Gratitude
Appreciation of Life develops into Gratitude. Simple Praise leads naturally to expanded awareness of how our Life is manifesting into reality and Gratitude swells in our hearts. Only an actual direct experience of the deeper reality more saturated with the qualities of the Ascendant has the power to transform our lives. The deeper inner experience of peace, rest, stability and infinite awareness is easily something to be grateful for no matter what the outer conditions seem to be.
Gratitude is a natural part of life that is aligned with Truth. That alignment simply means that one has at least begun to appreciate the fact that the Creator did in fact create perfection. Only our interpretation of reality through fear has disconnected us from having the continual experience of the perfection of the Ascendant within everything. It is not that the Ascendant needs our Praise or Gratitude for the Ascendant lacks nothing. There is nothing we can add to it. We can, however, by our choosing to align with Praise and Gratitude, reconnect with the Ascendant One within ourselves and open our individual experience to the tremendous gift of Infinite Awareness and Unconditional Love. The gift of experiencing Life as it is created from the Ascendant. A Life that is built on the solid foundation of Praise, Gratitude and Love.
We do not have to feel Praise or Gratitude or Love in order to Ascend. In the waking state the surface mind is not yet very open to the deeper experience of life and it does not yet recognize the source of all Life and Love. The mind only appreciates or judges the small part of reality that it is open to experience. Ascending is a precision tool to change this and open our mind and our heart to the greater experience that is increasingly imbued with the qualities of the Ascendant One - perfect Praise, perfect Gratitude and perfect Love.
It is very easy for me to say that the deepest experiences of Gratitude in my life are for my Teacher and for the Teaching of Ascension. The great love for all those who have given their time and effort to realizing the truth in this life. Without the before mentioned I would not be writing this. I would not have the tools to deepen my experience of the Ascendant One in each moment. It is for those that have walked this path before me that I feel immense Gratitude for. Far beyond any feelings that I have had about anything else in my life. Perhaps for the simple reason that nothing else has consistently led me toward the truth of the Ascendant One. Nothing else has given me the experience of my Self. The Ascension Attitudes and Guidance have been the narrow path to That which leads beyond what the world can offer.
For the Glorious Teacher.
Nataraja Ishaya
An Ojective Attitude
"The first technique deals with the root stress in our subjective lives," Dave said thoughtfully. "So the second major stress must be in our objective lives, in our outer world. Right?"
"Right! Is there anyone who hasn't thought that the world could be a friendlier place? For that matter, is there anyone who hasn't thought his or her body could be healthier or prettier or stronger? Please don't misunderstand! I'm not saying there's no room for improvement in the world or in our bodies. I'm saying it's our belief there's something wrong with the world and with our bodies that is the root of all our limiting beliefs and habits about the Universe."
"Does this belief also keep the mind out of the present moment?" I asked curiously. "Abstracted away from the experience of right Here and right Now?"
"Yes! And that keeps our future locked into unfortunate experiences, based on our limited beliefs in the present. The first Gratitude Attitude heals our future. Gratitude for the objective is the master key to straighten the kinks out of our path.
"So to heal our relationship with the world, turn our lives back to this instant of time and transform our future, we ascend with the Second Attitude, putting our focus on the objective, on everything external - the body, the world, the Universe. Everything outside the Self. This may sound complex, but the concept is simple, a single idea: everything physical outside the Self."
"We don't normally think of our bodies as external." said Aphrodite. " I think this is one of the reasons we believe so firmly in death. If a body is sick, we say the person is sick. If a body dies, we say the person has died. I'm learning the Reality is quite other; I'm recognizing my body is external to me, and therefore I'm moving closer to the understanding that everything - my body, my world, even my mind and my emotions - everything is external to my Self and my Self is the same as the Ascendant - infinite, Unbounded, never changing, never dying, established in Eternity."
MSI, First Thunder
Three Qualities of Ascension
Each of the Ascension Attitudes has three aspects. First, there is an emotional content to drive the experiencer inward -- Appreciation, Gratitude, Love and Direct Cognition. The second aspect is a direct alignment with the Ascendant. This unites the conscious mind with the infinite Source within. The third characteristic of each of the Ascension Attitudes is a mental focus on one of the root areas of the individuality that is stressed and could be more fully lived.
Understanding this description of the Ascension Attitudes is much more difficult than the practice of Ascending. Indeed, fully understanding the mechanics of Ascending is probably impossible without experiencing it.
The three-fold structure of the Ascension Attitudes causes each of the three primary aspects of our personality -- our hearts, our minds, our bodies -- to move in the direction of growth. This process unwinds or loosens the deeply held judgments and beliefs that keep us bound to fear and restriction. But this is not simply a process of introspection to remove accumulated mental, spiritual and emotional debris; this process is primarily one of effortlessly uncovering ever more expanded states of awareness.
----------------
The Ascension Attitudes are designed to clear out past beliefs and behaviour patterns which inhibit full mental and physical functioning. By effortlessly introducing these seed thoughts at a deep and refined level of thinking, the entire structure of the mental framework gradually and gracefully transforms to reflect Reality.
Reality spelled with the capital "R" is not the reality of life mixed with suffering, the common experience of most in the world today. The capital "R" kind of Reality means that life is lived in joy, with each moment experienced fully; each opportunity is mined for its rich opportunities for progress, creativity and love. An upward spiral of consciousness is created by Ascending; a new structure of awareness is built upon the firm basis of the direct experience of Reality.
The Ascension Attitudes are priceless for the modern world. The intense pace of life is simply too great to be countered without the power of a profound new Teaching. These techniques revolutionize every aspect of life by introducing new experience of inner peace, deep rest and stability.
MSI, Ascension
The Ascension Attitudes
The third Ascension Attitude embodying the vibration of the Christ is gratitude. Once again, this attitude is so closely allied with love and praise as to be inseparable from them. When you have accepted the radiant Christ vision and allowed yourself to love it, when you have relaxed your intellect and learned to contemplate my omnipresence, then gratitude will be your natural reaction to it all.
As you contemplate the indescribable future awaiting each member of the human race as soon as he stands up to claim it, gratitude will well up in you automatically, flooding the reservoir of your heart. The vibration of gratitude is such a mighty creative force that it alone, if indulged continuously, could lift you free of the sub-creation more rapidly than you realize.
Begin to fill yourself with gratitude by contemplating your submerged mind and its many hidden treasures. Give thanks for that mind. Where would you be without it? It is the same mind that you will use to do greater works than Jesus did. It is the same mind, the same consciousness, through which you will experience the indescribable wonders of my cosmos. It is the same mind through which my Light will flow into the body of your ailing brother so that he may be whole.
You have been living with this mind for a long time. How often have you stopped to marvel at its extensive talents and feel gratitude that such a wonderful endowment could be yours? Multiply this gratitude and give thanks for all the minds of all the men on earth.
Think about your heart and its untiring effort to keep your cells supplied with the fluid of life. It is through this presently-opening center that the world-shaking vibration of the Love of Christ will soon be flowing. As you contemplate the nearness of such an eventful happening, you are entering the domain of mighty faith.
Give thanks for your senses and intensify them every one. It is through these senses that you enjoy my beloved world; it is through these blended senses you will go on to enjoy the crystal beauties of my many waiting mansions.
Give thanks to ten thousand other things beneficial to you every day which you may have been accustomed to taking for granted.
Then go one giant step further than you have gone before and give thanks for the things you want as if they had already come to pass. Look at the Grand Cosmic Being who stands out so sharply in your vision and give thanks that this holy personage is none other than yourself. He is yourself, he has always been, but since you have left him atrophy, give thanks you can undo the act and see him rise to life.
These three Ascension Attitudes are your perfectly-fitted keys, the keys to the Door of Everything. These keys are lovingly placed into your hands. You must use them persistently if you would see that Door fly open. For it can only be opened from your side.
Ruby Nelson, The Door of Everything
An Experience of Gratitude
The other morning, before leaving to return home from a trip some of us made, I was standing outside under an arbor type covering that had these incredibly fragrant white blossoms hanging down the edge in front of me. I enjoyed the smell as I nearly inhaled some of the blossoms into my nostrils. I was so appreciative of them that I decided to pick a bunch and put them in a mug in the console between the front seats of the vehicle for my partner to also enjoy on the 300 some mile trip back.
It is said that it is the little things in life that count. Her gratitude was so heartfelt and loving, and she later made the comment that it was one of the nicest things I have done in our two plus years together. I continued to be filled with gratitude as the aroma stayed with us the whole time, and was especially fragrant when we got back in the car after each stop.
Although I was and am very grateful for the flowers, I am more so and especially grateful for the Ascendant, because It is the Source of that which gives us such gifts. The second Ascension Attitude is the pure joy of Gratitude to the Creator/Source. It naturally follows Praise, which is then naturally followed by Love, the third Attitude.
Ascension is a simple and natural method of using the mind to re-unite with the Source of all Good, all Joy, all happiness, all-ways. The Attitude of Gratitude is one that can be so easy as you look around you in any moment and see what is here now to enjoy and appreciate. Using the Attitude with your eyes open leads to uplifting harmonious ascending thoughts, instead of downward spiraling ones that create disharmony, during the course of your day. Since what we focus on expands in our lives, why not make conscious choices each moment for a greater thought, instead of reactive old behaviour ones that promote discord and victimness. Remember that it is only our active attention that keeps the door locked to our good.
Realizing that we are the creators of our relationship to the world around us is another thing to be grateful for. Even when there are those moments in our lives where nothing seems to going right, and we are disillusioned with it all, we can still choose for the Gratitute Ascension Attitude. Whether we realize it or not, everything works for our greater good, although that can be hard to believe when we are in the midst of it. As we look back on our lives to some of the worst things we have experienced, we can now see the good that came from them. In the Acknowledgements section of his book, Putting on the Mind of Christ, Jim Marion says, "I want to thank the hundreds of friends and 'worthy opponents' who have been instrumental in bringing me deeper and deeper into God-awareness".
The practice of the Art of Ascension teaching is not based on any belief system, and works regardless of whether you believe in it or not. All it takes is the regular practice, two or three times a day with your eyes closed, and all day with your eyes open. Change takes place from within. Gratitude is a choice, regardless of what you may be experiencing. Simply allow what is, including the feelings, and then choose for an Ascension Attitude. Again, and then again, ad infinitum.
The Ishayas' purpose is to "Heal the world through the healing of the self". This Teaching, although simple and natural, is direct and powerful, and it works. Experiences, such as the aromatic flowers, come and go. The Ascendant is Eternal. For that I am eternally grateful!
Love and Joy,
Nandisvara
Praise and Gratitude
Praise causes expansion to follow in its wake as inevitably as rain from cumulonimbus.
Praise is the most fundamental tool humans have for transforming consciousness in an upward, Ascending spiral. It leads to infinite bliss in the shortest possible time.
Praise is the one function of the human being here that most clearly leads to enlightened consciousness.
MSI
---------------
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity….It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.
Melodie Beattie
--------
"Practicing mindfulness of gratitude consistently leads to a direct experience of being connected to life and the realization that there is a larger context in which your personal story is unfolding. Being relieved of the endless wants and worries of your life's drama, even temporarily, is liberating. Cultivating thankfulness for being part of life blossoms into a feeling of being blessed, not in the sense of winning the lottery, but in a more refined appreciation for the interdependent nature of life. It also elicits feelings of generosity, which create further joy. Gratitude can soften a heart that has become too guarded, and it builds the capacity for forgiveness, which creates the clarity of mind that is ideal for spiritual development."
Philipp Moffitt, Selfless Gratitude
Our Websites
The Ishaya Foundation
http://www.theishayafoundation.org
Hong Kong Website
http://www.theishayafoundation.asia
European Website
http://www.theishayafoundation.eu
-------------------------------------------------
This is the 24th edition of the Ishaya Foundation newsletter.
If you wish to unsubscribe please email The Ishaya Foundation.
email: contact@theishayafoundation.org (USA) or artofascension@ishaya.biz (Europe)
phone: 1-888-ISHAYA1 (USA)
|
|
|
