Category: Thoughts & quotes from Sir David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D. & Susan Hawkins

What I usually emphasize is both meditation and aligning your life so that you make your life the prayer. You try to live and become that which you are studying and learning. You become forgiving. In the beginning, forgivingness seems like an artificial practice. Jesus Christ said, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” That’s a mentalization, and when you’re angry at somebody, it may cross your mind, and you think, Well, I should probably be seeing it differently, but I don’t. But as you get deeper in it, then you think, Well, how can I see this through different eyes? How can I alter my experience of this? Then that requires a deeper study. You’re trying to go from the familiarity of the intellectual to the experiential. You’re trying to become that which was formerly mental and is now incorporated into your personality and your way of actually being in the world.

…You meditate on some specific truth that you’ve picked up until you really become the awareness of the truth and the reality of that. Then you don’t need to tell yourself, “Well, I should be forgiving that person.” You start to see, eventually, that everybody is only being what they are, what they can be at the moment. Everybody is just being what they could be at the moment, and if not, it’s because they can’t be. If they were able to be different, they would be. You have a certain sympathy for everyone, that everyone is pretty much stuck with the human condition. And the human condition is, frankly, extremely difficult, for the individual as well as for whole societies and civilizations.

…A contemplative lifestyle is more effective. It’s a way of being in the world, because now you’re trying to become that which you have studied. You can do it continuously. A person can be contemplative no matter what they’re doing. My own lifestyle was contemplative for many years, and I was aware of exactly how I was being with each specific incident. That way, you become more aware of the reality of other people, as well. You become aware of their reality, and get out of the solipsistic view that reality is how you see it. You become aware that there’s a reality, and this is just the way you are seeing it. This is not the way the world is—it’s the way you’re seeing the world.

The Wisdom of Dr. David R. Hawkins: Classic Teachings on Spiritual Truth and Enlightenment, Ch. 8, pg. 133-135

What anything ‘means’ is identical with what it is, for what it is, is its meaning. With this realization, the essence of the world shines forth with the Radiance of Divinity as revelation, and all is seen to be equally loveable, perfect, magnificent, and beautiful. To restate: The world as it is, is perfect for the advancement of human consciousness as it provides maximum opportunity for gaining positive merit and the undoing of the negative via the spiritual options of the will.  To see it as such results in gratitude as well as forbearance with seemingly negative experiences that involve suffering.

To be ‘spiritual’ means that intention is focused on spiritual goals, meaning and spiritual recontextualization of life’s events and experiences.  It also means to value the gift of life itself as well as that of other sentient beings.  Spiritual intention itself recontextualizes all of life in all its expressions, and thereby meaning and significance become apparent.

Reality, Spirituality, and Modern Man, Ch. 16, pg. 309-310

Despite dedication to the goal of Enlightenment, the mind seems reluctant, resistant, or even too lazy to go through the necessary process.   How can that be overcome?

Resistance is to be expected and accepted as an innate quality of the ego.  Part of its function is stabilization in order to facilitate performance and reliability.  It does not like to feel out of control or off balance and is thus resistant to being questioned or examined, which is perceived as a potential threat to its sovereignty.

The ego has a vested interest in its positionalities, presumptions, and assumptions.  There is therefore an ambivalence regarding change–on the one hand, it is exciting and interesting, but on the other hand, it can be viewed as an unwelcome challenge and resented.  Thus, it tends to maintain the status quo, even if doing so continues to be unsatisfactory; for example, repeating the same resistances over and over, hoping for a difference outcome.

The Discovery of the Presence of God, Ch 13, pg. 220-221

The state reached by the great sages of history is available; the solutions are within us and easy to find. The mechanism of surrender is simple and the truth is self-evident. It works during daily life. There is no dogma or belief system. You verify everything for yourself, so you cannot be misled. There is no dependence on any teachings. It follows the dicta of “Know thyself”; “The truth shall set you free”; and “The kingdom of God is within you.” It works for the cynic, the pragmatist, the religionist, and the atheist. It works for any age or cultural background. It works for the spiritual person and the nonspiritual person alike.

Because the mechanism is your own, nobody can take it away from you. You are safe from disillusionment. You will find out for yourself what is real and what are just the mind’s programs and belief systems. While all of this is going on, you will become healthier, more successful with less effort, happier, and more capable of real love. Your friends will notice a difference; the changes are permanent. You aren’t going to go for a “high” and crash later. You will discover there is an automatic teacher within yourself.

Eventually you will discover your inner Self. You always unconsciously knew it was there. When you come upon it, you will understand what the great sages of history were trying to convey. You will understand it because Truth is self-evident and within your own Self.

Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender, Ch. 1,  Introduction, Pg 5-6

Our experience of the world and of life is totally the result of inner beliefs and positionalities.  Out of love and respect for God arises the willingness to surrender all these prejudgments, and the humility that ensues opens the doors to the splendor of reality, which is the revelation of the Self.  Love is the magic catalyst that brings about the awareness.  In the end, faith is replaced by certainty, and therefore it is said that God is found by those who seek Him.  Daily Reflections from Dr. David R. Hawkins, pg. 72

“The universe responds to love by revealing its prevalence.  It is hidden to ordinary perception but the awareness is finessed by lovingness itself.  Awareness is a capacity that is beyond the senses or emotions.  If one ceases anthropomorphic projections and limitations, it is revealed that all which exists is innately conscious and emanates love as a consequence of the divinity of Creation.” The Eye of the “I”, ch. 15, pg. 228,  Veritas Publishing 2001