The Tathagata awareness of Gautama Buddha
The Divine, Celestial Awareness that never comes and goes
The Highest State of Celestial Consciousness
Entire contents copyright by Greg Leveille.
One week ago, we discussed the definitions of the highest level of spiritual attainment, or sainthood (aka, Param Saints), as defined by Saint Kabir, Guru Nanak, and Saint Kirpal. All three of these great “Param” saints provided remarkably similar definitions. They all said that “a true Saint is a teacher who has learned how to reach and abide in the Resting consciousness and is now able to teach other seekers how to attain this same state of pure consciousness.”
They further defined it as a blissful state of enlightened, or luminant, Self-awareness. Their reference here is to the greater, or cosmic Self – in comparison to the smaller, mind-body, self-awareness. The resting consciousness is defined in the Vedas, and by these three saints, as the supreme state of cosmic awareness that exists before, during and after the physical cosmos.
Ramana’s terminology when he talked about this was different, but the meaning is the same. Maharishi Ramana described the highest potential human consciousness as Sat-Chit-Ananda-Bliss. Sat, in Sanskrit, means the absolute/cosmic/primary truth. Alternatively, it is also defined as the absolute reality and/or the absolute awareness. Chit, in the Sanskrit language, means soul or spiritual awareness – in contrast to “chitta” which means mind-body awareness. Ananda is another Sanskrit word that means eternal bliss – which is a key attribute of the supreme being (Brahman).
Soami Ji, the true founder of the Radha Soami path, said the same thing. He described the ultimate state as a state of pure spiritual consciousness that created everything in the cosmos. He also explained how it eternally abides as both the source consciousness of the cosmos and the true inner guru (the Lord of the Soul) residing at the core of every human soul.
In most of my teachings about this same level of awareness, I use the term “celestial awareness” to describe the same blissful, luminant, eternal awareness that exists before, during and after the creation and dissolution of the physical cosmos. I further describe my inward cultivation method/practice as the soulful-practice of spiritual awareness – in contrast to modern “mindfulness” meditation practices that primarily revolve around mind-body thoughts and emotions.
The ancient Taoists taught that Jade Pure Tao awareness is the highest level of eternal awareness; it (Tao) existed before, during and after the Cosmos. Likewise, they also described it as a luminant, and blissful awareness that constantly nurtures, sustains, and regenerates all other aspects of consciousness in the cosmos. Accordingly, they taught the path of holding on to and effortlessly nurturing the Tao consciousness within (every human)- which would eventually lead to Jade Pure Awareness.
I will describe this ancient Taoist path in much greater detail in the book that I’m currently writing on Tao Consciousness. This book should be available through Amazon in early 2023.
But what did Lord Buddha teach?
If you ask this question to twenty different Buddhists, you will get twenty different beautiful answers. Every one of these answers will be either somewhat accurate, or completely accurate for certain types of students.
Buddha’s precious dharma teachings were broad and deep. They also were not written down, in the Pali Canon, until many years after his transition beyond the mortal coil.
He taught different concepts, lessons, and cultivation practices to diverse types of disciples. He also spoke and taught in the Pali language, which eventually got translated hundreds of years later into the Sanskrit language – where much of his terminology now meant something different. Several hundred years after the creation of the Sanskrit versions, Buddha’s teachings were translated again into dozens of other languages.
The result of these precious teachings and translations is a world religion with dozens of different confusing linages, interpretations, and cultivation practices.
But, let’s dive right into the very core of Buddha’s initial teachings.
Lord Buddha’s VERY FIRST Dharma TEACHING
After meditating under a mango tree, the Buddha moved over to a fig tree. The fig tree eventually became known as the bodhi tree because the Buddha reached nirvana enlightenment (bodhi) after meditating beneath that tree for about 49 days.
Much later after Buddha reached “Nirvana” enlightenment he left the deer park forest. When he returned to that forest again, Siddhartha Gautama--the Buddha, came across five of his initial ascetic companions. Buddha and his buddies had been meditating together in the forest while trying to become enlightened. This meeting was the instance when Buddha delivered his very first, cherished and supremely enlightened sermon on the nature of supreme consciousness.
In his book entitled, “The Ideas and Meditative Practices of Early Buddhism,” the late scholar Tilmann Vetter describes this fabled encounter with Buddha’s first seekers as follows:
“In the beginning of the (Pali Canon) Dhamma-cakka-ppavattana-sutta the Buddha introduces himself as Tathagata to his former companions and proclaims to have found immortality.” In his translation of the Pali Canon, Dr. Vetter said, “The Buddha arrives in the deer park close to Benares. From a distance the five ascetics see him arrive and decide that they will not rise up and greet him in respect.
They remember that he had broken his fast, which to them was a sign that he had returned to worldly abundance. But as the Buddha comes closer, they cannot contain themselves. They rise and greet him with the words "Be welcome, friend Gotama".
At this the Buddha said, "Do not speak to the Tathagata by name or as "friend.” The Tathagata is an Arhat and completely enlightened. Listen! Immortality (“amata”) is found; I proclaim, I teach the Dharma.
If you do what I proclaim, already in this life you will soon know, realize, and remain in possession of the highest goal of the holy life."
Buddha’s Ancient Spiritual Wisdom
The most important part of this short teaching is the following four sentences from the Buddha:
“Do not speak to the Tathagata by name or as "friend.” The Tathagata is an Arhat and completely enlightened. Listen! Immortality is found; I proclaim, I teach the Dharma.”
The true meaning of this simple explanation has eluded millions of other Buddhists. But, Buddha’s first sermon, although it’s noticeably short, is the precious key to all his teachings. It’s also a particularly important set of instructions that can significantly help every modern spiritual seeker – to potentially reach the highest levels of heavenly consciousness in a single lifetime.
Now, let’s start our exploration by examining the meaning of the key Pali-language words in Buddha’s sermon.
“Tathagata” is a Pali word that means “that which is beyond all coming and going, and thus beyond all transitory phenomena.” Lord Buddha specifically used this term when referring to either himself, or to the other Buddhas who are listed in the Pali Canon.
“Arhat” or “Arahant” is another Pali word that means “the being who has reached the ultimate state of perfection and enlightenment.” Thus, an Arhat, like Buddha, is someone who has reached the ultimate tathagata state of awareness that is beyond all coming and going.
“Amata” in Pali, or Amrita in Sanskrit, amata means “blissful immortality.” In Greek, the word “ambrosia” has a remarkably similar meaning: “an elixir; the drink of the Greek Gods depicted as conferring blissful immortality.”
Thus, Buddha (the Tathagata) had reached the supreme and ultimate (celestial) enlightened state of blissful, luminant immortality where absolutely nothing comes and goes.
Siddhartha Buddha also deliberately proclaimed that if they dedicate their spiritual life and their meditation practice on (1) ignoring the things that are coming and going and (2) focusing, instead, on the things that don’t come and go then they could reach the supreme state of divine consciousness in a single lifetime.
In later teachings, Buddha described this supreme state of consciousness as “Nirvana.”
I was not aware of this Buddhist teaching until earlier this year. Throughout my entire life, I have simply done and meditated naturally. I intuitively focused on an inner eternal consciousness and ignored everything else that was transitory. Because of this simple, natural, lifestyle I was able reach and go beyond every single mystic region of consciousness from the eye center to Nirvana – in a single lifetime. It was a significant blessing. It was pure Grace, and I’m forever grateful. Now, as an old man, it’s time for me to teach.
Buddha did the same thing, AND SO CAN YOU. If you know what to meditate on, and what to ignore, you can potentially reach the highest levels of spiritual enlightenment in a single lifetime.
What Never Comes and Goes?
The “Tathagata” state of immortal, blissful, enlightened awareness is described as the ONLY STATE that never comes and goes, and where nothing in this state ever comes and goes. This is Buddha’s Nirvana, which is also similarly referred to as the “resting state of cosmic consciousness” in the Vedas, “supreme consciousness” by Nisargadatta, the “supreme being” by Captain Ji, “celestial awareness” by me, and “Sat-Chit-Ananda-Bliss” by Ramana.
It's a long path to perfection, but it can be accomplished in a single lifetime. It’s a path that starts with faith in the big picture that we’ve just explained. Thus, it starts with a conviction that the Nirvana consciousness is, and has always been inside of us; and, that we can reach that state of awareness by simply going beyond everything else that comes and goes.
It starts by learning some simple, natural, practices that eventually enable us to experience a silent illumination of enlightened awareness.
By simply ignoring the coming and going of thoughts and emotions we eventually arrive within a spiritually minded awareness that is far less fragmented and distracting than our normal mind-body awareness. Then, once we learn how to effortlessly, lovingly, and tenderly, stay focused on this still awareness we will soon melt into the first stage eye center enlightenment.
Having reached true enlightenment in the eye center, we will immediately be vividly aware of our own immortal consciousness – that never comes and goes. This is not Nirvana, but it’s one of the most important milestones in our spiritual lifestyle.
From that point onward, as we continue to face, and then ignore, new layers of various aspects of transitory awareness that all come and go, we will also naturally melt into deeper and deeper levels of enlightened consciousness.
What comes and goes?
As we naturally, and instinctively, melt into deeper states of enlightened consciousness, we inevitably encounter various aspects of consciousness. Along the way we also must learn how to (1) recognize the things which are transitory and then (2) ignore them and, instead, continue to effortlessly let the instinctive nature of our soul’s awareness focus on the source of its immortal awareness.
Our soul, our inner non-cognitive, clear awareness, will always act instinctively, and effortlessly if we simply let it be. When we trust and allow this natural process to continue, we will automatically melt into new inner levels of harmonically resonant consciousness.
Everything except pure awareness is transitory. But what are these transitory states of mental, physical, and conscious awareness that always come and go? Moreover, what should we do when these types of distractions come and go?
The Things to Pay Attention to on your Inward Journey
Here’s a brief list of the major things that come and go. They happen throughout our entire journey from Divine Awareness to the genesis of our soul awareness, to mind-body awareness, to enlightened soul awareness and then all the way back to Divine Awareness.
The physical cosmos comes and goes – over exceptionally prolonged periods of time. The physical cosmos evolves from source (Nirvana) consciousness, is constantly recreated, nurtured, and sustained by the heavenly creative vortex, eventually reaches its natural limits of expansion, and then begins to dissolve back into the resting state of Nirvana consciousness. This is something that happens throughout our entire lifetime, but we need to ignore it.
Existence as a life form comes and goes. During the creative phase of the Cosmos, the heavenly creative vortex (of Celestial Consciousness) creates, nurtures, and sustains various life forms as fractal copies of celestial consciousness. Each of these life forms, or sentient beings, lives and then dies within a span of life. We were created as fractal copies of divine awareness, and this is a big picture event that gives us faith. It’s a good thing to understand, but it is also important to ignore everything except the emptiness and the source of your clear awareness during your meditation practice.
Awareness as an existence as a life form comes and goes. As humans we are aware of our existence as a life form, but our awareness of this state of existence comes with our birth and then goes, or dissolves, with our inevitable death. The lesson here is to ignore questions, mental concepts and all emotions involving life versus death. Your clear awareness is immortal. Concentrate on that instead.
Reincarnation comes and goes. We live and die as one form (insect, animal, or human) and later we live and die repeatedly as other life forms. According to the Vedas we go through about 64,000 different life forms, over a period of billions of years during the reincarnation cycle. Most of our mental and emotional attachment, or karma, comes and goes because of previous experiences. So what? Ignore your past. Ignore your karma. Let it come and go.
Awareness of Reincarnation comes and goes. According to the Vedas, and to my personal experience, awareness of reincarnation cycles and events doesn’t become apparent to us until we’ve been reincarnated multiple times in the human form. But in the next lifetime we forget everything that we learned in previous lifetimes – including our awareness of previous reincarnations. However, once we start to go beyond our mind-body awareness, into soul awareness instead, we slowly become aware of multiple incarnations. Shortly after reaching the crown chakra region of spiritual consciousness, we can remember dozens of previous incarnations. But when we later merge into divine awareness, our memories of every other type of existence become so unimportant that our spiritual need to know these things dissolves. You will eventually have visions of things that happened in previous lifetimes. Just let these visions come and go. Stay intently focused on your clear awareness instead.
Ignorance of our initial celestial awareness comes and goes. In the first few seconds before the creation process of a new soul, the Divine Consciousness is in a state of pure celestial awareness. But in the very next second – as a newly created soul – we instantly have an empty awareness that is ignorant of celestial awareness. The celestial awareness, itself, is aware of the divine awareness within us, but our awareness as a soul is empty. We’re in a state of ignorance. We don’t know who and what we actually are. Billions of years later as humans who have gone beyond mind-body awareness, we begin to experience flashes of soul awareness that come and go (in the first few bubbles of enlightenment) in just a few seconds. As we go deeper into higher levels of soul awareness, our enlightenment lasts for several hours, then several days and then for several weeks. But as these events occur enlightenment comes and goes. Thus, there’s no need to worry about losing an enlightened awareness and falling back into mind-body awareness. It’s going to happen thousands of times during a single spiritual lifetime. Look inward, and then go inward again.
Cravings (desires) for bliss comes and goes. A few seconds, or microseconds, after the genesis of our soul, we experience a burst of energy (from a nearby sound wave or energy wave). This energy buzz creates a joyful relief – by hinting at a state of “beingness” which hints at what or who we might be. Seconds later we lose this experience – which creates a new fear of “un-beingness.” This cycle of desire followed by fear forms the initial layer of our mind. These cycles, or energy patterns of the mind, come and go with new energy patterns that also come and go. As individuals, we have slowly become addicted to chasing desires and running away from fears. But as we become more mature, we also become tired of these miserable cycles of desires and fears. They come and go. Just ignore them as they come and go.
Fear of no-bliss comes and goes. Every time we lose contact with a feeling of bliss, we encounter a feeling of fear. But these feelings of fear also come and go with the creation and dissolution of new cycles of thought.
Thoughts of bliss and absence of bliss come and go. Over time we begin to be aware of the endless cycles of positive and negative thoughts. However, we lose this awareness of the previous cycles in the very next cycle/train of thought. You can live in an enlightened awareness in the empty space between trains of thought – if you’re not expecting or waiting for the next new cycle of thoughts to appear. Just naturally relax within your own clear awareness and ignore everything else.
Memories come and go. To sustain feelings of bliss, we create images of ourselves during experiences that cause bliss. We also create memories of ourselves in experiences of fear. Once we start making memories, we just can’t stop – until we eventually know that we don’t need memories. Within the cycles of our mind-body awareness, we drop our old memories every time that we discover new experiences of bliss and fear. So what? Clear awareness is a natural fountain of youth that helps us to become immortal. Thoughts just distract us – from our true state of existence.
Various thoughts, emotions, concepts, and experiences come and go. Different types of events cause diverse types and levels of positive and negative thoughts and emotions. This often leads to different concepts of what and who we think we are. The nature of our thoughts, emotions and concepts constantly come and go over time. Ignore everything except clear awareness.
Subconscious awareness comes and goes. Most people are not aware of everything that happens in a normal train of thought. In a single train of thought we create hundreds of different memories. Meanwhile, there’s conversational argument going on between our counter-balancing positive and negative mind. The argument is often five to ten levels deep. And the argument itself creates new memories and karma. If you have an active desire (positive) based persona in life, your subconscious persona is fear based. If you have a negative based persona, then your subconscious mind will be desire based. But the thing to remember is that these positive and negative cycles of the mind simply come and go. Just ignore them on your inward journey.
Dreams come and go. Daytime imaginative dreams of future events, as well as nighttime dream sequences – also created by our mind – come and go throughout our life. They’re just dreams. The reality of who and what you are is within you.
Attachments to imaginative dreams and illusions come and go. As we grow tired of dreams and illusions that no longer create feelings of bliss, or counterbalancing emotions of fear, these dreams and illusions come and then go/fade into obscurity. Relax into your immortality.
Bursts of empty awareness come and go. After we become completely tired of the repetitive mind-body cycles of bliss and fear, we begin to let go of our attachments to our mental and emotional tendencies. This, in turn, empowers experience short bursts of empty awareness. But these experiences of empty awareness come and go because of lingering attachments to various emotions. Don’t worry. Be happy. Turn inward. Your clear enlightened awareness will return when the time is right for you to enjoy it.
Clear luminant awareness comes and goes. Over time, as the magnetic power of mind-body awareness weakens, we begin to experience short bubbles of clear, luminant awareness. Each new bubble of awareness fills us with new and much more powerful experiences of bliss, luminosity, and clarity of awareness. This inevitably causes new WOW experiences. The WOW experiences reinvigorate our emotional tendencies which unfortunately pull our attention outward. Learn to ignore internal phenomena and exciting experiences. Don’t hold on to any memories of these experiences. Learn how to ignore pride. Stay humble. Stay grateful. Stay joyful. Keep going within instead. Stay within the aura of divine awareness.
Awareness of Divine Awareness comes and goes. With practice we become less distracted by small increases in bliss, luminosity, and clarity. We also become more attracted to a sense of an aura of Divine Awareness. This sense of divine awareness comes when we least expect it, but dissolves if we strain to pay (mental) attention to it. Humbly follow the Divine Awareness as it pulls you inward.
Awareness of Divine Awareness as your life force comes and goes. After considerable experience in the aura of Divine Awareness, waves of Divine Awareness – as both awareness and as our actual life force - begin to come and go. In the Nexus Point region of consciousness, we experience the divine awareness flowing into us as it continually creates and recreates our life force and our soul awareness. Thus, our life and our awareness are “evergreen.” It comes and goes every microsecond of our existence. Continue to naturally focus, instead, on the source of your clear, enlightening awareness. Stay within the awakening process – by effortlessly allowing your inner attention to stay within Divine Awareness.
Awareness as Divine Awareness comes and goes. As we learn to love Divine Awareness as much as Divine Awareness loves us, we begin to merge into and become Divine Awareness. At this stage, our soul becomes significantly, and naturally, attached to Divine Awareness.
Awareness of multidimensional awareness comes and goes. As we cross over beyond the limits of our soul awareness and into realms of Divine Awareness, our awareness becomes multidimensional. This is another significant WOW factor that usually kicks us out of Divine Awareness and back into mind-body awareness. This is not a “fun” experience. Many saints have described this as the “agony of separation – from God Consciousness. But we’re drawn back to these beautiful, precious multidimensional experiences, repeatedly. Thus, both states of single awareness and multidimensional awareness come and go. When it happens, simply accept your new form of existence – as multidimensional consciousness. The Supreme Being is also a multidimensional consciousness. Stay withing the awakening process as your awareness expands.
Divine Awareness as the creator of souls comes and goes. Deeper yet into the heavenly realms of consciousness, we have the incredible firsthand experiences of being the creative force that creates new souls, dimensions, solar systems, planets, and various other things. This is a phenomenal WOW factor that few saints ever have. Learning to abide for weeks and months at a time in this level of Celestial Consciousness will cause your Divine Awareness as the creator to come and go hundreds of times. Keep going, you’re almost there.
Divine Awareness as the interconnected, loving, nurturing, state of all other states of awareness comes and goes. Much deeper into the heavenly realms, your celestial awareness begins to interconnect with hundreds, thousands, millions, billions and then trillions of other states of consciousness. Once again, this is an enormous WOW factor which requires significant stretches of concentrated Sadhana (spiritual meditation). Likewise, your ability to stay interconnected will obviously come and go frequently. This is a natural process. Allow your immortal consciousness to naturally float inward.
The Resting State of Divine Awareness in all of other states of Divine Awareness in the Cosmos comes and goes. The most incredible and humbling experience of all happens when you first begin to melt into the resting state of celestial awareness. This is the Tathagata Awareness that Lord Buddha described as Nirvana. It also takes many extended Sadhana experiences of abiding in Nirvana (aka, Tathagata). Before that, your ability to abide in Tathagata awareness comes and goes. This is also a natural process. Love this immortal process. Flow within the process.
The new Cosmos comes and goes. Eventually you will awaken from the resting state of Celestial awareness to create a new cosmos – which will also come and go!
Integral Awareness
AFTER ARISING FROM CELESTIAL AWARENESS, YOUR TATHAGATA AWARENESS WILL NEVER COME AND GO. You will continue to be the “light that shineth through the darkness (of ignorant souls) even though the darkness knows it not!”
Celestial awareness functions as integral awareness. Once achieved, Celestial awareness is permanent. It never comes and goes. It’s always there – sometimes in the foreground of your awareness and sometimes in the background of your awareness. But you often shift into Celestial awareness instantly – whenever you are meant to.
One final note. Even after learning to abide in the Tathagata state, we should still learn to live a normal lifestyle – for the sake of our families and your friends. Maintain your current role in the world as Bob, Carol, Ted or Alice. In the same way that you intuitively learned how to float through your inward journey, you will also automatically learn how to flow through life in the outside world. But even in the outside world, the internal divine consciousness will sometimes silently create incredible miracles. Problems that should be impossible to solve will be miraculously completed. New inventions and even physical objects will appear out of thin air.
If you’re destined to teach others about this mystical path, your life will make it impossible to ignore that destiny. It will also give you the necessary tools and the wisdom to make it happen.
This why so many True Saints just act like simple teachers and/or good friends. Therefore, Buddha never said that he was God, or a heavenly saint. He simply said that he knew how to teach the spiritual path to divine (Tathagata) awareness.