What we’re about
The objective of this group is Ultimate consciousness, Cosmic consciousness or Satori. This is a friendly confrontation group that uses the tool of self-inquiry. Instead of blind faith, we use a common sense method to bring about this consciousness more rapidly and safely than systems of which we know very little. This system outlines a path, the mechanics of which are outlined in the Albigen Papers. You can access more information about this system here: Albigen System. Here is a link to the book on richardroseteachings.com: https://tinyurl.com/22bom4np. This system is similar to ancient systems of Zen in that it attacks inconsistent states of mind, and works to remove them.
We use the tool of self-inquiry to retreat from errors in our thinking, through the critical examination of our beliefs and thinking processes. This process should and will prove itself along the way in proportion to the seeker's honesty, persistence, and commitment. A meeting will be advertised at least 4 to 5 days in advance, where there will be some stimulating material presented in the topic heading and meeting information to think about. If you don't read the material or watch the YouTube clip provided it is not worth your while turning up for the meeting. If there is too much material provided, just focus on the main material presented for the upcoming meeting. I may add related links but these can be seen as optional.
Generally, on the night each participant is given a block of time of around 10 minutes (dependent upon the number of participants on the night) to share thoughts on the topic after which he/she will be quizzed by those present on their opinions for the following 10 minutes. This helps seekers to itemise areas in their perspective that may feel false or not fully understood and provides questions for the seeker to reflect on when the meeting is over. A pen and paper at the ready may be beneficial to record anything that resonates during the meetings to reflect on later.
In the words of Richard Rose:
"Our purpose . . . is to find the Truth, meaning self definition, and the true relation of man to his fellow men and the true understanding of our life's events.
The "System" is one that searches esoterically. Some other systems are objective, additive, mechanistic and evolutionary. This system is SUBJECTIVE, IMMANENT, and DESIGNED FOR IMMEDIATELY CHANGING AND BECOMING.
THIS IS NOT A SYSTEM OF FAITH.
THIS IS NOT A SYSTEM THAT IS UTILITARIAN, PROMISING WEALTH OR HEALTH.
THIS IS NOT A SOCIALLY OR POLITICALLY ORIENTED GROUP.
THIS IS NOT A SYSTEM WHICH WOULD PRETEND TO BRING ABOUT A STATE OF BEING BY PHYSICAL OR MECHANICAL MEANS OR EVEN BY MENTAL VISUALIZATION.
THIS SYSTEMS DOES NOT ATTEMPT TO PROVE ITSELF BY THE VANITY OF LOGIC, BUT IS DEDUCTIVE AND ANSWERS TO COMMON SENSE AND THE INTUITION.
THIS IS A SYSTEM THAT FINDS TRUTH BY RETREATING FROM UNTRUTH.
THIS IS NOT A COMMERCIAL VENTURE OR A MONEY ORIENTED CULT. It is meticulously non-profit.
THIS SYSTEM AIMS AT SELF DEFINITION AND CONSIDERS ALL KNOWLEDGE INCOMPLETE UNTIL THE "KNOWER" OR EXPERIENCER IS IDENTIFIED".
Some main guidelines are:
No freemasons are allowed to join this group.
Own what you say. Use "I" statements rather than "you", "one" or "we". Depersonalizing avoids ownership of feelings, experiences, opinions, and issues, making change an uphill battle. By using the word “we”, it seeks validation and acceptance of others. “My” puts your truth before your need to fit in.
Be honest with yourself and others.
No one is obligated to share or do anything.
Ask questions with a sincere desire to understand how the other person thinks.
Do not give advice.
Some participants ask if it is ok to leave their camera off during a meeting and that is perfectly fine, but it is preferable if regular members leave their screen on.
Do not try to convince anyone of anything or play God by preaching.
When asking questions do not make it about you, the questioner.
Loaded questions are not helpful, “ad hominems”, where you imply in the question some opinion about the character of the person being questioned. The monitor will bring these types of questions into the open during the meeting to highlight a style of questioning not tolerated.
The general principle being outlined here is that if participants go against the set out rules, without genuine efforts to change their approach to the meeting accordingly, they will be given three chances before being dropped by the monitor from the meeting. It is then up to the monitor if the person is allowed back for future meetings, which will only happen if an amicable agreement has been reached to comply with the rules for future meetings.
Recommended books to read (also please give ratings for these books as the more ratings a book gets, it will appear more often in the searches):
Tat Foundation books: Books -
I Am That by Nisargadatta Maharaj: https://tinyurl.com/2axebovl
The Collected Works of Ramana Maharshi: https://tinyurl.com/23wl49wa
"There is no greater religion than human friendship" - Richard Rose
[Thanks to Wikipedia Commons for the cover picture]
Upcoming events (1)
See all- The Path of Surrender, The Warrior's Path or the Path of Service? (Philosophy)Link visible for attendees
What are the types of spiritual paths that are available? What type of spiritual path fits my style or way of being in the world? I found Tom Campbell's talk discussing the 3 spiritual paths outlined in this meeting's heading to be quite a detailed look into three definite paths. Here is Tom's YouTube clip describing these 3 paths: 3 Spiritual Paths: Service, Surrender, and Warrior.
Tom explains that the warrior fights for truth, struggles to find the knowledge/truth of his self and others. It is the long path, but seems to be the more definite path. The warrior engages his intellect, makes rational decisions. He develops his intuitive side but works to balance it with his rational side. He struggles/fights with his ego to the end.
The path of surrender is to give everything up to a "higher power". Realise that you are moved as opposed to you doing the moving. This is intuitive dominant and much less so on the intellectual side.
The path of service, is to give up on focusing selfishly on myself, and turning the focus on helping others. Let this be what raises the quality of your consciousness.
What path resonates the most to you? What possibilities do you see in these paths?
Do you prefer to make choices or slavishly follow the decisions that you surrender to?
How do I best serve other? What are the traps in serving others?
How can I work on all three paths concurrently and interactively?
Please come along and bring your own questions, thoughts, feelings and ideas that you feel about these paths.
Here are some notes from last week's meeting:
- What am I seeking for, is it connection, purpose, love?
- There is a story tied up in the feelings, fears and beliefs.
- What is Integrity?
- Can we overcome fear completely or is it intrinsic?
- Is pain what is behind all negative behavior?
- How can people overcome all coping mechanisms? If I indulge in some harmless behavior, but still a waste of my time, how can I identify it as a coping mechanism?
- Are you on the hamster wheel of life, the everyday grind for survival, working hard to keep up a routine?
- Do you fear falling out of your story? How many paradigms are you experiencing in your life? (aka family, work, social paradigms) Do they add to your authenticity or take from it?
- How many times have you felt the "ground shift" beneath you during big changes in your life?
Thanks to Envato AI ImageGen for the accompanying image generated using the prompt: "a warrior surrendering through service to God".
Check out the "What we are about" section in the groups' main page for some guidelines we work to adhere to. Meetings are run on the popular Zoom platform. Please contemplate the topic in advance of the meeting to get the best out of it and bring your views and convictions to the meeting, if possible have a pen and paper close by to record anything useful that may come up that you resonate with on the night, little things you may want to contemplate further.
