Ep. 172 (Part 1 of 2) | In this 8th dialogue in the A. H. Almaas Wisdom Series , Hameed Ali gives a clear, colorful description of the three stages we go through on the spiritual path: the journey to presence, the journey with presence, and the journey in presence. “There’s much more to the journey than just being free of suffering,” he says, “in the journey with presence, there’s a whole universe to discover—unexpectedly we find there is a whole realm of splendor, beauty, freedom, and liberation.” In the third journey, the journey in presence, the stage of actualization, we are swimming in the ocean of presence or we are the presence itself. Hameed relates how impeccability, strong and pure like stainless steel, is an important part of actualizing presence, embodying our essence in our daily lives. “The ‘I am’ can function in the world as a person,” he explains, “I can be the vastness, an infinite, black, luminous night, completely formless, but still walk in the street as a person.” Hameed also talks about the “pearl beyond price”—the individuated self that brings a functional capacity to the isness, which is why it is of incomparable price — and the point of existence, point of light, or pure I-ness. He discusses the individuation of the soul and the realization that the nature of the soul is the nature of everything: this is the nondual experience. This dialogue is another treasure trove of spiritual transmission by Hameed—with humor, clarity, precision, and beautiful metaphor, his teachings, even as deeply profound and mysterious as they are, come as wonderful revelations for us to grasp onto, leading us forward on the inner journey home. Recorded January 3, 2025. “The experience of presence is the defining experience of this path.” Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1 Introducing the 8th dialogue of the A. H. Almaas Wisdom Series, which focuses on the 15th chapter of The Inner Journey Home : “The Inner Journey” (00:56) Hameed outlines 3 stages of the inner journey: the journey to presence, the journey with presence, the journey in presence (03:00) First, the individual soul, structured through early life experience, begins (with practice) to recognize presence (09:50) Second is the journey with presence: working with the theory of holes before opening to spaciousness (12:22) The second stage is the fun part—when everything is completely new and somewhat miraculous (14:56) Experiencing the true potential of a human being: unexpectedly we find there is a whole realm of splendor, beauty, freedom & liberation (17:59) The third journey is actualization, when we are swimming in the ocean of presence or we are the presence itself: self-realization; the self is the presence (19:55) Impeccability: living in a way that is faithful to our true nature (21:12) Roger’s summary of Hameed’s points: presence is not static, learning about true nature is an ongoing, marvelous surprise, viewing spiritual maturation along a spectrum, and how realizing presence brings with it the deep desire that all beings experience it (23:34) In other traditions, there isn’t much discussion beyond the realization itself (25:56) The world is never “fixed” (28:55) Part of the soul’s maturation is individuation; personal-ness turns out to be a quality of presence (30:10) The pearl beyond price (the individuated self) is known also to the gnostics, the Sufis, the Taoists… it is protected by a fearsome monster (the ego) (33:28) The point of light,...
