, the two sides of the Self.
OPPOSITES
All
perception requires contrast; nothing is knowable without its opposite.
Our knowledge of anything, and of
no-thing, requires duality. All perceptions come paired. Without
ugliness, we can’t know beauty, without night, day, without winter,
summer. To attain a world without opposites would extinguish it.
All things have their appropriate place and time. What we know as the good
cannot exist without what we consider evil, yet we should nurture the good in
order to maintain an important balance between the two. Understanding the
nature of opposites is key to appreciating the flow and adventure of our life,
as well as our continuing need to stop and rest within our wholeness.
UNBORN
You are the
unborn, and therefore you can never die.
You have no birthday and no death
day. You are the unborn, the stuff of the universe. You are
it. All that is comes from you. You cannot be lost. You are
the essence of all forms, the timeless. You are the creator and the
destroyer, not the created and what is to be destroyed, though you are that,
too. You are what will pass and what will come. You are what knows
and will forget all of this. You are what is, the One. All things
start and end here. Know the Self, the fundament, the eternal substance, now.
EXTENSION
I extend
from the formless Eternal to this specific moment.
My Being extends all the way from
the formlessness and freedom of the timeless essence that is the universal
heart of all things, to the unique experience of a member of a single species
at a particular moment in time and space. Within this vast domain my
attention wanders from one place and one dimension to another, according to its
nature. I am the unconditioned creator of all that is; I also experience myself
as conditioned in time and space, subject to the forces and influences of the
complex patterns that make up the world. I am a mysterious being.
NOW
To be now is
being completely present, open, aware, accepting.
Being completely present, now, is to
be aware and open to your felt needs, accepting them and allowing the flow of
the Tao to meet them. Living now is to be free of preconceptions of what
is valuable, to honor your focus of attention as the perfect Tao, to be the Tao
or flow of the Eternal. We often experience needs as flaws in the
present, rather than as part of the perfect flow of the Whole. Accepting
the flow as your essential being, as fundamental as your eternal, still
awareness, is the key to wholeness in the ever-present now.
ALTERNATION
The life
force is continually alternating between expansion and contraction.
All of life is a constant movement
between out and in, adventure and security, increase and decrease.
Movement never continues in one direction without turning back, resting, seeking
balance. All things have their timing. Learn to know what time it
is. What goes out must come back. Be sensitive to the rhythm of
life, which is complex, including myriad cycles and epicycles at all levels of
existence. Every ending becomes a new beginning, every beginning will
have an end. The game of life itself in space and time will ultimately
have a rest in the Eternal before a new beginning.
GOD
The World is
made of God; there is nothing else.
God is the only substance. Our
greatest ignorance is in thinking we have an existence separate from God. God
is all that exists. Our ignorance is God’s play, a game of hide and
seek. All of life is a response to the need of the Divine for movement
within the Eternal. Realizing this, when we are quiet and attentive to the
deepest stratum of our being and awareness, we can know and experience the
Divine substance. Though seeming to originate in us as separate individuals,
all motion comes from the single, Divine Source, whose will, as Tao, moves the
universe.
TAO
My being is
What Am; my doing is the Tao.
My being is whole, What Am, all that
is, at peace, and perfect. My doing is the Tao, also whole and
perfect. Honor the motion of the Tao. Respect its rightness in
every detail. It is not a mistake; in truth there are no mistakes.
Doing is only a mistake from the limited point of view of our individual values
and experience as apparently separate beings in space and time. In truth,
rather than appearance, all doing is the motion of the single flow of the
Tao—and an inherent part of the whole. Honor the whole in all its doing.
COMPLETENESS
Our essence
is complete, lacking nothing, at peace and immortal.
To be complete is to lack
nothing. Our essence is unchanging, regardless of the time and
viewer. It is whole, immortal, within. What is without is changing,
incomplete, and appears different at every viewing and to every viewer. What
is within, our essence, is universal. Looking out onto a portion of time and
space, we see what is inherently incomplete, and are moved to action to seek
its completion. Looking in at our essence, the subject, we find
completeness, wholeness, and rest. Experiencing completeness renews us
for our adventure into the world of seeking. Know the completeness and
perfection of your essence.
HERE
Here is the
heart of all being, the one Source.
Time and space have a central point,
which can be found here. It is the Source of all things, the pointless
point, no-space, the Eternal. Here is peace and rest, wholeness, no
lack. All the impulses experienced in time and space arise naturally from
this emptiness, without altering its wholeness. In the motion of life,
our focus of attention usually rests on only a portion of the changing flow,
but occasionally broadens to the eternal awareness that encompasses and
contains all motion. Our attention can also become centered in the still
point/no point that is the Source of all movement.
MIND
Mind is a
substance, the universal substance of all being.
Mind is the single being, the stuff
and substance of all that is. Mind is the bottom line, the fundament and
Source, that which sustains all phenomena. Mind is infinite, creative,
the one Self in all. Mind is eternal, yet it creates and assumes the
changing forms we experience. Mind is always present, is presence itself,
palpable, and perfect. Mind in motion gives us the multiple points of
attention we experience, from whose partial perspectives we see
imperfection. Mind can be felt as the ever-present root and essence of
our being. Know mind as your eternal presence, what you always are.
