 of meeting calories, proteins, and the other dietary essentials, but the daily recurring opportunity to
express joy, to contemplate beauty, to feel the craving for purity,
and, a need particularly ignored to day, to feel and express gratitude
for the bounties of the earth. All peoples and ages have in fact insisted that food should be communally partaken, making it a socially bonding ritual, a bodily f unction raised to a high social and
spiritual level, becoming in the process a joyful sacrament enacting
the glory and joy of life. After all, food is not an incidental occurrence. It is the product
of a quite fantastic creative ecology  on the part of nature, which
began some fifteen thousand million years ago, and has been ever since groping for the expression of the inherent drive for harmony,
beauty, and creativity in all matter, ever more explicit, until its
culmination in the human being. As we have seen, the beauty of fruits and flowers, of all things humanly good, reflect this deep goading at work in all nature. Unless these qualities had found
previous expression in fruit and fl ower, the human mind would have
been an impossibility. In spite of the apparent fumblings and
distractions of time, of the long haul of evolution, seen with the unitive vision of gods, man finds a summit place in the operations of Creation. As an important constitu ent in this realization, such a
providential offering as food should be partaken in joy, and in humility and reverence, a thanksgi ving to the gods and powers
responsible for this strange and wonderful place. The right kind of attitude to nature, to food, indeed to all whole,
natural things is best illustrated in Zen practice, which teaches that
loose, unconnected thinking is necessarily bad, while at the same
time it insists that a rigid, imposed direction, the kind favoured by the puritans and fascists, is also bad. Living is a constant juggling
for which every occasion becomes an opportunity of practice, every
thought, every touch, every sight, and especially every act. How can this apparent contradic tion be resolved in ordinary
living? By sensing the inherent sanctity, dignity and cosmic connection of all that is worthy of human doing. Then, in the simple
outfolding of such an act, no matter how elemental and superficially
trivial, a sense of profound, exquisite meaningfulness results, beyond all analysis and doubt. This can  be practised in virtually any
aspect of living, in one's daily work, in one's relations to others, in the contemplation of nature, in the ar ts, in sport, in some particular
hobby. Eating is an excellent opport unity for so doing, which raises
the simple act to a high order, physically and spiritually enhancing, and providing a level of satis faction and joy beyond verbal
description. Zen is not native to the European mind and tradition, and such a
suggestion will at first seem esoteric. Yet many people do in fact
attempt to practise what is being suggested in their daily lives,
having discovered intuitively that it is the best course through the jungles of civilized confusion and uncertainty. Many artists, for instance, are Zen practitioner; without realizing it. finding an integration and joy in their creative procedures which is pure Zen. The fact is that with a modicum of desire, what is being suggested is
quite easily realizable, and all the more easily in the pursuit of a natural dietary. This exercise can begin with the preparation of food, through
its presentation and serving, to consumption, stages necessarily demanding familial and social participation. Evidently, the
environment becomes of great importance. One should forgo eating
rather than eat in squalid, ugly  surroundings. Joyful, enticing,
uplifting conversation, music and periods of quiet and meditation should be an intrinsic aspect of the pattern. By contrast, the usual futile banter, the ribald and mischievous exchanges of usual
entertainment show themselves up as a counter strategy to deny the
humanizing relevance of the meal, one  more aspect of the subtle and
all-permeating impoverishment of the sensitivities. Regular meal times constitute a device for the convenience of
cooks and the cortical conditioning to greed. Meals should be left to the kind of intuitive communal decisions one finds children
displaying in their games. Eating can undoubtedly induce a 'high', an ecstatic type of
experience, of the kind one can derive in the most humanizing raptures of life, in love, in communion with' nature, in art, and, as every age and culture has discovered in its own ways, through
certain drugs. Although it has become so rare and out of line with
the materialistic pursuit of modern society, hence the recourse to drugs, it is a natural and most nor mal human experience, one which the more humanistic and benign primitives appear to enjoy
throughout the waking day and in their dream ecstasies also. It comes, as a more or less continuous irradiation of joyfulness, of a
sense of profound relevance and belonging, with peaks amounting
to rapture, as the reward for life wholly and humanly lived, for effective social and communal co mpassion and service, for sexual
love achieved as for the extensions of loving freed of all sexuality; it
comes in the practice of any humanly enhancing occupation, of work shared and socially relevant, of art, of ritual, of religion. The essential characteristic of the 'high' experience, as of the
'high' dream, is that the level of experience is so altered that ordinary verbal descriptions and analyses are pointless. Its only possible evidence is its experience,  which is the reason why it has
become so neglected in a materialistic culture which has
increasingly insisted that only the so lid material things are real. But
although rarely experienced by the majority of people today, except perhaps for the common intense in timations of puberty and of
youth, it can be easily recovered, so well as to become the most rewarding ingredient in living. Food appears to have a singular capacity for inducing such a
'high'. No doubt this can be entirely due to the sacramental element in eating, with its profound humanizing associations, but there could also be a more physiological boosting to it. The attractiveness, beauty and purity of natural foods are such a boosting, for the 'high' experience is necessarily a hyper-aesthetic experience. Ugliness is
anathema to it. In another book, the writer mentioned an observation of
Macacus monkeys in the wild, in a drunken, rapturous condition following feasts on ripe guavas. So keen were they on the effects, that some individuals were seen to prefer the overripe fallen fruits to
those on the bough. Is this a perversion, or does it reflect a natural
boost to the joy of living which primate eating is intended to provide? An analysis of ripe guavas revealed the interesting fact that they contained up to 0.8 per cent ethyl alcohol, while those on the ground could have as much as 2 per cent to 3 per cent. Because of its crude abuses as a mind-fuddling drug in the
West, entailing the consumption of large amounts of alcoholic
drinks, alcohol is a misunderstood substance. When very small amounts of alcohol are taken, in the right frame of mind, it is
nothing but a stimulant of the higher, humanizing emotions. It is only when this threshold is exceeded that alcohol passes quickly
from being a stimulant, to a depressant, cutting out the higher
aspects of mental functioning and thus inducing a lower, frequently subhuman level of experience and behaviour. The importance of the
right frame of mind has been observed in the case of other psychotropic substances. Taken without the uplifting influence of sacrament, they have banal and frequently anti-human results. Taken in a sacramental atmosphere, they can be potently
humanizing. The humanly enhancing effects of minimal amounts of alcohol
taken in a sacramental context was not missed by the early Christians. Some early sects so managed to enhance the quite
minimal amounts of alcohol taken in the sacrament that they would
dance and shake with divine rapture, to the point of becoming scathingly called the'shakers' by those who did not share their
rapture. The fact that yeasts specialized for converting sugar into
alcohol are present on the skins of all fruits, that naturally such
fruits become bruised, if ever so minutely as by the effects of wind, would imply that any creature designed to live preponderantly on fruits would necessarily partake of certain minimal amounts of alcohol. Knowing how canny nature, in the guise of natural selection, happens to be in making use of any such offerings, it is
reasonable to suppose that such minute traces of ethyl alcohol were
made use of in the human genesis to act as a stimulant to the higher humanizing faculties. If a 'high' experience is a humanly decisive experience, then such a stimulation would have been as much a tool in humanization as the perception of order and beauty in nature, as
the evolution of the musical capacities of the human voice. It would
have been an ideal antidote to the risks of the antihuman substances
which can, as we have seen, arise in the course of deviant dietaries. Granting the relatively large amounts of fruits intended to be eaten, enough alcohol could be derived to induce the kind of 'high'
described, emphasizing the humanizing role of food in general. There are hints that in prehisto ry, such feasting occurred, and
that the grape, a typical low growi ng fruit of Euro


 to the problem, I became introduced to raw potlucks. The dishes th ere mimicked all my favorite cooked
foods, only this time, they were “healthy” (… not. ) Luckily, I was too lazy t o make them at home, or else I probably would have
eaten nothing else. I had completely forgotten my hygienic background of  mono fruit meals, and I had lost the euphoric joyful feeling
of simple eating. Many raw food books had it so backward, even as to proclaim fruits as the enemy beca use they had too much sugar. Thank
goodness I was never strict enough to exclude fruits, but I did limit them, which even further added to the number of calories I
consumed from fat. I felt heavy, had lots of extremely foul-smelling ga s, my acne returned in full force, and I once again suffered
from constipation. I didn’t feel healthy anymore. So, what did I do. I turned to superfoods. I thought that I wasn’t getting enoug h minerals or that I must be deficient in some
nutrient. Raw food books told me that organic food wasn’t enough, and that I mus t have wild food, and more variety, including the
full array of superfood products they sold. So I ordered jars of powdered wild vegetabl es, bags of cacao beans, and many other
“extreme” foods that were supposed to solve all my problems. But none of t hem could offset the effects of my poorly combined,
high-fat diet. It wasn’t until I met Tim Trader and Laurie Masters at the Nation al Essene Gathering in July of 2004 that I got my first dose of
811. Laurie told me that she was editing Dr. Doug Graham’s book entitled The 80/10/10  Diet. The two of them described for me
the basic concept behind the book—that “Fruit or Fat. ” are real ly the only two choices for getting calories as a raw fooders. I
immediately knew that I was on the extreme fat side of “Fruit or Fat. ” I told them about my situation, and they showed a gen uine
concern for my health. At Tim and Laurie’s urging, I got myself to Dr. Graham’s lectures at  the International Festival of Raw and Living Foods in
Portland later that summer. Though the event left me feeling more i nformed, it was eye-opening to see all the different opinions and
conflicting advice among the speakers. To my relief, it seemed as though Dr. Graham had sorted all this confusin g mess of information into a clear, sensible plan. Especially convincing, was his description of how blood-sugar problems, common ly blamed on fruit, are actually caused by the
impaired function of insulin due to excess fat consumption. I knew I had to ma ke some changes if I was going to be healthy. If I was
going to succeed as a raw foodist, I would have to be more discerning in my food c hoices. I would have to ask more than, “Is it
raw. ”
Even after hearing Dr. Graham’s compelling speeches, I continua lly struggled with 811. I must admit, that it was at that very
same festival that I left with a CASE of cacao beans. Let me tell you, it is HARD to get over addictions. I would be lying to say that I didn’t attend the very next local raw food p otluck after my return home from the Portland
Festival. But something had changed. I was no longer ignorant. Now I knew  that this fat-laden, “combo-abombo” gourmet food
was not furthering my goal of ideal health. There’s no way I could enjoy m y raw pizza as I had before after hearing Doug’s “if it
looks like pizza, and tastes like pizza, you can be sure its going to dige st like pizza”  speech. Now I knew what I should be
doing, and if I did slip up, at least I knew  it was a slipup. At the end of August, I attended Raw stock for the first time, and it was a bl ast. Seeing 811  being practiced up close and
personal was so inspiring. I was reminded of how natural and fun it was to e at simply. Knowledge is empowering, and it really does
inspire change. After Raw stock, 811  really hit home for me. Now, it was only a matter of correcting bad habits, bat tling past
addictions, and striving for 811  every day. Whenever I have a question about 811  or other related topics, I can refer to Dr. Graham’s V egSource messag e boards. Dr. Graham himself takes out of his own time to offer his best advice. Many peopl e on the boards offer expert advice and truly speak
out of experience. People there are friendly; no matter how silly or triv ial the question seems, usually someone can relate or offer
their piece of useful insight. This board continually inspires me to con tinue with my goals, teaching me new information and equipping
me with the knowledge to solve my own health challenges. Knowing what I know now, neither my psychologist nor my mother was righ t about why I couldn’t maintain my weight. I
didn’t need grains, and I certainly didn’t need hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cr eam, and donuts. All I needed was a little understanding,
and a LOT more calories. I just assumed that because I always ate whe n I was hungry, I was getting enough calories. However, Dr. Graham pointed out that on the standard American diet, the food is dense, h igh in calories, and doesn’t take up a lot of room in the
stomach compared to lower-calorie, water-rich fruits and vegetables. H e explained that in order to get enough calories on 811, you
need to expand the stomach back to its natural size and elasticity in order  to fit in a lot more fruit. Not having this little piece of
information was, perhaps, the primary cause of my downfall as a fruitari an, second to not including greens. I thank Laurie Masters, Tim Trader, and Dr. Graham for empowering me to ma ke the right choices. Because of their help, I
am no longer ignorant of the consequences of my actions. 811  taught me how to manage my calories without overeating fat, so I
have no problem keeping on the weight. The more fruit and less fat I eat, the more energy I have, and the more I f eel like exercising, which is precisely what I need to
convert my high body-fat percentage into lean muscular weight. The c loser I eat to 811, the more all of my health challenges fade. Clearer skin, better-functioning bowels, and increased energy are a g reat payoff for my efforts. It feels good to eat simply, and I LOVE fruit. Unfortunately, I LOVE fat t oo. I am still struggling, but I am doing my best, and
my best gets better every day. At least now I can see where I am going, and I am not walking around with a blindfold on. Because of past experiences of letting other people influence my decis ions and consequently falling into many traps, I have
learned to become a very independent thinker. My grandma used to get mad that  my parents paid for so many avocados when I
could have saved them some money by using olive oil instead. Now, after being  a fan of 811  for quite some time, my mom just told
me that my grandma says that I’m “mentally ill” because I eat s uch an abundance of fruits, because I avoid grains, and because I
believe Doug Graham. I just have to smile. ☺

Theresa Remley, Sacramento, California
Finally, I can hear what my body is telling me after a lifetime of conf usion and pain. After first experiencing trauma-induced
illness at about age five and my health spiraling downward into debilita ting physical and mental disorders, I searched diligently for
answers. I saw psychologists as a child and psychiatrists as an adult w ho could never pinpoint the reason for my depression and
anxiety because my underdeveloped mind as a child suppressed what happened t o me. I was often ill, eventually missing nearly one
day out of every week of school in the tenth grade due to sore throat and fever, y et I still managed to excel academically. In high school, I could not play soccer without having muscular-skeleta l pain and spiciness the rest of the day, and
chiropractor visits could not repair this continuing problem. At age sev enteen, I awoke to severe pain in my lower chest over the
course of several nights. An endoscopy located a preulcerous condition, and I  received antacid pills as treatment instead of dietary
advice, although I was already a vegetarian due to my own conviction. My general tiredness and sore throat intensified into acute, mono-like  symptoms when I was nineteen, so I went to yet another
doctor and found out that I had an abnormally high Epstein-Barr lab result. H owever, this was not explained to me. I thought I had
chronic fatigue syndrome, but this illness was widely misunderstood; t hus, my symptoms were largely ignored. My college
attendance plummeted because of insomnia, mental fogginess, and overwh elming fatigue and pain, and my depression intensified due
to my increasing sense of helplessness. In 1997, I saw a clinical immunologist who finally diagnosed my physical il lnesses as chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction
syndrome, fibromyalgia, and allergic rhinit


, 267
pets, consciousness calibration of, 38
power
defined, 47 – 48
evolution of consciousness and, 109 – 111
fulcrums of advancement on Map of Consciousness, 84 – 85
genuineness of mystical power, 253 – 254
Map of Consciousness and historical levels of, 54 – 55
of mind over body, 138 – 142
Power vs. For ce  (Hawkins)
on consciousness calibration, 36
on Devotional Nonduality, 9
dif ferent editions of, 18
Map of Consciousness inception and, 5
publication of, xiii, 17, 345
Practical Application, overview, 20, 21, 133 – 135. see also  A BC of success; ad diction recovery;
health and happiness
Practice of the Pr esence of God, The  (Lawrence), 306
prayer
living life like a prayer, 281
Serenity prayer for, 202 – 203
usefulness of, 302
predation, evolution of consciousness and, 100
prefrontal cortex, 89, 101 – 102, 141
Pride
addiction and, 191
ener gy level of, 71 – 72
process going on within consciousness itself, 53 – 54
transcending barriers to higher consciousness, 240 – 241prisoners, Levels of Consciousness example, 87 – 88
promotion vs. attraction, 164 – 166
Q
quality, success and, 170 – 172
quantum mechanics, 60
R
reaction, 88. see also  Levels of Consciousness
realism, evolution of consciousness and, 112 – 115
Reason
calibration of, 56 – 57
ener gy level of, 77 – 78
transcending barriers to higher consciousness, 242 – 243, 269 – 270
recovery. see  addiction recovery
reliability, success and, 166
religion and spirituality. see also  prayer; spiritual truth; individual names of r eligious leaders
belief in God and consciousness calibration, 59 – 60
Enlightenment and “Lord” title, 83
God in T welve Steps ( see  Alcoholics Anonymous)
Hawkins on, 3 – 4
inner path vs. religious observance, 267 – 268
practicing religion, 284
role of Grace and Spiritual W ill, 213 – 216
surrender to God, 231
view of God as column on Map of Consciousness, 50
resistance, to change, 205 – 206, 293 – 294
Ringer, Robert, 225 – 226
S
safeguards, evolution of consciousness and, 115
saints, ener gy level of, 263
salvation, 286
Satchitananda,  256
Self
absence of personal “I,” 123 – 124, 257, 347 – 348, 352 – 354
emotions on Map of Consciousness and, 53
Hawkins on Self of teacher and student, 16 – 17
Hawkins on transfiguration of consciousness, 6
success and experiencing reality of true Self, 155 – 157
surrendering to, 259 – 260self-compassion, 149 – 151
self-healing process, 145 – 149
self-realization, 255 – 257
sensory modes, 163 – 164
Serenity (emotion), 53
Serenity prayer, 202 – 203
serviceability, success and, 161 – 162
shadow, 91
Shame
calibration of, 37
ener gy level of, 64 – 65
transcending barriers to higher consciousness, 236
Shangri-La, 181 – 182
sharing, success and, 172 – 174
Sheldrake, Rupert, 280
sin, giving up, 293
societal leadership, evolution of consciousness and, 109 – 111
South Africa, Mandela and, 110, 170, 178
spiritual seekers, guidance for. see  guidance for spiritual seekers
spiritual truth, 245 – 276
advancing consciousness for, overview, 205 – 209
characteristics of integrous teachers and teachings, 245 – 252
choosing tools for spiritual journey, 304 – 307
Divine States and, 261 – 265
living life like a prayer, 281
mystical experience of, 257 – 261
Q&A about, 265 – 276
self-realization and Enlightenment of the mystic, 255 – 257
spiritual education and, 252 – 254, 284 – 285  ( see also  teachers and teachings)
spiritual progress, 281 – 282
spiritual teachings/teachers, summarized, 303 – 304
study-group questions about, 314
Stalin, Joseph, 110
success. see  ABC of success
suicide, passive, 64
surrender
of control, 227
pathway to, 244
to Self, 259 – 260
Suzuki, D. T., 264
synchronicity, 41 – 42T
teachers and teachings
being in physical presence of teachers, 296
benefit of teachings, 273 – 276
integrity of teachers, 245 – 252
respect for teachers, 297
spiritual education for spiritual truth, 284 – 285
spiritual teachings/teachers, summarized, 303 – 304
Zen teaching of Grace, 214
T eresa, Mother, 12 – 13, 37, 109, 110, 152, 170 – 171
T eresa, St., 22, 23
thymic thump, 321
transcending barriers to higher consciousness, 211 – 244
ego dualities of attraction and aversion, 219 – 235
experiencer as leading edge of ego, 216 – 218
moving from Courage to Ecstasy, 241 – 243
moving from Shame to Pride, 235 – 241
pathway to surrender and, 244
role of Grace in, 213 – 216
spiritual will and, 211 – 213
study-group questions about, 314 – 315
T ruman, Harry, 111
T ruth. see also  spiritual truth
context and, 294
evolution of consciousness, 122 – 123
T ruth vs. Falsehood  (Hawkins), 94, 114
U
Unconditional Love
addiction recovery and, 199 – 200
calibration of, 56 – 57
change in emotion and, 90 – 91
Divine States and, 261 – 262
Joy and, 80 – 81
self-healing and, 146 – 148
Unio mystica, 261
University of California at San Francisco (UCSF), 8
Upanishads, 60 – 61
V
value judgment, calibration and, 56 – 57
V arieties of Religious Experience, The  (James), 6V edas, 60 – 61
V eritas Publishing, 17
vitamin C/artificial sweetener experiment, 13 – 14
V oid of Nothingness, 2, 18, 270 – 272
W
W atts, Alan, 264
W ellington, Duke of, 54
W ikipedia, 230
W illingness
addiction and, 191
awareness and, 278
ener gy level of, 74 – 75
success and reliability, 166
transcending barriers to higher consciousness, 242
willpower, 215
W ilson, Bill, 7 – 8, 16, 81. see also  Alcoholics Anonymous
“wolf in sheep’ s clothing,” 112
world, relating to, 130
worldviews, 128 – 129A B O U T  T H E  A U T H O R
Dr. David Ramon Hawkins (1927–2012) was an internationally known
spiritual teacher, author, and speaker on the subject of advanc ed spiritual
states, c onsciousness research, a nd the Realization of the Presence of God
as Self. His published works, as well as recorded lectures, have been widely
recognized as unique in that a very advanced state of spiritual awareness
occurred in an in dividual with a scientific and clinical background who was
later able to verbalize and explain the unusual phenomenon in a manner that
is clear and comprehensible. The tran sition from the normal ego state of mind to its eliminati on by the
Presence is described in the trilogy Power vs. For ce  (1995, rev. 2012,
repub. 2013), which won praise even from Mother T eresa; The Eye of the I:
Fr om Which Nothing Is Hidden  (20 01); and I: Reality and Subjectivity
(2003), which have been transla ted into the major languages of the world. T ruth vs. Falseh ood: How to T ell the Differ ence  (


 Altai to treat asthma, but it has cured and chronic gastritis. Without hesitation, immediately went to the Altai. Passed dry fractional
starvation. On the third day of the first dry hunger pains are gone. On the next course of hunger - 7 days - no pain at all anymore
disturbed. The output of Sergey Ivanovitch advised poprinimat
Biysk sea buckthorn oil for a month and mummies. Two
months did FGS. as a result of two gastrofibroskopicheskih
studies of the stomach revealed that the stomach and 12 duodenal
intestine have abnormal scarring, deformities,
that before fasting were determined for over
10 years. " "I have been suffering from a stomach ulcer. In 2005 plague much
worsened, the pain was very strong, feces became black. I started drinking
medicines, herbs, sea buckthorn oil. Cal has ceased to be black, but
pain remained. I was told to do the surgery. in 2006
the advice of friends went to the Altai, SFG was the first dry hunger
five days, the second - seven days. After the first hunger pains are gone. For two years now I feel fine. But try to stick
diet and do dry fasting days a week. Thank you for
good treatment. " ". I am sick with chronic colitis in childhood. Me all the time tormented
constipation, for - great walking with difficulty, sometimes a chair five times
days. in stool was mucus and blood from hemorrhoids. From - for this was
bad mood, and even did not want to live. recently my
health has deteriorated significantly, the intestine without any enemas
stopped working, there were terrible headaches. in 2000
read a book Malakhov, where there were recommendations for treatment. Cleaning the bowel was in regular enemas with 3-5 quarts
water. Also clean the liver, joints and other organs. At first I was
easier, and I regularly repeated cleaning as advised Malakhov. But
Then she stopped to help, and - more I could walk only
after the enema. In September 2004, I found information on the web
about dry fasting, called Sergei Ivanovich, and went on
Altai. After the first year of the intestine that I normally did not
work, but after the second 8 - days fasting, I went
the toilet on the second day of release. Now I go regularly. Upon arrival
home aggravated hemorrhoids, do hirudotherapy, hunger, and then
all gone. She feels fine, just want to live. "
Once I got a call from the lake, my very good friend
fisherman. After a good fishing they are well it noted, a snack
Of course fat, Baikal omul and all specialties. Sumptuous reception
fat, protein-rich food with the simultaneous use of
significant amounts of alcohol lead to enhanced development of
pancreas substances (enzymes), which should
act on its duct into the intestine and to participate in the digestion
177
177food. If the pancreas is functioning enough
then it can get clogged ducts by protein plugs, and enzymes
nothing remains as to penetrate the gland tissue, damaging it,
causing inflammation. Damages the gland and the alcohol itself, and especially
its breakdown product of acetaldehyde, coming to her with blood. Develops acute alcoholic pancreatitis. His concern
intense pain in the upper abdomen, radiating to the back,
nausea, vomiting, anorexia, abdominal distention. To the nearest
hospital 150 km, but there was a blizzard and it was impossible to pass. I
Nothing to do but advise him to dry starvation and cold
on the abdomen. Only by the fifth day all the symptoms of the disease
disappeared. Exit I advised him to sparse cereals. It has been two
, the pancreas does not disturb. For any inflammation is always
there is edema, which is the main source of pain, plus
Pancreas got a good rest, which is why very
effectively in such cases, dry starvation. DRY AT Starvation chronic SKIH Zabol Wani Hl
Chronic illness - it is nothing but a violation of
program of self-encoded nature. Consequently,
heal the sick - it means to restore the natural process
self-regulation body. And it can be done only when the system
approach to the process of life support. Assimilating this truth, it is easy
understand that the local impact on one or the other authority or
subsystem only exacerbates the process of holistic misalignment
organism. That is why, in my opinion, a modern classic
medicine for all the seeming logic of judgments about the benefits of
symptomatic treatment remains on the metaphysical position. Now try to understand in detail what is chronic
disease. If the vital force is not enough to fully
the return of the body to its previous (healthy) stable
state, the body stabilizes their work in some
intermediate state between illness and health. This is
intermediate state is called smoldering or chronic
disease. A chronic disease characterized by
that the pathogenic origin, remains in the body, seeks
consolidate and develop it, and the body, in turn, tends
back to the original - a healthy state. As in the first, and in
the second case, the body must expend the vital force,
to adapt to "the world on the brink of war. " This leads to
that included some compensatory mechanisms and the organism
chronically ill person continues to exist in more or
tolerably well able to until enough vitality
for maintenance. Once the body is not able to serve
compensatory mechanisms that constrain the disease occurs
new aggravation of the disease and she "wins" his extra
living space. Organism, in turn, is struggling with this
178
178formation of new compensatory mechanisms aimed at their
service even more vitality. As a result of redistribution of body vitality
disables a number of secondary biological functions for
survival of the organism. first off most
energetically wasteful function - sexual, reduced overall
tone of the body, develop an early age and its attendant
disease is sharply reduced life expectancy continue. Based on the foregoing, the healing work
restoration of the body will be phased. By
energy-saving tools and techniques will first be restored,
Lebanese level of vitality, which will translate the body
with a compensatory level to another, until the last
- A truly healthy. Moving from one level to the compensatory
another will signify acute conditions - Peaking
related chronic diseases, which in the end
disappear. Anyone can completely get rid of any
chronic disease, only by passing through a series of exacerbations
these diseases. After each such aggravation you will have
to appear before the lost function. Initially appear cheerful,
then go away signs of premature aging, then susceptibility
becomes sexual function. We have considered in general that such a chronic disease, but
from experience I like the hypothesis of doctors - naturopaths. One of the causes of many chronic diseases is
endogenous intoxication of the body, resulting in violations
normal operation of the digestive tract and liver. Common source of toxins -
gastro-intestinal tract. Due to either over-eating, or
maldigestion food decomposes in the stomach and intestines,
and part of the resulting toxins absorbed into the bloodstream. under normal conditions, the liver breaks down these toxins, and gut
and the kidneys remove them. But if the functions of these bodies violated,
then the toxins enter the blood in such quantities that overload
these organs and the body is forced to seek some other way and method
getting rid of them. You wonder why blood from the gastrointestinal tract
must first pass through the liver, and only then spread
throughout the body. Why not just suck in the blood of food
substances are spread throughout the body. And because they are alien
the body and immediately cause an allergic reaction. in liver
going to "remake" of others in their "own". Only in this case
the body can use nutrients. Naturally, the
it requires an energy of the body. Therefore, any violations
gastrointestinal and liver diseases, even if occurring hidden
inevitably to some extent will affect the efficiency
barrier function of the gastrointestinal tract. It is clear that
these changes will lead to increased delivery of toxins from the gut
179
179thereby enhancing endogenous intoxication. Accordingly,
each person has a weak link in the body, so the entire flow
endotoxin will rush it there. There and start all pathological
processes that cause the disease. Let us examine this with an example
atherosclerosis and hypertension. Atherosclerosis - a consequence of patient intestinal
After 40 years of age-related changes is increasing intestinal
reduced barrier function, increased permeability of the wall
intestine, and in human blood begins to flow more
toxins than ever before. Against this background, apparently one of the ways to combat the growing
endotoxemia body elects the mechanism of deposit
toxins. The participants of this deposit can become
circulating in the blood of the basic components of biological
membranes (lipoproteins). Lipoproteins are able to carry a variety of fat-soluble
toxins to the liver, where S THE Ongoing their "processing"
and "disposal". Lipoproteins "capture" and is dissolved in itself
Current Sina


 weakness, and lead to
deterioration of associated organs and glands. For information on non -physical energies see: Bio-Energies. Many of our health problems are caused by blockages of our sexual
energies. For an overview see: Healing Our Emotions. and for more
details see the 6-part series, Healing with Sexual Energy. 7. Emotional and Mind Improvement:  Practice  relaxation exercises
and learn meditation and  especially guided imagery; learn expressing
your negative emotions appropriately, and also to generate positive
feelings and emotions; love yourself as well as your neighbour; adopt a
positive or spiritual philosophy of life. Find a worthy goal or ideal a nd
strive to manifest it, see:  Mind Tools. 8. Healing groups:  Form or join a health or healing group to support and
heal each other. The main purpose of a healing  group would be to help
each other with the Health Improvement Program. In addition,  a healing
group can act as an extended family with an unlimited possibility of 10
 support functions such as with child minding, childbirth, sickness,
bereavement, unemploymen t, or building activity. There may be common fruit and vegetable production, a food co -op,
communal library and leisure facilities, and shared expensive healing
appliances. A member of the group may participate in a healing workshop, and then
pass on the experience to the group. The group may also invite natural
therapists and other health professionals for demonstrations, lectures,
and teaching of specific methods  see: Healing Social Relationships. By adopting this program, better health is possible for almost everyone. The key to success is in your mind! True healing simply means learning
and applying the laws of nature. THE HEALING CRISIS
When using holistic healing methods, you need to understand the principle
of the healing crisis, otherwise you may undo all the good you have done
by getting frightened and take drugs to stop further health improvement. We do not follow a straight line of either health improvement or health
deterioration. Periods of illness interspersed with times of relative well -
being occur on the downhill road to chronic degenerative diseases and
death. Similarly, we also have ups and downs on the uphill road to
superior health. Travelling downhill is eas y, we do not need to work for
it, but improving our health requires consistent effort. Contrary to the lengthy periods of ill health on the downhill road, the dips
on the uphill road are often short and sharp. They are called 'healing
crisis' although I pr efer the less dramatic name 'healing reaction', or
simply'reaction'. After each successful reaction we advance to a higher
level of health than before. The road to better health follows a definite
pattern. The old system of Nature Cure called it…
Hering's law of cure: "All cure starts from within outwards, from the
head down and in reverse order as the symptoms have appeared." 11
 This means that in every real healing the sequence of our health
deterioration will automatically be retraced: old, long-forgotten disease
symptoms may suddenly flare up again in the form of a healing crisis. You may understand this principle by comparing our health changes with
walking along a winding mountain path. When you eventually turn back
you encounter all the p revious features again, this time just in reverse
order. In addition, the emotional side of our health problems is important. Each
disease, accident or surgical intervention contains a strong emotional
component that may be re -experienced during a reaction ; otherwise,  the
healing remains incomplete and the problem may present itself again at
a later time for healing at a deeper level. This also means that the body selects the kind of healing crisis that is
most appropriate at the time, taking into considera tion its needs and
abilities to have a certain area healed or improved. We can consciously
influence this choice by working on a particular problem. In the beginning our healing reactions will be mainly on the physical or
biological level, but more and mo re we will experience the release of
emotional blocks and changes in consciousnes s. For more information
see: Healing Crisis. Patterns of Healing
At some stage on the road towards health the body will feel strong
enough to renew the fight for healing a diseased organ and this can result
in inflammation and pain. Also,  a limb that had been paralysed during an
earlier disease may temporarily be so aff licted again. When we are on
the road to disease,  we need to alkalise the body to control chronic
inflammations but on the road to health healing inflammations are
needed to improve a diseased organ. Other common healing reactions are boils, mucus discharg e in what
appears to be a cold, or skin rashes - a skin reaction over a stiff or painful
joint may lead to functional improvement. If one supports the body during
this period with rest, cleansing diets and so forth, then it will eventually 12
 acquire better h ealth than before the flare -up. However, if drugs or even natural remedies are used to suppress the
healing symptoms, then the inflamed organ will return to its sub -acute,
chronic condition and wait for another opportunity to heal itself. Nevertheless, so metimes a reaction may be too severe or continue for
too long or  happen at an inconvenient time. Then you can tune it down
by heavily alkalizing the body and  using mainly cooked food in addition
to other anti -inflammatory measures. Listen to Your Body
You may actually learn much about yourself, your body, your health
problems and your emotional reactions by patiently observing the healing
process instead of rushing to “fix” it. What you should do rather, is live as
healthily as possible, cleanse the body and be optimistic about it all. Such
healing crises may appear from time to time separated by weeks, months
or even years, bringing us ever closer to our goal of radiant health. Various problems may suddenly develop during health improvement. Formerly, the body was insensitive to commonly used harmful foods or
drugs, but now there may be an immediate and forceful reaction. Foods
that you habitually used before cleansing may suddenly cause a gastro -
intestinal upset, making you feel sick and mise rable for days. However,
such reactions do not need to happen if you first test for food allergies or
use a low -allergy diet. Your body now trusts that you will not hurt it again as before. But if you
do, your body is very offended and lets you (the mind) know about it in
no uncertain terms. This is the language of the body. If you learn to listen, your body will first tell you about its needs in a subtle
way - an intestinal rumbling, an itch, a slight muscle weakness or a
passing pain - before using more drastic measures. Eventually it will let you know its needs by intuition, by likes and dislikes, and
you will rediscover your  lost body instincts. Then you become independent
of expert advice and just do what your body ‘tells’ you to be right. 13
 While one can often gain quick relief from distressing symptoms,
rebuilding a strong and healthy body is a slow process and can take a
long time. How quickly you can achieve this also depends on the shape
you are in right now. The poorer your health,  the longer it will take. It
needs much experimenting and solid determination to carry through for
many years with the HIP program. *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

 14
 Chapter Two
NUTRITION – Part One
Adopt a Healthy Diet for Your Specific Requirements

A good diet is essential for preventing and overcoming diseases. It needs
to be appropriate for your metabolic type and body condition, and should
be high in enzymes, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other protective
factors. Eat your food as much as p ossible whole, live, and organic, chew
well, enjoy what you eat, combine different foods correctly and
deliberately under -eat rather than over -eat. • Whole food  mainly means unrefined, using all edible parts. • Live food  means raw or uncooked food high in vitality and naturally
 occurring enzymes. These are destroyed when food is heated
 above 450 C but also decline with inappropriate storage. • Some v itality  or life -energy/bioenergy can remain in conservatively
cooked food. More about this later. • Organic Food  is free of toxic chemicals, was grown in good soil
 without pesticides or inorganic water -soluble fertilizers, it has not
 been irradiated, and is free of GM components and added
 chemicals. Some important cooking rules:
• Avoid soda in cooking or baking, it destroys B -vitamins
• Use the cooking water; it is ri ch in vitamins and minerals
• Cook for the shortest period and at the lowest temperature
• Do not keep food warm for long, cool quickly for storage
• Preferably cook with glassware, ceramic or enamel, avoid
 aluminium
• Do not cook with microwave  15
 • Do not fry or  highly  heat oils or fats
• Do not leave acid food in contact with metal surfaces
• Do not cook what can conveniently be eaten raw
Before cooking legume s or whole grains soak them overnight. This
liberates inositol and  allows absorption of minerals that are not available
when cooking without prior soaking. Soaking and rinsing the seeds
before cooking


, physician to the Emperor
For more than 8,000 years of Chinese history, the "Sexual Kung
Fu Method" of retaining the seminal fluid during the act of love
remained a deep secret. At first it was practiced exclusively by the
Emperor and his innermost circle, who learned it from the Taoist
sages that advised the court. These wise men claimed in earlier
times it was a natural gift of all mankind. The Emperor needed the
method to prevent impotence and illness; improperly educated
monarchs were exhausted at an early age by the sexual demands of
their wives and concubines. In aristocratic families it passed from
father to chosen son alone, excluding wives, daughters and other
family members. Sexual Kung Fu is an internal practice that permits men to
retain certain bodily secretions which are a source of incomparable
energy when stored and recirculated to higher vital centers. One
prevents loss of this biochemical energy by not ejaculating. Stop-
ping ejaculation is not to be confused with stopping orgasm. The2 Taoist Secrets Of Love
Sexual Kung Fu Method provides an altogether unique and supe-
rior type of orgasm repeated over lengthy periods of love making. Its secret is simply, there is no loss of seminal fluid during orgasm. By practicing control of certain muscles, tendons, and fascia
of the lower trunk and by allowing the genital pressure to spread
over the entire body, the seminal fluid is withheld. At the same
time one thrills to pleasures of infinite variety. Indeed, the joys of
this kind of love must be considered quite different from ordinary
physical pleasure; the intensity is so great that it often leads to a
spiritual awakening. A man who masters this method will find his sexuality so
enhanced that he will feel a revolution has occurred in his life. The
pair of lovers becomes a dynamo, generating great quantities of
electromagnetic energy. With this method one can make love more
often than before, with tremendous benefits to one's health. Sexual
Kung Fu stimulates production of precious hormonal secretions
instead of depleting them, as is ordinarily the case with ejaculation. Every vital function is invigorated because one no longer dis-
charges life energy through the genitals. Real sexual fulfillment lies
not in feeling the life going out of you, but in increasing awareness
of the vital current that flows through the loins. The body is further
replenished by a method of "steaming" the vital energy up from
the sexual centers to the brain and higher organs such as the heart
and crown of head. The life-enhancing energy process is completed
by exchanging energy with one's lover during a relaxed meditation
following the creation of this supercharged sexual energy. This powerful release and sharing of life's vital force is the
fundamental bond in human love. To awaken this dynamic energy
is also to experience the force behind man's biological and spiritual
evolution, also known as the Rising Kundalini. EXTRAORDINARY POWER OF
THE SEXUAL ELIXIR
Wise men of the Orient have from time immemorial sought means
of preventing discharge of the seminal fluid. Without exception
they have realized the tremendous implications of the sexual act:
when performed with love and discipline, it may awaken dormant
powers in the mind and body. The nervous and endocrine systems
are particularly open to improvement. The act of love has longMale Sex Energy Is Stored In Its Seed 3
been recognized as healing, but the Taoist masters sought to go
beyond this and find the principles of physical immortality within
it. Many schools arose proposing various ways of tapping the se-
cret elixir of sexuality. Those who fully understand conventional ejaculatory sex,
know it grossly exploits every gland and organ. With ejaculation,
the internal pressure of life is expelled from the body, leaving
behind in some sex-obsessed men only enough life force to fold the
newspaper, squeeze food through the bowels and make for the
psychiatrists's couch. The sages considered one drop of semen equal in vital power
to one hundred drops of blood. The Hindu holy men refer repeat-
edly to Amrita, the elixir of life, a rejuvenation substance that may
be produced during prolonged sexual activity without ejaculation. The production of this elixir, which westerners might call a higher
hormonal secretion, requires a sexual technique that prevents
ejaculation and thereby allows the body to enter higher and higher
states of energy. Extraordinary powers, including healing and clairvoyant per-
ception, may evolve when one retains the semen and drives its
power back up into the body. Many gifted minds have held that if
one could retain these fluids for one's entire life, the body would
not decay after death. The Saints—Christian, Buddhist, Moslem,
or Taoist—all used the power dwelling in the vital seed to perform
"miracles." DIAGRAM 1
THE SECRET OF SECRETS
Many esoteric sects have urged the eating of the seminal fluid
to increase sexual ability and bodily fitness. This practice is at least
as rational as buying vitamins. Scientific analysis has found it to4 Taoist Secrets Of Love
contain a treasure house of vitamins, minerals, trace elements,
hormones, proteins, ions, enzymes, and other vital nutritional sub-
stances. But there is an additional property in the sperm seed which
present-day science cannot analyze and is far more important than
any vitamin. This may be called the Life-Force. Though it registers
on no scientific instruments, it is far from imaginary since it sepa-
rates the living from the dead. Ginseng root is an example of an-
other natural substance which shows no special properties under
chemical analysis, yet its life restoring powers are now widely
acknowledged. Love making is a powerful healing tonic because it
involves sharing the human life force, which is far more potent than
any herb or medicine. Chinese aristocrats and adepts seeking the deepest level of
fulfillment have long had the capacity to return the energy of the
seminal fluid to the brain and vital bodily centers. But ordinary
people in our society have, until now, had no technique for recy-
cling this great life power to the body. Most men have found the
sexual lure irresistibly attractive and have happily lost their seed
when succumbing to it, unaware of the consequences to their
health or that there was even an alternative available to them. With frequent ejaculation of sperm vitality ultimately plum-
mets. The big spender loses stamina, his vision begins to weaken,
hair tumbles from his skull: he grows old before his time. At first he
will not feel drained, but after years of abuse his capacities will
begin to drop alarmingly. When the hormonal secretions of the
sexual glands are regularly leached out, the body is sapped at its
root. Within a period of time that will range from months to de-
cades depending on the endowment of the individual, creative and
sexual abilities are halved, and the ability to withstand disease and
the frailties of old age is diminished. To regain failing powers, the desperate big spender of vital
seed sometimes tries to borrow well-being from hormone injec-
tions, "uppers," "downers," intoxicants, megavitamins, hallu-
cinogens, and aphrodisiacs. These substances frantically stuffed
into the body may appear to help temporarily. He may seek to
regain his dwindling sexual powers with personal power purchased
with money or political influence. If he is on a spiritual path, or is
surrounded by a loving community of family and friends, this feel-
ing of a failing life power will be slowed. But so long as the pro-Male Sex Energy Is Stored In Its Seed 5
digious energy waste continues, decline is inevitable. The organs of
digestion will be unable to assimilate sufficient nutritional energies
to replace those irrecoverable life energies lost by ejaculation. The Taoist method of cultivating sexual energy recirculates to
the body the hormones, proteins, vitamins, enzymes, minerals and
electrical energies of the semen. When they are conserved and
transformed, one enjoys a marvelous sexual life, improved health,
deep inner balance, and rising spiritual consciousness. The Taoist method of love actually stimulates the production
of hormonal substances of unusually high quality. One can learn to
focus energy on the endocrine glands during the act of love. When
the glands are bathed in energy, the quantity of their secretions
increases; more importantly, their quality improves. At higher
stages in the practice the hormones develop extraordinary proper-
ties. The Sexual Kung Fu method allows one to generate and con-
serve more nervous and hormonal energy than are necessary for
ordinary functioning. This excess vitality may be channeled to
strengthen the body and to raise mental and spiritual abilities.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        © 1984 by Mantak & Maneewan Chia
All Rights Reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photo-
graphic or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic
recording, nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted,
translated into another language, or otherwise copied for public or
private use, excepting brief passages quoted for purposes of review,
without the permission of the publisher. ISBN: 0-943358-19-1
LC #84-71453
A publication of
Aurora Press
P O Box 573
Santa Fe, NM 87504
USA
Also by Mantak Chia


temporary and in a constant state of change. Since you’re on this planet,
you too are a part of this always-changing and always-decomposing
principle. In this 23rd verse of the Tao Te Ching, you’re asked to observe
the ways of nature and then make the choice to live harmon iously with
them. Nature doesn’ t have to insist, push, or force anything; after all, storms
don’t last forever. Winds blow hard, but then they subside. The Tao creates
from an eternal perspective, but everything is on its return trip home the
moment it comes into being. So Lao-tzu instructs that if you live
harmoniously with this simple principle, you’ll be in tune with nature. Let
go of a desire to force anyone or anything, and choose instead to
consciously be part of the cycli cal pattern of nature. Lao-tzu reminds you
that not even heaven can sustain a forced action. In its inherent beingness,
all action has a temporary existence and returns to a calmer state. In
contemporary language, we’d say that “everything blows over.”
The teachings of this passage invite you to pause in the midst of strife or
tension and remember that serenity and peace are on the way. This verse
emphatically points out that you always have a choice! In every single
situation, you can choose to observe exaggerated and forced energy. It
might be verbally attempting to control a situation or cursing  how life’s
events are unfolding; regardless, these moments can be invitations to open
to the Tao even  while in the midst of chaos and angst. This is how to
“follow the Way”: Remember how nature blows hard and then returns to
calm. Follow the goodness of the Tao and you become goodness. Stray
from goodness and you become one with failure. You are part of the law of form in time and space, comp osing and
decomposing. Everything in nature is returning to its Source.... The
question is, do you wish to participate consciously with this natural
goodness, or would you rather spend your moments in anxiety and failure? The Tao response to this crucial question isn’t within your ego, for itstrongly believes in your ability to force things, to make things happen, or
to be the person  in charge. The Tao points out that the Way is responsible
for everything, with a naturalness about it that isn’t forced. It reminds you
that what seems so devastating in the moment is benev olent perfection in
another moment. When you conform to the naturalness of the universe, you
cooperate with this all-creating power that flows  through you. Suspend ego-
driven plans and instead particip ate in the power that created you—allow it
to be the guiding force in your life. Here’ s what Lao-tzu says to you, through me, from his 2,500year -old
perspective in this verse of the T ao Te Ching:
Change your life by actively observing natur e’s way. See how thunderstorms or fierce winds are temporary conditions that
pass, instead of thinking of them as destructive or inconvenient events. When what seems like a forcef ul, uncomfortable situation arises, seek the
natural cycle. Affirm: This is a tempo rary setback. I am going to release
myself from having to be the person in contr ol. Then observe what you’re
feeling, with openness to what is, in this moment. Remember that this is
nature’ s method. Center your mind in a natural way, in perfect rapport with
the patience of the universal T ao. Change your life by trusting your ability to r espond naturally to the
circumstances in your life. At first this may involve observing yourself in a friendly way instead of
responding immediately. When  you feel your inclination to make your
opinion known, let this urge silently tell you what it truly wants. Your body
knows how to be at peace and wait out the storms of life, but you need to
allow it to feel that you’re welcoming its signals. Be still and allow yourself
to be in harmony with the creative T ao, opening yourself to its power. T. S. Eliot evokes the natural cycle in his poem “Ash-W ednesday”:
Because I know that time is always time
And place is always and only place
And what is actual is actual only for one time
And only for one placeI rejoice that things ar e as they ar e... That’ s the idea: Rejoice in the stillness of the T ao. Do the T ao Now
Spend an entire day noticing nature and the countless instances that it
cycles organically. Seek at least three ways that you’d like to be more
natural in your response to life. The cat curling languidly in the sun might
symbolize how you’d like to be. Or perhaps it’s the dawn slowly
illuminating the dark without rushing. Maybe you prefer to focus on the tide
comfortably coming in and out, apparently without judgment. Find your
symbolic images, whatever they may be, and invite their counte rparts in the
Tao to blossom within you. OceanofPDF.com24th Verse
If you stand on tiptoe, you cannot stand firmly. If you take long steps, you cannot walk far. Showing off does not r eveal enlightenment. Boasting will not pr oduce accomplishment. He who is self-righteous is not r espected. He who brags will not endur e.

All these ways of acting ar e odious, distasteful. They ar e superfluous excesses. They ar e like a pain in the stomach,
a tumor in the body. When walking the path of the T ao,
this is the very stuff that must be
uprooted, thr own out, and left behind. OceanofPDF.comLiving
Without Excess
In this verse, Lao-tzu advises that the path of the Tao needs to be cleared
of any weeds of excessive perso nal importance. After all, accomplishments
derive from the all-creating Source that Lao-tzu calls “the Tao.” Everything
that you see, touch, or own is a gift from the Tao; thus, it is your duty to
suspend your ego and seek an attitude of gratitude and genero sity for the
Tao’s creativity. In this way, you walk the path of the Tao by becoming like
it is, which is always existing in a state of unlimited giving. It is to this state
that the 24th verse of the T ao Te Ching ur ges you to return. Notice how the natural flow of the Tao operates: It asks nothing of you as
it provides you and everyone else with unlimited supplies of food, air,
water, sunshine,  land, and beaut y. It is always creating for the benefit of all,
and it has no need for prideful boasting or demanding something in return. This poem by Hafiz bears repeating here to illustrate this point:
Even
After
All this time
The sun never says to the earth,

“You owe
Me.”
Look
What happens
With a love like that,
It lights the
Whole
Sky.The sun symbolizes the Tao at work: It offers its warmth, light, and life-
giving energy to all, illuminating the globe without any demand for
recognition. Imagine if the sun needed attention and demanded accolades
for its efforts—it would shine only where it felt most appreciated or when it
received payme nt for that life-giving energy! Soon the world would be
partially shut off from the sun’s magnificence, and ultimately the entire
planet would be covered in darkness as wars erupted over ways of
appeasing the “sun god.” It’s easy to see why Lao-tzu refers to such
inclinations to be boastful and self-righteous as “odious” and akin to “a
tumor in the body.”
Walk the path of the T ao by being a giver rather than a taker, providing for
others and asking nothing in return. Then view your desires to brag and
seek approval as weeds appea ring on your journey. Seeing yourself as
important and special because of your artistic talent, for instanc e, is walking
the path of ego. Walking the path of the Tao means that you express
appreciation for the hands that allow you to create a sculpture. This is how Lao-tzu advises you to walk the path of the Tao, free of your
ego-driven desires to be recognized for all of your efforts and
accomplishments:
Change your life by consciously choosing to be in a state of gratitude. The journey of your life will change when you emphasize gratitude for all
that you are, all that you accomplish, and all that you receive. Practice
silently repeating I thank Y ou throughout your waking hours, and as you fall
asleep and awaken. It really doesn’t matter whether you’re thanking God,
Spirit, Allah, the Tao, Krishna, Buddha, the Source, or self, because all
those names represent the great wisdom traditions. Give thanks for the
sunshine, the rain, and your body, including all of its components. Have a
brain-, heart-, liver, and even a toenail-appreciation day! Your practice of
gratitude helps 24th Verse you focus on the real Source of everything, as
well as notice when you’re letting ego dominate. Make this a silen t daily
practice: Give thanks for the bed, the sheets, the pillows, and the room you
sleep in at night ; and in the morning, say


	believed	that	they
should. No,	they
must,
	because	the	irresistible	power	of	life	is	never	going	to
take	no	for	an	answer. If	you	have	taken	no	for	an	answer—and	all	of	us	have
—then	spirit	wants	to	change	how	you	see	yourself. Only	one	side	can	win	a
soccer	game,	but	there’s	a	catch:	The
X
	factor	is	at	work,	and	what	you	see	on
the	surface	isn’t	always	what	you	get.The	Wishing	Tree
W
e	were	walking	down	the	road	toward	the	village	when	Baba	asked,	“What
would	you	wish	for	if	you	could	wish	for	anything? Would	you	wish	for
riches?”
“Yes,”	I	said	without	a	moment’s	hesitation. “Would	you	wish	to	be	popular	and	famous?”
“Yes,	that	sounds	pretty	good	too,”	I	said. He	smiled. “In	fairy	tales	there	are	always	three	wishes. What	would	your
third	one	be?”
“Promise	you	won’t	tell	anybody,	but	I’d	wish	for	someone	to	love	me,”	I
said. “Deeply?”	asked	Baba. “You	must	be	precise.”	I	felt	my	cheeks	get	warm. Before	I	could	stammer	out	anything,	Baba	said,	“Very	well,	deeply	it	is. Three	wishes	to	work	on. Now,	let	me	see.”
He	began	to	scan	the	horizon	like	an	old	sea	captain	searching	for	port. “It’s
around	here	somewhere. Ah,”	he	said,	pointing	to	the	tallest	tree	in	the
distance. “We	need	him.”
We	left	the	road	and	tramped	across	a	field	until	we
	reached	the	tree. Baba
said,	“This	is	a	wishing	tree. It’s	been	giving	people	what	they	want	for	a
long,	long	time.”
“Are	you	sure	you	didn’t	just	make	that	up?”	I	was	getting	used	to	Baba’s
mischievous	tactics. Baba	pointed	to	the	bark,	which	had	deep	slashes	hacked	into	it. “That’s	how
I	know	this	is	a	wishing	tree,”	he	said,	launching	into	the	following
explanation:
Wishing	trees	go	back	many	centuries	in	India,	although	for	modern	people
they	are	now	more	legend	than	fact. Everyone	in	this	part	of	the	country	hadbeen	told	about	wishing	trees	by	their	grandmothers,	and	perhaps	belief	was
stronger	here. For	one	day	a	villager	was	walking	alone,	dreaming	about	his
future. He	stopped	to	rest	under	a	tree	and	thought,	“If	only	I	were	rich.”
When	he	returned	home,	to	his	amazement	he	found	a	mansion	where	his	hut
had	stood,	and	inside	the	mansion	was	every	kind	of	treasure. Immediately	he
knew	that	he	had	found	the	wishing	tree. The	young	man	told	no	one	where
his	wealth	had	come	from. He	left	the	village	that	night,	never	to	be	seen	there
again. “But	a	year	later,”	Baba	said,	“he	returned	with	an	ax	and	began	to	hack	at	the
tree,	cursing	it	all	the	while. ‘You	never	told	me	that	people	would	envy	my
money,	and	now	I	am	miserable,’	he	cried. ‘I	trust	no	one,	I	cannot	tell	if
anyone	likes	me	for	myself	or	only	for	my	riches. Night	and	day	I	worry	that	I
might	lose	everything,	because	I	know	nothing	of	how	to	handle	money’”
He	chopped	at	the	tree	until	he	was	exhausted. But	the	tree	would	not	fall. Time	passed,	and	one	day	a	young	woman	from	the	village	was	wandering	in
the	woods. She	sat	under	the	tree	to	rest,	and	a	wish	came	to	her. “If	only	I
were	famous. It	would	be	so	wonderful	to	be	the	most	popular	woman	in	the
world.”
When	she	got	home,	her	house	was	swarmed	with	TV	cameras	and	reporters. A	huge	crowd	was	gathering,	and	as	soon	as	they	spied	the	young	woman,	she
was	mobbed	by	screaming	fans. Breathlessly	she	made	it	into	her	house. The
next	day	she	emerged	to	find	that	the	cameras	and	reporters	were	still	there. She	waved	and	got	into	a	limousine	and	was	never	seen	in	the	village	again. “But	a	year	later,”	said	Baba,	“she	sneaked	back	to	the	wishing	tree	with	an
ax	in	her	hand. She	began	to	chop	at	it,	cursing	all	the	while. ‘You	didn’t	tell
me	that	nobody	would	ever	leave	me	alone. I	can’t	go	anywhere	without
being	stared	at,	my	slightest	misfortune	is	blown	up	into	a	tragedy	in	the
newspapers,	and	hundreds	of	people	a	day	ask	for	my	help,	when	I	can	barely
manage	my	own	life. I’m	so	miserable.’”
She	chopped	at	the	tree	until	she	was	exhausted. But	the	tree	would	not	fall. More	time	passed. Then	it	chanced	that	a	young	mother-to-be	was	wandering
in	the	woods. She	rested	under	the	tree,	dreaming	of	the	joys	of	having	a	baby
I
	want	nothing	in	this	world	but	the	love	of	my	baby	and	my	husband,
	shethought. If	only	they	will	love	me	forever
. She	went	home,	and	her	husband	greeted	her	with	hugs	and	kisses. Two
weeks	later	their	baby	was	born,	and	the	minute	she	opened	her	eyes,	she
gazed	on	her	mother	with	adoration. Much	more	time	passed	before	the	mother	returned	to	the	woods. “It	took	five	years,”	said	Baba,	“and	then	she	came	back	in	tattered	rags,
furiously	hacking	at	the	tree	with	an	ax	and	cursing	it. ‘My	husband	loves	me
so	much	that	he	can’t	bear	to	leave	my	side	to	go	to	work. Now	we	have	no
money	My	little	child	cries	without	end	unless	I	am	with	her	every	waking
moment. Although	they	love	me	truly,	I	have	no	peace. I	am	the	most
miserable	woman	on	earth.’”
She,	too,	kept	chopping	until	she	was	exhausted,	but	the	tree	didn’t	fall. Baba
rubbed	his	hand	over	the	wounds	she	had	left	behind. “Do	you	know	what	went	wrong?”	he	said. “They	all	wished	for	externals,
and	that’s	what	the	tree	gave	them. Each	had	an	outer	image	of	being	rich,
famous,	and	loved,	but	images	are	not	what	your	soul	wants	for	you. You
must	wish	from	the	inside,	then	the	highest	wisdom	will	be	at	your
command.”
W
HAT
	I	L
EARNED
This	lesson	was	about	the	difference	between	a	wish	that	helps	you	and	one
that	doesn’t. All	three	people	who
	found	the	wishing	tree	got	what	they
wished	for,	and	so	their	lives	changed,	but	only	on	the	outside. They	forgot	to
wish	for	inner	change. No	matter	how	much	money	he	had,	the	rich	man
wasn’t	rich	inside. No	matter	how	famous	she	was,	the	celebrity	didn’t	feel
worthy	inside. No	matter	how	much	other	people	loved	her,	the	mother	didn’t
know	how	to	love	herself. Baba	taught	me	that	my	soul	hears	all	my	wishes	from	the	inside. The	soul


. For exam -
ple, arterial catheters made of polycarbonate, polystyrene, styrene acrylonitrile, and
polyvinyl chloride needed to be avoided because DMSO could partly dissolve or chemically leach these products. DMSO was found safe to use with conventional or linear polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, and teflon catheter systems, and products using these plastics also included hubs in disposable needles. 64
One question that arose from these studies was the potential of DMSO to dissolve
plastics. In the United States, most intravenous bags and tubing are made of polyvinyl chloride, which are safe to use with DMSO. The preliminary reports on DMSO published by the University of Chicago neu -
rosurgery team were sufficiently encouraging to try and extend those findings by targeting other CNS injuries, as we will review in the following text. These findings also stimulated other independent groups to examine DMSO’s potential in other types of brain injuries. When a drug is experimentally tested against a primary drug of choice for a
clinical condition and is reported to be superior to the standard treatment, a flurry of extracurricular research studies by other investigators usually follows to verify or not the merits of the new drug. This flurry of research studies on DMSO by other investigators exploring possible brain injury treatments was soon to confirm the data reported by the University of Chicago investigators. First, a three-part study from the University of California, San Diego, was under -
taken to test DMSO in the control of lethal ICP and subsequent brain edema using a rabbit model. 42 All animals were monitored for EEG activity, ICP, central venous
pressure, systemic arterial pressure, and water content in the brain. Animals had a circular area of the parietal cortex frozen for 90 s using a probe previously cooled in liquid nitrogen. This lesion created a consistent localized area of necrosis and hem -
orrhage at the surface and a few millimeters below the cortex. When animals were injected with Evans blue, the dye was observed to extravasate just beyond the lesion site only in the cryogenic lesion group, allowing the measurement of the dye spread following each treatemnt. 42 It was found that EEG activity after 1 g/kg of a 10%
DMSO solution given 24 h after the cryogenic lesion was an improvement in volt -
age and the number of slow waves in five of six animals treated when compared to untreated lesioned animals. The ICP was significantly reduced 5 min after DMSO with no changes seen in the central venous pressure, which rose only in untreated lesioned animals. Brain water content was significantly reduced after DMSO in both hemispheres
and was increased in the untreated cryogenic lesioned animals. This study concluded that after a cryogenic lesion, DMSO stabilized systemic arterial pressure, water con -
tent in the brain, and central venous pressure and reduced ICP while increasing cerebral perfusion when compared to untreated lesioned animals. 42
This cryogenic lesion study led to a second study by the San Diego group to
further test DMSO’s ability to reduce toxic brain edema at variable doses that
could be effective and still maintain electrolyte and fluid balance.43 The same rab -
bit model and cryogenic lesion was used, and the findings suggested that a 1 g/kg
of a 10% DMSO solution given as an intravenous bolus was as effective in reducing ICP as a 1 g/kg of a 40% DMSO bolus, a dose that could create red cell hemolysis. 142 Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) in Trauma and Disease
These authors found that while a 10% bolus of DMSO would avoid red cell hemo -
lysis, it would also increase central venous pressure and fluid overload. However,
the authors determined that the central venous pressure increase and fluid overload side effects could be avoided when 2 g/kg of a 20% DMSO infusion was given continuously over 1 h. This approach seemed as effective as the 10% bolus injec -
tions. 65 Since the study was terminated 1 h following all treatments, it was hard
to judge whether a bolus or slow infusion was preferable in a patient developing a rapid extradural hematoma following a closed head injury. The optimal dose of intravenous DMSO would become a controversial stumbling block in subsequent clinical and experimental studies examining how best to treat a brain injury. This impasse of DMSO given as an intravenous bolus or slow infusion at an opti -
mal concentration was finally solved, as we shall see in Chapter 9, in two clinical pilot trials performed by Turkish investigators treating severe closed head injury patients using DMSO. 44,45
The third study carried out by the San Diego researchers43a focused on extending
the infusion time of DMSO from 1 to 3 h using the same cryogenic rabbit model of brain trauma used in the first and second studies. This experiment examined whether DMSO at a dose of 2 g/kg 20% infusion given 24 h after the cryogenic lesion would still lower ICP and reduce other side effects when given over 3 h rather than over 1 h as reported in the second study. The results indicated that DMSO infused over a 3 h period was able to signifi -
cantly lower ICP from 12.9 mm Hg before treatment to 7.3 torr after 45 min and to 4.2  mm torr after 3  h. Systemic arterial pressure and central venous pressure remained unchanged during and after DMSO infusion. 43a Brain electrolyte levels of
sodium and potassium showed a reduction of both electrolytes in the lesioned and unlesioned contralateral hemispheres after DMSO, which was similar to untreated lesioned animals. The San Diego studies determined an optimal dose of DMSO at 2 g/kg in a 20%
solution given over a 3 h period as a more optimal approach to lessen DMSO possible side effects such as volume overload, a rise of potassium brain levels, and red blood cell (RBC) hemolysis. 65 We now know that the optimal dose of DMSO in human
patients sustaining a severe brain injury is 1 g/kg in a 28% solution mixed with 5% dextrose in water. 44,45
It should be noted that the gross hemolysis seen after a rapid bolus of high intra -
venous doses of DMSO has been shown to be a temporary side effect that does not involve organ damage, including the kidneys. 66 Hemolysis after high rapid doses
of DMSO is a reaction that always disappears after the discontinuation of DMSO. This was demonstrated in a pathologic study monitoring blood chemistry, hema -
tology, urine, ocular, neurological, and cardiovascular systems in rhesus monkeys given repeated high doses of DMSO (3 g/kg 40%) for 9 days and followed up for 4  months. 65 At the end of the study, all animals underwent postmortem analyses,
including gross and microscopic pathological examinations. No significant or long-
lasting changes were recorded in any of the parameters studied when these data were
compared to those animals given normal physiological saline.66
The three-part study by the San Diego group also showed that DMSO could sig -
nificantly reduce ICP without affecting systemic pressure or central venous pressure 143 DMSO in Basic Neuroprotection
while lowering the brain water content in the lesioned hemisphere. These studies
also suggested that a slow infusion of 2 g/kg of a 20% DMSO solution over a 3 h period was as effective in lowering ICP as 1 g/kg of a 40% DMSO bolus but without the gross hemolysis seen with the bolus. 42–44
Although this conclusion is probably valid for a cryogenic lesion to the cortex
where local necrosis and hemorrhage develop immediately and remain a nonexpand -
ing lesion, it is not the case with a relatively slower-building epidural hematoma (also called extradural hematoma) that results from a severe blunt trauma to the skull and meninges. An extradural or epidural hematoma occurs when there is a rupture of a blood
vessel, usually an artery, which then bleeds into the space between the dura mater and the inner wall of the skull. An epidural hematoma is generally an expanding mass that can reach its peak in 4–8 h and is capable of stripping the dura apart and threatening the formation of malignant brain edema as well as inducing secondary brain damage and death. This means that a brain trauma patient’s arrival at the emer -
gency department requires quick evaluation and if an expanding epidural hematoma is found, rapid surgical evacuation is mandatory. Drug treatment is generally con -
sidered when refractory high ICP is detected. 67,68 This implies that if brain edema is
present, rapid intravenous infusion (fast drip or bolus) of an antiedema drug should be applied to control rising ICP and failing cerebral perfusion. 66
The cryogenic lesion model was again used by the San Diego researchers who
compared the acute effect of DMSO and pentobarbital, an agent used to reduce ICP often by creating barbiturate coma, on the development of brain edema in rabbits. 69
DMSO was given 1 mg/kg in a 10% solution by intravenous bolus, and pentobarbi -
tal 40 mg/kg was administered intravenously over a 30


 not
by you, but by someone else. Your parents,
perhaps. Your religion. Your teachers,
historians, politicians. Very few of the value judgments you have
incorpora ted into your truth are judgments
you, yourself, have made based on your own experience. Yet experience is what
you came here for —and out of your
experience were you to create yourself. You have created yourself out of the
experience of others. If there we re such a thing as sin, this would
be it: to allow yourself to become what  you
are because of the experience of others. This is the “sin” you have committed. All of
you. You do not await your own experience,
you accept the experience of  others as
gospel (l iterally), and then, when you
encounter the actual experience for  the first
time, you overlay what you think you
already know onto the encounter. If you did not do this, you might have a
wholly different experience —one that
might  render your original teach er or
source wrong. In most cases, you don’t want to make  your parents, your schools,
your religions, your traditions, your holy
scriptures wrong —so you deny your own
experience in favor of what you have been
told to think. Nowhere can this be more profoundly
illustrated than in your treatment of human
sexuality. Everyone knows that the sexual
experience can be the single most loving,
most  exciting, most powerful, most
exhilarating, most renewing, most
energizing, most  affirming, most intimate,
most uniting, most re -creative physical
experience of which  humans are capable. Having discovered this experientially, you
have chosen to  accept instead the prior
judgments, opinions, and ideas about sex promulgated by  others —all of whom have
a vested interest in how you think. These opinions, judgments, and ideas
have run directly contradictory to your own
experience, yet because you are loathe to
make your teachers wrong, you convince
yourself it must be your experience that is
wrong. The result is that you ha ve betrayed
your true truth about this subject —with
devastating results. You have done the same thing with money. Every time in your life that you have had
lots and lots of money, you have felt great. You felt great receiving it, and you felt  great
spendin g it. There was nothing bad about
it, nothing evil, nothing inherently  “wrong.”
Yet you have so deeply ingrained within
you the teachings of others on this  subject that you have rejected your experience in
favor of “truth.”
Having adopted this “truth” as y our own,
you have formed thoughts around it —
thoughts which are creative. You have thus
created a personal reality around money
which pushes it away from you —for why
would you seek to attract that which is not
good? Amazingly, you have created this same
contradiction around God. Everything your
heart experiences about God tells you that
God is good. Everything your teachers teach you about
God tells you God is bad. Your heart tells
you God is to be loved without fear. Your
teachers tell you God is to be fear ed, for  He
is a vengeful God. You are to live in fear of God’s wrath, they say. You are to  tremble in
His presence. Your whole life through you
are to fear the judgment of the  Lord. For the
Lord is “just,” you are told. And God knows,
you will be in troubl e when  you confront the
terrible justice of the Lord. You are,
therefore, to be “obedient” to  God’s
commands. Or else. Above all, you are not to ask such logical
questions as, “if God wanted strict
obedience to His Laws, why did He create
the possibility of those Laws being
violated?” Ah, your teachers tell you —
because God wanted you to have “free
choice.” Yet what kind of choice is free
when to choose one thing over the other
brings condemnation? How is “free will”
free when it is not your wil l, but someone
else’s, which must be done? Those who teach you this would make a hypocrite of
God. You are told that God is forgiveness, and
compassion —yet if you do not ask for this
forgiveness in the “right way,” if you do not
“come to God” properly, you r plea will not
be heard, your cry will go unheeded. Even
this would not be so bad if there were  only
one proper way, but there are as many
“proper ways” being taught as there are
teachers to teach them. Most of you, therefore, spend the bulk of
your adult  life searching for the “right” way
to worship, to obey, and to serve God. The
irony of all this is that I do not want your
worship, I do not need your obedience, and
it is not necessary for you to serve Me. These behaviors are the behaviors
historically d emanded of their subjects by
monarchs —usually ego -maniacal,
insecure, tyrannical monarchs at that. They’re not  Godly demands in any sense —
and it seems remarkable that the world
hasn’t by  now concluded that the demands
are counterfeit, having nothing to do with
the needs or desires of Deity. Deity has no needs. All That Is is exactly
that: all that is. It therefore wants, or lacks,
nothing —by definition. If you choose to believe in a God who
somehow needs something —and has such
hurt feelings if He doesn’t ge t it that He
punishes those from whom He expected to
receive it —then you choose to believe in a
God much smaller than I. You truly are
Children of a Lesser God. No, my children, please let Me assure you
again, through this writing, that I am  without
needs. I require nothing. This does not mean I am without desires. Desires and needs are not the same thing
(although many of you have made them so
in your present lifetime). Desire is the beginning of all creation. It is
first thought. It is a grand feeling wit hin the
soul. It is God, choosing what next to
create. And what is God’s desire? I desire first to know and experience
Myself, in all My glory —to know Who I Am. Before I invented you —and all the worlds
of the universe —it was impossible for Me
to do so. Second, I desire that you shall know and
experience Who You Really Are, through  the power I have given you to create and
experience yourself in whatever way you
choose. Third, I desire for the whole life process to
be an experience of constant joy,
continuous  creation, never -ending
expansion, and total fulfillment in each
moment of  now. I have established a perfect system
whereby these desires may be realized. They  are being realized now —in this very
moment. The only difference between you
and Me is that I kno w this. In the moment of your total knowing (which
moment could come upon you at  anytime),
you, too, will feel as I do always: totally
joyful, loving, accepting, blessing,  and
grateful. These are the Five Attitudes of God, and
before we are through with th is dialogue, I
will show you how the application of these
attitudes in your life now can —and will —
bring you to Godliness. All of this is a very long answer to a very
short question. Yes, hold to your values —so long as you
experience that they serve you. Ye t look to
see whether the values you serve, with
your thoughts, words, and actions, bring to
the space of your experience the highest
and best idea you ever had about you. Examine your values one by one. Hold
them up to the light of public scrutiny. If you
can tell the world who you are and what you
believe without breaking stride or
hesitating, you are happy with yourself. There is no reason to continue much
further  in this dialogue with Me, because
you have created a Self —and a life for the
Self—which nee ds no improvement. You
have reached perfection. Put the book
down. My life is not perfect, nor is it close to being
perfect. I am not perfect. I am, in fact, a
bundle  of imperfections. I wish —
sometimes I wish with all my heart —that I
could correct these  imperfections; that I
knew what causes my behaviors, what sets
up my downfalls, what  keeps getting in my
way. That’s why I’ve come to You, I guess. I haven’t been able to find  the answers on
my own. I am glad you came. I have always been
here to help  you. I am here now. You don’t  have to find the answers on your own. You
never had to. Yet it seems so...presumptuous...to simply
sit down and dialogue with You this way —
much less to imagine that You —God—are
responding —I mean, this is crazy. I see. The authors of the Bible were all
sane, but you are


 within a
very sho rt amount of time we ’re back to where we started
from—a state of wanting more things in an ef fort to feel happy
again. There’ s only one way to find lasting, permanent happiness—it
is to  fin d out who you really ar e, because your true nature IS
happiness. “The world is s o unhappy because it is ignorant of the true
Self. Man’ s real nature is happin ess. Happiness is inborn in the
true Self. Man’ s  search for happ iness is an unconscious search
for his true Self... When a ma n finds it, he finds a happiness
which does not come to an end.”
Ramana Maharshi
“The on ly real purpose of being here on this earth is to learn or
to re-remember our original natural state of no limitations.”
Lester Levenson, fr om  W ill Power audio
“The discovery of our true Self has the power to transform the
darkness of ignorance into the li ght of pure understanding. It is
the m ost profound, important an d radical discovery. It is a tree
that bears fruit immediately. When we realize who we are—
the one experiencing and perceiving the world—so many
things will be set right. There are not many things to know if
truth is what you seek. It’ s not volumes of knowledge that are
required—it’ s to come to the recognition of the one true Self
that you are.”
Mooji
Remembering w ho you really are has been given many names
over th e centuries. Enlighten ment, self-realization, self-
discovery, illumina tion, awakening, remembering. Y ou
probably think “enlightenment”  can’ t be for you (“I’m just anormal person”), but you couldn’ t be further from the truth. This dis covery—this happiness, this freedom—is who you are,
so how can it not be for you? “Open yourself to the possibilit y that you can experience the
truth  of what you are, this very mom ent. How, you may ask? By noti cing that the only o bstacle in the way is your
imagination—your imagined opposition.”
My teacher
“W e are free, and we don’ t know it. It feels the furthest thing
from possible, that it could be  so. W e’d swear we’re at the
mercy of what g oes wrong, what goes right. And yet (here is
the truth), freedom is right here.”
Jan Frazier, fr om  The Freedom of Being
“Self-realization is possible f or someone who’ s had no
education and it can also be po ssible for a king. There are no
preconditions to  self-realization. Self-realization isn’ t just for
those w ho’ve under gone yea rs of spiritual practice—it’ s
possible for someone who’ s been drinking and smoking all the
time.”
David Bingham, fr om Conscious TV
What W ill Y our Life Be Like? “I’m talking about something that hardly anyone has yet
experienced. How can I describe it? No limits on anything in
any direction whatsoever. The ability to do anything for the
mere thought of it. Y et it is more than that. Imagine the highest
joy you can have and multiply by a hundred.”
Lester Levenson, fr om  No Attachments, No A versions
When you fully recognize who you are, you will have a life
without problem s, without upset, hurt, worry, or fear. Y ou will
be f ree from t he fear of death and will never again be
controlled or tortured by your mind. False ideas and beliefs
will dis solve. In their place will be clarity, happiness, joy,
peace, infinite fun and wonder—every moment a delight. Y ou
will know you are safe and secure no matter what.“And when we recognize this... ultimate happiness is
established pe rmanently, and  forever. And with its
establishment comes immortality, unlimitedness,
imperturbable peace, total freed om, and everything else that
everyone is seeking.”
Lester Levenson, fr om  Happiness Is Free, volumes 1–5
When you fully recognize who y ou are, life becomes ef fortless
—everything you need seems to appear without any ef fort
from yo u. There ’ s an ease and a flow that take over your life. A lif e of  lack and limitation is o ver forever. Y ou come to know
the ultimate power you have over everything in the world. When you fully recognize who you are, suf fering and struggle
will be gone, a nd fear and negative emotions will dissolve. The min d will quiet. Y ou will be filled with joy, positivity,
fulfillment, a sense of abundance, and an imperturbable peace. This will be your life. From the words of Jan Frazier, a mother and literary teacher:
“Imagine this: Whatever has weighed on you suddenly no
longer w eighs. It may still be there, a fact in your life, but it
has no mass, no gravity. All tha t has ever troubled you is now
just a feature of the landscape,  like a tree, a passing cloud. Every bit of em otional and mental turmoil has ceased: the
entire bu rden, so me form of wh ich has been with you as long
as yo u can reme mber. A thing familiar as your closest friend—
as much  a part o f you as the language you speak, the color of
your skin—is utterly, inexplic ably gone. Into the startling
emptiness flows  a quiet joy that buoys you morning, noon, and
night, that goes everywhere you go, into any kind of
circumstance, even into sleep. Everything you undertake
happens ef fortlessly. Y ou are happy, but for no reason. Nothing
bothers you. Y ou feel no stress. When a problem arises, you
know what to do, you do it, and then you let it go. People that
used to  drive you crazy no longer do. While you feel
compassion for others’ suf ferin g, you don’ t suf fer yourself. Activities that used to be tedious are fun. Y ou don’ t need
therapy; you don’ t get bored, an xious, or moody. Except when
needed for a task, your mind is at rest. Y our life is entirely
fulfilled—without your having t o do anything to fulfill it,...you know that no matter what challenge you are handed—for
the r est of your life—the peace will sustain. Never again will
you be afraid, desperate, lonely. Whatever comes your way,
this causeless joy will hold. Imagine it.”
Jan Frazier, fr om  When Fear Falls A way
This is your life with The Greatest Secret. This is your destiny.C H A P T E R  1  S u m m a r y
Whether we r ealize it or not, we’ve been in sear ch of The
Gr eatest Secr et unceasingly every single day of our lives. This gr eat secr et is in plain view  for every one of us to see,
yet we’ve missed it. W e’ve m issed th e truth for thou sands of years because we
ar e distr acted by our pr oblems, the drama in our lives, the
comings and goings of the events in the world. W e’ve accepted many false ideas and beliefs thr oughout our
lives, and they have kept us enslaved. Whenever we suffer, it’ s because we’ve mistaken our own
identity. Humanity is suffering fr om a misunderstanding of our true
natur e.
Y ou ar e having the  experience of being a person, but in the
bigger pictur e it’ s not who you ar e.
Y ou’r e supposed to be happy all the time. Happiness is your
true natur e.
Discovering who you r eally ar e has been given many
names: enligh tenment, self-r ealization, self-discovery,
awakening, r emembering. Open yourself to the possibility that you can experience  the
truth of what you ar e, this very moment. When you fully r ecognize who y ou ar e, you will experience
a lif e without pr oblems, upset, hurt, worry, or fear, and you
will be filled with joy, positivity, fulfillment, abundance, and
peace.C h a p t e r  2
The Gr eatest Secr et: Revealed
“So close you can’ t see it. So subtle your mind can’ t understand it. So simple you can’ t believe it. So good you can’ t accept it.”
Loch Kelly, fr om  Shift into Freedom r egar ding the Shangpa Kagyu T ibetan Buddhist tradition
Why is it so few have discovered the truth? Why haven’ t the m ajority of us realized
who we are? How can billions o f people have missed something so vitally important
to our happiness? W e’ve m issed discovering The Greatest Secret because of one small obstacle: a
belief! J ust a single belief has prevented us from making the g reatest discovery we
can make. That belief is that we are our body and our mind. Y ou Ar e Not Y our Body
“W e came into this world to be a body in order