Lisa started spiritually seeking in her early 20’s. She had her first awakening in 2005 after attending a talk given by Tony Parsons. After this, she spent some time in India with Ramesh Balsekar. It was there that she met her final teacher, Roger Castillo, who was also a student of Ramesh. She lived with him for three years in Australia during which time many falsehoods were seen through. In the beginning of 2011, Lisa’s awakening stabilized and the seeker fell away. Lisa now enjoys communicating the nature of Happiness to anyone desperate enough to know the truth.
Interview recorded 1/7/2012
Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast. This video is 720p resolution, so you may want to watch it full-screen.
a lot of words… good luck you all.
i mean it. this has been fun, but i think i’m losing interest. thank god…….. all the best
*+*chuckee on January 29, 2012 at 12:21 pm said:
a lot of words… good luck you all.
i mean it. this has been fun, but i think i’m losing interest. thank god…….. all the best
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Well, chuckee, what else could there be here?
But…I know how you feel – I really lose interest, too, sometimes. I find it really, totally pointless, at times!!!
Take care, wish you well.
Yeah … internet chat forum without words … How boring is that?!! Alas, this love of words, and the writing of them, is also a unique expression of “______”
No problem with not sharing that sentiment … cheers chuckee … will miss the sharing of tunes though.
@Graham “It is quite funny that many people are seeking spiritual awakening as an escape from human dramas but it doesn’t generally work because the dramas keep you pinned down.”
………………………….
I think that it’s a great point to talk about human dramas and emotional traumas…
Too often among some teachers and within the non-dual community… There is an emphasis to negate everything, it’s like DENIAL to the extreme.
There is no seeker, no world, nothing is happening, etc. therefore thoughts aren’t real, emotions aren’t real, fear doesn’t exist, seeking doesn’t exist, nothing to do, nothing to learn…. just rest in the absolute awareness consciousness empty void, brainless bliss….
Somehow the constant negation can make some sense and be effective to a point… but the problem is…. the world somehow seems to keep appearing….
There’s still plenty of selves doing activity that looks like seeking (even if it’s constant reinforcement of the belief that there’s no seeker), and even the most calm mindful loving commenters here can still get triggered with emotions of hurt, pain, anger, defensiveness and react with attacking language and name calling or just dismissiveness….
In Adyashanti’s most recent book “Falling into Grace” one chapter is titled “Experiencing the Raw Energy of Emotion” with some sub-sections titled “Allow your suffering to speak”, “How we maintain our suffering”, “Having a complete experience”, “Letting go of our resistance to what is there”.. He thought dealing with emotional suffering was worth devoting attention to, wanted to clear up misconceptions, and thought it helpful to offer instructional suggestions for practice.
I also have found addressing and processing emotional issues and trauma to be quite helpful for me…. a happier nervous system and psychology makes spiritual practices a whole lot easier.. There isn’t necessarily a need to dig up emotions, they will naturally come to the surface and want to be addressed, just allow them to be fully felt, experienced and heard consciously, and usually that’s enough or a good starting point…
Well said Val … this, of course, has been called spiritual bypassing. But it’s worth noting too, that the apparent separate self at the root of the suffering, is the dream that ‘One‘ (for lack of a better word) awakens from, so to speak. As such, as long as that dream persists, so will the suffering. In other words, apparent separation, as the purveyance of the suffering, can only serve to perpetuate it. Once that appearance falls away, then the suffering falls away with it, quite naturally, as it is eventually processed — although, as you say, it can take some time, as the conditioning can run very deep. But ultimately, there is no bypassing it, for that too would be a function of apparent separation, and just more suffering. Albeit, as stated, it’s all an integral part of the natural dharma. And it would seem that the unconditional response is compassion.
“Somehow the constant negation can make some sense and be effective to a point… but the problem is…. the world somehow seems to keep appearing….” – Graham
An appearance of X can only be problematic if you are desiring Y in place of X. A natural by-product of being attached to one over another.
“There isn’t necessarily a need to dig up emotions, they will naturally come to the surface and want to be addressed, just allow them to be fully felt, experienced and heard consciously, and usually that’s enough or a good starting point…” – Graham
Anapanasati meditation facilitates that quite well Feeling-forms appear, as do thought-forms. With the sole intention of being aware of them, they, in turn, appear and dis-appear. As do all forms/appearances.
In time, your awareness of all forms drops the intention of being aware of them. And there remains naked awareness sans any intentions.
@Valentino / Snowleopard-
It has been my experience that the “mind” is the gatekeeper to deeper spiritual awakening. While it is troubled and creating dramas the gate is firmly closed.
That, I believe, is why Zen, Buddhism, Yoga, Etc all teach meditation to still the mind. I have also noticed at the few retreats I have been to ( such as Neale Donald Walsch, Gangaji and Eckhart Tolle ) they spend 75% helping people quiet the mind and clear their dramas. Byron Katie makes a whole business out of it.
I cleared my human dramas by a simple understanding of the mind and what it was doing. If you are interested, send me an email to grahamdietrich@bigpond.com and I will send you my notes.
Am I enlightened? Who knows or cares but I can tell you there is now a lot more peace and joy in my life as well as what I could only call spiritual interactions.
Thanks for the offer Graham, but there’s not much suffering happening here, and what occasional remnants that may appear are not a problem.
Just noticed too that Peter was quoting you in his comment above, when apparently he meant to be quoting Val … not that the message is altered in any case.
No Worries Valentino
If you are interested here is one of the great awakening songs by Deva Premal & Miten.
The intention of slowing/calming monkey mind is not the same intention as being aware of it.
The former can turn into a protracted training session, whereas the latter can prompt the appearance of monkey mind… to dis-appear.
A common by-product of awareness.
@Peter & Snowleopard
I have attempted to read & understand your comments addressed to my sharing about non-dual denial, experiencing raw emotions, emotional traumas, etc.
And maybe I’m just a bit slow or something, but I can’t really grasp or find the main substantial point either of you were trying to make.
Would it be possible to simplify things, share from your personal experience as to what has worked or not worked for you? or from personal observations of what has worked or hasn’t worked for others? I get a headache trying to follow things from an abstracted impersonal absolute point of view.
……..
fyi:
Robert Augustus Master’s definition of spiritual bypassing:
“The use of spiritual practices and beliefs to avoid dealing with our painful feelings, unresolved wounds, and developmental needs.”
=+*+*= Valentino on January 30, 2012 at 6:14 pm said:
I get a headache trying to follow things from an abstracted impersonal absolute point of view.
fyi:
Robert Augustus Master’s definition of spiritual bypassing:
“The use of spiritual practices and beliefs to avoid dealing with our painful feelings, unresolved wounds, and developmental needs.”
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Valentino:
If I may comment: There needs be no looking at anything from a ‘point of view’ – absolute or relative.
Sinply see – observe – whatever is.
No other reading, teaching, method, practice, is needed.
Just allow, accept and surrender to, whatever arises.
It’s as simple as this.
If there is the total living in, and acceptance of, fear, anger or a sense of separation, if there is at-one-ment (atonement) with them…then, there is no fear, anger or separation.
It’s ‘thought’, that tries to distance itself from, or avoid, that which it thinks it shouldn’t, or doesn’t, want to feel or think, that perpetutates these phenomena and the resultant conflict thereof.
Trying to be ‘spiritually-minded’ is ludicrous – no need to be involved with this senselessness.
It’s stupidity that divides Life into the ‘spiritual’ and the ‘non-spiritual’.
Life is Life.
Life is the only religion, someone once spoke.
@ Valentino … not to worry, these words may or may not resonate. It matters not. More important to follow one’s own intuition. Trust that life takes care of whatever needs taking care of. That’s what nature (dharma) does. Humans are not excluded from it’s providence. “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under Heaven …”
Re: Robert Masters. Really enjoyed his interview here, as well as the book, and the subscription to his regular newsletter via his website. Fascinating topic.
best regards
“Would it be possible to simplify things, share from your personal experience as to what has worked or not worked for you?”
For me, the most potent practice with quick results is simply turning my attention away from whatever I am thinking or experiencing and focusing on the subject, or the knower of thoughts/experiences. I guess it should be enough to do it for an hour or two every day. Whatever comes to mind, just turn away from it and look at the other end – look at the looker.
http://goo.gl/ugxkA
If you feel that you know something, there must be a sense of “me”, the knower. Look at it. Keep looking until you recognize that you are distracted and then immediately look back again. Don’t waste any time being caught up in thoughts and the result (recognition of your true nature) will be very quick. It all depends on your determination. That’s why it’s important to remind yourself about suffering and impermanence from time to time – just to keep in mind why you are doing it in the first place and not get stuck in some pleasant temporary state.