It has been said that if you see the Buddha on the road to kill him. However, this is a stage specific teaching, and only relevant towards the end of seeking. Initially, having a devotional practice, to the Buddha, Shiva, God, or any other object of devotion, can be very powerful and is an invitation from Grace. It is typical for the seeker to follow a path of devotion after having a heartfelt and even life changing experience that reveals that there is a God, a Divine Presence. Their spiritual path then takes them ever deeper into this union. The Jnani, on the other hand, follows and explores an intellectual path of inquiry to discover the Truth, or meaning of life, wherever that may lead. One can combine both paths, but often there is a leaning towards one of the paths, Bhakti or Jnana. In the end, however, both paths converge, as the seeker gets ever closer to awakening. This can especially be a difficult time for the Bhakta who was blissfully enjoying their devotional practice. However, when duality is fully seen through, there is truly only One. Consciousness is revealed to include all, the manifestation of student, teacher, and even our beloved object of devotion.

When the seeker approaches the end stages of searching, this is a time to go inward, to trust one's own inner teacher, as no outside authority can put a final end to seeking. This is because the teacher will always, and can only be Consciousness, which is a reflection of you as Consciousness. Thus, true recognition can only come from within, which is the Source of all other and knowing, and even the path of seeking. It is when the veil of separation is fully seen through that we awaken to our own Buddha-Nature, our God-Essence: the Heart of Consciousness that we all are. This is killing the Buddha. But, Freedom is just that. It is to no longer grasp or push anything away, which paradoxically includes our object of devotion. Once the veil of separation is seen through then one can return once more to a devotional practice if there is a calling to do so. It just won’t be separate one doing the practice, it will be Consciousness experiencing another aspect of Consciousness, which was always the case anyway. 

"The original Buddha-Nature of all living beings is like the bright moon in the sky. It is only because it is covered by floating clouds that it cannot appear." ~Zen Master Fenyang (947-1024 AD)

I had a conversation with a man who said he wasn't really spiritual. He then shared that he feels most connected to life when he is in nature. He talked about being in the "Green Cathedral" when he walks in the woods. I do not know the percentage, but I do know many awakenings have happened in the midst of observing nature, and many downplay their own spirituality due to it not looking overtly spiritual. We are spiritual beings, all of us. 

May we all enjoy our own Green Cathedral experience, whatever it may be.

The Shift in Consciousness is a mysterious global phenomenon occurring where spiritual growth is becoming increasing important in people’s lives. As more reevaluate their lives and consider what is it that gives them the most meaning, more are starting to look inward for what can bring them greater happiness. This is making an inward shift in perception more common. Individuals are discovering the value of opening their hearts so they can experience more love, and are discovering a place of inner stillness. This is the shift and is simply based on where attention is being focused—do we focus our attention outward towards promoting our role identity or inward, enhancing our spiritual connection to life? As more discover the space of stillness within, it is being revealed as the source of peace, love, unwavering happiness, and the unchanging essence of Consciousness (God). The shift in awareness will only continue to grow within us, as we move attention away from thoughts (our egoic conditioning), and look within. Discovering our True Nature, which is the Unchanging Presence (Consciousness) awaits all of us. This is why awakening is possible for even the beginner; it is not just for the select few anymore. Many believe this shift in Consciousness will only continue to spread, positively influencing world peace, environmental health, and healing across the planet. Whatever the results, we can all tune into this shift within us. All we need to do is slow down, look within, breathe into our very own awareness that we know ourselves to be, and know we are already alive and complete with Consciousness Itself. This is who we are. This is why awakening is not just for the individual—it is for all.

“The Self is not somewhere far away to be reached. You are already that. You only have to give up your habit of identifying yourself with the non-self (thoughts). All effort is for that.”    
 ~Sri Ramana Maharshi

Discovering our true nature can be as simple as breathing in our next breath. In fact, this is where the truth actually resides. It resides in the presence of who we are right now. The breath or attuning to the heart space helps us attune to our true nature, which is here always. Consciousness resides in our very own awareness, but by looking elsewhere seeking some grand experience of enlightenment, we continually look past the Truth. However, when we are able to practice being in the now by increasing our present moment awareness, freedom is just a conscious breath away. As we open our hearts to what is, without getting lost in the actions of resistance and attachment, we are able to move from a place of contraction to expansion, deepening the perception of Awareness that is present within us all the time. Simply bringing present-moment awareness into our lives awakens the heart to the unchanging nature of Consciousness, helping us recognize that this is and has always been who we truly are. 

“Surrender itself is a mighty prayer.” (Sri Ramana Maharshi)

Spiritual Perfection is what keeps many seekers stuck on the path of seeking, as great effort is sustained in trying to free the self from thoughts and reactions that are considered to not be spiritual. However, the more we believe that it is our enlightenment to achieve, or it is our spiritual life to perfect, this actually moves us further away from accepting life as it is. This dynamic is what creates a barrier to own awakening. However, when we experientially discover that Consciousness is always present, even when we become lost in our egoic grasping, surrender is readily possible. Surrender is not an act of the ego; it is a letting go of the distractions that have kept our attention from resting in presence. We then realize that Consciousness is surrounding all aspects of our lives, even when we may feel lost and not making progress on our spiritual path. The act of surrender can be as simple as following one breath with such clarity into the unknown quality of spaciousness that the rest takes care of itself.  We simply relax into our own sense of Being, returning again and again to the Heart of Presence. This is the grace of surrender.

“Divine Grace is essential for realization.”(Sri Ramana Maharshi)

Trusting the Heart Wisdom of the Truth...

When we touch upon our true nature, the boundaries and sense of being a separate one begin to dissolve. We awaken from the dream of our egoic conditioning and the thoughts we believed were keeping us from Freedom, realizing that even these boundaries were never real. Then we see the teachings of the Buddha: “Form is Empty, Emptiness is Form.” The Universe is contained within us, revealed in the sound of the bird singing, a rainbow of light, or in the gust of wind that enlivens us. Or, as Achaan Chah said, “Once you understand not-self in your heart, the burden of life will be lifted…” We have always been walking in the “Kingdom of God” or in the “Land of Buddha.” Our spiritual path was never taking us anywhere but back to ourselves. Finally, Ramana Maharshi taught, “The whole of Vedanta is contained in the two Biblical statements ‘I am that I am’ and ‘Be still and know that I am God.’” With a single breath into the silent space of the heart, we can know the Truth. Awakening is experientially knowing we are what we have been seeking. The search is our homecoming. As we return to our own hearts, our pilgrimage to find “enlightenment” ends. We awaken in the “Kingdom of God” and realize we never went anywhere.

Living with an awareness of Presence, of who we truly are, is the ultimate pilgrimage we can take. But, this pilgrimage does not take us to some distant land, just deeper within ourselves. This is the secret of the Mystics. The space of the Heart or the space of Emptiness we touch upon during our spiritual practice, or when we simply attune to the present moment, is the “Kingdom of God.” It is within us. Awakening is the discovery of what has been here all the time below the thoughts we have believed define us and determine our lives. Rumi put it this way, “You want everything to be yours? Become nothing to yourself and all things,” and “Eat on and on, you Lovers, at Eternity’s table. Its feast is forever and spread out for you.” With an open heart to life, and our breathing keeping our mind in harmony, our perception of life can flow like a current. We can open our lives, our hearts, to the current of love that is flowing through all of us. When we attune to the space of our hearts, and rest in the gaps between thoughts, which are actually arising spontaneously, we are able to connect with our own highest guidance. Yet, this guidance is not our egoic conditioning telling us where we need to go next, it is the Divine’s energy, the movement of Consciousness, the Presence of who we truly are.