Exercise Twenty

June 22nd, 2006

Inner acceptance of the Divine

You may recall that exercise four is about bringing a Divine Helper into our world. We used this practice to set the standard for our spiritual behavior. By bringing the Avatar into our physical lives it helps firm up our commitment to be loving and compassionate. When doing so, we notice that we are less likely to give up our commitment to Peace. Under the perfectly loving gaze of Jesus, Holy Spirit, Buddha or Dr. Hawkins it somehow seems easier to stay in the higher fields of consciousness. Practicing this exercise also removes the belief of being alone. Finally, this practice offers us a relationship with Divinity that reveals benefits.

The past couple of exercises [17 and 18] have focused our practice on erasing the body awareness and removing our unshakable belief in the reality of the world. We are also practicing an extended meditational stance [exercise 19]. It is a small step to discovering the Source of the Divine whom we had befriended to be within our thought system.

Bringing the Avatar into our physical lives (exercise 4) has been helpful. Now we shift the practice to one of accepting that the Avatar is truly sourced within our mind. That which we projected into the world, is discovered to be within.

EXERCISE

The exercise this week continues to assist in withdrawing your belief in the reality of the world It continues to undermine your belief in the senses and focus instead on consciousness, looking there for the Divine. We withdrew our projections on the world by first erasing or whiting-out the body [exercise 17], and then seeing our world as a movie [exercise 18]. Now we are pulling back into the mind, into the source of our projections. Here is where we are about to radically focus in the silent field of consciousness. We discover that here is where the Avatar truly resides - The Christ within; the Buddha within reveals Itself by our willingness to look within.

• Find a comfortable place to sit with no distractions.
• Look around you and notice your world - that which is revealed by your senses.
• Breathe deeply and calmly while at the same time, withdrawing your attention, your belief in the information your physical senses are bringing to you.
• You are willing to believe that the world of the physical is an illusion.
• Allow your awareness to withdraw by letting go of the labels for the things you sense. If you see an object, say a wall, then let go of its name, withdraw your belief that you know what it is.
• if you hear a sound, refuse to identify what it is.
• Just be willing to let go of your belief in the outer world.
• Let the information come in to your consciousness but do not label what you see or smell or hear.
• Drop the desire to identify and instead, focus all of your attention within. Transfer your attention, your consciousness within, and look there for the Divine guest you have felt present in your world.
• Search out the source of the Avatar in your mind.
• Ask that He be revealed - ask that the Truth be revealed to you and wait.
• Allow the request to stay within without demanding or expecting.
• You have withdrawn from your world, and that withdrawal includes your Unseen Guest, now you search within.
• You can do this. All your life you honed your senses to focus on the content of the world. Transfer this skill, this ability to sense and be aware of the context - your mind.
• Choose to make your mind as important a focus as you do the sensory world, be radical, unwavering, committed.
• Continue to ask for Help.
• Withdraw your attention on the outer.
• Feel the presence, feel the Peace, feel the reassurance that is stable within your mind.
• If you do not immediately feel the Presence within, imagine or pretend Him there, just as you once imagined or pretended him in the physical world.
• Be willing to put your whole focus on this intention.
• Seek It and you will find It.



• Later, after attaining some stability in holding the Presence within, extend your practice.
• Focus on the Presence while carry out simple physical tasks, such as washing your hands, walking, eating.
• Practice lengthening your awareness for minutes, then for hours, then days until it is a constant state.
• Intend it to be a constant state.
• Allow your self to truly feel and hold to this sense of Presence.
• Talk to It; Let It take the lead in all you think and express in the world.
• Constantly ask for the Truth.
• Feel the Christ, the Buddha, Holy Spirit ever with you, ever expressed through you.

Make certain you search within for the Presence which by doing this, puts you in the energy of willingness.

Keep your focus on the reality of the Holy Presence and most especially be aware of how this feels to you.

If your thoughts seem to argue against this experience, allow yourself to watch those thoughts, those doubts [exercise 2] and release them and their fearful feelings [exercises 9 and 11].

This exercise asks you to commit to a consistent focus and intention. All of the exercises are coalescing into one whole practice of withdrawing the belief, the positionality that the world is real. You are the context (mind) not the content (body).