Stages of Practice – Beezone Study

Study

Involves in-depth study of the
summary of the Teaching and all the basic Arguments.

The student studies Who the Master
Is, the Master’s Work, the student’s relationship to the
Master, and the stages of recognition of the Master.

Also, the entire process of practice
and all its stages, the process leading to Realization, is
studied. In other words, the early stage involves an
in-depth summary consideration, rather than just a general,
topical, and limited consideration of all these
matters.

In the beginning the stages of
recognition of the Spiritual Master should also be
considered, as well as the student’s special involvement
with or recognition of the Master as Teacher at this stage.
He or she may acknowledge Me as more than Teacher, but the
practice is to approach Me as Teacher, to receive the
Teaching and instruction, and to prepare for advanced
practice based on a more profound recognition of Me as time
goes on.

DEVOTEE: Master, that essay
you gave us on recognition of the Spiritual Master … you
described four
forms of recognition of the Spiritual
Master. As you were speaking
… began to speak about the human level and such as
teacher, the development into Spiritual Master as spiritual
presence, and how that animates itself through the whole
life of practice, and what that reflects as a total
disposition of practice, and as the source of it as full
identification with that, which is your
Condition.

MASTER: So a fundamental
aspect of the Way is the progressive recognition of the
Spiritual Master. In other words entering into that Company,
the sphere of the Spiritual Master’s Influence more and more
profoundly. By entering into more and more levels of
recognition of the Spiritual Master.

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The first step, then, is simply
to study this consideration. Consider the teaching argument,
do what you will in your personal life, assume
responsibility to study. Study, ponder, observe yourself,
observe your life. When it becomes your own, then you can
begin to add to the discipline – Adi Da –
1987

Controntation – Discipline and
Service

As the practice progresses the same
in-depth study of all these matters continues. The
individual is now addressed by the Teaching personally and
is called to confront himself or herself for the sake of
self-observation and self understanding. At this stage,
therefore, the functional disciplines are added to the
student’s participation in order to serve this process.
Also, service disciplines are engaged.

This notion that Spiritual live
is just something to get enthusiastic about, and you start
it as soon as you get your first lecture, is just part of
the absurd consumer culture in the world, and that this not
how it works. People do not think they have to deal with
anything in themseles and transform their behavior, and be
purified of all kinds of habits, habits of mind as well as
of body, as a basis for spiritual life. They think Spiritual
life is just something you take up based ona philosophical
intention, and it is not so… Adi Da 2004

A limited degree in sacramental
occasions, such as educational gatherings for chanting and
meeting with other practitioners. A level of sacred activity
exists for everyone. One’s participation increases over
time.

Then what follows, already a subject
of consideration, including the Teaching as it relates to
the practitioner’s life, continues to be considered.

Devotion

At this point, recognition of and
involvement with the Master as Siddha, manifesting as
Spiritual Presence, in addition to the Master as Teacher,
becomes the context of the involvement of devotees. Devotees
should enter fully into the devotional Way as simple
surrender, using the Easy Prayer, which is presented to them
through an initiatory incident, as part of the means for
this surrender. They will continue the practice of
Submission to Grace, or of waiting on Grace, until there is
emotional conversion via Spirit-Baptism.

This stage is oriented to the
reception of Spirit Baptism and the process of emotional
conversion to Divine Communion.

Frontal
Personality

This stage is oriented to opening
the frontal line to the descending current. The practice is
to overcome frontal neurotic blocks or reactivity that tends
to reverse the frontal line. In other words, through
Submission to the Living Spiritual Presence, practitioners
normalize, balance, and economize their
life-practice.

This stage does not involve the
specific orientation to ascent, although the occurrence of
ascending phenomena is possible because the basic practice
of conductivity is established.

“we are not specifically looking
for signs that belong to the later stages of life. We are
looking for freedom from human neurosis. We are looking for
balance in the first three stages of life, and for the
emotional, devotional, and spiritual signs of the fourth
stage of life-altogether the signs of equanimity in daily
life, sexual equanimity in terms of true human relatedness
and intimacy, physical health, and the ability to serve as a
balanced and sane participant in the institutional and
community life. Whatever other signs may exist, these are
the truly human signs that must be shown”.

Conductivity

The practice of spiritual
conductivity, such as relaxing from base to crown, feeling
from the heart in all directions, and breathing or
circulating the Life-Current bodily. Those elements of the
practice are present, particularly aligned to the practice
of the cycle of reception-release, inhaling in descent and
exhaling to release limitations and blocks.

The particular practice at this
stage is to begin the cycle of the revelation of the
Life-Current. The practitioner receives it in the frontal
line, stabilizes It there, and becomes responsible for
neurotic blocks and reactivity that reverse the Current or
throw It off.

Practice continues at this stage
until the descending Current shows evidence in the life of
the individual. Other signs of meditation are also to be
observed and taken into account, but the sign of growth is
in the evidence of the descending Power.

Return to “What is
Practice”