by Robert Wilkinson
Since I gave you one of the gems of this work yesterday, I figured it was again time to offer you a door to the Eternal Self through walking a timeless way we all experience at various points across lifetimes. Welcome to the gem of gems, Light On the Path.
The wisdom in each sentence is profound, and as we embrace that wisdom, we find ourselves far removed from the world of stresses arising from human thought, feeling, and action. It is said that an aspirant reads it with one set of eyes; an Initiate with another, and a Master with yet another. I have read and re-read this work countless times over 40 years, and each time I understand its wisdom in a new light. Even one minute contemplating its wisdom opens doors of higher awareness forever.
I last posted this article over 2 years ago. Still, because there are eternal issues we all deal with sooner or later in more than one incarnation, some timeless wisdom is always helpful as we walk the Way.As I gave you yesterday in the article "Three Eternal Higher Truths Of Human Existence,"
This is from one of the oldest books on the planet. As was written in the Introduction about 100 years ago, "…the first form in which we see it is smaller yet. It is a palm leaf manuscript, old beyond computation; so old that even before the time of Christ men had already forgotten its date and the name of its writer, and regarded its origin as lost in the mists of prehistoric antiquity." It was translated from Senzar into Sanskrit, then from Sanskrit into Greek at the time of the Alexandrian mystery schools, and from Greek into English in 1885.
When I posted this two years ago, I was asked how to end the pain of separation, of "not belonging," the sense of feeling like a stranger in a strange land. This is one aspect of the universal human condition. There is no one who does not feel this.
Any sense of belonging is always temporary, usually a function of what we're doing, where we are, and who we're doing whatever with. It is a product of perception, which is impermanent. The feeling of connectedness with a person, idea, or thing always waxes and wanes, but the sense of separateness never entirely vanishes forever.
Though we are in fact never separate from anything or anyone for even an instant, our perception of separateness and longing for connectedness can never be satisfied. That's because our sense of identification with anything always changes, due the nature of our Eternal Self.
Our Eternal Self is forever free to explore infinity and eternity. That is not conducive to feeling "at home" with a thing, idea, perception, or person for any "permanent" length of time. It's why we evolve, whether we want to or not, or know we are (or believe we aren't), growing into our Spiritual Self.
St. Issa the Nazar was not in the habit of saying frivolous, useless, or irrelevant things. He addressed this timeless universal human experience when he uttered the immortal words "the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Anyone who would aspire to a constant experience of Eternal Consciousness will have to deal with this great truth for all humanity through all ages.
We cannot end the universal longing for connectedness through mental exercises, except that in focusing the mind on eternals, we may be able to get beyond the astral plane and its uncontrolled desires. And to that end, one of the most venerable works we can use to stay focused on our immortal state is Light on the Path. Contemplate every single line, every single note for lines that have notes, and every single comment on every part of this work. These notes and comments are linked within the work itself.
As I told the inquirer, "Engrave its teachings on your heart if you would grow beyond the longing that cannot be ended (since it is a part of the basic fabric of humanity throughout the ages.) The reward? A constant experience of yourself as an Eternal loving, wise, intelligent Self, beyond suffering, yet able to walk in the midst of the suffering without losing your equipoise."
For your contemplation, in hopes that we can end the suffering of all sentient beings through its Ageless wisdom,
Copyright © 2012, 2014 Robert Wilkinson
Brilliant that you bring back to the for front of awareness this text.
Indeed, separateness is at then root of most evils in humanity. A world view of recent events proves it beyond doubt. Yet, the individual perception of separateness can also help us to gauge how we are moving forward from the illusions and glamour of desire into a deeper true self that, as you say, is connected to everything."Though we are in fact never separate from anything or anyone for even an instant, our perception of separateness and longing for connectedness can never be satisfied. That's because our sense of identification with anything always changes, due the nature of our Eternal Self."
Blessings be
Posted by: Nic | December 17, 2014 at 09:27 AM
Truly wonderful to reread Light on the Path. Thank You so much.
Posted by: Mel | December 18, 2014 at 04:39 PM
Robert, Thank you for acknowledging that most difficult awareness/sensation, and for helping us to know that we are not alone in feeling so alone! I think so many try to deny this, but it is part of the individuation process, and it is so very deep and disturbing yet beautiful in its strange way, that keen awareness of having "no place to lay his head". This article means a lot to me. Thank you!
Posted by: Sara | December 18, 2014 at 11:16 PM