Sometimes I would read a new book or attend a retreat and thereafter become intensely motivated. Later, business or family life would require more attention, and ATA would be put on the shelf for a while. Gradually, ATA became easier and easier, and long periods of silence became commonplace. Today, I still lead a busy life, but I find time to hike in the woods, climb mountain trails, or sit and watch clouds, birds, animals, or whatever is happening in the field of my being. In the late afternoon my wife and I often take a two mile walk around a picturesque golf course. We'll stop at the clubhouse, buy a beer, and sit on the verandah watching Canadian geese, martins flying around catching insects, cloud formations, and the sunset. Sometimes we'll take a bottle of wine to the verandah after the clubhouse has closed for the day, and sit for an hour or two (often in silence) watching the twilight descend into night. This is how THIS sometimes manifests.
Shifting attention from thoughts to what can be seen/heard/ felt is initially pursued under the illusion that there is someone making an effort to do that, but the attentiveness, if pursued, eventually burns through that illusion and reveals the truth about what's actually going on.
Each body/mind is unique, and no two manifestations are the same. Some people get tired of searching for the truth, and give up. Some don't. Some people discover the truth after the search is realized to be futile. Some don't. Some people keep shifting attention away from thoughts until thought structures eventually collapse. For those folks the truth then becomes so obvious that it can no longer be missed. It is like gradually removing beliefs until only Reality remains.
For most people finding the truth is a gradual internalization and realization of isness. In the end it is discovered that the searcher was an illusion and that there was never anything other than THIS. This is why sages and spiritual masters often say, "I am the truth."
Shifting attention from thoughts to what can be seen/heard/ felt is initially pursued under the illusion that there is someone making an effort to do that, but the attentiveness, if pursued, eventually burns through that illusion and reveals the truth about what's actually going on.
Each body/mind is unique, and no two manifestations are the same. Some people get tired of searching for the truth, and give up. Some don't. Some people discover the truth after the search is realized to be futile. Some don't. Some people keep shifting attention away from thoughts until thought structures eventually collapse. For those folks the truth then becomes so obvious that it can no longer be missed. It is like gradually removing beliefs until only Reality remains.
For most people finding the truth is a gradual internalization and realization of isness. In the end it is discovered that the searcher was an illusion and that there was never anything other than THIS. This is why sages and spiritual masters often say, "I am the truth."
