Ep. 153 (Part 1 of 2) | In this 4th dialogue of the A. H. Almaas Wisdom Series, spiritual teacher Hameed Ali explains that much of the beginning of the spiritual path is spent clarifying our individual consciousness from the conditioning of the past in order to wake up and discover our true nature. In the Diamond Approach, this is accomplished using the practice of inquiry, and as we inquire deeply within, qualities intrinsic to consciousness emerge in our awareness. These qualities—like truth, courage, steadfastness, curiosity, and love—each have their own particular sensory expression: a certain color, texture, warmth or coolness, varying degrees of sweetness. The more these qualities emerge, Hameed says, the more powerful our practice and the more authentic our life. He calls these qualities treasures of the soul. 

This beautiful conversation ranges from profoundly moving, as Hameed evokes specific qualities of presence, to humorous, when he tells a funny story about Maharishi Yogi, to intensely illuminating as Hameed talks about the teaching of the first turning, the miracle of ordinary life, what it means to be spiritually mature, the nature of true sorrow, the fact that we are the universe being conscious, and how fundamental nature lies deeper than consciousness, deeper than awareness. It is a multifaceted gem, not to be missed. Recorded September 19, 2024.

“Courage, steadfastness, curiosity, and love are all expressions of our pure consciousness appearing as specific qualities.”

(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)

Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1

• Introducing the 4th dialogue in the A. H. Almaas Wisdom Series, focusing on the soul as “organism of consciousness” (00:59)
• The distinction between universal consciousness and individual consciousness (03:04)
• Much of the beginning of the path is spent clarifying individual consciousness from the conditioning of the past (05:50)
• The practice of inquiry is for the individual consciousness to wake up and discover what it is fundamentally (07:25)
• Courage, steadfastness, curiosity, and love are all expressions of pure consciousness appearing as specific qualities (11:04)
• Why we need these essential qualities: the more these qualities emerge, the more powerful the practice (13:21)
• How can you live your life authentically, without the qualities of integrity, courage, intelligence, clarity, inner peacefulness, and true sorrow? (16:02)
• True sorrow is a quality of presence—sorrow for the suffering, for what’s happening in the world (16:57)
• These qualities are the closest thing to the Platonic forms, necessary for the spiritual path and necessary for living (19:47)
• The incomparable or precious pearl at our center and the difference between personal essence and the individual soul (20:58)
• Psychological individuation is a forerunner for true individuation (23:33)
• Free of conditioning, we wake up to what we really are (24:59)
• The essential qualities are implicit in pure consciousness but they become differentiated in the soul (27:24)
• The teaching of the first turning is that the ordinary world is one way reality manifests—it’s not the product of our ignorance; it has its own spirituality (28:37)
• Ordinary life is miraculous! (34:36)
• As Parmenides said, order is the basis of reason (36:36)
• The universe becomes conscious through the beings who awaken: we are the universe being conscious (37:48)
• The inner world has more in it than the outer universe (41:52)
• The story of Maharishi Yogi and the bank accounts (43:46)

Resources & References – Part 1

• A. H. Almaas (Hameed Ali), founder of The Ridhwan School, home of The Diamond Approach
• A. H. Almaas, The Inner Journey Home: Soul’s Realization of the Unity of Reality*
• Kashmir Shaivism
• The Platonic Forms of the Socratic Dialogues
• Ramana Maharshi, Who Am I? The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi*
• Parmenides, the first philosopher to inquire into the nature of existence itself
• Sufi mystic Ibn Arabi, “God needs a soul just as much as a soul needs God”
• Maharishi Yogi, creator of Transcendental Meditation

The A. H. Almaas Wisdom Series will generally follow the sequence of Hameed’s magnum opus, The Inner Journey Home* (which John describes as psychoactive and spiritually, psychologically, and intellectually transformative), so listeners may want to get a copy of this book, to study and follow along on this exhilarating path of awakening.

* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.

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Hameed Ali (A. H. Almaas) was born in Kuwait in 1944. At the age of eighteen, he moved to the U.S. to study at the University of California in Berkeley. Hameed was working on his Ph.D. in physics when he reached a turning point in his life and destiny that led him to inquire into the psychological and spiritual aspects of human nature rather than the physical nature of the universe. He left the academic world to pursue an in-depth journey of inner discovery, applying his scientific precision and discipline to personal, experiential research. This included study with different teachers in different modalities, extensive reading, and continuous study of his own consciousness in an effort to understand the essential nature of human experience and reality in general.

Hameed’s process of exploration led to the creation of the Ridhwan School and, with his colleague Karen Johnson, resulted in the founding and unfoldment of the Diamond Approach. He is the author of 20 books, including Nondual Love: Awakening to the Loving Nature of Reality, Love Unveiled: Discovering the Essence of the Awakened Heart, Keys to the Enneagram: How to Unlock the Highest Potential of Every Personality Type, The Unfolding Now: Realizing Your True Nature through the Practice of Presence, and more.

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Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell