Even the ego that ‘should have known better’ actually did not, or it would
not have made an error. OceanofPDF.comSection Two
The Discussion
O c e a n o f P D F . c o mCHAPTER 9
Dialogues
Truth is sufficient unto itself, but its explanation and description are
hampered by the fact that the appropriate languaging includes concepts and
expressions that are unfamiliar in daily life. However, words also carry
meaning and significance with associated effects (feelings) that bring up
associated memories. The majority of literature about Self-
Realization/Enlightenment arises from ancient teachings, with additions
over the centuries by well-known sages. The limitations that arise from traditional literature, especially from
ancient times, is that the original truth conveyed was sometimes
misunderstood and misinterpreted, especially when it was handed down
verbally for centuries before being written. In addition, at the time the
information was passed on orally, much of it was conveyed in a nonverbal
and subtle manner, such as gestures, facial expressions, emphasis, volume,
tone and cadence of voice, and body language. At times, all of these are
more important than the actual verbalization. The style of teaching is also
reflective of the teacher’s intuitive estimate of the audience’s capacity for
comprehension. A modern clarification and explanation are therefore of value, as well as
consciousness calibration of the level of truth expressed. Lectures also tend
to be didactic, and therefore, the question-and-answer periods at the end of
the lectures are favored by many students. Some meanings and implications
are best elucidated by the recontextualization of consequence, humor,
paradox, and ambiguity. The questions and answers tend to be less
detached, more informal, and less intellectually challenging. Q: What is the purpose of spiritual writing? A: To provide authenticated information that is not only verifiable but
also experientially pragmatically useful. First, curiosity and the intellect
have to be satisfied; there is a hunger for spiritual information. When it is
not satisfied by the availability of valid information, the hunger creates a
market for spurious spirituality that becomes popularized but is not
serviceable to the student because it is based on imagination. Much valid information is available but it retains the flavor and
languaging of foreign cultures and obscure terminology, such as Sanskrit
terms. When these are translated into English, they still seem archaic and
reflective of ethnicity and foreign cultures and times. For example, the
religious/cultural controversy that arose around the teachings of Meister
Eckhart is not really comprehensible today because it has lost its historical
context. The primary purpose of a spiritual teaching is to provide reliable
information in such a way as to be of practical service and inspiration and to
affirm spiritual truth by subjective declaration. It is necessary that students
be well informed in order to be able to proceed successfully and safely on
their way. Guidelines are like principles of discovery, for that which is
sought is already within. Q: Notable in your writings and lectures is the absence of doctrine or
citing of ecclesiastical authority. A: Truth stands on its own. Scriptural references are primarily for
amplification or familiarity. The inner pathway is experiential and not
intellectual. It does not require glamorization, amplification, resort to
authoritarianism, or any other manipulation to try to impress the student. Historically, no method was available to verify authenticity other than
formal ecclesiastical approval. For example, in the Far East, authenticity
was often inferred by reference to the material as a product of the
authority of a lineage of sages. Due to the statistical rarity of the
enlightened condition, any information about it was considered valuable
as well as unique or special. At the present time, an objective means of identification and
validation of truth is now available through the method of consciousness
calibration. Thus, it is no longer necessary to just depend on reputation,
ecclesiastical authority, official ‘imprimatur’, hearsay, or public image. The chances for being misled are now far less. The mind, on its own, is
an unreliable guide. It is easily misled by glamour, reputation, and
popularity, with their associated enthusiasm and emotionality. The
packaging or promotion of belief systems or teachers has no relationship
to the value of the ingredients. Q: Who is the writer of your works or the speaker at lectures?A: The question itself is in error. It is better to ask ‘what’ rather than ‘who’. In Reality, there is no ‘who’ but instead a suprapersonal quality or
capacity that is autonomous and spontaneous. Intention catalyzes
potentiality’s becoming actuality. The Reality/Source is the Teacher
within, which is the Presence of the Self. Verbalization is the
consequence of the utilization of the intellectual capacity of mind to
subserve Mind. The dominion is that of Mind to which verbalized mind
is merely a pragmatic tool. The Knowingness is nonlinear but its
elucidation is linear for purposes of human communication. However, a
simultaneous nonverbal level of communication occurs that facilitates
comprehension by the listener. This is so via written works and even
more so in the teacher’s actual presence. In the Teacher, the Knower is the Known. In ordinary mentation, the
known and the knower are separate. In a Teacher, the duality of the
Knower does not exist because they are the same by virtue of identity. The Self gives the answer to questions. It does not hear from an ‘other’. The Knower/Self is the initiator/source of the speaker. For example, by analogy, if we ask the cat, “What is it like to be a
cat?” it would be puzzled. It just is what it is and has no need to
objectify itself as a discernible object, so the cat replies saying, “What
does ‘cat’ mean?” 
   We answer, “You.” 
   The cat responds, “Oh, so that is what I am, or is that what I am
called?” 
   We answer, “A cat is what you are called because that is what you
are.” 
   “Oh,” says the cat,“but what does that mean?” 
   So we read to the cat what is written about cats in the encyclopedia. The cat replies,“That is all very interesting, but it hasn’t anything to
do with who I am. I don’t experience myself as a cat. I experience
myself as ‘me’.” The cat continues, “Please explain what it is to be a
‘me.’ What is it like to be a human?” 
   We could only reply, “To be a ‘me’.” 
   “Thank you,” says the cat, “now I understand what it is to be a cat. All
I have to do is just be ‘me’.” 
   Thus we can see that the cat is both enlightened and of Divine origin,
for ‘to know that you a r e’ is the crux of sentient life. That cat is happyand content just because it i s. It has awareness/consciousness and is
therefore perfect. Q: Are ‘experiencing’ and ‘awareness’ different qualities? A: The question leads to the interesting discovery that below consciousness
level 200, there is the experiencing of life processes, but there is not yet
the conscious awareness of existence. Thus, a frog experiences frog life
but it is not aware yet that it is or has existence or beingness. Both animal and human life change quality at consciousness level
200, where life becomes aware of its existence in the manner that it is. This is a remarkable difference that is demonstrated in the distribution
of the levels of consciousness in the animal kingdom as well as in
human life. It could be said that life is not valued for its own sake below
consciousness level 200, and therefore, the worth of the lives of others
is not valued for its own sake either. It is only beyond consciousness
level 200 that concern for the well-being and value of the lives of
‘others’ really arises. Thus, below 200, the lifestyle is self-centered in
both humans and animals. Q: In the spiritual literature, ‘one-pointedness of mind’ is considered
not only important but also a prerequisite for meditation or other
spiritual practices. A: That is simply the skill of concentration and unswerving volitional
focus. It is like keeping one’s eye of awareness focused on the road
while driving. It means to refuse distractions. The unskilled, unsafe
driver multifunctions by playing the radio, petting the dog, and eating a
sandwich as he or she talks on the cell phone and reads billboards while
driving. One-pointedness is like a skilled professional driver who knows
he will get fired from the job for having even one accident, no matter
how seemingly trivial. The willingness to establish the capacity for
focused attention arises out of spiritual intention, which results in
identification with the nonlinear field rather than linear content. In much of spiritual work, the question is not whether one is able but
whether one is willing. For example, one is faced with the temptation of
desire. Q: Could it be surrendered?A: Yes, but will it be? Yes/no. The excuse given is, “I can’t.” Then we ask,
“If a loaded gun were pointed at your head to comply or else die, could
you?” The answer, of course, is “yes,” because now one w i l l do it. Thus,
one really could have done it all along. Devotion means undistracted
focus and alignment without equivocation. It represents determination
and fixity of purpose and is merely inner discipline reinforced by
decision and inspiration. Q: The ego/mind and its emotions and feelings seem so strong and
habitual. A: True. Thus, it takes more than just a good idea to ‘get spiritual’ in order
to transcend them. The force of instincts and negative emotions
calibrates below 200. Above 200, one has the power of courage, the
nonresistance of neutrality, and by the 300s, there are faith, enthusiasm,
and willingness to which, in the 400s, are added intelligence, education,
and the guidance of the intellect. At level 500, there is an important shift
of paradigm, and values move from the tangible to the intangible, aided
by the transformative quality of Love. Devotion is a commitment to
Love as a guiding principle, reinforced by choice and the will. By
surrender of the personal will and invocation, there is the intervention of
Divine Will (the Self) invoked by alignment with spiritual purpose. With Divine assistance, the impossible becomes possible. Even that
which is most prized by the ego/mind can actually be surrendered. One-pointedness of mind means to focus on the crest of the wave of
witnessing/experiencing plus being willing to surrender perceived loss
or gain. That is the primary skill that is needed. Q: How should one envision spiritual work? A: The process is one of discovery and is thus directed within. It is by
influence of the Self that spiritual endeavor becomes chosen as a life
goal. It is primarily a decision. Q: But cannot spiritual commitment and endeavor be disruptive to
one’s customary lifestyle? A: Modification is ordinarily sufficient, at least in the beginning. Intensity
of focus may bring about changes that are seen as disruptive; however,
major life changes also occur as a result of lesser ambitions, such aschanges in relationships, occupation, locality, illness, or other life
circumstances. Q: People often have a stereotyped image and expectation of what a
spiritual teacher should look and sound like—usually with robes, a
pious manner, and so forth. A: The teaching style occurs spontaneously of its own. It is sometimes
confrontive to the ego, which likes to go on and on circuitously. The
information that has been provided beforehand is lengthy and detailed. To institute it, however, is a different matter. When resistance is
confronted and made conscious by challenge, it frequently loses its
attraction. A shift in the balance of energy is sometimes all that is
required. Occasionally, without prodding, the ego tends to drag its feet
or waste time chasing its tail by asking rhetorical questions. To hear
‘enough is enough’ can assist the letting go of such programs. Humor results from shifting context by which absurdity reveals itself. Humor is also confrontive to positionality—to laugh at oneself or help
others to do so relieves conflict and stress. Humor is therapeutic and
cathartic. It also minimalizes fear, anger, or resentment. Mistakes keep
us humble and therefore teachable. Abruptness is sometimes necessary
to spiritual economy to save time and energy. Q: Spiritual economy? A: Yes. It is necessary to develop respect for spiritual endeavor. “Straight
and narrow is the path, waste no time or effort.” Precision is discipline
that is innate to serious commitment. Some students may yet be in a
period of exploration, but once one gets the ‘fire in the belly,’ the urge
to reach God becomes like a drivenness or relentless drive, or even, in
the eyes of the world, a ‘madness.’ From that point on, there is no
patience for amusement or diversion. It depends on decision, will, the
level of consciousness, and karmic propensities. As it gets more intense,
the love for God and of God allows no delay. O c e a n o f P D F . c o mCHAPTER 10
Spirituality and the World
Serious inner spiritual work may sound tedious and demanding (to the ego),
but is exciting to the spirit, which is eager to return home. Consciousness
innately seeks its source. In so doing, it encounters obstacles from which it
may periodically retreat, and this may result in periods of reflection and
reorientation. Periods of resistance or even dismay are normal and to be
expected. Their resolution is often the consequence of recontextualization. Although the personal will and motivation, plus the mind and intellect,
are strong tools, in and of themselves they do not have the strength to
disassemble the ego because they are part and parcel of it. However, once a
seeker becomes devoted, the strength of the spiritual Will via the Presence
of the Self supplies the necessary power. The inner work that arises as a consequence of commitment to
Enlightenment is at times admittedly experientially difficult or even
arduous. Although this is due to resistance, the sheer seeming difficulty may
provoke discouragement or a temptation to abandon the goal. This,
however, is also to be expected and therefore merely included in the
material to be processed. Contemplation results in insights consequent to redefinition and
recontextualization. In the meantime, other spiritual practices continue,
such as meditation, prayer, service, and spiritual group activities. The
letting-go process encounters inner fixations and addictions to various ego
pay-offs and lures. Sometimes periods of retreat are helpful, and at other
times, active involvement in spiritual activities is beneficial. Frequently, the
seemingly impossible obstacle mysteriously and spontaneously disappears
and resolves itself. Aside from ordinary resistances that are innate to the ego itself and
therefore not really ‘personal’, there are inherited propensities as a
consequence of karmic factors. These can sometimes be intuited either by
prayer or even by specific investigation, such as with past-life recall
techniques. Persistent patterns indicate that the source of the problem is still
unconscious. A useful uncovering technique is to presume that there is a
repressed aspect in the unconscious, and that the unconscious is not onlypersonal but also collective, described by Carl Jung as the “collective
unconscious.” Thus, certain problems are merely the karmic inheritance of
being human. In practice, for example, if other people persistently seem cruel or rude,
it may be beneficial to forgive and pray for help for that hidden aspect in
oneself that is cruel, rude, and unforgiving. These aspects can be accepted
in that they are impersonal to some extent, yet one is responsible for them
as a participant human being. For example, if others seem selfish or stingy,
pray for that aspect in oneself that is that way. It is often surprising to
discover that there is such a deeply repressed hidden trend that may well be
just a consequence of human inheritance and experience. Asceticism
This is a useful practice at various periods by which one accomplishes
detachment from the senses and their endless search for pleasure and
sensation. Success brings a sense of accomplishment. The senses search for
pleasure via amusement, excitement, and the lure of enticements that
increase appetite and desire. Their origination was in the animal phase of
evolution and instinctual in origin. A useful technique to overcome them is
to delay gratification of sensory desires, and before seeking to satisfy them,
surrender either resisting or desiring the sensations themselves, for
example, the craving feeling, and not label them. Actually, one does not
experience ‘hunger’, which is actually a nominalization, a label, and a
diagnosis. The actual physical sensations are merely that and not a ‘need’. When ignored and surrendered, they recede and fade away. Therefore, if
there is a desire, ignore the desire and focus on the actual sensations
themselves. In a surprisingly few minutes, the craving recedes. Another
trick is to only eat when not hungry and to eat prophylactically in
anticipation so as to avoid the resurgence of hunger later. This process is
akin to deprogramming Pavlovian conditioning. Asceticism can be a discipline that is introduced into routine daily life
on a modified basis and maintained as a lifestyle. It leads to economy of
time, energy, money, and other resources. It is freeing to discover how little
one actually requires in order to subsist, function, and enjoy life. Renunciation
This is a traditional type of spiritual retreat from the world and
sometimes done for variable periods, such as even just a weekend. Truerenunciation, however, in its full understanding, is the application of
renunciation to the payoffs of the ego itself and the identification of self
with body, emotions, or mind. By renunciation and dissociation through
surrender and relinquishment, it is discovered that none of them are ‘me’ or
even ‘mine’. In actuality, they are autonomous functionalities. One can
renounce the seeking of gain or worldliness as well as the seeking of
pleasure, excitement, or titillation. One can renounce the assumption that
perceptions are reality or essence. By renunciation, one can withdraw
invested emotional energy and interest in the world without physically
having to depart from it. Formal renunciation as a lifestyle has been and still is an option for
devotees for whom such a major decision is appropriate. Such communities
have prevailing requirements, and monastic orders are well known
(Trappists, Dominicans, Benedictines, Buddhists, the Ramakrishna Order,
etc.). Most require vows of allegiance and serious commitment. The World
The planet is part of the physical universe and thereby subject to its
transitions and evolutionary phenomena. Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes,
tsunamis, forest fires, and floods have been recurring over the eons of time,
including the impact of giant meteors that filled the sky with dust and
smothered all of life. It is therefore naïve to assume that phenomena are
consequent to mankind’s follies, frailties, failures, or religious belief
systems. So-called ‘end times’ phenomena are redundant, both before and
subsequent to the emergence of Homo sapiens. Numerous are the prophets
and prophesies that have come and gone. When the great meteors hit and
blanked out the sky, mankind was not yet even born. Contextualizing
earthly phenomena as evidence of the ‘wrath of God’ is primitive, naïve,
and an anthropomorphic distortion of the Reality of Divinity. God is not
emotionally imbalanced or needful of psychological help, spiritual
counseling, or anger-management classes
Even if all these mystifications were true, of what interest is it, anyway,
to the individual seeker? If life on earth is to end in either a few years, or in
the year 6017 or 8095, so what? What does it really have to do with one’s
own level of spiritual evolution? The wise renounce public hysteria or mass
suicides because a comet is sighted somewhere in space. Even if an ‘end
times’ catastrophe were to happen, it would seem to be a better decision topray rather than kill oneself inasmuch as one’s death would be a certainty,
and suicide carries karmic consequences. The evolution of human consciousness expresses its cultural and social
changes that, in turn, reflect karmic propensities and inheritances of whole
groups of people over great periods of time. In the East, karma is a matter
of ordinary acceptance, but that is not so in the Western world, which even
lauds unaccountability and irresponsibility as promoted by moralistic
relativism. By consciousness calibration research, it is demonstrable that every
thought, action, word, or deed is recorded forever, beyond time, in an
infinite field of consciousness for eternity. It is affirmed by consciousness
research that everyone is accountable to the universe (Divinity) by virtue of
Divine Justice. Thus, everyone already has a calibratable level of
consciousness from the very moment of birth. Life is neither accidental nor
arbitrary, nor is it based on anarchy. The stratification of levels of
consciousness are influential by virtue of their prevailing, powerful
‘attractor fields’ (see Power vs. Force) whereby like goes to like by
attraction and alignment. Q: As a spiritual person, what is our responsibility in relation to world
events? A: This depends on one’s current prevailing level of consciousness. Confusion arises from mixing the levels. To act according to the
spiritual principles of mercy, forgiveness, love, and compassion applies
at all levels, of course, but how these are interpreted and what they are
understood to signify regarding action depends on perception and
degree of spiritual maturity. Earthly life affords maximum karmic opportunity to not only acquire
‘good’ karma but also to undo negative karma. For example, whole
populations and groups have accumulated both positive and negative
spiritual consequences as the result of barbaric savagery, just as they do
in today’s headlines. Thus, there are spiritual ‘debts’ as well as benefits. While it is commonly believed that Christianity does not teach karma,
that is not true. It does indeed, but it merely does not use the specific
term. Christianity teaches that sin and virtue have very different
consequences for the soul after death. These include the karmic
alternatives of not only heaven or hell, but also purgatory. In addition, atraditional teaching is that man was ‘born in sin’ due to the fall of Adam
and Eve and is thus karmically affected by succumbing to temptation
and refusing obedience to God. Subsequently, God’s mercy is
represented by the presentation of a savior born for the sake of man’s
redemption. As Jesus said, “None get to heaven but by Me.” 
   In Buddhism, there is the Lotus Land (Heaven) where an aspect of the
Buddha speaks as an advocate. From another culture in a different time,
Krishna also taught that those who worship and love God by whatever
name are “Mine and dear to Me.” This is the same teaching presented in
the Ninety-first Psalm. The primary spiritual gift of human existence is the opportunity that
by the option of one’s own free will, Divinity may be chosen or rejected
by whatever name God is known. Thus, human life and the permission
to incarnate as a human are great gifts in themselves, as was pointed out
by the Buddha. Affairs of the world are perceived and interpreted in accordance with
one’s level of consciousness. Therefore, the world may appear to be
tragic, sad, miserable, or fearful, or it may, on the contrary, seem
tempting, exciting, and challenging. In the high 500s, it is viewed with
compassion and seen as beauty. In the 600s, it is seen as peaceful, and
then, in the 700s, as Ramana Maharshi said, “The world you ‘see’ (i.e.,
perception) does not even exist; therefore, surrender it to God.” 
   Human life is a major spiritual opportunity for consciousness to
evolve and even reach Enlightenment. It is an expression of the gift of
life, through which one can eventually realize the Self. Worldly
temporal life is transitory and brief, but its consequences are very long
term. It is therefore best to treasure the opportunity with gratitude. Spiritual endeavor is, in and of itself, an expression of appreciation for
that gift of life. Q: But what about the vicissitudes of life? A: Each has a hidden gift. Sometimes it is an opportunity to undo past
suffering brought to others. Sometimes the suffering is due to resistance
and is a consequence of the ego’s personal will and therefore needful of
surrender. An overall attitude of humility is very helpful, and by
surrender, the hidden gift is revealed. How a specific situation ishandled depends on how it is conceptualized and contextualized, and
therefore, what it seems to ‘mean’. Q: Is a given event an opportunity, or is it a temptation? A: From the view of consciousness itself, one might say that the world is
really amorphous, and that all meaning is a derivation of projected
value, perceptual interpretation, and mentation. If the predominant
lesson that is arising at a certain level of consciousness is nonattachment
to success, desire, or pleasure, the temptations of the world could be
refused. Also, a surrender of positionalities might result in deciding to
actually surrender the world to God. A person in a similar situation
might see a worldly event as a call for selfless service. Another might
view it as a call for taking an integrous stand or, on the contrary,
refusing to take any position and may be seeing it as a reflection of
perception and any decision as a vanity of egoism. There is no point to jumping in to ‘save the world’ when the perceived
world is merely an illusion of projected values, presumptions, and
interpretations. The integrous student chooses what appears to be the
highest, and to evolve spiritually is actually the greatest gift one can
give the world. This is done by virtue of what one is and not just by
what one does. The truly great have come and gone, and what they left
behind was the consequence of what they were and had become. Q: Thus, renunciation is an internal, not an external, event. A: Noninvolvement means to act without volitional gain. Actions are
spontaneous and represent potentiality’s expressing as actuality. The
spiritual devotee has dedicated personal life to spiritual evolution and
has aligned with Truth as a map for guidance. A common question to
ask is, “Which option or direction would serve the highest good?”
Those serve who also stand and wait. Sometimes the mind cannot tell
the forest from the trees. In decision-making, it is best to be aligned with context and the field
instead of content. It is difficult at times to differentiate sacrifice from
service. Consciousness at the level of awareness/witness/ observer is
free of involvement. If perfected, however, at a later time it may allow
reparticipation because of noninvolvement consequent to surrender of
attachments, attractions, or aversions. Actions may also representkarmic propensities, and the same course of action may actually have
very different meanings and consequences in different individuals at
different times and circumstances. Therefore, there is no supposed
‘spiritual’ way to be or attitudes to have about worldly events, as there
are actually multiple options. It takes inner discipline and surrender of
attitudes to not fall into the temptation of identifying with a position
about world events. The events of the world trigger responses based on perceptions. It is a
great theater that invites expressions of perceptions, illusions, and
projections of positionalities. One can either turn off the television and
avoid it or see it as a major teaching tool. The panoramic events of the
entire world unfold, representing the multitudinous expressions of the
human ego; thus, the television is its ultimate game board. Perception
may see this reflection of human-ego life as absurd, tragic, or comic. It
can be seen as sad, pathetic, exiting, heartwarming, challenging, or
alternately, as ridiculous. As the television news program says, “You
decide.” 
   The real question is, Who is the real ‘you’ that decides? That is the
question to be answered by the spiritual student. The ‘you’ has multiple
options and can choose any of them. Therefore, the world is
kaleidoscopic-tragic-comic-nurturing-absurd-cruel-lovable-ugly-
despicable-deplorable, none of the above, or just a transitory illusion. It
is allegorical. The spiritual advantage of modern life is that life experiences are
speeded up via the media. In a very short time, one can witness what
would have taken multiple lifetimes in previous eras where, for
example, a whole lifetime could be limited to just the experience of a
small space and limited role, such as that of a sheepherder or a village
blacksmith. Now multiple lives, perspectives, circumstances, and
conditions are presented in succession, from grotesque crimes to
coronations, domestic family situations, major wars, and world
catastrophes. Whether to take advantage of the television display of the human ego
or to ignore it and go within are equally serviceable for it is one’s
intention that decides the outcome. Either way requires compassion for
self and others. A certain quantity of suffering is impersonal and
consequent to the physicality of being born a human. Thus, the Buddhaexhorted followers to transcend the ego to avoid rebirth, sickness,
poverty, old age, and death. The world and everything in it is transitory;
therefore, to cling to it brings suffering. As a result, he stressed
detachment. Q: What about the popular exhortations to ‘get involved’ and ‘make a
difference’? A: Compassionate attention, in and of itself, has an unseen influence. The
results of volitional action are consequent to intention and the level of
consciousness. Sometimes the world would benefit more from benign
noninvolvement. Great wars and massive human disasters that go on for
centuries are the result of the ego’s grandiose plans to be involved and
make a difference, from Genghis Khan to Karl Marx, from Adolf Hitler
to current terrorists. Q: How to best serve the world? A: Each individual’s evolution of spiritual consciousness contributes to the
progress of the consciousness level of all mankind. By uplifting the sea,
all ships afloat are lifted. The effect of actions that emerge from
compassion are the result of intention. Human consciousness evolves through learning, which is often
primarily experiential. It is usually presumptuous to assume the
‘purpose’ of witnessed human events. What is deemed appropriate is a
consequence of perception and contextualization. Thus, whether action
is appropriate or not is an option that reflects a prevailing level of
consciousness rather than discernment of the Reality of essence. Everyone is accountable and culpable in accordance with their own
level of consciousness. Whether to ‘get involved’ or not reflects vanity
or compassion is consequent to the overall field of both content and
context. Action or nonaction is the spontaneous response of what has
‘become’ or ‘is’. There is no prevailing rule of appropriate behavior
because effects are consequent to intention. Q: Choices are therefore based on presumption and appearance? A: These are also aligned with stages of spiritual development and their
overall intention. There are periods devoted to learning detachment and
then periods devoted to transcending avoidance. Each has itstemptations and attractions. The specifics of the dualities of each level
of consciousness were discussed in Transcending the Levels of
Consciousness. Q: In addition to what appear to be worldly choices, are there also
karmic influences and propensities? A: Those factors contribute to the problems of choice for they influence
understandings of meaning, significance, and implications of
importance. Evolution leads to discovery that, in turn, reveals nuances,
significances, and inferences for further exploration. That is the nature
of transcendence by which many seeming paradoxes or conflicts
spontaneously resolve due to overall alignment consequent to intention. The overall spiritual process is therefore concordant with a
contemplative lifestyle that incorporates reflection and the development
of discernment. Q: Would the overall consequences of intense inner spiritual focus tend
to result in detachment and noninvolvement in the world? A: As a general trend, that is characteristic. As the ego’s dominance of
perception recedes, so does the appearance of the world and the mind’s
interpretations. Decisions are based on projected perceptions. Thus, the
mind perceives endless illusions, including classifications based on
judgments. Those that are interpreted as ‘good’ options are attractive to
choice and agreement. Thus, all perceptions reflect content. Patterns of conduct result from belief systems consequent to
prevailing social/educational systems that are both explicit and implicit. Thus, ‘duty calls’ in both overt and subtle expressions. To adopt the
pathway of devotional nonduality recontextualizes the obligation to the
pursuit of Truth rather than worldly involvement and action. How best
to serve the world is concordant with comprehension. Q: What is the most serviceable presumptive view of the world for a
spiritual student/devotee/seeker? A: Presume that the world’s actual ‘purpose’ is perfect and fully known
only by God. See it as neutral overall but with the benefit that it
provides optimal opportunity for spiritual growth and the evolution of
consciousness. It is a school for enlightenment and the revelation ofDivinity whereby consciousness/awareness reawakens to its Source. Thus, to pursue enlightenment in and of itself serves the world and God. Q: But what about war? A: This is a favorite question of spiritual students. War is the consequence
of falsity, just as peace is the consequence of Truth. War has prevailed
during ninety-three percent of human history. It is endemic to the ego. To be ‘anti-war’ is also an ego position that presumes omniscience. Therefore, it is more advanced to surrender the world and its wars to
God. To ‘hate war’ is merely another expression of hate, is it not? Better to
love peace and come to nonjudgmental compassion for the world’s wars
and its karmically influenced participants. Would the protester rob
fellow-suffering humans of the opportunity to undo negative karma and
reach salvation? Suffering and death are the consequences of the ego and its
positionalities and perceptions. To best serve the world, seek
Enlightenment and transcend illusions rather than contribute to them. Omniscience is a quality of Divinity, not of human perception. Watch
that the spiritual ego does not become politicized. ‘Do-gooderism’ is a
trap for the naïve and unwary. Be ‘pro’ God’s will and Divine
providence for the world and humanity. How best to ‘serve the highest
good’ is concordant with the prevailing level of consciousness of the
observer. There is no single answer for everyone. OceanofPDF.comCHAPTER 11
Teachers and Teaching
Introduction
The evolved Teacher historically has been the primary source of Truth
and spiritual information. The function has been to inspire, inform, and
convey information that is not obtainable via ordinary mind. The Teacher
has been unique in that the Source of the Knowledge has been intrinsic
rather than external. That the Source of the Knowingness is Self-effulgent
and not the result of linear processing resulted in the use of the descriptive
term ‘mystic’ to denote that the Source of the information is the Self, not
the self or ordinary mind, education, or intelligence. The Illumined State is also accompanied and distinguished by a
concomitant radiance of a specific spiritual energy via the aura, which is
often pictorially represented by the symbol of the halo to denote that the
energy field is innately radiant. That energy field is a permanent marker
which persists beyond time or location. It has become possible within the
last decade to accurately calibrate the specific level of consciousness that is
being displayed as a result of the emergence of a greater understanding of
consciousness. Therefore, the calibratable level is the research confirmation
of concordance with the degree and level of truth expressed. Currently,
credibility is bulwarked by confirmable data that preclude reliance on just
faith or reputation alone. Enlightenment is a very definite state or condition that is self-revealing
when the obstructions to its realization have been removed, just like the sun
shines forth with the evaporation or disappearance of clouds. The sun is
likened to the Self in that it is self-effulgent and radiates the energy that is
termed ‘Illumination’. The statistical infrequency of such a phenomenon in the human
population tends to attract attention to the condition by virtue of not only its
rarity but also its intrinsic value of uniqueness. The Teachings that ensue
are a consequence of the condition itself and not of any personality. Because the process is not mental, emotional, or physical, it has been
perceived as ‘mystical’, meaning mysterious or not within the province ofthe mind or intellect to comprehend via ordinary perception or
conceptualization (i.e., nonlinear). Subsequent to its original legitimate meaning, the term ‘mystical’ was
inadvertently applied to other conditions that also were not comprehensible
to reason in derivation, such as having visions, hearing voices, or other
paranormal phenomena that were not familiar to ordinary mind. In contrast,
there is a long-established tradition of mystical states often associated with
the presumption of sainthood or highly aware states of consciousness. To
make the differentiation between the truly mystical and the merely
mysterious, it is well to be aware that the condition of Enlightenment or
Self-realization is devoid of ‘others’, such as mysterious visitors, guides,
messengers, visions, or voices, all of which one can quickly see are
characteristic of linearity and therefore limitations. The differentiation between a Divine messenger and a religious-content
hallucination can be made by the technique of consciousness calibration. In
Christianity, there is also the teaching of the ‘challenging of spirits’ to
declare their allegiance to Jesus Christ as Savior. A demon or astral entity
cannot do so. The Functions of the Teacher
The primary function is that of declaration of the condition or state and
thus affirmation of the Reality of its Source, traditionally called Divinity. The Presence is of a dimension different from that of ordinary experiencing
and therefore requires a rather specific and unique type of languaging. It is
of a Source beyond that of ordinary experiencing and is instead a quality of
Reality devoid of linearity. That the Source of consciousness/ awareness is
simultaneously beyond even existence or nonexistence is impossible to
language except by intuitive implication, for even the sun is a consequence
of realities that are beyond and greater than the sun itself. The linear manifest world (Creation) is itself an emergence from the
nonlinear, which is depicted as the Unmanifest (the Godhead). The
enlightened Teacher is therefore the example or confirmation within the
visible, linear human domain of the Source, out of which Enlightenment
and life itself manifest. An Enlightened Teacher is therefore the
exemplification of the human potential as a demonstration within the visible
world. The condition or state of the Enlightened Teacher represents the
threshold at which the nonlinear Source might well be said to emerge from
potentiality to actuality, much as a light bulb is a transformer of electricalenergy into light. Although both light and electricity emanate from the same
source, which is invisible, it is only the light that is visible. Thus, the
enlightened sage is akin to a transformative agency by which the agent
becomes visible and confirmable. This is then expressed as a function of the
Sage/Mystic as the witness who gives testimony to other dimensions of
Reality that transcend the ordinary. The uniqueness is represented by the
descriptive term ‘ineffable’. The mystical state itself is an a priori
development of a religion that then takes on the forms of description and
explanation as perceived and contextualized by linear mentation. However,
the condition or state of Enlightenment is one of ‘nomind’; thus,
interpretation by mentation subtly eludes the Essence of the Reality itself. As described, a primary function of the Teacher is to declare and
describe the Truth and thus represent the Truth out of which the state of
Enlightenment emerged. By declaration and description, the Teacher then
radiates forth the accompanying spiritual energy of its origination,
facilitating the transcendence of others to the enlightened state. Confirmation and Concordance
The re-emergence of the primordial potential state, in whatever time or
culture, is always essentially the same, albeit with seeming differences in
description that reflect the prevailing culture and its style of languaging at
the time. Subsequent descriptions often include irrelevancies and
extraneous aspects of the prevailing culture and times and contaminate the
original teachings that, in and of themselves, are pristine and independent of
people, places, or culture. The Service of Enlightenment
The Teacher serves to communicate information that is of self-evident,
intrinsic value to humankind. It is therefore stated openly and freely to all
that its origination is by virtue of a Divine gift and is not personal. Because
of the transcendent quality of the inner Reality, the sharing of the condition
for its innate value is implicit to the nature of the gift itself. At times,
various teachers, in order to emphasize the intrinsic value, may declare the
value of the state or the condition to facilitate its recognition by means of
education. This would be comparable to the effort of Sir Alexander Fleming
subsequent to his discovery of penicillin, in that without explanation, the
value of the discovery may have been overlooked, as would have its valueas the springboard for the emergence of the pharmacology of antibiotics that
subsequently saved the lives of millions of people. Paradoxically, from the condition of ‘no-mind’ (Mind, or Consciousness
itself), the limitations of ordinary mind, including intellect and reason,
become apparent. Ordinary mind, with its linear, dualistic, emotionalized
perceptions and limitations, is like the clouds in the sky that occlude the
radiance of the sun. Thus, the way to clear the clouds can be clarified by a
teacher who has successfully transcended the apparent obstacle course. Potentiality manifests as actuality when conditions are favorable and
includes being energized by intention. The Teacher thus serves not only as
an instructor but also, by radiating the energy of the witness, facilitates the
journey from the linear dimension to the unlimited nonlinear Reality hidden
by illusion. The Ultimate Reality is of a different dimension, quality, and
paradigm from that of ‘experiencing’. Consequently, it is ‘realized’ rather
than perceived, conceptualized, or experienced by virtue of the Identity of
the Knower and the Known. Languaging and Teaching Style
The state of Enlightenment is expressed in a style that is concordant
with the condition itself. Thus, statements are often declarative in form
rather than semiconditional or prepositional, as it is in ordinary languaging. This is because the state itself is a primary condition that is not dependent
on context and has no external qualifications or dependencies. The language
therefore reflects what ‘is’ rather than what ‘appears to be’, which is
operationally always semiconditional, dependent on both content and the
proximate field. The state is unconditional and therefore so is its
languaging, which is free of doubt or external dependencies. The reason for
the above is that the Knowingness originates from the realm of Essence
rather than from appearance and is therefore free of conditionalities, such as
‘seems to be’, ‘appears to be’, ‘is described as’, or ‘is believed to be’. The
nonlinear is confirmable but not ‘provable’, which is a linear process
limited to the consciousness level of the 400s. Without understanding this state, some statements made by a sage could
be misidentified as being dogmatic or authoritarian, which they are not. The
statements merely reflect certainty and authority by virtue of identity. By
analogy, the only true authority about being a cat is that of the cat itself, by
virtue of its being a cat. Thus, identity is authority by virtue of nondualisticReality. The Teacher thus bypasses duality by virtue of identity with the
Oneness of the Self, which is the true Teacher within the Teacher. The ‘Personage’ or Persona of the Teacher
The inner Silence is mute, unmoving, silent, still, and all pervasive. It is
all-inclusive and complete. If so destined, the Enlightened Teacher may
continue to function on Earth, but that propensity is solely up to Divine
Destiny. One reason there are so few enlightened teachers on the planet at
any one time is that upon reaching Divine states, the majority merely
transcend the body. That becomes an open, continuous option beyond
consciousness level 600, again subject to influential factors that are
unknown or indescribable. To be of service, information has to be made available, and thus the Self
activates the capacity of the Teacher to communicate by virtue of the
reemergence of the persona/personage functionality that thereby interfaces
with the world via mind/languaging faculties. Even though the mind is
silent, speaking occurs spontaneously as a consequence of the proximate
invitational field. The same spontaneity occurs via writing, which supports
availability and access to information. As a result, information becomes
accessible worldwide and transgenerational. To a live audience, the persona becomes interactive as an autonomous
agency that is simultaneously devoid of individuality or personhood. Thus,
the speaker is a functionality and not a personality. The persona rapidly and
autonomously adjusts to changes in a situation, but when inactivated, it is
silent and nonexistent, just as silence prevails in the absence of sound. Communication therefore represents the activation of a potentiality. Similarly, activation of the body occurs autonomously and spontaneously in
coordination with environmental situations. Paradoxically, the option to
depart from physicality remains an open potentiality. The Nature of Communication
Spiritual truth represents nonlinear power and strength. Thereby, its
expression may likewise be unadorned. The style of communication
automatically tends to align with the goal of serviceability to the listeners
and the capacity to comprehend and intuit the recognition of the innate
reality of Truth. Sometimes there is elaboration of explanation, and at other
times brevity, which serves economy of time and energy. Thus, the style of
communication is an expression of the stewardship of that which is ofvalue. Actually, it takes only 1/10,000th of a second to ‘get’ something for
which one is ready by virtue of surrendering the gratification of personal
intentions. The Teacher is not motivated to convince anyone because acceptance is
a privilege of freedom, nor is the Teacher interested in ‘proving’,
persuading, proselytizing, or promoting. When the time is right, the apple
falls from the tree. There is no need to shake it, intimidate it, or resort to
cajolery. All occurs when it is propitious by virtue of intention, karmic
propensities, and favorable conditions. All that evolves does so by the
agency of the evolution of consciousness itself; thus, the Teacher represents
fulfillment of potential. Spiritual statements are valid at their calibrated level of Truth. The
truths of formal religion can also be verified at the respective calibration
levels. Religious truths are reinforced by ecclesiastical authority and formal
acceptance as doctrine. Spiritual truth, on the other hand, relies on no
external authority but stands on its own by virtue of its pristine origin. The
invitation of spiritual pathways is to subjectively reaffirm those spiritual
realities upon which the survival of humankind actually relies, knowingly
or not. Characteristics of Integrous Teachers and Teachings
That to which devotees trust their very souls should be verifiably
trustworthy and integrous. Therefore, the basic essentials of researched and
documented spiritual integrity, teachers, teachings, and organizations are
reprinted here from Truth vs. Falsehood for convenience. Identification and Characteristics of Spiritual Truth, Integrous
Teachers, and Teachings
  1. Universality: Truth is true at all times and places, independent of
culture, personalities, or circumstances. 2. Nonexclusionary: Truth is all-inclusive, nonsecretive, and nonsectarian. 3. Availability: It is open to all; nonexclusive. There are no secrets to be
revealed, hidden, or sold, and no magical formulas or ‘mysteries’. 4. Integrity of purpose: There is nothing to gain or lose. 5. Nonsectarian: Truth is not the exposition of limitation. 6. Independent of opinion: Truth is nonlinear and not subject to the
limitations of intellect or form.  7. Devoid of Positionality: Truth is not ‘anti’ anything. Falsehood and
ignorance are not its enemies but merely represent its absence. 8. No requirements or demands: There are no required memberships,
dues, regulations, oaths, rules, or conditions. 9. Noncontrolling: Spiritual purity has no interest in the personal lives of
aspirants, or in clothing, dress, style, sex lives, economics, family
patterns, lifestyles, or dietary habits. 10. Free of force or intimidation: There is no brainwashing, adulation of
leaders, training rituals, indoctrinations, or intrusions into private life. 11. Nonbinding: There are no regulations, laws, edicts, contracts, or
pledges. 12. Freedom: Participants are free to come and go without persuasion,
coercion, intimidation, or consequences. There is no hierarchy; instead,
there is voluntary fulfillment of practical necessities and duties. 13. Commonality: Recognition is a consequence of what one has become
rather than a result of ascribed titles, adjectives, or trappings. 14. Inspirational: Truth eschews and avoids glamorization, seduction, and
theatrics. 15. Nonmaterialistic: Truth is devoid of neediness of worldly wealth,
prestige, pomp, or edifices. 16. Self-fulfilling: Truth is already total and complete and has no need to
proselytize or gain adherents, followers, or ‘sign up members’. 17. Detached: There is noninvolvement in world affairs. 18. Benign: Truth is identifiable along a progressive gradient. It has no
‘opposite’ and therefore no ‘enemies’ to castigate or oppose. 19. Nonintentional: Truth does not intervene or have an agenda to propose,
inflict, or promulgate. 20. Nondualistic: All transpires by virtue of intrinsic (karmic) propensity
within the field by which potentiality manifests as actuality rather than
by ‘cause’ and effect. 21. Tranquility and Peace: There are no ‘issues’ or partialities. There is no
desire to change others or impose on society. The effect of higher
energies is innate and not dependent on propagation or effort. God does
not need help anymore than gravity needs the ‘help’ of an apple’s falling
off the tree. 22. Equality: This is expressed in reverence for all of life in all its
expressions and merely avoids that which is deleterious rather thanopposing it. 23. Nontemporality: Life is realized to be eternal and physicality to be a
temporality. Life is not subject to death. 24. Beyond proof: That which is ‘provable’ is linear, limited, and a product
of intellectualization and mentation. Reality needs no agreement. Reality
is not an acquisition but instead is a purely spontaneous, subjective
realization when the positionalities of the dualistic ego are surrendered. 25. Mystical: The origination of truth is a spontaneous effulgence, radiance,
and illumination, which is the Revelation that replaces the illusion of a
separate individual self, the ego, and its mentation. 26. Ineffable: Not capable of definition. Radical subjectivity is experiential. It is a condition that replaces the former. With this event, context
replaces content, devoid of temporality and beyond time. Reality does
not exist in time, nor of it, beyond it, nor outside of it, and it has no
relationship to that which is an artifice of mentation. It is therefore
beyond all nouns, adjectives, or verbs, transitive or intransitive. 27. Simplistic: One sees the intrinsic beauty and perfection of all that exists
beyond appearance and form. 28. Affirmative: Truth is beyond opinion or provability. Confirmation is
purely by its subjective awareness; however, it is identifiable by
consciousness calibration techniques. 29. Nonoperative: Truth does not ‘do’ anything or ‘cause’ anything; it is
everything. 30. Invitational: As contrasted with promotional or persuasive. 31. Nonpredictive: Because Reality is nonlinear, it cannot be localized or
encoded in restriction of form, such as secret messages, codes, numbers,
and inscriptions, or hidden in runes, stones, the dimensions of the
pyramid, the DNA, or the nostril hairs of the camel. Truth has no secrets. The Reality of God is omnipresent and beyond codification or
exclusivity. Codes are indicative of man’s imagination and not the
capriciousness of Divinity. 32. Nonsentimental: Emotionality is based on perception. Compassion
results from the discernment of truth. 33. Nonauthoritarian: There are no rules or dictates to be followed. 34. Non-egoistic: Teachers are respected but reject personal adulation or
specialness.35. Educational: Provides information in a variety of formats and ensures
availability. 36. Self-supporting: Neither mercenary nor materialistic. 37. Freestanding: Complete without dependence on external or historical
authorities. 38. Natural: Devoid of induced, altered status of consciousness or
manipulations of energies by artificial exercises, postures, breathing, or
dietary rituals, (i.e., nonreliance on form or physicality; no invoking of
entities or ‘others’). 39. Complete: Devoid of exploitation or gain. Spiritual Teachers
It is useful to calibrate the levels of consciousness of the teachers and
associated literature. For practical convenience, many of the well-known
are inserted here from Truth vs. Falsehood. Following is a list of over one hundred well-known, respected teachers
from various schools. They all calibrate over 460 (Excellence), and their
works have withstood the test of time. The list, of course, is not complete
and would include many others if space permitted. Abhinavagupta  655
Acharya  480
Allen, James  505
Augustine, Saint  550
Aurobindo, Sri  605
Bertalanffy, Ludwig van  485
Besant, Annie  530
Black Elk, Wallace  499
Bodhidharma  795
Bohm, Jakob  500
Bucke, Richard M.  505
Buddhananda, Swami  485
Butterworth, Eric  495
Calvin, John  580
Chandra, Ram  540
Confucius  590
Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso)  570
de Chardin, Teilhard  500Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche  575
Dionysius, the Areopagite  490
Dogen  740
Druckchen Rinpoche  495
Dzogchen Rinpoche  510
Eckhart, Meister  705
Erasmus  500
Fillmore, Charles  515
Fillmore, Myrtle  505
Fox, Emmett  470
Gaden Shartse  470
Gandhi, Mahatma  760
Gangaji  475
Goldsmith, Joel  480
Gupta, Mahendranath  505
Gyalpo, Lamchen Rinpoche 460
Hall, G. Manley  485
Holmes, Ernest  485
Hopkins, Emma Curtis  485
Huang, Chungliang Al  485
Huxley, Aldous  485
John, Saint, of the Cross  605
Karmapa  630
Kasyapa  695
Khantsa, Jamyung  495
Kline, Jean  510
Krishna, Gopi  545
Lawrence, Brother  575
Leadbeater, C.W. 485
Linpa, Kusum  475
Luther, Martin  580
Madhva Charya, Sri  520
Magdeburg, Mechthild von  640
Maharaj, Nisargadatta  720
Maharshi, Ramana  720
Maezumi, Hakuyu Taizan  505
Merton, Thomas  515
Moses de Leon of Granada,
Rabbi  720
Mukerjee, Radhakamal  475
Muktananda  655Munroe, Robert  485
Nanak  495
Naranjo, Claudio  465
Nityananda, Bhagavan  500
Origen  515
Otto, Rudolph  485
Padmasambhava  595
Pak Chung-Bih, Sotaesan  510
Palmo, Tenzin  510
Paramahansa, Yogananda  540
Patanjali  715
Patrick, Saint  590
Paul, Pope John II  570
Phuntsok, Khempo  510
Pio, Father  585
Plotinus  730
Po, Huang  960
Poonjai-Ji  520
Powell, Robert  525
Prabhavananda, Swami  550
Prejnehpad, Swami  505
Pulku, Gantey Rinpoche  499
Ramakrishna  620
Ramdas, Swami  570
Ramanuja Charya, Sri  530
Rumi  550
Sai Baba, Shirdi (not
Sathya)  485
Sannella, Lee  505
Satchidananda, Swami  605
Shankara (Sankara Charya)  710
Smith, Joseph  510
Socrates  540
Steiner, Rudolf  475
Suzuki, Master Roshi  565
Swedenborg, Emanuel  480
Tagore, Rabindranath  475
Tauler, Johann  640
Teresa, Mother  710
Teresa, Saint, of Avila  715
Tillich, Paul  480Tzu, Chuang  595
Tzu, Lao  610
Underhill, Evelyn  460
Vivekananda  610
Watts,Alan  485
White Brotherhood  560
White Plum Asanga  505
Yukteswar, Sri  535
Scriptures and Spiritual Writing
 
Abhinavagupta  655
  (Kashmir Shaivinism)
A Course in Miracles  600
  (workbook)
A Course in Miracles  550
  (textbook)
Aggadah  645
Apocrypha  400
Bodhidharma Zen Teachings 795
Bhagavad-Gita  910
Book of Kells  570
Book of Mormon  405
Cloud of Unknowing  705
Dead Sea Scrolls  260
Dhammapada  840
Diamond Sutra  700
Doctrine and Covenants:
  Pearl of Great Price  455
Genesis (Lamsa Bible)  660
Gnostic Gospels  400
Gospel of St. Luke  699
Gospel of St.Thomas  660
Granth Sahib
  (Adi Granth - Sikhs)  505
Heart Sutra  780
Kabbalah  605
King James Bible
  (from the Greek)  475
Koran  700Lamsa Bible  495
  (from the Aramaic)
Lamsa Bible  880
  (minus the Old Testament
  and Book of Revelation, but
  including Genesis, Psalms,
  and Proverbs)
Lao Tsu: Teachings  610
Lotus Sutra  780
Midrash  665
Mishneh  665
New Testament  790
  (King James Version
  after deletion of the Book
  of Revelation)
New Testament  640
  (King Jamess Version
  from the Greek)
Nicene Creed  895
Psalms (Lamsa Bible)  650
Proverbs (Lamsa Bible)  350
Po, Huang, Zen teachings  850
Ramayana  810
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam,The 590
Rig Veda  705
Talmud  595
Tibetan Book of the Dead  575
Torah  550
Trinity (concept)  945
Upanishads  970
Vedanta  595
Vedas  970
Vijnana Bhairava  635
Yoga Sutras, Patanjali  740
Zohar  905
Note: The Zen teachings of Huang Po calibrate at 850. Later in life, he
continued to evolve to level 960.) OceanofPDF.comCHAPTER 12
The Devotee
Introduction
Some students are, so to speak, born to spiritual propensity and show an
early attraction to religion and spirituality, as well as aesthetics. Some may
evidence religiosity or even scrupulosity, with its obsessive fear of sin and
compliance with religious dictums. The religiously inclined may also be
attracted to becoming clergy or joining holy orders or monastic groups that
may emphasize asceticism, service, and voluntary poverty. Such youths
often appear to be introspective, serious, and preoccupied with
philosophical, moral, and ethical issues. In contrast, other eventual seekers show a progressive interest in
spirituality as they mature and seek answers to the inherent paradoxes and
dilemmas of the human condition and their philosophical implications. Commonly, there is contemplation of the traditional existential questions,
i.e., Whence did we arise? Where does one go? How ‘real’ is the ‘reality’ of
God, or is it just a belief system? and the like. The introspective persons tend to examine these issues early in life,
while the extroverts, although perhaps religious, tend to put off these
essential questions until a later age or as a consequence of personal life
tragedies or catastrophes. ‘Hitting bottom’ may precipitate sudden
conversion experiences in many ordinary people and is a well-known
phenomenon in twelvestep and other faith-based groups. Sudden,
unexpected calamities, such as a heart attack or the death of someone close,
rather frequently precipitate deep spiritual inquiry and self-examination. Of
these catastrophes, the near-death experience is the most impressive and
intrinsically transformative, for even a brief experience of the Presence
turns one’s life upside down. A near-death experience also is characterized
by the complete loss of the fear of death. The response of the average rational person, when confronted by the
inevitability of death, is to become more seriously committed to religious,
moral, and ethical values. For most people, faith and belief in salvation and
redemption to compensate for human limitations and frailties are sought
through traditional religion. Thus, throughout time, the Divine Teacher(Avatar) is accepted and worshipped as one’s eventual advocate or
intercessor as Savior by whatever name, such as Jesus Christ, Buddha,
Krishna, Muhammad, or of the Hindu pantheon as expressions of Divinity. All the above are inclusive of faith in Divine Mercy, Grace,
Compassion, and ultimate deliverance from the inherent limitations of being
human. By self-honesty and spiritual integrity, the inner validity of religion
appeals to the rational person. Acceptance of religious truth is confirmed by
equanimity in the face of the acceptance of physical death. A religiously integrous lifestyle is satisfying and results in healthy self-
esteem as well as respect for others. Traditional religion provides
dependable, practical morality and a set of ethics and guidelines for
behavior, values, and character formation. The diehard skeptic might ask, “But what if God and religion are not
true or real?”The answer, of course, is that then they will have lived a good
life of virtue for its own reward. Research indicates that religious persons
and families show major benefits in every aspect of life, such as health,
happiness, longevity, classroom behavior, school grades, social success, and
their immune system (Keller, 2004). As a practical guide in today’s world of advanced awareness of the
levels of consciousness, a useful rule is to simply avoid sin (anything that
calibrates below 200). The validity of spiritual and religious realities is
reflected extensively in Truth vs. Falsehood, where it can be seen that even
just a brief review of the charts of the distribution of the levels of
consciousness validates truth in a clear and obvious manner. Formal traditional religion suffices for the spiritual needs of the vast
majority of mankind. In America, approximately ninety percent of the
people admittedly believe in God, although a much lower percentage is
formally religious. There is, however, a growing segment of the population
that is admittedly spiritual and embraces the practice of spiritual values in
daily life without the necessity of formal religion per se. As a
subpopulation, they have been recently designated as “cultural creatives”
(Anderson and Ray, 2000). Many adherents to the tenets of the cultural
creatives are friendly to religion but at the same time may keep a formal
distance because they see it as too sectarian, restrictive, or divisive. Spiritually-oriented people tend to become familiar with the tenets of a
variety of religions and seek to identify the inherent truth that is essential to
each. Thus, the most common search in today’s world is for universal,practical spiritual principles that are self-evident, have intrinsic value, and
do not depend solely on ecclesiastical authority or dogma. To be kind,
supportive, and compassionate to all of life is a common, overall prevailing
attitude. Committed spiritual students are thus derived from a variety of sources,
including even former atheists and secularists who have undergone an inner
transformation as a result of calamity, maturation, or fortuitous
circumstances. It is said that there are ten thousand pathways to God, and of
these, the pathway of the committed spiritual devotee is traditional and well
trodden. The energizing of the serious spiritual commitment is by virtue of
the evolution of consciousness, with its concomitant karmic proclivities. Classically, the readiness for serious spiritual work is referred to as
‘ripeness’, at which point even hearing a single word, phrase, or name may
trigger sudden decision and commitment. The advent of spiritual dedication
may thus be subtle, slow, and gradual, and then take a very sudden and
major jump. By whatever route, once the seed falls on ready ground, the
journey begins in earnest. Commonly, the turning point can be triggered by
an unexpected flash of insight, and from that moment on, life changes (as
described in Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, 2002). The Spiritual Aspirant/Student/‘Chela’/Devotee/Seeker
The spiritually inspired tend to become self-educative, searching
through spiritual libraries, attending lectures, and visiting various spiritual
groups. This is a period of research and exploration of the various avenues
and spiritual pathways, as well as belief systems. For convenience, the calibrated levels of various spiritual practices,
pathways, groups, and literature can be ascertained by the consciousness
calibration charts in Chapter 11.
_OceanofPDF.com_Discovery_of_the_Presence_of_God_Devotional_Nonduality_-_David_R_Hawkins.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Even the ego that ‘should have known better’ actually did not, or it would
not have made an error. OceanofPDF. comSection Two
The Discussion
O c e a n o f P D F. c o mCHAPTER 9
Dialogues
Truth is sufficient unto itself, but its explanation and description are
hampered by the fact that the appropriate languaging includes concepts and
expressions that are unfamiliar in daily life. However, words also carry
meaning and significance with associated effects (feelings) that bring up
associated memories. The majority of literature about Self-
Realization/Enlightenment arises from ancient teachings, with additions
over the centuries by well-known sages. The limitations that arise from traditional literature, especially from
ancient times, is that the original truth conveyed was sometimes
misunderstood and misinterpreted, especially when it was handed down
verbally for centuries before being written. In addition, at the time the
information was passed on orally, much of it was conveyed in a nonverbal
and subtle manner, such as gestures, facial expressions, emphasis, volume,
tone and cadence of voice, and body language. At times, all of these are
more important than the actual verbalization. The style of teaching is also
reflective of the teacher’s intuitive estimate of the audience’s capacity for
comprehension. A modern clarification and explanation are therefore of value, as well as
consciousness calibration of the level of truth expressed. Lectures also tend
to be didactic, and therefore, the question-and-answer periods at the end of
the lectures are favored by many students. Some meanings and implications
are best elucidated by the recontextualization of consequence, humor,
paradox, and ambiguity. The questions and answers tend to be less
detached, more informal, and less intellectually challenging. Q: What is the purpose of spiritual writing. A: To provide authenticated information that is not only verifiable but
also experientially pragmatically useful. First, curiosity and the intellect
have to be satisfied; there is a hunger for spiritual information. When it is
not satisfied by the availability of valid information, the hunger creates a
market for spurious spirituality that becomes popularized but is not
serviceable to the student because it is based on imagination. Much valid information is available but it retains the flavor and
languaging of foreign cultures and obscure terminology, such as Sanskrit
terms. When these are translated into English, they still seem archaic and
reflective of ethnicity and foreign cultures and times. For example, the
religious/cultural controversy that arose around the teachings of Meister
Eckhart is not really comprehensible today because it has lost its historical
context. The primary purpose of a spiritual teaching is to provide reliable
information in such a way as to be of practical service and inspiration and to
affirm spiritual truth by subjective declaration. It is necessary that students
be well informed in order to be able to proceed successfully and safely on
their way. Guidelines are like principles of discovery, for that which is
sought is already within. Q: Notable in your writings and lectures is the absence of doctrine or
citing of ecclesiastical authority. A: Truth stands on its own. Scriptural references are primarily for
amplification or familiarity. The inner pathway is experiential and not
intellectual. It does not require glamorization, amplification, resort to
authoritarianism, or any other manipulation to try to impress the student. Historically, no method was available to verify authenticity other than
formal ecclesiastical approval. For example, in the Far East, authenticity
was often inferred by reference to the material as a product of the
authority of a lineage of sages. Due to the statistical rarity of the
enlightened condition, any information about it was considered valuable
as well as unique or special. At the present time, an objective means of identification and
validation of truth is now available through the method of consciousness
calibration. Thus, it is no longer necessary to just depend on reputation,
ecclesiastical authority, official ‘imprimatur’, hearsay, or public image. The chances for being misled are now far less. The mind, on its own, is
an unreliable guide. It is easily misled by glamour, reputation, and
popularity, with their associated enthusiasm and emotionality. The
packaging or promotion of belief systems or teachers has no relationship
to the value of the ingredients. Q: Who is the writer of your works or the speaker at lectures. A: The question itself is in error. It is better to ask ‘what’ rather than ‘who’. In Reality, there is no ‘who’ but instead a suprapersonal quality or
capacity that is autonomous and spontaneous. Intention catalyzes
potentiality’s becoming actuality. The Reality/Source is the Teacher
within, which is the Presence of the Self. Verbalization is the
consequence of the utilization of the intellectual capacity of mind to
subserve Mind. The dominion is that of Mind to which verbalized mind
is merely a pragmatic tool. The Knowingness is nonlinear but its
elucidation is linear for purposes of human communication. However, a
simultaneous nonverbal level of communication occurs that facilitates
comprehension by the listener. This is so via written works and even
more so in the teacher’s actual presence. In the Teacher, the Knower is the Known. In ordinary mentation, the
known and the knower are separate. In a Teacher, the duality of the
Knower does not exist because they are the same by virtue of identity. The Self gives the answer to questions. It does not hear from an ‘other’. The Knower/Self is the initiator/source of the speaker. For example, by analogy, if we ask the cat, “What is it like to be a
cat. ” it would be puzzled. It just is what it is and has no need to
objectify itself as a discernible object, so the cat replies saying, “What
does ‘cat’ mean. ” 
   We answer, “You. ” 
   The cat responds, “Oh, so that is what I am, or is that what I am
called. ” 
   We answer, “A cat is what you are called because that is what you
are. ” 
   “Oh,” says the cat,“but what does that mean. ” 
   So we read to the cat what is written about cats in the encyclopedia. The cat replies,“That is all very interesting, but it hasn’t anything to
do with who I am. I don’t experience myself as a cat. I experience
myself as ‘me’. ” The cat continues, “Please explain what it is to be a
‘me. ’ What is it like to be a human. ” 
   We could only reply, “To be a ‘me’. ” 
   “Thank you,” says the cat, “now I understand what it is to be a cat. All
I have to do is just be ‘me’. ” 
   Thus we can see that the cat is both enlightened and of Divine origin,
for ‘to know that you a r e’ is the crux of sentient life. That cat is happyand content just because it i s. It has awareness/consciousness and is
therefore perfect. Q: Are ‘experiencing’ and ‘awareness’ different qualities. A: The question leads to the interesting discovery that below consciousness
level 200, there is the experiencing of life processes, but there is not yet
the conscious awareness of existence. Thus, a frog experiences frog life
but it is not aware yet that it is or has existence or beingness. Both animal and human life change quality at consciousness level
200, where life becomes aware of its existence in the manner that it is. This is a remarkable difference that is demonstrated in the distribution
of the levels of consciousness in the animal kingdom as well as in
human life. It could be said that life is not valued for its own sake below
consciousness level 200, and therefore, the worth of the lives of others
is not valued for its own sake either. It is only beyond consciousness
level 200 that concern for the well-being and value of the lives of
‘others’ really arises. Thus, below 200, the lifestyle is self-centered in
both humans and animals. Q: In the spiritual literature, ‘one-pointedness of mind’ is considered
not only important but also a prerequisite for meditation or other
spiritual practices. A: That is simply the skill of concentration and unswerving volitional
focus. It is like keeping one’s eye of awareness focused on the road
while driving. It means to refuse distractions. The unskilled, unsafe
driver multifunctions by playing the radio, petting the dog, and eating a
sandwich as he or she talks on the cell phone and reads billboards while
driving. One-pointedness is like a skilled professional driver who knows
he will get fired from the job for having even one accident, no matter
how seemingly trivial. The willingness to establish the capacity for
focused attention arises out of spiritual intention, which results in
identification with the nonlinear field rather than linear content. In much of spiritual work, the question is not whether one is able but
whether one is willing. For example, one is faced with the temptation of
desire. Q: Could it be surrendered. A: Yes, but will it be. Yes/no. The excuse given is, “I can’t. ” Then we ask,
“If a loaded gun were pointed at your head to comply or else die, could
you. ” The answer, of course, is “yes,” because now one w i l l do it. Thus,
one really could have done it all along. Devotion means undistracted
focus and alignment without equivocation. It represents determination
and fixity of purpose and is merely inner discipline reinforced by
decision and inspiration. Q: The ego/mind and its emotions and feelings seem so strong and
habitual. A: True. Thus, it takes more than just a good idea to ‘get spiritual’ in order
to transcend them. The force of instincts and negative emotions
calibrates below 200. Above 200, one has the power of courage, the
nonresistance of neutrality, and by the 300s, there are faith, enthusiasm,
and willingness to which, in the 400s, are added intelligence, education,
and the guidance of the intellect. At level 500, there is an important shift
of paradigm, and values move from the tangible to the intangible, aided
by the transformative quality of Love. Devotion is a commitment to
Love as a guiding principle, reinforced by choice and the will. By
surrender of the personal will and invocation, there is the intervention of
Divine Will (the Self) invoked by alignment with spiritual purpose. With Divine assistance, the impossible becomes possible. Even that
which is most prized by the ego/mind can actually be surrendered. One-pointedness of mind means to focus on the crest of the wave of
witnessing/experiencing plus being willing to surrender perceived loss
or gain. That is the primary skill that is needed. Q: How should one envision spiritual work. A: The process is one of discovery and is thus directed within. It is by
influence of the Self that spiritual endeavor becomes chosen as a life
goal. It is primarily a decision. Q: But cannot spiritual commitment and endeavor be disruptive to
one’s customary lifestyle. A: Modification is ordinarily sufficient, at least in the beginning. Intensity
of focus may bring about changes that are seen as disruptive; however,
major life changes also occur as a result of lesser ambitions, such aschanges in relationships, occupation, locality, illness, or other life
circumstances. Q: People often have a stereotyped image and expectation of what a
spiritual teacher should look and sound like—usually with robes, a
pious manner, and so forth. A: The teaching style occurs spontaneously of its own. It is sometimes
confrontive to the ego, which likes to go on and on circuitously. The
information that has been provided beforehand is lengthy and detailed. To institute it, however, is a different matter. When resistance is
confronted and made conscious by challenge, it frequently loses its
attraction. A shift in the balance of energy is sometimes all that is
required. Occasionally, without prodding, the ego tends to drag its feet
or waste time chasing its tail by asking rhetorical questions. To hear
‘enough is enough’ can assist the letting go of such programs. Humor results from shifting context by which absurdity reveals itself. Humor is also confrontive to positionality—to laugh at oneself or help
others to do so relieves conflict and stress. Humor is therapeutic and
cathartic. It also minimalizes fear, anger, or resentment. Mistakes keep
us humble and therefore teachable. Abruptness is sometimes necessary
to spiritual economy to save time and energy. Q: Spiritual economy. A: Yes. It is necessary to develop respect for spiritual endeavor. “Straight
and narrow is the path, waste no time or effort. ” Precision is discipline
that is innate to serious commitment. Some students may yet be in a
period of exploration, but once one gets the ‘fire in the belly,’ the urge
to reach God becomes like a drivenness or relentless drive, or even, in
the eyes of the world, a ‘madness. ’ From that point on, there is no
patience for amusement or diversion. It depends on decision, will, the
level of consciousness, and karmic propensities. As it gets more intense,
the love for God and of God allows no delay. O c e a n o f P D F. c o mCHAPTER 10
Spirituality and the World
Serious inner spiritual work may sound tedious and demanding (to the ego),
but is exciting to the spirit, which is eager to return home. Consciousness
innately seeks its source. In so doing, it encounters obstacles from which it
may periodically retreat, and this may result in periods of reflection and
reorientation. Periods of resistance or even dismay are normal and to be
expected. Their resolution is often the consequence of recontextualization. Although the personal will and motivation, plus the mind and intellect,
are strong tools, in and of themselves they do not have the strength to
disassemble the ego because they are part and parcel of it. However, once a
seeker becomes devoted, the strength of the spiritual Will via the Presence
of the Self supplies the necessary power. The inner work that arises as a consequence of commitment to
Enlightenment is at times admittedly experientially difficult or even
arduous. Although this is due to resistance, the sheer seeming difficulty may
provoke discouragement or a temptation to abandon the goal. This,
however, is also to be expected and therefore merely included in the
material to be processed. Contemplation results in insights consequent to redefinition and
recontextualization. In the meantime, other spiritual practices continue,
such as meditation, prayer, service, and spiritual group activities. The
letting-go process encounters inner fixations and addictions to various ego
pay-offs and lures. Sometimes periods of retreat are helpful, and at other
times, active involvement in spiritual activities is beneficial. Frequently, the
seemingly impossible obstacle mysteriously and spontaneously disappears
and resolves itself. Aside from ordinary resistances that are innate to the ego itself and
therefore not really ‘personal’, there are inherited propensities as a
consequence of karmic factors. These can sometimes be intuited either by
prayer or even by specific investigation, such as with past-life recall
techniques. Persistent patterns indicate that the source of the problem is still
unconscious. A useful uncovering technique is to presume that there is a
repressed aspect in the unconscious, and that the unconscious is not onlypersonal but also collective, described by Carl Jung as the “collective
unconscious. ” Thus, certain problems are merely the karmic inheritance of
being human. In practice, for example, if other people persistently seem cruel or rude,
it may be beneficial to forgive and pray for help for that hidden aspect in
oneself that is cruel, rude, and unforgiving. These aspects can be accepted
in that they are impersonal to some extent, yet one is responsible for them
as a participant human being. For example, if others seem selfish or stingy,
pray for that aspect in oneself that is that way. It is often surprising to
discover that there is such a deeply repressed hidden trend that may well be
just a consequence of human inheritance and experience. Asceticism
This is a useful practice at various periods by which one accomplishes
detachment from the senses and their endless search for pleasure and
sensation. Success brings a sense of accomplishment. The senses search for
pleasure via amusement, excitement, and the lure of enticements that
increase appetite and desire. Their origination was in the animal phase of
evolution and instinctual in origin. A useful technique to overcome them is
to delay gratification of sensory desires, and before seeking to satisfy them,
surrender either resisting or desiring the sensations themselves, for
example, the craving feeling, and not label them. Actually, one does not
experience ‘hunger’, which is actually a nominalization, a label, and a
diagnosis. The actual physical sensations are merely that and not a ‘need’. When ignored and surrendered, they recede and fade away. Therefore, if
there is a desire, ignore the desire and focus on the actual sensations
themselves. In a surprisingly few minutes, the craving recedes. Another
trick is to only eat when not hungry and to eat prophylactically in
anticipation so as to avoid the resurgence of hunger later. This process is
akin to deprogramming Pavlovian conditioning. Asceticism can be a discipline that is introduced into routine daily life
on a modified basis and maintained as a lifestyle. It leads to economy of
time, energy, money, and other resources. It is freeing to discover how little
one actually requires in order to subsist, function, and enjoy life. Renunciation
This is a traditional type of spiritual retreat from the world and
sometimes done for variable periods, such as even just a weekend. Truerenunciation, however, in its full understanding, is the application of
renunciation to the payoffs of the ego itself and the identification of self
with body, emotions, or mind. By renunciation and dissociation through
surrender and relinquishment, it is discovered that none of them are ‘me’ or
even ‘mine’. In actuality, they are autonomous functionalities. One can
renounce the seeking of gain or worldliness as well as the seeking of
pleasure, excitement, or titillation. One can renounce the assumption that
perceptions are reality or essence. By renunciation, one can withdraw
invested emotional energy and interest in the world without physically
having to depart from it. Formal renunciation as a lifestyle has been and still is an option for
devotees for whom such a major decision is appropriate. Such communities
have prevailing requirements, and monastic orders are well known
(Trappists, Dominicans, Benedictines, Buddhists, the Ramakrishna Order,
etc. ). Most require vows of allegiance and serious commitment. The World
The planet is part of the physical universe and thereby subject to its
transitions and evolutionary phenomena. Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes,
tsunamis, forest fires, and floods have been recurring over the eons of time,
including the impact of giant meteors that filled the sky with dust and
smothered all of life. It is therefore naïve to assume that phenomena are
consequent to mankind’s follies, frailties, failures, or religious belief
systems. So-called ‘end times’ phenomena are redundant, both before and
subsequent to the emergence of Homo sapiens. Numerous are the prophets
and prophesies that have come and gone. When the great meteors hit and
blanked out the sky, mankind was not yet even born. Contextualizing
earthly phenomena as evidence of the ‘wrath of God’ is primitive, naïve,
and an anthropomorphic distortion of the Reality of Divinity. God is not
emotionally imbalanced or needful of psychological help, spiritual
counseling, or anger-management classes
Even if all these mystifications were true, of what interest is it, anyway,
to the individual seeker. If life on earth is to end in either a few years, or in
the year 6017 or 8095, so what. What does it really have to do with one’s
own level of spiritual evolution. The wise renounce public hysteria or mass
suicides because a comet is sighted somewhere in space. Even if an ‘end
times’ catastrophe were to happen, it would seem to be a better decision topray rather than kill oneself inasmuch as one’s death would be a certainty,
and suicide carries karmic consequences. The evolution of human consciousness expresses its cultural and social
changes that, in turn, reflect karmic propensities and inheritances of whole
groups of people over great periods of time. In the East, karma is a matter
of ordinary acceptance, but that is not so in the Western world, which even
lauds unaccountability and irresponsibility as promoted by moralistic
relativism. By consciousness calibration research, it is demonstrable that every
thought, action, word, or deed is recorded forever, beyond time, in an
infinite field of consciousness for eternity. It is affirmed by consciousness
research that everyone is accountable to the universe (Divinity) by virtue of
Divine Justice. Thus, everyone already has a calibratable level of
consciousness from the very moment of birth. Life is neither accidental nor
arbitrary, nor is it based on anarchy. The stratification of levels of
consciousness are influential by virtue of their prevailing, powerful
‘attractor fields’ (see Power vs. Force) whereby like goes to like by
attraction and alignment. Q: As a spiritual person, what is our responsibility in relation to world
events. A: This depends on one’s current prevailing level of consciousness. Confusion arises from mixing the levels. To act according to the
spiritual principles of mercy, forgiveness, love, and compassion applies
at all levels, of course, but how these are interpreted and what they are
understood to signify regarding action depends on perception and
degree of spiritual maturity. Earthly life affords maximum karmic opportunity to not only acquire
‘good’ karma but also to undo negative karma. For example, whole
populations and groups have accumulated both positive and negative
spiritual consequences as the result of barbaric savagery, just as they do
in today’s headlines. Thus, there are spiritual ‘debts’ as well as benefits. While it is commonly believed that Christianity does not teach karma,
that is not true. It does indeed, but it merely does not use the specific
term. Christianity teaches that sin and virtue have very different
consequences for the soul after death. These include the karmic
alternatives of not only heaven or hell, but also purgatory. In addition, atraditional teaching is that man was ‘born in sin’ due to the fall of Adam
and Eve and is thus karmically affected by succumbing to temptation
and refusing obedience to God. Subsequently, God’s mercy is
represented by the presentation of a savior born for the sake of man’s
redemption. As Jesus said, “None get to heaven but by Me. ” 
   In Buddhism, there is the Lotus Land (Heaven) where an aspect of the
Buddha speaks as an advocate. From another culture in a different time,
Krishna also taught that those who worship and love God by whatever
name are “Mine and dear to Me. ” This is the same teaching presented in
the Ninety-first Psalm. The primary spiritual gift of human existence is the opportunity that
by the option of one’s own free will, Divinity may be chosen or rejected
by whatever name God is known. Thus, human life and the permission
to incarnate as a human are great gifts in themselves, as was pointed out
by the Buddha. Affairs of the world are perceived and interpreted in accordance with
one’s level of consciousness. Therefore, the world may appear to be
tragic, sad, miserable, or fearful, or it may, on the contrary, seem
tempting, exciting, and challenging. In the high 500s, it is viewed with
compassion and seen as beauty. In the 600s, it is seen as peaceful, and
then, in the 700s, as Ramana Maharshi said, “The world you ‘see’ (i. e. ,
perception) does not even exist; therefore, surrender it to God. ” 
   Human life is a major spiritual opportunity for consciousness to
evolve and even reach Enlightenment. It is an expression of the gift of
life, through which one can eventually realize the Self. Worldly
temporal life is transitory and brief, but its consequences are very long
term. It is therefore best to treasure the opportunity with gratitude. Spiritual endeavor is, in and of itself, an expression of appreciation for
that gift of life. Q: But what about the vicissitudes of life. A: Each has a hidden gift. Sometimes it is an opportunity to undo past
suffering brought to others. Sometimes the suffering is due to resistance
and is a consequence of the ego’s personal will and therefore needful of
surrender. An overall attitude of humility is very helpful, and by
surrender, the hidden gift is revealed. How a specific situation ishandled depends on how it is conceptualized and contextualized, and
therefore, what it seems to ‘mean’. Q: Is a given event an opportunity, or is it a temptation. A: From the view of consciousness itself, one might say that the world is
really amorphous, and that all meaning is a derivation of projected
value, perceptual interpretation, and mentation. If the predominant
lesson that is arising at a certain level of consciousness is nonattachment
to success, desire, or pleasure, the temptations of the world could be
refused. Also, a surrender of positionalities might result in deciding to
actually surrender the world to God. A person in a similar situation
might see a worldly event as a call for selfless service. Another might
view it as a call for taking an integrous stand or, on the contrary,
refusing to take any position and may be seeing it as a reflection of
perception and any decision as a vanity of egoism. There is no point to jumping in to ‘save the world’ when the perceived
world is merely an illusion of projected values, presumptions, and
interpretations. The integrous student chooses what appears to be the
highest, and to evolve spiritually is actually the greatest gift one can
give the world. This is done by virtue of what one is and not just by
what one does. The truly great have come and gone, and what they left
behind was the consequence of what they were and had become. Q: Thus, renunciation is an internal, not an external, event. A: Noninvolvement means to act without volitional gain. Actions are
spontaneous and represent potentiality’s expressing as actuality. The
spiritual devotee has dedicated personal life to spiritual evolution and
has aligned with Truth as a map for guidance. A common question to
ask is, “Which option or direction would serve the highest good. ”
Those serve who also stand and wait. Sometimes the mind cannot tell
the forest from the trees. In decision-making, it is best to be aligned with context and the field
instead of content. It is difficult at times to differentiate sacrifice from
service. Consciousness at the level of awareness/witness/ observer is
free of involvement. If perfected, however, at a later time it may allow
reparticipation because of noninvolvement consequent to surrender of
attachments, attractions, or aversions. Actions may also representkarmic propensities, and the same course of action may actually have
very different meanings and consequences in different individuals at
different times and circumstances. Therefore, there is no supposed
‘spiritual’ way to be or attitudes to have about worldly events, as there
are actually multiple options. It takes inner discipline and surrender of
attitudes to not fall into the temptation of identifying with a position
about world events. The events of the world trigger responses based on perceptions. It is a
great theater that invites expressions of perceptions, illusions, and
projections of positionalities. One can either turn off the television and
avoid it or see it as a major teaching tool. The panoramic events of the
entire world unfold, representing the multitudinous expressions of the
human ego; thus, the television is its ultimate game board. Perception
may see this reflection of human-ego life as absurd, tragic, or comic. It
can be seen as sad, pathetic, exiting, heartwarming, challenging, or
alternately, as ridiculous. As the television news program says, “You
decide. ” 
   The real question is, Who is the real ‘you’ that decides. That is the
question to be answered by the spiritual student. The ‘you’ has multiple
options and can choose any of them. Therefore, the world is
kaleidoscopic-tragic-comic-nurturing-absurd-cruel-lovable-ugly-
despicable-deplorable, none of the above, or just a transitory illusion. It
is allegorical. The spiritual advantage of modern life is that life experiences are
speeded up via the media. In a very short time, one can witness what
would have taken multiple lifetimes in previous eras where, for
example, a whole lifetime could be limited to just the experience of a
small space and limited role, such as that of a sheepherder or a village
blacksmith. Now multiple lives, perspectives, circumstances, and
conditions are presented in succession, from grotesque crimes to
coronations, domestic family situations, major wars, and world
catastrophes. Whether to take advantage of the television display of the human ego
or to ignore it and go within are equally serviceable for it is one’s
intention that decides the outcome. Either way requires compassion for
self and others. A certain quantity of suffering is impersonal and
consequent to the physicality of being born a human. Thus, the Buddhaexhorted followers to transcend the ego to avoid rebirth, sickness,
poverty, old age, and death. The world and everything in it is transitory;
therefore, to cling to it brings suffering. As a result, he stressed
detachment. Q: What about the popular exhortations to ‘get involved’ and ‘make a
difference’. A: Compassionate attention, in and of itself, has an unseen influence. The
results of volitional action are consequent to intention and the level of
consciousness. Sometimes the world would benefit more from benign
noninvolvement. Great wars and massive human disasters that go on for
centuries are the result of the ego’s grandiose plans to be involved and
make a difference, from Genghis Khan to Karl Marx, from Adolf Hitler
to current terrorists. Q: How to best serve the world. A: Each individual’s evolution of spiritual consciousness contributes to the
progress of the consciousness level of all mankind. By uplifting the sea,
all ships afloat are lifted. The effect of actions that emerge from
compassion are the result of intention. Human consciousness evolves through learning, which is often
primarily experiential. It is usually presumptuous to assume the
‘purpose’ of witnessed human events. What is deemed appropriate is a
consequence of perception and contextualization. Thus, whether action
is appropriate or not is an option that reflects a prevailing level of
consciousness rather than discernment of the Reality of essence. Everyone is accountable and culpable in accordance with their own
level of consciousness. Whether to ‘get involved’ or not reflects vanity
or compassion is consequent to the overall field of both content and
context. Action or nonaction is the spontaneous response of what has
‘become’ or ‘is’. There is no prevailing rule of appropriate behavior
because effects are consequent to intention. Q: Choices are therefore based on presumption and appearance. A: These are also aligned with stages of spiritual development and their
overall intention. There are periods devoted to learning detachment and
then periods devoted to transcending avoidance. Each has itstemptations and attractions. The specifics of the dualities of each level
of consciousness were discussed in Transcending the Levels of
Consciousness. Q: In addition to what appear to be worldly choices, are there also
karmic influences and propensities. A: Those factors contribute to the problems of choice for they influence
understandings of meaning, significance, and implications of
importance. Evolution leads to discovery that, in turn, reveals nuances,
significances, and inferences for further exploration. That is the nature
of transcendence by which many seeming paradoxes or conflicts
spontaneously resolve due to overall alignment consequent to intention. The overall spiritual process is therefore concordant with a
contemplative lifestyle that incorporates reflection and the development
of discernment. Q: Would the overall consequences of intense inner spiritual focus tend
to result in detachment and noninvolvement in the world. A: As a general trend, that is characteristic. As the ego’s dominance of
perception recedes, so does the appearance of the world and the mind’s
interpretations. Decisions are based on projected perceptions. Thus, the
mind perceives endless illusions, including classifications based on
judgments. Those that are interpreted as ‘good’ options are attractive to
choice and agreement. Thus, all perceptions reflect content. Patterns of conduct result from belief systems consequent to
prevailing social/educational systems that are both explicit and implicit. Thus, ‘duty calls’ in both overt and subtle expressions. To adopt the
pathway of devotional nonduality recontextualizes the obligation to the
pursuit of Truth rather than worldly involvement and action. How best
to serve the world is concordant with comprehension. Q: What is the most serviceable presumptive view of the world for a
spiritual student/devotee/seeker. A: Presume that the world’s actual ‘purpose’ is perfect and fully known
only by God. See it as neutral overall but with the benefit that it
provides optimal opportunity for spiritual growth and the evolution of
consciousness. It is a school for enlightenment and the revelation ofDivinity whereby consciousness/awareness reawakens to its Source. Thus, to pursue enlightenment in and of itself serves the world and God. Q: But what about war. A: This is a favorite question of spiritual students. War is the consequence
of falsity, just as peace is the consequence of Truth. War has prevailed
during ninety-three percent of human history. It is endemic to the ego. To be ‘anti-war’ is also an ego position that presumes omniscience. Therefore, it is more advanced to surrender the world and its wars to
God. To ‘hate war’ is merely another expression of hate, is it not. Better to
love peace and come to nonjudgmental compassion for the world’s wars
and its karmically influenced participants. Would the protester rob
fellow-suffering humans of the opportunity to undo negative karma and
reach salvation. Suffering and death are the consequences of the ego and its
positionalities and perceptions. To best serve the world, seek
Enlightenment and transcend illusions rather than contribute to them. Omniscience is a quality of Divinity, not of human perception. Watch
that the spiritual ego does not become politicized. ‘Do-gooderism’ is a
trap for the naïve and unwary. Be ‘pro’ God’s will and Divine
providence for the world and humanity. How best to ‘serve the highest
good’ is concordant with the prevailing level of consciousness of the
observer. There is no single answer for everyone.
To provide authenticated information that is not only verifiable but also experientially pragmatically useful.
What is the primary purpose of spiritual writing?
The ego is an obstacle to spiritual growth, and it is not possible to transcend it through intellectual understanding alone. It requires surrender and alignment with the Self.
What is the role of the ego in spiritual growth?
Spiritual teaching is not about intellectual understanding but about experiential realization. It is about aligning with the Self and transcending the ego.
What is the significance of spiritual teaching?
One should not get involved in worldly affairs, as they are an illusion. Instead, focus on spiritual growth and self-realization.
How should one approach worldly events?
The Teacher serves as a guide, providing information and inspiration, but the ultimate authority is the Self within. The student must take responsibility for their own spiritual growth and evolution.
What is the role of the Teacher in spiritual development?
Spiritual growth is not about changing the world, but about transcending the ego and realizing the Self.
What is the relationship between spiritual growth and worldly events?