"THERE DO EXIST ENQUIRING MINDS, which long for the truth of the heart, seek it, strive to solve the problems set by life, try to penetrate to the essence of things and phenomena and to penetrate into themselves. If a man reasons and thinks soundly, no matter which path he follows in solving these problems, he must inevitably arrive back at himself, and begin with the solution of the problem of what he is himself and what his place is in the world around him. For without this knowledge, he will have no focal point in his search. Socrates’ words, “Know thyself” remain for all those who seek true knowledge and being."

VIEWS FROM THE REAL WORLD, BY by G.I. Gurdjieff, p 43

31 August 2009

The Path of Initiation and Discipleship ~ The Meaning of Initiation

"The meaning of the word 'initiation' can be understood from its association with 'initiative.' It is a fact that every child who is born on earth is born with initiative. However, as it grows, that spirit more or less dies away because the knowledge it gathers in its lifetime makes it doubt. This doubt, increasing more and more, very often makes a man lose the power of initiative, and then he does not want to take another step until he is sure whether there is land or water in front of him. Very often, water looks like land, and land looks like water. According to the mystics, life is an illusion; thus, man bases his reason upon illusion. Nevertheless, the reasoning power which he acquires helps him in his life in the world, although it is very often just this reasoning which holds him back from taking what is called the initiative.

It is through this spirit of initiative that anyone in the world who has accomplished something great, has been able to do so. At the beginning of his efforts, people call such a person mad, fanatical, crazy or devoid of reason, but when they see the results, they think that he is most wise. Great prophets, the builders of nations, famous inventors and great discoverers have all proven this. One may ask then, do they see what is before them in the same way that a reasoning person does? They do, but with different eyes. Their point of view is different; it does not always agree with the point of view of the average person. So, it is natural that people should call them fanatical, although they see perhaps more than all those around them see. Those who have helped themselves to achieve success after complete failure, or to get over an illness after great suffering, have only succeeded in this by the spirit of initiative.

There are different kinds of initiation that souls experience. One is natural initiation, a kind of natural unfoldment for which the soul cannot give any cause or reason. It comes to the soul although no effort or attempt is made by the soul to experience it. Sometimes this initiation comes after great illness, pain or suffering. It comes as an opening up of the horizon, it comes as a flash of light, and in a moment the world seems transformed. It is not that the world has changed; it is that the person has become tuned to a different pitch. He begins to think differently, feel differently, see and act differently; his whole condition begins to change. One might say of him that from that moment on, he begins to live. It may come as a vision, as a dream, as a phenomenon – in any of these forms – one cannot determine the manner in which it will manifest.

Another initiation known to the mystics is the initiation that one receives from a person living on the earth. Every mystical school has its own initiation. In the Orient, where mystical ideas are prevalent and are regarded as most sacred, any person who wishes to tread the spiritual path considers initiation to be the most important thing. If a soul such as Jesus Christ had to be baptized by John the Baptist, then no soul on earth can say, 'I have risen above initiation.' Is that then impossible? Nothing is impossible. It may be possible for a person to jump into the water with the intention of swimming to the port of New York, but his life will be more secure if he books his passage with the normal shipping lines. And the difference between these two souls is the same, or even greater – between the one who wishes to journey on the spiritual path by taking initiation, and the other who refuses to do so.

Initiation by a spiritual teacher means both a trust given by the teacher to the pupil, and a trust given by the pupil to the teacher. And the progress of the one who is initiated depends upon how much he gives himself to the teacher's guidance. One might give only a finger, another even a part of a finger, while a third would give his whole hand. That makes a great difference. A pupil says, 'Well, I will give a certain amount of my time and thought to your guidance, will that be enough?' Then the teacher says, 'Yes, if you think it is enough.' In reality, however, it is never enough. Then one might wonder if one would not be giving up one's own point of view in order to follow someone else's point of view; but actually, if one has a point of view, one never loses it. The point of view that one loses is not one's own. By looking at a thing from another person's point of view, one only enlarges one's own. Then, one has two points of view instead of one. If the thought of the pupil happens to be different from that of the teacher, then by taking the teacher's thought, his own is doubled. The pupil keeps his own point of view just the same, only now he has something for his vision from which to make his choice. The horizon of his thought is expanded. But the pupil who closes himself and says, 'I will guard my point of view or it will escape me,' will never derive any benefit from this attitude.

The mystical path is the most subtle path to tread. The relationship between teacher and pupil is too subtle for words to express. Besides, the language of a mystical teacher is always elusive; you cannot, so to speak, pin him down as to his words. You cannot ask him to say clearly that something is so and so, or such and such. If a mystic does so, he is not a mystic, for a mystic cannot do this. The mystic may seem to be standing on the earth, but he is flying in the air. The air cannot be made into a rock, nor can the mystic be made into a gross entity. His 'yes' does not mean the same as the 'yes' of another, nor does his 'no' mean the same as the 'no' of others. The language of the mystic is not the language of words; it is the language of meaning. It is the greatest distress for a mystic to have to use the words of everyday language, which are not his words. He cannot express himself in these words. We find the same in the actions of the mystic. His outward actions will not express to everybody the meaning which is behind them, and that meaning may be much more important inwardly than the action is outwardly.

The teacher, therefore, tests his pupil continually. He tells him and he does not tell him, for everything must come in its right time. Divine knowledge has never been taught in words, nor will it ever be so taught. The work of a mystical teacher is not to teach, but to tune, to tune the pupil so that he may become the instrument of God. For the mystical teacher is not the player of the instrument; he is the tuner. When he has tuned it, he gives it into the hands of the Player whose instrument it is to play. The duty of the mystical teacher is his service as a tuner.

Dispute with a spiritual teacher is never any good, for the pupil may be speaking one language, while the teacher speaks another; and when there is no common language, then how can the dispute be profitable? Therefore, in the path of mysticism, there is no dispute."

~ Hazrat Inayat Khan

You forfeit what your Heart truly longs for with your disrespectful attitude, your lack of Trust. As long as you cling to that in you which believes you know what is best for you in this work, and you are always right, you will never be Free.

Ponder This

Be Close to God

"If you are seeking closeness to the Beloved,
love everyone.
Whether in their presence or absence,
see only their good.
If you want to be as clear and refreshing as
the breath of the morning breeze,
like the sun, have nothing but warmth and light
for everyone."

~ Shaikh Abu-Said Abil-Khair


Be Peaceful, Do No Harm

25 August 2009

Internal Considering and External considering

"In this Work there is no such thing as pretending to do good when you really will bad. It is no use pretending to be nice to other people when you hate them in your heart. All this Work depends on inner sincerity. External considering is not hypocrisy, it is not "good works", but is a question of inner attitude."

"Remember that when you find the same thing in yourself that you are blaming in someone else it has the magical effect of cancelling the whole situation out. This is real "forgiving".

~ Maurice Nicoll, Birdlip, March 1 1943

Be Peaceful, Do No Harm

15 August 2009

Prayer - Affirmation ~ "What Does it profit a man...?"

This post is from Nicoll's "Commentaries -Book I, Chapter: Birdlip, June 19, 1942. It is a continuation of my post 6 August 2009 , which you should read before reading this post.

At the end of the chapter:"Note on Prayer" Nicoll continued *** "We will now speak of some things said in the work, directly and indirectly, about prayer."

This is part of the following chapter: "The Teaching About Prayer In the Work"
"Part I.- In the teaching of the Work the idea of Prayer and the idea of Self-Remembering are so closely connected that one cannot be separated from the other. Without Self-Remembering, Prayer is impossible. Let us look at what this means. A man as he is cannot pray. That is, a man must be in a state of Self-Remembering. In order to pray a man must be in a state of Self-Remembering. To pray as one is, in one's ordinary state, is to pray in one's sleep, and to pray in one's sleep is useless. Nothing can happen. Such a prayer cannot be answered because it does not get anywhere. Let us recall what is said about states of consciousness in the Work. Four states of consciousness are possible, but ordinarily Man knows and lives in only two, and both are called, in the Work, states of sleep..."

In this chapter Nicoll goes on to discuss the different states, talks about consciousness. He clarifies what one really needs to know in order to reach a viable state of Self-Remembering. Many other 'schools' also teach, in their own languages, what is required to be able to pray effectively. For myself, the methods and language of the Work are the most direct.

A novice can get lucky from time to time using the popular so called LOA affirmation methods, but like anything one experiments with, one can learn to do a trick without understanding how it really works. It takes years of inner study to truly be able to master the art of Prayer. A great deal of inner work and understanding of oneself is necessary. To learn only part way yields a sort of psychic sleight of hand. This fact brings to mind today the bible quote: "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?". You are praying in your sleep, dreaming you are awake, results are unstable. Without praying in an awakened state you more often than not produce negative effects and byproducts, especially if, unwittingly, the prayer is really coming from a negative place in you that you are unaware of. This is a complaint I hear a lot from those who learned some 'tricks'. And a word to the unwise - those who intentionally pray from a negative place from ill will or selfish gain will definitely 'reap what they sow' some time in the not too distant future. You will absolutely become the sad beneficiaries of the Beatles Law of Instant Karma!

What are you thinking? That is your payer at the moment. What are you praying for night and day? If you could hear your "thoughts" as they babble on throughout the day, you might not be so surprised when that friend finally says they've had enough of your arrogance and walks away, or when you get fired from your job, or when that woman you've prayed in your heart of hearts notices you and in the crucial moment, your fearful i says, No you don't deserve such a prize" veers off and runs the other way.

Know yourself, listen to your automatic thoughts.


Awaken, Be at Peace, Think with All your Being - Love is definitely the answer.

13 August 2009

Luke 6:4

"Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye."

Peace, Be Well, Be Happy, Awake

08 August 2009

Is That So?

"Zen master, Hakuin, was praised by his neighbors as a person who was living a pure life. In a nearby village there lived a beautiful young girl whose parents owned a food store. One day, the girl's parents discovered she was with child. They flew into a rage and demanded she tell them who the father was. At first the embarrassed and humiliated girl would not confess, but after much harassment she named Hakuin. The outraged parents and villagers stormed up the hill to Hakuin's house to confront him. There, they shouted her accusation in foul language and shook their fists at him.

"Is that so?" was all Hakuin replied.

After the child was born the parents brought it to Hakuin saying it was his responsibility to care for it. By this time he had lost his reputation, and had been anathematized by everyone ~ which did not trouble him.

"Is that so?" was all he replied as he took the child in.

Hakuin took very good care of the child, obtaining milk and other necessities from his neighbors.

A year later the mother of the child could not live with her conscience and could no longer go on with the lie. She told her parents that the real father of the child was a young man who worked in the fish market. The mother and father were shocked and very embarrassed at all the trouble they had caused the master. They and all the villagers went to Hakuin immediately to tell him the girl had lied and to ask his forgiveness. They apologized at length and asked him to give the child back.

"Is that so?" was all he said as he handed them the child."



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is my favorite Zen story of all time. The first time I heard it was when it was presented as a skit at a celebration in Sparkill many years ago. The story always comes back to me when I am sorting out the jumble of pros and cons surrounding an issue or problem. The question itself, "Is That So?" and Hakuin, (said to have actually lived at one time), serve as a reminders to listen more deeply and to take up my own post at that neutral place in me where all negotiations are placed on the table and agreements are reached. From that vantage point, no matter what the situation or circumstances, I, as well as I possibly can in each moment, can be more objective and unattached to outcomes. I can act from a higher place in myself for the greater good. If I remember to do this, what is really important is not sacrificed to the mundane and subjective. Perhaps, because of the rarefied atmosphere in which I first heard this story, and the new places in myself I heard it from, whenever I am lost this idea is a simple little beacon that helps me to return Home to my higher self. Now, all these years later, my steps may slow from time to time and I may drag my feet but I am aware of that fact on an organic level and I remember to ask the question of myself: "Is That So?" and to keep moving forward and upward.

Awaken, Be at Peace, Be Happy, Be Well,

06 August 2009

Nicoll - On Being

Birdlip, June 4, 1942
III - On Being - (continued)

Part I. - "Everyone who has taken up this Work seriously and reflected upon its meaning, by means of that faculty which we all possess but rarely use - namely, thinking for oneself - should eventually be capable of entering consciously into and understanding the position of others. This is a development of being essential for us in the Work. No one can develop alone. [New] relationship is only possible through the contact of inner worlds. We meet through our inner worlds. To understand another you must enter into his inner world, but this is not possible if you have not entered into your own inner world. The first step therefore towards entering into and understanding the position of another is attained through entering into and understanding the position of oneself and unless that step is taken, to as full a degree as possible, there is little or no possibility of entering into and understanding the position of another person. The entry into oneself begins with self observation and the understanding of oneself comes through long self study in the light of this teaching, whose ultimate aim is the gradual but definite transformation of oneself. For this reason merely to think that one is capable of entering into and understanding the position of another person and even giving help, as one is - and this illusion is very common - is to misunderstand entirely the nature of human contact and the universal difficulties that attend this impulse, which so frequently ends in disaster or some sort of compromise, which - as often as not - is the breeding ground of bitterness, mutual criticism, hostility and even worse emotional states and trains of thought. No one as he is mechanically - that is, as formed by life and its influences can enter into and understand another, and from that, give help, unless he already knows from his own self observation, self study and insight, what is in the other person. Only through self knowledge is knowledge of others practically possible. Only by seeing and knowing and understanding what is in yourself can you see, know and understand what is in another person. One of the greatest evils of human relationship is that people make no attempt to enter into another's position but merely criticize one another without any restraint and do not possess any inner check to this mechanical criticism owing to the absence of any insight into themselves and their own glaring crudities, faults and shortcomings. As a result, not only do they not help each other, but the normal balance of things is upset, and by this I mean that an accumulation of wrong or evil psychic material is formed daily in human relationships and, in fact, in everyone's life, which should never exist if people saw themselves simultaneously, and in this way could neutralize the effects of their conduct day by day. This lack of psychological responsibility, both to oneself and to others, is perhaps especially characteristic of modern times and is perhaps the the source of one part of the widespread modern unhappiness that marks the present age, in which, amongst other things, there is a decline in even ordinary human kindness, with a resulting hardness, which is among the most dangerous factors in regard to the future, and which effectually stops all possibility of the right development of the emotional life."

I end here but this whole chapter is worth reading again and again.

Awaken, Be Good, Be Well, Be Happy, Be at Peace - BE

Note On Prayer - Cause and Effect

"In the paper that was read last time about the idea of Prayer as given in the Gospels (which is not included in this volume [1]) it was said that the Universe can be taken as response to request. Man requests, and the Universe in all it's full and total reality, outer and inner, responds according to the request. In regard to what I said last time, I wish to draw your attention to this fact: many people are getting responses to requests which they do not understand they are making. If the Universe, visible and invisible, material and psychological, gross and fine, as apprehended externally by the senses and internally by the mind and heart, is response to request, then you will see how important it is to realize what kind of requests you are making in order to understand why you get the response, from any side of life, that you are actually getting. The Work says: "Your being attracts your life". Do you see the connection? Without knowing it, a man or a woman may be making request[s] and so getting a response from the total Universe that he or she does not like. They see the response but do not see what excites the response, what it is in themselves that attracts it. People, in other words, may be asking for trouble without being aware that they are. They only see the result - that is, the response. They only see effects, not causes. To think only from effects is one thing. It is how mechanical people think. To think from causes is another thing. IT belongs to more conscious thinking. Now the level of your being enters into request as much or more than your knowledge. You may ask intellectually for happiness but do not see how factors that govern your being,as love of your negative states, your grievances, your secret jealousies, your laziness, your dislikes and so on, are asking for something quite different, and that the Universe is responding to these factors in yourbeing that you are secretly affirming without seeing that you are. Understand that full request must contain both thought and will - formulation and emotional desire. The side of knowledge is the side of thought and a man can only think from his knowledge. The side of being wills, and a man only wills what he desires. If you love negative states, then your will is of this quality. Your love is your will; it will attract the response belonging to it. Only self knowledge will make you aware of your state of being and this begins with self observation. Enough has been said here on this subject - namely that a person may be getting responses does not expect or desire, without seeing that he is attracting them because he is making requests for them that he is not aware of."

~ from Volume I of "Commentaries" by Maurice Nicoll
Chapter: Birdlip, June 19, 1942
Note on Prayer
Response and Request - Paragraph 1


Awaken, Be Good, Be Well, Be Happy, Be at Peace - BE

05 August 2009

On the Road to Mecca

"At one time I wanted to take a friend to meet my [teacher]. This friend was a very material man, restless and pessimistic and doubting and skeptical. And everyday I urged him to come with me and meet my [teacher]. 'But,' he asked, 'what can he do for me?' I said, 'You can ask him something.' He said, 'I have twenty thousand questions to ask, when could he answer them?' I said, 'You can ask one or two of the twenty thousand, that is already something.' 'Well,' he said, ' one day I will see. And indeed sometime later he came along, but the moment he reached my [teacher's] presence he forgot every single question and did not know what to ask. He was sitting spellbound and breathing the atmosphere of the master's presence; he had no desire to ask a question. And after the interview, when we were leaving the house of my [teacher], he again began to feel inclined to ask twenty thousand questions, this time of me, and when I asked him why he had forgotten them there, he only answered, 'I cannot understand why.'

Where do questions come from? Very often they come from the restlessness of the mind. And does any answer satisfy them? Never. During my travels I went thrice to San Francisco, and each time I saw a lady who always asked me the same question. Each time I answered her, and each time when I came again she asked me the same question. This meant for fifteen years there was a question and there was an answer; but that answer was never heard. One ear heard it and the other ear let it out again and the question remained there alive. A question is a living being, it does not wish to die; the answer kills it, and therefore those kindly souls that wish to cherish the question, keep the answer away, although the question calls out for an answer. Do not be surprised, therefore if for twenty years a person asks a question of two thousand other people and gets two thousand answers. It does not mean that the answer that he gets does not satisfy him; it only means that he does not wish to have the answer. He only wishes to cherish the question.

~ from "The Vision of the Mystic" by Hazrat Inayat Khan

04 August 2009

What Is Health?

"Just as for every illness there is a remedy, so for every disaster there is a reconstruction. Any effort, in whatever form and however small, made towards reconstruction or towards the betterment of conditions is worthwhile, but what we need most is the understanding of that religion of religions and that philosophy of philosophies which is self-knowledge. We shall not understand the outer life if we do not understand ourselves. It is the knowledge of the self that gives the knowledge of the world.

What is health? Health is order. And what is order? Order is music. Where there is rhythm, regularity, cooperation, there is harmony, there is sympathy. Health of mind and health of body therefore depend upon preserving that harmony, upon keeping intact that sympathy, which is going on in the mind and in body."

Hazrat Inayat Khan

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