[From Marsha –\u00a0When I began studying the teachings many years ago, I often heard the phrase about \u201cdoing the work\u201d. The ideas began with the \u201cpicture of man\u201d and \u201cthe four dual basic urges\u201d (see website under illustrations).\u00a0\u00a0 So I mistakenly saw \u201cthe work\u201d as just like public school, I thought that \u201cdoing the work\u201d was trying to \u201cnot\u201d do the four dual basic urges or trying to not complain, not stick up for my rights, not please, not quote authorities, and not blame. It took me a long time to realize that by trying \u201cnot to\u201d do the \u201cfour dual basic urges\u201d and the \u201cpicture of man\u201d, I was only listening to #5 in the \u201dpicture of man\u201d which is none other than the self improver family of not I\u2019s.\u00a0\u00a0 It Is not the intention of \u201cthe work\u201d to try to change what we observe within ourselves. Following is another way of understanding what we CAN do. It is from #113.)<\/p>\n
Here we go:<\/p>\n
Now there is a little principle which we find is a necessity to operate with \u2013 it describes running experiments.<\/p>\n
When we hear an idea, concept, or maybe only read a teaching, it makes an impulse in one side of the brain and is only a bit of a trivia until we get the idea or concept practically applied.<\/p>\n
To get it practically applied, we set up another spot over here in the grey matter of the brain by running an experiment of the idea or concept. Now we have created association fibers that go from one side of the brain to the other.<\/p>\n
Going on further, anytime something is remotely similar to the experiment, experience and concept, we\u2019ll recall the whole bit. But if you only have one side of that, say you only read a teaching idea, you can\u2019t have an association so the idea is forgotten quite quickly.<\/p>\n
Now is there a way that you can see that complaining is not you? How would it be if you made up your mind right now that you was never going to complain anymore?\u00a0\u00a0 That would be a way of running an experiment.<\/p>\n
(That\u2019s running an experiment?)<\/p>\n
Right. And so in a few minutes, I walk over and poke your buttons; and you begin to complain. You said you wouldn\u2019t complain, but then you reacted when the situation changed.\u00a0\u00a0 So then you\u2019d see real quick that wasn\u2019t you, wouldn\u2019t you?<\/p>\n
We had a man not long ago tell me I couldn\u2019t make him mad. So I said, \u201cWell I probably couldn\u2019t, you\u2019re very awake, very in charge, I\u2019m sure you got it all done.\u201d He really thought he had the concept down.<\/p>\n
Then about 20, 30 minutes later when his statement about me being unable to make him mad had been forgotten; and it looked like a good opening, I walked over and asked him a simple question; and he literaly came unglued at the seams.<\/p>\n
Another example happened only last week. I walked over to a man who told me he was getting very objective. He had this thing all figured out. Course he hadn\u2019t experimented with it. So I happened to say \u201cWhat time did we agree on?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He literally became a bundle of anxiety and total frets. \u2018Course he won\u2019t ever forget it now because we got this concept tied to an association right then and there.<\/p>\n
So people ask us what we do \u2013 we first get a concept (a teaching idea); and we keep the concept kickin\u2019 around a day or two. We try to get everybody to experiment one way or another before the week\u2019s over.<\/p>\n
By doing the experiment, there becomes an association with the concept. Now with this man and the question about time, I\u2019ve tried the same thing three or four times since; and he gives me an answer and goes on about his business without getting all pushed out of shape. But when it\u2019s just an idea, it\u2019s just something we talked about one time and that\u2019s all it is.<\/p>\n
So when we can see that there must be an association connected with it, we would see the reason for experimenting with these teaching ideas. Now the idea or the concept by itself is absolutely worthless \u2013 it\u2019s a bit of trivia stuck in one side of your skull bone.<\/p>\n
So there\u2019s always this association going on. So you never have to think \u201cWell how am I gonna be awake and remember\u201d once you have done an experiment and set it into an association of having experienced the practical application of the concept.\u00a0\u00a0 Now you have the experience here and the concept here; and you got the association fibers in between; and I will make a bet with you, you can\u2019t forget it.<\/p>\n
I hear people say, \u201cI\u2019d do anything if I could remember it immediately instead of after it has already happened.\u201d \u201cNext week I look back and say, \u2018Oh yeah, I did get pushed out of shape and got very angry last week and the relationship suffered for quite a while.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
So if you would like these concepts to be around, you would see the concept and then create a practical experiment where you see it acted out, Then you\u2019ll never be able to forget it. It is there as a constant reminder of everything that comes by that\u2019s remotely similar. You remain objective because there is an association in there that reminds you to be objective, okay?<\/p>\n
So without it being associated, you\u2019re going to forget it \u2013 over and over. You\u2019ll remember the idea later next week sometime and then it don\u2019t do you any good because you don\u2019t have the association with it,<\/p>\n
(It has been kind of a difficult thing for a lot of us to design experiments to run.)<\/p>\n
Why would it be difficult to design an experiment? You could find out what happens to you when you judge something?<\/p>\n
(I was judging something last week.)<\/p>\n
See, you see it in the past, you didn\u2019t see it while it was happening, did you?<\/p>\n
(Well, I think I kind of had a hunch.)<\/p>\n
I had a hunch but is kind of hunchy; and it didn\u2019t work very well. But you see that can be an experiment, there\u2019s always an experiment to operate. What is there about judging. Can you always run an experiment with your judging? So I\u2019m gonna experiment with judging. I\u2019m going to go out and judge something, right now. I\u2019m gonna see \u201cwhat\u2019s good\u201d and I\u2019m gonna see \u201cwhat\u2019s bad\u201d right now.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m gonna see \u201cwhat\u2019s right\u201d and I\u2019m gonna see \u201cwhat\u2019s wrong\u201d, right now!<\/p>\n
And then there\u2019s that beautiful statement when you decide that you\u2019ll \u201cnever do something\u201d; and one of the other decisions within just seems to insist that \u201cit\u2019s gonna do it\u201d very shortly. Did you ever do that one. One of your false personalities said \u201cI\u2019ll never do so and so again\u201d; and it seems there\u2019s one of the others in there says \u201cAw, you just wait \u2013 when you fall into your waking sleep, I\u2019ll have you doing it in a few minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
(I remember I said I\u2019d never live in the desert.)<\/p>\n
Right! And there\u2019s where you moved, right?<\/p>\n
(Emphatically.)<\/p>\n
Right, said a lot of other things you wouldn\u2019t do too. And they\u2019re all there because there\u2019s another little guy sittin\u2019 over there says, \u201cYou wanna bet?\u201d Not I\u2019s are always in competition from the word go.<\/p>\n
So perhaps that will help you to understand the value of running experiments with the teaching ideas or concepts that come along.<\/p>\n
[From Marsha – I had some difficulty understanding that a concept is just a concept and has nothing to attach to.\u00a0\u00a0 No wonder I could read teaching ideas and then promptly forget them until the next time I read them again. So I\u2019m centering on potential experiements that can be observed and experiemented with on this blog.\u00a0\u00a0 I want the teaching ideas to take root in me so they are up front and center when the challenge appears; and there is certainly no lack for daily challenges!\u00a0\u00a0 I may never be able to measure spiritual growth, but the physical body will tell me quite noisily when I have fallen asleep and hopefully the experiment will associate and the teaching idea will be in the present moment.]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
[From Marsha –\u00a0When I began studying the teachings many years ago, I often heard the phrase about \u201cdoing the work\u201d. The ideas began with the \u201cpicture of man\u201d and \u201cthe four dual basic urges\u201d (see website under illustrations).\u00a0\u00a0 So I … Continue reading