Temptation

Topics covered:  We seem to be at peace whenever we are getting what we want, but anything can interrupt that kind of peace; There is never a moment when you are not being given what you need, but you have to want to receive what you are being given; If you are thinking about how to face a moment outside of what is practical, you are lost.

Topics covered:  We keep reaching out into the world for what seems to be missing because we are not at peace with ourselves as we are; Whenever we are looking to distract ourselves, there is an unseen hope that we will find a lasting refuge of some kind. We are hoping to find some kind of relief from feelings of dissatisfaction; The nature that feels dissatisfied and incomplete will find ways to create dependency in others so that it can feel momentarily significant.

Topics covered:  We always find fault with what captures us instead of finding fault with what got captured. "The fox condemns the trap, not himself." -- William Blake; In the same instant that we identify with what we believe will make us whole, there is fear that we will lose it. Then we set out to protect what we have identified with; How can we be immersed in suffering and yet not know anything about it? We don't question our suffering; we question what we believe is the source of it.

Remastered Classic Talk: 11/4/15 - Here is the obvious, but rarely acknowledged reason why we must dig in and do the difficult inner work needed for real self-transformation: if we don't change, we gradually come to wholly embody the very weaknesses whose destructive nature we wish weren't (living) within us. The courage to see the truth of this inevitable outcome gives us the reason, the will and the courage we need to succeed in our quest to regain command over our own heart, mind, and soul.

Classroom Talk: 11/20/2024 - Whenever we kneel to the temptation of some consoling indulgence, or struggle to acquire a power to protect us from a fear...we yield to, and serve the pleasure of a darkened desire that has promised, once again, to save us from (our) pain.

Classroom Talk: 3/2/2022 - Peace is not the opposite of conflict; it is the absence of it.

Topics Covered: Our hope is not in things seen; Being the witness of useless suffering; Use the fear of the future to find the fearless heart; Accept the moment as it is given as an act of higher Will; We don't want to fix ourselves, we want to see ourselves; Dismissal of habitual reactions; Awareness of the play of creation; Replace the idea of "faster" with "more aware"...

Topic: Awaken the Strength You Need to Walk Away from Any Self-Compromising Behavior (5/3/20 Classroom Talk)

Topics Covered: Re-experiencing, reliving a memory; Mind wanting to escape the sound of itself; Real love doesn't punish the one who loves; Love doesn't separate; Love doesn't suffer over what was; Agree to consciously suffer our own consciousness; Remain the witness of consciousness instead of trying to change it; Being in the crucible of the crisis; See that the promise of...

Classroom Talk: 5/3/2020 - No part of our present level of consciousness can be fully transcended without having completely experienced its nature; and this includes temptation, whatever its character. The "saint" is not someone who has never been tempted, but rather the one who -- having come to know its nature so fully...

Classroom Talk: 4/26/2020 - Reclaiming rightful authority over our own mind and heart begins with seeing, very clearly, that the ease with which we make excuses for self-compromising choices is not the same as being in charge of ourselves.

Topic: The First Revelation Required to Make a Real Change in Your Life (2/2/20 Classroom Talk)