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What Is Lower Consciousness? Page 1
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Letting Go of Stress Page 3
Obstacles to Being Aware Page 4
Keys to Awakening Page 5
NEWSLETTER
November 5, 2009 - Skills, Present Moment, Insight
THE LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT

The world or universe we live in is governed by the law of cause and effect. The highest law is the law of karma. When you do something positive or beneficial, you get a positive and beneficial outcome. When you do something negative or unbeneficial, you get a negative or destructive outcome.

If you don't know what harming means, here are some examples:
1. Killing causes harm.
2. Lying causes harm.
3. Stealing causes harm.
4. Committing adultery causes harm.
5. Taking intoxicants causes harm.

When you do harm to someone (physically or mentally), you are also doing harm to yourself.

When you do harm to yourself (mentally or physically), you're adding more suffering to your physical body and mental consciousness. You're keeping yourself deep in ignorance (lack of awareness).

To uproot oneself from ignorance (not knowing), one must abstain from doing harm.

The 2 Principles You Must Follow
Since the law of cause and effect governs everything, you must have a strong foundation in your practice in order for you to experience inner peace (clarity in the mind). The 2 principles you must follow are:

1. DO NOT HARM OTHER BEINGS.
2. DO NOT HARM YOURSELF.

This is vital, and we must be aware of our thoughts and actions. Because when negative thoughts accumulate and become the dominant force in your life, they will lead you to commit harmful actions, either to yourself or to other beings.

THE LAW OF HARMONY & DISHARMONY

The world or universe is also governed by the law of harmony. When you’re in harmony (peaceful, able to get along, abstain from doing harm, make contribution to benefit yourself and others), it advances your consciousness. You become a wiser & happier person. When you’re in disharmony (not at peace, cannot get along, do harm, do things only to benefit yourself through control and manipulation), you’re lowering your consciousness. Consequently, you cannot experience true happiness (contentment), but can only experience temporary relief.

Lower Consciousness/Ego
• Attaches to the sense of self/belief system
• Inflexible Mind
• Operates on the Ability to Control
• A Control Freak/Discontent
• Rely on survival instincts (fight or flight)
• Experiences Duality (pleasure, displeasure)
• Does Harm
• Greedy
• Not Thankful/Not Good Enough
• Does Good with Ulterior Motive
• Motivated by Fear, Discontent, Craving
• In Disharmony
• Has the Need to Be Right
• Struggle with Reality
• Uninspired
• Has Enemy
• Judgmental
• Conditional Happiness
Higher Consciousness
• Does Not Attach to the sense of self or belief system
• Flexible Mind
• Operates on the Ability to Let Go
• Inner Peace/Contentment
• Rely on insight & wisdom
• Transcends Duality (blissful, joyful)
• Abstain from Doing Harm
• Unselfish/Happy to Share
• Has Gratitude/Appreciation
• Does Good out of Kindness/Compassion
• Motivated by Unconditional Love/Inner Peace/
  Kindness/Compassion
• In Harmony
• Give Up the Need to Be Right
• At Peace with Reality
• Inspirational
• Has No Enemy, Everyone is a friend
• Not Judgmental/Acceptance
• Unconditional Happiness

ONENESS
The experience of oneness comes from the law of harmony. When you're in harmony, you can see how your intention (thought, emotion) creates physical action and this vibration affects your level of consciousness and other beings as well. In state of higher consciousness you begin to harmonize your vibration with surrounding energy (people, object & situation) and see that everything and everyone is interconnected. By realizing this, you choose to be in harmony and abstain from doing harm because it benefits you and benefits others. It creates a Win-Win situation.

When you're in disharmony, you fail to see this interconnectedness so the feeling of oneness (harmony) escapes you. You feel you are separated. It's either you against the world or your group against another group. The feeling of separateness creates conflict. We can end this conflict by shifting to our higher consciousness. Once we're in higher conscious state, we can then experience the interconnectedness of everything and everyone one around us. The thing that's preventing us from this experience is fear (ego). When we let go of the fear, we then experience inner peace and this changes our vibration (thought/emotion) to be in harmony and at peace with everything.

Higher Consciousness
Through the practice of being aware, we begin to tap into our higher consciousness – the Pure Mind. In this state of stillness, the mind experiences inner peace, contentment, true happiness and freedom. It’s happiness from within. You’re happy regardless of the situation you’re in. This is our natural state. Mental stress and suffering cease to exist. In this state of higher consciousness, insight and wisdom arise.

Question 5.

5.

a. Do you see how the law of cause and effect is affecting your life?
b. Are you able to stay way from doing harm to yourself and to others?
c. In the list of characteristics of lower consciousness/ego and higher consciousness shown above, please choose the characteristics that reflect your state of consciousness.
d. After you selected them, come up with solutions that can be used to shift your consciousness from lower to higher state.

Copy and add Question 5 to your "Awareness_Training" file, then write the answers and save it on your computer.

This is the last question on the website. Once you have answered them all, please copy all questions and answers and send to: info@meditationguide.org or paste it in the form on the contact page. After your answers are reviewed, we will send you a response to help you become skillful at being aware.




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