RE: [BardonPraxis] Time

["Stephen Miller" <qwertyguy3@...>]

Martin,

Just because the door to the divine is always open to us doesn't mean we 
automatically want to enter it. Time may be an illusion in some ways, but 
it is also a gift - it allows us to gradually gain a clearer and clearer 
understanding of the value of what was originally taken for granted. A big 
part of the problem you are talking about comes from thinking that spiritual 
path is a pursuit in search of greater and greater truths. A more accurate 
description of it is a retreat from the system of distractions and untruths 
we have built up over _time_. It took time to build them up, and it takes 
time to take them down. You mention Tolle "teaches accessing the present 
moment through one of several 'doorways' such as noticing silence or space, 
becoming aware of the inner body...". To me, this sounds like an accurate 
description of Bardon's mental exercises. But as anyone who has attempted 
the mental exercises knows, when they are attempted, problems of the past 
inevitably get in the way and need to be dealt with. To try to ignore them 
just represses them, and they continue to interfere with the awareness of 
silence and the Now. Without time in some form, there would be no hope for 
us, as it would mean these flaws eternally separate us from experiencing the 
divine. I guess what I'm saying is, don't get ahead of yourself. It took a 
sequence of mistakes to create these problems, and it takes a sequence of 
corrections to solve them. After this finite process is completed, I expect 
it will become apparent that the separation was an illusion to begin with.

Stephen M.

> From: "Martin Cosgrove" <martin@...>
> Reply-To: BardonPraxis@yahoogroups.com
> To: "BardonPraxis@yahoogroups.com" <BardonPraxis@yahoogroups.com>
> Subject: [BardonPraxis] Time
> Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2004 15:01:20 +0100 (GMT Daylight Time)
>
> Dear Rawn and fellow group members,
>
> I'd like to bring up the topic of time. Recently I have been learning from
> the teachings of Eckhart Tolle. He claims that time is an illusion and only
> exists in the physical realm; that true consciousness is eternal and so 
> past
> and future as we view then are not issues:
>
> "The division of life into past, present, and future is mind-made and
> ultimately illusory. Past and future are thought forms, mental 
> abstractions.
> The past can only be remembered Now. What you remember is an event that 
> took
> place in the Now, and you remember it Now. The future, when it comes, is 
> the
> Now. So the only thing that is real, the only thing there ever is is the 
> Now
> "
>
> Based on this philosophy, he states that an in-built problem with most
> systems of enlightenment is that they allow *time* for development; are
> divided into steps; place enlightenment as something to be strived for in
> the *future*. This leads to us overlooking the fact that all we need is in
> the present moment. We are looking for something in the future which has
> already been provided to us in the Now. He teaches accessing the present
> moment through one of several 'doorways' such as noticing silence or space,
> becoming aware of the inner body...
>
> This outlook seems instinctively right to me, yet it also creates a 
> conflict
> concerning Bardon's system as you can see. Tolle in no way dismisses other
> systems; he actually says that they have a lot to offer. He does say that
> the need for a shift in consciousness is becoming more urgent and perhaps
> that is why his teachings differ from many others which focus on allowing
> time for spiritual advancement.
>
> I was hoping for other people's views on this, especially your view Rawn if
> you don't mind :)
>
> Also, has anyone else read/listened to Tolle's teachings? Are they
> compatible with Bardon's teachings in some way? Is it merely in my own head
> that this conflict is beginning to arise?
>
> I know that this does not relate strictly to the practical aspects of 
> Bardon
> s teachings, but I thought that the 'concept'(?) of time would be an
> interesting topic seeing how Bardon's IIH is carefully divided into ten
> progressive steps.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Martin
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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