| Messages/Living Gems |
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November 2006 MESSAGE FROM WAYNE Hello my loves, Here's to life lived by humans! As a student of non-duality you have undoubtedly been seduced or brow-beaten into acknowledging that you don't exist. Unfortunately, like the pointers from so many teachings (mine included) the essence of what is being pointed at is often obscured by dull-witted literalism. The Truth ALWAYS lies beyond the knowable and speakable. When a teacher says or writes something he is directing your attention into the middle-distance - that space that is neither here nor there...referenceless, undefined. The challenge is that your entire physical/mental being revolts from this. You instinctively seek solidity and reference - the solace of the known. Know that this is divinity expressing as humanity - a cosmic game of hide and seek played out by You and through you. What could possibly be more wonderous? What could possibly be more awe-inspiring? Life and living as it happens in this eternal moment. With much love, Wayne
A LIVING GEM FROM RAMESH (previously unpublished) Nisargadatta Maharaj often used to remark "There have been hundreds of prophets of different creeds and faiths who preached what was in essence the same Truth but has there been any change in the way Nature functions or in the human nature because of the various teachings?" His remark was addressed to those who talked about changing the world. I think what he implied was that the various teachings came forth in a specific ennvironment at a paricular time as a part of the impersonal functioning of Manifestation, in order to maintain the eternal balance in the working of the universe. The "benefit" was derived by those few individuals whose evolution had reached the point where they were able to understand the Master's teaching in its depth and entirety. December 20, 1989
October 2006 Message from Wayne Hello my loves, I am not a Buddhist, nor a Hindu nor a Jew. Not much of a humanist either. In fact, other than tall, fat and bald, I would be hard pressed to say exactly what I am. Of course, I am not tall compared to most pro basketball players; and compared to some of the people I see on the beach, I'm not all that fat either; and I do have more hair than a lot of men...and that sort of sums up the problem inherent in labels. Labels, like all knowledge available to the human organism, are based on comparisons, and comparisons are all about context, and context keeps changing. Nothing is fixed. Everything keeps moving around. It is enough to drive you crazy. Just when you thought you knew something, someone comes along and rearranges things, and that dreaded uncertainty slides right back in again. This is both the good and the bad news. With uncertainty comes insecurity, and insecurity causes agitation, and agitation moves things around. Movement is the basis of change and change means life. I am a big proponent of LIFE. In fact, I am such a big proponent of LIFE that when people come to me and ask me what they should do, I generally advise them to breathe. They often assume that this answer means I did not understand their question and so they explain further - "No, breathing happens independent of me, I want to know what I should do." So the question for today is: What DOESN'T happen independent of you? And while you are pondering that, don't forget to breathe. With much love, Wayne
A LIVING GEM FROM RAMESH (previously unpublished) "Going beyond" means going beyond opinions and beliefs, virtue and vice; beyond the mental constructions of the mind -- to realize, not intellectually but through intuitive insight and conviction, that they are all void of reality. February 20, 1990
September 2006 MESSAGE FROM WAYNE Hello my loves, The term "Consciousness" is used in this teaching to point to That which is EVERYTHING and at the same time is not a thing. Other popular and equivalent terms are Source, God, Unicity, Tao and Absolute (to name but a few). Since everything that is manifest is Consciousness, nothing can be higher/lower Consciousness or more/less Consciousness. If we say all oceans are water, it is meaningless to say the Pacific Ocean is more water than the Atlantic Ocean. We can say one ocean is bigger or smaller or saltier than another but their essential nature, their waterness, is the same. All too often, God, the Absolute, Consciousness is invoked as a relative standard. One group claims to know either through faith or 'science' what is more "Godly" but ALWAYS some other group is there to disagree. The human mind via its senses is designed to make distinctions between things. It compares and analyzes. In fact, all of humankind's collected knowledge is the product of comparisons, in which the newly "discovered" is added as an extension or revision to what was previously "known." Thus human knowledge is based entirely on differences and similarities. As man seeks to know God it is only natural for him to try to use familiar tools and methods. Unfortunately, these tools and methods only work at knowing the material/relative aspects of Consciousness (the manifest world) they are worthless for knowing Consciousness as the Absolute. This is where we enter the realm of the mystic. Knowledge and science and even faith have to be discarded. This is the world of the transcendent. It is here that the distinction between the knower and the known fades away. It is here that all words are useless. It is here that everything stops. With much love, Wayne
A LIVING GEM FROM RAMESH (previously unpublished) The reader of any book has to keep in mind that the words and ideas in any book, by themselves, do not constitute Reality, that the map is not the territory. All that is necessary is an open mind and a receptive heart for the Truth to enter. November 13, 1989
August 2006 MESSAGE FROM WAYNE Hello my loves, One of the most discouraging and unpleasant phases in the evolution of this Understanding is the point at which you find yourself feeling remote and disconnected from all that is happening around you. It as if the world has gone completely grey -- nothing is important, nothing hurts particularly badly but nothing feels particularly joyous either. You're not really depressed but you're not really happy -- everything has a sameness about it. Such a condition often coincides with the initial recognition that you are not truly the author of your thoughts, feelings or actions. It is as if the ego, having been exposed for what it ISN'T shifts its involvement into a new gear. No longer able to claim to be the author it now poutingly claims that there is nothing worth authoring. Yes, it is another lie but it is a persuasive one. As with the previous lie, the lie of personal authorship, a possible solution is to fix it in the bright light of inquiry. Is it true? Is the appearance the reality? Eventually the clouds disperse and the greyness goes with it. The landscape of life is once again illuminated in all its beauty and all its ugliness...all its joys and all its sorrows...what is seen is what has always been there...an infinite, fantastic diversity. With much love, Wayne
A LIVING GEM FROM RAMESH (previously unpublished) Metaphysical Understanding is really beyond words. Indeed it is not really an understanding at all -- it can only be an awakening, an awakening to our true nature. The Understanding can only happen when a stage of intensity is reached in which the very desire for enlightenment gets consumed along with the "me" desiring enlightenment. May 12, 1989
June 2006 MESSAGE FROM WAYNE Hello my loves, I am just back from spending Guru Purnima in Mumbai with Ramesh and it was completely glorious. I am often asked, "Is a guru necessary?" The question is actually misconceived. It is not that the guru is needed so that the spiritual seeker can get what he is seeking but rather that the guru is among the greatest of the Universe's gifts. Should you be fortunate to receive this amazing gift it is immediately apparent that the relationship with the guru is an end in itself rather than a means to some further objective. Ramesh at 89 is as strong and as focused in his presentation of the Teaching as he has ever been. As I sit and listen to him it is as if listening to a beloved symphony in which every note is familiar and expected and yet each performance is unique and fresh. This Guru Purnima was particularly meaningful for me as it marked exactly ten years since that startling day when Ramesh concluded his Guru Purnima talk by saying, "You should all come back tomorrow, tomorrow Wayne will be giving the Talk." In that moment I could never have imagined where the Teaching would carry me....all the towns and cities and countries...all the men and women, old and young, some swelling with new life others preparing to die, all the hearts ready to burst open, all the brows unfurrowed and all the eyes bright with a new Understanding. What a surprise and delight this life is! I consider myself to be amongst the most fortunate of men, to have found my guru in Ramesh and to have been filled, a most unlikely vessal to carry this magnificent Teaching. For all of you who have sent donations and gifts and messages on this Guru Purnima, I thank you for your love and support. With much love, Wayne
A LIVING GEM FROM RAMESH (previously unpublished) Thy Will O Lord, Not Mine Accepting His will in practical daily life does not mean sitting idle. Sitting idle - which in the long run is impossible - means deliberately not doing anything, which is NOT accepting His will. It means resisting His will by choosing not to do anything. Accepting of His will gets translated in practical daily life as Wei Wu Wei i.e. "doing (that is) not doing" which actually means doing that is accepted as not one's personal doing but doing that happens as God's will in action (including the consequences of such doing). November 13, 1989
May 2006 MESSAGE FROM WAYNE Hello my loves, To judge something you need a scale and since everyone has their own scale, judgments of the same thing often vary. The question then becomes, whose scale is RIGHT. The human mind has a hunger for certainty. It is as if it senses its own inherent limitations and seeks to overcome them with concepts such as Absolute Truth, Absolute Goodness, Absolute Love, Absolute Beauty etc. The traditional method of certifying the RIGHTNESS of these Absolutes is divine revelation, meaning God tells you either directly via a "vision" or a "voice" (with or without "spiritual" drugs and practices) or indirectly via the recorded accounts (scriptures) of someone else's interaction with God. Modern variants on this theme seek to use scientific or pseudo-scientific methodology to determine the properties of the Absolute, but as with the religious methods agreement is impossible to come by. There is an inherent arrogance associated with believing you know the Truth. It is the ego's ultimate empowerment. For me, the beauty of this Teaching is that it does NOT claim to be the Truth. It is simply a collection of pointers. It directs the student to look for him or herself into the Mystery that is the essence of existence. It is often a frightening journey without an Absolute scale by which to measure your progress. In the end, however, the Understanding reveals itself in a humility that is at once transcendent and sublime. With much love, Wayne
A LIVING GEM FROM RAMESH (previously unpublished) There is the thought 'I'. There is the vocal 'I'. There is the 'I' that acts. Behind all the 'I's that think, that talk, that act, behind all thoughts, words, acts, is the WITNESS of every single thing. The only way to know oneself is to be aware of one's own awareness -- here and now. Dec. 11, 1989
April 2006 MESSAGE FROM WAYNE Hello my loves, Jnana (the path of knowledge) and Bhakti (the path of love and gratitude) and Karma (the path of action) are not separate. They never have been. The distinctions are purely notional, not actual. The mind, the heart and the body are bound together as a seamless whole. I can't tell you how many times I have heard the so-called Knowledge people put down the Heart People for their "slavish devotion to the guru" while the Heart People complain that the Knowledge people are "cold and in their heads." Meanwhile the Action people (when they take a break from being busy) look at the others, shake their heads and wonder why "those people don't get off their butts and DO something!" It is all just too ridiculous and all too human. People are born with different natures and one of the qualities of having a nature is to feel that it is natural, normal and right. Unfortunately, that often makes people with different natures, unnatural, abnormal and wrong. The way out of this critical quagmire is through first understanding one's own relative nature, and ultimately Understanding one's True nature. As you begin to see the genetic and environmental forces that continue to combine to shape this body-mind organism that bears your name, you may glimpse the Essence which is the source and the substance of everything. This Advaita teaching insistently points to that Essence and is available to everyone regardless of who they think they are. With much love, Wayne
A LIVING GEM FROM RAMESH (previously unpublished) Ramana Maharshi generally advocated the practice of self-attention or awareness of the I-thought, which begins as a mental activity, but as it progresses naturally, the thought "I" gives way to "subjectively experienced" feeling of "I". And when this feeling ceases to identify with thoughts and objects, there comes about an effortless awareness of being in which no personal effort is concerned. The final effect happens - the transformation is complete - when the "me" thought never arises again.
March 2006 MESSAGE FROM WAYNE Hello my loves, Every time it rains, the ants that live under our house are driven up through the walls and into our living space. Today, as I often do, I took a broad swipe at them, killing many. It was a brutal and cold hearted act, one for which I felt absolutely no remorse. It put me in mind of a statement Ramesh made many years ago that affected me deeply. He said, "The Universe is not human-hearted." On that particular day the statement was a revelation...I saw beyond seeing into the unbiased interconnectedness of all things....the heart of the living paradox. The notion of God (be it seen as a wise human figure or an impersonal force called Consciousness) is generally associated with benevolence towards humans (except in cases of just punishment for wrongs committed, aka karma). This idea fuels most religions and spiritualities. It echoes in the terms often used for God - "our Father" or "The Beloved". And it is central to the theme that today’s humans are the cutting edge of a great evolution/revolution in Consciousness, be it called the Age of Aquarius or something more modern sounding. Is this True or is it simply another human conceit? Does the Universe actually have a preference? If so, what evidence is there that the preference is for humans? It may be useful to examine these questions for yourself. We can say with some certainty, Wayne is not ant-hearted. Is the Universe human-hearted? With much love, Wayne
A LIVING GEM FROM RAMESH (previously unpublished) I) Why is the sky blue?
The first is the description of the mechanism of the sky being blue. The second is the direct answer.
The first is merely the description of the mechanism of the actual play, according to God's Will/ Cosmic Law.
February 2006 MESSAGE FROM WAYNE I have recently returned from Mumbai and my annual winter visit to see Ramesh. As always, it was a truly joyous and blessed time. To spend time in the presence of one's guru is life's greatest pleasure. I am often asked why I continue to visit Ramesh even though there is no longer any "seeking need" to do so. For me, the seeking long ago morphed from a process of acquisition whereby I was hoping to GET something to a state of Acceptance wherein there was not only nothing left to GET but more importantly, no longer an egoic 'me" needing to get IT. What remained was a man named Wayne who loved a little Indian retired banker named Ramesh. For almost twenty years now, that love has flowed unabated. It matters not if we are in the Satsang room together or eating a meal together or watching cricket on television together or simply sitting together in comfortable silence, the love that is the very essence of the guru/disciple relationship is there. Each year when I visit Ramesh I get to watch with amusement, awe and delight how his Teaching evolves and changes its emphasis. Never wavering from the fundamental Understanding, his approach continues to move and dance like a boxer's. This continued movement keeps the more "advanced" and knowledgeable disciples alert and on their toes. One of the greatest obstacles to a deepening of Understanding is the complacency inherent in knowing something. Once you have an answer there is no longer any movement. Inquiry is dead. What remains is a dull and lifeless repetition of a concept that may have once brought insight and is now mistaken for insight itself. Ramesh's continual changes keeps his disciples engaged and active. His current emphasis on the value of the Teaching in daily living is simply another door opening into the corridor of Truth. The value of the guru is not in what you can get from him...it is the guru/disciple relationship itself which is its own reward. With love, Wayne
A LIVING GEM FROM RAMESH (previously unpublished) Living in the NOW, living in the present moment, means living like God: Doing whatever you feel like doing in any situation - total free will; you have no control what happens thereafter; What happens thereafter is God's Will/ Cosmic Law; therefore, enjoy the pleasure of the moment and suffer the pain, without blaming anyone: neither yourself nor the other; Live from moment to moment, without any regrets for the past, without any complaints about the present, and without any expectations in the future. "Have faith in God, but tether your camel" - an old Arabic saying. (In any situation, do whatever you think you should do.)
January 2006 MESSAGE FROM WAYNE Hello my loves, The process that's happening in this Advaita is one of inquiry and examination; whereby you gain insight by looking at your own experiences. In the course of life, experiences happen. The question is, what was your part in bringing those experiences into being? If you look back over your life you will see that people you never knew existed suddenly entered your life and brought with them enormous life changes. They might have been lovers, teachers, enemies or gurus. How could you have brought them into your life, if you didn't even know that they were alive? Perhaps by looking at your history you will see that events happened in your life that were part of a much larger happening than what you could possibly create with your own physical being. If you can look at your own experience and your own background, you may begin to see that your present state is a product of huge forces outside of your egoic control. This teaching simply directs your attention to look. Insight follows or it does not. Clearly, if you were in charge - if any of us were in charge and capable of creating our own realities - we'd all be saints! We'd be loving and kind and generous all the time, because when we're loving and kind and generous, we feel better, everybody around us feels better, and this translates into a better life. The fact that despite our best intentions, and our most earnest observations and efforts, we're still filled with positive and negative qualities, seems to suggest a certain lack of control on the part of the organism. If you look, and you are blessed to be able see the vast universal forces that were operative in creating who you are today, then guilt eases naturally, on its own. You don't have to make any efforts to reduce it; it simply dissipates in the seeing, as you understand that who you are and what you are is a function of the Universe. Both your finer qualities and those qualities that you and others might not like are part of this mixed bag that constitutes every human being. May this vision grow within you in the coming year. With love, Wayne
A LIVING GEM FROM RAMESH (previously unpublished) Daily Living Made Simple
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