Your words are words, yes, yet they convey so much and I thank you for popping up in my inbox. I took your advice and listened to Toni Packer’s talk you linked from 2005. What a gift. 💗
Hi Bob...I'm not sure what you're asking. ??? The title of my article, The Beauty of Silent Listening, was a line in this talk of Toni's that I shared in this post. I wasn't referring to the title of the talk that appears on YouTube, which was probably the title given to it by folks at Springwater, the retreat center Toni founded where others are now carrying on the work.
I particularly appreciate pointing out how words such as wholeness or boundless aware presence might themselves entice holding concepts or beliefs, when they merely point towards the ineffable. Seeing this can clarify and relax what thought is and does.
I was touched by everything said about the "clouds that seem to obscure .. the open boundlessness" ... how we are caught because of human conditioning in "defending our ideas of who we are" and the desperate escalation of wanting to be praised. And how all this separates us from everything, and everybody - it really cuts us off totally. Wow!
I also was impressed by Toni's account of her and her husband sharing on what to do for their son (I think he had some school problems) - and this whole idea of thinking that we know who our family members "are" and what they "need"- including knowing who we ourselves are. It became clear that knowing in the here and now is very different, and changes all the time. What a great concept. It feels freeing. Although, Lots of work! Undoing of conditionings. I am working on "Awareness is unconditional love" - this is the third time I am noticing this in your writings. I don't know what that means or how it looks like.
Happy to hear all this. As for unconditional love, awareness is wholeness--it accepts everything and clings to nothing. It is often compared to a mirror--inseparable from the reflections, allowing them all to come and go freely. That seems very much like the nature of unconditional love. But I always say, don't worry if a particular pointer or word doesn't make sense or doesn't work for you--just let it go.
You often say that you experience open awareness as unconditional love. For me, it would be a leap of faith or a conceptual overlay to describe it that way.
Please address the sense and feeling of awareness as unconditional love in one of your future posts.
I don't think I ever said, "I experience open awareness as unconditional love." I'm pretty sure that what I've said (or at least intended to say) is that unconditional love could be a synonym for awareness. Awareness is wholeness. It accepts everything and clings to nothing. It is often compared to a mirror or a movie screen, inseparable from the reflections or the images in the movie, allowing them all to come and go freely, but not stained or contained by any of them. That all seems very much like the nature of unconditional love.
But awareness is not something that "I" (as the mirage-like separate self) possess or feel. Awareness is what the True I actually IS. The True I is what the word "I" most deeply or fundamentally refers to--if you feel into it.
Thank you, Joan
I LOVE YOU JOAN
The embrace of each moment.
Thanks Joan
Your words are words, yes, yet they convey so much and I thank you for popping up in my inbox. I took your advice and listened to Toni Packer’s talk you linked from 2005. What a gift. 💗
Joan I love you and this message.❤️
Thank you for the video!
I’m reading Mel’s book, thank you for everything! I hope you can feel all the love so many of us share for you❤️
MUCH gratitude!
Hi Joan, Was there one particular Toni talk title that you got this from?
Hi Bob...I'm not sure what you're asking. ??? The title of my article, The Beauty of Silent Listening, was a line in this talk of Toni's that I shared in this post. I wasn't referring to the title of the talk that appears on YouTube, which was probably the title given to it by folks at Springwater, the retreat center Toni founded where others are now carrying on the work.
I followed the directions and listened to Toni without doing anything else.
Thank you Joan; so beautiful!!
Beautiful.
I particularly appreciate pointing out how words such as wholeness or boundless aware presence might themselves entice holding concepts or beliefs, when they merely point towards the ineffable. Seeing this can clarify and relax what thought is and does.
I was touched by everything said about the "clouds that seem to obscure .. the open boundlessness" ... how we are caught because of human conditioning in "defending our ideas of who we are" and the desperate escalation of wanting to be praised. And how all this separates us from everything, and everybody - it really cuts us off totally. Wow!
I also was impressed by Toni's account of her and her husband sharing on what to do for their son (I think he had some school problems) - and this whole idea of thinking that we know who our family members "are" and what they "need"- including knowing who we ourselves are. It became clear that knowing in the here and now is very different, and changes all the time. What a great concept. It feels freeing. Although, Lots of work! Undoing of conditionings. I am working on "Awareness is unconditional love" - this is the third time I am noticing this in your writings. I don't know what that means or how it looks like.
Happy to hear all this. As for unconditional love, awareness is wholeness--it accepts everything and clings to nothing. It is often compared to a mirror--inseparable from the reflections, allowing them all to come and go freely. That seems very much like the nature of unconditional love. But I always say, don't worry if a particular pointer or word doesn't make sense or doesn't work for you--just let it go.
I was confused at first because I didn’t see the Toni talk video link. Thanks for your reply, Joan. I’m glad I figured things out.
Incisive as always Joan...you consistently cut to the marrow. Top job.🙏
You often say that you experience open awareness as unconditional love. For me, it would be a leap of faith or a conceptual overlay to describe it that way.
Please address the sense and feeling of awareness as unconditional love in one of your future posts.
I don't think I ever said, "I experience open awareness as unconditional love." I'm pretty sure that what I've said (or at least intended to say) is that unconditional love could be a synonym for awareness. Awareness is wholeness. It accepts everything and clings to nothing. It is often compared to a mirror or a movie screen, inseparable from the reflections or the images in the movie, allowing them all to come and go freely, but not stained or contained by any of them. That all seems very much like the nature of unconditional love.
But awareness is not something that "I" (as the mirage-like separate self) possess or feel. Awareness is what the True I actually IS. The True I is what the word "I" most deeply or fundamentally refers to--if you feel into it.
Perhaps this article on my website would be helpful: https://www.joantollifson.com/writing29.html
Yes, understood, a synonym for awareness. Thank you.