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This lesson was originally given by Reverend John at a Sunday Celebration Service at
Unity Church of Independence in Independence, Missouri and transcribed
for our Spiritual Awakening Students.
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Lighten Up—The Way to Enlightenment
The Reverend John McLaughlin |
All the folks in a neighborhood were attending a block party, talking and having a really grand time. At one point, the subject came around to pets. One lady started to describe how a neighborhood dog frequently came into her garden and dug up her roses. Every time she’d plant the roses again, the dog would return and dig them up. She said, “That dog has dug up my roses twenty times, and I’ve had to plant them twenty times. I think there’s something wrong with that dog.” An eighty-five-year-old grandmother replied, “Well, the dog is acting naturally. But I would be a little suspicious of someone who planted those roses twenty times!”
Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting to have a different result. We have developed a habit of allowing our minds to think for us and now, we literally cannot stop thinking. Right now, I want you to not think about elephants. Make sure the elephants you’re not thinking about do not have monkeys riding on their backs. And make sure those monkeys you’re not thinking about riding on the elephants you’re not thinking about don’t have on red caps. You see, it’s virtually impossible to not think. Our thoughts are flowing all of the time, blocking out our life experiences. We can even think incessantly about something and at the same time, perform tasks without the benefit of conscious thought.
Are You Awake?
Imagine that it’s Saturday morning and you’re in your car on your way to the grocery store … but the car drives to work. Has that ever happened to you? How did the car do that?
Or imagine that you are driving down the highway at 55 miles per hour, following another car, when all of a sudden, something blocks your view of that car. And then you’re asked, “What is the color of the car that you were following?” You don’t know! Or imagine listening to the car radio playing the same forty songs over and over again—songs you know. If someone turned off the radio and asked, “What was the song that was playing just before this one?” – would you know? No. You wouldn’t remember. You’re drinking your coffee, talking on the telephone, listening to the radio, driving down the road at 55 miles an hour, oblivious to the car in front of you, oblivious to the music, oblivious to the taste of the coffee. And we call that being awake!
We are living in this world unconsciously. We can peel potatoes, watch TV, and think about something else all at the same time. But two out of three of those things are being done unconsciously.
A Crazy World
We live in a crazy world. In this last century—the modern century in which mankind has become "civilized"—we have slaughtered 100 million people in war. It’s been the bloodiest century in humankind. We have war everywhere, all the time. We go to war at the drop of a hat, and we spend millions of dollars making monuments to war. In the early fifties, the Air Force had a sign that said, “We fight for peace.” That sign lasted until the movie Dr. Strangelove came along and made such fun of it, and they decided to change it.
We live in a crazy world. Ten thousand people died last year from overdoses of illegal drugs. Ten thousand people! But one hundred thousand people died from overdoses of legal drugs, and we didn’t even pay attention. When my three-year-old granddaughter said, “Daddy, I have a headache. Can I have an aspirin?” I almost dropped to the floor. You see, we are preparing our children for the drug salesmen. When they have a pain, we give them aspirin. In effect, we’re saying, “When something hurts, take a pill.” It’s only a small step to “You’re not having fun today? You’re not having a good life? Take a pill. It will make you feel better.”
How did we get this way? What happened to us? We came into the world, Spiritually enlightened beings, and we remained so shortly after we first arrived. As little children, we understood how to live in enlightenment. Jesus said, “You must become like little children if you will enter the kingdom of heaven.”
As Spirit, we came into this world doing everything right. After the point of inception, when the egg cell and sperm cell came together and made what was going to be us, our cells began to grow, dividing and specializing, becoming specific organs—how did they know to do that? They just did it. First there was a rhythm around which cells gathered and beat, and then the cells created the heart. So the heartbeat came before the heart; the cells knew to how to grow the heart and every other part of our body. We had nine glorious months on a waterbed—with room service! The umbilical cord came in and gave us everything we needed. Life was great—until eviction day, when we were squeezed from this narrow opening, popped out into the world, picked up by the feet and smacked on the fanny and told, “Welcome to this world.”
But things got a little better during that first year. Most of us had loving, kind parents who took care of us, who answered our every need; everything we wanted was provided. Even though we had only one word, “Aaaa,” they seemed to understand what that meant: I want a bottle or I want to be changed. And when they changed us, they praised us for what we did! We were really treated like royalty! Everything was fine, until we learned to walk. Then we walked into the world of “no no” and “don’t.” Good little girls don’t do this; good little boys don’t do that. We were criticized. And from then on, it seemed we couldn’t do anything right. We began to form this idea, which we never had before, that there was something wrong with us. We began to believe that we were less than the spiritual beings we were when we came here.
Seven Steps to Enlightenment?
Our goal now is to get back to where we were, to remember what we were. Looking for the way back is called “enlightenment.” It’s letting go and lightening up. I happened to come across some powerful information from Swami Beyond A Creed, who said there are seven steps to enlightenment:
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Step one: |
Be a fundamentalist, but make sure the fun comes before the mental. |
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Step two: |
Life is like photography – use the negative to help you develop. |
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Step three: |
Don’t go through life thinking heavy thoughts. Thought particles tend to get caught between the ears, causing a condition known as “truth decay.” So be sure to use “mental floss” at least twice a day. |
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Step four: |
If you want world peace, let go of your attachment and truly become nomads. (That’s where “I nomad at you; you’re nomad at me.”) And surely there will be “nomadness” in our world. |
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Step five: |
Don’t practice tantrum yoga. Remember that Swami teaches in absurdiveness training, “Don’t get even; get odd.” |
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Step six: |
Great earth changes are predicted for the future. So if you are looking to avoid earthquakes, my advice is simple: when you find a fault, don’t dwell on it. |
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Step seven: |
If you're looking for the key to the Universe, I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news is, there is no key to the Universe. The good news is, it has never been locked. |
So if you are going to follow Swami Beyond a Creed, you must check your beliefs, rest your rhetoric, dope you denials, park your karma and curb your dogma. Remember that enlightenment is not a bureaucracy. You don't have to go through channels. You have a direct connection with God. What Is It?
Spiritual Awakening!
What is this “stuff”—waking up or enlightenment—that everybody is talking about? What do they mean? Buddha was asked a similar question. He was asked, “Are you God?” He said, “No.” Then the person said, “Well, are you an angel?” Buddha said, “No.” Then the person asked, “Then what are you?” Buddha said, “I’m awake.” And so can we be, if we so choose.
People who have had near-death experiences make a total change in their life. All of a sudden, they think about things in a completely different way. There is a shift of energy, a shift in the way they think. They literally wake up. They have an “enlightenment.” However, I suggest other ways to reach enlightenment. Instead of a near-death experience, you can have a near-life experience.
Enlightenment is not about learning anything—you cannot learn to be enlightened. In fact, enlightenment is actually the art of unlearning. The more you know, the more you have to let go.
Jesus tried to illustrate this point by telling about an extremely rich man who wanted to know what he had to do to get into the kingdom of heaven. Jesus told him the ordinary things one must do, such as follow the Commandments, be faithful, love God, give and receive. But the man said, “I have done all those things. What else must I do?” Jesus answered, “Sell all you have and give the money to the poor.” But that was just too much for the rich man. He just couldn’t do that. He walked away with his head down. Later, when Jesus and the disciples were discussing this incident, Jesus made a joke. (Aramaic humor is different; there are no jokes with punch lines. Instead, humor is found in making things sound really absurd.) Maybe Peter said, “Well, Jesus, that guy didn’t really understand what you said today.” Jesus said, “No. It’s very hard for the rich to get into heaven.” And someone else might have asked jokingly, “How - hard - is - it, Jesus?” And Jesus said, “It is harder for a rich man to get into heaven that it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle!” Very absurd and very funny at that time.
This particular example is about a rich man’s money. But money was just one distraction. If you have a lot of power, it is very hard for you to get into the kingdom of heaven. If you have a lot of knowledge, it is very hard for you to get into the kingdom of heaven. If you have a lot of authority, it is very hard for you to get into the kingdom of heaven. In other words, the most successful people will have a hard time getting into the kingdom of heaven because they are attached to what they have, whether it is a physical thing, or whether it is power or position or even their own belief system. You see, we have become enslaved to the ego mind—it is running us instead of us running it. The ego mind is telling us what to do and what to think. It is in control of our minds.
Who Should be in Charge of Your Thoughts?
Your ego is nothing more than a set of beliefs about who you are—not who you really are. The ego is like a computer program running you and not letting the Divine programmer in to change the programming.
In the Bob Evans restaurant in Blue Springs, I always say hello to a busboy whose badge says “Matthew.” As he clears off the table, you can hear Matthew talking to himself, carrying on this dialog, yakking back and forth as if he’s having a conversation. You might say that Matthew might be crazy. Or you might not choose to use that word because you do the very same thing, maybe not audibly, but in your head. Your mind is going all the time, talking about this, talking about that, saying maybe I will, maybe I won’t, and on and on. You cannot shut it off. You see, we are all a little crazy. We are missing what’s happening right in front of us because we’re so busy with that dialogue in our mind. We have to be able to withdraw our attention from the incessant activity of our minds.
Eckhart Tolle in The Power of Now gives the best definition of enlightenment I’ve ever heard: “Enlightenment is the ability to stop thinking at will.” All enlightenment is, is the ability to control your mind instead of letting your mind control you.
Practice Makes Perfect
I have to tell you something about me that you may not realize. I’m just like Michael Jordan. Now there are some very minor differences—he’s black and I’m white; he’s 6’ 7”, I’m 6’1” (that’s only six inches); he’s 230 pounds, and I’m only 220. But Michael and I both cam shoot baskets - again, with only a few more minor differences. Out of 100 shots, Michael gets the ball into the hoop about 98 times and I get it in about 6 or 7 times. What’s the difference between Michael and me? He practiced and he practiced and he practiced. He practiced to the point that he could almost shoot baskets in his sleep. And practice is the key to the success of anything.
Now it's Your Turn
If you are going to achieve enlightenment, you are going to have to practice, too. You're going to have to practice quieting your thoughts so that Divine Mind can help you. All of you know how to do it, because you have already done it. If you've ever been by yourself somewhere, perhaps at the beach, and the sky was lit up by a beautiful sunset. You became so entranced by the beauty of it all that you stopped thinking and just felt the sunset. You felt totally at peace. Your whole life seemed wonderful; everything seemed perfect because you quieted your mind long enough, even a few seconds, to allow Divine Mind to start pumping Divine ideas into your mind. You can perceive without thinking. You can actually know things better without thinking about them.
Emotions are strong conveyors
We have emotions, whose function is to change thoughts into feelings. But when the ego mind is generating all thought, and its worried and concerned and fearful, what kind of feelings do you think our ego is generating? If instead you will quiet your mind - through meditation, by spending time in a natural environment or practicing other simple techniques, and allow Divine Mind to come through, you will have totally different feelings. Your feelings will be the positive, loving ones that you want to have.
You are the observer
If you choose to, you can observe yourself thinking. When your ego mind is chattering on and on and on, just stop and say, “Wait a minute. This is what John was talking about.” Don’t try to stop thinking. If you try to stop thinking, you’ll think even harder - you ego will fight you for control. Instead, simply step back and observe your thoughts. Don't think - just observe them. If you can watch your thoughts for even a few seconds, you will be amazed at the change in the way your body feels. Practicing being the observer often. It's fun and it can become a habit. When it becomes a habit, you will be on the road to enlightenment.
There is another very easy technique you can try to help you quiet your mind. Make a fist. Now squeeze it hard, really hard. Hold it, squeeze a little more. Hold it, squeeze a little more, hold it, squeeze, squeeze. Don’t let go—just feel how it feels. Now hold up your other hand and transfer the feeling in one hand to the other. Just transfer it with your mind. Can you feel it in your other hand? If you can, you’ve just really felt your body for the first time in a long time. When you focus on how your body is feeling, your thoughts will ebb away - your monkey mind can’t work. You have stopped thinking and started being.
Hidden Treasure
What value do you place on seeking enlightenment? Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” When you understand how powerful it is to be an enlightened being, you will be willing to give up everything else you have for it, which is exactly what Jesus is saying. Jesus also says, “Ask and it will be given unto you. Search and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives, for everyone who searches, finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Notice he didn’t say, “I’m going to open the door for you.” He just said, knock. He just said, do. He just said, practice. Just start practicing.
What incentive works for you?
We are much like the man who went to the bank and said, “I want to cash this check.” The teller said, “Fine. Just sign the back of the check and I’ll cash it.” He said, “No, no. Give me my money first, and then I’ll sign it.” She said, “Sir, we don’t do it that way. You have to sign the check first, and then we will cash it.” He said, “No, I don’t want it that way. You give me my money and I’ll sign.” She called over the bank manager, who argued with the man awhile. But the man still wouldn’t sign the check to get his money. Finally, he said, “I’ll just find another bank to cash my check.” He left, went through the same routine with the teller at a second bank, then he went to a third bank. There the clerk very patiently said, “Sir, you must sign the check first, and I’ll be glad to give you the money.” The man just wouldn’t listen. Finally the teller took out a baseball bat and hit the man right on the head. She said, “Sign here!” And he did. And he got his money. The next day the man saw the first bank teller and said, “Well, I got my check cashed.” The teller asked, “Did they make you sign the check first?” He said, “Yes, they did.” She asked, “Why did you sign it for them but not for me?” He said, “They had a wonderful way of explaining it.”
You Can Do It -- If You Choose
So what’s it going to take for you to start this process? You can’t learn enlightenment. You have to let go of ego chatter to let enlightenment happen. Harry Houdini, a favorite magician, used to go around telling people that he could get himself out of any jail. He’d be put into jail and in two or three minutes, he’d be out. One day he was put into a jail just like many others he’d been in, and as everybody left, he took off his belt, pulled out his little hard wire and started to pick the lock as he’d always done. For over half an hour, he tried and tried to pick the lock, but it just wasn’t working. Finally he got a little tired and took his belt and hung it on the bars of the door. The weight of the belt made the door swing inward. You see, it wasn’t locked.
Nor is our universe locked. It is open for all who are willing to be there. If it appears to be locked, it is only because we think it’s locked. Jesus said, “I will give you the keys to the kingdom. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” You see, you bind with your mind. Letting go and letting God means letting go of that ego mind. It means stopping the thought addiction we have; it means letting go.
I very strongly recommend the book that I mentioned, Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now, a Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment to anyone who is serious about the idea of seeking enlightenment. There is no question about whether or not God loves you and is willing to give you the keys to the Kingdom. The question is: Do you love yourself enough to take the time to accept what God has offered you? Whatever your answer is, always remember,
God Loves You and so do I!
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