SIMPLE PROCESS
After a time of sifting through the seeming complexities of the path of contemplative practice, an understanding arises that there is not such a complexity at all. Of course, the human mind is very complex and it will tend to make complexities out of everything. But the actual process of awakening to holistic nonduality is a simple process of first understanding the real depth of presence, in order that it will be possible for us to clearly distinguish between our mind and our consciousness. The “mind” is the thought process, the continuity of the sequential arising of thoughts. Consciousness is the ground of all phenomenal events, external as in the outside world of sense observation, and internal as in the thoughts arising. Whatever arises, it arises in consciousness. When ignorance is present we live in the condition of mind, thinking dichotomously, in terms of duality. When wisdom is present, ignorance is absent, and we live identified not as an object particularly, but as the consciousness base in which all subject-object referentiality occurs. This way of contemplation is more important in our quest for truth than all the speculations of religions and philosophies. The errant suppositions of identity and the stabilizing in real identity is known directly, not religiously or philosophically.
The fundamental tenets of the higher levels of instruction in most traditional meditation systems is that when attachment to all conditioning associated with the ego-notion is transcended, one is then situated in the primordial state of unconditioned Being, beyond all conditioned Becoming. All conditioned states of mind, as well as all external objective phenomena, are temporary, whereas the primordial state of consciousness is not temporary, but is the base (or ground) of all temporality. The essence of most of the higher meditational techniques and contemplative science posit just this recognition of the conditioned and the unconditioned as primary understanding. Correct and meaningful practice derives from this distinction. Distinction must be made between the conditioned and unconditioned states of consciousness and doing this as a contemplative practice in short sessions throughout the day we can achieve a more stabilized and constant presence. When attentiveness to this is in an active state, then there is presence. When attention decays again into a passive or semi-passive state of distraction or daydreaming, then presence is lost again. Keep alert to the arisings of distraction and passive attention. Distinguishing between thoughts and presence like this repeatedly in short sessions will keep attention active, then thoughts which arise unbidden will decrease while presence increases. This is the simple process of awakening.
An awake being is free from the conditioning called karma, based on the ego-notion; then the primordial state of unconditioned Being is the inner directing force of the phenomenal Becoming.
