Written by Mathew Naismith
It is said, "The process of seeking
will not lead one to enlightenment/awareness, for to seek is of the ego, when
enlightenment comes to one in the absence of the ego."
This is only partially true, for enlightenment
is simply of a state of releasing one from ignorance which the ego creates. You
can't become enlightened if you are still hanging onto any kind of ignorance,
being that enlightenment is of becoming aware in the absence of bias and
desire.
The seeking ego in an environment of
deliberate ignorance will often become more aware, as the seeking ego goes
beyond the boundaries of ignorance. Enlightenment comes when one no longer
needs to seek, however, the process of seeking beyond set boundaries is needed
to get to a stage of no longer needing to seek. In all honesty, you get to a
stage when you no longer seek and become the observer. Of course for people
like myself who desire not to be of any one state of being, one minute the
seeker, the next the observer, my present ego is unlikely to experience enlightenment,
or so it seems.
It is not of the process of seeking that stops us
becoming enlightened, it is how we seek. If I
was to seek to fulfil one's desires, as opposed to seeking in all honesty,
going beyond the boundaries of ignorance is not going to occur. To seek only
that which feels good thus feeds the ego desires, is still of ignorance, for to
seek in this way one must become ignorant or of refusal of everything that
doesn't make us feel good. However, to seek in all honesty often brings forth
truth that doesn't feed the ego desires, this is why today honesty and the
people expressing such honesty are so scorned and yes, deliberately ignored!!
If you have to ignore anything to try to obtain an enlightened state, the odds
of obtaining this state is exceptionally unlikely.
It is quite understandable that the ego at
all cost avoids seeking in all honesty, for the ego to have any sense of
control needs only that which gives it control, especially over it's present
environment. Being that our present environment is of deliberate
ignorance, the seeking ego will often seek that which defuses the present
environment. In other words, the ego seeking to gain more control in such an
environment, will unknowingly often become expressive of what the ego is trying
to escape from. The ego seeking more control in such an environment will only
produce more of what the environment represents, however, the ego seeking in
the absence of desiring more control, will often find itself outside the
boundaries of ignorance. This will often make the ego feel uncomfortable; this
is why so many people revert back to trying to take control.
The last thing an ego seeking control
desires, especially over its present environment, is honesty, for honesty
doesn't feed the ego what it desires. Honesty simply produces what actually is,
to what the ego desires what is!!
~For only the ego has a need or desire to seek~
"It is not of the process of seeking that stops us becoming enlightened, it is how we seek."
ReplyDeleteThis is so true, Mathew.
You make some important points that respond to a particular type of spiritual ego that likes to play a certain type of intellectual game. That person will be like, "Well, if enlightenment is already here and now, then I don't need to do anything." But that just leaves us to perpetuate the same cycles we've always perpetuated. Human beings are creatures of habit, and so seeking enlightenment in the right way, as you point out, is critical to breaking out of those habits.
Well Jim, very well exemplified.
DeleteYes, the intellectual game of my positive, right, good, white, over their negative, wrong, bad, black. Our egos need to seek, for the ego is simply and obviously not aware, but in a way that doesn't feed the egos desires.
Thank you for you time and insight Jim.