What is Creation?
Step Five of The Seven Steps to Awakening by Michael Langford has this objective:
Be inspired, encouraged and motivated to:
- Make and maintain the decision to bring the imposter self and all suffering to its final end and thus remain in infinite-awareness-love-bliss.
- Actually practice…
Here are 21 quotes from Step Five to help motivate our decision. Please read these quotes slowly and contemplatively.
Ramana Maharshi:
Though in this false world one may live on, the ending of both “I” and “mine” in the clarity of true awareness, void of every doubt, this only is the abidance in the bliss of being That.
Returning to the source from which we have emerged, we are restored to our own true Being. Enjoying there bright and clear our natural bliss, still, still, unmoving we abide.
O mind, you wander far in search of bliss not knowing your natural state of Freedom. Your home of infinite bliss you will regain if only you go back the way you came.
A woman with a necklace round her neck imagines it is lost, and after long search elsewhere touches her own neck and there finds it; even so, the Self is here within. Probe for it there and find it.
Sri Annamalai Swami:
Don’t be discouraged by the length of the journey, and don’t slacken in your efforts to get home.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj:
Steady faith is stronger than destiny. Destiny is the result of causes, mostly accidental, and is therefore loosely woven. Confidence and good hope will overcome it easily.
You need maturity of heart and mind, which comes through earnest application in daily life of whatever little you have understood.
On your side there is so much trouble. On mine there is not trouble at all. Come to my side.
You are quite capable of crossing over. Only be sincere.
Faith is not blind. It is the willingness to try.
If only they go deeply into the fact of being and discover the vastness and the glory to which the ‘I am’ is the door, and cross the door and go beyond, their life will be full of happiness and light.
The Supreme Yoga
One should never yield to laziness, but strive to attain liberation, seeing that life is ebbing away every moment.
He who exerts seriously now is able to overcome predispositions and exalt himself from the states of darkness and stupidity and impurity.
The Self alone is to be sought, adored and meditated upon.
This Self is eternal existence.
The wayfarer does not despair at the sight of the long road ahead but takes one step at a time.
The man of Self-knowledge is awake to that which is non-existent to the ignorant. That which is real to the latter is non-existent to the enlightened.
One surely gains that for which one strives; if one neglects it he loses it. The mind flows along the course of wisdom or ignorance, in whichever direction you make it flow.
Sri Sankara
The Self is ever blissful and never experiences suffering.
By this discourse of teacher and pupil, the character of the Self is taught to those seeking Freedom, that they may be born to the joy of awakening.
Eternal, unfading, joy, unstained—this is the Eternal, THAT THOU ART.
I will not hurt myself again today.
Our workbook lesson begins, “Let us this day accept forgiveness as our only function.”
Our first special theme was, “What is forgiveness?” Through that special theme, we saw that forgiveness is abiding as the unaffected Self.
As today’s lesson says, “The Self which God created cannot sin, and therefore cannot suffer. Let us choose today that He be our Identity…”
Our fourth special theme was “What is Sin?” Through that special theme we saw that “sin” is ignorance or outward focus.
If you look carefully at the two sentences I have highlighted from today’s workbook lesson, you’ll see that the lesson is asking us to “go back the way you came.” That is, focus inward and return to our unaffected Self.
Here are two songs that you can listen to as you contemplate today’s lesson. The first song is directly applicable to the teaching today and over the last several days. The second song applies a bit more loosely, but it is a fun song that just might stick in your head. (The Meditation Options are posted below the songs.)
Meditation Options
