FINDING BITS OF CONDITIONING
Science of Man Lesson 31
..there are little bits of conditioning that lurk around in dark corners. And while they don’t show up in the ordinary circumstances, they show up in very unusual circumstances sometime….In Luke in the 6th chapter and starting at the 27th verse some rules of behavior are given. It is told about how a person in a state of agape, one who had grown in agape would behave. It will tell us how far in agape we have evolved. It says: “But I say to you who are listening. Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who slander you.” You think you can do all those things? We can easily think we can until it happens. So this is why that we do everything in relationships. Somebody, somewheres, in the next few days will hate you. Hiss about what you’re doing and that they may even curse you in one form or another. And say very naughty things about you. And they may slander you in one form or another. And then we will find out, will we not, as to whether we have experienced this degree of agape that the Master Teacher was speaking of. He continues, “And to him who strikes thee on the one cheek, offer the other also. And for him who steals thy overcoat, do not withhold thy suit coat either. Give to everyone who asks of thee and from him who takes away thy goods, ask no return.” Don’t try to call the police to get it back or anything. After all, where did the goods come from?
I can speak out of the mind when everything is going smoothly, like being on a stage and having learned one’s part, one speaks out of the mind. The moment there is a challenge then one speaks forth from what one considers to be good or valuable. And you see, that’s not under the control of the watchful little conscious awareness of the fifth decision that says the whole purpose of living is to be different. One can do this beautifully as long as one is on parade and showing off. But very quickly it cannot be done when there is a challenge. And this is why the Man laid out this many things that said, when these things, which are very decided challenges attack you and come across your experiencing, then you will know how little of agape you have experienced. You will know why you have no faith as yet. You will know why you do not understand grace.
MONEY
Science of Man Lesson 31
“Give and it shall be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they pour into your lap.” But, you know we don’t quite trust that. So we have $200 and we see somebody that would greatly relieve them of much misery. We would be an expression of mercy to give them, possibly, all $200 of it. Or say even a hundred of it. And we will begin to think, “Well, I’ll need that for the rent. I will need that for the car payment. I will need that for so-and-so. So I will give them a good word and try to see what I can do to help them.” But we don’t turn it out because we do not trust the endless supply of X. However one cannot do this as an act of will. One can only do it as one experiences agape. And it is interesting when one finds out what one has not been able to experience, then one can begin to look what is obstructing it. You see, all the states of the spiritual man, agape, faith, grace, are all available to us at all time. But we have them blocked off by various obstructions in the self until we cannot express them, we cannot experience them. So it is not a matter of making an effort to gain something. It is to be aware of the obstructions. And these instructions bring to Light very carefully, very beautifully if one applies them, as to what the obstructions are. And as we continue here we might see more about these obstructions. “For with what measure, it shall be measured to you.” In other words one is able to see all mankind as an expression of X. And even though they may be what we call uncouth (as the lady said they just don’t have any couth); or it may be that we feel that they are not polite and they are not worthy people. But we are then comparing them to an ideal. You see, the ideals, which is one of the major ideas of the world that all the rest of the world is based on, is based on ideals. And ideals, of course, are all serving mammon. And many of them are subtle and they hide under many nice justifications.
LIVING IN A STATE OF GRACE
School talks #53
Certainly living in a state of grace is very different from living in a state of stress. I’m talking abut making ourselves very available to grace. GRACE IS NOT MAKING THINGS IMPORTANT. GRACE IS BEING IN CHARGE OF MY OWN INNER STATE AND BEING IN CHARGE OF MY RESPONSES TO CIRCUMSTANCES. Now it is grace that we even heard of these teaching ideas. Basically, people have been living thousands of years and only an extremely small number of people have ever been reminded of, exposed to, see, heard and valued the teaching. So that’s where the grace comes in.
Grace is undeserved good. I did nothing that I can think of to earn having come across many years ago and being able to use it. That was pure unadulterated grace to me. I think it is grace for any of the rest of us. We could never stumble upon it ourselves. So we live by grace when we take advantage of the teachings that make it possible for us to live without being torn up and in the usual state of stress that everybody around us lives with. And I’m very thankful for the teachings….very thankful for that grace.
DEFINITION OF CONSCIOUSNESS
School Talk
A real teaching creates order from disorder by awakening a conscious, objective awareness. Now those are adjectives. Conscious means you know what you’re doing and you’re doing it at the time. It is objective, which means you see everything without relating it to “self” and without judging it as “good or bad” or “right or wrong” according to your taste. All these opposite adjectives like right, wrong, good, bad, pretty and ugly are all subjective and are judgments. They are all based on my subjective feeling. It’s the feeling it gives me. It has nothing to do with the person, thing or event.
WHAT WILL PEOPLE THINK?
Dr. Bob Gibson
Is public opinion an idol.
How do we place it as “What will people think?
Is that our great god?
Would you be controlled and change your course of conduct any by being concerned with “What will people think?”
“What will people think” is quite an idol.
We’re beginning to find the name of our favorite god, the one in which we stand in awe of. It this the name to which we give the most power? “What will people think?” How much tribute do we pay to it? Does this control our actions? Does it keep us in line? Is it one excellent way to control people? We honor this god. We are idolaters all day long. We have become totally in bondage to “What will people think?” What are we giving power to and what are we serving. What do we feel guilty about most of the time? Does that God “what will people think?” make us feel guilty? It is a monster at making us feel guilty. Do you want to keep on worshipping that God?
What would people think if we didn’t agree with them. We can pull our agreement away from any given explanation. Let’s see if we can quit worshipping this idol. At least you can see what you’re doing. It takes a little courage, a little saying to self, “So what.” How many of us can, this moment, say, “I will do what I see as fact, true, without regard to “what will people think?”
See what you’re doing every moment. Be very conscious. See that you are an idolater. All we’re talking about is being more conscious. You’re conscious that you’re an idolater serving a god called, “What will people think?” Would you be more conscious than you’ve ever been in your life? That would be a higher form of being. To be aware you’re doing it is to be conscious and somewhat awake.
A STORY
A few years ago Jody and I studied the Teachings together. After a few delightful months, she experienced painful and itchy patches of poison ivy (or it may have been poison oak). She tried everything she and others could think of (short of going to a doctor) and couldn’t seem to be free of this pesky skin irritation.
One evening I asked her, “Jody, have you tried be really, really grateful for this condition, realizing that this precious, brilliant instrument in which you are living is adapting to an invasion from outside of you? If no adaptation takes place, it might destroy you?”
Desperate, she said she would try anything. She began to express gratitude, everytime she scratched or complained or itched. It took a few days for her to really get into it and FEEL thankful. But when that happened, BINGO, it was gone.
I can’t prove that it was her shift in attitude that healed her. However, when I can ignore my own discomfort and remember to be thankful, it works!
X, how great thou art!
MIND TICS
If things don’t improve soon, I may have to ask you to stop helping me.
Don’t ever ask me to choose between you and happiness because I’d choose you every time.
I don’t understand you. You don’t understand me. What else do we have in common?
How kind of you to want to live my life for me.
