A Day With Francis Bennett 16 February 2013 Palmer, Alaska

1. 2. 3. A Truth An Obstacle A Solution

The Truth is that THE PRESENCE OF GOD = THE PRESENT MOMENT. The nature of this realization is stability, because it is always present, always will be. You are that in which this life appears and disappears. Perspectiveit is what it is. Our life is both Relative and Absolute. It is not either/or. 1. 2. 3. Truth: There is an innate wholeness: joy, peace, love, stability. This is who we are on the deepest level. Obstacle: Our ego is created by our thoughts. Our minds are constantly thinking that its concepts, both past and future, are what is real and that is our obstacle. It gets in the way of realizing the Absolute. We believe we are our thoughts. Thought is a tool to be used, then set aside. Solution: Clear the mind; let go so that your Absolute Reality is revealed. Just being is enough.

Our relative self (false self) includes all the labels we give ourselves and our absolute self (true self) is that which never changes. 1. 2. 3. Truth: The I Am Obstacle: I am this, I am that, I am (the thought). Our problem is that we take these statements so seriously. Solution: Return to the I Am. Its pretty easy to return to what is already there.

The space is always there and can be accessed at any time. The stuff that comes and goes will always come and go, but the space remains unchanged by the stuff. Awareness is aware. It doesnt do anything. It just is. The unending infinite bliss is the Reality of God. The Ground of Being is always there and is easily accessible. You just have to be willing to shift your view to see the space instead of the objects. Reality is Reality. Your story of Reality causes emotions and feelings and you should ask yourself are these emotions and feelings necessary?. IT IS NOT THE EVENT THAT CAUSES THE SUFFERING, IT IS THE STORY YOU TELL YOURSELF ABOUT THE EVENT THAT CAUSES THE SUFFERING. We are all brilliant diamonds within, yet our stories are the mud that piles on the diamond to cover up our true self and not allow the light to shine. Stories, thoughts, beliefs and concepts are all obstacles that we need to let go to allow us to rest in our true nature. We suffer when we want things other than what is. The Buddhas three steps are impermanence, unsatisfactory-ness and empty of self. How does an Awakened Individual travel through this life? The Relative is Relative and is arising and ceasing while the Absolute is Absolute. There is no reason to try to make the relative absolute, because all that will result is suffering. You cant feel ________ without a _______ story. Fill in the blanks with whatever emotion you may experience. Stories and emotions clog our windshield so that we cant see our I Am. An Exercise based on the works of Byron Katie: Im upset at ________ (person) because they ________ (what they did). Now, investigate the story by asking: 1. Is that statement true? 2. Are you absolutely certain that it is true? 3. How do I feel when I believe that is true? 4. Who would I be without this story? Question our stories! Shift our relationship to our thoughts and let it go. We may believe that statement is true, but we cant absolutely know if it is true. We all have our own story and theres no way of knowing what other peoples stories are. Are we feeling bad about a situation or are we really just feeling bad about the stories and their attached emotions that we tell ourselves? All we have is our own perception, but we shouldnt take it so seriously because we cant know what others perceptions are. Theres a spectrum: My thoughts are reality------------------------------------------------------------My thoughts are just thoughts Stories are stories, but they do not need to cover up the I AM. Stories will always be there, but you shouldnt take them so seriously. Nothing can separate us from God. While it is difficult to not have stories; emotions and beliefs will be a part of our lives, but know that I AM NOT THAT, I JUST AM.