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