Dear Friend,
I moved recently to Venice, close to Santa Monica, into what is known as the Yoga House, a communal living situation. It’s working out well.
My book, end your story. Begin your life... is now out in hardcover. You can order a personalized, signed copy by going to my website, www.jimdreaver.com and clicking the ‘Books’ page on the menu bar at the left. Here is an excerpt, about change and the changeless:
Carlos Castaneda’s teacher, Don Juan, said this: “I used to have a personal history, but then, like smoking and drinking, I saw it was no longer necessary, so I dropped it.”
With the direct path approach, you learn to “drop your personal history” by seeing that it isn’t real. It’s only a story about something that was true, but isn’t so now. Then an enormous weight leaves you. You don’t have to prove yourself to anyone. You don’t have to defend yourself, because no matter what anyone says, you don’t feel attacked. Every moment is fresh and new.
A man asked me once: “Is there anything which doesn’t change?” I replied yes. Consciousness itself does not change. It just is. Consciousness, or awareness—what is sensing and perceiving in you right now—is timeless, spaceless, causeless. It is ever-present, the silent background to the ever-changing flux and flow of creation. To understand this is to walk through the door to inner freedom.
The Buddha did not really speak about consciousness being our true nature. He simply said enlightenment was the end of suffering. However, the direct path taught by Jean Klein did emphasize this aspect. We come to freedom through awakening to the changeless, timeless awareness behind all phenomena, to the fact that consciousness itself is our true nature, who and what we are.
At this point you might ask, “How can I know this for sure?” Let’s take a little trip. Look back at your life, as far back as you can remember, and think about all the changes you have gone through. Think about the friends and relationships you’ve had and let go of, the places you once lived, the schools you attended, the jobs you’ve had, the beliefs you once held so dear but have long since modified or downright rejected.
Now, see if this rings true. Notice if there is one thing which hasn’t changed. Notice how your awareness of all these changes you have gone through has had a kind of constancy to it. It’s as if, since the very beginning, there is something in you which has been watching the whole drama of your life unfold, shift, and go through its changes.
Most people understand this, and they often ask if that which doesn’t change is the Witness, or the Observing Self. However, I prefer to call it simply awareness, or consciousness. It is too easy to make an object out of the idea of a “Witness” or an “Observing Self,” and then you are attached to another concept, another thing. This gets you back into your head and mind—into duality, into a story. When you live in duality, the seeds of conflict and suffering are sown.
It is not really your awareness or my awareness I am referring to; it is universal awareness or divine consciousness expressing through us. Remember, there is just one ocean, one energy manifesting in all these wave forms we are. There is just one consciousness here. Realize this and it will change your life forever…
Love and blessings,
Jim
Next Esalen Workshop November 18 - 19, 2020
Plan now to join Jim (and Lee Chiacos, who will be leading us in meditation and chi gong) next fall. Esalen is situated on Big Sur's wild and beautiful coast, and the retreat here, which Jim has been leading for the past five years, is always a profoundly life-transforming event. Register at www.esalen.org after June 1st.
After the Esalen Workshop, July 5 - 10, 2009
Feedback and pictures from our wonderful Esalen workshop can be seen by going to the Teaching Schedule page and scrolling to bottom.
Private Sessions
A private session with me is one of the most powerful and effective ways to uncover the stories that still keep you bound, preventing you from experiencing the love and richness possible in your relationships, work, and life. Sessions last about an hour and are done in person or, just as potent, over the phone, or via Skype with/without a webcam.
“Three years ago, I asked Jim to be my teacher. Now, I am awake and free. I cannot say enough about Jim’s mastery at facilitating the experience of awakening in others.” -Juliana Dahl, Ph.D., Boulder, CO
“I got hit by a meatball thrown through the telephone by Jim. It blew my mind. It was the best money I ever spent!” -Jim O’Neil, St. Louis, MO, www.surveyroom.com
Books
 | The teaching and the practice making up the heart of End Your Story come directly out of my own experience as a seeker of truth. For more information, including how to order, click on the book cover to go to the Books page. |
 | Falling into Light is a magical, heart-warming tale about the meaning of love, death, and reincarnation. For more information, click on the book cover to go to the Books page. |
Audio/Video
An audio interview Jim did in July, 2008 with Jeff McFarland and Brad Swift is at: http://www.exceptionalwisdomradio.com/bio/bio_jim_dreaver.htmlThere are five streaming audios, 50 - 90 mins, on different subjects to do with awakening on my site, under Audio on the main menu.
Several video clips of Jim are at www.youtube.com. Type ‘jim dreaver’ into the search feature.
Wisdom Mailing
Sign up for the free, monthly Wisdom Mailing, which contains a short excerpt from my current writing, plus other news, go to Contact Us on the menu. Type "Wisdom" for the Message Subject. To read past writings sent in the Wisdom mailing, simply click Wisdom Letter under the Archives menu.
