ONLINE Wed, Aug 5: "Ten Strategies" A Tribute to Bart Marshall

Bart Marshall, a friend to many in TAT, a gifted writer and spiritual teacher, and one who TAT refers to as a "finder", recently passed on and this evening in tribute, we would like to review his "Ten Strategies" for a spiritual seeker. Which resonate most for you and why?

The following paragraphs are copied from the TAT Forum, October 2015 issue. The entire text and descriptions of each strategy is here:
https://tatfoundation.org/tat-forum-archives/forum2005-10.htm#2

For more about who Bart is, here is an interview by Shawn Nevins on Spiritualteachers.org:
https://www.spiritualteachers.org/podcast/bart-marshall-interview/

And the collection of various sources of wisdom to which he was most drawn and inspired to translate are available from his website:
https://realfacepress.com/

***************************
"As I turned over all those rocks on my spiritual search, I was always trying out recommendations about what I could do to hurry this process along-what I could do, what I could be, to speed things up. Even if the teaching was that there is nothing to be done, I'd want to know what the technique was for not-doing. Always thinking it was up to me whether or not this was going to happen.

"But is it up to me? Can this shift in perception, be brought about by the efforts of an illusory individual? Some teachers say there is absolutely nothing a person can do to bring about this experience, so don't bother. Even teachers like Rose who recommend extreme effort on the spiritual path say that those efforts are not what bring about the experience, if indeed one happens. As Rose says, "There's no recipe for a lightning bolt."

"Statistically, though, people who report having a conclusive spiritual experience are usually those who've spent considerable time pursuing spiritual activities. So of course, like everything else on the "path," it's a paradox.

"The spiritual path, if we are going to call it that, seems to be a process of maneuvering the mind onto shaky ground, into a state of uncertainty that makes it vulnerable to intervention by an "outside" force. A very delicate contortion. The question is not really "How can I bring about a spiritual experience?" but "How can I become susceptible to Grace? How can I become accident prone?"

"From that angle, it seems these general practices are the kind of things that might help maneuver the mind into a vulnerable state. Nothing new here. These ideas are scattered all throughout the teachings and literature. And of course some are in apparent contradiction with each other. In no particular order:"

1. Absorb Teachings
2. Assume Authority
3. Focus Intent
4. Cease Knowing
5. Investigate Personhood (What am I?)
6. Practice Inlooking (Where am I?)
7. Apprehend Time (When am I?)
8. Abandon Hope
9. Favor Simplicity
10. Choose Silence
    10+ Befriend Death