forgiveness "I see something in you that's the same as in me."

I was really moved by what Adya wrote about forgiveness in Resurrecting Jesus.

"The open heart is compassionate because it maintains an essential connection. But as soon as we separate ourselves from another-as soon as we say "No there's nothing in you that corresponds with something in me," as soon as we forget that you and I are essentially the same spiritual essence-then we cut ourselves off, and we go into blame.  Forgiveness comes from that deep intuition of our sameness, of our shared humanity. That perception starts to lower the walls of defense, and being judgmental is ultimately a defensive game, a way of saying, "I am not like you."  To forgive is really a way of saying "I see something in you that's the same as in me."  Then, even though you may be upset, even though the other person may have caused you pain or harm, when you connect with your shared humanity, there's forgiveness."  (Resurrecting Jesus, p. 90)

Sometimes it is hard to see the similarity between ourselves and others.  There is a person who appears to be homeless that sits outside of a Starbucks that I pass by most mornings.  I find my mind being a little irritated that he sits there everyday.  Today there was a woman (normally dressed and therefore did not appear to be homeless) sitting on the bench and chatting with the man.  That is what Jesus would have done. He saw the true Essence in everyone.  He did not judge.

Living a life where those types of judgmental thoughts do not set up camp in our awareness would be a beautiful way to live.

When we can accept our own faults, flaws, limitations, dark side etc. then it becomes easier to accept the humanity of others.  Then we can forgive, which means to truly know that we are all One at our Essence, and this allows for the Peace that Passeth All Understanding.  
 
P.S., "Resurrecting Jesus" is the most powerful book that I have ever read.  Reading it is a spiritual experience...the words move me into a connection with Spirit in the same way that mediation helps me to connect with the God within.  

'If he does not shine, he is darkness.'

"Jesus concludes that passage in the Gospel of Thomas by saying 'If he does not shine, he is darkness.'  That's the challenge.  That's the Jesus who tells it to us straight, who doesn't water down the message.  Either we are in light or we are in darkness.  That's a teaching meant to shake us from our slumber.  In order to come into our full potential and to embody truth and radiance of what we are, we must come vitally alive; we must lean once again into presence; we must pour ourselves forth into life, instead of trying to escape life and avoid its challenges.  Then our lives themselves become expressions of love, of overflow, because we have compassionately given ourselves to life, to our incarnation, as a means to redeem it-to bring everything back home, back to its source, to the eternal radiance within each and every one of us."  (Resurrecting Jesus. page 34-35)

If we want to become vitally alive and become  expressions of love then Adyashanti is telling us what to do: "lean once again into presence; we must pour ourselves forth into life, instead of trying to escape life and avoid its challenges."

This statement might require some contemplation.  What does 'leaning into presence' mean?  What does being 'vitally alive' look like?  How might I be escaping life or avoiding challenges?

I ask myself at various points throughout my day:  Am I aware of what is happening in
this moment or am I off thinking about the past or the future?  In other words, am I living in my life or am I living in my head?  Am I aware of presence, right here and right now?  What is happening in my heart space right now?

Whatever is happening in each moment we have an opportunity to experience and express eternal radiance.  We do this by being in our lives in a very real way.  I find that staying very focused on what my heart is experiencing (open versus closed, in pain or in love...) helps me to stay out of my head and grounds me in the reality of the moment.

May we all compassionately give ourselves to life and allow Spirit to awaken us to our eternal radiance.

"Stay with Me"

In "Resurrecting Jesus" Adya talks about Jesus as representing the Christ Self in each of us and the disciples as representing our human self.  I have been listening to a Taize (a French Monastery) chant, Stay with Me, based on the words that Jesus might have spoken to his disciples in the garden of Gethsemane:

Stay here with Me
Remain here with Me
Watch and Pray
Watch and Pray

(You can hear an absolutely beautiful version of this chant at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmAOcHqvS0Q)

Here is my interpretation of the chant:

Stay centered
No matter what, do not get hijacked by the ego
Witness what your egoic self is doing and align yourself with Spirit  (Richard Rohr talks about prayer as "setting out a tuning fork" to align yourself with the Spirit within) (The Naked Now pp. 101-102).

The chant reminds me to go within, take a half a step back from whatever I am dealing with in my life, and pray/align myself with my God Self.

I have had a beautiful week connecting with Spirit by chanting, praying and reading "Resurrecting Jesus."

And it never fails, when I watch or witness from this place of centeredness it is much easier to respond to life with greater wisdom and situations unfold much more harmoniously.  

life lived from the vitality of spirit

According to Adya, letting go of attachment to ego is the first step in awakening.  The second step is letting go of a personal sense of self altogether which he said is much harder than letting go of ego.  From Adya's amazing book "Resurrecting Jesus":

"But Mark tells us over and over again, that true life is not the life of the ego with all of its neurotic fears and desire for control and security.  True life is life lived from the vitality of spirit, and the gospel is good news because, for Mark, Jesus opens the doorway to the Kingdom of Heaven here and now for all who have eyes to see and the courage to repent (to turn around, turn within) and receive the radiance of their true being." (p. 178)

I've spent time this week contemplating what makes letting go of the ego so difficult for me.  Since the intent is present I am not sure why it isn't happening.  I realize that I need to practice more...practice noticing when I have been swept up in the drama of life and then let it go.  I also realize that checking in with my heart to see if it is open or closed is a good way to determine if I have really let go.  If my heart is closed then I have not let go.

Although I cannot make myself wake up, I can take steps towards living a life free of ego by being the awareness and by no longer trying to fix everything with my mind. Here is something that Michael Singer said on one of his CDs:

"I do not expect my mind to fix what is wrong inside of me.
The one inside watching the neurotic mind is quiet.
I relax and release the disturbance.
I am aware that I am aware." 

I surrender my attachment to ego in each moment by being aware of the one inside who notices and checking in with my heart to make sure that it is open.

May all of us experience a life lived from the vitality of spirit!