SLC Lost Coin Notes – March 8, 2011 PART I Folks are interested in 4th Way material. Start with “I AM” experience; it is related to self-observation, but more basic. Most of what we do doing the day is illusion, we are on automatic pilot. Periodically say “I AM” – you return to what you truly are – basically consciousness – stops you in track of mechanical behavior. Because you are there you have choice. This kind of practice is long term. From the day you decide to use this practice to when notice some change can take years – when you do – it can be very enlightening. This awareness matters and changes the cause and effect of our life. Lost Coin is a group that can work together over years – a deeper practice, working on these things together over time. Underlying structure – in the 4th Way – in life there are laws. For example, people are hard wired to get pleasure over pain – we didn’t choose that; time is not something we invented – things change. Another example, for fish breasts are not important - men didn’t choose to be interested in breasts – you have no choice. They are made to be attractive so there is reproduction. Nature has its own ends, which is beyond our understand – all Nature wants from us is to reproduce and die. Therefore, there is no trouble fulfilling Nature’s desires; but, if you have an agenda it isn’t Nature’s agenda. Being under laws is being mechanical – acting out our life dramas without thinking about it – looking for pleasure. “I AM” is to break mechanicalness. Nature is not on your side. Being free of what Nature wants to do is freedom – otherwise we play out over and over again our negativity. There is another option - Nature also needs consciousness – just a little bit. Nature needs a few people to be the eye and ears of consciousness for the universe. Gurdijeff would say people need jobs – some need the job of reproducing and dying and others the job of being conscious – there are only a few of these jobs. You caan never get out of the agenda of the Universe – you can only get a better job description. This does not disturb Nature. If too many people are conscious – this would disturb Nature. The practice of I AM means to be objective to who we are. Changing 5 – 10 % of our mechanical behavior makes a big difference, to do something for ourselves, others and the whole world. We don’t have to change everything at once. Because most of the world is asleep an awake person can make a big difference. It takes time effort and a group to become conscious. Q and A Student: How can you measure consciousness? Sensei: We haven’t developed any tools to measure conscious. We measure behavior because that is observable, even measuring brain waves is in the physical world. How do you measure that when I am looking at that wall, I am still aware of myself? But to yourself there are certain things are self-evident. We know the difference between hot and cold. Psychology is starting to be interested in consciousness. Student: I need more clarification on I AM. Sensei: Your default is to identify with something. You see someone and notice their hair color that makes you thing about your Mom, and that makes you think of . . . With I AM - the light shines on you as well as what you are thinking about. I see someone’s blue shirt as well as my own. Work on that this week. Reading assignment: The Gurdjieff Work by Kathleen Riordan Speeth An example of consciousness: we may be nice to a person but feel unspoken criticism. A more conscious awareness is to being able to accept a person for who they are. PART II WHAT WILL STOP YOU? You will forget. You need to be in a group, have an experienced teacher (who knows the escape routes), have regular things you do (meetings, sitting, exercises) to remind you during the day, or things in your house – book, music, pictures. Like a person who is always falling asleep and you need someone to nudge you awake. Negative emotions will stop you – they will keep you angry, blaming, being involved with dramas with others (the play of our life): I am afraid, my friends don’t like me, negative emotions are mostly in the realm of fear. Exercise: Observe yourself when you are talking to someone else. You exist, not in reaction to anything else. I can do what I want, notice your hands, etc. Question to the students - What does being mechanical mean to you? Responses: React without thinking I think I have a reaction, but it is really just an old pattern coming up Engrained habitats/ repetition – fall into without thinking The definition of insanity – expecting something new to happen even if I do the same thing One of Nature’s laws is to have you die and be replaced, but Nature has you fight that all the way. Think of how programmed you are to survive, we are very focused on protecting ourselves, this can result in low-grade fear/negative emotions. We don’t even recognize it. If you “I AM” you come out of that – don’t feel pain or fear in that moment. Meditation helps you to come awake in the same way – where you drop thought, which is mostly negative. Doen is suggesting most of our thoughts are negative, but you need to self-verify. At the beginning of Lost Coin we focused on negative emotions. Student’s thoughts on negative emotions: Once you notice negative emotion, it takes away a lot of their power. Amazed at how many negative emotions I have/have had. Many against self! Negative emotion come from constant comparisons - myself to others. Come from judging Fear is default – but now I can talk myself off the “ledge” Worried about health, money, getting old Comes from insecurity – anger comes from not being in control Sensei told the story of Jesus and Barabus. Barabus was a revolutionary who wanted to slay the Romans and set them free. Jesus had another approach. Both were being crucified, the Jews could save one – and they picked Barabus because they found Jesus, the spirit of love, as more threatening. This has always been the harder path. We need to work together and support each others. So hard to do, you can’t do it by yourself. Sensei doesn’t want the group to get over 75 – so he can know everyone.