Explosive Awareness

By Michael Payne

Sunrise (03/01/09) A lotus flower seed is rooted then grows from the darkness of the mud at the bottom of the lake. Simply through the power of it`s pure intention it reaches the surface of the lake then explodes into flower through the powerful blessings of the suns rays... Like unto a lotus you have the seed of enlightenment. Simply through the power of pure intention you will realise the way things really are, you will realise reality exploding within your own experience of silence within this moment...

Payne channels the sages of Chinese, Japanese and Indian lore in preaching meditation for a new generation of spiritual seekers.

Paynes book seems to advertise a radical, new, edgy, anti-establishment project. Yet in some ways, thats far from the truth, since Payne peddles religious ideas whose roots stretch back thousands of years. For nearly a decade and a half, Payne has practiced the ancient art of meditation, which he now sees as a path toward peace and fulfillment. Thus, in around 60 short sketchessome poetry, some prosehe sets out to explain some of the many lessons hes learned while on his spiritual journey. As Payne notes, many of the lessons echo those taught by the great saints of Asian religion: Buddha, Lao Tsu, Shantideva and Bodhidharma. Payne teaches that attachment to things of this world is frustrating because those things are mere images that may change and pass away. Our grasping for these images is fruitless and pointless. Even the self is an illusion; In reality I does not exist, Payne writes, I, me and mine are wordless words. In the end, our misconceptions bring us pain. Yet meditation, which puts us in touch with reality, is a methodical forgetting of all this falseness: Meditation is a simple process of unlearning everything you have been forced to learn by others. The great value of Paynes slim volume is that he expresses such old lessons in sleek, punchy, modern prose. Those intimidated by classic Buddhist texts such as the Lotus Sutra might find Paynes contemporary message refreshing and enlightening. Perhaps the only drawback here is that in trying to express paradoxical truths, Payne sometimes falls back on stilted idioms: The world has become a business with its [sic] own board of directors acting like gods within the balance of things, only it is the minds of those within the world that are in the balance. Metaphors can only hold so much water.

Ancient teachings helpfully repackaged for a modern audience.

- Kirkus Book Review

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Dec 18, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477250853

Michael Payne

Michael Payne lives in Cheshire and has practiced meditation for fourteen years.

Book preview

© 2012 by Michael Payne. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 12/11/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4772-5084-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-5085-3 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

Leave my ego alone . . . (15/05/2011) 16:50hrs

What is the point . . . (04/01/11) 17:00hrs

Giving birth to a hole . . . (05/01/09) 03:05am

Here IT is . . .

The past . . . (01/12/10)

The future . . .

The present . . .

Feelings . . . (17/03/09) 12:30hrs

Nonsense . . . (12/03/09) 15:00hrs

Being called names . . .

Growing within it . . .

Thinking about it . . .(12/03/09) 13:20hrs

Living in it . . . (06/01/09) 04:00hrs

How is you now . . . (07/01/09) 5ish

Living without it . . . (08/01/09) 12:40pm

It is wonderful the way it is . . .

Once upon a time . . .

Credit crunch world . . . (15/01/09) 12:15am

The problem with problems . . . (19/12/10)7pm

Hope . . . (15/12/10) 21:55hrs

Knowledge . . .

Teachers . . .

Within the Matrix . . . (16/01/09) 02:15hrs

Ultimate truth . . . (10/12/10) 17:05hrs

Blissfulness . . .

It is life . . . (10/09/09)

Who is I . . . (31/07/10) 16:55hrs

The joyful path . . . (07/08/11) 17:45hrs

What is meditation? . . . (09/08/11) 13:22hrs

What is normal? . . . (11/08/11) 11:35hrs

Do you really need that space? . . . (11/08/11) 14:25hrs

Child like mind . . . (12/08/11) 09:25hrs

So what is the point to all this nonsense? . . .

The world of common sense . . . (15/08/11) 14:15hrs

Foundation of great compassion . . . (16/08/11) 15:45

Equanimity . . . (17/08/11) 19:48hrs

From order to disorder . . . (24/09/11) 21:15hrs

Death . . . (25/09/11) 18:55hrs

Silent Awareness Meditation . . . (26/09/11) 09:37hrs

This universe of silence . . . (27/09/11) 13:18hrs

Religion vs Religiousness . . . (29/09/11) 12:15

Infinity and beyond . . . (01/10/11) 16:10hrs

Ordinary man of meditation . . . (02/10/11) 13:40hrs

This moment is life . . . (06/10/11) 09:10hrs

Extraordinarily ordinary . . . (07/10/11) 09:17hrs

Simplicity . . . (08/10/11) 15:45hrs

Doing without doing . . . (09/10/11) 09:15hrs

Be without being . . . (09/10/11) 09:25hrs

See without seeing . . . (09/10/11) 10:37hrs

Life is suffering . . . (10/10/11) 11am

Life is no suffering . . . (10/10/11) 11:16hrs

Enlightenment . . . (10/10/11) 11:25hrs

When you meet with a Master . . . (13/10/11)16:30hrs

Loneliness vs Aloneness . . . (12/12/11) 16:20hrs

Within this silence . . . (22/03/12) 17:30hrs

It is natural . . . (18/04/12) 17:38 hrs

Sufferings . . . (18/11/12) 14:17hrs

All the great masters say the same . . . (20/11/12) 8:47

The essence of this simple book is dedicated to the birth of my son and the new birth of all beings. May everything be blissfully awakened . . .

Preface

Sunrise (03/01/09)

A lotus flower seed is rooted then grows from the darkness of the mud at the bottom of the lake. Simply through the power of it`s pure intention it reaches the surface of the lake then explodes into flower through the powerful blessings of the suns rays . . .

Like unto a lotus you have the seed of enlightenment. Simply through the power of pure intention you will realise the way things really are, you will realise reality exploding within your own experience of silence within this moment . . .

The essence of this simple book allows you to engage in a journey of discovery through reflection of this moment. It offers you a glimpse of my life experience of meditation, my awareness of the sufferings of this world and the infinite blessings of this universal moment within eternity . . .

May 1998, I began to see the greater meaning to this life, not just for myself, but for all beings equally. I worked hard for many years to help others and found many obstacles before me, I carried on pushing until I broke. At that time I believed I had fallen from an immeasurable mountain, into a valley of unceasing torment. For many more months I tried to find myself again within the darkness, until I realized myself had placed me there . . .

Now my only wish is for all beings to be awakened to their true nature, an awareness that goes beyond the balance of being controlled, that sees through the illusory nature of things for the true benefit of all beings together as one . . .

Experience allows you to see whatever you have the desire to see, especially if you wish to experience everything you desire. Many appear to have the capacity to live for desire and yet it appears impossible to find the desire that sets you free.

The freedom of the desirous world always comes at a heavy price, the price of being controlled through your experiences of suffering throughout your life by the many illusions created to destroy your intelligence, making you identify yourself as a slave of attachment to things that create no end of suffering until your untimely death has come.

This relationship between the self and the world around IT, is the source