Select Quotes from Dr. David R. Hawkins’ Work

For those unfamiliar with Dr. Hawkins’ writings, we highly suggest reading this caveat from the beginning of his books:

The traditional religionist or the spiritually timid are forewarned that the material presented herein may be disturbing and therefore better bypassed. The teachings are presented for the seriously committed spiritual student who is seeking God as Enlightenment.

The pathway to Enlightenment via radical truth is demanding and requires the surrendering of all belief systems. Only then does the Ultimate Reality reveal itself as the sought-after “I” of the Supreme.

The material presented herein is from the perspective of the Infinite “I” of the Self.

Quotes from The Eye of the I:

We change the world not by what we say or do but as a consequence of what we have become.  Thus, every spiritual aspirant serves the world. (Eye, 69)

To let go of the known for the unknown requires great commitment, willingness, and devotion to surrendering one’s faith to God. (Eye, 110)

There is no inner “thinker” behind thoughts, no “doer” behind actions, no “seeker” of enlightenment. Seeking occurs on its own when the time is right, and it emerges as a focus of attention.  All aspects and qualities of consciousness are self-actuating and energize each other under the general direction of the will. (Eye, 132)

It is the ultimate human paradox that man’s dependence on perception precludes his being able to know his own identity. (Eye, 220)

There is absolutely nothing in ordinary human experience to compare with the joy of the presence of the Love of God.  No sacrifice is too great nor effort too much in order to realize that Presence. (Eye, 289)

The true destiny of man is to realize the truth of the divinity of one’s source and creator which is ever present within that which has been created and is the creator of the Self. (Eye, 87)

To understand the nature of God, it is necessary only to know the nature of love itself. To truly know love is to know and understand God; and to know God is to understand love. (Eye, 88)

In reality, everything occurs of its own, with no exterior cause. Every thing and every event is a manifestation of the totality of All That Is, just as it is at any given moment. Once seen in its totality, everything is perfect at all times and nothing needs an external cause to change it in any way. From the viewpoint of the ego’s positionality and limited scope, the world seems to need endless fixing and correction. This illusion collapses as a vanity.

In Reality, everything is automatically manifesting the inherent destiny of its essence; it doesn’t need any external help to do this. With humility, one can relinquish the ego’s self-appointed role as savior of the world and surrender it straight to God.  The world that the ego pictures is a projection of its own illusions and arbitrary positionalities.  No such world exists. (Eye, 107)

At some point, the illusion breaks down and the opening for the start of the spiritual quest commences. The quest turns from without to within and the search for answers begins.  (Eye, 115)

Q: Where does one begin the search for spiritual truth self-realization called enlightenment?
A: It is simple.  Begin with who and what you are. All truth is found within. Use verified teachings as a guide. (Eye, 175)

Like springtime, the promise of a new era in man’s understanding of God is emerging. Now the level of consciousness of mankind is high enough to be able to recognize the truth of a God of Love instead of worshipping the god of guilt and hate. (Eye, 76)

It is helpful to remember that neither Truth nor Enlightenment is something to be found, sought, acquired, gained, or possessed. That which is the Infinite Presence is always present and its realization occurs of itself when the obstacles to that realization are removed.  It is therefore not necessary to study the truth but only to let go of that which is fallacious. Moving away the clouds does not cause the sun to shine but merely reveals that which was hidden all along. Spiritual work, therefore, is primarily a letting go of the presumably known for the unknown, with the promise of others who have done it that the effort is more than well rewarded at the end. (Eye, 117)

In turn, every advance that we make in our awareness benefits unseen multitudes and strengthens the next step for others to follow. Every act of kindness is noticed by the universe and is preserved forever. (Eye, 118)

The radiance of God is the light of awareness that reveals the divinity of all that exists. In the stillness of the Infinite Presence, the mind is silent as there is nothing that can be said; all speaks of itself with completeness and exactitude. With this realization one transcends the final duality of existence versus nonexistence because only existence is possible. The opposite of Truth does not exist because Reality excludes nonreality. In this realization resides the peace of God. (Eye, 118)

Nothing in the universe happens by chance or accident. The universe is a coherent concurrence and interaction of innumerable conditions attendant on the infinite number of energy patterns. In the state of Awareness, all this is obvious and can be clearly seen and known. Outside that level of awareness, it could be likened to innumerable, invisible magnetic fields which automatically coalesce or repel one’s position and which interact according to the positions and relative strengths and polarities. Everything influences everything else and is in perfect balance.  (Eye, 170)

What the people in the world actually want is the recognition of who they really are on the highest level, to see that the same Self radiates forth within everyone, heals their feeling of separation, and brings about a feeling of peace.  To bring peace and joy to others is the gift of the benevolence of the Presence. (Eye, 91)

Much relief is experienced when we realize that by adopting a spiritual life, righteous condemnation and the hate that ensures from it can be left to others. This pursuit of the spiritual “good” benefits all mankind, and it could therefore be said to be the most praiseworthy vocation of all. (Eye, 67)

Spiritual progress is based on acceptance as a matter of free will and choice and thus everyone experiences only the world of their own choosing. The universe is totally free of victims and all eventualities are the unfolding of inner choice and decision. (Eye, 61)

The experience of the presence of God is available and within at all times, but awaits choice. That choice is made only by surrendering everything other than peace and love to God. In return, the divinity of the Self reveals Itself as ever present but not experienced because it has been ignored or forgotten, or one has chosen otherwise. (Eye, 48)

Spiritual truth, then, is universally true and without variation through time or place. It always brings peace, harmony, accord, love, compassion, and mercy. Truth can be identified by these qualities. All else is the invention of the ego. (Eye, 40)

Peace is literally a choice and a decision, although not a popular one in our society despite all the rhetoric about the term. The decision to overlook the seeming inequities of life instead of reacting to them is a choice. (Eye, 198)

When perception ceases, the world of wonder reveals itself.  Consciousness is in all that exists.  It recognizes itself manifesting as the Allness of Creation. (Eye, 228)

In reality, the love of God, like the sun, shines equally on all. (Eye, 235)

In the Reality of nonduality, there is neither privilege nor gain nor loss nor rank. Just like a cork in the sea, each spirit rises or falls in the sea of consciousness to its own level by virtue of its own choices, and not by any external force or favor. Some are attracted by the light and some seek the darkness, but it all occurs of its own nature by virtue of divine freedom and equality. (Eye, 262)

Q: What prayers are useful?
A: Ask to be the servant of the Lord, a vehicle of divine love, a channel of God’s will. Ask for direction and divine assistance and surrender all personal will through devotion. Dedicate one’s life to the service of God. Choose love and peace above all other options. Commit to the goal of unconditional love and compassion for all life in all its expression and surrender all judgment to God.  (Eye, 201)

Quotes from I: Reality & Subjectivity:

When one realizes that one is the universe, complete and at one with All That Is, forever without end, no further suffering is possible. (I, xxii)

The destiny of the spirit will be for better or worse, depending on the choices and decisions one makes. (I, 154)

Beliefs are the determinants of what one experiences. There are no external “causes.” (I, 22)

Thus, if we take responsibility for being the author of our world, we come close to its source where we can correct it. (I, 22)

The soul is the author of its own fate by the exercise of its own choice and selection. (I, 24)

Truth has no opposites, such as falsity or “off-ness.” Nothing is hidden from the field of consciousness.

The level of consciousness is determined by the choices made by the spiritual will and therefore is the consequence as well as the determinant of karma. Freedom to evolve requires a world which affords the greatest opportunity to ascend or descend the spiritual ladder.  Viewed from that perspective, this is an ideal world and its society is constituted by a wide range of experiential options. (I, 80)

Exploration is innate to mankind, and its highest levels lead to spiritual inquiry. This brings up the questions of who am I, what am I, where did I come from, what is the origin and destiny of the self, and who and where is God. (I, 117)

The human mind is incapable of discerning truth from falsehood. (I, 117)

The spiritual aspirant, therefore, is wise to detach from all positionalities and opinions and be willing to surrender the ego’s temporary satisfactions for a higher goal. (I, 177)

All life ebbs and flows.  Everyone is born, suffers afflictions, and dies.  There are happiness and sadness, catastrophe and success, increase and decrease. The stock market rises and falls.  Diseases and accidents come and go. The karmic dance of life unfolds in the karmic theatre of the universe.

All reactions to life are subjective. There is nothing happening that is awful, exciting, sad, good, or bad.  It is pointless to hold a position that catastrophes shouldn’t “happen” or that the innocent didn’t deserve i, or isn’t it awful, or it must be somebody’s fault.  With a broad view, one can remain unperturbed by either the content or the context of life.  That requires giving up judgments, expectations, or sensitivities.  (I, 179)

Inasmuch as the entire universe and everything in it is a karmic unity, the Allness of Reality is the realization of enlightenment.  If all is a karmic unity that originates from the same source, then to see any separation is an artifact of perception.  In Reality, the one and the many are the same. (I, 251)

Be passionate for God, not for belief systems.  That is the only real decision that has to be made and can be applied to any and all situations. The question is always whether to be at the effect of the world or aligned with the Truth of God instead. The search for enlightenment is different from that of seeking worldly success.  (I, 355)

The world of the ego is like a house of mirrors through which the ego wanders, lost and confused, as it chases the images in one mirror after another. Human life is characterized by endless trials and errors to escape the maze.  At times, for many people, and possibly for most, the world of mirrors becomes a house of horrors that gets worse and worse. The only way out of the circuitous wanderings is through the pursuit of spiritual truth. (I, 393)

At every instant, one is really making a choice between heaven or hell. The cumulative effect of all these choices determines the calibrated level of consciousness and one’s karmic and spiritual fate. (I, 397)

At first, spiritual purification seems difficult, but eventually, it becomes natural. To consistently choose love, peace, or forgiveness leads one out of the house of mirrors. The joy of God is so exquisite that any sacrifice is worth the effort and seeming pain. (I, 397)