Thoughts matter little. How you feel about those thoughts makes all the difference.
Knowledge is accessed through feeling, not thought.
Wise thoughts are the product of refined feelings… i.e. the process of reasoning.
Reasoning is the link between thoughts and feelings that lie deeper within than thought.
The process is called discernment. Distortions from past impressions (samskaras) can interfere with the process of discernment on any level: for example, emotional bias, intellectual indoctrination, etc.
Common sense means sensing the level that is common to all that is… sensing the transcendental level and forming your thoughts based upon that sensing… that feeling.
As that sensing becomes even more refined, it transcends common sense and becomes wisdom.
Wisdom is further refined through the very finest level of feeling to find its basis in the transcendent…
the one thing that is the basis of all things…
Pure Knowledge…
the source of all knowledge…
the source of all that is.
The sequence goes from the Transcendent
to the finest feeling level
to the wisdom level
to the common sense level
to the reasoning level
to the level of concrete thoughts.
Enlightenment means integration (harmonization) of all levels of your being. The winds of life (karma) may blow the branches in all directions, yet they remain in harmony with the trunk and root of life… firmly established in the Transcendent.
I truly enjoy the moments when I am able to tap in to that deeper place. It might be a question I need to answer or a project I need to ponder or even some action I am involved in. Although it still takes work most of the time and is not yet automatic every time.. I can get a good sense on where this is leading and I like it…a lot.
Thank you Brahmarshi Your teachings help me to understand what is going on and that is everything.
I’ve been doing a lot of work resolving feelings around the thoughts and notions of the nature of love, brought to the forefront by Valentine’s day, introspection and journaling on my love and relationship patterns, and how I am responding in the current relationship. Thank you Michaelji for the reminder that the shifts well up from the Transcendent, and refine through the levels of being.
This is really so important. My dad passed away on Feb 1st. I was with him when he passed along with my younger sister. I was amazed how peaceful he went. He was in the hospital, he did not want life support which we honored.
I knew he was going the minute the process started, the moment before he left he opened his eyes and looked at us. I felt sadness but I felt it was right all at the same time. I was not attached to the passing, just the sorrow of loss. That is fine also. The day before he looked at me and said “I am going out” I asked him where he was going and his answer was “I am not sure”…what a great answer. He was 93. my Mom passed in 1999 and whether it is true or not, I felt her presence for a couple days and when he passed. It gave me comfort, no matter what.
How do emotions fit in? Sometimes harmonized, sometimes not.
Totally personal, sometimes totally seperate. Completely irrational, but totally there…
willing to be there no matter what…
Loyal
Transcendent but still,
in the world
but not of it.
Gracious beyond peace
Beyond the stillness,
Beyond the depth…
But we defend being empty,
not being strong,
loving,
supportive
fathering
Totally becoming free,
but still emcombered by the land,
by the dept of property
money
And still
the lure of enlightenment lingers
And then there’s the freedom from ideology and dept
A totality…
Georgia, Judi, Charlotte, and Michael,
You comments are wonderful. A poem, an idea, a story… they all greatly enrich the blogs. The time and effort you put into them is deeply appreciated. There is no limit to the number of directions any blog can be taken and your comments do that so very beautifully. I look forward to reading every single comment to every blog. I encourage everyone to keep them coming.
As I see you manage all the different projects that go into Mount Soma and the school, I am struck by how much you function from that finest feeling level. I can feel it is beyond concrete thoughts, beyond reasoning, beyond common sense, and beyond wisdom. That you are a living example of your teachings is invaluable.
Yes, very beautiful Blog and Comments. Thanks to all!
The end of the blog “mapping” the path from Transcendent to levels of concrete thought, again remind me of where I am or an not on the path. Thank you.
The more I learn about discernment from you the more I feel that my thoughts and feelings are like a fine bottle of wine aging in the caverns of Mount Soma. Thanks.