1. The Importance of Practicing Spirituality

2. Talk and Discussion The International Academy for Interfaith Studies
Sponsored by
The International Academy for Interfaith Studies g

3. Review of Last Week -- 1
When your consciousness shifts, everything around you shifts, as well.
Explained how to practice spiritual wisdom
You ultimately become whatever you most focus on.
Explained how to focus you consciousness

4. Review of Last Week -- 2
The more you learn, understand, and apply spiritual lessons, the more achievements you will accomplish.
Explained how to strengthen your spiritual efforts.
The consciousness that you bring to the table is most important in deciding how you will understand your experiences.
Explained how to live more consciously.

5. Review of Last Week -- 3
When you give something to another person, expect nothing in return but only feel grateful for having been of service to another.
The purpose of Life’s tests is to challenge a person to grow higher, greater, deeper, and stronger in spirituality and to do this you must be loving in your heart.
You are meant to achieve your spiritual goals in your own way.

6. Review of Last Week -- 4
Explained how you should relate to spiritual guidance so that you can receive its benefits.
Explained that spirituality is optimistic.
Explained how one can be optimistic.

7. Understanding this if nothing else: spiritual freedom and Oneness with the Tao (the flow of divine perfection) are not randomly bestowed gifts, but the rewards of conscious self-transformation and self-evolution.
Hua Hu Ching

8. Why Should You Practice Spirituality?
By intentionally doing spiritual practices, you are actively supporting your personal growth.
Growth is inherently challenging no matter how you do it, but if you work with and not against the flow of life, your progress will be smoother and more fruitful.
Wanting to become more spiritual means building positive spiritual habits.

9. Goals of Spiritual Practice
Know what you want – meaning the wisdom and guidance to go in the right direction
Empowering what you want – meaning the power to move in the correct direction

10. You got to be careful if you do not know where you are going, because you might not get there.
Yogi Berra

11. Practices for the Mind
Contemplation – You examine what is already in your mind and you put that into order
Meditation – You clear your mind so whatever you encounter you can see and understand more clearly
Communion – You become inspired from you own deep, inner connection with the divine (your deeper feelings about nature)
Studying – You expand your knowledge base by studying spiritual texts and teachings of the masters

12. Practices for the Body The state of your body
influences the state of your brain.
The state of your body and brain
influences the state of your mind and spirit

13. Practices of your Spirit
Spiritual and/or devotional “rituals” help you clarify your highest goals and thus find guidance for yourself
The rituals depend on the person - they can be prayer, singing, walks in the park, chanting, and so on
If your rituals clear your mind and allow you to think more clearly, then they are working for you
Such a practice is tapping into the divine (nature) and this gives you guidance and maybe even inspiration

14. Practice the Right Way Be patient and gentle with yourself
Do not try to be perfect as you get benefit from the effort itself
What is most important in your PRACTICE is the positive attitude that you bring to it – it should not be mindless but it should be sincere

15. Examples of Practicing -- 1
Exercise with the intention of becoming a more complete person that expresses the divine or the best that is in life through your very being
Use your willpower to improve your meditation breathing so that it invigorates your mind, body, and spirit
Focus your mind on the highest (the divine) aspects of life in every moment of your existence

16. Examples of Practicing -- 2
Find ways to honor the divine (highest aspects of life) through your own created personal rituals that reflect your devotion and gratitude
Learn to hear within yourself, your higher SELF – pay attention to that quiet small “inner” voice
Understand that you show love for the divine (life) by such simple means as smiling, showing others your kindness, offering humor at the correct moments, being friendly, and demonstrating your trust in others

17. By Practicing You Will Reach Your Goal
Where Everything You Do Is Automatically an Offering to the Divine, the Higher Self, and
The Life That Is Worth Living

18. Keep knocking and the joy inside will eventually open a window and look out to see who is there.
Rumi

19. Movie Symbolism: Shawshank Redemption
Movie Plot
Andy is wrongly accused of a crime and is imprisoned
Friends and foes help and harm Andy
Andy wins the prize of great freedom through focus, dedication, patience, and steady practice
Spirituality Lessons
The human predicament is that we are born free but imprisoned in the world of limited understanding
Some of the most pious are the worst scoundrels and many so- called felons have the pure hearts
Long term vision is important and the patience to enact that vision in spite of no immediate gains

20. Two Stages of Practice
Purify your heart by learning to love yourself, those around you, and eventually all that life contains including everyone and the environment
Follow your pure heart by acting out that love
Realize that you can do both at the same time

21. The person who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.
Chinese Proverb

22. Practice: Discipline / Flexibility
Benefit: Often keeps you moving steadily forward
Drawback: Eventually you will reach a plateau where rigid discipline no longer works. Maybe the rigid practice is no longer best for you. In addition, if you feel egotistical about your discipline, that could counter act the benefit of the practice
Benefit: This approach intuitively taps the larger life guidance that comes from surrender and openness.
Drawback: This approach can be counter productive and can even lead you to abandon you practices

23. Be Patient with Your Practices
An impatient beginning martial arts student asked his instructor, “How long will it take me to master this art?”
The teacher said, “Ten years.”
The student said, “But if I work very hard, how long will it take.”
The teacher said, “Twenty years.”

24. Select Your Practices
Try them and see if it or they is the one(s) for you
Give it a good chance to work for you. Choose the one(s) that resonates with you and be open to trying others
Study the practice from those who already know it
Move into the flow by allowing your own inner guidance decide the when, how, and how much

25. Let it Flow Within You The practice should become natural
But this can take time
The practice should be enjoyable and even ecstatic
Allow yourself to adjust
Work with your flow: are you a rule follower or are you more more intuitive and self-guided? – Know yourself

26. Doing Practicing Practices for your body Practices for your mind
Include yoga, breathing exercises
Practices for your mind
Include meditation, contemplation, repetition of mantras, studying spiritual teachings
Practices for your spirit
Include rituals, prayer, chanting, singing hymns

27. Willpower Spiritual disciplines test and strengthen your willpower
Self-control is like a muscle that you strengthen through meeting challenges with you will power
In inner willpower struggles, take control by saying no to opposing desires and focus your commitment
Even if you lose the battle, your efforts will bring you greater willpower strength for the next time

28. Practice Transforms Your Life
Helps you get rid of bad habits
Helps you make new, good habits

29. Practice Being Happy
Just practice acting happy – “Fake it to you make it.”
If you feel happy, it shows up in everything you do
Expressing happiness outwardly effects your state of mind by creating happiness inside yourself
This is not saying you should disregard your grief and anger and wear a constant, fake, plastic smile
Be real by merely practicing being happy

30. Avoid Negativity
Neutralize negative thoughts by substituting positive ones for them
Raise your perspective and self-identification to a higher spiritual level where you recall everything happens for the best
Study, recall, and practice spiritual lessons that help you move your mind beyond the temporary negative thoughts

31. If you wish copies of this TALK and others go to the following web site:
Go to the bottom of the list of courses and look for the Sunday you wish

32. End Of the Talk Now Time for Discussion
On November 1: Reincarnation – A Closer Look
Following Week: Practices to
Energize Your Body