BEING NOBODY in Clapham Junction

by Moich ABRAHAMS

What can be the reason for a person to turn his back on a privileged lifestyle with connections to people in the art world and high society, such as Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore, Sir Michael Redgrave and Nell Dunn (who made the famous film Up the Junction)?
Moich Abrahams shares the fascinating journey of his friend Michael Bruce Proudfoot, who did just that. In his early 30s, he relinquished that lifestyle and settled down to become a very strange ‘street person’. Michael spent most of his time standing or sitting in Clapham Junction, completely absorbed in a state of peace and contentment, which happily sustained him well into his late 80s.
The author befriended Michael for some 30 years. He could relate to this story as he is an artist and deeply interested in Michael’s philosophy.


This tale of an unusual man reveals a profound secret on how YOU can maintain a happy and peaceful life - NO MATTER WHAT.

This book is available now for purchase on Amazon.co.uk (at least in the UK), and below, you will find numerous bonus additions! These extras consist of additional insights drawn from various chapters in the book. Notably, there's an extensive appendix offering comprehensive information about the process and philosophy of non-duality and its practice. The content also features enriching material related to different chapters, augmenting your reading experience. Moreover, you'll find a collection of colourful photographs, some exclusive to this presentation, providing an added visual dimension. I trust you'll discover it to be an intriguing addition.

Book Bonuses


Footnotes: From Chapter 3

1. The surname Gosman was first traced in Austria, and may have come from the name Gussmann in medieval times. It might be attributed to the origin of this name as Romanian. It is known that later Gosman families moved to many different countries and were found in the SA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland around the late 18th century and early 20th. Most of these lived in the USA towards the end of the 18th century. However, there were about twenty Gosman families living in Northumberland at that time, making up about half of all the recorded Gosmans in the UK.

The origin of the name was apparently Jewish - an eastern Ashkenazic (Jewish) nickname from Yiddish made up of: goz ‘hare’ + man ‘man’. Hence came the German versions Gossmann or Gossman. There are many other variations of the spelling, which had appeared over time, for example: Gussman, Gusmann, Guzmann, Gusman, Gossmann, Gotzman, and many more. Indeed, the name Gosman may have derived earlier from the name Guzman, which curiously may have a much earlier (though etymologically disputed) Spanish link. The history of the Jews in Spain stretches back to biblical times according to Jewish history. Spanish Jews once constituted one of the largest and most prosperous Jewish communities in the world. Many Jews converted (conversos) in order to survive in Catholic Spain, especially during the Spanish Inquisition (1478–1834). Hence changing one's name may have been a way to survive in those difficult times.

Other possible meanings: the surname de Guzmán, or 'of Guzmán’, derived from the village of Guzmán in the province of Burgos, Spain, and is another eastern Ashkenazic name. So, it could be a variant of Gusman, an occupational name for a metalworker, from the Yiddish gus, meaning 'casting' and ‘man’. So, the village of Guzman is possibly where Jewish metalworkers settled and became prosperous.

Yet another meaning could be that Gosman means the 'gooseman’, or tender of the geese. Geese filled an important place in the domestic economy of early rural populations. In Anstruther, Fife, it was formerly believed the name was derived from Guzman, a grandee of the Spanish Armada! This name was also recorded in Edinburgh in 1939. The name Guzman could also mean Good Man. Rodrigo Muñoz de Guzmán was the earliest Spaniard documented using this surname as the founder of the noble House of Guzmán. This old and noble Spanish family emerged in Castile in the 12th century and became one of the most prominent dynasties of the Spanish kingdom until the 18th century.

2 ‘Pollock’ is a toponym (derived from a geographic name of a town, city, region or country). Surnames that are based on place names do not always testify to direct origin from that place, but may indicate an indirect relation between the name-bearer or his ancestors and the place, such as birth place, temporary residence, trade, or family-relatives. The Scottish connection for the name Pollock often originated as a locative name derived from Upper Pollock, Renfrewshire in Scotland. It dates back to bearers of that name in the12th Century. In other cases, the surname is derived from the Middle English (as spoken between 1150 and 1500) personal name *Pollok and in Old English (as spoken between 450 and 1150) *Pulloc.

A Germanic variation of 'Pollack' may also be of Ashkenazic origin, being an ethnic name for someone of Jewish origin from Poland or from some other Slavonic speaking region. So, in this case, the surname Pollack is most likely a form of Polack meaning ‘Polish’, and one of numerous names applied to Poles.

A striking example of a place name from which family names are derived is Poland, with one of the biggest and most important Jewish populations in the European Diaspora until the Holocaust. The terms Pollak (German), Polacco (Italian), Polonais (French), Polacek (Czech), were all used to describe a person from that country. The family name Pollack was documented in the 15th century in northern Bohemia, where it also appears as Polak in the 16th century. The surname could date back to the late 12th century.

Michael,s family free

Family Tree Notes:

You will see from the 'tree' on the left that Ellen had two marriages and Editha three. James married Editha when they were both relatively young. Editha was only about 17 or 18. James was about 21.

He'd probably just finished his studies at St Andrews University... was this where he met Editha? I could not find records of her attending there.

After a short time working in his father’s carpet business as a carpet designer, having aspirations to become a famous artist, James moved to London to study art. Was it because of this that his marriage to Editha was 'dissolved'?

‘Dissolved’ is a very specific term for the ending of a marriage usually used in the case of either, adultery; incompatibility or estrangement.

The fact that they had a three-year-old son, our Michael, didn’t deter James from going off to London in search of fame and fortune. James indeed found that as a society portrait painter.

An early success was his portrait of stage actress Ellen Pollock painted in 1937. Ellen Pollock was at that time married to Colonel Leslie Frank Hancock, and had a son also called Michael, born 1929/30.

Tragically her husband, the Colonel, died in Normandy in 1944. James Proudfoot had no doubt kept a close connection with Ellen and married her eight years later in 1945, a year after her husband died.

Ellen's son Michael Hancock was three or four years Michael's senior and later became known by Michael Proudfooot as his stepbrother.

Michael Proufoot’s mother, Editha, in the meanwhile had eventually met her sailor, Denis Norman Dyster-Clark who she married in 1942, six years after her marriage with James was 'dissolved'. That didn't last all that long for Editha got married for the third time, in 1949, to Charles Henry Michael Felgate-Catt, eight years her junior.


MICHAEL BRUCE PROUDFOOT



BEING NOBODY in Clapham Junction Appendices

APPENDICES / RESOURCES / LINKS

We hope that you will enjoy this bonus selection and find it helpful. 

Below, you will find a variety of materials, different jewels, you might say, about Non-Duality. These tools and resources are offered to guide you towards discovering ‘Who You Really Are’ and thereby enjoying a happy and peaceful life - no matter what. 

A great amount of material has been written on the connection between science, Non-Duality and spirituality. Many scientific experiments point to the veracity of the non-duality paradigm that everything in the universe is connected. In her bestselling book ‘The Aquarian Conspiracy’ Marilyn Ferguson discussed this back in 1982.

A more recent book exploring this connection with science from a different angle is: ‘On the Mystery of Being - Contemporary Insights on the Convergence of Science and Spirituality,’ edited by Zaya and Maurizio Benazzo (2019). When you Google “Non-Duality and Science,” 28,600,000 results come up! 

In this book, I did not go into that attractive scientific area - the focus suggested here, in these Appendices, is on what the Direct Enquiry process offers. However, you may need to think very differently from usual. 

While many of the items in the Appendices have a broad non-duality remit, the following are mainly focussed on ‘The Direct Path’ where possible. Please choose relevant material. Preferably select content associated with the teachings of, for example, Sri Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta Maharaj,  [perhaps Sri H.W.L Poonja (known as Papaji)], Shantananda Saraswati and contemporary teachers such as Rupert Spira, Tony Parsons and Adyashanti.

If everything is connected in all sorts of ways and not as a diversity, what remains is just a sort of oneness. One may ask: “Where am I in this?” And then, “Who am I?”

Let’s look at these questions in another way. Am I my body, or is my body rather like being in a car or a diving suit or space suit (with many exciting pieces of equipment embedded in it) that I am wearing, and therefore - not me? If I lose part of my body, am I still here?  I am still here. Clearly, in the same way, I am not my car, nor am I my body. Further vital questions to enquire into are: am I my thoughts, and am I my feelings and emotions?

 The “Who am I?” inquiry can be explored further if you survive these questions. Lots of pointers follow in the Appendices below.

It’s like going down a rabbit hole with surprises on the way, provided you dig deep enough. Help is always available to navigate this journey if one looks for it through teachers, books, clubs and organisations. Some gatherings are known as ‘The company of good friends’. A variety of pointers are provided in this appendix.

Websites – you may need to copy the links offered and paste them into your search browser, such as Google, to view them. In many cases, this will lead to awe-inspiring information.

● Hugely useful to meet many Non-Dualityteachers, etc. - worth checking

● www.batgap.com - Over 575 in-depth Interviews with Spiritual Teachers & Awakening People.

● www.conscious.tv/ -Explorations in areas of Consciousness, Science, Non-Dualityand Spirituality. Over 400 programmes.

● www.awarenessexplorers.com - An illuminating podcast to help you dive deeply into the joy and peace of awareness. Many episodes.

● www.studysociety.org - A society in London sharing practical ways to help further inner peace, happiness and spiritual growth. Teachings on P.D. Ouspensky, Gurdjieff, Rumi and others. The Society values inclusion, equity, and kindness.

● http://www.advaita.org.uk/teachers/satsangs.htm - Satsang Diary – Satsang schedules in various countries and cities such as the UK and London. The Satsang Diary publishes the times, dates and locations of the Satsangs of many spiritual teachers of Advaita worldwide.

● Books about Sri Ramana Maharshi - https://www.arunachala-ramana.org/publications  or https://tinyurl.com/4zkf7hdt 

● Online books about Sri Ramana Maharshi - https://tinyurl.com/35s6ct47     

● Sri Ramana Maharshi Quotes - https://tinyurl.com/8vps9998   or     https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/201908.Ramana_Maharshi 

● Sri  Nisargadatta Maharaj Quotes -  https://tinyurl.com/x8k6xhx5   or                                              https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/172897.Nisargadatta_Maharaj 

● Ram Dass Quotes - https://tinyurl.com/buezw94u   or

● https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/14525.Ram_Dass 

● Rupert Spira Quotes - https://tinyurl.com/yscpcw5j  or 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/2919607.Rupert_Spira 

● Pamela Wilson Quotes - https://www.eatonsatsang.com/gift-of-pamela 

Videos

● Living Non-DualityThe film (FULL): Robert Wolfe

● Living in Non-Duality- The Hard Questions by Gary Weber

● What "no thoughts" means - 3 different kinds of thoughts - by Gary Weber

● Living Non-Duality in a Dualistic World: Chuck Hillig

Books - a selection

● Crisis and Spiritual Emergencies by Courtenay Young – A handbook about and for people experiencing various sorts of psychological, emotional and spiritual crises, Publisher AuthorHouse

● A Pelican In The Wilderness Hermits, Solitaries And Recluses  by Isabel Colegate, Harper Collins Publishers

● Ouspensky’s Fourth Way - Gerald de Symmons Beckwith, Starline Media & Publishing Ltd Oxford. See also  www.ouspenskytoday.org

● I Am That by Niriragadatta Maharaj,  publisher of The Acorn Press

● Oneness with all Life by Eckhart Tolle, publisher Penguin Random House, UK

● I Am by Jean Klein, publisher of Non-DualityPress

● Acceptance of What Is - A Book about Nothing by Wayne Liquorman, published by Advaita Press

● Be As You Are - The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, edited by David Godman, published by Penguin Books

● The End of Your World by Adyashanti, publisher Sounds True, Inc.

● Emptiness Dancing by Adyashanti, publisher Sounds True, Inc.

● Being Aware of Being Aware by Rupert Spira, publisher Sahaja Publications co-publication with Harbinger Publications

● Being - The Teaching of Advaita, A Basic Introduction by Philip Jacobs, publisher The Study Society

● Writings from the Zen Masters compiled by Paul Reps, published Penguin Books - Great Ideas

● Being Bliss by Indigo Ocean, publisher Bodhi Press

● Outrageous Openness - Letting the Divine Take the Lead by Tosha Silver, publisher Atria Paperback

● Journey into Now - Clear Guidance on the Path of Spiritual Awakening by Leonard Jacobson, publisher of Conscious Living Publications

● Heart is Thy Name, Oh Lord - Moments of Silence with Sri Ramana Maharshi, publisher V.S. Ramanan

● Being Nobody, Going Nowhere by Ayya Khema, publisher Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka, initially published by Wisdom Publications, USA

● On the Mystery of Being - Contemporary Insights on the Convergence of Science and Spirituality edited by Zaya and Maurizio Benazzo, publisher Reveal Press, an imprint of New Harbinger Publications

● Only That - The Life and Teaching of Sailor Bob Adamson by Kalyani Lawry, publisher Non-DualityPress, an imprint of New Harbinger Publications

● Letting Go - The Pathway of Surrender by David R. Hawkins, M.D., PhD, publisher Hay House Inc.

● Whatever arises Love That - A Love Revolution That Begins with You by Matt Kahn, publisher Sounds True

● More Doubts and 100 More Answers ; (1)=See footnote below; by Ramana Maharshi edited and compiled by A.R. Natarajan, publisher Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning, Bangalore-560 094

● Teachings of His Holiness Shantanand Saraswati - A Selection by The Society for the Study of Human Beings, Inc. New York

● Wisdom of the Ages - 60 Days to Enlightenment by Wayne W. Dyer, publisher Quill, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

● The Orange Book - A Method of Self Realization compiled by The Society for the Study of Normal Psychology, publisher  The Study Society, Colet House, London

● The Man Who Wanted to Meet God - Myths and Stories that Explain the Inexplicable by His Holiness Shantananda Saraswati, publisher The Study Society, Colet House, London

● Conversations on Non-Duality- Twenty-six Awakenings edited by Eleonora Gilbert from Conscious TV, published by Cherry Red Books

● The Nature of Consciousness - Essays on the Unity of Mind and Matter by Rupert Spira, publisher Sahaja Publications co-publication with NewHarbinger Publications

● Invitation to Awaken by Tony Parsons, publisher InnerDirections Publishing

Zen Publications in Mumbai, India, publish and are agents for many great spiritual books, including critical books on Advaita. (non-duality)

[The Truth Is - a collection of spontaneous songs spoken by Sri H.W.L. Poonja, compiled and edited by Prashanti De Jager, publisher of FullCircle Publishing]

[Breath of the Absolute - dialogues with Mooji - the Manifest and Unmanifest is One, edited by Manjusri and Zenji, publisher Yogi impressions] Bracketed* because, sadly, a dark cloud seems to hang over Mooji these days as a recommended Guru. Please note carefully that in all your material selections, you are advised to be VERY discriminating. Similar concerns are floating around in the media these days about several self-appointed ‘gurus’, even the famous Papaji * and the once revered John De Ruiter.

After the Ecstasy, the Laundry - How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path by Jack Kornfield, publisher Random House (There are many accounts in this book about teachers and seekers on this Path. He asked many teachers, ‘What’s it like being enlightened?’ - hence the title. It is included here also because of a chapter he calls The Dirty Laundry (Chapter 10), where some famous gurus are shown to be not as holy as one would hope; the point again is that one needs to be very discriminating about who one takes as one’s teacher. Be very careful what you ask for and who you ask.) 

On Having No Head: Zen and the Re‑discovery of the Obvious  Douglas Harding  Amazon

Footnotes:

1. In this small booklet, to see a great Q&A on ‘Heart’,  on pp. 38 to 44,  use  this link:  tinyurl.com/2h2kz52n

  

A particular ART EXHIBITION by Moich with a spiritual focus.

( There are many others referred to in the Moich’s Art section of this website)

Art Exhibition by Moich Abrahams featuring Michael in The Project Space.  The Project Space is part of The Lotus Foundation and a viewing room. The room is separate from the main gallery where privileged art buyers are taken to sip champagne and view an artist's work. Over a few months in 2020, The Blue Lotus Foundation hosted some of its favourite artists. As a brief, each artist was asked three questions; their response could be in any form they desired. In June 2020, it was the artist Moich Abrahams’s turn. 

The complete small exhibition  (virtual due to COVID-19) can be viewed by copying the links provided into your computer, iPad, or mobile phone browser. (See, shown below, the 3 Q & A’s included as part of the written part of the exhibition). 

 https://www.lotusfoundation.org.uk/project-space.html 

 Viz: when opening: The Blue Lotus Foundation / Project Space Archive / scroll down to artist: Moich Abrahams.   See also; Instagram:   @thebluelotus328

Q & A with Moich answering

1 - What fuels Your work? Currently, I have a playful interest in exploring Self.

2 - What do You expect to get from it? I want to create something personal yet universal appeal, which acts as a mirror, helping me be the best I can be.

3 - How do recent world events affect Your creative outlook / if at all? The suffering seen in many manifestations of world events, particularly creating separation between people, calls me even more to enquire, with the most profound questions that I can, about Life. Then, 'allow' what needs to be done and just get on with it.

Glossary   ( numbers 1-7 below, in brackets; refer to footnotes below this Glossary)

Tentative definitions as in Non-Duality usage

● Advaita is a Vedantic doctrine that identifies the individual self (atman) with the ground of reality (brahman). It is associated primarily with the Indian philosopher Shankara (c. 788–820).

● Atman: It is the true self as opposed to the ego.  The pure consciousness of the atman remains untouched by what the ego sees or experiences. It is the soul or spirit that is attached to the body.  So fundamental was the Atman deemed to be that certain circles identified it with Brahman. 

● Awake: to arouse from sleep or a sleeplike state. One can be asleep ‘spiritually’ as well as in other ways. Awake in a non-dual context is synonymous with the term ‘being enlightened’.

● Awareness: In the context of Non-Duality, awareness is the consciousness of who we are beyond the egocentric perspective. 

● A beggar is a person who lives by asking for money or food. (1)

● Brahma: in the Upanishads (Indian sacred writings), the supreme existence or absolute reality. One of the triad of Hindu gods. The triad consists of Brahma, the Creator, Vishnu, the Preserver, and Siva, the Destroyer (2)

● Brahman, used in the Upaṇiṣhads, is derived from the Sanskrit root bṛh, which means ‘to expand’ or ‘to grow’ and, as such, indicates that Immensity includes everything. This Immensity is beyond the comprehension of any being. Brahman, as a metaphysical concept, refers to the single binding unity behind diversity in all that exists in the universe. Sanskrit describes it as Sat-cit-ānanda (being-consciousness-bliss) and as the highest reality. According to Advaita, a liberated human has realised Brahman as their true self.  Incidentally, the sound conveys insight into ultimate reality if appropriately heard. (3)

● Buddha: The word Buddha means “enlightened.” According to Buddhist teaching, the path to enlightenment is attained through morality, meditation and wisdom.

● Buddhism: Its followers don’t acknowledge a supreme god or deity. They instead focus on achieving enlightenment—a state of inner peace and understanding.

● Duality: Duality refers to two-sidedness. In our context,  on one side, we have  “I, me, mine” based on the ego's existence. On the other side resides you and the rest of the world. The two sides are somehow separate. In this context, the question ‘Who am I?’ may have many familiar answers, such as: “I am my body and my mind”, etc.    

● Enlightened: A state where the individual transcends desire and suffering and attains nirvana.

● Enquiry, as in Self Inquiry Self-enquiry, also spelt self-inquiry, is the constant attention to the inner awareness of "I" or "I am" recommended by Ramana Maharshi as the most efficient and direct way of discovering the unreality of the "I"-thought. Ramana taught that the "I"-thought will disappear and only "I-I" or self-awareness remains.

● Guru "Gu" means darkness, and "ru" means light (Sanscrit); thus, a guru turns ignorance into enlightenment.

● Heart: It is the seat (if such may be said) of the Self. It is not the physical heart. (4)

● Hermit: a person living in solitude as a religious discipline.

● Intuition: the ability to understand something instinctively, without needing conscious reasoning.

● Non-dual: Non-Duality meaning "one undivided without a second". Non-dualism primarily refers to a mature state of consciousness in which the separation between the I-other is "transcended", and awareness is described as "centerless" and "without separations".

● Paradigm: a pattern or model

● Paranormal: denoting events or phenomena such as telekinesis or clairvoyance that are beyond the scope of ordinary scientific understanding.

● Psychic: A psychic is a person who uses extrasensory perception (ESP) to get information hidden from the normal senses, mostly involving telepathy or clairvoyance, or performs acts apparently inexplicable by natural laws. 

● Sadhu is a religious ascetic, or any holy person in Hinduism and Jainism who has renounced worldly life.

● Sage: One venerated for experience, judgment, and wisdom.

● Satsang is a Sanskrit word made up of two words: "sat" means truth, and "sang" means together. The literal translation is "finding the truth together." 

● Schizophrenic: someone with symptoms that can include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, trouble with thinking and lack of motivation.

● Self-remembering: Ouspensky said: “To remember oneself means the same thing as to be aware of oneself — ‘I am’.” A topic which needs exploring.(5)

● Spiritual Relating to thoughts and beliefs or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.

● Upanishads: presents a vision of an interconnected universe with a single, unifying principle behind the apparent diversity in the cosmos, any articulation of which is called Brahman. Within this context, the Upanishads teach that Brahman resides in the Atman, the unchanging core of the human individual. (6)

● Void: is the philosophical concept of nothingness manifested and is closely associated with the contemplation of emptiness and with human attempts to identify and personify it. 

● Who am I?    : The classic question in non-dual enquiry. From the physical perspective, we are the identity we adopt through values, experiences, culture and relationships. But we are more than that, and this is the universal question which, when enquired into deeply, allows us to transcend a limited and limiting view of ourselves.

● Zen : Zen employs rigorous self-restraint, meditation practice and insight into the nature of the mind

 

Footnotes: re numbers in brackets in the above Glossary and  (7) here below, too.

1. In 2015, India came to know about its richest beggar — Bharat Jain — who would earn Rs 70,000 to 80,000 per month by begging. He used to beg at the crowded Terminus (known as CST) in Mumbai, India. He had also bought a personal flat worth Rs 80 lakh.

2. Brahma is the father of Manu (7), and, in Hindu tradition, all human beings are descended from Manu. He is often referred to as the progenitor or great grandsire of all human beings. He is not to be confused with the Supreme Cosmic Spirit in Hindu Vedānta philosophy known as Brahman, which is genderless. .Incidentally, Brahma is also known as the "Lord of Speech and Sound."  https://www.definitions.net/definition/brahma

3. Brahman: 22 definitions: https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/brahman  

4.  Heart: Fascinating definition is taken from the booklet More Doubts and 100 More Answers by Sri Ramana Maharshi, edited and compiled by A.R. NATARAJAN (published by  Sri Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning, Bangalore -560 094 - ISBN 81-85378-89-4) see pp. 38-44. tinyurl.com/2h2kz52n 

5. Self-remembering: https://www.ouspenskytoday.org/wp/about-teaching-today/self-remembering/ 

6. The Upanishads were derived from dialogues between gurus and their students and contain information regarding the philosophical principles and concepts of Hinduism, including karma (right action), brahman (ultimate reality), the atman (true Self or soul), moksha (liberation from the cycle of reincarnation) and Vedic doctrines that explain Self-realisation. They were written in the sixth century BCE, during a period of great ferment – the time of the Buddha. 

7.  Manu (Sanskrit) refers to the archetypal man or the first man (progenitor of humanity) in early Hindu texts. The Sanskrit term for 'human', means 'of Manu' or 'children of Manu'. – Wikipedia. PS: Unless you just love academic research, I recommend that you leave it there, let go, and simply have fun with the question/enquiry / meditation:  “Who am I?”

Quotations - a few more to meditate on

 1.       “We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.” Buddha 8.  “Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes.” ― Alan Watts

 2.  “Words can be communicative only between those who share similar experiences.” ― Alan W. Watts 

3.   “Perception is projection.” ― Mokokoma Mokhonoana.  

4.   “We never look with fresh eyes. Our mind is never young.” – Krishnamurti

5.   “You can only stop the flow of thoughts by refusing to have any interest in it.” - – Ramana Maharshi

6.   “When one remains without thinking, one understands another by means of the universal language of silence.” – Ramana Maharshi

7.   [“Don’t belong to anything. Don’t belong to anyone. Just be.” – Mooji]*

8.   [“Mind is time and effort! Reject it.” - Mooji]*

 9   “Realisation is not acquisition or anything new, nor is it a new faculty. It is only removal of all camouflage.” – Ramana Maharshi

10. "For one who realizes that “there is no ‘you’ as the hard-core thinker of thoughts.” - Alan Watts.

11.  “When I heard the sound of the bell ringing, there was no I, and no bell, just the ringing.” - Tony Parsons

12. “It’s all real and it’s all illusory: that’s Awareness!” – Ram Das

13.  “Boundary lines, of any type, are never found in the real world itself, but only in the imagination of the mapmakers.”  - Ken Wilber

14.  “Silence is the language of God, all else is poor translation.”  - Rumi     

15.  “They who have gone beyond the duality of pain and pleasure have nothing to escape or chase.” - Mokokoma Mokhonoana

16. [ “Thoughts are impediments to seeing your own face. Don’t give rise to any thought, 

and discover who you are.” - Papaji]*

17. When I heard the sound of the bell ringing, there was no I, and no bell, just the ringing.” - Tony Parsons

18.   You can only stop the flow of thoughts by refusing to have any interest in it.  - Sri  Ramana Maharshi

19. The mind is the projection machine, which constantly projects pictures on the screen we call reality.”  -    Remez Sasson

20. The World is illusory, Brahman alone is real. The world is Brahman - Sri Ramana Maharshi

21.     God will make a way out of no way, Anon

22. When you make yourself into zero, your power becomes invincible - Mahatma Gandhi

23. Wherever it leads you, it will be a dream. The very idea of going beyond the dream is illusory. Why go anywhere? Just realise that you are dreaming a dream you call the world, and stop looking for ways out. The dream is not your problem. Your problem is that you like one part of your dream, not another. Love all, or none of it, and stop complaining. When you have seen the dream as a dream, you have done all that needs to be done. - Sri Nisargadatta

24. When I know I am nothing, that is wisdom. When I know I am everything, that is Love. My life moves between the two. - Sri Nisargadatta

25. “Treating everything as a dream liberates. As long as you give reality to dreams, you are their slave.”–Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

26.  "The parts are abstractions from the whole, they have no independent existence." - David Bohm

 27. Love is a magician. Everything it touches turns into itself - Pamela Wilson              

Bus Terminus metaphor by Moich Abrahams

One of the most immediate ways I know to remain 'peaceful', as a sort of personal 'therapy' goes like this. To begin with, remember to breathe. If 'dodgy' that is, unconducive thoughts arise and you are able to be aware that they have come up - imagine them, one at a time, to be destinations on the front of a bus. Then ask: "Do I want to jump on that bus and go where that destination says it’s heading?" Simple analysis should provide the answer. 

If it's a 'dodgy' thought, quite likely the bus is heading to an unsatisfactory or unhappy destination or maybe just going round in circles. If your awareness tells you that, do you want to jump on that bus? Not a good idea. It's going to give you a very bumpy ride to say the least. 

Use this technique for as many thoughts as you catch arising… don't get on those buses. Let the bus go, let the thought go. Stay calmly in the bus terminus called Peace Terminus. Example: If the thought "I am depressed" arises. Imagine this thought as the destination on the front of a bus. Do you really want to go where that bus is heading, a place called 'I am depressed'? OK. Don't get on that bus. Let the bus go. Have a go and see if this technique assists you not to get caught up in and by those thoughts. Incidentally, all thoughts about the past or future are 'dodgy' thoughts, about a sort of illusion, taking you literally for a ride nowhere.

Postscript

“First there is a book, then there is no book, then there is”

Moich Abrahams, March 2021

“Your own Self-Realization is the greatest service you can render the world.”

Ramana Maharshi

 ( Numbers 1-3 in para below, in brackets; refer to footnotes below this section)

The question was asked: how does Non-Duality philosophy affect ‘my’ daily life… does it help ‘me’ or ‘others ’(1) to be more peaceful? Answer: “From the perspective of ‘Who I Really Am’,  Compassion and Love Shines - guiding and allowing the ‘sufferer’ the grace and insight to travel the path leading to peace. The more this is understood, the more peace manifests. Ultimately, the ‘sufferer’, sometimes referred to in Sufi literature as the Lover (2), and ‘I’, referred to as the Beloved, become One, and Bliss Awareness Consciousness prevails -- Absolute Peace. “a peace that surpasseth understanding”(3) 

Footnotes:

1. “There are no others”, Sri Ramana Maharshi...

2. ’The Lover and the Beloved’: One version of the story goes like this: The Lover, an immature young person, went on a long journey, eventually arriving at a clearing in a forest. Before him stood a beautiful, shining, spectacular tent, with cedar posts carrying flags fluttering in the breeze, positioned outside what looked like a covered entrance. He boldly marched up to the entrance and banged loudly on a doorpost. 

A voice from within said, “Who is there?” He answered, “It is I, me.” The voice replied, “Go hence, for there is no room inside for Thee and Me.” Perplexed by this, he stumbled back into the forest and continued his journey. Throughout his life, he had many experiences in different locations and countries. - He worked and lived sleeping amongst the pigs in a farm yard.

 Later, he progressed in his ambitions, leading him to become a successful businessman. Eventually, he commenced a process that led him to study and teach advanced secular academic topics and profound spiritual philosophies. Ultimately, this led him to become a very learned and wise elderly person. Once more, walking through a forest now wisened with white hair, he came across a clearing. 

To his astonishment, standing there before him was that same awesome tent that he had come across in his youth. This time, with his new understanding, he approached the entrance with great humbleness and respect. He knocked once more on a doorpost. Once again, a voice from within said, “Who is there?” This time, his answer, informed by his deep spiritual knowledge, was this, “It is Thou.” The voice from within, who we may say came from the ‘Beloved’, replied, “Enter then, for I am within. The ‘Lover’ entered and sojourned with the ‘Beloved’, and they melded into ‘One’.” With time passing, the Lover returned to his walk in the forest, shining brightly. 

3. For similar Sufi stories see e.g. https://tinyurl.com/27p8t5pu Also possibly ‘The Prophet’ by Kahlil Gibran, and Rumi  

“Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand .....”.New Living Translation;

Philippians 4:7--- https://tinyurl.com/5a4b93uf