Dharma Talks by Rama ~ Dr. Frederick Lenz

When you enter into the spiritual process, you change. Your rough edges are sanded away, your outer covering falls away, and you find that you're not exactly a person any more. After many years of meditation and spiritual practice, you will discover, rather, that you are a field of light, that you have no definite form, shape or color. While you can remember a past history of yourself to some extent-you can remember what you did when you were in the fourth grade, or when you were 15 or you were 20-while there are certain recurrent memories, there is little or no association with that which you are now and those memories. Just as the butterfly, as it flits from flower to flower, may dimly remember its days as a caterpillar, still there appears to be no relation, except through the function of memory, between that which the butterfly is and that which the butterfly was as a caterpillar. All time is eternally present. The timeless lies just around the corner. We experience the timeless in time. Spiritual balance cannot really occur in the world of time without an understanding of timelessness because it is timelessness that gives meaning to time. Please visit http://fredericklenzfoundation.org for more information.

When you enter into the spiritual process, you change. Your rough edges are sanded away, your outer covering falls away, and you find that you're not exactly a person any more. After many years of meditation and spiritual practice, you will discover, rather, that you are a field of light, that you have no definite form, shape or color. While you can remember a past history of yourself to some extent-you can remember what you did when you were in the fourth grade, or when you were 15 or you were 20-while there are certain recurrent memories, there is little or no association with that which you are now and those memories. Just as the butterfly, as it flits from flower to flower, may dimly remember its days as a caterpillar, still there appears to be no relation, except through the function of memory, between that which the butterfly is and that which the butterfly was as a caterpillar. All time is eternally present. The timeless lies just around the corner. We experience the timeless in time. Spiritual balance cannot really occur in the world of time without an understanding of timelessness because it is timelessness that gives meaning to time. Please visit http://fredericklenzfoundation.org for more information.

Our journey today concerns illusion, the nature of illusion and the way out of illusion. Illusion is a state of mind. It's a way of seeing things that is not exactly correct. Everything that we see with our eyes, feel with our bodies, taste, touch, hear, everything that we think, everything that we feel with our emotions, all things that we are drawn to because we consider them to be pleasurable, all things that we seek to avoid because we consider them to be painful, these are all a product of illusion. Illusion comes in many different forms. Illusion means to not see things exactly as they really are. If you're depressed you can walk through a field of flowers and see nothing to make you happy. If you're joyful, if you're elated, you can walk through a dark and desolate area and feel nothing but joy. While perception on the physical level certainly colors our experiences, perception on the mental level or on the emotional level has even a greater effect upon our awareness. But let's begin at the beginning. Let's begin with pleasure, pain and the senses. Please visit http://fredericklenzfoundation.org for more information.

Our journey today concerns illusion, the nature of illusion and the way out of illusion. Illusion is a state of mind. It's a way of seeing things that is not exactly correct. Everything that we see with our eyes, feel with our bodies, taste, touch, hear, everything that we think, everything that we feel with our emotions, all things that we are drawn to because we consider them to be pleasurable, all things that we seek to avoid because we consider them to be painful, these are all a product of illusion. Illusion comes in many different forms. Illusion means to not see things exactly as they really are. If you're depressed you can walk through a field of flowers and see nothing to make you happy. If you're joyful, if you're elated, you can walk through a dark and desolate area and feel nothing but joy. While perception on the physical level certainly colors our experiences, perception on the mental level or on the emotional level has even a greater effect upon our awareness. But let's begin at the beginning. Let's begin with pleasure, pain and the senses. Please visit http://fredericklenzfoundation.org for more information.

The greatest challenge awaiting you is living and working in the world. Traditionally, seekers of the infinite light have renounced society and gone into places of solitude to meditate, pray, fast, practice various spiritual arts and to gain a sense of community, a fellowship with others who speak a kindred language. If we look back at the history of spirituality, we see that the great, enlightened souls were often very reclusive. They lived on top of the high Himalayas, in caves and forests. Very few of them really entered into the world, or if they did live in somewhat of a societal setting, they had their students build monasteries, convents, ashrams-places where the students and the teacher could live together and associate with each other without having to deal with the world. This earth itself is nothing but beauty. But human beings have been a disease, from a certain point of view, a kind of a bacteria that has infected the earth, that has destroyed the forests, the rivers, polluted the oceans, that is currently destroying the ozone layer. Human beings have not taken very good care of the resource that sustains them. They don't seem to realize that if they destroy it, they destroy themselves. A most unusual species. Yet taken individually, human beings are incredibly beautiful. If we look at any person, they have sensitivities, inner light. Please visit http://fredericklenzfoundation.org for more information.

The greatest challenge awaiting you is living and working in the world. Traditionally, seekers of the infinite light have renounced society and gone into places of solitude to meditate, pray, fast, practice various spiritual arts and to gain a sense of community, a fellowship with others who speak a kindred language. If we look back at the history of spirituality, we see that the great, enlightened souls were often very reclusive. They lived on top of the high Himalayas, in caves and forests. Very few of them really entered into the world, or if they did live in somewhat of a societal setting, they had their students build monasteries, convents, ashrams-places where the students and the teacher could live together and associate with each other without having to deal with the world. This earth itself is nothing but beauty. But human beings have been a disease, from a certain point of view, a kind of a bacteria that has infected the earth, that has destroyed the forests, the rivers, polluted the oceans, that is currently destroying the ozone layer. Human beings have not taken very good care of the resource that sustains them. They don't seem to realize that if they destroy it, they destroy themselves. A most unusual species. Yet taken individually, human beings are incredibly beautiful. If we look at any person, they have sensitivities, inner light. Please visit http://fredericklenzfoundation.org for more information.

The Book of the Dead was intended as an advanced spiritual guidebook for persons who had reached the end of their evolutionary cycle and who were ready to make the jump to light speed; who had practiced spiritual disciplines in hundreds and thousands of lifetimes and now they were learning the very, very fine points of the rebirth process; who had spent their lives studying, their current life, with an enlightened teacher who would teach them these fine points. The Book of the Dead at that time was not a book of the dead. They were the secret oral teachings that were transmitted from enlightened teacher to student. They were only written down when it was feared that the way would be lost, and so as a kind of gift to mankind they were written down with the thought that those who read them might never understand them. They might take them on the wrong level, in other words, but there might be someone out there who did or it might help reawaken one who had traversed these higher ranges in a previous lifetime. And when that person reincarnated, even though there might not be an enlightened teacher for them, if there was not one on the planet at the time, if they were drawn to The Book of the Dead, reading it over, it would bring back or help jar their past life realizations and awarenesses. This was the intent of the author. Please visit http://fredericklenzfoundation.org for more information.

The Book of the Dead was intended as an advanced spiritual guidebook for persons who had reached the end of their evolutionary cycle and who were ready to make the jump to light speed; who had practiced spiritual disciplines in hundreds and thousands of lifetimes and now they were learning the very, very fine points of the rebirth process; who had spent their lives studying, their current life, with an enlightened teacher who would teach them these fine points. The Book of the Dead at that time was not a book of the dead. They were the secret oral teachings that were transmitted from enlightened teacher to student. They were only written down when it was feared that the way would be lost, and so as a kind of gift to mankind they were written down with the thought that those who read them might never understand them. They might take them on the wrong level, in other words, but there might be someone out there who did or it might help reawaken one who had traversed these higher ranges in a previous lifetime. And when that person reincarnated, even though there might not be an enlightened teacher for them, if there was not one on the planet at the time, if they were drawn to The Book of the Dead, reading it over, it would bring back or help jar their past life realizations and awarenesses. This was the intent of the author. Please visit http://fredericklenzfoundation.org for more information.

The caretaker personality is a way that has been evolved whereby you can deal with the world, your families, friends, your own emotions, while you exist in the world. When it's not necessary for you to use the personality form, you can put it on the shelf and let it rest and you can just be absorbed in the all-blissful light. You can be in complete awareness, in other words, using every part of your mind, every part of your being, absorbed in its ultimate purpose. The caretaker personality is a way of choosing what you wear, not simply in terms of clothing but in terms of personality. As you meditate and go more deeply within yourself, you come to see that you don't have one personality, you have many, many personalities. 'Know thyself' is a splendid idea because it is that absolute self that we come to know, that timeless reality. But at the same time it's also apropos to know thy selves, because you have many, many selves. There are many, many personality forms that operate through you, and as you peel back the layers of your outer being you come to see that many selves are what you are, and that these selves all speak, they all have different voices; they talk through you. Of course, beyond these many selves is that one immutable, perfect light. Please visit http://fredericklenzfoundation.org for more information.

The caretaker personality is a way that has been evolved whereby you can deal with the world, your families, friends, your own emotions, while you exist in the world. When it's not necessary for you to use the personality form, you can put it on the shelf and let it rest and you can just be absorbed in the all-blissful light. You can be in complete awareness, in other words, using every part of your mind, every part of your being, absorbed in its ultimate purpose. The caretaker personality is a way of choosing what you wear, not simply in terms of clothing but in terms of personality. As you meditate and go more deeply within yourself, you come to see that you don't have one personality, you have many, many personalities. 'Know thyself' is a splendid idea because it is that absolute self that we come to know, that timeless reality. But at the same time it's also apropos to know thy selves, because you have many, many selves. There are many, many personality forms that operate through you, and as you peel back the layers of your outer being you come to see that many selves are what you are, and that these selves all speak, they all have different voices; they talk through you. Of course, beyond these many selves is that one immutable, perfect light. Please visit http://fredericklenzfoundation.org for more information.

According to Brahmananda, one of the advanced students of Sri Ramakrishna, the spiritual life can be divided into two phases. The first section or phase is separated from the second section or phase by a person's entrance into samadhi. So the second phase of self-discovery begins with the entrance into samadhi. I'd like to consider with you for a few minutes what the nature of samadhi is, examine the concept behind the samadhis, and try and gain an understanding of not only why an individual seeks to go into samadhi, and how that occurs, but what the result of this process is. There are four basic states of awareness that a human being experiences. Please visit http://fredericklenzfoundation.org for more information.

According to Brahmananda, one of the advanced students of Sri Ramakrishna, the spiritual life can be divided into two phases. The first section or phase is separated from the second section or phase by a person's entrance into samadhi. So the second phase of self-discovery begins with the entrance into samadhi. I'd like to consider with you for a few minutes what the nature of samadhi is, examine the concept behind the samadhis, and try and gain an understanding of not only why an individual seeks to go into samadhi, and how that occurs, but what the result of this process is. There are four basic states of awareness that a human being experiences. Please visit http://fredericklenzfoundation.org for more information.

Death is like the ocean. We stand on the shore of life looking out into something that we cannot see the end of. Death appears to be endless. We see its vague beginnings as a person leaves this world, as their consciousness leaves the body at the time of death. They enter into the ocean; they go beyond the horizon. We see them not. We know not where they have gone. Strain our eyes though we may, we cannot see beyond the horizon of this life. Death is a hidden country, It is a land beyond sight, beyond sound, beyond the conditions, laws and limitations of this world. Today I would like to share with you a few thoughts on the subject of your death and the experience of death and rebirth. The horizon is not endless, nor is the ocean endless. On the other side of the ocean there is land, on this side of the ocean there is land. The ocean is that body of flux in between the land. While first appearing to be endless, when we journey in our boat into the ocean of existence we find that while the ocean is vast, it is not endless, death is not endless, nor is life. Life and death are two states of awareness. Really there is no life and there is no death. The idea that there is life, the idea that there is death, these are apprehensions that our mind presents to us. Please visit http://fredericklenzfoundation.org for more information.

Death is like the ocean. We stand on the shore of life looking out into something that we cannot see the end of. Death appears to be endless. We see its vague beginnings as a person leaves this world, as their consciousness leaves the body at the time of death. They enter into the ocean; they go beyond the horizon. We see them not. We know not where they have gone. Strain our eyes though we may, we cannot see beyond the horizon of this life. Death is a hidden country, It is a land beyond sight, beyond sound, beyond the conditions, laws and limitations of this world. Today I would like to share with you a few thoughts on the subject of your death and the experience of death and rebirth. The horizon is not endless, nor is the ocean endless. On the other side of the ocean there is land, on this side of the ocean there is land. The ocean is that body of flux in between the land. While first appearing to be endless, when we journey in our boat into the ocean of existence we find that while the ocean is vast, it is not endless, death is not endless, nor is life. Life and death are two states of awareness. Really there is no life and there is no death. The idea that there is life, the idea that there is death, these are apprehensions that our mind presents to us. Please visit http://fredericklenzfoundation.org for more information.

Nirvana is an endless expanse of unused consciousness and awareness. Nirvana is something that we eternally are. Nirvana is reality. Nirvana is not a time or a place or a dimension, although it includes times and dimensions and places. Nirvana is beyond the ocean, beyond the sky, beyond eternity itself. We are alive, we believe, we think, act, conceive, rebel, oppress, liberate. We are alive. We do things without knowing why, inventing answers that satisfy our minds, projecting reasons into the sun and the sky. Long before we came into this world, long before this world, nirvana existed, empty of thought waves, permanent, eternal, everlasting, brighter than ten billion suns, without shape or form yet giving all things shape and form. When this world has gone away, when all the people we know, all the beings who have ever been have said their last, done their last, nirvana will remain. Please visit http://fredericklenzfoundation.org for more information.