The Answer 5

“May all beings be at peace may all beings be free of suffering.”

That is a Buddhist Blessing that I begin my talks with. This morning I came to a deeper awareness that all suffering and “unpeacefulness” comes from attachment. Attachment to a material object, or person, or a relationship or an idea or belief. It is fairly easy to see that our attachment to material things not only creates a barrier to our spiritual growth, but also is an illusion. The example that I give quite often is becoming attached to my new car. It does not take long for my car to go from new to used, but I remain attached to my new car that no longer exists. I want it to exist the way it did in my perception few days or a few hours ago, but that is not going to happen. So my attachment to an illusion is a gigantic form of suffering. And it is obviously useless.

The questions that are being asked and answered today are a reflection of our attachment to the illusion of safety. The mind is always looking for guarantees. Not only that, the mind also desires the promises that change might bring, but it desires these in such way that the necessary work is ignored or discounted. I am reminded of that wonderful statement by the psychiatrist Sheldon Kopp, who said “Most of my patients do not want to get well; they simply want to be more successful neurotics.” In other words they want to keep doing what they are doing but they want me to take their pain away.

Another example of that same kind of thinking comes from that wonderful expression from the velveteen rabbit which states “he wished he could become Real without these painful things happening to him.* (if you're not familiar with the story or need a bit of refresher, I will include this piece at the end of this discussion.)

I  mentioned safety earlier and our attachment to the illusion of safety. I was reminded of that early Paul Simon song “I am a rock I am an island and a rock feels no pain in then island never cries.” That is the thought, the thought of safety that the mind clings to, and yet all of us realize that none of us can hide from the experiences of life. Even taking ourselves the most isolated places on earth will not free us from life's experience, and so the mind’s ideas safety is another illusion of entrapment. Helen Keller once said “Security is but a myth; life is either a daring adventure or it is nothing at all. Try living with that one.”

“Where will I be in the practice of this work? Where will it take me?”

As usual the guides do not give a linear answer to the question. It is interesting that they reflect on the question “how do I know my soul's journey?” And they replied by saying you know because you were asking the question. In other words, you would not be reading this book; you would not be in the state of awareness you are in unless you are on your spiritual path.

Each of our journeys is unique because each one of us is he unique expression of the Divine. It is not up to us to create a path for another, but to continually be aware of and explore the path that is set before us. It is our soul, our spiritual nature that is creating and manifesting each one of these next steps. In 12 step recovery we are encourage to pray for the realization of “the next right thing.” It could be as simple as having a cup of coffee, or holding a door for someone, or stopping for a moment and breathing deeply, or opening our heart ingratitude. All of these are simple yet powerful choices of love.

“What will happen to me when I change?”

The answer to this one is nothing and everything. Whether we like it or not we are constantly changing. Our physical form is constantly changing, our state of awareness is constantly changing. Even though we are in aspect of the divine, our capacity to love and be loved is constantly changing as well. It is either expanding or contracting. Growing or shrinking in capacity.

To me the simplest answer to that question is you will become more aware. What you do with that awareness will be your choice.

All of us are fortunate in that we are connected with many of those who are exploring and experiencing this continuing loving transformation.

“I am now choosing to recognize the fellow travelers who I will be working with. And I will be brought to them in divine order as is required for my highest good. I am Word through this intention. Word I am Word.”



“May all beings be at peace may all beings be free of suffering.”

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