photo credit: 2001, a space odyssey

In a post, the key to discernment, I said I had literally looked into the eyes of God. Neal said, “well, someone’s gotta ask . . . what did you see when you looked into the eyes of God?”

I have a number of ways to describe this, as you can probably imagine. Here is one example. It is startling.

I was lying on a table on my back. I had no sense of this - or anything - until I opened my eyes. As soon as I opened my eyes, I had instant awareness of the table, and a number of other things.

The moment I opened my eyes I was looking into a very old man’s eyes. He was bending down over the table, looking straight into my eyes. His eyes were ancient, and he was smiling at me. Instantly I knew who he was and what had just happened to me. I was fully grown, and immediately aware.

I had just been born. As a soul.

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In a comment to a recent post about what was actually on the first set of tablets that Moses broke, Segovius said, “various Scriptures are just ’signposts’ to the discerning that there is an inner secret teaching that may be at variance with the outer one.” Trev followed up that comment by saying, “in absence of peace and awareness, we set up RULES. I guess it has to be that way?”

Clearly, there are inner teachings. So where are they? Who are the teachers?

I believe genuine inner teachings are rarely available, and in cases where they are being taught, they are typically kept secret, reserved for the inner devotees. As Segovius’ comment suggests, inner teachings are what are driving our major religions.

Inner teachings, like anything, have depth. You can’t have the deeper teachings taught by someone who is not from a deeper place. This poses a problem if the deeper teachers don’t incarnate, or incarnate infrequently. If we take this as an assumption, this could explain why great movements and religions start relatively infrequently. Of course, this is not a new speculation.

From time to time groups of souls incarnate onto this planet to implement a major change or shift. Sometimes those changes are obvious (like the founding of a great religion or nation), and other times they are subtle. There should be no doubt that this is one of those times. With respect to this time in history, one of the questions is, “Will the souls who are here wake up and do the work?”

The post ends with two questions regarding Moses’ tablets that he brought down from Mount Sinai: What was on the first set? What weren’t we ready for?

I’ve learned that what was on the first set were “principles”. And that if you want to understand “the way”, that the “way” is principles. My teacher says that principles are the path itself. I have found this to be true.

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Moses came down from Mount Sinai, and upon seeing the Israelites worshipping the golden calf, he raised up the stone tablets and threw them to the ground, smashing them into pieces. He then climbed back up Mount Sinai, and this time returned with tablets that remained unbroken.

What happened to the first set of tablets? They were picked up and saved. It is widely believed they held the Ten Commandments. They didn’t.

They had something engraved on them that was much more valuable. But Moses quickly realized that people weren’t ready for this higher value. So he climbed back up the mountain, and came down with rules.

What was on the first set? What weren’t we ready for?

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I have looked into the eyes of God. I don’t mean this in a metaphorical sense; I mean it literally.

I often hesitate to share such things, because of predictablel reactions… subtle or overt skepticism is the most typical. But I am getting to the point where I don’t care about people’s reactions. Why? Because I know if I don’t take a stand (along with others) and speak out, in spite of the reaction, that there may be others who suffer as a result.

I know what I have seen and experienced, and if you are skeptical that’s understandable. But, if I continue to keep it to my self, and others do as well, then…

Do you want to know the effect such skepticism has? High risk.

Listen, there’s this very big problem that we are acting like we don’t have: Our skepticism and cynicism makes the one’s who have had the experiences or who live in the experience tend to clam up. That is very, very foolish and potentially catastrophic. It’s like being trapped in a coal mine, and ignoring the light and shouts of your rescuers. That would be a life-threatening position to take, since they know the way out. Don’t get me wrong - I’m not claiming that I am the guide who knows the way out. But I (usually) have the common sense to know the direction of the way out when someone is waving a light in my direction.

If we want to truly have the deeper experiences, truly learn the way to get from here to there, then we have to improve our discernment skills.

Deeper truth is self evident. It resonates at the core of your being. Learning to listen to and tune into that resonance is the key to developing advanced discernment.

What’s more important?

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An open letter to my friends from other cultures, religions, continents, social backgrounds and conditions:

I hope you will see me as a friend, even though we are different. I apologize for any way in which my differences, inadequacies and mistakes have offended or upset you. They upset me too. I can say a lot about that, but will limit it to five words: Life on earth is hard.

Sometimes I think about how I have messed up, and it really depresses me. But I also have this feeling inside that just won’t let me quit. It is the part that compels me to keep trying and improving, even after I have completely humiliated myself.

When I look at what we are out to accomplish, sometimes it overwhelms me. But there is always something that offsets that. It is the undeniable sense that what we are reaching for is not beyond reach. It is touchable and achievable – by anyone.

Sometimes I feel very lonely. But then I meet someone who inspires me to press on. When that moment happens it rouses such a strong motivation in me, that I become all the more determined to do what I am out to do.

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Other people have a purpose;
I alone don’t know.
I drift like a wave on the ocean,
I blow as aimless as the wind.

I am different from ordinary people.

Mitchell, Stephen, Trans. Tao Te Ching. New York: HarperCollings, 1988. (20)

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where there’s a path, there’s always a leader

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I haven’t blogged for a few days. AsianSmiles said, “Dear Lord… I hope our friend Mark is well and ok, we miss your messages relayed through him. :)”. Thank you for your thoughtful prayer, AsianSmiles.

I try to post frequently, so it is unusual for me not to post. I have been working very long hours out of town, we had a concert this weekend (it went great!!!), and Neal said something that really made me stop and think. So many of you do that and I really appreciate it.

Neal said, “I sometimes wonder if all this blogging isn’t just a bad habit.”

There’s no doubt blogging can be a bad habit. Actually, it can be an obsession. I find that I am definitely obsessive about it. Of course, that doesn’t mean that obsession is a bad thing. It can be a bad or good thing.

For me, blogging has a higher value and I try to focus on that value each time I post. That’s why, when someone says something to me, whether it is from a friend, my wife, my kids, or Sensei… well, there are times where it is wise to stop and consider. It’s good to reset, recalibrate and refocus our obsession and purpose.

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relax
into denial
be who you are

balance
inside your trials
be who you are

focus
you are eternal
be who you are

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Soft version
Santayana framed it by saying, “People who feel themselves to be exiles in this world are mightily inclined to believe themselves to be citizens of another.”

Medium version
In the Bhagavad-Gita Gita, Krishna tells Arjuna that his main problem is he doesn’t believe he is an eternal being. You have to realize this first, states Krishna.

Direct version
Sensei says, “Eternity is now.”

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