Lesson 21
This week we will continue discussing SEEING DIFFERENTLY. As one begins to see differently one is seeing much that has heretofore been in the dark, all the things that made up the self. One is beginning to see, as one observes the self, where most of one’s difficulties came from, where one set up a barrier by always wanting to have something ideal, what ought to be, and, of course, all the difficulties of trying to gain that state of idealism or the ideal which is an illusion and not what is. One might say this is revelation. To reveal is to bring to light. One might use the parallel of many objects in a very dark room and one with no light would bump into things, would find no beauty, could not see what was there and wouldn’t understand it. But if one were given a light, one could throw the light into the room, see the beautiful things, not bump into things and one would have something revealed to one. Now in order to have the light and to have things revealed one, of course, must have the light and use it. If one had a lamp and didn’t use it, it would be of no value.
Now the light or the lamp that one uses, of course, is the Teaching. The Teaching points out that there is much in man that man is unaware of and it points out a means whereby he may be aware of it, the light, self-observation. It points out that the source of his difficulties are not to be blamed on something on the outside but that arise from within the self. As the great Teacher said, “From within the heart of man arises lust, murders, guilt, fears and all the other things.” From within this dark area called the self, self-observation is throwing a light on it and seeing all the mechanical behavior, all the conditioning that one was heretofore totally unaware of was totally identified with. One sees now that it is Not-l, it sees that all the limitations were from the ideas of conditioning. One can begin to see that all the things that one felt were possible are maybe not even true at all, such as having what-ought-to-be, and one can see that many of the things one thought were impossible are very possible when the conditioning is no longer in the way. This is beginning to be a new person.
One is considered in certain areas we read that ones is little in the Kingdom of Heaven. One has a little glimpse of everyone doing what they feel to be right, proper or justifiable. One has a little glimpse of agape or love. One is a new person because that was not at all present in the self. I is observing all this, having a light which is seeing the mechanicalness, the conditioning and all the many things that arise from that, the many accounts receivable. It begins to see and have revealed to it what forgiveness is. It begins to reveal what anxiety is. It begins to be revealed to one where all one’s difficulties arise, from the conflicts of the many Not-l’s. One group contending that one should stick up for one’s rights, complain, to get one’s way and to blame. And the other group saying please everybody, believe and do as you are told by your authorities and to put on a different front and that the conflict between these is the source of man’s agony and misery. He has always blamed it on circumstances outside, on other people, on disease etc. One begins to have revealed to one that the disorders of the body arise from the conflict within, of the many anxieties in the preparing for fighting or running. One begins to have revealed to one that X always does the appropriate thing for the information it receives from I, whether I is asleep and identifying with the conditioning or whether it is awake and observing the conditioning and observing all that’s outside. This is revelation. One begins to live in a light and see what’s going on and understand, and understand other people and not be in the dark of blaming, resentment, anger, guilt, fears etc.
As one begins to have agape, love, understanding, the first person, of course, to be understood is I and there is nothing to be regretful about, nothing to feel ashamed about, that it is the usual state of man. It is indeed something to be very delighted about that one is beginning to see, to have the light thrown on all the dark area of the within. The inner man is being brought to light; the motives and all the conditioning are being brought to light. One understands that when one was totally identified with the self, with all the conditioning, that one did what seemed right, proper and justifiable. That’s what was reported to X and X operated on it. Now one is seeing entirely different things as being right or proper. It is also seeing that anything that has to be justified is, of course, invalid because only the Not-I’s, the conditioning, justify things. I needs not justify anything. It merely reports what is. It is seeing what is, seeing the tremendous grace, the tremendous gifts that every person has and it is seeing that most people are totally unaware of the gifts and it understands these people and has compassion for them. This is the beginning of the Kingdom of Heaven, Agape, the Kingdom of Love.
Now there are certain expressions, of course, that occurs, that one has a different attitude. As we said, when a person sees differently they have a different attitude. The basic attitude of the conditioned person is to gain revenge or to have fear of what’ll people think etc. You are quite well acquainted with them if you are paying attention and have been paying attention. Now then a different attitude, an attitude of CONSIDERATION for all man. We consider and see their viewpoint and consider how one could relate to that individual in their present state of affairs. One doesn’t need to straighten them out, you can’t; it has to be done from his own inner revelation, from having the light. One could so appear that they could ask about it and then possibly one could give them some of the Teaching and allow them to use the light also. But the first thing is to be considerate of them in whatever state they are.
One will find one doesn’t have to practice being considerate because if you practice being considerate you are merely being tolerant. If one truly sees that whatever one around one is doing, that they feel it is right, proper and/or justifiable and is operating by the only light or rather absence of light they have. That it’s the only thing they can do and is what I’ve done for years; each of us has only lived by that. Then one would be considerate of this individual who is in a blind state. Who could not be considerate of a blind person? Being considerate is a new attitude and it results in a new way of relating to the individual whoever and wherever it may be, whether in one’s own household, whether a stranger, a snippy sales clerk or whoever it may be. One is considerate of what, a blind person, a crippled person, an incomplete person. So one would be as a little child; so one is considerate. When one reports consideration to X, X brings about the appropriate behavior for consideration.
The next attitude that one would have is to be entirely HARMLESS; not to be helpful which is usually to harm people but to be harmless. It takes considerable consideration, awareness, looking, paying attention, in order to be harmless. If one walked up and told one of these blind people that you are blind, meaning you are blind spiritually, you are blind to the self, to what is going on in you, you would be harmful to that individual because they couldn’t believe it and they would already form a conclusion. Maybe if the light was offered to them and the already formed such a conclusion they couldn’t use it. Maybe if they are let alone for a while they will ask for the light someday. You see everyone has to ask for the Teaching. It is never promoted; it is never pushed upon anyone. It is lived by example but no promotion because that is trying to be helpful in telling a person that they’re blind or crippled when they don’t realize it. As ones does this one has harmlessness. One may not do much good in the world; that’s beside the point, but one is harmless. By merely being awake, alert, seeing, having the inner state revealed to self of what self is like has changed the world a great deal.
Of course, the ideas of the world are “how things ought to be.” A Not-I is apt to jump up and say everyone ought to have the advantage of the Teaching. That sets it into an ideal. It is available to anyone if they ask, but if they don’t ask, they don’t realize that there in a turmoil they will never ask. If they feel that something else is to blame they will continue to do it and will not ask. It is available to everyone but they must ask, they must knock on the door, they must seek the way and when they do they will find it. The best one can do is be an example of someone who isn’t constantly in a state of turmoil, one that seems to be peaceful as one goes about one’s way. One might be an example but none can be the missionary that tries to convince people they have a problem when they are not aware they have. Being harmless is to see I do not want to harm anyone. Report that to X and it will not be harmed.
The other one is to make a CONTRIBUTION to Life. The greatest contribution one can make, of course, is to be fully aware. A fully conscious person is harmless and causes no one any troubles; is not intentionally or otherwise second force to anyone. They may be unknowingly if the person has set up an ideal, otherwise they will not be. They will make a contribution in peace, contribution to pleasant mood, to seeing, to consciousness, and as the occasion presents itself, they will make a contribution to the Teaching. In other words only when it’s asked for in a proper time, place and circumstance one could share a light. When one shares the light one has made a contribution. One can make a contribution to troubled people by pointing out that it may not be quite so troubled at the moment or by at least making cooing sounds of one form or another. You cannot teach a person who is not asking and is not looking.
This is beginning to experience AGAPE. It is a great spiritual experience and there is still another spiritual experience, maybe many, many more because there are many more levels of agape, love, consideration, to be experienced. And it is in experiencing not a practice. The only practice is self-observation; paying attention is the practice. All others happen as an experiencing, as an outcome of that.
The next possible spiritual experience one may experience is that of FAITH. Faith on one level is the ability to make up one’s mind. Now this one can experiment with and see if one can make up one’s mind or do many things appear to be impossible and one can’t make up one’s mind about certain things? Because it says, “Well, I’d like it that way, but!” And so one can’t make up one’s mind. This gives one the great possibility of not criticizing that one can’t make up the mind but finding where there are still powerful Not-I’s, doubter, limitations that are still lurking about under one form or another and still dark within. Even though one has light enough to see many things there are things still hidden in corners sometimes or under cabinets or under furniture or what have you. So let’s look for the things that when you attempt to make up the mind honestly and you see that it cannot be, there is still a Not-I that gains power over I and says, “You know that cannot be done.” A person is ill and they make up their mind they’re going to be well but something says, “After all, you can’t be well because it is a hereditary disorder or it is an incurable disorder.” Then there is still some lurking point from the old decision that says, “Believe and do what you’re told by your authorities,” and some authority said it’s incurable or you can’t get well or it was hereditary, you can’t do anything about it. When one sees this one begins to be able to look and see where there are still bits of conditioning that are still somewhat identified with or agreed with and that I still believes these mammon ideas. Most often it will say, “See, you can’t even make up your mind yet, you haven’t any faith, you haven’t seen anything!” So there’s one of those accusing Not-I’s that sits around and makes noises.
But it is a barometer. It is a great asset in aiding self-observation to attempt to make up the mind and not to accept the criticism because one can’t. Be thankful one has discovered there is still a Not-I over in the comer somewhere that is having a very powerful effect. As one observes this one finds them. REMEMBER, the work says that we are to only see the Not-I’s, be aware of them, experience confession of them, and X does all the work. It is not to be criticized because you missed one the first or second time through or that one has been added on lately. It is to be thankful each and every time that we can throw that light of self-observation on a dark area. One excellent way of finding out is to attempt to make up your mind about something, anything that you want to, whatever it may be. And if you can’t make up your mind about it you know there is a Not-I that is still powerful enough that it influences I the observer to believe that what it says is true. There is still one there and we can throw that light of self-observation on it and bring it to light, can reveal that dark area and can reveal what is bringing about that limitation in being, that tormentor, that limitation that keeps us in bondage.
Can you see the difference between being thankful that you’ve discovered one rather than being chagrined that you have found one? You see, as long as there is one there it can have an effect. We are not saying they can all be gone in a matter of weeks, we are saying that it is a continual action of serving X, to continually refer to being aware of the self and what’s there. One excellent way to find out is to see if you can make up your mind about anything. The person that is seeing different is thankful in all states of affairs because it is valuable. It has value to discover what is limiting and to discover there is still a limitation. It is not something to criticize. Now in self-improvement programs, which is the work of the world, if one hasn’t improved then one criticizes self because one hasn’t improved. We are not concerned with any self-improvement programs, with ideals, with blaming, feeling guilty or self-recrimination. We are concerned in revealing all that is dark and bringing everything to the light so there is light in every area within the self; that all conditioning is gradually brought to the light. One sees it, which is confession. One sees that one surrenders the desire to go with it and to agree with that, one turns about from it and begins to see differently. Then something one formally could not make up one’s mind about, one can. And it’s all in a matter of degree; it is not an absolute in either direction. You’ll find there are many things you can’t make up your mind about right now. When you do you have found some place to look, have you not? And you have found something to be very thankful for that there is still a cranny to throw the light on, the light of self-observation, I observing the self. As one discovers this one finds that one can make up one’s mind about a few more things.
This is somewhat like the parable of the man who gave one of his servants five talents and the servant took them and made five more. Another one he gave two talents and he took those two and made two more. And another man, he only gave him one talent and he buried it in the earth so he wouldn’t lose it; he was trying to be safe. He was cursed and the others were given great rewards. We are not talking about rewards because the work is its own reward. To live in light is its own reward; it doesn’t need any further ones. One is being obedient to one’s nature and is performing as one’s state designates; ones nature calls for one to be aware. The Not-I’s, the conditioning, which are formed personalities, which rule, operate and intimidate man are very cunning and very wise. The can only operate in the dark. The Teaching shows us how to throw the light on them, shows us what the light is, the light of attention to the self, the conditioned area. It is something Not-I so it can be observed. It is not like having ones attention on self when one was conditioned and totally occupied within it. It is seeing something separate something that does effect one. As one observes this, one finds that faith is an ever-increasing thing; it is an ever-increasing attribute, an ever-increasing experience. One experiences more and more faith because one can make up one’s mind about more and more things because one has observed more of the limiting Not-I’s. As one observes theses one finds that one grows in faith, one grows in light because one throws more and more light on that inner state and I can sometimes move into that inner being and be totally all of it. But we are concerned with seeing how much of it is still retained. The Teaching says that one can attempt to make up ones mind, and if you find you can not, if there are doubts then that is not something to be upset about but something to be very thankful for. To throw the light of self-awareness on that idea, that Not-I, that bit of conditioning that formed the limiting personality that threatens I and says, “Of course, that can’t be.” I no longer agrees with it but throws the light on it. None of the conditioning or Not-I’s can exist in light; they have to depend on the darkness. So the greatest gift is to be able to use that light of attention, of self-awareness. As one sees it one sees how all others that one associates with are functioning and begins to have more and more of the sense of agape, love. It is in a new state in the Kingdom of Heaven here and now. It goes on and on; it is supposed to not end. If one continues to observe the Kingdom of Heaven is without end. So one observes and one sees and one grows in the Kingdom of Heaven. One grows in faith. One grows in the appreciation of Grace and how much Grace one sees. One experience’s Confession. Still, whenever there is one Not-I operating and it can be seen, one is experiencing confession anew, surrender, repentance or turning about, not feeling guilty etc., of being washed of that limitation. IT IS INDEED A GIFT.
Copyright © 1973 by Rhondell. All rights reserved. This material is for an individual student’s personal use; it is not to be duplicated or loaned to another.
