The Work

So “the Work” means any way, or school, or method, which recognizes the fact of suffering and the cause of unnecessary suffering, and works to lead a person back to his true nature and thus eliminate the unnecessary suffering which is caused by the split in us. The purpose of the Work, however, is not primarily to eliminate suffering. The desire to return to one’s true nature is an innate impulse, which is there in the presence or even in the absence of suffering. The more we are in touch with ourselves, the more we feel this innate desire to know and to be who we really are. (Diamond Heart Book 1, pg 36)

The Work and Presence

However, when you put forth the effort to be present, to be aware, to be essentially in action, the awareness becomes the understanding part, and the Presence, the Being part of action. You will encounter difficulties and barriers to being present and aware in action. Learning how to deal with these barriers is the actual Work. From this come observations and issues that you might have to work on for some time afterwards. Overcoming these barriers, through continual practice of Presence and understanding, will integrate your realization into action. (Diamond Heart Book 4, pg 82)

The Work and experience

The Work is nothing more than being present in your experience in an undefended way. When you are present in your experience without defenses, then there is contact between this beingness or Presence and whatever happens in internal or external experience. When this contact happens, there is a process of transformation which we call metabolism or absorption. This process of transformation causes you to get bigger or more expanded. That is how you grow up. (Diamond Heart Book 4, pg 31)

The Work and knowledge

Our work can be seen as freeing our capacity to know. When we become more open and curious about knowledge, we come upon even more basic knowledge. Our experience of our essential nature becomes a kind of knowledge that is more intimate and precise than we have been used to. This opens us up to realms of knowledge we had not imagined existed. (Diamond Heart Book 3, pg 147)

The need for the Work

The Work is needed. It is needed to expose many things until a certain time comes when the Work becomes a barrier; when you see that the Work, not just this work, but any work you do on yourself, just gets in the way. The moment you try to do something to work on yourself, you are separating from yourself. But you have to get to the point where you understand this completely before you can let go of trying. When you are convinced of the futility of what you are trying to do on all levels, then you let go. This will mean ultimate surrender. Before this happens, you're going to try, and you might as well try that within the perspective of the Work. (Diamond Heart Book 3, pg 57)

The Work and truth

As you see, this work is not a matter of being better or worse, more or less. It is not a matter of getting your Essence, or of achieving enlightenment or freedom. All these are ultimately concepts. The real truth is there, existing as it is, without your mind saying what is good or bad. It is being present with what is. Any rejection of what is there is suffering, even if that rejection is predicated on the hope of reaching God or freedom or enlightenment. The enlightenment or freedom will come as a result of doing this work, but that is not the issue. The issue is not enlightenment. The issue is not freedom. The issue is "what is." (Diamond Heart Book 2, pg 75)