awareness only knows now - spira

Awareness Only Knows Now
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These are the only two real possibilities in life:

(1) To stand as a separate inside self, which was born at a particular time and place that moves, changes, evolves and is destined to die;

(2) Or to stand as the ever-present Now, the open empty presence of awareness.

These are the only two options:

(1) To believe the separate self-image, belief and feeling, and to seem to stand as that;

(2) Or to stay close to our experience and be knowingly this ever present, never moving or changing awareness.

We say ‘I am a woman or a man’ but I-Awareness am neither. The thought, image, feeling and perception of being a woman or a man appear in me (Awareness) from time to time, and in the ultimate analysis, are made out of Awareness. But these thoughts, images, feelings and perceptions do not qualify or limit Awareness in any way; just as an image does not qualify or limit the screen on which it appears.

We may feel ‘I am sad or lonely’ but I-Awareness is never sad, lonely or any such feeling. A feeling of sadness or loneliness may appear in the open, empty space of Awareness, but that feeling doesn’t qualify Awareness Itself. Awareness doesn’t become sad when a feeling of sadness appears in it or on it.

Awareness gives its entire substance to all experience but never shares the particular quality or limitation of experience itself. So, there is no need to move away from, or to manipulate whatever thought, image, feeling or perception is appearing in any way.
The screen of Awareness on which all experience is appearing, with which it is known, and out of which it is made, is inherently free. It is pristine. It cannot be harmed or stained. It is untouchable but touches all experience intimately.

In the very midst of experience, our Self, open empty luminous Awareness, is already free, independent, and at peace, irrespective of the quality or characteristic of the particular experience that appears. There is no need to escape from any thought, image, feeling or perception, in order to discover the background of Awareness; just as we don’t need to escape from an image to see the screen.

Nothing needs to be changed. No experience of the mind, body or world need to be manipulated in any way. You/I is ever-present, aware now; is shining in full view at the heart of all experience. It is the substance of all experience, but is never qualified or limited by any particular experience.

Awareness is never touched, modified, wounded, stained or scarred by any particular experience. It cannot be harmed, destroyed, moved or changed no matter how pleasant or unpleasant the experience may be. All experience just flows through Awareness without leaving a trace; like an image that (however wonderful or awful) flows across the screen without leaving any residue of itself on it.
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Rupert Spira