This post is in reply to Tan’s comments, found on the earlier post: “Does Present Awareness experience dreamless sleep?” from 2/25/10. These, too, are great questions, and are repeated here.
Tan: “If we “start” from the Infinite, of course there is no “problem” — What is IS. The “problem”, however, is on the practical level: everything I am sensing, feeling and aware of, starts from the “finite” body/mind. I do not know how to cross over from the finite to the infinite. And I suspect if anyone can. If anyone really could, I wonder how he or she would answer to a simple, verifiable challenge: is he/she aware of what is happening thousands of miles away, at present?”
Peter: Exactly right, Tan. You don’t know how to cross over from the finite to the Infinite—you can’t cross over, in fact no one can, as you said—because there is no such self to do the crossing over. The only One that can be the Infinite is pure Awareness Itself, and It already is fully being It now. Awareness is “taking up” all the Infinite there is for Itself—which leaves no more for another to be. Nor is there another to try to be more Infinite.
As the Real You (Awareness Itself) already is being Infinity, You cannot cross over to what You already are being. The seeming “problem” is that there still may seem to be identification with, or as, thoughts, sensations, emotions, and other so-called finite phenomena, and assuming, “They are mine…I’m not yet aware enough for them to dissolve or fade away…I still have a ways to go.” (This is not meant to imply that Tan is doing this, but is just speaking generally.) Yet is the history-less Present doing any such identifying with thoughts and other finite phenomena? No. Is anything present other than the Present Itself?
On a so-called mind level the foregoing may seem or appear to be true—but this is not speaking, EVER, from a mind level. Yes, it may seem or appear that there still is a lot of “mind” or finity hanging around—but that does not mean one has to speak for, or as it. As Infinite Awareness is the only Self, there actually is no other that is even capable of speaking from a mind basis. What’s more, even though there appears to be finity, that doesn’t make the Infinite one bit less Infinite right here, now. It’s the same as saying that even though there still may seem to be a sense of time (and it’s only a sense), it doesn’t make the Present one bit less present. NOW is still NOW.
Right here, now—what is Pure Aliveness to Its own simple, alive, yet formless Presence? This does not mean thoughts about Aliveness, but pure Aliveness alone, simply “alive-ing.” Is this simple, effortless Presence feeling It has to become more present? Is IT assuming It is not Infinite enough? Is formless alive Presence “seeing” a finite world? Is It concerned about crossing over to more of the Infinite Presence It cannot fail to already, presently be? No—It simply is presently being, and this is “enough.” Enough for whom? For Aliveness Itself, the only One being alive.
Tan’s questions, like Zack’s, have touched on what seems (emphasis on seems) to be a paradox, and why, on the so-called level of thinking, much of what is said here sounds like double talk. This speaking here is done from the standpoint of Infinity alone, pointing to Infinity alone, wherein there is no finity—and yet the very speaking and pointing appear to be going on within a finite framework, by having to use words, thoughts and concepts. As said before, it’s like trying to play the game of the Infinite on a finite field—and the finite definitely has the home field advantage!
True Infinity does not really co-exist with finity (see below)—yet it appears as if It does. True Infinity is not “tolerating” any finity, is not being influenced or limited by such a thing. Yet, equally, Infinity is not assuming there should be less finity appearing. Nor is Infinity trying to get rid of what still may appear as finity. Why? Because to Infinity, there is no finity to get rid of. But this is “clear” only AS ALIVENESS which IS Infinity Itself; it never is clear to a “thinking mind.”
As touched on in the previous post, “No Return From The Infinite,” the questions here also imply there has been a past in which there has been some finite experience—and there really hasn’t been.
It would be one thing to assume there has been finity, a past, and that YOU are finite and must become more infinite. It is quite another thing to be clear that Infinity is presently, fully being this very Self as Awareness—and the only “job” is to stay alert as This and not accept finite suggestions that still may seem to present themselves.
Nothing has to be done to make Infinity more Infinite right here, now. It’s a matter of not ignoring what already is. There’s no effort needed other than to stay alert as This.
What it comes down to, is being relentless in not accepting anything other than Awareness’ pure Present-ness. Awareness Itself is “relentlessly” being pure Present-ness, and who or what else is there? It seems to be a matter of constantly “throughout the day” catching oneself, or being alert to not accept thoughts and sensations that make it seem as if there is a separate self experiencing finity.
One does not deny or negate such thoughts, but simply “notices” that Awareness Itself is infallibly present and aware, and has no past in which It was otherwise. There has been no prior time, ZERO, which has left some residual finite experience which now must be offset or overcome. Finity may continue to appear, but YOU are too “busy” as the ease and effortlessness with which weightless, un-struggling history-less Awareness simply IS.
As for the second part of the question, “If anyone really could (be Infinite only), I wonder how he or she would answer to a simple, verifiable challenge: is he/she aware of what is happening thousands of miles away, at present?”
That question is “mixing” Infinity and finity, and it can’t really be done—even though so-called human education has always told us to the contrary. The question implies that Infinity should know “more” about finity than a normal finite mind seems to know about finity. It implies that Infinity is a kind of “expanded” finity—and It isn’t.
Infinity literally means “no-finity”—so true Infinity then doesn’t know anything at all about “finity” (in fact, Infinity precludes there being any finity!). So… Infinity can’t know a more expanded version of finity than a so-called finite mind seems to know. This is discussed some in chapter 5, Consciousness Is Not The “Human Mind” which is free here on the website in the Writings section. It’s also discussed in much more detail in the e-book, The New, True Infinity, also here on the site.
What this means is that, if one were to seemingly “cross over” to being fully Infinite, or drop all finity, at this point there is no finity to be aware of—not even as illusion—but just 100% Infinity alone. Here there is no time to even notice or have a thought, “Ah, now I am being fully Infinite.” Here, there is no recollection of there having been a cross over—because here there is no sense of a past—only Infinite Present-ness.
That being said, as one “abides as” the Infinity that Awareness is, it may seem or appear as if there is an expanded awareness of various types of finite experience. But it’s not because one has become more infinite. It’s because the Only One is 100% already being Infinite, and it just seems there is less “ignoring” of Infinity, thus less clinging to all the would-be limitations of finity. And yet, even this so-called explanation must be followed with, “Can Infinity, Awareness Itself, ever actually ignore Itself for finity?” No.