3 – A True Presence

It is possible to experience a moment of true presence through special concentration achieved by the use of exercises, such as those to which Edward Salim Michael gave exposition in his books. Indeed, only by continuous concentration will the seeker be able to sense the difference relative to his ordinary state, and begin to feel in what way he usually “sleeps” inside himself without knowing it.

Inner Awakening and Practice of Nada Yoga – Chapter 10

The person who succeeds in recognizing clearly within herself an entirely unaccustomed state of presence, an intense presence, and a keen consciousness of herself that has pulled her from her ordinary state of being and feeling, has gained the most precious thing that can exist in the life of a human being.

The Supreme Quest – Chapter 20

The efforts the seeker must make to perform these kinds of exercises will allow her to realize that the resistance encountered in remaining present and concentrated is also there during her seated meditation. However, as, during her meditation, her attention is not solicited with the same exigency as during these concentration exercises, the resistance within her will appear considerably less strong and, in this way, less evident, and she will not notice it with the same clarity as when she is trying to effect these exercises that require of her a sort of attention that she has not hitherto known and without which she will make errors. It is precisely because of these errors that she will make that she will have a chance to realize that she does not know what it means to be really concentrated.

Awakening : A Matter of Life or Death – Chapter 2

After many attempts to remain present to himself, and painful failures, the aspirant will have to come to realize, in all humility, that, contrary to what he may commonly believe, “to think” presence and to be truly present to himself are two things as different from one another as the sky is from the Earth !
If the seeker is really motivated in his desire to know himself, he will, following repeated experiences, come to admit that indeed the aforesaid is not an arbitrary exaggeration but an undeniable truth; He has to understand with all his seriousness  that simply “to think” presence, as one is used to doing in everyday life, is neither more nor less than dreaming, and will get him nowhere spiritually speaking.
To be present to oneself within requires a conscious effort on his part, a quite specific effort which ordinarily is impossible for him to experience and which, at the beginning, is not easy to make. Only by these efforts to become present, which he will have to repeat with untiring patience, will it one day be possible for him to find the Heavenly Source whence he originally emerged.

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