Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside,awakens.” (Carl Jung)

A citizen said to a famous reformer, "Please explain. You
condemn society for violence, yet your protests are equally
violent."

"There is a big difference," said the reformer.

"You demand that other people respect you, but you never speak
of your need to respect them."

"There's a big difference."

"You criticize other groups for putting on pressure, yet the
entire purpose of your group is to apply pressure."

"There is a big difference."

"What is the big difference?"

"How stupid you are. We are good, while others are evil."

LESSON: A man can be empowered by delusion or by self-
knowledge, but only self-insight changes anything.




CHALLENGE: Break Free of Conditioning (From: Zen)

Somehow, we are able to confuse reality and the make-believe
worlds we create. And much of what we create is based on what
we have been told as we were growing up. We are conditioned by
our culture, parents, teachers, and peers, and then we proceed
to live our entire life out of that conditioning. That
conditioning defines who we think we are. All of these
authoritative people have told us who we are, so we go on to
manifest their predictions. This practice, every bit of it, is
about going beyond all that conditioning, finding out for
ourselves who we are, and then living our life in accordance
with what we have realized. That is what freedom is all about.

TOM'S COMMENT: The challenge is to dare to live what you have
found to be true, even though you will make a thousand
mistakes in the process.




ESSENCE … HEART … CENTER:

Come, you lost atoms, to your Center draw
And be the eternal mirror you saw;
Rays that have wander'd into Darkness wide
Return and back your sun subside.

— Farid ud-Din Attar
Conference of the Birds

TOM'S COMMENT: Many of the great religious classics teach
(usually by symbolism and allegory) a return to your Center,
into the region of your breath. Here is the domain of
renewal, receptivity and authentic confidence. It is now
flowing as a trickle, but with awareness this Source expands
and turns into rivers. (See John 7:38 KJV)

It rarely occurs to spiritual travelers to let go of frantic
activity in the brain, and simply let things settle into the
region of the Heart. If frantic mental activity could have
found anything, would it not have done so by now?

Thinking has its place, but Knowing has its quiet and sacred
domain. When we put Knowing first, thinking serves. When we
put thinking first, thinking imprisons. What Source will
direct your life? It is for you(YOU) alone to decide.

"Your vision will become clear only when you look into your
heart ... Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside,
awakens." (Carl Jung)