New Book on Time

A. H. Almaas, the creator of the Diamond Approach (and a former student of Tarthang Tulku), has recently written a book on time: The Unfolding Now.  This morning by email I received an excerpt from the book that he has released to the public, so I thought I would share it here:

Lighting Up the Now

I haven't finished reading it yet, but I may share some reflections on it later, and I invite anyone else who is interested to comment on it in relation to the TSK vision or to your own practice.

Best wishes,

B.

Re: New Book on Time

Hello again!

I'm back, having read the excerpt and waiting for the book to arrive in the mail.  From my notes, some preliminary thoughts and questions:

I believe that I understand fundamentals of relativity, speed, light and time as presented by Almaas (and Einstein).  What I'm having difficulty with is understanding that we are beings of light.  Appreciating I have read only an excerpt, perhaps this will be explained further in the book - or - I am overlooking something that's right in front of me within the excerpt.

Does Almaas mean we are beings of light in regard to our true nature? And that True Nature inhabits, flows through, our bodies?  That True Nature is the being of light?  If so, I would understand True Nature as a being of light or light Being.  I understand being to be presence, a timeless “action.”  Further…through the pages and pencilled-notes…

The understanding of time(lessness) is perhaps easier for me to explore and comprehend having been fascinated with Time since reading Clarke's, A Childhood's End, as a young girl.  My adolescent imaginations led me to muse about alleged precognition as cyclical and circular, non-linear, timeless “future memory.” 

Almaas says on p. 6:  “[…] we beging to appreciate Einstein's idea and have an actual experience that is analogous to it, instead of just a theoretical understanding of the idea.”

I find that intriguing and consider sharing one experience in particular that I believe is an analogous experience (rather than theoretical understanding), but consider waiting on the TSK exercises when that book also arrives courtesy of the US Postal Service :)  From a recent sharing about childhood viewing the night sky, I enjoyed Almaas on p. 7:  ”It is one hundred percent new light, ever fresh; it never gets old.”  It never gets old…

”Now without Future” reminds me of reading about Hope being less of a virtue than many believe.  I'll need to look up where I read that…  Releasing Hope and embracing Now has been a practice that I started about two years ago.  Much of my former professional life revolved around planning for the future, helping others plan for the future…while I was enjoying Now in the arts and nature…purposefully, consciously, separating these two worlds, unable to see how to experience them in an integral way.  Tiring, in many ways.

…I like Almaas's writing, Caught in the Flow of Time, p. 13:  “[…] if I am really in my body, in my sensations, in my presence, in the immediacy, I am in a sense experiencing the now-ness of that past because I am in the now-ness now.  But it is the same now-ness.” 

Reading the last lines, I wonder if my experiences and later recollections or reveries about particular experiences are what he's speaking about?  One example:  the last day in Jasper, Alberta, Canada, I walked off from the group to do what I called breathing a place into my soul.  I opened my senses to the river, the forest, the mountains of that moment.  There was no me, there was no it, separately.  When I want to “re-visit” that place, I open myself to those breathing it in moments and it is as if all else falls away in that now-ness.

There are times I'd like to stay in the now-ness of “re-visiting” or breathing in new “nows” :)  But being aware of those impulses, I acknowledge them and move on.

Almaas's book excerpt was an interesting piece!

Thank you,
Erin

Re: New Book on Time

Hi, Erin,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and questions in response to this excerpt.

You wrote:  I believe that I understand fundamentals of relativity, speed, light and time as presented by Almaas (and Einstein).  What I'm having difficulty with is understanding that we are beings of light.  Appreciating I have read only an excerpt, perhaps this will be explained further in the book - or - I am overlooking something that's right in front of me within the excerpt.

Does Almaas mean we are beings of light in regard to our true nature? And that True Nature inhabits, flows through, our bodies?  That True Nature is the being of light?  If so, I would understand True Nature as a being of light or light Being.  I understand being to be presence, a timeless “action.” 

In Almaas' work, which is called the Diamond Approach, he talks about human being in terms of essense or essential nature, which is discoverable in and through presence.  Phenomenologically, we are presence.  Presence has something that it “feels like” – a simple “feeling of being,” the presence and vibrancy and dynamism of our being, our aliveness. 

In his past books, to my knowledge, he has not talked much about light or compared true nature to light in as explicit a way as he is doing here.  He has made references to it, such as when he compares his notion, “essence,” to the Buddhist notion of true nature, which is described as clear light.  But this is the first book that focuses on light, phenomenologically, essentially, imaginally, in this way.  (It is similar in TSK:  only in the last book does Tarthang Tulku start to speak about light in addition to time, space, and knowledge, and to suggest the discovery of a biology of light.)

I'm not sure if what I'm saying here is helpful or not, but I'm giving this background because I believe it is important to know that, behind Almaas' descriptions and evocations of light and light-being, is a fairly rich background of teaching on essence, presence, essential aspects, etc, which are explored in great detail in his books (and in careful attention with active students of the Diamond Approach).  He is using light as another way to conceive of and contact our essential presence, which according to the Diamond Approach, is the nature of Being itself.

You wrote:  The understanding of time(lessness) is perhaps easier for me to explore and comprehend having been fascinated with Time since reading Clarke's, A Childhood's End, as a young girl.  My adolescent imaginations led me to muse about alleged precognition as cyclical and circular, non-linear, timeless “future memory.” 

TSK also invites us to inquire into this in a number of ways, offering different exercises for doing so, so it will be interesting to compare notes when the US postal service finally brings you your books!

You wrote:  “Now without Future” reminds me of reading about Hope being less of a virtue than many believe.  I'll need to look up where I read that…  Releasing Hope and embracing Now has been a practice that I started about two years ago.  Much of my former professional life revolved around planning for the future, helping others plan for the future…while I was enjoying Now in the arts and nature…purposefully, consciously, separating these two worlds, unable to see how to experience them in an integral way.  Tiring, in many ways.

Yes, for me, Krishnamurti was the first person who challenged my understanding of hope. 

In TSK, “now without future” would be one “focal setting” that is availalbe on time, but it explores other focal settings as well.  I referred to one in my symposium piece, when I mentioned “future infinitive.”  TSK talks about a way to orient to the future as a source of vitality, the frothy edge of coming-into-being in which creativity is immediately available, rather than simply being a distant abstraction, for instance.

You wrote:  …I like Almaas's writing, Caught in the Flow of Time, p. 13:  “[…] if I am really in my body, in my sensations, in my presence, in the immediacy, I am in a sense experiencing the now-ness of that past because I am in the now-ness now.  But it is the same now-ness.” 

Reading the last lines, I wonder if my experiences and later recollections or reveries about particular experiences are what he's speaking about?  One example:  the last day in Jasper, Alberta, Canada, I walked off from the group to do what I called breathing a place into my soul.  I opened my senses to the river, the forest, the mountains of that moment.  There was no me, there was no it, separately.  When I want to “re-visit” that place, I open myself to those breathing it in moments and it is as if all else falls away in that now-ness.

Beautiful.  Breath is a powerful doorway.  Once, after intense breathing in a sweat lodge, I emerged into a world in which all boundaries had been stripped away.  Space and time present themselves dynamically anew.

Best wishes,

Balder

Re: New Book on Time

Thank you, Balder.  Your reply is indeed, helpful :)

I'd like to take some time tomorrow to read through your symposium piece again, your reply above, and what I've Googled while waiting on the book(s).

Particularly, I appreciate your comments concerning my question about his use of the word, light.  There seem to be so many definitions of light anymore that I wanted to better understand its use in the context of the excerpt.  You've helped clarify that for me.

A few more thoughts soon!

Very best,
Erin

Re: New Book on Time

In today's mail I found a postal note that a package arrived.  Tomorrow, I hope to find the TSK book waiting at the post office!

Thought I could manage a worthy comment tonight, but I realize I'm sleepy and drifting.  I'm sorry it's taking me so long.  Tomorrow, I'll come back and replace this with one with something better :)

Very best,
Erin

Re: New Book on Time

Hi, Erin, which TSK book have you ordered?  The first one, Time, Space, and Knowledge? 

Re: New Book on Time

I'm sorry I didn't specifiy; yes, that's the book I ordered.  I thought I'd do something unusual and read the material from the first ;)

Re: New Book on Time

Well, that makes sense!  I asked because some of the later books are easier to, well, ease in to, and people sometimes start with them for that reason, but the first book, while a bit challenging at times, is still one of the most powerful statements of the TSK vision, and one of my favorites.

Re: New Book on Time

I'm the kinda gal that always eats the veggies on my plate first :)  Over the last couple of days, I've started reading the book and am looking forward to commenting soon.  It's delightful reading, and I'm enjoying it very much.  Soon…some thoughts and notes!