Hello Dear Friends,

Once again, thank you for sharing your gratitude writings. The energy radiating out from them is simply superb! As I sat down to write this blog, I closed my eyes, went into stillness and two lines from the Ten Commandments came into my mind, "...have no other Gods before me...do not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything..." In other words, as Eckhart says, your inner purpose is primary, all else is secondary.

This leads me directly into a question from Mebat12 regarding prayer. She/he says, "... Is there a role for prayer in Eckhart's teachings, and if so, who would I be praying to?

Yes, of course, there is a role for prayer in Eckhart's teaching. However, it may not be prayer in the "usual" meaning of the word as understood in most religions. For example, many years ago, I was a member of a Christian church; I had learned to pray for all my needs, money, family, relationship, health, etc. I had learned to pray with the intention of asking for "something to be given to me." It wasn't until I had my own direct experience of the omnipresence of God, stillness, that I realized this was not the deepest meaning of prayer. True prayer is communion and communication with the divine, a deep inner connection to stillness. True prayer is your inner purpose. This, I believe, is the meaning of the Bible words, "to pray without ceasing". I understood Jesus' words: "The kingdom of God does not come with signs to be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,' or ‘There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:21), and "...do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes...your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well." (Luke 12:22 to 31). And so, my need for prayer, in the conventional sense, ceased and was replaced with an undivided sensing, communing, connecting with the divine essence within.

There is no real conflict between Eckhart's teaching and the teachings of an ‘organized religion' which you (melbat12) say, "... I really love ANE and everything that Eckhart teaches ‘feels' true to me, but personal spiritual experiences (often initiated through organized religion) throughout my life have also been very powerful...How can I reconcile my religious beliefs, which I have always ‘known' to be true...with Eckhart's teachings, which I also feel that I ‘know' to be true?..."

There is no need to make any effort to reconcile the two teachings. Awareness brings about a spiritual understanding. As your awareness grows, you will recognize that the essence behind all teachings, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Eckhart's etc. points to the same truth - the one God, one consciousness, one spirit, is within. "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10). Then Melbat12, your question, "...Do I need to pray, or is being "present" and "conscious" enough? Are they, in essence, the same thing?" If you are fully present, conscious, you are in a state of prayer because prayer is our connection, communion and communication with God, the divine essence within. Then is there anything wrong with asking for things in prayer? Of course not. However, before you do, ask yourself - "who is asking?" Is it my ego or consciousness? What would a non-egoic petitionary prayer look like? Here are some examples taken from A Course In Miracles: (each line is a separate prayer)

Let me remember what my purpose is.

Let me remember that my goal is God.

I want the peace of God.

Other prayers may be in the form of affirmations. For example: (again, each line is a separate prayer/affirmation)

God is in everything I see.

Peace to my mind. Let all my thoughts be still.

The past is over. It can touch me not.

Chucka949 writes, "I have been practicing meditation daily for months. I have progressed from eliminating thoughts for a second or two to now up to a minute or so. My question is about what is experienced during the silence? All I have is silence. Should there be more? This certainly is not all there is to my conscious self..."

It's good that you have integrated a meditation practice into your daily life. As you continue your practice, I believe that you will soon discover that within the silence is a deep sense of inner peace, the peace that passes all understanding. However, to the mind, silence, the cessation of thought, is not enough. The mind wants, desires and expects more than what is being offered in the present moment. It is true that, while in meditation, one may experience a sense of bliss, euphoria, or receive information through images, visions, thoughts, all of which pass in time. However, no experience in itself is all that important. It comes and goes. The experiences themselves are not ultimately what matters. What is it, then, that ultimately matters? Present moment awareness. That is to say, the inner space out of which all experiences come and into which they return. This is the unmanifested. Key word here is "un-manifested". My reply to your last statement, "This certainly is not all there is to my conscious self," is: stop looking for your conscious self in form, where you will never find it, because you are the formless consciousness in which "chucka949" arises and demands more than the "isness" of the present moment. The more you practice present moment awareness (alert presence without thought), the more this silent power grows in you and comes into this dimension through you. Eventually, it may change your whole life and through you, the world. In the meantime, don't demand results or experiences.

Jojod13 says, "...Last night in my dreams I experienced an active pain body. Can the pain body feed off the mental activity of dreams? If so, how can one become present & aware during sleep?..."

The sleeping dream state has a great deal in common with the normal state of wakefulness. In both states, images, emotions, thoughts and experiences arise and pass away. However, in both states, there is one common element: "you." That is to say, you as the awareness that is having the dream, the thought, the experience, etc. Jojod13 mentioned, "...The dream-self was irritated at everyone and everything..., but I didn't realize it was pain body behavior until I woke up..." The fact that you had realized that it was your painbody (when you awoke) shows that there is a degree of awareness. If you had been totally unconscious upon waking, you would have continued your day in irritation. The painbody is fueled by our identification with negative thoughts and emotions, in both dream and waking states. If the painbody cannot feed on your thoughts while in the waking state, it may try to replenish itself in the sleeping dream state. However, don't allow the mind to make this into a problem (which the ego and painbody would love).

With the practice of presence, and by grace, one can also be present and aware even in sleep. I would suggest, this evening, when you are in bed, practice falling asleep consciously. In other words, practice your meditation; be aware of your breath and inner body as you fall into sleep...zzzz...pleasant dreams!

Jmd123456 says, "...Kim, although I appreciate your honesty, I would love to hear from you why it took you a week to practice Presence in a difficult situation with your roommate. As a spiritual teacher yourself and with Eckhart by your side, if you cannot practice Presence in a difficult situation I wonder how the rest of us, who are taking this class, are supposed to. There was no mention of nonresistance in the situation you write about. Also, the way you describe the situation it sounds like your ego was involved instead of having compassion for your roommate. All things that have been taught to us throughout this book and this Webinar. Any comment would be appreciated. Thank you."

I am a slow learner and I was cursed - blessed - with a heavy painbody. That's why it took me so long to disidentify from emotions and judgments (thoughts). It wasn't the last time, either. The retreat was many years ago. Slowly, however, the time gap between being lost in thoughts/painbody and the arising of the state of surrender became shorter and shorter.

Trayc123 writes, "...My question is regarding my marriage and my ego and pain body. There is a lack of emotional & physical intimacy for me in my marriage. My husband doesn't seem to need it... Is it the small me that craves the intimacy?... I wonder if I should only be focused on what I have to give rather than what I wish to receive; then trust in God from there. Is it right to have an expectation for intimacy? My husband does not initiate physical intimacy, either, but does respond well if I initiate. I wonder if it is better to be single and lack intimacy than married and lack it?"

In a way, you answered your own question, "...I wonder if I should only be focused on what I have to give rather than what I wish to receive; then trust in God from there..." In addition, I would say, not only focus on giving rather than receiving, but it's an opportunity to practice presence. When the need for physical and emotional intimacy arises, become present, feel the sensations in the body created by this urge for physical and emotional connection. Then, notice the thoughts that relate to this desire for closeness. Ask yourself, am I, in any way, expecting my husband to fulfill or complete who I am? Am I able to express my feeling to my husband without expecting him to change? Can I accept my husband as is? Can I accept this moment? Perhaps the real intimacy that you crave is for your true self, consciousness, spirit. The body and mind crave; however, your spiritual essence is already fulfilled through itself. As your awareness grows, I believe, the answer will become clear whether you wish to remain married or become single. In either circumstance, if there are any expectations, eventually unhappiness and suffering follow.

Irish809 is "...currently single, but certainly would enjoy being in a "love" relationship..." She says, "...It seems to me if we are the inner space where true love can flow, then we can love anyone. But that is not the case in human life..." What role does physical attraction play? Is being physically attracted to someone all ego? Do you think physical attraction is necessary? If a person becomes awakened, does physical attraction no longer matter?...Also, I have met man I connect with on so many deeper levels; he has been practicing living in the present moment for many years so it's great to have someone who understands the work I am doing and who is experiencing his own spiritual journey; but I don't find myself feeling a physical attraction to him. Please share any insight or thoughts you have on this subject. I feel lost in this area..."

Physical attraction is created by the body and mind. There is nothing wrong with physical attraction to a person when entering into a relationship. However, as you may know, physical attraction alone does not sustain a "healthy" relationship. What is it then that sustains a healthy relationship? It is your spiritual connection, not only with your partner, but with yourself. Your primary relationship is with God, spirit, stillness. Everything else, including your partner, children, family, etc. is secondary. So, when your primary relationship is with God, the person whom you choose to be in relationship with is attractive to you. Not necessarily physically. Physical attraction comes and goes. As we physically grow older, we may not necessarily sustain our good looks. When we become upset with our partners, are they physically attractive to us? Probably not. True love is in the eye of the beholder. The beholder, of course, is consciousness recognizing itself in the other. "Romantic love" or a mere "physical attraction" is fleeting and therefore ultimately an illusion. The mind (ego) creates ideas about love and an ideal partner and becomes upset or "disillusioned" when reality fails to conform to its ideas.

So, Irish809, the man that you say, "...I connect with on so many deeper levels...," I would say, if you are thinking about a relationship, you are thinking too much. True relationships and love are not a product of thought, but flow from the very core of your being.

In closing, I am grateful for this opportunity to commune with you in spirit, as well as through our words. I would like to leave you with a quote from the book Be Still and Know, by Thich Nhat Hanh:

The miracle is not to walk on water.

The miracle is to walk on the green earth,

dwelling deeply in the present moment

and feeling truly alive.

Be well...be in peace...

Kim Eng

© 2008, Kim Eng