Simpler than Simple!
Zmar Silent Retreat 10th May 2013 session 2 (with subtitles)
[Questioner] Hello. [Mooji] Hi.
[Q.] You said to remove story, just take story out of the picture
and just worry about right now, what's now.
And it occurred to me when I had a question,
when you take the story away from the question, there's no question left.
[M.]That is a finding, isn't it?
[Q.] It struck me that if we already removed the story,
there would be no need to stand up and ask questions.
But that's not really what I wanted to discuss, but...
[M.] I don't know about that. Maybe a question, there's not ...
There are more things to find out beyond the person.
But the person has many questions stored up in the person.
And if you can take out the kind of story
and this thing happened and then this thing happened,
and then so and so,
we look at that, and sometimes we ask the people when they write,
some people are writing a lot, and a lot, like that, [laughter]
and I said, But I can't cope with so much.
What is the point? Get to the point? Then we can write back.
I was saying, Please write to these people and tell them
just go to the gist, to the kernel of what you want to say.
Get to the point, because I'm not likely to read it if it's too long.
And please reflect on that. And then many of them wrote back,
'Actually, when we thought about it, it kind of resolved itself. [laughter]
When we brought it down to really what was the point,
we did our own surgery on it.
Then we didn't have to ask Mooji to do anything.
We kind of said, but I can leave that out,
and I don't need to say that,
and, but that's not important,
and then this never happened! OK'. [laughter]
We write back, 'Thank you very much'.
[laughter]
[Q.] So what's left is, when I take away the story
and find that there's no question comes up to me, I sit in peace.
Everything is peace, peaceful.
But somewhere in me I sense that I'm still a separate being.
That it could go deeper. There's a sense of separateness,
that when you remove the actual problems
then all that's left is separateness, then it really hurts.
[Mooji] Yes, yes, yes.
Then, you must try and find out separate from what?
No cynicism now. You look, where is the sense of separation coming from.
Between what and what? Separation means one thing from another.
At least one from another, you see?
Now you are the first one.
The sense of "I" is separate from what?
Try and identify what this is.
What could it be?
It is a natural thing, in fact, a pull,
because without this feeling of separation,
the aspiration to merge, this is the yoga of life itself.
Something, that the sense of the person out on its own is not enough.
There is something, that is feeling something is lacking
and it's inside all the beings.
It wants to pull, it wants to unite,
because this sense of separation, it causes a pain for many people,
isolation, something feels like, 'I am not'.
So let's get to it now then and see.
[Q.] So when you asked that, it felt,
when I sort of stopped listening to all that's going on up here,
it felt like just floating in some kind of ocean.
[M.] Floating in emotion? [Q.] In some kind of ocean.
[M.] In some ocean, yes. [Q.] That doesn't exist anywhere. Just floats.
[Q.] But like there's a little window open in the back
and the mind jumps in and says, 'We did it, good job!'
[M.] Let me put it to you another way. That you are witnessing also this.
There's witnessing of this. First, the sense of separation.
And then we spoke a little bit
and you say, now there's a sense that there's just floating in an ocean.
That is also a sense, a sensation, and it's also perceived.
Then this pleasant sensation,
the mind jumps in and goes, 'Ah ha! We did it!'
That is also perceived.
There's no need to identify anywhere in that still.
The source of the perceiving itself,
be in the source of the perceiving itself.
It's not an achievement.
Is there anyone who can achieve that now?
You see if you can follow. And anyone else, you can do it.
Because floating in the ocean is also another picture,
another image formed, and we like the images.
You say, I prefer this image, this floating in the ocean of being.
Ah yeah, this is a nice sensation.
But because it's an image and an experience,
in that way it has a beginning, it will also have an ending.
And both the beginning, the duration of the experience,
and the end of the experience will be seen also.
By what? From where?
[Q.] So the first thought that jumps in is
[Q.] it can't be that simple, surely. [M.] And that is also seen.
[M.] The voice coming through the first floor, through the back door,
through the trap door, it is also seen.
To whom is it speaking? To whom is it speaking?
Is it speaking to the pure Self? The pure Being?
Or is it still speaking to the beingness mixed with person
who is usually the one open for business with the mind?
So both are seeing the seen. Who is it speaking to?
Now you must clarify your true position.
And you will determine what that position is. This power you have.
This voice has been listened to for a very long time.
Even Jesus Christ in the wilderness, after the baptism,
He was led by the Spirit to be 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness,
to be tempted by the devil, He said.
Where did the devil come from?
You think he's living in the wilderness waiting for somebody to come?
Where did he come from? [laughter]
And he spoke. Where did he speak? Where? How far? Over there?
'Hello, Jesus. Hi, yeah, by the way.' [laughter]
No. Where did he come? He speaks in your mind.
It says, 'We did it'.
'You think it's that simple? Ha ha.'
And something has been listening.
Who is the listener of this voice?
Because this voice cannot intimidate the pure Self.
It can only intimidate the idea you have of who you are,
your self-image, which you must go beyond.
[Q.] At the moment of going beyond, or feeling I'm about to go beyond,
there's a sudden snapping back, like a grabbing on.
[M.] The feeling of going beyond, in a sense,
even the feeling of going beyond
is also seen from that which is already beyond.
Beyond even the concept of beyond. It is simply here.
So beyond language.
Like this feels like a distance, and a movement, and a shape.
And these are subtle, I would put guidances for the attention.
But all of this is watched. Isn't it?
All of this is watched in you. And how simple, also.
You can't believe how simple.
This thing, 'Now I feel I'm going closer and closer in',
let that, that's OK. Sometimes some people tell you,
"Yes, very good. Keep coming closer'.
But because in this dialogue
we will have to include the mind as well,
who is likely to go, 'Ops! Missed it again!
Sorry. Can I come back tomorrow?' It will be like this.
So I am not leaving any room for him now.
I'm saying, even this thing, ultimately,
I'm taking you to your ultimate place. Why?
Because you are here in that place also.
And this is the beautiful thing that you are discovering now.
You are already here!
But you have been imagining you are the journeyer on its way to here.
At the moment you feel now a subtle separation.
How much distance between yourself and the Source now?
How many meters or centimeters, millimetres?
What is the gap?
No distance at all. Except the distance of a thought.
The thought of separation will keep you.
And the thought of union is not going to help you either
if it's only thought,
which you, the pure Being, the pure Self
seeing of both thoughts are present in you, in your alreadyness.
You see, this is the final hurdle that feels so difficult.
Because the great card from the mind says, 'It cannot be so simple.
Look at how many texts.
How many scriptures. How many great temples.
It cannot be so simple. Come on. It must be some trick is here'.
Well, at least try it and expose what we are saying as also a trick.
Then at least you don't have to come back here anymore then.
Why right now, when you're about ...
'No, no, it can't be that simple.'
Okay, let's forget about it then.
At least some common sense will say, 'OK, if I'm going to waste my time,
it will only take a second to waste it then'.
To, at least, find out rather than listen to the speculation of my mind.
'It cannot be that simple'. Are you following?
Why would the mind bother, 'No, it can't be that simple!"
It's still trying to put you off the scent, throw a stone in the bush.
'What was that?" [laughter] So where were we?
'Not here at all. On the beach. Come.'
It'll take you somewhere else.
For as clever as it is, you must be equally wise.
I am pointing you to what you already are, from here.
That feeling that, I only have this one step to make.
And all powers on Earth are going to try to make you,
if you believe in yourself as a person, to not make that step.
Or to make a step,
then it says, 'Ah ha! I see you made a step. It's not there'.
So I said, No step.
What is it that does not have to make any step?
And it throws a wobble inside the mind,
thinking, 'No, no, no, but I have to do something.
I have to do something!'
I say, I, who?
Establish your identity. Who are you who will do this step?
Or will not this step also be watched
by that which does not need to make any step?
But the great disbelief,
will it live on?
It will want to turn this, 'This is just a psychological trick.
Nothing really goes like that.
That's not what the Buddha said about it.
That's not what ...' And argues, 'Do it'.
[Q.] There's this feeling, judging from this morning, I know no stories.
But last night, going to sleep there's a lot of very deep peace,
where nothing's happening or everything's happening,
and nothing's really bothered about it.
At night while I'm asleep, lots of crazy dreams come, weird visions,
I wake up and I'm squarely back in human form again,
back in person, back in story, and it's almost like
something precious was snatched away while I was sleeping.
Of course, I know that's affection, a feeling.
[M.] What is precious cannot be snatched away. It can only be covered up.
[Q.] Covered up. [M.] What is really here and pure cannot be lost.
[Mooji] It can only create some distraction in your mind,
and then you're looking at something else
and your attention goes there.
As I use the example, my finger nail can cover the sun.
A thought believed in,
can somehow eclipse your intuitive recognition of Self.
Something ... these thoughts come easy.
The mind doesn't have much work to do. He just lies there and says,
[snaps finger] 'That's enough. You're OK. You're OK'. [laughter]
Next one over there. [whistles] 'OK. This one is OK.' [laughter]
It got nothing to do. We are so well-trained sheep
that respond to a little doubt. 'Ah, no!'
Sometimes you say, 'My mind doesn't like this',
'My mind doesn't agree', 'My mind wants this', 'My mind'.
This is the dream, you see?
Now, you are here.
It seems like you're at the door, turning the knob,
and something is whistling, 'Hello, hey, come here, a minute'.
'Hmm?'
Come back to the place you are now.
Rumi said something beautiful now. I told you.
He said, 'Knocking [making knocking sound] at the door, it opens.
I have been knocking from inside'. He said it like this.
Knocking at the door, it opens.
I have been knocking from inside.
But this knocking has to be, this knocking is the life itself.
Then it must open, because you want it.
The urge is, 'I must go in'.
Then it opens. And only when it opens, you realise where you are.
You imagine you're outside of your Self, trying to get in.
But when it opens, you see, 'I've always been here'.
This is the final hurdle that feels so difficult
because of the great card of the mind that says,
'It cannot be so simple!'
The beautiful thing that you are discovering now
is that you are already here,
but you have been imagining
that you are a journeyer on its way to be here.
A video extract from the Satsang DVD
'No Sadhana is Needed When Grace Has Picked You Up'
Zmar Silent Retreat 10th May 2012 Session 2
www.mooji.org