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

Q: How does one transcend the opposites?

A: Consciousness does so automatically when understanding occurs through reflection, familiarity, prayer, meditation, or inspiration. It is also facilitated by the words or level of consciousness of the teacher.  What is impossible at one level of consciousness becomes obvious and simple at a higher one.  A human being is both spirit and body; therefore, it is at all times actually existing in both the linear and the nonlinear domains.  The body, unless imbued with consciousness and subjective awareness, is not aware of its own existence.  It takes action only when it is motivated and presented with value, such as the desire for enjoyment in the experience of life.

From The Eye of the I, ch. 20, pg. 386

In addition to inner-directed spiritual effort, the ‘karma yoga’ of selfless service is also supportive of the evolution of consciousness. Inner satisfaction becomes more important than worldly gain or the desire to control or influence others. Attraction replaces promotion. Eventually, resistances are no longer related to worldly life and its perceived values. Instead, the inner intention is one of purity and selflessness. Thus, evolution becomes the consequence of the process itself rather than as a consequence of seekingness or acquisition.

The reason to let go of selfishness is not because of guilt. Not because it’s a “sin.” Not because it’s “wrong.” All such motivations come from lower consciousness and self-judgment.  Rather, the reason to let go of selfishness is simply because it is impractical.  It doesn’t work.  It’s too costly.  It consumes too much energy.  It delays the accomplishment of our goals and the realization of our wants.  Because of its very nature, the small self is the creator of guilt and its self-perpetuator; that is, out of guilt we strive to accomplish and achieve success.  Then when we achieve success, we feel guilty because we have it.  There is no winning of the guilt game.  The only solution is to give it up, to let it go.

Our mind would like to make us think that guilt is laudatory, and the guilt-mongers of the world love to make an idol of it.  Which is more important: to feel guilty or to change for the better?  If somebody owes us money, would we rather they feel guilty about it or pay us the money? If we intend to feel guilty, we should at least consciously choose it instead of being unwittingly run by it.

When we move from being selfish with a small “s,” we move into being Selfish with a capital “S.”  We move from our smaller self to our greater Self.  We move from weakness to power, and from self-hatred and pettiness to lovingness and harmony.  We move from strife to ease, and from frustration to accomplishment.

From Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender,  ch. 7, pg. 121-122

With a shift of focus from the subjective participant to the observer, one sees the narcissistic emphasis on expectations as an ego positionality that makes the individual a petulant or anger-prone person. The angry person secretly feels entitled to its wants and desires and has impossible expectations of life. Anger can also be an attitude and a vulnerable ego positionality. It leads to aggression rather than the healthier alternative of self-assertion.

The basic antidote to anger is humility, which is the counterbalance to the egotism that feeds it. The infant within the angry person rails against the unfairness of life, which is actually the perception of the petulant, spoiled child. Narcissism engenders the belief that one deserves to get what one wants, for the narcissistic core of the ego is concerned only with an inflated self-importance. When it dawns on the infant that the universe is indifferent to the ego’s wants, it goes into a rage that transposes into patterns of interpersonal conflict. Anger then becomes the futile attempt to control others who become objects to be manipulated or blamed for frustration.

From I: Reality and Subjectivity p. 196-197