SALMAH's post:
We had a great meeting Saturday night at our home. We missed each one of you who could not attend. Raj, Meena, Michelle and Vick were with us. Also had some other guests …my dad and Joyce, my very good friend.
The main message I received is being present is the best way to reduce or even eliminate the pain body and ego. When one is present the pain body dissolves, then one is truly present one is not reactive, but understands and accepts what is, without fighting it and can get the best outcome of the situation, by not reacting, but experiencing the present and being one with it. The pain body is made of old emotional baggage, and new emotional dramas that we can all be without. Let us be PRESENT, as it is the present we have received, which we should be mindful of.
The discussions focused around how to bring more presence into our lives. My dad had some life experiences to share and some of his own writings that shed light on some of the great truths…like definition of time, past present and future, courtesy, some universal truths in some urdu poetry and English as well. We had some “aha” moments and some moments of knowing these truths that are the common thread in all seekers of truth.
Looking forward to our next meeting -- Salmah
RAJ'S post:
On Saturday we met at Salmah’s house to discuss chapter 6 of A New Earth. We were a smaller group than normal, but we again had some new participants and it was great to hear some new perspectives. It’s a relief to confirm some truths and beliefs we have about the spiritual path, but a new insight can also enhance and deepen those truths, helping us to better understand and become more acquainted with them. Salmah’s dad, Mr Shafique, had joined us and he shared many of his poems and writings that he has accumulated over the years. He has spent a good part of his almost-84 years studying, contemplating and writing his insights about spiritual matters, and he has also published some of them in English, Urdu, and Farsi. I thought it was very refreshing to observe and listen to someone who is far more mature in these matters than any one of us.
Another new participant in our group was Joyce and it was wonderful to listen to her thoughts also, and have her consciousness join ours. As we have all acknowledged before, these group meetings are far more than a mere book club -- it’s about sharing moments of consciousness as a group. Having new participants adds new flavors to the spiritual recipe, and there’s never any indigestion … :)
In Chapter 6 Eckhart talks about breaking free from the pain-body and its destructive cycle. His prescription is simply put, that we need to be aware and very present in those moments when the pain-body has flared-up. When we remain present in those difficult moments we bring all the power of Now to bear on the immediate problem, and the problem usually goes away or we realize that it wasn’t a problem at all. It can seem like a frivolous or trivial prescription to just step back and be aware in those moments when we’re consumed by our rage or hurt or resentment, but it makes sense if we understand Eckhart’s main message of always being present. He elaborates quite a bit about this in his first book, The Power of Now, and continues with it in A New Earth. This same message of being present is also the main emphasis in Buddhist teachings, and is explained in different ways in other teachings also.
What I understand is that when we remain present and accept or surrender to whatever is happening, we allow another dimension to come in. Call it spirit, universe, God, present, or any other name, but it is far more powerful and effective than anything our mind can come up with. I was reading recently that some psychiatrists have started including Buddhist principles in cognitive therapy, and it’s the same idea of stepping back and away from the mind. In my own experience I can see that I feel very calm and relieved after I do some meditation and make an effort to step away from the mind. The same affect happens with physical exercise, and also with prayer. We thus break free from the pain-body and the ego’s eccentricity.
I would love to hear what others think, whether this makes sense, or if you disagree, or understood something else. This is an important point Eckhart is making, and we should get the most out of this book and the discussions we’re having – don’t you think? Of course the food and the drink and the socializing is always fun … !
Looking forward to our next meeting -- Raj
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I wanted to share something I read and relate to about being present... "Most of us are quite present when we first wake up. We "sleep" on our challenges. Then we wake up and we simply "know" what's right for us. This is our spirituality speaking to us. When we are in touch with our soul, the source of our being and who we really are, we can move forward in confidence.
ReplyDeleteI like what Meenakshi has said about sleep refreshing us and often answering our challenges. I have also had many people tell me the same thing about meditation. What I have absorbed the most from the last two chapters regarding the pain body is to realize when it is "the feeding of the pain body" which is causing our reaction. Of course we usually do this unconsciously which makes it more of a challenge to see how we are reacting. It is inspiring for me to believe that all of the fuel that we give to our pain body could become fuel for consciousness. Eckart even says that some of the wisest people at one time had a very heavy pain body. If only we can learn to channel our negativity into positive energy we would have the ability to be more productive in life. The next challenge for the group will hopefully be to attack the idea of breaking free from the pain -body with a little more depth and see if anyone has awakened their consciousness more since our last meeting.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, want to share the following with everyone...I found this statement very profound ..."No matter how active we are, how much effort we make, our state of consciousness creates our world; and if there is no change on that inner level, no amount of action will make any difference".
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