The Power Of Now Eckhart Tolle

A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

CONTENTS Preface xiii Foreword xvii Acknowledgment xxiii !ntroduction " The Origin of Thi #ook " The Truth That ! $ithin %ou & C'APTE( ONE) %ou Are Not %our *ind + The Greate t O, tacle to Enlightenment + Freeing %our elf from %our *ind "Enlightenment) (i ing a,ove Thought ". Emotion) The #od/0 (eaction to %our *ind C'APTE( T$O) Con ciou ne ) The $a/ Out of Pain 12 Create No *ore Pain in the Pre ent 12 Pa t Pain) 3i olving the Pain4#od/ 1+ Ego !dentification with the Pain4#od/ &The Origin of Fear &5 The Ego0 Search for $holene &2 C'APTE( T'(EE) *oving 3eepl/ into the Now &+ 3on0t Seek %our Self in the *ind &+ End the 3elu ion of Time -6 Nothing Exi t Out ide the Now -" The 7e/ to the Spiritual 3imen ion -1 Acce ing the Power of the Now -8etting Go of P /chological Time -9 The !n anit/ of P /chological Time -. Negativit/ and Suffering 'ave Their (oot in Time -+ Finding the 8ife :nderneath %our 8ife Situation 5" All Pro,lem Are !llu ion of the *ind 5& A ;uantum 8eap in the Evolution of Con ciou ne 55 The <o/ of #eing 59 C'APTE( FO:() *ind Strategie for Avoiding the Now 5+ 8o of Now) The Core 3elu ion 5+ Ordinar/ :ncon ciou ne and 3eep :ncon ciou ne 96 $hat Are The/ Seeking= 91

3i olving Ordinar/ :ncon ciou ne 9& Freedom from :nhappine 9$herever %ou Are> #e There Totall/ 9. The !nner Purpo e of %our 8ife0 <ourne/ 2& The Pa t Cannot Survive in %our Pre ence 2C'APTE( F!?E) The State of Pre ence 22 !t0 Not $hat %ou Think !t ! 22 The E oteric *eaning of @$aiting@ 2. #eaut/ Ari e in the Stillne of %our Pre ence 2+ (ealiAing Pure Con ciou ne ." Chri t) The (ealit/ of %our 3ivine Pre ence .9 C'APTE( S!B) The !nner #od/ .+ #eing ! %our 3eepe t Self .+ 8ook ,e/ond the $ord +6 Finding %our !nvi i,le and !nde tructi,le (ealit/ +" Connecting with the !nner #od/ +& Tran formation through the #od/ +Sermon on the #od/ +9 'ave 3eep (oot $ithin +2 #efore %ou Enter the #od/> Forgive ++ %our 8ink with the :nmanife ted "66 Slowing 3own the Aging Proce "61 Strengthening the !mmune S/ tem "61 8et the #reath Take %ou into the #od/ "6Creative : e of *ind "65 The Art of 8i tening "65 C'APTE( SE?EN) Portal into the :nmanife ted "62 Going 3eepl/ into the #od/ "62 The Source of Chi "6. 3reamle Sleep ""6 Other Portal ""6 Silence ""1 Space ""& The True Nature of Space and Time ""9 Con ciou 3eath "". C'APTE( E!G'T) Enlightened (elation hip "1" Enter the Now from $herever %ou Are "1" 8oveC'ate (elation hip "1& Addiction and the Search for $holene "15 From Addictive to Enlightened (elation hip "1. (elation hip a Spiritual Practice "&6 $h/ $omen Are Clo er to Enlightenment "&9 3i olving the Collective Female Pain4#od/ "&. Give :p the (elation hip with %our elf "-&

C'APTE( N!NE) #e/ond 'appine and :nhappine The 'igher Good ,e/ond Good and #ad "-2 The End of %our 8ife 3rama "56 !mpermanence and the C/cle of 8ife "5" : ing and (elinDui hing Negativit/ "59 The Nature of Compa ion "9" Toward a 3ifferent Order of (ealit/ "9C'APTE( TEN) The *eaning of Surrender "2" Acceptance of the Now "2" From *ind Energ/ to Spiritual Energ/ "25 Surrender in Per onal (elation hip "22 Tran forming !llne into Enlightenment ".6 $hen 3i a ter Strike ".1 Tran forming Suffering into Peace ".& The $a/ of the Cro ".9 The Power to Choo e "..

There ! Peace "-2

P:#8!S'E(0S P(EFACE
#% *A(C A88EN Author of Visionary Business and A Visionary Life

Perhap once in a decade> or even once in a generation> a ,ook like The Power of Now come alongE !t i more than a ,ookF there i a living energ/ in it> one /ou can pro,a,l/ feel a /ou hold itE !t ha the power to create an experience in reader > and change their live for the ,etterE The Power of Now wa fir t pu,li hed in Canada> and the Canadian pu,li her> Connie 7ellough> told me he heard repeated torie of po itive change and even miracle that have happened once people got into the ,ookE @(eader call in>@ he aidE @And o man/ of them tell me of the wonderful healing > tran formation > and increa ed Go/ the/ are experiencing ,ecau e the/ have em,raced thi ,ookE@ The ,ook make me aware that ever/ moment of m/ life i a miracleE Thi i a, olutel/ true> whether ! realiAe it or notE And The Power of Now, over and over> how me how to realiAe itE From the fir t page of hi writing> it i clear that Eckhart Tolle i a contemporar/ ma terE 'e i not aligned with an/ particular religion or doctrine or guruF hi teaching em,race the heart> the e ence> of all other tradition > and contradict none of them 4 Chri tian> 'indu> #uddhi t> *u lim> indigenou > or an/thing el eE 'e i a,le to do what all the great ma ter

have done) to how u > in imple and clear language> that the wa/> the truth> and the light i within u E Eckhart Tolle ,egin ,/ ,riefl/ introducing u to hi tor/ 4 a tor/ of earl/ depre ion and de pair that culminated in a tremendou experience of awakening one night not long after hi twent/4ninth ,irthda/E For the pa t twent/ /ear > he ha reflected on that experience> meditated> and deepened hi under tandingE !n the la t decade> he ha ,ecome a world4cla teacher> a great oul with a great me age> one that Chri t taught> one that #uddha taught) a tate of enlightenment i attaina,le> here and nowE !t i po i,le to live free of uffering> free of anxiet/ and neuro i E To do thi > we have to come to under tand our role a the creator of our painF our own mind cau e our pro,lem > not other people> not @the world out thereE@ !t i our own mind> with it nearl/ con tant tream of thought > thinking a,out the pa t> worr/ing a,out the futureE $e make the great mi take of identif/ing with our mind> thinking that0 who we are 4 when> in fact> we are far greater ,eing E Over and over> Eckhart Tolle how u how to connect with what he call our #eing) #eing i the eternal> ever4pre ent One 8ife ,e/ond the m/riad form of life that are u,Gect to ,irth and deathE 'owever> #eing i not onl/ ,e/ond ,ut al o deep within ever/ form a it innermo t invi i,le and inde tructi,le e enceE Thi mean that it i acce i,le to /ou now a /our own deepe t elf> /our true natureE #ut don0t eek to gra p it with /our mindE 3on0t tr/ to under tand itE %ou can know it onl/ when the mind i till> when /ou are pre ent> full/ and inten el/ in the NowEEEE To regain awarene of #eing and to a,ide in that tate of Hfeeling4realiAation0 i enlightenmentE The Power of Now i nearl/ impo i,le to read traight through 4 it reDuire /ou to put it down periodicall/ and reflect on the word and appl/ them to /our own life experienceE !t i a complete guide> a complete cour e> in meditation and realiAationE !t i a ,ook to ,e revi ited again and again 4 and each time /ou revi it it> /ou gain new depth and meaningE !t i a ,ook that man/ people> including me> will want to tud/ for a lifetimeE The Power of Now ha a growing num,er of devoted reader E !t ha alread/ ,een called a ma terpieceF whatever it i called> however it i de cri,ed> it i a ,ook with the power to change live > the power to awaken u to full/ realiAe who we areE
*arc Allen Novato> California :ESEAE Augu t "+++

FO(E$O(3
#% (:SSE88 EE 3!CA(8O Author of Towards a New World View

#lanketed ,/ an aAure k/> the orange4/ellow ra/ of the etting un can> at pecial time > gift

u with a moment of uch con idera,le ,eaut/> we find our elve momentaril/ tunned> with froAen gaAeE The plendor of the moment o daAAle u > our compul ivel/ chattering mind give pau e> o a not to mentall/ whi k u awa/ to a place other than the here4and4nowE #athed in lumine cence> a door eem to open to another realit/> alwa/ pre ent> /et rarel/ witne edE A,raham *a low called the e @peak experience >@ ince the/ repre ent the high moment of life where we Go/full/ find our elve catapulted ,e/ond the confine of the mundane and ordinar/E 'e might Gu t a well have called them @peek@ experience E 3uring the e expan ive occa ion > we neak a glimp e of the eternal realm of #eing it elfE !f onl/ for a ,rief moment in time> we come home to our True SelfE @Ah>@ one might igh> @ o grandEEE if onl/ ! could ta/ hereE #ut how do ! take up permanent re idence=@ 3uring the pa t ten /ear > ! have committed m/ elf to finding outE 3uring m/ earch> ! have ,een honored to engage in dialogue with ome of the mo t daring> in piring and in ightful @paradigm pioneer @ of our time) in medicine> cience> p /cholog/> ,u ine > religionC piritualit/> and human potentialE Thi diver e group of individual i Goined ,/ their commonl/ voiced in ight that humanit/ i now taking a Duantum leap forward in it evolutionar/ developmentE Thi change i accompanied ,/ a hift in world view I the ,a ic picture we carr/ with u of @the wa/ thing areE@ A world view eek to an wer two fundamental Due tion > @$ho are we=@ and @$hat i the nature of the :niver e in which we live=@ Our an wer to the e Due tion dictate the Dualit/ and characteri tic of our per onal relation hip with famil/> friend and emplo/er Cemplo/ee E $hen con idered on a larger cale> the/ define ocietie E !t hould ,e of little urpri e that the world view which i emerging call into Due tion man/ of the thing $e tern ociet/ hold to ,e true)
MYTH #1 'umanit/ ha reached the pinnacle of it developmentE

E alen co4founder *ichael *urph/> drawing upon comparative religiou tudie > medical cience> anthropolog/> and port > ha made a provocative ca e that there are more advanced tage of human developmentE A a per on reache the e advanced level of piritual maturit/> extraordinar/ capacitie ,egin to ,lo om 4 of love> vitalit/> per onhood> ,odil/ awarene > intuition> perception> communication> and volitionE Fir t tep) to recogniAe the/ exi tE *o t people do notE Then> method can ,e emplo/ed with con ciou intentionE
MYTH #2 $e are completel/ eparate from each other> nature> and the 7o mo E

Thi m/th of @other4than4me@ ha ,een re pon i,le for war > the rape of the planet> and all form and expre ion of human inGu ticeE After all> who in their right mind would harm another if the/ experienced that per on a part of them elve = Stan Grof> in hi re earch of nonordinar/ tate of con ciou ne > ummariAe ,/ a/ing @the p /che and con ciou ne of each of u i > in the la t anal/ i > commen urate with @All4That4! @ ,ecau e there are no a, olute ,oundarie ,etween the ,od/Cego and the totalit/ of exi tenceE@ 3rE 8arr/ 3o e/0 Era4& medicine> where the thought > attitude > and healing

intention of one individual can influence the ph/ iolog/ of another per on Jin contra t to Era41> prevailing mind4,od/ medicineK i ver/ well upported ,/ cientific tudie into the healing power of pra/erE Now thi canLt happen according to the known principle of ph/ ic and world view of traditional cienceE %et the preponderance of evidence ugge t that indeed it doe E
MYTH #3 The ph/ ical world i all there i E

*ateriali ticall/ ,ound> traditional cience a ume that an/thing that cannot ,e mea ured> te ted in a la,orator/> or pro,ed ,/ the five en e or their technological exten ion impl/ doe n0t exi tE !t @not realE@ The con eDuence) all of realit/ ha ,een collap ed into ph/ ical realit/E Spiritual> or what ! would call nonph/ ical> dimen ion of realit/ have ,een run out of townE Thi cla he with the @perennial philo oph/>@ that philo ophical con en u panning age > religion > tradition > and culture > which de cri,e different ,ut continuou dimen ion of realit/E The e run from the mo t den e and lea t con ciou 4 what we0d call @matter@ 4 to the lea t den e and mo t con ciou > which we0d call piritualE !ntere tingl/ enough> thi extended> multidimen ional model of realit/ i ugge ted ,/ Duantum theori t uch a <ack Scarfetti who de cri,e uperluminal travelE Other dimen ion of realit/ are u ed to explain travel that occur fa ter than the peed of light 4 the ultimate of peed limit E Or con ider the work of the legendar/ ph/ ici t> 3avid #ohm> with hi explicate Jph/ icalK and implicate Jnon4ph/ icalK multidimen ional model of realit/E Thi i no mere theor/ 4 the "+.1 A pect Experiment in France demon trated> that two once4connected Duantum particle eparated ,/ va t di tance remained omehow connectedE !f one particle wa changed> the other changed 4 in tantl/E Scienti t donLt know the mechanic of how thi fa ter4than4the4 peed4of4light travel can happen> though ome theori t ugge t that thi connection take place via doorwa/ into higher dimen ion E So contrar/ to what tho e who pledge their allegiance to the traditional paradigm might think> the influential> pioneering individual ! poke with felt that we have not reached the pinnacle of human development> we are connected> rather than eparate> from all of life> and that the full pectrum of con ciou ne encompa e ,oth ph/ ical and a multitude of nonph/ ical dimen ion of realit/E At core> thi new world view involve eeing /our elf> other > and all of life> not through the e/e of our mall> earthl/ elf that live in time and i ,orn in timeE #ut rather through the e/e of the oul> our #eing> the True SelfE One ,/ one> people are Gumping to thi higher or,itE $ith hi ,ook> The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle rightfull/ take hi place among thi pecial group of world4cla teacher E Eckhart me age) the pro,lem of humanit/ i deepl/ rooted in the mind it elfE Or rather> our mi identification with mindE Our drifting awarene > our tendenc/ to take the path of lea t re i tance ,/ ,eing le than full/ awake to the pre ent moment> create a voidE And the time4,ound mind> which ha ,een de igned to ,e a u eful ervant> compen ate ,/ proclaiming it elf ma terE 8ike a ,utterfl/ flittering from one flower to another> the mind engage pa t experience or> proGecting it own made4for4televi ion movie> anticipate what i to comeE Seldom do we find our elve re ting in the oceanic depth of the here and nowE For it i here 4 in the Now 4 where we find our True Self> which lie ,ehind our ph/ ical ,od/> hifting emotion > and chattering mindE

The crowning glor/ of human development re t not in our a,ilit/ to rea on and think> though thi i what di tingui he u from animal E !ntellect> like in tinct> i merel/ a point along the wa/E Our ultimate de tin/ i to re4connect with our e ential #eing and expre from our extraordinar/> divine realit/ in the ordinar/ ph/ ical world> moment ,/ momentE Ea / to a/> /et rare are tho e who have attained the further reache of human developmentE Fortunatel/> there are guide and teacher to help u along the wa/E A a teacher and guide> Eckhart formida,le power lie not in hi adept a,ilit/ to delight u with entertaining torie > make the a, tract concrete> or provide u eful techniDueE (ather> hi magic i eated in hi per onal experience> a one who knows. A a re ult> there i a power ,ehind hi word found onl/ in the mo t cele,rated of piritual teacher E #/ living from the depth of thi Greater (ealit/> Eckhart clear an energetic pathwa/ for other to Goin himE And what if other do= Surel/ the world a we know it would change for the ,etterE ?alue would hift in the flot am of vani hing fear that have ,een funneled awa/ through the whirlpool of #eing it elfE A new civiliAation would ,e ,ornE @$here0 the proof of thi Greater (ealit/=@ /ou a kE ! offer onl/ an analog/) A ,atter/ of cienti t can get together and tell /ou a,out all the cientific proof for the fact that ,anana are ,itterE #ut all /ou have to do i ta te one> once> to realiAe that there i thi whole other a pect to ,anana E :ltimatel/> proof lie not in intellectual argument > ,ut in ,eing touched in ome wa/ ,/ the acred within and withoutE Eckhart Tolle ma terfull/ open u to that po i,ilit/E
(u ell EE 3iCarlo

Author, Towards a New World View: Conversations at the Leading dge

Erie> Penn /lvania :ESEAE <anuar/ "++.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
! am deepl/ thankful to Connie 7ellough for her loving upport and her vital part in tran forming the manu cript into thi ,ook and ,ringing it out into the worldE !t i a Go/ to work with herE ! extend m/ gratitude to Corea 8adner and tho e wonderful people who have contri,uted to thi ,ook ,/ giving me s!a"e, that mo t preciou of gift 4 pace to write and pace to #e. Thank /ou to Adrienne #radle/ in ?ancouver> to *argaret *iller in 8ondon and Angie France co in Gla ton,ur/> England> (ichard in *enlo Park and (ennie Frumkin in Sau alito> CaliforniaE ! am al o thankful to Shirle/ Spaxman and 'oward 7ellough for their earl/ review of the manu cript and helpful feed,ack a well a to tho e individual who were kind enough to review the manu cript at a later tage and provide additional inputE Thank /ou to (o e 3endewich for word4proce ing the manu cript in her uniDue cheerful and profe ional mannerE Finall/> ! would like to expre m/ love and gratitude to m/ mother and father> without whom thi ,ook would not have come into exi tence> to m/ piritual teacher > and to the greate t guru of all) lifeE

!NT(O3:CT!ON T'E O(!G!N OF T'!S #OO7

! have little u e for the pa t and rarel/ think a,out itF however> ! would ,riefl/ like to tell /ou how ! came to ,e a piritual teacher and how thi ,ook came into exi tenceE :ntil m/ thirtieth /ear> ! lived in a tate of almo t continuou anxiet/ inter per ed with period of uicidal depre ionE !t feel now a if ! am talking a,out ome pa t lifetime or ome,od/ el e0 lifeE One night not long after m/ twent/4ninth ,irthda/> ! woke up in the earl/ hour with a feeling of a, olute dreadE ! had woken up with uch a feeling man/ time ,efore> ,ut thi time it wa more inten e than it had ever ,eenE The ilence of the night> the vague outline of the furniture in the dark room> the di tant noi e of a pa ing train 4 ever/thing felt o alien> o ho tile> and o utterl/ meaningle that it created in me a deep loathing of the worldE The mo t loath ome thing of all> however> wa m/ own exi tenceE $hat wa the point in contin4 uing to live with thi ,urden of mi er/= $h/ carr/ on with thi continuou truggle= ! could feel that a deep longing for annihilation> for nonexi tence> wa now ,ecoming much tronger than the in tinctive de ire to continue to liveE @! cannot live with m/ elf an/ longerE@ Thi wa the thought that kept repeating it elf in m/ mindE Then uddenl/ ! ,ecame aware of what a peculiar thought it wa E @Am ! one or two= !f ! cannot live with m/ elf> there mu t ,e two of me) the M!L and the M elfL that M!L cannot live withE@ @*a/,e>@ ! thought> @onl/ one of them i realE@ ! wa o tunned ,/ thi trange realiAation that m/ mind toppedE ! wa full/ con ciou > ,ut there were no more thought E Then ! felt drawn into what eemed like a vortex of energ/E !t wa a low movement at fir t and then acceleratedE ! wa gripped ,/ an inten e fear> and m/ ,od/ tarted to hakeE ! heard the word @re i t nothing>@ a if poken in ide m/ che tE ! could feel m/ elf ,eing ucked into a voidE !t felt a if the void wa in ide m/ elf rather than out ideE Suddenl/> there wa no more fear> and ! let m/ elf fall into that voidE ! have no recollection of what happened after thatE ! wa awakened ,/ the chirping of a ,ird out ide the windowE ! had never heard uch a ound ,eforeE */ e/e were till clo ed> and ! aw the image of a preciou diamondE %e > if a diamond could make a ound> thi i what it would ,e likeE ! opened m/ e/e E The fir t light of dawn wa filtering through the curtain E $ithout an/ thought> ! felt> ! knew> that there i infinitel/ more to light than we realiAeE That oft lumino it/ filtering through the curtain wa love it elfE Tear came into m/ e/e E ! got up and walked around the roomE ! recogniAed the room> and /et ! knew that ! had never trul/ een it ,eforeE Ever/thing wa fre h and pri tine> a if it had Gu t come into exi tenceE ! picked up thing > a pencil> an empt/ ,ottle> marveling at the ,eaut/ and alivene of it allE That da/ ! walked around the cit/ in utter amaAement at the miracle of life on earth> a if ! had Gu t ,een ,orn into thi worldE For the next five month > ! lived in a tate of uninterrupted deep peace and ,li E After that> it dimini hed omewhat in inten it/> or perhap it Gu t eemed to ,ecau e it ,ecame m/ natural tateE ! could till function in the world> although ! realiAed that nothing ! ever did could po i,l/ add an/thing to what ! alread/ hadE ! knew> of cour e> that omething profoundl/ ignificant had happened to me> ,ut ! didn0t under tand it at allE !t wa n0t until everal /ear later> after ! had read piritual text and pent time with piritual teacher > that ! realiAed that what ever/,od/ wa looking for had alread/ happened to meE ! under tood that the inten e pre ure of uffering that night mu t have forced m/ con ciou ne to withdraw from it identification with the unhapp/ and deepl/ fearful elf> which i ultimatel/ a fiction of the mindE Thi withdrawal mu t have ,een o complete that thi fal e> uffering elf immediatel/ collap ed> Gu t a if a plug had ,een pulled out of an inflata,le to/E $hat wa left then wa m/ true nature a the ever4pre ent $ a%: con4

ciou ne in it pure tate prior to identification with formE 8ater ! al o learned to go into that inner timele and deathle realm that ! had originall/ perceived a a void and remain full/ con ciou E ! dwelt in tate of uch inde cri,a,le ,li and acredne that even the original experience ! Gu t de cri,ed pale in compari onE A time came when> for a while> ! wa left with nothing on the ph/ ical planeE ! had no relation hip > no Go,> no home> no ociall/ defined identit/E ! pent almo t two /ear itting on park ,enche in a tate of the mo t inten e Go/E #ut even the mo t ,eautiful experience come and goE *ore fundamental> perhap > than an/ experience i the undercurrent of peace that ha never left me ince thenE Sometime it i ver/ trong> almo t palpa,le> and other can feel it tooE At other time > it i omewhere in the ,ackground> like a di tant melod/E 8ater> people would occa ionall/ come up to me and a/E @! want what /ou haveE Can /ou give it to me> or how me how to get it=@ And ! would a/E @%ou have it alread/E %ou Gu t can0t feel it ,ecau e /our mind i making too much noi eE@ That an wer later grew into the ,ook that /ou are holding in /our hand E #efore ! knew it> ! had an external identit/ againE ! had ,ecome a piritual teacherE
THE TRUTH THAT IS WITHIN YOU

Thi ,ook repre ent the e ence of m/ work> a far a it can ,e conve/ed in word > with individual and mall group of piritual eeker during the pa t ten /ear > in Europe and in North AmericaE !n deep love and appreciation> ! would like to thank tho e exceptional people for their courage> their willingne to em,race inner change> their challenging Due tion > and their readine to li tenE Thi ,ook would not have come into exi tence without themE The/ ,elong to what i a /et a mall ,ut fortunatel/ growing minorit/ of piritual pioneer ) people who are reaching a point where the/ ,ecome capa,le of ,reaking out of inherited collective mind4pattern that have kept human in ,ondage to uffering for eon E ! tru t that thi ,ook will find it wa/ to tho e who are read/ for uch radical inner tran formation and o act a a catal/ t for itE ! al o hope that it will reach man/ other who will find it content worth/ of con ideration> although the/ ma/ not ,e read/ to full/ live or practice itE !t i po i,le that at a later time> the eed that wa own when reading thi ,ook will merge with the eed of enlightenment that each human ,eing carrie within> and uddenl/ that eed will prout and come alive within themE The ,ook in it pre ent form originated> often pontaneou l/> in re pon e to Due tion a ked ,/ individual in eminar > meditation cla e and private coun eling e ion > and o ! have kept the Due tion4and4an wer formatE ! learned and received a much in tho e cla e and e ion a the Due tioner E Some of the Due tion and an wer ! wrote down almo t ver,atimE Other are generic> which i to a/ ! com,ined certain t/pe of Due tion that were freDuentl/ a ked into one> and extracted the e ence from different an wer to form one generic an werE Sometime > in the proce of writing> an entirel/ new an wer came that wa more profound or in ightful provide further clarification of certain point E %ou will find that from the fir t to the la t page> the dialogue continuou l/ alternate ,etween two different level E On one level> ! draw /our attention to what i false in /ouE ! peak of the nature of human uncon ciou ne and d/ function a well a it mo t common ,ehavioral manife tation > from conflict in relation hip to warfare ,etween tri,e or nation E Such knowledge i vital> for unle /ou learn to recogniAe the fal e a fal e 4 a not /ou 4 there can

,e no la ting tran formation> and /ou would alwa/ end up ,eing drawn ,ack into illu ion and into ome form of painE On thi level> ! al o how /ou how not to make that which i fal e in /ou into a elf and into a per onal pro,lem> for that i how the fal e perpetuate it elfE On another level> ! peak of a profound tran formation of human con ciou ne 4 not a a di tant future po i,ilit/> ,ut availa,le now 4 no matter who or where /ou areE %ou are hown how to free /our elf from en lavement to the mind> enter into thi enlightened tate of con ciou ne and u tain it in ever/da/ lifeE On thi level of the ,ook> the word are not alwa/ concerned with information> ,ut often de igned to draw /ou into thi new con ciou ne a /ou readE Again and again> ! endeavor to take /ou with me into that timele tate of inten e con ciou pre ence in the Now> o a to give /ou a ta te of enlightenmentE :ntil /ou are a,le to experience what ! peak of> /ou ma/ find tho e pa age omewhat repetitiveE A oon a /ou do> however> ! ,elieve /ou will realiAe that the/ contain a great deal of piritual power> and the/ ma/ ,ecome for /ou the mo t rewarding part of the ,ookE *oreover> ince ever/ per on carrie the eed of enlightenment within> ! often addre m/ elf to the knower in /ou who dwell ,ehind the thinker> the deeper elf that immediatel/ recogniAe piritual truth> re onate with it> and gain trength from itE The pau e /m,ol N after certain pa age i a ugge tion that /ou ma/ want to top reading for a moment> ,ecome till> and feel and experience the truth of what ha Gu t ,een aidE There ma/ ,e other place in the text where /ou will do thi naturall/ and pontaneou l/E A /ou ,egin reading the ,ook> the meaning of certain word > uch a @#eing@ or @pre ence>@ ma/ not ,e entirel/ clear to /ou at fir tE <u t read onE ;ue tion or o,Gection ma/ occa ionall/ come into /our mind a /ou readE The/ will pro,a,l/ ,e an wered later in the ,ook> or the/ ma/ turn out to ,e irrelevant a /ou go more deepl/ into the teaching 4 and into /our elfE 3on0t read with the mind onl/E $atch out for an/ @feeling4re pon e@ a /ou read and a en e of recognition from deep withinE ! cannot tell /ou an/ piritual truth that deep within /ou don0t know alread/E All ! can do i remind /ou of what /ou have forgottenE 8iving knowledge> ancient and /et ever new> i then activated and relea ed from within ever/ cell of /our ,od/E The mind alwa/ want to categoriAe and compare> ,ut thi ,ook will work ,etter for /ou if /ou do not attempt to compare it terminolog/ with that of other teaching F otherwi e> /ou will pro,a,l/ ,ecome confu edE ! u e word uch a @mind>@ @happine >@ and @con ciou ne @ in wa/ that do not nece aril/ correlate with other teaching E 3on0t get attached to an/ word E The/ are onl/ tepping tone > to ,e left ,ehind a Duickl/ a po i,leE $hen ! occa ionall/ Duote the word of <e u or the #uddha> from A Course in &ira"les or from other teaching > ! do o not in order to compare> ,ut to draw /our attention to the fact that in essen"e there i and alwa/ ha ,een onl/ one piritual teaching> although it come in man/ form E Some of the e form > uch a the ancient religion > have ,ecome o overlaid with extraneou matter that their piritual e ence ha ,ecome almo t completel/ o, cured ,/ itE To a large extent> therefore> their deeper meaning i no longer recogniAed and their tran formative power lo tE $hen ! Duote from the ancient religion or other teaching > it i to reveal their deeper meaning and there,/ re tore their tran formative power 4 particularl/ for tho e reader who are follower of the e religion or teaching E ! a/ to them) there i no need to go el ewhere for the truthE 8et me how

/ou how to go more deepl/ into what /ou alread/ haveE *o tl/> however> ! have endeavored to u e terminolog/ that i a neutral a po i,le in order to reach a wide range of peopleE Thi ,ook can ,e een a a re tatement for our time of that one timele piritual teaching> the e ence of all religion E !t i not derived from external ource > ,ut from the one true Source within> o it contain no theor/ or peculationE ! peak from inner experience> and if at time ! peak forcefull/> it i to cut through heav/ la/er of mental re i tance and to reach that place within /ou where /ou alread/ know, Gu t a ! know> and where the truth i recogniAed when it i heardE There i then a feeling of exaltation and heightened alivene > a omething within /ou a/ ) @%e E ! know thi i trueE@1
C'APTE( ONE

YOU ARE NOT YOUR MIND

T'E G(EATEST O#STAC8E TO EN8!G'TEN*ENT Enlightenment 4 what i that=
A ,eggar had ,een itting ,/ the ide of a road for over thirt/ /ear E One da/ a tranger walked ,/E @Spare ome change=@ mum,led the ,eggar> mechanicall/ holding out hi old ,a e,all capE @! have nothing to give /ou>@ aid the trangerE Then he a ked) @$hat0 that /ou are itting on=@ @Nothing>@ replied the ,eggarE @<u t an old ,oxE ! have ,een itting on it for a long a ! can remem,erE@ @Ever looked in ide=@ a ked the trangerE @No>@ aid the ,eggarE @$hat0 the point= There0 nothing in thereE@ @'ave a look in ide>@ in i ted the trangerE The ,eggar managed to pr/ open the lidE $ith a toni hment> di ,elief> and elation> he aw that the ,ox wa filled with goldE ! am that tranger who ha nothing to give /ou and who i telling /ou to look in ideE Not in ide an/ ,ox> a in the para,le> ,ut omewhere even clo er in ide /our elfE @#ut ! am not a ,eggar>@ ! can hear /ou a/E Tho e who have not found their true wealth> which i the radiant Go/ of #eing and the deep> un haka,le peace that come with it> are ,eggar > even if the/ have great material wealthE The/ are looking out ide for crap of plea ure or fulfillment> for validation> ecurit/> or love> while the/ have a trea ure within that not onl/ include all tho e thing ,ut i infinitel/ greater than an/thing the world can offerE The word enlightenment conGure up the idea of ome uperhuman accompli hment> and the ego like to keep it that wa/> ,ut it i impl/ /our natural tate of felt onene with #eingE !t i a tate of connectedne with omething immea ura,le and inde tructi,le> omething that> almo t paradoxicall/> i e entiall/ /ou and /et i much greater than /ouE !t i finding /our true nature ,e/ond name and formE The ina,ilit/ to feel thi connectedne give ri e to the illu ion of eparation> from /our elf and from the world around /ouE %ou then perceive /our elf> con ciou l/ or uncon ciou l/> a an i olated fragmentE Fear ari e > and conflict within and without ,ecome the normE ! love the #uddha0 imple definition of enlightenment a @the end of ufferingE@ There i nothing uperhuman in that> i there= Of cour e> a a definition> it i incompleteE !t onl/ tell /ou what enlightenment i not) no ufferingE #ut what0 left when there i no more uffering= The #uddha i ilent on that> and hi ilence implie that /ou0ll have to find out for /our elfE 'e u e a negative definition o that the mind cannot make it into omething to ,elieve in or into a uperhuman accompli hment> a goal that i impo i,le for /ou to attainE 3e pite thi precaution> the maGorit/ of #uddhi t till ,elieve that enlightenment i for the #uddha> not

for them> at lea t not in thi lifetimeE You used the word Being. Can you explain what you mean by that? #eing i the eternal> ever4pre ent One 8ife ,e/ond the m/riad form of life that are u,Gect to ,irth and deathE 'owever> #eing i not onl/ ,e/ond ,ut al o deep within ever/ form a it innermo t invi i,le and inde tructi,le e enceE Thi mean that it i acce i,le to /ou now a /our own deepe t elf> /our true natureE #ut don0t eek to gra p it with /our mindE 3on0t tr/ to under tand itE %ou can know it onl/ when the mind i tillE $hen /ou are pre ent> when /our attention i full/ and inten el/ in the Now> #eing can ,e felt> ,ut it can never ,e under4 tood mentall/E To regain awarene of #eing and to a,ide in that tate of @feeling4 realiAation@ i enlightenmentE

N
When you say Being, are you talking about God? If you are, then why don't you say it? The word 'od ha ,ecome empt/ of meaning through thou and of /ear of mi u eE ! u e it ometime > ,ut ! do o paringl/E #/ mi u e> ! mean that people who have never even glimp ed the realm of the acred> the infinite va tne ,ehind that word> u e it with great con4 viction> a if the/ knew what the/ are talking a,outE Or the/ argue again t it> a if the/ knew what it i that the/ are den/ingE Thi mi u e give ri e to a, urd ,elief > a ertion > and egoic delu ion > uch a @*/ or our God i the onl/ true God> and your 'od i fal e>@ or NietA che0 famou tatement @God i deadE@ The word 'od ha ,ecome a clo ed conceptE The moment the word i uttered> a mental image i created> no longer> perhap > of an old man with a white ,eard> ,ut till a mental repre entation of omeone or omething out ide /ou> and> /e > almo t inevita,l/ a %ale omeone or omethingE Neither 'od nor Being nor an/ other word can define or explain the ineffa,le realit/ ,ehind the word> o the onl/ important Due tion i whether the word i a help or a hindrance in ena,ling /ou to experience That toward which it point E 3oe it point ,e/ond it elf to that tran cendental realit/> or doe it lend it elf too ea il/ to ,ecoming no more than an idea in /our head that /ou ,elieve in> a mental idol= The word Being explain nothing> ,ut nor doe 'od. Being, however> ha the advantage that it i an open conceptE !t doe not reduce the infinite invi i,le to a finite entit/E !t i impo i,le to form a mental image of itE No,od/ can claim exclu ive po e ion of #eingE !t i /our ver/ e ence> and it i immediatel/ acce i,le to /ou a the feeling of /our own pre ence> the realiAation ! a% that i prior to ! am thi or ! am thatE So it i onl/ a mall tep from the word Being to the experience of #eingE

N
What is the greatest obstacle to experiencing this reality?

!dentification with /our mind> which cau e thought to ,ecome compul iveE Not to ,e a,le to top thinking i a dreadful affliction> ,ut we don0t realiAe thi ,ecau e almo t ever/,od/

i uffering from it> o it i con idered normalE Thi ince ant mental noi e prevent /ou from finding that realm of inner tillne that i in epara,le from #eingE !t al o create a fal e mind4made elf that ca t a hadow of fear and ufferingE $e will look at all that in more detail laterE The philo opher 3e carte ,elieved that he had found the mo t fundamental truth when he made hi famou tatement) @! think> therefore ! amE@ 'e had> in fact> given expre ion to the mo t ,a ic error to eDuate thinking with #eing and identit/ with thinkingE The compul ive thinker> which mean almo t ever/one> live in a tate of apparent eparatene > in an in anel/ complex world of continuou pro,lem and conflict> a world that reflect the ever4 increa ing fragmentation of the mindE Enlightenment i a tate of wholene > of ,eing @at one@ and therefore at peaceE At one with life in it manife ted a pect> the world> a well a with /our deepe t elf and life unmanife ted 4 at one with #eingE Enlightenment i not onl/ the end of uffering and of continuou conflict within and without> ,ut al o the end of the dreadful en lavement to ince ant thinkingE $hat an incredi,le li,eration thi i O !dentification with /our mind create an opaDue creen of concept > la,el > image > word > Gudgment > and definition that ,lock all true relation hipE !t come ,etween /ou and /our elf> ,etween /ou and /our fellow man and woman> ,etween /ou and nature> ,etween /ou and GodE !t i thi creen of thought that create the illu ion of eparatene > the illu ion that there i you and a totall/ eparate @otherE@ %ou then forget the e ential fact that> underneath the level of ph/ ical appearance and eparate form > /ou are one with all that i E #/ @forget>@ ! mean that /ou can no longer feel thi onene a elf4evident realit/E %ou ma/ #elieve it to ,e true> ,ut /ou no longer know it to ,e trueE A ,elief ma/ ,e comfortingE Onl/ through /our own experience> however> doe it ,ecome li,eratingE Thinking ha ,ecome a di ea eE 3i ea e happen when thing get out of ,alanceE For example> there i nothing wrong with cell dividing and multipl/ing in the ,od/> ,ut when thi proce continue in di regard of the total organi m> cell proliferate and we have di ea eE The mind i a uper, in trument if u ed rightl/E : ed wrongl/> however> it ,ecome ver/ de tructiveE To put it more accuratel/> it i not o much that /ou u e /our mind wrongl/ 4 /ou u uall/ don0t u e it at allE !t u e you. Thi i the di ea eE %ou ,elieve that /ou are /our mindE Thi i the delu ionE The in trument ha taken /ou overE
I don't uite agree! It is true that I do a lot of aimless thinking, like most people, but I can still choose to use my mind to get and accomplish things, and I do that all the time!

<u t ,ecau e /ou can olve a cro word puAAle or ,uild an atom ,om, doe n0t mean that /ou u e /our mindE <u t a dog love to chew ,one > the mind love to get it teeth into pro,lem E That0 wh/ it doe cro word puAAle and ,uild atom ,om, E %ou have> no inter4 e t in eitherE 8et me a k /ou thi ) can /ou ,e free of /our mind whenever /ou want to= 'ave /ou found the @off@ ,utton=
You mean stop thinking altogether? "o, I can't, except maybe for a moment or two!

Then the mind i u ing /ouE %ou are uncon ciou l/ identified with it> o /ou don0t even know that /ou are it laveE !tL almo t a if /ou were po e ed without knowing it> and o /ou take the po e ing entit/ to ,e /our elfE The ,eginning of freedom i the realiAation that /ou are not the po e ing entit/ 4 the thinkerE 7nowing thi ena,le /ou to o, erve the entit/E The moment /ou tart wat"hing the thinker> a higher level of con ciou ne ,ecome

activatedE %ou then ,egin to realiAe that there i a va t realm of intelligence ,e/ond thought> that thought i onl/ a tin/ a pect of that intelligenceE %ou al o realiAe that all the thing that trul/ matter 4 ,eaut/> love> creativit/> Go/> inner peace 4 ari e from ,e/ond the mindE %ou ,egin to awakenE

REEING YOURSEL ROM YOUR MIND

What exactly do you mean by #watching the thinker#?

$hen omeone goe to the doctor and a/ > @! hear a voice in m/ head>@ he or he will mo t likel/ ,e ent to a p /chiatri tE The fact i that> in a ver/ imilar wa/> virtuall/ ever/one hear a voice> or everal voice > in their head all the time) the involuntar/ thought proce e that /ou don0t realiAe /ou have the power to topE Continuou monologue or dialogue E %ou have pro,a,l/ come acro @mad@ people in the treet ince antl/ talking or muttering to them elve E $ell> that0 not much different from what /ou and all other @normal@ people do> except that /ou don0t do it out loudE The voice comment > peculate > Gudge > compare > complain > like > di like > and o onE The voice i n0t nece aril/ relevant to the ituation /ou find /our elf in at the timeF it ma/ ,e reviving the recent or di tant pa t or rehear ing or imagining po i,le future ituation E 'ere it often imagine thing going wrong and negative outcome F thi i called worr/E Sometime thi oundtrack i accompanied ,/ vi ual image or @mental movie E@ Even if the voice i relevant to the ituation at hand> it will interpret it in term of the pa tE Thi i ,ecau e the voice ,elong to /our conditioned mind> which i the re ult of all /our pa t hi tor/ a well a of the collective cultural mind4 et /ou inheritedE So /ou ee and Gudge the pre ent through the e/e of the pa t and get a totall/ di torted view of itE !t i not uncommon for the voice to ,e a per on0 own wor t enem/E *an/ people live with a tormentor in their head that continuou l/ attack and puni he them and drain them of vital energ/E !t i the cau e of untold mi er/ and unhappine > a well a of di ea eE The good new i that /ou "an free /our elf from /our mindE Thi i the onl/ true li,erationE %ou can take the fir t tep right nowE Start li tening to the voice in /our head a often a /ou canE Pa/ particular attention to an/ repetitive thought pattern > tho e old gramophone record that have ,een pla/ing in /our head perhap for man/ /ear E Thi i what ! mean ,/ @watching the thinker>@ which i another wa/ of a/ing) li ten to the voice in /our head> #e there a the witne ing pre enceE $hen /ou li ten to that voice> li ten to it impartiall/E That i to a/> do not GudgeE 3o not Gudge or condemn what /ou hear> for doing o would mean that the ame voice ha come in again through the ,ack doorE %ou0ll oon realiAe) there is the voice> and here $ a% listening to it> watching itE Thi ! a% realiAation> thi en e of /our own pre ence> i not a thoughtE !t ari e from ,e/ond the mindE

So when /ou li ten to a thought> /ou are aware not onl/ of the thought ,ut al o of

/our elf a the witne of the thoughtE A new dimen ion of con ciou ne ha come inE A /ou li ten to the thought> /ou feel a con ciou pre ence 4 /our deeper elf 4 ,ehind or underneath the thought> a it wereE The thought then lo e it power over /ou and Duickl/
u, ide > ,ecau e /ou are no longer energiAing the mind through identification with itE Thi i the ,eginning of the end of involuntar/ and compul ive thinkingE $hen a thought u, ide > /ou experience a di continuit/ in the mental tream 4 a gap of @no4mindE@ At fir t> the gap will ,e hort> a few econd perhap > ,ut graduall/ the/ will ,ecome longerE $hen the e gap occur> /ou feel a certain tillne and peace in ide /ouE Thi i the ,eginning of /our natural tate of felt onene with #eing> which i u uall/ o, cured ,/ the mindE $ith practice> the en e of tillne and peace will deepenE !n fact> there i no end to it depthE %ou will al o feel a u,tle emanation of Go/ ari ing from deep within) the Go/ of #eingE !t i not a trancelike tateE Not at allE There i no lo of con ciou ne hereE The oppo ite i the ca eE !f the price of peace were a lowering of /our con ciou ne > and the price of tillne a lack of vitalit/ and alertne > then the/ would not ,e worth havingE !n thi tate of inner connectedne > /ou are much more alert> more awake than in the mind4identified tateE %ou are full/ pre entE !t al o rai e the vi,rational freDuenc/ of the energ/ field that give life to the ph/ ical ,od/E A /ou go more deepl/ into thi realm of no4mind> a it i ometime called in the Ea t> /ou realiAe the tate of pure con ciou ne E !n that tate> /ou feel /our own pre ence with uch inten it/ and uch Go/ that all thinking> all emotion > /our ph/ ical ,od/> a well a the whole external world ,ecome relativel/ in ignificant in compari on to itE And /et thi i not a elfi h ,ut a elfle tateE !t take /ou ,e/ond what /ou previou l/ thought of a @/our elfE@ That pre ence i e entiall/ /ou and at the ame time inconceiva,l/ greater than /ouE $hat ! am tr/ing to conve/ here ma/ ound paradoxical or even contradictor/> ,ut there i no other wa/ that ! can expre itE

!n tead of @watching the thinker>@ /ou can al o create a gap in the mind tream impl/ ,/ directing the focu of /our attention into the NowE <u t ,ecome inten el/ con ciou of the pre ent momentE Thi i a deepl/ ati f/ing thing to doE !n thi wa/> /ou draw con ciou ne awa/ from mind activit/ and create a gap of no4mind in which /ou are highl/ alert and aware ,ut not thinkingE Thi i the e ence of meditationE !n /our ever/da/ life> /ou can practice thi ,/ taking an/ routine activit/ that normall/ i onl/ a mean to an end and giving it /our fulle t attention> o that it ,ecome an end in it elfE For example> ever/ time /ou walk up and down the tair in /our hou e or place of work> pa/ clo e attention to ever/ tep> ever/ movement> even /our ,reathingE #e totall/ pre entE Or when /ou wa h /our hand > pa/ attention to all the en e perception a ociated with the activit/ the ound and feel of the water> the movement of /our hand > the cent of the oap> and o onE Or when /ou get into /our car> after /ou clo e the door> pau e for a few econd and o, erve the flow of /our ,reathE #ecome aware of a ilent ,ut powerful en e of pre enceE There i one certain criterion ,/ which /ou can mea ure /our ucce in thi practice) the degree of peace that /ou feel withinE

So the ingle mo t vital tep on /our Gourne/ toward enlightenment i thi ) learn to di identif/ from /our mindE Ever/ time /ou create a gap in the 4 tream of mind> the light of /our con ciou ne grow trongerE

One da/ /ou ma/ catch /our elf miling at the voice in /our head> a /ou would mile at the antic of a childE Thi mean that /ou no longer take the content of /our mind all that eriou l/> a /our en e of elf doe not depend on itE
ENLIGHTENMENT! RISING ABO"E THOUGHT

Isn't thinking essential in order to sur$i$e in this world?

%our mind i an in trument> a toolE !t i there to ,e u ed for a pecific ta k> and when the ta k i completed> /ou la/ it downE A it i > ! would a/ a,out .o to go percent of mo t people0 thinking i not onl/ repetitive and u ele > ,ut ,ecau e of it d/ functional and often negative nature> much of it i al o harmfulE O, erve /our mind and /ou will find thi to ,e trueE !t cau e a eriou leakage of vital energ/E Thi kind of compul ive thinking i actuall/ an addictionE $hat characteriAe an addiction= ;uite impl/ thi ) /ou no longer feel that /ou have the choice to topE !t eem tronger than /ouE !t al o give /ou a fal e en e of plea ure> plea ure that invaria,l/ turn into painE
Why should we be addicted to thinking?

#ecau e /ou are identified with it> which mean that /ou derive /our en e of elf from the content and activit/ of /our mindE #ecau e /ou ,elieve that /ou would cea e to ,e if /ou topped thinkingE A /ou grow up> /ou form a mental image of who /ou are> ,a ed on /our per onal and cultural conditioningE $e ma/ call thi phantom elf the egoE !t con i t of mind activit/ and can onl/ ,e kept going through con tant thinkingE The term ego mean different thing to different people> ,ut when ! u e it here it mean a fal e elf> created ,/ uncon ciou identification with the mindE To the ego> the pre ent moment hardl/ exi t E Onl/ pa t and future are con idered importantE Thi total rever al of the truth account for the fact that in the ego mode the mind i o d/ functionalE !t i alwa/ concerned with keeping the pa t alive> ,ecau e without it 4 who are /ou= !t con tantl/ proGect it elf into the future to en ure it continued urvival and to eek ome kind of relea e or fulfillment thereE !t a/ ) @One da/> when thi > that> or the other happen > ! am going to ,e oka/> happ/> at peaceE@ Even when the ego eem to ,e concerned with the pre ent> it i not the pre ent that it ee ) !t mi perceive it completel/ ,ecau e it look at it through the e/e of the pa tE Or it reduce the pre ent to a mean to an end> an end that alwa/ lie in the mind4proGected futureE O, erve /our mind and /ou0ll ee that thi i how it work E The pre ent moment hold the ke/ to li,erationE #ut /ou cannot find the pre ent moment a long a /ou are /our mindE
I don't want to lose my ability to analy%e and discriminate! I wouldn't mind learning to think more clearly, in a more focused way, but I don't want to lose my mind! &he gift of thought is the most precious thing we ha$e! Without it, we would 'ust be another species of animal!

The predominance of mind i no more than a tage in the evolution of con ciou ne E $e need to go on to the next tage now a a matter of urgenc/> otherwi e> we will ,e de tro/ed ,/ the mind> which ha grown into a mon terE ! will talk a,out thi in more detail laterE

Thinking and con ciou ne are not /non/mou E Thinking i onl/ a mall a pect of con ciou ne E Thought cannot exi t without con ciou ne > ,ut con ciou ne doe not need thoughtE Enlightenment mean ri ing a,ove thought> not falling ,ack to a level ,elow thought> the level of an animal or a plantE !n the enlightened tate> /ou till u e /our thinking mind when needed> ,ut in a much more focu ed and effective wa/ than ,eforeE %ou u e it mo tl/ for practical purpo e > ,ut /ou are free of the involuntar/ internal dialogue> and there i inner tillne E $hen /ou do u e /our mind> and particularl/ when a creative olution i needed> /ou o cillate ever/ few minute or o ,etween thought and tillne > ,etween mind and no4 mindE No4mind i con ciou ne without thoughtE Onl/ in that wa/ i it po i,le to think creativel/> ,ecau e onl/ in that wa/ doe thought have an/ real powerE Thought alone> when it i no longer connected with the much va ter realm of con ciou ne > Duickl/ ,ecome ,ar4 ren> in ane> de tructiveE The mind i e entiall/ a urvival machineE Attack and defen e again t other mind > gathering> toring> and anal/Aing information 4 thi i what it i good at> ,ut it i not at all creativeE All true arti t > whether the/ know it or not> create from a place of no4mind> from inner tillne E The mind then give form to the creative impul e or in ightE Even the great cienti t have reported that their creative ,reakthrough came at a time of mental DuietudeE The urpri ing re ult of a nation4wide inDuir/ among America0 mo t eminent mathematician > including Ein tein> to find out their working method > wa that thinking @pla/ onl/ a u,ordinate part in the ,rief> deci ive pha e of the creative act it elfE@ So ! would a/ that the imple rea on wh/ the maGorit/ of cienti t are not creative i not ,ecau e the/ don0t know how to think ,ut ,ecau e the/ don0t know how to top thinkingO !t wa nLt through the mind> through thinking> that the miracle that i life on earth or /our ,od/ were created and are ,eing u tainedE There i clearl/ an intelligence at work that i far greater than the mindE 'ow can a ingle human cell mea uring "C">666 of an inch acro contain in truction within it 3NA that would fill ">666 ,ook of "66 page each= The more we learn a,out the working of the ,od/> the more we realiAe Gu t how va t i the intelligence at work within it and how little we knowE $hen the mind reconnect with that> it ,ecome a mo t wonderful toolE !t then erve omething greater than it elfE
EMOTION! THE BODY#S REACTION TO YOUR MIND

What about emotions? I get caught up in my emotions more than I do in my mind!

*ind> in the wa/ ! u e the word> i not Gu t thoughtE !t include /our emotion a well a all uncon ciou mental4emotional reactive pattern E Emotion ari e at the place where mind and ,od/ meetE !t i the ,od/0 reaction to /our mind 4 or /ou might a/> a reflection of /our mind in the ,od/E For example> an attack thought or a ho tile thought will create a ,uild4up of energ/ in the ,od/ that we call angerE The ,od/ i getting read/ to fightE The thought that /ou are ,eing threatened> ph/ icall/ or p /chologicall/> cau e the ,od/ to contract> and thi i the ph/ ical ide of what we call fearE (e earch ha hown that trong emotion even cau e change in the ,iochemi tr/ of the ,od/E The e ,iochemical change repre ent the ph/ ical or material a pect of the emotionE Of cour e> /ou are not u uall/ con ciou of all /our thought pattern > and it i often onl/ through watching /our emotion that /ou can ,ring them into awarene E The more /ou are identified with /our thinking> /our like and di like > Gudgment and interpretation > which i to a/ the le !resent you are a the watching con ciou ne > the

tronger the emotional energ/ charge will ,e> whether /ou are aware of it or notE !f /ou cannot feel /our emotion > if /ou are cut off from them> /ou will eventuall/ experience them on a purel/ ph/ ical level> a a ph/ ical pro,lem or /mptomE A great deal ha ,een written a,out thi in recent /ear > o we don0t need to go into it hereE A trong uncon ciou emotional pattern ma/ even manife t a an external event that appear to Gu t happen to /ouE For example> ! have o, erved that people who carr/ a lot of anger in ide without ,eing aware of it and without expre ing it are more likel/ to ,e attacked> ver,all/ or even ph/ icall/> ,/ other angr/ people> and often for no apparent rea onE The/ have a trong emanation of anger that certain people pick up u,liminall/ and that trigger their own latent angerE !f /ou have difficult/ feeling /our emotion > tart ,/ focu ing attention on the inner energ/ field of /our ,od/E Feel the ,od/ from withinE Thi will al o put /ou in touch with /our emotion E $e will explore thi in more detail laterE

You say that an emotion is the mind's reflection in the body! (ut sometimes there is a conflict between the two) the mind says #no# while the emotion says #yes,# or the other way around!

!f /ou reall/ want to know /our mind> the ,od/ will alwa/ give /ou a truthful reflection> o look at the emotion or rather feel it in /our ,od/E !f there i an apparent conflict ,etween them> the thought will ,e the lie> the emotion will ,e the truthE Not the ultimate truth of who /ou are> ,ut the relative truth of /our tate of mind at that timeE Conflict ,etween urface thought and uncon ciou mental proce e i certainl/ commonE %ou ma/ not /et ,e a,le to ,ring /our uncon ciou mind activit/ into awarene as thoughts, ,ut it will alwa/ ,e reflected in the ,od/ as an e%otion, and of thi /ou "an ,ecome awareE To watch an emotion in thi wa/ i ,a icall/ the ame a li tening to or watching a thought> which ! de cri,ed earlierE The onl/ difference i that> while a thought i in /our head> an emotion ha a trong ph/ ical component and o i primaril/ felt in the ,od/E %ou can then allow the emotion to #e there without ,eing controlled ,/ itE %ou no longer are the emotionF /ou are the watcher> the o, erving pre enceE !f /ou practice thi > all that i uncon ciou in /ou will ,e ,rought into the light of con ciou ne E
*o obser$ing our emotions is as important as obser$ing our thoughts?

%e E *ake it a ha,it to a k /our elf M$hat0 going on in ide me at thi moment=L That Due tion will point /ou in the right directionE #ut don0t anal/Ae> Gu t watchE Focu /our attention withinE Feel the energ/ of the emotionE !f there i no emotion pre ent> take /our attention more deepl/ into the inner energ/ field of /our ,od/E !t i the doorwa/ into #eingE

An emotion u uall/ repre ent an amplified and energiAed thought pattern> and ,ecau e of it often overpowering energetic charge> it i not ea / initiall/ to ta/ pre ent enough to ,e a,le to watch itE !t want to take /ou over> and it u uall/ ucceed 4 unle there i enough pre ence in /ouE !f /ou are pulled into uncon ciou identification with the emotion through lack of pre ence> which i normal> the emotion temporaril/ ,ecome @/ouE@ Often a viciou circle ,uild up ,etween /our thinking and the emotion) the/ feed each otherE The thought pattern create a magnified reflection of it elf in the form of an emotion> and the vi,rational

freDuenc/ of the emotion keep feeding the original thought patternE #/ dwelling mentall/ on the ituation> event> or per on that i the perceived cau e of the emotion> the thought feed energ/ to the emotion> which in turn energiAe the thought pattern> and o onE #a icall/> all emotion are modification of one primordial> undifferentiated emotion that ha it origin in the lo of awarene of who /ou are ,e/ond name and formE #ecau e of it undifferentiated nature> it i hard to find a name that preci el/ de cri,e thi emotionE @Fear@ come clo e> ,ut apart from a continuou en e of threat> it al o include a deep en e of a,andonment and incompletene E !t ma/ ,e ,e t to u e a term that i a undifferentiated a that ,a ic emotion and impl/ call it @painE@ One of the main ta k of the mind i to fight or remove that emotional pain> which i one of the rea on for it ince ant activit/> ,ut all it can ever achieve i to cover it up temporaril/E !n fact> the harder the mind truggle to get rid of the pain> the greater the painE The mind can never find the olution> nor can it afford to allow /ou to find the olution> ,ecau e it i it elf an intrin ic part of the @pro,lemE@ !magine a chief of police tr/ing to find an ar oni t when the ar oni t i the chief of policeE %ou will not ,e free of that pain until /ou cea e to derive /our en e of elf from identification with the mind> which i to a/ from egoE The mind i then toppled from it place of power and #eing reveal it elf a /our true natureE %e > ! know what /ou are going to a kE
I was going to ask) What about positi$e emotions such as lo$e and 'oy?

The/ are in epara,le from /our natural tate of inner connectedne with #eingE Glimp e of love and Go/ or ,rief moment of deep peace are po i,le whenever a gap occur in the tream of thoughtE For mo t people> uch gap happen rarel/ and onl/ accidentall/> in moment when the mind i rendered @ peechle >@ ometime triggered ,/ great ,eaut/> extreme ph/ ical exertion> or even great dangerE Suddenl/> there i inner tillne E And within that tillne there i a u,tle ,ut inten e Go/> there i love> there i peaceE : uall/> uch moment are hort4lived> a the mind Duickl/ re ume it noi e4making activit/ that we call thinkingE 8ove> Go/> and peace cannot flouri h until /ou have freed /our elf from mind dominanceE #ut the/ are not what ! would call emotion E The/ lie ,e/ond the emotion > on a much deeper levelE So /ou need to ,ecome full/ con ciou of /our emotion and ,e a,le to feel them ,efore /ou can feel that which lie ,e/ond themE Emotion literall/ mean @di tur,anceE@ The word come from the 8atin emo$ere, meaning @to di tur,E@ 8ove> Go/> and peace are deep tate of #eing or rather three a pect of the tate of inner connectedne with #eingE A uch> the/ have no oppo iteE Thi i ,ecau e the/ ari e from ,e/ond the mindE Emotion > on the other hand> ,eing part of the duali tic mind> are u,Gect to the law of oppo ite E Thi impl/ mean that /ou cannot have good without ,adE So in the unenlightened> mind4identified condition> what i ometime wrongl/ called Go/ i the u uall/ hort4lived plea ure ide of the continuou l/ alternating painCplea ure c/cleE Plea ure i alwa/ derived from omething out ide /ou> wherea Go/ ari e from withinE The ver/ thing that give /ou plea ure toda/ will give /ou pain tomorrow> or it will leave /ou> o it a, ence will give /ou painE And what i often referred to a love ma/ ,e plea ura,le and exciting for a while> ,ut it i an addictive clinging> an extremel/ need/ condition that can turn into it oppo ite at the flick of a witchE *an/ @love@ relation hip > after the initial euphoria ha pa ed> actuall/ o cillate ,etween @love@ and hate> attraction and attackE (eal love doe n0t make /ou ufferE 'ow could it= !t doe n0t uddenl/ turn into hate> nor doe real Go/ turn into painE A ! aid> even ,efore /ou are enlightened 4 ,efore /ou have freed /our elf from /our mind 4 /ou ma/ get glimp e of true Go/> true love> or of a deep

inner peace> till ,ut vi,rantl/ aliveE The e are a pect of /our true nature> which i u uall/ o, cured ,/ the mindE Even within a @normalP addictive relation hip> there can ,e moment when the pre ence of omething more genuine> omething incorrupti,le> can ,e feltE #ut the/ will onl/ ,e glimp e > oon to ,e covered up again through mind interferenceE !t ma/ then eem that /ou had omething ver/ preciou and lo t it> or /our mind ma/ convince /ou that it wa all an illu ion an/wa/E The truth i that it wa n0t an illu ion> and /ou cannot lo e itE !t i part of /our natural tate> which can ,e o, cured ,ut can never ,e de tro/ed ,/ the mindE Even when the k/ i heavil/ overca t> the un ha n0t di appearedE !tL till there on the other ide of the cloud E

&he (uddha says that pain or suffering arises through desire or cra$ing and that to be free of pain we need to cut the bonds of desire!
All craving are the mind eeking alvation or fulfillment in external thing and in the future a a u, titute for the Go/ of #eingE A long a ! am m/ mind> ! am tho e craving > tho e need > want > attachment > and aver ion > and apart from them there i no @!@ except a a mere po i,ilit/> an unfulfilled potential> a eed that ha not /et proutedE !n that tate> even m/ de ire to ,ecome free or enlightened i Gu t another craving for fulfillment or completion in the futureE So don0t eek to ,ecome free of de ire or @achieve@ enlightenmentE #ecome pre entE #e there a the o, erver of the mindE !n tead of Duoting the #uddha> #e the #uddha> #e @the awakened one>@ which i what the word #uddha mean E 'uman have ,een in the grip of pain for eon > ever ince the/ fell from the tate of grace> entered the realm of time and mind> and lo t awarene of #eingE At that point> the/ tarted to perceive them elve a meaningle fragment in an alien univer e> unconnected to the Source and to each otherE Pain i inevita,le a long a /ou are identified with /our mind> which i to a/ a long a /ou are uncon ciou > pirituall/ peakingE ! am talking here primaril/ of emotional pain> which i al o the main cau e of ph/ ical pain and ph/ ical di ea eE (e entment> hatred> elf4pit/> guilt> anger> depre ion> Gealou /> and o on> even the lighte t irritation> are all form of painE And ever/ plea ure or emotional high contain within it elf the eed of pain) it in epara,le oppo ite> which will manife t in timeE An/,od/ who ha ever taken drug to get QhighP will know that the high eventuall/ turn into a low> that the plea ure turn into ome form of painE *an/ people al o know from their own experience how ea il/ and Duickl/ an intimate relation hip can turn from a ource of plea ure to a ource of painE Seen from a higher per pective> ,oth the negative and the po itive polaritie are face of the ame coin> are ,oth part of the underl/ing pain that i in epara,le from the mind4identified egoic tate of con ciou ne E There are two level to /our pain) the pain that /ou create now> and the pain from the pa t that till live on in /our mind and ,od/E Cea ing to create pain in the pre ent and di olving pa t pain 4 thi i what ! want to talk a,out nowE

CONSC!O:SNESS) T'E $A% O:T OF PA!N

CREATE NO MORE $AIN IN THE $RESENT

"obody's life is entirely free of pain and sorrow! Isn't it a uestion of learning to li$e with them

rather than trying to a$oid them?

The greater part of human pain i unnece ar/E !t i elf4created a long a the uno, erved mind run /our lifeE The pain that /ou create now i alwa/ ome form of nonacceptance> ome form of uncon ciou re i tance to what i E On the level of thought> the re i tance i ome form of GudgmentE On the emotional level> it i ome form of negativit/E The inten it/ of the pain depend on the degree of re i tance to the pre ent moment> and thi in turn depend on how trongl/ /ou are identified with /our mindE The mind alwa/ eek to den/ the Now and to e cape from itE !n other word > the more /ou are identified with /our mind> the more /ou ufferE Or /ou ma/ put it like thi ) the more /ou are a,le to honor and accept the Now> the more ore /ou are free of pain> of uffering 4 and free of the egoic mindE $h/ doe the mind ha,ituall/ den/ or re i t the Now= #ecau e it cannot function and remain in control without time> which i pa t and future> o it perceive the timele Now a threateningE Time and mind are in fact in epara,leE !magine the Earth devoid of human life> inha,ited onl/ ,/ plant and animal E $ould it till have a pa t and a future= Could we till peak of time in an/ meaningful wa/= The Due tion @$hat time i it=@ or @$hat0 the date toda/=@ 4 if an/,od/ were there to a k it 4 would ,e Duite meaningle E The oak tree or the eagle would ,e ,emu ed ,/ uch a Due tionE @$hat time=@ the/ would a kE @$ell> of cour e> it0 nowE The time i nowE $hat el e i there=@ %e > we need the mind a well a time to function in thi world> ,ut there come a point where the/ take over our live > and thi i where d/ function> pain> and orrow et inE The mind> to en ure that it remain in control> eek continuou l/ to cover up the pre ent moment with pa t and future> and o> a the vitalit/ and infinite creative potential of #eing> which i in epara,le from the Now> ,ecome covered up ,/ time> /our true nature ,ecome o, cured ,/ the mindE An increa ingl/ heav/ ,urden of time ha ,een accumulating in the human mindE All individual are uffering under thi ,urden> ,ut the/ al o keep adding to it ever/ moment whenever the/ ignore or den/ that preciou moment or reduce it to a mean of getting to ome future moment> which onl/ exi t in the mind> never in actualit/E The accumulation of time in the collective and individual human mind al o hold a va t amount of re idual pain from the pa tE !f /ou no longer want to create pain for /our elf and other > if /ou no longer want to add to the re idue of pa t pain that till live on in /ou> then don0t create an/ more time> or at lea t no more than i nece ar/ to deal with the practical a pect of /our lifeE 'ow to top creating time= (ealiAe deepl/ that the pre ent moment i all /ou ever haveE *ake the Now the primar/ focu of /our lifeE $herea ,efore /ou dwelt in time and paid ,rief vi it to the Now> have /our dwelling place in the Now and pa/ ,rief vi it to pa t and future when reDuired to deal with the practical a pect of /our life ituationE Alwa/ a/ @/e @ to the pre ent momentE $hat could ,e more futile> more in ane> than to create inner re i tance to omething that alread/ i = $hat could ,e more in ane than to oppo e life it elf> which i now and alwa/ now= Surrender to what i E Sa/ @/e @ to life 4 and ee how life uddenl/ tart working for you rather than again t /ouE

&he present moment is sometimes unacceptable, unpleasant, or awful!

!t i a it i E O, erve how the mind la,el it and how thi la,eling proce > thi continuou

itting in Gudgment> create pain and unhappine E #/ watching the mechanic of the mind> /ou tep out of it re i tance pattern > and /ou can then allow the !resent %o%ent to #e. Thi will give /ou a ta te of the tate of inner freedom from external condition > the tate of true inner peaceE Then ee what happen > and take action if nece ar/ or po i,leE Accept 4 then actE $hatever the pre ent moment contain > accept it a if /ou had cho en itE Alwa/ work with it> not again t itE *ake it /our friend and all/> not /our enem/E Thi will miraculou l/ tran form /our whole lifeE

$AST $AIN! DISSOL"ING THE $AIN%BODY

A long a /ou are una,le to acce the power of the Now> ever/ emotional pain that /ou experience leave ,ehind a re idue of pain that live on in /ouE !t merge with the pain from the pa t> which wa alread/ there> and ,ecome lodged in /our mind and ,od/E Thi > of cour e> include the pain /ou uffered a a child> cau ed ,/ the uncon ciou ne of the world into which /ou were ,ornE Thi accumulated pain i a negative energ/ field that occupie /our ,od/ and mindE !f /ou look on it a an invi i,le entit/ in it own right> /ou are getting Duite clo e to the truthE !tL the emotional pain4,od/E !t ha two mode of ,eing) dormant and activeE A pain4,od/ ma/ ,e dormant +6 percent of the timeF in a deepl/ unhapp/ per on> though> it ma/ ,e active up to "66 percent of the timeE Some people live almo t entirel/ through their pain4,od/> while other ma/ experience it onl/ in certain ituation > uch a intimate relation hip > or ituation linked with pa t lo or a,andonment> ph/ ical or emotional hurt> and o onE An/thing can trigger it> particularl/ if it re onate with a pain pattern from /our pa tE $hen it i read/ to awaken from it dormant tage> even a thought or an innocent remark made ,/ omeone clo e to /ou can activate itE Some pain4,odie are o,noxiou ,ut relativel/ harmle > for example like a child who wonLt top whiningE Other are viciou and de tructive mon ter > true demon E Some are ph/ icall/ violentF man/ more are emotionall/ violentE Some will attack people around /ou or clo e to /ou> while other ma/ attack /ou> their ho tE Thought and feeling /ou have a,out /our life then ,ecome deepl/ negative and elf4de tructiveE !llne e and accident are often created in thi wa/E Some pain4,odie drive their ho t to uicideE $hen /ou thought /ou knew a per on and then /ou are uddenl/ confronted with thi alien> na t/ creature for the fir t time> /ou are in for Duite a hockE 'owever> itL more important to o, erve it in /our elf than in omeone el eE $atch out for an/ ign of unhappine in /our elf> in whatever form 4 it ma/ ,e the awakening pain4,od/E Thi can take the form of irritation> impatience> a om,er mood> a de ire to hurt> anger> rage> depre ion> a need to have ome drama in /our relation hip> and o onE Catch it the moment it awaken from it dormant tateE The pain4,od/ want to urvive> Gu t like ever/ other entit/ in exi tence> and it can onl/ urvive if it get /ou to uncon ciou l/ identif/ with itE !t can then ri e up> take /ou over> @,ecome /ou>@ and live through /ouE !t need to get it @food@ through /ouE !t will feed on an/ experience that re onate with it own kind of energ/> an/thing that create further pain

in whatever form) anger> de tructivene > hatred> grief> emotional drama> violence> and even illne E So the pain4,od/> when it ha taken /ou over> will create a ituation in /our life that reflect ,ack it own energ/ freDuenc/ for it to feed onE Pain can onl/ feed on painE Pain cannot feed on Go/E !t find it Duite indige ti,leE Once the pain4,od/ ha taken /ou over> /ou want more painE %ou ,ecome a victim or a perpetratorE %ou want to inflict pain> or /ou want to uffer pain> or ,othE There i n0t reall/ much difference ,etween the twoE %ou are not con ciou of thi > of cour e> and will vehementl/ claim that /ou do not want painE #ut look clo el/ and /ou will find that /our thinking and ,ehavior are de igned to keep the pain going> for /our elf and other E !f /ou were trul/ con ciou of it> the pattern would di olve> for to want more pain i in anit/> and no,od/ i con ciou l/ in aneE The pain4,od/> which i the dark hadow ca t ,/ the ego> i actuall/ afraid of the light of /our con ciou ne E !t i afraid of ,eing found outE !t urvival depend on /our uncon ciou identification with it> a well a on /our uncon ciou fear of facing the pain that live in /ouE #ut if /ou don0t face it> if /ou don0t ,ring the light of /our con ciou ne into the pain> /ou will ,e forced to relive it again and againE The pain4,od/ ma/ eem to /ou like a dangerou mon ter that /ou cannot ,ear to look at> ,ut ! a ure /ou that it i an in u, tantial phantom that cannot prevail again t the power of /our pre enceE Some piritual teaching tate that all pain i ultimatel/ an illu ion> and thi i trueE The Due tion i ) ! it true for /ou= A mere ,elief doe n0t make it trueE 3o /ou want to experience pain for the re t of /our life and keep a/ing that it i an illu ion= 3oe that free /ou from the pain= $hat we are concerned with here i how /ou can reali(e thi truth 4 that i > make it real in /our own experienceE So the pain4,od/ doe n0t want /ou to o, erve it directl/ and ee it for what it i E The moment /ou o, erve it> feel it energ/ field within /ou> and take /our attention into it> the identification i ,rokenE A higher dimen ion of con ciou ne ha come inE ! call it !resen"e. %ou are now the witne or the watcher of the pain4,od/E Thi mean that it cannot u e /ou an/more ,/ pretending to ,e /ou> and it can no longer repleni h it elf through /ouE %ou have found /our own innermo t trengthE %ou have acce ed the power of NowE
What happens to the pain+body when we become conscious enough to break our identification with it?

:ncon ciou ne create itF con ciou ne tran mute it into it elfE StE Paul expre ed thi univer al principle ,eautifull/E @Ever/thing i hown up ,/ ,eing expo ed to the light> and whatever i expo ed to the light it elf ,ecome lightE@ <u t a /ou cannot fight the darkne > /ou cannot fight the pain4,od/E Tr/ing to do o would create inner conflict and thu further painE $atching it i enoughE $atching it implie accepting it a part of what i at that momentE The pain4,od/ con i t of trapped life4energ/ that ha plit off from /our total energ/ field and ha temporaril/ ,ecome autonomou through the unnatural proce of mind identificationE !t ha turned in on it elf and ,ecome anti4life> like an animal tr/ing to devour it own tailE $h/ do /ou think our civiliAation ha ,ecome o life4de tructive= #ut even the life4de tructive force are till life4energ/E $hen /ou tart to di identif/ and ,ecome the watcher> the pain4,od/ will continue to operate for a while and will tr/ to trick /ou into identif/ing with it againE Although /ou are no longer energiAing it through /our identification> it ha a certain momentum> Gu t like a pinning wheel that will keep turning for a while even when it i no longer ,eing propelledE

At thi tage> it ma/ al o create ph/ ical ache and pain in different part of the ,od/> ,ut the/ won0t la tE Sta/ pre ent> ta/ con ciou E #e the ever4alert guardian of /our inner paceE %ou need to ,e pre ent enough to ,e a,le to watch the pain4,od/ directl/ and feel it energ/E !t then cannot control /our thinkingE The moment /our thinking i aligned with the energ/ field of the pain4 ,od/> /ou are identified with it and again feeding it with /our thought E For example> if anger i the predominant energ/ vi,ration of the pain4,od/ and /ou think angr/ thought > dwelling on what omeone did to /ou or what /ou are going to do to him or her> then /ou have ,ecome uncon ciou > and the pain4,od/ ha ,ecome @/ouE@ $here there i anger> there i alwa/ pain underneathE Or when a dark mood come upon /ou and /ou tart getting into a negative mind4pattern and thinking how dreadful /our life i > /our thinking ha ,ecome aligned with the pain4,od/> and /ou have ,ecome uncon ciou and vulnera,le to the pain4,od/0 attackE @:ncon ciou >@ the wa/ that ! u e the word here> mean to ,e identified with ome mental or emotional patternE !t implie a complete a, ence of the watcherE Su tained con ciou attention ever the link ,etween the pain4,od/ and /our thought proce e and ,ring a,out the proce of tran mutationE !t i a if the pain ,ecome fuel for the flame of /our con ciou ne > which then ,urn more ,rightl/ a a re ultE Thi i the e oteric meaning of the ancient art of alchem/> the tran mutation of ,a e metal into gold> of uffering into con ciou ne E The plit within i healed> and /ou ,ecome whole againE %our re pon i,ilit/ then i not to create further painE 8et me ummariAe the proce E Focu attention on the feeling in ide /ouE 7now that it i the pain4,od/E Accept that it i thereE 3on0t think a,out it 4 don0t let the feeling turn into thinkingE 3on0t Gudge or anal/AeE 3on0t make an identit/ for /our elf out of itE Sta/ pre ent> and continue to ,e the o, erver of what i happening in ide /ouE #ecome aware not onl/ of the emotional pain ,ut al o of @the one who o, erve >@ the ilent watcherE Thi i the power of the Now> the power of /our own con ciou pre enceE Then ee what happen E

For man/ women> the pain4,od/ awaken particularl/ at the time preceding the men trual flowE ! will talk a,out thi and the rea on for it in more detail laterE (ight now> let me Gu t a/ thi ) !f /ou are a,le to ta/ alert and pre ent at that time and wat"h whatever /ou feel within> rather than ,e taken over ,/ it> it afford an opportunit/ for the mo t powerful piritual practice> and a rapid tran mutation of all pa t pain ,ecome po i,leE
EGO IDENTI ICATION WITH THE $AIN%BODY

The proce that ! have Gu t de cri,ed i profoundl/ powerful /et impleE !t could ,e taught to a child> and hopefull/ one da/ it will ,e one of the fir t thing children learn in choolE Once /ou have under tood the ,a ic principle of ,eing pre ent a the watcher of what happen in ide /ou 4 and /ou @under tand@ it ,/ experiencing it 4 /ou have at /our di po al the mo t potent tran formational toolE Thi i not to den/ that /ou ma/ encounter inten e inner re i tance to di identif/ing from /our painE Thi will ,e the ca e particularl/ if /ou have lived clo el/ identified with /our emotional pain4,od/ for mo t of /our life and the whole or a large part of /our en e of elf i inve ted in itE $hat thi mean i that /ou have made an unhapp/ elf out of /our pain4 ,od/ and ,elieve that thi mind4made fiction i who /ou areE !n that ca e> uncon ciou fear of lo ing /our identit/ will create trong re i tance to an/ di identificationE !n other word > /ou would rather ,e in pain 4 #e the pain4,od/ 4 than take a leap into the unknown and ri k lo ing

the familiar unhapp/ elfE !f thi applie to /ou> o, erve the re i tance within /our elfE O, erve the attachment to /our painE #e ver/ alertE O, erve the peculiar plea ure /ou derive from ,eing unhapp/E O, erve the compul ion to talk or think a,out itE The re i tance will cea e if /ou make it con4 ciou E %ou can then take /our attention into the pain4,od/> ta/ pre ent a the witne > and o initiate it tran mutationE Onl/ you can do thi E No,od/ can do it for you. #ut if /ou are fortunate enough to find omeone who i inten el/ con ciou > if /ou can ,e with them and Goin them in the tate of pre ence> that can ,e helpful and will accelerate thing E !n thi wa/> /our own light will Duickl/ grow trongerE $hen a log that ha onl/ Gu t tarted to ,urn i placed next to one that i ,urning fiercel/> and after a while the/ are eparated again> the fir t log will ,e ,urning with much greater inten it/E After all> it i the ame fireE To ,e uch a fire i one of the function of a piritual teacherE Some therapi t ma/ al o ,e a,le to fulfill that function> provided that the/ have gone ,e/ond the level of mind and can create and u tain a tate of inten e con ciou pre ence while the/ are working with /ouE
THE ORIGIN O EAR

You mentioned fear as being part of our basic underlying emotional pain! ,ow does fear arise, and why is there so much of it in people's li$es? -nd isn't a certain amount of fear 'ust healthy self+protection? If I didn't ha$e a fear of fire, I might put my hand in it and get burned!

The rea on wh/ /ou don0t put /our hand in the fire i not ,ecau e of fear> if ,ecau e /ou know that /ou0ll get ,urnedE %ou don0t need fear to avoid unnece ar/ danger 4 Gu t a minimum of intelligence and common en eE For uch practical matter > it i u eful to appl/ the le on learned in the pa tE Now if omeone threatened you with fire or with ph/ ical violence> /ou might experience omething like fearE Thi i an in tinctive hrinking ,ack from danger> ,ut not the p /chological condition of fear that we are talking a,out hereE The p /chological condition of fear i divorced from an/ concrete and true immediate dangerE !t come in man/ form ) unea e> worr/> anxiet/> nervou ne > ten ion> dread> pho,ia> and o onE Thi kind of p /chological fear i alwa/ of omething that %ight happen> not of ome4 thing that i happening nowE )ou are in the here and now> while /our mind i in the futureE Thi create an anxiet/ gapE And if /ou are identified with /our mind and have lo t touch with the power and implicit/ of the Now> that anxiet/ gap will ,e /our con tant companionE %ou can alwa/ cope with the pre ent moment> ,ut /ou cannot cope with omething that i onl/ a mind proGection 4 /ou cannot cope with the futureE *oreover> a long a /ou are identified with /our mind> the ego run /our life> a ! pointed out earlierE #ecau e of it phantom nature> and de pite ela,orate defen e mechani m > the ego i ver/ vulnera,le and in ecure> and it ee it elf a con tantl/ under threatE Thi > ,/ the wa/> i the ca e even> if the ego i outwardl/ ver/ confidentE Now remem,er that an emotion i the ,od/0 reaction to /our mindE $hat me age i the ,od/ receiving continuou l/ from the ego> the fal e> mind4made elf= 3anger> ! am under threatE And what i the emotion generated ,/ thi continuou me age= Fear> of cour eE Fear eem to have man/ cau e E Fear of lo > fear of failure> fear of ,eing hurt> and o on> ,ut ultimatel/ all fear i the ego0 fear of death> of annihilationE To the ego> death i alwa/ Gu t around the cornerE !n thi mind4identified tate> fear of death affect ever/ a pect of /our lifeE For example> even uch a eemingl/ trivial and @normal@ thing a the compul ive need to ,e right in an argument and make the other per on wrong 4 defending the mental po ition with which /ou

have identified 4 i due to the fear of deathE !f /ou identif/ with a mental po ition> then if /ou are wrong> /our mind4,a ed en e of elf i eriou l/ threatened with annihilationE So /ou a the ego cannot afford to ,e wrongE To ,e wrong i to dieE $ar have ,een fought over thi > and countle relation hip have ,roken downE Once /ou have di identified from /our mind> whether /ou are right or wrong make no difference to /our en e of elf at all> o the forcefull/ compul ive and deepl/ uncon ciou need to ,e right> which i a form of violence> will no longer ,e thereE %ou can tate dearl/ and firml/ how /ou feel or what /ou think> ,ut there will ,e no aggre ivene or defen ivene a,out itE %our en e of elf i then derived from a deeper and truer place within /our elf> not from the mindE $atch out for an/ kind of defen ivene within /our elfE $hat are /ou defending= An illu or/ identit/> an image in /our mind> a fictitiou entit/E #/ making thi pattern con ciou > ,/ witne ing it> /ou di identif/ from itE !n the light of /our con ciou ne > the uncon ciou pattern will then Duickl/ di olveE Thi i the end of all argument and power game > which are o corro ive to relation hip E Power over other i weakne di gui ed a trengthE True power i within> and it i availa,le to /ou nowE So an/one who i identified with their mind and> therefore> di connected from their true power> their deeper elf rooted in #eing> will have fear a their con tant companionE The num,er of people who have gone ,e/ond mind i a /et extremel/ mall> o /ou can a ume that virtuall/ ever/one /ou meet or know live in a tate of fearE Onl/ the inten it/ of it varie E !t fluctuate ,etween anxiet/ and dread at one end of the cale and a vague unea e and di tant en e of threat at the otherE *o t people ,ecome con ciou of it onl/ when it take on one of it more acute form E
THE EGO#S SEARCH OR WHOLENESS

Another a pect of the emotional pain that i an intrin ic part of the egoic mind i a deep4 eated en e of lack or incompletene > of not ,eing wholeE !n ome people> thi i con ciou > in other uncon ciou E !f it i con ciou > it manife t a the un ettling and con tant feeling of not ,eing worth/ or good enoughE !f it i uncon ciou > it will onl/ ,e felt indirectl/ a an inten e craving> wanting and needingE !n either ca e> people will often enter into a compul ive pur uit of ego4 gratification and thing to identif/ with in order to fill thi hole the/ feel withinE So the/ trive after po e ion > mone/> ucce > power> recognition> or a pecial relation hip> ,a icall/ o that the/ can feel ,etter a,out them elve > feel more completeE #ut even when the/ attain all the e thing > the/ oon find that the hole i till there> that it i ,ottomle E Then the/ are reall/ in trou,le> ,ecau e the/ cannot delude them elve an/moreE $ell> the/ can and do> ,ut it get more difficultE A long a the egoic mind i running /our life> /ou cannot trul/ ,e at ea eF /ou cannot ,e at peace or fulfilled except for ,rief interval when /ou o,tained what /ou wanted> when a craving ha Gu t ,een fulfilledE Since the ego i a derived en e of elf> it need to identif/ with external thing E !t need to ,e ,oth defended and fed con tantl/E The mo t common ego identification have to do with po e ion > the work /ou do> ocial tatu and recognition> knowledge and edu4 cation> ph/ ical appearance> pecial a,ilitie > relation hip > per onal and famil/ hi tor/> ,elief / tem > and often al o political> nationali tic> racial> religiou > and other collective identification E None of the e i /ouE 3o /ou find thi frightening= Or i it a relief to know thi = All of the e thing /ou will have to relinDui h ooner or laterE Perhap /ou find it a /et hard to ,elieve> and ! am certainl/ not a king /ou to #elieve that /our identit/ cannot ,e found in an/ of tho e thing E %ou will know the truth of it for /our elfE %ou will know it at the late t when /ou feel death approachingE 3eath i a tripping awa/ of all that i not /ouE The ecret of life i to @die ,efore /ou die@ 4 and find that there i no deathE

*O?!NG 3EEP8% !NTO T'E NO$

3ON0T SEE7 %O:( SE8F !N T'E *!N3
I feel that there is still a great deal I need to learn about the workings of my mind before I can get anywhere near full consciousness or spiritual enlightenment! No> /ou don0tE The pro,lem of the mind cannot ,e olved on the level of the mindE Once /ou have under tood the ,a ic d/ function> there i n0t reall/ much el e that /ou need to learn or under tandE Stud/ing the complexitie of the mind ma/ make /ou a good p /chologi t> ,ut doing o won0t take /ou ,e/ond the mind> Gu t a the tud/ of madne i n0t enough to create anit/E %ou have alread/ under tood the ,a ic mechanic of the uncon ciou tate) identification with the mind> which create a fal e elf> the ego> a a u, titute for /our true elf rooted in #eingE %ou ,ecome a a @,ranch cut off from the vine>@ a <e u put itE The ego0 need are endle E !t feel vulnera,le and threatened and o live in a tate of fear and wantE Once /ou know how the ,a ic d/ function operate > there i no need to explore all it countle manife tation > no need to make it into a complex per onal pro,lemE The ego> of cour e> love thatE !t i alwa/ eeking for omething to attach it elf to in order to uphold and trengthen it illu or/ en e of elf> and it will readil/ attach it elf to /our pro,lem E Thi i wh/> for o man/ people> a large part of their en e of elf i intimatel/ connected with their pro,lem E Once thi ha happened> the la t thing the/ want i to ,ecome free of themF that would mean lo of elfE There can ,e a great deal of uncon ciou ego inve tment in pain and ufferingE So once /ou recogniAe the root of uncon ciou ne a identification with the mind> which of cour e include the emotion > /ou tep out of itE %ou ,ecome !resent. $hen /ou are pre ent> /ou can allow the mind to ,e a it i without getting entangled in itE The mind in it elf i not d/ functionalE !t i a wonderful toolE 3/ function et in when /ou eek /our elf in it and mi take it for who /ou areE !t then ,ecome the egoi" mind and take over /our whole lifeE
END THE DELUSION O TIME

It seems almost impossible to disidentify from the mind! We are all immersed in it! ,ow do you teach a fish to fly? 'ere i the ke/E End the delu ion of timeE Time and mind are in epara,leE (emove time from the mind and it top 4 unle /ou choo e to u e itE To ,e identified with /our mind i to ,e trapped in time) the compul ion to live almo t exclu ivel/ through memor/ and anticipationE Thi create an endle preoccupation with pa t and future and an unwillingne to honor and acknowledge the pre ent moment and allow it to #e. The compul ion ari e ,ecau e the pa t give /ou an identit/ and the future hold the promi e of alvation> of fulfillment in whatever formE #oth are illu ion E (ut without a sense of time, how would we function in this world? &here would be no goals to stri$e toward anymore! I wouldn't e$en know who I am, because my past makes me who I am today! I think time is something $ery precious, and we need to learn to use it wisely rather than waste it!

Time i n0t preciou at all> ,ecau e it i an illu ionE $hat /ou perceive a preciou i not time ,ut the one point that i out of time) the NowE That i preciou indeedE The more /ou are focu ed on time 4 pa t and future 4 the more /ou mi the Now> the mo t preciou thing there i E $h/ i it the mo t preciou thing= Fir tl/> ,ecau e it i the only thingE !t0 all there i E The eternal pre ent i the pace within which /our whole life unfold > the one factor that remain con tantE 8ife i nowE There wa never a time when /our life wa not now> nor will there ever ,eE Secondl/> the Now i the onl/ point that can take /ou ,e/ond the limited confine of the mindE !t i /our onl/ point of acce into the timele and formle realm of #eingE

NOTHING E&ISTS OUTSIDE THE NOW

-ren't past and future 'ust as real, sometimes e$en more real, than the present? -fter all, the past determines who we are, as well as how we percei$e and beha$e in the present! -nd our future goals determine which actions we take in the present! %ou haven0t /et gra ped the e ence of what ! am a/ing ,ecau e /ou are tr/ing to under tand it mentall/E The mind cannot under tand thi E *nly you canE Plea e Gu t li tenE 'ave /ou ever experienced> done> thought> or felt an/thing out ide the Now= 3o /ou think /ou ever will= ! it po i,le for an/thing to happen or #e out ide the Now= The an wer i o,viou > i it not= Nothing ever happened in the pa tF it happened in the NowE Nothing will ever happen in the futureF it will happen in the NowE

$hat /ou think of a the pa t i a memor/ trace> tored in the mind> of a former NowE $hen /ou remem,er the pa t> /ou reactivate a memor/ trace 4 and /ou do o nowE The future i an imagined Now> a proGection of the mindE $hen the future come > it come a the NowE $hen /ou think a,out the future> /ou do it nowE Pa t and future o,viou l/ have no realit/ of their ownE <u t a the moon ha no light of it own> ,ut can onl/ reflect the light of the un> o are pa t and future onl/ pale reflection of the light> power> and realit/ of the eternal pre entE Their realit/ i @,orrowed@ from the NowE The e ence of what ! am a/ing here cannot ,e under tood ,/ the mindE The moment /ou gra p it> there i a hift in con ciou ne from mind to #eing> from time to pre enceE Suddenl/> ever/thing feel alive> radiate energ/> emanate #eingE

THE KEY TO THE S$IRITUAL DIMENSION

!n life4threatening emergenc/ ituation > the hift in con ciou ne from time to pre ence ometime happen naturall/E The per onalit/ that ha a pa t and a future momentaril/ recede and i replaced ,/ an inten e con ciou pre ence> ver/ till ,ut ver/ alert at the ame timeE $hatever re pon e i needed then ari e out of that tate of con ciou ne E The rea on wh/ ome people love to engage in dangerou activitie > uch a mountain clim,ing> car racing> and o on> although the/ ma/ not ,e aware of it> i that it force them into the Now 4 that inten el/ alive tate that i free of time> free of pro,lem > free of thinking> free of the ,urden of the per onalit/E Slipping awa/ from the pre ent moment even for a econd ma/ mean deathE :nfortunatel/> the/ come to depend on a particular activit/ to ,e in that tateE #ut /ou don0t need to clim, the north face of the EigerE %ou can enter that tate

nowE

Since ancient time > piritual ma ter of all tradition have pointed to the Now a the ke/ to the piritual dimen ionE 3e pite thi > it eem to have remained a ecretE !t i certainl/ not taught in churche and temple E !f /ou go to a church> /ou ma/ hear reading from the Go pel uch a @Take no thought for the morrow> for the morrow hall take thought for the thing of it elf>@ or @No,od/ who put hi hand to the plow and looks #a"k is fit for the 7ingdom of GodE@ Or /ou might hear the pa age a,out the ,eautiful flower that are not anxiou a,out tomorrow ,ut live with ea e in the timele Now and are provided for a,undantl/ ,/ GodE The depth and radical nature of the e teaching are not recogniAedE No one eem to realiAe that the/ are meant to ,e lived and o ,ring a,out a profound inner tran formationE

The whole e ence of Ren con i t in walking along the raAor0 edge of Now 4 to ,e o utterl/> o completel/ !resent that no pro,lem> no uffering> nothing that i not who you are in /our e ence> can urvive in /ouE !n the Now> in the a, ence of time> all /our pro,lem di 4 olveE Suffering need timeF it cannot urvive in the NowE The great Ren ma ter (inAai> in order to take hi tudent 0 attention awa/ from time> would often rai e hi finger and lowl/ a k) @$hat> at thi moment> i lacking=@ A powerful Due tion that doe not reDuire an an wer on the level of the mindE !t i de igned to take /our attention deepl/ into the NowE A imilar Due tion in the Ren tradition i thi ) @!f not now> when=@

The Now i al o central to the teaching of Sufi m> the m/ tical ,ranch of ! lamE Sufi have a a/ing) @The Sufi i the on of time pre entE@ And (umi> the great poet and teacher of Sufi m> declare ) @Pa t and future veil God from our ightF ,urn up ,oth of them with fireE@ *ei ter Eckhart> the thirteenth4centur/ piritual teacher> ummed it all up ,eautifull/E @Time i what keep the light from reaching u E There i no greater o, tacle to God than timeE@

ACCESSING THE $OWER O THE NOW

- moment ago, when you talked about the eternal present and the unreality of past and future, I found myself looking at that tree outside the window! I had looked at it a few times before, but this

time it was different! &he external perception had not changed much, except that the colors seemed brighter and more $ibrant! (ut there was now an added dimension to it! &his is hard to explain! I don't know how, but I was aware of something in$isible that I felt was the essence of that tree, its inner spirit, if you like! -nd somehow I was part of that! I reali%e now that I hadn't truly seen the tree before, 'ust a flat and dead image of it! When I look at the tree now, some of that awareness is still present, but I can feel it slipping away! You see, the experience is already receding into the past! Can something like this e$er be more than a fleeting glimpse?

%ou were free of time for a momentE %ou moved into the Now and therefore perceived the tree without the creen of mindE The awarene of #eing ,ecame part of /our perceptionE $ith the timele dimen ion come a different kind of knowing> one that doe not @kill@ the pirit that live within ever/ creature and ever/ thingE A knowing that doe not de tro/ the acredne and m/ ter/ of life ,ut contain a deep love and reverence for all that i E A knowing of which the mind know nothingE The mind cannot know the treeE !t can onl/ know fact or information a#out the treeE */ mind cannot know /ou> onl/ la,el > Gudgment > fact > and opinion a#out you. #eing alone know directl/E There i a place for mind and mind knowledgeE !t i in the practical realm of da/4to4da/ livingE 'owever> when it take over all a pect of /our life> including /our relation hip with other human ,eing and with nature> it ,ecome a mon trou para ite that> unchecked> ma/ well end up killing all life on the planet and finall/ it elf ,/ killing it ho tE %ou have had a glimp e of how the timele can tran form /our perception E #ut an experience i not enough> no matter how ,eautiful or profoundE $hat i needed and what we are concerned with i a permanent hift in con ciou ne E So ,reak the old pattern of pre ent4moment denial and pre ent moment re i tanceE *ake it /our practice to withdraw attention from pa t and future whenever the/ are not neededE Step out of the time dimen ion a much a po i,le in ever/da/ lifeE !f /ou find it hard to enter the Now directl/> tart ,/ o, erving the ha,itual tendenc/ of /our mind to want to e cape from the NowE %ou will o, erve that the future i u uall/ imagined a either ,etter or wor e than the pre entE !f the imagined future i ,etter> it give /ou hope or plea ura,le anticipationE !f it i wor e> it create anxiet/E #oth are illu or/E Through elf4o, ervation> more pre ence come into /our life automaticall/E The moment /ou realiAe /ou are not pre ent> /ou are pre entE $henever /ou are a,le to o, erve /our mind> /ou are no longer trapped in itE Another factor ha come in> omething that i not of the mind) the witne ing pre enceE #e pre ent a the watcher of /our mind I of /our thought and emotion a well a /our reaction in variou ituation E #e at lea t a intere ted in /our reaction a in the ituation or per on that cau e /ou to reactE Notice al o how often /our attention i in the pa t or futureE 3onLt Gudge or anal/Ae what /ou o, erveE $atch the thought> feel the emotion> o, erve the reactionE 3on0t make a per onal pro,lem out of themE %ou will then feel omething more powerful than an/ of tho e thing that /ou o, erve) the till> o, erving pre ence it elf ,ehind the content of /our mind> the ilent watcherE

!nten e pre ence i needed when certain ituation trigger a reaction with a trong emotional charge> uch a when /our elf4image i threatened> a challenge come into /our life that

trigger fear> thing @go wrong>@ or an emotional complex from the pa t i ,rought upE !n tho e in tance > the tendenc/ i for /ou to ,ecome @uncon ciou E@ The reaction or emotion take /ou over 4 /ou @,ecome@ itE %ou act it outE %ou Gu tif/> make wrong> attack> defend EEE except that it i n0t /ou> if the reactive pattern> the mind in it ha,itual urvival modeE !dentification with the mind give it more energ/> o, ervation of the mind withdraw energ/ from itE !dentification with the mind create more timeF o, ervation of the mind open up the dimen ion of the timele E The energ/ that i withdrawn from the mind turn into pre enceE Once /ou can feel what it mean to ,e pre ent> it ,ecome much ea ier to impl/ choo e to tep out of the time dimen ion whenever time i not needed for practical purpo e and move more deepl/ into the NowE Thi doe not impair /our a,ilit/ to u e time 4 pa t or future 4 when /ou need to refer to it for practical matter E Nor doe it impair /our a,ilit/ to u e /our mindE !n fact> it enhance itE $hen /ou do u e /our mind> it will ,e harper> more focu edE
LETTING GO O $SYCHOLOGICAL TIME

8earn to u e time in the practical a pect of /our life 4 we ma/ call thi @clock time@ 4 ,ut immediatel/ return to pre ent4moment awarene when tho e practical matter have ,een dealt withE !n thi wa/> there will ,e no ,uild4up of @p /chological time>@ which i iden4 tification with the pa t and continuou compul ive proGection into the futureE Clock time i not Gu t making an appointment or planning a tripE !t include learning from the pa t o that we don0t repeat the ame mi take over and overE Setting goal and working toward themE Predicting the future ,/ mean of pattern and law > ph/ ical> mathematical and o on> learned from the pa t and taking appropriate action on the ,a i of our prediction E #ut even here> within the phere of practical living> where we cannot do without reference to pa t and future> the pre ent moment remain the e ential factorE An/ le on from the pa t ,ecome relevant and i applied nowE An/ planning a well a working toward achieving a particular goal i done nowE The enlightened per on main focu of attention i alwa/ the Now> ,ut the/ are till peripherall/ aware of timeE !n other word > the/ continue to u e clock time ,ut are free of p /chological timeE #e alert a /ou practice thi o that /ou do not unwittingl/ tran form clock time into p /chological timeE For example> if /ou made a mi take in the pa t and learn from it now> /ou are u ing clock timeE On the other hand> if /ou dwell on it mentall/> and elf4critici m> remor e> or guilt come up> then /ou are making the mi take into @me@ and @mine@) /ou make it part of /our en e of elf> and it ha ,ecome p /chological time> which i alwa/ linked to a fal e en e of identit/E Nonforgivene nece aril/ implie a heav/ ,urden of p /chological timeE !f /ou et /our elf a goal and work toward it> /ou are u ing clock timeE %ou are aware of where /ou want to go> ,ut /ou honor and give /our fulle t attention to the tep that /ou are taking at thi momentE !f /ou then ,ecome exce ivel/ focu ed on the goal> perhap ,ecau e /ou are eeking happine > fulfillment> or a more complete en e of elf in it> the Now i no longer honoredE !t ,ecome reduced to a mere tepping tone to the future> with no intrin ic valueE Clock time then turn into p /chological timeE %our life0 Gourne/ i no longer an adventure> Gu t an o, e ive need to arrive> to attain> to @make itE@ %ou no longer ee or mell the flower ,/ the wa/ ide either> nor are /ou aware of the ,eaut/ and the miracle of life that unfold all around /ou when /ou are pre ent in the NowE


I can see the supreme importance of the "ow, but I cannot uite go along with you when you say that time is a complete illusion!

$hen ! a/ @time i an illu ion>@ m/ intention i not to make a philo ophical tatementE ! am Gu t reminding /ou of a imple fact 4 a fact o o,viou that /ou ma/ find it hard to gra p and ma/ even find it meaningle 4 ,ut once full/ realiAed> it can cut like a word through all the mind4created la/er of complexit/ and @pro,lem E@ 8et me a/ it again) the pre ent moment i all /ou ever haveE There i never a time when /our life i not @thi momentE@ ! thi not a fact=
THE INSANITY O $SYCHOLOGICAL TIME

%ou will not have an/ dou,t that p /chological time i a mental di ea e if /ou look at it collective manife tation E The/ occur> for example> in the form of ideologie uch a communi m> national ociali m or an/ nationali m> or rigid religiou ,elief / tem > which operate under the implicit a umption that the highe t good lie in the future and that therefore the end Gu tifie the mean E The end i an idea> a point in the mind4proGected future> when alvation in whatever form 4 happine > fulfillment> eDualit/> li,eration> and o on 4 will ,e attainedE Not infreDuentl/> the mean of getting there are the en lavement> torture> and murder of people in the pre entE For example> it i e timated that a man/ a 5o million people were murdered to further the cau e of communi m> to ,ring a,out a @,etter world@ in (u ia> China> and other countrie E Thi i a chilling example of how ,elief in a future heaven create a pre ent hellE Can there ,e an/ dou,t that p /chological time i a eriou and dangerou mental illne = 'ow doe thi mind pattern operate in your life= Are /ou alwa/ tr/ing to get omewhere other than where /ou are= ! mo t of /our doing Gu t a mean to an end= ! fulfillment alwa/ Gu t around the corner or confined to hort4lived plea ure > uch a ex> food> drink> drug > or thrill and excitement= Are /ou alwa/ focu ed on ,ecoming> achieving> and attaining> or alternativel/ cha ing ome new thrill or plea ure= 3o /ou ,elieve that if /ou acDuire more thing /ou will ,ecome more fulfilled> good enough> or p /chologicall/ complete= Are /ou waiting for a man or woman to give meaning to /our life= !n the normal> mind4identified or unenlightened tate of con ciou ne > the power and infinite creative potential that lie concealed in the Now are completel/ o, cured ,/ p /chological timeE %our life then lo e it vi,ranc/> it fre hne > it en e of wonderE The old pattern of thought> emotion> ,ehavior> reaction> and de ire are acted out in endle repeat performance > a cript in /our mind that give /ou an identit/ of ort ,ut di tort or cover up the realit/ of the NowE The mind then create an o, e ion with the future a an e cape from the un ati factor/ pre entE
NEGATI"ITY AND SU ERING HA"E THEIR ROOTS IN TIME

(ut the belief that the future will be better than the present is not always an illusion! &he present '(n be dreadful, and things '(n get better in the future, and often they do!

: uall/> the future i a replica of the pa tE Superficial change are po i,le> ,ut real tran formation i rare and depend upon whether /ou can ,ecome pre ent enough to di olve the pa t ,/ acce ing the power of the NowE $hat /ou perceive a future i an intrin ic part of /our tate of con ciou ne nowE !f /our mind carrie a heav/ ,urden of pa t> /ou will experience more of the ameE The pa t perpetuate it elf through lack of pre enceE The Dualit/ of /our con ciou ne at thi moment i what hape the future 4 which> of cour e> can onl/ ,e experienced a the NowE %ou ma/ win S"6 million> ,ut that kind of change i no more than kin deepE %ou would impl/ continue to act out the ame conditioned pattern in more luxuriou urrounding E 'uman have learned to plit the atomE !n tead of killing ten or twent/ people with a wooden clu,> one per on can now kill a million Gu t ,/ pu hing a ,uttonE ! that real change= !f it i the Dualit/ of /our con ciou ne at thi moment that determine the future> then what i it that determine the Dualit/ of /our con ciou ne = %our degree of pre enceE So the onl/ place where true change can occur and where the pa t can ,e di olved i the NowE

All negativit/ i cau ed ,/ an accumulation of p /chological time and denial of the pre entE :nea e> anxiet/> ten ion> tre > worr/ 4 all form of fear 4 are cau ed ,/ too much future> and not enough pre enceE Guilt> regret> re entment> grievance > adne > ,itterne > and all form of nonforgivene are cau ed ,/ too much pa t> and not enough pre enceE *o t people find it difficult to ,elieve that a tate of con ciou ne totall/ free of all negativit/ i po i,leE And /et thi i the li,erated tate to which all piritual teaching pointE !t i the promi e of alvation> not in an illu or/ future ,ut right here and nowE %ou ma/ find it hard to recogniAe that time i the cau e of /our uffering or /our pro,lem E %ou ,elieve that the/ are cau ed ,/ pecific ituation in /our life> and een from a conventional viewpoint> thi i trueE #ut until /ou have dealt with the ,a ic pro,lem4making d/ function of the mind 4 it attachment to pa t and future and denial of the Now 4 pro,lem are actuall/ interchangea,leE !f all /our pro,lem or perceived cau e of uffering or unhappine were miraculou l/ removed for /ou toda/> ,ut /ou had not ,ecome more pre ent> more con ciou > /ou would oon find /our elf with a imilar et of pro,lem or cau e of uffering> like a hadow that follow /ou wherever /ou goE :ltimatel/> there i onl/ one pro,lem) the time,ound mind it elfE
I cannot belie$e that I could e$er reach a point where I am completely free of my problems!

%ou are rightE %ou can never rea"h that point ,ecau e /ou are at that point now. There i no alvation in timeE %ou cannot ,e free in the futureE Pre ence i the ke/ to freedom> o /ou can onl/ ,e free nowE
INDING THE LI E UNDERNEATH YOUR LI E SITUATION

I don't see how I can be free now! -s it happens, I am extremely unhappy with my life at the moment! &his is a fact, and I would be deluding myself if I tried to con$ince myself that all is well when it definitely isn't! &o me, the present moment is $ery unhappy. it is not liberating at all! What keeps me going is the hope or possibility of some impro$ement in the future!

%ou think that /our attention i in the pre ent moment when itL actuall/ taken up completel/ ,/ timeE %ou cannot ,e ,oth unhapp/ and full/ pre ent in the NowE $hat /ou refer to a /our @life@ hould more accuratel/ ,e called /our @life ituationE@ !t i p /chological time) pa t and futureE Certain thing in the pa t didn0t go the wa/ /ou wanted them to goE %ou are till re i ting what happened in the pa t> and now /ou are re i ting what i E 'ope i what keep /ou going> ,ut hope keep /ou focu ed on the future> and thi continued focu perpetuate /our denial of the Now and therefore /our unhappine E
It is true that my present life situation is the result of things that happened in the past, but it is still my present situation, and being stuck in it is what makes me unhappy!

Forget a,out /our life ituation for a while and pa/ attention to /our life.
What is the differen"e+

%our life ituation exi t in timeE %our life i nowE %our life ituation i mind4 tuffE %our life i realE Find the @narrow gate that lead to lifeE@ !t i called the NowE Narrow /our life down to thi momentE %our life ituation ma/ ,e full of pro,lem 4 mo t life ituation are 4 ,ut find out if /ou have an/ pro,lem at thi momentE Not tomorrow or in ten minute > ,ut nowE 3o /ou have a pro,lem now= $hen /ou are full of pro,lem > there i no room for an/thing new to enter> no room for a olutionE So whenever /ou can> make ome room> create ome pace> o that /ou find the life underneath /our life ituationE : e /our en e full/E #e where /ou areE 8ook aroundE <u t look> don0t interpretE See the light> hape > color > texture E #e aware of the ilent pre ence of each thingE #e aware of the pace that allow ever/thing to ,eE 8i ten to the ound F don0t Gudge themE 8i ten to the ilence underneath the ound E Touch omething 4 an/thing 4 and feel and acknowledge it #eingE O, erve the rh/thm of /our ,reathingF feel the air flowing in and out> feel the life energ/ in ide /our ,od/E Allow ever/thing to ,e> within and withoutE Allow the @i ne @ of all thing E *ove deepl/ into the NowE %ou are leaving ,ehind the deadening world of mental a, traction> of timeE %ou are getting out of the in ane mind that i draining /ou of life energ/> Gu t a it i lowl/ poi oning and de tro/ing the EarthE %ou are awakening out of the dream of time into the pre entE

ALL $ROBLEMS ARE ILLUSIONS O THE MIND

It feels as if a hea$y burden has been lifted! - sense of lightness! I feel clear!!! but my problems are still there waiting for me, aren't they? &hey ha$en't been sol$ed! -m I not 'ust temporarily e$ading them?

!f /ou found /our elf in paradi e> it wouldn0t ,e long ,efore /our mind would a/ @/e > ,utEEEE@ :ltimatel/> thi i not a,out olving /our pro,lem E !t0 a,out realiAing that there are no pro,lem E Onl/ ituation 4 to ,e dealt with now> or to ,e left alone and accepted a part of the @in et @ of the pre ent moment until the/ change or "an ,e dealt withE Pro,lem are mind4 made and need time to urviveE The/ cannot urvive in the actualit/ of the NowE Focu /our attention on the Now and tell me what pro,lem /ou have at thi momentE

! am not getting an/ an wer ,ecau e it i impo i,le to have a pro,lem when /our attention i full/ in the NowE A ituation that need to ,e either dealt with or accepted 4 /e E $h/ make it into a pro,lem= $h/ make an/thing into a pro,lem= ! n0t life challenging enough a it i = $hat do /ou need pro,lem for= The mind uncon ciou l/ love pro,lem ,ecau e the/ give /ou an identit/ of ort E Thi i normal> and it i in aneE @Pro,lem0 mean that /ou are dwelling on a ituation mentall/ without there ,eing a true intention or po i,ilit/ of taking action now and that /ou are uncon ciou l/ making it part of /our en e of elfE %ou ,ecome o overwhelmed ,/ /our life ituation that /ou lo e /our en e of life> of #eingE Or /ou are carr/ing in /our mind the in ane ,urden of a hundred thing that /ou will or ma/ have to do in the future in tead of focu ing /our attention on the one thing that you "an do nowE $hen /ou create a pro,lem> /ou create painE All it take i a imple choice> a imple deci ion) no matter what happen > ! will create no more pain for m/ elfE ! will create no more pro,lem E Although it i a imple choice> it i al o ver/ radicalE %ou wonLt make that choice unle /ou are trul/ fed up with uffering> unle /ou have trul/ had enoughE And /ou wonLt ,e a,le to go through with it unle /ou acce the power of the NowE !f /ou create no more pain for /our elf> then /ou create no more pain for other E %ou al o no longer contaminate the ,eautiful Earth> /our inner pace> and the collective human p /che with the negativit/ of pro,lem4makingE

!f /ou have ever ,een in a life4or4death emergenc/ ituation> /ou will know that it wa n0t a

pro,lemE The mind didn0t have ti%e to fool around and make it into a pro,lemE !n a true emergenc/> the mind top F /ou ,ecome totall/ pre ent in the Now> and omething infinitel/ more powerful take overE Thi i wh/ there are man/ report of ordinar/ people uddenl/ ,ecoming capa,le of incredi,l/ courageou deed E !n an/ emergenc/> either /ou urvive or /ou don0tE Either wa/> it i not a pro,lemE Some people get angr/ when the/ hear me a/ that pro,lem are illu ion E ! am threatening to take awa/ their en e of who the/ areE The/ have inve ted much time in a fal e en e of elfE For man/ /ear > the/ have uncon ciou l/ defined their whole identit/ in term of their pro,lem or their ufferingE $ho would the/ ,e without it= A great deal of what people a/> think> or do i actuall/ motivated ,/ fear> which of cour e i alwa/ linked with having /our focu on the future and ,eing out of touch with the NowE A there are no pro,lem in the Now> there i no fear eitherE

Should a ituation ari e that /ou need to deal with now> /our action will ,e clear and inci ive if it ari e out of pre ent4moment awarene E !t i al o more likel/ to ,e effectiveE !t will not ,e a reaction coming from the pa t conditioning of /our mind ,ut an intuitive re pon e to the ituationE !n other in tance > when the time4,ound mind would have reacted> /ou will find it more effective to do nothing 4 Gu t ta/ centered in the NowE
A )UANTUM LEA$ IN THE E"OLUTION O CONSCIOUSNESS

I ha$e had glimpses of this state of freedom from mind and time that you describe, but past and future are so o$erwhelmingly strong that I cannot keep them out for long!

The time4,ound mode of con ciou ne i deepl/ em,edded in the human p /cheE #ut what we are doing here i part of a profound tran formation that i taking place in the collective con ciou ne of the planet and ,e/ond) the awakening of con ciou ne from the dream of matter> form> and eparationE The ending of timeE $e are ,reaking mind pattern that have dominated human life for eon E *ind pattern that have created unimagina,le uffering on a va t caleE ! am not u ing the word evilE !t i more helpful to call it uncon ciou ne or in anit/E
&his breaking up of the old mode of consciousness or rather unconsciousness) is it something we ha$e to do or will it happen anyway? I mean, is this change ine$itable?

That0 a Due tion of per pectiveE The doing and the happening i in fact a ingle proce F ,ecau e /ou are one with the totalit/ of con ciou ne > /ou cannot eparate the twoE #ut there i no a, olute guarantee that human will make itE The proce i n0t inevita,le or automaticE %our cooperation i an e ential part of itE 'owever /ou look at it> it i a Duantum leap in the evolution of con ciou ne > a well a our onl/ chance of urvival a a raceE
THE *OY O BEING

To alert /ou that /ou have allowed /our elf to ,e taken over ,/ p /chological time> /ou can u e a imple criterionE A k /our elf) ! there Go/> ea e> and lightne in what ! am doing= !f there i n0t> then time i covering up the pre ent moment> and life i perceived a a ,urden or a truggleE !f there i no Go/> ea e> or lightne in what /ou are doing> it doe not nece aril/ mean that /ou need to change what you are doingE !t ma/ ,e ufficient to change the how. @'ow@ i alwa/ more important than @whatE@ See if /ou can give much more attention to the doing than to the re ult that /ou want to achieve through itE Give /our fulle t attention to whatever the moment pre ent E Thi implie that /ou al o completel/ accept what i > ,ecau e /ou cannot give /our full attention to omething and at the ame time re i t itE A oon a /ou honor the pre ent moment> all unhappine and truggle di olve> and life ,egin to flow with Go/ and ea eE $hen /ou act out of pre ent4moment awarene > whatever /ou do ,ecome im,ued with a en e of Dualit/> care> and love 4 even the mo t imple actionE

So do not ,e concerned with the fruit of /our action 4 Gu t give attention to the action it elfE The fruit will come of it own accordE Thi i a powerful piritual practiceE !n the Bhagavad 'ita, one of the olde t and mo t ,eautiful piritual teaching in exi tence> non4attachment to the fruit of /our action i called 7arma %ogaE !t i de cri,ed a the path of @con ecrated actionE@ $hen the compul ive triving awa/ from the Now cea e > the Go/ of #eing flow into ever/thing /ou doE The moment /our attention turn to the Now> /ou feel a pre ence> a tillne > a peaceE %ou no longer depend on the future for fulfillment and ati faction 4 /ou don0t look to it for alvationE Therefore> /ou are not attached to the re ult E Neither failure nor ucce ha the power to change /our inner tate of #eingE %ou have found the life underneath /our life ituationE !n the a, ence of p /chological time> /our en e of elf i derived from #eing> not from /our per onal pa tE Therefore> the p /chological need to ,ecome an/thing other than who /ou are alread/ i no longer thereE !n the world> on the level of /our life ituation> /ou ma/ indeed ,ecome wealth/> knowledgea,le> ucce ful> free of thi or that> ,ut in the deeper dimen ion of #eing /ou are complete and whole now.
In that state of wholeness, would we still be able or willing to pursue external goals?

Of cour e> ,ut /ou will not have illu or/ expectation that an/thing or an/,od/ in the future will ave /ou or make /ou happ/E A far a /our life ituation i concerned> there ma/ ,e thing to ,e attained or acDuiredE That0 the world of form> of gain and lo E %et on a deeper level /ou are alread/ complete> and when /ou realiAe that> there i a pla/ful> Go/ou energ/ ,ehind what /ou doE #eing free of p /chological time> /ou no longer pur ue /our goal with grim determination> driven ,/ fear> anger> di content> or the need to ,ecome omeoneE Nor will /ou remain inactive through fear of failure> which to the ego i lo of elfE $hen /our deeper en e of elf i derived from #eing> when /ou are free of @,ecoming@ a a p /chological need> neither /our happine nor /our en e of elf depend on the outcome> and o there i freedom from fearE %ou don0t eek permanenc/ where it cannot ,e found) in the world of form> of gain and lo > ,irth and deathE %ou don0t demand that ituation > condition > place > or people hould make /ou happ/> and then uffer when the/ don0t live up to /our expectation E Ever/thing i honored> ,ut nothing matter E Form are ,orn and die> /et /ou are aware of the eternal underneath the form E %ou know that @nothing real can ,e threatenedE@ $hen thi i /our tate of #eing> how can /ou not ucceed= %ou have ucceeded alread/E

*!N3 ST(ATEG!ES FO( A?O!3!NG T'E NO$

8OSS OF NO$) T'E CO(E 3E8:S!ON
/$en if I completely accept that ultimately time is an illusion, what difference is that going to make in my life? I still ha$e to li$e in a world that is completely dominated by time! !ntellectual agreement i Gu t another ,elief and wonLt make much difference to /our lifeE To realiAe thi truth> /ou need to live itE $hen ever/ cell of /our ,od/ i o pre ent that it feel vi,rant with life> and when /ou can feel that life ever/ moment a the Go/ of #eing> then it

can ,e aid that /ou are free of timeE (ut I still ha$e to pay the bills tomorrow, and I am still going to grow old and die 'ust like e$erybody else! *o how can I e$er say that I am free of time? Tomorrow0 ,ill are not the pro,lemE The di olution of the ph/ ical ,od/ i not a pro,lemE 8o of Now i the pro,lem> or rather the core delu ion that turn a mere ituation> event> or emotion into a per onal pro,lem and into ufferingE 8o of Now i lo of #eingE To ,e free of time i to ,e free of the p /chological need of pa t for /our identit/ and future for /our fulfillmentE !t repre ent the mo t profound tran formation of con ciou ne that /ou can imagineE !n ome rare ca e > thi hift in con ciou ne happen dramaticall/ and radicall/> once and for allE $hen it doe > it u uall/ come a,out through total urrender in the mid t of inten e ufferingE *o t people> however> have to work at itE $hen /ou have had /our fir t few glimp e of the timele tate of con ciou ne > /ou ,egin to move ,ack and forth ,etween the dimen ion of time and pre enceE Fir t /ou ,ecome aware of Gu t how rarel/ /our attention i trul/ in the NowE #ut to know that /ou are not pre ent i a great ucce ) that knowing i pre ence 4 even if initiall/ it onl/ la t for a couple of econd of clock time ,efore it i lo t againE Then> with increa ing freDuenc/> you "hoose to have the focu of /our con ciou ne in the pre ent moment rather than in the pa t or future> and whenever /ou realiAe that /ou had lo t the Now> /ou are a,le to ta/ in it not Gu t for a couple of econd > ,ut for longer period a perceived from the external per pective of clock timeE So ,efore /ou are firml/ e ta,li hed in the tate of pre ence> which i to a/ ,efore /ou are full/ con ciou > /ou hift ,ack and forth for a while ,etween con ciou ne and uncon ciou ne > ,etween the tate of pre ence and the tate of mind identificationE %ou lo e the Now> and /ou return to it> again and againE Eventuall/> pre ence ,ecome /our predominant tateE For mo t people> pre ence i experienced either never at all or onl/ accidentall/ and ,riefl/ on rare occa ion without ,eing recogniAed for what it i E *o t human alternate not ,etween con ciou ne and uncon ciou ne ,ut onl/ ,etween different level of uncon ciou ne E
ORDINARY UNCONSCIOUSNESS AND DEE$ UNCONSCIOUSNESS

What do you mean by different le$els of unconsciousness?

A /ou pro,a,l/ know> in leep /ou con tantl/ move ,etween the pha e of dreamle leep and the dream tateE Similarl/> in wakefulne mo t people onl/ hift ,etween ordinar/ uncon ciou ne and deep uncon ciou ne E $hat ! call ordinar/ uncon ciou ne mean ,eing identified with /our thought proce e and emotion > /our reaction > de ire > and aver ion E !t i mo t people0 normal tateE !n that tate> /ou are run ,/ the egoic mind> and /ou are unaware of #eingE !t i a tate not of acute pain or unhappine ,ut of an almo t continuou low level of unea e> di content> ,oredom> or nervou ne 4 a kind of ,ackground taticE %ou ma/ not realiAe thi ,ecau e it i o much a part of @normal@ living> Gu t a /ou are not aware of a continuou low ,ackground noi e> uch a the hum of an air conditioner> until it top E $hen it uddenl/ doe top> there i a en e of reliefE *an/ people u e alcohol> drug > ex> food> work> televi ion> or even hopping a ane thetic in an uncon ciou attempt to remove the ,a ic unea eE $hen thi happen > an activit/ that might ,e ver/ enGo/a,le if u ed in moderation ,ecome im,ued with a compul ive or addictive Dualit/> and all that i ever achieved through it i extremel/ hort4lived /mptom reliefE The unea e of ordinar/ uncon ciou ne turn into the pain of deep uncon ciou ne 4 a tate of more acute and more o,viou uffering or unhappine 4 when thing @go wrong>@ when the ego i threatened or there i a maGor challenge> threat> or lo > real or imagined> in /our life

ituation or conflict in a relation hipE !t i an inten ified ver ion of ordinar/ uncon ciou ne > different from it not in kind ,ut in degreeE !n ordinar/ uncon ciou ne > ha,itual re i tance to or denial of what i create the unea e and di content that mo t people accept a normal livingE $hen thi re i tance ,ecome inten ified through ome challenge or threat to the ego> it ,ring up inten e negativit/ uch a anger> acute fear> aggre ion> depre ion> and o onE 3eep uncon ciou ne often mean that the pain4,od/ ha ,een triggered and that /ou have ,ecome identified with itE Ph/ ical violence would ,e impo i,le without deep uncon ciou ne E !t can al o occur ea il/ whenever and wherever a crowd of people or even an entire nation generate a negative collective energ/ fieldE The ,e t indicator of /our level of con ciou ne i how /ou deal with life0 challenge when the/ comeE Through tho e challenge > an alread/ uncon ciou per on tend to ,ecome more deepl/ uncon ciou > and a con ciou per on more inten el/ con ciou E %ou can u e a challenge to awaken /ou> or /ou can allow it to pull /ou into even deeper leepE The dream of ordinar/ uncon ciou ne then turn into a nightmareE !f /ou cannot ,e pre ent even in normal circum tance > uch a when /ou are itting alone in a room> walking in the wood > or li tening to omeone> then /ou certainl/ won0t ,e a,le to ta/ con ciou when omething @goe wrong@ or /ou are faced with difficult people or ituation > with lo or the threat of lo E %ou will ,e taken over ,/ a reaction> which ultimatel/ i alwa/ ome form of fear> and pulled into deep uncon ciou ne E Tho e challenge are /our te t E Onl/ the wa/ in which /ou deal with them will how /ou and other where /ou are at a far a /our tate of con ciou ne i concerned> not how long /ou can it with /our e/e clo ed or what vi ion /ou eeE So it i e ential to ,ring more con ciou ne into /our life in ordinar/ ituation when ever/thing i going relativel/ moothl/E !n thi wa/> /ou grow in pre ence powerE !t generate an energ/ field in /ou and around /ou of a high vi,rational freDuenc/E No uncon ciou ne > no negativit/> no di cord or violence can enter that field and urvive> Gu t a darkne cannot urvive in the pre ence of lightE $hen /ou learn to ,e the witne of /our thought and emotion > which i an e ential part of ,eing pre ent> /ou ma/ ,e urpri ed when /ou fir t ,ecome aware of the ,ackground @ tatic@ of ordinar/ uncon ciou ne and realiAe how rarel/> if ever> /ou are trul/ at ea e within /our elfE On the level of /our thinking> /ou will find a great deal of re i tance in the form of Gudgment> di content> and mental proGection awa/ from the NowE On the emotional level> there will ,e an undercurrent of unea e> ten ion> ,oredom> or nervou ne E #oth are a pect of the mind in it ha,itual re i tance modeE
WHAT ARE THEY SEEKING+

Carl <ung tell in one of hi ,ook of a conver ation he had with a Native American chief who pointed out to him that in hi perception mo t white people have ten e face > taring e/e > and a cruel demeanorE 'e aid) @The/ are alwa/ eeking omethingE $hat are the/ eeking= The white alwa/ want omethingE The/ are alwa/ unea / and re tle E $e don0t know what the/ wantE $e think the/ are madE@ The undercurrent of con tant unea e tarted long ,efore the ri e of $e tern indu trial civiliAation> of cour e> ,ut in $e tern civiliAation> which now cover almo t the entire glo,e> including mo t of the Ea t> it manife t in an unprecedentedl/ acute formE !t wa alread/ there at the time of <e u > and it wa there 966 /ear ,efore that at the time of #uddha> and long ,efore thatE $h/ are /ou alwa/ anxiou = <e u a ked hi di ciple E @Can anxiou

thought add a ingle da/ to /our life=@ And the #uddha taught that the root of uffering i to ,e found in our con tant wanting and cravingE (e i tance to the Now a a collective d/ function i intrin icall/ connected to lo of awarene of #eing and form the ,a i of our dehumaniAed indu trial civiliAationE Freud> ,/ the wa/> al o recogniAed the exi tence of thi undercurrent of unea e and wrote a,out it in hi ,ook Civili(ation and $ts ,is"ontents, ,ut he did not recogniAe the true root of the unea e and failed to realiAe that freedom from it i po i,leE Thi collective d/ function ha created a ver/ unhapp/ and extraordinaril/ violent civiliAation that ha ,ecome a threat not onl/ to it elf ,ut al o to all life on the planetE
DISSOL"ING ORDINARY UNCONSCIOUSNESS

*o how can we be free of

this affliction?

*ake it con ciou E O, erve the man/ wa/ in which unea e> di content> and ten ion ari e within /ou through unnece ar/ Gudgment> re i tance to what i > and denial of the NowE An/thing uncon ciou di olve when /ou hine the light of con ciou ne on itE Once /ou know how to di olve ordinar/ uncon ciou ne > the light of /our pre ence will hine ,rightl/> and it will ,e much ea ier to deal with deep uncon ciou ne whenever /ou feel it gravitational pullE 'owever> ordinar/ uncon ciou ne ma/ not ,e ea / to detect initiall/ ,ecau e it i o normalE *ake it a ha,it to monitor /our mental4emotional tate through elf4o, ervationE @Am ! at ea e at thi moment=@ i a good Due tion to a k /our elf freDuentl/E Or /ou can a k) @$hat0 going on in ide me at thi moment=@ #e at lea t a intere ted in what goe on in ide /ou a what happen out ideE !f /ou get the in ide right> the out ide will fall into placeE Primar/ realit/ i within> econdar/ realit/ withoutE #ut don0t an wer the e Due tion immediatel/E 3irect /our attention inwardE 'ave a look in ide /our elfE $hat kind of thought i /our mind producing= $hat do /ou feel= 3irect /our attention into the ,od/E ! there an/ ten ion= Once /ou detect that there i a low level of unea e> the ,ackground tatic> ee in what wa/ /ou are avoiding> re i ting> or den/ing life 4 ,/ den/ing the NowE There are man/ wa/ in which people uncon ciou l/ re i t the pre ent momentE ! will give /ou a few example E $ith practice> /our power of elf4o, ervation> of monitoring /our inner tate> will ,ecome harpenedE
REEDOM ROM UNHA$$INESS

3o /ou re ent doing what /ou are doing= !t ma/ ,e /our Go,> or /ou ma/ have agreed to do omething and are doing it> ,ut part of /ou re ent and re i t itE Are /ou carr/ing un poken re entment toward a per on clo e to /ou= 3o /ou realiAe that the energ/ /ou thu emanate i o harmful in it effect that /ou are in fact contaminating /our elf a well a tho e around /ou= 'ave a good look in ideE ! there even the lighte t trace of re entment> unwillingne = !f there i > o, erve it on ,oth the mental and the emotional level E $hat thought i /our mind creating around thi ituation= Then look at the emotion> which i the ,od/0 reaction to tho e thought E Feel the emotionE 3oe it feel plea ant or unplea ant= ! it an energ/ that /ou would actuall/ "hoose to have in ide /ou= 3o /ou have a choice= *a/,e /ou are ,eing taken advantage of> ma/,e the activit/ /ou are engaged in i tediou > ma/,e omeone clo e to /ou i di hone t> irritating> or uncon ciou > ,ut all thi i irrelevantE $hether /our thought and emotion a,out thi ituation are Gu tified or not

make no differenceE The fact i that /ou are re i ting what i E %ou are making the pre ent moment into an enem/E %ou are creating unhappine > conflict ,etween the inner and the outerE %our unhappine i polluting not onl/ /our own inner ,eing and tho e around /ou ,ut al o the collective human p /che of which /ou are an in epara,le partE The pollution of the planet i onl/ an outward reflection of an inner p /chic pollution) million of uncon ciou individual not taking re pon i,ilit/ for their inner paceE Either top doing what /ou are doing> peak to the per on concerned and expre full/ what /ou feel> or drop the negativit/ that /our mind ha created around the ituation and that erve no purpo e what oever except to trengthen a fal e en e of elfE (ecogniAing it futilit/ i importantE Negativit/ i never the optimum wa/ of dealing with an/ ituationE !n fact> in mo t ca e it keep /ou tuck in it> ,locking real changeE An/thing that i done with negative energ/ will ,ecome contaminated ,/ it and in time give ri e to more pain> more unhappine E Furthermore> an/ negative inner tate i contagiou ) :nhappine pread more ea il/ than a ph/ ical di ea eE Through the law of re onance> it trigger and feed latent negativit/ in other > unle the/ are immune 4 that i > highl/ con ciou E Are /ou polluting the world or cleaning up the me = %ou are re pon i,le for /our inner paceF no,od/ el e i > Gu t a /ou are re pon i,le for the planetE A within> o without) !f human clear inner pollution> then the/ will al o cea e to create outer pollutionE ,ow can we drop negati$ity, as you suggest? #/ dropping itE 'ow do /ou drop a piece of hot coal that /ou are holding in /our hand= 'ow do /ou drop ome heav/ and u ele ,aggage that /ou are carr/ing= #/ recogniAing that /ou don0t want to suffer the pain or carr/ the ,urden an/more and then letting go of itE 3eep uncon ciou ne > uch a the pain4,od/> or other deep pain> uch a the lo of a loved one> u uall/ need to ,e tran muted through acceptance com,ined with the light of /our pre ence 4 /our u tained attentionE *an/ pattern in ordinar/ uncon ciou ne > on the other hand> can impl/ ,e dropped once /ou know that /ou don0t want them and don0t need them an/more> once /ou realiAe that /ou have a choice> that /ou are not Gu t a ,undle of conditioned reflexe E All thi implie that /ou are a,le to acce the power of NowE $ithout it> /ou have no choiceE
If you call some emotions negati$e, aren't you creating a mental polarity of good and bad, as you explained earlier?

NoE The polarit/ wa created at an earlier tage when /our mind Gudged the pre ent moment a ,adF thi Gudgment then created the negative emotionE
(ut if you call some emotions negati$e, aren't you really saying that they shouldn't be there, that it's not okay to ha$e those emotions? 0y understanding is that we should gi$e oursel$es permission to ha$e whate$er feelings come up, rather than 'udge them as bad or say that we shouldn't ha$e them! It's okay to feel resentful. it's okay to be angry, irritated, moody, or whate$er + otherwise, we get into repression, inner conflict, or denial! /$erything is okay as it is.

Of cour eE Once a mind pattern> an emotion or a reaction i there> accept itE %ou were not con ciou enough to have a choice in the matterE That0 not a Gudgment> Gu t a factE !f /ou had a choice> or realiAed that /ou do have a choice> would /ou choo e uffering or Go/> ea e or

unea e> peace or conflict= $ould /ou choo e a thought or feeling that cut /ou off from /our natural tate of well4,eing> the Go/ of life within= An/ uch feeling ! call negative> which impl/ mean ,adE Not in the en e that @%ou houldn0t have done that00 ,ut Gu t plain factual ,ad> like feeling ick in the tomachE 'ow i it po i,le that human killed in exce of "66 million fellow human in the twentieth centur/ alone= 'uman inflicting pain of uch magnitude on one another i ,e/ond an/thing /ou can imagineE And that0 not taking into account the mental> emotional and ph/ ical violence> the torture> pain> and cruelt/ the/ continue to inflict on each other a well a on other entient ,eing on a dail/ ,a i E 3o the/ act in thi wa/ ,ecau e the/ are in touch with their natural tate> the Go/ of life within= Of cour e notE Onl/ people who are in a deepl/ negative tate> who feel ver/ ,ad indeed> would create uch a realit/ a a reflection of how the/ feelE Now the/ are engaged in de tro/ing nature and the planet that u tain themE :n,elieva,le ,ut trueE 'uman are a dangerou l/ in ane and ver/ ick pecie E That0 not a GudgmentE !tL a factE !t i al o a fact that the anit/ i there underneath the madne E 'ealing and redemption are availa,le right nowE Coming ,ack pecificall/ to what /ou aid 4 it i certainl/ true that> when /ou accept /our re entment> moodine > anger> and o on> /ou are no longer forced to act them out ,lindl/> and /ou are le likel/ to proGect them onto other E #ut ! wonder if /ou are not deceiving /our elfE $hen /ou have ,een practicing acceptance for a while> a /ou have> there come a point when /ou need to go on to the next tage> where tho e negative emotion are not created an/moreE !f /ou don0t> /our @acceptance@ Gu t ,ecome a mental la,el that allow /our ego to continue to indulge in unhappine and o trengthen it en e of eparation from other people> /our urrounding > /our here and nowE A /ou know> eparation i the ,a i for the ego0 en e of identit/E True acceptance would tran mute tho e feeling at onceE And if /ou reall/ knew deepl/ that ever/thing i @oka/>@ a /ou put it> and which of cour e i true> then would /ou have tho e negative feeling in the fir t place= $ithout Gudgment> without re i tance to what i > the/ would not ari eE %ou have an idea in /our mind that @ever/thing i oka/>@ ,ut deep down /ou don0t reall/ ,elieve it> and o the old mental4emotional pattern of re i tance are till in placeE That0 what make /ou feel ,adE E
&hat's okay, too!

Are /ou defending /our right to ,e uncon ciou > /our right to uffer= 3on0t worr/E No,od/ i going to take that awa/ from /ouE Once /ou realiAe that a certain kind of food make /ou ick> would /ou carr/ on eating that food and keep a erting that it i oka/ to ,e ick=
WHERE"ER YOU ARE, BE THERE TOTALLY

Can you gi$e some more examples of ordinary unconsciousness?

See if /ou can catch /our elf complaining> in either peech or thought> a,out a ituation /ou find /our elf in> what other people do or a/> /our urrounding > /our life ituation> even the weatherE To complain i alwa/ nonacceptance of what i E !t invaria,l/ carrie an uncon ciou negative chargeE $hen /ou complain> /ou make /our elf into a victimE $hen /ou peak out> /ou are in /our powerE So change the ituation ,/ taking action or ,/ peaking out if nece ar/ or po i,leF leave the ituation or accept itE All el e i madne E Ordinar/ uncon ciou ne i alwa/ linked in ome wa/ with denial of the NowE The

Now> of cour e> al o implie the hereE Are /ou re i ting /our here and now= Some people would alwa/ rather ,e omewhere el eE Their @here@ i never good enoughE Through elf4 o, ervation> find out if that i the ca e in /our lifeE $herever /ou are> ,e there totall/E !f /ou find /our here and now intolera,le and it make /ou unhapp/> /ou have three option ) remove /our elf from the ituation> change it> or accept it totall/E !f /ou want to take re pon i,ilit/ for /our life> /ou mu t choo e one of tho e three option > and /ou mu t choo e nowE Then accept the con eDuence E No excu e E No negativit/E No p /chic pollutionE 7eep /our inner pace clearE !f /ou take an/ action 4 leaving or changing /our ituation 4 drop the negativit/ fir t> if at all po i,leE Action ari ing out of in ight into what i reDuired i more effective than action ari ing out of negativit/E An/ action i often ,etter than no action> e peciall/ if /ou have ,een tuck in an unhapp/ ituation for a long timeE !f it i a mi take> at lea t /ou learn omething> in which ca e itL no longer a mi takeE !f /ou remain tuck> /ou learn nothingE ! fear preventing /ou from taking action= Acknowledge the fear> watch it> take /our attention into it> ,e full/ pre ent with itE 3oing o cut the link ,etween the fear and /our thinkingE ,on-t let the fear rise u! into your %ind. : e the power of the NowE Fear cannot prevail again t itE !f there i trul/ nothing that /ou can do to change /our here and now> and /ou canLt remove /our elf from the ituation> then accept /our here and now totall/ ,/ dropping all inner re i tanceE The fal e> unhapp/ elf that love feeling mi era,le> re entful> or orr/ for it elf can then no longer urviveE Thi i called urrenderE Surrender i not weakne E There i great trength in itE Onl/ a urrendered per on ha piritual powerE Through urrender> /ou will ,e free internall/ of the ituationE %ou ma/ then find that the ituation change without an/ effort on /our partE !n an/ ca e> /ou are freeE Or i there omething that /ou @ hould@ ,e doing ,ut are not doing it= Get up and do it nowE Alternativel/> completel/ accept /our inactivit/> laAine > or pa ivit/ at thi moment> if that i /our choiceE Go into it full/E EnGo/ itE #e a laA/ or inactive a /ou canE !f /ou go into it full/ and con ciou l/> /ou will oon come out of itE Or ma/,e /ou won0tE Either wa/> there i no inner conflict> no re i tance> no negativit/E Are /ou tre ed= Are /ou o ,u / getting to the future that the pre ent i reduced to a mean of getting there= Stre i cau ed ,/ ,eing @here@ ,ut wanting to ,e @there>@ or ,eing in the pre ent ,ut wanting to ,e in the futureE !f a plit that tear /ou apart in ideE To create and live with uch an inner plit i in aneE The fact that ever/one el e i doing it doe n0t make it an/ le in aneE !f /ou have to> /ou can move fa t> work fa t> or even run> without proGecting /our elf into the future and without re i ting the pre entE A /ou move> work> run 4 do it totall/E EnGo/ the flow of energ/> the high energ/ of that momentE Now /ou are no longer tre ed> no longer plitting /our elf in twoE <u t moving> running> working 4 and enGo/ing itE Or /ou can drop the whole thing and it on a park ,enchE #ut when /ou do> watch /our mindE !t ma/ a/E @%ou hould ,e workingE %ou are wa ting timeE@ O, erve the mindE Smile at itE 3oe the pa t take up a great deal of /our attention= 3o /ou freDuentl/ talk and think a,out it> either po itivel/ or negativel/= The great thing that /ou have achieved> /our adventure or experience > or /our victim tor/ and the dreadful thing that were done to /ou> or ma/,e what /ou did to omeone el e= Are /our thought proce e creating guilt> pride> re entment> anger> regret> or elf4pit/= Then /ou are not onl/ reinforcing a fal e en e of elf ,ut al o helping to accelerate /our ,od/0 aging proce ,/ creating an accumulation of pa t in /our p /cheE ?erif/ thi for /our elf ,/ o, erving tho e around /ou who have a trong tendenc/ to hold on to the pa tE

3ie to the pa t ever/ momentE %ou don0t need itE Onl/ refer to it when it i a, olutel/ relevant to the pre entE Feel the power of thi moment and the fullne of #eingE Feel /our pre enceE

Are /ou worried= 3o /ou have man/ @what if@ thought = %ou are identified with /our mind> which i proGecting it elf into an imaginar/ future ituation and creating fearE There i no wa/ that /ou can cope with uch a ituation> ,ecau e it doe n0t exi tE !t0 a mental phantomE %ou can top thi health4 and life4corroding in anit/ impl/ ,/ acknowledging the pre ent momentE #ecome aware of /our ,reathingE Feel the air flowing in and out of /our ,od/E Feel /our inner energ/ fieldE All that /ou ever have to deal with> cope with> in real life 4 a oppo ed to imaginar/ mind proGection 4 i this %o%ent! A k /our elf what @pro,lem@ /ou have right now> not next /ear> tomorrow> or five minute from nowE $hat i wrong with thi moment= %ou can alwa/ cope with the Now> ,ut /ou can never cope with the future 4 nor do /ou have toE The an wer> the trength> the right action or the re ource will ,e there when /ou need it> not ,efore> not afterE @One da/ !0ll make itE@ ! /our goal taking up o much of /our attention that /ou reduce the pre ent moment to a mean to an end= ! it taking the Go/ out of /our doing= Are /ou waiting to tart living= !f /ou develop uch a mind pattern> no matter what /ou achieve or get> the pre ent will never ,e good enoughF the future will alwa/ eem ,etterE A perfect recipe for permanent di ati faction and non4fulfillment> don0t /ou agree= Are /ou a ha,itual @waiter@= 'ow much of /our life do /ou> pend waiting= $hat ! call @ mall4 cale waiting@ i waiting in line at the po t office> in a traffic Gam> at the airport> or waiting for omeone to arrive> to fini h work> and o onE @8arge4 cale waiting@ i waiting for the next vacation> for a ,etter Go,> for the children to grow up> for a trul/ meaningful relation hip> for ucce > to make mone/> to ,e important> to ,ecome enlightenedE !t i not uncommon for people to pend their whole life waiting to tart livingE $aiting i a tate of mindE #a icall/> it mean that /ou want the futureF /ou don0t want the pre entE %ou don0t want what /ou0ve got> and /ou want what /ou haven0t gotE $ith ever/ kind of waiting> /ou uncon ciou l/ create inner conflict ,etween /our here and now> where /ou don0t want to ,e> and the proGected future> where /ou want to ,eE Thi greatl/ reduce the Dualit/ of /our life ,/ making /ou lo e the pre entE There i nothing wrong with triving to improve /our life ituationE %ou can improve /our life ituation> ,ut /ou cannot improve /our lifeE 8ife i primar/E 8ife i /our deepe t inner #eingE !t i alread/ whole> complete> perfectE %our life ituation con i t of /our circum tance and /our experience E There i nothing wrong with etting goal and triving to achieve thing E The mi take lie in u ing it a a u, titute for the feeling of life> for #eingE The onl/ point of acce for that i the NowE %ou are then like an architect who pa/ no attention to the foundation of a ,uilding ,ut pend a lot of time working on the uper tructureE For example> man/ people are waiting for pro perit/E !t cannot come in the futureE $hen /ou honor> acknowledge> and full/ accept /our pre ent realit/ 4 where /ou are> who /ou are> what /ou are doing right now 4 when /ou full/ accept what /ou have got> /ou are grateful for what /ou have got> grateful for what i > grateful for #eingE Gratitude

for the pre ent moment and the fullne of life now i true pro perit/E !t cannot come in the futureE Then> in time> that pro perit/ manife t for /ou in variou wa/ E !f /ou are di ati fied with what /ou have got> or even fru trated or angr/ a,out /our pre ent lack> that ma/ motivate /ou to ,ecome rich> ,ut even if /ou do make million > /ou will continue to experience the inner condition of lack> and deep down /ou will continue to feel unfulfilledE %ou ma/ have man/ exciting experience that mone/ can ,u/> ,ut the/ will come and go and alwa/ leave /ou with an empt/ feeling and the need for further ph/ ical or p /chological gratificationE %ou won0t a,ide in #eing and o feel the fullne of life now that alone i true pro perit/E So give up waiting a a tate of mindE $hen /ou catch /our elf lipping into waiting EEE nap out of itE Come into the pre ent momentE <u t ,e> and enGo/ ,eingE !f /ou are pre ent> there i never an/ need for /ou to wait for an/thingE So next time ome,od/ a/ > @Sorr/ to have kept /ou waiting>@ /ou can repl/> @That0 all right> ! wa n0t waitingE ! wa Gu t tanding here enGo/ing m/ elf 4 in Go/ in m/ elfE@ The e are Gu t a few of the ha,itual mind trategie for den/ing the pre ent moment that are part of ordinar/ uncon ciou ne E The/ are ea / to overlook ,ecau e the/ are o much a part of normal living) the ,ackground tatic of perpetual di contentE #ut the more /ou prac4 tice monitoring /our inner mental4emotional tate> the ea ier it will ,e to know when /ou have ,een trapped in pa t or future> which i to a/ uncon ciou > and to awaken out of the dream of time into the pre entE #ut ,eware) The fal e> unhapp/ elf> ,a ed on mind identification> live on timeE !t know that the pre ent moment i it own death and o feel ver/ threatened ,/ itE !t will do all it can to take /ou out of itE !t will tr/ to keep /ou trapped in timeE
THE INNER $UR$OSE O YOUR LI E#S *OURNEY

I can see the truth of what you are saying, but I still think that we must ha$e purpose on our life's 'ourney. otherwise we 'ust drift, and purpose means future, doesn't it? ,ow do we reconcile that with li$ing in the present?

$hen /ou are on a Gourne/> it i certainl/ helpful to know where /ou are going or at lea t the general direction in which /ou are moving> ,ut don0t forget) the onl/ thing that i ultimatel/ real a,out /our Gourne/ i the tep that /ou are taking at thi momentE That0 all there ever i E %our life0 Gourne/ ha an outer purpo e and an inner purpo eE The outer purpo e i to arrive at /our goal or de tination> to accompli h what /ou et out to do> to achieve thi or that> which> of cour e> implie futureE #ut if /our de tination> or the tep /ou are going to take in the future> take up o much of /our attention that the/ ,ecome more important to /ou than the tep /ou are taking now> then /ou completel/ mi the Gourne/ inner purpo e> which ha nothing to do with where you are going or what you are doing> ,ut ever/thing to do with how. !t ha nothing to do with future ,ut ever/thing to do with the Dualit/ of /our con ciou ne at thi momentE The outer purpo e ,elong to the horiAontal dimen ion of pace and timeF the inner purpo e concern a deepening of /our #eing in the vertical dimen ion of the timele NowE %our outer Gourne/ ma/ contain a million tep F /our inner Gourne/ onl/ ha one) the tep /ou are taking right nowE A /ou ,ecome more deepl/ aware of thi one tep> /ou realiAe that it alread/ contain within it elf all the other tep a well a the de tinationE Thi one tep then ,ecome tran formed into an expre ion of perfection> an act of great ,eaut/ and Dualit/E !t will have taken /ou into #eing> and the light of #eing will

hine through itE Thi i ,oth the purpo e and the fulfillment of /our inner Gourne/> the Gourne/ into /our elfE

1oes it matter whether we achie$e our outer purpose, whether we succeed or fail in the world?

!t will matter to /ou a long a /ou haven0t realiAed /our inner purpo eE After that> the outer purpo e i Gu t a game that /ou ma/ continue to pla/ impl/ ,ecau e /ou enGo/ itE !t i al o po i,le to fail completel/ in /our outer purpo e and at the ame time totall/ ucceed in /our inner purpo eE Or the other wa/ around> which i actuall/ more common) outer riche and inner povert/> or to @gain the world and lo e /our oul>@ a <e u put itE :ltimatel/> of cour e> every outer purpo e i doomed to @fail@ ooner or later> impl/ ,ecau e it i u,Gect to the law of impermanence of all thing E The ooner /ou realiAe that /our outer purpo e cannot give /ou la ting fulfillment> the ,etterE $hen /ou have een the limitation of /our outer purpo e> /ou give up /our unreali tic expectation that it hould make /ou happ/> and /ou make it u, ervient to /our inner purpo eE
THE $AST CANNOT SUR"I"E IN YOUR $RESENCE

You mentioned that thinking or talking about the past unnecessarily is one of the ways in which we a$oid the present! (ut apart from the past that we remember and perhaps identify with, isn't there another le$el of past within us that is much more deep+seated? I am talking about the unconscious past that conditions our li$es, especially through early childhood experiences, perhaps e$en past+ life experiences! -nd then there is our cultural conditioning, which has to do with where we li$e geographically and the historical time period in which we li$e! -ll these things determine how we see the world, how we react, what we think, what kind of relationships we ha$e, how we li$e our li$es! ,ow could we e$er become conscious of all that or get rid of it? ,ow long would that take? -nd e$en if we did, what would there be left?

$hat i left when illu ion end = There i no need to inve tigate the uncon ciou pa t in /ou except a it manife t at thi moment a a thought> an emotion> a de ire> a reaction> or an external event that happen to /ouE $hatever /ou need to know a,out the uncon ciou pa t in /ou> the challenge of the pre ent will ,ring it outE !f /ou delve into the pa t> it will ,ecome a ,ottomle pitE There i alwa/ moreE %ou ma/ think that /ou need more time to under tand the pa t or ,ecome free of it> in other word > that the future will eventuall/ free /ou of the pa tE Thi i a delu ionE Onl/ the pre ent can free /ou of the pa tE *ore time cannot free /ou of timeE Acce the power of NowE That i the ke/E
What is the power of "ow?

None other than the power of /our pre ence> /our con ciou ne li,erated from thought form E So deal with the pa t on the level of the pre entE The more attention /ou give to the pa t> the more /ou energiAe it> and the more likel/ /ou are to make a @ elf0 out of itE 3on0t mi under tand) Attention i e ential> ,ut not to the pa t a pa tE Give attention to the pre entF give attention to /our ,ehavior> to /our reaction > mood > thought > emotion > fear > and de ire a the/ occur in the pre entE There-s the pa t in /ouE !f /ou can ,e pre ent enough to watch all tho e thing > not criticall/ or anal/ticall/ ,ut non4Gudgmentall/> then /ou are dealing with the pa t and di olving it

through the power of /our pre enceE %ou cannot find /our elf ,/ going into the pa tE %ou find /our elf ,/ coming into the pre entE
Isn't it helpful to understand the past and so understand why we do certain things, react in certain ways, or why we unconsciously create our particular kind of drama, patterns in relationships, and so on?

A /ou ,ecome more con ciou of /our pre ent realit/> /ou ma/ uddenl/ get certain in ight a to why /our conditioning function in tho e particular wa/ F for example> wh/ /our relation hip follow certain pattern > and /ou ma/ remem,er thing that happened in the pa t or ee them more clearl/E That i fine and can ,e helpful> ,ut it i not e entialE $hat i e ential i /our con ciou pre enceE That di olve the pa tE That i the tran formative agentE So don0t eek to under tand the pa t> ,ut ,e a pre ent a /ou canE The pa t cannot urvive in /our pre enceE !t can onl/ urvive in /our a, enceE

Chapter Five

T'E STATE OF P(ESENCE

IT#S NOT WHAT YOU THINK IT IS

You keep talking about the state of presence as the key! I think I understand it intellectually, but I don't know if I ha$e e$er truly experienced it! I wonder + is it what I think it is, or is it something entirely different?

!tL not what /ou think it i O %ou cant think a,out pre ence> and the mind can0t under tand itE :nder tanding pre ence i #eing pre entE Tr/ a little experimentE Clo e /our e/e and a/ to /our elf) @! wonder what m/ next thought i going to ,eE@ Then ,ecome ver/ alert and wait for the next thoughtE #e like a cat watching a mou e holeE $hat thought i going to come out of the mou e hole= Tr/ it nowE

$ell=
I had to wait for uite a long time before a thought came in!

Exactl/E A long a /ou are in a tate of inten e pre ence> /ou are free of thoughtE %ou are till> /et highl/ alertE The in tant /our con ciou attention ink ,elow a certain level> thought ru he inE The mental noi e return F the tillne i lo tE %ou are ,ack in timeE To te t their degree of pre ence> ome Ren ma ter have ,een known to creep up on their tudent from ,ehind and uddenl/ hit them with a tickE ;uite a hockO !f the tudent had ,een full/ pre ent and in a tate of alertne > if he had @kept hi loin girded and hi lamp ,urning>@ which i one of the analogie that <e u u e for pre ence> he would have noticed the ma ter coming up from ,ehind and topped him or tepped a ideE

#ut if he were hit> that would mean he wa immer ed in thought> which i to a/ a, ent> uncon ciou E To ta/ pre ent in ever/da/ life> it help to ,e deepl/ rooted within /our elfF otherwi e> the mind> which ha incredi,le momentum> will drag /ou along like a wild riverE What do you mean by #rooted within yourself#? !t mean to inha,it /our ,od/ full/E To alwa/ have ome of /our attention in the inner energ/ field of /our ,od/E To feel the ,od/ from within> o to peakE #od/ awarene keep /ou pre entE !t anchor /ou in the Now J ee Chapter 9KE T'E ESOTE(!C *EAN!NG OF @$A!T!NG@ !n a en e> the tate of pre ence could ,e compared to waitingE <e u u ed the analog/ of waiting in ome of hi para,le E Thi i not the u ual ,ored or re tle kind of waiting that i a denial of the pre ent and that ! poke a,out alread/E !t i not a waiting in which /our attention i focu ed on ome point in the future and the pre ent i perceived a an unde ira,le o, tacle that prevent /ou from having what /ou wantE There i a Dualitativel/ different kind of waiting> one that reDuire /our total alertne E Something could happen at an/ moment> and if /ou are not a, olutel/ awake> a, olutel/ till> /ou will mi itE Thi i the kind of waiting <e u talk a,outE !n that tate> all /our attention i in the NowE There i none left for da/dreaming> thinking> remem,ering> anticipatingE There i no ten ion in it> no fear> Gu t alert pre enceE %ou are pre ent with /our whole #eing> with ever/ cell of /our ,od/E !n that tate> the @/ou@ that ha a pa t and a future> the per onalit/ if /ou like> i hardl/ there an/moreE And /et nothing of value i lo tE %ou are till e entiall/ /our elfE !n fact> /ou are more full/ /our elf than /ou ever were ,efore> or rather it i onl/ now that /ou are trul/ /our elfE @#e like a ervant waiting for the return of the ma ter>@ a/ <e u E The ervant doe not know at what hour the ma ter i going to comeE So he ta/ awake> alert> poi ed> till> le t he mi the ma ter0 arrivalE !n another para,le> <e u peak of the five carele Juncon ciou K women who do not have enough oil Jcon ciou ne K to keep their lamp ,urning J ta/ pre entK and o mi the ,ridegroom Jthe NowK and don0t get to the wedding fea t JenlightenmentKE The e five tand in contra t to the five wi e women who have enough oil J ta/ con ciou KE Even the men who wrote the Go pel did not under tand the meaning of the e para,le > o the fir t mi interpretation and di tortion crept in a the/ were written downE $ith u, eDuent erroneou interpretation > the real meaning wa completel/ lo tE The e are para,le not a,out the end of the world ,ut a,out the end of p /chological timeE The/ point to the tran cendence of the egoic mind and the po i,ilit/ of living in an entirel/ new tate of con ciou ne E #EA:T% A(!SES !N T'E ST!88NESS OF %O:( P(ESENCE

What you ha$e 'ust described is something that I occasionally experience for brief moments when I am alone and surrounded by nature! %e E Ren ma ter u e the word atori to de cri,e a fla h of in ight> a moment of no4mind and total pre enceE Although atori i not a la ting tran formation> ,e grateful when it come > for it give /ou a ta te of enlightenmentE %ou ma/> indeed> have experienced it man/ time without knowing what it i and realiAing it importanceE Pre ence i needed to ,ecome aware of the ,eaut/> the maGe t/> the acredne of natureE 'ave /ou ever gaAed up into the infinit/ of pace on a clear night> awe truck ,/ the a, olute tillne and inconceiva,le va tne of it= 'ave /ou li tened> trul/ li tened> to the ound of a mountain tream in the fore t= Or to the ong of a ,lack,ird at du k on a Duiet ummer evening= To ,ecome aware of uch thing > the mind need to ,e tillE %ou have to put down for a moment /our per onal ,aggage of pro,lem > of pa t and future> a well a all /our knowledgeF otherwi e> /ou will ee ,ut not ee> hear ,ut not hearE %our total pre ence i reDuiredE #e/ond the ,eaut/ of the external form > there i more here) omething that cannot ,e named> omething ineffa,le> ome deep> inner> hol/ e enceE $henever and wherever there i ,eaut/> thi inner e ence hine through omehowE !t onl/ reveal it elf to /ou when /ou are pre entE Could it ,e that thi namele e ence and /our pre ence are one and the ame= $ould it ,e there without /our pre ence= Go deepl/ into itE Find out for /our elfE

$hen /ou experienced tho e moment of pre ence> /ou likel/ didn0t realiAe that /ou were ,riefl/ in a tate of no4mindE Thi i ,ecau e the gap ,etween that tate and the influx of thought wa too narrowE %our satori ma/ onl/ have la ted for a few econd ,efore the mind came in> ,ut it wa thereF otherwi e> /ou would not have experienced the ,eaut/E *ind can neither recogniAe nor create ,eaut/E Onl/ for a few econd > while /ou were completel/ pre ent> wa that ,eaut/ or that acredne thereE #ecau e of the narrowne of that gap and a lack of vigilance and alertne on /our part> /ou were pro,a,l/ una,le to ee the fundamental difference ,etween the perception> the thought4le awarene of ,eaut/> and the naming and interpreting of it a thought) The time gap wa o mall that it eemed to ,e a ingle proce E The truth i > however> that the moment thought came in> all /ou had wa a memor/ of itE The wider the time gap ,etween perception and thought> the more depth there i to /ou a a human ,eing> which i to a/ the more con ciou /ou areE *an/ people are o impri oned in their mind that the ,eaut/ of nature doe not reall/ exi t for themE The/ might a/> Q$hat a prett/ flower>P ,ut itL Gu t a mechanical mental la,elingE #ecau e the/ are not till> the/ are not pre ent> the/ donLt trul/ ee that flower> donLt feel it e ence> it holine I Gu t a the/ donLt know them elve > donLt feel their own e ence> their own holine E #ecau e we live in uch a mind4dominated culture> mo t modern art> architecture> mu ic> and literature are devoid of ,eaut/> of inner e ence> with ver/ few exception E The rea on i that the people who create tho e thing cannot 4 even for a moment 4 free them elve from their mindE So the/ are never in touch with that place within where true creativit/ and ,eaut/ ari eE The mind left to it elf create mon tro itie > and not onl/ in art gallerie E 8ook at our ur,an land cape and indu trial wa teland E No civiliAation ha ever produced o much ugline E

REALI,ING $URE CONSCIOUSNESS

Is presence the same as (eing? $hen /ou ,ecome con ciou of #eing> what i reall/ happening i that #eing ,ecome con ciou of it elfE $hen #eing ,ecome con ciou of it elf 4 that0 pre enceE Since #eing> Con ciou ne > and 8ife are /non/mou > we could a/ that pre ence mean con ciou ne ,ecoming con ciou of it elf> or life attaining elf4con ciou ne E #ut don0t get attached to the word > and don0t make an effort to under tand thi E There i nothing that /ou need to under tand ,efore /ou can ,ecome pre entE I do understand what you 'ust said, but it seems to imply that (eing, the ultimate transcendental reality, is not yet complete, that it is undergoing a process of de$elopment! 1oes God need time for personal growth? %e > ,ut onl/ a een from the limited per pective of the manife ted univer eE !n the #i,le> God declare ) @! am the Alpha and the Omega> and ! am the living OneE@ !n the timele realm where God dwell > which i al o your home> the ,eginning and the end> the Alpha and the Omega> are one> and the e ence of ever/thing that ever ha ,een and ever will ,e i eternall/ pre ent in an unmanife ted tate of onene and perfection 4 totall/ ,e/ond an/thing the human mind can ever imagine or comprehendE !n our world of eemingl/ eparate form > however> timele perfection i an inconceiva,le conceptE 'ere even con ciou ne > which i the light emanating from the eternal Source> eem to ,e u,Gect to a proce of development> ,ut thi i due to our limited perceptionE !t i not o in a, olute term E Neverthele > let me continue to peak for a moment a,out the evolution of con ciou ne in thi worldE Ever/thing that exi t ha #eing> ha God4e ence> ha ome degree of con ciou ne E Even a tone ha rudimentar/ con ciou ne F otherwi e> it would not ,e> and it atom and molecule would di per eE Ever/thing i aliveE The un> the earth> plant > animal > human 4 all are expre ion of con ciou ne in var/ing degree > con ciou ne manife ting a formE The world ari e when con ciou ne take on hape and form > thought form and material form E 8ook at the million of life form on thi planet aloneE !n the ea> on land> in the air 4 and then each life form i replicated million of time E To what end= ! omeone or omething pla/ing a game> a game with form= Thi i what the ancient eer of !ndia a ked them elve E The/ aw the world a lila, a kind of divine game that God i pla/ingE The individual life form are o,viou l/ not ver/ important in thi gameE !n the ea> mo t life form don0t urvive for more than a few minute after ,eing ,ornE The human form turn to du t prett/ Duickl/ too> and when it i gone it i a if it had never ,eenE ! that tragic or cruel= Onl/ if /ou create a eparate identit/ for each form> if /ou forget that it con ciou ne i God4e ence expre ing it elf in formE #ut /ou don0t trul/ know that until /ou realiAe /our own God4e ence a pure con ciou ne E !f a fi h i ,orn in /our aDuarium and /ou call it <ohn> write out a ,irth certificate> tell him a,out hi famil/ hi tor/> and two minute later he get eaten ,/ another fi h 4 that0 tragicE #ut itL onl/ tragic ,ecau e /ou proGected a eparate elf where there wa noneE %ou got hold of a fraction of a d/namic proce > a molecular dance> and made a eparate entit/ out of itE Con ciou ne take on the di gui e of form until the/ reach uch complexit/ that it completel/ lo e it elf in themE !n pre ent4da/ human > con ciou ne i completel/

identified with it di gui eE !t onl/ know it elf a form and therefore live in fear of the annihilation of it ph/ ical or p /chological formE Thi i the egoic mind> and thi i where con idera,le d/ function et inE !t now look a if omething had gone ver/ wrong omewhere along the line of evolutionE #ut even thi i part of lila, the divine gameE Finall/> the pre ure of uffering created ,/ thi apparent d/ function force con ciou ne to di identif/ from form and awaken it from it dream of form) !t regain elf4con ciou ne > ,ut it i at a far deeper level than when it lo t itE Thi proce i explained ,/ <e u in hi para,le of the lo t on> who leave hi father0 home> Duander hi wealth> ,ecome de titute> and i then forced ,/ hi uffering to return homeE $hen he doe > hi father loves hi% %ore than ,eforeE The on0 tate i the ame a it wa ,efore> /et not the ameE !t ha an added dimen ion of depthE The para,le de cri,e a Gourne/ from uncon ciou perfection> through apparent imperfection and @evil@ to con ciou perfectionE Can /ou now ee the deeper and wider ignificance of ,ecoming pre ent a the watcher of /our mind= $henever /ou watch the mind> /ou withdraw con ciou ne from mind form > which then ,ecome what we call the watcher or the witne E Con eDuentl/> the watcher 4 pure con ciou ne ,e/ond form 4 ,ecome tronger> and the mental formation ,ecome weakerE $hen we talk a,out watching the mind we are per onaliAing an event that i trul/ of co mic ignificance) through /ou> con ciou ne i awakening out of it dream of identification with form and withdrawing from formE Thi fore hadow > ,ut i alread/ part of> an event that i pro,a,l/ till in the di tant future a far a chronological time i concernedE The event i called 4 the end of the worldE

$hen con ciou ne free it elf from it identification with ph/ ical and mental form > it ,ecome what we ma/ call pure or enlightened con ciou ne > or pre enceE Thi ha alread/ happened in a few individual > and it eem de tined to happen oon on a much larger cale> although there i no a, olute guarantee that it will happenE *o t human are till in the grip of the egoic mode of con ciou ne ) identified with their mind and run ,/ their mindE !f the/ do not free them elve from their mind in time> the/ will ,e de tro/ed ,/ itE The/ will experience increa ing confu ion> conflict> violence> illne > de pair> madne E Egoic mind ha ,ecome like a inking hipE !f /ou don0t get off> /ou will go down with itE The collective egoic mind i the mo t dangerou l/ in ane and de tructive entit/ ever to inha,it thi planetE $hat do /ou think will happen on thi planet if human con ciou ne remain unchanged= Alread/ for mo t human > the onl/ re pite the/ find from their own mind i to occa ionall/ revert to a level of con ciou ne ,elow thoughtE Ever/one doe that ever/ night during leepE #ut thi al o happen to ome extent through ex> alcohol> and other drug that uppre exce ive mind activit/E !f it weren0t for alcohol> tranDuiliAer > antidepre ant > a well a the illegal drug > which are all con umed in va t Duantitie > the in anit/ of the human mind would ,ecome even more glaringl/ o,viou than it i alread/E ! ,elieve that> if deprived of their drug > a large part of the population would ,ecome a danger to them elve and other E The e drug > of cour e> impl/ keep /ou tuck in d/ functionE Their wide pread u e onl/ dela/ the ,reakdown of the old mind tructure and the emergence of higher con ciou ne E $hile individual u er ma/ get ome relief from the dail/ torture inflicted on them ,/ their mind > the/ are prevented from generating enough con ciou pre ence to ri e a,ove thought and o find true li,erationE

Falling ,ack to a level of con ciou ne ,elow mind> which i the pre4thinking level of our di tant ance tor and of animal and plant > i not an option for u E There i no wa/ ,ackE !f the human race i to urvive> it will have to go on to the next tageE Con ciou ne i evolving throughout the univer e in ,illion of form E So even if we didn0t make it> thi wouldn0t matter on a co mic caleE No gain in con ciou ne i ever lo t> o it would impl/ expre it elf through ome other formE #ut the ver/ fact that ! am peaking here and /ou are li tening or reading thi i a dear ign that the new con ciou ne i gaining a foothold on the planetE There i nothing per onal in thi ) ! am not teaching /ouE %ou are con ciou ne > and /ou are li tening to /our elfE There i an Ea tern a/ing) @The teacher and the taught together create the teachingE@ !n an/ ca e> the word in them elve are not importantE The/ are not the TruthF the/ onl/ point to itE ! peak from pre ence> and a ! peak> /ou ma/ ,e a,le to Goin me in that tateE Although ever/ word that ! u e ha a hi tor/> of cour e> and come from the pa t> a all language doe > the word that ! peak to /ou now are carrier of the high4energ/ freDuenc/ of pre ence> Duite apart from the meaning the/ conve/ a word E Silence i an even more potent carrier of pre ence> o when /ou read thi or li ten to me peak> ,e aware of the ilence ,etween and underneath the word E #e aware of the gap E To li ten to the ilence> wherever /ou are> i an ea / and direct wa/ of ,ecoming pre entE Even if there i noi e> there i alwa/ ome ilence underneath and in ,etween the ound E 8i tening to the ilence immediatel/ create tillne in ide /ouE Onl/ the tillne in /ou can perceive the ilence out ideE And what i tillne other than pre ence> con ciou ne freed from thought form = 'ere i the living realiAation of what we have ,een talking a,outE

CHRIST! THE REALITY O YOUR DI"INE $RESENCE

3on0t get attached to an/ one wordE %ou can u, titute @Chri t@ for pre ence> if that i more meaningful to /ouE Chri t i /our Gode ence or the Self> a it i ometime called in the Ea tE The onl/ difference ,etween Chri t and pre ence i that Chri t refer to /our indwelling divinit/ regardle of whether /ou are con ciou of it or not> wherea pre ence mean /our awakened divinit/ or God4e enceE *an/ mi under tanding and fal e ,elief a,out Chri t will clear if /ou realiAe that there i no pa t or future in Chri tE To a/ that Chri t was or will #e is a contradiction in term E <e u wa E 'e wa a man who lived two thou and /ear ago and realiAed divine pre ence> hi true natureE And o he aid) @#efore A,raham wa > ! amE@ 'e did not a/E @! alread/ exi ted ,efore A,raham wa ,ornE@ That would have meant that he wa till within the dimen ion of time and form identit/E The word $ a% u ed in a entence that tart in the pa t ten e indicate a radical hift> a di continuit/ in the temporal dimen ionE !t i a Ren4like tatement of great profundit/E <e u attempted to conve/ directl/> not through di cur ive thought> the meaning of pre ence> of elf4realiAationE 'e had gone ,e/ond the con ciou ne dimen ion governed ,/ time> into the realm of the timele E The dimen ion of eternit/ had come into thi worldE Eternit/> of cour e> doe not mean endle time> ,ut no timeE Thu > the man <e u ,ecame Chri t> a vehicle for pure con ciou ne E And what i God0 elf4definition in the #i,le= 3id God a/ @! have alwa/ ,een> and ! alwa/ will ,e=@ Of cour e notE That would have given realit/ to pa t and futureE God aid) @! A* T'AT ! A*E@ No time here> Gu t pre enceE

The @ econd coming@ of Chri t i a tran formation of human con ciou ne > a hift from time to pre ence> from thinking to pure con ciou ne > not the arrival of ome man or womanE !f @Chri t@ were to return tomorrow in ome externaliAed form> what could he or he po i,l/ a/ to /ou other than thi ) @! am the TruthE ! am divine pre enceE ! am eternal lifeE ! am within /ouE ! am hereE ! am NowE@

Never per onaliAe Chri tE 3on0t make Chri t into a form identit/E Avatar > divine mother > enlightened ma ter > the ver/ few that are real> are not pecial a per on E $ithout a fal e elf to uphold> defend> and feed> the/ are more imple> more ordinar/ than the ordinar/ man or womanE An/one with a trong ego would regard them a in ignificant or> more likel/> not ee them at allE !f /ou are drawn to an enlightened teacher> it i ,ecau e there i alread/ enough pre ence in /ou to recogniAe pre ence in anotherE There were man/ people who did not recogniAe <e u or the #uddha> a there are and alwa/ have ,een man/ people who are drawn to fal e teacher E Ego are drawn to ,igger ego E 3arkne cannot recogniAe lightE Onl/ light can recogniAe lightE So don0t ,elieve that the light i out ide /ou or that it can onl/ come through one particular formE !f onl/ /our ma ter i an incarnation of God> then who are /ou= An/ kind of exclu ivit/ i identification with form> and identification with form mean ego> no matter how well di gui edE : e the ma ter0 pre ence to reflect /our own identit/ ,e/ond name and form ,ack to /ou and to ,ecome more inten el/ pre ent /our elfE %ou will oon realiAe that there i no @mine@ or @/our @ in pre enceE Pre ence i oneE Group work can al o ,e helpful for inten if/ing the light of /our pre enceE A group of people coming together in a tate of pre ence generate a collective energ/ field of great inten it/E !t not onl/ rai e the degree of pre ence of each mem,er of the group ,ut al o help to free the collective human con ciou ne from it current tate of mind dominanceE Thi will make the tate of pre ence increa ingl/ more acce i,le to individual E 'owever> unle at lea t one mem,er of the group i alread/ firml/ e ta,li hed in it and thu can hold the energ/ freDuenc/ of that tate> the egoic mind can ea il/ rea ert it elf and a,otage the group0 endeavor E Although group work i invalua,le> it i not enough> and /ou mu t not come to depend on itE Nor mu t /ou come to depend on a teacher or a ma ter> except during the tran itional period> when /ou are learning the meaning and practice of pre enceE

C'APTE( S!B

T'E !NNE( #O3%

#E!NG !S %O:( 3EEPEST SE8F
You spoke earlier about the importance of ha$ing deep roots within or inhabiting the body! Can you explain what you meant by that? The ,od/ can ,ecome a point of acce deepl/ nowE into the realm of #eingE 8et0 go into that more

I am still not uite sure if I fully understand what you mean by Being.

@$ater= $hat do /ou mean ,/ that= ! don0t under tand itE@ Thi i what a fi h would a/ if it had a human mindE Plea e top tr/ing to under tand #eingE %ou have alread/ had ignificant glimp e of #eing> ,ut the mind will alwa/ tr/ to DueeAe it into a little ,ox and then put a la,el on itE !t cannot ,e doneE !t cannot ,ecome an o,Gect of knowledgeE !n #eing> u,Gect and o,Gect merge into oneE #eing can ,e felt a the ever4pre ent $ a% that i ,e/ond name and formE To feel and thu to know that /ou are and to a,ide in that deepl/ rooted tate i enlightenment> i the truth that <e u a/ will make /ou freeE

2ree from what?

Free from the illusion that /ou are nothing more than /our ph/ ical ,od/ and /our mindE Thi @illu ion of the elf>@ a the #uddha call it> i the core errorE Free from fear in it countle di gui e a the inevita,le con eDuence of that illu ion 4 the fear that i /our con tant tormentor a long a /ou derive /our en e of elf onl/ from thi ephemeral and vulnera,le formE And free from sin, which i the uffering /ou uncon ciou l/ inflict on /our elf and other a long a thi illu or/ en e of elf govern what /ou think> a/> and doE
LOOK BEYOND THE WORDS

I don't like the word sin! It implies that I am being 'udged and found guilty!
! can under tand thatE Over the centurie > man/ erroneou view and interpretation have accumulated around word uch a sin, due to ignorance> mi under tanding> or a de ire to control> ,ut the/ contain an e ential core of truthE !f /ou are una,le to look ,e/ond uch interpretation and o cannot recogniAe the realit/ to which the word point > then don0t u e itE 3on0t get tuck on the level of word E A word i no more than a mean to an endE !t0 an a, tractionE Not unlike a ignpo t> it point ,e/ond it elfE The word honey i n0t hone/E %ou can tud/ and talk a,out hone/ for a long a /ou like> ,ut /ou won0t really know it until /ou ta te itE After /ou have ta ted it> the word ,ecome le important to /ouE %ou won0t ,e attached to it an/moreE Similarl/> /ou can talk or think a,out 'od continuou l/ for the re t of /our life> ,ut doe that mean /ou know or have even glimp ed the realit/ to which the word point = !t reall/ i no more than an o, e ive attachment to a ignpo t> a mental idolE The rever e al o applie ) !f> for whatever rea on> /ou di liked the word honey, that might prevent /ou from ever ta ting itE !f /ou had a trong aver ion to the word 'od, which i a negative form of attachment> /ou ma/ ,e den/ing not Gu t the word ,ut al o the realit/ to which it point E %ou would ,e cutting /our elf off from the po i,ilit/ of experiencing that realit/E All thi i > of cour e> intrin icall/ connected with ,eing identified with /our mindE So> if a word doe n0t work for /ou an/more> then drop it and replace it with one that doe workE !f /ou don0t like the word sin, then call it uncon ciou ne or in anit/E That ma/ get /ou clo er to the truth> the realit/ ,ehind the word> than a long4mi u ed word like sin, and leave little room for guiltE
I don't like those words either! &hey imply that there is something wrong with me! I am being 'udged!

Of cour e there i

omething wrong with /ou 4 and /ou are not ,eing GudgedE

! don0t mean to offend /ou per onall/> ,ut do /ou not ,elong to the human race that ha killed over "66 million mem,er of their own pecie in the twentieth centur/ alone=
You mean guilt by association?

!t i not a Due tion of guiltE #ut a long a /ou are run ,/ the egoic mind> /ou are part of the collective in anit/E Perhap /ou haven0t looked ver/ deepl/ into the human condition in it tate of dominance ,/ the egoic mindE Open /our e/e and ee the fear> the de pair> the greed> and the violence that are all4perva iveE See the heinou cruelt/ and uffering on an unimagina,le cale that human have inflicted and continue to inflict on each other a well a on other life form on the planetE %ou don0t need to condemnE <u t o, erveE That i inE That i in anit/E That i uncon ciou ne E A,ove all> don0t forget to o, erve /our own mindE Seek out the root of the in anit/ thereE
INDING YOUR IN"ISIBLE AND INDESTRUCTIBLE REALITY

You said that identification with our physical form is part of the illusion, so how can the body, the physical form, bring you to a reali%ation of (eing?

The ,od/ that /ou can ee and touch cannot take /ou into #eingE #ut that vi i,le and tangi,le ,od/ i onl/ an outer hell> or rather a limited and di torted perception of a deeper realit/E !n /our natural tate of connectedne with #eing> thi deeper realit/ can ,e felt ever/ moment a the invi i,le inner ,od/> the animating pre ence within /ouE So to @inha,it the ,od/@ i to feel the ,od/ from within> to feel the life in ide the ,od/ and there,/ come to know that /ou are ,e/ond the outer formE #ut that i onl/ the ,eginning of an inward Gourne/ that will take /ou ever more deepl/ into a realm of great tillne and peace> /et al o of great power and vi,rant lifeE At fir t> /ou ma/ onl/ get fleeting glimp e of it> ,ut through them /ou will ,egin to realiAe that /ou are not Gu t a meaningle fragment in an alien univer e> ,riefl/ u pended ,etween ,irth and death> allowed a few hort4lived plea ure followed ,/ pain and ultimate annihilationE :nderneath /our outer form> /ou are connected with omething o va t> o immea ura,le and acred> that it cannot ,e conceived or poken of 4 /et ! am peaking of it nowE ! am peaking of it not to give /ou omething to ,elieve in ,ut to how /ou how /ou can know it for /our elfE %ou are cut off from #eing a long a /our mind take up all /our attentionE $hen thi happen 4 and it happen continuou l/ for mo t people 4 /ou are not in /our ,od/E The mind a, or, all /our con ciou ne and tran form it into mind tuffE %ou cannot top thinkingE Compul ive thinking ha ,ecome a collective di ea eE %our whole en e of who /ou are i then derived from mind activit/E %our identit/> a it i no longer rooted in #eing> ,ecome a vulnera,le and ever4need/ mental con truct> which create fear a the predominant underl/ing emotionE The one thing that trul/ matter i then mi ing from /our life) awarene of /our deeper elf 4 /our invi i,le and inde tructi,le realit/E To ,ecome con ciou of #eing> /ou need to reclaim con ciou ne from the mindE Thi i one of the mo t e ential ta k on /our piritual Gourne/E !t will free va t amount of con ciou ne that previou l/ had ,een trapped in u ele and compul ive thinkingE A ver/ effective wa/ of doing thi i impl/ to take the focu of /our attention awa/ from thinking and direct it into the ,od/> where #eing can ,e felt in the fir t in tance a the invi i,le energ/ field that give life to what /ou perceive a the ph/ ical ,od/E

CONNECTING WITH THE INNER BODY

Plea e tr/ it nowE %ou ma/ find it helpful to clo e /our e/e for thi practiceE 8ater on> when @,eing in the ,od/0 ha ,ecome natural and ea /> thi will no longer ,e nece ar/E 3irect /our attention into the ,od/E Feel it from withinE ! it alive= ! there life in /our hand > arm > leg > and feet 4 in /our a,domen> /our che t= Can /ou feel the u,tle energ/ field that pervade the entire ,od/ and give vi,rant life to ever/ organ and ever/ cell= Can /ou feel it imultaneou l/ in all part of the ,od/ a a ingle field of energ/= 7eep focu ing on the feeling of /our inner ,od/ for a few moment E 3o not tart to think a,out itE Feel itE The more attention /ou give it> the clearer and tronger thi feeling will ,ecomeE !t will feel a if ever/ cell i ,ecoming more alive> and if /ou have a trong vi ual en e> /ou ma/ get an image of /our ,od/ ,ecoming luminou E Although uch an image can help /ou temporaril/> pa/ more attention to the feeling than to an/ image that ma/ ari eE An image> no matter how ,eautiful or powerful> i alread/ defined in form> o there i le cope for penetrating more deepl/E

The feeling of /our inner ,od/ i formle > limitle > and unfathoma,leE %ou can alwa/ go into it more deepl/E !f /ou cannot feel ver/ much at thi tage> pa/ attention to whatever /ou "an feelE Perhap there i Gu t a light tingling in /our hand or feetE That0 good enough for the momentE <u t focu on the feelingE %our ,od/ i coming aliveE 8ater> we will practice ome moreE Plea e open /our e/e now> ,ut keep ome attention in the inner energ/ field of the ,od/ even a /ou look around the roomE The inner ,od/ lie at the thre hold ,etween /our form identit/ and /our e ence identit/> /our true natureE Never lo e touch with itE

TRANS ORMATION THROUGH THE BODY

Why ha$e most religions condemned or denied the body? It seems that spiritual seekers ha$e always regarded the body as a hindrance or e$en as sinful!

$h/ have o few eeker ,ecome finder = On the level of the ,od/> human are ver/ clo e to animal E All the ,a ic ,odil/ function 4 plea ure> pain> ,reathing> eating> drinking> defecating> leeping> the drive to find a mate and procreate> and of cour e ,irth and death 4 we hare with the animal E A long time after their fall from a tate of grace and onene into illu ion> human uddenl/ woke up in what eemed to ,e an animal ,od/ 4 and the/ found thi ver/ di tur,ingE @3on0t fool /our elfE %ou are no more than an animalE@ Thi eemed to ,e the truth that wa taring them in the faceE #ut it wa too di tur,ing a truth to tolerateE Adam and Eve aw that the/ were naked> and the/ ,ecame afraidE :ncon ciou denial of their animal nature et in ver/ Duickl/E The threat that the/ might ,e taken over ,/ powerful in tinctual drive and revert ,ack to complete

uncon ciou ne wa indeed a ver/ real oneE Shame and ta,oo appeared around certain part of the ,od/ and ,odil/ function > e peciall/ exualit/E The light of their con ciou ne wa not /et trong enough to make friend with their animal nature> to allow it to #e and even enGo/ that a pect of them elve 4 let alone to go deepl/ into it to find the divine hidden within it> the realit/ within the illu ionE So the/ did what the/ had to doE The/ ,egan to di a ociate from their ,od/E The/ now aw them elve a having a ,od/> rather than Gu t ,eing itE $hen religion aro e> thi di a ociation ,ecame even more pronounced a the @/ou are not /our ,od/@ ,eliefE Countle people in Ea t and $e t throughout the age have tried to find God> alvation> or enlightenment through denial of the ,od/E Thi took the form of denial of en e plea ure and of exualit/ in particular> fa ting> and other a cetic practice E The/ even inflicted pain on the ,od/ in an attempt to weaken or puni h it ,ecau e the/ regarded it a infulE !n Chri tianit/> thi u ed to ,e called mortification of the fle hE Other tried to e cape from the ,od/ ,/ entering trance tate or eeking out4of4the4,od/ experience E *an/ till doE Even the #uddha i aid to have practiced ,od/ denial through fa ting and extreme form of a cetici m for ix /ear > ,ut he did not attain enlightenment until after he had given up thi practiceE The fact i that no one ha ever ,ecome enlightened through den/ing or fighting the ,od/ or through an out4of4the4,od/ experienceE Although uch an experience can ,e fa cinating and can give /ou a glimp e of the tate of li,eration from the material form> in the end /ou will alwa/ have to return to the ,od/> where the e ential work of tran formation take placeE Tran formation i through the ,od/> not awa/ from itE Thi i wh/ no true ma ter ha ever advocated fighting or leaving the ,od/> although their mind4,a ed follower often haveE Of the ancient teaching concerning the ,od/> onl/ certain fragment urvive> uch a <e u 0 tatement that @/our whole ,od/ will ,e filled with light>@ or the/ urvive a m/th > uch a the ,elief that <e u never relinDui hed hi ,od/ ,ut remained one with it and a cended into @heavenP with itE Almo t no one to thi da/ ha under tood tho e fragment or the hidden meaning of certain m/th > and the @/ou are not /our ,od/@ ,elief ha prevailed univer all/> leading to ,od/ denial and attempt to e cape from the ,od/E Countle eeker have thu ,een prevented from attaining piritual realiAation for them elve and ,ecoming finder E

Is it possible to reco$er the lost teachings on the significance of the body or to reconstruct them from the existing fragments?

There i no need for thatE All piritual teaching originate from the ame SourceE !n that en e> there i and alwa/ ha ,een onl/ one ma ter> who manife t in man/ different form E ! am that ma ter> and o are /ou> once /ou are a,le to acce the Source withinE And the wa/ to it i through the inner ,od/E Although all piritual teaching originate from the ame Source> once the/ ,ecome ver,aliAed and written down the/ are o,viou l/ no more than collection of word 4 and a word i nothing ,ut a ignpo t> a we talked a,out earlierE All uch teaching are ignpo t pointing the wa/ ,ack to the SourceE ! have alread/ poken of the Truth that i hidden within /our ,od/> ,ut ! will ummariAe for /ou again the lo t teaching of the ma ter 4 o here i another ignpo tE Plea e endeavor to feel /our inner ,od/ a /ou read or li tenE

SERMON ON THE BODY

$hat /ou perceive a a den e ph/ ical tructure called the ,od/> which i u,Gect to di ea e> old age> and death> i not ultimatel/ real 4 i not /ouE !t i a mi perception of /our e ential realit/ that i ,e/ond ,irth and death> and i due to the limitation of /our mind> which> having lo t touch with #eing> create the ,od/ a evidence of it illu or/ ,elief in eparation and to Gu tif/ it tate of fearE #ut do not turn awa/ from the ,od/> for within that /m,ol of impermanence> limitation> and death that /ou perceive a the illu or/ creation of /our mind i concealed the plendor of /our e ential and immortal realit/E 3o not turn /our attention el ewhere in /our earch for the Truth> for it i nowhere el e to ,e found ,ut within /our ,od/E 3o not fight again t the ,od/> for in doing o /ou are fighting again t /our own realit/E )ou are /our ,od/E The ,od/ that /ou can ee and touch i onl/ a thin illu or/ veilE :nderneath it lie the invi i,le inner ,od/> the doorwa/ into #eing> into 8ife :nmanife tedE Through the inner ,od/> /ou are in epara,l/ connected to thi unmanife ted One 8ife 4 ,irthle > deathle > eternall/ pre entE Through the inner ,od/> /ou are forever one with GodE

HA"E DEE$ ROOTS WITHIN

The ke/ i to ,e in a tate of permanent connectedne with /our inner ,od/ 4 to feel it at all time E Thi will rapidl/ deepen and tran form /our lifeE The more con ciou ne /ou direct into the inner ,od/> the higher it vi,rational freDuenc/ ,ecome > much like a light that grow ,righter a /ou turn up the dimmer witch and o increa e the flow of electricit/E At thi higher energ/ level> negativit/ cannot affect /ou an/more> and /ou tend to attract new circum tance that reflect thi higher freDuenc/E !f /ou keep /our attention in the ,od/ a much a po i,le> /ou will ,e anchored in the NowE %ou wonLt lo e /our elf in the external world> and /ou wonLt lo e /our elf in /our mindE Thought and emotion > fear and de ire > ma/ till ,e there to ome extent> ,ut the/ won0t take /ou overE Plea e examine where /our attention i at thi momentE %ou are li tening to me> or /ou are reading the e word in a ,ookE That i the focu of /our attentionE %ou are al o peripherall/ aware of /our urrounding > other people> and o onE Furthermore> there ma/ ,e ome mind activit/ around what /ou are hearing or reading> ome mental commentar/E %et there i no need for an/ of thi to a, or, all /our attentionE See if /ou can ,e in touch with /our inner ,od/ at the ame timeE 7eep ome of /our attention withinE 3on0t let it all flow outE Feel /our whole ,od/ from within> a a ingle field of energ/E !t i almo t a if /ou were li tening or reading with /our whole ,od/E 8et thi ,e /our practice in the da/ and week to comeE 3o not give all /our attention awa/ to the mind and the external worldE #/ all mean focu on what /ou are doing> ,ut feel the inner ,od/ at the ame time whenever po i,leE Sta/ rooted withinE Then o, erve how thi change /our tate of con ciou ne and the Dualit/ of what /ou are doingE $henever /ou are waiting> wherever it ma/ ,e> u e that time to feel the inner ,od/E !n thi wa/> traffic Gam and line4up ,ecome ver/ enGo/a,leE !n tead of mentall/ proGecting /our elf awa/ from the Now> go more deepl/ into the Now ,/ going more deepl/ into the ,od/E

The art of inner4,od/ awarene will develop into a completel/ new wa/ of living> a tate of permanent connectedne with #eing> and will add a depth to /our life that /ou have never known ,eforeE !t i ea / to ta/ pre ent a the o, erver of /our mind when /ou are deepl/ rooted within /our ,od/E No matter what happen on the out ide> nothing can hake /ou an/moreE :nle /ou ta/ pre ent 4 and inha,iting /our ,od/ i alwa/ an e ential a pect of it 4 /ou will continue to ,e run ,/ /our mindE The cript in /our head that /ou learned a long time ago> the conditioning of /our mind> will dictate /our thinking and /our ,ehaviorE %ou ma/ ,e free of it for ,rief interval > ,ut rarel/ for longE Thi i e peciall/ true when omething @goe wrong@ or there i ome lo or up etE %our conditioned reaction will then ,e involuntar/> automatic> and predicta,le> fueled ,/ the one ,a ic emotion that underlie the mind4identified tate of con ciou ne ) fearE So when uch challenge come> a the/ alwa/ do> make it a ha,it to go within at once and focu a much a /ou can on the inner energ/ field of /our ,od/E Thi need not take long> Gu t a few econd E #ut /ou need to do it the moment that the challenge pre ent it elfE An/ dela/ will allow a conditioned mental4emotional reaction to ari e and take /ou overE $hen /ou focu within and feel the inner ,od/> /ou immediatel/ ,ecome till and pre ent a /ou are withdrawing con ciou ne from the mindE !f a re pon e i reDuired in that ituation> it will come up from thi deeper levelE <u t a the un i infinitel/ ,righter than a candle flame> there i infinitel/ more intelligence in #eing than in /our mindE A long a /ou are in con ciou contact with /our inner ,od/> /ou are like a tree that i deepl/ rooted in the earth> or a ,uilding with a deep and olid foundationE The latter analog/ i u ed ,/ <e u in the generall/ mi under tood para,le of the two men who ,uild a hou eE One man ,uild it on the and> without a foundation> and when the torm and flood come> the hou e i wept awa/E The other man digs dee! until he reache the rock> then ,uild hi hou e> which i not wept awa/ ,/ the flood E
BE ORE YOU ENTER THE BODY, ORGI"E

I felt $ery uncomfortable when I tried to put my attention on the inner body! &here was a feeling of agitation and some nausea! *o I ha$en't been able to experience what you are talking about!

$hat /ou felt wa a lingering emotion that /ou were pro,a,l/ unaware of> until /ou tarted putting ome attention into the ,od/E :nle /ou fir t give it ome attention> the emotion will prevent /ou from gaining acce to the inner ,od/> which lie at a deeper level underneath itE Attention doe not mean that /ou tart thinking a,out itE !t mean to Gu t o, erve the emotion> to feel it full/> and o to acknowledge and accept it a it i E Some emotion are ea il/ identified) anger> fear> grief> and o onE Other ma/ ,e much harder to la,elE The/ ma/ Gu t ,e vague feeling of unea e> heavine > or con triction> halfwa/ ,etween an emotion and a ph/ ical en ationE !n an/ ca e> what matter i not whether /ou can attach a mental la,el to it ,ut whether /ou can ,ring the feeling of it into awarene a much a po i,leE Attention i the ke/ to tran formation 4 and full attention al o implie acceptanceE Attention i like a ,eam of light 4 the focu ed power of /our con ciou ne that tran mute ever/thing into it elfE !n a full/ functional organi m> an emotion ha a ver/ hort life panE !t i like a momentar/ ripple or wave on the urface of /our #eingE $hen /ou are not in /our ,od/> however> an emotion can urvive in ide /ou for da/ or week > or Goin with other emotion of a imilar freDuenc/ that have merged and ,ecome the pain ,od/> a para ite that can live

in ide /ou for /ear > feed on /our energ/> lead to ph/ ical illne > and make /our life mi era,leE J ee Chapter 1KE So place /our attention on feeling the emotion> and check whether /our mind i holding on to a grievance pattern uch a ,lame> elf4pit/> or re entment that i feeding the emotionE !f that i the ca e> it mean that /ou haven0t forgivenE Non4forgivene i often toward another per on or /our elf> ,ut it ma/ Gu t a well ,e toward an/ ituation or condition 4 pa t> pre ent or future 4 that /our mind refu e to acceptE %e > there can ,e non4forgivene even with regard to the futureE Thi i the mind0 refu al to accept uncertaint/> to accept that the future i ultimatel/ ,e/ond it controlE Forgivene i to relinDui h /our grievance and o to let go of griefE !t happen naturall/ once /ou realiAe that /our grievance erve no purpo e except to trengthen a fal e en e of elfE Forgivene i to offer no re i tance to life 4 to allow life to live through /ouE The alternative are pain and uffering> a greatl/ re tricted flow of life energ/> and in man/ ca e ph/ ical di ea eE The moment /ou trul/ forgive> /ou have reclaimed /our power from the mindE Non4 forgivene i the ver/ nature of the mind> Gu t a the mind4made fal e elf> the ego> cannot urvive without trife and conflictE The mind cannot forgiveE Onl/ you canE %ou ,ecome pre ent> /ou enter /our ,od/> /ou feel the vi,rant peace and tillne that emanate from #eingE That i wh/ <e u aid) @#efore /ou enter the temple> forgiveE@

%O:( 8!N7 $!T' T'E :N*AN!FESTE3 What is the relationship between presence and the inner body?
Pre ence i pure con ciou ne 4 con ciou ne that ha ,een reclaimed from the mind> from the world of formE The inner ,od/ i /our link with the :nmanife ted> and in it deepe t a pect i the :nmanife ted) the Source from which con ciou ne emanate a light emanate from the unE Awarene of the inner ,od/ i con ciou ne remem,ering it origin and returning to the SourceE
Is the 3nmanifested the same as (eing?

%e E The word .n%anifested attempt > ,/ wa/ of negation> to expre That which cannot ,e poken> thought or imaginedE !t point to what it i ,/ a/ing what it i notE Being, on the other hand> i a po itive termE Plea e don0t get attached to either of the e word or tart ,elieving in themE The/ are no more than ignpo t E
You said that presence is consciousness that has been reclaimed from the mind! Who does the reclaiming?

%ou doE #ut ince in /our e ence /ou are con ciou ne > we might a well a/ that it i an awakening of con ciou ne from the dream of formE Thi doe not mean that /our own form will in tantl/ vani h in an explo ion of lightE %ou can continue in /our pre ent form /et ,e aware of the formle and deathle deep within /ouE
I must admit that this is way beyond my comprehension, and yet on some deeper le$el I seem to

know what you are talking about! It's more like a feeling than anything else! -m I decei$ing myself

No> /ou are notE Feeling will get /ou clo er to the truth of who /ou are than thinkingE ! cannot tell /ou an/thing that deep within /ou don0t alread/ knowE $hen /ou have reached a certain tage of inner connectedne > /ou recogniAe the truth when /ou hear itE !f /ou haven0t reached that tage /et> the practice of ,od/ awarene will ,ring a,out the deepening that i nece ar/E
SLOWING DOWN THE AGING $ROCESS

!n the meantime> awarene of the inner ,od/ ha other ,enefit in the ph/ ical realmE One of them i a ignificant lowing down of the aging of the ph/ ical ,od/E $herea the outer ,od/ normall/ appear to grow old and wither fairl/ Duickl/> the inner ,od/ doe not change with time> except that /ou ma/ feel it more deepl/ and ,ecome it more full/E !f /ou are twent/ /ear old now> the energ/ field of /our inner ,od/ will feel Gu t the ame when /ou are eight/E !t will ,e Gu t a vi,rantl/ aliveE A oon a /our ha,itual tate change from ,eing out4of4the4,od/ and trapped in /our mind to ,eing in4the4,od/ and pre ent in the Now> /our ph/ ical ,od/ will feel lighter> dearer> more aliveE A there i more con ciou ne in the ,od/> it molecular tructure actuall/ ,ecome le den eE *ore con ciou ne mean a le ening of the illu ion of materialit/E $hen /ou ,ecome identified more with the timele inner ,od/ than with the outer ,od/> when pre ence ,ecome /our normal mode of con ciou ne and pa t and future no longer dominate /our attention> /ou do not accumulate time an/more in /our p /che and in the cell of the ,od/E The accumulation of time a the p /chological ,urden of pa t and future greatl/ impair the cell 0 capacit/ for elf4renewalE So if /ou inha,it the inner ,od/> the outer ,od/ will grow old at a much lower rate> and even when it doe > /our timele e ence will hine through the outer form> and /ou will not give the appearance of an old per onE Is there any scientific e$idence for this? Tr/ it out and /ou will #e the evidenceE
STRENGTHENING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

Another ,enefit of thi practice in the ph/ ical realm i a great trengthening of the immune / tem which occur when /ou inha,it the ,od/E The more con ciou ne /ou ,ring into the ,od/> the tronger the immune / tem ,ecome E !t i a if ever/ cell awaken and reGoice E The ,od/ love /our attentionE !t i al o a potent form of elf4healingE *o t illne e creep in when /ou are not pre ent in the ,od/E !f the ma ter i not pre ent in the hou e> all kind of had/ char4 acter will take up re idence thereE $hen /ou inha,it /our ,od/> it will ,e hard for unwanted gue t to enterE !t i not onl/ /our ph/ ical immune / tem that ,ecome trengthenedF /our p /chic immune / tem i greatl/ enhanced a wellE The latter protect /ou from the negative mental4emotional force field of other > which are highl/ contagiou E !nha,iting the ,od/ protect /ou not ,/ putting up a hield> ,ut ,/ rai ing the freDuenc/ vi,ration of /our total energ/ field> o that an/thing that vi,rate at a lower freDuenc/> uch a fear> anger> depre ion> and o on> now exi t in what i virtuall/ a different order of realit/E !t doe n0t enter /our field of con ciou ne an/more> or if it doe /ou don0t need to offer an/ re i tance to it ,ecau e it pa e right through

/ouE Plea e don0t Gu t accept or reGect what ! am a/ingE Put it to the te tE There i a imple ,ut powerful elf4healing meditation that /ou can do whenever /ou feel the need to ,oo t /our immune / temE !t i particularl/ effective if u ed when /ou feel the fir t /mptom of an illne > ,ut it al o work with illne e that are alread/ entrenched if /ou u e it at freDuent interval and with an inten e focu E !t will al o counteract an/ di ruption of /our energ/ field ,/ ome form of negativit/E 'owever> it i not a u, titute for the moment4to4moment practice of ,eing in the ,od/> otherwi e> it effect will onl/ ,e temporar/E 'ere it i E $hen /ou are unoccupied for a few minute > and e peciall/ la t thing at night ,efore falling a leep and fir t thing in the morning ,efore getting up> @flood@ /our ,od/ with con ciou ne E Clo e /our e/e E 8ie flat on /our ,ackE Choo e different part of /our ,od/ to focu /our attention on ,riefl/ at fir t) hand > feet> arm > leg > a,domen> che t> head> and o onE Feel the life energ/ in ide tho e part a inten el/ a /ou canE Sta/ with each part for fifteen econd or oE Then let /our attention run through the ,od/ like a wave a few time > from feet to head and ,ack againE Thi need onl/ take a minute or oE After that> feel the inner ,od/ in it totalit/> a a ingle field of energ/E 'old that feeling for a few minute E #e inten el/ pre ent during that time> pre ent in ever/ cell of /our ,od/E 3on0t ,e concerned if the mind occa ionall/ ucceed in drawing /our attention out of the ,od/ and /ou lo e /our elf in ome thoughtE A oon a /ou notice that thi ha happened> Gu t return /our attention to the inner ,od/E
LET THE BREATH TAKE YOU INTO THE BODY

-t times, when my mind has been $ery acti$e, it has ac uired such momentum that I find it impossible to take my attention away from it and feel the inner body! &his happens particularly when I get into a worry or anxiety pattern! 1o you ha$e any suggestions?

!f at an/ time /ou are finding it hard to get in touch with the inner ,od/> it i u uall/ ea ier to focu on /our ,reathing fir tE Con ciou ,reathing> which i a powerful meditation in it own right> will graduall/ put /ou in touch with the ,od/E Follow the ,reath with /our attention a it move in and out of /our ,od/E #reathe into the ,od/> and feel /our a,domen expanding and contracting lightl/ with each inhalation and exhalationE !f /ou find it ea / to vi ualiAe> do e /our e/e and ee /our elf urrounded ,/ light or immer ed in a luminou u, tance 4 a ea of con ciou ne E Then ,reathe in that lightE Feel that luminou u, tance filling up /our ,od/ and making it luminou al oE Then graduall/ focu more on the feelingE %ou are now in /our ,od/E 3on0t get attached to an/ vi ual imageE

CREATI"E USE O MIND

!f /ou need to u e /our mind for a pecific purpo e> u e it in conGunction with /our inner ,od/E Onl/ if /ou are a,le to ,e con ciou without thought can /ou u e /our mind creativel/> and the ea ie t wa/ to enter that tate i through /our ,od/E $henever an an wer> a olution> or a creative idea i needed> top thinking for a moment ,/ focu ing attention on /our inner energ/ fieldE #ecome aware of the tillne E $hen /ou re ume thinking> it will ,e fre h and creativeE !n an/ thought activit/> make it a ha,it to go ,ack and forth ever/ few minute or o ,etween thinking and an inner kind of li tening> an inner tillne E $e could a/> don0t Gu t

think with /our head> think with /our whole ,od/E

THE ART O LISTENING

$hen li tening to another per on> don0t Gu t li ten with /our mind> li ten with /our whole ,od/E Feel the energ/ field of /our inner ,od/ a /ou li tenE That take attention awa/ from thinking and create a till pace that ena,le /ou to trul/ li ten without the mind interferingE %ou are giving the other per on pace 4 pace to ,eE !t i the mo t preciou gift /ou can giveE *o t people don0t know how to li ten ,ecau e the maGor part of their attention i taken up ,/ thinkingE The/ pa/ more attention to that than to what the other per on i a/ing> and none at all to what reall/ matter ) the #eing of the other per on underneath the word and the mindE Of cour e> /ou cannot feel omeone el e0 #eing except through /our ownE Thi i the ,eginning of the realiAation of onene > which i loveE At the deepe t level of #eing> /ou are one with all that i E *o t human relation hip con i t mainl/ of mind interacting with each other> not of human ,eing communicating> ,eing in communionE No relation hip can thrive in that wa/> and that i wh/ there i o much conflict in relation hip E $hen the mind i running /our life> conflict> trife and pro,lem are inevita,leE #eing in touch with /our inner ,od/ create a clear pace of no4mind within which the relation hip can flowerE

C'APTE( SE?EN

PO(TA8S !NTO T'E :N*AN!FESTE3

GOING DEE$LY INTO THE BODY

I can feel the energy inside my body, especially in my arms and legs, but I don't seem to be able to go more deeply, as you suggested earlier!

*ake it into a meditationE !t needn0t take longE Ten to fifteen minute of clock time hould ,e ufficientE *ake ure fir t that there are no external di traction uch a telephone or people who are likel/ to interrupt /ouE Sit on a chair> ,ut don0t lean ,ackE 7eep the pine erectE 3oing o will help /ou to ta/ alertE Alternativel/> choo e /our own favorite po ition for meditationE *ake ure the ,od/ i relaxedE Clo e /our e/e E Take a few deep ,reath E Feel /our elf ,reathing into the lower a,domen> a it wereE O, erve how it expand and contract lightl/ with each in and out ,reathE Then ,ecome aware of the entire inner energ/ field of the ,od/E 3on0t think a,out it /feel itE #/ doing thi > /ou reclaim con ciou ne from the mindE !f /ou find it helpful> u e the @light@ vi ualiAation ! de cri,ed earlierE $hen /ou can feel the inner ,od/ clearl/ a a ingle field of energ/> let go> if po i,le> of an/ vi ual image and focu exclu ivel/ on the feelingE !f /ou can> al o drop an/ mental image /ou ma/ till have of the ph/ ical ,od/E All that i left then i an all4encompa ing en e of pre ence or @,eingne >@ and the inner ,od/ i felt to ,e without a ,oundar/E Then take /our attention even more deepl/ into that feelingE #ecome one with itE *erge with the energ/ field> o that there i no longer a perceived dualit/ of the o, erver and the o, erved> of /ou and /our ,od/E The di tinction ,etween inner and outer al o di olve now> o there i no inner ,od/ an/moreE #/ going deepl/ into the ,od/> /ou have tran cended the ,od/E Sta/ in thi realm of pure #eing for a long a feel comforta,leF then ,ecome aware

again of the ph/ ical ,od/> /our ,reathing and ph/ ical en e > and open /our e/e E 8ook at /our urrounding for a few minute in a meditative wa/ 4 that i > without la,eling them mentall/ 4 and continue to feel the inner ,od/ a /ou do oE

'aving acce to that formle realm i trul/ li,eratingE !t free /ou from ,ondage to form and identification with formE !t i life in it undifferentiated tate prior to it fragmentation into multiplicit/E $e ma/ call it the :nmanife ted> the invi i,le Source of all thing > the #eing within all ,eing E !t i a realm of deep tillne and peace> ,ut al o of Go/ and inten e alivene E $henever /ou are pre ent> /ou ,ecome @tran parent@ to ome extent to the light> the pure con ciou ne that emanate from thi SourceE %ou al o realiAe that the light i not eparate from who /ou are ,ut con titute /our ver/ e enceE
THE SOURCE O CHI

Is the 3nmanifested what in the /ast is called chi, a kind of uni$ersal life energy?

No> it i n0tE The :nmanife ted i the sour"e of chiE Chi i the inner energ/ field of /our ,od/E !t i the ,ridge ,etween the outer /ou and the SourceE !t lie halfwa/ ,etween the manife ted> the world of form> and the :nmanife tedE Chi can ,e likened to a river or an energ/ treamE !f /ou take the focu of /our con ciou ne deepl/ into the inner ,od/> /ou are tracing the cour e of thi river ,ack to it SourceE Chi i movementF the :nmanife ted i tillne E $hen /ou reach a point of a, olute tillne > which i neverthele vi,rant with life> /ou have gone ,e/ond the inner ,od/ and ,e/ond chi to the Source it elf the :nmanife tedE Chi i the link ,etween the :nmanife ted and the ph/ ical univer eE So if /ou take /our attention deepl/ into the inner ,od/> /ou ma/ reach thi point> thi ingularit/> where the world di olve into the :nmanife ted and the :nmanife ted take on form a the energ/ tream of chi> which then ,ecome the worldE Thi i the point of ,irth and deathE $hen /our con ciou ne i directed outward> mind and world ari eE $hen it i directed inward> it realiAe it own Source and return home into the :nmanife tedE Then> when /our con ciou ne come ,ack to the manife ted world> /ou rea ume the form identit/ that /ou temporaril/ relinDui hedE %ou have a name> a pa t> a life ituation> a futureE #ut in one e ential re pect> /ou are not the ame per on /ou were ,efore) %ou will have glimp ed a realit/ within /our elf that i not @of thi world>@ although it i n0t eparate from it> Gu t a it i n0t eparate from /ouE Now let /our piritual practice ,e thi ) A /ou go a,out /our life> don0t give "66 percent of /our attention to the external world and to /our mindE 7eep ome withinE ! have poken a,out thi alread/E Feel the inner ,od/ even when engaged in ever/da/ activitie > e peciall/ when engaged in relation hip or when /ou are relating with natureE Feel the tillne deep in ide itE 7eep the portal openE !t i Duite po i,le to ,e con ciou of the :nmanife ted throughout /our lifeE %ou feel it a a deep en e of peace omewhere in the ,ackground> a tillne that never leave /ou> no matter what happen out hereE %ou ,ecome a ,ridge ,etween the :nmanife ted and the manife ted> ,etween God and the worldE Thi i the tate of connectedne with the Source that we call enlightenmentE

3on0t get the impre ion that the :nmanife ted i eparate from the manife tedE 'ow could it ,e= !t i the life within ever/ form> the inner e ence of all that exi t E !t pervade thi worldE 8et me explainE
DREAMLESS SLEE$

%ou take a Gourne/ into the :nmanife ted ever/ night when /ou enter the pha e of deep dreamle leepE %ou merge with the SourceE %ou draw from it the vital energ/ that u tain /ou for a while when /ou return to the manife ted> the world of eparate form E Thi energ/ i much more vital than food) @*an doe not live ,/ ,read aloneE@ #ut in dreamle leep> /ou don0t go into it con ciou l/E Although the ,odil/ function are till operating> @/ou no longer exi t in that tateE Can /ou imagine what it would ,e like to go into dreamle leep with full con ciou ne = !t i impo i,le to imagine it> ,ecau e that tate ha no contentE The :nmanife ted doe not li,erate /ou until /ou enter it con ciou l/E That0 wh/ <e u did not a/E the truth will make /ou free> ,ut rather @%ou will know the truth> and the truth will make /ou freeE@ Thi i not a conceptual truthE !t i the truth of eternal life ,e/ond form> which i known directl/ or not at allE #ut don0t attempt to ta/ con ciou in dreamle leepE !t i highl/ unlikel/ that /ou will ucceedE At mo t> /ou ma/ remain con ciou during the dream pha e> ,ut not ,e/ond thatE Thi i called lucid dreaming> which ma/ ,e intere ting and fa cinating> ,ut it i not li,eratingE So u e /our inner ,od/ a a portal through which /ou enter the :nmanife ted> and keep that portal open o that /ou ta/ connected with the Source at all time E !t make no difference> a far a the inner ,od/ i concerned> whether /our outer ph/ ical ,od/ i old or /oung> frail or trongE The inner ,od/ i timele E !f /ou are not /et a,le to feel the inner ,od/> u e one of the other portal > although ultimatel/ the/ are all oneE Some ! have poken a,out at length alread/> ,ut !0ll mention them again ,riefl/ hereE
OTHER $ORTALS

The Now can ,e een a the main portalE !t i an e ential a pect of ever/ other portal> including the inner ,od/E %ou cannot ,e in your #ody without ,eing inten el/ pre ent in the NowE Time and the manife ted are a inextrica,l/ linked a are the timele Now and the :nmanife tedE $hen /ou di olve p /chological time through inten e pre ent4moment awarene > /ou ,ecome con ciou of the :nmanife ted ,oth directl/ and indirectl/E 3irectl/> /ou feel it a the radiance and power of /our con ciou pre ence 4 no content> Gu t pre enceE !ndirectl/> /ou are aware of the :nmanife ted in and through the en or/ realmE !n other word > /ou feel the God4e ence in ever/ creature> ever/ flower> ever/ tone> and /ou realiAe) @All that i > i hol/E@ Thi i wh/ <e u > peaking entirel/ from hi e ence or Chri t identit/> a/ in the Go pel of Thoma ) @Split a piece of woodF ! am thereE 8ift up a tone> and /ou will find me thereE@ Another portal into the :nmanife ted i created through the ce ation of thinkingE Thi can tart with a ver/ imple thing> uch a taking one con ciou ,reath or looking> in a tate of inten e alertne > at a flower> o that there i no mental commentar/ running at the ame timeE There are man/ wa/ to create a gap in the ince ant tream of thoughtE Thi i what meditation i all a,outE Thought i part of the realm of the manife tedE Continuou mind activit/ keep /ou impri oned in the world of form and ,ecome an opaDue creen that prevent /ou from ,ecoming con ciou of the :nmanife ted> con ciou of the formle and timele God4e ence in /our elf and in all thing and all creature E $hen /ou are inten el/

!resent, you don0t need to ,e concerned a,out the ce ation of thinking> of cour e> ,ecau e the mind then top automaticall/E That0 wh/ ! aid the Now i an e ential a pect of ever/ other portalE Surrender 4 the letting go of mental4emotional re i tance to what i 4 al o ,ecome a portal into the :nmanife tedE The rea on for thi i imple) inner re i tance cut /ou off from other people> from /our elf> from the world around /ouE !t trengthen the feeling of eparatene on which the ego depend for it urvivalE The tronger the feeling of eparatene > the more /ou are ,ound to the manife ted> to the world of eparate form E The more /ou are ,ound to the world of form> the harder and more impenetra,le /our form identit/ ,ecome E The portal i clo ed> and /ou are cut off from the inner dimen ion> the dimen ion of depthE !n the tate of urrender> /our form identit/ often and ,ecome omewhat @tran parent>@ a it were> o the :nmanife ted can hine through /ouE !t up to /ou to open a portal in /our life that give /ou con ciou acce to the :nmanife tedE Get in touch with the energ/ field of the inner ,od/> ,e inten el/ pre ent> di identif/ from the mind> urrender to what i F the e are all portal /ou can u e 4 ,ut /ou onl/ need to u e oneE
*urely lo$e must also be one of those portals?

No> it i n0tE A oon a one of the portal i open> love i pre ent in /ou a the @feeling4 realiAation@ of onene E 8ove i n0t a portalF it what come through the portal into thi worldE A long a /ou are completel/ trapped in /our form identit/> there can ,e no loveE %our ta k i not to earch for love ,ut to find a portal through which love can enterE
SILENCE

-re there any other portals apart from those you 'ust mentioned?

%e > there areE The :nmanife ted i not eparate from the manife tedE !t pervade thi world> ,ut it i o well di gui ed that almo t ever/,od/ mi e it completel/E !f /ou know where to look> /ou0ll find it ever/whereE A portal open up ever/ momentE 3o /ou hear that dog ,arking in the di tance= Or that car pa ing ,/= 8i ten carefull/E Can /ou feel the pre ence of the :nmanife ted in that= %ou can0t= 8ook for it in the ilence out of which the ound come and into which the/ returnE Pa/ more attention to the ilence than to the ound E Pa/ing attention to outer ilence create inner ilence) the mind ,ecome tillE A portal i opening upE Ever/ ound i ,orn out of ilence> die ,ack into ilence> and during it life pan i urrounded ,/ ilenceE Silence ena,le the ound to ,eE !t i an intrin ic ,ut unmanife ted part of ever/ ound> ever/ mu ical note> ever/ ong> ever/ wordE The :nmanife ted i pre ent in thi world a ilenceE Thi i wh/ it ha ,een aid that nothing in thi world i o like God a ilenceE All /ou have to do i pa/ attention to itE Even during a conver ation> ,ecome con ciou of the gap ,etween word > the ,rief ilent interval ,etween entence E A /ou do that> the dimen ion of tillne grow within /ouE %ou cannot pa/ attention to ilence without imultaneou l/ ,ecoming till withinE Silence without> tillne withinE %ou have entered the :nmanife tedE
S$ACE

<u t a no ound can exi t without ilence> nothing can exi t without no4thing> without the empt/ pace that ena,le it to ,eE Ever/ ph/ ical o,Gect or ,od/ ha come out of nothing> i urrounded ,/ nothing> and will eventuall/ return to nothingE Not onl/ that> ,ut even in ide ever/ ph/ ical ,od/ there i far more @nothing@ than @ omethingE@ Ph/ ici t tell u that the olidit/ of matter i an illu ionE Even eemingl/ olid matter> including /our ph/ ical ,od/> i nearl/ "66 percent empt/ pace 4 o va t are the di tance ,etween the atom compared to their iAeE $hat i more> even in ide ever/ atom there i mo tl/ empt/ paceE $hat i left i more like a vi,rational freDuenc/ than particle of olid matter> more like a mu ical noteE #uddhi t have known that for over 1>566 /ear E @Form i emptine > emptine i form>@ tate the 0eart 1utra, one of the ,e t known ancient #uddhi t text E The e ence of all thing i emptine E The :nmanife ted i not onl/ pre ent in thi world a ilenceF it al o pervade the entire ph/ ical univer e a pace 4 from within and withoutE Thi i Gu t a ea / to mi 0a ilenceE Ever/,od/ pa/ attention to the thing in pace> ,ut who pa/ attention to pace it elf=
You seem to be implying that #emptiness# or #nothing# is not 'ust nothing, that there is some mysterious uality to it! What is this nothing?

%ou cannot a k uch a Due tionE %our mind i tr/ing to make nothing into omethingE The moment /ou make it into omething> /ou have mi ed itE Nothing 4 pace 4 i the appearance of the :nmanife ted a an externaliAed phenomenon in a en e4perceived worldE That0 a,out a much a one can a/ a,out it> and even that i a kind of paradoxE !t cannot ,ecome an o,Gect of knowledgeE %ou canLt do a PhE3E on @nothingE@ $hen cienti t tud/ pace> the/ u uall/ make it into omething and there,/ mi it e ence entirel/E Not urpri ingl/> the late t theor/ i that pace i n0t empt/ at all> that it i filled with ome u, tanceE Once /ou have a theor/> it0 not too hard to find evidence to u, tantiate it> at lea t until ome other theor/ come alongE @Nothing@ can onl/ ,ecome a portal into the :nmanife ted for /ou if /ou don0t tr/ to gra p or under tand itE
Isn't that what we are doing here?

Not at allE ! am giving /ou pointer to how /ou how /ou can ,ring the dimen ion of the :nmanife ted into /our lifeE $e are not tr/ing to under tand itE There i nothing to under tandE Space ha no @exi tenceE@ @To exi t@ literall/ mean @to tand outE@ %ou cannot under tand pace ,ecau e it doe n0t tand outE Although in it elf it ha no exi tence> it ena,le ever/thing el e to exi tE Silence ha no exi tence either> nor doe the :nmanife tedE So what happen if /ou withdraw attention from the o,Gect in pace and ,ecome aware of pace it elf= $hat i the e ence of thi room= The furniture> picture > and o on are in the room> ,ut the/ are not the roomE The floor> wall > and ceiling define the ,oundar/ of the room> ,ut the/ are not the room eitherE So what i the e ence of the room= Space> of cour e> empt/ paceE There would ,e no @room@ without itE Since pace i @nothing>@ we can a/ that what i not there i more important than what i thereE So ,ecome aware of the pace that i all around /ouE 3on0t think a,out itE Feel it> a it wereE Pa/ attention to @nothingE@ A /ou do that> a hift in con ciou ne take place in ide /ouE 'ere i wh/E The inner

eDuivalent to o,Gect in pace uch a furniture> wall > and o on are /our mind o,Gect ) thought > emotion > and the o,Gect of the en e E And the inner eDuivalent of pace i the con ciou ne that ena,le /our mind o,Gect to ,e> Gu t a pace allow all thing to ,eE So if /ou withdraw attention from things / o,Gect in pace 4 /ou automaticall/ withdraw attention from /our mind o,Gect a wellE !n other word ) %ou cannot think and ,e aware of pace 4 or of ilence> for that matterE #/ ,ecoming aware of the empt/ pace around /ou> /ou imultaneou l/ ,ecome aware of the pace of no4mind> of pure con ciou ne ) the :nmanife tedE Thi i how the contemplation of pace can ,ecome a portal for /ouE Space and ilence are two a pect of the ame thing> the ame nothingE The/ are an externaliAation of inner pace and inner ilence> which i tillne ) the infinitel/ creative wom, of all exi tenceE *o t human are completel/ uncon ciou of thi dimen ionE There i no inner pace> no tillne E The/ are out of ,alanceE !n other word > the/ know the world> or think the/ do> ,ut the/ don0t know GodE The/ identif/ exclu ivel/ with their own ph/ ical and p /chological form> uncon ciou of e enceE And ,ecau e ever/ form i highl/ un ta,le> the/ live in fearE Thi fear cau e a deep mi perception of them elve and of other human > a di tortion in their vi ion of the worldE !f ome co mic convul ion ,rought a,out the end of our world> the :nmanife ted would remain totall/ unaffected ,/ thi E A Course in &ira"les expre e thi truth poignantl/E @Nothing real can ,e threatenedE Nothing unreal exi t E 'erein lie the peace of GodE@ !f /ou remain in con ciou connection with the :nmanife ted> /ou value> love> and deepl/ re pect the manife ted and ever/ life form in it a an expre ion of the One 8ife ,e/ond formE %ou al o know that ever/ form i de tined to di olve again and that ultimatel/ nothing out here matter all that muchE %ou have @overcome the world>@ in the word of <e u > or> a the #uddha put it> /ou have @cro ed over to the other horeE@
THE TRUE NATURE O S$ACE AND TIME

Now con ider thi ) !f there were nothing ,ut ilence> it wouldn0t exi t for /ouF /ou wouldn0t know what it i E Onl/ when ound appear doe ilence come into ,eingE Similarl/> if there were onl/ pace without an/ o,Gect in pace> it wouldn0t exi t for /ouE !magine /our elf a a point of con ciou ne floating in the va tne of pace 4 no tar > no galaxie > Gu t emptine E Suddenl/> pace wouldn0t ,e va t an/moreF it would not ,e there at allE There would ,e no peed> no movement from here to thereE At lea t two point of reference are needed for di tance and pace to come into ,eingE Space come into ,eing the moment the One ,ecome two> and a @two@ ,ecome the @ten thou and thing >@ a 8ao T e call the manife ted world> pace ,ecome more and more va tE So world and pace ari e imultaneou l/E Nothing could #e without pace> /et pace i nothingE #efore the univer e came into ,eing> ,efore the @,ig ,ang@ if /ou like> there wa n0t a va t empt/ pace waiting to ,e filledE There wa no pace> a there wa no thingE There wa onl/ the :nmanife ted 4 the OneE $hen the One ,ecame @the ten thou and thing >@ uddenl/ pace eemed to ,e there and ena,led the man/ to ,eE $here did it come from= $a it created ,/ God to accommodate the univer e= Of cour e notE Space i no4thing> o it wa never createdE Go out on a dear night and look up at the k/E The thou and of tar /ou can ee with the naked e/e are no more than an infinite imal fraction of what i thereE Over "66 ,illion galaxie can alread/ ,e detected with the mo t powerful tele cope > each galax/ an @i land univer e@ with ,illion of tar E %et what i even more awe4in piring i the infinit/ of pace it elf> the depth and tillne that allow all of that magnificence to ,eE Nothing could ,e more awe4in piring and maGe tic than the inconceiva,le va tne and tillne of pace> and

/et what i it= Emptine > va t emptine E $hat appear to u a pace in our univer e perceived through the mind and the en e i the :nmanife ted it elf> externaliAedE !t i the @,od/@ of GodE And the greate t miracle i thi ) That tillne and va tne that ena,le the univer e to ,e> i not Gu t out there in pace 4 it i al o within /ouE $hen /ou are utterl/ and totall/ pre ent> /ou encounter it a the till inner pace of no4mindE $ithin /ou> it i va t in depth> not in exten ionE Spacial exten ion i ultimatel/ a mi perception of infinite depth 4 an attri,ute of the one tran cendental realit/E
-ccording to /instein, space and time are not separate! I don't really understand it, but I think he is saying that time is the fourth dimension of space! ,e calls it the #space+time continuum!#

%e E $hat /ou perceive externall/ a pace and time are ultimatel/ illu or/> ,ut the/ contain a core of truthE The/ are the two e ential attri,ute of God> infinit/ and eternit/> perceived a if the/ had an external exi tence out ide /ouE $ithin /ou> ,oth pace and time have an inner eDuivalent that reveal their true nature> a well a /our ownE $herea pace i the till> infinitel/ deep realm of no4mind> the inner eDuivalent of time i pre ence> awarene of the eternal NowE (emem,er that there i no di tinction ,etween themE $hen pace and time are realiAed within a the :nmanife ted 4 no4mind and pre ence 4 external pace and time continue to exi t for /ou> ,ut the/ ,ecome much le importantE The world> too> continue to exi t for /ou> ,ut it will not ,ind /ou an/moreE 'ence> the ultimate purpo e of the world lie not within the world ,ut in tran cendence of the worldE <u t a /ou would not ,e con ciou of pace if there were no o,Gect in pace> the world i needed for the :nmanife ted to ,e realiAedE %ou ma/ have heard the #uddhi t a/ing) @!f there were no illu ion> there would ,e no enlightenmentE@ !t i through the world and ultimatel/ through /ou that the :nmanife ted know it elfE %ou are here to ena,le the divine purpo e of the univer e to unfoldE That is how i%!ortant you are2 CONSCIOUS DEATH Apart from dreamle leep> which ! mentioned alread/> there i one other involuntar/ portalE !t open up ,riefl/ at the time of ph/ ical deathE Even if /ou have mi ed all the other opportunitie for piritual realiAation during /our lifetime> one la t portal will open up for /ou immediatel/ after the ,od/ ha diedE There are countle account ,/ people who had a vi ual impre ion of thi portal a radiant light and then returned from what i commonl/ known a a near4death experienceE *an/ of them al o poke of a en e of ,li ful erenit/ and deep peaceE !n the Ti#etan Book of the ,ead, it i de cri,ed a @the luminou plendor of the colorle light of Emptine >@ which it a/ i @/our own true elfE@ Thi portal open up onl/ ver/ ,riefl/> and unle /ou have alread/ encountered the dimen ion of the :nmanife ted in /our lifetime> /ou will likel/ mi itE *o t people carr/ too much re idual re i tance> too much fear> too much attachment to en or/ experience> too much identification with the manife ted worldE So the/ ee the portal> turn awa/ in fear> and then lo e con ciou ne E *o t of what happen after that i involuntar/ and automaticE Eventuall/> there will ,e another round of ,irth and deathE Their pre ence wa n0t trong enough /et for con ciou immortalit/E *o going through this portal does not mean annihilation?

A with all the other portal > /our radiant true nature remain > ,ut not the per onalit/E !n an/ ca e> whatever i real or of true value in /our per onalit/ i /our true nature hining throughE Thi i never lo tE Nothing that i of value> nothing that i real, is ever lo tE Approaching death and death it elf> the di olution of the ph/ ical form> i alwa/ a great opportunit/ for piritual realiAationE Thi opportunit/ i tragicall/ mi ed mo t of the time> ince we live in a culture that i almo t totall/ ignorant of death> a it i almo t totall/ ignorant of an/thing that trul/ matter E Ever/ portal i a portal of death> the death of the fal e elfE $hen /ou go through it> /ou cea e to derive /our identit/ from /our p /chological> mind4made formE %ou then realiAe that death i an illu ion> Gu t a /our identification with form wa an illu ionE The end of illu ion 4 that0 all that death i E !t i painful onl/ a long a /ou cling to illu ionE C'APTE( E!G'T

EN8!G'TENE3 (E8AT!ONS'!PS
ENTER THE NOW ROM WHERE"ER YOU ARE
I always thought that true enlightenment is not possible except through lo$e in a relationship between a man and a woman! Isn't this what makes us whole again? ,ow can one's life be fu filled until that happens?

! that true in /our experience= 'a thi happened to /ou=

"ot yet, but how could it be otherwise? I know that it will happen!

!n other word > /ou are waiting for an event in ti%e to ave /ouE ! thi not the core error that we have ,een talking a,out= Salvation i not el ewhere in place or timeE !t i here and nowE
What does that statement mean, #sal$ation is here and now#? I don't understand it! I don't e$en know what sal$ation means!

*o t people pur ue ph/ ical plea ure or variou form of p /chological gratification ,ecau e the/ ,elieve that tho e thing will make them happ/ or free them from a feeling of fear or lackE 'appine ma/ ,e perceived a a heightened en e of alivene attained through ph/ ical plea ure> or a more ecure and more complete en e of elf attained through ome form of p /chological gratificationE Thi i the earch for alvation from a tate of un ati factorine or in ufficienc/E !nvaria,l/> an/ ati faction that the/ o,tain i hort4lived> o the condition of ati faction or fulfillment i u uall/ proGected once again onto an imaginar/ point awa/ from the here and nowE @$hen ! o,tain this or am free of that / then ! will ,e oka/E@ Thi i the uncon ciou mind4 et that create the illu ion of alvation in the futureE True alvation i fulfillment> peace> life in all it fullne E !t i to ,e who /ou are> to feel within /ou the good that ha no oppo ite> the Go/ of #eing that depend on nothing out ide it elfE !t i felt not a a pa ing experience ,ut a an a,iding pre enceE !n thei tic language> it i to @know God@ 4 not a omething out ide /ou ,ut a /our own innermo t e enceE True alvation i to know /our elf a an in epara,le part of the timele and formle One 8ife from which all that exi t derive it ,eingE True alvation i a tate of freedom 4 from fear> from uffering> from a perceived tate of lack and in ufficienc/ and therefore from all wanting> needing> gra ping> and clingingE !t i

freedom from compul ive thinking> from negativit/> and a,ove all from pa t and future a a p /chological needE %our mind i telling /ou that /ou cannot get there from hereE Something need to happen> or /ou need to ,ecome thi or that ,efore /ou can ,e free and fulfilledE !t i a/ing> in fact> that /ou need time 4 that /ou need to find> ort out> do> achieve> acDuire> ,ecome> or under tand omething ,efore /ou can ,e free or completeE %ou ee time a the mean to alvation> wherea in truth it i the greate t o, tacle to alvation E %ou think that /ou can0t get there from where and who /ou are at thi moment ,ecau e /ou are not /et complete or good enough> ,ut the truth i that here and now i the onl/ point from where /ou "an get thereE %ou @get@ there ,/ realiAing that /ou are there alread/E %ou find God the moment /ou realiAe that /ou don0t need to eek GodE So there i no only wa/ to alvation) An/ condition can ,e u ed> ,ut no particular condition i neededE 'owever> there i onl/ one point of acce ) the NowE There can ,e no alvation awa/ from thi momentE %ou are lonel/ and without a part4 ner= Enter the Now from thereE %ou are in a relation hip= Enter the Now from thereE There i nothing /ou can ever do or attain that will get /ou clo er to alvation than it i at thi momentE Thi ma/ ,e hard to gra p for a mind accu tomed to thinking that ever/thing worthwhile i in the futureE Nor can an/thing that /ou ever did or that wa done to /ou in the pa t prevent /ou from a/ing /e to what i and taking /our attention deepl/ into the NowE %ou cannot do thi in the futureE %ou do it now or not at allE

LO"E-HATE RELATIONSHI$S

:nle and until /ou acce the con ciou ne freDuenc/ of pre ence> all relation hip > and particularl/ intimate relation hip > are deepl/ flawed and ultimatel/ d/ functionalE The/ ma/ eem perfect for a while> uch a when /ou are @in love>@ ,ut invaria,l/ that apparent perfection get di rupted a argument > conflict > di ati faction> and emotional or even ph/ ical violence occur with increa ing freDuenc/E !t eem that mo t @love relation hip @ ,ecome loveChate relation hip ,efore longE 8ove can then turn into avage attack> feeling of ho tilit/> or complete withdrawal of affection at the flick of a witchE Thi i con idered normalE The relation hip then o cillate for a while> a few month or a few /ear > ,etween the polaritie of @love@ and hate> and it give /ou a much plea ure a it give /ou painE !t i not uncommon for couple to ,ecome addicted to tho e c/cle E Their drama make them feel aliveE $hen a ,alance ,etween the po itiveCnegative polaritie i lo t and the negative> de tructive c/cle occur with increa ing freDuenc/ and inten it/> which tend to happen ooner or later> then it will not ,e long ,efore the relation hip finall/ collap e E !t ma/ appear that if /ou could onl/ eliminate the negative or de tructive c/cle > then all would ,e well and the relation hip would flower ,eautifull/ 4 ,ut ala > thi i not po i,leE The polaritie are mutuall/ interdependentE %ou cannot have one without the otherE The po itive alread/ contain within it elf the a /et unmanife ted negativeE #oth are in fact different a pect of the ame d/ functionE ! am peaking here of what i commonl/ called romantic relation hip 4 not of true love> which ha no oppo ite ,ecau e it ari e from ,e/ond the mindE 8ove a a continuou tate i a /et ver/ rare 4 a rare a con ciou human ,eing E #rief and elu ive glimp e of love> however> are po i,le whenever there i a gap in the tream of mindE The negative ide of a relation hip i > of cour e> more ea il/ recogniAa,le a d/ functional than the po itive oneE And it i al o ea ier to recogniAe the ource of negativit/ in /our partner than to ee it in /our elfE !t can manife t in man/ form )

po e ivene > Gealou /> control> withdrawal and un poken re entment> the need to ,e right> in en itivit/ and elf4a, orption> emotional demand and manipulation> the urge to argue> criticiAe> Gudge> ,lame> or attack> anger> uncon ciou revenge for pa t pain inflicted ,/ a parent> rage and ph/ ical violenceE On the po itive ide> /ou are @in love@ with /our partnerE Thi i at fir t a deepl/ ati f/ing tateE %ou feel inten el/ aliveE %our exi tence ha uddenl/ ,ecome meaningful ,ecau e omeone need /ou> want /ou> and make /ou feel pecial> and /ou do the ame for him or herE $hen /ou are together> /ou feel wholeE The feeling can ,ecome o inten e that the re t of the world fade into in ignificanceE 'owever> /ou ma/ al o have noticed that there i a needine and a clinging Dualit/ to that inten it/E %ou ,ecome addicted to the other per onE 'e or he act on /ou like a drugE %ou are on a high when the drug i availa,le> ,ut even the po i,ilit/ or the thought that he or he might no longer ,e there for /ou can lead to Gealou /> po e ivene > attempt at manipulation through emotional ,lackmail> ,laming and accu ing 4 fear of lo E !f the other per on doe leave /ou> thi can give ri e to the mo t inten e ho tilit/ or the mo t profound grief and de pairE !n an in tant> loving tenderne can turn into a avage attack or dreadful griefE $here i the love now= Can love change into it oppo ite in an in tant= $a it love in the fir t place> or Gu t an addictive gra ping and clinging= ADDICTION AND THE SEARCH OR WHOLENESS Why should we become addicted to another person? The rea on wh/ the romantic love relation hip i uch an inten e and univer all/ ought4after experience i that it eem to offer li,eration from a deep4 eated tate of fear> need> lack> and incompletene that i part of the human condition in it unredeemed and unenlightened tateE There i a ph/ ical a well a a p /chological dimen ion to thi tateE On the ph/ ical level> /ou are o,viou l/ not whole> nor will /ou ever ,e) %ou are either a man or a woman> which i to a/> one4half of the wholeE On thi level> the longing for wholene 4 the return to onene 4 manife t a male4female attraction> man0 need for a woman> woman0 need for a manE !t i an almo t irre i ti,le urge for union with the oppo ite energ/ polarit/E The root of thi ph/ ical urge i a piritual one) the longing for an end to dualit/> a return to the tate of wholene E Sexual union i the clo e t /ou can get to thi tate on the ph/ ical levelE Thi i wh/ it i the mo t deepl/ ati f/ing experience the ph/ ical realm can offerE #ut exual union i no more than a fleeting glimp e of wholene > an in tant of ,li E A long a it i uncon ciou l/ ought a a mean of alvation> /ou are eeking the end of dualit/ on the level of form> where it cannot ,e foundE %ou are given a tantaliAing glimp e of heaven> ,ut /ou are not allowed to dwell there> and find /our elf again in a eparate ,od/E On the p /chological level> the en e of lack and incompletene i > if an/thing> even greater than on the ph/ ical levelE A long a /ou are identified with the mind> /ou have an externall/ derived en e of elfE That i to a/> /ou get /our en e of who /ou are from thing that ultimatel/ have nothing to do with who /ou are) /our ocial role> po e ion > external appearance> ucce e and failure > ,elief / tem > and o onE Thi fal e> mind4 made elf> the ego> feel vulnera,le> in ecure> and i alwa/ eeking new thing to

identif/ with to give it a feeling that it exi t E #ut nothing i ever enough to give it la ting fulfillmentE !t fear remain F it en e of lack and needine remain E #ut then that pecial relation hip come alongE !t eem to ,e the an wer to all the ego0 pro,lem and to meet all it need E At lea t thi i how it appear at fir tE All the other thing that /ou derived /our en e of elf from ,efore> now ,ecome relativel/ in ignificantE %ou now have a ingle focal point that replace them all> give meaning to /our life> and through which /ou define /our identit/> the per on /ou are @in love@ withE %ou are no longer a di connected fragment in an uncaring univer e> or o it eem E %our world now ha a centerE the loved oneE The fact that the center i out ide /ou and that> therefore> /ou till have an externall/ derived en e of elf doe not eem to matter at fir tE $hat matter i that the underl/ing feeling of incompletene > of fear> lack and unfulfillment o characteri tic of the egoic tate are no longer there 4 or are the/= 'ave the/ di olved> or do the/ continue to exi t underneath the happ/ urface realit/= !f in /our relation hip /ou experience ,oth @love@ and the oppo ite of love 4 attack> emotional violence> and o on 4 then it i likel/ that /ou are confu ing ego attachment and addictive clinging with loveE %ou cannot love /our partner one moment and attack him or her the nextE True love ha no oppo iteE !f /our @love@ ha an oppo ite> then it i not love ,ut a trong ego4need for a more complete and deeper en e of elf> a need that the other per on temporaril/ meet E !t i the ego0 u, titute for alvation> and for a hort time it almo t doe feel like alvationE #ut there come a point when /our partner ,ehave in wa/ that fail to meet /our need > or rather tho e of /our egoE The feeling of fear> pain> and lack that are an intrin ic part of egoic con ciou ne ,ut had ,een covered up ,/ the @love relation hip@ now re urfaceE <u t a with ever/ other addiction> /ou are on a high when the drug i availa,le> ,ut invaria,l/ there come a time when the drug no longer work for /ouE $hen tho e painful feeling reappear> /ou feel them even more trongl/ than ,efore> and what i more> /ou now perceive /our partner a the "ause of tho e feeling E Thi mean that /ou proGect them outward and attack the other with all the avage violence that i part of /our painE Thi attack ma/ awaken the partner0 own pain> and he or he ma/ counter /our attackE At thi point> the ego i till uncon ciou l/ hoping that it attack or it attempt at manipulation will ,e ufficient puni hment to induce /our partner to change their ,ehavior> o that it can u e them again a a cover4up for /our painE Ever/ addiction ari e from an uncon ciou refu al to face and move through /our own painE Ever/ addiction tart with pain and end with painE $hatever the u, tance /ou are addicted to 4 alcohol> food> legal or illegal drug > or a per on 4 /ou are u ing omething or ome,od/ to cover up /our painE That i wh/> after the initial euphoria ha pa ed> there i o much unhappine > o much pain in intimate relation hip E The/ do not cau e pain and unhappine E The/ ,ring out the pain and unhappine that i alread/ in /ouE Ever/ addiction doe thatE Ever/ addiction reache a point where it doe not work for /ou an/more> and then /ou feel the pain more inten el/ than everE Thi i one rea on wh/ mo t people are alwa/ tr/ing to e cape from the pre ent moment and are eeking ome kind of alvation in the futureE The fir t thing that the/ might encounter if the/ focu ed their attention on the Now i their own pain> and thi i what the/ fearE !f the/ onl/ knew how ea / it i to acce in the Now the power of pre ence that di olve the pa t and it pain> the realit/ that di olve the illu ionE !f the/ onl/ knew how clo e the/ are to their own realit/> how clo e to GodE Avoidance of relation hip in an attempt to avoid pain i not the an wer eitherE The pain i there an/wa/E Three failed relation hip in a man/ /ear are more likel/ to force /ou into

awakening than three /ear on a de ert i land or hut awa/ in /our roomE #ut if /ou could ,ring inten e pre ence into /our alonene > that would work for /ou tooE

ROM ADDICTI"E TO ENLIGHTENED RELATIONSHI$S

Can we change an addicti$e relationship into a true one?

%e E #eing pre ent and inten if/ing /our pre ence ,/ taking /our attention ever more deepl/ into the NowE $hether /ou are living alone or with a partner> thi remain the ke/E For love to flouri h> the light of /our pre ence need to ,e trong enough o that /ou no longer get taken over ,/ the thinker or the pain4,od/ and mi take them for who /ou areE To know /our elf a the #eing underneath the thinker> the tillne underneath the mental noi e> the love and Go/ underneath the pain> i freedom> alvation> enlightenmentE To di identif/ from the pain4,od/ i to ,ring pre ence into the pain and thu tran mute itE To di identif/ from thinking i to ,e the ilent watcher of /our thought and ,ehavior> e peciall/ the repetitive pattern of /our mind and the role pla/ed ,/ the egoE !f /ou top inve ting it with @ elfne >@ the mind lo e it compul ive Dualit/> which ,a icall/ i the compul ion to Gudge> and o to re i t what i > which create conflict> drama> and new painE !n fact> the moment that Gudgment top through acceptance of what i > /ou are free of the mindE %ou have made room for love> for Go/> for peaceE Fir t /ou top Gudging /our elfF then /ou top Gudging /our partnerE The greate t catal/ t for change in a relation hip i complete acceptance of /our partner a he or he i > without needing to Gudge or change them in an/ wa/E That immediatel/ take /ou ,e/ond egoE All mind game and all addictive clinging are then overE There are no victim and no perpetrator an/more> no accu er and accu edE Thi i al o the end of all codependenc/> of ,eing drawn into ome,od/ el e0 uncon ciou pattern and there,/ ena,ling it to continueE %ou will then either eparate 4 in love 4 or move ever more deepl/ into the Now together 4 into #eingE Can it ,e that imple= %e > it i that impleE 8ove i a tate of #eingE %our love i not out ideF it i deep within /ouE %ou can never lo e it> and it cannot leave /ouE !t i not dependent on ome other ,od/> ome external formE !n the tillne of /our pre ence> /ou can feel /our own formle and timele realit/ a the unmanife ted life that animate /our ph/ ical formE %ou can then feel the ame life deep within ever/ other human and ever/ other creatureE %ou look ,e/ond the veil of form and eparationE Thi i the realiAation of onene E Thi i loveE $hat i God= The eternal One 8ife underneath all the form of lifeE $hat i love= To feel the pre ence of that One 8ife deep within /our elf and within all creature E To ,e itE Therefore> all love i the love of GodE

8ove i not elective> Gu t a the light of the un i not electiveE !t doe not make one per on

pecialE !t i not exclu iveE Exclu ivit/ i not the love of God ,ut the @love@ of egoE 'owever> the inten it/ with which true love i felt can var/E There ma/ ,e one per on who reflect /our love ,ack to /ou more clearl/ and more inten el/ than other > and if that per on feel the ame toward /ou> it can ,e aid that /ou are in a love relation hip with him or herE The ,ond that connect /ou with that per on i the ame ,ond that connect /ou with the per on itting next to /ou on a ,u > or with a ,ird> a tree> a flowerE Onl/ the degree of inten it/ with which it i felt differ E Even in an otherwi e addictive relation hip> there ma/ ,e moment when omething more real hine through> omething ,e/ond /our mutual addictive need E The e are moment when ,oth /our and /our partner0 mind ,riefl/ u, ide and the pain4,od/ i temporaril/ in a dormant tateE Thi ma/ ometime happen during ph/ ical intimac/> or when /ou are ,oth witne ing the miracle of child,irth> or in the pre ence of death> or when one of /ou i eriou l/ ill 4 an/thing that render the mind powerle E $hen thi happen > /our #eing> which i u uall/ ,uried underneath the mind> ,ecome revealed> and it i thi that make true communication po i,leE True communication i communion 4 the realiAation of onene > which i loveE : uall/> thi i Duickl/ lo t again> unle /ou are a,le to ta/ pre ent enough to keep out the mind and it old pattern E A oon a the mind and mind identification return> /ou are no longer /our elf ,ut a mental image of /our elf> and /ou tart pla/ing game and role again to get /our ego need metE %ou are a human mind again> pretending to ,e a human ,eing> interacting with another mind> pla/ing a drama called @loveE@ Although ,rief glimp e are po i,le> love cannot flouri h unle /ou are permanentl/ free of mind identification and /our pre ence i inten e enough to have di olved the pain4 ,od/ 4 or /ou can at lea t remain pre ent a the watcherE The pain4,od/ cannot then take /ou over and o ,ecome de tructive of loveE
RELATIONSHI$S AS S$IRITUAL $RACTICE

A the egoic mode of con ciou ne and all the ocial> political> and economic tructure that it created enter the final tage of collap e> the relation hip ,etween men and women reflect the deep tate of cri i in which humanit/ now find it elfE A human have ,ecome increa ingl/ identified with their mind> mo t relation hip are not rooted in #eing and o turn into a ource of pain and ,ecome dominated ,/ pro,lem and conflictE *illion are now living alone or a ingle parent > una,le to e ta,li h an intimate relation hip or unwilling to repeat the in ane drama of pa t relation hip E Other go from one relation hip to another> from one plea ure4and4pain c/cle to another> in earch of the elu ive goal of fulfillment through union with the oppo ite energ/ polarit/E Still other compromi e and continue to ,e together in a d/ functional relation hip in which negativit/ prevail > for the ake of the children or ecurit/> through force of ha,it> fear of ,eing alone> or ome other mutuall/ @,eneficial@ arrangement> or even through the uncon ciou addiction to the excitement of emotional drama and painE 'owever> ever/ cri i repre ent not onl/ danger ,ut al o opportunit/E !f relation hip energiAe and magnif/ egoic mind pattern and activate the pain4,od/> a the/ do at thi time> wh/ not accept thi fact rather than tr/ to e cape from it= $h/ not cooperate with it in tead of avoiding relation hip or continuing to pur ue the phantom of an ideal partner a an an wer to /our pro,lem or a mean of feeling fulfilled= The opportunit/ that i concealed within ever/ cri i doe not manife t until all the fact of an/ given ituation are acknowledged and full/ acceptedE A long a /ou den/ them> a long a /ou tr/ to e cape

from them or wi h that thing were different> the window of opportunit/ doe not open up> and /ou remain trapped in ide that ituation> which will remain the ame or deteriorate furtherE $ith the acknowledgment and acceptance of the fact al o come a degree of freedom from themE For example> when /ou know there i di harmon/ and /ou hold that @knowing>@ through /our knowing a new factor ha come in> and the di harmon/ cannot remain unchangedE $hen /ou know you are not at peace> /our knowing create a till pace that urround /our nonpeace in a loving and tender em,race and then tran mute /our nonpeace into peaceE A far a inner tran formation i concerned> there i nothing /ou can do a,out itE %ou cannot tran form /our elf> and /ou certainl/ cannot tran form /our partner or an/,od/ el eE All /ou can do i create a pace for tran formation to happen> for grace and love to enterE

So whenever /our relation hip i not working> whenever it ,ring out the @madne @ in /ou and in /our partner> ,e gladE $hat wa uncon ciou i ,eing ,rought up to the lightE !t i an opportunit/ for alvationE Ever/ moment> hold the knowing of that moment> particularl/ of /our inner tateE !f there i anger> know that there i angerE !f there i Gealou /> defen ivene > the urge to argue> the need to ,e right> an inner child demanding love and attention> or emotional pain of an/ kind 4 whatever it i > know the realit/ of that moment and hold the knowingE The relation hip then ,ecome /our sadhana, /our piritual practiceE !f /ou o, erve uncon ciou ,ehavior in /our partner> hold it in the loving em,race of /our knowing o that /ou won0t reactE :ncon ciou ne and knowing cannot coexi t for long 4 even if the knowing i onl/ in the other per on and not in the one who i acting out the uncon ciou ne E The energ/ form that lie ,ehind ho tilit/ and attack find the pre ence of love a, olutel/ intolera,leE !f /ou react at all to /our partner0 uncon ciou ne > /ou ,ecome uncon ciou /our elfE #ut if /ou then remem,er to know /our reaction> nothing i lo tE 'umanit/ i under great pre ure to evolve ,ecau e it i our onl/ chance of urvival a a raceE Thi will affect ever/ a pect of /our life and clo e relation hip in particularE Never ,efore have relation hip ,een a pro,lematic and conflict ridden a the/ are nowE A /ou ma/ have noticed> the/ are not here to make /ou happ/ or fulfilledE !f /ou continue to pur ue the goal of alvation through a relation hip> /ou will ,e di illu ioned again and againE #ut if /ou accept that the relation hip i here to make /ou "ons"ious in tead of happ/> then the rela4 tion hip will offer /ou alvation> and /ou will ,e aligning /our elf with the higher con ciou ne that want to ,e ,orn into thi worldE For tho e who hold on to the old pattern > there will ,e increa ing pain> violence> confu ion> and madne E
I suppose that it takes two to make a relationship into a spiritual practice, as you suggest! 2or example, my partner is still acting out his old patterns of 'ealousy and control! I ha$e pointed this out many times, but he is unable to see it!

'ow man/ people doe it take to make /our life into a piritual practice= Never mind if /our partner will not cooperateE Sanit/ 4 con ciou ne 4 can onl/ come into thi world through /ouE %ou do not need to wait for the world to ,ecome ane> or for ome,od/ el e to ,ecome con ciou > ,efore /ou can ,e enlightenedE %ou ma/ wait foreverE 3o not accu e each other of ,eing uncon ciou E The moment /ou tart to argue> /ou have identified with a mental po ition and are now defending not onl/ that po ition ,ut al o /our en e of elfE The ego i

in chargeE %ou have ,ecome uncon ciou E At time > it ma/ ,e appropriate to point out certain a pect of /our partner0 ,ehaviorE !f /ou are ver/ alert> ver/ pre ent> /ou can do o without ego involvement 4 without ,laming> accu ing> or making the other wrongE $hen /our partner ,ehave uncon ciou l/> relinDui h all GudgmentE <udgment i either to confu e omeone0 uncon ciou ,ehavior with who the/ are or to proGect /our own uncon ciou ne onto another per on and mi take that for who the/ areE To relinDui h Gudg4 ment doe not mean that /ou do not recogniAe d/ function and uncon ciou ne when /ou ee itE !t mean @,eing the knowing@ rather than @,eing the reaction@ and the GudgeE %ou will then either ,e totall/ free of reaction or /ou ma/ react and till ,e the knowing> the pace in which the reaction i watched and allowed to ,eE !n tead of fighting the darkne > /ou ,ring in the lightE !n tead of reacting to delu ion> /ou ee the delu ion /et at the ame time look through itE #eing the knowing create a clear pace of loving pre ence that allow all thing and all people to ,e a the/ areE No greater catal/ t for tran formation exi t E !f /ou practice thi > /our partner cannot ta/ with /ou and remain uncon ciou E !f /ou ,oth agree that the relation hip will ,e /our piritual practice> o much the ,etterE %ou can then expre /our thought and feeling to each other a oon a the/ occur> or a oon a a reaction come up> o that /ou do not create a time gap in which an unexpre ed or unacknowledged emotion or grievance can fe ter and growE 8earn to give expre ion to what /ou feel without ,lamingE 8earn to li ten to /our partner in an open> nondefen ive wa/E Give /our partner pace for expre ing him elf or her elfE #e pre entE Accu ing> defending> attacking 4 all tho e pattern that are de igned to trengthen or protect the ego or to get it need met will then ,ecome redundantE Giving pace to other 4 and to /our elf 4 i vitalE 8ove cannot flouri h without itE $hen /ou have removed the two factor that are de tructive of relation hip ) $hen the pain4,od/ ha ,een tran muted and /ou are no longer identified with mind and mental po ition > and if /our partner ha done the ame> /ou will experience the ,li of the flowering of relation hipE !n tead of mirroring to each other /our pain and /our uncon ciou ne > in tead of ati f/ing /our mutual addictive ego need > /ou will reflect ,ack to each other the love that /ou feel deep within> the love that come with the realiAation of /our onene with all that i E Thi i the love that ha no oppo iteE !f /our partner i till identified with the mind and the pain4,od/ while /ou are alread/ free> thi will repre ent a maGor challenge 4 not to /ou ,ut to /our partnerE !t i not ea / to live with an enlightened per on> or rather it i o ea / that the ego find it extremel/ threateningE (emem,er that the ego need pro,lem > conflict> and @enemie @ to trengthen the en e of eparatene on which it identit/ depend E The unenlightened partner0 mind will ,e deepl/ fru trated ,ecau e it fixed po ition are not re i ted> which mean the/ will ,ecome hak/ and weak> and there i even the @danger@ that the/ ma/ collap e altogether> re ulting in lo of elfE The pain4,od/ i demanding feed,ack and not getting itE The need for argument> drama> and conflict i not ,eing metE #ut ,eware) Some people who are unre pon ive> withdrawn> in en itive> or cut off from their feeling ma/ think and tr/ to convince other that the/ are enlightened> or at lea t that there i @nothing wrong@ with them and ever/thing wrong with their partnerE *en tend to do that more than womenE The/ ma/ ee their female partner a irrational or emotionalE #ut if /ou can feel /our emotion > /ou are not far from the radiant inner ,od/ Gu t underneathE !f /ou are mainl/ in /our head> the di tance i much greater> and /ou need to ,ring con ciou ne into the emotional ,od/ ,efore /ou can reach the inner ,od/E !f there i n0t an emanation of love and Go/> complete pre ence and openne toward all

,eing > then it i not enlightenmentE Another indicator i how a per on ,ehave in difficult or challenging ituation or when thing @go wrongE@ !f /our @enlightenment i egoic elf4delu ion> then life will oon give /ou a challenge that will ,ring out /our uncon ciou ne in whatever form 4 a fear> anger> defen ivene > Gudgment> depre ion> and o onE !f /ou are in a relation hip> man/ of /our challenge will come through /our partnerE For example> a woman ma/ ,e challenged ,/ an unre pon ive male partner who live almo t entirel/ in hi headE She will ,e challenged ,/ hi ina,ilit/ to hear her> to give her attention and pace to ,e> which i due to hi lack of pre enceE The a, ence of love in the relation hip> which i u uall/ more keenl/ felt ,/ a woman than a man> will trigger the woman0 pain4,od/> and through it he will attack her partner 4 ,lame> criticiAe> make wrong> and o onE Thi in turn now ,ecome hi challengeE To defend him elf again t her pain4,od/0 attack> which he ee a totall/ unwarranted> he will ,ecome even more deepl/ entrenched in hi mental po ition a he Gu tifie > defend him elf or counterattack E Eventuall/> thi ma/ activate hi own pain4,od/E $hen ,oth partner have thu ,een taken over> a level of deep uncon ciou ne ha ,een reached> of emotional violence> avage attack and counterattackE !t will not u, ide until ,oth pain4 ,odie have repleni hed them elve and then enter the dormant tageE :ntil the next timeE Thi i onl/ one of an endle num,er of po i,le cenario E *an/ volume have ,een written> and man/ more could ,e written> a,out the wa/ in which uncon ciou ne i ,rought out in male4female relation hip E #ut> a ! aid earlier> once /ou under tand the root of the d/ function> /ou do not need to explore it countle manife tation E 8et0 ,riefl/ look again at the cenario ! have Gu t de cri,edE Ever/ challenge that it contain i actuall/ a di gui ed opportunit/ for alvationE At ever/ tage of the unfolding d/ functional proce > freedom from uncon ciou ne i po i,leE For example> the woman0 ho tilit/ could ,ecome a ignal for the man to come out of hi mind identified tate> awaken into the Now> ,ecome pre ent 4 in tead of ,ecoming even more identified with hi mind> even more uncon ciou E !n tead of @,eing@ the pain4,od/> the woman could ,e the knowing that watche the emotional pain in her elf> thu acce ing the power of the Now and initiating the tran mutation of the painE Thi would remove the compul ive and automatic outward proGection of itE She could then expre her feeling to her partnerE There i no guarantee> of cour e> that he will li ten> ,ut it give him a good chance to ,ecome pre ent and certainl/ ,reak the in ane c/cle of the involuntar/ acting out of old mind pattern E !f the woman mi e that opportunit/> the man could watch hi own mental4emotional reaction to her pain> hi own defen ivene > rather than #eing the reactionE 'e could then watch hi own pain4,od/ ,eing triggered and thu ,ring con ciou ne into hi emotion E !n thi wa/> a dear and till pace of pure awarene would come into ,eing 4 the knowing> the ilent witne > the watcherE Thi awarene doe not den/ the pain and /et i ,e/ond itE !t allow the pain to ,e and /et tran mute it at the ame timeE !t accept ever/thing and tran form ever/thingE A door would have opened up for her through which he could ea il/ Goin him in that paceE !f /ou are con i tentl/ or at lea t predominantl/ pre ent in /our relation hip> thi will ,e the greate t challenge for /our partnerE The/ will not ,e a,le to tolerate /our pre ence for ver/ long and ta/ uncon ciou E !f the/ are read/> the/ will walk through the door that /ou opened for them and Goin /ou in that tateE !f the/ are not> /ou will eparate like oil and waterE The light i too painful for omeone who want to remain in darkne E
WHY WOMEN ARE CLOSER TO ENLIGHTENMENT

-re the obstacles to enlightenment the same for a man as for a woman?

%e > ,ut the empha i i differentE Generall/ peaking> it i ea ier for a woman to feel and ,e in her ,od/> o he i naturall/ clo er to #eing and potentiall/ clo er to enlightenment than a manE Thi i wh/ man/ ancient culture in tinctivel/ cho e female figure or analogie to repre ent or de cri,e the formle and tran cendental realit/E !t wa often een a a wom, that give ,irth to ever/thing in creation and u tain and nouri he it during it life a formE !n the Tao Te Ching, one of the mo t ancient and profound ,ook ever written> the Tao, which could ,e tran lated a Being, i de cri,ed a @infinite> eternall/ pre ent> the mother of the univer eE@ Naturall/> women are lo er to it than men ince the/ virtuall/ @em,od/@ the :nmanife tedE $hat i more> all creature and all thing mu t eventuall/ return to the SourceE @All thing vani h into the TaoE !t alone endure E@ Since the Source i een a female> thi i repre ented a the light and dark ide of the archet/pal feminine in p /cholog/ and m/tholog/E The Godde or 3ivine *other ha two a pect ) She give life> and he take lifeE $hen the mind took over and human lo t touch with the realit/ of their divine e ence> the/ tarted to think of God a a male figureE Societ/ ,ecame male dominated> and the female wa made u,ordinate to the maleE ! am not ugge ting a return to earlier female repre entation of the divineE Some people now u e the term 'oddess in tead of 'od. The/ are redre ing a ,alance ,etween male and female that wa lo t a long time ago> and that i goodE #ut it i till a repre entation and a concept> perhap temporaril/ u eful> Gu t a a map or a ignpo t i temporaril/ u eful> ,ut more a hindrance than a help when /ou are read/ to realiAe the realit/ ,e/ond all concept and image E $hat doe remain true> however> i that the energ/ freDuenc/ of the mind appear to ,e e entiall/ maleE The mind re i t > fight for control> u e > manipulate > attack > trie to gra p and po e > and o onE Thi i wh/ the traditional God i a patriarchal> controlling authorit/ figure> an often angr/ man who /ou hould live in fear of> a the Old Te tament ugge t E Thi God i a proGection of the human mindE To go ,e/ond the mind and reconnect with the deeper realit/ of #eing> ver/ different Dualitie are needed) urrender> nonGudgment> an openne that allow life to ,e in tead of re i ting it> the capacit/ to hold all thing in the loving em,race of /our knowingE All the e Dualitie are much more clo el/ related to the female principleE $herea mind4energ/ i hard and rigid> #eing4energ/ i oft and /ielding and /et infinitel/ more powerful than mindE The mind run our civiliAation> wherea #eing i in charge of all life on our planet and ,e/ondE #eing i the ver/ !ntelligence who e vi i,le manife tation i the ph/ ical univer eE Although women are potentiall/ clo er to it> men can al o acce it within them elve E At thi time> the va t maGorit/ of men a well a women are till in the grip of the mind) identified with the thinker and the pain4,od/E Thi > of cour e> i what prevent enlightenment and the flowering of loveE A a general rule> the maGor o, tacle for men tend to ,e the thinking mind> and the maGor o, tacle for women the pain4,od/> although in certain individual ca e the oppo ite ma/ ,e true> and in other the two factor ma/ ,e eDualE
DISSOL"ING THE COLLECTI"E EMALE $AIN%BODY

Why is the pain+body more of an obstacle for women?

The pain4,od/ u uall/ ha a collective a well a a per onal a pectE The per onal a pect i the accumulated re idue of emotional pain uffered in one0 own pa tE The collective one i the pain accumulated in the collective human p /che over thou and of /ear through di ea e>

torture> war> murder> cruelt/> madne > and o onE Ever/one0 per onal pain4,od/ al o partake of thi collective pain4,od/E There are different trand in the collective pain4,od/E For example> certain race or countrie in which extreme form of trife and violence occur have a heavier collective pain4,od/ than other E An/one with a trong pain4,od/ and not enough con ciou ne to di identif/ from it will not onl/ continuou l/ or periodicall/ ,e forced to relive their emotional pain ,ut ma/ al o ea il/ ,ecome either the perpetrator or the victim of violence> depending on whether their pain4,od/ i predominantl/ active or pa iveE On the other hand> the/ ma/ al o ,e potentiall/ clo er to enlightenmentE Thi potential i n0t nece aril/ realiAed> of cour e> ,ut if /ou are trapped in a nightmare /ou will pro,a,l/ ,e more trongl/ motivated to awaken than omeone who i Gu t caught in the up and down of an ordinar/ dreamE Apart from her per onal pain4,od/> ever/ woman ha her hare in what could ,e de cri,ed a the collective female pain4,od/ 4 unle he i full/ con ciou E Thi con i t of accumulated pain uffered ,/ women partl/ through male u,Gugation of the female> through laver/> exploitation> rape> child,irth> child lo > and o on> over thou and of /ear E The emotional or ph/ ical pain that for man/ women precede and coincide with the men trual flow i the pain4,od/ in it collective a pect that awaken from it dormanc/ at that time> although it can ,e triggered at other time tooE !t re trict the free flow of life energ/ through the ,od/> of which men truation i a ph/ ical expre ionE 8et0 dwell on thi for a moment and ee how it can ,ecome an opportunit/ for enlightenmentE Often a woman i @taken over@ ,/ the pain4,od/ at that timeE !t ha an extremel/ powerful energetic charge that can ea il/ pull /ou into uncon ciou identification with itE %ou are then activel/ po e ed ,/ an energ/ field that occupie /our inner pace and pretend to ,e /ou 4 ,ut> of cour e> i not /ou at allE !t peak through /ou> act through /ou> think through /ouE !t will create negative ituation in /our life o that it can feed on the energ/E !t want more pain> in whatever formE ! have de cri,ed thi proce alread/E !t can ,e viciou and de tructiveE !t i pure pain> pa t pain 4 and it i not /ouE The num,er of women who are now approaching the full/ con ciou tate alread/ exceed that of men and will ,e growing even fa ter in the /ear to comeE *en ma/ catch up with them in the end> ,ut for ome con idera,le time there will ,e a gap ,etween the con4 ciou ne of men and that of womenE $omen are regaining the function that i their ,irthright and> therefore> come to them more naturall/ than it doe to men) to ,e a ,ridge ,etween the manife ted world and the :nmanife ted> ,etween ph/ icalit/ and piritE %our main ta k a a woman now i to tran mute the pain4,od/ o that it no longer come ,etween /ou and /our true elf> the e ence of who /ou areE Of cour e> /ou al o have to deal with the other o, tacle to enlightenment> which i the thinking mind> ,ut the inten e pre ence /ou generate when dealing with the pain4,od/ will al o free /ou from identification with the mindE The fir t thing to remem,er i thi ) A long a /ou make an identit/ for /our elf out of the pain> /ou cannot ,ecome free of itE A long a part of /our en e of elf i inve ted in /our emotional pain> /ou will uncon ciou l/ re i t or a,otage ever/ attempt that /ou make to heal that painE $h/= ;uite impl/ ,ecau e /ou want to keep /our elf intact> and the pain ha ,ecome an e ential part of /ouE Thi i an uncon ciou proce > and the onl/ wa/ to overcome it i to make it con ciou E To uddenl/ ee that /ou are or have ,een attached to /our pain can ,e Duite a hocking realiAationE The moment /ou realiAe thi > /ou have ,roken the attachmentE The pain4,od/ i an energ/ field> almo t like an entit/> that ha ,ecome temporaril/ lodged in /our inner paceE !t i life energ/ that ha ,ecome trapped> energ/ that i no longer flowingE Of cour e> the

pain4,od/ i there ,ecau e of certain thing that happened in the pa tE !t i the living pa t in /ou> and if /ou identif/ with it> /ou identif/ with the pa tE A victim identit/ i the ,elief that the pa t i more powerful than the pre ent> which i the oppo ite of the truthE !t i the ,elief that other people and what the/ did to /ou are re pon i,le for who /ou are now> for /our emotional pain or /our ina,ilit/ to ,e /our true elfE The truth i that the onl/ power there i > i contained within thi moment) !t i the power of /our pre enceE Once /ou know that> /ou al o realiAe that you are re pon i,le for /our inner pace now 4 no,od/ el e i 4 and that the pa t cannot prevail again t the power of the NowE

So identification prevent /ou from dealing with the pain4,od/E Some women who are alread/ con ciou enough to have relinDui hed their victim identit/ on the per onal level are till holding on to a collective victim identit/E @what men did to womenE@ The/ are right 4 and the/ are al o wrongE The/ are right ina much a the collective female pain,od/ i in large part due to male violence inflicted on women and repre ion of the female principle throughout the planet over millenniaE The/ are wrong if the/ derive a en e of elf from thi fact and there,/ keep them elve impri oned in a collective victim identit/E !f a woman i till holding on to anger> re entment> or condemnation> he i holding on to her pain4,od/E Thi ma/ give her a comforting en e of identit/> of olidarit/ with other women> ,ut it i keeping her in ,ondage to the pa t and ,locking full acce to her e ence and true powerE !f women exclude them elve from men> that fo ter a en e of eparation and therefore a trengthening of the egoE And the tronger the ego> the more di tant /ou are from /our true natureE So do not u e the pain4,od/ to give /ou an identit/E : e it for enlightenment in teadE Tran mute it into con ciou ne E One of the ,e t time for thi i during men e E ! ,elieve that> in the /ear to come> man/ women will enter the full/ con ciou tate during that timeE : uall/> it i a time of uncon ciou ne for man/ women> a the/ are taken over ,/ the collective female pain4,od/E Once /ou have reached a certain level of con ciou ne > however> /ou can rever e thi > o in tead of ,ecoming uncon ciou /ou ,ecome %ore con4 ciou E ! have de cri,ed the ,a ic proce alread/> ,ut let me take /ou through it again> thi time with pecial reference to the collective female pain4,od/E $hen /ou know that the men trual flow i approaching> ,efore /ou feel the fir t ign of what i commonl/ called premen trual ten ion> the awakening of the collective female pain4 ,od/> ,ecome ver/ alert and inha,it /our ,od/ a full/ a po i,leE $hen the fir t ign appear > /ou need to ,e alert enough to @catch0 it ,efore it take /ou overE For example> the fir t ign ma/ ,e a udden trong irritation or a fla h of anger> or it ma/ ,e a purel/ ph/ ical /mptomE $hatever it i > catch it ,efore it can take over /our thinking or ,ehaviorE Thi im4 pl/ mean putting the potlight of /our attention on itE !f it i an emotion> feel the trong energ/ charge ,ehind itE 7now that it i the pain,od/E At the ame time> ,e the knowingF that i to a/> ,e aware of /our con ciou pre ence and feel it powerE An/ emotion that /ou take /our pre ence into will Duickl/ u, ide and ,ecome tran mutedE !f it i a purel/ ph/ ical /mptom> the attention that /ou give it will prevent it from turning into an emotion or a thoughtE Then continue to ,e alert and wait for the next ign of the pain4,od/E $hen it appear > catch it again in the ame wa/ a ,eforeE 8ater> when the pain4,od/ ha full/ awakened from it dormant tate> /ou ma/ experience con idera,le tur,ulence in /our inner pace for a while> perhap for everal da/ E

$hatever form thi take > ta/ pre entE Give it /our complete attentionE $atch the tur,ulence in ide /ouE 7now it i thereE 'old the knowing> and ,e the knowingE (emem,er do not let the pain4,od/ u e /our mind and take over /our thinkingE $atch itE Feel it energ/ directl/> in ide /our ,od/E A /ou know> full attention mean full acceptanceE Through u tained attention and thu acceptance> there come tran mutationE The pain4 ,od/ ,ecome tran formed into radiant con ciou ne > Gu t a a piece of wood> when placed in or near a fire> it elf i tran formed into fireE *en truation will then ,ecome not onl/ a Go/ful and fulfilling expre ion of /our womanhood ,ut al o a acred time of tran mutation> when /ou give ,irth to a new con ciou ne E %our true nature then hine forth> ,oth in it female a pect a the Godde and in it tran cendental a pect a the divine #eing that /ou are ,e/ond male and female dualit/E !f /our male partner i con ciou enough> he can help /ou with the practice ! have Gu t de cri,ed ,/ holding the freDuenc/ of inten e pre ence particularl/ at thi timeE !f he ta/ pre ent whenever /ou fall ,ack into uncon ciou identification with the pain4,od/> which can and will happen at fir t> /ou will ,e a,le to Duickl/ reGoin him in that tateE Thi mean that whenever the pain4,od/ temporaril/ take over> whether during men e or at other time > /our partner will not mi take it for who /ou areE Even if the pain4,od/ attack him> a it pro,a,l/ will> he will not react to it a if it were @/ou>@ withdraw> or put up ome kind of defen eE 'e will hold the pace of inten e pre enceE Nothing el e i needed for tran formationE At other time > /ou will ,e a,le to do the ame for him or help him reclaim con ciou ne from the mind ,/ drawing hi attention into the here and now whenever he ,ecome identified with hi thinkingE !n thi wa/> a permanent energ/ field of a pure and high freDuenc/ will ari e ,etween /ouE No illu ion> no pain> no conflict> nothing that i not you, and nothing that i not love can urvive in itE Thi repre ent the fulfillment of the divine> tran per onal purpo e of /our relation hipE !t ,ecome a vortex of con ciou ne that will draw in man/ other E

GI"E U$ THE RELATIONSHI$ WITH YOURSEL

When one is fully conscious, would one still ha$e a need for a relationship? Would a man still feel drawn to a woman? Would a woman still feel incomplete without a man?

Enlightened or not> /ou are either a man or a woman> o on the level of /our form identit/ /ou are not completeE %ou are one4half of the wholeE Thi incompletene i felt a male4 female attraction> the pull toward the oppo ite energ/ polarit/> no matter how con ciou /ou areE #ut in that tate of inner connectedne > /ou feel thi pull omewhere on the urface or peripher/ of /our lifeE An/thing that happen to /ou in that tate feel omewhat like thatE The whole world eem like wave or ripple on the urface of a va t and deep oceanE %ou are that ocean and> of cour e> /ou are al o a ripple> ,ut a ripple that ha realiAed it true identit/ a the ocean> and compared to that va tne and depth> the world of wave and ripple i not all that importantE Thi doe not mean that /ou don0t relate deepl/ to other people or to /our partnerE !n fact> /ou can relate deepl/ only if /ou are con ciou of #eingE Coming from #eing> /ou are a,le to focu ,e/ond the veil of formE !n #eing> male and female are oneE %our form ma/ continue to

have certain need > ,ut #eing ha noneE !t i alread/ complete and wholeE !f tho e need are met> that i ,eautiful> ,ut whether or not the/ are met make no difference to /our deep inner tateE So it i perfectl/ po i,le for an enlightened per on> if the need for the male or female polarit/ i not met> to feel a en e of lack or incompletene on the outer level of hi or her ,eing> /et at the ame time ,e totall/ complete> fulfilled> and at peace withinE
In the uest for enlightenment, is being gay a help or a hindrance, or does it not make any difference?

A /ou approach adulthood> uncertaint/ a,out /our exualit/ followed ,/ the realiAation that /ou are @different@ from other ma/ force /ou to di identif/ from ociall/ conditioned pattern of thought and ,ehaviorE Thi will automaticall/ rai e /our level of con ciou ne a,ove that of the uncon ciou maGorit/> who e mem,er unDue tioningl/ take on ,oard all inherited pattern E !n that re pect> ,eing ga/ can ,e a helpE #eing an out ider to ome extent> omeone who doe not @fit in0 with other or i reGected ,/ them for whatever rea on> make life difficult> ,ut it al o place /ou at an advantage a far a enlightenment i concernedE !t take /ou out of uncon ciou ne almo t ,/ forceE On the other hand> if /ou then develop a en e of identit/ ,a ed on /our ga/ne > /ou have e caped one trap onl/ to fall into anotherE %ou will pla/ role and game dictated ,/ a mental image /ou have of /our elf a ga/E %ou will ,ecome uncon ciou E %ou will ,ecome unrealE :nderneath /our ego ma k> /ou will ,ecome ver/ unhapp/E !f thi happen to /ou> ,eing ga/ will have ,ecome a hindranceE #ut /ou alwa/ get another chance> of cour eE Acute unhappine can ,e a great awakenerE
Is it not true that you need to ha$e a good relationship with yourself and lo$e yourself before you can ha$e a fulfilling relationship with another person?

!f /ou cannot ,e at ea e with /our elf when /ou are alone> /ou will eek a relation hip to cover up /our unea eE %ou can ,e ure that the unea e will then reappear in ome other form within the relation hip> and /ou will pro,a,l/ hold /our partner re pon i,le for itE All /ou reall/ need to do i accept thi moment full/E %ou are then at ea e in the here and now and at ea e with /our elfE #ut do /ou need to have a relation hip with /our elf at all= $h/ can0t /ou Gu t #e /our elf= $hen /ou have a relation hip with /our elf> /ou have plit /our elf into two) @!@ and @m/ elf>@ u,Gect and o,GectE That mind4created dualit/ i the root cau e of all unnece ar/ complexit/> of all pro,lem and conflict in /our lifeE !n the tate of enlightenment> /ou are /our elf 4 @/ou@ and @/our elf@ merge into oneE %ou do not Gudge /our elf> /ou do not feel orr/ for /our elf> /ou are not proud of /our elf> /ou do not love /our elf> /ou do not hate /our elf> and o onE The plit cau ed ,/ elf4reflective con ciou ne i healed> it cur e removedE There i no @ elf@ that /ou need to protect> defend> or feed an/moreE $hen /ou are enlightened> there i one relation hip that /ou no longer have) the relation hip with /our elfE Once /ou have given that up> all /our other relation hip will ,e love relation hip E

C'APTE( N!NE

#E%ON3 'APP!NESS AN3 :N'APP!NESS

T'E(E !S PEACE
THE HIGHER GOOD BEYOND GOOD AND BAD

Is there a difference between happiness and inner peace?

%e E 'appine

depend on condition ,eing perceived a po itiveF inner peace doe notE

Is it not possible to attract only positi$e conditions into our life? If our attitude and our thinking are always positi$e, we would manifest only positi$e e$ents and situations, wouldn't we?

3o /ou trul/ know what i po itive and what i negative= 3o /ou have the total picture= There have ,een man/ people for whom limitation> failure> lo > illne > or pain in whatever form turned out to ,e their greate t teacherE !t taught them to let go of fal e elf4image and uperficial ego4dictated goal and de ire E !t gave them depth> humilit/> and compa ionE !t made them more real. $henever an/thing negative happen to /ou> there i a deep le on concealed within it> although /ou ma/ not ee it at the timeE Even a ,rief illne or an accident can how /ou what i real and unreal in /our life> what ultimatel/ matter and what doe n0tE Seen from a higher per pective> condition are alwa/ po itiveE To ,e more preci e) the/ are neither po itive nor negativeE The/ are a the/ areE And when /ou live in complete acceptance of what i 4 which i the onl/ ane wa/ to live 4 there i no @good@ or @,ad@ in /our life an/moreE There i onl/ a higher good 4 which include the @,adE@ Seen from the per pective of the mind> however> there i good4,ad> like4di like> love4hateE 'ence> in the #ook of Gene i > it i aid that Adam and Eve were no longer allowed to dwell in @paradi e@ when the/ @ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evilE@
&his sounds to me like denial and self+deception! When something dreadful happens to me or someone close to me + accident, illness, pain of some kind or death + I can pretend that it isn't bad, but the fact remains that it is bad, so why deny it?

%ou are not pretending an/thingE %ou are allowing it to ,e a it i > that0 allE Thi @allowing to ,e@ take /ou ,e/ond the mind with it re i tance pattern that create the po itive4negative polaritie E !t i an e ential a pect of forgivene E Forgivene of the pre ent i even more important than forgivene of the pa tE !f /ou forgive ever/ moment 4 allow it to ,e a it i 4 then there will ,e no accumulation of re entment that need to ,e forgiven at ome later timeE (emem,er that we are not talking a,out happine hereE For example> when a loved one ha Gu t died> or /ou feel /our own death approaching> /ou cannot ,e happ/E !t i impo i,leE #ut /ou "an ,e at peaceE There ma/ ,e adne and tear > ,ut provided that /ou have relinDui hed re i tance> underneath the adne /ou will feel a deep erenit/> a tillne > a acred pre enceE Thi i the emanation of #eing> thi i inner peace> the good that ha no oppo iteE
What if it is a situation that I can do something about? ,ow can I allow it to be and change it at the same time?

3o what /ou have to doE !n the meantime> accept what i E Since mind and re i tance are /non/mou > acceptance immediatel/ free /ou from mind dominance and thu reconnect /ou with #eingE A a re ult> the u ual ego motivation for @doing@ 4 fear> greed> control> defending or feeding the fal e en e of elf 4 will cea e to operateE An intelligence much greater than the mind i now in charge> and o a different Dualit/ of con ciou ne will flow into /our doingE @Accept whatever come to /ou woven in the pattern of /our de tin/> for what could more aptl/ fit /our need =@ Thi wa written 1>666 /ear ago ,/ *arcu Aureliu > one of tho e exceedingl/ rare human who po e ed worldl/ power a well a wi domE !t eem that mo t people need to experience a great deal of uffering ,efore the/ will relinDui h re i tance and accept 4 ,efore the/ will forgiveE A oon a the/ do> one of the greate t miracle happen ) the awakening of #eing4con ciou ne through what appear a evil> the tran mutation of uffering into inner peaceE The ultimate effect of all the evil and uffering in the world i that it will force human into realiAing who the/ are ,e/ond name and formE Thu > what we perceive a evil from our limited per pective i actuall/ part of the higher good that ha no oppo iteE Thi > however> doe not ,ecome true for /ou except through forgivene E :ntil that happen > evil ha not ,een redeemed and therefore remain evilE Through forgivene > which e entiall/ mean recogniAing the in u, tantialit/ of the pa t and allowing the pre ent moment to ,e a it i > the miracle of tran formation happen not onl/ within ,ut al o withoutE A ilent pace of inten e pre ence ari e ,oth in /ou and around /ouE $hoever or whatever enter that field of con ciou ne will ,e affected ,/ it> ometime vi i,l/ and immediatel/> ometime at deeper level with vi i,le change appearing at a later timeE %ou di olve di cord> heal pain> di pel uncon ciou ne 4 without doing an/thing 4 impl/ ,/ #eing and holding that freDuenc/ of inten e pre enceE

THE END O YOUR LI E DRAMA

In that state of acceptance and inner peace, e$en though you may not call it #bad,# can anything still come into your life that would be called #bad# from a perspecti$e of ordinary consciousness?

*o t of the o4called ,ad thing that happen in people0 live are due to uncon ciou ne E The/ are elf4created> or rather ego4createdE ! ometime refer to tho e thing a @dramaE@ $hen /ou are full/ con ciou > drama doe not come into /our life an/moreE 8et me remind /ou ,riefl/ how the ego operate and how it create dramaE Ego i the uno, erved mind that run /our life when /ou are not pre ent a the witne ing con ciou ne > the watcherE The ego perceive it elf a a eparate fragment in a ho tile univer e> with no real inner connection to an/ other ,eing> urrounded ,/ other ego which it either ee a a potential threat or which it will attempt to u e for it own end E The ,a ic ego pattern are de igned to com,at it own deep4 eated fear and en e of lackE The/ are re i tance> control> power> greed> defen e> attackE Some of the ego0 trategie are extremel/ clever> /et the/ never

trul/ olve an/ of it pro,lem > impl/ ,ecau e the ego it elf i the pro,lemE $hen ego come together> whether in per onal relation hip or in organiAation or in titution > @,ad@ thing happen ooner or later drama of one kind or another> in the form of conflict> pro,lem > power truggle > emotional or ph/ ical violence> and o onE Thi include col4 lective evil uch a war> genocide> and exploitation 4 all due to ma ed uncon ciou ne E Furthermore> man/ t/pe of illne are cau ed ,/ the ego0 continuou re i tance> which create re triction and ,lockage in the flow of energ/ through the ,od/E $hen /ou reconnect with #eing and are no longer run ,/ /our mind> /ou cea e to create tho e thing E %ou do not create or participate in drama an/moreE $henever two or more ego come together> drama of one kind or another en ue E #ut even if /ou live totall/ alone> /ou till create /our own dramaE $hen /ou feel orr/ for /our elf> that0 dramaE $hen /ou feel guilt/ or anxiou > that0 dramaE $hen /ou let the pa t or future o, cure the pre ent> /ou are creating time> p /chological time 4 the tuff out of which drama i madeE $henever /ou are not honoring the pre ent moment ,/ allowing it to ,e> /ou are creating dramaE *o t people are in love with their particular life dramaE Their tor/ i their identit/E The ego run their lifeE The/ have their whole en e of elf inve ted in itE Even their 4 u uall/ un ucce ful 4 earch for an an wer> a olution> or for healing ,ecome part of itE $hat the/ fear and re i t mo t i the end of their dramaE A long a the/ are their mind> what the/ fear and re i t mo t i their own awakeningE $hen /ou live in complete acceptance of what i > that i the end of all drama in /our lifeE No,od/ can even have an argument with /ou> no matter how hard he or he trie E %ou cannot have an argument with a full/ con ciou per onE An argument implie identification with /our mind and a mental po ition> a well a re i tance and reaction to the other per on0 po itionE The re ult i that the polar oppo ite ,ecome mutuall/ energiAedE The e are the mechanic of uncon ciou ne E %ou can till make /our point clearl/ and firml/> ,ut there will ,e no reactive force ,ehind it> no defen e or attackE So it wonLt turn into dramaE $hen /ou are full/ con ciou > /ou cea e to ,e in conflictE @No one who i at one with him elf can even conceive of conflict>@ tate A Course in &ira"les. Thi refer not onl/ to conflict with other people ,ut more fundamentall/ to conflict within /ou> which cea e when there i no longer an/ cla h ,etween the demand and expectation of /our mind and what i E
IM$ERMANENCE AND THE CYCLES O LI E

'owever> a long a /ou are in the ph/ ical dimen ion and linked to the collective human p /che> ph/ ical pain 4 although rare 4 i till po i,leE Thi i not to ,e confu ed with uffering> with mental4emotional painE All uffering i ego4created and i due to re i tanceE Al o> a long a /ou are in thi dimen ion> /ou are till u,Gect to it c/clical nature and to the law of impermanence of all thing > ,ut /ou no longer perceive thi a @,ad@ 4 it Gu t i E Through allowing the @i ne @ of all thing > a deeper dimen ion underneath the pla/ of oppo ite reveal it elf to /ou a an a,iding pre ence> an unchanging deep tillne > an uncau ed Go/ ,e/ond good and ,adE Thi i the Go/ of #eing> the peace of GodE On the level of form> there i ,irth and death> creation and de truction> growth and di olution> of eemingl/ eparate form E Thi i reflected ever/where) in the life c/cle of a tar or a planet> a ph/ ical ,od/> a tree> a flower> in the ri e and fall of nation > political / tem > civiliAation F and in the inevita,le c/cle of gain and lo in the life of an individualE There are c/cle of ucce > when thing come to /ou and thrive> and c/cle of failure> when the/ wither or di integrate and /ou have to let them go in order to make room for new thing to ari e> or for tran formation to happenE !f /ou cling and re i t at that point> it mean /ou are refu ing to go with the flow of life> and /ou will ufferE !t i not true that the up c/cle i good and the down c/cle ,ad> except in the mind0

GudgmentE Growth i u uall/ con idered po itive> ,ut nothing can grow foreverE !f growth> of whatever kind> were to go on and on> it would eventuall/ ,ecome mon trou and de tructiveE 3i olution i needed for new growth to happenE One cannot exi t without the otherE The down c/cle i a, olutel/ e ential for piritual realiAationE %ou mu t have failed deepl/ on ome level or experienced ome deep lo or pain to ,e drawn to the piritual dimen ionE Or perhap /our ver/ ucce ,ecame empt/ and meaningle and o turned out to ,e failureE Failure lie concealed in ever/ ucce > and ucce in ever/ failureE !n thi world> which i to a/ on the level of form> ever/,od/ @fail @ ooner or later> of cour e> and ever/ achievement eventuall/ come to naughtE All form are impermanentE %ou can till ,e active and enGo/ manife ting and creating new form and circum tance > ,ut /ou won0t ,e identified with themE %ou do not need them to give /ou a en e of elfE The/ are not /our life 4 onl/ /our life ituationE %our ph/ ical energ/ i al o u,Gect to c/cle E !t cannot alwa/ ,e at a peakE There will ,e time of low a well a high energ/E There will ,e period when /ou are highl/ active and creative> ,ut there ma/ al o ,e time when ever/thing eem tagnant> when it eem that /ou are not getting an/where> not achieving an/thingE A c/cle can la t for an/thing from a few hour to a few /ear E There are large c/cle and mall c/cle within the e large one E *an/ illne e are created through fighting again t the c/cle of low energ/> which are vital for regenerationE The compul ion to do> and the tendenc/ to derive /our en e of elf4worth and identit/ from external factor uch a achievement> i an inevita,le illu ion a long a /ou are identified with the mindE Thi make it hard or impo i,le for /ou to accept the low c/cle and allow them to ,eE Thu > the intelligence of the organi m ma/ take over a a elf4 protective mea ure and create an illne in order to force /ou to top> o that the nece ar/ regeneration can take placeE The c/clical nature of the univer e i clo el/ linked with the impermanence of all thing and ituation E The #uddha made thi a central part of hi teachingE All condition are highl/ un ta,le and in con tant flux> or> a he put it> impermanence i a characteri tic of ever/ condition> ever/ ituation /ou will ever encounter in /our lifeE !t will change> di appear> or no longer ati f/ /ouE !mpermanence i al o central to <e u 0 teaching) @3o not la/ up for /our elve trea ure on earth> where moth and ru t con ume and where thieve ,reak in and tealEEEE@ A long a a condition i Gudged a @good@ ,/ /our mind> whether it ,e a relation hip> a po e ion> a ocial role> a place> or /our ph/ ical ,od/> the mind attache it elf to it and identifie with itE !t make /ou happ/> make /ou feel good a,out /our elf> and it ma/ ,ecome part of who /ou are or think /ou areE #ut nothing la t in thi dimen ion where moth and ru t con umeE Either it end or it change > or it ma/ undergo a polarit/ hift) The ame condition that wa good /e terda/ or la t /ear ha uddenl/ or graduall/ turned into ,adE The ame condition that made /ou happ/> then make /ou unhapp/E The pro perit/ of toda/ ,ecome the empt/ con umeri m of tomorrowE The happ/ wedding and hone/moon ,ecome the unhapp/ divorce or the unhapp/ coexi tenceE Or a condition di appear > o it a, ence make /ou unhapp/E $hen a condition or ituation that the mind ha attached it elf to and identified with change or di appear > the mind cannot accept itE !t will cling to the di appearing condition and re i t the changeE !t i almo t a if a lim, were ,eing torn off /our ,od/E $e ometime hear of people who have lo t all their mone/ or who e reputation ha ,een ruined committing uicideE Tho e are the extreme ca e E Other > whenever a maGor lo of one kind or another occur > Gu t ,ecome deepl/ unhapp/ or make them elve illE The/ cannot di tingui h ,etween their life and their life ituationE ! recentl/ read a,out a famou actre

who died in her eightie E A her ,eaut/ tarted to fade and ,ecame ravaged ,/ old age> he grew de peratel/ unhapp/ and ,ecame a reclu eE She> too> had identified with a condition) her external appearanceE Fir t> the condition gave her a happ/ en e of elf> then an unhapp/ oneE !f he had ,een a,le to connect with the formle and timele life within> he could have watched and allowed the fading of her external form from a place of erenit/ and peaceE *oreover> her external form would have ,ecome increa ingl/ tran parent to the light hining through from her agele true nature> o her ,eaut/ would not reall/ have faded ,ut impl/ ,ecome tran formed into piritual ,eaut/E 'owever> no,od/ told her that thi i po i,leE The mo t e ential kind of knowledge i not /et widel/ acce i,leE

The #uddha taught that even /our happine i dukkha 4 a Pali word meaning @ uffering@ or @un ati factorine E@ !t i in epara,le from it oppo iteE Thi mean that /our happine and unhappine are in fact oneE Onl/ the illu ion of time eparate themE Thi i not ,eing negativeE !t i impl/ recogniAing the nature of thing > o that /ou don0t pur ue an illu ion for the re t of /our lifeE Nor i it a/ing that /ou hould no longer appreciate plea ant or ,eautiful thing or condition E #ut to eek omething through them that the/ cannot give 4 an identit/> a en e of permanenc/ and fulfillment 4 i a recipe for fru tration and ufferingE The whole adverti ing indu tr/ and con umer ociet/ would collap e if people ,ecame enlightened and no longer ought to find their identit/ through things. The more /ou eek happine in thi wa/> the more it will elude /ouE Nothing out there will ever ati f/ /ou except temporaril/ and uperficiall/> ,ut /ou ma/ need to experience man/ di illu ionment ,efore /ou realiAe that truthE Thing and condition can give /ou plea ure> ,ut the/ will al o give /ou painE Thing and condition can give /ou plea ure> ,ut the/ cannot give you 3oy. Nothing can give /ou Go/E <o/ i uncau ed and ari e from within a the Go/ of #eingE !t i an e ential part of the inner tate of peace> the tate that ha ,een called the peace of GodE !t i /our natural tate> not omething that /ou need to work hard for or truggle to attainE *an/ people never realiAe that there can ,e no @ alvation0 in an/thing the/ do> po e > or attainE Tho e who do realiAe it often ,ecome world4wear/ and depre ed) if nothing can give /ou true fulfillment> what i there left to trive for> what i the point in an/thing= The Old Te tament prophet mu t have arrived at uch a realiAation when he wrote @! have een ever/thing that i done under the un> and ,ehold> all i vanit/ and a triving after windE@ $hen /ou reach thi point> /ou are one tep awa/ from de pair 4 and one tep awa/ from enlightenmentE A #uddhi t monk once told me) @All ! have learned in the twent/ /ear that ! have ,een a monk ! can um up in one entence) All that ari e pa e awa/E Thi ! knowE@ $hat he meant> of cour e> wa thi ) ! have learned to offer no re i tance to what i F ! have learned to allow the pre ent moment to ,e and to accept the impermanent nature of all thing and condition E Thu have ! found peaceE To offer no re i tance to life i to ,e in a tate of grace> ea e> and lightne E Thi tate i then no longer dependent upon thing ,eing in a certain wa/> good or ,adE !t eem almo t paradoxical> /et when /our inner dependenc/ on form i gone> the general condition of /our life> the outer form > tend to improve greatl/E Thing > people> or condition that /ou thought /ou needed for /our happine now come to /ou with no truggle or effort on /our part> and

/ou are free to enGo/ and appreciate them 4 while the/ la tE All tho e thing > of cour e> will till pa awa/> c/cle will come and go> ,ut with dependenc/ gone there i no fear of lo an/moreE 8ife flow with ea eE The happine that i derived from ome econdar/ ource i never ver/ deepE !t i onl/ a pale reflection of the Go/ of #eing> the vi,rant peace that /ou find within a /ou enter the tate of nonre i tanceE #eing take /ou ,e/ond the polar oppo ite of the mind and free /ou from dependenc/ on formE Even if ever/thing were to collap e and crum,le all around /ou> /ou would till feel a deep inner core of peaceE %ou ma/ not ,e happ/> ,ut /ou will ,e at peaceE

USING AND RELIN)UISHING NEGATI"ITY

All inner re i tance i experienced a negativit/ in one form or anotherE All negativit/ i re i tanceE !n thi context> the two word are almo t /non/mou E Negativit/ range from irritation or impatience to fierce anger> from a depre ed mood or ullen re entment to ui4 cidal de pairE Sometime the re i tance trigger the emotional pain,od/> in which ca e even a minor ituation ma/ produce inten e negativit/> uch a anger> depre ion> or deep griefE The ego ,elieve that through negativit/ it can manipulate realit/ and get what it want E !t ,elieve that through it> it can attract a de ira,le condition or di olve an unde ira,le oneE A Course in &ira"les rightl/ point out that> whenever /ou are unhapp/> there i the uncon ciou ,elief that the unhappine @,u/ @ /ou what /ou wantE !f @/ou@ 4 the mind 4 did not ,elieve that unhappine work > wh/ would /ou create it= The fact i > of cour e> that negativit/ doe not workE !n tead of attracting a de ira,le condition> it top it from ari ingE !n tead of di olving an unde ira,le one> it keep it in placeE !tL onl/ @u eful0 function i that it trengthen the ego> and that i wh/ the ego love itE Once /ou have identified with ome form of negativit/> /ou do not want to let go> and on a deepl/ uncon ciou level> /ou do not want po itive changeE !t would threaten /our identit/ a a depre ed> angr/> or hard4done4,/ per onE %ou will then ignore> den/ or a,otage the po itive in /our lifeE Thi i a common phenomenonE !t i al o in aneE Negativit/ i totall/ unnaturalE !t i a p /chic pollutant> and there i a deep link ,etween the poi oning and de truction of nature and the va t negativit/ that ha accumulated in the collective human p /cheE No other life form on the planet know negativit/> onl/ human > Gu t a no other life form violate and poi on the Earth that u tain itE 'ave /ou ever een an unhapp/ flower or a tre ed oak tree= 'ave /ou come acro a depre ed dolphin> a frog that ha a pro,lem with elf4e teem> a cat that cannot relax> or a ,ird that carrie hatred and re entment= The onl/ animal that ma/ occa ionall/ experience omething akin to negativit/ or how ign of neurotic ,ehavior are tho e that live in do e contact with human and o link into the human mind and it in anit/E $atch an/ plant or animal and let it teach /ou acceptance of what i > urrender to the NowE 8et it teach /ou #eingE 8et it teach /ou integrit/ 4 which mean to ,e one> to ,e /our elf> to ,e realE 8et it teach /ou how to live and how to die> and how not to make living and d/ing into a pro,lemE ! have lived with everal Ren ma ter 4 all of them cat E Even duck have taught me important piritual le on E <u t watching them i a meditationE 'ow peacefull/ the/ float

along> at ea e with them elve > totall/ pre ent in the Now> dignified and perfect a onl/ a mindle creature can ,eE Occa ionall/> however> two duck will get into a fight 4 ometime for no apparent rea on> or ,ecau e one duck ha tra/ed into another0 private paceE The fight u uall/ la t onl/ for a few econd > and then the duck eparate> wim off in oppo ite direction > and vigorou l/ flap their wing a few time E The/ then continue to wim on peacefull/ a if the fight had never happenedE $hen ! o, erved that for the fir t time> ! uddenl/ realiAed that ,/ flapping their wing the/ were relea ing urplu energ/> thu preventing it from ,ecoming trapped in their ,od/ and turning into negativit/E Thi i natural wi dom> and it i ea / for them ,ecau e the/ do not have a mind that keep the pa t alive unnece aril/ and then ,uild an identit/ around itE
Couldn't a negati$e emotion also contain an important message? 2or example, if I often feel depressed, it may be a signal that there is something wrong with my life, and it may force me to look at my life situation and make some changes! *o I need to listen to what the emotion is telling me and not 'ust dismiss it as negati$e!

%e > recurring negative emotion do ometime contain a me age> a do illne e E #ut an/ change that /ou make> whether the/ have to do with /our work> /our relation hip > or /our urrounding > are ultimatel/ onl/ co metic unle the/ ari e out of a change in /our level of con ciou ne E And a far a that i concerned> it can onl/ mean one thing) ,ecoming more pre entE $hen /ou have reached a certain degree of pre ence> /ou don0t need negativit/ an/more to tell /ou what i needed in /our life ituationE #ut a long a negativit/ i there> u e itE : e it a a kind of ignal that remind /ou to ,e more pre entE
,ow do we stop negati$ity from arising, and how do we get rid of it once it is there?

A ! aid> /ou top it from ari ing ,/ ,eing full/ pre entE #ut don0t ,ecome di couragedE There are a /et few people on the planet who can u tain a tate of continuou pre ence> although ome are getting clo e to itE Soon> ! ,elieve> there will ,e man/ moreE $henever /ou notice that ome form of negativit/ ha ari en within /ou> look on it not a a failure> ,ut a a helpful ignal that i telling /ou) @$ake upE Get out of /our mindE #e pre entE@ There i a novel ,/ Aldou 'uxle/ called $sland, written in hi later /ear when he ,ecame ver/ intere ted in piritual teaching E !t tell the tor/ of a man hipwrecked on a remote i land cut off from the re t of the worldE Thi i land contain a uniDue civiliAationE The unu ual thing a,out it i that it inha,itant > unlike tho e of the re t of the world> are actuall/ aneE The fir t thing that the man notice are the colorful parrot perched in the tree > and the/ eem to ,e con tantl/ croaking the word @AttentionE 'ere and NowE AttentionE 'ere and NowE@ $e later learn that the i lander taught them the e word in order to ,e reminded continuou l/ to ta/ pre entE So whenever /ou feel negativit/ ari ing within /ou> whether cau ed ,/ an external factor> a thought> or even nothing in particular that /ou are aware of> look on it a a voice a/ing @AttentionE 'ere and NowE $ake upE@ Even the lighte t irritation i ignificant and need to ,e acknowledged and looked atF otherwi e> there will ,e a cumulative ,uild4up of uno, erved reaction E A ! aid ,efore> /ou ma/ ,e a,le to Gu t drop it once /ou realiAe that /ou don0t want to have thi energ/ field in ide /ou and that it erve no purpo eE #ut then make ure that /ou drop it completel/E !f /ou cannot drop it> Gu t accept that it i there and take /our

attention into the feeling> a ! pointed out earlierE A an alternative to dropping a negative reaction> /ou can make it di appear ,/ imagining /our elf ,ecoming tran parent to the external cau e of the reactionE ! recommend that /ou practice it with little> even trivial> thing fir tE 8etL a/ that /ou are itting Duietl/ at homeE Suddenl/> there i the penetrating ound of a car alarm from acro the treetE !rritation ari e E $hat i the purpo e of the irritation= None what oeverE $h/ did /ou create it= %ou didn0tE The mind didE !t wa totall/ automatic> totall/ uncon ciou E $h/ did the mind create it= #ecau e it hold the uncon ciou ,elief that it re i tance> which /ou experience a negativit/ or unhappine in ome form> will omehow di olve the unde ira,le conditionE Thi > of cour e> i a delu ionE The re i tance that it create > the irritation or anger in thi ca e> i far more di tur,ing than the original cau e that it i attempting to di olveE All thi can ,e tran formed into piritual practiceE Feel /our elf ,ecoming tran parent> a it were> without the olidit/ of a material ,od/E Now allow the noi e> or whatever cau e a negative reaction> to pa right through /ouE !t i no longer hitting a olid @wall@ in ide /ouE A ! aid> practice with little thing fir tE The car alarm> the dog ,arking> the children creaming> the traffic GamE !n tead of having a wall of re i tance in ide /ou that get con tantl/ and painfull/ hit ,/ thing that @ hould not ,e happening>@ let ever/thing pa through /ouE Some,od/ a/ omething to /ou that i rude or de igned to hurtE !n tead of going into uncon ciou reaction and negativit/> uch a attack> defen e> or withdrawal> /ou let it pa right through /ouE Offer no re i tanceE !t i a if there i no,od/ there to get hurt an/moreE That is forgivene E !n thi wa/> /ou ,ecome invulnera,leE %ou can till tell that per on that hi or her ,ehavior i unaccepta,le> if that i what /ou choo e to doE #ut that per on no longer ha the power to control /our inner tateE %ou are then in /our power 4 not in omeone el e0 > nor are /ou run ,/ /our mindE $hether it i a car alarm> a rude per on> a flood> an earthDuake> or the lo of all /our po e ion > the re i tance mechani m i the ameE
I ha$e been practicing meditation, I ha$e been to workshops, I ha$e read many books on spirituality, I try to be in a state of nonresistance + but if you ask me whether I ha$e found true and lasting inner peace, my honest answer would ha$e to be #no!# Why ha$en't I found it? What else can I do?

%ou are till eeking out ide> and /ou cannot get out of the eeking modeE *a/,e the next work hop will have the an wer> ma/,e that new techniDueE To /ou ! would a/E 3on0t look for peaceE 3on0t look for an/ other tate than the one /ou are in now> otherwi e> /ou will et up inner conflict and uncon ciou re i tanceE Forgive /our elf for not ,eing at peaceE The moment /ou "o%!letely accept /our non4peace> /our non4peace ,ecome tran muted into peaceE An/thing /ou accept full/ will get /ou there> will take /ou into peaceE Thi i the miracle of urrenderE

%ou ma/ have heard the phra e @turn the other cheek>@ which a great teacher of enlightenment u ed 1>666 /ear agoE 'e wa attempting to conve/ /m,olicall/ the ecret of nonre i tance and nonreactionE !n thi tatement> a in all hi other > he wa concerned onl/ with /our inner realit/> not with the outer conduct of /our lifeE

3o /ou know the tor/ of #anAan= #efore he ,ecame a great Ren ma ter> he pent man/ /ear in the pur uit of enlightenment> ,ut it eluded himE Then one da/> a he wa walking in the marketplace> he overheard a conver ation ,etween a ,utcher and hi cu tomerE @Give me the ,e t piece of meat /ou have>@ aid the cu tomerE And the ,utcher replied> @Ever/ piece of meat ! have i the ,e tE There i no piece of meat here that i not the ,e tE@ :pon hearing thi > #anAan ,ecame enlightenedE ! can ee /ou are waiting for ome explanationE $hen /ou accept what i > ever/ piece of meat 4 ever/ moment 4 i the ,e tE That i enlightenmentE
THE NATURE O COM$ASSION

'aving gone ,e/ond the mind4made oppo ite > /ou ,ecome like a deep lakeE The outer ituation of /our life and whatever happen there> i the urface of the lakeE Sometime calm> ometime wind/ and rough> according to the c/cle and ea on E 3eep down> however> the lake i alwa/ undi tur,edE %ou are the whole lake> not Gu t the urface> and /ou are in touch with /our own depth> which remain a, olutel/ tillE %ou don0t re i t change ,/ mentall/ dinging to an/ ituationE %our inner peace doe not depend on itE %ou a,ide in #eing 4 unchanging> timele > deathle 4 and /ou are no longer dependent for fulfillment or happine on the outer world of con tantl/ fluctuating form E %ou can enGo/ them> pla/ with them> create new form > appreciate the ,eaut/ of it allE #ut there will ,e no need to attach /our elf to an/ of itE
When you become this detached, does it not mean that you also become remote from other human beings?

On the contrar/E A long a /ou are unaware of #eing> the realit/ of other human will elude /ou> ,ecau e /ou have not found /our ownE %our mind will like or di like their form> which i not Gu t their ,od/ ,ut include their mind a wellE True relation hip ,ecome po i,le onl/ when there i an awarene of #eingE Coming from #eing> /ou will perceive another per on ,od/ and mind a Gu t a creen> a it were> ,ehind which /ou can feel their true realit/> a /ou feel /our E So> when confronted with omeone el e0 uffering or uncon ciou ,ehavior> /ou ta/ pre ent and in touch with #eing and are thu a,le to look ,e/ond the form and feel the other per on radiant and pure #eing through /our ownE At the level of #eing> all uffering i recogniAed a an illu ionE Suffering i due to identification with formE *iracle of healing ometime occur through thi realiAation> ,/ awakening #eing4con ciou ne in other 4 if the/ are read/E
Is that what compassion is?

%e E Compa ion i the awarene of a deep ,ond ,etween /our elf and all creature E #ut there are two ide to compa ion> two ide to thi ,ondE On the one hand> ince /ou are till here a a ph/ ical ,od/> /ou hare the vulnera,ilit/ and mortalit/ of /our ph/ ical form with ever/ other human and with ever/ living ,eingE Next time /ou a/ @! have nothing in common with thi per on>@ remem,er that /ou have a great deal in common) A few /ear from now 4 two /ear or event/ /ear > it doe n0t make much difference 4 ,oth of /ou will have ,ecome rotting corp e > then pile of du t> then nothing at allE Thi i a o,ering and hum,ling realiAation that leave little room for prideE ! thi a negative thought= No> it i a

factE $h/ clo e /our e/e to it= !n that en e> there i total eDualit/ ,etween /ou and ever/ other creatureE One of the mo t powerful piritual practice i to meditate deepl/ on the mortalit/ of ph/ ical form > including /our ownE Thi i called) 3ie ,efore /ou dieE Go into it deepl/E %our ph/ ical form i di olving> i no moreE Then a moment come when all mind4form or thought al o dieE %et you are till there 4 the divine pre ence that /ou areE (adiant> full/ awakeE Nothing that wa real ever died> onl/ name > form > and illu ion E

The realiAation of thi deathle dimen ion> /our true nature> i the other ide of compa ionE On a deep feeling4level> /ou now recogniAe not onl/ /our own immortalit/ ,ut through /our own that of ever/ other creature a wellE On the level of form> /ou hare mortalit/ and the precariou ne of exi tenceE On the level of #eing> /ou hare eternal> radiant lifeE The e are the two a pect of compa ionE !n compa ion> the eemingl/ oppo ite feeling of adne and Go/ merge into one and ,ecome tran muted into a deep inner peaceE Thi i the peace of GodE !t i one of the mo t no,le feeling that human are capa,le of> and it ha great healing and tran formative powerE #ut true compa ion> a ! have Gu t de cri,ed it> i a /et rareE To have deep empath/ for the uffering of another ,eing certainl/ reDuire a high degree of con ciou ne ,ut repre ent onl/ one ide of compa ionE !t i not completeE True compa ion goe ,e/ond empath/ or /mpath/E !t doe not happen until adne merge with Go/> the Go/ of #eing ,e/ond form> the Go/ of eternal lifeE
TOWARD A DI ERENT ORDER O REALITY

I don't agree that the body needs to die! I am con$inced that we can achie$e physical immortality! We belie$e in death and that's why the body dies!

The ,od/ doe not die ,ecau e /ou ,elieve in deathE The ,od/ exi t > or eem to> ,ecau e /ou ,elieve in deathE #od/ and death are part of the ame illu ion> created ,/ the egoic mode of con ciou ne > which ha no awarene of the Source of life and ee it elf a eparate and con tantl/ under threatE So it create the illu ion that /ou are a ,od/> a den e> ph/ ical vehicle that i con tantl/ under threatE To perceive /our elf a a vulnera,le ,od/ that wa ,orn and a little later die 4 that0 the illu ionE #od/ and death) one illu ionE %ou cannot have one without the otherE %ou want to keep one ide of the illu ion and get rid of the other> ,ut that i impo i,leE Either /ou keep all of it or /ou relinDui h all of itE 'owever> /ou cannot e cape from the ,od/> nor do /ou have toE The ,od/ i an incredi,le mi perception of /our true natureE #ut /our true nature i concealed omewhere within that illu ion> not out ide it> o the ,od/ i till the onl/ point of acce to itE !f /ou aw an angel ,ut mi took it for a tone tatue> all /ou would have to do i adGu t /our vi ion and look more clo el/ at the @ tone tatue>@ not tart looking omewhere el eE %ou would then find that there never wa a tone tatueE
If belief in death creates the body, why does an animal ha$e a body? -n animal doesn't ha$e an

ego, and it doesn't belie$e in death!!..

#ut it till die > or eem toE (emem,er that /our perception of the world i a reflection of /our tate of con ciou ne E %ou are not eparate from it> and there i no o,Gective world out thereE Ever/ moment> /our con ciou ne create the world that /ou inha,itE One of the greate t in ight that ha come out of modern ph/ ic i that of the unit/ ,etween the o, erver and the o, erved) the per on conducting the experiment 4 the o, erving con ciou ne 4 cannot ,e eparated from the o, erved phenomena> and a different wa/ of looking cau e the o, erved phenomena to ,ehave differentl/E !f /ou ,elieve> on a deep level> in epa4 ration and the truggle for urvival> then /ou ee that ,elief reflected all around /ou and /our perception are governed ,/ fearE %ou inha,it a world of death and of ,odie fighting> killing> and devouring each otherE Nothing i what it eem to ,eE The world that /ou create and ee through the egoic mind ma/ eem a ver/ imperfect place> even a vale of tear E #ut whatever /ou perceive i onl/ a kind of /m,ol> like an image in a dreamE !t i how /our con ciou ne interpret and inter4 act with the molecular energ/ dance of the univer eE Thi energ/ i the raw material of o4 called ph/ ical realit/E %ou ee it in term of ,odie and ,irth and death> or a a truggle for urvivalE An infinite num,er of completel/ different interpretation > completel/ different world > i po i,le and> in fact> exi t 4 all depending on the perceiving con ciou ne E Ever/ ,eing i a focal point of con ciou ne > and ever/ uch focal point create it own world> although all tho e world are interconnectedE There i a human world> an ant world> a dolphin world> and o onE There are countle ,eing who e con ciou ne freDuenc/ i o different from /our that /ou are pro,a,l/ unaware of their exi tence> a the/ are of /our E 'ighl/ con ciou ,eing who are aware of their connectedne with the Source and with each other would inha,it a world that to /ou would appear a a heavenl/ realm 4 and /et all world are ultimatel/ oneE Our collective human world i largel/ created through the level of con ciou ne we call mindE Even within the collective human world there are va t difference > man/ different @ u,4world >@ depending on the perceiver or creator of their re pective world E Since all world are interconnected> when collective human con ciou ne ,ecome tran formed> nature and the animal kingdom will reflect that tran formationE 'ence the tatement in the #i,le that in the coming age @The lion hall lie down with the lam,E@ Thi point to the po i,ilit/ of a completel/ different order of realit/E The world a it appear to u now i > a ! aid> largel/ a reflection of the egoic mindE Fear ,eing an unavoida,le con eDuence of egoic delu ion> it i a world dominated ,/ fearE <u t a the image in a dream are /m,ol of inner tate and feeling > o our collective realit/ i largel/ a /m,olic expre ion of fear and of the heav/ la/er of negativit/ that have accumulated in the collective human p /cheE $e are not eparate from our world> o when the maGorit/ of human ,ecome free of egoic delu ion> thi inner change will affe"t all of cre4 ationE %ou will literall/ inha,it a new worldE !t i a hift in planetar/ con ciou ne E The trange #uddhi t a/ing that ever/ tree and ever/ ,lade of gra will eventuall/ ,ecome enlightened point to the ame truthE According to StE Paul> the whole of creation i waiting for human to ,ecome enlightenedE That i how ! interpret hi a/ing that @The created univer e i waiting with eager expectation for God0 on to ,e revealedE@ StE Paul goe on to a/ that all of creation will ,ecome redeemed through thi ) @:p to the pre ent EEE the whole created univer e in all it part groan a if in the pang of child,irthE@ $hat i ,eing ,orn i a new con ciou ne and> a it inevita,le reflection> a new worldE

Thi i al o foretold in the New Te tament #ook of (evelation) @Then ! aw a new heaven and a new earth> for the fir t heaven and the fir t earth had pa ed awa/E@ #ut don0t confu e cau e and effectE %our primar/ ta k i not to eek alvation through creating a ,etter world> ,ut to awaken out of identification with formE %ou are then no longer ,ound to thi world> thi level of realit/E %ou can feel /our root in the :nmanife ted and o are free of attachment to the manife ted worldE %ou can till enGo/ the pa ing plea ure of thi world> ,ut there i no fear of lo an/more> o /ou don0t need to cling to themE Although /ou can enGo/ en or/ plea ure > the craving for en or/ experience i gone> a i the con tant earch for fulfillment through p /chological gratification> through feeding the egoE %ou are in touch with omething infinitel/ greater than an/ plea ure> greater than an/ manife ted thingE !n a wa/> /ou then don0t need the world an/moreE %ou don0t even need it to ,e different from the wa/ it i E !t i onl/ at thi point that /ou ,egin to make a real contri,ution toward ,ringing a,out a ,etter world> toward creating a different order of realit/E !t i onl/ at thi point that /ou are a,le to feel true compa ion and to help other at the level of cau eE Onl/ tho e who have tran cended the world can ,ring a,out a ,etter worldE %ou ma/ remem,er that we talked a,out the dual nature of true compa ion> which i awarene of a common ,ond of hared mortalit/ and immortalit/E At thi deep level> compa ion ,ecome healing in the wide t en eE !n that tate> /our healing influence i pri4 maril/ ,a ed not on doing ,ut on ,eingE Ever/,od/ /ou come in contact with will ,e touched ,/ /our pre ence and affected ,/ the peace that /ou emanate> whether the/ are con ciou of it or notE $hen /ou are full/ pre ent and people around /ou manife t uncon ciou ,ehavior> /ou won0t feel the need to react to it> o /ou don0t give it an/ realit/E %our peace i o va t and deep that an/thing that i not peace di appear into it a if it had never exi tedE Thi ,reak the karmic c/cle of action and reactionE Animal > tree > flower will feel /our peace and re pond to itE %ou teach through ,eing> through demon trating the peace of GodE %ou ,ecome the @light of the world>@ an emanation of pure con ciou ne > and o /ou eliminate uffering on the level of cau eE %ou eliminate uncon ciou ne from the worldE

Thi doe n0t mean that /ou ma/ not al o teach through doing 4 for example> ,/ pointing out how to di identif/ from the mind> recogniAe uncon ciou pattern within one elf> and o onE #ut who /ou are alwa/ a more vital teaching and a more powerful tran former of the world than what /ou a/> and more e ential even than what /ou doE Furthermore> to recogniAe the primac/ of #eing> and thu work on the level of cau e> doe not exclude the po i,ilit/ that /our compa ion ma/ imultaneou l/ manife t on the level of doing and of effect> ,/ alleviating uffering whenever /ou come acro itE $hen a hungr/ per on a k /ou for ,read and /ou have ome> /ou will give itE #ut a /ou give the ,read> even though /our interaction ma/ onl/ ,e ver/ ,rief> what reall/ matter i thi moment of hared #eing> of which the ,read i onl/ a /m,olE A deep healing take place within itE !n that moment> there i no giver> no receiverE
(ut there shouldn't be any hunger and star$ation in the first place! ,ow can we create a better world without tackling e$ils such as hunger and $iolence first?

All evil are the effe"t of uncon ciou ne E %ou can alleviate the effect of uncon ciou ne > ,ut /ou cannot eliminate them unle /ou eliminate their cau eE True change happen within> not withoutE !f /ou feel called upon to alleviate uffering in the world> that i a ver/ no,le thing to do> ,ut remem,er not to focu exclu ivel/ on the outer> otherwi e> /ou will encounter fru tration and de pairE $ithout a profound change in human con ciou ne > the world0 uffering i a ,ottomle pitE So don0t let /our compa ion ,ecome one4 idedE Empath/ with omeone el e0 pain or lack and a de ire to help need to ,e ,alanced with a deeper realiAation of the eternal nature of all life and the ultimate illu ion of all painE Then let /our peace flow into whatever /ou do and /ou will ,e working on the level of effect and cau e imultaneou l/E Thi al o applie if /ou are upporting a movement de igned to top deepl/ uncon ciou human from de tro/ing them elve > each other> and the planet> or from continuing to inflict dreadful uffering on other entient ,eing E (emem,erE Gu t a /ou cannot fight the darkne > o /ou cannot fight uncon ciou ne E !f /ou tr/ to do o> the polar oppo ite will ,ecome trengthened and more deepl/ entrenchedE %ou will ,ecome identified with one of the polaritie > /ou will create an @enem/>@ and o ,e drawn into uncon ciou ne /our elfE (ai e awarene ,/ di eminating information> or at the mo t> practice pa ive re i tanceE #ut make ure that /ou carr/ no re i tance within> no hatred> no negativit/E @8ove /our enemie >@ aid <e u > which> of cour e> mean @have no enemie E@ Once /ou get involved in working on the level of effect> it i all too ea / to lo e /our elf in itE Sta/ alert and ver/> ver/ pre entE The cau al level need to remain /our primar/ focu > the teaching of enlightenment /our main purpo e> and peace /our mo t preciou gift to the worldE

T'E *EAN!NG OF S:((EN3E(

ACCE$TANCE O THE NOW

You mentioned #surrender# a few times! I don't like that idea! It sounds somewhat fatalistic! If we always accept the way things are, we are not going to make any effort to impro$e them! It seems to me what progress is all about, both in our personal li$es and collecti$ely, is not to accept the limitations of the present but to stri$e to go beyond them and create something better! If we hadn't done this, we would still be li$ing in ca$es! ,ow do you reconcile surrender with changing things and getting things done?

To ome people> urrender ma/ have negative connotation > impl/ing defeat> giving up> failing to ri e to the challenge of life> ,ecoming lethargic> and o onE True urrender> however> i omething entirel/ differentE !t doe not mean to pa ivel/ put up with whatever ituation /ou find /our elf in and to do nothing a,out itE Nor doe it mean to cea e making plan or initiating po itive actionE

Surrender i the imple ,ut profound wi dom of yielding to rather than o!!osing the flow of lifeE The onl/ place where /ou can experience the flow of life i the Now> o to urrender i to accept the pre ent moment unconditionall/ and without re ervationE !t i to relinDui h inner re i tance to what i E !nner re i tance i to a/ @no@ to what i > through mental Gudgment and emotional negativit/E !t ,ecome particularl/ pronounced when thing @go wrong>@ which mean that there i a gap ,etween the demand or rigid expectation of /our mind and what i E That i the pain gapE !f /ou have lived long enough> /ou will know that thing @go wrong@ Duite oftenE !t i preci el/ at tho e time that urrender need to ,e practiced if /ou want to eliminate pain and orrow from /our lifeE Acceptance of what i immediatel/ free /ou from mind identification and thu reconnect /ou with #eingE (e i tance i the mindE Surrender i a purel/ inner phenomenonE !t doe not mean that on the outer level /ou cannot take action and change the ituationE !n fact> it i not the overall ituation that /ou need to accept when /ou urrender> ,ut Gu t the tin/ egment called the NowE For example> if /ou were tuck in the mud omewhere> /ou wouldn0t a/E @Oka/> ! re ign m/ elf to ,eing tuck in the mudE@ (e ignation i not urrenderE %ou don0t need to accept an unde ira,le or unplea ant life ituationE Nor do /ou need to deceive /our elf and a/ that there i nothing wrong with ,eing tuck in the mudE NoE %ou recogniAe full/ that /ou want to get out of itE %ou then narrow /our attention down to the pre ent moment without mentall/ la,eling it in an/ wa/E Thi mean that there i no Gudgment of the NowE Therefore> there i no re i tance> no emotional negativit/E %ou accept the @i ne @ of thi momentE Then /ou take action and do all that /ou can to get out of the mudE Such action ! call po itive actionE !t i far more effective than negative action> which ari e out of anger> de pair> or fru trationE :ntil /ou achieve the de ired re ult> /ou continue to practice urrender ,/ refraining from la,eling the NowE 8et me give /ou a vi ual analog/ to illu trate the point ! am makingE %ou are walking along a path at night> urrounded ,/ a thick fogE #ut /ou have a powerful fla hlight that cut through the fog and create a narrow> clear pace in front of /ouE The fog i /our life itua4 tion> which include pa t and futureF the fla hlight i /our con ciou pre enceF the clear pace i the NowE Non4 urrender harden /our p /chological form> the hell of the ego> and o create a trong en e of eparatene E The world around /ou and people in particular come to ,e perceived a threateningE The uncon ciou compul ion to de tro/ other through Gudgment ari e > a doe the need to compete and dominateE Even nature ,ecome /our enem/ and /our perception and interpretation are governed ,/ fearE The mental di ea e that we call paranoia i onl/ a lightl/ more acute form of thi normal ,ut d/ functional tate of con ciou ne E Not onl/ /our p /chological form ,ut al o /our ph/ ical form 4 /our ,od/ 4 ,ecome hard and rigid through re i tanceE Ten ion ari e in different part of the ,od/> and the ,od/ a a whole contract E The free flow of life energ/ through the ,od/> which i e ential for it health/ functioning> i greatl/ re trictedE #od/work and certain form of ph/ ical therap/ can ,e helpful in re toring thi flow> ,ut unle /ou practice urrender in /our ever/da/ life> tho e thing can onl/ give temporar/ /mptom relief ince the cau e 4 the re i tance pattern 4 ha not ,een di olvedE There i omething within /ou that remain unaffected ,/ the tran ient circum tance that make up /our life ituation> and onl/ through urrender do /ou have acce to itE !t i /our life> /our ver/ #eing 4 which exi t eternall/ in the timele realm of the pre entE Finding thi life i @the one thing that i needed@ that <e u talked a,outE


!f /ou find /our life ituation un ati factor/ or even intolera,le> it i onl/ ,/ urrendering fir t that /ou can ,reak the uncon ciou re i tance pattern that perpetuate that ituationE Surrender i perfectl/ compati,le with taking action> initiating change or achieving goal E #ut in the urrendered tate a totall/ different energ/> a different Dualit/> flow into /our doingE Surrender reconnect /ou with the ource4energ/ of #eing> and if /our doing i infu ed with #eing> it ,ecome a Go/ful cele,ration of life energ/ that take /ou more deepl/ into the NowE Through nonre i tance> the Dualit/ of /our con ciou ne and> therefore> the Dualit/ of whatever /ou are doing or creating i enhanced immea ura,l/E The re ult will then look after them elve and reflect that Dualit/E $e could call thi @ urrendered actionE@ !t i not work a we have known it for thou and of /ear E A more human awaken> the word work is going to di appear from our voca,ular/> and perhap a new word will ,e created to replace itE !t i the Dualit/ of /our con ciou ne at thi moment that i the main determinant of what kind of future /ou will experience> o to urrender i the mo t important thing /ou can do to ,ring a,out po itive changeE An/ action /ou take i econdar/E No trul/ po itive action can ari e out of an un urrendered tate of con ciou ne E
I can see that if I am in a situation that is unpleasant or unsatisfactory and I completely accept the moment as it is, there will be no suffering or unhappiness! I will ha$e risen abo$e it! (ut I still can't uite see where the energy or moti$ation for taking action and bringing about change would come from if there isn't a certain amount of dissatisfaction!

!n the tate of urrender> /ou ee ver/ clearl/ what need to ,e done> and /ou take action> doing one thing at a time and focu ing on one thing at a timeE 8earn from nature) See how ever/thing get accompli hed and how the miracle of life unfold without di ati faction or unhappine E That0 wh/ <e u aid) @8ook at the lilie > how the/ grow> the/ neither toil nor pinE@ !f /our overall ituation i un ati factor/ or unplea ant> se!arate out this instant and urrender to what i E That0 the fla hlight cutting through the fogE %our tate of con ciou ne then cea e to ,e controlled ,/ external condition E %ou are no longer coming from reaction and re i tanceE Then look at the pecific of the ituationE A k /our elf> @! there an/thing ! can do to change the ituation> improve it> or remove m/ elf from it=@ !f o> /ou take appropriate actionE Focu not on the "66 thing that /ou will or ma/ have to do at ome future time ,ut on the one thing that /ou can do nowE Thi doe n0t mean /ou hould not do an/ planningE !t ma/ well ,e that planning i the one thing /ou can do nowE #ut make ure /ou don0t tart to run @mental movie >@ proGect /our elf into the future> and o lo e the NowE An/ action /ou take ma/ not ,ear fruit immediatel/E :ntil it doe 4 do not re i t what i E !f there i no action /ou can take> and /ou cannot remove /our elf from the ituation either> then u e the ituation to make /ou go more deepl/ into urrender> more deepl/ into the Now> more deepl/ into #eingE $hen /ou enter thi timele dimen ion of the pre ent> change often come a,out in trange wa/ without the need for a great deal of doing on /our partE 8ife ,ecome helpful and cooperativeE !f inner factor uch a fear> guilt> or inertia prevented /ou from taking action> the/ will di olve in the light of /our con ciou pre enceE 3o not confu e urrender with an attitude of @! can0t ,e ,othered an/more@ or @! Gu t don0t care an/moreE@ !f /ou look at it clo el/> /ou will find that uch an attitude i tainted with

negativit/ in the form of hidden re entment and o i not urrender at all ,ut ma ked re i tanceE A /ou urrender> direct /our attention inward to check if there i an/ trace of re i tance left in ide /ouE #e ver/ alert when /ou do oF otherwi e> a pocket of re i tance ma/ continue to hide in ome dark corner in the form of a thought or an unacknowledged emotionE
ROM MIND ENERGY TO S$IRITUAL ENERGY
4etting go of resistance is easier said than done! I still don't see clearly how to let go! If you say it is by surrendering, the uestion remains) #,ow?#

Start ,/ acknowledging that there i re i tanceE Be there when it happen > when the re i tance ari e E O, erve how /our mind create it> how it la,el the ituation> /our elf> or other E 8ook at the thought proce involvedE Feel the energ/ of the emotionE #/ witne ing the re i tance> /ou will ee that it erve no purpo eE #/ focu ing all /our attention on the Now> the uncon ciou re i tance i made con ciou > and that i the end of itE %ou cannot ,e con ciou and unhapp/> con ciou and in negativit/E Negativit/> unhappine > or uffering in whatever form mean that there i re i tance> and re i tance i alwa/ uncon ciou E
*urely I can be conscious of my unhappy feelings?

$ould /ou choo e unhappine = !f /ou did not choo e it> how did it ari e= $hat i it purpo e= $ho i keeping it alive= %ou a/ that /ou are con ciou of /our unhapp/ feeling > ,ut the truth i that /ou are identified with them and keep the proce alive through compul ive thinkingE All that is uncon ciou E !f /ou were con ciou > that i to a/ totall/ pre ent in the Now> all negativit/ would di olve almo t in tantl/E !t could not urvive in /our pre enceE !t can onl/ urvive in /our a, enceE Even the pain4,od/ cannot urvive for long in /our pre enceE %ou keep /our unhappine alive ,/ giving it timeE That i it life,loodE (emove time through inten e pre ent4moment awarene and it die E #ut do /ou want it to die= 'ave /ou trul/ had enough= $ho would /ou ,e without it= :ntil /ou practice urrender> the piritual dimen ion i omething /ou read a,out> talk a,out> get excited a,out> write ,ook a,out> think a,out> ,elieve in 4 or don0t> a the ca e ma/ ,eE !t make no differenceE Not until /ou urrender doe it ,ecome a living realit/ in /our lifeE $hen /ou do> the energ/ that /ou emanate and which then run /our life i of a much higher vi,rational freDuenc/ than the mind energ/ that till run our world 4 the energ/ that created the exi ting ocial> political> and economic tructure of our civiliAation> and which al o continuou l/ perpetuate it elf through our educational / tem and the mediaE Through urrender> piritual energ/ come into thi worldE !t create no uffering for /our elf> for other human > or an/ other life form on the planetE :nlike mind energ/> it doe not pollute the earth> and it i not u,Gect to the law of polaritie > which dictate that nothing can exi t without it oppo ite> that there can ,e no good without ,adE Tho e who run on mind energ/> which i till the va t maGorit/ of the Earth0 population> remain unaware of the exi tence of piritual energ/E !t ,elong to a different order of realit/ and will create a different world when a ufficient num,er of human enter the urrendered tate and o ,ecome totall/ free of negativit/E !f the Earth i to urvive> thi will ,e the energ/ of tho e who inha,it itE <e u referred to thi energ/ when he made hi famou prophetic tatement in the Sermon on the *ount) @#le ed are the gentleF the/ hall have the earth for their po e ionE@ !t i a

ilent ,ut inten e pre ence that di olve the uncon ciou pattern of the mindE The/ ma/ till remain active for a while> ,ut the/ won0t run /our life an/moreE The external condition that were ,eing re i ted al o tend to hift or di olve Duickl/ through urrenderE !t i a powerful tran former of ituation and peopleE !f condition do not hift immediatel/> /our acceptance of the Now ena,le /ou to ri e a,ove themE Either wa/> /ou are freeE

SURRENDER IN $ERSONAL RELATIONSHI$S

What about people who want to use me, manipulate or control me? -m I to surrender to them?

The/ are cut off from #eing> o the/ uncon ciou l/ attempt to get energ/ and power from /ouE !t i true that onl/ an uncon ciou per on will tr/ to u e or manipulate other > ,ut it i eDuall/ true that onl/ an uncon ciou per on "an ,e u ed and manipulatedE !f /ou re i t or fight uncon ciou ,ehavior in other > /ou ,ecome uncon ciou /our elfE #ut urrender doe n0t mean that /ou allow /our elf to ,e u ed ,/ uncon ciou peopleE Not at allE !t i perfectl/ po i,le to a/ @no@ firml/ and dearl/ to a per on or to walk awa/ from a ituation and ,e in a tate of complete inner nonre i tance at the ame timeE $hen /ou a/ @no@ to a per on or a ituation> let it come not from reaction ,ut from in ight> from a clear realiAation of what i right or not right for /ou at that momentE 8et it ,e a nonreactive @no>@ a high4 Dualit/ @no>@ a @no@ that i free of all negativit/ and o create no further ufferingE
I am in a situation at work that is unpleasant! I ha$e tried to surrender to it, but I find it impossible! - lot of resistance keeps coming up!

!f /ou cannot urrender> take action immediatel/E Speak up or do omething to ,ring a,out a change in the ituation 4 or remove /our elf from itE Take re pon i,ilit/ for /our lifeE 3o not pollute /our ,eautiful> radiant inner #eing nor the Earth with negativit/E 3o not give unhappine in an/ form what oever a dwelling place in ide /ouE !f /ou cannot take action> for example if /ou are in pri on> then /ou have two choice left) re i tance or urrenderE #ondage or inner freedom from external condition E Suffering or inner peaceE
Is nonresistance also to be practiced in the external conduct of our li$es, such as nonresistance to $iolence, or is it something that 'ust concerns our inner life?

%ou onl/ need to ,e concerned with the inner a pectE That i primar/E Of cour e> that will al o tran form the conduct of /our outer life> /our relation hip > and o onE %our relation hip will ,e changed profoundl/ ,/ urrenderE !f /ou can never accept what i > ,/ implication /ou will not ,e a,le to accept an/,od/ the wa/ the/ areE %ou will Gudge> criticiAe> la,el> reGect> or attempt to change peopleE Furthermore> if /ou continuou l/ make the Now into a mean to an end in the future> /ou will al o make ever/ per on /ou encounter or relate with into a mean to an endE The relation hip 4 the human ,eing 4 i then of econdar/ importance to /ou> or of no importance at allE $hat /ou can get out of the rela4 tion hip i primar/ 4 ,e it material gain> a en e of power> ph/ ical plea ure> or ome form of ego gratificationE 8et me illu trate how urrender can work in relation hip E $hen /ou ,ecome involved in an argument or ome conflict ituation> perhap with a partner or omeone clo e to /ou> tart

,/ o, erving how defen ive /ou ,ecome a /our own po ition i attacked> or feel the force of /our own aggre ion a /ou attack the other per on0 po itionE O, erve the attachment to /our view and opinion E Feel the mental4emotional energ/ ,ehind /our need to ,e right and make the other per on wrongE That0 the energ/ of the egoic mindE %ou make it con ciou ,/ acknowledging it> ,/ feeling it a full/ a po i,leE Then one da/> in the middle of an argument> /ou will uddenl/ realiAe that /ou have a choice> and /ou ma/ decide to drop /our own reaction 4 Gu t to ee what happen E %ou urrenderE ! don0t mean dropping the reaction Gu t ver,all/ ,/ a/ing @Oka/> /ou are right>@ with a look on /our face that a/ > @! am a,ove all thi childi h uncon ciou ne E@ That0 Gu t di placing the re i tance to another level> with the egoic mind till in charge> claiming uperiorit/E ! am peaking of letting go of the entire mental4emotional energ/ field in ide /ou that wa fighting for powerE The ego i cunning> o /ou have to ,e ver/ alert> ver/ pre ent> and totall/ hone t with /our elf to ee whether /ou have trul/ relinDui hed /our identification with a mental po ition and o freed /our elf from /our mindE !f /ou uddenl/ feel ver/ light> clear and deepl/ at peace> that i an unmi taka,le ign that /ou have trul/ urrenderedE Then o, erve what happen to the other per on0 mental po ition a /ou no longer energiAe it through re i tanceE $hen identification with mental po ition i out of the wa/> true communication ,egin E
What about nonresistance in the face of $iolence, aggression, and the like?

Nonre i tance doe n0t nece aril/ mean doing nothingE All it mean i that an/ @doing@ ,ecome nonreactiveE (emem,er the deep wi dom underl/ing the practice of Ea tern martial art ) don0t re i t the opponent0 forceE %ield to overcomeE 'aving aid that> @doing nothing@ when /ou are in a tate of inten e pre ence i a ver/ powerful tran former and healer of ituation and peopleE !n Taoi m> there i a term called wu wei> which i u uall/ tran lated a @actionle activit/@ or @ itting Duietl/ doing nothingE@ !n ancient China> thi wa regarded a one of the highe t achievement or virtue E !t i radicall/ different from inactivit/ in the ordinar/ tate of con ciou ne > or rather uncon ciou ne > which tem from fear> inertia> or indeci ionE The real @doing nothing@ implie inner nonre i tance and inten e alertne E On the other hand> if action i reDuired> /ou will no longer react from /our conditioned mind> ,ut /ou will re pond to the ituation out of /our con ciou pre enceE !n that tate> /our mind i free of concept > including the concept of nonviolenceE So who can predict what /ou will do= The ego ,elieve that in /our re i tance lie /our trength> wherea in truth re i tance cut /ou off from #eing> the onl/ place of true powerE (e i tance i weakne and fear ma Duerading a trengthE $hat the ego ee a weakne i /our #eing in it purit/> innocence> and powerE $hat it ee a trength i weakne E So the ego exi t in a continuou re i tance4mode and pla/ counterfeit role to cover up /our @weakne >@ which in truth i /our powerE :ntil there i urrender> uncon ciou role4pla/ing con titute a large part of human interactionE !n urrender> /ou no longer need ego defen e and fal e ma k E %ou ,ecome ver/ imple> ver/ realE @That0 dangerou >@ a/ the egoE @%ou0ll get hurtE %ou0ll ,ecome vulnera,leE@ $hat the ego doe n0t know> of cour e> i that onl/ through the letting go of re i tance> through ,ecoming @vulnera,le>@ can /ou di cover /our true and e ential invulnera,ilit/E
TRANS ORMING ILLNESS INTO ENLIGHTENMENT

If someone is seriously ill and completely accepts their condition and surrenders to the illness, would they not ha$e gi$en up their will to get back to health? &he determination to fight the illness would not be there any more, would it?

Surrender i inner acceptance of what i without an/ re ervation E $e are talking a,out /our life / thi in tant 4 not the condition or circum tance of /our life> not what ! call /our life ituationE $e have poken a,out thi alread/E $ith regard to illne > thi i what it mean E !llne i part of /our life ituationE A uch> it ha a pa t and a futureE Pa t and future form an uninterrupted continuum> unle the redeeming power of the Now i activated through /our con ciou pre enceE A /ou know> underneath the variou condition that make up /our life ituation> which exi t in time> there i omething deeper> more e ential) /our 8ife> /our ver/ #eing in the timele NowE A there are no pro,lem in the Now> there i no illne eitherE The ,elief in a la,el that omeone attache to /our condition keep the condition in place> empower it> and make a eemingl/ olid realit/ out of a temporar/ im,alanceE !t give it not onl/ realit/ and olidit/ ,ut al o a continuit/ in time that it did not have ,eforeE #/ focu ing on thi in tant and refraining from la,eling it mentall/> illne i reduced to one or everal of the e factor ) ph/ ical pain> weakne > di comfort> or di a,ilit/E That is what /ou urrender to 4 nowE %ou do not urrender to the idea of @illne E@ Allow the uffering to force /ou into the pre ent moment> into a tate of inten e con ciou pre enceE : e it for enlightenmentE Surrender doe not tran form what i > at lea t not directl/E Surrender tran form you. $hen you are tran formed> /our whole world i tran formed> ,ecau e the world i onl/ a reflectionE $e poke a,out thi earlierE !f /ou looked in the mirror and did not like what /ou aw> /ou would have to ,e mad to attack the image in the mirrorE That i preci el/ what /ou do when /ou are in a tate of nonacceptanceE And> of cour e> if /ou attack the image> it attack /ou ,ackE !f /ou accept the image> no matter what it i > if /ou ,ecome friendl/ toward it> it cannot not ,ecome friendl/ toward /ouE Thi i how /ou change the worldE !llne i not the pro,lemE )ou are the pro,lem 4 a long a the egoic mind i in controlE $hen /ou are ill or di a,led> do not feel that /ou have failed in ome wa/> do not feel guilt/E 3o not ,lame life for treating /ou unfairl/> ,ut do not ,lame /our elf eitherE All that i re i tanceE !f /ou have a maGor illne > u e it for enlightenmentE An/thing @,ad@ that happen in /our life 4 u e it for enlightenmentE $ithdraw time from the illne E 3o not give it an/ pa t or futureE 8et it force /ou into inten e pre ent4moment awarene 4 and ee what happen E #ecome an alchemi tE Tran mute ,a e metal into gold> uffering into con ciou ne > di a ter into enlightenmentE Are /ou eriou l/ ill and feeling angr/ now a,out what ! have Gu t aid= Then that i a clear ign that the illne ha ,ecome part of /our en e of elf and that /ou are now protecting /our identit/ 4 a well a protecting the illne E The condition that i la,eled @illne @ ha nothing to do with who /ou trul/ areE
WHEN DISASTER STRIKES

A far a the till uncon ciou maGorit/ of the population i concerned> onl/ a critical limit4 ituation ha the potential to crack the hard hell of the ego and force them into urrender and o into the awakened tateE A limit4 ituation ari e when through ome di a ter> dra tic upheaval> deep lo > or uffering /our whole world i hattered and doe n0t make en e

an/moreE !t i an encounter with death> ,e it ph/ ical or p /chologicalE The egoic mind> the creator of thi world> collap e E Out of the a he of the old world> a new world can then come into ,eingE There i no guarantee> of cour e> that even a limit4 ituation will do it> ,ut the potential i alwa/ thereE Some people0 re i tance to what i even inten ifie in uch a ituation> and o it ,ecome a de cent into hellE !n other > there ma/ onl/ ,e partial urrender> ,ut even that will give them a certain depth and erenit/ that were not there ,eforeE Part of the ego hell ,reak off> and thi allow mall amount of the radiance and peace that lie ,e/ond the mind to hine throughE 8imit4 ituation have produced man/ miracle E There have ,een murderer in death row waiting for execution who> in the la t few hour of their live > experienced the egole tate and the deep Go/ and peace that come with itE The inner re i tance to the ituation the/ found them elve in ,ecame o inten e a to produce un,eara,le uffering> and there wa nowhere to run and nothing to do to e cape it> not even a mind4proGected futureE So the/ were forced into complete acceptance of the unaccepta,leE The/ were forced into urrenderE !n thi wa/> the/ were a,le to enter the tate of grace with which come redemption) complete relea e from the pa tE Of cour e> it i not reall/ the limit4 ituation that make room for the miracle of grace and redemption ,ut the act of urrenderE So whenever an/ kind of di a ter trike > or omething goe eriou l/ @wrong@ 4 illne > di a,ilit/> lo of home or fortune or of a ociall/ defined identit/> ,reak4up of a clo e relation hip> death or uffering of a loved one> or /our own impending death 4 know that there i another ide to it> that /ou are Gu t one tep awa/ from omething incredi,le) a complete alchemical tran mutation of the ,a e metal of pain and uffering into goldE That one tep i called urrenderE ! do not mean to a/ that /ou will ,ecome happ/ in uch a ituationE %ou will notE #ut fear and pain will ,ecome tran muted into an inner peace and erenit/ that come from a ver/ deep place 4 from the :nmanife ted it elfE !t i @the peace of God> which pa e all under tandingE@ Compared to that> happine i Duite a hallow thingE $ith thi radiant peace come the realiAation 4 not on the level of mind ,ut within the depth of /our #eing 4 that /ou are inde tructi,le> immortalE Thi i not a ,eliefE !t i a, olute certaint/ that need no external evidence or proof from ome econdar/ ourceE
TRANS ORMING SU ERING INTO $EACE

I read about a stoic philosopher in ancient Greece who, when he was told that his son had died in an accident, replied, #I knew he was not immortal!# Is that surrender? If it is, I don't want it! &here are some situations in which surrender seems unnatural and inhuman!

#eing cut off from /our feeling i not urrenderE #ut we don0t know what hi inner tate wa when he aid tho e word E !n certain extreme ituation > it ma/ till ,e impo i,le for /ou to accept the NowE #ut /ou alwa/ get a econd chance at urrenderE %our fir t chance i to urrender each moment to the realit/ of that momentE 7nowing that what i cannot ,e undone 4 ,ecau e it alread/ i 4 /ou a/ /e to what i or accept what i n0tE Then /ou do what /ou have to do> whatever the ituation reDuire E !f /ou a,ide in thi tate of acceptance> /ou create no more negativit/> no more uffering> no more unhappine E %ou then live in a tate of nonre i tance> a tate of grace and lightne > free of truggleE $henever /ou are una,le to do that> whenever /ou mi that chance 4 either ,ecau e /ou are not generating enough con ciou pre ence to prevent ome ha,itual and uncon ciou

re i tance pattern from ari ing> or ,ecau e the condition i o extreme a to ,e a, olutel/ unaccepta,le to /ou 4 then /ou are creating ome form of pain> ome form of ufferingE !t ma/ look a if the ituation i creating the uffering> ,ut ultimatel/ thi i not o 4 /our re i tance i E Now here i /our econd chance at urrenderE !f /ou cannot accept what i out ide> then accept what i inside. !f /ou cannot accept the external condition> accept the internal conditionE Thi mean ) 3o not re i t the painE Allow it to ,e thereE Surrender to the grief> de pair> fear> loneline > or whatever form the uffering take E $itne it without la,eling it mentall/E Em,race itE Then ee how the miracle of urrender tran mute deep uffering into deep peaceE Thi i /our crucifixionE 8et it ,ecome /our re urrection and a cen ionE
I do not see how one can surrender to suffering! -s you yourself pointed out, suffering is non+ surrender! ,ow could you surrender to nonsurrender?

Forget a,out urrender for a momentE $hen /our pain i deep> all talk of urrender will pro,a,l/ eem futile and meaningle an/wa/E $hen /our pain i deep> /ou will likel/ have a trong urge to e cape from it rather than urrender to itE %ou don0t want to feel what /ou feelE $hat could ,e more normal= #ut there i no e cape> no wa/ outE There are man/ p eudo e cape 4 work> drink> drug > anger> proGection> uppre ion> and o on 4 ,ut the/ don0t free /ou from the painE Suffering doe not dimini h in inten it/ when /ou make it uncon ciou E $hen /ou den/ emotional pain> ever/thing /ou do or think a well a /our relation hip ,ecome contaminated with itE %ou ,roadca t it> o to peak> a the energ/ /ou emanate> and other will pick it up u,liminall/E !f the/ are uncon ciou > the/ ma/ even feel compelled to attack or hurt /ou in ome wa/> or /ou ma/ hurt them in an uncon ciou proGection of /our painE %ou attract and manife t whatever corre pond to /our inner tateE $hen there i no wa/ out> there i till alwa/ a wa/ through. 1o don0t turn awa/ from the painE Face itE Feel it full/E 4eel it 4 don0t think a,out itO Expre it if nece ar/> ,ut don0t create a cript in /our mind around itE Give all /our attention to the feeling> not to the per on> event> or ituation that eem to have cau ed itE 3on0t let the mind u e the pain to create a victim identit/ for /our elf out of itE Feeling orr/ for /our elf and telling other /our tor/ will keep /ou tuck in ufferingE Since it i impo i,le to get awa/ from the feeling> the onl/ po i,ilit/ of change i to move into itF otherwi e> nothing will hiftE So give /our complete attention to what /ou feel> and refrain from mentall/ la,eling itE A /ou go into the feeling> ,e inten el/ alertE At fir t> it ma/ eem like a dark and terrif/ing place> and when the urge to turn awa/ from it come > o, erve it ,ut don0t act on itE 7eep putting /our attention on the pain> keep feeling the grief> the fear> the dread> the loneline > whatever it i E Sta/ alert> ta/ pre ent 4 pre ent with /our whole #eing> with ever/ cell of /our ,od/E A /ou do o> /ou are ,ringing a light into thi darkne E Thi i the flame of /our con ciou ne E At thi tage> /ou don0t need to ,e concerned with urrender an/moreE !t ha happened alread/E 'ow= Full attention i full acceptance> i urrenderE #/ giving full attention> /ou u e the power of the Now> which i the power of /our pre enceE No hidden pocket of re i tance can urvive in itE Pre ence remove timeE $ithout time> no uffering> no negativit/> can urviveE The acceptance of uffering i a Gourne/ into deathE Facing deep pain> allowing it to ,e> taking /our attention into it> i to enter death con ciou l/E $hen /ou have died thi death> /ou realiAe that there i no death 4 and there i nothing to fearE Onl/ the ego die E !magine a ra/ of unlight that ha forgotten it i an in epara,le part of the un and delude it elf into ,elieving

it ha to fight for urvival and create and cling to an identit/ other than the unE $ould the death of thi delu ion not ,e incredi,l/ li,erating= 3o /ou want an ea / death= $ould /ou rather die without pain> without agon/= Then die to the pa t ever/ moment> and let the light of /our pre ence hine awa/ the heav/> time4 ,ound elf /ou thought of a @/ouE@

THE WAY O THE CROSS

&here are many accounts of people who say they ha$e found God through their deep suffering, and there is the Christian expression #the way of the cross,# which I suppose points to the same thing!

$e are concerned with nothing el e hereE Strictl/ peaking> the/ did not find God through their uffering> ,ecau e uffering implie re i tanceE The/ found God through urrender> through total acceptance of what i > into which the/ were forced ,/ their inten e ufferingE The/ mu t have realiAed on ome level that their pain wa elf4createdE
,ow do you e uate surrender with finding God?

Since re i tance i in epara,le from the mind> relinDui hment of re i tance 4 urrender 4 i the end of the mind a /our ma ter> the impo tor pretending to ,e @/ou>@ the fal e godE All Gudgment and all negativit/ di olveE The realm of #eing> which had ,een o, cured ,/ the mind> then open upE Suddenl/> a great tillne ari e within /ou> an unfathoma,le en e of peaceE And within that peace> there i great Go/E And within that Go/> there i loveE And at the innermo t core> there i the acred> the immea ura,le> T.(/ which cannot ,e namedE ! don0t call it finding God> ,ecau e how can /ou find that which wa never lo t> the ver/ life that /ou are= The word God i limiting not onl/ ,ecau e of thou and of /ear of mi perception and mi u e> ,ut al o ,ecau e it implie an entit/ other than /ouE God i #eing it elf> not a ,eingE There can ,e no u,Gect4o,Gect relation hip here> no dualit/> no /ou and GodE God4realiAation i the mo t natural thing there i E The amaAing and incomprehen i,le fact i not that /ou "an ,ecome con ciou of God ,ut that /ou are not con ciou of GodE The wa/ of the cro that /ou mentioned i the old wa/ to enlightenment> and until recentl/ it wa the onl/ wa/E #ut don0t di mi it or undere timate it efficac/E !t till work E The wa/ of the cro i a complete rever alE !t mean that the wor t thing in /our life> /our cro > turn into the ,e t thing that ever happened to /ou> ,/ forcing /ou into urrender> into @death>@ forcing /ou to ,ecome a nothing> to ,ecome a God 4 ,ecau e God> too> i no4 thingE At thi time> a far a the uncon ciou maGorit/ of human i concerned> the wa/ of the cro i till the onl/ wa/E The/ will onl/ awaken through further uffering> and enlightenment a a collective phenomenon will ,e predicta,l/ preceded ,/ va t upheaval E

Thi proce reflect the working of certain univer al law that govern the growth of con ciou ne and thu wa fore een ,/ ome eer E !t i de cri,ed> among other place > in the #ook of (evelation or Apocal/p e> though cloaked in o, cure and ometime impenetra,le /m,olog/E Thi uffering i inflicted not ,/ God ,ut ,/ human on them elve and on each other a well a ,/ certain defen ive mea ure that the Earth> which i a living> intelligent organi m> i going to take to protect her elf from the on laught of human madne E 'owever> there i a growing num,er of human alive toda/ who e con ciou ne i ufficientl/ evolved not to need an/ more uffering ,efore the realiAation of enlightenmentE %ou ma/ ,e one of themE Enlightenment through uffering 4 the wa/ of the cro 4 mean to ,e forced into the kingdom of heaven kicking and creamingE %ou finall/ urrender ,ecau e /ou canLt tand the pain an/more> ,ut the pain could go on for a long time until thi happen E Enlightenment con ciou l/ cho en mean to relinDui h /our attachment to pa t and future and to make the Now the main focu of /our lifeE !t mean choo ing to dwell in the tate of pre ence rather than in timeE !t mean a/ing /e to what i E %ou then don0t need pain an/moreE 'ow much more time do /ou think /ou will need ,efore /ou are a,le to a/ @! will create no more pain> no more uffering=@ 'ow much more pain do /ou need ,efore /ou can make that choice= !f /ou think that /ou need more time> /ou will get more time 4 and more painE Time and pain are in epara,leE
THE $OWER TO CHOOSE

What about all those people who, it seems, actually want to suffer? I ha$e a friend whose partner is physically abusi$e toward her, and her pre$ious relationship was of a similar kind! Why does she choose such men, and why is she refusing to get out of that situation now? Why do so many people actually choose pain?

! know that the word "hoose is a favorite New Age term> ,ut it i n0t entirel/ accurate in thi contextE !t i mi leading to a/ that ome,od/ @cho e@ a d/ functional relation hip or an/ other negative ituation in hi or her lifeE Choice implie con ciou ne 4 a high degree of con ciou ne E $ithout it> /ou have no choiceE Choice ,egin the moment /ou di identif/ from the mind and it conditioned pattern > the moment /ou ,ecome pre entE :ntil /ou reach that point> /ou are uncon ciou > pirituall/ peakingE Thi mean that /ou are compelled to think> feel> and act in certain wa/ according to the conditioning of /our mindE That i wh/ <e u aid) @Forgive them> for the/ know not what the/ doE@ Thi i not related to intelligence in the conventional en e of the wordE ! have met man/ highl/ intelligent and educated people who were al o completel/ uncon ciou > which i to a/ completel/ identified with their mindE !n fact> if mental development and increa ed knowledge are not counter,alanced ,/ a corre ponding growth in con ciou ne > the potential for unhappine and di a ter i ver/ greatE %our friend i tuck in a relation hip with an a,u ive partner> and not for the fir t timeE $h/= No choiceE The mind> conditioned a it i ,/ the pa t> alwa/ eek to re4create what it know and i familiar withE Even if it i painful> at lea t it i familiarE The mind alwa/ adhere to the knownE The unknown i dangerou ,ecau e it ha no control over itE That0 wh/ the mind di like and ignore the pre ent momentE Pre ent4moment awarene create a gap not onl/ in the tream of mind ,ut al o in the pa t4future continuumE Nothing trul/ new and creative can come into thi world except through that gap> that clear pace of infinite

po i,ilit/E So /our friend> ,eing identified with her mind> ma/ ,e re4creating a pattern learned in the pa t in which intimac/ and a,u e are in epara,l/ linkedE Alternativel/> he ma/ ,e acting out a mind pattern learned in earl/ childhood according to which he i unworth/ and de erve to ,e puni hedE !t i po i,le> too> that he live a large part of her life through the pain4,od/> which alwa/ eek more pain on which to feedE 'er partner ha hi own uncon ciou pattern > which complement her E Of cour e her ituation i elf4created> ,ut who or what i the elf that i doing the creating= A mental4emotional pattern from the pa t> no moreE $h/ make a elf out of it= !f /ou tell her that he ha cho en her condition or ituation> /ou are reinforcing her tate of mind identificationE #ut i her mind pattern who he i = ! it her elf= ! her true identit/ derived from the pa t= Show /our friend how to ,e the o, erving pre ence ,ehind her thought and her emotion E Tell her a,out the pain4,od/ and how to free her elf from itE Teach her the art of inner4,od/ awarene E 3emon trate to her the meaning of pre enceE A oon a he i a,le to acce the power of the Now> and there,/ ,reak through her conditioned pa t> he will have a choiceE No,od/ "hooses d/ function> conflict> painE No,od/ "hooses in anit/E The/ happen ,ecau e there i not enough pre ence in /ou to di olve the pa t> not enough light to di pel the darkne E %ou are not full/ hereE %ou have not Duite woken up /etE !n the meantime> the conditioned mind i running /our lifeE Similarl/> if /ou are one of the man/ people who have an i ue with their parent > if /ou till har,or re entment a,out omething the/ did or did not do> then /ou till ,elieve that the/ had a choice 4 that the/ could have acted differentl/E !t alwa/ looks a if people had a choice> ,ut that i an illu ionE A long a /our mind with it conditioned pattern run /our life> a long a you are /our mind> what choice do /ou have= NoneE %ou are not even thereE The mind4identified tate i everel/ d/ functionalE !t i a form of in anit/E Almo t ever/one i uffering from thi illne in var/ing degree E The moment /ou realiAe thi > there can ,e no more re entmentE 'ow can /ou re ent omeone0 illne = The onl/ appropriate re pon e i compa ionE *o that means nobody is responsible for what they do? I don't like that idea! !f /ou are run ,/ /our mind> although /ou have no choice /ou will till uffer the con eDuence of /our uncon ciou ne > and /ou will create further ufferingE %ou will ,ear the ,urden of fear> conflict> pro,lem > and painE The uffering thu created will eventuall/ force /ou out of /our uncon ciou tateE What you say about choice also applies to forgi$eness, I suppose! You need to be fully conscious and surrender before you can forgi$e! @Forgivene @ i a term that ha ,een in u e for 1>666 /ear > ,ut mo t people have a ver/ limited view of what it mean E %ou cannot trul/ forgive /our elf or other a long a /ou derive /our en e of elf from the pa tE Onl/ through acce ing the power of the Now> which i /our own power> can there ,e true forgivene E Thi render the pa t powerle > and /ou realiAe deepl/ that nothing /ou ever did or that wa ever done to /ou could touch even in the lighte t the radiant e ence of who /ou areE The whole concept of forgivene then ,ecome unnece ar/E -nd how do I get to that point of reali%ation?

$hen /ou urrender to what i and o ,ecome full/ pre ent> the pa t cea e to have an/ powerE %ou do not need it an/moreE Pre ence i the ke/E The Now i the ke/E ,ow will I know when I ha$e surrendered? $hen /ou no longer need to a k the Due tionE