http://www.amazon.com/Search-Miraculous-Fragments-Teaching-Harvest/dp/0156007460/sr=8-1/qid=1160160740/ref=sr_1_1/102-7231687-7342562?ie=UTF8&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Shunryu-Suzuki/dp/0834800799/sr=1-1/qid=1160160897/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-7231687-7342562?ie=UTF8&s=books

Fist 100 pages (ignore the rest) of
http://www.amazon.com/Be-You-Are-Teachings-Maharshi/dp/0140190627/sr=1-2/qid=1160160922/ref=pd_bbs_2/102-7231687-7342562?ie=UTF8&s=books

The last book to read:
http://www.amazon.com/I-Am-That-Talks-Nisargadatta/dp/0893860220/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b/102-7231687-7342562?ie=UTF8

When you read all these books then throw them away. Stop reading (for spirituality) anything else. At that stage the books will not help you. Go your own way….

Do not post this on your website !

You thinking is based on wrong knowledge. Try to switch the point of view. It is not that you have “your” consciosness. In manifestation, you are consciousness. You do not have it, you are IT. Manifestation is duality (two principles or attributes). The first principle is that you are conscious and the second principle is that you know that you are conscious. (You laugh, you cry, you feel etc.. you are consious but also you know that you are laughing or crying or feeling, so this is the knowledge of yourself as consious being. Some, call this knowledge the watcher-consciousness or awareness, the sane aspect of yourself or soul in christianity or atman in hinduism, but we should not go to such discussions… Anyway, this second principle is what differentiate humans from animals.) .

The persistence comes because you always exist. Even to say this is not correct because there is no time or space concepts in the state of your real-nature. You existed before this body/mind come on you. You exist in existance and non-existance (the sentence that carries meaning which is hard to understand, because it goes beyond mind. Do not try to understand these things with intellect. Read it and let it settle down, deep in your feelings. You already know this, everybody knows, it is not truth but a closest things that words can describe, it just takes some time to clear habitual way of thinking). Right now you have body/mind so duality is in full swing – let it swing.

Consciousness can express itself only through the form (body and mind). Your knowledge about your own existance came when you reached 3. Then you did not know by intellect or reason very much. You was living happily in “here and now” without notion of time. You was in child-consiousness, but child grows and mind grows, the wrong knowledge grows… I am quite sure that you undestand influences by society, education, parents etc… and one day you came to position asking about “why aparent reality is so persistent”. That is very important day, not all humans come to that point, so consider yourself, lucky.

“What makes this facet of the preternatural dream of reality the one that exists beyond remembrance, one that is not shaped by the whim of our folly such as that in our dreams? “ Sorry I do not undestand your question. Be simple and direct.

“Yes my dreams are a projection of my mind. They exist only in my mind. But you are not a projection of my mind and yet you exist. We are only having this conversation because we are separate individuals with our own thoughts in our own minds. “

Yes, we are separate because you see us as separate. But in fact, I am also projection of your mind. There are no individuals. There is no such thing as person. There are separate bodies and each body is nothing but food (started from sperm-ovum unification and grows by processed food).

Mind is only way of talking, apart from thoughts there is no such thing as mind.

Primordial sound is “around” and the body feeling it. (Words,.. it is better to say that the sound collects the body particles (pure prakriti) in solid object )- The sound gives the “I am” sense to each body – the very first thought – I. That first thought “I” is the biggest cheat. And then the first principle of duality – counsciousness starts based on that very first thought “I”.. It creates I-think, I –feel, I-write this etc…

“Are we part of the same cosmic blanket, made of the same billion year old space dust? Of course. By right of that fact, do we share the same collective consciousness? Of course. Is the collective consciousnesses of all sentient beings that which we call God? This is what I believe. “

This is what everybody believes and this is the whole problem of suffering. You think this Universe exists and then you are born into it and then you have your own consciousness which if it is changed (or raised somehow) becames aware of some type of collective (bigger) consciousness… This is wrong thinking that you should slowly start to break because it will lead you nowhere. You always exist, there is nothing but You. Because of “You Are” the Universe is. “You Are” is the only reality. Then on You, the body form appearred, mind developed (thought became stronger and stronger) to the state of knowing iteself.

“Alas, we also have our individual consciousness. We are in THIS physical world. However we are still separate beings and our actions affect one another.”

There is no such thing as individual consciousness. There is sense-consciousness such as seeing, feeling, hearing etc.. which by touch of “I am” sense acquired imaginary individuality.

“You don’t seem to be doing much other than illuminating the obvious by saying “I am” without respect to here or there. To say that “here” and “there” are irrelevant is just a touch on the absurd side. Do you think that it would matter to the person who is about to be attacked by a lion in the jungle as to whether they are here or there? Here might be on the flat plane and there might be safe within a Toyota Landcruiser that the lion could not enter. I imagine that your ethereal concept of being and time would not save your hide. There is a physical reality and we are a part of it.”

You are right, you need to re-discover the obvious things first. Right now, in manifestation, the only truth, only reality is the sense of presence. “I am” sense. Be honest and investigate most obvious things first. Since you have been born only one thing is not changed and that is your sense of existance. Everything else is changed. You was boy or girl then teenager then man or woman … about what identity you are spaking about?

“here” and “now” comes after “I thought” has appeared. I-thought gives to human body (simple object like any other object) apparent subjectivity, but to be real subject in manifestation, Consciousness needs space and time to begin with. So space and time are second aspects of manifestation, they are nothing but the concepts.
Your hipotesis about lion and a man comes as fourth aspect of manifestation (“I am” sense first, “space and time “ second, apparent subject – individual – person as a third and then events as the fourth). Let keep our conversation about first aspect only. That aspect is the closest to your real nature.

“Yes, I identify with the world around me and I want to do whatever possible to alleviate suffering for myself and others in the world. It sounds as if you would rather “just be”, which sounds to me like doing nothing. “

But you doing two oposite things. If you want to alleviate suffering for yourself and especially for others then you must stop your wrong identification with body/mind. Let talk about identification, some confusion is there. First you need to firmly grasp your “I am” sense,. To be conscious that you are councsious. Yoga helps. (When you are in san salutation b and you do warrior I posture try to feel both feet, try to feel stability. In that stability, experience peace and joy in fraction of second. This is proper feeling of “I am” sense.)

Just Be is not empty minded sitting like zombie. Just Be is to keep awareness of your real nature at all time. It is very hard thing to do on the beginning only, after first attemt is made something happens and the awareness of “I am” becames effortless. This can not be explained and it must be practiced. Be counscious that you are aware. See everything what you do from outside (like somebody else is doing it). It is closely related to dis-identification.
“What is the point then if we are all to just be? In a perfect world perhaps that would work. “

Whatever you do (read, write etc..) you keep a little awareness on the side for your real-nature for your sense of presence and you are always aware of it. Start to look at your self as something that is not really you. Stop beleiving wjhat evr your mind is tells you. INVESTIGATE, question everything, most obvious things first. You do not need perfect world for that.

“I am that by which I know I am” may be true but still we cannot think a rock into a piece of chocolate or a person in our company when they are not.

When you are in proper “I am” sense then you need no chocolate or anything else because you know that everything is just another side of You.

“While I may seek peace, and I may find it possible to “just be” when I am practicing or sitting, when I am out in the real world and forced to interact with real people it seems there are times that call for action and participation in this form of existence I call reality where there is a here and now. “

Real people are real to you because you agreed for their realness. Start dis-identification. To do that, practice yoga and meditation. Meditation – just to be aware of “I am” sense (20 minutes, just be, open eyes or closed, lotus or not it does not matter). Once you catch hold of the “I am” sense go… do whatever you want to do (it will be done anyway , regadless of you likes/dislikes) but keep the awareness of “I am” alive. At first this will be clamsy, in intervals etc… but it will change.

Practice, practice, practice and all is coming…

What makes this facet of the preternatural dream of reality the one that exists beyond remembrance, one that is not shaped by the whim of our folly such as that in our dreams?

Yes my dreams are a projection of my mind. They exist only in my mind. But you are not a projection of my mind and yet you exist. We are only having this conversation because we are separate individuals with our own thoughts in our own minds.

Are we part of the same cosmic blanket, made of the same billion year old space dust? Of course. By right of that fact, do we share the same collective consciousness? Of course. Is the collective consciousnesses of all sentient beings that which we call God? This is what I believe.

Alas, we also have our individual consciousness. We are in THIS physical world. However we are still separate beings and our actions affect one another.

You don’t seem to be doing much other than illuminating the obvious by saying “I am” without respect to here or there. To say that “here” and “there” are irrelevant is just a touch on the absurd side. Do you think that it would matter to the person who is about to be attacked by a lion in the jungle as to whether they are here or there? Here might be on the flat plane and there might be safe within a Toyota Landcruiser that the lion could not enter. I imagine that your ethereal concept of being and time would not save your hide. There is a physical reality and we are a part of it.

Identification… Attachment to the physical is a basic samskara but to deny its validity is folly. Yes, I identify with the world around me and I want to do whatever possible to alleviate suffering for myself and others in the world. It sounds as if you would rather “just be”, which sounds to me like doing nothing.

What is the point then if we are all to just be? In a perfect world perhaps that would work.

“I am that by which I know I am” may be true but still we cannot think a rock into a piece of chocolate or a person in our company when they are not.

While I may seek peace, and I may find it possible to “just be” when I am practicing or sitting, when I am out in the real world and forced to interact with real people it seems there are times that call for action and participation in this form of existence I call reality where there is a here and now.

You are quite right about “bunch of horseshit”. But before blank agreement let first discover the obvious:

“I rely on reason and if my eyes and my ears and my mouth and my mind tell me that something is there then it’s fucking THERE dammit” is this so ? When you “officially” sleep, in your dream, your mouth, your mind and your ears tells you THERE is something around you (dammit). Be honest and say to yourself, while you are dreaming, do you really know that you are dreaming? When you wake up, it is different story. You know, you remember the dream.. But where is it? Where are all those magnificent surroundings you have dreamt of. Your mind told you THERE is something around you (dammit)….remember.

“I am here. I am thinking and writing and feeling these words. Who is to say they are nothing?” The same one who asked the question: Consciousness. But let go to details: “I am here” is not correct. There is only “I am”. “here”, “there” are not part of the equation. Because “You Are” you observe and experience “the friends and laughs, you breathe air etc..”. Because of “You Are” the world is. You Are is always first.

“This world that God created is all nothing?”… but you are the God. Your sense of presence – the sound (exactly, bzzzzzzzzzzzz, or if you prefer OMMMMMM) has created the world. Right now you are in manifestation (duality). You have created the world (prakriti) and then you enjoy it (purusha). If you do not have sense of presence or “I am” sense, if you are not, then where is the God? Who comes first? God is existence! And You Are! … (Yes “bunch of horseshit” just words… but this is so, believe it or not). Lord Christ said: “I am that by which I know I am”. Maybe you can understand this now a little better.

“My triumphs are real. My friends are real. My sadness is real. My happiness is real. Poverty is real. Starving children on the streets are real.” Yes, they are real. They are real because of the identification. You have identified with your body and mind and everything around you is real. It is the fact. However, the sense of presence (consciousness) (by which you know that you exists and that you observe “reality” around you)) is not your sense of presence or mine sense of presence. It is the sense of presence as such. (like air) I do not breath my air and you breath your air. …Be! dear prakriti, just BE.

“I’m going to live my life like every second matters.” But you do not have choice. Are you asked to be born? Are you going to be asked when you going to die? Of course you are going to live “your” life. Your body and mind and the world are already created by You and the play is now going on. You (the real You) watch and enjoys. You can not know it. (you can only know things that are not you) You can not see your real nature because you are already that. This is the reason of Being! BE! Just be. Be conscious that “You Are” and the answers will comes from you to you about you.

vedantins dismiss samkhya, yet patanjali was a dualist, so what’s a yogi to do?

perhaps after involution we experience non-duality; but today we experience duality.