“When you follow the mind, you stand alone. When you follow the heart, you are the space everything happens in.” Lisa Greene
4/26/17 – Weekly Satsang with Nirmala ~ Different Levels of Reality
Tips from Regina ~ Lesson 101, God's Will for me is perfect happiness
Two days ago the tip for Lesson 99 led you in an inquiry. As part of that inquiry you were asked to “Notice the difference between thought and awareness. Notice which causes all kinds of trouble and suffering, and which is peacefully present. Notice which is you and which is not.”
I hope you were able to see, at least briefly, that you are awareness, which is peacefully present. This seeing helps you to understand what today’s lesson points to…there is no sin.
I prefer to help you SEE something is true, rather than just deliver the information intellectually. If you can see that mind and awareness are separate, and what you are is awareness, you will have a realization that transcends the belief in sin, which goes far beyond an intellectual teaching.
Today’s workbook lesson says that “suffering is causeless. Joy is just, and pain is but the sign you have misunderstood yourself.” MISUNDERSTOOD YOURSELF.
This is why awareness-watching-awareness (AWA) is such an important part of our practice. Through AWA you consistently (albeit subtly) attain more and more realization that you are awareness, not thought. Be sure to practice AWA for 10-15 minutes each day. Also use the 5 minutes per hour to watch awareness. When you can’t give a full 5 minutes, at least spend 3-5 seconds noticing yourself as awareness. Through AWA your identification will shift from body-mind to awareness, and that shift changes everything, even if nothing else changes.
Another way to disengage from seeing yourself as body-mind is to “abide as your Self.” Ramana Maharshi gave this guidance frequently. But what does it mean?
It means abide as life-intelligence-awareness instead of as a body-mind.
How do you do that? You will learn to abide as your Self by practicing the Loving All Method, which is assigned as part of your homework this week. Please read that assignment carefully this week, preferably several times. Find what questions you have and bring them to our next meeting. We want to take the Loving All Method seriously so we can live from it.
Practicing the Loving All Method is the same practice as the vow of Happiness taught in Chapter 15 of “The Untethered Soul,” which Jacquelyn shared in class last night. Both are the same as forgiveness as it is taught in A Course in Miracles. So, let’s get a clear understanding of these three as one, and then go forward from this week clear on how to live from happiness/love/forgiveness
Audio & Homework – Week 16 Gentle Healing Group with Regina, 4/25/17
Tonight’s session was led by Rev. Jacquelyn Eckert.
Regina Dawn Akers guides a group of committed students who would like to make consistent, gentle progress toward genuine peace, joy and love. This group meets weekly and all members are committed to specific assignments and practices between group meetings. Everyone who is willing to make a commitment to healing/awakening is invited to join this group.
Homework for the upcoming week:
Homework Assignment A: Workbook lessons 101-107. Practice daily awareness-watching-awareness meditation for 10 – 15 minutes each day. Practice your visualization plan daily.
Homework Assignment B: Read The Loving All Method, which can be found in The Direct Means to Eternal Bliss, Chapter 12 or at this link: http://www.albigen.com/uarelove/most_rapid/chapter12.htm
Homework Assignment C: Listen to “Mooji: Contemplate These Things,” which can be found in the Gentle Healing Playlist.
Regina’s Tips for Year 1 as an ebook
Gentle Healing Facebook group: Sharing in Contemplation Together
April 26, 2017 Daily Quote
“Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, its magnificence.” Alan W. Watts
Growing with NTI ~ Luke Chapters 4 (v 14) – 5 ~ 4/25/17
Facilitated by Rev. Jacquelyn Eckert & Connie Poole
Listen to this recording
Tips from Regina ~ Lesson 100, My part is essential to God's plan for salvation
The other night I met an Indian man who wanted to know what I had achieved thus far through spiritual practice. I told him that I am happy. He didn’t seem to think happiness was evidence of progress. Maybe he would have been more impressed with stories about physical healing or divine visions. Oh, I’ve had those experiences too. I guess I could have told him the apple story. ~ha ha~ But when he asked what I have achieved thus far through spiritual practice, the answer that came to me as evidence of genuine progress was the answer I gave, happiness.
Along the way to Self-realization some people may have some tremendous experiences that seem to be proof of something divine, but to me the simplicity of genuine happiness is the greater boon. To be happy no matter what appears to occur or not occur is a sure sign of detachment from the world and detachment from thought. It is a sure sign of awakening to realization of one’s real nature.
Happiness, openness, and confidence are the true miracles of awakening. When one isn’t feeling happiness, openness and confidence, something has gone wrong. An untrue thought has gained attention.
Root cause inquiry begins at unhappiness. Whenever we are not perfectly happy, it’s a good idea to look to see what untrue idea is driving us.
Sometimes it is easy to see what you’ve believed that’s causing unhappiness, and it’s easy to let it go. However, especially in the beginning, it often takes effort to uncover the ideas that block our happiness and even more effort to let them go. That’s because we’ve taught ourselves to believe some really crazy stuff, and some of these ideas have been very heavily learned.
Today, regardless of what you experience, contemplate the fact that happiness is natural, and unhappiness is the sign that you are believing something that isn’t true. This is always the case. When we accept this as true, we begin to respond to unhappiness appropriately. The appropriate way to respond to unhappiness is to look, uncover and release an untrue idea.
April 25, 2017 Daily Quote
“If we get too attached to our views, then we’re going to lose sight of how to live them out. Every moment we are resisting, we’re creating a sense of self around that.” Judson Brewer, Director of Research at the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Truth Teachings from Eastern Wisdom – 4/24/17
The Tao Te Ching: Verse 8;
Becoming like water, the watercourse way of no resistance, humility, and acceptance.
Listen to this recording
Tips from Regina ~ Lesson 99, Salvation is my only function here
Let’s simplify today’s lesson:
“Truth and illusions both are equal now, for both have happened. … [This seems true, because the] mind that sees illusions thinks them real. … And yet they are not real, because the mind that thinks these thoughts is separate from God.”
The pathway to salvation lies in the paragraph above. The key lies in “the mind that thinks these thoughts is separate…”.
Take a moment to notice your mind, meaning your thoughts. It doesn’t matter what they are. Notice them, whatever they are.
Next, notice what is aware of your thoughts; that is, notice awareness. Can you see that thoughts and awareness are separate? What I mean by that is, you can point (with inner figurative pointing) at thinking and say, “That’s thought,” and you can point at awareness and say, “That’s awareness.” They are different.
Now look at these two, thought and awareness. Which one is you? Which one can you look at and which one is you looking? You can decide to focus on a thought or let it go. Can you do the same with awareness, or is awareness what you are?
Look, and discover these answers for yourself.
Look at all the trouble thoughts conjure up. For example, every murder begins with a thought. Does awareness conjure up any trouble at all?
Look. Discover the answer for yourself.
When we infuse thoughts with attention, we enliven them. You can watch how this happens. Notice how a thought becomes more alive and the story grows deeper as your attention is more engrossed by it.
Is this true for awareness? Is awareness enlivened with attention or is it naturally alive even if you give it no attention?
Look. Find the answer for yourself.
If thought must be enlivened but awareness is naturally alive, which is illusion and which is real?
I said that the pathway to salvation is found in this:
“And yet [illusions] are not real, because the mind that thinks these thoughts is separate …”
The pathway to salvation is noticing that mind is separate from you, and you are real but thoughts are not.
Contemplate this tip today. Notice the difference between thought and awareness. Notice which causes all kinds of trouble and suffering, and which is peacefully present. Notice which is you and which is not
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