How does one make the transition into a non-transitional state of being?

Question

I've been seeking what has been called many things. Some call it "universal consciousness" or "atman" or "God" or "supreme truth" etc. It has been described as a state that can not be described. I read that it is not this or that until all things perish and only it remains. I've read many accounts on how to obtain this truth. I've come to realize that it is veiled by some force refered to as "maya" which is neither real nor unreal. I also understand that when the question of the supreme truth is answered, the "questioner" and the "question" cease to exist. So when we are in the act of asking, we are seeking, therefore, in a transitional state of being. When the question is answered, we have no questions, and therfore are in a non-transitional state. Whatever we do to obtain this truth is, by nature, is a transitional state, whether it be meditation, study, or ANYTHING. Likewise, if we are in a non-transitional state, where does the motive come from to seek anything at all?

Answer 1

Aloha Sage,

You bring up some intellectually stimulating questions. What you are seeking, a "non-transitional state of being" is admirable, but IMHO illusionary. We grow through change. Lack of change represents stagnation, and boredom.

What you describe is appealing though and ties into one of my favorite quotes...

I kept walking and walking, and I kept thinking about old Phoebe going to that museum on Saturdays the way I used to. I thought how she'd see the same stuff I used to see, and how she'd be different every time she saw it. It didn't exactly depress me to think about it but it didn't make me feel gay as hell either. Certain things they should stay the way they are. You should be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone. I know that's impossible, but it's too bad anyway.
— J.D. Salinger (The Catcher in the Rye, p. 122)

There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.
— Nelson Mandela

Things do not change; we change.
— Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

I think the appeal of permanence and the unchanging nature of the bible is what attracts so many believers to religion. They are turned off by the adaptations and changes that science goes through in its discovery process. Religion to many represents unchanging "truths". This can be very comforting and safe for many people. Conversely, I tend to agree with George Bernard Shaw that "the fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one. The happiness of credulity is a cheap and dangerous quality."

The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.
— William James

A monk asks a superior if it is permissible to smoke while praying. The superior says certainly not. Next day the monk asks if it is permissible to pray while smoking. That, says the superior, is not merely permissible, it is admirable. The moral of the story is that much depends on how a thing is presented.
— George Will

Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change.
— Wayne Dyer

Here is more info on the traditional concepts of Atman found in Hinduism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atman_%28Hinduism%29 and found in Buddhism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atman_%28Buddhism%29

Good luck.

Answer 2

I would have thought you would have known what maya is. It is the power that deludes - a power which naturally exists in nature. It causes increasing confusion and loss of intelligence. It is demonic so watch your step.

Answer 3

By observing and acting upon the law(Bible) of non-transitional state then the law maker(Jesus) will transform into that.

Answer 4

if one were to reach that state what would ther be to seek?

Answer 5

The only thing constant is change.

Answer 6

ha

Answer 7

kabaala