Eckhart Tolle's Definition of Qi by Kris Caldwell, Seattle Tiantian School of Qigong

Kris Caldwell is a certified Qigong Instructor, Turtle Longevity Lineage Holder and the Founder and Director of Seattle's Tiantian School of Qigong. 

In the above photo, Kris is performing 1000 Hands Buddha Meditation that she instructed at our 2004 Mount Rainier Silent Retreat, as a movement meditation to practice presence. 

Kris has recently returned to the Northwest after a sabbatical in China. This article was published to her Qigong community in 2009.

Eckhart Tolle's Definition of Qi by Kris Caldwell

My first exposure to what are also the teachings of Eckhart Tolle came in the form of being invited to teach 1000 Hands Buddha (a form of qigong meditation) at a Satsang retreat held by Katie Davis and Sundance Burke at Mt. Rainier in 2004. I learned of Sri Ramana Maharshi's lineage, extending through Papaji and Gangaji, and how those teachings were being disseminated by people like Katie and Sundance, Kirtana, and Eckhart Tolle.

My experience that weekend was profound to me, and shortly thereafter I read the introduction to Sri Ramana Maharshi's book. However, I did not continue as I was already entrenched in studying Daoist and Buddhist philosophies, and in daily extensive qigong practice. While I have studied/practiced many paths since the age of 17, when exposed to a new practice in the midst of another, I have always waited to begin the new one until I had come to a place in my current practice spacious enough to do so. While occasionally there has been some overlap between the conclusion of one practice and the beginning of another, historically I have come to a place of completion before going on.

So here I am again. I have come to a place of spaciousness in my qigong practice. And I am reading Eckhart Tolle, and finding it to be deeply connected to my Daoist/Buddhist/qigong studies. Here is an example of why: his definition of qi, found on p. 131 of the paperback edition of "The Power of Now." You will notice he has chosen to use the Wade-Giles spelling "chi."

"The Unmanifested is the source of chi. Chi is the inner energy field of your body. It is the bridge between the outer you and the Source. It lies halfway between the manifested, the world of form, and the Unmanifested. Chi can be likened to a river or an energy stream. If you take the focus of your consciousness deeply into the inner body, you are tracing the course of this river back to its Source. Chi is movement; the Unmanifested is stillness. When you reach a point of absolute stillness, which is nevertheless vibrant with life, you have gone beyond the inner body and beyond chi to the Source itself: the Unmanifested. Chi is the link between the Unmanifested and the physical universe."

I think those of you who have practiced some form of qigong are likely to recognize his meaning in your experience of your practice. I certainly do, and am grateful for the opportunity, after more than ten years of practicing qigong, to understand the connection between what I have been practicing and the practice of Presence.

More about Kris Caldwell and Qigong at www.tiantianqigong.com

Kris mentions Kirtana who offered an evening concert at the retreat. More about Kirtana at: www.kirtana.com

Visit the Katie Davis Website at www.KatieDavis.org

"Be Still and Know I AM God" ~ Katie Davis, Author, "Awake Joy"

Devotion is attending the sacred flame in the Heart, rather than mindfully wishing to change what already is. Upon awakening, one could say that we are in prayer all day long, during all that is appearing or being done. The still center point of the spirit is the permanent factor underneath all of the impermanent experiences. In this manner, life seems pristine and sanctified, regardless of how the mind and its time might judge it. Ultimately, we are being the sacred flame and we are effortlessly faithful to being the glowing light.

We finally realize that every life encounter is flowing from the fullness within and we profoundly appreciate the sacred essence, within which all is appearing. We are very much present to life, but attention is resting as the Heart, instead of projecting into the mind's life and its problematic situations and conflicts. We have directly realized that we are not separate from the divine and therefore do not objectify this dimension as a separate power, such as in duality. What greater prayer is there than to humbly rest as sacred unity and simply allow wisdom to do its work?

This inner vigilance has a feeling of objectless worship and reverence. We sense overflowing gratitude and divine appreciation. Vigilance prevents the confusion of our outer, conditioned existence from invading our inner space. Attention "protects" the Heart's flame, much like we would protect a candle from the wind. Witnessing keeps the inner space open, free and clear. Through silent and still watching alone, we are then able to recognize the slightest nuance of emotional contraction, so that we are free of reaction, when things go wrong or other than expected.

We are able to be gentle, patient and compassionate with the ego and that of so called others. When we are silently witnessing grief and suffering, this conscious allowing transmutes the negativity into the precious fuel for unconditional love, while the light seems to glow brighter and thrives. By being consciously present, the sacred loving burns everything into itself and only the loving prevails. Conscious suffering may not be comfortable, but it does have an end. We are no longer afraid of suffering or trying to escape it. When we allow the heart to crack open, we transcend into the perfect peace that we truly are.

Forbearance is one of the last gatekeepers to enlightenment and perhaps best described through my father's words. When I was very tiny and crying, he would often repeat the well known saying that every cloud has a silver lining. Yes, we may presently be sorrowful, but the primary focus is on the shining that surrounds it. This attentive light dissolves the misery, just like the morning sunlight gently parts the clouds.

Forbearance is the patient acceptance of how we presently feel, with the deeper knowing that we are safe and out of harm's way. We are able to maintain a sense of equanimity and innocence. This field of innocence is within you right now and it is a pathway to Self-realization; the only true answer to enduring fulfillment. Self-realization is love's conscious completion and is the end of psychological suffering.

The invitation of these teachings is to devote to being love's light, instead of tending to the phenomenal display called life experience. If we deny this light, we will suddenly find ourselves in the world again and get lost in the struggle. When this occurs, we merely shift attention back to being the open flame and we regain quietude and tranquility. In this manner, we might even be able to welcome the opposition of others as a rising teacher for the freedom of our inner space.

When we are able to consciously rest as the pure beingness within, we are an open window for the unconditional love to flow into the life situation and into the world. We unconditionally accept life as it is, without getting lost in the mind's resistance. In the refuge of timelessness, the past fades away and we respect life for the miracle that it genuinely is. This sacred dimension allows a sense of continuity and security in our lives. We are able to accept, welcome and honor the ever changing conditions and seasons of the life situation. Free of resistance, life is graceful and we experience an ease in living.

Resistance seems unique to the human being. Nature provides many examples of yielding to life, rather than resisting. In a tropical storm, a palm tree yields to the wind and then regains its graceful sway. A river yields to its gravitational force as it descends a mountain to enter the ocean. Winter yields to spring, just as the ocean yields to the tides. A bear surrenders to hibernation, rather than weathering the snows. An eagle soars in the sky and simply glides with the changing winds. Daytime gracefully surrenders to the intimacy of the night. Thought free, nature meets life as it is and never slips into time.

Surrender is a powerful transformer of negative energy, so that we become more present for genuine living. We surrender our anger, fears and desires to the grace that knows the way. When we let go of these contracted burdens in this manner, we regain a gentle lightness of being and an outpouring of peace that is simply beyond the mind and its ideas. The mind-made self and its delusion of control and manipulation are finally finished.

Since we have stopped feeding our thoughts, we are also free of the emotional body and its suffering. Instead of trying to make life conform to the ego's wants and need-based insecurities, we rest in "not knowing" and every life experience becomes a mysterious adventure. Uncaused joy surfaces and comes to the forefront as we discover that life, with all of its idiosyncrasies and what the mind might call its imperfections ... it is perfection.

I invite you to be as still as your meditation or church’s alter, while life's complexities, struggles and failures are passing by. They are only begging for forgiveness and in the light of consciousness, darkness cannot prevail. Be present when they arrive, compassionately allow them while they are here, and notice that after their passing, only the love that you are remains. In this willingness, life's greatest nourishment is adoration.

Visit the Katie Davis Website at www.KatieDavis.org

Who You Really Are Is Love by Katie Davis, Author, "Awake Joy"

"Who You Really Are Is Love" by Katie Davis, Author, "Awake Joy"

Rumi, a thirteenth century Sufi poet, defines love as the magical moment when two spiritually connected individuals first meet. We call that love at first sight. In this meeting of eyes, Rumi romantically shares that we not only experience the union of two loving souls, but also the Love that is the crux of the universe. According to Rumi, when we fall in love with one another, we are actually experincing the Divine.

While not the Absolute, upon spiritual awakening, one of the first miracles that we realize is that we are Divine Love. This realization is an explosion of Radiance, whose magnitude had never been consciously experienced. Far beyond the relative love that seemingly requires another, Radiant Love is a mystical wholeness that is utterly beyond understanding and too overwhelming to even express. In this writing, not one word is able to properly define or contain it.

All love is one Love. Whether ethereal or everyday love, such as mother for child, when this cherished moment appears, we often have the misperception that someone or some other thing caused this rising as Love. In reality, we lose ourselves and for at least a moment, we are free of desire. This disappearance of the ego creates a crevice through which shines the Radiant Love that we genuinely are. We realize that there is only This Love and it is ever-present, since it is who we naturally are.

What I often refer to as the Beloved is the sacred substratum of the life situation, which is free of lovers all together. It does not reside within the confines of space and time. It is discovered in the twinkling of an eye of no time at all. This realization allows unconditional love to emerge into our life situation, our relationships and into the world.

As time travelers, we are identified with being a lover who loves someone else. As long as this subject-object relationship remains, true love cannot thrive. We expect and demand this or that to satisfy our self-created sense of lack. This lack is the ego’s belief in individuality as identity that is based on separation. It manifests in this world as the never-ending search for personal love, gratification and acceptance.

The false sense of “me” hopelessly pretends to separate from Totality and then expects someone else to fill the resulting pain gap. It fears the loss of a lover; it feels jealous, competes and needs. It may even voice its love for the Divine and faithfully express deep longing, while mourning its aloneness and separation. Yet, it stubbornly insists upon maintaining its sense of separation and of course, the result is suffering. Nonsensically, it then blames someone else for the emotional pain. It is the divided one, who is longing and searching, that sustains the delusion of estrangement.

Love is not really personal. It cannot be gained through any other. Love cannot be given to you, nor can it be threatened or taken away. It is essentially who you are. When you are seeking a lover, you are actually searching for love and its fulfillment. You are overlooking that you are what you are seeking, which is why it cannot be found.

Before you continue this search, my invitation is to discover that you are love’s conscious fulfillment. In this discovery, you then have the opportunity to meet romantic love as wholeness. You are free of the pre-existing condition and pain gap. At last, you no longer need to complete yourself.

If you are already in a problematic relationship, such as many personal relationships may be, as true lovers, you can disappear together. Free of “you” and “me,” we intimately rise above the push and pull of personal relationship and preciously rise as the Pure Love that we genuinely are.

In its purity and wholeness, Radiant Love is synonymous with Self-realization. It is the realized maturity of Pure Beingness. Then, romantic love does not need to bloom. When the perfect lover appears, the Rose already is.

"Who You Really Are” by singer/songwriter Kirtana from the CD “This Embrace.”

In this song, Kirtana points to the Ultimate Reality.

As Sri Atmananda Krishna Menon is quoted as saying, "I am the Abode of Love."

At Kirtana’s website, enjoy samples of all of Kirtana’s songs from all six of her CD releases.  

Also available is a new songbook with lyrics that is entitled Singing This Love Kirtana

www.Kirtana.com

You are invited to the Katie Davis Website to enjoy free videos and free downloads.

www.KatieDavis.org

True Forgiveness is Being Now by Katie Davis, Author, "Awake Joy"

 

True Forgiveness is Being Now

By Katie Davis, Author, "Awake Joy"

The ego is the false sense of self that bases its self-image on time. It forms concepts about itself and so called "others" that are all based on past experiences. According to these past life circumstances, it then forms its likes and dislikes. In so doing, the ego is creating its desires and fears. These desires and fears then form its attitudes, beliefs, assumptions, intentions, expectations, opinions, judgments and its overall conditioning; all of which require more time. In turn, the ego then forms its concept of self based upon its success in either getting what it wants or avoiding what it fears.

Some refer to this false concept of self as the conditioned personality. It is this psychological structure that is the source of all sorrow and misery. Ego needs time and its story in order to form its false concept of self. Without its story, it is clearly seen that ego is unreal and does not even exist.

The older the ego becomes, the more past it is carrying. The burden becomes heavier and heavier with less and less time for future hope. If the pain of the past becomes too heavy to bear, it is common for the concept of forgiveness to come to the forefront. Exhausted by the past pain and by trying to perpetuate further separation through blaming others, the ego begins surrendering and letting go of its past stories.

Since  forgiveness requires "inner" work, the opportunity of spiritual awakening may be drawing near. Through this inner focus and self-observation, the ego becomes aware of its fears, lost hopes, anger, bitterness, regrets, sadness, resentments, shame and guilt. For the older ego, the list of stories seems endless and it might even seem altogether hopeless.

It is finally seen that it cannot keep its painful story and get rid of the pain. As the past stories are surrendered, the burden becomes lighter. Slowly, it is freeing itself from time. Presence begins emerging and it appreciates the present moment experience as something fresh and no longer shadowed by the past.

With the good fortune of self-observation, attention finally begins noticing that it is the storyteller and not the story that is perpetuating the pain. We begin inquiring who this storyteller really is and whether this concept of "I" is even valid in the first place. We finally realize that the concept of "I" is nothing more than another idea to which we add many good and unfortunate stories that condition us and therefore limit us. If we are willing to surrender this false concept of "I" that is the storyteller, all of the accumulated stories fall away with it.

In identification with dreaming "I," forgiveness sometimes remains only a mental concept. In other words, the ego might be relatively willing to conceptually forgive within the mind, but absolute forgiveness might elude the heart. By relinquishing the personal self-image, we transform the concept of forgiveness into the freedom of the heart that is unconditional love and perfect peace. 

Then through presence, we maintain the openness of our inner space moment to moment. True forgiveness has no external requirement, which means it depends upon no one. It has nothing to do with any so called other and remains free of the accompanying story-time. Real forgiveness is the power of timelessness within us that is already free of personal history. Where is the past in the here and now?

When we are free of the concept of forgiveness, we are living free. This is not an optimist's hope for the future. It is readily accessible for every human being right now and only now. The problem, so to speak, is not the insanity of a multitude of personal, family and world problems. The problem is the insanity in the delusion of time, the idea of separation that begins with the concept of "me," and its repetitive storyteller. This in turn facilitates the runaway madness of the unawake mind. 

Free of the ego, we are able to greet every moment authentically and compassionately. Free of time, we are free of the stories that bond us to negativity and suffering. Being Now, we realize that we have always been free.

♥

Katie Davis Website

www.KatieDavis.org 

(Free videos on Non-duality, Advaita, spiritual awakening, enlightenment and Self-realization. Free downloads of e-books and chapters. Join our mailing list to receive the Friends of the Heart Newsletter once a month with more free articles and event information.)

"A Conversation on Non Duality" by Katie Davis, Author, "Awake Joy"

"A Conversation on Non Duality": Katie Davis, "Awake Joy"

MP3 Download

From the newly published book entitled "Conversations on Non-duality": Twenty-Six Awakenings (edited by Eleanora Gilbert and published by Cherry Red Books), this is another new release by Conscious TV with Katie Davis, author of the book "Awake Joy", who is interviewed by Renate McNay of Conscious TV in an MP3 downloadable format.

IN THIS HIGHLY ENERGETIC INTERVIEW, you deeply sense the blissful stillness that is the signature of spiritual realization. As the interviewer inquires into the wonderment of our true nature, you may also be consciously graced by the palpable frequency of the silence.

Katie Davis shares the mystery of her awakening and then follows with pointers to Self-inquiry, the delusion of the separate sense of self, you are already That which you seek and understanding that Self-realization is a true and immediate possibility for you right now.

KATIE DAVIS, author, Awake Joy: The Essence of Enlightenment, is a graduate of the University of Washington. In 1986, she encountered a spontaneous and radical awakening, without practices or teachers.

Since 1999, she has been traveling worldwide to share the ever-present possibility of Self-realization that is the end of all suffering. Katie offers satsang, intentives, silent retreats, private consultations and is a Keynote Presenter for organizations and conferences. www.KatieDavis.org  

Available in the United States:

Click Amazon.com or Click iTunes

Available in the United Kingdom:

Click Amazon.co.uk or Click iTunes

"Awake Joy": The Essence of Enlightenment, Book by Katie Davis

Click Amazon US or Amazon UK or click Katie Davis Awake Books Store

New Release by Cherry Red Books "Conversations on Non-duality": Twenty-Six Awakenings

Click Amazon US or Amazon UK

"A Conversation on Non Duality" with Sundance Burke, "An Interview with Sundance Burke", Author "Free Spirit"

"A Conversation on Non-Duality with Sundance Burke"

"An Interview with Sundance Burke"

Author, "Free Spirit"

From the newly released book by Cherry Red Books "Conversations on Non-duality: Twenty-six Awakenings," edited by Eleonara Gilbert, this is another new release by Conscious TV with Sundance Burke, author of the book Free Spirit, who is interviewed by Iain McNay of Conscious TV in an MP3 downloadable format.

IN THE FOLLOWING INTERVIEW with Iain McNay, Sundance paradoxically shares the personal story of how he realized his formless Spirit, the essence of his and all being. Just the fact of being given the birth-name, Donald the Third, seemed to catalyze his lifelong quest for Self-realization. Graced by a chance encounter with an enlightened stranger, a multitude of synchronistic events, his own out of body experiences and fears of an early death, Sundance came face to face with life’s most profound questions: who or what am I and why am I here? As it turned out, this kind of adventure appealed to Sundance’s innate curiosity more than anything else, so at the age of 32 his life-path was inexorably altered. After many years of seeking, Sundance’s inner quest culminated. Without apparent reason, the seeking just stopped and never returned, revealing the conscious calm-joy that we truly are.

SUNDANCE BURKE, Spiritual Teacher and Author, was born in Seattle, Washington under the given name, Donald Russell Burke III. He is a graduate of the University of Washington and the Gonzaga School of Law. Sundance is a former practicing lawyer and businessman. He is the father of two children and the grandfather of three more.

Sundance Burke is the author of Free Spirit, A Guide to Enlightened Being, published in 2008. He offers public talks, video recordings, private meetings, intensive workshops and retreats for those who long to awaken to their true nature.

While traveling for law business in 1982, Sundance was graced with the profound spiritual experience of being the loving witness to the mind’s dream of personal existence. This awareness of impersonal being completely shattered his former understanding of self-identity and the nature of the world. In the years that followed, he found himself undertaking an intense inward journey into the heart of this realization.

Available in the United States:

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Available in the United Kingdom:

Click Amazon.co.uk or Click iTunes UK


www.SundanceBurke.org

Friends of the Heart May Issue by Katie Davis, Author, "Awake Joy"

The Friends of the Heart May Newsletter by Katie Davis, author of "Awake Joy" has now been published for viewing on the Katie Davis website with articles on Non-duality, spiritual awakening, enlightenment and Self-realization.

In This Issue:

"We Have Relocated"

"The Goat, the Meditator and the Sky of the Dormant Mind" by Katie Davis

"Conversations on Non-duality: Twenty-Six Awakenings"

"A Conversation on Non Duality" with Katie Davis MP3 Download

"A Conversation on Non Duality" with Sundance Burke MP3 Download

Go now to www.KatieDavis.org/FriendsoftheHeart.html

Katie Davis www.KatieDavis.org

Sundance Burke www.SundanceBurke.org

"Conversations on Non-duality"

Conversations on Non-duality: Twenty-six Awakenings

 

A New Book Release by Cherry Red Books: Conversations on Non-duality

A fascinating compilation of the life stories of perfectly ordinary people and the different paths they've taken on their spiritual journey searching for oneness, completeness, and unity.

From a rich variety of backgrounds, the people profiled here have been through extraordinary experiences leading to amazing new perceptions. They all shared a common sense of dissatisfaction with their lives and a longing for happiness, connection, health, love, fulfilling relationships and freedom. As they reveal the means by which they each went about achieving an end to their suffering—from therapy to study with gurus, their stories range from funny to moving and tragic to inspiring, but there is a common element in their engagement with nonduality.

In simple terms, nonduality means no separation—although it appears that there are separate individuals and objects in our world, in reality there is only oneness. It is this realization that has transformed the lives of these 26 ordinary men and women from many cultures and from a wide range of social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds. Here they share their insights and wisdom.

Includes interviews with David Bingham, Daniel Brown, Sundance Burke, Katie Davis, Peter Fenner, Steve Ford, Jeff Foster, Suzanne Foxton, Gangaji, Richard Lang, Roger Linden, Wayne Liquorman, Francis Lucille, Mooji, Catherine Noyce, Jac O'Keeffe, Tony Parsons, Bernie Prior, Halina Pytlasinska, Genpo Roshi, Florian Schlosser, Mandi Solk, Rupert Spira, James Swartz, Richard Sylvester and Pamela Wilson.

Now Available in the United States at Amazon U.S.

Now Available in the United Kingdom at Amazon U.K.

"A Conversation on Non Duality" with Katie Davis entitled "Awake Joy" is also available at Amazon and iTunes in MP3 Downloads.

 

Katie Davis Website www.katiedavis.org

The Goat, The Meditator and the Sky of the Dormant Mind by Katie Davis, Author, "Awake Joy"

Three Zen monks went to a mountain cave to contemplate the Ultimate Reality.

Three years later, a mountain goat walked by the entrance to the cave.

The first monk said, "Did you see that?"

Three years later, the second monk said, "What?"

Three years later, the third monk said, "If you guys don't shut up, I'm outta here!"

♥

The meditator usually has an object upon which to meditate. The appearance of an object is the reason that the ego-I arises from the Heart in order to grasp or identify with its object. Object meditation can therefore be counter productive for realizing the Pure I that rests as the Heart. It is more likely to perpetuate duality by encouraging objectivity.

Meditation offers the physical body many benefits and indeed helps the active mind to settle into harmony. It also may focus a highly distracted mind into deep concentration with a single pointed, yet objective focus.

However whether the object of meditation is "external" such as the flame of a candle or whether the object is "internal" such as one of the many extraordinary, altered states of consciousness that can be realized through deep meditation, the presence of the object itself may cause the ego-I to arise.

Ecstatic states are indicators of 'progress,' yet trying is also counter productive. Altered states appear on their own accord, when the 'mind' is being purified and as vasanas or tendencies dissolve. The one trying for the beauty of an altered state is ego's desire for attainment of an object and is an obstruction.

The false I arises from the Heart to attach to the most extraordinary object. Those are two reference points which is duality; the witness and the objective altered state. No matter how divine that altered state may seem, it is easily a distraction to Self-realization.

This arising is very subtle indeed. It will be recognized as movement as the dormant mind shifts into activity in order to possess or attach to the ecstatic state. Just be as you are, Being I. It is the mind that moves, not you. In other words, stay home as the Heart. You are there before, during and after every ecstatic state.

Only Self-inquiry deprives all objectivity, that is focusing all of the mind's attention on Being I alone. Again, not awareness of I (two reference points), but rather Being I.

In this, the tendencies of mind burn away and what we are referring to as 'mind' completely dissolves. Once the mind has dissolved, the false I never arises again.

Subsequently, objects are no longer perceived as objects. There is only the Pure I (Absolute) ... AM (the non-objective universe); Self-realization is realizing the Totality as none other than Self.

Meditation cannot remove the reference point of the meditator; the one who is practicing and who needs more time and experience to become in the future what it already is: Pure I shining as the Heart.

Just as in the example above of the three Zen monks, as soon as the meditation is disturbed, the dormant mind will once again become active and the temporary deep peace offered by the sky of mind will disappear. The false I will continue to arise and attach to all objects, rather than resting as the Heart. For three years, the Zen monks enjoyed the dormant mind. Yet the idea of the goat immediately reappeared as soon as there was a break in meditation. Dormant mind is not Self-realization.

The same is true for breath control and breath retention. With breath control, thought does indeed slow and offers the possibility to realize what is 'between' and beyond each thought; in this example, objective space.

With breath retention, we have cessation of thought. Even right now, if you would like to take a deep breath, hold it for awhile and listen within, you will quickly notice that there are no thoughts. The effect however is only temporary. Mind has simply fallen into a dormant state and will quickly become active again as soon as the breath is released.

Likewise, mantras and chanting, while being totally enjoyable and effective in mesmerizing the mind into a calm and blissful state, the effect will only be temporary. Though recommended, it is the same for silent prayer that is free of motivation or what I call adoration.

The point being is that Self-inquiry is direct and will prove to be successful.

The highest and purest 'teaching' of all is radiant silence and this is why satsang appears. Satsang is far more than sitting with a "teacher" conceptually discussing information about enlightenment. A scholar may offer helpful information from a dual perspective, but is not offering satsang.

True satsang is being 'associated' with Pure Beingness and the spiritual power. Whether one is conscious of the spiritual power or not, this radiance burns the tendencies of mind and without even really knowing why, the mind rests as deep peace.

In silent sitting, it is recommended to simply rest, free of all effort to "move deeper" and in complete surrender, allow the radiance. The 'burning' of tendencies happens on its own accord.

Even here, the most profound glimpse during silent satsang or what is referred to as darshan, may be only a temporary abeyance of mind into a dormant state. So persistent Self-inquiry during all that is being done during the day is required.

If you are graced with the opportunity for darshan, there is nothing more powerful and effective than radiant stillness.

Do not be confused however, the sage is not the form. The true guru or sadguru is the Pure Beingness that is already shining within. If a sage is required, one will appear in form; always pointing on the "outside" back to who you really are, with a tremendous attraction from "within."

If words are spoken by the sage during satsang, contrary to what has been said, nothing can truly obstruct the perennial flow of radiant stillness. Wise words dispel ignorance, but indeed might also engage the ego by trying to learn or understand what is being said. Nonetheless, deep within, the radiant stillness is burning. The waves on the surface of the ocean does not effect the ocean's depth.

The power of silent darshan is still the most effective.

So why all these words?

Well ...

If all you heard here were words and concepts ...

You consciously missed the greater silent teaching ...

Nonetheless, the radiance flows ...

♥ 

 

Katie Davis Website www.KatieDavis.org

(Free videos, free downloads, free monthly Friends of the Heart Newsletters with more articles on spiritual awakening and Self-realization)

 

Pure Mind by Katie Davis, Author, "Awake Joy"

Questioner: What is "pure mind" and what is meant by "killing the mind"?


Katie: When you use the word "mind," where is that word pointing?


Questioner: Thoughts. Does it include feelings? Emotions? I don't know.


Contributor: It includes all, but the point is who's behind the mind? Killing the mind is simply to distance from it just as an observer.


Katie: When I use the word "mind" it points to thoughts and just as you say the mental-emotional aspect of the mind, mental images, physical energies and ever more subtle layers of the intellect. It includes both perception and cognition, understanding and the idea of selfhood, as well as the subject-witness.

Our primary concern is identification with thought and first and foremost, the "I" thought that is the body. This association is an illusion. Nothing wrong with the beautiful body of course, but when we limit ourselves to the body only as identity, we cannot be aware of the greater consciousness that we genuinely are.

The first step then is to observe thought which leads to "detachment" from thought. Instead of riding along on a train of thought, with detachment, thoughts float by like leaves in a river of consciousness, while we remain still. Thoughts are free and so is the one watching.

The mind is stilled, meaning there are not thoughts. Although, enlightenment is more than the blank mind state. We have shifted from the projecting power of mind to the resting power of mind successfully and that is beautiful ... yet not Self-realization.

When they speak of purifying the mind, they are speaking of tendencies or vasanas. The mind is a mirror that is covered with fog, much like the bathroom mirror after taking a shower. To clear the bathroom mirror, we merely open the door. To clear the mirror of the mind, we turn the mind within through Self-inquiry. Turned within, the mirror is cleared by the light of consciousness. It happens by itself.

When there are no more tendencies, we realize that there is no such thing as a separate mind. All is consciousness. So in fact, there is no 'mind' to kill. Anyway, the one that would try to kill the mind is the same mind. It just won't happen!

Even the separate sense of self, the ego-I, is merely an altered state of consciousness. So we hold onto it and focus all attention on the feeling of I-ness. This is the paradox. Even though it appears as a false I, we focus attention upon it.

Not awareness of I, which maintains duality, but rather Being I.

In attention, thought is stilled. It does not become the ego's story of "I am this" and "I am that." The altered states will burn away and the Pure I that you already are shines as the Heart.

Being I ... simply BE STILL ... as you are.

The effort in trying to still the 'mind' is only more agitation. It is the same divided 'mind' that it is trying to still itself. Mind cannot be 'fixed' at the level of the mind. Instead, we focus attention and realize the perfect peace that is beyond the mind ... that already is. In this, what never was dissolves.


Contributor: And purity is equanimity, equanimity to all that goes on mind. It's identification with likes and dislikes which causes the bondage and suffering.


Katie: Just as you say, when we observe thoughts, it does indeed 'distance' the observer, so that thoughts do not use us.

Thoughts are not really problematic. It is the identification where we 'lose' who we are.

I might point out that identification requires time.

So when we are solidly and consciously in the body (part of the content of the present moment), we are no longer lost in the head and less likely to attach to compulsive thinking.

That present moment is appearing within time. It is appearing within the formless NOW that is completely free of time, free of the content of the present moment and indeed already free of thought.

The body is a perfect tool for presence. Attend its breathing and the past and future fade away.

Time = mind = suffering. Remove time from the equation and the identification and suffering disappear.


Contributor: And it's so wonderful to be distanced from the thoughts and actions, a kind of kingly feeling. You know this very well, Katie!


Katie: Indeed, purity is equanimity and innocent stillness.

Free of identification with the ego-I, we are also free of all of its judgments that become likes and dislikes that separate us from the beauty of all experience and the stillness from which it arises ... all is whole and complete ... equanimity.

The tendency is to try to manipulate likes and dislikes. Or some will even work for years on judgment. Instead, what is prior to judgment? When the ego-I thought falls ... all judgments, concepts and beliefs fall along with it.

How could there ever be equanimity and peace with a separated I?

That one believes in separation and therefore only perceives separation.

"ME" against the world, for or against God; separate from everything.

How is it possible to be separate from something called the Totality?

No wonder that tiny thought feels alienated, lonely and fragmented. Separate from love, separate from happiness, separate from every person and thing. No wonder it is sad, fearful and angry!

Yet when we look for it ... it is nowhere to be found ... other than the thought of separation.

Instead of seeking enlightenment, seek the "I."

From whence does it arise?

You will find that it (YOU) are already shining as the Heart that is beyond all and All.

Nonetheless, don't toss that ego "I" out. Focus attention ... Being I.

All the altered states (tendencies/vasanas) burn away ... effortlessly so.

Such simplicity ... Be Still.

Being I.

People speak of how complex Self-realization is.

It is the MIND that is complex and the 'mind' is not.

Each time attention shifts to I am this or that ... and gets lost in the story, just stop.

No big deal. Be still, being I, during all that is being done.

False identification is false bondage and needless suffering.


Contributor: "It is the mind that is complex", "being I is so simple" This sums up your flowing explanation. Well, what you have written is so insightful and it is befitting to be posted on your blog for the benefit of all other friends. Thank you, K!


Katie: Being I is so simple ... So much love and thank you for the suggestion about the blog. There have been many fine and creative ideas offered today.

Some schools refer to the pure mind as nirvana blue or what I call the blue void. This is still an experience. 

Whereas enlightenment is no experience at all ... beyond the experience of no experience. You are prior to consciousness.

Nirvana is the realization of pure consciousness or full emptiness. It is the highest happiness that is transcendental bliss. 

Pure consciousness is the unconditioned 'mind' and its state is perfect lucidity and clarity. Ecstatic bliss is divine love ... deep, cool blue with extraordinary luminosity.

Whereas YOU, dear Heart Friend, are That which makes all possible. 

Not one word that I could say would be true. If you remember enlightenment, it is not enlightenment. No memory! I am beyond cognition, so I remain the Great Mystery. I only BE who I am.

Indeed, I am beyond all and All ... that is Self-realization; realizing who I am as the Totality.

Katie Davis Website: www.KatieDavis.org

(free videos, free downloads, join the mailing list for free monthly Friends of the Heart Newsletters with more free articles on spiritual awakening, Self-inquiry, advaita, nonduality and Self-realization) 

You Are Already the Ultimate Reality by Katie Davis, Author, "Awake Joy"

Perhaps you have heard now that Self-realization is a possibility for every human being. Previously, enlightenment was considered to be available only to a gifted few, who were referred to as saints or sages. Today, this is not so and in fact, you have the opportunity right now to be free of the idea of time, separation and therefore free of all psychological suffering.

The only obstruction is a case of mistaken identity. Commonly, people assume that they are the body only, with its given name, since this is what we were conditioned to believe; a finite body born into time that will eventually die and, during this relatively short lifespan, live within the confines and limitations of the physical form with its conditioned attitudes and beliefs that lead to either pleasure or pain.

Perhaps through chance, we finally hear the remarkable good news that we are indeed not the mind-body involved in a psychological process of becoming something more. Indeed, we hear that we are already the Ultimate Reality that is inseparable from unconditional love, causeless joy and perfect peace; a universal intelligence, within which the entire universe is appearing!

Further, we are told that once realized, it will seem so simple and obvious that we will be dismayed that who we really are was ever overlooked. Nonetheless, as unbelievable that this might seem, it is still relatively rare that one will hear this message and become curious enough to realize the truth. This is indeed changing as all things do.

The invitation today is to look to discover the truth, so that all that is false is directly perceived. When that which is false is noticed, it spontaneously falls away to reveal a deeper truth.

With learning rather than looking, we only acquire new beliefs. For example, someone might have taught you what honey tastes like, where to find it and many other interesting facts, but you cannot say with any certainty that you know honey, until you have had the direct experience in the tasting.

Honey however is an objective experience; something other than we are. So when we hear the pointer to seek the source of the ego-I thought, we begin seeking it objectively. Traditionally, this is what the mind naturally does, when it looks for the source of things. It seeks among the separate things themselves. Normally, the mind searches among objects.

Contrary to what the ego thinks, you are not just another object appearing in the world. While ultimately not quite true, YOU are the SOURCE of all objects. So to realize this, the looking must be within you.

Today's message is to merely turn within. Habitually, the mind's attention is turned outward and it experiences only what is in space and time. The mind turned outward is the home of the ego-body, its world and suffering. With the mirror of the mind turned inward, the light of consciousness burns all of the fog off the mirror. When the fog is cleared, it is able to reflect pure light. Then, all is bathed in radiant love's light!

Self-realization calls for turning the mind's attention within. There is an unfathomable and timeless dimension within you, whose portal can only be accessed right now, through the physical body into its inner body that is beyond thought, emotion and form. This dimension is not an object. It is essentially who you infinitely are.

Mind turned outward is space, time and suffering.

Mind turned within is timelessly the Heart of all being.

When we turn within, it is essentially the beginning of a new life.

Katie Davis Website www.KatieDavis.org

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Roses for Awake Living by Katie Davis, Author, "Awake Joy"

The Way of the Heart

When the human being is consciously fulfilled, blessings appear in every aspect of our lives. Full embodiment of the Heart is the precious gift that becomes the art of Awake Living. We live the natural way of the Heart in a profoundly human manner that is globally undivided. This unity is in cooperation with humanity, the living earth, its vital environment and in harmony with the welfare of its creatures.

The quality in which we live is not one of personal choice that is mentally selected as a right way based upon moral virtues, but rather the organic outcome of total surrender to the Heart. The spirit is consciously integrated as we contemplate our relationships, professions, investments, health, schools and politics. It is not that living becomes a spiritual practice, but rather our multi-diversity is appreciated as a symphony of love in action.

We have assimilated a balance in our daily lives that includes the spiritual in every encounter as it appears. We are virtually a free instrument of the Heart and selflessly serve Its way. Awake Living is conscious that we are being lived for the good of the whole.


Four Roses

The roses are limitless in this abundant Garden. Today, I offer you four; they are compassion, service, gratitude and unconditional love. Each has been chosen for its fragrance, brilliance and foremost for its power in turning the "mind's life" around, to the open way of the Heart.


The pink rose of true compassion is a gift of basic goodness to alleviate the suffering of others. Compassion flows from the emptiness and its cultivation purifies the mind. You allow your heart to be touched and are deeply empathetic with human conditions, while compassion stirs you to right action. Compassion is the work of goodwill and fosters gentle kindness. You are the whole and embrace the creatures of the earth and protect the natural beauty of nature.

This compassion includes a feeling of the joy that appears in others' lives with equal warmth and gratitude. You care for life for what life is and for who you are.


The white rose is a gift of purity and innocence in the silence of serving others, the earth and its creatures. It is silent in that the service is selfless and humble, free of personal interest or concern for outcome. With no motive in service, the quality is far beyond the mind and its ideas.


The fuchsia rose is one of gratitude for the life that appears each moment. You express gratitude to others, the greater life for its abundance, the earth for its trees, the sea for its gifts, other living creatures and insects for their service to life and even the weeds that you pull as you smell the earth to grow your rose garden. In the end, gratitude just overflows until a grateful Heart is all there is.


The red rose of unconditional love is the greatest, since virtually every soft petal contains all of the others and indeed, the entire Garden of Awake Living. This affectionate gift appreciates life's truest passion for loving with patience, humility, forgiveness and emotional maturity. You are kind and in harmony with living, instead of throwing life around.

We have differences in the human mind and have differing perspectives, however at Heart, we are one life in essence. Awake Living is not attached to individual perspectives as though they were our personal identity. We are open to the whole, so that human diversity is respected with tolerance or perhaps even fascination.

This receptivity emulates a love that offers a broader reality for the family, spirituality, society, workplace, environment, science and the arts. In this manner, we live in cooperation and acceptance with mutual appreciation and enthusiasm.

Since we are love, we are not searching where to get it. Instead, we are watchful for every opportunity to overflow the greatest gift of the Heart.

Katie Davis Website www.KatieDavis.org

Free videos, free downloads of e-books, chapters and articles, free monthly Friends of the Heart Newsletters with articles and poetry on spiritual awakening and Self-realization.

Now Playing - A Film by God by Sundance Burke, Author, "Free Spirit"

God's film is Now Playing, but many of you do not experience it, as you are giving your attention to the trailer of a coming attraction; produced by mind and entitled, I Can't Get No Satisfaction. You won't be available for God's film until your interest in this coming attraction ends. However, your interest may never end, because you are the star of this film in production and you just can't wait to see your name up in lights.

Who can blame you, given the circumstances? After all, you are assuming this role for good reason. This script is speaking to you. The theme of your screenplay is dissatisfaction. Your main idea is that something about this moment should change in order for you to be happy. That something could be anything.

A follow up to that concept is that you will need more time for the change to appear. So your film is set in a future time and place. Since this moment is lacking and no other time is here, your desired change has to be written now. As you are the only screenwriter for the movie, it's up to you to imagine and conceive the storyline for your future experience. Your desired changes to the present must follow your motivation, which is again dissatisfaction. As you dislike this moment or desire to re-create it for whatever reason, your unhappiness is being expressed just as you think.

First of all, you might not like yourself. Then again, you might not like others. What if you don't like the way the world is right now? Surely, that calls for a big change. However, maybe you adore this moment and don't want it to change, even as it changes right before your eyes.

As you write your own version of the present, your film is taking shape. Soon it will be developed, but not yet. There will be writes and rewrites, one after another, until you are finally satisfied with the look and feel of this moment. However, let's take it from your first judgment. Everything is going along great and then your star makes an entrance into the scene. Right away, we get a sense of your character's anxiety by witnessing the body language. Then the monologue begins:

"This peace can't last. It never has. Nothing ever works out for me as it should. Why can't I just be happy? If only things were different. I remember when times were good. This moment can't be it. Surely, there's got to be more than this. If I just keep waiting, something great is bound to happen or maybe something bad. No, I can't wait. If I don't make something happen, nobody will. Although, I'm not certain if I can do it. I don't know what to do. In any event, I just need more time."

By the way, how long have you been working on this film? Seems like forever, doesn't it? Just when you think you've got it all right, something happens to upset you and just like that, you've got another scene to write and also direct. Hey, no one said filmmaking was easy. Who knows this better than you?

I've got another idea for ending your movie if you're open to hearing it. As I see it, since your theme is dissatisfaction, what would be more dissatisfying than being unable to satisfy your dissatisfaction. Wow, that's truly dramatic, isn't it? Who knows, it might even help you discover a surprise ending. I mean, what if your character gets so fed up with being dissatisfied and unhappy that he just gives up trying to change the moment in any way?

In this circumstance, its hard to say how he would act. Maybe it's better not to write this ending. You could just leave it up to the moment and see what happens, when your character finally realizes that his situation is utterly hopeless. When he realizes that he can't think of anything to make the present other than it is, he might just accept it fully and be satisfied. Of course, this would change your theme, but you have to admit that it's a great twist on the direction you've been heading.

I know that you have been really busy producing your film unconsciously, but if you can be pure attention for just a moment, I've got an unbelievable proposition for you. Right now, I am watching a terrifc film. It's got everything. I would like you to realize it, as well. It's called Now Playing and it's being created by God as we speak. I don't know him personally, but I am witnessing his production and it feels truly alive and dynamic. While your movie has cost you an arm and a leg to produce and distribute locally, God's film is available now and it's playing everywhere. Best of all, it's free, if you are.

So, as far as the price goes, you can realize Now Playing, if you surrender to this moment as it is, because that's the price of your attendance. And when I say, this moment, I mean exactly This! So, forget about the idea of changing anything here. The script is already perfect. Every detail is being taken care of, so nothing is missing. The set looks and feels authentic to this present time and place. All the actors are in perfect form. Every performance is seamlessly happening and each is Oscar worthy in its own right.

This is real movie making in its truest form, so nothing is being edited out of the story. Not one of us hits the cutting floor. Everyone has an appearance in this film and though the reviews aren't always flattering, the acting is phenomenal. The fact is, Now Playing is not only the perennial winner of best film, its our life as we know it; uncut, uncensored, spontaneous, supersized, formatted to the big screen of awareness and therefore available to any being. Now let's relax, be quiet and open our eyes, because it's showtime!

Sundance Burke is author of Free Spirit: A Guide to Enlightened Being

Sundance Burke Website is at www.SundanceBurke.org

Friends of the Heart May Issue by Katie Davis and Sundance Burke

The Friends of the Heart May Issue is Now Posted at:

www.KatieDavis.org/FriendsoftheHeart.html

Free monthly articles on spiritual awakening, non-duality, enlightenment and Self-realization

In This Issue:

"Ego-ji and Fear, Anger and Sadness" by Katie Davis, Author, Awake Joy

"Nothing Ever Happened" by Sundance Burke, Author, Free Spirit

"Warrior Silence" by Ethan Walker III from Soft Moon Shining

Go Now to www.KatieDavis.org/FriendsoftheHeart.html

"Have You Seen Our Mother?" from Soft Moon Shining: Poems for the Mother of the Universe

Brother Wind

Have you seen our Mother?
   

Was she sitting alone and silent
   

on some lofty snow capped peak
      

as you crossed the Rocky Mountains
      

on your way to caress
      

the vast prairie grass lands?

If you see our most beautiful Mother
   

please tell her I am calling her
   

and that I can no longer contain my love

Sister Earth

Have you felt our Mother's footsteps
   

as she walked across your endless lands
   

planting the seeds
      

of creation and dissolution?

Have you heard her singing her sweet song
   

of compassion and love?
      

If so, tell her that her child
      

who loves her so very much
         

has awakened from his long nap
         

and yearns to hug his Mother once again

Sister Ocean

Has our Mother passed through your rivers today
   

on her way to direct the waters of eternity
   

up into her garden of clouds
      

floating in the deep blue sky of primal awareness?

Or have you felt her moving in the unfathomable depths
   

of your inky black belly
      

where she often goes to stir
      

the boiling cauldron of destiny?

If you know where our sweetest of Mothers is
   

please tell her
   

that I am unable to stop the flood of tears
      

that rises from the well of my deep longing
         

and that I yearn to hold her
         

and to be held by her again

Brother Sun

Nothing at all escapes your warm life giving gaze!
   

Please look all around now from your high place
   

and tell me if you see our Mother's dancing form
     

as she goes about her many tasks
       

- can you catch a glimpse of her shadow
       

as it plays on the steep cliffs of revelation?

If so, please tell her to come for her child
   

who stands now in his crib
      

gripping tightly and shaking
      

the constraining rail of the ego
         

crying Mother! Mother! Mother!
            

unable to find contentment in anything but her

If you see her
   

please kiss her affectionately for me
   

and tell her to come quickly
      

as I am through sleeping and dreaming
         

and only want to be with her

"Soft Moon Shining: Poems for the Mother of the Universe"

By Ethan Walker III

At DeviPress www.devipress.com/smshome.html

Photo Credit: Facebook Page "Moon"

www.facebook.com/pages/Moon/19199534284

Happy Divine Mother's Day to all Friends of the Heart

Katie Davis, Author, "Awake Joy: The Essence of Enlightenment" www.KatieDavis.org/AwakeBooksKatie.html