THE SEER
From Gurukula, in Fremantle, Western Australia.
www.clearsightblog.net
E-pistle # 270 Sep. 2009
Next ET Gathering: Sat. Sep. 19, 3.00pm to 5.00pm
Next Satsang Gathering: Fri. Sep. 25, 7.30pm to 9.30pm with Adyashanti
Also in this issue:
Being in Beingness ~ Tolle
The Two Selves ~ Avisar
Quote of the Moment ~ O’Denver
On-line Video Tips ~ Ed.
Seeing One’s Nature ~ Bodhidharma
Their Answer? ~ Humor
Being in Beingness
Being is the eternal, ever-present One Life beyond the myriad forms of life that are subject to birth and death. However, Being is not only beyond but also deep within every form as its innermost invisible and indestructible essence. This means that it is accessible to you now as your own deepest self, your true nature.
But don't seek to grasp it with your mind. Don't try to understand it. You can know it only when the mind is still. When you are present, when your attention is fully and intensely in the Now, Being can be felt, but it can never be understood mentally. To regain awareness of Being and to abide in that state of "feeling-realization" is enlightenment.
The word 'Being' explains nothing, but nor does 'God'. Being, however, has the advantage that it is an open concept. It does not reduce the infinite invisible to a finite entity. It is impossible to form a mental image of it. Nobody can claim exclusive possession of Being. It is your very essence, and it is immediately accessible to you as the feeling of your own presence, the realization 'I am' that is prior to 'I am this' or 'I am that.' So it is only a small step from the word 'Being' to the experience of Being.
You are giving the other person space -- space to be. It is the most precious gift you can give. Most people don't know how to listen because the major part of their attention is taken up by thinking. They pay more attention to that than to what the other person is saying, and none at all to what really matters: the Being of the other person underneath the words and the mind.
Of course, you cannot feel someone else's Being except through your own. This is the beginning of the realization of oneness, which is Joy. At the deepest level of Being, you are one with all that is.
Love is a state of Being. Your love is not outside; it is deep within you. You can never lose it, and it cannot leave you. It is not dependent on some other body, some external form. In the stillness of your presence, you can feel your own formless and timeless reality as the unmanifested life that animates your physical form. You can then feel the same life deep within every other human and every other creature. You look beyond the veil of form and separation. This is the realization of oneness. This is love.
~ by Eckhart Tolle
ET Group Gathering
You're warmly invited to join us for our next Eckhart Tolle group gathering on Saturday Sep. 19th, from 3.00pm to 5.00pm. The gathering will be held at Gurukula -- the home of Pete and Pearl Sumner at 10 Daly St, South Fremantle. Phone: 9336 4737. You can see a map showing Gurukula on: our Web site
A contribution of $5 per attendee (to cover costs and assist the work) will be appreciated, though all are welcome. Normally, the Freo group meets on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month, so our next gathering after Sep. 19th will be on Oct. 3rd. A full listing of upcoming Gurukula activities can be found by going to: www.peterspearls.com.au/gurukula
What May Happen
We're planning to show another classic DVD talk by Eckhart from the series: Touching the Eternal. Beforehand, Sam will play some gentle guitar leading us into silent meditation. Afterwards, fellowship can be enjoyed over light refreshments.
The Two Selves
A state of suffering or happiness, I maintain, is not caused by one's past, but by how one is relating to the future by fulfilling (or not fulfilling) one's true nature / potential NOW.
We all have two selves: one is the conditioned self driven by survival mechanisms and beliefs that have been developed through evolution and biography. We call this part EGO. The other Self is the source of who we really are: the potential of our unique strengths and virtues, our life purpose. We call this part BEING.
EGO and BEING are like two different software operating programs: In EGO we are alone and separated, while in BEING we are inter-connected. EGO is driven by fear, while BEING is driven by love. EGO makes us defend and control, while BEING makes us flow with the NOW and connect openly to people and nature.
We are inherently loving by nature. It is neither our biography nor our biology that stops us from expressing authentically who we really are, but our EGO, identity based on beliefs from the past . EGO stops us from returning to our true nature, our BEING .
Our EGO desires security and therefore shapes us by rules, labels, social roles, comfort zone, the known. The EGO will resist exploring possibilities of self-fulfillment and a happier life if such possibilities are unknown or out of our comfort zone. Stereotypes are part of EGO while archetypes are part of BEING .
Therefore, opening the way to BEING is a two stage journey: You first free yourself from EGO (the “EXODUS”) and then cultivate the potentials of BEING , your seeds of happiness (the “PROMISED LAND”).
~ by Hagai Avisar
NB: Hagai is a Melbourne based spiritual teacher, counsellor and psychologist with an international reputation. He will be coming to Perth to offer a Return to BEING workshop at Gurukula in November. The workshop integrates wisdom from several sources - Positive Psychology (the study of happy and meaningful life), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Ekhart Tolle’s inspiring works ('The Power of Now' & 'A New Earth'). For more info: >>>Click Here
Making a Differnce -- Book Review
The featured reader in Notebook Magazine for Sep. 2009 (p 178), is Jackie Maxted, founder and managing director of Beauty Heaven . com from Chiswidk, NSW.
When asked by the interviewer about the book that had most influenced her, Jackie said: "The most memorable book I ever read was ... A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. This is a life-changer. From the first chapter it just resonated with me and I was keen to start making positive changes. Not many books can actually make a difference to how you live life -- this one did, and continues to do so."
Now, in a 170-page hardcover presentation edition, you can get an inspirational selection from, A New Earth entitled: Oneness with All Life. This book is beautifully bound with evocative artwork and design, and highlights the most inspiring and beautiful insights of Eckhart's best-selller.
In A New Earth, Eckhart describes how our current ego-based state of consciousness operates. The purpose of this book is to bring about a shift in consciousness, or in his words, an awakening. An essential part of this awakening is the recognition of the ego, and our attachment to things, the past, and enemies.
In this new edition, Eckhart has picked the essential phrases and paragraphs — the gems of the book — that he feels are most important. These words are displayed in a lavish design that will surely make this edition the most sought-after book for gifts and holiday reading.
To find out how you can obtain this and Eckhart's other books from Clearsight, >>>Click Here.
Quote of the Moment
"The same awareness that’s present when you stop thinking is also present in every thought. By the power of sustaining awareness for short moments, many times, confidence in awareness is nurtured until awareness becomes permanent and automatic at all times and in all situations — including the times when many thoughts are arising."
~ by Candace O’Denver
Next Satsang at Gurukula
Our next Satsang gathering at Gurukula will be on Fri. Sep. 25th, 7.30pm when we're planning to show a new DVD Satsang session with Adyashanti entitled: Conscious Freedom
"Everything announces your own true nature. Everything speaks to you and reflects back to you what you are, the Essence itself." ~ Adyashanti
You can hear Adyashanti's free Radio broadcast via your computer on Thurs., Oct. 1, 8–9am Perth Time - Pre-show Music. 9–10:30am Perth Time. To catch the broadcast, just >>>Click Here. Then, click on the "Listen Live Audio Stream - FREE" button.
Adyai's Cafe Dharma has recently announced a NEW Audio and Video Streaming format on its Radio and Video pages! The new player requires Flash to be installed on your computer. Most computers have Flash already installed, as it is used for many popular media sites, like YouTube. For best results make sure you have the the latest version of Flash.
On-line Video Tips
A woman inquirer asks to be in silence with UK spiritual teacher, Mooji, nothing more. Mooji tells her there is a real silence which is effortless and natural; that there is no one there to practice it -- it only awaits discovery... >>>Click Here
And Prakash would like to gift you with his eBook, The Little Book of Silence Click the ETN logo button on the landing page to receive it free. It's really an innovation that in such a short read, you really "get the point".
Candace O’Denver covers the basics in her 'Great Freedom' teachings and gives excellent Introduction to Awareness talks entitled: 'Fully Alive' etc.
Finally -- Check out Richard Miller's TV channel, which runs archived shows 24/7, or choose the webcast you want to see on the VOD - Video on Demand - button. This is also the link where you will see the live show. There are so many things for you to look into.
Seeing One’s Nature
To find a Buddha, all you have to do is see your nature. Whoever sees his nature is a Buddha. If you don’t see your nature and run around all day looking somewhere else, you’ll never find a Buddha. The truth is, there’s nothing to find. You (already) have the Buddha-nature. Whoever sees his nature is a Buddha; whoever doesn’t is a mortal.
To attain enlightenment you have to see your nature. To attain enlightenment without seeing your nature is impossible. Someone who sees his own nature finds the Way, even if he can’t read a word. Seeing your nature is Zen. Unless you see your nature, it’s not Zen. If you see your nature, you don’t need to read sutras or invoke Buddhas. Unless they see their nature, people who shave their head are simply fanatics.
Once you see your nature, you’re a Buddha even if you work as a butcher. Buddhas of the past and future only talk about seeing your nature. It’s only because people don’t see their nature that they end up in hell. If you don’t see your own miraculously aware nature, you’ll never find a Buddha even if you break your body into atoms.
But people today don’t understand what this means. Instead of looking inside they insist on looking outside. Seeing through the mundane and witnessing the sublime is less than an eye-blink away. Realization is NOW.
The most essential method, which includes all other methods, is beholding the mind.
~ by Bodhidharma: the first patriarch of Zen (translation by Red Pine).
Their Answer? ~ Humor
If a diplomat says, "Yes." He means "Maybe".
If he says, "Maybe" he means "No".
And if he says, "No" he's no diplomat.
And that's an absolute contrast to a lady.
If a lady says, "No" she means "Maybe".
If she says, "Maybe" she means "Yes".
And if she says, "Yes" she's no lady!
Thank you again for your interest and support.
With all good wishes.
Pete & Pearl Sumner
Gurukula
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www.peterspearls.com.au
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