Un-Presence

Post by **heidi** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:26 am

Being conscious of our most unpresent moments brings us into presence. So, I ask you this: When/where are you unpresent?

I am most unpresent when I am comparing myself to someone else or composing a conversation that will never happen. When I am writing I am present.

Unpresence also is acutely evident when I am talking to someone and not giving them my full attention. While I'm listening I am planning what I'm about to do when I have extricated myself.

I often commune with my husband at cocktail time when I am in the process of cooking or about to cook dinner. I notice this and let go and become present in the moment of love-making or conversation. In fact, while I write this I am also stirring dinner, so a part of me is not present. But in the absolute moment - I Am.

So, when multi-tasking, can one be present? I think so, as long as there's consciousness.

When are you not present? To know this is to become present within it.

spatialbean · Post by **spatialbean** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 3:35 am

Lots of times I notice it as I am going to sleep. My mind just jabbers away and I can get very frustrated with it. Instead I try to feel my blankets and my pillow, feel myself inside my skin. Most nights it's a circle dance of presence and un-presence until I drop off to sleep.

be-lank · Post by **be-lank** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 5:26 am

Oddly enough, I would have to say I have been less present since joining this site. I have so enjoyed it, thoroughly enjoyed it! But before- for many years, it was just me and God. But now I have all of you!

This has taken a good chunk of my attention, and where one’s attention is, that’s where one is. Before my attention was in Being.

For me, it’s almost as if the choice is loneliness and God, or company and less God. When I am lonely- I look to God to fulfill me, and It does. When I am not lonely, I don’t need God as much. (Presence)

Presence is here almost always. But the intensity of it has lessened.

I cannot be moderate in anything. Not that I don’t want to be- it’s just not in my make-up. But on the positive, that’s why I was able to … well… to be a hawk- and dive down deeply into God.

The choice is nearing. And of course The Beloved wins!

That said, I do love all of you so very much!

JedEye · Post by **JedEye** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:20 pm

I am present when I walk, when I`m going somewhere. As soon as I get out of any building I start to use senses, the air, the wind, the sky, any plant around - all with life and presence in it. It is so hard not to look, not to recognize myself in it. It happens spontaneously and usually whatever problems my mind thinks of, they lose importance.

I guess this is the only time when I`m present, when I feel life and being more deeply. When I`m with people I lose myself. When I`m alone, and mostly I am, mind and pain body takes over control.

Egoicmidget · Post by **Egoicmidget** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 3:26 pm

The immensity of oneness with all people places things.
That is my main nonverbal essence and that to me is "Truth" and is universal.

My egoic illusions of seperateness knocks once in awhile.
The witness which for me is slow and profound helps me when my mind wants command.

I think the senses are stunning and being present holds me spellbound.

When I immerse in silence and the watcher is comforting I find liberation
and freedom, so why would I want to go back to the worrying comparing
critical depressed self I thought was me?

LOL

I realize my enemys were myself and the blilss of just being keeps the polaritys in the realm conscious dissolution.

My non mental being keeps me on track for the most part.
The witness, helps to hear and reacte much slower and with pondering deliberation thereby allowing time to intercede my habitual reactive patterns. Which previously involved comparsion to stored past experiences and habitual usually negative judgment of others re-enforcing my percieved seperateness.

My reactive egoic self looses strength when I'm focused right here and now.

I feel an ease and oneness here. This is a joy to be amongst others who arn't burdened as much by the thoughts of truth but understand we share the universal truth of all existence. Polarites vanish in the light of consciousness.

No boundries just love.

Infinite and timeless.

John AKA Chimpmeister

phil · Post by **phil** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 5:06 pm

be-lank wrote:Oddly enough, I would have to say I have been less present since joining this site.

Yes, going to a Net forum to discuss silence is kinda like going to Times Square to find a quiet place to take a nap. There's an irony there we've yet to unravel on this forum, imho.

I think there is precence value in the noise, if we use it as Lisa has. Get engaged, be as honest as we can, watch our ego collide with other egos, in a supportive setting where those collisions won't descend in to pointless chaos.

Krishanmurti said something about using relationships as mirrors.

Observing in the context of relationships can bring more clarity to those observations. It's a lot harder to fool oneself in public than in private. The price tag for this approach is the noise that is inevitable in all human interactions.

be-lank wrote:For me, it’s almost as if the choice is loneliness and God, or company and less God. When I am lonely- I look to God to fulfill me, and It does. When I am not lonely, I don’t need God as much.

Yes. So well and frankly said, bravo my friend.

I think your use of the Net is very real, and very representative, and thus an interesting, productive, and probably noisy, can of worms to open.

So, open the can, or set it down and leave Lisa and millions of others to explore the question on their own?

be-lank · Post by **be-lank** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 9:01 pm

Phil, reply is in "squirrely cage."

summer · Post by **summer** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 9:32 pm

Let us remember that the silent witnessing presence is always here. If we are experiencing a lack of silence, it has not gone anywhere. We are temporarily identified with mind stuff.

Being out in nature may be one of the easiest places to be aware of silence. Yet, mastery is when we still hear the silence while walking around in Times Square.

I love being alone. For me, having house guests and entertaining is almost a guarantee for egoic mind identification. Recently, an out of town friend asked me if she could come and stay with me for a month. My first reaction was one of resistance. A big NO.

Then I thought "Maybe I am ready to give up my trainer wheels" Either I will fall flat on my face, or I will ride this bicycle without my familiar helpers.

So I decided to tell my friend to come on down and visit with me. We will see how it goes. I am feeling a combination of both excitement and fear.

Wish me luck

Post by **heidi** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 10:27 pm

Let us remember that the silent witnessing presence is always here. If we are experiencing a lack of silence, it has not gone anywhere. We are temporarily identified with mind stuff.

And that, my friend, is the wonderful paradox of talking about silence

And that is what Tolle is getting at when he speaks of the unnecessary-ness of doing a meditation practice, since becoming conscious of the core underlying being/silence in everyday life is where humanity attains peace.

spatialbean · Post by **spatialbean** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 2:27 am

Let us remember that the silent witnessing presence is always here. If we are experiencing a lack of silence, it has not gone anywhere. We are temporarily identified with mind stuff.

Being out in nature may be one of the easiest places to be aware of silence. Yet, mastery is when we still hear the silence while walking around in Times Square.

Yes! This is the killer combination, or like Heidi says the paradox, a divine paradox, of experiencing the inner witness. You can sit back in your body and there is that space between you and what is going on around you, and between you and your personality. In that position you can react or respond, come from ego or neutral, anything can happen and it is all with the blessing of that peaceful place you reside in. Who knows what you will do? No judgement, just witnessing. Ahhhh! That inner smile comes!

I love it!

me

Egoicmidget · Post by **Egoicmidget** » Sun Jan 29, 2006 4:01 pm

Yes! This is the killer combination, or like Heidi says the paradox, a divine paradox, of experiencing the inner witness. You can sit back in your body and there is that space between you and what is going on around you, and between you and your personality. In that position you can react or respond, come from ego or neutral, anything can happen and it is all with the blessing of that peaceful place you reside in. Who knows what you will do? No judgement, just witnessing. Ahhhh! That inner smile comes!

I love it!

I relate so much to this comment Claudia thanks for posting it.
My unpresence comes always without exception when I stop connecting to
what is instead of how I wish it was.

My voice in the head always judges others when they behave in ways
I don't like and therefore my inner world becomes chaos and I suffer.

Recently I have noticed a powerful but simple practice.

Awareness has nothing to do with"thought".

Thoughts or opinions are subjective viewpoints created by the ego.

When others try to pass them for truth, the words become there interpratation of truth. An opinion.

The problem for me is catching myself starting the dialouge and it's always the same.

Mindstuff.

When I observe this the voice stops indicating that it's not coming from the infinite but from the small mind identified mind structure.

Being in the Now stops all suffering.

That is my truth and I think it's universal because the portal to the unmanifested is entered through the now.

I have noticed as I practice Tolle's ideas that suffering goes down and peacful interactions with others increase.

Situations are processed way to fast when I'm in my head.

The space and time needed occurs when I'm abiding in my body, then thought slows and I'm able to catch my emotions before they catch me.

The silent witness is the key to me staying in the present moment.

When situations happen if I'm abiding inside they have far less impact on me emotionally.

At this point I am probably 70-30 (Now 70% )in the head thought, opinions and noise 30%.

I'm finding the inner body work is helping keep me rooted in presence so as I work with just allowing things to be as they are, staying in the now and out of my head is becoming easier, but I have to watch and correct as I go.

I hope to abide in "now" more as I feel through the teachings that can't be grasped by the limited thinking mind.

Like were the thought begins, and being aware of awarness.

The difference between egoic generated thoughts and those that come from the"field" of consciousness itself.

When I'm in the correct alignment with now and "what is", these are easy
questions, when I'm dealing with just mindstuff I get totally overwhelmed by the infinite possibliltys.
I realize that the mind is limited to concepts and very limited in understanding the nature of all, to me surrendering all to the vast place
which I refer to as God is the only way, and the humility that takes is for me the greatest lesson of all.

It's saying my ego isn't up to the task of shaping the universe "my way".
That pride and arrogance isn't the "way".
That is the disfunction of the egoic mind structure and the cause of suffering within and out there in the world.

I don't need enemies here or anywhere to feel superior to or feel less than, those are conditioned and therefore have a gravity that I'm still dealing with.

I think Jesus is a great role model to selfless love for all.

"Not my will, but thy will be done."-Jesus

Jesus the master showed humility to his father by that statment.

A willingness to give all.

John

be-lank · Post by **be-lank** » Sun Jan 29, 2006 6:30 pm

Bowing to the words of presence.

wow

spatialbean · Post by **spatialbean** » Sun Jan 29, 2006 11:15 pm

Beautiful John!

Golfer · Post by **Golfer** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 2:57 am

It was worthwhile joining this community for that alone , thanks John.