understanding of the condition of the ailing person. As a matter of
face even diagnosis in unnecessary. But it is essential that the
vitality of the patient, local climate, the quantity of urine to be used,
the method of application, the diet before, during and after the
treatment etc., should be fully considered beforehand. The follower
of this treatment should be careful in his general behaviour also
because mental attitude also plays an important role in the physical
health.
A Treatment with Self-restraint: The accounts of the most of the
cases which I have received have one common purpose and that is
people want to survive somehow by v1hatever means it may be
possible. Moreover it has been our habit not to do anything
methodically or rationally. But this would not be allowed in this
treatment. otherwise it would bring discredit to this therapy. One
should not take up this treatment if one lacks inself-restraint,
moderation in food and lacks patience.
I have to put a question to such half-hearted patients who have
been benefited in sptie of their being unrestrained. But what would
they have said if the results were unfavourable? Would they have
boldly admitted that it was only due to their own faults that harm
had been done to them? l·do not think such would have been their·
reaction if the result was not good. Naturally persons with selfish
motives would have given an odd name to urine therapy to achieve
their own selfish ends. Hence I do not have the slightest hesitation
in warning the patients that they should not practise this therapy I l.. ~ 172 : AUTO-URINE THERAPY
unless they can observe all the necessary instructions repeatedly
tressed in this book.
Control of the Tongue: I feel irritated when I see recipes in the
local daily papers. Citrous, sour, bitter and sweet articles of food
produce vaat, pitta and cough and have strange tastes and effects.
Thus nutritious food materials are converted into poison. The
house-wives adept in preparing such varied recipes think
themselves to be very clever. But they never realize that preparing
such foods in only a waste of time and money. Such foods affect
the health of the family members very adversely. It is a crime
against ·humanity and nature to destroy the natural nutritive
elements in the foodstuffs in making them more palatable. Gandhiji
has said. "One who has conquered his senses has conquered the
world." He has rightly added, "One who has conquered the tongue,
has coAquered all the senses."
I wish to point out that one should take up this treatment only on
the basis of information given in this book and should fully observe
all the warnings given therein. If he does accordingly, there is not
the least doubt that he will be fully benefited. On the other hand if
the patient beromes careless, he will not only invite danger for
himself but also bring a bad name to this therapy.
A Boon to the Poor : The method of urine treatment invariably
gives great relief to aiL Rich people may adopt expensive
conventional methods of treatment to get rid of their troubles but the
poor are no longer able to afford modern modes of treatment. Thus
this novel method of treatment has proved to be a boon to the
poor. 1. know that many }loung men start ~r study of 'Medkine in
ordeF to Sel\'e'th:e poor and' the sick. &it very heavy expendittll1e
· for their medical studfes beeomes a ·great burden to them. So to
meet their expenses and maintain their standard of nfe, they
become prof-essionats and look at their practice only from the
busif'l€Ss point of view and thus the mission for the servke of the
poor is thwarted. In urine therapy, however, there are no such
temptations because there in every patient is a doctor for himself. It CONCLUSION : 173
reserve his. even an illiterate person can p.
is a technique by which this own disposal quite freely.
health by the natural menas a a well planned
S iptures mean. Proof Self-revealed :... ~rc. ::md experiences of savants. It IS
compendium of great thoug.knowledge to adopt a. generous and
essential for the progre~ ~f ld answer all the quenes and dou~ts
open-hearted attitude an s ou t the same time with a searchmg
on the basis of the scriptures ~nd ado matically and cond~mn. those
mind To stick to onels own views ~ lead to the falsification of
of others repeatedly would necessan ·~dedness in the field of ·ews Such narrow ml. one1
S own ~1
• er to knowledge itsefl.
knowledge bnngs dang d any eXternal proof as
· lso does not nee k h s The power of auto-unne a. h the author of Chara a
its utility is self-re~:ale_d. That ~r:S ~nly, I.e., it is anti-poison and
mmed up its qualitieS m two w than this. It deserves all the
~~a tonic. No savant would.sayhmorervice of human health. gaged m t e se · f attention of persons en 'b the properties of urine o
Great Supports : Ayurve~a d~:c;~o:~ animals may be beneficial
eight types of animals. Th~fi u~n: Charak but it is worthy of research
to human beings as, speo le y h ·r own urine on their systems.
to have findings of the eff~cts ~f t el et rid of the disease once for
They instinctively use the•r. ur~e ~~s; of human being and human
all The same holds good m t e be as Ayurveda describes hot,
uri.ne too. The urine of a p.erson m::or but it is so only to another
bitter, bile-increasin~ a~d •:fl~m:e to ~se the urine of other person
rsolt I do notthmk It a ~·sa tall rescribed in urien threapy. :d it is notscientific too. It ~s ".ot,:ant/ auto-urin~ therapy. atp~r
That is why urine therapy IS ldn I in exceptional cases I e
. n be use on Y. bl 1 uch rare person Is unne ca I urine is not ava•la e. n s..
k bite etc. when one s own.. I It means that the
~~:e;-it c;n be used in extern~! a~~~c;~~~~ne~~~ally and in drinking
urine of a healthy person c~n e kue-bite or so..
t'onally as m sna d' g only very excep 1
• ft a mere cursory rea m
I b · n to opme a er Most of the peop e eg•
U.T.-14 174 : AUTO-URINE THERAPY
of the book and without having full deliberation the subject. But on
the basis of my own and others' experience, I can say with all the
emphasis at my command that human urine is harmless and always
beneficial. Used methodically and in proper doses, it is efficacious
in all diseases. I say this not as an authority but on the basis of
experiences of a number of patients from India and abroad. The
statement of the well-known Vaidya like shri Bapalalbhai and a
writer on Ayurvedic subjects, cannot be doubted when he
unreservedly supports urine therapy. He has written on the
experiments which he had carried out as true and enquiring Vaidya.
Similarly. the d~scription of two T.B. patients cured by Dr.
Gunanidhi Bhatt by means of urine therapy is no doubt genuine.
All the descriptions of the cases in this book are genuine facts based
on self-experience. There is absolutely no exaggeration in the
presentation of all these cases.
Must B.e Made Universal : The problem is how to make it
universally useful. A number of friends have advised me to start
hospitals where patients can be treated ·exclusively on urine therapy
but I am against it, as I believe that it should become a household
treatment. Every mother should be an adept in it and use it like
homely medicenes. The urine therapy does not require any
expenditure nor does it require any storage. The message of urine
therapy should reach every home and village. It will surely be
evolved into a scientific systme automatically. The intelligentsia can
very well further its progress and can work out a thorough scientific
method. All attempts in this direction are quite well come.
Our tl'lis much will not suffice. We shall have to make more and
more experiments and establish a definite system. We shall have to
regularize it and put some restrictions also on its haphazard use.
Urine is beneficial in its pure and natural state. I doubt if its efficacy
can be improved through any mixture with it. Yet if someone tries to
increaie effic;:acy of utility through natural methods, I have no
objection. But one should be careful in such an attempt as it would CONClUSION


life. When later
on they  maintain that there is nothing at all wrong,  and  the X‐ray gives
a clear proof of a healthy kidney,  one is forced to assume that the
fasting and. urine drinking has effected the cure."
To conclude this chapter  I may  append one or two suggestions  made by
my friend Mr. 0. Warnock‐Fielden  as to how urine cures, although  I may
not altogether  share his views.  He writes:
"There  may  be some healing force in the return of the unexpected
hormones  particularly  the sex hormones,  which  find their way into the
urine. There are cases known  in which  urine is taken  internally  for the
sake of these  substances  alone. There  may  also be a case  made out for
the return of the tissue substance  which  is in solution in the urine.
Organic tissue may be leeched from  the vital  organs  by means of the
poisonous  substances  lodged there  from the food and  drink taken into
the body, and also from the drugs and injections  of niedicai  science. It is
claimed  by some that these  substances  may  be returned and  used 95
 again in re‐building healthy organs. This is difficult to prove, but there
are many cases on record in which  diseased  organs  have been renewed
by means of drinking large  quantities  of urine. More  than this  it is
impossible  to say."
"The explanation  which  appeals  to me more than any other is that
cures are obtained by means of the homoeopathic  principle.  There is no
doubt that although  it is claimed that toxic matter in quantity is not
thrown out of the body in the urine (otherwise  we would not become ill
because it remains in) there must  certainly be found in all urine a
homoeopathic,  or infinitesimal  dose of the particular  toxic complex of
the individual  concerned.  That must  surely be beyond  all argument.  If
this  infinitesimal  dose is returned to the body, an antibody,  according
to homoeopathic  principles,  will be produced,  and  will therefore  tend
towards a cure  of the condition."
"In the natural  habics  of animals we observe  the fact that they
continually  lick themselves.  In this way they undoubtedly  take into their
systems homoeopathic  doses of their toxic condition.  After every meal,
even,  this  dose would tend  to correct any harm likely to occur  from
eating food which  would not agree with them, perhaps even poison
them. May  not this  habit  be Nature's immunisation  scheme par
excellence?  Medical science has formulated  a system of dangerous
inoculations  to do exactly the same thing as the dog does when it licks
itself. Nature  gives instinct to the dog for its salvation,  and  brains to
man  for his ultimate destruction  ! We may be too clever. If anyone
doubts the  animal's instinct  to drink  its own urine, let him try the
experiment  of handing a cup  to a monkey. The monkey has only one
use for it. The goat is considered  to be the most  healthy of all animals, 96
 so much so that its milk is much sought  after for T.B. cases. May  not
this  be explained  by the fact that the goat can, and  very often does,
drink  its urine straight from its body?"
"When man  first appeared  upon the earth, some provision  must  have
been made for his security against extinction.  Food, clothing, shelter
were all stored within the earth, man having only to work for them to
satisfy all his material  needs. Would the vital importance  of his freedom
from disease be neglected?  If what is stated in these pages is correct,
the means whereby health may  be attained  is always close at hand,
easy to carry  out, marvellous  in its simplicity  and  free to everyone.  The
late Dr. Chas.  H. Duncan, one of the most  enlightened  doctors of
America, states in his book Autotherapy :
“There are in the pathogenic  exudates toxic substances  to which  the
patient must  develop resistance  in order that a cure  may  be instituted.
In other words, in Autotherapy  the patient  has  the right toxic
substances  within his body, and  it remains for the physician  to find
them and determine  the proper dose and  the interval between doses
so that the local  tissues may develop  resistance  to them. “
There  is therefore,  much in some branches of medical research which
agrees with the courageous  contribution  of John Armstrong  which  is
testified to in the cases mentioned  in this book.  "

  97
 CHAPTER  XV.
THE COMMON  COLD

It is not extravagant  to say that the simple malady we call an ordinary
common cold has baffled the Prof ision for centuries.  A doctor  once
said to the write‐: "If there  is one thing I dislike being asked to cure, i± is
a common or garden cold in the head! "The late Dr. Haig, who first
drew attention  to uric acid, aid beater still to the folly of living on an
unbalanced  di It (though  on certain points one might differ  from  him)
told people they  should be thankful when they  contracted  a streaming
cold, as it acted as a species of house‐cleaning, and therefore  should
never be suppressed.  But unfortunately  for mankind at large, very often
the first  thing most  persons do immediately  they  "begin to feel a cold
coming on


 I feel?, along  with the
commitment to follow the voice of the Holy Spirit, that ultimately will
make it possible to discern between the two opposite thought systems. The more you heal and becom e present, the more you will be able to
identify how the ego’s direction  is always based on fear, while the Holy
Spirit’ s direction always comes with peace, like an all-embracing divine
wave of love. You may now start to realize that if you open your heart up to this
ultimate experience, what you really want and need is true humbleness,
the humbleness of beginning to see that “I do not know.” When youthink you alread y know, you will never ask for guidance. This is why
being in the I-don’ t-know state of mind is so powerful when it comes to
learning to hear and follow the inner voice of God. Allowing yourself to
not know is relaxing, and this is where you can begin to practice your
trust, something  that we will explore and go deeply into in the next
chapter. When you move  toward a life of guidance, you become like a child
who easily lays their old toys aside for a much more fulfilling and all-
inclusive purpo se. Following guidance leads to peace. It leads to
everything that is best for the whole universe. With any decision that
flows very easily, you can trust that Holy Spirit is guiding. You are
meant to have an easy life. It’s the ego that wants to give you challenges
and make things complicated and difficult. The ease and simplicity of
the Spirit are always available, and you can feel them when you are in a
humble state of willingness to follow. With practice, trusting and
following inner guidance becomes very natural.Chapter 7
Trust
Trust is the primary characterist ic we need to cultivate when we start our
spiritual journey. Then other characteristics will follow, such as honesty,
gentleness, and joy. They all rest on trust. This is why trust in the Holy
Spirit is very important. A singer -songwriter friend in Nashville, Tennessee was not finding
any more singin g jobs. The doors were closing. I shared with her that
sometimes we are tempted to ask ourselves or the Holy Spirit, “How can
I keep my job?” even though this is presuming that we should keep our
job. Are we open to widening our view? Maybe there are other prayers
or other questions that we can ask, such as, “Is this the job I should
keep? Is this the job You would want for me, Holy Spirit? Is me working
at this job the best for the whole universe, or do Y ou have something else
for me?” This woman found out that the Holy Spirit had a whole new
life to offer her, a life that would truly get her in touch with her heart’ s
calling, and that is why she could no longer find any singing jobs. She
was ready to trust her next big step in life. The Holy Spirit’s Greater Plan
It seems like when it comes to jobs, careers, relationships, and houses,
we put a lot of importance on these decisions. It is as if we want to
handle it all on our own. We say to the Holy Spirit, “You just help me be
peaceful, and I will handle all the rest myself. I will handle the children,
the job, the house, and the people.” It is as if we are saying, “You give
me the peace, and I will run my life.” We do not realize that these goals
do not go togeth er. When we try to run some aspects of our life, we are
putting our personality first and the Holy Spirit second.Everything is constantly changing in this world. With some of the
changes, we think, Hmm…I like this, and sometimes we think, This is a
threat, and it could be very, very danger ous or risky. When we study or
watch our mind,  we can see that the sense of threat must be coming from
some kind of interpretation or meaning that we give to situations. When
I would have a situation where I could lose my job, I would start paying
close attention to my thoughts and feelings, and I noticed that I was
afraid of the outcome of losing the job. This was because of the certain
meaning and importance I had given to that job. The question becomes,
Can I shift my perception and come to the trust that leads to an
experience of literally being sustained by the love of God? There came a point in my journe y when I realized that I had to trust
that all of my needs would be met. That’ s when I made the decision to
trust that I would be taken care of. And looking back, I see that my needs
have never not been met since. It’s been a beautiful journey of trust and
opening in awareness, and it inspired me to write this poem. Be gentle with yourself on this inwar d journey. Accept the symbols that come to you with gladness and
appreciation. Let the Holy Spirit use the symbols to r emind you of the inner
beauty that is far beyond appearances. Let the colors and the sights and smells and sounds wash thr ough
your mind as r eminders of the vastness and glory of being! Discover the beauty of the Holy Spirit’ s purpose. I Surrendered to Trust and Found Joy
For me, opening to trust starte d with reading. I read everyth ing from
Maslow to Mother Teresa. Like most people, I was searching for a sense
of purpose and meaning, and even a way of somehow understan ding the
human condition. I was searching in philosophy, psychology, and
religion. I felt that there must be something beyond what the world and
society presente d. But I had no clue how to reach it. I explored andinvestigated. Psychologist Abra ham Maslow created the helpful theory
of a hierarchy of needs, which states that we need to meet our basic
survival needs first, before moving on to higher order needs. Mother
Teresa demonstrated the same thing. If someone is sick, hungry, or ill in
some way, their most basic needs must be taken care of first. You
wouldn’ t try to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to a starving child. You
would pick the child off the street, take him in, and then feed the child
and clothe the child. And so, in my developing of trust, reading books about these values
was very helpful. I felt a tickle in my heart, a glee, and joy when I would
come across ideas that really resonated and that I could really recognize
as coming from God. While reading books was a very safe way of
developing trust, starting to follow the Holy Spirit’ s guidance in daily
tasks and movements brought about feelings of trepidation. Fear and
doubt arose because asking where to go and whom to talk to or call was
so coun ter to the way I had been living my life. And yet, I pushed
through my fear and doubt and started following the guidance I was
hearing. And it was amazing. I felt bursts of joy after I got off the phone
and after I visited somebody in the hospital or paid a visit to their house. I was just swell ing with joy because I listened and followed even when
the ego was scared or telling me not to do it. The ego voice in my mind
was saying things like: “You are going to lose your autonomy. You are
going to lose your individuality  if you keep following that voice.” But I
just kept at it. I liked that feelin g of joy! I wanted more of it. I began to
lose myself in that joy, and I started to discover my true Self. I found that
I could trust the little prompts from the Holy Spirit in everythi ng I did. And the more I trusted, the clearer the guidance became, and the more
joyful I got. From Survival to Divine Providence
One morning, I woke up with the Bee Gees’ song “Stayin’ Alive” in my
mind. With it was the uncomfortable feeling that everyone is just trying
to survive in this world, trying to stay alive. Think about how much
energy people devote to this. It’s all about survival, security, safety, and
planning for the future. So much effort is put into keeping the bodyalive. We need to shift our consciousness from putting all that effort and
energy into maintaining the body to putting that same effort and energy
into forgiving our illusory thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, and
remembering Spirit, our natural spiritual reality. We need trust to shift from staying alive and going nowher e to
being alive, to the joy, happiness, and vitality of our Christ being, our
true Self. As we deepen in trust, we see that everything we need will be
provided, withou t our own effort; we won’ t even have to think of it. This
is new and big. You can treat it like an experiment but not like a test
where you, for example, travel to a far-off town with no money to see if
you will be provided for. It’s more than that. It’s saying, “Start ing right
now, right here in this moment, what if I decide to trust that if I’m being
authentic, if I’m being transparent, and if I’m open to healing and
happiness, that everything that I would need for healing and happiness
will be provide d?” This is the promise of oneness, of love


its course and after its completion appeared not to have been done at all. The
laboratory work, a battery of patient tests to be accomplished before the study,
then on a monthly basis during its course and after its conclusion, could not be
verified because the underlying records were not to be found.The FDA inspectors diligently pursued these failings and were unable to
confirm that the testing had been performed. They interviewed patients and learned
that neither the laboratory work nor the eye examinations had taken place. The
reports of such laboratory and eye tests were allegedly false, even though the case
report forms held in house by the FDA showed that all of this work had been done
and that the results were normal. Hensley told Senator Kennedy that the efficacy data were also disturbing. The
agency had received two sets of case reports from RIC on Shirley’s study—one
near the end of 1975. It showed generally good to excellent results with treating
interstitial cystitis. The second arrived in early 1976 on a resubmission of the
NDA, which showed some of these patients deteriorating. When the FDA did its “for cause” inspection, the review of Shirley’s records
looked a good deal worse; people treated had more than just minor deterioration. The patients, although they might initially have had a very good response,
generally did seriously deteriorate and often required other medication or bladder
surgery. The Division of Scientific Investigations then declared that the Shirley data
simply could not be used. It was unsatisfactory, to say the least, said Dr. Goyan. Dr. Shirley came under FDA investigation; as a consequence his certification as an
FDA inspector was rescinded. The FDA also turned its attention to the study done by Dr. Stewart and, after
completing its review, a decision was made as to whether or not a hearing would
be held and further action taken. Furthermore, at
least three other interstitial
cystitis studies came into question. Withdrawing approval of interstitial cystitis as
the only legal human use of DMSO was considered. A general pattern of
disinclination on the part of the investigating physicians to do the drug safety work
—the eye examinations and the laboratory tests—seemed to be developing. Dr. Scherbel explained the reasons for not burdening patients, institutions, and
researchers with this drug safety work. He told the House Select Committee on
Aging: “For those patients who could indeed profit from the use of a very simple
drug, we cannot use it unless we carry out a very strict protocol. If I wanted to
give this drug to a patient today, I must obtain sophisticated eye examinations
every six months. This patient must have blood studies every three months. If this
patient lives 150 miles from Cleveland, he or she must come back at a determined
time and the studies must be carried out according to FDA regulations. “Long ago we realized that toxicity was not a problem but we do not dare to
give this drug without carrying out a battery of very sophisticated laboratorystudies. Who pays for this?” asked Dr. Scherbel. “The patient might not have
funds to pay. Will the Cleveland Clinic? They will if I ask them to, but it is not
fair to the Cleveland Clinic to do this because it is the FDA request. “If we obtain funds from a pharmaceutical firm and eventually they sense this
drug is not going to be approved, where do the funds come from to continue
treatment for this group of patients?”
These are valid questions; they require answers if drug safety is to be assured. Unfortunately, Dr. Hensley disclosed another reason for the FDA’s
disinclination to accept DMSO studies strictly on the face value of researchers’
opinions. The investigating doctors tended to overlook, maybe not see, or perhaps
deliberately ignore possible adverse effects. For example, Dr. Hensley described
difficulties with accepting additions to the Stewart study. He said, “The original
NDA was twice submitted to the agency; the last time in 1976, and finally it was
approved in 1978. In September 1979, another package of data was submitted to
the agency by Research Industries. This package contained not fifteen patients of
Dr. Stewart, but forty.”
“We have looked at that data, and it is apparent that a good many of those
patient reports had been available prior to the NDA submission and were
contemporary with Dr. Stewart’s other patients,” said Dr. Hensley. “It appeared,
therefore, that a selective submission of data had been made to the original NDA.”
Thus, the researcher chose certain patients to represent his clinical trials and
sent them for submission by RIC to the FDA. Or, RIC did the selecting from the
whole group of fifty-five patients and sent along just fifteen. What of the newly introduced batch of forty people who used DMSO and
whose cases weren’t revealed until three years later? Dr. Hensley said, “Many of
the patients—in fact, I guess the majority of those that are truly interstitial cystitis
—had either fair or poor responses to the treatment.”
So there have been definite questions raised about both of the studies that were
the basis for the NDA approval of DMSO employment against interstitial cystitis. No wonder the FDA has been so stubborn about giving approval for DMSO
medical usage in general. Following the Kennedy hearings, the FDA appointed a DMSO “Steering
Committee.” This committee brought in a new group of investigators—
pharmacological, toxicological, chemical, and medical professionals—who had
nothing to do with the initial approval of DMSO for interstitial cystitis. These new
investigators were paid for their work by the FDA. They reviewed the entire
matter, and their conclusion was that Drs. Shirley and Stewart were quite sloppy inrecording their data. Because of this they were disqualified as investigators for the
FDA thereafter. However, the FDA, even after this thorough review of the entire matter,
allowed the approval of DMSO for use against interstitial cystitis to stand. They
found that the two physicians had been careless rather than dishonest in their
reporting. Such carelessness in medical research is simply an expression of human error,
particularly in relation to the employees one depends upon. As interstitial cystitis
is a rare disease and difficult to find, the FDA physician-investigators in
Cleveland or Birmingham, Alabama, had patients come in for checkups from all
over the country. (The FDA requires a minimum of fifty patients from two
investigators to approve a drug for prescription use in a specific condition.) On the
approval sheets, the FDA had listed various parameters for the investigators to
follow and fill in. Certain employed research associates—frequently college
students—filled in the answers to questions that they asked the participating
patients. One of the questions on the approval forms concerned ophthalmology. The
research associates (dental students) would ask the patients, “Have you had your
eyes checked?”
The patients most often said, “Yes!”
The next question was, “Have you had any problems with your eyes?”
The patients replied, “No!”
The research associates then wrote on the approval forms: “Ophthalmology
negative.”
These patients had been examined by ophthalmologists in areas far distant
from the research facilities in Cleveland or Birmingham. The physician-
investigators did not have those eye examination records as part of the patients’
files. Thus, upon “for cause” evaluation of the records, the FDA declared the
investigators’ record response for vision unsubstantiated. Later, despite being
disqualified as FDA investigators, Drs. Shirley and Stewart were able to show that
these ophthalmologic examinations were, in fact, carried out. And as the FDA
found that the interstitial cystitis protocol was correct, DMSO remains an
approved medication for treatment of this bladder problem. Senator Kennedy emphasized that there were a series of collective failures
among the several people involved with this NDA procedure. The FDA found
failures by the investigators doing the clinical work, the sponsor supplying the
drug, the physician-monitor checking methods, and the FDA medical officer actingas liaison for the NDA. There was a failure to write up accurate case histories, a
failure to keep adequate records of drug accountability, a failure to obtain
institutional review committee approval, and a failure to maintain documentation
of informed patient consent. In questioning the patients, the FDA believed that
most of the required eye and laboratory examinations possibly were never
performed at all and they found the lack of records just sloppy reporting. In some
of the cases report forms were, in fact, altered between the first and second FDA
inspections so that FDA officials remain suspicious. They still think that there was
insufficient reporting or alleged misreporting of toxicological ophthalmic effects in
the patients. Looking at just one of the people who failed in all this, Kennedy wondered
whose responsibility at RIC it was to detect the various DMSO problems that
apparently went undetected right through the NDA approval process. “Senator, I
believe that the ultimate responsibility, certainly, lies with me,” said Henry Moyle. “I signed the documents that went into the FDA.”
Here we see a businessman who had protected his investment. Kennedy asked
Moyle, “What would be the impact on Research Industries if, as a result of these
problems, the FDA determined that it could no longer maintain the approval of
DMSO for treatment?”
“Well, Senator, we are a small company,” answered Moyle. “We believed
when we started with this application that it would not take nearly this


 ‘sin’ (defect) of
humans is ignorance. Socrates taught that all men are intrinsically
innocent because they always choose what they perceive to be the good,
even though it is in error. A Course in Miracles teaches that everyone is
intrinsically innocent and merely beguiled by the ego. Thus, sin means
limitation, error, and misperception due to the impaired capacity. It also
represents the limitation of evolution. Consciousness research indicates that the human ego/mind is
constitutionally unable to differentiate truth from falsehood by virtue of
its construction. The mind is like the hardware of a computer that will
play back anything for which it has been programmed, whether it be
propaganda, misinformation, emotional distortion, bias, fallacious
memes (slogans), etc. To fully ‘know’ a reality is to ‘be’ it, which is a transformative
absorption and full integration. Complete acceptance would therefore
result in the termination of judgmentalism, anger, resentment, blame,
guilt, and hatred of self and others. Full acceptance, on the other hand,
does not mean becoming an apologist for grossly negative, destructive
behavior. A bull may misperceive a bystander as a potential enemy, but
that does not mean that one thereby allows oneself to be needlessly
gored. Spirituality is often confused with passivity. Moral obligation to
respect and honor life includes one’s own as well. Truth is strength as an
expression of integrity. Moral stance is not the same as physical action,
which, in and of itself, is neutral. The consciousness calibration level of
an action is determined by intention. With progression of the evolution
of consciousness, there arises the capacity for the Tao of the ‘non-action
of action,’ which is indicative of mastery and exemplified by the martial
arts. Culpability is aligned with capability and actual possibility. It is
akin to situational ethics, which includes overall context as well as
content. Q: Many spiritual and moral dilemmas therefore cannot be resolved
within just the limited level of content. A: That is a clear observation. Even just adding historical and cultural
context already alters the appearance of many phenomena. Tounderstand the evolutionary origins of the ego itself and its alignment
with the support of animal evolutionary life creates a more
comprehensive, expanded paradigm from which to view human
motivation and behavior. Available options are limited by the level of consciousness and vary
quite differently from one level to another. This realization also
facilitates compassion instead of judgmentalism. Much judgmentalism arises from posing the hypothetical, i.e., that
people ‘should’ be different; however, if they could be, they would be. The hypothetically possible becomes actual by intention as well as the
level of evolution of consciousness plus favorable conditions. One of the most important operational conditions that limits options
and not available to ordinary perception is karmic patterns, including
propensities and unresolved obligations, as well as the presentation of
karmic opportunities. Q: What does ‘karma’ mean? Is it not just a belief system? A: Karma really means the totality of one’s inheritance, which includes
both the known and the unknown, both the linear and the nonlinear. To
just be born a human being already represents the expression of untold
millions of factors. Genes or chromosomes are merely the mechanisms
of karmic transmission that already include the mechanics of
physicality, the expression of which requires enormous informational
patterns. Everyone already has a calibratable level of consciousness at the
moment of birth that is thereby correlated with physicality itself. The
Western world accepts karmic consequences subsequent to physical
death as the destiny of the soul. The Eastern world accepts the reality of
karma as an ongoingness of the evolution of the spirit over great periods
of time. Consciousness calibration confirms and extensively
demonstrates that every intention or action, even in its most minute
details, is embedded and recorded forever within the infinite field of
consciousness. It is also confirmable (at consciousness level 1,000) that
everyone, without exception, is accountable to the Universe (i.e., the
Mind of God or Divine Providence alluded to by whatever term
chosen). Thus arises the wisdom that “God is not mocked,” and that
“Every hair on one’s head is numbered.”Q: But are not many characteristics or events just accidental? A: The infinite eternal field of the Unmanifest becomes Manifest as
Creation by virtue of Divine Ordinance (as an expression of its essence). The power of the field is absolute and inclusive, all present and beyond
time, and within it, manifestation occurs when conditions are favorable. Intention itself is also a contributing factor. There are no possibilities outside the infinite realm of Reality because
all possibilities have already been included within Creation itself. The
term ‘accidental’ is a hypothetical absurdity, like proving that a physical
object on planet earth is not subject to the laws of gravity. Even the
concept of ‘chaos’ means unpredictable from a limited, linear
Newtonian or mathematical viewpoint. Reason, logic, and predictability
are limited to the consciousness levels of the 400s, whereas Reality has
no such limitations or restraints. All comes into actualization from
potentiality, and the laws of karma are not only linear but also
contextualized via the nonlinear as well. Chaos is a mentalization that implies unidentifiable and unpredictable,
which means not identifiable or predictable from a linear, mathematical
viewpoint, that is, no identifiable pattern. Context is local and
identifiable, as well as nonlocal and unidentifiable. Knowability is a
reflection of paradigm, which is identifiable by the consciousness
calibration of the overall contextual field itself. The real reason much
information is not available is because there is a lack of capability to ask
the correct question. Q: Does the inner path require erudition? A: No. Merely simple attitudes and the necessary motivation are required. To strive to know God is in itself pristine and the ultimate aspiration. O c e a n o f P D F. c o mCHAPTER 4
Spiritual Practices
Introduction
Human ingenuity has resulted in a great variety and number of spiritual
practices, many of which were listed and calibrated in Chapter 17 of Truth
vs. Falsehood. Each has its historic roots that include ethnic and cultural
proclivities as well as practices that are aligned with specific belief systems. Many practices are quite imaginative rituals, and their consciousness
calibration level indicates that their benefit arises primarily from the
spiritual intention with which they are done rather than from the practice
itself. Therefore, it is said that there are “ten thousand ways to God,” for
each practice fulfills a purpose at a given time in each individual’s spiritual
evolution. Some practices are almost universal in their expression, such as
devotion and worship of Divinity by whatever designation. In contrast,
some practices are quite unique to the degree that they become imbued with
mysticism and magic. These often involve entreaty and/or manipulation of
various linear energy fields and the invoking of unseen spirits. These
practices actually rely on techniques of magic and typically calibrate quite
low, frequently below the consciousness level of truth at 200. The major genuine spiritual practices include individual and group
worship and prayer, including music, incense, creative arts, and dance, as
well as symbols, postures, and mudra. These are often associated with
styles of dress, dietary observances, genuflections, bodily prostration,
fasting, prayer beads, and the rhythmic chanting of mantras. Group
activities reflect not only worship but also gratitude to Divinity for life and
its expressions of God’s Grace. In daily life, formal prayer of gratitude is
most commonly ‘saying Grace’ before meals, the benefit of which is
corroborated by consciousness calibration research, which shows that the
actual energy of the food itself increases by ten to twenty points. In all societies, the prudent acknowledge God, even if they personally
harbor doubts or lack conviction. The universality of the acknowledgment
of Divinity throughout time in all cultures and in all ages represents theintuitive awareness and wisdom within the collective consciousness of all of
mankind, which is independent of locality or time frame. Some practices include the intention of influencing God in a desired
direction for some specific benefit. Other practices are intended to assuage
what are believed to be the negative depictions of God and therefore include
personal or ritual sacrifice, as well as that of animals or humans. Thus, even
killing life itself has been incorporated into rituals that in themselves
calibrate extremely low, indicating very serious and sizeable error and
deviation from truth. The calibration level of a spiritual practice reflects the degree to which
it is actually intrinsically aligned with spiritual truth rather than illusion and
imagination. Because Divinity is nonlinear and intangible, God is the
ultimate screen upon which to project the endless errors and proclivities of
the human ego. Thus, Divinity is often depicted as having a distinct
personality. The Presence of God as Creator is intuited by mankind, and the
infinite nonlinear Reality that is the very source of all of Creation and
Existence is present within the discrete linear domain as the Source of its
Existence. This is reflected in the Roman Catholic ecclesiastical doctrine of
“The Natural Law” which states that humankind is created with the capacity
to realize God as Creator, and therefore, there is the moral obligation to do
so. (The Natural Law doctrine calibrates at 570.)


 I am talking about, I give you an example. Consider that your house is on fire. Without any hesitation, you will direct all y our
undivided attention and efforts to this emergency. You will try to extinguish the fir e,
save as many items of value from the house, save yourself, your family and othe r
people in danger. Your mind will be totally engaged in the emergency operation. It is quite easy to imagine, that it will be possible for you under such circumst ances to
direct your mind into a more subtle mode or to creative activity like writing a book,
solving a complex problem or programming your computer for example, when your
house is on fire and you and your family are in danger. Imagine your boss phoning you
in the middle of the fire with some ideas for you to work on. You will simply cut all
conversation and attend the emergency immediately. Now let us look back your body. If it is not pure enough, your mind is busy attending
“fires” in various organs. You feel dull and become tired quickly. You have difficultie s
concentrating. If your body is in the “healing crisis” (simply speaking you feel sick),
the least you feel like doing is thinking. You simply cannot think! Any request for
thinking hard is like a telephone from your boss during the fire : our higher mind cuts
all cuts all communications. Similar effects can be observed after large meals, when you overload your m ind with
food. According to medical science food should give you energy. But instead, you feel
tired and sometimes even sick. Your mind is slow and tired too. Any request for
thinking, returns a feeling of being sleepy and ready to rest. In the other extreme, people aiming at the highest possible activity and devel opment of
mind (to the point of complete enlightenment and unification with the entire universe)
have to have very pure physical bodies. Masters of yoga in the Himalayas hardl y eat
anything at all. The purity of the physical body frees enormous resources of mind. If properly direc ted,
such resources could used to acquire many natural skills considered miraculous or
supernatural by normal people. Creating matter by a pure thought, flying around the galaxy and the Universe in y our
various astral bodies, being consciously present at several locations at any one t ime,
learning anything at all instantly in complete silence, understanding all l anguages by
direct telepathy, are just a few primitive examples of what is possible. There are no
limits to our spiritual development. It is only a question of time and our own free wil l.  29
However, when our physical bodies are poisoned, your “house” is on fire. Most of the
resources of the mind are simply not available. We are forced to crawl spiritua lly. Fortunately, from time to time, our higher mind gives us a chance or a hint, on how to
improve your situation. Just in case we are ready to learn. The fact that y ou are reading
this book is an example. (It is a sad fact, that most people just do not listen and do not
want to learn. They criticice and doubt everything and everyone, except their own
ignorance. They do not see, and they have a lot to learn). Note, that it is actually your  mind, which makes a decision to initiate purification of
your body a well as for itself. You make it for yourself. During the process of
purification of the body you feel great. You will find, that your mind is sharp and your
intelligence increased. Any creative work or study will be much easier. B y maintaining
the purity of the body, you will be able to attain new levels of understanding, gain new
skills and knowledge with very little effort. You will see your life and its purpose in a
wonderful new perspective. You can greatly assist the purification of the body, by trying to encourage cert ain states
of the mind and avoid others. Purification of your mind (thoughts) can be as important
as physical detoxification, since it is your mind at all levels which ultima tely controls
every  function of your body. Again, the subject is quite extensive, so I will give you
only the basic information and advice here. Let go of fear: There is nothing in this world worth fearing about. This is not simply
my belief. I know. To fear is one of the worst things you can do to your mind. All
logical reasoning, not to mention the connection to your higher mind is completely
blocked. People know about it, and some of them use fear techniques to take advantage
of others. Look around. The field of medicine promotes the fear of disease. If they
succeed, you fear disease, even if you don’t have any, and this feeling actually  replaces
the feeling of well being! Instead of enjoying your perfect health and bein g happy, you
worry! Fear blocks your thinking, and in this state you are easy to control by other s,
who know it and want to take advantage of it. The technique of fear frequently used by
government and religious leaders as a tool to control of people. Let go of fear. It bl ocks
your mind. Ever use the technique of fear to control children. Use explanation,
examples and reasoning instead. Eliminate feelings of anger, hate and anxiety. – they also block your mind at all
levels, preventing the natural state of  well being and spiritual development. Forgive everyone and everything. Hate and resentment also clog your mind. By
nourishing hatred and resentment you cannot gain anything except the same things
from others. On the other hand, forgiveness and tolerance could give you a key to
gaining respect and love. Do not think of harming anyone or anything. Think of others the way you would like
others to think about you. 30
Let people do their mistakes. In most cases it is their best lesson. Help them only if
they ask for it. Note, that it works even with children. They learn faster. You just need
to predict excessive danger sometimes. People make mistakes because they do not
understand, and/or do not want to listen. Note, that you see mistakes of others better
than you see yours. We question everyone and everything except our own ignorance. Once I was like that too. Eliminate envy and jealousy from your mind. They are totally useless and severely
paralyse your intellectual capacity. Try an unconditional love instead. Do not shout
about love. Just replace all those nasty negative feelings in your own mind, for yourself. Learn to listen to your higher mind – listen to the silence between thoughts. The best
information and advice, tailored exclusively for you at any given instant is ther e. All
talented people without exception access such as a state naturally. All their ideas spring
from there. No words could possibly describe the connection with your own higher mind. In
comparison to the language of your higher mind, our spoken and written languages are
actually quite a primitive form of communication. For example, the higher mind can communicate a book, musical symphony or a
scientific discovery, with all the minute details in a “flash” lasting only  a second or two. It may take many days or even years to “consciously” reconstruct and transl ate such
messages into text, music or mathematical formulae, which others can then under stand. Many people experience the state of euphoric joy, just by remembering s uch an
instance of connection with their own higher mind. Your higher mind does not only communicate books and science. The above was just
one example. In fact it can help any of us in all imaginable aspects of our lives. W e just
need to learn to listen. The active practice of listening to your higher mind and developing a better connect ion
with it is what many wise people call “meditation”. There are many meditation techniques passed on to us by our wise ancestors. There is
again no room here to analyse them even briefly. Perhaps the best I can do is to
summarise some of my personal experiences. In my opinion, the single most important thing common to the best meditation
techniques is the teacher, or master, who is capable of showing you  the access path to
your own  higher mind. No words can describe this connection. You actually have to be
shown the beginning of your own  path, together with some instructions, so you can
progress along it yourself  every day. I had two meditation teachers: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a leader of the Transce ndental
Meditation (TM) movement, whom I never met and Master Ching Hai. 31
TM people will charge you about a thousand dollars for the basic technique and several
thousand dollars if you want to learn more advanced techniques. In my opinion, the
gaining of knowledge, for those who are ready to learn, should be essentially fr ee of
any charges, so I could not justify the latter. However, I must say, that I ha ve had
considerable degree of success, using the basic TM technique. Master Ching Hai, on the other hand, teaches you the Quan Yin method, known for
thousands of years to be the best meditation technique, totally free of charge. Her
organization does not even accept donations. The only way to help their activity
financially is to buy books, works of art, fashion clothes and other things they produce. Master Ching Hai’s requirement to teach you the Quan Yin method is your
commitment to become a vegetarian for life and to meditate 2.5 hours each day. (Master Ching Hai books are listed in the References). After med


 these  simple  and  serene  skills. Our
forefathers  were  much  closer  to  the  living  earth  than
we  are. They  truly  epitomized  nature. They  did  not
forget. We  must  not  blame  the  creator  for  what  is
lacking  in  our  lives;  we  were  provided  with  a  pure  and
unbiased  creation. It  is  we  who  have  chosen  to  forget
the  primacy  of  nature. Sadhanas  bring  us  full  circle  to  regain  the  spirit  of
fraternity  and  community  of  our  ancestors. Even
within  urban  areas,  we  must  find  a  way  to  become  a
community. We  need  to  encourage  cooperative  ef-
forts, such  as  finding  a  small  plot  of  earth  to  work  and
sowing  the  seeds  of  our  vegetables  and  herbs. We  must
make  of  the  word  rural  a  state  of  mind. It  is  a  beautiful
sight  to  watch  the  elderly  perform  their  morning  t'ai
chi  amid  the  early  quiet  of  Manhattan's  Chinatown. Heaps  of  garbage  are  piled  high  on  concrete  streets
but  have  no  bearing  on  our  ability  to  commune  with
nature. Great  beauty  exists  everywhere,  and  wherever
we  find  ourselves  for  a  period  of  time  must  be  our
home. To  perform  sadhana,  we  must  first  learn  to  sit
comfortably  in  ourselves. When  we  are  truly  with  our
selves,  we  see  ourselves  not  as  solitary  but  as  a  collec-
tive entity. When  we  are  truly  with  ourselves,  we  are
collectively  with  nature  and  her  species. The  universe's  only  purpose  is  to  enable  us  to embrace  our  magnificent  true  nature. All  of  creation
vibrates  with  magnetism. We  are  in  a  continuous  state
of  exaltation. To  know  this  love  is  to  become  this  love. We  are  not  fish,  bird,  animal,  human,  microbe,  and
molecule. We  are  energy  in  a  gross  and  subtle  state  at
once. When  we  learn  to  tame  and  garner  our  forces,
we  become  love. Love  is  not  an  emotion,  it  is  our
ultimate  state  of  being. When  I  sit  in  myself  and  direct
my  love  to  you,  you  will  receive  it,  and  whatever  ill
feeling  you  may  have  had  will  dissipate. All  sadhanas
refine  us  to  this  end. When  you  prepare  a  wholesome
meal  for  yourself  and  your  family,  it  is  love. When  a
seed  bulges  through  the  earth  and  sprouts  into  virgin
green,  it  is  love. Every  natural  movement  in  nature  is
sadhana,  love. The  creation,  in  its  impeccable  wis-
dom, bequeathed  us  its  heart,  which  throbs  through
the  fingers  and  toes  of  our  organs  of  action. We  are
constantly  engaged  in  mental  and  biological  interac-
tions with  nature. In  maturing,  we  give  in  to  accept
ing  with  our  hearts. The  human  species  is  approach-
ing its  time  of  first  maturity. Let  us  open  our  hearts
with  joy  and  bask  in  the  vibrations  of  the  universe. SADHANAS   FOR  YOUR
KITCHEN
The  direction  in  which  our  homes,  kitchens,  temples,
and  schools  are  laid  out  is  vital  lor  the  culling  of
positive  energies  from  the  earth. To  ensure  harmoni
ous  living,  ancients'  dwellings  were  positioned  com
patibly  with  the  energy  field  of  the  earth. The  Vedas
contain  extensive  information  about  the  energy  field
of  the  universe,  and  how  it  affects  all  living  organ
isms. When  we  observe  the  migration  ol  buds  and
animals,  we  can  see  th. it  these  hie  forms  have  an  in
Stinctual  sense  of  the  energy  field  ot  the  planet. 1  In-
native  American  tubes  refer  to  the  female  buffalo  as
the  Wife  of  the  South  Wind,  representing  all  that
causes  growth  on  the  earth. The  term  sadhana  implies  that  which  IS  >. lose  to  the
earth. In  India,  the  ancient  ones  lived  on  the  earth
itself. They  made  then  beds  on  heavy  flooi  covei  ings
and  slept   with  their  heads  pointing  fast   01    South
Their  shrines  loi  piavei  ami  meditation  laved  South
155
>m
THE    PRACTICE    OF    AYURVEDA
within  them,  the  teachers  faced  South  and  students
faced  North. As  I  was  growing  up,  I  often  watched  my  mother
daub  the  cooking  fireplace  with  cow  dung  brought  in
from  the  fields. This  manure  was  also  used  to  rub
down  the  floors  and  walls  of  the  huts  of  elderly  rela-
tives. Manure  from  a  healthy  cow — rich  in  antiseptic
properties — absorbs  negative  energies  and  produces
negative  ions  in  the  atmosphere. Once  daubed  in  this
way,  the  huts  were  naturally  buffered  against  radia-
tion and  toxicity. They  maintained  their  cool  tem-
perature through  the  long,  hot  days. Rubbing  down
the  mud  and  brick  fireplace  was  a  daily  sadhana. A
prayer  would  be  offered,  and  frequently  a  floral  pat-
tern made  of  freshly  ground  flour  would  decorate  the
newly  cleaned  fireplace. Our  cooking  fireplace  faced  West. After  the  cocks
sounded  their  sharp  announcement  that  the  day  had
begun,  my  mother  would  make  the  early  repast —
freshly  baked  roti,  fresh  chana  dhal,  and  cream  of
wheat  or  tapioca  with  fresh,  hot  milk  were  among  the
morning  panoply. But  the  constant  fare  was  the  se-
renity and  beauty  of  my  mother's  face  in  that  early
morning  light  as  she  cooked  at  the  wood-burning
fireplace. Years  later,  I  was  taught  by  my  father  how  to  cook
in  the  Vedic  tradition. He  had  come  to  visit  me  in  my
Greenwich  Village  apartment. I  discovered,  in  my
little  urban  kitchen,  that  I  had  a  good  talent  for
cooking. Perhaps  I  had  imbibed  this  skill  from  my
mother  during  those  early  years. Father  was  a  solid
Pitta-Kapha  man. He  taught  me  how  to  grind  the
bread  grains  very  fine,  and  how  to  knead,  roll,  and
bake  the  dough  into  rotis,  chapatis,  and  dosas. He
shared  with  me  some  ancient  secrets  of  baking — one
of  them  was  about  my  grandmother's  bread. She would  first  make  a  fire


,  62
transformation  of,  59-61,  62
teas,  tastes  and  energy  of,  70
Tempura,  294
Tempura  Batter,  294
texmati  rice,  163
Thyme  and  Vinegar  Dressing,  280
time  and  timelessness,  1 1-12 animals  and,  12
times,  prevalence  for  each  dosha,  131-32,
132-33 tofu
RECIPES  USING
Baked  Spiced  Tofu,  266
Burdock  Sauce,  263
Carrot  and  Raisin-Stuffed  Tofu,  265
Lemon  Broccoli  Tofu,  263
Natto-Stuffed  Tofu,  265
Oden,  294
Pan-Fried  Tofu,  26
Ramps  and  Tofu  Stew,  262
Ricotta  and  Tofu  Quiche,  265
Sloppy  Joes,  262 Sweet  and  Sour  Tofu,  264
Tofu  and  Broccoli,  262
Tofu  and  Ricotta  Cheese  Sauce,  259
Tofu  Fried  Rice,  254
Tofu  l. isagna,  258
Tofu-Stuffed  Squash,  266
Tofu  Tempura,  264
Tohi  and  Broccoli,  262
Tofu  and  Ricotta  (  heesc  Sauce,  2  >9
Tofu  Fried  Rice,  254
Tofu  Lasagna,  258
Toru-Stufled  Squash,  266
Tofu  Tempura,  264
Tooi  i  thai  and  Cabbage  Kuttu. 2  '>»
[001  I  'Hal  and  BggpUnl  Kuttu. -1
Tool  Etasam,  2 1'toovai  dhal,  172
transmutation,  21-22 [ridosha
recommended  foods  for,  128  10
Tridosha  Sambar,  2 18 intkalc,  166
truth,  133
turmeru. 101
umeboahi  plums,  \  i  < Universal  Trifle,  mi
353
jmt. INDEX
uraddhal  172
l  i. id,  Mung,  and  Rice  Dosa,  203
urinary  srotas,  29
utensils
ancient,  157
modern,  158,  192,  193-94
Vada,  207
Vadai,  201
Valencia  rice,  163
Vanilla  Flan,  318
varak,  301
varuni  nadi,  31
Vata,  16,  18-19. See  also  Air;  doshas;  Space
beneficial  tastes,  58
body  type,  36,  37,  38,  39,  40,  41
daily  sadhana,  187
eating  utensils,  157
features  of  foods  that  nourish,  60
five  airs  of,  24-25
menus,  135-39
natural  tastes,  58
nature  and  tastes  of,  57-58
personality,  44—48
prevalent  seasons  and  times,  131-32,
132
recommended  foods  for,  74-80
Vata- Kapha
prevalent  seasons  and  times,  133
recommended  foods  for,  86-92
Vata- Pitta
prevalent  seasons  and  times,  133
recommended  foodsjor,  80-85
Vedas,  8
Vegetable  Dumpling  Soup,  287
fegetable  Pullau,  241
Vegetable  Stir- Fry,  230
Vegetable  Stock,  281
-Vegetable  Uppallia,  206- vegetables
preparing,  195-98 tastes  and  energy  of,  66
RECIPES  USING. See  also  specific
vegetables
Aviyal,  239
Spiced  Vegetables,  242
Sweet  and  Sour  Vegetables,  232
Mixed  Vegetable  Sambar,  248
Tridosha  Sambar,  248
Vegetable  Dumpling  Soup,  287
Vegetable  Pullau,  241
Vegetable  Stir- Fry,  230
Vegetable  Stock,  281
Vegetable  Uppama,  206
vijnanamaya,  21
vipaka,  60,  61,  62
virya,  60,  61,  62
vishuddha,  32
vishvodara  nadi,  3 1
Wakame  and  Bamboo  Shoot  Soup,  293
Wakame  Salad,  293
walnut  oil,  176
Warm  Almond  and  Nutmeg  Brew,  326
Warm  Almond  and  Peach  Nectar,  326
Warm  Barley  Brew,  322
Warm  Goat's  Milk  with  Cardamom,  326
Warm  Rice  Brew,  322
Warm  Saffron  Milk,  326
Warm  Sandalwood  Milk  Brew,  326
Warm  Soy  Chai,  325
Warm  Spiced  Soy  Milk,  327
Warm  Spiced  Tea,  322
wasabi,  343
Water,  15-16,  18. See  also  elements;  Kapha
foods,  64
water  srotas,  28
Watercress  with  Sesame  Seeds,  235 waters  of  Kapha,  25-26 wehani  rice,  163
wheat,  163-64 Wheat  and  Cinnamon  Idli,  206
Wheat  and  Split  Pea  Dosa,  204
Wheat  Berries  and  Cloves,  210 wheat  berry
RECIPES  USING
Black  Bean  Chili,  252
Cinnamon  Spiced  Wheat,  215
Cooked  Wheat  Berries,  222
Mung  and  Wheat  Berry  soup,  288
Wheat  Berries  and  Cloves,  210
Wheat  and  Split  Pea  Dosa,  204
White  Basmati  and  Millet,  222
White  Basmati  Kichadi,  256
white  rice,  161
Whole  Mung  Dhal,  245
Whole  Oats  and  Corn,  211
Whole  Wheat  Croutons,  281
Whole  Wheat  Dough,  311
wild  rice,  163
will,  12
yashasvini  and  pusha  nadis,  30
Yellow  Squash  and  Baby  Onions,  232
yogurt,  181 Yogurt,  Fresh,  (dadhi),  183
Yogurt  Rice,  213
zucchini
RECIPES  USING
Ratatouille,  229
Zucchini  and  Cucumber  with  Oil  and
Vinegar  Dressing,  236
Zucchini  Chutney,  310
Zucchini  and  Cucumber  with  Oil  and
Vinegar  Dressing,  236
Zucchini  Chutney,  310
[oJLUA  ■ n        ^  I
IM> W^\
354
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Health/Nutotion/Natliral  Medicine/Vegetarian  Cooking $24. 95
AYURVEDA
A  very  complete  and  authoritative  manual  on  the  Vedic  principles of  health  and  nutrition,  written  by  a  well-mspected  authority  in  the  field It  will  be  of  great  benefit  to  the  layperson  and  professional  alike. Deepak  ChPpra,  M. D.,  author  of  Quantum  Healing  and  Perfect  Health
w  a. Herefa^ery  rectal  person  who  has  journeyed  through  cancer,


 see thoughts as being positive or negat ive. Thoughts are always neutral. It’s the way we handle our thoughts that is
either positive or negative. “So how do we really change our mind?” I ask Louise. “You have to change your relationship to your mind,” she says. “How do we do that?”
“By remembering that you are the thinker of your thoughts.”
“Be the thinker, not the thought,” I say. “The power is with the thinker, not the thought,” she responds. “Notice the judgment, but don’t be the judge,” I say. “Notice a self-
criticism, but don’ t be your own worst critic.”
I remind  Louise  of my golf story and my golf partner ’s self-talk. He
didn’ t yell, “What a stupid shot! ” He yelled, “I am so stupid!” His self-talk
wasn’ t a comme ntary on his golf game; it was about him. He got lost in his
thoughts. He was so identified with each judgment that he was acting as the
judge. It was the same with his self-criticism. He had become his own worst
critic. He was no longer in his right mind. He probably didn’ t realize that
his inner critic had never won a golf tournament. “Your thoughts mirror your relationship with yourself,” Louise reminds
me. “And a thought can be changed,” I say. “Yes, because you are the thinker of your thoughts,” she says. “How do we begin to change our thoughts?” I ask. “Affirmations in front of the mirror,” says Louise, as if it’ s obvious. “What exactly is an af firmation?” I ask her. “An af firmation is a new beginning,” she replies. Louise transformed her life by using affirmations. “I learned that every
thought you think and every word you say is an affirmation,” she tells me. “They affirm what you believe to be true and, therefore, how you
experience your life.” A complaint is an affirmation. Gratitude is an
affirmation. Every thought and every word affirms something. Decisions
and actio ns are also affirmations. The clothes you choose to wear, the foods
you choose to eat, and the exercise you choose to do or not do—they are
affirming your life.“The moment you say affirmat ions, you are stepping out of the victim
role,” writes Louise in her book Heart Thoughts. “You are no longer
helpless. You are acknowledging your own power.” Affirmation s wake you
up from  the sleep of the daily  unconscious. They help you choose your
thoughts. They help you let go of old limiting beliefs. They help you to be
more present. They help you to heal your future. “What you affirm today
sets up a new experience of tomorrow,” says Louise. When you spend time with Louise, you get to see that Louise Hay
doesn’ t just think about affirmations; she lives her affirmations. She doesn’ t
just do ten minu tes of affirmations in the morning and then get on with her
day. She takes her af firmations with her all through the day. To help, she has
affirmations discreetly placed around her home. Affirmations like Life loves
me on her bathroom mirror; All is well by a light switch in the hall; and
Only good lies befor e me on her kitchen wall. One in her car reads, I bless
and prosper everyone in my life, and everyone in my life blesses and
prospers me. It’s now time to introduce you to the second spiritual practice of Life
Loves You. It’s called 10 Dots. The idea is to practice one affirmation
throughout the day. We recomm end you start with the affirmatio n that’s the
main theme of this book. We invite you to begin the day by looking in the
mirror and saying out loud, Life loves you. Please repeat this ten times. For
variation you may wish to af firm:
I am open to life loving me today. I allow life to love me today. I say YES to life loving me today. I am grateful for life loving me. Life loves me, and I feel blessed. Next, we want you to place ten dots in places where you will see them
throughout the day. You can find self-adhesive dots in most stationery
stores. Any shape will do: a circle, a star, a heart, a little angel, a smiley
face. Stick these dots on your mirrors, your teakettle, your refrigerator, your
car steer ing wheel or dashboard, your wallet, your computer screen, andanywhere else you may frequently look. Every time you see one of your ten
dots, be sure to af firm consciously Life loves me. We encourage you to do the 10 Dots  experim ent for seven days. “Be
patient with yourself,” says Louise. “It’s not like I said three affirmations
and then set up Hay House.” It’s common in the beginning to experience
some resistance. Also, you may find that you experience the opposite of the
affirmation—thoughts and feelings that reflect the belief Life doesn’ t love
me. Remember, this affirmation is a new beginning. It is realigning your
thinking with the basic truth I am loveable. It will most likely require a
period of adjustment. Stick with it. Just as with mirror work, affirmations
don’t work in theory; they work in practice. OceanofPDF.comCHAPTER 3
Following Your Joy
If you want the truth, I’ll tell you the truth. Listen to the secr et sound, the
real sound, which is inside you. KABIR
Louise and I are sitting in front of the mirror again, the one in her office at
home in San Diego. Today we are exploring the meaning of Life loves you. “Life loves you is a beautiful affirmation,” I say, “but it’s more than just an
affirmation.” Louise gives me one of her knowing smiles. “I hope so,” she
says. Life loves you offers us a basic philosophy for living. These three
words are a signpost that points us to the heart of creation, to our
relatedness to each other, and to our true nature. Life loves you shows us
who we are and how to live a truly blessed life. “What does Life loves you  mean to you, Louise?” I ask. “Life loves us all. It doesn’ t just love you or me,” she replies. “So we are all included,” I say. “Life loves all of us,” she repeats. “Love must include us all, or else it is not love,” I say. “Yes, and no one is more special than anyone else,” says Louise. “We are all equals in the eyes of love,” I say. “Yes, and no one is left out,” she says.“No unholy exceptions!” I add. This may be a new way of thinking to some people, but it is not a new
philosophy. Since ancient times, philosophers and poets have observed a
basic relatedness we all share. In “Love’ s Philosophy,” the poet Percy
Bysshe Shelley explores this basic relatedness in a way that is both spiritual
and sensuous. It’s one of my favorite love poems. I always recite it at the
start of my Loveability  program. It begins:
The fountains mingle with the river
And the rivers with the ocean,
The winds of heaven mix forever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In one spirit meet and mingle. Why not I with thine? We are made for each other. All of us are included. No unholy
exceptions. Mystics and scienti sts agree that in the deeper reality beyond
space and time, we are all memb ers of one body. Albert Einstein referred to
the perception of separateness as an “optical delusion.” David Bohm, an
American quantum physicist who was one of Einstein’ s most famous
students, recogn ized an undivided universe, an implicate wholeness, and a
theater of interrelations. W e belong to each other. “Life loves you unconditionally,” says Louise. “What does that mean?” I ask. “Life is not judging you,” she replies most emphatically. “And life is not criticizing you,” I add. “No, and life is not testing you. And it’s not trying to make things hard
for you,” Louise says. “When you say you, I assum e you mean the soul bird, our Unconditioned
Self.”
“Yes, life loves you, the real you,” she says. “We are loved for who we are, not for what we think we must become,” I
say. “Life loves you  now!” Louise emphasizes. Life loves you is stated in the present tense. It’s not that life loves you
only when you are a child, young and innocent. And it’s not that life will
love you when or if you change. “Life loves us even when we don’t loveourselves,” says Louise. We both pause to let this awareness sink in. Life
loves you feels natural and believable “when” and “if” we love ourselve s,
but otherwise it seems too good to be true. A passage from A Course in
Miracles  pops into my head. I share it with Louise. The universe of love does not stop
because you do not see it,
nor have your closed eyes lost the


, not simply
a possibility. “A king has never existed who didn’ t fight and kill,” he said
with emphasis. “So I’ll have to decide,” Siddhartha said. His thoughtful tone angered
the king. “No, there is nothing to decide. If you can’ t get that into your head—”
Suddhodana stopped himself. He remembered that he had the gods on his
side. However confused the prince might be, he was still young, and his
birth chart explicitly promised what lay ahead. There was no need to
intimidate or goad him. Suddhodana changed tack. “I shouldn’ t have said
that. What I meant was, if you can’ t do this for me, you are not the son I
know you to be. ”
Siddhartha had accepted this milder rebuke calmly. He parted
respectfully from his father, each of them satisfied that he had been
successful in disguising how alone and abandoned he actually felt. Now, as
the king gazed gloomily toward the tower where Siddhartha was waiting,
there was no return gaze. His son had flung himself on the floor, throwing
off his suf focating robes and that absurd feathered turban. He buried his
head in a pile of pillows, trying not to think of anything at all. His miserywould have been simpler to bear if he had hated his father or wanted to
thwart his will. He had followed the dictates of his upbringing to the letter, had
mastered the martial arts and excelled in mock battles. He had felt the
exultation of downing an opponent on the field. So why did he feel like a
coward, like someone who confidently marches to the edge of a clif f, only
to find that he cannot take the last step. The last step was inevitable. Every
day of his life had led to it. Siddhartha felt a sick dread in the pit of his
stomach. THE FEAST HAD GONE ON  two full hours, the guests growing engor ged and
drunk as course followed course. Suddhodana alone drank nothing, and
when he sensed that the time was right, he raised his goblet. “In my son’ s
name I have spent half of my treasury on this day. ” He paused. “I have
overseen every detail of your comfort and enjoyment. I personally
examined every woman at court, and the ugly ones were banished to my
friend Bimbisara’ s kingdom—” A burst of appreciative laughter. Suddhodana waited for it to die away. “—where they are considered the most beautiful women in the land. ”
More laughter rose, this time raucous and mixed with applause. Even
Bimbisara, the powerful ruler of Magadha, smiled and clapped, though his
smile was tight and unpleasant to look on. He was one of the few guests
who had come of his own accord, no doubt for concealed reasons. When he was sure that the drunken guests were quiet and the astute
ones were paying close attention, Suddhodana said, “I’m here to confess a
precious secret, one that I have kept for half my reign. ” His voice rose
dramatically. “Heed me, all of you. ” He threw down his goblet with a
clatter, ending the last few scattered conversations that had continued. “After his beloved mother died, I summoned seers to Siddhartha’ s
cradle. And they told me the most incredible news. About one who was
destined to rule the world. ” Suddhodana paused and let the silence return. “This soul wasn’ t destined to rule a tiny kingdom. He was going to be given
the world. Do you have any idea what that means. ”
Suddhodana abandoned his throne and stepped down to his audience’ s
level. The two chained leopards that flanked him followed behind until they
reached the ends of their restraints and were jerked back. They growled,
their tails twitching lazily. “It means that it won’ t matter anymore that your lands are greater than
mine,” Suddhodana said, pointing to one of his peers, “or that your army is
twice the size of mine,” he pointed at another, “or that your father was a
damned conniving murderer who tried to seize my father ’s throne. ”
The last man he pointed to recoiled. His hand dropped to the sword
belted at his waist. For a moment he battled with his better judgment. Finally he broke eye contact and took his hand from his weapon. Suddhodana walked away, smiling in triumph. “Hate me all you want,” he
invited. “Plot all you dare. ” He turned back toward his throne. “My son will
swallow all your kingdoms for supper. He’ll buy and sell oceans,
continents. ”
The whispers of confusion and disquiet that trailed after Suddhodana
subsided as his threats swept over the guests. Everyone was as superstitious
of the gods as Suddhodana. “Incredible. ” he challenged. “No. I’ve seen it. I’ve seen all that will
unfold. ”
At that moment a movement to the side caught his eye. Siddhartha was
standing in the doorway, looking resplendent in his new bejeweled coat. “Ah,” Suddhodana cried, gesturing toward his son, “here he is. ” T o
himself he thought, I’ve done all I can. T ake the stage or pay the price. Siddhartha stared around him. Over the years he’d seen only a few of
these faces. He took a step into the gathering. No one reached for his hand
or made the slightest sound. He looked to his father for a sign and received
an imperceptible nod. Siddhartha forced himself to go forward, wantingnothing more than to retreat to his room. His thoughts raced; they seemed
deafeningly loud in the silence of the banquet tent. “Come. ”
His father called out for him, seeing that his son this time would not
fail. Siddhartha began to notice those around him. The looks on some
people’ s faces seemed wary, but other faces were stark; they spoke of awe
and dread. What did he say to them. Siddhartha knew that anything was possible. His father was a man of
great words when he wanted to be. Suddhodana held out his hand. “Come,
great king, come. ”
Feeling strangely as if he were watching someone else’ s body moving
forward, Siddhartha felt his knees quiver, as if they would not hold. He took
another step, and then another. When he was almost to his father, the king
began clapping, slowly at first, then gaining speed. One or two guests
joined in hesitantly, but Suddhodana didn’ t stop, and others now joined in,
putting more heart into their ef forts. The clamor built. Thunderous noise
washed over the feast, drowning out all other sounds. When Siddhartha reached his father ’s side, Suddhodana gathered him in
a fierce embrace and held him tight. The king was beaming with triumph. “You’ve won your future,” he whispered. “No one else could do it but
you. ” He brushed tears from his son’ s cheeks. Father, Siddhartha thought, what have you done. IN THE TUMUL T of cheering for Siddhartha, one man felt as much hatred as
the king felt joy and pride. Devadatta bolted from the tent. His hands shook
with the ef fort it took not to attack his cousin. For the first time in his life he
realized how alone he was and how hopeless his situation. The injustice of it was suf focating him. Hadn’ t he been trapped at court
for ten long years, presenting a thousand opportunities for the king to
compare his weakling son to someone who took ambition seriously. Unable
to restrain himself, Devadatta shouted, “Fools. Bastards. ” But his
imprecations were drowned in the clamor of the celebration. He collided with two servants bearing trays of honey wine, figs, and
pomegranates, knocking them and their load to the ground. They cried out,
and Devadatta’ s feet slid on a brown smear of fig pulp. He righted himself,
barely noticing the havoc he’d created. Both of them were idiots. The king and his make-believe warrior prince
who would inherit the world. The prospect would have been sickening if it
weren’ t so absurd. Someone else had a stake in the evening’ s outcome. Mara had long ago
invaded Devadatta’ s mind, had colored his jaundiced perceptions and fueled
his resentment. Only one thing was missing. The captive prince had never
invited him in, had never consciously allied himself with darkness. That
might change now. Mara had the advantage, as all demons do, of knowing
just how fragile reality actually is, built by the invisible hands of
imagination and belief. As long as Mara was merely a phantom, Siddhartha could keep him
suppressed with other figments of his darker imagining. Wisps of the mind,
though toxic, are not mortal threats. Mara could not drive the boy insane;
Siddhartha did not harbor the necessary seeds of delusion. T o destroy him,
the demon needed


 joyful. I’m still a human
being who has value and is worthy of love, including self-love. Under arm:  What if I could accept myself just as I am, craving and all? After all, the craving isn’t all of me. It’s just a habit I learned a long time
ago. I’m just unlearning it now. Top of head:  What if I could accept that I ate the (crave object), even when
I didn’t want to, and it’s still okay? Did I learn to walk in a day? Did Ilearn to talk in a day? I’m just learning a new skill, and I give myself the
time I need to feel my feelings and practice. I honor this process and I
honor and acknowledge my courage, faith, strength, resilience, and
highest self. Step 12. Back to the main exercise. If you have resolved the feelings,
sensations, resistance, thoughts,  events, relating to the craving, now draw
on all your senses to answer any of these questions that are relevant to your
craving to elicit intensity. This is called uncovering hidden aspects. Tap
down the intens ity on anything that elicits intensity, all the way down to
zero, or until you no longer have any desire for the crave object. When you put the package in your hand, how much do you want it now
on the 0 to 10 scale? When you open the package, how much do you want it now? When you see the contents of the package, how much do you want it? When you smell the contents of the package, how much do you want it? When you bring the contents closer to you, how much do you want it? When you think that you will not get to have the contents of the
package, how much do you want it? When you are afraid you’ll be deprived or you’re worried about what
you’ll do or who you’ll be without access to the contents of the
package, how much do you want it? What does this crave object represent to you? What feelings are associated with the crave object (include positive,
negative, shame, and self-judgment feelings)? What self-talk is associated with the crave object? What specific memories are associated with the crave object? What is this crave object protecting you from? What is it making up for
in your life? Do the feelings under the crave object remind you of any events in your
life in which you had similar feelings? What specifically does this crave object give you?If there were a metaphor for this crave object, what would it be? Step 13. Ask yourself if you are neutral  about the crave object. If so, do
the in situ  test. Put yourse lf in the situation with the crave object, and tap on
anything else that arises until you are fully neutral about the crave object. If
you have a donut craving from a specific store, you will be able to go to that
store and pass it by without any feeling of wanting. If you do have wanting,
tap on that. Remember to also include tapping for what the object represen ts to you. Separate the food from the emotion, as I described in Zoe’s case earlier. In
Zoe’s case, the emotional issues under the cravings were positive and
comforting. More often, however, the issues are times in a person’ s life
when he or she has felt scared, alone, helpless, or lost. When the craving is
salty, ask yourself, what does this salt need represent to me? Rubbing salt in
the wound in your life? Sweet cravings? Where do you need more
sweetness, kindness, and love in your life? For a cheese craving: Where
does it not feel safe to express yourself or be who you are? Where do you
feel the need to insulate yourself to protect your vulnerability? How can
you give yourself (or a younger version of yourself) what you needed? Weight Issues and Body Image and Stress
As you probably know by now, losing weight isn’t really  about the weight. As you found out with cravings, it’s not the object that’s the problem. It’s
what’ s under the craving that’s driving the craving—undigested emotional
drivers keeping the weight on. These types of issues are what may be in the
way of accepting yourself with confidence and joy. What you may not know is that not being able to accept yourself as you
are or how you look, can cause stress. If each time you see your reflection
you feel horrible about yourse lf, if each time you’re at the gym you’re
embarrassed and judgmental and jealous, you are creating a stressful
situation inside. The mind creates a negative cascade, sending an electrical
impulse to every part of your body letting it know you’re stressed out. It
initiates product ion of the hormo ne cortisol, which is known to keep weighton a body and is a culprit in many other diseases, including adult-onset
diabetes. Cortis ol is nicknamed the “weight-gain hormone.” If you are
consistently telling yourself how bad you look, how fat you are, how
hopeless your situation is, that you can’t possibly be happy until you
achieve your target weight, or similar, you’ll be under significant amounts
of stress. Every time you think  about or look at your body, feel hungry,
consider eating,  or compare yourself to someone else’s body, your body
listens—it can’t help it! And it will respond (obey your orders) by releasing
cortisol. If this is what happens for you, interrupt the downward spiral by tapping
right there on the spot. You can heal! There will be a time in your life when
you accept your body—maybe even love your body (or at least like it a little
bit)—just as it is. (Even though I don’t believe her … it will never happen
for me … I’d sure like to believe it.) With acceptance, you may still have pain, but your resistance  to realit y is
what causes suffering. And as you unearth the emotional drivers under the
cravings, the entire issue will collapse. Exercise: Experimenting with Self-T alk
Does this kind of self-talk abou t the future sound familiar? I’ll be happy
when …. I’ll have a good life when …. If I could just lose ____, I’d …. Ask yourself what you believe to be true about your life because of your
weight. For example, I’ll never have the boyfriend, the wedding, the trip,
the promotion … until I lose ____ pounds. This fantasy ideal may be the
thing in your way! Ask yourself, What if I didn’ t need to weigh
150/99/250/130/180/ pounds to be happy, have peace, enjoy life, have more
fun, dress well, and feel lighter? Focus on the feeling that question gives
you. Find the feeling and tap on it until the weight no longer matters. It’s
metaphorical weight. You will have found the real feelings, memories,
drivers, and roots beneath the weight—and that’s something you can tap on. As always, things change when you tap. When the weight no longermatters, who knows what wonders your feelings of self-acceptance will do
for your life and body. Case Study: Rooting Out Memories,
Weight and Body Themes, Clearing Guilt
In this story, the experiences of a client named Shelley illustrate the
importance of rooting out the early memories around weight, food, and
body image and how becoming aware of yours can reduce the stress and
anxiety that lead to overeating. When you clear the guilt, shame, blame, and
other hurtful feelings, you unlock the reasons you hold on to the weight. Shelley experien ced stress dozens, maybe hundreds of times a day with
all of her negati ve thoughts, beliefs, talk, and feelings about her weight and
body. On the outside, it looked like she had everything. She was an
intelligent, caring woman in her mid-thirties, a master therapist with a
successful career. But she was locked in a world where she bombarded
herself with insecurities about her weight and her body. She noted using
eating to assuage her feelings of insecurity in relation  to just about everyone
else in the world. She didn’ t feel comfortable in her own skin and even
stressed out about whether what she was wearing was going to meet the
approval of her colleagues. Her fears made no logical sense, but they made
emotional sense  given her background. An oldest child, while growing up
she was the one who always had to “look perfect” and “be the best,” and
“take care of everyone else” to get approval. Shelley’ s goal was to end the horrible haunting she experienc ed every
day, find peace in who she was, feel comfortable in her own body, and lose
weight. But before she could do any of that, she needed to lose some of the
emotional  weight and upset that was actually weighing her down in many
different areas of her life. As is common with many individuals dealing with painful weight and
body-acceptance challenges, Shelley regularly thought about negative
images throughout the day. Whenever she felt stress, anxiety, or upset, shethought about food and eating;  whenever she looked in a mirror or store
window, she remembered her latest overeating, her lack of control around
food cravings, and the number of failed diets she’d had. From there it was
easy to unfavora bly compare herself to any


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i s  n o t h i n g  i n h e r e n t l y  u n s p i r i t u a l  a b o u t  t h e  m i l i t a r y. I n  f a c t,
t h e r e  a r e  p e o p l e  a t  w o r k  w i t h i n  t h e  U. S. m i l i t a r y  t o d a y  w h o
h a v e  m o r e  e n l i g h t e n e d  t h o u g h t s  r e g a r d i n g  f u t u r e
p o s s i b i l i t i e s  f o r  o u r  a r m e d  f o r c e s  t h a n  o n e  m i g h t  t h i n k. P e r h a p s  o u r  m i l i t a r y  w i l l  m a n i f e s t,  i n  o u r  l i f e t i m e,  t h e
u l t i m a t e  f u l f i l l m e n t  o f  t h e  n o t i o n  o f  “ a r m e d  f o r c e s. ” T h e y
w i l l  b e  a r m e d  w i t h  p s y c h o l o g i c a l,  s p i r i t u a l,  a n d  e m o t i o n a l
s k i l l s  a t  b u i l d i n g  s o c i a l  a n d  p o l i t i c a l  r e l a t i o n s h i p s,  a s  m u c h
a s  t h e y  a r e  n o w  a r m e d  w i t h  m i l i t a r y  h a r d w a r e. I n s t i t u t i o n s
e v o l v e  a s  c o n s c i o u s n e s s  e v o l v e s,  a n d  w e  a r e  o n  t h e  v e r g e  o f
a  m a s s  r e a l i z a t i o n  t h a t  i f  w e  w a n t  t o  c h a n g e  t h e  w o r l d,  w e
m u s t  b e c o m e  a s  s o p h i s t i c a t e d  i n  t h e  w a y s  w e  w a g e  p e a c e  a s
w e  a r e  n o w  s o p h i s t i c a t e d  i n  t h e  w a y s  w e  w a g e  w a r. R e g a r d l e s s  o f  w h o  r i d i c u l e s  u s,  i t ’ s  i m p o r t a n t  t h a t  w e
c o n t i n u e  t o  c e l e b r a t e  l o v e — n o t  o n l y  t h e  g o o d  f e e l i n g  i t
b r i n g s,  b u t  a l s o  i t s  a c t u a l  p o w e r  t o  h e a l  a l l  t h i n g s. O n  t h e  l e v e l  o f  t r u e  s o l u t i o n,  l o v e  i s  t h e  a n s w e r  n o
m a t t e r  w h a t  c a t e g o r y  o f  h u m a n  e x p e r i e n c e. A c c o r d i n g  t o
M a h a t m a  G a n d h i,  l o v e  c a n  h e a l  a l l  s o c i a l  a n d  p o l i t i c a l  a s
w e l l  a s  p e r s o n a l  r e l a t i o n s h i p s. W e ’ v e  o n l y  s c r a t c h e d  t h e
s u r f a c e  o f  l o v e ’ s  p o w e r,  a n d  w h e n  w e  d i g  d e e p l y,  w e  w i l l
f i n d  i t  t o  b e  m o r e  e x p l o s i v e  t h a n  a  n u c l e a r  b o m b. W e  n e e d
a n  i n t e g r a t i v e  a p p r o a c h  t o  w o r l d  a f f a i r s  i n  w h i c h  t h e
e m o t i o n a l,  p s y c h o l o g i c a l,  a n d  s p i r i t u a l  r e a l m s  a r e  g i v e n
t h e i r  p l a c e  a t  t h e  t a b l e  o f  p o w e r. J e s u s  h i m s e l f  s a i d,  “ L o v e
y o u r  e n e m i e s,  a n d  p r a y  f o r  t h o s e  w h o  c u r s e  y o u. ”  M a r t i n
L u t h e r  K i n g  J r. s a i d  M a h a t m a  G a n d h i  w a s  t h e  f i r s t  p e r s o n
t o  t a k e  a  l o v e  e t h i c  a n d  t u r n  i t  i n t o  a  b r o a d - s c a l e  s o c i a l
f o r c e  f o r  g o o d. A n d  t h i s  i s  n o t  j u s t  “ n i c e ” ;  i t  i s  i m p e r a t i v e. K i n g  s a i d  w e  h a v e  c o m e  t o  t h e  p o i n t  w h e r e  i t  i s  n o  l o n g e r  a
c h o i c e  b e t w e e n  v i o l e n c e  a n d  n o n v i o l e n c e ;  i t  i s  a  c h o i c e
b e t w e e n  v i o l e n c e  a n d  n o n e x i s t e n c e. A  f e w  y e a r s  a g o,  I  w a s  a s k e d  b y  M r s. C o r e t t a  S c o t t  K i n g
t o  s p e a k  i n  A t l a n t a  a t  h e r  l a t e  h u s b a n d ’ s  o f f i c i a l  b i r t h d a y
c e l e b r a t i o n. I  w a s  o n e  o f  t h e  l a s t  s p e a k e r s  o n  t h e  p r o g r a m. I
s a t  a n d  l i s t e n e d  t o  s p e a k e r  a f t e r  s p e a k e r


 r e  v i c t i m s  o n
b o t h  s i d e s  o f  t h e  g u n. T h a t  r e a l i z a t i o n  l e d  A z i m  t o  r e a c h  o u t  t o  t h e  g r a n d f a t h e r
o f  t h e  b o y  w h o  k i l l e d  h i s  s o n,  w i t h  w h o m  t h e  b o y,  T o n y,
h a d  b e e n  l i v i n g  a t  t h e  t i m e  o f  t h e  m u r d e r. T h e  g r a n d f a t h e r,
P l e s  F e l i x,  w a s  a  G r e e n  B e r e t  w h o  h a d  s e r v e d  t w o  t o u r s  i n
V i e t n a m  a n d  h a d  a  m a s t e r ’ s  d e g r e e  i n  u r b a n  d e v e l o p m e n t. T o n y  h a d  g o n e  t o  l i v e  w i t h  h i s  g r a n d f a t h e r  a t  t h e  a g e  o f
n i n e,  a f t e r  s u f f e r i n g  f r e q u e n t  v i o l e n t  a b u s e  h i m s e l f  a s  w e l l
a s  w i t n e s s i n g  t h e  m u r d e r  o f  h i s  c o u s i n. B y  t h e  t i m e  h e  w a s
n i n e,  T o n y  w a s  a l r e a d y  r a c k e d  w i t h  a n g e r. R e a d i n g  i n  t h e
p a p e r s  a b o u t  t h e  b o y  a n d  a b o u t  h i s  g r a n d f a t h e r,  A z i m  f e l t
c o m p a s s i o n  f o r  t h e i r  s t o r y. A z i m  a s k e d  t h e  d i s t r i c t  a t t o r n e y  t o  i n t r o d u c e  h i m  t o  P l e s,
a n d  t h e y  m e t  i n  t h e  o f f i c e  o f  t h e  p u b l i c  d e f e n d e r  w h o  w a s
r e p r e s e n t i n g  T o n y. A z i m  t o l d  P l e s  h e  f e l t  n o  a n i m o s i t y
t o w a r d  T o n y  o r  h i s  f a m i l y,  a n d  h e  r e a l i z e d  t h a t  b o t h
f a m i l i e s  h a d  b e e n  t r a u m a t i z e d  b y  t h i s  t r a g i c  i n c i d e n t. H e
w a s  c o n c e r n e d  a b o u t  T o n y  a n d  a l l  t h e  o t h e r  c h i l d r e n  w h o
a r e  t r y i n g  t o  c o p e  w i t h  s u c h  a  v i o l e n t  w o r l d,  i n  w h i c h  t h e
a v e r a g e  A m e r i c a n  c h i l d  h a s  s e e n  1 0 0, 0 0 0  i m a g e s  o f
v i o l e n c e  o n  T V,  m o v i e s,  a n d  v i d e o  g a m e s  b e f o r e  e n t e r i n g
t h e  f i r s t  g r a d e. A z i m  t o l d  P l e s  h e  h a d  s t a r t e d  a  f o u n d a t i o n  i n  t h e
m e m o r y  o f  h i s  s o n,  t o  h e l p  s t o p  c h i l d r e n  f r o m  k i l l i n gc h i l d r e n. P l e s  s a i d  h e  w o u l d  d o  w h a t e v e r  h e  c o u l d  t o  h e l p. A s  h e  e x t e n d e d  h i s  c o n d o l e n c e s,  P l e s  t o l d  A z i m  t h a t  e v e r
s i n c e  t h e  d a y  o f  t h e  m u r d e r,  t h e  K h a m i s a  f a m i l y  h a d  b e e n  i n
h i s  d a i l y  p r a y e r s  a n d  m e d i t a t i o n s. A z i m  i n v i t e d  P l e s  t o  t h e  s e c o n d  m e e t i n g  o f  t h e
f o u n d a t i o n  a  c o u p l e  o f  w e e k s  l a t e r,  w h e r e  P l e s  m e t  t h e
e n t i r e  K h a m i s a  f a m i l y. P l e s  s p o k e  p a s s i o n a t e l y  a b o u t  h i s
o w n  e x p e r i e n c e,  s a y i n g  t h e  f o u n d a t i o n  w a s  a n  a n s w e r  t o  h i s
p r a y e r s. A  S a n  D i e g o  t e l e v i s i o n  s t a t i o n  f i l m e d  T a r i q ’ s
g r a n d f a t h e r  s h a k i n g  h a n d s  w i t h  T o n y ’ s  g r a n d f a t h e r :
“ C l e a r l y, ”  t h e y  r e p o r t e d,  “ t h i s  i s  a  d i f f e r e n t  k i n d  o f
h a n d s h a k e. ”
T o d a y,  A z i m  i s  c h a i r m a n  o f  t h e  T a r i q  K h a m i s a
F o u n d a t i o n ’ s  b o a r d  o f  d i r e c t o r s,  a n d  P l e s  i s  t h e  v i c e
c h a i r m a n. T h e  m e n  h a v e  g r o w n  c l o s e,  a n d  A z i m  s a y s  t h a t  i f
h e  w e r e  t o  c h o o s e  t e n  p e o p l e  w h o  a r e


 a y  b e,  i t  w a s  s e l e c t e d
b y  t h e  V o i c e  f o r  G o d,  W h o s e  f u n c t i o n  i s  t o  s p e a k  f o r
y o u  a s  w e l l. S e e i n g  y o u r  s t r e n g t h s  e x a c t l y  a s  t h e y  a r e,
a n d  e q u a l l y  a w a r e  o f  w h e r e  t h e y  c a n  b e  b e s t  a p p l i e d,
f o r  w h a t,  t o  w h o m  a n d  w h e n,  H e  c h o o s e s  a n d  a c c e p t sy o u r  p a r t  f o r  y o u. H e  d o e s  n o t  w o r k  w i t h o u t  y o u r  o w n
c o n s e n t. … Y o u  b e c o m e  a w a r e  a t  l a s t  t h e r e  i s  o n e  V o i c e  i n
y o u. A n d  t h a t  o n e  V o i c e  a p p o i n t s  y o u r  f u n c t i o n,  a n d
r e l a y s  i t  t o  y o u,  g i v i n g  y o u  t h e  s t r e n g t h  t o  u n d e r s t a n d
i t,  d o  w h a t  i t  e n t a i l s,  a n d  s u c c e e d  i n  e v e r y t h i n g  y o u  d o
t h a t  i s  r e l a t e d  t o  i t. S o m e t i m e s  s o m e o n e  s a y s,  “ W e l l,  I ’ d  l o v e  t o  b e  o f f  d o i n g
G o d ’ s  w o r k,  b u t  I ’ v e  g o t  t h r e e  k i d s  a t  h o m e — I  c a n ’ t  g o
a n y w h e r e! ”  Y e t  m i n i s t r y  i s  d e t e r m i n e d  b y  i t s  c o n t e n t,  n o t  i t s
f o r m. T h e r e  i s  c e r t a i n l y  n o  m i n i s t r y  m o r e  i m p o r t a n t  t h a n
p a r e n t i n g. B e i n g  c o n s c i o u s  a n d  a t t e n t i v e  i n  y o u r  d e a l i n g s
w i t h  a  f i f t e e n - y e a r - o l d  t r y i n g  t o  f i g u r e  o u t  h o w  t o  g e t
t h r o u g h  h i g h  s c h o o l  i s  a s  i m p o r t a n t  a s  f e e d i n g  A I D S
p a t i e n t s  i n  A f r i c a. I f  m o r e  p e o p l e  r u n n i n g  t h e  w o r l d  t o d a y
h a d  b e e n  r a i s e d  w i t h  g r e a t e r  s p i r i t u a l  a w a r e n e s s  w h e n  t h e y
w e r e  f i f t e e n  y e a r s  o l d,  p e r h a p s  t h e  w o r l d  w o u l d n ’ t  b e  i n  t h e
m e s s  i t ’ s  i n  n o w. T h e  H o l y  S p i r i t  a s s i g n s  e a c h  o f  u s  t o  t h e  p l a c e  o u r
t a l e n t s  a n d  a b i l i t i e s  c a n  b e s t  b e  p u t  t o  u s e  a n d  o u r  l e s s o n s
m o s t  p o w e r f u l l y  l e a r n e d. *  D o n ’ t  d o u b t  t h e  p l a n ;  j u s t  m a k e
y o u r s e l f  a v a i l a b l e  t o  i t. A  w h i l e  a g o,  I  w a s  v i s i t i n g  m y  m o t h e r,  t a l k i n g  t o  h e r  a n d
h e r  n u r s e. Y e a r s  a g o  I  w o u l d  h a v e  b e e n  i m p a t i e n t,  t h i n k i n g
I  n e e d e d  t o  b e  o u t  i n  t h e  w o r l d  t r y i n g  t o  d o  s o m e t h i n g
i m p o r t a n t. W h a t  I  k n o w  n o w  i s  t h a t  t h e  w o r l d  i s  w h e r e v e r  I
a m,  a n d  m y  l e s s o n s  f o r  b o t h  t e a c h i n g  a n d  l e a r n i n g  a r e  r i g h t
h e r e,  r i g h t  n o w,  i n  t h i s  c a s e  w i t h  m y  m o m  a n d  h e r  n u r s e.F o r  I  m i g h t  h a v e  t h i n g s  t o  t e a c h  t h e m,  b u t  e v e n  m o r e
i m p o r t a n t l y,  t h e y  m o s t  c e r t a i n l y  h a v e  t h i n g s  t o  t e a c h  m e. L i k e  g e t t i n g  o v e r  m y s e l f. L i k e  b e i n g  m o r e  p a t i e n t. L i k e
s h o w i n g  g r a t i t u d e  t o  t h e  w o m a n  w h o  g a v e  m e  m y  l i f e. J u s t
l i t t l e  t h i n g s  l i k e  t h a t,  h a  h a …

M Y  H O U S E M A T E  ( t h e  o n e  w i t h  t h e  m o t o r c y c l e s,  w h o  r a r e l y  c h e c k s
h i s  m e s s a g e s )  o n c e  c a l l e d  f r o m  a  v a c a t i o n  a n d  t o l d  m e  h e
h a d  m e t  a  w o m a n  h e  l i k