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Welcome to the May issue of our newsletter based on people’s questions. The recent weekly scripts and the satsangs have sparked a flood of emails exposing long-held feelings of unconscious inner tension. Let’s explore this feeling... |
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THE HIDDEN FEELING Observe the lotus and its beauty and glory despite the muddy water from which it springs. Keep this picture of the lotus in mind as you read the following article on the human condition as compared to its true but unknown state of Being. Emails received within the last several weeks were primarily focused on the inner unconscious tension experienced by everyone. However, each email emphasized this tension as a personal feeling and therefore involved some form of suffering because the individual felt guilty. For example, this intelligent woman summed it best when she wrote:
What impressed me with that email is its clarity, lucidity and awareness. All my life I had suffered a deep feeling of loneliness whether in company or actually alone. And, although I was popular and excelled in sports and other team activities, yet I could never shake this subtle but disruptive feeling in my unconscious. Studies in psychology and metaphysics never really helped until my ‘meeting’ with Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi and later studies in A Course in Miracles. It was in 1998 during a ‘Supersentience’ experience that this hidden feeling became clear to me. It was quite a revelation, so much so in fact, that its very realization awakened a peace and clarity I haven’t ‘lost’ since. This realization pointed out a fact I had never known before and it was this Ð that as long as one thinks of himself/herself as a personal being separated from others, then that one will suffer this subtle nagging guilt as if something is missing, as if one is ‘bad’ or done something wrong without knowing what. And, since everyone believes they are separate individuals (an ego) then this feeling is in everyone until they discover their true nature as Pure Being. The Course states: “If the ego is the symbol of the separation, it is also the symbol of guilt. Guilt is more than merely not of God. It is the symbol of the ATTACK on God.” This subtle inner feeling of unrest is in EVERYONE regardless of culture, religious belief or race. It is the human condition believing it is merely a body and separate from others. There is no way one can shake that feeling until there is the realization that one is whole in his Being and not separate. Now the key question is, “How does one awaken the Whole Being?” Provided there is the willingness to see beyond the egoic mind and what the truth is, then it follows these different states: Initially, there is fascination with the spiritual life and this keeps one busy with various topics of reincarnation, karma, angels, UFO’s, other worldly experiences, the supernatural, occult, physical miracles and so forth. This fascination is an escape from this hidden emptiness but the novice is not aware of this fact. Secondly, the fascination continues but this time it involves personal spiritual experiences and it provides temporary respite from this inner emptiness. However, the experiences leaves, as it must, and the experiencier is left hoping to recapture it while unconsciously reinforcing the egoic need to ‘get it’ personally. Then, it reaches a deeper stage when the ‘beginner’ is sincere and starts to recognize that it is this ‘me’ (ego) that causes all the separation thoughts and guilt and so entertains the ‘thought’ of getting rid of this ego. It is at this point that great fear surfaces, for after all, one has invested tremendous energy into this belief that one is an ego. And, getting rid of an ego is an impossibility because of one overlooked fact Ð the ego never existed. It was just a human condition of believing in separation. Finally, one starts realizing that everyone has this feeling of egoic attachment and therefore everyone suffers from this emptiness, no matter how well hidden it is kept. The Course states: “Only the ego can experience guilt.” The purpose of the satsang meetings is to see our universal oneness, and it is through this oneness that guilt is seen for what it actually is Ð a big deception. Therefore, the moment you start ‘looking’ at your feelings of guilt, which emerge in various ways, which are: A feeling of emptiness especially upon waking up This hidden feeling is in everyone. Once you realize this you will stop taking your hidden unrest as a personal reality. Here is a fact the ego doesn’t want to hear Ð NOTHING IS PERSONAL. When this inner emptiness is seen as a personal feeling (“it is mine”) then you will try to fix it, seek help, ask a hundred questions, become frustrated, feel anger, loneliness and a hundred other manifestations of seeking an answer that doesn’t exist outside of you. Many people seek lovers to escape the feeling of loneliness but then find themselves sabotaging the very relationship they wanted. Please understand one simple inescapable fact Ð there is no escape from this illusory feeling because it is based on the idea that you are a separate being, and that’s the big lie. “So how do I start dealing with this feeling and find my true Being?” You start by having compassion for this universal unawareness. The Heart of Compassion How often we hear, “I should know better,” or “My mind is so negative and judgmental that I feel awful,” or “I feel as if something is missing and feel unhappy for no reason.” We have heard these statements so often that we even applaud them for their honesty and self-deprecation. But where is the compassion for oneself? Did you know that such self-deprecation is the ego’s greatest strategy for maintaining control? Why do we lose our way so easily? In our world we are taught to seek, struggle, work hard, to achieve, have ambition, to own, overcome, fix and change what we don’t like, and through all this conditioned existence, we miss the most important aspect of living Ð simplicity itself! In order to understand compassion, let us review the simplicity we keep missing. Let us see the most obvious fact of all Ð the fact that you exist! Aren’t you aware already of existing? Don’t you already feel the simple FEELING of BEING? Don’t you already possess this immediate gateway to ultimate Spirit, which is nothing other than the simple Feeling of Being? You have this simple Feeling now, don’t you? And you have it now, don’t you? And, as you keep reading, it is always now, yes? Don’t you realize that this Feeling of knowing you are ‘now’ by Being Now is Spirit Itself? It is God, pure consciousness or emptiness (fullness) itself? Spirit does not pop into existence: it is the only thing that is constant in your experience Ð it is the choiceless now, the simple feeling of Being itself, a subtle, constant background awareness that, if you look very closely, very carefully, you will realize you have truly existed prior to time, in this timeless moment you can FEEL that you have always been. Stop for a moment now, sit still, and ask yourself when your birthday was and who you were prior to your physical birth. Of course you will not know the answer, but you will get the Feeling that you had ‘existed’ even then. We can’t possibly conceive of not having been. You are this choiceless now in a timeless essence experienced as ‘being’ (consciousness). If you can feel and know beyond doubt this simple truth of this choiceless now then you are enlightened! Now we come to the question, “If it is this simple and yet we keep missing it, what are we lacking in our life?” The word is Ð compassion! What is the true meaning of compassion? It is bringing together what is already together but with a passion, with devotion, with unconditional love. It is seeing the non-separation of Self. When you can look on another beyond the surface appearance and see the same being, that’s compassion. When you can look at a face and see their perplexity, confusion, fear and separation and yet remain patient, understanding and accepting of the fact that they do not see clearly, that’s compassion. When you can look at the deformed, the dying, the sick in mind and body and do not judge them, that’s compassion. When your lover, husband, friend, wife, neighbour, children are driving you up the wall and still able to see, despite your irritation, that they are NOT doing this to you on purpose, that’s compassion. In order to see more clearly ask yourself this question of your family, relationship, work, career, leisure time, hobbies or just sitting still, “What is this all about?” If there is no love in this ‘now-moment’ what is the point? If there is the slightest separation-feeling in your relationship, family, work, leisure, activity or being alone, ask, “What is this all about?” Consider for a moment an obvious answer to the following question, yet incredibly overlooked, “What causes all the stress, strife, conflict, fear and suffering?” Isn’t it the accepted idea that we have never question Ð the idea of ‘me?’ You can trace all emotional pain to this one single simple word ‘me.’ It is this ‘me’ that causes all the emotional suffering in this world. It is the only ‘thing’ that blocks our compassion and separates us from others who are also known as ‘me’ to themselves. We have taken this ‘me’ so much for granted that we have never even questioned it, “Who and where is this ‘me’ in this choiceless now?” This seems to be scary business until there is this realization that this ‘me’ never existed except as a self-image known as imagination. Someone asked, “How can I get rid of this ‘me’ idea?” The answer was simple and direct, “First, find out if such an idea actually exists.” It is a conditioned concept accepted by everyone starting from the age of two. The objection raised might be, “But if this belief is normal with everyone, why is it wrong?” The ‘me’ idea is not wrong anymore than falling down in learning to walk is wrong. It is the initial stage of consciousness evolutionary growth. It is like stepping on the first rungs of the ladder to get to the top. We can’t say that the first steps are wrong but simply the first steps to ‘teach’ what is necessary to step up. The ‘me’ idea causes all the stress through its self-protection, self-defence, the need for control, its need to be loved, appreciated, approved-of, consoled, praised, to be somebody, to be special and so on. Since everyone goes through these initial stages we can deduce the result Ð unhappiness, fear and anger. We mature as we begin to see clearly that selfishness doesn’t work and brings only misery. We slowly discover that only love works, and love is the opposite of separation. “So, how do we bring this love about?” The answer is Ð through compassion. Since your true nature is this choiceless now, then whatever you feel, think, know and believe is only what you believe, know, feel and think. This means that when you judge another, then judgment is in you and about how you think and feel. When you don’t trust others, the lack of trust is in you. When you fear the world, this fear is in you, as you are this world you have created through this ‘me’ thought. We cannot overcome or fix this ‘me’ simply because it is not real anymore than any self-image is real but an image. If you believe there is something wrong with you then there is to ‘you.’ If you believe you are not good enough as you are, then no amount of fixing is going to do it simply because it is the belief itself that needs to be looked at. If your life is not working out, if you are struggling or living in fear then it is time to look at this ‘me’ idea you have taken for granted. Allow yourself to see clearly how this ‘me’ idea is causing you fear and conflict with the world of ‘others.’ Who are these ‘other’ people except you in a different form? There is no need to fix this ‘me’ for after all ‘who’ is going to do it? There is only one needed ingredient to live from this choiceless now (please get the CD of this satsang ‘The Choiceless Now’ talk #17n) and that is COMPASSION. Understanding Compassion The best way to understand compassion is to understand also its opposite known as ‘tension.’ In our daily life we call it ‘stress.’ Let’s explore this word ‘tension’ without referring to our conditioned concept about it. Sit very still now and relax fully, let go of all physical tension and as you begin to feel relaxed ask yourself, “Isn’t this my true natural being?” Now, begin to think about plans, projects, your drive, the work you have to do and so on and sense in your body-awareness how tension automatically arises. All excitement, all agitation, drives, projects, motivations, goals and so on are just tension in varying degrees. Now, please see clearly we are not judging good or bad here. Whether they are ‘good’ or ‘bad’ is NOT the point; they are simply tension! When this tension is not seen clearly for what it is, we begin to see this tension as ‘who’ we are and it becomes stressful. This stress builds up so unconsciously that we might have no idea what we are doing to our body and mind. This stress starts to control all our thinking, which emerges from the past, and before we know it, we are involved in separative-thinking known as resentment, dislike, judgment, anger etc. What is the counter-balance to these stresses? The word is compassion. The word ‘com’ means together. The word ‘passion’ means pathos, deep feelings, devotion, unconditional love. The moment you bring compassion to any situation, to any belief or thought process, the tension will subside and you will feel your natural self again. Try it. Whenever negativity, misunderstanding, confusion, heaviness or any lack of love obsesses you, just bring in compassion and you will see that your heart and mind relax and soften. How do we bring compassion in our life? Allow yourself to be fully honest and the moment you feel any form of stress, whether in the subtle form of judging another or yourself or feeling great terror, acknowledge this fact of feeling and then relax into the feeling and ‘see’ how you are creating separation through it. Then, see how this stress is caused by indulging in separation thinking and ask, “What is it all about?” and you will be led back to love since it is the only thing that really matters. This means that accepting your stress lovingly since you didn’t know any better at the time is true compassion. Compassion means you are bringing it all together here and now without judgment. Compassion bridges the gap of separation. If your thoughts involved ‘other’ people, then stop and see clearly that there are no ‘others’ except extensions of yourself. Oftentimes we do not want to forgive because that fellow was wrong. ‘They’ are wrong and so how can I feel compassion for them? Let him tell me he’s sorry and then I’ll think of forgiving him or feeling compassion! By allowing yourself to feel compassion you are releasing yourself from ‘killing’ your spirit which is by nature pure love. Compassion will take you all the way to inner fulfillment, to the Kingdom of God within as Jesus advocated. It is the greatest surrender, the greatest love and the opening of the heart. As you look at the world’s news, its tragedies, wars, fighting, killing, torture and hatred just STOP and see how a little compassion can go such a long way and is so sorely needed. Be the one to bring it to yourself first and then the rest of the world will follow your example.
The Indisputable Power of Satsang Why are regular satsangs extremely important? Listening to what is real and lasting from someone who has experienced it brings grace (opening of the heart) so that it replaces the conditioning and pain of long ago. The repeated hearing of what is real cleanses the soul from daily conditioning and replaces it with greater clarity, compassion and love. The word ‘satsang’ stands for Truth. A satsang talk is not concerned with anything but the ultimate truth of being. It is not a belief, a philosophy, or a system of thought. It has only one purpose - to explore what is real and lasting until it is realized to be the truth of one’s being. Once this truth is discovered, then all facets of life, from relationships to career to living everyday life, become a blessing and a joy. Satsang is not concerned with changing one’s ideas, altering one’s beliefs, or overcoming anything. It is simply the clarity of seeing the truth - that ideas are ideas, that beliefs are beliefs, and one’s individual way of life is simply one’s individual way of life. None of it is lasting or therefore real. Once there is this realization (and it can happen any time there is an open heart) then life becomes a joy and an adventure that far surpasses anything you could have imagined. Satsang talks are given every Thursday evening at 7:30 in Vancouver, at 206-1947 West 7th Avenue. Please call 604-734-1427 for more information. Satsang is also offered in the Coquitlam area. Please call Phyllis at 604-469-4888 for more information. Satsang talks help to restore sanity in a world torn with war, hate, fear and violence. Attending satsang replenishes one’s power. Satsang talks are recorded both in audio and video every week. |
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Welcome to the May issue of our newsletter based on people’s questions. The recent weekly scripts and the satsangs have sparked a flood of emails exposing long-held feelings of unconscious inner tension. Let’s explore this feeling... |
|
|
THE HIDDEN FEELING Observe the lotus and its beauty and glory despite the muddy water from which it springs. Keep this picture of the lotus in mind as you read the following article on the human condition as compared to its true but unknown state of Being. Emails received within the last several weeks were primarily focused on the inner unconscious tension experienced by everyone. However, each email emphasized this tension as a personal feeling and therefore involved some form of suffering because the individual felt guilty. For example, this intelligent woman summed it best when she wrote:
What impressed me with that email is its clarity, lucidity and awareness. All my life I had suffered a deep feeling of loneliness whether in company or actually alone. And, although I was popular and excelled in sports and other team activities, yet I could never shake this subtle but disruptive feeling in my unconscious. Studies in psychology and metaphysics never really helped until my ‘meeting’ with Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi and later studies in A Course in Miracles. It was in 1998 during a ‘Supersentience’ experience that this hidden feeling became clear to me. It was quite a revelation, so much so in fact, that its very realization awakened a peace and clarity I haven’t ‘lost’ since. This realization pointed out a fact I had never known before and it was this Ð that as long as one thinks of himself/herself as a personal being separated from others, then that one will suffer this subtle nagging guilt as if something is missing, as if one is ‘bad’ or done something wrong without knowing what. And, since everyone believes they are separate individuals (an ego) then this feeling is in everyone until they discover their true nature as Pure Being. The Course states: “If the ego is the symbol of the separation, it is also the symbol of guilt. Guilt is more than merely not of God. It is the symbol of the ATTACK on God.” This subtle inner feeling of unrest is in EVERYONE regardless of culture, religious belief or race. It is the human condition believing it is merely a body and separate from others. There is no way one can shake that feeling until there is the realization that one is whole in his Being and not separate. Now the key question is, “How does one awaken the Whole Being?” Provided there is the willingness to see beyond the egoic mind and what the truth is, then it follows these different states: Initially, there is fascination with the spiritual life and this keeps one busy with various topics of reincarnation, karma, angels, UFO’s, other worldly experiences, the supernatural, occult, physical miracles and so forth. This fascination is an escape from this hidden emptiness but the novice is not aware of this fact. Secondly, the fascination continues but this time it involves personal spiritual experiences and it provides temporary respite from this inner emptiness. However, the experiences leaves, as it must, and the experiencier is left hoping to recapture it while unconsciously reinforcing the egoic need to ‘get it’ personally. Then, it reaches a deeper stage when the ‘beginner’ is sincere and starts to recognize that it is this ‘me’ (ego) that causes all the separation thoughts and guilt and so entertains the ‘thought’ of getting rid of this ego. It is at this point that great fear surfaces, for after all, one has invested tremendous energy into this belief that one is an ego. And, getting rid of an ego is an impossibility because of one overlooked fact Ð the ego never existed. It was just a human condition of believing in separation. Finally, one starts realizing that everyone has this feeling of egoic attachment and therefore everyone suffers from this emptiness, no matter how well hidden it is kept. The Course states: “Only the ego can experience guilt.” The purpose of the satsang meetings is to see our universal oneness, and it is through this oneness that guilt is seen for what it actually is Ð a big deception. Therefore, the moment you start ‘looking’ at your feelings of guilt, which emerge in various ways, which are: A feeling of emptiness especially upon waking up This hidden feeling is in everyone. Once you realize this you will stop taking your hidden unrest as a personal reality. Here is a fact the ego doesn’t want to hear Ð NOTHING IS PERSONAL. When this inner emptiness is seen as a personal feeling (“it is mine”) then you will try to fix it, seek help, ask a hundred questions, become frustrated, feel anger, loneliness and a hundred other manifestations of seeking an answer that doesn’t exist outside of you. Many people seek lovers to escape the feeling of loneliness but then find themselves sabotaging the very relationship they wanted. Please understand one simple inescapable fact Ð there is no escape from this illusory feeling because it is based on the idea that you are a separate being, and that’s the big lie. “So how do I start dealing with this feeling and find my true Being?” You start by having compassion for this universal unawareness. The Heart of Compassion How often we hear, “I should know better,” or “My mind is so negative and judgmental that I feel awful,” or “I feel as if something is missing and feel unhappy for no reason.” We have heard these statements so often that we even applaud them for their honesty and self-deprecation. But where is the compassion for oneself? Did you know that such self-deprecation is the ego’s greatest strategy for maintaining control? Why do we lose our way so easily? In our world we are taught to seek, struggle, work hard, to achieve, have ambition, to own, overcome, fix and change what we don’t like, and through all this conditioned existence, we miss the most important aspect of living Ð simplicity itself! In order to understand compassion, let us review the simplicity we keep missing. Let us see the most obvious fact of all Ð the fact that you exist! Aren’t you aware already of existing? Don’t you already feel the simple FEELING of BEING? Don’t you already possess this immediate gateway to ultimate Spirit, which is nothing other than the simple Feeling of Being? You have this simple Feeling now, don’t you? And you have it now, don’t you? And, as you keep reading, it is always now, yes? Don’t you realize that this Feeling of knowing you are ‘now’ by Being Now is Spirit Itself? It is God, pure consciousness or emptiness (fullness) itself? Spirit does not pop into existence: it is the only thing that is constant in your experience Ð it is the choiceless now, the simple feeling of Being itself, a subtle, constant background awareness that, if you look very closely, very carefully, you will realize you have truly existed prior to time, in this timeless moment you can FEEL that you have always been. Stop for a moment now, sit still, and ask yourself when your birthday was and who you were prior to your physical birth. Of course you will not know the answer, but you will get the Feeling that you had ‘existed’ even then. We can’t possibly conceive of not having been. You are this choiceless now in a timeless essence experienced as ‘being’ (consciousness). If you can feel and know beyond doubt this simple truth of this choiceless now then you are enlightened! Now we come to the question, “If it is this simple and yet we keep missing it, what are we lacking in our life?” The word is Ð compassion! What is the true meaning of compassion? It is bringing together what is already together but with a passion, with devotion, with unconditional love. It is seeing the non-separation of Self. When you can look on another beyond the surface appearance and see the same being, that’s compassion. When you can look at a face and see their perplexity, confusion, fear and separation and yet remain patient, understanding and accepting of the fact that they do not see clearly, that’s compassion. When you can look at the deformed, the dying, the sick in mind and body and do not judge them, that’s compassion. When your lover, husband, friend, wife, neighbour, children are driving you up the wall and still able to see, despite your irritation, that they are NOT doing this to you on purpose, that’s compassion. In order to see more clearly ask yourself this question of your family, relationship, work, career, leisure time, hobbies or just sitting still, “What is this all about?” If there is no love in this ‘now-moment’ what is the point? If there is the slightest separation-feeling in your relationship, family, work, leisure, activity or being alone, ask, “What is this all about?” Consider for a moment an obvious answer to the following question, yet incredibly overlooked, “What causes all the stress, strife, conflict, fear and suffering?” Isn’t it the accepted idea that we have never question Ð the idea of ‘me?’ You can trace all emotional pain to this one single simple word ‘me.’ It is this ‘me’ that causes all the emotional suffering in this world. It is the only ‘thing’ that blocks our compassion and separates us from others who are also known as ‘me’ to themselves. We have taken this ‘me’ so much for granted that we have never even questioned it, “Who and where is this ‘me’ in this choiceless now?” This seems to be scary business until there is this realization that this ‘me’ never existed except as a self-image known as imagination. Someone asked, “How can I get rid of this ‘me’ idea?” The answer was simple and direct, “First, find out if such an idea actually exists.” It is a conditioned concept accepted by everyone starting from the age of two. The objection raised might be, “But if this belief is normal with everyone, why is it wrong?” The ‘me’ idea is not wrong anymore than falling down in learning to walk is wrong. It is the initial stage of consciousness evolutionary growth. It is like stepping on the first rungs of the ladder to get to the top. We can’t say that the first steps are wrong but simply the first steps to ‘teach’ what is necessary to step up. The ‘me’ idea causes all the stress through its self-protection, self-defence, the need for control, its need to be loved, appreciated, approved-of, consoled, praised, to be somebody, to be special and so on. Since everyone goes through these initial stages we can deduce the result Ð unhappiness, fear and anger. We mature as we begin to see clearly that selfishness doesn’t work and brings only misery. We slowly discover that only love works, and love is the opposite of separation. “So, how do we bring this love about?” The answer is Ð through compassion. Since your true nature is this choiceless now, then whatever you feel, think, know and believe is only what you believe, know, feel and think. This means that when you judge another, then judgment is in you and about how you think and feel. When you don’t trust others, the lack of trust is in you. When you fear the world, this fear is in you, as you are this world you have created through this ‘me’ thought. We cannot overcome or fix this ‘me’ simply because it is not real anymore than any self-image is real but an image. If you believe there is something wrong with you then there is to ‘you.’ If you believe you are not good enough as you are, then no amount of fixing is going to do it simply because it is the belief itself that needs to be looked at. If your life is not working out, if you are struggling or living in fear then it is time to look at this ‘me’ idea you have taken for granted. Allow yourself to see clearly how this ‘me’ idea is causing you fear and conflict with the world of ‘others.’ Who are these ‘other’ people except you in a different form? There is no need to fix this ‘me’ for after all ‘who’ is going to do it? There is only one needed ingredient to live from this choiceless now (please get the CD of this satsang ‘The Choiceless Now’ talk #17n) and that is COMPASSION. Understanding Compassion The best way to understand compassion is to understand also its opposite known as ‘tension.’ In our daily life we call it ‘stress.’ Let’s explore this word ‘tension’ without referring to our conditioned concept about it. Sit very still now and relax fully, let go of all physical tension and as you begin to feel relaxed ask yourself, “Isn’t this my true natural being?” Now, begin to think about plans, projects, your drive, the work you have to do and so on and sense in your body-awareness how tension automatically arises. All excitement, all agitation, drives, projects, motivations, goals and so on are just tension in varying degrees. Now, please see clearly we are not judging good or bad here. Whether they are ‘good’ or ‘bad’ is NOT the point; they are simply tension! When this tension is not seen clearly for what it is, we begin to see this tension as ‘who’ we are and it becomes stressful. This stress builds up so unconsciously that we might have no idea what we are doing to our body and mind. This stress starts to control all our thinking, which emerges from the past, and before we know it, we are involved in separative-thinking known as resentment, dislike, judgment, anger etc. What is the counter-balance to these stresses? The word is compassion. The word ‘com’ means together. The word ‘passion’ means pathos, deep feelings, devotion, unconditional love. The moment you bring compassion to any situation, to any belief or thought process, the tension will subside and you will feel your natural self again. Try it. Whenever negativity, misunderstanding, confusion, heaviness or any lack of love obsesses you, just bring in compassion and you will see that your heart and mind relax and soften. How do we bring compassion in our life? Allow yourself to be fully honest and the moment you feel any form of stress, whether in the subtle form of judging another or yourself or feeling great terror, acknowledge this fact of feeling and then relax into the feeling and ‘see’ how you are creating separation through it. Then, see how this stress is caused by indulging in separation thinking and ask, “What is it all about?” and you will be led back to love since it is the only thing that really matters. This means that accepting your stress lovingly since you didn’t know any better at the time is true compassion. Compassion means you are bringing it all together here and now without judgment. Compassion bridges the gap of separation. If your thoughts involved ‘other’ people, then stop and see clearly that there are no ‘others’ except extensions of yourself. Oftentimes we do not want to forgive because that fellow was wrong. ‘They’ are wrong and so how can I feel compassion for them? Let him tell me he’s sorry and then I’ll think of forgiving him or feeling compassion! By allowing yourself to feel compassion you are releasing yourself from ‘killing’ your spirit which is by nature pure love. Compassion will take you all the way to inner fulfillment, to the Kingdom of God within as Jesus advocated. It is the greatest surrender, the greatest love and the opening of the heart. As you look at the world’s news, its tragedies, wars, fighting, killing, torture and hatred just STOP and see how a little compassion can go such a long way and is so sorely needed. Be the one to bring it to yourself first and then the rest of the world will follow your example.
The Indisputable Power of Satsang Why are regular satsangs extremely important? Listening to what is real and lasting from someone who has experienced it brings grace (opening of the heart) so that it replaces the conditioning and pain of long ago. The repeated hearing of what is real cleanses the soul from daily conditioning and replaces it with greater clarity, compassion and love. The word ‘satsang’ stands for Truth. A satsang talk is not concerned with anything but the ultimate truth of being. It is not a belief, a philosophy, or a system of thought. It has only one purpose - to explore what is real and lasting until it is realized to be the truth of one’s being. Once this truth is discovered, then all facets of life, from relationships to career to living everyday life, become a blessing and a joy. Satsang is not concerned with changing one’s ideas, altering one’s beliefs, or overcoming anything. It is simply the clarity of seeing the truth - that ideas are ideas, that beliefs are beliefs, and one’s individual way of life is simply one’s individual way of life. None of it is lasting or therefore real. Once there is this realization (and it can happen any time there is an open heart) then life becomes a joy and an adventure that far surpasses anything you could have imagined. Satsang talks are given every Thursday evening at 7:30 in Vancouver, at 206-1947 West 7th Avenue. Please call 604-734-1427 for more information. Satsang is also offered in the Coquitlam area. Please call Phyllis at 604-469-4888 for more information. Satsang talks help to restore sanity in a world torn with war, hate, fear and violence. Attending satsang replenishes one’s power. Satsang talks are recorded both in audio and video every week. |
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