Being present
Being Present in the World
"Being present to the world means your attention is on what is happening right now. The personal mind is always recirculating old information and trying to organize new information according to the old information. So it speculates about the future without seeing the future. And it speculates about the past without knowing the past." [1]
"The Way of Knowledge is not about having high spiritual experiences all the time. It is about being real in the moment, being present in the moment, being open in the moment, and being available to learn about the Greater Reality and the Greater Community. It is being open to Mystery and to manifestation without confusing the two." [2]
"You are living in a dynamic world and in a dynamic universe. The world today is a different world than even your parents experienced, and it is changing quickly. It is changing so fast that people cannot even keep up with it. Being present in the world does not mean that you have to experience everything. What it means is being present to what is occurring that is important now, keeping your eyes and ears open, not fearfully but attentively." [1]
"With Knowledge you are free in the world. You are free to join. You are free to leave. You are free to make agreements. You are free to complete and change agreements. You are free to surrender yourself. You are free to extricate yourself. In Knowledge you are free. In order for you to comprehend the true meaning of this and to realize its immediate value to you in your current circumstances, you must understand that you cannot use Knowledge to fulfill yourself. That must be a tacit understanding. Never lose sight of this, for if you think you are using Knowledge to fulfill yourself, you will misinterpret Knowledge and will not experience it." [3]
"Stop yourself and look and listen. Recognize how people are not present for what is happening right now. See how preoccupied they are. See how they do not know what is occurring. They do not know what they are doing. They are just acting as if they were programmed to do something and they are doing it."[4]
Being Present to New Conditions
"When great storms come in the world, the animals become quiet and seek shelter, but people pay little attention, caught up in their pursuits, in their activities or in their fantasies. In this respect, the animals are acting much more intelligently than the people." [5]
Being present with someone
"To experience love is to experience being present with someone, being with them, without judging them, without trying to fit them into your life, without trying to see what advantages you can gain from being with them, without trying to use them for any purpose or methods that you might have, without condemning them for failing your expectations or standards. Love is being present." [1]
Metaphors
- "It is like driving an automobile while talking on the telephone.
People do this, you know, but the truth is they are not really present driving that automobile, and they are not really present speaking on that telephone. They are doing both things at once, but they are living in a hazardous manner. And they are not really conscious of where they are or what they are doing."[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Living The Way of Knowledge, Chapter 10: Being Present in the World
- ↑ Wisdom from the Greater Community, Book 2, Chapter 34: Walking the Way of Knowledge
- ↑ Steps to Knowledge, Step 167: With Knowledge I am free in the world.
- ↑ Steps to Knowledge Continuation Training, Step 46: I must have courage to choose my freedom.
- ↑ Preparing for the Great Waves of Change, Signs from the World
- ↑ Deepening Your Spiritual Practice, Deepening Your Spiritual Practice
See also
Further study
- Love and Relationships, Enduring Love