Fear is a level of consciousness to be addressed where it is, not in its expression and extension into the world-fear of this, fear of that-and not trying to handle it on the level of the particular but handling it instead as a level of consciousness. This is done by becoming aware of that which we are, which is greater than the fear, and learning to disidentify with the emotion so we are not that. We are an overall field in which fear is being experienced. It becomes a small thing occurring within the greater context in which we become aware of ourselves as that which we really are.
Author: Susan Hawkins
Dedicate one’s actions
Meaning is defined by context, which determines motive. It is the motive that establishes spiritual value. To dedicate one’s actions as a service of love to life is to sanctify them and transform them from self-seeking motives to unselfish gifts. We define excellence as dedication to the highest standards. Every act can then be held as an opportunity to glorify God by sheer purity of endeavor. All physical tasks and labor can be ingredients in one’s contribution to the world. Even the smallest task can be seen as serving the common good, and if viewed in that light, work becomes ennobled.
How life is contextualized can bring either joy or resentment. Begrudging is replaced by generosity. If others benefit from one’s efforts, so much the better. Everyone has the opportunity to contribute to harmony and beauty by kindness to others and thereby support the human spirit. That which is freely given to life flows back to us because we are equally part of that life. Like ripples on the water, every gift returns to the giver. What we affirm in others, we actually affirm in ourselves.
God is the very essence of subjectivity
The substrate of all existence and creation is the state of subjectivity. God is the very essence of subjectivity. What is aware of existence is the awareness of the presence of God within us. With this realization, we resolve the spiritual conundrum of that which is seeking is that which is sought; in essence, it is the subjective searching for the subjective. The illusion that there is a dualistic set of opposites called subjective versus objective dissolves. It is the ultimate human paradox that man’s dependence on perception precludes his being able to know his own identity.
from The Eye of the I, ch. 15, pg. 289
Surrender
| As we surrender, life becomes more and more effortless. There is a constant increase in happiness and pleasure, which requires less and less from the outer world to be experienced. There is a diminution of needs and expectations of others. We stop looking “out there” for what we now experience as coming from within ourselves. We let go of the illusion that others are the source of our happiness. Instead of looking to get from others, we now look to give. Others now seek to be with us, instead of avoiding us. In Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Scrooge experienced the pleasure of giving instead of looking to get from others. The joy of that transformation is available to us all.
from Letting Go pg 272 |
Devotion to Truth
One’s commitment should be to God and Truth only. Teachers are to be respected, but devotion should be restricted to only the Truth. As Buddha said, “Put no head above your own,” meaning that one’s only true guru is the Self (the Buddha nature).
The Self of the teacher and one’s own Self are one and the same. The teacher becomes a source of inspiration and information. It is the inspiration that supports the quest.
Does spiritual commitment mean one has to give up the world? No, of course not. It means merely that worldly life needs to be recontextualized, restructured, and envisioned differently. It is not the world that is a trap but one’s attachment to it, along with one’s observations that cloud the search for Truth.
