swami rajneesh:
people are teaching you about awareness
the word awareness as understood by the west is completely misleading
they say…i am becoming more aware of the green house effect…
i am becoming aware of the ecological disaster…
i am becoming aware of the trees…
i am becoming aware of my breathing…
i am becoming aware of my conditioning…
i am becoming aware of a million and one things…
all these awareness classes are an utter lie
you do not become more aware
you are becoming more aware of things
the very word used in the dictionary…
that i am becoming more aware of…
translates into knowledge
that i know more now
this is not the word awareness
as used by gautam the buddha or by any master
awareness is your inner being
flowing upwards
rising higher and higher like a flame of light
touching the third eye
this peaked state…this energetic state…
is a state of awareness
one pointedness
and it is not aware of anything but itself
awareness is not aware of anything but its own inner state
it is like a candle
you take a candle in the dark
and it shows you things
but it is not that the candle is showing you things
and is making you aware of things
it is simply its nature to reflect
and showing you the objects in the darkness
the candle does not know that it is showing you anything
it is not even aware that it is light
because to know light you need to know darkness
the candle is simply a candle
only aware of itself and nothing else
it is a state of awareness that is the flame
and the flame knows no darkness
so it cannot even say that i am the light…
that i am showing you the way…
try to understand this riddle
the candle does not know that it is a candle
it is enough unto itself
a self contained state of heightened light
that is the state of awareness
the state of awareness knows nothing
it is pure innocence and a peaked alertness
not knowing anything
utterly drowned into its isness…
into its state of awareness…
and it knows nothing
the moment it knows something
it loses its centre
and becomes objective
then you translate it and say
i have become aware of a tree in the dark
but that is not the nature of the flame
it is now showing you anything
it is simply living itself
if it starts showing you things
it will become divided and fragmented
and soon the candle will lose its isness
it will lose its flame
it will be divided and separated into a million and one objects
and that is exactly your state of awareness…it is divided
by labelling…by looking…by becoming part of your knowledge
your state of knowledge is diluted
and slowly slowly you lose awareness
i am trying to convey that awareness is not aware of anything
it is simply a silent flame
contained totally in itself
this again is the gap
we are speaking of the gap between the two breaths
the moment this gap increases in you
your energy moves to the third eye
and remains a standing wave of light
a being of awareness is always alert…
always relaxed…knows nothing and looks utterly ignorant
pure innocence
it knows all but does not know that it knows
it is simply an inner quality of knowing
but it knows nothing
do you understand what i am saying ?
remember…the candle does not know darkness
remember…the candle is awareness
but it is not showing you anything at all
it is simply living its nature
if it happens that it is showing you things
that is secondary
it is not primary
the candle is simply itself
it does not know the other
it does not know anything more
and that is the very root of wisdom
awareness is pure wisdom
with no knowledge
pure wisdom knows nothing
and that is why it is always fresh
it is always young
it is always uncontaminated
it is always innocent
this word has been entirely misunderstood
you are going to an awareness group
and what did you learn ?
oh…the amazon is being cut…
and the ecology is being destroyed…
and these trees are being cut for newspapers…
and there is a green house effect…
and the carbon dioxide is building up…
and the ocean will rise…
this is not awareness buddha speaks of
you are becoming more aware
of the unfortunate circumstances of the world
but it is not the state of awareness of the meditator
he simply knows nothing
each movement will reflect
a state of heightened consciousness
and innocence will emanate from that state
whatever that person will look at
he will know
everything that is within it
because that is the quality
it can enter the very isness of anything
it simply looks and knows
just by one taste it knows all
many people are going to these awareness courses and classes
and they are becoming more and more unaware
what a calamity !
this word is misunderstood…misinterpreted
and it is not your fault
because you are translating the word
exactly the way it is in the dictionary
in the east we have changed the word to dhyan…
meditation…and the state of awareness
not awareness of
please understand this
it will help you along the way
source: swami rajneesh book “STOP DROP DEAD”