Survival Instinct Explored in Berkeley, CA
This past weekend, I attended A.H. Almaas’ winter retreat in Berkeley. The retreat focused on the survival instinct and most agreed it was a timely presentation.
Two years ago we worked on the social instinct and last year we explored the sexual instinct. Almass explores the instinctual drives in relationship to the Enlightenment Drive – the dynamic quality of the soul that impels it toward awareness of its true nature and freedom from limitation and the past.
The way we’re approaching the question of instincts and their drives is not a question of being free from them, it is a question of freeing them to be what they can be, and evolve and develop in a way that can become part of our realization, support for our realization. – A.H. Almaas
Almaas sees nothing wrong with the survival drive or the other instinctual drives. They are natural components of animal existence and evolution. The challenge for human beings, who have the capacity to muck up the natural functioning of the drives, is how to help the drive do its job most effectively.
Our capacity for reflective consciousness brings with it the capacity for projection and distortion of what is really happening. The past gets projected onto the present situation and, the drive which can’t tell the difference between what is real and what is imagined, kicks into gear with its fight or flight response.
The current economic situation is raising a lot of safety and security concerns in people. Recessions, property, money and wealth are really not the types of dangers our instinctual drives evolved to engage. We’re hardwired to respond to actual immediate physical threat, not the imagined consequences of Bernie Madoff ripping us off or the consequences of job loss or a dwindling 401K.
We have become so identified with our possessions, that we connect them very strongly to our survival. Survival now has a strong connection to money – and it’s partly true, but mostly not. A downgrade in lifestyle or having to eat beans instead of beef is not about survival. It’s about comfort, preference and self-image. The self-image is what becomes threatened – and – since the hard wiring can’t tell the difference between the body and the self-image, fear, anxiety, worry and even terror result.
The direct connection to money is something we all need to explore – what it is, what does it stand for, what it means personally, how to work with it and relate to it. This holds true for all of our possessions. This type of exploration will help to reveal the distortions that are interfering with the free functioning of the drives and thus the potential of the consciousness aligning them with the drive for enlightenment.
A very interesting three days.
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3 responses to “Survivor: Berkeley California”
A new building was purchased in Berkeley in November for the purpose of supporting the vessel of Almaas’ teachings. A lot of outreach has gone on in the last few years resulting in a greater of students. That the building was purchased just as the economy imploded and that the mortgage would require some assistance from the students in terms of fundraising struck me as revealing something about the ego pearl of the Ridhwan organization. In a time of economic stress, the School decided to support expansion of the teachings through recruiting new students and facilitating that action with a building rather than directing that fiscal energy into supporting the existing students, many of whom have to make hard financial choices such as weekend retreats, all school retreats and working with teachers. Essentially, the school chose expansion of the numbers of students over deepening the commitment to students already engaged in the teachings.
Economic stress of an individual or an organization, has a way of clarifying what one values most and subsequently opens up th possibility of exploring how and why that value exists.
Lou – I have to say that I think you misunderstand the situation.
First, the school has never had an “expansion” policy (that I am aware of) – neither for students or physical space. The Ridhwan School collects names of people interested in joining a local group and when there is enough interest, a teacher will hold a meeting or two to determine if there is enough support to establish a local group.
Your assertion about the purchase of the new property suggests that this is something that was undertaken recently – this has been a two-year search to find a property that meets the school’s current needs. It also ignores the fact that many of the groups in Bay Area are too big for the current location so they have to rent meeting space.
Where did you come up with your conclusions? Have you attended any of the meetings associated with this project over the last two years?
This is an interesting perspective you have, Lou. I serve on the fund raising committee and would like to address this. As John has already written, the only active “expansion” that has gone on is a two year search for a new building that would support the organic growth of the school. This growth includes groups and the DHAT office, which handles the business of the School worldwide. There is also a Board that carefully approves any decisions.
Fund raising was always going to be needed to support the purchase of a building and its renovations, but until a building was found, the cost was unknown. The timing of events and the collapse of the economy are unfortunate; no one could have known – and everyone is affected. Nobody is asked to give more than they are completely comfortable with, even if it is $5. There is no conflict or “choosing” between “expansion of the numbers of students over deepening the commitment to students already engaged in the teachings”, as this commitment can only be felt by each individual, following the Truth of their experience. The integrity of the Work is what is valued the most, however it reveals itself.
I’m happy to discuss this further, if you are interested.