I am going to be Glad later!

I'm not interested in goals. I do like to have an aim, and I make tentative arrangements.

I just talked on the phone a minute ago and made a tentative arrangement to be a certain place tomorrow. But who knows. Something might happen, I don't get there, it's not going to cause any great difficulty, huh? No bother one way or the other. So, I don't want any goals. A goal is very much like an ideal – we've set that up, you know. I know people who have made it a goal to make x number of dollars this year. And they're really miserable all year and seldom get it done because they're so busy going to be pleased when they get their goal.

Did you ever hear somebody say, "I'll be glad when I get the kids through school. Be glad when we get out of debt. I'll be glad when we get our new house." You've heard that haven't you? 

I'm glad right now. Okay? I'm glad right now. If I owe bills, well I'm glad somebody trusts me enough to get it, huh? And if they don't get their money on time, I'm not going to worry about it 'cause they should ‘a known better than to let me have credit in the first place. (laughter) They should ‘a known better than that, you see. So, I'm not going to go with all these worries.

But you know most people are going to be glad or pleased at a later date when something happens, is that correct? You look like you're enjoying today all right, aren't you? Huh? You don't have to wait till the kids are through school. You don't have to wait until you're totally out of debt. You know you can't really get out of debt anyway because by the time you get one set of bills paid, the others are already in the computer ready to come, so the light bills going to be here next month and everything on down the line, isn't it? So, you never get through. 

And so, what's all the noise about “going to be glad later”? Now did you ever tell yourself you were going to be glad later? Hmm? Why not be glad now? Makes all that other stuff seem so insignificant. So, I'm glad right now, okay. Now's the only time I know of I can really do anything – is now. That's the only time I can feel anything. It's the only time I can do anything is now. I can talk about something I'm going to do later, but the only time I can experience anything is now.

For full discussion listen to Going Forward with Life (Lake Whitney 1982) cd 5 or read @ https://www.marshasummers.com/innerman/goingforward3.htm

Truth and Personal Integration Gems from 1963's part 2

 What is Truth?

Truth is WHAT IS, not what was or what will be. You cannot tell a person what is true. You can only tell or show them their illusions. They discover what is true for themselves. Truth is what is left after the lie has been seen. It is what is left after all illusions are gone.

What is Personal Integration?  

A person who is not struggling toward an illusion. We are not interested in integration. We are interested in the process of disintegration. When we see disintegration, we can see what integration is. It is a spontaneous awareness all the time. To see ”what is” eliminates what is not. After we are rid of our illusions, what is left is the mastery of self.

Responsibility Duty Obligation- Gems from 1963's part 1

What is the difference between responsibility and duty? And obligation?

Responsibility is something you have FOR YOURSELF whether you like it or not. You took it on when you drew your first breath and cannot get out of it.

Duty is something you can take on and you can put down. One’s duties never bother us if we realize this. When you gave birth to children you took on the duty to see after their welfare. You could put down the duty by having them adopted out, but you probably would not. Most of us do not want to put down our duties. 

When you decide to take charge of how happy your children are or making them “happier,” you take on false responsibilities. This is interference. You may see to their welfare, but not their happiness. You cannot think for them. 

Obligation is another word for duty. By your own sense of well-being you take up duties. But you have no responsibility for anyone else and when you think you do, you are confused. 

If I blame you for my unhappiness, I am denying my responsibility. 

If I try to be responsible for your happiness, I am taking up a duty which does not belong to me.

From https://donnalancaster.net/2019-september-newsletter/

....

Taking for Granted

Honestly, I have taken for granted that I understood** what was meant* by taking things or people for granted* until I came upon an article by Rhondell:

WHAT IS MEANT BY BEING ASLEEP?

A frequent question asked by callers is what is meant in the teaching by the statement that most are asleep all the time? 

The most profound state of being asleep is the usual state of many, many individuals of taking everything, and everyone in their circle of associates, for granted. 

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World are as nothing compared to the wonders in our everyday world. For instance, compare the highway and road system of the U.S.A. to the Great Pyramid; however we marvel at tne pyramids, scholars write many books about them, tourists travel thousands of miles to see and photograph them. But what about the rnarvel of the roadways of the U.S.A.? This great accomplishment of engineering is just taken for granted, little if any feeling of awe, wonder or gratitude arises in the individual. On the contrary, there is frequent fault finding with the bumps and cracks that might be present; & more complaints when a repair crew is present. 

Another example of a modern wonder that is just taken for granted is the distribution system. Just walk into any supermarket - food from anyplace and every place is arrayed for your convenience. Apples from Washington, blueberries from New Jersey, tomatoes from California, strawberries from Kentucky, chutney from England, curry powder from India, baking powder from Indiana, pineapple from Hawaii, flour from Minnesota, shrimp from Taiwan, fish from all parts of the world, and on and on. Is one thankful for all this bounty being brought to this one place for the convenience of everyone, or is there complaining because of the long lines at the checkout counter? 

This is enough for an example, but I could go on and on for volumes of books on the modern wonders. 

As an exercise in being awake, suppose that we pay attention to these many modern wonders and be thankful for the bounty in our everyday living. Not just in the examples given here, but look for wonders and you will see more and more every day. You can find yourself awake, full of wonder, awe and thanksgiving; a much, much higher state of consciousness than merely sleeping through day after day without seeing anything to be in a high state of being over. 

Reading about this will do NOTHING for One unless ACTED UPON!!!

From Arizona Newsletter vol 1, no 2..

* 

To take for granted:

1. assume (something) as true, real, unquestionable, or to be expected

We took our invitation to the party for granted. = We took it for granted that we'd be invited to the party. [=we assumed we'd be invited and did not think about the possibility that we wouldn't be]

2. to value (something or someone) too lightly: to fail to properly notice or appreciate (someone or something that should be valued)

We often take our freedom for granted.

I'm tired of being taken for granted

(Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary)

** A15. "I" BELIEVE that in my present state "I" can understand any book printed in the language "I" speak, write and read. (From the Place of Language in the Teaching)

Authority - Maybe a made-up concept?

Today it dawned on me there is NO Such Thing as Authority unless I create it while reading an excellent excerpt on experts, officials, authorities, layman.

Please first read it from:

https://www.marshasummers.com/innerman/authorities.htm

I want to go back to Gulf War 1991 (I think), I was blown away with the number of so-called experts on CNN Intl and kept telling myself "where all those experts had been hiding all these years, now they pop up every minute on all news channels?" (This is Turkey's case, in USA it might have been much earlier.) And then it took off in every subject - be it political, business, self- development, oh, not to forget Healing Arts - any concept under the sun... It made me feel I was incapable of thinking and doing things for myself! In plain language an inferior imbecile who couldn't find her way in the world. 

Below I took out some technical definitions and the descriptions as Dr Bob expands on the subject based on above text. 

(Clarifications comments added in parentheses wherever required)

*****

The layman makes it possible for other people (officials, experts) to become con men, dictators, despots, rulers, and leaders.

And how does the layman bring these “authorities” about? He’s quite a creator when you stop to think about because he wants to be safe.

a con man which means that he sees that he can use these people (laymen) for his own profit in dollars and cents

Now mutual exploitation is while each one using the other to gain pleasure or escape pain in one form or another. 

If I use you to gain some kind of feeling of “worthiness or power” and you’re using me to gain some sort of a “sense of safety,” are we both in the same boat, correct?

we have to set a system or an organization in order to have what -the leaders and the followers?

So in this exploitation, we got to set up rules and regulations. 

Each one uses the other for their own advantages. Are both of them unconscious? They sure are. 

This is an unconscious game. You might much more call it a dream because the follower dreams he’s being safe by taking on all these little games and rules and taking everything that the leader has to say. 

He's (layman) not going to feel safe unless he gives him (leader) this one concession: He has to grant him that everything he says is true... 

therefore, he is infallible. 

leading the person into temptation- you would say that whatever someone says, I’m going to accept as true.

Now have we set up a rather ferocious violence? Because then the leader has to play the proper game or he would no longer be the leader and he could no longer get over his feeling of inferiority or his sense of power.

So the leader is a victim just as much as the follower is. Both are victimizing each other. Both are eating each other - literally eating each other up.

... everything the Pharisees (leaders Christ criticized at the time) said is true, and they (laymen) had to live by what they said.    

they laid grievous burdens on people’s shoulders. Did they have to? They had to, they were caught in the trap. They couldn’t get over their feeling of inferiority, and these people wouldn’t  feel safe.

what is the one thing you have to give as a concession before you can buy any ideology? That the leaders of the ideology are right 100 % of the time. So you have to make a man into a god before you can join an organization or start being a follower.

(I am Responsible:) 

You’ve made him into something that could under no ways be in error, be confused, or be a con man. It doesn’t matter which one he is as long as we say he is infallible, and that everything he says is true. 

I’ll (as a leader) win every argument you bring up. All I got to do is go back and say “I got it straight down the line, and you better not question because if you do your whole safety is blown.” 

(Dr Bob leaves us with a simple question.)

Now which do you want - to be safe or to be an intelligent, free living being in all of your inheritance?

***

I'd also like to invite you to replace the words of authority/leader/ruler with the names of presidents, prime ministers that you can think of...

Technical Definitions 

AUTHORITY

An authority is a person who tells us what to think, what to believe because he thinks he knows and we don’t.

OFFICIAL

A person who directs actions due to his office, such as a policeman.

EXPERT

A person with a special skill.

LAYMAN

A person who does not see the difference between the authority, the official, and the expert - accepting all three equally

(As always you may refer to The Place of Language in the Teachings for technical definitions)

...

Follow up is yet to come as there's always more than one way to look at the situation... 

Looking for the Ideal? Forget about Making a Decision

(The power one finds within himself to make a choice. You feel this is... in every man?)

What, the ability to make a choice? No, most people can't choose nothin'. They “A“and “B” at the death. They are in a total state of indecision and decide "I wanna do this, but..." Now that's conditioning and so we start in on the other side and then we wanna do that, but... They go the other way. So no, that is pure conditioning and is one of the things we'll look at tomorrow.

(Good.)

And if we will kick conditioning out the door and say, "Look this is the way it is -- there's no ideals,” you see. But we will consider that quite in depth tomorrow as to the way to be able to choose whatever’s out there - what you want to choose. 

I will give you one pointer for you to think about tonight. If you're not lookin' for the ideal, it's no problem. But if you're lookin' for the ideal, it's almost impossible to come to a decision or choice of any kind because we're always… a little thought comes up “what if this turns out this way,” so we're afraid to do that. 

So as long as you're not lookin' for the ideal -- it's fairly easy to make a choice. If you're lookin' for an ideal, it becomes next to impossible, but we'll look at that more tomorrow, okay? 

Retreat Whitney cd 2 (mistakenly written El Paso) 

Really, Who Are We Doing Things For?

WHO CAN I DO ANYTHING FOR?

The only one I can do anything for is the Host. Never again need I go out to do things for the other guests, or even for myself. Fatigue is the price we pay for doing things for the wrong reason.

DO I FEEL REQUIRED TO DO FOR THE HOST OR DO I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE?

The Host says, "Would you mind....?" He does not say "You have to" or you "ought to." It is then He will accept us as a companion and may visit us from time to time, which is very worthwhile. Doing things for the Host is such a privilege because we do it freely. 

Please refer to an earlier entry titled Initiation for the complete text...

*****

 ... you know, being a good guest is real simple when you know what you are, and where you are, and what you’re doing. It’s a very simple thing to be a good guest, isn’t it? You don’t find fault with the other guests. You don’t go around tellin’ the other guests what they should do and what they shouldn’t do and what they should do and think.

 

... So there is a field to be plowed and the Host says, “Well, we’re gonna plow that field out there today.” You don’t have to, you can always say, “No I’d rather sit in the shade.” And He’ll let you sit there, it’s all right. He doesn’t insist that you’re a servant, you are a guest – a privileged, invited guest there. So if you want to do it, then he gives you the pleasure of doing it. Who are you plowing the field for? Hmm? The Host.  

So he says some of the Host’s clothes got soiled – we’re gonna have a little laundry party. So who do you do the laundry for?  Hmm? Would you then run screamin’, “I’ve gotta do the washin’ today?” Hmm? No. Who are you doin’ it for? The Host, right? 

 

....  You’re doin’ it for the Host. It’s his guests and he’s the one asked to do it. 

So if we begin to see:  Where we are, what we are, what we’re doing – we are quite through with what we’ve been doin’, we’re quite happy with what’s going on, we’re not all concerned as to why he put on the party, and what’s the whole purpose of having the party.  It’s goin’ on – I don’t know why you put on a party but evidently it amused, interested you in some way.  What difference does it make to me, huh?  And you invited me as a privileged, invited guest.  It’s quite an honor to be here, huh, at this big beautiful party?  A very great honor to be here, a privilege.  And I’d like to do a little something while I’m around.  Not because I feel I should earn it – because a privileged guest doesn’t have to earn anything – but strictly because I want to be.  And that way you become a companion to the Host, hmm? 

And this makes Life one of the most beautiful experiences that I know of.  No matter what’s going on, what’s happening, there isn’t anything to tear you up.  You are in a state of joy, a state of experiencing, a state of feeling grateful, thankful – whatever word you want to use – a state where everything that you’re doing is being done for the Host.  You know no fatigue.  You may get sleepy once in a while and want to lay down and rest and take a little nap now and then, which the Host seems to provide a place for you to do so.  But you do not know fatigue – that went out when you found out you didn’t have to do anything, you know?  When you “had” to do the laundry, you “had” to take care of kids, you “had” to go to work, that can fatigue you.  But when you find out what you’re doing – and you are really being privileged to do a little something around the estate and being a companion of the Host – you no longer are doing fatigue because you don’t have to.  You might even say you’re “getting” to, hmm?  Right?  You’re getting to. 

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona 1969 cd 4

*****

.. And then I might contribute my skills if I have one or two that I brought to the party or developed since I’ve been here. I’ve been given an opportunity to develop a skill or two – I might use it, hmm? – for the benefit of the Host.

So I go to the Host and say, “Look, I’m here at this big party; and I’m sure glad I’m here. I finally found out what’s goin’ on at the party, so I’d like to do whatever I can around the place. I can cook, I can entertain people, I can make em feel up when they’re down. And I can down em a little bit when they're up; I can knock em down to size. Or I can know how to sweep floors and wash dishes and clean pots and pans and so forth. And a few other skills I’ve learned along the way is that I can relieve a headache or a bellyache if it’s so necessary.

So I say, "Fine, whistle me up any time." So pretty soon one of the other guests has a bellyache and the Host says, “Bob, would you relieve Susie’s bellyache?” And I say, “Certainly.” Now who am I doing that for? For Susie or for the Host? For Life, which is the Host here. Tell me about that. Whom am I doing it for?

(The Host is asking you to do it, so –)

And so I’m doing it for His guest and so I’m doing it for the Host, okay? So I never do anything for a fellow guest. I only do things for the Host. And the Host has given me untold gifts – indescribable gifts. First he's allowed me to be at the party for several years now – and for 30 of those, approximately, I behaved very uncouthly. But he still let me stay around.

I have food, clothing, shelter – at the party, what else do you want? About anything I want to use – I have transportation at the party and He gives me very interesting people to work with [chuckles] – most interesting – and He gives me all sorts of interesting things to do.

So I’m doing this not because I should, ought to, or have to –  simply I want to because the Host invited me and I sincerely want to do what I can to make the party a howling successful joy. Okay? So I can make contributions. I can make contributions to what? To Life. So I give no charity because Life doesn’t need it. It has all riches.

I don’t go around thinkin’ I’m giving something away. I’m only looking after some of the things the Host has entrusted to me to look after over on one corner of the big party.

And try to do a job where I don’t befuddle the Host’s affairs. So wherever you might see Robert give away ten dollars, don’t you think that Bob gave $10 to that person. He was merely being an agent for the Host that said, “Look after one or two of these people over here.”

If you see one of these things put on like this party has been for the last several months and one down in Borrego before this one, don’t think Bob’s doin’ anything for you. He sure is not concerned. He’s trying to do a job for the Host that the Host said, “Would you do it?” I was not obligated to, I did not have to – I wanted to. For the Host, not for you or anybody else. 

I try to look after the Host’s material that he has given to me as a steward – that I don’t waste or damage or injure or destroy that which He has entrusted to me including this human body that he has allowed me to use while I’m at the party. I don’t want to abuse or damage it. I don’t want to abuse and damage furniture that I might find in the cabanas around over the place. I don’t want to abuse and damage the vehicles that He provides for us to get around over the estate with. Use em? Yes. Abuse em is another story. I don’t want to make anything to anyone that would give a difficulty to them.

Now all of this, then, is done for who? Everthing you do. You provide for the lady or do you look after the lady because the Host asked you to look after her for a few days? Just a few days. Maybe just today, I don't know. If that’s the way it is, you won’t need to look after her anymore, I don't know, huh? But the Host assigns us various people and says, “Would you look after this kook until they get a little brain in their head sometimes?” (laughter) Hmm?

Right, Darrol? Huh? “This one’s all confused – would you stay with em until they get their head straight?” Huh? Or would you think, “No, I don’t want to.” Well, now you’re not obligated to 'cause you get to stay at the party anyway. A guest does not have to do anything. You’re invited because you are found to be interesting or some way or other; but not because you have to do anything. You’re not invited to be a slave. We invite people to our places and there’s always work around. Now this is a duplicate of the big party – a little tiny one. You know, a similar one, make-believe, a toy. Do you have to do anything? Is there anybody here that's been around here for several months that thought you had to do anything? And if you did it, were you doin’ it for one of the other guests or were you doin’ it for the Host, huh? Is that right?

Albion Workshop 1972 cd 6 

...

(Both workshops mentioned above have been transcribed, under "Workshops" at https://www.marshasummers.com/innerman/index.html )

      ...

Definition of a Teacher

The teacher cannot tell you what you should do, ought to do, have to do; otherwise, he's an authority, which you don't need. The teacher, (who is) also a student, can only describe to you what is there, so that you can see it because you've been always told not to see it. You were told what you should do and what you ought to do and what you must do. 

All the teacher can do is to point out to you "what is," it is up to you to use it, okay?

The Study of Man '79, cd 2

... the teacher is the one who can really arouse you to consciousness of your conflict, struggle, and resistance. So if I bug you, I’m a pretty good teacher. But if I’m congenial with you, I’m just a friend, okay? 

From Way of Intelligence January 2002

FOUR KINDS OF TEACHERS

1. WORLDLY TEACHER--Teaches that one is responsible for self and how to live by rules to reach goals of self-improvement.

2. UNWORLDLY TEACHER--Teaches that one is responsible for self and how to have "spiritual experience" so one can gain the goals of spiritual attainment.

3. INTEGRATIVE TEACHER--Teaches that one is responsible for self and therefore can end all conflict, struggle and resistance by discovering the illusions which are obstacles to liberation.

4. DEVIL TEACHER--Teaches that one is not responsible for oneself and as a victim must accept ideal standards of control in order to be safe, and rewarded later.

Source:  The Place of Language in the Teachings  

Have You Heard that not-I's Thrive on Human Misery? Starve them!

Motivation cd 1

Now, I think we all know about that inner talking, I use the word not-I. Now this inner talking that goes on, always says something derogatory about you or another or about circumstances. 

And further more I'll add one more attribute of it it's always a lie. So, everything it says is a lie. But it talks all the time, more or less constantly. If it sees you really having a good time, it really gets on the job because that inner talking's total food is human misery. And so it's gonna use some method or other to keep you miserable. And they're experts and they're very good at their job. And in case they're slippin' up a little bit they get night classes. While you're sleepin' they get a little study on how to work on you the next morning early. 

 ......

School Talk # 50 From Chaos to Order 

You're evolving as long as you are staying with a purpose, a consciously chosen purpose that comes from a conscious objective awareness. More and more of the not-I's get weaker and weaker 'cause they're not being fed. They thrive on human misery. If they can get you in a good state of conflict, the not-I’s gain twenty pounds that week. I've seen sometimes when they've gained as much as 10 pounds in less than an afternoon. All you got to do is get a good conflict, a good fear, a good anxiety, a good mess going and they take off in no uncertain terms in order to really be expressing the whole bit of conflict, struggle, and resistance.

.....

Counselling Booklet

Assignment

When you find yourself disturbed about what has happened, is happening, or is going to happen, recognize that you are listening to the suggester who gets his nourishment from human misery and his excitement out of being a sneak and controlling people without getting caught. Be very polite and firm, without arguing or resisting him, by saying "Good evening, Mr. Lucifer, now you go back to hell where you belong. Go on, 

now!" (Lucifer or the demons are elements of our conditioning, self-created, not a devil and remember, he is likely to be right back for a few times until he gets a little discouraged for the time being.) 

Accounts Receivables II -- Recognizing we are on someone else's way

"Did it ever occur that each of us is a resistance to someone else?"

BIM 1 of 30

... here is the four forces always working. One, I initiate. Two, there is resistance. Maybe the person has no idea that they are being a resistance anymore than you or I realize that we are resistance to someone else? We're going on about our affairs, but they are in the way. But we are an obstruction;  we are resistance to somebody else's initiation - to the aim that they have initiated and wish to do; and they possibly, just possibly blame us, resent us, and all those things. These are the things that trample men under.  

BIM 3 of 30

The idea is of love, the Greek word Agape - understanding:  to understand, put value on whatever channels of resistance whether active or passive that comes our way. We then could say with understanding, "Forgive us our offenses as we forgive those who have offended us." We have been resistance or an obstruction knowingly or unknowingly as others have (been) to us.

BIM 29 of 30

Persons whose work is that of working with troubled ones listen to hours and hours of these accounts being recited by the troubled ones. It would be easy to tell the troubled one to forgive all the debtors and settle all the account, but this is worthless. 

The troubled one may say that all is forgiven, but this is just saying what they have been told to say. They still have the load of self pity, of resentment, the feeling of being unfortunate, the feeling of being cheated, and so on... Because they still see all these people (who) they have debited with debts, as having known what was right and to have gone on and done wrong anyway - just to pick on poor little me. 

Until the troubled one sees differently - saying they have forgiven everyone - only increases their feeling of being a martyr, and thus more inner blindness.

If one is really a candidate for transformation, one finds the way to observe self factually, not compared to an ideal - one will discover all these accounts and that the feeling of being owed so much has made one see self as a poor, unfortunate, mistreated creature.

When one sees this and discovers that everyone is doing, has done, and will do what seems right or proper or justifiable according to the way one sees at the moment — one truly sees that all the debits on that big book are false. That no one has tried to mistreat me. That everyone was just trying to do the right thing with what light they had. What a load is dropped from one’s shoulders, what a relief! If one continues to look and doesn’t stop with the first relief, one is truly a candidate for regeneration and is on the way to being a new person. One has found the narrow gate and straight way that so few ever find.

Source Bible and Innerman (BIM) cd 1 and cd 10 

Accounts Receivables I -- Forgive us our Trespasses

"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." 

You know, most of us ask for forgiveness, but that's about where we stop, you know. We're only interested in gettin’ saved so we won't have to burn, so, "forgive me.” But this says, “see Agape,” does it not?

“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” This is to see that whatever I'm doing is just like whatever you're doing:  I feel it's right, proper, and justifiable.

So if I'm askin’, “Father, forgive me, and don't rattle me over here because I did whatever I did. I thought that it was right or proper or justifiable at the moment. I saw that big stump and I was sure it was a bear and I want you to say, ‘Yeah, I thought it was a bear, too when I saw it.’ But now that other guy is just a bold-faced liar out there. He's a prevaricator. He's been tryin’ to pick on me.” See? 

So it says, “Let's have Agape.” This is a reminder to have Agape, is it not? Remind me that I can only do whatever it is that I feel is right, proper, and justifiable; and you can only do what you feel is right, proper, or justifiable, so how can I hold anything against you?

Now if I walk up and I feel you knew better than that, you’re pretty mean, but I’m gonna be good and forgive you. I’d say, “I forgive you [he pretends to mutter under his breath] If he does it again I'll curse.... [continues muttering] and it said seven times; let him do it two more….”, huh? Is that Agape? No! Nowheres near it. So this is only askin’ us to have Love. And we're asking for ourselves to have it, is that right? Not us to have Love

From Lord's Prayer, full transcript and audio available at the first link @ 

https://www.marshasummers.com/innerman/links.htm

“I am the Way and the Truth and the Light.”

We have a question. Please discuss the statement of the Christ, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Light.”  

The Christ was a completed man — a fully conscious being. His many, many expressions such as this indicate it in every way. Instead of having an attribute, he was the attribute; he was the personification of the Teaching. He was the Teaching made live.  

I am the Way — the Way implies a means and a direction of travel. He was the complete self-knowing man whether he did this the way as you and I have to do it or whether he was born with it, we do not know, but he was the way. He understood the way and he taught his way, he taught this way. 

And he was the Way himself — he lived it ever moment, taught it to everyone in all the ways — and the Truth. He was the Truth, the Truth of Wisdom, the real knowing, not that he had some Wisdom, but he is Wisdom. 

And as we have mentioned a number of times as a person would understand and have understanding, that person is understanding. A person doesn’t have confusion, one is confusion, one is not one, but many. And as long as one could say "I am many," and would be on the way. "I am error, I am conflict, I am struggle, I am resistance within myself.' And as a person understands this, he begins to see that a person is the state of being they happen to exist in.  

And the Christ said, “I am the light.” The light was the knowing, the means of having man to be evolved and created, regenerated and to become new. He was Wisdom and Love itself.  

So one takes on the way of following the teachings of the Christ, one becomes what one’s inner state is. Now one’s present inner state is usually that of conflict, that of darkness, and one could say, "I am darkness," instead of Light. 

One could say "I am error," because we have so many false beliefs — we believe so many things that we have no means of knowing the validity of at the moment and the only way we would do it was by traveling the way. 

And the person that is not the Way would say, “I am lost.” A person who is not on a way, not on a conscious road is lost, so possibly to understand this statement of the Christ that I am the Way and the Truth and the Light.  

We could see how we might... could say it, "I am lost, I am error, and I am darkness." When one begins to see this and recognize, then possibly there is a motive, there is a reason, there is an aim to change this state of affairs from being lost and to being error and to being darkness. 

One would then begin to be a doer of the word rather than just a hearer of the word. It’s so easy to read these things, commit the words (to memory), be able to repeat them and not consider once what really does that mean, where does it relate to me? Because only as we see what we could say about self as well as what the Christ could say, then we begin to understand, there is a great difference.

There is need for work, for conscious effort to find out and possibly sometime, just possibly one could say, 'I am the Way," and one could say, "I am the Truth," and one could say, "I am the Light."

From Bible and the Inner Man, cd 10, end of part 2

How can I be Harmless to Me and to YOU?

Now the only way I can be harmless is to find out what's harmful to you. I say I'm gonna be conscious:  I am harmless, I choose my own inner state. Now I have not known what would be harmful to you, any more than I know what's good for you. But I have found out over many years of experimentation, what is harmful to me. 

It's very harmful to me to be angry, feel guilty, or feel fearful or feel insecure. Those are emotions and they're really the only emotions, they are. They have many, many synonyms and gradual subdivisions and all that. 

I was never designed to have them. And I find when I have one, they're very harmful - internally, externally, relationship-wise, and everthing else. So I found out once what's harmful to me and I wanna be harmless to everyone, so I wouldn't have those. 

If I don't have those, I never harm you because I gotta get angry to bite you or hurt you, I have gotta be fearful before I would feel you're a big threat that I had to annihilate you, right? And I would have to feel you tempted me by making me feel guilty and 'fore I want to destroy you. Or I would feel insecure and if I am insecure, you must be blamed for it so I could kill you with the greatest of ease. But if I don't have these emotions, I would never harm anyone else. 

So first, I have to start being harmless to me and I am harmless to me as long as I don't have those emotions and of course I don't use... commit physical violence. And I wouldn't commit physical violence unless I had one of the emotions. You can't just say, "Well, I'm gonna kill somebody. I feel real fine this morning, well, I gonna to kill somebody." You first have to gotta justify it by getting angry, feeling guilty and blaming you, or feeling fearful and blaming you. You see if I get fearful of somebody, I can go and shoot him right away. 

..

Now let's see how emotions come about because we can see that without those emotions, I am harmless to me and if I am harmless to me, I'd certainly be harmless to you, right?

As long as you got those (emotions), we can talk about accounts receivable; now I got to have emotions before I build these.  

Now basically everything we do is based on an expectation. Now as long as we feel that I don't have charge of my inner state, but circumstances do, I begin to build expectations as to how you should treat me, hmm? And I base this expectation on the ideal that you will treat me like I am entitled to be - that you should give me, lots of attention, approval, give me lots of pleasure and comfort, etc, right?

I will begin to expect and I will have my expectation based on the ideal. Now ideal is that other people have charge over circumstances, but I don't, is that right?

For the rest of this lecture please refer to Corona del Mar 1973 cd 6 under ARK folder

"Mighty" Subconscious?!

In some terminology the primary urge to have pleasure and the decisions linked with it is called the ID. 

The urge to gain pleasure and escape pain by doing what one is told to do, and by beliefs built up about these things, is called the SUPER-EGO. 

The Chooser is called the EGO. These are all merely names given to functional parts of the fragmented awareness* (not actual anatomical divisions). 

The ID and the Super-Ego being formed or made up of decisions made with feeling, not words, are below the conscious level. The contents are not easily recalled into conscious awareness, therefore they are called the SUBCONSCIOUS. 

There is no great power resident in the subconscious as is stated in pulp magazines and advertised by those who wish to exploit the unwary by selling mail order courses on how to tap the power of the subconscious. It is filled with recordings of decisions made by the "I" and every happening that "I" was ever aware of, including dreams, many of which are never remembered on awakening. As was seen in the discussion on the child type of thinking and the child type of mind, there results many identifications and speculations based on equating things that were not equal and misconceptions based on the defective method of inquiry. This causes "I" to see things not as they are but as they appear through the now fragmented awareness. 

THIS CAUSES "I" TO FORM FOUR DUAL BASIC URGES. These four dual basic urges are an expansion of the first infantile decision after fragmentation takes place. Either side of the duality may be either primary or secondary according to what decisions were made by the child.

..

Basic Propositions for Inquiry and observation

*Proposition # 24 The awareness is fragmented by decisions made in infancy and in childhood resulting in conflict. 

Note: Once a decision is made with feeling, it is the rule of action until unmade

Please refer to Notes on Personal Integration and Health (available at )

The Most Interesting Thing in the World

The most interesting thing in the world is human relationships. Because it is interesting doesn’t make it important. See when you make anything important, you become anxious. And you put two anxious people in the house and there's going to be fire flying before long. And if there's nobody anxious in  the house it's a joy as to how we can get along, right? Dr Bob Gibson 

From unknown workshop, excerpted from the Way of Intelligence june 2003 page 5 -6

WHERE DO I LIVE? OR, HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS. II

In order to truly live a spiritual life we must harmonize these mental and physical functions by developing a "container" for all this. This container can be called the "Real I", the heart, or the Soul. 

After first recognizing the situation, we can then act to correct it. And ACTION is the only way on this planet earth we will ever accomplish this (or anything else!) Remember, THINKING is NOT ACTING. 

The method of action is simple but not easy. And it can only be undertaken in one small increment at a time. It is the only way to stop the chaos, and will take plenty of attention. 

We must first create a new member of the group we call "I". This new member is an observer only. It "watches" the body and its instincts (the feelings and emotions), and it "watches" the mind working on patterns and why questions and endless analyzing, and so on. This new member will at first be weak and sleepy and it will take effort to keep it on the job. 

A great Spiritual Secret is that this effort produced by the Observer when objectively watching (completely without judgment); for instance, watching the body cry out in pain or desire and the mind searching frantically for the quickest remedy, will transform the instinctual and mental energy into a new kind of energy - creative energy, rather than dissipating, nervous energy. This creative energy builds the container, the new Soul. The Soul is the conductor of what can be a harmonious orchestra, rather than leaderless mass of chaos and confusion, or the disassociated logic and reason constructing its eloquent patterns in the ether. 

It cannot be over-stressed that this process can only take place moment by moment. One little instance of observing the instinct and denying it its little rampage will build upon the next moment of watching the brain off on still another "problem solving adventure" or other fantasy. The accumulation of these efforts transforms the energy involved in them into something new. The observer we create with this energy will put a Soul in charge of all these human functions so that we will at last be truly Human expressions of Life on this earth, neither OF it, nor ABOVE it, but creating WITHIN it. 

Check it out. 

WHERE DO I LIVE? OR, HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS. I

It is often said we are in the world but not of it. Maybe it also should be said we are in the world bul not ABOVE it. 

Most of us "live" in our heads. This technological, scientific, patriarchal society in which we live values this logic and reason above all. We may even call it the golden idol of Western "culture." 

The acceptance of this supreme valuation of what is called "intellect" causes a division between the mind and body of which we are completely unaware. And while the separation exists, we live in one place or the other, vacillating between the mind and the instincts of the body. We have not created a harmonious whole THROUGH which to express Life. What we are instead is a group of fragmented functions very roughly strung together by our individual perspective. 

We live mainly in the mental function until the instincts holler; then they are quickly indulged in hopes of shutting them up. How often are we "thinking" about the past or "planning for" (or dreading) the future? How often are we involved in mental machinations about some project or analyzing some situation, or rehearsing a future conversation, or re-writing a past dialogue, or wishing for something to make us happy, etc., etc.? 

Very often we pursue spiritual ideas in the mind. We give attention to a spiritual concept, maybe we "work out" a new understanding, and we believe we are "being Spiritual," when in fact nothing more is going on than the computer playing with and revising a program that happens to be labeled "Spiritual." 

Believe it or not, THINKING about spiritual things (no matter how "good" this makes us feel) is in no way a spiritual activity 

Because of the nature of human beings, which is to be the expression of Life in 

the physical world where we live, we must, in order to function properly, live IN the body, USE it to express Life. 

What most of us do instead, is live ABOVE the physical, bodily plane, exercising the mind, and out of necessity, dragging the body along with us. It is not integrated into the whole being, it is felt to be a separate possession of "me", the mind. Because of this neglect, it fusses and will not be ignored. Since we don't have the strength of repeated practice which builds a real, permanent "I", when the body fusses we can't control it. The instincts will be heard; they come up at any time of their choosing (when we are exposed to possible pain or pleasure) and run over us! 

Before we can begin to integrate these functions into a working harmonious expression of Life, we must first recognize that what we think is "I" is really a computer program running endlessly, which is constantly interrupted by a squealing body wanting to avoid annihilation it perceives in every potential pain or loss of pleasure. 

We drug this body with mental gyrations constantly; we live in a fantasy world in the head, and wonder why we are always unsatisfied at best, and often miserable.

to be continued...

From Arizona Newsletter vol 2, no 12

WHAT ARE THE COMMANDMENTS ALL ABOUT?

12) What are the commandments all about?

A commandment, on the sensory level, is an order. You better do it or else. On the psychological level (spiritual level) a commandment is a teaching. If you will look at them, you can see that they are teachings. But a pharisee (being an authority or an authority worshipper) gets hold of them and twists them into an order. For example, the commandment says, “Love one another.” So we go around pretending and professing to love one another, but soon the knife is in the back. I love you, but… I love everyone, but when it comes down to the one person, then we find out how much love we really have. On the spiritual level, to love is to understand and have agape. 

A commandment says, “We should...” Can you love because you should? No. And this is just the beginning of the Pharisseeism. Christ shook up the Pharisees by saying that they paid tithes on all the herbs but forsook the weightier matters, which were the understandings of the teaching so that it can apply to the evolvement of the inner man.

You can keep the sensory level of the commandment if you want and sometimes that is very nice. But as far as the inner man is concerned, it is beside the point. Understand the teaching behind the command and you can evolve considerably. I commend or recommend

From Workshop - Bible Q &A - Phoenix, AZ - 1970

Headlines pg 17

All the "thou shalt" and "thou shalt 

not," ideas were originally designed by 

wise men, to turn the violence inward in 

the individual, to create conflict and 

thereby increase the necessity to be 

knowing self. 

• 

The real aim for the thou shalt and 

thou shalt nots, having been long forgotten, are now used as reasons for the protection and expansion of the power of institutions. 

• 

This is turning the violence outward 

again, the individual against the controlling establishment. 

The Way Workshop

Man through the ages has cried to his god to give him instruction. “Tell me what to do, Lord, and I will do it.” This prayer has always been answered by a wise Father, not an indulgent Father.  The commandments were given many, many, many years ago. Man looked at them and went out and tried to do them. When he didn’t, he merely felt guilty. He didn’t look to see why he couldn’t live up to them, what there was within himself that couldn’t do all the work. So he struggled on, put on an outward front, never seeing that these commandments gave him reasons that would make him look within if he was but awake. It is like a parent, that when a child asks for a gift, he gives him a way to earn the gift and more. When man sees that he doesn’t love either his neighbor or his creator he begins to find out why he doesn’t - if he is a wise man. If he is not a wise man, is a literalist, he is tolerant of his neighbor, expresses words about God and his inner state, goes on in darkness.

(transcript also found, in edited version, in Headlines, pages 22-30)

With the previous entry along with these excerpts, we see that commandments are also called decrees and thou shall/thou shall not...

Perfect Law of Liberty

The child now is, as it is written in the *Book of James, under the perfect law of liberty. 

Now this is not to say that license has been given, but as in the case of a child, he is told not to cross the street (a very solid commandment for a child when he is very small), it may save his life. But this doesn't last for his entire life, because as he grows and develops and understands the nature of things, he is no longer controlled by the command, "thou shalt not cross the street." 

He has been liberated from the command, and is now in a new level of being responsible for choosing when he will cross the street, and when he will not cross the street. He is at liberty to go as he pleases, he's no longer under the command "thou shalt not cross the street". 

He is now capable of looking and seeing the dangers for himself, that may occur, to avoid the traffic, to cross at certain places only. He is now liberated. 

Now, this is the message of the New Testament, that man is under the perfect law of liberty. In order to do this, and be under this law, he must, of course, know self. He must see what his basic motives are, and he must have many ways of seeing them, all the ways of attempting to achieve them. This makes up what is called the soul, or in modern psychology, the psyche. That with which a man sees and values and  understands all that is about him. 

If he should see this, and be capable of understanding from his own inner state, he no longer needs the decrees or commandments. They have been made void within him. He now knows self, and that these commands were of value to him in an earlier state. Now he is a responsible being and doesn't need commands. They have been made void. 

DECREE - is a commandment, thou shalt and thou shalt not. 

LIBERTY: liberation from slavery and/or compulsion

Corresponding bible verses  

*James ch 1, 13-16 & 22-25

Ephesians, ch 2, 15 -17 

Please refer to Bible and Innerman, cd 5 for the whole discussion 

transcripts available in the Headlines, book III

How to Avoid Discovery?

Keep opinions, allow only one eXplanation. All reality is formed on agreement. Keep agreements; never look. All agreements are based on speculation. With all this assistance, we do not have to stay awake.  

(assistance  agreements) anyone who does not agree with our reality, with our agreements, is bound to be wrong.

However, to discover:

Just be in a state of not knowing. After seeing (checking out) the discovery, we can describe.  We can only describe after discovery.

From Gibson Notes prior to 1971

Technical Definitions from Place of Language in the Teachings

LEARNING Playing the part of a tape recorder.

DISCOVERY Creative comprehension.

EDUCATION Gathering information regarding relationships.