Ep. 153 (Part 1 of 2) | In this 4th dialogue of the A. H. Almaas Wisdom Series, spiritual teacher Hameed Ali explains that much of the beginning of the spiritual path is spent clarifying our individual consciousness from the conditioning of the past in order to wake up and discover our true nature. In the Diamond Approach, this is accomplished using the practice of inquiry, and as we inquire deeply within, qualities intrinsic to consciousness emerge in our awareness. These qualities—like truth, courage, steadfastness, curiosity, and love—each have their own particular sensory expression: a certain color, texture, warmth or coolness, varying degrees of sweetness. The more these qualities emerge, Hameed says, the more powerful our practice and the more authentic our life. He calls these qualities treasures of the soul.

This beautiful conversation ranges from profoundly moving, as Hameed evokes specific qualities of presence, to humorous, when he tells a funny story about Maharishi Yogi, to intensely illuminating as Hameed talks about the teaching of the first turning, the miracle of ordinary life, what it means to be spiritually mature, the nature of true sorrow, the fact that we are the universe being conscious, and how fundamental nature lies deeper than consciousness, deeper than awareness. It is a multifaceted gem, not to be missed. Recorded September 19, 2024.

“Courage, steadfastness, curiosity, and love are all expressions of our pure consciousness appearing as specific qualities.”

(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)

Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1

Introducing the 4th dialogue in the A. H. Almaas Wisdom Series, focusing on the soul as “organism of consciousness” (00:59)
The distinction between universal consciousness and individual consciousness (03:04)
Much of the beginning of the path is spent clarifying individual consciousness from the conditioning of the past (05:50)
The practice of inquiry is for the individual consciousness to wake up and discover what it is fundamentally (07:25)
Courage, steadfastness, curiosity, and love are all expressions of pure consciousness appearing as specific qualities (11:04)
Why we need these essential qualities: the more these qualities emerge, the more powerful the practice (13:21)
How can you live your life authentically, without the qualities of integrity, courage, intelligence, clarity, inner peacefulness, and true sorrow? (16:02)
True sorrow is a quality of presence—sorrow for the suffering, for what’s happening in the world (16:57)
These qualities are the closest thing to the Platonic forms, necessary for the spiritual path and necessary for living (19:47)
The incomparable or precious pearl at our center and the difference between personal essence and the individual soul (20:58)
Psychological individuation is a forerunner for true individuation (23:33)
Free of conditioning, we wake up to what we really are (24:59)
The essential qualities are implicit in pure consciousness but they become differentiated in the soul (27:24)
The teaching of the first turning is that the ordinary world is one way reality manifests—it’s not the product of our ignorance; it has its own spirituality (28:37)
Ordinary life is miraculous! (34:36)
As Parmenides...

A. H. Almaas Wisdom Series (Dialogue 4, Part 1) -Discovering the Soul’s Treasures: Awakening Our Deepest Capacities and Highest Potentials

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