Two Ways to Live
The experience of life in the surface of the mind is what most of us are used to and consider normal in every way. It is normal to always think about the past and the future. It is normal to have conflicting thoughts and desire streams. It is normal to be depressed and suffer. At least every once in a while. We have taken a very strange condition to be the norm of human life. And is there any way out of this?
The complexities of life seem insurmountable to the surface mind. So many choices and possibilities and outcomes. Where to start? Is there any choice that would lead to something different and perhaps true?
The gift that the Ishayas offer through the simple practice of Ascension is choice. Simple and effortless choice that works in every situation and condition. The choice is to direct our mind inward with the tools of the Ascension Attitudes. Even if our experience of life does not instantly change the seed for the growth into the true human life is planted and watered. And as we are regular in our choice to move inward and ascend the more apparent the results are.
The more that we practice Ascension the more our mind and the body will settle down. In this process of settling down what becomes more obvious is that we are making a very fundamental choice in every moment. It is not about where to go and what to do or how to be. In its simplest essence we make a choice for one of two things, Love or fear.
Those two choices create two very different realities. In the beginning the difference may not be so obvious because the surface mind is too busy to
notice. But as we evolve so does our perception clarify to see more of what we are choosing for. And in that clarity our choices become more important. And more powerful.
As part of our evolution we become aware of this choice. By naturally being more present in the moment through using the Ascension Attitudes, we can more easily witness our experience and that is the chance to consciously direct our attention into Praise, Gratitude and Love.
Nataraja Ishaya
Love and Fear
There are only two roots to all our emotions: love and fear. Love is the natural state of human life; fear is the means the ego uses to control and possess the world. They cannot simultaneously coexist: When love increases, fear evaporates – since it was never real, it vanishes in the Sun of perfect love. When fear increases, love hides and bides its time until the individual opens again to Truth. It can never be destroeyd, but since the human is endowed with certain inalienable rights (including perfect free will) if the ego insists on illusions, love will as if disappear from the mind until the personality chooses again for Reality.
The ego wants to own everything; this denies the invincibility of surrender, the handmaiden of love. Love is universal and freely given, yet the ego insists that it be owned, that it obey the ego’s stern dictates of when, how and where. In this, the ego will forever fail, for it is fighting the wrong battle. Love can never be limited or exist in separation or isolation. Only by renunciation of the desire to manipulate and control will the ego melt into the Universal Self of Infinite, Eternal Love.
MSI, Ascension!
Pada I Sutra 29
From that, one turns inward, gains pure consciousness
and obstacles cease to exist.
One begins by seeking answers on the outside, but with sincerity, the aspirant quickly learns that all true Teachings ultimately point the finger back at his/her own heart. There is no other way to discover the Kingdom of Heaven than by looking within. After repeated frustruation on the outside, an individual eventually discovers Ascension, which naturally leads one to reverse one’s focus and look inward. From that instant, it does not take long, given an appropriate vehicle, to discover the Ascendant lying within.
The development of Pure Consciousness, consciousness by itself, devoid of thought, is accompanied by the destruction of all obstacles standing in the way of that development. These are two aspects of the same process. As one regocnizes the Ascendant more and more clearly, the stresses in the nervous system and the self-destructive tendencies in the mind naturally decrease. Conversely, if the obstacles to the experience of Pure Conciousness decrease, awareness of the Absolute ceases to be blocked by false, limiting and self-imposed judgements about the nature of the Self. Every step toward the East is a step away from the West; every step away from the West is a step toward the East.
MSI, Enlightenment!
Retreats
We are hosting a series of Ascension retreats on the Oregon Coast. The retreats will run monthly from February to May 2008.
The next 17-day retreat will be in February 2008 and the sign up deadline is February 2.
A retreat simply means that you will spend a longer time doing eyes closed Ascending and also eyes open Ascending during the times that you are up and about. The retreats are dedicated solely to Ascending and deepening the experience of it. The practice naturally becomes more refined with the focus on it and with the help of the teachers.
A retreat is a gift to our bodies as the rest is profoundly deep. The healing that can happen as a result of this deep rest is phenomenal. Our minds naturally slow down and settle for deeper levels as our awareness continuously touches the Ascendant. There is no truer vacation than an Ascension retreat.
The subtleties of our inner experience, that are easily ignored in the daily life, become more available to us through a longer period of eyes closed Ascending. We can more easily connect with the deeper desires in our hearts as our minds quiet down. The natural effortlessness of Ascension opens us to our good in ways that we can’t even imagine. By giving more of our time and energy to Ascension the power of it increases exponentially in our lives.
www.theishayafoundation.org/retreatschedule.html
What is New?
There are many new developments on the Ishaya Foundation website. And the website is still evolving so it is good to come back and check it out often!
On our books page you will find many more books that are recommended for reading for gaining inspiration and further knowledge.
We are also now offering all of the books by MSI as free ebooks! Visit
www.theishayafoundation.org/books to find out more.
The Newsletter Archive webpage is now available for viewing. Browse through the issues of the old newsletters by theme or by date at:
www.theishayatradition.com/newsletterarchive.html
Visit our shop with variety of different products to choose from. All the income goes toward supporting this Teaching and the Ishaya Foundation.
Your contributions are greatly appreciated!
www.theishayafoundation.org/shop.html
Ascension on the Dr Pat Show in Seattle
We have two interviews about Ascension coming up in December on the Dr. Pat show in conjunction with an Intro and a First Sphere. The first interview will be 15 minutes on Thursday December 6th at 10:15 am on radio KKNW AM 1150.
The second interview will be Friday December 14th at 11:00 for a half hour.
This will be available nationally wherever Dr. Pat can be heard. Check the Dr. Pat website for details. If you’re unable to listen to the shows, they also put them on their website www.thedrpatshow.com so you can listen to them anytime. We’ll have a radio page on our website soon. We also have our own 13 week show coming on up www.contacttalkradio.com in February.
For those of you in the Seattle area the Intro is on Monday Dec 10th at 7:00 pm at the East West Bookshop, 6500 Roosevelt Ave. NE, Seattle. The First Sphere is scheduled for Jan. 4th – 6th, location to be determined. Call or email if you are interested and we’ll make sure to get you the details as soon as we have them.
Our Websites
The Ishaya Foundation
http://www.theishayafoundation.org
Hong Kong website
http://www.theishayafoundation.asia
European website
http://www.theishayafoundation.eu
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This is the 30th 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)
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