Walking the Talk

Question: How can I move beyond ‘talking the talk’ to get to ‘walking the walk’?

Hanuman: In this world of non-dual teaching, of most profound import to me at this point is the willingness for each of us to walk our talk. It is not enough to be able to speak the words, but it is quite enough to live them in ordinary life. The demand for all of us who now know better is to express what we know in everyday life. That demand is not for everyone. Those who feel that demand experience an ever-increasing distaste for hypocrisy. When I am speaking about walking one’s talk, I am speaking about removing hypocrisy from our own lives.

So, look and see what your intention is. It will not have the ring of truth if it has some great selfishness to it. If it is filled with love and compassion, it will ring true, and you can trust in that. When you exemplify more and more ‘walking your talk’ as someone who tells the truth in every respect, then you find yourself to be a more and more trustworthy human being.

The more you are true to yourself, the more you speak truly, act truly. You trust in your own Self, then you have found someone you can really put your trust in. You can see how a commitment to truth is of such profound import. I am speaking of a fierce, unyielding, uncompromising commitment to truth. Day by day, you nurture that commitment. You fuel it. For it becomes far more powerful than any habit, and certainly far more powerful than any doubt. And don’t be concerned with mistakes. Be more concerned about your intention.

Question: This is still not entirely clear.

Hanuman: How are you responding with love and compassion and wisdom and skillfulness? What gets in the way of this? What can you choose to let go of in behalf of your desire to be an expression of impeccable responsibility? That’s warrior-like. Then you are more of an expression of walking your talk.

Duality is felt when there is this sense of being split between what we know and the expression of it in ordinary daily life. It is not some highfalutin recognition that we are one with that rock over there. So what? What about allowing this life to be an expression in behalf of truth and freedom and love, in behalf of the Heart?

This is why I am often saying in satsang to look to one’s own Self, to be an example of integrity rather than be disappointed in someone else’s lack of integrity. What is that other than just disappointment? And if you are committed to your own inner sense of integrity, it doesn’t matter so much what this one and that one is up to; what matters is what you are up to.

What about being done with hypocrisy and bullshit? I think bullshit is rampant in the spiritual world, really rampant. But we do not necessarily have to point fingers; we just need to look at our own lives.

So, part of walking one’s talk is saying: ‘When there is a recognition that I am somehow identified with the story of this suffering, seeking, separate, individual, victimized, unworthy one, when that is revealed, I will drop it. I will let it go, here and now, because I know better. I know the fictitious nature of that story, and I refuse to indulge in it one more moment.’

One then sees the essential feature of this spiritual life is the uncompromising willingness to let go of that which seems to obstruct truth, freedom, love, mercy and compassion.