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#2777 - Monday/Tuesday, April 2-3, 2007 - Editor: Jerry Katz - http://nonduality.com/one.htm
Nondual Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights
This issue is from Jim Dreaver's monthly Wisdom Newsletter, which you can sign up for here: http://jimdreaver.com/wisdomailing.html.
I've been receiving the Wisdom Newsletter forever and it is always welcome, which is not easy to achieve within email culture.
Nonduality as a movement, as a phenomenon within civilization in these days, has no definition. We could try. Perhaps we could say this nonduality is a study, celebration, confession, teaching, expression, known/unknowable presence of non-separation. As nonduality takes a position within civilization, that is one of what would be many starts toward defining it. Part of this defining is the confession that civilization is no more real than a train station in a dream.
THE NOW
QUESTION
(From an email correspondent)
There
is a section in your book, THE WAY OF HARMONY, where you talk
about clock time versus psychological time. I think what a
lot of people find themselves doing is looking toward the past
experiences of pleasure or look forward to future prospects of
pleasure because their present moment is unhappy.
I
am very unhappy in my present and the mind shifts to thoughts of
being happy in the past or of hopeful happiness in the future.
Looking back on my trip a year ago when I was experiencing new
things and meeting new people I became very content with the
present, I enjoyed the now, likewise I felt better, had a better
attitude, enjoyed life more. How do you break away from the
unhappiness of the now, when the prospect of a better future is
what keeps you going?
I
remember when I was in high school, I had a temporary job working
in a salad factory where it was freezing, in a windowless room,
fluorescent lighting, country music on the radio, crude
coworkers, a true hell. The only thing that kept me going
was watching the clock and wishing my day away, knowing at 4:30 I
could get out of here. Isn't it only natural to hate such
an environment and be glad when you can get out of it? How
can you be focused on the now when you are trying to cope with a
horrible now, and daydreams and fantasy are able to take you away
from it?
MY
RESPONSE
It
is natural to dislike where we are presently when we are not yet
free. This is the unawakened human conditioning, and it is called
“suffering.” The problem is not the now. It is this
"I," this "me," this "person" you
take yourself to be who is unhappy, who fondly remembers the good
old days, can't stand what's currently happening, and watches the
clock, or the calendar, and dreams of a better time in the
future.
Enlightenment
is seeing that the "self" concept you have been
building since about age two or three inside your head is totally
unreal. Once you see this, once you get it, you will be awake.
You will live fully and effortlessly in the present, because you
will understand that the present is all that exists. You will
always be at peace. You will always flow cheerfully with whatever
is happening. Sure, there may be more fun awaiting you tomorrow
evening, when you go out on some hot date, or do whatever else
you love to do, but you don't dwell on that.
In
the meantime, there is only now, there is only ever the now, and
even working in a freezing, windowless salad factory is okay when
you are inwardly free. However, you may certainly form a plan,
from a place of clarity and presence, to move on from the salad
factory as soon as you realistically can.
So,
the sixty-four million dollar question: how do you get free? You
breathe, you come back to being very aware in the present, you
notice your own mind stuff, your story, and you tell yourself,
"This is not who I am." You tell yourself, "Peace
is my true nature, and I am always at peace, deep within."
Your consciousness is like a deep lake, and while the surface may
get ruffled and buffeted by the challenges of life, deep down
that stillness, that peace, is always here. You have to stop, and
begin to feel into it.
One
last tip: whenever you find yourself doing something you don't
really want to do, ask yourself, "If I were an enlightened
Zen master (or Sufi, or Christian mystic, or whatever inspires
you) how would I approach this?" Then act as if you were
that.
Remember,
the way to tell whether someone is enlightened or not is that
what is happening right now is always the most important thing.
Awakened people honor the past, keep an eye on the future, but
they are always right here, enjoying and appreciating what is
happening now.
ŠJim
Dreaver, 2007
Upcoming
Events
Living
In The Flow, Sebastopol, CA, dates and location TBA.
Imagine a
life free of personal conflict, drama, and suffering. You always
feel good inside, at peace, in the flow. You are very present in
your relationships, your work, wherever you are, responding in a
relaxed, creative way to the real needs of the moment.
During these evenings, we will look at recent upsets,
conflicts, and times of suffering, and explore the stories that
triggered them. Then we will ease into the realization that we
are not the story, but rather the awareness that looks
at the story. Our true nature, in other words, is the lucid,
ever-present consciousness that creates the stories, and
the experience of this body, mind, and personality. That is
creating it right now, as you read this, in fact.
As
we learn to question the very me itself, and see how it,
too, is just a story, the story-teller, conflict and
suffering leave us, our emotions harmonize, and life becomes rich
in love, meaning, and purpose. From this place of being very
present, we can write a new, conscious story for ourselves
and our world.
August,
Stuttgart, Germany
Dates
are not definite yet but it looks like I will be teaching in
Europe this year.
August
26-31, Esalen Institute
I
will be presenting my work at Esalen again.
Private
Sessions
A
private session with me is the most powerful and effective way to
uncover the stories that keep you bound, and prevent you from
being fully present in your life and achieving your potential in
your relationships, your work, and your life. Private sessions
last about an hour and are conducted in person or over the phone.
Affordable fees. Call 707-829-9551, or email jdreaver@aol.com.
Some
Comments About My Work
Jim,
you completely changed my life. I have practiced your work
for over a year. I now realize that I chose to be a victim.
No one ever opened the world of wisdom like you.
Jan
Hamilton, Ph.D., Aspen, CO
There
is a very deep presence that has stayed with me after working
with you. I am more easily able to come back to the sanctuary of
the present than before.
Erik
Ossell, Big Sur, CA
As
a result of guidance the guidance from Jim this past year I have
really experienced a much deeper sense of my Being, and feel I am
on the threshold of living the freedom he has modeled for me.
Juliana Dahl, Ph.D., Certified Relationship & Intimacy Coach
My
experience of Jim was remarkable… Every time I felt
conflicted I did as he suggested, and felt a sense of freedom
from the story and from the emotional upset. It was
profound.
Truth
Paradise, Aspen, CO
Bio
A native of New Zealand, Jim was on a spiritual quest for twenty
years before finally realizing his true nature. His guide on this
journey was European Advaita Vedanta master Jean Klein, with whom
he first met in 1984. Jim’s book, The Way of Harmony (Avon),
is about dealing with relationships, work, and daily life in a
conscious way. It is available used through his web site, www.jimdreaver.com
(If you
are interested in the story of Jim’s awakening, email him at
jdreaver@aol.com, and he
will send you an article.)
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377 Furlong Rd
Sebastopol, CA 95472
Tel: 707-829-9551
Web: www.jimdreaver.com
Email:
jdreaver@aol.com