What is clarity
according to the Balanced View Training?
What are short moments
of clarity?
What is a point of view?
What are the benefits
from relying on clarity?
How can I gain
confidence in clarity?
How can I rely on
clarity in the midst of negative thoughts, emotions and
experiences?
What does it mean to
let everything be as it is?
How does relying on
clarity affect my relationships?
What are the Four
Mainstays?
What is clarity according to the Balanced View
Training?
What are short moments of clarity?
What is a short
moment of
clarity? To know the answer to that question, stop thinking—just
for a
moment. What remains? A sense of alertness and clarity remains. This is
what clarity
is: clarity and alertness that is open like a cloudless sky.
Just as a
rainbow appears
within space, thoughts, emotions, sensations and other experiences
appear
within the openness and alertness of clarity. Just as space and a
rainbow are
inseparable, thoughts, emotions, sensations and other experiences are
inseparable from clarity.
When we stop
thinking for
a moment, we introduce ourselves to clarity, and before long we begin
to notice
that the clarity that is present when we are not thinking is
also
present when we are thinking. All thoughts appear and vanish
naturally
like the flight path of a bird in the sky.
The peaceful
clarity and
alertness that is identified when we stop thinking is the basis of all
thoughts. It saturates all thoughts without exception. This is truly
amazing!
This is similar to the vastness of space being present regardless of
what
appears within it.
What is
a Point of View?
A point of view
is
anything that occurs within the all-encompassing view of clarity. It
can be a
thought, emotion, sensation or other experience, and it can relate to
inner or
outer events. Points of view within clarity can be likened to a breeze
blowing
through the air. The breeze and the air are inseparable. Both are air
What
are the benefits from relying on clarity?
When we look at the results of short moments of unending clarity, we
find that they are very powerful indeed. We as a global human culture
have tapped into a form of knowledge that can give us complete mental
and emotional stability, insight, compassion, natural ethics and
beneficial skillfulness in all situations.
How
can I gain confidence in clarity?
Everyone already
possesses clarity. It is not that we don't have it and hope to get it
at some
point in the future. We already are clear. Briefly acknowledge clarity,
again
and again, and it becomes obvious all of the time. We can enjoy crystal
clear clarity
because clarity is always already present. We don’t have to find it.
That is
why we can always rely on clarity.
Because of the
habit of
emphasizing points of view, the initial brief moments of clarity may
not last
long at first. In other words, there may be no real stability. It may
almost
immediately slip away. This is perfectly fine. That is why short
moments are
relied on, many times, until clarity becomes automatic. This is the key
point
in gaining confidence in clarity.
By relying on
short
moments of clarity, clarity becomes increasingly automatic. This may
happen
slowly or quickly. To see how you are progressing in short moments,
simply rely
on clarity for short moments, repeated many times, until it becomes
automatic.
This gentle approach is guaranteed to make clarity obvious at all
times.
We come to know
that we
will have the ongoing support of the Four Mainstays, including written
trainings,
free downloads, videos and a forum on the www.greatfreedom.org web
site, as
well as formal trainings available throughout the week via
teleconference or
face-to-face. We also have support for relying on clarity available to
us 24
hours a day via the worldwide Balanced View network available through
the
internet, telephone and email.
How can I rely on
clarity in the midst of negative thoughts, emotions and experiences?
For many of us,
it is most
challenging to rely on clarity when there are disturbing thoughts,
emotions,
sensations, or other experiences. It is important to see that even very
disturbing states arise within ever-present clarity. Please acknowledge
that
the basis of all points of view is clarity.
We choose for
clarity to
be obvious to us or not. Moment-to-moment clarity is the
most
important choice we will ever make.
Practically,
this is how
it works: When disturbing states arise, rely on a short moment of
unending
clarity. Over time, by the power of the short moment growing longer,
there is
instinctive clarity regardless of what type of thought, emotion,
sensation or
experience arises. Much to our surprise, we find that all of these
disturbing
states rest in clarity!
The Four
Mainstays always support us in gaining confidence in clarity
while reminding us to be gentle with ourselves.
What does it mean to let everything be as
it is?
Clarity is in
harmony
with points of view. There is no fighting with viewpoints anymore. This
is the
best well-being. Open, spacious clarity naturally allows point of view
to be as
it is. There is no need to save or delete viewpoints. Everything
happens
very simply. Since there is no need to change the flow of experience in
a short
moment of clarity, antidotes and remedies come to a complete stop.
How
does relying on clarity affect my relationships?
We may find that
we have
used intimate relationships as a clearinghouse for personal issues.
Personal
points of view are our own, and are best addressed when we take
responsibility
for them by using the Four Mainstays and not imposing them on our
intimate
partner. We find that the purpose of intimacy is to bring joy, love and
generosity to every detail of the relationship. Relationship is avoided
and
misused when it becomes a personal sounding board for viewpoints.
Discussion of
our points of view is best addressed with the trainer and friends in
the Balanced View community, who can contribute to our commitment to
rely
on clarity.
What are the Four
Mainstays?
There are many
resources
available for anyone who is interested in knowing more about the
Balanced View Training.
The main information source is the websites, www.greatfreedom.org and www.balancedview.com
Posted there are
numerous public talks, videos, books and a forum. The forum is a place
where
people all over the world share their experience of relying on clarity
in daily
life. All video and audio talks are free and can be easily downloaded
in mp4
and mp3 format.
Also listed on
the
website is a schedule of Balanced View training offered by qualified
trainers
around the world. Venues range from face-to-face training and public
open
meetings, to trainings and meetings offered via teleconference bridge.
The support network of Balanced View—the Four Mainstays—supports
everyone interested in gaining confidence in clarity.
When confidence is inspired by Balanced View's Four
Mainstays—1) short moments of clarity, 2) the trainer, 3) the training,
and 4) the worldwide community—there is increasing instinctive
recognition of clarity until it is continuous at all times. Then there
is no longer the possibility of being fooled by appearances of points
of view, not during life and not upon death.
Go to the Four Mainstays
Page
