Of the books I have read lately, no other author has claimed to know the score more than David Hawkins in his book, "The Eye of the I." Thing is, nearly everything he says so far runs true as far as I know. His greatest contribution concerns the problem of duality, which has preoccupied me, but not him. With me, I too have felt the knowledge that all is one in time and place and perfect, but always have to look at the misery of the world and say, "that doesn't help them all that much." But for Hawkins, this is not a problem. Our perceived reality is unreal and should be treated as such. His certainty is so great that he tells us to go on no crusade, take no sides in the debates and struggles of humankind, for they are all in error. Everything is perfect as it is, and once one sees it, one's loving behavior and emanations will do more good than any who carry signs or run petitions. Frankly, after a lot of years watching such things, I do believe he is right - although, as an un-perfected human, I still must take sides.
His analysis, from the point of view of the truly enlightened (and perhaps he is), is sometimes hilarious. On God, the "All That Is," he says with obvious truth that God is not vengeful, angry or disappointed. It is "All That Is," after all, and with that, there is nothing lacking (what is funny is his putting God where It belongs, as the master of All, and then, to show how obvious the error of a jealous god is, presenting IT as a petty, immature tyrant). He ("It" is too impersonal, but we know God is beyond male and female) does not need prayers, does not punish and does not create misery. It is we who create the incomplete and the miserable, and we who project an angry or demanding god from our own inner turmoil.
And so with this brief summary in mind, we turn to guilt. I have stated that guilt is a decoy, a distraction from spiritual work, and Hawkins would agree with me - but he would also say that ANY enveloping thought patterns are a distraction. He is more particular about guilt, though, and states flatly what I have recently come to believe - that guilt is our way of punishing ourselves so that god won't have to. With guilt, we believe we get the purgatory out of the way. But we don't. There IS no purgatory or hell or any other torture chamber outside of our own imaginations. God, recall, is ALL; he is complete and serene and does not get angry, ever. He does not need to punish, and in fact the idea of punishment simply cannot be acted upon from the ultimate reality, which is LOVE. The real love. The love that has you love your child anyway, except way bigger.
And so, appealing again to the obvious, he tells us that guilt is a waste. If one wishes to change and not make that mistake again, simply change. As I put in the last essay, the present is the only real time we have, and so it should be the only place for mental action. Guilt will not change the past, and we have no sin to work off. Simply change in the present, now, and we have corrected the error. End of story.
And yet, not even Hawkins can write without implying some guilt. As he says, "nothing is lost on consciousness. Nothing. He (God) really does know every hair on your head." While we are then reassured that God takes no prisoners, nor is involved in any war at all, for there is only one "All That Is," this makes me uneasy. I've had a lot of bad - or let us say, unloving - thoughts. Why are they all remembered? For what purpose? I have not finished the book and maybe I'll find out (at this point I would say that the nature of the universe IS that nothing is ever lost, for all is ONE) but I have an uncomfortable feeling. In our human reality, records are kept not only for data - birth dates and SS numbers - but for rewards and punishments also. This "never lost" business smacks to my immature mind of the harsh taskmaster of karma and sin. Hawkins does answer this part of it - our karma is what our energy draws to itself, whether that be joy or misery. Additionally, he also adds that most people secretly enjoy the drama, including the bad, in their lives.
We will have to see what comes next and what to think of this. But of one thing we can be certain - guilt is a spiritual drain. It is best that we see the source of error, and go and sin no more. Guilt does no one any favor, not ourselves, not others, and not God. FK
His analysis, from the point of view of the truly enlightened (and perhaps he is), is sometimes hilarious. On God, the "All That Is," he says with obvious truth that God is not vengeful, angry or disappointed. It is "All That Is," after all, and with that, there is nothing lacking (what is funny is his putting God where It belongs, as the master of All, and then, to show how obvious the error of a jealous god is, presenting IT as a petty, immature tyrant). He ("It" is too impersonal, but we know God is beyond male and female) does not need prayers, does not punish and does not create misery. It is we who create the incomplete and the miserable, and we who project an angry or demanding god from our own inner turmoil.
And so with this brief summary in mind, we turn to guilt. I have stated that guilt is a decoy, a distraction from spiritual work, and Hawkins would agree with me - but he would also say that ANY enveloping thought patterns are a distraction. He is more particular about guilt, though, and states flatly what I have recently come to believe - that guilt is our way of punishing ourselves so that god won't have to. With guilt, we believe we get the purgatory out of the way. But we don't. There IS no purgatory or hell or any other torture chamber outside of our own imaginations. God, recall, is ALL; he is complete and serene and does not get angry, ever. He does not need to punish, and in fact the idea of punishment simply cannot be acted upon from the ultimate reality, which is LOVE. The real love. The love that has you love your child anyway, except way bigger.
And so, appealing again to the obvious, he tells us that guilt is a waste. If one wishes to change and not make that mistake again, simply change. As I put in the last essay, the present is the only real time we have, and so it should be the only place for mental action. Guilt will not change the past, and we have no sin to work off. Simply change in the present, now, and we have corrected the error. End of story.
And yet, not even Hawkins can write without implying some guilt. As he says, "nothing is lost on consciousness. Nothing. He (God) really does know every hair on your head." While we are then reassured that God takes no prisoners, nor is involved in any war at all, for there is only one "All That Is," this makes me uneasy. I've had a lot of bad - or let us say, unloving - thoughts. Why are they all remembered? For what purpose? I have not finished the book and maybe I'll find out (at this point I would say that the nature of the universe IS that nothing is ever lost, for all is ONE) but I have an uncomfortable feeling. In our human reality, records are kept not only for data - birth dates and SS numbers - but for rewards and punishments also. This "never lost" business smacks to my immature mind of the harsh taskmaster of karma and sin. Hawkins does answer this part of it - our karma is what our energy draws to itself, whether that be joy or misery. Additionally, he also adds that most people secretly enjoy the drama, including the bad, in their lives.
We will have to see what comes next and what to think of this. But of one thing we can be certain - guilt is a spiritual drain. It is best that we see the source of error, and go and sin no more. Guilt does no one any favor, not ourselves, not others, and not God. FK
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