As It Should Be

One of the ways we can know what is happening in these times is not to read channeled messages or news reports, but to extrapolate from our own experience. We are here as lightworkers and starseeds and what is happening within us, in terms of our energies and outlooks, surely reflects the intentions of those who are managing events.

There is one drawback and that’s that we only know what is happening within ourself alone, not what is happening within others, which is why we share in discussion groups. Our sharing makes our experience known to others and they make their experience known to us.

And doing this job, I receive your emails in which you say that what I wrote about is also happening for you. These too help construct a picture of what we’re all going through.

In the last three messages from the Boss, he’s said that he (or perhaps my guides, or even both) is gradually raising the kundalini and I feel the impact. So may you, since your guides are probably doing the same with you. Since I’ve begun watching in April, there has arisen an increased sense of joy, wellbeing and satisfaction. At the same time, there has also arisen a decreased sense of personality or personal-ness.

What does that mean? It means that, at exactly the time when I feel “better,” I feel fewer issues, desires, or preferences. “I” am disappearing. In fact “I want” is disappearing and surely that is the main obstacle to evolution or enlightenment, is it not?

It is “I want,” or what the Buddha called the cycle of desire, that has us remain on one plane rather than advancing to another, is that not so? Endless, endless desire, one desire satisfied succeeded by another, making us what Buddhists called “hungry ghosts.”

I’m becoming more fit to serve because “I” am getting out of my own way. And the same may apply to you.

But there isn’t a straight-line path up a divine incline. There is doubling back and standing still and walking from side-to-side. Habits assert themselves and confuse. I’m used to watching the odd TV program and I still turn on the TV. But I watch less and turn the TV off sooner. I imagine soon I’ll only watch it to catch up on the “news,” if what the mainstream media presents can be considered news.

I also feel drawn to meditate more and I do. But often it is not meditation as we’re used to thinking of it. I meditate actively sometimes, instead of passively. I’m meditating now as I work. The telling of the truth about myself is no hindrance to meditation. A statement of truth is no diversion, but a fulfilling of the inner impulse to be still.

Truth is still, is it not? It is known in stillness, as many sages tell us. King David is one:

“Commune with your heart upon your bed, and be still.” (1)

“Be still and know that I am God.” (2)

Or Lao-Tzu. Here he captures exactly how it’s becoming for me:

“Be still while you work
And keep full control
Over all.” (3)

“Touch ultimate emptiness,
Hold steady and still.” (4)

The same way of speaking can be found in modern-day sages like Adyashanti: “An attitude of open receptivity, free of any goal or anticipation, will facilitate the presence of silence and stillness to be revealed as your natural condition.” (5)

What Adya called an “attitude of open receptivity, free of any goal or anticipation” is exactly the frame of mind that I’m gradually finding myself in or moving towards. It isn’t true that I’m not following any discipline, because karma yoga or selfless service is a discipline. So I cannot say that all is simply the product of the rising energies.

I’m a seeker of truth (jnana yogin) who follows the discipline of selfless service (karma yoga). All paths, sincerely followed, lead to God. There is not one that is better or more fit than another.

I could fight the rising energies and not pursue a spiritual discipline. If I did, I assume that life would be getting progressively more difficult for me rather than easier round about now. To know about that we’d have to hear the shares of those who are in fact fighting the unfoldment that’s occurring and we probably won’t hear from them, at least not now.

But I’m not fighting them. I know what’s happening energetically behind the scenes, as do you, and I’m allowing it to work its effect on me, as are you.

So, in every way, we’re riding an escalator, a divine moving staircase to Heaven, to an expanded state, a higher vibration, a more umbrageous existence. It’s just that it’s happening slowly and without watching it and noticing the gradual expansion, we might not be aware of it. Or without discussing it with each other in discussion groups, or reading channeled messages whose mission is to alert us and reassure us about what is occurring, we might not be aware of the gradual rise.

Knowing this, I’m not alarmed to watch the falling away of desires and preferences. As I become stiller, I’m not fighting it or acting against it. No matter where it leads, I’m convinced that the outcome will be one I’ll be happy with. As I become stiller and stiller, I simply adjust accordingly. I let the things I used to do fall by the wayside in full trust that what is happening, since I asked for it in the first place, is as it should be.

Footnotes

(1) Psalm 3:4.

(2) Psalm 46:10.

(3) Lao-Tzu, The Way of Life. The Tao Te Ching. trans. R.B. Blakney. New York, etc.: Avon, 1975, 55.

(4) Lao-Tzu, WOL, 68.

(5) Adyashanti, “True Meditation,” 1999, downloaded from www.adyashanti.org, 2004.

~ Steve Beckow - http://stevebeckow.com/2011/06/as-it-should-be/

The Most Important Thing

Words exist for meaning,
but once you understand the meaning,
you can throw away the words.

~ Chuang Tzu

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"A strange passion is moving in my head, My heart has become a bird which searches in the sky. Every part of me goes in different directions. Is it really so that the one I love is Everywhere?"

~ Jalal-Uddin Rumi

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"The most important thing is to find out what is the most important thing."

~ Shunryu Suzuki.

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"Saints and ordinary folks are the same from the start. Inquiring about a difference is like asking to borrow string when you've got a good strong rope. Every Dharma is known in the heart."

~ Hsu Yun

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"When we practice zazen [meditation] , all that exists is the movement of the breathing, but we are aware of this movement. You should not be absent-minded. But to be aware of the movement does not mean to be aware of your small self, but rather of your universal nature, or Buddha nature. This kind of awareness is very important, because we are usually so one-sided. Our usual understanding of life is dualistic: you and I, this and that, good and bad. But actually these discriminations are themselves the awareness of the universal existence. "You" means to be aware of the universe in the form of you, and "I" means to be aware of it in the form of I. You and I are just swinging doors.."

~ Shunryu Suzuki

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"Even when the light begins to dawn in zazen, we don't get attached to that either. If you start to see what the world is really made up of, if it comes apart in tiny glowing, luminous pieces for you, don't be attached to that either. It's important to just keep walking. It doesn't matter where you're at in the way--if you're at the beginning or far along-- the instructions are the same: Keep walking with an open heart while the wonder comes over you."

~ John Tarrant

Trusting Others vs. Trusting Self

http://www.benjamintsmythe.com

The ULTIMATE, ULTIMATE, ULTIMATE Secret of Existence!

Jeff Foster - http://www.lifewithoutacentre.com

A Prayer for the Dying

Life,

Let them struggle to understand until there is only confusion,
and in the centre of that confusion show them their inherent clarity.

Make them courageous by taking away all of their hope,
and let them weep until their stomachs hurt,
until their tears melt into laughter.

Love them by destroying them.

And when they are more alone than ever,
show them an intimacy they cannot imagine.

Make them suffer until they are exhausted from fighting You,
make their pain great enough so that all their concepts turn to ash.

Let them never know what they are looking for,
but make them keep looking anyway,
as if their lives depended on it.

Give them time to read their books and listen to their teachers,
give them time to build up mountains of knowledge,
give them certainty and pride and a sense of security.

And then let their books rot,
and turn their teachers into hypocrites,
and make them doubt and forget everything they've learned.

Everything.

And make them stand alone, facing You,
naked and without protection,
and let them tremble,
let them piss and shit themselves with fear,
let all facades fall away.

And then let them into the great secret,
that they are loved beyond words,
in their nakedness, in their failure, in their ignorance,
in everything they were running away from.

That they are you.
That your face is their face.

That nothing ever happened at all.


~ Jeff Foster - http://www.lifewithoutacentre.com

All is Truth

The spiritual journey does not consist of arriving at a new destination where a person gains what he did not have, or becomes what he is not. It consists in the dissipation of one's own ignorance concerning oneself and life, and the gradual growth of that understanding which begins the spiritual awakening.

~ Aldous Huxley

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Perhaps the deepest reason why we are afraid of death is because we do not know who we are. We believe in a personal, unique, and separate identity - but if we dare to examine it, we find that this identity depends entirely on an endless collection of things to prop it up: our name, our "biography", our partners, family home, job, friends, credit cards...It is on their fragile and transient support that we rely for our security. So when they are all taken away, will we have any idea of who we really are?

Without our familiar props, we are faced with just ourselves, a person we do not know, an unnerving stranger with whom we have been living all the time but we never really wanted to meet. Isn't that why we have tried to fill every moment of time with noise and activity, however boring or trivial, to ensure that we are never left in silence with this stranger on our own?

~ Sogyal Rinpoche

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I ask you only to stop imagining that you were born, have parents, are a body, will die and so one. Just try, make a beginning ---- it is not as hard as you think.

~ Nisargadatta Maharaj

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For me, it is as though at every moment the actual world had completely lost its actuality. As though there was nothing there; as though there were no foundations for anything or as though it escaped us. Only one thing, however, is vividly present: the constant tearing of the veil of appearances; the constant destruction of everything in construction. Nothing holds together, everything falls apart.

~ Eugene Ionesco

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Oneness and unity aren't profound feelings or spiritual beliefs or altered states of consciousness, they're just plain old consciousness; unadorned, uncorrupted, uncontaminated. We don't have to attend lectures or read books or kneel before altars and wise men, we need only cleanse our perceptual faculties, rid ourselves of all egoic befuddlement, see what is and stop seeing what's not. No teaching or teacher or path or practice required, just simple honesty.

~ Jed McKenna, "Spiritual Warfare"

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Meditating among liars, and retreating sternly into myself,
I see that there are really no liars or lies after all,
And nothing fails its perfect return---
And that what are called lies are perfect returns,
And that each thing exactly represents itself,
and what has preceded it
And that the truth includes all, and is compact,
just as much as space is compact,
And that there is no flaw or vacuum
in the amount of the truth---
but that all is truth without exception;
And henceforth I will go celebrate anything I see or am,
And sing and laugh, and deny nothing.

~ Walt Whitman

Focus Now on the Real

Now you realize that the I AM can exist by itself,

without manifestation,

in perfect fullness, balance, peace and bliss.

Experience it again and again

until the agains blend into permanent experience,

the natural state of I AM.

It is existence,

awareness,

and unhampered joyous liberty.

Nothing other than Consciousness

ever was, is, or shall be.

Therefore,

You are That!

You can never Be the body-senses-mind-ego-intellect.

You are Consciousness Itself,

the Self.

Focus now on the real,

not on appearances!

Movement and change are appearances only!

You will naturally realize the ocean of I AM,

an ocean of Light, Peace, and Happiness.


~ Srimati Margaret Coble, from "Self Abidance"

Inelia Benz - Straight from the Source

This woman claims to have incarnated directly from Oneness with a clear function and mission. She exemplifies the manner in which some are now detaching from their lower vibrational 3D identities and emerging into a higher frequency state in order to facilitate the planetary awakening.

Each of us has a function that becomes clear as we detach from egoic identification, a function that acts to re-harmonize and balance all of Life.

Recognizing we are not the body we wear or the role we play is a vital step that removes us from cycles of becoming engulfed in drama and story. Embracing and incorporating our higher frequency existence then becomes as simple as breathing and no mental understanding is necessary.

We are here to facilitate awakening, this is Life's mandate. The return to what is beyond birth and death is imminent.

http://ascension101.com/

Why the Power of Mind Over Matter is Important

Have you ever wondered how powerful your mind really is? Have you ever considered that if one human can achieve the most amazing feats then we all possess the same potential?

There are indeed amazing feats of mind over matter like the Yogi in India who lives without food and water, the story of Coral Castle where one man cut and moved solid stones larger than those used in the pyramids, or the proven telekinetic powers of Nina Kulagina.

These cases, and others involving transcending the material world like cases of extrasensory perception (ESP), are typically viewed as paranormal events. However, these seemingly impossible phenomenon may become more widely accepted as we better understand the implications of quantum mechanics.

Quantum physics has proven that all matter at the subatomic level exists in wave form, and that matter only appears solid when we, as the observer, use our senses to decode and perceive the wave patterns in space and time. Significantly, thoughts, especially concentrated thoughts, also form measurable wave patterns. And thought waves have proven to affect observable matter in the physical world.

Droplet with "Thank You"

In his book called The Hidden Messages in Water, Masaru Emoto explains his experiments on water crystals which proved that droplets of water form different shapes when frozen with words associated to each sample. For example, the sample droplets would have phrases like I love you, thank you, or I hate you written next to them. The frozen droplets would form glorious snowflake-like crystals with the words love and thank you, but a nasty oil splotch-like design next to the word hate. As stated in the movie What the bleep do we know?, "If thoughts and words have that much power over water, imagine what they do to us," as we are formed of between 60%-80% water, based on our age.

If our thoughts have the power to manifest changes in the physical world, then controlling our thoughts would seem to be of utmost importance. As popularized in the book and movie The Secret, thoughts will manifest into reality. Simply put, thoughts become things -- even negative thoughts. The examples laid out in The Secret are mostly about people attracting wealth, health, or relationships to themselves through positive thinking and visualization exercises.

Droplet with "You make me sick.
I will kill you"

What's more, physicists have also discovered that at the quantum level all particles (matter) seem to somehow be connected to all other particles through what they call entanglement. Tests show that particles that were created together will react instantly to the same stimuli presented to one of them no matter how far apart they are in perceivable space. And assuming the Big Bang theory is correct, then all particles that created the known universe are forever entangled.

This detectable connection between all particles represents profound implications. First, this would seem to mean that on the subatomic level we are scientifically one with everything and everybody. And second, this connectivity and oneness would seem to provide unlimited power for the individual to imprint changes to the whole with his thoughts. Lastly, it may ultimately solve many paranormal mysteries.

This connectivity would appear to help explain the mechanics behind extrasensory perception (ESP), which is now a statistically measurable phenomenon on average humans. So much so that a recent Cornell University study on ESP has been published in the prestigious Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, a peer-reviewed journal published by the American Psychological Association.

If we are connected to all things past, present and future -- and all things are frequency ranges that cannot be destroyed -- then space and time does not exist as we think of it. So, in a sense, we are connected to the dinosaurs who still technically exist, only in a undetectable frequency range. In turn, all human souls, or intelligent consciousnesses if you prefer, consistently exist in a timeless, space-less frequency range. It is this concept that may help explain precognition, channeling, reincarnation, telepathy, etc. In other words, people who have these abilities and experiences may simply be tuning into a different frequency on their extrasensory dial.

As outrageous as it may be to believe, we all would seem to possess these great powers of the mind to transcend and effect the physical world. Minimally, each of us clearly plays a distinct role in creating, not only our personal reality, but also collective reality though our thoughts and beliefs. These thoughts, if conditioned to focus on negative or fearful feelings, will likely result in more manifestations of negativity in the world through more economic collapse, natural disasters, wars, suffering, and other events that feed off our fears.

Although most fears propagated by those with an agenda are an illusion, even seemingly legitimate fears that help us survive in the material world may also be fictitious. After all, if the energy of our being, by laws of nature, cannot be created or destroyed, death is nothing more than a transformation of our eternal frequency. Therefore, not even death should be feared.

The lesson is that if each of our minds has great power over what manifests in the world, it would seem to nullify the blame game of all problems in the world. Incidentally, each of us, by way of connection on the subatomic level and fear-bound complacency on the physical level, are partially responsible for all global atrocities. To place angry blame on a specific group who represents a given atrocity would only seem to feed the darkest manifestation of what this group promotes.

This idea was highlighted by Gandhi who stated that a movement is much more powerful when it promotes what it stands for, rather than fight against what it opposes. Hence, those who seek to make the world a better place would be far more effective by focusing their energy and thoughts on solutions to what they oppose. This is not to say we should not acknowledge our distaste for unsavory events like war, environmental disasters, economic injustice, and the like. However, we should not allow our anger to become hatred of the perpetrators themselves, but rather to help concentrate our focus on manifesting the world we wish to see around us.

http://www.activistpost.com/2011/04/why-power-of-mind-over-matter-is.html

On Being Ordinary

Don't try to understand what I'm saying. These are just pointers. I don't understand what I'm saying either. Pointers point to the state of direct realization but they're not a substitute for it.

~ Eckhart Tolle

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“The nice thing is that when you stop waiting for the mind to stop doing what it does, you start to realize it doesn’t matter how long the mind does what it does. There’s still this direct taste, this sense of being. So waiting is unnecessary. It’s just another concept.”

~ Adyashanti

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To say something meaningful,
Get in the circle of silent ones
And be silent.

~ Rumi

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I felt in need of a great pilgrimage
so I sat still for three
days

and God came
to me.

~ Kabir

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The desire to find the self will be surely fulfilled, provided you want nothing else. But you must be honest with yourself and really want nothing else. If in the meantime you want many other things and are engaged in their pursuit, your main purpose may be delayed until you grow wiser and cease being torn between contradictory urges. Go within, without swerving, without ever looking outward.

~ Nisargadatta Maharaj

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In Master Linji's time, some Buddhist terms were used so often they became meaningless. People chewed on terms like “liberation” and “enlightenment” until they lost their power. It’s no different today.

What is a True Person?

“As I see it, there isn’t so much to do. Just be ordinary—put on your robes, eat your food, and pass the time doing nothing.”

~ Master Linji

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Insight can’t be found in sutras, commentaries, verbal expression, or —isms. Liberation and awakened understanding can’t be found by devoting ourselves to the study of the Buddhist scriptures. This is like trying to find fresh water in dry bones. Returning to the present moment, using our clear mind which exists right here and now, we can be in touch with liberation and enlightenment, as well as with the Buddha and the patriarchs as living realities right in this moment. The person who has nothing to do is sovereign unto herself. She doesn’t need to put on airs or leave any trace behind.

The true person is an active participant, engaged in her environment while remaining unoppressed by it. Although all phenomena are going through the various appearances of birth, abiding, changing, and dying, the true person doesn’t become a victim of sadness, happiness, love, or hate. She lives in awareness as an ordinary person, whether standing, walking, lying down, or sitting. She doesn’t act a part, even the part of a great Zen master. This is what Master Linji means by “being sovereign wherever you are and using that place as your seat of awakening.”

We may wonder, “If a person has no direction, isn’t yearning to realize an ideal, doesn’t have an aim in life, then who will help living beings be liberated, who will rescue those who are drowning in the ocean of suffering?” A Buddha is a person who has no more business to do and isn’t looking for anything. In doing nothing, in simply stopping, we can live freely and true to ourselves and our liberation will contribute to the liberation of all beings.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh