The Sacrifice of One’s Place in the Work – Life of Outer Freedom
To perform this sacrifice one must leave their place in the Community of Work. Or, if they have been working alone, one must cease their practices during the time of this Sacrifice.
The purpose of doing these Sacrifices is to discover something about our own work. What happens when we do the actual exercise? It is not enough to report back and say, I have done the exercise. I am complete with this or that phase. That has no meaning.
That which you have discovered and learned on your own, only that has meaning. What then can we learn about ourselves by leaving the very work, and ceasing the very practices that brought one to the consideration of this exercise.
First and foremost you must try the exercise. All else is empty. That is only hot air passing through ones lips.
In the earlier exercises, individuals established practices of living that they injected into their day, moments of prayer and presence. Now, here at this moment what happens when you cease such a movement or practice?
You begin to see, with clarity and potent energy, what is important to you. Can you actually returnĀ to life in the World? Try it? You did like it, kind of. Now, after years on the path, can you return? Why not, what stops you? Billions of people live that life each and everyday. What do you see when you give up your practice?
One observation that may emerge is a clarity of the practice. Most do a practice and yet each of us has the threat of that practice becoming mechanical. This sacrifice will help one put into perspective the value and clarity of one’s practice. Try it, you’ll like it.
Here is the recording from the class:
Audio Recording Class_10_Sept_07_2011
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