The Awakening Ground: A Guide to Contemplative Mysticism

146 Pages·2016·7.07 MB·English

by  David Chaim Smith

THE CONTENTS OF THIS BOOK consist of a variety of styles of innovation
based on oral teachings passed directly from mouth to ear from a living teacher,
within the context of an unbroken lineage of gnostic realization. Such
opportunities are profoundly rare. None of the innovations could exist if not for
those kind enough to bestow such a precious gift. I defer all credit completely to
them.

CONTENTS
Cover Image
Title Page
Introduction: A Guide to Contemplative Mysticism
Chapter 1. The Mixing Field: An Introduction to
the Six Gates
Gate One: Recognition of the Continuum
Gate Two: The Klipot
Gate Three: The Mixing Field
Gate Four: The Fullness
Gate Five: Scintillating Dissolution
Gate Six: Stabilizing the Realization
Dissolving-In-Appearing
Chapter 2: Flight of the Merkavah
Chapter 3: The Pregnant Sacrificial Beast
Chapter 4: Gate of the Wedding Chamber
Chapter 5: The Fire of Nondimensionality
Chapter 6: The Skins of No-thing-ness (a
Summary)
Epilogue: Continuing the Work
About the Author
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1
THE MIXING FIELD
An Introduction to the Six Gates
I
N THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS Jesus instructs his
followers to “become passers-by.” This instruction
implies that the mind’s habits can return to openness
as its winds pass through whatever arises. As the
mind penetrates the clouds of relative meaning, each
frozen conception can evaporate back into the sky of
perfect wholeness, which is already its essential
nature.
The expanse of its nature is not a mere vacancy; it
is an open fullness so complete that it can never be
grasped. The mind may think it can grasp the
qualities of a cloud, but it can never grasp the sky.
Likewise, mind can grasp at some limited relative
meaning, but the expanse of meaning’s fullness will
always elude it. The meaning of meaning will never
make sense. The sense of it must be unmade, called