In the past couple weeks, Akemi has experienced increased intensity in her spiritual quest. She really liked Adyashanti's second teaching last night,
in his online course. The students had rather advanced questions and stories to share. Akemi is frustrated. Yesterday I got her to dedicate a half day to cultivating the thought that there is nothing to do by actually, physically, sitting or walking around and doing nothing. It was very difficult, and her usual outwardly peaceful self became agitated.
"Aha," I said this morning, and I shared that "doing nothing, really feeling there is nothing to do, is most difficult for you." She could only think of one thing perhaps more difficult: looking for a job and getting more money. We agree however, that is a subject outside of direct spiritual inquiry. But with doing nothing, she has an obstacle that may be a key to why she doesn't awaken "now." If physically doing nothing causes anxiety, then how can the fresh state of being the non-doer be accepted upon awakening? It stands that as the veil of illusion is lifted, a point of diminishing returns is arrived at where awakening itself becomes unacceptable. Must we accept the experience of doing nothing before becoming the non-doer?
One student told Adyashanti she lost motivation to do any spiritual practice following a deep realization. This was not unusual, he affirmed, and discussed it at more length. This echoes my experience in 2000, and to a lesser degree recently.
If non-doing is an effect of realizing, then can doing nothing be a "cause" for realization?
Additional inquiries:
Cultivating non-doing from the exercise of doing nothing,
How does meditation serve as doing nothing? Should it?
What conditions should be placed to cultivate the feeling of having nothing to do?
My own experiences that brought the feeling of nothing to do
There's the Catch 22. The moment one seeks enlightenment is the moment one creates oneself as unenlightened and a separate thing that seeks to rejoin etc.
ReplyDeleteThe way forward is perhaps to sneek up on it with 'non-doing'. I think that's the central message here.
"You Are Already That"
Thus to sneek up on enlightenment realise all one is doing is calming the mind down a bit - a mind that exists within a HUGE Thingy that is ME... that has enlightened and unenlightened beings WITHIN it !!!
'Non doing'in daily life isn't about not getting out of bed or not doing anything -it's about not having a desired outcome when doing something...and contrary to what the mind is telling you: missing the bus,being late for work and getting fired a.may not happen and b.if it did would serve you better...Letting go (non-doing) is a bit tough but you can feel *doing something* as an 'upstream' feeling or 'something is wrong' feeling. It all ties in with attachment and separation.
That's my understanding of it anyway! There's nothing to do! and having fun and being happy just follow on from that.
As a technology for 'doing nothing' - I tell myself "Everything is Okay- Everything will be Okay" and I tend to chill out and it all gets groovy :))