The Guru Sleeps in Your Bed

I simply take centuries of axial age teachings, which speak of a non-dual consciousness, and suggest that it is achievable, but only through minds joined in the project of transcending concepts to ascertain truth and NOT through individual minds enmeshed in relative concepts supporting egocentric mental states interpreted as higher (“enlightenment”).

If one seeks a unified experience, then engage with other minds and find the space between minds in which concepts are absent. If you’re on a ‘hero’s journey’ best to grab a partner, otherwise experiences interpreted egocentrically don’t amount to a hill of beans and the world currently reflects that lack of meaning and purpose.

If you want God in the "big picture," then fine, I've no issue with God. I merely point to a means of fully engaging to encounter an experience beyond ego-self. Labeling that experience is unnecessary, but “God” or “Greater Field” is okay by me. I merely suggest that individually divided and alienated minds cannot engage in a unified multiplicity (truth) when transfixed and entranced with ‘heroic journeys’ seeking episodes of individual “enlightenment.”

Relationship is the means and the purpose. It’s what you’re here for (simplistically speaking). The self was not created in isolation and will not transform or transcend itself fixated on its own concepts of individual experiences of a “Godhood” entirely exclusive to itself.

Nature must certainly be part of an overall unified consciousness, but the ego-self has relegated it to the back room. We don't fear nature, the world or the universe, but we do fear each other and until that alienation can be bridged, nobody’s changing anything fast (including nature or “Gaia”), both intrinsically or extrinsically (since there is no difference except to egocentricity).

The self is a mutual construct formed in an exchange with and through other selves. We construct and deconstruct one another from moment to moment and no self was constructed in isolation from a world of others (Heidegger's "Dasein" or Being-in-the-world). Therefore, it stands to reason that individual's seeking enlightenment do nothing more than magnify egocentricity at the expense of collective reconciliation and unity.

The exterior reflects the interior and things haven’t been lookin’ too good lately, huh? No one gets ‘it,’ until all do. Time to fully engage with those in your sphere of care and concern, since that’s the reason we’re here. Freudian transference and counter-transference is the method of ‘awakening’ that Freud missed in his focus on ego boundaries.

If we wish to go beyond a unified experience, I see no reason why not, since it’s all infinite. However, nobody goes alone, since that is contrary to the purpose of relationship. You wish it to end with God? I’m not setting limits to “What Is” and, in fact, allow for “What Is” to be Infinitely Surprising.

It might be a bit premature to conceptualize beyond unified consciousness, since we have yet to experience unity even on a surface level. You can certainly conceptualize beyond fully engaged minds, but that's not the purpose of this little blog. I don’t set limits on what can be experienced together, merely suggest that our estranged disengagement has set the limits to what CAN be experienced together by requiring it be experienced alone.

The guru sleeps in your bed.

Indeed, there is a certainty to truth that makes it true, contrary to our conceptual parsing. So in that respect we are “already there.” To be more concrete: minds are alienated and estranged and that is reflected through our interior and exterior experience and we are unified in that experience since there really is NO denying “what is.” Centuries of axial age wisdom teachings have been co-opted and interpreted by egocentricity to advocate individual truth encounters (awakening). This results in deteriorating internal and external conditions and ever greater alienation. The ego-self interpretation of humanity is that it is inherently ‘bad’ and so, not to be trusted to engage with in discovering truth. Thus, other ‘people,’ are relegated to the back of the bus, while ego-self grandiosity seeks out truth for itself. In a nutshell, I merely suggest that this is NOT the way and never has been. However, clearly ego resistance is fierce.

I leave the ‘Great Beyond, Beyond’ to the Non-Dual integralistas and the bobblehead Buddha’s. This blog addresses fully engaging in the joint venture of awakening through and with one another. Relationship is our only purpose. However, because we find humanity contemptible, most proclaim seeking depth of relationship with the ‘world’ (nature) or the universe as the Grand Purpose. This denies the fact (or magnifies it) that we don’t fear the world, nature or the universe. What we fear is each other and that in itself sets limits to experiencing the world or the universe. Obviously, the only way to dissolve fear is to join in that purpose.

There is NO proprietary truth transmitted from master to student. The truth experienced is a result of the depth of the relationship between teacher-student and the info each possess or transfers is subordinate to that relationship depth. It’s not the space between thoughts but the space between minds that is our final frontier. But, of course, ego-self co-opts that fact and makes it it’s own.

The guru is right next to you, lives in your house, shares your food and sleeps in your bed. Fully engage in those relationships, since they are NOT coincidental. Relationship is the purpose and the truth, but this is diluted by the ego who wants the jewels for itself and so, relationships are relegated to the bottom of the barrel.

“But wait!” claims the self-absorbed and grandiose ego-self, “once I get enlightened I’ll come back for you.” This lifeboat mentality makes the world victim to egocentricity and it’s clearly reflected in the world’s estranged disengagement and failure to cooperate in saving itself. The truth is in the practice (relationship) and not a result of the practice, because there is no 'outcome' that egocentricity could envision.

I have an fundamental knowledge of “Integral Theory” and the disorganized complexity of those intellectual pursuits. Ken Wilber (in accordance with his revered ego-trippin’ teacher Adi Da) has constructed an excellent theory demonstrating the extent ego-self will go to pursue individual enlightenment. The right and lower left quadrants are fully explained, but the spirituality of the top left is complete bullsheit because it perpetuates the egoic control of axial age teachings through individual levels of inequality. Logic holds that truth does not conform to levels or degrees, but the integralists demand that some have it, while some do not. This theory is nothing more than victim to the egocentric world.

The richness of relationship has yet to be realized, even though it constructs our experience of a "world." I merely suggest infinitely playing in, and with, that experience, devoid of ideological predictions and preparations, which only seek to assert control. Invite truth by leaving it alone. Let it be what it will and just engage deeply in your experience of others and the world.

Prepare for 'surprise' and nothing more than that. Anything less, is indicative of fear and, unfortunately, truth and fear do NOT mix well together.

Jump in the water....

Sweet little princess, let me introduce his frogness
You alone can get him singing,
He's all puffed up, wanna be your king

Oh you can do it, c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon
Lady kiss that frog

Splash, dash, heard your call,
Bring you back your golden ball
He's gonna dive down in the deep end
He's gonna be just like your best friend

So what's one little kiss, one tiny little touch?
Aah, he's wanting it so much

I swear that this is royal blood, running through my skin
Oh, can you see the state I'm in

Kiss it better, kiss it better

Get it into your head
He's living with you he sleeps in your bed
Can't you hear beyond the croaking
Don't you know that I'm not joking

Aah, you think you won't, I think you will
Don't you know that this tongue can kill

C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon
Lady kiss that frog

Let him sit beside you, eat right off your plate
You don't have to be afraid, there's nothing here to hate
Princess, you might like it, if you lowered your defense
Kiss that frog, and you will get your prince...

Jump in the water, c'mon baby jump in with me
Jump in the water, c'mon baby get wet, get wet, get wet
Kiss that frog, lady kiss that frog
Get wet, get wet

(Peter Gabriel)

Artwork by Chris Peters - "The Lovers"