From last night’s West LA Satsang:
“The mind can’t see its own limitations.”
– Dan
“What’s aware of your mind?”
-Michael
FACEBOOK COMMENT: Do u make transcripts of your satsang?
MICHAEL: No, although occasionally I will post a quote or two, like the ones above, which if deeply meditated on will bring about revelation.
About 9 years ago I happily hosted Matt Kahn & Julie Dittmar in my apartment in West Los Angeles for Satsang. And even though it’s been almost a decade, I often think of what Matt said to me right after he pointed at my bookcase filled with spiritual/nonduality books and told me his goal was to turn them into firewood!
He said: “Remember that everyone is doing the best they can and always speak from your own experience.”
Michael Jeffreys
Do you recommend note taking at satsang?
MICHAEL: No. What you inherently are is the wordless radiant presence here/now and thus no notes are needed if one truly sees what we are pointing at. Notes are for the jiva/ego in the hope that it will someday understand something at a future date. But what is being pointing at is already here now. It’s what’s aware of the jiva/mind trying to figure out what it is. The former a being, the latter a doing. Awareness is ever-present. It never goes anywhere. It is the only “thing” that ever truly IS… and you are THAT.
Michael Jeffreys
The topic for this Wednesday’s, 4/19, West LA weekly Satsang:
“You are unborn. If something is unborn, what can you say about it? Does it have ANY story?”
And what about the body? Are the stories for the body? No, a body is no more aware of any story than a car or a rock. The body, like all objects, is insentient and has no story. So where do stories come from? From the mind; all stories are created in and belong to the mind.
Question for contemplation:
“Does what is AWARE of the mind’s endless stories have a story??”
For more info or to RSVP, see link below. -Michael
MICHAEL: To sit quietly and observe one’s mind for an extended period is often uncomfortable. Why? Because when we are engaged in non-stop doing throughout our day, we are not consciously aware of just how noisy/busy our mind is, bouncing from thought, to thought, to thought like a “drunken monkey stung by bees.”
Meditation gives you a chance to notice this. While some report they don‘t like meditation because it’s “too hard,” the point is that it’s not the meditation that’s causing the mind to jump around, but rather it’s already jumping around all the time, you’re just finally becoming aware of it!
What to do? Just observe it. Don’t try to stop your thoughts or change them. Simply observe them. Why? To see they are not you. This is the point. And the more you see they are not you, the less reactive you will become as they lose their hold over you and the more relaxed and peaceful you become. It can also be helpful to repeat to yourself throughout the day:
“I am not my thoughts… I am the witness of them.”
Letting go of the past is an important part of awakening. Why? Because what you are exists ONLY here, now, in/as this present moment. And so, it’s important in awakening to be aware of attachments we may still be holding on to from the past. For me, as I have come upon my own way of speaking about that which never comes or goes, it is clear it is time to let go of the Santa Monica Eckhart Tolle meetup.
To expand on this for a moment, while I have thoroughly enjoyed being the organizer for the past 9 years, I feel now is the time to officially break away from under Eckhart’s teaching and just share what I have come to discover:
That happiness is NOT available in the world, but is in fact WHAT YOU ALREADY ARE! Hence the expression, “You are what you seek.”
Satsang is about seeing this for yourself, in your own direct experience. And so that is what the West LA Satsang is all about… taking a look at what beliefs are blocking us from seeing our already whole, ever-present and intrinsically at peace nature, despite what may be happening or not happening in the waking dream.
And while I love Eckhart and much of his teaching, for me his language was sometimes a bit dualistic. For example, when he would say, “Make friends with the now,” that sounded great on the surface, but there was always a “me” trying to befriend “the now.” 2 things. Separation. And so, I never felt, as good as it was, that Eckhart’s teaching could actually awaken me as long as that sense of separation was there. Just to be clear, this was not so much a problem with Eckhart or the material, but rather how it hit me. (Each of is unique and thus you must find the teaching that resonates best for you.)
And so, I began to realize that the one thing all my problems had in common was “me”! Utilizing non-duality, deconstruction, and self-inquiry, I discovered that I couldn’t actually find or locate the “me” that I had always imagined myself to be! And without a me, there is only THIS, only what’s presently happening. Eureka!! I had found what I was looking for. It turns out that you don’t need an imaginary “me” to exist, but on the contrary, the sense of being a “me” is actually what spoils the party. As Paul Hedderman says, “The party doesn’t get good until after you leave!”
Another reason for this announcement is so that those that prefer Eckhart’s teaching can leave this meetup and join one that focuses on Eckhart’s material. Just because I don’t feel Eckhart’s material goes deep enough to get to the root of separation, doesn’t mean that others won’t find tremendous value from it. So, if you choose to move on, I wish you the best in your spiritual awakening. Just go to our meetup and click on your account and then “leave this group.” Here’s the link:
http://www.meetup.com/westlasatsang
And for those that wish to attend the West LA Satsang, we currently meet at 3 locations every month:
Every Weds., night at my apt. in West LA from 7:00-9:15pm (by donation)
First Sun. night of the month at The Gateway in West LA from 7-9pm (10.00)
The middle Sat. of the month at The Sunset Park Church in Santa Monica from 1-3pm (check our calendar for the exact date; by donation)
-Michael
P.S. I look forward to seeing those of you that are coming to tomorrow night’s West LA Satsang with myself and Daniel. If you haven’t already RSVP’d, you can do so here: http://www.meetup.com/westlasatsang/
