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Conversations with Avant-garde Sages - The Wizard LLC

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<strong>Conversations</strong> <strong>with</strong> <strong>Avant</strong>-<strong>garde</strong> <strong>Sages</strong><br />

I do thank you so much for joining us today. Now your method is<br />

to focus aspirants on what is known for sure because it prepares<br />

the way for grace to come in. But on the other hand, you would<br />

counsel aspirants to live as unknowing innocence, so it seems to<br />

me there’s a paradox there. Given that paradox, what are some of<br />

the obvious things a person might investigate and know for sure<br />

that would clear away the obstructions that allow for grace to come<br />

in?<br />

FRANCIS LUCILLE: Yes. Investigation, first of all, we have to<br />

establish what we are, and what we are is the centrality of our<br />

experience that which is always there <strong>with</strong> us, things we are always<br />

<strong>with</strong> ourselves. Something that comes and goes out of our<br />

experience cannot be the centrality of our experience, therefore<br />

any perception, thought, or sensation, things that come and go, is<br />

not the same centrality of our experience. That which remains as<br />

the candidate for the centrality of our experience is this very<br />

simple consciousness, whatever it is, that is hearing these words<br />

right now. That's what we are, and that's not an object, that's not a<br />

body, that's not a mind. Before we are a body or a mind we are<br />

that, we are that, we are this presence hearing these words. And<br />

whether this presence is also a body or a mind, that remains to be<br />

seen, and the investigation is trying to answer the question based<br />

upon my experience, not based upon hearsay.<br />

How do I know that this consciousness which is hearing these<br />

words right Now is limited in any fashion or form? For instance,<br />

how do I know it was born? Do I remember the experience of the<br />

birth of my consciousness? No. And if I don't, could somebody else<br />

remember it? No, because only I am aware of my consciousness,<br />

nobody else is. <strong>The</strong>refore as far as I know I was never born, it<br />

doesn't mean I was never born, you see. But it means that I have to<br />

be agnostic in this regard, just as knowing if the consciousness<br />

which is aware of Francis' thoughts, and the consciousness which<br />

is aware of Trip's thoughts, or John's thoughts, are different<br />

consciousnesses. If yes, what is the experience of the experiment<br />

that establishes this fact? And if I go deeply into these questions, I<br />

find that I don't know. I am not certain that consciousness is<br />

169

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