Knowledge and Religion

A Brighter Future for the World Economy

The common theory in the United States is that if you want to improve the economy you consume more, which means that you have to manufacture more things, and that means that you have to employ more people. Then with more employment more people can buy more things and that causes steady economic growth.

Problems with this theory of economic growth
In the short run this seems like a good theory, but in the long run there are some problems with it. First, some people won’t be satisfied with slow steady growth. They will want as much as possible now and will do anything to get what they want. This is because they take happiness to be connected with the things that they get.

And second, when more people have more things eventually we will run out of the materials necessary to make these things as well as suffering pollution and other environmental problems that come as side effects of all this manufacturing. And third, people who are poorer will find themselves marginalized and taken advantage of.

How do you actually get your desires fulfilled?
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Give the gift of enlightenment to yourself and to others when you get Making Your Wisdom Come Alive. This book points to the wisdom and joy that you find at your center. Here you can find the light that makes life shine in its full glory.

For more information go to: Amazon.com

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If we want to really develop a sustainable economy that will serve our children well, I think that we are going to have to examine some of the basic assumptions behind this economic theory. The most important assumption is where do you actually find happiness? Without finding the place where your desires get fulfilled in the deepest sense, people will find themselves getting strung out. As they attempt to get more and more things they will find themselves getting less and less happiness. This is just the opposite of the result that they hope for. They will feel like a donkey chasing a carrot attached to a stick in front of his nose. No matter how hard he tries he never quite gets what he wants.

The reason for this is that happiness does not come from material things. The proof of this is that when you experience happiness you do not experience it in a thing; you experience happiness right in your heart, and that’s the place where it comes from. When you look into it deeply, you find that this happiness was uncaused. It is the thing you were born with and it will be there for you even after you die. It comes from your innate being and that’s why it feels just right. Can you see how profound the discovery of this happiness really is?

Knowing the source of happiness puts objects in proper perspective
With this understanding people will see material things as an aid to help them while they are here on earth, not the end all and be all of life. They will see that the purpose of life is much more profound and beautiful than just obtaining material things. They will then be able to shape the economy as an aid to help people as they search for the reality behind the universe which really causes happiness. The economy will no longer be seen as just a way of making more profits and getting more things.

Right now in our economy the value of a person is based on what he or she has; but then it will be based on what a person is. Then for instance, people will have equal access to healthcare. Access will not be based on how much money a person has and healthcare will not be there as a means of making a profit. Rather it will be there to help everyone live a better life, so that they can obtain their real potential.

As for employment, because of their understanding of where happiness lies, people will need less and will therefore have to work fewer hours. They will then have more time to fulfill their dreams and find the real purpose of their life.

Informing people about the real place of happiness
If this vision for an economy seems like a far off dream, it still starts with the first step: informing people about the real place of happiness. Without this knowledge, whatever system we devise will have the same limitations. These limitations are based on greed and the desire for power. But the root of these problems comes from a simple misunderstanding as to where happiness really lies.

The reason the desire for happiness is so great is because it is the desire to return to our boundless Self-Nature. No regulation or commission is strong enough to prevent us from going towards happiness in the place where we think it is. Like a river we will find a way to flow around regulatory obstacles until we get what we want. The drive for happiness is so strong that in the long run it cannot be restrained.

The real purpose of an economy
However, when we finally understand that the happiness we are looking for actually comes from us and not from what we see, our economy will change in ways that we cannot even imagine now. And most important, people will be happier and have a much greater sense of fulfillment. This is the real purpose of an economy, isn’t it?

Feel free to ask questions
Now I want you to experience your true identity in its full glory. So please feel free to continue asking questions. I’m always glad to hear your reactions and clarify my answers. Unlike the path of faith, on the path of Self-Knowledge it is curiosity that destroys limitation and allows you to abide in your natural freedom.

If the comment section of this blog doesn't work, please send your questions and comments to michael@ananya.com. To find out where this all leads go to, www.light-up-your-life.com. And finally, if you enjoy these blogs please tell your friend
                                                                                                                                                   

                                                                        Best Wishes,

                                                                        Michael Gluckman

Why ethics don’t work

I think that in order to understand ethics we have to look to something more fundamental than ethics and that is the nature of desire. Whether people desire an object or they are afraid of an object, what are they looking for? In reality they are looking for lasting happiness. They are looking for a sense of being at home that will not come to an end.

Objects cannot provide what they don’t have
But the problem is that the objects that people look for such as wealth, relationships and security cannot provide the happiness that they just don’t have. Happiness comes from the place where you actually experience it and you don’t experience it in objects, you experience happiness in your own Self-Nature. Understanding this is the beginning of spiritual practice, which can go incredibly deep, deeper than words can describe.
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Give the gift of enlightenment to yourself and to others when you get Making Your Wisdom Come Alive. This book points to the wisdom and joy that you find at your center. Here you can find the light that makes life shine in its full glory.

For more information go to: Amazon.com

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Not understanding this is the beginning of suffering, which is intolerable, because it goes against our nature. And so we inexorably run towards things that we think will provide us with happiness and run away from the things that we think will make us miserable.

We make the best decisions when we stand in our true nature
With this background let’s talk about ethics. The only way to have ethical behavior is to know where happiness really lies. This does not tell you how to act. Rather it tells you where to come from so that you can make the best decisions that are beneficial to all. In other words when you already have the happiness that you need, you are in the best position to make ethical decisions.

We often hear about the virtues of living an ethical life. And yet so few of us can actually do it. Even if we don’t kill people or rob our neighbors, we find ourselves slipping up here and slipping up there. We tell little white lies that make us look better than we really think we are. We notice that the store clerk gives us more change than is due, but we don’t say a thing.

Ethics has many extenuating circumstances
And even if we try to do the little things right, when applied, ethics can become very confusing. For instance if the Roman soldiers come to your doorstep and ask, “Is Jesus there?” do you lie to them and say “No!” or tell the truth and send him off to his death?

Is a doctor unethical if he or she tries to earn more money rather than save the life of someone who couldn’t possibly pay him, so the doctor can send his kids through college? Or is a stockbroker unethical who intentionally sells his client a bad stock so that he can enrich his self? And that’s because the broker’s wife is sick and needs an expensive operation.

And then what about ethical wars?
When is a war just and when is it unjust? After World War Two it might be easy to see that the German cause was unjust while the Allies cause was just. But during the war it was hard for many millions of people to distinguish between what was ethical and unethical.

This is because our desire for fulfillment is much stronger than our ability to live by some ethical rules. And so people are willing to fight to gain the things they think they want, and to destroy all the people that they think are obstacles to obtaining these things.

Lasting happiness comes from within and is not in the world
But the thing that people really want is to find the lasting happiness and that only comes from one place: your own Self-Nature. If you can find this place, you will automatically live an ethical life, regardless of your circumstances. And most important you will discover the real purpose of life.

Feel free to ask questions
Now I want you to experience happiness right at its source. So please feel free to continue asking questions. I’m always glad to hear your reactions and clarify my answers. Unlike the path of faith, on the path of Self-Knowledge it is curiosity that destroys limitation and allows you to abide in your natural freedom.

If the comment section of this blog doesn't work, please send your questions and comments to michael@ananya.com. To find out where this all leads go to, www.light-up-your-life.com. And finally, if you enjoy these blogs please tell your friend
                                                                                                                                                   

                                                                        Best Wishes,

                                                                        Michael Gluckman

Is the World Spiritual or Material?

Even though this is just February, it is a beautiful time here at the California coast. The plum trees are blossoming with delicate pink flowers. Other flowers are showing their full range of colors and the trees are just starting to wake up. On this beautiful sunny day it is time to ask the question: What is this world anyway?

At first glance this world seems to be an aggregate of materials with many different properties. And of course we have five different senses so that we can sense these different properties. I am amazed by the harmony that the senses make. That we have eyes and there are things to see, ears and there are things to hear, a tongue and things to taste, etc.

The world depends on our senses and state of mind
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Give the gift of enlightenment to yourself and to others when you get Making Your Wisdom Come Alive. This book points to the wisdom and joy that you find at your center. Here you can find the light that makes life shine in its full glory.

For more information go to: Amazon.com

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If we did not have senses, how would we even know that the world was there? If we were born without any senses, we would not have a way of experiencing the world. In fact, for us the world would not exist.

The world also depends on our state of mind as it is through our mind that we interpret what we see. For instance with a slight change in our mind, we enter a completely different world called dream. Remember when we are in the dream, the dream seems like the waking state.

In fact, to the dream character it seems like the dream is made of many different materials. But from our perspective we can see that the dream is really made out of one substance, the mind of the dreamer. We can see that the dream character and everything that he or she sees is nothing but the one mind.

Is the truth behind the world based on separation?

Enlightenment the doorway to real adventure

The key to any adventure is that it is unknown. You don’t know what you are about to experience. You are surprised by how it looks, sounds, feels tastes and smells. You have no reference point on which to anticipate how the experience will go. Because of this, all you can do is be present and aware.

As an aspirant for liberation advances in his or her practice, the same thing happens. You don’t know what’s around the next corner or how your life and thoughts will change. In some ways the process is out of your control. So the only thing you can do is be present and aware.
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Give the gift of enlightenment to yourself and to others when you get Making Your Wisdom Come Alive. This book points to the wisdom and joy that you find at your center. Here you can find the light that makes life shine in its full glory.

For more information go to: Amazon.com

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Find the cause of limitation and it is gone
However, if you notice suffering or limitation, it is time for you to take over and find out what conceptual framework is causing your suffering. That’s because suffering always has a cause while freedom is just your natural state. The mystery of spiritual practice is when you find the cause of your suffering it is gone. That’s because at that moment you are standing beyond your suffering in your natural state.

In this respect spiritual practice is like a roller coaster ride. You slowly roll up a large incline and as you reach the top you lose sight of where the tracks go. But you have a wonderful view of everything around you. Then it feels like the bottom drops out as you rush down the other side. It seems like everything is out of your control. But you feel happy and free. The bottom dropping out is the disappearance of the limited identity that you thought was you.

Leave lots of room for surprises in your practice
Many people conceive of enlightenment as changing the state of their mind, and some people think of it as changing the state of your body too. But the problem with this is that they try to anticipate how they are going to change; but this isn’t a real adventure, is it? Moreover how can you anticipate the vast expanse of freedom with the limitations of your mind?

For instance, if you have a tendency to get angry you may feel that enlightenment will come when you don’t get angry. The same is true of fear or any other emotion that seems to take you over. But you should know that a state of mind is not the enlightenment that you are looking for. It is too limited.

Your life will become fresh and new
If you make an attempt to eliminate everything that is too small for you, you will find that your life will change in ways that will completely surprise you. Life will once again become fresh and new. You will have regained the adventurous feeling that life is supposed to have. You will also find the real purpose of life. Life is here so that you can discover that which is beyond limitation, and that's where you find freedom.

Feel free to ask questions
Now I want you to experience your true identity in its full glory. So please feel free to continue asking questions. I’m always glad to hear your reactions and clarify my answers. Unlike the path of faith, on the path of Self-Knowledge it is curiosity that destroys limitation and allows you to abide in your natural freedom.

If the comment section of this blog doesn't work, please send your questions and comments to michael@ananya.com. To find out where this all leads go to, www.light-up-your-life.com. And finally, if you enjoy these blogs please tell your friend
                                                                                                                                                   

                                                                        Best Wishes,

                                                                        Michael Gluckman

On facing disasters

The feeling that we own things is really just a misnomer. In reality we only borrow them to use while we are here on the earth. When we die or face a disaster, we get to give everything back. So we should treat all of our possession as if they are on loan and the lease could run out at any moment.

Most people think of renunciation as some horrendous feat that they could never accomplish. That’s because they think they are supposed to give up the good stuff. Even monks and priests, who try to renounce the world, feel like they are giving up the things that are really valuable. And thus they spend their time thinking about the stuff that they gave up, instead of making an effort to find God or their own Self-Nature.
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Give the gift of enlightenment to yourself and to others when you get Making Your Wisdom Come Alive. This book points to the wisdom and joy that you find at your center. Here you can find the light that makes life shine in its full glory.

For more information go to: Amazon.com

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Renunciation is seeing things the way they are
But this is because they misunderstand what renunciation really is. In reality renunciation is just recognizing the way things are anyway. Whether you give up things or not, the truth is that you are automatically renounced. Anything that you have can be taken away in a second.

If you don’t recognize this you have the stress of attempting to cling on to something that you just can’t hold onto. But when you let go of possessiveness, you will find a wonderful sense of freedom in your life. You find joy that does not depend on what you have or what you don’t have. It feels like life becomes very natural; more and more you find yourself abiding at the source of happiness, and not relying on things to give you what they don’t have.

Renunciation is not giving up objects; it’s finding happiness at its source
Remember in order to feel this joy you just have to give up your attachment to an object. You don’t have to give up the object itself. To find this joy, just meditate on where you feel the happiness: is it in the object or is it in your heart?

The place where you experience happiness is the place where it actually comes from. Once you find this place of happiness, it will make very little difference if you give up the object or not. If they are meant to, the objects will fall off; if not, even though you retain them you will be free of them. That’s because you will know that happiness comes from your nature and not from an object that you have or don’t have. This is renunciation without the image of renunciation.

The depth of your being is unaffected by the storm above
If you can find this place of happiness, no matter how bad your outer circumstances become, your peace will not be shaken. This does not mean that you will have a big smile plastered on your face. It just means that you will discover that your place of existence is deeper than the body, mind and world. Your suffering is tiny compared to the depth of your being.

When you abide here it will be like the depth of the ocean unaffected by the storms above. Like Christ, I call this: “The peace that passes all understanding.” My wish is that you will discover this peace and abide here too.

Feel free to ask questions
Now I want you to experience your true identity in its full glory. So please feel free to continue asking questions. I’m always glad to hear your reactions and clarify my answers. Unlike the path of faith, on the path of Self-Knowledge it is curiosity that destroys limitation and allows you to abide in your natural freedom.

If the comment section of this blog doesn't work, please send your questions and comments to michael@ananya.com. To find out where this all leads go to, www.light-up-your-life.com. And finally, if you enjoy these blogs please tell your friend
                                                                                                                                                   

                                                                        Best Wishes,

                                                                        Michael Gluckman

Finding God in Haiti and Natural Disasters

When we read about and hear about natural disasters like the earthquake in Haiti, we can rightfully ask: “Why would God do such a thing to a poor country like Haiti? Where is justice anyway?” Here is a country that is really poor and now they lost just about everything they had.

And of course if your aim in life is Self-Knowledge, this would provide a challenge. How could a person find peace and happiness when they lose everything: their family, friends, house and all of there possessions. That many nations in the world have come together to help is definitely a good thing, as it reflects the oneness and compassion that comes right from our own being.

Can we find an answer for this much suffering?
But in order to meditate and find a real resolve for this situation, we would have to put ourselves in the place of the people in Haiti. The question is: Can we find a place in our meditation that is deep enough to resolve this much suffering?

Our answer would have to be deeper than the person who is hungry, homeless, and in pain; and deeper than the reaction of the mind, saying ouch! That is a shift of identity from the limitations of the mind and body, to the ever-present Consciousness, which is at our core.

By resting in our being we find what is true about the world
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Give the gift of enlightenment to yourself or others when you give Making Your Wisdom Come Alive. This book points to the wisdom and joy that you find at your center. Here you can find the light that makes life shine in its full glory.

For more information go to: Amazon.com

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From here we would not have to the change the person going through the crisis. All we would have to do is rest in the still reference point that sees change. In that way we would see clearly that the “me” who lived in Haiti was not me at all, and the lost everything was never really mine. The person and the mine were just  objects that I saw and not my real identity.

But the thing that made this nightmare seem so real was our own Consciousness, and by returning our Consciousness to its source, we return reality to its source, which is our being. That resolves the suffering completely.

The illustration of night's dream will make this clearer. The real resolve for the tragedy that happened was to find the reality behind the dream, which is the mind of the waking one. Working in the dream would only provide temporary relief for the suffering. But when you wake up the relief is permanent. The same is true for this waking state.

Even in death the stillness of our being does not change
And if we were crushed under one of the houses that collapsed and died, all of these objects would pass away; but our identity would remain the same as the still Consciousness that was never born and will never die.

So we can use this destruction as a reminder that if we connect our peace to objects in the world, then as the objects change, our peace and happiness will seem to disappear. But if we look within and find peace at its source, our real identity, we will find that which can never be destroyed.

So the lesson here is rather then getting enamored in the things that we see, to continue our search until we find that which is free from limitation. It is the source of Consciousness and Bliss which, found at our center, is the truth of the universe. The real lesson of change and destruction is that we should continue our search until we find the changeless background. That is, “The peace that passes all understanding.”

Feel free to ask questions
Now I want you to experience your true identity in its full glory. So please feel free to continue asking questions. I’m always glad to hear your reactions and clarify my answers. Unlike the path of faith, on the path of Self-Knowledge it is curiosity that destroys limitation and allows you to abide in your natural freedom.

If the comment section of this blog doesn't work, please send your questions and comments to michael@ananya.com. To find out where this all leads go to, www.light-up-your-life.com. And finally, if you enjoy these blogs please tell your friend
                                                                                                                                                   

                                                                        Best Wishes,

                                                                        Michael Gluckman

Do you have a problem with anger?

If you have problems with your emotions and find yourself swinging between spiritual experiences and emotions that seem to bring you back into suffering, you should read this blog. That’s because struggling with your emotions will keep you centered in limitation, while your real nature, which is space-like Awareness transcends all limitations.

This is an email conversation between Ross and Michael:

Ross:

I am enjoying your book. As a student of A course in Miracles Jesus tells us anger is never justified. It is a misperception. Your insights are very similar to the course presented in a different way but with the same ultimate conclusion as truth must always be. I am awareness you say. The course says “I am as God created me". Same conclusion.

Thank you Michael

Michael:

Hi Ross
As for anger it does have a place. If anger was always bad Jesus would have lost his sage hood when he got angry at the money lenders in the temple.

In fact all of your emotions have a place in life. For a sage they are like tools in his tool chest. You use the right tool for the right job, right? The time when you have to examine yourself is when you attempt to use a sledge hammer to drive in a finishing nail.

When you emotions get out-of-whack
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Give the gift of enlightenment to yourself or others when you give Making Your Wisdom Come Alive. This book points to the wisdom and joy that you find at your center. Here you can find the light that makes life shine in its full glory.

For more information go to: Amazon.com

___________________________________________________________________

When your emotions are not appropriate for the situation, it is a sure sign that you are feeling limited by some conceptual framework and reacting off of it. For instance if you find yourself constantly getting angry with your wife, the person that you are supposed to love, it is time to look and see what you are taking to be true.

Here are some questions that you can ask yourself in order to unfurl these concepts: do you think she has the ability to give you your innate happiness, and then to destroy it? Did you learn certain behaviors from your parents that you just repeat without looking at them to see if they are really the best way to have a relationship?

How to reclaim your deepest spiritual experiences

If you ever wondered why your spiritual experience came to an end, and how you can get back to those wonderful heights, pay attention to Bree’s question. It is a very perceptive question on coming down after a high experience. Then we will discuss how to cut the strings of limitation so that you never come down again.

Hello there Michael,
 
There was a time when i saw the intensity of truth in every one and everything. I saw the essence of god and divinity in all i encountered, leading me on a journey in embracing the unification of all the people, places and ideals

i came in contact with. i could stare at a wall, talk to a flower and hear the grace of Truth speaking to me and through me. i would fall into the eyes of a stranger with the sacred divine intimacy surrounding us. They would pour out their hearts to me; speaking of all the fears they work so hard to keep hidden.

i knew in those precious instances what their souls were thirsty for, they would say to me "i felt compelled to tell you all of this i am not usually like this...." i understood. i could hear the message of our souls in a clear communication, i knew my purpose loud and clear. my disciplines and spiritual practices reflected the trust i had with god, in which became a reflection to all my surroundings.

so i understand that the seasons change, sometimes its a rebirth with spring or its chaos with winter, and how they reflect the essence of our experiences, how ever as time passed i started to feel used and saw how others put me on a pedestal. i saw my ego feeding the image of enlightenment, and i saw it creating a separation between myself and others.

its funny because the first trial for me in creating the sacred intimacy in communicating the "truth", at fist i had a fear of them not wanting to be around me because i reflect what i am most passionate about, and that is facing ones self, in order to see the ego and not react to it, so you’re not lost underneath its spell, i chose to feel the hunger of my soul instead, and in that choice some hesitate to be in my life while others do not want to let go at all.

i could keep going because the stories never end, and that’s the best part. i love living. i love being. And i love loving! i am very grateful for this wonderful experience that we call life. My question for you Michael is what insight do you receive when you read this? Thank you for your time!

With love Bree!

Here was our response:
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Give the gift of enlightenment when you give Making Your Wisdom Come Alive. This book points to the wisdom and joy that you find at your center. Here you can find the light that makes life shine in its full glory.

For more information go to:
Amazon.com

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Hi Bree,

Thank you for your important question. I know very few people who have the kind of self awareness that your question reflects. I think this came from your deep spiritual experience of oneness and connection with everyone.

What is the key to enlightenment?

What is the key to enlightenment?
The thing about self-knowledge is that it is meant to be experiential and not just intellectual. In fact I think self-discovery is a better name for waking up to what we really are. That’s because with self-discovery your experience changes in ways that you could not have imagined. Another way of saying this is: self discovery will blow your mind.

Let’s take an example so that you can experience what I am saying right now. Let’s take a fresh look at where the world actually sits. We all know that I’m over here and the world is over there, right?

But the key to self discovery is to examine our everyday experiences with fresh eyes. If we can do this we will find that our actual experience is different and more amazing then it’s supposed to be. So with this for an introduction, let’s look at our experience of the world from several different angles:

What is the world anyway?
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Give the gift of enlightenment when you give Making Your Wisdom Come Alive. This book points to the wisdom and joy that you find at your center. Here you can find the light that makes life shine in its full glory.

For more information go to:
Amazon.com

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I am sitting here at a cafe in Carmel California looking outside at a lavender flowering bush. First I see a window frame with glass then I see the bush. Now similarly if I was in here and the world was out there, first I should see my eye sockets and then I should see the world, right? But that’s not really my experience, is it? I just see the world without the sense that the world is over there and I am here. I do not really experience any distance between me and the world. So going by my actual experience where does the world begin and the I end? I can’t really say, right?

Is the world really out there?
Ok, let’s look at the world from a different angle that will again defy the common understanding of where we are located and where the world is located. Even though I will use seeing, you can do this experiment with any sense, eyes, ears, touch, smell and taste. What happens when you see the violet flowering bush?

Your eyes act like a camera and the picture goes from your eyes to the optic nerve. From the optic nerve the picture enters your brain and from the brain it enters your mind. Then you see your mind. So when you say, “I am seeing the world,” you are really only seeing your mind, right? So every object that you think is out there is really just in your mind. Is this what the Buddha meant when he said, “There is nothing outside the Buddha Mind?” Did you know that you can experience this as part of your normal everyday experience? That means that you can become a living Buddha.

Look at your experience afresh
The real key to enlightenment is to look at your experience with fresh eyes and with wonder. The whole mystery of the universe is here, right before our eyes. The only barrier that we have for seeing things as they really are is that we assume too much about the world, ourselves and our mind. If we just start to questions some of these assumptions, we will find that even now we are in the place that we want to be. And most important, this place is much more beautiful and amazing than we could have imagined.

Even though everything will be the same, this meditation on Self-discovery will change your experience in ways that you could never have imagined; and you will never be bored.

Feel free to ask questions
Now I want you to experience your true identity in its full glory. So please feel free to continue asking questions. I’m always glad to hear your reactions and clarify my answers. Unlike the path of faith, on the path of Self-Knowledge it is curiosity that destroys limitation and allows you to abide in your natural freedom.

If the comment section of this blog doesn't work, please send your questions and comments to michael@ananya.com. To find out where this all leads go to, www.light-up-your-life.com. And finally, if you enjoy these blogs please tell your friend
                                                                                                                                                   

                                                                        Best Wishes,

                                                                        Michael Gluckman

Enlightenment is Freedom from Death!

Ruth has the following reply to Kirk about where we go when we die. Did you know when you trace your Awareness back to its source you find that you were never born and will never die?

Hello Michael,

I wanted to reply to this Kirk person about where we go when we die.

1) We are pure light energy
2) Energy never dies
3) We are here to collect more information, to learn and return back home to our     true essence of being ness with more knowledge
4) Those who have finished their learning cycle through many incarnations do ascend, their learning is complete
5) Then there are ascended beings who choose to return to help a multitude of other beings, they are here as teachers and leaders of humanity

Thanks and lots of light, Ruth

Hi Ruth,
 
Yes you are right; energy is a path to God, which is the essence of the universe. But you should know that it is a very difficult path, ripe for the multi-lifetime approach. That’s because energy often gets mixed up with the one who seems to have it or transmit it. That “I” is just another thought in your mind and not really you.
 
You may have heard of this sense of "I" called the ego. What this ego does is take you original identity, which is greater than any container that you see, like the body and mind and limits it down to one thought "I". You know: “Look what I can do,” or “I have more energy than you,” or “I have a higher degree black belt than you.”

The ego emphasizes the container, not pure energy
All of these statements reinforce the container of the energy so that you never get to experience energy in its original unbridled state. Now you may have heard of God described as not just omnipotent (total energy) but omnipresent (everywhere), and omniscient (all-knowing consciousness) too.

The easiest way to God is to trace Awareness back to its source

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For me the easiest way to God is to trace Awareness back to its source. You do this by noticing that you are not limited by anything that you see. Taking this practice through, you will discover the real essence of the universe, not by standing separate and looking at it. Rather you will know God because that’s what you really are: omniscient, undying, and ever present Awareness. And this is the thing that most people overlook.
 
That’s because they cannot see Awareness, the ultimate subject, like they see an object. And so they look right past their expansive freedom and take themselves to be an object that they see like a body, mind, or the thought "I".
 
So Self-Knowledge is the practice of looking within to find that which is not bound by limitation. Remember, you do not know this Awareness as a separate thing. You know it because you are it. When you rest here, you will know that which has always been free of birth and will never die. Can you believe that if you know who you truly are you will be free of death?

Everything is really just Awareness
On this path, it is not that you get more knowledge until you finally know enough to get enlightened. Rather as Awareness you are already omniscient (universal knowledge). This is like knowing that the essence of a movie is the screen. When you reach out to touch the movie you find that it was only the screen. Similarly you may not know every detail in the world. But you will know that it is your Awareness that makes it seem so real. Did you know that the world is really just your Awareness?

Beings, who hold themselves separate are not the best help
As for these ascended beings that are there to help you at a certain stage, they may be saintly but they still hold themselves as separate from you, and being separate they have not seen the essence of there being. Remember God is omnipresent. That means that nothing can stand separate from God.

If these ascended beings think they are separate from you or higher than you they have not yet seen the glorious oneness which is the essence of your being. The best help on the path of Self-Knowledge is to rest as Awareness and Bliss, the essence of your being and let that do the teaching.
 
I hope that this brings clarity for you. If you have any questions or more comments please feel free to ask or write. I will be glad to put your comments on the blog.

Feel free to ask questions
Now I want you to experience your true identity in its full glory. So please feel free to continue asking questions. I’m always glad to hear your reactions and clarify my answers. Unlike the path of faith, on the path of Self-Knowledge it is curiosity that destroys limitation and allows you to abide in your natural freedom.

If the comment section of this blog doesn't work, please send your questions and comments to michael@ananya.com. To find out where this all leads go to, www.light-up-your-life.com. And finally, if you enjoy these blogs please tell your friend
                                                                                                                                                   

                                                                        Best Wishes,

                                                                        Michael Gluckman