Thank you for this Sean. At a gathering I went to years ago, someone said “everyone we meet is a teacher. Some teach us what to do and some teach us what not to do.” I’ve held on to those words, because they’ve helped me not to see people as good or bad, as friends or enemies, but rather as teachers. I suppose I can extrapolate that thinking to the Holy Spirit and the ego. The Holy Spirit teaches me what to do, and the ego teaches me what not to do. In that sense, the ego is actually beneficial to me as a teacher, just as the Holy Spirit is. Holding that belief I no longer need to judge or condemn (self-condemn?) the thoughts of the ego, but rather understand them, and appreciate the fact that, as uncomfortable as it might be at times, my ego has things to teach me
Speaking of teachers, I had the pleasure of attending one of Rupert's retreats in New York a few years ago. And I love this handful of words from Nisargadatta:
'Wisdom tells me I am nothing. Love tells me I am everything. And between the two my life flows.'
You have a gift with words too, thank you for sharing - and yes, at some point all the words and concepts collapse / dissolve into the knowing itself.
Thank you, Kirstie. Those lines from Nisargadatta are beautiful, I have always appreciated them. Language is so much fun but also invokes some degree of responsibility - some blend of honesty and playfulness, inquiry and dialogue, always indicating - collapsing/dissolving into - silence. Thank you always for being here 🙏
Thank you for this Sean. At a gathering I went to years ago, someone said “everyone we meet is a teacher. Some teach us what to do and some teach us what not to do.” I’ve held on to those words, because they’ve helped me not to see people as good or bad, as friends or enemies, but rather as teachers. I suppose I can extrapolate that thinking to the Holy Spirit and the ego. The Holy Spirit teaches me what to do, and the ego teaches me what not to do. In that sense, the ego is actually beneficial to me as a teacher, just as the Holy Spirit is. Holding that belief I no longer need to judge or condemn (self-condemn?) the thoughts of the ego, but rather understand them, and appreciate the fact that, as uncomfortable as it might be at times, my ego has things to teach me
Thank you, Sean.
Speaking of teachers, I had the pleasure of attending one of Rupert's retreats in New York a few years ago. And I love this handful of words from Nisargadatta:
'Wisdom tells me I am nothing. Love tells me I am everything. And between the two my life flows.'
You have a gift with words too, thank you for sharing - and yes, at some point all the words and concepts collapse / dissolve into the knowing itself.
Maitrī
Thank you, Kirstie. Those lines from Nisargadatta are beautiful, I have always appreciated them. Language is so much fun but also invokes some degree of responsibility - some blend of honesty and playfulness, inquiry and dialogue, always indicating - collapsing/dissolving into - silence. Thank you always for being here 🙏
~ Sean