James Wood Teachings

Much of conventional prayer is not true prayer. Desire blocks its activity. You have to let it go for it to work. True prayer is a mode of awareness that doesn’t grasp. It allows what is to be. God’s will is what is happening now; desire is wanting something else. The final delusion is an attachment to self. How do you know when you wake up? The question doesn’t arise. If you’re inclined toward Christianity, its essence is compatible with any other valid approach. The form doesn’t matter. It’s like having two different boats to cross the same river. Who cares what the boat looks like?

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Truth is like a well in the desert. Most people ignore it completely, even though they are thirsty. Some people curse what they see as an eyesore above the ground. Some resent having to go around it. Some notice it and think it’s nice: this stone wall built in a circle. Some sketch it in a pad and walk away. A few come closer and see the opening, sensing water in its depths. Some find the water, drink — and are satisfied.

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True Freedom does not mean license to do what you want. It means allowing Truth to run your life. Allowing the unknowability of Truth in your life is Wisdom. It allows you to put down the baggage of obsessive planning and just be.

You can’t know what’s next, so try to embrace this not-knowing instead of fighting it. Then you can be more in the Now.

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In the introduction to my book, The Path of Awakening, I write the following:

Most people think that a spiritual teacher is a person outside you. This is not necessarily the case. The ultimate Teacher is Truth, or who you are in your essence, so you already have a Teacher inside you. Everyone does. You are your own Teacher.

I speak and write a lot about the importance of the Teacher. This can easily be misunderstood to mean that the Teacher is an external authority, which is not true.

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No matter what we want things to be, they are what they are.

In my experience, if we try to gloss over, ignore, or repress our awareness of Reality — things as they are — we cannot help but be confused. It’s like looking at the world through lenses that distort what we see into what we think we want to see, when what we really want to see is things as they are.

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For any real change or growth to occur, it has to be based on something authentic. The conditioned, social self is not sufficient. It cannot be the basis of true change. Most personal growth is about relative, self-based values. Your absolute, true nature is the only value upon which you can build a successful life. It is possible to have personal growth leading to awakening. Awakening involves healthy growth and development. It’s just not necessarily what you think it should be. Letting go and trusting is important. The “you” that you think you are is not who you are.

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Awakening is the end of suffering, the end of anxiety and depression. What’s left is a sense of self that is not anything of itself. It lives and moves and breathes in service to Reality. It’s completely spontaneous and free. As a student, there’s a process along the way. Challenges get easier. You have to face down your fears and anxieties. Practice is important. There’s really nothing like consistent practice to make positive change occur. You can learn to sense intuitively what consistency is best for you. Consistent practice — even in small amounts — is important.

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Getting spiritual help is like having a spotter in weightlifting; it doesn’t necessarily remove all challenges. The path can be difficult. Eventually, it gets easier. Happiness or contentment in practice is possible. Most spiritual seekers have been wounded, or they wouldn’t be interested in spirituality. The path is really more about Being than doing — but it is better to be focused on attainment than not to engage your practice with passion or determination. It takes a rare kind of person to sincerely want awakening. You have to live conventionally while pursuing an absolute aim.

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