Hope, Faith and Basic Trust -- Part 3.

Confession: I may have bitten off more than I can chew with this multi-part blogpost - this third part has been a long time coming!

The original intention was to illuminate what I see as the differences, and relationships, between hope (Part 1), faith (Part 2), and what the spiritual teacher Almaas refers to as "basic trust" (this final Part). In my mind these states form a kind of layer-cake, where hope (in a desired future) is highest, airiest and most untethered, faith (in oneself and/or humanity) is sandwiched, supported and more connected, and basic trust (in reality, nature, creator or the universe) is the most grounded, intrinsic and enduring. Another way of seeing it is that faith trumps hope, but basic trust trumps the lot.

Photo: Abhijit M.

Some years ago, in conversation with a dear friend, I was attempting to describe the sense of fundamental relaxation that I had come to know; a kind of deep unquestioned faith in the whole of reality and its natural unfolding."That sounds like Almaas' basic trust", my friend said. At the time I didn't know of A.H.Almaas, but I remember the depth of resonance that landed in me when I first heard that phrase.

Now into his eighties, A.H.Almaas is a spiritual teacher, director of the Ridhwan School and the author of some 20 books; all of which speak to the intertwined relationship between the psychological and spiritual dimensions of human experience. His Diamond Approach is a contemporary spiritual path designed to help bridge the gap between the psychological (ego, childhood development and everyday emotions) and the spiritual (boundless, essential essence).

Within Almaas' framework of teachings, "basic trust" is the foundational sense that the universe is inherently benevolent and that life will ultimately unfold for the good, independent of our actions. It is a deep and abiding confidence in reality as a whole.

In his book Facets of Unity, Almaas describes it this way:

(Basic trust) ... is an unspoken, implicit trust that what is optimal will happen, the sense that whatever happens will ultimately be fine. It is the confidence that reality is ultimately good; that nature, the universe, and all that exists are of their very nature good and trustworthy; that what happens is the best that can happen. Basic trust is a nonconceptual confidence in the goodness of the universe, an unquestioned implicit trust that there is something about the universe and human nature and life that is inherently and fundamentally good, loving, and wishing us the best. (p.22)

Ordinary trust vs. basic trust

It is important not to confuse basic trust with the usual psychological understanding of trust—trust in people, places, situations. This kind of trust is dependent on familiarity and reliability, and is reflective of our lived experience. Painful events or episodes can disrupt our trust in the external, and internal, elements of our life. Personal betrayals often rupture ordinary trust, in others, and in ourselves.

Basic trust is different. It isn't about what you feel or think or what happens to you. Basic trust is experienced as a deep and unquestioned sense of safety and security that is intrinsic to the way you act and live. It's not something you think about, and it's not something that is disturbed by the events and circumstances of your life.

Basic trust and ego development

Almaas describes basic trust as "preconceptual, preverbal and predifferentiation", meaning that we are born with it—that we enter life here on earth in this state. However, as we grow and develop an egoic identity, things change. Almaas writes:

The disturbance of basic trust is a significant factor in ego development because the perspective of ego is diametrically opposed to the sense of basic trust. The ego’s perspective arises out of a lack of this trust. It is based on distrust, on paranoia, on fear, on the conviction that you're not going to be adequately taken care of and that the universe is not there to hold and take care of you in the ways that you need. This conviction causes you to believe that you have to engage in all kinds of manipulations and games to get your needs met and to make things work out. (Facets of Unity, p.25)

These "manipulations" often arise as coping strategies; ways in which, as children, we learn to distort or deny ourselves, in order to get more of what we need or less of what we don't want.

For basic trust to remain intact, a child requires an adequate "holding environment"; surroundings that include consistent protection, warmth and understanding, within the context of the family dynamics and home environment.

Noting, however, that no human environment is ideal, Almaas points out that every child will experience varying degrees of environmental failure, tension or trauma. To survive the terror of an unsafe world, the child's innate basic trust goes "underground" and is covered up by defensive structures.

Facing the unknown

As adults, our defensive structures often manifest as attempts to control another person's actions, or to force specific outcomes in a given situation. In the absence of basic trust, the ego becomes fearful in the face of what is unknown. We may try to strong-arm actions or outcomes using our will.

When basic trust is present there is, instead, an inner relaxation, a "belly quality"; something that one’s whole being is grounded in. When basic trust is present, we no longer feel compelled to try to manipulate situations for a desired result. Basic trust allows us to face the unknown from a place of openness and acceptance.

Almaas writes:

... when you are trying to make something happen, you are not trusting the natural order; you don't trust that Essence itself will manifest in the way it is needed. The first point of departure from this trust is always a rejection of the now. To apply the perspective of basic trust ... you must have the complete confidence that staying completely with what you are experiencing in this moment, will result in what needs to happen, without your having to think about a certain outcome. When the confidence is there, your awareness of exactly what is happening in you will allow you to see that your organism will do the best it can in the situation. (Diamond Heart Book Two: The Freedom to Be, p.118)

Photo: Marcos Paulo Prado

Basic trust and the soul

When basic trust is present, Almaas suggests, the soul will more easily let go of old structures, will more easily settle into simply being, and will tend to let its process unfold without interference, which will lead naturally toward what he calls "essential development".

Basic trust is an inherent condition of the soul. Your soul has basic trust like your bones have calcium. It is that fundamental, that basic to the nature of the soul. It is beyond nonconceptual; it is not even an experience. Rather, it gives our experience a sense of ease, of safety and security, with a carefree state in the mind. (Facets of Unity, p. 26)

Photo: Julien Tromeur

Reclaiming basic trust

Almaas emphasises that basic trust is never completely destroyed; it is merely obscured by our history. His Diamond Approach method is designed to help reveal and cultivate basic trust, but a range of practices can support this, including sessions with a suitable psycho-spiritual therapist! ;-)

Here are some ideas:

Practicing open-ended inquiry

• Bring precise, non-judgmental attention to your present-moment experience without trying to fix or change it.

• Question the automatic assumptions, fears, and historical rejections that arise in your present-moment experience but which block your direct experience of reality.

  
  

Surrendering ego-directed control

• Notice when your mind tries to force outcomes or protect itself based on past conditioning.

• Step back from the need to direct your internal process, allowing your body-mind and true nature to move spontaneously.

  
  

Allowing the abyss and disintegration:

• Face the underlying fear of falling or losing internal structure rather than running away from painful or empty states.

• Discover that stepping past the ego's terror reveals a real, supportive substance (what Almaas calls "living daylight" or "essential presence") that actually holds you.

  
  

Sensing the benevolence of reality:

• Deliberately tune into moments where the environment or your inner state provides unforced support.

• Recognize the inherent goodness and intelligence of the universe, allowing your nervous system and soul to deeply relax.

References:

Almaas, A. H (2000) Facets of Unity: The Enneagram of Holy Ideas.

Almaas, A. H (1989) Diamond Heart Book Two: The Freedom to Be.