I was recently reviewing an instruction booklet from an awakening group on Facebook. One of the initial steps that they advise was to ‘break through’ to the “I am” and abide in that.. permanently.
They sort of intimated that it wasn’t the I-thought that Ramana or Nis talks about but rather a pure form of consciousness or I Am. They advised various zen koans and enquiry questions to this end.
The issue I have with this is that they tend to give the idea that this pure form of I Am is far aware, or something special and not immediately accessible. Unfortunately most enquirers won’t keep up with this form of enquiry and will drop out.
This is why Nis proposed a two step approach rather, as one can rest in the provisional I Am, even though it’s a concept and enquiry on that until it is seen through and departs. Much easier and accessible right now for anyone. Ramana even advises this form of enquiry in some places. Suffering lessens as well by holding onto the provisional I am, as a first step as well.
It takes a bit of time to get familiar with, but this two step approach is much easier than trying to jump into some pure and currently unavailable awareness. So use what you have right now to enquire.
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