Dear Rupert,
I have just completed reading The Transparency of Thingsand find it to be one of the clearest and most comprehensive discussions of consciousness and non-duality.
Since consciousness is all, and I am, I assume that we can also say that consciousness is omniscient and all-understanding, and that knowledge and experience (past, present and future) are contained within it. I feel that omniscience is realised as consciousness but have not been able to achieve this. Is this because I’m still trapped in the mind-body-world? If so, what can be done to move beyond into that omniscient state, the true nature of all?
Thank you,
George
Dear George,
You are right that it is consciousness that knows all that ‘was’, ‘is’ and ‘will be’ known. However, that does not imply that any one individual mind contains all knowledge. The mind is very limited. But it is a mistake to superimpose the limitations and characteristics of mind onto consciousness. You, consciousness, are not trapped in a body-mind. The body-mind appears ‘from time to time’ in you.
You do not need to move ‘beyond’ into any state. All states appear in consciousness, that is, in you. The body-mind can never expand to become that, although the powers of the body mind may be expanded to a certain extent.
But expanding the body-mind has nothing to do with what we are speaking of here. We, ‘I’, consciousness is already ‘fully expanded’. However, I don’t mean to imply by that that consciousness is expanded in time and space. It is more accurate to say that consciousness is eternal and infinite, that is, ever-present, ever-here, timeless, placeless.
Be knowingly that limitless, unlocated, ever-present consciousness and allow the finite, limited appearances of the mind, body and world to reveal primarily this presence that you are and that is all seeming things.
With warm regards,
Rupert
