Exercise 23

Transparent Beliefs

A belief is transparent when you are operating through the belief without noticing it. Transparent beliefs are seldom helpful and, in fact, can be fatally debilitating. Most are self-sabotaging, adopted in a moment when you were something less than rational.

The first impression you have of a transparent belief is that it is unquestionably true. That's just the way life is. That's the way I am. Here's the proof! But then something funny happens: you discover that the proof for holding the belief is actually produced by the belief itself. A pattern begins to unfold.

Transparent beliefs are discovered by tricking yourself into expressing them and then stepping back and looking at what you said. Transparent beliefs are often hidden under the desire to be right, so finding transparent beliefs requires a degree of vulnerability.

Objective:
To discover transparent beliefs.

Expected Results:
Insights, personal transformation.

Instructions:
Discovering transparent beliefs is done either with a companion or as a team effort. The exercise may be repeated many times.

Step 1
The guide or group leader asks, "What would you like to change?" until a situation is revealed.

Step 2
Once the situation has been pinpointed, the guide or group leader goes after:

• the beliefs that are creating the situation
• the experiences that are reinforcing the beliefs, i.e., creating certainty in the beliefs

by asking:
(a) What belief might someone have in order to experience (situation)?
(b) How do you prove that belief is true?
(c) What other belief might someone have in order to experience (situation)?
(d) How do you prove that belief is true?

(c) and (d) are alternately addressed until the student has a realization.

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