Some speak of enlightenment as a state of non-attachment. However, the state of non-attachment is generally misunderstood as an outward state of no material possessions or affinities. That is not correct. Such non-attachment on the surface of life is more a personality trait than an attribute of enlightenment.
There certainly is the state of being where you are eternally awake to that which is the source of all that is… one with all that is. On that level, you need not cling to (be attached to) anything because you are already one with it. You do not desire something when you already have it. However, the surface of your life is still active on the level of duality… separation. On that level, desires still exist.
“Cross realm projection” means taking the laws of nature on one level and trying to project them upon another level where they are simply not valid. That type of error is the source of the notion of no desire or attachment on the surface of life. It is nonsense. Enlightened people still love their families. They still have desires. They are still compelled to act, for example, out of their desire to help others. However, they are also simultaneously awake to the level of their being that is eternally one with everything… non-attached… desire-less.
The Law of Subtraction, in the deepest sense, refers to your depth being overshadowed by less and less. The Sun shines forth more and more as the clouds are subtracted away. On the more relativistic (i.e. more dualistic or superficial) levels of life, the Law of Subtraction means the discarding of unhealthy habits, addictions, lifestyles, etc. Slowly your life is lived more in harmony with your true nature. In so doing joy, happiness, fulfillment etc. are experienced more and more fully. This sort of distinction (between how laws of nature apply differently to the depth and the surface) is critical in many areas of life.
Do not forget the concept of “Cross realm projection.” You will see it come up many times in your life in one form or another. Non-attachment (freedom from desire) is just one example. I invite you to post other examples in your comments to this blog.
Do not forget the Law of Subtraction and how it applies differently to different levels of life.
Do not forget the distinction between non-attachment on the surface as opposed the depth of life.
Do not forget this explanation of desirelessness… what it is and what it is not.
The Sun within is always shining. It need only be revealed to each and every level of your being in a manner unique to each level.
I think and have seen” Emotions”.. be an excellent example of x realm projection, It is easy to see how we may think that when enlightened, only equanimity remains, on all levels of life. Of coarse this is not possible or healthy to stifle emotions or not allow a certain emotion such as, fear, Anger, sadness, denial, etc., etc. to be worked with on a more superficial level.(managed not stifled) I really think one of Bramarshi’s amazing gifts is that he demonstrates a healthy relationship with emotions….and that does not look like you might think! on the surface/ personality level( I mean he has a Lot of emotions and they change pretty fast) But that is not the level that he is awake to, and you can kinda tell that emotions are just so insignificant. It is a great teaching to see and it naturally makes me tend to look deeper. Over and over, Look Deeper!
The Law of Subtraction reminds of a rough diamond being turned into a faceted gem at the hands of a diamond cutter. He cleaves, chips, cuts and polishes away until he has a beautiful diamond. Or Michelango cutting away stone to reveal the Pieta.
I love the lesson about non-attachment… need to think about it more to think of applications to the surface of life.
Grateful for your continuious commitment to call us into awakening to rememberdiscover & unwrap our true essence
My heart overflows with love and light blessings
Sending holy Hugs
Cathy
Brahmarshi, you talked recently about managing emotions rather than stifling them. I’d love to hear more about this! And our relationship with the words “control” and “self-control.”
This certainly is an area of cross-realm projection in my life. I want to practice “self-control” and not act out of my first responses (alright everyone, you can laugh now 😉 … I want to act out of that inner place of balance, flexibility, and acceptance. HOWEVER, I often have strong emotional reactions and fiery opinions about… nearly everything! I can often tell they are superficial, although sometimes I feel passionately convinced about whatever I happen to think or feel. I try to ask myself how important any given issue is in the big picture, to help decide whether it is worth speaking up about, or better just to let it go.
So on the one hand, I would like to manage my emotions and thoughts maturely. And on the other hand, I am prone to stifle myself as a Band-Aid to cover my first responses. But then it can come out sideways as passive-aggressiveness, resentment, or withdrawal. I have become easier with apologizing! A very helpful tool along the way…
Easing my self-expectation to live up to my ideal — and to get it right the first time with no mistakes–helps ease the pressure that drives me to stifle. It is interesting to ask where that urgency to stifle comes from…
Beautiful conversations… Thank you, Brahmarshi.
I love this blog because cross realm projection is such a frequent and common source of confusion and the way you explain it finally sorts out this dilemma in a clear manner that just makes so much sense — at least to me. I remember when I first heard you talk about this principle, I felt such a relief within my physiology because those polar opposites where finally united without negating either one reality. It felt like ahhhhh…
Another example for cross realm projection is for example “being one with everything”. While this applies on the level of the transcendent, in relativity we are still functioning as separate beings.
Emotions are sometimes compared to waves on the ocean of your Being. When the ocean is not deep, even smaller waves stir mud at the bottom of the ocean. When the ocean of your being is deep, even the strongest emotions stir no mud.
It can at first glance seem that being awake to the level of non attachment would dampen or reduce ones emotions. Actually the opposite is true. The full range of emotions are there. Yet even the deepest and most powerful emotions are free to rise up in huge waves with no distortion, no lack of harmony with your nature… with Mother Nature.
Equanimity is found at the depth of the ocean. It grounds the waves of emotion just as the tail of a kite allows the kite to soar even higher without going into a spin.
This blog resonates and puts another piece of the puzzle together as it, also, clears up questions about relating from an emotional level which have haunted me for a long time. Working through our conditioning is no easy task, but worth all the effort. Thank you Brahmarshi, again, for your clarity of the knowledge.