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| SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 35 A man asked Lord Buddha, "I want happiness." Lord Buddha said – first remove "I", that's ego. Then remove "Want," that's desire. See, now you are left with only "happiness." ~ Adyashanti While true, the above makes light of the process instead of suggesting a serious practice. Right off, we ask, "How can the ego get rid of the ego?" Make no mistake the individual 'me' egoic identity will fight to remain alive and relevant. It's just natural to us, for that is after all, all we have known since our birth. But, as has been stated here over and over again, there is no 'I', it doesn't exist. When an attempt is made to search for it, it cannot be found. It's fake, an illusion. If we really believed, on the spot, that that was so, our journey would end right there, or rather, we would not seek any more but love the Truth and abide by the Truth and watch happily as we move more and more towards Authentic Being, discarding the defending of ego and aligning with God-Consciousness – our infinite, formless, without boundaries, True Self. As for wanting, yes - prayers are answered. A desire for an outcome is acknowledged by the Infinite. But from the perspective of an individual seeking Enlightenment, one has to walk a fine line between surrender to God and wanting (desiring) a certain outcome. In my experience thus far, surrendering took precedence over desiring. Even so, I would pray when things got really rough! SATSANG (GROUP MEETING WITH A SPIRITUAL AIM) begins with a 30 min. meditation (15 minutes if new people are present) followed by a discourse and a short video presentation offered by a teacher adhering to the teaching of Non-Duality. As always questions are warmly encouraged. We meet in the Main Clubhouse Multipurpose Room on Sundays from 11:30 am to 1 pm. This is a FREE offering. My background includes 29 years of formal spiritual practice under the guidance of two masters and nine years of teaching (seven at Sun Lakes). You need not bring anything except an Open Mind. My name is Gina and I can be reached at gina-sat@msn.com or 846-1220 if you have further questions. Meditation: a pathway to truth