Python Liberation Front

Consciousness Revisited

Deep within each individual, there exists a consciousness free of ego, greed, separateness, and death. It is this consciousness which we each must find, cherish, and hold. This consciousness will guide us.

When you think of "yourself", you may think of your inner dialogue, your verbal thoughts which begin with the word "I". But who is this "I" in your head?

This "I" can not be the real inner you, because your mind is forming the thought which results in a sentence beginning with the word "I".

Ask this question of the "I" in your mind: "Who are you, I am waiting for an answer". But do not form the "answer" yourself, using your ego and mental verbal machinery; instead, listen carefully for the answer from deep within.

You will hear no words, if you do this experiment carefully. Instead, you will experience a timeless center of being, a deep well of mind. From deep below the surface, wordless joy of existence will swell up from within and you will know the peace of glimpsing your real existence, your timeless reality.

This reality of existence is shared by all humans, of whatever race, geographic location, and time. You can share in their joy, experience, and triumph; but you also must share in their pain and suffering.

But the inner reality of existence survives and ultimately vanquishes the pain and suffering, because the pain and suffering belongs to the contingent world of material reality, and ultimately can never pierce the eternal worlds of the soul.

All sentient beings share in this eternal ground of being; to the extent that their natures allow. But human beings are at a very high level of conscious existence, and their spiritual reality is precious indeed. We all must honor and cherish this shared dignity and reality of humanity.

So, this is the reality of the basis for moral and ethical behavior , as well as religious experience. Once we realize our inner connection with all living beings, and especially with all human spirits, then we can no longer behave as if only our own limited well being matters. What matters is the reality of all living souls. Therefore, morals do matter.

Whatever situation you are in, try to experience the inner reality of the consciousness of all humans present and involved. Experienced from this viewpoint, a peaceful and much more level-headed consciousness within yourself can and will better evaluate the true ramifications of all actions, decisions, and interactions within the group.

Try this experiment; when sitting or standing in a group of people, think about your own inner reality, that point of infinite consciousness deep within you, far beyond your own fragile ego. Now, consider each of the other persons in your group as similar infinite points of consciousness. Realize the inter-connectedness of all of these points of consciousness. Now relate to the group as the magnificent congress of souls which it really is! You will effect great changes for the better in your happiness, well-being, and wisdom in group dealings.

Time, Mind, and Consciousness

Close your eyes. Imagine a time before anything existed. Nothing exists. No things, no minds, no ideas, no God, no space, no time, no anything. Is the absence of anything something? Is it possible that from nothing, came what we have now? Or does the very concept of the existence we have now imply that existence was always possible?

If you allow your mind to meditate on this, you will realize that the existence of things, including the universe, is completely irrelevant unless mind and consciousness exists. Without mind, there is no difference between utter nothingness and a complete physical universe! Mind is all that matters.

Therefore, the current existence of mind, as proved to yourself by your own thoughts and meditation on this theme, may have important implications. If death is utter annihilation of mind, and all things ultimately die, then we would go into nothingness, and that nothingness would be as if nothing had ever existed. Yet something exists now.

I leave it to you. Does the existence of your own mind right now imply that mind has always existed and always will exist? If mind is the ultimate stuff of the universe, how can mind cease to exist? Is it more reasonable to believe in the primacy and staying power of mind, or of the physical universe?

Something is primary about mind. How does mind relate to time? Think about the very beginning of the universe. Think about the very beginning of mind. Think about the end of the universe, and the end of mind. Does mind die? If mind is as important as it appears to be, what does your mind tell you about these subjects, when meditating most deeply?