The Torn Page

Student Question:  Do thoughts really become things and how fast is the outcome?  Does it depend on how intense the thought is?

Student Question:  Does the way that we think of others even when not expressed, have any effect on them?

Student Question:  We were talking about the lotus position and you mentioned that sitting in that position can activate sanskaras.  I have experienced this kind of thing in meditation and realized that even though my whole body would be still, I would continue to move my eyes when they are closed.  When I am able to keep my eyes still it seems to be a whole different thing.  Could you speak about that because it seems like there is a connection between eyes moving and a chattering mind?

Student Question:  I have these beautiful images coming up in meditation and although I feel peaceful, I wonder if these images are appearing as a distraction to pull me away from the stillness?

Student Question:  In your teaching you mentioned that the ego had characteristics such as greed, hatred and selfishness embedded in it.  When I think of the word embedded it makes me think of something that is set in stone; it’s not moving.  So then I thought, “what’s the point of wasting any time trying to fix the ego?”  Is it even possible to fix?  I know it’s kind of a literal thing.  It kind of makes sense to steer around it and go straight for the Self.  So is the idea of fixing the ego even worth the time?

Student Question:  What is pain and its purpose or meaning, and is pain always the same as suffering?  What is the difference?

Student Question:  Do you have any advice to help me mediate longer when my mind wanders off?

Excerpt:  “The idea of Christian perfection was the perfection of one’s love for God….We don’t care whether you believe in duality or nonduality here, the point is let the love which ultimately is nonduality isn’t it, isn’t love union?  Whether it achieves an actual ontological dissolution on the boundaries between the soul and God is irrelevant, but the experience that you will have if you allow yourself to sit with that intention of dissolving in love with God and it’s sincere, as the first commandment in the old testament says, ‘love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, all thy soul and all thy might’.  If you will do that and with that consistency of attention that is focused within, not on an imaginary God on a cloud somewhere, but within as the Self, you will break through the duality and enter into a state of grace...”  Recorded on the evening of Thursday, August 11, 2011.

Student Question:  I had a question about projections.  We talk about projections a lot.  In thinking about the question I came to some conclusions but I wanted to run if by you just for validation.  Let’s say for example we have a new employee at work and this guy drinks and cusses and swears and everything else, but it is not necessarily projecting if you can see this behavior happening.  It seems that this is all feedback information for you, which you kind of have to accept.  The other night in one of the lessons you said that people change everyday so you don’t have to store anything.  The next day when you see him you treat him the same way without any projections and just respond in whatever is appropriate for that person on that day.  So the conclusion was that fine they can act however they want to but you are just holding your space and not projecting and that is all you have to do?

Student Question:  Do you think that once we leave this experience on earth that we will ever have any recollection of it or when our soul moves to other realms will this just be another lost layer in the unconscious that we won’t be able to remember?