Someone sent the following rather cynical quote to me:
“Five percent of the people think; ten percent of the people think they think; and the other eighty-five percent would rather die than think.”
I do not know how accurate those percentages are. However, I do believe that of the people that actually do think, only one in a thousand actually discern. Combine that with the fact that Adi Shankara said that the spiritual path is the path of discernment and the state of humanity becomes clear.
Discernment is not only the path, but also the goal… integration of all levels and aspects of your being… integration of thoughts and emotions with what lies deeper.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
People have thoughts all day long, even if they’re not trying to think. What are the steps we need to take to become better at discernment?
L & G,
Really that is what all my blogs and classes are all about. On the deepest level, discernment is proper meditation. On other levels it involves all the things I talk about. So I would suggest practicing the meditation I offer free on this website and reading the blogs. Coming to classes, etc. is, of course, a huge step forward in this regard.
The comment by L & G made me wonder if it would be good to set aside time for reflection each day? Or is that too contrived? Do we really just meditate or are there other ways? It is true that we think all day long but it seems like there must be an additional effort to cultivate discernment.
That’s a great blog. Discernment is exactly what Michael Mamas teaches, but the real benefit is not the tools and concepts he provides, but the space that his teachings develop inside your own awareness. He is an amazing teacher.
What is true and what’s not true? What is real and what’s not real? What is my perception and what is my projection? What is coming from a place of conditioning or indoctrination and what is coming from a deeper place? This could keep me busy for the rest of whatever. I really appreciate this blog on discernment.
Hayley, L & G,
Is discernment done in a moment of time, a period of time, or is it an ongoing mode of function. In the upcoming class I will discuss this in more depth. It is a great question and in all honesty, a question that surprised me. I have always felt that the answer is obvious because for me it is so innate. I believe it is an important topic for me to go into in depth.
Sincerely, the question startled me like when years ago I spoke of what lies beyond thought and emotion and someone put up their hand and asked, “What else is there?” I responded by saying that what else there is is the grandeur of your being… your true greatness. Thoughts are one thing… Discernment is something very different. I will go in to the distinction in depth. Please stay tuned…
Thanks to Hayley and L&G for inquiring further. I wonder about that, too. I am very excited that this topic will be addressed in the next class!
I just got back from the class in Walnut Creek. Michael’s talk on discernment was poignant and as always brought another layer of understanding regarding discernment, and when we are coming from true discernment versus our knee jerk reactions.
I remember a story about a Catholic priest, (please forgive me if I don’t have the story completely accurate if you have heard it) who decided to go and meditate by himself for a significant amount of time. When asked later what it was like, he replied, he was visited by angels and demons. Sometimes the angels would be disguised as demons and sometimes the demons as angels. When asked how he could tell the difference he said, he could tell the difference by how he felt after they were gone. Its been a while since I heard the story, so it may not be exactly accurate. However, I thought of this story after reading this blog. Things in my experience have not always been what I thought, so I question everything. I don’t know if it is discernment, insecurity or both.
great