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Awakening into Awareness Issue 04
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Issue #4 - Awakening into Awareness - May, 1999
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A free ezine dedicated to
exploring the nature of Reality and
the experience of Realization
http://awakening.net
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Metta Zetty, Editor email: AIA@awakening.net
Back Issue Autoresponders: http://awakening.net/Ezine.html
AIA Archives: http://awakening.net/Archives.html
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This newsletter is currently distributed to 941 subscribers.
Subscription instructions are located at the end of each issue.
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Contents
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* Introduction
* "Awareness = I"
- Arthur Deikman
* Wisdom and Insights
- Garab Dorje
- Ramana Maharshi
- Rabbi Abraham Heschel
- Anthony de Mello
- The Talmud
- W. H. Auden
- Jorge Luis Borges
- Arrowsmith
* Letters
- Concepts into Actualization
- Chat Session Transcript
· The arising of dissatisfaction and desire
· Witnessing and Contentment
· Reminders and methods
· Effortless Awareness
· The sufficiency of Reality
· Seeking demands a path
· "The Four Faults"
· Evoking Recognition
· The Openness of Recognition
· "Lovers of Reality"
· Rumi: "The Clear Bead...."
* Metta's Reflections
- The Incomprehensible and Inescapable
- Satisfaction Beyond Circumstance
- Mystery
* Reader Reflections
- "Look into the Looking"
by Roger Cotgreave
- "Sun-lit Wisps of Mystery"
by Michael Welch
* Reader Resources
- Journal of Consciousness Studies
- "Dreaming We're Awake: An Anthology of
Mystical Poetry" and selected writings
of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi
- New Medicine Audio Tapes
- Zen Hospice Project
* AIA Updates
- New AIA Web Address!
- AIA's 1st Online Mentoring Intensive
June 18-28, 1999
* General Information
- About Awakening into Awareness
- Ezine Subscriptions
- Back Issues, Copies and Reprints
- AIA Mailing Lists
- Insight Mentoring
- Correspondence
- Support AIA
.o00o.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Introduction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear friends,
With the release of this 4th issue of the AIA ezine, I have
several special announcements to share with you, which are
detailed in the AIA Updates section, below. These updates
include:
* Information about the move of our website to
the new domain name: http://www.awakening.net.
* An invitation to you to join us in AIA's first
online Mentoring Intensive which will be held
on June 18-28, 1999.
With these new developments now "in the works",
I will look forward to hearing from you!
With my continuing appreciation,
Metta Zetty
.o00o.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Awareness = I by Arthur Deikman
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following collection of passages has been excerpted
from a brilliant and insightful paper which explores the
fundamental and essential identity between our subjective
sense of 'I' and the experience of Awareness.
I am very grateful to the author, Arthur Deikman,
for his generosity and his willingness to share these
excerpts in this issue of the zine. The full article
"Awareness = I" can be read in its entirety on the
website of the _Journal of Consciousness Studies_:
http://www.imprint.co.uk/online/Deikman.html
http://www.imprint.co.uk/jcs.html
[See the Readers' Resources section below for more
information about the _Journal of Consciousness Studies_.]
.o00o.
``````
'I'
``````
We seem to have numerous 'I's. There is the I of 'I want',
the I of 'I wrote a letter', the I of 'I am a psychiatrist'
or 'I am thinking'. But there is another I that is basic,
that underlies desires, activities and physical
characteristics. This I is the subjective sense of our
existence. It is different from self-image, the body,
passions, fears, social category -- these are aspects of
our person that we usually refer to when we speak of the
self, but they do not refer to the core of our conscious
being. They are not the origin of our sense of personal
existence.
```````````````
Experiment 1:
```````````````
Stop for a moment and look inside. Try to sense the very
origin of your most basic, most personal 'I', your core
subjective experience. What is that root of the 'I'
feeling? Try to find it.
When you introspect you will find that no matter what
the contents of your mind, the most basic 'I' is
something different. Every time you try to observe
the 'I' it takes a jump back with you, remaining out
of sight. At first you may say, "When I look inside
as you suggest, all I find is content of one sort or
the other." I reply, "Who is looking? Is it not you?
If that "I" is a content, can you describe it? Can
you observe it?" The core 'I' of subjectivity is
different from any content because it turns out to
be that which witnesses - not that which is observed.
The 'I' can be experienced, but it cannot be 'seen'.
'I' is the observer, the experiencer, prior to all
conscious content.
````````````````````````````````
Introspection and Subjectivity
````````````````````````````````
When we use introspection to search for the origin
of our subjectivity, we find that the search for 'I'
leaves the customary aspects of personhood behind
and takes us closer and closer to awareness, per se.
If this process of introspective observation is
carried to its conclusion, even the background sense
of core subjective self disappears into awareness.
Thus, if we proceed phenomenologically, we find that
the 'I' is identical to awareness: 'I' = awareness.
```````````
Awareness
```````````
Awareness is something apart from, and different from,
all that of which we are aware: thoughts, emotions,
images, sensations, desires and memory. Awareness is
the ground in which the mind's contents manifest
themselves; they appear in it and disappear once again.
I use the word 'awareness' to mean this ground of all
experience. Any attempt to describe it ends in a
description of what we are aware of. On this basis some
argue that awareness per se doesn't exist. But careful
introspection reveals that the objects of awareness -
sensations, thoughts, memories, images and emotions -
are constantly changing and superseding each other.
In contrast, awareness continues independent of any
specific mental contents.
```````````````
Experiment 2:
```````````````
Look straight ahead. Now shut your eyes. The rich
visual world has disappeared to be replaced by an
amorphous field of blackness, perhaps with red and
yellow tinges. But awareness hasn't changed. You
will notice that awareness continues as your thoughts
come and go, as memories arise and replace each other,
as desires emerge and fantasies develop, change and
vanish. Now try and observe awareness. You cannot.
Awareness cannot be made an object of observation
because it is the very means whereby you can observe.
Awareness may vary in intensity as our total state
changes, but it is usually a constant. Awareness
cannot itself be observed, it is not an object, not
a thing. Indeed, it is featureless, lacking form,
texture, colour, spatial dimensions. These
characteristics indicate that awareness is of a
different nature than the contents of the mind;
it goes beyond sensation, emotions, ideation, memory.
Awareness is at a different level, it is prior to
contents, more fundamental. Awareness has no intrinsic
content, no form, no surface characteristics - it is
unlike everything else we experience, unlike objects,
sensations, emotions, thoughts, or memories.
Thus, experience is dualistic, not the dualism of
mind and matter, but the dualism of awareness and
the contents of awareness. To put it another way,
experience consists of the observer and the observed.
Our sensations, our images, our thoughts - the mental
activity by which we engage and define the physical
world - are all part of the observed. In contrast,
the observer - the 'I' - is prior to everything else;
without it there is no experience of existence. If
awareness did not exist in its own right, there would
be no 'I'. There would be 'me', my personhood, my
social and emotional identity - but no 'I', no
transparent centre of being.
`````````````````````````````````````
Confusion of Awareness and Contents
`````````````````````````````````````
In the very centre of the finite world is the 'I'.
It doesn't belong in that world, it is radically
different. In saying this, I am not suggesting a
solipsistic ontology. The physical world exists
for someone else even when I am sleeping. But any
ontology that relegates awareness to a secondary
or even an emergent status ignores the basic
duality of experience.
One can read numerous psychology texts and not find any
that treat awareness as a phenomenon in its own right,
something distinct from the contents of consciousness.
Nor do their authors recognize the identity of 'I' and
awareness....[and] the phenomenon of awareness is
usually confused with one type of content or another.
To the contrary, I would say that I am sure I exist
because my core 'I' is awareness itself, my ground of
being. It is that awareness that is the 'self of all
other selves'. Bodily feelings are observed: 'I' is
the observer, not the observed.
````````````````````````````````````````````````
The Distinction Between Awareness and Contents
````````````````````````````````````````````````
Certain Eastern philosophies based on introspective
meditation emphasize the distinction between awareness
and contents....Awareness is considered to exist
independent of contents and this 'pure consciousness'
is accessible - potentially - to every one.
Eastern mystical traditions use meditation practice to
experience the difference between mental activities and
the self that observes. For example, the celebrated Yogi,
Ramana Maharshi, prescribed the exercise of 'Who am I?'
to demonstrate that the self that observes is not an
object; it does not belong to the domains of thinking,
feeling, or action (Osborne, 1954). 'If I lost my arm,
I would still exist. Therefore, I am not my arm. If I
could not hear, I would still exist. Therefore, I am
not my hearing.' And so on, discarding all other aspects
of the person until finally, 'I am not this thought,'
which could lead to a radically different experience
of the 'I'. Similarly, in Buddhist vipassana meditation
the meditator is instructed simply to note whatever
arises, letting it come and go. This heightens the
distinction between the flow of thoughts and feelings
and that which observes.
````````````````````````````
Who observes the observer?
````````````````````````````
Every time we step back to observe who or what is there
doing the observing, we find that the 'I' has jumped
back with us. This is the infinite regress of the
observer...often presented as an argument against the
observing self being real, and existent. But identifying
'I' with awareness solves the problem of the infinite
regress: we know the internal observer not by observing
it, but by being it. At the core, we are awareness and
therefore do not need to imagine, observe, or perceive it.
Knowing by being that which is known is ontologically
different from perceptual knowledge. That is why someone
might introspect and not see awareness or the 'I',
concluding...that it doesn't exist. But thought
experiments and introspective meditation techniques
are able to extract the one who is looking from what
is seen, restoring the missing centre.
Once we grant the identity of 'I' and awareness, we are
compelled to extend to the core subjective self whatever
ontological propositions seem appropriate for awareness.
If awareness is non-local, so is the essential self. If
awareness transcends material reality, so does the 'I'.
If awareness is declared to be non-existent then that
same conclusion must apply to the 'I'. No matter what
one's ontological bias, recognition that 'I' = awareness
has profound implications for our theoretical and personal
perspective.
*-----------------------------------------*
| Arthur J. Deikman, Clinical Professor |
| Department of Psychiatry, UCSF |
| 15 Muir Avenue |
| Mill Valley, CA 94941 |
| Email: <deikman@worldnet.att.net> |
*-----------------------------------------*
.o00o.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wisdom and Insights http://awakening.net/Wisdom.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If thoughts arise, remain present in that state.
If no thoughts arise, remain present in that state.
There is no difference between the presence in either state.
Garab Dorje
.o00o.
There is no creation or dissolution.
There is no path or goal.
There is no free will or predestination.
Ramana Maharshi
.o00o.
Just to be is a blessing.
Just to live is holy.
Rabbi Abraham Heschel
.o00o.
Opening one's eyes may take a lifetime.
Seeing is done in a flash.
Anthony de Mello
.o00o.
We do not see things the way they are.
We see things the way we are.
The Talmud
.o00o.
Calling infinity a number does not make it one.
W. H. Auden
.o00o.
Death is just infinity closing in.
Jorge Luis Borges
.o00o.
Remember: the light at the end of the tunnel may be you.
Arrowsmith
.o00o.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Letters http://awakening.net/Letters.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-----------------------------
Concepts into Actualization
-----------------------------
`````````
Reader:
`````````
The note I am sending to you reflects the fact that
your good guidance hasn't sunk in yet. I seem to be
struggling with bringing the concepts into actuality.
````````
Reply:
````````
Yes! This *is* the challenge with which most of us
struggle, and yet this is how we create so much work
for ourselves!
We assume that an "actualization" of concepts is what is
needed when, in reality, it is the concepts, themselves,
which are part of the problem: they simply get in the way
of our being able to accept openly -- and without reservation
or hesitation -- the absolute Fullness of things, exactly
as they are.
What if you assumed that no concepts were needed now?
What if you just allowed yourself to Witness and Observe
your experience, with a full and open-hearted acceptance
of whatever shows up? Where would concepts and their
actualization be needed then?
`````````
Reader:
`````````
Just witnessing and observing my experience, and not
being entangled in the emotional energies, sounds
wonderful. Concepts and their actualization would not
be needed. How can I live in this way of witnessing
and observing?
````````
Reply:
````````
It is perhaps much simpler than we imagine it to be!
It is all a matter of paying attention (Witnessing)
and shifting the focus of identity.
In other words: as you begin to focus, and pay attention
to your experience (both internally and externally),
you will begin to recognize that your identity really
*is* centered in the *observation* of your experience --
in the Seeing, rather than in the doing. It is, in
reality, only the body and mind that "do" anything.
You are simply the Witness of it all, as it happens.
With this Recognition, then dawns another level of
understanding: soon you will begin Seeing that everything
you think, feel, do and experience is something that You
can observe. And, on a some level, this suggests/reveals
that You (at the level of Essence) are much *more* than
any particular thing that "you" think, feel, do or
experience (at the level of the body/mind).
You are, in fact, the spaciousness within which this
thinking/feeling/doing occurs! By watching your
experience and activities (again, both internally
and externally) [simply paying attention is the key
here], you will begin to Recognize that all these
experiences and activities simply continue to unfold
while you *always* remain as the Witness....
With this Recognition, a very natural shift in identity
begins to occur -- from individual thoughts/feelings/
beliefs/actions to the Observation of them.
And, this is where everything begins to open up.....
Suddenly, there is more quiet space around everything
that happens -- more room....Your identity really
does begin to shift toward the Background of Awareness
behind all of our experience, and as this begins to
happen, we begin to discover our real, fundamental
freedom from all emotional and conceptual entanglements,
and our connection with the larger Whole....
-=*=- -=*=- -=*=- -=*=- -=*=- -=*=- -=*=- -=*=- -=*=- -=*=-
-------------------------
Chat Session Transcript
-------------------------
The following Insight Mentoring exchange is from an
hour-long online chat session conducted with an AIA
reader, Nil Cowden, on 5/24/99. Private chat sessions
may be scheduled with Metta, on a donation-basis, by
contacting her at: AIA@awakening.net.
.o00o.
Metta: If you have something specific you would like to
share or ask, Nil, we can begin there. Otherwise, I can
start with a question, myself. Which would you prefer?
Nil: I would prefer you to lead....
Metta: Fine. I usually start by simply asking: what is it
that you are seeking or looking for?....What is it that you
feel may be missing from your life?
Nil: There isn't any ongoing quest now. There are momentary
dissatisfactions, but they, too, pass.
Metta: Good...Then, the question simply is: why are you here,
in this chat space, with me now?
Nil: I wanted to interact with you. I didn't really have
an agenda. I apologize if I didn't make that clear in my
request.
Metta: No, that's fine, Nil! You did make it clear. I'm
just following through to confirm. A lot can happen between
the initial request for a chat session, and the time that
we actually meet online.
Is there any particular point of focus or attention
that is of special interest to you, or that you'd care to
explore? I'm very willing to "interact" and explore with
you....Perhaps it would be good for you to set a course
for us, since I do not have a specific agenda, either?!
Nil: You just clarified something for me: it should be
obvious that "something," a question or want [desire]
could come up during any moment.
Metta: Yes, it could. Sometimes it does; sometimes it
doesn't....And, in those moments when it seems that "nothing"
is coming up, there is just Witnessing....Witnessing and
contentment -- a larger sense of Satisfaction....
Nil: I did want to mention that the AIA Ezine has served as
a "reminder" (as many things can be) of the present....
Metta: I'm glad if it has served that function for you.
That's my goal and intention....It seems to me that the
most we can ever really do is provide these reminders
for one another, from time to time....
Nil: My most recent "quest" involved seeking such
reminders...as though they could not exist in my
ordinary experience.
Metta (smiling): Yes, as though your ordinary experience
was not *the* most significant reminder of all!
Nil: I can see that now, sometimes....Your work has
helped me.
Metta: "Helped" you in what way?
Nil: "Reminded" me; not "helped" in the sense of adding
new knowledge.
Metta: Good! As I see it, this reminding is the most
valuable and satisfying thing we could ever do. Nothing
else seems to me to be as important. (And, I might add,
you are quite right: this certainly is *not* about the
acquisition of "new" knowledge.)
Nil: In my experience, if a teacher consents to "publish"
a general method for everyone's use, it only serves to
provide an excuse for me to keep channeling my energy
into becoming something else....
Metta: Yes, exactly! In this context, how do you see and
experience this work? Is it any different?
Nil: You seem to refuse to provide a general method...
Metta: Yes, indeed! You got it!
Nil: (You are...)...always/only pointing to the here and now.
Metta: Yes. I'm so pleased you See this! Our immediate
experience of Reality really *is* sufficient. THIS, exactly
as it is showing up within this moment, is all the "teaching"
we could ever want or need.
Nil: One thing that has changed for me after encountering
your work: there are more times when I experience the
effortlessness of awareness.
Metta: I am so glad. Thank you for sharing this gift.
It is precious, indeed, and I want to acknowledge this
shared Recognition....
Nil: I don't blame other teachers for encouraging effort
indirectly...
Metta: Neither do I....
Nil: It was always my own seeking that demanded some path.
Metta: Fascinating insight, Nil! You see how accommodating
the world can be? It often gives us *exactly* what we want
and are looking for. Not always, but often...
Nil: It's so much easier than I ever believed.
Metta: Yes! The delightful simplicity of This is far more
amazing and marvelous than I had ever imagined....One of
my favorite reminders is from a Tibetan Buddhist teacher
who points out that there are 4 reasons we do not Recognize
and directly experience this "One Taste" as it is showing
up in the present moment:
· The first is that it is so close, so immediate.
· The second, that it is so profound.
· The third, that it is so (delightfully) simple.
· Fourth, that it is so excellent....
[See "The Four Faults," pp. 117-118 _The Dharma_, by
Kalu Rinpoche, The State University of New York Press,
1986.]
Nil: Yes. Thank you for passing along this reminder.
Metta: I am curious now: can you point to any events and/or
experiences in your life that have helped to stimulate and
deepen your own Recognition?
Nil: I can recall moments of a feeling of union...and deep
reverence for beauty....Reading the poetry of Persian mystic,
Rumi, has often been an occasion for That.
Metta: Yes, his work is also a gift. In some of my earliest
recollections, as a child, I (like you) associated This with
experiences of beauty...and with hearing music....
Nil: Yes. Music, beautiful friends and places.
Metta: Yes....and, then there eventually comes a place and
time in our lives when there is *nothing* that is not a
reminder of This....
Nil: Thank you.
Metta: Thank you, Nil. I feel honored to have shared this
time with you, and I have enjoyed the gentle spaciousness
of your presence. (We do not need to close yet; please feel
free to remain here a while longer....)
Nil: That is one thing that attracted me to an interaction
with you...the openness.
Metta (smiling): Didn't you mention this in your initial
correspondence with me?
Nil: Yes. It was the strongest impression, more so even
than clarity...(not to say that clarity was absent, or that
the two aren't intertwined.)
Metta (smiling): Yes....I am so intrigued that you've felt
and sensed this openness because it is, for me, one of the
hallmarks of this Recognition. How does this "openness"
show up for you in and through what you have "seen" of me
so far?
Nil: I'm not sure. It's an intuitive thing, drawn overall
from all the personal writings, and your selection of wisdom
sayings -- from the whole picture of what I'm able to know
from a website and zine. I get a feeling that nothing is
rejected from your experience....
Metta: Absolutely. In the end, how can anything be rejected?
Whatever is here and now *must* be part of, and included
within, whatever is ultimately Real -- no matter how much
the personality may rail against and reject it. In the end,
Reality, God or Truth, whatever you call it, must be large
enough to include All That Is....
In this, I love the words of Byron Katie. She says
she is simply a "lover of Reality,...a lover of what is."
Nil: Beautiful....2 lines from Rumi:
"The clear bead at the center changes everything.
There are no edges to my loving now."
Metta (smiling, again): Ah, yes. The edges *are* all gone!
Thank you, Nil, for sharing this exquisite expression of
Insight....
.o00o.
*-------------------------------------------------------*
| If you have any reflections or questions about the |
| experience of Awakening you would like to share, |
| please feel free to send them to: aia@awakening.net. |
| In addition: your feedback and reflections about the |
| AIA ezine and website are always welcome. I will |
| look forward to hearing from you! - Metta |
*-------------------------------------------------------*
.o00o.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Metta's Reflections http://awakening.net/Reflections.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
``````````````````````````````````````
The Incomprehensible and Inescapable
``````````````````````````````````````
That which you cannot avoid
and do not understand
is your teacher.
.o00o.
``````````````````````````````````
Satisfaction Beyond Circumstance
``````````````````````````````````
There is, within each of us,
a level of Satisfaction
which exists beyond all circumstance.
Discover THIS,
and you will experience
the peace that passes all understanding.
.o00o.
`````````
Mystery
`````````
Mystery
is simply that aspect of Reality
which extends beyond our current recognition....
.o00o.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reader Reflections http://awakening.net/Reflections.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Look into the Looking by Roger Cotgreave
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Look into the looking at point zero.
Look without naming or defining.
Look inward before looking outward.
Let all edges and surfaces seen
Be open to space.
With a soft gaze let awareness not stop,
but pass through what you see.
Let the background space be awareness.
Look at appearance without turning it into objects.
Look with an active not-knowing.
Appreciate and feel knowingness in all appearance.
Look and see the relationship of everything.
Look at space instead of content.
Notice that space is not moving.
Essential questions not to be answered,
but allow them to produce a deeper knowingness.
Where does a thought go after it goes?
Within what is everything appearing?
If the moment is a gift, how do I receive it?
How big are you if you don't define yourself
By the size of your body?
At what point do the senses merge with the sense object?
Where do they meet?
From where does the future come?
.o00o.
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Sun-lit Wisps of Mystery.... by Michael Welch
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
I've been relaxing into the fact that my identity is not
as predictably secure as I once thought. I'm simply a
mystery along with everything/everyone else. At times
there is a little fear, but even fear seems less solid
than I remember.
The baby fell asleep in her stroller while we were
walking through the park today, which gave me a chance
to lie on my back and watch the clouds. A few thoughts
about wasting time gave way to a silent communion, not
unlike many childhood experiences.
Children don't seem to prioritize "time" the same way
adults seem to....They don't miss out on mercurial
sun-lit wisps of mystery either!
.o00o.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reader Resources http://awakening.net/Links.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Journal of Consciousness Studies
Controversies in Science and the Humanities
http://www.imprint.co.uk/jcs.html
Email: sandra@imprint.co.uk
(USA) (Outside USA)
Professor Jonathan Shear Imprint Academic
Journal of Consciousness Studies P.O. Box 1
Virginia Commonwealth University Thorverton
P.O. Box 842025 EX5 5YX
Richmond VA 23284-2025 UK
Tel/Fax: 804-282-2119 Tel/Fax: +44-1392-841600
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Dreaming We're Awake: An Anthology of Mystical Poetry
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/3144/index.html
This simple, but aesthetically satisfying, site includes
selected writings from:
Kabir Satchitanandaji
Nazir Rama Tirtha
Saadi Tagore
Bullashah Mirabai
Bodharanya Rumi
Other selected writings from Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi:
http://www.mevlana.net/
http://www.rumi.net/
http://www.zbnet.com/rumi/
http://www.ccnet.com/~rudra/rumi/rumi.htm
http://www.sufism.org/books/barks.html
http://www.panix.com/~kerim/poems.html
http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/6700/Mevlana.htm
http://www.armory.com/~thrace/sufi/poems.html
http://www.stanford.edu/~percin/Mevlana.html
http://oneworld.new-era.com/johnw/poets_6.html
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
New Medicine Tapes: New Medicine to Nurture the Soul
http://www.newmed.com/default.htm
Email: info@newmed.com
1308 Gilman Street
Berkeley CA 94706
Tel: 800-647-1110 or 510-527-3600
Fax: 510-527-8404
The website's table of contents includes:
Psychology-Spirituality Spiritual Emergence
Death and Conscious Dying Recovery
Storytelling Wellness
New Science Planetwork
Shamanism The Milennium
Meditation & Spiritual Practices Celtic Wisdom
Men and Women: Identity & Relationship
Their audio and video tapes include:
H.H. Dalai Lama Angeles Arrien, Ph.D.
Stan Grof Bernie Siegel
Ram Dass Jack Kornfield
Brother David Steindl-Rast Sam Keen
Thich Nhat Hanh and more...
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Zen Hospice Project
http://www.zenhospice.org
273 Page Street
San Francisco CA 94102
Tel: 415-863-2910
Fax: 415-863-1768
[From the Zen Hospice Project website:]
"Inspired by a 2500-year-old spiritual tradition,
Zen Hospice Project offers a unique opportunity
to explore our response to suffering and to
express our compassion through service. The
project is a fusion of spiritual insight and
practical social action."
"A nationally-innovative model of conscious care,
the program brings together persons with a
meditation or spiritual practice and individuals
facing the final weeks of life. It is a mutually
beneficial relationship between people who are
cultivating a 'listening mind' and people who
need to be heard."
[Editor's note:]
Be sure to visit this site. Consider sponsoring
a workshop in your area. If nothing else, read
the following article. It is an important reminder
of why we are here....
Stories of Lives Lived and Now Ending
http://www.zenhospice.org/Pages/about/articles/articles.html
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.o00o.
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AIA Updates
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* AIA will be moving soon! *
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During the last few weeks I have been making significant
progress in moving the AIA website to our new domain name:
http://www.awakening.net.
As soon as this move is complete, a special notice will
be sent to all AIA subscribers announcing the opening
of the upgraded site.
In the meantime, a doorway into the existing AIA site
has been created at our new URL. Please feel free to
visit our new location and change your AIA bookmark
in anticipation of the opening of the upgraded site.
*---------------------------------------------*
| Please note: the "www" in our new address |
| is optional: |
| http://www.awakening.net |
| http://awakening.net |
| Both versions of the new URL will provide |
| access to the current AIA site. |
*---------------------------------------------*
Also: if you click on "AIA Updates" when you visit AIA,
you can review the website's most recent additions and
changes at http://awakening.net/Updates.html
.o00o.
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* AIA's 1st Online Insight Mentoring Intensive *
June 18-28, 1999
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Beginning on June 18th, and running for 10 days, AIA will
be hosting our first online Insight Mentoring Intensive.
This retreat will be designed to create an opportunity
for more focused and intensive reflection on the nature
of Reality and the process/experience of Awakening.
We would like to invite anyone who has felt or expressed
an interest in a deeper mentoring exchange with Metta to
consider joining us for this retreat. Your participation
will be a valuable influence in shaping the future of AIA's
Insight Mentoring program, and it will help to support the
continuing expansion and development of AIA. In addition,
it is our sincere hope that this online gathering will
provide a unique opportunity for AIA readers to spend more
time with Metta than is usually possible within the
constraints of her current schedule.
During the first week of June, registration information
and details about the design of this online Mentoring
Intensive will be emailed in a special invitation to
all AIA ezine subscribers, and posted on the AIA website
at: http://www.awakening.net/Intensive.html
Copies of this Mentoring Intensive invitation will be also
available at the following autoresponder address on or
after June 6th: Intensive@awakening.net
*-----------------------------------------------------*
| Please watch for your email invitation to the |
| June 18-28 Mentoring Intensive |
| coming this week! |
*-----------------------------------------------------*
.o00o.
*-----------------------*
------------------ | General Information | -------------------
*-----------------------*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About Awakening into Awareness
http://awakening.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Awakening into Awareness (AIA) is a website, ezine
(electronic newsletter), and an online mentoring program
dedicated to exploring the nature of Reality and the
experience of Realization. All AIA ezine issues are
distributed free of charge, on an occasional basis
(every 8-12 weeks), and include:
· Reflections on Reality and the experience of Realization,
· Wisdom and insight from Awakening-related texts, and
· Q&A exchanges about the experience of Awakening.
.o00o.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ezine Subscriptions
http://awakening.net/Ezine.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please send all AIA ezine subscription requests to the
following addresses:
Subscribe AIASubscribe@awakening.net
Unsubscribe AIAUnsubscribe@awakening.net
Please note: all AIA mailing list contact information
is strictly confidential, and will not be distributed
or used for any other purposes.
.o00o.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back Issues, Copies and Reprints
http://awakening.net/Archives.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back issues of AIA publications are available in
searchable, web-based archives. Back issues of
AIA's ezine are also available by autoresponder:
http://awakening.net/Ezine.html
Please feel free to share copies of AIA publications
with others who may be interested in exploring the
experience of Awakening. Readers and subscribers are
welcome to reprint or recirculate copies of any AIA
publications for nonprofit or personal use, as long
as all reprints are copied and distributed in their
entirety, retaining all the source, contact and
copyright information included within and at the
end of each issue. All articles, text excerpts and
quotations are copyrighted by the individual authors.
.o00o.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AIA Mailing Lists
http://awakening.net/Mail.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you enjoy AIA's ezine, you may also be interested
in AIA's other electronic publications:
In This Moment
http://awakening.net/Moment.html
Insight Mentoring Letters
http://awakening.net/Letters.html
AIA Updates (between releases of the zine)
http://awakening.net/Updates.html
.o00o.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Insight Mentoring
http://awakening.net/Mentoring.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AIA's Insight Mentoring Services include:
Email Mentoring
http://awakening.net/Letters.html
Chat Mentoring
http://awakening.net/Chat.html
Retreats and Intensives
http://awakening.net/Retreats.html
For more information, see what people are saying:
http://awakening.net/Saying.html
.o00o.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Correspondence
http://awakening.net/Correspondence.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The response to AIA has been tremendous, and as
subscription requests have continued to increase
in recent months, the volume of email correspondence
has also continued to grow. As a result, follow-up
replies may occasionally be delayed, especially
with longer and more in-depth queries, but I do
read *everything* I receive, and will respond as
promptly as life and time allow.
.o00o.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Support AIA
http://awakening.net/Support.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The availability of AIA depends upon the generosity
of readers like you. If you have found AIA to be of
value and interest, please consider making a donation,
in any amount, to support our nonprofit work and service.
Your contribution will help to support the expansion
and development of AIA, and will be gratefully received.
Make a difference...with just a click!
http://awakening.net/MakeADifference.html
.o00o.
"The recognition of the fundamental, essential nature
of Reality is the source of our greatest satisfaction
and deepest fulfillment."
.o00o.
*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*
Awakening into Awareness
~~~~~
Reflections on Reality and
The Experience of Realization
Insight Mentoring Metta Zetty
http://awakening.net P.O. Box 781955
email: AIA@awakening.net San Antonio TX 78278
*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*
©1997-2000, Metta Zetty
All Rights Reserved.
.o00o.
