The Overself is the point where the One Mind is
received into consciousness. It is the "I" freed from
narrowness, thoughts, flesh, passion, and
emotion--that is, from the personal ego..............Paul Brunton
Present Awareness...
It is not about getting or not getting anything. What is, is undeniable present awareness. Everything appears within that. It is all an expression within that. You are what you are. All ideas about what we are, are only more ideas. To attempt to pin anything down in the mind is futile. Your natural being is not contained or even known by the mind. Seeing this, you stop looking for the answer where it will not be found. You are present and aware. Pause thought and simply be. Notice there is nothing wrong. There are no problems or suffering unless you are thinking about them. So the mind is creating all problems. They are all imaginary.
John Wheeler
John Wheeler
Mysticism...
Mysticism requires the unreserved surrender of the ego to the soul.
From this quite correct requirement, unphilosophic mystics draw the
quite incorrect conclusions that the ego's faculty of reasoning and
use of will are to be banished from the domain of practical affairs.
It should not, for instance, provide for its worldly future, because
God is to provide for it. Belief in mysticism is no excuse for such
illogical and inaccurate thinking, much less for the paralysis of
willing. The mystic may give himself unto the soul and yet render unto
thought and action that which is rightly theirs.
— Notebooks Category 20: What Is Philosophy? > Chapter 4: Its
Realization Beyond Ecstasy > # 57... Paul Brunton
From this quite correct requirement, unphilosophic mystics draw the
quite incorrect conclusions that the ego's faculty of reasoning and
use of will are to be banished from the domain of practical affairs.
It should not, for instance, provide for its worldly future, because
God is to provide for it. Belief in mysticism is no excuse for such
illogical and inaccurate thinking, much less for the paralysis of
willing. The mystic may give himself unto the soul and yet render unto
thought and action that which is rightly theirs.
— Notebooks Category 20: What Is Philosophy? > Chapter 4: Its
Realization Beyond Ecstasy > # 57... Paul Brunton
The Prediction from Jesus...
(Matthew 15:8): "People honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me."
The Infinite Way...
I wish to express my gratitude for The Infinite Way and those principles revealed which have driven me back within the Self ever revealing the Hidden Kingdom here and now in our midst.
The only world belief to overcome is the belief in a separate existence. The only knowledge to overcome is that false sense of self. Jesus overcame that personal sense of self and afterwards we do not hear him saying anymore “of myself I am nothing.” Now we hear something new; we hear Christ saying: “He that seeth me seeth Him that sent me.”
He was accused by those around him of making himself “Equal with God.” And that is what we are required to do on this path. You must make yourself equal with God -- one with God, consciously aware that only God is present. There is no one else on earth. There is only one -- and that one is God.
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect...........Bill Skiles
The only world belief to overcome is the belief in a separate existence. The only knowledge to overcome is that false sense of self. Jesus overcame that personal sense of self and afterwards we do not hear him saying anymore “of myself I am nothing.” Now we hear something new; we hear Christ saying: “He that seeth me seeth Him that sent me.”
He was accused by those around him of making himself “Equal with God.” And that is what we are required to do on this path. You must make yourself equal with God -- one with God, consciously aware that only God is present. There is no one else on earth. There is only one -- and that one is God.
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect...........Bill Skiles
A Cloud of Unknowing...
Let us be still now as we let the Spirit come forth and reveal Itself within us. Many of us feel that we need to have a deep understanding of truth. We feel that we need to have much knowledge, but this is not the truth. God does not need your knowledge or your understanding in order to function. In fact, God functions “in a moment ye think not.” God functions more clearly when there is less understanding. God functions through you when you are unknowing and un-understanding. The Spirit of God flows through all those who are willing to remain an open channel. The Spirit of God works through you, in you and as you when you rest back in a cloud of unknowing; when you have the attitude of a trusting child -- then the Father can work Its wonders.
We have read over and over and heard that “Where the Spirit of God is there is liberty.” And it is the truth. But to demonstrate this truth it becomes necessary to have the simple awareness of a beholder. I do not need a deep understanding. I do not need a tremendous amount of knowledge. I only need the simple attitude of being still and beholding that Spirit of the Lord. And in that stillness, the Spirit flows through and does Its work in a way we know not of.
We are learning to be receptive. We are learning to stand a little to the side. Sometimes it is necessary to stop our studies, that is, stop trying to gain more knowledge. Let us do that. Let us stop trying to gain more knowledge and let us, if we are to gain something, let us acquire this ability to trust; to step aside, and be a beholder. To witness the spirit working its works; to not have to know anything, not to have to understand anything -- this is the way.
The spiritual way of living is resting back in that cloud of unknowing. The greater works are done in this unknowing; this state of unknowing.
With Love,
Bill Skiles
We have read over and over and heard that “Where the Spirit of God is there is liberty.” And it is the truth. But to demonstrate this truth it becomes necessary to have the simple awareness of a beholder. I do not need a deep understanding. I do not need a tremendous amount of knowledge. I only need the simple attitude of being still and beholding that Spirit of the Lord. And in that stillness, the Spirit flows through and does Its work in a way we know not of.
We are learning to be receptive. We are learning to stand a little to the side. Sometimes it is necessary to stop our studies, that is, stop trying to gain more knowledge. Let us do that. Let us stop trying to gain more knowledge and let us, if we are to gain something, let us acquire this ability to trust; to step aside, and be a beholder. To witness the spirit working its works; to not have to know anything, not to have to understand anything -- this is the way.
The spiritual way of living is resting back in that cloud of unknowing. The greater works are done in this unknowing; this state of unknowing.
With Love,
Bill Skiles
The Human Mind...
The human mind is always offended at truth because truth is a
reversal of everything that the human mind knows. Imagine
saying to the human mind that when it is still and doing nothing,
great and wondrous works of healing can be accomplished! That
is an insult to the human mind. Think of saying to the man who
prides himself on his intellect that all of his mental gyrations will
not do as much for him as one moment of silence will do!"
-- Joel Goldsmith - Consciousness Unfolding
reversal of everything that the human mind knows. Imagine
saying to the human mind that when it is still and doing nothing,
great and wondrous works of healing can be accomplished! That
is an insult to the human mind. Think of saying to the man who
prides himself on his intellect that all of his mental gyrations will
not do as much for him as one moment of silence will do!"
-- Joel Goldsmith - Consciousness Unfolding
Principles of The Infinite Way ...
"As human beings, there is not one of us without sin, whether in the act of commission or in the act of desiring. We are transformed in only one way: by coming into the awareness of our true identity, and then learning to be still and knowing that `I am God,' and that because I is God, that I governs Its own universe; It maintains it and It sustains it. In fact, that I is the bread and the meat, and the wine, and the water unto Its creation; and therefore, each one of us has I, each one of us has in the midst of him, closer than breathing, that which the Master says is the mission of the Father within, that which heals, saves, redeems, resurrects, and feeds. That I, each one of us has, and It is the Christ. In the awareness of that I, we become beholders of the Christ in action, and as beholders of the Christ in action, we are able to pierce the veil of illusion, and then instead of seeing the ugly picture that the human mind has drawn, we begin to see reality."
From: The Contemplative Life, Chapter 8, "Contemplation Develops The Beholder," Page 138.
From: The Contemplative Life, Chapter 8, "Contemplation Develops The Beholder," Page 138.
Free Choice..
We have been given "Free Choice" to decide which side of Reality that
we wish to exist within.. The Great Masters, such as Jesus and Gautama
have shown us that this choice exists and the difference is whether we
will choose the state of Love or the state of Self-ishness.. The state
of Love is the state of non-ego, as Love can only exist when we
surrender the ego to nothingness,even it is only for a few seconds or
minutes.. This is why we have brought this state to the height of God,
as it is the highest state of existence.. Vernon Howard teaches you
that this is the real Self and the false Self is the belief that we are
not Love but the ego.. This Duality, though false, is the reason that
humanity is in a constant state of fear and pain.. We can only free
ourselves from this pain by constant work in understanding and
conquering the belief in this false ego.............namaste, thomas
we wish to exist within.. The Great Masters, such as Jesus and Gautama
have shown us that this choice exists and the difference is whether we
will choose the state of Love or the state of Self-ishness.. The state
of Love is the state of non-ego, as Love can only exist when we
surrender the ego to nothingness,even it is only for a few seconds or
minutes.. This is why we have brought this state to the height of God,
as it is the highest state of existence.. Vernon Howard teaches you
that this is the real Self and the false Self is the belief that we are
not Love but the ego.. This Duality, though false, is the reason that
humanity is in a constant state of fear and pain.. We can only free
ourselves from this pain by constant work in understanding and
conquering the belief in this false ego.............namaste, thomas
Everywhere You Look...
There is nowhere that the Divine is not. Stop a moment and really take this truth in, because the mind has a very different perception. If really grasped, this truth will change your life. Everything you see, everything and everyone that exists, and everything that happens is a manifestation of the Divine. The Divine is not only behind every good act but every evil one, which is what happens when the Divine is lost in fear and the illusion of being separate. The Divine is both the perpetrator and the victim, the lover and the hater. It plays every role that has ever been played because there is no other. There is only the illusion of other.
Imagine that - there is no other! The mind is so good at imagining, but it has difficulty imagining this because it goes against its programming. So when Oneness is experienced, as it is momentarily many times even in one day, it is not acknowledged. It goes unnoticed, unappreciated by the mind. Worse than that! Oneness is rejected by the egoic mind because acknowledging it would threaten its existence. The ego doesn't exist in Oneness; it can only exist in separateness. It is created by and perpetuates separation. That is the very definition of the ego. The ego and Oneness are at odds, or so it seems. However, Oneness designed it that way, so Oneness has no problem with the ego, although the ego has a problem with Oneness.
Everywhere it looks, the ego sees separation. It translates all the differences it sees as separation: The ego sees a tree, and because the tree is different from the ego's image of itself, it sees itself as separate from the tree. But is that true? Where did this definition of self come from, which sees anything that is different as separate from itself?
It is the ego's own definition that creates the idea of separation: Different equals separation. The ego sees boundaries between things and people. It even creates boundaries conceptually in terms of time and by holding particular beliefs. This is just how the egoic mind digests life. All of these differences are seen by the ego as potentially dangerous and problematic. It is constantly on the defense, trying to protect itself from everything out there that is different from itself. Its world is full of fear, anxiety, jealousy, hatred, anger, and pain. Hence, this viewpoint and the sense of being separate is at the base of all suffering.
But reality is not as the ego supposes. There are no boundaries. There is no separate self in opposition to the world. There is only the Self - the Divine - creating each moment fresh from itself. Everything is the Divine expressing itself as tree, as dog, as person, as thought, as emotion, as light, as sound. No boundaries. No one. Only One. Only the Divine creating and expressing itself through life.
- Gina Lake, from Radiance: Experiencing Divine Presence
Imagine that - there is no other! The mind is so good at imagining, but it has difficulty imagining this because it goes against its programming. So when Oneness is experienced, as it is momentarily many times even in one day, it is not acknowledged. It goes unnoticed, unappreciated by the mind. Worse than that! Oneness is rejected by the egoic mind because acknowledging it would threaten its existence. The ego doesn't exist in Oneness; it can only exist in separateness. It is created by and perpetuates separation. That is the very definition of the ego. The ego and Oneness are at odds, or so it seems. However, Oneness designed it that way, so Oneness has no problem with the ego, although the ego has a problem with Oneness.
Everywhere it looks, the ego sees separation. It translates all the differences it sees as separation: The ego sees a tree, and because the tree is different from the ego's image of itself, it sees itself as separate from the tree. But is that true? Where did this definition of self come from, which sees anything that is different as separate from itself?
It is the ego's own definition that creates the idea of separation: Different equals separation. The ego sees boundaries between things and people. It even creates boundaries conceptually in terms of time and by holding particular beliefs. This is just how the egoic mind digests life. All of these differences are seen by the ego as potentially dangerous and problematic. It is constantly on the defense, trying to protect itself from everything out there that is different from itself. Its world is full of fear, anxiety, jealousy, hatred, anger, and pain. Hence, this viewpoint and the sense of being separate is at the base of all suffering.
But reality is not as the ego supposes. There are no boundaries. There is no separate self in opposition to the world. There is only the Self - the Divine - creating each moment fresh from itself. Everything is the Divine expressing itself as tree, as dog, as person, as thought, as emotion, as light, as sound. No boundaries. No one. Only One. Only the Divine creating and expressing itself through life.
- Gina Lake, from Radiance: Experiencing Divine Presence
Stillness...
That's all you have to do - just abide in that
stillness.
If you know how to be with that stillness without
looking for
anything else then that stillness is no longer just a
stillness and
that stillness is the Buddha Mind, it is the luminous
awareness.
In that stillness you are going to discover your true
nature.
The discovery of your true nature is the true
liberation, is the
bodhi, is the great awakening.
- Tulku Thubten Rinpoche, posted to DailyDharma
from Nonduality Highlights
stillness.
If you know how to be with that stillness without
looking for
anything else then that stillness is no longer just a
stillness and
that stillness is the Buddha Mind, it is the luminous
awareness.
In that stillness you are going to discover your true
nature.
The discovery of your true nature is the true
liberation, is the
bodhi, is the great awakening.
- Tulku Thubten Rinpoche, posted to DailyDharma
from Nonduality Highlights
Is Sadness Real ?...
"Sadness is a fake. I'm telling you, this place you are in now is
the place of gladness, not based on anything you can induce, create,
discover on this world level, but the gladness that you can find
through the teachings that you're hearing just this morning. That
kind of gladness is easy. It's effortless."
How to Escape Your Noisy Mind
from Powerful Techniques for Self-Rescue ... Vernon Howard
the place of gladness, not based on anything you can induce, create,
discover on this world level, but the gladness that you can find
through the teachings that you're hearing just this morning. That
kind of gladness is easy. It's effortless."
How to Escape Your Noisy Mind
from Powerful Techniques for Self-Rescue ... Vernon Howard
Psychic Sleep...
Psychic sleep is the cause of every human problem and disaster. It is
sleeping people who suffer from heartache and loneliness, from fear
and violence. Only self-awakening can end these sorrows. However —
and please emphasize this point in your mind — man does not know he
is asleep. So deep is his immersion in psychic hypnosis, that he
instantly denies his actual condition. In other words, he does not
know that he does not know. He spends his entire life under the
gigantic illusion of being happy and productive, never once facing
the terror in which he lives. Man huddles fearfully in a haunted
house which he calls a castle.
Have you ever been in a room full of people when someone behaved
foolishly or childishly? You sensed that he did not know how he
appeared to others. In fact, he may have believed he was behaving
cleverly or courageously. Everyone in the room saw him as he really
was, except the man himself. That is a perfect example of human
hypnosis, of psychic unawareness.
The ancient philosopher, Socrates, provided a classic illustration
of man's mental sleep. He told about a group of men who were huddled
together in a deep cave. Their only light was a fire that blazed in
the center of the cavern. The fire cast strange shadows against the
wall of the cave, frightening the prisoners. So the men sat there in
terror and confusion.
One of the prisoners made up his mind to explore the cave. When
doing so, he found a secret tunnel. Following it all the way, he
finally found himself in the outer world of sunshine and beauty.
We will now look at a chief characteristic of spiritual sleep. When
this is understood, all the pieces of life fall into place, revealing
the whole picture. Man has a false idea of who he is. He has an
illusory sense of identity. This false self is manufactured out of
self-flattering imaginations and out of self-pleasing labels. He
labels himself as a successful man, or as an intelligent thinker, or
as a human being with lofty motives. But these are mere ideas he has
about himself and he is not these ideas. We can easily prove this.
Whenever a man feels depressed or irritated, it is simply because
his false identity seems not to be confirmed. Both these reactions
are false, so man is their slave.
Have you ever noticed how nervous people get when their pet ideas
are challenged? Let this be a clue for you. By patient self-
investigation we discover who we are not, and that ends the anxiety
of not knowing who we are.
To summarize this vital point, man wrongly believes that he
possesses a separate self, an individual ego. This false idea causes
fear, loneliness, neurosis. It throws him into conflict with other
people who are also under the illusion of having separate selves. No
man is apart from the whole, from the all. Man is one with the
universe. Human beings are like dozens of ponds, each reflecting the
light from the same moon. This is not philosophy, this is fact.
— The Esoteric Path to a New Life... Vernon Howard
sleeping people who suffer from heartache and loneliness, from fear
and violence. Only self-awakening can end these sorrows. However —
and please emphasize this point in your mind — man does not know he
is asleep. So deep is his immersion in psychic hypnosis, that he
instantly denies his actual condition. In other words, he does not
know that he does not know. He spends his entire life under the
gigantic illusion of being happy and productive, never once facing
the terror in which he lives. Man huddles fearfully in a haunted
house which he calls a castle.
Have you ever been in a room full of people when someone behaved
foolishly or childishly? You sensed that he did not know how he
appeared to others. In fact, he may have believed he was behaving
cleverly or courageously. Everyone in the room saw him as he really
was, except the man himself. That is a perfect example of human
hypnosis, of psychic unawareness.
The ancient philosopher, Socrates, provided a classic illustration
of man's mental sleep. He told about a group of men who were huddled
together in a deep cave. Their only light was a fire that blazed in
the center of the cavern. The fire cast strange shadows against the
wall of the cave, frightening the prisoners. So the men sat there in
terror and confusion.
One of the prisoners made up his mind to explore the cave. When
doing so, he found a secret tunnel. Following it all the way, he
finally found himself in the outer world of sunshine and beauty.
We will now look at a chief characteristic of spiritual sleep. When
this is understood, all the pieces of life fall into place, revealing
the whole picture. Man has a false idea of who he is. He has an
illusory sense of identity. This false self is manufactured out of
self-flattering imaginations and out of self-pleasing labels. He
labels himself as a successful man, or as an intelligent thinker, or
as a human being with lofty motives. But these are mere ideas he has
about himself and he is not these ideas. We can easily prove this.
Whenever a man feels depressed or irritated, it is simply because
his false identity seems not to be confirmed. Both these reactions
are false, so man is their slave.
Have you ever noticed how nervous people get when their pet ideas
are challenged? Let this be a clue for you. By patient self-
investigation we discover who we are not, and that ends the anxiety
of not knowing who we are.
To summarize this vital point, man wrongly believes that he
possesses a separate self, an individual ego. This false idea causes
fear, loneliness, neurosis. It throws him into conflict with other
people who are also under the illusion of having separate selves. No
man is apart from the whole, from the all. Man is one with the
universe. Human beings are like dozens of ponds, each reflecting the
light from the same moon. This is not philosophy, this is fact.
— The Esoteric Path to a New Life... Vernon Howard
Contemplation Develops The Beholder...
From the August 1961 Letter, Contemplation Develops The Beholder
By Joel Goldsmith
Living as a Witness to the Activity of God In every one of the
miracles performed by the Master, there was the denial of self and the
glorification of the Father. Always it was, "I of my own self am doing
nothing, for I of my own self am nothing. If I speak of myself, I bear
witness to a lie. Therefore, it is not I who do the healing: I am but
bearing witness to the presence and power of God."
How can we bear witness to this Power except by being still? If we do
otherwise, we can no longer say that we are doing nothing or that we
are nothing. We have become something the moment we do something.
Therefore, when we are confronted with appearances – whether the
appearance is called good or evil – we are being confronted with a
human appearance, and if we would bear witness to the presence of God,
we must do nothing, we must think nothing, and we must have no
judgment. I am sure that you will not confuse this with an ignoring of
our life's work, nor as a lazy do nothing attitude, but you will
understand this to be a disciplined withholding of judging as to good
or evil and an attitude of expectancy – as of listening within. Be
sure that you understand the significance of this attitude.
In order to make ourselves nothing, we must immediately realize
within ourselves, "There is neither good nor evil: There is only God."
Then, as we look out at the erroneous appearance with no judgment,
there truly is neither good nor evil: There is only the presence of
God, and now the Father within can perform Its function, and Its
function is to dissolve the appearance and reveal God's glory – His
own being.
By Joel Goldsmith
Living as a Witness to the Activity of God In every one of the
miracles performed by the Master, there was the denial of self and the
glorification of the Father. Always it was, "I of my own self am doing
nothing, for I of my own self am nothing. If I speak of myself, I bear
witness to a lie. Therefore, it is not I who do the healing: I am but
bearing witness to the presence and power of God."
How can we bear witness to this Power except by being still? If we do
otherwise, we can no longer say that we are doing nothing or that we
are nothing. We have become something the moment we do something.
Therefore, when we are confronted with appearances – whether the
appearance is called good or evil – we are being confronted with a
human appearance, and if we would bear witness to the presence of God,
we must do nothing, we must think nothing, and we must have no
judgment. I am sure that you will not confuse this with an ignoring of
our life's work, nor as a lazy do nothing attitude, but you will
understand this to be a disciplined withholding of judging as to good
or evil and an attitude of expectancy – as of listening within. Be
sure that you understand the significance of this attitude.
In order to make ourselves nothing, we must immediately realize
within ourselves, "There is neither good nor evil: There is only God."
Then, as we look out at the erroneous appearance with no judgment,
there truly is neither good nor evil: There is only the presence of
God, and now the Father within can perform Its function, and Its
function is to dissolve the appearance and reveal God's glory – His
own being.
The Fall By Thomas Merton...
There is no where in you a paradise that is no place and there
You do not enter except without a story.
To enter there is to become unnameable.
Whoever is nowhere is nobody, and therefore cannot exist except as unborn:
No disguise will avail him anything
Such a one is neither lost nor found.
But he who has an address is lost.
They fall, they fall into apartments and are securely established!
They find themselves in streets. They are licensed
To proceed from place to place
They now know their own names
They can name several friends and know
Their own telephones must some time ring.
If all telephones ring at once, if all names are shouted at once and all cars crash at one crossing:
If all cities explode and fly away in dust
Yet identities refuse to be lost. There is a name and a number for everyone.
There is a definite place for bodies, there are pigeon holes for ashes:
Such security can business buy!
Who would dare to go nameless in so secure a universe?
Yet, to tell the truth, only the nameless are at home in it.
They bear with them in the center of nowhere the unborn flower of nothing:
This is the paradise tree. It must remain unseen until words end and arguments are silent.
-- from Selected Poems of Thomas Merton,
You do not enter except without a story.
To enter there is to become unnameable.
Whoever is nowhere is nobody, and therefore cannot exist except as unborn:
No disguise will avail him anything
Such a one is neither lost nor found.
But he who has an address is lost.
They fall, they fall into apartments and are securely established!
They find themselves in streets. They are licensed
To proceed from place to place
They now know their own names
They can name several friends and know
Their own telephones must some time ring.
If all telephones ring at once, if all names are shouted at once and all cars crash at one crossing:
If all cities explode and fly away in dust
Yet identities refuse to be lost. There is a name and a number for everyone.
There is a definite place for bodies, there are pigeon holes for ashes:
Such security can business buy!
Who would dare to go nameless in so secure a universe?
Yet, to tell the truth, only the nameless are at home in it.
They bear with them in the center of nowhere the unborn flower of nothing:
This is the paradise tree. It must remain unseen until words end and arguments are silent.
-- from Selected Poems of Thomas Merton,
Love and Compassion...
The essence of love and compassion is understanding, the ability to recognize the physical, material, and psychological suffering of others, to put ourselves "inside the skin" of the other. We "go inside" their body, feelings, and mental formations, and witness for ourselves their suffering. Shallow observation as an outsider is not enough to see their suffering. We must become one with the subject of our observation. When we are in contact with another's suffering, a feeling of compassion is born in us. Compassion means, literally, "to suffer with."... Thich-Nhat-Hanh
Love...
Love is the capacity to take care, to protect, to nourish. If you are not capable of generating that kind of energy toward yourself- if you are not capable of taking care of yourself, of nourishing yourself, of protecting yourself- it is very difficult to take care of another person. In the Buddhist teaching, it's clear that to love oneself is the foundation of the love of other people. Love is a practice. Love is truely a practice. [Shambhala Sun March 2006 ]
The Crushing of the Ego...
When a person is crushed by events and falls to his knees in prayer, his ego is temporarily crushed at the same time. After the prayer has been formulated, whether aloud or mentally, there are a few moments of complete exhaustion, of complete rest, which follow it. There is then temporary stillness and it is in this stillness that the Grace which is always emanating from the inner Being is able to do its healing and helping work. At the same time there may also be a corresponding external activity of a beneficial character.
Ascending to a higher level and studying the case of the aspirant on the Quest who by the practice of meditation deliberately brings about such moments of stillness, we see that he too opens a door to Grace. At this point it is necessary to clear away some confusion which often makes its appearance in spiritual literature and most especially in Indian literature. There we find an insistent and reiterated declaration of the absolute necessity of finding a guru so that by his Grace the aspirant may be helped towards enlightenment. When I say Indian literature I mean of course Indian Hindu literature, because in the Buddhist literature this insistence is generally absent and the aspirant is told to do the necessary work and he will get the natural result. The aspirant who has silently called for help may find that his call is answered by the appearance of a book or a person or a circumstance from whom he receives the help needed at the time. In the case of the appearance of a person, this may or may not be his destined guru, but it will be someone sufficient for the moment. The point is that what is called the guru helps prepare the right conditions which allow the inner Presence to make itself felt or which let it do its gracious work. The real help comes from this Grace--from the aspirant's own spiritual being, from himself. Saswitha, the Dutch healer, once said that he used his patients' own healing energy in order to treat them. Where did this healing energy come from? It came from their own subtler bodies, that is, from themselves; but Saswitha created the necessary conditions which enabled it to be released--when he was successful.
— Notebooks Category 18: The Reverential Life > Chapter 5: Grace > # 40... Paul Brunton
Ascending to a higher level and studying the case of the aspirant on the Quest who by the practice of meditation deliberately brings about such moments of stillness, we see that he too opens a door to Grace. At this point it is necessary to clear away some confusion which often makes its appearance in spiritual literature and most especially in Indian literature. There we find an insistent and reiterated declaration of the absolute necessity of finding a guru so that by his Grace the aspirant may be helped towards enlightenment. When I say Indian literature I mean of course Indian Hindu literature, because in the Buddhist literature this insistence is generally absent and the aspirant is told to do the necessary work and he will get the natural result. The aspirant who has silently called for help may find that his call is answered by the appearance of a book or a person or a circumstance from whom he receives the help needed at the time. In the case of the appearance of a person, this may or may not be his destined guru, but it will be someone sufficient for the moment. The point is that what is called the guru helps prepare the right conditions which allow the inner Presence to make itself felt or which let it do its gracious work. The real help comes from this Grace--from the aspirant's own spiritual being, from himself. Saswitha, the Dutch healer, once said that he used his patients' own healing energy in order to treat them. Where did this healing energy come from? It came from their own subtler bodies, that is, from themselves; but Saswitha created the necessary conditions which enabled it to be released--when he was successful.
— Notebooks Category 18: The Reverential Life > Chapter 5: Grace > # 40... Paul Brunton
Penetrating the Mind...
If he could penetrate into the so-called unconscious levels of his mind, he might find, to his utter amazement, that his enemies, critics, or domestic thorns-in-the-flesh are the very answer to his prayer for Grace. They fully become so, however, only when he recognizes them as such, when he perceives what duty or what self-discipline they give him the chance to practise.
— Notebooks Category 18: The Reverential Life > Chapter 5: Grace > # 245... Paul Brunton
— Notebooks Category 18: The Reverential Life > Chapter 5: Grace > # 245... Paul Brunton
Suzanne Segal quotes...
"It's the same with all the thoughts and feelings and other experiences that arise in the ocean of ourselves. The ocean never resists them, it never creates a negative reference point saying "Damn , that seaweed is still there. There must be something terribly wrong with me". When they arise, the ocean just sees them for what they are and they pass away naturally."
"These eyes see the incredible benevolence of the universe, which is completely trustworthy in all respects. There is nothing to fear. Everything in each moment is so well taken care of - and always has been."
"Behind most spiritual practices is the belief that you have to get someplace you're not- a destination called realization or enlightenment. But realization isn't someplace else; it's the naturally occurring human state. It doesn't belong to anybody. It's who we all are. Spiritual practices also set up many pictures of what this state looks like. For example, when I described how much fear was present, people told me the fear meant that something must be wrong, because fear was an indication that I wasn't in the proper state. But fear is just what it is, and it's there too in the vastness of who we are."
"Suffering occurs when something is taken for what it's not , rather than for what it is."
~ Suzanne Segal
from: Collision with the Infinite
"These eyes see the incredible benevolence of the universe, which is completely trustworthy in all respects. There is nothing to fear. Everything in each moment is so well taken care of - and always has been."
"Behind most spiritual practices is the belief that you have to get someplace you're not- a destination called realization or enlightenment. But realization isn't someplace else; it's the naturally occurring human state. It doesn't belong to anybody. It's who we all are. Spiritual practices also set up many pictures of what this state looks like. For example, when I described how much fear was present, people told me the fear meant that something must be wrong, because fear was an indication that I wasn't in the proper state. But fear is just what it is, and it's there too in the vastness of who we are."
"Suffering occurs when something is taken for what it's not , rather than for what it is."
~ Suzanne Segal
from: Collision with the Infinite
Worship by Vernon Howard...
'False worship exists where there is division, that is, where there
is a worshipper and whoever is worshipped. This worship enables the
worshipper to cling to his illusion of having an ego apart from the
Whole. He wrongly believes there is a self and the object of his
worship. This is both vanity and idolatry, for the worshipper is
simply praising his own personal ideas about the object of his
worship. In true worship, there is only Oneness, so even the word
worship has no significance.'"
There is a Way Out, p. 167
Vernon is speaking of the problem that most humans have with their
conception of Self, It is the notion of Duality, the belief that we are
separate from God and from each other.. this is the belief in the false
ego...............namaste, thomas
is a worshipper and whoever is worshipped. This worship enables the
worshipper to cling to his illusion of having an ego apart from the
Whole. He wrongly believes there is a self and the object of his
worship. This is both vanity and idolatry, for the worshipper is
simply praising his own personal ideas about the object of his
worship. In true worship, there is only Oneness, so even the word
worship has no significance.'"
There is a Way Out, p. 167
Vernon is speaking of the problem that most humans have with their
conception of Self, It is the notion of Duality, the belief that we are
separate from God and from each other.. this is the belief in the false
ego...............namaste, thomas
Samadhi...
"One day I saw that, through samadhi, my mind was going up by a
luminous path. Going beyond the gross world studded with the sun,
the moon and the stars, it entered first of all into the subtle
world of ideas. The more it began to ascend to subtler and subtler
strata of that realm, the more did I see beautiful ideal forms of
deities existing on both sides of the path. It came gradually to the
last extremity of that region. I saw a barrier of light there
separating the realm of the divisible from that of the indivisible.
Leaping over it, the mind entered by degrees the realm of the
indivisible. I saw that there was no more any person or thing there
having a form. As if afraid to enter there, even the gods and
goddesses possessing heavenly bodies exercised their authority only
over realms far below. But the very next moment I saw seven wise
rishis having bodies consisting of divine light only, seated there
in samadhi. I felt that in virtue and knowledge, love and
renunciation, they had excelled even the gods and goddesses, not to
speak of human beings. Astonished, I was pondering over their
greatness when I saw before me that a part of the homogeneous mass
of light of the 'Abode of the Indivisible', devoid of the slightest
tinge of difference, became solidified and converted into the form
of a divine child." - Sri Ramakrishna
luminous path. Going beyond the gross world studded with the sun,
the moon and the stars, it entered first of all into the subtle
world of ideas. The more it began to ascend to subtler and subtler
strata of that realm, the more did I see beautiful ideal forms of
deities existing on both sides of the path. It came gradually to the
last extremity of that region. I saw a barrier of light there
separating the realm of the divisible from that of the indivisible.
Leaping over it, the mind entered by degrees the realm of the
indivisible. I saw that there was no more any person or thing there
having a form. As if afraid to enter there, even the gods and
goddesses possessing heavenly bodies exercised their authority only
over realms far below. But the very next moment I saw seven wise
rishis having bodies consisting of divine light only, seated there
in samadhi. I felt that in virtue and knowledge, love and
renunciation, they had excelled even the gods and goddesses, not to
speak of human beings. Astonished, I was pondering over their
greatness when I saw before me that a part of the homogeneous mass
of light of the 'Abode of the Indivisible', devoid of the slightest
tinge of difference, became solidified and converted into the form
of a divine child." - Sri Ramakrishna
Three Croaks...
"One day as I was passing the Panchavati on my way to the pine-
grove, I heard a bullfrog croaking. I thought it must have been
seized by a snake. After some time, as I was coming back, I could
still hear its terrified croaking. I looked to see what was the
matter, and found that a water-snake had seized it. The snake could
neither swallow it nor give it up. So there was no end to the frog's
suffering. I thought that had it been seized by a cobra it would
have been silenced after three croaks at the most. As it was only a
water-snake, both of them had to go through this agony. A man's ego
is destroyed after three croaks, as it were, if he gets into the
clutches of a real teacher. But if the teacher is an 'unripe' one,
then both the teacher and the disciple undergo endless suffering.
The disciple cannot get rid either of his ego or of the shackles of
the world. If a disciple falls into the clutches of an incompetent
teacher, he doesn't attain liberation." - Sri Ramakrishna
grove, I heard a bullfrog croaking. I thought it must have been
seized by a snake. After some time, as I was coming back, I could
still hear its terrified croaking. I looked to see what was the
matter, and found that a water-snake had seized it. The snake could
neither swallow it nor give it up. So there was no end to the frog's
suffering. I thought that had it been seized by a cobra it would
have been silenced after three croaks at the most. As it was only a
water-snake, both of them had to go through this agony. A man's ego
is destroyed after three croaks, as it were, if he gets into the
clutches of a real teacher. But if the teacher is an 'unripe' one,
then both the teacher and the disciple undergo endless suffering.
The disciple cannot get rid either of his ego or of the shackles of
the world. If a disciple falls into the clutches of an incompetent
teacher, he doesn't attain liberation." - Sri Ramakrishna
ONE...
"There is only one Life, one World; and this one Life, this one World,
appears to us to be manifold. This manifoldness is like a dream. When
you dream, one dream passes away and another comes. None of your
dreams are real. The dreams come one after another; scene after scene
unfolds before you. So it is in this world of ninety per cent misery
and ten per cent happiness. Perhaps after a while it will appear as
ninety per cent happiness, and we shall call it heaven. But a time
comes to the sage when the whole thing vanishes and this world appears
as God Himself, and his own soul as that God. It is not true that
there are many worlds; it is not true that there are many lives. All
this manifoldness is the manifestation of that One. That One is
manifesting Himself as many - as matter, spirit, mind, thought, and
everything else. Therefore the first step for us to take is to teach
the truth to ourselves and to others. Let the world resound with this
ideal and let superstitions vanish. Tell it to men who are weak, and
persist in telling it."
"Everything that makes for oneness is truth. Love is truth and hatred
is falsehood, because hatred makes for multiplicity.".........Vivekananda
appears to us to be manifold. This manifoldness is like a dream. When
you dream, one dream passes away and another comes. None of your
dreams are real. The dreams come one after another; scene after scene
unfolds before you. So it is in this world of ninety per cent misery
and ten per cent happiness. Perhaps after a while it will appear as
ninety per cent happiness, and we shall call it heaven. But a time
comes to the sage when the whole thing vanishes and this world appears
as God Himself, and his own soul as that God. It is not true that
there are many worlds; it is not true that there are many lives. All
this manifoldness is the manifestation of that One. That One is
manifesting Himself as many - as matter, spirit, mind, thought, and
everything else. Therefore the first step for us to take is to teach
the truth to ourselves and to others. Let the world resound with this
ideal and let superstitions vanish. Tell it to men who are weak, and
persist in telling it."
"Everything that makes for oneness is truth. Love is truth and hatred
is falsehood, because hatred makes for multiplicity.".........Vivekananda
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