Zenbitchslap - Paul Hedderman

www.zenbitchslap.com


"That" which is eternal, cannot be observed by consciousness or known by
it. Unless you meditate on this point, the puzzle will not be solve!

Nisargadatta Maharaj

Hey garyrth, nice quote!

Here's an extended version:
"Consciousness can only observe what undergoes change. "That" which is eternal, cannot be observed by consciousness or known by it. Unless you meditate on this point, the puzzle will not be solved."

And, this seems to explain even further:
"When you say you sit for meditation, the first thing to be done is understand that it is not this body identification that is sitting for meditation, but this knowledge '˜I am', this consciousness, which is sitting in meditation and is meditating on itself. When this is finally understood, then it becomes easy. When this consciousness, this conscious presence, merges in itself, the state of '˜samadhi' ensues. It is the conceptual feeling that I exist that disappears and merges into the beingness itself. So this conscious presence also gets merged into that knowledge, that beingness '“ that is '˜samadhi'."
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
www.maharajnisargadatta.com/nisargadatta...ltimate_medicine.php

"Here's an extended version:
"Consciousness can only observe what undergoes change. "That" which is eternal, cannot be observed by consciousness or known by it. Unless you meditate on this point, the puzzle will not be solved."

When this consciousness, this conscious presence, merges in itself, the state of '˜samadhi' ensues. It is the conceptual feeling that I exist that disappears and merges into the beingness itself. So this conscious presence also gets merged into that knowledge, that beingness '“ that is '˜samadhi'."
"

Hi Tina,

Nice quote; I could really get something from this when understand it .

We have the the premise that change can only occur against a constant background and consciousness cannot know what is constant and eternal because it is inside it.

Then we move on to the quote you provided "this conscious presence, merges in itself". For me it is not clear what merges with what. I suspect it is a knowledge that "I am" is consciousness.

Regards
Gary

"... it is not clear what merges with what."

Hey, folks! My interpretation of that quote is that it is our separate self-consciousness that "merges" with the universal knowing consciousness. Our habit is to split the world into "me" and "other." It's that ol' duality thing. We're never really separate, of course, and when that unity becomes obvious then the false sense of separation disappears and the non-dual nature of the universe manifests. To me it's more of an unveiling than a merging, but that's.... JMHO.

I am re-writing the quote so it is says what I think it is saying. If I butcher it please speak up .

When you say you sit for meditation, the first thing to be done is understand that it is not this body identification that is sitting for meditation, but this knowledge "I am", this "I am" consciousness, which is sitting in meditation and is meditating on itself. When this is finally understood, that the "I am" is consciousness, then it becomes easy. When this "I am" consciousness, this conscious presence, merges in itself and knows itself to not be separate, the state of '˜samadhi' ensues. It is the conceptual feeling that the "I am" is separate and that an I exist that disappears and merges into the beingness and consciousness itself. So this conscious presence also gets merged into that knowledge, that beingness '“ that is '˜samadhi'.

Hey, that's what I said!

"
Hey, that's what I said!

"

Yes; you answered the question of what merged with what - and that's what I said! . So you have inspired me with some confidence.

In pulling out that one piece the significance of the whole quote might have been lost. Our separate self- consciousness is separate when it is not known to be consciousness, this is the illusion. Hence the emphasis at the start of the quote is on the recognition that the "I am" is consciousness. This is why I thought it good to restate the whole quote.

Maybe I am spliting hairs; just can not help it .