Responding to Negativity

When someone is exhibiting anger, dislike, or other negative emotions toward you, you may feel that you want to respond in kind.  Most likely, however, that person's negative feelings are actually directed at himself and merely displaced upon you.  Compassion, not anger, is the appropriate response. You may feel he or she is trying to goad you into a negative response. However, it is actually your own ego that is goading you. No one else can goad you if you are mindful and your higher self is in control of your emotions and, especially, your ego.

Foundations of Spiritual Growth

Study, meditation, mindfulness and intention all foster spiritual growth. 

Study

It is true that each of us has direct access to truth through the higher Self.  However, before we can learn to channel that truth to our consciousness, most of us require the guidance and encouragement that we derive from studying the works of spiritual masters of the past and present.  The more diverse our sources of wisdom, the better, because no one teacher, no matter how great, has been able to translate spiritual truth into human language perfectly or completely.  By studying the ancient teachings of Jesus and the Buddha, Krishna and Lao Tsu, the recent teachings of such masters as Ramana Maharshi, Joel Goldsmith, and Paramahansa Yogananda, the teachings of contemporary masters such as Eckhart Tolle and the Dalai Lama, the interpretations of students and scholars past and present, and the everyday wisdom of the spiritual teachers we encounter daily, we can achieve a holistic understanding that relates the truth to our individual circumstances in a way that no one philosophy or system of thought imposed from outside the self could possibly give us.

Intention

Intention is the will to put aside the promptings of ego and the base urgings of the small self in pursuit of higher truth.  Study leads us to this intention as we learn to appreciate the values incorporated in the teachings of the masters.  Intention truly forms within the self, however, and is the first evidence of the universal spirit that inhabits the consciousness of each individual.  It is the first shoot of the sprouting seed that pushes through its earthly covering and spreads its leaves to the sun. Studying the masters is like providing warmth and water to  the sleeping grain of universal consciousness under the surface. That seed responds to truth and blossoms spontaneously into the personal consciousness:

Awareness, dormant in the Soul,
In meditation, or by a guru's touch,
Erupts in spontaneous beauty,
Like a flower.
 
Meditation

Spiritual consciousness, however, cannot be acquired through study. Study prepares us, provides us disciplines and intentions, that will help us to find the way and keep steadily to the path that will carry us on our journey.  But once this foundation has been laid - this roadmap has been opened - a general understanding of the benefits of spiritual truth and the means of accessing it - we must open ourselves to the gifts of awareness that are granted us in meditation.  Though meditation can mean many things, here I am referring to the silent practice of emptying the conscious mind and opening it as a vessel to receive the downpouring of Spirit from its universal Source. Here paradoxically we must renounce reliance on the teaching of human masters along with all other mundane practices and wisdom sources.  Through the practice of opening ourselves directly to Spirit, we are following in the footsteps of those mystics and masters, whose teachings invariably emphasize the importance of a personal relationship with the Divine.  A meditation practice begins with the abandonment of all preformulated beliefs and principles. Sitting in stillness, we are able to contemplate many purported truths that make their way into our consciousness. Many of these will come from our own minds and egos and will not stand up to the light the consciousness casts upon them.  Only those that are pure enough to possess their own internal illumination, and to flood the consciousness with the unmistakable brilliance of eternal truth, will we adopt as principles on which to build a new understanding. Over time, meditation will assist us to refine and reformulate these understandings in a dynamic process of polishing our consciousness into an ever more perfect mirror of divinity.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is an essential tool in our practice. Mindfulness can be applied to both thoughts and actions. In meditation, mindfulness enables us to be aware of distractions and to adhere to our intention by setting them aside; and to distinguish the gleam of truth from the glare of desire in the thoughts and images that pass constantly on the periphery of consciousness. In daily life, mindfulness allows us to make choices and take actions that are consistent with our intentions and with the values we have absorbed from the study of great masters and from communion with the Divine. Mindfulness allows us to avoid the unexamined life in which we act based on instinct or reflex (what I call "one dimensional consciousness"), or on habit, on values and behaviors derived from the sometimes polluted environment in which we live ("two dimensional consciousness"), or on the promptings of ego. It provides continual course corrections to keep us on our chosen path. Mindfulness consists of holding each thought, each action to which we are prompted, up to the light to determine whether it is consistent with our highest good and the intention we have formed for our spiritual development.  It enables us to choose loving thoughts and actions over selfish ones.

Together, study and meditation, practiced with divine intention and mindfulness, are the essential foundation of a life that is fulfilling far beyond the satisfaction of material desires, a life of loving oneness with the Divine.

Finding meaning in a random universe

We have a habit of saying, "everything happens for a reason." I don't think that this formulation of the way the universe operates, though superficially comforting, is very helpful. It leaves us looking for meaning in seemingly random events, including those that are on the surface quite terrible. It also causes us to look outside ourselves for explanations that are often unobtainable.

The fact is that many events in this physical universe of ours do not happen for any discernible reason. Even the minority of events that are directly attributable to human choices are as often as not due to random, ego-based impulse. It debases Spirit as well as ourselves to suggest Spirit is carrying out some cosmic agenda that is beyond our comprehension, and that every tragic event that we experience is designed to lead paradoxically to a greater good. We may even choose to abandon the spiritual path rather than accept the notion that Spirit callously imposes pain on us or other beings for reasons of its own. It may also lead us to passivity and fatalism to believe that current events have a cause that is in the past or "out there" somewhere. Better to recognize that events are mostly random and to seek elsewhere for meaning.

The whole notion of causation (and therefore "reasons") depends on the existence of time, of a past that has brought us to where we are and a future that will develop out of the present. Yet time is only a construct that human mind created to explain its limited comprehension. Spirit has no experience of causation because it knows no past nor future, only the eternal Now.

This does not imply that we who still live in a time-bound space should abandon the working hypothesis of causation. Before our spiritual awareness reaches a certain level, contemplating the lack of objective meaning in external circumstances may lead us only to despair and destructive behavior.  Though we inhabit the physical universe only conditionally, in order to survive the experience and remain sane we need to impose  order on it. It is important for us to realize, however, that such order is imposed by our minds and not by the workings of Spirit. Nor should we turn to fatalism, for we still have the power to create a loving, peaceful space around us and others through the manner in which we react to events.

Rather than affirm that everything happens for a reason, I would prefer to say that every experience presents us with a range of outcomes that are determined by how we choose to respond  to it.  What differentiates these responses from each other is their degree of consistency with Spirit. Some will have the effect of enhancing the loving relationships we have among ourselves and with Spirit; others will increase our separation. In the end this is what determines whether the event is perceived as having a positive or negative outcome. So, in a sense everything does happen for a reason, but the reason for everything is the same:  to provide us with the opportunity to develop an ever more harmonious relationship with Spirit by learning to react to every situation with love and compassion.

This interpretation places the responsibility for our relationships with Spirit and its various manifestations squarely where it belongs:  on each individual. It also refocuses our attention from the past to the present moment. All events carry the opportunity for us to react in ways that produce greater or lesser harmony between ourselves and Spirit.  We may see events as "good" or "bad", but those terms have meaning only in relation to their effects in the physical universe. Since all physical things are impermanent, and time is only a way of constraining our view of the universe, physical effects have no significance compared to the way we choose to align ourselves in relation to Spirit.

We are defining our role in Spirit in every instant. Each moment presents the opportunity for greater love and harmony. We are constantly at choice, and the choices we make define not only ourselves, but our experience of the universe. In order to take advantage of the opportunity for choice we must remain mindful that there is more than one way to react to every situation, and be aware of what those choices are. The closer we choose to align ourselves with Spirit, the greater peace we will experience. 

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It may also be that the Universe works according to laws that we do not understand, and therefore do not recognize. For thoughts on the working of karma, see this post: Karma the Teacher

We Are One

Open your heart to me; for I am your Source, the presence of your Being.

Open your mind to me, for no thought arises without my making it so.

Open your body to me; accept my animating Grace and power.

I am the beginning and the end; your Alpha and Omega.

You live and move and have your being in Me,

Your Creator in this moment and always.

We are One, you and I, inseparable

As the breath from the air

One Unity undivided

Coexistent

One.

Finding Joy In Others

If you have trouble connecting to the Source of Joy within you, try looking for it in other people. Joy arises spontaneously from a close connection between individual manifestations of Spirit. With those who are closest to you, sense the deep connection that underlies your separateness. But do not limit your awareness to your immediate loved ones. The same connection exists between you and every other being. Start by becoming mindful of the way you greet people when you meet them - whther they are friends or strangers. Are you open and welcoming? Do you accept the ego vulnerability that comes from exposing your true nature to the gaze of others? Or are you closed and protective of your thoughts and feelings? In order to connect to the network of Joy that is Spirit, you must be prepared to allow others within your walls, if not to tear down those walls altogether. 

Connection is most easily established through the eyes and the touch. Begin by looking each person directly in the eyes when you are with them. Smile and offer them your hand or a hug, as appropriate under the circumstances. There are few circumstances in which a handshake is inappropriate! Once you have established a physical connection in this manner, remain open and, by your manner, encourage others to open themselves to you. You will find that the more open the lines of communication are, the more easily the Joy of Spirit arises and flows between you. What's more, the flow of Spirit cannot be contained once it begins; it soon reaches out to embrace others around you, until a whole group of people may become united by a healing sense of personal warmth and goodwill. Try this the next time you meet a group of people in a public place.

Oneness Through Technology?

We are all challenged to put down our smartphones, laptops, and remote controls long enough to establish a daily meditation practice - and to encourage others to do so. Technology, at least until now the enemy of mysticism, is pushing us farther away from the one-on-one experience of the Divine even as it brings us closer together as people. I see a glimmer of hope even here, however. As we become increasingly a world community, a new path to Oneness may emerge from the growing awareness that people everywhere aspire to peace, love and respect for our planet. The original title of this blog - The God In You, The God In Me - derived from the desire to reach out and connect to the Divine spark in other beings. I don't believe that social networking will replace meditation, but it may lead to a greater willingness to practice metta - loving kindness - in meditation and in daily life. Oneness springs spontaneously from metta practice.

The Kingdom of God

This is an answer to a comment on an earlier post.

You want to know how to live your life right now; and you believe the Kingdom of God is at hand. These two sentences contain a question, and the answer to that question.

The Kingdom of God -- these are Jesus' words. I know they aren't his actual words, but I believe their meaning is close to what he actually said. Many of Jesus' followers expected him to establish an Earthly kingdom that he would rule as God's representative. He used the word "kingdom" in order to redefine it. His teachings are quite clear that the Kingdom of God is no worldly princedom, but a spiritual condition. Moreover, he taught that the Kingdom is not imminent - that is, in the future - but immanent - already present and accessible by spiritual means.

We have recently completed the Easter season with its many opportunities to reflect on the meaning of the life and death of Jesus. To me this year, the lesson has been that his death was a purposeful demonstration of the transitory nature of physical things. According to popular history, Jesus could easily have fomented a rebellion and proclaimed himself king. Instead, he chose to submit his physical form to destruction at the hands of the secular authority. What a powerful demonstration of his belief that worldly power is fleeting and, ultimately, meaningless! What a clear message to all who would pay attention that the Kingdom of God is an eternal kingdom of Spirit that cannot be harmed by the acts of human beings. Jesus' words to Pilate reinforce this teaching.

I believe that the Kingdom of God of which Jesus spoke is no more nor less than the divine presence that sits at the heart of every individual consciousness, and unites all consciousness in the bliss of Oneness. This kingdom is not attained by conquest, but by surrender; the surrender of the small self to the will of the higher Self. Even Oneness is not a prize to be pursued, but a gift to be accepted. Peace, joy and Love are attained simply by acknowledging the powerlessness of the small self in the spiritual realm and accepting the gift that is freely offered once the barriers erected by ego are torn down.

There are a number of practices that can help us accomplish this. Meditation is the practice of surrendering the ego and laying the consciousness bare and defenseless to the all-consuming power of Love. Prayer also contributes, as long as the prayer is simply "not my ego's will, but Spirit's, be done." (I borrow this formulation from Adyashanti.) It is essential to incorporate this same attitude of surrender into our secular lives, not by becoming passive and submissive to the wills of others, but by carrying out all our worldly activities in an attitude of love and thankfulness. It is to Spirit, not to other egos, that we surrender. Jesus was no wimp, but he did perform every act out of Love.

One thing that the Kingdom of God is not, however, is a life of material bounty and comfort. Too many people of all faiths have joined Jesus in poverty or martyrdom for that to be true. Attaining the Kingdom of God does not give one worldly power; it only makes one indifferent to it. The peace that passes understanding is the peace that wells up from an inner source even in the harshest circumstances, for those who have cultivated the ability to tap the Source of peace. It does not require much study of the daily news to learn the truth of the saying that money cannot buy happiness. Jesus went so far as to say it was impossible for a rich man to enter the Kingdom. Poverty may not be a prerequisite to saintliness, but the attachment to creature comforts is a formidable obstacle.

Knowing all this, there is only one possible way to live your life. Live in such a way as to open the inner gates to the Kingdom. Practice mindfulness, meditation and compassion. Forsake attachment to (but not necessarily the enjoyment of) physical things. Find comfort in the wisdom that all that is material must pass away, including particularly your own body and those aspects of your personality that are dependent upon that body. This is comforting because the material world contains suffering that has no place in Spirit. Live in the awareness that you and God are one, as Jesus did. Let the light and spiritual power of the Kingdom emanate from its Source within at every opportunity. Accept the gift of unconditional love and bask in the bliss of radiating that Love to all around you, not just those few souls who are close to you in time and space, but to all beings in all dimensions. This is truly the Kingdom of God, and a sufficient answer to every question.