Nice sunny morning for an introduction to the philosophy of Florian Schlosser. We watched a short video where he outlined his non-duality teaching. Florian from an early age had the burning desire to know what reality is and our place in it. With many interests that one after another he found empty until giving away his wealth he entered a monastery. He has now come back with a new way of laying the ego to rest by reassuring the body that it is safe by grounding oneself with three simple instructions.
After a break and a good conversation about many things including relationships with all the problems that go with it we the read Florian's articl:
From the perspective of normal consciousness we mostly experience ourselves as "somebody" – an identity however named – to whom time and reality happens. We experience the course of life as an
event which is separated from us and at the mercy of which we more or less are. Or we doing our best to take some influence on it.
To explore the essence of time and reality as it really is, we first have to turn to "the one" to whom time and reality seemingly occurs. The question is whether "the one" who experiences time and reality really exists? Does an experiencing person really exist? And is the one we call the experiencing person – the "I" which experiences – really separated from "his/her" experience?
But how can we explore what the "I" is and if it really exists? Let's start together:
Who is thinking? Is it you who is thinking or are there just thoughts, which emerge and leave again? Who is feeling? Is it you who is feeling or are there just feelings which emerge and leave again? Who has physical sensations? Is it you who has sensations in the body or are there just sensations which emerge and leave again?
If you want to check this, then just try to stop your thoughts. Simply like that -STOP. Does it work? If you are completely conscious and honest for a moment you will realize that it is not so easy to switch off the experience of thinking, feeling and sensing.What you recognize is a never ending stream of movement (experience) which just happens. Now, to whom does this movement occur? Who has always been conscious of this? What is it exactly that is conscious? Normally you will say: I am conscious. Check it briefly if you like: Are you conscious of the present experience, whatever it may be, just now? Of course you are. Now, what is this "I" that is conscious? It is consciousness itself. Therefore you are consciousness, aren't you? Time is movement in consciousness
As we find out by close investigation there is consciousness, in which the movement of thinking, feeling and sensing in the body emerges and leaves again. This movement in the consciousness feels like an occurrence (appearance) in time. But if you again allow a moment to be quiet and conscious you will notice that time itself is an illusion, which is created by the ever changing experiences in consciousness. Without the movement of thinking, feeling and physical sensations there is no independent time, which can be measured i.e. experienced. So time is not separated from experience but (an) included part of it, well, it IS experience itself. Time is movement in the consciousness. And also the "feeling of I" is included in the movement and therefore not separated from it.
Let us now stop for a while and strike an interim balance: We see that consciousness only comes into being by movement. That is all. There is no one who experiences anything. It is the experiencing which experiences itself as movement in consciousness – that WE ARE. What may confuse us sometimes is that the movement of attentiveness is mixed up with pure resting awareness. Let us make clear this difference also. The movement of attentiveness Attentiveness is the natural ability to focus energy on a certain object, to observe it. For example this can be an object "in the outside", but also an object "in the inside", like a thought or a feeling. So we can focus with attentiveness. If you inquire precisely now, you will see that by mere focussing the feeling of an 'I-observer' on the one hand and at the same time the observed object appears separated from you.Observing only creates the feeling of an "I" and an experience separated from "you". But both don`t exist like this.
Neither is there really an "I" nor the object separated from "I" e.g. an experience. Both of it only emerges seemingly as a dual reality when attentiveness focusses
Both of it only emerges seemingly as a dual reality when attentiveness focusses. If you look closely you will realize that attentiveness itself is part of the movement. It is moving permanently from one object to another. Similar to a monkey it jumps about. The faster and the more restless attentiveness moves, the more varying is the experience of time. Abrupt, erratic movement of attentiveness creates a rapid feeling of time. Slow and quiet movement creates a feeling of "having time" and slowness.
So not only time itself is an illusion but also the experienced speed (quality) of it. Now back to consciousness again, through which all of this is recognized. So you – consciousness itself – are conscious of the experiences including the movement of attentiveness. To make it clear once again: you are already conscious of this – now -in this moment. Experience comes into being by observation Where is the border between consciousness and the experience (including the observing) that emerges and leaves again? If you investigate further you will find no border. The border does not exist.
