You can study the words of enlightened beings, but until you make them yours, nothing real will happen. Wisdom is safeguarded that way. Parrots may squawk the words, but the heart knows the difference.
When I heard the words of Vernon Howard on an audio tape, I recognized the voice of truth and I wanted more. I studied him obsessively, as many did, hoping to receive the inner meaning of them. This takes time and effort and commitment. In that way the sheep are separated from the goats.
Many heard the words of Jesus, but few wanted to truly unlock the secrets he gave them. They wanted to settle for the miracles. But as Vernon said, “A miracle is a state, not an act.” So only a handful of disciples followed Jesus. Or Vernon, for that matter.
Ego wants truth for its own benefit. You have to see that. You have to see how you want to twist it for self-glorification. Thank God that can’t be done.
So finally you begin to actually see clearly and the first thing you see is your uncleanness. Your ability to be a pharisee and a faker. You undergo a phase where your heart is true but your mind lies. And this causes you to have to dig even deeper. What is going on here? I want to grow, but I can’t. I just can’t make it happen. Again, the truth has safeguards to keep the ego from pilfering what doesn’t belong to it.
The list of byways is endless and the ego will try every one of them. But one thing is important. You have activated the witness and now you know when you are being a hypocrite for example. And because you know that in yourself, you now recognize it in others. “See it in yourself and in others,” as Vernon said.
And so it goes. It is good to read the words of the enlightened. It is even better to make them your own. By the grace of God, you begin to see the gap between what you profess and what you actually live. This is the Work. This is the path. This is grace.
Vicki Woodyard
So true, as always, Vicki. We each have to find what connections and teachers resonate with us personally. I have been so incredibly blessed to have had many spiritual teachers at different points in my life. Each appeared as I needed their insights and gradually, over time, I have learned that the key is opening myself as a clear channel to God/Spirit to work through me. As long as that pesky ego doesn’t get in the way which it often does. I have to nudge her out of the way, but she’s stepping to side more easily with time. Thank you for beginning my day with one of your lovely posts.
You made me smile with this one. Truth has a way of doing that to us. We simply smile…
Wow, Vicki! I love this. I have been reading the words, listening to the gurus and studying the sacred texts for almost 50 years! I’m starting to live what you are saying. What a blessing! Thank you!
Words are very treacherous, even the sacred ones, even those that we feel are expressing the truth, even our own… because truth has no words, no time, no continuity. It is instantaneous, autonomous, infinite, and eternal. It IS. It is the ocean from where we form the bubbles of words. So we can read many books without finding the Truth, because you get lost in the bubbles without tasting the ocean.
I am finding myself in many of your words, and not in a good way, alas. Of course wisdom and truth have built-in safeguards; this makes so much sense of my struggles. Thank you.