Q. How do you make your decisions w/no "I"?
G. Probably easiest to just give you an example from today (actually yesterday).
i was coming into downtown and needed to find a place to park. There were four possibilities, a) parking garage P, b) parking garage B, c) free parking but only for 2 hours on a side street.
As i approached downtown, it arose to inquire what "felt" to be the "right" place to park, and it seemed to be parking garage P, but it was really weak, and as all of the choices were in the direction i was currently heading, it was unclear.
The feeling, which is really like a deep intuition arising from deep down in your lower trunk at a place in the region of the "hara" or lower dantian (if you are into Eastern martial arts), or around the 3rd chakra area (around the solar plexus), but not much higher than that, has a real sense of certainty to it. If the intellect/mind is generating a choice on "logic" and "reasoning" it has a totally different feel, and clearly feels like it is originating from the "head".
An additional aid in the process, in addition to "feel" in selecting between "head" and "hara", is something i first heard from Adyashanti. Adya said to ask each source of choice for a "reason" why that is the right choice.
The "head" will invariably give reasons of all sorts, sometimes pro and con, why this is the best choice. That is the wrong answer.
The "hara"/lower dantian or "intuition" will give no "reason". There is no "reason" as there are no intellectual mental processes involved in intuition. There is no alternative. That is the right answer.
As i approached the turnoff street for garage P, there was no "feeling" to turn, no rising of "intuition" that this was the right choice. i proceeded past the turnoff to garage P, and came to F street which led to the other two choices, garage B and free 2-hour parking. The intuition arose with a clear feeling to turn onto F street. i turned on to F street and came to the intersection between the two remaining choices. As i felt no difference at this point, just in case, i turned on my turn signal to go toward garage B, but when the light quickly changed w/no time to "feel" the situation, "Gary" surprisingly went straight ahead to the 2 hour parking.
When i found a place to park in the 2 hour parking (at "1"), as i got out of my car, the "meter lady" was there inputting the license plate number into her computer of everyone parked, establishing the start of the 2 hour period. After readjusting my location (at "2") after she left to hopefully to establish a much later start time, she returned and got my new location. (She is a really clever "meter lady" with many tickets delivered over her career.)
This question came up at the 1/1 w/one of the folk w/whom i do this work, which was where i was going after i parked. He enjoyed the story to this point. He has not heard the rest of this, but since he reads this blog, he will know how it came out.
As the two hours were coming to a close, it suddenly "felt" important that i make my way ASAP back to my car, so i told my "student" to go ahead and lock up and i would hurry back to my car. The 2 hours had already run out and i was about 10 minutes from my car. On the walk back, i got a strong feeling to take a shortcut up an alley, which i rarely take as it only shortens the walk by 30 seconds or so. But the feeling was so strong that i took the shortcut.
When i arrived on F street, there SHE was, the "meter lady" handing out tickets. She was still about 50 yards from my car and writing another ticket, when i ran past her up the street. i arrived at my car about 30 seconds before she got there, and got away without a ticket.
This is clearly a mundane event, but it is a skill that develops, and improves with practice. It is, in some ways, more interesting than actually knowing the future. You know what to do, but you don't know why. If you actually knew the future, you might well obsess about the situation, although there was nothing you could do.
The feeling does not occur continuously. It can arise, however, "involuntarily", if there is a "dire" situation, like taking the side alley and hurrying. However, you can ask it about anything, like choosing clothing in the morning as practice, and get an answer, which was the case originally here in choosing parking. i seldom use it anymore, as there is no angst about the future, but for whatever reason, it arose to do it that day. Perhaps it was so this blog would arise.
i believe that most folk have this ability at some level, they just haven't cultivated it, and aren't still enough to be sensitive to it. As you get out of the way, and are very still and quiet, the feeling is clear and palpable.
As my student observed, it really does take total surrender. The vast majority of the time, if you are fully surrendered, there is no arising of even the sense of a choice. But if "you" do want to engage it, and are very still and clear, there is a real way to make that apparent choice, but do realize it is only apparent. Most likely, "you" are just tapping into what is going to occur anyway, like going straight ahead into the 2 hr parking at the light.
G. Probably easiest to just give you an example from today (actually yesterday).
i was coming into downtown and needed to find a place to park. There were four possibilities, a) parking garage P, b) parking garage B, c) free parking but only for 2 hours on a side street.
As i approached downtown, it arose to inquire what "felt" to be the "right" place to park, and it seemed to be parking garage P, but it was really weak, and as all of the choices were in the direction i was currently heading, it was unclear.
The feeling, which is really like a deep intuition arising from deep down in your lower trunk at a place in the region of the "hara" or lower dantian (if you are into Eastern martial arts), or around the 3rd chakra area (around the solar plexus), but not much higher than that, has a real sense of certainty to it. If the intellect/mind is generating a choice on "logic" and "reasoning" it has a totally different feel, and clearly feels like it is originating from the "head".
An additional aid in the process, in addition to "feel" in selecting between "head" and "hara", is something i first heard from Adyashanti. Adya said to ask each source of choice for a "reason" why that is the right choice.
The "head" will invariably give reasons of all sorts, sometimes pro and con, why this is the best choice. That is the wrong answer.
The "hara"/lower dantian or "intuition" will give no "reason". There is no "reason" as there are no intellectual mental processes involved in intuition. There is no alternative. That is the right answer.
As i approached the turnoff street for garage P, there was no "feeling" to turn, no rising of "intuition" that this was the right choice. i proceeded past the turnoff to garage P, and came to F street which led to the other two choices, garage B and free 2-hour parking. The intuition arose with a clear feeling to turn onto F street. i turned on to F street and came to the intersection between the two remaining choices. As i felt no difference at this point, just in case, i turned on my turn signal to go toward garage B, but when the light quickly changed w/no time to "feel" the situation, "Gary" surprisingly went straight ahead to the 2 hour parking.
When i found a place to park in the 2 hour parking (at "1"), as i got out of my car, the "meter lady" was there inputting the license plate number into her computer of everyone parked, establishing the start of the 2 hour period. After readjusting my location (at "2") after she left to hopefully to establish a much later start time, she returned and got my new location. (She is a really clever "meter lady" with many tickets delivered over her career.)
This question came up at the 1/1 w/one of the folk w/whom i do this work, which was where i was going after i parked. He enjoyed the story to this point. He has not heard the rest of this, but since he reads this blog, he will know how it came out.
As the two hours were coming to a close, it suddenly "felt" important that i make my way ASAP back to my car, so i told my "student" to go ahead and lock up and i would hurry back to my car. The 2 hours had already run out and i was about 10 minutes from my car. On the walk back, i got a strong feeling to take a shortcut up an alley, which i rarely take as it only shortens the walk by 30 seconds or so. But the feeling was so strong that i took the shortcut.
When i arrived on F street, there SHE was, the "meter lady" handing out tickets. She was still about 50 yards from my car and writing another ticket, when i ran past her up the street. i arrived at my car about 30 seconds before she got there, and got away without a ticket.
This is clearly a mundane event, but it is a skill that develops, and improves with practice. It is, in some ways, more interesting than actually knowing the future. You know what to do, but you don't know why. If you actually knew the future, you might well obsess about the situation, although there was nothing you could do.
The feeling does not occur continuously. It can arise, however, "involuntarily", if there is a "dire" situation, like taking the side alley and hurrying. However, you can ask it about anything, like choosing clothing in the morning as practice, and get an answer, which was the case originally here in choosing parking. i seldom use it anymore, as there is no angst about the future, but for whatever reason, it arose to do it that day. Perhaps it was so this blog would arise.
i believe that most folk have this ability at some level, they just haven't cultivated it, and aren't still enough to be sensitive to it. As you get out of the way, and are very still and quiet, the feeling is clear and palpable.
As my student observed, it really does take total surrender. The vast majority of the time, if you are fully surrendered, there is no arising of even the sense of a choice. But if "you" do want to engage it, and are very still and clear, there is a real way to make that apparent choice, but do realize it is only apparent. Most likely, "you" are just tapping into what is going to occur anyway, like going straight ahead into the 2 hr parking at the light.
Hi Gary,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your experience. This is really fascinating to me! Do you think there is any meaning or purpose behind "what is going to occur anyway"? Why do you think it is "that" that occurs rather than one of the almost infinite number of alternatives?
Hi Jake.
ReplyDeleteGreat that you found the blog post interesting. As far as the "meaning or purpose" behind "what is going to occur anyway" and why "that" occurs rather than something else, i honestly don't know. However, it is my direct perception that everything is One, at the same time that it appears to be many things, and that everything is "perfect" just as it is, however it is.
When i'm working w/folk, given those "understandings", i use a metaphor of a She that is running everything, and She is in all of us, and we are all in Her. There's a great Bhagavad Gita verse (VI, 29) that says that as well, except, of course, it is gender-neutral. If the Universe is necessarily "self aware", as some quantum physicists claim, the concept is not that far fetched.
As to why She does what She does to/with Herself i have called Her and asked Her, but i believe She is screening my calls and won't pick up. She's like that - probably doing Her nails.
Haha! Thanks for your response Gary. It made me smile. Sometimes I take this self-cultivation stuff a little too seriously. ;)
ReplyDeleteSo based on your experience, you feel there is some type of "intelligence" involved in the overturning of each moment?
Jake, yes my experience has been that there is some intelligence involved in each moment's happenings.
DeleteThe incredible serendipities of "my" everyday life, like our having this conversation, are so unlikely and require so many prior events to happen just so, that it is hard to explain otherwise. If our great, great grandmothers had gone to a different dance, we wouldn't be here.
If it were all "random", any combination of folk meeting would be equally likely, but that isn't what occurs. If you look back over your life, it appears as if everything that happened had to have happened just as it did for it to be as it is.
In my "spiritual path" there were astonishing events and meetings that were beyond my ability to even imagine or conceptualize. i also found that as i surrendered, even a little, i was held, somehow protected. As i surrendered more, i was held more. As i completely surrendered, i was held completely.
Whatever "IT' is, it is beyond our simple comprehension. From what i described before, of all being One and being "perfect" as it is, it would only be possible if She is the actors, the director, the producer, the audience, etc. How else could She possibly know everything that is going on all the time, everywhere, and get it all to work out correctly? She could not be standing outside as a single entity and keep track of it all.
stillness
Thanks Gary for taking the time to answer my questions. I am very grateful.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Jake
Hey Gary, my name is Allan and I'm from Brazil.
ReplyDeleteLike so much reading your article. This subject makes my mind label from doubts. If there is a kind of intuitive wisdom, and the choice that is born by mind and its dialogue, then there is a wrong way, correct? I am absolutely convinced that everything was happenned the way it had to be, but knowing what you wrote here turn a kind of responsibility of future choices, don't you agree?
I am really confuse and insecure about choices, hardly ever I feel that I'm doing the right choice.
forgive my english :)