Show Notes
For as long as space enduresAnd for as long as living beings remainUntil then may I too abideTo dispel the misery of the world.―Shantideva Compassion and generosity are the hallmarks of the most elevated souls, fully manifested within beings like Buddha, Jesus, Krishna, Moses, and all the prophets. The amazing fact is that such beings were once like us: filled with greed, envy, resentment, and all of the psychological contaminations and defects that make us suffer. What is also empowering is that we have the potential to become like these enlightened masters, whom in the east are known as bodhisattvas: "the essence or incarnation of wisdom," the latter word indicating Prajna in Sanskrit, or "vis-dom: the power of vision / perception." The equivalent Hebrew term is Chokmah חָכמָה, signifying Christ in the mystical Kabbalah. The essence of genuine spirituality is kindness, selfless service, and comprehension of the root nature of all existence: the unsurpassed wisdom of emptiness, Prajna, Śūnyatā, or uncreated light of the Kabbalists, denominated in Gnostic terms as Khristos, Christ. Christ is not a human person, but the intense, primordial root energy of boundless compassion for suffering beings trapped within cyclic or manifested existence. This divine force, the emptiness of enlightened cognizance, sustains all of the universe and sacrifices itself by entering within those practitioners who are properly cultivated and prepared through the great perfections or paramitas, the trainings, principles, or qualities of awakened consciousness within Tibetan Buddhism. Learn about the path of enlightenment through a gnostic exegesis of Shantideva's seminal Mahayana text, The Way of the Bodhisattva, and how the enlightened mind / heart of wisdom, bodhichitta, can be developed within the practitioner of any denomination, religion, or tradition. This lecture introduces Shantideva's text, the purpose and contexts of its composition, and its practical application within the art and science of meditation. The lecturer also explains how the mystical kabbalah and the gnostic tradition of Samael Aun Weor can elucidate the esoteric nature of this scripture. Resources and References: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/introduction-to-the-way-of-the-bodhisattva
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Perception has many depths, heights, and qualities depending upon its level of conditioning. The more conditioned our perception, the greater our limitations and suffering; the less conditioned it is, the more alert, clear, and free our state becomes. By eliminating mistaken ways of seeing and experiencing life, we clarify our ability to discern the fundamental reality of all things: a state of liberated cognition devoid of a "self," yet one that embodies the true characteristics of wisdom and enlightened compassion. Discover this through a final exploration of Shantideva's masterpiece. This journey examines the philosophical conundrums of inherent and selfless existence, the dangers of nihilism and eternalism, the insidiousness of desire, and the way service to humanity serves as the highest ideal and purpose of emptiness. It further delves into Buddhist analyses of emptiness in relation to mind and body; the laws of interdependence, relativity, impermanence, causality, and space; the problems of the analytical mind; the exercises of self-observation and self-remembering; and the inherent limitations and impediments of the mind according to Samael Aun Weor. Resources and References: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/wisdom-selfless-realization-through-direct-perception
Those who wish to comprehend and eliminate the internal causes of suffering must cultivate meditative concentration: the ability to serenely focus attention upon one thing with continuous application, so that the mind settles, thoughts diminish, and clarity opens one's consciousness. In this state it becomes possible to receive insights or visions with one's imagination: the capacity to perceive non-physical imagery representing objective reality. By receiving vivid images about our internal universe, one can explore the hidden psychological causes of suffering, so that by extricating their roots, we liberate ourselves from afflictive conditions and emancipate our true nature. Yet if we lack serenity, the lake of the mind becomes perturbed and incapable of reflecting the heavens within. Explore some tenets, anecdotes, and principles for cultivating serenity to help prepare for meditation, examining the problems with superficial associates and the troubles of family ties; advice for social interactions; reasons for cultivating non-attachment, meditative serenity, empathy, and bodhichitta; Buddhist and Gnostic notions of internal silence and psychological solitude so as to conserve energy; reflections to diffuse the powers of lust; meditations on impermanence, wealth, and death; methods for strengthening our relationships with others, society, and divinity; and much more. Resources and References: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/meditative-concentration-establishing-serenity-to-access-insight
As practitioners conserve, elevate, and purify their energies through ethics and patient discipline, they need to enact and direct such forces for the edification of theirs and others' spirituality. Such empowered efforts amplify benefit for oneself, community, and world through the laws of karma: cause and effect. By understanding such dynamics in oneself, it becomes possible to cultivate the real virtues of a bodhisattva, since generosity, ethics, and patience set the stage for ennobling everyone's quality of mind. See how through an exploration of the prior paramitas; the nature of joyful action, its opposites of sleep and inattention; the inevitability of death and how it can inspire urgency to practice; essential practices of cultivating a spiritual work ethic (exchanging self and other within Tibetan Buddhism); the different types of defeatism and how to overcome them; the true spiritual qualities of self-confidence as opposed to arrogance; the distinct characteristics of self-observation, awareness, attention, and self-remembrance; the problems of a lazy consciousness versus a hyperactive body; the powers of mindfulness and meditation; and much more. Resources and References: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/diligence-conscious-action-on-the-bodhisattva-path