I AM (Ch. 1 of 'The Impersonal Life')

The Impersonal Life, Chapter I
I AM

"What book has most influenced you?"

As a former editor and avid reader, I could choose from hundreds of titles. Yet, one book read in my youth stands out — "The Impersonal Life" by Anonymous.

Forty-five years and a lifetime of spiritual adventures later, I re-visited it. My memories of the little black hard-bound book are satisfied by the Fifty-Sixth Printing, still no bigger than my hand. Other than a Preface which reveals the identity of the author, the contents are the same.

In my teens, the book inspired me to "try" to live an impersonal life. For example, when writing prose, my personal pronoun "I" was a lower case "i" to reduce the size of my ego. Looking back on those years and the ones which followed, I see it now from another perspective.

The essence of the message still resonates for me. Yet questions come up which did not before. The one who penned the words, we are told now, was a humble and sincere man who lived from 1872 to 1938.

According to Wikipedia, Joseph Sieber Benner was an American author, Spiritual writer, and Representative of the Brotherhood of Christ who used the pen name "Anonymous." He was the first to introduce the Knowledge and Teachings of the Impersonal Life (also known as the "I AM" Teaching) to the world in his first book, "The Impersonal Life" published in 1914. 

Google Books say the book was originally published in 1926 and adds, "In order the better to comprehend the deep and vital truths contained in this Message, you are urged to approach each reading of it with quiet and open mind. Still the intellect and invite your Soul to do the teaching...."

The Amazon description states, "The Impersonal Life is one of the key books written on the topic of self-discovery and leading a spiritual life. Author Joseph Benner penned this book as Anonymous in the early 20th century, and it has been a popular title among millions of readers since. 'The Impersonal Life' is highly recommended for those who are interested in learning how to lead a spiritual life and are in the process of self-discovery."

In the first chapter, it is written,

"I have purposely led you through the Wilderness of books and teaching, of religions and philosophies, keeping ever before your Soul’s eye the vision of the Promised Land; feeding you with the manna of the Desert, that you might remember and value and long for the Bread of the Spirit. 

"Now I have brought you to the river Jordan that separates you from your Divine heritage. 

... the time has come for you to cross over into Canaan, the land of Milk and Honey. 

"Then follow this My Word, which is the Ark of My Covenant, and you shall go over dry shod."

By using this language, the one who penned the words reveals his personal imprints. The metaphors of Wilderness, Promised Land, manna of the Desert, Bread of the Spirit, river Jordan, Canaan, land of Milk and Honey and Ark of the Covenant are taken from a cultural text, the Torah. Later, 'The Impersonal Life' is steeped in language of the New Testament of the Bible. It has a cultural imprint. 'The Impersonal Life' could also have been written from the perspective of the Bhagavad Gita. For example,

"The senses are higher than the body, the mind higher than the senses; above the mind is the intellect, and above the intellect is the Atman. Thus, knowing that which is supreme, let the Atman rule the ego....

"My true being is unborn and changeless. I am the Lord who dwells in every creature. Through the power of my own maya, I manifest myself in a finite form.

"Those who know me as their own divine Self break through the belief that they are the body and are not reborn as separate creatures. Such a one, Arjuna, is united with me."

Looking more deeply than the personal imprint of Biblical language, which I can take neutrally, I appreciate that 'The Impersonal Life' encourages the reader to hear and follow the voice within above all books and teachers. Re-reading it sparked a new realization this week. It is not the impersonal life, but the non-possessive life, which nurtures and supports the unfolding of what truly I am.

An extraction from the first chapter of 'The Impersonal Life' follows with my notes. As always, feedback from readers is enjoyed.
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The Impersonal Life

Chapter 1: I AM

To you who read, I speak....

I AM You, that part of you who IS and KNOWS;

WHO KNOWS ALL THINGS, 

And always knew, and always was. 

Yes, I AM You, Your SELF; that part of you who says I AM and is I AM; 

That transcendent, innermost part of you which quickens within as you read, which responds to this My Word, which perceives Its Truth, which recognizes all Truth and discards all error wherever found....

For I AM your real Teacher, the only  real one you will ever know, and the only MASTER; 

I, your Divine SELF. 

I, the I AM of you, bring to you this My Message, My living Word, as I have brought to you everything in life, be it book or “Master” to teach you that I and I alone,   your own True Self, AM The Teacher for you, the only Teacher and the only God,  Who is and always has been providing you ... with all things needed for your physical, mental and spiritual growth and sustenance. 

Therefore that which appeals to YOU, as you read, is MY Message, spoken to your outer human consciousness from within,  and is but a confirmation of that which the I AM of you always knew within, but had not yet translated in definite, tangible terms to your outer consciousness. 

Likewise, all that ever appealed to You, coming from some outward expression, was but the confirmation of My Word already spoken within.  The outward expression was the avenue or means I chose at the time through which to reach and impress your human or self consciousness. 

I AM not your human mind, nor its  child, the intellect. They are but the expression of your Being, as you are the expression of My Being; they are but phases of your human personality, as You are a phase of My Divine Impersonality.

{{Note from Gary: I AM the One Being in human form, a cell of its body and a fractal of its entirety. Persona appears to separate me from this living actuality by possessing thoughts, beliefs, opinions, customs and habits and maintaining this fabrication with reinforcement from social and cultural imprints. Persona has but to let go of possessiveness, to live the non-possessive life, in order to allow the True Self to be unveiled and revealed.}}
 
Weigh and study carefully these words. 

Rise up and free yourself now and for always from the domination of your personality, with its self-inflated and self-glorifying mind and intellect.

For your mind henceforth must be Your servant, and the intellect Your slave, if My Word is to penetrate to your Soul consciousness. 

I AM come now to your Soul consciousness, which I have quickened expressly in preparation for the reception of My Word.

Now, if you are strong enough to bear it; 

If you can put aside all your private personal fancies, beliefs and opinions, which are but the rubbish you have gathered from the dumping grounds of others; 

If you are strong enough to cast them all away;— 

Then My Word will be to you a source of endless Joy and Blessing. 

Be prepared to have this personality of yours doubt My Word as you read It all  along the way;  
 
For its very life is threatened, and it knows it cannot live and thrive and longer dominate your thinking, your feelings, your going and coming, as of old,—if you take My Word into your heart and permit It there to abide. 

Yes, I AM come to you now, 

To make you conscious of My Presence; 

For I have likewise prepared your human mind so that it can, in a measure, comprehend the meaning of Me. 

I have been with you always, but you did not know it.

Now the time has come for you consciously to know Me;

Are you ready? 

Do you want to go?

{{Note from Gary: A key message of Chapter 1 of 'The Impersonal Life' is "I alone, your own True Self, AM The Teacher for you, the only Teacher and the only God." That voice of pure consciousness - within the person and all that is - speaks from beyond personal thought, cultural imprints and maya. 

Dropping layers of possessiveness which fragment and distort - possessions of thought, beliefs, control, desire and so on - reveals the essential Truth - alive, dynamic and not to be contained in binding and stagnating words.

Human language can only point to, not contain or convey, the high frequency vibration language of the universal (impersonal) Creative Source.}}

CONTENTS - BLOG POSTS

The Impersonal Life, Unabridged