Spiritual Enlightenment
Awakening to the Supreme Reality
By
Dr. Robert Puff, Ph.D.
Copyright 2011 Dr. Robert Puff,
All rights reserved.
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-0564-3
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
Introduction
Before we begin I just want to tell you a little bit about myself, who I am and how I arrived at where I’m at.
I was raised in the farm belt of the United States of America in a small town. And from a very early age I wondered about “Who am I?”, “What am I?”, “Why am I here?”, “What is my purpose in life?” These questions kept gnawing at me because though I had found some answers in the religious upbringing I was taught, it didn’t give me all the answers.
At 14 years old, even though I was getting straight As in school, was active in sports, and my parents were still together, there was really no abuse in my life except for a strong spiritual longing to discover “Who, or what, am I?”
I left home on my own with $70 and a wind jacket and, nine months later, I came back. On my journeys I learned things; many things, truths. But they were partial truths; they weren’t the ultimate truth. However, I was now more able to progress in my life on my spiritual quest for understanding “Who or what am I?”
I went off to college and studied psychology and religion. I went to the Ivy League and studied major religions of the world and learned many things. But I still had many, many questions about “Who or what am I?”
Then I continued on my quest by getting my PhD in clinical psychology and having many years of therapy to understand my background, my conditioning. Much healing occurred. I had a lot of healing from my past that needed to occur, and it did. Psychology is truly beautiful at healing the past and learning how to deal well with the present, but it didn’t answer all my questions about who or what I am.
So I continued my journey. I started exploring very successful people, people that were very positive, and started adopting their approach to living life. And again, I learned things. I developed, I struggled less with life. But struggle was still there.
So I continued my quest. I knew I hadn’t found the ultimate answers yet to who, or what I am. I began at a young age – around 19 years old – to do meditation. And I really delved into it in my twenties and thirties and did it regularly, and have done it regularly now for decades.
And again, in my meditation practice, I found the most beautiful, awesome experiences; truly beyond any of my imagination.
But as soon as I got up from my sitting in meditation, my mind and my suffering returned. Then, finally, one day I came across a person who truly is an enlightened being. He explained to me what enlightenment is. It’s actually very simple; all I needed to do was to be. Just be.
And, within three weeks, I found that this beingness had settled deep within my core and I was home. What I had been looking for and searching for, for so many years, I had found.
So, I’d like to share with you who, or what you are, and how you can have a truly beautiful experience while on your sojourn here in life.
A special thanks to my teacher, N.M., who all my teachings are simply reflections on his teachings.
~Dr. Robert Puff
Chapter 1
Finding The Answer To “Who Am I?”: Lose the Labels and Learn the Art of Beingness
Before anything can be known, before anything can come into existence, there must be someone who is the background to all that exists. When we wake up in the morning, everything blooms in our awareness. But would it all be there if we weren’t around? Can there be anything without us first being aware of it? The “I am” is present before anything else exists. Thus, you are before everything else can be.
Once we start giving labels to the “I am”, problems arise. Food, clothing, shelter, personality – all of these things exist only because we have identified with them. But before we identified with them, who or what, are we?
We are the background on which everything occurs. Although we identify with the body upon waking, we are not the body. Even before identification with the body and any labels can take form, the “I am” is the first to emerge when we wake up every morning. It is present before everything else can be. Really explore the “I am”, such as by asking “Who am I?” or “What am I?” These are important questions that we want to take time to discover because even before we start using labels for the things around us or identifying with certain things, the “I am” is already in existence.
It is the mind, the ego, that begins to take on labels. Try to stop doing this and allow yourself to be with the “I am.” Quiet the mind. Be still. At first this idea of not taking on an identity or labels can seem quite a daunting task because we’re so used to adopting labels and defining ourselves.
But when we identify with the mind, the body, thoughts, possessions, ideas or political stances, we cause ourselves to suffer. Instead, just identify with the “I am”, the beginning of everything, beingness, the background on which everything else occurs. If you can do this, you’ll being to explore what you are not as well as discover what you are. The sense of “I am” has always been with you and will always be with you. See in that ultimate stillness what beingness is truly like.
You’re not your job. You’re not your name. You’re not your family. Saying you are this person or saying that you identify with a job or person or event is an untruth. It is meaningless. All that you can say is, “I am.” Without you experiencing the world and everything around you, nothing can exist. Discover who is the background of everything; discover who you are. Ultimately, you are the beingness on which the entire universe is created.
We have identified with all the mind chatter and taken on labels which can’t even occur unless you are. Go back to the state of beingness where you can just be. From there you can discover who you are and let go of all your attachments. There is no thought there. In this space, there is just silence that affords you the opportunity to explore the world. Be that silence and discover who, or what, you are.
Enlightenment is something you can have right now, but you have to let go of everything and become completely unattached. Let go of your identity and find yourself discovering who you are, who you’ve always been and who you’ll always be. All you have to do is be still and just be.
Chapter 2
Discover the “I Am”: Embrace the Infinite Possibility of the Real You
Knowledge is one of the things that prevent us from awakening. Why? We think we know many things and knowing these things keeps us from being awake. To gain awareness we need to unlearn what we know, or think we know. We need to let go of every piece of knowledge and just be. In the East they call it the way ‘neti neti’ which means ‘not this, not that.’ In the West we refer to it as ‘via negativa’ which means a way of nothingness.
We should see our lives as a passing of events without getting attached to anything. We should witness those events as they pass, but not lay claim on them. Rather, we should be a part of them without identifying them. We should experience them without saying, “This is mine” or “This is who I am.” Instead of saying, “This is my event, this is affecting me,” we should simply watch the events that occur throughout life.
We