Spirituality
Meditation: “Are We There Yet?”
The scene: a group in meditation. The teacher guides them to “Open their attention”, and “Simply be in awareness”, and observe, notice the thoughts going by, the feelings as sensations in the body… The teacher starts to end the session and encourages the participants to gently open their eyes. A student pipes up, “Are We…
Read MoreThe Enlightenment Contest
The scene: a non-duality spiritual retreat, led my a teacher named “Francis” and his wife “Laura”. Someone gets up, in the evening, after the meditation and dialogue, when announcements are made: “I have a little announcement. Since everyone here is interested in not only becoming enlightened—or perhaps thinks they already are—and furthermore would love very…
Read MoreOn Beyond Cause and Effect
In practical mechanical affairs, cause and effect thinking can have utility. For example, your car suddenly loses power on the freeway. Using reason and your senses in a troubleshooting capacity, you can trace down the cause. Does the starter turn? Yes. That means there’s juice in the battery. The cause is not a dead battery.…
Read MoreOn Beyond Spiritual Bypassing
This article is not about showing you how not to do spiritual bypassing (or telling someone else how not to do it) but will make a case that the concept has very limited usefulness and should probably be abandoned. I hope to communicate the fact that it’s a term we would do better to replace…
Read More3P Brainwashing? A Response to Someone Distressed About a Family Member
I recently received this note from someone wanting some advice (“pick my brains”) about the Three Principles Psychology (3P), which I have written about in a number of articles. I emailed her back but her address bounced (probably misspelled). I’ll call her “A”. I thought my response would be of possible interest to other people…
Read MoreKissing a Sweet Goodbye to The Three Principles
From a recording: “If you’re listening to this in your car and you find yourself in a beautiful feeling, roll down your window, pop the tape out of the tape player, and throw it out the window. Stay with the feeling, and it will teach you everything you need to know.” ~ Sydney Banks…
Read MoreGod Said STOP SEEKING Me
113. His disciples said to him, “When will the kingdom come?” “It will not come by watching for it. It will not be said, ‘Look, here!’ or ‘Look, there!’ Rather, the Father’s kingdom is spread out upon the earth, and people don’t see it.” – Jesus, The Gospel of Thomas (Trans. Stephen Patterson and Marvin…
Read MoreThere Is No Such Thing as Enlightenment
I once heard the spiritual teacher (of Advaita, Non-duality) Francis Lucille tell his students (who he would rather refer to as “friends”): “Would you rather be enlightened, or happy? Would you rather be enlightened and unhappy, or unenlightened and happy?”. While I laughed and thought this very insightful, part of me also was taken aback:…
Read MoreBeyond the Event Horizon of Thought
Definition: “Thought” – The energy used to form the contents of experience. At this point in my life I find it harder to avoid feeling and thinking there can be only be one reality and one consciousness. How could you not? The answer is, by believing that Truth or Consciousness (or “innate health” as they talk…
Read MoreNotes on Prophets, Mystics, Sages, Philosophers and All That Good Stuff
Last night I watched an entertaining musical from the 70’s, Jesus Christ Superstar. I saw it when I was a kid. Very enjoyable music and great lyrics. Then for something less dramatic and more meditative before bed, I read some of The Gospel of Thomas until I got sleepy. (http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/gthlamb.html) My reflections this morning: In…
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