ONENESS

Excerpts from a Maryland Workshop 12/78

            When you begin to see what you really are, that you are an “essence” or a “reality” which is desire and will, which is spirit, but it’s the most real thing in the world. That’s the nature of what we call Life. Life desires to grow. Anything that exhibits Life has these two essentials, the “essence”, the “reality”–the real I is there. Then it builds these things which has a tendency to get lost when we identify ourselves with all sorts of things over here [the not I’s].

But when you see that what you really are, you also see that everybody else is that. They have desires and will–they are the reality. You look at a person in the eyes and see something back there looking out at you. If that person is not alive, there’s nothing looking at you….. You experience the inner state where there is no desire to do anything to anybody else only keep them going. Give them the greatest support you could without picking on them.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Excerpt from Phoenix Arizona in 1970 Workshop

Some people who had been students, asked Jesus to teach them to pray.  So he gave them a very short, concise, to the point prayer.  Man’s been try to figure it out ever since, but he’s usually pretty sure it’s not quite wordy enough.  In order to get it a little better, there has been many versions of it that’s had more words tacked on to the end of it; but we’ll start with the first two words.

The first two words says, Our Father.  Now that does a number of things.  First Jesus was the one who taught it, so it made him our brother all the way across the board–each and every one of us.  It made each and every one of us brothers and sisters regardless of our color, our creeds, our ancestors, our nationalities, our ideologies, or anything else, we are all his brothers and sisters.  If we all have the same father, we’re brothers.  So he didn’t say my father or the Jewish father, or the Gentile father, or the Caucasian father.  He said “Our Father,” speaking for all the human race.

So if we only had the first two words of that prayer, we would probably see a considerably different world in which we live. If we only observed the first two words, we wouldn’t be having wars and contentions.  We wouldn’t be fighting amongst ourselves over little insignificant details.  We wouldn’t be contending at home and all these things because first off, our Father puts us as all one; and that makes, us by the same, token the brother of Jesus.

Now, furthermore than this, it shows that Christ is in all men.  When you find fault with a person, who are you really finding fault with?  Huh?  Who are you really finding fault with?  Christ.  When you criticize someone because they didn’t do what they “should do”–who are you finding fault with?  We call each other dirty names and insult and jump up and down and scream and think “You knew better than that, and went on and did it wrong anyway.” Again, we are doing the same thing.  When we do anything for any form or person around us regardless of what the name may be, who are we doing it for if we are conscious and awake?

So the two words, Our Father, comes up with tremendous meaning if we can see the meaning behind the two words, otherwise nothing is accomplished because we have no comprehension.  Also when we say “Our Father” we are implying that we are talking to one of greater wisdom than we are; and so we don’t have to tell him what to do.  We don’t have to say you better straighten this out, and be sure and remember to do this.  We don’t have to say take care of this little thing over here because I know you’ll forget it if I don’t remind you.  We would see that we’re talking to “Our Father” which is then operating this universe; and we don’t have to tell him exactly how to run it. Evidentially he’s a little older, usually Father’s a bit older than the child; and therefore, we don’t have to say that things should be different than they are.  So when we use this approach, we are also not wanting to change anything. 

BELIEFS–ARE THESE TRUE?

(Science of Man Lesson Eight)

So, here are some beliefs that self believes that may not be true. Check them all as you have time through the week:

“I” BELIEVE THAT “I” KNOW WHAT OUGHT TO BE.

”I” BELIEVE THAT “I” KNOWTHE FUTURE.

“I” BELIEVE “I” KNOW WHAT IS GOOD AND WHAT IS BAD.

“I” BELIEVE I KNOW WHAT “I” NEED IN ORDER TO BE HAPPY.

“I” BELIEVE “I” KNOW WHAT IT IS TO BE HAPPY.

“I” BELIEVE THAT I KNOW HOW TO GET WHAT I NEED TO BEHAPPY.

“I” BELIEVE THAT “I” HAVE FREE WILL OR FREE AGENCY, BUT “I”       ALSO BELIEVE THAT WHAT YOU DO DETERMINES MY FEELING AND       BEHAVIOR.

“I” BELIEVE THAT “I’M” AWAKE AND FULLY CONSCIOUS OF ALL       “MY” MOTIVES AND “MY” BEHAVIOR.

“I” BELIEVE THAT MY ABILITY TO REASON IS INFALLABLE.

“I” BELIEVE THAT IF A STATEMENT IS LOGICAL THAT IT MUST BE             TRUE.

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“I” BELIEVE “I” UNDERSTAND WHAT OTHERS MEAN BY THEIR             WORDS.

“I” BELIEVE THAT “I” KNOW CERTAIN OTHER PEOPLE

“I” BELIEVE THAT MY OPINIONS ARE CORRECT.

“I” BELIEVE THAT IF I BELIEVE AND DO AS “I”AM TOLD BY THOSE

“I” ACCEPT AS AUTHORITIES THAT “I” AM IN A SAFE, SECURE, AND             TRUE POSITION

Many, many years ago a great man said to the speaker, “Don’t ever look for the truth.  Look for illusions. When you have seen an illusion for what it is, you have then seen the truth of the matter. Now all these beliefs are things that one has accepted as truth. Let’s look and see if they’re illusions.  And if we should see one of them for illusion, we have seen the truth of the matter. And that is really a discovery.  It is a change in the inner state.  It is to be in an entirely different state of consciousness for the time being.  It is to be in a different state of being.  (For more information on beliefs check Science of Man lesson eight)

A STORY:

I have been thinking about the art of receiving graciously.  The holiday season is upon us and we will all be given opportunities to not only give, but to be a gracious receiver.

Many years ago my husband, Neal, told me it was difficult to give me anything because it never suited me.  Yoohoo!  This really got my attention.  He was absolutely right.  In my self-absorbed, self-centered way, the gift did not please me.  I was ‘inner considering, instead of outer considering (see Newsletter #76 –December 2000 on School Talk #8 on Inner and Outer Considering)

I know that painful blast Neal dealt me forced me to look at my inability to receive.  The gift was a symbol of caring.  So, basically, I was rejecting the offer of love, concern, and caring.  Did I feel unworthy?  Maybe.  Did it irritate me that he put the gift on OUR credit card?  Possibly.  When I give a gift to someone, how do I feel when they say, “You shouldn’t have done that’?  I finally realized that the gift was not the deal. The deal was a gift to me so I could throw light on a naughty little Not-I who was blocking my way.  I began to focus on the giver and their feelings.   I began a journey of considering others rather than, “How does this effect me?” or “Hmm, this is not the color I wanted.”

I don’t want to rob others of their joy of giving.  Their gift to me tells me they care about me.  My gift to them is to be a gracious receiver.

MIND TICS:

I’ll listen to your unreasonable demands, if you’ll consider my unacceptable offer.

COMMUNICATE! It can’t make things any worse.

Everytime I see things your way I get a headache.

Don’t ever ask me to choose between you and happiness because I’d choose you everytime.