토론:고요

"Knowledge will not arise in a preoccupied mind under normal circumstances."

"To practice stillness, let all things come to a rest except the keenness of your mind. Here your mind is all looking and no thinking. Your ears are all listening. Your body is all feeling.”

고요 속에서 알기

"Stillness is a wonderful, glorious experience in and of itself. It is being at peace. It is being quiet. There are no problems to solve, no answers to acquire, no situations to work out, no future to plan for, no past to fret over. Here you are, right here, right now, an incomparable experience—so vast, so pervasive, so reassuring. Only experience can show you that this is true."

고요 속에서의 성장

"When your mind is still, you will know. When the mind is still, you will be able to respond. When the mind is still, you will be able to take the next step."

"Here stillness enables the mind to become a more powerful instrument, more penetrating in its insight, deeper in its contemplation, more focused in its problem solving and more present as a vehicle for communication."

고요 연습

"Some people need an image; some people need a sound; some people need a repeated breathing; some people just need to relax, but stay focused."

"One of the most simple practices is to sit quietly and repeat the word 'Rahn.' Repeat that. 'Rahn.' That practice is enough to elevate your mind to a phenomenal level, but to get to that phenomenal level, you will go through all your attitudes, feelings and beliefs about the practice. One day it will thrill you. The next day it will bore you. The practice will take you through everything that you are already going through. If you do it consistently, it will provide consistency for you. It will empower your mind over time. Not everyone can do that practice. Some people are so mentally active, they cannot sit still for anything, so they have to do something. Other people are more contemplative and more introverted. That practice is easier for them. Anything you do that consistently engages your mind with something greater will yield a result you could not produce for yourself."

"So the question is not whether you will practice or not practice. The question is what you will practice. You practice stilling the mind—that is a practice. You practice letting the mind run rampant—that is a practice. You avoid all spiritual practices—that is a practice."

"When your mind is very noisy, you practice counting or breathing or listening to your pulse. If your mind is a little unsettled and there is a possibility you may settle down, then we practice with sound. If your mind is settled down, well, you are practicing already.Then we guide your mind to the presence of the Teachers directly. The Teachers are like a reflection from Heaven. They fill your mind full of light. You cannot enter Heaven and still be in the world, but you can experience yourself as an intermediary. Overall, that is the final goal.When Heaven, your Home, has been partially established here, then you will be able to serve in a higher capacity. That does not mean the world looks any better. It simply means that you are carrying your Home within you."

"In the training in Steps to Knowledge, one of the main things you will learn and will have to reinforce over time is the ability to be still. This ability represents a fundamental skill in life. It involves becoming observant, receptive, sensitive, insightful. Here you use your mind rather than be used by it. Here you employ your mind to scan the horizon of your mental and physical environment."

"Stillness is being truly present, either in meditation or in situations out in the world. Stillness is not dead space. It is the mind being a window and not a wall, a state of being, alert, available for Knowledge to shine through."

"Stop for a moment. Allow your mind to settle down. Breathe deeply. Go to a quiet place. Set aside your thoughts and your plans, goals and problems long enough, you do this frequently enough and you begin to experience the Presence. After awhile, it just emerges, in small glimpses at first and then, as you proceed, you will have larger experiences of it, enough to show you what you need to see and know about yourself and about your circumstances. This is the process of Revelation."

집착과 산만함

"People ask, 'Well, I want to know the answer to my great question.' I say, 'Practice.' They say, 'Well, I am looking for the realizations that will help me.' I say, 'Practice.' They say, 'Well, I have done practices before.' I say, 'No. Practice. Give yourself.' They ask, 'How long will it take?' I say, 'It takes a year to get started. It takes three to five years to become basically competent, if you practice well.' They say, 'I don’t have that kind of time. I cannot make that kind of investment.' Then I say, 'You are not then serious in your pursuit. You will spend the next five years wasting your time, looking for answers, looking for things to believe in, looking for better beliefs, trying to manipulate the personal mind so it can provide you what you want, what you need. But the personal mind cannot do it. It can only be a vehicle for a greater mind within you, and here it fulfills its purpose.'"