Adam: Namaste, everybody.
We need Ariella and… Andrea.
Colleen: I'll text Ariella.
Adam: Did you?
Colleen: I will.
Adam: Okay. David, can you text Andrea? Thank you. Oh, there she is.
Audio shared by Adam: Opening our attention to the heart center to start. Listen to the heart.
Adam: Namaste, everybody, welcome. Hi, Praveen. Hi, David. Welcome, Dory. Hi, Andrea. Hi, Mom.
So, Jacob and Kira cannot make it today.
David, how has your practice been? Good to see you.
David P: Stall it during the morning.
Adam: Can you tell… you started doing it in the morning?
David P: No. Do you hear me well?
Adam: I suppose I did not hear you the first time. Can you say it again?
David P: Solid. As soon. Solido. Solid.
Adam: Oh, solid.
David P: Up.
Adam: Nice. Beautiful.
David P: Every day. But during the morning. Not so much in the afternoon.
Adam: So, I would like to talk about spirituality today. I can feel the strength of your practice, which is why I wanted to focus on that. The sermon for today is spirituality in general. What is spirituality? What does it mean to live a life consecrated to something spiritual? What does that even mean?
I think there is value in focusing on a recognition of what delineates the spiritual from the non-spiritual. What does it mean to have a spiritual life?
Spiritual, obviously, means pertaining to spirit. If it is spiritual, it pertains to spirit. So, what is spirit?
Within us, within all of existence, there is an essence. We are interested in the essence, and it is… whoop. The essence and… a way to live… yoked with the universe, yoked with eternity, connected with it, merged with it.
There is a passion in spirituality, a feeling. And that is what I would like to talk about today.
Why would one go through renunciation? Why would one go through disciplined practice, sit and meditate for hours upon hours, or live giving everything away? How do these benefit us? Or do they benefit us? What do they benefit? Why would one engage in these practices? There is a sense that if we are doing it, we are doing it for a reason. There must be some form of benefit.
Now, whom does it benefit? Perhaps that is part of the question.
So in spirituality, we center on erasing ourselves. By erasing ourselves, we develop a kind of dissolution and freedom from limitation. Freedom from sorrow. Freedom from separativity.
As a sentient being, as a thinker, as a being of consciousness, we are presented with a choice. Shall we live on behalf of becoming, of selfhood? Or shall we live in trust, in freedom, in unity?
These are some of the polarities that one can find all within that word, spirituality.
A lot of people pursue spirituality when they go through a great deal of pain, a great deal of suffering. And something—though it is not always the cause—something clicks in them and they say, I have had enough with being a human. Not being alive as a human, but being an ego, being an identity. I want to let go of the things that cause me pain, the attachment.
This is a very Buddhist perspective on it, or a Buddhist emphasis.
So in spirituality, we are perhaps in the most essential way trying to become free of personality. We want to be the spirit that we are, not the form that we are.
Now, when we become that spirit, forms emerge. But those forms are forms directed by spirit, not by ideation, not by ego. So there is this gracefulness in them.
Oh. Rafael is here.
So all of these principles—why feel gratitude? Well, in gratitude, there is this detachment. There is a recognition of the blessings. There is a state of acceptance.
Why feel kindness? Well, in kindness, I feel I am the other. You see, there are the same themes wrapped through all of this. These things are spiritual because they dissolve the circumference of self.
If you think of us as a circle with a circumference, it has a center, and it has a circumference. But when the circle opens up and its radius becomes very large, eventually it is a straight line—there is no circle anymore, there is no circumference.
So we dissolve the circumference of self by removing that center and that self-centered orientation with many of these principles. This is a whole collection of principles and virtues, but they all come from that same soil of spirit.
Why do we go into the light? So there is this light. What is that light? It is the essence of spirit.
We are actually saying, I can merge in spirit through my capacity. I recognize how to let go and enter into the energy of Essence. So that is Raja Yoga.
When we experience the light, we dissolve that separativity, that form. And we leave a form that is pure—a form that is directed by Dharma, something bigger.
So Dharma means truth, it means duty, it is the entire universe and our place in the universe without the idea of self, without the imposition of illusion and its effects. What do you think, Praveen?
Praveen S: Unable to say anything, but hearing you makes it feel a little easier than what it actually seems like.
Adam: Oh, haha. I like this comment. So, what does it take to let go? What does it take to overcome the hurdle of selfhood? This is a part of spirituality.
You know, there was a time when I was terrified not to have $10,000 stacked in my closet, just as backup. I would not say terrified, but there was a time when that was absolutely essential, bottom line, normal for me.
But what is it like to wander in the desert, not knowing where your next sip of water will come from, and to stand free and naked to possibility? To the elements, trusting in some sort of destiny that will unfold, and you will be given what you need.
So how do we do that? Thank you, Praveen. I am so glad you brought that up, because the other part of spirituality is: how do we undergo a transformation that makes us free? Free from these limitations, free from that seemingly habitual response.
We are so responsive. You might say, "Well, do not feel fear." Okay, I will not feel fear. But it does not work that easily, does it? Or, "Do not think." One of the things in spirituality, as I was going to say earlier, is to stop thinking.
Well, what essentially is thought? When I think, I am protecting my interests. I am in control. I am my past, my likes and dislikes, my previous experiences, all acting in the present as a response to current conditions.
So, not thinking is a very precarious state—or rather, it is a state of freedom, a state of trust, a state of love. When I do not think, I am not... There is another element, which is to be without ambition, to be without self-importance.
Do people like me or not? Who cares? Why do we have to carry the baggage of recognition and respect, which is always extremely limited?
What is respect based on? Most people respect things for the wrong reasons, right? Or there is someone who respects another person—often, it is quite corrupt. If you were to look inside, you might see that they wanted to get something from them, or they were afraid in some way. It is all a big web of complexity that is part of the personality.
And so, in spirituality, we simplify. We melt down the personality and distill it so that we can abide in love, in light, in truth, in power, in eternity, in peace. We receive all these beautiful benefits.
We receive all these jewels of the universe, little treasure chests of jewels. Each one is like—a ruby is love, and a diamond is clarity and truth. David, do you remember my document that I... yes, the treasures?
David P: I... yesterday, I read the whole thing again.
Adam: Oh, I love that!
David P: Yes, yes.
Adam: It means a lot to me that you are looking at that. Wonderful. I put a great deal of thought into it—considering which jewel would represent which value, right? Its spiritual value. So I delineated a number of values: truth, peace, love—the things that we gain from spirituality.
David P: Freedom.
Adam: Yes, freedom, exactly. You could be a very successful person outwardly and lack this inner richness. And you could possess all this inner richness and have nothing outwardly.
And it is good to have both, is it not? It is good to live in an abundant society where we are well cared for, and our inspirations can flourish in the moment, in freedom, in love—not as ego, but as the innocence of a child who wants to live their life. There is nothing impure about that. All of those beautiful spiritual qualities can be present.
So, Praveen, how do we experience this? This is spirituality. We are saying, "Okay, I am attached to the $10,000." Well, perhaps I need to face that attachment. One by one, face the attachments.
Now, do not do it when you are not ready. Do not do it without gentleness and kindness. Simply say, "Oh, right now? I see the opportunity in renouncing something, in giving something away."
And Krishnamurti says something beautiful: become anonymous to yourself.
That frees us from suffering and sorrow. So…
There is this whole idea of, "Oh, well, I have to be worthy for some reason." But we are worthy. We are children of the universe. If I am worthy for a reason, then I am living in a paradigm where everything is worthy for a reason, but nothing should be worthy for a reason. We are worthy because we are consciousness.
That is a loving orientation. Everything matters. Every flower petal matters. Every human being matters equally.
They perform different functions. Not everyone can be the CEO of Apple, right? But that is not a value statement on who they are. That is simply a recognition of their capacity to fulfill a function.
This is a somewhat broad sermon today. I am simply suggesting: what does it mean to live a life consecrated to spirituality? When you look at the saints and the sages, they had a fervency—a commitment to something.
Sometimes it is hard to find that commitment. You may even want the commitment. You might ask, "How can I find that commitment? I want to feel it." I know I have a sincerity inside of me to be as spiritual as I can be, but I do not feel it right now. I feel the ickiness of society, and it is coming through me, and I want to attune myself, and entrain myself to the sentiments of the saints and the sages, and the prophets, and the people who gave everything to God, or Enlightenment, or eternity—they are all essentially the same thing.
And how can I do that? A great deal of what Sangha is about is that we remind each other. I may feel so deep in this and share it. And one day, perhaps I will fluctuate down, feel less connected, and I will see Praveen, and he connected with it, and then we all act as a support system.
It is like a weighted average in mathematics. If you have many investments in the stock market, they can fluctuate, but as a group, they maintain a weighted average. So we buffer our risk in that way. Sangha has that effect.
So, let us see. Alright, we have just a few more minutes, and then we will begin the meditation.
Ariella is very, very spiritual, and it is impressive how Ariella does it, because she does not live around a lot of spirituality. No offense to your family. But she knows this. She simply is it anyway. And that is a very special thing. Sometimes it is harder for people to do that.
And it is wonderful when there are people like Sadhguru, for example. Sadhguru has created this giant wave of spiritual interest and a large community—thousands, millions of people, apparently millions of volunteers in his organization. Millions of volunteers—that is remarkable.
Spreading the light, spreading the Dharma, spreading love—all of this makes it easier for the random teenager who opens Instagram and sees all the nonsense, and is so far from spirituality, because they are being brought into a world that is not necessarily promoting that. The entire value system being transmitted is not always spiritual.
This is the value of what Saad Group is doing—putting a tremendous amount of content on Instagram and YouTube, with billions of views. That makes a significant difference.
Then we have Ariella, who just knows. She knows that spirit matters. She feels it, and she lives with gentleness.
Ariella: What you are talking about really resonates with me.
Adam: Yes, you just know. So…
It is nice to mention, because you may find yourself at a spiritual gathering, and some of it may not feel so spiritual. But then you might find one or two people there who are very sincere. Sometimes a spiritual gathering is the best place to be if you appreciate spirituality. Still, you may encounter a truly spiritual one, with many sincere people.
Spirituality—there is something inside us that wants to return home. To the center of the universe, which is everywhere. Ultimately, it is within us. Everything is inside of us.
We want to return home to the eternal reverberation of freedom. What made Jesus so sincere? What made Buddha so sincere? What made OSHO, Krishnamurti, Paramahansa Yogananda, Ananda Mae Ma—what made them so sincere? Sun Tzu. Even Bruce Lee—I would say he belongs in that group. And then there are people like Shakespeare. When he says, "To thine own self be true," and that beautiful phrase, he is speaking from the same sincerity, as far as I can tell. There are artists, writers, and musicians who have done this as well.
So, I suppose the homework for this week, or the suggestion for this week, is to ask yourself, if you wish, "How can I be the most spiritual person?" And what does that even mean? How can I consecrate myself to something greater than myself?
My ambitions, my pleasures, my securities—and then, to go beyond. Something higher. Something better. Something deeper, more valuable. It is the heart and spirit.
Are there any questions or comments before we begin the meditation? Mathematics can be an act of devotion. Art can be an act of devotion, in the sense that we are letting go of our pride.
Alright, someone needs to share. Just one. How about you, Mom? Sorry, I know you do not always like me calling on you.
Colleen: I just know when I am around spiritual people, because they make you feel… it is… They just have a warmth and a kindness and a… They are true, they are true to whatever. You just feel it. So, I can recognize a few people, and one of those is Ariella.
Adam: And yourself. When we are around spiritual people, they love us for who we are. You can feel that. You can feel that unity. And when we focus on them, we can sense, empathically, that we are doing something different. Something pure. Beautiful.
Adam: Alright, so let us meditate. On the heart? Let us meditate on spirit, perhaps?
There are many ways to meditate. I have Rafael and Doria here, and I want to share this. There are a number of ways to meditate, but ultimately there is only one result. In meditation, there is a state of samadhi—or perhaps you already know this—but there is a state of dissolution, a state of freedom. Often, in society, there are many techniques. But meditation begins when meditation ends. Meditation begins when we stop being the meditator. And we become what we are.
So, there are practices that go beyond meditation. There is a level of cultivation of the astral body, of the mind, and of the physical body that occurs. For example, if we meditate on our heart, we generate love, and we actually move toward the deepest state of meditation. But we also gain more love. And when we meditate on light, we receive what light offers. When we meditate on dissolution, that is very direct, actually.
These techniques can be very fast. You can sit down and within ten seconds, you are gone. There is no technique anymore; you are simply there. Or if you are in Sahaja Samadhi, which is the perpetual state of enlightenment, you never leave it. You are always there. You can sit and meditate, but you are never outside that state of awakening.
David P: Yes, I was just checking the definition of spirit. It says it comes from the Latin "spiritus," which means "breathe."
Adam: Right.
David P: Which is interesting, because it is, in a way, connected to Pranayama, perhaps? Prana? And to ki. Yes, the chi. And I think that we have kind of lost the idea of what the spirit is, at least in the Western world.
Adam: Yes, and I think in the East as well. What do you think, Praveen? Does everyone connect with this around you, just because they are in India?
Praveen S: Not really, Adam. But it is difficult, yes.
Adam: There are more saints and sages in India, but it is still few and far between. It is like a higher concentration gas—it is still mostly empty space, but there are more particles. India is just more dense. Well, yes, so David, I am sorry, did I interrupt you?
Praveen S: Yes.
David P: No, no, I was… because it is very funny that you are talking about spirituality, when this morning, I was saying to myself, "What is a spirit? I have to look at the dictionary."
Adam: Oh, you actually looked it up this morning?
David P: Yes.
Adam: Wow! I thought you had just done it now—that is impressive.
David P: No, it was this morning that I checked the meaning, because I have been interested in meditation and talking about spirituality, but—
Adam: I do not—
David P: The word “spirit”—I did not know where it came from.
Adam: I might have actually picked up the sermon from you, then, because it was very spontaneous. And I was actually trying to meditate to see what the focus should be today, because there are so many things you could focus on. And—oh, I see a cattail! Watch out! That is funny. Maybe that is just… maybe that is its head. No, that is the tail. Hello? Aw.
David, I feel that definition is somewhat metaphorical. Breath is what sustains us. Spirit is what sustains us. That is my interpretation of the etymology. Breath is that most subtle aspect of life force—life in physical manifestation. So it points to a subtlety, something that sustains us, something etheric. But perhaps there are other influences, like Pranayama, as you mentioned. That is interesting. Maybe it means the ambient energy.
Adam: Alright, so today, let us meditate on... how about a super heart day? Super heart day—let us do it. We will focus on heart energy. So, right here—
In the center of the chest. You know, your physical heart is not in the center of your chest, but in the center of the chest, there is an energetic vortex. Usually, if you were to say, “I am so-and-so,” and point to your chest, you are pointing right to that spot.
When you focus on it, you awaken it. Sometimes we do not focus on our heart chakra. This is the heart chakra, called Anahata in Sanskrit. It is the middle Dantian in Chinese. In Judaism, it is one of the Sephiroth—Sephora. I need to look that up; I do not know as much about that terminology, but it is there, as far as I recall.
So when we feel the spot and center there, we can also expand from there, right? There is the center of this vortex, but then there is the field of it, the expansion of it. Meditating on the heart can include feeling the heart expand, which is a very important aspect of the energetics.
It can also include simply trying to wake it up, because there is a chi there, and you might not be able to feel it. You can even tap the spot. You can just focus there—even if you put your finger there and hold it, it wakes something up.
Feel your heart. Can you feel your heart? Can you listen to your heart? These are all capacities. If you were to spend the next month completely focused on your heart—so you did not prioritize anything else, and no matter what you were doing, you were trying to fuel your heart and remember your heart—it undergoes quite a significant transformation.
If you take it to the extreme, or simply do it over a number of years, another thing you can do energetically is generate heat. There is a kind of chi that you can intend that feels like warmth in the heart. You feel a warm heart generating within you, and it is a really lovely feeling.
It changes your demeanor. You are like, “Oh, I am good. My heart is all warm and full and fuzzy and nice.” How are you going to treat people when you feel like that? Beautifully, of course.
So let us meditate on the heart. We have about 25 minutes or so to do so. I will be the DJ. I am going to start with the song we were listening to when you arrived.
One of the ways to feel the heart chakra is to be, do, have—to step into being. There is no way to it. Let the music inspire you. Just become loving. Quantum leap.
So energetically, we are feeling the heart, but we are also letting go—giving away all those impediments. It is an element of giving up resistance. Surrender. Compassion. Forgiveness.
And you can use the light. Make sure every meditation is a light meditation, if you can connect with it. Light and love and heart, all together.
It is an eternal part of us to come home to. Center of the universe. It can help us connect with love.
Let your heart shine. Let it radiate. Take a moment to feel your heart. Notice the eternality of the moment, the expanse of samsara, creation, the innocence—a viewer, spirit, deepest self.
I am noticing the light, the inner light. Namaste. Mom, would you like to share your mystical experiences?
Colleen: Yes, thank you, Adam, that was very nice. The red light always comes to me immediately when I close my eyes, and today I had orange, with green spots in front of it as well, which is very strange. But then I was also having some unusual visions. Somebody was trying on wedding veils. I do not know, someone was buying something. I cannot remember them—just quick little dreams.
Adam: You should explore that. First of all, it is beautiful that you are experiencing the light, and make sure to use the light. Let the light renew you. It is a divine shower of light. It renews the spirit, and it washes us.
The fact that you connect with the red light so easily and consistently means that...
Colleen: You are probably...
Adam: Alright, then.
Colleen: You sort of feel inner peace when you see the... relax right away.
Adam: Beautiful. Oh.
Colleen: Thank you, Adam.
Adam: You are welcome. Namaste. And then, explore those images you have—they may have significance in the symbology.
You can look at yourself and ask, why did I see that? What energy was I interpreting that is present?
Alright, namaste, Mom. Thank you.
How about you, Dory? Would you like to share? You do not have to. You can always pass if you want to, but I would love to hear from you, Dory.
Dori: It was a little hard to focus at first because I had my windows open, and a neighbor happened to be outside on the phone. So, while I was connected to the heart and to everyone else, I just imagined the distractions leaving.
A huge gust of wind came by, and I suppose it was enough to make them go inside, because then they left. I no longer heard their conversation, and I was able to focus a little more. So that was the most profound thing—the effect of the weather. But overall, the light for me is usually purple.
I was also thinking a lot about personal things, like friends with issues and possible solutions for them. That is just what came to me today.
Adam: Nice, so you experienced the purple light?
Dori: Yes, in meditations I normally do, yes.
Adam: I love that, congratulations. I really love that.
Dori: Thank you. Yes, it is more like a mist or a fog.
Adam: Yes, perfect. That is what it is. Purple light is a great experience.
Oh, yes, so part of the reason this is called the Love Light Sanga is because we love light. We also love love.
And the whole idea is Raja Yoga, or Bhakti mysticism, which would be a heart-centered version. It is to use the light to awaken to enlightenment.
The light really does that for us. Wonderful.
How about you, Ariella? Thank you, Dori, for being here. And then we will stop, because it is seven after.
Ariella: Yes, it was… Oh, it was just amazing. Meditation.
I do not know, I did not see a color, I just saw light. And then… I call it spacing out. I do not know if it is falling asleep, or… I just… I am not aware of anything.
Adam: Well, explore how deep that is, actually. Did you go away? I mean, if you are not aware, it sounds like you are having a Kensho experience every time.
Kensho in Japanese means a glimpse of eternity. And you would not be aware of anything. But when you come out of it, you try on your personality again. It is kind of like you are naked, and then you put the personality back on.
By the way, when you say you did not see colors, but you saw light—so it is interesting that you say that, because if you saw light, what did you see? Could you describe it? You do not have to say, it does not have to be a color. I mean, well, light is always some color of some kind.
Ariella: Only it is… it is sort of a whitish color.
Adam: Okay, what qualities are there in the white?
Ariella: This gradient.
Adam: Okay, does it have an iridescent quality? What does it feel like? Does it feel milky white, or does it feel opalescent, pearl-like white light? There are different kinds of white light.
Ariella: I will have to think about that.
Adam: Wonderful. And sometimes the white light might have a gold quality in it.
Ariella: Yes.
Adam: And sometimes the white light has a black quality in it, which is not really black—it is more like clear. Which is a very deep quality, actually. It is the deepest quality.
Ariella: Oh, wow.
Adam: So, eventually, everything becomes black, actually, and that is the deepest light. It is not black—it is so bright that it makes everything become clear. It is like the gold light becomes so bright that it does that.
But all the light is good. Any light is good. And namaste, Ariella. Thank you. Good job. Beautiful.
And I wanted to just say to everybody that, regarding—and I am thinking of you, Praveen, especially right now—be patient. Just continue your practice. This is how transformation happens.
Keep reading. Keep meditating. Namaste, goodbye.
Keep reading, keep meditating, keep living in kindness, keep prioritizing freedom, keep prioritizing humility, keep studying these things.
Coming to Sangha, the Sangha, or another Sangha, attuning to enlightened sentiments and individuals and writings. Doing Tai Chi, kundalini yoga, energy work, living healthily—just keep going, and over time, you undergo a transformation.
There is a… you will have a complete overhaul of your karma. It will eventually, eventually could happen, if you persist.
And it may take one Jupiter cycle, which is 12 years. Which is actually quite common. Jupiter is actually part of the cycle for these transformations, and it might take a lifetime, but it does not matter.
You will be taking steps towards the beloved freedom, sacredness at the top of the mountain. Every time we take a step toward our beloved, we are happy, because we are stepping in the right direction.
So just keep doing the practice. The transformation happens through routine. It is too… it is, you know, it is like, how do you clear a computer.
Well, you have to go through line by line. Even if the computer is fast, it still has to update those files, right? And it takes time. So…
Karma, that is what… The issue with karma is it is inertia, it is momentum.
And there can be instantaneous enlightenments, too. But those usually are not up to us.
How does this happen? They can happen as a part of your practice. Instantly. Like a mango dropping from a tree. It ripens for many years, and then it drops, when it is ready.
Namaste, everybody. Thank you for being here. I hope this was transformative and healing and special for you, and we are only five minutes over, so I think that is fine.
Good to see you. Namaste. Do your practice. Meditate every day. Okay, goodbye, everybody.
This essay is a near-verbatim adaptation of the live spoken teaching, edited only for continuity and readability.
Opening my attention to the heart center to start, I listen to the heart. Namaste, and welcome. Today, I want to talk about spirituality. I can feel the strength of your practice, and that is why I want to focus on this. The topic for today is spirituality in general. What is spirituality? What does it mean to live a life consecrated to something spiritual? What does that even mean?
I think there is value in focusing on a recognition of what delineates the spiritual from the non-spiritual. What does it mean to have a spiritual life? Spiritual, obviously, means pertaining to spirit. If it is spiritual, it pertains to spirit. So, what is spirit?
Within us, within all of existence, there is an essence. We are interested in the essence, and it is… the essence and a way to live yoked with the universe, yoked with eternity, connected with it, merged with it. There is a passion in spirituality, a feeling. And that is what I would like to talk about today.
Why would one go through renunciation? Why would one go through disciplined practice, sit and meditate for hours upon hours, or live giving everything away? How do these benefit us? Or do they benefit us? What do they benefit? Why would one engage in these practices? There is a sense that if we are doing it, we are doing it for a reason. There must be some form of benefit. Now, whom does it benefit? Perhaps that is part of the question.
So in spirituality, we center on erasing ourselves. By erasing ourselves, we develop a kind of dissolution and freedom from limitation. Freedom from sorrow. Freedom from separativity.
As a sentient being, as a thinker, as a being of consciousness, we are presented with a choice. Shall we live on behalf of becoming, of selfhood? Or shall we live in trust, in freedom, in unity? These are some of the polarities that one can find all within that word, spirituality.
A lot of people pursue spirituality when they go through a great deal of pain, a great deal of suffering. And something—though it is not always the cause—something clicks in them and they say, I have had enough with being a human. Not being alive as a human, but being an ego, being an identity. I want to let go of the things that cause me pain, the attachment. This is a very Buddhist perspective on it, or a Buddhist emphasis.
So in spirituality, we are perhaps in the most essential way trying to become free of personality. We want to be the spirit that we are, not the form that we are. Now, when we become that spirit, forms emerge. But those forms are forms directed by spirit, not by ideation, not by ego. So there is this gracefulness in them.
All of these principles—why feel gratitude? Well, in gratitude, there is this detachment. There is a recognition of the blessings. There is a state of acceptance. Why feel kindness? Well, in kindness, I feel I am the other. You see, there are the same themes wrapped through all of this. These things are spiritual because they dissolve the circumference of self.
If you think of us as a circle with a circumference, it has a center, and it has a circumference. But when the circle opens up and its radius becomes very large, eventually it is a straight line—there is no circle anymore, there is no circumference. So we dissolve the circumference of self by removing that center and that self-centered orientation with many of these principles. This is a whole collection of principles and virtues, but they all come from that same soil of spirit.
Why do we go into the light? So there is this light. What is that light? It is the essence of spirit. We are actually saying, I can merge in spirit through my capacity. I recognize how to let go and enter into the energy of Essence. So that is Raja Yoga. When we experience the light, we dissolve that separativity, that form. And we leave a form that is pure—a form that is directed by Dharma, something bigger.
So Dharma means truth, it means duty, it is the entire universe and our place in the universe without the idea of self, without the imposition of illusion and its effects. What does it take to let go? What does it take to overcome the hurdle of selfhood? This is a part of spirituality.
There was a time when I was terrified not to have $10,000 stacked in my closet, just as backup. I would not say terrified, but there was a time when that was absolutely essential, bottom line, normal for me. But what is it like to wander in the desert, not knowing where your next sip of water will come from, and to stand free and naked to possibility? To the elements, trusting in some sort of destiny that will unfold, and you will be given what you need.
So how do we do that? The other part of spirituality is: how do we undergo a transformation that makes us free? Free from these limitations, free from that seemingly habitual response.
We are so responsive. You might say, "Well, do not feel fear." Okay, I will not feel fear. But it does not work that easily, does it? Or, "Do not think." One of the things in spirituality, as I was going to say earlier, is to stop thinking.
Well, what essentially is thought? When I think, I am protecting my interests. I am in control. I am my past, my likes and dislikes, my previous experiences, all acting in the present as a response to current conditions. So, not thinking is a very precarious state—or rather, it is a state of freedom, a state of trust, a state of love. When I do not think, I am not... There is another element, which is to be without ambition, to be without self-importance.
Do people like me or not? Who cares? Why do we have to carry the baggage of recognition and respect, which is always extremely limited? What is respect based on? Most people respect things for the wrong reasons, right? Or there is someone who respects another person—often, it is quite corrupt. If you were to look inside, you might see that they wanted to get something from them, or they were afraid in some way. It is all a big web of complexity that is part of the personality.
And so, in spirituality, we simplify. We melt down the personality and distill it so that we can abide in love, in light, in truth, in power, in eternity, in peace. We receive all these beautiful benefits. We receive all these jewels of the universe, little treasure chests of jewels. Each one is like—a ruby is love, and a diamond is clarity and truth. I put a great deal of thought into it—considering which jewel would represent which value, right? Its spiritual value. So I delineated a number of values: truth, peace, love—the things that we gain from spirituality. Freedom, exactly.
You could be a very successful person outwardly and lack this inner richness. And you could possess all this inner richness and have nothing outwardly. And it is good to have both, is it not? It is good to live in an abundant society where we are well cared for, and our inspirations can flourish in the moment, in freedom, in love—not as ego, but as the innocence of a child who wants to live their life. There is nothing impure about that. All of those beautiful spiritual qualities can be present.
So, how do we experience this? This is spirituality. We are saying, "Okay, I am attached to the $10,000." Well, perhaps I need to face that attachment. One by one, face the attachments. Now, do not do it when you are not ready. Do not do it without gentleness and kindness. Simply say, "Oh, right now? I see the opportunity in renouncing something, in giving something away."
And Krishnamurti says something beautiful: become anonymous to yourself. That frees us from suffering and sorrow.
There is this whole idea of, "Oh, well, I have to be worthy for some reason." But we are worthy. We are children of the universe. If I am worthy for a reason, then I am living in a paradigm where everything is worthy for a reason, but nothing should be worthy for a reason. We are worthy because we are consciousness.
That is a loving orientation. Everything matters. Every flower petal matters. Every human being matters equally. They perform different functions. Not everyone can be the CEO of Apple, right? But that is not a value statement on who they are. That is simply a recognition of their capacity to fulfill a function.
This is a somewhat broad sermon today. I am simply suggesting: what does it mean to live a life consecrated to spirituality? When you look at the saints and the sages, they had a fervency—a commitment to something. Sometimes it is hard to find that commitment. You may even want the commitment. You might ask, "How can I find that commitment? I want to feel it." I know I have a sincerity inside of me to be as spiritual as I can be, but I do not feel it right now. I feel the ickiness of society, and it is coming through me, and I want to attune myself, and entrain myself to the sentiments of the saints and the sages, and the prophets, and the people who gave everything to God, or Enlightenment, or eternity—they are all essentially the same thing.
And how can I do that? A great deal of what Sangha is about is that we remind each other. I may feel so deep in this and share it. And one day, perhaps I will fluctuate down, feel less connected, and I will see someone else connected with it, and then we all act as a support system. It is like a weighted average in mathematics. If you have many investments in the stock market, they can fluctuate, but as a group, they maintain a weighted average. So we buffer our risk in that way. Sangha has that effect.
Sometimes you may find yourself at a spiritual gathering, and some of it may not feel so spiritual. But then you might find one or two people there who are very sincere. Sometimes a spiritual gathering is the best place to be if you appreciate spirituality. Still, you may encounter a truly spiritual one, with many sincere people.
Spirituality—there is something inside us that wants to return home. To the center of the universe, which is everywhere. Ultimately, it is within us. Everything is inside of us. We want to return home to the eternal reverberation of freedom. What made Jesus so sincere? What made Buddha so sincere? What made OSHO, Krishnamurti, Paramahansa Yogananda, Ananda Mae Ma—what made them so sincere? Sun Tzu. Even Bruce Lee—I would say he belongs in that group. And then there are people like Shakespeare. When he says, "To thine own self be true," and that beautiful phrase, he is speaking from the same sincerity, as far as I can tell. There are artists, writers, and musicians who have done this as well.
So, the suggestion for this week is to ask yourself, if you wish, "How can I be the most spiritual person?" And what does that even mean? How can I consecrate myself to something greater than myself? My ambitions, my pleasures, my securities—and then, to go beyond. Something higher. Something better. Something deeper, more valuable. It is the heart and spirit.
Mathematics can be an act of devotion. Art can be an act of devotion, in the sense that we are letting go of our pride. When we are around spiritual people, they love us for who we are. You can feel that. You can feel that unity. And when we focus on them, we can sense, empathically, that we are doing something different. Something pure. Beautiful.
There are many ways to meditate, but ultimately there is only one result. In meditation, there is a state of samadhi—or perhaps you already know this—but there is a state of dissolution, a state of freedom. Often, in society, there are many techniques. But meditation begins when meditation ends. Meditation begins when we stop being the meditator. And we become what we are.
So, there are practices that go beyond meditation. There is a level of cultivation of the astral body, of the mind, and of the physical body that occurs. For example, if we meditate on our heart, we generate love, and we actually move toward the deepest state of meditation. But we also gain more love. And when we meditate on light, we receive what light offers. When we meditate on dissolution, that is very direct, actually.
These techniques can be very fast. You can sit down and within ten seconds, you are gone. There is no technique anymore; you are simply there. Or if you are in Sahaja Samadhi, which is the perpetual state of enlightenment, you never leave it. You are always there. You can sit and meditate, but you are never outside that state of awakening.
The definition of spirit comes from the Latin "spiritus," which means "breathe." Breath is what sustains us. Spirit is what sustains us. That is my interpretation of the etymology. Breath is that most subtle aspect of life force—life in physical manifestation. So it points to a subtlety, something that sustains us, something etheric. Perhaps there are other influences, like Pranayama. Maybe it means the ambient energy.
Today, let us meditate on the heart. In the center of the chest—your physical heart is not in the center of your chest, but in the center of the chest, there is an energetic vortex. Usually, if you were to say, “I am so-and-so,” and point to your chest, you are pointing right to that spot. When you focus on it, you awaken it. Sometimes we do not focus on our heart chakra. This is the heart chakra, called Anahata in Sanskrit. It is the middle Dantian in Chinese. In Judaism, it is one of the Sephiroth. So when we feel the spot and center there, we can also expand from there. There is the center of this vortex, but then there is the field of it, the expansion of it. Meditating on the heart can include feeling the heart expand, which is a very important aspect of the energetics.
It can also include simply trying to wake it up, because there is a chi there, and you might not be able to feel it. You can even tap the spot. You can just focus there—even if you put your finger there and hold it, it wakes something up.
Feel your heart. Can you feel your heart? Can you listen to your heart? These are all capacities. If you were to spend the next month completely focused on your heart—so you did not prioritize anything else, and no matter what you were doing, you were trying to fuel your heart and remember your heart—it undergoes quite a significant transformation.
If you take it to the extreme, or simply do it over a number of years, another thing you can do energetically is generate heat. There is a kind of chi that you can intend that feels like warmth in the heart. You feel a warm heart generating within you, and it is a really lovely feeling. It changes your demeanor. You are like, “Oh, I am good. My heart is all warm and full and fuzzy and nice.” How are you going to treat people when you feel like that? Beautifully, of course.
So let us meditate on the heart. One of the ways to feel the heart chakra is to be, do, have—to step into being. There is no way to it. Let the music inspire you. Just become loving. Quantum leap.
So energetically, we are feeling the heart, but we are also letting go—giving away all those impediments. It is an element of giving up resistance. Surrender. Compassion. Forgiveness. And you can use the light. Make sure every meditation is a light meditation, if you can connect with it. Light and love and heart, all together.
It is an eternal part of us to come home to. Center of the universe. It can help us connect with love. Let your heart shine. Let it radiate. Take a moment to feel your heart. Notice the eternality of the moment, the expanse of samsara, creation, the innocence—a viewer, spirit, deepest self. I am noticing the light, the inner light. Namaste.
The light renews you. It is a divine shower of light. It renews the spirit, and it washes us. The fact that you connect with the red light so easily and consistently means that you sort of feel inner peace when you see it. Relax right away. Beautiful.
Explore those images you have—they may have significance in the symbology. You can look at yourself and ask, why did I see that? What energy was I interpreting that is present?
Sometimes it is hard to focus at first. There may be distractions, but you can imagine the distractions leaving. A huge gust of wind can come by, and then you are able to focus a little more. The light for me is usually purple. Sometimes I think a lot about personal things, like friends with issues and possible solutions for them. That is just what comes to me.
Purple light is a great experience. Part of the reason this is called the Love Light Sangha is because we love light. We also love love. And the whole idea is Raja Yoga, or Bhakti mysticism, which would be a heart-centered version. It is to use the light to awaken to enlightenment. The light really does that for us. Wonderful.
Sometimes in meditation, I do not see a color, I just see light. I call it spacing out. I do not know if it is falling asleep, or… I just… I am not aware of anything. Explore how deep that is, actually. Did you go away? If you are not aware, it sounds like you are having a Kensho experience every time. Kensho in Japanese means a glimpse of eternity. And you would not be aware of anything. But when you come out of it, you try on your personality again. It is kind of like you are naked, and then you put the personality back on.
When you say you did not see colors, but you saw light—if you saw light, what did you see? Sometimes the white light might have a gold quality in it. Sometimes the white light has a black quality in it, which is not really black—it is more like clear. Which is a very deep quality, actually. It is the deepest quality. Eventually, everything becomes black, actually, and that is the deepest light. It is not black—it is so bright that it makes everything become clear. It is like the gold light becomes so bright that it does that. But all the light is good. Any light is good.
Be patient. Just continue your practice. This is how transformation happens. Keep reading. Keep meditating. Namaste, goodbye. Keep reading, keep meditating, keep living in kindness, keep prioritizing freedom, keep prioritizing humility, keep studying these things.
Coming to Sangha, or another Sangha, attuning to enlightened sentiments and individuals and writings. Doing Tai Chi, kundalini yoga, energy work, living healthily—just keep going, and over time, you undergo a transformation. There is a… you will have a complete overhaul of your karma. It will eventually, eventually could happen, if you persist.
And it may take one Jupiter cycle, which is 12 years. Which is actually quite common. Jupiter is actually part of the cycle for these transformations, and it might take a lifetime, but it does not matter. You will be taking steps towards the beloved freedom, sacredness at the top of the mountain. Every time we take a step toward our beloved, we are happy, because we are stepping in the right direction.
So just keep doing the practice. The transformation happens through routine. It is like, how do you clear a computer. Well, you have to go through line by line. Even if the computer is fast, it still has to update those files, right? And it takes time. Karma, that is what… The issue with karma is it is inertia, it is momentum.
And there can be instantaneous enlightenments, too. But those usually are not up to us. How does this happen? They can happen as a part of your practice. Instantly. Like a mango dropping from a tree. It ripens for many years, and then it drops, when it is ready.
Namaste. I hope this was transformative and healing and special for you. Do your practice. Meditate every day. Goodbye.
The lesson explored what “spirituality” means in lived experience: a turning toward spirit and essence, a softening of self-centeredness, and a devotion expressed through practice, virtues, and heart-centered meditation with light.
Spirituality is living from spirit (essence) rather than personality, dissolving separativity through trust, love, light, and ongoing practice.
"Spiritual, obviously, means pertaining to spirit. If it is spiritual, it pertains to spirit."
"Within us, within all of existence, there is an essence. We are interested in the essence."
"In spirituality, we center on erasing ourselves. By erasing ourselves, we develop a kind of dissolution and freedom from limitation—freedom from sorrow, freedom from separativity."
"As a sentient being, as a thinker, as a being of consciousness, we are presented with a choice: shall we live on behalf of becoming, of selfhood? Or shall we live in trust, in freedom, in unity?"
"In spirituality, we are perhaps in the most essential way trying to become free of personality. We want to be the spirit that we are, not the form that we are."
"When we become that spirit, forms emerge. But those forms are forms directed by spirit, not by ideation, not by ego."
"These things are spiritual because they dissolve the circumference of self."
"When the circle opens up and its radius becomes very large, eventually it is a straight line—there is no circle anymore, there is no circumference."
"Dharma means truth, it means duty; it is the entire universe and our place in the universe without the idea of self, without the imposition of illusion and its effects."
"We are so responsive. You might say, 'Well, do not feel fear.' Okay, I will not feel fear. But it does not work that easily, does it?"
"What essentially is thought? When I think, I am protecting my interests. I am in control. I am my past, my likes and dislikes, my previous experiences, all acting in the present as a response to current conditions."
"Not thinking is a very precarious state—or rather, it is a state of freedom, a state of trust, a state of love."
"In spirituality, we simplify. We melt down the personality and distill it so that we can abide in love, in light, in truth, in power, in eternity, in peace."
"You could be a very successful person outwardly and lack this inner richness. And you could possess all this inner richness and have nothing outwardly."
"Krishnamurti says something beautiful: become anonymous to yourself."
"We are worthy because we are consciousness."
"Everything matters. Every flower petal matters. Every human being matters equally."
"Spirituality—there is something inside us that wants to return home. To the center of the universe, which is everywhere. Ultimately, it is within us. Everything is inside of us."
"Meditation begins when meditation ends. Meditation begins when we stop being the meditator, and we become what we are."
"Every time we take a step toward our beloved, we are happy, because we are stepping in the right direction."
Hold the inquiry: “How can I be the most spiritual person?”—and let it touch your ambitions, pleasures, and securities, as you feel what it means to consecrate yourself to something greater: the heart and spirit.
"Spiritual, obviously, means pertaining to spirit. If it is spiritual, it pertains to spirit."
"Within us, within all of existence, there is an essence. We are interested in the essence."
"In spirituality, we center on erasing ourselves. By erasing ourselves, we develop a kind of dissolution and freedom from limitation—freedom from sorrow, freedom from separativity."
"As a sentient being, as a thinker, as a being of consciousness, we are presented with a choice: shall we live on behalf of becoming, of selfhood? Or shall we live in trust, in freedom, in unity?"
"In spirituality, we are perhaps in the most essential way trying to become free of personality. We want to be the spirit that we are, not the form that we are."
"When we become that spirit, forms emerge. But those forms are forms directed by spirit, not by ideation, not by ego."
"These things are spiritual because they dissolve the circumference of self."
"When the circle opens up and its radius becomes very large, eventually it is a straight line—there is no circle anymore, there is no circumference."
"Dharma means truth, it means duty; it is the entire universe and our place in the universe without the idea of self, without the imposition of illusion and its effects."
"We are so responsive. You might say, 'Well, do not feel fear.' Okay, I will not feel fear. But it does not work that easily, does it?"
"What essentially is thought? When I think, I am protecting my interests. I am in control. I am my past, my likes and dislikes, my previous experiences, all acting in the present as a response to current conditions."
"Not thinking is a very precarious state—or rather, it is a state of freedom, a state of trust, a state of love."
"In spirituality, we simplify. We melt down the personality and distill it so that we can abide in love, in light, in truth, in power, in eternity, in peace."
"You could be a very successful person outwardly and lack this inner richness. And you could possess all this inner richness and have nothing outwardly."
"Krishnamurti says something beautiful: become anonymous to yourself."
"We are worthy because we are consciousness."
"Everything matters. Every flower petal matters. Every human being matters equally."
"Spirituality—there is something inside us that wants to return home. To the center of the universe, which is everywhere. Ultimately, it is within us. Everything is inside of us."
"Meditation begins when meditation ends. Meditation begins when we stop being the meditator, and we become what we are."
"Every time we take a step toward our beloved, we are happy, because we are stepping in the right direction."
Namaste Community,
You are warmly invited to connect with the LoveLight Sangha. In our most recent gathering, we explored the living inquiry: What does it mean to live a life consecrated to spirituality? Together, we turned our attention to the heart center, listened deeply, and reflected on the nature of spirit, practice, and the subtle ways we return home to our essence.
Within us, within all of existence, there is an essence. We are interested in the essence, and it is… a way to live… yoked with the universe, yoked with eternity, connected with it, merged with it.
So in spirituality, we center on erasing ourselves. By erasing ourselves, we develop a kind of dissolution and freedom from limitation. Freedom from sorrow. Freedom from separativity.
Let your heart shine. Let it radiate. Take a moment to feel your heart. Notice the eternality of the moment, the expanse of samsara, creation, the innocence—a viewer, spirit, deepest self.
The evening unfolded with sincere presence and gentle curiosity. Each person’s sharing was met with warmth and respect, whether reflecting on the challenges of practice, the experience of light in meditation, or the simple act of listening to the heart. There was a tangible sense of support—a recognition that Sangha is a place where we remind each other of what matters most, and where even small steps toward freedom and kindness are honored.
If you would like to revisit the teaching or share it with others, a full transcript or recording of the gathering is available upon request.
You are warmly welcome to join us for future LoveLight Sangha gatherings. Whether you are new or returning, your presence is valued.
If you wish, you might reflect:
– How do I experience the essence of spirit in my daily life?
– What does it mean for me to let my heart shine, even in small ways?
With gratitude for your journey and your presence,
LoveLight Sangha