December 26, 2000.

The term "artist" has long been loosely employed
by men along with inconclusive attempts to distinguish the bona fide from the faux.
Today, as collateral that certain interest in consciousness that fuels these commentaries,
I will address the question: "What is a REAL artist?"

A real artist is a person who likes their own work better than anyone else's.
This is true no matter the field: painting, music, movie making, literature and mysticism;
it makes no difference -- it is always the same;
the real artist is he who prefers his work to all others.

Only the inner artist himself
knows if he fails or succeeds.

Because of the way life is:
every would-be, inner artist who becomes involved in the
consciousness-changing-business
begins by studying the works of, "past masters,"
(not unlike novice painters sitting with sketch pads before da Vinci and Botticelli,
or music students pouring over manuscripts of Mozart and Mahler),
but neophytes to the,
"I-wanna-wake-up, be-enlightened, and
know-for-myself-what-the-hell-is-really-going-on-around here" field
face a much different situation,
for works of consciousness art cannot be seen, touched or heard,
although pertinent to the last is where it seems otherwise,
and where most aspirants' feet become forever
stuck-in-the-verbal-&-mental-mud.

As is natural with men,
those who hear-of, and adopt the goal of
recreating the overall operations of their conscious thinking,
seek first, a role model;
the mind automatically searches for an example of the completed task
which it has undertaken,
which in this case would appear to be exemplified in another human being who has achieved the goal;
but the unrealized error in this is that being more awake has no easily observable,
or readily imitable qualities.
Those who don't know, profess that it does, and primarily point to behavior,
to acts of charity and kindness attributed to, "past awakened masters"
while feigning oblivion to the fact that
any sort of behavior is possible for any sort of person.
The other criteria employed by the unknowing
is that of the words spoken by their role models,
and here they mightily proclaim themselves to be on indisputably firm footing,
confidently declaring that the WORDS of an enlightened man
would unquestionably be the truest proof of his extraordinary state.
And again they pretend to ignore the simple, glaring fact that
any man can say any thing,
even surreptitiously plagiarize the impressive sounding words of another,
while having no idea of what it might really mean.

Conditions could not be more conducively constructed
as an attractive bear trap.

There is no work of art possible for a man that is more original than his waking up --
it is nothing but "original" to him;
not a variation -- or -- imitation of someone else's awaking --
it is always strictly his own original work of art --
-- that is why he prefers it to everyone else's --
-- he has no choice.


The true awakening, enlightenment & liberation of a
man's conscious mind is SO original, and unique to each person as to be
indescribable to anyone else,
and those who try simply reveal their lack of achievement.

A man who really knows what's going on cannot tell you,
regardless of the willingness he might have to do so.
If you could be TOLD what is going on,
you could already SEE what is going on.

The only fun comparable to seeing what's actually going on
is the fun in learning HOW TO;
the inestimable pleasure of creating your own original work of inner art --
of recreating your own brain's mental consciousness
of life and of you,
and becoming -- on your own -- a REAL artist.

But be forewarned, (if case you are looking for a reason to
get turned off of this kind of thing),
the type of art created by the real artist cannot be put on display.
You cannot take it out and show it to others,
or even talk about it in a way to adequately impress
anyone else with its magnificence …………………. but I lie,
you can of course do all of the above,
and make a sham impression on other sleeping people.
The blind will not merely follow the blind --
they will applaud their directions, wildly.

You are not yet evidencing any spark of the,
"real artist" until you have lost your taste for the work of other mystical artists;
not that you have become hostile there toward,
for you no doubt fed from same at one time,
it is just that you reach a place where the art of no one else any longer satisfies you.
It no longer interests you if two hundred buddhas, or five thousand attars woke up --
it becomes entirely meaningless to you….
…and then………and then,
then you can begin to become your own real artist.

Then you,
along primarily with the cellular activity in your brain that produces thought,
can start to create your own original work of art
that has in truth been the aim of your search & effort,
but you must first -- doing whatever is necessary --
become so full as to be finally
over-satiated to the point of objective indifference to the works of any other
mystical artists, past, present, or from pennsylvania.

Do note that arguing and debating the works of other mystic artists
either overtly, or in your own head belies this necessary indifference.
Study them, and discuss them as you must,
but at least do so in light of what I have noted
regarding the fact that if you see this thing through
you will eventually lose all taste for the works of other artists,
and will come to prefer your own above all others.

You will only come to your cleared-out-senses by painting your own mind into an inescapable, enlightening corner;
only by composing the score to your own opera-of-awaking,
only by writing your mystical masterpiece about a man who -- ESCAPED!

Museums need spectators;
books ask to be read,
and heroes prance about through eternity -- available for students cum imitators.
(In case you haven't noticed,
the way thoughts operate in the standard state of consciousness is such that
you can start out with the goal of going to the end of the line,
yet end up -- unwittingly satisfied with becoming a worshipper of the train,
and its ostensible engineer.
This can be great fun, and a real time-passer,
but it is not what the hell I am writing about here -- day after week.

If you discover for yourself the facts concerning the local goings-on we call, "life,"
it will not make you popular --
it will not do much of anything verbally describable,
but what it will do is:
answer all your questions, and satisfy your hunger, which,
if you are one of the true few -- is the only thing that will ever do.

The person with the potential to be a real artist
prefers his work to anyone else's -- he has no choice,
his understanding of life is becoming such that there simply is no alternative.
Every man who wakes up to the plain facts
in essence, has created his own original system to awaken,
but it is his alone, and efforts to propagate same
have a shot at popularity that is problematic at best.

Waking up is FAR TOO original,
and deviates FAR too far from the reality of the collective
to ever be widely heralded, or even recognized.

Waking up is a work of art, and real art does not get done by discussions,
debates, imitation or rehashes of the past.
Waking up is real art,
and real art is strictly original,
and originality only exists -- right this second;
only now, and
only where you are -- right now.

Get to work on your masterpiece,
you've played around and had what passed for fun ---
-- now find out what REAL FUN is.