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Word Gems 

exploring self-realization, sacred personhood, and full humanity

Editor's Review, 20 Years later

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Part 1

It’s been nearly 20 years now since I encountered Eckhart Tolle’s “true self,” and then later the related lectures of Jiddu Krishnamurti.

However, more accurately, my investigations concerning how to spiritually transform and evolve the human species began with my studies of the Bible decades earlier.

What is ‘the truth’?

See Mortimer Adler’s summary of how ‘truth’ has been viewed over the centuries.

There are those who speak of “my” truth and “your” truth as if there were no such thing as standards or principles upon which to live one’s life. In effect, they're saying nothing is true, nothing is solid.

Adler comments:

If all opinions are equally true or false, then why, Aristotle asks, does not the denier of truth walk 'into a well or over a precipice' instead of avoiding such things. 'If it were really a matter of indifference what we believed,' Freud similarly argues, 'then we might just as well build our bridges of cardboard as of stone, or inject a tenth of a gramme of morphia into a patient instead of a hundredth, or take tear-gas as a narcotic instead of ether. But,' he adds, 'the intellectual anarchists themselves would strongly repudiate such practical applications of their theory.'

And so we don’t build our bridges out of cardboard because there are standards or principles upon which to live one’s life.

And yet this is not the final answer in terms of defining ‘the truth.’ I once thought it was. It’s close but there’s more. Even though, it could be said, the truth is solid, it's expressed in a quantum universe of probabilities.

As Dr. Sheldrake instructs, there is evidence that the ‘laws’ or constants of science demonstrate a capacity to shift or change over time. This would make sense in an evolving universe.

And so what is ‘the truth’? This is a big subject, but I now tend to see it as ‘the mind of God.’

Each of us is linked to God, and each will be personally taught by God. But because each of us is a little different in terms of strengths, attributes, proclivities and the like, each will see ‘the truth’ or reality in slightly different ways.

Each begins to perceive life and reality from a slightly different perspective. We could say that each will access the mind of God from a slightly different viewpoint.

the truth is a living thing

We are linked to the mind of God. It’s part of us, deep within. It’s like a bubbling living force or energy. It can’t be mapped or pinned down because we cannot strictly quantify the mind of God.

It’s a living thing; constantly moving, from moment to moment. A mind can change, see and learn new things. A mind is a quantum field of possibility. It’s a creative force, churning and burgeoning, desiring to reveal itself to us, to make us more like itself, offering us an upgraded intelligence.

The mind of God is the great reality, ‘the truth.’ And we will spend eternity bringing it to the fore, manifesting it, in our lives.

every group sells its own version of how reality works

Recall that this is the literal meaning of "cultism", with the root idea of "to cut," that is, the attempt to fashion, pare, regulate and order reality itself.

There are many groups, philosophies, organizations, and of course, religions, ostensibly devoted to a vision of utopia, humanity’s metamorphosis and improvement.

Essentially, most promote an approved way or method, some practice or discipline, ritual or regimen, which, they say, will deliver the goods, if only we might sedulously adhere to runic wisdom dispensed by a pedestaled Dear Leader.

Concerning these methods and programs, has any of it proved efficacious in authentically changing one human being?

if every group is promoting its own proprietary way of finding the truth, isn't the information on this page just one more method

Not really because no one here will give you "the secret way." You will have to discover the path forward on your own. No Dear Leader can help you.

The most you'll find here is a "sign-post." An attempt to point the way. But you yourself have to walk the path.

What's different here is that we, each of us, must teach ourselves. Each must discern the message of the "life within" and gain a private tutoring. This is fundamentally different.

However, whatever might serve as catalyst to finally effect transformation, it has to be something quite simple, easy to understand and negotiate, devoid of elitism and privilege, as entrance requirement.

If there's a universal mandate for us to change and become more like God, then the process has to be something we can actually do.

It makes no sense that God would have made entering "the kingdom” as something super hard, like performing the twelve labors of Hercules, having a genius IQ, or Olympian-athlete fortitude.

We should expect that an avenue to transformation, to apotheosis, to Father Chardin’s “omega point,” will not be far out of reach, no impossible Holy Grail search, and will be accessible, available, to the average person.

'my teaching discipline is easy and light'

And I think this attainability will have been designedly baked into the system, intimated by the New Testament words of Jesus, “My teaching discipline, my instruction, is not burdensome, but easy and light as a way of living.”

From personal experience, I would put forward that the road to human transformation is not excruciating, not like a Klingon initiation gauntlet, with Worf being poked and jabbed with pain-sticks.

It’s something easy; not easy like lounging around on a summer day, there is much work to be done, but easy in the sense that anyone can do it.

The best analogy I’ve found is that we all have a “spark” or a “seed” of godhood within. It’s factory-installed, part of the basic package. And this seed wants to germinate. We don’t have to huff-and-puff to make it do its thing.

The seed will automatically burst into life, when conditions are right, and sometimes even when we say we’re not ready. This seed is part of the soul, and does what it wants, it’s in charge, doesn’t ask our permission for everything, will take us for a ride, and, once activated, will be on a mission to unfold itself, all of its godlike qualities, over the coming eons.

What can we do to further this process? – mercifully, not much; meaning, it’s an easy process, anyone can do it. The biggest factor, in terms of our part, is not to get in the way and hinder the germination. Implied here is that God is most gracious, never violates one's deeper free will, never forces anyone to grow up. We gotta wanna.

My best findings in this regard, my best understanding on how to help the seed of godhood to burgeon, will be found on the Krishnamurti page.

Part 2

I’d like to emphasize this issue of simplicity in terms of growing or coming alive spiritually. The churches make it into something hard. But it’s not that way.

I once thought I needed a particular breathing practice to awaken the inner self. I did this for a long time, and I it did help somewhat. But later I learned that whatever progress I was making had little to do with the breathing.

simpler and simpler

Over the years, as I’ve looked at this subject, analyzed what teachers were saying about it, my own view on what works has become less and less complicated, less regimented, until finally I follow no method or system at all.

Let’s recall that the inner life is like a seed. It wants to germinate. We don’t have to do that much. All we need do is become aware of what’s going on in our own mind. Simply notice, without any judgment of oneself. That's it.

This means that, when we do anything, reserve a portion of one’s awareness as a “background witnessing presence” to all of life’s activities. When you tie your shoes, eat a meal, walk to the mailbox, change lanes on the freeway, have a conversation on the phone, when you look at the sky, or hear a baby bird cheeping – in all these activities we are to “stay present” to the part of ourselves that knows we are doing these things.

how sane do you want to be

It needs to become a way of life. Those who “lose presence” and find themselves taken over by the false self, drift into a materialistic mindset. It’s a form of insanity. That's why most people you meet are sorta crazy. They're being led around by the ego, and have lost touch with themselves; their true selves.

One needs to practice this kind of awareness. In the beginning, especially, it can feel like hard work. Normally, we don’t like to remain present to our own thoughts but, instead, we'll often distract ourselves with a movie, a book, drinking, sports, it could be anything. And it’s not that we can never have down-time, but, when we do, we are to do it mindfully, and not let the ego take us over.

The question becomes, how sane do we want to be? -- this much, and that's enough, we're good now, mate? -- how intelligent do we want to become? how closely do we want to emulate the mind of God?

Anyone can do this. No college degree or years of experience required, you don't have to be a Greek scholar, or memorize passages from an ancient tome.

And, again, why should we do this? Over time it will unfold the godly potential within.

As we shine a spotlight of awareness on our mental activities, this “presence of mind,” itself, is what allows the inner seed of godhood to germinate and flourish.

You're good to go now, you've got this.

staying alert to the subtle machinations of one's own mind allows the hidden inner person, the awesome human potential, to begin to unfold

Why does it work this way? I don’t know. But what I sense is this: We were made to become more and more like God. It’s our mission statement, written upon our souls. There are natural forces in play to bring this about without us huffing and puffing. The seed will grow all by itself if we provide the right growing conditions: a willing heart, a mind surrendered to the wishes of God. It’s easy. Anyone can do this.

There are many details. No one can give you the details. You will learn the details yourself, day by day, in flashes of insight. This is how God will personally teach you, for all of your eternal life.

postscript

Elsewhere I’ve mentioned the apostle Paul’s house-church meetings. He had the right idea. People met in small decentralized groups and would share with each other what God had personally given them to see during the previous week. Everyone gets to speak, everyone instructs the whole group. Everyone's "private tutoring" is important. Wouldn’t this be wonderful? - friends supporting and encouraging each other in their mutual quest for radical, authentic, personal transformation.

Also, the benefits of “staying present” are even more than attaining spiritual sanity, which would be enough. But there’s so much hidden in the soul that will be unpacked, we have no idea. In Summerland, as we continue our efforts to “remain present,” we will discover that certain powers, unbidden, will emerge from the secret self – powers that would make a comicbook hero envious.

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