0:00:01.905,0:00:38.435 ♪ Intro Music ♪ 0:00:39.077,0:00:40.485 Hello there ... 0:00:40.485,0:00:45.341 Spiritual argument so often whittles down[br]to an argument about semantics. 0:00:45.341,0:00:49.193 But for the sake of today's episode,[br]let me play with semantics 0:00:49.193,0:00:52.217 so as to facilitate your understanding of something 0:00:52.217,0:00:56.125 which can ultimately only be experienced[br]through felt perception. 0:00:56.125,0:01:00.966 Thousands of years ago it was said[br]that Desire is the root of Suffering. 0:01:00.966,0:01:02.716 Is this true? 0:01:02.716,0:01:03.624 No. 0:01:03.624,0:01:05.964 It turns out that it is not true. 0:01:05.964,0:01:09.674 The word that was used was "Taṇhā". 0:01:09.689,0:01:11.593 Now, the translation of "Taṇhā" 0:01:11.593,0:01:15.736 if you were to take it directly is Thirst. 0:01:15.736,0:01:18.963 So what is the difference [br]between Thirst and Desire? 0:01:18.963,0:01:22.034 A whole lot! 0:01:22.034,0:01:29.683 Thirst and Desire are the opposite[br]sides of the same coin. 0:01:29.683,0:01:34.144 Thirst is the shadow-side of Desire. 0:01:34.148,0:01:38.068 In other words, think of choice as a two-sided coin. 0:01:38.068,0:01:43.354 On one side there is Desire,[br]on the other side there is Thirst. 0:01:43.354,0:01:48.460 Thirst is the shadow-side of Desire[br]on this coin called Choice. 0:01:48.460,0:01:51.419 Thirst implies that there is a 'lack', first, 0:01:51.419,0:01:56.286 and that the 'lack' is what is motivating[br]the craving that we are calling 'Desire'. 0:01:56.286,0:01:59.265 Thirst is an 'attachment'. 0:01:59.265,0:02:02.469 An attachment is 'craving of something' - 0:02:02.469,0:02:06.791 which is motivated by an aversion to something. 0:02:06.803,0:02:10.158 The root of suffering therefore[br]is the state of perpetual movement 0:02:10.158,0:02:14.878 from aversion towards its opposite attachment 0:02:14.878,0:02:20.490 (the thing we crave,[br]because of our acute awareness, of the lack of It). 0:02:21.467,0:02:27.974 Attachment which is the by-product of Thirst[br]is nothing more than an addiction. 0:02:27.974,0:02:30.651 It's the desperate craving for something 0:02:30.654,0:02:34.559 because of something else that we're trying to avoid. 0:02:34.559,0:02:39.115 There is a difference between [br]a craving and a desire. 0:02:39.115,0:02:43.248 The craving is the shadow-aspect of desire. 0:02:43.248,0:02:49.014 It is always the by-product of perceiving[br]some kind of a 'deprivation'. 0:02:49.014,0:02:50.978 Desire is not bad. 0:02:50.978,0:02:55.999 In fact, you could not escape from Desire in this lifetime if you wanted to, 0:02:55.999,0:03:00.186 nor would you want to, if you really understood what it was. 0:03:00.186,0:03:04.398 You can however, transmute it - you can exalt it. 0:03:04.400,0:03:09.209 Desire in its purest form is like a "Yes!" to an experience - 0:03:09.209,0:03:11.521 nothing more and nothing less. 0:03:12.341,0:03:15.479 It is the "Yes" that occurs from sorting through the Contrast 0:03:15.479,0:03:18.454 but that is not the by-product of a "No". 0:03:18.964,0:03:19.454 In other words, 0:03:19.454,0:03:24.951 it is a "Yes" to experience (or the choice of an experience),[br]that is not motivated by aversion, 0:03:24.954,0:03:28.477 and thus, it does not take-on the form of Attachment. 0:03:29.147,0:03:32.562 Desire in its pure form is absent of Resistance. 0:03:32.562,0:03:34.880 It is a tool of the True Self. 0:03:34.880,0:03:39.903 It facilitates Expansion, and Self-Awareness,[br]and Self-Realization. 0:03:39.903,0:03:41.766 Craving is a tool of the Ego. 0:03:42.786,0:03:45.800 Are you ready for a bitch-slap? 0:03:45.803,0:03:50.952 'Ego' is not a word that the Buddha even knew! 0:03:50.952,0:03:53.303 If you said 'Ego' to the Buddha, 0:03:53.312,0:03:56.365 he would be completely confused about what you meant. 0:03:56.365,0:03:58.642 It is in fact a Freudian term - 0:03:58.642,0:04:02.248 a Freudian term which was adopted into Buddhist circles 0:04:02.248,0:04:05.704 and used to apply to the teachings of Buddha. 0:04:05.704,0:04:09.192 It was simply the best way[br]that we could describe the difference 0:04:09.192,0:04:13.215 between an enlightened perspective[br]where there is no separate Self, 0:04:13.215,0:04:17.623 and the unenlightened perspective[br]where there is a separate sense of Self. 0:04:17.623,0:04:21.459 Later, Jung called this the Shadow Aspect - 0:04:21.471,0:04:24.728 meaning Conscious versus Not-Conscious. 0:04:24.728,0:04:27.958 When the Buddha accurately described[br]his Enlightenment experience, 0:04:27.958,0:04:33.244 what he was trying to explain[br]was that he observed a polarity inherent within him 0:04:33.244,0:04:38.455 such as Truth & Illusion, Conscious & Unconscious,[br]Suffering & Happiness. 0:04:38.456,0:04:43.324 And that Enlightenment transcended all polarity[br](which it does). 0:04:43.324,0:04:46.331 Enlightenment is not Happiness any more than it is Suffering - 0:04:46.331,0:04:48.437 it is liberation from Polarity. 0:04:48.965,0:04:53.555 Up till now,[br]all movement within this Universe has taken place 0:04:53.555,0:04:57.078 because someone wants to move towards something 0:04:57.078,0:05:00.947 because they want to move away from something else. 0:05:00.949,0:05:03.651 They want to move towards something that is wanted 0:05:03.651,0:05:07.985 because they want to move away[br]from something that is unwanted. 0:05:07.992,0:05:11.141 This 'pain' is the Eternal Condition. 0:05:12.954,0:05:16.752 That is, until it is no longer the condition. 0:05:16.752,0:05:20.108 When you live your life[br]moving away from negative towards positive 0:05:20.108,0:05:21.883 you are always in motion. 0:05:21.883,0:05:25.680 You can never stop to smell the roses[br]in the present moment, so to speak. 0:05:25.690,0:05:27.882 All decision are made by 'pain'. 0:05:27.890,0:05:32.277 All decisions are the by-product of[br]trying to move away from pain. 0:05:32.277,0:05:36.138 Imagine a life where there is nothing that you wish[br]to move away from ... 0:05:36.138,0:05:40.707 Life is lived for Joy in total non-resistance to Pain. 0:05:40.707,0:05:42.565 In order to end this Trail of Tears, 0:05:42.565,0:05:45.590 this perpetual movement away & towards ... 0:05:45.590,0:05:47.020 ... away & towards ... 0:05:47.020,0:05:49.489 this movement from aversion towards craving 0:05:49.489,0:05:51.775 (which is all that Attachment really is), 0:05:51.781,0:05:54.782 we turn in the direction of our aversion. 0:05:54.784,0:05:57.509 We sit with it completely, we embrace it. 0:05:57.509,0:05:59.563 We are unconditional towards It 0:05:59.563,0:06:04.250 because we let It know that we are willing to experience it[br]without needing It to change. 0:06:04.250,0:06:05.150 We are set free 0:06:05.160,0:06:08.891 because of our willingness to bring[br]the Light of the Presence of our Consciousness 0:06:08.896,0:06:13.019 into the Shadow of the Absence of our Consciousness. 0:06:13.019,0:06:16.188 We no longer have an aversion to our Aversion 0:06:16.191,0:06:18.775 and so, it is no longer our master. 0:06:18.775,0:06:22.471 Desire is transmuted because it is free of its Shadow. 0:06:22.471,0:06:27.213 And free of its Shadow,[br]there is no longer a need for reincarnation. 0:06:27.213,0:06:31.765 The craving for reincarnation[br]is gone from our Soul itself. 0:06:31.765,0:06:36.230 The Soul now chooses from a place[br]not motivated by Aversion, or, Craving. 0:06:37.584,0:06:43.136 The process of Spiritual Awakening[br]happens in three distinct steps. 0:06:43.142,0:06:47.866 Now, we have to understand, of course,[br]that there could potentially, in future, be more steps 0:06:47.866,0:06:49.623 but for the sake of your understanding, 0:06:49.623,0:06:56.508 I have whittled Awakening down to[br]these primary three steps - like the Holy Trinity. 0:06:56.515,0:06:59.393 I'm going to explain these steps to you now ... 0:06:59.399,0:07:02.843 Firstly comes "Spirituality 101": 0:07:02.844,0:07:06.964 It dawns on you that you might actually[br]be capable of creating your reality. 0:07:06.978,0:07:08.559 You might actually be free. 0:07:08.559,0:07:13.167 It might actually be a choice for you to be happy,[br]instead of miserable. 0:07:13.167,0:07:15.656 And so, you go in the direction of happiness. 0:07:15.656,0:07:17.299 You focus positively. 0:07:17.299,0:07:21.791 You do anything you can do[br]to add to the well-being of your life. 0:07:21.791,0:07:24.146 You are flowing in the direction of your Joy. 0:07:24.149,0:07:26.508 You are allowing your Joy. 0:07:27.204,0:07:29.863 You prioritize how you feel above all else, 0:07:29.863,0:07:32.782 your life is dedicated to feeling 'better'. 0:07:32.793,0:07:35.218 You finally let yourself have what you want. 0:07:35.218,0:07:39.471 But still you want those things[br]because of aversions to other things. 0:07:39.471,0:07:42.802 You are still running from feeling crappy. 0:07:42.806,0:07:44.238 You begin to feel, deep-down, 0:07:44.238,0:07:48.221 that this is an endless-cycle of[br]Aversion & Craving, Unwanted & Wanted. 0:07:48.221,0:07:50.585 No matter what you get, you want more. 0:07:50.590,0:07:53.813 This is no longer as satisfying as it once was, 0:07:53.818,0:07:58.838 so it is time for the second step - "Spirituality 2.0". 0:08:00.568,0:08:06.474 In Spirituality 2.0,[br]you realize that all movement towards your desires 0:08:06.474,0:08:11.798 is movement away from something that is unwanted[br]that will never stop chasing you. 0:08:11.798,0:08:16.131 Just like a storm or a tornado,[br]that's gonna chase you from place to place. 0:08:16.131,0:08:19.802 You decide that the answer[br]is to turn in the direction of your aversion, 0:08:19.802,0:08:22.706 and to walk straight into the center of that storm. 0:08:22.706,0:08:25.090 Instead of allowing your positive emotions 0:08:25.096,0:08:28.775 now you begin the practice of[br]allowing your negative emotions, 0:08:28.775,0:08:31.185 so that there is no longer resistance to them. 0:08:31.185,0:08:33.975 You're integrating and you're becoming whole. 0:08:33.977,0:08:36.685 The Unconscious is becoming Conscious. 0:08:36.690,0:08:38.834 Craving is becoming pure Desire. 0:08:38.834,0:08:40.208 You're becoming whole 0:08:40.211,0:08:43.578 as the Shadow is no longer separated[br]from the light of Consciousness. 0:08:43.578,0:08:47.521 Instead of feeling better, your aim[br]is to get better at feeling. 0:08:47.521,0:08:51.518 You end up in the present moment[br]with no aversions and thus no craving. 0:08:51.518,0:08:53.059 You are not going anywhere - 0:08:53.059,0:08:55.797 Past ceases to motivate you towards the Future, 0:08:55.797,0:08:58.443 and you are left squarely in the present moment - 0:08:58.443,0:09:02.411 and then, you are ready for "Spirituality 3.0". 0:09:03.204,0:09:05.789 In Spirituality 3.0 you can choose to 0:09:05.789,0:09:10.160 deliberately create in your Reality[br]because of Desire. 0:09:10.160,0:09:14.570 But that desire is no longer motivated[br]by aversions to something. 0:09:14.570,0:09:20.535 Because of this,[br]Spirituality 3.0 is the realm that we call Choice. 0:09:20.535,0:09:21.845 Instead of craving, 0:09:21.845,0:09:25.967 we recognize our infinite creator-nature and choose - 0:09:25.967,0:09:29.484 choose to be wealthy or not -[br]not from a place of pain. 0:09:29.484,0:09:30.457 In other words, 0:09:30.457,0:09:32.309 "I don't want money because I'm poor ... " 0:09:32.309,0:09:34.657 "I want it because I'm curious about that perspective, " 0:09:34.657,0:09:36.807 "like I want strawberry ice-cream." 0:09:36.807,0:09:38.566 "I don't want strawberry ice-cream because " 0:09:38.566,0:09:42.374 "I so, so, so, don't-want chocolate ice-cream!" 0:09:42.494,0:09:46.211 Inspiration is what causes our movement[br]towards things that we choose. 0:09:46.211,0:09:47.898 We are completely in the Now. 0:09:47.898,0:09:50.934 No Past is projecting into our Present or Future. 0:09:50.934,0:09:54.491 The state of Spirituality 3.0 arises organically, 0:09:54.491,0:09:57.699 as a result of shining the Light into the Shadow. 0:09:58.465,0:10:01.772 To begin with, you start in 'Unconscious'. 0:10:01.772,0:10:03.373 You are asleep. 0:10:03.373,0:10:05.604 And you are not aware that you are asleep. 0:10:05.604,0:10:10.398 When you begin to wake up[br]you begin to notice the polarity of your existence. 0:10:10.398,0:10:12.012 You start to see that there might be 0:10:12.012,0:10:14.883 a Light-side and a Shadow-Side to that which is You. 0:10:14.883,0:10:18.242 You recognize the difference between Positive and Negative. 0:10:18.242,0:10:19.479 And because you notice 0:10:19.479,0:10:23.692 that so much of your Shadow-side[br]is creating the reality that you live in, 0:10:23.692,0:10:27.025 you do anything that you can to crawl into the Light, 0:10:27.025,0:10:30.471 out of that dark abyss that you have been living your life in. 0:10:30.471,0:10:33.625 This is Spirituality 101. 0:10:33.625,0:10:36.131 In Spirituality 2.0, 0:10:36.131,0:10:39.332 after we have reached that 'Conscious' state 0:10:39.332,0:10:42.044 (we've crawled out of that hole into the light), 0:10:42.044,0:10:44.703 we capture that light that is Consciousness 0:10:44.703,0:10:48.611 and we descend back into the abyss of our own Shadow. 0:10:48.611,0:10:50.708 With the light of Consciousness, 0:10:50.708,0:10:56.131 that Shadow which we descend into ceases to be 'shadow'. 0:10:56.131,0:11:00.260 And then we evolve into Spirituality 3.0. 0:11:00.260,0:11:03.124 The Unconscious becomes Conscious. 0:11:03.124,0:11:04.989 Polarity dissipates. 0:11:04.989,0:11:07.092 You are Whole, in and of yourself. 0:11:07.092,0:11:13.190 You experience true peace -[br]which is the transcendence of Opposites. 0:11:13.190,0:11:15.399 Peace is not what we think it is. 0:11:15.399,0:11:17.158 It is not just 'getting-along'. 0:11:17.158,0:11:19.288 It is not just the absence of war. 0:11:19.288,0:11:22.006 It is the absence of internal conflict, 0:11:22.006,0:11:24.356 and thus, the absence of external conflict. 0:11:25.346,0:11:28.435 It is the absence of Opposition and Polarity. 0:11:28.435,0:11:31.933 It is the center point of the symbol of Eternity - 0:11:31.933,0:11:35.723 no Opposites, only one unified Beingness. 0:11:35.723,0:11:38.924 That is the state that we have called Enlightenment. 0:11:38.924,0:11:42.013 And the state of Enlightenment is not a state of 'retirement'. 0:11:42.013,0:11:47.094 It is more like the by-product[br]of the ongoing process of becoming Conscious. 0:11:47.094,0:11:50.437 As the Universe or Source[br]becomes more conscious of Itself, 0:11:50.437,0:11:52.521 there is more to become conscious of. 0:11:52.521,0:11:58.433 And so, we, a microcosm of the larger Universe,[br]must become more conscious. 0:11:58.433,0:12:03.876 And so, there are always further Enlightenments[br]to experience - so far ... 0:12:03.876,0:12:11.111 The Three Steps of Awakening are[br]clearly represented in the Eternity symbol. 0:12:11.111,0:12:13.274 That's why I'm going to use this symbol 0:12:13.274,0:12:16.349 to explain this three-step process of Awakening to you today. 0:12:18.075,0:12:20.483 Because of how I have named these particular steps, 0:12:20.483,0:12:22.566 (for the sake of your understanding) 0:12:22.566,0:12:25.066 we then fall into the trap of thinking 0:12:25.066,0:12:29.193 that one step is more 'graduated' than the previous step. 0:12:29.193,0:12:33.803 It's more important that we see this on a horizontal line. 0:12:33.803,0:12:35.377 The way the Universe sees this 0:12:35.377,0:12:40.833 is that one step is not more 'graduated'[br]or important than the last step. 0:12:40.833,0:12:43.902 The same way that the Universe does not see Crawling 0:12:43.902,0:12:48.610 as an infinitesimal step compared to Walking. 0:12:48.610,0:12:50.898 They're crucial, they're important. 0:12:50.898,0:12:55.395 So it's important to think about these steps more like a scale, 0:12:55.395,0:12:58.395 where both sides are equally weighted. 0:12:58.395,0:13:01.935 Looking at the Infinity Symbol[br]we can see that there is polarity. 0:13:01.935,0:13:05.989 On one side - Physical, on the other side - Non-physical. 0:13:05.989,0:13:08.873 On one side - Life, on the other - Death. 0:13:08.873,0:13:11.928 On one side - Light, on the other - Dark. 0:13:11.928,0:13:15.731 But in-between them is a point - the Still Point. 0:13:15.731,0:13:20.195 This is the part of the Infinity Symbol[br]that actually represents Infinity. 0:13:20.195,0:13:22.583 It is not the balance between opposites, 0:13:22.583,0:13:25.996 it is the union and thus, transcendence of opposites. 0:13:25.996,0:13:28.952 So, here we have Spirituality 3.0. 0:13:28.952,0:13:31.491 On one side - Spirituality 101, 0:13:31.491,0:13:33.984 on the other side - Spirituality 2.0 0:13:33.984,0:13:36.766 and in the middle - Spirituality 3.0. 0:13:37.476,0:13:41.543 It is tempting to rush the steps of Awakening 0:13:41.543,0:13:42.938 cause let's be honest, 0:13:42.938,0:13:46.020 we would all love to rush to the place of Transcendence 0:13:46.020,0:13:48.018 where we were feeling amazing all the time, 0:13:48.018,0:13:49.638 where we were solidly in the present moment, 0:13:49.638,0:13:52.336 and we were absent of Resistance. 0:13:52.336,0:13:56.397 But these steps of Awakening will not be rushed. 0:13:56.397,0:13:58.699 The place where most of our 'rushing' happens 0:13:58.699,0:14:01.444 is in the practice of Spirituality 2.0 0:14:01.444,0:14:04.526 where we fall again into the trap[br]of trying to resist the emotions 0:14:04.526,0:14:07.045 that we've been running from for most of our lives. 0:14:07.045,0:14:08.613 This is why I have not released 0:14:10.326,0:14:13.487 this particular teaching on Spirituality 3.0 for a long time. 0:14:13.487,0:14:19.677 Instead, I waited, so that people could be[br]squarely in the practice of Spirituality 2.0 0:14:19.677,0:14:25.768 and not do Spirituality 2.0[br]for the sake of getting to Spirituality 3.0. 0:14:25.768,0:14:29.458 Cause if we're trying to do 2.0 to get to 3.0 0:14:29.458,0:14:33.122 we have missed the point of Spirituality 2.0. 0:14:33.122,0:14:36.654 We are no longer unconditionally present[br]with the way we feel. 0:14:36.654,0:14:39.630 We are no longer allowing our negative emotions. 0:14:39.630,0:14:42.005 We are instead resisting our negative emotions 0:14:42.005,0:14:45.229 by trying to go into them in order to get out of them. 0:14:45.229,0:14:52.385 Some people spend years upon years[br]practicing Spirituality 2.0. 0:14:52.385,0:14:54.833 In this Awakening process, like Life, 0:14:54.833,0:14:55.685 you learn how to crawl 0:14:55.685,0:14:56.996 before you learn how to walk 0:14:56.996,0:14:58.888 before you learn how to fly. 0:14:58.888,0:15:02.043 Different techniques - one which leads to the next. 0:15:02.043,0:15:05.760 You don't get upset at the process of crawling[br]once you learn how to walk. 0:15:05.760,0:15:10.600 You don't get upset with at process of walking[br]before you learn how to fly. 0:15:10.600,0:15:15.958 You realize that there are different techniques needed[br]to facilitate your Expansion. 0:15:17.008,0:15:23.351 Spirituality 3.0 is the beautiful fusion[br]of Spirituality 101 and Spirituality 2.0. 0:15:23.351,0:15:28.000 One could say that Spirituality 101[br]is largely about allowing the Light - 0:15:28.000,0:15:31.598 and that Spirituality 2.0[br]is about allowing the Shadow - 0:15:31.598,0:15:37.209 and Spirituality 3.0 is the transcendence[br]or fusion of these seeming opposites. 0:15:37.209,0:15:38.856 To use religious terms, 0:15:38.856,0:15:41.104 Spirituality 101 is the Father, 0:15:41.104,0:15:43.465 Spirituality 2.0 is the Holy Ghost 0:15:43.465,0:15:46.951 and Spirituality 3.0 is the Son. 0:15:46.951,0:15:48.115 In other words, 0:15:48.115,0:15:50.529 if Light is God and Shadow is Goddess, 0:15:50.529,0:15:54.041 the fusion of Light and Dark is the Child. 0:15:54.041,0:15:59.543 In Spirituality 3.0,[br]the techniques that we learned in Spirituality 101 0:15:59.543,0:16:06.309 'creating our Reality', 'deliberate Focus', 'positive Intentions'[br]are added back into our process 0:16:06.309,0:16:11.428 but because of Spirituality 2.0, they have been purified. 0:16:11.428,0:16:17.295 These desires and these practices[br]are not motivated by fear or by negative emotion 0:16:17.295,0:16:21.336 and they're not the by-product of avoidance or resistance. 0:16:21.336,0:16:26.362 Because of this,[br]there is no pain in the moving towards a desire, 0:16:26.362,0:16:29.894 because you're not moving away from something else. 0:16:29.894,0:16:33.935 Because of this, we are now free to choose. 0:16:33.935,0:16:35.820 We are living a Free Life. 0:16:35.820,0:16:39.186 This is the state of Living Godhood. 0:16:39.186,0:16:42.625 This is the state of Self Actualization. 0:16:42.625,0:16:45.840 This is the state, of complete and total, 0:16:45.840,0:16:48.207 Awareness and Awakening. 0:16:48.207,0:16:49.440 Have a good week ... 0:16:49.440,0:17:37.921 ♪ Outtro Music ♪