From Here to Here: Turning Toward Enlightenment by Gary Crowley

Author:Gary Crowley [Crowley, Gary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Philosophy, Buddhist, Taoist, Body; Mind & Spirit, New Thought
Google: -drSBwAAQBAJ
Publisher: AVAIYA
Published: 2006-07-10T18:30:00+00:00

The Shell Game

A separate “me" chasing enlightenment is the classic "shell game" of spiritual seeking. As the magician moves the three shells round and round, he hides the ball between his fingers. No matter how earnest your search, the illusionary ball never appears under the shell you choose, because it’s not really there to be found! If you buy into the illusion, you are forever tricked. A "me" with its illusion of conscious will can never win at the "shell game" of enlightenment.

There is no "me" with conscious will that does anything! Human beings are nothing more than puppets whose strings are made invisible by the illusion of conscious will. Pretending the strings are not there causes suffering. Seeing the neurological strings begins the turning of awareness toward an awakening to enlightenment.

Jolly Charlie’s Amusement Park, or "Jaalee Chaalee’s" as neurologies from Rhode Island pronounce it, had a great ride when I was a little boy. It consisted of a series of little boats attached to a track that ran beneath the water. Although the path of the boats was predetermined, we were all completely fixated on steering our boats. We madly turned the steering wheel to avoid crashing into the stationary buoys that appeared in our path and were so pleased with ourselves as we barely escaped disaster. We had a fantastic time waving to the parents each time we would pass. What could be more fun at that age than captaining a boat?

Of course, for the adults, the boat ride was a completely different experience. The adults understood that the steering of the boats was all an illusion. They could not step back into the dream of a small child. Seeing through the dream forever changes the dream. Yet, the adults did not go out of their way to ruin the illusion for their children. There came a time in the natural course of events when the child had enough life experience to understand the illusion. With understanding, the child became an adult.

Similarly, the "ride" of a body with conscious will is nothing more than an illusion, a childlike fantasy. Once this understanding occurs, everything is different. Yet, everything also remains the same. The body is still on this ride of life, but with no ability to consciously steer the boat, we are left as the awareness of the ride. We are left totally free to be the experiencing of each moment.

Conscious will is nothing but a false rumor. This false rumor, this nonexistent phantom, has been causing all your suffering. The illusion of conscious will is the culprit that holds back your spiritual awakening, but like all illusions, it is only supported by a lack of investigation and a desire to believe what is false. Believing in conscious will is like a child who imagines there is a monster in the closet. The child is genuinely frightened, but a simple investigation quickly resolves the problem. Adults just open the closet door and look.

As a spiritual seeker, it is your nature to be curious about what is.

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