Excerpts from The Diamond in Your Pocket

[Papajis advice to Gangaji] Do nothing. Your ho!e pro"!em is that #ou continue doing.
$top a!! #our doing. $top a!! #our "e!iefs% a!! #our searching% a!! #our excuses% and see for
#ourse!f hat is a!read# and a!a#s here. Dont move. Dont move toard an#thing% and
dont move aa# from an#thing. &n this instant% "e sti!! ' p (
To )stop* is to stop searching for #ourse!f in thoughts% emotions% circumstances% or "odi!#
images. &t is that simp!e. The search is over hen #ou rea!i+e that the true and !asting
fu!fi!!ment #ou have "een searching for is found to "e nohere other than right here
#ou are. ' p ,
&t is easi!# apparent that #ou are much more than a "od#. You are actua!!# that hich
animates the "od#. ' p -.
You are a!read# free% and a!! that "!ocks #our rea!i+ation of that freedom is #our
attachment to some thought of ho #ou are. ' p -(
The most important /uestion #ou can ever ask #ourse!f is )0ho am &1* ' p -2
3et a!! se!f'definitions die in this moment. 3et them a!! go and see hat remains. $ee
hat is never "orn and hat does not die. 4ee! the re!ief of !a#ing don the "urden of
defining #ourse!f. ' p(.
5re the stories true1 Yes and no6 #es as an account of experience% no as the fina!it# of
"eing... ' p (7
$top te!!ing #our stor# right no. 8ot !ater% hen the stor# gets "etter or orse% "ut right
no. 0hen #ou stop te!!ing #our stor# right no% #ou stop postponing the rea!i+ation of
the truth that is "e#ond an# stor#. ' p (9
4or most spiritua! seekers% the "e!ief that persona! identification o"structs se!f'rea!i+ation
gives rise to the drive to get rid of the persona! stor#. :ut this is sti!! just another part of
the stor#. &t is so important to recogni+e this. 5ttempting to get rid of the stor# is just
another tangent of the stor#% another examp!e of the poer of the mind to contro!. ' p 9.
The true se!f is not #our se!f. &t is hat #our mind and "od# are in% hat nothing a!ive can
exist ithout% "ut hich is !imit!ess and "!essed!# exists ithout #our effort. & sa#
)"!essed!#%* "ecause if it depended on #ou for its existence% then #ou ou!d have to make
some huge effort to esta"!ish it% to maintain it% and to make sure that it didnt die.
Genera!!#% once peop!e have tasted the nectar of their true se!f% this is hat the# get ver#
"us# tr#ing to do. ' P 92
;onsciousness is not an o"ject. &t is hereness itse!f. <ur minds are usua!!# invo!ved ith
an o"ject that appears and disappears in the hereness% and "ecause of that% e over!ook
the nature of hereness. Pure consciousness is hat these ords appear in% hat this "ook
appears in% hat a!! "odies appear in. &t infuses a!! ords and "odies% and it is conscious
of itse!f% and it is #ou. &n #our recognition of #ourse!f as pure consciousness% #ou aaken
to #ourse!f. ' P 9=
& invite #ou to stop. >ight here. >ight no. $top. 0hatever it is #ou are searching for%
stop. 0hatever it is #ou are tr#ing to keep aa#% stop. $top and see hat is a!a#s here.
&t ma# appear terrif#ing% it ma# appear thri!!ing% it ma# appear dead% it ma# appear "!ank%
"ut if #ou stop reaching for it or running from it% #ou cannot he!p "ut fina!!# see hat is. '
p 2?
4ear is often a part of this essentia! shift aa# from identification ith concepts toard
identification ith the si!ent ground of "eing "ecause the shift threatens the knon
structure of !ife. 4ear can have man# different disguises% inc!uding anger% num"ness% and
despair. This existentia! terror is !ike the gargo#!e at the gate to the sanctuar#. @n!ess it is
met and exposed as just another strateg# of mind% it can keep #ou aa# from the
reve!ation of the si!ent% aare peace at the core of #our "eing. ' P 2-
Aind patterns of defense against nothingness% against emptiness% can "e found rapped
around this fear. These pattern are strategic responses to fear. The mind ma# /uick!#
"ecome ver# active6 )Yes% "ut hat does this mean1 This cant "e so. Bo i!! & "e a"!e
to do m# jo"1* Cust for this moment% !et a!! those thoughts fa!! aside. 5!!o #our mind to
rest in nothing D "eing nothing% doing nothing% having nothing% getting nothing% keeping
nothing. &n this moment% if #ou can actua!!#% i!!ing!#% conscious!#% simp!# "e nothing at
a!!% in a f!ash #ou can discover the peace% the expansion% the freedom from "oundaries
inherent in nothingness. ' P 2=
The mind is not the enem#E there is nothing rong ith it. The traged# is that e "e!ieve
the conc!usions of the mind to "e rea!it#. ' p =-
5 ver# strong ha"it of the mind is the perceived need to kno hat i!! happen if
thoughts stop. &n the end% #ou just have to stop and see. You have tried ever# techni/ue
except stopping. &f #ou have not stopped% #ou are sti!! searching. ' p ,,
<ur minds are inactive for man# moments during the da#% "ut e are conditioned to pa#
attention on!# to the activit# of the mind% and these points of si!ence are simp!#
over!ooked. 0hen & speak of )stopping%* & am pointing to that si!ence "eteen thoughts%
hich is form!ess consciousness. There is a presence there% and e can recogni+e that
ho e are is that presence. 0e have "een taught to "e!ieve )& think% therefore & am%*
rather than the truth % hich is )& am% therefore & think.* ' P ?.F
$topping first occurs "# recogni+ing the activit# of the mind and not fo!!oing. 8ot
fo!!oing mind activit# is different from resisting the mind or repressing thoughts. 8ot
fo!!oing thought has a re!axing% opening /ua!it#. 5!though it ma# fee! unfami!iar% and
the fear of the unfami!iar ma#% in itse!f% generate mind activit#% to stop fo!!oing thoughts
is effort!ess. &n fo!!oing thoughts and further spinning our stories% the simp!e and
profound ease of "eing is over!ooked. ' P ?.7
This one instant is e!usive for most peop!e% "ecause as the# approach the instant of
stopping% an enormous e!!ing of fear usua!!# arises6 )&f & stop% if & rea!!# stop% & i!! s!ide
"ack and !ose the ground that & have gained through m# efforts and practices. Even
though & am sti!! not fu!!# satisfied% & am more satisfied that & as. & have a "etter !ife% m#
mind is ca!mer% m# circumstances are "etter% and & might !ose a!! of that.* ' P ???
There is nothing rong ith remem"ering the past or projecting into the future...
Boever% the danger of this poer is that in over!ooking permanent presence... God itse!f
is over!ooked. ' p ??,
The perseverance #ou need here is to give up the hope that the mind can de!iver freedomE
give up the hope that the mind can de!iver en!ightenment% hich is truth. &n that
recognition% surrender can natura!!# fo!!o. ' P ?F9
5t the most "asic !eve!% spiritua! maturit# has to do ith the rea!i+ation that #ou are not in
contro!... The desire to "e in contro!% the i!!usion of "eing in contro!% and the hope of
"eing in contro! are a!! "ased on the mega!omaniaca! "e!ief that #ou kno hen and hat
the outcome shou!d "e. ' P ?22
4or another opportunit# of se!f'in/uir#% & invite #ou to ask #ourse!f this /uestion6 0hat
i!! en!ightenment give me1 Depending on ho i!!ing #ou are to te!! the truth% the
possi"i!ities of this kind of in/uir# are !imit!ess. &n/uir# has nothing to do ith the right
anser% "ut it has ever#thing to do ith te!!ing the truth. Take a moment to rea!!#
consider6 0hat if en!ightenment gives #ou nothing% nothing at a!!1 0hat if #ou get not
one thing D ph#sica!% menta!% emotiona!% or circumstantia!1 The trust is that en!ightenment
i!! not give #ou one thing. 5re #ou i!!ing to hear that truth1 &f #ou are% #ou are free. &f
#ou are not% #our mind i!! sti!! "e "ound to some thing #ou hope i!! give #ou freedom.
' P ?,?
You ma# have heard certain spiritua! statements such as )$i!ence is a!a#s here%*
)5areness is a!a#s here%* or )5areness is ho #ou are.* You ma# have experience
at !east a g!impse of these truths. :ut a g!impse of truth i!! a!so "e !ost "ecause it is sti!!
an experience. 5!! experience appears% exists for some time% and then disappears. @sua!!#
the mind then scram"!es to get that experience "ack% or to attain another% "etter% "igger
experience.
<nce this menta! c#c!e goes around man# hundreds or even thousands of times% a certain
disi!!usionment can set in. This disi!!usionment is necessar#% "ecause it generates the fie!d
re/uired for the maturation of the mind. 5 mature mind has the i!!ingness and fortitude
to te!! the truth. 5nd the truth is ruth!ess and re!ent!ess. The truth is that #ou i!! !ose
#our #outh% #ou i!! !ose #our hea!th% #ou i!! !ose #our p!easure% #our understanding%
#our !overs% #our mate% #our chi!dren% and fina!!# #our senses and #our "od#. You i!!
!ose ever#thing. 5!though deep inside #ou kno that this is true% there is usua!!# a
su"conscious% desperate grasping at the hope% )Aa#"e not me. Aa#"e notG* ' P ?,-
The horror is that if hat #ou are protecting is the thought of ho #ou are% it does not% in
rea!it#% even exist. &t is on!# a thought% and henever a thought is honest!# investigated% it
is found to have no inherent rea!it#. ' p F?2
Take a moment to consider the strong possi"i!it#% even the certaint#% that a!! these stories
are !ies made up through the imaginative poer of the mind. 0hat if nothing is needed
for freedom1 ' p F2.