Enlightenment is not individualized or separate ...

The first question: "Is my soul separate from your soul? Deep down inside I know that we are one in totality yet cannot understand why my individuality seems to arise and validate itself from deeper within other than the peripheral ego-mind creation."

"Excellent question Julie - Because of the confines of language, such a question cannot be answered simply. However such a good question demands that I attempt the impossible:

Your soul or "self" is neither individualized or separate,

- but can be likened to a limitless temple of consciousness encompassing all that is.

(Hence the affirmation "I am That").

The Holy of Holies centre of this infinite temple of consciousness

is the spiritual heart of your body.

Each person's centre is different in degrees of perspective dualistic illusion only.

Death of the body and subsequent incarnations (or the term I prefer to use "dream soujourns"), changes the illusory perspective of this centre

but not the Reality of all pervading consciousness.

Once the final illusion of fixation to this spiritual heart centre is also transcended,

God or Buddha-hood reveals itself."

The second question: "Your writings seem to have the intention of stripping the ego-mind layer upon layer. Isn't it like taking a rose and removing a petal at a time until the rose is no more?"

"Mmmm, I am not sure of your meaning of the question. That is, are you implying that the technique or mechanism I use is beneficial or destructive? It is of course both. It is beneficial as a bridge to the "self" and destructive to the false "I". If I used your analogy of a rose, I would perhaps say that the rose is enfolded by countless suffocating wrappings and cannot exhibit its true glory until it's unwrapped.

However the Indian's have a more profound analogy. One that I am sure you have heard in its many variations. "A sculptor sculptured a magnificent elephant from a large slab of marble. An onlooker asked the sculptor, how does one create such a beautiful elephant from a slab of cold marble?" That's easy replied the sculptor - I simply chip away all that is not elephant!"

People who want to realize their "true self" merely need to chip away all that isn't.

ooo000ooo