. The Light of the World by William Holman Hunt is inspired by two
verses in the Bible. At the foot of the painting is an inscr iption from
Revelation 3:20. It reads: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any
man hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with
him and he with me.” The title of the painting is from John 8:12, in which
Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never
walk in darknes s, but will have the light of life.” Both verses call upon the
ego to be open and receptive to holy guidance and a higher plan. Hunt’ s painting is full of symbo lism and allegory. Christ represents our
Unconditioned Self. The door represents our ego mind. Christ’ s face is a
picture of infinite patience. Weeds grow at the foot of the door, which tellsus that the door has been shut for some time. Hunt described the
symbolism: “The closed door was the obstinately shut mind, the weeds the
cumber of daily neglect …” Most significant, the door has no handle, no
lock, and no bolt. It can be opened at any moment. It opens from the inside. Our soul waits for us. Our ego must be willing to let the light in. Our ego
has to open the door. “Once I took my first step on the spiritual path, I felt like I walked
through a door into a new world,” Louise tells me as we sit looking at
Hunt’ s painting. “Life took me by the hand and led me on my way. Life
said, ‘Do this,’ and I did. Life said, ‘Do that,’ and I did. When people want
to know how I created Hay House, I always tell them, ‘I opened my mind. I
listened to my inner voice. I followed the signs. I trusted the flow and
learned to move with it.’”
“I have faith in the universe,” said Albert Einstein to William Hermanns
in a conversation recorded in Einstein and the Poet. This book is one of my
favorites about Einstein. It features four conversations between Einstein and
Hermanns, a German poet, playwright, and sociologist, over the space of
thirty years. Einstein tells Hermanns, “Through my pursuit in science I have
known cosmic religious feelings.” Einstein insists he is a scientist, but he
also sounds like a poet. He makes reference to an inner voice. And he tells
Hermanns, “If I hadn’ t an absolute faith in the harmony of creation, I
wouldn’ t have tried for 30 years to express it in a mathematical formula.”
“When you know that life loves you, and that you live in a friendly
universe, it helps you in both the good times and the bad times,” says
Louise. Sometim es life doesn’ t go according to plan. Not to our plan, at
least. We all know what that’s like. We feel like life loves us when we get
what we want, but what about when we don’t? What about when we don’t
get that job we wanted? Or when that special person doesn’ t return our call? Or when something that felt so right goes wrong? This is when we have to
trust that life loves us always —and that even when things appear not to be
going our way, they still are going our way. “If you knew Who walks beside you on the way that you have chosen,
fear would be impossible,” states A Course in Miracles. When we’re afraid,
we feel alone. When one door closes all the other doors close, too, is how it
feels to our ego. “When you trust in love, it’s impossible to feel totally
alone,” says Louise. “Love introduces you to the totality of possibilities. It
opens you up to a power that is greater and wiser than your ego. Loveknows what’s best for you. It leads you to your highest good. Love will
show you the way.”
Whenever you feel stuck, lonely, or afraid, Louise and I recommend you
ask yourself this question: What good things could happen if I let life love
me even more? Anothe r way of doing this is to complete this sentence ten
times: One way I could let life love me even more right now is … Open the
door and let your soul lead the way. Open your mind and let the light in. Open your heart and trust in love to take you where you need to go. To
support you in this inquiry here is one of my favorite passages by Louise
from her book Heart Thoughts:
Trust that your inner guide is
leading you and guiding you in ways
that are best for you, and that your
spiritual growth is continuously
expanding. No matter which door opens or
which door closes, you
are always safe. You are eternal. You will go on forever
from experience to experience. See yourself opening doors to
joy, peace, healing, prosperity,
and love. Doors to understanding,
compassion, and for giveness. Doors to freedom. Doors to
self-worth and self-esteem. Doors to self-love. It is all here before you. Which door will you open first? Remember, you are safe;
it is only change. Teach Only LoveOne afternoon, Louise and I took a walk in Balboa Park. We stopped off
at Daniel’ s Cof fee Cart to pick up my cappuccino. From there, we headed to
the Japanese Friendship Garden. As we walked, I ask Louis e about the
Hayride Reunion that had just taken place. It celebrated the 30th
anniversary of Louise’ s support group for AIDS that became known as the
Hayride. The Reunion was held at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los
Angeles. The theater was full of friends old and new who came from all
over the world to be there. Suddenly we heard someone shout, “Ms. Hay! Ms. Hay!” We looked up
and saw two men, arm in arm, waving at us. They were by the entrance to
the Japanese Friendship Garden. As they approached, one of the men said,
“Ms. Hay, I’m a Hayrider!” Louise and the man both burst into tears. They
hugged each other for a long time. I took lots of pictures. Louis e looked so
happy. This man had attended Hayride meetings back in 1988 when he was
preparing to die. “You healed my life,” he said. “No. You healed your life,”
Louise told him. Louise hosted a Hayride every Wednesday night for six-and-a-half years
in the 1980s. “A private client asked me if I’d hold a meeting for men with
AIDS. I said yes. That’ s how it began,” Louise told me. Six men showed up
for the first meeting, which Louise held in her living room. “I told the men
that we were going to do what I always do, which is to focus on self-love,
forgiveness, and letting go of fear. I also told them that we were not going
to sit there and play Ain’t it awful, because that won’ t help anybod y.” At the
end of the first meeting, Louise and her six men held each other  in a loving
embrace. They left Louise’ s home that night with a feeling of peace in their
hearts. “The week after, we had 12 men sitting in my living room. The following
week, we had 20 men. And it just kept growing,” Louise says, still
astonished by what happened. “Eventually, we had nearly 90 men squeezed
into my living room. I’m not sure what the neighbors thought! Each week
we talked, we cried, we sang songs together, we did mirror work and also
all sorts of heali ng meditations for ourselves, each other, and the planet. We
ended every evening with hugs, which was good for love, and also very
good for pick-ups,”  says Louise with a big smile. The meetings moved out of Louise’ s home into a gymnasium in West
Hollywood. “We went from 90 people to 150 people that first night,” she
recalls. They soon had to move again. This time the City of WestHollywood gave Louise a space that could hold hundreds of people. “Eventually, we had nearly 800 people at our Wednesday night meetings. Now it wasn’ t just men with AIDS who came. It was men and women. And
family members, too. Whenever someone’ s mother attended her first
meeting, she’d receive a standing ovation from us all.”
One of Louise’ s closest friends is Daniel Peralta. They first met in
January 1986, when Daniel attended the premiere of a film about the
Hayride called Doors Opening: A Positive Appr oach to AIDS. “Louise Hay
introduced me to unconditional  love,” Daniel told me. In an article about
the Hayride, Daniel wrote about Louise’ s infinite kindne ss and her
generosity of spirit:
Louise L. Hay was ushering in a new possibility, a new way of being. She introdu ced us to
loving ourselves and outlined practical steps to engage that process. She gently invited us to be
with ourselves in a new and different way, and practice self-acceptance and self-care. Not only
was it


 them all with troubled eyes. They were like
phantoms to him, no longer made of flesh and blood. They were dream
images that he could pass his hand through if they came close enough. As
their bodies faded, he saw something else more clearly. Each person carried
an invisible burden. The young monk was amazed that he hadn’ t seen it
before. Everyone walked or rode with their lives on their shoulders, a pack
of memories that spilled over with disappointment and sorrow. This one had
never recovered from losing a wife in childbirth. That one was afraid of
starving. That other one fretted over a runaway son who may have died in
battle. And always there was the pall of age and sickness, the endless worry
over money, the unceasing doubts about the future. “Look!”
A small child, bolder than the others, pointed at Gautama, then jumped
down from the cart he was riding in. He ran up and tugged at the monk’ s
saffron skirt with a smile. The boy didn’ t beg for anything; he just held on
to the skirt and walked beside Gautama. Instead of scolding him or calling
him back, the parents nodded benignly. “I have to find my brothers again,” mumbled Gautama. He removed the
little boy’ s hand and turned around. W alking away, he could hear the child
crying behind him, and this, as much as the stares people were giving him,
distressed Gautama. He’d heard children crying like that many times, when
there was no food or the kind Prince Siddhartha had run out of coins for
them. But Gautama had given this child nothing and taken nothing away. Except himself. Gautama found the path that had led him to the main road, and soon he
was swaddled in the protective gloom of the jungle. The five cousins wouldstill be in camp. They were never eager to travel in the heat of the day. Once
he found them, Pabbata looked puzzled over why Gautama had been gone
so long, but he kept this to himself. Solitude was a monk’ s privilege, one of
the few. Gautama had taken the precaution of gathering some mangoes on
the way, which placated the other cousins in case they had questions to
pose. He lay down under a tree, gazing up at the dappled light that filtered
down and made small white circles on the forest floor. He couldn’ t find a
way to fall asleep as the others dozed of f.
Own nothing. Give everything. It was all he could think about. “DO YOU RECOGNIZE ME?”
Gautama lifted the sick man’ s head and brought a water gourd to his
lips. The man had been unconscious when the novice monks, the bikkhus,
found him. Only Gautama thought he was still alive. He ordered the
bikkhus to put the body in his tent and leave the two alone. They obeyed
without question. First, because wherever Gautama went, from camp to
camp, ashram to ashram, he was revered. He had emer ged from the forest
only a year before, yet many of the novices whispered that someone like
him, a man of stature and power, should be master, not a worn-out old yogi. There was a second reason too. If the man they found in the forest
actually was dead, Gautama might bring him back to life. Miracle stories
swirled around him, and no amount of discouragement on Gautama’ s part
could make them die down. “Do you recognize me?” Gautama repeated when he saw the old man’ s
eyes flutter and then open. “I—I’m not sure.”
Hunger and dehydration had made the man’ s mind weak. He looked
around the tent, baf fled at how he had gotten there. Then his gaze returned
to Gautama’ s face and stayed there. “Ah,” he said. “The saint.”“That’ s what you called me, Ganaka. But don’ t worry. Didn’ t you also
tell me that saints don’ t exist?”
Feeble as he was, Ganaka summoned a cynical smile. “Y ou waited this
long to prove that I’m wrong?”
His head fell back; he struggled with another wave of delirium. Ganaka
had been found deep in the forest, sheerly by accident when the bikkhus
were chasing down a deer with bow and arrow. “I didn’ t ask for your help,”
he mumbled. “It’ s my life. Who are you to save it?”
“Weren’ t you about to give it away?”
Gautama had sensed such a possibility. Someone as experienced as
Ganaka didn’ t just wander away alone unless it was to die. The careworn
monk turned his head away and refused to answer. “We’ll talk later,” Gautama said. He placed water and fruit beside the
cot and departed. Outside the tent his eyes saw dozens of huts in the lar ge
clearing. It was spring, and the younger bikkhus were feeling the ef fects—
they exercised, ar gued, talked in secret about girls they had left behind. Some missed home too much. Every day the weather was fair, a few more
failed to show up for evening prayers. Spring had more power over them
than God. Gautama walked among the campfires. By now he had explored every
city in the kingdom and those that lay far to the east, but he had avoided the
temptation to set foot inside the gates of Kapilavastu. As the word spread
and scores of villagers and farmers traveled out to find him and receive his
blessing, some were from Sakya and remembered him. If they murmured
“Prince” or “Y our Highness” when they prostrated themselves before him,
Gautama took no notice, gave no hint to acknowledge who he once had
been. Four years had made Gautama into Gautama. Of course he could still conjure up the old faces. But they didn’ t return
on their own anymore. In order to see images of Channa or Suddhodana, he
would ask to see them. “Learn to use your memo ries,” he told the younger
bikkhus. “Don’ t let them use you.”Ananda, a monk around his own age of thirty-three, ran up. He looked
vexed and excited. “Another miracle, brother. What should I do?”
Gautama frowned. “What marvel did I supposedly perform this time?”
“There’ s a cripple just come to camp. Hobbled in on crutches, then he
fell on his knees and called out your name. He gave a few twitches, and
now he’ s walking again.”
“Aren’ t you impressed, Ananda? Y ou’d think with all my powers I
could prevent my feet from getting blisters when we walk down a rocky
trail.”
Ananda was too exercised to smile. “He’ s just one of those cheats who
wants a free meal.”
“Don’ t we give food to anyone? Even cheats?”
Ananda bit his tongue. No one was closer to Gautama in their travels,
thanks to his sincerity about God and his total devotion to Gautama. Recently, though, the short, stocky Ananda, who exuded stubbornness as
much as loyalty, had become like a ser geant or an aide de camp as more and
more responsibilities fell Gautama’ s way with the bikkhus. “I think I know what to do,” Gautama said. He sat down by the central
campfire on a rough-hewn bench. Whenever they stopped for any length of
time the bikkhus bestirred themselves to build huts and stools and such
from forest timber. “Feed him well. Then say that I need his crutches to
help another lame man. If he hesitates to hand them over, tell him to come
and personally tell me why. I imagine he and the crutches will both be gone
in the morning.”
At last Ananda found a smile. “He’ll never hand them over. He needs
them for his next miracle down the road.”
“I think so.”Although he wasn’ t the senior monk, Gautama had been relieved of
chores around camp. He attended to the guru’ s major af fairs instead. “I
wouldn’ t burden you,” the guru said, “but you are cursed by your gift.”
“And what is my gift?” asked Gautama. “The bikkhus think you’re their father.”
“Shouldn’ t you be their father?”
The guru shrugged. “I already got rid of my curses.”
This master ’s name was Udaka, and he was the second luminary
Gautama had found in his wanderings. The first, who was named Alara, had
been a quiet, reclusive scholar, a Brahmin but nothing like Canki. Alara
paid no attention to caste. He immersed himself in the V edas and wouldn’ t
bother to eat unless someone placed a plate of food beside his study table. When he first walked in, Gautama immediately attracted Alara’ s attention. His head, bent close over a sacred text, whipped up, and his eyes squinted
as if looking into a bright light. Instead of saying hello, Alara asked a question. “Stranger, if the
scriptures tell me to avoid violence, is it enough that


 a n d  i t ’ s  i n c r e a s i n g l y
d i f f i c u l t  t o  r e c o n c i l e  t h e  r h y t h m s  o f  o u r  p e r s o n a l  l i v e s  w i t h
t h e  r a p i d i t y  o f  a  t w e n t y - f o u r - h o u r  n e w s  c y c l e. D r a m a t i c  e n d i n g s  a n d  b e g i n n i n g s  s e e m  m o r e  p r e v a l e n t
t h a n  u s u a l. B i r t h,  d e a t h,  d i v o r c e,  r e l o c a t i o n,  a g i n g,  c a r e e r
c h a n g e —  n o t  t o  m e n t i o n  t h e  f a c t  t h a t  t h e  w o r l d  i t s e l f  s e e m s
s o  i r r e v o c a b l y  a l t e r e d — a l l  s e e m  t o  h a i l  s o m e  k i n d  o f  s e a
c h a n g e. T h i n g s  w e  t h o u g h t  s t a b l e  a n d  s e c u r e  s e e m  l e s s  s o,
a n d  t h i n g s  w e  t h o u g h t  d i s t a n t  p o s s i b i l i t i e s  h a v e  c o m e
s t r a n g e l y  c l o s e. M a n y  p e o p l e  f e e l  r i g h t  n o w  l i k e  w e ’ r e
j u m p i n g  o u t  o f  o u r  s k i n. I t ’ s  g o n e  w a y  p a s t  u n c o m f o r t a b l e
i n t o  a  h a u n t i n g  s e n s e  t h a t  w e  m i g h t  b e  l i v i n g  a  l i e. I t ’ s  n o t  t h a t  o u r  r e l a t i o n s h i p s  l a c k  i n t e g r i t y  o r  o u r  c a r e e r s
d o n ’ t  t r u l y  j i v e  w i t h  o u r  d e e p e s t  s o u l  p u r p o s e. I t ’ s  d e e p e r
t h a n  t h a t — s o m e  s e n s e  t h a t  r e a l i t y  i s  l i k e  a  l a y e r  o f
c e l l o p h a n e  s e p a r a t i n g  u s  f r o m  a  t r u l y  m a g i c a l  e x i s t e n c e. W e
f e e l  s o m e  l o s s  o f  m e a n i n g  l i k e  a  s i c k n e s s  w e  c a n ’ t  s h a k e. W e  w o u l d  l o v e  t o  b u r s t  o u t,  a s  t h o u g h  w e ’ v e  b e e n
c r o u c h i n g  i n  a  s m a l l  b o x  f o r  a  l o n g  t i m e. W e  a c h e  t o  s p r e a d
o u r  a r m s  a n d  l e g s  a n d  b a c k s,  t o  t h r o w  o u r  h e a d s  b a c k,  t o
l a u g h  w i t h  g l e e  a t  t h e  f e e l  o f  s u n s h i n e  o n  o u r  f a c e s. W e
c a n ’ t  r e m e m b e r  w h e n  w e  l a s t  d i d  t h a t. O r  w h e n  w e  d i d,  i t
w a s  l i k e  t a k i n g  a  v a c a t i o n,  v i s i t i n g  a  t o u r i s t  a t t r a c t i o n. T h e
m o s t  m a r v e l o u s  t h i n g s  a b o u t  l i f e  d o n ’ t  s e e m  t o  m a k e  u p  t h e
f a b r i c  o f  o u r  n o r m a l  e x i s t e n c e  a n y m o r e. O r  m a y b e  t h e y
n e v e r  d i d. W e ’ r e  n o t  s u r e. M o s t  o f  u s  l i v e  w i t h  a  d e e p,  s u b c o n s c i o u s  l o n g i n g  f o r
a n o t h e r  k i n d  o f  w o r l d. W e  s i n g  a b o u t  i t,  w r i t e  p o e t r y  a b o u ti t,  w a t c h  m o v i e s  a b o u t  i t,  c r e a t e  m y t h s  a b o u t  i t. W e
c o n t i n u e  t o  i m a g i n e  i t  t h o u g h  w e  n e v e r  q u i t e  s e e m  t o  f i n d
i t. O u r  s e c r e t  d e s i r e  i s  t o  p e n e t r a t e  t h e  v e i l  b e t w e e n  t h e
w o r l d  w e  l i v e  i n  a n d  a  w o r l d  o f  s o m e t h i n g  m u c h  m o r e  r e a l. O n e  t h i n g  w e  k n o w  f o r  s u r e :  t h i s  w o r l d  c a n ’ t  b e  i t. M a n y  o f  u s  a r e  r e a d y  t o  m a k e  a  b r e a k  f o r  f r e e d o m,  t o
f i n d  t h a t  b e t t e r  w o r l d  b e y o n d  t h e  v e i l  a n d  n o  l o n g e r  b u y
i n t o  t h e  a b s u r d i t y  o f  a  p a i n - l a d e n  w o r l d  t h a t  t a k e s  i t s e l f  s o
s e r i o u s l y. T h e  q u e s t i o n  i s,  H o w  d o  w e  d o  t h a t? I f  t h e  w o r l d
w e  l i v e  i n  i s n ’ t  a s  r e a l  a s  i t ’ s  c


 G o d  i s  t h a t  s h e l t e r
w h e r e  w e  c a n  g o  e v e r y  d a y  t o  f i n d  p e a c e. W e  n e e d  t h a t  p e a c e  b e c a u s e  t h e  w o r l d  i s  m o v i n g  v e r y
f a s t  n o w,  a n d  e v e r y o n e ’ s  n e r v o u s  s y s t e m  i s  a f f e c t e d  b y  t h e
s h e e r  s p e e d  o f  t h i n g s. A l m o s t  e v e r y o n e  s e e m s  f r a z z l e d,  l i k e
w e  n e e d  a  v a c a t i o n  t o  g e t  b a c k  t o  o u r s e l v e s,  a  f e w  d a y s  j u s t
l y i n g  o n  a  b e a c h  t o  r e s t o r e  o u r  n a t u r a l  b a l a n c e. W e  p r e t e n d  t h e  s p e e d  d o e s n ’ t  a f f e c t  o u r  c h i l d r e n,  b u t  w e
s u s p e c t  i t  d o e s. W e  a l l o w  t h e m  t o  s i t  f o r  h o u r s  i n  f r o n t  o f
t e l e v i s i o n  a n d  c o m p u t e r  s c r e e n s  a t  s u c h  a n  e a r l y  a g e  t h a t
t h e i r  b r a i n s  w o u l d  h a v e  t o  b e  a f f e c t e d. I  s a w  a  n o t e  w r i t t e nb y  a  t e n - y e a r - o l d :  “ I ’ m  a  t o t a l  f – i n g  n e r v o u s  w r e c k. ” W e
c l e a r l y  h a v e  a  p r o b l e m  h e r e. Y e t  t h e  c h i l d r e n  a r e  s i m p l y  m i m i c k i n g  u s. W e ’ r e  a l l
r u n n i n g  s o  f a s t  w e  c a n ’ t  p o s s i b l y  b e  t h i n k i n g  a t  o u r  b e s t  o r
f e e l i n g  o u r  b e s t. T h e  m i n d  a n d  t h e  b o d y  n e e d  e m p t y  s p a c e
i f  t h e  v o i c e  f o r  G o d  i s  e v e r  t o  b r e a k  t h r o u g h. A n d  y e t,  e v e n
t h o u g h  w e ’ r e  f r a n t i c,  I  t h i n k  w e ’ r e  a d d i c t e d  t o  t h e
a d r e n a l i n e  o f  o u r  m o d e r n  l i v e s. W e  k e e p  m o v i n g  a s  a  w a y
o f  n o t  d e a l i n g  w i t h  s o m e t h i n g. I f  w e  m o v e  f a s t  e n o u g h,
p e r h a p s  w e ’ l l  a l l  j u s t  f o r g e t  h o w  m u c h  w e  h u r t. O u r  e x i s t e n t i a l  p a i n  b e c o m e s  i m p a c t e d,  p u s h e d  d o w n,
a n d  t h e n  i t  e a t s  a w a y  a t  u s  f r o m  t h e  i n s i d e. A s  w e  a g e,  w e
s t a r t  d e v e l o p i n g  p h y s i c a l  s y m p t o m s  o f  e a r l y  b r e a k d o w n. T h e  b o d y  c a n  c a r r y  j u s t  s o  m u c h  s t r e s s  b e f o r e  i t  a c t s  l i k e
Y e r t l e  t h e  T u r t l e  a t  t h e  b o t t o m  o f  t h e  h e a p  a n d  c r i e s  o u t,
“ N o  m o r e,  n o  m o r e. ”  P h y s i c a l  c r i s i s,  e m o t i o n a l  c r i s i s,
f a m i l y  c r i s i s,  w h a t e v e r  i t  i s …  n a t u r e  t a k e s  s o  m u c h,  a n d
t h e n  i t  b l o w s. T h e n  w e  h a v e  t h e  f i n a n c i a l  a n d  e v e r y  o t h e r
k i n d  o f  p r e s s u r e  t h a t  g o e s  a l o n g  w i t h  d e a l i n g  w i t h  a l l  t h e
c r i s e s  c r e a t e d  b e c a u s e  w e  h a d  s o  m u c h  p r e s s u r e  t o  b e g i n
w i t h. I f  w e  w a n t  t o,  w e  c a n  s t o p  t h i s. I n  G o d,  t h e r e  i s  a  w a y. T h e  S t r e s s  o f  a  C o n t r a c t e d  H e a r t
 I n  e v e r y  m o m e n t,  w e  e i t h e r  e x p a n d  t h e  h e a r t  o r  c o n t r a c t  i t. W h e n  t h e  h e a r t  i s  c o n t r a c t e d,  o t h e r  t h i n g s  b e c o m e
c o n t r a c t e d  a s  w e l l :  y o u r  r e l a t i o n s h i p s,  y o u r  c a r e e r,  y o u r
m o n e y,  y o u r  h e a l t h,  y o u r  l i f e. W e  o f t e n  c o n t r a c t  a s  a  r e s p o n s e  t o  s t r e s s,  a s  t h o u g h
w e ’ r e  t r y i n g  t o  d e f e n d  a g a i n s t  a n  o n c o m i n g  f o r c e. B u t


 d,  t h r o u g h  w h i c h  w e
r e c o g n i z e  t h a t  o u r  l i f e  f o r c e  i s  l i m i t l e s s  b e c a u s e  w e  a r e  o n e
w i t h  a n  u n l i m i t e d  G o d. N o  m a t t e r  w h a t  w e  d o  o r  w h a t  w e
h a v e  d o n e,  n o w,  i n  t h i s  m o m e n t,  w e  a r e  t e m p l e s  e m b o d y i n g
t h e  g l o r y  o f  G o d. A n y  s i t u a t i o n  s e e n  t h r o u g h  t h e  l i g h t  o f
t h i s  u n d e r s t a n d i n g  i s  m i r a c u l o u s l y  t r a n s f o r m e d. C l o s e  y o u r  e y e s  a n d  i m a g i n e  y o u r s e l f  a s  y o u  a p p e a r  i n
t h e  w o r l d. A n d  n o w  s e e  a  g o l d e n  l i g h t  t h a t  r a d i a t e s  f r o m
y o u r  h e a r t,  e x t e n d s  b e y o n d  y o u r  b o d y,  a n d  c a s t s  a  l i g h t  t ot h e  e n t i r e  w o r l d. N o w  i m a g i n e  s o m e o n e  e l s e  s t a n d i n g  n e x t
t o  y o u,  f r i e n d  o r  f o e,  a n d  s e e  t h e  s a m e  l i g h t  w i t h i n  t h a t
p e r s o n. W a t c h  t h e  l i g h t  a s  i t  g r o w s  t o  c o v e r  h i s  o r  h e r  b o d y
a n d  e x t e n d s  b e y o n d  i t. N o w  s e e  t h e  l i g h t  i n  t h e  o t h e r  p e r s o n
a s  i t  m e r g e s  w i t h  t h e  l i g h t  i n  y o u. O n  t h e  l e v e l  o f  s p i r i t,
t h e r e  i s  n o  p l a c e  w h e r e  o t h e r s  s t o p  a n d  y o u  s t a r t. I f  y o u  d o  t h i s  w i t h  a n y o n e,  y o u r  r e l a t i o n s h i p  w i t h  t h a t
p e r s o n  w i l l  s u b t l y  c h a n g e. I n  t h e  C h r i s t m a s  c a r o l  w h e r e  w e
s i n g,  “ D o  y o u  s e e  w h a t  I  s e e. ”  t h e r e  i s  a  d e e p e r  q u e s t i o n
b e i n g  a s k e d  t h a n  w h e t h e r  s o m e o n e  s e e s  a  p h y s i c a l  c h i l d  i n
a  m a n g e r. “ D o  y o u  s e e  w h a t  I  s e e. ”  r e f e r s  t o  a  q u e s t i o n  o f
c o n s c i o u s n e s s,  a s  i n,  d o  y o u  s e e  t h a t  s p i r i t u a l  r e a l i t y. D o
y o u  g r a s p  i t,  c a n  y o u  i m a g i n e  i t. F o r  i f  y o u  d o,  y o u  c a n
h a v e  i t. T h e  p o s s i b i l i t y  e x i s t s. W h e n  w e  r e a l i z e  w e ’ r e  n o t  w h o  w e  t h i n k  w e  a r e — t h a t
t h e  w o r l d  h a s  t a u g h t  u s  a  h u g e  a n d  u n h o l y  l i e — w e  r e a l i z e
t h a t  o t h e r  p e o p l e  a r e n ’ t  w h o  t h e y  a p p e a r  t o  b e  e i t h e r. A n d
n e i t h e r  a r e  o u r  r e l a t i o n s h i p s,  f o r  a s  s p i r i t s  w e  a r e  n o t
s e p a r a t e,  b u t  o n e. A n  i d e a  d o e s  n o t  l e a v e  i t s  s o u r c e. *  Y o u  a r e  l i t e r a l l y  a n
i d e a  i n  t h e  m i n d  o f  G o d,  w h i c h  i s  w h y  y o u  c a n n o t  b e
s e p a r a t e  f r o m  H i m. A n d  t h e  w o r l d  y o u  e x p e r i e n c e  i s  a n  i d e a
i n  y o u r  m i n d,  w h i c h  i s  w h y  i t  c a n ’ t  b e  s e p a r a t e  f r o m  y o u. W e ’ r e  l i k e  s u n b e a m s  t h i n k i n g  w e ’ r e  s e p a r a t e  f r o m  t h e
s u n  o r  w a v e s  t h i n k i n g  w e ’ r e  s e p a r a t e  f r o m  t h e  o c e a n. *  B u t
s u n b e a m s  c a n ’ t  b e  s e p a r a t e,  a n d  w a v e s  c a n ’ t  b e  s e p a r a t e  o f
c o u r s e. *  T h e  i d e a  o f  o u r  s e p a r a t i o n  i s  n o t h i n g  b u t  a  v a s t
h a l l u c i n a t i o n. *  A n d  y e t  t h a t ’ s  w h e r e  w e  l i v e :  i n  t h e  i l l u s i o nt h a t  y o u ’ r e  o v e r  t h e r e  a n d  I ’ m  o v e r  h e r e. T h a t  i l l u s i o n — t


 I  g u e s s  I
f o r g o t  t h a t  p a r t. I  w e n t  w i t h  t h e  v o i c e s  o f  t h e  w o r l d  i n s t e a d
o f  t h e  v o i c e s  o f  m y  h e a r t.I n  t h e  g r e a t e r  s c h e m e  o f  t h i n g s,  w h e t h e r  o r  n o t  y o u
p u r c h a s e  a  h o u s e  i s  n o t  w h a t  m a t t e r s. B u t  i t  m a t t e r s  i n d e e d
w h e n  t h e  v o i c e  i n  y o u r  h e a r t  l o s e s  v o l u m e  i n  y o u r  h e a d. W h y  w a s  t h e  H o l y  S p i r i t  d i r e c t i n g  m e  t o  r e d e c o r a t e  m y
c o n d o? B e c a u s e  I  n e e d e d  t i m e  t o  a d j u s t  t o  t h e  n e w  t u r n  m y
l i f e  h a d  t a k e n. I  n e e d e d  t i m e  t o  g r o w  i n t o  m y  n e w
c i r c u m s t a n c e s,  t o  i n h a b i t  e m o t i o n a l l y  t h e  s p a c e  I  w a s
a l r e a d y  i n h a b i t i n g  m a t e r i a l l y. I  n e e d e d  t i m e  t o  t h i n k  a b o u t
w h a t  t h i n g s  m e a n t  a n d  h o w  t o  d e a l  w i t h  n e w  s i t u a t i o n s  i n
t h e  m o s t  m a t u r e  w a y. S o m e t i m e s  c h a n g e  l i f t s  y o u  u p  l i k e  a
t o r n a d o  a n d  p u t s  y o u  d o w n  s o m e p l a c e  y o u ’ v e  n e v e r  b e e n
b e f o r e. T o r n a d o e s  a r e  f a s t,  a n d  t h e y  a r e  a l s o  d e s t r u c t i v e. S p e e d  c a n  b e  t h e  e n e m y  o f  c o n s t r u c t i v e  c h a n g e. A n o t h e r  r e a s o n  I  w a s  b e i n g  i n w a r d l y  d i r e c t e d  t o  r e m a i n
i n  m y  c o n d o,  I  t h i n k,  w a s  i n  o r d e r  t o  s a y  g o o d - b y e. I  n e e d e d
t o  s a y  g o o d - b y e  t o  p a r t s  o f  m y s e l f  t h a t  w e r e  b e i n g  c a l l e d  t o
t r a n s f o r m  i n t o  s o m e t h i n g  n e w,  a n d  I  n e e d e d  t o  s a y  h e l l o  t o
p a r t s  o f  m y s e l f  t h a t  w e r e  b e i n g  b o r n. T h e  b i g g e s t  m i s t a k e s  I
h a v e  m a d e  i n  m y  l i f e  I  w o u l d  n o t  h a v e  m a d e  h a d  I  t a k e n
m o r e  t i m e. T i m e  t o  t h i n k. A n d  m e d i t a t e. A n d  p r a y. P e r h a p s  y o u  w e r e  o n e  t h i n g  a n d  n o w  y o u ’ r e  a n o t h e r :
p e r h a p s  y o u  w e r e  i n  h i g h  s c h o o l  a n d  n o w  y o u ’ r e  e n t e r i n g
c o l l e g e ;  p e r h a p s  y o u  w e r e  s i n g l e  a n d  n o w  y o u ’ r e  g e t t i n g
m a r r i e d ;  m a y b e  y o u  w e r e  m a r r i e d  a n d  n o w  y o u ’ r e  s i n g l e ;
p e r h a p s  y o u  w e r e  c h i l d l e s s  a n d  n o w  y o u ’ r e  a  p a r e n t ;
p e r h a p s  y o u  h a d  a  c h i l d  a t  h o m e  a n d  n o w  y o u  n o  l o n g e r  d o. W h a t e v e r  d o o r  y o u ’ v e  w a l k e d  t h r o u g h,  y o u r  l i f e  w o n ’ t  b eq u i t e  t h e  s a m e  a s  i t  w a s  b e f o r e. T h e  r o o m  y o u  w e r e  i n  i s
b e h i n d  y o u  n o w. T h e  e m o t i o n a l  g r o u n d  u n d e r n e a t h  y o u r  f e e t  i s  d i f f e r e n t,
a n d  y o u  n e e d  t i m e  t o  r e o r i e n t  y o u r s e l f. R u s h i n g  t h r o u g h
c h a n g e  i s  a n  u n c o n s c i o u s  m o v e,  a n d  i t ’ s  a  s e t u p  f o r
m i s t a k e s. N a v i g a t i n g  C h a n g e

W h e n  o n e  s t a g e  o f  l i f e  g i v e s  w a y  t o  a n o t h e r,  i t ’ s  t h e  e n d  o f
a n  e r a  a n d  t h e  b e g i n n i n g  o f  a  n e w  o n e. H o w  w e  n a v i g a t e
s u c h  t r a n s i t i o n s  s p i r i t u a l l y  w i l l  d e t e r m i n e  t h e  j o y  o r  d e s p a i r
t h a t  c o m e s  n e x t. I n  n a v i g a t i n g


 had sought every cure for his
which it originated.4 Like religions,
all members equal, but all AA groups are
Americans, as a result of all this, have
alcoholism without avail, went to see the
entire cultures are weakened when the
autonomous and self-supporting, 5 Even
now lar gely turned from condemning
famous Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung. principles upon which they are based are
the twelve basic steps by which members
self-destructive behaviors to recognizing
Jung treated Rowland H. for
7374
approximately a year, by which time he
pride; he sank into absolute black
of the one hundred greatest Americans
connected with everything else, unseen
had achieved some degree of sobriety. despair. He had a mental obsession with
who ever lived, Bill W. is credited with
power accomplishes for us things that we
Rowland returned to the United States
and a physical aller gy to alcohol that
being the originator of the entire self-help
could never do by ourselves. As we have
full of hope, only to fall ill again with
condemned him to sickness, insanity and
movement.12
said before, we cannot see electricity, x-
active alcoholism. death, a prognosis which had been
The story of Bill W is typical of
rays or radio waves, but we know of x
Rowland went back to Switzerland to seeclearly spelled out to him and his wife
individuals who have been channels of
heir intrinsic power by virtue of their
Jung again and ask for further treatment. Lois. Ultimately, Bill gave up
great power: the principles they convey
ef fects. Similarly, we constantly observe
Jung humbly told him that neither his
completely, at which point he had a
in a brief career reorder the lives of
the ef fects of power in the world of
science nor art could help him further,
profound experience of an infinite
millions over long periods of time. Jesus
thoughts and feelings, although until now
but that throughout man's history-rarely,
Presence and Light and felt a great sense
Christ, for instance, taught for only three
it had not been considered possible to
but from time to time- some who had
of Peace. That night he was finally able
short years, and yet his teachings measure a thought.abandoned themselves completely to to sleep, and when he awoke the
next day transformed all of W estern society for the
When we discuss high power attractor
some spiritual or ganization and he felt as though he had been
generations since; man's encounter with
fields, we frequently can allude to themsurrendered to God for help had transformed in some indescribable
way.10
these teachings lies at the center of
only by means of symbols. National flags
recovered.8
The ef ficacy of his experience was
W estern history for the last two thousand
are just dyed patterns on pieces of
Rowland returned to the United States
confirmed by Dr. W illiam D. Silkworth,
years. The highest calibrations of material, from a physical viewpoint,
but dejected, but he followed Jung's advice
his physician at what was then T own's
attractor power fields which we have
men are willing to die for what they
and sought out an or ganization of that
Hospital on the west side of New Y ork
discovered have invariably been symbolize. Empowerment, as we have
(154) time called the Oxford Groups. These
City. Silkworth had treated ten thousand
associated with the teachings of the great
said, comes from meaning. Those thingswere groups of individuals who met
alcoholics and in the process acquired
spiritual masters of history. which have the greatest meaning to us
regularly to discuss living life according
enough wisdom to recognize the
There is always a diminution from the
arise from the spiritual, not the material
to spiritual principles very much like
profound importance of Bill's experience. calibrated power of the ener gy field of
world. those adopted later by AA. Through this
It was he who later introduced Bill to the
the original teachings of the great masters
Thus far, we have seen that alignment
means Rowland in fact recovered, and
great psychologist W illiam James's
to their current practice in the form of
with the principles associated with high
his recovery was a source of classic, The V arieties of Religious
or ganized religion (see Chapter 23). Y etpower attractor ener gy fields can result in
astonishment to another concerned party
Experience. the original principles themselves retain
Olympic achievement, success in
named Edwin T., or "Ebby," also an
(155) Bill wanted to pass his gift on to
their innate attractor power pattern; it is
commerce, political victory on an
alcoholic hopeless beyond all help. When
others, and as he himself said, "Spent the
merely their expression which has international level and recovery from
Rowland told Ebby of how he had
next few months trying to sober up
become weaker. The teachings hopeless progressive diseases. These
recovered, Ebby followed suit and also
drunks, but without success." Eventually
themselves have the same profound
same attractor patterns are responsible
got sober. The pattern of one person
he discovered that it was necessary to
power they always did.for the finest music ever written. They
helping another with the same problem
convince the subject of the hopelessness
The power of a principle remains are the basis of the eminent religious
then extended from Ebby to his friend
of his condition-in modern psychological
unchanged throughout time. Whether we
teachings, the world's grand art and
Bill W., who had been hospitalized
terms, to overcome his denial. Bill's first
fully understand them or not, these
architecture and the wellspring of all
frequently for hopeless, incurable success was with a sur geon from
Akron, princi- (156) pies are the ideals for which
creativity and genius. alcoholism and whose condition was
Ohio, Dr. Bob, who turned out to have a
mankind strives. From our own struggles
medically grave. Ebby told Bill that his
great aptitude for the spiritual and
14. POWER IN THE AR TS
to better ourselves we learn compassion
recovery was based on service to others,became a co-founder of AA. He never
for those still in the grip of inner conflict;
THE GREA T WORKS OF AR T, music
moral housecleaning, anonymity, took another drink until his death in
1956
out of this grows a wisdom including
and architecture which have come down
humility and surrendering to a power
(nor did Bill W. until he died in 1980).1 1
compassion for the entire human to us through the centuries are enduring
greater than oneself 9
The enormous power which was realized
condition. representations of the ef fect of high
Bill W. was an atheist and found the idea
through Bill W.'s inner experience has
If we refer to the principles of advanced
attractor patterns. In them we see a
of surrendering to a higher power manifested itself externally in the
theoretical physics and the results of our
reflection of the commitment of the
unappealing to say the least. The whole
millions of lives which have beenown attractor research, it will be obvious
master artists of our civilization to
idea of surrender was abhorrent to Bill's
transformed because of it. In Life's listing
that in a universe in which everything is
perfection and grace, and thereby to the
75
76
approximately a year, by which time he
pride; he sank into absolute black
of the one hundred greatest Americans
connected with everything else, unseen
had achieved some degree of sobriety. despair. He had a mental obsession with
who ever lived, Bill W. is credited with
power accomplishes for us things that we
Rowland returned to the United States
and a physical aller gy to alcohol that
being the originator of the entire self-help
could never do by ourselves. As we have
full of hope, only to fall ill again with
condemned him to sickness, insanity andmovement.12
said before, we cannot see electricity, x-
active alcoholism. death, a prognosis which had been
The story of Bill W is typical of
rays or radio waves, but we know of x
Rowland went back to Switzerland to see
clearly spelled out to him and his wife
individuals who have been channels of
heir intrinsic power by virtue of their
Jung again and ask for further treatment. Lois. Ultimately, Bill gave up
great power: the principles they convey
ef fects. Similarly, we constantly observe
Jung humbly told him that neither his
completely, at which point he had a
in a brief career reorder the lives of
the ef fects of power in the world of
science nor art could help him further,
profound experience of an infinite
millions over long periods of time. Jesus
thoughts and feelings, although until nowbut that throughout man's history-rarely,
Presence and Light and felt a great sense
Christ, for instance, taught for only three
it had not been considered possible to
but from time to time- some who had
of Peace. That night he was finally able
short years, and yet his


 crys tals. It is said that salt crystals are naturally used to make bones hard. Thus salt deficiency in the body
also could be responsible for the development of
osteoporosis. Salt will be taken out of the bones to maintain its vital normal levels in the blood. Low salt intake will contribute to a build-up of acidity in som e cells. High acidity in the cell can damage the DNA
structure and be the initiating mechanism for cancer formation in some cells. Experiments have shown that quite a
number of cancer patients sh ow low sal t levels in their body. My next book, ABC of Cancer and Depression, will
explain in detail about the importance and the primary function of wa ter and salt  in cancer  prevention. Let me repeat: When the body begins to collect salt, it is doing so to keep water in the body. F rom this "edema
fluid," it can filter some of its wat er and "flush" it through the cell membrane into some of the cells. It is the same
principle as the water purification process employed in reverse osmosis plants that manufacture drinking water for
communities without a direct access to fresh water. That is why the rise in blood pressur e to build a filtration force is
necessar y. The precaution to keep in mind is loss of  salt from the bod y when wat er intake is inc reased and  salt intake is not. After a few days of taking six or eight or 10 glasses o f water a day, you should begin to think of adding some salt to
your diet. If you begin to feel muscle cramps at night, remember you are becoming salt-deficient. Cramps in
unexercised muscles most often means salt shortage in the body. Also, dizziness and feeling faint might be
indicators of salt and water shortage in the body. If such occasions arise, you should also begin to increas e your
vitamins and minerals intake—particularly if you are dieting to lose weight or do not eat properly, including
vegetables and fruits for their water-soluble vitamin and mineral content. I have developed a rule of thumb for daily salt intake. For every 10 glasses of water (about two quarts), one should
add to the diet about half of a teaspoon of salt per day. An  average teaspoon can contain six g rams of salt. Half of a
teaspoon is about three grams o f salt. Of course, one should make sure that the kidneys are producing urine.Otherwise the body will swell up. If you sense
your skin and ankles are beginning to swell, do not panic. Reduce salt intake for a few days, but increase your water
intake until the swelling in the legs disappears. You should also increase your movements—e xercise: muscle
activity wil l draw the excess fluid into the blood circulation and some salt is then lost in perspiration and urine. Do
not sit or stand in one, position too long. Carrots (for their beta-carotene content) are an essential dietary requirement. Beta-carotene is a precursor for
vitamin A and absolutely essential for liver metabolism, apart from its need by the eyes. Some orange juice for its
potassium content should also be added to the fluid intake of the body. Please remembe r, more is n ot bett er. Too
much orange juice will cause problems o f its own. If the body is overloaded with potassium, histamine production in
the body will increase. I have helped people get rid of long-standing asthma attacks b y a simple advice. They were
asked to limit their orange juice intake to one, at most, two glasses a  day—of course replacing the rest of the daily
juice intake by water. At this stage in the book, I would like to inform you that a vast majority of very frequently used medications are either
directly or indirectly stro ng antihistamines. The strongest variety are used in the discipline of psychiatry and for
patients with depression. Many of the antidepressant drugs on the market are antihistamines—so  much so that
some gastroenterologists a re using these ; drugs for the treatment of ulcer patients because they are cheaper. There are many of them on the market and, because of competition, their prices are lower  than the traditional Hz
blocking agents that have cornered the market. This information is given to indicate that the pharmaceutical industry appreciates the significance of histamine
activity in the human body. They are not here to inform us of the role of histamine in water regulation of the body;
they are business enterprises i nterested in marketing their products. The next time your physician prescribes a
medication for you, ask if it has any anti-histamine activity. The antihistamine med ications mil strongly affect the
immune systems of the body at the level of the bone marrow. THE HEAL TH CARE SYSTEM AND OUR RESPONSIBI LITIES
If you have suffered because of the application of "medical ignorance" to your body's earlier calls for wat er, it
becomes the responsibility of your attending doctor to supervise your return to health by tailing off the use of
chemicals for the treatment of chronic dehydration in your body. You should make sure your doctor becomes aware
of the information on water metabolism, and your body's o ther call signals for  water, when dehydration begins to
alter the body physiology. Your doctor is responsible to you and, as your physician, he needs to become informed. It
is your responsibility to help your doctor become aware of the paradigm shift. It is now your responsibility to help
change the health care system to work for you and not the commercial and political aims of its administrators. It may become necessary to pass legislation to exclude dehydration as a causative factor in the production of
disease conditions before any pharmaceutical or invasive procedures are undertaken. The evaluation of drugs for
ultimate use in treatment procedures sho uld be carried out only after patients are fully hydrated and several days
have elapsed before starting the test. After all, the water used in taking a pill is immediately more effective in a
dehydrated person than the chemical composition of the pill! I have explained that the "placebo" effect se en in drug
trials is most probably the result of some correction for the unrecognized dehydration as a contributing factor in
disease production. You are now in "the arena." You should use your knowledge for the benefit of mankind and try
to bring about the paradigm shift on water metabolism of the body into the everyday practice of medicine. COST SAVINGS TO THE NATION
The paradigm change in medicine, as it has been exposed, when fully adopted and practiced, will save a large
portion of the vast and unnecessar y health care costs a nd expenditure by society. Hype rtension and its associated cardiovascular disorders are costi ng this nation over 100 billion dollars a year. Back
pain translates into an 80-billion-dollar-a-year loss to society. Rheumatoid joint disease is affecting 20 million elderly
people and is co sting this nation many tens of billions of dollars annually—to  name but a few headings. Of the
approximately 850 billion dollars health care costs i n 1992 alone, about 50 to 60 percent are most probably incurred
as a result of primitive errors about chronic dehydration and the associated signal systems that should be translated
as the main thirst indicators of the body. A simple correction of this long-standing scientific m istake can reverse the budget deficit of this nation. In any event,
the paradigm shift will also produce a much  healthier society. It is estimated t hat the ru naway cost of health care in
this socie ty will reach 1.6 trillion dollars by the year 2000 and will increase to 28 percent of the Gross National
Product by th e year 2010. Even with such  rise in expenditure, no fewer than 50 million people could not afford to pay
the rising costs o f health insurance and will be deprived of adequate coverage. The paradigm shift will reverse  this
"no solution in sight" health care cost sp iraling trend. I invite you to share the information in this book with your relatives and friends. You will be doing them a favor. By
responding positively to this invitation, you will be at the same time helping this nation reduce its health care costs
by at least 60 percent. It is criminal that at the end  of 20th Century, human t hirst for water is stil l being treated wi th
slow poisons. I have a request. If the information in this book helps you, please write me a note about your particular condition and
how increased water intake has helped you. We need to document as much information on chronic dehydration asis possib le. It is a very young science. It needs the input of all who test the information. Your participation will save
others with similar problems from unnecessary suff ering that local dehydration could produce without being so
identified. Like the letters printed in this book, your input can illuminate the path of others in the future. FINALLY
Based on the above physiological approach to disease emergence, it is now p ossible to take a resolute stand to end
major dehydration-produced diseases on earth within two decades. The public must demand the paradigm change
and adopt the new paradigm themselves to free mankind from all the "scientific" misconceptions perpetuated for
profit-motivated business e xpansion within the health care system. My colleagues in the medical profession must
similarly stop treating the signals of dehydration of the body by the indiscrim inate use of pharmaceutical products o r
invasive procedures. In 1990, the president and all the board members of the American Medical Associa tion were sent an invitation by
the Foundation for the Simple in Medicine to share the provided information of


 me of …As I
became more and more accustomed to watching all this,
a few question s naturally arose. First, why is this voice
talking all the time. If I see something, I’m instantly
aware of seeing it. Why doe s the voice have to tell me
that I see it and how I feel about it. Here comes Mary. I don’t feel like seeing her
today. I hope she doesn’t see me. I know what I see and I know what I feel. After all, I’m
the one in here seeing and feeling. Why does it have to
get vocalized in my mind. Another questi on that arose was who am I who keeps
noticing all this mental activity. Who am I who can just
watch thoughts come up with a complete sense of
detachment. I now had two driving forces awaken inside regarding
this new ly foun d voice in my head. One was the desire to
shut it up and the other was the pure fascination and
yearning to understand what  that voice was and where it
came from. I me ntioned that prior to this  inner awakening, my life
was pretty ordinary. I only say that in comparison to
what m y life became. I became a driven human being. I
wanted to know about the vo ice I had discovered, and I
wanted to know who I was—the one inside experiencing
all o f th is. I began to spend h ours on end in the graduate
school l ibrary. But I was not in the economics section; I
was in the psy chology section. There was no way that
others had not noticed this vo ice talking inside. It was so
prevalent that you couldn’t miss it. I scanned through
Freud trying to find the answers to my questions. I read
book after book, but I found  no direct reference to the
voice talking inside—not to mention any reference to the
one who is aware that the voice is talking. In thos e days, I would talk about the voice to anyone
who would listen. They all must have thought I was
crazy. I remember one encounter with my very reserved,
highly c ultured Spanish professor. I ran into him one day
between classes and excitedl y told him that I had come
to u nderstand what it meant to be fluent in a language. I
explained to him that there was this voice inside your
head th at talks  to you about virtually everything—what
you like  and dislike, what you’re supposed to be doing
right now, and what you’ve done wrong in the past. If
that inner voice could speak in Spanish and you
immediately understood what it was saying, then you
were fluent in Spanish. If, however, the Spanish words
made no sense to you until you did the mental work of
translating them so that the voice would repeat them in
English, then you were not fluent in Spanish. It made
perfect sense—to me. I told him that if I were majoring in
language studies, I would do my doctoral dissertation on
that premise. Needless to say, my Spanish professor gave
me a very odd look, said something very polite, and went
on his way. I d idn’t  care what he thought. I was on an exploration,
a journey of learning beyond anything I could haveimagined. Every day I was learning so much about
myself. I couldn’t believe the amount of self-
consciousness and fear bein g expressed through that
voice. I t was so obvious that  the person I was watching
inside c ared a great deal about what people thought of
him. This was especially true  of people I knew well. The
voice told me what to say  and what not to say. It
complained inc essantly when  something was not the way
it wanted. If a conversation w ith a friend en ded with the
slightest discord or disagreement, the conversation
would k eep going on inside m y head. I would watch the
voice wishfully  imagine how t he conversation could have
ended on a dif ferent note. I could see how much fear of
rejection and nonacceptance were being expressed
through that mental dialogu e. It was overwhelming at
times, b ut I never lost the perspective of watching a voice
talking inside. It was obvi ous it wasn’t me; it was
something I was watching. Imagine if you woke up one  day and a cacophony of
noise was all a round you. You wanted it to stop, but you
had no idea how to stop it. That is the effect the voice
was hav ing on me. One thing was perfectly clear: that
voice had always talked befor e. But I had been so lost in
it th at I  never noticed it as se parate from me. It was like
a fish not know ing it is in water until it gets out. One leap
into the  air and the fish instantly realizes, “There’s a
body of  water down there, an d that is where I’ve always
been. But now I see that I can get out. ”
I did n’t like the voice of the m ind talking all the time. It was just like an irritating n oise that I really wanted to
stop. Bu t it didn’t. For now I w as stuck with it. As it turns
out, however, I had not yet begun to fight. 3. T h e  P i l l a r s  o f  Z e n
M onths w ent by and I was still on my own with my inner
exploration. L ittle did I know that help was about to
arrive unexpectedly. I had a classma te in my doctoral program named Mark
Waldman. He  was a bright  young man and an avid
reader on a broad range of subjects. Like everyone else,
Mark had heard me talking about my interest in the
voice. O ne day he brought m e a book he thought might
help. The book was entitled  Three Pillars of Zen,  by
Philip Kapleau. I knew absolutely nothing about Zen Buddhism. I was
an intellectual who didn’t give religious matters a second
thought. I was brought up Je wish, but not very much so. By the time I r eached college, religion played no part in
my life. If yo u had asked me if I was an atheist, I
probably would  have given you a blank stare. I had never
even thought about it. I s tarted  leafing through the pages of the book on Zen,
and within minutes it became evident: this book was
about that voice. My heart practically stopped. I had
trouble breathing. This book was clearly about how to
stop that voice from talking. Passage after passage spoke
about quieting the mind. It used terms like the True Self
behind the mind. There was  no doubt that I had found
what I’d been looking for. I knew there had to be others
who had gained the perspecti ve of watching that voice of
the mind instead of identify ing with it. Not only was
there an entire legacy of kno wledge spanning thousands
of y ears that d ealt with the voice, but this book clearlydiscussed “getting out. ” It talked about freeing yourself
from the hold of the mind. It talked about going beyond. Needless to say, I was in awe. I felt a reverence for this
book th at I had never felt fo r anything in my life. I had
been forced to read and study  so many books in school. I
now ha d in my hands a book that answered some real
questions for me, like who a m I that watches that voice
talk. These were questions that I passionately wanted to
know the answers to. Truth is, it was way beyond want. I
needed  to know these answers—tha t voice was driving
me crazy. What Three P illars o f Zen  had to say was very clear
and unequivocal. It said to stop reading, talking, and
thinking about your mind, and just do the work
necessary to quiet it down. The required work was
equally unambiguous—meditate. Before I even knew about meditation, I had tried
sitting alone in order to make  the voice stop talking. But
that ha d never worked for me. With this book, I was
presented a tried-and-true method that had worked for
thousands of others. Simply  sit down in a quiet spot,
watch your breath go in and o ut, and mentally repeat the
sound Mu. That’s it. Now do that for an ever-increasing
length of time each day. In  Zen, the real work was
generally done in a group setting called a sessin. In
traditional sett ings, a trained person would walk around
with a kyosaku  stick. If you st arted to sleep or lost focus
in a nother manner, you would get a smack on your
shoulders with the stick. Zen was strict; there was no
playing around. This form of Zen was serious work. I didn’t have a group or a teacher. All I had was the
book an d a very sincere yearn ing to see if these practices
would t ake me  where I want ed to go. So I started to do
Zen me ditation on my own. At least it was my best
understanding of what Zen meditation is. At first I sat for
fifteen or twenty minutes


uring	any	activity	or	event. I	can	honestly	say	that	if	you	reduce	your	breathing	and	feel	your	inner	body
as	often	as	possible	for	three	weeks,	you	will	be	a	changed	person	at	the	end
of	it. You	will	have	clarity	of	mind	that	you	probably	have	not	experienced
since	when	you	were	a	child. Remember,	you	once	had	clarity	of	mind. You
once	lived	totally	free	from	repetitive	and	incessant	thinking. You	once	lived
in	a	state	of	bliss. This	has	all	been	covered	up	by	layers	of	conditioning	and
thought. Go	back	to	your	original	state. Go	back	to	how	your	life	was	during
the	first	few	years. See	thought	as	something	that	you	can	choose	to	use	for	apractical	situation. At	other	times,	connect	with	the	Now,	your	inner	body	and
your	breath,	and	the	layers	of	thought	activity	and	conditioning	will	dissolve
as	you	no	longer	place	attention	on	them. It	is	not	difficult	to	watch	your	breath	and	still	your	mind. This	is	the	natural
order	of	things,	all	we	are	doing	is	going	home. What	is	difficult	is	living	in
the	incessant	noise	in	the	head	and	accepting	that	whatever	our	mind	throws
up	at	us	to	be	true. I	don’t	know	how	people	live	like	this. I	lived	this	way	for
many	years	and	I	suffered,	was	stressed	and	felt	fear	and	anxiety. It	is	insane.Chapter	15
	What	to	do

The	number	of	times	you	take	attention	out	of	your	mind	and	put
onto	your	breath,	your	inner	body	or	your	senses	is	far	more
important	than	the	length	of	time	occupied	there	.Be	aware	many
time	throughout	the	day.A	foolproof	way	to	quieten	the	mind

If	you	find	it	difficult	to	still	the	mind	by	applying	one	of	the	practices,
then	apply	two	at	the	same	time. While	reducing	your	breathing,	place	attention	on	your	inner	body. While	feeling	your	inner	body,	put	your	senses	on	what	is	taking	place
around	you. See,	listen	and	feel. While	you	do	what	you	love	to	do,	apply	it	with	your	full	senses	to	stay
present	with	time. It’s	about	reducing	your	recurrent	and	repetitive	thought	activity.Incorporating	reduced	breathing	and	stillness	into	your	way	of	life	will
depend	on	how	you	are	feeling. Using	the	Control	Pause,	state	of	health	and
age	as	a	guide,	the	following	approach	will	provide	some	insight. Gentle	approach:	Not	well,	elderly	or	have	a	CP	of	less	than	10	seconds
Nasal	breathes	at	all	times	including	at	night;
Gently	use	the	nose	unblocking	exercise	if	necessary;
Watch	your	thoughts;	know	what	is	going	through	your	mind	and
determine	how	your	thoughts	create	your	mood	and	how	your	mood
creates	your	thoughts;
Feel	your	inner	body	during	many	five-minute	pockets	throughout	the
day;
As	you	sit	in	nature	or	pet	an	animal	such	as	a	dog	or	cat,	feel	your	inner
body;
Relax	your	inner	body. If	your	tummy	is	tense,	encourage	it	to	relax
through	mental	commentary;
Keep	your	breathing	calm	at	all	times;	reduce	your	breathing	by	relaxing
your	tummy	and	chest;
Avoid	excessive	talking	or	other	activities	that	increase	breathing;
Eat	food	in	small	quantities;
Never	push	yourself	during	physical	exercise	beyond	the	point	where
you	lose	control	of	your	breathing;
Practice	the
Many	Small	Breath	Holds
exercise	throughout	the	day	and
ensure	gentle	reduced	breathing	with	light	to	medium	air	shortage. For
example,	practice	two	thousand	small	breath	holds	and	reduced
breathing	for	blocks	of	five	minutes	many	times	throughout	the	day. (You	don’t	have	to	count	each	breath	hold;	instead,	do	as	many	as
possible.) The	more	severe	your	symptoms,	the	greater	the	number	of
breath	holds	and	gentle	reduced	breathing	you	should	undertake. Gentle	walking	each	day	with	mouth	closed. Teenager	approach
Use	the	nose	unblocking	exercise	if	your	nose	gets	blocked;
Keep	your	mouth	closed	at	all	times,	including	during	sleep;
Observe	the	antics	of	your	mind	and	be	aware	of	repetitive	thought
activity;	step	outside	of	thought. Feel	your	inner	body	for	pockets	of	five	minutes	many	times	throughoutthe	day. In	school,	put	70%	of	your	attention	on	listening	to	your	teacher
and	the	remaining	30%	on	your	inner	body	or	reduced	breathing;
Use
Many	Small	Breath	Holds
when	you	feel	stressed;
When	you	have	no	symptoms,	walk	with	breath	holds	on	the	out	breath
for	half	an	hour	each	day. For	example,	hold	your	breath	while	walking,
on	a	trampoline,	running,	riding	a	horse	or	whatever	physical	exercise
you	like. While	exercising,	hold	your	breath	for	as	long	as	possible
without	being	stressed. At	the	end	of	the	breath	hold,	calm	your
breathing	as	soon	as	possible. Be	aware	of	the	concept	of	reduced	breathing	and	ensure	that	your
breathing	is	quiet	24/7. It	is	not	necessary	to	formally	practice	reduced
breathing,	but	incorporate	it	into	every	activity	you	do. Remember	that
when	you	reduce	your	breathing,	you	are	improving	blood	flow	and
oxygenation	of	the	brain. You	are	also	stepping	out	of	thought	during
this	time. Ensure	that	you	relax	your	tummy	and	chest. Keep	your	chest	still	as	you
breathe! An	adult	with	a	very	busy	lifestyle
Reduce	your	breathing	from	the	moment	you	wake	up	in	the	morning. For	example,	while	lying	in	bed	for	a	few	minutes,	reduce	your	breathing
and	create	a	need	for	air;
Feel	your	inner	body	as	often	as	you	can	throughout	the	day;
Hold	your	breath	and	reduce	your	breathing. For	example,	while	you	are
in	the	shower	or	washing	your	hair,	hold	your	breath	on	the	out	breath
and	build	up	a	good	need	for	air;
Reduce	your	breathing	by	relaxing	your	chest	and	tummy	while	you
drive	to	work;	ensure	that	your	chest	remains	still;
While	you	walk	from	your	car	to	work,	perform	breath	holds;
Go	for	a	20-minute	walk	during	your	lunch	break	and	do	many	breath
holds	throughout	the	walk;
When	you	return	from	work,	reduce	your	breathing	in	your	car,	while
watching	TV	or	reading	a	book,	etc. ;
When	faced	with	confrontation,	bring	attention	immediately	to	your
inner	body. Start	off	first	with	small	situations. In	time,	you	will	be
calmer	regardless	of	what	is	taking	place	around	you. If	you	need	to	challenge	somebody,	wait	until	your	anger	has	passed	and
approach	the	individual	while	keeping	most	of	your	attention	on	yourinner	body
Watch	out	for	repetitive	thought	processes,	especially	the	recurrent
thoughts	that	take	so	much	of	your	time,	reach	no	conclusion,	create
anger	and	tension	and	drain	you	of	energy. Ideally,	spend	a	cumulative	90	minutes	per	day	divided	among	reducing	your
breathing,	exercising	with	your	m


as	dead. In	the	diet	group,
however,	nineteen	people	were	still	alive,	a	survival	rate	of	38%. 22
	While	it
was	unfortunate	that	so	many	people	in	the	dietary	group	still	died,	it	was
clear	that	they	were	staving	off	their	disease	by	eating	moderately	less	animal
foods	and	moderately	more	plant	foods	(see
Chart	5.2
). CHART	5.2:	SURVIVAL	RATE	OF	DR.	MORRISON’S	PATIENTS
In	1946,	when	this	study	began,	most	scientists	believed	that	heart	disease
was	an	inevitable	part	of	aging,	and	nothing	much	could	be	done	about	it. While	Morrison	didn’t	cure	heart	disease,	he	proved	that	something	as	simple
as	diet	could	significantly	alter	its	course,	even	when	the	disease	is	so
advanced	that	it	has	already	caused	a	heart	attack. Another	research	group	proved	much	the	same	thing	at	about	that	time. A
group	of	doctors	in	Northern	California	took	a	larger	group	of	patients	with
advanced	heart	disease	and	put	them	on	a	low-fat,	low-cholesterol	diet. These
doctors	found	that	the	patients	who	ate	the	low-fat,	low-cholesterol	diet	died
at	a	rate
four	times	lower
	than	patients	who	didn’t	follow	the	diet. 23
It	was	now	clear	that	there	was	hope.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        The
fiber	may	bind	with	these	nutrients	and	carry	them	through	our	system	before
we	are	able	to	digest	them. They	say	that	the	maximum	level	of	fiber	intake
should	be	around	thirty	to	thirty-five	grams	per	day,	which	is	only	about	the
average	intake	of	the	rural	Chinese. We	studied	this	iron/fiber	issue	very	carefully	in	the	China	Study. As	it
turns	out,	fiber	is	not	the	enemy	of	iron	absorption	as	so	many	experts	claim	it
to	be. We	measured	how	much	iron	the	Chinese	were	consuming	and	howmuch	was	in	their	bodies. Iron	was	measured	in	six	different	ways	(four	blood
biomarkers	and	two	estimates	of	iron	intake)	and
when	we	compared	these
measurements	with	fiber	intake,
there	was	no	evidence	showing	that
increasing	fiber	intake	impaired	iron	absorption	in	the	body. In	fact,	we	found
the	opposite	effect. A	good	indicator	of	how	much	iron	is	in	the	blood,
hemoglobin,	actually	increased	with	greater	intakes	of	dietary	fiber. I
	As	it
turns	out,	high-fiber	foods,	like	wheat	and	corn	(but	not	the	polished	rice
consumed	in	China)	also	happen	to	be	high	in	iron,	meaning	that	the	higher
the	consumption	of	fiber,	the	higher	the	consumption	of	iron. III
	Iron	intake	in
rural	China	(34	mg/day)	was	surprisingly	high	when	compared	to	the	average
American	intake	(18	mg/day)	and	it	was	far	more	associated	with	plant-based
foods	than	with	animal-based	foods. 41
CHART	4. 10:	AVERAGE	INTAKES	OF	DIETARY	FIBER,	GM/DAY
The	China	findings	on	dietary	fiber	and	iron,	like	so	many	other
observations	in	this	study,	did	not	support	the	common	view	of	Western
scientists. People	who	consume	more	plant-based	foods,	thus	more	dietary
fiber,	also	consume	more	iron,
III
	all	of	which	results	in	statistically	significant
higher	levels	of	hemoglobin. Unfortunately,	a	bit	of	confusion	has	arisen	over
the	fact	that	some	people	in	rural	China,	including	women	and	children,	have
low	iron	levels. This	is	especially	true	in	areas	where	parasitic	diseases	are
more	common. In	areas	of	rural	China	where	parasitic	diseases	were	more
common,	iron	status	was	lower. 1
	This	has	given	some	the	opportunity	to
claim	that	these	people	need	more	meat,	but	the	evidence	indicates	that	the
problem	would	be	much	better	corrected	by	reducing	parasitism	in	these
areas. Much	of	the	initial	interest	in	dietary	fiber	arose	with	Burkitt’s	travels	in
Africa	and	his	claim	that	large	bowel	cancer	is	lower	among	populations	whoconsume	high-fiber	diets. Burkitt	made	this	claim	popular	but	the	story	is	at
least	200	years	old. In	England	during	the	late	eighteenth	century	and	early
nineteenth	century,	it	was	claimed	by	some	of	the	leading	physicians	that
constipation,	which	was	associated	with	less	bulky	diets	(i. e.,	low-fiber	diets),
was	associated	with	a	higher	risk	of	cancer	(usually	breast	and	“intestinal”
cancers). At	the	beginning	of	the	China	Study,	this	belief	that	fiber	might	prevent
large	bowel	cancer	was	the	prevailing	view,	although	the	1982	National
Academy	of	Sciences	Committee	on	Diet,	Nutrition	and	Cancer,	“found	no
conclusive	evidence	to	indicate	that	dietary	fiber…	exerts	a	protective	effect
against	colorectal	cancer	in	humans. ”	The	report	went	on	to	conclude,	“…	if
there	is	such	an	effect,	specific	components	of	fiber,	rather	than	total	dietary
fiber,	are	more	likely	to	be	responsible. ”
20
	In	hindsight,	our	discussion	of	this
issue	was	inadequate. The	question,
the	review	of	the	research	literature	and
the	interpretation	of	the	evidence	were	too	focused	on	looking	for	a	specific
fiber	as	the	responsible	cause. Finding	none,	the	fiber	hypothesis	was
dismissed. It	was	a	mistake. The	China	Study	provided	evidence	that	there	is	a	link
with	certain	cancers. The	results	showed	that	high-fiber	intake	was
consistently	associated	with	lower	rates	of	cancers	of	the	rectum	and	colon. High-fiber	intakes	also	were	associated	with	lower	levels	of	blood
cholesterol. I,	II
	Of	course,	high-fiber	consumption	reflected	high	plant-based
food	consumption;	foods	such	as	beans,	leafy	vegetables	and	whole	grains	are
all	high	in	fiber. ANTIOXIDANTS,	A	BEAUTIFUL	COLLECTION
One	of	the	more	obvious	characteristics	of	plants	is	their	wide	range	of	bright
colors. If	you	admire	how	food	is	presented,	it’s	hard	to	beat	a	plate	of	fruits
and	vegetables. The	reds,	greens,	yellows,	purples	and	oranges	of	plant	foods
are	tempting	and	very	healthy. This	link	between	nicely	colored	vegetables
and	their	exceptional	health	benefits	has	often	been	noted. It	turns	out	that
there	is	a	beautiful,	scientifically	sound	story	behind	this	color/health	link. The	colors	of	fruits	and	vegetables	are	derived	from	a	variety	of	chemicals
called	antioxidants. These	chemicals	are	almost	exclusively	found	in	plants. They	are	only	present	in	animal-based	foods	to	the	extent	that	animals	eat
them	and	store	a	small	amount	in	their	own	tissues. Living	plants	illustrate	nature’s	beauty,	both	in	color	and	in	chemistry. They	take	the	energy	of	the	sun	and	transform	it	into	life	through	the	process
of	photosynthesis. In	this	process,	the


	at
each	time	and	place. Parathyroid	hormone	also	acts	as	a	conductor	at	several
other	places	in	this	network,	as	shown	by	the	several	arrows. By	being	aware
of	the	role	of	each	player	in	its	“orchestra,”	it	coordinates,	controls	and	finely
tunes	these	reactions	as	a	conductor	would	a	symphony	orchestra. Under	optimal	conditions,	sunshine	exposure	alone	can	supply	all	the
vitamin	D	that	we	need	to	produce	the	all-important	1,25	D	at	the	right	time.Even	the	elderly,	who	are	not	able	to	produce	as	much	vitamin	D	from
sunshine,	have	nothing	to	worry	about	if	there	is	enough	sunshine. 17
	How
much	is	“enough”? If	you	know	how	much	sunshine	causes	a	slight	redness	of
your	skin,	then	one-fourth	of	this	amount,	provided	two	to	three	times	per
week,	is	more	than	adequate	to	meet	our	vitamin	D	needs	and	to	store	some	in
our	liver	and	body	fat. 17
	If	your	skin	becomes	slightly	red	after	about	thirty
minutes	in	the	sun,	then	ten	minutes,	three	times	per	week	will	be	enough
exposure	to	get	plenty	of	vitamin	D.
When	and	if	we	don’t	get	enough	sunshine,	it	may	be	helpful	to	consume
vitamin	D	from	our	diets. Almost	all	of	the	vitamin	D	found	in	our	diet	has
been	artificially	added	to	foods	like	milk	and	breakfast	cereals. Along	with
vitamin	supplements,	this	amount	of	vitamin	D	can	be	quite	significant	and,
under	certain	circumstances,	there	is	some	evidence	that	this	practice	may	be
beneficial. 18–21
In	this	scheme,	sunshine	and	parathyroid	hormone	work	together	in	a
marvelously	coordinated	way	to	keep	this	system	running	smoothly,	both	in
filling	our	vitamin	D	tank	and	in	helping	to	produce	from	moment	to	moment
the	exact	amount	of	1,25	D	that	we	need. When	it	comes	to	getting	sufficient
sunshine	or	getting	vitamin	D	in	food,	taking	light	from	the	sun	makes	far
more	sense.THROWING	WRENCHES	INTO	THE	SYSTEM
There	are	several	studies	now	showing	that	if	1,25	D	remains	at	consistently
low	levels,	the	risk	of	several	diseases	increases. So	then	the	question	is:	what
causes	low	levels	of	1,25	D? Animal	protein-containing	foods	cause	a
significant	decrease	in	1,25	D.
22
	These	proteins	create	an	acidic	environment
in	the	blood	that	blocks	the	kidney	enzyme	from	producing	this	very
important	metabolite. 23
A	second	factor	that	influences	this	process	is	calcium. Calcium	in	our
blood	is	crucial	for	optimum	muscle	and	nerve	functioning,	and	it
must	be
maintained	within	a	fairly	narrow	range. The	1,25	D	keeps	the	blood	levels	of
calcium	operating	within	this	narrow	range	by	monitoring	and	regulating	how
much	calcium	is	absorbed	from	food	being	digested	in	the	intestine,	how
much	calcium	is	excreted	in	the	urine	and	feces	and	how	much	is	exchanged
with	the	bone,	the	big	supply	tank	for	the	body’s	calcium. For	example,	if
there	is	too	much	calcium	in	the	blood,	1,25	D	becomes	less	active,	less
calcium	is	absorbed	and	more	calcium	is	excreted. It	is	a	very	sensitive
balancing	act	in	our	bodies. As	blood	calcium	goes	up,	1,25	D	goes	down,
and	when	blood	calcium	goes	down,	1,25	D	goes	up. 10,	24
	Here’s	the	kicker:	if
calcium	consumption	is	unnecessarily	high,	it	lowers	the	activity	of	the
kidney	enzyme	and,	as	a	consequence,	the	level	of	1,25	D.
1,	25
	In	other	words,
routinely	consuming	high-calcium	diets	is	not	in	our	best	interests. CHART	C.3:	ROLE	OF	THE	PARATHYROID	HORMONE	IN	THE
REGULATION	OF	SUPERCHARGED	1,25	D
The	blood	levels	of	1,25	D	therefore	are	depressed	both	by	consuming	too
much	animal	protein	and	too	much	calcium. Animal-based	food,	with	its
protein,	depresses	1,25	D.	Cow’s	milk,	however,	is	high	both	in	protein	andcalcium. In	fact,	in	one	of	the	more	extensive	studies	on	MS	that	is	associated
with	lower	levels	of	1,25	D,	cow’s	milk	was	found	to	be	as	important	a	factor
as	latitude	mentioned	earlier. 26
	For	example,	the	association	of	MS	with
latitude	and	sunshine	shown	in
Chart	C.2
	also	is	seen	with	animal-based	foods
shown	in
Chart	C.4
. 14
One	could	hypothesize	that	diseases	like	MS	are	due,	at	least	in	part,	to	a
lack	of	sunshine	and	lower	vitamin	D	status. This	is	supported	by	the
observation	that	northern	people	living	along	coastlines	(e.g.,	Norway
and
Japan)
26
	who	consume	lots	of	vitamin	D-rich	fish	have	less	MS	than	people
living	inland. However,	in	these	fish-eating	communities	with	lower	rates	of
disease,	much	less	cow’s	milk	is	consumed. Consuming	cow’s	milk	has	been
shown	to	associate	with	MS
26
	and	Type	1	diabetes
27
	independent	of	fish
intake. In	another	reaction	associated	with	this	network,	increased	intakes	of
animal	protein	also	enhance	the	production	of	insulin-like	growth	factor	(IGF-
1,	first	introduced	in	chapter	eight)	and	this	enhances	cancer	cell	growth. 5
	In
effect,	there	are	many	reactions	acting	in	a	co-ordinated	and	mutually
consistent	way	to	cause	disease	when	a	diet	high	in	animal	protein	is
consumed. When	blood	levels	of	1,25	D	are	depressed,	IGF-1	simultaneously
becomes	more	active. Together,	these	factors	increase	the	birth	of	new	cells
while	simultaneously	inhibiting	the	removal	of	old	cells,	both	favoring	the
development	of	cancer	(seven	studies	cited	by
28
). For	example,	people	with
higher-than-normal	blood	levels	of	IGF-I	have	been	shown	to	have	5.1	times
the	risk	of	advanced-stage	prostate	cancer. 28
	If	combined	with	low	blood
levels	of	a	protein	that	inactivates	IGF-I
29
	(i.e.,	more	IGF-1	activity),	there	is
9.5	times	the	risk	of	advanced-stage	prostate	cancer
. 28
	This	level	of	disease
risk	is	alarming. Fundamental	to	it	all	is	the	fact	that	animal-based	foods	like
meat	and	dairy
30–32
	lead	to	more	IGF-I	and	less	1,25	D,	both	of	which
increase	cancer	risk.CHART	C.4:	WORLDWIDE	DISTRIBUTION	OF	CALORIE
CONSUMPTION	FROM	ANIMAL-BASED	FOODS	FOR	120
COUNTRIES
14
These	are	only	a	few	of	the	factors	and	events	associated	with	this	vitamin
D	network. With	the	right	food	and	environment,	these	events	and	reactions
cooperate	in	an	integrated	manner	to	produce	health	benefits. In	contrast,
when	the	wrong	food	is	consumed,	its	adverse	effects	are	mediated	by	not
one,	but


 of an inner want that releases
neurotransmitters in the brain, such as serotonin and endorphins, that are
the consequence and concomitance but not the source of the experience
of happi ness itself. All sociological/psychological studies of h appiness
confirm that religious or spiritually-oriented people are generally happier
all the time, no matter what the circumstances. (W ellas, 2005). Pr ocessing out Negative Feelings. W ith loss, the spiritual proces s of nonresistance and surrendering is
ef fective (however, it is not a suitable process for those emotional states
that calibrate lower than 75,such as depression, guilt, and apathy).A
spiritually-oriented person values all of life’ s experiences and s ees each
one as an opportunity to evolve spiritually. The technique of processing
out involves very simple steps that all depend on willingness  and the
capacity to surrender. 1. Stay with the fe eling and stay focused on it unswervingly. Rea lize
that all pain is d ue to resistance. The suf fering of loss stems from
the attachment and specialness. 2. Be willi ng to become immersed in and surrender to the feelings
without avoidin g them. Notice that they come in waves and that
surrendering to the most inten se waves tends to decrease their
emotional severity. 3. Ask God ’ s help and surrender the personal will to God. (It is helpful
to read the Ninety-first Psalm or other favorite spiritual passages.) 4. Be willi ng to endure and suf fer out the process. If not resiste d, it
will process itself out and come to an end.Although the suf fering of loss is triggered by a specific event, th e painful
emotions of attachment have ac tually arisen from multiple sources over
time, an d there  may be more of it below the surface than was first
suspected. Thus, each loss actually represents all loss, for the experience
is o f loss itself and not just t he specific event that brought it up to
awareness. A helpf ul source of strength during the processing out of painful
emotions is to identify with all of humanity and realize that suf fering is
universal and innate to the p henomenon of being human and the
evolution of the ego. Nonattachment versus Detachment. This is an important distinction, and failure to understand it can lead to
important spiritual error. ‘Detachment’ is an ongoing process that,
unfortunately, can lead to  apathy and emotional flatness,
noninvolvement, and indif ference. It can also result in passivity and loss
of intere st in life. There are misunderstandings of spirituality t hat teach
that even  love is an attachment,  which is a misconception, for love is an
aspect of God; possessiveness is an aspect of ego. An i ncorrect understanding of the pathway of negation can res ult in the
sterility of the ‘V oid’ or ‘Nothingness’. While the V oid is an impressive
spiritual experience (cal. 850), it is not the Ultimate State, which,
correctly, is that of Allness. Th is arises from a misunderstanding of the
teachings of the Buddha. ‘V oid’ means nonlinear and the absence of
‘thingness’, or linearity. Beyond V oidness is the ultimate, all-inclusive
nonlinear reality  of Allness. The subjective experience of the V oid,
although very impressive, is considerably dif ferent from the Reality of
the state of the Presence of God as Allness, including the very major
quality of Infinite Love itself (see Chapter 18). Resolution. The pain of processing out personal loss is lessened by an
emotional/philosophical accepta nce and realization of the overa ll reality
of the human condition itself, which is shared by everyone:
 1. Everything in the human domain is temporary, transitional, and
evolutionary. 2. Nothing can really be ‘owned ’ or ‘mine’. All relationships are
temporary and arbitrary. Legality af fords only rights of control. 3.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        The Politics of the Ego/Hate. The dua listically structured ego propagates itself by a positionality that
tends to see everything in te rms of perpetrator/victim (the classic
relativistic Karl  Marx error). By virtue of an arbitrary positio nality, it
splits events into opposites, and the consequent blame that occurs may be
directed inwardl y as guilt or projected outwardly as hate and paranoia. Thus, th e ego is judgmental and unwittingly becomes its own victim. If it
hates, it feels unconsciously guilty for violating truth and may repress the
accumulated guilt, which adds more ener gy to the projected hatred. As
will be discusse d in a later chapter, this also contributes to the level of
fear, for what the ego projects out, it unconsciously expects to return. Despite its devices, the ego cann ot escape consequences, whether it turns
the attac k within or without. The  inherent fallacy of ego position  is that it
is no t actually the real person who feels guilt or hate, but only  the ego
itself. Th e real Self is unaf fected because truth is immune to fals ity. Thus
the hate/guilt game is operationally just internal politics in which
dif ferent voices seek to dominate and win over one’ s allegiance. The ego is envious of that which it intuits as being superi or to its
limitations and thus readily hates and denounces what it cannot
understand. It has a vested interest in making wrong or denigrating whatit canno t comprehend. Thus, the skeptic subtly hates spiritual truth or
higher consciousness and its values (love, truth, Divinity, beauty). Hatred
for purity or aes thetics is expressed by obscenity and gross vulgarity, as
well as by des ecration (destr oy the Pieta, de file femininity, insult
erudition, defame integrity, etc. ). Much purported criticism (masquerading as ‘free speech’) is thinly-
disguised, envious hatred accompanied by rationalized justification in
order to  diminish guilt. Ideological hatred fuels public debate on almost
every topic or issue in current society, from which the ego derives what it
perceives as gain in the form of attention. Hatred often takes the  form of
projecting guilt via blame. Analogously, the politics of the ego have their counterpart in society,
which is  very preoccupied with blame. While individuals do pla y a part,
unfortunate events will often represent a failure of the underlying social
process itself due to policies tha t are innately fallacious. While p unishing
the guil ty culprits satisfies the public, it usually shortchanges society
because the resolution is discovered by examining the underlying
process itself. Guilt that stems from some p ast poor judgment is overcome by the
devices of reparation, confessio n, and moral rededication, as well as by
compensation from good works (the process of ‘undoing’). Humility
helps recovery with the admission that a portion of the guilt stems from
pride, e. g., “I shouldn’ t have made that mistake. ”
There is  an error in the word ‘should’, which represents the hyp othetical. The hypothetica l is never reality and is actually an idealized abstraction. The hypothetical therefore represents a fantasy. Personal past history represents  the best that one could actually do then
under given circumstances, which included one’ s perceptions and
emotional menta l states at the time. Mistakes can have a positive ef fect
because they serve the maintena nce of a realistic humility. The  ego is a
defective compass that often gives wrong directions. When one considers
the degr ee of its limitations, it is a wonder that anyone survi ves long
enough to even make mistakes. A study of the  history of civilization quickly reveals that not only
individuals but also great multitudes have fallen and died as  a directconsequence of the human mind’ s inability to discern truth from
falsehood. Millions of people, whole countries, and even generations of
citizens are repeatedly devastated by false beliefs, illusions, delusions,
and the failure to recognize nonintegrous leaders. Thus, Mackay’ s
famous Extraor dinary P opular Delusio ns and the Madness of Cr owds
has been in constant print since 1841. Because the evolution of consciousness, both individually and
collectively, is progressive, the  past, by selection, appears to compare
unfavorably with the present. Lessons can be learned only by the
unfolding of experience over a time continuum; thus, there is always
more that hypothetically could be known. In reality, one cannot know at
age twenty-five the information that is accrued by age fifty. Everyone
thinks, “If I had only known that, I would have done it dif ferently. ” Thus,
with humility, it can be see n that every given moment includes
limitation. What  we were is not what we are now. Mistakes are  intrinsic
to the learning process, which is the fate of the human condition itself. Because the mind’ s awareness is limited, it compensates by substit


 words, we’re not building a new disease, we’re going backwards n ow and in going backwards, we call this the reversal
method of cleansing; the reversal method of getting rid of any disease accumulation that may be in the body. In this case, we  find
that the second elimination treatment, at the end of 7 weeks, did not di scharge much mucus or catarrh from the bowel. In contrast,
during this crisis it was unbelievable what the tissue cleansing treatment and the colemas have brought down from the bowel. There were mucus strings and other materials that were unbelievable. The y were of such a copious nature that there were two
quarts at a time of this mucus membrane. It was foul and gave up a lot of gas. She had to resort to an extra colema treatment  in
order to take care of this toxic material that had settled in the bowel. Af ter the 6th day, we found that the colema became clear
again. There is still an excessive amount of material coming from the bowel. The greatest amount of toxic material came possi bly
the 4th, 5th and 6th days. It is beginning to ease up now and it is time  that she moves on to the transition diet and the regular eating
program once again. This case has been mentioned because it illustrates clearly that during the healing crisis it may become a necessity to go on  the
colema treatment once again. I will say t hat everyone who follows this treatment is going to have these healing crises develop. It
will bring back the problems that you have had in the past, symptoms you had 10, 20, 30 years ago. It is at this time that th e toxic
material should be elimirated bec ause the body has liquified the catarrh, liquified the mucus and it is getting to a running stage. At
this time, you help it with the colema. After this is over, you will find that it will take 3 to 5 days for a complete elimin ation to
occur, after which y ou’re ready to start a better life than you’ve had in many years. The healing crisis can be a short one, it can be
a little one, it doesn’t have to take long. Anybody going through this tissue cleansing treatment will get a strong healing c risis. I
feel th at people overcome their troubles a lot quicker through this reversal process that they would any other way. You make more
progress with this program than with any way I know of other than through extreme fasting. PATIENT 10
This man suffers from extreme f latulence and X -ray shows severe diverticula of the colon. He has had kidney operations to
remove large stones, and has been told that there is a large mass in one kidney. He hasn’t the will to live because of these troubles. Blood pressure was high (188/1 20), extreme digestive disturbances, heart attack, gout; taking drugs now. Does not smoke or
drink alcohol. Barium enema shows number of diverticula has tripled in one year’s time. Iris examination reveals deep, dark a nd
large lesions in colon areas. Kidne y areas indicate extreme underactivity. Doctors want to take out sections of the bowel and have
no other remedy. He came to us with these troubles. The seven -day treatment was started with the tissue cleansing regimen. Good
things started to happen immedia tely. He was able to get the first decent night’s sleep in years by the third day. Flatulence has been
reduced markedly. Patient says he hasn’t felt as good in years. He claims that he feels like he has been given a new chance a t life
and is very optimisti c about staying on the program. The opportunity to reverse his degenerative processes has given him hope that
was not available before. PATIENT 11
After taking treatments several months ago, the stomach trouble has left and the digestion is now better. We have not heard any bad results from cases taking the treatment. PATIENT 12
Patient had hepatitis. Tests revealed an almost normal condition after one month of colema treatment. Chemistry panel showed
alkaline phosphorous of 1760 (normal is 79 to 250 IUL) w ent to 82 during this treatment. She used no drugs, just foods and tissue
cleansing system. CHAPTER 10
IN CONCLUSION
“Should the body sue the mind before a court judicature for damages, it would be found that the mind had been a ruinous tenan t to
its landl ord.” Essays of Plutarch
I have devoted my life’s energies to discovering the secrets of happy, healthy long life. Searching the world over for exampl es of
these blessings has been quite an experience and I’ve learned a great deal. During the 50 years of p ractice trying to help people be
and stay well, I’ve come to one certain conclusion. That the number one symptom that exceeds all others considerably is bowel
disturbance. People in this society and culture are all suffering some kind of digestive or elimi native malfunction. It is epidemic in
proportion. Our food and lifestyle are slowly doing us in by undermining the health and vitality of our great people. Sicknes s and
disease are claiming a greater and greater portion of our energy, time, money and emoti ons. We are becoming health poor and
vitality bereft. We have strayed from the right path and have been led into a dead end prematurely. This is unfortunate but n ot
inescapable. By turning around and giving up the old; cleansing, rejuvenating and taking th e higher path, we can once again enjoy
the wonderful blessings of a healthy, vital life as the Creator intended us to have. We must defy the life -robbing habits and foods by refusing to partake of them anymore. We must be willing to cut loose of the old
and like a little child once again learn the new, better ways. Surgery and drugs merely delay and antagonize the problems, rar ely
ever reaching the source of our diseases. One operation leads to another. Drugs are given to alleviate symptoms and mask over  a
deeper and often chronic condition that goes undetected and uncared for until it is often too late to correct. There is one sure way to deal with our health problems. That is God’s way. When we follow nature, we can’t lose. It’s perfect  and
always works. It is beyond man’s tampering and contains all the preconditions for long, healthy life. It takes a long time to develop
a chronic, degenerative disease, and it takes awhile to reverse such conditions. But it is possible if the individual can att une his or
her self to the task and have faith and perseverance in the natural healing powers of the body. I’ve worked in bowel manageme nt
all my life. I’ve tried every natural method, product or technique known to man that would care for the bowel. Of all these t hings I
can say that fasting and alfalfa tablets have done the most good of all. Now I want to tell you that the Ultimate Tissue Cleansing System is the greatest thing I’ve ever known to detoxify the body a nd
clean the bowel. This is a recent development; o ne we have been working on all our lives. Now it is here when we need it more
than ever before. I’m not saying it’s a cure all, but that it is a very powerful beginning for a person who is working toward  an
eventual healing. Anything we can do to stop auto intoxication is going to help slow down the disease process. The Ultimate Tissue
Cleansing System is the best way I know of to accomplish this goal. By stripping down the old, toxic mucus lining of the bowel, we remove the number one source of disease in the body. In addition,
we open up the bowel to a more efficient means of waste elimination and nutrient absorption, both of which are essential to a ny
lasting healing process. This is also the first step toward normalizing the bowel so that the friendly ba cteria will return to keep the
colon safe from putrefaction and further autointoxication. Doctor’s wishing to learn this work may inquire about classes bein g
given. Likewise, patients are being taken upon review and inquiry. Here is a short story you migh t enjoy about one of the longest -lived men in Western history. “Westminster Abbey was begun by
King Lucius in A.D. 170. The vaults are crowded with illustrious dead whose monuments cover the walls of the vast church. One
of the smallest slabs - more intere sting than all the fine marbles to princes and poets - says: Thomas Parr of ye county of Salopp,
born A.D. 1483. He lived in ye reigns of ten kings: Edward IV, Edward V, Richard III, Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary,
Elizabeth, James I, Charles I. Bu ried here November 15, 1635. Aged 152 years.’ Before Parr was interred in Westminster, his
history was carefully investigated. The parish register of his native village proves he was baptized in 1483. Legal documents  and
court entries show that he inherite d a small farm from his father in 1560, and that he took a wife three years later when eighty. He
married again in 1605 at the age of one hundred and twenty -two. When over one hundred and thirty he pled guilty, in court, to the
charge of being the father o f an illegitimate child. He was a farmer all his life. His