Re: 12 Keys of Discipleship, Part 2

2009-4-27 00:25:00

Dan asks:

"How can you overlook a point that you know? I think I am being confused by the wording of that first sentence, could you re-word it differently?"

JJ:

We overlook the highest we know all the time. His happens when that which we desire conflicts with our highest insight. When we decide to go with the lower desire instead of that which we know then a cloud comes up and covers our soul. When we do it again another cloud forms. If we do this enough then darkness reigns. If we just have one or two clouds then there is still a sense of soul (the sun) behind the clouds, but the seeker cannot see in the light of day.

Examples of not following the highest you know:

Betraying your spouse who you love through having an affair with another.

The guy loves his partner and didn't want to betray her, but his lower desire influenced his decision rather than the highest he knew.

After the passing of time the guy starts blaming his faithful spouse for his indiscretion. He points out her faults and claims he wouldn't have had the affair if she had behaved differently. He pushes the highest he knew to the background.

You have an argument with a friend and reach a dead end. A few days later you read an article that proves his point of view. You ignore this and never mention it to your friend, but still maintain your erroneous point of view in discussions. Pretty soon it is as if the article did not exist in your memory.

Here the desire to preserve pride was greater than his desire to reveal the truth. The highest he knew was the truth -- not his ego.

Your friends all come to a controversial conclusion and support it and you go along. Then on reflection you conclude they are wrong. After meeting with them again you discover they are very enthusiastic about their conclusion and call people morons that think otherwise. You go along with them because you do not want to lose the confidence of your best friends.

Here your desire to be popular outweighs following the highest you know.

After a period of time the seeker forgets the highest he knew and that on which he places his energy and attention becomes his illusionary belief.

The point is there are many times that people do not follow the highest they know, but for the few who consistently do, the reward is great and the peace is profound.