The Seer

How Integral Dynamic Monotheism can transform and renew our entire Christian experience

I would like to suggest a different kind of monotheism that I believe Jesus modelled or exemplified and which can bring full freedom to each of us if we embrace it. I’m calling it ‘Integral Dynamic Monotheism’ and describe it as follows …

In this monotheism, God alone is. God alone is eternal. God cannot be put into any human categories. He/She/It is absolutely independent, creative, timeless, peace and love. God is personal, impersonal, and, at the same time, beyond these and all other opposites.

God isn’t an object or form but rather formless, like an infinite space. Our concepts of God are like houses that we build within the space. The infinite space allows the building of houses according to the needs and capacities of human minds, but the space always transcends them.

Our finite human mind can never build an adequate house to fill or accommodate the infinite space. God is the unconditioned space and systems (especially belief systems) are like conditioned space, within walls, as it were. Systems can never satisfy our deepest needs.

Creation (names and forms) is nothing less than a manifestation of God, and as such, is not illusory. It is, however, unreal in the sense that it isn’t eternal and infinite. Creation, like all the forms that constitute it, had/have a beginning and an inevitable end. All forms are temporal.

The universe is essentially one with God, but functionally different, like water and ice, energy and matter etc. Water and ice are essentially one, but functionally different. Likewise, energy and matter are essentially one, but functionally different. We too, it could be said, are essentially one with God, but functionally different.

Names and forms are like mirrors in which ‘God’ reflects. When the reflection identifies with the names and the forms, it feels that it is finite amd no more. However, when it looks to its source, it realizes its oneness with God.

We each have the opportunity in this life to evolve or move beyond our present spiritual capacity and experience more deeply our essential nature. The mystery we call ‘God’ undoubtedly has many different aspects for us to explore and experience if we will but drop our narrow concepts and go forward with an open heart and mind.

~ to read the complete article: >>>Click Here

~ by Br. John Martin More Details

We fail to understand God’s purpose because we (are conditioned to) see with physical eyes only and not with our spiritual eyes.

We see what we want for ourselves (a better dream experience), not what God wants for us (to awaken as the dreamer to the dream).

So now (in awakening) we give our attention not only to what is seen, but to what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

~ St Paul, sharing the gnosis (the knowing) with the followiers of Jesus’ teaching at Corinth, Greece. (2 Cor. 4:18).

During one star-filled night, deeply drawn into a silent prayer of longing, Jesus suddenly became awake to a clear, still awareness; his mind was lifted beyond itself into a pure, eternal, Consciousness. He had become one with the Mind of the universe.

In that exalted awareness, there was no longer a Jesus and his God, but a one, all-pervading, Reality which had no division in it at all. He had entered what he was later to call, “the kingdom of God,” and knew himself as the one Being existing in all.

He knew the unsurpassably joyful truth that he was, and had always been, the one Existence that lives in every single form on this earth, animating them all as by a magic projection of Himself onto a universal screen. He was the eternal Soul of all, appearing as all, yet beyond all, unaffected by the play of all these infinite forms.

Gone were all illusions; gone was all suffering and confusion; he was eternally present, yet eternally free, eternally unchanging and untouched by the fortunes or misfortunes of the world.

~ To read the complete article, >>>Click Here.

~ From: History of Mysticism, by Swami Abhayananda. Download this free eBook >>>HERE.

The Old Testament (Ex. Ch. 16) tells how the fleeing Jewish slaves, led by Moses, were sustained in the desert by the miraculous daily provision of “manna.” This was a small, white, flaky substance which was reported to have tasted like wafers made with honey.

Interestingly, it’s said the manna only lasted for one day and after that it went bad. So manna could not be accumulated and stored, it had to be gathered and eaten fresh every day.

Like all good stories, the providing of daily manna in the desert has lessons for spiritual ’sojourners’ today. One of those lessons is that Truth or Reality cannot be stored, cannot be amassed — it does not accumulate.

The value of any insight, understanding, or realisation can only be in the ever-fresh presence of the moment.

Yesterday’s realisation is not a bit of good. Now it is dead. Now it has lost it’s vitality.

It is useless to try and cling to or hold onto an insight, an understanding, or a realisation, for only in its movement can there be the enabling of ever-fresh and new insights of Truth or Reality to appear.

The idea of enlightenment or self-realisation as a onetime event or a lasting and permanent state or experience is an erroneous concept.

Understand-ING or know-ING is alive in the immediacy which can never be negated. The emphasis is on the activity of know-ING which is going on as the immediacy now — not the dead concept ‘I understand’ or ‘I know’.

~ by Bob Adamson (Sydney)

There can be no doubt that sincere unquestioning belief is one of the greatest hindrance to a true spiritual awakening.

Centuries ago, the English philosopher, statesman and scientist, Francis Bacon astutely observed: “The human understanding, once it has adopted an opinion, collects any instances that confirm it, and though the contrary instances may be more numerous and more weighty, it either does not notice them or else rejects them, in order that this opinion will remain unshaken.”

More recently, psychologist, Leon Festinger, developed his Theory of Cognitive Dissonance to explain our ability to deflect information or reasoning that might challenge our dearly held beliefs.

Festinger’s studies now throw light on the response of sincere religionists, for instance, when confronted by the reported findings of the great spiritual seers and quantum physicists alike. His observations are worth quoting …

“A man with a conviction,” he says, “is a hard man to change. Tell him you disagree and he turns away. Show him facts or observations basedon direct experience and he questions your sources. Appeal to logic and he fails to see your point.

But man’s resourcefulness goes beyond simply protecting a belief. Suppose an individual believes something with his whole heart; suppose further that he has a commitment to this belief, that he has taken irrevocable actions because of it; finally, suppose that he is presented with evidence, unequivocal and undeniable evidence, that his belief is wrong: what will happen?

The individual will frequently emerge, not only unshaken, but even more convinced of the truth of his beliefs than ever before. Indeed, he may even show a new fervor about convincing and converting other people to his view.”

~ From: When Prophecy Fails, by Leon Festinger, 1956.

“I can’t believe that,” said Alice.

“Can’t you?” the Queen said, in a pitying tone. Try again: draw a long breath and shut your eyes.”

Alice laughed: “There’s no use trying,” she said. “One can’t believe impossible things.”

“I dare say you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

~ From: Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll.

The grey bubble said to the blue bubble, “Reality is grey.” The blue bubble said, “No, it’s NOT grey. It’s blue.” Then they both fought. But eventually, through the conflict, they both popped and got inside a yellow bubble called “enlightenment.” They began touring the world together, trying to pop all other bubbles.

But who would pop their yellow bubble?

Along came a purple bubble that said, “All bubbles are allowed.” The purple bubble had no desire to pop anyone’s bubble. But then the purple bubble ran across the yellow bubble and didn’t like it, so it excluded it. The excluded yellow bubble colored itself pink and started touring the world again, as the new enlightenment bubble.

It touted itself as the bubble that has come to understand how all other bubbles work in relation to each other, putting exclusionary bubbles at the bottom of the hierarchy. It had all bubbles and the story of bubbling mapped out perfectly.

Then came a brown bubble and said, “All you other bubbles have over complicated this whole thing.” This is just about seeing that there is no bubble.

Brown became popular. It was like fast food, McDonaldized enlightenment. All other bubbles loved it. Brown claimed that yellow and pink and all the other bubbles still saw themselves as bubbles. And that was their problem. If they could only see that they were never bubbles to begin with, they would see that they are already free.

But who would pop Brown’s bubble?

Then one day Brown’s version fell out of popularity. Brown was never popped. He still has a book and a website, but no other bubbles come to visit it. All the other bubbles didn’t get his fast food enlightenment. So they found other bubbles.

All the bubbles floated around, wondering which arrangement of bubbles is the right one, which color is the true enlightenment.

Several bubbles started to notice something peculiar. They noticed that all bubbles, no matter what color, arose and fell within a bubble-less silence or space. They began to just rest and know their real nature as this bubble-less silence to which all bubbles come and go.

This provided a deep and profound peace. All other bubbles started to get on board, each experiencing the peace.

~ To read the complete article >>>Click Here

~ by Scott Kiloby www.kiloby.com

Eckhart Tolle teaches, that people in the grip of the ‘pain-body’ …

* Can readily recognize the ‘pain-body’ in others, but rarely if ever in themselves.

* Find it very hard to imagine how hurtful their ‘pain-body’ behaviour can be to others.

* Find it very hard to acknowledge hurtful behaviour and say sorry to those they may have hurt

* Find it very difficult to communicate in specific terms any positive feelings they may have toward others.

* Pretend their hurtful behaviour never happened and suppose that if they forget about it, those they have hurt will too.

* Tend to take things terribly seriously most of the time.

* Can become free and happier by observing ‘pain-body’ when it arises and habitually identifying with their essential nature or selfhood.

~ Check out the new hardcover book: Peace in the Present Moment co-authored by Eckhart Tolle and Byron Katie. It has beautiful photography by Michele Penn and a foreword by Stephen Mitchell (another distinguished author and BK’s husband). Details at >>>Amazon.com.

“The end of suffering happens in this very moment, whether you’re watching a terrorist attack or doing the dishes. And compassion begins at home. Because I don’t believe my thoughts, sadness can’t exist. That’s how I can go to the depths of anyone’s suffering, if they invite me, and take them by the hand and walk them out of it into the sunlight of reality.

“I’ve taken that walk myself.”

~ by Byron Katie www.byronkatie.com

I turn around and round
The self
Like a dog
Chasing its own tail.
Trying to sniff out
My very soul.
My senses lead me
Astray
Most of the time.
>My hearing wasted
On the song of birds.
My taste sense wasted
On many hardened bones.
My eyes hardened
By the chase of many fleeting
Things.
But yesterday I think,
When I was circling yet
Again,
I caught the scent
Of a thought.
Unlike the other thoughts.
It simply told me
Stop.

~ Corina Bardasuc