Beyond Subject and Object

I hope to make this real short and sweet. My sincere thanks to all who've responded, in a most supportive and helpful way, to this post and to those of the recent past. The shift of topic is not so radical or contradictory as it may seem... in previous postings (i.e. "ending the me") I focused upon the illusion of self, or rather "self-consciousness", and how this gets in the way of true self-actualizing awareness and activity. In this series the focus is on the illusion of others, or self-consciousness in relation to others and the futile ever demanding drive that folks (like me, in my less conscious moments...) have, to seek the approval and admiration of others... without first having earned it. To earn it one must first understand and realize that to impress others is meaningless in itself... if I make my Self truly happy then chances are others will respond in kind.. and vice versa. In short, there is no me and no you... there IS an *I and an Us*, both of which imply unity, a non-dual Mahayana state that Buddhists speak of. This happens when we "cease to attribute qualities to subject and object", if I understand it correctly. The two ultimate hindrances to success and realization are just these... conciousness of self and consciousness of others. (Self) Awareness is a different reality, experiential and non-intellectual, because it already IS prior to the contrived activities of ego. In pure awareness alone there is truth, reality, liberation and realization, no self and no other(s).

JDZ