 a small, flickering blue “flame” or a burst of blue light piercing the darkness. I find that
if I begin thinking about this cognitively —that is, defining it, describing it to myself, trying
to give it shape and form or make it “do” something  or “mean” something —it disappears
immediately. The only way that I can “make it come back” is to pay it no mind. I have to work hard to turn my mind off and just be with the moment and the
experience, without judging it, defining it, or trying to make something happen or figure it
out or understand it from my logic center. It is rather like making love. Then, too, for the
experience to be mystical and magical, I must turn my mind off and just be with the moment and the experience, without judging it, de fining it, or trying to make something
happen or figure it out or understand it from my logic center. Meditation is making love to the universe. It is uniting with God. It is uniting with Self. It
is not to be understood, created, or defined. One does not understand God, one simply
experiences God. One does not create God, God simply is. One does not define God, God
defines one. God IS the definer and the defined. God is the definition itself. Insert the word Self wherever the word God appears in the above paragraph and the
meaning remains the same. Now, back to the dancing blue flame. Once you take your mind off it, all the while
keeping your focus on it, without expectation or thought of any kind, the flickering light
may reappear. The trick is to keep you r mind (that is, your thought process) off it, all the
while keeping your focus (that is, your undivided attention) on it. Can you imagine this dichotomy? This means paying attention to what you are not
paying attention to. It is very much like daydreaming. It is like when you are sitting in
broad daylight, in the middle of some place of great activity, and you are paying attention to
nothing at all —and to everything all at once. You are expecting nothing and requiring
nothing and noticing nothing in partic ular, but you are so focused  on the “nothing” and the
“everything” that someone finally has to snap you out of it (perhaps by literally snapping
their fingers), saying, “Hey! Are you daydreaming????”
Usually, one daydreams with one’s eyes open. Sitting med itation is “daydreaming with your eyes closed.” That’s as close as I can come
to explaining the experience. Now the dancing blue flame has reappeared. Simply experience it and do not try to
define it, measure it, or explain it to yourself in any way. Just... fall into it. The flame will
appear to come toward you. It will become larger in your inner field of vision. This is not
the flame moving toward you at all, but you moving into, and inside of, the experience of it. If you are lucky you will experience total immersion  in this light before your mind starts
telling you about it and talking to you about it, comparing it to Past Data. If you have even
one instant of this mindless immersion, you will have experienced bliss. This is the bliss of total knowing, total experiencing of the Self as One with everything,
with the Only Thing There Is. You cannot “try” for this bliss. If you see the blue flame and
begin to anticipate this bliss, the flame will disappear instantly, in  my experience. Anticipation and/or expectation ends the experience. That is because the experience is
happening in EverMoment, and anticipation or expectation places it into the future, where
you are not. Hence, the flame seems to “go away.” It is not the  light that has gone away, it is you. You
have left EverMoment. This has the same effect on your inner  eye that closing your outer  eyes has on your
experience of the physical world around you. You quite literally shut it out. In my own
experience this enco unter with bliss comes but once every thousand moments of
meditation. Having known it once is both a blessing and, in a sense, a curse, because I am
forever wishing for it again. Still, there are times when I can retreat from the wishing,
remove myself fro m the hope, desert my desires, reject my expectations, and place myself totally in the moment, utterly without anticipation of anything in particular. This is the
mental state I seek to achieve. It is not easy, but it is possible. And if I achieve it, I ha ve
achieved mindlessness. Mindlessness is not the emptying of the mind, but the focusing of the mind away  from
the mind. It is about being “out of our mind” —that is, away from your thoughts for a while
(more on this later). This gets me very close to that place at the point between realms in the
Kingdom of God, the space of Pure Being. This gets me very close to nirvana. This can carry
me to bliss. So... if you have managed to find a way to quiet your mind on a regular basis —through
sitting meditation, w hat I call walking meditation, or “doing meditation” (doing the dishes
can be a wonderful meditation, as can reading, or writing, a book), or stopping meditation
(again, I’ll get into this more later) —you have undertaken what may be the single most
importa nt commitment of your entire life: a commitment to your soul, to be with  your soul,
to meet  your soul, to hear  and listen to  and interact with  your soul. In this way you will move through your life not only from the place of your mind, but
your soul as wel l. This is what Ken Wilbur, one of the most widely read and influential
American philosophers of our time, refers to in his book A Theory of Everything  as Integral
Transformative Practice. The basic idea of an ITP, Wilbur says, is simple: “The more aspects
of our being that we simultaneously exercise, the more likely that transformation will
occur.”
That’s what we’ve been talking about here since our conversation began, of course. We’ve been talking about personal transformation —the altering of your individ ual
experience of all of life, and particularly that basic, fundamental, essential part of life that
we call change. We’ve been talking about integrating all three parts of the Totality of Your Being in a
cooperating, multifunctioning Whole. Yet one cannot  do this unless and until one knows
that one is a three -part being, and then understands thoroughly... 1. The Basics of the Body
2. The Mechanics of the Mind
3. The System of the Soul
We’ve not talked about the first of these three aspects of the triune  expression of life that
is you, and now is our time to do so. Are you ready to put the final piece of the puzzle into
place? If your mind would like a little time to consider what we’ve just covered, you could
always
Stop here for a while
It’s as good a p lace as any to take a breath and take a break, to push back from the
banquet table for just a moment. Then... when you’re ready, pick up the chapter at... WHERE THE BODY COMES IN
“Your body is not something you are, it is something you have.”
My frie nd Dr. Ilchi Lee, acknowledged before in this conversation for his brilliant thesis
on the human brain, is fond of saying this. Other wonderful teachers and philosophers such
as Jean Houston, Ken Wilbur, and Barbara Marx Hubbard make the same point. More a nd more we are coming to understand that we are something other than  the body,
other than  the mind, and yes, even other than  the soul. We are all three combined, and the
Whole is indeed greater than the sum of its parts. The Whole Being that we are is pure energy —which might be called Spirit. Your body is
an energy package. So, too, is your mind. Likewise, your soul. In short, you are a spiritual
being having a physical experience. Physicality should be understood to be  illusory in the sense that it is neither where you are
nor who you are. Where you really are is in the place of Pure Being. This is also who  you are. In the
Kingdom of God, who you are, where you are, when you are, and what you are, are all the
same thing. You need to consider the implications of that statement for a while. You really do. I
mean, we all do. It is our failure to consider those implications that creates the illusion in
which we live —and the misery in which humanity is daily enmeshed. I said tha t... who you are, where you are, when you are, and what you are, are all the
same thing. I call this same thing “God.” You can call it anything you wish, but you cannot
ignore it, nor pretend that this larger context within which Life expresses itself d oes not
exist. We are talking here about your very Essence. This is the raw Energy of Life itself. That
Energy, that Essence is not physical, but it became  physical in order to Know Itself in its
own Experience. For this is the triumvirate expression of Divinity


 startling notion, which became known as the One-Electron
Universe, sank into Feynm an’s imagination, although, as he
recalls, he didn’t take it seriously enough at first. When we look at
the physical world, a huge number of electrons exist—trillions
send electrical charges through your household current every
second. Each electron traces a path in time and space, kno wn as a
“world line.”
Wheeler propo sed that a single electron could zigzag all over
the pla ce, creating a tangle of world lines. It’s a fascinating
alternative to many electrons creating many world lines. N ow let’s
translate this into human terms. Instead of many electrons,
substitute man y observers, each with his own eyes. On  planet
Earth there would be over sev en billion observers. However, those
billions of observers express the ability to observe, which is one
thing. So it’s e ntirely plausi ble that we inhabit a “one-o bserver
universe.” It’s like saying “All humans draw breath” without
having to count how many humans are breathing. Suc h is the
perspective of cosmic consciousness. I didn’t choose the i mage of
waves p ounding the shore by accident. The ancient Indian seers
pointed to the sea and said, “Each wave is an outcropping of the
ocean without being different  from the ocean. Do not be fooled by
your individual ego. You are an outcropping of cosmic
consciousness without being different from it.”
Homo sapiens  is the only creature that can choose which
perspective to take. We can be separate waves of one oce an. The
only difference between a one-electron universe and a many-
electron univer se is our perspective. Both are as real as we decide
they are. Or, to put it more strongly, both are only  as real as we
decide they are. Standing at the pivot of making this choice, we
stand at the pivot of creat ion. Only one thing is hap pening:
possibility is becoming reality. John Wheeler was also responsible
for saying that we live in a participatory universe. I’m only
expanding on the same idea. A participatory universe offers
infinite choices; the one thing you can’t choose is not  to
participate. Once you are i n the game, h ow you play it is entirely open to
you. Hu mans can look upon creation and explain it any  way we
choose. Why are there cold viruses, elephants, sequoias, and micein th e world? Some may say God created them on purpos e, while
others believe that they emerged from the quantum vacuum
through random processes th at took billions of years to come to
fruition. The most radical exp lanation is that Homo sapiens  added
everything we desired to our  virtual reality. Each explanation is
simply a different story. Beyond stories, cosmic consciousness is
creating from within itself. Stories are postcreation; cosmic
consciousness is precreation. T h e  C a u s e l e s s  C a u s e
Our role as cr eators of reality imposes a heavy burden if we
view it from th e limitations of human nature. For many centuries
the whole thing could be left to God. The medieval m ind, for
example, made  God the origin of everything in Heaven and on
Earth—Thomas Aquinas, the greatest of medieval theologians,
presented God  as the “first mover” ( primum mobile  i n Latin ). God
alone had the knowledge to create the universe. Because perfec tion is a divine attribute, God must have set
creation in perfect motion, while in the fallen world ev erything
that is in motion, even a beat ing heart and surging ocean w aves, is
an impe rfect representation of God’s work. When Adam and Eve
fell, so did Nature. The first humans were driven out of a  perfect
natural world into an imperfe ct one. The Garden of Eden gave way
to a hostile wilderness. In the Divine Comedy, wh ich stands as the most complete
reflection of medieval cosmol ogy in literature, Dante reached for a
visual image of divine perfection that his readers could grasp. As
the website Danteworlds describes it, “In the Primum Mobile
(‘first mover’)—the swiftest, outermost sphere that imparts motion
to the other sp heres—Dante s ees nine fiery rings whirling about a
central point of intense light.”
These n ine fiery rings are angelic orders, because in Da nte’s
religious world view there had to be perfected beings ass igned to
keep creation going. Otherwis e, God would have to be engineeringeverything, an impossibility when he was the Unmoving M over by
definition. ( He  is archaic and not correct  in Hebrew, but I’m
resorting to the masculine for convenience, since he/she/it  is
cumbersome.) When referring to God, the medieval Christian
mind couldn’t violate—or escape—divine perfection. That ob session survives today, but in a different guise. With no
perfect creatio n to dream about, we are left with o ur own
imperfections. We feel as bewildered and confused as the biblical
Adam and Eve. We feel guilty about despoiling the planet  and yet
cannot help ourselves, even as Nature crumbles before our eyes. This book has proposed that creation unfolds from pure
consciousness. There is no divine artist with a picture in mind. There is just c reation evolving without end. The process  has no
one story line; it embraces all story lines. It has no m orality. Tragedy is as fascinating to the human imagination as comedy,
which is why we keep creatin g both. (Shakespeare presented the
whole panoram a to his audience standing in the pit of the Globe
Theatre, and Hollywood keeps the show going.) The evolution of consciousness is the only explanation for
creation that holds everything  together. It has the advanta ge of no
boundaries. Th e miraculous stands on the same level playing field
as the mundan e. At this poin t I am going to go out on a limb. If
you go  to YouTube and enter three search words, Lourdes
levitating Host, yo u can watch a filmed miracle that occurred in
Lourdes, France. As one informed online commentator explains it:
In 1999, during a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Billé,
then archbisho p of Lyon, the Host began to levitate just
above the paten [the plate us ed for Eucharist] from the
moment of the epiclesis  u ntil the eleva tion. The prodigy
was filmed for broadcast an d a clip of it is making its
way around the internet. At the time, the French bishops
decided to keep it quiet. Recently, it was brought to the
attention of a cardinal in th e Curia, who took it upon
himself to verify the origin of the clip and ask the
current archbishop of Lyon for the position of the
French bishops on the matter. This cardinal in turnpassed it on to  the Holy Father. He is concerned that
certain bishops were too quick to put the lid on what
seems to be an authentic sign. The existing video is blurry, but it shows what the commentator
describes. During this Mass a large Host was used, about  the size
of a dinner pla te. The levitation, which lasts several minutes, ends
with th e elevat ion of the Hos t, when the archbishop lifts it up to
display to the congregation. The levitation, if that is wha t we are
seeing, raises the Host only an inch or two into the air. I d on’t know w ho is in a position to rule the footage rea l or a
clever d igital h oax, but for m e the issue isn’t about mirac les. It is
about what human beings ar e willing to allow into the acceptable
picture of reality. To date, millions of people have seen the video
of t he levitating Host, and their responses cover the spectrum. Most people I know are momentarily impressed; others question
the blur ry imag es. A few get a strange expression on their faces, as
if th ey were H oratio and Hamlet had just said, “There a re more
things in heaven and earth, Horatio, / Than are dreamt of in your
philosophy.”
You co uld say that Hamlet is accusing his friend of not
dreaming deep ly enough. Miracles are similar reminde rs. The
levitating Host may be explained away one day—after all,
antigravity exists in theoretic al physics. It might be exposed as a
fraud or simply sink into the morass of forgotten experience. Even
so, something important happened. A bit of strangeness was
allowed to enter our collective dream. It takes only a spark to burn
down a  forest. You never kn ow which strange bit will dispel our
collective dream. The time for waking up never grows short. Waking up takes you
beyond the bounds of time. Yet it’s hard not to feel the pressure of
disaster the closer it approac hes. There is such a thing as a storm
so powe rful it occurs only on ce every five hundred years, but by
the reckoning of meteorologists, twenty-six such storms have
occurred


ing	moisture	in. Sesame	oil	will	effectively	penetrate	deeper	into	the	epidermis	to	moisturize	and
repair	skin,	especially	if	heat	is	applied	after	sesame	oil	application	(as	from	a	hot
shower	after
abhyanga
). Sesame	oil	is	particularly	protective	against	pollution	and
effective	at	revitalizing	damaged	hair	from	deep	within. DRY	BRUSHING
Like
abhyanga
,	dry	brushing	is	a	manual	treatment	that	is	great	for	improving
circulation	and	rejuvenating	your	skin. You	can	actually	integrate	dry	brushing
into	your
abhyanga
	routine	by	dry	brushing	for	just	a	few	minutes	right	before
applying	the	oil	and	starting	the	self-massage. This	heightens	the	benefits	of
abhyanga
	even	more. Like	other	forms	of	sloughing	the	skin	to	exfoliate,	dry	brushing	has	been
practiced	widely	around	the	world,	from
Japan	to
Sweden. Manually	working
with	the	skin—our	largest	organ	of	sensory	perception	made	of	multiple	cell
layers,	glands,	and	densely	packed	nerve	cells—has	amazing	whole	body	benefits. It	helps	remove	dead	skin	cells	and	clear	out	clogged	pores,	allowing	your	body
to	eliminate	wastes	and	toxins	more	efficiently. This	also	activates	waste
removal	via	your	lymphatic	system,	draining	wastes	through	your	lymph	nodes
and	lymphatic	drainage. Increasing	circulation	to	your	skin	allows	metabolic
wastes	to	clear	from	your	body	more	efficiently,	making	dry	brushing	a	great
detoxifying	aid. Like	a	light	massage,	dry	brushing	also	provides	some	anti-stress	benefits	and
may	even	help	with
bloating. Massaging	the	lymph	nodes	can	help	the	body
shed	excess	water	and	toxins,	improving	kidney	function	and	flushing	out	your
system. Dry	skin	brushing	rejuvenates	the	nervous	system	by	stimulating	nerve
endings	in	the	skin,	and	it	feels	pretty	great,	too! (Well,	it	can	feel	a	little	rough
at	first	when	you	are	getting	used	to	it,	but	it	will	leave	you	feeling	revitalized
and	with	a	great	memory	of	the	experience.) Last	but	not	least,	dry	brushing	will
almost	certainly	help	make	your	skin	glow	and	become	tighter. Try	it	for
yourself	and	see	what	kinds	of	benefits	you	experience! To	do	it	yourself,	all	you	need	is	about	2	to	3	minutes	a	day	(ideally	layered
into	your
abhyanga
	practice)	and	a	long-handled	brush	made	from	dry	bristles,
which	you	can	generally	purchase	for	under	$20	online	or	at	a	health	market. Starting	at	your	feet,	brush	your	skin	in	long	strokes	toward	your	heart. Be	sure
to	brush	your	legs,	arms,	chest,	back,	and	stomach. Avoid	sensitive	areas,	such
as	your	face,	and	be	very	careful	with	delicate	areas	like	varicose	veins	(thoughgentle	dry	brushing	can	be	great	for	flat	spider	veins). Be	firm,	but	don’t	press
too	hard. Your	skin	should	be	pink	when	you’re	done	but	certainly	not	red	or
irritated. Afterward,	be	sure	to	engage	in	your
abhyanga
	practice	or	apply	a
natural	moisturizer	or	emollient	oil,	such	as	shea	butter	or	coconut	or	sesame
oil. Since	dry	brushing	helps	slough	off	the	dead,	outer	cells,	your	skin	will	be
able	to
hydrate	more	efficiently	and	absorb	more	moisture. OCEAN	BEAUTY	DETOX	AND	MINERAL	MASK
Kelp	is	seaweed	that	is	rich	in	minerals	and	vitamins. Used	in	a	mask	form,	it	will	draw	impurities	out
of	your	skin	as	it	also	helps	restore	nutrition	to	your	complexion. 2	tablespoons	kelp	powder
½	cup	aloe	vera	gel
2	teaspoons	filtered	water
Combine	the	kelp	and	aloe	vera	in	a	small	bowl. Slowly	mix	in	the	water	until	you	create	a	thick	paste. Apply	to	your	face	and	neck	for	about	15	to	20	minutes. Rinse	well. JUMP	ON	A
TRAMPOLINE
This	type	of	movement	is	particularly	good	for	increasing	lymph	flow,	as	the
up-and-down	rhythmic	gravitational	force	created	by	bouncing	encourages	the
lymph	system’s	one-way	valves	to	open	and	close. GO	FOR	A	WALK	OR	HIKE
In	addition	to	all	the	other	benefits	of	getting	out	into	nature	(not	to	mention
exercise),
walking	is	a	great	way	to	help	move	your	lymphatic	system	and
improve	circulation. CLEANSE
Try	a	properly	administered	cleanse,	especially	in	the	springtime. If	well
designed	and	followed,	this	can	be	a	great	way	to	detox	your	whole	system	and
let	your	lymph	system	flush	out	accumulated	wastes	and	toxins. If	you	are
interested,	check	out	Kimberly’s	organic	smoothie	and	juice	company
(
myglowbio. com
)	for
cleanses	she	designs	that	ship	nationally. WEAR	LOOSE
CLOTHING
Tight	clothing	can	restrict	your	body’s	natural	circulation,	so	peel	yourself	out
of	your	skinny	jeans	(at	least	part	of	the	time)	and	incorporate	more	flowing
skirts
and	maxi	dresses	into	your	wardrobe. You’ll	be	more	comfy—and	moredetoxed. After	detoxing	your	lymphatic	system	with	looser	clothes	on	most
days,	you’ll	look	even	better	on	those	nights	when	you	do	want	to	wear	a	tight,
slinky	dress. PRACTICE
HYDROTHERAPY
If	you’ve	ever	been	to	a	traditional	Korean	spa,	you’ll	find	a	cold	plunge	pool
next	to	a	hot	pool. Experiencing	side-by-side	temperature	shifts	externally	to	the
outer	surface	of	your	skin	(again,
not
	by	saturating	your	internal	organs	with	icy
liquids!) is	believed	to	be	invigorating	in	some	Eastern	traditions,	as	it	promotes
enhanced	blood	flow	and	great	circulation	throughout	your	whole	body. You
can	do	this	at	home	by	simply	alternating	warm	and	cold	water	in	the	shower. Start	your	shower	with	a	few	minutes	of	warm	water,	and	then	shift	the	dial	for
2	minutes	of	cold	water. Make	it	as	cold	as	you	can	stand	it! Then	continue
alternating,	ending	your	shower	with	cold	water. You	will	feel	refreshed	and
energized,	and	your	hair	will	look	shinier	(on	the	days	you	wash	it). What	an
excellent	way	to	start	the	day—your	skin	will	also	be	glowing	all	over! NERVOUS	SYSTEM	SOOTHING	MASSAGE	OIL
Jojoba	oil	is	a	great	carrier	oil	for	most	essential	oils	because	it	is	easily	absorbed	into	your	skin	and	is
rich	in	vitamin	E.	Neroli	essential	oil	is	a	great	choice	for	this	skin	recipe,	as	research	has	found	neroli
helps	reduce	anxiety	and	improve	sleep	quality. 2
	Besides	its	calming,	grounding	properties,	it	has	a
lovely	sweet	and	spicy	aroma. Combine	½	cup	jojoba	oil	and	40	drops	neroli	essential


 highly spiritual
beings that their presence in a village could raise the consc iousness of
everyone in the village. I can now value and appreciate that idea. I have
found that when I am totally at peace within, and radiate that serenity
outward, the consciousness of those in the same room with me can become
peaceful. Recently I gave a speech to a large audience in Chicago, and in the room
were some five hundred children, many of them toddlers and infants. Thenoise level was quite high, but after a while I became accustomed to it and
it was not bothe rsome. At one particularly poignant moment in the speech,
as I was about to recite a gentle poem that is very meaningfu l to me, the
entire room, including the infants and toddlers, became silent. A kind of
magic communication was transmitted to everyone, through the dimension
of thought. The changes in myself and my life patterns have all happened without
goals or any life plan. Yet these inner changes are as much a part of me as
are my lungs and my heart. Similarly, there have been many  changes in my physical way of being in
the world. I run a minimum of eight miles daily, and have not missed a day
since I began at age thirty-six. Not once! I tell people that running is not
something that I do, it is something I am. It is a part of my being. It fits as
regularly into my health regimen as does being scrupulous about dental
care. Simply what I am as a healthy human being. My “old me” was well aware of the benefits to my form. Thos e benefits
remain and continue while I now experience a new level  of benefit
involving my inner Self, a loss of myself, an unawareness of my physicality
as I run. I now have higher levels of energy than I ever experie nced, and I
attribute it and my involvemen t in being healthy and fit to my higher -
consciousness approach to life. I find it interesting that I eat no red meat, which I once thrived on; that I
eat my food without adding salt, where I used to use the salt shaker before I
even tasted my food; that sugar, caffeine, and other nutritionally empty
foods are seldom part of my diet. I find all that interesting, but what is
astonishing  to me is that this tendency towa rd wholesome eating habits has
flowed from a more loving approach to myself and to all of life, not from a
desire to enhance my physical attractiveness or strength or to achieve
physical longevity. I seem to be trusting some sort of inner perfect consultant rather than
relying on cultural norms, old habits, or what I was taught as I grew up. The
part of me that wants to be in balance is choosing my food intake. I feel
balanced inside, and somehow this almost magically translates to a
salubrious approach to nutrition and exercise. I seldom wear a watch, yet a few years ago I would not be caugh t without
one. Time has lost its importa nce in the linear sense, and I do not feel
compelled to keep track of when  and where and how fast I live my life. Thishappened witho ut any goals or objectives. I simply stopped wearing a
watch and referring to time and scheduling my life, and I have found that I
am more ef ficient as a result. I am intrigued with the paradox of letting go of a need or desire for time
limits and feeling I have discovered unlimited time for things I want to do. More than that even. Without physical time constraints, my life not only
flows more ef ficiently but has increased richness and texture. I experie nce the paradox of letting go of time limits quite often in places
like checkout lines in stores. I am sure you too know the feelings that the
“old me” had when someone ahead of me in line was taking too long to
complete a transaction—I was impatient, agitated, critical; I even crowded
closer to try to prod the slow person on. The “new me” does not feel
trapped in time and therefore does not need to worry about getting out of
the store in a prescribed number of minutes. Instead I often experience a
new level of being with time. I discover my Self in thought a part of the
person checking out. My thoughts are of kindness and gentleness toward my
slowness or awkwardness, a loving message of relaxation and nonpressure
to the me that has been there, is there. The permission of unconditional love
which I would choose for myself in that situation seems to trans mit itself to
the other person and help him or her find the right coin or whatever else is
needed. And often this thought process creates a smile, an understanding
energy between that person and my Self, a richness and texture. One of the most beautiful and at the same time hardest-to -describe
interactions is the experience of physical and emotional intimacy with
another person. The physical orgasmic sensations are truly wonderful
aspects of our sexuality. But the soaring inner emotional loving feelings are
a beautiful part of this experien ce. Sex to me is now perfect love, rather
than the obligato ry function of a married man. Making love is an expression
of the inner love which we can reach, when we are both balanced and
fulfilled, and it is our mutual expression of that love. I have lost the desire to organize myself in strictly linear ways, and in the
process my life has become richer, more fluid and flowing and perfectly
balanced. My new perspective allows me to tackle any project with a sense
of inner excitement and the awareness that I do not have to prove myself or
be judged by the results. I simply am who I am, doing what I choose to do,
with a sense of acceptance about the outcome or lack of outcome. Interestingly, I accomplish more and acquire more (which I give away inlarge measure). I achieve more than I ever dreamed possible  in my old
linear days. My diminished motivation to achieve and acquire is particularly
noticeable when it comes to competition. Earlier in my life I was always
having to beat the other guy in order to prove myself. In recent years my
inclination is away from comp etition. I still play tennis, but I send my
opponent good wishes right in the middle of a tough match, and somehow,
paradoxically, I raise my own level of play. I feel this is a natural result of
radiating out from my Self the feelings and thoughts of uncond itional love
and nonjudgment. Cooperation has replaced competition in all facets of my life, and the
results are amaz ing for myself and all the others whom I touch  in one way
or another. I feel strongly attracted to the message in the statement “In a
world of individuals, compariso n makes no sense at all.” External events
are irrelevant to me except to the extent they produce order or disorder in
the world. I assess whatever I do. If an act produces some kind of harmony
for myse lf and others, it is a positive act. If it creates turbulence  or disorder,
I will work to reverse the impact. I see my mission  as helping others to shift their consciousness, so that all
of their waking thoughts and actions are in the direction of order and
harmony. It means living as if the intelligence behind all form really
matters, and not doing anything that destroys or harms life. Tapping into the
inner energy that is our Self with an accepting attitude contributes to a
personal sense of balance and harmony. As more and more of us evolve to
this personally balanced level, we will create the outer form in our world. In
this way, we will all participate in the transformation of our universe. I revel
in the love of life and learning of my six beautiful children. I teach only
love and I see them treating one another and people outside the family in
the same way. My wife and I have grown to love and respect ourselves and our own
uniqueness, so that we are able to radiate that inner glow outw ard toward
each other. We have a wonderful absence of judgment and negativity
toward each other, because we have both learned to be that way within
ourselves. Disagreements, yes! Disagreeableness, never! I want to emphasize that this new me is still assertive and firm about my
own life. I am not making the case for gushing sugar and honey at the evils
of the world, in the hope that they will disappear. On the contrary, what Iam expe riencing is a much deeper involvement with life, wherein I know
precisely what I am about, and I cannot be deterred from that path. I am
able to stay on my path, doing what I love and loving what I do, precisely
because I have transformed myself from a person who had absolute
judgments which required fixed and rigid responses to a perso n who sees
and knows that any human experience is an opportunity to reflect on where
I am or am not. It comes down to surrendering some old, deeply entrenched
patterns. It means catching myself right in the middle of acting in a
nonharmonious way, and seeing  that this is where I am and also where I am
not right now! Then it means using my mind to be where I want to be inside
of myself, and slowly but surely moving more in the direction of that inner
harmony. Recently I had an experience that illustrates how this works. My wife
told me that one of the children  had


 higher dimensional worlds. There are those who may claim that it is too grandiose a
wish for us humans to become more than human. But it must
be stated that this wish is neither impossible nor too
dangerous, as long as the correct practices are performed
without error. It should also be added that the guidance of a
qualified teacher is essential in case difficulties are en
countered along the way. In such cases, if no other qualified
person is available to the reader, he should feel free to in
quire without hesitation at this institute, The Institute for
Religious Psychology, where instruction and guidance in the
awakening of the chakras is given on a regular basis. I
The Practice
of
Tantra Yoga
The Purpose of Yoga
The purpose of yogic disciplines has been described in a
great variety of ways: as the discovery of Truth, as the
realization of the Self, as the realization of the identity of
Brahman and Atman, as the unification of man and God. These descriptions all point to the underlying concepts of
yoga. For the purposes of this book, however, we will use the
following definition: yoga is a means of achieving union with
the inner True Self, the God within. The Sanskrit word "yoga" has two meanings. The first of
these, "union", implies harmony, unity, and stability. The
second meaning, "yoke" (as used to link oxen drawing a
wagon), signifies the unification of the individual self with
the divine. This unification is possible through concentra
tion upon a sacred symbol or entity, such as a chakra, man-
dala, or mantra, or simply upon the inner True Self. The
realization of this goal necessitates the complete negation of
the individual, discrete self which is an obstruction between
the seeker and his goal of complete freedom. Only when the
negation of individuality is attained can the aspirant begin to
live in a higher dimension in which all things, including the
individual self, are encompassed as one. From this union
30 31
springs true life, and in it lies the gateway to spiritual libera
tion. Understood in this way, self-negation and self-
realization are in no sense contradictory. As one continues
to elevate his or her level of existence through continued
practice, union with God - the ultimate goal of Yoga - can
eventually be realized. In our ordinary perception of reality, subject and object ex
ist as distinct, discrete entities. Indeed, science is based
upon the contradistinction of subject and object. A scientist
attempts to observe phenomena in a precise fashion and for
mulate laws which explain what he has observed. The
observing subject himself, however, is not considered; the
knowledge obtained is therefore knowledge about the object
only, and not the subject who has recognized and perceived
the object. In this sense science does not examine the entire
field of observation and its knowledge is thus incomplete. In contrast, knowledge obtained through the unity of sub
ject and object takes into account the reality of both, and the
profound universal oneness from which they arise. This
union of subject and object - present in the state called
Samadhi - is a major goal of yogic practice. In scientific
work, an object is perceived through the filter of the five sen
sory organs. However, when the subject, which confronts
and stands in opposition to the object, is negated and
transcended the essential nature of the object may be
perceived directly by the superconscious, rather than
through the sensory organs. This form of knowing may be
called wisdom. It is the purpose of yoga to reach the state of
oneness of subject and object in which true wisdom exists. The activation of the chakras is an indispensable means to
realize this goal. The techniques for chakra awakening, a
part of tantra yoga, enhance the functions of both mind and
body, and are the most effective way to develop "siddhis". Although commonly defined as "miraculous powers", sid
dhis are best understood as faculties bestowed upon the
aspirant when he experiences the divine realm of existence. 32
Mere intellectual belief in the world of deities is empty
theorization; we must actually experience the reality of this
world in order to unify with the Absolute and obtain final
liberation - Nirvana. The awakening of the chakras trans
ports one to the divine world, the world of the True Self. The Eight Disciplines of Yoga
Yogic practice is comprised of eight types or "limbs" of
discipline. They were first codified by Patanjali, who com
piled his Yoga Sutras in the fifth or sixth century B.C., based
upon the teachings of various Yoga sects. The eight disci
plines are:
(l)Yama (abstention from evil conduct)
(2)Niyama (virtuous conduct)
(3)Asana (physical postures)
(4)Pranayama (regulation of the breath)
(5)Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses)
(6)Dharana (concentration)
(7)Dhyana (meditation)
(8)Samadhi (union of subject and object)
These disciplines may be classified into five groups:
(1) Moral training: Yama, Niyama. Purification and har
monization of the mind. (2) Physical training: Asana, Pranayama. Regulation of vi
tal energy and blood circulation; regulation of nervous
and muscle functions. (3) Mental training: Pratyahara, Dharana. Breaking
through the shell of the self through introversion and
the control of consciousness. (4) Spiritual training: Dhyana. Attaining superconscious-
ness and contact with spiritual beings. (5) Samadhi: Oneness with the Divine, the highest stage of
spiritual development. 33
In actual practice, certain of these disciplines are prac
ticed together in powerful configurations known as mudras. The mudras are very important practices which traditionally
have been taught only to outstanding disciples. They are
more effective than either isolated pranayama or asana prac
tice, and thus were considered potentially dangerous for
those not adequately prepared. However, nowadays they are
taught openly to earnest disciples by various gurus through
out the world, perhaps to fulfill the heightened spiritual
needs of mankind in this age of crisis. Mudras are types of gestures which generate great psychic
power and deeply "spiritual" emotions. Certain mudras are
used to control involuntary, normally subconscious physio
logical processes. They develop awareness of the flow of
vital energy (prana) in the astral body, and allow the practi
tioner to gain conscious control over it. Once this has been
achieved, prana may be sent to any part of the body, or even
transmitted to others (this is what makes psychic healing
possible). Many of the mudras combine asana, pranayama,
and bandha (see Chapter III) practices into one. Since each
of the constituent parts generates its own beneficial effects,
the cumulative effect can be tremendous. The mudras are
important as preparation for pratyahara and dharana prac
tices; in fact, they are the core of the techniques for awaken
ing the chakras. At the same time, they promote physical and
mental health. A detailed explanation of the mudras will be given in
Chapter IV, following asana (Chapter II) and pranayama
(Chapter III) instruction. Let us complete this chapter with a
discussion of the beginning practices of yogic discipline,
yama and niyama. Moral Training
The human mind is composed of both conscious and un
conscious elements. Normally, the conscious mind exerts a 34
certain amount of control over the unconscious. However,
unconscious impulsive desires such as appetite, sexual de
sire, and emotional attachment are constantly at work, af
fecting the consciousness; when they come to dominate a
person's mind, he becomes a selfish, antisocial individual
who exerts a negative influence on all those around him. Reckless motorcycle gangs are a typical example. Driven
by the desire for speed and the need to show off, they feel no
guilt over the annoyance they cause others. However, sooner
or later they often suffer serious injuries or even kill them
selves. Self-destruction is the fate of those who cannot con
trol the blind, instinctive desires which originate in the
unconscious. I do not mean to imply that unconscious drives generate
only negative effects or always cause misconduct. If con
trolled, this powerful energy can be rechanneled into a high
er dimension and used to promote harmony. However, those
without the requisite self-control often exhibit neurotic ten
dencies and unstable behavior. For example, attracted by
mutually-shared weaknesses, such persons often join to
gether to form groups which antagonize society, as in the
case of the motorcycle gangs. Disturbed or neurotic individuals often appear at our Insti
tute, seeking help. Frequently we find two contributing fac
tors present: deficient moral discipline during childhood,
and a lack of religious worship at home. It is my


 whitish grey phlegm, frothy in appearance
was produced in large quantities. As soon as I would leave my
usual work, lesion would start. Such was my condition since 1952. From 15-5-58 to 21-5-58 I rubbed my whole body with urine and
from L2-5-58 I started drinking urine and continued it up to 27-5-58
along with fasting. During this treatrr.ent, heat erruptions appeared
on the whole body, but as I knew that it was only a reaction due to
this treatment, I did not get alarmed. Within a short time, the
erruptions subsided of their own accord. Rubbing and drinking of
·,Jrine produced a wonderful effect. On the last day of my fast and
the la~2r two days, i.e. 30th & 31st, urine was tasteless like disrilled
water. Th. :: trouble of phlegm disappeared on the very first day of GOUT,: 141
taking urine. Cold and pain in the ribs also vanished. I could sleep
in the nights without covering myself because there was no trace of
cold, phlegm and pleurisy. Gout and stiffness (spondyalitis) also
became extremely mild. Stiffness in my neck also disappeared and it
became flexible again. The skin became responsive, tender and
healthy. In brief urine treatment gave me excellent and unique
results. Still I occasionally drink and rub urine and my health is
maintained normally.11
2. Stiffness of the Vertebral column & Swelling :. An account of
Shri Chaturbhai Bhailalbhai of Mogari village in 'Kaira District has
already been given. He also cured his daught~r-in-law. Here is a
brief account. His daughter-in-law had a sprain in her vertebral column which
developed particularly ·in the fourth and fifth ver:tebral where
swelling appeared. She was unable to look. straight, forward or sid~
ways, due to intense pain. There was no comfortable sleep_.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Can. cer of Throat : I give below an account of another case after
careful scrutiny which was also undertaken by Shri Babubhai Soni. A Jain monk of forty-five, was suffering from cancer. He had a
tumour of cancer on his neck. In Bombay he had been treated
electrically. As a result of which the tumour disappeared but
reappeared on the other side. Intense coughing was also present. The doctor treating the patient had told cancer to be its cause. The
doctor also advised him to go Tata Hospital. Shri Babubhai met him CASES OF CANCER : 109
the day before, he, was to leave for Bombay and informed him
about urine therapy. Besides that he also gave him a copy of the
Water of Life to read. The patient postponed his programme for
Bombay. After going through the book, the very next day he started
drinking all the urine passed during the day and also observed fast. With the drinking of urine, his body become light and soft The
cough disappeared in three days. As a result his faith in urine
therapy increased. He continued drinking urine, Some days later,
the monk had clear motions and sound sleep after many months. The urine maintained his strenght during the period of fast. The
monk was fully relieved of his trouble with this treatment, i. e. only
by auto-urine without its rubbings. Shri Babubhai met him after
nearly three months of the experiment and was told that the monk
had no trouble whatsoever. That monk still lives and travels in
Gujarat. Shri Babubhai also treated his son with urine. The boy was
always indisposed. With the rubbing of urine he now enjoys better
health and playfully digests whatever he eats. Shri Babubhai wi4tes:
11A number of persons carry out this experiment. and ad. ie~
good results. Many of them do not disclose their experiments olit,·of
fals~ shame but the changes that I notice in their bodies reveal their
use. of urine but they hesitate to declare it publicly. I hold. that i. f
man at large adopts urine t~erapy, no disease would be incU,raflle. 11
Cancer of the Stomach : The first patient of cancer of stoma<:h
was treated by urine application directly under my guidance. Shd
Mafatlal Chandulal Shah is the member of th municipality, Palanpur. His three years old son Subhash fell a victim to cancer~ Shri
Chandulal Shah adopted urine treatment and was able to avoid the
untimely death of his dear son. ln his letter, dated 22-4-196l, he
writes to me :
·uLast year my younger son Subhash fell ill. He had a tun:tWf Qf
cancer in his stomach and pus in his testicles. The testides,haa·to
be operated to remove put. But the wound of the operation would
U. T. -10 110 : AUTO-URINE THERAPY
not heal. At last I had him examined in Tata Hospital at Bombay. Mr. Borji, a doctor of this hospital, examined him and after giving
X-rays diagnosed that there was tumour of cancer in his stomach. The doctor further opined that the patient would have to be
subjected to deep X-rays on his stomach and testicles. 11ln the newspapers, I had read about urine therapy. I decided to
try the same. Following the kind advice of Shri Popatla Zaveri and
the instructions given in the book Manav-Mutra, I kept Subhash on
fast for two days only. during the fast, he was given to drink boiled
water and all the urine he passed. His entire body was rubbed with
his own urine every morning and evening. After four days, boils
appeared on his head and the rest of the body. Pus oozed out of the
body. Pieces of cloth soaked in urine were applied. After seven days'
treatment, the wounds were healed up. He was given very light and
easily digestible diet. Drinking and rubbing of urine continued daily. Consequently, the wound on his testicles was healed too. The urine
treatment continued for one month and he was completely cured. Now there was no trace of tumour in his stomach. He was then
examined by the doctors who reported that the boy had no
disease. The experiment however continued. After one week our
doctor accompanied me and Subhash was examined in the general
hospital at Nagpur. His blood and urine were tested. They declared
that Subhash had no cancer at all. He now hale and hearty. Important lnstuctions for Cancer Treatment : In a case of
cancer urine treatment should be adopted with proper consideration
of the nature of the patient and his capacity for taking urine. Whereas in other diseases urine treatment can be undertaken
gradually, in cancer it should be begun immediately. This is so due
to the fact that growth in cancer is very quick. Besides this, the
patient may have pain and pus in his ears and acute, intolerabel
headache. To get relief from that unbearable pain the patient even
during the course of urine treatment is tempted to take some
soomthing tablets or medicine. The patient should not invite more
misery and make urine treatent ineffective by taking such medicines. \ CASES OE. CANCE~ : 111
In addition to rubbing and drinkig, the patient of cancer should
observe the following treatments :
1. Wash the ears gently by pouring urine among them through a
syringe; put a few drops in ea,:-h 0f them and then plug them with
cotton soaked in urine. This should be doen twice a day. 2. Keep continuously the cloth-packs of urine on the head. (It
would be better if the head is shaved before doing so. ) 3. Have mouth-wash with fresh urine twice or thrice a day. This
should be done by thorough gargling. 4. If cancer be on tongue, it should be rubbed repeatedly with a
~loth-piece soaked in urine. 5. Put hot-urine packs on the tumour or growth and thus foment
the affected portion. 6. Drink the entire urine passed during the fast period and desist
from any diet, fruits or juices. There is nothing to be alarmed if
vomiting or loose motions start during the days of fast. The contents
of vomiting and stools should be observed and noted carefully
without any nausea. As the filth is cleared off, vomiting and loose
motions will automatically cease. The fast may be terminated the
next day and no urine need be taken on that day. The quantity of
food may be gradually increased as the digestive power recovers
and normal diet can be resumed i 11 course of time. After the fast till the full strenght is not regained the patient is
advised to take three ounces of urine once or twice a day; similarly
rubbing and dieting should be continued. A patient of cancer must
not use salt at all till complete recovery is made. AFTERMATH OF CASES
1. Kaviraj Kaush


	connected	as	possible	to	the	uninterrupted	flow	of	awareness. To	a
Western	reader	the	book	is	baffling;	it	describes	so	many	gradations	of
awareness,	so	many	possible	destinations	in	the	Bardo	that	it	would	take	a
lifetime	of	Buddhist	practice	to	absorb	all	the	possibilities. This	is	precisely
the	point,	for	Tibetans	don’t	want	to	wander	outside	their	belief	system;	it
upholds	who	they	are	and	where	they	are	going	on	the	path	to	liberation. That’s	one	example	of	tightly	patterned	choice,	compared	to	which	a
Westerner	is	a	reckless	gambler. We	do	not	typically	try	to	hold	on	to
unbroken	consciousness,	and	although	we	may	harbor	a	wish	to	come	back	to
a	lifetime	closely	resembling	the	one	we	left,	it’s	just	as	likely	that	we	may
yearn	for	something	completely	new. In	any	event,	we	don’t	usually	assume
that	our	wishes	matter. The	business	of	heaven	and	hell	will	take	care	of	itself,
which	means,	ironically,	that	Westerners	are	more	resigned	about	Karma	than
most	people	in	the	East,	who	always	keep	in	the	back	of	their	minds	some
notion	that	Karma	follows	a	person	from	lifetime	to	lifetime. For	them,	everyaction	in	this	life	reverberates	into	the	next,	and	apparently	random	events	in
the	present	have	their	roots	in	decisions	made	in	the	past. What	this	implies	is	that	there	are	many	ways	to	relate	to	Karma. You	can
choose	to	be	as	aware	as	you	like,	or	as	unaware. Karma	glues	events
together,	but	that	isn’t	the	same	as	being	fatalistic. In	the	East	this	point	is
often	missed,	and	people	commonly	assume	that	bad	actions	are	like	crimes
with	set	punishments	while	good	actions	earn	fixed	rewards. Logical	as	that
sounds,	it	denies	freedom	of	choice. “I	used	to	think	that	karma	turned	me	into	a	kind	of	puppet,”	a	friend	of
mine	once	remarked. “Having	made	millions	of	choices	in
the
	past,	each	one
with	its	own	consequence,	how	could	I	be	free	of	them? Each	bad	choice	jerks
me	one	way,	each	good	choice	another. Fate	holds	the	strings.”
“How	did	you	break	free	from	that	way	of	thinking?”	I	asked. “I	couldn’t,”	he	said. “But	then	one	day	it	hit	me. What	does	it	matter	if
I’m	a	puppet? I	can’t	feel	the	strings. I	can’t	see	anybody	manipulating	them. For	all	I	know,	every	decision	I	make	is	mine	and	mine	alone. I	may	still	be
fate’s	puppet,	but	what	does	it	matter	if	I	can’t	tell	the	difference?”
It’s	hard	to	argue	with	such	pragmatism. Only	afterward	did	I	think	about
its	flaws. If	Karma	is	akin	to	the	invisible	working	of	the	brain,	we	can’t
ignore	it	just	because	it’s	unseen. Our	brains	produce	all	kinds	of	disturbing
and	distorted	thoughts. They	can	become	imbalanced	and	throw	us	into
depression	or	outright	madness. They	are	subject	to	false	perceptions	and
hallucinations,	not	to	mention	crippling	disease,	which	may	be	treatable. More	basically,	what	we	say	and	do	changes	the	brain. The	hard	wiring	of
neurons	is	altered	by	experience,	so	that	the	brain	of	someone	who	has
suffered	a	terrible	calamity,	for	example,	becomes	different	from	someone
who	hasn’t. Positive	and	negative	experiences	condition	the	mind	to	see	the
world	in	a	particular	way,	and	the	brain	then	adapts. Let’s	apply	this	to	reincarnation. At	death	the	visible	and	invisible	aspects
of	karma	mesh. The	standard	version	recounted	in	India	goes	like	this:	When
you	die	you	leave	your	body	but	remain	aware	of	who	you	are. You	may
continue	to	see	the	room	you	died	in;	you	retain	the	sensations	of	possessing	a
physical	body	for	a	time	(traditionally,	bodies	remain	untouched	immediately
after	death	in	the	belief	that	the	deceased	would	continue	to	feel	anything
done	to	them). Next,	like	a	drowning	man	seeing	his	life	pass	before	his	eyes,	one’s
karma	unravels	like	thread	coming	off	a	spool,	and	the	events	of	this	lifetime
march	in	review	across	the	screen	of	the	mind. You
re-experience
	all	your
significant	moments	since	birth,	only	this	time	with	a	vividness	and	clarity
that	shows	you	exactly	what	each	one	meant. Right	and	wrong	are	also	clearly
revealed,	with	no	excuses	or	rationalizations. You	become	responsible	for
everything	you	did.As	these	judgments	are	made—they	are	all	self-judgments,	not	divine
edicts—you	find	yourself	in	various	Lokas,	worlds	that	reflect	the	kind	of
reward	or	punishment	that	your	actions	deserve. A	single	soul	is	not	assigned
to	one	Loka	forever	but	stays	only	as	long	as	Karma	dictates. During	this
passage,	which	encompasses	worlds	of	pleasure	and	pain,	you	will	learn	about
yourself	and	come	to	your	own	conclusions. No	external	force	tells	you	what
your	life	meant	or	how	to	proceed	to	the	next	step. You	may	suffer	in	a	hellish
Loka	for	what	seems	like	eternity,	or	you	could	leave	immediately. Time	is
purely	subjective,	and	what	you’re	actually	experiencing	is	your	own
awareness	working	out	its	dilemmas	and	conflicts. Why	am	I	here? What
makes	me	suffer? Do	I	deserve	to	suffer? Is	there	a	way	out? People	who	are	disconnected	from	themselves	will	be	as	baffled	by	the
afterlife	as	they	are	by	the	present. For	them,	cause	and	effect	aren’t	clear. Feelings	of	being	alienated,	alone,	victimized,	tossed	around	by	fate,	out	of
control,	or	abused	by	authority	clash	with	one	another. In	this	fog	of
confusion	they	cannot	take	responsibility	for	their	own	motivations	and
desires,	and	the	afterlife	may	frighten	or	baffle	them. Being	disconnected	is	an	illusion	from	the	soul’s	perspective,	and
however	long	it	may	take,	the	person	eventually	prepares	to	leave	the	region
of	Lokas. Understanding,	symbolized	by	light,	begins	to	dawn. In	clarity	you
realize	that	“I	am”	is	your	basis,	not	the	things	you	did. You	no	longer
identify	with	being	a	certain	person;	you	now	identify	with	being	conscious,
and	what	fills	your	mind	is	fresh	possibilities. The	karma	you	brought	into	the
last	lifetime	has	been	exhausted,	and	fresh	seeds	of	karma	are	ready	to	sprout. Being	reborn	enters	your	mind	gradually. For	a	long	period	(speaking
subjectively)	you	experience	bliss,	or	Ananda;	you	have	gained	pure	being,
which	brings	its	own	fulfillment	regardless	of	any	karma,	good	or	bad. You
find	yourself	in	the	same	gap	as	the	one	between	two	thoughts,	only	this	time
you	are	aware	of	uncountable	possibilities	from	which	to	choose. How	do	you
choose	the	next	life? Through	the	same	process	as	choosing	the	next	thought.


 in many ways a key to the
others. The “spiritual life” has many meanings. It need not be reflected in any
commitment to an or ganized religion, and we all know that some of the
most outwardly pious people are the least spiritual. These are the ones who
give other people “spiritual ulcers,” as a participant in one of my workshops
phrased it. From the standpoint of a healer, I view spirituality as including
the belief in some meaning or order in the universe. I view the force behind
creation as a loving, intelligent ener gy. For some, this is labeled God, for
others it can be seen simply as a source of healing. From this there comes
the ability to find peace, to resolve the apparent contradictions between
one’s emotions and reality, between internal and external. Spirituality
means acceptance of what is (not to be confused with resignation or
approval of evil). Jesus told us to love our enemies, not like them and not
have no enemies. In an abandoned, bombed-out house in Germany at the
end of World War II, Allied soldiers found a testimony to this faith
scratched into a basement wall by one of the victims of the Holocaust:
I believe in the sun—even when it does not shine;
I believe in love—even when it is not shown;
I believe in God—even when he does not speak.Spirituality means the ability to find peace and happiness in an
imperfect world, and to feel that one’ s own personality is imperfect but
acceptable. From this peaceful state of mind come both creativity and the
ability to love unselfishly, which go hand in hand. Acceptance, faith,
forgiveness, peace, and love are the traits that define spirituality for me. These characteristics always  appear in those who achieve unexpected
healing of serious illness. Most physicians won’ t “try God” until the patient is near death. Then
they may prescribe a hope and a prayer. I believe it’ s far better to make a
connection with the patient’ s spiritual beliefs earlier, when the job is easier. Anyone who believes that the world is basically a beautiful place—even if
it came about because of Nature rather than God—has a reason to remain in
it. A person who believes in a benevolent higher power has a potent reason
for hope—and hope is physiologic. Obviously, the “medical meaning” of religion varies from person to
person. Those who profess a faith merely because their parents did or
because it increases their social standing are unlikely to really believe it can
heal them. Sometimes religion even becomes a negative factor. People
think, “If God gave me this illness, who am I to get well?” Beliefs that lean
heavily on guilt, original sin, and predestination are of little use for healing. By the same token, it’ s hard to find peace in life if you believe death is a
meaningless end or earthly existence is futile. That’ s why I prefer to speak
of spirituality rather than religion, to avoid doctrinal limitations. It’ s
essential not to force a stereotyped picture of God on anyone. In ECaP  we
seek instead to use what is positive in each patient’ s beliefs. I want to emphasize here the dif ference between wishing, which is
passive, and hope, which is active. Hoping means seeing that the outcome
you want is possible, and then working for it. Wishing means just sitting
there, waiting for a miracle to happen out of the blue. Jung said, “Every
problem, therefore, brings the possibility of a widening of consciousness,
but also the necessity of saying goodbye to childlike unconsciousness and
trust in nature,” a process he likened to leaving the Garden of Eden. I
encourage patients to have faith in God but not to expect Him to do all the
work. I think of God as the same potential healing force—an intelligent,
loving ener gy or light—in each person’ s life. Even scientists are now telling
us that ener gy has intelligence. Physicist Carl Pribram has said, “Theuniverse must be friendly. It gave us physics, so we can understand what all
those who preceded us already knew.” I suggest that patients think of illness
not as God’ s will but as our deviation from God’ s will. To me it is the
absence of spirituality that leads to dif ficulties. I know that many patients,
when they develop an illness or have a recurrence, are angry at God. It’ s
important to be able to ar gue with God, as is traditional in Judaism. Continued helpless rage at the universe can’ t possibly lead to health. God
isn’t sitting up there with a clipboard, saying, “Let’ s see who I can make
trouble for today.” On the contrary, God is a resource. The ener gy of hope
and faith is always available. We all must die someday, but the spiritual way
is always open to everyone and can make our lives beautiful whenever we
choose it. As German dramatist Christian Friedrich Hebbel once wrote,
“Life is not anything; it is only the opportunity for something.”
UNCONDITIONAL  LOVE
Many people, especially cancer patients, grow up believing there is
some terrible flaw at the center of their being, a defect they must hide if
they are to have any chance for love. Feeling unlovable and condemned to
loneliness if their true selves become known, such individuals set up
defenses against sharing their innermost feelings with anyone. They feel
their ability to love shriveling up, which leads to further despair. Dostoyevsky expressed the feeling when he wrote, “I am convinced that the
only Hell which exists is the inability to love.” Because such people feel a
profound emptiness inside, they come to see all relationships and
transactions in terms of getting  something to fill the vaguely understood
void within. They give love only on condition that they get something for it,
whether comfort, security, praise, or a similar love. This “if” love is
exhausting and prevents you from expressing your au thentic self. It leads to
an even deeper sense of emptiness, which keeps the vicious circle going. I feel that all disease is ultimately related to a lack of love, or to love
that is only conditional, for the exhaustion and depression of the immune
system thus created leads to physical vulnerability. I also feel that all
healing is related to the ability to give and accept unconditional love. This
was strikingly borne out in the story of one of my cervical cancer patients, a
secretary named Sherry.As a child, Sherry felt unloved by her stepmother, and as a teenager she
formed a strong attachment to one of her teachers. One day, in the school
gym, Sherry told some of her friends that she loved Mrs. Johnson. Some of
the children told the teacher, “Sherry loves you,” and she called Sherry into
her of fice. “Sherry, do you love me from near or far?” Mrs. Johnson asked. The
girl didn’ t know what the woman was talking about, so she said, “From
near.”
Mrs. Johnson then called Sherry’ s stepmother and told her that her
daughter was a lesbian. When Sherry came home from school that day, her
stepmother confronted her with the information. As she later told me, “I
didn’ t know what ‘lesbian’  meant, but I got the message that love gets you
in trouble, and I decided to stop loving.”
Sherry lost her friends and became so lonely and desperate that she
“would get dressed and walk the streets hoping people would look out their
windows and wave at me.” When she finally got married, she couldn’ t
believe in her husband’ s love, and kept asking him, over and over, if he
loved her. “I know if I hadn’ t developed cancer,” she said, “he would have
left me.”
The impact of the disease, as well as group therapy in ECaP, enabled
Sherry to change her outlook. She opened her heart to love, revitalized her
marriage, and made a stand against her illness. She was doing very well—and had even gone back to work—until her
birthday. With six children, her husband, and her father -in-law all living in
the same house, there was not one present for Sherry. Everybody had a
reason, but underneath they were all saying, “W e’re getting used to your
being dead.” She hid her pain and despair from everyone, and two months
later she had a recurrence. Once when I visited her soon afterward, she told me she was “so upset
about dying, because I’m trying to prove what you’re doing is right.” She
was still trying to stay alive for the wrong reasons—to please other people
instead of herself. And all because of the lack of real love in her formative
years. She and her husband were never able to share their deepest feelings,
though I kept trying to help them do so. Once I gave a talk near Sherry’ s
office and told them I’d dedicate it to her, hoping the whole family would
come. Her husband wrote me a note saying, “I’m sorry, I’m busy that night,but call me if you want to.” However, the note had no name, address, or
phone number. Its unconscious message was, “Don’ t call me.”
When I can get people to accept themselves as whole individuals,
lovable as they are, they become able to give from


, people with high blood sugar levels should seek
medical advice before taking this. It is advisable to take up this (or any other home remedy) with professional
advice only. Why ghee is less than the other ingredients? Honey and ghee should not be taken in equal quantities. Hence, honey is
taken a bit more and ghee a bit less in this remedy.178. Ayurvedic Home
Remedy for Gastritis
Y
Ayurveda has explained many home remedies for gastritis. Because gastritis is a
recurring complaint, home remedies play a very important role in keeping this
condition under check. Here is a simple and easy to prepare home remedy for
gastritis. What you need? Haritaki (Terminalia chebula) – 10 grams. It is a very famous herb, it is one
among the three ingredients of Triphala. is herb can be purchased from any
part of the world. Pippali – Long pepper – 10 grams – Famous spice, one among three
ingredients of Trikatu churna. Dry Grapes – Widely used in many gastritis remedies. Sugar Candy
Dhanvayasa – is herb is known as Fagonia cretica/Alhagi pseudalhagi. If
you cannot nd the herb, it ca n be removed from this home remedy. Honey – Used in gastritis due to its ulcer healing and gastric calming
properties. All the above ingredients are taken in equal quantities and pounded to form a
paste. To make it easy, rst dry grapes are pounded with sugar candy and then
ne power of other ingredients are added, at the end honey is added to form a
uniform paste. If needed, a little more honey is ne.•
•
•Once prepared, this remedy can be stored for 2–3 months in air tight
container. Benets: Useful to relieve –
Burning sensation in throat (say, after vomiting or after eating chilli)
Burning sensation in upper stomach – related to hyperacidity. It is traditionally used as a remedy for gastritis. Dose: 2–3 grams after food with water or honey•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•179. Ayurvedic Natural
Home Remedy for Gout
Y
Gout is often recurrent in nature. In Ayurvedic treatment of gout, correction
of digestion enzyme levels, reducing pain and inammation in the joints are
given utmost importance. Home remedy plays very important role in
Ayurvedic treatment for this joint disease. Here is one such natural remedy. Natural Home Remedy for Gout
What you Need –
Guduchi ne powder = Giloy = Indian tinospora – 10 g rams
Ginger power – 10 grams
Yashtimadhu = Licorice = 10 grams
Katuki = Picrorhiza = Picrorhiza kurroa = 10 grams
Honey – quantity suﬃcient
Procedure
Take ne powder of the above ingredients
Mix it w ell
Add honey and make a paste.•
•
•Dose: is paste is taken in a dose of 1–2 grams in the morning and at night,
after food, or as directed by your healthcare professional. In Ayurveda, it is advised along with cow urine. Cow urine has special
therapeutic benet in cow. It can also be taken along with warm water. How it acts? Guduchi has immuno – modulator and anti inammatory eﬀect. It
helps to relieve pain and swelling in the joints aﬀected by gout –
arthritis. Ayurveda explains Guduchi (Giloy) as the number 1 herb in
the treatment of Gout. Ginger and liquorice are potent anti inammatory herbs. Katuki – helps to equalize the digestive and liver enzymes, responsible
for inammatory complex of gout.•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•180. Easy and Simple
Remedies for Shoe Bite,
Footwear Itch
By Dr. M.S. Krishnamurthy MD (Ayu), Ph.D.
Y
I am very sure that at least one in three will have this complaint of shoe bite or
footwear itch. It is a general complaint of burning or pain followed with mild
swelling. It is caused due to the following reasons –
Wearing wrong sized footwear or chappal. Newly brought footwear with sharp borders
Improper gait or style of walk
Long walk
Walking in sand or stones
Moist sole or footwear
Moist socks
Excess of humidity
Sudden change in the weather
Particular brand of shoes/chappals (as mild change or alteration may be
found from one company to other)•
•Shift from chappal to shoes or each other
Change of heal size etc
Common Features
Mild swelling or itching in the localized area
Mild to moderate pain
Discoloration (often red or black)
Erosion
Diﬃcult to walk etc
Generally this rare or accidental condition is not taken seriously. Also
individuals try hard to manage themselves with few of the ointments,
liniments or pain killers. Consultation of a physician is very rare and only ion
case of allergic manifestations or if bleeding persists for long, physicians help is
availed. Sesame Oil, Salt and Turmeric
20 ml of sesame oil, a pinch of salt and a pinch of turmeric powder are taken
together and slightly warmed. On self cooling it is ltered and preserved. is
is used to apply over the aﬀected lesions. A Traditional Lotion
Equal amount of (say 20 ml) of sesame or coconut oil and lime water (water in
which a pinch of calcied lime is dissolved) are taken together and rubbed
(macerated) well. is becomes viscous and appears like the lotion or Vaseline. is is applied to the bitten area of the shoe or chappal. Dusting Powder
In case of repeated incidences are found due not moist sole, talcum powder or
Godanti bhasma (gypsum powder) can be dusted over the foot or sole.Salt Water Dip
If the incidence is caused during the winter season a gentle dip of sole in salt
water for 3–5 minutes will help to avoid the possible chances of shoe bite. If
needed, half a teaspoon of turmeric can be added to salt water.1. 2.181. Herbal Home
Remedies for Ulcerative
Colitis
Y
Ulcerative colitis is a disease aﬀecting large intestine and rectum. It is
characterized by blood in stools and diarrhoea with pus, abdominal pain,
weight loss and fever. Various factors such as good diet control, stress,
immunity and inammation of intestines need attention. Because of its
recurrent nature, patient needs to make frequent visit to doctor. Hence a
couple of Ayurvedic herbal home remedies for ulcerative colitis prove more
than handy. Ulcerative Colitis Remedy –
Sandalwood powder – 5 grams
Sugar – 3 grams
Honey – 3 grams
Water used to wash the rice –  30 ml. Mix the sandalwood powder with sugar and honey and make a paste. Have this paste with rice washed water, twice a day. It relieves
bleeding and diarrhoea. Ulcerative Colitis Remedy –•
•
•
•
•
•Take 5 grams of each of connessi bark (Kutaja – Bark of Holarrhena
antidysenterica) and pomegranate bark. Add with 2 cups of water, boil and evaporate water in mild re till
you are left with approximately one cup of the drink. Filter. Take this herbal drink with a little honey. Each time, a fresh herbal drink needs to be prepared. Once prepared, should be nished within 4–6 h ours.182. Home Remedy for Flu,
Cold, Indigestion
Y
Lets learn a simple and easy to prepare home remedy for u and cold. It is also
useful to relieve excess phlegm and cough. It is good for eyes as well. It has
only four ingredients. What You Need
Long pepper powder (Pippali) – 10 grams
Haritaki (Terminalia chebula) – 10 grams
Amla (Indian Gooseberry, Amalaki) – dry fruit powder – 10 g rams
Chitraka (Leadwort – Plumbago zeylanica) – 10 g rams. How to make? Take 10 grams of ne power of all these and mix it. How to use? 1–3 Grams of this powder mix with honey or luke warm water is taken. Benets? Very useful to relieve u symptoms, relieves cough, cold, indigestion and
anorexia. It is also good to use during eye infection. How it works?Chitraka (leadwort) is a very powerful antipyretic (anti-fever) herb. Amla brings down temperature, being a coolant. Amla and Haritaki are part of Triphala. ey improve eye power and also
ght infection. Long pepper is again a powerful anti inamm


eventually may be devastating. The horseradish sauce on the other
hand, has repeatedly given lasting benefits. Mucus is the result of
drinking too much milk and eating concentrated starches, bread, and
cereals in excess. RHUBARB JUICE
Rhubarb is probably responsible for more kidney trouble among
children than any other single factor. Few if any other plants have
such a high concentration of oxalic acid as rhubarb. When cooked,
this acid is converted into an inorganic chemical which, when eaten,
deposits vast amounts of oxalic acid crystals in the body. 52 Innumerable cases of rheumatism and rheumatic fever could be
traced to the ingestion of cooked rhubarb. No example could be more
vivid than this to prove the fallacy of eating sor°a food or food product
because of certain individual particular merit without regard to the
disastrous effect of other elements it may contain. Because of its
supposedly laxative properties, rhubarb is used extensively for children
as well as by adults. Because the laxative results are more or less
immediately apparent, no further thought is given to the other end
product—the oxalic acid crystals deposited in the body. As these
deposits do not cause immediate irritation and their effect is insidious
and slow in manifesting, the consequences are rarely if ever attributed
to the proper cause—the eating of rhubarb. The subject of oxalic acid is so very important that we have covered
it fairly extensively in a separate chapter under that heading. Some benefit can be derived from fresh-raw rhubarb juice,
provided that it is used sparingly, and only in combination with other
juices such as carrot, celery, or fruit, and their combinations. In this
manner it can help stimulate the peristaltic action of the intestines. Never sweeten rhubarb with sugar, use honey.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        This benefit, however, has been derived when all concentrated
starches and sugars were avoided altogether and when colonic
irrigations and enemas were used regularly to cleanse waste matter
from the system. CABBAGE JUICE
Duodenal ulcers have responded almost miraculously to the
drinking of cabbage juice. The only drawback is the frequent
generation of excessive gas. In any case, plain carrot juice has been
used with equal success and most people find it more palatable. Cabbage juice has wonderful cleansing and reducing properties. Sometimes it has a tendency to cause distress because of gas forming
in the intestines after drinking it. Such gas is the result of waste
putrefactive matter present in the intestines being broken up by the
cabbage juice, which causes a chemical reaction to set in and may
form gas. This is a natural condition—sulfuretted hydrogen, a foul
smelling gas, being the outcome of the cleansing elements in the juice
acting on and dissolving the waste matter. Enemas and colonic
irrigations help to remove both this excessive gas and the waste matter
causing it. 25 The most valuable properties in cabbage are the high sulphur and
chlorine content and the relatively large percentage of iodine. The
combination of the sulphur and chlorine causes a cleansing of the
mucous membrane of the stomach and intestinal tract, but this only
applies when cabbage juice is taken in its raw state without the addition
of salt. When excessive gas or other distress is experienced after drinking
raw cabbage juice, either straight or in combination with other raw
vegetable juices, it may be an indication of an abnormal toxic condition
within the intestinal tract. In such case it has been found advisable,
before much of the juice is used, to cleanse the intestines thoroughly
by drinking carrot, or carrot and spinach juice daily for two or three
weeks and taking enemas daily. It was found that once the intestines
were able to assimilate cabbage juice, it was invaluable as a cleanser,
particularly in the case of excessive adipose weight. When raw cabbage juice is added to raw carrot juice, it forms an
excellent source of Vitamin C as a cleansing medium, aiding
particularly where infection of the gums is present resulting in
pyorrhea. When boiled or dehydrated with excessive heat, however,
the effectiveness of the enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and salts is
destroyed. One hundred and twenty pounds of cooked or canned
cabbage could not furnish the same vital organic food value that is
assimilated from drinking one-half pint of straight raw cabbage juice
when properly prepared. Cabbage juice has been used very effectively to help the relief of
ulcers and constipation. As constipation is usually the primary cause
of skin eruptions, these have also been cleared up with the judicious
use of this juice. The addition of salt to cabbage or its juice not only destroys its
value, but is also harmful. RAW CARROT JUICE
Depending on the condition of the individual, raw carrot juice
may be taken indefinitely in any reasonable quantities—from one to
six or eight pints a day. It has the effect of helping to normalize the
entire system. It is the richest source of Vitamin A which the body
can quickly assimilate and contains also an ample supply ofVitamins
B, C, D, E, G, and K. It helps to promote the appetite and is an aid to
digestion. It is a valuable aid in the improvement and maintenance of the
bone structure of the teeth. 26 Nursing mothers should drink plenty of raw carrot juice, properly
prepared, to enhance the quality of their milk, as a breast milk diet
may under certain circumstances, not provide sufficient vital foods. During the last months of pregnancy, raw carrot juice, taken in
sufficient quantities, tends to reduce the possibilities of puerperal
sepsis at childbirth. One pint of carrot juice, daily, has more
constructive body value than 25 pounds of calcium tablets. Raw carrot juice is a natural solvent for ulcerous and cancerous
conditions. It is a resistant to infections, doing most efficient work in
conjunction with the adrenal glands. It helps prevent infections of
the eyes and throat as well as the tonsils and sinuses and the respiratory
organs generally. It also protects the nervous system and is unequalled
for increasing vigor and vitality. Intestinal and liver diseases are sometimes due to a lack of certain
of the elements contained in properly prepared raw carrot juice. When
this is the case, then a noticeable cleaning up of the liver may take
place, and the material which was clogging it may be found to dissolve. Frequently this is released so abundantly that the intestinal and urinary
channels are inadequate to care for this overflow, and in a perfectly
natural manner it is passed into the lymph for elimination from the
body by means of the pores of the skin. This material has a distinctly
orange or yellow pigment and while it is being so eliminated from the
body will sometimes discolor the skin. Whenever such a discoloration
takes place after drinking carrot or other juices, it is an indication
that the liver is getting a well-needed cleansing. It is NOT the carrot juice itself nor the carotene that comes through
the skin, as this discoloration will take place even if the juice is filtered
to the point of clearing it of all color pigment. It is just as practical an
impossibility for the carrot pigment itself to come through the skin as
it would be for the red pigment of the beet to turn the body red or the
chlorophyll of the green vegetables to paint the skin green from within. In any case, is it not better to have a healthy satin-like skin, even
though it may be slightly on the carrot shade, than to have the pasty
complexion which, together with its pimples and other blemishes,
publicizes the unhealthy condition of the body. Instead of becoming distressed over the appearance of skin
discoloration, which will in any case eventually disappear, we should
be gratified that the disintegration of the liver has been stopped or
prevented by the use of these juices. 27 This discoloration, however, can be somewhat retarded by slowing
up the process of cleansing by changing or adding other juices to the
particular one that causes such a rapid cleansing activity. The lack of sufficient rest, sleep and overwork may also result in
a certain amount of skin discoloration. The endocrine glands, especially the adrenals and the gonads,
require food elements found in raw carrot juice. Sterility is sometimes
overcome by its use. The cause of sterility has been traced to the
continuous use of foods in which atoms and enzymes were destroyed
by cooking or pasteurizing. Dry skin, dermatitis, and other skin blemishes are due to a
deficiency in the body of some of these food elements contained in
carrot juice. This is also a factor in eye trouble, as in ophthalmia,
conjunctivitis, etc. If properly extracted from fresh, clean, good quality raw carrots,
carrot juice is very rich in the vital organic alkaline elements sodium
and potassium. It also contains a good supply of calcium, magnesium,
and iron while the vital organic elements phosphorus, sulphur, silicon,
and chlorine balance perfectly with the former in their action and
reaction on the human system. As an aid to dissolve ulcers and cancer, raw carrot juice has proved
itself the miracle of the age. It was


, eggs, or dairy. In reality, proteins are composed of chains of roughly twenty dif ferent
amino acids. Of those, eight are found outside our body and must be
absorbed from our food. These eight are the “essential” amino acids. The
remaining acids are “nonessential” because they can be synthesized by our
bodies themselves. Plants supply all the essential and nonessential amino acids. All of them. While some plants may be low in (not missing) one amino acid and other
plants may be higher in another, your brilliant body sorts it all out and, at
the end of the day, complements your amino-acid profile so it is perfectly
balanced. In so doing, it creates a high-quality protein that is healthier,
safer, and better than animal protein. Thus, there is absolutely no need to combine certain plant proteins at
each meal in an attempt to achieve an optimal amino acid balance. Unfortunately, the protein-combination myth continues to be perpetuated
by any number of respected or ganizations. But the American Dietetic
Association gets it right. Its position statement reads: “Plant sources of
protein alone can provide adequate amounts of the essential and non-
essential amino acids, assuming that dietary protein sources from plants are
reasonably varied and that caloric intake is suf ficient to meet ener gy needs. Whole grains, legumes, vegetables, seeds, and nuts all contain essential and
non-essential amino acids.”
Scream it from the mountaintops: Plant proteins are 100 percent
complete!Myth 3
Carbohydrates make us fat.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        This book is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of
physicians. The reader should regularly consult a physician in all matters
relating to his or her health, and particularly with respect to any symptoms
that may require diagnosis or medical attention. Copyright © 2009 by Rip Esselstyn
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U. S. Copyright Act of
1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval
system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Wellness Central
Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue
New York, NY  10017
Visit our Web site at www. HachetteBookGroup. com. Wellness Central is an imprint of Grand Central Publishing. The Wellness Central name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book
Group, Inc. First eBook Edition: February 2009
ISBN: 978-0-446-54368-2
OceanofPDF. comContents
Copyright Page
FOREWORD
PART I: THE E2 DIET
1: ENGINE 2
2: MY  STORY
3: THE ENGINE 2 DIET
4: CRAZY  MYTHS ABOUT  FOOD
5: THE MEDICAL  PROOF BEHIND THE ENGINE 2 DIET
6: THE E2 EXERCISE PROGRAM
PART II: MAKING IT  WORK
1: THE E2 ATTITUDE
2: E2 VITAL SIGNS
3: LABEL  READING
4 : MAKING IT  WORK FOR LIFE. PART III: RECIPES AND MEAL  PLANS
INTRODUCTION
1: GETTING YOUR KITCHEN IN E2 SHAPE
2: E2 EASY  WEEKL Y PLANNER3: E2 RECIPES
BONUS RECIPES
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
OceanofPDF. comFor my wife, Jill, and my son, Kole
OceanofPDF. comDear Reader:
I’m Rip Esselstyn and I want to thank you for picking up my book. I
hope that once you’ve read it, you will choose to embark on the
Engine 2 Diet in what will be a spectacular health makeover. Think
about it: In just twenty-eight days, you will plant the seeds of a long-
lasting, healthy life. I know that if I didn’ t follow this diet, I would
never have had the ener gy to be a world-class triathlete, or just as
grueling, a firefighter. The Engine 2 Diet is a snap to follow. Depending on which of two
programs you select, you will spend either two or four weeks eating
nothing but the most colorful nutrient-packed foods Mother Nature
provides: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. During this time period you will push to the back burner all meats and
dairy products, as well as refined and processed foods—including
extracted oils—while feasting on jillions of plant-diverse foods. That’ s the Engine 2 Diet in a healthy nutshell. To assist you on your quest for great health, I have also included
more than one hundred recipes that will make your mouth water, your
friends envious, and your body happy. I wish you only the best as you start what I hope will be a lifelong
love af fair with plant-beautiful foods. Remember, this isn’ t just a diet,
it’s an adventure in perfect health. Eat Plant-Strong. OceanofPDF. comForeword
The evidence is now in. What our grandmothers always told us to do
—eat your vegetables and have an apple a day to keep the doctor away—is
borne out by modern science. Increasingly, medical research is showing that
we should consume a plant-based diet for optimal health. But do people take this message seriously. I wish they did, but most do
not. Part of the reason is our cultural tradition. For too long we have been
accustomed, taste-wise, to animal foods or foods and food supplements
derived from the wrong parts of plants, like their sugars, their oils (some of
which we solidify and convert to trans fats. ), and their refined flours
without their outer bran layers. Then we add salt to produce unhealthy
products that find their way to store shelves as convenience foods. As a result, we’ve been getting fatter and suf fering from an ever -
increasing number and variety of ailments and life-threatening diseases. America now has the highest per capita health care costs in the world, while
ignoring its 48 million citizens who lack medical insurance. Consuming the
right kind of plant-based foods can go a long way toward solving not only
our own personal health concerns, but our society’ s ills as well. There is
simply nothing that can so profoundly af fect our healing as eating fruits and
vegetables. How can we drive this message home. That is where Rip Esselstyn
comes in. What a story he has to tell. It’ s personal, it’ s inspiring, and it’ s
lifesaving. A world-class athlete and a firefighter, Rip managed to convert a
firehouse full of committed meat eaters to a plant-based diet, and in the
process improved everything from their weight to their blood pressure and
cholesterol. From there he branched out to a pilot group of fifty-eight
volunteers, all of whom achieved the same stunning results as the
firefighters—an average weight loss of ten pounds and a dramatic decline in
cholesterol—in a mere four weeks. Best of all, those who completed the program reported feeling so much
better—with improvements to conditions such as kidney stones,
constipation, and low ener gy—that few felt tempted to resume their old way
of eating. I am not surprised by Rip’ s accomplishments and motivations. He comes
from an extraordinary line of medical men and women. The Esselstyns and
the Criles (his mother ’s side) have served the public good for generations,
and they know as much about medicine as any family in America. I find it
fascinating that Rip, representing the first generation of the mer ger of these
two brilliant medical families, has chosen to share his experiences in what I
believe to be the most important health message to come upon the public
horizon in many years. I first met Rip in 1991 at a medical conference or ganized and hosted by
his famous father, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., who was sharing for the
first time his dramatic results on reversing and curing heart disease. He
boldly named the conference “The First National Conference on the
Elimination of Coronary Heart Disease” and had invited other researchers
to present our own findings. Rip was only able to attend part of the
conference, because of a prior commitment to compete in the Escape from
Alcatraz Triathlon, but he had stopped by to get a sense of what his father
and others were doing. I met Rip on three other occasions while I was
lecturing in Austin, Texas. On one of those occasions, he introduced me to
his Engine 2 firehouse buddies, and I sensed a remarkable story emer ging
that is now being told in these pages. I have spent five decades working as an experimental research scientist
in the field of diet and health. I believe in the message that Rip Esslestyn is
advocating and that his father and other clinicians have been adopting with
great success in their clinics. I was not drawn to this view by any particular
ideology but because of the experimental research done in my laboratory
(mostly at Cornell University). Our findings were often challenging, even
difficult to accept at times, because my background, both personally and
professionally, ran counter to what I was seeing. I was raised on a dairy
farm, milking cows, and my family lived of


, neck,
shoulders, thyroid, parathyroid, mouth, tongue, jaw, larynx, and vocal
cords. The sense is hearing, and the sense or gans are the ears. The San skrit wo rd V ishuddha  mea ns “ purity,” and I love this translation
because it captures the true essence of the fifth chakra. Its p urity comes
from speaking the truth that resides in our hearts. Pur e  me ans uncontaminated, clear, innocent, clean, or impeccable. When y ou reach  this level of consciousness, you are exploring the part of
you that is pure. Y ou have reached the level of spirit th at is unadulterated. From the heart chakra you come to a place where you are awakened to
truth. Th at is such a beautiful realization. All the debris has been swept
aside. In  the lower chakras you  had to sift through such debris to see thetruth in everything. Now the only thing you see is truth, and it feels clear. There is liberation in seeing truth. V ishuddha is like looking into the Caribbean Sea and not seeing the
bottom of it. One year I took a trip to Jamaica. I had always seen pictures of
the Cari bbean w ith its crystal-clear turquoise waters and its white sands as
far as the eye can see. When I arrived in Jamaica I didn’ t see what I had
imagined. Aroun d my hotel all I could see was lots of seaweed, rocks, and
sand. I was so disappointed because I wanted to experience the beauty of
the c lear waters like I had seen in the pictures. In order to see this, I had to
travel far by bus to find it. When I arrived, it was well worth the trip. Y ou hav e traveled up four chakras to find the clarity of the fifth. The
debris o f deception, lies, and c onfusion has drifted away, and you never
again have to live in darkness. The A yu rvedic d osha that rules the fifth chakra is V ata. The tw o gunas
that rule this chakra are rajas and sattva. The color we attribute to the throat chakra is cerulean blue. The mantra,
or bija (seed) sound, we vocalize for the fifth chakra is HUM. Fifth Chakra Ailments
Ailments of the fifth chakra include diseases of the throat and the thyroid
and parathyroid glands, neck and  jaw problems, speech impediments, colds,
and hearing problems. From a psychological standpoint, imbalances can
include unexpressed grief, sadness, anger, judgment, and feelings of
depression. Fifth Chakra Energy
The pow er that lies within the fifth chakra is the power to trans cend space-
time. Communic ation enables us to transcend space as sound w aves travel
through phone lines, cell towe rs, and internet connections. W e can be
virtually presen t in another place — through audio and mo re recently
through video — without leaving our physical location. Communication happens on m any levels, not only the physical. W e
communicate through words and sounds, facial expressions, body language,
thoughts (also known as telepat hy), and vibration. A thought is a vibrationon a subtle level, which will be  explained in more detail in the chapter on
the sixth chakra. The or gans and body parts in the fifth chakra allow us to
create and absorb the vibrations of sound. Sound can be used to harm or to heal. The voice of a loved one can be
used to say, “I love you,” or it can be used to say, “I never want to see you
again. ” When used for unkind intentions, such as in rap lyrics filled with
words of hate, s ound creates separateness and dissonance. How ever, when
harnessed as a powerful expres sion of beauty, as in Mozart’ s  Forty-First
Symphony or Beethoven’ s Fifth, it creates harmony, entrainment, and
synchronization. W ords have the power to heal when you speak inner truth to yourself. Y our inner and outer dialogue about yourself determines how healthy you
are. If you repea t to yourself dai ly, “I’m so fat and I’ll never get thin,” those
words h ave the power to become your reality. However, if you t ell yourself,
“I’m wo rking on  getting healthier each and every day,” you will have quite
a dif ferent outcome. W ords from others also have the power to heal. When a
child fal ls and skins his knee, he will heal faster if his parent says, “Y ou’re
all right. Get up and go play. ”
When I was in F rance around 2006, I went to the eye doctor because I
was having trouble reading. I was thirty-five years old at the time and
thought my age was contributin g to the fuzzy words I was seeing. I shared
this thou ght with the doctor, who told me it had nothing to do with age and
that I had some sort of eye dis ease that would cause me to need stronger
and stronger prescriptions as the  years went on. He was very ela borate as he
spoke ab out my future with certainty and conviction. I was taken aback that
he, a medical doctor, could “read” into my future and dared say so with
such doom and gloom. Luckily, I was already on a spiritual path of knowing
that we create our own destiny,  so I brushed it of f as ignorance. However,
his w ords did have power becau se I remember them to this day. Now at age
forty-six, eleven years later, my sight isn’ t a whole lot worse. My
prescription has changed once, but I’m optimistic about my vision staying
the same or getting better over the next decade or more. Can you  see the potential damage in the words you or others  speak. Had I believed the doctor and taken his words to be reality,  I probably
would be blind by now. His words were not truth, but a potential truth. On the positive side of words, h ave you noticed that when you talk to a
person y ou’re close to, your speech patterns tend to mimic each other ’ s. W ords connect in fluid harmony people who like to be together. Y ou can
notice th is best in teenagers. Listen to the way they speak. They  create their
own language with words that o nly they seem to understand. If  you have a
teenager, you know this. And the language changes quickly,  every few
years or  so. W ords such as sick  to  describe something awesom e or LOL,
taken fr om text-speak to mean “laugh out loud,” are already outdated,
according to my teenager, when his siblings used those word s only four
years ago. Singing and chanting are ageless forms of sound vibration. Singing has
been use d for thousands of years to band people together with a purpose. Song has the power to transcend. Much of today’ s soul music originated
from music sung by enslaved Africans in the Americas. They used songs to
strengthen community and tran scend the conditions in which they were
living. T hey also used song to connect with God, which brought them to a
state of transcendent bliss. Singing and chanting can be used unconsciously for brainwave
entrainment. People with close relationships entrain, which means their
bodily rhythms work together in synchronistic harmony through sound. Mothers chant or sing to their babies to soothe their cries. When my
children were babies and they were fussy or I was trying to get them to
sleep, I used to hum a simple,  repetitive tune to them. I’m not sure if I
spontaneously made it up or if perhaps it was hummed to me when I was a
baby. I only hummed it to each of them for their first year of life or so,
when ba bies need the most soothing. The strange thing is, the o ther day my
youngest son, who is now thirteen, told me of the tune I hummed to him as
a ba by. He hummed it back to me and said, “Mom, I loved i t when you
hummed that tune to me. I remember it well. ” He couldn’ t have been more
than a year old when he last he ard it, being that he is the youngest. How
could he remember it now, twelve years later. I believe the power of that
sound created synchronization in  his brain that signaled well-be ing. So now
as a young man, when he has a s ense of well-being, in particular around me
as h is mother, that sound comes  to mind as one of his earliest memories of
well-being. Y ou too can e ntrain your cells to work in synchronistic h armony
through sound. In each chapter, I provide a mantra sound you can use for
chanting. By chanting the sou nd HUM  rep eatedly, you will align the
vibrational ener gy in the fifth chakra and cause your cells to remember their
purpose and work toward the greater good, which in this case is keeping
you heal thy and  whole. Mantras in meditation are used for this p urpose too. Y ou can chant a mantra, incanta tion, or af firmation out loud or even in your