THE INCREASE OF SENSITIVITY

I would like to make clear a wondrous fact concerning this matter of judglessness. Many have found it already and have written in great excitement to tell me of it, but it seems to be a point difficult to understand by those who have only given the action of living judglessly a half-hearted try. Many a puzzlement can be cleared up when we understand this: To the extent that we stop placing good-bad values on our images of awareness, OUR ABILITY TO DISTINGUISH INCREASES, and increases enormously.

There is a great difference between value-judgments and distinctions—a difference not easily understood until we actually get underway and begin ending our judgments. Then the great difference becomes apparent and, as it does, our actions follow suit, often to the wonder (and criticism) of the world.

To make this point crystal clear, let it be said again: The ability to distinguish increases as judgment ends. Distinguish what? New sights we have been unconscious of before; feelings we long since thought had vanished with the years. But more, we find an ever growing ability to distinguish new things in areas not recognized as containing new things—somewhat as if we had long been familiar with a bowl of glass marbles, heretofore seen simply as "marbles" but now, bit by bit, seen to be marbles of different sizes, colors and designs—all these apparent distinctions that others seem not to see at all! Yes, perception "becomes" clear and acute. An intuitive alertness of a new kind develops. Inevitably, the wonder is how we could have been so stupid as to miss these things before.

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But, lo, with this positive phenomenon in one direction, come another in the opposite. (Contradistinction! The "means" by which Singleness is tangibly known). This new ability to perceive distinctions (arriving as the natural consequence of subduing judgmental living) is often viewed as a judgmental action by "others"! — in particular, by those of us who have intellectually arrived at the advantages of judglessness but have not given it a real try. "The less judgmental or critical I am," someone writes, "the more I am accused of it! Why?" Another question comes: "Why should I expect mental clarity and feelings of youth to increase as I stop living judgmentally? If I could believe that, I would give it a try."

When the intellect understands a point, it is occasionally willing to concede it. The following illustration has proven helpful to "make clear upon the tables" the why and how of the tangible "results" that come from hanging the apple back on the tree. At the same time it will point out the differences between judgment and distinction—and why our new found ability to distinguish appears as judgment to "others."

Reader, put yourself INTO this illustration. Take your present lingering likes, dislikes, wants and wishes into this analogy and see how and why they are, everyone, monumentally more than you suspect.

THE ILLUSTRATION OF THE DARK FRINGE AT THE EDGE OF THE FIELD

Suppose we have been raised since youth to be frightened of the forest on the other side of the field. Because we believed what we were told of the forest (by parents or school, church or society) we have never gone near it and, in the distance, that forest appears to be a dark foreboding fringe at the edge of the field. We have judged the forest to be bad. We are afraid of it and stay away. Keep this picture in mind as we proceed.

See how fear limits our action. We do not go in that direction.

Is family or society to blame for our fear? Are they guilty? They may tell us incorrectly that the forest is bad but it is we who accept what "they say" as true. Our acceptance of the value-judgment is our doing and it is our own belief in the lie that has us suffering.

Our first consideration should be what WE-AS-IDENTITY-HERE accept as Fact; what Identity-HERE believes, and not what should or should not come forth from the sundry sand-foundationed teachers out there. We cannot know what to do constructively about the authorities and governments of the world until we have gotten things straight as Identity HERE first.

Note, especially: our living the belief (and "suffering" from it) has surely served as the means to KNOW beyond intellectually that Authority exists HERE AS I, not there as that. (Are we going to forever condemn the events that have served us so well?)

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Now we take the illustration another step. Some aspect of our ever new and "expanding" Self comes along and tells us that the dark fringe at the edge of the field is neither good nor bad but that an unnecessary value-judgment makes it seem so. Something within us responds and whispers, "It is so! It is only a forest being a forest!" What happens now?

Whenever the Heart blooms in Light, there is a lessening of illusory fear. The dark fringe seems less ominous and we are not quite so afraid to walk in that direction. Former restrictions are vanishing but (notice) old patterns of reaction remain. The habit of not going near the forest remains until we put our new Light and freedom into action. Reader, for me, facing former judgments has been a matter of girding up the loins, flouting former ways and walking across the entire field, row by row, to remind myself anew and again that the Power is not there with that, but here as Identity, thence finally to know beyond doubt that the fear was actually without foundation.

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Listen: Herein lie the reasons why judgless living so wondrously sharpens us, increasing our sensibilities beyond all we have ever known: What happens to the dark fringe as we live judglessly, walk across the field and insist on our freedom? (That is, what happens when we face up to our old fears without our former beliefs of them?) The forest becomes more distinct. It changes color. Soon we are aware of many things we did not see before—individual trees, shrubs, flowers. We hear sounds of nature we did not know existed. And in time we see that some trees are tall and some short, some old and some young. Some bend like the willow; others are unyielding like the oak. What was once a single, unqualified "bad" is seen to be a transcendent infinity.

There are not judgments hoving into view, reader. These are distinctions that our fearless living of judglessness has allowed us to become aware of. There is a vast difference between distinctions and judgments—distinctions being qualities and attributes (of Isness) precluded from conscious (tangible) view by judgment and apparent only when that judgment ends and the former fear faced. Distinctions are the reasons that lie behind the appearances.

What was once a miserable dark fringe is now seen to be a forest composed of oak, hickory, pine, and sassafras, each different, each beautiful, each doing its part to make a perfect forest a perfect forest. We see varieties of things we never knew existed. Our ability to distinguish has increased enormously. The absence of fear (or desire) has allowed us to experience what seems to the old point of view to be an expanding of awareness, an increasing sensibility, a proliferating capability to distinguish—see, hear, feel—things as they are, rather than as they seem. And they inevitably transcend anything the fearful view could have dreamed.

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What once seemed to be the fearful forest of a retarded child is perhaps seen to be a faithful teacher at who's feet we sit in awe and wonder, WE the student, the child a very faithful and wonderful teacher! What once seemed to be a dark forest of family friction or marital inharmony is seen to be a new aspect of Light and Love coming to be acknowledged. What once seemed to be the woodland of penury, poverty, woe and want is recognized as the perfect condition which brought us to the very enlightenment going on right HERE, right NOW. The reasons for the fringe begin to appear. Enigmas that had been painful before begin to vanish quietly, imperceptibly, as the morning mist along the river vanishes before the sunshine and gentle wind out of the West. We hold hands and sing. We hear angels laughing.

DUALISM AGAIN

Suppose "two" of us have been looking at the dark fringe at the edge of the field and each has heard of the advantages of ending incessant criticism and value-judgment, but only one girds up the loins to walk across the field. What happens? The brave one tells of his ever increasing ability to distinguish oak from elm only to find that his distinctions appear as judgments to the one still on the sideline who cannot see them. He is likely to hear himself asked why he doesn't practice what he preaches about judglessness—and this is the abuse nearly always suffered by those who dare put their Light into action. There are many, for one reason or another, who are determined to defend their particular theory of the forest—even as we did before our theory gave way to Fact. But, "Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely..." what comes as criticism of our action can in no way gainsay the JOY of freedom we FEEL and KNOW about beyond guess-work. Unless we choose to let it!

In the end, we have no alternative but to stop worrying about what "they say" and concern ourselves with naught but this HERE and NOW Identity, our own SELF-experience and the integrity thereof. When we are seen entering and leaving the forest, we will surely be asked about our views by those who are sincerely interested—the only ones who listen anyway. Most often, the old nature of us only wants its cherished opinions verified and strengthened. It is very fast to lower the boom on anything that doesn't.

But even this is just part of the fun of walking across the field. As we actually begin to subdue the old habit of making judgments and as we recede from the old views of our former beliefs (the world's view), we see those old beliefs in a new light too. Finally, at the edge of the once feared forest, we TURN AROUND and see the whole human scene in ITS singleness, amazed to discover that even that is transcendentally more than we ever dreamed it could, couldn't, should or shouldn't be.

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Reader, the way "across the field" is to see Identity as all there is to both field and forest. It is to see that there is not a real judgmental "me" who continues in the need to be fearful of some aspect of himself in order to "learn" thereby. We see ourselves as Infinite Wisdom who knows, not an ignorant tub of trembling jelly who needs to learn.

There is no way there but to be there. There is no way there but to be there!

But we do not use this knowledge as an excuse to continue condemning the forest nor rail at others who appear to.

If you would like further guidance in understanding any of William Samuel's work based on Self discovery you are welcome to contact me, Sandy Jones - samuelandfriends@gmail.com - Ojai, California -