Andrew Cohen - N° 4 - LAST TEACHINGS - Dec. 24 _ Feb. 25

Well, I make a distinction that I learned from Tibetan Buddhism about the difference between relative reality and absolute reality. So, absolute reality gives us a vision of absolute non-duality or oneness, which means there's no distinction between here or there. That's an absolute perspective. Relative reality is you're aware of duality and paradox. So in order to keep the full to get the full picture, we have to be able to embrace both the truth of relative reality and relative distinctions and absolute reality and absolute distinctions and not confuse them. Here in a lot of people are making big confusion between absolute reality and relative reality and it creates cognitive dissonance. So that means that from an absolute level, there's no difference between you and you and the chaos that exists in the world. You and the potential for love and truth that exists in the world. It's all one thing. That's that's from an absolute perspective. And you you can't you can't live in in the context of relative reality making choices and making decisions from a context of that from absolute reality because relative reality is relatively real. Absolute reality is absolutely real and that's not the same thing. So terms of relative reality it's true that there is a lot of conflict and war and division exists outside you right now. That's not that's not you. It's part of the world system. We don't want to confuse the two because from an absolute point of view, it would make sense that I can't if I can't change the whole system, I shouldn't do anything. But from a perspective of that which is relatively real. If you can change yourself and have an effect on other people and you are affecting your system for the better you are having an effect having a tangible effect and nobody can do more than that. It's awakening to a moral a moral imperative. So if we just awaken to absolute truth we awaken to the isness of reality to isness or suchness. of the absoluteness, the ultimate nature of reality, right? It stops the mind, transcends the mind, transcends all distinctions and all duality. Just one big is, but there's no moral context to that realization. Life in that realization, life and death become the same thing. Truth and falsehood become the same thing. So from my point of view, that's not the highest realization. So to me, when we have these very deep experiences and insights, because I'm awake, because I'm alive, because I realize so much, I experience a moral imperative to do better, to be better, to make the world a better place. That's the most important thing. It's more important than my non-dual realization, which could just be another ego trip anyway in the end. So, so if you meet somebody who expresses a moral gravitas, it's the insight into the fact that from an absolute point of view, there is such a thing as absolute truth. There is truth, but that truth is not devoid of moral implications. If you let it in, it will destroy your ego and overwhelm you with moral absolutism. to be a better person, to live a good life, not for your own sake, but so the world will become a better place through you. But through your being in it, not because you want to, but because of what you've seen, you have to. It's kind of a moral obligation. It comes from the absolute itself. So some realizers tell us that would seem to tell us that yes, this absolute realization means we don't care about anything because nothing means anything. Some people around here say that and I would say that I don't think that's I I wouldn't agree with that. I would say the absolute realization absolute makes puts us in a position where we have to care more because we don't have a choice and our spiritual power comes from that capacity to care more which means also to suffer more for the truth itself. We're willing to suffer for the truth itself because we don't have any choice. Not because we want to suffer but sometimes it's just necessary to [Music] do. So I feel the moral implications of awakening I think are more important than awakening to non-duality itself. So isness or suchness has no moral value in and of itself. It'll stop your mind and help you to awaken how lost in the mind you have been. we have been. But it doesn't leave one with an overwhelming sense of moral purpose and direction. Cuz it's a moral purpose and direction that's so liberating. I know who I am. I know why I'm here. And I know how I know what I need to be doing. I'll put one foot in front of the other carefully and purposefully. That's my that's my spiritual strength and my liberation not the oneness state because duality manifest reality which exists as duality is very complex right complex contradictory frightening confusing overwhelming what's the right thing to do I don't know what to do deciding what the right thing to do is it's more important than anything else would you say If we do the right thing, the world becomes a better place if we do the wrong thing, which is contributing to the ignorance that's already there. Okay? And if we're awakened, we have an obligation to do better. Not to be perfect because nobody's perfect, but to do better, to be better. Otherwise, the realization doesn't mean a damn thing. So the the revelation of oneness or isness, you just be an excuse to be an ignorant fool. You say nothing matters. There's no here. There's no there. There's no you. There's no me. Nothing really exists. Nothing has any meaning. It's all just a display or an appearance. It comes and goes. So don't worry about anything. Life is meaningless and purposeless. And that becomes like enlightened nihilism, right? which liberates the ego. But I think I I personally think being satic is not enough these days. The world is too up is too unsettled. And also Ramman was very much in in the old vision of absolute detachment. Absolute uninvolvement with body, mind and world. I'm not this body or this mind immortal. So am I. So that's a very traditional vidantic perspective that he was very much an embodiment of. But I would challenge someone who thinks that that particular interpretation of enlightenment makes the most sense at this time in history. There's too much chaos for that kind of detachment. From my point of view, that's why here in TU, the vision of being the lonely the lonely guru sitting alone in a cave is very romantic. But it is is it culturally relevant to the world situation? Not really. How are you doing thing? I'm going away to be alone. Why you want to be alone? I want to be liberated. But the world needs you. The world needs you. It needs needs me to be here now as an expression of liberation. It's the expression of another possibility. It seems to be much harder to be in relationship with other people that are trying to be free also and to be alone. If you find out what your own edges are when you're trying to be in a satic loving relationship with other men and women who are strengthened higher values together takes much more courage and skill and to be alone. It's harder and that's what I believe the creative principle of God needs us to do is to get along together. Have you noticed that all the problems the human race is facing are solvable but we just don't seem to be able to trust each other enough to work on them? Is that a tragedy? That's the problem. So we want to think of enlightenment or spiritual realization in the context of of cultural evolution because culture produces our conditioned minds as much as anything else does. So you want to see what kind of what kind of spiritual enlightenment makes the most sense at this particular time in history. Is it to be sitting on a mountaintop or to be in the world being an expression of the solution itself? I think being here requires a lot more strength and courage, renunciation, selflessness. And then in our intimate relationships, people you're close to, is there trust in the intimacy you share with people you trust? Is there deep trust? Is it unshakable? Is the relationship free from ego or fundamentally free from egoic motivations at a deep level? That's hard work, man. If we can't get along with each other, can't trust each other, there's no hope. And being in a cave is not going to change that, right? Sounds very mundane, but it's not. It's not mundane. But nobody's going to save us. We have to save ourselves. So what I I try and encourage people to want to become we should strive to become exemplars for each other. Which means if we can live a life at a higher level of spiritual values, become established there, other people will notice. Maybe through our example, we can inspire others to make more effort, live more purposefully and more courageously that we're making a difference. It will affect some change in the world.