Snowmass, Nov

Snowmass, Nov. 4, 2000 Father Thomas Conference at 10:45 AM

"Many of you have now moved into what we call Contemplation. Matthew 6:6 is Jesus' call to centering prayer, although he doesn't call it that. Paul called it, The Deep Knowledge of God. “Enter into your secret room and pray in secret to your father.”

There are many ways of praying. Praying is not “prayers.” Prayers are useful and begin to engage our faculties in the process of transformation. Disposition: Prayer creates a disposition to communicate (relate) with God.

Prayer is an invitation to LET GO of all our normal ways of communicating with God. LEAVE THINKING BEHIND

Thinking is a reflection on experience. God IS experience.

God is already and always present, in his motherly, nurturing, caring, tender, thoughtfulness. ABBA/MOTHER. The lineage, or teaching tradition, is God as ABBA, DADDY. Jesus experienced God as ABBA/MOTHER beyond gender, the Personal IT.

Words can only point to "IT". It is beyond concept or words. Take a vacation from the "STUFF" of thought & concept. This is the "INNER ROOM", a trip into the unknown. The inner room is a private office for the divine therapist.

Faith antedates belief systems. Belief systems prepare us for the plunge into faith, the great UNKNOWN. THE BELIEF SYSTEMS ARE NOT FAITH. The belief system without faith is empty.

Let go of externals - then close, or BOLT the door. The therapist establishes rapport with the patient, for transference, say. No judgment, no punishment. These are projections from our childhood. God affirms our basic goodness. The first thing to correct is our childish perception of God. We must allow him to introduce himself to us. Until this encounter in the inner room we have no idea of who or what God is. Our ideas are childish or just plain stupid. We need to discard our projections of God and allow him to introduce himself. Religious attitudes have presented God as a punisher, rewarder, justice, authority - This is an Old Testament view that God is a judge who will immediately come down on us if we transgress. This is a hazardous God, from a child's perspective. Like a policeman with radar. So, we want to stay as far away from God as our parents will allow us to.

The 10 commandments need to be done or given with a certain FLEXIBILITY - this is hard to do for a child.

What we are talking about here is EVOLUTION OF HUMANS now at a spiritual dimension. The "Son of Man" is he who comes after man, what comes "next." Love, equality, compassion, sense of belonging, unity, union with all other parts of creation. This is a door opening to enjoy the ACTS of God; which are 2. The 2 acts of God are CREATION and REDEMPTION.

Humans have a capacity to respond to God?????(Does this mean "not just notice", how are we different from a happy lower animal in this respect? Responding to God needs clarification.)

We DO consent, not just TRY to consent. This becomes SURRENDER. The act of consenting is an act of will. The intention is the consent.

HUMANKIND CONTINUES TO DEVELOP.

ATTITUDES TOWARDS GOD:

Our attitudes towards God were appropriate to each earlier stage. The 2nd Shakra (which corresponds to Typhonic) needs "props", but we need to move beyond this. We need to enter into a deeply personal relationship with God. Not us claiming salvation based on having met external requirements. This is "not BAD", just not enough.

WE MUST INTEND (OUR WILL) TO LET GO OF THOSE CONCEPTS OF GOD. But we need to constantly renew our intention until the will renews spontaneously, without the need for a sacred symbol. We DEVELOP THE HABIT OF LETTING GO of the distractions & thoughts PROMPTLY.

WE DEVELOP THE PROMPTITUDE OF LETTING GO.

What's going on in the inner room? The inner room is contemplative prayer. But, Jesus tells us, once we enter the inner room, to pray in silence. Praying in silence means - LETTING GO OF SELF-REFLECTION. This is the HOW of How secret. Let go of comparing with yesterday, last year, what you expect. Let go of, "How am I doing".

In the secrecy of the inner room we become more aware of who we are, which is less us as a particular experience, and more a recapitulation of EVERYONE'S experience.

Suppose each of us is responsible for everything that humans have ever done since the beginning of time. God redeems.

(Confession is for particulars. Redemption is for all in general, but first we have to accept it as ours and as our need.)

Thus, all of humanity accompanies us when we sit down and surrender, consent to God's presence and action."


	Snowmass, Nov. 4, 2000 Father Thomas Conference at 10:45 AM "Many of you have now moved into what we call Contemplation. Matthew 6:6 is Jesus' call to centering prayer, although he doesn't call it that. Paul called it, The Deep Knowledge of God. “Enter into your secret room and pray in secret to your father.” There are many ways of praying. Praying is not “prayers.” Prayers are useful and begin to engage our faculties in the process of transformation. Disposition: Prayer creates a disposition to communicate (relate) with God. Prayer is an invitation to LET GO of all our normal ways of communicating with God. LEAVE THINKING BEHIND Thinking is a reflection on experience. God IS experience. God is already and always present, in his motherly, nurturing, caring, tender, thoughtfulness. ABBA/MOTHER. The lineage, or teaching tradition, is God as ABBA, DADDY. Jesus experienced God as ABBA/MOTHER beyond gender, the Personal IT. Words can only point to "IT". It is beyond concept or words. Take a vacation from the "STUFF" of thought & concept. This is the "INNER ROOM", a trip into the unknown. The inner room is a private office for the divine therapist. Faith antedates belief systems. Belief systems prepare us for the plunge into faith, the great UNKNOWN. THE BELIEF SYSTEMS ARE NOT FAITH. The belief system without faith is empty. Let go of externals - then close, or BOLT the door. The therapist establishes rapport with the patient, for transference, say. No judgment, no punishment. These are projections from our childhood. God affirms our basic goodness. The first thing to correct is our childish perception of God. We must allow him to introduce himself to us. Until this encounter in the inner room we have no idea of who or what God is. Our ideas are childish or just plain stupid. We need to discard our projections of God and allow him to introduce himself. Religious attitudes have presented God as a punisher, rewarder, justice, authority - This is an Old Testament view that God is a judge who will immediately come down on us if we transgress. This is a hazardous God, from a child's perspective. Like a policeman with radar. So, we want to stay as far away from God as our parents will allow us to. The 10 commandments need to be done or given with a certain FLEXIBILITY - this is hard to do for a child. What we are talking about here is EVOLUTION OF HUMANS now at a spiritual dimension. The "Son of Man" is he who comes after man, what comes "next." Love, equality, compassion, sense of belonging, unity, union with all other parts of creation. This is a door opening to enjoy the ACTS of God; which are 2. The 2 acts of God are CREATION and REDEMPTION. Humans have a capacity to respond to God?????(Does this mean "not just notice", how are we different from a happy lower animal in this respect? Responding to God needs clarification.) We DO consent, not just TRY to consent. This becomes SURRENDER. The act of consenting is an act of will. The intention is the consent. HUMANKIND CONTINUES TO DEVELOP. ATTITUDES TOWARDS GOD: Our attitudes towards God were appropriate to each earlier stage. The 2nd Shakra (which corresponds to Typhonic) needs "props", but we need to move beyond this. We need to enter into a deeply personal relationship with God. Not us claiming salvation based on having met external requirements. This is "not BAD", just not enough. WE MUST INTEND (OUR WILL) TO LET GO OF THOSE CONCEPTS OF GOD. But we need to constantly renew our intention until the will renews spontaneously, without the need for a sacred symbol. We DEVELOP THE HABIT OF LETTING GO of the distractions & thoughts PROMPTLY. WE DEVELOP THE PROMPTITUDE OF LETTING GO. What's going on in the inner room? The inner room is contemplative prayer. But, Jesus tells us, once we enter the inner room, to pray in silence. Praying in silence means - LETTING GO OF SELF-REFLECTION. This is the HOW of How secret. Let go of comparing with yesterday, last year, what you expect. Let go of, "How am I doing". In the secrecy of the inner room we become more aware of who we are, which is less us as a particular experience, and more a recapitulation of EVERYONE'S experience. Suppose each of us is responsible for everything that humans have ever done since the beginning of time. God redeems. (Confession is for particulars. Redemption is for all in general, but first we have to accept it as ours and as our need.) Thus, all of humanity accompanies us when we sit down and surrender, consent to God's presence and action."
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