. Who you have
held on to as being you—your o pinions, your desires, fears, what you’re invested in—
has gott en a little hazy around the edges. Life is feeling strangely easy. Joyful even.
What happens just... happens. Y ou’re okay with it, really and truly okay. No opinion
about it floats a cross the radar screen. It’ s gotten very quiet inside your head. Y ou
realize h ow ver y hard you’ve b een working, your entire well-meaning life. Life just
began for you.”
Jan Frazier, fr om  Opening the DoorC H A P T E R  5  S u m m a r y
The hab it of believing our own  thoughts r obs us of being
able to live in th e magnificence  and glory of who we r eally
ar e.
It’ s your thoughts about a person, cir cumstance, or event
that’ s the sour ce of negative sit uations in your life, not the
actual person, cir cumstance, or event.
Thinking was made to or der what you want. Thinking isn’ t
needed for anything else because everything else is taken
car e of by A war eness.
Y our mind is n ot your brain. Y our brain doesn’ t think.
Thoughts come fr om your mind.
Y our mind is m ade up entir ely of thought. If ther e’ s no
curr ent thought, ther e’ s no mind.
Most people believe their own th oughts as though they wer e
facts, which explains why life is str essful and challenging
for so many.
It’ s n egative thoughts that ar e the cause of our str ess and
suffering, so we need to become particularly awar e of
negative thoughts.
When we believe our thoughts, we’r e immediately caught in
an i maginary mind-made movi e that’ s playing inside our
head, and we’r e no longer experiencing the world as it
r eally is.
Thoughts ar e also r esponsible for causing our feelings, and
then in turn our feelings will cause mor e thoughts.
Ther e’ s nothing wr ong with the mind; the tr ouble only
begins when we believe its negative thoughts.The one who gets angry, hurt, worried, anxious, or
disappointed is not the  real you. It’ s your mind.
The mind only has thr ee differ ent kinds of thoughts. The
mind measur es, compar es, and describes.
One of the biggest lies our mind has convinced us of is the
story that we ar e a body and a mind.
Another story our mind has co nvinced us of is the story
about time. T ime is an illusion—a mental concept cr eated by
the mind.
All that r eally ex ists is this pr ese nt moment. Past and futur e
exist only in the form of thought.
Y ou don ’ t have to eliminate yo ur mind or go to war with
your mind. A war eness is your w ay out of the turmoil of the
mind.
When yo u obser ve your thoughts instead of getting lost in
them, you see them for what they ar e: something separate
fr om you that you can either choose to believe, or not.C h a p t e r  6
Understanding the Power of
Feelings
It is possible to live your life w ithout ever being thrown about by negative
feelings again. When you live from the A wareness that you are, negative
feelings won’ t af fect you in the same way as they do now. The real you is pure
happiness at all times and under  all conditions. It can be hard t o imagine that
you can bring an end to negative feelings af fecting you, but you  will discover
for yourself that you can.
“Negative feelings are destructive. What we are is constructive.”
My teacher
Through practic ing the methods shared in this book, I don’ t suf fer from
extreme negative feelings anym ore. If any negative feeling appears, it’ s quite
soft, I notice it i mmediately, and  it dissolves on the spot. Earlier in my life, I
used to be throw n about by negative feelings as if I had just stepped into a
hurricane. But after I discovered  The Secret, I became acutely aware of how
I’m feeling from one moment to the next. And if you’re aware of how you’re
feeling, it’ s just one more simple step, as you will discover, to dissolving
negative feelings for good. When you are free of all negative feelings, what
remains is the Infinite A wareness that you are, and your life will be absolutely
breathtaking.
“Once you realize how ef fortless the highest way of life is, it takes
tremendous ef fort to assume the opposite.”
Lester Levenson
It helps to diminish their power over you if you understand what feelings
really are.
Feelings (and thoughts and sensations) are simply a movement of ener gy.
Ener gy vibrates,  which means feelings, like thoughts, also vibrate. Dif ferent
feelings vibrate  at dif ferent frequencies. Good feelings vibrate at higher
frequencies, and  they’re very be neficial to the body and positiv ely af fect thecircumstances surrounding your life. Y our positive feelings a lso benefit all
other beings and the planet as a whole. Negative feelings vibrate at low
frequencies, and  they’re detrimental to the body, to your life circumstances,
other beings, and the planet. B ut where do feelings come from in the first
place?
Thoughts create  feelings. The ki nds of thoughts you have will create the same
kinds of feelings. After having  happy thoughts, you feel hap py. And once
you’re feeling happy, it’ s not possible to have angry thoughts at the same
time. Happy thoughts cause happy feelings, which cause more happy
thoughts. Likew ise, if you feel angry, that feeling has come from having had
angry thoughts. Thoughts and f eelings always match; thoughts and feelings
are two sides of the one coin.
If a situation arises and you allo w negative thoughts and feelings to take over
you, you will l ikely continue to experience one thing going wrong after
another in your day. However, when you feel good, your day will have one
good thing following after another. What you feel inside will match precisely
with what you experience in the world around you.
“Y ou no w know  that nothing co mes into existence from the ou tside, and that
everything first comes from thinking and feeling it on the inside.”
Fr om  The Secret
Positive Feelings
Have yo u noticed that all good feelings require zero ef fort? When you’re
feeling good, you feel as light as a feather, and you feel as though you have an
unlimited supply  of ener gy. If you become sensitive to how you’re feeling,
you will notice the positive ef fect those good feelings are having on your body
and mind.
Feeling good doesn’ t mean you’re like a cheerleader at a football game,
jumping up and down with excitement. As you no doubt would have
experienced, if you get overexcited, you dissipate all your ener gy, and you’re
exhausted afterward.
Feeling good is like how you feel at the end of a big day that went really well,
or when you’re chilled out on vacation, or when you’ve exercis ed hard, had a
shower, and then sat down to e njoy dinner or your favorite s how. Y ou feel
relaxed. Y ou feel a sense of relief. Y ou let go, and you feel a peaceful
happiness. Y ou know those tim es when you say, “Ahh, this is nice”? This is
what feeling good feels like. If y ou could let go of your white-knuckle grip on
life, you  would automatically fe el this good, because feeling goo d is your true
nature. I n fact, whenever you feel good, it means you must have  let go of bad
feelings, enabling good feelings to naturally appear.
“Good feelings are to be enjoyed. They are the expression of joy and take us
back to joy, which is our true nature. Just enjoy them; be one with them.”
Francis Lucille, fr om  The Perfume of SilencePositive and good feelings are a result of saying “Y es” to what is  happening in
life. Positive feelings come from “Y es, I want that,” “Y es, that would be nice,”
“Y es, that’ s good,” “Y es, I love this,” or “Y es, that sounds great.”
There’ s not a p roblem with positive or good feelings. Happin ess and good
feelings, after all, come from A wareness. Bask in good feeling s, milk them,
and fall in love with them.
Negative Feelings
Negative feelin gs are a result of you thinking or saying “No!” about
something that’ s happening. Negative feelings come from “No, I don’ t want
this!” It could be something hurtful a person said or did; someon e disagreeing
with you ; or a circumstance, big  or small, that didn’ t go the wa y you wanted,
such as having an ar gument; running late; a health


 What will people expect of me if I’m
loving? Maybe they will get the wrong idea about me.” But if you had it
bottled up, you’ve got to let it out because that extension of love is your
purpose. Your happiness depends on extending love. You want to be
inspired by what is inside of you. You want it to come out and extend
through you. Then your perception starts to expand, and you start to have
experiences that you are more than the body. You realize that the body is
not who you are, that it is just an instrument that is being used in your
awakening. And then as you go even deeper, you’ll start to have
communion experiences and mystical experiences that actually start to
transcend the body entirely. You may start to have lucid dream
experiences where during your nighttime dreams, you are so lucid and
aware that you’re dreaming that even when there is a monster, a dragon,
or a tsunami, you’re just smiling and laughing because you know it’s a
dream. You’re grateful as you know that you’re dreaming, and you’re
not at the mercy  of whatever seems to be going on. And then it will start
to transfer to your daily life as well, where you have this sense of being,
the sense that you’re watching or observing life.Meditation: Diving Under This W orld to the Light
To listen to a recorded version of this meditation, go to
http://www.newharbinger.com/41870. To be able to extend Spirit from within, you need to turn all
your attention inward to an experience of being connected to
Source. Make  sure you have a space where you will not be
disturbed for a while. Take a moment to get in touch with your
thoughts. Get in touch with your emotions, invite them into full
awareness. Let this meditatio n take you deep into your heart and
your being. Take a moment now to just watch what is in your
consciousness. Watch the passing panorama. Observe the
thoughts. This is your arena for healing. You are looking into
the mind. You are observing consciousness. Open up to a
purification of consciousness. Look at the contents of your consciousness very
directly. You are looking at your life, your mind. It is not
about an environment; it is not about people, places, events,
or situations. It is about beginni ng to be very, very aware of
the contents of consciousness. Imagine your consciousness
as a radio station ; you must pay attention, you must be aware
of what is coming through in the broadcast. Just for a little while, turn away from being so plugged
in to the thinkin g of the world. Turn away from just reacting
and responding to people, places, and events. This moment,
right now, is all there is. For just a moment, allow yourself to
see that all reme mbrances of the past, and all projections and
anticipations of the future, are but a game of folly, a ruse, to
keep you distracted from this very moment. I invite you to sink deep, deep within your mind, to sink
beneath these layers of thoughts, relaxing very deeply. I
invite you to open to the stillness and the presence that isyour very identity. For a momen t now, you need not put your
attention on the things of this world, the sights and sounds. Give yourself permission to let all this go. You don’t have to be a partic ipant in the world of
events, you can just observe; watch. No longer are you in the
rat race, in the busyness, the hurriedness, or the hustle and
bustle of time and space, people, and places. Now, very gentl y, stop, drop, and watch. Feel the deep
peace that’s there when there is no forcing, no pushing, and
no striving. Just sink down into a state of mind in which
there is no effort, only pure acceptance. Acceptance and rest. Accept everything as it is, right now. Just watch your thoughts as if they are a parade going
by. You are not in the parade, you just watch. Sink into deep, deep peace. You are with the Holy
Spirit. Sink beneath the belief in parts and particulars and
situations and specifics. Deep, deep, deep into the mind,
until you feel very light. And feel the light that’s there. There
is a light beyond thoughts, emotions and beliefs. Be a passerby. That is your contribution and your
sacred purpose. The truth of your spiritual identity is abiding
in grace  in the Kingdom of Heaven or oneness forever. I am
calling you out of the world of perception; I am calling you
to rest deep within, beloved child of God. Today embrace one purpose. Today, experience it. Rest
in peace. Rest in the present moment. Rejoice in happiness
and in being as God created you. Amen. Let this experience direct you to your inner space of healing
and quiet and take a little time purely for yourself. Realize that no
time could ever be spent better. In quiet rest, allow yourself the
gift of release.Love Extends by Its Nature
We want to have an attitude of being so focused on the presenc e of love
that everything and everyone is touched by that love. We call on and
welcome the Holy Spirit to flood our life, and love and blessing will
flow through us. This is what we want our whole life to be. We want
everything to be lit up around us, reflecting all the love and blessings of
the Holy Spirit! All of us are being called as miracle workers, and we cannot turn
away in embarrassment thinking that we must have been chosen
wrongly. We will be content with nothing less than being miracle
workers. We are all saints in training, and even though the training can
seem pretty rough at times, we will succeed because God’ s plan for
salvation must succeed. God’ s plan for salvation does not require egos. But the presence  of love is so strong inside of us that we are assured of
success. So, we support each other in releasing any dark emotions, in
laughing together, singing together, and praying together. This is the
calling of our heart, and we are joined hand in hand! Eventually, as you step back from the ego and share an allowa nce
for the Holy Spirit, you hold a space of love and nonjudgment in your
communication: no criticism, no crosstalk, no advice-giving. There’ s a
feeling of love and acceptance, which is fundamental in clearing out
your consciousness of all judgments and grievances. This allowance and
acceptance of everything to be as it is leads to constant happiness. When
you’re always happy, there’ s also openness to say, “Okay Spirit, what
would you have me do?” And it’s a feeling of “Give it away to everyone
in the whole universe. Help make spirituality fun for everyone.”  What
does that look like? We dance, and we sing. We watch amazing  movies
that open up our hearts. We have beautiful experiential gathe rings. It
involves deep heart-to-heart talks. It involves seeing friends in every
direction that you look; even the snowflakes become your friends. You
feel connected to the plants, animals, and people. And you laugh a lot. Every day there’ s laughter. Not one single day goes by without laughter. And it all comes from inside of your heart.During this last phase, there is a lot of extending the gift because
once you experience the gift of love, it automatically gives itself away. So, there are many collaborative encounters that are part of giving this
gift. And your words can be of quantum physics, of poetry, or of song
lyrics. It comes in so many different ways that you never know  what it
will be. This is a way of living; it’s a state of mind! And the form is not
important anymore. Even the words are not important. You just sparkle
and shine. It’s time to give gratitude to what’s real, what’ s true, and all the
reflections of this love that are all around. You’ll find that, as you open
your heart and open your mind, the love of God is reflected in everything
and everyone that you perceive. In every direction that you look, it is
sanctified in your heart; it is a deep, unspeakable love. If you are not
experiencing this love, this boundless vast love, then stay open, stay
open to the laughter, to the peace, and to the signs and symbols that are
calling you each moment and this day forever to awake and be glad. Love is always either in your heart or on its way!Conclusion
Living in Freedom
When it comes to healing, you aren’ t limited by anything. You can use
whatever opens your heart—poetry, music, dance, or deep heart-to-heart
conversations. You don’t need to let things like conditioning and
opinions stop you from coming  into an experience once you open your
mind to overlook and undo your patterns and fears. You are here to have
an experience of your connectedness. There are pathways to God that
don’t use words, where you sink deeply inward beneath the thoughts and
the word s and come into a direc t experience of Source. We can all drop
into this experience, where we’re


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 (Dawkins, 1992; Beck and Cowan, 1996). This downside of vulnerability to rhetoric was also discussed at length in
Truth vs. Falsehood (Chapter 12). Like anyone else in society, the mind of the aspirant has also
unwittingly been programmed. This often escapes notice unless highlighted
by a Teacher. Many students adhere to a stereotype of what ‘being spiritual’
implies. Thus, there are often political/social/intellectual stereotyped beliefs
that need to be investigated as naïve programs. To seriously seek enlightenment is a very strict discipline that therefore
eschews the attraction of involvement in supposed spiritual movements that
are actually intrinsically political in nature and factional. The attraction of
‘changing the world’ (for the presumed better, of course) appeals to thenaïve idealism of the inner spiritual adolescent and is transcended with
maturity. The nature of human life is the automatic consequence of the
overall level of human consciousness itself. Therefore, to benefit the world,
it is necessary to change not the world but oneself, for what one becomes is
influential by virtue of its essence (nonlinear) and not its actions (limited
and linear). The purpose of action is to control others. Force (emotional or
otherwise) results in counterforce; power comes from the nonlinear level of
consciousness itself. Straight and narrow is the path, for without inner discipline, the spiritual
energy becomes dissipated in diverse attractions. Profound silence is more
influential and beneficial than an avalanche of redundant words and actions
that emanate from the spiritual ego and its platitudinous rationalizations. Spiritual rhetoric is still just rhetoric and represents spiritual sophistry. Commitment to Enlightenment alters and recontextualizes social roles. There are many attractive, aberrant spiritual groups, techniques,
practices, and teachings that become glamorized, popularized, peddled, and
even literally marketed. There is also seduction by proselytization, pop-
culture promotional venues, and effusive emotionality (Lewis, 2001). All
these attractions signify the seeking of a gain by their promotion. In
contrast, that which is integrous is self-fulfilled and therefore does not need
promotion. Eager, naïve students may be impressed by the opinions and enthusiasm
of followers of attractive, diversionary spiritual groups and leaders. Some
are impressed by web sites, celebrities, or emotional claims. There are
supposed ‘avatars’ by the dozens who are imagined to be the great saviors
of humanity (sometimes even by a prescribed date). These routinely
calibrate not only low but often below level 200—the critical level of Truth. Often added to the attraction are claims of performance of the miraculous
and unnatural oddities. Thus, it is not unusual at all for very famous, highly
proclaimed ‘miracle workers’ to calibrate as low as 175. It is therefore best
to avoid the bizarre or the unlikely and to remember that there is no
‘person’ who performs miracles in a cause-and-effect kind of
contextualization. The truly ‘miraculous’ is the emergence into actuality of
potentiality as a consequence of an overall contextual field that includes
karma, and it is therefore not ‘caused’ by nor can it be claimed by an
individual personality.Also invitational is the seductive lure of ‘secrets’ and membership (at a
cost) in ‘select’ inner subgroups, with accompanying titles and privileges. Common to such groups are also submission and obedience to the leader as
well as a variety of personal restrictions. All of these linear distractions
denote specialness rather than rational distractions of essence. As with any human endeavor, there is a sequence of levels of
maturation and mastery to progressive levels of sophistication, education,
experience, and acquisition of skills and knowledge. Early in the search for
truth, there is vulnerability to the allure of various promulgated programs
and personalities that tend to become an attractive theater invitational to
mystical and magical allure. There are glib ‘masters’ who even claim to be
‘higher than Jesus’ and attract great wealth. Others promote various forms
of sexuality and even ‘holy sex’ encounters with the leader. (These persons
all calibrate below 200, although some of them were temporarily in the
500s early in their careers.) Common are claims to exotic ‘other dimensions’ or realms with unique
nominalization. None of the aberrant pathways, teachers, or organizations
calibrates at an acceptable level of truth, and none appears in the list of
confirmed spiritual teachers or teachings (Chapter 11). The rule ‘caveat
emptor’ obviously applies and is adhered to by the wise (Partridge, 2003). While exploration of the new may seem like a harmless educative and
entertaining novelty, even that degree of exposure has unanticipated
consequences that are usually unrecognized. The mind is like the hardware
of a computer that is instantly programmable by linear content as well as
nonverbal energy patterns. Thus, the explorer of the pop pseudospirituality
of the astral circus of the typical ‘New Age Fair’ inadvertently picks up a
variety of energies that are out of awareness. The best protection is
avoidance out of humble respect for the limitations and the weaknesses of
the ego/mind. To flirt with that which is seemingly harmless is attractive to
negative subliminal energy patterns. The acquired spiritual flaws may later
affect the student adversely in ways that are out of awareness but detectable
by others. Thus, avoidance of that which can be deleterious to or delay
spiritual evolution is advised out of humility and respect for limitations
rather than fear. As mentioned elsewhere, traditional scripture advises to
eschew the paranormal and just ‘don’t go there’. As with other attractions, it is the ‘experiencer’ aspect of the ego that
leads to involvement with distractions and naïve errors of judgment,mistaken decisions, or conclusions. The avoidance of diversions and
attractions is not based on judgmentalism but instead on respecting the
value of the validation of truth. There are numerous integrous teachers and
teachings; thus, it is not necessary to seek for novel byways. The great
traditional pathways have sufficed for thousands of years, and their essential
truths have been confirmed by experience. They are now even more
adequately understood and confirmable. Frequently, serious spiritual students become waylaid by attractive,
deviant pathways, schools, and teachings and thereby devote time and
energy in fruitless pursuit of spiritual illusions. This may take up years,
decades, or even whole lifetimes that sometimes end up in regret or even
bitter disappointment. With the current availability of the techniques of
calibrating levels of truth, such errors can be circumvented. There are even
professional ‘deprogrammers’ to assist in recovery from cult indoctrination
and brainwashing that can result in severe loss of reality testing and
rationality, even to the degree of cult group suicide or bombing the
innocent, allegedly ‘for God’. Alignment with a Pathway
Chapter 11 gives the necessary information and guidelines to ascertain
purity, authenticity, and validity of teachers, traditions, religions, spiritual
schools, and organizations. Dedication is a more important sign of integrity
than enthusiasm. It is necessary to have faith in a pathway and clear away
doubts to ascertain if they are realistic or merely forms of resistance. A
seeker should have the security and support of inner certainty and firm
conviction that are consequent to study, personal research, and
investigation. Thus, a pathway should be intrinsically reconfirming by
discovery and inner experience. A true pathway unfolds, is self-revelatory,
and is subject to reconfirmation experientially. As spiritual awareness advances, the flow of spiritual energy increases
and enables transcending prior, seemingly insurmountable, obstacles. As the
attractions of the world and emotions decrease, there is a progressive
attraction to qualities, such as beauty, lovability, and peace, rather than
things or seeming gains. Forgiveness becomes a habitual attitude, and the
innate innocence of all Creation shines forth. The teachings of great saints
and teachers become one’s own from within. Q: Please discuss materialism.A: Formally, the term denotes belief in the theory that the material/physical
world is the only reality and that all phenomena are the consequence of
and can be explained in terms of physicality. It is expressed as physical
reductionism in the traditional scientific Newtonian paradigm and in
intellectual discourses pertaining to the arguments of ‘bottom up’ versus
‘top down’ theories of causality. The subject recurs in conferences
pertaining specifically to ‘science and consciousness’, or science and
religion or theology. Although the subject may sound abstract and primarily philosophical,
in practice it has profound practical consequences. Dialectical
materialism emerged as Marxism, which fomented worldwide
revolution and the deaths of many millions of people. Materialism
denies the reality of Divinity as the Source of Creation and life, and
consequently, it calibrates (as does Marx) at 130. Mechanistic
materialism sources skepticism (cal. 160), which is limited to the linear
domain. It denies the reality of the nonlinear, which calibrates at level
500 or above. Paradoxically, although skepticism ridicules faith, it has
great faith in its own very limited paradigm and philosophical
presumptions of which it is naïvely unaware. When applied to consciousness research, the bottom-up theorists
attempt to demonstrate that consciousness


 remembering. When  we  behold  the
beauty  of  a  stream  glittering  in  sunlight,  or  taste  the
nectar  of  a  freshly  ripened  peach — even  in  passive
moments,  when  our  skin  is  brushed  by  the  wind  or
our  nostrils  flooded  by  the  fragrance  of  a  flower,  we
are  experiencing  the  elements — we  are  stirring  cogni-
tive memory. Every  food,  every  motion,  every  dream  is  memory
of  past  and  future. All  vital  memory  is  congealed
within  these  three  aspects  of  the  whole. To  realize  that
we  are  the  inherent  knowers  of  the  elements  is  to
remember  from  the  beginning  to  the  present. When
we  observe  ourselves  within  the  primacy  of  nature,
we  begin  to  thaw  the  frozen  cognition  of  our  being. The  five  elements  continuously  transmute  into  each
other  to  create  atoms,  molecules,  minerals,  foods,  and
life-forms. Food  is  the  keeper  of  all  five  elements;  in
its  transformation  the  body  of  life  is  formed. Our
cognitive  relationship  to  food  can  unravel  the  vast
mystery  of  being  in  time  and  space. Food  takes  us through  the  complete  cycle  of  being,  from  the  origi-
nal cosmic  seed  to  the  fragile  sprout,  to  the  flourish-
ing plant  and  its  fruits — our  sustenance. Our  need  for
food  makes  us  dig  into  the  land,  feast  on  her  bounty,
and  expel  our  bodily  wastes  back  into  her,  so  this
Earth  may  continue  to  enrich  herself. The  food  cycle
is  our  complete  memory. It  is  the  constant  remem-
bering of  our  body. Food  is  memory. Memory  is  be-
ing. Eating  is  remembering. In  our  present  spell  of
forgetfulness,  we  need  "observing  motion,"  conscious action,  to  warm  the  frozen  cells  of  life. We  need  to  perceive  this  Earth  as  a  referent  of  our
being. We  are  all  formed  from  the  same  ingredients  as
the  tree  and  animal. The  Earth  is  our  physical  body
and  Water  is  its  fluid;  Fire  is  the  acids  and  enzymes  of
the  body;  Air  is  the  prana  and  breath,  and  Space  is  the
vibration  of  all  vital  systems  together. The  wholesome
smell  of  Earth  stirs  fresh  memory. Water  allows  us  to
taste  and  discern  life. Fire  enables  us  to  digest  the
universe  and  transmute  its  cosmic  intelligence;  it  gives
us  vision  and  sight. As  well,  Fire  gives  us  the  power  to
continually  renew  our  observation — each  moment
contains  a  powerful  potential  for  transformation. Air
allows  us  to  feel,  to  touch,  to  know. It  is  the  gauge
with  which  we  measure  our  progress. The  joy  we  feel
pushes  us  forward  into  our  cosmic  nature;  the  pain
we  feel  pushes  us  forward  as  well. Both  happiness  and
sorrow  allow  us  to  review  our  growth. Space  gives  us
the  power  to  resonate  within  our  observation  and
cognition. (We  are  ultimately  taught  the  cosmic  truth
by  sound  and  harmonic  resonance.) The  pull  of  Space
is  ever  so  subtle,  the  power  ever  so  strong. The  primal
sound  of  being  exists  in  this  pull. Food,  motion,  and
dream  are  all  held  within  the  stillness  of  Spate. Oui
infinite  nature  as  humans  is  born  from  the  Water  ol
life  and  resolved  in  the  Space  of  Clod. We  hold  the  memory  of  the  five  elements  in  our
physical  body. The  memory  of  Faith  is  kept  in  the
heart;  the  memory  of  Water  is  stored  in  the  kidneys;
the  memory  of  Fire  is  kept  in  the  intestines;  the
memory  of  Air  is  held  by  the  lungs;  the  memory  ol
Space  is  Stored  in  the  brain. Each  oi  us  contains  a  unique  configuration  ol
Farth,  Water,  Fire,  Air,  and  Space  within  OUI  selves. In  the  human  constitution,  the  live  elements  ol  11.1
15
jmt. THE    PRINCIPLES    OF    AYURVEDA
ture  are  transmuted  into  the  three  doshas:  Vata,  Pitta,
and  Kapha. Known  respectively  as  the  Air,  Fire,  and
Water  principles,  Vata  has  Space  and  Air  as  its  domi-
nant elements,  Pitta  has  Fire  as  its  dominant  ele-
ment, and  the  dominant  elements  of  Kapha  are  Water
and  Earth. In  the  section  that  follows  we  will  examine  how
these  five  elements  form  the  five  bodies,  the
panchakosha,  of  the  universe  and  of  man. This  doc-
trine of  the  five  bodies,  or  sheaths,  was  first  described
in  the  Taittiriya  Upanishad. THE   FIVE   BODIES
The  Food  Body:
Earth  and  Water  (Kapha)
I  am  food. I  am  the  consumer  of  food. I  eat  the  consumer  of  foods,  I  consume  the  whole  universe. Taittiriya  Upanishad  (11.96) Panchakosha:
The  Five  Sheaths  Veiling  the  Absolute  Nature  of  Man
Annamaya,  the  first  layer  of  the  material  self,  is  sus-
tained by  food. The  earth  and  water  of  the  universe
are  the  counterparts,  on  a  massive  scale,  of  the  earth
and  water  elements  in  our  own  bodies. They  make  up
the  food  body  of  humans  and  other  life-forms. The  essential  elements  of  life  feed  both  our  inner
and  outer  nature. Essentially  we  are  formed  from  soil,
air,  rain,  and  light  that  nourish  the  food  we  eat  from
the  plant  kingdom. It  takes  food  for  us  to  be  sustained
and  grow;  it  then  returns  to  feed  the  earth  and  springs
up  again  in  a  new  life. In  the  light  of  consciousness,
this  cycle  continues  until  all  obstacles  to  penetrating
our  true  nature  are  resolved. In  perceiving  the  exter-
nal foods  of  earth  as  distant  from  our  food  body,  we
have  embarked  on  a  rapid  cycle  of  self-demise. As  a
result  of  four  hundred  years  of  technological  think-
ing, we  have  become  densely  self-absorbed. We  are
savagely  raping  the  planet  for  food  without  recogniz-
ing that  in  fact  we  are  violating  ourselves. From  the  more  than  ten  million  species  that  re-
main on  the  planet,  we  are  losing  one  million  every
thirty


2  tsp  walnut  oil
1  tbs  yellow  split  peas
1  tsp  coriander  seeds
{/i  tsp  poppy  seeds
'A  tsp  sea  salt
Garnish:
Minced  fresh  parsley
Soak  wheat  berries  in  2  cups  of  cold  water  for  5  hours. Rinse  and  add  to  boiling  water  in  pressure  cooker
with  cloves,  cinnamon,  and  curry  leaves. Lock  cover
and  bring  to  pressure. Cook  over  medium  heat  for  35
minutes. Remove  from  heat  and  allow  pressure  to  fall
naturally. Allow  to  cool  for  15  minutes. (For  conven-
tional cooking,  add  wheat  berries  to  5  cups  boiling
water. Cover  and  cook  over  medium  heat  for  55  to  60
minutes.) In  a  small  skillet,  heat  oil  and  lightly  brown  peas
and  coriander  seeds;  add  poppy  seeds  and  salt  toward
the  end. Grind  into  a  fine  paste  and  mix  into  wheat
berries. Garnish  with  fresh  parsley  and  serve  warm. 2  15
^mz,
UNIVERSAL    RECIPES    FOR    EACH    BODY   TYPE
Spiced  Rice  and  Millet
V,  VP,  VK,  K,  KV,  KP
Serves  2
1  c  millet  hulled
'/:  c  long-grain  brown  rice
'A  cup  split  urad  dhal,  without  skins
'/2  tsp  black  mustard  seeds
lli  tsp  coriander  seeds
1  minced  green  chili  pepper
2  crushed  dried  curry  leaves
Pinch  of  asafoetida
Pinch  of  sea  salt
Vli  c  boiling  water
Garnish:
Lemon  slices  and  fresh  parsley
V  types:  roast  spices  in  2  teaspoons  sesame  oil. Wash  millet  and  rice  until  water  runs  clear. Air-dry
and  toast  in  large  cast-iron  skillet  until  evenly  golden. In  a  small  skillet,  dry-roast  dhal,  mustard  and  corian-
der seeds,  chili  pepper,  and  curry  leaves  for  a  few
minutes. Add  asafoetida  and  salt  during  last  30  sec-
onds of  roasting. Stir  into  grains. Pour  boiling  water
over  grain  mixture;  cover  and  simmer  over  medium-
low  heat  for  35  minutes. Garnish  with  lemon  slices
and  fresh  parsley. Serve  warm. GRAIN   BALLS  AND   ROLLS
Nori  are  thin  dark  purple  sheets  of  dried  seaweed. Nori  balls  and  rolls  are  just  a  small  part  of  the  majes-
tic tradition  of  Japanese  food  culture. Both  are  com-
pact, lend  strength  to  the  body,  and  require  no  refrig-
eration— a  perfect  food  for  traveling. Seaweeds  are
very  high  in  calcium  and  minerals. Nori  is  considered
the  most  delicious  among  the  various  types  of  sea-
weed. Although  it  is  not  customary  in  the  Japanese
tradition  to  use  other  than  refined  rice,  macrobiotics
has  introduced  the  more  nutritive  brown  rice  in  these
rolls  and  balls. Rice  is  best  for  predominant  Vata  types,  and  occa-
sionally for  predominant  Pitta  types. Couscous,  a
whole  wheat  flour  product,  is  a  good  occasional  alter-
native for  both  Vata  and  Pitta  types. Predominant
Kapha  types  should  use  millet  instead  of  rice  and
wasabi  mustard  instead  of  umeboshi  plum. Since
seaweeds  are  naturally  salty,  both  Pitta  and  Kapha
should  eat  these  items  only  occasionally. Rice  Nori  Balls
v,  VP,  VK
Makes  2  balls
1  sheet  nori  seaweed
1  c  sushi  rice,  cooked
l/i  umeboshi  plum,  pitted  and  halved  again
If  you  have  a  gas  stove,  toast  nori  by  slowly  waving  it
over  a  medium  flame;  otherwise  use  sheet  untoasted. Fold  and  tear  sheet  into  four  equal  pieces. With  wet
hands,  mold  half  of  the  rice  into  a  ball. Press  a  hole  in
the  center  of  rice  ball  and  insert  one  piece  of  umeboshi
plum. Pack  the  ball  again  to  close  the  hole. Place  one  piece  of  nori  on  top  of  ball  and  fold
down  the  points. Turn  the  ball  over  and  add  a  second
piece  of  nori  to  fit  in  between  the  points  of  the  first
piece  and  cover  all  the  rice. Mold  the  ball  again  be-
tween your  palms. Repeat  process  with  remaining
xli  cup  rice  and  2  nori  pieces  for  second  ball. Serve  at
room  temperature. 216
jmtr
TRADITIONAL    GROUND    DHALS    AND    GRAINS
Millet  Nori  Balls
K,  KV,  KP
Makes  2  balls
1  sheet  nori  seaweed
lh  tsp  wasabi  mustard
1  c  millet,  well  cooked  (see  page  170)
If  you  have  a  gas  stove,  toast  nori  by  slowly  waving  it
over  a  medium  flame;  otherwise  use  sheet  untoasted. Fold  and  tear  sheet  into  four  equal  pieces. Add  a  few
drops  of  water  to  wasabi  mustard  to  dilute  into  a  thin
paste. With  wet  hands,  mold  half  of  the  millet  into  a
ball. Press  a  hole  in  the  center  of  millet  ball  and  insert
half  the  wasabi  paste. Pack  the  ball  again  to  close  the
hole. Place  one  piece  of  nori  on  top  of  ball  and  fold
down  the  points. Turn  the  ball  over  and  add  a  second
piece  of  nori  to  fit  in  between  the  points  of  the  first
piece  and  cover  all  the  millet. Mold  the  ball  again
between  your  palms. Repeat  process  with  remaining
'/2  cup  millet  and  2  nori  pieces  for  second  ball. Serve
at  room  temperature. Rice  Nori  Rolls
ALL  TYPES
Makes  about  8  roll  pieces,  2"  wide
2  sheets  nori  seaweed
1  c  short-grain  brown  rice,  cooked  and  sticky
'A  c  carrot  strips,  boiled  (al  dente)
2  long  scallion  greens
xli  tsp  umeboshi  paste
If  you  have  a  gas  stove,  toast  nori  by  slowly  waving  it
over  a  medium  flame;  otherwise  use  sheet  untoasted. Place  nori  on  a  bamboo  sushi  mat. Spread  half  of  rice
evenly  over  a  nori  sheet,  leaving  a  72"  space  at  either
end. Lay  half  of  carrots  and  scallions  parallel  to  and
about  1"  from  bottom  of  sheet  (the  end  closest  to you). Spread  a  thin  layer  of  umeboshi  paste  on  the
bottom  edge  of  rice. Lightly  moist


 a very powerful field, this field, this
spiritual reality, which then begins to lift and ef fect all of mankind. It ef fects
the whole paradigm of reality and values. So as I mentio ned before,
integrity is now becoming a predominant value in our society ; it’s being
talked about constantly in the media. We have a whole new value system. Now, that was not brought about by the mechanism of force. Nobody forced
the media to begin valuing integrity, but integrity emer ged as a social value. Not as a spiritual value, but as a social value. We all live by our own principles. Spiritual growth then means, What
principles do we live by? And as we grow and mature, we choo se different
principles. Some  people live by the principle of “Always be right—never
give the sucker a break.” People come out and state what their principles
are. Sometimes they seem quite outlandish, but you could say they’re
integrous to the degree that they live by them. To the degree that they live
by them, they are living by what they’re committed to. So I respect what
people say they’re committed to, and I think to the degree they live by that,
then they’re being virtuous by their own definition. So the calibrated level
of consciousnes s, to some degre e, then reflects the degree to which we live
by our own stated spiritual choice. You might say karma or spiritual destiny, the calibrated level of
consciousness, then, is the consequence of spiritual freedom of choice. So
we have  freedom  of choice at every moment, but this freedom  of choice
seems to be obscure. We seem to be run by programs. And one reason that
we try to transcend the ego is because we don’t want to be at the effect of
the ego. We would like the mind to stop long enough for us to deliberate
and make a choice. And so often we do a thing quickly and we regret it
later, and sort of get a feeling of resentment, thinking, Gee, I didn’ t really
have a moment to r eally think about that. Our spiritual choices, then, tend to determine which direction we choose
when the moment arises. If it wasn’ t for the silence of consciousness, you
would not be able to know what you’re thinking. It’s because of the silence
of the forest that you can hear sound. It’s because the mind is silent that you
can hear or see or picture what you’re thinking. Therefore, the content of
the mind  must be going on in the space of no mind, which is a classical
term, meaning thoughtless, form less consciousness, upon which thoughts
reflect themselves. So, we withdraw our investment and preoccupation andidentification with the content of thinking and begin to see that we’re the
space in which thinking can occur. The value of meditation, then, is that it focuses us so that we withdraw
our investment in identification with the content of thought to the space in
which the thoug ht is occurring. We begin to see that there is a witness  to the
thinking. There is an awareness  to the witness, and there’ s a substrate that
underlies all of it that is beyond time, beyond dimension, and that it is
independent of personal identification. And the identification then with
consciousness itself lifts us out of the identification of our reality as either
the body  or the mind or the thoughts or the feelings, and takes us to a
greater dimension. As we move into that greater dimension, then we confirm the spiritual
reality, which underlies our existence. People become involved in spiritual
work on a practical level. They want to know, “How can I forgive my
enemies when I hate them so much after all they’ve done to me? How can I
feel hope when I’m really depressed? How can I get rid of fear when I’m
scared all the time?” It starts out on a very practical level. Other people will
start out from a different level. They start out through inspiration. They will
hear an inspirational speaker and get uplifted. One can start from curiosity; one can start from sort of a spontaneous
evolution within one’s own consciousness. I think spiritually evolved
people inspire others outside of their awareness. Because they influence the
field, people who would have ordinarily not been interested in spirituality
suddenly become curious—not through any inner prompting, but as a
consequence of the field. So if you’re around people who are more
spiritually evolved, you may find your own interest in it spontaneously
becoming more intense. It’s not through any deliberate decision-making,
but just because it’s more interes ting—like how when you’re around people
who are into sports, you tend to listen more and be more interested in that. When people have some kind of disaster in their life—and we hear it all
the time about an illness or drugs or alcohol or criminality or grief or loss—
they want to know what they can do about it. The willingness to surrender
life to God, of course, is one of the most profound spiritual tools. People
ask, “What spiritual tools are the most powerful?” I would say, humility, the
willingness to surrender life—to let go of wanting to control it, to let go of
wanting to change it—the willingness to surrender how you see things toGod (or to some  higher spiritual principle, because God is not a reality. It’s
just a word to most people). For most people, God is a hoped-for reality, but not an experiential
reality until they become more spiritually advanced and begin to experience
the presence of the field itself and intuit its enormous power. Then they
revere God, because they respect the infinite power that they begin to intuit. What we can do on a practical level, then, is become the best person we can
become. I’d say to become kind toward all of life in all of its expressions,
no matter what. And that includes oneself: to be willing to forgive oneself,
to see the limitation of human consciousness. I always feel that the more educated you are about the quality of
consciousness, the nature of consciousness, the easier it is to follow
spiritual principles. If you understand that human consciousness is
intrinsically innocent and canno t control that which it is programmed by,
because it can’t tell truth from  falsehood, you begin to feel compassion
automatically. OceanofPDF.comChapter 4
OBSTACLES TO
SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Oftentimes, the harder one tries to pursue a spiritual path, the more they
can feel like they are getting nowher e, continually pulled down by the cares
of this world or the feeling of desolation and abandonment by the divine. In
this important chapter, Dr. Haw kins discusses these obstacles to spiritual
growth so that you can identify them, overcome or avoid them, and get back
on the spiritual path. Dr. Hawki ns begins by discussing how following false
spiritual teacher s who promise to unveil unknown spiritual secrets can be
one of the gr eatest obstacles to true spiritual wisdom. There’ s a great deal of spiritual fiction out there. In fact, the best-selling
spiritual books are all fiction. The DaVinci Code, for example. There are all
kinds of psychics who tell all kinds of stories about the end of the world or
the code of God hidden in your genes. That which is spiritual truth is not
invisible nor is it encoded. It’s starkly wide open. There would be no point
to hide the secrets. What kind of secrets are you talking about? There are no
secrets to hide. Spiritual truth is transparent. For that which is veiled, mysterious,
cloaked, you have to pay money. “Mystical secret of the ancients! Give me
$500! I will whisper the secret of life into your ears!” And then you say this
mantra at the same time, “Oom  boom boomy boom. Oom boom boomy
boom.” You can see the profit motive. Spiritual truth has nothing to gain byits promulgation. It doesn’ t even care if you agree with it or not. Anybody
can repudiate anything I say, and it’s certainly their option. I have no
quarrel with it. There are no qualifications; you don’t have to be or prove
anything. You don’t have to pay anything. You don’t have to sign anything. You don’t have to justify. You don’t have to prove that you have any right
or claim. A true spiritual teacher frees you and so-called charlatans try to bind you. They try to own you, control you, tell you what to do. Spiritual truth is
freely given. It’s not provisional to conditions or who believe s it or who
doesn’ t believe it—or whether it’s provable or not provable, because what
the world considers provable is not provable. It’s not aligne d with any
particular thing. It doesn’ t have to exist here or there or be on a
mountaintop—as if we can only have a holy order on top of a mountain at
6,000 feet. RELIGIONISM AND THE DANGERS OF A NARCISSISTIC
EGO
A lot of people think they’re religious and really what they’re practicing
is religionism. The main problem with religion now is we deify the religion
rather than God. The printed word or the teaching of a teacher now
transcends divin it


 because of increased rectal spasms and diarrhea with much straining, the small
ones got worse and many more developed, both internally and externally. This was
accompanied by bleeding and intense pain. The pain became intolerable with each
B.M. attempted. I couldn't determine if the bleeding was coming from the ulcerated colon, the hemorrhoids, or both. Dr. Kale tried to be conservative in the management of this problem since I was still
tapering down the steroid doses. I was advised on hot Sitz baths and instructed to use another drug called Anusol-HC, which is a suppository with cortisone, to be inserted
several times a day. Talk about pain! I worked up a cold sweat each time I tried to
push one of the suppositories past the hemorrhoids. I eventually had to stop this part
of the treatment. Of course, my ulcerative colitis was still under medical care and the many drugs
were regularly shifted from one dose to another. But the most enervating experience
now was the fact that each time I would see Dr. Kale, he would have to use the sigmoidoscope. This caused so much pain as it was pushed past the hemorrhoids that I
had to be all but held down during this procedure, which left me depleted physically and emotionally for a day or two. I found it very difficult to sit and also stand due to the severity of the hemorrhoids. The pain was almost unbearable. Cushions did not help. There was almost no
comfortable position except over on my abdomen, but this position caused pressure
on my colon, which forced its spasm, making it compulsory for me to rush to the
lavatory. Dr. Kale was unhappy--but not as unhappy  as I--with this situation. He referred me
to a surgeon who, after much poking around, decided to needle them--inject them
with a medication. I recalled having this procedure performed in 1961 by Dr. Evans
and I didn't look forward to having it done again. Anyway, Dr. Cuttem, the surgeon,
instructed me onto the table. He told me to relax and then, with the accuracy of a
marksman, plunged the needle into the hemorrhoids. When I let out a scream he said, "Does that hurt?" How does one answer a stupid question? With watering eyes I said,
"You get up here and let me do it to you!" This injection therapy was not too successful and Dr. Cuttem hesitated to repeat the
treatment, probably at the risk of a broken nose. He wouldn't consider surgery at this time due to the severity of the ulcerative co litis, plus the fact of possible danger from
the effects of the still present adrenal cortex atrophy from the cortisone (steroid)
drugs. This decision relieved my mind somewhat, because I did not relish the idea of
a hemorrhoidectomy. I was referred back  to Dr. Kale for follow-up care. The Thanksgiving holiday of 1963 had just passed. I remember it well because,
other than my lovely wife, three-year-old son, and soon-to-be-born child, I had very
little for which to be thankful. The onset of what can only be classed as exquisite pain made itself manifest in the hemorrhoid area. I mean pain that caused my eyes to tear. It felt as though the entire "grapevine" was on fire. I like to refer to these hemorrhoids as a grapevine, for sentimental reasons. For the next week or so, I tried various home remedies in addition to hot
compresses. Nothing helped. In fact, the pr oblem worsened in spite of any treatment. The pain grew so severe that it became intolerable. This necessitated my calling Dr.
Kale for an appointment to see him immedi ately on an urgency basis. I was ushered
into the examining room where I awaited the arrival of Dr. Kale with my fears
elevated and my trousers lowered. He took one look at my posterior, gasped, and said
alarmingly, "I don't like the way this looks. I want you to see the surgeon." The fact
that Dr. Kale wouldn't tell me anything upset me. So I went down the hallway to the office of the surgeon, my old friend, Dr. Cuttem. After a thorough examination, which I did not enjoy, including the insertion of a
well-developed finger plus a smaller steel tube called a proctoscope, which caused
extreme discomfort as it was forced past the hemorrhoids, he calmly informed me that
three of the hemorrhoids in my grapevine had gangrene. This was very serious and presented a grave danger to my life. For some reason I thought back to the ye ar and a half I spent with the army medical
corps in Korea during the Korean War. We had seen thousands of problems, including gangrene of the fingers and toes, but never ha d I seen or even heard of gangrene of the
hemorrhoids. My thoughts returned quickly to the present. I really needed something like this, as
if I didn't have enough complications. Leave it to me to be unique. After the initial
shock of the news wore off, I could finally listen to what the doctor had to say and it
was hardly music to my ears. He told me I was going into the hospital immediately. I
called my wife from Dr. Cuttem's office, announced the news and waited as she recoiled (she just couldn't believe anything else like this could happen to me), and told
her to pack a bag for me and meet me at the hospital. Corinne was due to have our
second child almost anytime and I was afraid all this excitement might trigger things. I just could not visualize her being admitted to the hospital with me while our three-year-old son was at home. Luckily, that didn't happen. I was admitted to the hospital, went to my room accompanied by my wife, put on
my pajamas, and got into bed. Corinne then departed for home. Sometime later, the laboratory technician came in and drew some blood. Then an orderly came in with
shaving cream and razor and proceeded to shave the essential parts. I assumed he was rather new at this job because his hands we re shaking slightly. I nervously asked him
to be extra careful because I didn't want th e surgery started ahead of schedule by an
accidental slip. He nicked me only once, so I considered myself lucky. My surgeon visited me to discuss the operative procedure. He said that because my
ulcerative colitis was so severe only the three gangrenous hemorrhoids would be cut
out. He could not take a chance on a total hemorrhoidectomy with more trauma and
larger rectal packing, which I would pr obably blast right out with my almost
uncontrollable B.M.s. (An amazing thing happened, many months later, to all the remaining hemorrhoids,
due to the body's own ability to heal itself, as you will see. This occurs only after I
have left the usual medical programs.) Later that evening, the anesthesiologist came to discuss the anesthetic I was to
receive the next morning. It was to be a spinal anesthetic, which didn't thrill me too
much. I never did relish the idea of those long, fat needles being pushed into my
spinal canal. I was also told I would be given a whopping dose of a cortisone drug to
prevent any possibility of my going into shock on the operating table. This tidbit of
information also didn't thrill me too much. Finally, everyone was gone from my room. No nurses, no orderlies, no doctors, and
no laboratory technicians. Just silence remained. It was a pleasure for a while, until I
found there was time to think. Then all sorts of morbid thoughts came to my mind concerning the surgery and spinal anesthesia. After all, for years I've heard people talk
about their hemorrhoid operations--all bad. Now, here I am faced with it. How else
could I think? Well, before the evening was over I was completely tensed up over this
entire idea of surgery. I could feel the intes tinal spasms coming, and before I went to
sleep I must have made a dozen trips to the lavatory. But finally sleep did come about
11:00 p.m., at which time I was awakened by the nurse to take a sleeping pill. This
was one of the things I found difficult to understand, but when I inquired of others,
they told me the same story. After falling asleep, these people were eventually
awakened for a sleeping pill. Morning came and I was awakened at about 5:00 a.m. by an orderly holding an
enema. I said, "Is that for me?" He nodded approvingly. There's nothing so refreshing
as to wake up early in the morning in a half stupor to have an enema poked into you,
mildly crushing against exquisitely tender hemorrhoids on the way in. That's got to
wake you up! A few other steps in preope rative preparation were carried out, which
took the clock to about 7:00 or 8:00 a.m. About this time, a nurse entered the room with a hypodermic and said to me, "This is to make you relax." She plunged it into the
upper and outer quadrant of my well-cared-for and sought-after hind-end. I knew the only thing that could make me relax was to be anywhere but here. My wife, my mother, and a friend arri ved shortly after the injection. I was so
n


 the great hall, and after considering whether to
run, he felt an impulse to go toward the sound. His whipping at the stake
had been so severe that it befuddled his memory, and Devadatta wasn’ t
even sure how the battle had ended or who was king. No one saw him lingering at the entrance of the hall. There was a great
celebration under way. The entire court sat at table while servants rushed
back and forth with platters of meat and saf fron rice, ripe mangoes and
honeyed berries. Suddhodana presided at the head. T o one side at a lower
table the five monks were eating rice and lentils with Buddha. The room
was filled with a quiet joy that the palace had not seen in years. Devadatta paused, examining the festivities, then turned and left. “Did you see that?” asked Assaji, who was on Buddha’ s right hand. “Yes.”
“He was your sworn enemy, and now you’re letting him leave?”
“Devadatta is the one person in the world who could never leave me,”
said Buddha. “That’ s his blessing, but he saw it as a curse. He’ s tied to me
by a rope he can never let go of.”
“Then he’ll be back?” asked Assaji, not relishing the thought. “What choice does he have?” said Buddha. “When you’re obsessed
with hatred for someone, it’ s inevitable that you will return one day as his
disciple.”
“Master, I just hope he’ s better when he comes back,” Assaji said
doubtfully. “He will still be arrogant and proud,” said Buddha. “But it won’ t matter. The fire of passion burns out eventually. Then you dig through the ashes
and discover a gem. Y ou pick it up; you look at it with disbelief. The gem
was inside you all the time. It is yours to keep forever. It is buddha. ”
OceanofPDF.comEpilogue
For a storyteller, it would be ideal if Buddha’ s life came to a spectacular
end. W e’re holding our breath for it. First came the fairy-tale beginning as a
handsome prince, then a second act with a wandering monk who goes
through all manner of trials and suf fering, reaching a brilliant climax when
enlightenment is achieved in a single night under the bodhi tree. Where did
this stunning life finally wind up? Squarely back on earth, as it turns out. Buddha lived quietly for another
forty-five years, traveling throughout northern India as a renowned teacher
before dying at the ripe old age of eighty. The cause of death was eating a
bad piece of pork, an embarrassingly humble and mundane way to depart. To satisfy our dramatic longings, we have to turn to the incidental
characters in the tale. The ones who were intimates of Siddhartha enjoyed a
warm reunion with him. His wife, Y ashodhara, and son, Rahula, became
devotees of Buddha, which seems fitting enough. They were revered to the
end of their days. Other characters had a more curious fate. The ever -
widening circle of monks around Buddha, known as the Sangha,  came to
include two misfits, his archenemy, Devadatta, and the rough-hewn warrior
Channa. According to tradition, Devadatta remained proud and resentful;
even as a disciple he caused trouble. In one famous episode Devadatta tries
to kill Buddha by starting a rockslide; in another he gets an elephant drunk
on liquor and sends it on a rampage against the Compassionate One. (Buddha deflects the danger in both cases.) As often happens, the villain of
the piece is too much fun to let go, so there are other stories of political
intrigue with a neighboring prince named Ajatashatru and more mundane
tales of Devadatta objecting to the rules Buddha laid down for his monks. A
storyteller has a hard time making much drama out of ashram politics.Following the rules didn’ t sit well with Channa, either. Having given up
his role as brave charioteer, Channa chafed at being reduced to the status of
a holy monk. His chief sin was pride. He never let anyone for get that he had
been Siddhartha’ s best friend. He treated Buddha with too much familiarity,
causing distress among the other devotees. At a certain point Channa’ s
misbehavior became too much for even Buddha’ s tolerance. The head
disciple, Ananda, who historically was Buddha’ s cousin, was sent to
reprimand him, and from there the road divides. In one version Channa
sullenly takes his scolding and reforms. In the other, he sinks into despair
and commits suicide. But we would be wrong to be disappointed in our hero. Enlightenment
was just the beginning of Buddha’ s spiritual ascent, which was spectacular
by any measure. Buddhism caused an earthquake in the spiritual life of
India, crushing the privileges of the Brahmin caste and raising even the
despised untouchables to spiritual dignity. Buddha blew through the temples like a strong wind and with the
simplicity of genius reduced the human predicament to one key issue:
suffering. If suf fering is a constant in every life, he said, then until there’ s
an end to suf fering, enlightenment is pointless. Equally pointless is talk of
God or the gods, heaven and hell, sin, redemption, the soul, and all the rest. This was reform of the severest kind, and a lot didn’ t stick. People wanted
God. Buddha refused to speak on the subject of whether God even existed. He adamantly denied that he himself was divine. People wanted the comfort
of rituals and ceremonies. Buddha shunned ceremony. He wanted each
individual to look inside and find liberation through a personal journey that
began in the physical world and ended in Nirvana, a state of pure, eternal
consciousness. Nirvana is present in everyone, he taught, but Nirvana is like
pure water lying deep beneath the earth. Reaching it requires concentration,
devotion, and diligent work. It’s no wonder that Buddha’ s call to awakening proved so enticing and
so dif ficult. The Middle W ay, which gained its name because it was neither
too harsh nor too easy, proved very appealing, but the journey to Nirvana is
solitary and contains little in the way of entertaining scenery. Yet there was
no ar guing against the teaching. Everything Buddha preached growslogically from the First Noble T ruth, which also happens to be the first
thing Buddha said to the five monks after he became enlightened: life
contains suf fering. The next three teachings sound more like modern
psychotherapy than conventional religion:
FIRST NOBLE  TRUTH : Life contains suf fering. SECOND  NOBLE  TRUTH : Suffering has a cause, and the cause can be
known. THIRD  NOBLE  TRUTH : Suffering can be brought to an end. FOUR TH NOBLE  TRUTH : The path to end suf fering has eight parts. Now we’ve gone beyond the role of the storyteller, since these four
simple statements created an explosion of theology that spread throughout
Asia and the rest of the world. Thanks to Buddha’ s decades of teaching, a
cadre of disciples totally committed to the Buddhist path crossed the
Himalayas and journeyed everywhere it was possible for sandals to tread. The list of cultures that these ascetic wanderers revolutionized is
staggering: T ibet, Nepal, China, Japan, Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand,
Cambodia, Burma, V ietnam, and far into Malaysia and Indonesia. In many
cases a handful of Buddhist missionaries actually created a new culture. Any outside observer can only stand back in awe. Why did people accept this new teaching so readily? Because the First
Noble T ruth was undeniable. People knew that they were suf fering, and
instead of showing a way out, their old religions gave them surrogates, in
the form of dogma, prayers, rituals, and the like. At its simplest, Buddhism
walked into the village square and said, “Here are eight things that will
open the way to peace instead of pain.” The Eightfold Path asks for each
person to change how the mind works, plucking out what is wrong,
inefficient, and superstitious, then exchanging those outworn habits for
increasing clarity. In other words, the waking-up process, which Buddha
experienced in one night, is laid out as a lifelong program:Right view or perspective
Right intention
Right speech
Right action
Right livelihood
Right ef fort
Right mindfulness
Right concentration
Some of these steps sound natural. W e all want to believe that our
actions and words are virtuous. W e don’ t want to go wrong in our ef fort and
intentions. Other parts of the path need special guidance. What is right
mindfulness? Right concentration? These aspects have their roots in the
meditation practices of Y oga, which Buddha also reformed and brought
within reach of ordinary people. As a storyteller, I didn’ t feel it was my place to spread Buddhism. That’ s best left to the modern equivalents of the wandering missionaries
who first preached Buddhism. It would be unseemly for me to step on their
toes. But I’d like to speak to you, the reader, who might be coming to
Budd


 d o m i n a n c e  o f  f e a r - b a s e d  t h o u g h t s  h a s  p o i s o n e d  o u r
p s y c h e s,  c r e a t i n g  a  t o x i c  m e l t - d o w n  w i t h i n  o u r  m i n d s. W e
s e e k  i n  w a y s  b o t h  h e a l t h y  a n d  u n h e a l t h y  t o  e s c a p e  i n t o  t h e
s a n c t u a r y  o f  a  d e e p e r  t r u t h. Y e t  i t  i s  n o t  e n o u g h  t o  j u s t  s e e k
t h e  t r u t h  o r  e v e n  t o  k n o w  t h e  t r u t h. W e  m u s t  g i v e  o u r s e l v e sp e r m i s s i o n  n o w  t o  l i v e  t h e  t r u t h  a s  w e  u n d e r s t a n d  i t,  w i t h
a l l  i t s  m y r i a d  i m p l i c a t i o n s  f o r  o u r  l i v e s. T h e  m i r a c l e  w o r k e r ’ s  t a s k  i s  t h i s :  t o  c o n s i d e r  t h e
p o s s i b i l i t y  t h e r e  m i g h t  b e  a n o t h e r  w a y. *  T h e r e  i s. A n d  H e
w i l l  s h o w  i t  t o  u s. Y o u  m i g h t  b e  t h i n k i n g  j u d g m e n t a l  t h o u g h t s  a b o u t
s o m e o n e,  a n d  i n  t h i s  m o m e n t  y o u  c o u l d  t a k e  a  d e e p  b r e a t h
a n d  p r a y  f o r  G o d  t o  h e l p  y o u  f o r g i v e  t h e m. Y o u  m i g h t  b e
t h i n k i n g  a b o u t  s o m e t h i n g  y o u  p e r c e i v e  t o  b e  l a c k i n g  i n  y o u r
l i f e,  a n d  y o u  c o u l d  c h o o s e  t o  r e t h i n k  t h a t,  c o n c e n t r a t i n g
i n s t e a d  o n  h o w  m u c h  y o u  d o  h a v e. Y o u  m i g h t  b e  w o r r i e d
a b o u t  y o u r  a b i l i t y  t o  p e r f o r m  a  j o b  a n d  t h e n  r e m e m b e r  t h a t
G o d  l i v e s  w i t h i n  y o u  a n d  t h e r e ’ s  n o t h i n g  H e  c a n n o t  d o. I n
a n y  g i v e n  m o m e n t,  t h e  g r e a t e r  l i f e  i s  a v a i l a b l e. W h e n  w e  b e g i n  t o  l i v e  t h e  g r e a t e r  l i f e — n o t  “ s e e k ”  i t,  s o
m u c h  a s  s i m p l y  c h o o s e  t o  p a r t i c i p a t e  i n  i t — t h e n  a n d  o n l y
t h e n  d o  w e  f i n d  t h a t  i t ’ s  a l l  a r o u n d  u s,  a l l  t h e  t i m e. G o d  i s  i n
o u r  m i n d. W h e r e v e r  w e  g o,  H e ’ s  t h e r e. S O M E T I M E S  T H E R E  A R E  I S S U E S  t h a t  w e  p u s h  t o  t h e  b a c k  o f  a  d r a w e r,  a s  i t
w e r e. W e  k n o w  t h e y  b e l o n g  t o  u s  a n d  t h a t  w e ’ l l  h a v e  t o
d e a l  w i t h  t h e m  s o m e d a y. B u t  w e  k e e p  p u t t i n g  t h e m  o f f  a n d
p u t t i n g  t h e m  o f f,  a n d  f i n a l l y  s o m e t h i n g  h a p p e n s  t o  b r i n g
o n e  o f  t h e m  t o  t h e  f o r e. T h e  u n i v e r s e  m a k e s  i t  e x c e e d i n g l y
c l e a r :  h e r e,  n o w,  w e ’ r e  g o n n a  d e a l  w i t h  t h i s  o n e. W h a t e v e r
p a r t  o f  o u r  p e r s o n a l i t y  r e m a i n s  u n h e a l e d,  i t  i s  t i m e  t o  h e a l  i t
n o w. I t  m i g h t  b e  a  r e l a t i o n s h i p  i s s u e,  a n  a d d i c t i o n  i s s u e,  af i n a n c i a l  i s s u e,  s o m e t h i n g  w i t h  o u r  k i d s,  o r  w h a t e v e r. T h e
f o r m  o f  t h e  w e a k n e s s  i s  n o t  w h a t  m a t t e r s :  W h a t  m a t t e r s  i s
t h a t  u n t i l  w e  d e a l  w i t h  i t,  w e  a r e  l i m i t i n g  o u r  a v a i l a b i l i t y  f o r
u s e  i n  G o d ’ s  p l a n. T h i s  i s  a n  a l l - h a n d s - o n - d e c k  k i n d  o f  m o m e n t  o n  e a r t h. I t ’ s  n o t  o k a y  t o  b e  s t u c k  i n  t h e  s m a l l n e s s  o f  o u r  n a r c i s s i s m
w h e n  o u r  g r e a t n e s s  i s  s o  n e e d e d. I t  i s  t


  b y  w h i c h  e v e r y t h i n g  b u t
l o v e  d i s s o l v e s  f r o m  o u r  m i n d. A s  w e  d r o p  t h e  l a y e r s  o f  f e a r
a n d  i l l u s i o n  t h a t  h a v e  h a r d e n e d  a r o u n d  o u r  p s y c h e s,  w e  a r e
l e f t  w i t h  t h e  l o v e  w i t h  w h i c h  w e  w e r e  e n d o w e d  a t  o u r
c r e a t i o n. J u s t  a s  e m b r y o n i c  c e l l s  a r e  p r o g r a m m e d  t o  d e v e l o p  i n t o
a  b a b y,  e a c h  o f  u s  i s  p r o g r a m m e d  t o  d e v e l o p  a  m o r e
m a g n i f i c e n t  l i f e. A n  i n v i s i b l e  h a n d  g u i d e s  t h e  e m b r y o  a n d
g u i d e s  y o u  a n d  m e  a s  w e l l. B u t  u n l i k e  t h e  e m b r y o,  y o u  a n d
I  c a n  r e f u s e  i t. G o d  d i d n ’ t  c r e a t e  u s  a s  b a b i e s  a n d  t h e n  j u s t
d u m p  u s  h e r e  a n d  s a y,  “ O k a y,  k i d,  n o w  y o u ’ r e  o n  y o u r
o w n. ”  B u t  h o w  d o  w e  k n o w  t h a t,  i f  w e ’ r e  n o t  t a u g h t  t o
l i s t e n  t o  o u r  h e a r t s? H o w  c a n  w e  “ g o  w i t h  t h e  f l o w ”  i f  w e
d o n ’ t  k n o w  s u c h  a  f l o w  e x i s t s? A n d  s o  w e  k e e p  g o i n g
a r o u n d  s a y i n g  “ N o ”  t o  l i f e  a n d  t h e n  w o n d e r i n g  w h y  l i f e
s e e m s  t o  b e  s a y i n g  “ N o ”  t o  u s. T h e  D i v i n e  P h y s i c i a n

G o d  k n o w s  o u r  c r o o k e d  p l a c e s  t h a t  n e e d  t o  b e  m a d e
s t r a i g h t,  t h e  w o u n d s  i n  o u r  h e a r t s  t h a t  f e s t e r  f o r  y e a r s
u n h e a l e d,  t h e  b r o k e n  p i e c e s  o f  o u r  l i v e s  t h a t  s e e m  b e y o n d
r e p a i r. A n d  H e  w h o  i s  t h e  A u t h o r  o f  m i r a c l e s  h a s  i n f i n i t e
d e s i r e  a s  w e l l  a s  p o w e r  t o  h e a l  t h e m  a l l. S o  i f  t h a t ’ s  t h e  c a s e,  t h e n  w h y  s o  m u c h  p a i n? C o u l d  i t  b e
t h a t  t h e  d o c t o r  h a s  t h e  m e d i c i n e  b u t  t h e  p a t i e n t  r e f u s e s  t o
t a k e  i t?<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        P e o p l e  a r e  b o r n,  w e  g e t  s i c k,  w e  d i e. W e  g e t
r i c h,  w e  g e t  p o o r,  w e  g e t  m a r r i e d,  w e  g e t  d i v o r c e d,  w e  h a v e
c h i l d r e n,  o u r  c h i l d r e n  g r o w  u p,  w e  g e t  n e w  j o b s,  w e  l o s e
o l d  j o b s,  p e o p l e  b l e s s  u s,  s o m e  p e o p l e  b e t r a y  u s. A n d  e v e r y
c h a n g e  i s  a  c h a l l e n g e  t o  r e m e m b e r  w h a t ’ s  t r u e. L o v e  i s  t h e
o n l y  a b s o l u t e  r e a l i t y,  w h i c h  n e v e r  c h a n g e s  a n d  n e v e r  d i e s. D w e l l i n g  i n  t h a t  w h i c h  d o e s  n o t  c h a n g e,  w h i l e  t h i n g s
a r o u n d  u s  a r e  c h a n g i n g  a l l  t h e  t i m e,  i s  o u r  k e y  t o  i n n e r
p e a c e. W h e n  I  w a s  a  c h i l d,  p e o p l e  u s e d  t o  b u i l d  b o m b  s h e l t e r s
— a  n o w  s e e m i n g l y  q u a i n t  e f f o r t  t o  d e f e n d  t h e m s e l v e s  i n
c a s e  o f  n u c l e a r  d i s a s t e r. O u r  u r g e  t o  g o  u n d e r g r o u n d  w h e n
t h i n g s  u p  o n  t o p  h a v e  g o n e  h a y w i r e  i s  a n  i n s t i n c t i v e
r e s p o n s e  t o  t h e  e v e r - c h a n g i n g  f o r c e s  o f  t h e  o u t e r  w o r l d. A n d  t h e r e  i s  a  c o r r e s p o n d i n g  s p i r i t u a l  t r u t h. W e  n e e d  a
s h e l t e r  f o r  t h e  h e a r t,  a n d  t h e  H o u s e  o f


 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


 p l e  a r e  v i s i t i n g  w i t h
a  t o u r i s t  m e n t a l i t y,  b u t  y o u  c a n  a l s o  f e e l  t h e  p r e s e n c e  o f
t h o s e  w h o  b r i n g  w i t h  t h e m  a  d e p t h  o f  s p i r i t  t h a t  m a k e s  t h e i r
v i s i t  a  c i v i c  p i l g r i m a g e. T h e i r  h e a r t s  a n d  m i n d s  a r e  o p e n  t o
s a c r e d  c o n t a c t  w i t h  g r e a t  b e i n g s  w h o  l i v e d  b e f o r e  u s,  w h o m
w e  w i l l  n e v e r  m e e t,  a n d  y e t  w h o  p r o f o u n d l y  a f f e c t e d  t h e
l i v e s  w e  l i v e. Y o u  c a n  r e a d  t h e  q u o t e s  f r o m  J e f f e r s o n  o r
L i n c o l n  o n  t h e  s i d e s  o f  t h e i r  m e m o r i a l s  w i t h  m e r e  h i s t o r i c
i n t e r e s t  o r  w i t h  a  s o u l f u l  i m m e r s i o n  i n  t h e  p o w e r  a n d
m e a n i n g  a n d  b l e s s i n g  o f  t h e i r  l i v e s. T r a v e l  h a s  g r e a t  r i t u a l i s t i c  p o t e n t i a l. I f  y o u  v i s i t  t h e
S p h i n x  a n d  t h e  p y r a m i d s  i n  E g y p t  o r  t h e  P a r t h e n o n  i n
G r e e c e,  t h e  M o t h e r  T e m p l e  i n  B a l i  o r  t h e  G l a s t o n b u r yC a t h e d r a l,  w h o  y o u  a r e  w h e n  y o u  g o  t h e r e — w h a t
c o n s c i o u s n e s s  y o u  b r i n g  t o  t h e  e x p e r i e n c e — w i l l  d e t e r m i n e
t h e  d e p t h  a t  w h i c h  t h e  v i s i t  w i l l  a f f e c t  y o u r  l i f e. R i t u a l  i s  s o  i n s t i n c t i v e  w i t h i n  h u m a n  b e i n g s  t h a t  w e
s p o n t a n e o u s l y  c r e a t e  i t  w h e n  i t ’ s  n e e d e d. F r o m  p e o p l e
l e a v i n g  m i l l i o n s  o f  f l o w e r s  a t  K e n s i n g t o n  P a l a c e  a f t e r  t h e
d e a t h  o f  P r i n c e s s  D i a n a  t o  f l o w e r s  a n d  t e d d y  b e a r s  a n d
p i c t u r e s  l e f t  a t  t h e  d o o r  o f  t h e  l a t e  J o h n  F. K e n n e d y  J r. ’ s
a p a r t m e n t ;  f r o m  t h e  p i c t u r e -  a n d  p r a y e r -  a n d  p o e m - s t r e w n
f e n c e  a r o u n d  t h e  O k l a h o m a  C i t y  M u r r a h  F e d e r a l  B u i l d i n g
b o m b  s i t e  t o  t h e  c a n d l e - l i t  g a t h e r i n g  i n  N e w  Y o r k  C i t y  a t
w h i c h  t h o u s a n d s  p r a y e d  f o r  t h e  v i c t i m s  o f  t h e  W o r l d  T r a d e
C e n t e r  d i s a s t e r,  p e o p l e  k n o w  w e  n e e d  a  v e s s e l  f o r  o u r
f e e l i n g s — t o  o r d e r  t h e m,  g i v e  t h e m  m e a n i n g,  a n d  s p i r i t u a l l y
l i f t  t h e m  u p. S o m e  r i t u a l s  a r e  c o l l e c t i v e,  s u c h  a s  t h e  i n a u g u r a t i o n  o f  a
p r e s i d e n t  o r  t h e  c o r o n a t i o n  o f  a  m o n a r c h. T h e  p s y c h i c  r i t e
o f  p a s s a g e  i s  a s  i m p o r t a n t  a s  t h e  l e g a l  o n e,  i n  t h a t  i t  t o u c h e s
t h e  h e a r t  n o t  o n l y  o f  t h e  l e a d e r  b u t  a l s o  o f  t h e  p e o p l e  w h o
w i l l  b e  l e d. I f  s o m e o n e  w h o m  I  d i d  n o t  v o t e  f o r  w i n s  a n  e l e c t i o n,
t h e n  m y  h e a r t  m i g h t  n o t  a s  e a s i l y  a c q u i e s c e  t o  h i s  o r  h e r
l e a d e r s h i p. A n  i n a u g u r a t i o n,  h o w e v e r,  c a l l s  f o r t h  t h e
p s y c h o l o g i c a l,  e m o t i o n a l,  a n d  s p i r i t u a l  a f f i r m a t i o n  t h a t  I
m i g h t  o t h e r w i s e  w i t h h o l d. T h e  r e l a t i o n s h i p  o f  a  p e o p l e  t o
t h e i r  l e a d e r  i s  a n  a n c i e n t,  a r c h e t y p a l  c o n n e c t i


 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