Appropriation is the tendency of individuals to take ownership of the practice, enlightenment, and realization that arises from their spiritual journey.
This appropriation occurs when individuals believe they are solely responsible for their enlightenment and fail to recognize the role of the divine or True Nature in their awakening. By appropriating the enlightenment drive, individuals negate the action of grace and fail to acknowledge that True Nature is what stirs and wakes them up. This appropriation further leads individuals to view themselves as separate and autonomous agents, disconnected from the true source of their realization.
Recognizing and going beyond appropriation means understanding that the individual soul is the vessel through which reality manifests. True practice is not the practice of the self, but rather Living Being practicing through the individual soul. As individuals perfect their practice, the luminosity and truth of Living Being pervade their souls, resulting in a state of nondoing and realization.
Appropriation of practice is different from owning one’s experience and realization. While acknowledging one’s own understanding and realization is essential for soul development, appropriating the practice and claiming it as the activity of the individual self limits openness and disconnects individuals from their true realization. True ownership of realization is a recognition of personal maturation and development rather than appropriating the ego self. The appropriation of the ego self constrains openness and disconnects individuals from their true nature.
It is important to understand that spiritual practice and realization are inherently personal experiences. Each individual is responsible for their own enlightenment and realization. However, it is crucial to recognize that these experiences are not solely the result of individual effort or agency. True realization arises from the dynamic interplay between the individual soul and the divine or True Nature. Believing that one’s enlightenment is solely their own can create discord and a false sense of separation from what one truly is.
To liberate the living dynamism of Being, it is important to understand the dynamics of realization comprehensively. Recognizing that Living Being is always free and enlightened but only recognizes its freedom through the mature soul, can help individuals align themselves with the true nature of practice. When practicing, it is not the individual self that practices but the Living Being. Insight and realization are presentations of the clarity and nature of Living Being, rather than accomplishments of the individual self.
Failing to see this truth results in self-centeredness and appropriation of the source, activity, and realization of practice. This self-centeredness reinforces the limited perspective of the individual self and restricts the manifestation of Living Being’s possibilities. It keeps individuals stuck in a frozen and limited point of view, leading to conflict and strife.
From the perspective of the centered self, Living Being is not free to manifest its full potential and explore all the possibilities of reality. It can only manifest one kind of possibility, always looking from the perspective of the individual self. However, from the totality view, enlightenment is a limitless realization that continuously unfolds and transcends itself. It encompasses the capacity to perceive reality from the perspective of Living Being, beyond the limited viewpoint of the individual self.
To overcome appropriation and self-centeredness, it is essential to recognize the role of grace, the divine, or True Nature in awakening and realization. By acknowledging and honoring this spiritual force, individuals can align themselves with the true source of their practice and open themselves to the fullness of Living Being’s possibilities. This involves understanding the balance between the individual’s role and the role of True Nature or the divine and how they intersect and co-create the process of practice and realization.
Individuals can liberate the creative and living dynamism of Being within themselves by cultivating a deep understanding and appreciation of realization dynamics. This recognition allows for a greater alignment with the innate freedom and enlightenment inherent in Living Being. It is a shift from appropriation to surrender, from claiming ownership to recognizing one’s true nature as an expression of the divine.
In this shift, individuals come to realize that their practice is not a separate endeavor but a participation in the unfolding of the larger cosmic dance. They understand that their individual actions and efforts are not the sole determinants of their realization but rather a co-creative collaboration with the divine. They embody the understanding that true practice is not the practice of the self but the practice of Living Being utilizing the individual soul as its vessel.
By surrendering to the guidance and wisdom of True Nature, individuals can align themselves with the flow of grace and allow for a deeper unfolding of their spiritual journey. They let go of the illusion of being the sole source of their realization and instead open themselves to the transformative power of divine intervention. Through this surrender, the constrictions and limitations of the ego self melt away, and individuals can access a greater freedom, truth, and clarity.
In essence, going beyond appropriation in the context of the Diamond Approach involves recognizing the interplay between the individual soul and the divine and relinquishing the false sense of ownership and control over one’s practice and realization. It requires a shift from the limited perspective of the individual self to the expansive viewpoint of Living Being. This shift allows individuals to embrace their unique experiences and realizations while acknowledging and honoring the divine source from which they arise.
To go beyond appropriation is to recognize that the individual soul is the vessel through which reality manifests. To truly understand how practice is realization is to recognize that practice is not the practice of the self. Recognizing that true practice is Living Being practicing is central to understanding how practice is realization. Or, put another way that is more accurate, you as an individual practicing are Living Being practicing. And as it perfects its practice, Living Being pervades the individual soul with its luminosity and truth, which appears as nondoing and realization. – A. H. Almaas, Runaway Realization: Living a Life of Ceaseless Discovery , Ch. 6
From the beginning of spiritual practice, it is your own enlightenment and your own realization. You cannot, however, appropriate it as an individual self. Although it is your own realization because you are Living Being, by believing that it is your realization as an individual, you appropriate it in a way that disconnects you from what you truly are. The appropriation is neither a sin nor a moral mistake, but simply a delusion. Basically, it is a cognitive error that creates discord, that shows you how Being manifests when it is not revealing its enlightenment and its freedom. Having as complete an understanding and appreciation of the dynamic of realization as possible helps liberate the creative, living dynamism of Being. And as the dynamism of Being is liberated, we recognize that dynamism is always free and always enlightened, but only recognizes its freedom through the mature soul. – A. H. Almaas, Runaway Realization: Living a Life of Ceaseless Discovery , pg. 121