Dear Rupert,
Now, at this stage, I feel quite naturally that everything (including thoughts, sensations, body) appears and disappears in us as Knowing/Awareness. But I feel it's quite difficult to get the feeling that the Knowing is also the substance of all objects. 'How' does one get the feeling that a table in front of the body is made out of the Knowing?
It seems to me that you suggest that first we should be certain for ourselves through experiential understanding that we are the Unchanging Knowing Space in which things come and go. Then we can go further to experience we are also the substance of all objects. Is that correct?
When you say the Knowing is the substance of the body and the world I usually think of it in the same way (to clarify my understanding) that modern physics says that everything is made out of a particle. But even the Knowing must be there to see the particle, therefore the Knowing is even subtler. In this manner of reasoning can we come to the conclusion that everything is made out of Knowing/Awareness?
Thanks so much for your response.
Sincerely,
Nguyen Quang Ninh.
Dear Nguyen Quang Ninh,
Thank you for your email.
Nguyen: Now, at this stage, I feel quite naturally that everything (including thoughts, sensations, body) appears and is disappears in us as the knowing/awareness. But I feel quite difficult to get the feeling that the knowing (we) is also the substance of all objects. ' How' to get the feeling that a table in front of the body is made out of the knowing?
Rupert: Take two experiences, one that seems to be 'me' and one that seems to be 'not me,' that is, an experience of the body and an experience of the world.
For instance, take the sensation of the tingling behind the eyes which is considered to be intimately 'me' and take the perception of the blue sky which is considered to be at an infinite distance from myself and made out of something other than myself.
Take first the tingling behind the eyes. Ask yourself how far away from 'sensing' does that experience take place? No distance at all.
Now ask yourself how far away from your self (Awareness) does 'sensing' take place. No distance at all.
Therefore how far away from 'myself' does the sensation behind the eyes take place? No distance at all.
Now take the perception of the blue sky. Ask yourself how far away from 'perceiving' or 'seeing' does that experience take place? No distance at all.
Now ask yourself how far away from your self (Awareness) does 'seeing' take place. No distance at all.
Therefore how far away from 'myself' does the blue sky take place? No distance at all.
Now we can go more deeply into it. Is there any other substance present in the experience of the tingling behind the eyes other than 'sensing?'
If there was another substance present there, then when sensing was withdrawn from the experience, that 'something' would remain over.
However, if we withdraw 'sensing' from the experience of the tingling behind the eyes, the experience disappears completely.
Therefore we know from experience that the tingling is made only of 'sensing.'
Now as yourself what other substance is present in 'sensing' other than 'that which knows it,' that is, Awareness. None!
See clearly therefore that the tingling behind the eyes is made only out of awareness.
Now take the sky. Is there any other substance present in the experience of the sky other than 'seeing?'
If there was another substance present there, then when seeing was withdrawn from the experience, that something would remain over.
However, if we withdraw 'seeing' from the experience of the sky, the sky disappears completely.
Therefore it is our experience that the sky is made only of 'seeing.'
Now ask yourself what other substance is present in 'seeing' other than 'that which knows it,' that is, Awareness. None!
See clearly therefore that in our actual experience the sky is made only out of Awareness.
We could simplify this and say that every appearance of the mind, body and world is made equally out of 'experiencing' and that 'experiencing' itself is made out of 'that which knows it,' Knowingness, 'myself,' Awareness, 'I.'
In this way the body loses its exclusive 'me-ness' and become impersonal like the world, and the world loses its 'not me-ness' and becomes intimatelike the body.
With warm regards,
Rupert
