The following pages (Monday - Sunday) Are taken from Deepak Chopra's "The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success"
Each day work on the corresponding law as a base, core, spiritual practice.
Each day work on the corresponding law as a base, core, spiritual practice.
The Law of Pure Potentiality
"The source of all creation is pure consciousness...pure potentiality seeking expression from the unmanifest to the manifest. And when we realize that our true Self is one of pure potentiality, we align with the power that manifests everything in the universe."
This law is based on the fact that we are, in our essential state, pure consciousness. Pure consciousness is our spiritual essence. Being infinite and unbounded, it is also pure joy. Other attribute of consciousness are pure knowledge, infinite silence, perfect balance, invincibility, simplicity, and bliss. This is our essential nature. Our essential nature is one of pure potentiality.
How can we apply the Law of Pure Potentiality, the field of all possibilities, to our lives? If you want to enjoy the benefits of the field of pure potentiality, if you want to full use of the of the creativity which is inherent in pure consciousness, then you have to have access to it. One way to access the field is through daily practice of silence meditation, and non-judgement. spending time in nature will also give you access to the qualities inherent in the field: infinite creativity, freedom, and bliss.
Practicing silence means making a commitment to take a certain amount of time to simply Be. Experiencing silence means periodically withdrawing from the activity of speech. It also means periodically withdrawing from such activities as watching television, listening to the radio, or reading a book. If you never give yourself the opportunity to experience silence, this creates turbulence in the internal dialogue.
What happens when you go into this experience of silence? Initially your internal dialogue becomes even more turbulent. You feel and intense need to say things. I've known people who go absolutely crazy the first day or two when they commit themselves to an extended period of silence. A sense of urgency and anxiety suddenly comes over them. But as soon as they stay with the experience, their internal dialogue begins to quieten. And soon the silence becomes profound. This is because after a while, the mind gives up; it realizes there is no point in going around and around if you - the Self, the spirit, the choice-maker - are not going to speak, period. Then, as the internal dialogue quietens, you begin to experience the stillness of the field of pure potentiality.
Practicing silence periodically as it is convenient to you is one way to experience the Law of Pure Potentiality. Spending time each day in meditation is another. Ideally, you should meditate at least 30 minutes in the morning, and 30 minutes in the evening. Through meditation you will learn to experience the field of pure silence and pure awareness. In that field of pure silence is the field of infinite correlation, the field of infinite organizing power, the ultimate ground of creation where everything is inseparably connected with everything else.
Imagine throwing a little stone into a still pond and watching it ripple. then, after a while, when the ripples settle down, perhaps throw another little stone. That's exactly what you do when you go into the field of pure silence and introduce your intention. In this silence, even the faintest intention will ripple across the underlying ground of universal consciousness, which connects everything with everything else. But, if you do not experience stillness in consciousness, if your mind is like a turbulent ocean, you could throw the Empire State Building into it, and you wouldn't notice a thing. In the Bible is the expression, "Be still, and know that I am God." this can only be accomplished through meditation.
Imagine throwing a little stone into a still pond and watching it ripple. then, after a while, when the ripples settle down, perhaps throw another little stone. That's exactly what you do when you go into the field of pure silence and introduce your intention. In this silence, even the faintest intention will ripple across the underlying ground of universal consciousness, which connects everything with everything else. But, if you do not experience stillness in consciousness, if your mind is like a turbulent ocean, you could throw the Empire State Building into it, and you wouldn't notice a thing. In the Bible is the expression, "Be still, and know that I am God." this can only be accomplished through meditation.
Another way to access the field of pure potentiality is through the practice of non-judgment. Judgment is the constant evaluation of things as right or wrong, good or bad. When you are constantly evaluating, classifying, labeling, analyzing, you create a lot of turbulence in your internal dialogue. you literally squeeze the "gap" between thoughts. The gap is your connection to the field of pure potentiality. It is that state of pure awareness, that silent space between thoughts, that inner stillness that connects you to true power. And when you squeeze the gap, you squeeze your connection to the field of pure potentiality and infinite creativity.
There is a prayer in A Course of Miracles that states, "today I shall judge nothing that occurs." Non-judgment creates silence in your mind. It is a good idea, therefore, to begin your day with that statement. and throughout the day, remind yourself of that statement each time you catch yourself judging. If practicing this procedure for the whole day seems to difficult, then you may simply say to yourself, "For the next 2 hours, I won't judge anything," or "For the next hour I will experience non-judgment." Then you extend it gradually.
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Through silence, through meditation, and through non-judgment, you will access the first law, the Law of Pure Potentiality. Once you start doing that, you can add a fourth component to this practice, and that is regularly spending time in direct communion with nature. Spending time in nature enables you to sense the harmonious interaction of all elements and forces of life, and gives you a sense of unity with all of life. Whether it be a stream, a forest, a mountain, a lake, or the seashore, that connection with nature's intelligence will also help you access the field of pure potentiality. You learn to get in touch with the inner-most essence of your being. This true essence is beyond the ego. It is fearless; it is free; it is immune to criticism; it does not fear any challenge. It is beneath no one, superior to no one, and full of magic, mystery, and enchantment.
Applying the Law of Pure Potentiality -(affirmations)
(1) I will get in touch with the field of pure potentiality by taking time each day to be silent, to just BE. I will also sit alone in silent meditation at least twice a day for approximately thirty minutes in the morning and thirty minutes in the evening.
(2) I will take time each day to commune with nature and to silently witness the intelligence within every living thing. I will sit silently and watch a sunset, or listen to the sound of the ocean or a stream, or simply smell the scent of a flower. In the ecstasy of my own silence, and by communing with nature, I will enjoy the life throb of ages, the field of pure potentiality and unbounded creativity.
(3) I will practice non-judgment. I will begin my day with the statement, "Today, I shall judge nothing that occurs," and throughout the day I will remind myself not to judge.
(2) I will take time each day to commune with nature and to silently witness the intelligence within every living thing. I will sit silently and watch a sunset, or listen to the sound of the ocean or a stream, or simply smell the scent of a flower. In the ecstasy of my own silence, and by communing with nature, I will enjoy the life throb of ages, the field of pure potentiality and unbounded creativity.
(3) I will practice non-judgment. I will begin my day with the statement, "Today, I shall judge nothing that occurs," and throughout the day I will remind myself not to judge.