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Douglas Harding was a practical mystic, philosopher, teacher, mentor, and friend. He was a joyous, loving human being, who as a young man trekking through the Himalayas to discover the answer to the question, "Who or What Am I?", spontaneously experienced the infinite, limitless Awareness that was his true nature.
Douglas's first way of articulating this life-altering experience was to say that he was "headless". Rather than living from the Illusion that he was a limited separate being whose consciousness was squeezed into and located somewhere in the middle of a mass of bone, flesh, muscle, sinews, and brain matter attached to a body, he experienced "having no head", of being the infinite space in which the world arose. The result was a shift from a life of feeling self-conscious, shy, fearful, and unclear about his life's purpose, to a life filled with joy, gratitude, wonder, freedom to be, the capacity of seeing each human being as an expression of that Infinite Awareness, and clarity of his purpose and privilege to share this gift with others.
Having seen that the source of suffering was a mis-identification of our true nature, Douglas developed a series of simple "awareness experiments" that allowed others to experience their true nature directly, and began to teach these to others around the world over the subsequent decades. His first book, the now classic account of his spiritual awakening, titled, "On Having No Head," was first published in 1961.
I met Douglas in the 1970's when I was privileged to introduce him and be his presenting partner at a series of public events where thousands of participants had a chance to be led through his awareness exercises and experience surprise, delight, awe, and wonder. The elegant simplicity and effectiveness of Douglas's exercises were a revelation. Years later, while designing the process by which Core Wisdom participants directly access their true nature, one of my major guiding inspirations was Douglas's commitment to simplicity, clarity, and direct experience that by-passed mere intellectual understanding and literally allowed people to restructure their reality.
After his own awakening, Douglas discovered, as have many other authentic spiritual teachers, that it is actually very easy for people to experience their true nature. How could it be otherwise, as it is what they already always are? If one has the intention to know their true nature, and is willing to let go of their fixed and conditioned beliefs, the truth will shine forth.
What Douglas also discovered early on while working with others is something that I later realized as I led the Core Wisdom classes: that the gift of our true nature must be given with love and complete NON-ATTACHMENT to what others do with it once they have experienced the truth of their Being for themselves.
The REAL ISSUE for each and every Being is one of CHOICE. The issue is NOT whether one can experience one's true nature, but whether, after realizing the truth, one chooses to identify and live from it or continues to mis-identify and live from the habitual, familiar illusion of being a finite, limited, separate, ego 'me". In each moment, we choose which of the two paths of identity we will take, and thus, what reality we manifest.
To identify and live from our true nature results in the "peace that passes understanding." When we do this, we are "faceless," an infinite, joyous opening in which life and our actions spontaneously arise. In contrast, living from the illusion of being a finite, separate self results in a life of effort and struggle; enduring, striving, and continually needing more, better, and different versions of approval, attention, security, control, and self-improvement (for you, them, or both). In this conditioned state, we become concerned with not "losing face" and being "right" about "my" point of view no matter what the consequences may be.
I last saw Douglas in the flesh in 1999 at a lecture and book signing in San Rafael, CA. It was as if there were no years separating this time from our last visit. In Douglas's presence it is always NOW. All time and stories become irrelevant in the space of the authentic recognition of Being that Douglas is. As always, Douglas was the embodiment of love itself. Each person in the room experienced their true nature as love in the open space of recognition that Douglas was to each and every Being.
Last year, Douglas left his body. The body's age at the time of transition was 97 years old. I think that Douglas would have found that statement amusing. The real Douglas, as he would have been the first to tell you, is no age, and can still be found within each of us, where he goes by the name of "I".
-- Hal Isen
Core Wisdom Quote
God made the senses turn outwards;
From Core Wisdom On-Line Number 88 - Sep. 17, 2008
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