Master the Art of Living

The Golden Thread

The discovery that there exists only one student, one teacher, and one teaching holds within it the glad assurance that each of us possesses the potential to become Masters of the Art of Living.

Mastery Learning

In the 1970s American educational psychologist, Benjamin Bloom, challenged prevailing educational theories by conducting research to support what he called Mastery Learning.  This revolutionary instructional method presumes that a student can learn anything, if he or she is provided with the appropriate conditions.  Bloom held that students should not be introduced to a new concept until they had demonstrated proficiency with the current one.  By extension, a child should not be advanced to the next grade-level until he or she masters the material in the current one. 

Bloom’s research showed that one-on-one tutoring, while nearly impossible in most classroom settings, made it possible for almost anyone to master almost anything.  His findings led to subsequent research in the field of learning styles, which encouraged teachers to vary their instructional and evaluation techniques to meet the needs of every student.  This optimistic theory, emphasizing the intrinsic value of every human being, has  great made strides towards ensuring that “no child is left behind” within the American educational system.

The Art of Living

Those of us who consider ourselves spiritual aspirants can be described as “students” in the “classroom” of the “school” of Life.  But, aspirants are not unique; we are just more aware than the average sleeping person.  Whether we know it or not, every human being is on the planet to become a Master of the Art of Living.  We are being given one-on-one instruction by the Master Instructor who, like Bloom, adheres to the Mastery Learning approach.  This means we will not be advanced to the next level of the “celestial curriculum,” until we have mastered the lessons presented at this level.  It would be counterintuitive to assume otherwise; and yet, this is exactly what most of us expect to happen.

To extend the metaphor further, by seeing this “truth” in scale, each one of us requires a different instructional approach, because we are all endowed from birth with a unique set of preferences, tendencies, and attributes we can refer to as our essential nature.  And, as we have discovered and discussed on many occasions, we are placed within the exact learning conditions we require to teach us exactly what we need to learn to fulfill our particular life’s purpose.  These conditions include all of our interpersonal, socio-economic, ethno-cultural, and sexual orientations, which comprise the “look” of our particular learning environment.

Obstacles to Learning

Given this understanding of the perfect match between our learning style (essential nature) and instructional techniques (life conditions), what is it that prevents us from advancing to the next level?  In other words, what are the obstacles that prevent us from learning and/or slow down the process?  It seems strange that we’re here to learn—to become masters of the art of living for the purpose of self-realization; and yet, we continuously find ourselves stuck in the same old place.  If we truly want to learn, it seems we must start by identifying what’s holding us back.  This is the beginning of our real inner work:  self-observation for the purpose of discovering that which is interfering with learning.

Seven Steps to Perfect Peace

Golden Thread

To experience the peace that passes all understanding you must identify and drop the self that sees itself as separate from the condition providing the disturbance. 

Quest for Peace

How many of you have ever felt like a three-legged stool with one leg that’s too short?  What happens to a stool like this?  It’s imbalanced, isn’t it?  And why is this? One part is no longer aligned with the whole.  As human beings, who possess varying degrees of consciousness, we are aware of our imbalance, but generally blame external conditions—people, places, or events—for our lack of balance.  If we look closely, we can readily see that to one degree or another, our entire lives become an uncomfortable balancing act. 

If we think about it, what we’re seeking is peace—a return to our natural state.  If we look to nature as our teacher—and we must, as it represents three-dimensional physical reality—we can see that all organism are continuously seeking a state of what biology refers to as “homeostasis.”  In other words, all living things are endowed with a natural internal regulator whose purpose is to allow the organism to function effectively in a broad range of environmental conditions.  If  hormones, temperature, glucose levels get out of whack, the autonomic  nervous system will kick in and rebalance the parts that are no longer functioning with the whole.  As we know, this system is unconscious and involuntary.  In other words, it requires no thought on the part of the organism.

Human beings are certainly governed by homeostatic regulation and are the only creatures on earth that have been proven to have the ability to self-regulate their emotional, intellectual, and physical centers through varying levels of consciousness or understanding.  What we’re interested in today is the continuous, even habitual, attempt to self-regulate the state of psychological peace.  And, our first task in this examination is to look at the cause of our imbalance, this perceived lack of peace. 

As spiritual aspirants, we know the problem isn’t outside of us.  We wouldn’t be here today, if we had not already exhausted all of the usual methods of rebalancing ourselves:  anger, withdrawal, alcohol, shopping, books, gurus, etc.  Most of us have tried it all with no lasting success.  Most of us are here today, because we know none of these comfort-seeking behaviors work, and we want to find another way.  The way I will present to you today is called The Inner Path, and we will discuss seven steps you can begin to follow right now—as we speak—to deliver you to a new level of consciousness, where you will discover the peace for which your heart longs.  Shall we take this journey together?

A New Mind

To begin I’ll ask you to take a deep breath and come wide awake, so you can hear an age-old, long-forgotten spiritual secret.  The reason we continuously struggle for more peace in our lives is because we’ve forgotten our true nature, which is peace itself.

Our current level of understanding—this comparative mind made up of all of its “wants” and “don’t wants”—has led us into a constant struggle with conditions within and outside of us that cause repetitive patterns of suffering.  What is required to break free from this suffering and to restore the peace which represents our true nature is a new mind or “metanoia.”

The term “metanoia” is derived from two Greek words “meta,” meaning “beyond” or “after,” and “noos,” meaning mind.  Some theologians use the word “metanoia” to refer to the process of repentance, but more contemporary scholars have replaced this negative connotation with a more positive definition involving the journey towards a superior level of understanding or consciousness. The “act of repentance” becomes “the act of turning around.”  It is this latter definition that we’ll be working with today.

This concept of the necessity of possessing a new mind can be traced throughout all of the world’s great religious teachings and scripture, but today we’re going to examine two verses from the Christian New Testament, which if understood properly, contain the secret to discovering this perfect peace for which we all long.

In this passage St. Paul is attempting to convey to the Romans the importance of holding on to their intention to be transformed by Love/Christ/Light/Awareness. 

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be confirmed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what the will of God— what is is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12: 1-2

Within these two short verses contain the key to eternal peace, and today you and I will look deeply into their hidden truth by uncovering the seven steps to perfect peace.

The Meaning of Wealth

Golden Thread

To understand the human drive to accumulate riches on earth is to discover the root of psychological captivity.

Gospel of Wealth

          All of us in one way or another were raised on the gospel of wealth.  This “holy scripture,” which has become the new religion for millions of people in the United States and beyond, conditioned us to believe that God blesses His “elect” with prosperity, while damning everyone else to poverty. According to this belief system, the accumulation of wealth is a sure indication that those of us who “have” an excess of financial resources are among God’s chosen and, therefore, somehow more worthy than those who “have not.”
          While none of us would freely admit to being subject to this prevailing cultural belief, we have only to study ourselves to see how it has shaped and influenced us.  In fact, much of the stress we experience in our daily lives is a direct byproduct of this false thinking, and until we thoroughly understand and acknowledge the nature of this driving force, we will continue to be its slave.
          If we are among the wealthiest, which in America today is defined as earning an annual income of $250,000 or more, our fear, stress, and anxiety is twofold.  We are burdened with continuing to produce this high level of income and sacrifice our health, happiness, and spiritual equanimity at the high alter of Mammon.  We are also preoccupied with the task of protecting, defending, and otherwise manipulating the conditions of our lives to preserve the status quo. 
          Most of us become identified with our lifestyle to such an extent that many are willing to amass high levels of debt to keep up appearances, even when we experience the nearly inevitable reversal of fortune.  Loss of status and the approval of others becomes our greatest fear, and underlying this fear is the belief that without our wealth, we are losers, nobodies, or, worse, untouchables.  Surely, God did not put us on this earth to slave and toil as a member of the working class!  We’ve all read about or known people who resorted to alcohol, drugs, or taking their own lives when faced with bankruptcy.  Why?  The gospel of wealth had convinced them that life wasn’t worth living, if they were poor.
          On the other side of the fence are the middle and working classes and the poor and destitute.  Their responses vary.  Many within this diverse group choose to work even harder, hoping to prove themselves worthy by breaking through the glass ceiling to the top of the heap.  Most of these individuals experience stress from overwork and frustration associated with their perceived inability to get that long-awaited break. 
          The vast majority of people on this side of the fence identify themselves as victims and blame the rich for their woes.  Our thinking goes something like this:  “I’m as smart as the next person.  I work hard to get ahead and never seem to make ends meet.  The problem is the system.  The rich won’t make room for me.  They’re running the show and trying to keep me down!”  At this point some become politically active and begin to fight for their perceived rights and what’s “owed” them, motivated by insecurity, victimization, and a sense of entitlement.  They are cheered on by a member of God’s elect (he/she who has made it to the top but has remembered to roll up his shirtsleeves), and told that if they will put their trust in him or her, the system will change and they will be given their due. 
          Sadly, nothing ever changes or the changes lead to more problems, and the system just weakens to the point where even fewer are able to “get ahead.”  Like their wealthy brothers and sisters, the underclasses resort to self-destructive behaviors and, even, suicide to deal with the stress brought on by the myth of the gospel of wealth.

True Success

Golden Thread

True success grows from the seed of an intention planted and nurtured in the eternal garden of now.

Intention

          We all know that hard work and perseverance are key ingredients for success in any field of endeavor.  We’ve learned from an early age that we must put our nose to the grindstone and “go for it,” if we hope to achieve excellence in business, academics, or the arts.  Nearly all of us were raised by the Judeo-Christian work ethic that touts the familiar adage “persistence breeds success.”  We were told that with a lot of hard work, a little ingenuity, and a bit of luck we could accomplish anything we set our minds to achieve.
          What we didn’t learn as much about was the importance of creating a right intention, so when our hard work finally did pay off, we would feel that we were truly successful human beings.  We know little or nothing about the universal Laws of Creation, so we’re always pursuing one desire after another in search of the elusive “win.”  Our work as spiritual aspirants is to observe life as it is happening now, so we can begin to uncover the true nature of success and what we must do to achieve it.
          True success in life grows from the seeds of intention.  Sages and prophets throughout history have revealed what quantum physics has only recently discovered: that real results come about not so much from what we do, but more from what we think.  In other words, what we want is not as important as why we want it.
          Let’s take a practical example.  A woman lives in a small apartment and dreams of one day living in a mansion.  She doesn’t understand why the conditions in her life have produced her modest lifestyle and feels she deserves more than she has.  Her brother and his family live in a ten room house and enjoy many luxuries she has never known.  So, this woman scrimps and saves and works two jobs, so she can buy the big house she envisions and have all the things her heart desires.  Just as she begins to get ahead, her car breaks down or there’s a medical emergency, and all of her savings are spent on necessities.  Why can’t she realize her ideal?
          The answer is lack of proper intention.  If asked to go deeply into her desire for a big house and prosperous lifestyle, the woman would discover that what she really wants is to escape the negative aspects of her current life.  She’s motivated by what she doesn’t want: the cramped living space, fear of poverty, and lack of social status as compared to her brother.  With this negative intention, she can only draw more of these same conditions into her life.  What we resist always persists.
          What is necessary to turn a situation like this around is to set a right intention based on positive desires.  When the woman—or any of us—begins to visualize a goal, we must honestly ask ourselves, “What do I hope to gain from the realization of this desire?”  Our answers might surprise us!  If we truly see the goal we envision making a positive contribution to our well-being and the well-being of those around us, rather than merely fulfilling a wish to escape our present circumstances, we will be moving in the right direction.

Thinking is Creating

          The key to understanding how to draw more success into our lives is to realize that:  to think is to create.  Whatever thoughts I hold and nurture in my mind and, especially, those which are spoken either silently or aloud, punctuated by emotion, will eventually become manifest in my life.  All of creation is the product of thought.  We wouldn’t be here, if a higher energy hadn’t conceived us into being, and likewise the conditions of our lives would not be what they are if we had not conceived them with our divided, sleeping minds. 
          Consider this thought deeply and examine the patterns of your life to test its veracity.  We are not victims of chance or any force outside of us.  We are actual creative expressions of the one Creator.  If we don’t like what we see, we must take responsibility for our lives and change our thinking.

Radical Trust

          We were created to have everything we need to fulfill our unique purpose in life.  The problem is we don’t know or don’t trust this Truth.  In the Sermon on the Mount, which I believe to be the cornerstone of Christ’s teachings, Jesus tells his followers: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?”  [Matthew 6:25-26]

In Search of The Sacred

Meditation

          Self-discovery is an ongoing process of revelation made possible through a developing awareness of our relationships to the ideas, individuals, and institutions we encounter in our daily lives.  

The Search

          Have you ever noticed that we all seem to be constantly searching for something?  It could be as simple as our misplaced keys when we’re late for an appointment or as profound as the meaning of life.  All of us are searching…but for what?
          When I was a little girl I can remember a constant longing, which would hit me right here in my solar plexus region, night or day, no matter where I was.   I had no idea how to articulate this longing, but the words that always surfaced were, “I want to go home….I want to go home.” 
          This would be understandable, if I were away at summer camp or, even, spending the night with a friend.  But the odd thing was I would find myself repeating this phrase in my own bed at night or at the dinner table or, even, at church.
          As I grew older I began to think deeply about this tendency and wonder about its origin.  It just didn’t make sense that I would want to go home, when I was already in the place my experience and conditioning called “home.”  Eventually, it began to dawn on me that perhaps there was another “home” for which my heart longed.  And with this growing realization, I began to recall what I have come to know as the “Sacred.”

The Sacred

          By the word “Sacred” I’m not referring to the idea of a deity that exists as an image or idea in the mind or of an old white man floating around in the clouds somewhere.  What I’m talking about is more like a space or a vessel—a kind of container—filled with all that is holy, untainted, and pure.  It’s the state of being the Romantic poet William Butler Yeats referred to as “radical innocence” in this stanza from “A Prayer for My Daughter:”

"Considering that, all hatred driven hence,

The soul recovers radical innocence

And learns at last that it is self-delighting,

Self-appeasing, self-affrighting,

And that its own sweet will is Heaven’s will;

She can, though every face should scowl

And every windy quarter howl

Or every bellows burst, be happy still."

          Do you know this place?  I think we all know this place that transcends the boundaries of age, race, religion, and culture.  All of us entered the world as innocents, and it is my fervent wish that we will all depart this world in the same state of grace.
          It is this “radical innocence” that makes me want to throw down these notes I prepared for this talk, slide down off of this stage, toss my shoes off and grab the hands of as many of you as I can to go out on this beautiful day to play. 

Relationships

          You see, the Sacred can’t be found in isolation.  It can only be found through and within the heart of our relationships, because you are here to show me the truth of myself and to reflect back to me all that is false within me, so it can be dropped.   The Sacred doesn’t have any preconceived ideas of what and who you are.  It meets you with pure spontaneity, laughter, tears, happiness, and pain.  There is no pretence in what is Sacred.  There are no secrets, and there’s nothing to hide.  There is only freedom to meet the conditions of life as they unfold from moment to moment.  Don’t you want to live in this space?  Isn’t this what we all long for?  If so, then how and where do we find it?