Our current goals:

• Widen the horizons of our vision
• Take direct approaches to uncover the blocks that keep our vision narrow
• Lift those blocks, however briefly, in order to experience the sense of liberation that comes when the blocks are removed
• Intensify our motivation for freedom

Swami Ramdas was a twentieth century Indian saint who found awakening through the constant repetition of the name of God. Here’s what Ram Dass (Richard Alpert) wrote about Swami Ramdas and the practice of mantra:

“The first time I started to work with beads and the repetition of either the mantra in praise of RAM, “Sri Ram Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram,” or just the single word, “Ram” in 1968, I recognized the potential power of this simple devotional technique to rend the veil of ignorance from moment to moment thus allowing one to imbue one’s life with spirit.

It was easy to keep the mantra going in my room in the ashram, but as I ventured forth into the world, I found that the fascinations, seductions and slings and arrows of daily life so often distracted me from ‘remembering.’ It was hard for me to imagine how it could be otherwise.

Then in 1970 I came upon the writings of Swami Ramdas (or ‘Papa Ramdas’, as I thought of him). And there it was, so innocently presented, a testament to the possibility that by remembering Ram (God), one’s life could be transformed, totally transformed, moment by moment, into divine lila (play).”

Eknath Easwaran, translator of the Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads and Dhammapada, wrote this regarding Swami Ramdas:

“The very presence of Papa Ramdas comforted and strengthened us. He was visible proof that a man apparently like you and me—not an austere, emaciated monk, but a former textile technician who had lived in the midst of worldly activity—had become established in the awareness of God.”

Today’s workbook lesson asks us to spend one day in the devotional practice that Swami Ramdas followed. We are asked to spend one day repeating the Name of God, remembering that His Name is also our own. The lesson says:

“Practice but this today; repeat God’s Name slowly again and still again. Become oblivious to every name but His. Hear nothing else. Let all your thoughts become anchored on this. No other word we use except at the beginning, when we say today’s idea but once. And then God’s Name becomes our only thought, our only word, the only thing that occupies our minds, the only wish we have, the only sound with any meaning, and the only Name of everything that we desire to see; …”

The Course does not tell us what God’s name is. Maybe this is left to us, so we can use the name that feels most devotional to us.

Swami Ramdas recited, “Sri Ram Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram.” If this suits your heart, you may recite this mantra today.

According to Biblical tradition, the name of God that was given to Moses is “I am that I am.” That was also the mantra that was given to me in May of 2008.

Many people have told me they do not like the mantra, “I am that I am,” because they do not know what it means. “That” is a pronoun specifically linked to identification. It refers to a specific thing already mentioned or understood, and it ascribes a specific feature to that thing, a feature that is essential to identification. For example, the table that is round or the blouse that is blue.

“I am that I am” ascribes “I am” as a specific identifying feature to “I am”. In other words, it is “I am” doubly repeated and emphasized. It is similar to how Ramana Maharshi sometimes referred to the Self as “I-I.”

Today, if you choose to use the mantra “I am that I am” as the Name of God, remember that today’s lesson says, “To call upon God’s Name is but to call upon your own.” With this thought in mind, say to yourself, “I am that I am.” Notice I am is doubly repeated and emphasized. Feel the meaning of that in your soul. Let yourself linger in that silent meaning, and then repeat the mantra again. As today’s lesson instructs:

“Sit silently, and let His Name become the all-encompassing idea that holds your mind completely. Let all thoughts be still except this one. And to all other thoughts respond with this, and see God’s Name replace the thousand little names you gave your thoughts. … Today you can achieve a state in which you will experience the gift of grace. … No prayer but this is necessary, for it holds them all within it.”

Note: You may replace today’s awareness-watching-awareness practice with this practice. You might also try watching awareness as you practice the Name of God mantra.

Footnotes:

• If you are interested in learning more about Swami Ramdas and his practice of mantra, I recommend his book, “In Quest of God.”
• If you are interested in reading the story of Moses and the name “I am that I am,” you can read Exodus 3:1-15 at this link.

Let’s review our current goals.

• Widen the horizons of our vision
• Take direct approaches to uncover the blocks that keep our vision narrow
• Lift those blocks, however briefly, in order to experience the sense of liberation that comes when the blocks are removed
• Intensify our motivation for freedom

The ego likes to fill our time. There’s an expression that I have used many times in my life. It’s “kill time,” as in, “How are we going to kill time this weekend?” The thought behind that expression is this:

Having nothing to do is so undesirable that we have to find something, anything to do, in order to avoid simply sitting quietly with ourselves.

Filling time is undeniably an ego preservation strategy.

It’s helpful to begin to notice how we fill time. There are some things that we do that are necessary to this human life. There are other things that we do which are guided by intuition. And then there are the things that we do to “kill time,” to avoid simply sitting quietly with ourselves. Are we ready to be self-honest and discern between these three?

Today’s workbook lesson says, “When you are still an instant, when the world recedes from you, when valueless ideas cease to have value in your restless mind, then will you hear His Voice. So poignantly He calls to you that you will not resist Him longer. In that instant He will take you to His home, and you will stay with Him in perfect stillness, silent and at peace, beyond all words, untouched by fear and doubt, sublimely certain that you are at home. Rest with Him frequently today.”

Let’s do two things today.

First, let’s not avoid our meditation practice today. Our gentle healing homework asks us to spend 15-20 minutes in meditation daily. Let’s be sure to do that at least once today. You might also see if you can find 15-20 minutes at least two additional times today. That will help fulfill the request, “Rest with Him frequently today.” Another option is to give 5 minutes every hour. Follow your individual intuition to find your way of fulfilling this request.

Secondly, let’s begin to notice the difference between time that is spent in necessary activities and time that we are “killing.” That is, time that could be used to sit quietly instead of being filled with something that is completely unnecessary.

There is one more thing worth commenting on before ending this tip. You know this, but let’s bring it into awareness now anyway.

Ego will attempt to use any time we allot to sitting for active thinking. Thinking is another way to “kill time” and avoid being still. Remember that your attention does not have to go to thought. Initially, you can place attention on the sounds in your environment, on the breath, or on sensations in the body. Let attention rest with something other than thought, and thought will slow down and quiet. Once thought has grown quieter, place attention with awareness and abide there. “Be still” by holding attention with yourself as the observer. Pay attention to what you are, and stay there, no matter what may happen in mind during the meditation.

Here’s a story that Mooji tells about ‘staying as the watcher’ during meditation. It is called, “The Yogini.” Buddha remained still as Mara attacked with desire, anger and fear. Notice that the Yogini remains still in the same way as the mind attempts to distract her with a different kind of trick:

A great Yogini was deep in meditation. Suddenly, beautiful and melodious sounds could be heard, appearing as if from nowhere and everywhere simultaneously. It was like nothing she had ever heard. She felt, “This music is truly wonderful, but it cannot be what I am, for I am here to hear it.” She remained inside her meditation, and the music faded away.

Next appeared the most exquisite colors, shimmering with so much luminosity and brilliance, like no painter could paint; nor could any flower display it, for it was not of this earthly realm. She thought, “This is, indeed, astonishingly beautiful. However, it cannot be the ultimate, for I am here to perceive it.” This phenomenon, too, she ignored. Shortly afterwards, it also vanished in the presence of her deep and unmoving silence.

Shortly after this, there appeared several beings shaped as if from pure light, floating through space and smiling lovingly at her in a welcoming manner. She felt profoundly touched and filled with loving emotions, but inwardly she somehow kept her composure. “How profound,” she felt, “but this also cannot be what is the unchanging reality, for, were I not here, who would see them?”

As soon as this insight occurred, the figures vanished. Her mind entered her heart and could no more produce any effects. A deep silence prevailed as her mind merged inside her indivisible, unconquerable and essential being. She awakened completely to Truth.

The introduction to lessons 181 – 200 setup our goals for the next 20 days.

• Widen the horizons of our vision
• Take direct approaches to uncover the blocks that keep our vision narrow
• Lift those blocks, however briefly, in order to experience the sense of liberation that comes when the blocks are removed
• Intensify our motivation for freedom

It is good to pause before beginning lesson 181 to ask ourselves if we will accept these goals as our goals. We are not asked to add these goals to the list of goals that we have already set for ourselves. We are asked to change our minds about our goals. Are we willing to see the goals we had previously set for ourselves as unimportant, and adopt these goals as our only goals now?

[Please pause to contemplate before continuing.]

Lesson 181 focuses on the first goal, widening the horizons of our vision. It says, “Perception has a focus. It is this that gives consistency to what you see. Change but this focus, and what you behold will change accordingly.”

We have all experienced how this works in the most benign of ways. For example, recently I bought a Toyota 4Runner. One week before buying a Toyota 4Runner, I had never heard of them. I told my boyfriend what I wanted in my next car. He did some research and selected the 4Runner as the car that was best for me. Since buying a 4Runner, I notice them everywhere. It seems like 4Runners are one of the most popular cars in Colorado, yet I never saw them before. It is as if they did not exist at all, and now they are everywhere. What changed?

The focus of my perception changed. That’s all.

Lesson 181 asks us to let go of seeing the faults in others, as well as their mistakes, and focus on awareness-life-presence as what they are. It says, “We instruct our minds that it is this we seek, and only this, for just a little while.”

Let me demonstrate how this might work:

Imagine I am talking to my boyfriend, and he tells me that he just sent a large amount of money to his sister to help her out of a financial challenge. Let’s imagine that I have a similar financial challenge, but he has not offered to help me. An upset begins to arise in me. It feels like jealousy, unfairness, rejection and anger all rolled into one. I project it out onto him in this way:

“He doesn’t care about me. Why have I wasted 25 years of my life with him?”

And then I remember to practice today’s lesson. I pause for a moment and remember my goal to widen the horizon of what I see. I notice awareness-life-presence in me first. I notice it is fine, still being aware, still living, and still present in me. It has not been affected by what was just said or thought.

Next, I look at him. I notice he is also awareness-life-presence. He is being aware. He is living. He is present here now. I see us as joined in our basic essence, awareness-life-presence, and I let my attention rest there.

Lesson 181 says, “A major hazard to success has been involvement with your past and future goals.” This is why it is important to replace the goals we set for ourselves with the goals set in the introduction to this section of the Course.

In the scenario above, I could have two goals that would interfere with effective practice of today’s lesson. One goal might be to feel financially secure. The other goal might be for my boyfriend to behave the way I want him to behave. If I keep either goal, it will interfere with my practice. But if I am willing to drop both goals and genuinely replace them with “widen the horizon of my vision”, this practice becomes easy because it is what I want. In fact, the degree to which this practice is difficult for me is the degree to which I cling to the goals I had previously set.

Today’s lesson says, “We recognize that we have lost this goal if anger blocks our way in any form.” It also tells us, “And if a brother’s sins occur to us, our narrowed focus will restrict our sight, and turn our eyes upon our own mistakes, which we will magnify and call our ‘sins.’”

In other words, just as I see 4Runners everywhere, if we let our vision narrow, we will see faults, mistakes, sins, guilt, blame and unworthiness everywhere, including in ourselves. Our narrowed vision blocks our own freedom.

The lesson reminds us, “So, for a little while, without regard to past or future, should such blocks arise we will transcend them with instructions to our minds. … As our focus goes beyond mistakes, we will behold a wholly sinless world. When seeing this is all we want to see, when this is all we seek for in the name of true perception, are the eyes of Christ inevitably ours. … We look neither ahead nor backwards. We look straight into the present. And we give our trust to the experience we ask for now.”

We look neither ahead nor backwards, because there we will find the goals we had previously set. We look straight into the present, because that is where we find awareness-life-presence. It is here right now.