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Nonduality Highlights: Issue #4312, Sunday July 17, 2011
How You Treat Others
Spiritual people often want unconditional support and
understanding from their friends, family, and mates, but all too
often seem blind to their own shortcomings when it comes to the
amount of unconditional support and understanding that they give
to others. I have seen many spiritual people become obsessed with
how unspiritual others are and assume an arrogant and superior
attitude while completely missing the fact that they themselves
are not nearly as spiritually enlightened as they would like to
think they are.
Enlightenment can be measured by how compassionately and wisely
you interact with others—with all others, not just those who
support you in the way that you want. How you interact with those
who do not support you shows how enlightened you really are.
As long as you perceive that anyone is holding you back, you have
not taken full responsibility for your own liberation. Liberation
means that you stand free of making demands on others and life to
make you happy. When you discover yourself to be nothing but
Freedom, you stop setting up conditions and requirements that
need to be satisfied in order for you to be happy.
It is in the absolute surrender of all conditions and
requirements that Liberation is discovered to be who and what you
are. Then the love and wisdom that flows out of you has a
liberating effect on others. The biggest challenge for most
spiritual seekers is to surrender their self importance, and see
the emptiness of their own personal story. It is your personal
story that you need to awaken from in order to be free.
To give up being either ignorant or enlightened is the mark of
liberation and allows you to treat others as your Self. What I am
describing is the birth of true Love.
- Adyashanti
How many of the ways (disciplines, exercises, practices)
recommended as helpful, or even necessary, for the attainment of
Satori are not in fact consequences of that state erroneously
suggested as means?
* * *
There seem to be two kinds of searchers: those who seek to make
their ego something other than it is, i.e. holy, happy, unselfish
(as though you could make a fish unfish), and those who
understand that all such attempts are just gesticulation and
play-acting, that there is only one thing that can be done, which
is to disidentify themselves with the ego, by realising its
unreality, and by becoming aware of their eternal identity with
pure being.
- Wei Wu Wei, from Fingers Pointing Towards The Moon
Margaret's Story
It is often in our workplaces that we get the most priceless
opportunities to practice the teachings of Eckhart Tolle - but
only if we are paying close attention.
My work takes me into a hospital as a health care provider. And
every day I am connecting with patients and families who are
often experiencing their darkest hours. One evening, I entered a
room to give an elderly gentleman a respiratory treatment. I
greeted him and his wife, and introduced myself as his therapist
for the evening. The room was darkened and somber and I crossed
to the side of the bed opposite the gentleman's wife. We were at
the head of the bed and I could see that he looked uncomfortable,
quite ill, and needing assistance. Before I even opened my mouth
to explain what I was there to do, the woman began to raise her
voice, and accuse me, the nurses, the doctors and the hospital of
gross neglect. For a moment I was stunned, as I was in fact only
there to help, but I knew in an instant that this was not a
personal affront, but an expression of grief. I could feel my ego
nudge me, wanting to defend my efforts, but I let it fall to the
floor, roll under the bed and out the door. I knew there was no
room for it. I was feeling the verbal blows from across the bed
and it was a great moment, an epiphany. My arms gently fell and
rested at my sides, and I listened. Her pain was expressed in
every word and in every word her anger was directed at me,
because it was I who happened to walk in the door. But I was glad
it was me. Because I seemed to know what to do. Nothing, but
listen and be acutely present.
Slowly her voice began to settle into a hush, and her agitation
lessened. I still listened until I felt she had fully expressed
herself. And then I listened more. My eyes never left hers,
despite the accusations. And when enough silence had passed, I
merely said "What can I do to help you"? At that
moment, I could feel her body relax from across the bed, and
saying nothing, she came around and tightly embraced me. It was
authentic and I returned the gesture. And in my ear I heard her
say, "Thank you for listening."
It was an experience I have found invaluable, and will never
forget.
- Margaret La Vake, posted to The_Now2
Spontaneity is the essence of all natural action. In natural
action the focus of interest remains neither in the past nor in
the future but in the present moment, the still point of the
turning world.
- Ramesh Balsekar, posted to ANetofJewels
The End of Seeking
Your restless seeking will not end until you begin seriously
considering the radical possibility that THAT which you are
seeking is inseparable from THIS -- the reality of your own
immediate and intimate experience within the present moment.
- Metta Zetty