Beyond all experience is the one who is experiencing. Beyond all change is the One who never changes.
Leonard JacobsonWanting others to love you, you give away your heart. Wanting others to see you, you give away your eyes.
Leonard JacobsonEverything that occurs in your life is an opportunity for awakening. There are no exceptions!
Leonard JacobsonHow does silence find its way out of that noisy, chattering mind? That endless maze of thought, concept, opinion, belief? How does perfect silence and pure consciousness find its way out of that maze? Very simply: Bring yourself present with something that's HERE, in the moment. Then you'll be HERE again.
Leonard JacobsonEach new moment presents an opportunity for conscious choice. We can choose to let go of the past. We can choose to be here now. We can choose to accept responsibility for ourselves. . . . We can choose to awaken. Or we can choose to remain asleep and unconscious.
Leonard JacobsonWaking up is not serious. It is a gentle remembering and an honoring of the present moment as the truth of life.
Leonard JacobsonGratitude, generosity and humility are inherent characteristics of one who is present. When you awaken, you will realize that everyone and everything has the same right to be here as you do. This includes every human Being, every tree Being, every flower Being, and every other kind of Being.
Leonard JacobsonWhen you are present, you are transcendent of the mind and ego and so you can witness your mind and ego. You can be conscious of your thoughts without being lost in them when they arise.
Leonard JacobsonWhen you are fully present, you transcend duality and open into Oneness. In Presence, there is power without opposition. There is love without hate, acceptance without judgment and allowing without control.
Leonard JacobsonIf you really know how to ask the question 'Who am I?' you will inevitably be delivered into that state of silence and pure consciousness that is your true Being. The question 'Who am I?' will ultimately deliver you into the 'I am' of you.
Leonard JacobsonWhen you are present, your mind is silent. Free of opinions, concepts and beliefs and free of projections from the past and anxiety about the future, it is a perfectly clear instrument of expression. And the expression comes from the center of your Being.
Leonard JacobsonIf you have a powerful enlightenment experience, do not try to hold on to it, for to do so will take you out of the present moment. You will be caught in the past. You will close the door that gave rise to the experience in the first place.
Leonard JacobsonOne of the great dangers on the spiritual path is that the ego becomes spiritualized. The ego loves to think of itself as spiritually evolved. It is just another way that it manages to feel important and in control. It is very difficult to free yourself from an enlightened ego.
Leonard JacobsonWhen you learn to take responsibility for yourselves, then you will start taking responsibility for the planet. The planet is being destroyed by your abandonment of responsibility. You assume that you own the planet. And ownership confers upon you the right to do as you like. You do not own this beautiful planet. You are simply a guest here.
Leonard JacobsonIn the present moment, you are beyond all definition. This means that you are no longer defined by the pain and limitations of the past. You are no longer defined by your judgments, opinions or beliefs nor are you defined by the judgment, opinions or beliefs of others.
Leonard Jacobson"What do I want?" is your question. And what you want is always changing with the flow. So go with the flow.
Leonard JacobsonIn Presence, there is no outcome. It is our involvement in the outcome that keeps us imprisoned in an imagined future. In Presence, there is only now.
Leonard JacobsonIt is a mistake to imagine that you can awaken in any kind of permanent way. There is only NOW and so you can only be awake now. Even the idea of permanence is an illusion. The question to ask is 'Am I awake and fully present NOW?' That question arises and is answered in perfect silence.
Leonard JacobsonMore than anything else, judgment will take you out of the present moment. It will take you out of Oneness into separation. Whenever judgment arises within you, just notice it. Acknowledge it. Confess it. It is just an energy arising within you. Do not judge it or try to get rid of it. Just bring it to consciousness with love, acceptance and compassion. In this way, judgment will be transformed into love.
Leonard JacobsonAs each one of us awakens, it is like a light going on, followed by another light, another light, and another light. The darkness of human unconsciousness is slowly, gradually and gently lit, until there comes a day when there is more light than dark, more consciousness than unconsciousness , more joy than pain, ...more truth than illusion. That would indeed be a day for celebration.
Leonard JacobsonAwakening is about liberating yourself from the prison that is the world of the mind and daring to be here as all that you are.
Leonard JacobsonIf you fully awaken, you will not know yourself. Understand this, and you will understand all.
Leonard JacobsonAs you transition from the past and future world of the mind to the awakened world of now, you will begin to experience yourself in an entirely new way. A way that is free of the pain and limitations of the past, and free of anxiety about the future. And you will begin to experience the abundance that is ever present in each moment.
Leonard JacobsonYou get lost because you think there is somewhere to go. If you give up believing in a goal or a destination, then you cannot get lost. In the present moment, there is no destination.
Leonard JacobsonWe are on a journey of becoming that which we already are. That is the impossible paradox of our lives.
Leonard JacobsonWhen you awaken, you know that everything that occurs at the level of mind is illusory in nature and so you no longer believe in it as the truth of life. It is sometimes happy and sometimes sad, because it is a world of duality. You relax and accept the dual nature of the world of the mind and the world of experience within time. This will create balance within duality which will open the doorway to Oneness.
Leonard JacobsonThe past is gone. The future never arrives. In truth, there is no life outside of this moment!
Leonard JacobsonWhen you are caught in the mind, your past defines you. When you are present, you are beyond definition.
Leonard JacobsonIn presence, there is no right or wrong, because there is no duality. There is no judgment.
Leonard JacobsonOnce you have found yourself and accepted your aloneness, then the greatest blessing is to share the love that arises within you. Each new moment presents the richest opportunity to be loving. And you can share love in the simplest of ways. Be soft and gentle. Be caring and kind. Be loving in an ordinary way, without any sense of wanting anything back, Life offers you the most precious gift. The gift of allowing you to be present and share love.
Leonard JacobsonIn the awakened state, the mind is either perfectly silent or it is a perfectly clear instrument of expression.
Leonard JacobsonMe, me, me! Mine, mine, mine! I'm right, I'm right, I'm right. What's in it for me? How do I use this? How do I take advantage of it? This is the way of the ego. Own this within yourself and you will begin to release yourself from it.
Leonard JacobsonWhat are you going to do? Are you going to keep looking backwards, full of anger, resentment and unfulfilled desire. Or are you going to be here now. Because everything is available for you in the here and now. Love, compassion, silence, bliss and Oneness.
Leonard Jacobson