Part 1: Spiritual Development

[Cmt12]

I've decided I’m going to split what I want to share into two separate posts: this post will be the process I've used for spiritual development and then in my next post I’ll explain what I've learned.

The first thing I want to say about spiritual development is that it requires experience. I'm going to share what I've become aware of based on my experiences, but my truth won’t become your truth unless you've had similar experiences. This is because we are dealing with the non physical, in which the tools we use to understand the physical (our senses, the scientific method, etc) are limited.

My path started through personal development. I was simply looking to improve myself and my quality of life. You get to the point where I’m at now and you realize that personal development is mental development and mental development is spiritual development because the mind is the soul having a human experience. It’s been almost ten years now since I started all of this.
Your level of awareness is the measure of your progress. The thing is though, as I’m sure most of you know, you are unaware of what you are unaware of. This often leads to complacency. I think the reason why most people don’t partake in the journey is because they can’t see beforehand how it would benefit them and they won’t explore it on faith because of fear - the ego craves certainty and security. This is why a lot of us who explore this are driven by some type of pain or dissatisfaction with our lives. It’s much easier to step into the unknown, to push through that fear and feel insecure, if you already feel insecure or incomplete in some way. Jesus talks about how the poor and the meek are blessed for this reason.

I should say the whole point to all of this is to improve your quality of life - that is the end goal. The spiritual journey is not about adding anything but about freeing ourselves from what is disconnecting us from this higher quality of life and awareness; it’s about transformation from the egoic self to our true Self. As you free yourself from the ego, awareness expands as a result because our true Self is pure awareness. At least this is how I interpret it.
So how does one do this? It is done through introspection or meditation by simply putting your conscious attention on all of your thoughts, feelings, beliefs and constructed identities that are transient. Anything transient, or capable of change, cannot be the real “you” since “you” still exist even if it doesn't right? There is a lot of good material out there about this subject that I’m sure many of you already know about it.

There are two settings in which I would do this exercise. One is as a reaction to whatever life brings up. This is the common one, in which we live our lives and then we use introspection to detach from the egoic “garbage” that we accumulate. This can only take you so far though; it is somewhat reactionary and passive. To progress beyond this, I had to use intention or the law of attraction, which has a depth to it. Instead of just pulling the weeds you see above the surface, this allows you to dig underneath. By seeking beyond your boundaries, you are expanding your awareness. There seems to be some confusion and misunderstanding in the mainstream about what the law of attraction is and how it works. I’ll just say this – It is meant to be an active, conscious process in which you are holding an intention. If you hold the intention of bringing into awareness that which is limiting you, it will be revealed eventually. Desire, courage, faith, persistence and most importantly, consciousness, are the tools of the seeker.
Jesus said, “Let him who seeks, continue to seek, until he finds”
He said, “For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed.”

I need to talk about intuition now. When you seek something, through conscious intention, intuition is the vessel through which it (gradually) reveals itself to you. This often takes the form of those “aha” moments in which the answer just comes to you or through a vague guidance – for instance, hearing or reading something and then feeling a sort of jolt of energy or insight in which you can sense that you need to explore it further. Intuition is a part of the subconscious mind, which is connected to the higher power. We all have this ability, but it has to be developed. Many people unintentionally misuse the term and say they have an intuition about something, but it is not the same thing that I am talking about. True intuition is often vague, but never wrong; it is divine. Usually what they are talking about is an induction which is a part of our reasoning abilities; this is egoic. Distinguishing between the two is extremely difficult and takes a significant amount of self awareness and reflection.

Most people who explore the non physical and get off track do so because at some point they unconsciously stopped following their intuition and started following their ego. Even the Buddha probably no doubt believed he had reached ‘enlightenment.’ This is the most effective deterrent of the ego - tricking you into believing that you have reached the end and getting you to discontinue the journey. This is what Jesus was referring to when he warned about false prophets and messiahs. He’s talking about that voice in your head that tries to lead you astray. If there is any dissatisfaction that remains, then the journey continues. Emotional pain or suffering is a reminder that there is more room for growth.

So, that is the process I used to become aware of what I’m going to tell you in my next post. The only difference I see between myself and others who have explored spiritual development is that I kept taking it further and further. Part 2 will be much more profound, I assure you, as I will describe what the end of the spiritual journey is like. I’m quite sure I’m the only one alive right now who has taken this far enough to experience it.

[Baile]

So how does one do this? It is done through introspection or meditation... Even the Buddha probably no doubt believed he had reached ‘enlightenment.’ This is the most effective deterrent of the ego - tricking you into believing that you have reached the end and getting you to discontinue the journey... I’m quite sure I’m the only one alive right now who has taken this far enough to experience it.You think the Buddha was tricked by his ego. And that you're the only one on the planet who is applying this level or degree of "introspection and meditation" to their spirit work. And what were you saying about the ego?

[Baile]

True intuition is often vague, but never wrong; it is divine. Usually what they are talking about is an induction which is a part of our reasoning abilities; this is egoic. Distinguishing between the two is extremely difficult and takes a significant amount of self awareness and reflection.Serious questions for you: So how did you come up with the idea that Buddha was tricked by his ego, whereas Jesus wasn't influenced by these "false prophets and messiahs" or by the "voice in your head that tries to lead you astray"? Was that an intuition of yours? Was it something your read? Did your church teach you this?

Or could it simply be you, reasoning, and therefore your egoic belief? And could it be that more self awareness and reflection is order?

[BurningBush]

You seem to be walking the walk, but I have a few questions.
So how does one do this? It is done through introspection or meditation by simply putting your conscious attention on all of your thoughts, feelings, beliefs and constructed identities that are transient. Anything transient, or capable of change, cannot be the real “you” since “you” still exist even if it doesn't right? There is a lot of good material out there about this subject that I’m sure many of you already know about it.
Regarding transient things, why is it that they can't be you? A stoplight can be red, green, or yellow, but regardless of which light is illuminated, it's still a stoplight. Maybe that analogy would be more relevant if the stoplight "thought" it was just a red light and lacked full awareness of itself. However, the stoplight would only be wrong in scope because it is a red light; it's just not only a red light.

I need to talk about intuition now. When you seek something, through conscious intention, intuition is the vessel through which it (gradually) reveals itself to you. This often takes the form of those “aha” moments in which the answer just comes to you or through a vague guidance – for instance, hearing or reading something and then feeling a sort of jolt of energy or insight in which you can sense that you need to explore it further. Intuition is a part of the subconscious mind, which is connected to the higher power. We all have this ability, but it has to be developed. Many people unintentionally misuse the term and say they have an intuition about something, but it is not the same thing that I am talking about. True intuition is often vague, but never wrong; it is divine. Usually what they are talking about is an induction which is a part of our reasoning abilities; this is egoic. Distinguishing between the two is extremely difficult and takes a significant amount of self awareness and reflection.
This isn't a question or criticism but a thought. Maybe intuition is about a willingness to an accept an outcome if a certain action is taken (as opposed to some kind of spiritual knowledge that taking an action will result in a desirable outcome).

Also, I'm not sure if it's ideal to try to put words in the mouth of Jesus or the Buddha with any certainty. Just tossing that out there.

Okay, you've now gotten responses from two of the more skeptical/argumentative people in this sub-forum. Things should improve from here.

[Baile]

Also, you've now gotten responses from two of the more skeptical/argumentative people in this sub-forum. Things should improve from here.There's only one of me. Or did I misunderstand and you're the second of the two people you're referring to here?

[Cmt12]

Serious questions for you: So how did you come up with the idea that Buddha was tricked by his ego, whereas Jesus wasn't influenced by these "false prophets and messiahs" or by the "voice in your head that tries to lead you astray"? Was that an intuition of yours? Was it something your read? Did your church teach you this?

Or could it simply be you, reasoning, and therefore your egoic belief? And could it be that more self awareness and reflection is order?

My motivation for what I'm sharing is for the sake of clarity and understanding. This topic is, of course, very sensitive so I apologize if it seems like my ego is getting involved. I'll keep what you're saying in mind and try to make sure I keep an eye on my ego.

The next part should cover some of your questions about how I've come to view Jesus and others who were/are on the path. I want to be clear, though, that I have the highest respect for everyone that has a spiritual development practice - we are all on the same team.

As for the Buddha, my view that he didn't finish the journey comes from the understanding that his solution centers on symptom management - it seems to be a coping strategy. Also, I've come to believe that there is only one way to 'enlightenment' and the Buddha doesn't cover this. I think the Buddha was 'Self realized' but Jesus achieved complete Self transformation. The Buddha separated from his ego but Jesus healed his. Again, I hope this is interesting for the sake of understanding and doesn't seem like I am trying to disparage the contributions of the Buddha. Buddhist philosophy and teachings have been very helpful to me. I have no religion and am admittedly concerned and resistant of organized religion.

[Baile]

As for the Buddha, my view that he didn't finish the journey comes from the understanding that his solution centers on symptom management - it seems to be a coping strategy. Also, I've come to believe that there is only one way to 'enlightenment' and the Buddha doesn't cover this. I think the Buddha was 'Self realized' but Jesus achieved complete Self transformation. The Buddha separated from his ego but Jesus healed his. Again, I hope this is interesting for the sake of understanding and doesn't seem like I am trying to disparage the contributions of the Buddha. Buddhist philosophy and teachings have been very helpful to me. I have no religion and am admittedly concerned and resistant of organized religion.Well, I've long said that Jesus was the first human being to fully attain self-realized consciousness and union with Pure Spirit (I refuse to use the term Christ consciousness, bah), so we're in the same ballpark I'd say. What I don't understand is why you would think Buddha was tricked. My understanding is that perception of the various levels of spirit continually open up as one's consciousness is raised. One could simply say Siddhartha attained the Buddha level of enlightenment. Being tricked by his ego doesn't enter into that discussion. We're talking ascended masters here; very hard for me to imagine one's ego comes into play at that level of enlightenment and self-realization.

[BurningBush]

There's only one of me. Or did I misunderstand and you're the second of the two people you're referring to here?
Yeah, I'm the second. Historically, anyway.

[Baile]

Historically, anyway.Ha-ha! Grasshopper. :wink:

[BurningBush]

As for the Buddha, my view that he didn't finish the journey comes from the understanding that his solution centers on symptom management - it seems to be a coping strategy. Also, I've come to believe that there is only one way to 'enlightenment' and the Buddha doesn't cover this. I think the Buddha was 'Self realized' but Jesus achieved complete Self transformation. The Buddha separated from his ego but Jesus healed his. Again, I hope this is interesting for the sake of understanding and doesn't seem like I am trying to disparage the contributions of the Buddha. Buddhist philosophy and teachings have been very helpful to me. I have no religion and am admittedly concerned and resistant of organized religion.
Alright, you won me with this paragraph. I think you're dead on in terms of the teachings of the Buddha versus the way Jesus is portrayed. I'm almost anti-Buddhism because I think it misses the most critical step, which is the healing part. However, it was a book on Buddhism that made things click for me, but one of the things mentioned in the book was that the original teachings have been muddied over the years. Here's the book:
http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Transforming-Liberation/dp/0767903692/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1405012284&sr=1-4

It was pretty amazing because I had done plenty of reading up to that point, but as soon as I got it I put the book down and never finished, knowing that I didn't need to read anything ever again.

[Lorelyen]

We could all "share" our stories, the distillation of our spiritual/magical diaries, explorations, sorceries and good, for someone at entry level but you seem to speak with an expectation of converting rather than giving seekers the tools. There are many here who are confused about what they should be doing, some even "why"? And others damaged by falling for some pseudo-spiritual claptrap promising the universe for suppressing and sublimating all kinds of stuff. But the hope is that they'll browse what many others do to find their paths.

[froebellian]

Well, to be honest I have the attention span of a baby chimpanzee, but it gives me pleasure to follow and read Bailes comments, so if he has time to read and respond, so can I or I try...

I stopped after the first paragraph,(sorry, I cannot read long posts as I lose the will to live) but it's good you can articulate what you believe in and have learnt, because it may well change or develop later on.

[Cmt12]

We could all "share" our stories, the distillation of our spiritual/magical diaries, explorations, sorceries and good, for someone at entry level but you seem to speak with an expectation of converting rather than giving seekers the tools. There are many here who are confused about what they should be doing, some even "why"? And others damaged by falling for some pseudo-spiritual claptrap promising the universe for suppressing and sublimating all kinds of stuff. But the hope is that they'll browse what many others do to find their paths.

There are no tools that you need from me or anyone. The tools that I mentioned (desire, courage, faith, persistence, consciousness) are already accessible to you. I will give you my thoughts on how to use them to progress.

I understand the concerns about my intentions but I'm not trying to push any belief system except the idea that your beliefs should be a result of your experiences. I will share what I have become aware of with the hope that it will serve as positive motivation for others to push forward. Once I've provided clarity about what lies ahead, then I'll go back and provide recommendations so people won't have to make the same mistakes I did. Whether or not I have enough credibility to be taken seriously is going to be up to you.

[Maguru]

I've decided I’m going to split what I want to share into two separate posts: this post will be the process I've used for spiritual development and then in my next post I’ll explain what I've learned.

The first thing I want to say about spiritual development is that it requires experience. I'm going to share what I've become aware of based on my experiences, but my truth won’t become your truth unless you've had similar experiences. This is because we are dealing with the non physical, in which the tools we use to understand the physical (our senses, the scientific method, etc) are limited.

My path started through personal development. I was simply looking to improve myself and my quality of life. You get to the point where I’m at now and you realize that personal development is mental development and mental development is spiritual development because the mind is the soul having a human experience. It’s been almost ten years now since I started all of this.
Your level of awareness is the measure of your progress. The thing is though, as I’m sure most of you know, you are unaware of what you are unaware of. This often leads to complacency. I think the reason why most people don’t partake in the journey is because they can’t see beforehand how it would benefit them and they won’t explore it on faith because of fear - the ego craves certainty and security. This is why a lot of us who explore this are driven by some type of pain or dissatisfaction with our lives. It’s much easier to step into the unknown, to push through that fear and feel insecure, if you already feel insecure or incomplete in some way. Jesus talks about how the poor and the meek are blessed for this reason.

I should say the whole point to all of this is to improve your quality of life - that is the end goal. The spiritual journey is not about adding anything but about freeing ourselves from what is disconnecting us from this higher quality of life and awareness; it’s about transformation from the egoic self to our true Self. As you free yourself from the ego, awareness expands as a result because our true Self is pure awareness. At least this is how I interpret it.
So how does one do this? It is done through introspection or meditation by simply putting your conscious attention on all of your thoughts, feelings, beliefs and constructed identities that are transient. Anything transient, or capable of change, cannot be the real “you” since “you” still exist even if it doesn't right? There is a lot of good material out there about this subject that I’m sure many of you already know about it.

There are two settings in which I would do this exercise. One is as a reaction to whatever life brings up. This is the common one, in which we live our lives and then we use introspection to detach from the egoic “garbage” that we accumulate. This can only take you so far though; it is somewhat reactionary and passive. To progress beyond this, I had to use intention or the law of attraction, which has a depth to it. Instead of just pulling the weeds you see above the surface, this allows you to dig underneath. By seeking beyond your boundaries, you are expanding your awareness. There seems to be some confusion and misunderstanding in the mainstream about what the law of attraction is and how it works. I’ll just say this – It is meant to be an active, conscious process in which you are holding an intention. If you hold the intention of bringing into awareness that which is limiting you, it will be revealed eventually. Desire, courage, faith, persistence and most importantly, consciousness, are the tools of the seeker.
Jesus said, “Let him who seeks, continue to seek, until he finds”
He said, “For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed.”

I need to talk about intuition now. When you seek something, through conscious intention, intuition is the vessel through which it (gradually) reveals itself to you. This often takes the form of those “aha” moments in which the answer just comes to you or through a vague guidance – for instance, hearing or reading something and then feeling a sort of jolt of energy or insight in which you can sense that you need to explore it further. Intuition is a part of the subconscious mind, which is connected to the higher power. We all have this ability, but it has to be developed. Many people unintentionally misuse the term and say they have an intuition about something, but it is not the same thing that I am talking about. True intuition is often vague, but never wrong; it is divine. Usually what they are talking about is an induction which is a part of our reasoning abilities; this is egoic. Distinguishing between the two is extremely difficult and takes a significant amount of self awareness and reflection.

Most people who explore the non physical and get off track do so because at some point they unconsciously stopped following their intuition and started following their ego. Even the Buddha probably no doubt believed he had reached ‘enlightenment.’ This is the most effective deterrent of the ego - tricking you into believing that you have reached the end and getting you to discontinue the journey. This is what Jesus was referring to when he warned about false prophets and messiahs. He’s talking about that voice in your head that tries to lead you astray. If there is any dissatisfaction that remains, then the journey continues. Emotional pain or suffering is a reminder that there is more room for growth.

So, that is the process I used to become aware of what I’m going to tell you in my next post. The only difference I see between myself and others who have explored spiritual development is that I kept taking it further and further. Part 2 will be much more profound, I assure you, as I will describe what the end of the spiritual journey is like. I’m quite sure I’m the only one alive right now who has taken this far enough to experience it.I relate to a lot of what you say and looking forward to Part 2. Could you give some personal examples of what you have experienced?

[Cmt12]

Just as a caution - The second part is going to be long and intense. I'm going to be summarizing what I've come to gradually realize over the last few years. I can't imagine someone reading it and not feeling overwhelmed, but I figured I'd just put it all out there.

[Baile]

Well, to be honest I have the attention span of a baby chimpanzee,You've never seen one banging on the bongos? They can go for hours. A lot of money for nothing in it if you're a street performer and own a chimp.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c210/bailest/03_dire_straits_zps66ab74c1.jpg

[silent whisper]

Just as a caution - The second part is going to be long and intense. I'm going to be summarizing what I've come to gradually realize over the last few years. I can't imagine someone reading it and not feeling overwhelmed, but I figured I'd just put it all out there.

Oh great I am enjoying what your sharing...:)

[Swami Chihuahuananda]

I will describe what the end of the spiritual journey is like. .

"Paradise is exactly like where you are right now, only much...much...better "

Laurie Anderson , 'Language Is A Virus'

[running]

I've decided I’m going to split what I want to share into two separate posts: this post will be the process I've used for spiritual development and then in my next post I’ll explain what I've learned.

The first thing I want to say about spiritual development is that it requires experience. I'm going to share what I've become aware of based on my experiences, but my truth won’t become your truth unless you've had similar experiences. This is because we are dealing with the non physical, in which the tools we use to understand the physical (our senses, the scientific method, etc) are limited.

My path started through personal development. I was simply looking to improve myself and my quality of life. You get to the point where I’m at now and you realize that personal development is mental development and mental development is spiritual development because the mind is the soul having a human experience. It’s been almost ten years now since I started all of this.
Your level of awareness is the measure of your progress. The thing is though, as I’m sure most of you know, you are unaware of what you are unaware of. This often leads to complacency. I think the reason why most people don’t partake in the journey is because they can’t see beforehand how it would benefit them and they won’t explore it on faith because of fear - the ego craves certainty and security. This is why a lot of us who explore this are driven by some type of pain or dissatisfaction with our lives. It’s much easier to step into the unknown, to push through that fear and feel insecure, if you already feel insecure or incomplete in some way. Jesus talks about how the poor and the meek are blessed for this reason.

I should say the whole point to all of this is to improve your quality of life - that is the end goal. The spiritual journey is not about adding anything but about freeing ourselves from what is disconnecting us from this higher quality of life and awareness; it’s about transformation from the egoic self to our true Self. As you free yourself from the ego, awareness expands as a result because our true Self is pure awareness. At least this is how I interpret it.
So how does one do this? It is done through introspection or meditation by simply putting your conscious attention on all of your thoughts, feelings, beliefs and constructed identities that are transient. Anything transient, or capable of change, cannot be the real “you” since “you” still exist even if it doesn't right? There is a lot of good material out there about this subject that I’m sure many of you already know about it.

There are two settings in which I would do this exercise. One is as a reaction to whatever life brings up. This is the common one, in which we live our lives and then we use introspection to detach from the egoic “garbage” that we accumulate. This can only take you so far though; it is somewhat reactionary and passive. To progress beyond this, I had to use intention or the law of attraction, which has a depth to it. Instead of just pulling the weeds you see above the surface, this allows you to dig underneath. By seeking beyond your boundaries, you are expanding your awareness. There seems to be some confusion and misunderstanding in the mainstream about what the law of attraction is and how it works. I’ll just say this – It is meant to be an active, conscious process in which you are holding an intention. If you hold the intention of bringing into awareness that which is limiting you, it will be revealed eventually. Desire, courage, faith, persistence and most importantly, consciousness, are the tools of the seeker.
Jesus said, “Let him who seeks, continue to seek, until he finds”
He said, “For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed.”

I need to talk about intuition now. When you seek something, through conscious intention, intuition is the vessel through which it (gradually) reveals itself to you. This often takes the form of those “aha” moments in which the answer just comes to you or through a vague guidance – for instance, hearing or reading something and then feeling a sort of jolt of energy or insight in which you can sense that you need to explore it further. Intuition is a part of the subconscious mind, which is connected to the higher power. We all have this ability, but it has to be developed. Many people unintentionally misuse the term and say they have an intuition about something, but it is not the same thing that I am talking about. True intuition is often vague, but never wrong; it is divine. Usually what they are talking about is an induction which is a part of our reasoning abilities; this is egoic. Distinguishing between the two is extremely difficult and takes a significant amount of self awareness and reflection.

Most people who explore the non physical and get off track do so because at some point they unconsciously stopped following their intuition and started following their ego. Even the Buddha probably no doubt believed he had reached ‘enlightenment.’ This is the most effective deterrent of the ego - tricking you into believing that you have reached the end and getting you to discontinue the journey. This is what Jesus was referring to when he warned about false prophets and messiahs. He’s talking about that voice in your head that tries to lead you astray. If there is any dissatisfaction that remains, then the journey continues. Emotional pain or suffering is a reminder that there is more room for growth.

So, that is the process I used to become aware of what I’m going to tell you in my next post. The only difference I see between myself and others who have explored spiritual development is that I kept taking it further and further. Part 2 will be much more profound, I assure you, as I will describe what the end of the spiritual journey is like. I’m quite sure I’m the only one alive right now who has taken this far enough to experience it.

I think its awesome that your sharing your journey and its working for you. I'm going to share mine not to distract you on yours but to show another perspective. So there's all these perspectives and ways of looking at things. They seem like stepping stones going somewhere. Then some how a storm comes in and washes it all away. Your left sensing everything comes out of the bliss then dissolves back into it. What it was and what I thought it was becomes a funny joke. It just lives then dies. Lol. Whatever it was, becomes, way it was looked at, right, wrong, just lives and dies anyways. So then what. Well for me. I just simply accept myself. And for me that's enough.

[Swami Chihuahuananda]

So then what. Well for me. I just simply accept myself. And for me that's enough.

Things can seem complicated for a long time..... until they don't :smile:

[Miss Hepburn]

Yes, I would love to hear what everyone has learned...."in a nutshell"
Haha, so to speak.
Great topic and op, Cmt.
:thumbsup:

[running]

Things can seem complicated for a long time..... until they don't :smile:

Lol.. .

[Swami Chihuahuananda]

Lol.. .

No, I was being serious ... but it is funny :tongue: (and true)

[running]

No, I was being serious ... but it is funny :tongue: (and true)

I thought so. And that has been my experience. So your comment made me laugh. It was well put and to the point.

[running]

Yes, I would love to hear what everyone has learned...."in a nutshell"
Haha, so to speak.
Great topic and op, Cmt.
:thumbsup:

I think at least for me is in speaking about ones, "in a nutshell," a healing happens. A further acceptance of ones experience. Plus its interesting. The sameness and the diversity of them.