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From: cyee@bruce.cs.monash.edu.au (Chut Ngeow YEE)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern
Subject: The Secret of How to Change
Message-ID: <1991Jun25.052051.21294@nas.nasa.gov>
Date: 25 Jun 91 05:20:51 GMT
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Organization: NAS Program, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
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Approved: prabhu@amelia.nas.nasa.gov

There were a couple of complains about the lack of practical advice in the
posting that I did. So for a change I will do a few postings from the
practical texts of The Way of The Heart. There are four big volumes to
date in this category:

THE EATING GORILLA COMES IN PEACE - the transcendental principle of life
applied to diet and the regenerative discipline of true health.

LOVE OF THE TWO-ARMED FORM - the free and regenerative function for
sexuality in ordinary life, and the transcendence of sexuality in true
religious or spiritual practice.

CONSCIOUS EXERCISE AND THE TRANSCENDENTAL SUN - the principle of love
applied to exercise and the method of common physical action (a science
of whole body wisdom, or true emotion, intended most especially for those
engaged in religious or spiritual life)

EASY DEATH : talks and essays on the inherent and ultimate transcendence
of death and everything else.

There is little that I can say to adequately describe these books, except
to present you with what the Master says.  You will see that even the 
practical advices that Da Avabhasa gave is in not any way less profound
than his expositions on the Divine Process and more esoteric matters.

For a start, the essay below is called "The Secret of How to Change" from
"Love of The Two-Armed Form".  I will do a couple more posting from this
book later.

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Da Avabhasa: True change and higher human adaptation are not made on the
basis of any self-conscious resistance to old, degenerative, and subhuman
habits.  Change is not a matter of NOT doing something.  It is a matter of
doing something ELSE, something that is inherently right, free, and
pleasurable.  Therefore, the key is insight and the freedom to feel and
participate in ways of functioning that are right and new.

The tendencies and patterns of our earlier adaptations are not wrong.
They were appropriate enough in their own moment of creation, and there is
no need to feel guilt or despair about them.  Likewise, efforts to oppose
and change them are basically fruitless.  Such efforts are forms of
conflict, and they only reinforce the modes of self-possession.

What is not used becomes obsolete, whereas what is opposed is kept before
us.  Therefore, the creative principle of change is the one of relaxed
inspection and awareness of existing tendencies and persistent, full
feeling orientation to right, new, regenerative functional patterns.  If
this is done consistently and in ecstatic resort to the Living Divine,
free growth is assured.

Have no regrets.  Resort to the Divine in Truth and in the present.  All
that has been done by anyone had its logic in its time.  Only God avails.
Whatever is your habit in this moment is not wrong.  It is simply a
beginning.  No habit is necessary, but it is only tending to persist,
because it has not yet been replaced by further growth.  Hear the Teaching
of Truth, and understand what is the right, ultimate, and regenerative
pattern of each function of Man.  Feel free of all negative judgments
about what you have done and what you tend to do.  Turn with full feeling-
attention to the creative affair of new adaptation in most positive
Communion with the God who is Life, and who is Alive as all beings.

                                                               DA AVABHASA
                                                Love of The Two-Armed Form