 paste and then reduce the heat. Allow the soup  to simmer at a
soft rolling boil until the lentils are soft. Add the spinach and allow to wilt. Divide into soup bowls
with the following garnish.
Garnish
¼ cup parsley, freshly chopped
2 cups tomatoes, chopped2 cloves garlic, fresh, minced (optional)

Combine the parsley, tomatoes, and optional garlic and place into individual bowls. Ladle the soup
over the mixture.
Hummus
¼ cup parsley, chopped
1 lar ge green onion, chopped, or 1 tablespoon leek, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup garbanzo beans soaked overnight and cooked until tender
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Braggs Liquid Amino Acid or tamari sauce
1 teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon dill, dried

Place parsley, green onion, and garlic in a food processor. Use “Pulse” to chop. Add the remaining
ingredients and process until smooth. T aste and adjust lemon juice and/or spices to taste. Hummus
should have a loose consistency but hold together when in a dollop.
Quinoa T abouli
1 cup quinoa
2 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon ghee or olive oil
½ cup leeks or onions, chopped
¼ cup vegetable stock
2 cups tomatoes, diced, or any combination of vegetables cut
into small cubes (zucchini, squash, carrots, sweet potato)
1 cup garbanzo beans, or white beans, cooked
½ cup Italian parsley, fresh, chopped
¼ cup mint, fresh, chopped
2 tablespoons Kalamata olives, chopped, pits removed
Dressing
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dill, dried
½ teaspoon each salt and black pepper
2 cloves garlic, pressed, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add the quinoa and cover with a lid. Reduce the heat and allow to
simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the l iquid is absorbed. Fluf f with a fork and place into mixing
bowl and set aside. H eat sauté pan with ghee or olive oil. Add leeks and sauté briefly. Add vegetable
stock as the mixture begins to dry out. Add 2 cups of vegetables and sauté until lightly browned.
Keep the tomatoes fresh. Y ou don’ t need to sauté them. Remove the vegetables from the heat and
cool of f. Combine beans, parsley, mint, an d olives in the bowl with the quinoa. T oss with hands to
combine well (use plastic bags over your hands). In a separate bowl, whisk togeth er the dressing
ingredients and pour over the quinoa mixture. This pilaf can be served hot with an entrée or used as a
stuf fing for vegetables such as artichokes, zucchini, squash. It also makes a great cold salad.
Creamy T ofu Cucumber and Mint Raita
6 ounces silken tofu, low-fat, firm or extra firm
¼ cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon Braggs Liquid Amino Acid or tamari sauce
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dill, dried
2 cucumbers, seeded, peeled, and chopped
½ packed cup mint, freshly chopped
¼ packed cup cilantro, freshly chopped

In a blender or food processor place the tofu, lemon juice, and Braggs. Blend until smooth. Add
the cumin and dill. Remove from the blender and place mixture into a bowl. Add the chopped
cucumber a nd fresh herbs. If the mixture is  too thick, add some apple juice or water to bring it up to a
creamy consistency. Y ou can also use yogurt in place of the tofu.
Ratatouille Stew
1 tablespoon olive oil or ghee
2 lar ge leeks, chopped
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
1 tablespoon Braggs Liquid Amino Acid
2 teaspoons Italian spices
1 lar ge eggplant, diced
2 lar ge zucchinis, cubed
3 lar ge bell peppers, green and red, cubed
2 cups tomatoes, diced
1½ cups vegetable stock
½ cup basil, sliced thinly

In a lar ge soup pot, h eat the olive oil and then add the leeks, pepper, garlic, Braggs, and Italian
spices. Add the eggplant, zucchini, and bell peppers and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. A dd the tomatoes
and continue to simmer. Add the vegetable stock when the mixture begins to dry out. The stew
should simmer for 20 to 30 minutes at a low heat. Add the fresh basil just before serving.
Maple Filo W alnut T riangles
1 teaspoon ghee
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 cups walnuts, chopped coarsely
¼ cup coconut flakes
1 teaspoon cinnamon
12 sheets whole wheat pastry filo
¼ cup ghee or vegetable spray
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Heat the ghee and maple syrup in a sauté p an. Add the walnuts and sauté until well coated. Stir in
the coconut flakes and cinnamon. Continue to combine until well coated.
Cut a whole filo past ry sheet into ¼-inch strips. V ery lightly spread the ghee on the sheets with a
pastry brush. (Y ou can also use some vegetable spray instead of ghee. Lightly spray the sheets with
oil.) S tack four strips on top of each other. Place some of the chopped walnut mixture into the corner
of the filo pastry. Fold into a triangle starting at the corner and keep folding unti l the triangle iscomplete. Place on a sprayed sheet pan and  lightly brush some ghee on top and sprinkle with nutmeg.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.A p p e n d i x
For information on ongoing Gr ow Y ounger, Live Longer programs, log on
to www.chopra.com.
Primordial Sound Meditation T eachers
T o l ocate a certified Primordial Sound Meditation (PSM) teacher near
you, log on to www.chopra.com, and go to: Find an Instructor in Y our Area.
Recommended Relaxing and Inspiring Music
Becvar, B., and B. Becvar. The Magic of He aling Music. San Rafael, Calif.:
Shining Star Productions, 1997.
Oldman, C. Floating on Evening. New Haven, Vt.: Coyote Old man Music,
1998.
Coxon, R. H. The Silent Path. Quebec, Canada: R.H.C. Productions, 1995.
Evenson, D. Ocean Dr eams. T ucson, Ariz.: Soundings of the Planet, 1989.
Raye, M. Liquid Silk. Penrose, Colo.: Native Heart Music, 1999.
Chopra, D. A Gift of Love. New Y ork, N.Y.: T ommy Boy Music, 1998.
Sources of ProductsThe nutritional supplements described in this book are readily available
from a wide ran ge of sources, including health food stores and pharmacies.
The Chopra Center Essentials  line of nutrients has been designed to
conform with the recommendations outlined in Gr ow Y ounger, Live  Longer.
V isit www.chopra.com  to access high-quality nutritional complements,
herbs, and teas, including The C hopra Center Essentials, featuring amalaki
jam (Chavanprash) available as Biochavan.
Our daily Gr ow Y ounger, Live Longer nutritional
complement recommendations are:

A high-potency multivitamin (Chopra Center Daily Nutrients)

Calcium/magnesium/vitamin D tablets (Chopra Center Essentials—
Bone Health Formula)

Menopause Formula or Men’ s Support Formula

One teaspoon of Biochavan or Biochavan wafer

W e are pleased  to announce T he Grow Y ounger, Live Longer Fitness
Program, a collaboration between The Chopra Center for W ell Being and 24Hour Fitness W orldwide. This program, exclusively available through 24
Hour Fitness, is specifically designed to maximize the age-reversing
benefits of a balanced exercise program.
24 H our Fitness, the world’ s l ar gest fitness chain, has more than 430
centers in eleven countries. Their professional fitness staf f is trained to
create personali zed fitness programs for people regardless of age, fitness
level, or ability. T o learn mor e about The Grow Y ounger, L ive Longer
Fitness P rogram at a 24 Hour Fitness Center in your area and re ceive a free
guest pass to a facility near you, log on to: www.24HourFitness.com.R e f e r e n c e s
Chapter 1
Escaping the Prison of Conditioning

Langer, Ellen. Mindfulness. Reading, Mass.: Perseus Books, 1989.
Leaf, Alexander. Y outh in Old Age. New Y ork: McGraw-Hill, 1975.
Chapter 2
Changing Y our Perceptions

Grey, Alex. Sacr ed Mirr ors: The V isionary Art of Alex Gr ey. Rochester, Vt.: Inner T raditions
International, 1990.
Murchie, Guy. The Seven Mysteries of Life. Boston: Houghton Mif flin, 1978


, who advised her to drink a liter of freshly made carrot and apple juice and eat
some green leaf every day, in addition to her Gerson maintenance routine. She added, “If those
guys tell you that osteoporosis is irreversible, don’t believe them.”
A.C.did as she was told. Six months later, at her request, her doctor arranged another X-ray
for her. This proved that not only had the condition not worsened, in fact it showed considerable
improvement. The woman doctor gave her the good news without expressing any surprise or
interest in this unusual development; all she had to say was to offer the patient a supply of —
painkillers. Some fifteen years have elapsed since this incident, and although A.C.is now in her
eighties, she isn’t showing any sign of osteoporosis.
Teeth
It is a sad fact that the concept of totality, or holism, is poorly understood and not applied
to dental health, although teeth are an integral part of the body and can powerfully influence its
general condition. Rarely do physicians consider checking the teeth of the patient who presents
with various problems, perhaps a tendency to infection, a weakness or some other malfunction of
the metabolism that is difficult to diagnose. The reason for this omission is that teeth belong to a
totally different area of medicine that a physician is not concerned with.
And yet it is a serious mistake to ignore teeth. Worse still, it can become a terrible mistake
to treat them incorrectly. Only a few years ago did the dental profession become aware of the
problems caused by root canal treatment. This came about because Dr. George Meinig, DDS,
F.A.C.D., former head of the Root Canal Society, was reading a book written some hundred years
ago by Dr. Weston Price, D.D.S., F.A.C.D.,7 and began to understand that it was a grave mistake
to drill into root canals, try to clear them, refill the now empty space—and assume that this has
Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007.  All rights reserved.
This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 7 6Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comtaken care of the problem.
In his book Dr. Price relates that he was asked to treat the tooth of a lady who was bedfast with
rheumatoid arthritis throughout her body. He removed the previously root canal filled offending
tooth, cleaned and sterilized it, and implanted it under the skin of a rabbit. In five days the rabbit
developed severe rheumatoid arthritis; in 10 days the disease killed it. Meantime the patient started
to feel better, was able to get up, lost much of her pain and swellings, and eventually recovered.
Dr. Price was impressed by this development and decided to research it further. Whenever he
removed a damaged tooth, he proceeded in the same way to sterilize and implant it under the skin
of a rabbit. To his amazement whatever disease the patient had suffered from, showed up in the
rabbit within five days, and killed it in ten. This happened dozens, even hundreds of times with
teeth removed from patients suffering from kidney disease, heart disease, and other problems.
Dr. Price then carried out two more experiment. In one, he implanted a tooth lost by accident
from a healthy person under the skin of a rabbit and noted that the rabbit remained healthy and
eventually survived for 15 years. Next he took a tooth from a diseased patient and autoclaved it
(exposed it to steam pressure at 250 0 F=121 0 C). It made no difference: the rabbit still died of
the patient’s disease.
Having understood the biochemical damage inflicted on the whole body by treating root
canals with fillings, Dr. George Meinig resigned from the Root Canal Society and wrote a book
titled The Root Canal Cover-Up,8 exposing the facts originally discovered and recorded by Dr.
Weston Price.
Dr. Meinig explains that there are two factors behind the actual damage caused by root canal
fillings. One is that removing the nerve of a tooth leaves that tooth dead. No nutrients can enter
it via the canules ( the equivalents of capillaries in other tissues), nor can metabolic residues
be released from it. However, the now empty canules fill with germs and viruses, which then
penetrate the jawbone and can in time cause severe infectious bone damage. Toxins from these
infections are released into the blood stream, causing an almost permanent poisoning.
Unfortunately even deep bone infections with resulting cavitations (hollowed out bone)  do
not cause pain, so that frequently the patient is not aware of having a problem. Even a standard
dental X-ray doesn’t show the bone damage; only the new ‘panoramic’ dental X-rays are able to
do that. The only solution is to remove the offending tooth and clear infectious material from the
cavitation, which allows the hollowed-out bone to heal.
If a dentist discovers an abscess at the tip of the root of a tooth, he or she will urge the patient
to have a root canal treatment done. DO NOT AGREE. The filling used in the canal eventually
shrinks a tiny bit, allowing germs and viruses to enter via the canules, which become conduits for
the invaders, causing much trouble. The dentist will assure you that the filling material currently
used in the root canal doesn’t shrink. However, even if this were true, there remains the problem
Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007.  All rights reserved.
This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 7 7Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comof the dead tooth, the germ-filled canules, and a constant focus of infection active within the
organism. So, rather than having the root canal treated, regretfully that tooth has to be extracted.
Beside root canals there are many other dental problems, such as receding gums, gum
infections, cavities, etc., that are easily detected and corrected. These should be cleared, so that no
oral infections can interfere with the healing process. Once we have understood the unbreakable
unity of the organism, it becomes clear how an unresolved and ignored dental problem can cause
serious damage in some other part of the body.
Mercury fillings should never be used. There is much information and research material
proving the damage caused by releasing small amounts of mercury into the system by chewing,
drinking, swallowing. These small but continuously released amounts of what is a potent nerve
toxin are also absorbed by the lungs and the linings of the digestive system into the bloodstream,
leading to severe harm. Despite the mass of scientific research material confirming this risk, some
dentists and the American Dental Association (ADA) vociferously claim that mercury is perfectly
safe once installed in the tooth. It is not. These days there are various minimally toxic inert filling
materials available to deal with cavities.
Crowns are another problem. A crown must never be fitted over a mercury filling, nor should
gold be used if there is any mercury—also known as silver amalgam—present in other parts of
the mouth. Between those two metals a tiny mild electric current is generated, which is capable
of interfering with the enzymes and other factors of pre-digestion that are active in the mouth. If
a crown is necessary, it should be made from other materials, such as plastic or porcelain.
Dental anesthesia needs to be handled with care. When the body is well detoxified, it becomes
more sensitive to any toxins, including anesthesia used by dentists to overcome the pain of dental
work. It is extremely important that a Gerson patient should tell his/her dentist the following,
prior to the use of anesthesia drugs:
  •  To use no more than one third to one half of the normal dose,
  •  To use no epinephrine in compounding the drug,
  •  To start the treatment immediately (the effect wears off quickly.)
Upon returning from the dentist’s office, the patient should take a coffee enema, whether or
not one is scheduled for that time. Any additional pain is likely to be cleared by another coffee
enema.
NOTE: If the dentist avises the patient to take a dose of antibiotics, this must not be refused.
A dental infection can be very serious and even become life-threatening.
Case Histories: We have several patient reports of dramatic improvements after the removal
of root canal treated teeth. One breast cancer patient using the Gerson Therapy was making slow
progress. When her husband began to suspect some dental problem slowing down the healing
Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007.  All rights reserved.
This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 7 8Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comprocess, he had her examined by a dentist. Indeed, a cavitation was found and cleared, and the
infected tooth removed. Subsequently the remaining breast tumor tissue was rapidly absorbed,
she recovered and remained well for many years.
In another case a young woman, married to an athlete and hoping for children, conceived
readily but suffered three miscarriages in a row. A full examination of her teeth disclosed a far
advanced cavitation in her jawbone. When the offending tooth was extracted and the infection in


odine concentration in different human brain parts. Analytical and Bioanalytical chemistry. November 13, 2003
4
 Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, 9
th
 Edition. Williams and Wilkins, 1999.
5
 Newton, David. Chemical Elements. Lawrence W. Baker, Editor. 1999
6
 Kimball, O.P. Prevention of goiter in Michigan and Ohio. JAMA. 1937; 108:860-864
7
 Matovinovic, J., et al. Goiter and other thyroid disease in Tecumseh, Michigan. JAMA. 1965: 192(#): 134-140
8
 Kimball, O.P. Endemic Goiter: A food deficiency disease. J. Am. Dietetic. Assn. 1949; 25:112
9
 Marine, D. Prevention and treatment of simple goiter. Atl. Med. J. 26:437-442, 1923
10
 Marine, D. The prevention of simple goiter in man. J. Lab. Clin. Med. 3:40-48
11
 Dunn, John. Editorial: What’s happening to our iodine? J. of Clinical Endcrin. And Metab. Vol. 83, No. 10. 1998Chapter 2
Iodine Deficiency and Iodized Salt
CHAPTER 2: IODINE DEFICIENCY AND IODIZED SALT
David, a 42-year-old Michigander, had taken good care of himself. He regularly took vitamins and minerals, did not
eat a lot of junk food and exercised regularly. “I feel better now than I did when I was in my 20’s. I eat better and my
energy level is better,” he said. His father, mother, and two sisters were being treated for hypothyroidism. David was
diagnosed with hypothyroidism eight years ago and was taking thyroid medication (Armour
®
 thyroid)
regularly. When
David’s iodine level was checked with an iodine/iodide loading test, he was shocked. His iodine level was found to be
very low at 46.2% excretion (normal excretion is greater than 90%). “I couldn’t believe it. How could my iodine level be
so low, when I felt so good? I have been taking vitamins and minerals for years,” he said. When he started
supplementing with an iodine/iodide combination (Iodoral
®
), he immediately felt better. “My energy level dramatically
increased. I thought I was feeling good before I began taking the iodine, but now I know what really feeling good is
about. I started sleeping better and my dreams became much more vivid. In addition, my head felt much clearer. It feels
wonderful,” he exclaimed. After three months of iodine supplementation, David’s iodine levels improved to a more
healthy 87% excretion (normal levels >90%).
David is your author. After experiencing the wonderful effects of taking iodine, and hearing of the positive results my patients
have experienced with using iodine, I became very interested in researching its clinical uses.
New 5
th

Edition update on David’s case: I am still taking iodine—now at 75mg/day. I still feel well on it. If I miss a
few days of taking it, I feel my energy level decline. My bromide level, which was high at 126mg/L has now fallen to
10mg/L. There is no known therapeutic effect of bromide. I believe our continual exposure to toxic halides has allowed
my bromide levels to still
remain elevated. Bromide is a toxic halide that is detoxified from the body by iodine. More
about bromide can be found in
Chapter 11
.
INTRODUCTION
Iodine deficiency is a worldwide problem. Diets that are deficient in iodine can result in many severe medical conditions
including cretinism (very severe brain damage occurring very early in life), mental impairment, reduced intellectual ability, goiter,
and infertility. In addition, iodine deficiency predisposes one to an increased risk of breast, prostate, endometrial, and ovarian
cancer.
1
 There is a decreased childhood survival rate associated with iodine deficiency. Studies have shown that neonatal
mortality can be decreased by up to 50% when iodine deficiency is rectified.
2
 Other illnesses that may result from iodine
deficiency include sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), multiple sclerosis, and other myelin disorders,
3
 as well as ADHD.
The World Health Organization has recognized that iodine deficiency is the world’s greatest single cause of preventable
mental retardation.
4
 Iodine deficiency has been identified as a significant public health problem in 129 countries. Approximately
one-third of the world’s population lives in iodine deficient areas and up to 72% of the world’s population is affected by an iodine
deficiency disorder.
5
IODIZED SALT
Some may think that the iodization of salt (i.e., iodized salt) has eliminated iodine deficiency disorders in the United States.
However, the data does not support that conclusion. Over the last 40 years, studies by the National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey I (NHANES—completed 1971-1974) and NHANES 2000 show iodine levels have dropped 50% in the
United States (see
Figure 2
 next page).
6
 This drop was seen in all demographic categories: ethnicity, region, economic status,
population density, and race. The percentage of pregnant women with low iodine concentrations increased 690% over this time
period. As previously mentioned, low iodine concentrations in pregnant women have been shown to increase the risk for
cretinism, mental retardation, attention deficit disorder, and other health issues in children. These topics will be explored in more
detail in
Chapter 10
.
HOW MUCH IODINE IS IN IODIZED SALT?
In the United States, iodine is added to salt to provide a content of 77μg of iodine per gm of salt.
7
 Although the content of
iodine in salt varies from country to country (depending on the standard set by the governing agencies), the goal is to achieve the
RDA for iodine. In the United States, the RDA of iodine is from 150μg/day to 290μg/day (see
Table 3
). The average salt intake
in
the U.S.A. is estimated to be approximately 5gm/day, which would theoretically supply 385μg of iodine. However, studies
have shown that urine levels of iodine in 24-hour urine tests are approximately five times lower.
8
 Figure 2:
NATIONAL HEALTH AND NUTRITION EXAMINATION SURVEY IODIDE LEVELS

Table 3: RDA for Iodine
9
The recommended daily allowance of iodine
Remember, the RDA for iodine was set up to prevent goiter, which it does very well. However, as illustrated in this chapter
and throughout this book, the RDA for iodine is
inadequate to provide enough iodine to promote optimal thyroid, endocrine, and
immune system functioning. Furthermore, the RDA is inadequate to prevent cancer.
IS IODIZED SALT A GOOD SOURCE OF IODINE?
As mentioned above, iodine levels have fallen by approximately 50% over the last 40 years according to the NHANES
data.
10
 Iodine was added to salt in the 1920’s to help combat thyroid goiter. Since that time, iodine is still being added to many
brands of salt.
I was taught in medical school that there is enough iodine in salt to supply the body’s need for iodine. In fact, I believe that
this has been taught in every medical school for over 80 years. However, there were no studies to back up this claim and the
NHANES data clearly shows that there is something happening to cause iodine levels to decrease by over 50% during the last 40
years.
Is iodized salt the best source of iodine for the body? The research does not support the idea that iodized salt is a readily
available source of iodine for the body.
In 1969, researchers looked at the bioavailability of iodine in salt versus bread.
11
 Two groups of people were studied; one
group ingested a measured amount of iodine in salt, the other group ingested a measured amount of iodine in bread. Both subject
groups were estimated to ingest approximately 750μg of
iodine. By ingesting 750μg of iodine, the expected serum levels of
iodine would be 17.2μg/L. However, as shown in
Figure 3
, the iodized salt group only had a serum level of 1.7μg/L. versus
18.7μg/L for the bread group. This information would suggest the iodine in iodized salt is only 10% bioavailable.
12

Figure 3: Bioavailabiltiy of Iodide in Salt

Iodine is added primarily to refined salt. Refined salt is a lifeless, devitalized product that has had all of its minerals removedand has also been exposed to toxic chemicals that gives it its white color. The ingestion of refined salt leads to many health
problems and it needs to be avoided. Unrefined salt should be the salt-of-choice. For more information on the health benefits of
unref


altar.
This	must	be	a	sign
,	she	thought.	Ramana	hung	back,	as	with	bowed	head
Savitri	begged	Vishnu	to	help	her.
I	will	do	anything
,	she	implored.
When	she	raised	her	eyes,	the	god	Vishnu	was	actually	standing	before
her.	Savitri	was	awestruck.	“You	will	do	anything	for	me	if	I	save	your
husband?”	he	asked.	Fervently	Savitri	said	yes.	“Then	go	to	the	river	and
fetch	me	a	drink	of	water,”	said	Vishnu.
Savitri	ran	off	to	do	as	she	was	bade.	Ramana	was	nowhere	to	be
seen
,	but
she	remembered	passing	the	river	and	knew	it	was	close	by.	Kneeling	beside
it,	she	wondered	what	she	could	carry	water	in	when	her	eye	caught	sight	of
someone	else	along	the	bank.	It	was	Satyavan!	Overjoyed,	Savitri	ran	to	him,
bursting	into	tears.	Satyavan	embraced	her	and	asked	what	was	wrong.
In	between	sobs	Savitri	told	him	the	danger	he	was	in.	“Then	we	shall	not
return	home	at	all,”	Satyavan	declared.	He	took	Savitri	tenderly	by	the	hand.
They	walked	along	the	river	until	they	spied	a	boatman	tied	up	to	shore.
The	boatman	greeted	them	cordially	and	said	that	he	had	been	out	fishing.
He	pointed	to	an	island	in	the	middle	of	the	river.	“That’s	my	home,”	he	said.
Quickly	Satyavan	made	a	bargain	with	the	boatman	to	become	his	helper.	He
and	Savitri	were	carried	to	the	island,	where	they	began	a	new	life.
Savitri	became	sublimely	happy,	for	after	a	few	days	it	was	apparent	that
Yama	had	not	pursued	them.	Her	husband	learned	to	be	a	fisherman,	and
together	they	lived	in	peace	on	the	island.	Years	passed.	They	had	two
children,	which	were	the	joy	of	their	hearts.	Then	one	night	a	great	stormcrashed	down	on	the	island.	The	winds	howled,	and	the	river	rose	higher	than
it	ever	had.	By	morning	everything	had	been	washed	away.	Savitri	had	been
saved	by	tying	herself	to	a	tree	with	a	rope.	At	sunrise,	she	saw	that	Satyavan,
their	house,	and	their	children	had	been	swept	away	into	the	river.
She	managed	to	find	a	boat	and	rowed	to	shore,	but	Savitri	was	so
devastated	that	all	she	could	do	was	lie	on	the	sand	moaning.	Suddenly	she
felt	a	shadow	looming	over	her.	She	looked	up	to	see	Lord	Vishnu.	“Did	you
remember	my	drink	of	water?”	he	asked.
Savitri	looked	down	and	was	amazed	to	see	she	was	wearing	the	same	sari
as	the	day	years	ago	when	Vishnu	first	appeared	to	her.	As	she	bent	to	get	him
some	water,	her	reflection	showed	her	the	same	young	woman.	“What
happened?”	she	asked	in	bewilderment.
Vishnu	replied,	“With	me	there	is	no	time,	for	I	am	beyond
death
.	Time	is
the	field	of	gain	and	loss.	As	long	as	you	are	in	time,	it	is	an	illusion	to	think
that	you	can	prevent	loss,	which	is	just	another	word	for	change.”
“Then	Satyavan	may	still	be	alive!”	Savitri	exclaimed.	“Can	he	be
saved?”
Vishnu	was	already	beginning	to	fade	away.	Savitri	grasped	at	his	image,
but	all	she	held	was	air.	When	she	turned	around,	she	saw	Ramana	standing
behind	her	on	the	path.
“You	see,”	Ramana	said,	“whatever	you	are	afraid	to	lose	is	unreal.	Death
cannot	touch	what	is	real.	In	a	way	that	is	a	gift	from	Death.”
“I	don’t	see	that,”	Savitri	said	dejectedly.
“When	you	die,	you	will	be	forced	to	lose	everything,	yet	something	will
remain.	It	is	the	soul,	which	is	real.	Therefore	you	should	celebrate	loss.	The
trappings	of	existence	can	fall	away	at	any	time;	the	essence	will	always
remain.	And	that	essence	is	you.”
LIVING	BEYOND	BOUNDARIES
The	afterlife	is	not	just	a	mystery	to	be	solved.	It’s	an	opportunity	to	expand
life	beyond	boundaries.	As	the	rishis	described	it,	awareness	begins	in	an
unbounded	state	with	pure	consciousness	and	then	cascades,	plane	by	plane,
until	it	reaches	the	physical	world.	Each	level	is	in	you.	At	any	given	moment
you	could	place	yourself	anywhere;	the	choice	of	boundaries—or
unboundedness—is	yours	alone.	Therefore	journeys	to	heaven	and	hell	are
daily	occurrences,	not	far-off	possibilities.	This	is	hard	for	many	people	to
accept,	because	they	want	a	fixed,	reliable	“me”	that	will	bring	stability	to	an
unstable	world.	But	there	is	no	separation	between	observer	and	observed.
The	inner	and	outer	worlds	are	changing	constantly.After	death	experience	shifts	to	the	subtle	realm,	which	presents	its
infinite	variety.	Yet	we	are	already	touching	on	subtle	experiences
every
	day.
Here	are	some	of	the	labels	we	apply	to	our	voyages	in	the	subtle	world:
Dreams
Imagination
Myths
Archetypes
Epiphanies
The	“shadow”
Collective	consciousness
Numinous	creation	(angels,	demons,	saints,	bodhisattvas,	deities)
Sacred	visions
Desires	and	wishes
Inspiration
Somewhere	on	this	list	falls	everything	the	rishis	called	“consciousness
filled	with	subtle	objects.”	You	cannot	see	yourself	as	a	complete	person
without	taking	these	subworlds	into	account.	They	are	destinations	in	the
future	but	are	also	in	the	here	and	now.	The	“shadow”	may	be	an	unfamiliar
term;	it	refers	to	hidden	forces	that	influence	us	as	if	beyond	our	will.	The
shadow	self	in	Jungian	psychology	is	a	region	of	the	unconscious	where	we
store	energies	that	become	our	version	of	dark,	evil,	shameful,	or	adversarial
beings.	It’s	hard	to	imagine	how	the	shadow	can	occupy	the	same	space	as
beings	of	light,	which	are	numinous	and	include	angels	and	deities.	We’re
tempted	to	allot	separate	places	for	each,	but	there	are	no	physical	divisions	in
the	subtle	domain	and	therefore	no	barriers	between	heaven	and	hell,	light	and
shadow.	Access	to	the	entire	subtle	world	is	always	open.	If	you	can	imagine
and	dream,	you	can	also	experience	departed	spirits,	angels,	or	gods.
Therefore,	the	first	step	for	anyone	who	wants	to	enter	the	subworlds	of
consciousness	is	to	drop	one’s	inflexible	rules	about	what	is
real
	and	unreal.
Many	cultures	have	viewed	the	barrier	between	life	and	death	as	permeable.
We	insist	on	making	it	into	a	wall,	and	behind	this	insistence	lurks	a	good	deal
of	unspoken	fear.	We	equate	the	entire	subtle	domain	with	the	realm	of


 about losing them, you will feel that original
samskara again  in all its glory. You will feel the underlying fear and
weirdness you used to feel, and it may even be stronger than before. In other
words, you’ve tied your energy flow to somebody else, and the state of your
heart is now dependent upon their behavior. Surely you have noticed this
pattern numerous times in your life. This is called human love. It is very
beautiful, but fortunately, there is a much higher form of love that is
unconditional and can last forever.
The greatest secret of the heart is revealed when you get rid of the
samskaras instead of finding a way around them. If you get rid of the
blockages that are restricting the energy from flowing into and through your
heart, you will feel love all the time. It will always be brimming through
you. Once you reach that state,  if you simply wave your hand in front of
your heart, you will feel waves of ecstatic love pour through you. That’ s
how easy it will be to experienc e love. Love will become the core of your
being. Now, go share it. By all means, share the beautiful love you are
feeling. You will be able to do this without attachment or need because your
love is not dependent upon anyone or anything else. You are whole and
complete within  yourself. We call that self-effulgence. To reach this great
state, you must do the necessary work on yourself to release your samskaras
instead of constantly trying to find a way around them.
You now understand much more  about the inner workings of the heart.
Thus far we’ve focused on how the energy can flow through the lower part
of the heart or be blocked from doing so. We can call this lower part of theheart the human heart because depending upon how open it is, the energy
flow can create the entire range of human emotions. Energy blocked in the
lower part of the heart can be experienced as feelings of jealousy, insecurity,
or pangs  of yearning. Even ange r is the result of a strong energy flow hitting
blockages in the heart and shooting out. On the other hand, if the heart is
open enough for the energy to make it to the middle of the heart chakra
where it can flow out horizontally, the energy will be experienced as human
love. It’s all the same energy doing this—the only difference  is how it’s
blocked.
There is anothe r level of the heart that can be experienced when the
upward energy flow is strong enough to pass through the middle  of the heart
without going out horizontally. The samskaras have to be thinned out
enough, and the flow must be strong enough to pierce the middle section of
the heart  chakra. When this happ ens, the energy pours into the higher part of
the heart and generates a permanent experience of pure love, strength, and
overall well-being. Now we’ve moved out of the human heart and into what
is truly the spiritual heart.  When the shakt i flows through that higher part of
the fourth chak ra, you will start to feel what has been described as the
presence of God. This is what the great saints experienced. At this point you
no longer experience yourself as human—you experience yourself as a
being of energy. You will start to feel love as a natural force in the universe.
It is no longer love for somebody; it is just the force of love feeding you
from inside. Once you open your heart to that level, it will always be
beautiful inside, as long as you choose to focus your awareness on the love
instead of what is left of your lower self.
We now know what it means to open your heart. At every level, it
means to stop closing it. Your heart’s natural state is open. It’s just like the
water in a stream; its natural state is to flow freely. If somethin g’s blocking
the strea m, don’t waste your time trying to make the water flow around the
blockage—just remove it. The same is true of the flow of shakti through the
heart—just remove the blockages and love will be your natural state.
Removing block ages is spiritual purification. That is what life is all
about. As you remove your blockages, the energy will start to flow freely
and love will no longer be something you need or something you look for.
At this stage, love has nothing to do with another person or what job you
happen to be doing. You feel love and inspiration all the time. You find that
the natural state of your being is to love everything you do and everyoneyou see. You actually have to hold yourself back to contain your passion for
life because there is such a powerful flow of energy feeding you from
within. This is the state Christ was describing when he said, “Man shall not
live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of
God” (Matt. 4:4). You no longer live solely off what is coming in from
outside. Y our ener gy is coming from within, ef fortlessly, from its source.
Your heart is one of the most beautiful things in creation. In time, if
you work on yourself, you will come to appreciate what you’ve been given.
Not only can your heart feed you with unconditional love, but it is the
gateway to the higher centers.PART VI:
The Human Predicament and BeyondChapter 26.
The Human Predicament
The most meaningful questions  regarding quality of life are not about what
you own, or what you do, they are about how you’re doing inside. Most
people can relate to a response similar to: “There are moments that are so
beautiful I wouldn’ t trade them  for anything. But there are also moments I
don’t want to last for another second. In general, I work hard to keep it okay
in here.” Such is the human predicament.
For most, that is a fair description of what it’s like to live in there. So
far our discussions have laid the groundwork for understanding why it is
that way. Throughout our lives we’ve stored patterns inside ourselves,
samskaras, based upon past experiences we resisted. We then used these
stored patterns to build a self-co ncept consisting of what we like and don’t
like and how to get events in the world to unfold accordingly. If we succeed
in our ef forts, it’ s generally nice inside; if we don’ t, it’s not.
It is important to understand that every external event is the expression
of all the energies that have come together to create that event. When this
flow of the event’ s energy comes into you, it must make its way through
your mind and heart, and then ultimately merge into your consciousness.
When you use your will to block an experience from passing through, the
flow of energy has to find a way to keep moving. Energy can’t stand still.
Energy is power, and when it hits the resistance of your will it is forced to
circle around itself. That’ s the only way energy can stay in one place. The
circle is such a powerful form in creation. It allows something to keep
moving yet stay stationary. This is how samskaras are formed. These stored
patterns from the past keep trying to release, but you keep pushing them
back down, either consciously or subconsciously.
By now, you can see how these samskaras are running your life. To
begin with, they keep coming  up by themselves, and that alone causessuffering. To avoid this, you have to commit a major part of your life to
creating situations that make it comfortable to live inside yourself. You end
up relying on your brilliant analytical mind to figure out how to be okay.
Your mind does this by imagin ing what would work for you. It just starts
making up things, playing make -believe. As these imagined thoughts arise,
you can feel how they affect your blockages. You’re trying to see how the
world needs to be to fit you the best. “What if this person was a certain
way?” “What if that person hadn’t said what they said to me?” “What if I
change jobs to become the boss so people would have to listen to me instead
of me listening to them?” Everything going on in your personal mind is
because you’re either trying to match the stored patterns that will make you
feel better or avoid the patterns  that will make you feel worse. Both ways,
the store d patter ns are running your life. Don’ t feel bad about it; it’s that
way for pretty much everyone and always has been.
You now have a deeper understanding of what we’ll call the
predicament: you’r e in there, you’r e not okay in there, and you have
developed concepts of how everything needs to be for you to be okay in
there. If you are not careful, you will struggle to satisfy these needs  for the
rest of your life. A perfect example of this burden is the all-too-common
practice of worrying. Why do you worry? There are only two reasons for
worrying: you either worry that you’re not going to get what you want, or
you worry that you’re going to get what you don’t want. This drives you to
work outside in the world to satisfy your needs. But the root of discomfort is
your stored patterns from the past. You are deciding you need to do things
outside in order to appease these patterns that are inside.


 14 percent in Martin’s
surveys who awoke spontaneously. One day, without w arning,they found themselves fully se lf-aware or they eased into th at state
over time but without effort.  We’ve already touched on a  similar
phenomenon i n sudden genius syndrome (see this page ), and
there are rare c ases where people discover suddenly that they have
total recall of everything t hat has happened in their life (a
phenomenon known as “su perior autobiographical memory”).
Such people can get together and chat about things like “W hat was
the best Tuesday in your life?” or recall the theme song to a TV
series that aired only a few times in the seventies.
In all these cas es, a person’s awareness doesn’t accept imp osed
limitations as normal. Under hypnosis, ordinary people can
uncover detailed memories they can’t otherwise retrieve, such as
knowing the number of roseb ushes in a garden from child hood or
how many stairs led to the basement in their parents’ home. Is it
normal to remember or forget? Both, of course. Unfiltered raw
data bombards  us in waves too overwhelming to absorb, so we
selectively forg et and remember. The point of waking up is to
remove some barriers created by memory and other barriers
created by forgetting. Happiness is blocked if you keep
remembering and rehashing old hurts, but just as effective ly if you
forget how happy you once w ere—it’s a matter of perspective. You
can even say th at virtual reality makes us forget to remember who
we really are.
At its most universal, enlightenment is simply expanded self-
awareness. W e go beyond stories, beyond fixed bou ndaries,
beyond the rickety construct  of “I,” and, in doing so, awareness
effortlessly expands. It expands naturally, of its own accord,
because storie s, boundaries, and limitations were artificial to
begin with.T9

T H E  D I R E C T  P A T H
he g uides of humanity who urge us to undergo radical
change use many tactics, including the religious promise of eternal
peace and unbounded happi ness, either here or in the afterlife.
The carrots lure us on, but there’s also the stick—the persistence of
present suffering and fear of more suffering to come. The stick
doesn’t work in getting people to change, because even the
ultimate threat, unending suffering in hellfire and brimstone, can’t
compete with the urges of d esire and the reckless behavior that
follows. The carrot isn’t muc h better. Why should we be lieve in
divine rewards? Anyone can  see that virtue very often is not
rewarded whil e sin is. Soldie rs are told that God is on th eir side,
which gives divine vindicatio n for going to war. But, at the same
time, urging soldiers to wi pe out the enemy contradicts the
teaching that God forbids killing.
When G od is used to justify k illing and condemn it at the same
time, w e are almost too dee p in the spell/dream/illusion to be
rescued. Every religion has tried to make the rewards of salvation,
redemption, enlightenment, waking up, or whatever you want to
call it more e xtravagant. Consider the Parable of the Burning
House, which appears in an a ncient Buddhist scripture, the Lotus
Sutra.A rich man’s house is on fire  and, to his dismay, his children
refuse to leave. They are so absorbed in playing with th eir toys
that the y ignore the flames a ll around them. Frantically, the rich
man gropes for a solution, and one occurs to him. He tells his
children that waiting outside  the house are even better toys. Their
fondest wish was for a pretty goat-drawn cart, and one  is right
outside the door. Enticed by their father’s promise, the children
run out of the burning house, and what they find isn’t an ordinary
goat-drawn cart, which would have made them happy, but a far
more splendid reward, a jewe l-encrusted cart pulled by two snow-
white bullocks.
This carrot, like the promise of a heavenly feast prepared by
God with Christ sitting at the head of the table, demonstrates how
far relig ions wi ll go to win adherents. But, for many, these  inflated
promises have  lost their power to inspire devotion. I don ’t think
modern secular people are less faithful—they’ve simply shifted
their faith from religion to science. The spell/dream/illusion keeps
changing. In prosperous societies, most people live in an u pgraded
illusion filled with the wonders of technology. Why should they
give tha t up? In sheer exasp eration, the great Persian poet Rumi
looks at humanity and pleads, “Why do you stay in prison when
the doo r is wide open!” The honest answer is that we like it  here. It
took enormous creativity t o devise the current state of our
collective dream. But the key isn’t wealth and comfort. At a very
deep level, humans agreed to a life of high drama. The drama is
driven by the warring opposites of pain and pleasure, desire and
repulsion, good and evil, light and darkness, us versus them, my
God against your God, and so on.
There’s no sign that the drama will ever end. The direst threats,
like global climate change, only exacerbate it. As for new carrots, I
doubt t hat waking up can compete with going to Heaven or
finding a jewel-encrusted ca rt. There has to be a way t o reach
metahuman th at isn’t either c arrot or stick. Such a way does exist;
it’s known as the “direct pat h.” It offers no punishment and no
reward. What else is there? W holeness. This answer doesn’t seem
very enticing at first. We’re too used to the system of rewards and
punishments meted out by the war of opposites. But wholeness is
healing—it overcomes the wounds of separation and the dividedself. Wholenes s is unshakable and eternal. It is the only th ing that
no one and nothing can take away from you, not even death.
I don’t want to make these things seem like another set of
rewards. The direct path isn’t a sneaky tactic for dressing up
Heaven in a new costume. Reality is whole already, needing no
human beings to validate it. Wholeness is totally real. The direct
path ex ists to show the way t o the same reality. If it succeeds, the
outcome will be unpredictable. Reality is confronted here and
now, in  the midst of constant change. The here and now can’t be
pictured or described. But  by ending the war of opposites,
wholeness erases a false reality—no reward we can possibly
imagine compares with this.
The dir ect path, also known as the direct method, aims to shift
a perso n’s sense of self. Inst ead of “I am X,” which forces us to
identify with bits and pieces  of experience, we become content
with “I am.” Th is is more than a semantic twist. “I am” means that
you identify with existence, and because existence contains the
infinite potential of consciousness, so do you. The shift to  “I am”
involves every aspect of life, and this poses a potential problem.
Which aspect should we confront first—the body, the mind, the
brain, psychology, relationships, beliefs, or habits a nd old
conditioning? It’s not clear that any of these should be given top
priority, or confronted at all.
The direct path doesn’t ask us to think about our prob lems
intellectually o r to analyze the prospects for inner change. In fact,
the direct path bypasses all o rdinary ways of seeing and thinking
about ourselve s. These are w hat got us into trouble to begin with.
Ordinary ways of seeing and t hinking are totally adapted to virtual
reality. A different way must be found.
In m y e xperience, direct  is a tricky wor d. It implies s omething
that happens immediately, but going to college for four years is the
direct way to get a bachelor’s degree, and four years isn’t
immediate. Direct  a lso implies something easy, efficient, without
obstacles. This  applies, for example, when a package is delivered
directly  to your house. You don’t h ave to go to the trouble and
expense of driving to the ma nufacturer to get whatever is inside
the pac kage. B ut a Sherpa leading a trek to the top of Mt. Everestis exact ly the opposite—the path might be direct, but it is arduous
and full of obstacles.
The origins of the direct path can be traced back to Vedic India
and ancient Greece, where the issue of waking up was fully
discussed. Many answers an d many ways to reach the goal were
devised. A detailed survey of  all these paths would lead to more
confusion than ever, becaus e disagreements among the  various
approaches abound. There ha ve been dreams of shortcuts, such as
accepting Christ as the Son of God, a single decision that rede


	the	straw	that
broke	the	camel’s	back	was	a	dental	procedure.	David	had	to	replace	his	aging
mercury	fillings	and	was	exposed	to	high	levels	of	mercury	during	this
procedure	because	of	the	dentist’s	poor	removal	technique.	This	large	exposure,
combined	with	years	of	chronic,	low-level	exposure	from	the	tuna	fish	and	the
dental	fillings,	was	too	much	for	David’s	body	to	handle.	He	fell	into	a	state	of
toxic	overload	and	his	cells	began	to	malfunction	seriously.
David’s	failing	health,	chronic	fatigue,	emotional	distress	and	suicidal
tendencies	were	all	symptoms	of	his	toxic	overload.	The	solution?	I	suggested
nutritional	supplements	that	would	support	David’s	natural	ability	to	detoxify,
and	I	also	searched	for	and	found	a	medical	doctor	who	was	an	expert	in
mercury	detoxification.	Subsequently,	David	was	cured	of	his	mercury
poisoning	(through	a	process	called	chelation,	which	uses	a	chemical	to	react
with	the	mercury	and	remove	it	from	the	body),	and	ultimately	he	was	able	to
return	to	his	life,	his	career	and,	most	importantly,	his	family.
Killing	Him	Slowly
David	is	an	excellent	example	of	toxic	overload	in	our	modern	society.	He
was	chronically	exposed	to	a	specific	toxin	(mercury),	which	was	slowly
bioaccumulating	in	his	cells.	Already	weakened	by	and	sensitive	to	this	toxin,	he
was	suddenly	exposed	to	a	large	amount,	which	pushed	him	over	the	brink.
Another	factor	to	be	considered	is	David’s	biochemical	individuality;	he	might
have	been	born	with	a	greater	sensitivity	to	mercury	than	the	average	person.
Virtually	all	Americans	are	now	in	a	state	of	toxic	overload.	No	wonder	our
population	is	becoming	sicker	and	sicker.
Small	toxic	exposures	each	day	(from
common	sources	such	as	breakfast	cereal,	toothpaste,	shampoo,	soap,	perfume,deodorant,	hair	dye,	newspapers,	magazines,	exhaust	fumes,	carpets,	new
mattresses,	dry	cleaning	or	a	newly	painted	bedroom)	will	increasingly	exceed
and	even	incapacitate	your	body’s	ability	to	detoxify,	causing	these	chemicals	to
accumulate	to	a	level	that	will	make	you	sick.
Man-made	toxins	are	so	prevalent	today	that	they	are	impossible	to	avoid,
regardless	of	where	you	live	or	what	you	do.	Over	the	last	one	hundred	years,	we
have	introduced	tens	of	thousands	of	man-made	toxins	to	our	environment,	thus
changing	it	dramatically.	Our	bodies	are	not	genetically	designed	to	deal	with
these	levels	and	types	of	poisons	that	are	accumulating	in	our	tissues	faster	than
we	can	rid	ourselves	of	them.
Environmental	toxins	are	not	our	only	problem.	We	also	generate	powerful
toxins	inside	our	bodies.	Unless	we	can	minimize	our	exposure	and	maximize
our	bodies’	detoxification	systems,	we	will	become	sick.	An	extreme	overload
may	even	kill	us:
•	Only	recently	have	researchers	and	health	practitioners	begun	to
understand	the	long-term	effects	of	the	thousands	of	chemicals	we	now
encounter	in	our	daily	lives.	At	the	time	of	my	birth,	the	majority	of	these
chemicals	did	not	exist.	Now	they	are	all-pervasive.
•	A	growing	body	of	scientific	evidence	links	toxins	to	a	wide	variety	of
symptoms	and	syndromes,	such	as	mental	and	behavioral	disorders,
learning	disabilities,	fatigue,	migraines,	allergies,	rashes	and
gastrointestinal	disorders.
•	Frightening	new	evidence	suggests	that	low-level	exposures	to	certain
environmental	chemicals	are	causing	hormone	disruptions,	resulting	in
serious	problems	that	range	from	birth	defects	to	cancer.
•	Many	of	the	diseases	that	baffle	our	physicians	(often	called	“diseases	of
aging”	or	“diseases	of	civilization”)	are	the	results	of	the	toxic	overload
caused	by	modern	industrialized	society.	These	diseases	are	difficult	to
diagnose	and	impossible	to	cure	using	conventional	medical	approaches
that	just	treat	symptoms,	rather	than	minimizing	toxic	exposure	and
optimizing	detoxification.
•	Chemicals	posing	little	cancer	risk	can	trigger	cancer	when	combined
together.
•	Some	chemicals	and	metals	are	toxic	in	any	amount;	others	are	beneficial
or	even	essential	in	small	amounts—	such	as	vitamin	A—but	toxic	in	large
amounts.
In	the	nineteenth	century,	less	than	1	percent	of	all	deaths	in	the	United	States
were	caused	by	cancer,	and	even	at	the	turn	of	the	twentieth	century,	only	3percent	of	the	population	was	affected.
Today,	more	than	four	in	ten	people	will
develop	cancer	in	their	lifetime,	and	one	in	four	will	die	from	cancer.
The	good	news?	Many	of	the	strongest	cancer-causing	chemicals	have	been
identified,	and	we	can	avoid	them.	The	National	Academy	of	Sciences	sums	up
the	challenge:	“It	is	abundantly	clear	that	the	incidence	of	all	the	common
cancers	in	humans	is	being	determined	by	.	.	.	potentially	controllable	external
factors.”
The	Poisons	Within
Toxins	from	the	outside	world—in	our	food,	water,	air,	homes	and	workplaces
—are	known	as
environmental	toxins.
	Our	bodies	also	manufacture	a	sea	of
internal	toxins	as	a	result	of	normal	metabolism,	which	our	bodies	must
eliminate	in	order	to	stay	healthy.	Few	people	realize	that	their	own	bodies	can
be	a	source	of	dangerous	toxins—mostly	in	the	digestive	system,	but	also	from
allergic	reactions,	stress	and	other	sources.	Internal	toxins	are	being	generated	at
unprecedented	rates	as	a	result	of	modern	diets,	lifestyles	and	medical
treatments.	Just	like	an	automobile	produces	exhaust,	your	body	produces	these
toxins	naturally	and	is	designed	to	handle	them;	however,	if	abnormal	amounts
of	toxins	are	produced	or	your	ability	to	deal	with	them	is	impaired,	you	become
sick.
Understanding	the	body’s	natural	abilities	to	cleanse	itself	and	how	these
abilities	can	be	supported	by	diet,	exercise	and	other	means	is	important.	By
learning	how	to	support	your	detoxification	systems,	you	can	reverse	the	effects
of	toxic	overload;	as	toxic	load	decreases,	cell	function	improves	and	disease
often	disappears.
Not	all	toxins,	however,	affect	all	people	in	the	same	manner.	Just	as	each	of
us	has	unique	needs	for	nutrients,	each	of	us	also	has	unique	tolerances	and
susceptibilities	to	toxins.	Toxin	levels	that	can	put	one	person	into	overload
might	not	be	particularly	serious	or	even	noticeable	for	someone	else.	Genetic
predisposition,	nutritional	status,	stress	levels	and	lifestyle	all	influence	toxin
levels.	Because	currently	we	have	no	way	to	predict	the	effects	that	specific
toxins	(or	combinations)	have	on	any	individual,	the	solution	is	to	minimize
exposure


 the principal of that school, I asked him what the probabilities were that many of
these boys would finally become involved in crime. His comment was, in effect, that they were
virtually in the vestibule of a penal institute, when judged by the experience of previous boys from
that school.
    In approaching a study of this group, it is helpful to observe the experience of the well-equipped
institutions organized for the correction of the abnormal trend which characterizes these boys. In
this connection, there is a helpful report by the United States Dept. of Labor, Publication No. 203,
which gives the result of tracing the after careers of 621 boys who were in five of the best-known
correctional institutions. It was found that 66 per cent had been arrested and 58 per cent convicted7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 213/250one or more times after having been paroled from the institution. It is apparent from data of this
type that probably the forces that produce these abnormal expressions cause irreparable damage
in the brain tissue. Practically all recent crime reports are recording an increase in juvenile crime.
The Children's Bureau of the Dept. of Labor stated (Nov. 4, 1938): "that juvenile delinquency
spurted during 1937 for the first time since 1930," but it cannot explain why until further study.
    Reports to the bureau from 28 courts in 17 states and the District of Columbia showed that they
handled 31,038 cases during 1937, an increase of 3,000 over 1936. The report showed that 44
per cent of the cases involved children between 14 and 15 years old; 22 per cent those between
12 and 13 years, and 10 per cent those between 10 and 11. Boys' cases comprised 8 5 per cent
of the total.
    As an approach to this problem I have made an examination of 189 boys in the Cleveland
school for pre-delinquents. I gave particular attention to those physical signs of nutritional injury,
which seemed to be definitely assigned to the formative period of the child. We endeavored to
obtain detailed information relative to the family history and to the birth of the child. We were
fortunate in having the assistance of the officers, and of a nurse in the dental service of the Health
Department of the Board of Education, a nurse who made visits to the homes of many of these
boys to obtain the information directly from the mothers.
    In this group of boys, there were twenty-nine for whom I had not sufficient details to include
their cases in the studies. Of the 189 in the group, there were only three with sufficiently normal
dental arches to be classified as normal. Accordingly, 98.4 per cent proved to be individuals with
more or less marked abnormality. Many of the faces were very badly deformed.
    While often it will be difficult to place the responsibility entirely on either parent for the child's
abnormal physical development, it is of interest to study the birth rank of these children. The
average number of children in the families represented by these 160 children is 4.75. Of these,
thirty-five, or 21.9 per cent, are first children in the families represented; thirteen, or 9.1 per cent,
are only children; thirty-nine, or 24.4 per cent, are last children; and thirty-six or 22.5 per cent, are
fifth children or later. Sixty-two, or 38.7 per cent, are either the first or last child. It will be seen
from these data that the first or last child, or even a late child in a large family, tended to have a
distinctly poorer chance than the intermediate children in the families in which these studies were
made. Statistical data relating the age of the mother and father to prenatal deficiency of their
offspring reveal that abnormally young parents have a much higher percentage of defective children
than do those in the most favorable child-bearing period of life. The group at the Cleveland school
included only those boys who have been before the courts because of more or less serious phases
of delinquency. If they are in a considerable part the products of a defective society, it seems quite
unfair that they should be held entirely responsible for that delinquency, which has put them in this
institution. If they are destined for a penal institute in which they will be held entirely responsible for
that abnormality which resulted in their misdemeanor, as has been the procedure in the past, are
they receiving just consideration? Society may be justified in protecting itself from their misdeeds
by placing restrictions about them, but it does not seem that society is justified in shifting the entire
responsibility to the affected individuals.
    Recent studies of the mental capacity of felons brought before the Common Pleas Court in
Cleveland have shown that of 3,197 convicted felons examined in the medical clinic only 42.3 per
cent were classified as normal. Fifty-five and nine-tenths per cent were classed as defective
delinquents and only 1.8 per cent as insane. The outgrowth of this study has resulted in the drafting
by the Cleveland Bar Association of a new criminal law for Ohio to be presented to the coming
State Legislature. This bill provides for the creation of a new criminal class composed of what are
called defective delinquents. This includes morons and others of abnormal mentality but not insane
who commit felonies or misdemeanors. The purpose of this legislation is to afford special treatment
for law violators falling within the new classification, making it possible to segregate delinquents in
separate institutions. The Ohio law like that of most other states now recognizes only two types of
criminals, sane and insane, and if not insane they must be punished.7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 214/250    It is proper that we should ask who is to blame for the abnormalities which render these young
men incapable of making the necessary adaptation to our environment.
    An important characteristic of the boys in the Cleveland school was their low intelligence.
Practically all were recorded as retarded or mentally backward prior to their transfer to this
institution.
    It is important that we note the characteristics of groups that are similarly retarded, but who
have not demonstrated sufficiently unsocial characters to have to be placed in the pre-delinquent
groups. We shall recognize them as individuals who may never commit unsocial acts sufficient to
get them into trouble, though they will doubtless continue in the group of mentally backward
persons. Such a group is to be found in the Outwaithe School in Cleveland. The children in this
school, which enrolls about one thousand students, were examined in order to ascertain whether
there might be groups that are similarly afflicted physically. The school is distinctive because it has
a very high percentage of children who are backward mentally. Many of these children have been
concentrated there in order to bring them under the influence of special teachers. In an examination
of a cross section of the children, almost all were found to have had distinct injury in the formative
period, as evidenced by the changes in facial form. A preliminary survey of the backward children
of this institution was made by having typical classes selected by an official of the school from ages
ranging from eleven to seventeen. I examined the arches and made measurements of the head and
face. With the assistance of the school nurse I obtained records of the other children in the families
selected. This latter survey was supplemented by field work by the nurse. The intelligence
quotients, as reported in the records, were also provided. In the twenty-nine individuals so studied,
seven, or twenty-five per cent were first children; fourteen, or fifty per cent last children in the
families. Only one individual was found with approximately normal dental arches, that is,
approximately three per cent of the individuals. Twenty-eight children, or 97 per cent, had
abnormality of one or both dental arches. These children were placed in this institution because
they were backward mentally, although as a group they are comparable to the group studied in the
Thomas A. Edison School, where the grouping was based on delinquent traits. A cursory
examination was made by observing other pupils in this school in their classes and on the grounds.
A large percentage of severe facial and dental arch deformities and a very high percentage with
definite disturbances in facial growth were evident. These data are presented as applying to a
group of individuals characterized by a disturbed mentality, to the extent that they were assigned to
special classes for the mentally retarded. While the group constituting the school population at
Outwaithe represented the relatively large group of pupils assigned to special classes for backward
children and did not carry the stigmata of delinquency carried by those of the Thomas A. Edison
School, both groups had many physical defects in common.
    We are, accordingly, concerned with the relationship existing among various stages of mental
backwardness, pre-delinquency and criminality. To throw light on this subject, I visited our State
Penitentiary to observe the characteristics of facial and dental arch development of the individuals
whose unsocial traits had brought them to this institution. I visited the dental clinic with the director,
Dr. May, and saw the mouths of typical members of that colony as they were presented for oral
examination. I asked the director what, if any, special features of the oral cavity he had observed
to be characteristic of this group and


 texts have specified which ragas are
appropriate for morning, noon, evening, and other times of day. When Vata
is arouse d to a peak by the busyness of work at four o’clock in the afternoon,
for exam ple, music can begin the transition toward the more relaxed
functioning of early evening. When properly played, certain melodies are
said to have universal effects. Our bodies are responding with changes that
mirror the varying rhythms of nature.
It is not just your pulse that calms down in the evening, after all; every
plant and animal reacts according to its own evening cycles, too. Vedic
music therapy embodies the fundamental vibrations that pulsate through
nature at every moment.
USING MUSIC THERAPY
Music therapy forms a standard part of the programs at our Center. For
home use, a set of tapes or comp act discs can be ordered on the Internet (see
p. 378) and played in segments throughout the day. If you are having
difficulty gettin g energized in the morning, invigorating music can beplayed. If you are having trouble turning down your mental activity at night,
soothing sounds can be helpful. We have found both classical
Indian music and contemporary  adaptations to be very helpful  in restoring
mind body balance.
Just as the turning point from season to season makes your doshas
especially vulnerable to imbalance (causing spring colds and late-summer
allergies), your body is also sensitive to different times of the day. Bodily
functions all have peaks at certain hours and troughs at others. Music
therapy balances these into one continuous stream of rising and falling
activity, elimina ting extreme swings and rough transitions. If you try to go to
sleep but can’t because your mind is still racing with unfinished business
from the day, you are witnessin g the absence of a smooth transition. This is
what music therapy can correct.You can benefit from ten minutes of music therapy:
As a gentle wakeup in the morning
After a meal to settle digestion
Just before bedtime as an aid to sleep
During the recovery period when you are sick
The best way to listen is by sitting still with your eyes closed. Let your
attention stay easily on the melody. If your mind wanders, bring it gently
back to the musi c. When you are ready to get up, turn off the tape and sit for
a minute or two in silence.
If you are tryin g to lose weig ht, listening to five minutes of Kapha
balancing music several times daily will help increase your metabolism. If
you are having trouble with irritability or heartburn, try listening to Pitta
calming music. Whenever you are feeling anxious or worried, allowing your
attention to stay easily and comfortably with Vata balancing music helps
settle this turbulent dosha.
Find music that resonates with your nature. It can be classical Western
music, traditio nal Indian ragas, Australian aboriginal rhythms, or
contemporary instrumentals. Find the vibrations that are most nourishing to
you and tune in to the effects the sounds have on your physiology. If you feel
pleasantly refreshed, light, and alert, the music is working.
OceanofPDF.comCHAPTER 8
FREEDOM FROM ADDICTIONS
Looked at starkly, our society is becoming more addicted every  year. High-
tech medicine, public campaigns  to “Just Say No,” and a multib illion-dollar
rehabilitation industry have not solved this crushing social problem. For
every encouraging trend, there seems to be a discouraging backlash. The
overall rate of cigarette smoking has declined by about 15 percent from its
height in 1960, but over 50 million Americans continue to smoke, and
selected groups, especially teenage girls and working-class males, are
smoking in record numbers. (As a result, female cases of lung cancer
continue to rise.) It is estimated that 70 percent of cigarette smokers who
begin as teenagers will continue smoking for forty years.
Alcohol consum ption has switched from hard liquor to beer and wine,
but alcoholism itself has filtere d down to shockingly young ages; many
junior high schools have been forced to run anti-alcohol campaigns.
Alcohol and drug treatment programs exert mighty efforts to keep their
participants free from addiction, but their success is limited. Hard drugs
have proliferated alarmingly, and the connection between drugs  and violent
crime is at an all-time high. Again, young people are becoming involved—
the sale of “crac k” (smokable, synthetic cocaine) by school-age children is
the latest, deeply troubling trend.
ROOTED IN MEMOR Y
The essence of quantum healing is that the memory of perfection cannot
be lost, only covered over. Looking at someone who is addicted to alcohol,
cigarettes, or drugs, it is appare nt that a serious loss of balance is present,
and that clear, healthy messages from the quantum mechanical body are
either extremely distorted or nonexistent. What can Ayurveda do to improvethis situation? First, we explain addictions in a new way, as a distortion of
intelligence existing at a very deep level in the addict.
Instead of arguing over whether  addiction is physical or mental,  acquired
or inher ited, we point out that at the quantum level, all of these influences
merge. What Ayurveda calls smriti, or memory, controls all the choices we
make as biological organisms. In order for a cell to change, it must consult
the blueprint inside itself where all its memories, functions, and tendencies
are stored. If this blueprint is distorted, then a distorted cell will result.
One of my most vivid memorie s is of Walter, a young black man who
was raised in the slums of South Boston, mostly in the streets. He dropped
out of school at 16 and joined the army the day he turned 18. Shipped to
Vietnam, he saw active combat and emer ged without being wounded, but
when he returne d home two years later, he was addicted to heroin, which
many soldiers had used to make the war less traumatic. Unlike most
soldiers, howeve r, Walter did not have a good reason to kick his habit when
he got home. Eventually the police caught up with him, and under court
orders he became a patient at the local Veterans Administration hospital.
At the outset, the doctors’  main concern with Walter was simply to
detoxify him. Normally, he would have received little extra attention
afterward. But while he was recovering, I began to visit him as a staff
doctor at the facility. It was clear to me that Walter was an unusual case.
Despite his desperate situatio n, Walter had retained hope and was
courageously willing to fight his habit. He progressed rapidly under
treatment, and a year after his detoxification he was holding down a steady
job and talking eagerly about his future dreams and plans.
This future never materialized. One day Walter’s car broke down, forcing
him to take the subway to work, which he hadn’ t done in several months.
He boarded a train to Dorch ester, an antiquated line with decrepit,
screeching equip ment. Walter was bothered by the loud noise and couldn’ t
manage to ignore it. It was a sweltering July day, and the fan was broken.
Within a few minutes of being shut up in the stifling car, he found the train
unbearable. In a matter of minutes he was extremely agitated,  and by thetime he got off, he was complet ely irrational. Nothing Walter did made his
agitation subside. The next day, when he was brought back to the hospital,
he was hooked on heroin worse  than before. This time, he had no will to
recover.
My notes read: “What happened to this man? A chemical explanation for
the train incident is not sufficient. I keep thinking of him wearing his
pinstriped business suit, confidently outfitted for a new life, but then having
to step onto the train that he rode when he was troubled and addicted. In
some treacherous twist of memory, the past came back, and with it came his
craving. Where did the craving hide out for a year before it returned? The
cells in everyone’ s body come and go, but their disappearance is not enough
to break  the spell that has the addict in its grip. In some way that medicine
is just beginning to unravel, a cell’s memory is able to outlive the cell
itself.”
If this is true, then one has to change the blueprint in memory to rid
oneself of the addiction. It is not enough just to remove the physical toxins
from the cells, to counsel the addicted person, or to try to teach him
different behavi or patterns. These steps are worth pursuing for their own
sake, but the addiction is ultimately rooted in memory, and there  is where it
must be uprooted.
A HANDS-OFF  CURE
As it stands now, typical programs for treating addicted people employ
highly confrontational tactics, emphasizing the need for constant vigilance
to guard  against the possible return of the all-powerful habit. “The monkey
is on your back,” the addict is told, “and he’ll be there for the rest of your
life.” The rationale for this insistence is that compulsive addicts will never
be cured until they are turned into compulsive abstainers.
In Ayurveda our emphasis is exactly the opposite. The cornerstone of our
addiction program is that the addict will give up his habit automatically
when offered a greater


urvedic	perspective,	iced	and	very	cold	beverages,	as	well	as	cold
foods,	can	put	out	your
agni
,	or	digestive	fire.	This	can	reduce	your	immunity,
lower	your	resistance	to	disease,	and	allow	for	the	buildup	of
ama
,	or	toxins,	inthe	body.	These	all	diminish	your	beauty	potential.
Your	internal	body	temperature	is	98.6	degrees	Fahrenheit,	or	37	degrees
Celsius.	Cold	water	is	close	to	freezing	temperature,	so	it	is	about	33	to	35
degrees	Fahrenheit	or	just	above	0	degrees	Celsius.	A	cold	beverage	shocks	your
system.	Your	body	is	then	forced	to	work	harder,	wasting	precious	energy	in
order	to	make	cold	drinks	warm	enough	for	the	body	to	actually	use.	This	takes
away	from	energy	that	could	otherwise	be	directed	to	repairing	your	skin’s
collagen,	boosting	your	energy	and	immunity,	and	taking	on	a	multitude	of
other	beauty	functions.
From	a	Western	perspective,	a	popular	idea	that’s	promoted	in	certain	diets	is
that	drinking	ice	water	helps	you	burn	calories.	But	as	information	from	the
University	of	Washington	points	out,	this	is	essentially	a	myth.	When	you
drink	a	cup	of	ice	water,	you	burn	about	a	measly	8	more	calories	than	downing
a	cup	of	room	temperature	water,	as	your	body	raises	the	temperature	of	the	ice
water	to	normal	body	temperature.
4
	This	tiny	caloric	pittance	is	hardly
significant	for	any	aid	in	weight	loss.	Plus,	what	truly	matters	is	optimizing
your	health	and	beauty	for	the	long-term.
RADICAL	BEAUTY	ACTION	STEPS
•
Stop	adding	ice	to	your	water	and	other	beverages	and	get	in	the	habit	of
asking	the	waitstaff	at	restaurants	not	to	add	any	ice	to	your	water.
•
Over	time,	transition	to	drinking	water	and	other	liquids	at	room
temperature	or	sipping	on	warm	herbal	teas	during	the	day	to	stay
hydrated.
•
If	you	do	drink	bottled	water	when	out	and	about	or	traveling	(versus	at
home,	where	it	is	better	to	invest	in	a	good	water	filter),	start	keeping
the
bottles	out	on	the	counter	or	in	a	cupboard	instead	of	in	a	very	cold	fridge.
•
Let	your
Glowing	Green	Smoothie	or	cold-pressed	juices	warm	up	slightly	to
room	temperature	before	drinking	them.	When	you’re	getting	used	to
drinking	green	drinks	in	the	first	place,	colder	temperatures	can	help	them
taste	more	palatable,	but	over	time	you	will	adjust	to	them	being	a	bit	closer
to	room	temperature.	These	drinks	certainly	don’t	have	to	feel	warm,	which
would	be	unappetizing,	but	if	they	are	cool	rather	than	icy	cold,	they	will
still	be	delicious.
•
It’s	important	to	support	your	digestion	with	something	warm	in	the
morning,	which	is	why	the	Beauty	Detox	program	has	always	recommended
drinking	hot	water	with	lemon	upon	rising.	While	you	are	sipping	on	this,
you	can	get	into	the	habit	of	making	or	taking	your	green	drinks	out	of	thefridge	so	they	have	time	to	warm	up	slightly.
Cooked	Versus	Cold	Raw	Foods
What	about	food?	There	are	vastly	conflicting	ideas	on	this	topic.	TCM	and
Ayurveda	heavily	disfavor	consuming	too	many	cold	or	raw	foods,	believing
that	the	overconsumption	of	them	can	predispose	you	to	disease	and	excessive
internal	“dampness,”	and	that	cooked	foods	actually	digest	more	easily.	On	the
opposite	end	of	the	spectrum	is	the	raw	food	theory,	which	maintains	that	food
should	be	eaten	unheated	to	conserve	vitamins	and	also	food’s	natural	enzymes,
which	can	be	destroyed	during	the	cooking	process.
A	combination	of	both	raw	and	cooked	foods	is	best	to	preserve	your
beautiful	balance.	Consume	warm	liquids	throughout	the	day:	hot	water	with
lemon	in	the	mornings	and	herbal	teas	during	the	day	or	evening.	Get	your	raw
enzymes	and	vitamins	from	fresh	fruits	and	veggies	in	green	smoothies,	salads,
and	plain	whole	fruit.	Mix	in	hot	soups;	baked,	steamed,	or	roasted	vegetables;
veggie	stir-fries;	and	other	hot	entrées.	It’s	also	a	good	idea	to	take	digestive
enzymes	before	eating	heavier	or	cooked	foods	to	aid	in	digestion.
It’s	also	important	to	adjust	your	diet	naturally	for	each	season	(see
Pillar	4
for	more	detail	on	seasonal	tips).	Just	as	your	clothes	change	for	the	seasons,	so
should	your	foods.	For	instance,	you’ll	probably	naturally	favor	lighter,	raw
foods	in	the	spring	after	a	long	winter	of	eating	heavier	foods.	When	it’s
freezing	out,	hot	meals	are	going	to	help	keep	that	internal	digestive
agni
	fire
burning,	and	you’ll	intuitively	feel	better	eating	heartier	fare.	In	the	midst	of	a
hot	summer,	you	will	be	more	apt	to	naturally	reach	for	cooling,	juicy	fruits
and	coconut	water.	Cooler	drinks	are	okay	in	the	summer,	but	we	still	want	to
avoid	very	icy	ones	year-round	for	the	reasons	listed	above.
Keep	listening	to	yourself,	and	you	will	stay	beautifully	balanced.	You	are	a
dynamic	being	who	is	experiencing	constant	shifts	and	movement	down	to	the
cellular	level.	Your	emotions	and	everything	that	is	going	on	in	your	life,	as	well
as	environmental	factors	and	geographic	placement,	are	all	important
influences	on	your	dietary	shifts.	It	becomes	imperative	to	listen	to	your	natural
instinct	and	to	be	aware	of	changes	and	influences	in	your	body’s	energies	and
develop	a	greater	and	greater	sensitivity	to	taking	better	care	of	yourself	as	you
become	more	receptive	to	your	own	body’s	needs.
Top	Foods	for	Radical	Beauty
While	all	whole	foods	build	beauty,	there	are	some	specific	foods	thatparticularly	help	your	beauty	shine	through.	This	is	not	meant	to	be	an
exhaustive	list—just	some	stellar	foods	to	work	into	your	rotation.
BITTER	FOODS
According	to
Ayurvedic	principles,	bitter	foods,	which	are	lacking	in	most
American	diets,	help	tone	skin	and	purify	the	body.	Foods	that	taste	bitter
typically	contain	potent	antioxidants	and	other	phytochemicals	like	flavonoids
and	polyphenols,	which	are	responsible	not	only	for	their	bitter	taste	but	also
their	phenomenal	health	and	beauty	benefits.	Bitter	foods	also	help	to	stimulate
and	improve	digestion	and	support
liver	function.	Beneficial	bitter	foods
include	dandelion	greens,	parsley,	cranberry,	collard	greens,	and	bitter	melon.
Incorporating	bitter	foods	for	beauty:
Add	bitter	melon	to	your	next	curry	or	stir-fry.	(Look	for	it	at	the	Asian
grocery	or	section	of	your	local	market.)
Use	collard	greens	as	a	natural	wrap	for	veggie	burgers	or	hummus	or	veggie
wraps.
Add	parsley	to


, what does disease mean, if it is not that then the living organism is engaged in a life or death struggle, whi ch has
for its sole object the dislodgement, the expulsion, the annihilation of these white blo od cells?

    And all that is here said is in perfect consonance with the thesis of the text. For, reverting to infection, to the theory of  the germ -
causation of disease, it is seen that, while the process of purification that is implied by disease is es sentially necessary, it is
dangerous as well. While it is true that the system must be relieved of its burden of obstructing and noxious material, it is  also true
that the introduction of infective bacilli into a body which is carrying a large amount of wa ste will have substantially the same
effect that a spark would have upon a heap of dry shavings in a closet --the destruction of the shavings and very probably of the
house. That is to say, the fire started in the body by infective organisms, benevolent in its purpose though it be, may prove
destructive to tissue and to life itself. And this, not because the organisms are themselves necessarily harmful to vitality,  but
because the accumulation of decomposition to be removed is so great, and the tissues in wh ich it is located are so devitalized
because of interference with their nutrition, that these structures cannot offer sufficient resistance to the destroying mob,  and they
therefore become involved in the disintegrating process. In other words, the body be comes the victim of the agencies actually
intended for its preservation.

    Before science became obsessed with the germ theory, nature conducted her own inoculating clinic, and the fight for life was
then a more or less evenly balanced struggle. Since the introduction of artificial inoculation, vaccines and serums now aid in
adding fuel to the flame, and in further overcoming natural resistance to disease.

    We have referred many times herein to the appearance during a fast of mucus in the discharge s from the body. This
phenomenon is in some cases continuous throughout abstinence, although individual characteristics and conditions modify the
exudation in higher or lower degree. While all of the mucosa is invariably involved in this catarrhal demonstr ation, the walls of the
intestinal canal receive the maximum deposit, not only because of the extent of mucus membrane included in their length, but
because the intestines, the colon in particular, form the main eliminative outlet of the organism.

    Morgulis in his Fasting and Undernutrition comments on page 212 upon the very evident rapid diminution in the number of
white corpuscles of the blood during the successive stages of a fast. On page 214 he says: --"The thing of particular significance
with reg ard to the leueopenia (diminution of white corpuscles) of inanition is that while the blood is losing its white cells, the
mucus membranes of the intestinal canal and the underlying tissues become infested with leucocytes. They occur either singly or
in ma sses. According to Mingazzini, in the absence of food, leukocytes not merely accumulate in the intestinal wall but actually
penetrate the mucous membrane and aggregate in the lumen where they ultimately disintegrate." And he concludes that the
phenomenon o f this "emigration" of leucoeytes is to be viewed in the light of an increased permeability of the cell membrane to
bacteria under the influence of inanition.

    It is to be noted that all of the observations made by Morgulis and by those investigators whom he quotes as authorities upon
inanition subjected to their experiments only animals in the normal state of function --animals and human beings in health. It is
manifest that, while these observations possess interest and value in respect of the physiol ogical and chemical changes that occur
in inanition forced upon an organism that is presumably fully carrying out the transformations characteristic of normal life,  their
worth is doubtful when one attempts to apply the conclusions reached to the results o btained when the fast is employed as a
therapeutic measure, when abstinence from food is undertaken in the presence of disease.

    However, upon one point agreement may be conceded: the elimination of mucus, of pathogen, of so -called white corpuscles of
the blood, is a characteristic result of abstinence from food either in health or in disease. We have stated that in disease the effort of
nature is to relieve the living organism of all non -usable organic matter that finds its way into the blood, and we have here a most
vivid illustration of the method which she pursues --a method in action in health to preserve the resistive qualit ies of the organism;
in action in disease to restore the organism to the resistive condition it possesses in health.
Page 51 of  72     And the result: at the completion of a scientifically conducted fast, mucus ceases to be deposited upon the walls of the inte stines
and other membranous surfaces, while white corpuscles have virtually disappeared from the blood stream.

    Morgulis still further assists our argument by stating on page 193: "A subject still very imperfectly known, but one which me rits
a most careful inv estigation, is the increase in resistance to infection revealed by organisms which are recovering from inanition.
Roger and Josué report such an increased tolerance towards bacilli cold in rabbits which had undergone a preliminary fast of five
to seven day s. The inoculation with the bacterial culture took place three to eleven days after the fast was broken. In each case the
control rabbits succumbed to the infection, while all the rabbits which had previously fasted survived the inoculation. These
experime nts, however, need verification." This verification we shall proceed to give.

    While the author was in practice in New Zealand, the world -wide epidemic of influenza of 1918 occurred. Despite its reputation
for model legislation, New Zealand is not to be lauded as a mass observer of the laws of hygiene, either from the general sanitary
viewpoint or from a dietetic standard. In fact, in these two respects the Dominion is remarkably lax. In consequence the infl uenza
took mortal toll of the inhabitants of the islands, perhaps in greater proportion than occurred in any other part of the then infected
world.

    In corroboration of the truth contained in the substance of the paragraph just quoted from Fasting and Undernutrition, not on e of
the patients who underwent or was undergoing a fast under direction of the author, irrespective of a condition of either partial or
complete recovery from disease of whatever symptomatic form, was attacked by influenza. And none among the members of the
families of her cli entele, past and present at the time, all of whom in their fear of infection were impelled to apply at least the less
drastic elements of treatment as embodied in a light dietary, daily enemata, and cleansing baths, and all of whom were daily in
contact wi th infected subjects, fell victim to the epidemic catarrh.

CHAPTER XVII
DIET

PERVERSION OF TASTE AND SMELL:
THOROUGH MASTICATION:
SHOULD FLESH BE EATEN?

    DIET at any time is largely a matter of special need, but it would seem that, after a cour se of fasting, the successful issue of
which in functional derangement embraces restoration to physiological normal, certain fixed rules might be laid down to apply  to
all cases. But not so. Peculiar limitations are encountered in each individual, for whic h individual dietetic errors coupled with
physiological idiosyncrasies transmitted from generations of ancestors are responsible. Hence empirical methods must be
employed in the selection of foods requisite for the case in hand.

    The sense of smell, r eaching out beyond the body ere food material passes the lips, assists in its selection, and this sense and
taste, when normal in function and not vitiated by cultivation and habit, form a perfect picket line of protection against th e
introduction of unwho lesome substances into the system. Normally constituted bodies prefer those odors that are classed as
pleasant, yet continued contact with emanations that are distinctly disagreeable, first brings tolerance and finally pleasure  in their
presence. Perhaps t his departure from natural law and normal instinct can be illustrated in convincing form by contemplating the
sensual delight of the epicure in cheeses of doubtful age but of indubitable rottenness.

    Taste also plays an important part in the choice of  food material in health, and it is popularly believed that, when an article of
sustenance is not repugnant to this sense, it is healthful and wholesome, and that harm cannot result from its ingestion. One  of the
objects that nature has in placing the nerv es of taste in the mouth is that of a protective measure to prevent noxious substances
from entering the stomach; but because of persistent cultivation this sense has been perverted and most men and women are mor e
or less abnormal in taste perception. To p erversion in this respect is due much of carelessness in mastication. Improperly
accomplished mastication prepares a fertile soil in which the seeds of disease are promptly sown and as promptly flourish. Wi th
normal taste development the medical profession  would be at a loss to administer the average drug were the patient to masticate or
insalivate its substance. Recognizing this, the physician in introducing his alleged remedy into the system obviates the diff iculty by
the use of capsules


 of
control, but I was surrendering to it. My morning and
evening meditations were my refuge. Throughout the day
I took every opportunity to quiet myself and center
within. Every time I got into or out of my car, I would
slow down my breath and visualize Earth spinning
through outer space. Before opening a door, any door, I
would r emember that I was walking through a door on
this tiny planet in the vast emptiness of space.
Fortunately, the energy flowing up to the point between
my eyebrows helped me keep the focus of my attention
there. I  slowly began to reali ze that this life of constantservice was the “other way” referred to in the dream I
had. On my ne w path to awakening, life was no longer an
obstacle to my growth. Life was now the battlefield on
which I was to remain conscious enough to willingly
permit my old self to be stripped away. But let it be clear,
I s till had plenty of resistance left in me that had to be
overcome.
I ke pt getting pushed in th e direction of hosting a
retreat for Mataji. I had neve r heard of her, and I really
didn’t w ant to do it. But I su rrendered, and once again
life had something unexpect ed in store for me. A few
days prior to th e retreat, Mataji and I were taking a walk
on my land wh en she suddenly stopped and looked into
the woods. She stood there motionless for a few
moments and then said in a quiet voice, “Mickey, this is a
very ho ly piece of land. Som eday there will be a great
temple here, and many people will come.” I clearly
remember the  voice in my head saying, Over my dead
body!  Yet, within six  months, a temple would be sitting
in that exact spot in the woods.
It w as as thou gh Mataji had been sent here to begin
the process of turning my place of solitude into a
spiritual center. More than once at the retreat she
mentioned tha t there was going to be a great temple on
Mickey’s land.  I cringed ev ery time she said it. The
following Sunday after serv ices, someone announced
that if we wanted to build a temple, we needed to start
raising some money. A few people made small donations,
and others offered me their labor and some materials. I
really d idn’t want another building on my land, but it
seemed everyone else did. Fortunately, by now I had
become pretty  experienced at ignoring what “I” wanted
and, instead, following the flow of life.
That same Sunday, I walked down to my house, took
out a piece o f paper, and began designing the new
temple. In just a few hours, I had a floor plan and a
rough e levation of the building. I wanted to make theroof of the tem ple the main design feature, so I met with
my frien d Bob Gould, and we  decided to give the temple
a bu tterfly roof. A butterfly r oof challenges conventional
roof design because it’s low i n the middle and slopes up
on both sides. From the inside, the temple’s exposed-
beam ceiling would be a unique and dynamic structure
that looked like giant wings opening up toward the sky.
I designed the temple to allow about three times the
sitting a rea afforded by my h ouse. The very next day, I
found the best spot on the lan d to locate the building and
began clearing the site. It wa s, of course, exactly where
Mataji had been staring when she pronounced that a
“great temple will be built.” I had estimated that
materials for the temple would cost about eight thousand
dollars. Labor was not a pro blem; we would just do all
the work ourselves. But the p eople who came out to my
place on Sundays didn’t exac tly have deep pockets. I had
no idea where the money would come from.
The money just kept showing up the moment we
needed it. Sometimes I didn’t even know where it came
from. The closest we came to  being stopped was on a day
when only one or two board s were left in the materials
pile. M y cowo rkers were ribbing me that it had finally
happened—we were out of materials, and I would have to
send th em hom e. I told them  that as long as there was a
single b oard left, we were no t done. We broke for lunch,
and I went out to check the mail. Sitting in my mailbox
was an envelope with two thousand dollars in cash.
There w as no name, and to t his day I have no idea who
put that money there. Things like that just kept
happening, again and again. The amazing part was not
just that the money kept showing up exactly when we
needed it—it kept showing up in exactly the amounts we
needed to go to the next step.
That is how the temple got built. It took about three
months, then suddenly one day it was done. In
September 1975, we held our first Sunday service in thenew temple. People brought gifts of spiritual items that
had meaning to them. A pro fessor of religion brought a
beautiful wood statuette of the Buddha. Another person
brought a picture of Jesus for  the altar, and I went down
to m y house and got my favorite picture of Yogananda,
which h ad bee n sitting in m y meditation space since I
moved in.
Little by little, the items in the temple began to
represent all religions, all sa ints, and all masters. As its
roof raf ters str etched up toward the sky, the temple also
belonged to those whose religion was the reality of the
Infinite. This temple sat on t he planet Earth, a tiny ball
spinning through the vast darkness of empty space. It
spun around one star, of which there were billions in our
galaxy alone. This temple was universal in its embrace of
all the religion s, and it was universal in its embrace of
the universe itself. Thus it ca me to be called—Temple of
the Universe.The T emple of the Universe, with its dynamic butterfly roof, under
construction, 1975.2 5.
O p e n i n g  t h e  H e a r t  C h a k r a
T here was no putting the genie back in the bottle.
Between the retreats, my books, my classes, and the
Temple, we were on the map for people into yoga and the
New A ge mo vement. Run ning retreats for visiting
spiritual teachers must have been what we were
supposed to be doing because I kept getting requests,
one after the other. Before the Temple was even
complete, I had accepted responsibility for sponsoring
another retrea t for a spiritual teacher I had never heard
of. As fate wou ld have it, this teacher would end up being
an important part of my life for years to come.
Amrit Desai was different from our other Indian
visitors. He had lived in America for many years and had
a large spiritual community up north. When he arrived at
the Temple, I was surprised by how many people he
attracted. The first night’s gathering completely filled the
Temple. After the program, which was very powerful, I
found myself intrigued by Amrit’s energy. I wanted to
understand how so much energy could emanate from a
person, espec ially since Amrit never even touched
anyone. I then got pretty braz en. I figured he was a guest
in our house, a nd a proper ho st would make sure that his
guest was taken care of. I too k a deep breath and walked
into the guest r oom where Amrit had gone. He seemed to
be m editating,  so I quietly walked over and sat down
next to him.
The mo ment I sat down, it wa s as though I could feel a
semblance of what he was feeling. The energy flow inside
me increased significantly, a nd I felt as though I hadbeen dropped into an ocean  of love. It was a deeply
spiritual experience. We sat quietly for a while, and then
he turned toward me and said, “I never do this
anymore.” He placed his right hand over my forehead,
and I immediately felt a ge ntle flow of warm energy
passing into my body. The flow was overwhelmingly
powerful, and I became completely transfixed by the
beauty of the e xperience. I could feel the energy building
up with in me and rising tow ard my heart. It filled my
heart fuller and fuller until it burst open. I have never felt
so much love in my enti re life. I was completely
overcome by the flow of ene rgy starting from his hand,
coursing through me, and then pouring out of the burst-
open heart area. By the time Amrit removed his hand
from my forehead, I was so filled with energy that I
couldn’t move. When I finally tried to stand up, it felt like
a po werful magnetic field was attached to my body. I
couldn’t speak, so I didn’t say a word to Amrit as I left
the room.
Over the next few hours, t he force