Author: John Richards

No matter how much I remind myself that there is no “I” or “self”, thoughts and painful past memories flood “me” and “I” get identified. What should “I” do?

This you that is identified with ‘I’, what shape is it? Since you know there is no ‘I’ as you mention than the false concept of individuality has already been dissolved in your direct experience. Without the concept of individuality, you most definitely understand you are not a body. So what shape is this ‘I’ that remains without a body? How could any experience that the mind presents in images, words etc. be about That ‘I’? You are not body. You are formless. Their is no local identification for this ‘I’ that you know you are not.

What sets a legitimate guru apart from an impostor or fake guru? What is your equivalent of a “false guru test” to verify and be determined that you’ve found a real and sincere one?

As long as you believe yourself to be embodied, you will see an embodied guru. Since this relationship is based on false pretense, naturally the guru is false.

If the embodied guru stirs a recognition of the true Guru, through a recognition, then a realization of the True Guru may offer a reflection of the Guru’s true formless nature. The recognition will occur that ‘I’ am not body.

Presence arises as the True Guru to whom you may make a complete surrender of everything known. Body, mind, ego, world, relations, everything that was known using the body. Even the idea you had about yourself and the guru.

Remain at the True Guru’s feet, sipping the nectar of immortality (Presence)

What’s a thought that has arisen once you started meditating?

‘I’ am meditating is a thought that may flow through mind while you are meditating. This is of no concern as this ‘I’ that is meditating will dissolve within the meditation as the attention is slowly shifted away from the meditator and more deeply into the meditation. Eventually you will leave the meditator and the concept of meditation and yet the entire world will still appear as within the meditation itself.

How can spiritual experiences be achieved through meditation?

The purpose of meditation is not to gain experiences, rather to find the origin of the experiencer, only to discover there is no place the experiencer can be found. All experiences appear on your Presence, without you, there could be no experience. The experiencer of every experience is prior to whatever experience may appear or disappear. Even the experience ‘I exist’ which appeared spontaneously with the concept of the experiencer and all subsequent experiences.

If separation is an illusion and the truth is that there is no “separate” other, but rather one consciousness, then does that mean that “everyone” is experiencing the same thing at the core?

At the core there is nothing to experience and thus no experiences. In order for the concept of experience to arise, there must be something ‘other’. Simply put appearances in your dream, though appearing as separate autonomous beings, have no separate autonomy, and therefore could not be considered to be doing anything that could be experienced. When you wake up from the dream you understand everything arose from yourself, there never was anything other.

Do I need a guru? How do I find my guru?

Guru takes the form of Presence through meditation and concentration. This Presence once felt in meditation, should be ‘worshiped’ with absolute attention, first in the meditation and then in the daily life. When you continue to give your attention more and more to Presence instead of the passing outside things and situations, there will be an expansion. Remain with this Presence. Without having to label it. Without trying to ‘figure it out’. Remain with the sense of Presence, brushing aside anything that tries to distract you from it. Eventually while doing your daily activities, you will be immersed in this Presence and the activities will be seen as occurring within this Presence. Just as when you are sick, all of the activities are done in the ‘sick feeling’. Or when you are hungry all of the activities are done within the ‘hungry’ feeling. So, to, when you are immersed in Presence all of the activities will be done within that Presence. Presence is the Guru, remain at the Guru’s feet. If an external Guru is needed to clear away body related knowledge or concepts, one will manifest while you are immersed in Presence. This path is direct and will lead to Realization.

What are some words to replace “empty” / “emptiness” that don’t have negative connotations? In a spiritual context.

Without attributes. The absence of attributes is the reality of spiritual “emptiness”. The one who knows or recognizes attributes is of course in reality, without attributes of any kind.

What really is enlightenment? Is it some external light like sunlight, Moonlight, fire light, or is it an internal light? If internal, where does it exist?

So many words. ‘light’ is a way to describe Presence or the background on which everything appears. Enlightenment is waking up from the dream of separation. Similarly, when you wake up in the morning you have the understanding that the world you were just experiencing was contained within a formlessness that emanated and was created from nothing spontaneously. You had experienced and enjoyed or suffered whatever projections were occurring through the/on the ‘light’ ‘Presence’. Enlightenment is the dissolution of the false concept of separation impressed through the belief in being a body in a world having experiences. Just like a dream. Once you spend time with yourself through meditation or after giving up on some useless body based spiritual practice and know yourself as formless and prior to body, mind, ego, intellect and world. Then the body-based concept of ‘Enlightenment’ is the label given to this knowledge understanding I am not body, I was not body, and I am not going to remain body. Body is not my identity. Everything that came along with the body (relations, family, birth, death, living a life) is in reality a dream on the background of ‘Presence’ or ‘light’ and is just a passing show to the one to whom it appears.

What is meant by the duality of consciousness?

Identification with an object in consciousness is duality. The concept of separation is impressed through identification with an object as ‘me’ and from this false position a seeming world of objects is birthed. The first object that was identified within consciousness ‘I am’ or ‘I exist’ created the illusion of separation of this ‘I’ separate from consciousness. ‘I’ as everything believing itself to be something. On a micro scale you could compare to a stream of thoughts and identification with a thought that spontaneously creates the concept of a “thinker”. ‘I’ creates spontaneously the concept of duality.

Aren’t all gurus simply teaching ‘truths’ based upon their experiences; therefore, conditioning the mind of another—- irrespective of the mode?

I experience the stove is hot. I tell you this is my experience; the stove is hot. If you place your hand on the stove it will be hot, but don’t take my word for it, please experience directly for yourself. You place your hand on the stove and indeed it is hot. This is now your direct experience and cannot be refuted. No questions will be asked, your are convinced.

The True Master clears doubts in such a way. Only egoistic spirituality (usually with a price tag and large crowds) adds concepts and another layer of illusion.

Ultimate Guru is the formless Presence within, which may or may not manifest in physical form.

Jai Sadguru!

Is inner body awareness the same as the “I AM” meditation?

“I AM” meditation is Presence remaining with Presence, Consciousness remaining with Consciousness, whatever name you wish to use for the awareness of the dissolution of the concept of a meditator meditating.

What does an enlightened person know?

Nothing. As there is nothing to know. Only the knower perfectly identified.

If people who are enlightened have put an end to almost all their negative karma, why are there among this group of people many who suffer from bad illnesses, poverty, or serious problems?

Karma is a body-based concept. You are not body. Knowing this truth is termed “Enlightenment” within the body based illusory existence. Whatever the form bodies appear to be doing there is no deed and no doer, as you are formless.

What is the purpose of meditation? Why bother?

Without meditation you will never know yourself, as you will always be trying to understand everything other than yourself. In meditation you will get to know yourself in a real sense, and the attraction of anything other will not be there. Removing layers of disturbance, trouble, problems and eventually even peace until you are all that is left when everything else has been dissolved or discarded.

Does practicing meditation help clear out the negative toxins from the body?

In a way yes. Meditation will help you clear out the toxins of anxiety, worry, frustration. Meditation will allow you to clear out the toxins of thinking, thoughts, and thinker. Meditation will allow you to clear out the toxins of worrying about sickness, despair, and death. Meditation will help you clear out the toxins of a ‘me, myself, and I’ to whom all of the above seem to stick to, as well as the world in which all of the above appear to be happening.

What does it mean by going inside and know thy self? How do you focus on the “I” in meditation?

Observe the observer until the observer dissolves within the observation. Concentrate on the concentrator until the concentrator dissolves within the concentration. This is True meditation and will dissolve everything that appears to you (thoughts, world, identification with a body) within yourself. Only You will remain.

Jai Sadguru!

Why doesn’t consciousness exist before you were born? Why should it exist after you are dead?

This ‘you’ that you are speaking of is nothing more than an object in consciousness. An appearance of a body in which for a time the unlimited appears as limited and from this perspective begins experiencing a world. Consciousness is not born, nor does it die. As ‘you’ are an object within Consciousness their is no birth or death. The true ‘You’ is That to whom the knowledge of existence has spontaneously appeared on which the concept of duality and Consciousness are supported.

What is oneness? How should one understand it?

Oneness is just as it sounds. One, only one, nothing other. When this One knows ‘I exist’ Oneness is covered by the illusion of ‘I’ as something. Formless Presence is the first object which can be counted and through it countless other things appear. Within the body-based illusion of existence the closest you may come again to Oneness is the removal of the false concept of body. Still not Oneness, however a direct experience that points to the concept of Oneness as no other will be there. Jai Sadguru!