Читать книгу Spiritual Enlightenment: Awakening to the Supreme Reality - Dr. Robert Puff - Страница 3

Before we begin I just want to tell you a little bit about myself, who I am and how I arrived at where I’m at.

I was raised in the farm belt of the United States of America in a small town. And from a very early age I wondered about “Who am I?”, “What am I?”, “Why am I here?”, “What is my purpose in life?” These questions kept gnawing at me because though I had found some answers in the religious upbringing I was taught, it didn’t give me all the answers.

At 14 years old, even though I was getting straight As in school, was active in sports, and my parents were still together, there was really no abuse in my life except for a strong spiritual longing to discover “Who, or what, am I?”

I left home on my own with $70 and a wind jacket and, nine months later, I came back. On my journeys I learned things; many things, truths. But they were partial truths; they weren’t the ultimate truth. However, I was now more able to progress in my life on my spiritual quest for understanding “Who or what am I?”

I went off to college and studied psychology and religion. I went to the Ivy League and studied major religions of the world and learned many things. But I still had many, many questions about “Who or what am I?”

Then I continued on my quest by getting my PhD in clinical psychology and having many years of therapy to understand my background, my conditioning. Much healing occurred. I had a lot of healing from my past that needed to occur, and it did. Psychology is truly beautiful at healing the past and learning how to deal well with the present, but it didn’t answer all my questions about who or what I am.

So I continued my journey. I started exploring very successful people, people that were very positive, and started adopting their approach to living life. And again, I learned things. I developed, I struggled less with life. But struggle was still there.

So I continued my quest. I knew I hadn’t found the ultimate answers yet to who, or what I am. I began at a young age – around 19 years old – to do meditation. And I really delved into it in my twenties and thirties and did it regularly, and have done it regularly now for decades.

And again, in my meditation practice, I found the most beautiful, awesome experiences; truly beyond any of my imagination.

But as soon as I got up from my sitting in meditation, my mind and my suffering returned. Then, finally, one day I came across a person who truly is an enlightened being. He explained to me what enlightenment is. It’s actually very simple; all I needed to do was to be. Just be.

And, within three weeks, I found that this beingness had settled deep within my core and I was home. What I had been looking for and searching for, for so many years, I had found.

So, I’d like to share with you who, or what you are, and how you can have a truly beautiful experience while on your sojourn here in life.

A special thanks to my teacher, N.M., who all my teachings are simply reflections on his teachings.

~Dr. Robert Puff