The path of enlightenment is not about anything else then knowing who and what you are, and therefore there has to be set up a prior level of confidence that gives you the strength to look into yourself so that whatever you see you can deal with it. You can learn to deal with doubt, fear, with your prior resolution to realize. Your resolution to realize, to self-realize, to come into liberation is what you hold to be your most ardent desire, your strongest desire, and therefore it keeps you riveted on a path toward self-knowledge. It’s that strength which allows you to look into yourself to see things like nothingness, fear, conflict, avoidance, pain, all these things that are difficult to live with, to face, and experience.
Enlightenment is not about really, some idyllic vision of loving some God that has saved you or that is going to give you so much love that you don’t know what to do with it. It’s about austere self-examination at times. At other times it’s about euphoric breakthroughs. Sometimes it’s about understanding fear and its nature. At other times it’s about being completely released from fear. But whatever this thing called enlightenment is, it’s not something at the end of some path. It’s the process itself that you’re engaging in. It’s the process, the enlivened process self-igniting that causes one to go deeper into oneself over a long period of time. And in that deepening there’s an exploration of the nature of the Self, the nature of knowledge, the nature of perception and experience. All of that comes into this very big topic. Once you talk about it like this, it’s very complex. It’s a vast process. At the same time because it begins and ends with you, it’s very simple. But if you’re going to create too much intellectuality around it, it’s going to be very hard. That’s why things like practices are recommended.
This is one form of practice, sitting with me. I believe it’s the best practice because it’s alive. It’s spontaneous. It’s coming right from the source. People can practice in other ways through meditation and other spiritual practices some of which are mental, others are devotional, others are physical, and so on. So, those practices keep you healthy. They keep you focused. They keep you absorbed passionately in the topic at hand which is who are you? what are you? where are you? Where are you? We say we’re in this world. Okay, let’s look at that. The world begins with your own thinking process, yes? So, then we have to look at that. If the world begins with your own thought process, then that’s where we have to begin. So, do we know what thinking is? These are things to consider. One cannot approach this dogmatically or mechanically in the sense that if I do this, then I’ll get that result. Even spiritual practices are to be done with love and devotion, not with mechanical striving, trying to move incrementally from point a to point b. Self-discovery happens spontaneously while you are treading the path. It is the path. Self-discovery is the path. What you see is for you to see. And I will help you do that if you give your whole attention and come authentically into this moment with me. I will work to do what I can on my end.
