“My experience is what I agree to attend to.” William James
Truth Teachings from Eastern Wisdom – 2/27/17
The Tao Te Ching, Verse 2:
Contemplation, yin/yang duality and non-duality, how can we live the paradox? Wu Wei and non-doing, the story of Wu Wei shared by Solala Towler, and a reading from Chuang Tzu by Thomas Merton.
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February 27, 2017 Daily Quote
“Focus on the present because you know that there’s work to be done in training the mind, in developing skillful present intentions, and you don’t know how much more time you have to accomplish that training.” Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Tips from Regina – Lesson 45, God is the Mind with which I think
In order to have openness to what this lesson points toward, we may need a different understanding of the words “thought” and “think”.
In the awareness-watching-awareness practice instructions, Michael Langford defines thought as “the words of your native language in your mind.” Thoughts can also come as pictures, as they did for Temple Grandin and possibly for some of you. However, when Lesson 45 says, “You thinkwith the Mind of God. Therefore you share your thoughts with Him, … They are the same thoughts, because they are thought by the same Mind,” it is not referring to the words of your native language in your mind and it is not referring to picture thoughts. This is important to know, because if you are looking for the right words in your mind or the right pictures, you will remain focused on form and not go beyond form, which is where your “real thoughts” are realized.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “thought” simply as “past tense and past participle of think.”
“Think” has a few different definitions, but the one that applies most in this context is “to have in mind” with “mind” defined as “consciousness.” (Think = To have in consciousness.)
So a ‘thought’ is something in consciousness. Our ‘real thoughts’ are the aspects of reality. I wrote about some of these aspects the other day. Life, awareness, and embracing-allowance (love), to name a few. These will not show up in your mind as word-thoughts or picture-thoughts. Word-thoughts or picture-thoughts that point toward your real thoughts or which reflect your real thoughts can appear in your mind, but to directly experience real thoughts, one needs to transcend our fascination with word-thoughts and picture-thoughts.
Today and tomorrow as we practice Lesson 45, we go beyond word-thoughts and picture-thoughts to see if we can realize the aspects of reality (our real thoughts), which are always with us because they cannot leave us.
Remember – We will stay with Lesson 45 for two days (except if you are using this opportunity to catch up with the group.)
Love, Regina
Awakening Together Weekly Gathering – 2/26/17
Rev. Kelly Barber’s topic was “Humility-A Loving Correction for Spiritual Pride”
Looking at the need for genuine humility on the Spiritual Path .
Reading: “The First Step in Awakening” from The Way of Mastery
Reader: Melissa Tollinger
Barbara Deurwaarder served as Sanctuary Administrator.
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February 26, 2017 Daily Quote
“Holding a form, it comes into being, and while it holds a form it endures; holding a form, it feeds itself and grows big. Giving up one form it assumes another. When sought, it takes to flight, this evil spirit, the ego, which has no form of its own.” Ramana Maharshi
February 25, 2017 Daily Quote
“There is much more to living and being healthy than saying one’s prayers and reading good books. One must study one’s every interest, and inclination, and reaction, and desire in relation to the real Christ wisdom, and love, and power, and life, and substance.” Myrtle Fillmore
Tips from Regina – Day 2 with Lesson 44
Yesterday I wrote that “light” and “awareness” are synonymous in Lesson 44. If you read Lesson 44 with this realization, it speaks clearly. For example, the lesson says “light and life must go together, being but different aspects of creation.” In this sentence, “creation” is a term used to mean the ‘totality of reality’. It doesn’t refer to form. It refers to the cumulative aspects of reality, such as life (isness), awareness (light), intelligence (knowledge) and love (embracing-allowance).
In Lesson 44, we are focused on one of those aspects, light (awareness). We are told, “In order to see (true vision), you must recognize that light is within, not without.” In other words, we don’t see by sunlight or light bulb. Seeing isn’t with the eyes at all. We see with awareness. As Michael Langford says in The Most Direct Means to Eternal Bliss, “Awareness is not thought. Awareness is that which is aware of thought. … Awareness is not emotions. Awareness is that which is aware of emotions. … Awareness is not the objects seen by the eyes. Awareness is that which is aware of the objects seen by the eyes.”
The other day I was taking a shower in Pondicherry, India. While in the bathroom, the electricity went out. That bathroom had no natural light, so when the electricity went out I could not see anything at all. It was as dark as the darkest cave. But I was aware I could not see. The light of awareness was continuous. This is why Lesson 44 says, “An essential part of this equipment is the light that makes seeing possible. It is with you always, making vision possible in every circumstance.”
Again, in Lesson 44 we are focused on the aspect of reality known as awareness. Because awareness is an aspect of reality, focusing on awareness is a means of awakening to reality. Therefore, as we practice awareness-watching-awareness as our means of meditation for Lesson 44, we are indeed “attempting something very holy.”
Blessings in your practice today. Love from Pueblo, Colorado
February 24, 2017 Daily Quote
“Our attempts to find lasting pleasure, lasting security, are at odds with the fact that we’re part of a dynamic system in which everything and everyone is in flux.” Pema Chödrön
Tips from Regina – Lesson 44, God is the light in which I see
This is the lesson we will stay with for 3 days in order to practice awareness-watching-awareness meditation. You can see “light” and “awareness” as synonymous, because in this context, they are.
I recommend reading the workbook lesson in full at the beginning of each of the 3 days. If you are comfortable with meditating longer than 5 minutes, go ahead and meditate longer. However, there is no need to introduce strain or a sense of self-competition. Also, you can use the shorter practices to look at awareness many times during the day for 3-5 seconds.
If you would like to review the awareness-watching-awareness meditation instructions, please go to these links:
General instructions. Please read #10-52.
http://albigen.com/uarelove/most_rapid/chapter07.htm
Further Clarification: Pleae read #1-166.
http://albigen.com/uarelove/most_rapid/chapter08.htm
(Note: You can ignore the instructions at the above links about how long to practice. You can follow the duration instructions in the Course workbook instead.)
Love from Frankfurt, Germany
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