Peter Ralston - Consciousness Dialogues: From Beginners Mind Through Enlightenment: 150 Conversations with Peter Ralston

Copyright 2018 by Peter Ralston. All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the written permission of the publisher. For information contact North Atlantic Books.

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Consciousness Dialogues: From Beginners Mind through Enlightenment150 Conversations with Peter Ralston is sponsored and published by the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences (dba North Atlantic Books), an educational nonprofit based in Berkeley, California, that collaborates with partners to develop cross-cultural perspectives, nurture holistic views of art, science, the humanities, and healing, and seed personal and global transformation by publishing work on the relationship of body, spirit, and nature.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Ralston, Peter, 1949 author.

Title: Consciousness dialogues : from beginners mind through enlightenment :

150 conversations with Peter Ralston / Peter Ralston.

Description: Berkeley, California : North Atlantic Books, 2018.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018001684 (print) | LCCN 2018013269 (ebook) | ISBN

9781623172299 (ebook) | ISBN 9781623172282 (pbk.)

Subjects: LCSH: ConsciousnessMiscellanea.

Classification: LCC B808.9 (ebook) | LCC B808.9 .R35 2018 (print) | DDC

128/.2dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018001684

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Its not hard to notice that meditation and mindfulness practices no longer belong only to hippies, monks, and guru types. There is a corresponding interest in consciousness workmost notably Zen and other deep contemplation practicesbut its obviously more difficult for people to approach a subject thats not as readily intelligible as our daily experience. Indeed, finding your way to this level of mind work can at first seem like having an invitation to some grand spiritual party at a hidden location. You might really want to go, but no one will give you directions!

In time, most people manage to stumble into the right place or become intrigued enough to ask a useful question, such as: What is consciousness work? This dictionary definition will at least start us off in the right direction:

1. consciousness: the fact of awareness by the mind of itself and the world

Thats a start, but in consciousness work our use of the term goes far beyond that definition to include having a direct experience of the absolute truth, or enlightenment. Toward this end, we engage in Zenlike contemplation, questioning intently to reach an understanding of our true nature or the nature of reality. Unlike Zen, however, this work also involves deeply investigating the mind, the self, and every other aspect of human existence.

Regarding enlightenment, the first thing to do is just accept that this pursuit will never be completely intelligible because it cannot be. The most enlightening result of this contemplative workdirect experience, kensho,satoriis not something that can be perceived and processed with the intellect, but there is still much to be learned from all levels of questioning. The work of investigating every facet of human experience may demand insights, but these are achievable through grounded and practical methods. As you will see, much of this work is relatable to your own life while also setting the stage for deeper enlightenment work.

This book introduces you to a cast of characters from all different stages and levels of development. These question-and-answer letters are real, culled from thousands of exchanges that took place over the course of sixteen years, beginning in 1998 when I made myself available to students by email. At first many of their questions concerned the finer points of internal martial arts, but as the consciousness work grew over the years, so did the number and range of consciousness questions, the most useful of which have been chosen for this collection.

While Ive long supported my students in discovering the truth in any matter, what really energized the discussion in this direction was the 2010 release of The Book of Not Knowing. That tome outlines the universal experiences of the human condition and has contributed to a deeper understanding of this kind of questioning. When everyone has access to the same communications, the shared language provides possibilities for even more intense and subtle realms of inquiry. Some of this shift is reflected in the letters, which are arranged chronologically and split into two sections: before The Book of Not Knowing and after it.

The more multifaceted the topics, the more useful a Q and A format can be. Some authors using a Q and A format invent both sides of the query, which might be efficient, but I think authenticity has a more powerful effect in this case. The people who wrote these questions come from all walks of life in seventeen countries and are of all ages and backgrounds. Some of them have spent months or years with me, and others know the work only through my books.

When people cannot attend in person, our only option is to hash it out with words on the page. This can sometimes be as exasperating as it is exhilarating, but Im told that what makes these exchanges useful is just how much energy and attention is put into each dialogue. In addition, English is not the first language of several questioners, a difference that can lend an unusual perspective that should not be overlooked.

On the other hand, a few of the questions are near-repeats of one another, but I include them to deepen the readers experience of the matter. These seemingly redundant exchangeswith questioners sometimes years and continents apartnot only underscore the universality of the wondering but also illustrate the consistent nature of the responses. It is through such reiteration that students gain the experience to grasp that the truth does not change; only the perspectives from which it is viewed.

The point is not to listen to a series of answers, but rather to follow the unfolding continuity of the responses.

Despite all the talk about workshops and monasteries, increasing consciousness can seem a lonely pursuit. While most people are content to live without questioning too deeply, many find themselves hungry for answers, even though they might barely understand the questions: What IS this self? What is the nature of this mind that rattles on and on? Am I simply an awareness, past which flows the entire world? Workshops or intensives open up new worlds and can put us on the right track, but in the end it is up to each of us to stumble along, often for long stretches, as we find our way past whatever beliefs, assumptions, and other obstacles are limiting our progress. With this collection of voices from a shared pursuit, however, we find ourselves in good company.