soma

M>I think you are saying that Christion practice is only meaningful if they are done with mindfulness. This is what I like about Stiener's Christian community Church where the Eucharist (They call it the Cosecreation of Man) is perform by the priest and the congreation is to meditate or follow the words. My mind wauders but rather then "whipping" myself, I see this is part of the process. Usually my mind wonders to struggle with a problem or relationship but I allow this to be part of the spriritual practice. That is very enlightening. You are witnessing the mind, which tells me you are beyond the mind. Watching your thoughts come and go without being attached. Yes, we all trip in the Dark Night of the Soul, but we have a great example in Jesus who tripped 3 times on his way up the mount, but he got up knowing where the corridor was leading him. In my life which gets longer day by day I have observed that my highs are not as high, but my lows are not as low, I am enjoying the show much more now that everything is even and not so choppy. Looking back over the cliff I see all the struggles to climb, the thorns and the hardships, started externally, but they brought me internally to the path which brings me so much comfort. Peace

The yin yang symbol where the finite is in the infinite (in-finite). When the baby is in the mother is it separate or one? Sometimes they feel at one and sometimes they feel separate. Jesus said, "I and the Father are one."" I feel Jesus came to us to lead us back to the right hand of the Father. We feel separate since we left the Garden, but we get glimpses of unity when we feel His Grace.

Children are the teachers because they are less conditioned then we are, but we are their parents so I like what Kibran says we are a bow and they are the arrow we point them in the right direction and they will be guided to their target. I think this says to listen to them and express your ideas as counterpoint either adding something, showing a different angle or pointing to something. Learn from them and they will learn from us, but beware they will push buttons to test what you say. Being a parent is a great path to love, compassion and away from intolerance.

I was banned from crosswalk.com also.

I am inspirored by your search for meaning and you sincere study of the truth . The dark night of the soul is part of it, like a wheel we are at the top enjoying the fruit, but the wheel turns bringing us down to the bottom, but the wheel keeps on turning. As the mind explores these things it is led to thoughts that lie beyond the grasp of the ego and reason. If the spiritual practices are done in a meaningless way, that person is wasting his time because the person who knows the significance of what he is doing can overcome the ego's tendencies and make real the Christian purpose of life. Regardless of the suffering we have experienced we are able to achieve a new state of mind and are born again, when we change our focus from the lower layers of the mind to the higher ones. This new state of mind is living in the present and is a projection of living in eternity. The ego has pride in the past and fear for the future so letting go of the future and the past lets the ego drop away too. In reality it is impossible to live outside the present and to put God in the future because this implies that God is not eternal and present. The proof is in our experience by experiment and not theory. When one concentrates only on what is happening in the present, the moment is pure awareness without any desire. To live in the past or for the future invokes memory, anticipation and causes anxiety because these are forms of desires, dreams and fantasies. It is the habit of the ego to live in this unreality, but as we discard and release all ideas contrary to the present, our experience achieves full measure in the here and now. This reality is total and whole, not the past or future because we are not looking over our shoulder or standing on our toes to see what’s ahead. We all fall into the dark night, I find myself in this predicament, when I am removed from the present. In the present moment I can feel Christ guiding my every move as if he is moving for me.

You bring up some interesting points and I think the parts or separation also needs to be studied and is studied by our scientists who do a good job. Let the scientists and the Christians go on developing methods to understand the universe because with their discoveries and inventions we can split apart the physical and spiritual sides of life and gain knowledge because the more we know of the individual things, the more we know of the whole. The relationship between our human nature, the world and the beyond is made understandable, as we perceive that life is a relative and intricate part of an undivided whole. We just have to be careful not to get engulfed by the particular things and lose sight of the total picture. Our scientists have developed powerful and sophisticated devices to examine the outer world and the inner world of the atom. They have confirmed that it is a vibrating living expanse of energy, moving and in harmony with a greater universe. They have found that all entities living and nonliving are vibrating and are an integral and important part of this external creation. They have also found that these different parts are serving the whole, just as the legs, hands, fingers and ears are meant for serving the total body. With the help of effective instruments these scholars have realized an order of cause and effect, and have begun to see everything as connected, no longer rejecting the idea that everything is united. In contrast, the Christian mystics have discovered the layers of consciousness in the mind. In their minds they have seen these layers lose their individual uniqueness as they retreated deeper and deeper in the psyche. Finally, like a drop of water losing itself in the ocean, the mystics have experienced a union with Christ consciousness where everything is united and one.

Externally, people see better and best when there might just be equal difference so silence, meditation or contemplation is important to give a glimpse of the spiritual life inside ourselves, help us resist the exterior influences that blind us with prejudice and help us access thoughts about God that are totally new, unexpected and beyond our own capacity. The effect of these inspirations is to enable the soul to approach God beyond the material realm in a pure consciousness where everything is one. Religion inspirors people to join which means to compete with other institutions looking for followers, but silence inspirors one to experience the same joy and bliss that permeates everything. When we are alone........al-one........we can experience all one. The mystics in all religions hook up in this medium.

Thanks, good to see your post again as I try to keep my head in the clouds and feet on the ground. Your post keep my head in the clouds.

Christ died for my sins. I find great inspiration in this and the thought that he died for everyone, no matter their belief. The most sacred heart of Jesus showing me the way of the cross to a spiritual and fulfilling life. My unit mind cannot grasp the macrocosm because it is too vast. The image that my mind can grasp is another unit being who serves as a model for a greater spiritual life. Jesus died and forgave the people who crucified him. "Forgive them for they know not what they are doing". Fundamentalist are doing what they are suppose to be doing at this time.

mqf50, What you wrote was very inspiroring. The razor's edge that encompasses everything is the path, a path of human experience where life is deeply concerned with everything. It is not bargaining, compromising or holding back from what we have read or heard, but an involvement with our lives and with what is right. It sounds like you are renewed, deepened and transported to new level having become aware of your relationship to God and your unity with everything. You are not expressing another theological system or a new interpretation of the Bible, but your individual opening or path to God. You are a true Christian. Thank you

We study different philosophies and bring ourselves to a greater consciousness, positive life affirming beliefs are accepted and negative thoughts and problems disappear as we express more love, peace, joy, wisdom and harmony with everything that flows unceasingly from God. Different people learning different things at different times so why can't all be accepted. Can it all be true? No mistakes, everything has a purpose leading us to pure happiness.

People just entering the spiritual life would not like to sit in silence for long periods, they would appreciate the music, but avenues could be opened for them if they want to go deeper into a spiritual experience. Not to say one is better than the other just different ways to commune could be offered. A path leading deeper and deeper into Chritian realization and then shared with the larger body. All are necesary for balance. The people into music would say the silence between the notes takes them deeper while others would say it is the notes. God is at the carnival laughing with us and He is leading the parade, dancing and singing.

I like the funnel and the steps leading to a deeper and deeper spiritual experience. I can also see a progressive TV show that is fast paced, stimulating and entertaining, very eclectic to arouse interest.

I agree music can take one beyond the mundane world. Silence, contemplation, meditation or Quaker silence can then take people deeper into their journey without saying a word. People need to feel and alter their consciousness. Then different people can discourse at the end of the silence and others can question or add to it out of the silence and then end with music on a high note. A good discourse to satisfy the intellect so it will sit in silence is good to be a part of.

I think scientific knowledge is important because it seeks the truth and can quiet the intellect by answering questions, but at the same time I think mystical knowing is a higher knowledge that is stronger than belief. Mysticial knowledge is the experience of God inside and everywhere, but the communion starts within where as belief starts with believing what another tells you from outside about God. Different personalities commune with this Mystic God in different ways, service, song, contemplation, philosophy or even physical exertion. All good paths to the zone. Different ways to express this experience is necessary for the different personal histories one has to relate to. I think all are valid explanations as long as all are respected and accepted as trying to explain the one truth. One who has mystical knowledge I think would be comfortible with this tolerance. If a pathway to the zone is experienced the church will grow from private quarters to a bigger one. If a person has contact he or she may be able to inspiror many from the top down so bottom up or top down could work.

When you move writing your thoughts to your mother without interruption will serve two purposes. 1. It will solidify you thoughts and knowledge. I say this because you are feeling something inside that is guiding you and when you know what it is it will be stronger than belief because belief is just believing in what others say. 2. Your mother will read and reflect on what you are saying without interruption, it might take awhile but your relationship will change for the better. You were inside you mother for 9 months, but the psychic umbilical cords are still there so your mother thinks she is the parent, but the roles change all the time. We all have to do parenting even if we don't have kids. I an happy for your insight and changes.

This is a great thread. I see building the church starting with group contemplations at private homes with the practise created by the individuals. It could be a group meditation, starting with chant or song and ending with the same and/or discussion. One candle lighting another will create a storm that will shake foundations.

Gibran, said Children are the teachers. I think because they are fresh from the otherside. We are conditioned to the physical world and I guess we are conditioning our children too. Christ transforms us from being hostage to the world to being children of divine consciousness.

God is Omnipotent and Almighty. He created mankind and formed each idnividual and is guiding each one of us in a different way. I kneel in awe at His power how he teaches in Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, the Torah, and the Bible. I praise His workmanship. How wonderful it is to hear his word in all these ways and to slip our hand into his/hers in any culture or path we choose. I thank Jesus for being the wellspring of knowledge, health, wisdom, and mercy in my vessel so I can see him everywhere guiding all in an individual way. The sun is setting we all see a different path leading to it, but the sun is the same. Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!

Special Ed students are our teachers. They do say what they want and their bodies are a collection of bad memories some good that they call home, but they can help us transform fear to joy and frustration to fulfillment either in ourselves or others. If they can show us our weakness so we can transform ourselves to see innocently a new way in a fresh world, they are our teachers. Are they the thorns in Jesus's crown?

Enjoyed this quote, Aletheia. I'm hoping that as the church moves out of the 20th century and into the 21st, it will be transformed into a church that desires, fosters, and encourages this awareness. We don't need more doctrines. We don't need more creeds. We need people who are aware -- to God, to each other, to the world, to ourselves. When we become truly aware, we become truly alive.

ebloomer you are right on Having considered that everything is pure consciousness, we are now ready to turn to the question of how this vision of life helps an individual with his or her own possibilities in life. Understanding the unity of the world amidst its many challenges and threats gives us insights into the growth and flow of all natural life. The more we understand God’s divine outlook, the more we will be delighted, successful and victorious in our new beginning because holding mentally to a positive attitude creates success in this victorious process called “living”. It gives us access to every good. When we are trying to bring balance in our lives, trying to solve problems, we can get positive results by thinking of Christ and his consciousness. He said, “Lord let thy will be done.” Let pure consciousness flow through my mind in the form of ideas, feelings and insights, and let the divine results appear. This attitude is healthy and much more relaxing than rushing about trying to force people, things and situations our way. God can only do for us what He can do through us, we our just a part of His divine plan. God’s intelligence will work out the details and work through us for our success, if we let Him. Unity is powerful because it gives us a positive attitude, the sense of peace in the midst of chaos and access to everything that is good. Respect

The child symbolizes the pure and instantaneous feelings of creative intelligence. This child is delivered out of the womb of pure consciousness through Mother Nature herself, located in the depths of our own human nature. Christ said, "Unless you become as a child you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven." He didn't mean for us to become childish but pure, innocent and unrehearsed. The infant emerges threatened by the negative perspectives of the world in the lower layers, to the higher layers of the mind where the function is to comfort and give refuge to others. Jesus is also pictured as this divine child ready to redeem mankind from its ignorance and misery. This mystical child is the co-coordinating point in the mind because it is between the ower and the higher layers of the mind. In this layer the instinctive demands are given recognition, but the center of gravity of the total personality shifts its position. The position ceases to be in the ego that dominates the first two layers, but instead becomes located in a hypothetical place between the conscious and the unconscious mind. If this reorganization is effective, a personality develops that suffers only in the lower layers, but not in the upper layers of the mind where one is detached from pain and pleasure. The re-birth of this improved personality is the groundwork for the second coming of Christ in the higher realms. The people who achieve Christ Consciousness today are not crucified, but they are made fun of, nor are they appreciated or understood even though they are within the comprehension of a child.

I thought the Quakers were liberal in a good sense. I like the way they commune with the silence, but I have only visited their service a few times.

For me the soul is not to be realized by studying and taking instructions because it is not realized by the intellect or learning, but by the person who longs for the Truth and to such a person the soul reveals the true being. With help from above or God's pure consciousness I can get out of my mental situation, but this help can only come when it is requested or when I am open for it. Jesus said, "Knock and the door shall be opened", and the knock usually happens when I have arrived at the end of my self-destructive tendencies. If it wasn't asked for or accepted, it would interfere with my free will and a violation of free choice. This asking is called prayer, prayer is not just asking for certain actions or objects, soliciting God as if He were withholding, begging Him as if He were not willing. Prayer is just the simple organization of my thoughts so I can think about what I really desire, but it should be for what is good and does no harm to others. The real purpose of prayer is simply and solely to arrange my thoughts so that I will be open up for the realization from above. Everything moves from thought to action, some call this magic. It goes thought, idea and then it manifest so unless there is first an image the thought cannot move. Prayer, which is a mental act, accepts an image in the mind as an answer, then celestial energies act upon it so it can manifest. We should give thanks for everything good or bad because one has to believe that one has the answers to the prayers asked, this is the image that is to be manifest.