Being Present

A monthly newsletter for putting Fourth Way ideas into practice.

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The System and Presence

As remarkable as it is, the system is only a stepping stone to divided attention. No matter how much we think about, talk about, or appreciate these ideas, they have meaning only to the extent that we use them to engage the wordless state of presence.

Because the system is so comprehensive, it is easy for us to get caught up in definitions, analysis, and endless probing of ideas, only to lose sight of what this work is really about—achieving presence. As the Philokalia says: “It is quite possible for a man to have none but the purest thoughts and yet be so distracted reflecting over them that he remains the while far removed from God.”

It is also difficult to step beyond a body of knowledge that we have worked so hard to construct mentally and emotionally. Nevertheless, like scaffolding, the system’s purpose has never been to exist for itself, and at a certain point it must be removed so the real thing can stand on its own. Here, however, we are talking about a process that often takes place every few seconds or so.

For example, in one moment we assemble a work idea or, better yet, a specific work ‘I’ to help promote presence. But in the next moment we need to focus on being present, so we cannot afford to stay on the scaffolding, nor do we want to get stuck there. Consequently, as nimbly as we assemble a work ‘I’ we must disassemble it, move it out of the way, and launch—then leap into—presence itself.

The next step, of course, is to prolong presence. Therefore, as soon as we see presence starting to diminish, which it inevitably does, we have to be ready to insert another work ‘I’—to quickly reassemble the scaffolding—so as to revive and reinforce our efforts.

Promoting, actualizing, and then reinforcing presence is the work at its most dynamic. The nature of this process also gives meaning to the misunderstood idea of abandoning the system. In this case, abandoning does not mean to refute or forego the system, or to leave it behind forever; it means recognizing that knowledge is a bridge leading to something else, something higher, in the moment. Only with this understanding can we transcend the system and use it the right way—to actually produce presence.

Using the system consciously requires more than a good grasp of concepts. We have to be firm in the realization that presence is a state of consciousness beyond thoughts and words. And we have to prefer this state over thinking about it, talking about it, or hoping for it. Even more, presence itself must want to come into being and want to stay present. After all, it is for this—our own divine presence—that we have been given the system in the first place.

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1— An introduction to the system
• The system is ancient, objective knowledge
• The microcosmos man can transcend himself
• Schools use precise methods for awakening

2— The four lower centers
• How the lower centers function
• How the lower centers displace presence
• Using lower centers to reach higher centers

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