Clearsight is a non-sectarian religious* concern that endeavors to integrate a relevant spirituality with 21st century living in a Western context.
Clearsight emphasizes and advocates the practice of moment-by-moment awareness and of seeing deeply into the nature of things by direct experience. This in-seeing, when sustained, has a transformative effect* both on the practitioner and the world in which he or she practices.
The mission of Clearsight is to provide an environment or opportunities where those interested can encounter and explore spiritual teachings that bring stillness, wisdom, and compassion into day-to-day living.
In 2002, this activity began as a group of people who casually met to consider the teachings of Eckhart Tolle, but in a short time it became apparent that the group had evolved into something more than just a collection of inquirers or students. We had become a community of people that were sharing an awakening that was leading to an ever deepening awareness of the truth about ourselves and the nature of reality.
This activity is hosted by Pete and Pearl Sumner who offer spiritual direction and counselling from, Gurukula, their home and center in Fremantle, Western Australia.
It's worth noting that the Chinese have a phrase, wei wu wei. Wei is activity. Wu is the negative, so wu wei is non-activity. That gives the basic duality; activity or non-activity.
But, in the case of Clearsight, there's this experienced alternative of wei wu wei, which is "activity which is not activity." Neither sitting doing nothing nor running around trying to accomplish things, but the experience of the necessary action happening. Is anyone doing the activity known as Clearsight? Yes and no. For clarification, >click here.
In their work, Pete and Pearl convey a simple yet profound message with the timeless and uncomplicated clarity of the ancient spiritual masters -- there is a way out of mind-made suffering and into fathomless peace and joy which begins with discovering our true Self or who we really are.
This deep wisdom teaching is actually timeless and has previously found it's expression in refined forms of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Advaita, Taoism, Ch'an and Zen.
The teaching was once summed up by Zen master Bankei (1622-1693) when he reportedly said:
"(The conscious awareness of our infinite unborn essence) is easily turned into whatever comes along. So I urge people not to change themselves into these different things that come their way and trade the Unborn (the true Self) for mere thoughts....
When you abide in the Unborn, you're abiding at the source of all things.... When you've conclusively realized this, then and there you'll open the eye that sees into people, that's why my school is called the Clear-Eyed School.
When the eye that sees into people is manifested, whenever it happens to be, that moment is the complete realization of the Truth (of Who or What we/they really are and the end of mind-made suffering. It also gives rise to a deep abiding joy)." -- Bankei Zen by Peter Haskel pp 6.
Our logo (top left) depicts a hand holding a small mirror in which the eye of a seeker is reflected. The intention is to suggest the deep truth expressed by Wei Wu Wei when he observed; "What you're looking for ... is What is looking."
Jalaluddin Rumi, the Sufi mystic, expressed it more poetically in the following lines:
You've no idea how hard I've looked for a gift to bring You. Nothing seemed right. What's the point of bringing gold to the gold mine, or water to the Ocean. Everything I came up with was like taking spices to the Orient. It's no good giving my heart and my soul because you already have these. So -- I've brought you a mirror. Look at yourself and remember me.
Gurukula -- the name of the Sumner's home and center -- comes from the ancient Sanskrit language. The word 'guru' comes from gu = "remover of darkness" + ru = "bestower of light." The word 'kula' comes from the root kul = "to gather or group together", say in a house or a teaching venue.
Thus, this gurukula in Fremantle is a place where spiritual teaching happens and the darkness of ignorance is removed by the light of wisdom.
At Gurukula, we honor the great perfection of Absolute Being, the teachings of non-dual spiritual truth and the community or fellowship of those who are experiencing the teachings. In friendship together, we seek to embody the transformation that we wish to see in the world
At Gurukula, you will always find a warm welcome and an invitation that reads:
"Thank you for coming here, for surviving your life this far, and for staying in your search for truth. You can relax here just as you are; we've been waiting for you."
See the schedule of coming events at Gurukula
* Religion being defined as a means of ultimate transformation. This definition is sufficienctly broad to account for the Semetic religions on the one hand and the Indic and east Asian forms on the other. It also focuses on what distinguishes them from certain pseudo religions such as Marxism and Scientism. Clearsight is very much for all the great religions: it's bias is not in favour of any one of them, but in favour of one aspect of them all -- the mystical aspect -- their common Source.