Copyright 2010 SOUL Research Institute
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bliss
WHO AM I?
When you look at yourself in the mirror, do you ever wonder who that person in the mirror is? Do you ever wonder who you are?
If you do, you will begin to contemplate and eventually realize that
1. you have a body, a material structure that sees, hears, tastes, smells, and feels the touch;
2. you have a mind that feels the body, perceives the world, thinks, etc; and if you are lucky, you may also realize that
3. you are actually experiencing the body and the mind. This experiential aspect is the “consciousness.”
If you continue to contemplate, a new question will then arise, “what exactly are these three things?”
When you observe and experience them closely, you will begin to understand that they are not fixed solid things, but constantly changing processes that are interdependent & interconnected with each other. You will see that the body is changing and growing, you will see that the mind is fluctuating from being happy sometimes to being sad sometimes, from being attentive sometimes to being lost other times, and so on. You will also see that whatever you are experiencing through body and mind doesn’t last forever. All your experiences seem to be constantly changing and never remaining the same no matter what you do. You will also begin to understand that your body can not function without the mind, your mind can not function without the body, and you cannot have an experience without having the body-mind.
Then will come the tricky part: Because the experience of body and mind is so intimate and personal and because you are not enlightened, you will get tricked by the phenomena of body-mind-consciousness, and end up mistaking it as “You.” Instead of understanding it simply as a unified phenomena, you will mistake it as your “Self.”
SOUL RESEARCH INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER, APRIL 20, 2011
EVENTS AT S.R.I.
INSPIRATIONS
In Portland, OR, Soul Meditation Gatherings at the beautiful Tualatin Public Library through Community Program.
Sam Adettiwar's Book
"The Elements of Soul"
Also available on
barnesandnoble.com
googlebooks.com
All profits go to S.R.I.
___________________________
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"Man, know thyself."
Socrates
"..Knowing yourself..
that is enlightenment"
Lao Tsu
"My friend, what are you?
Are you a celestial being?"
"No."
"Are you a man?"
"No"
"Then, what are you?"
"(I am) awake."
Buddha
Meditation Gathering and Potluck
May 01, 2011 : Sam Adettiwar will discuss "What is Consciousness?"
May 08, 2011: Mary Jo will lead the class to continue the discussion on Consciousness.
Come and go anytime as you like
NO FEES. JUST PRACTICE.
10.00-10.30am: Soul Yoga
10.30-11.00am: Soul Breathing
11.00-11.30am: Meditation
11.30-Noon: Discourse
Noon - 12.30pm: Potluck (Veg.)
12.30 - Whatever: Noble Discussion
Where: Beautiful New Fire Dept. Community Hall: 2490 Research Parkway, Briargate Area, ColoSprings ______________________________
You might be wondering, "if body-mind-consciousness is not me, then, who am I?"
Today, I am proposing that there is no separate or real “You” or real “I.” There is only this unified/bundled phenomena of body-mind-consciousness.
The phenomena of body-mind-consciousness create an "illusion" of a separate entity because of the extreme rapidity of their arising and ceasing and because of our limited vision. This illusion of a separate entity is the “I am” that we think of. This illusion is the thought that “I am some person,” “I am an individual,” I am somebody who has this body, mind, and consciousness separate from others,” “I am a self who possesses this body, mind, and consciousness,” and so on so forth. These are all simply thoughts of illusion which give rise to the ego- the sense of separate self - the root cause of all of our pain, suffering, imperfections and unsatisfactoriness.
(To find out more listen to the audio at the top of this column. Also try-
Free Online Courses
&
One-on-one Consultation
We are currently offering following courses online. You can start anytime. Two courses per quarter. Your quarter begins when you begin:
The Art and Science of Meditation
The Art and Science of Yoga
Mind and Brain
Intelligence 1001
Consciousness 1001
Karma 1001
Love 1001
