Gilson – Hello, everyone! We're here for another videocast, and once again Master Gualberto is here with us. Thank you, Master, for your presence here with us to bring us what it's like to experience this Real State, what it's like to be free from suffering.
Master, today I'm going to read an excerpt from Joel's book called “The Master Speaks.” And in this book, there's a chapter that Joel calls “Meditation and Healing,” and in the first part of the chapter Joel says the following: “Meditation is the secret of all this work.”
And on the subject of meditation, Master, Joel Goldsmith himself – he even has a book called “The Contemplative Life” – instigates this “state of meditation” a lot. Master, can you tell us a bit about what this True Meditation is?
Master – The matter of Meditation is that Meditation is the Truth of what your Being represents. Your Being, here I am referring to the Truth of your Essential Nature; not that psychophysical being that we identify when we use the expression “I.” This “I” carries this “my,” “mine.” This notion of this “I” in this psychophysical being is the notion of the ego, of this identity that separates itself from life, from experience, which is why it has the expression “I” and “my.” When we refer here to the matter of Meditation, we are pointing to this Real Being, which is not this psychophysical being; it is the Reality of our Essential Nature.
So, the expression “Contemplative Life,” in this awareness of the Truth of your Being, represents a life free of the ego, so this is True Meditation, this is Real Contemplative Life. The Contemplative Life, Gilson, is the Life where the sense of an “I” is not present in that living. Becoming aware of a quality of life in which the “I,” the ego, is not present. This ego is the one that says: “I,” “my,” “mine,” “I and experience,” “I and living,” “I and feeling,” “I and doing.” None of this is present when Life as It Is, in that Real Being that we truly are, Reveals Itself.
So, the matter of Meditation is the awareness of this Being. This Being is true Consciousness, which is true Happiness present when the “I,” the ego, is no longer there. So, it's not a question, Gilson, of something you're going to do, but of something that is present when you, the “I,” the ego is not. That's why it's a matter of coming closer, of looking at oneself, where that sense of an “I,” which separates itself, is no longer present; so it's a look without the one who looks.
We, in general, are having experiences from this experiencer; we are seeing things from this one who looks, feeling things from this one who feels, and here the challenge is to face life without this element. This element is the center of experience, the center of observation, the center of feeling. This “I” is an illusory center.
So, in this work here, we are proposing that you become aware that this “me,” this “I,” this center, this observer, the one who is also the experiencer, is an illusion. Getting closer to oneself in order to study oneself is part of true Meditation, part of Real Meditation. Without this, Gilson, we don't have Meditation, we have meditative practices, therapeutic meditation practices.
So, one practices meditation to achieve well-being, to achieve mental health, to achieve peace, psychological stillness. Of course, this is all temporary because, if this egoic identity model is still present, you only have moments like this. These moments are similar to any other moment when you're not really stressed, anxious, worried and suffering. In this sense, Gilson, all practices are only temporary refuges for a pain that is present, which is this pain of the sense of the “I,” of the ego, of the sense of separation. That's why we have to investigate very clearly the truth about Meditation.
We discover the Truth of Meditation by becoming aware of what mere technical, practical meditation is, the meditation of refuge, the meditation where you temporarily distance yourself from a given situation. Then, by investigating illusion, we can truly have access to Reality. The awareness of non-truth shows the Revelation of Truth, so discovering what Meditation is requires the end of everything we know. So, the Truth of approaching the Revelation of this Real Being, this Divine Consciousness is Meditation, and this requires the end of this “I,” this ego within this movement, which is the movement of life. And that's what we're investigating here.
Gilson – Master, within the practice of meditation, before I met the Master, I had been practicing for years, I had been practicing meditation: early in the morning, in the middle of the morning, in the middle of the afternoon, at night. And, for example, if in the morning I didn't manage to wake up early enough to do that meditation, I would spend the rest of the day thinking of guilt, thinking “oh, I didn't do my part.” And then I'd be in a conflict of internal guilt because I hadn't done a practice early in the morning and I'd spend the rest of the day without observing that thought, without seeing that activity, and still with a process of guilt. And then the Master brings this True Meditation and I see how far I was from a Real Meditation; it was just a process where I did a practice, stopped, and at that moment I had a pseudo “peace” or a temporary relief from the pressure of thought, but as soon as I left, it was back or, when I couldn't wake up early, for example, to meditate, I spent the rest of the day under pressure for not having done my part. It turns out I have to laugh, because it's like a dog chasing its tail, isn't it?
Master – It's because the illusion, Gilson, in us is the illusion of “someone” within the doing, within the achievement, within the practice. So, for us – at least we've learned this out there – practice is done by “someone.” In fact, in life, our notion is the notion of “someone” present within any experience, doing something, and meditation couldn't be any different. So, “if I can do something, I can also meditate,” “if I can stop doing, I can do.” Our notion is the notion of an “I” present within the experience.
The Real Vision of Life occurs when, precisely, this “I,” which is the doer, is no longer present, then Life is Revealed as something happening now, here, with an event without the experiencer. This is something that requires a new approach, Gilson, this matter of Meditation. Right now, here, this speaking, this listening, the understanding of this speech, this can't just be on an intellectual level, on a verbal level, because if in this speaking the sense of separation is present, in this listening the sense of separation is present, in this understanding, the mere intellect putting words together is present, what we have present is still an illusory sense of an “I” present within experience, and this experience here is life.
So, what is Meditation? It's the absence of this experiencer. So, in this instant, we're in front of this Being, in front of Life, in front of Meditation, in other words, we're not sitting cross-legged with our eyes closed, listening to a song, we're just in this instant in the movement of life itself, without the “I” element, the ego present, without the element that is involved within experience, wanting to mold, change, do something with what is here.
So, the Truth of Meditation is the presence of Life without that element which is the “I”; it is the presence of experience without the experiencer, which represents a Pure experiencing of Life taking place. So, it's something that requires the absence of the movement of the “I.” However, in illusion, which is the illusion of the “I” itself, we are creating techniques, practices, and systems to access This, which is impossible. What we will achieve as a result is just something that will temporarily quieten the brain, relax, but without a vision of the Reality of Life, without the “I,” without the ego, which is the purpose of the Truth of Meditation. So, we have to take a different approach, Gilson, if we really want to discover the Truth about who we are, which is the Truth of this Being, this Beauty, this true Consciousness.
We've been emphasizing this here: I'm referring to this true Consciousness; it's not this consciousness of the “I,” it's not this life of the “I” and therefore it's not this practice of the “I.” You just put it this way: when you didn't do “meditation,” when you weren't doing “meditation,” that same “I” that wasn't practicing was now feeling guilty because it hadn't done it. Meditation Awareness is the absence of this “I,” and this is now, in this instant. So, what is the Real moment for Meditation? This one. What is True Meditation? It's the presence of the Truth without the “I,” now revealing itself.
You might say: “But that sounds too complicated or too difficult.” In fact, we're dealing with something that isn't so simple, it is not simple, but approaching it directly in another way isn't so complicated either. It's just a matter of becoming aware of what's here, right now, looking at this movement of thought, feeling, sensation, perception, and speech when we're talking, gestures when we're gesturing. Just to be aware of it, to look at it, without adding an element of will, of desire, of wanting to alter it, change it, make it different, which only represents bringing awareness to this instant, without interfering in what is showing itself here. So, in a certain way, this is simple; in another way, it requires an energy that, in general, we haven't given ourselves. So, that's why it seems very complicated to us.
The awareness of the Truth of Meditation is now, in this instant. It doesn't require a special moment, a special physical posture, it doesn't require anything at all. In fact, when we put this within meditation, we artificialize the whole process, since it is contact with this instant, it is contact with life as it shows itself that reveals Meditation; it is contact with the movement of thought as it shows itself, of feelings as they show themselves, of the way of perceiving life.
Gilson – Master, for me, after I had this contact with the Master, and the Master brings this revolutionary concept of Meditation, which is True Meditation at every moment – it's only now that you need to meditate – and then it was a great liberation for me, because there was this process of guilt, of pressure to do a practice, and now there is no longer this need. And then, even in an example that I've already mentioned in a videocast, when sometimes the kids are playing, there's a mess here with the kids, instead of escaping and running to the bedroom to “meditate,” if there's an impulse of anger, an energy of anger, I stay there, in the middle of the mess, and observe that restlessness, that energy of being bothered by the situation. And that's the moment of True Meditation: being with that energy and not wanting to divide oneself from it, thinking it's bad to be angry and so on, isn't that Master?
Master – Exactly! This isn't about getting rid of anger. You just said that. It's not about getting rid of anger, because our inclination is to disapprove of what we don't approve of because it seems negative, because it sounds negative, because it seems unspiritual. We want to get rid of it, so we disapprove in order to get rid of it, we disapprove in order to reject it from us. Contact with what is present here and now – and this is the purpose of Meditation – is not to rid ourselves of experience – look how interesting that is – but to become aware of this element that is the experiencer. This element is the one that comes from the past. So, let's put this clearly for you.
Anger is present, fear is present, the pain of envy is present; to become aware of this moment, to become aware of yourself in this moment, is to become aware of this. Only by becoming aware of this does it become clear that an element arises, which is the experiencer, that wants to get rid of this; and when we are aware of this that is here, and we don't feed this experiencer, what is present now, here, this experience in this format of fear, of anger, this energy dissipates, there is a profound change in this whole structure – which is the structure of the “I,” of the ego – when it is not sustained, when this experiencer is not sustained in this experience. That, Gilson, is what we need to discover for ourselves in this instant, in Meditation.
So, becoming aware of experience without the experiencer is the key. Becoming aware of looking at it without the observer is the end of this psychological condition of the “I,” of the ego. And if this dissolves here, this experience undergoes a profound change, then, yes, there is a break in the continuity of this movement of fear, of anger. This state is undone, because, in this instant, this awareness of Being is present, this Real Consciousness is Revealed, and this is Meditation, this is now, in this instant.
So, you're not running away, you're not repressing, you're not judging, nor trying to change what arises. At that moment, this sense of “I” is disappearing. Something new is emerging. This Something new is no longer the presence of “Gilson,” it is Something new, Unknown, outside of this “Gilson” with his reactions, which are the reactions of this experiencer who is always repeating himself; in situations similar to these, he is always repeating himself with the same little pattern of anger, fear, emotional, and psychological pain.
So, the work of Self-Awareness is simultaneously the vision of the Truth of Meditation. So, the work of Self-Awareness is the clear vision of the true Meditation Revealing Itself now, in this instant. So, we have to discover Life Revealing Itself, without the element of “I,” ego, the experiencer. So, these aspects that arise, which are still aspects of this experiencer's experience, which arise at this moment, need to be seen; and we can't see this, Gilson, sitting in a room, listening to soft music, with our legs crossed. It's here, right now, driving the car, going to work, dealing with family and children. You see? It's in living, it's in the moment, it's in this instant, it's here that life is showing itself as it is, it's here that you're discovering, learning, realizing, becoming aware of this Truth, which is the Divine Truth, and this is Meditation.
Gilson – Master, after I met the Master, with this innovative concept about Meditation, I was able to realize that there was a situation that had been repeating itself in my life for twenty years, and even with many years of “meditation,” I always ended up falling into a flow of thoughts that generated problems and I ran from them; I ran to try to solve them or I ran away through practices. And it's funny that with this Vision of the Master and this True Meditation, instead of running away when this non-conformity arose, this problem, I became aware of it, and it's bizarre how there was a trigger that would start to bring up a flow of thoughts and I'd get into those flows of thoughts, and then I'd be depressed and so on. And then, with this sharing of the Master's Consciousness, in the True Meditation, I began to realize that the streams of thoughts would start and, the moment I could see them, it was kind of funny, because this “blah, blah, blah” would come and it would dissipate. So, it's really something indescribable when this True Meditation happens, because the naughtiness and trickery of thought that “overtook” us won't take us anymore, because there won't be “someone” who might be taken, right Master?
Master – It's simple, Gilson. Unconsciousness is what sustains the ego's patterns. The Truth about the ego is the movement of unconsciousness, of thought. We live within a pattern of unconsciousness, of not knowing this inner movement of emotions, feelings, sensations, perceptions, and, of course, thoughts. Not being aware of the Truth of What we are in this living places us in a condition of illusory identity present in experience, wanting to change, alter, interfere, do something with what is here. To become aware of this movement, which is the movement of the “I,” to become aware of it, is to understand Something that is outside this condition of separation, of duality. That is the end of this unconsciousness.
We live, Gilson, within a program, within a model of society, of culture, of the world, doing, feeling, acting, and thinking like everyone else, like everyone else is doing, like everyone else around us. This is a conditioning; cultural conditioning, physical conditioning, emotional conditioning, feeling and mental conditioning – what we've been calling here psychological conditioning. So, we are actually completely unaware of the Truth of what we are, of what Life is, and naturally of what the other is. This is unhappiness, it carries these consequences of anguish, fear, and suffering.
So, we live in ignorance, we live in illusion. In this condition, we are asleep. So, the condition of the human being is one of profound unconsciousness and, therefore, of sleep. In this sleep, one is dreaming, in this dream, one is living a nightmare, because the human condition of life, without this awareness of the Divine Reality, which is the Reality of Love, Peace, Freedom, and Happiness that is God, the human being is completely lost in his dream of life. So, we spend forty, seventy, eighty years of our lives in this condition.
So, what is this Awakening? What is this awareness of the Reality of God? It's being free of the ego in this life, in this true contemplation of Reality. To have an approximation of oneself, to live this Truth of That which is You in your Being is the awareness of who the other is, of what Life truly represents, in all that Grace, Beauty, Completeness, Fullness, and Abundance.
We were born, Gilson, to realize This in this life, that's the only purpose. There is no purpose in life. We've been saying it: there is no purpose in life. People are looking for a purpose in their lives. Life is its own purpose. It's not someone's personal purpose. Life is its own purpose, but it's not the particular life of “me.” This disappears when the Reality of Life, in its purpose, is fulfilled, and it is fulfilled when the sense of ego, of “I” is not. Such a life is the Life of God Revealing Itself, it is the Life of that Being. That is Love, that is Happiness. That's it.
Gilson – Master, our time is up. Thank you for another meeting, another videocast.
And for you who are watching the video, please give a like, make a comment, this helps Youtube's algorithm to recognize that the content is relevant and to be able to distribute it to more people. And also, especially for you who feel something different when you look into the eyes of the Master, Marcos Gualberto, whom we call Master... We call him Master because what he says, he's not bringing something he's learned, something he's repeating from books, it's something he lives – this State of Freedom, this State of True Meditation – and he shares that with us through the Satsangs – which are weekend meetings, both online and in person, and even retreats – a deepening of this investigation. And then, for those who take part, we have the opportunity to end up entering this atmosphere of stillness that Marcos finds himself in; it's a state that only by living can we get a glimpse of what this True Meditation really is, where there is only Meditation, there is no “someone” meditating. And it's a Grace, it's speechless.
Master, thank you for another videocast!
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