Hello again,
Welcome to this unique opportunity we give ourselves on the wide path.
To stop the rush,
Take a deep breath,
Hold hands,
Walk the path together,
Supporting each other's growth.
And we do that by harnessing the tension that hides between the question and the answer.
So this is your opportunity to shine,
To contribute to the evolution of this discussion by sharing your question.
Don't censorize yourself.
Be brave,
Put yourself in the front line.
So today's excuse for us to meet was to dare to ask this question.
What is God?
Of course,
You can ask any other question,
It doesn't matter.
You already know that what we say here is not the key.
What we say is just the invitation.
So yes,
Work with the words,
Work with the ideas and the concepts,
Work with the suggestions that you might hear here,
But don't get too hung up on opinions and ideas.
It's not the point.
What is God?
Just a quick introduction.
This is what is God is one of those questions that belongs to the family of big questions.
Leading questions,
I call them.
Why leading?
Because they lead us on the path to the evolution of consciousness.
And what's unique about this question is that they were not meant to be answered.
More than that,
They cannot be answered.
But nevertheless,
We keep asking them,
Using them to dive deeper and deeper,
Higher and higher.
It doesn't matter which metaphor you want to use.
From the known to the mystery,
To the unknown,
From the obvious to the mysterious,
To the uncharted territories of our consciousness.
So the fact that you will never find an answer to this type of question is not supposed to deter you from keep on using them as a tool.
And the fact that you chose to spend an hour this week to devote yourself to such a question is already a sign of maturity.
So I want to use this opportunity to teach you a technique that you can use when dealing with questions that you don't have a clear-cut answer for.
It could be those kinds of philosophical questions,
Spiritual questions.
It could be very practical questions that you're just not sure what the answer would be.
Practical answers that you are debating,
Trying to choose between options,
When you're not sure what is the right way for you.
If you're in that situation,
You can use this technique.
You will find it to be very useful.
So I'm going to lead a very short exploration of consciousness.
You want to have a go in that?
I'm going to assume that yes.
Okay,
Baba,
Just for you.
So let's sit comfortably again,
Take a deep breath,
And close our eyes,
Breathe out.
And above us,
Just hang this question.
What is God?
Let it hang there.
Another deep breath in,
And let go.
You may put your attention on your body,
Making sure that on one hand you are very comfortable and relaxed,
And on the other hand you can sense that excitement,
That vibration of discovery that is vibrating throughout your body.
And another deep breath in,
And let go of everything that you still hold on to,
A series of long,
Deep breaths.
And as you exhale,
Allow all the answers that you already have about this question to release their grip and surrender it to your environment.
Every breath in fills you with emptiness,
And every breath out releases the ties you have with all preconceptions,
And concepts,
And ideas,
And opinions about what is God.
Let go of those as if it was absolute nonsense.
It doesn't matter how important,
How articulate your idea is.
Even if you already believe that you found the answer,
The absolute answer,
Let go of it.
Breathe it out.
Breathe in emptiness.
Let go of all reminders of any idea that you might have about it.
Do it for at least five deep breaths,
Until you are absolutely,
Totally free,
Vacant from every possible preconception.
And now,
We let go of the hope that we will ever have an idea,
That we will ever find an answer to this question.
Let go of that hope.
If we came here today hoping to find some sort of a resolution,
Some sort of an explanation,
Some sort of comfort that comes with certainty,
Now is the time to wake up from that hope.
It's not going to happen.
Not today,
Not ever.
Be completely free from the demand for an answer.
It's not going to happen.
Just remain with this question.
What is God?
As you are completely innocent and available to dive into it,
To melt into it.
If an answer tries to make its way up your consciousness,
Don't get stuck in it.
Don't try to articulate it or to verbalize it.
To breathe it out,
Remain completely vacant,
Hollow and empty,
As you surrender to this question.
And as you stand there naked in front of this question,
Innocent,
Allow it to fill you.
To fill you.
Allow the question to fill your emptiness with new meaning,
Without trying to rush anything.
In its own natural pace.
Allow an energy of eternal knowledge to fill that void within with new meaning.
Fresh,
Relevant,
Don't try to verbalize it yet.
Don't try to conceptualize it yet.
Don't try to verbalize it yet.
Energetically allow yourself to accept that knowledge.
Your empty vessel is now filled with the energy of knowledge.
That gently translates itself into a fresh understanding.
Remain completely observant as that knowledge transforms into an understanding,
A realization,
An expression.
And that,
In its time,
Translates to an answer,
A combination of words that would most accurately describe what is God.
Be with that sentence or word.
Be with that.
Don't take ownership or try to explain it.
Just be with it for a minute.
And if it doesn't make any sense,
Allow it to be there,
Radiant,
In the center of your attention.
Allow the letters and words to shine a vibrant white light in front of your eyes.
See that.
Keep it with you.
Take another deep breath in.
And with a smile,
Another deep breath in.
When you feel comfortable,
You may open your eyes.
And before you forget,
I invite you to write those words,
The sentence that you have.
Write it in your chat box.
Can you hear me?
Natalie is saying,
Help,
Hope,
And creation.
When Baba is saying a single word,
Yes.
Anybody else receive the possible answer?
This technique is designed to help us in this evolutionary journey that we have to expand our consciousness.
And it's important to realize,
Consciousness can only expand from what you think you already know,
To what you still don't know.
You haven't materialized an opinion yet.
An expanded consciousness is brave enough to test the limits of its capacity to understand.
And the more developed it is,
The more in love it is with the mystery.
The unknown,
And sometimes the unknowable.
You see the difference between the unknown and the unknowable?
The unknown is the opposite of the known,
Right?
I don't know today,
I will maybe know tomorrow.
Or as I grow on the path.
The unknowable is not meant for us to know.
The unknown is the opposite of the known.
I don't know today,
I will maybe know tomorrow.
Or as I grow on the path.
The unknowable is not meant for us to know.
And it's not the point at all.
At least not mentally,
Not as a concept.
So we allow our consciousness to grow in that sense.
By going through these four steps that I invited you to join me in the last couple of minutes.
So I'm going to just repeat those four stages.
Barbara can put it on the chat box for you,
So it will be easy.
The first stage,
When you come to inquire about specific questions that you may have.
Again,
It could be a philosophical,
Theoretical,
Spiritual question,
Or it could be very practical.
Something that you debate between yourself,
You have two options that you're not sure.
Which one would be the most right for you at this point?
You can use this technique.
And it will definitely help you.
So the first stage is,
Drop every possible answer that you already have in your mind.
All the possible solutions for the puzzle that you are facing,
Drop it.
God is God,
God is everything,
God is omnipotent,
God is the universal consciousness.
Whatever idea you already have about God.
Second phase is,
Drop the hope that you will ever find the answer for this question.
Because that hope keeps you tight.
Drop it.
Not just as a mental trick.
Truly let go of the idea that it is for you to find an answer.
Let go of the hope that you will ever find an answer to this question.
Only then you can be truly available for something new to penetrate.
The third phase is,
Allow yourself to be filled with the energy of knowledge,
Of wisdom.
Not as a concept,
Not as an idea,
But to be filled with that.
Allow,
Whatever you want to call it,
The consciousness,
Allow God to speak through you energetically.
It's as if God penetrates your vessel to make sure it's actually vacant.
And fills it up with the energy of wisdom.
That's got nothing to do with your own intellect and intelligence.
It's got nothing to do with what you've already been through in life.
All the insights,
All the achievements that you already achieved in your process.
It's got nothing to do with that.
All those were already left aside in the first two steps.
So now,
You allow yourself to be filled with that energy of wisdom.
That's the third step.
And the fourth step is,
Allow that energy to express itself as an idea.
As a sentence,
As a word,
Whatever.
Something that you can actually conceptualize.
But now it's not yours.
It's not the I got it.
It's not your I that got it.
Okay?
Okay?
That energy of wisdom is expressing itself as a possible solution.
Allow it to express itself in a way that you can capture.
Sometimes it could be just yes or no.
Could be left or right.
This choice or that choice.
Sometimes it could be a sentence or a new idea,
A new concept.
But now it's not yours.
Okay?
So,
This tool can be very useful,
Very powerful.
I invite you to use it as a tool to dig deep into the well of knowledge.
That is so plentiful.
And I guarantee it will accelerate the process of your evolution.
So,
Who would like to share or ask anything?
I will speak non-stop.
It's your turn now.
Any more possible solutions to our mystery?
Please share.
Tommy is saying,
You can't teach wisdom.
You can't find wisdom.
Wisdom is attachment to fundamental ways of living.
It's effortless.
You can't teach wisdom.
Okay.
I'm not going to debate that.
But I'm just going to say that wisdom and attachment are two different things.
Attachment are concepts that I can't really match.
The energy of wisdom is completely opposite to the energy of attachment.
The wiser you are,
Naturally the less attached you are.
Barbara is saying,
My pride gets in the way.
This requires humility.
One hundred percent.
The intellect has this tendency to be very determined.
I know.
And a personality is built without using the I that believes that it knows.
Humility is crucial.
Remember how to close the gap between what is and what I believe it should have been.
The first step is add humility.
You don't truly know.
It's just an illusion that tries to persuade you that you have control.
That you can protect yourself against life.
Humility is the first step.
It's that attitude that softens you.
From the very firm I know to a very gentle I don't know.
This is an important signal for you on your path.
If you want to know that you've actually progressed towards an awakened consciousness,
It's that catalyst.
You can find yourself saying,
I don't know,
Beautifully,
Again and again and again.
And following that I don't know,
There is great wisdom.
Andrew is saying,
I felt very tranquil while watching the sun rise from the oven.
The sun is rising from your oven?
Where do you live?
AJ,
What do we surrender to?
In the context of what we've been through today,
We surrender to the mystery.
We surrender realizing that we won't understand.
We are not here to understand.
We are not here to get the point.
We surrender to the mystery.
We love the fact that life is much more mysterious than we will ever hope to understand.
And we surrender to that,
To that realization.
Intellect,
When it's fully matured,
Realizes that it's not here to understand,
To get the point,
That's not why the intellect is here.
And once that realization dawns,
It can relax,
Allowing you to become available to experience truly,
Honestly,
Totally.
That's one aspect of surrender.
That's relevant for what we are doing today.
Tommy,
Wisdom is the science of the spirit,
Just as knowledge is the science of matter.
Knowledge is separative and objective,
While wisdom is synthetic and subjective.
Knowledge divides,
Wisdom unites.
Knowledge differentiates,
While wisdom bleds.
Okay,
So now we have our terminology corrected.
Okay,
The more you know,
The more you don't know.
Yeah.
Andrea,
I really don't know,
But I feel beauty.
Yeah,
That's a beautiful observation,
Right?
We know beauty,
Even if we can't explain it.
We know it when we see it,
Or harmony,
Right?
We know when something is harmonious.
And we know when it's not.
You cannot lie about that.
If you're honest,
Easy to see,
Right?
These are the most precious moments in life.
When you are so available to experience without trying to understand.
To cover it with an opinion.
And the most beautiful things in life are such,
Isn't it?
Filled with mystery,
With grace,
Unexplainable.
So,
Surrender to that is a sure sign of maturity on the path.
Haha,
I meant ocean.
I'm saying,
Staying in the cabin right next to it,
In the first place that sees the sunset.
In the world,
Give some New Zealand,
Wow.
We are barely greeting the sun,
Hello,
This morning,
Here on this side of the world.
You already say goodbye.
All right,
Sunrise over there.
Sunrise of tomorrow,
I think.
What else?
Yeah,
Monday morning.
Monday morning,
Sunday morning.
Can't be two days ahead of us.
More questions.
Hmm?
How does God relate to truth?
How does God relate to truth?
Again,
It's not something we can hope to understand.
Let me give you a possible key.
To open this box of mystery.
Unlock this box.
God is true,
Is the present moment.
These are three concepts that describe the same thing.
Very inefficiently.
But with the limitation,
The inherent limitation of words and ideas.
There is no contradiction between those words.
It's the same thing.
God is the present moment,
Is the truth.
God cannot be found somewhere else,
Some other time.
Here and now is what God is.
And that is the truth.
Isn't it?
Isn't it?
Anything else is just a pile of opinions,
Concepts,
Beliefs,
Hopes,
Expectations.
But it's not the truth.
What is the truth?
Here and now.
Where is God?
Here and now.
These are all various aspects of the same thing.
Jesus King.
Would you like to elaborate on having faith and patience while surrendering to the mystery?
Faith is good.
Helplessness is also good.
I'm not a big man of faith,
Personally.
I don't hope.
I don't cling to an idea that there is going to be a better future sometime.
Think about it.
What is faith?
Faith is me clinging to an idea that somewhere,
Sometime,
Things will be better.
Right?
It's not perfect as it is.
It will be perfect if I be patient enough and allow myself to grow or whatever,
You know.
Go through the crisis that I'm in now.
I will be able to.
.
.
Faith will bring me safely to the other shore and there,
On the other shore,
I will be happy and content.
They're saying faith is believing the unseen.
On the white path which I lead,
Faith is not a prerequisite.
It's not a religion.
The unseen,
The fact that you don't see it,
Doesn't make it less real.
Experience can be through the eyes,
But there are many other ways to experience reality.
Not just what you see,
Right?
Things that you know to be true because you feel them.
You know that either through your five senses or as an inner knowing,
Right?
When you know that you love your partner or you love your children or whatever,
Can you prove it?
Can you measure it?
No,
But you know it to be true,
Right?
Or,
You know,
If you have a headache,
You know that you have a headache.
It doesn't matter if a thousand doctors will stand in front of you trying to persuade you otherwise.
You have a headache.
That's it.
You experience it.
You don't have to see it.
You don't need to believe it.
It's there,
Right?
So,
Faith is good,
Not necessary.
If you don't feel you have faith,
Don't judge yourself.
You can do without it.
How?
Be.
Be available.
Be available.
Be present.
Embrace the present moment.
Surrender to the present moment.
God will be waiting for you there.
And regarding patience,
This reminds me of a story.
Somebody asked my teacher,
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
She said,
She's been on the path for so many years and she's losing her patience.
Please teach me how to be more patient.
So he was smiling and he said,
Yeah,
Yeah,
I have a solution for you.
But come next year.
I will tell you next year.
Let go of the idea that things should happen in your pace.
Surrender to the mystery and be available Be available for when the mystery would like to reveal itself to you as knowledge.
Things happen in divine accuracy.
And not a second later or earlier.
Divine accuracy.
Surrender to that.
Michelle is saying,
Right,
Drop the story.
Just be judging,
Questioning,
And suddenly no drama.
Lamas.
It's just what it is.
Accept and find gratitude in it all.
Thank you for first timer.
From Philly.
Good,
Good,
Michelle.
Welcome.
Slowly we grow our Sangha.
See how important it is.
Also,
This is a good opportunity to remind everyone that on Tuesday,
Every Tuesday at 7pm Mountain Time,
We are going to meet on Zoom.
So if you want to do that,
Become more intimate with a video interface,
Not just text.
Become more exposed.
If you're truly honest on your quest,
You're welcome to join.
Bring a friend and we can make it a party.
And you can let me know that you are interested,
And I will add you to the WhatsApp group where the invitation could be found to that Zoom meeting.
Anything else?
More questions?
Good,
Good.
Good,
Good.
So,
We learned the technique today.
How to help our consciousness expand.
Use it.
The fact that you know of this technique now is not enough.
Now you need to apply.
Use it.
Use it.
Asking the big questions.
Asking small questions.
Whatever.
Allow yourself to grow from what you already know towards the mystery.
And the more you do,
The more flexible your consciousness becomes.
The more inclusive it becomes.
And more exposed to wisdom,
Which is always fresh.
Always relevant.
Because it's not hanging,
Collecting dust on one of your shelves.
You see what I'm saying?
Use it.
Apply it.
We can meet on Tuesday and see how it works for you.
So,
Thank you for coming.
I appreciate the time,
Your beautiful questions,
Your sincerity.
And we'll meet again next Saturday on Insight Timer.
Much love.
Bye-bye.
