Getting Out Of The Corners Of The Self by Julian Colgan

Getting Out Of The Corners Of The Self

Boxed into a corner with the rest

of forgotten humanity,

the self, which is a hollow illusion,

takes up much space within one's mind.

Neatly categorizing every phenomena

into a reduceable object of inquiry,

the self does much to work

against its own undoing.

Emerging from the void,

non-emergence is better than re-emergence.

When emerging from something,

it is believed that something

is being left behind for good.

When staying in a state of non-emergence,

everything that the void has consumed

abides in the infinity of space.

The self, which is a product

of the causal chains of nature,

is the result of this re-emergence

into formed conceptions of formed realities.

The difference between being formed

and formless is the difference that exists

between perceiving the self

as being either full of something

or empty of everything.

No self is a characteristic of enlightenment

only because the deluded mistakingly 

believe that there is a gap

between being full and being empty.

Infinite in consciousness and omnipotent

 in wisdom, morality and compassion,

the great seal of liberation

is nothing other than a supremely lucid mind.

Shifting from a formed state to a formless one

in a matter of seconds,

every thought about reality loses itself

in the immanent immensity

of the void of primordial being.

Getting out of the corners of the self,

the self is every corner of space

until there is no more space to conquer.

Dismissing buddhahood,

which is ultimately another impermanent identity

to latch onto, there is no need to take on

another type of self when formlessness

is paramount to freedom from extremes.

Observing a rippleless ocean in full action,

every extreme which manifests as another identity

is silenced by the magnitude of something

that transcends every faculty of divine contemplation.

As smooth as an unblinking sky,

the self crystallizes into a formed entity

when focused on and evaporates

like a fading star when the mind

abides in the formlessness of nature's ways.

Self or no self; the choice is yours.

One brings pain; the other brings bliss.

Blissfully formless,

the limitless forms of existence

peacefully slumber under the night's sky,

bringing a type of neutrality to all

who traverse Mara's deadly path.

Not having to be submissive to any

traditional notion of selfhood or buddhahood,

be who you are when you are who you are.

Rising from one's lotus position,

the buddha is ready to surmount

his past attainments in order to realize

the emptiness of all strivings and attainments.

Lifting a finger, perfection naturally unfolds.

by Julian Colgan (Copyright)

Awake to Buddhahood

http://emptinessofmind.blogspot.ca/2013/01/getting-out-of-corners-of-self.html