The Root cause Of Suffering .

One thing though. To be clear you say that when we die we immediately go back into being one - not a part of one but just one - is that right?

I would say that you're not "going back" to anything. You already ARE One. I would consider that when we die, we simply have no choice but to let go of all the attachments we have gained that we are holding onto at that present moment, and then we get that "self realization" that the One was already there, we were just clouding it over with the mind.

Then, why do many people that have near death experiences or people who say they can talk to their guides also say that their experience of the afterlife is that there are individual spirits. i.e. those that have loved ones who are already past meeting them in their near death experience. How would you explain this if we all go back into being one when we die?

Concepts of the mind, caused by attachments we have created in life? How you percieve those attachments will differ from person to person and will be based on the beliefs they hold within mind. e.g. the loves ones from the past do still exist within the present, as the energy of them is held in attachment within the mind. Near death experiences allow people to let go of the obvious day to day attachments they have and see past those to the other "long-term" (for want of a better phrase) attachments. You could also equate this with those who say that their whole life passed in front of them.

Going back to living on the earth in the now.

What is the now measured in? How long does it last? You mentioned a 'moment'. So does the 'now' last one moment of time as in 60 seconds or is it one second or one hour or one day? Surely when the second we're now in has passed to next it's then in the past and the one ahead of us is the future. So given that theory we can only ever live in the now for one second at a time. Whatever we experienced in the last second is therefore only a memory. But how can we live life one second at a time?

It's not even a second. A second is a measurement of time span, but the Now is a the one point in time that exists right Now. You are correct that in a seconds time, that will be the past, but there's nothing wrong with that, because it's what is here Now that matters, not what was happening 1 second ago. In a sense you could look at living in the now as being more Aware or more Alert to what is going on, rather than letting the mind wander (which is the mind getting attached to what has passed).

The reason i ask is that if we're only supposed to 'feel' the now and everything else is the past or the future then how long do we feel the now for? If it's only a second then it's not possible to consciously feel it so why bothering to even think about it.

Precisely. And this is why I say that it's not just about feeling negative emotions from the past, but also the "positive" emotions. Whether we talk about anger, hatred, happiness of a feeling of love, these are creations of the mind from passing time, not from what is in this moment right Now. Each of those things (and all others) require a judgement or comparison between what is in the now and what has passed, in order for them to exist, but just here in the Now, they don't exist, yet the potential for them all does. It's a bit like in adviata teachings where they teach that there is Beauty in everything, or that there is Love in everything. Just because one person doesn't find something beautiful or doesn't love something/someone, doesn't mean that there is not those things there, because there will be someone else who can see the beauty of love in it, and if one person can see it, then it must be there, yet others can't see it because they have clouded judgement of mind. (note: there is a difference between true beauty/true love and attached beauty/love, the latter of which requires the ego and is only for the benefit of the little self rather than the True Self).

If your methods teach us to consciously keep ourselves in the now then it's not actually possible to do physically. It's only possible over a timeframe that our minds can work at like a minute, hour day etc. If that is so then we're actually really living in the now at all.

Isn't that just your mind telling you that. I know I can't exist in any other time than the Now. I can't exist 1 second ago, and I can't exist 1 second in the future, I can only exist Now. I sense that you feel that living in the Now would take some hard mental exertion, but that is often a misconception... people try too hard to achieve it. It's not about adding to what the mind is doing and taking more effort, it's about letting go of what is distracting us from the Now and recognising that the Now is already there. Like most things, the more you practice, the easier you find it, and a lot of people get a sense of "realization" at some point and realize that it's more a case of simplicity than hard effort.

If we are to release and let go of everything in the past i.e. our fears and emotions that happend in the past, so that we can live in the now we must also let go of our thoughts, worries or fears of the future. If this is so then how is this in a practical sense.

As an example we should be able to easily recognise that a Fear is a projection of thoughts in the mind from the past to the future. How can you really be fearful of something that hasn't happened (and if it sort of did happen, it won't be how you thought it was going to)?

Do you plan anything for your future like work, getting food, looking after your health etc. I'm struggling to see that, if you are always thinking and being in the now, then how do you plan for where you'll be when 'now' comes along tomorrow? Or so you just let it happen? So when tomorrow comes you deal with it then? But what if there's no food when you reach tomorrow? Do you only get food in the now or do you fill the fridge for a week or so? If you shop for a week or so why because that's not living in the now is it?

It's not really about not planning things for the future where there is a reasonable practicality in doing that. If you were to look at a wild animal, they live in the present moment, finding food as they need it, though they are also aware of the seasons and do plan ahead by storing food for winter. This is a practical "need" in the present moment. Yet after e.g. the squirell stores his nuts in a hole in the ground, (s)he does't spend all the time between now and the winter worrying about that food that is stored or, it seems, worrying about remembering where it is stored. When the need arises in winter to have that food, the squirrel knows that food has been stored and goes to find it. So, likewise, of course we have needs in the present moment that must be met, as we have a practical need to look after our human body (and we choose to also look after our dependants too). So, working to earn money to pay the mortage on the house that protects our body from the natural elements, is of course a sensible need, yet I'm not going to spend all my time worrying about whether I will still have work tommorrow or next week, or in a years time. In a recent bout of upcoming redundancies at my workplace, many were running around like headless chickens, panicking and gossipping about what "may happen" to their jobs and misinterpreting the information that was available to their own "beliefs" about what it meant rather than finding out the facts, and to be honest, those people did so little work during that time, because they weren't being present and meeting the needs of the moment. The alternative was to look at the needs of the moment, such as what legal rights we had as employees, what the redundancy process was, etc. and what could be done right there and now to help alleviate or change the process. There were some people who even "jumped boat" and left with their fear, yet as it turned out they would have been ok and kept their jobs. That is a prime example of people not being present in the Now.

I really don't understand do I.

I think you do on some level, though it's just a case of putting the right terminology and undestanding around it, so it makes sense to you.

All Love and Reiki Hugs

Hi Malchy

Ok so i understand a little more about your theory of big picture. Not saying i agree with it but i think i see what you're saying - which as a theory sounds possible.

To you it is a theory, to me it is an understanding which creates a shift in consciousness and a new way of being, as I apply this understanding within my life, then it is to me not something which I contemplate like a theory, it a living reality in which I exist.

One thing though. To be clear you say that when we die we immediately go back into being one - not a part of one but just one - is that right?

Then, why do many people that have near death experiences or people who say they can talk to their guides also say that their experience of the afterlife is that there are individual spirits. i.e. those that have loved ones who are already past meeting them in their near death experience. How would you explain this if we all go back into being one when we die?

No that is not my understanding, we never really stop being one, separateness is an illusion, we simply lose the illusion when we die and let go of the aspects of consciousness which we set up to maintain and experience this reality and create the illusion of separateness.

I have already said that the oneness is composed of incalculable amounts of beings of pure consciousness who are one but not one entity, you are always you within the oneness, but you can create a different you each time you choose to come and visit this reality.

What is the now measured in? How long does it last? You mentioned a 'moment'. So does the 'now' last one moment of time as in 60 seconds or is it one second or one hour or one day? Surely when the second we're now in has passed to next it's then in the past and the one ahead of us is the future. So given that theory we can only ever live in the now for one second at a time. Whatever we experienced in the last second is therefore only a memory. But how can we live life one second at a time?

There are two nows, we have the physical now which is the present moment and is separated within the reality of this time frame, we also have the Now which is a function of consciousness and like the oneness it is constant.

Bring them together and you only have the now which is experienced as a constant flow without interruption, therefore whatever has happened is past is gone and can't be changed, whatever has not happened yet will not enter the now until it manifests assuming we are still here to experience it.

The reason i ask is that if we're only supposed to 'feel' the now and everything else is the past or the future then how long do we feel the now for? If it's only a second then it's not possible to consciously feel it so why bothering to even think about it. If your methods teach us to consciously keep ourselves in the now then it's not actually possible to do physically. It's only possible over a time frame that our minds can work at like a minute, hour day etc. If that is so then we're actually really living in the now at all.

No we are supposed to exist within the now, feelings are optional, we do not actually consciously feel, we interpret the physical feelings which are being created within our physical body within our non physical aspects of consciousness as pain, pleasure etc or however we choose to interpret them through our ego interface.

Life within the Now is one ongoing experience not a lot of separate ones, if we start to segregate our experience then we detract ourselves from the Now.

If we are to release and let go of everything in the past i.e. our fears and emotions that happened in the past, so that we can live in the now we must also let go of our thoughts, worries or fears of the future. If this is so then how is this in a practical sense. Do you plan anything for your future like work, getting food, looking after your health etc. I'm struggling to see that, if you are always thinking and being in the now, then how do you plan for where you'll be when 'now' comes along tomorrow? Or so you just let it happen? So when tomorrow comes you deal with it then? But what if there's no food when you reach tomorrow? Do you only get food in the now or do you fill the fridge for a week or so? If you shop for a week or so why because that's not living in the now is it?

No we do not release or let go of anything as such, in reality we need to fully embrace things within our reality and accept everything in an open and non-judgemental way, if a lion starts roaring and charging toward us, then we still feel fear and the adrenaline gets pumping, if someone close is hurting, we feel empathy and compassion etc, the problem is not feeling things which are happening right now as that is reality, the problems start when we start to recreate feelings around memories of the past and instigate fears and doubts about the future.

Yes we go shopping and I will look in the diary and see what work we have booked into the day etc, living in the Now is not about being stupid, if we want to eat when we are hungry, then we have to ensure that there is food in the cupboard etc, and when you live 6 miles from the nearest shop like we do, then you make provision for the next few days when you shop; but the future does not consume us, if we want to go on holiday then we have to set some time aside in the now to book the holiday so it will be available for us when that time becomes the now, but that is it, we do not have to think about the holiday again until it is time to pack a few things in a bag and climb into the car and go.

We can choose to live life now and experience it as it is happening to the full, or we can choose to ignore what is happening right now and be consumed with our memories of the past and fill ourselves with past longings and what ifs, alternatively we can also choose to ignore what is happening right now and be consumed with worry and fear of the future.

It is up to each individual to decide which path serves them in a positive and self serving way.

Hi Chris

People are entitled to believe whatever they choose to believe, people went from an understanding of a round planet and a world wide commerce system to believing that the world was flat and they would fall of the end if they ventured into uncharted territory.

Yes I used to go to a spiritualist church as well as others in my youth whilst I was exploring religion, so I do understand what goes on there, I also understand that the message of the prophet is subject to the prophet and has to pass through their understandings and beliefs etc.

That does not substantiate spirit or dead people wandering the spirit planes etc, that just substantiates a belief in spirits and the practice of divination of information from the oneness or self.

It works both ways.

As for:

Me? Ahh - I'm just a simple reiki healer working with love and compassion and with all that follows in terms of experience.

I have studied quite a few forms of Reiki and must admit that I have not encountered one which teaches suffering is a good thing which is there to teach us a lesson! nor have I come across one with a lot of your other understanding, perhaps you could point me in the direction of the form of Reiki you practice so that I can go and have a look at those teachings?

Sorry Paul, theory was a bad choice of word on my part. What I really meant to say was 'your understanding'.

Ok, I have to say there's some fair enough answers there and i can definately see how living in the now can be appealing. Thank you to everyone who posted. I could probably go on and find more and more questions out of the answers given but i won't at this time as i'd rather spend some time mulling it over.

I know i have been (and probably still am) spending too much time looking at the future and the past and kinda missing out on the present. Mind you i have fun too so i must be enjoying some thing and i can take pleasure out of the simplest things in life.

I'm not ready to change my understanding yet as it took long enough to come to it and it fits so well with me (well mostly anyway). I don't have all the answers nor do i expect to, so i'm happy to get to a point where i'm contented and just let it be. At that point i should be closer to living in the now anyway. Should i have to dig up the past memories and go through all the pain of it to get to that point? Maybe, maybe not but if i get there anyway then so be it - it's all experience one way or the other!

I've been through the whole church thing as a child and it definately didn't fit. Then spent years believing in nothing and it didn't fit. Then my time up in the clouds with the Angels - not for me either so now i'm on my Spiritual development journey and it seems to be making a difference - looking inside me has shown me a lot of truths about myself, about who i am and who i am not. For me that's not about beating myself up or beating others up (not physically off course) over what has gone on in my life. It's about realising what has really went on - most of which i could not remember but i could feel the effects of - mostly every day. I think for me it's actually harder not knowing why i'm screwing myself up in the now than it would be if i remebered what had happened.

Maybe if i could just wipe it clean it and learn your method of understanding and living in the now it would be better. But then again i'm seeing and feeling the release that's coming with my own understanding of my past. That learning continues as i don't expect to fix 37 years in one session or one month or even in one year.

Maybe it's not the way but it feels right to me especially as it's the first time i've came to conclusions and understanding myself rather than from a group or guru teaching or preaching it to me.

By the way i'm not having a go at the church people, Angel people, non-believers or your understanding Paul. If it feels right for people and they get something out of it then that's great. I may think it's causing others more harm than good (which i don't) but that's none of my business because everyone else is on their journey of experience and understanding and so must go through it themselves. When we leave this world it will not matter anyway.

If i start to say that others are wrong and that i'm right about the path that must be taken in this world then i'd be seeing myself as god (or at least my ego would). A bit like the different preachers who take different things from the bible or other regilious books and dictate how we all must live.

Thanks again everyone.

Hi Malchy

A good response and yes everything needs to be evaluated within self, you actually already have all of your answers within you, the problem is often getting past the dross and into the now to find the hidden gems.

You might find it helpful to also consider that our thought patterns and beliefs create our realities, so if we expect something to be hard or lengthy, that that is what we are going to create, everything starts and finishes with a thought, where you are right now started with one thought process and it can finish with another one.

Hi Paul,
These statements of 'truth' just keep appearing, made to sound like fact, and designed to lend credence to a set of principles that just does not add up.
Animals, you say, do not plan for the future - yet there is ample evidence of the fact that they do, some prepare tools for use in getting food, that is planning for the future, there have been cases where chimps for instance have shown through careful experiments that they do for sure, and crows have provided another example.
We are able, not only to plan for the future, but we are able to look forward to it with pleasure, it is part of our survival process, but it has also extrapolated to areas that are not about survival. Crossing a road is an example of survival, while deciding where to go on holiday is not.
If one simply lived in the now life would be very short indeed.

But there is more than that, for instance you claim that we are here to experience things based on a physical existence, but then instead of accepting any experience you seek only those that are 'self-serving', while this is incredibly judgemental it negates the entire point that you make about experiencing, why are 'self-serving' experiences the only ones we should seek?
Once again it just does not stack up.

Now you may choose to discard or disregard the evidence presented by the spiritualists as simply something of the mind, and I see why you do this, but evidence simply cannot be disregarded because it does not support a notion, that just makes the whole thing laughable. The evidence produced in these sessions, and the evidence from the children who can remember past lives simply makes the case more compelling. The evidence from these shows that the thing we call love for instance is not a construct of the mind, but a core part of the spiritual essence of the person.
The use of words like prophet is meant to denigrate the process, and this is because it not only does not support your system, but actually shows it to be incorrect.

The other important point is that in a kind of excluding manner you always say that we can experience things in the Now, OR we can choose to ignore what is happening Now and do something else - yet the two are not mutually exclusive. You demonstrate this by planning for the future, by learning from the past and by choosing to change so as to be more 'self-serving'. You also only choose to list the negative things about looking forward and planning, fear and worry for instance, and miss completely the ones that a about love and enjoyment. We plan to have a family, we look forward to seeing those we love, we look forward to happy times and peaceful times, and I think at the heart of some of this is your fear about the future, the fear that you carry but will not face.
This is evident right through this discussion, those that seek to 'believe' that there is no cost to any actions we take, that it is all 'wiped clean' when we return to oneness (or actually a dualistic oneness where we are a separate part of the whole, but that separateness is an illusion). This is based on fear, a form of running away from responsibility, and it is these refusals that cause the contradictions and cracks that keep appearing. It is a mode of selfish rather than selfless, it seeks only self preservation at the expense of others and in doing so excludes love and compassion. There is no explanation why behaving in a self-serving manner is good for the One consciousness or what the benefits are, without this the idea is pretty much adrift.

In the same way you claim to heal people, actively able to decide what it is that needs doing on them or perhaps for them, but abrogate responsibility on them if it does not achieve what was expected. Despite the descriptions of the conditions under which you heal them you do not explain how you decide what you will heal, or how you heal it, or even how it is always only what is good for them. Now I may have an inkling because I did some work for a few years with someone from the craft, but quite how you do it remains unclear.

I always seek to find the truth, the evidence and understanding, this can only ever be done by working without fear of what one may find, the bogus is set aside, the questionable left until more evidence can be found, and those things that will not stand scrutiny are challenged, and the result is that only the honest is retained. It is only the losing of the fear that allows this for sometimes one finds what one did not expect.
love
chris

We are able, not only to plan for the future, but we are able to look forward to it with pleasure,

Hello Chris,

I don't think there is anything wrong with planning for the future or indeed looking forward to it with pleasure and Paul correct me if I am wrong please, but I don't think this is what 'The Now' & Paul are saying it's when we worry about it that's the problem, experience has taught me over and over that this is a pointless excerise and there are probabaly millions of people for whom this is true also if they are aware of it or not or can reflect back to it or not, I think is was Mark Twain who once comically said something like "when I look back at my life and all I have worried about 99% of it never happened" and it's true it doesn't happen and if it's happened to you I can only say you have drawn it to you by continually giving your focus, therefore your energy to it, I don't mean that unkindly we have all done it but there is a world of difference between looking forward to something i.e. a holiday, party etc and bunging a few quid away each month for when we are old if we can afford to do so and sitting there worrying ourselves witless over something that might happen but hasn't yet.

Love

Rebecca XX

Hi Paul,
... cut ...

Animals, you say, do not plan for the future

I know we are all One, but for sake of clarity I think we need to account for the fact that it was myself (small self :D) who was talking about the Animals, not Paul. This isn't the first time you've taken something I've said as having been said by Paul. Just one to watch out for. :hug:

We are able, not only to plan for the future, but we are able to look forward to it with pleasure, it is part of our survival process, but it has also extrapolated to areas that are not about survival. Crossing a road is an example of survival, while deciding where to go on holiday is not.
If one simply lived in the now life would be very short indeed.

And yet again, you demonstrate your misunderstanding of living in the Now. Living in the Now does not mean that any concept of future doesn't exist, otherwise we'd just walk off a cliff, because the death that would be about to happen wouldn't be of any importance. LOL! Now that would be just daft. If I was walking towards a cliff, I could certainly see a need in the present moment to avoid walking over the cliff, with truthful knowledge that walking over a cliff is likely to be the wrong thing to do, but the difference would be that I wouldn't choose to instill panic and fear in myself and let the mind and emotions take control (hence why we say "there isn't time to think about it"). Instead, acting on the need of the moment without distractions from the mind, would provide a better outcome.

But there is more than that, for instance you claim that we are here to experience things based on a physical existence, but then instead of accepting any experience you seek only those that are 'self-serving', while this is incredibly judgemental it negates the entire point that you make about experiencing, why are 'self-serving' experiences the only ones we should seek?
Once again it just does not stack up.

And once again you have latched onto this idea that BEing the Self, is self-serving in terms of selfishness, rather than selflessness. You are seing it all as if it's about the little "me" or "self" rather than about the One true Self.

Now you may choose to discard or disregard the evidence presented by the spiritualists as simply something of the mind, and I see why you do this, but evidence simply cannot be disregarded because it does not support a notion, that just makes the whole thing laughable. The evidence produced in these sessions, and the evidence from the children who can remember past lives simply makes the case more compelling.

So, Chris, do you have personal experience of being a child who remembers a past life and you could recall places and people who you couldn't possibly have known about any other way? It sounds as though you are having to take people's word for it, and though the evidence may be compelling, it's not personally known to you. I've come across people before who say they have compelling evidence of one thing or another, but when they explain it to me, it just doesn't stack up (to use your phrase). In terms of living in the Now, I have personal experience of doing this and the benefits it gives; the evidence is right there in my knowledge and proven to me by virtue of the fact I've put it into practice and tested it myself. You say you undestand about living in the Now, but have you put it into practice and tested it, and if you can find the benefit from doing it then what is there to stop you doing it to receive those benefits?

The evidence from these shows that the thing we call love for instance is not a construct of the mind, but a core part of the spiritual essence of the person.
The use of words like prophet is meant to denigrate the process, and this is because it not only does not support your system, but actually shows it to be incorrect.

There are different kinds of love. In Buddhist terminology these would be grasping love and non-grasping love; in other terminology you could say love through ego/attachement and True Love. Which love are you referring to?

The other important point is that in a kind of excluding manner you always say that we can experience things in the Now, OR we can choose to ignore what is happening Now and do something else - yet the two are not mutually exclusive. You demonstrate this by planning for the future, by learning from the past and by choosing to change so as to be more 'self-serving'. You also only choose to list the negative things about looking forward and planning, fear and worry for instance, and miss completely the ones that a about love and enjoyment. We plan to have a family, we look forward to seeing those we love, we look forward to happy times and peaceful times, and I think at the heart of some of this is your fear about the future, the fear that you carry but will not face.

This is evident right through this discussion, those that seek to 'believe' that there is no cost to any actions we take, that it is all 'wiped clean' when we return to oneness (or actually a dualistic oneness where we are a separate part of the whole, but that separateness is an illusion). This is based on fear, a form of running away from responsibility, and it is these refusals that cause the contradictions and cracks that keep appearing. It is a mode of selfish rather than selfless, it seeks only self preservation at the expense of others and in doing so excludes love and compassion. There is no explanation why behaving in a self-serving manner is good for the One consciousness or what the benefits are, without this the idea is pretty much adrift.

That's all the proof I need from your words Chris. Your belief about living in the Now understands it as self-serving, selfish, exclusing love and compassion and at the expense of others... all the things that it's not. That proves to me that you don't understand living in the Now, and I doubt you've ever dedicated yourself to living in the Now to experience the benefits to all (because it's not just benefits to the selfish self).

I always seek to find the truth, the evidence and understanding, this can only ever be done by working without fear of what one may find, the bogus is set aside, the questionable left until more evidence can be found, and those things that will not stand scrutiny are challenged, and the result is that only the honest is retained. It is only the losing of the fear that allows this for sometimes one finds what one did not expect.

So, what evidence of the 'truth' of multiple lifetimes and carrying your issues from one life to the next do you have? If you've undergone such a scientific scrutiny of this evidence that you know it to be true, then shouldn't this be published to the scientific community so that they can enjoy this new understanding of life?

I'm failing to see how you're constant dismissal of Paul's techniques and the living in the Now, compared with your own belief of past lives etc. isn't tantamount to the pot and kettle analogy. :confused:

All Love and Reiki Hugs

Hi Rebecca,
Good quote from Mark Twain, and probably true, however if one had a bag of 100 sweets and one was poisoned, how many people would choose to take one and eat it.
I agree with you about worry, but this is not always the case. for instance, insurance is not about worry, it is about planning, and saving for retirement is not necessarily about worry, it is about ensuring that there are good times to look forward to.
If it is only done out of worry or fear than that is not good, but if it is done to ensure happy times then I see that this relives the mind of worry, it removes it by the action being taken. Once the action is initiated then ones focus can be taken away from it, and saving for a happy retirement can be just like that.

love
chris

correct me if I am wrong please, but I don't think this is what 'The Now' & Paul are saying it's when we worry about it that's the problem,

Exactly Becky,

Why worry, be fearful, or suffer about something that we can't even be sure will ever happen. The thing we fear is not here in the now, yet so often we make ourselves suffer in the now because of that fear. As you say, it's pointless.

I think is was Mark Twain who once comically said something like "when I look back at my life and all I have worried about 99% of it never happened" and it's true it doesn't happen and if it's happened to you I can only say you have drawn it to you by continually giving your focus, therefore your energy to it

In the past I used a similar thing myself. I considered that I do not want to get to my death bed, look back at my life and say "I spent all that time worrying for nothing, and now what have I achieved".

All Love and Reiki Hugs

Hi Rebecca,
Good quote from Mark Twain, and probably true

It's not completely true. If he had said "when I look back at my life and all I have worried about 100% of it never happened" then that would have been truthful. There is no possible way that he could know what was going to happen in the future in absolute complete detail. Something similar may have occurred to what he had worried about, but it wouldn't have been exactly that.

however if one had a bag of 100 sweets and one was poisoned, how many people would choose to take one and eat it.

That would be the same as saying that if we know there is the possibility of anything bad happening in the future we shouldn't go into the future. In which are in the catch-22 situation of killing ourselves now or waiting for the future, suffering the fear. It's an incorrect analogy I'm afraid. The difference is that you know that 1 sweet is poisoned, whereas in real life, you cannot know the future absolutely.

I agree with you about worry, but this is not always the case. for instance, insurance is not about worry, it is about planning,

It most certainly is about worry. Insurance companies (my dad'll like this when he reads it, as he used to be in Insurance - I know he reads these forums - Hi Dad! :wave:) play on people's fears to sell insurance. Constant worrying about what may happen in the future and paying money for fear that we won't be able to cope if something does happen; and then the insurance companies will do everything they can not to pay out when someone claims, and the person is left with the fear that they may not get their money after all. Nothing about planning, all about fear of loss/attachment to things and money.

and saving for retirement is not necessarily about worry, it is about ensuring that there are good times to look forward to.

Saving for retirement... fear and worry that you need money to enjoy yourself when the time comes... assuming it does come. Of course, if you make it to retirement and the money is there, spend it and enjoy it, but how many do? Many retire and then keep hold of it because they fear their children will need some inheritence, or that they may need it when they become unable to look after themselves. Before you know it, the person dies and leaves all that money behind they couldn't take with them. All that hard work and worry for nothing.

If it is only done out of worry or fear than that is not good, but if it is done to ensure happy times then I see that this relives the mind of worry, it removes it by the action being taken. Once the action is initiated then ones focus can be taken away from it, and saving for a happy retirement can be just like that.

So are you saying that happiness only comes from having money?

All Love and Reiki Hugs

So, what evidence of the 'truth' of multiple lifetimes and carrying your issues from one life to the next do you have?

Hi Giles .

You have raised an Interesting point here regarding evidence of past lives . I have had my own realizations regarding past life Influences In the so called now moment but I cannot prove any of It . These type of realizations are to be realized - Just like when you realize the self you cannot prove that you have done so .

Certain things can never be proven because they are beyond sense and they are beyond scientific evaluation .

When we are asleep and we dream we feel as If what Is within the dream Is real . Our senses allow us to live within the reality of the dream temporarily, how can we prove that we have dreamt of meeting the lord or the devil?

Who’s to say we are not dreaming now ... he hehehe .

daz .

Hi Chris

I always seek to find the truth, the evidence and understanding, this can only ever be done by working without fear of what one may find, the bogus is set aside, the questionable left until more evidence can be found, and those things that will not stand scrutiny are challenged, and the result is that only the honest is retained.

I think that the problem appears to be that everything appears to get turned from a positive into a negative or a negative into a positive when you internalise it, I keep reading statements in your posts about what I am supposed to have said which state the complete opposite to what I have actually said!

This is also evident in your understanding of Reiki, you said in a nearlier post:

Me? Ahh - I'm just a simple reiki healer working with love and compassion and with all that follows in terms of experience.

If we look at what you are supposed to know, which is Reiki, of which the principle of working is for someone to receive Reiki healing and get themselves into the now and not worrying, you should have been taught:

• Just for today do not worry

But you appear by your posts to have missed out the 'not' word and subsequently interpreted that as:

• Just for today do worry about what you might have done in past lives, do worry about past events, do worry about what you are doing right now because you will come under judgement when they go back to the source and karma will give you a bad experience next time round so you might as well get used to worrying about that, so just in case you have not got enough to worry about right now, you might as well start worrying about what might happen to you in the future.

Now. I do not understand how anyone can interpret the first bullet point about the now which is given to help people heal and develop themselves and teach it as the second bullet point which increases peoples stress levels and suffering!

To my understanding that is simply not Reiki, so if you cannot understand a healing modality that you profess to have learnt and practice, then how do you expect to understand a healing modality that you have not learnt?

Hi Giles,
Ahhh- sorry - yes confused your post with Paul's.

Regarding past life recall I do not remember this as a child, but these are documented reports that I have no reason to doubt, in other words they pass the reasonable test, however I have done past life recall and this helps to make the reports more credible.
The problem is that we exist on presented evidence, you spoke of walking off a cliff, but have no personal evidence that it would hurt - it passes the reasonable test so we assume it is right.
The reports are however evidence, and simply to continually discount what is not able to support your view of the process merely makes you a biased judge and jury.
You continually say that I do not understand the Now - more of that later.
In terms of love I feel no reason to constrain myself by Buddhist definitions, I've given my definition earlier - it is based on spirit to spirit connections and vibrational harmonics, it happens here on earth and in spirit.
Yes insurance companies play of peoples' fears, but not on mine, for I use insurance as exactly that, cover for when I need it, and as means to smooth out the lumps and bumps in (financial) life. I could cope but choose to use insurance when it suits me.
In terms of retirement more of that in a minute - but I expect that I will be pretty much self financing in my retirement, I do not choose to be dependant on other people, having to hold my hand out for begging scraps. It is all about balance in the end. You can choose how you will manage when you retire.

Hi Paul,
I follow the precepts as closely as I can oh - and reiki does not teach about getting in the Now - that is added by you, I do not worry, I plan - it is planning or action that takes the worry out of the process. If I can do nothing about a problem at the moment, then I do not worry about it, if I can do something about it I do, and the removes the need to worry. This is fundamental - the precepts do not mean that we do nothing about our problems and still refuse to worry about them. You cannot knock me off balance on the precepts - I live them fully.
In terms of karma I understand the balance that the universe exhibits and insists on, this is why I use financial examples, for money was designed around balance - so too is the universe, and the extrapolation of balance ends up with karma - I do not worry about this, I work towards balance and that means I do not have to worry. I begin to see why you discarded so many modalities - the idea of balance does not fit well with your construct - to owe is not self-serving. The idea that you may have to account for your life must scare the heck out of you, and this is why you claim this dissolution at the end. It does not worry or scare me, death is not a problem, these are all part of the gentle balance that I see in Life.


Now both of you continually suggest that I have no idea about the Now, and yet I have experienced it, I have examined it and because I see a different view to that which you see you seek to disparage mine or claim I miss the point.
I understand the Now, I see that it is not made up of seconds or segments of time but is a continual flow through time, like looking thorough a lens, colours are more vibrant just as they are if you watch television in the dark, the scenes are dazzling and brilliant and the sense of living is enhanced. I see the space that is now, with the issues of the past barred from interference, and the potential problems of the future also barred, and the resulting space gives a quiet and calm feeling, with only decisions to be made about the Now as it flows. It is beguiling, it feels safe and it brings a sense of calm and connectedness - of oneness, an expansiveness and inclusion within the consciousness.
This is the happy view of it, as long as one is cocooned within this safe space of Now worries and anxieties are mostly lost, only those things that are included in the Now need dealing with. The issues of making choices is easier without all the noise of the past, without the worries of the future, and the seclusion allows one to focus on the needs of oneself - to become self-serving.

However that is the view from looking within, the truth is that it is a prison, the bars are no less real because they screen off the past and to some extent the future, the constraints are no less real because they provide feelings of security and calm. The minute one wants to break out of the prison all of the events that have gone on and been excluded, all of the past events and future worries are still there. There can be no dealing with core issues because they are barred and so excluded into the past sector so they are still around. The limited choices that seem to bring calm and clarity only seem that way because they are so narrow - there is actually only a few options to choose from. This beguiling space is a prison - if you leave you leave to find things have deteriorated because you have neglected them. You stay and convince yourself of the benefits out of fear, fear that you are trapped and fear to break the trappings, fear of change and fear of responsibility. All of this is quietened in the Now, the beguiling Now about which you construct so many unfeasible claims.
This is what I saw - to you it will sound negative, you will claim it is wrong, and that I am mistaken, I've missed the point. You will not see it if you just look from within at the passing Now, or from a stance of fear, only when you leave and examine the Now from the outside, when you are not dazzled by the passing Now will you see it, and you will not want to leave so you will not ever perceive it, the more scared you get the louder you shout, repeating and repeating yourself in the hope of some relief. You encourage others in, and once they join they too are bound within the constraints of the Now, they too are imprisoned - there is comfort in numbers.

love
chris

Hi Chris

You have the words that describe the now but you do not have the meaning or the experience that would transform the words into reality, this is not something that you understand by analysing it, you have to become it, it is a way of being not an intellectual equation.

The minute one wants to break out of the prison all of the events that have gone on and been excluded, all of the past events and future worries are still there. There can be no dealing with core issues because they are barred and so excluded into the past sector so they are still around. The limited choices that seem to bring calm and clarity only seem that way because they are so narrow - there is actually only a few options to choose from.

The Now is not a prison as you describe it, the only reason that the Now appears to be a prison to you, is in the way that you are approaching it

To fully enter and exist in the now we must firstly fully embrace all aspects of ourself in an open and non-judgemental way, we do this by sorting out our core issues so that we can find the inner peace that you have described within your post but with all of our memories intact, fully functioning but freed from fears, self doubts, judgements and inner conflicts.

So if I choose to spend time reflecting upon what has happened within my past, then since I do not have a load of garbage waiting for me, I retain my inner peace and harmony whilst exploring my memories, all that it does is to distract me from the things that are happening around me right now, the same thing happens if I choose to ponder the future, I think about it and if necessary make any choices that I need to make and that is it, I keep my inner peace and harmony so I can quickly refocus upon the present and get on with life as it unfolds.

That is why we heal peoples core issues quickly, painlessly and effortlessly with understanding within consciousness, so that they are freed from their fears and doubts about future and the past and able to live whatever existence they choose for themselves in the present moment in a responsible and self serving manner.

Self serving is not about being selfish, it is about taking personal responsibilities for our own thoughts and the resulting actions that come from them.

We do not deal with peoples inner conflicts by burying or removing them from their existence, they are dealt with within them and transformed in such a way that they can be accepted and embraced by them in a positive and meaningful way.

The only difference between what Usui taught in 'just for today' and the 'living in the Now' is that the now focuses upon what is unfolding as it unfolds in the moment and the day is taking care of that days needs, they are both advocating that people should not be spending their time focusing on the past which cant be changed or the future which has not happened yet or possibly will not happen if we are no longer here to experience it.

Hi Giles,
Ahhh- sorry - yes confused your post with Paul's.

It's easily done when we're cross posting with so many replies.

Regarding past life recall I do not remember this as a child, but these are documented reports that I have no reason to doubt, in other words they pass the reasonable test, however I have done past life recall and this helps to make the reports more credible.

I too have done past life recalls/regression, and I too have read accounts of others past life recalls, including those of children who claim to know of people and places they apparently couldn't know of. My own recalls, whilst very interesting, and seemingly containing things that I wouldn't possibly have experienced from this lifetime, still did not provide me with sufficient evidence to know beyond doubt that it was genuine and true. Likewise, those accounts I have read, whilst very convincing stories, can provide no evidence to remove all doubts, and certainly can provide no direct evidence to my knowledge to be able to know it to be true. It all comes down to whether you choose to believe it or not, but certainly not hard factual evidence.

The problem is that we exist on presented evidence, you spoke of walking off a cliff, but have no personal evidence that it would hurt - it passes the reasonable test so we assume it is right.

I have fallen to the ground and it hurt, and I have fallen off my bike and it hurt, and by the basic newtonian laws of physics that I know to hold true from personal experimentation, it isn't even about deducing from reason, but instead, basic extrapolation gives me the knowledge that it would hurt. I don't believe it, I know it, just as everyone else does. You don't have to kill yourself to know that it will kill you.

The reports are however evidence

So, to read something produced by somebody else makes it true? Quick, hand me the Daily Mail....

, and simply to continually discount what is not able to support your view of the process merely makes you a biased judge and jury.

I speak of what I know from my own evidence. I'm not judging your beliefs, but I know from my own experience that there is no supporting evidence that I can test myself to know it. I could choose to believe it but, as you say, you want to test the evidence to know it for yourself, and if I can't do that, then why should I just take somebody else's word for it. I would be interested to know what evidence you have to be able to know it as the fact you state it to be.

In terms of love I feel no reason to constrain myself by Buddhist definitions, I've given my definition earlier - it is based on spirit to spirit connections and vibrational harmonics, it happens here on earth and in spirit.

I never suggested anyone should be constrained to just Buddhist definitions, and I also gave other terminology too, so why you feel that such definitions should constrain you in some way I don't know. Now, trying to understand your definition... "spirit to spirit connections"... sounds like some sort of attachment between two separate entities... and "vibrational harmonics" ... sounds like love is limited to some particular frequency of energy, putting it in a box, or limiting it to something that is seperate from something else. So are you saying that love is not in everything? and that love is not existent within all things? I know you won't like me using the term again, but it sounds like a very limiting dualistic concept of love, rather than an all encompassing love.

Yes insurance companies play of peoples' fears, but not on mine, for I use insurance as exactly that, cover for when I need it, and as means to smooth out the lumps and bumps in (financial) life.

So you are expecting/fearful (read it how you like) of what may happen in the future? You plan for the future because you believe that the future has lumps and bumps in it, yet you can't know that for sure?
I have insurance on my home because the mortgage company require it, so that they will give me the mortgage on the house I live in. That's a need of this moment, and not something to concern myself with in relation to the future. Likewise, I have insurance on my car, because the law tells me I need that in the present moment in order to drive.

I could cope but choose to use insurance when it suits me.
In terms of retirement more of that in a minute - but I expect that I will be pretty much self financing in my retirement, I do not choose to be dependant on other people, having to hold my hand out for begging scraps. It is all about balance in the end. You can choose how you will manage when you retire.

Are pensions self financing? To the best of my knowledge, what people pay into pensions currently is paying for those who have already retired, and the problem that many fear is that in the future, when they retire, their pension fund will not be able to be supported by those in work at the time or certainly not by the government funds (what government funds eh! ;))

But you are right, it is about balance, and putting some money aside to be used when the need arises is certainly not wrong. If the money isn't needed in the present moment, then of course it makes sense to leave the money alone until it is needed, and that is what savings and pensions are about. It is when people hoard their money with fear of what may happen in the future, that they are not living for the needs of the moment, or when they spend it all now on greed/material attachment believing that that will make them happy and then, as we often see, they worry about losing what they have now. Balance is simply meeting the need of the moment, so you are living in the Now in that respect.

Hi Paul,
I follow the precepts as closely as I can oh - and reiki does not teach about getting in the Now - that is added by you, I do not worry, I plan - it is planning or action that takes the worry out of the process. If I can do nothing about a problem at the moment, then I do not worry about it, if I can do something about it I do, and the removes the need to worry. This is fundamental - the precepts do not mean that we do nothing about our problems and still refuse to worry about them. You cannot knock me off balance on the precepts - I live them fully.

In fact, the precepts are made of 6 parts, though all are interconnected because of the way the Japanese language works, but people tend to go on the western interpretation of them. The kanji of japanese cannot be directly translated to English (it's not a letter for letter or word for word translation in most cases). The first part, pronounced in Japanese as "Kyo Dake Wa", is what has been roughly translated as "Just for today" in modern terms and that seems to have stuck in western tradition.

Kyo = 今日 = today
Dake = だけ = only
Wa = ワ = is

Kyo, also has a meaning of "emptiness" or "void", which in Buddhist terms is not how most people perceive emptiness i.e. being without something else and therefore seperate as in an empty glass being a glass seperate from the water it contained; but rather refers to being empty of "other" (the empty glass is only "empty" if it is empty "of some thing"), thus understanding being Empty is to be aware that we are not seperate; aware that all is One; aware that duality is not real; and to be aware that past and future are not seperate from the Now.

However you want to look at it, whether you take it to be your waking "today" or the 24 hours of today, or the more Buddhist meaning of "only in the Now", the opening precept of Reiki is talking about BEing in the present moment.

Frank Arjava Petter stated in one of his newsletters discussing the Reiki precepts

The first sentence "Kyo dake wa" means "only today" or "today only." My spiritual teacher, Osho , used to say " tomorrow never comes" and this is how this "kyo dake wa" is to be understood.

... and likewise the past has already gone.

To say that Reiki does not teach about living in the Now, is not correct. Reiki is all about living and healing in the Now. That's not something added by Paul or anybody; it's part of the original teachings of Reiki itself.

Now both of you continually suggest that I have no idea about the Now

The way you have been describing the Now is not the Now as we know it.

, and yet I have experienced it, I have examined it and because I see a different view to that which you see you seek to disparage mine or claim I miss the point.
I understand the Now, I see that it is not made up of seconds or segments of time but is a continual flow through time, like looking thorough a lens, colours are more vibrant just as they are if you watch television in the dark, the scenes are dazzling and brilliant and the sense of living is enhanced. I see the space that is now, with the issues of the past barred from interference, and the potential problems of the future also barred, and the resulting space gives a quiet and calm feeling, with only decisions to be made about the Now as it flows. It is beguiling, it feels safe and it brings a sense of calm and connectedness - of oneness, an expansiveness and inclusion within the consciousness.
This is the happy view of it, as long as one is cocooned within this safe space of Now worries and anxieties are mostly lost, only those things that are included in the Now need dealing with. The issues of making choices is easier without all the noise of the past, without the worries of the future, and the seclusion allows one to focus on the needs of oneself - to become self-serving.

Ooo, you nearly had it right up to that last sentance and with the mis-conception of it "barring" things. It's not seclusion, it's all encompassing. It's not (yet again) about becoming self-serving in a selfish manner (as you say with "the needs of oneself"), but about serving Oneness, everything, everyone. If you experienced it as limiting in those ways, then I'm sorry that you missed the truth of it.

However that is the view from looking within, the truth is that it is a prison, the bars are no less real because they screen off the past and to some extent the future, the constraints are no less real because they provide feelings of security and calm. The minute one wants to break out of the prison all of the events that have gone on and been excluded, all of the past events and future worries are still there.

But that's just it. They are not there. The past cannot exist Now. The future cannot exist Now. You can only create those worries from the past and of the future in the Now through your mind. You create your own suffering because you are choosing to.
A "prison" implies that it is something that is limited, but something that is All Inclusive has no limits, and cannot be likened to a prison, except in the creation of untruth's of the mind.

There can be no dealing with core issues because they are barred and so excluded into the past sector so they are still around. The limited choices that seem to bring calm and clarity only seem that way because they are so narrow - there is actually only a few options to choose from. This beguiling space is a prison - if you leave you leave to find things have deteriorated because you have neglected them. You stay and convince yourself of the benefits out of fear, fear that you are trapped and fear to break the trappings, fear of change and fear of responsibility. All of this is quietened in the Now, the beguiling Now about which you construct so many unfeasible claims.

Core issues are not barred, because core issues only exist in the Now. You seem to have some belief that the past exists right here in the Now, but it simply can't. Could you tell me without shadow of a doubt, that some event that caused you upset and suffering sometime in the past, is still right there in front of you causing you suffering and upset, whilst you're sat at your computer reading this?

No. The event no longer exists... only your attachment to the memory and the emotions you are creating about it right here and Now. If you're going to deal with that issue, you can't eradicate that past event, you can't go back in time and change it, but you can deal with the core of the issue which is how it is making you feel right here and now. That's the core issue that needs dealing with, there is no other. If I'm wrong, please explain it to me... how that core issue doesn't exist here and now and how I can change that event that happened in the past? Just how do I time travel?

As for "unfeasible"... Can you explain why so many people worldwide follow the actions of living in the present and find it is truthful and works, and they do not suffer or return to suffering? You say you base your understanding on evidence... but there's the evidence of millions of people practicing it, and your own evidence of practicing it and recognising the benefits of being without suffering and being able to act in the now for those needs of the moment.

This is what I saw - to you it will sound negative, you will claim it is wrong, and that I am mistaken, I've missed the point. You will not see it if you just look from within at the passing Now, or from a stance of fear, only when you leave and examine the Now from the outside

I'm just trying to understand what you're saying Chris, but it "doesn't stack up" as you say. Please explain how you can examine the Now from the "outside"? What does "outside" the Now mean? Are you time travelling again? :confused: I suspect you are letting your mind believe you are living in the past or the future, but the truth is that you are not there, you are here in the Now.

, when you are not dazzled by the passing Now will you see it, and you will not want to leave so you will not ever perceive it, the more scared you get the louder you shout, repeating and repeating yourself in the hope of some relief. You encourage others in, and once they join they too are bound within the constraints of the Now, they too are imprisoned - there is comfort in numbers.

We simply repeat the truth we know because you continue to repeatedly misinterpret what we say (and I've noticed you don't seem to answer the questions we ask in a lot of cases :(). "comfort in numbers"... that's a new angle for your argument. It wouldn't be a concern if it were just myself discussing this with your of if there were millions. Perhaps you believe that myself and Paul and Becky and others who have contributed are somehow colluding against you away from this forum... "encouraging others in", or that we have all learn to live in the Now together, but that isn't so. I've never met Paul or talked about living in the Now with him, or attended his teaching/healing/classes, and neither have I asked anyone else to contribute to the discussion. We have come to this through our own paths, and all found the same point.... The Now.
I can't say something other than the truth I have experienced otherwise I would have to lie to you, and I'm not a liar. Certainly, I am not speaking from the point of being scared, nor am I shouting loudly; though obviously your own mind is perceiving it that way. Can you tell me what I am supposed to be scared of? or what I need relief from? Are you perhaps projecting your own fears into the words you use? I certainly hope you are not causing suffering or fear within yourself from this discussion. I thought we were discussing to try and understand each other? :confused:

All Love and Reiki Hugs

Just to quickly answer Daz, who I hadn't overlooked, but wanted to come back to as the need arose...

Hi Giles .

You have raised an Interesting point here regarding evidence of past lives . I have had my own realizations regarding past life Influences In the so called now moment but I cannot prove any of It . These type of realizations are to be realized - Just like when you realize the self you cannot prove that you have done so .

Certain things can never be proven because they are beyond sense and they are beyond scientific evaluation .

Absolutely, and that is the point. Chris is adamant (not stuart goddard the singer! :D) that she has evidence of past lives and carrying suffering from one life to the next, but cannot supply proof of this, yet dismisses living in the Now as having no proof, when it can be tested personally and found to be true. Becky has shown herself to be a wonderful example of this realisation that living in the Now works and there is no need for the suffering of believing we exist in the past and future.

When we are asleep and we dream we feel as If what Is within the dream Is real . Our senses allow us to live within the reality of the dream temporarily, how can we prove that we have dreamt of meeting the lord or the devil?

Who’s to say we are not dreaming now ... he hehehe .

In advaita teachings they talk about people living in a waking dream, but not being truly awake, and that living in the present moment wakes us from that dream. Of course who's to know for sure eh! I think that would be another thread.

All Love and Reiki Hugs

Absolutely, and that is the point. Chris is adamant (not stuart goddard the singer! :D) that she has evidence of past lives and carrying suffering from one life to the next, but cannot supply proof of this, yet dismisses living in the Now as having no proof, when it can be tested personally and found to be true. Becky has shown herself to be a wonderful example of this realisation that living in the Now works and there is no need for the suffering of believing we exist in the past and future.

Hi Giles .

Yer there’s no time limit In responding to me (If at all) ha ha .

I cannot speak for chris (Hi chris) but perhaps the evidence that chris has spoken of Is down to experiences had that were self evident . How do you prove a realization or an eureka moment .

Only consciousness via my senses seemingly prove to me that I am experiencing life In the now . I have experienced that the senses are not bringing to the fore clarity of what Is . The saying goes that If you think your enlightened then you are not, If you think you are being yourself then you are not, If you think that you are In the now then you are not .

In other words you won’t know It when you are .

I still have an Idea that the now moment Is beyond sense . I feel that the multidimensional aspects of what we are In Individual experience all have to be be In a similar state of awareness to bring about the being of being one with ourselves and with everything . If there Is an ounce of fragmentation then the now moment Is not fully embraced .

In advaita teachings they talk about people living in a waking dream, but not being truly awake, and that living in the present moment wakes us from that dream. Of course who's to know for sure eh! I think that would be another thread.

Yes I know what you mean . It can be a slippery fish . he hee . Many say that only what we are Is real and only when the Individual Is In the realization of what they are will they then be fully awake / aware of the illusions .

I had a wonderful and weird dream that I think others may of had where I was dreaming and within the dream I was asleep . I awoke from a dream within a dream and thought that I was awake . I had remembered at that point that I had dreamt that I was asleep .

But I was still dreaming . I had only sensed that I was awake . Boy o boy . .This went on for a little while longer was I awake or was I still dreaming I kept seeing Images of myself asleep and waking up like a scene out of groundhog day . lol .

A few months after that (dream) I had my first realization, I would say that my dream was showing me that all that Is of this world Is not as It seems to be . I was not seeing clearly .

Perhaps In order to see clearly one must close their eyes to the world .

Am I seeing the world as It Is or am I seeing the world through my senses . .

daz .

Hi Paul,
Of course I knew you would assume that I had not experienced it, this is the get out clause. In the same way that a prison is only a prison to a person if one perceives it that way, but it still remains a prison.
"To fully enter and exist in the now we must firstly fully embrace all aspects of ourself in an open and non-judgemental way, we do this by sorting out our core issues so that we can find the inner peace that you have described within your post but with all of our memories intact, fully functioning but freed from fears, self doubts, judgements and inner conflicts." And you assume that I have not done this - this again is a get out clause.

Simply trying to discard those who do not see what you see in the same manner is fatuous and highly judgemental.

"That is why we heal peoples core issues quickly" - and you still have not explained how you, the healer does this, all you have done is describe the environment in which it is done.

From the Freedictionary - "Serving one's own interests, especially without concern for the needs or interests of others".

Just for today for many may be about living in the now, but that is not the only message, it is also about setting achievable targets, this is similar to the manner in which alcoholics deal with their addiction, one day at a time. Usui was a Buddhist so he would have understood the now but he too planned for the future, after all he took on students.


Hi Giles,
I have not managed any significant past life recall evidence either, I have found place names of villages that are most unlikely that I would have come across them but I still need more to be sure. The point is that evidence is present, and the accounts are credible, no one can give 100% surety to them, but they have been investigated and documented in a professional manner and pass the 'reasonable' test. On the other hand there is no evidence as far as I can make out that we do not return, or that we are simply subsumed in some manner. You may choose to dismiss them and if you do so on the basis that you have only 'read them' them I suggest that you dismiss most of your knowledge gained in your life, the point is that you choose to dismiss them because they do not fit your model of things, this exposes prejudice and a biased judgemental outlook.

In terms of love it can be everywhere and in everything, it is when two beings become connected and their frequencies harmonise, this is just my view, it is very unlimiting because it can apply to all and any beings. Sometimes only a connection is made and frequencies do not harmonise, then these are acquaintances. It is no more dualistic than Paul's description of being aprt of a whole but individual or judging what is positive and self-serving or negative and not-self-serving. Dualism is often mistaken for perspective, sometimes when we are very close up to things we see differences and separate parts, only when we draw back can we see the whole.

Here is an example of removing worry - in the early days of being a householder I had a separate bank account that a small amount of money went to each month, I never missed it, it just happened. It is called the 'white goods' fund. When a washing machine breaks that is where I go to get the money for a new one, or a fridge or whatever. I do not worry about whether the washing machine will break, if it does it does, and when it does it will not be a problem - I have insured myself against worry - there is no fear, no worry, just calm assurity.

Pensions are based on investments (apart from some government ones if I understand things correctly). If the stock market crashes they will lose value, if not then they will retain value, there is a risk, but there is also a reasonable chance that they will pay out ok if they are chosen carefully. I can afford to put money into them so I do, the chance and risk I deem worth it. In the meantime I have dealt with the issue of retirement funding as best as I can and no longer have worry or fear about it.

Remember that we each perceive things differently - so to say that the now does not bar things simply expresses what you choose to see, not that I am wrong in what I see. I know that it does not sit well that I see it as a prison, but I have looked at it close up, and from far away, I have enquired and tested - I looks like a prison, it behaves like a prison. You claim it is all inclusive, but that is just a view, when I look that appears it is not.

"You seem to have some belief that the past exists right here in the Now" - nope but the connections to the past exist now. The core of the issue is not just about how one feels now, it is more complex than that, the event leaves scars and memories and they need to be faced and forgiven, there are often sequences of events that have happened since but are connected, it is not just about deciding to not feel how one does for a bit - this works in the now, but it forces you to never leave. The hold it has is based on fear, and so one is forced to remain.

"encouraging others in" - into the Now was what I meant - I have made no accusations of collusion.

"she has evidence of past lives and carrying suffering from one life to the next, but cannot supply proof of this" - actually the evidence (rather than the proof) lies with the documented cases of the children who remember past lives, you choose to dismiss this, but that does not stop it being evidence. As we have no means to prove many things we have to rely on whether it stacks up reasonably, the reports I saw seemed to and the incidents seemed to have been investigated in a reasonable and careful manner.

"when it can be tested personally and found to be true" - this is only a perception, just as perceive the Now as a prison and you do not. The fact that others find the same perception does not provide proof, remember that everyone thought the world was flat for a long time.

"Chris is adamant (not stuart goddard the singer! )" - for this too there is no evidence as such lol - oh ok perhaps my singing voice will provide the proof.

love
chris

Hi Chris

Of course I knew you would assume that I had not experienced it, this is the get out clause. In the same way that a prison is only a prison to a person if one perceives it that way, but it still remains a prison.

No Chris I did not assume anything, I simply read you post which told me that you had not.

Look at it like this, I can read up other peoples accounts of space travel and then go on a forum with astronauts and state that space travel is the same as riding in an air balloon which also overcomes gravity and achieves weightlessness, the astronauts will disagree with my interpretation and attempt to point out why my understanding is wrong, but I can only go on what I understand so I keep on telling them that they are wrong!

"To fully enter and exist in the now we must firstly fully embrace all aspects of ourself in an open and non-judgemental way, we do this by sorting out our core issues so that we can find the inner peace that you have described within your post but with all of our memories intact, fully functioning but freed from fears, self doubts, judgements and inner conflicts."

And you assume that I have not done this - this again is a get out clause.

Your post here says that you have not, or you would not have your current understanding:

The minute one wants to break out of the prison all of the events that have gone on and been excluded, all of the past events and future worries are still there.

As for:

"That is why we heal peoples core issues quickly" - and you still have not explained how you, the healer does this, all you have done is describe the environment in which it is done.

I think that if you read my posts on this and the other forums properly, then you will find that I have explained how I heal, I have repeatedly told you that I heal within the oneness of consciousness to transform peoples aspects of consciousness which deals with their core issues which are being created within the Now, so that they can function without self limiting thought patterns and beliefs and have the freedom to make personal choices and understand personal responsibilities etc.

Sorry but it is not my explanations which you cannot understand, the problem is that you cannot move your understanding beyond the restrictive thoughts of past lives and events and potential future problems and perceive what is actually happening to someone right now, within the Now.

I cannot give you an understanding of the Now, nor can I give you an understanding of the oneness and how we heal within it, these are things that people have to work toward and embrace and experience from within the fullness of themselves, they achieve this by embracing self acceptance (past, present and future) in an open and non-judgemental way, but that is a personal choice which each person has to decide for themselves if this will serve them in a self serving way or not.

As I cannot add anything more than what I have already said and I am sure that other members must be getting quite tired of reading post that just keep on repeating themselves, then I think that it is time for me to bow out of this debate.

Here is an example of removing worry - in the early days of being a householder I had a separate bank account that a small amount of money went to each month, I never missed it, it just happened. It is called the 'white goods' fund. When a washing machine breaks that is where I go to get the money for a new one, or a fridge or whatever. I do not worry about whether the washing machine will break, if it does it does, and when it does it will not be a problem - I have insured myself against worry - there is no fear, no worry, just calm assurity.

Pensions are based on investments (apart from some government ones if I understand things correctly). If the stock market crashes they will lose value, if not then they will retain value, there is a risk, but there is also a reasonable chance that they will pay out ok if they are chosen carefully. I can afford to put money into them so I do, the chance and risk I deem worth it. In the meantime I have dealt with the issue of retirement funding as best as I can and no longer have worry or fear about it.

Chris,

This thread is about the Root Cause Of Suffering, the practical planning that you mention in the above quote and elswhere, to me seems like you haven't *healed* the Root Cause of your fears/concerns about the possible / probable (washing machines break eventually) events of the future, but merely tourniqued them. Kind of like placing a bet with your insurance company and pension investments... it seem's as though, you are saying to your self: There is a good chance/high probability that this bet will pay off, therefore I can cease to worry about these future events. Not actually healing the Root Cause, it seems..?

That's the thing about probability - it isn't selective or biased in favour of one outcome over another (as far as i know:D), it doesn't reward good behaviour etc - so if there is say a 1 in 5 chance of you/me/anyone being involved in a fatal accident whilst driving (for example)... then you base your decision on the favourable interpretation that there's a "good chance" it's not going to happen - it stems the fear, but does not safeguard against an "actual" accident.

...this is why it seems to me that you have only tourniqued an underlying fear, and not healed it - which could be why the 'now' seems imprisoning and confining to you. (?)

Misinformation - the root of all suffering

The root cause of suffering is misinformation. Misinformation only occurs in the human arena. When any event happens, the event is completely neutral, it is what it is. But we interpret the event and add a meaning, this happened because ..... The meaning we put to an event comes from our own unique perceptions which is formed from older meanings.
Cheers

Hi Daz,
(Hi back there - waves)
There are serious issues here, and if one starts out with a wish to prove something then everything one sees is coloured with the overlay of the desire to prove it. This is natural, we each seek to ratify what we think we know, and vilify what others say that contradicts whet we think we know - it is driven by fear.
So the real test is to stand back and try to see what is really there. For those who live in the Now there is only the Now, anyone who challenges that assumption is a problem. Ideas that seem to support the Now are not questioned, statements that appear to endorse the ideas are claimed. Over this long thread and others many, very many have been shown to have no basis in fact, they are simply there to lend some kind of credence to bolster the idea of Now (btw I am aware that we all - including me - do this so I am a black pot as it were).
The danger is that if the tree is shaken then some will fall, and if an idea is challenged, or the supports for the idea are threatened, then the idea may fail. The result is fear - a clinging on more tightly, a more entrenched stance and added defensive actions, white knuckles and a defensive posture.
I have challenged a lot of issues, not the least the sacred cow of the Now. Why should it not stand up to scrutiny if it is so central and absolute? And yet it does not. I accept that within the now peace and calm can be found, yet we have seen love and compassion discarded because they are not supportive of the concept. I have seen the ideas of spirit and individual lives within spirit discarded because they seem to dualistic for the Now, and yet there is certainly more evidence of individual life after death than a cessation of individual life and only dissolution and absorbtion into a One consciousness.
I have been told that I can't heal, that I do not know about the precepts, that I encourage suffering, and yet instead of rising to bait and getting angry, I simply do what I do, gently keep looking for the evidence, keep testing and keep an open mind. I do understand that we make judgements about things, to me it is part of learning and living, and yet I'm told that we should be non-judgemental by those who judge things as self-serving, and decide what is positive and negative.

Daz I see a questioning mind, one able to evaluate and investigate, on a journey that will take you places you never imagined, but with a constant open mind clear of fear. I don't always agree with you but all these aspects always make me question why, rather than challenge in order to maintain my personal stance. I can learn a lot from what you see, and given the chance I will enjoy it.
love
chris

Hi Daz,
(Hi back there - waves)
There are serious issues here, and if one starts out with a wish to prove something then everything one sees is coloured with the overlay of the desire to prove it. This is natural, we each seek to ratify what we think we know, and vilify what others say that contradicts whet we think we know - it is driven by fear.

Hi Chris .

I would say that Is generally the case chris . Personally speaking I could talk all day about spiritual philosophy and I could converse with another who disagrees with what Is contained within my words but from where I am coming there Is no desire In trying to prove anything to another because from where I am standing only the other Individual can provide proof for themselves . I have actually just recently come out of a 10 year period where I remained silent about what I have experienced, It matters not If another doesn’t believe from where I am coming but for as long as there Is an open channel for dialogue I will find time to honour every conversation with an open heart .

The fear that you mention Is the driving force behind our efforts to hold on to our beliefs I would agree with . For example - does anyone see any head members of the church after thousands of years of worshipping In a particular way put there hands up and say we have got this God thing all wrong . ehehe .

So the real test is to stand back and try to see what is really there. For those who live in the Now there is only the Now, anyone who challenges that assumption is a problem. Ideas that seem to support the Now are not questioned, statements that appear to endorse the ideas are claimed. Over this long thread and others many, very many have been shown to have no basis in fact, they are simply there to lend some kind of credence to bolster the idea of Now (btw I am aware that we all - including me - do this so I am a black pot as it were).

I understand why you have said that . In some respect the Irony of people arguing about peace for example Is actually creating the opposite of what they are trying to achieve / explain . Sometimes an Individual needs to take a backward step In order to move forward .

Much of whats spoken about Is experienced on some level beyond the ordinary mind and beyond mind, so much will not make sense because It will be beyond sense, problems can arise when the Intellect starts to evaluate and explain what’s beyond sense In a way that will make sense . ha aha . I would say that there Is a purpose for those that try and bring about understandings to another but I have learned that not many are prepared to take on board what others have spoken of as being the truth unless they have experienced It for themselves . Which I understand and agree with .

The danger is that if the tree is shaken then some will fall, and if an idea is challenged, or the supports for the idea are threatened, then the idea may fail. The result is fear - a clinging on more tightly, a more entrenched stance and added defensive actions, white knuckles and a defensive posture.

Yes I agree . Sometimes the tree will need to be more than shaked - Perhaps de rooted . Sometimes changes happen gradually sometimes a situation may occur that demolishes one’s firm foundations of what Is . At times an Individual will have nothing more to lose or to give up before the truth of what they are becomes them . When the times right an Individual would of gradually let go of their attachments or they will have been taken from them .

I have challenged a lot of issues, not the least the sacred cow of the Now.

he hehe .

Why should it not stand up to scrutiny if it is so central and absolute? And yet it does not. I accept that within the now peace and calm can be found, yet we have seen love and compassion discarded because they are not supportive of the concept. I have seen the ideas of spirit and individual lives within spirit discarded because they seem to dualistic for the Now, and yet there is certainly more evidence of individual life after death than a cessation of individual life and only dissolution and absorbtion into a One consciousness.

The now moment as mentioned before Is beyond sense . The carrot dangling on a string can never be reached by conventional methods . The more one tries to work out and think about how one can attain the now/carrot the further away one can attain It .

In my eyes you need to be In the realization of what you are to be fully In the now . At this point you will not (know) (being the Important word) that you are self realized or In the now when this Is so . It’s only when you come out of the realization do you (know) . You cannot be In a state of being and know about It .

I have been told that I can't heal, that I do not know about the precepts, that I encourage suffering, and yet instead of rising to bait and getting angry, I simply do what I do, gently keep looking for the evidence, keep testing and keep an open mind. I do understand that we make judgements about things, to me it is part of learning and living, and yet I'm told that we should be non-judgemental by those who judge things as self-serving, and decide what is positive and negative.

The problems arise when our focus Is on what others think of us . At some point the Individual realizes that the judgements made will not be a judgement about you, It will be a reflection of those that are judging . When the focus Is all on and about you an Individual will see that . When an Individual knows their trueself how others perceive them will matter not In the slightest . Perhaps there would be compassion for them If nothing else . After my 10 years of silence I spoke of certain experiences had that Involved aliens, demons, angels, elements, saints, ascended masters, deceased scientists and was slaughtered and judged because I spoke of them . I wasn’t prepared for the judgement but I know deep down what happened and that’s all that really matters . . hey . And the same goes for what others experience too .

Daz I see a questioning mind, one able to evaluate and investigate, on a journey that will take you places you never imagined, but with a constant open mind clear of fear. I don't always agree with you but all these aspects always make me question why, rather than challenge in order to maintain my personal stance. I can learn a lot from what you see, and given the chance I will enjoy it.
love
chris

An open mind Is the key . Have no limitations whatsoever . I had a chat with a man at a festival and he believed In angels and not aliens . lol . (not through his own experiences had) but because It suited his mind-set / beliefs . This Is the problem that many have . They contain their own growth of experience because they restrict themselves to a particular mind set .

An open mind means that It Is open, not half open or half closed because of what fits In with someones belief system . .

Questioning / enquiring Is good practice as It allows what we are to explore our potential and experience the universe In relation to what we are . Not questioning and not enquiring will have equal benefits also depending on where they are at .

Nice speaking with you . Thanks for allowing me to converse with you .

x daz x

I would say that Is generally the case chris . Personally speaking I could talk all day about spiritual philosophy and I could converse with another who disagrees with what Is contained within my words but from where I am coming there Is no desire In trying to prove anything to another because from where I am standing only the other Individual can provide proof for themselves .

Hi Daz,

From your perspective, would you say that Chris's desire to have Paul 'prove' the Now was indicative of a fear based 'Mind' beleif (not sure if that's the right word to be using here, but anyway) within Chris? And would you say that Chris 'knows' the Now as Paul, Giles & yourself have described it (using slightly differnt words) ie, beyond senses / consciousness not caught up in the 'unthruths' of the Mind (I think it was Giles) who described it in that way.

Thanks

Hi Paul,
Once again you use an interesting analogy. You see you regard yourself as the astronaut - but in the case of Now you are actually no more relevantly informed than anyone else, and yet you have to take a stance as if you are, this is essential because without it your whole concept crumbles, I have no such investment, I only relate what I see. I have no reason to change what I say I see, adopting a lifestyle based on the now is constraining, the boundaries make it into a prison - this sits badly with you I know, but that is not my concern.
Some of this is about personal investment, and this provides a bias and a fear of any challenges, it begins to resemble a religion, with strict rules and beliefs needed, and dissenters outcast and derided - and religion is something that is always based on a strategy of control and fear.

In terms of how you heal, once again you describe how you "heal within the oneness of consciousness to transform peoples aspects of consciousness", these describe the environment in which you heal, but nowhere do you explain what your actions are, what healing activities you undertake on behalf of the client, how you distinguish what needs healing, and how you change those things that you and they consider need changing. You talk about self-serving etc. and you have said that you talk to the client for about 20 minutes before doing the healing, but there is no description of what you do during the healing process. Simply claiming that 'you heal' is not a description of how, it is a statement. I understand that people need to embrace the experience etc. but that is them doing the healing, you have stated clearly that you do the healing not them.
Please tell me what you do when you do the active part of healing, what manipulations do you do on the client, and how do you do it. I know the environment in which you operate, it is just the actions, your actions, that are missing. It's important because without this the whole thing is just faith healing or self-healing which you say makes the healer not a healer. If your system "Gaia Holistix The original MBSC transformational healing practice, utilising the new revolutionary Gaia-Now MBSC transformational healing model" is dependent on the Healer to achieve results then it is important that the Healer's part can be described, apart from anything else the clients should be able to have the process that you will perform on them, not the environment in which it is performed, described to them.


Hi WildStrawberry,
Haaa - you've asked a question that is a good challenge.
I considered whether the actual question I think relates more about the broader issue of allocation of what resources we have and how we use them - but I think this is not at the heart of it. I think it comes back to 'healing' in some form in order to remove worry, and I think that this is what you perhaps allude to.
It is not enough simply to say that one will not worry, it is a healing process, and so one has to identify why one is worrying, face it without fear and understand it, and then deal with it so as to remove it completely. The question then is even after having found it and faced it how does one deal with it. Ignoring the issue, or 'letting go of it' will not work, it may appear to work for a while, but does not solve the problem. Even if one identifies the 'worry' as not self-serving there one still has to take some kind of action to effect removal rather than concealment, discharge rather than occultation.
The process I have used is not a healing process in the 'energy' or lightbody process, it is a practical, almost physical process, it is simply about making the issue so small that it disappears from the worry scale. I do not worry about breakdowns of these things because they are no longer of any consequence, there is nothing left to worry about, and so the issue is removed. I think this is similar for instance to eating a healthy diet, it is a preventive measure, is it healing? I'm not sure, but it has left nothing to 'heal' so it has worked on some level.
So I think your question was valid, but rather than the tourniquet I see amputation perhaps lol.

In terms of the view I get of the 'now', I think it is the same view, I reject Paul's comments that I miss the point, I think it is because of perspective as much as anything. You see when you first get 'the now' it seems like it is everything, there seems nothing left to question and nothing left to find, it feels all encompassing - and as a consequence there is no reason to stand back and examine the now from a bit further, no reason to challenge or question at all - and so no one does it. Yet if you do, if instead of being amazed and 'spellbound', instead of simply accepting the calm and focus that it offers, you examine it, really question every corner, look at it from close up and far away, it changes, the structure that surrounds it becomes evident, and it is a constraining structure. It appears to offer freedom, but only within the concept, it seems expansive and as if it allows self-determination, but only within the boundaries that enclose it, it gives the impression of limitless horizons, but it is an perceptual illusion, for they are curved back on themselves.
I know that this viewpoint sits really uncomfortably with many, just as your challenge about the tourniquet did when I read it for me, but refusing to investigate and explore only leaves one in a false state of harmony, avoiding closer inspection only leaves one ignorant of the truth, and this can never carry any legitimacy, it is false and misleading.

love
chris

Hi Daz,

From your perspective, would you say that Chris's desire to have Paul 'prove' the Now was indicative of a fear based 'Mind' beleif (not sure if that's the right word to be using here, but anyway) within Chris? And would you say that Chris 'knows' the Now as Paul, Giles & yourself have described it (using slightly differnt words) ie, beyond senses / consciousness not caught up in the 'unthruths' of the Mind (I think it was Giles) who described it in that way.

Thanks

From your perspective, would you say that Chris's desire to have Paul 'prove' the Now was indicative of a fear based 'Mind' belief (not sure if that's the right word to be using here, but anyway) within Chris?

Hi W.S.

I cannot say on behalf of chris that chris Is coming from a desirable place so to speak when asking for paul to prove his perception of the now . I know that when another disagrees with my perception I am curious whilst conversing with them to understand why they are coming from where they are and why they are saying what they are saying . I am not here to prove anybody wrong . (just for the record) . lol .

Firstly love and fear are expressed In many, many ways and perhaps they are beyond sense like many things are . Love can appear to be unkind so In someways we need to ascertain the Intent behind any thought or action made to be clear on what’s It Is that Is In expression would you agree?

Any kind of challenge made to another be It physically, mentally, emotionally etc with a fear based Intent will reflect a lack of peace and contentment with the Individual on some level as you know .

And would you say that Chris 'knows' the Now as Paul, Giles & yourself have described it (using slightly different words) ie, beyond senses / consciousness not caught up in the 'untruths' of the Mind (I think it was Giles) who described it in that way.

Perhaps chris would be the best person to ask (lol) You will understand It’s not my place to speak on chris’s behalf (I know that you are Innocently asking for my opinion though) . If that’s o.k chris .

I can resonate with much of what has been said by yourself, Giles, Paul, Chris and others on the forums even when what’s been mentioned are seemingly contradicting one an other . At times within the moment I may contradict myself but that’s because what Is seemingly right for one Instance/example would not be right for another . If we go by what Is defined by the meanings that’s applied to words then there would be no flexibility within the way that we express ourselves using the written word .

In reference to chris’s understanding all of our perceptions regarding the now I would say that chris can agree and take a little from what we have all said and disregard a little also .

What I would say Is that eventually the realization of what you are will bring about similar mind-sets . We would be all sitting here like nodding our heads In agreement relentlessly . . ha hah

x daz x

There are serious issues here,

I've not noticed any issues. Only a discussion.

and if one starts out with a wish to prove something then everything one sees is coloured with the overlay of the desire to prove it.

I've not being trying to prove anything. You've asked questions, I've given my answer to those questions. Yet when I read your replies, your explanation of what I've said shows you have not interpreted it in the way it was originally described, so I've replied to those again, using different analogies; different words; different explanations, in the hope that it can clarify what I am saying to you in a manner that allows you to understand. It's not about proving anything, it's about communicating something that can't be just given to you in a way that would allow you to experience and see it for yourself.

This is natural, we each seek to ratify what we think we know, and vilify what others say that contradicts whet we think we know - it is driven by fear.

You have mentioned this fear before, but I'm not sure what fear you are referring to. I understand that some people do sit behind their fears for things, but that would only be if they didn't want to admit to something or didn't want to give up on something false they are holding onto. There's no fear in me answering your questions with truthful answers. You ask, I'm happy to answer. If I was fearful, I would have left this conversation and... :hidesbehindsofa:

So the real test is to stand back and try to see what is really there. For those who live in the Now there is only the Now, anyone who challenges that assumption is a problem.

Assumption?
I have yet to experience the "past" or the "future" and I know of know person who could put the past or the future in front of me, except as a concept created in the mind that we create in the present moment. Those creations of mind may be seeded from memories that were implanted during a past event, but those memories and the emotions etc. they create are only created Now. I'm curious... can you put the past or future here in front of me to experience?

Ideas that seem to support the Now are not questioned, statements that appear to endorse the ideas are claimed.

Experiential practice supports the Now. I'm experiencing the Now right ... well... Now. It's not an idea, it's something that's very real and very much here and now. Of course, I've questioned the Now for myself, and the evidence that became apparent was that the past no longer exists except in the mind and the future is just a creation of the mind, and it became clear that only the Now is real. As I said before, I can't impart that knowledge on you or anyone else, only share the ideas, concepts, models of terminology and explanation etc. that allows someone else to understand within their own paradigm of terminology and try it for themselves. If I could give it you on a plate Chris, I would, but I can't.

Over this long thread and others many, very many have been shown to have no basis in fact, they are simply there to lend some kind of credence to bolster the idea of Now (btw I am aware that we all - including me - do this so I am a black pot as it were).

So are you saying that the Now doesn't exist and it's just an idea? Yet before you said you have experienced living in the Now. I'm confused by your words here.

The danger is that if the tree is shaken then some will fall, and if an idea is challenged, or the supports for the idea are threatened, then the idea may fail. The result is fear - a clinging on more tightly, a more entrenched stance and added defensive actions, white knuckles and a defensive posture.

Yet if you shake a rock, it remains a rock as it has nowhere to fall to. (if we're playing at analogies :D). As I said above, you ask me a question, I'll answer truthfully. You can ask any way you like and I shall still answer truthfully. The truth won't and can't turn into untruths or lies (I can manufacture a lie if you'd prefer?)

I have challenged a lot of issues, not the least the sacred cow of the Now. Why should it not stand up to scrutiny if it is so central and absolute? And yet it does not.

Why? has the explanations of what the Now is shown contradictions in some way, except for the different use of analogies and terminology to try and explain it?

I accept that within the now peace and calm can be found, yet we have seen love and compassion discarded because they are not supportive of the concept.

Living in the now is fully supportive of love and compassion. It seems that your concept of the Now doesn't support those things; though that would suggest that your concept of the Now is not matching the Now as others live it.

I have seen the ideas of spirit and individual lives within spirit discarded because they seem to dualistic for the Now, and yet there is certainly more evidence of individual life after death than a cessation of individual life and only dissolution and absorbtion into a One consciousness.

Those concepts of "individual" lives and spirts etc. are not discarded. They are dualistic in the sense that they seperate the oneness, but that is merely as a terminology for explaining the same thing. Whether you see it all as One or you choose to seperate it into individual spirits and lives, then it is still all the same. But what "needs" are met by letting the mind choose to seperate the One into seperate things?
For what it's worth, I see that the energy we carry in this body/mind doesn't dissolve into nothingness when the body dies, but the energy exists in the One and will exist and interact with the bodily lives of those who are born (Science has shown us that energy cannot be created or destroyed). So there's very much a chance that some will pick up on those energies in the universe and can have them as "past lives", but does that energy serve a need in the Now? I would say it does not, unless our mind chooses to make it so.

I have been told that I can't heal, that I do not know about the precepts

I never said you didn't know about the precepts, but you were claiming (apparently vehemently) that the precepts of Reiki were nothing to do with living in the Now, yet quite clearly the translation can be understood that way when it is examined. You were dismissing something that was clearly possible (passes the reason test? ) based on the evidence presented.

that I encourage suffering

I would say that you choose suffering as a means of learning, but from what we have spoken of, the root cause of suffering is not here in the present moment except as a creation within the mind, and yet by that very token, you choose to ignore the needs (not necessarily all needs) that are right in front of you in the present moment, because you are attached to the suffering going on in the mind. In that respect, if you are healing others by telling them to embrace their suffering and learn from it, then you are encouraging suffering. That's not something I would encourage anyone to do myself. Is that wrong of me?

and yet instead of rising to bait and getting angry, I simply do what I do, gently keep looking for the evidence, keep testing and keep an open mind. I do understand that we make judgements about things, to me it is part of learning and living, and yet I'm told that we should be non-judgemental by those who judge things as self-serving, and decide what is positive and negative.

Absolutely. We all have a judgemental mind. It constantly tries to get in there and take control, when in truth we should be using it as the tool it is supposed to be. The mind exists in the dualistic world and should be used dualistically to discern one from "other" in a truthful manner, without using predjudice from past memories that have no place in the present.

I've aimed to keep my response in as simple terms as I can, and I hope my words have some clarity and meaning for you, even if I am repeating again what was said before in some way.

All Love and Reiki Hugs

Hi Chris

When you understand that we are all one within the oneness of consciousness and how our thoughts (consciousness) is creating our reality within the Now (right now) and nothing outside of the Now affects us on any level of our physical existence, then you will understand how to heal and transform peoples thought patterns and beliefs within the oneness of consciousness which will create a shift in their consciousness which will empower them to become free from their self limiting thought patterns, beliefs and fears which they have created within themselves which is causing their suffering to manifest right now in real time.

If someone does not understand the problem then they can't come up with a solution, to work with the Gaia-Now modality, a person needs to understand how to work with and manipulate consciousness using consciousness.

Until you understand the power of consciousness you will only perceive peoples thoughts and beliefs as unimportant ramblings of the mind and of no consequence, which is why you dismiss what someone is thinking right now and insist that it is either their circumstances or something which happened 50 years ago, or if we bring past lives into the equation, let us say something which happened 100.000 years ago is magically manifesting their suffering from a past time which no longer exists in real time right now.

At the end of the day something will either make sense to you or it won't, no amount of words are going to convince you that making people focus upon things which they have no power to change, does not heal and serve them in a positive manner but actually dis-empowers them and adds to their current suffering (they might over time become desensitised to their suffering for a time but not healed of it), this is something which you are going to have to experience for yourself before it can become a part of your reality.

I do wish you well on your journey of personal discovery.

The root cause of suffering is misinformation. Misinformation only occurs in the human arena. When any event happens, the event is completely neutral, it is what it is. But we interpret the event and add a meaning, this happened because ..... The meaning we put to an event comes from our own unique perceptions which is formed from older meanings.
Cheers

Hi Seatyed . .

Welcome to the thread .

The root cause of suffering is misinformation. Misinformation only occurs in the human arena.

Who or what Is misInforming who ?

When any event happens, the event is completely neutral, it is what it is.

Why would you say In your eyes that any event happens at all ?

daz .