Today’s reading is very powerful and should be read slowly and contemplatively. I also recommend reading it more than once today, possibly once in the morning and once in the evening.
Humans are addicted to self-judgment. Today’s reading points out that if we judge our self as good or bad or simply mistaken, we are not empty. Just as emptiness does not believe the mind’s stories, emptiness does not judge. Emptiness is silent watchfulness, including silently watching the body-mind that seems to be ‘me.’
Focus on the idea of emptiness as silent watching. Can you be empty by silently watching everything, including what your body-mind does or doesn’t do?
The reading says:
Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial.
That sentence is not an opening to judge one’s self. There is a balance that only emptiness knows how to maintain. That balance is silent watching combined with discernment and acting based on intuitive guidance. However, silent watching is the over-arching beingness. In other words, silent watching watches the body-mind discern and act based on guidance, or not.
As an example, let’s imagine that someone says something. In my forgetfulness, I get annoyed and say something from annoyance, and then I see that. Immediately, I choose to shift into silent watching—not judgment. As I become empty, a realization that an apology would be beneficial comes from intuition. Abiding in silent watching and without any expectations, I apologize. I remain in silent watching and let whatever happens happen. I am also tuned-inward to intuition for my role in the play. I play my role and silently watch the play, including my role in it, simultaneously.
The simultaneous balance maintained by emptiness is silent watching, discernment and acting based on intuition.
In my example above, I spoke from annoyance, saw that, and then shifted into silent watching without self-judgment. I can do that now, but I admit there was a time when I couldn’t do that. Back then, self-judgment fired so quickly that I couldn’t stop it from happening. At that phase in my journey, I learned to shift into silent watching (or rest-accept-trust) and watch the automatic self-judgment, as well as any emotion that was created by self-judgment. Rest-accept-trust are the training wheels that teach silent watching.
In other words, shift into silent watching or rest-accept-trust whenever you can. If you can silently watch your body-mind without judgment, do that. If self-judgment seems automatic, watch that. If there is a lot of guilt or emotion that you feel nearly compelled to believe, practice rest-accept trust. Whatever you can do to move out of full believing and toward silent watching is beneficial.
Thoughts of Awakening # 169
Quiet the mind.
Be still.
Listen to peace.
It, too, has a Voice.
In peace, there is all simplicity.
In peace, there are all answers.
In peace, one finds life.
In peace, one knows truth.
How can one worry
when life has no end?
How can one fear
when life is what you are?
In knowledge of truth,
guidance is provided,
because in knowledge of truth,
there is no fear of listening
to the Voice that knows of truth.
~From our Holy Spirit
Homework for this week
- Practice daily meditation for 30-60 minutes each day.
- Practice the “Loving All” Method.
- Thoughts of Awakening, 169-175
- Read NTI 1 Corinthians 10-16
- The reading shared on Tuesday night was from The Transparency of Things by Rupert Spira, 185-187, The Here and Now of Presence
- Exercise: This week we have two games. The first is to tune into the sense of hereness. Notice that it doesn’t change no matter where you are. You’re always here. That’s consciousness.
The second is everything is happening now. Even thoughts about the past or the future are happening now. The now is stable and constant. Time happens in the now. Notice it’s always now. No matter when you notice, it’s always now. The same now.
The now and the here and consciousness are all the same thing. It is what you are. That’s why it is always here and now.