Jun 10
3
The Essence of Faith III
Brad Cullen
WHERE TO FROM HERE?
Where is “here?” Do I really need to know? One challenge to conveying my thoughts related to getting “anywhere” is the recognition that each of us has points of awareness — brought about by our individual experiences that don’t necessarily mesh with one another. How important is that?
It becomes important only at those times and places in which …I insist that “my” point of awareness is somehow more valuable, in the scheme of things, than yours. If the ego driven “I” clings desperately to such a view of false superiority and sees “your” point of awareness as somehow separate instead of all part of the same Greater Spiritual Consciousness, I am, ipso facto, caught up in the same illusion of which religious wars are started and perpetuated.
The current ‘war against terror’ is a case in point -raised here more than a bit reluctantly- and yet …it is here, perhaps, we can see
Can you win against Terror
that this war cannot possibly have any winners. The U.S., as an entity, has allowed itself to get dragged into a war-mentality of protecting what? …and doing what to protect itself, under a guise of, “righteous justice;” by which it justifies and rationalizes the mass destruction of ‘stuff’ and the killing of people who had no part in any ‘terrorist’ attack.
Does the act of one army psychiatrist -an act of lunacy- causing the deaths of 14 ‘innocents’ at Ft. Hood, Texas, cause us to further justify more violence? What might be a more effective response? TO WAKE UP! To what? How about to where I really want to go?
If I insist upon stating a “position,” which differs from that of others, am I not participating in the same war? An intellectual point of view that is just another ego-mindset? The response I gave to somebody asking me rhetorically if I didn’t think the Gulf War, way back in the early 1990s, was a righteous war? …is as meaningful to me now as it was way back then. It is two pronged, What difference does it make what I think? and, It’s not my war.
Frankly, I see Iraq, Afghanistan and their progenitor, the Gulf war as episodic of the same justifying mentality; Viet Nam all over again. I wasn’t a protester against that war and I don’t take a position against these latter day episodes. I sit and understand all positions with sorrow –there were no answers then, there are none today. The position that is expressed by those saying, “What a waste,” to all the carnage of our own troops as well as that of the “enemy,” I suppose, comes closest to how I feel.
“Anti- war” and “pro-war” are both outside the consciousness I’m seeking for me. This makes me a disappointment to either and both sides. I see only the futility …just as I see the futility of the “war on drugs.” The goals may be noble, but it should be obvious, by now, that the goals are not achievable with the means employed so far.
The consciousness I’m seeking is not new. However, it does seem to be more widespread than ever before in our history, at least from my narrow view of it.
Is it Really Magic?
I do see the magic power of one word as a way of getting to that consciousness for those individuals awake to the possibility. The word is namaste. The following E-mail exchange with my oldest (in his early fifties) son, Al, will be an introduction for those not familiar with the term.
It begins with him chiding me about the draft of an earlier segment that I had sent him.
[from Al] “That’s interesting… you just related what every LOA practitioner relates (regardless of how much they charge), for FREE! Aren’t you afraid of putting all those people out of business?
“Just kidding… more interesting, though, is the fact that in spite of certain things I have experienced, I still maintain a certain amount of pertinacity. This begs the question why does “doubting al” return to past habits and behaviors despite the numerous ‘proofs’ revealed on countless (meaning I’m too lazy to count them) occasions? Perhaps I simply have continued to refuse to learn what I came here to learn? At the very least I will say that I believe that believing is seeing and offer a thank you in support of my attitude of gratitude.
“P.S. Quite obviously you are not the only windbag in the family.”
[my response]
“Yeah, I’m totally aware that Neurolinguistic gurus, and all kinds of others in the field, do what they do and I could care less if the stuff I put out doesn’t compare (favorably).
“Now then, about what you came here to learn (AND TEACH) …try the exercise …’Moment by moment, day by day, I’m getting better and better in every way’ -at DOING what you know instead of merely blabbing about it.
“You are perfect. You’ve drilled (that concept) into my head …now then, BE what and who you are. This isn’t b.s. and you know it …so do it. You CAN… you WILL… you ARE… plus I love you. Teach me brother.
Hey, are you familiar with the word Namaste?
More Than a Common Greeting
[Al, back to me]
“It’s interesting that you wrote, ‘doing what I know instead of blabbing about it,’ because I was reading some stuff by Robert Anthony (Joe Vitale’s mentor). He said, ‘It’s not knowing what to do, but doing what you know,’ referring to the fact that people (like me) read, study seek, yada, yada, yada, and yet instead of focusing on putting this learning to practical use, we (I) simply keep moving to the next teacher, guru, book, program or whatever. I am sure I had a point but I forgot what it was. So I leave you with this… I am perfect. Moment by moment, day by day, I am getting better and better in every way. I can, I will, I AM. Today’s prayer: please help me seek first the kingdom of heaven. I love you too pop.”
[my response]
“Exactly! So well and so succinctly put …so well, that I am printing this out (upon which to cogitate). I am just starting the hen scratching part of doing chapter 5 …and I am going to quote our exchange…
“Moving on …seeking first the kingdom …where is that? Jesus said, ‘Don’t look ‘over there’ or ‘over here’ — the kingdom is within you!’ That is the reason I asked you if you are familiar with the word, ‘namaste’ –pronounced, kind of like Nah-moss-tay. It is a Hindi (one of the many languages native to India) word that means, basically, ‘The Spirit of God in me acknowledges and salutes the Spirit of God in you. When I was working in east/central Africa (Uganda and Kenya) I interfaced with a number of Asian business people who were predominantly Hindu in their beliefs. I also became acquainted with a few of them who had a deep and ‘abiding’ belief in the reality of a living * and very real Jesus Christ living within them. These were kindred spirits in that and in the sense that they were not ‘Christians’ for the same reason that I refuse to call myself a ‘Christian’ — and that reason is that institutional Christianity, in our collective view, does not pay much attention to a number of things Jesus said. The point being that they used the word namaste as well, by which they meant, ‘The Christ in me acknowledges and salutes the Christ in you.’
Both varieties, that is, the Indian folks who remained Hindu and those who had been ‘overwhelmed’ by the presence of Jesus… did their little bow with their hands together in ‘prayer like’ fashion would say, ‘namaste,’ to one another. I adopted the practice.
“I say, namaste to you… through whom the SOURCE has taught me, oh so much!
Learn from yourself?
“The kingdom is within you. Not to say stop seeking, but to say definitively, applying what you already just wrote to me, you know where to look. Go therefore and do it. I am overwhelmed, per usual, by the ‘coincidence’ of our thoughts and direction.
“Namaste, my brother and fellow teacher …you were sent to me from the beginning. To call you, my son, is an honor… namaste.”
[end exchange]
* Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)
So, where are we? Is it possible that those of us who can begin to see that spark of ‘God’s Spirit or ‘The Christ’ in all others, whether Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, (in alphabetical order) or none of the above — and remind one another hat we are brothers with, ‘Namaste,’ until the consciousness grows to the point we would not think in terms of ‘winning a war’ against anyone —
Am I being a fuzzy-thinking, ultra liberal?
That is merely an ego-based label and to you, whoever you are: Namaste — the magic power of a word to TRANSFORM.
There’s more to come…
In Freedom,
Brad