Talk and Discussion: Uncovering Self Sponsored by International Academy for Interfaith Studies Sponsored by International Academy for Interfaith Studies

Review of Last Week -- 1  Discussed defining spirituality  It gives you depth and meaning to your life  It cannot be fully captured by words  It looks for insight and focuses on the inner person  Life is understood as a school for the soul  Discussed defining spirituality  It gives you depth and meaning to your life  It cannot be fully captured by words  It looks for insight and focuses on the inner person  Life is understood as a school for the soul

Review of Last Week -- 2  Spirituality first focuses on getting a pure heart  A key to purifying your heart is self awareness  Religion and spiritual are related but not the same  With ever greater spirituality you see and hear differently  Spirituality first focuses on getting a pure heart  A key to purifying your heart is self awareness  Religion and spiritual are related but not the same  With ever greater spirituality you see and hear differently

Review of Last Week -- 3  Our era gives you a greater chance to advance spiritually  The first step toward spirituality is to be a seeker who knows that you know little  Know that life is continually teaching you spiritual lessons  Our era gives you a greater chance to advance spiritually  The first step toward spirituality is to be a seeker who knows that you know little  Know that life is continually teaching you spiritual lessons

PLEASE 1. STRETCH 2. NOW QUIETLY SEAT AND RELAX 3. BECOME AWARE OF YOUR BODY 4. RELAX YOUR TOES AND THEN MOVE SLOWLY UP TO THE TOP OF YOU HEAD AS YOU RELAX EACH PART OF YOU BODY 5. AS YOU DO THIS, BREATH DEEPLY For the Next TWO Minutes 1. STRETCH 2. NOW QUIETLY SEAT AND RELAX 3. BECOME AWARE OF YOUR BODY 4. RELAX YOUR TOES AND THEN MOVE SLOWLY UP TO THE TOP OF YOU HEAD AS YOU RELAX EACH PART OF YOU BODY 5. AS YOU DO THIS, BREATH DEEPLY For the Next TWO Minutes

Thank You Back to the Talk

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. Teihard de Chardin

AsK: Who am I?  One answer: your personality, your actions, your family, your body, your ethnicity, your religion, your culture, your job, your environment, your expressions, what you think, what you feel, what you do, what you say, what you know, what you see  Spiritual answer: all of the above PLUS realizing that you are a unique expression of pure spirit revealing itself to you  One answer: your personality, your actions, your family, your body, your ethnicity, your religion, your culture, your job, your environment, your expressions, what you think, what you feel, what you do, what you say, what you know, what you see  Spiritual answer: all of the above PLUS realizing that you are a unique expression of pure spirit revealing itself to you

Start with knowing yourself from Hillel  Watch you thoughts; they become your words  Watch your words; they become you actions  Watch you actions; they become your habits  Watch your habits; they become your character  Watch your character for it will become your destiny  Watch you thoughts; they become your words  Watch your words; they become you actions  Watch you actions; they become your habits  Watch your habits; they become your character  Watch your character for it will become your destiny

To be on a Spiritual Path  What motivates you?  What keeps you in a good state of mind?  Be self aware of your own inner state, your nature, your history  Seek to know who you are and what works best given who you are  What motivates you?  What keeps you in a good state of mind?  Be self aware of your own inner state, your nature, your history  Seek to know who you are and what works best given who you are

Knowledge is POWER, especially of the self  When you are self aware, you become aware of how you are thinking, speaking, and acting  Self awareness gives you the objectivity and insight needed to improve upon you thoughts words, actions, habits, and character -- all at the same time  When you are self aware, you become aware of how you are thinking, speaking, and acting  Self awareness gives you the objectivity and insight needed to improve upon you thoughts words, actions, habits, and character -- all at the same time

You inner self is revealed by  Every single thing you do  Every movement you make  Every decision or non decision you make  Every item of clothing you wear and do not wear  Every aspect of the environment in which you live  Every single thing you do  Every movement you make  Every decision or non decision you make  Every item of clothing you wear and do not wear  Every aspect of the environment in which you live

As You Search for self Search with moderation by not going overboard in interpreting everything

When you are upset  Look at your emotions: where do you feel them? Describe them?  What are your emotional buttons?  What is the history of these feelings? When did they first start?  How much of your feelings are due to another’s behavior and how much from your own projections? Be honest with yourself.  What is really bothering you? They are your emotions and with self awareness and introspection you can address them  With Knowledge comes power.  Look at your emotions: where do you feel them? Describe them?  What are your emotional buttons?  What is the history of these feelings? When did they first start?  How much of your feelings are due to another’s behavior and how much from your own projections? Be honest with yourself.  What is really bothering you? They are your emotions and with self awareness and introspection you can address them  With Knowledge comes power.

Dealing with difficult people  They exist and you must become strong enough to withstand them  Realize that difficult people are in your life for a potentially beneficial purpose  Seek out and discover that beneficial purpose and embrace that lesson  They exist and you must become strong enough to withstand them  Realize that difficult people are in your life for a potentially beneficial purpose  Seek out and discover that beneficial purpose and embrace that lesson

Whatever you focus on will gain more power in you life  Sometimes by focusing on a bad habit you may find the habit becomes stronger  Try to focus on the freedom you will feel after the bad habit falls away rather than on what you wish to get rid of  Sometimes by focusing on a bad habit you may find the habit becomes stronger  Try to focus on the freedom you will feel after the bad habit falls away rather than on what you wish to get rid of

On Judging Others  Do not dwell on someone else’s bad quality  Realize that your focus itself intensifies the negative feelings within yourself and thus is causing your own pain  Wiser to focus on being more optimistic, compassionate, and being more loving of others  Do not dwell on someone else’s bad quality  Realize that your focus itself intensifies the negative feelings within yourself and thus is causing your own pain  Wiser to focus on being more optimistic, compassionate, and being more loving of others

By being self-realized  You need to be yourself but not your obnoxious self --  Know the difference objectively  Be the self with your own positive personality traits  Spiritual self-realization is knowing you are divine  Spiritual growth is not becoming something other than what you are  Spiritual growth is shifting your awareness so that you know more about who you really are  You need to be yourself but not your obnoxious self --  Know the difference objectively  Be the self with your own positive personality traits  Spiritual self-realization is knowing you are divine  Spiritual growth is not becoming something other than what you are  Spiritual growth is shifting your awareness so that you know more about who you really are

Self vs self  Your small self is an egocentric mass of conditioned responses and defense mechanisms that pulls you into illusions and keeps you from enjoying your true wealth  Your big Self is the unlimited eternal wisdom that means liberation, freedom, and goodness  As an individual, you are always at the juncture of self and Self and each pulls you in a different and opposite direction  Your small self is an egocentric mass of conditioned responses and defense mechanisms that pulls you into illusions and keeps you from enjoying your true wealth  Your big Self is the unlimited eternal wisdom that means liberation, freedom, and goodness  As an individual, you are always at the juncture of self and Self and each pulls you in a different and opposite direction

You are already Spiritual  Because the Self is always a part of you, you always are Spiritual and you are always divine -- But the divine may or may not be manifested by you  With self-realization, you can select that Self aspect of yourself and manifest the divine within you  Without self-realization, you are not free and too often the self will reign over you and you will manifest the ego centered materialist within you  Because the Self is always a part of you, you always are Spiritual and you are always divine -- But the divine may or may not be manifested by you  With self-realization, you can select that Self aspect of yourself and manifest the divine within you  Without self-realization, you are not free and too often the self will reign over you and you will manifest the ego centered materialist within you

You are One Substance with Many Forms  Like ice, you have a physical body  Like water, you have spirit, emotions, and thoughts. Like water you can cut huge channels through massive mountains with your persistent flow. You can take on any shape as defined by your environment.  Like steam, you are free to move into the tangible air and no longer be captured by any container. Like steam, you can be perceived through your effects as you exist in an entire space all at once.  Like ice, you have a physical body  Like water, you have spirit, emotions, and thoughts. Like water you can cut huge channels through massive mountains with your persistent flow. You can take on any shape as defined by your environment.  Like steam, you are free to move into the tangible air and no longer be captured by any container. Like steam, you can be perceived through your effects as you exist in an entire space all at once.

Spirituality is  An inner shift that happens in your heart  A calling from the soul that sparks a light that has always been inside you  A light that never entirely disappears  Potentially, the brighest light possible that can show the way for others to follow  The means to grow brighter with always greater wisdom and grace  An inner shift that happens in your heart  A calling from the soul that sparks a light that has always been inside you  A light that never entirely disappears  Potentially, the brighest light possible that can show the way for others to follow  The means to grow brighter with always greater wisdom and grace

Enlightenment is the ego’s ultimate disappointment. Trungpa Rimpoche

Ego is limited self-identification Breaking free from egocentric, limited identification is the key to spiritual growth

Two basic approaches to moving beyond ego  Shrinking your ego  Dial down the desires and impulses that arise from identifying yourself as human rather than being a divine being  Shrinking your ego  Dial down the desires and impulses that arise from identifying yourself as human rather than being a divine being  Expanding your ego  Be vigilant and aware of your thoughts and impulses but cease to identify with them  See only supreme Oneness everywhere

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. Abraham Lincoln

Most of the Ideas and Thoughts from this talk Came From Spirituality for Dummies By Sharon Janis Spirituality for Dummies By Sharon Janis

The End Next Week “The World and Your Soul” Sponsored by International Academy for Interfaith Studies Sponsored by International Academy for Interfaith Studies