After Awareness- The End of the Path

by Greg Goode

  54: There are other types of skepticism—for example, Pyrrhonism—that don’t accept realism at all. See Greg Goode and Tomas Sander, Emptiness and Joyful Freedom, (Salisbury, UK: Non-Duality Press, 2013), chap. 17.

  55: The senses are usually thought to include vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. We may even add a sixth, or intuitive, sense to the list.

  56: Tattvopadesha refers to the logically connected presentation of all the direct-path teachings.

  57: This is a kind of investigative proof-by-experience called “higher” because it’s able to investigate the mind itself. Since the mind can’t investigate itself (in the same sense that a knife can’t cut itself), the direct path calls this kind of subtle investigation “coming from awareness,” which is “higher” than the mind.

  58: Judith Blackstone, “Embodied Nonduality,” Undivided: The Online Journal of Nonduality and Psychology 1, no. 2 (May 31, 2012): p. 10. http://undividedjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/embodied nonduality.pdf.

  59: Ibid., comment posted July 10, 2012, at 1:58 p.m. Permalink accessed Feb. 28, 2015: http://undividedjournal.com/2012/05/31/embodied-nonduality.

  60: Scott Kiloby, “Conscious Embodiment” (2014). Permalink accessed Feb. 28, 2015: http://kiloby.com/conscious-embodiment.

  61: Berkeley’s most accessible book is Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous in Opposition to Sceptics and Atheists (1713). I heartily recommend the version found on Jonathan Bennett’s Early Modern Texts website (http://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/berkeley1713.pdf). Professor Bennett has worked hard to update the language of Berkeley’s text and make it easier to understand for the modern reader.

  62: See The Direct Path: A User Guide, pt. 3.

  63: The Direct Path: A User Guide contains no investigation into the subject/object distinction involving other people. If I were to add such an investigation, a good place would be in part 3 of that book, in which I discuss the mind. At that point, readers have looked into the world and also the body, discovering that the world and the body are never experienced to exist independently of awareness. And then in part 3 they get to the mind, and they see through alienating metaphors such as “the ghost in the machine.” That would be a good place to look into the question of other people.

  The reason I left this issue out of The Direct Path: A User Guide is that it’s already covered under the topics of world, body, and mind. The book features investigations about objects in the world. It looks into issues of body and mind quite thoroughly. Readers get to the point where they experience themselves as awareness and not as people.

  64: Nitya Tripta, Notes, vol. 1, p. 42.

  65: See Richard Rorty, Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1989), especially the introduction and chap. 4.

  66: I say that “most” relativism is metaphysical because there are also non-metaphysical, ironic varieties of relativism. For a good example, see Ugo Zilioli, Protagoras and the Challenge of Relativism: Plato’s Subtlest Enemy (Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2007).

  Greg Goode is known for a unique combination of penetrating insight, comfort with both Eastern and Western sources, and a down-to-earth sense of humor. He is author of Standing as Awareness, The Direct Path, and many popular articles, and coauthor of Emptiness and Joyful Freedom. Goode studied psychology at California State University, Long Beach, and philosophy at the University of Rochester and the University of Cologne. He became drawn to self-inquiry through the work of Brand Blanshard, George Berkeley, the Chinmaya Mission, and the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam. Goode is a member of the American Philosophical Practitioners Association (APPA), and serves as technical consultant for their peer-reviewed journal Philosophical Practice. He lives in New York City, where he enjoys literature, film, cycling, and spending time with his family.

  Index

  A

  Absolute level. See level, Absolute

  absolutism: 141

  Advaita Vedanta: 27, 39-41, 43-45, 56, 112, 191, 193

  American Philosophical Practitioners Association: 57, 59

  Amoralism. See Amoralists

  Amoralists: 48, 49, 53

  Art of Happiness in a Troubled World, The (book by the His Holiness, the Dalai Lama): 45, 191

  Ashtavakra Samhita (Vedantic text: 89, 92-93, 181, 193

  Atma Darshan (text by Sri Atmananda): 19, 66-67, 89-95, 163, 191-193

  Atma Nirvriti (text by Sri Atmananda): 19, 89-93, 95, 191, 193

  Atma vichara . See Self-inquiry

  Atmananda, Sri (Krishna Menon, 1883-1959): 1, 8

  Atmananda Tattwa Samhita (text by Sri Atmananda): 89-90, 193

  attention: 12, 19, 25, 27, 58, 66, 87, 97, 111, 134, 139, 142, 146, 148-152

  awareness: 2-11, 13-14, 16-21, 23-26, 28-30, 34-35, 41, 43, 46, 50-51, 53, 62, 64-67, 71, 74, 78, 80, 89, 91, 95-98, 100-123, 126-127, 129-137, 139-146, 148-160, 162-168, 170-177, 179-180, 185-186, 194-195

  B

  Balsekar, Ramesh (1917-2009): 39, 192

  bhakti yoga: 43, 87, 96, 99

  Black Madonna (version of the Catholic Mary, depicted with dark skin): 44

  bodily enlightenment: 142, 167

  books: 1, 8, 26, 67, 78, 83, 85-89, 154, 194

  Brahma (Hindu deity): 43, 101

  Brahman (Vedantic name for the Absolute): 41, 43, 56, 67, 112

  Brain, the: 25, 117-118, 122, 129, 166

  Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. See Upanishad, Brihadaranyaka): 193

  Buddhism, Madhyamika: 27, 39-41, 44-45, 56

  Buddhism, Pure-Land: 39

  Buddhism, Tibetan: 2, 40, 117, 194

  C

  cause and effect: 158, 160

  Christianity: 38-39

  clarity: 4, 7, 9, 18, 29, 82, 97, 102, 105, 109, 113, 120, 125-126, 155, 158, 167, 169, 183, 193

  Coherence (of the world): 162

  communication: 2-3, 27, 58, 63, 68, 70, 73, 80, 90-91, 94, 180, 183, 186-187

  compassion: 31, 33, 40, 44-45, 81

  concentration: 22, 40, 42, 134

  Conscious Embodiment (article by Scott Kiloby): 143, 195

  Consciousness. See Awareness

  Container (as metaphor): 25, 110, 122, 191

  Contemplation: 67, 88, 91, 101-102, 106, 176, 180

  critiques: 1, 23-24, 46, 49-50, 56

  D

  deconstruction: 1, 146, 165-166

  Deep sleep. See Sleep, deep

  despair: 106

  devotion: 9, 43, 84, 87-88, 99, 182

  Direct experience. See Experience, direct

  Direct method. See Method, direct

  Direct Path, The (book by Greg Goode): 66, 194

  Discrimination: 41, 91, 193

  Dispassion: 41

  Dissolution (of the transparent witness): 20, 111, 169, 172, 179, 187

  doership: 48, 160-161

  Durga (Hindu deity): 43, 99

  E

  Ego and His Own, The: The Case of the Individual Against Authority (book by Max Stirner): 36

  egolessness: 86

  Embodied Nonduality (article by Judith Blackstone): 142, 195

  ethics: 31-36, 38-50, 55-58, 60, 81, 178

  evidence: 12-15, 23, 28, 79, 119, 127-131, 150, 152, 156, 159, 161, 176

  Existence (of the world): 29, 120

  Experience, direct: 6, 11-18, 23, 28, 30, 64-65, 94, 96-97, 103, 105, 112, 114, 120, 123-130, 143, 151-152, 156, 159-161, 164, 167, 176

  F

  Faith: 37, 42

  Fifth Patriarch. See Patriarch, Fifth

  Figurative language. See Language, figurative)

  Forbearance: 42

  G

  God: 33, 38-39, 99, 118, 185

  Good Samaritan: 34

  gospel music: 34, 37

  Guru, the: 6, 74, 83-95, 98-100

  H

  Hawkins, Edwin (1943- ): 37

  hearing: 14-17, 22, 61, 65, 116, 119, 125, 174, 194

  higher reasoning: 18, 23, 91, 96, 135

  Hinduism: 34

  hopelessness:
106, 154

  Hui-neng (Fifth Patriarch): 22

  I

  inference: 12, 91, 124, 130-131, 135

  interpretation: 12, 74, 76, 124, 130, 137, 193

  irony: 6-7, 21-22, 28, 51, 61-62, 72, 78, 80-82, 94-95, 115, 123, 158, 169, 178, 182-185, 187, 195

  J

  Jnana yoga (self-inquiry): 41, 99

  joyful irony: 6-7, 21, 28, 51, 61-62, 80-81, 123, 178, 182-185, 187

  K

  karma yoga: 43, 96, 98

  Keers, Wolter (1923-1985): 9, 84

  Klein, Jean (1912-1998): 9, 19, 84

  Krishna (Hindu deity): : 1, 8, 43, 67, 87-88, 99, 192, 197

  Kwan Yin (Buddhist deity of mercy, used in East Asia): 44

  L

  language: 6, 21, 26-29, 50, 55, 61-67, 66, 71-75, 77-78, 80-82, 116, 140-141, 167, 178, 180-183, 192, 195

  Level, absolute: 27, 42, 44, 50, 89

  Level, relative: 27

  Levy, John (? – 1976): 9, 84

  Literal indicatory. See Meaning, indicatory

  literality: 71-72

  Literal meaning. See Meaning, literal

  localization: 114, 137, 141, 147

  Lucille, Francis (1944 - ): 9, 84

  M

  Madhyamika Buddhism. See Buddhism, Madhyamika

  Meaning, indicatory: —

  Meaning, ironic: 70

  Meaning, literal: 67-68, 71-74, 76

  Meaning, performative: 70

  Meaning, poetic: 68-69

  meditation: 41, 45, 108, 149-151, 191, 194

  Meditation on Emptiness (book by Jeffrey Hopkins): 45, 191

  memory: 106, 111, 125, 130, 135, 146, 148-150, 152, 161-162, 176

  metaphor: 25, 67, 72, 75, 78, 110, 122, 149, 185, 191

  Method, direct: 97-98

  Method, upanishadic: 97-98, 194

  mind, the: 21, 108, 186

  N

  Nature of Thought, The (book by Brand Blanshard): 116, 192

  nihilism: 106, 141, 154

  Nirvikalpa samadhi. See Samadhi, nirvikalpa

  Nityaswarupananda, Swami (1899–1992): 92-93, 193

  Nondual realization. See Realization, nondual

  Nonreferentiality (nondual approach to language): 61, 64-66, 71, 73, 75, 77-82

  Notes on Spiritual Discourses of Shri Atmananda, Taken by Nitya Tripta: 70, 83, 191-193

  O

  objective phenomena: 147

  Opaque witness (Witness, opaque): 7, 20, 32, 110-111, 133, 136, 139, 142, 146, 167

  Others (i.e., other human and non-human entities): 46, 63

  P

  Path, best: 29-30

  Path, highest: 28-29

  Patriarch, Fifth: 21-22

  Patriarch, Sixth: 22, 191

  Plato, Not Prozac! (book by Lou Marinoff): 59

  Prasangika Madhyamika: 27

  Prior to Consciousness (book by Nisargadatta Maharaj): 4

  Pure-Land Buddhism. See Buddhism, Pure-Land

  Q

  Qualifications (for a suitable student of Vedanta): 41-46, 56, 93

  quietness: 12, 101

  R

  Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950): 8-9, 75

  Rand, Ayn (1905-1982): 36

  Realism (philosophical view): 121-122, 126, 194

  Realization, nondual: 1, 3, 6-8, 20, 23, 40-41, 52, 114, 142-143, 153, 156, 158, 170-171, 174, 177, 187

  Realization, self: 3, 84-85, 88-93

  Reasoning. See Higher reasoning

  Relative level. See level, Relative

  Relativism (philosophical view): 183-184, 195

  reminders: 6, 8, 94, 97, 100, 102-103

  Renard, Philip: 9

  Representationalism (philosophical view): 62, 64-65, 79-81

  Rorty, Richard (1931-2007): 81, 182, 195

  Rosicricianism: —

  S

  Sadhana Chatushtaya. See Qualifications)

  Sajaha samadhi. See Samadhi, sahaja

  Samadhi, nirvikalpa: 102, 106

  Samadhi, sahaja: 7, 102, 106, 170, 179

  satsang: 58, 75-76

  self-inquiry: 3, 6, 9-11, 13, 17-19, 22-23, 43-44, 61, 85, 87, 91, 106, 118, 154

  Self-realization. See Realization, self

  sentience: 10-11, 112, 153

  Seva (Service in Hinduism): 21, 34, 43

  Shakti (Hindu deity): 43

  Shankaracharya, Adi (mid to late 8th century CE): 41, 191

  Shiva (Hindu deity): 43, 87, 99,

  Sixth Patriarch. See Patriarch, Sixth

  sleep: 10, 106-108, 122

  Sleep, deep: 106-108

  Solipsism (philosophical view in which there are no other people or entities): 144

  sound: 10, 14-16, 24, 65, 69, 115, 119, 124, 165

  space: 61-62, 82, 109, 113, 123, 143, 147, 177

  speech: 38, 44, 46, 53, 58, 63, 66, 76, 93, 141, 178

  Spira, Rupert (1960 - ): 9, 84

  Stability (of the transparent witness): 170-171

  standing as awareness: 6, 8, 97, 103-104

  Stirner, Max (Johann Kaspar Schmidt, 1806-1856): 36

  Sublation (a view deconstructed and incorporated into a more subtle view): 136, 138,

  Swami Nityaswarupananda. See Nityaswarupananda, Swami

  sweetness: 7, 9, 20, 44, 104, 106, 123, 125-126, 167-169, 171

  T

  Tattva Bodha (text by Adi Shankaracharya): 41, 191

  Tattvopadesha (teaching on reality): 19, 88-89, 96, 191, 194

  teaching model: 172

  The Heart Opener: 8, 97, 105-106, 154, 164

  The Morality of Happiness (book by Julia Annas): 53, 192

  The Word and the World: India’s Contribution to the Study of Language (book by Bimal Krishna Matilal): 67, 192

  thoughts: 3, 11-12, 14, 17-18, 44, 53, 81, 97, 101-103, 105-106, 109, 113, 134, 136-137, 140, 144, 147, 154-156, 160, 166, 168, 170, 186

  Tibetan Buddhism. See Buddhism, Tibetan

  Tools (of the path): 11, 20, 23, 29, 53, 112, 115, 135, 137, 163, 166, 174

  transparency: 58-59, 142-143, 167-169

  Transparent witness. See Witness, transparent

  U

  Upanishad, Brihadaranyaka (Vedantic text): 98, 193

  Upanishadic method. See Method, Upanishadic

  V

  Vedanta for Beginners (book by Swami Sivananda): 67, 192

  Virgen de Guadalupe (a title of the Catholic Mary, used in Mexico): 44

  Vishnu (Hindu deity): 43

  Vivekachudamani (text by Adi Shankaracharya): 41, 191

  vocabulary: 7, 20, 26, 28, 38, 81, 141, 158, 178, 180, 182-184

  Withdrawal: 42

  Witness, opaque: 7, 20, 32, 110-111, 133-146, 167

  Witness, transparent: 7, 20 ,51, 103, 105, 111, 133, 136, 147, 170-175, 177, 179

  Wood, Ananda: 9

  writing: 21, 24, 72, 78, 80, 90-91, 93-94

  yoga: 2, 8, 19, 21, 41, 43, 87, 96-99, 108-110, 139, 141, 143

  Zen: 2, 21, 39-40, 58, 137