2007-2-7 05:34:00
Dean begins by writing:
"The peace that passes all understanding. How can one have it knowing someone else doesn't? Jesus was not peaceful when he was being nailed to the cross and asking god why is he betrayed. If Jesus can't be peaceful all the time I don't think I can expect to be at this stage with all the suffering going on in the world. Also I think that he suffered a lot from the suffering in the world. I don't believe he was 'perfect' either."
JJ:
The inner peace is always there waiting for us to accept it. Once the disciple learns to maintain his focus he keeps the attitude of the observer. He then identifies with soul and spirit, but observes all the rest that brings pain and discomfort as well as joy and happiness. An imperfect comparison would be a person attending a movie with lots of violence, like "Silence of the Lambs," for instance. He observes it, but the pain he sees does not interfere with his enjoying his popcorn.
"But," says one, "the movie is not real but people suffering is." The answer is a movie is real if we identify with it enough. Pain is caused by people identifying too strongly with physical reality. Just as a realistic movie can cause a watcher to cry if he identifies strongly even so can life bring pain if we identify too strongly with the physical. When a person identifies strongly with the physical to the extent that he resists the spiritual, pain is the result. Resistance of some kind causes all pain.
When the disciple learns to cease resisting spirit and higher will then pain ceases and eternal life begins.
This is easier said than done for even the Master Jesus had a point of resistance that brought him pain. In the Garden of Gethsemane when he saw the path he was to take he resisted for a moment and pled that the cup be taken from him. This caused him great pain for a short period. It was the one time that we know of that he identified too strongly with something other than spirit and higher will.
In general though throughout the life of the Master, even during most of the crucifixion, nothing was able to take his attention away from the inner kingdom and he was able to keep his peace and composure throughout his life.
I have ups and downs and painful events occur just as everyone else, but it is rare that my internal peace is disturbed. I had a life and death experience a couple weeks ago that took me off focus for an hour or so, but I forced my attention back on track and all was as it was before. The key is to not identify with the undesirable experience, but to maintain the attitude of the observer at all times.
Dean quoting JJ writes:
"So do you think that the Masters and even God himself cannot allow themselves to feel peaceful or happy because others suffer?"
Dean:
"I'm asking how can they be? I don't know how they could not suffer knowing someone else is.
"So I don't know how to deal with that problem, other than blocking my connection off to people. And that would cause other problems to block my feelings out, even if I wanted to. If I knew the solution then that would be great."
JJ:
The truth is just the opposite of what you suppose. When the inner kingdom is discovered the disciple is more sensitive than ever to the needs of others. He is sensitive and aware, but does not identify or suffer unless he resists the impulse of Spirit when it prompts him to assist.
Dean:
"So far 'soul contact' has not solved the problem for me. You can say I don't have enough soul contact. But the problem I have is that you think you do. Which I gather is false because you cannot explain about the solution either."
JJ:
I can explain the solution because I have found it.
It's not for me to judge your soul contact but the key is to follow that contact once it is accessed. As the Master said, his yoke is easy and burden light when the words of spirit are absorbed by the disciple.
Dean:
"It doesn't make sense that some have discovered soul contact while others haven't. If one person has no soul contact then how can another. Since we are one and the same."
JJ:
We are one body, but differentiated. Why is it that some are able to reason logically and others cannot? Why is it that some are creative and others are not? Even so, some have soul contact and some do not. The thing to realize is that all these accomplishments are part of a journey and logic, creativity and soul contact are available to us all if we put our attention in the right direction.
Dean:
"Even if you did have soul contact, the others that don't would not have it so how can you be in peace."
JJ:
Why wouldn't I be in peace? We have power to choose peace or disturbance. Why not choose peace?
Dean:
"Your philosophy does not make sense. If it has little impact. Then distractions still have some impact in soul contact? Then you are still not fully at peace."
JJ:
Sometimes you just have to look at what works. If you try to figure out the process first you will most likely come to the wrong conclusion. You've heard of the engineer that looked at the black and white specs of a bumblebee and concluded mathematically that he could not fly. But the problem was that the bumblebee did fly. Later, others looked more deeply and sure enough the added knowledge applied proved that the lowly bee could fly.
The bumblebee knew he could fly all the time.
Those who discover the kingdom of God within know what works and does not work. Others will say it does not make sense until they have all the knowledge. Then they can step back as did the later engineers with the bumblebee and exclaim that it all makes sense after all.
Dean:
"Well I desire no being suffer. And I don't see that desire changing any time soon and for a good reason."
JJ:
No person of good will wishes pain, ignorance or discomfort on anyone, but these are all teaching mechanisms that each of us have to pass through. Without them the prize at the end of the path could not be achieved. School and learning can be painful but when the whole picture is seen no one would want to deny this to the students. The job of the disciple is to assist the students through the learning so they become masters of their situations and pain is replaced by joy.
"It is not necessary to understand things in order to argue about them."
-- Pierre Beaumarchais (1732 - 1799)
Copyright © 2007 by J.J. Dewey, All Rights Reserved