ljazztrumpet

Great insights so far. One technique I can share that I find very simple and effective: Throughout your day, bring the person/people to mind and send them love. Imagine everything good happening for them and feel yourself loving and appreciating them. This may even have an effect over the other person/people over time, but it will definitely have an effect upon yourself and the way you feel about the person. You may be pleasantly surprised when you next interact with them in person!

Yes, me too..Any time you have the time and inclination to share...thanks!

I think this is a cultural thing too. In this day and age I find, in the USA anyway, most people certainly don't have ideal childhoods and suffer from various forms trauma as a result of their upbringing. I would wager that, at the time the label god was used as 'father' that the way children were raised and dealt with was of a psychologically healthier nature. I don't know about that. I do know there is a whole school of belief that believe this does occur. One thing I do feel is that if you are using the term 'I AM' as a replacement for an external god idea, you are most likely taking effective steps in reprogramming your outlook to one of more empowerment and, in that sense, you may be having an actual energetic, healing type of effect on your body and mind.

Again, Marbleman is 'on point'!;-) In the case of using a label such as ‘God’, I think it can be an unfortunate case as it can disempower many of people who use it/believe in it, as there are many possibilities of turning an internal power into an external one.Then are those, I think of certain Christian mystics, who describe God as being within/without/everywhere. I think these types have had certain insights into nondual ‘realities’ and have a much clearer perspective. They probably realize, experientially on a deep level, that what they are is all there is. Then again, there are people who completely externalize God and they still have healings happening in, and around, them as well as emanating a beautiful loving and devotional energy. Also, I notice there are a good amount of people who use the idea of an external God as a surrender mechanism - Such as, ‘I put it all in God’s hands.’ A lot of these types of people seem to have good success and more peace in their lives. Probably many of us here are aware of the steps 2 + 3 of the 12 steps: Step 2: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. Step 3: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. So people still can do very well with a totally externalized, more religious conception of God. I just feel that one could go even further, after they reach a certain point, if they realize the power is within themselves. Having studied spiritual healing for a number of years, I go into various belief paradigms where physical healings have occurred. It is interesting to me that in the Christian paradigm, the people who are able to effect healings over others are the ones who seriously believe what the big JC said about, ‘Greater works than me shall you do.’ So that’s definitely a step in the right direction imo. They might be still be thinking JC is still the ‘son’ of some external God but, perhaps, at some point/lifetime of seeing they are doing greater things than JC, the whole external idea just dissolves.

Exactly steve, very well put..thanks for writing this out!

Right Gunther, that's how I was thinking of sitting meditation. I've spent some time studying zazen and meditating in those groups. But I tend to think of sitting meditation as just sitting in any comfortable position and allowing whatever comes up to come up without dwelling on it, judging it, etc.. Just observing what comes up like clouds in the sky. I do another type of meditation similar to Buddhist samatha sometimes where I follow the breath counting from 1 - 10 and returning to the count every time a thought comes in. But that, for me, is more about developing a focused attention. What gives me the most powerful results at this point in my life is to allow things to come up and to 'send love' to anyone/anything that comes up.. Doing this in formal meditation helps me to carry it over to my daily life and I can remember to do it in more and more situations as I go about my day/night.

Hey LimA, thanks man..That sounds like a great plan!

This is why, nowadays, I only put stock in spiritual teachings that produce actual practical, real-world results - such as physical and emotional healings of conditions that conventional medicine is unable to cure. To me, this is 'proof' that a teaching is a positive force in the world and that it is something I want to embrace.

Hey Lima, when I refer to self-understanding I am talking about the ‘little self’ I take myself to be. The body/mind self-concept. With Self-understanding, with the big ’S’, I am referring to the idea that what I am, is all there is. No separation between any ‘thing’. I used to study teachings, go to satsangs, do nondual inquiry and meditations, to try and get an experiential feel of this. But, more recently, I found that giving up on that whole pursuit and pursuing developing qualities like love, compassion, kindness, humility, etc. is actually causing me to start really feeling those nondual ideas I used to only know about intellectually.

So it seems that you are pointing to something like being in a shikantaza meditation?

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But it gets harder and harder to not give a shit as you elevate your consciousness!;-)

Yes, that's certainly true.. but I think if a person needs booze/drugs that badly, they may be desperate to self-medicate to alleviate the pain of past trauma/PTSD/physical+emotional pain/etc. So, again, for me, I just have to go with my intuition in each specific situation. The best thing I feel I can do is elevate my own consciousness and develop more wisdom and intuition as I feel that is what will make me a more helpful person in the world in general.

Yeah sure, a lot of them are! But, if they are engaging in this type of behavior (conning people), they still need help - although, in this case, giving money might be enabling. The only thing I can go with is trusting my intuition in each specific case.

I see what your saying - In this type of awareness it feels like you would be practicing a type of focused attention, choosing to focus on awareness of past mind patterns and habits. So you are focusing on abiding in your true nature and that 'causes' an automatic cultivation.

I think for many of us on a path like this it simply takes being consciousness for a few more moments when interacting with a homeless person and, then, you can't not help see yourself in the other person and act accordingly. I speak from personal experience as I live in Queens, NY and work, and walk around, NYC quite often...It also depends on my own state of mind. If I am in a more peaceful state of mind and sm focusing on my love consciousness practice, this is way easier to do than if I am 'riled up' and/or in a rush to get somewhere. In those cases, I probably won't even 'see' the homeless person.

Very good stuff Clounge, the only thing I would say is that there are teachings that will present helping others as a way to gain benefit for yourself. But I believe what happens is that, even if you undertake service only for personal gain, you will evolve to the point where you are doing service, at least the types of service that resonate with you, because it brings you true peace and happiness. I don't think a person would be able to sustain true service for others for too long if they were only doing it for what they thought they could 'get'. Kind of like being in a new romantic relationship - You may be able to fool the person for awhile pretending to be something you're not but, eventually, your true personality comes through! Just ask my 3rd to 4th last girlfriend

Isn't it just semantics? Form the current way I view things, self-understanding = Buddha nature - Of course I am including Self-understanding along with self-understanding. The latter coming first, since you usually have to be 'someone' before you can be 'no one' ;-)

Yes indeed Lima, I'm not usually a violent man, but I always keep an eye out for that 'Buddha on the road'

Thanks Rene, your confirmation of the idea that came to me is encouraging. Especially since I dig a lot of the posts I've read that you've written. Appreciate the confirmation!

It's the teachers that see themselves on an equal level to their students, that realize they can learn from their students, as well as teach them, that are the ones that I really respect. The ones who have great humility are always the most powerful in all my experiences.

Yeah I like this CT. Any specific teachings/books you recommend that talk about this type of things? One of the areas I really like to study.

exactly marbleman. That's the joke. Anyone who sets themselves up as a guru is going to be caught in the ego and that's why they will try to take advantage of others and try to get them to do their work for them. Just check out guruphiliac.org!

I think when people are looking to ‘get enlightened’, many times, they are trying to access a certain state of consciousness. I feel that there is much more possibility to fall into egoic traps if someone has a goal of getting ‘enlightened’. To me, it feels much ‘cleaner’ to go for being more loving, kinder, compassionate, benevolent, humble, etc.. Then things that people may consider to fit their definition of enlightenment, such as seeing there is no separation between anything and those types of ‘nondual understandings, just happen as a side effect as they raise the consciousness of love. As they strive to ‘live in the heart’ more. I think cultivating the traits I mention make it much easier do to that famous nondual inquiry 'dwai' is speaking of: 'Who is it that is seeking X, Y, or Z? We become more of the 'dry tinder' that needs only a spark to set it off.

People who claim to be enlightened, or whoclaim to be 'gurus', make others chop the wood for them