Apologies for the delay in posting here—it’s been due to traveling, and computer issues which finally seem to be fixed.
The above title might seem odd at first—especially in light of how often it is emphasized here that there is only Infinity. It is in response to Zack’s comment of 5/29 on the previous post, “Infinity does not cross over to Itself.” Zack’s comment is repeated below.
First, the title is a bit of a spin-off from a phrase sometimes used in sports, particularly football: “The best defense is a good offense.” It means the more your team controls the ball on offense, you are also “defending” well, because you’re giving the opponent less of a chance to score against you.
The title is another way of saying, “To the degree one is being Infinity, one cannot simultaneously experience finity.” And, paradoxically, this is what seems to “appear” as better finity.
Of course, the title and example are wholly dualistic, and involve opposites. This is NOT meant to imply there really are two opposing states, both Infinity and finity, or that there can be degrees (partial states) of Infinity. Awareness, Reality, does not “see” or experience in that way, but is Infinity only—and this analogy is used only because it offers an opportunity to make a point.
Reality Check: The only One presently aware is Infinity Itself, as Immeasurable Awareness. It’s not that Infinite Awareness is immeasurable to another, to a “me” or a “you.” There is only Immeasurableness-As-All. As Infinity truly IS Infinity, there are no degrees of Itself (that’s what Infinity means) and no others who might also function only partially as Infinity. Only Infinity, being all-out infinite, incomparable, inconceivable, is all that exists or IS.
Now for Zack’s new comment:
“…There is no limit to what Consciousness can seem to be aware of. This means that as Consciousness, I could seem to be aware of things that the human mind cannot even begin to comprehend.
Instead of adding too much text, here is a link that gives one example of what I mean: http://www.reenigne.org/blog/the-land-of-infinite-fun/.It seems the “goal” is to be 100% Absolute without any trace of anything finite, correct? But, won’t I be missing out on incredible experiences? Even if the experiences are finite, they can be astounding and wonderful.
As humans we are in the tiny, stuffy, warm grey box. Consciousness is capable of experiencing anything, and it seems like a waste to not explore and create and express. Appearing as a human is but one of infinite possibilities.
I don’t disagree that Consciousness is All and that nothing finite really exists. This has just been nagging at me lately.”
Last comment first: “…This has just been nagging at me lately.” The “spiritual instincts” are right on. The nagging thought is due to the fact that this Present Awareness (not Zack, Peter, or any body), as Infinity Itself, is utterly without limitation. So this Unlimitedness is incapable of accepting, or settling for being stuck in a “tiny stuffy, warm grey box.” No matter how long things may appear to the contrary, it’s not true, or Truth. Awareness definitely is “uncomfortable” with the notion of limitation, because it’s an implication of something that is untrue, impossible, to Itself.
Yes, if one starts from the seeming finite, or assumes such is present in Infinite Awareness, then by abiding as Infinite Awareness, the finite seems to dissolve, fade, into ever-new forms of experience. But don’t be fooled. Right now, to Infinite Awareness, there is only Its Infinity, and NO finity to fade or dissolve into new forms. Most emphatically, this is not being “anti” finity or new experiences—but is simply Infinite Awareness “being consistent” with, or AS, Its changelessness, Its Allness.
As It is Infinity Itself that is THIS One being presently aware, One cannot start on the basis that One is, or has been, limited, and must work out of such seeming limitation. Nor is it assumed that, “By abiding as Infinite Awareness, limitations will seem to fall away.” Even though that may be what seems to occur—it’s never been true. It’s the other way around.
Starting AS Infinity (which is what this Present Awareness is “doing” or being) not only has Awareness never been in limitation—Infinite Awareness leaves no limitation that It could be in or not be in! Again, this is where One “stands” because this is what this Present Awareness, All, inescapably IS.
This also is why it is emphasized that this Present Awareness (All That Is), is absolutely history-less. It means not only has there been no history of finity to which One could be limited—not even Infinite Awareness, All Itself, has any history of existing. So there has been absolutely no “before” in which any kind of prior limitation could have developed or been experienced. There is nothing that must be worked out of, and no prior patterns of limitation that could continue to present themselves because “they’ve been around so long.” Who says so?!
It is flat-out impossible to cling to a “limitation” that never has existed! Only history-less “new” Awareness is.
Again, however, THIS Awareness has no sense of being “anti” limitations or anti the “tiny warm grey box” of humanity—because there is only Itself, and actually no limitation with which It could co-exist. What’s more, how could NOW be anti or “missing out on” something that hasn’t even happened yet, and isn’t really going to happen? And not even NOW Itself has existed for as much as a nanosecond before NOW, thus leaves no time in which to have become anti anything, or miss out on anything.
Back to the point made earlier. One is unlimited thanks to the fact that THIS Awareness IS Infinity Itself. It’s important to be clear that Awareness is not aware of Infinity, but IS Infinity Itself. It is the immeasurable Aliveness that Awareness presently IS. It is Openness as “alive Stuff”; It is Emptiness, as THIS presently alive Being. It is the Alive Lightness that Pure Awareness is, which Itself has no weight. Abiding or “consciously functioning” Here—one cannot simultaneously function as, or cling to, finity. And this is what seems to cause the finite appearance to shift and change to “newer” and less limited forms of experience.
Just stop and ask, “Of what does finity (or the tiny, stuffy warm box) seem to consist?” It seems to involve forms which are observable, measurable, limited. Finity also seems to involve a sense or feeling of weight (whether physical, emotional or mental). It seems to involve density. It seems to involve opposites. It seems to involve time.
Starting from or “looking out as” Pure Awareness, It has no form. Awareness has no weight. It has no density. It has no opposite. Present Awareness cannot be put in time. HERE, AS THIS, there is no finity, and no one clinging to finity. So…abiding Here, even in what still may appear as finite experience, it has to appear with lighter, more “ethereal” form, with less weight, less density, less opposition and limits, less time, etc. Why? Because the only reason those seemed to be occurring was thanks to an “ignoring” of weightless, formless, timeless Awareness—and that “ignoring” no longer is going on.
Zack also said, “…It seems the “goal” is to be 100% Absolute without any trace of anything finite, correct?”
Note Zack’s use of quotes around “goal” which indicate that Awareness IS this, and there really isn’t a goal in Absolute Awareness. It’s important to be clear that all statements made here concerning Awareness are made only because Awareness already IS Infinity “without any trace of anything finite”—but not with the slightest sense of trying to overcome or “do away with” finity.
It’s simply because Awareness already is Infinity only—so why oppose It, why try to pretend otherwise?—when it never can actually occur that there is something or someone other than Infinite Awareness Itself. And who else is aware besides Awareness Itself to put off fully being Awareness?
As said above, it is inevitable that “what still appears to remain of finite experience” will seem to appear in newer, less limited and “more wonderful” forms—but this is not because Awareness has a feeling of “missing out on incredible experiences” but is because It knows no finity. Again, Awareness “can’t help Itself” in being Infinity-As-All only. There is nothing, nothing wrong with such wondrous experiences, of course. But to get hung up on them is like “slamming on the brakes of finity” or “taking the foot off the gas” of One’s very Infinity.
For any readers who may not have the book, the following passage says the same thing in a different way. (You can substitute the term “Mind” with Infinite Awareness). From Consc. Is All, chap 29, You Cannot Be Limited, page 312:
Infinite Awareness, or Mind, is incapable of being restricted. Mind is absolutely Unlimited. This Unlimitedness always is all that is present—only Unlimitedness is present. One thus is Unlimited even in the capacity to be aware of what may appear as thought-forms. What does this mean for what still appears as daily experience? It also must be unlimited—for it, too, would consist merely of such thought-forms. The Unlimited Awareness You are simply cannot be limited to only one tiny body thought-form, on one tiny planet thought-form, of a relatively microscopic galaxy thought-form. The Infinity You are cannot be focalized or localized.
Suppose however, that you ignored the Infinity You are, and identified not as the Unlimited One, but with only the limited thought-forms or appearances. Suppose you assumed you were on that same level, or actually were one of those thought-forms, such as a “body” or “mind.” Since you would be clinging to that level of thought, you would be limited to only that extent of experience. You are the only one that could seem to cling to it, for you are the only One there is.
To behold that You truly are Pure Infinity and to be It alone, as Pure Alive Presence, leaves no mental clinging to anything finite. It leaves no secondary mentality attached to just one body, or one limited state of thought or experience. To the extent one is Infinity-conscious and not finite-conscious, of course it seems one is conscious of less and less finiteness and limitations in one’s experience. Why? Because being conscious is all there is to existing.
What is important is “staying busy as” or being Mind’s Infinite Alive Presence, the Unlimited Aliveness You are, to Whom there is absolutely no limitation. Otherwise, to mentally attach to any thought-form, to finity, and favor it over One’s Pure Infinity, would be to mentally “slam on the brakes.” It would be to leave Unlimitedness, Un-attachedness, and attach to, or settle for, a tiny limited fraction.
Rather, by being the Unlimitedness that Pure Infinity is, leaves One “un-attached” to any particular state of thought. This is what allows the thought or experience to appear to shift, change, or “expand” to a greater extent and variety of thoughts—for there is no limit to the universe of thought-forms one can appear to be aware of. What’s more, not only the extent, but also the variety of your universe is absolutely unlimited. How unlimited is Infinity?
Even what might appear as advanced extra-terrestrial spacecraft would be like the horse and buggy stage, compared to the infinitude of what Awareness can appear to be aware of. It is inevitable that what now appear as the thought-forms called a “stellar universe” will continue to change to ever-new forms of thought. It will appear to expand at an ever-faster rate. Why? Because being Infinity-conscious, or taking attention off of finite limitations, is like “taking off the mental brakes,” or “expanding.”
Again, it’s never really a universe that seems to be expanding—but a state of thought that’s expanding, which is the “universe.” Even though it all would be only “mental,” this universal expansion still may appear to require “physical” spacecraft or other seeming material means at the moment—but what difference does it make? It’s the best, highest form available “at this stage of the game,” and may continue that way for a while. What’s more, the technologies developed from these efforts have led to countless other advances for all areas of daily living.
This refers only to how things may appear. Infinite Awareness Itself never is caught up in, or in awe of anything that may appear on a finite basis. Nor are there really two states—the Infinite and a finite appearance to which It could cling.
In Reality, Total Infinity always is One’s only status.
To Your Infinite Self, there is only Unlimitedness. The finite is mentioned only for purposes of explanation. The point of this book is that there is only Infinity being Infinity-conscious. Always. Infinity is consistently, persistently “staying with” the allness of Infinity’s Alive Presence.
It is thanks to Your Self being Pure Infinity that the universe of thought-forms will appear to operate like a self-expanding prophecy. The “more” You behold of the Unlimitedness You are, the more Unlimited You are in Your Ability to behold!