We rarely hear the inward music
but we're all dancing to it nonetheless
Rumi
The root of delusion...
"The root of delusion comes from the mind And he who knows the inwardness of the mind Sees that the clear light within neither comes nor goes. And when the mind that is deceived by the appearance of outward things Has discerned the nature of appearance, It knows that there is no distinction between appearance and the void. Again when the mind discerns the nature of meditation It also discerns what is not meditation, And that there is no distinction between the two. For distinctive thought is the root of delusion And such thought has never been of the ultimate truth."
- Milarepa
from Nonduality Highlights
- Milarepa
from Nonduality Highlights
See your own reflection...
When the mind goes out looking for the reality of
Consciousness, all that it will ever find is just more
mind.
Instead, turn around and see whose mind is doing
all this so-called looking.
Who you really are has absolutely no polarity.
Since Consciousness stands in opposition to
nothing, it creates no real opposite.
Who you think you are, however, does appear
to have an opposite.
The Game begins anew whenever you start
pretending again that you don't recognize your
own reflection.
- Chuck Hillig
Consciousness, all that it will ever find is just more
mind.
Instead, turn around and see whose mind is doing
all this so-called looking.
Who you really are has absolutely no polarity.
Since Consciousness stands in opposition to
nothing, it creates no real opposite.
Who you think you are, however, does appear
to have an opposite.
The Game begins anew whenever you start
pretending again that you don't recognize your
own reflection.
- Chuck Hillig
The Size of the Ego...
"As the eternal soul seeks evolution and experience, it encounters and inhabits the linear physical body. As in all partnerships there is a a give and take between the energy. The spiritual side often labeled as the soul has an agenda to perceive life lessons, pursue them and to make great strides to resolve them. The physical form with ideas of its own, perceives the soul but then becomes very attached to the "me" of the moment... Forgetting other lives in the identification of the self as it dwells in the current physical form. It depends upon the evolution of the soul how much the ego plays into the plan of enrichment the soul has planned. It is extremely difficult to separate the identification of the self when the soul is new to the idea of incarnation and the opportunity it offers. Younger souls often completely embrace the current life as the one and only opportunity. In doing so there can be a complete abandonment of eternal sight or a concentrated one that clings to the idea of salvation from one experience. The idea of self within physical form is indeed a three dimensional process. The size of an ego may vary but ultimately it is merely a singular reflection of your soul and the entity you came from. The ego being finite becomes fearful without the soul's infinite perspective. Religion plays upon this perspective so that the ego may follow a path of comfortable salvation, which indeed appeals to the eternal soul. --VERONICA
The Substance...
WHAT do we mean by the Spirit of a thing? One frequently hears the expression "He enters into the spirit of a thing" and it will be of value to us to examine the phrase carefully and try to arrive at its exact meaning. The simplest way to achieve our object is to take a hypothetical case.
Let us suppose that some man realises that there is an immense need for supplying the unemployed with free meals, and proceeds to organise a movement to achieve this object. Unable to do the whole job single handed, he enlists the aid of other people and asks them "to enter into the spirit" of the thing. In actual fact, he asks them to share his attitude of mind towards the object he has in view. In other words he endeavours to reproduce in them that quality of life which inspired him to bring his movement and organization into existence.
That is precisely the object in introducing to you very briefly the whole fascinating subject of Mental Science. It is intended that you should share the creative attitude of mind, which originated the Universe and its inhabitants.
There are certain Universal Laws in constant and evident operation all around us, and, by attaining some grasp of their principles, we may use the power inherent in them to help ourselves through our daily troubles and perplexities. We can, metaphorically speaking, bring our water wheel into appropriate contact with the main stream and cause it to turn our particular mill.
If then, we examine the course of the world around us, we find that continuous Progress or Movement is being manifested, and we must try to trace to its source that Power which causes the evolution that is so obviously inherent in everything.
Scientists have made it very clear to us that it is no use to look for that Power in the physical world, for they have reduced all material things to nothing more or less than "changed space."
And here, I expect, you pull up with a jerk and say "I don't quite understand that last sentence," Right, let us re-state it.
Scientists have proved to us that there must have been, at the beginning of all creation, a Universal Substance which, by the action of some Outside Force (the identity of which we will examine later), set in motion a process of change. This process consisted of the gradual building up of the universe and its inhabitants by successive stages of evolution. In other words, the universe and its beings are nothing more than Universal Substance which has undergone transformation. There, therefore, remains that essential basic factor to be remembered that, quite literally, "Ye are all One.".........from www.mental-science.com
Let us suppose that some man realises that there is an immense need for supplying the unemployed with free meals, and proceeds to organise a movement to achieve this object. Unable to do the whole job single handed, he enlists the aid of other people and asks them "to enter into the spirit" of the thing. In actual fact, he asks them to share his attitude of mind towards the object he has in view. In other words he endeavours to reproduce in them that quality of life which inspired him to bring his movement and organization into existence.
That is precisely the object in introducing to you very briefly the whole fascinating subject of Mental Science. It is intended that you should share the creative attitude of mind, which originated the Universe and its inhabitants.
There are certain Universal Laws in constant and evident operation all around us, and, by attaining some grasp of their principles, we may use the power inherent in them to help ourselves through our daily troubles and perplexities. We can, metaphorically speaking, bring our water wheel into appropriate contact with the main stream and cause it to turn our particular mill.
If then, we examine the course of the world around us, we find that continuous Progress or Movement is being manifested, and we must try to trace to its source that Power which causes the evolution that is so obviously inherent in everything.
Scientists have made it very clear to us that it is no use to look for that Power in the physical world, for they have reduced all material things to nothing more or less than "changed space."
And here, I expect, you pull up with a jerk and say "I don't quite understand that last sentence," Right, let us re-state it.
Scientists have proved to us that there must have been, at the beginning of all creation, a Universal Substance which, by the action of some Outside Force (the identity of which we will examine later), set in motion a process of change. This process consisted of the gradual building up of the universe and its inhabitants by successive stages of evolution. In other words, the universe and its beings are nothing more than Universal Substance which has undergone transformation. There, therefore, remains that essential basic factor to be remembered that, quite literally, "Ye are all One.".........from www.mental-science.com
Pull the Power Out of All Self-Punishing States...
We have yet to recognize the fact that our thinking about any painful event as something real, solid and unavoidable is one of the conditions that perpetuate it. Take one thing out of the conjunction, and it is no longer the same event. When we stop giving our life energy to any moment which seems overpowering, it loses its illusion of power. In that moment is also lost our prior belief that we have to submit to its punishment. Because of our new understanding, we can see through our suffering instead of through its eyes. And what a world of difference this difference makes!
What we see is that our perception produces what we experience, and our experience is made up of many different small elements that by themselves mean nothing. When our perception combines and organizes these events, and connects itself to them through an expectation or desire, the thing takes on a kind of life. It appears to us as a whole, dark, permanent entity that has the power to hurt us, but it isn't that at all. It's only a conjunction of events that has conditional dependence, and the primary condition that gives it power is our perception. When all these conditions are stirred up and "baked in a cake," that cake has reality to us. But in fact, the cake is made up of individual facts that will simply pass if we let them.
Can you see what good news this is for those of us who wish to free ourselves from false suffering and find the higher life? It means that all those conditions that seemed so real and painful are just the creation of faulty perception. Our belief that the event had the power to hurt us is what made it so punishing and continued its existence, but now we understand that if the events are left to themselves, they must move on. The expression "This too shall pass" is now revealed in all its wisdom. Every temporary conjunction of events must pass as long as we don't keep it going through our own thoughts.
Now that we know negative events are not powerful in themselves, we can turn away from what we perceive as permanent punishment toward what can be called permanent pleasure. This is the same thing as turning toward Truth.
Everything passes. There is great beauty in this, both in the passing of pain and in the passing of pleasure. When things present themselves to you as permanent, don't believe it. Exercise a reasonable doubt. Discover from your own experience that the negative event that seems so overwhelming is not the power it presents itself to be.
-- Guy Finley
What we see is that our perception produces what we experience, and our experience is made up of many different small elements that by themselves mean nothing. When our perception combines and organizes these events, and connects itself to them through an expectation or desire, the thing takes on a kind of life. It appears to us as a whole, dark, permanent entity that has the power to hurt us, but it isn't that at all. It's only a conjunction of events that has conditional dependence, and the primary condition that gives it power is our perception. When all these conditions are stirred up and "baked in a cake," that cake has reality to us. But in fact, the cake is made up of individual facts that will simply pass if we let them.
Can you see what good news this is for those of us who wish to free ourselves from false suffering and find the higher life? It means that all those conditions that seemed so real and painful are just the creation of faulty perception. Our belief that the event had the power to hurt us is what made it so punishing and continued its existence, but now we understand that if the events are left to themselves, they must move on. The expression "This too shall pass" is now revealed in all its wisdom. Every temporary conjunction of events must pass as long as we don't keep it going through our own thoughts.
Now that we know negative events are not powerful in themselves, we can turn away from what we perceive as permanent punishment toward what can be called permanent pleasure. This is the same thing as turning toward Truth.
Everything passes. There is great beauty in this, both in the passing of pain and in the passing of pleasure. When things present themselves to you as permanent, don't believe it. Exercise a reasonable doubt. Discover from your own experience that the negative event that seems so overwhelming is not the power it presents itself to be.
-- Guy Finley
Truth Comes at a Cost...
If I was to translate the enlightened state down into human terms, I'd have to describe it as contentment. Being nobody, going nowhere, needing no reason to exist. To the ego, that probably sounds a little boring and of course to an ego it is. But then again, there's really nothing for the ego in enlightenment. [...] I'm not saying that ego is bad or evil because it's not. I'm saying that ego is a social and personal construct and therefore an illusion. But there's nothing wrong with an illusion. A painting is an illusion; a movie is an illusion; a good novel is an illusion. The problem isn't with illusion; the problem is with the emotional attachments and addictions of ego.
To most people "attachment" is a very abstract word that they think they understand. People in spiritual circles think of attachments in terms of things that they are attached to. They identify the things attached to and endeavor to let go of them, but this misses the whole point of what attachment really is. Attachment isn't about things attached to; it's about emotion in the form of a magnetic energy of attraction. That energy is how you know who you are as an ego. That energy is who you are as an ego. Ego defines itself by what it does and does not like. There is no ego outside of this emotional energy of attraction and repulsion -- better known as love and hate, like and dislike, good and bad, right and wrong, us and them, me and you. Without emotional investment in the ego's points of view, what's left of ego but a hollow shell with a little personality mixed in?
You breathe life into your ego in the form of emotional addictions. Emotion is the very life-force of ego. So the point of detachment isn't to detach from things, but to detach from your emotional bonds with things. And you don't simply let go of emotional bonds; you burn through them with investigative awareness. You see them for what they are: prisons, false structures holding you in spiritual infancy. You may think that I am being a bit harsh -- which I am, but awakening to truth is a harsh business. Bottom line is "What do you want more: to feel better or to realize the truth?" Sure, truth realization feels really good, but no one gets there whose driving motivation is simply to feel good. Feeling really good is a byproduct of the awakened state; it is not the state itself. The state itself is reality, and it's won at the hands of unreality. Simply put, ultimate truth comes at a cost, and the cost is everything in you and about you that is unreal. The end result is freedom, happiness, peace, and no longer viewing life through the veils of illusion.
- Adyashanti
found in Nonduality Highlights
To most people "attachment" is a very abstract word that they think they understand. People in spiritual circles think of attachments in terms of things that they are attached to. They identify the things attached to and endeavor to let go of them, but this misses the whole point of what attachment really is. Attachment isn't about things attached to; it's about emotion in the form of a magnetic energy of attraction. That energy is how you know who you are as an ego. That energy is who you are as an ego. Ego defines itself by what it does and does not like. There is no ego outside of this emotional energy of attraction and repulsion -- better known as love and hate, like and dislike, good and bad, right and wrong, us and them, me and you. Without emotional investment in the ego's points of view, what's left of ego but a hollow shell with a little personality mixed in?
You breathe life into your ego in the form of emotional addictions. Emotion is the very life-force of ego. So the point of detachment isn't to detach from things, but to detach from your emotional bonds with things. And you don't simply let go of emotional bonds; you burn through them with investigative awareness. You see them for what they are: prisons, false structures holding you in spiritual infancy. You may think that I am being a bit harsh -- which I am, but awakening to truth is a harsh business. Bottom line is "What do you want more: to feel better or to realize the truth?" Sure, truth realization feels really good, but no one gets there whose driving motivation is simply to feel good. Feeling really good is a byproduct of the awakened state; it is not the state itself. The state itself is reality, and it's won at the hands of unreality. Simply put, ultimate truth comes at a cost, and the cost is everything in you and about you that is unreal. The end result is freedom, happiness, peace, and no longer viewing life through the veils of illusion.
- Adyashanti
found in Nonduality Highlights
Every Day...
"The only way to do something truly important every day is to seek
to understand yourself every day."
Cosmic Command, # 61...Vernon Howard
to understand yourself every day."
Cosmic Command, # 61...Vernon Howard
The Tao...
In Taoism, Tao both precedes and encompasses the universe. As with other nondualistic philosophies, all the observable objects in the world - referred to in the Tao Te Ching as 'the named' or 'the ten thousand things' - are considered to be manifestations of Tao, and can only operate within the boundaries of Tao. Tao is, by contrast, often referred to as 'the nameless', because neither it nor its principles can ever be adequately expressed in words. It is conceived, for example, with neither shape nor form, as simultaneously perfectly still and constantly moving, as both larger than the largest thing and smaller than the smallest, because the words that describe shape, movement, size, or other qualities always create dichotomies, and Tao is always a unity.
While the Tao cannot be expressed, Taoism holds that it can be known, and its principles can be followed. Much of Taoist writing focusses on the value of following the Tao - called Te (virtue) - and of the ultimate uselessness of trying to understand or control Tao outright. This is often expressed through yin and yang arguments, where every action creates a counter-action as a natural, unavoidable movement within manifestations of the Tao.
TaijituTao is often compared to water: clear, colorless, unremarkable, yet all beings depend on it for life, and even the hardest stone cannot stand in its way forever................from Wikipedia
While the Tao cannot be expressed, Taoism holds that it can be known, and its principles can be followed. Much of Taoist writing focusses on the value of following the Tao - called Te (virtue) - and of the ultimate uselessness of trying to understand or control Tao outright. This is often expressed through yin and yang arguments, where every action creates a counter-action as a natural, unavoidable movement within manifestations of the Tao.
TaijituTao is often compared to water: clear, colorless, unremarkable, yet all beings depend on it for life, and even the hardest stone cannot stand in its way forever................from Wikipedia
The present moment...
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment......... Gautama the Buddha
The True Men of Old...
THE TRUE MEN OF OLD were not afraid when they stood alone in their views. No great exploits. No plans. If they failed, no sorrow. No self-congratulation in success.
The true men of old knew no lust for life, no dread of death. Their entrance was without gladness, their exit, yonder, without resistance. Easy come, easy go. They did not forget where from, nor ask where to, nor drive grimly forward fighting their way through life. They took life as it came, gladly; took death as it came, without care; and went away, yonder. Yonder!
They had no mind to fight the Tao. They did not try by their own contriving to help the Tao along. These are the ones we call true men.
Minds free, thoughts gone. Brows clear, faces serene.
Goods and possessions are no gain in his eyes. He stays far from wealth and honor. Long life is no ground for joy, nor early death for sorrow. Success is not for him to be proud of, failure is no shame. Had he all the world's power he would not hold it as his own. If he conquered everything he would not take it to himself. His glory is in knowing that all things come together in One, and life and death are equal.
The man in whom the Tao acts without impediment harms no other being by his actions, yet he does not know himself to be kind or gentle. He does not bother with his own interests and does not despise others who do. He does not struggle to make money and does not make a virtue of poverty. He goes his way without relying on others and does not pride himself on walking alone. While he does not follow the crowd he won't complain of those who do. Rank and reward make no appeal to him; disgrace and shame do not deter him. He is not always looking for right and wrong, always deciding "Yes" or "No." The ancients said, therefore:
The man of Tao remains unknown
Perfect virtue produces nothing
No-Self is True-Self
And the greatest man is Nobody
~
Writing: The Way of Chuang Tzu
Translated by: Thomas Merton
The true men of old knew no lust for life, no dread of death. Their entrance was without gladness, their exit, yonder, without resistance. Easy come, easy go. They did not forget where from, nor ask where to, nor drive grimly forward fighting their way through life. They took life as it came, gladly; took death as it came, without care; and went away, yonder. Yonder!
They had no mind to fight the Tao. They did not try by their own contriving to help the Tao along. These are the ones we call true men.
Minds free, thoughts gone. Brows clear, faces serene.
Goods and possessions are no gain in his eyes. He stays far from wealth and honor. Long life is no ground for joy, nor early death for sorrow. Success is not for him to be proud of, failure is no shame. Had he all the world's power he would not hold it as his own. If he conquered everything he would not take it to himself. His glory is in knowing that all things come together in One, and life and death are equal.
The man in whom the Tao acts without impediment harms no other being by his actions, yet he does not know himself to be kind or gentle. He does not bother with his own interests and does not despise others who do. He does not struggle to make money and does not make a virtue of poverty. He goes his way without relying on others and does not pride himself on walking alone. While he does not follow the crowd he won't complain of those who do. Rank and reward make no appeal to him; disgrace and shame do not deter him. He is not always looking for right and wrong, always deciding "Yes" or "No." The ancients said, therefore:
The man of Tao remains unknown
Perfect virtue produces nothing
No-Self is True-Self
And the greatest man is Nobody
~
Writing: The Way of Chuang Tzu
Translated by: Thomas Merton
how could I interrupt?...
The sheikh of the Halveti order in Istanbul, Sunbul Efendi, in looking
for a successor, sent his disciples forth to get flowers to adorn the
lodge. All of them returned with large bunches of lovely flowers; only
one of them came back with a small, withered plant. When asked why he
did not bring anything worthy of his master, he answered, "I found all
the flowers busy recollecting the Lord--how could I interrupt this
constant prayer of theirs? I looked, and one flower had finished its
recollection. That one I brought." It was he who became the next
sheikh.
Annemarie Schimmel
as collected by James Fadiman & Robert Frager
for a successor, sent his disciples forth to get flowers to adorn the
lodge. All of them returned with large bunches of lovely flowers; only
one of them came back with a small, withered plant. When asked why he
did not bring anything worthy of his master, he answered, "I found all
the flowers busy recollecting the Lord--how could I interrupt this
constant prayer of theirs? I looked, and one flower had finished its
recollection. That one I brought." It was he who became the next
sheikh.
Annemarie Schimmel
as collected by James Fadiman & Robert Frager
I and my Father are One...
Why did Jesus say, "I and my Father are one," but yet a little later add, "The Father is greater than I"? The answer is that Jesus the man had attained complete harmony with his higher Self and felt himself one with it, but the universal Christ-principle will always be greater than the man himself; the Overself will always transcend the person.........Paul Brunton
True Pleasure...
True pleasure lies in the sharing of joy with another.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
Man's selfishness shows itself in wanting to get the better of his
fellow man. If we developed humanity we should do differently. We
should be satisfied with a slice of bread if there were another in
need, but as it is, it happens that even when we are fed ourselves,
we do not wish anyone else to share the food. The human heart can
only be really satisfied by knowing that the other person is happy.
True pleasure lies in the sharing of joy with another. From the day
that we realize this we begin to act as human beings.
A person who, alone, has seen something beautiful, who has heard
something harmonious, who has tasted something delicious, who has
smelt something fragrant, may have enjoyed it, but not completely.
The complete joy is in sharing one's joy with others. For the selfish
one who enjoys himself and does not care for others, whether he
enjoys things of the earth or things of heaven, his enjoyment is not
complete.
Tawazu in Sufi terms means something more than hospitality. It is
laying before one's friend willingly what one has, in other words
sharing with one's friend all the good one has in life, and with it,
enjoying life better. When this tendency to tawazu is developed,
things that give one joy and pleasure become more enjoyable by
sharing with another. This tendency comes from the aristocracy of the
heart. It is generosity and even more than generosity. For the limit
of generosity is to see another pleased in his pleasure, but to share
one's own pleasure with another is greater than generosity. It is a
quality which is foreign to a selfish person, and the one who shows
this quality is on the path of saintliness.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
Man's selfishness shows itself in wanting to get the better of his
fellow man. If we developed humanity we should do differently. We
should be satisfied with a slice of bread if there were another in
need, but as it is, it happens that even when we are fed ourselves,
we do not wish anyone else to share the food. The human heart can
only be really satisfied by knowing that the other person is happy.
True pleasure lies in the sharing of joy with another. From the day
that we realize this we begin to act as human beings.
A person who, alone, has seen something beautiful, who has heard
something harmonious, who has tasted something delicious, who has
smelt something fragrant, may have enjoyed it, but not completely.
The complete joy is in sharing one's joy with others. For the selfish
one who enjoys himself and does not care for others, whether he
enjoys things of the earth or things of heaven, his enjoyment is not
complete.
Tawazu in Sufi terms means something more than hospitality. It is
laying before one's friend willingly what one has, in other words
sharing with one's friend all the good one has in life, and with it,
enjoying life better. When this tendency to tawazu is developed,
things that give one joy and pleasure become more enjoyable by
sharing with another. This tendency comes from the aristocracy of the
heart. It is generosity and even more than generosity. For the limit
of generosity is to see another pleased in his pleasure, but to share
one's own pleasure with another is greater than generosity. It is a
quality which is foreign to a selfish person, and the one who shows
this quality is on the path of saintliness.
Time...
There is, however, no single frame of time in which thoughts can be molded. For time, as we have seen, is a variable because it is an idea; it offers an unlimited variety of ways in which events might arrange themselves. There are a number of different frames and one of them is used for waking sensations while another is for dream perceptions. For the experience of a clock hour spent suffering the pangs of acute toothache will be much longer than the hour spent with a sweetheart. Time is ultimately mental.........Paul Brunton
The Goal...
The greatest goal you can set this year is to make peace with your life, no matter your circumstances. These 10 powerful insights from Eckhart Tolle will get you started.
1. Don't seek happiness. If you seek it, you won't find it, because seeking is the antithesis of happiness. Happiness is ever elusive, but freedom from unhappiness is attainable now, by facing what is rather than making up stories about it.
2. The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking. Separate them from the situation, which is always neutral, which always is as it is. There is the situation or the fact, and here are my thoughts about it. Instead of making up stories, stay with the facts. For example, "I am ruined" is a story. It limits you and prevents you from taking effective action. "I have 50 cents left in my bank account" is a fact. Facing facts is always empowering.
3. See if you can catch the voice in your head, perhaps in the very moment it complains about something, and recognize it for what it is: the voice of the ego, no more than a thought. Whenever you notice that voice, you will also realize that you are not the voice, but the one who is aware of it. In fact, you are the awareness that is aware of the voice. In the background, there is the awareness. In the foreground, there is the voice, the thinker. In this way you are becoming free of the ego, free of the unobserved mind.
4. Wherever you look, there is plenty of circumstantial evidence for the reality of time—a rotting apple, your face in the bathroom mirror compared with your face in a photo taken 30 years ago—yet you never find any direct evidence, you never experience time itself. You only ever experience the present moment.
5. Why do anxiety, stress, or negativity arise? Because you turned away from the present moment. And why did you do that? You thought something else was more important. One small error, one misperception, creates a world of suffering.
6. People believe themselves to be dependent on what happens for their happiness. They don't realize that what happens is the most unstable thing in the universe. It changes constantly. They look upon the present moment as either marred by something that has happened and shouldn't have or as deficient because of something that has not happened but should have. And so they miss the deeper perfection that is inherent in life itself, a perfection that lies beyond what is happening or not happening. Accept the present moment and find the perfection that is untouched by time.
7. The more shared past there is in a relationship, the more present you need to be; otherwise, you will be forced to relive the past again and again.
8. Equating the physical body with "I," the body that is destined to grow old, wither, and die, always leads to suffering. To refrain from identifying with the body doesn't mean that you no longer care for it. If it is strong, beautiful, or vigorous, you can appreciate those attributes—while they last. You can also improve the body's condition through nutrition and exercise. If you don't equate the body with who you are, when beauty fades, vigor diminishes, or the body becomes incapacitated, this will not affect your sense of worth or identity in any way. In fact, as the body begins to weaken, the light of consciousness can shine more easily.
9. You do not become good by trying to be good, but by finding the goodness that is already within you and allowing that goodness to emerge.
10. If peace is really what you want, then you will choose peace.
Exerpted from Oneness with All Life by Eckhart Tolle
1. Don't seek happiness. If you seek it, you won't find it, because seeking is the antithesis of happiness. Happiness is ever elusive, but freedom from unhappiness is attainable now, by facing what is rather than making up stories about it.
2. The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking. Separate them from the situation, which is always neutral, which always is as it is. There is the situation or the fact, and here are my thoughts about it. Instead of making up stories, stay with the facts. For example, "I am ruined" is a story. It limits you and prevents you from taking effective action. "I have 50 cents left in my bank account" is a fact. Facing facts is always empowering.
3. See if you can catch the voice in your head, perhaps in the very moment it complains about something, and recognize it for what it is: the voice of the ego, no more than a thought. Whenever you notice that voice, you will also realize that you are not the voice, but the one who is aware of it. In fact, you are the awareness that is aware of the voice. In the background, there is the awareness. In the foreground, there is the voice, the thinker. In this way you are becoming free of the ego, free of the unobserved mind.
4. Wherever you look, there is plenty of circumstantial evidence for the reality of time—a rotting apple, your face in the bathroom mirror compared with your face in a photo taken 30 years ago—yet you never find any direct evidence, you never experience time itself. You only ever experience the present moment.
5. Why do anxiety, stress, or negativity arise? Because you turned away from the present moment. And why did you do that? You thought something else was more important. One small error, one misperception, creates a world of suffering.
6. People believe themselves to be dependent on what happens for their happiness. They don't realize that what happens is the most unstable thing in the universe. It changes constantly. They look upon the present moment as either marred by something that has happened and shouldn't have or as deficient because of something that has not happened but should have. And so they miss the deeper perfection that is inherent in life itself, a perfection that lies beyond what is happening or not happening. Accept the present moment and find the perfection that is untouched by time.
7. The more shared past there is in a relationship, the more present you need to be; otherwise, you will be forced to relive the past again and again.
8. Equating the physical body with "I," the body that is destined to grow old, wither, and die, always leads to suffering. To refrain from identifying with the body doesn't mean that you no longer care for it. If it is strong, beautiful, or vigorous, you can appreciate those attributes—while they last. You can also improve the body's condition through nutrition and exercise. If you don't equate the body with who you are, when beauty fades, vigor diminishes, or the body becomes incapacitated, this will not affect your sense of worth or identity in any way. In fact, as the body begins to weaken, the light of consciousness can shine more easily.
9. You do not become good by trying to be good, but by finding the goodness that is already within you and allowing that goodness to emerge.
10. If peace is really what you want, then you will choose peace.
Exerpted from Oneness with All Life by Eckhart Tolle
Awareness and Oneness...
When a man comes to his real senses, he will recognize that he has only one problem: "How can I come into awareness of, and oneness with, my true being?" For it is to lead him to this final question that other questions and problems have staged the road of his whole life. This answered, the way to answer all the other ones which beset him, be they physical or financial, intellectual or familiar, will open up. Hence Jesus' statements: "Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and all these things shall be added unto you," and "To him that hath [enlightenment] shall be given [what he personally needs]."........Paul Brunton
My...
You and I can't say, "The world is MY idea." We can only say, "The world is idea." The sage could say, "The world is my idea." Well, just think of what that means. "My" here refers to that universal consciousness, with which the sage is in identity with. So anything it produces -- in this case we're speaking about the world -- the sage can say "It's MY idea." You and I are not identified with that consciousness. We cannot say, "The world is my idea." We can only say, "The world IS idea." The difference between the two is monstrous if you're not aware of it.
-- Anthony Damiani 12/1/82
-- Anthony Damiani 12/1/82
At Peace...
Too lazy to be ambitious
I let the world take care of itself
Ten days worth of rice in my bag;
a bundle of twigs y the fireplace.
Why chatter about delusion and enlightenment?
Listening to the night rain on my roof,
I sit comfortably, with both legs stretched out
Ryokan
I let the world take care of itself
Ten days worth of rice in my bag;
a bundle of twigs y the fireplace.
Why chatter about delusion and enlightenment?
Listening to the night rain on my roof,
I sit comfortably, with both legs stretched out
Ryokan
I Am that I Am...
The 'I' casts off the illusion of 'I' yet remains as 'I.'
Such is the paradox of Self-realization
The realized do not see any contradiction in it
from The teachings of Ramana Maharshi
Such is the paradox of Self-realization
The realized do not see any contradiction in it
from The teachings of Ramana Maharshi
A Christmas Message...
Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
And this is how we are told the birth of Christ took place all those centuries ago.
Now we understand that every scripture we read is describing an internal spiritual experience; something taking place within our very own consciousness. The birth of Christ did not take place thousands of years ago. The birth of Christ is taking place this very moment within you.
There is no room at the inn. The inn represents the mind that is already too full of theories, ideas and beliefs -- a closed mind. A scientific mind that has everything figured out.
That mind which cannot be convinced though one rose from the dead. That mind which is the Pharisees. Christ cannot be born there. Remember the Pharisees looked and saw a man named Jesus, and missed the very Christ in their midst. That mind is too full of opinions and judgments, living very good and very proper, mind you, that mind cannot receive the Christ, the birth of the Christ child.
The Christ must be born in a manger; a manger with animals; dirty, filthy, good for nothing. It is the prostitute, it is the drunk, it is the outcast, the tax collector; these are the ones that look and are able to perceive the Christ. ‘Thou art Christ, the son of God!’ These are able to behold the Christ. Not the room that is full, not the inn, but the manger, the manger in us. Perhaps one of the reasons is because those are the ones that have suffered and seen the futility of this world and all that it has to offer. And perhaps those are the ones that are ready and willing to take the required leap.
And so, the birth of Christ takes place in the manger of your undeveloped consciousness; the undeveloped consciousness where the animals live; the animals of anger and greed; the animals of fear and pain; the animals of loneliness and depression. Believe it or not that undeveloped consciousness, which appears to be dirty and ugly, is the only place that Christ can be born. Not in that mind that is too full; full of itself really, and its goodness and properness. Christ cannot be born there. The inn is full.
If you are one of those who has had great suffering, misfortune, one of those that looked and said, “This world has nothing for me. I do not like it here.” Then into your undeveloped consciousness, into the manger within you, Christ can be born. But there are a few little conditions which must be fulfilled first...
Joseph is not the father of this Christ. And yet, Joseph stands by and watches and supports the mother of Christ. Joseph represents in us the mind when it has become an avenue of awareness and watches as a beholder, Christ being born. Mary represents the soul of us. Mary is the soul that is receptive, open and experiences the Holy Spirit. Mary is the soul of us receptive within our self to the Spirit which places that Christ child within us.
And so Mary, the receptive soul; Joseph, the observing, watchful, attentive, avenue of awareness; the two of them come together in the undeveloped consciousness, the manger, and watch this great event unfold.
If you have a soul that is open, receptive, listening, and waiting upon the Lord to act, and a mind that is an avenue of awareness, acting as a witness, watching, beholding; you must have the birth of Christ in your Consciousness.
When this birth takes place within you, there are shepherds standing in a field. And all are startled by an angel which says, “Fear not.” An angel always represents an internal realization. As you have this internal realization that Christ is born within you, it is startling. And yet it speaks unto your body. It speaks unto your mind. It speaks unto your soul and says, “Be not afraid, for unto you this day is a Savior born in the city of David.” Within your very own Consciousness, a Savior is born and this internal realization speaks to your body, your mind and your soul. Christ is born this day! And there is a great multitude, a host of angels, praising God and saying, “Christ is born! The real Christ is born within the manger of my Consciousness this day.” And your attention is focused on the Christ. The body, the mind, the soul; all focused on the birth of this Wonderful Christ!
Within you, an internal, eternal voice says, “Unto us a child is born; unto us a Son is given. And the government shall be upon His shoulder. And this Christ, His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God itself, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, born in me this day.” And Mary ponders these things in her heart.
This is the experience with us when we recognize the birth of Christ in the manger of our Consciousness, we cannot help but say, “The Mighty God, his name shall be called Wonderful,” and ponder it within our hearts. As we contemplate and ponder these things, this Christ grows and waxes strong within us.
We come to see that the government really is upon his shoulder. More and more we rely on It. If there’s a financial need appearing out here, we turn within and we ponder these things in our heart. We have the inner realization that this Invisible Christ in our Consciousness, growing day by day is our supply.
And the Christ says to your soul: “Mary, Mary, relax, relax. Be at peace. I am here.” And the Christ within you speaks to your mind and says: “Joseph, Joseph, slow down. Only remain aware.” The Christ flows through and appears as the harmony of your finances.
A few more days of living with this, weeks, months; there’s a problem of health. “My goodness, what are we going to do about this?” And we return within in our Consciousness, to this Christ child, and Christ speaks unto us and says: “Mary, fear not, fear not. I am here.” And the soul of us becomes still, very quiet, very peaceful. This Christ says unto our mind: “Joseph, be still and know that I am God.” And Joseph is quiet, attentive, alert. That Christ Presence floods our being and there’s nothing we can do but rejoice and say, “It is wonderful! This is the Prince of Peace.”
We look again and there are not four months to the harvest. This peace becomes the health of our countenance and whatever discomfort we felt, disappears.
Slowly, slowly, Christ is growing within us. Within our Consciousness, day by day, taking over, taking control, the government is on His shoulder. This is the Mighty God, the everlasting Father. And many things that plague us just drop away. We did not try to quit them, we used no human means whatsoever, they just fall away. It is the Christ, it is the Lord, it is Wonderful!
We come to see—Mary, the soul of us, in its receptivity—comes to see that this Christ is rebuilding our life. Slowly, the mind of us, Joseph, begins to witness an Invisible hand reaching up right through our Consciousness and appearing out here as harmony in our relationships. The Christ child is becoming a young man.
We come to see It take over our lives. One day there is an inner realization, “My God, I live, yet not I, now Christ liveth my life. Could it be? Could it be true? I live and move and have my being in Christ and Christ in me?” Yes Mary, this is true. Yes Joseph, what you are witnessing is real. “I Christ am living you.” We come to see the miracles of Christ.
And there dawns in our Consciousness a realization; there are not two worlds, there never was. This world that we thought we disliked; that we thought was temporary and bad, this world was nothing more than a misinterpretation. We may return to the scriptures and discover that we were told of this, that in the beginning Adam gave names to everything that he saw, some things good, some things bad -- names, only names. And Adam, while he slept, everything that he saw he gave names to; based on that belief in good and evil.
Now Christ is living in us and through us, we are awaking out of Adam’s nightmare. We are no longer giving names to anything. We are letting Christ reveal Itself. We are learning that there are not some things good and some things bad; that the good and the bad are not out there. We are learning when we see good or bad to recognize Adam is dreaming, and that’s not our world anymore. Christ within us affirms this and tells us, reveals to us, only Christ is out there. That which we thought was without we now recognize as only a mental image within. That which we thought was only within; the Christ, now we recognize is everywhere, without and within. We come to see that this world is not this world. We come to see that we live and move and have our being in Christ. And the only world that is here, is Christ Itself manifest. And we have been seeing that Christ as good or bad. Christ is growing into a man.
Mary the receptive one and Joseph the aware one have now become instruments for Christ. And Christ says, “I have come that they might have life and life more abundantly, My Infinite Life.”
Now when something good comes into our life, something that Adam labels as good, a new car, a new house, a new friend, a new opportunity, we are not sleeping, we are not dreaming anymore. We enjoy them fully, completely, yet we know the Invisible Christ is appearing to our senses as this good. Our sight, our vision is on the Invisible Christ which is appearing as this house, this automobile, this person, this opportunity, this beauty, this joy, this wonder.
When something bad appears we recognize it immediately; a misperception. This is a mental image, a veil, appearing in between my eyes and the Christ that is really here. So I will not try to fix it, I will not try to improve it, I will drop it. Christ says, “Mary, you just be receptive to My Word. Joseph, just be aware of My Presence. That is your only task. And I will be in you and as you. I will never leave you nor forsake you, because I will be in you.”
Slowly, ever so slowly, Christ moves through your receptivity, Christ is your receptivity, Christ is your awareness, Christ is becoming Itself. Others turn to you because they feel it. They see only a human; they think it’s a human. It is Christ, but they do not know it. They turn to you and they ask for help, and the Christ within you sees the Christ of them and pours out freely, giving, bestowing, sharing, lifting up those that are still in the manger. Christ is becoming one with the Father.
And now, Christ loses any vision of him or her, or them or they, or I or me. Christ experiences Itself everywhere, everyone, Infinite, Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscient. Christ has become the Father.
Now there is a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, good will toward men.”
This is indeed wonderful --The Comforter, the Mighty God Itself, the everlasting Father, the very Prince of Peace, God Itself as Itself, everywhere.
And this is the Christmas Experience from that of the lowly manger, dirty, filthy, to that of the Highest of the High; the Infinite Presence of God Itself; the transformation which takes place within you, in your very own Consciousness. This is the true Christmas story. This is the Christmas Experience.
>From this experience, from the heights of this experience, a Voice speaks out of the cloud and says unto you, “Mary, be receptive, receive Me. Experience the immaculate conception of Christ within you.”
This is so very holy. Surely your heart must leap with joy when the Voice speaks to you and says, “Joseph, be still, watch, watch, I come at an hour you think not.” And Joseph is awestruck. His mind comes to a standstill, as that Voice says, “It is I; be not afraid.”
“From the moment that I, the Father created you, I had this in mind for you; the Christmas Experience, the birth of Christ within you. All through the centuries you were running and running and running away from Me because you felt so fearful and full of guilt. And all that I ever wanted to give you was Christ, My Self.
This is the Christmas of your life. This is the internal birth of Christ within you. How very precious thou art. Thou art ever with Me and all that I have is thine. All that I am thou art. Do not forget the story which Christ told;
“ Before he was halfway home the Father met him and fell on his neck and kissed him, saying, 'this is my beloved child, though he were lost, now is he found. Let us celebrate and rejoice. I have found my beloved child’. Thus does the Father love Its own. Thus does the Father love you.”
Blessings and joy, for unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God Itself, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
Oh, truly, Joy to the world!
Amen..........Bill Skiles
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
And this is how we are told the birth of Christ took place all those centuries ago.
Now we understand that every scripture we read is describing an internal spiritual experience; something taking place within our very own consciousness. The birth of Christ did not take place thousands of years ago. The birth of Christ is taking place this very moment within you.
There is no room at the inn. The inn represents the mind that is already too full of theories, ideas and beliefs -- a closed mind. A scientific mind that has everything figured out.
That mind which cannot be convinced though one rose from the dead. That mind which is the Pharisees. Christ cannot be born there. Remember the Pharisees looked and saw a man named Jesus, and missed the very Christ in their midst. That mind is too full of opinions and judgments, living very good and very proper, mind you, that mind cannot receive the Christ, the birth of the Christ child.
The Christ must be born in a manger; a manger with animals; dirty, filthy, good for nothing. It is the prostitute, it is the drunk, it is the outcast, the tax collector; these are the ones that look and are able to perceive the Christ. ‘Thou art Christ, the son of God!’ These are able to behold the Christ. Not the room that is full, not the inn, but the manger, the manger in us. Perhaps one of the reasons is because those are the ones that have suffered and seen the futility of this world and all that it has to offer. And perhaps those are the ones that are ready and willing to take the required leap.
And so, the birth of Christ takes place in the manger of your undeveloped consciousness; the undeveloped consciousness where the animals live; the animals of anger and greed; the animals of fear and pain; the animals of loneliness and depression. Believe it or not that undeveloped consciousness, which appears to be dirty and ugly, is the only place that Christ can be born. Not in that mind that is too full; full of itself really, and its goodness and properness. Christ cannot be born there. The inn is full.
If you are one of those who has had great suffering, misfortune, one of those that looked and said, “This world has nothing for me. I do not like it here.” Then into your undeveloped consciousness, into the manger within you, Christ can be born. But there are a few little conditions which must be fulfilled first...
Joseph is not the father of this Christ. And yet, Joseph stands by and watches and supports the mother of Christ. Joseph represents in us the mind when it has become an avenue of awareness and watches as a beholder, Christ being born. Mary represents the soul of us. Mary is the soul that is receptive, open and experiences the Holy Spirit. Mary is the soul of us receptive within our self to the Spirit which places that Christ child within us.
And so Mary, the receptive soul; Joseph, the observing, watchful, attentive, avenue of awareness; the two of them come together in the undeveloped consciousness, the manger, and watch this great event unfold.
If you have a soul that is open, receptive, listening, and waiting upon the Lord to act, and a mind that is an avenue of awareness, acting as a witness, watching, beholding; you must have the birth of Christ in your Consciousness.
When this birth takes place within you, there are shepherds standing in a field. And all are startled by an angel which says, “Fear not.” An angel always represents an internal realization. As you have this internal realization that Christ is born within you, it is startling. And yet it speaks unto your body. It speaks unto your mind. It speaks unto your soul and says, “Be not afraid, for unto you this day is a Savior born in the city of David.” Within your very own Consciousness, a Savior is born and this internal realization speaks to your body, your mind and your soul. Christ is born this day! And there is a great multitude, a host of angels, praising God and saying, “Christ is born! The real Christ is born within the manger of my Consciousness this day.” And your attention is focused on the Christ. The body, the mind, the soul; all focused on the birth of this Wonderful Christ!
Within you, an internal, eternal voice says, “Unto us a child is born; unto us a Son is given. And the government shall be upon His shoulder. And this Christ, His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God itself, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, born in me this day.” And Mary ponders these things in her heart.
This is the experience with us when we recognize the birth of Christ in the manger of our Consciousness, we cannot help but say, “The Mighty God, his name shall be called Wonderful,” and ponder it within our hearts. As we contemplate and ponder these things, this Christ grows and waxes strong within us.
We come to see that the government really is upon his shoulder. More and more we rely on It. If there’s a financial need appearing out here, we turn within and we ponder these things in our heart. We have the inner realization that this Invisible Christ in our Consciousness, growing day by day is our supply.
And the Christ says to your soul: “Mary, Mary, relax, relax. Be at peace. I am here.” And the Christ within you speaks to your mind and says: “Joseph, Joseph, slow down. Only remain aware.” The Christ flows through and appears as the harmony of your finances.
A few more days of living with this, weeks, months; there’s a problem of health. “My goodness, what are we going to do about this?” And we return within in our Consciousness, to this Christ child, and Christ speaks unto us and says: “Mary, fear not, fear not. I am here.” And the soul of us becomes still, very quiet, very peaceful. This Christ says unto our mind: “Joseph, be still and know that I am God.” And Joseph is quiet, attentive, alert. That Christ Presence floods our being and there’s nothing we can do but rejoice and say, “It is wonderful! This is the Prince of Peace.”
We look again and there are not four months to the harvest. This peace becomes the health of our countenance and whatever discomfort we felt, disappears.
Slowly, slowly, Christ is growing within us. Within our Consciousness, day by day, taking over, taking control, the government is on His shoulder. This is the Mighty God, the everlasting Father. And many things that plague us just drop away. We did not try to quit them, we used no human means whatsoever, they just fall away. It is the Christ, it is the Lord, it is Wonderful!
We come to see—Mary, the soul of us, in its receptivity—comes to see that this Christ is rebuilding our life. Slowly, the mind of us, Joseph, begins to witness an Invisible hand reaching up right through our Consciousness and appearing out here as harmony in our relationships. The Christ child is becoming a young man.
We come to see It take over our lives. One day there is an inner realization, “My God, I live, yet not I, now Christ liveth my life. Could it be? Could it be true? I live and move and have my being in Christ and Christ in me?” Yes Mary, this is true. Yes Joseph, what you are witnessing is real. “I Christ am living you.” We come to see the miracles of Christ.
And there dawns in our Consciousness a realization; there are not two worlds, there never was. This world that we thought we disliked; that we thought was temporary and bad, this world was nothing more than a misinterpretation. We may return to the scriptures and discover that we were told of this, that in the beginning Adam gave names to everything that he saw, some things good, some things bad -- names, only names. And Adam, while he slept, everything that he saw he gave names to; based on that belief in good and evil.
Now Christ is living in us and through us, we are awaking out of Adam’s nightmare. We are no longer giving names to anything. We are letting Christ reveal Itself. We are learning that there are not some things good and some things bad; that the good and the bad are not out there. We are learning when we see good or bad to recognize Adam is dreaming, and that’s not our world anymore. Christ within us affirms this and tells us, reveals to us, only Christ is out there. That which we thought was without we now recognize as only a mental image within. That which we thought was only within; the Christ, now we recognize is everywhere, without and within. We come to see that this world is not this world. We come to see that we live and move and have our being in Christ. And the only world that is here, is Christ Itself manifest. And we have been seeing that Christ as good or bad. Christ is growing into a man.
Mary the receptive one and Joseph the aware one have now become instruments for Christ. And Christ says, “I have come that they might have life and life more abundantly, My Infinite Life.”
Now when something good comes into our life, something that Adam labels as good, a new car, a new house, a new friend, a new opportunity, we are not sleeping, we are not dreaming anymore. We enjoy them fully, completely, yet we know the Invisible Christ is appearing to our senses as this good. Our sight, our vision is on the Invisible Christ which is appearing as this house, this automobile, this person, this opportunity, this beauty, this joy, this wonder.
When something bad appears we recognize it immediately; a misperception. This is a mental image, a veil, appearing in between my eyes and the Christ that is really here. So I will not try to fix it, I will not try to improve it, I will drop it. Christ says, “Mary, you just be receptive to My Word. Joseph, just be aware of My Presence. That is your only task. And I will be in you and as you. I will never leave you nor forsake you, because I will be in you.”
Slowly, ever so slowly, Christ moves through your receptivity, Christ is your receptivity, Christ is your awareness, Christ is becoming Itself. Others turn to you because they feel it. They see only a human; they think it’s a human. It is Christ, but they do not know it. They turn to you and they ask for help, and the Christ within you sees the Christ of them and pours out freely, giving, bestowing, sharing, lifting up those that are still in the manger. Christ is becoming one with the Father.
And now, Christ loses any vision of him or her, or them or they, or I or me. Christ experiences Itself everywhere, everyone, Infinite, Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscient. Christ has become the Father.
Now there is a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, good will toward men.”
This is indeed wonderful --The Comforter, the Mighty God Itself, the everlasting Father, the very Prince of Peace, God Itself as Itself, everywhere.
And this is the Christmas Experience from that of the lowly manger, dirty, filthy, to that of the Highest of the High; the Infinite Presence of God Itself; the transformation which takes place within you, in your very own Consciousness. This is the true Christmas story. This is the Christmas Experience.
>From this experience, from the heights of this experience, a Voice speaks out of the cloud and says unto you, “Mary, be receptive, receive Me. Experience the immaculate conception of Christ within you.”
This is so very holy. Surely your heart must leap with joy when the Voice speaks to you and says, “Joseph, be still, watch, watch, I come at an hour you think not.” And Joseph is awestruck. His mind comes to a standstill, as that Voice says, “It is I; be not afraid.”
“From the moment that I, the Father created you, I had this in mind for you; the Christmas Experience, the birth of Christ within you. All through the centuries you were running and running and running away from Me because you felt so fearful and full of guilt. And all that I ever wanted to give you was Christ, My Self.
This is the Christmas of your life. This is the internal birth of Christ within you. How very precious thou art. Thou art ever with Me and all that I have is thine. All that I am thou art. Do not forget the story which Christ told;
“ Before he was halfway home the Father met him and fell on his neck and kissed him, saying, 'this is my beloved child, though he were lost, now is he found. Let us celebrate and rejoice. I have found my beloved child’. Thus does the Father love Its own. Thus does the Father love you.”
Blessings and joy, for unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God Itself, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
Oh, truly, Joy to the world!
Amen..........Bill Skiles
what is truth?
Tonight, I met a friend that belived that Jesus was the total answer to all questions about life and truth.. I had to inform him that Jesus was the person that we must become before we know truth.. Jesus has been taught by modern Christian religions that He is God, this is True but the total answer is that we are all God. this Truth will be difficult to understand by anyone that is not enlightened, but is the Truth.. As Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is within".. This Truth must be understood before you can realize who you really are.. You believe that you are the body or mind but you are much more than that.. You are the Christ but you don't know that yet.. You must release your ego before you know this Truth.. This is the surrender of the ego that all Saints have experienced.. A Saint is one that is a discoverer of Truth.. Are you a Saint?.. Are you a seeker of Truth? Who are You?......................namaste, thomas
ÂKÂRÂṄGA SÛTRA.....(Jainism)
O long-lived (Gambûsvâmin 4)! I (Sudharman) have heard the following discourse from the venerable (Mahâvîra): (1)
Here many do not remember whether they have descended in an eastern direction (when they were born in this world), or in a southern, or in a western, or in a northern direction, or in the direction from above, or in the direction from below, or in a direction intermediate (between the cardinal points), or in a direction intermediate between these (and the
p. 2
cardinal points). (2) Similarly, some do not know whether their soul is born again and again or not; nor what they were formerly, nor what they will become after having died and left this world. (3) Now this is what one should know, either by one's own knowledge or through the instruction of the highest (i.e. a Tîrthakara), or having heard it from others: that he descended in an eastern direction, or in any other direction (particularised above). Similarly, some know that their soul is born again and again, that it arrives in this or that direction, whatever direction that may be. (4) He believes in soul 1, believes in the world 2, believes in reward 3, believes in action (acknowledged to be our own doing in such judgments as these): 'I did it;' 'I shall cause another to do it;' 'I shall allow another to do it 4.' In the world, these are all the causes of sin 5, which must be comprehended and renounced. (5) A man that does not comprehend and renounce the causes of sin, descends in a cardinal or intermediate direction, wanders to all cardinal or intermediate directions, is born again and again in manifold births, experiences all painful feelings. (6) About this the Revered One has taught
p. 3
the truth (comprehension and renunciation). For the sake of the splendour, honour, and glory of this life, for the sake of birth, death, and final liberation, for the removal of pain, all these causes of sin are at work, which are to be comprehended and renounced in this world. He who, in the world, comprehends and renounces these causes of sin, is called a reward-knowing sage (muni). Thus I say 1. (7)
Here many do not remember whether they have descended in an eastern direction (when they were born in this world), or in a southern, or in a western, or in a northern direction, or in the direction from above, or in the direction from below, or in a direction intermediate (between the cardinal points), or in a direction intermediate between these (and the
p. 2
cardinal points). (2) Similarly, some do not know whether their soul is born again and again or not; nor what they were formerly, nor what they will become after having died and left this world. (3) Now this is what one should know, either by one's own knowledge or through the instruction of the highest (i.e. a Tîrthakara), or having heard it from others: that he descended in an eastern direction, or in any other direction (particularised above). Similarly, some know that their soul is born again and again, that it arrives in this or that direction, whatever direction that may be. (4) He believes in soul 1, believes in the world 2, believes in reward 3, believes in action (acknowledged to be our own doing in such judgments as these): 'I did it;' 'I shall cause another to do it;' 'I shall allow another to do it 4.' In the world, these are all the causes of sin 5, which must be comprehended and renounced. (5) A man that does not comprehend and renounce the causes of sin, descends in a cardinal or intermediate direction, wanders to all cardinal or intermediate directions, is born again and again in manifold births, experiences all painful feelings. (6) About this the Revered One has taught
p. 3
the truth (comprehension and renunciation). For the sake of the splendour, honour, and glory of this life, for the sake of birth, death, and final liberation, for the removal of pain, all these causes of sin are at work, which are to be comprehended and renounced in this world. He who, in the world, comprehends and renounces these causes of sin, is called a reward-knowing sage (muni). Thus I say 1. (7)
Are you conscious?...
If you ask a man if he is conscious or if you say to him that he is
not conscious, he will answer that he is conscious and that it is
absurd to say that he is not, because he hears and understands you.
And he will be quite right, although at the same time quite wrong.
This is nature's trick. He will be right because your question or your
remark has made him vaguely conscious for a moment. Next moment
consciousness will disappear. But he will remember what you said and
what he answered, and he will certainly consider himself conscious.
In reality, acquiring self-consciousness means long and hard work. How
can a man agree to this work if he thinks he already possesses the
very thing which is promised him as the result of long and hard work?
Naturally a man will not begin this work and will not consider it
necessary until he becomes convinced that he possesses neither
self-consciousness nor all that is connected with it, that is, unity
or individuality, permanent I and will.
From 'The Psychology of Man's Possible Evolution"
~P.D. Ouspensky
not conscious, he will answer that he is conscious and that it is
absurd to say that he is not, because he hears and understands you.
And he will be quite right, although at the same time quite wrong.
This is nature's trick. He will be right because your question or your
remark has made him vaguely conscious for a moment. Next moment
consciousness will disappear. But he will remember what you said and
what he answered, and he will certainly consider himself conscious.
In reality, acquiring self-consciousness means long and hard work. How
can a man agree to this work if he thinks he already possesses the
very thing which is promised him as the result of long and hard work?
Naturally a man will not begin this work and will not consider it
necessary until he becomes convinced that he possesses neither
self-consciousness nor all that is connected with it, that is, unity
or individuality, permanent I and will.
From 'The Psychology of Man's Possible Evolution"
~P.D. Ouspensky
Self-Realised People...
They (self-realised people) may laugh and cry according to circumstances, but inwardly they are cool and clear, watching detachedly their own spontaneous reactions. Appearances are misleading and more so in the case of a self-realised people..........Nisargadatta
Polishing the Mirror...
The high road to God for your spirit, by which your prayer can reach
God, is the polishing of the mirror of the heart. The mirror will not
become purified from the rust of infidelity and hypocrisy by rebellion
and opposition. The mirror is polished by your unwavering faith and
your perfect sincerity. Do not confuse the image with the mirror; they
are not the same. The mirror reflects the image by means of the light,
and the light cannot be separated from the sun, and if the light is not
reflected, the fault lies in the mirror.
Whoever remains veiled is like the owl and the sun. If the owl
cannot see in the sunlight, it is because of the weakness of its eyes,
not because of the sun. He speaks foolishly who does not know that God
is manifest in humanity. If you want the mirror to reflect your face,
you must hold it straight and keep it bright. Whatever increases the
brightness of your heart brings nearer God's manifestation of Himself
to you.
Sana'i
as collected by James Fadiman & Robert Frager
God, is the polishing of the mirror of the heart. The mirror will not
become purified from the rust of infidelity and hypocrisy by rebellion
and opposition. The mirror is polished by your unwavering faith and
your perfect sincerity. Do not confuse the image with the mirror; they
are not the same. The mirror reflects the image by means of the light,
and the light cannot be separated from the sun, and if the light is not
reflected, the fault lies in the mirror.
Whoever remains veiled is like the owl and the sun. If the owl
cannot see in the sunlight, it is because of the weakness of its eyes,
not because of the sun. He speaks foolishly who does not know that God
is manifest in humanity. If you want the mirror to reflect your face,
you must hold it straight and keep it bright. Whatever increases the
brightness of your heart brings nearer God's manifestation of Himself
to you.
Sana'i
as collected by James Fadiman & Robert Frager
Who Condemns...
"There is no one in the entire world who condemns you. You
yourself are the only person who condemns you - and pointlessly.
In reality, there is no condemnation whatever, but, as long as
you think there is, you ache. Not only that, but a man dwel-
ling with the illusion of self-condemnation is compulsively
driven to do things that increase the illusion. There is no man,
nor god, nor past experience to condemn you. You are free and
you are free right now. Will you try to see this?"
The Mystic Path to Cosmic Power, p. 84........Vernon Howard
yourself are the only person who condemns you - and pointlessly.
In reality, there is no condemnation whatever, but, as long as
you think there is, you ache. Not only that, but a man dwel-
ling with the illusion of self-condemnation is compulsively
driven to do things that increase the illusion. There is no man,
nor god, nor past experience to condemn you. You are free and
you are free right now. Will you try to see this?"
The Mystic Path to Cosmic Power, p. 84........Vernon Howard
Universal Mind...
There is a storehouse of all knowledge in the universal mind. If you
can touch it, all the knowledge that is there in amplitude will be
poured out to you with perfect ease. For this the doors of memory
should be laid open. Divine mind is the stream of the fountain, and
each individual mind is just like a drop. Man shows from the beginning
of his life on earth signs of having known things that he had never
been taught.
From the Teachings of
HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN
can touch it, all the knowledge that is there in amplitude will be
poured out to you with perfect ease. For this the doors of memory
should be laid open. Divine mind is the stream of the fountain, and
each individual mind is just like a drop. Man shows from the beginning
of his life on earth signs of having known things that he had never
been taught.
From the Teachings of
HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN
You are where you think you are...
Once one of Jesus' apostles was preaching in a small town. The people
asked him to perform a miracle, by raising the dead, as Jesus had done.
They went to the town cemetery and stopped before a grave. The
apostle prayed to God to bring the dead back to life. The dead man
rose from his grave, looked around him, and cried, "My donkey, where is
my donkey?" In life, he had been a poor man whose most cherished
possession was his donkey.
The same is true for you. Whatever you care about most will
determine what happens to you at resurrection. You will be together in
the Hereafter with the ones you love.
Sheikh Muzaffer
as collected by James Fadiman & Robert Frager
asked him to perform a miracle, by raising the dead, as Jesus had done.
They went to the town cemetery and stopped before a grave. The
apostle prayed to God to bring the dead back to life. The dead man
rose from his grave, looked around him, and cried, "My donkey, where is
my donkey?" In life, he had been a poor man whose most cherished
possession was his donkey.
The same is true for you. Whatever you care about most will
determine what happens to you at resurrection. You will be together in
the Hereafter with the ones you love.
Sheikh Muzaffer
as collected by James Fadiman & Robert Frager
Answered Prayers...
There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers....
Saint Teresa of Avila
Saint Teresa of Avila
Command Yourself...
A man has to learn that he cannot command things, but that he can command himself; that he cannot coerce the wills of others, but that he can mold and master his own will: and things serve him who serves Truth; people seek guidance of him who is master of himself....
James Allen
James Allen
A Good Book...
A truly good book teaches me better than to read it. I must soon lay it down, and commence living on its hint. What I began by reading, I must finish by acting.....
Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau
Defy Timidity...
"A man must learn to defy his timidity and ask for the genuine
product. If he persists, he will not be disappointed. The truths
about life can never disappoint anyone. Only illusions cause dismay."
Psycho-Pictography, p. 137......Vernon Howard
product. If he persists, he will not be disappointed. The truths
about life can never disappoint anyone. Only illusions cause dismay."
Psycho-Pictography, p. 137......Vernon Howard
Emily Dickinson’s Mystic Poetry — by Graham Brown
You’ll know it as you know ‘tis Noon–
By Glory–
As you do the sun–
By Glory
It was with these words that the 19th century New England poet Emily Dickinson (1830 – 1886) described a transformative experience of Self Realisation. Her change of consciousness could be likened to a conversion, but not the kind of conversion her Calvinist community were hoping for. Despite relentless pressure from her family and fellow townspeople, she stubbornly resisted organised Christianity while having a continuous mystical communion with what she liked to call ‘Eternity’, a concept beyond the associations of the word ‘God’. Hers was a conversion to the world of the spirit by Nature Herself, action through the faculty of intuition. This is a notion she held in common with the Transcendentalists, in these of her poems:
By intuition, Mighty Things
Assert themselves – and not by terms –
“I”m Midnight” – need the Midnight say –
“I”m Sunrise” – Need the Majesty?
Omnipotence – had not a Tongue –
His lisp – is lightning – and the sun –
His Conversation– with Sea –
“How shall you know”?
Consult your eye!
By Glory–
As you do the sun–
By Glory
It was with these words that the 19th century New England poet Emily Dickinson (1830 – 1886) described a transformative experience of Self Realisation. Her change of consciousness could be likened to a conversion, but not the kind of conversion her Calvinist community were hoping for. Despite relentless pressure from her family and fellow townspeople, she stubbornly resisted organised Christianity while having a continuous mystical communion with what she liked to call ‘Eternity’, a concept beyond the associations of the word ‘God’. Hers was a conversion to the world of the spirit by Nature Herself, action through the faculty of intuition. This is a notion she held in common with the Transcendentalists, in these of her poems:
By intuition, Mighty Things
Assert themselves – and not by terms –
“I”m Midnight” – need the Midnight say –
“I”m Sunrise” – Need the Majesty?
Omnipotence – had not a Tongue –
His lisp – is lightning – and the sun –
His Conversation– with Sea –
“How shall you know”?
Consult your eye!
Time and Truth...
The truth may not always burst on its votary in a sudden brief and total flash. It may also come so slowly that he will hardly know its movement. But in both cases this progress will be measured by his abandonment of a purely personal and self-centered attitude towards life.........Paul Brunton
Who is there to be with God?...
O seeker, know that the path to truth is within you. You are the
traveler. Going happens by itself. Coming happens to you, without
you. There is noarriving or leaving; nor is there any place; nor is
there a contained within a container. Who is there to be with God?
What is there other than God? Who seeks and finds when there is none
but God?
Sheikh Badruddin
as collected by James Fadiman & Robert Frager
traveler. Going happens by itself. Coming happens to you, without
you. There is noarriving or leaving; nor is there any place; nor is
there a contained within a container. Who is there to be with God?
What is there other than God? Who seeks and finds when there is none
but God?
Sheikh Badruddin
as collected by James Fadiman & Robert Frager
Feelings...
All things in life are materials for wisdom to work with. All that
is in our mind and body has a certain use, and by knowing to what
advantage it must be utilized, all the property of the body
and the mind can very well be used to the best advantage. All
feelings, such as attachment, detachment, passion, anger, grief,
hilarity, fear, and bewilderment, have their use in our lives,
and by each of the above-mentioned feelings we can be profited if we
know their mystery. By all thoughts and imaginations and by all
faculties of mind, such as will, memory, thought, reason, and the ego,
we can bring out desirable products.
From the Teachings of
HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN
is in our mind and body has a certain use, and by knowing to what
advantage it must be utilized, all the property of the body
and the mind can very well be used to the best advantage. All
feelings, such as attachment, detachment, passion, anger, grief,
hilarity, fear, and bewilderment, have their use in our lives,
and by each of the above-mentioned feelings we can be profited if we
know their mystery. By all thoughts and imaginations and by all
faculties of mind, such as will, memory, thought, reason, and the ego,
we can bring out desirable products.
From the Teachings of
HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN
Now...
The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the
past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in
the present moment wisely and earnestly.
Buddha
past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in
the present moment wisely and earnestly.
Buddha
Letting Go...
Q: That's not cutting it for me. I really need to focus, to let go, to make a shift. So I came here determined to make a shift somehow.
A: That'll kind of gunk things up a bit there. Not that the intention is any problem, you know, but you know as soon as we get determined that such and such is going to happen, a shift's going to happen or whatever then the self is working contrary to itself 'cause then we've taken the reins again. I can give lots of little 'try this try that' kind of thing but the bottom line is it's all about letting go, it's all about surrender and it's also about letting go of expectation. 'I had a big experience whatever last year or last retreat or whatever and, you know, that which you are, it's not expecting anything. It's not grasping anything. It doesn't want anything. It's not in anticipation.
It doesn't mean that it's blind. You can still have certain things arise, spur this action or that action, stoop this action or that action but ultimately when its coming from the deepest thing, undivided thing, it's spontaneous. So it's really just letting go, just letting go, just letting go, just letting go. 'It's not what I expected', letting go, letting go. That's the whole thing. That's the bottom line. 'It's not like it was.' Letting go, letting go.
It's sort of like the first time you ever had a great kiss. You get a really good first kiss. Maybe you get a good second or third kiss. But if you start thinking that it's the great kisses that love's all about, you're gonna miss what love's all about. The first kisses of realization, they're wonderful and they're beautiful and profound but if the mind stays in there saying, 'I want another kiss. I like the kiss. The kiss feels good. More, more, more.' There's no such thing as enough. So you get a few good kisses and then there can be the realization its not just about those ecstatic moments of profound seeing. It's not only about that. There's a depth to it. There's a silence to it. It's a surrender game.
That can be the difficulty for people because what is revealed is so enticing, that the illusion of us wants to grab it, wants more. Then the realization itself can become another cause of grasping. And it usually does. But then later you see that doesn't work to grasp. It's a surrender game though and through. Or more accurately you are surrendered, through and through.
Q: So can I ask for homework?
A: That's the homework. It's not a technique. There's no technique to this. It's not, 'okay here I 'm going to do it.' It's the spontaneous willingness. That's what it is. That's what I mean by it's the letting go of the personal will, even though there isn't a person, ever though there isn't personal will, you let go of it anyway. That's why phrases like what we've spoken of before, "Thy Will Be Done." It was my mantra for years. It just sort of chose me and from the Absolute of the Absolute it doesn't make any sense but nonetheless as I said this isn't about not duality, it's about nonduality. And that's the sense of it, that's the feel of it. That's the continual giving over of the illusion of any personal will, anything that's separate. It's the sense of it. It's not really a technique. It can't be faked. It can't be constructed. It just comes to you. So I'm not really even telling you to do it. But possibly, who knows, just through this conversation, it may be, it may not be, it may be part of it appearing in you life, in your consciousness. It's not just all about realization. The realization engenders a total letting go. That's what it's about. The realizations either causes us to grasp or they are that which allows a deeper letting go.
Adyashanti - Omega 2007
A: That'll kind of gunk things up a bit there. Not that the intention is any problem, you know, but you know as soon as we get determined that such and such is going to happen, a shift's going to happen or whatever then the self is working contrary to itself 'cause then we've taken the reins again. I can give lots of little 'try this try that' kind of thing but the bottom line is it's all about letting go, it's all about surrender and it's also about letting go of expectation. 'I had a big experience whatever last year or last retreat or whatever and, you know, that which you are, it's not expecting anything. It's not grasping anything. It doesn't want anything. It's not in anticipation.
It doesn't mean that it's blind. You can still have certain things arise, spur this action or that action, stoop this action or that action but ultimately when its coming from the deepest thing, undivided thing, it's spontaneous. So it's really just letting go, just letting go, just letting go, just letting go. 'It's not what I expected', letting go, letting go. That's the whole thing. That's the bottom line. 'It's not like it was.' Letting go, letting go.
It's sort of like the first time you ever had a great kiss. You get a really good first kiss. Maybe you get a good second or third kiss. But if you start thinking that it's the great kisses that love's all about, you're gonna miss what love's all about. The first kisses of realization, they're wonderful and they're beautiful and profound but if the mind stays in there saying, 'I want another kiss. I like the kiss. The kiss feels good. More, more, more.' There's no such thing as enough. So you get a few good kisses and then there can be the realization its not just about those ecstatic moments of profound seeing. It's not only about that. There's a depth to it. There's a silence to it. It's a surrender game.
That can be the difficulty for people because what is revealed is so enticing, that the illusion of us wants to grab it, wants more. Then the realization itself can become another cause of grasping. And it usually does. But then later you see that doesn't work to grasp. It's a surrender game though and through. Or more accurately you are surrendered, through and through.
Q: So can I ask for homework?
A: That's the homework. It's not a technique. There's no technique to this. It's not, 'okay here I 'm going to do it.' It's the spontaneous willingness. That's what it is. That's what I mean by it's the letting go of the personal will, even though there isn't a person, ever though there isn't personal will, you let go of it anyway. That's why phrases like what we've spoken of before, "Thy Will Be Done." It was my mantra for years. It just sort of chose me and from the Absolute of the Absolute it doesn't make any sense but nonetheless as I said this isn't about not duality, it's about nonduality. And that's the sense of it, that's the feel of it. That's the continual giving over of the illusion of any personal will, anything that's separate. It's the sense of it. It's not really a technique. It can't be faked. It can't be constructed. It just comes to you. So I'm not really even telling you to do it. But possibly, who knows, just through this conversation, it may be, it may not be, it may be part of it appearing in you life, in your consciousness. It's not just all about realization. The realization engenders a total letting go. That's what it's about. The realizations either causes us to grasp or they are that which allows a deeper letting go.
Adyashanti - Omega 2007
Dream and Illusion...
Perceive these two things now: the dreamlike character of life in the world, and the illusory character of the personal ego. Hence the need of the "What am I?" enquiry, that the illusion of the ego may be dispelled. When you can see these things clearly, then you may be still and undisturbed, unentangled, and unillusioned amid the struggle of life. You will be wise, free, impervious to the petty persecution of men--their lies, malice, and injuries--for being no longer identified with the personality, you are no longer their target..........Paul Brunton
The Collective Egoic Mind...
The insanity of the collective egoic mind, amplified by science and technology, is rapidly taking our species to the brink of disaster. Evolve or die: that is our only choice now.
Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart Tolle
Rumi Mystical Poems...
Rumi was both a great mystic and great poet. His poetry is vibrant with the energy and illumination of a saint who has reached a consciousness beyond the ordinary experiences of man.
Through his poetry Rumi is able to give a wonderful glimpse of the mystic beyond. And by giving us a glimpse, these poems have the potency to awaken in ourselves a sense that this mystic world can be accesible to our own aspiring soul.
Give me ecstasy, give me naked wonder, O my Creator!
Give birth to the Beloved in me, and let this lover die.
Let a thousand wrangling desires become one Love.
Through his poetry Rumi is able to give a wonderful glimpse of the mystic beyond. And by giving us a glimpse, these poems have the potency to awaken in ourselves a sense that this mystic world can be accesible to our own aspiring soul.
Give me ecstasy, give me naked wonder, O my Creator!
Give birth to the Beloved in me, and let this lover die.
Let a thousand wrangling desires become one Love.
seek that rhythm which is in the depth of our being ...
The sea of life is in constant motion, no one can stop its ever-
moving waves. The Master walks over the waves, the wise man swims in
the water, but the ignorant man is drowned in his effort to cross.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
It makes no difference to me if I am so praised that I am raised from
earth to heaven, nor if I am so blamed that I am thrown from the
greatest heights to the depths of the earth. Life to me is an ever-
moving sea in which the waves of favor and disfavor constantly rise
and fall.
To attain peace, what one has to do is to seek that rhythm which is
in the depth of our being. It is just like the sea: the surface of
the sea is ever moving; the depth of the sea is still. And so it is
with our life. If our life is thrown into the sea of activity, it is
on the surface. We still live in the profound depths, in that peace.
But the thing is to become conscious of that peace which can be found
within ourselves. It is this which can bring us the answer to all our
problems. If not, when we want to solve one problem, there is another
difficult problem coming. There is no end to our problems. There is
no end to the difficulties of the outer life. And if we get excited
over them, we shall never be able to solve them. Some think, 'We
might wait. Perhaps the conditions will become better. We shall see
then what to do.' But when will the conditions become better? They
will become still worse! Whether the conditions become better or
worse, the first thing is to seek the kingdom of God within
ourselves, in which there is our peace. As soon as we have found
that, we have found our support, we have found our self. And in spite
of all the activity and movement on the surface, we shall be able to
keep that peace undisturbed if only we hold it fast by becoming
conscious of it.
moving waves. The Master walks over the waves, the wise man swims in
the water, but the ignorant man is drowned in his effort to cross.
Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
It makes no difference to me if I am so praised that I am raised from
earth to heaven, nor if I am so blamed that I am thrown from the
greatest heights to the depths of the earth. Life to me is an ever-
moving sea in which the waves of favor and disfavor constantly rise
and fall.
To attain peace, what one has to do is to seek that rhythm which is
in the depth of our being. It is just like the sea: the surface of
the sea is ever moving; the depth of the sea is still. And so it is
with our life. If our life is thrown into the sea of activity, it is
on the surface. We still live in the profound depths, in that peace.
But the thing is to become conscious of that peace which can be found
within ourselves. It is this which can bring us the answer to all our
problems. If not, when we want to solve one problem, there is another
difficult problem coming. There is no end to our problems. There is
no end to the difficulties of the outer life. And if we get excited
over them, we shall never be able to solve them. Some think, 'We
might wait. Perhaps the conditions will become better. We shall see
then what to do.' But when will the conditions become better? They
will become still worse! Whether the conditions become better or
worse, the first thing is to seek the kingdom of God within
ourselves, in which there is our peace. As soon as we have found
that, we have found our support, we have found our self. And in spite
of all the activity and movement on the surface, we shall be able to
keep that peace undisturbed if only we hold it fast by becoming
conscious of it.
Serving Others...
One day a man asked a sheikh how to reach God. "The ways to God," the
sheikh replied, "are as many as there are created beings. But the
shortest and easiest is to serve others, not to bother others, and to
make others happy."
Abu Sa'id
as collected by James Fadiman & Robert Frager
sheikh replied, "are as many as there are created beings. But the
shortest and easiest is to serve others, not to bother others, and to
make others happy."
Abu Sa'id
as collected by James Fadiman & Robert Frager
Set Goals...
Set goals, but know that the arriving is not all that important. When anything arises out of presence, it means this moment is not a means to an end: the doing is fulfilling in itself every moment. You are no longer reducing the Now to a means to an end, which is the egoic consciousness. Eckhart Tolle - Silence Speaks
You become the Teacher...
Even in the case of those who take the guidance of a guru, it should not be forgotten that if development advances sufficiently the pupil must start somewhere to be his own teacher, must start looking for, and finding, the inner guru--his own soul. A sincere competent guru would demand this........Paul Brunton
Slow down...
"We have spoken to many who simply cannot recall what their purpose was for entering into their current life. They feel a sense of floundering that leaves them wondering why they incarnated at all... the goals attached to this seemingly long abandoned by what they perceive as themselves... dramas of their life often clouding any eternal sense of self while the ticking of time pulsates in their heads. Some see no real conclusion to what they perceive as a useless and often painful existence... this due to the life path that is out of line with what their eternal self had planned in the beginning. We counsel a slowing of the fast paced linear reality that most of you find yourselves in. A lack of focus upon the clock is the first step to understanding the larger portion of yourself that does not perceive time. Physical existence is not a race to the finish. It is a participation in a reality that was meant to enlighten and fulfill your higher entity that wishes to evolve. Slow down. Take yourself when you are able to a quiet place. Your thoughts cannot create your reality with all the chaos. Slow down. Take a moment to ponder yourself without time increments and deadlines. In this place of quiet the whispers of your soul will have opportunity to speak. This is the first of many steps that we will speak of on your way to rediscovering yourself. Slow down." --VERONICA
Why does God allow Evil?...
It will be found by experience that preoccupation with such questions as "Why does God allow evil in the world?" will fall away under the influence of the Witness Self. The question is relative to and relevant only in the sphere of the personal self in interaction with other personal selves, and in that sphere it has no answer. In the sphere of the Overself the question does not exist. "Come unto Me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest" is still as true as when spoken by the Christ nearly two thousand years ago.............Paul Brunton
The State of Bliss...
“If you want to reach a state of bliss, then go beyond your ego and the internal dialogue. Make a decision to relinquish the need to control, the need to be approved, and the need to judge. Those are the three things the ego is doing all the time. It's very important to be aware of them every time they come up.”...............
Deepak Chopra
Deepak Chopra
WHAT TO REMEMBER WHEN WAKING...
In that first
hardly noticed
moment
to which you wake,
coming back
to this life
from the other
more secret,
moveable
and frighteningly
honest
world
where everything
began,
there is a small
opening
into the new day
which closes
the moment
you begin
your plans.
What you can plan
is too small
for you to live.
What you can live
wholeheartedly
will make plans
enough
for the vitality
hidden in your sleep.
To be human
is to become visible
while carrying
what is hidden
as a gift to others.
To remember
the other world
in this world
is to live in your
true inheritance.
You are not
a troubled guest
on this earth,
you are not
an accident
amidst other accidents
you were invited
from another and greater
night
than the one
from which
you have just emerged.
Now, looking through
the slanting light
of the morning
window toward
the mountain
presence
of everything
that can be,
what urgency
calls you to your
one love? What shape
waits in the seed
of you to grow
and spread
its branches
against a future sky?
Is it waiting
in the fertile sea?
In the trees
beyond the house?
In the life
you can imagine
for yourself?
In the open
and lovely
white page
on the waiting desk?
~ David Whyte ~
(The House of Belonging)
hardly noticed
moment
to which you wake,
coming back
to this life
from the other
more secret,
moveable
and frighteningly
honest
world
where everything
began,
there is a small
opening
into the new day
which closes
the moment
you begin
your plans.
What you can plan
is too small
for you to live.
What you can live
wholeheartedly
will make plans
enough
for the vitality
hidden in your sleep.
To be human
is to become visible
while carrying
what is hidden
as a gift to others.
To remember
the other world
in this world
is to live in your
true inheritance.
You are not
a troubled guest
on this earth,
you are not
an accident
amidst other accidents
you were invited
from another and greater
night
than the one
from which
you have just emerged.
Now, looking through
the slanting light
of the morning
window toward
the mountain
presence
of everything
that can be,
what urgency
calls you to your
one love? What shape
waits in the seed
of you to grow
and spread
its branches
against a future sky?
Is it waiting
in the fertile sea?
In the trees
beyond the house?
In the life
you can imagine
for yourself?
In the open
and lovely
white page
on the waiting desk?
~ David Whyte ~
(The House of Belonging)
The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ..chap.50
Jesus passes the third brotherhood test, and receives the third degree, FAITH.
THE Logos waited seven days, and then was taken to the Hall of Fame, a chamber rich in furnishings, and lighted up with gold and silver lamps. 2 The colours of its ceilings, decorations, furnishings and walls were blue and gold. 3 Its shelves were filled with books of master minds; the paintings and the statues were the works of highest art. 4 And Jesus was entranced with all this elegance and these manifests of thought. He read the sacred books, and sought the meanings of the symbols and the hieroglyphs. 5 And when he was absorbed in deepest thought, a priest approached and said, 6 Behold the glory of this place: my brother, you are highly blest. Few men of earth, so young, have reached such heights of fame. 7 Now, if you do not waste your life in search for hidden things that men can never comprehend, you may be founder of a school of thought that will insure you endless fame; 8 For your philosophy is deeper far than that of Plato, and your teachings please the common people more than those of Socrates. 9 Why seek for mystic light within these antiquated dens? Go forth and walk with men, and think with men, and they will honour you. 10 And, after all, these weird initiations may be myths, and your Messiah hopes but base illusions of the hour. 11 I would advise you to renounce uncertain things and choose the course that leads to certain fame. 12 And thus the priest, a demon in disguise, sung syren songs of unbelief; and Jesus meditated long and well on what he said. 13 The conflict was a bitter one, for king Ambition is a sturdy foe to fight. 14 For forty days the higher wrestled with the lower self, and then the fight was won. 15 Faith rose triumphant; unbelief was not. Ambition covered up his face and fled away, and Jesus said, 16 The wealth, the honour, and the fame of earth are but the baubles of an hour. 17 When this short span of earthly life has all been measured out, man's bursting baubles will be buried with his bones, 18 Yea, what a man does for his selfish self will make no markings on the credit side of life. 19 The good that men for other men shall do becomes a ladder strong on which the soul may climb to wealth, and power and fame of God's own kind, that cannot pass away. 20 Give me the poverty of men, the consciousness of duty done in love, the approbation of my God, and I will be content. 21 And then he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, 22 My Father-God, I thank thee for this hour. I ask not for the glory of thyself; I fain would be a keeper of thy temple gates, and serve my brother man. 23 Again was Jesus called to stand before the hierophant; again no word was said, but in his hands the master placed a scroll on which was written, FAITH. 24 And Jesus bowed his head in humble thanks; then went his way.
THE Logos waited seven days, and then was taken to the Hall of Fame, a chamber rich in furnishings, and lighted up with gold and silver lamps. 2 The colours of its ceilings, decorations, furnishings and walls were blue and gold. 3 Its shelves were filled with books of master minds; the paintings and the statues were the works of highest art. 4 And Jesus was entranced with all this elegance and these manifests of thought. He read the sacred books, and sought the meanings of the symbols and the hieroglyphs. 5 And when he was absorbed in deepest thought, a priest approached and said, 6 Behold the glory of this place: my brother, you are highly blest. Few men of earth, so young, have reached such heights of fame. 7 Now, if you do not waste your life in search for hidden things that men can never comprehend, you may be founder of a school of thought that will insure you endless fame; 8 For your philosophy is deeper far than that of Plato, and your teachings please the common people more than those of Socrates. 9 Why seek for mystic light within these antiquated dens? Go forth and walk with men, and think with men, and they will honour you. 10 And, after all, these weird initiations may be myths, and your Messiah hopes but base illusions of the hour. 11 I would advise you to renounce uncertain things and choose the course that leads to certain fame. 12 And thus the priest, a demon in disguise, sung syren songs of unbelief; and Jesus meditated long and well on what he said. 13 The conflict was a bitter one, for king Ambition is a sturdy foe to fight. 14 For forty days the higher wrestled with the lower self, and then the fight was won. 15 Faith rose triumphant; unbelief was not. Ambition covered up his face and fled away, and Jesus said, 16 The wealth, the honour, and the fame of earth are but the baubles of an hour. 17 When this short span of earthly life has all been measured out, man's bursting baubles will be buried with his bones, 18 Yea, what a man does for his selfish self will make no markings on the credit side of life. 19 The good that men for other men shall do becomes a ladder strong on which the soul may climb to wealth, and power and fame of God's own kind, that cannot pass away. 20 Give me the poverty of men, the consciousness of duty done in love, the approbation of my God, and I will be content. 21 And then he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, 22 My Father-God, I thank thee for this hour. I ask not for the glory of thyself; I fain would be a keeper of thy temple gates, and serve my brother man. 23 Again was Jesus called to stand before the hierophant; again no word was said, but in his hands the master placed a scroll on which was written, FAITH. 24 And Jesus bowed his head in humble thanks; then went his way.
Talk is tiring......from the Tao
Heaven and Earth don't play favourites
They treat everything with equal detachment.
Sages don't play favourites
They treat good people and bad with equal detachment.
Heaven and earth are like a set of bellows.
Although empty, they are endlessly productive.
The more you work them, the more they produce.
The mouth, on the other hand, becomes exhausted if you talk too much.
Better to keep your thoughts inside you.
They treat everything with equal detachment.
Sages don't play favourites
They treat good people and bad with equal detachment.
Heaven and earth are like a set of bellows.
Although empty, they are endlessly productive.
The more you work them, the more they produce.
The mouth, on the other hand, becomes exhausted if you talk too much.
Better to keep your thoughts inside you.
One is Perfect...
Get hold of the main thing that the world
and the self are one and perfect. Only
your attitude is faulty and needs readjust-
ment.
This process of readjustment is what you
call sadhana. You come to it by putting an
end to indolence and using all your energy
to clear the way for clarity and charity.
But in reality these are all signs of inevitable
growth. Don't be afraid, don't resist, don't
delay Be what you are. There is nothing to
be afraid of. Trust and try. Experiment
honestly. Give your real being a chance to
shape your life. You will not regret.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
and the self are one and perfect. Only
your attitude is faulty and needs readjust-
ment.
This process of readjustment is what you
call sadhana. You come to it by putting an
end to indolence and using all your energy
to clear the way for clarity and charity.
But in reality these are all signs of inevitable
growth. Don't be afraid, don't resist, don't
delay Be what you are. There is nothing to
be afraid of. Trust and try. Experiment
honestly. Give your real being a chance to
shape your life. You will not regret.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
Recognition...
What I have to offer is very simple. It has nothing to do with acquiring any special powers or any state of mind. It is about recognizing what is already permanently here, in every moment, every situation, and every state of mind, and yet is ungraspable by the mind.......... Gangaji
The Bhagavad Gita.....The Divine and the Demonic
"The blessed Lord said,
'Fearlessness, purity of heart,
perseverance in knowledge of union,
charity and restraint and sacrifice,
spiritual study, austerity, straightforwardness,
nonviolence, truth, no anger, renunciation, peace,
no slander, compassion for creatures, no greed,
kindness, modesty, no fickleness,
vigor, patience, courage, purity,
no hatred, and no excessive pride
are the endowment of the one born to the divine, Bharata.
"'Hypocrisy, arrogance and conceit,
anger and harshness, and ignorance
are the endowment of the one born to the demonic, Partha.
"'The divine endowment is for liberation,
for bondage the demonic, it is thought.
Do not grieve.
To the divine endowment you are born, son of Pandu.
Two created beings are in this world,
the divine and the demonic.
"'The divine has been described in detail;
hear from me about the demonic, Partha.
Progress and cessation demonic people do not understand;
neither purity nor good conduct nor truth is found in them.
Untruthful, they are unstable.
The universe, they say, is godless,
not by a succession created.
What else but desire caused it?
Holding this view lost souls of little intelligence
and evil actions come forth as enemies
for the destruction of the world.
"'Attached to insatiable desire,
accompanied by hypocrisy, arrogance, and lust,
out of confusion accepting false notions,
they proceed with impure purposes,
and clinging to immeasurable anxiety ending in death,
with gratification of desire their highest aim,
convinced that this is all,
bound by a hundred expectations,
devoted to desire and anger,
they wish for the gratification of desires
by the unjust means of hoards of wealth.
"'"This today was acquired by me;
this wish I shall obtain;
this is it; and this shall be my property also.
That enemy was slain by me;
and I shall kill others also.
I am the Lord; I am the enjoyer;
I am perfect, powerful, happy.
I am wealthy, aristocratic.
Who else is there like me?
I shall sacrifice, give, be merry."
Thus are those deluded by ignorance.
Led astray by more than one thought,
wrapped in a net of delusion,
attached to the gratification of desires,
they fall into an unclean hell.
"'Conceited souls, stubborn,
full of the pride and intoxication of wealth,
they sacrifice in the name of sacrifices with hypocrisy,
not in the sacred manner.
Clinging to the ego, force, insolence, desire, and anger,
the envious hate me in the soul of others' bodies.
Those hating, cruel, vicious wretches I throw continually
into the cycles of reincarnation in demonic wombs.
Entering a demonic womb, the deluded in birth after birth
not attaining me, Kaunteya, go then to the worst path.
"'This threefold gate of hell is destructive of the soul:
desire, anger, and greed.
Therefore one should renounce this threesome.
Released from these three dark gates, Kaunteya,
the best person practices for the soul,
then goes to the supreme goal.
"'Whoever, discarding scriptural knowledge,
follows willful desire does not attain perfection
nor happiness nor the supreme goal.
Therefore scripture is your authority
for determining what is to be done or not to be done.
Knowing what is said in scripture you should do work here.'
'Fearlessness, purity of heart,
perseverance in knowledge of union,
charity and restraint and sacrifice,
spiritual study, austerity, straightforwardness,
nonviolence, truth, no anger, renunciation, peace,
no slander, compassion for creatures, no greed,
kindness, modesty, no fickleness,
vigor, patience, courage, purity,
no hatred, and no excessive pride
are the endowment of the one born to the divine, Bharata.
"'Hypocrisy, arrogance and conceit,
anger and harshness, and ignorance
are the endowment of the one born to the demonic, Partha.
"'The divine endowment is for liberation,
for bondage the demonic, it is thought.
Do not grieve.
To the divine endowment you are born, son of Pandu.
Two created beings are in this world,
the divine and the demonic.
"'The divine has been described in detail;
hear from me about the demonic, Partha.
Progress and cessation demonic people do not understand;
neither purity nor good conduct nor truth is found in them.
Untruthful, they are unstable.
The universe, they say, is godless,
not by a succession created.
What else but desire caused it?
Holding this view lost souls of little intelligence
and evil actions come forth as enemies
for the destruction of the world.
"'Attached to insatiable desire,
accompanied by hypocrisy, arrogance, and lust,
out of confusion accepting false notions,
they proceed with impure purposes,
and clinging to immeasurable anxiety ending in death,
with gratification of desire their highest aim,
convinced that this is all,
bound by a hundred expectations,
devoted to desire and anger,
they wish for the gratification of desires
by the unjust means of hoards of wealth.
"'"This today was acquired by me;
this wish I shall obtain;
this is it; and this shall be my property also.
That enemy was slain by me;
and I shall kill others also.
I am the Lord; I am the enjoyer;
I am perfect, powerful, happy.
I am wealthy, aristocratic.
Who else is there like me?
I shall sacrifice, give, be merry."
Thus are those deluded by ignorance.
Led astray by more than one thought,
wrapped in a net of delusion,
attached to the gratification of desires,
they fall into an unclean hell.
"'Conceited souls, stubborn,
full of the pride and intoxication of wealth,
they sacrifice in the name of sacrifices with hypocrisy,
not in the sacred manner.
Clinging to the ego, force, insolence, desire, and anger,
the envious hate me in the soul of others' bodies.
Those hating, cruel, vicious wretches I throw continually
into the cycles of reincarnation in demonic wombs.
Entering a demonic womb, the deluded in birth after birth
not attaining me, Kaunteya, go then to the worst path.
"'This threefold gate of hell is destructive of the soul:
desire, anger, and greed.
Therefore one should renounce this threesome.
Released from these three dark gates, Kaunteya,
the best person practices for the soul,
then goes to the supreme goal.
"'Whoever, discarding scriptural knowledge,
follows willful desire does not attain perfection
nor happiness nor the supreme goal.
Therefore scripture is your authority
for determining what is to be done or not to be done.
Knowing what is said in scripture you should do work here.'
IMPERMANENCE...
The Buddha taught that all existence is impermanent because there is nothing internal or external whatsoever which is permanent, stable, lasting,not subject to decay and destruction, and forever the same. Everything changes continuously. Existence is like the flowing water of a river or the burning flame of a candle, which is never the same in two consecutive moments.
Our body,for instance, is made up of material elements such as flesh, bones and blood, which are impermanent. From the moment of our birth, the body constantly undergoes change. The human mind, too, is dependent on many factors. It is in constant change. It is like a monkey forever jumping about, never still for even a moment. neither the body nor the mind is permanent and unchanging.
Science teaches that apparently permanent objects like the oceans, continents,mountain ranges and even the earth, the sun and the solar system are constantly changing and will some day become extinct. When all these are also subject to change and destruction, one cannot doubt the impermanence of life. Life can end at any moment. No one can avoid death and the destruction of the body.
Understanding the characteristic of impermanence benefits people in two important ways. Firstly, it can improve human relationships and activities. Secondly, it can encourage people to follow the Noble Eightfold Path.
Often people find that they make mistakes in their relationships with others because they fail to take into account the changes that constantly occur in themselves and others. Often friendships die because one or both parties fail to realise that their friend’s personality, interests and attitudes have changed.
When one realises that people and situations are impermanent and constantly changing,, one will approach each moment of a relationship with an openmind. One will be able to react to each new situation without clinging to outdated ideas about people. Relationships can then develop fruitfully. Success in life depends on one’s ability to adapt to change in situations and to make the most of new opportunities arising.
Having understood that youth , health , material well-being and even life itself are impermanent, people should then make the most of those favorable circumstance while they last. This means that they need to practice the Noble Eightfold Path in order to achieve happiness and Enlightenment. The Buddha’s last words were :
“Subject to change are all things,
Strive on with diligence."
Our body,for instance, is made up of material elements such as flesh, bones and blood, which are impermanent. From the moment of our birth, the body constantly undergoes change. The human mind, too, is dependent on many factors. It is in constant change. It is like a monkey forever jumping about, never still for even a moment. neither the body nor the mind is permanent and unchanging.
Science teaches that apparently permanent objects like the oceans, continents,mountain ranges and even the earth, the sun and the solar system are constantly changing and will some day become extinct. When all these are also subject to change and destruction, one cannot doubt the impermanence of life. Life can end at any moment. No one can avoid death and the destruction of the body.
Understanding the characteristic of impermanence benefits people in two important ways. Firstly, it can improve human relationships and activities. Secondly, it can encourage people to follow the Noble Eightfold Path.
Often people find that they make mistakes in their relationships with others because they fail to take into account the changes that constantly occur in themselves and others. Often friendships die because one or both parties fail to realise that their friend’s personality, interests and attitudes have changed.
When one realises that people and situations are impermanent and constantly changing,, one will approach each moment of a relationship with an openmind. One will be able to react to each new situation without clinging to outdated ideas about people. Relationships can then develop fruitfully. Success in life depends on one’s ability to adapt to change in situations and to make the most of new opportunities arising.
Having understood that youth , health , material well-being and even life itself are impermanent, people should then make the most of those favorable circumstance while they last. This means that they need to practice the Noble Eightfold Path in order to achieve happiness and Enlightenment. The Buddha’s last words were :
“Subject to change are all things,
Strive on with diligence."
Evil...
The evil in human relations springs from the ignorance in human beings. As each one brings the principle of truth into his own consciousness, he brings it into his relation with others as a result. The love which accompanies it denies birth to cruelty, anger, and lust or dissolves any which already exist.........Paul Brunton
What I carry...
Some Israelites insulted Jesus one day as he walked through the
marketplace.
He answered them only by repeating prayers in their name.
Someone said to him, "You prayed for these men. Do you not feel
anger at their treatment of you?"
He answered, "I could spend only what I carry in my purse."
Fariduddin Attar
as collected by James Fadiman & Robert Frager
marketplace.
He answered them only by repeating prayers in their name.
Someone said to him, "You prayed for these men. Do you not feel
anger at their treatment of you?"
He answered, "I could spend only what I carry in my purse."
Fariduddin Attar
as collected by James Fadiman & Robert Frager
Humility - Kirpal Singh...
Rightly has it been said that if there were no humility in is world,
everyone would long ago have committed suicide.
When the light of humility dawns on the soul, the darkness of
selfishness disappears and the soul no longer lives for itself, but
for God. The soul loses itself in God, lives in God, and is
transformed into Him. This is the alchemy of humility. It transforms
the lowest into the Highest. The great Chinese sage, Lao Tse,
expressed the thought in beautiful words:
How does the sea become the king of all rivers and streams?
Because it lies lower than them.
St. Augustine said the way to God is, "First humility, second
humility and third humility." He who is proud of possessions or of
learning or of authority will not go to any Saint unless he is
humble. Even if he goes to the Saint, but considers himself superior
to Him, he will not listen to Him. A glass which is kept above a
tumbler of water will remain empty—until it is put below the
tumbler. You know what you know; just listen to what the other says.
Perhaps we can learn something from him.
Yes, the branches of a fruit-laden tree bend of their own accord.
Even so, the man who, losing himself, finds God—finds Him everywhere
and in everyone—bends before all, offers homage of his heart to all.
This is true humility. It is not a forced sense of lowliness. Such a
one lives in unity with all. He is in others and others are in him.
It is the fake ego-self that gives rise to the sense of discord and
separation. When the illusion of ego is broken, one feels, "I am not
apart from others, but others are parts of the One—God—The Master—
and all of us are engaged in the same service of God."
Each one of us is unique in his own way. There is a divine purpose
behind the life of everyone who comes into the world; no one has
been created for nothing. We have something to learn from everyone.
This is the mystery of humility.
The truly humble person does not compare himself with others. He
knows that none of us, however evolved, is perfect; none of us is
complete in himself. The humble person does not regard one as better
than the other; he believes in the divinity of each. If one says and
asserts that he is better than others, then he is not perfect as
yet.
It is only when one realizes his nothingness that God comes and
fills him with Himself. Where man is, God is not; where man is not,
God is! God cannot enter the heart of the self-seeking person. He
who is full of himself considers himself as above others and so puts
a limit on himself. God is without limit. How can the limitless
enter the limited?
O ye who seek God: See that you do not set yourself above others.
Give up all that you are and all that you have, empty yourself of
all "self," cast the ego out, and you stand face to face with God.
Wondrous are the words of the Sufi Saint, Abur Hassan:
Brothers! This is the Law:
He who cometh nigh to God
Loseth what he hath,
Aye, he loseth himself,
But gains instead the Gift Supreme,
The gift of humility.
everyone would long ago have committed suicide.
When the light of humility dawns on the soul, the darkness of
selfishness disappears and the soul no longer lives for itself, but
for God. The soul loses itself in God, lives in God, and is
transformed into Him. This is the alchemy of humility. It transforms
the lowest into the Highest. The great Chinese sage, Lao Tse,
expressed the thought in beautiful words:
How does the sea become the king of all rivers and streams?
Because it lies lower than them.
St. Augustine said the way to God is, "First humility, second
humility and third humility." He who is proud of possessions or of
learning or of authority will not go to any Saint unless he is
humble. Even if he goes to the Saint, but considers himself superior
to Him, he will not listen to Him. A glass which is kept above a
tumbler of water will remain empty—until it is put below the
tumbler. You know what you know; just listen to what the other says.
Perhaps we can learn something from him.
Yes, the branches of a fruit-laden tree bend of their own accord.
Even so, the man who, losing himself, finds God—finds Him everywhere
and in everyone—bends before all, offers homage of his heart to all.
This is true humility. It is not a forced sense of lowliness. Such a
one lives in unity with all. He is in others and others are in him.
It is the fake ego-self that gives rise to the sense of discord and
separation. When the illusion of ego is broken, one feels, "I am not
apart from others, but others are parts of the One—God—The Master—
and all of us are engaged in the same service of God."
Each one of us is unique in his own way. There is a divine purpose
behind the life of everyone who comes into the world; no one has
been created for nothing. We have something to learn from everyone.
This is the mystery of humility.
The truly humble person does not compare himself with others. He
knows that none of us, however evolved, is perfect; none of us is
complete in himself. The humble person does not regard one as better
than the other; he believes in the divinity of each. If one says and
asserts that he is better than others, then he is not perfect as
yet.
It is only when one realizes his nothingness that God comes and
fills him with Himself. Where man is, God is not; where man is not,
God is! God cannot enter the heart of the self-seeking person. He
who is full of himself considers himself as above others and so puts
a limit on himself. God is without limit. How can the limitless
enter the limited?
O ye who seek God: See that you do not set yourself above others.
Give up all that you are and all that you have, empty yourself of
all "self," cast the ego out, and you stand face to face with God.
Wondrous are the words of the Sufi Saint, Abur Hassan:
Brothers! This is the Law:
He who cometh nigh to God
Loseth what he hath,
Aye, he loseth himself,
But gains instead the Gift Supreme,
The gift of humility.
Enlightenment...
That which you yearn for, that which you hunger for, is That which is always present. That is who you truly are.
When I say you, I am not referring to your body. Your body is in that. I am not referring to your thoughts. Your thoughts are in that. I am not referring to your emotions. Your emotions appear in and disappear in that. I am not speaking of your circumstances. Circumstances too appear in and disappear out.
Bodies, thoughts, emotions, and circumstances change. They appear and disappear. They may be good or bad. They may be pleasing or displeasing. The truth of who you are is permanent and unmoving. The great, good news is that however you might imagine yourself, you can recognize who you truly are. Regardless of the experience of yourself as a body, or as the thought, I am this body, you can receive the direct transmission of the truth from your own Self. That transmission is satsang. Satsang confirms your true identity as pure consciousness, free of all perceived constraints.
When this good news is heard, really heard, there is immeasurable opening. No one has ever reported an end to realizing the Self. What does end is the preoccupation with imagining yourself to be some particular entity separate from boundless consciousness.
Self-realization is not something that can be captured in words. Although words will be used, no word that anyone has ever spoken has touched the glory of the true Self. I am here to point to that, to celebrate that, and to laugh at the very flimsy excuse that something could ever really obstruct.
I do not have anything to teach you. Self-realization is not about learning. I am not asking you to remember anything. I am not asking you to do anything or to get anything new. Nothing new is needed. I am asking you to realize you are already that which you want. And I am simply suggesting, as my teacher suggested to me, and as his teacher suggested to him, that you take one instant, one millisecond to allow the activity of the mind to stop.
In that millisecond, what a discovery is made! In that millisecond, you receive the invitation to surrender to what is revealed when there is no attention on body, thought, emotion, or circumstance. This is a momentous instant! In this instant the body is gone. In this instant of perfect silence you discover what is permanently here, what has always been here, what is permanently you. This instant of silence is the invitation to true refuge, true retreat, true peace, regardless of comings and goings.
What an instant this is! In this instant there is no dwelling on the past, there is no speculating on the future, and there is no analyzing the present in relation to the past or the future. In this instant there is no mental preoccupation, there is no conditioned existence. There is only that pure, pristine consciousness. In this instant you are in satsang.
Somehow, by some stroke of good luck, your individual consciousness has been called to satsang. You have heard the words that you are Truth itself. Now you are free to discover yourself as Truth. You are free to rest in that Truth. You are free to be happy, regardless of bodies, thoughts, emotions, or circumstances. You are free to be who you truly are.
~ Gangaji
"You Are That!".
When I say you, I am not referring to your body. Your body is in that. I am not referring to your thoughts. Your thoughts are in that. I am not referring to your emotions. Your emotions appear in and disappear in that. I am not speaking of your circumstances. Circumstances too appear in and disappear out.
Bodies, thoughts, emotions, and circumstances change. They appear and disappear. They may be good or bad. They may be pleasing or displeasing. The truth of who you are is permanent and unmoving. The great, good news is that however you might imagine yourself, you can recognize who you truly are. Regardless of the experience of yourself as a body, or as the thought, I am this body, you can receive the direct transmission of the truth from your own Self. That transmission is satsang. Satsang confirms your true identity as pure consciousness, free of all perceived constraints.
When this good news is heard, really heard, there is immeasurable opening. No one has ever reported an end to realizing the Self. What does end is the preoccupation with imagining yourself to be some particular entity separate from boundless consciousness.
Self-realization is not something that can be captured in words. Although words will be used, no word that anyone has ever spoken has touched the glory of the true Self. I am here to point to that, to celebrate that, and to laugh at the very flimsy excuse that something could ever really obstruct.
I do not have anything to teach you. Self-realization is not about learning. I am not asking you to remember anything. I am not asking you to do anything or to get anything new. Nothing new is needed. I am asking you to realize you are already that which you want. And I am simply suggesting, as my teacher suggested to me, and as his teacher suggested to him, that you take one instant, one millisecond to allow the activity of the mind to stop.
In that millisecond, what a discovery is made! In that millisecond, you receive the invitation to surrender to what is revealed when there is no attention on body, thought, emotion, or circumstance. This is a momentous instant! In this instant the body is gone. In this instant of perfect silence you discover what is permanently here, what has always been here, what is permanently you. This instant of silence is the invitation to true refuge, true retreat, true peace, regardless of comings and goings.
What an instant this is! In this instant there is no dwelling on the past, there is no speculating on the future, and there is no analyzing the present in relation to the past or the future. In this instant there is no mental preoccupation, there is no conditioned existence. There is only that pure, pristine consciousness. In this instant you are in satsang.
Somehow, by some stroke of good luck, your individual consciousness has been called to satsang. You have heard the words that you are Truth itself. Now you are free to discover yourself as Truth. You are free to rest in that Truth. You are free to be happy, regardless of bodies, thoughts, emotions, or circumstances. You are free to be who you truly are.
~ Gangaji
"You Are That!".
Pure Mind...
We, the universe, everything, are pure Mind. This is unchangeable, hence unevolutable, or it could not be the Real. Once you awaken to IT you know it always was what it is; it can never evolve. All the rest was a kind of self-hypnotization, hence unreal. In that sense the Garden of Eden story is correct. We were then immortal, immaterial, innocent. We lost this by losing our awareness and accepting a limited idea of ourselves. We have been driven out of the Garden because we wanted knowledge. Knowledge presupposes "a second thing"--something to be known. Thus we lost unity, sought a world of objects, and got into oblivion of self. The happy Edenic state can be restored by right thinking and de-hypnotization of ourselves.
— Notebooks Category 21: Mentalism > Chapter 4: The Challenge of Mentalism > # 70.........Paul Brunton
— Notebooks Category 21: Mentalism > Chapter 4: The Challenge of Mentalism > # 70.........Paul Brunton
Action and Reaction...
Don't respond to a negative reaction with more destructive action. When we do, the law of inertia takes over and we keep going down that path of negativity that can create a hell on earth. We always reserve the right to say what we would like and why; we always give others a choice, and we always accept people as they are. Trying to change others doesn't work and is frustrating.
Ultimately, when we choose to act with love, and react with faith based upon the will of infinite wisdom, the results of our personal interactions will be beneficial to all concerned. Our peace and poise will be in spiritual balance as we manifest the divine truth within.
~ Steven Van Meter.
Ultimately, when we choose to act with love, and react with faith based upon the will of infinite wisdom, the results of our personal interactions will be beneficial to all concerned. Our peace and poise will be in spiritual balance as we manifest the divine truth within.
~ Steven Van Meter.
Insecurity and the Unknown ...
The door to God is
the insecurity of not knowing anything.
Bear the grace of that insecurity,
and all wisdom will be yours.
INHERENT IN THE IMPULSE TO BE FREE, IS INSECURITY. The impulse to be free comes from outside the mind, and because of this, it makes the mind feel very insecure. Most spiritual seekers move away from this insecurity by seeking and striving for a distant spiritual goal. That's how they avoid feeling insecure. In an effort not to feel insecure, in an attempt not to directly face the Unknown - which is where the impulse to be free originates - the ego creates a spiritual seeker as a means to avoid it. It is a very intelligent play of the mind, a show, a fantasy.
Q: It's almost like a contradiction.
A: The impulse to be free, since it comes from outside of the mind, outside of the "me," is completely unknown to the mind, to the me. So the way the mind deals with this vast Unknown and this insecurity is by seeking. For many people, the impulse to be free simply solidifies the sense of a separate self rather than taking them beyond it. Seeking happens, but the seeker who is separate from the sought is purely a creation of the mind. You are not the seeker; you are the sought. You are the Self.
Q: Is the illusion of the seeker simply a disguised form of resistance to the impulse to be free?
A: Yes. Do not seek outside of yourself; you are the sought. Be still and all will come to you. It is only the seeker that has absolutely no interest in stopping, but you are not the seeker.
You have to become more interested in the silent background than in the foreground, the phenomena: thoughts, emotions, sounds, smells, etc. The Self is the source from which the phenomena spring and the ground in which this display of phenomena is happening, from the subtlest feelings and experiences to the grossest matter. When you rest as this background, you can taste your Self. You just give yourself to it. Actually, you're giving your idea of yourself to your true Self. The idea comes out of the Silence, so you give the idea of who you are back to the Silence.
Q: I am interested in the seeking prior to the solidification of the seeker. It seems natural to move away from the overwhelming bodily sensation intiated by the impulse to be free . . . like when heat gets too hot, we move away. It also seems that the impulse has an inherent desire to move us or perhaps evolve in us or through us. How do you reconcile that natural tendency toward movement with the need to be still in the face of the impulse?
A: What needs to be seen is that for the impulse towards freedom to come to fruition, what you need to do is to jump into that heat. Jump into that fire. Do not give in to any tendency to move away. If you want to be cooked, you have to stay in the oven, in the fire of the impulse to be free.
Q: Since the Unknown stimulates a human being to feel insecure, how does anyone avoid this trap of the insecurity of the Unknown?
A: The insecurity of the Unknown is the very thing that you don't want to avoid. Within the insecurity, within the Unknown - the Mystery - lies the fulfillment of all seeking. Not until you come to absolute rest in that insecurity, in the Unknown, will it show its true face . . . which is beauty itself, beyond all fear. Total security arises out of total insecurity. Both security and insecurity refer to a personal, separate sense of I. Who is this I? In the absense of the personal I, all fears cease.
Q: When I look for myself inside the insecurity, there's absolutely nothing there.
A: But there is something there. Consciousness-ing is there. Awareness is there. That which has no image is there. That which is timeless is there. Eternal being-ness is there. Love is there. It is only the mind that looks into emptiness and says, "Nothing's there." What that really means is, there is no individual "I" there.
Q: That's what I was looking for.
A: (Laugh.) That's right. And the not finding of the I is freedom. It shows you just how much interest the mind has in anything other than itself: none! (Laugh.) It shows you just what the mind is focused on.
Q: You rarely speak about God. What is God to you?
A: In order to find what the concept of God is pointing to, you must let go of your image of God and every concept you have about God. You must dare to be void of all concepts and enter into perfect Emptiness, perfect stillness, and perfect silence. You must forget everything you have ever learned about God. It won't help you. It may comfort you, but such comfort is imaginary; it is an illusion. Let go of all the false comforts of the mind. Let them all come to an end. The end must be experienced fully in Stillness. When you let all images, all concepts, all hopes, all beliefs end, Stillness is experienced.
Experience the core of Stillness. Dive into it and surrender fully. In full surrender to Stillness, you directly experience That to which the concept of God points. In that direct experience, you awaken from the dream of the mind and realize that the concept of God points to who you truly are.
If you choose Freedom, life will become magical. The life you'll step into is one in which the Self is in hidden agreement with your humanness. The Self begins to harmonize with your life, and it may proceed in a way that you could never have predicted. The magical part is that the more you let go, the better it feels. The more you step into insecurity, the more you notice how secure and safe it is. Where you just stepped out of was unsafe.
Realization is the medicine given
to the disease of suffering -
and it's the only medicine there is.
~Adya
the insecurity of not knowing anything.
Bear the grace of that insecurity,
and all wisdom will be yours.
INHERENT IN THE IMPULSE TO BE FREE, IS INSECURITY. The impulse to be free comes from outside the mind, and because of this, it makes the mind feel very insecure. Most spiritual seekers move away from this insecurity by seeking and striving for a distant spiritual goal. That's how they avoid feeling insecure. In an effort not to feel insecure, in an attempt not to directly face the Unknown - which is where the impulse to be free originates - the ego creates a spiritual seeker as a means to avoid it. It is a very intelligent play of the mind, a show, a fantasy.
Q: It's almost like a contradiction.
A: The impulse to be free, since it comes from outside of the mind, outside of the "me," is completely unknown to the mind, to the me. So the way the mind deals with this vast Unknown and this insecurity is by seeking. For many people, the impulse to be free simply solidifies the sense of a separate self rather than taking them beyond it. Seeking happens, but the seeker who is separate from the sought is purely a creation of the mind. You are not the seeker; you are the sought. You are the Self.
Q: Is the illusion of the seeker simply a disguised form of resistance to the impulse to be free?
A: Yes. Do not seek outside of yourself; you are the sought. Be still and all will come to you. It is only the seeker that has absolutely no interest in stopping, but you are not the seeker.
You have to become more interested in the silent background than in the foreground, the phenomena: thoughts, emotions, sounds, smells, etc. The Self is the source from which the phenomena spring and the ground in which this display of phenomena is happening, from the subtlest feelings and experiences to the grossest matter. When you rest as this background, you can taste your Self. You just give yourself to it. Actually, you're giving your idea of yourself to your true Self. The idea comes out of the Silence, so you give the idea of who you are back to the Silence.
Q: I am interested in the seeking prior to the solidification of the seeker. It seems natural to move away from the overwhelming bodily sensation intiated by the impulse to be free . . . like when heat gets too hot, we move away. It also seems that the impulse has an inherent desire to move us or perhaps evolve in us or through us. How do you reconcile that natural tendency toward movement with the need to be still in the face of the impulse?
A: What needs to be seen is that for the impulse towards freedom to come to fruition, what you need to do is to jump into that heat. Jump into that fire. Do not give in to any tendency to move away. If you want to be cooked, you have to stay in the oven, in the fire of the impulse to be free.
Q: Since the Unknown stimulates a human being to feel insecure, how does anyone avoid this trap of the insecurity of the Unknown?
A: The insecurity of the Unknown is the very thing that you don't want to avoid. Within the insecurity, within the Unknown - the Mystery - lies the fulfillment of all seeking. Not until you come to absolute rest in that insecurity, in the Unknown, will it show its true face . . . which is beauty itself, beyond all fear. Total security arises out of total insecurity. Both security and insecurity refer to a personal, separate sense of I. Who is this I? In the absense of the personal I, all fears cease.
Q: When I look for myself inside the insecurity, there's absolutely nothing there.
A: But there is something there. Consciousness-ing is there. Awareness is there. That which has no image is there. That which is timeless is there. Eternal being-ness is there. Love is there. It is only the mind that looks into emptiness and says, "Nothing's there." What that really means is, there is no individual "I" there.
Q: That's what I was looking for.
A: (Laugh.) That's right. And the not finding of the I is freedom. It shows you just how much interest the mind has in anything other than itself: none! (Laugh.) It shows you just what the mind is focused on.
Q: You rarely speak about God. What is God to you?
A: In order to find what the concept of God is pointing to, you must let go of your image of God and every concept you have about God. You must dare to be void of all concepts and enter into perfect Emptiness, perfect stillness, and perfect silence. You must forget everything you have ever learned about God. It won't help you. It may comfort you, but such comfort is imaginary; it is an illusion. Let go of all the false comforts of the mind. Let them all come to an end. The end must be experienced fully in Stillness. When you let all images, all concepts, all hopes, all beliefs end, Stillness is experienced.
Experience the core of Stillness. Dive into it and surrender fully. In full surrender to Stillness, you directly experience That to which the concept of God points. In that direct experience, you awaken from the dream of the mind and realize that the concept of God points to who you truly are.
If you choose Freedom, life will become magical. The life you'll step into is one in which the Self is in hidden agreement with your humanness. The Self begins to harmonize with your life, and it may proceed in a way that you could never have predicted. The magical part is that the more you let go, the better it feels. The more you step into insecurity, the more you notice how secure and safe it is. Where you just stepped out of was unsafe.
Realization is the medicine given
to the disease of suffering -
and it's the only medicine there is.
~Adya
What is a Mystic?...
The mystic finds the eye of the needle and enters into the realization of the Kingdom of Heaven within.
WHAT IS MYSTICISM:
More and more people have been asking me lately “What do you mean by the word mystic?” There seems to be quite a lot of blurry confused notions and outright misconceptions about the word. And yet, it is perhaps one of the most important words pointing toward a fundamental truth about who we are at the soul of matter . Mysticism is about how we can come to live within the fullness of our True Nature.
In a very real sense - and because mysticism concerns the essence of life -- it is audacious to even try and define it. Words are insufficient, often in the way of understanding. That to which the word "mysticism" refers, is a quality of presence that is quite literally beyond and before any words (more on that later). ... Still, and like others, I feel compelled to try and come as close as I can to pointing toward something that speaks of our original nature. And I beg pardon in advance for the terrible insufficiency of language and the limits of my own mere glimpses into these realms of an endless sacred mystery. ...Still, let me try.
A mystic is one who, above all else in life, desires to know (not in the intellectual sense of knowing) the deepest Truth of existence. A mystic is one who senses more to life than making a living or being of service in the world – although these things are both necessary and good. The mystic, however, is looking beyond an exclusive (or preoccupied) focus on these survival/self-actualization desires to something more: he is looking to discover the deepest truth of our being as incarnate souls; to understand our greatest potential as reflections of God; to realize our wholeness within the Ground of All. The primary interest in life for the mystic is to discover truth, to know God, to see into mans whole nature. …The mystic sees all of life as an abundant opportunity to discover, realize, and express the Divine.
Mysticism springs from an insatiable curiosity for understanding the essential questions of Life: matters of God, Creation, the Infinite --- and the human potential for knowing Truth. The mystic is in reality the ultimate scientist who, looking beyond the apparent or obvious in all matters, asks: “Is this that I am seeing reality or the illusions that stem from fear?” “What existed before this sense of reality?” "What existed before my mental constructs, my beliefs, my self identity?" "Who is this that observes and is self-reflecting?" “What is at life's very source?”....
MYSTICISM: WHY IT'S SO OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD:
Mysticism is terrifically misunderstood by mainstream culture. It always has been. Many people (incorrectly) think mysticism is some kind of odd occult -- someone who studies magic or renounces life and goes off to live in a cave. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The reason this has often been confused though is not so surprising. The mystic is one who undergoes a radical shift in conscious understanding - and that often looks, sounds, or seems very mysterious to our accustomed ways of thinking and being.
The mystic consciously enters into the sacred journey that all the world's great religions speak of in various ways: Some call it becoming awakened, enlightened, born again. It is an inner journey that requires a deconstruction of the conditioned illusions of separation so that the true freedom of living can emerge. It is the true meaning of being born anew. It is the process and realization of letting die our stale and conditioned habits and beliefs so that we may live in the fullness of each new moment of Creation. It is the understanding that conditioned patterns, belief systems, and memory are not living, but dead moments already. It is the realization that true living can only be lived in a freedom that moves with the current of Creation -- forever open to each moment teaming with new potential.
To let go the illusions of ego identity and stand naked before our true original nature, often requires a removing of oneself from typical ways of living and thinking (at least for a time). In the sacred literature this is often referred to as entering the wilderness, facing the dark night of the soul, annihilation of the ego, or dying to oneself to be born again. It is a process of fundamental transformation of conscious understanding that the mystic takes on. The journey it takes to successfully deconstruct the layers of conditioning that block true awareness, and what emerges from this inner journey of realization (or awakening) can often look and sound very mysterious (if not down right confusing) to the uninitiated and linear mind. But in truth it is the deepest meaning upon which all the world's great religions have their original foundation. It is the journey to discovering and experiencing direct relationship with/as God or the Source of All Creation. It is each individual soul coming to directly know itself within the Divine. It is the fulfillment of our purpose: " I and my father are one."
GREAT MYSTICAL TEACHERS OF THE PRESENT AND PAST:
Throughout all of history, mystics have been our way showers, those who go before, those who see beyond, those who seem (so often) to speak in riddles. They are those who have “lifted the veil” of worldly illusion to experience a deeper truth and wisdom of Being. The mystic is not so much concerned with survival as with coming to realize the full potential of being. The mystic is seeking direct realization of Truth even within a dynamic evolving Great Mystery. The mystic finds the eye of the needle and enters into the realization of the Kingdom of Heaven within.
Every religion the world over (both of the east and west, orthodox and liberal) has at its origin the way-showing wisdom of one or more great mystics. Indeed, all the men and women throughout recorded history who have had the greatest spiritual integrity and direct authority are rightly called mystics: Jesus of Nazareth was a true mystic, as was Gandhi, Meister Eckhart, Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, William James, Thomas Merton, Sri Aurobindo, Sri Ramakrisna, Lao-tse, Shankara, Vivikananda, Abraham, Job, Carl Jung to name a mere few… and scores more of men and women poets and artists.
COMMONALITY AMONGST THE WORLD'S MYSTICS:
If you study the life of past mystics you'll find they share several things in common:
First, they all speak of an induction – or of a need to learn/realize a new level of understanding. They all speak of a fundamental shift in consciousness (be it called awakening, realization, divination, or being born again).
Second they all tell of making a journey into and through a despair process of being “undone” as the precursor to this fundamental shift in consciousness -- be it through experiencing 40 days and nights in the wilderness, starving under the boddhi tree, facing the dark night of the soul, or the hero’s journey. There is a Journey of metamorphosis that all mystics have undergone in some way.
Third, it is an inner journey that must be taken up and navigated alone. This is a hallmark of the mystic’s realization: The reason the journey must be alone is because that which must be faced, seen, and surrendered in order that something new can emerge, is only possible through sustaining the fear and despair process of being alone and meeting the ultimate and fundamental fear of “non-being” and annihilation.
Fourth, they all seem to realize the frustration of being misunderstood by those who have not yet been through the awakening journey -- “those who have ears to hear, let him hear.” A great deal of the mystical writings are devoted almost exclusively to the fact that fundamental spiritual truth cannot be understood by the intellect nor correctly put into words. Forever, the great spiritual teachers have tried through the insufficiency of words to point toward that which can ever and only be experienced and known on a level that is before and beyond the mind. This is something unfathomable to those who have not yet had this breakthrough revelation - and particularly so in our contemporary culture that has become so overly reliant and blinded by the limiting paradigm of the scientific method that forever reduces our understanding of intelligence to that which is sensory, measurable and linear in nature. (...Life isn't (only or always) linear .. In fact it rarely is, except in man-made constructions and habituated uses of the mind.)
THE (MYSTERIOUS) LANGUAGE OF GOD:
There is literally a new language/understanding that accompanies spiritual realization. The same old words now have entirely different, deeper layers of meaning and significance within the framework of spiritual realization. In fact no words can encompass that which has been realized. That is why when the words of our world's great mystics are heard through the common language of those who have not yet made the mystic's journey, they are invariably misconstrued and misused. That is why Jesus was crucified. It is why we have "religious wars." And it is why we have so much religious politic and prejudice corrupting a universal truth that one has to enter into alone.
That is why we see so many people (wrongly) trying to “practice” their way into spiritual realization with all sorts of dogma, belief systems, religious structures, postures, and prayers. The reason these things don't work is because the need to grasp something (the very mechanism of the mind that needs to hold on to anything for its salvation) is the very thing that has to be let go of!
It's an odd sort of reverse psychology (with a double twist): The path to spiritual realization is completely antithetical to what anyone would call a path at all. It is always the subtle paradoxical opposite of what one tries to see, know, find, understand. That is why so much of it sounds like riddles. That is why I say it is a fundamentally different language. That's as close as I can come to pointing toward finding your way: realize that we’re talking about developing an ear for a completely foreign language. …Start listening into the unfamiliar, the unclear, the uncomfortable, the not-knowing. Start living in not-knowing anything (not any thing!) -- From there, the new language of Knowing emerges like one of those 3-d picture puzzles where the image is embedded within (and is more than) the dots.
...Listen in a new way – and not so much for new things…. (a key).
The word Mystic at its root stands for that which cannot be named – that which is forever before the naming: Source. The
word also hints at the path to spiritual realization -- that is, to become capable of going into a terrain that is beyond the mind (before the naming), separate from any belief, any identification or security, and opens through a sense of awe for the great mystery.
\THE CALL TO REMEMBER:
The mystic is really anybody who seeks to experience above all else, the direct expression of God/Source/Being in one’s life. He or she is anyone with the deep desire and courage necessary to look - and see - beyond the obvious conditioning of our manufactured world view; to see beyond the illusions of our self-created identities, and find what lies forever before and all around us, as the One that is All. The path is one of surrendering all that we currently hold on to as belief, identity, intellect. What emerges is the full expression of Being within the language of Love................. ronda larue, 2002.
WHAT IS MYSTICISM:
More and more people have been asking me lately “What do you mean by the word mystic?” There seems to be quite a lot of blurry confused notions and outright misconceptions about the word. And yet, it is perhaps one of the most important words pointing toward a fundamental truth about who we are at the soul of matter . Mysticism is about how we can come to live within the fullness of our True Nature.
In a very real sense - and because mysticism concerns the essence of life -- it is audacious to even try and define it. Words are insufficient, often in the way of understanding. That to which the word "mysticism" refers, is a quality of presence that is quite literally beyond and before any words (more on that later). ... Still, and like others, I feel compelled to try and come as close as I can to pointing toward something that speaks of our original nature. And I beg pardon in advance for the terrible insufficiency of language and the limits of my own mere glimpses into these realms of an endless sacred mystery. ...Still, let me try.
A mystic is one who, above all else in life, desires to know (not in the intellectual sense of knowing) the deepest Truth of existence. A mystic is one who senses more to life than making a living or being of service in the world – although these things are both necessary and good. The mystic, however, is looking beyond an exclusive (or preoccupied) focus on these survival/self-actualization desires to something more: he is looking to discover the deepest truth of our being as incarnate souls; to understand our greatest potential as reflections of God; to realize our wholeness within the Ground of All. The primary interest in life for the mystic is to discover truth, to know God, to see into mans whole nature. …The mystic sees all of life as an abundant opportunity to discover, realize, and express the Divine.
Mysticism springs from an insatiable curiosity for understanding the essential questions of Life: matters of God, Creation, the Infinite --- and the human potential for knowing Truth. The mystic is in reality the ultimate scientist who, looking beyond the apparent or obvious in all matters, asks: “Is this that I am seeing reality or the illusions that stem from fear?” “What existed before this sense of reality?” "What existed before my mental constructs, my beliefs, my self identity?" "Who is this that observes and is self-reflecting?" “What is at life's very source?”....
MYSTICISM: WHY IT'S SO OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD:
Mysticism is terrifically misunderstood by mainstream culture. It always has been. Many people (incorrectly) think mysticism is some kind of odd occult -- someone who studies magic or renounces life and goes off to live in a cave. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The reason this has often been confused though is not so surprising. The mystic is one who undergoes a radical shift in conscious understanding - and that often looks, sounds, or seems very mysterious to our accustomed ways of thinking and being.
The mystic consciously enters into the sacred journey that all the world's great religions speak of in various ways: Some call it becoming awakened, enlightened, born again. It is an inner journey that requires a deconstruction of the conditioned illusions of separation so that the true freedom of living can emerge. It is the true meaning of being born anew. It is the process and realization of letting die our stale and conditioned habits and beliefs so that we may live in the fullness of each new moment of Creation. It is the understanding that conditioned patterns, belief systems, and memory are not living, but dead moments already. It is the realization that true living can only be lived in a freedom that moves with the current of Creation -- forever open to each moment teaming with new potential.
To let go the illusions of ego identity and stand naked before our true original nature, often requires a removing of oneself from typical ways of living and thinking (at least for a time). In the sacred literature this is often referred to as entering the wilderness, facing the dark night of the soul, annihilation of the ego, or dying to oneself to be born again. It is a process of fundamental transformation of conscious understanding that the mystic takes on. The journey it takes to successfully deconstruct the layers of conditioning that block true awareness, and what emerges from this inner journey of realization (or awakening) can often look and sound very mysterious (if not down right confusing) to the uninitiated and linear mind. But in truth it is the deepest meaning upon which all the world's great religions have their original foundation. It is the journey to discovering and experiencing direct relationship with/as God or the Source of All Creation. It is each individual soul coming to directly know itself within the Divine. It is the fulfillment of our purpose: " I and my father are one."
GREAT MYSTICAL TEACHERS OF THE PRESENT AND PAST:
Throughout all of history, mystics have been our way showers, those who go before, those who see beyond, those who seem (so often) to speak in riddles. They are those who have “lifted the veil” of worldly illusion to experience a deeper truth and wisdom of Being. The mystic is not so much concerned with survival as with coming to realize the full potential of being. The mystic is seeking direct realization of Truth even within a dynamic evolving Great Mystery. The mystic finds the eye of the needle and enters into the realization of the Kingdom of Heaven within.
Every religion the world over (both of the east and west, orthodox and liberal) has at its origin the way-showing wisdom of one or more great mystics. Indeed, all the men and women throughout recorded history who have had the greatest spiritual integrity and direct authority are rightly called mystics: Jesus of Nazareth was a true mystic, as was Gandhi, Meister Eckhart, Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, William James, Thomas Merton, Sri Aurobindo, Sri Ramakrisna, Lao-tse, Shankara, Vivikananda, Abraham, Job, Carl Jung to name a mere few… and scores more of men and women poets and artists.
COMMONALITY AMONGST THE WORLD'S MYSTICS:
If you study the life of past mystics you'll find they share several things in common:
First, they all speak of an induction – or of a need to learn/realize a new level of understanding. They all speak of a fundamental shift in consciousness (be it called awakening, realization, divination, or being born again).
Second they all tell of making a journey into and through a despair process of being “undone” as the precursor to this fundamental shift in consciousness -- be it through experiencing 40 days and nights in the wilderness, starving under the boddhi tree, facing the dark night of the soul, or the hero’s journey. There is a Journey of metamorphosis that all mystics have undergone in some way.
Third, it is an inner journey that must be taken up and navigated alone. This is a hallmark of the mystic’s realization: The reason the journey must be alone is because that which must be faced, seen, and surrendered in order that something new can emerge, is only possible through sustaining the fear and despair process of being alone and meeting the ultimate and fundamental fear of “non-being” and annihilation.
Fourth, they all seem to realize the frustration of being misunderstood by those who have not yet been through the awakening journey -- “those who have ears to hear, let him hear.” A great deal of the mystical writings are devoted almost exclusively to the fact that fundamental spiritual truth cannot be understood by the intellect nor correctly put into words. Forever, the great spiritual teachers have tried through the insufficiency of words to point toward that which can ever and only be experienced and known on a level that is before and beyond the mind. This is something unfathomable to those who have not yet had this breakthrough revelation - and particularly so in our contemporary culture that has become so overly reliant and blinded by the limiting paradigm of the scientific method that forever reduces our understanding of intelligence to that which is sensory, measurable and linear in nature. (...Life isn't (only or always) linear .. In fact it rarely is, except in man-made constructions and habituated uses of the mind.)
THE (MYSTERIOUS) LANGUAGE OF GOD:
There is literally a new language/understanding that accompanies spiritual realization. The same old words now have entirely different, deeper layers of meaning and significance within the framework of spiritual realization. In fact no words can encompass that which has been realized. That is why when the words of our world's great mystics are heard through the common language of those who have not yet made the mystic's journey, they are invariably misconstrued and misused. That is why Jesus was crucified. It is why we have "religious wars." And it is why we have so much religious politic and prejudice corrupting a universal truth that one has to enter into alone.
That is why we see so many people (wrongly) trying to “practice” their way into spiritual realization with all sorts of dogma, belief systems, religious structures, postures, and prayers. The reason these things don't work is because the need to grasp something (the very mechanism of the mind that needs to hold on to anything for its salvation) is the very thing that has to be let go of!
It's an odd sort of reverse psychology (with a double twist): The path to spiritual realization is completely antithetical to what anyone would call a path at all. It is always the subtle paradoxical opposite of what one tries to see, know, find, understand. That is why so much of it sounds like riddles. That is why I say it is a fundamentally different language. That's as close as I can come to pointing toward finding your way: realize that we’re talking about developing an ear for a completely foreign language. …Start listening into the unfamiliar, the unclear, the uncomfortable, the not-knowing. Start living in not-knowing anything (not any thing!) -- From there, the new language of Knowing emerges like one of those 3-d picture puzzles where the image is embedded within (and is more than) the dots.
...Listen in a new way – and not so much for new things…. (a key).
The word Mystic at its root stands for that which cannot be named – that which is forever before the naming: Source. The
word also hints at the path to spiritual realization -- that is, to become capable of going into a terrain that is beyond the mind (before the naming), separate from any belief, any identification or security, and opens through a sense of awe for the great mystery.
\THE CALL TO REMEMBER:
The mystic is really anybody who seeks to experience above all else, the direct expression of God/Source/Being in one’s life. He or she is anyone with the deep desire and courage necessary to look - and see - beyond the obvious conditioning of our manufactured world view; to see beyond the illusions of our self-created identities, and find what lies forever before and all around us, as the One that is All. The path is one of surrendering all that we currently hold on to as belief, identity, intellect. What emerges is the full expression of Being within the language of Love................. ronda larue, 2002.
Stillness...
It has been said: "Stillness is the language God speaks, and everything else is a bad translation." Stillness is really another word for space. Becoming conscious of stillness whenever we encounter is in our lives will connect us with the formless and timeless dimension within ourselves, that which is beyond thought, beyond ego. It may be the stillness that pervades the world of nature, or the stillness in your room in the early hours of the morning, or the silent gaps in between sounds. Stillness has no form--that is why through thinking we cannot become aware of it. Thought is form. Being aware of stillness means to be still. To be still is to be conscious without thought. You are never more essentially, more deeply, yourself than when you are still.
When you are still, you are who you are beyond your temporal existence: consciousness--unconditioned, formless, eternal
Eckhart Tolle
When you are still, you are who you are beyond your temporal existence: consciousness--unconditioned, formless, eternal
Eckhart Tolle
Paradox...
"The truest sayings are paradoxical," declared Lao Tzu, and to prove it wrote a little book which was full of them. The proverb applies as much to the entire universe which science is probing as to the mysterious divinity behind it. What is more, we humans meet at times with the most astonishing situations which exemplify paradox to the full........Paul Brunton
The Universal Laws...
Drs. Milanovich and McCune in, The Light Shall Set You Free (1998), state there are 12 Universal Laws, and 21 sub-laws, that describe ways in which cause and effect are related. The Universal Laws can also be viewed as guidelines for behaviors that will enhance our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual growth.
The Universal Laws are all inter-related and are founded on the understanding that everything in the universe is energy, including us, and that energy moves in a circular fashion. At the microscopic level, we are a whirling mass of electrons and energy atoms spinning rapidly. In fact, everything in the world is comprised of energy and we are intimately connected with this sea of energy, this sea of whirling electrons.
Our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions are all forms of energy. What we think, feel, say, and do in each moment comes back to us to create our realities. Energy moves in a circle, so what goes around comes around. The combined thoughts, feelings, words and actions of everyone on the planet creates our collective consciousness, it creates the world we see before us.
The exciting news is, because our thoughts, feelings, words and actions create the world around us, we have the power to create a world of peace, harmony and abundance. In order to do this, it is essential that we learn to control our thoughts and emotions. Understanding the Universals Laws help us to do this.
1. The Law of Divine Oneness:
The Law of Divine Oneness helps us to understand that we live in a world where everything is connected to everything else. Everything we do, say, think and believe affects others and the universe around us.
2. The Law of Vibration:
This Universal Law states that everything in the Universe moves, vibrates, and travels in circular patterns. The same principles of vibration in the physical world apply to our thoughts, feelings, desires, and wills in the Etheric world. Each sound, thing, and even thought has its own vibrational frequency, unique unto itself.
3. The Law of Action:
The Law of Action must be applied in order for us to manifest things on earth. Therefore, we must engage in actions that support our thoughts, dreams, emotions and words.
4. The Law of Correspondence:
This Universal Law states that the principles or laws of physics that explain the physical world – energy, Light, vibration, and motion – have their corresponding principles in the etheric or universe. “As above, so below.”
5. The Law of Cause and Effect:
This Universal Law states that nothing happens by chance or outside the Universal Laws. Every action has a reaction or consequence and we “reap what we have sown.”
6. The Law of Compensation:
This Universal Law is the Law of Cause and Effect applied to blessings and abundance that are provided for us. The visible effects of our deeds are given to us in gifts, money, inheritances, friendships, and blessings.
7. The Law of Attraction:
This Universal Law demonstrates how we create the things, events, and people that come into our lives. Our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions produce energies which, in turn, attract like energies. Negative energies attract negative energies and positive energies attract positive energies.
8. The Law of Perpetual Transmutation of Energy:
This Universal Law states that all persons have within them the power to change the conditions in their lives. Higher vibrations consume and transform lower ones; thus, each of us can change the energies in our lives by understanding the Universal Laws and applying the principles in such a way as to effect change.
9. The Law of Relativity:
This Universal Law states that each person will receive a series of problems (Tests of Initiation) for the purpose of strengthening the Light within. We must consider each of these tests to be a challenge and remain connected to our hearts when proceeding to solve the problems. This law also teaches us to compare our problems to others’ problems and put everything into its proper perspective. No matter how bad we perceive our situation to be, there is always someone who is in a worse position. It is all relative.
10. The Law of Polarity:
This Universal Law states that everything is on a continuum and has an opposite. We can suppress and transform undesirable thoughts by concentrating on the opposite pole. It is the law of mental vibrations.
11. The Law of Rhythm:
This Universal Law states that everything vibrates and moves to certain rhythms. These rhythms establish seasons, cycles, stages of development, and patterns. Each cycle reflects the regularity of God’s universe. Masters know how to rise above negative parts of a cycle by never getting too excited or allowing negative things to penetrate their consciousness.
12. The Law of Gender:
This Universal Law states that everything has its masculine (yang) and feminine (yin) principles, and that these are the basis for all creation. The spiritual Initiate must balance the masculine and feminine energies within herself or himself to become a Master and a true co-creator with God..........from IloveUlove.com
The Universal Laws are all inter-related and are founded on the understanding that everything in the universe is energy, including us, and that energy moves in a circular fashion. At the microscopic level, we are a whirling mass of electrons and energy atoms spinning rapidly. In fact, everything in the world is comprised of energy and we are intimately connected with this sea of energy, this sea of whirling electrons.
Our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions are all forms of energy. What we think, feel, say, and do in each moment comes back to us to create our realities. Energy moves in a circle, so what goes around comes around. The combined thoughts, feelings, words and actions of everyone on the planet creates our collective consciousness, it creates the world we see before us.
The exciting news is, because our thoughts, feelings, words and actions create the world around us, we have the power to create a world of peace, harmony and abundance. In order to do this, it is essential that we learn to control our thoughts and emotions. Understanding the Universals Laws help us to do this.
1. The Law of Divine Oneness:
The Law of Divine Oneness helps us to understand that we live in a world where everything is connected to everything else. Everything we do, say, think and believe affects others and the universe around us.
2. The Law of Vibration:
This Universal Law states that everything in the Universe moves, vibrates, and travels in circular patterns. The same principles of vibration in the physical world apply to our thoughts, feelings, desires, and wills in the Etheric world. Each sound, thing, and even thought has its own vibrational frequency, unique unto itself.
3. The Law of Action:
The Law of Action must be applied in order for us to manifest things on earth. Therefore, we must engage in actions that support our thoughts, dreams, emotions and words.
4. The Law of Correspondence:
This Universal Law states that the principles or laws of physics that explain the physical world – energy, Light, vibration, and motion – have their corresponding principles in the etheric or universe. “As above, so below.”
5. The Law of Cause and Effect:
This Universal Law states that nothing happens by chance or outside the Universal Laws. Every action has a reaction or consequence and we “reap what we have sown.”
6. The Law of Compensation:
This Universal Law is the Law of Cause and Effect applied to blessings and abundance that are provided for us. The visible effects of our deeds are given to us in gifts, money, inheritances, friendships, and blessings.
7. The Law of Attraction:
This Universal Law demonstrates how we create the things, events, and people that come into our lives. Our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions produce energies which, in turn, attract like energies. Negative energies attract negative energies and positive energies attract positive energies.
8. The Law of Perpetual Transmutation of Energy:
This Universal Law states that all persons have within them the power to change the conditions in their lives. Higher vibrations consume and transform lower ones; thus, each of us can change the energies in our lives by understanding the Universal Laws and applying the principles in such a way as to effect change.
9. The Law of Relativity:
This Universal Law states that each person will receive a series of problems (Tests of Initiation) for the purpose of strengthening the Light within. We must consider each of these tests to be a challenge and remain connected to our hearts when proceeding to solve the problems. This law also teaches us to compare our problems to others’ problems and put everything into its proper perspective. No matter how bad we perceive our situation to be, there is always someone who is in a worse position. It is all relative.
10. The Law of Polarity:
This Universal Law states that everything is on a continuum and has an opposite. We can suppress and transform undesirable thoughts by concentrating on the opposite pole. It is the law of mental vibrations.
11. The Law of Rhythm:
This Universal Law states that everything vibrates and moves to certain rhythms. These rhythms establish seasons, cycles, stages of development, and patterns. Each cycle reflects the regularity of God’s universe. Masters know how to rise above negative parts of a cycle by never getting too excited or allowing negative things to penetrate their consciousness.
12. The Law of Gender:
This Universal Law states that everything has its masculine (yang) and feminine (yin) principles, and that these are the basis for all creation. The spiritual Initiate must balance the masculine and feminine energies within herself or himself to become a Master and a true co-creator with God..........from IloveUlove.com
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