When is a photo a street photo and when isn’t it? Help from a great master.

All photos are my copyright unless other wise stated – Dr Roger E Prentice

Yes it is – the photo was taken in a street.

No it isn’t – because I wasn’t waiting for the critical moment to come into consciousness. Henri Cartier-Bresson, many say he was the greatest (street) photographer coined the act of ‘the decisive moment. He said;

Photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organisation of forms which give that event its proper expression

More of my favourite teachings by HCB are immediately below. He certainly would have scoffed at the idea of being a spiritual teacher – but he was. Other of my favourites are;

“Reality offers us such wealth that we must cut some of it out on the spot, simplify. The question is, do we always cut out what we should?”

“Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.”

“To photograph: it is to put on the same line of sight the head, the eye and the heart.”

“To photograph: it is to put on the same line of sight the head, the eye and the heart.”

“Of all the means of expression, photography is the only one that fixes forever the precise and transitory instant. We photographers deal in things that are continually vanishing, and when they have vanished, there is no contrivance on earth that can make them come back again. We cannot develop and print a memory. The writer has time to reflect. He can accept and reject, accept again; and before committing his thoughts to paper he is able to tie the several relevant elements together. There is also a period when his brain “forgets,” and his subconscious works on classifying his thoughts. But for photographers, what has gone is gone forever.”

HCB’s art is a portal into philosophy, Non-duality, and self-understanding.

This is to say that a portal that takes us into the deepest existential resonances of being human.

Joie de vivre – we are blessed by great artists

Book Review: Forever Today (A Memoir of Love and Amnesia) by Deborah Wearing

We can realize the ultimate goal for understanding our true Self inwardly & Reality outwardly

– no religion required – thirst for spiritual growth essential!

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To understand the Self & realize what is really Real we have to have a

longing to ‘see more clearly now’;

UnSplash – this beautiful photo is by – Matteo Catanese – it echoes the work of one of the great street colour photographers Saul Leiter

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PREFACE:

With this article I’m presenting the end at the beginning – in the most brief & condensed form;

‘I = Awareness’

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Memories is a theme that runs through this article.

The great Alan Watts says if we are singing we can’t feel down so HERE is a song version to which you can sing-a-long

“Most of humanity’s problems stem from the fact that people cannot sit in silence in an empty room by themselves for five minutes –

most people cannot sit in silence by themselves with an empty mind for 10 seconds let alone 5 minutes –

the void or what they perceive as a void – of course it’s not a void –

The void is just a blank screen that is a thin veil over the peace of our true nature …

the mind projects its own limitations on to our true nature and

represents it as a void and that void is unbearable.” – Rupert Spira

SOURCE

Do you remember, astonishingly, the research that found people, two thirds of men and a quarter of women, prefer electric shocks to being on their own. – SOURCE

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The remainder of the article is ‘HOW TOs that can get you to this ultimate realization usually after many & varied pointers.

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It seems that relatively few get the realization we seek as a bolt from the blue.

Eckhart Tolle seems to have had such an experience.

In his late twenties, Eckhart experienced severe depression and anxiety.

His life lacked meaning, and he lived in perpetual fear and insecurity about the future and his aimless existence. Eckhart Tolle has admitted that he felt suicidal as a consequence of his extreme anxiety.

One night, Eckhart was awake in a condition of extreme unease. He felt intense depression, and his mind was racing with frightening thoughts about life. In this condition of anguish, he had the thoughts and ideas, “This is enough, I cannot take this anymore, I cannot live like this, I cannot live with myself,” running through him.

A voice within asked, “If there is an ‘I’ and a ‘myself,’ there must be two entities, and only one could be true.”

At this realization, his thoughts froze, he felt himself being dragged into an internal void, and he lost consciousness.

The following morning, he woke up in a condition of absolute tranquillity and peace. Everything seemed delightful to his senses, and he experienced an inner state of perfect ecstasy. SOURCE

More of us realize incrementally – or a mix of the two.

My realization was incremental with a few, non-dramatic, mystical experiences.

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THE CHALLENGE

For all of those who are students or teachers, or both, the challenge is to present an unending sequence of slightly different pointers, one of which might cause the penny to drop and the light to come on.

Of course some of us feel that teaching is the best way to learn.

Every day Revelations:

We all have revelations – a poem arrives – when we stop ‘left-brain thinking’ for example.

At the end of my life-long searching, with all of its ups and downs, has come the gift of realizing what, for me, is the ultimate goal for nearly all people – ‘I = Awareness’

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IT HELPS IF WE ARE COMFORTABLE WITH A TRIUNE OF UNDERSTANDINGS;

That is a triune of;

1 mystical experience, 2 Inter-spirituality and 3 a ‘dual-Nondual’ reading of the self and or reality ;

Re inter-spirituality this is summed up in this wonderful poster;

Created by Paul McKenna at the Canadian Roman Catholic centre called Scarboro Missions

Now for the really big one – Non-duality and a definition of the undefinable.

The more academic our training is the more challenging the definition of the undefinable can be. The definition was by Eric Putkonen

Non-duality

is not two,

nor one,

nor nothing,

nor any combination,

nor all of these,

nor none of these.

It might be helpful to chant the definition each day, as many times as possible. To hold the definition, and let it hold us, requires that we don’t slam the door shut through a knee-jerk, academic, placing of the definition into a category.

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But what if there is no separate self?

Then we are being within Being and what is left.

Just Awareness. ‘I = Awareness’

Losing our ridiculous assertion that we have a stand-alone separate existence leaves just what….?

To hold the definition in consciousness hurts.

However to rest in it is the purest meditative state.

In that holding we can demand no payoff, no right to categorization and most of all no right to objectify or ‘thingify’

We thingify our dual, material world – this is a book, this my book. As a child we are socialized into children, into ego, into them and us, me and mind and so on. Paradoxically this is all necessary as a stimulus to developing the consciousness to self-transcend.

If you want balm for your hurt there is Mother Julian of Norwich’s-

“All shall be well,

and all shall be well,

and all manner of thing shall be well"

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‘I = Awareness’

The abstract of Deikman’s teaching is ;

Abstract:

Introspection reveals that the core of subjectivity — the ‘I’ — is identical to awareness. This ‘I’ should be differentiated from the various aspects of the physical person and its mental contents which form the `self.

Most discussions of consciousness confuse the ‘I’ and the ‘self’. In fact, our experience is fundamentally dualistic — not the dualism of mind and matter — but that of the ‘I’ and that which is observed.

The identity of awareness and the ‘I’ means that we know awareness by being it, thus solving the problem of the infinite regress of observers.

It follows that whatever our ontology of awareness may be, it must also be the same for ‘ I’.

Check out the overview of Arthur Deikman’s paper in the Wikipedia article on him – HERE

A few items that leaped out for me are;

Deikman first studied physics and Harvard

He liked Rilke and Yeats

He underwent a mystical experience

He also became a student of zen meditation under Suzuki Roshi, and of Sufism under Idries Shah

Deikman also gave us this wonderful teaching on the human condition;

"So habitual is the trance of ordinary life that one could say that human beings are a race that sleeps and awakens, but does not awaken fully.

Because half-awake is sufficient for the task we customarily do, few of us are aware of the dysfunction of our condition."

– Arthur J. Deikman

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Deikman’s ‘I = Awareness’ teaching is also, however, to be found in most great spiritual traditions. For example it is in Hinduism as Advaita Vedanta.

It is also there in contemporary as well as historical teachings. The supreme example, for me, is the Oxford-based teacher Rupert Spira.

Serendipitously as I finish this first draft a wonderful teaching by Spira dropped into my inbox;

“Thoughts, feelings, sensations and perceptions may be agitated or calm but I, the presence of Awareness that knows them, do not share their qualities.

I am the luminous, open, empty, aware space that cannot be agitated by any appearance of the mind, body or world, and hence peace is my nature.”

– Rupert Spira

[Home] [Consciousness] [Cult Psychology] [Spiritual/Mysticism] [Service] [Psychotherapy]

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I include Robert Frost’s poem as an example of a poet recollecting and making memories walk & talk

Robert FROST on the Poetry Foundation

The Road Not Taken

BY ROBERT FROST

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

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MORE PRACTICES TO SUPPLEMENT being in a room on your own each day

prayer, meditation, chanting, yoga, etc

MEMORIES –

let them out and walk about & converse with you – you don’t have to include the most painful – they are for you and your therapist

FREE YOUR Self up

by letting go of the small stuff – to let the spirit flow, let your river flow onward to the Ocean;

UnSplash photo by Jamie451

UnSplash Jen Theodore

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Oneness mirrored in Hindu Advaita Vedanta

The swan is an important motif in Advaita. The swan symbolises the ability to discern Satya (Real, Eternal) from Mithya (Unreal, Changing), just like the mythical swan Paramahamsa discerns milk from water. – Wikipedia
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Does just ‘being’ alive make you feel good? Does just being alive expand your consciousness and sometimes tip you into bliss? Don’t just wake up and smell the coffee. We need the change of waking up more deeply?

We must wake up to the perfume of all the Prophet-Founders, such as Krishna, Buddha, Moses, Christ, Mohammad and Baha’u’llah. They teach us how to deal with life’s challenges of change to focus on that which is of eternal value.

What is the key passage in Hindu teachings that offers core Hindu spiritual insights? Perhaps it’s this;

‘Like two birds of golden plumage, inseparable companions, the individual self and the immortal Self are perched on the branches of the self same tree. The former tastes of the sweet and bitter fruits of the tree; the latter, tasting of neither, calmly observes.

The individual self, deluded by forgetfulness of his identity with the divine Self, bewildered by his ego, grieves and is sad.

But when he recognizes the worshipful Lord as his own true Self, and beholds his glory, he grieves no more.’

Baha’u’llah in His ‘Book of Certitude’, revealed in two days and two nights in 1862, explains; ‘It is clear and evident to thee that all the Prophets are the Temples of the Cause of God, …… If thou wilt observe with discriminating eyes, thou wilt behold them all ….. soaring in the same heaven, seated upon the same throne, uttering the same speech, and proclaiming the same Faith….’ Should any of them say; “I am the return of all the Prophets,” He verily speaketh the truth. In like manner, in every subsequent Revelation, the return of the former Revelation is a fact …..’

We are united, if we will it, by the reality of One God, One Holy Spirit, a series of Messengers, and our One human family.

But there are also the teachers who receive love and light from the Revelations of the Prophet-Founder’s Revelations and go on, in turn, to reflect that love and light in their lives. They walk the talk. That’s you and me if we will it.

In the desert of materialism there are many wells of sweet water – from both the Messengers, and their true reflectors, who can quench our spiritual thirst.

That sweet water is now more accessible than ever before in history; “Peerless is this Day, for it is as the eye to past ages and centuries, and as a light unto the darkness of the times.”

Why is it that the vast majority of discoveries and inventions have appeared since the middle of the 19thC? Might it be because of the energies released by the most recent Messenger – Baha’u’llah?

Take a look at the 1970 book Future Shock by American futurist Alvin Toffler and Adelaide Farrell. They defined Future Shock as "too much change in too short a period of time" – information overload.

The overload now is not just such things as evermore technologies such carbon dating, DNA, genomic analysis and myriad other developments. It is because our human and spiritual side hasn’t equaled our technical capabilities. We are lopsided, not balanced.

We now can gain insights and inspiration as never before.

Here we cherish, in particular, inspiration from the Hindu Advaita Vedanta teachings. We also ask if there are co-responding teachings in Baha’i teachings – including in Baha’u’llah’s The Hidden Words.

The Hindu teachings, as with all of the great religions help us transform into our best and true self. Mantras, or similar practices, can pave the way to transformative insights.

The earliest mantras were composed in Vedic Sanskrit in India. They are at least 3500 years old. The word ॐ (Aum, Om) serves as a mantra. It is believed that aum was the first sound on earth and chanting Aum creates a reverberation in the body which helps the body and mind to be calm. In more sophisticated forms, mantras are melodic phrases with spiritual interpretations such as a human longing for truth, reality, light, immortality, peace, love, knowledge, and action. Some mantras without literal meaning are musically uplifting and spiritually moving.

Below are two symbols. On the left, is from the Hindu teachings and the right-hand one is from the Baha’i Revelation;

Tao, the Way, is the path we can tread for our life-journey from the one summit and down into the infinite Ocean;

UnSplash photo by Joel Vodell

The Tao, the Way, is the precursor to all the teachings that arise from all great traditions that point us to the two realms of duality and Non-duailty. These two of course, like yin and yang, are One.

Since before time and space were, the Tao is.

It is beyond is and is not.

How do I know this is true?

I look inside myself and see.

This shows the Tao Te Ching as the prototype of all traditions and of their teachings about duality & non-duality and the goal for all of us which is Prof Deikman’s ‘I + Awareness’. All is there but we really need only Chapter 1;

The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.

The name that can be named is not the eternal name.

The nameless is the beginning of heaven and Earth.

The named is the mother of the ten thousand things.

Ever desireless, one can see the mystery.

Ever desiring, one sees the manifestations.

These two spring from the same source but differ in name; this appears as darkness.

Darkness within darkness.

The gate to all mystery.

Here is the best version of the Tao Te Ching;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRBLEq_YJeU

YouTube Notes

With the single exception of the Bible, the Tao Te Ching has been translated into more languages than any other text in human history.

As a literary classic of profound wisdom, it has something to say to every man and woman and paints, in beautiful strokes, exactly what it takes to live in harmony with Nature and Man.

This translation by Gia Fu Feng and Jane English is something of a classic in its own right in the way it translates the original Chinese characters into English poetry.

As important as the translators is the voice, notes and commentary of Jacob Needleman see HERE

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Interestingly Baha’i Teachings include two texts that relate to the Tao;

The first text is The Seven Valleys and the second one is The Hidden Words, both were revealed by Baháʼu’lláh

At https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Valleys we can find a useful summary of The Seven Valleys;

The Seven Valleys outline from Wikipedia – 1 Search, 2 Love, 3 Knowledge, 4 Unity, 5 Contentment, 6 Wonderment, 7 True Poverty and Absolute Nothingness

The book follows the path of the soul on a spiritual journey passing through different stages, from this world to other realms which are closer to God, as first described by the 12th Century Sufi poet Farid al-Din Attar in his Conference of the Birds. Baháʼu’lláh in the work explains the meanings and the significance of the seven stages.[4] In the introduction, Baháʼu’lláh says "Some have called these Seven Valleys, and others, Seven Cities." The stages are accomplished in order, and the goal of the journey is to follow "the Right Path", "abandon the drop of life and come to the sea of the Life-Bestower", and "gaze on the Beloved". In the conclusion of the book, he mentions:

"These journeys have no visible ending in the world of time, but the severed wayfarer—if invisible confirmation descend upon him and the Guardian of the Cause assist him—may cross these seven stages in seven steps, nay rather in seven breaths, nay rather in a single breath, if God will and desire it."[6]

The Valley of Search

The valley of search is described as the first step that a seeker must take in his path. Baháʼu’lláh states that the seeker must cleanse his heart, and not follow the paths of his forefathers. It is explained that ardour and patience are required to traverse this valley.

The Valley of Love

The next valley is the "Valley of Love". Baháʼu’lláh describes how love burns away reason, causing pain, madness and single minded endeavour. He writes that the fire of love burns away the material self, revealing instead the world of the spirit.

The Valley of Knowledge

The knowledge referred to in this valley is the knowledge of God, and not one based on learning; it is explained that pride in one’s knowledge and accomplishments often disallows one to reach true understanding, which is the knowledge of God. It is explained that the seeker, when in this valley, begins to understand the mysteries contained within God’s revelation, and finds wisdom in all things including when faced with pain and hardship, which he understands to be God’s mercy and blessing. This valley is called the last limited valley.

The Valley of Unity

The next stage is the valley of unity, and it is explained that the seeker now sees creation not by its limitations, but sees the attributes of God in all created things. The seeker, it is written, is detached from earthly things, is not concerned with his own self and has no ego; instead he praises God for all of creation.

The Valley of Contentment

The next valley for the seeker is the valley of contentment, where it is explained that the seeker becomes independent from all things, and even though he may look poor or is subjected to suffering, he will be endowed with wealth and power from the spiritual worlds and will inwardly be happy. Happiness is explained to be the attribute of the true believer, and it cannot be achieved by obtaining material things, since material things are transitory.

The Valley of Wonderment

In the valley of wonderment the seeker, it is written, is struck dumb (mute) by the beauty of God; the seeker becomes conscious of the vastness and glory of creation, and discovers the inner mysteries of God’s revelation. Being led from one mystery of creation to the next, it is explained that the seeker continues to be astonished by the works of God.

The Valley of True Poverty and Absolute Nothingness

The final valley is the valley of true poverty and absolute nothingness, and it is the furthermost state that the mystic can reach. The seeker is poor of all material things, and is rich in spiritual attributes. It is explained that it is the state of annihilation of self in God, but not an existential union: the essences of God’s self and the mystic’s self remain distinct, in contrast to what appears to be a complete union in other traditions.

To end enjoy this musical take by Heather Small on ‘Looking Inside Yourself’;

Heather Small | Search For The Hero | Lyric Video

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Astute readers will have noticed that now write one article but, if spared, I’m writing 1,000 versions of it so that as Rumi says;

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
There is a field. I’ll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
The world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
Doesn’t make any sense.

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UnSplash photo by Roman Melnychuk

Generating self-creating insights on our life-journey via ‘juxta-position-ing’ insights of great teachers

Thinking is internalised speech. As we awaken toward Awareness we can enter the timeless, spaceless & massless realm of the Non-dual.

If we take insights from two or more great teachers or traditions they, metaphorically, talk to each other and we benefit from light upon light.

Even animals ‘talk’ to each other;

UnSplash photo by Jarosław Głogowski – 

It’s interesting that the sheep is behind a fence but the cat isn’t! 

Does that work as a metaphor for humans that are switched on and those who  are  yet to have the penny drop and the light come on?

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Arguably decent, enlightened, humans do it better and deeper. We are quintessentially creatively meaning-making creatures. 

Animals function in static, given, realms of meaning. Yes grey parrots and chimpanzees can perform human-like behaviours but that only happens where a person creates a freakishly powerful learning environment. 

The animals don’t choose to be human-like – a human decides.

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TWO CHOSEN INSIGHTS FOR ‘TEACHINGS THAT TALK – No 1’

WITHIN US TWO SELVES ABIDE – the frightened one & the True One

 “Like two birds of golden plumage, inseparable companions, the

individual self and the immortal Self are perched on the branches of the

self same tree. The former tastes of the sweet and bitter fruits of the

tree; the latter, tasting of neither, calmly observes.

“The individual self, deluded by forgetfulness of his identity with the

divine Self, bewildered by his ego, grieves and is sad. But when he

recognizes the worshipful Lord as his own true Self, and beholds his

glory, he grieves no more.”                                                                      from Hindu teachings.

LISTEN TO THE INEFFABLE WHISPERS

The search for reason ends at the shore of the known;  on the immense expanse beyond it

only the sense of the ineffable can glide.

It alone knows the route to that

which is remote from experience and understanding.

Neither is amphibious:

reason cannot go beyond the shore,

and the sense of the ineffable

is out of place where we measure, where we weigh…….

Citizens of two realms, we must all sustain dual allegiance:

we sense the ineffable in one realm;

we name and exploit reality in another.

Between the two we set up a system of references, but can never fill the gap.                          

They are as far and as close to each other as time and calendar, as violin and melody as life and what lies beyond the last breath.

The tangible phenomena we scrutinize with our reason,

The sacred and indemonstrable we overhear with the sense of the ineffable.   

 (A. J. Heschel 1971, Man is Not Alone,  p.8)

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If you are of a mathematical mind you will immediately see that, given say 100 insights the potential number is almost infinite

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Together by asking questions we can explore and take in or create many, many insights.

Please ask questions of your self but also of others – 

NB Please click on the “FOLLOW’ button in the bottom right-hand corner of this article

What we are seeing is the power of ‘juxta-position-ing’!

If you think of it your collection of memories is your history

If you think of it your collection of memories is your ‘self’

Happiness is embodied herein this YouTube video;

Maroon 5 – Memories (Lyrics) 1 Hour

NOTES FROM the YouTube video;

[Chorus]

Here’s to the ones that we got

Cheers to the wish you were here, but you’re not

‘Cause the drinks bring back all the memories

Of everything we’ve been through

Toast to the ones here today

Toast to the ones that we lost on the way

‘Cause the drinks bring back all the memories

And the memories bring back, memories bring back you

[Verse 1]

There’s a time that I remember, when I did not know no pain

When I believed in forever, and everything would stay the same

Now my heart feel like December when somebody say your name

‘Cause I can’t reach out to call you, but I know I will one day, yeah

[Pre-Chorus]

Everybody hurts sometimes

Everybody hurts someday, ayy-ayy

But everything gon’ be alright

Go and raise a glass and say, ayy

[Chorus]

Here’s to the ones that we got

Cheers to the wish you were here, but you’re not

‘Cause the drinks bring back all the memories

Of everything we’ve been through

Toast to the ones here today

Toast to the ones that we lost on the way

‘Cause the drinks bring back all the memories

And the memories bring back, memories bring back you

[Post-Chorus]

Doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo

Doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo

Doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo

Memories bring back, memories bring back you

[Verse 2]

There’s a time that I remember when I never felt so lost

When I felt all of the hatred was too powerful to stop (Ooh, yeah)

Now my heart feel like an ember and it’s lighting up the dark

I’ll carry these torches for ya that you know I’ll never drop, yeah

[Pre-Chorus]

Everybody hurts sometimes

Everybody hurts someday, ayy-ayy

But everything gon’ be alright

Go and raise a glass and say, ayy

[Chorus]

Here’s to the ones that we got (Oh-oh)

Cheers to the wish you were here, but you’re not

‘Cause the drinks bring back all the memories

Of everything we’ve been through (No, no)

Toast to the ones here today (Ayy)

Toast to the ones that we lost on the way

‘Cause the drinks bring back all the memories (Ayy)

And the memories bring back, memories bring back you

[Post-Chorus]

Doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo

Doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo

Doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo

Memories bring back, memories bring back you

Doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo

Doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo

Doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo (Ooh, yeah)

Memories bring back, memories bring back you

[Outro]

Yeah, yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, no, no

Memories bring back, memories bring back you

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We need to periodically call up our memories and dust them down and sort true ones from false ones.

Q Do we have Russian dolls of memories – memories inside another memory, inside another memory

Q Are family photos full of horrors as well as delight?

Devastating effects when a damaged brain destroys memories as in the story of Clive Wearing & his wife in this YouTube video;

Clive Wearing – The man with no short-term memory

NOTES FROM YouTube

It’s a most unusual marriage – a love story like no other.

The story of a brilliant musician called Clive Wearing and his wife Deborah. Clive has no idea where he lives, what year it is, or even how old he is.

He has a memory span of only 30 seconds – tell him something now, he’ll forget it almost immediately.

And he’s been like this for 20 endless years, almost certainly the worst case of amnesia in the world.

Not surprisingly, the tensions, the frustrations have sorely tested the Wearings’ marriage.

But even though his brain doesn’t work properly, Clive still has a beautiful mind and a love he can never forget.

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The functioning of the Hemispheres is also key as shown in this YouTube video;

RSA ANIMATE: The Divided Brain

NOTES FROM YouTube video;

In this new RSA Animate, renowned psychiatrist and writer Iain McGilchrist explains how our ‘divided brain’ has profoundly altered human behaviour, culture and society.

Taken from a lecture given by Iain McGilchrist as part of the RSA’s free public events programme.

To view the full lecture, go to • Iain McGilchrist – The Divided Brain …

 

What’s it like when an insight occurs?

Unsplash photo by Jonathan Bowers

I’ve always loved this haiku;

A lightning flash:

between the forest trees

I have seen water.

Shiki Masaoka (1867-1902)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masaoka_Shiki

Whatever linguistic or spiritual background great musicians crossover and thereby pierce our heart and take us to a higher, non-dual, realm;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tezDcWcqOog

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhwAiq0N0Yo

Stéphane Grappelli (left) with Lord Menuhin in 1976 – Wikipedia

FROM A FEW EXTRACTS ON WIKIPEDIA WE LEARN SOMETHING OF HOW COMPLEX IS THE FIELD OF CROSSOVER MUSIC

Classical crossover broadly encompasses both classical music that has become popularized and a wide variety of popular music forms performed in a classical manner or by classical artists. It can also refer to collaborations between classical and popular performers, as well as music that blends elements of classical music (including operatic and symphonic) with popular music (including pop, rock, middle of the road, and Latin, among other types). Pop vocalists and musicians, opera singers, classical instrumentalists, and occasionally rock groups primarily perform classical crossover. Although the phenomenon was long common in the music world, the name "classical crossover" was coined by record companies in the 1980s.[ It has gained in popularity since the 1990s and has acquired its own Billboard chart.

Particular works of classical music have become popular among individuals who mostly listen to popular music, sometimes appearing on non-classical charts. Some classical works that achieved crossover status in the twentieth century include the Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel, the Symphony No. 3 by Henryk Górecki, and the second movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21, K. 467 (from its appearance in the 1967 film Elvira Madigan).

Such popularity has been assisted by the use of classical music in advertising campaigns. For example, the long-running British Airways advertisements familiarised a large viewing public with the song Aria by New Age artist Yanni, a piece itself based on a duet from the opera Lakmé by Léo Delibes.

Another means of generating vast popularity for the classics has been through their use as inspirational anthems in sports settings. The aria "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's Turandot, especially Luciano Pavarotti's version, has become indissolubly linked with soccer.[4]

Classical performers

Within the classical recording industry, the term "crossover" is applied particularly to classical artists’ recordings of popular repertoire such as Broadway show tunes. Two examples of this are Lesley Garrett’s excursions into musical comedy and also José Carreras’s recording West Side Story, as well as Teresa Stratas’ recording Showboat. Soprano Eileen Farrell is generally considered to be one of the first classical singers to have a successful crossover recording with her 1960 album I’ve Got a Right to Sing the Blues.

The first Three Tenors concert in 1990 was a landmark in which Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras and Plácido Domingo brought a combination of opera, Neapolitan folksong, musical theatre and pop to a vast television audience. This laid the foundations for the modern flourishing of classical crossover.[

Collaborations between classical and popular performers have included Sting and Edin Karamazov’s album Songs from the Labyrinth. A collaboration between Freddie Mercury and soprano Montserrat Caballé resulted in the worldwide hit "Barcelona". R&B singer Mariah Carey performed a live duet with her mother Patricia, who is an opera singer, of the Christmas song – O Come, All Ye Faithful. Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins performed a duet with rock singer Michael Bolton of O Holy Night. Singers and instrumentalists from the classical tradition, Andreas Dorschel has argued, run the risk of losing the sophistication of the genre(s) they were trained in, when they try to perform rock music, without coming up to the often rough and wild qualities of the latter.[

Pop performers in classical and mixed genres

Italian pop tenor Andrea Bocelli, who is the biggest-selling singer in the history of classical music,has been described as the king of classical crossover. British soprano Sarah Brightman is also considered a crossover classical artist, having released albums of classical, folk, pop and musical-theatre music. Brightman dislikes the classical crossover label, though she has said she understands the need to categorize music. In the 2008 Polish release of her Symphony album she sings "I Will Be with You (Where the Lost Ones Go)" with Polish tenor Andrzej Lampert, another artist who has performed in both classical and non-classical styles, as well as having actually obtained full musical training and academic degrees in both (though operatic singing is his main professional focus[In addition, Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins has achieved international fame via her crossover albums.

Popular music genres that prominently incorporate classical elements include progressive rock, baroque pop, chamber pop, and orchestral pop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzoO756PvL8&list=RDEMxqc1WlewTGVQTWheVuFy6g&start_radio=1

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OUR ULTIMATE GOAL ON THIS BLOG IS THE REALIZATION OF DEIKMAN’s I = Awareness

MORE INFORMATION

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravi_Shankar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yehudi_Menuhin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St%C3%A9phane_Grappelli

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Three_Tenors

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anoushka_Shankar

NON-DUAL TEACHINGS FROM  GREAT TRADITIONS and key teachings from Baha’i writings relevant to Non-dual teachings from other sources  including contingency

For readers from a general audience I suggest this by By Eric Putkonen as the supreme definition of the undefinable;

Non-duality

is not two,

nor one,

nor nothing, 

nor any combination,

nor all of these,

nor none of these.

I suggest ten thousand repetitions or at least 99 repetitions per day (a New Year’s resolution!)

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The poem I’ve always used to explain the Non-dual or mystical is;

“The birds have vanished from the sky,
and now the last clouds slip away.

We sit alone, the mountain and I,
until only the mountain remains.” Li Po 8th C Chinese poet

I was transfixed by;

“Between Me and You, there is only Me;
Take away the Me, So only You remain.” – Al-Hallaj

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MY TOP Baha’i Teachings

and Key Baha’i dual-nondual teachings and writings about mystical experience 

including as a covenantal obligation – not as optional extras.

1 The world is but a show, vain and empty, a mere nothing, bearing the semblance of reality. Set not your affections upon it. Break not the bond that uniteth you with your Creator, and be not of those that have erred and strayed from His ways. Verily I say, the world is like the vapor in a desert, which the thirsty dreameth to be water and striveth after it with all his might, until when he cometh unto it, he findeth it to be mere illusion. – Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 328.

2 if thy mind become empty and pure from every mention and thought and thy heart attracted wholly to the Kingdom of God, forget all else besides God and come in communion with the Spirit of God, then the Holy Spirit will assist thee with a power which will enable thee to penetrate all things, and a Dazzling Spark which enlightens all sides, a Brilliant Flame in the zenith of the HEAVENs, will teach thee that which thou dost not know of the facts of the universe and of the divine doctrine – http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/TAB/tab-776.html

3 …thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behooveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes. – AHW 4

“The station which he who hath truly recognized this Revelation will attain is the same as the one ordained for such prophets of the house of Israel as are not regarded as Manifestations ‘endowed with constancy.’” 

4 Shoghi Effendi says; Nor should it be thought for a moment that the followers of Bahá’u’lláh either seek to degrade or even belittle the rank of the world’s religious leaders, whether Christian, Muslim, or of any other denomination, should their conduct conform to their professions, and be worthy of the position they occupy. 

 5 “Those divines,” Bahá’u’lláh has affirmed, “…who are truly adorned with the ornament of knowledge and of a goodly character are, verily, as a head to the body of the world, and as eyes to the nations. The guidance of men hath, at all times, been and is dependent upon these blessed souls.” And again: “The divine whose conduct is upright, and the sage who is just, are as the spirit unto the body of the world. Well is it with that divine whose head is attired with the crown of justice, and whose temple is adorned with the ornament of equity.” 

6 And yet again: “The divine who hath seized and quaffed the most holy Wine, in the name of the sovereign Ordainer, is as an eye unto the world. Well is it with them who obey him, and call him to remembrance.” 

7 “Great is the blessedness of that divine,” He, in another connection, has written, “that hath not allowed knowledge to become a veil between him and the One Who is the Object of all knowledge, and who, when the Self-Subsisting appeared, hath turned with a beaming face towards Him. He, in truth, is numbered with the learned. The inmates of Paradise seek the blessing of his breath, and his lamp sheddeth its radiance over all who are in HEAVEN and on earth. He, verily, is numbered with the inheritors of the Prophets. He that beholdeth him hath, verily, beheld the True One, and he that turneth towards him hath, verily, turned towards God, the Almighty, the All-Wise.” 

8 “Respect ye the divines amongst you “They whose acts conform to the knowledge they possess, who observe the statutes of God, and decree the things God hath decreed in the Book. Know ye that they are the lamps of guidance betwixt earth and HEAVEN. They that have no consideration for the position and merit of the divines amongst them have, verily, altered the bounty of God vouchsafed unto them.” (Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, p. 110)

9 SHOGHI EFFENDI in The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh  puts it this way;

In confirmation of the exalted rank of the true believer, referred to by Bahá’u’lláh, He reveals the following: “The station which he who hath truly recognized this Revelation will attain is the same as the one ordained for such prophets of the house of Israel as are not regarded as Manifestations ‘endowed with constancy.’” 

Estimating the station of the true believer He remarks: “By the sorrows which afflict the beauty of the All-Glorious! Such is the station ordained for the true believer that if to an extent smaller than a needle’s eye the glory of that station were to be unveiled to mankind, every beholder would be consumed away in his longing to attain it.

10 For this reason it hath been decreed that in this earthly life the full measure of the glory of his own station should remain concealed from the eyes of such a believer.” “If the veil be lifted,” He similarly affirms, “and the full glory of the station of those who have turned wholly towards God, and in their love for Him renounced the world, be made manifest, the entire creation would be dumbfounded.”  – (Also to be found in The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh by Shoghi Effendi 

ANOTHER SOURCE: Respect ye the divines and learned amongst you, they whose conduct accords with their professions, who transgress not the bounds which God hath fixed, whose judgments are in conformity with His behests as revealed in His Book. Know ye that they are the lamps of guidance unto them that are in the HEAVENs and on the earth. They who disregard and neglect the divines and learned that live amongst them—these have truly changed the favour with which God hath favoured them. “Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh” LXVI) [15] 

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Blessed are the eyes that see what you see, for I tell you that 

many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and never saw it; 

to hear what you hear and never heard it. – Luke 10.23

“All love is for the Self; all longing is for an object.” – The Daily Quote from Rupert Spira, 10th April 2017

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http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/SAQ/saq-58.html#pg218

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WHAT IS A NONDUAL VIEW OF HUMAN INTERIORITY or ‘HEART-MIND’?

My working definition of the Nondual;  for us as individuals, ‘Nonduality is’ when we stop selfing sufficiently, to be subsumed back into the Whole out of which we have appeared.’  – The experience is realized when we shift from self as entity with ego boundaries to the Awareness in which there are no boundaries.

THE WORDLESS, NON-CONCEPTUAL NATURE OF THE NON-DUAL STATE:  in effect speech and meditation are like oil and water

….advance into the ocean of acceptance, so that we may perceive, with an eye purged from all conflicting elements, the worlds of unity and diversity, of variation and oneness, of limitation and detachment, and wing our flight unto the highest and innermost sanctuary of the inner meaning of the Word of God. – http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/KI/ki-5.html#pg156    KI p170

Bahá’u’lláh says there is a sign (from God) in every phenomenon: the sign of the intellect is contemplation and the sign of contemplation is silence, because it is impossible for a man to do two things at one time—he cannot both speak and meditate     (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 174)

WAYS IN RECOGNIZING BAHA’U’LLAH ARE 1) HIS SELF 2) HIS REVELATION and if you or I faileth to recocognize 1) or 2) He hath established 3) THE WORDS HE HATH REVEALED 

Say: The first and foremost testimony establishing His truth is His own Self. Next to this testimony is His Revelation. For whoso faileth to recognize either the one or the other He hath established the words He hath revealed as proof of His reality and truth. – Gleanings LII / pp 104/107

1  WHERE IS GOD?  (and HEAVEN, …….

ANSWER a) Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting. – (Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 13)

ANSWER c) paradoxically God is also wholly & Infinitely Transcendent to ‘Her/His’ Creation

Answer d) 

          “…all parts of the creational world are of one whole.”, BWF p.364

           “God contains all….The whole is greater than its parts…” PT pp. 23 27

“All that exists is God….” (AB in London p. 22)

2a THE CORE OF RELIGIOUS FAITH IS THAT MYSTIC FEELING WHICH UNITES MAN WITH GOD

“The universal crisis affecting mankind is, therefore, essentially spiritual in its causes. 

The spirit of the age, taken on the whole, is irreligious. Man’s outlook on life is too crude and materialistic to enable him to elevate himself into the higher realms of the spirit….

It is this condition, so sadly morbid, into which society has fallen, that religion seeks to improve and transform. 

For the core of religious faith is that mystic feeling which unites Man with God.   

This state of spiritual communion can be brought about and maintained by means of meditation and prayer. And this is the reason why Bahá’u’lláh has so much stressed the importance of worship. It is not sufficient for a believer merely to accept and observe the teachings. 

He should, in addition, cultivate the sense of spirituality which he can acquire chiefly by means of prayer. http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/se/DG/dg-223.html (RP’s Italics)

2b The Bahá’í Faith, like all other Divine Religions, is thus fundamentally mystic in character.  Its chief goal is the development of the individual and society, through the acquisition of spiritual virtues and powers – by first feeding the soul of man.

The Bahá’í Faith, like all other Divine Religions, is thus fundamentally mystic in character. 

Its chief goal is the development of the individual and society, through the acquisition of spiritual virtues and powers. 

It is the soul of man which has first to be fed. ​…… http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/se/DG/dg-223.html (RP’s Italics)

3 THE MIGHTIEST PILLAR OF THE FAITH OF GOD = LEARNING, USE OF MIND & THE EXPANSION OF CONSCIOUSNESS

There are certain pillars which have been established as the unshakeable supports of the Faith of God. The mightiest of these is learning and the use of the mind, the expansion of CONSCIOUSness, and insight into the realities of the universe and the hidden mysteries of Almighty God. – SAQ 97 

4 PRAYER THAT RISES ABOVE WORDS & LETTERS & SYLLABLES & SOUNDS, WITH ALL THINGS MERGED INTO NOTHINGNESS ENABLES THE REVELATION TO US OF GOD’S SPLENDOUR

…… give us the chalice of Thy grace; that the essence of all beings may sing Thy praise before the vision of Thy grandeur. Reveal then Thyself, O Lord, by Thy merciful utterance and the mystery of Thy divine being, that the holy ecstasy of prayer may fill our souls—a prayer that shall rise above words and letters and transcend the murmur of syllables and sounds—that all things may be merged into nothingness before the revelation of Thy splendor.—‘Abdu’l-Bahá – http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/c/BP/bp-61.html

5 WE ARE COMMANDED TO DIE FROM SELF & LIVE IN GOD 

…..dying from self and the living in God, the being poor in self and rich in the Desired One

This station is the dying from self and the living in God, the being poor in self and rich in the Desired One. Poverty as here referred to signifieth being poor in the things of the created world, rich in the things of God’s world. – from THE VALLEY OF TRUE POVERTY AND ABSOLUTE NOTHINGNESS in Baha’u’llah’s The Seven Valleys

6  ADDRESS BY ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ AT THE FRIENDS’ MEETING HOUSE, ST MARTIN’S LANE, LONDON, W.C. – Sunday, January 12th, 1913

PART A:  

A 1: About one thousand years ago a society was formed in Persia called the Society of the Friends, who gathered together for silent communion with the Almighty.

They divided Divine philosophy into two parts: one kind is that of which the knowledge can be acquired through lectures and study in schools and colleges. The second kind of philosophy was that of the Illuminati, or followers of the inner light. The schools of this philosophy were held in silence. Meditating, and turning their faces to the Source of Light, from that central Light the mysteries of the Kingdom were reflected in the hearts of these people. All the Divine problems were solved by this power of illumination.

This Society of Friends increased greatly in Persia, and up to the present time their societies exist. Many books and epistles were written by their leaders. When they assemble in their meeting-house they sit silently and contemplate; their leader opens with a certain proposition, and says to the assembly ‘You must meditate on this problem’. Then, freeing their minds from everything else, they sit and reflect, and before long the answer is revealed to them. Many abstruse divine questions are solved by this illumination. 174

Some of the great questions unfolding from the rays of the Sun of Reality upon the mind of man are: the problem of the reality of the spirit of man; of the birth of the spirit; of its birth from this world into the world of God; the question of the inner life of the spirit and of its fate after its ascension from the body.

They also meditate upon the scientific questions of the day, and these are likewise solved.

These people, who are called ‘Followers of the inner light’, attain to a superlative degree of power, and are entirely freed from blind dogmas and imitations. Men rely on the statements of these people: by themselves—within themselves—they solve all mysteries.

If they find a solution with the assistance of the inner light, they accept it, and afterwards they declare it: otherwise they would consider it a matter of blind imitation. They go so far as to reflect upon the essential nature of the Divinity, of the Divine revelation, of the manifestation of the Deity in this world. All the divine and scientific questions are solved by them through the power of the spirit.

PART B: Principles, psycho-spiritual dynamics & benefits of (Nondual?) wordless meditation) 

B 1:Bahá’u’lláh says there is a sign (from God) in every phenomenon: the sign of the intellect is contemplation and the sign of contemplation is silence, because it is impossible for a man to do two things at one time—he cannot both speak and meditate.

B 2: It is an axiomatic fact that while you meditate you are speaking with your own spirit. In that state of mind you put certain questions to your spirit and the spirit answers: the light breaks forth and the reality is revealed. 175

B 3: You cannot apply the name ‘man’ to any being void of this faculty of meditation; without it he would be a mere animal, lower than the beasts.

B 4: Through the faculty of meditation man attains to eternal life; through it he receives the breath of the Holy Spirit—the bestowal of the Spirit is given in reflection and meditation.

The spirit of man is itself informed and strengthened during meditation; through it affairs of which man knew nothing are unfolded before his view. Through it he receives Divine inspiration, through it he receives HEAVENly food.

Meditation is the key for opening the doors of mysteries. In that state man abstracts himself: in that state man withdraws himself from all outside objects; in that subjective mood he is immersed in the ocean of spiritual life and can unfold the secrets of things-in-themselves. To illustrate this, think of man as endowed with two kinds of sight; when the power of insight is being used the outward power of vision does not see.

This faculty of meditation frees man from the animal nature, discerns the reality of things, puts man in touch with God.

This faculty brings forth from the invisible plane the sciences and arts. Through the meditative faculty inventions are made possible, colossal undertakings are carried out; through it governments can run smoothly. Through this faculty man enters into the very Kingdom of God.

Nevertheless some thoughts are useless to man; they are like waves moving in the sea without result. But 176 if the faculty of meditation is bathed in the inner light and characterized with divine attributes, the results will be confirmed.

The meditative faculty is akin to the mirror; if you put it before earthly objects it will reflect them. Therefore if the spirit of man is contemplating earthly subjects he will be informed of these.

But if you turn the mirror of your spirits HEAVENwards, the HEAVENly constellations and the rays of the Sun of Reality will be reflected in your hearts, and the virtues of the Kingdom will be obtained.

Therefore let us keep this faculty rightly directed—turning it to the HEAVENly Sun and not to earthly objects—so that we may discover the secrets of the Kingdom, and comprehend the allegories of the Bible and the mysteries of the spirit.

May we indeed become mirrors reflecting the HEAVENly realities, and may we become so pure as to reflect the stars of HEAVEN.

7  TRANSCENDING THOUGHT WE COMMUNE WITH THE SPIRIT OF GOD & THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL TEACH US 

…..if thy mind become empty and pure from every mention and thought and thy heart attracted wholly to the Kingdom of God, forget all else besides God and come in communion with the Spirit of God, then the Holy Spirit will assist thee with a power which will enable thee to penetrate all things, and a Dazzling Spark which enlightens all sides, a Brilliant Flame in the zenith of the HEAVENs, will teach thee that which thou dost not know of the facts of the universe and of the divine doctrine. 

Verily, I say unto thee, every soul which ariseth today to guide others to the path of safety and infuse in them the Spirit of Life, the Holy Spirit will inspire that soul with evidences, proofs and facts and the lights will shine upon it from the Kingdom of God. Do not forget what I have conveyed unto thee from the breath of the Spirit. Verily, it is the shining morning and the rosy dawn which will impart unto thee the lights, reveal the mysteries and make thee competent in science, and through it the pictures of the Supreme World will be printed in thy heart and the facts of the secrets of the Kingdom of God will shine before thee. Christ said—glory be to Him! —“Many are called but few chosen.” Thank thou thy Lord for He hath made thee of the chosen. http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/TAB/tab-776.html

Turn thyself wholly to it—thus thou shalt be enabled to ascertain its influence and power, the strength of its life and the greatness of its confirmation. Verily, I say unto thee, that if for the appearance of that Divine Essence thou desirest to have a definite proof, an indisputable testimony and a strong, convincing evidence, thou must prepare thyself to make thy heart empty and thine eye ready to look only toward the Kingdom of God. Then, at that time, the radiance of that widespread effulgence will descend upon thee successively, and that motion rendered thee by the Holy Spirit will make thee dispense with any other strong evidence that leadeth to the appearance of this Light, because the greatest and strongest proof for showing the abundance of the Spirit to the bodies is the very appearance of its power and influence in those bodies.

INSPIRATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

      I now assure thee, O servant of God, that, if thy mind become empty and pure from every mention and thought and thy heart attracted wholly to the Kingdom of God, forget all else besides God and come in communion with the Spirit of God, then the Holy Spirit will assist thee with a power which will enable thee to penetrate all things, and a Dazzling Spark which enlightens all sides, a Brilliant Flame in the zenith of the HEAVENs, will teach thee that which thou dost not know of the facts of the universe and of the divine doctrine. Verily, I say unto thee, every soul which ariseth today to guide others to the path of safety and infuse in them the Spirit of Life, the Holy Spirit will inspire that soul with evidences, proofs and facts and the lights will shine upon it from the Kingdom of God. Do not forget what I have conveyed unto thee from the breath of the Spirit. Verily, it is the shining morning and the rosy dawn which will impart unto thee the lights, reveal the mysteries and make thee competent in science, and through it the pictures of the Supreme World will be printed in thy heart and the facts of the secrets of the Kingdom of God will shine before thee.

---

page 370

THE INTERMEDIARY

      Unless the Holy Spirit become intermediary, one cannot attain directly to the bounties of God. Do not overlook the obvious truths, for it is a self-evident fact that a child cannot be instructed without a teacher, and knowledge is a bounty from the bounties of God. The soil is not covered with grass and green without the rain of the cloud; therefore the cloud is the intermediary between the divine bounties and the soil. A body doth not develop and grow without the soul; therefore the soul is the medium of the spiritual life.

8 WE MUST LEARN TO COMMUNE WITH THE SOUL OF THE MANIFESTATIONS – THIS IS THE TRUE MYSTICISM & THE SECRET INNER MEANING OF LIFE

“So the Spirit of God reaches us through the Souls of the Manifestations. We must learn to commune with Their Souls, and this is what the Martyrs seemed to have done, and what brought them such ecstasy of joy that life became nothing. This is the true mysticism, and the secret, inner meaning of life which humanity has at present, drifted so far from.” 

(Unfolding Destiny, Pages: 406-407)

9 FOCUS YOUR THINKING (RP Q.  As a way in to the wordless state?)

So long as the thoughts of an individual are scattered he will achieve no results, but if his thinking be concentrated on a single point wonderful will be the fruits thereof… .once the sun shineth upon a concave mirror, or on a lens that is convex, all its heat will be concentrated on a single point, and that one point will burn the hottest. Thus is it necessary to focus one’s thinking on a single point so that it will become an effective force. – 

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 110-111)

10 WE RECEIVE REVELATIONS BY MEDITATING PROFOUNDLY

Meditate profoundly, that the secret of things unseen may be revealed unto you, that you may inhale the sweetness of a spiritual and imperishable fragrance, and that you may acknowledge the truth…so that light may be distinguished from darkness, truth from falsehood, right from wrong, guidance from error, happiness from misery, and roses from thorns. – 

(Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Iqan, p. 8) 

11 WORDLESSNESS & NOT PICTURING IS PARTICULAR TO THE THIRD VALLEY

THE THIRD VALLEY (FV) Savi 213

If the loving seekers wish to live within the precincts of the Attracting One (Majdhúb),²⁶ no soul may dwell on this Kingly Throne save the beauty of love. This realm is not to be pictured in words.

12 WE ARE COMMANDED TO FREE OURSELF FROM THE FETTERS OF THIS WORLD & LOOSE OUR SOUL FROM THE PRISON OF SELF

 “O MY SERVANT! Free thyself from the fetters of this world, and loose thy soul from the prison of self. Seize thy chance, for it – PHW 40 – http://www.bahai.com/Bahaullah/hiddenwords.htm

13 WHO IS A SAINT? Saints are men (RP presumably men or women) who have freed themselves from the world of matter and who have overcome sin. They live in the world but are not of it, their thoughts being continually in the world of the spirit. Their lives are spent in holiness, and their deeds show forth love, justice and godliness. They are illumined from on high; they are as bright and shining lamps in the dark places of the earth. – http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/PT/pt-18.html

14  DEFINITIONS OF GOD EVIDENCED IN THE CONTINGENT WORLD & ‘PROCESS THEOLOGY/PHILOSOPHY’           

Every thing must needs have an origin and every building a builder. Verily, the Word of God is the Cause which hath preceded the contingent world—a world which is adorned with the splendours of the Ancient of Days, yet is being renewed and regenerated at all times. – http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/TB/tb-10.html

15 YOU HAVE KNOWN GOD IF YOU HAVE KNOWN YOUR ‘SELF’                                                                                           He Who is the eternal King—may the souls of all that dwell within the mystic Tabernacle be a sacrifice unto Him—hath spoken: “He hath known God who hath known himself.” – http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/GWB/gwb-90.html

See also “Whoso knoweth his own self hath known his Lord.” – https://bahai-library.com/bahaullah_knoweth_himself_cole

16 REALITY IS ONE BUT RELIGIONS CONSIST OF 1) UNCHANGING ideal and spiritual teaching AND 2) social laws and regulations applicable to human conduct that are not the essential spiritual quality of religion

Abdu’l-Baha says; Reality does not admit of multiplicity, although each of the divine religions is separable into two divisions. 

One concerns the world of morality and the ethical training of human nature. It is directed to the advancement of the world of humanity in general; it reveals and inculcates the knowledge of God and makes possible the discovery of the verities of life. This is ideal and spiritual teaching, the essential quality of divine religion, and not subject to change or transformation. It is the one foundation of all the religions of God. Therefore, the religions are essentially one and the same.

The second classification or division comprises social laws and regulations applicable to human conduct. This is not the essential spiritual quality of religion. It is subject to change and transformation according to the exigencies and requirements of time and place. – http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/PUP/pup-111.html

17 To find God (breath of the Holy Spirit? NOT the Godhead ) we are commanded to turn our sight unto our self, that we might find God standing within “mighty, powerful and self-subsisting”.

O SON OF SPIRIT! I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou abase thyself? Out of the essence of knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest thou enlightenment from anyone beside Me? Out of the clay of love I molded thee, how dost thou busy thyself with another? Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting. – (Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 13)

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18 EMPTY YOUR MIND & THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL FILL YOU WITH KNOWLEDGE – 

I now assure thee, O servant of God, that, if thy mind become empty and pure from every mention and thought and thy heart attracted wholly to the Kingdom of God, forget all else besides God and come in communion with the Spirit of God, then the Holy Spirit will assist thee with a power which will enable thee to penetrate all things, and a Dazzling Spark which enlightens all sides, a Brilliant Flame in the zenith of the HEAVENs, will teach thee that which thou dost not know of the facts of the universe and of the divine doctrine. Verily, I say unto thee, every soul which ariseth today to guide others to the path of safety and infuse in them the Spirit of Life, the Holy Spirit will inspire that soul with evidences, proofs and facts and the lights will shine upon it from the Kingdom of God. Do not forget what I have conveyed unto thee from the breath of the Spirit. Verily, it is the shining morning and the rosy dawn which will impart unto thee the lights, reveal the mysteries and make thee competent in science, and through it the pictures of the Supreme World will be printed in thy heart and the facts of the secrets of the Kingdom of God will shine before thee. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 369)

Meditate with clear insight and keenness upon the clear texts, the supreme Words, and that which hath been manifested in these days, that thou mayest discover the hidden mysteries in the Books, and to the uttermost exert thine energy in guiding the people. – (Bahá’u’lláh, Bahá’í Scriptures, p. 120)

19 We have to deal with the ever-changing contingent (dualistic) world (or realm?) but should not be confined by it

There follows a short compilation of passages referring to the contingent world

contingent – adjective – 1. subject to chance – synonyms:chance, accidental, fortuitous, possible, unforeseen, unforeseeable, unexpected, unpredicted, unpredictable, unanticipated, unlooked-for  2. occurring or existing only if (certain circumstances) are the case; dependent on – synonyms:dependent, conditional

CONTINGENT WORLD – In the physical realm of creation, all things are eaters and eaten: the plant drinketh in the mineral, the animal doth crop and swallow down the plant, man doth feed upon the animal, and the mineral devoureth the body of man. Physical bodies are transferred past one barrier after another, from one life to another, and all things are subject to transformation and change, save only the essence of existence itself – since it is constant and immutable, and upon it is founded the life of every species and kind, of every contingent reality throughout the whole of creation. – (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 157)

Nature is God’s Will and is its expression in and through the contingent world. – (Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 142)

It is certain and indisputable that the creator of man is not like man because a powerless creature cannot create another being. The maker, the creator, has to possess all perfections in order that he may create…The contingent world is the source of imperfections: God is the origin of perfections. The imperfections of the contingent world are in themselves a proof of the perfections of God. 

God says in the Qur’án: “Take ye hold of the Cord of God, all of you, and become ye not disunited.”

In the contingent world there are many collective centers which are conducive to association and unity between the children of men. For example, patriotism is a collective center; nationalism is a collective center; identity of interests is a collective center; political alliance is a collective center; the union of ideals is a collective center, and the prosperity of the world of humanity is dependent upon the organization and promotion of the collective centers. Nevertheless, all the above institutions are in reality, the matter and not the substance, accidental and not eternal—temporary and not everlasting. – http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/c/BWF/bwf-126.html

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O thou distinguished personage, thou seeker after …

O thou distinguished personage, thou seeker after truth! Thy letter of 4 April 1921, hath been read with love.

The existence of the Divine Being hath been clearly established, on the basis of logical proofs, but the reality of the Godhead is beyond the grasp of the mind. When thou dost carefully consider this matter, thou wilt see that a lower plane can never comprehend a higher. The mineral kingdom, for example, which is lower, is precluded from comprehending the vegetable kingdom; for the mineral, any such understanding would be utterly impossible. In the same way, no matter how far the vegetable kingdom may develop, it will achieve no conception of the animal kingdom, and any such comprehension at its level would be unthinkable, for the animal occupieth a plane higher than that of the vegetable: this tree cannot conceive of hearing and sight. And the animal kingdom, no matter how far it may evolve, can never become aware of the reality of the intellect, which discovereth the inner essence of all things, and comprehendeth those realities which cannot be seen; for the human plane as compared with that of the animal is very high. And although these beings all co-exist in the contingent world, in each case the difference in their stations precludeth their grasp of the whole; for no lower degree can understand a higher, such comprehension being impossible.

The higher plane, however, understandeth the lower. The animal, for instance, comprehendeth the mineral and vegetable, the human understandeth the planes of the animal, vegetable and mineral. But the mineral cannot possibly understand the realms of man. And notwithstanding the fact that all these entities co-exist in the phenomenal world, even so, no lower degree can ever comprehend a higher.

Then how could it be possible for a contingent reality, that is, man, to understand the nature of that pre-existent Essence, the Divine Being? The difference in station between man and the Divine Reality is thousands upon thousands of times greater than the difference between vegetable and animal. And that which a human being would conjure up in his mind is but the fanciful image of his human condition, it doth not encompass God’s reality but rather is encompassed by it. That is, man graspeth his own illusory conceptions, but the Reality of Divinity can never be grasped: It, Itself, encompasseth all created things, and all created things are in Its grasp. That Divinity which man doth imagine for himself existeth only in his mind, not in truth. Man, however, existeth both in his mind and in truth; thus man is greater than that fanciful reality which he is able to imagine.

The furthermost limits of this bird of clay are these: he can flutter along for some short distance, into the endless vast; but he can never soar upward to the Sun in the high HEAVENs. We must, nevertheless, set forth reasoned or inspired proofs as to the existence of the Divine Being, that is, proofs commensurate with the understanding of man.

It is obvious that all created things are connected one to another by a linkage complete and perfect, even, for example, as are the members of the human body. Note how all the members and component parts of the human body are connected one to another. In the same way, all the members of this endless universe are linked one to another. (RP NB Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hahn has a beautiful way of saying this; “We interbeing are.”

The foot and the step, for example, are connected to the ear and the eye; the eye must look ahead before the step is taken. The ear must hear before the eye will carefully observe. And whatever member of the human body is deficient, produceth a deficiency in the other members. The brain is connected with the heart and stomach, the lungs are connected with all the members. So is it with the other members of the body.

And each one of these members hath its own special function. The mind force—whether we call it pre-existent or contingent—doth direct and co-ordinate all the members of the human body, seeing to it that each part or member duly performeth its own special function. If, however, there be some interruption in the power of the mind, all the members will fail to carry out their essential functions, deficiencies will appear in the body and the functioning of its members, and the power will prove ineffective.

Likewise, look into this endless universe: a universal power inevitably existeth, which encompasseth all, directing and regulating all the parts of this infinite creation; and were it not for this Director, this Co-ordinator, the universe would be flawed and deficient. It would be even as a madman; whereas ye can see that this endless creation carrieth out its functions in perfect order, every separate part of it 49 performing its own task with complete reliability, nor is there any flaw to be found in all its workings. Thus it is clear that a Universal Power existeth, directing and regulating this infinite universe. Every rational mind can grasp this fact.

Furthermore, although all created things grow and develop, yet are they subjected to influences from without. For instance, the sun giveth heat, the rain nourisheth, the wind bringeth life, so that man can develop and grow. Thus it is clear that the human body is under influences from the outside, and that without those influences man could not grow. And likewise, those outside influences are subjected to other influences in their turn. For example, the growth and development of a human being is dependent upon the existence of water, and water is dependent upon the existence of rain, and rain is dependent upon the existence of clouds, and clouds are dependent upon the existence of the sun, which causeth land and sea to produce vapour, the condensation of vapour forming the clouds. Thus each one of these entities exerteth its influence and is likewise influenced in its turn. Inescapably then, the process leadeth to One Who influenceth all, and yet is influenced by none, thus severing the chain. The inner reality of that Being, however, is not known, although His effects are clear and evident.

And further, all created beings are limited, and this very limitation of all beings proveth the reality of the Limitless; for the existence of a limited being denoteth the existence of a Limitless One.

To sum it up, there are many such proofs, establishing the existence of that Universal Reality. And since that Reality is pre-existent, It is untouched by the conditions that govern phenomena; for whatever entity is subject to circumstances and the play of events is contingent, not pre-existent. Know then: that divinity which other communions and peoples have conjured up, falleth within the scope of their imagination, and not beyond it, whereas the reality of the Godhead is beyond all conceiving.

As to the Holy Manifestations of God, They are the focal points where the signs, tokens and perfections of that sacred, pre-existent Reality appear in all their splendour. They are an eternal grace, a HEAVENly glory, and on Them dependeth the everlasting life of humankind. To illustrate: the Sun of Truth dwelleth in a sky to which no soul hath any access, and which no mind can reach, and He is far beyond the comprehension of all creatures. Yet the Holy Manifestations of God are even as a looking-glass, burnished and without stain, which gathereth streams of light out of that Sun, and then scattereth the glory over the rest of creation. In that polished surface, the Sun with all Its majesty standeth clearly revealed. Thus, should the mirrored Sun proclaim, ‘I am the Sun!’ this is but truth; and should It cry, ‘I am not the Sun!’ this is the truth as well. And although the Day-Star, with all Its glory, Its beauty, Its perfections, be clearly visible in that mirror without stain, still It hath not come down from Its own lofty station in the realms above, It hath not made Its way into the mirror; rather doth It continue to abide, as It will forever, in the supernal heights of Its own holiness.

And further, all the earth’s creatures require the bounty of the sun, for their very existence is dependent upon solar light and heat. Should they be deprived of the sun, they would be wiped out. This is the being with God, as referred to in the Holy Books: man must be with his Lord.

It is clear, then, that the essential reality of God is revealed in His perfections; and the sun, with its perfections, reflected in a mirror, is a visible thing, an entity clearly expressing the bounty of God.

My hope is that thou wilt acquire a perceptive eye, a hearing ear, and that the veils will be removed from thy sight.      http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/SAB/sab-22.html

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And since there can be no tie of direct intercourse to bind the one true God with His creation, and no resemblance whatever can exist between the transient and the Eternal, the contingent and the Absolute, He hath ordained that in every age and dispensation a pure and stainless Soul be made manifest in the kingdoms of earth and HEAVEN. Unto this subtle, this mysterious and ethereal Being He hath assigned a twofold nature; the physical, pertaining to the world of matter, and the spiritual, which is born of the substance of God Himself. He hath, moreover, conferred upon Him a double station. The first station, which is related to His innermost reality, representeth Him as One Whose voice is the voice of God Himself. To this testifieth the tradition: “Manifold and mysterious is My relationship with God. I am He, Himself, 67 and He is I, Myself, except that I am that I am, and He is that He is.” And in like manner, the words: “Arise, O Muḥammad, for lo, the Lover and the Beloved are joined together and made one in Thee.” He similarly saith: “There is no distinction whatsoever between Thee and Them, except that They are Thy Servants.” 

The second station is the human station, exemplified by the following verses: “I am but a man like you.” “Say, praise be to my Lord! Am I more than a man, an apostle?” These Essences of Detachment, these resplendent Realities are the channels of God’s all-pervasive grace. Led by the light of unfailing guidance, and invested with supreme sovereignty, They are commissioned to use the inspiration of Their words, the effusions of Their infallible grace and the sanctifying breeze of Their Revelation for the cleansing of every longing heart and receptive spirit from the dross and dust of earthly cares and limitations. Then, and only then, will the Trust of God, latent in the reality of man, emerge, as resplendent as the rising Orb of Divine Revelation, from behind the veil of concealment, and implant the ensign of its revealed glory upon the summits of men’s hearts. – http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/GWB/gwb-27.html

Were it not for tests, the intellectuals and the faculties of the scholars in great colleges would not develop. Were it not for tests, sparkling gems could not be known from worthless pebbles. Were it not for tests, nothing would progress in this contingent world. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Divine Art of Living, p. 87.)

“When you wish to pray you must first know that you are standing in the presence of the Almighty!” –  A demonstration re how to pray Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 79-80) – http://www.bahaistories.com/quotepage.php?Stories%2FPrayer

The purpose of God in creating man hath been, and will ever be, to enable him to know his Creator and to attain His Presence… Whoso hath recognized the Dayspring of Divine guidance and entered His holy court hath drawn nigh unto God and attained His Presence, a Presence which is the real Paradise, and of which the loftiest mansions of HEAVEN are but a symbol. – (Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XXIX) – http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/GWB/gwb-29.html

…. I made thee to appear, and have ordained for thy training every atom in existence PHW 29

Hear no evil, and see no evil, abase not thyself, neither sigh and weep. Speak no evil, that thou mayest not hear it spoken unto thee, and magnify not the faults of others that thine own faults may not appear great; and wish not the abasement of anyone, that thine own abasement be not exposed. Live then the days of thy life, that are less than a fleeting moment, with thy mind stainless, thy heart unsullied, thy thoughts pure, and thy nature sanctified, so that, free and content, thou mayest put away this mortal frame, and repair unto the mystic paradise and abide in the eternal kingdom for evermore. –  Baha’u’llah, Hidden Words, p. 37.

BODY
MIND
SOUL
SPIRIT

HOLY SPIRIT

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The Third Eye mystical spiritual

Learning to see with The Third Eye

Magic Eye – proper name = Autostereogram NB Is a bit like ‘when the penny drops’ re the major spiritual insights

See here – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autostereogramexplanation

Example below – can you see the 3D creature swimming?

Weakness = It doesn’t mean someone is not spiritual or not whole if they can’t read’ these autostereograms.

Stare an image and let your eyes relax – don’t search, relax.  Should work at your normal viewing  distance from screen – for me about 18”

POETRY and SPIRITUALITY A One Year set of Course teachings

Ver 1 22nd April 2023

Introduction: These One Year sets of teachings are the product of research for

more than 500 half-day seminars, and

decades of questing to find the

deepest and clearest teachings that have the characteristics of being

whole-person and which deal with

mystical experience in an irrevocably

inter-spiritual context and which also have a

‘dual-Non Dual’ perspective

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The poets and and teachers of the spiritual below are of the best;

Mary Oliver: Great Souls, Great Prayers

Mary Oliver – https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Mary+Oliver

Coleman Barks: Rumi, Grace, And Human Friendship

Mary Oliver — Listening to the World

Ram Dass x Alan Watts: The Spiritual Pendulum

Alan Watts – https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=alan+watts

Louise Gluck – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Gl%C3%BCck

RP PhD – https://sunwalkmodelofholisticeducation.wordpress.com/

Ram Dass – https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Ram+Dass

Ram Dass – Addiction and Attachment

Children meditating in school – WIKIPEDIA

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All the actions that people call meditation are really just warm ups as athletes do before a race.

Meditation consists of two wings.

The first is the state silence.

The second is to be silent.

With silence and stillness we can fly up into the ineffable Nondual

and we also experience the material dual world as a myriad of

radiant pointers that all point us back to heaven aka the Nondual.

Salaam, Shalom, Shanti, Peace – Namaste.

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MY PREFERRED DEFINITION OF NAMASTE:

“I honor the place in you

in which the entire Universe dwells.

I honor the place in you which is of Love,

of Integrity, of Wisdom and of Peace.

When you are in that place in you,

and I am in that place in me,

we are One.”

Welcome to my Landing Page

Roger
DrRogerEPrentice

–

https://sunwalked.wordpress.com/

A

162.159.153.4 Copy

We are all in the process of recovering our true Self

Photo CopyRight Dr Roger E Prentice

RUNNING LIST FOR NEW PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP

Ver 1 – 30thDec 2022

QUESTIONS that name a potential article

Q What is art photography

Q What is the distinctive Truth, Beauty and Goodness of Nick Turpin?

Q What is the distinctive Truth, Beauty and Goodness of Martin Parr

Q ………..

Q ……….

PEOPLE

Photographers – for example Nick Turpin, Martin Parr and ………

Aesthetes (Aficionados)

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THEORY OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY – largely matters of what is and what isn’t Street Photography

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PHILOSOPHY OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY – ways in which Street Photography

informs the human spirit

And

enforms the human spirit

‘One Garden’

‘One Garden’ — The Inter-spiritual Way for our life journey

‘One Spiritual Garden’ — The Inter-spiritual Way for our life-journey

Introduction for newcomers Part 1

WikiPedia — source details

Imagine a beautiful garden in which people of all cultural backgrounds & beliefs found themselves networked by a spirit of unity, as well as representing diverse origins, & walking together along an inter-spiritual path

This article of questions & answers is from a decades-long experiment in which we have listened to more than 70 spiritual teachers whose teachings point to one thing, Oneness.

That Oneness can be seen at several levels. Those levels include;

the personal integration of us as individuals,

the oneness of groups from families to our one human family globally and

oneness from which both this dual earthly material world makes its demands on us and the Non-dual realm into which we step every day, often without realizing it.

The Questions & Answers, practices — and examples from the great wisdom traditions

Q What are the great wisdom traditions?

We honour all the authentic traditions; as in the Golden Rule. poster from Scarboro missions in Canada;

https://www.scarboromissions.ca/golden-rule/golden-rule-across-the-worlds-religions

Q Which of the teachers do you find most helpful?

There are quite a number. They include; Rumi, Eckhart Tolle, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Aldous Huxley, Alan Watts, Rupert Spira, Joan Tollifson, Adi Shankara, Wayne Teasdale and Iain McGilchrist.

Joan Tollifson’s site is here — https://www.joantollifson.com/. All the rest have reasonably reliable pages on WikiPedia.

Q What about the Messengers or Manifestations of God?

Yes they are at the heart centre. Their lives and teachings are each and all, progressively the ‘primal point’ that links earth and heaven.

Out of no disrespect for others, just because of limits of time and energy we focus on seven. In reverse alphabetical order they are; Taoism, Sufism, Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Baha’i.

…

Q In One Garden do you have to have a physical garden in which to sit?

It’s very pleasant to have that experience, most towns have one or more formal gardens, but it’s not really necessary.

Q Why?

Because One Garden refers primarily to a state of being

All who realize or sense the Oneness, are already ‘members’ .

They might already have been seeking such companionship and acting in service to others.

To adapt the simplicity that the Baha’is use To be a One Garden person simply means to love all the world; to love humanity and try to serve it; to work for universal peace and universal brotherhood.

…

Welcome then to the ‘One Garden’ project and to the ‘inter-spiritual way’.

Another apt metaphor is that the truth, beauty and goodness of reality is like a mountain which has ‘many paths but one summit’.

In a later article I will write about ‘how to build a spiritual One Garden group in a village near you’.

Q So there’s us, teachers, sages and saints and Messengers/ Manifestations of God?

Yes.

Yet another metaphor is to say ‘many gate-keepers pointing to the One Garden’.

You can be born into a religion and yet realize the Oneness and the inter-spiritual way.

The inter-spiritual Way is the same as Taoism’s ‘Way’.

I take ‘Universalism’ and ‘interfaith Inter-spirituality’ as the mystical core that unites all great faith traditions — along with its philosophical framework known as Perennial Philosophy.

Fundamentalists always try to claim exclusivity for their understanding of their group. This they use to persecute other groups and minorities in their own group

I also here suggest the idea of ‘spiritual federalism’ — a framework for humanists, agnostics, theists & all people of good-will to explore the realization of a universal heart-mind and an inclusive world-view.

Q But what does all this mean as experiences for individuals?

Here’s a re-creation of the essential experience of the Non-dual state by the 8th Century Chinese poet Li Po

“The birds have vanished from the sky,

and now the last clouds slip away.

We sit alone, the mountain and I,

until only the mountain remains.”

This short account creates the experience of stepping out of the dual, material realm into the Non-dual which is timeless, spaceless and massless, rather like being in a flotation, sensory-deprivation tank.

The Li Po piece, or even such a sensory-deprivation tank is ‘it’, as opposed to just talking about ‘it’.

…

One version of the ultimate summary is: Awaken to reality; detach from the egoic self; serve others.

…

HERE ARE SOME POINTERS

All is spirit — energy and matter interchange. Our inner life and the life of the universe are a complex of energy systems.

Spirit is life-force. Life-force is ‘chi’ as in ‘tai-chi’.

The oneness derives from systems at three levels; physical energy at the body level, intellectual level at the mind level, consciousness at the spiritual level.

I take the soul level to be the interchange between us as egoic individuals and ultimate Reality’s ‘I = Awareness’

Spiritualization is refinement of the human spirit, and integration of the physical, intellectual and soul levels.

The purpose of spiritualization is moral action, understanding & the realisation of joy.

Art is spirit en-formed.

An aesthetic experience is form dis-enformed back into spirit. Everyday Non-dual experience can be, a child’s smile, a beautiful landscape or the ‘being taken out of your self’ by a work of art in a gallery, or a theatre or TV.

Religions are simply forms for the flow of spirit — unfortunately most are more or less corrupted by man-made accretions — light is light in whatever lamp but some lamps are given dark shades by men!

The true and universal heart of spirituality is mystical experience

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Mystical knowledge is the heart-knowing we receive via at-one-ment.

We call these insights, en-light-en-ment, or satori etc.

…

At-one-ment improves as we subject ourselves to appropriate disciplines of practice.

Q. How?

We can start with the profoundly simple practices given by Zen Buddhist Master Thich Nhat Hahn

‘Smile: breathe: go slowly’ — to respond to the ‘simple’ challenge’ of ‘Awaken; Detach: Serve’.

Even simpler: don’t say any words, just slowly breathe in and out for as long as seems appropriate. True meditation is in stillness and silence

…

Q. Why do you make so much of the Chinese Li Po ‘poem’ on the page above?

A. It demonstrates mystical experience — the experience of ‘oneness with the universe’ or ‘Ultimate Reality, the experience of ‘no-self’.

Q. So where’s my ‘self’ gone in such an experience?

For the timeless duration of the oneness experience you have forgotten your self!

Upon returning to the dual, material realm we can have a kind of knowing and knowledge called Gnostic in ancient Greek, or Ma’rifa in Sufism.

This is not part of Non-dual experience. There is no you to have the experience. That’s why ultimate Reality is ‘I = Awareness’

For what is accepted by most people as normal everyday life reality is in fact fake reality. It can be poor or even hellish.

There is often turmoil when you have nothing but your normal ego-self.

The frenetic yelps and screams of the ego-self can be like a manic radio jumping from station to station — ‘Oh God why did I do that?’, ‘Why did she let me down again?’, ‘I thought if I loved him enough he would change!’, ‘Why does this always happen to me?’, ‘It’ll never work!’, and so on and so on goes the torturous voice of the ego-self.

Q. How can I get away from all of this inner turmoil?

Drugs and alcohol work well for many people. Of course they are massively destructive as well.

However there is a way that isn’t personally or socially destructive. It is to use the wisdom as taught by all of the great teachers and sages down through the ages. They show us how to deal with the world, and how to deal with our inner suffering that the egoic-self brings, and how to maintain the sense of unitive ‘presence’.

By presence I mean our sensing of the Whole, and its Wonder-full and Awe-inspiring Mystery, an experience we get when we take succour from the treasure of our spiritual heritages.

Q. Why do you keep saying ‘sense’ — ‘sense the Whole’ or’ Ultimate Reality’

Because it isn’t a mind thing. Eckhart Tolle says at the beginning of his book Stillness Speaks: ‘Lost in thought — the human condition’. The mind, our greatest gift, can also be our enemy when there is nothing but mind — in the sense of the self-induced suffering that comes from the egoic-self.

This suffering Tolle calls the ‘The pain-body’

Tolle begins a description of this locked-in pain with,

As long as you are unable to access the power of the Now, every emotional pain that you experience leaves behind a residue of pain that lives on in you. It merges with the pain from the past, which was already there, and becomes lodged in your mind and body. This, of course, includes the pain you suffered as a child, caused by the unconsciousness of the world into which you were born.

A key to release is,

…

We finite beings cannot comprehend the In-finite

We are finite. We cannot embrace the Whole anymore than we can embrace the physical sun.

But we can know of it — we can sense its presence, when we have sufficiently quietened the clamour of the egoic self.

In theistic terms the finite human cannot approach on equal terms the infinite God.

It stands to reason. We cannot embrace the physical sun.

We cannot have direct intercourse with the infinite God. But we can feel the warmth of God’s love and learn to see by the light of God’s love — and we do that experientially, not via book-learning.

But books are the records of the teachers who have gone before — to supplement and amplify and verify and qualify and justify the conclusions we come to from our own sensing, our own experiences.

In our concept-driven world we have lost one half of our being, one half of our way of knowing — the sensing of the Whole. We are struggling to get back this lost half of ourselves. Some people refer to this restoration as re-sacralizing the world, and ourselves. Another way to describe it is the restoration of heart-knowing, of wholism, of the feminine principle, of yang with yin etc.

One interesting way of explaining this is to consider Greek terms such as biology, geology, zoology. They originally meant, to give one example, the study of plants ‘bio’ — as part of the Whole, ‘ology’.

We have lost, and need to recover, our ‘ology’!

From that time when we started to get the benefits of powerful reason and science we started forgetting the ‘ology’. The approach to the ology part of any class of the world was always a matter of reverence, or Awe and Wonder — because the Whole is inevitably a very large amount of phenomenon as compared to the little bits we know!

But of course we are talking about the inner landscape of consciousness, not just the physical universe. It is via the nature and quality of the inner landscape that we are truly human — or monstrous.

The great Jewish poet-Mystic-activist Abraham Joshua Heschel summed up this unbalanced dependence on mind, and corresponding neglect of the Whole, in two beautiful ways.

First he said;

“Concepts are delicious snacks with which we try to alleviate our amazement”

Secondly he taught;

“The Search for reason ends at the known; on the immense expanse beyond it only the sense of the ineffable can glide.

It alone knows the route to that which is remote from experience and understanding.

Neither of them is amphibious: reason cannot go beyond the shore, and the sense of the ineffable is out of place where we measure, where we weigh.

We do not leave the shore of the known in search of adventure or suspense or because of the failure of reason to answer our questions.

We sail because our mind is like a fantastic seashell, and when applying our ear to its lips we hear a perpetual murmur from the waves beyond the shore.

Citizens of two realms, we all must sustain a dual allegiance: we sense the ineffable in one realm, we name and exploit reality in another.

Between the two we set up a system of references, but we can never fill the gap.

They are as far and as close to each other as time and calendar, as violin and melody, as life and what lies beyond the last breath.”

From Man is not alone: a philosophy of religion by Abraham Joshua Heschel.

…

The thing, more correctly the no-thing, about the Whole or Mystery, is essential to a full understanding of Reality. In that respect it is like the need of yang for yin or vice versa.

All we can do if we don’t prepare, through practices, for experiences of transcendence is to pretend that the Non-dual is not existent. We have to deny not just whatever is beyond the furthest stars but also all the potential within the heart of being human.

Everything we know, not just scientifically but morally and artistically was once part of Mystery, part of the Whole as potential. Not every discovery was an invention. The process of discovery is more a process of manifestation than of assembling a box of spare parts. Insights are not add-on spare parts!

The reason that insights are not add-ons is that people at different times and places reveal the same insights. This shows that such insights are potentialities within human beings, waiting to be manifested. The presentation of the Golden Rule is a better example than say the discovery of photography.

Moral truth or spiritual insight are manifested within the consciousness of the individual. They are not book-learning. Such experiences range from a blink of being relieved of the burden of self to experiences of such power and intensity that the existing self is demolished and decades are needed to process the experience. Eckhart Tolle’s description of his self ‘demolition’ is an example.

…

The mystical experience is a sensing of the Whole through a temporary laying down of the noisy dominance of the egoic self. Its episodes are out of time. We inevitably return to the temp-orary. As we shall see we sense the presence of the Whole and can gradually come to bring that sensing it to all of our experiencing and reading of the world, including the reading of our own selves.

Q What if I’ve never had such an experience?

You almost certainly have — though it might have been more like a blink than a five-act opera!

Most of us have become de-sensitized to this heart-knowing of the Whole.

Our wretched education system, and/or unenlightened parenting, socializes us out of balanced wholeness. It was Aristotle who gave us the basis of scientific classification by which we sort and label all the bits we see — camels and granite, cakes and fancy hats etc. Very useful but only half of our whole self. I will be attempting to show that Iain McGilchrist has shone more light than anyone on this imbalance that we have been living with, and the absolute need for a reversal — see HERE

The ‘thingy world’ and the ‘non-thingy world’

Tolle points out that our education can remove us from the oneness we’ve experienced previously — in the womb, given a healthy and loving gestation.

In answer to a question on one of his audio talks, he points out that as soon as a child is given a label such as , ‘That’s an oak tree’, the child will never truly see that particular object with the eye of wholeness again.

Perhaps he got that insight from Ludwig Wittgenstein because Wittgenstein said the same.

I call this de-holizing ‘progressive it-ifi-cation’.

The most extreme and horrific such labeling in history was the labeling of Jews, gypsies, and the mentally handicapped as sub-human by the Naziis.

For the child, we need to speak in such a way that keeps the mystery alive.

“See how the light shines through and makes patterns with the leaves,’, ‘I wonder how many creatures the oak tree is a home for,’, ‘Why in England is the oak tree so important for people,’ etc.

When we see knowledge as labelling we narrow the ‘isness’ of the object — its wonder and magic as part of the Whole is erased and the child can no longer read the beauty of objects, most of which beauty comes from the object as being part of many networks of meaning in the Whole.

In One Garden teachings we walk the Inter-spiritual way with a sense of wonder.

Walking the One Garden Inter-spiritual Way

Physically there are a variety of beautiful gardens to enjoy and remind us of the spiritual One Garden;

WikiPedia — Cquest — Own work — SOURCE DETAILS

Art & Nature perfectly combined?

…

This is the first of a series of articles about our spiritual One Garden but many of my earlier articles are relevant such as;

“What is the beating heart of our true self? — 16 Pointings to show that all our longings are ultimately One, like the enlarging space in a set of Russian Dolls

…

The life-goal for all of us is;

I = Awareness

Arthur J. Deikman, 1 Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute, 401…

www.deikman.com

MY PREFERRED and inspiring DEFINITION OF NAMASTE:

“I honor the place in you
in which the entire Universe dwells.
I honor the place in you which is of Love,
of Integrity, of Wisdom and of Peace.
When you are in that place in you,
and I am in that place in me,
we are One.”

Treasures & wisdom that can help us care for ourselves along the life-journey

Wikipedia The swan is an important motif in Advaita. The swan symbolises the ability to discern Satya (the Real, & Eternal) from Mithya (the Unreal, & Changing) SOURCE

A chuckle or a smile to start with I hope — Alan Watts says that we want to know that we know and he has a limerick for that;

“There once was a man who said,

though it seems that I know that I know,

what I’d like to see,

is the ‘I’ that sees me,

when I know that I know that I know.”

In this humorous poem Watts sums up the supreme truth I = Awareness

In the Hindu Advaita Vedanta, when translated from Sanskit to English,

We find these several meanings; the eternal self, spirit, essence, soul, or breath.

Atmat then is your true self as opposed to the ego; it is

that aspect of the self which becomes part of Brahman (the force underlying all things).

I teach that our being is taken up into Being as-a-Whole.

Many languages around the world have sanskrit roots. Here we see;

So Ātman is a Sanskrit word which refers to “essence, or breath.”

In Old High German atum it is “breath,”

In Modern German it is atmen “to breathe”Atem “respiration, breath”, in Old English it is eþian).

Ātman, then sometimes means “real Self” of the individual, her or his “innermost essence.”

While often translated as “soul,” it is best translated as “self”.

……..

DJ teaches skills for better health

Fatboy Slim links up with the BBC to help boost people’s mental health

Fatboy Slim — “daniel m” — https://www.flickr.com/photos/dmnyc/217950325/

The UK is lucky to have its National Health Service — the NHS

Fatboy Slim (Norman Cook) has linked up with the NHS to help people with severe mental health problems.

He’s teaching DJ sessions, among other things to help boost people’s mental health.

Could similar generosity as Fatboy Slim’ work in other parts of the world?

The BBC’s Annabel Rackham and Jonathan Sumberg went to see Fatboy Slim teaching a session before he heads off to the Glastonbury festival.

Fatboy Slim DJ workshops to help mental health

Fatboy Slim might be about to head off to Glastonbury this week, but not before running a DJ workshop in his hometown…

www.bbc.co.uk

Spread the word.

Find the other generous souls.

Find those who are in need.

You can hear a lot more of Fatboy Slim’s music and DJ-ing on YouTube.

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10 Reasons you might be experiencing a change of heart

Are you one of the new light-houses showing others the way?

UnSplash — Evgeni Tcherkasski @evgenit

It only takes about 25 percent of us to stand up for an issue —

like stopping sexual harassment in the workplace.

Changes in us can indicate we are ready to help

Check below to see how many of the 10 indicators are going on in you —

drop me an email at onesummit (copy & paste into your email)

if you had any kind of similar experience

for example a near-death experience

so that I can improve the list.

1 You might be one of 25% of sensitive people

Such folk are called HSP Highly Sensitive people –

you might like to dip into this book;

The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine N. Aron Ph.D

2 If you are a Highly Sensitive Person

you will certainly have a high degree of empathy –

through which you sense other people’s pain.

3 You might be battling the effects

of negative experiences early in your life

including negative religious experiences.

4 SBNR You might be starting to feel that

you are spiritual but not religious.

5 You might feel increasing respect

for other traditions.

6 You might have ‘caught the accents’

of great teachers

such as Rumi,

“Earth turns to gold in the hands of the wise”

7 You might find that Music,

in languages, you don’t speak,

makes you weep.

8 You might feel you are experiencing SSAs

Spontaneous Spiritual Awakenings.

These are subjective experiences

characterized by

a sudden sense of direct contact, union,

or complete nondual merging (experience of oneness)

with perceived ultimate reality,

the universe, “God,” or

what is your term for ultimate reality

the source etc.

9 You start to have insights that,

when you check them out,

you find have been taught by sages and great teachers

down through the ages.

10 You find yourself more and more upset

with racism, sexism

and all kinds of abuse, stereotyping, and exploitation of others.

My experience with all of these led me to understand

the spirit of this age –

in the German language, it is called ‘zeitgeist’.

What can trigger this inner process?

Answer — you receive a major kick up the backside

My kick was being told

11 years ago that

I had just 30 months to live.

What was the cure?

a massively increased sense of purpose

with which I focused on

all those activities that meant the most to me.

Purposelessness is poison

a worthy purpose can be healing and integrative.

It also led me to create

One Garden inter-spirit groups –

so far we have had more than 600 weekly half-day seminars.

There is so much suffering we can help with;

Summary and takeaway

This waking up energizes you.

You can feel the life-force flowing

through you more vigorously.

So be happy,

use the energy for creativity,

and sharing with others –

you are uplifting the honor of being an agent of change

as your light shines brighter

mirroring as it does

the zeitgeist — the new spirit

of today.

Let me know of your experiences — email me at onesummit — (copy & paste into your email)

so that I can improve this article.

You might enjoy other articles in this series………

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49

Being in the Present Moment

"… go home to the present moment.

PHOTO – Duc (pixiduc) from Paris, France. – Thich Nhat Hanh Marche meditative 06

Q. What does Thich Nhat Hahn say about the practice of ‘returning home’ to the present moment?

“Breathing in, I calm body and mind.

Breathing out, I smile.

Dwelling in the present moment

I know this is the only moment.”

― Thich Nhat Hanh

Three more teachings that help us to always return to Now, the present moment – 2 from TNH and 1 from Eckhart Tolle

1

For me this calligraphy by Thich Nhat Hanh works more like an affirmation

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2

Here the act of conscious breathing linked to the image of the sky & clouds is a perfect way to bring ourself back into the Now

“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky.

Conscious breathing is my anchor.”

― Thich Nhat Hanh, Stepping into Freedom: Rules of Monastic Practice for Novices

NB See if the lines reversed work better for you;

“Conscious breathing is my anchor.

Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. ”

3

Eckhart Tolle

To return to he NOWness of the present moment ask yourself;

“Am I at ease in this moment?

&

– What can I witness that’s blocking me from

being in the Now, the present moment?

NB Three Realizations

1. We slip out of the Now and into the a vicious circle of the past or into

anxiety about the future – which of course never comes. Life is only in the Now.

2. As soon as you can witness those thoughts, feelings and sensations that take you out of Nowness you are on your way to managing returning to the Now at will.

3. As soon as you realize you are not your thoughts, but that you can witness those thoughts, you can see that the real Self and Reality are infinite Awareness.

4. Whether you call that The Source, Brahman, God, or another appropriate name you are Home.

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Staying in the Present Moment | Thich Nhat Hanh (short teaching video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiaxqGsyld8&t=322s

WP

Eknath Easwaran was a professor of English literature at the University of Nagpur in India

In 1959 he came to the United States as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley where he taught courses on meditation.

In 1961, Easwaran founded the Blue Mountain Centre of Meditation and Nilgiri Press, based in northern California. Nilgiri Press has published over thirty books that he authored.

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Get your portion of Eknath Easwaren’s Thought for the Day posts in your email inbox by signing up here https://www.bmcm.org/subscribe/

For the last day of 2021 Blue Mountain Meditation Centre posted this wonder-full passage from Saint Augustine

Thought for the Day Dec 31, 2021 Imagine if all the tumult of the body were to quiet down, along with our busy thoughts . . .. Imagine if all things that are perishable grew still . . .. And imagine if that moment were to go on and on, leaving behind all other sights and sounds but this one vision which ravishes and absorbs and fixes the beholder in joy, so that the rest of eternal life were like that moment of illumination which leaves us breathless. Saint Augustine

Eknath Easwaran’s Commentary As I reach the spiritual summit, I hardly feel my body. My mind is still; my ego has been set at rest. The peace in my heart matches the peace at the heart of nature. This is my native state, the state to which I have been striving through the long travail of evolution to return. No longer am I a feverish fragment of life; I am indivisible from the whole. I live completely in the present, released from the prison of the past with its haunting memories and vain regrets, released from the prison of the future with its tantalizing hopes and tormenting fears. All the enormous capacities formerly trapped in past and future flow to me here and now, concentrated in the hollow of my palm. No longer driven by desire for personal pleasure or profit, I am free to use all these capacities to alleviate the suffering of those around me. In living for others, I come to life. -0- Eknath Easwaran teaching what is thought to be the first credit course on meditation offered at a major university in the U.S. at U.C. Berkeley in 1968 see – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eknath_Easwaran -0- Easwaran’s program for spiritual growth consists of eight points, and is described comprehensively in his book Passage Meditation – A Complete Spiritual Practice (originally published in 1978 as Meditation). Each point had a dedicated chapter:[58] Meditation: Silent repetition upon memorized inspirational passages from one of the world’s great religions. Practiced for one-half hour each morning. The Mantram: silent repetition of a mantram, holy name or hallowed phrase from one of the world’s great religions. Slowing Down: set priorities to reduce stress and hurry One-Pointed Attention: give full concentration to whatever matter is currently at hand Training the Senses: enjoy simple pleasures in order to avoid craving for unhealthy excess Putting Others First: denounce selfishness and cultivating altruism Spiritual Companionship: practice meditation in the company of others Reading the Mystics: draw inspiration from the writings of the scriptures of all religions.

Heart is Thy Name, O Lord – "The supreme calling of every human being is to aspire to Self-realization. All other obligations are secondary" ~ Anandamayi Ma

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The great Hindu sage Adi Shankara of the eighth century summarized the entirety of Advaita Vedanta (non-dualistic philosophy) in six stanzas.

When a young boy of eight, while wandering in the Himalayas, seeking to find his guru, he encountered a sage who asked him, "Who are you?"

The enlightened boy answered with 6 short verses – see below.

WP – Anandamayi Ma (née Nirmala Sundari; 30 April 1896 – 27 August 1982) was an Indian saint and yoga guru, described by Sivananda Saraswati (of the Divine Life Society) as "the most perfect flower the Indian soil has produced." …..

Paramahansa Yogananda translates the Sanskrit epithet Anandamayi as "Joy-permeated" in English. This name was given to her by her devotees in the 1920s to describe her perpetual state of divine joy.

The Youtube video is here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBduhdem3Os&t=9s

Chant performed by Deva Premal with Maneesh De Moor.

The great Hindu sage Adi Shankara of the eighth century summarized the entirety of Advaita Vedanta (non-dualistic philosophy) in six stanzas.

When a young boy of eight, while wandering in the Himalayas, seeking to find his guru, he encountered a sage who asked him, "Who are you?"

The enlightened boy answered with these stanzas:

1. I am neither the mind, intellect, ego, nor memory.

I am neither the five sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue nor skin).

I am neither the five elements (earth, wind, fire, water nor ether).

I am consciousness-bliss, I am Shiva.

2. I am neither energy, the five types of breath, the seven material essences, nor the five coverings.

I am not the organs of elimination (rectum), procreation (genitals), motion (legs), grasping (hands) nor speech (mouth).

I am consciousness-bliss, I am Shiva.

3. I have neither hatred nor dislike, neither affiliation nor liking, neither greed nor delusion, neither pride nor haughtiness, neither feelings of envy nor jealousy.

I have neither duty, nor wealth, neither desire nor liberation.

I am consciousness-bliss, I am Shiva.

4. I have neither merit, nor demerit.

I do not commit deeds bad nor good, I am neither happy nor sad, I have neither pain nor pleasure.

I do not need mantras, holy places, scriptures, rituals or sacrifices.

I am neither the seer nor the seen, neither the experiencer nor the experience.

I am consciousness-bliss, I am Shiva.

5. I fear no death as I am deathless.

I have no separation of Self, nor doubt of my existence, I have no caste discrimination.

I have no father nor mother, I am not born.

I am no one’s relative, friend, guru, or disciple.

I am consciousness-bliss, I am Shiva.

6. I am all-pervasive. I have no attributes, I am formless.

I have no world attachment, nor am I liberated.

I have no wish for anything as I am everything, everywhere, always, always in equilibrium.

I am consciousness-bliss, I am Shiva. -0-

These stanzas, are known as "Nirvana Shatakam" or "Atma Shatakam."

"Nirvana" is complete equanimity, peace, tranquility, freedom and joy. "Atma" is the True Self. -0-

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NB RP cf Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am. Be still and know. Be still. Be -eeeeeeeeee – St. Patrick (based upon Psalm 46:10) –

NB Link HERE is to a whole range of YouTube videos & is not intended to suggest that I subscribe or value all.

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SEE ALSO – Find Some Time to Watch This because It WIll Help You For the Rest of Your Life 7 MIN SILENT VIDEO – Sri Ramana Maharshi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrtJnvHW2t4&t=269s

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SEE ALSO ‘I AM THAT"

I AM THAT – Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj – Audiobook – Chapters 1-10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjoGzmwUn8U&t=2574s

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Mirroring Oneness in Baha’i Teachings

Photo credit Nick Harris on WikiPedia

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Who would you like to be with for eternity in the next world? A spouse, partner or friends – or Rumi perhaps?

“This is how I would die / into the love I have for you: /

As pieces of cloud / dissolve in sunlight.” – Rumi

Or perhaps Socrates, Shakespeare or another person – a grand-mother perhaps, who taught you about being truth, goodness, beauty-creating and justice?

At the heart-centre of all of our longings is the longing for ‘at-one-ment’, i.e. atonement.

Happiness and fulfilment rest in ‘being at-one’. It is the summit.

The deep mystical reality, is to be at-one with the unknowable Mystery of the Whole. For some God is Ultimate Being and the ‘ground of all being’. For others God is a personal God.

The summit of at-one-ment strengthens our ability to be at-one with closer levels of relationship such as with our partner or friends.

Each of the first six papers in the first stage of this series suggested that mirroring exists within and between the great Traditions Sufism, Hinduism, Taoism, Judaism, Buddhism and Christianity. I chose three ‘religions’ from each of the two lines of prophets – the Semitic and the Aryan. Others are equally valid but the 6 more suffices in my teaching work – enveloped by my own community’s Baha’i teachings.

Inter-spiritually mirroring exists as a self-appraisal as well as between the Founders as Perfect Mirrors of the great Traditions.

Oneness is the summit. There are many paths to realizing Oneness.

All of the paths below are experiential ways that can take us there. The steps are sequenced differently depending on the make-up and personal history of each individual.

Spirit flows unless temporarily blocked. We witness spirit forming and transforming – in ‘the world’, in others and most importantly in ourselves. The human spirit I take to be the reality behind human consciousness.

1 Good parents and teachers strive to enable us to raise up our consciousness. Such consciousness is not just the absence of concussion or a coma!

2 In the great religions the true, real, mystical heart-centre teachings overwhelmingly One. Baha’u’llah of His own religion said, ‘This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future.’. – (The Kitáb-i-Aqdas)

When we have self-knowledge we recognise those teachings as our own heart-centre.

3 To counterbalance the experiential, and avoid the diseases of exclusivity and fundamentalism, we need at least a ‘Nutshell theology’. Mine’s very simple. ‘There is One God, One Holy Spirit, there’s just one human family and an unending series of Prophet-founders, aka Messengers or Manifestations.’

The Manifestations of God are perfect Mirrors – mirroring the Love and Light of God.

4 Through our life-experiences we suddenly, or gradually, realize the ‘dual-Nondual worldview’ – two realms. The first is the contingent realm, including the material world. The second is the realm of spirit – a step out of self and into the Presence of God in God’s creational form. Ultimately the two are one.

5 We realize, that we have a passport as Citizens of the two realms – that ultimately are One – the dual and Nondual.

As we learn appropriate practices, meditation, prayer, study and service to others we learn to step out of the time-bound world into the eternal ‘now’. The simplest, successful meditation is HERE – Apps iPhone – Android keep smiling!

The eternal realm of ‘now’ is spaceless and mass-less as well as timeless.

6 We realize that broadly there are two Kinds of knowing. First there is the theoretical – book-learning.

Secondly there is what is called gnostic knowing – the gifts (not to be demanded) of God.

Gnosis signifies a spiritual knowledge or insight into humanity’s real nature as divine.

In Baha’i teachings ‘Irfan’ is a Persian-Arabic word referring to mystical, theological, and spiritual knowledge

In Islamic teachings ma’rifa is the mystical intuitive knowledge of spiritual truth reached through ecstatic experiences, rather than revealed or rationally acquired.

Metaphorically we each have our island of knowledge – a speck in an infinite ocean. On the island we cultivate such knowledge that enables us to survive and function in the dual world. On the shoreline facing out to the sea, the Infinite Ocean, we, as Heschel says, are where “only the sense of the ineffable can glide”

We realize capabilities of truth-testing. ‘Triangulation’ is one tool for truth-testing – comparing a teaching on insights with two other sources. Another is consultation.

7 The continuous and pre-eminent search for Self-knowledge ends in sudden or gradual realization – or failure. Wisdom comes with age for some.

8 Maturation feels like healing – its the sound of a door closing, as we let go of attachments and addictions, and learn to mirror the mirroring, the Love and Light of God from the Divine Mirrors – the Manifestations of God.

9 Along the way, suddenly or gradually we realize All is God. God is Ultimate being and reality, but some prefer a personal God.

There are 7,800,000,000 people on earth (as of March 2020,) In one sense that’s also the number of ‘gods’. The sense of each having a different experience is clear from the story of the blind people who came across an elephant. Transcending our limited vision is a vital challenge for all individuals!

We learn to read, suddenly or gradually, the mystical metaphors used by great teachers over the last few thousand years or example the Hindu ‘Two birds on the self-same tree’ – one ego-centred and ego transcended. They are, of course, two sides of our own inner heart-mind consciousness – and as they ‘heal’ they become one mature, integrated Self. That is God, seen more clearly.

We can learn to read the ‘way’ as in the Tao Te Ching, the prototype of the mystical heart-core – ‘The tao that can be told / is not the eternal Tao….

Or we learn to ‘read the book of his own self’ as in the Seven Valleys – Baha’u’llah‘s greatest mystical composition.

As a combination of the above paths carries us forward we return to our spiritual practices with increasing certitude and joy;

Prayer, our talking to God, and expressing the joy of gratitude.

Meditation, in stillness and silence is listening – to hear God talking to us.

Our study aided by a clear sense of our identity and purpose.

and service which is the way to keep us grounded, as well as being empathic responses to our fellow humans.

We realize that all great religions of the past have outstanding, saintly individuals striving to rescue dis-orded religions. In Christianity this is often called rescuing Christianity from Churchianity.

These then are ways to the summit of Oneness.

But has anyone ventured into even higher realms or stages?

Perhaps Cynthia Bourgeault in her book ‘Eye of the Heart; a spiritual journey into the Imaginal Realm’ which she defines as ‘a meeting ground, a place of active exchange between two bandwidths of reality’ – for example between this world and the world hereafter. Other definitions are HERE

Another essay by Golgonooza (pen name of Brian Keeble?) reveals HERE more about the imaginal realm; ‘The rational path of philosophers and theologians needs to be complemented by the mystical intuition of the Sufis, the “unveiling” (kashf) that allows for imaginal—not “imaginary”—vision. The heart, which in itself is unitary consciousness, must become attuned to its own fluctuation, at one beat seeing God’s incomparability with the eye of reason, at the next seeing his similarity with the eye of imagination. Its two visions are prefigured in the two primary names of the Scripture, al-qur’ân, “that which brings together”, and al-furqân, “that which differentiates”.’

Does it mean that I accept everything that Cynthia says? No.

You can catch a glimpse of Cythia’s soaring in the spiritual realm from the talk HERE to the Ibn Arabi Society at Oxford by the Baha’i Professor Todd Lawson. With the YouTube video I suggest you start at 50mins.

Intuitively I feel that all that Cynthia Bourgeault is discovering is in the Baha’i Revelation, and probably in other Revelations as well – but we are still seeing through a glass darkly.

As with ‘reading’ autostereograms. Success, by God’s grace, enables us to see into our own heart-mind.

In the old days electricity was metered. You put a coin into the meter and the lights came on. Metaphorically when the ‘penny drops, we see for the first time the image in the auto-stereogram.

Don’t worry if you can’t see the creature in the above Wikipedia auto-stereogram picture.

If it works for you we can say there are two stages. Firstly just a fog of dots. Secondly we see the creature in 3-D. If it doesn’t work for you there are other pictures or metaphors.

The stereogram links us back to higher-level meditation which should be objectless – Thomas Mc Farlane article HERE. Videos Bourgeault HERE, and here Spira

Gradually all will come more into focus. And then instead of saying we are seeing ‘through a glass darkly’ we will instead say;

“We can see more clearly now,

and now, and now,

as we oscillate between the two worlds.