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A Little Adyashanti

silversilver In the beginning there was nothing, and then it exploded.USA, Left coast. Veteran
in General Banter

Someone posted this quote on another forum from a book I read a couple years ago, and I like it.

"Our spiritual culture has become very tricky. We have increasingly subtle spiritual concepts to use in our discussions. Many people have replaced the old heavy concept of God and sin with the words consciousness and conditioning, which sound a little lighter.

The modern spiritual person has these extremely abstract concepts. The more abstract the concept, the more transparent it is. It's hard to make an image of consciousness and put it on your altar. Your altar keeps being emptied. If you want to see the Truth, don't put anything there. The best altar of all would have nothing on it.

Even abstract concepts, though, if you identify with them, can catch you and prevent the mind from being disarmed. Even when there is a sudden experience of awakeness it is very easy for the mind to come into this living spirit of awakeness, put its stamp on it, and make it a something: "This is awakeness, or awareness, or consciousness, or Self." The mind will call it anything just so it will not be disarmed. So we see that even the most sacred concept, if it is not held very lightly, can become a subtle defense against this present state of being which cannot be fixated in concept.

  • Adyashanti, Emptiness Dancing
Shoshinpegembara

Comments

  • silversilver In the beginning there was nothing, and then it exploded. USA, Left coast. Veteran

    I sorta like the idea of nothing on my altar - less dusting to do.

    lobster
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    Right now, I don't have an altar.
    And my beautiful Buddha statue was ruined by my ex-landlady, who quite literally threw it into a box with a load of other random stuff, and it's now chipped and spoiled....So it now acts as a prop for a mirror....

    So maybe I am making nothing out of something, and something out of nothing....

  • lobsterlobster Crusty Veteran
    edited May 2016

    @silver quoted:
    ... If you want to see the Truth, don't put anything there. The best altar of all would have nothing on it.

    I knew I was doing it wrong again. :3

    I have been sitting on my altar lately, in collaboration with my cushion. Where I used to sit is now empty. The problem is the empty space between my ears does not match what I hear from the clearance ...

    Swaroopsilver
  • silversilver In the beginning there was nothing, and then it exploded. USA, Left coast. Veteran

    @federica said, "And my beautiful Buddha statue was ruined by my ex-landlady, who quite literally threw it into a box with a load of other random stuff, and it's now chipped and spoiled....So it now acts as a prop for a mirror...."

    Argh, what a dirty, rotten, low-down........erm, well - not right thinking, but at least your poor little Buddha statue was done right by re-purposing him! B)

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    Let me simply say that that act was the least harmful of everything she did.
    When I discuss it, it brings up emotions I'd rather not entertain, and are unskilful.

    So I focus more on how to improve myself through Buddhism, than how to devalue who I am through revenge.

    silverBunksFosdick
  • lobsterlobster Crusty Veteran

    Kill the heretic! [oops]

    Chipped and thrown away Buddhas or used as reflective props are my favourite.

    All my altars alter. Sorry about the killing remark [back to the alter ego for crustaceans] ...

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