Ep. 154 (Part 2 of 2) | In this 4th dialogue of the A. H. Almaas Wisdom Series, spiritual teacher Hameed Ali explains that much of the beginning of the spiritual path is spent clarifying our individual consciousness from the conditioning of the past in order to wake up and discover our true nature. In the Diamond Approach, this is accomplished using the practice of inquiry, and as we inquire deeply within, qualities intrinsic to consciousness emerge in our awareness. These qualities—like truth, courage, steadfastness, curiosity, and love—each have their own particular sensory expression: a certain color, texture, warmth or coolness, varying degrees of sweetness. The more these qualities emerge, Hameed says, the more powerful our practice and the more authentic our life. He calls these qualities treasures of the soul. 

This beautiful conversation ranges from profoundly moving, as Hameed evokes specific qualities of presence, to humorous, when he tells a funny story about Maharishi Yogi, to intensely illuminating as Hameed talks about the teaching of the first turning, the miracle of ordinary life, what it means to be spiritually mature, the nature of true sorrow, the fact that we are the universe being conscious, and how fundamental nature lies deeper than consciousness, deeper than awareness. It is a multifaceted gem, not to be missed. Recorded September 19, 2024.

“The soul is the organ of knowledge of the universe.”

(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)

Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2

• We have to take the dualistic world into account (00:59)
• Mature spirituality: just live your life; you have to start with ordinary life (02:31)
• The second (nondual), third & fourth turnings recognize there are other ways that reality appears (05:43)
• You can be pure consciousness living in a world of matter: in some sense, this is more miraculous than that everything is consciousness (07:01)
• Courage’s presence is like red lava, fiery and ruby red (09:39)
• Truth is also a quality: when I experience myself as truth, I feel myself as made out of pure gold, the gold of consciousness (10:24)
• Roger is deeply touched when Hameed evokes the sensory characteristics of the essential qualities; Hameed agrees it is very moving (13:43)
• To what extent are these sensory experiences specific to Hameed? Or are they universal? (15:02)
• Sincerity is a quality of presence (17:55)
• What do all these inherent qualities tell us about the nature of reality? (19:09)
• Fundamental nature is deeper than consciousness, deeper than awareness: I am is completely indeterminate (20:43)
• The nature of rational thought, discriminating awareness (24:22)
• Can we integrate ordinary knowledge with true knowing? (27:15)
• It’s important for people to know that consciousness can appear as a particular quality (29:13)
• These qualities are the treasures of the soul and the journey of learning about them is a beautiful adventure of discovery (31:41)
• The word brings out the quality and the quality brings out the word (35:21)

Resources & References – Part 2

• A. H. Almaas (Hameed Ali), founder of The Ridhwan School, home of The Diamond Approach
• A. H. Almaas, The Inner Journey Home: Soul’s Realization of the Unity of Reality*
• Kashmir Shaivism
• The Platonic Forms of the Socratic Dialogues
• Ramana Maharshi, Who Am I? The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi*
• Parmenides, the first philosopher to inquire into the nature of existence itself
• Sufi mystic Ibn Arabi, “God needs a soul just as much as a soul needs God”
• Maharishi Yogi, creator of Transcendental Meditation
• Tibetan Buddhist masters Chögyam Trungpa & Dilgo Khyentse

The A. H. Almaas Wisdom Series will generally follow the sequence of Hameed’s magnum opus, The Inner Journey Home* (which John describes as psychoactive and spiritually, psychologically, and intellectually transformative), so listeners may want to get a copy of this book, to study and follow along on this exhilarating path of awakening.

* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.

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Hameed Ali (A. H. Almaas) was born in Kuwait in 1944. At the age of eighteen, he moved to the U.S. to study at the University of California in Berkeley. Hameed was working on his Ph.D. in physics when he reached a turning point in his life and destiny that led him to inquire into the psychological and spiritual aspects of human nature rather than the physical nature of the universe. He left the academic world to pursue an in-depth journey of inner discovery, applying his scientific precision and discipline to personal, experiential research. This included study with different teachers in different modalities, extensive reading, and continuous study of his own consciousness in an effort to understand the essential nature of human experience and reality in general.

Hameed’s process of exploration led to the creation of the Ridhwan School and, with his colleague Karen Johnson, resulted in the founding and unfoldment of the Diamond Approach. He is the author of 20 books, including Nondual Love: Awakening to the Loving Nature of Reality, Love Unveiled: Discovering the Essence of the Awakened Heart, Keys to the Enneagram: How to Unlock the Highest Potential of Every Personality Type, The Unfolding Now: Realizing Your True Nature through the Practice of Presence, and more.

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Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell