Empty Buddha: Awaken To Emptiness

By Babaji

Come journey to the Self, in a profound but animated look into the traditions of Self-Realization and the possibilities held therein. Using my own path of self-discovery as the roadmap, I light the way forward for other seekers desperately wanting to touch reality again with the innocence of a child and the intimacy of a first kiss.
As a jenga game must always come to an end through the path of destruction, we find the true Self through the eventual fall of the ego. In the ruins we awaken into emptiness…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Soulede.com
• Release date: May 19, 2018

Book preview

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Preface

Some 2600 years ago, the Buddha proclaimed that enlightenment is the End of Suffering. Still today this explanation is the most simple, elegant and understandable for seekers. With our easy access to multiple religions, gurus, spiritual books, mystical experiences, psychedelic drugs, meditational practices and more; the result is often just further confusion when it comes to the topic of enlightenment. There is so much excess and ‘non-sense’ floating around in all these sources that it clouds the simple and readily observed truth. So rather than helping, they are making it harder to realize your birthright of freedom, and it gradually pushes out of reach.

That being said, I see the irony of adding yet another text to the immense boiling pot of spiritual advice out there already, when all I want to do is simplify things. All of the texts and sources are useful and have their place; they just have the tendency to miscommunicate their wise advice when flavored too heavily with spiritual, metaphysical or religious baggage. This book therefore is dedicated to the millions of you searching for answers but usually only finding more questions.

Enlightenment is actually the simplest thing you will ever know. Most people in fact, upon realization will laugh at how absurdly simple it is. And because it is so simple and in-front of your face, it has never been properly recognized. Now however, is potentially  your time. This book is short and to the point because that is all you actually need. I certainly don’t wish for this to be a difficult process for you, but often it must be, as you will come to understand.

So as my teacher passed on his hope for me, I too wish that the guillotine of truth is swift and fast in cutting away your ignorance…

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A fool that knows he is a fool is that much wiser.

-Buddha

A  World Of Illusions

How deep is the rabbit hole?

Your entire way of life is in support of the greatest illusion you will ever know, and you can't even see that it's right in front of your face. Words of the bible, the encyclopedia, newspapers, books, parental guidance, state laws, medical advice, university studies; everything you’ve ever learnt or been told is part of the same illusion. It is all a creation of the mind. More completely, society as you know it is just an idea believed to be true.

There is no  information that hasn’t been shaped through a perspective, ever. Even what you consider to be scientific fact  is nothing more than opinion. It doesn’t matter that Einstein formulated groundbreaking theories on relativity; they were still only representing his opinion. Actually, the entire process of creating scientific facts through hypothesis means something is ‘correct’ until proven otherwise. There are no absolute truths that we will ever convey in science, religion, philosophy, medicine, spirituality. All  knowledge has been the creation of man.

Concepts are one and the same. When I say concepts, I talk about things such as the number 5. E.g. 5 fingers, 5 eggs, 5 branches on a tree. 5 is only a concept and really is nothing more than a pattern that allows our mind to work with it. A musical note is a conceptual idea to represent a particular frequency, yet it tells you nothing about the sound you experience pressing a piano key. Similarly, sour is a concept but it tells you nothing about the incredible experience of biting a lemon. These concepts all describe and represent aspects of life, but are not life itself.

Measurements, time, language, mathematics, poetry; more concepts and tools that have been invented or defined, changed and redefined. There is nothing in history that was born with a pre-existing conceptual use (or even a name) until human beings defined or conceptualized it in that particular way. It doesn’t matter if we are talking about what you think of as an oak tree, the class of animals called marsupials, the color red or even claiming the brain is the body’s centre of intelligence. No matter what you want to look at, some person or organization has created the concept and defined what is believed  to be the truth or standard. And this standard will change, no different to how your concept of a telephone is much different to that your grandparents. Yet do you dare to define the concept of a phone in any sort of permanent way with the current speed of technology?

When it comes down to it, even the beloved idea of who you are  is a concept, and a highly variable one too. From the moment your parents defined your name, you have been recreating ‘yourself’ constantly until this very moment. Today, you have a definition of who you are and the life you live, yet you can shift and move it in any direction you want. Currently perhaps, you are a happy musician with a thriving career, tomorrow you are a miserable barista with a lost dream. Your beliefs about life and therefore the consequent reality you perceive is dynamic: otherwise meaning that your perceived ‘identity’ changes constantly. And similar to our other mention of concepts - your name and story are attempts to represent  you - but are not actually You.  Yet you believe  it.

The freeing thing about all  these beliefs and concepts is that you don’t have to rigidly believe any of them as an absolute truth, as every single one has been a creation of the mind . You don’t have to believe who you are, not Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity, not that vegetarianism is right or wrong, not even that you have to love your parents. All of these things, including 'who you are' are up for you to use or not. When I say use  them, well for example it’s in your best interest to use the currently defined languages and numbering systems, just like it’s useful to use your name as per your passport when you move through customs. My point is not to make you reject the traditions and sciences of the world, just to understand that these are all standards that were created at some point and we take them to be absolute. Yet there is no such thing. No truths, no facts, never.

Individually, we all create and build upon our personality in an attempt to live the story of life through these belief systems. You personally have opinions on education, science, human rights, music, nutrition, careers, exercise, politics, money, health, religion, existence…. ( another endless list ) and live in such a way to reflect them. That includes everything including what you believe is a worthy career, whether you think vegetables are healthy, or even whether you floss your teeth or not. And according to the position of power a person might find themselves in, these beliefs also shape the external world in tremendous ways. Incredible atrocities such as World War 2 have come through beliefs, dangerously backed by influence and authority.

Consider for yourself, how many problems such as deforestation, racism or poverty are fueled along by belief systems? What are the typical results of right versus left wing politics? What are the typical results of ignorance and greed?

Opinions and beliefs, regardless of whether they are originally yours or belong to another, have entirely constructed your constantly changing  understanding of life itself .  You have probably never questioned whether or not things must be the way they are. And so isn’t it peculiar that from one place to another those very ideals of existence are completely different, just like publicly spitting in Germany is impolite but fine in China. Separate religions instruct you on ‘their’ ways to live in order to get to heaven and different doctors give different theories on how to live for your health. None of this is helped when your partner will demand another way to live to make them happy, and your boss will also demand what he or she considers to be right...

What is the truth within all this?

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Reviews for Empty Buddha

[Modestus Lorence · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Please read it. You will never regret. It is really eye-opening. Amazing!!