Question 34
Could you shed some light on how Heaven on Earth manifests for us?
Answer
Heaven on Earth manifests to the extent that you are present. The more fully present you are with what is here, the more Heaven on Earth reveals itself. It is not just being present. It is being present in a silent, loving embrace of all that is here with you.
If you are in a garden, be utterly present with whatever is in the garden. Be present with the tree. Be are present with the flowers. Feel the presence of everything in the garden. Feel the presence of the sky. Be present with the sound of the birds. When you are deeply present with everything in the garden and your heart is open in love and gratitude, then Heaven on Earth will reveal itself. And you will find yourself in Oneness, deeply immersed in the mystery of God's existence.
Question: Does this occur after years of practice?
Answer: No, it is right here now. It is available to you in this moment. Everything that is present has a Presence. God exists as the silent Presence at the very heart of all things present. If you want to experience God and Heaven on Earth, you will have to bring yourself fully present with what is actually here now. It is here in the flowers next to me. It is here in this chair. It is even here in the box of tissues on the table. Everything in physical form is the body of God. Bring yourself present with the body of God. It is the deepest form of prayer. When you are fully present in this way, the world that is not of this moment has disappeared. There are no thoughts which take you out of this moment into the remembered past or imagined future. You have transcended fear and desire and judgment. You have surrendered completely into the moment of Now.
Being present in the way that I am describing is not difficult but you must know the Way.
It is a pathless path. It is full of paradox and pitfalls along the way. You have to be very careful when it comes to spiritual concepts and practices. It is the ego which sets off on the spiritual path. The ego loves to become spiritualized. It loves to acquire spiritual knowledge. It would dearly love to be regarded as enlightened. For the ego, it is the ultimate accomplishment. And so the ego will diligently apply itself to spiritual practice in order to get somewhere or to achieve something. But that which the ego is seeking is already here. The seeking takes you further away from the present moment. It takes you into the world of the mind and all the possibilities of future fulfillment. But the promise of future fulfillment is a lie. The promise of enlightenment in the future is a lie. You can only be fulfilled now. You are enlightened only to the extent that you are fully awake and present in the moment of now.
To liberate your self from the illusory world of the mind and ego and become fundamentally established in Presence is the greatest challenge and the greatest opportunity facing humanity. In fact, it is our only hope if we are to survive as a species upon this planet. To awaken into the present moment is like coming home. It is like waking up out of a long dark dream and finding yourself in Heaven on Earth. It is the completion of your soul's journey.
Share This Post | Print This Post
- |
