Tag Archives: non-attachment

Intuition and its Development

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Intuition is the knowing of what is right and true. It doesn’t come from outside of us, and it can’t be created. The knowledge we seek is always present. An intuitive person simply knows how to perceive what is already there.

Paramhansa Yogananda taught that calmness and reason are required to develop intuition:

“Pure reason and calm feeling lead to intuition. Therefore, the first requisite in developing it is to calmly reason and calmly feel everything.”

It is impossible to be intuitively guided or even mentally clear if we are not calm. Removing from ones consciousness the disturbances that steal our calmness is needed to be able to make sense of the thoughts and feelings we experience.

What are the things that disturb our calmness?

  • Preferences
  • Desires
  • Attachment
  • Lack of acceptance

These things I have listed are the source of most, if not all anxiety and stress. People say, “so it’s wrong to desire anything?!” No, it is not wrong; it is just a choice we make. Desire and attachment are in direct opposition to our quest for inner peace and intuitive guidance.

Our ability to hear inner guidance, or to find it amongst all the potential debris in our minds is proportional to our ability to concentrate, to be calm, and to be at peace with our selves and world.

I don’t know of anything as effective as meditation for developing concentration, calmness, and acceptance. Different people have different ways of achieving a meditative state, so do what works for you. Yogananda said that intuition is developed by continued meditation in the silence after ones techniques are completed.

Be reasonable and start small with your intuitive exploits!

Choose by what feels right in your own heart. It’s sweet, even blissful when you know. Don’t think of what you want (see above list), but instead feel calmly for an answer that is best for all concerned. You must remove your own desire from the process. Do your best to give the situation to God and ask to be guided. Then learn to trust what you feel.

Be careful, but do not be afraid of making mistakes. Life is a school. We are here to learn, not to pretend that we know it all.

The more we let go of trying to control things, the more fun it is to be alive and the more life will actually make sense. Worry, tension, and fear are unnecessary blocks to your awareness, understanding, physical well-being, and joy.

I would love to hear your thoughts.

Need Validation?

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I had a bit of a look at myself this morning. During my meditation I drifted into thoughts about what I might say tonight at a dinner with some very special friends celebrating seven years of service through our Ananda Meditation Center in the South Bay area of Los Angeles.

I have always sought validation for my actions. I remember how for years I was frustrated and continually let down from my own expectations of what others might think of me or what I did. I constantly strived for approval of others and it just never seemed to work out. Later I withdrew outwardly as if to pretend that I didn’t need or care for the opinions of others, but inside I felt the same nagging need.

Later I learned about the practices of non-attachment, non-desire, and non-lying (which can mean not to wish for things to be different than they are). These concepts interested me, but I was still not getting it really.

At some point after I began meditating, the idea of giving my heart and energy to a higher purpose became clearer for me. I received great help for my challenges through my spiritual family and I felt immense gratitude for their kindness. I decided to share what I had received with others.

After some time I realized that it was God (or my own higher Self, my own “Conscience”) and not any person that had really helped me. This realization is the direct result of my own attempt to serve others even in the midst of my own ignorance (God is the doer, and without Him I can’t help anyone), and also from my meditation practice where I try to listen and feel what God wants me to know each day.

I believe now, that I do receive my validation. But it usually doesn’t come from man. It is a feeling deep within my self. I need the guidance I receive from others, but only when I take it inside & feel it in calmness might I know what I have been given, or how I will act on it.

My experience is that the only validation that really matters or is worth seeking, comes through the sweetness and inner peace that God has placed in my own center.

I was inspired to write this after reading a very sincere post by Brian Darnell, who I deeply respect. Click here to read it.

Joy to You!

turiya

Spirituality & Relationships Pt 1

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This is a big subject and it’s often “charged” for people. Only you can decide what is right for your situation. Honestly, this subject is intimidating for me to write about. Working directly with a couple or an individual is much different than writing for a group.

I’m going to start off by trying to answer some questions recently posted in comments that were in response to my post called “Stop Negative Thoughts.” Let’s see where that takes us.

How do you remain positive if your partner/spouse/significant other is not walking the same path?

As we mature spiritually our ability to accept others as they are actually grows. If lack of acceptance is the issue, I think we must look to ourselves for the answer.

It helps to have some clarity about what this relationship means to you, what you desire it to be. (a whole new subject? Comments are welcome)

Can you love your partner as they are? If your life has taken a new direction it can be frightening for them. We don’t often grow at the same pace or in the same way. Each person has his/her own karma and it’s important to respect that. One way to love another is to commit to seek and find the best in them. In my opinion, once we have committed to a life partnership it’s our duty to support the highest in the other, even when it’s very hard to locate! Just because you are changing, does this require your partner to change also?

More coming soon.