God at All Costs, God for God's Sake, Truth at All Costs, Truth for Truth's Sake
Freedom comes not from changing perceptions but from recognizing you are not the perceiver - to recognize the trap is enough.
Whatever the seeming journey we are trying to undertake or whatever we are trying to fix to become our Self or to get to the Self or come to Self-realizaHon, Freedom; it is either conceptual ‘That I should not believe this that I am separate and believe more strongly that I am the Self’ so conceptually; or we are trying to fix things at a perceptual level means, at the level of life events or feelings about the life events or the sense of openness that seems to be there or get rid of a constricHon that maybe there. Now to be technical both these are noHonal but let's say - noHonal and perceptual. Now, don't bother with any of these at least when you're doing the inquiry or when you are here in Satsang because the mind will keep saying to us that ‘This percepHon has to change to this and then you are free…Oh! you remember that percepHon that happened to you three weeks ago, that has to come back and then you are free.’
During the inquiry?
Actually, all the Hme. But at least to start with because people get scared when I say all the Hme or they take it as a big project, ‘Now my life has to change, or something’. At least when you come here then you get used to it, to your naturalness.
The same thing outside also. The inquiry is going to be the same. That’s why I am asking.
In this report also, what are you represenHng yourself to be? Inside and outside - a set of percepHons, a set of sensaHons that you take to be myself.
Because it my convicHon that from inside.
Yeah. But forget about inside and outside. All percepHons.
Here anyway it is the same - inside and outside. But it is like someHmes…
Inside and outside if it is both perceived then forget about both of them. Because some may hear this (this is important point you brought up), some may hear this and say, ‘Okay, I'm not going to try and fix it in terms of my relaHonships or what I'm feeling about others, my inner feeling has to change’ but even that is also percepHon. You cannot report on your feeling unless you are perceiving it.
Then again you are coming to this vicious circle… which is trying fixing at different levels.. .
Exactly. Nothing is ever fixed at the level of our percepHon. Whatever that layer maybe, if it is the world layer, it is a body layer, if it is the emoHonal layer, if it is the intellectual layer, if it is the mind layer.
No, because it happens so many Hmes when I feel open, the love, the harmony and peace, so everything is okay. The moment something is some kind of disturbing to that it goes into protecHon or it goes in any kind [of] how to fix this. Inside and outside doesn't even maZer anymore, but it tries to fix it by all thoughts and it’s again the same trap.
Exactly, it is a trap - exactly. So now you recognise it means you are free from it. To recognise it, is enough.
But then it’s like walking around the world and just…
No, no. Now what are you represenHng as yourself? Who's walking? A set of percepHons? Forget it. Food, falafels! Falafel is walking in the world, we have to fix how it is walking. [Chuckles]
I can relate to it in certain ways, I am not sure it is the same thing. What I felt was that the thought of the one that must reject or let go. Like something is happening and I should not engage. Like paZern of happening, rejecHng.
So that is also at the level of percepHon - forget about it. Then your mind might say, ‘Who should forget about it? That one…’ Forget about it.
[In audible] Then not engaged in any..
No, no, not engaged or unengaged. Just forget about it.
But this does this.. [poinHng circularly around her head]
Let it do it. Forget about it. You don't represent that. That [poinHng to his head] is doing that, “Oh, this means disengaged or engaged, responsibiliHes or irresponsible” all of these things. Let it do it - you don't represent that. Everything at the level of phenomena you are not represenHng, anymore.
Key Teachings
- Don't try to fix anything at the perceptual or conceptual level - both are traps in the journey to Self-realization
- Recognition of the trap (of trying to change perceptions) IS freedom - to recognize it is enough
- You are not the phenomena or perceptions - everything at the level of phenomena you are not representing anymore
From: God at All Costs, God for God's Sake, Truth at All Costs, Truth for Truth's Sake – 25 November 2022