Lesson 6 – Presence is Unobscurable (Already Present)
If Presence is the substratum of literally everything, that means no thing can obscure it. Sunlight cannot blind the sun. A bird’s wings do not prevent its flight. Bentinho Massaro
In Lesson 6, you will unlock the realization that Presence comes at no cost, condition, or requirement. It is already here before anything else could ever be true. It is the truth before, within, and as all things.
You will recognize the freedom of its existence to be unobscurable, unblockable, inescapable, and undeniable.
Already Present
Now that you feel comfortable recognizing the permanent, or always present, nature of Being (Lesson #4), let’s dive even deeper to discover the “already” freedom innate in Presence.
We’ll start by unlocking your realization of the fact that nothing can obscure Presence-Consciousness, because it is, was, and will always be already present.
For just a moment, relax your mind’s ideas about everything (take a deep breath and 2 to 5 seconds of mental surrender…), and then read the following text:
You Are Already Here
To Existence/Presence/Beingness, there are no obstacles or problems. There is only ever more of itself. Bentinho Massaro
Presence has no requirement. There is nothing in between Presence and anything else, because there is nothing else but Presence. There is only one Presence, so how could there be an obstacle to it?
In the same way, there is no obstacle between Presence and you either, because you are (conscious) Presence.
Even if there was an obstacle between Presence and the being who is trying to discover Presence, it would still only be an illusion. Because the being trying to discover Presence, as well as the imagined obstacle to Presence, are both made out of the only substance or component of existence: Presence/Beingness/Energy itself.
How can an obstacle consisting of Presence-Energy be an obstacle to Presence-Energy? It is impossible. Ponder this for a minute before proceeding…
Suggesting there can be an obstacle to Presence, or a requirement you must meet before Presence can be fully present, is the same as suggesting that existence stops existing because of certain things that exist as part of its existence!
The Unobscurability of Presence is Logical
To say that Existence can be obscured by certain portions of itself, is as ridiculous as saying that the presence of the finger on your body prevents your body from being your body.
Presence is unobscurable, because there is nothing but itself.
Anything that might obscure it, would only be more of itself: more Presence.
And does it really make sense to say that presence can prevent Presence from being present?
The appearance of any so-called obstacle is, therefore, not only devoid of the ability to obscure Presence-Energy; it is actually more confirmation, proof, and further expansion of Presence-Energy.
You can never not be here. You can never not be now. You can never not already exist.
Before you ever thought about existence, you already existed. Before you think about Presence, you are already present.
Give up your mind’s conditioned ideas for 2 to 5 seconds, and recognize this simple and obvious truth. Presence is always already staring you in the face, as well as it being the face that it’s staring at, and from.
All you have to do to become Self-Realized in the powerful “alreadiness” of your Greater Self is open yourself up to recognize it, and to see as clearly as you can how logical it is that Presence-Energy is unobscurable because All-That-Is is made out of it. Become convinced in this experiential logic.
Can Anything Block Existence? – An Inquiry
Look at your direct experience of this moment… Now. And then ask yourself:
- Has anything ever stopped Existence from existing?
- Can anything prevent your Presence from being present?
- Will anything that may show up as an expression of Presence-Consciousness ever truly block Presence-Consciousness?
- Does (your) existence—even for a second—stop existing because of something that arises within your experience of life, whether it is a thought, emotion, feeling, person, or circumstance? Do any of these occurrences stop existence from existing?
- Does anything stop or block your beingness?
- Does anything prevent you from being?
These are some of the ways in which you can inquire into the unobscurable nature of Presence. Choose the line of sight (point of view) that resonates most for you.
If your answer to any of these “Can anything block Existence?” questions is “yes,” that’s okay, but please recognize that it’s like saying a wave in the ocean is preventing the water from being wet. It’s like saying that an area of space within space is taking up too much space for space to be spacious in…
It’s like saying a wall in front of your face is preventing your eyes from seeing…
The Benefits of “Already”
So how does the fact that Presence-Consciousness is already present benefit you?
- Already means that you do not have to meet any requirements or conditions in order to be as you are: you are already perfect, whole, and complete.
- Already means that nothing can ever take your fundamental well-being away.
- Already means that your natural state is effortless and obvious, and you can tune into it, regardless of what’s going on in your life.
- Already means that Self-Realization is in essence easy, accessible, and doesn’t require any change or adjustment in your personality, character, circumstance, thinking, or lifestyle—other than the desire to realize it.
- Already implies that it exists before you think about it.
- Already implies that your changeless perfection exists before you created the idea of it being obscured.
- Already implies that you can let go of striving and rest back into what’s already here.
- Already means you can finally forgive yourself.
- Already means you can feel safe and supported by the Presence of All-That-Is, of which you are, already, inseparable.
- Already points to the simple truth that Divine Presence existed before any path, religion, practice, or obstacle toward it was created.
- Already suggests that every being basks equally in the truth of Existence.
- Already shows that no one owns the truth; we’re all a living expression of it.
- Already is another word for before, prior to, or free from.
- Already means that Presence-Consciousness can be realized without meditating for years, removing your ego and sin, working out your karmic debt first, eliminating thoughts, or surrendering your will to a special deity.
- Already means that your essential purity has remained untouched and unaffected by the stream of experiences that you call “my life” and is ever accessible, no matter what.
Even Obstacles Are Presence-Confirming
Your ability to believe that Presence requires certain conditions to be met is itself derived from Presence-Consciousness-Energy.
You are able to deny or confirm Presence—and everything about it—only because Presence-Intelligence gives you that ability.
Presence was already here, obvious, and effortlessly present, long before you imagined the obstacles to it into existence.
See? “You imagined the obstacles into existence.”
How could you have imagined obstacles into existence, if existence wasn’t already there for you to imagine the obstacles into?
And what do you think imagination, and the obstacles it can project, owe their existence to? Exactly—the only thing in existence: Existence.
See? “Obstacles are Presence, too.”
So, the next time a limiting belief comes up for you, instead of buying into it, see that it consists of unobscurable Presence, as well. Anytime you catch yourself inventing a reason why Presence has not yet been realized, simply remember that that thought is just another appearance made out of perfectly-present Presence-Energy.
Realize this, and feel the untouchable freedom of it, the simple truth of it, and the liberation from conditions it offers.
Presence-Consciousness is already here; it’s as obvious as the fact that you are, and just as easy to recognize.
Obstacles, as such, can be opportunities for greater recognition: you start to see imagined obstacles (limiting beliefs) when they arise as presence-confirming and presence-enhancing—no longer believing them to be presence-distracting.
Now, go out there and familiarize yourself with the truth that cannot be obscured! You can even start to fall in love with it.
Homework
1) Read Lesson #6’s text at least two more times (or as often as you like) in a meditative, contemplative fashion, before you start the next lesson. Let the words in this lesson, which point to the directness, the obviousness, the simplicity, the effortlessness, and the unobscurable nature of existence, guide your attention to realize these truths.
Study each sentence in this lesson, no matter how repetitive it seems, to realize the same presence from all these slightly different points of view.
2) Actively go out into the world, into your mind, into your emotions and see if you can find an obstacle to presence. In other words: Explore your everyday life in between this lesson and the next, with an extremely curious attitude toward it, and see if there is anything that appears that is truly preventing you from Being Presence, and if there is anything that truly disables you from being able to choose to relax into the vastness of Being. Feel free to use the questions provided in the inquiry in this lesson, as a way to train yourself to ask the right type of questions to come to greater conviction in Presence being Always and Already here.
3) Apply the 2-5 second relaxation exercise often and on a consistent basis. By now this should start to become a natural and obvious choice for you throughout everyday experiences and “challenges.”
Consider sharing your experiences with this lesson in the corresponding Lesson #6 Study Group, and/or ask other members for their input and tips.
Please take enough time to fully integrate the concepts and practices introduced in each lesson. Of course, feel free to take as long as you need.
In fact, we recommend that you feel good about the material already made available to you before proceeding. In the meantime, feel free to discuss, interact, or ask questions in the Forum of whichever lesson you are working on.
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