Foul Temper

Awareness Is Simple

Awareness Is Simple, Very Innocent

What “right awareness” is.

There is no right awareness, because there is no possibility of wrong awareness. Awareness is right. So first drop the wrong question. Once you are asking a wrong question to yourself you cannot get the right answer.

Don’t ask what is right awareness. Simply ask what is awareness. Your question gives the fallacious impression that you know what awareness is, that the only thing that you don’t know is what is right awareness and what is not right awareness. Erase that fallacy completely from your mind.

Awareness is simple, very innocent. Everyone has it, so it is not a question of achievement. One wrong question leads to another wrong question: first you ask what right awareness is, then you ask how to achieve it. You already have it. When you see the sunset, are you not aware? When you see a rose flower, are you not aware? You are aware of the beautiful sunset, you are aware of the beautiful rose; all that is needed is that you become aware of your awareness, too. That is the only thing that has to be added, the only refinement.

You are aware of objects. You have to be aware of your subjectivity. When you are looking at a sunset, you are so absorbed in the beauty of the sunset that you completely forget that there is a greater beauty which is making it possible for you to know the beauty of the sunset – it is your awareness. But your awareness is focused on an object – the sunset, the sunrise, the moon. Drop the object and just remain engulfed in pure awareness, in silence, in peace. Just be alert.

A New Synthesis Is Needed: Awareness with Spontaneity

What is the difference between a childish person and a person who is like a child? The difference is the childish person has no awareness at all. Yes, he’s innocent: when he feels hungry he feels hungry and he eats; and when he feels sleepy he sleeps – but his spontaneity has a deep background of unconsciousness. The spontaneity is there, but it is unconscious.

When the spontaneity is there and in the background of consciousness is awareness; when the awareness is there and still you don’t interfere with the spontaneous… You are so disciplined in your consciousness that you don’t create any unnatural discipline for yourself; your awareness helps you to be natural, to be spontaneous, non-interfering, non-repressive, but yet you are aware.

These two things have to be understood. There are people who are unconscious and innocent; they are childish. They will not enter the kingdom of God, they are not sadhus. Then there are people who are conscious and have become unnatural; because of their consciousness they have started interfering with their natural life. These people are so-called monks, sadhus; they are also not ready for the kingdom of God.

A new combination, a new synthesis is needed: awareness with spontaneity. That is what Kabir means when he says sahaj samadhi. Sahaj means spontaneity, samadhi means awareness: spontaneous awareness. If awareness interferes with your spontaneity, you have missed. If your spontaneity goes against awareness, you have missed. A sadhu is one who is both together: sahajai kaya sadho.