The Self is not something that depends on our thinking about it a certain way, or on penetrating some kind of illusion of our own individuality. That IS the very illusion that we are seeking to penetrate. The Self is effortless peace and bliss, whether we like it or not. Even our thoughts of ignorance and suffering are that, whether we know it or not, whether we remember it or not.
The ordinary absorptions ("samadhis") of waking life
I take a look at a short passage from the wonderful scripture Tripura Rahasya (The Secret of the Supreme Goddess) to illustrate how seekers must learn to identify the relative Self -- which is the quiet mind, the absence of distinctions -- before moving on to understand the Self as beyond any such distinctions.
Turn away from what you want or pursue it? Old vs. new school spiritual approaches to desire
The nondual traditions have usually held that the seeker must turn away from desires for fulfillment in the world -- through relationships, pleasure, etc. The seeker should use knowledge and the cut the attachment to these. My approach is a bit different. The seeker must indeed turn away from seeking happiness in these pleasures, but this is only going to happen through a process of honest admission and pursuit of desire. The old knowledge+willpower way doesn't work that well.
Is enlightenment sudden or gradual?
This is a perennial dispute about enlightenment: does it take practice and is it therefore a long process of changing mental tendencies? Is it a sudden understanding that is beyond that all gradualism? Or is there even a third possibility?
If you love philosophy because you seek deep truth, there's good reason to consider a mystical path
If you are interested in philosophy because you are looking for ultimate truth -- the questions of why we are here, why there is something rather than nothing, and so on -- there is good philosophical reason for considering a mystical path. The senses and intellect are subject to doubt -- something borne out by thousands of years of philosophical dispute.
If truth is to be found, it has to be found in a different way of knowing. The enduring mystery of consciousness suggests a place to look. Thousands of years of mystical search across cultures suggests consistent reports of extra-mental truth, of ultimate truth beyond doubt. For seekers of truth, this is worth taking seriously and trying out. It is not about organized religion or blind belief. It's about looking within and finding out for yourself.
Exploring the many meanings of ego in spirituality
What is the meaning of ego? The word has many different and complicated meanings in the spiritual literature. Is it the sense that I am? Is it the emotions and fantasies connected to the self-image? Is it identification with these? Is it simply any kind of desire at all? Let’s go through some of the possibilities and their implications…
The seeker's mind should be concentrated as smoothly as oil
Concentration -- which is actually a process of re-concentration -- which is held during every moment of life is the central means and end of the spiritual process. It changes the mental habits so that the peace within shines unobstructed, and shows that effortless concentration is our nature.
Like a baby half-asleep: the mysterious enlightened way of action
While enlightenment is about the changeless, it is also a strange fact that inasmuch as the enlightened can be said to act, they act well -- and do so without effort. By turning away from the world, they move in the world with innocence, authenticity, and creativity.
Self-Inquiry Misunderstood: It's not about figuring out the answer to the question 'Who am I?'
Many people get stuck in self-inquiry because they believe it's about trying to *figure out* the answer to the question "Who am I?" This prompts them to all kinds of misleading thought processes. Self-inquiry is really about the consistent redirection of attention towards the I, recognizing that every time you think you have it, you are actually focusing not on the I, but on an object of thought. But that gives another opportunity to redirect. So keep redirecting: every waking moment. That's self-inquiry.
The Seeker's Paradox: Why should seekers of liberation strive when they are already what they seek?
It's a strange fact that the nondual spiritual traditions suggest that we are already complete, effortless perfection. And yet seekers are told to exert effort to attain or comprehend this truth. How can this be?