Wind Chimes: The Simplicity of Being

By James R. Heldwein

In all of nature, humankind alone seems to have a virtual monopoly on psychological suffering. This does not need to be, for as written centuries ago in the great and timeless wisdom of the ancient scriptures, the time has come to know the Truth that shall set you free. Wind Chimes is an encapsulation of this wisdom, giving the reader a sound basis for their own further spiritual search.

It is intended to simply guide you directly towards your own realization of the absolute Truth of Being, of your Being, no matter who you are. This deep truth is not something to be attained, but has always been within you. It is through this realization that freedom, true and lasting freedom, can finally be known on a direct experiential level. This knowing will lead you to a deep sense of inner peace and an effective, stress free way of living. A true Simplicity of Being. In the words of an old saying, If not NOW, when?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Nov 10, 2014
• ISBN: 9781452523729

James R. Heldwein

James Heldwein lives with his wife Rose in upstate New York. His extended family live nearby. What began as daily journals, documenting his struggles with anxiety disorders, eventually and unexpectedly evolved into an inner exploration resulting in the realization that all we ever yearn for is already and always available, right now, awaiting our simple recognition. Previous published book: “Wind Chimes” (Balboa Press 2014)

Book preview

Copyright © 2014 James Heldwein.

Editor: Linda Gibson

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Balboa Press

A Division of Hay House

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.balboapress.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4525-2371-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-2373-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-2372-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014918173

Balboa Press rev. date: 12/04/2014

CONTENTS

Dedication

Acknowledgment

Preface How This Book Came Into Being

Introduction

Chapter One What Is Real?

Chapter Two The Greatest Deception

Chapter Three Who, Or What Then, Am I ?

Chapter Four Human Consciousness And Ego

Chapter Five Inner Peace, Our Birthright?

Chapter Six Inner Space - The Highest Stage Of Human Evolution

Chapter Seven Be Still And Know

Chapter Eight Spiritual Practice -Your Return Home

Chapter Nine Spiritual Awareness Now

Chapter Ten Thy Kingdom Come - Thy Will Be Done

Chapter Eleven A Benediction

Bibliography

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to my son, James Matthew Heldwein.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I would like to express sincere gratitude to my friend and editor Linda Gibson. Although I authored this text, it is because of Linda's unique blend of patience and perseverance that this book has found its way to you.

Into the Absolute,

Resonating with Being,

Uniting in the sacred space.

Pure presence of Being,

Gently rising to the surface,

Of awareness.

Always present, always sacred,

As mind and body sweetly fade,

Into seeming oblivion.

Blessed stillness,

Pure and Divine awareness Is.

This I AM.

I AM, sweetly evinced,

Making itself known,

No difference between,

Any Being, anytime, anywhere.

Just this, all that ever is or was.

And so it IS.

James R. Heldwein (excerpt from "So It IS")

PREFACE

HOW THIS BOOK CAME INTO BEING

The questioning began in earnest, when as a seven year old boy, I sobbed, and queried: What happened to Grandpa? My grandfather was then perhaps the second most loved and influential adult male in my young life. That fateful year, just before the Thanksgiving holiday, he suddenly and unexpectedly died of a massive heart attack. Any exposure I had previously had to the concept of death had been nothing more than just as a word, something I had heard mentioned in Sunday School, or in casual references made by my parents in respect of a second cousin or some distant family member or friend. Seeing the consternation on the faces of my parents, as they discussed how awful it was that this one or that one had passed, led me to question why they were so much more upset about one and not the other?

My father was a man of greatness, not in the eyes of the world perhaps, but in my eyes, strong yet humble, and very wise. This became more apparent to me than ever at my grandfather's wake, the very first I attended. I had never seen a corpse before, let alone that of someone I admired and loved very much. To me he was real, and it horrified me that I would never see him again. I simply could not understand why my grandpa was lying in a very handsome and expensive looking container, surrounded by brilliant white quilted satin. Why is Grandpa lying there? I asked as I tugged and tugged at my Dad's suit coat as he was trying not only to deal with his own grief, but also greeting the other attendees. He would always stop and give me very good answers to my persistent questioning. He's not Grandpa any more, that is just an empty shell, he answered patiently. Then why is he there, and why are all these people kneeling and praying over a shell?

If that is not him then where did he go? Dad, Dad, DAD?

Always fascinated by the mysteries of life, I questioned everything. I simply had the need to understand and this was reflected in my schooling and grades. The concept of life, God, death, religion and allied topics, all seemed to elude my understanding. The more I delved into the mysteries of all these vague concepts, the more confused I became and yet all the more determined to find the answers. This determination was increased by the realization that my Mom and Dad were also going to die one day. Most telling was the thought that I was going to die as well. Being told A long way off, and Don't think about it, you have an entire life ahead of you, were the consistent answers I got as I grew older and my questioning became more refined and complex.

For me, a turning to religion was rather devastating, as the whole concept of faith also eluded me. We were told to just have faith. If one has ever fervently and with great effort tried to have faith, then one can begin to see the downward spiral I was about to experience. For one who needs to know everything, the only advice religion could give was to simply have faith. Comparing myself to those who professed to have great faith and acted as such left me with a feeling of somehow being inferior and unworthy. I prayed and tried hard to follow the commandments, to the point that my mother used to say that I was a bundle of nerves.

The following writing is the net result of decades of searching for answers. At first I asked all the wrong questions and looked in all the wrong places. After studying countless books on everything from the Holy Bible, philosophy, so called self-help texts, other religions, books on the mind as well as psychology, I ended up more confused than ever. No doubt I obtained a storehouse of knowledge, as being self-taught in this field I could focus on just the areas of the most intense interest to me, and eliminate all of the extraneous I would have had to master had I been studying all as a subject of formal education. However the questioning still remained: What in the end does it all mean?

Many adverse and seemingly unacceptable life events, enough to fill another book, drove me to the brink of insanity. All the knowledge acquired had not come close to providing the answer. Nothing that could be taken to the grave and beyond. "What does it all mean, what is the truth?" In the eyes of eternity, what have we gained from all of our human evolution, our advances? As I looked and observed the world, the striving and struggling of the masses all began to appear pointless. All must in the end be left behind. All of it.

This mind became so over active that I sought to ease the state of anxiety and sense of fear that had become my constant companion. Intense suffering became the catalyst. I looked