November 2025 TAT Forum

October 30, 2025November 16, 2025 Art Ticknor

25th Anniversary Edition

This month’s contents include:

Convictions & Concerns: When I Die, by Art Ticknor.

TAT Foundation News: Including the calendar of 2025 TAT events and a listing of local & online group meetings organized by TAT members.

Humor

Inspiration & Irritation

Reader Commentary: What are the next steps when you have half an identity crisis – when you know what you are not, but have yet to know what you are?

Founder’s Wisdom

A New Home for TAT update: In-person TAT gatherings will be held at the Claymont Retreat Center until we’ve found a new property (see October plan).

Nov. 2025 TAT Gathering

An in-person event.
Friday-Sunday Nov. 7-9, 2025
More information and registration.

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Contents

Convictions & Concerns

TAT members share their personal convictions and/or concerns

When I Die

In John 13:36, Jesus of Nazareth tells Simon Peter, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” Farewell at the last supper.

In Dhammapada verses 153-154, Siddhartha Gautama of the Shakya clan expresses his realization of Nirvana as:

Through many of samsara’s births I hastened seeking, finding not the builder of this house: pain is birth again, again.
O builder of this house you’re seen, you shall not build a house again, all your beams have given way, rafters of the ridge decayed, mind to the Unconditioned gone, exhaustion of craving has it reached.

Alfred Pulyan, a Zen master who taught mainly through correspondence:

“The body dies & is dissipated. The mind is one with it at all times and is therefore also dissipated. Nothing of you remains. There is no survival or reincarnation or “immortal soul,” “conscious entity.” As far as that goes you are the exact equal of a drop of water & have the same possibility! Or an electron. Or a cabbage.” ~ August 27, 1960 letter to Richard Rose

What do you think? Are those convictions questionable as possibly-faulty certainties?

I wanted to find a commonly-accepted definition of the mind. Google responded to my question of “What is ‘the mind’?” with an AI Overview beginning:

The mind is a complex set of cognitive and mental faculties that enable consciousness, perception, thinking, judgment, and memory. It encompasses both conscious and unconscious processes and is fundamental to how individuals experience and interpret the world.

If we can work with that definition, I’d say that the quotes attributed to the three sources above came from what the conscious minds of those three sources concluded about death, based on what they had witnessed (witness: to see, hear, or know by personal presence and perception, per dictionary.com) and processed—as they remembered it.

Suppose that one’s consciousness has somehow witnessed what it recognizes as its source, knows-by-identity that it is Unconditioned (completely “not subject to conditions or limitations” per Oxford Languages), including birth, death, space, time, etc., and presumably returned to existence in spacetime and its functional physical body in order to report their findings. But how does it know for sure what, if anything or nothing, it will witness next, later, or after the body dies?

How does the mind know, when it awakes with a set of memories of previous days in its existence that it won’t awake the next time with a different body complete with its own set of previous-days memories?

There seem to be valid experiences recorded by minds whose associated bodies are on operating tables under anesthesia with no heart or brain activities, which “come back to life” with memories of having witnessed a surgeon with mismatched socks come into the operating room, for example, which is later corroborated. Where are memories stored if not in the brain?

Could lifetimes of experience be recorded in some virtual cloud (like the Akashic Records described by Helena Blavatsky) and be accessed by a, or the, mind experiencing the life of a person?

Zhuangzi, a prominent Daoist thinker, fell asleep and dreamt he was a butterfly, experiencing the joy and freedom of flight. When he awoke, he was unsure whether he had been a man dreaming of being a butterfly or a butterfly now dreaming of being a man.

I think there’s a good argument for the dreaming state as being closer to Truth/Reality than the waking state since there are fewer limitations in dreams, where I can sometimes fly, see through walls, and walk through walls, for example. At the core of being we are completely Unconditioned, having no limitations and no characteristics other than being self-aware … which we apparently experience by projecting consciousness that, when conditions are right, bends back upon itself.

I am experiencing the life of a Homo sapiens in a waking state, and in the dreaming state but not necessarily the same age or body as in the waking state. In the waking state, I remember having experienced the absolute state of being, before time and space, which I somehow recognized as my true identity. I have no memory of the transition from spacetime existence to Reality—i.e., it was an instantaneous discontinuity—but coming back into spacetime I remember riding in a stream of what the mind interpreted as a “download” from the Absolute of all the data being projected into/as the cosmos.

I have a memory of experiencing an absolute state of being and recognizing it as my true identity. The experience convinced me that it was my real identity before Art was born and will be my real identity after Art dies, but I don’t have a clue about what, if anything, the consciousness named Art will experience as or after the body dies. I’m curious about it, but I would describe my attitude as to whether experience will continue with a phrase borrowed from Franklin Merrell-Wolff: high indifference.

~ Essay by Art Ticknor. Image thanks to writecream.com/chatgpt-picture-generator (prompt: “when i die cf. Franklin Merrell-Wolff”). I don’t remember why I included FMW’s name in the prompt. Strange that AI included a horse. Please email reader commentary to the TAT Forum.

TAT Foundation News

It’s all about “ladder work” – helping and being helped

Richard Rose, the founder of the TAT Foundation, spent his life searching for the Truth, finding it, and helping others to find their Way. Although not well known to the public, he touched the lives of thousands of spiritual seekers through his books and lectures and through personal contacts with local study groups that continue to work with his teachings today. He felt strongly that helping others generates help for ourselves as well in our climb up the ladder to the golden find beyond the mind.

Call To Action For TAT Forum Reader

With the intention of increasing awareness of TAT’s meetings, books, and the Forum among younger serious seekers, and to increase awareness of ways to approach the search for self-definition, the TAT Foundation is now on Instagram.

You can help! A volunteer is producing shareable text-quote and video content of Richard Rose and TAT-adjacent teachers. We need your suggestions for short, provocative 1-3 sentence quotes or 1 minute or less video clips of people like Rose, Art Ticknor, Bob Fergeson, Tess Hughes, Bob Cergol, Shawn Nevins, Anima Pundeer, Norio Kushi, Paul Rezendes, Paul Constant, & other favorites.

Please send favorite inspiring/irritating quotes—from books you have by those authors, from the TAT Forum, or any other place—to TAT quotes. If you have favorite parts of longer videos (ex: from a talk at a past TAT meeting), please email a link to the video and a timestamp.

Thank you!

TAT Foundation Press’s latest publication

Hope! Life’s Calling: Finding Yourself on the Spiritual Path Called Life is a profound exploration of self-inquiry, personal clarity, and the search for life’s deeper meaning. The book invites readers to confront their deepest questions and engage in a journey of self-discovery, offering hope for understanding one’s true nature and purpose. Paperback and Kindle versions are available, and the audiobook is now available for purchase in the Amazon Store and on Audible.

“A one-of-a-kind guidebook written for the person who sincerely wants to discover their essence—to learn who or what they truly are at the core….” ~ Tara

“A masterpiece of a wake-up call, really a slap-in-the-face to almost all the books out there in the spiritual marketplace that claim to offer some variation of the perennial wisdom needed to seek Truth, Reality, Essence or Source….” ~ bk

Read their full reviews on Amazon. And please add your review to the Amazon listing. It makes a difference!

Other TAT Press publications also available as audiobooks:

1. Passages: An Introduction and Commentary on Richard Rose’s Albigen System
2. Solid Ground of Being
3. Beyond Relativity: Transcending the Split Between Knower and Known
4. The Listening Attention
5. Falling for Truth: A Spiritual Death And Awakening
6. This Above All: A Journey of Self-Discovery
7. A Handyman’s Common Sense Guide to Spiritual Seeking
8. Always Right Behind You: Parables & Poems of Love & Completion
9. Pouring Concrete: a Zen Path to the Kingdom of God
10. At Home with the Inner Self
11. Sense of Self: The Source of All Existential Suffering?
12. Message in a Bottle: Reflections on the Spiritual Path

Now available as a Kindle edition. Also available to read online and in .pdf format on SelfDefinition.org and SearchWithin.org.

Random rotation of
TAT Foundation Books & Videos

Read more: At Home with the Inner Self by Jim Burns

2025 TAT Meeting Calendar

January TAT Talks online event: Sunday noon, January 12, 2025
April Gathering: Friday evening through Sunday noon, April 25-27, 2025
May TAT Presents online event: Saturday May 10, 2025 at 12 PM ET
June Gathering: Friday evening through Sunday noon, June 27-29, 2025
July TAT Talks online event: Saturday July 19, 2025 at noon ET
August Gathering: Friday evening through Sunday noon, August 22-24, 2025
October TAT Talks online event: Saturday October 11th, 2025 at noon ET
** November Gathering: Friday evening through Sunday noon, November 7-9, 2025 **
December TAT Talks online event: TBD

TAT has decided to sell the Hurdle Mills, NC property and find property better suited for our needs. In the meantime, beginning in April, we will be having our in-person gatherings at the Claymont Retreat Center in Charles Town, WV.

Comments or questions? Please email TAT Foundation events.

TAT’s YouTube Channel

Have you seen the TAT Foundation’s YouTube channel? Subscribe now for spiritual inspiration (and irritation)!

Volunteers have been updating the channel with hours of new content! They’ve also curated some great playlists of talks by Richard Rose, teacher talks from recent & not so recent TAT meetings, episodes of the Journals of Spiritual Discovery podcast, and other great TAT related videos from around the internet.

Featuring: Richard Rose, Bob Cergol, Shawn Nevins, Bob Fergeson, Mike Conners, Anima Pundeer, Norio Kushi, Paul Rezendes, Bob Harwood, Tess Hughes, Art Ticknor, Shawn Pethel, Tyler Matthew and other speakers.

This month’s video features Paul Rezendes talking about identification and beliefs, and how they create and sustain human conflict:

Local Group News

Groups with recently updated information are listed below. The complete listing of local groups is on the Find a Local Group page.

Update for the Online Self-Inquiry Book Club:
We’ll continue to meet at 2 PM ET, new meeting URL: https://zoom.us/j/92613150566?pwd=IR1gBHVCfaD02TjzbEbW5VbGM1f35j.1 and invite anyone interested in the topics to read the section and attend! We’re doing a split of the Happiness and the Art of Being by Michael James and The Direct-Mind Experience by Richard Rose.
The Happiness book finally reveals the simple, direct practice to look within in Chapter 10, “The Practice of the Art of Being.” As is the author’s exhaustive style, the description of the practice of attending to “I am” runs from pages 489 to 610, so we’ll split it up into smaller parts:
November 2: Direct-Mind Experience, “Notes on Betweenness” p. 257 – 289
November 9: No meeting (November TAT gathering)
November 16: Summarize Happiness and the Art of Being
November 23: Nan Yar (Who Am I?) by Ramana Maharshi

Update from the Pittsburgh, PA self-inquiry group:
> Use the e-mail link below for invitations to all meetings and to receive internal email announcements.
> In-person bi-weekly meetings: for November and December, will be held at 2 PM in the Library of the Pittsburgh Friends Meeting House in Oakland (4836 Ellsworth Avenue, PA 15213):
– Sun, Nov 16
– Sun, Nov 23
– Sun, Dec 7
– Sun, Dec 21
Pgh Self-inquiry Group meetings are interested in sharing, discussing and questioning each individual’s spiritual seeking. Specific topic and details at http://www.pghsig.org.
> Online group confrontation and individual contributions every Wed, 8:00 pm EDT via Zoom:
– Wed, Nov 5: Dave Weimer Host: Journaling as a Seeker’s Art
– Wed, Nov 12: Bob Cergol Guest
– Wed, Nov 19: Paul Rezendes Guest: “Observer and the Observed are One”
– Wed, Nov 26: Lenny will Host: “Cracking the Cosmic Egg”
> All Forum subscribers are welcome to join us.
> Email to receive weekly topics with preparatory notes and Zoom invitations. Current events are listed on Meetup as Pittsburgh Self-inquiry Group (link above) and on Pittsburgh Self-Inquiry Live.
We advocate self-inquiry, which is to question our beliefs and opinions of ourselves and those of others through honest and sincere feedback all in a friendly environment in order to recognize errors in our thinking and assumptions. Each participant gets an allotted time to voice their thoughts on the evening’s topic to which others can question or comment.
Our format and inspiration for self-inquiry are influenced by numerous teachers and books, none more so than the teachings of Richard Rose which can be researched here: Our format and inspiration for self-inquiry are influenced by numerous teachers and books, none more so than the teachings of Richard Rose which can be researched at TAT (Truth & Transmission) Foundation.

See the complete listing of local groups on the Find a Local Group page.

Members-Only Area

A password-protected section of the website is available for TAT members. (Note that there’s an occasional glitch that, when you try to link to the members-only area or a sections within it, you’ll get a page-not-found error. If you try the link a second time, it should work.) Contents include:

How you can help TAT and fellow seekers,
Audio recordings of selected sessions from 2008-and-on in-person meetings and virtual gatherings.

Resources and ideas for those planning a group spiritual retreat.

Photographs of TAT meeting facilities, the Richard Rose grave site, a rare 1979 photo, and aerial photos of the Rose farm,
Presenters’ talk notes from April TAT meetings in 2005–2007, and
TAT News Letters from 1996–2013 and Annual Retrospectives from 1973 thru 2011. The Retrospectives from 1973–1985 were written by Richard Rose and are replete with ideas on the workings of a spiritual group—rich historical content.
TAT policies, TAT business meeting notes, and other information.

New audio recordings added:

December 2023 TAT Talk with Mike Gegenheimer.
January 2024 TAT Talk with Bob Harwood.
February 2024 TAT Virtual Event — Death, Dying, and Beyond.
March 2024 TAT Talk with Norio Kushi.
April 2024 in-person TAT Meeting.
May 2024 TAT Talk with Paul Constant.
June 2024 in-person TAT Meeting.
July 2024 TAT Talk with Art Ticknor.
August 2024 TAT Meeting – Running Between the Raindrops.
September 2024 TAT Virtual Retreat – Love, Self-Inquiry, Prayer: Three Paths or One?
October 2024 TAT Talk with Shawn Nevins.

Additions in November 2025: All 14 issues of the TAT Journal are now available in pdf format. Paperback issues of a “Forum for Awareness” were published on a quarterly basis from 1977 until 1980 and then on an annual basis until1986. The Journal’s editorial staff members, all of whom were volunteers, described the publication as a meeting place for…

Esoteric searchers, transcendentalists, mystics, scientists for the new frontiers…

People who are dedicated to the development of genuine friendship among all levels of spiritual and psychological research…

People who see the need to share ideas, but who cannot meet personally, and for those who will give support and find support while seeking a common goal…

Specialists who see the value of broadening their perspectives by association with specialists in related fields and for people who, regardless of specialty, find a value in the psychological encounters with their fellows that help them to better understand themselves and so find peace of mind and a better understanding of their friends.

Please email TAT Foundation events if you have questions. (Look here for info on TAT membership.)

Amazon and eBay

Let your Amazon purchases and eBay sales raise money for TAT!

As an Amazon Associate, TAT earns from qualifying purchases made through the above link or other links on our website. Click on the link and bookmark it in your browser for ease of use.

TAT has registered with the eBay Giving Works program. You can list an item there and select TAT to receive a portion of your sale. Or if you use the link and donate 100% of the proceeds to TAT, you won’t pay any seller fees when an item sells and eBay will transfer all the funds to TAT for you. Check out our Giving Works page on eBay. Click on the “For sellers” link on the left side of that page for details.

Downloadable/rental versions of the Mister Rose video and of April 2012 TAT sessions on Remembering Your True Desire:

Your Contributions to TAT News

TAT founder Richard Rose believed that working with others accelerates our retreat from untruth. He also felt that such efforts were most effective when applied with discernment, meaning working with others on the rungs of the ladder closest to our own. The TAT News section is for TAT members to communicate about work they’ve been doing with or for other members and friends. Please your “ladder work” news.

Humor {(h)yo͞omər}

“One thing you must be able to do in the midst
of any experience is laugh. And experience
should show you that it isn’t real, that it’s a
movie. Life doesn’t take you seriously, so why
take it seriously.” ~ Richard Rose, Carillon

God? No God?

William Butler Yeats: “Some people say there is a God; others say there is no God. The truth probably lies somewhere in between.” ~ Yoga Jokes

Yeats, the Irish poet, dramatist, writer and literary critic who was one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature, was quoted having made the statement prefaced by: “You know what the Englishman’s idea of compromise is? He says: [Some people say there is a God; others say there is no God. The truth probably lies somewhere in between]”.

The joke may be on him … the final sentence may actually be accurate.

~ Thanks to Wikimedia Commons for the portrait of Yeats by George Charles Beresford.

Rearview Mirror Caution

~ Thanks to Dan G. Image source unknown. Widely spread on the web.

Wise Zen Frog

A wise Zen frog was explaining to the younger frogs the balance of nature, “Do you see how that fly eats a gnat? And now (with a bite) I eat the fly. It is all part of the great scheme of things.”

“Isn’t it bad to kill in order to live?” asked the thoughtful frog.

“It depends . . .” answered the wise frog just as a snake swallowed the Zen frog in one chomp before the frog finished his sentence.

“Depends on what?” shouted the students.

“Depends on whether you’re looking at things from the inside or outside,” came the muffled response from inside the snake.

~ From M.H. Santosa’s Ten Amusing and Enlightening Zen Stories. Wise Zen frog image from whitecream.com with prompt: “A wise Zen frog was explaining to the younger frogs the balance of nature”.

Inspiration & Irritation

Irritation moves us; inspiration provides a direction

The Mistress, the Whip, and the Wardrobe

Silence sits at the center of every so-called spiritual life like a poised mistress: elegant, withholding, and infinitely accommodating to projection. She is the fantasy of comfort disguised as transcendence. To those who kneel before her, she promises release from noise, thought, and conflict. But her devotion is conditional: she demands that the seeker mistake absence for completion. The more one serves her, the more her stillness becomes a narcotic, a velvet darkness that erases friction. She never speaks, yet her silence dictates everything: what may be said, what must be renounced, how the body should pretend to be at rest while the mind hums like a suppressed machine. She is not enlightenment; she is anesthesia that has learned to call itself peace.

Enter the whip: the teachings, the doctrines, the endless commandments to sit longer, breathe slower, think less, and trust more. It claims to correct, but its truest function is to keep the disciple aroused by failure. Each stroke of instruction punishes the very hunger it excites. The whip says, “You are not yet pure enough to deserve the mistress.” The lash becomes ritual; the welts become progress markers. The student mistakes endurance for insight, the ache for awakening. The teaching thrives on this loop, because it depends on need: comfort pursued through discomfort, serenity simulated through struggle. Pain becomes the proof that something profound is happening. The whip never intended liberation; it only refines obedience until it feels like grace.

~ The author wishes to remain anonymous. The title is a riff on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the catchy title of a classic children’s fantasy novel by C. S. Lewis. The image is from freepik.com with prompt: “the fantasy of comfort disguised as transcendence”.

More on Celibacy, Pro and Con

Readers responded to: What do you consider as the pros and cons of celibacy? in the October 2025 TAT Forum. Here’s how Google responded to “pros and cons of celibacy” with an AI Overview:

Celibacy, which is abstaining from sexual activity, can have various pros and cons depending on an individual’s personal circumstances, beliefs, and goals.

Pros of Celibacy:

• Reduced risk of STIs and unwanted pregnancies: This is a major benefit of celibacy, as it eliminates the risks associated with sexual activity.
• Potential for increased focus and personal growth: Abstaining from sex can free up time and mental energy to dedicate to other pursuits like career, personal development, or other relationships.
• Lower stress and anxiety: Celibacy can reduce stress related to sexual health, relationships, and potential unplanned pregnancies.
• Improved emotional and spiritual well-being: For some individuals, especially those with religious or spiritual beliefs that value celibacy, it can strengthen their connection to their faith and enhance their personal sense of well-being.
• Deeper understanding of attraction: Celibacy can help individuals better understand the difference between physical and emotional attraction.
• Opportunity to heal from trauma: For some individuals, celibacy can provide a safe space to heal from past sexual trauma or abuse.

Cons of Celibacy:

• Potential for loneliness or social isolation: Some individuals may experience loneliness due to a perceived lack of intimacy or difficulty explaining their choice to others.
• Challenges in relationships: If one partner chooses celibacy while the other doesn’t agree, it can strain the relationship and cause confusion. Open and honest communication is essential in such situations.
• Societal judgment or misunderstanding: Individuals who choose celibacy may encounter societal judgment or difficulty in explaining their decision, which can be draining.
• Difficulty transitioning back to sexual activity: If someone decides to resume sexual activity after a period of celibacy, they may feel unprepared and need to ensure they have appropriate birth control and STI prevention methods.
• Sexual feelings and urges: Some individuals may struggle with managing sexual feelings and urges while practicing celibacy, which can sometimes lead to guilt or shame.

It’s important to remember that the decision to be celibate is a personal one, and there is no right or wrong choice. The benefits and drawbacks of celibacy vary from person to person, depending on their individual circumstances and motivations. Anyone considering celibacy, especially for prolonged periods or in the context of a relationship, may find it helpful to discuss their feelings and concerns with a trusted friend, partner, therapist, or counselor.

~ There have been Celibacy Q&A articles in the July 2007 TAT Forum by Paul Constant and Shawn Nevins and in the February 2017 TAT Forum anonymously. The TAT Foundation Press has published The Celibate Seeker: An Exploration of Celibacy as a Modern Spiritual Practice by Shawn Nevins. The above image is from depositphotos.com.

Spinoza Investigation Continues

There were half a dozen responses in last month’s TAT Forum to my invitation to 20 or so seekers for an opinion on whether 17^th-century philosopher Baruch Spinoza had discovered the truth of what he was at the core of his being. My invitation had been inspired by a question I had when seeing something on a YouTube video (linked to in last month’s article) about Spinoza.

I recently came across another video about Spinoza when watching YouTube on TV along with morning coffee. I hadn’t been looking for more about him, clicked right past it, then clicked back to check it out. It was titled Does God Welcome You After Death? Spinoza Reveals the Truth.

This video describes how Spinoza challenges three basic illusions: 1) of being something separate, 2) of being an eternal something separate, and 3) of free will. And it goes into what Spinoza described as three levels of knowing: 1) opinion and imagination based on hearsay, 2) conclusions based on analytical investigation, and 3) intuitional insights, which he distinguished from mystical visions and described as the mind seeing the whole.

~ Thanks to the (re)searchers. Caution: The YouTube Spinoza channel is managed anonymously. It currently has 82 videos, 37 on Spinoza and 40 on Carl Young. I haven’t found any other social media links for manager @BaruchSpinoza01. The number of views and date posted line includes the term HOA KỲ, which is the Vietnamese name for the United States. The videos I’ve watched on it don’t seem to have any geopolitical content, so I assume it has been put together by one or more people with a sincere interest in Spinoza’s and Jung’s philosophy. They don’t seem to cite sources for any of their statements and I haven’t tried to tie what they’re saying to available sources. The painting of Spinoza’s excommunication by Samuel Hirszenberg comes from Wikimedia Commons via picryl.com.

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home,
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home.

I looked over Jordan, and what did I see
Coming for to carry me home?
A band of angels coming after me,
Coming for to carry me home.

Sometimes I’m up, and sometimes I’m down,
(Coming for to carry me home)
But still my soul feels heavenly bound.
(Coming for to carry me home)

Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home,
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home.

Originating in African-American musical traditions, Alexander Reid, headmaster of the Spencer Academy for Choctaw boys in Oklahoma, transcribed this song after hearing Wallace Willis, a Choctaw freedman, singing the words and melody. Probably after 1865. It was first published in 1872.

Reid shared the song with the Fisk Jubilee Singers, an a capella student group at Fisk U. in Nashville, TN who toured the US and Europe 1871-1878. (The group was reconstituted in 1890 and still performs.)

Please your thoughts on the above items.

Reader Commentary

Encouraging interactive readership among TAT members and friends

A reader wrote that what would make the Forum more interesting would be:

Hearing from people who are searching—and have questions instead of those providing endless advice and “answers.” What challenges they are facing. What their doubts and questions are. How they perceive their path is going. What they are doing in their lives. Where they think they will end up, etc., etc.

Can you help make the Forum more interesting?

The Reader Commentary question for the November TAT Forum is from NNN:

What are the next steps when you have half an identity crisis – when you know what you are not, but have yet to know what you are?

Responses follow:

From Brad S:

Keep doing whatever you have been doing, because it is working. The intellectual understanding of what we are not is the first step toward the intuitive realization of what we are. Also, develop a mental word or phrase that re-minds you of your intellectual understanding. Annamalai Swami, Maharshi’s disciple, recommends, “I am the Self”, which is found in the wonderful book, Final Talks, edited by David Godman.

From Bill Racine:

This is a difficult question to unpack … what does it mean to ‘know what you are not, but have yet to know what you are’? It seems to me that a mind in such a state would be dancing on the edge of a full-blown identity crisis. Well, I have two answers:

From Sunil V:

Who knows that you are not what you appear to be?

From Bob Cergol:

The question strikes me as heavy on postulation. I am doubtful the questioner truly knows what they are not, but rather has seen, or imagines seeing, the act they have been putting on for the world to see and for themselves to see reflected in the mirror.

From Lena S:

That must truly be a Dark Night, to know what I am not, but not know what I am. I am not in that situation now, though intellectually recognize that possibility, but I do not know that I am not anything at all. The Bible references watching as a vigil with alertness even spiritually as in Psalm 130:6 “waiting for the Lord more so than a night watchman awaits the dawn”. But had I realized truly that I am nothing, and had not found anything at all instead, then all I could do is wait in hope that some beneficent gift of some Final Answer would bestow upon me. That hope takes shape as an attitude of “do not stop” but to continue watching and waiting, and an intention to turn toward wherever a Final Answer might summon me. Richard Rose used the metaphor of a fish swimming up-stream as to returning “Home”. I think at some point one discovers how watching, intention and returning do come to fruition.

From Anonymous:

The ego (the person, the identity) is in my opinion the greatest road block. The vasanas are so strong and on top of it there is a strong fear that you cannot let go things and that you have to control things (in many ways it’s evident that don’t have control but the conditioned mind refuses to believe it). One can only beg the God (or the unknown Self) for mercy.

From Paul Constant:

As a West Virginia farmer, Richard Rose used to say the cows follow many paths through the pasture, but they all lead to the barn. The retreat from untruth — the reverse vector — is one of the spiritual paths that lead to True Nature.

From Dan G:

What got you here? Was it honesty? Can you expand the definition of honesty or whatever you are pursuing that’s got you this far? Is there a new vein, a direction in the corner of your eye, you’re not sure you’re ready for?

From Art Ticknor:

Let’s say we start off with a belief in being “the doer,” as we’ve probably been socialized from early childhood. Then by some combination of observation, intuition and reasoning we conclude that we’ve never seen convincing evidence that any specific action had occurred by any process except reaction … that doing just happens … I am not the doer.