Artwork "Unfettered Spirit" by Sandy Jones

Excerpt from "The Awareness of Self Discovery"

By William Samuel

CHAPTER 16

A Conversation about Guilt

"Mr Samuel, it seems to me that in the final analysis, the solipsistic metaphysics of the Absolute tells me that I am the cause of the discord on the scene. This means that I am taking on the sins of the world—that I am responsible for every heinous act ever committed that I have ever been aware of. I don't like this at all."

The Christian Christ has been pictured as one who was willing to accept this appearance of guilt, and then do something about it; but be that as it may, who says that the expanding view of a society in upheaval is a bad view or a guilty view to be disliked? Who says it is heinous to see our former landmarks being left behind?

We view without judgment because awareness doesn't judge. Society judges. As we look out into the world "tumult," we are merely seeing misconceptions tumbling or not tumbling into the piles of unimportant dust they are. We have seen fit not to continue giving them a power they do not have, but this doesn't mean it is bad or that we are guilty of the sights we see. As awareness, we are not responsible for any appearing. Awareness is the seeing of Deity, and it is our good pleasure to be the seeing that DEITY (ISNESS) is "responsible" for.

Just as we come to stop holding others guilty for what it appears they are doing to themselves or society, neither do we hold ourselves guilty for being their creators.

Awareness is no creator. Awareness beholds a kingdom which is forever finished. When did "Eternity" begin? Really, even the use of the term "finished kingdom" can be misleading. What had no beginning cannot be finished.

"Well, as I understand it, Mr. Samuel, solipsism says that by my act of putting off the old man, the misidentification, I am looking out at my own opposites as they do battle with one another and this appears to be my world in turmoil for which I am guilty!"

Not so! We would like to be the Creator, a Shakespeare who writes and enacts all the wondrous events appearing as history, but as AWARENESS-IDENTITY we cannot take credit for aught. We let the old man bury the old man—and he is certainly doing a thorough job of ending the fiction he began. But that one is not our identity. That one is not awareness. Awareness, here and now perceiving these words, is not guilty of personal judgments or fragmented purviews of Isness without the knowledge that they are only fragments.

"But we must put away the former concepts and it is this action that appears to be my world in turmoil and isn't this the most awful guilt of all?"

Listen carefully: The events of history as they are apparently unfolding in the arena of tangibility are both (1) the human dream ending and (2) perfect ISNESS disclosing Itself to Itself. The sights and sounds on an historic scale would be appearing whether we were engaged in this study or not. Events in the world will continue to go on unfolding as the appearances of people reacting to human pendulum swings one way of the other, but as WE put off the belief of misidentification, we are able to perceive events as they are and for what they represent. Furthermore, we are able to stop being personal reactors and become "passers-by." If events are the appearing of a personal dream ending, the dreamer is their cause and has the same control as the dream-identity in the dream has over the events of the dream. On the other hand, events that are the divine Isness unfolding to Itself are "going on" regardless of a dreamer's personal actions (or reactions) and his awakening appears as an ability to endure the events without judgment, without blinding involvement and without being disturbed.

"Now I see. All that has been accomplished by becoming so intellectually involved is that now I know why 'all things work together for good to them that love God.'"

Yes, and we can see that the appearance of a human awakening going on is only half the scene, for which we are not guilty! There is a greater Scene being all scenes.

A LETTER CONCERNING GUILT AND FORGIVENESS

Listen with the Heart, John;

Considering the human scene alone, the "wages of sin is death."

"Sin" is "guilt". Semanticists can rationalize until hell freezes over, but "sin" still winds up being "guilt" — and guilt, sin. Their "effect" appears to grind the spirit and body to dust-and "death".

The seekers of truth finally wind up facing the greatest guilt of all—the most heinous "sin" imaginable: What is it? The belief that, since nothing is external to awareness, then one is guilty of every botched appearance in his world—guilty of wars, pestilences, murders, governments, pollution, over-population—to infinity.

Notice, I just said facing this greatest guilt of all—not guilty of it. In this particular aspect of experience (or "cycle" if you want to call it that) it is imperative to see the absurdity of this "final" onslaught of the old nature. It is the "equal and opposite" claim of the same ego which earlier tries to be God, using the same pretense—i.e., that everything is included WITHIN me! — that "me" still the old impostor.

This particular aspect of guilt presents itself via any avenue it is given to enter—it says many things: "My life is a failure—I am ignorant—my family doesn't love me—my friends are leaving— I have hurt this one or that one—I have broken up this or that..."—all of which is only the other end of the playing-at-being-God swing of the pendulum.

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Dear John,

This letter comes as a simple "proof" that you have not been forsaken—a few words from me and my pines on this side of the hill.

A grand harmony reigns. While the humanist declares there is no God but mankind himself, I know better. What I have found exists above and beyond the concepts of people. Its articulation, however, is apparently limited to human words and human philosophic attempts.

We are not guilty of ignorance. We are not guilty of having created our trials and tribulations. While it seems so—and much of the religious education of the world hangs this albatross around our neck—"'tain't true, 'tain't so!" The dreamer dreams because the dreamer is the dream. To say that the dreamer is responsible for the dream is the subtle birth of guilt—a pseudo-guilt that has never been justified. We are not guilty of a botched experience because of our failure to "know the Truth" or to be honest or any other such thing. Every "trial and tribulation" of personal experience has worked to prove our uprightness to us—all events of a natural, normal and happy, happy awakening. That awakening is even now going on, and you are my opportunity to tell myself so—even as I am yourself telling you.

All is well because All is.

There is a monumental joy to be discovered when we release others from any obligation we think they owe us. I did not find myself "free" until I first freed others of any responsibility for my own happiness; until I stopped expecting them to conform to patterns I or humanity had established as proper, normal, correct, polite, expected, etc. I simply let all this go upon discerning the light: in the words of Jesus" ...forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."

Of course, this does not mean that we become remiss in what appears to be our responsibility toward others.

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