Late Night Chat with Jeff Wolverton: Effort and Grace, July 16, 2023, live on Baba Zoom

We have some informal chat after every arti, the "post-arti party"! But once a week, Jeff Wolverton joins us for some serious mining of the spiritual depths. Join us for conversation, more readings, songs, quotes - you never know what treasures will be uncovered!

Giving to Baba

Dear folks of Baba

After a week off, this Sunday we will again explore Darwin Shaw’s book, Effort and Grace, which is an in-depth inquiry into the inner life with Baba. It describes one of the major approaches to Baba by one who was devoted to Him for over 70 years, which culminated in a glorious intimacy with Him. Darwin was always so encouraging and optimistic in what we can do to open up to Baba’s immediate loving presence. He asserts that many of the blocks to this intimacy can be removed by our efforts and by inviting Baba’s ongoing intervention and grace.

I thought we might go back and re-read the section on “Shuffle off the Residue” in the chapter on Expressing Our Selves on page 57. Here Darwin gives some invaluable and practical insights into “giving everything to Baba,” including even our resistances to giving to Him! In my own experience of Darwin, I would observe that anything that came into his consciousness—the slightest flicker of irritation, the faintest note of sadness, the earliest stir of wanting—were instantly given to Baba. He held on to nothing; he encouraged us to give everything to Baba until, as he would describe it, we reach a state of constant giving to Baba. This creates a simple yet magnificent experience of flowing to Baba and into the world around us. As we pour ourselves more and more into Baba, holding on to nothing, ironically we actually feel more and more complete.

Each session evokes invaluable discussion that does not require having attended the previous sessions; each section stands alone and provides a window into the inner life of the lover/Beloved relationship and is virtually independent, like facets of one diamond—Baba.

For those who do not have a copy of the book, below is an attachment for following along:

https://issuu.com/ompoint/docs/shaw_effort_grace

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