This essay is a near-verbatim adaptation of the live spoken teaching, edited only for continuity and readability.
Before we begin, I want to share something so everyone knows it is available. I did quite a bit of work on a new asset for the community—the sermon library, which will be very useful. You do not have to take any notes unless you want to. For each sermon, there is a little movie poster, all in the theme of futuristic spiritual community. When you click into any of these, as we did with Values a few weeks back, there is an essay, which is essentially what I said, but without the conversational aspect of the talk. This is all transcribed from the actual recording. There is the full transcript.
You will be recorded by the scribes, and then we have the study guide. This is really, really useful. It goes over the key points, the theme of the lesson, and the assignment, which I highly recommend you consider—actionable focus and reflection prompts. I highly recommend you consider all of these. And then, of course, we have the actual audio recording. I will be sending out the video recording separately, just for privacy, so that people who are here can only be seen by those who are here or in the community.
We have these quotes on the side that are drawn from the actual script, and most of it is almost exactly verbatim, with a little bit of polishing. I am really excited about this. It was quite a bit of work to make this happen from the very raw transcript. I actually used a lot of computer programming to do it, so this is all the power of computer programming, if anyone wants to learn. It is very easy to find: SFI, School of Futuristic Intelligence, school slash sermons. It is mobile-friendly, so if you want to look on your phone, it looks really great. You can, instead of going on Instagram, review some of the quotes and things like that.
Let us get started. Today’s topic is self-transcendence. This is a very important topic that helps us progress along the path to enlightenment, and live with greater happiness, peace, and love.
Self-transcendence is the balance between selfishness and selflessness. Both of these can prevent us—when we are selfish, it prevents us from experiencing the richness of love. It is detrimental to our happiness and our state. Some people feel selfishness will help them get what they want. They may find themselves with more material possessions—perhaps, perhaps not, actually. Because when you align your will with the will of the world, you actually find it easier to become successful. Someone who is purely selfish will not actually succeed materially either. But in a more obvious sense, inwardly, we sacrifice a great deal when we are selfish.
Now, when we are selfless, we also leave someone out—ourselves. The whole idea is to be self-transcendent. Self-transcendence means that we act on behalf of the totality. We are very considerate, conscientious, and our decisions are informed by what is beneficial and consistent with the whole. Instead of saying, "me first and everybody else later," I say, "what can I do to act on behalf of the entire field?"
There are extreme energetic repercussions—positive ones—when we do this, because we are signaling to our subtle body that we are not limited to this little form, but that our field is all. When we love another person, our heart expands because we say, "That other person is myself." My energy field will actually adapt to that orientation.
This is very much in alignment with enlightenment. Enlightenment is an actual state of consciousness where one feels that the entire manifestation of the universe—the galaxies, the planets—is their cosmic body. In the opposite direction, the most fundamental, quintessential substrate of all existence—Brahman, the Super Soul—is also their true self. So their true self is the self within all of us, refracted into each of our personalities and spirit dreams of existence. Their body, their manifest self, is the whole universe.
When we live this way, we say, "Okay, what can I do in consideration for everybody that is beneficial to all?" One aspect of it is acting on behalf of all. You are a steward of the field. A lot of people think, "Well, here is my family, or my apartment, or my circle of friends," and then that simply becomes an extended ego. To make any division between my country and another country—patriotism—well, be patriotic for the universe. We are galactic patriots, right? My planet, even, is too small. My country is too small and creates division. Whatever you behold is your very self. When you adopt that orientation, when you act in that way, you generate karma. The inner energy, the state of your consciousness—the manifold consciousness that is our experience—transforms in a very pleasurable, wonderful way.
And there are solutions. Sometimes people say, "Well, I have to sacrifice too much." No, you may have to work a little harder or a little more gracefully to find the solution that is actually better for everybody. Because when you ignore the suffering of your neighbor, you bring suffering to your own door. A selfish neighbor means that you have an unhappy neighbor. And if you have happy neighbors, it is in everybody's best interest, including your own.
It is important to always be true to yourself within this context. This does not mean you abandon your own predilections or your own integrity. We are ourselves; our service is an expression of our own predilections, our own Svidharma. But our consideration is everything—everyone, all that we behold.
I remember a long time ago, my teacher said, "If somebody is before you, you are meant to love them." We do not choose who we love. We love whomever shows up, because who are we to decide? What informs a decision—"I love so-and-so and not somebody else"? That is obviously a product of one's own bias. If something is before you—if there is a rock in the road, if a plant needs watering, if a neighbor is in an emergency and needs help—do not turn a blind eye, thinking, "That is not my problem."
It is making me emotional, because this really opens the heart. If you could really connect with this...
You should watch Groundhog Day. Groundhog Day is all about this. He lives the same day over and over again as a selfish person. He knows he is selfish, and he even talks about it. He uses the repetition of the day—initially, he is confused, thinking, "What is going on? This is horrible." Then he decides, "Okay, well, I am going to use this to get my way," and he makes all this money, tricks people, gets a woman to be with him, tricks her—and he is not happy. And then one day, it clicks. He makes it about others. At the very end of the movie, he says, "What can I do for you today?" And that is the line, because that is the epiphany he has. At the end of the movie, he experiences—he goes to the next day. So he is locked in this loop until he learns his lesson.
Life is very much like that. Even though we still go into the next day, it is the same monotony until we learn the meaning of life, which is others—to be there for others, to love others. But to do it while loving ourselves, while being true to ourselves, while having integrity. So, great movie, Groundhog Day.
This is a vastly complex topic, actually, and you can contemplate this for years and years. There are a lot of nuances and considerations to make. First of all, what does it mean to be self-transcendent, beyond... How does one act? How does one make a decision in these situations? It is important to recognize freedom. Look upon another with freedom.
The other must be living as an expression of their own sovereignty. If one is exploited or convinced, then you have not honored their freedom. I hope all of you are here today as an expression of your freedom, not out of obligation or coercion of any kind. You are here because you value the teachings, just as I value them and we all value them. We worship the teaching, right? We love meditation, we love the resonance between us. It is like people who like math—there is a resonance there. People who like ballet—there is a resonance there.
Freedom means that we see everybody expressing their loyalty as an expression of their freedom. We hold people and freedom as a part of that self-transcendent state. We are in service to others; we want them to become more free, more happy, more true to themselves. That is a part of their intrinsic nature, both in the moment and, perhaps, on another level in their lifetime.
So, when people come together, it is an expression of synchronicity. There is a lot of giving agency away. We are agents of the universe, but our actions are informed by the intrinsic nature of things. We talked about Wu Wei last week. In Wu Wei, which you would have loved, maybe you should go and look at the talk on the website. It is all about spontaneity, but spontaneity happens when we do not plan. Agency happens, and we watch ourselves acting. It is very much the same here; that element applies here, too.
Self-transcendence is a powerful reorientation. It is something you can really stand up for. Our world is largely selfish, and there are some people who are selfless, which seems like a higher level. Perhaps it is higher in a way. But if you do not take care of yourself, it does not make sense, because you cannot really continue to be in service. If you are truly selfless, you need to make sure to feed yourself, otherwise you will run out of energy, right? And that, metaphorically speaking, applies in a number of ways.
We really are acting as stewards of the universe, and we are love. We are loving everything and doing what is right. It is righteousness, it is love, it is stewardship. It is nice to have Sangha practicing this, because together, we can normalize the principle. A lot of people are very me-first, and the natural reaction is, "Okay, well, in order to survive in this world, I need to be me first, too." But we actually lose something very special when we do that.
That inner quality almost made me get emotional—well, it did not actually make me emotional, but I was feeling something like Groundhog Day in that moment. So we lose that. It is important to protect this orientation and inspire the world to live in this way. It is not that hard to do. One simply has to see the value in it and believe that it is possible. And you will find the serendipitous solution in most situations. There is something that works for everybody. It is enjoyable to discover what that is. Everyone is smiling and happy when we find it.
And of course, if we live this way, meditation becomes much more powerful. When you sit down to meditate after a self-transcendent day, you will be more expansive. There is light and energy there, because you are not living in resistance; you are living in unity. You are not living in the agency of self; you are living in the spontaneity of love. And it is very Bhakti. This is a very, very Bhakti principle here—paramount.
Sometimes we think of these great leaders around us, and they are obviously just above us, right? But they do not even get this. So just let that shift your sense of hierarchy a little bit. There are these famous people—politicians, celebrities—maybe you really like them, or maybe you are on the opposite end of the spectrum. Either way, just recognize that this simple teaching, which perhaps some five-year-olds know, or certainly what we are discussing here, is something that is beyond them, even. If we were from a futuristic humanity, a futuristic Earth, this would be Humanity 101.
It is one of the most important qualities in a leader. Gandhi was like this—a great leader, a lot of patience. And he was mistreated, put in jail and so on. But he said, "What is right?" We are going to do something that is… what did he say? "The truth is the truth, and it does not matter if you are a minority of one, if you see the truth." That is all that matters. He said something along those lines.
So let us meditate, and just… feel that you… so… This principle is obviously a very heart-centered principle. So, let us meditate on the heart.
Focus into the light. For those of you who are new here, we meditate on light. That is why it is called the Love Light Sangha. Sangha means community, a spiritual community. There is a light within. It is the substance of the spirit. In some spiritual traditions, it is referred to as Shakti in yoga. Sometimes it is called the causal planes of light.
You can see it. If you see the light, it will melt you down and renew you. When Jesus said, you have to be reborn in the spirit, not in the flesh—be reborn in the spirit—it seems to me this is exactly what he was talking about. When we go into the light, we go into the source, and we melt down. It literally feels like that, very physically. Your nervous system feels it very strongly. But more than that, your most subtle, paradigmatic depths get melted. Your sense of self, your sense of reality gets melted, and you re-emerge. You are reborn. And when you are reborn, you are reborn more correctly.
All the sediments of impurity get washed away, and the pure metal alloy of gold—the soul—returns. It just so happens that the light is gold in its deepest quality. In its deepest personal quality, it is gold. It turns clear when it becomes impersonal light. This is a strange thing to say. It is very esoteric; we would have to go into that. But before the gold, there is a whole spectrum of light as well, which is different—depths of essence that you can match.
So, one way you can go into the light is gazing. Gazing is a very powerful practice. You look at everything at once, and you hold your vision and your field large. You simply melt. You soften your grip on reality.
It almost seems quantum mechanical. In quantum mechanics, when we observe something, we collapse the wave function, and it no longer exists in a potential state—it exists in a specific state. So, we want to hold the wave function open. I am not sure if that is exactly what is happening; it might actually be the case. I think it is electromagnetic as well, but it feels that way. The idea is to hold possibility open. Do not let your idea or consciousness collapse something into a specific state.
And then, when the light begins to appear, simply focus on the light. Allow it—it has beautiful qualities. In yoga, it is called Soma. It is like waves of light, washing through you. My mom often sees these in colors washing through, almost like watercolor. And, yes, it is wonderful. It is beneficial in the astral body, which is a more manifest dimension of the universe within. Everything is within.
Center on the heart chakra, on anahata, so you can feel your heart. If you are not seeing the light, if you are gazing, you can simply feel your heart. If you wish to close your eyes, you can see the light with your eyes closed as well.
The whole idea here is to live with self-transcendence, with wu-wei, knowing our principles. That is why we give these talks. Through that orientation, we can access the light. If you live in selfishness, it is hard to go into light—it is very difficult. If you live in selflessness and you are in pain, it is very distracting. It is hard to go into light. You go into light when things are good. They simply need to be good—love, peacefulness, and all of that.
So let us do it. I will do some... Yes, I will gaze. I am going to gaze. If you want to gaze at me, this is one of the ways it can really help you access the light, because there is an attunement that happens. You can also close your eyes and simply be with the field. So let us get started.
Music gives us a kind of energetic focus. It is heart-centered music, and sometimes it has a third-eye quality and a navel quality—power and clarity. Soften any resistance to reality; we are letting everything melt. Be absorbed. It is a good directive. It is helpful to slightly blur your vision if your eyes are open. Try to look at the periphery.
We have moved through strata. Now we can take it to the next level. Reach out. One of the key things in going into light is to reach out with your energy. Just feel that you are expansive. You have to intuitively expand your attention. Also, feel that you are transparent. Holographic. Energetic sense. You give your attention to the light. When you focus on it, it magnifies. Notice its texture. Notice the palpable feeling associated with it. Allow its brightness to wash over you. There is a luminosity that wants to shine, if we allow it.
Feel it touch your chakras, in the astral channels, the nadis. Feel the ambient power. It is power—destructive, creative. It is the power of the universe channeling through us, as us. It is us. The quintessential, the essential within.
Our love, of course. And if you are not seeing the light, simply feel your chakra, feel your heart. Or even simply observe what is, without judgment. Light comes of its own accord when we become available to it. How does one erase oneself? Absorption in light. Music.
Let us take a moment and bring your attention to your heart's center. Focus—place your hands there, your finger there. Still... Self-transcendence. Dear... of this cosmos. You are the cosmos. Absorbed in this...
Are you ready? You can come out of the meditation.
I would like to just do a few minutes of sharing. During the meditation, I noticed the experience of color—so many shades of red, all blending together like a big watercolor. The half hour went very quickly. I feel very relaxed. The red seemed to come from the heart. Green is the heart chakra, but red is the heart color as well.
For those who started off focusing on eye contact, it can be interesting, but sometimes it is easier to go into the light with eyes closed. Developing the ability to meditate with your eyes open is another skill you can cultivate, if you wish. You can practice by meditating while looking at yourself in the mirror. It is a very powerful exercise. In fact, if you have ever seen me in an airport bathroom, you might have noticed someone standing and gazing into the mirror for five minutes. That would be me—just sharing one of the quirky things I do. When you are traveling, you sometimes find a moment for enlightenment, so you take the opportunity to look in the mirror. Once, a child asked me, “Are you Jesus?” It was very funny. He looked at me in such a sweet way—it was quite something.
Practicing with eyes open or closed, the experience of the light can be restorative. I feel as though my energy body has been restored, with more concentration in the heart center, and it feels more right. There is a translation between what you actually feel in your energy body and the emotions that arise from that. You feel more love for everyone, and it is correlated with a concentration and attention of energy here at the center.
I am grateful you are all here. We do this every Tuesday at 6pm. I will do my best to get the transcript up as soon as possible. Bring your friends who might resonate with this. Just be self-transcendent, explore that, enjoy that. Namaste, thank you.