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2677_043001
Audio of Jan Cox 30th of April 2001
Notes by CF
Suggested Title: Streamlined Self Observation
Begin: A lot of things I talk about to you guys now a days – if at first it does not seem literally conceivable then assume its metaphorical. Our first insights always strike us as metaphorical or symbolic of something else. So metaphorical is OK.
If you recall my term neuralize ( considering something without actually thinking about it ) if you press on with an insight, run with an insight, while not holding it in your hand but keep throwing it in the air a little bit while you run with it it will finally strike you its not metaphorical.
Here is a whole other view of consciousness. Consider consciousness as being this: Its the “observation” of a thing in you that leads what you ordinarily call your life. And that is all it is.
Rather than a pursuit of a heightened state of consciousness, if you limit consciousness to the “observation” of a thing in you that leads what you normally call your life, would not consciousness still be operational?
If you limit your view of consciousness to just the observation, in what way could you say “Well – that could not be true?” Your mind may try to dismiss or distort this view. But there is really nothing that needs to be added to this view of consciousness.
05:00 My sensation is none of you are enjoying this view anywhere close to the insight and pleasure I derived from it. I am assuming I am going to have to talk you into liking it. Look at all the multifaceted theories of consciousness (my theories, your theories, or anyone’s theories) .
And then look at consciousness as one thing only – Its the observation of a thing in every person that is leading our lives. This insight just hit me. I did not figure it out. It is an opportunity to see consciousness, as an observation, that life has made available, that goes on in the brain.
And on that basis we can make observations approaching true self objectivity. For example I observe this thing in me ( not I ) is jealous of famous successful people. In moments of insight, the ordinary may get a glimpse of this when bad mouthing others. Someone may say – “have you considered you are just jealous?”
10:00 I am not giving this example as an excuse or justification of bad behavior. What this view does is it gives you an arms length opportunity to treat the thing as it should be treated. ( cold bloodily, truly objective. ) This is not a psychological ploy to treat yourself as an ‘it’ instead of a ‘me’.
If it were you could tell me what you were going to say next. From six billion ordinary views this view is insanity. A psychologist could pull you aside and say this is a dangerous view. ( good and bad ) Life has arranged it that way. And I understand the ordinary view.
Of course I always like it when ordinary people worry about going crazy. They never say crazier. With us there is no danger. You can’t drive yourself crazy.
I just want you to understand the ramifications of “the mind” trying to ferret its way out of this view. This view is head on and beautiful. And its liberating to realize it. One of the oldest methods to awaken is “self observation.” (Self observation is not the point. You try it and learn something else.)
Streamlined self observation is “it” observation. If you think you are observing yourself you are dancing with yourself. You are dancing with a tar baby. If you think you are “working on yourself” and making progress ask ,“But how can you tell?”
15:00 No one ever asks “how can you tell?” There is nothing self evident in the mental realm. The only reason that being “less stupid” or “less asleep” exists is because you say it does. There is more to streamlined self observation than I am spoon feeding you tonight.
If you can see it for yourself, its like a cosmic shotgun with pellets that hit you everywhere. Work on one’s self – in our definition – is work on our non-tangible self. ( Its not physical. If eating or drinking too much is the problem – that’s too big of a problem.)
Notice the mind will want to treat this view as theory. The mind will treat what its hearing as something else. Consider a preacher’s comments about God and country in front of an audience. It appears the audience is applauding God and country. But the mind is applauding itself.
And I say the mind is doing the same thing when you “work on yourself.” Its the mind applauding itself. Here I am working on myself – warts and all – so applaud for me. Its the mind saying “Am I something or what?” And we say “God Dam right.”
20:00 If you take the view that consciousness is not a state, not a view, not a thing, not a condition, and just forget any description and take the view that I am giving you, Consciousness, operationally, is the observation of a thing in you, that leads what you normally call your life.
Consider consciousness as totally passive and disconnected from what you observe.
And if you realize the obvious. “I” don’t have any consciousness. Consciousness is nothing but the ‘observation” of this thing in me that I normally call me that is running my life. How can you work on an observation? How can you make an observation “more awake?” An observation is an observation.
If you see consciousness is that – it is fully explained by that. I will leave it to you to investigate it. Consider what consciousness seems to be in you. Consider what consciousness seems to be “you.” Consider thoughts, pondering, attempts to expand consciousness but if you see it as one thing…
That consciousness in everybody is one thing only – it is the observation (Life has allowed it) of a thing in you that leads what you normally call your life. It doesn’t explain everything and it does not justify everything. But when you see it, everything is different.
24:00
Jan’s Posted Daily Fresh Real News
April 30, 2001.
At any given time there are several thousand people alive on this planet who are earnestly interested in the idea of achieving a non standard state of
more personally agreeable consciousness,
(Waking Up, becoming Enlightened),
oft referred-to throughout the history of man,
and who, to varying intensities
consider themselves actively involved in its pursuit.
There are numerous, long-established, religious & religious-like, publicly-accepted structures in which the members profess to the above, but which in practice prove to be their profession.
The few who always constitute the actual heartbeat of this unusual interest, even should they initially align themselves with some apparently pertinent organized activity, tend to ultimately go it alone, or almost alone.
(Being a good joiner-upper turns out not to be particularly compatible with achieving this
peculiar goal.)
Once they have constructively abandoned consistent participation-in & reliance-on normally available organized activities which claim to be dedicated to bringing about another condition-of-mind,
the core few are left with three possibilities to assist them in their undertaking: books, their own wits,
or the potential acquaintance with another individual who, thru personal experience,
understands what this is about.
And same as with everything else in
mans mental reality — this can get quite tricky;
for instance, books are no actual alternative,
since their ideas are the same thing as the
readers own wits,
and even the overt words of another living human can be made into no more than that
if the seeker of the fresh state is not abnormally alert.
Of specific note today is how susceptible are these solitarily inclined few to leechlike feelings of
self condemnation and disgust,
not of the routinely accepted psychological sort,
(not : I guess I hate the way I look because of how my mother treated me, but rather:
What’s the purpose in these negative thoughts about me that are continually fed to my head,
and since its my mind — why cant I stop them?)
For a long time such an attitude appears to operate as the basis for a persons struggle in this curious undertaking, but ones view must eventually move elsewhere, or else even this extraordinary affair becomes but another
form of meaningless self flagellation,
(not without significance in ordinary lives,
but meaningless in those of the few).
It is necessary first that a person gain a constant awareness that their mind, thoughts & consciousness —
— the totality of what is supposed to be your individual, private, and completely personal inner world
is not under your own control, nor even apparently much subject to your own desires for it,
but a man must be cautious not to become so accustomed to this seemingly justifiable state of
self irritation as to unwittingly allow it to become
an acceptable substitute for the one he originally sought.
Do not permit yourself to forever sit home alone,
incessantly berating yourself for being weak & asleep,
(a few decades of such should be sufficient for anyone),
but go to the next stage which will quickly arouse you from your sluggishness, and return to you,
the indescribable excitement you first felt upon hearing about this extraordinary adventure.
The next stage is the non self critical examination of your self criticism — and remember:
this is not undertaken on the basis that there is something peculiar to your individual life that
makes you feel thus;
what you are looking for has nothing to do with
you personally,
nor with your family, friends, community, culture, religion, nationality, wealth, or social status.
In corpore what you are finally looking into
at the new level of trying-to-Awaken is:
What is the root of me wanting to Awaken?
This can be cut up and talked about in a multitude of manners, but this is the basic question,
and from its impassionate,
(as much as is humanly possible), investigation
will be revealed — what you seek.
Beating yourself metaphorically about the head indefinitely is not the way,
and you should not sit there presently,
and believe that it is.
This grand escapade is not a bizarre experiment intended to torture the few, but indeed, as you initially,
and correctly felt when you first ran across the idea of,
waking-up-to-anew-state-of-more-
-enlightened-consciousness,
it is the most fun you can have while still on this planet, and the answer & solution to
all questions & problems
ever thought of by man.
The time is ripe for you to look past the repetitious
notices in your head of how asleep, stupid,
and frustrated you are;
being so aware was progress for you twenty years ago, but it is now mere meaningless redundancy.
You are now not a sleeping, confused person;
you are a person with a mental awareness that says you are asleep and confused;
be happy —
— you succeeded in the first stage of the journey,
now it is time to go to stage two:
the joyfully expectant examination of
why you went through the first stage.
The struggle to wake up & be enlightened
is not connected in any way to any form of suffering, pain, or sadness;
those are of the ordinary mental realm.
No matter how serious you believe you are about waking up,
(and tis quite likely you are too serious,
in the sense of being uselessly solemn),
start reminding yourself of this fact:
If you’re not being made happy by what you’re doing —
— you’re not really doing it;
you may be doing something — but you’re not doing IT.
That by now, should be everyone’s standard:
If you are not minute-by-minute, thrilled,
enthused, and constantly
pleased-to-the-point-of-laughing-out-loud,
you’ve just momentarily slipped back into daydreaming, and all you need do is snap back to your indescribable investigation of:
What is, being asleep & wanting to awaken?
At the next level, the effort itself is so much fun
that the question of success gradually becomes almost irrelevant,
(believe it or not).
No man is happier, or more satisfied with himself than he who wants to Wake Up,
and who will let go of silly notions about the seriousness of doing so,
and will move on to the next stage of pondering why he is not presently happy and satisfied with himself
in his efforts to Wake Up?
The answer to everything is
the questioning of the question.
Take a deep breath —
shake your shoulders —
loosen up & relax;
the next stage stands right jam-up against your toes.
Go ahead — take the step.
J