A few years ago I read "A New Earth Awakening to Your Life's Purpose" by Eckhart Tolle. At the beginning of the book, he writes that the reading would change my life. I have always felt a little resistance when writers claim they can change me with there writings without knowing me. But in this case Tolle was right. During the reading, I experienced how he opened a new perspective of life, and it has forever changed my inner sense of living.
After Tolle's book I was looking for other teachers who have experienced what is called an awakening. I searched in particular for women who had experienced awakening. After some searching, I found Gina Lake a spiritual teacher from Sedona,USA and I responded with the the same resonance to her teachings that I had responded to Tolle. I began to follow Gina's blogs and read some of her books which I downloaded from her website. I saw and heard interviews with her, which is available on her site www.radicalhappiness.com and on You Tube.
"Embracing the Now" is according to Gina Lake one of her major books and in my opinion contains the same life-changing potential as Tolle's book "A new Earth". Gina Lake takes a similar standpoint as Tolle and other nondual teachers such as Adyashanti, when she describes the journey to awakening.
She describes in detail the Ego's role in our lives, how it prevents us from experiencing true joy and peace of mind. In short chapters she dismantles the Egoic Mind in a clear and comprehensible way. She describes how the Ego defends itself against what is going on in the moment, and how the Ego always is chronically dissatisfied. The Ego has a tendency to focus on whether there is too much or too little of something in the present moment. The Ego obscures the moment with plans, fantasies, dissatisfaction, worries and fears etc. which always leaves us feeling a little out of sync with life. "When we agree with he Egoic mind, we feel like a victim or like we have a problem to fix. When we do not agree with it we just experience the moment as it is, without the ego's negative influence." Turning our attention into the moment is the only thing that can give us the joy and serenity we so strongly long after and its only in the moment that we can be in touch with what Gina Lake describes as the Essence. The Essence is our initial rise, our origine, our true identity. Gina Lake defines the Egoic Mind as a kind of programming that Essence creates to experience its diversity. When we confuse Egoic conditioning with our true selves, we experience suffering."When we experience life as Essence, we are at peace, and-when we are experiencing life as the ego, we are unhappy. It's that simple." Turning our attention into the moment provides that the Essence more easily can work through us and lead us into more productive and optimal life situations. One way to check up whether we live from the Egoic Mind or from Essence is if we experience a feeling of compression and negativity or a sense of joy, flow and opening. "Essence drives us to fulfill our life through inspiration and urges, not trough shameful feelings of inadeqacy as the ego does "A recurring theme in the book is the thoughts impact on our lives. Gina Lake distinguishes between functional thinking and thinking sprung from the Ego. Her defenitions of how problematic thinking make our lives is illustrated in provocative but very uplifting ways.
It is not an easy task to downplay Ego-dominance but in a loving way Gina Lake shows us that we really have no other choice if we want radical happiness in our lifes. Gina Lake is able to convey the problems that many of us face every day, infact in every moment. She puts the spotlight on the sore points of being human and then shines the way out for us: Accepting the moment just as it is, to let go of the Egos dominance and open ourselves up so that something larger can work through us. During the reading, it dawned on me that after this book it will be impossible for me to neglect my own Egos negative influence on my life and when I read her final question to me, the reader: "Are you willing to Be at Peace?" I had only one answer.
After Tolle's book I was looking for other teachers who have experienced what is called an awakening. I searched in particular for women who had experienced awakening. After some searching, I found Gina Lake a spiritual teacher from Sedona,USA and I responded with the the same resonance to her teachings that I had responded to Tolle. I began to follow Gina's blogs and read some of her books which I downloaded from her website. I saw and heard interviews with her, which is available on her site www.radicalhappiness.com and on You Tube.
"Embracing the Now" is according to Gina Lake one of her major books and in my opinion contains the same life-changing potential as Tolle's book "A new Earth". Gina Lake takes a similar standpoint as Tolle and other nondual teachers such as Adyashanti, when she describes the journey to awakening.
She describes in detail the Ego's role in our lives, how it prevents us from experiencing true joy and peace of mind. In short chapters she dismantles the Egoic Mind in a clear and comprehensible way. She describes how the Ego defends itself against what is going on in the moment, and how the Ego always is chronically dissatisfied. The Ego has a tendency to focus on whether there is too much or too little of something in the present moment. The Ego obscures the moment with plans, fantasies, dissatisfaction, worries and fears etc. which always leaves us feeling a little out of sync with life. "When we agree with he Egoic mind, we feel like a victim or like we have a problem to fix. When we do not agree with it we just experience the moment as it is, without the ego's negative influence." Turning our attention into the moment is the only thing that can give us the joy and serenity we so strongly long after and its only in the moment that we can be in touch with what Gina Lake describes as the Essence. The Essence is our initial rise, our origine, our true identity. Gina Lake defines the Egoic Mind as a kind of programming that Essence creates to experience its diversity. When we confuse Egoic conditioning with our true selves, we experience suffering."When we experience life as Essence, we are at peace, and-when we are experiencing life as the ego, we are unhappy. It's that simple." Turning our attention into the moment provides that the Essence more easily can work through us and lead us into more productive and optimal life situations. One way to check up whether we live from the Egoic Mind or from Essence is if we experience a feeling of compression and negativity or a sense of joy, flow and opening. "Essence drives us to fulfill our life through inspiration and urges, not trough shameful feelings of inadeqacy as the ego does "A recurring theme in the book is the thoughts impact on our lives. Gina Lake distinguishes between functional thinking and thinking sprung from the Ego. Her defenitions of how problematic thinking make our lives is illustrated in provocative but very uplifting ways.
It is not an easy task to downplay Ego-dominance but in a loving way Gina Lake shows us that we really have no other choice if we want radical happiness in our lifes. Gina Lake is able to convey the problems that many of us face every day, infact in every moment. She puts the spotlight on the sore points of being human and then shines the way out for us: Accepting the moment just as it is, to let go of the Egos dominance and open ourselves up so that something larger can work through us. During the reading, it dawned on me that after this book it will be impossible for me to neglect my own Egos negative influence on my life and when I read her final question to me, the reader: "Are you willing to Be at Peace?" I had only one answer.
Svenska:
För några år sedan läste jag "En ny jord" av Eckhart Tolle. I början av boken skriver han att läsningen skulle förändra mitt liv. Jag har alltid känt ett litet motstånd när jag stött in i författare som hävdar att de kan förändra mig utan att känna mig. Men i det här tilfället fick Tolle rätt. Under läsningen upplevde jag hur jag långsamt öppnades ut mot ett nytt livsperspektiv, och det har ändrat min inre livskänsla permanent.
Efter Tolles bok sökte jag efter andra lärare som upplevt det man kallar en uppvakning. Jag sökte i synnerhet efter kvinnor som var upplysta. Efter en del sökande stötte jag in i Gina Lake och något i mig responderade med samma genklang som jag hade upplevt med Tolle. Jag började följa Ginas Bloggar och läste några av hennes böcker som går att ladda ned från nätet. Jag såg och hörde de intervjuer med henne, som finns tillgängliga på hennes site www.radicalhappiness.com och på You Tube.
"Embracing the Now" anser Gina Lake vara en av hennes viktigare böcker och enligt mig innehåller den samma livsförändrande potential som Tolles böcker. Gina Lake tar en liknande utgångspunkt som Tolle eller andra nonduala lärare som t.ex Adyashanti, när hon beskriver vägen till uppvakning.
Hon beskriver utförligt om Egots roll i vårt liv, hur det hindrar oss från att uppleva sann glädje och sinnesfrid. I korta kapitel demonterar hon Egot på ett klart och lättfattligt sätt. Hon beskriver hur Egot värjer sig mot det som försigår i nuet, då Egot alltid är kroniskt otillfreds. Det vill alltid ha mera eller mindre av det som existerar i ögonblicket. Nuet skyms av egots planer, fantasier, missbelåtenhet, bekymringar, rädslor etc vilket alltid får oss att känna oss i osynk med tillvaron."When we agree with the Egoic mind, we feel like a victim or like we have a problem to fix. When we don´t agree with it we just experience the moment as it is, without the ego´s negative influence." Att vända sin uppmärksamhet in i nuet är det ända som kan ge oss den glädje och sinnesro vi så starkt längtar efter, då det endast är i nuet som vi kan vara i kontakt med det som Gina Lake beskriver som Essensen. Essensen är vårt ursprungliga upphov, det är härifrån vi kommer, våran sanna tillhörighet. Egot är en programmering, en form som Essensen kreerat för att uppleva sin mångfald. När vi förväxlar Egots betingningar med vårat sanna jag upplever vi lidande."When we experience life as Essence, we are at peace; and when we are experiencing life as the ego, we are unhappy. It´s that simple." Att vända vår uppmärksamhet in i ögonblicket gör att Essensen lättare kan jobba genom oss och leda oss in i mera fruktbara och optimala livssituationer. Ett sätt att ta tempen på om vi lever utifrån Egot eller utifrån Essencen är om vi upplever en känsla av trånghet och negativitet eller en känsla av lust, ström och öppning."Essence drives us to fulfill our life through inspirations and urges, not trough shameful feelings of inadeqacy as the ego does" Ett genomgående tema i boken är tankens roll i vårat liv. Gina Lake skiljer mellan funktionell tänkning och tankar komna ur Egot. Hennes defeniering av tänkningens betydning för hur vi lever vårat liv åskådliggörs på ett provocerande men upplyftande sätt. Gina Lake menar helt sonika att all tänkning kommen ur Egot är spill av tid.
Det är inte en lätt uppgift att nedtona Egots dominans men kärleksfullt visar Gina oss att vi egentligen inte kan gå någon annan väg. Gina Lake förmår att förmedla den problematik som många av oss står inför varje dag, ja i varje ögonblick. Hon sätter spotlighten på mänsklighetens ömma punkter och lyser därefter upp vägen ut för oss. Att acceptera ögonblicket precis som det är, att släppa egots tankar och öppna sig för att något större kan jobba genom oss. Under läsningens gång går det upp för mig att det efter denna bok kommer att bli omöjligt för mig att negligera mitt eget Egos negativa inflytande på mitt liv och på hennes avslutande fråga till mig, läsaren: "Are you willing to be at peace?" finns det bara ett svar.
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