Question:
Do you believe in the “law of Recognizing evil” as stated in Andrew Harvey’s new book called The Hope? I wrote to Andrew Harvey about that chapter and thought he was referring more to discernment. He responded to my email and stated that he did not believe that evil was a no thing, which he obviously believes it is something. He spoke of the alchemy of good and evil which does not involve duality, which to my understanding is a subtle but powerful illusion that keeps one away from understanding the purity of consciousness itself, First Cause is a pure eternal reality, beyond cause and effect …I noticed you had endorsed that book, which is why I purchased it and I wanted to ask you your thoughts on that chapter? To refer to “recognizing evil” as a law is something I am not understanding. How would you explain this, as I have a group of individuals in a book study right now who Don’t understand this idea of recognizing evil as a law. Other then this particular chapter his book is filled with thoughtful inspirations and perhaps some good active ideas.
Answer:
Andrew Harvey’s book aims to empower us with a spiritual life and force that is unshakably rooted in bliss, unity and ultimate reality. This awareness is born of an integration and acknowledgment of all the disparate forces and tendencies within and outside of us. These destructive and shadow aspects of our nature and in Nature, must be recognized for what they are if they are to be healed and reconnected to the wholeness. As long as we deny the sinner in us and insist on only seeing ourselves as the saint, so long we remain powerless to transform ourselves and the world as well. This acknowledgment of the destructive power is not about giving in to fear and duality; just the opposite. It is the honest healing and reclaiming of the parts of our soul that denial of has keep us in fear and separation.
Love,
Deepak
Maybe this is what Jesus meant by, “Those who believe there
darkness is light, how great there darkness is.”
Love it!! Love ya’ll too!!!
Thank you Deepak for sharing your thoughts and comments on recognizing evil and opening up a door for me to explore Twitter. I agree with some of your comments and understand on one level what you are conveying. But the main question was do you believe that recognizing evil is “a law”- maybe a human temporal law perhaps? It is certainly not an absolute law, thank God for that, because that would turn hope into hopelessness…..I think the idea on recognizing evil “as a law” needs some more messaging and clarity. Also the concept of integrating the sinfulness and saint in us and then transcending both needs more clarity of explanation. For some It is a dance no doubt, Some call it God’s Lila,(play of good and evil) however trying to blend good and evil as one would be like trying to blend oil and water so that they become one with our pure essence, instead of unifying with the pure essence of consciousness itself. You can spend a life time chasing and analyzing the shadow(illusion), that is a choice too…Or your everyday thought and focus can be in asking the universe to reveal the Real You and begin really living. If you sincerely ask the Universe for understanding who your really are, it so lovingly responds and heals all erroneous beliefs about your self and without having to constantly observe your shadow….Love and goodness is mans innate nature, being focused on that brings you into it…….This is a much more harmonious way to go home.
In respose to further clarification on “evil as a law”. The sin nature, our flesh, is stronger than our mind, emotions and will. Our sin nature which expresses (evil tendencies) is a law like gravity. To overcome the law of sin, we need a stronger and more powerful law. God has provided that power in the universe and it is the power of God. It enables us to resist the power that sin has over us. This is the highest law in the universe. Our hope lies in this power that God has available for us.
My wisdom child speaks on the law of recognizing evil
Hey Mom!
A Yogananda quote:
“Life has a bright side and a dark side, for the world of relativity is composed of light and shadows. If you permit your thoughts to dwell on evil, you yourself will become ugly. Look only for the good in everything so you absorb the quality of beauty.”
Maybe since most of the world lives mentally in “the world of relativity”, this is the kind of advice that enlightened ones must give. Yogananda who is a truly God realized Master even had to teach us students in those terms. Just listen, he says” so you absorb the quality of beauty” …or…..”you yourself will become ugly”. Well as far as absolute truth goes you can not absorb the quality of beauty because you are already perfect and you can never truly “become ugly”.Yogananda ultimatley knew this…..that there is only one “I am”…..but….how do you go around telling people they are perfect and everyone is perfect when they have not come to that understanding of themselves yet? Also many people look at the illusion of evil and judge it as such but I think the point in developing an understanding of unity is that, yes, there are evil appearances you see them everyday but gradually one comes to understand that whether it is evil appearing or good appearing (both human illusions), that all that is, was, or ever could be ultimatley comes from one source. One cause. Evil is to us as much as we let it be to us….by our judgement of it as evil…..so is human good…..what you are talking about, I do believe, most people can’t even conceive of it yet…and honestly what does it matter anyway if you are operating from God Conciousness? Hey, what does it matter even if your not operating from God-Conciousness?….It doesn’t matter because regardless of what I want to think that I am experiencing, I do know there is only One I Am….. even when I don’t know it. There’s no place I’m going and there’s no place I haven’t been….infact there is no place. Anyway, this must be true because if it’s not then we’re all screwed! Just kidding!!! Anyway…..who cares right??? Looooove you!!
how do we know what unconditional love is,
unless we can experience it ourselves.
when we are presented with something we perceive
as not good, or not God
right there is an open door straight into your divinity, into the Heart of All.
when we love something we perceive as not God , or someone , or a stinky idea,
because Love is who we are
then we are loving unconditionally, and we are within the Stream
of the Universe.
- no condition placed upon loving what so ever.
because to love only the bright and the pretty and nice and the worthy
is to limit ourselves to our tiny perceptions of things.. all of a sudden
we are retracting our beautiful Energy from things we deem unworthy,
and in so doing, we forget who we are.
perceived darkness is an invitation to remember who you are.
when you look apon this darkness with the eyes of God
( which you CAN do, just ask to See as God sees and you will )
when you look with the eyes of God upon this that you perceive as dark
you will be amazed . this is the greatest adventure of all.
Yes in this human experience this may be so, and it certainly makes for a beautiful way of looking at the illusions of life-
But in Truth there is no law of recognizing evil….
To really see as God sees, would be to realize there never was a dark shadow, nor is it needed to know thy Self—
Love,
Gyanama