What Do You Find Without the Mind?

Hello, my love.

(Accha) Okay.

Okay dear, explain what do you mean by ‘controlling the sense or chief of the senses’?

Ahh.

And something doesn’t like that?

Because it is the spiritual notion that ‘you have to control your senses before you can be free’ something like this?

Now, if we can simplify and tell me if it is okay to simplify like this, attention can go wherever it wants to go in but something wants attention not to go wherever it wants. Because when we are saying ‘senses’ we are talking about perceptions. Isn’t it? Now, in the waking state is there ever a time where we are absent of perception, where perception is absent?

In the waking state when does that happen?

It doesn’t happen. In the waking state, there is always perception even if there is no sight, there is no hearing, you still perceive darkness, you still perceive some dark empty space, you will still perceive some sensations in the body, you will still perceive something. And even if everything is blank, you will still perceive the blank. [Silence] So in the presence of Being perception is inherent. When the waking state is there perception is inherent. Now, we have also heard this beautiful concept that ‘Everything is God.’ Now, if that is true, if everything is God, how does that matter whether I am perceiving a garbage can or a bundle of flowers? [Silence] It is not inherent in our perceiving of anything that there is the distinction between anything, that there is a duality, that is not inherent in perception. So let the attention go wherever it wants, it’s completely fine. But what is on the other end of attention? So on one end of attention all the objects, objective appearances on this end of attention, what is all that coming to? Who does attention report to?

And who is aware of even that Presence? [Silence] You are, you are not making up the answer Presence, isn’t it?

If it was not you, you would say ‘I am imagining that it is Presence.’ But you are not saying that. You are saying, I see that it is Presence, you see, with my inner eyes not with a sight that I see, that I recognize that it is Being or Presence or Consciousness. Now this recognition, which is so simple, when we say ‘But, who is that?’ then it seems to get a bit complicated because that which was so simple-I am aware of my Presence, is so clear, but when it is asked ‘But what does that ‘I’ look like?’ it all seems to get confusing because in our worldly mind we feel like everything has to look like something to really exist. That which is non-phenomenal cannot be real. So when we look like that we say ‘I don’t find that one.’ So am I just making this up?…doubt

Yeah, so forget about that.

[Ananta Sangha Smile] Because it’s not about expansion or contraction, although it is a common experience that as you let go of a limiting concept, as you leave it, it is experienced, this kind of spacious experience can be done. But the point of this is not to become addicted to that experience of spaciousness. In fact, just right now, you are fully spacious. Before you tug at the branch of the tree of the mind which gives you one leaf which seems to pull the whole tree back and create the whole realm of limitations, before that you are completely spacious. But when we tug at one leaf it can seem like the whole set of limitations is back. Because every concept depends on every other concept. [Silence]

So even practical or not practical is just a mental distinction. I mean sometimes we use that tool to talk in Satsang but really at your level we must not make this distinction between practical life and spiritual life or because what is practical life? That means that God does not run that you have to run? Is that what practical life is? What is practical life? So there is Satsang life which is a spiritual life and then for the rest of it the Guru is not in charge? In Satsang it is ‘Guru kripa kevalam.’ (Only Master’s Grace is) But outside Satsang it is ‘me kripa kevalam.’ [Sangha Smiles] So is that distinction real for you now? Are you at that level where it is to be played out this way or can you leave everything to God’s grace to Guru’s grace.

Very good, very good. So whatever the content of perception maybe it is God, whatever the content of perception maybe it is God. You don’t have to try and control your attention this way- that way. Your attention cannot go to the Self anyway because if it did it the Self would also be an object then. If Self also came and went then it would be as objective as everything else. [Silence] So what is the spiritual space to put your attention at?

Yes, because now the distinctions are going between spiritual, practical. All of this is God’s life.