Jon BernieTeachings | Jon Bernie

Freeing the Thinking Mind

Clear Water Sangha — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:04:22 +0000

“Let’s talk about thinking, about finding out how to allow the mind to be the creative, flexible tool that it really is. What does it take to cultivate a really flexible thinking mind, so that it can be a useful support in this so-called journey?” Recorded 10/22/2011 in Santa Cruz.

The Offering Into Awareness

Clear Water Sangha — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:29:46 +0000

“So we learn to let go, by sitting, by being available. By resting in awareness. By dropping all the comparisons, and judgments, and expectations, and agendas. How do you do that? It’s impossible, actually; you can’t do it. So you give up trying. Just notice that they’re there, that’s all. The awareness of them is enough. It’s the offering into awareness. It’s not problem-solving time, it’s problem dis-solving time.” Recorded 1/9/2012 in San Francisco.

The Solvent of Awareness

Clear Water Sangha — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 02:46:46 +0000

“Allow your feeling, sensing, seeing, hearing, to dissolve you into awareness. Allow the dissolving to happen by itself, free of any anticipation or expectation, free of any agenda. Just being fully available, totally available in this moment, allowing openness to simply open into itself.” Recorded 10/17/2011 in San Francisco.

Where Listening Happens

Clear Water Sangha — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 04:46:18 +0000

“The relentless mind craves silence, craves a break, a relief from the endless mental movement. So what is it that you hear in the silence? What is it that’s arising, or present in the space between the thoughts, between the words? Are you intimate with that space? That space which is what you really are?” Recorded 10/10/2011 in San Francisco.

The Gift of Renewal

Clear Water Sangha — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 06:04:05 +0000

“When we align with our energy, our being, our true nature, we begin to realize that every moment is a rediscovery, a renewal of awareness, of attention, of perception. We are continually reborn.” Recorded 12/19/2011 in San Francisco.

The Healing Journey

Clear Water Sangha — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 02:13:26 +0000

“What is this journey that we’re on, really? Is it just about awakening, being one with God, the infinite? You hear that a lot: just be presence and that’s it. And there’s truth in that, fundamentally. But really, awakening usually is followed by healing, by transformation and integration.” Recorded 9/26/2011 in San Francisco.

Invitation to the Changeless

Clear Water Sangha — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 03:07:33 +0000

“Are you conscious of what doesn’t change? Usually we’re aware of what’s changing, and we either like that or we don’t like that, depending on what’s changing… One way to talk about our fundamental nature is that which doesn’t change.” Recorded 9/19/2011 in San Francisco.

Bring it Home

Clear Water Sangha — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 03:26:16 +0000

“Freedom is being home. It’s home without a location. It’s home where everything is the location.” Recorded 9/10/2011 in Santa Cruz.

Surrender

Clear Water Sangha — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 01:43:52 +0000

In the opening talk of a recent retreat, Jon invites us to surrender, to give up believing, and to allow ourselves to be guided by the deep truth revealing itself in the utter uniqueness of each moment. Recorded 11/3/2011 at Santa Sabina Retreat Center in San Rafael.

Listening Without Anticipation

Clear Water Sangha — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:32:47 +0000

“The listening that we ask you allow, here, is free of anticipation about what will be heard, or even whether there will be any comprehension or understanding. If you’re weary of spiritual teachings, if they’ve become platitudes, then this is even more an invitation to listen without any idea about what you’re hearing.” Recorded 8/22/2011 in San Francisco.

The Balance Point of Equanimity

Clear Water Sangha — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 03:42:28 +0000

“The purpose of this gathering, this movement of energy, is to realign ourselves with our birthright of aliveness — we are fundamentally vibrant awareness. And in that we find what I like to call our balance point of equanimity.” Recorded 8/13/2011 in Santa Cruz.

The Way is Built In

Clear Water Sangha — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 07:03:49 +0000

“The way is self-revelatory — it’s built in. It’s not externalized, it’s not outside; it’s within. And whether the waves are gentle and calm, or turbulent and chaotic, we learn to move with them, we learn to trust their process. Just like we trust that the body knows how to be alive.” Recorded 8/15/2011 in San Francisco.

The Resting Point

Clear Water Sangha — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 08:04:22 +0000

“When you find the balance point between seeking, avoiding, and explaining — then you’re at peace. Your whole being opens up, and the energy flows. And then what needs to move is activated.” Recorded 8/8/2011 in San Francisco.

A Deeper Source of Fulfillment

Clear Water Sangha — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 02:22:44 +0000

“As we learn to pay attention to that force, that alignment — that energy that we are, that channel of energy we’re plugged into — then everything is perfect, everything falls into place. Everything is as it is, and what’s next is obvious. And we step forward without thinking about it.” Recorded 7/25/2011 in San Francisco.

The Home Ground of Presence

Clear Water Sangha — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 06:34:39 +0000

“It begins right now. You arrive right here. Literally, there’s nowhere to go, and nothing to do. Be this home ground of presence; this tender listening.” Recorded 9/12/2011 in San Francisco.

Expressing the Truth of the Condition

Clear Water Sangha — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 05:12:49 +0000

“Many of us come from traditions of silent sitting and contemplation, and concentration practices of various kinds. But where is the place for expression, for actually creating the sound of release? We are expressive beings, we create sound by speaking. And when we express the truth of the condition, something is released…” Recorded 7/18/2011 in San Francisco.

Phenomenal Joy of the Heart

Clear Water Sangha — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 06:52:24 +0000

“This journey to freedom, this path with no road… With no guidance, really… This mysterious path is on the one hand liberating, and at the same time deeply healing — physically, emotionally, psychologically. So ask yourself right now, where am I putting my attention? Even just asking the question awakens you. Can you feel that? Can you sense that?” Recorded 8/29/2011 in San Francisco.

The Aliveness of Stillness

Clear Water Sangha — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 04:20:05 +0000

“When pushing forward ceases, and holding back ceases, then the aliveness of stillness is revealed. ‘Revealed’ because we don’t do it. We don’t make it happen. We don’t accomplish it.” Recorded 6/1/2011 in San Francisco.

Beyond the ‘I’

Clear Water Sangha — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:24:31 +0000

“Who would we be without our our personal history? Who would we be without our future? Who would we be without the ‘I’ thought? What would we be? How would we live this life?” Recorded 6/11/2011 in Santa Cruz.

The Space of Questioning

Clear Water Sangha — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 03:09:02 +0000

“How can you cultivate a flexible mind? Maybe you can’t get rid of your mind, maybe you can’t control it; but can you encourage it to be flexible? Can you notice if your mind or your beliefs are limiting you in some way?” Recorded 5/30/2011 in San Francisco.

The Aliveness of This Moment

Clear Water Sangha — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 02:10:50 +0000

“Thought is very much a part of the creative force. But how did it get out of control, so to speak? How did it go crazy? Why does it think it’s running the show? When you have a taste of energy, of awareness, of presence, then you can become free of the controlling, dominating mind. You can really rest in aliveness right now. You can be relieved of the burden of the struggle.” Recorded 5/23/2011 in San Francisco.

Who’s In Control?

Clear Water Sangha — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 07:04:48 +0000

“Why can’t we just let go? What are we afraid of? The question, continually, is how do we arrive here? One way is to find out what’s holding us back from being here, or pushing us away from being here…” Recorded 7/11/2011 in San Francisco.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

Beyond Description

Clear Water Sangha — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 04:27:40 +0000

“What would be happening if you couldn’t describe what’s happening? If all language dropped away, all description dropped away — who would you be without the description of who you are?” Recorded 5/16/2011 in San Francisco.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

What Is the Body?

Clear Water Sangha — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 20:22:20 +0000

“Let’s say the body is a vehicle for discovery, an instrument. How is it that we use this body, so often, unconsciously? What would happen if when talking, you actually listened to the instrument, to the vibration through the whole instrument? If you listen, you’ll realize that every cell is resonating in the sound, and that sound, fundamentally, is energy. And energy is fundamentally who you are. So even by the simple act of paying attention to speaking, you could realize who you are. You could realize the truth of being.” Recorded 5/9/2011 in San Francisco.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

Dissolving Body and Mind

Clear Water Sangha — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 01:21:20 +0000

“How is it possible to completely dissolve, to allow the body and the mind and the emotional realm to completely dissolve, so there’s only consciousness present? … When there’s just pure consciousness, there’s an extraordinary aliveness that we realize we are.” Recorded 4/25/2011 in San Francisco.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

Facing Yourself Right Now

Clear Water Sangha — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 06:34:01 +0000

This week Jon invites us to drop our interpretation of what’s arising and allow ourselves to not know, even if only for only a moment; and emphasizes that when you can truly be with whatever is present right now — with yourself, however you are, right now — then in this moment you’re right on the edge of freedom. Recorded 4/18/2011 in San Francisco.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

Expression in the Depth of Stillness

Clear Water Sangha — Mon, 09 May 2011 05:34:22 +0000

This week Jon discusses the importance of expression and our need to be heard, while emphasizing that expression must come from and be informed by stillness. As Jon says, “stillness is what holds us up; is what supports us, nourishes us, heals us, and gives us what we want. You can ask into that stillness, you can offer everything into that stillness. Because it is yourself — the creative intelligent force of the universe.” Recorded 3/28/2011 in San Francisco.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

Check out Jon’s Interview on “Being Ordinary”

Clear Water Sangha — Wed, 04 May 2011 19:41:12 +0000

Here’s what the creators of “Being Ordinary” have to say about their website and podcasts:

Being Ordinary is a website created by two friends, Tom and Mike, and is dedicated to the expression and exploration of what it truly means to be a human being. Ideas such as Enlightenment, Awakening or Self-Realisation, often serve to distract us from the ordinary and mundane from which we assume we must escape or transcend. Yet if seen clearly, simple and directly, the ordinary can lead us into total acceptance and end the search for something ‘extra’.

Regarding this podcast: “Mike speaks with Jon Bernie whose awakening at the age of 16 ignited a spiritual journey exploring Zen, Vipassana and Advaita. He studied with teachers such as Jean Klein, Robert Adams, Papaji and Adyashanti who in 2002 asked Jon to teach. Supported by the Clear Water Sangha Jon offers regular classes and retreats in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.”

Here’s the link to the podcast:
http://www.beingordinary.org/2011/05/23-ordinary-people-ordinary-lives/

New Video: Meditation

Clear Water Sangha — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 00:13:14 +0000

This blog entry was originally posted on March 23, 2011.

The Calling in Each Moment

Clear Water Sangha — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 01:38:40 +0000

This week Jon expands on the Zen instruction that you should “practice as if your head was on fire”, and challenges us to discover the opportunity for full awakening that is present in each moment. Recorded 3/14/2011 in San Francisco.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

The Real Refuge

Clear Water Sangha — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 01:35:35 +0000

This week Jon suggests that as we come to rest more and more in equanimity, we are also more able freely to move into action at whatever level of intensity our circumstances require; discusses the temporary usefulness of identity, while also pointing to the deeper understanding that allows identity to fall away; and describes the profound security we move into as we allow even that understanding to dissolve into the space of awareness. Recorded 3/12/2011 in Santa Cruz.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

The Enrichment of Engagement

Clear Water Sangha — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 01:26:23 +0000

This week Jon describes the fullness of life that becomes possible when one is able to perceive without the filter of belief; the enrichment of experience when one becomes truly engaged with the creative force of experience; and the deeper meaning that becomes obvious when one is deeply aligned and engaged with each moment. Recorded February 28, 2011 in San Francisco.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

The Thrill of Continual Discovery

Clear Water Sangha — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 02:05:54 +0000

This week Jon encourages us to relax, drop everything, and allow ourselves simply to melt into the space of listening; emphasizes that when there’s no longer any holding on, life is characterized by endless movement and expansion; and invites us to experience the freedom of perpetual discovery, the learning that doesn’t accumulate knowledge. Recorded 2/21/2011 in San Francisco.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

Awake in the World

Clear Water Sangha — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:47:01 +0000

In the opening talk of a recent daylong intensive, Jon discusses the challenge of transitioning away from archaic ways of speaking about spirituality; the uniqueness of each individual’s journey and path; and the integration of aspects of life and the self that might previously have seemed separate, as gradually we become ever more deeply established in awareness. Recorded 2/19/2011 in El Cerrito.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

I’m in “Consciousness Development”

Clear Water Sangha — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 18:58:09 +0000

This week Jon discusses the challenges of describing exactly what it is we’re up to in satsang; how the ways we frame reality psychologically affect our spiritual process; and how we can move out of perceiving reality through the filter of the separate self, and into true aliveness. Recorded 2/12/2011 in Santa Cruz.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

A Nonstop Magic Trick

Clear Water Sangha — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 05:38:08 +0000

“When being comes into the foreground, thinking… takes a different pathway.” This week Jon emphasizes that as we become established in presence, our choices originate from a different place than previously; suggests that as we become more conscious, we might find that emotion moves more freely, not less; and invites us to notice how we believe our personal stories less and less as gradually we allow ourselves to relax into awareness. Recorded 1/24/2011 in San Francisco.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

Welcome What’s Happening

Clear Water Sangha — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 07:41:26 +0000

This week Jon asks us to notice that when we allow ourselves to rest in the question without trying to escape into the answer, openness arises quite naturally; points out that the question itself creates the movement of openness; and suggests that true intimacy begins with simply paying attention to this moment. Recorded 1/8/2011 in Santa Cruz.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

Our Nature is Freedom

Clear Water Sangha — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 04:07:34 +0000

This week Jon examines the question, ‘What is knowing?’; suggests that when faced with difficulty, what’s necessary is to meet what’s happening from a place of open-heartedness; and invites us simply to notice that as we become more established in awareness, a deeper trust in our experience arises naturally, without any effort on our part. Recorded 1/10/2011 in San Francisco.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

The Recipe for Joy

Clear Water Sangha — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 07:04:19 +0000

When the emotional heart is unclear, gratitude may seem less available. But feeling out of balance is actually balancing trying to happen. This week Jon offers permission to experiment — to fall down as often as it takes to find your way — and suggests that true happiness appears spontaneously when we let go of expectations and allow ourselves to wake up to the lightness of being that is our natural condition. Recorded 1/3/2011 in San Francisco.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

Being Is the Meaning of Life

Clear Water Sangha — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 01:10:21 +0000

This week Jon emphasizes that once we discover our essential nature, thinking about spirituality is no longer necessary or even likely; that once we’ve had even a glimpse of the truth, we naturally give ourselves to that; and suggests that only in that profound allowing of what is is the true meaning of life discovered. Recorded 11/15/2010 in San Francisco.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

It’s Always New

Clear Water Sangha — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 02:36:52 +0000

Jon discusses the mystery of transmission, and how presence can in some sense be contagious; invites us to allow ourselves to see the infinitely new even where there might appear to be no movement; and points to the true vitality and aliveness that arise from simply relaxing into openness. Recorded 10/18/2010 in San Francisco.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

Becoming Available to Yourself

Clear Water Sangha — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 01:11:24 +0000

This week Jon offers the invitation, “really see if you can discover when you truly are available to yourself, and I mean that in the deepest sense. And when you are, really go in that direction, allow that to guide you, to move you into that fullness, into that openness. See if you can really begin to trust your own inner guidance, into the openness of being.” Recorded 11/1/2010 in San Francisco.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

New Video: Whatever Works

Clear Water Sangha — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 06:23:44 +0000

Relaxing Into Truth

Clear Water Sangha — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 23:56:32 +0000

Jon points out that awakening can sometimes sneak in unnoticed, but that the momentum of seeking can nevertheless continue to propel our search for what, in fact, has already happened; invites us to notice the fullness of being that is already present, whatever our condition or state; and suggests that we allow ourselves to quite literally relax into awakening, and experience true rest for the first time. Recorded 10/9/2010 in Santa Cruz.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

Harmony of the Body and Heart

Clear Water Sangha — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 02:10:02 +0000

Jon addresses the confusion created by the common teaching that “there is no self”; points out that where our attention goes, energy goes also, and describes the healing and harmonizing process this can facilitate; and poses the question, “how often are we really available?” Recorded 9/20/2010 in San Francisco.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

The Ultimate Guidance

Clear Water Sangha — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 01:55:15 +0000

This week Jon traces the backstory of our conditioning — our genetic histories, our cultural, religious and familial upbringings — and the momentum of that inheritance; suggests that transmission is the passing on of a deeper and more profound inheritance; and invites us to allow ourselves to become available to that truest kind of guidance. Recorded 9/13/2010 in San Francisco.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

The Movement in Stillness

Clear Water Sangha — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 00:47:04 +0000

This week Jon poses the question, “when is stopping being, rather than just waiting?” and invites us to find out how to be available to the movement in stillness. Recorded 8/30/2010 in San Francisco.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

A Bigger Space of Listening

Clear Water Sangha — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 22:44:31 +0000

This week Jon points out that while reality can’t ultimately be “figured out”, it’s nevertheless fun to try — our minds enjoy a good puzzle! But if we find that words and mental activity are getting in the way, Jon invites us to relax and allow meaning to dissolve, as we allow ourselves to open up to a bigger space. Recorded 8/9/2010 in San Francisco.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

Taking the First Step

Clear Water Sangha — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 01:07:55 +0000

This week Jon invites us to take the radical step of simply being here, and points out that expressing the truth of our experience is the surest way to facilitate true letting go. Recorded 7/26/2010 in San Francisco.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!

Waking From the Dream

Clear Water Sangha — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:40:37 +0000

How much of our energy is not here? This week Jon points out that even asking the question recovers some of that energy, and brings us back into present moment; and suggests that waking up really happens only when the mind truly realizes it has never been in control. Recorded 7/19/2010 in San Francisco.

We are happy to offer these podcasts for free, and are grateful when you donate to support our organization. Thank you!