At the Satang and Sangha retreat, which was the second week of the 2019 Fall Retreat, retreat participants did a group exercise. In this exercise, the groups determined things they could do to increase their desire for awakening.
First, the groups contemplated Key Quotes on True Desire.
Next, they followed inspiration to develop these methods of increasing the desire for awakening:
Group 1:
Each morning, review and contemplate quotes from the handout, “Key Quotes on True Desire.” This handout has quotes from Michael Langford, Adyashanti, Sri Annamalai, Nisargadtta Maharaji, and NTI.
A few insights from the group’s contemplation of those quotes:
- Something early, every day.
- If it’s to be, it’s up to me: focus on trusting Spirit.
- I am being drawn by Spirit, to Spirit.
- I focus on being present, I really want to awaken.
- I strengthen desire by constant focus on desire.
- Be earnest, honest, and gentle with yourself.
- I’m starting right here; I focus on my willingness.
- Feel gratitude when looking back to see how guidance has worked in your life to bring you to this point.
- Seeing guidance in your life increases desire.
- If it comes into your mind to practice, stop and do it–even if it’s only 3-5 seconds.
Group 2:
DIFFICULT SITUATION Exercise
- THINK OF A DIFFICULT SITUATION – recall it to your mind.
- Feel the negative feeling associated with it; do not need to list qualities; just be with the anxiety or worry for a moment.
- Ego-Imagination: Go into your mind, and think of the outcome that your MIND would like to have, that could include indulging in revenge, yelling, or any other form of typical human ego based response, and then contemplate the outcome between you and those involved, what would happen, and how you would feel.
- Spirit-Imagination: Go into your mind, and image what an awakened person would do, and see yourself responding that way, with a still mind, resting in awareness, and see the outcome, and see how you would feel.
POEM
May I desire liberation
More than anything else;
May I desire this more than my breath
Or any specific outcome or desire
~ ~ ~
Devotion/Desire building –
Body Movement,
Spiritual Re-dedication
- Left and right hands in front of your chest, palms facing chest, eyes closed.
- Say your spiritual aspiration out loud or silently, extend your left hand down. For example, extend your left hand down as you say, “I want to live with God/awareness every moment.”
- Say outloud or silently – while extending the right hand down, “I will unconditionally attend to my aspiration.”
- Bring both hands together in a prayer pose over the heart and say, “May I desire liberation above all else.”
- Bow your head.
THE FIVE AND ONE – written exercise
- On the left side of a piece of paper, list FIVE specific things – physical things, conditions or circumastances (one at a time) that make you feel happy.
- To the right of each one, indicate about how LONG, in your opinion, that this would make you happy.
- Take a moment to notice that these things are temporary and do not last.
- Now go within and contemplate ONE thing that will make you permanently happy. Deeply reflect on that.
Group 3:
An Affirmation to the Universe
I am willing to see Surrender as the only way.
I make an uncompromising decision to surrender to my Higher Self. I take suffering, mine and my brothers’, to my Higher Self. I let my Higher Self create, build and sustain the desire necessary for my Awakening. I trust the everything that happens is for my Awakening, and for the highest and best good for all of humanity.
Group 4:
Visual and/or Tangible Techniques for Remembering and Increasing True Desire
Put gold or colored stars on a calendar each time I feel I’ve taken a step towards my true desire. For example, add a star on each day that I contemplate truth teachings or meditate.
Create a paper chain out of construction paper. A link gets added to the chain each time I feel I’ve taken a step towards my true desire. The step is written on the newly added link. For example, “Meditated for 1 hour.”
Sit in devotion each day while holding the paper chain.
Keep a gratitude journal. Write about the gifts that I receive as a result of my true desire. For example, “Today I spontaneously understood what was meant by the First Principle of God.”
Keep a true desire journal. Each evening, review my strengths, progress, and weaknesses from that day related to my true desire. This must be done non-judgmentally. The purpose is to keep my commitment or lack of commitment in awareness so I can consciously strengthen commitment.
Make a vision board with symbols that inspire my true desire.
Carry a stone or wear a bracelet that represents my true desire.
Bow in silent devotion daily.
Journal with the inner teacher each day to receive my daily bread.
Use a planner booklet to keep track of the steps I take each day that feel like an outer manifestation of my true desire. For example, “Today I meditated for 40 minutes & journaled about my upset.”
