Observations Posted by JC Tefft
Expressing Insights into the nature of Mind, Pure Awareness, Awakening, Non-Duality, Enlightened Being and More.
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The Truth of Who You Truly Are
Concepts are born of Mind and as such, are simply objects of Mind that appear in Awareness in the ever Present Now. On the other hand, Pure Awareness is not an object of Mind, but is that which is Aware of objects, as such arise. One must ultimately come to Realize this Truth – that one is not an object of Mind – a thought or an image or an emotion that arises of Mind – but is simply that which is Aware. Realizing this Truth is what liberates the REAL YOU from attachments to the content of Mind, as such appear in Consciousness – full stop, end of story.
Realizing the Truth of THIS is to Awaken unto the living Truth of who you Actually are at your core: Not a thought or image or emotion generated of Mind, but the “I AM” of the eternally Present Now and nothing more. All else is illusion of Mind.
JC Tefft
Words One Writes or Speaks are Not the Actual
Let’s first acknowledge that words are not the actual. The word “love,” for instance, is not the actuality of love, just as the words “consciousness” and/or “awareness” are not the actuality of conscious awareness. All language, without exception – whether expressed in visual or word form – is conceptual in nature, which is to say, every image, word, or phrase represents a concept or concepts of Mind. The word Mind, as used here, points to a field (all material expressions arise out of fields) out of which all “objects” of Mind appear, including such 'objects' as thoughts, feelings, emotions, images, ideas, and the like. The word “Mind,” therefore, is not the actuality of Mind, but merely points to the functionality of Mind within the universe, as a Whole.
The tendency to identify with objects of Mind, as such appear in Consciousness, is the process through which an egoic sense of a separate self is born, matures, disintegrates, and dies. It is not that Awareness identifies with the stuff of Mind, but the egoic sense of a separate self IS the identification process that takes place within the human experience of life – from the point of view of self-centered Mind. Throughout this self-centering process, however, Pure Awareness remains eternally Aware – absent identification with the stuff of Mind – thus, forever free from the limitations of Mind, as conceptualized objects appear in Consciousness.
But, as the egoically centered sense of a separate self that evolves in the human experience increasingly identifies with objects of Mind, as such appear, the strength of the tentacles that bind to the content of Mind in the human energy field one thinks of as “me,” matures, such that the recognition of the Presence of Pure Awareness that rests in the Silent, non-objectifiable background, from an egocentric point of view, increasingly seems as if 'lost,' when in Truth, Awareness never goes away, but is always Present, as demonstrated by the simple fact that human beings are Aware of objects of Mind, as such appear in Consciousness, whether egoically identified with such or not.
Human beings are Aware of the material universes and Aware of experiences and Aware of thoughts and feelings, as such arise. Thus, the Presence of Pure Awareness, whether Realized or not, goes hand-in-hand with the fact that humans are Aware of objects of Mind, as such arise in Consciousness. But, absent egoic identification with objects of Mind, Pure Awareness simply IS eternally Present and nothing more – unidentified with the content of Mind, as such appears in Consciousness.
The objects that appear of Mind, however – thoughts, concepts, ideas, images, and the like – in and of themselves, are not Aware. Thus, a seemingly individualized person, as conceived of Mind (which is thus an object of Mind) is not Aware, but Awareness is Aware. Consequently, when an apparent person, as conceived of Mind, dies, Awareness does not die, too. But rather, Awareness is and remains eternally Present in All that IS, unmoved and unaffected by the vagaries of space and time.
Absent the eternal Presence of Pure Awareness there could be no conscious life of any kind. Rupert Spira eloquently points to this Truth in this way: “The entire adventure of the separate self takes place in a little bubble of thought and feeling within awareness, but awareness itself never takes the Adventure.” Why? Because Awareness is NOT an object of Mind, but is the immovable, unchanging, Silent, Still Source out of which all “objects” arise including, but not limited to, the totality of the content of Mind.
JC Tefft
What Does It Mean To "Awaken Unto Pure Awareness?"
Awakening unto Pure Awareness, absent egoic Mind in play, is not about identifying with evermore subtler aspects of Mind. Subtler aspects of Mind include images of “higher” dimensions, past lives, dead relatives, transmigrated beings, spiritual adepts, and other seemingly esoteric manifestations of Mind. All such visualizations are nothing more than ever-subtler appearances of Mind occurring within the framework of the illusion of separateness; from the point of view of a separate “me” visualizing a separate “other” that appears as if separate from “me,” from the standpoint of Mind, when such is not actually the case.
To visualize and subsequently identify with such appearances, regardless of the apparent subtlety of same, is in every case an interpretation of Mind that is focused on and thereby limited to the world of duality, as perceived, conceived, and interpreted of Mind; making it seem as if there is a world ‘out there’ that is separate from the embodiment of an apparently separate “me” who conceives of same.
To Awaken from the ever-persistent illusion of separateness one must cease to identify with ALL appearances of Mind and thus, in the Presence of the eternally present Now, be Aware of being Aware, absent the illusion of separateness in play. Such Awakenings occur spontaneously, absent any effort on the part of an illusionary “me,” bringing about an end to identification with the content of Mind, as such appears in Consciousness in the eternally Present Now.
When profound Awakenings such as this occur, the sense of separateness collapses, such that there is no longer a sense of a separate “me,” separate from appearances of Mind arising in Consciousness Now. There is only Pure Awareness noticing that which appears in Consciousness in the Silence of Here and Now, and nothing more. All else, regardless of how subtle or sublime, is a conceptualized interpretation of Mind and nothing more.
JC Tefft
The Eternally Present Now is All that IS
Regarding the concepts of Awakening, Liberation, Enlightenment and the like, there is not now, nor has there ever been a teacher (a promulgator of images and/or words) or a teaching (a construct of images and/or words) that leads an apparent “other” (a student or follower thereof), who is thought to embody a “lack” thereof, unto an apparent “attainment” or “fulfillment” thereof. There is only Life/Energy (call it what you will) appearing in Awareness Now out of the Silence of Source (call it what you will) expressing as it will in the eternally Present Now – and nothing more.
The idea that a separate person exists (a “you” separate from “me”) is an illusion of Mind.
The idea that a separate person lacks anything at all is an illusion of Mind.
The idea that a separate person can or will attain that which the separate person apparently lacks is an illusion of Mind.
The idea that there is anything separate from the “Oneness” or “Wholeness” of that which expresses Now in the eternal Present Moment is an illusion of Mind.
Truth is – as regards Awakening, Liberation, Enlightenment, and the like – the human Mind, of itself, is incapable of doing, attaining or promulgating anything at all.
The human Mind merely interprets that which manifests out of the Silence of the eternally Present Now in conceptual terms – as images, ideas, thoughts, emotions, and the like – that’s all.
Likewise, absent egoic identification with the content of Mind, as such appears in Consciousness, Pure Awareness IS – that’s all.
And through this movement, this Life/Energy power or force (call it what you will) arising out of the Silence of the eternally Present Now (call it what you will), the Universe, as a Whole, not only appears and expresses as this, this, this, and this (call it what you will), but also bears witness unto Itself, so to speak, in the eternally Present Now by means of Pure Conscious Awareness of WHAT IS – that’s all.
Every “thing” that appears to explain or reveal or lead “someone” from one “state” of Being to another “state” of Being (including words written here) is a construct of Mind (past and future tense) and thus is an illusion of Mind, as regards the living Truth of the “Oneness” of All Creation appearing and disappearing in Awareness Now by means of Life/Energy (call it what you will) arising, amplifying, and dissipating out of the Silent Source of All that IS (call it what you will) in the eternally Present Now.
That’s All.
JC Tefft
The Movement of Life and the Illusion of Separateness
INQUIRY: Is creation an illusion of mind. And if so, is there a purpose for mind to create this illusion?
JCT RESPONSE: The movement of “Creation” is not, in its Totality, an illusion of Mind. Creation is simply that which manifests as the phenomenal universe, including, but not limited to, that which appears in Consciousness in the eternally Present Now. Absent the arising and movement of Energy referred to as “Creation” here, nothing phenomenal would appear, just as absent Awareness of such movement, nothing phenomenal would appear. The movement of Life/Energy Now and Awareness of same is One Whole Reality, absent any separate parts.
The “illusion” therefore is this: The functionality of Mind brings about (not “creates”) the illusion of separateness, by means of conceptualization of that which, in Truth, holistically arises and appears as the phenomenal universe in the eternal Present Now. This conceptualizing process, in effect, converts or interprets or translates, one might say, that which arises holistically out of ONE Source, by means of ONE integrated movement of Energy in the eternally Present Now into what appears, as interpreted of Mind, AS IF separate parts – separate from the Whole of Creation arising and appearing Now. Thus, conceptualized apparent parts appear AS IF separate from other conceptualized apparent parts that are likewise appearing Now (i.e., body vs mind, inner vs outer, past vs future, you vs me, light vs dark, space vs objects in space, etc., etc.) creating the illusion of separateness by means of concepts of Mind, when in Truth, such is not the case.
The illusion of separateness is thus brought about by means of the conceptualizing functionality of Mind in the eternally Present Now, and nothing more. This does not mean that objects, as conceived of Mind, are an illusion of Mind. It simply means that objects appear AS IF separate from the Whole of Creation expressing Now when in Truth, such is not the case.
When the warmth of the morning Sun is felt on the face, such feeling is not an illusion of Mind. Rather, the Sun, the warmth, the feeling, and the face are the outcome of One holistic movement of Energy occurring NOW, and nothing more. There is no separate person experiencing the warmth of the Sun. There is only the experience of warmth occurring Now – end of story.
In essence, concepts of Mind translate or interpret, one might say, that which in Actuality is ONE movement arising in the eternally Present Now appearing, as interpreted of Mind, AS IF separate “parts,” when in Truth there are no separate “parts,” but only the Whole movement of Life/Energy/Consciousness arising/acting/occurring as One holistic movement in the eternally Present Now. Even memories or mental projections of same, as conceived of Mind, are memories or projections appearing Now. The fact that memories and projections appear in conceptualized form, however, makes it seem as if the concept arising Now is past or future tense, when in Truth it is not. The concept is simply appearing NOW as a memory or a "future" projection of Mind – that’s all.
Absent egoic identification with concepts of Mind, which brings about the illusion of separateness, the overall movement of Life/Energy/Consciousness is revealed to be ONE movement (not two or more) that arises out of ONE Source (not two or more) in the eternally Present Now. Even so, conceptualizations of Mind bring about (not “create”) a false sense of separateness, apparently in order to interpret or layer or contextualize the phenomenal universe into conceptualized parts in space and time. As to “why” the Mind functions in this way, one cannot say, other than the function of Mind apparently was/is created for this purpose – that’s all. Other than that, not sure in this moment what the overall “purpose” of bringing this about in the larger scheme of the phenomenal appearance of “things” might be.
JC Tefft
Being Here Now
There is a “knowing” arising out of the Silence of Now that is not rooted in constructs of Mind, thus is free of commonly held, egoically centered points of view, as conceived of Mind.
Freedom from egoically centered points of view is engendered simply by Being Present Now, which is to Be as living Truth – arising, moving, expressing, speaking, or not – out of the ever-present Silence of Now, unidentified and thereby unattached to the content of Mind, as such arises in Consciousness.
Being Here Now, absent attachment to the content of Mind, is also the end of suffering in humankind.
Being in the eternally present Now, absent resistance brought about by means of attachments to the content of Mind, allows for Present “Knowing” and Intelligent “Action” to occur naturally and spontaneously in the eternally Present Now, as intended from the Source of All that IS.
Lack of attachment to constructs of Mind likewise allows for Love and Peace to express naturally and wholeheartedly, not only in the world of human affairs, but also in the Universe, as a Whole.
So, BE HERE NOW and thereby BE as YOU are intended to BE in the eternally Present Now.
JC Tefft
Every Place I go, There I am
For the most part, generally
Every place I go, there I am.
Every thing I do, there I am.
Every thing I say, there I am.
Every thing I think, there I am.
Every thing I experience, there I am.
Until suddenly, in a moment of Silent Bliss
I am not.
And all that remains is…
I AM.
JC Tefft
The Spontaneity of Awakening
Just maybe … without warning … when one least expects it … the veil of separation suddenly collapses. And in that instant, even if only for a moment of conceptualized time, perhaps one Realizes that there are no separate entities that choose this or that relationship, course of action, or way of life, as conceived of Mind, but rather, there is only Life expressing Now – full stop, end of story. Not “my” life or “your” life, but everlasting Life eternally manifesting in the ever-present Now.
“Not my will, but Thy Will be done,” more than a hopeful prayer, is a fact of Life that underlies all that expresses as the Universe in the eternal present Now. And absent egoic identification with the content of Mind, mental constructs of past and future are done away, while that which remains is the ever-present Now resting in Pure Awareness and nothing more.
All else is the illusion of duality brought about by means of egoic identification with concepts of Mind, as such appear in Consciousness - Now.
JC Tefft
Being Aware of Being Aware
INQUIRY: You say that enlightenment is the same as “being aware of being aware:” Please elaborate.
JCT RESPONSE: To Be Aware of Being Aware is to live in the Silence of the eternally Present Now, absent attachment to the content of Mind, as such appears in Consciousness.
It is to knowingly BE the Presence of Awareness Now, as in the teaching, 'I AM THAT.'
It is to stand in the Calm, Silent Presence of Pure Awareness – Being 'THAT' and Realizing this is the living Truth of who 'YOU' truly ARE.
When resting in the Silence of Pure Awareness one Realizes that one IS Pure Awareness, and in that Recognition, one likewise Realizes that one is NOT an object of Mind that arises in Awareness, regardless of how subtle or sublime such objects might seem to be. Instead, one is simply, purely Aware, unattached to the play of Life that arises of Mind.
Without exception, what is always Present in every experience, even if not yet Realized that this is so, is the “knowing” of the experience in the eternally Present Now. This 'Present Moment Knowing,' however, is most often interpreted conceptually of Mind after the fact, such that the Presence of Pure Awareness quickly becomes a past memory, as conceived of Mind. In an instant, therefore, one is no longer Aware of Being Aware in the eternally Present Now, but instead, reacts and moves in accordance with concepts and feelings of Mind, as such arise in Consciousness, ignorant of the actual, living Truth of who 'we' truly are in the eternally Present Now.
Even so, Pure Awareness is never absent from experience. Such “knowing” only seems as if absent as one continues to identify with the experience, including thoughts, feelings, concepts and the like, as if an egoic 'me' is experiencing separate from the experience. Even so, Pure Awareness is always Present, even if seemingly in the background, one might say, regardless of the many and varied experiences that arise in Consciousness, whether remembered as past experiences or projected as future possibilities, as interpreted of Mind.
Thus, the vagaries of sensing, perceiving, and thinking occur in the foreground of Life experience, while the Silence of Pure Presence remains constant in the background of all experiences until a spontaneous moment in which the living Truth of Being Aware of Being Aware in the eternally Present Now is made real IN 'you' and thereby Recognized – non-conceptually – from within. And as ever greater Clarity occurs, the “peace that passeth all understanding” is increasingly unveiled, as the illusion of egoic separateness dissipates and dies away. In such instances, the Peace of the eternally Present Now, from an egoic point of view, seems to move from the background to the foreground of one’s 'experience,' even though such Peace, in Truth, was never not there.
Being Aware of Being Aware, therefore, is to Recognize the Presence of Pure Awareness in the eternally Present Now in the purest sense, and that 'we' are THAT which is Aware and nothing more. And this Recognition of who 'we' truly are, is nothing less than enlightenment, which enlightened teachers have pointed to since ancient times as the ultimate liberation of humankind.
JC Tefft
Pure Awareness Simply IS
Pure Awareness has no eye through which to see.
Nor ear through which to hear.
Neither tongue to taste,
nor mouth to speak,
nose to smell,
brain to think,
nor body to feel.
Pure Awareness is simply, Purely Aware, absent a center of any kind in space or time.
All else is the stuff of Mind.
JC Tefft
The Duality / Non-Duality Paradigm (Revisted)
The meaning of the words, duality and non-duality, regarding the nature of Conscious Awareness is better understood, it seems, once one realizes the difference between concepts of Mind appearing in Consciousness (which in their entirety encompass the world of conceptual duality) and non-dualistic, Pure Awareness, which is that within which concepts arise.
Pure Awareness is eternally Present, whereas concepts appear and disappear within THIS Awareness that is eternally Aware. Concepts that arise in Pure Awareness are forever changing - appearing and disappearing in Consciousness - while that which is Aware of concepts, as such arise, is changeless, formless, and eternally Present – Now and always Now. Put another way, Life is a constant movement of Energy, whereas Pure Awareness is the Silent, Still Source out of which the movements of Life/Energy appear and disappear.
That which arises in Consciousness, including images, thoughts, emotions, and the like, is dualistic in nature because each appearance inevitably arises in conjunction with a polar opposite concept or effect - small vs large, happy vs sad, easy vs difficult, anxious vs calm, unenlightened vs enlightened, and so on down the line. And that which appears in Consciousness - whether images, thoughts, emotions, or the like – in its totality, comprises the content of Consciousness, which is likewise the content of Mind.
On the other hand, that which is Aware of concepts, as such arise - from the standpoint of Pure Conscious Awareness - is non-dualistic in nature when absent egoic identification with or attachment to that which arises and/or appears in Consciousness. Moreover, Pure Awareness is eternally present in ALL that appears in Consciousness, while that which appears in Consciousness is constantly changing - appearing and disappearing - from one moment to the next in the context of the dualism of space and time, which itself is a creation of Mind.
Because Pure Awareness is forever changeless, while concepts are forever changing from one moment to the next, one cannot discover or approach that which is eternally Present and Purely Aware from a conceptualized point of view. Instead, one must Awaken unto the Presence of Pure Awareness by means of the complete cessation of egoic attachment to concepts of Mind because that which is Other than Mind is forever beyond the purview of Mind. Put another way, while concepts appear and disappear in Awareness, Awareness does not appear or disappear in concepts of Mind.
To Recognize the Reality of the eternally Present Now is to Awaken unto the nature of enlightened Being, absent egoic identification with any "thing" that appears in Consciousness, regardless of what the appearance might seem to be.
JC Tefft
Above Quote from Eckhart Tolle
Clarity on this Point
Clarity on this point comes as egoic attachments to concepts of Mind disintegrate and fall away – dispelling the illusion of separateness. Pure Awareness thus shines through and Lights the way in the eternally Present Now.
What remains Here Now is Love, Peace, and the Silent Presence of Now.
God is Love, Peace, and the Silence of Now, as well as All and All and in All that IS, so God is “you” and "me," too.
So ... BE HERE NOW and allow every “thing” that appears to flow from THAT which you already ARE: Love, Peace, and the Silence of God in the eternally Present Now.
JC Tefft
Pure Awareness and Objects of Mind
Awareness does not appear in Consciousness as an object of Mind, but objects of Mind – be they concepts, thoughts, images, feelings, emotions, and the like – appear and disappear in Awareness in the eternally Present Now.
Realization of this fact occurs – deeply and transformatively – when the sense of separateness collapses, thus is no longer in play, which means that identification with the content of Mind is done away.
The mind/body/organism in which this occurs remains in play, albeit transformed, but the egoic sense of separate entities dies away.
JC Tefft
You are Not an Image or a Thought of Mind
When one looks, listens, and observes, absent attachment to the content of Mind, as such appears in Consciousness, one discovers that one is not separate from the Awareness that looks, listens, and observes. There is no separate entity looking, listening, or observing at all.
One discovers that the illusion of separateness is a creation of Mind, a creation brought about by a longstanding, behavioral practice of identifying with the content of Mind, as such appears in Consciousness.
You are thus not an image or a thought, but are that which is Aware of images and thoughts, as such appear in the eternally Present Now. Full stop, end of story.
JC Tefft
The Nature of Dreams
There is no difference between dreams while sleeping and dreams while awake. Nor is there a need to attribute more or less significance to one dream versus another. Dreams are simply Mind-stuff arising in Consciousness – day or night – and nothing more. We, in fact, live as if in a world of dreams rooted in the conditioning of Mind – until we don’t.
Truth is, we are that which is Aware of dreams, as such arise in Consciousness – day or night – and nothing more. Realizing this fact is the end of identification with the content of Mind; the end of the illusion of separateness, and thereby the end of living as if in a dream; the dream that arises of Mind in the Awareness that we truly ARE.
JC Tefft
On the Nature of Choiceless Awareness and Thought
QUESTIONER: Is Choiceless Awareness possible with thoughts? Can I be thinking and in Choiceless Awareness at the same time?
JCT RESPONSE: It is difficult to describe the true nature of Choiceless Awareness conceptually, but one can say that thoughts do not appear to arise in the eternally Present Now in conceptualized form, for the moment there is form there is Mind. Yet form is not entirely absent from Awareness, for Awareness is Aware of form when such arises in Consciousness – the two interrelated as One movement in the eternally Present Now.
In the eternally Present Now, however, there is only One Truth arising out of Silence, whether it be image, idea, feeling, or thought, but such images, ideas, and thoughts no longer seem as if separate from that which is Aware, but act as One Total Reality. The usual egoic experience of separation brought about through identification with concepts of Mind is absent when one is Purely Aware. Yet one cannot say that images and thoughts no longer form entirely. They just no longer seem separate from the eternally Present Now.
Explaining or responding to this question conceptually, however, is of little value when it comes to actually BEING Choicelessly Aware in the eternally Present Now. This is the innate problem with attempting to answer a question such as this in conceptual terms. The only true ‘answer’ is simply to BE Choicelessly Aware and thus find out for oneself the living Truth of what actually is so in the eternally Present Now.
JC Tefft
The "Peace of God that Passeth All Understanding"
Absolute Silence and Absolute Peace are one and the same.
This being so, how does one realize such Silence, such Peace, which, as declared by Paul in ancient times is the “Peace of God that passeth all understanding.”
The living reality of deep inner Peace was first actualized in the embodiment of JC following a meditative inquiry in the Presence of J. Krishnamurti, as he spoke from his usual platform just a few yards away. The next morning, as JC awoke, the “Peace that passeth all understanding” was Present like never before, coincidentally with a Realization that no conflict was active in any cell of the body. Any sense of resistance or conflict had completely disappeared and instead, Absolute inner Peace reigned supreme.
While resting in this Peace the question soon arose: “How long will such Peace abide?” Apparently there remained a lingering expectation that Peace such as this would not likely last long.
So … what is this PEACE that, as Paul declared, is beyond the understanding of Mind?
The ongoing conflict and resultant human suffering that plays out through inner human experience onto the world stage is both felt and expressed in direct correlation to the need for Actualization of DEEP INNER PEACE in humankind. World conflict and suffering, in fact, is a direct reflection of the inner conflict and suffering that continues to occur as a result of deep-rooted conditioning, as human beings everywhere in the world continue to evermore identify with the content of Mind, as such arises and appears in Consciousness.
Egocentric attachment to the content of Mind projects self-created inner conflict into the apparent outer world, rooted in beliefs such as “my” mindset is correct or superior to other mindsets that are incorrect or inferior. Thus, the notions of “my” religion vs “your” religion, “my” belief system vs “your” belief system, “my” nation or tribe vs “your” nation or tribe are born and acted upon as a direct result of strong identification with the content of Mind.
The ego, by its very nature, as a dualistically conceived entity, in effect, invents conflict both inwardly in the human experience that extends into the apparent outer world. And, as a consequence of this process, the ego not only denies the possibility of Peace Now, but also resists the potential flowering of the Actuality of deep inner Peace by identifying with the idea that “I” will not be at peace until this or that happens, after which “I” will then be at peace in a future time and place, as projected by mental constructs of Mind.
To assume an egoic “I” will find peace in the future is to identify with a story created by thought. The notion that “I” am a separate entity is likewise the result of identification with a story created by thought. So, as long as “I,” as an egoically conceived entity, continue to identify with thought, “I” will not realize Peace. “I” cannot be Peace when identified with thought because the concept of Peace is not the Actuality of Peace. The goal of self-created entities is not to realize Peace, but to remain separate from the actuality of Peace. And in that separateness, conflict abides and conflict is not Peace.
The Actualization of the Peace of God correlates directly with the process of letting go, which is the human energy field disengaging from identifying with the content of Mind, as such appears in Consciousness. Such Peace lies beyond concepts, beyond divisions, beyond mental constructs of Mind. Thus, for Peace to be Here Now there cannot simultaneously be conflict in opposition to Peace in play. Peace is its own Reality that comes about when conflicts of Mind are absent from Being – in the eternally Present Now.
The Actuality of Peace comes, not from calm, outer circumstances, but from deep, inner Presence, absent conflicts of Mind in play. In fact, our natural state IS Silence and the Presence of Peace, but Actualization of this fact only comes as one ceases to egoically identify with and thereby embody conflicts of Mind.
It is impossible to imagine our way to Peace or to study our way to Peace or even to practice our way to Peace; for we can only BE Peace, which, as previously pointed out, is our original state of Being, prior to when egoic separateness, which is rooted in constructs of Mind, comes into play.
Pure Awareness is already at Peace in the eternally Present Now – prior to the sense of a separate “me” arising in Consciousness. Absent a sense of a separate “me,” Peace IS.
Rather than searching for Peace, simply recognize and thereby Realize the Presence of Peace Here Now. That which is prior to that which appears in Consciousness IS the "Peace of God that passeth all understanding" of Mind – in the eternally Present Now.
The Peace of God is never lost, nor does it ever go away, it merely goes unnoticed and unrealized when one is egoically caught in the web of Mind. Noticing this Peace in the eternally Present Now IS the Realization that this is so. And Realizing this is the precursor to Realizing that the Silence of Peace is the One and only Source out of which all manifestations of Mind arise.
The Peace that was Realized in JC that day remained Present in the Purest sense for more than a week before gradually abating thereafter, as the busy routine of daily life was re-engaged, until – in the midst of lamenting “my” apparent lack of such Peace to a friend – deep abiding Peace suddenly returned, but this time coincidentally with a “message,” declaring that “Peace is always Here Now, but you are not always Aware this is so. Trust in this Peace and all will be well.”
Such is “my” story of Awakening unto the "Peace of God that passeth all understanding" of Mind.
JC Tefft
What is Love?
The following arose in response to an INQUIRY on the nature of Love.
While speaking on the nature of Love one day, Krishnamurti pointed out, “If I tell you what Love is, will you then know Love? In that moment – suddenly – an Awaking occurred revealing that Love is inexpressible in conceptual terms because words are never the actual. The Actuality of Love, therefore, cannot be expressed in conceptual terms.
With this caution in Mind, let us now consider this question, “What is Love?” knowing full well that it is impossible to approach the Truth of Love conceptually - from the viewpoint of Mind.
Prior to pointing to that which, in Actuality, cannot be described in words, let us first acknowledge what Love is NOT.
- Love is NOT a belief or position or state of Mind one holds to, such as "I love you," for all such points of view are rooted in concepts of Mind and Mind, of itself, is incapable of realizing Love.
- Love is NOT knowledge, for knowledge is rooted in concepts of Mind and concepts cannot Love, nor can concepts bring Love or Peace into the heart of humankind and thereby into the world.
- Love is NOT memory, regardless of what the memory might be. For memory is nothing more than concepts of Mind arising Now and concepts are incapable of realizing Love.
- Love is NOT attraction or desire, regardless of what the attraction or desire might be, for attraction and desire are an outgrowth of egoic identification with concepts of Mind and Mind, of itself, is incapable of realizing Love.
- Love is NOT relationship, one to another, for relationship is rooted in thought and thought is a concept of Mind and concepts are incapable of realizing Love.
- Love is NOT an experience, for the sensation of experience is born of Mind and Mind, of itself, is incapable of realizing Love.
- Love is NOT a commodity or an intention that can be held onto, built up, or given to another for all such objects or objectives are born of Mind and Mind, of itself, is incapable of Love.
- Love is NOT selective – this versus that – for all such division is born of Mind and Mind, of itself, is incapable of realizing Love.
- Love is NOT devotion, whether to a cause, practice, person, or symbol, for Love has no agenda, no motive, no intended outcome, all of which is the product of Mind and Mind, of itself, is incapable of realizing Love.
- Love is neither good nor bad, healthy or unhealthy, easy or difficult, for all such belief or experience is the stuff of Mind, as dualistically conceived of Mind and Mind, of itself, is incapable of realizing Love.
- Love cannot be taught, one to another, as if a concept of Mind that is passed on through space and time.
- Love is NOT a behavior that one identifies with over time, for the content of Mind cannot touch that which is beyond space and time.
So, what is Love - Actually?
- The living Truth of Love underlies all that appears in the Universe, and as such, inspires harmony and accord within the Universe, as a Whole.
- Sorrow, which is the sum and consequence of egoic identification with the content of Mind, as such arises and appears in consciousness Now, is the fruit of disharmony and discord in oneself and thereby in the world. Absent sorrow, Love IS.
- Freedom from sorrow allows the movement of compassion for all that appears in the Universe to express fully and freely. Thus, where there is compassion, there is Love.
- Love is unknowable, therefore can only BE in the eternally Present Now. Love is thereby vital, fresh, uplifting, and new.
- Love has no opposite, but is eternally Present, as Life expresses and evolves.
- Love has no ambition or agenda or goal to become, possess, achieve or attain anything at all.
There is nothing one can “do” to find Love. Love simply IS in the eternally Present Now – that's all.
- Love brings Peace, Joy, Harmony, and Bliss into the world in the eternally Present Moment – Now.
- The ending of attachment to the content of Mind in the eternally Present Now is the birth of Love into the world, absent judgement of any kind.
- Love express through living Truth Now. Absent Realization of living Truth is therefore absent Realization of Love.
- Love is beyond experience, beyond pleasure, beyond desire, beyond emotion, beyond every-and-all aspects of Mind. Absent the known in play, Love inspires naturally, spontaneously, and abundantly, as intended, as Life expresses and evolves.
- Love is unconditional. Thus, Actualization of Love is not based on one’s expectations of what one should or should not do. Unconditional Love has no conditions or expectations at all.
- Love wants nothing and lacks nothing.
- Love does not seek itself, as if Love was separate or apart from anything that expresses in the Universe, as a Whole. Thus, Love cannot be found, but can only BE as Love IS in the eternally Present Now.
- Love underlies a Realization of the Oneness of All that IS.
- Love is All and All and In All that IS.
JC Tefft
NOTE: "Observations" continue on "Page 2" in drop down menu above.