What is the Real World?

Our special theme says, “Only happy sights and sounds can reach the mind that has forgiven itself. What need has such a mind for thoughts of death, attack and murder?”

Yesterday, you were asked to practice inquiry on a fearful perception—a perception that leaves you feeling affected. If you did this, it’s highly likely that you found mistakes in your thinking, since the only thing that can leave you feeling affected is belief in thought.

A “mind that has forgiven itself” is a mind that recognizes itself as unaffected awareness. (In this context, “mind” is synonymous with awareness and consciousness. It is like the first definition of “mind” in my dictionary: “the element of a person that enables them to be aware…; the faculty of consciousness…”)

A mind that recognizes itself as awareness has no need for mistaken thoughts.

A mind that recognizes itself as awareness sees the real world.

Today, we will take another step toward forgiving our self. This step has three parts:

1 – Read this article by Adyashanti. It is taken from his book, True Meditation.

How I Discovered Meditative Self-Inquiry

2 – Write or type this question:

What do I need to realize about ___________________?
(Fill in the blank with the selected perception you have been working with.)

Note: You may also do this by speaking into a recorder, if that feels most effective for you.

3- Write about your selected perception as if you are teaching someone else everything you know about it. Include everything you discovered as you inquired into this perception yesterday. Follow Adyashanti’s advice by writing all the way to the edge of what you know about this topic, and then wait for something else that you know is true. When that next true word, phrase or sentence comes, write it down. Continue writing until you hit another boundary, and then wait again. Stay with this process until you know that you came to a conclusion, one that is recognized in your heart and soul as the completed answer to your question.

Note: If you are speaking into a recorder, pause the recording after speaking to the edge of what you know; wait until the next true word, phrase or sentence comes, and then start the recording and begin speaking again.

I want to give us plenty of time to be thorough with this, so other than a brief comment on tomorrow’s lesson, I will not write a tip tomorrow. My next tip regarding our special theme will be two days from today. That gives us two days to explore the answer to our questions.

My body is a wholly neutral thing.

People usually see the body as who they are, but today’s lesson points out that we are not the body. We are “a Son of God”—that is, we are unaffected consciousness.

The body is a neutral thing, which means it is open to interpretation. If we listen to the ego thought system, the body is “I”. However, if we listen to spiritual intuition, it is “of service for a while and fit to serve.”

As Ramana Maharshi said, “Your own Self-Realization is the greatest service you can render the world.”

Hence, Self-realization is the purpose of the body. Your body is perfect for this purpose, and that is true regardless of the current condition of your body. The reason the body is as it is now is to help you reach Self-realization. If there is a thought that the body is an obstacle to Self-realization, realize that thought is ego’s interpretation of a neutral thing, and then shift to spiritual intuition’s interpretation instead.

If you have 30 minutes for meditation, I recommend this meditation today:

Abandon Release Description C

What is the Real World?

Our special theme says, “The real world cannot be perceived except through eyes forgiveness blesses …”

What does that mean?

To me, “eyes” implies looking, seeing and perceiving.

We learned from our first special theme that “forgiveness” is recognizing yourself as the unaffected Self.

So, that sentence means that the real world is perceived when we know ourselves as the unaffected Self, and we look out on the world from that knowledge.

With the help of spiritual intuition, we have each selected a perception in which we do not see our self as unaffected. It isn’t helpful to start telling ourselves, “I am unaffected,” when there is probably a deep-seated belief that we are affected. Instead, it is more helpful to look carefully at the belief that we are affected.

It is time for inquiry.

Through Gentle Healing, we have learned about several types of inquiry including root cause inquiry, Byron Katie’s “The Work”, Diederik Wolsak’s “Choose Again” inquiry, and Inner Ramana’s self-inquiry. Use any of these methods, a combination of methods or your own inquiry process in order to learn what you fear regarding the selected perception. Set a goal of being able to honestly explain your fear to another person in a dispassionate way by tomorrow.

Note: According to my dictionary, dispassionate means “not influenced by strong emotion, and so able to be rational and impartial.” That doesn’t mean that you will repress any emotion. Emotion might be present, but your description will not go off into stories that are influenced by that emotion. Your description of the fear will be “rational and impartial.”

All fear is past and only love is here.

We learned previously that the past is only thought. Today’s workbook lesson says, “All fear is past,” which means all fear is only thought.

Today you will look to discover thoughts you believe that also cause you to believe you are a vulnerable affected self. These thoughts are obstacles to the vision of the real world. As today’s lesson says, “Can the world seem bright and clear and safe and welcoming, with all my past mistakes oppressing it, and showing me distorted forms of fear?”

We celebrate the opportunity to be free of an obstacle as we go in search of our mistaken beliefs today.

If you have 30 minutes for meditation today, I recommend this meditation:

Loving Consciousness Description V

Helpful Resources for Today’s Practice:

Guidelines for Root Cause Inquiry

Byron Katie Worksheet

Instructions for Doing The Work

The Choose Again Six Step Process

Inner Ramana’s self- inquiry

What is the Real World?

Our special theme says, “The real world is a symbol, like the rest of what perception offers. Yet it stands for what is opposite to what you made. Your world is seen through eyes of fear, and brings witnesses of terror to your mind.”

Yesterday, you made a list describing the world as you see it. Take a look at your list. Label each perception in the list as fear or peace, whichever feels most correct for the specific perception. When choosing between fear and peace, look at how you feel when you perceive the world in that way. Your mind might want to argue that a specific perception isn’t peace, but it also isn’t fear. Trust that any perception that isn’t peace is fear, even if it doesn’t seem that way to you.

Complete this step before continuing to read.

Notice how many of your perceptions are labeled as fear compared to the number of perceptions that are labeled as peace.

The labels help you understand why you see the world the way you do. If the majority of your perceptions are fear, you live in a fearful world. If some of your perceptions are fear and some are peace, you live in a somewhat stable world, but certain circumstances are fearful for you. If all of your perceptions are peace, you see the real world.

A happy outcome to all things is sure.

Today’s lesson says, “God’s promises make no exceptions. And He guarantees that only joy can be the final outcome found for everything. Yet it is up to us when this is reached; how long we let an alien will appear to be opposing His. And while we think this will is real, we will not find the end He has appointed as the outcome of all problems we perceive …”

Look at your list again. Ask spiritual intuition to select one fearful perception for you to work on. Sometimes the mind’s reaction to intuition’s choice is resistance. It might feel like, “I don’t want to work on that one. I’ll pick an easier one.” Those thoughts come from the “alien will” mentioned in today’s lesson. Ignore those thoughts, and choose to work on the one selected by spiritual intuition.

Today, whenever the selected perception arises, repeat today’s lesson to yourself. As you do, realize that a happy outcome is delayed when you cling to your conditioned way of thinking. Give willingness to see that your way of thinking is wrong. Tomorrow, after a day of giving willingness, we will look more deeply at our selected perceptions.

If you have 30 minutes for meditation, I recommend this meditation today:

Abandon Release Description B

What is the Real World?

Our new special theme begins by saying, “The real world is a symbol, like the rest of what perception offers.”

What is a symbol?

According to my dictionary, it is “a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.”

The world you see is a symbol. It is a thing that represents something abstract. It is a representation of what you believe is true. As NTI says, the world, as you see it, is a reflection of your mind.

Let’s begin our contemplation of the real world by looking at the world as we see and experience it right now.

How do you describe the world as you see and experience it?

Spend today with this question. Write down answers as they come to you. Tomorrow we will take the next step in this contemplation.

This is a day of stillness and of peace.

Today’s lesson speaks of the mind that sees the real world. A mind at peace experiences a holy world. It reminds me of a song by Peter Mayer, “Holy Now.”

The lesson confirms what we are contemplating today—the world we see is a reflection of our mind. When our mind is at peace, we offer “the same vision to the world.” However, if our mind is not at peace, that is the vision we offer to the world.

You’ve already been asked to describe the world as you see it today. When you do that, please describe the people in the world as you see them. Describe yourself as you see yourself. Describe your financial situation as you see it, your pets as you see them, etcetera. Really look around today, and describe what you see as you see it.

Each time you write down a description, follow it up by remembering today’s workbook lesson, “This is a day of stillness and peace.” Let today’s lesson remind you that a still mind sees the world through peace. Accept in your heart that if you see anything that is upsetting, stressful, fearful or agitating to you, it is because of something you believe in the mind. If you are upset in that moment, take a deep breath and repeat these lines from the prayer in today’s lesson:

Father, guide [me] along the quiet path that leads to You. Let my forgiveness be complete, and let the memory of You return to me.

If you have 30 minutes for meditation today, I recommend this meditation:

Loving Consciousness Description U

You might also enjoy listening to this song: Holy Now, by Peter Mayer

What is the Holy Spirit?

Spiritual intuition mediates between illusions and truth. It bridges the gap between reality and dreams by reinterpreting perception, so that even dreams point toward truth. Everything in time has a different purpose under the guidance of spiritual intuition than it does with the chattering thoughts of the ego.

The goal of spiritual intuition is awakening to truth. To meet this goal, spiritual intuition acts as the inner teacher for anyone who will listen. Sometimes subtle and sometimes bold, spiritual intuition will guide you using any means that you will pay attention to.

In reality, you are awake consciousness, which is the source of spiritual intuition. Therefore, when spiritual intuition has accomplished its goal, you will have awakened to your Self, which is beyond spiritual intuition. In this way, spiritual intuition is a bridge from what you think you are—your false self—to what you truly are.

Those who recognize the calling to awaken to the true Self realize that spiritual intuition is the means they must surrender to until the goal is accomplished. Those who remain interested in the ego thought system perceive spiritual intuition as a threat. Because they are afraid of it, they repress its guiding intuition. Those who are transitioning from interest in the world to the call to awaken must bring intuition out of repression by following it whenever they recognize its guidance.

Spiritual intuition reinterprets every tool the ego thought system uses for its purpose in order to awaken you to truth. Spiritual intuition uses doubt, desire, attention, thought and judgment as well as time, relationships, contrast, comparison, and even separation (solitude) for its purpose of bringing you back to your truth.

Spiritual intuition leads you to let go of dreams by letting go of the ego thought system, which is the creator and interpreter of dreams. It provides you with another choice, another way to be within dreams—a way that provides the security you think you need without teaching you that you are one who needs protection. In this way, spiritual intuition does not teach fear. It teaches unaffectedness, which is truth.

Accept spiritual intuition as your guide now. Realize that the ego thought system has nothing to offer you. It isn’t needed for anything. Spiritual intuition can and will guide you through every situation you face. It will not leave you comfortless. It will teach you about your truth.

My present happiness is all I see.

When we look at the world through the ego thought system, we see what isn’t there. Here is a story to illustrate that point:

Sally and Moose were high school sweethearts who married and had three children together. Sally was a homemaker. Moose was an athlete who was away from home much of the year.

Sally perceived herself as plain and boring. She knew Moose had many attractive female fans, many of whom had lives that she thought were much more exciting than hers.

Moose worried that Sally was unhappy, because he was away from home so much of the time. He saw himself as an absent husband and father, and he felt guilty for it. He longed to spend more time with his family, but he felt inadequate, like a big, dumb athlete. He didn’t think he had the intelligence to find another way to support his family.

One evening, while Moose was on the road, he and Sally talked on the phone. Moose commented about a friend of his, who had recently married a fan and was planning a honeymoon trip to Hawaii as soon as the current sport’s season ended.

Sally glanced at the family room where she was sitting. Toys were strewn about. It crossed her mind that Moose was envious of his friend, because she and Moose did not take exotic vacations together.

Sally became defensive. She said, “We have a pretty good life right here at home, but you wouldn’t know that, because you are never around.”

Her words cut through Moose like a knife. She had touched on what he feared the most, that he was an absent husband and father. Feeling guilty, he shot back, “I have to support you, you know. I’m not free to do whatever I want to do.”

Sally thought Moose saw her as a burden, something he wished he could be free of. Her voice was clearly agitated. “We don’t need you. Don’t you think we can get by without you? We do it all of the time!”

And the fight continued.

Sally felt unworthy of her famous husband. Moose felt unworthy of his loving wife. Neither saw the misperceptions caused by their thoughts. Six months later, Sally filed for divorce.

This story is fictional, but it is based on misunderstandings that I witness all of the time. These misunderstandings happen, because people see through the filter of their thoughts, and they are blind to what is really there.

Today we commit to slowing down. Whenever you notice that you want to react to something that someone else says or does, pause and look at your thoughts. What thoughts are coloring your perception? Why are you upset?

When you see without the distortion that is caused by the ego thought system, seeing is clear; you feel happiness and love, because happiness and love are what you are. If you are upset, it is a sure sign that ego thinking misleads your perception. Inquiry is needed.

If you have 30 minutes for meditation, I recommend this meditation today:

Abandon Release Description A

Lesson 289

What is the Holy Spirit?

Our special theme says, “The Holy Spirit understands the means you made, by which you would attain what is forever unattainable. And if you offer them to Him, He will employ the means you made for exile to restore your mind to where it truly is at home.”

The ego is thought and judgment, so many spiritual teachings encourage the spiritual aspirant to let go of thought and judgment. Yet, spiritual intuition uses both thought and judgment to lead us toward awakening.

Let’s look at thought first. Most thought is clearly ego. Ego is best recognized by its ‘chatter’ quality. However, not all thought is chatter. There are two additional types of thought.

• Practical thought, such as the thought I am using now to select words that best communicate what I want to say. I will also use practical thought to proofread this after I finish typing it.
• Inspired thought, which comes from intuition. Inspired thought can come from everyday intuition or from spiritual intuition.

Spiritual aspirants do well to discern between the three types of thought, and then to let go of chatter and follow both practical and inspired thought. Interestingly, discerning between the three types of thought and then deciding to let go of a thought or to follow a thought is judgment. According to my dictionary, judgment is “the ability to make considered decisions or come to sensible conclusions.”

Just as spiritual aspirants are encouraged to let go of thought, spiritual aspirants are encouraged to let go of judgment. However, just as there are three types of thought, there are three types of judgment: judgments that come from ego chatter, practical judgment and inspired judgment.

• An example of judgment that comes from chatter is, “She’s stupid,” or “I’m smarter than her.”
• An example of a practical judgment is, “It will make things a lot easier if I take the time to learn how to use this App.”
• An example of inspired judgment is, “I’m becoming attached to an outcome. I need to step back and trust whatever unfolds.”

Humans have brains, and brains are made for thinking. However, listening to, believing and blindly following ego chatter is not thinking. Real thinking is using the brain’s judgment or discernment capability to decide when to listen to and follow a thought and when not to. Real thinking is the hallmark of wisdom.

The past is over. It can touch me not.

Today’s lesson talks about the past. It says, “Unless the past is over in my mind, the real world must escape my sight. For I am really looking nowhere; seeing but what is not there.”

What is the past?

According to my dictionary, it is “gone by in time and no longer existing.”

If one looks clearly for a moment, one can see that the past is not here now. It is impossible for the past to be here now. The past has already “gone by in time” and it is “no longer existing.”

The past that humans hold onto is in thought only.

The past is thought. It might have been actually experienced once, but now it is only thought.

Since the past is thought, let’s look at it as thought.

Which category of thought does the past fit into? Is it ego chatter, practical thought or inspired thought?

If you look carefully, you will see that the past can fit into all three of these categories.

• An example of the past as ego chatter is, “I’m not looking forward to seeing mom today. All she does is judge me.”
• An example of the past as a practical thought is, “Sometimes there is traffic on the highway this time of day. It might be good to leave a little early.” Another example of the past as practical thought is knowing to stop when you come to a stop sign.
• An example of the past as inspired thought is, “Last time I felt nervous like this, it turned into full blown fear. It’s a good idea for me to take a break now and inquire into these thoughts before they get worse.”

Which type of past thought is today’s lesson talking about when it says, “Father, let me not look upon a past that is not there”?

It is the past as ego chatter that is a block to clarity. Practical thought and inspired thought are not obstacles to clear seeing, even if the past is a component of those types of thoughts.

I would like to point out that there is a difference between the past as ego chatter and memory. A smell can invoke a memory. A sight or a sound can invoke a memory. Memories arise. As long as a memory does not become ego chatter, memories are simply passing phenomena that are witnessed by awareness.

Notice your thinking today. If your thinking is ego chatter, choose to let it go. Ego chatter is not at all beneficial. It is thought that you can live without. Interestingly, most thought is ego chatter, which means that you can live without the vast majority of your thoughts.

If your thinking is genuinely practical or inspired, listen to it. These thoughts either make your life easier or guide you toward awakening. Both are beneficial.

If you have 30 minutes for meditation, I recommend this meditation today:

Loving Consciousness Description T

What is the Holy Spirit?

Our special theme says, “The Holy Spirit understands the means you made, by which you would attain what is forever unattainable. And if you offer them to Him, He will employ the means you made for exile to restore your mind to where it truly is at home.”

The ego uses our attention to keep us absorbed in illusion and ignorance. Our attention is usually focused outward on the ego’s ideas (thought) and perceptions (the world as perceived through thought).

Spiritual intuition uses the same tool that the ego uses—attention. However, spiritual intuition guides us to keep attention focused inward instead of outward. We are focused inward as we ask intuition, “What am I to do now? How am I to see this?” We are also focused inward as we practice awareness-watching-awareness or loving consciousness meditation.

Outward focused attention is guided by ego.
Inward focused attention is guided by spiritual intuition.

There is a third type of attention. It is fully involved in the moment with no “I” or self in it. Examples include being absorbed in creativity or being absorbed in nature.

When we are fully in the moment without ego chatter about “me,” we are in presence. We might call that merged attention instead of outward focused attention, because instead of the idea of me as a person looking outward at a world through “my” thoughts, it is awareness and scenery all merged into one happening.

Therefore:

Outward focused attention is guided by ego.
Inward focused attention is guided by spiritual intuition.
Merged attention is presence.

Let me forget my brother’s past today.

Which type of attention is active when there is a grievance? Is it outward, inward or merged attention?

The answer is outward attention. Outward attention is attention that looks outward through thought, or more specifically, through the ego thought system. Outward attention looks at our brother through the ego’s chatter about the brother and what he did to me, or what I don’t like about him, etcetera.

If we focus our attention inwardly, we will find another thought system. It is the thought system that points toward truth. It may guide us to see our brother differently; it may guide us to inquire into our thoughts in order to see them differently; it may guide us to practice the Loving All Method with our brother and the situation; it may guide us to notice our self as unaffected awareness, etcetera. The specific guidance will vary, but the guidance will always be toward truth and away from untruth.

If our attention is merged, there will be no thought about our brother’s past and there will be no current judgments about him. There will only be this moment as it is in joy.

As you look at the three paragraphs written above, you might notice that inward focused attention is the bridge between outward focused attention and merged attention. Said another way, spiritual intuition is the means to one consciousness, which is awareness and happening as one (not “me” and other than me).

Today, whenever you notice that you are involved in outward attention, shift inward using surrender as it is taught in The Teachings of Inner Ramana.

If you have 30 minutes for meditation, I recommend this meditation today:

Loving Consciousness Description S

What is the Holy Spirit?

Our special theme says, “The Holy Spirit understands the means you made, by which you would attain what is forever unattainable. And if you offer them to Him, He will employ the means you made for exile to restore your mind to where it truly is at home.”

Yesterday we looked at the positive use of doubt. The Holy Spirit uses doubt, which is part of the ego thought system, to doubt the ego thought system itself.

Likewise, desire is part of the ego thought system. There is no desire in consciousness. But the Holy Spirit (i.e., spiritual intuition) uses desire as a means of directing our attention toward reality. We begin to desire truth, or we desire freedom from suffering, or we experience some other desire that turns attention from the world and places attention inward. In this way, desire is employed to restore us to truth realization.

As we have seen repeatedly since the beginning of Gentle Healing, desire is an important tool of awakening. That is because desire is an integral part of the ego thought system. Until we awaken, desire is activated. We could desire a new relationship, a bag of potato chips, more money, a different place to live, a new job, new shoes or anything, but the ego always desires. So the Holy Spirit takes what is there—desire—and turns it around so that it takes us to truth instead of more fully into illusion.

Here are two quotes about the importance of desiring truth:

“The desire for enlightenment is necessary because without it you will never take the necessary steps to realize the Self. A desire to walk to a particular place is necessary before you take any steps. If that desire is not present, you will never take the first step. When you realize the Self, that desire will go.” ~ Sri Annamalai Swami

“Merely to trust is not enough. You must also desire. Without desire for freedom of what use is the confidence that you can acquire freedom? Desire and confidence must go together. The stronger your desire, the easier comes the help.” ~ Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Some people have learned intellectually that there is no desire in consciousness, and then the spiritual self-image leads them to claim not to have any desires now. However, typically that is only a form of denial. They aren’t noticing their world-based desires, even though the world-based desires are there, talked about and pursued, and they aren’t allowing the desire for truth to become strong. Their denial of desire is an ego preservation strategy.

It is not helpful to deny desire. It is helpful to engage all of the power of desire for the purpose of awakening by realizing over and over again that your spiritual aspiration is all you truly want.

You are my goal, my Father. Only You.

Today’s lesson asks questions, which help us invoke our desire for truth. It asks:

Where would I go but Heaven? What could be a substitute for happiness? What gift could I prefer before the peace of God? What treasure would I seek and find and keep that can compare with my Identity? And would I rather live with fear than love?

Use today to inquire about desire. What are your world based desires? Notice them. Will those desires, if achieved, bring everlasting peace, happiness and clarity? What is your spiritual aspiration? Will it, if achieved, bring everlasting peace, happiness and clarity? What is your strongest heart-felt desire? What do you want above all else?

I recommend taking time to answer the preceding questions through journaling. Reading my tips is a wonderful first step, but if you merely read my tips without following the practice recommendations in the tips, you are probably not taking steps toward your spiritual aspiration. Reading, but not practicing, is another ego preservation strategy.

If you have 30 minutes for meditation, I recommend this meditation today:

Loving Consciousness Description R