  are  formed. Our  body  type,  which  is  determined  at  birth  by  genetic  and
karmic  memory,  is  our  constitutional  nature,  or  our  prakriti. Once  birth  has  made  its  elemental
imprint,  we  cannot  alter  it  to  suit  our  needs. While  we  may  be  influenced  positively  or  negatively  by
our  culture,  society,  and  environment,  our  basic  nature  at  birth  is  established  from  the  interlacing  of
the  five  cosmic  elements. Being  at  the  very  core  of  our  numinous  nature,  Vata,  Pitta,  and  Kapha  are
essentially  the  motion,  dream,  and  food  of  being. Patterned  within  the  physical  body,  the  doshas  are
the  organizing  forces  that  maintain  health  and  eliminate  bodily  waste. The  Doshas
Vata,  Pitta,  and  Kapha  arc  referred  to  as  the  dhatus  of  the  body  when  they  are  in  a  balanced  state
The  doshas  are  basically  waste  products,  and  are  thus  considered  supporters  oi  the  organism  01
dhatus,  while  performing  their  functions  as  they  move  out  of  the  body. The  mu<  us. whi<  h  is  a  fol  m
of  Kapha,  protects  the  sensitive  tissues,  but  it  must  be  expelled  regularly  from  the  body  by  expe<
toration  or  defecation. If  it  accumulates,  it  will  cause  disease. I  ikewise  with  the  bile,  a  fol  m  ol  Pitta
which  works  properly  only  when  it  is  excreted  into  the  gut  and  expelled  in  the  feces,  and  the  Vata
[air]  which  is  released  from  the  body  as  u  causes  other  wastes  to  be  released. The  three  doshas  are
forces,  not  physical  manifestations,  hut  when  they  accumulate,  they  cause-  the  congregation  ol
2  3
>m
THE    PRINCIPLES    OF   AYURVEDA
physical  substances  which  they  arc  associated
with,  and  this  leads  to  disequilibrium  and
disease. Dr.  Robert  E.  Svoboda,  Lecture
Boulder,  1993
Ayurvedic  anatomy  is  based  on  the  doshas  (bodily
humors),  the  dhatus*  (bodily  tissues),  and  malas
(bodily  wastes). Formed  from  the  elements,  the  doshas
Vata,  Pitta,  and  Kapha  are  referred  to  respectively  as
the  air,  fire,  and  water  principles. Each  dosha  has  a
dominant  element,  which  is  contained  within  a  sec-
ondary element. Vata's  main  element  is  air,  and  its
container  is  space — as  air  is  contained  within  the
spaces  and  channels  of  the  body. Pitta's  main  element
is  fire,  and  it  is  contained  within  the  protective  waters
of  the  body  Kapha's  main  element  is  water,  and  it  is
contained  by  the  mass  bodily  structure,  or  earth. Each
dosha  is  generally  defined  by  its  main  element. Vata,  the  most  dominant  of  the  doshas,  governs  all
movement  of  the  body,  the  nervous  system,  and  the
life  force. Pitta  governs  the  enzymatic  and  hormonal
activities  of  the  body,  and  is  responsible  for  digestion,
pigmentation,  body  temperature,  hunger,  thirst,  and
sight. Pitta  balances  the  kinetic  energy  of  Vata  and  the
potential  energy  of  Kapha. Kapha  governs  the  struc-
ture and  stability  of  the  body. It  lubricates  the  joints,
provides  moisture  to  the  skin,  heals  wounds,  and  regu-
lates Vata  and  Pitta. In  the  cosmos,  earth  is  the  collec-
tive force  of  stability;  water  is  the  force  of  cohesion
and  absorption,  fire  is  the  force  of  transmutation  and
dynamism,  air  is  the  quality  of  exhilaration  and  mo-
bility, and  space  is  the  field  where  all  activities
happen  in  dynamic  containment. Vata,  Pitta,  and  Kapha  pervade  the  entire  body,  but
their  primary  domains,  or  centers  of  operation,  are  in
the  lower,  middle,  and  upper  body  respectively. Kapha
rules  the  upper  body — the  head,  neck,  thorax,  chest,
upper  portion  of  the  stomach,  fat  tissues,  and  all
joints. Pitta  dominates  the  chest,  umbilical  area,  stom-
ach, small  intestines,  sweat  and  lymph  glands,  blood,
*  The  term  dlmtu  is  used  to  define  both  the  balanced  state  of  the
doshas  (as  in  the  preceding  quote)  and  the  seven  bodily  tissues. In
this  book  the  term  refers  to  the  bodily  tissues. eyes,  and  skin. Vata  rules  the  lower  body — pelvic  re-
gion, colon,  bladder,  urinary  tract,  thighs,  legs,  bones,
ears,  and  nervous  system. In  Ayurveda,  the  individual  dosha  is  the  funda-
mental consideration  for  diagnosis. Although  there
are  numerous  causes  of  disease,  such  as  hereditary,
congenital,  external,  and  providential  factors,  the  ag-
gravation of  the  doshas  exists  either  as  the  result  of  or
the  cause  of  ill  health. The  Five  Airs  of  Vata
Each  dosha  manifests  in  five  forms  or  divisions. Through  these  vehicles  of  systematic  outreach,  the
doshas  influence  the  entire  bodily  system. The  five
divisions  of  Vata,  referred  to  as  the  five  airs,  are  prana,
udana,  samana,  apana,  and  vyana. Prana,  which  is  the
life  breath  and  the  first  air,  is  situated  in  the  heart,
brain,  face,  and  chest. Prana's  action  is  to  give  life
power  to  the  body. It  maintains  inhalation  and  exha-
lation, and  the  swallowing  of  food. It  sustains  the
heart,  arteries,  veins,  and  the  nervous  system,  and
controls  the  mind,  senses,  and  intellect. Prana  is  the
cosmic  breath  infused  in  the  living  universe  by  the
creator. Psychologically,  it  inspires  wisdom  and  knowl-
edge of  the  inseparable  nature  of  body,  mind,  and
spirit. The  second  air,  called  udana,  is  situated  in  the
throat. Prana  and  udana  are  somewhat  analogous  to
the  sympathetic  and  the  parasympathetic  nervous
systems. Udana  is  the  time  clock  that  ticks  life  away  with
every  breath. Each  person  has  a  certain  number  of
breaths  inherent  in  life,  and  when  the  final  breath  is
used,  the


 in
cold  water. Trim  ends  and  slip  off  skins. Cut  squash
on  a  slant  into  'A"  pieces. In  a  preheated  skillet,  saute
pearl  onions  in  oil  over  medium  heat  for  3  minutes. Add  squash,  salt,  turmeric,  and  water. Cover  and  sim-
mer for  another  10  minutes. 232
jmtr
UNIVERSAL   VEGETABLE    DISHES
Snow  Peas  and  Onions
P,  PV,  PK,  K,  KV,  KP
Serves  2
xh  lb  fresh  snow  peas
'At  c  sliced  onion
1  tsp  sunflower  oil
2  tbs  water
xh  tsp  tamari
Clean  snow  peas  and  cut  into  thin  pieces. Saute  to-
gether with  onion  in  oil  over  low  heat  for  5  minutes. Add  water  and  cover  with  a  tight- fitting  lid. Remove
from  heat  and  stir  in  tamari. Serve  warm. Broccoli  and  Sunflower  Seeds
P,  PV,  PK,  K,  KV,  KP
Serves  2
2  broccoli  stalks  with  florets
'A  c  broccoli  cooking  water
'At  c  roasted  sunflower  seeds
Pinch  of  salt
1  tbs  mirin
Pinch  of  turmeric
Cut  broccoli  florets  and  peeled  stems  into  small  pieces. Boil  for  4  minutes. Wash  sunflower  seeds  and  dry-
roast  in  a  cast-iron  skillet  over  low  heat  until  dry  and
golden. Add  7i  cup  broccoli  cooking  water,  salt,  mirin,
and  broccoli  to  roasted  sunflower  seeds. Sprinkle  tur-
meric over  broccoli  and  seeds  mixture. Rolled  Stuffed  Collards
(Rye  Bread  Crumbs)
p,  PV,  PK
Serves  2
7s  c  minced  onion
3  tbs  minced  fresh  parsley
Pinch  of  asafoetida
1  tsp  olive  oil
3  tbs  finely  chopped  walnuts
V2  c  stale,  unyeasted  rye  bread  crumbs
4  small  collard  leaves
Preheat  oven  to  350  degrees  F.  Saute  onion,  parsley,
and  asafoetida  in  oil  over  medium  heat  for  a  few
minutes. In  another  pan,  toast  walnuts  and  bread
crumbs  for  3  minutes  until  crisp  and  add  to  mixture. Steam  the  collard  leaves  for  2  minutes. Spread  ]/a  cup
stuffing  lengthwise  along  the  center  grain  of  each  leaf. Then  roll  the  leaves  (like  a  sushi  roll)  to  contain  the filling. 2?,?,
jmtr
UNIVERSAL    RECIPES    FOR    EACH    BODY   TYPE
Stuffed  Artichokes
(Wheat  Bread  Crumbs) Mustard  Greens  and  Asparagus
with  Hollandaise  Sauce
P.  PV. PK
Serves  2
'A  c  minced  onion
2  tbs  minced  fresh  parsley
2  tbs  minced  fresh  cilantro
1  tsp  coriander  powder
yh  tbs  olive  oil
V2  c  stale,  whole  wheat  bread  crumbs
3  tbs  finely  chopped  walnuts
1  tbs  water
4  artichokes,  stems  removed
Preheat  oven  to  350  degrees  F.  Saute  onion,  parsley,
cilantro,  and  coriander  powder  in  oil  over  medium
heat  for  a  few  minutes. In  a  frying  pan,  toast  walnuts
and  bread  crumbs  for  a  few  minutes  until  crisp. Add,
along  with  a  tablespoon  of  water  to  spice  mixture  and
stir. Lightly  grease  baking  pan  with  oil. Steam  arti-
chokes for  15  minutes;  pry  the  petals  open  to  create  a
cavity. Fill  each  artichoke  with  3  tablespoons  of  stuff-
ing; pack  firmly. Arrange  in  pan  and  bake  for  15
minutes. Landcress  and  Chestnuts
ALL  TYPES
Serves  2
lh  lb  landcress
8  peeled  water  chestnuts
1  tsp  sunflower  oil
V2  tsp  mirin
Wash  landcress  and  boil  for  3  minutes. Set  aside. In
water  to  cover,  boil  and  mince  the  water  chestnuts. In
a  skillet,  saute  chestnuts  in  hot  oil  with  mirin  over
medium  heat  for  3  minutes. Remove  landcress  from
water  and  add  to  chestnut  mixture. Serve  hot. ALL  TYPES
Serves  6
3  dozen  asparagus  spears
1 2  large,  whole  mustard  green  leaves,  stems  removed
Garnish:
12  red  radishes
Make  Hollandaise  Sauce  (see  page  279). Wash  and  trim  vegetables. Boil  asparagus  for  5
minutes. Using  asparagus  water,  steam  mustard  greens
for  3  minutes. Place  3  asparagus  spears  in  the  center
of  each  mustard  leaf. Drizzle  XU  cup  of  Hollandaise
sauce  onto  the  asparagus,  zigzagging  along  the  center
spear. Place  one  radish  at  the  base  of  each  leaf  to
garnish. Broccoli  Rabe  with  Lemon
ALL  TYPES
Serves  2
1  bunch  broccoli  rabe
V2  c  water
xli  tbs  lemon  juice
Wash  broccoli  rabe  and  trim  V:"  from  stems;  cut
lengthwise  into  long  spears. Boil  in  water  for  3  min-
utes. Drain  and  add  lemon  juice  and  serve. 234
^mt,
UNIVERSAL    VEGETABLE    DISHES
Sauteed  Asparagus Watercress  with  Sesame  Seeds
ALL  TYPES
Serves  2
1  lb  fresh  asparagus
'A  tsp  coarse  black  pepper
1  tsp  ghee
Trim  V2"  from  ends  of  asparagus  stalks  and  boil  as-
paragus until  cooked  but  firm. In  a  medium-sized
frying  pan,  saute  black  pepper  in  ghee  for  2  minutes;
add  asparagus. Serve  hot. ALL  TYPES
Serves  2
1  bunch  watercress
2  tbs  black  sesame  seeds
V2  tsp  walnut  oil
1  tsp  mirin
P,  PV,  and  PK:  use  2  tablespoons  sunflower  seeds
instead  of  sesame  seeds. K,  KV,  and  KP:  use  xh  teaspoon  almond  oil  and  2
tablespoons  sunflower  seeds. Wash  watercress  and  trim  off  l/i"  from  stems;  boil  for
1  minute  and  strain. In  a  cast-iron  skillet,  saute  seeds
in  oil  for  1  minute. Add  mirin. Add  watercress  to  seed
mixture. Stir  for  a  few  minutes  and  serve. Sweet  and  Sour  Landcress
Asparagus i V,  VP,  VK
Serves  2
xh  lb  landcress
2  tbs  sesame  seeds
xh  tsp  walnut  oil
'/2  tsp  tamarind  paste
2  tbs  water
1  tsp  mirin
P,  PV,  and  PK:  use  2  tablespoons  sunflower  seals
instead  of  sesame


infection like this can then spread throughout the world. People ask me,
“How can I become spiritual. ”  Well, I say, “First, just become a decent
human being. Try that. Be considerate, decent. Be responsible. If you say
you’re going to close the door when you leave, please do so. ” People have
to be able to count on you. You have to be honest and value wisdom. Wisdom is at 385. Wise people tend to be benign. They’re safe to be with—
as safe as Koko. Humane, happy, and sensible. They’re sometimes called
“the salt of the earth. ”There are various energy fields or chakra systems, as I’m sure you’re
aware. One collection of energy is at the lower mind. The lowe r mind is at
155. There’s another collection of energy that we call the higher mind. They
have two different sets of values. What one setting  considers to be valid and
true and ethical, the other considers to be invalid and in fact immoral. The
lower mind, then, is very intere sted in sensationalism, and is very gullible. It’s interested in being smart and exploiting life. So, you might
automatically think of the news. It likes to play off the sensational. It’ll take
some trivial little incident that is of no significance and give it major
airtime. And something that really is of profound importance, and really
threatens all of humanity, they give it only a glance—if that. At 275 and up is the higher mind, and it is moving into thoug htfulness,
balance, and sensitivity to what is appropriate and what is not appropriate. The higher mind tends to look for solutions, and tends to play off
difficulties. So, there’ s a big payof f here. For 85 percent of the people in the
world, their intellect is at this level. In America, only about 50 percent. About 50 percent of people would rather watch something gory and horrible
and sensational than something that is inclusive of beauty. The power of
consciousness is now recognized. Einstein, who was a master of a linear dimension, calibrated at 499, and
he refused to recognize the role of consciousness. He rejected its reality. He
said, “I prefer to think there’ s a distinct, objective, linear reality  out there. ”
We’ve calibrated all these things to give you a scientific basis to understand
how the phenomenal world occurs. I always tell people, “Notice that everything is happening
spontaneously. ” The limitation of the ego is it thinks there is a personal I as
a cause,  and based on the New tonian principle, a this causing  a that. In
reality, there is no this causing any that. In fact, that phenomenon is not a
possibility, because evolution and creation are one and the same thing. So,
what you see is the emer gence of potentiality as a consequence of
evolution. TRANSCENDING THE MIND AND THE LINEAR DOMAIN
The reason for religious conflict  is a lack of comprehension of the nature
of divinity itself. It sees a God who starts here, and then one day creates all
there is, and disappears. And after you die, you face him and greet him onjudgment day. I don’t know where he goes in the meantime, but he goes
someplace. It’ s because the mind doesn’ t comprehend infinity. To transcend the mind, which  is based on cause and effect, and the
Newtonian paradigm in science, you have to shift to a higher awareness. Stop projecting the idea of causality into the world. There is no causality in
the world—none  whatsoever. All that you perceive, and prove, and think is
so out there is from your head, projected onto the world. Within the world,
there is no causa lity. There is sequence. Sequence is not in the world either. Sequence means you perceived it sequentially. Therefore, you project that it
must be in the world. It’ s your perception  that’ s sequential. How do things come about. The quickest way to enlightenm ent is to
focus and notice that everyt hing is, first of all, absolute ly perfect. Everything is exquisite, perfec t, and beautiful as it is, and things come
about as a result of potentiality actualizing. Potentiality actualizes as a
perceivable reality. So what you’re witnessing, always, is the emergence of
potentiality. The emer gence of potentiality is for this arm to rise. It does it
by itself. You think there’ s a you causing it, but you don’t have anything to
do with it. It rose itself, spontaneously. All that’s occurring spontaneous ly is due to the emer gence of potentiality
as actuality, when conditions are favorable. That’ s nonlinear dynamics,
when conditions are favorable. So, the conditions also have to be favorable. You don’t make the flower grow. I never saw anybody that made a flower
grow. Did you ever meet anybody that made a flower grow. Thank you,
God. When you plant something, you’re taking advantage of what I just got
through explaining. All you’re doing is adding conditions that are
favorable, such as sunlight, water, and fertilizer. But the potentiality is
within  the seed. It actualizes within the phenomenal world, not as causality. You can’ t force the flower to bloom. We need to get rid of the idea of imperfection, because here, it has the
potential to become a rose. The rose is half unfolded. You’re going to tell
me that’s a bad rose. A defecti ve rose. That something’ s wrong with the
rose. No. You see, what happens is the potentiality actualizes, and it opens,
and beco mes actualized to your perception. Nothing is causing it to do that. You can’t force a rose to do anything. It does it of its own accord, because it
has, innate within its essence, the potentiality to manifest that way within
the linear domain. All you’re seeing is phenomena within the linear domain. The energy of life is nonlinear, non-definable. And so, what I’m working
on now is to resolve a dilemma of the Scopes Trial, which has to do with
the argument of whether reality  is limited to the linear—or does reality go
on to include the nonlinear. The reasons the Scopes Trial couldn’ t be
resolved is because they were talking about two different paradigms. The
levels of consci ousness go from, let’s say, one to 1,000. Science is within
the 400s, and spiritual reality starts from 500 and up. They are two different
paradigms. So you can’t resolve oil and water, because they’re two different
paradigms. Science can neither prove nor disprove spiritual reality, nor vice
versa. It’ s a dif ferent paradigm. What I’m trying  to do is create a paradigm that includes both, which
shows that you’r e just moving from one paradigm to another. This would be
inclusive of both science and religion. You see, they’re both true, and both
100 percent true within  their own paradigms. So, it’s really ignora nce on the
two sides to expect each other to agree, since they are each living from
different paradigms of reality. HIGHER LEVELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS
We went on to study various religions, and calibrate the levels of movies,
books, television shows—everything represents a greater or a lesser degree
of spiritual energy. The greater  the spiritual orientation and the alignment
with truth, the higher the calibration. And so, we have this calibrat ed scale of consciousness, the greatest
usefulness of which is really to say yes or not yes. So, you would say, “This
spiritual teacher  is integrous and useful for my life. ” And you get a yes or a
not yes. Or you might say, “It’s too soon. Maybe I should wait with this
one. ” And it’ll say yes or not yes. One can use it for guidance, and spiritual
students who are really committ ed to transcending the ego and reaching the
higher spiritual states have found it quite useful. That state we call enlightenment occurs at a level calibrated at 600. When
a person goes into 600, they go into the levels of love. First conditional
love, then unconditional love. Then many become interested in spiritual
pathways and meditation and spiritual techniques, and they begin to pursue
them with greater and greate r dedication. As they do, they begin to
experience life in a transformative, completely dif ferent context. In the high 500s, which are quite amazing, one is overcome by the sheer
beauty of everything. The only reality that exists is love. There’ s only love,
and all you see is love. All you experience is love and beauty. Love, beauty,
and harmony, and the miraculous begin to happen spontaneously, and
eventually they become continuous. A lot of peop le who’ve done A Course in Miracles  go into that
transformative state. You drive into the city, and you think of a parking
space, and as you get there, there’s a parking space waiting right in front of
you. In fact, it’s the one and only parking space, and just as you pull up, a
car pulls out and you pull in. When this


. What is
sometimes overlooked is the fact that the body is one unit. One cannot isolate a part
and say this is the sick portion. When a part is diseased or ails in some way, the body is sick and suffers as a unit, even though it is always trying to maintain a balance. The liver gave me quite a problem. There was always much tenderness in that area. After all, this organ was being taxed beyond its call of duty. One of its many functions
is to detoxify poisons in the body. I was loaded with poisons and there was a constant
level of these drugs in the blood over the six years of medical treatment. I feel damn
lucky I didn't develop cirrhosis of the liver just as an alcoholic might. Just to make
sure, Dr. Kale sent me to the hospital for liver function and gall bladder tests. That meant more castor oil, enemas, and drugs--an additional burden to an already
enervated, depleted body. After a number of months, Dr. Kale became quite concerned of potentially
dangerous changes occurring and decided to gradually, but very gradually, reduce my
steroid dosage. When one has been on steroids as long as I had, and at my dose level,
it becomes critically important that this reduction in dose be accomplished over a fairly long period of time. Why? So that the possibility of my dying from shock can
be prevented. After all, I've come so far, why expire now! I feel it important to briefly explain the rationale of this most delicate phase of
steroid reduction. One of the secretions of the pituitary gland in the brain is ACTH
(adrenocorticotropic hormone). This mobilizes cortisone from the adrenal cortex (a
gland lying on each kidney) which is important in carbohydrate and protein
metabolism and also in inhibiting ACTH, where each acts as a check and balance system. Another important function of the cortisone is in stress or emergency
situations, as I mentioned above. The adre nal cortex also secretes sex hormones. Now, when this steroid is taken into the body from an outside source over a period
of time, the adrenal cortex does not have to produce it, so it becomes smaller and we have what is known as adrenal cortex atrophy. Obliteration of this adrenal cortex can
result in death. If at this point of atrophy the exogenous source of the steroid is abruptly stopped, then a most critical situation exists. If a stress or emergency
situation should arise--surgery is considered  a stress situation--then death can occur
from the resultant shock and low blood pressure unless the body receives the hormone
from an outside source, giving the body what it cannot obtain from the adrenal cortex. This was not meant to be a treatise on the subject, but just an awakening for you; to
make you aware of the tremendous importanc e of gradual reduction of steroid dosage
so that the gland will "come back" and again begin to produce on its own until it can function normally again when the exogenous source is completely stopped. You see,
there are thousands of people like myself who have been in this situation and it
behooves us to understand what happens to our precious bodies. I'll tie this in, later
on, with an incident that happened to me while I had adrenal cortex atrophy. My daily intake of prednisolone had reached a peak of 40 milligrams--eight five-
milligram tablets--which is quite high. The tapering down was something like one-
half tablet every five days to a week. It was a very slow process, but my grotesque size and weight were gradually returning to normal. But as the drug dosage was
reduced to several tablets a day, the intestinal spasms increased as did the diarrhea. I was "running" up to twenty times a day. The other drugs I was taking were not
doing much good regardless of how the dosages were manipulated. Dr. Kale did not
want to increase the steroid dosage, so he added another drug to my collection called hydeltrasol--a liquid steroid that I was to dilute in water, suck up into a bulb syringe,
and administer by rectum. In this way only the colon area was exposed to the steroid,
and we would not have to worry too much about systemic effects. Anyway, I couldn't
hold it in long enough to do much good or bad. With so much back-end involvement,
some of my friends began calling me the "rear admiral." Not much was funny to me at that time, though. This method did seem to help to a degree, but it was only symptomatic treatment
which was not lasting. The double vision from the other drugs was getting worse,
making it extremely difficult for me to perf orm foot surgery and other intricacies of
my profession of podiatry. In fact, it was becoming more difficult to participate in the
normal activities of day-to-day living. My life now was completely revolving around
my problems almost to the exclusion of anything else. Whenever my wife and I would go anywhere, my first objective was to locate the lavatory and stay within close range. I was living in constant fear and under heavy stress because of never knowing when
or where or how fast the "urge" would strike. I didn't live from week to week, day to
day, hour to hour or even minute to minute. I lived from second to second. Chapter 3 -- The Agony
   The months slipped away into late 1962 and early 1963, but I was no better. My
weight came down to about 150 pounds. Here I was, 33 years old in February of 1963
and never had I felt so weak and debilitated. The point had been reached now where
the diarrhea would go as high as 30 times a day, accompanied by much colon spasm
and continual but varying degrees of bleeding--a classic example of ulcerative colitis. There were days when I could not go in to work. There were days when I was in my
office and did not have the strength to stay more than a few hours before I found it
necessary to go home and drop into bed. There were also days where I awoke in the morning and could not get out of bed. But some of the most taxing problems occurred
in my office, in the car, and at public functions. These problems would have driven
any weak-willed or average-willed person to the brink of insanity, and when I look
back I wonder how close I did come to joining the "club." Yet as pathetic and mind-blowing as were these incidents, they did have an almost morbidly humorous side. These things didn't just come and go, but were regular and continual happenings in
my life for many months. For example, in my office, I would walk into the treatment room and greet my patient. I would no sooner sit down when the "urge" would strike
and I would have to give some excuse for leaving. I'd return, begin to work on the
patient and then I'd have to "go" again. So  I'd render another excuse and fly out. This
would happen with almost every patient. I' ve always wondered what some of them
thought as they saw me dashing about like a wild man. I don't believe many knew just how ill I was. It was this type of episode which caused me the most frustration and
depression, since some of the times, when I had to exit speedily from the room, I didn't make it to where I was headed. I'll leave that to your imagination. I developed a fear and apprehension about driving my car because there were many
times when "nature called" and the usual gas station couldn't be found or the spasm and "urge" came on so fast that it all happened right on the spot. I may be the only
person in the world who ever had a B.M. while driving a car at 70 miles an hour. I can laugh at it now, but it was sheer hell then. It was tough enough to have my podiatry practice and professional life suffer, but it
was even tougher to watch what was happening to my family and social life. I was
short on temper and patience. I was extremely irritable and depressed. There were
many arguments and misunderstandings, all ill-founded, with my wife and three-year-old son. I had changed; changed because my physical debility wa s finally affecting
my emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. But the pathetic part was that I almost didn't care. I remember one hospital administrator, a friend of mine, who observed me at staff
meetings over the years. He remarked to me one day, "Jack, you look like death
warmed over." Needless to say that remark didn't do much good for my psyche. I wonder how many people with whom I came in contact had similar thoughts? The simple act of going out to a movie or  dinner became an ordeal because, first of
all, I didn't want to go. When I finally consen ted, the strategy had to be planned, such
as in what area in the theatre or restaurant would I sit where I'd be close to the
lavatory. I wasn't anxious to socialize with  friends. In fact, I tried to avoid social
situations. But when my wife and I did go to the homes of friends, I searched out the
location of all lavatories so as to have a place to escape when the need arose. I was becoming a recluse. This affected my wife, who needed a social outlet and
was also pregnant with our second child who would be born in two or


 name that you answer to, but you have also
answered to ten thousand other names. Which one is the real you? None of
them. Y ou identify with a set of memories. Y ou know who your father and
mother are. Y ou set your sights on a goal that you cherish. “But you have done exactly the same thing ten thousand times before. Therefore your memories, your parents, and your cherished goals are
transient. They change as swiftly as mayflies, which are born and die in a
single day.”
The five monks were riveted by Buddha’ s talk, but more than that, his
words drew them deep inside themselves. It was almost like going into
samadhi with one’ s eyes open. They saw exactly what he had described. But Assaji was still worried. “I would be wasting my life to try and unravel ten thousand past lives,”
he said. “And if you want me to renounce this lifetime as a phantom,
haven’ t I already renounced it by becoming a monk?”
“You renounced only the outer trappings,” said Buddha. “A saf fron robe
doesn’ t make you free of desire, and desire is what has kept you a prisoner.”
“You already told us that on the mountain,” Kondana said. “But in six
years we never rid ourselves of desire. Our karma still follows us and
makes us obey its commands.”
“Which is why I have come for you instead of going first to my family,”
said Buddha. “What I ur ged you to do on the mountain was a mistake. I
want to make amends.”“You owe us nothing,” Assaji said quickly. “I’m not speaking of a debt,” said Buddha. “Debts end when karma
ends. My mistake led you into a trap. I believed that I was in a war with
desire. I despised the world and my own body, which craved all the delights
of the world.”
“Surely that’ s not a mistake,” said Assaji. “Otherwise it would be
pointless to take vows. The holy life must be dif ferent from the worldly
life.”
“What if there is no holy life?” asked Buddha. The five monks became
extremely uncomfortable, and none answered. “Y ou see,” said Buddha,
“even holiness has become food for your ego to feed on. Y ou want to be
different. Y ou want to be safe. Y ou want to have hope.”
“Why is that wrong?” asked Assaji. “Because these things are dreams that lull you,” said Buddha. “What would we see if we weren’ t dreaming?”
“Death.”
The five monks felt a chill pass over them. It seemed pointless to deny
what their brother said but hopeless to accept it. Buddha said, “Y ou are all
afraid of death, as I was, so you make up any story that will ease your fears,
and after a while you believe the story, even though it came from your own
mind.” W ithout waiting for a reply, he reached down and picked up a
handful of dust. “The answer to life and death is simple. It rests in the palm
of my hand. W atch.”
He threw the dust into the air; it remained suspended like a murky cloud
for a second before the breeze carried it away. “Consider what you just saw,” said Buddha. “The dust holds its shape
for a fleeting moment when I throw it into the air, as the body holds its
shape for this brief lifetime. When the wind makes it disappear, where doesthe dust go? It returns to its source, the earth. In the future that same dust
allows grass to grow, and it enters a deer who eats the grass. The animal
dies and turns to dust. Now imagine that the dust comes to you and asks,
‘Who am I?’ What will you tell it? Dust is alive in a plant but dead as it lies
in the road under our feet. It moves in an animal but is still when buried in
the depths of the earth. Dust encompasses life and death at the same time. So if you answer ‘Who am I?’ with anything but a complete answer, you
have made a mistake. “I have come back to tell you that you can be whole, but only if you see
yourself that way. There is no holy life. There is no war between good and
evil. There is no sin and no redemption. None of these things matter to the
real you. But they all matter hugely to the false you, the one who believes in
the separate self. Y ou have tried to take your separate self, with all its
loneliness and anxiety and pride, to the door of enlightenment. But it will
never go through, because it is a ghost.”
As he spoke, Buddha knew that this sermon would be the first of
hundreds. It surprised him that words were so necessary. He had hoped to
heal the world with a touch or simply by existing in it. The universe had
other plans. “How can I see myself as whole,” asked Kondana, “when everything I
call ‘me’ is separate? I have only one body and one mind, those I was born
with.”
“Look at the forest,” Buddha replied. “W e walk through it every day
and believe it to be the same forest. But not a single leaf is the same as
yesterday. Every particle of soil, every plant and animal, is constantly
changing. Y ou cannot be enlightened as the separate person you see
yourself to be because that person has already disappeared, along with
everything else from yesterday.”
The five monks were astonished to hear these words. They revered
Gautama, but now his beliefs called for a revolution. If what he said was
true, then nothing that they had been taught could be true at the same time. No holy life? No war between good and evil? None of them spoke for along while. What was there to say to a man who claimed that they didn’ t
even exist? “I’ve brought agitation with me,” said Buddha. “I didn’ t mean to.” He
said this sincerely, after due consideration. He hadn’ t realized that being
awake would create such a disturbance to other people. In the blink of an eye, as quickly as he had seen ten thousand previous
lifetimes, he saw the human predicament. Everyone was asleep, totally
unconscious about their true nature. Some slept fitfully, catching scattered
glimpses of the truth. But they quickly fell asleep again. They were the
fortunate ones. The bulk of human beings had no glimpse of reality. How
could he tell them what he really wanted to say? All of you ar e Buddha. “I realize that if I stay here I will only agitate you more,” he said. “So
help me. T ogether we must devise a Dharma that will not frighten people. Beginning with you, my frightened brothers.” The five monks smiled at
this, and they began to relax a little. Buddha pointed to the trees in bloom
all around them. “The Dharma should be this beautiful, and just as
effortless,” he said. “If Nature is awake everywhere we look, then human
beings deserve the same. W aking up shouldn’ t be a struggle.”
“You struggled,” said Assaji. “Yes, and the more I did, the harder it was to wake up. I made my body
and mind into an enemy. On that road lies only death and more death. As
long as your body is your enemy, you are tied to it, and the body has no
choice but to die. Death will never be defeated until it becomes unreal.”
Years later Assaji would remember that a rainstorm began to pass
through the forest as Buddha spoke. Lightning punctuated his words and lit
up his face, which wasn’ t the fiercely zealous face of Gautama but
something unearthly and serene. They heard the patter of raindrops on the
forest canopy, which increased to a steady drumming, yet no rain fell on the
five monks, not even a stray drop sizzling in the campfire. In this way
Nature was telling them that Buddha was more than a man who had become
enlightened. They followed him devotedly after that night. FOR THE FIRST TIME  in six years Buddha’ s feet touched the road to
Kapilavastu. He traveled with the five monks, who gradually lost their
anxiety but not their awe. They ate and slept beside their master. They
bathed with him in the river, but he no longer medi tated or said prayers. One at a time he took each of his brothers aside and gave them private
instructions. They were overjoyed to be told that they were very close to
enlightenment and would achieve it very soon. There was one monk who never spoke up. His name was V appa, and he
seemed the most insecure about Gautama coming back to life. When he was
taken aside and told that he would be enlightened, V appa greeted the news
with doubt. “If what you tell me is true, I would feel something, and I
don’t,” he said. “When you dig a well, there is no sign of water until you reach it, only
rocks and dirt to move out of the way. You have removed enough; soon the
pure water will flow,” said Buddha. But instead of being reassured, V appa
threw himself on the ground, weeping and grasping Buddha’ s feet. “It will never happen


 l
g e t  u p  a n d  g o  o u t  f o r  d r i n k s. A l l  o f  u s  a r e  a c t o r s  i n  a  g r e a t
u n f o l d i n g  d r a m a,  a n d  u n t i l  w e  d i g  d e e p,  t h e r e  w i l l  b e  n o
g r e a t  p e r f o r m a n c e s. H o w  e a c h  o f  u s  c a r r i e s  o u t  o u r  r o l e  w i l l
a f f e c t  t h e  e n d  o f  t h e  p l a y. W h o  w e  o u r s e l v e s  b e c o m e,  h o w  w e  g r o w  a n d  c h a n g e
a n d  f a c e  t h e  c h a l l e n g e s  o f  o u r  o w n  l i v e s,  i s  i n t i m a t e l y  a n d
c a u s a l l y  c o n n e c t e d  t o  h o w  t h e  w o r l d  w i l l  c h a n g e  o v e r  t h e
n e x t  f e w  y e a r s. F o r  t h e  w o r l d  i s  a  p r o j e c t i o n  o f  o u r
i n d i v i d u a l  p s y c h e s,  c o l l e c t e d  o n  a  g l o b a l  s c r e e n ;  i t  i s  h u r t  o r
h e a l e d  b y  e v e r y  t h o u g h t  w e  t h i n k. T o  w h a t e v e r  e x t e n t  I
r e f u s e  t o  f a c e  t h e  d e e p e r  i s s u e s  t h a t  h o l d  m e  b a c k,  t o  t h a t
e x t e n t  t h e  w o r l d  w i l l  b e  h e l d  b a c k. A n d  t o  w h a t e v e r  e x t e n t  I
f i n d  t h e  m i r a c u l o u s  k e y  t o  t h e  t r a n s f o r m a t i o n  o f  m y  o w n
l i f e,  t o  t h a t  e x t e n t  I  w i l l  h e l p  c h a n g e  t h e  w o r l d. T h a t  i s  w h a t
t h i s  b o o k  i s  a b o u t :  b e c o m i n g  t h e  c h a n g e  t h a t  w i l l  c h a n g e
t h e  w o r l d. Y e t  w e  s e e m  t o  h a v e  g r e a t  r e s i s t a n c e  t o  l o o k i n g  a t  o u r
l i v e s,  a n d  o u r  w o r l d,  w i t h  e m o t i o n a l  h o n e s t y. A n d  I  t h i n k
w e  a r e  a v o i d i n g  m o r e  t h a n  p a i n. W e  a r e  a v o i d i n g  t h e  s e n s e
o f  h o p e l e s s n e s s  w e  t h i n k  w e  w i l l  f e e l  w h e n  c o n f r o n t e d  b y
t h e  e n o r m i t y  o f  t h e  f o r c e s  t h a t  o b s t r u c t  u s. Y e t,  i n  f a c t,  i t ’ s
w h e n  w e  f a c e  t h e  d a r k n e s s  s q u a r e l y  i n  t h e  e y e — i no u r s e l v e s  a n d  i n  t h e  w o r l d — t h a t  w e  b e g i n  a t  l a s t  t o  s e e  t h e
l i g h t. A n d  t h a t  i s  t h e  a l c h e m y  o f  p e r s o n a l  t r a n s f o r m a t i o n. I n
t h e  m i d s t  o f  t h e  d e e p e s t,  d a r k e s t  n i g h t,  w h e n  w e  f e e l  m o s t
h u m b l e d  b y  l i f e,  t h e  f a i n t  s h a d o w  o f  o u r  w i n g s  b e g i n s  t o
a p p e a r. O n l y  w h e n  w e  h a v e  f a c e d  t h e  l i m i t s  o f  w h a t  w e  c a n
d o,  d o e s  i t  b e g i n  t o  d a w n  o n  u s  t h e  l i m i t l e s s n e s s  o f  w h a t
G o d  c a n  d o. I t  i s  t h e  d e p t h  o f  t h e  d a r k n e s s  n o w  c o n f r o n t i n g
o u r  w o r l d  t h a t  w i l l  r e v e a l  t o  u s  t h e  m a g i c  o f  w h o  w e  t r u l y
a r e. W e  a r e  s p i r i t,  a n d  t h u s  w e  a r e  m o r e  t h a n  t h e  w o r l d. W h e n  w e  r e m e m b e r  t h a t,  t h e  w o r l d  i t s e l f  w i l l  b o w  t o  o u r
r e m e m b r a n c e. R e t u r n i n g  t o  L o v e

I n  1 9 7 8  I  b e c a m e  a  s t u d e n t  o f  a  s e l f - s t u d y  p r o g r a m  o f
s p i r i t u a l  p s y c h o t h e r a p y  c a l l e d  A  C o u r s e  i n  M i r a c l e s ;  i n
1 9 9 2  I  w r o t e  a  b o o k  o f  r e f l e c t i o n s  o n  i t s  p r i n c i p l e s  c a l l e d  A
R e t u r n  t o  L o v e. C l a i m i n g  n o  m o n o p o l y  w h a t s o e v e r  o n
s p i r i t u a l  i n s i g h t,  t h e  C o


  s t r e n g t h. O u r  e n t i r e  b e i n g — i n t e l l e c t u a l,  e m o t i o n a l,  p s y c h o l o g i c a l,
a n d  s p i r i t u a l — c a n  r e l a x  i n t o  a  m o r e  m i r a c l e - r e c e p t i v e
m o d e. W h e n  w e  r e l a x  i n t o  t h e  a r m s  o f  G o d,  t h e  m i n d  o p e n s
t o  g r e a t e r  i n s i g h t  a n d  t h e  h e a r t  t o  d e e p e r  l o v e. W h e n  w e  s t e p  b a c k  w i t h  t h e  e g o  a n d  l e t  G o d  l e a d  t h e
w a y,  w e  b e c o m e  a  n a t u r a l  s p a c e  f o r  h e a l i n g. L e t ’ s  s a y,  f o r
i n s t a n c e,  t h a t  y o u  h a v e  a  p r o b l e m ;  m a n y  p o s s i b i l i t i e s  e x i s t
f o r  h o w  y o u  c o u l d  s o l v e  i t. Y e t  i f  y o u ’ r e  t e n s e  a b o u t  t h e
i s s u e,  s t u c k  i n  a n g e r  o r  f r a n t i c  s e a r c h i n g,  t h e n  t h e  c h a n c e s
o f  o n e  o f  t h o s e  p o s s i b i l i t i e s  b e c o m i n g  c l e a r  a r e  d e c r e a s e d. I f  y o u  h a v e  a  p r o b l e m  b u t  y o u  a r e  s t u c k  i n  b l a m i n g
o t h e r s  o r  t r y i n g  t o  d u c k  o u t  o f  y o u r  o w n  r e s p o n s i b i l i t y,  t h e n
h e l p f u l  f o r c e s  a r e  r e p e l l e d. I f  y o u  h a v e  a  p r o b l e m  b u t  y o u
t r y  t o  k e e p  y o u r  h e a r t  o p e n — y o u  d o  y o u r  b e s t  t o  d e a l  w i t h
i t,  t a k e  p e r s o n a l  r e s p o n s i b i l i t y,  r e m a i n  v u l n e r a b l e — t h e n
o t h e r s  w i l l  h a v e  a  n a t u r a l  t e n d e n c y  t o  r e a c h  o u t  t o  y o u  a n d
o f f e r  h e l p. J u s t  k n o w i n g  y o u  h a v e  a  p r o b l e m  w i l l  n o t
i n s p i r e  o t h e r s  t o  h e l p  y o u ;  h o w  y o u ’ r e  h a n d l i n g  i t  i s  w h a t
w i l l  d o  t h a t. H i g h e s t  s o l u t i o n s  d o n ’ t  c o m e  f r o m  y o u ;  t h e y  c o m e  i n t o
y o u  a n d  t h r o u g h  y o u. I t  i s  n o t  y o u r  a b i l i t y  t o  f i g u r e  t h i n g so u t,  p u t  t h e  b l a m e  e l s e w h e r e,  o r  h i r e  t h e  r i g h t  l a w y e r s  t h a t
u l t i m a t e l y  g u a r a n t e e s  d i v i n e  r i g h t  a c t i o n. R a t h e r,  i t  i s  o u r
s u r r e n d e r  t o  t h e  f l o w  o f  d i v i n i t y  t h a t  a l l o w s  d i v i n i t y  t o  f l o w
t h r o u g h  u s. S t a y i n g  c a l m  a n d  t r u s t i n g  i n  t h e  f l o w  o f  t h e  u n i v e r s e  a r e
h a r d  w h e n  w e  c a n ’ t  s e n s e  a  c o s m i c  o r d e r  t o  t h i n g s. Y e t  o n c e
w e  r e c o g n i z e  t h a t  G o d  i s  e v e r y w h e r e,  a l l  t h e  t i m e,  w e  c a n
r e l a x  i n t o  a n y  i n s t a n t  a n d  k n o w  t h a t  h e a l i n g  i s  n a t u r a l. G o d
w i l l  e x a l t  u s  i f  w e  w i l l  a l l o w  H i m  t o. A n d  w h e n  w e  f e e l  t h a t
h a p p e n i n g,  w e ’ r e  l i a b l e  t o  s m i l e  a  c e r t a i n  k i n d  o f  s m i l e,
i n s p i r i n g  s o m e o n e  a r o u n d  u s  t o  s a y,  “ W h a t? ”  a s  t h o u g h
s u r e l y  t h e r e  m u s t  b e  s o m e t h i n g  t h a t  i s  m a k i n g  u s  s m i l e  t h a t
w a y. B u t  t h e r e  i s  n o t h i n g  t h a t  i s  m a k i n g  u s  s m i l e  a t  t h a t
m o m e n t,  s o  m u c h  a s  e v e r y t h i n g  i s  m a k i n g  u s  s m i l e. W e
h a v e  s e n s e d  R e a l i t y  a n d  f e l t  t h e  p e a c e  t h a t  f o l l o w s. S t r e n g t h  i n  O u r  D e f e n s e l e s s n e s s

T h e  w o r k b o o k  o f  A  C o u r s e  i n  M i r a c l e s  i n c l


 o m e  t o  a f f e c t  h e r  e n t i r e  l i f e. H e r e  i s  a  w o m a n  w h o s e
p r o d i g i o u s  t a l e n t s  m a k e  t h e  a v e r a g e  p e r s o n ’ s  l i f e t i m e
a c h i e v e m e n t s  l o o k  p a l t r y,  y e t  s h e  w a s  s t y m i e d  b y  h e r  o w n
p e r s o n a l i t y  i s s u e s. N o  a m o u n t  o f  m o n e y,  n o  p r o f e s s i o n a l
a c h i e v e m e n t s,  a n d  n o  e x t e r n a l  p o w e r  c a n  t o t a l l y
c o m p e n s a t e  f o r  l a c k  o f  p e o p l e  s k i l l s. A t  t h e  d e e p e s t  l e v e l,
o u r  r e l a t i o n s h i p s  a n d  p e r s o n a l  i s s u e s  d e f i n e  o u r  l i v e s. B e h i n d  e v e r y  p r o b l e m  i s  a  b r o k e n  r e l a t i o n s h i p. A n d
b e h i n d  e v e r y  m i r a c l e,  t h e r e  i s  a  h e a l e d  o n e. T u r n i n g  I s s u e s  i n t o  M i r a c l e s

E v e r y  r e l a t i o n s h i p  i s  a  t e a c h i n g - l e a r n i n g  a s s i g n m e n t. A n y o n e  w e  a r e  d e s t i n e d  t o  m e e t,  w e  w i l l. W e  a r e  d r a w n  t o
e a c h  o t h e r  f o r  t e a c h i n g  a n d  l e a r n i n g,  a s  e a c h  o f  u s  i s
p r e s e n t e d  w i t h  t h e  c h a n c e  t o  l e a r n  t h e  n e x t  l e s s o n  i n  t h e
j o u r n e y  o f  o u r  s o u l. E v e r y  e n c o u n t e r  i s  a  h o l y  e n c o u n t e r  i f
w e  u s e  i t  t o  d e m o n s t r a t e  l o v e. *  A n d  e v e r y  e n c o u n t e r  i s  a
s e t u p  f o r  p o s s i b l e  p a i n  i f  w e ’ r e  n o t  o p e n  t o  t h e  o p p o r t u n i t y
t o  d o  t h a t. A n y o n e  w e  m e e t  w e  w e r e  d e s t i n e d  t o  m e e t,  b u t
w h a t  w e  d o  w i t h  t h e  r e l a t i o n s h i p  i s  e n t i r e l y  u p  t o  u s. S o m e t i m e s  s o m e o n e  i s  b r o u g h t  i n t o  o u r  l i f e  t o  h e l p  u s
l e a r n  a  l e s s o n  w e ’ v e  f a i l e d  t o  l e a r n  b e f o r e :  t o  b e  a c c e p t i n g
r a t h e r  t h a n  c o n t r o l l i n g,  t o  b e  a p p r o v i n g  i n s t e a d  o f  c r i t i c a l,
o r  e v e n  t o  t u r n  a w a y  f r o m  t o x i c  b e h a v i o r  w h e n  b e f o r e  w e
w o u l d  h a v e  m a d e  a  b e e l i n e  f o r  i t. I t ’ s  n o  a c c i d e n t  t h a t
c e r t a i n  p a t t e r n s  p l a g u e  u s,  y e a r  a f t e r  y e a r,  u n t i l  w e  f i n a l l y
h e a l  t h e m. T h e r e ’ s  n o  p o i n t  t r y i n g  t o  g o  t o  O u t e r  M o n g o l i a
t o  e s c a p e  y o u r  i s s u e s ;  t h e y  w i l l  f i n d  y o u  t h e r e  b e c a u s e  t h e y
l i v e  i n s i d e  y o u r  h e a d. T h e  p e o p l e  y o u  n e e d  w i l l  b e  b r o u g h t
t o  y o u ;  y o u  w i l l  s u b c o n s c i o u s l y  a t t r a c t  t h e m ;  t h e r e  i s  n o
e s c a p i n g  t h e  c u r r i c u l u m  o f  t h e  H o l y  S p i r i t. I f  w e  h a v e  a  p a r t i c u l a r  p r o b l e m  i n  r e l a t i o n s h i p s,  t h e n
w e ’ l l  e n c o u n t e r  t h a t  i s s u e  a g a i n  u n t i l  i t ’ s  r e s o l v e d. I t
r e p r e s e n t s  a  p l a c e  w h e r e  w e  b e c o m e  u n c o n s c i o u s,  u n a b l e  t o
l i v e  i n  t h e  f u l l n e s s  o f  o u r  b e i n g. A t  t h a t  p l a c e,  w e  b r e a k  o f f
i n t o  a  f r a g m e n t  o f  o u r s e l v e s,  a n  i m p o s t o r  w h o  p u t s  a  m a s ki n  f r o n t  o f  o u r  t r u e  f a c e. W e ’ r e  l o s t  t h e r e,  n o t  r e c o g n i z i n g
t h e  a l i e n  e n v i r o n m e n t  w e ’ v e  c r e a t e d ;  w e  s t a r t  g r a s p i n g  f o r
e m o t


 s o  i m p r e s s i v e ). Y e t  l i f e  h a s  a  w a y  o f  w e a r i n g  y o u  d o w n. Y o u  l e a r n  t h r o u g h
o f t e n  p a i n f u l  m e a n s  t h a t  i n  t h e  f a c e  o f  y o u r  p r o d i g i o u s
i n t e l l e c t  a n d  e n e r g y,  e v i l  d o e s  n o t  j u s t  s t e p  a s i d e. I t ’ s
t e m p t i n g  t o  s u c c u m b  t o  t h e  c y n i c i s m  o f  a g e  w h e n  y o u  s e e
h o w  o f t e n  t h i n g s  d o  n o t  c h a n g e. E s p e c i a l l y  w h e n  t h e  m o s t
r e c a l c i t r a n t  f a c t o r s,  t h e  m o s t  i m m o v a b l e  m o u n t a i n s,  s e e m  t o
b e  w i t h i n  y o u r s e l f. H o w  c a n  I  b e l i e v e  t h e  w h o l e  w o r l d  w i l l  c h a n g e  i t s
n e u r o t i c  p a t t e r n s  w h e n  I  k e e p  m a r r y i n g  t h e  s a m e  p e r s o n
o v e r  a n d  o v e r  a g a i n? H o w  c a n  I  b e l i e v e  t w o  n a t i o n s  t h a t
k e e p  m u r d e r i n g  e a c h  o t h e r ’ s  c i t i z e n s  a r e  g o i n g  t o  f i n d  p e a c e
a n y t i m e  s o o n  w h e n  I ’ m  s t i l l  n o t  t a l k i n g  t o  m y  p a r e n t s? O u r  a t t i t u d i n a l,  n o t  j u s t  o u r  p h y s i c a l,  m u s c l e s  b e c o m e
l e s s  f l e x i b l e  w i t h  a g e. I t ’ s  a m a z i n g  h o w  m u c h  f a t i g u e
e n o u g h  d i s a p p o i n t m e n t s  c a n  c a u s e. I t  t a k e s  e n e r g y  t o
c h a n g e,  a n d  s o m e t i m e s  o u r  e n e r g y  i s  i n  s h o r t  s u p p l y. Y o u
c a n  f e e l  t h e  p r e s s u r e,  o n c e  y o u  r e a c h  m i d d l e  a g e,  t o  s i m p l y
g o  a l o n g  w i t h  a  s t a t u s  q u o  t h a t  i s  h a r d l y  w h a t  y o u  h o p e d  f o r
b u t  i s  h e r e,  s o  w h a t  t h e  h e l l. J e s u s  s a i d  o f  L a z a r u s,  “ H e  i s  n o t  d e a d. H e  i s  o n l y
s l e e p i n g. ”  A n d  s o  a r e  w e. T h e r e  l i e s  i n  m o s t  o f  u s  t h e
a c c u m u l a t e d  f r u s t r a t i o n  o f  o u r  u n l i v e d  d r e a m s  a n d  t h es q u e l c h e d  d e s i r e  t o  s p r e a d  o u r  w i n g s  a n d  f l y  a b o v e  t h e
w o r l d l y  l i m i t a t i o n s  t h a t  h o l d  u s  b a c k. T h e s e  p a i n f u l
e n e r g i e s  a r e  n o t  a u t o m a t i c a l l y  t r a n s m u t e d  e x c e p t  t h r o u g h
p r a y e r  a n d  s u r r e n d e r  a n d  h o l y  r e l a t i o n s h i p s. T h e y  a t t a c h
t h e m s e l v e s  t o  o u r  s p i r i t u a l  o r g a n s  o f  f a i t h  a n d  h o p e,
t a u n t i n g  u s  w i t h  l i n e s  l i k e  “ Y o u ’ r e  t o o  o l d ”  o r  “ Y o u  b l e w  i t ”
o r  “ Y o u ’ r e  w a s h e d  u p. ”  A n d  a t  t i m e s  t h e y  s e e m  t o  b e
b a c k e d  b y  e v i d e n c e. T o  s a y  t o  t h o s e  v o i c e s,  “ S a t a n,  g e t  t h e e  b e h i n d  m e, ”  i s
n o t  m u m b o  j u m b o  o r  w i s h f u l  t h i n k i n g. S p i r i t u a l l y,  i t ’ s  o u r
p o w e r  a n d  o u r  s t r e n g t h. A n g e l s  a n d  D e m o n s

D u r i n g  t h e  w e e  h o u r s  o f  t h e  m o r n i n g,  b o t h  a n g e l s  a n d
d e m o n s  t a k e  s h a p e. T h e  g l o r i e s  o f  a  l i f e  a s  w e l l  a s  i t s  t e r r o r s
a r e  c l e a r e r  b e f o r e  d a w n  h a s  b r o k e n. O n c e  t h e  l i g h t  o f  d a y
c a s t s  i t s  s p e l l  u p o n  u s,  d e e p e r  m e a n i n g s — s o m e t i m e s
o b v i o u s  o n l y  h o u r s  b e f o r e — a r e  e a s i l y  f o r g o t t e n. W e  f a l l
p r e y  t o  t h e  m i n d - s e t  o f  t h e  w o r l d. H


 nothing mysterious about these
negative world view, the direct result is a
thoroughly modern sur geons are very
pursuing these steps has resulted in the
vital internal communications, and they
repetition of minute changes in ener gy
reluctant to operate on anyone who is
recovery of millions of people suggests87
88
to research on the body's immune system. can be demonstrated in seconds to
flows to the various body or gans. The
convinced that he will die during the
Generally, it appears that that which is
anyone's satisfaction-as we know, if you
subtle field of overall physiology is
sur gery because not infrequently such
experienced as stress results in hold a particular negative thought in
af fected in all of its complex functions,
patients do just that. suppression of the thymus gland; with
mind, a very specific muscle will go
mediated by electron transfer, neural
It is said in Alcoholics Anonymous that
this the body's defenses are impaired. But
weak; if you replace the thought with a
hormonal balance, nutritional status, etc. there is no recovery until the subject
the various research approaches to thispositive idea the same muscle will
Eventually, an accumulation of experiences an essential change of
topic fail to examine the relationship
instantly go strong.3 The connection
infinitesimal changes becomes
personality.6 This is the basic change first
between belief systems and attitudes and
between mind and body is immediate, so
discernible through measurement manifested by AA founder Bill W, a
the resultant context of perception, which
the body's responses shift and change (181)
techniques such as electron microscopy,
profound transformation in total belief
determines the nature of individual from instant to instant in response to
magnetic imaging or x-ray or system with a sudden leap in
experience. The etiology of stress is
one's train of thought and its associated
biochemical analysis. But by the time
consciousness.7 Such a major
always related to the or ganism's emotions. these changes are detectable, the disease
metamorphosis in attitude was firstproclivity to respond to stimuli in W e have referred to the law of
sensitive process is already well advanced in its
formally studied by the psychiatrist
specific and characteristic patterns. dependence on initial conditions,
own self perpetuating resonances. Harry T iebout, M.D., of Greenwich,
Drawing on what we already know from
drawing from the science of nonlinear
W e could say that the invisible universe
Connecticut, treating a hopeless alcoholic
the mathematics of nonlinear dynamics
dynamics and its mathematics.4 W e will
of thought and attitude becomes visible
woman named Marty Mann, the first
and attractor research, as clinically recall that this describes the manner
in as a consequence of the body's habit- (182)
woman in AA. She underwent a sudden
confirmed by kinesiology and which a minuscule variation in a pattern
ual response. If we consider the millions
change of personality to a degree
acupuncture, we can derive a formulation
of inputs can result in a very significant
of thoughts that go through the mindunaccountable through any known
of the basic nature of the disease process
change in the eventual output. This is
continuously, it is not surprising that the
therapeutic method. T iebout documented
itself. because the repetition of a slight
body's condition could radically change
that she was transformed from an angry,
An idea or constellation of thoughts
variation over time results in a
to reflect prevailing thought patterns, as
self-pitying, intolerant and egocentric
presents itself in consciousness as an
progressive change of pattern or,
modified by genetic and environmental
posture to a kind and gentle one,
attitude which tends to persist over time. sometimes, in a leap to a new harmonic
factors.5 It is the persistence and for giving and loving. Her example is
This attitude is associated with an
when the increment increasesrepetition of the stimulus which, through
important because it so clearly
attractor ener gy field of corresponding
logarithmically. The ef fect of the minute
the law of sensitive dependence on initial
demonstrates this key element in
power or weakness. The result is a
variation becomes amplified until it
conditions, results in the observable
recovery from any progressive or
perception of the world creating events
eventually af fects the whole system and
disease process. The stimulus that sets
hopeless (183) disease. T iebout wrote the
appropriate to trigger the specific an entire new ener gy pattern evolves,
of f the process may be so minute that it
first of a series of papers on this
emotion. All attitudes, thoughts and
which itself may, by the same process,
escapes detection. itself. observation under the title "The Power of
beliefs are also connected with variousthen result in a further variation, and so
If this scheme of disease formation is
Surrender. "8
pathways, called "meridians" of ener gy,
on. correct, then all disease should be
In every studied case of recovery from
to all of the body's or gans. Through
In the world of physics this process is
reversible by changing thought patterns
hopeless and untreatable disease there
kinesiologic testing it can be called "turbulence" and is the subject of and
habitual responses. In fact, has been this major shift in
demonstrated that specific acupuncture
an enormous amount of research,
spontaneous recoveries from every consciousness, so that the attractor
points are linked with specific attitudes,
especially in the field of aerodynamics,
disease known to mankind have been
patterns that resulted in the pathologic
and the meridian, in turn, serves as the
in a combined focus of physics andrecorded throughout history. (This process no longer dominated. The
steps ener gy channel to specific muscles and
mathematics. Such turbulence, when it
phenomenon was the subject of ABC
necessary for recovery from such grave
body or gans.' These specific meridians
occurs in the attractor ener gy fields of
T elevision's 20/20 on April 8, 1994.) illness were formalized by the first 100
have been traditionally named according
consciousness, creates an emotional
T raditional medicine has documented
alcoholics who recovered; these became
to the or gans that they ener gize, i.e., the
upset which continues until a new level
spontaneous "cures," but has never had
the well known twelve steps suggested
heart meridian, gallbladder meridian,
of homeostasis is established. the conceptual tools with which to
by AA and all the twelve-step recovery
etc.2When the mind is dominated by a
investigate the phenomenon. But even
groups that have followed.9 The fact that
There is nothing mysterious about these
negative world view, the direct result is a
thoroughly modern sur geons are very
pursuing these steps has resulted in the
vital internal communications, and they
repetition of minute changes in ener gy
reluctant to operate on anyone who is
recovery of millions of people suggests
87
88
that this experience may have a universal
On the other hand, like love, laughter
attitudes that underlie their construct. the A>B>C world of ef fects, does not
applicability to all disease processes. The
heals because it arises through viewing a
Systems associated with very weak
correct the origin of the dysfunction and
advice Carl Jung gave Rowland-Throwsmall context from a lar ger and more
attractor fields are inef fective because of
is palliative rather than curative. It is
yourself wholeheartedly into any spiritual
inclusive one, which removes the
their inherent dishonesty and become
possible for a lifelong af fliction to heal
group that appeals to you whether you
observer from the victim posture. Every
wasteful and cumbersome. The health-
rapidly with a mere shift of attitude; but
believe in it or not and hope that in your
joke reminds us that our reality is
care industry is so overburdened with
although this shift may seem to occur in a
case a miracle may occur"10-may hold
transcendent, beyond the specifics of
fear and regulation that it can barely
split second, it may take years of inner
true for anyone who wishes to recover
events. Gallows humor, for instance, is
function. Healing from individual illnesspreparation. from a progressive disease. based on the juxtaposition of the
or the healing of the health-care industry
(186) W e remember that the critical point in
In spontaneous recovery there is opposites of a paradox; the relief of
basic itself can only occur by the progressive
any complex system is the locus at which
frequently a marked increase in the
anxiety then results in a laugh. One of the
steps of elevation of motive and the least power is required to alter the
capacity to love and the awareness of the
frequent accompaniments of sudden
abandonment of self-deception, to attain
whole system. A move of even one pawn
importance of love as a healing factor. enlightening realizations is laughter. The
new clarity of vision. There are not any
on the chessboard completely changes
W e have been told that to love is to live


on1ic problen1s, and
food shortages, have plagut ·d China to this day. The shaky Dragon Throne n1ight have survived its problems,
as it had before, if there had been no outside forces to tip the bal
ance. But at this tin1e, driven by the trading itnpcratives of the In
dustrial Revol ution, European powers were casting their eyes on
the protnise of rich pr otits in the East. Despite repeated protests
by the Chinese governn1ent, British traders flooded China with
increasing atnounts of India n-gro wn opiun1. When a Chinese
itnpcrial comm issioner seized a British shipn1ent of opiurn in
Canton and burned it, the British sent their gunboats to China,
thus launching the First l)piunl War ( 1 S39-1 S42). The Chine Sl' had invented various \Vl'apons, hut thei r descen
dants by then had forgottl ·n about thl'nl. The.. barbarians" fron1
thl· West had itnproved and nlolk·rnized these guns and cannons,
which, when carried on fighting ships, rl'IH.kr ed their hl·arers vir
tually invincibk. The once proud Cdestial En1pin: was brought
to its knees. China was, in the l'tH.i, a papl·r tiger. The pigtails
sported by Chinl·se n1en. as specified by irnperial decree, and the
bound feet of Chinl·se won1en becune syn1hols of a backwar d,
degraded people. The elite of the nation increasingly sought so
lace and escape in opiu n1, \vhich was evl·rywher e.
Thus was trigg ered the disintegration of an ancient crnpirc, a
resplendent civilization. For n1ore than half a century Britain,
Japan. and other colonial powers repeatedly encroached on Chi
nese sovereign rights. Whenever the Chinese balked, European
gunboats and troops invaded China. Only the Open Door policy
(equal opportunity for all powers), advocated by the United
States. saved China from being partitioned into colonies the way
the African continent was. Outrage at the indignities inflicted on them by the "foreign
devils" touched off decades of violent uprisings among the Chi
nese. The Boxer Rebellion, which culminated in 1900, was one
such rabidly antiforeign uprising. Early in this century, a boy
monarch ascended to the throne, and the millennia-old monarchy
soon was toppled by republican revolutionaries. During the next
half-century China was devastated by battles among warlords
and repeated Japanese invasions. The internal convulsions became
more and more violent and senseless, and the Maoist Red Guards
fought this violence with more violence. In this turbulent period,
the so-called Cultural Revolution, many people were tortured or
killed, and countless invaluable cultural artifacts destroyed. It will
take years, perhaps generations, for China to recover from this
cultural catastrophe. The traumatic loss of national prestige over the past two cen
turies has brought the once proud Chinese to lose faith in their
own cultural heritage. Many, especially the educated, have begun
to scorn things Chinese and worship the West. Today the Chinese
know only vaguely of their past cultur al brilliance; many are un
aware of their ancestors'sophistication in many areas, sex In
cluded. 21 3
When Confucius Wasn't
Lool<ing
Customs, Courtesies, and Courtesans
SYMBOLS OF YIN AND YANG
Sexuality has been all-pervasive in the Chinese psyche, whether
in the prin1eval sexual cosmology or everyday customs and tradi
tions. Through the centuries, however, this cosmic sexuality has
been subtly symbolized and stylized, so that the sexual origin has
been often obscured, and sometimes even forgotten. China has had no overt phallic worship. Nevertheless, the
symbolic phallus, as well as the syn1bolic vulva, recur frequently. Chinese written characters, nuny of which are con1posed of two
or n1ore elements, or radicals, developed frorn pictures, represen
tational inuges. Although n1ost characters have evolved into styl
ized forn1s, son1e can be traced easily to their pictorial origin. The
character for.. sun," for instance, is J square (originally a circle)
with a dot (sun spot) inside. The character for.. prisoner" recalls a
hurnan figure held in a stockade. The character ft)r "ancestor" is
foni1ed by two radicals, but its older fonn consisted of only one,
resetnbling an erect phallus with two ridges around it. The char
acter tor "tnother," made with SL'Veral curves and two dots, can1c
fr01n the imagL' of the breasts and nipples of a nursing wonun. The character tt)f "woman" is a spread -eagle hunun tonn with a hole in the appropriate place. The character for "debauchery"
consists of three of these spread-eagle forms. Sexual symbolism has entered into ritual and common cus
toms as well. Until a century ago, at a festival held at the first full
moon of the Lunar New Year, Chinese women customarily would
visit the Cheng Yang Gate of the old city wall of Beijing. The
massive doors of the gate were studded with thick, blunt stylized
nails which protruded several inches from the doors. The women
would fondle these undeniably phallic-shaped nails with their
hands to ensure good health and fertility. Chinese art and crafts, with the exception of Buddhist sculp
ture and murals, are full of sexual symbolism. Landscape painting
often features lofty, craggy mountains in the background, dotted
with knarled trees and shrouded in clouds; in the foreground is a
lake, a bubbling stream, or a waterfall tumbling through wispy
mists. Such elegant, poetic scenes are also sexual, for the Yin
Yang polarity runs throughout them. Mountain peaks and craggy
rocks are Yang; valleys and bodies of water are Yin. Swirling
clouds and mists symbolize female sexual secretions; rain, male
semen. The Yin and Yang in works of art symbolize arousal; each
energizes its opposite with a vital sexual energy. Harmonizing be
tween Yin and Yang is the genesis of everything in the Chinese
universe. Paintings other than landscapes may be equally laden
with sexuality. One famous work shows two women in a misty
garden, surrounded by peonies and lin.R-chih (divine mushrooms);
a male phoenix hovers above then1. Here the Yin of won1en,
peonies, mushrooms, and mist is being energized by, and is har
monizing with, the Yang of the male phoenix. The subtle vocabulary of sex ual symbolism is endless. A per
fect harmony between Yin and Yang is the uni on of the Yin earth
and the Yang heaven. Emanations from earth-water, clouds,
mists-a re Yin, wh ile things from heaven-rain, dragons, jade
(thought to be con gealed dragon semen )-are Yang. Yang sym
bols in art include stallions, rams, cock s, and unicorns. Yin syrn
bols include the peach, peo ny, lotus, and chrysanthen 1um, all of
which suggest the vulva. The cloud -shaped lin)!-ch ih rnushr oon 1,
valued by Taoists as the plant of immortality, syn1bo1izes fetnale
t>fAuvia. Vases and other con tainer s are Yin symbols. Medici ne cups
Wl're often made of rhino ceros horn, which symbolizes the vulv a When Confucius Wasn't Looking THE SE NSUAL LANDSCAPE
24 with its dripping Yin essence. Incense burners consist of a bowl
(female organ) on a tripod (male organ). The good-luck emblem
ju-i ("as you wish"), a favorite in reception halls and at wedding
ceremonies, is a stylized scepter, often carved in jade. Its graceful
shape belies its origin: theju-i is a discreet phallic symbol. In the past in China, personal seals were used instead of signa
tures; they functioned as a symbol of authority. An emperor's
edicts, for instance, had to carry his royal seal. Paintings too have
always borne the artist's personal seal. Besides the carved scripts
on the bottom, necessary for imprinting, seals are often decorated
on the sides with representations of mountains, dragons, and
other subjects. Many seals have a rounded top, a subtle phallic
shape. Until recently, gold and silver in China were cast in the
form of yuan-pao (prime treasure) instead of ingots and bars; the
boat-shaped yuatz-pao is a vulva symbol. Many Chinese paintings depict an old man sitting serenely
near winter


 within me. I would later
come to learn that the Bhagavad Gita  says that one
should raise the self with Self, not trample down the self. I h ad been tram pling down my personal self in the name
of getti ng free from his humanness. I now needed to
learn how to r aise those energies up to assist me on the
journey. I l eft my van and walked in th e direction of the temple
building. I was feeling much l ighter and more open. I felt
like I wanted to  unbind myself and spread my wings. But
there was something that I n eeded to do first. Since the
beginning of my mental disciplines, I had imagined a
room inside my mind where  I would take my personalself to meditate. It was a roo m with giant wooden doors
for entr y and solid glass for walls. What made this room
so special was that the glass walls looked out upon the
entire universe. Sitting in the lone meditation seat, one
could s ee Eart h suspended in the darkness of space. In
the distance were stars and galaxies floating in the
infinite. Whenever Mickey had a problem, I took him
there to chill out. I even used to play with leaving him
there. I wanted him always to be quiet, and I wanted him
always to remember that all his experiences were
happening on a tiny speck of dirt floating through
infinite space. That morning when I stopped on my way to the
temple, I closed my eyes and opened the giant wooden
doors t o that very special ro om. The person I had left
sitting on the meditation seat immediately straightened
himself up. As I approached him, he became more
disciplined and focused. In drastic contrast to how strict
I had been in t he past, I reached my hand out to him in a
kind and caring manner and  said, “You can come out
now.” What followed that utterance makes me ashamed
to this day for thinking this p ractice was some sort of an
innocent mind game. The moment I said those words, I
experienced an emotional release the intensity of which I
had never imagined possibl e. Tears poured from my
eyes, and my legs completely buckled beneath me. My
heart broke open as though some major event had taken
place that allowed for a lifetime’s worth of relief. Once this cathartic release had run its course, I
realized some thing I will never forget: that scared,
troubled person in there whom I had been watching and
judging was indeed a person. The psyche is a person with
feelings and thoughts, hopes, fears, and dreams. He is
not to be locked in a room and constantly told to shut up. There are much more constructive ways to deal with
these disturbed, self-centered energies. Unfortunately, I
had to learn this the hard way—through experience.Feeling more whole than I had been feeling for a long
while, I remembered my statement in the dream, I’ll
have to find another way. There was no question as to
what “the other way” wou ld be. I had to learn to
surrender more, instead of struggling so much. I had
already determined to surrender to life’s flow, even if I
couldn’t under stand where it was taking me. I had to do
the sam e thing inwardly. I n eeded to learn to just relax
inside instead of fighting with my mind so much. Just
because the voice talks doesn ’t mean I have to listen to it
or let it affect the direction o f my life. It has nothing to
do with me—I can just relax regardless of what it’s
saying. I was b ack to the basic s: I am the one who notices
the voice talking. I ca me out of  silence for th e rest of my stay at the
community. I don’t mean I ta lked a lot, because I didn’t. I wa s ju st socia l enough to wh ere people felt comfortable
talking to me. I met some of the longtime residents and
listened to stories of their own journeys. Despite the
changes I was going through, I didn’t change my
meditation an d yoga sessions. They were not the
problem; I was the problem. I  had built a mental concept
of absolute discipline that was actually holding me back. In my meditations, I had been achieving heights by
pushing down on the lower e nergies. But that was just a
form of suppression. I had to learn to channel those
energies upward instead of pushing them away from me. It took some time, but I eventually began to realize the
true purpose of yoga. Done p roperly, yoga is the science
of channeling  all energies upward until they merge
together at the highest point—Oneness. After a  few weeks at the community, I started my
journey home. It was a wiser, clearer person who drove
back to  Florida. Though the s eeds had been planted and
some very deep lessons had been learned, it was going to
take some time for me to le arn how to come to peace
with myself. Meanwhile, I was looking forward toreturning hom e to my land and to the solitude of my
beautiful house in the woods.1 9. A c c e p t a n c e,  A c c e p t a n c e,  a n d  M o r e
A c c e p t a n c e
M y mind remained very peaceful during my drive across
the country. But I faced a ser ious challenge to my vow of
acceptance the moment I arrived home. As I drove
through the woods onto the interior field, instead of the
characteristic silence, I heard  the buzz of a circular saw. I
then saw Sandy and my friend Bob Gould donned in
carpentry aprons and climbing on a structure they were
building on my land. It was o ne of those rub-your-eyes-
in-disbelief moments. I asked what was going on. Sandy cheerfully informed
me tha t she was building a house, and Bob Gould had
agreed to help her. I don’t recall the demeanor of my
voice, b ut I reminded her that this was my land on which
she was building her house. Again, very cheerfully, Sandy
replied that she was laying no claims to the house, and it
would b e mine when she decided to leave. She obviously
had worked it all out in her  head and had no problem
with it. I decid ed I’d better g o home and meditate a bit
before responding. Imagine what that voice in my head was saying: Oh my
God! How dare she make a  decision like that without
even asking me? I don’t want another house on my land. I d on’t want an yone else staying out here, so why would
I wa nt another house? How in the world does someone
make a decision to build a house on someone else’s
property without ever asking them? On  and on it w ent,
but by then I w as well trained to just calmly observe all
these thoughts  being created by the preference-drivenmind. A fter all, if I had wanted another house on the
property that voice would be saying, What a miracle! God stepped in and started b uilding me a second house
without my having to do a s ingle thing. To me, it didn’t
matter what that voice was s aying. I knew to the core of
my being that I was not going to give him the time of day,
not to mention the run of my life. If I had a choice
between using this real-life si tuation to get my way or to
free my self from being bound to my way, I would choose
freedom every time. That was the essence of my
experiment with life: if it’s down to a matter of
preference—life wins. So I went back up the hill,
strapped on an apron, and helped them build Sandy’s
house. It fe lt good to  be building again. This time around I
was not  a greenhorn—I was a carpenter. The difference is
amazing between the first time you do something and
the next. I felt like I knew what I was doing, and that
gave m e a sense of confidence and inner strength. I
wasn’t w orking on the house for Sandy, or for myself; the
flow of life had  placed me in this situation. It was during
the building of Sandy’s cabin that I first started the ritual
of o ffering my work up to t he invisible force that was
guiding me. I was not in charge, yet life continued to
unfold as if it knew just what it was doing. I would serve
that force. Call it what you want—God, Christ, Spirit. These were no longer just na mes of something to believe
in. The events that were pu lling me through life were
tangible and real to me. I nwardly, I began to offer
everything I did up to the Universal Force. All I wanted
was to return h ome to that be autiful place deep inside of
me. If following the invisible hand of life would take me
there, so be it. Sandy’s house was very simple. It was similar to what I
had thought we were


 always and already are. That is,
it recognises itself, in you, as you.’
29you are the happiness you seek
     ‘Is there something else I should do now?’ he asked. ‘If this is clear’, I suggested, ‘nothing remains to be done. Who would
do it, and to what end? The question of doing something or not doing some -
thing simply no longer arises. However, if it is not clear, that is, if suffering
arises again, see that it arises on behalf of the temporary, finite self that,
at least in that moment, you believe yourself to be. ‘Once again you can simply trace your way back to your inherently peace -
ful and unconditionally fulfilled nature of pure awareness. In time, the ap -
pearance of suffering, the recognition of the false assumption on whose
behalf it arises and the return to your being will be almost simultaneous. You
begin to be established in your true nature. ‘As soon as the suffering arises, it is met with the mirror of understanding
and effortlessly dissolves. Self-enquiry gives way to self-abidance. The hap -
piness we seek is revealed as the happiness we are.’

This understanding is the fulfilment of the search. It brings us back to the
place from which we never really departed. We left home and set out on a
great adventure seeking peace and fulfilment, only to find ourself back at
home again, as if for the first time. In fact, we didn’t even leave home. It is more like one who falls asleep
and dreams that they embark on an epic journey. They pass through
many traumatic childhood experiences, grow up, get married, have a
family, struggle to earn a living, grow old, become sick and die. And as
they die, they wake up to find that they were lying peacefully on their
bed all along. The journey is the pathless path from our self to our self, from the hap -
piness we seek to the happiness we are. Ironically, it is almost always necessary
to embark on some sort of journey before this becomes clear.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        you are the happiness you seek   rupert spira
SAHAJAWhenever we are seeking happiness, it is in
fact our innate happiness that is seeking us. The happiness we seek is the happiness we are. ’
– rupert spira‘
Rupert Spira is renowned for his ability to
guide people to a direct experience of their
innate happiness or true nature. He is a teacher
of the Direct Path, which is the epitome of the
non-dual understanding that lies at the heart
of all the great religious and spiritual traditions,
such as Advaita Vedanta, Kashmir Shaivism,
Hinduism, Buddhism, mystical Christianity,
Sufism and Zen. You Are the
Happiness You Seek

 Uncovering the Awareness of Being
rupert spiraIn this book, Rupert Spira distils the message of all the great
religious and spiritual traditions into two essential truths:
happiness is the very nature of our self or being, and we share
our being with everyone and everything. Drawing on numerous examples from his own experience,
Spira demonstrates that to seek lasting happiness through
objects, situations and relationships is destined for failure
and disappointment, and skilfully guides the reader to
recognise that we are already the happiness we seek. This book is for anyone who yearns for lasting happiness
and is open to the possibility that it is continuously available
within ourselves, irrespective of our circumstances. Could there be any greater discovery in life than to know
that we are already that for which we long. How may we find lasting peace and happiness. ‘I’ve gained deeper understanding listening to Rupert Spira
than I have from any other exponent of modern spirituality. ’
deepak chopra‘Rupert Spira’s articulate and very intimate style of teaching
is truly transformational. I’ve read and treasure all of his books. ’
– rhonda byrne, author of The Secret and The Greatest Secret

‘Let Rupert Spira, one of the ﬁnest teachers of the present time,
gently guide you home to your innate peace and happiness. ’
– peter russell, author of Letting Go of Nothing
*     *     *
SAHAJA
$21. 95    £15. 99     SPIRITUALITY
ISBN  978  -1-  68403  - 012  - 5
www. sahajapublications. comYou Are the Happiness You Seek Cover with 12. 2mm spine. qxp_Layout 1  21/01/2022  17:39  Page 1you are the happiness you seek   rupert spira
SAHAJAWhenever we are seeking happiness, it is in
fact our innate happiness that is seeking us.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: What is the author's main message?,
A: The author's main message is that happiness is the very nature of our being, and it is not something that can be found in external circumstances, but rather it is always available within us.
Q: What is the author's approach to helping people find happiness?,
A: The author's approach is to guide people to recognize that they are already the happiness they seek, and to help them understand that they do not need to seek it in external objects, situations, or relationships.
Q: What is the author's view on the nature of happiness?,
A: The author believes that happiness is not something that can be found in external circumstances, but rather it is the nature of our being and is always available within us.
Q: What is the author's opinion on the idea that people are seeking happiness in the wrong place?,
A: The author believes that most people are seeking happiness in the wrong place, as they are conditioned to believe that happiness comes from external sources, and are unaware of the fact that they are already the happiness they seek.
Q: What is the author's suggestion for overcoming suffering and finding happiness?,
A: The author suggests that one should not try to change their thoughts, feelings, or sensations, but rather recognize that they are already the happiness they seek and rest in their true nature, and that this understanding is the key to overcoming suffering.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>It is for this
reason that Bayazid Bastami said, ‘That for which we long cannot be found
by seeking, and yet only seekers find it’. *

*     *     *

30* As quoted in James Fadiman and Robert Frager, Essential Sufism  (HarperCollins, 1997 ). the art of self-enquiry
I’m haunted by the feeling of being a failure and not having fulfilled my poten -
tial in life. I’ve tried so many approaches to help with this but it just persists. Can the practice of self-enquiry help me? In this approach we don’t pay much attention to the feeling of failure or lack
of fulfilment. Instead we go directly to the core of the issue, the ‘I’ on whose
behalf such feelings arise. All our emotional or psychological suffering arises on behalf of that one,
so by resolving this issue once and for all, we do not simply take care of the
feeling of being a failure or unfulfilled; we take care of the  source  of all afflic -
tive emotions. When we explore the ‘I’ around whom our suffering revolves, we don’t
find a self who is frustrated, unfulfilled, anxious, lonely, ashamed, and so on. We find our essential being, which is completely free of any such feelings. That is to say, it finds or recognises itself. It is open, empty, at peace and
without any sense of lack. This is our natural state. In fact, it is not even necessary to conceptualise it as peace and happiness. We do so only in order to contrast it with our previous state of disturbance
and lack. Once we have been accustomed to this natural condition for some
time, it simply becomes our new norm. All that is necessary is to remain in touch with our self, the inherently
peaceful and unconditionally fulfilled presence of awareness, until this be -
comes our new, felt sense of self. In fact, it is not really a new sense of self. It is simply the familiar sense of self that always accompanies us, that is us,
but is now relieved of its previous agitation and sense of lack. The feeling of dissatisfaction which has accompanied us for most of our
life simply leaves us, not because we have done anything to it but because
we have undermined the assumption upon which it arose. We feel fulfilled,
but for no particular reason. All our physical and mental faculties remain intact. They are simply re -
lieved of the tyranny of the separate self and, as a result, are now free to be
used in service of the qualities that are inherent in us, namely peace, joy, love
and freedom. *     *     *

31you are the happiness you seek
How can one evaluate the authenticity of a teaching? One of the hallmarks of a true teaching is that it is not affiliated with any
particular position, attitude or practice. It is not a body of knowledge and
practices that is disseminated like a maths or history curriculum. It is simply
a spontaneous response to a situation or question that comes directly from
understanding or love. Understanding and love do not have a form of their own and are, therefore,
free to assume any shape or action that is perfectly


	only	are	these	numbers	high,	but
the	rate	at	which	they	have	been	rising	is	ominous	(
Chart	1.2
,	page	13). 1
But	what	do	the	terms	“overweight”	and	“obese”	mean? The	standard
expression	of	body	size	is	the	body	mass	index	(BMI). It	represents	body
weight	(in	kilograms,	kg)	relative	to	body	height	(in	meters	squared,	m
2
). By
most	official	standards,	being	overweight	is	having	a	BMI	above	twenty-five,
and	being	obese	is	having	a	BMI	over	thirty. The	same	scale	is	used	for	both
men	and	women. You	can	determine	your	own	BMI	using
Chart	6.1
,	which
lists	the	necessary	information	in	pounds	and	inches	for	your	convenience.CHART	6.1:	BODY	MASS	INDEX	TABLE
THE	CHILDREN
Perhaps	the	most	depressing	element	of	our	supersize	mess	is	the	growing
number	of	overweight	and	obese	children. About	15%	of	America’s	youth
(ages	six	to	nineteen)	are	overweight. Another	15%	are	at	risk	of	becoming
overweight. 2
Overweight	children	face	a	wide	range	of	psychological	and	social
challenges. As	you	know,	children	have	a	knack	for	being	open	and
blunt;
sometimes	the	playground	can	be	a	merciless	place. Overweight	children	find
it	more	difficult	to	make	friends	and	are	often	thought	of	as	lazy	and	sloppy. They	are	more	likely	to	have	behavioral	and	learning	difficulties,	and	the	low
self-esteem	likely	to	be	formed	during	adolescence	can	last	forever. 3
Young	people	who	are	overweight	also	are	highly	likely	to	face	a	host	of
medical	problems. They	often	have	elevated	cholesterol	levels,	which	can	be
a	predictor	for	any	number	of	deadly	diseases. They	are	more	likely	to	have
problems	with	glucose	intolerance,	and,	consequently,	diabetes. Type	2
diabetes,	formerly	seen	only	in	adults,	is	skyrocketing	among	adolescents. (See	chapters	seven	and	nine	for	a	more	thorough	discussion	of	childhood
diabetes.) Elevated	blood	pressure	is	nine	times	more	likely	to	occur	among
obese	kids. Sleep	apnea,	which	can	cause	neuro-cognitive	problems,	is	found
in	one	in	ten	obese	children. A	wide	variety	of	bone	problems	is	more
common	in	obese	kids. Most	importantly,	an	obese	young	person	is	much
more	likely	to	be	an	obese	adult,
3
	greatly	increasing	the	likelihood	of	lifelong
health	problems.CONSEQUENCES	FOR	THE	ADULT
If	you	are	obese,	you	may	not	be	able	to	do	many	things	that	could	make	your
life	more	enjoyable. You	may	find	that	you	cannot	play	vigorously	with	your
grandchildren	(or	your	children),	walk	long	distances,	participate	in	sports,
find	a	comfortable	seat	in	a	movie	theatre	or	airplane	or	have	an	active	sex
life. In	fact,	even	sitting	still	in	a	chair	may	be	impossible	without
experiencing	back	or	joint	pain. For	many,	standing	is	hard	on	the	knees. Carrying	around	too	much	weight	can	dramatically	affect	physical	mobility,
work,	mental	health,	self-perception	and	social	life. So	you	see,	this	isn’t
about	death;	it	really	is	about	missing	many	of	the	more	enjoyable	things	in
life. 4
Clearly	no	one
desires
	to	be	overweight. So	why	is	it	that	two	out	of	three
adult	Americans	are	overweight? Why	is	one-third	of	the	population	obese? The	problem	is	not	a	lack	of	money. In	1999,	medical	care	costs	relating	to
obesity	alone	were	estimated	to	be	$70	billion. 5
	In	2002,	a	mere	three	years
later,	the	American	Obesity	Association	listed	these	costs	at	$100	billion. 6
This	is	not	all. Add	another	$30–40	billion	out-of-pocket	money	that	we
spend	trying	to	keep	off	the	weight	in	the	first	place. 5
	Going	on	special
weight-loss	diet	plans	and	popping	pills	to	cut	our	appetites	or	rearrange	our
metabolism	have	become	a	national	pastime. This	is	an	economic	black	hole	that	sucks	our	money	away	without
offering	anything	in	return. Imagine	paying	$40	to	a	service	man	to	fix	your
leaky	kitchen	sink,	and	then	two	weeks	later,	the	sink	pipes	explode	and	flood
the	kitchen	and	it	costs	$500	to	repair. I	bet	you	wouldn’t	ask	that	guy	to	fix
your	sink	again! So	then	why	do	we	endlessly	try	those	weight-loss	plans,
books,	drinks,	energy	bars	and	assorted	gimmicks	when	they	don’t	deliver	as
promised? I	applaud	people	for	trying	to	achieve	a	healthy	weight. I	don’t	question
the	worthiness	or	dignity	of	overweight	people	any	more	than	I	question
cancer	victims. My	criticism	is	of	a	societal	system	that	allows	and	even
encourages	this	problem. I	believe,	for	example,	that	we	are	drowning	in	an
ocean	of	very	bad	information,	too	much	of	it	intended	to	put	money	into
someone	else’s	pockets. What	we	really	need,	then,	is	a	new	solution
comprised	of	good	information	for	individual	people	to	use	at	a	price	that	they
can	afford.THE	SOLUTION
The	solution	to	losing	weight	is	a	whole	foods,	plant-based	diet,	coupled	with
a	reasonable	amount	of	exercise. It	is	a	long-term	lifestyle	change,	rather	than
a	quick-fix	fad,	and	it	can	provide	sustained	weight	loss	while	minimizing
risk	of	chronic	disease. Have	you	ever	known	anyone	who	regularly	consumes	fresh	fruits,
vegetables	and	whole	grain	foods—and	rarely,	if	ever,	consumes	meats	or
junk	foods	like	chips,	French	fries	and	candy	bars? What	is	his	or	her	weight
like? If	you	know	many	people	like	this,	you	have	probably	noticed	that	they
tend	to	have	a	healthy	weight. Now	think	of	traditional	cultures	around	the
world. Think	of	traditional	Asian	cultures	(Chinese,	Japanese,	Indian),	where
a	couple	of	billion	people	have	been	eating	a	mostly	plant-based	diet	for
thousands	of	years. It’s	hard	to	imagine	these	people—at	least	until	recently—
as	anything	other	than	slender. Now	imagine	a	guy	buying	two	hot	dogs	and	ordering	his	second	beer	at	a
baseball	game,	or	a	woman	ordering	a	cheeseburger	and	fries	at	your	local
fast	food	joint. The	people	in	these	images	look	different,	don’t	they? Unfortunately,	the	guy	munching	his	hot	dogs	and	sipping	his	beer	is	rapidly
becoming	the	“all-American”	image. I	have	had	visitors	from	other	countries
tell	me	that	one	of	the	first	things	they	notice	when	they	arrive	in	our	good
land	is	the	exceptional	number	of	fat	people. Solving	this	problem	does	not	require	magic	tricks	or	complex	equations
involving	blood	types	or	carbohydrate	counting	or	soul
searching. Simply
trust	your	observations	on	who	is	slim,	vigorous	and	healthy	and	who	is


primarily	consume	food	to	satisfy
our	need	for	calories,	not	our	need	for	weight. I	will	do	the	same
throughout	this	book. 20
. National	Research	Council. Diet,	Nutrition	and	Cancer
. Washington,
DC:	National	Academy	Press,	1982. 21
. United	States	Department	of	Health	and	Human	Services. The	Surgeon
General’s	Report	on	Nutrition	and	Health
. Washington,	DC:
Superintendant	of	Documents,	U.S.	Government	Printing	Office,	1988. 22
. National	Research	Council,	and	Committee	on	Diet	and	Health. Diet	and
health:	implications	for	reducing	chronic	disease	risk
. Washington,	DC:National	Academy	Press,	1989. 23
. Expert	Panel. Food,	nutrition	and	the	prevention	of	cancer,	a	global
perspective
. Washington,	DC:	American	Institute	for	Cancer
Research/World	Cancer	Research	Fund,	1997. 24
. Exceptions	include	those	foods	artificially	stripped	of	their	fat,	such	as
non-fat	milk. 25
. Armstrong	D,	and	Doll	R.	“Environmental	factors	and	cancer	incidence
and	mortality	in	different	countries,	with	special	reference	to	dietary
practices.”
Int. J. Cancer
	15	(1975):	617–631. 26
. U.S.	Senate. “Dietary	goals	for	the	United	States,	2nd	Edition.”
Washington,	DC:	U.S.	Government	Printing	Office,	1977. 27
. Committee	on	Diet	Nutrition	and	Cancer. Diet,	nutrition	and	cancer:
directions	for	research
. Washington,	DC:	National	Academy	Press,
1983. 28
. There	also	were	a	number	of	other	policy	statements	and	large	human
studies	that	were	begun	at	about	this	time	that	were	to	receive	much
public	discussion	and	that	were	founded	and/or	interpreted	in	relation	to
dietary	fat	and	these	diseases. These	included	the	initiation	of	the	U.S.
Dietary	Guidelines	report	series	begun	in	1980,	the	Harvard	Nurses’
Health	Study	in	1984,	the	initial	reports	of	the	Framingham	Heart	Study
in	the	1960s,	the	Seven	Countries	Study	of	Ancel	Keys,	the	Multiple
Risk	Factor	Intervention	Trial	(MRFIT)	and	others. 29
. Carroll	KK,	Braden	LM,	Bell	JA,	et	al. “Fat	and	cancer.”
Cancer
	58
(1986):	1818–1825. 30
. Drasar	BS,	and	Irving	D.	“Environmental	factors	and	cancer	of	the	colon
and	breast.”
Br. J. Cancer
	27	(1973):	167–172. 31
. Haenszel	W,	and	Kurihara	M.	“Studies	of	Japanese	Migrants:	mortality
from	cancer	and	other	disease	among	Japanese	and	the	United	States.”
J
Natl	Cancer	Inst
	40	(1968):	43–68. 32
. Higginson	J,	and	Muir	CS. “Epidemiology	in	Cancer.”
In:
	J.	E	Holland
and	E.	Frei	(eds. ),
Cancer	Medicine
,	pp. 241–306. Philadelphia,	PA:	Lea
and	Febiger,	1973. 33
. The	correlation	of	fat	intake	with	animal	protein	intake	is	84%	for	grams
of	fat	consumed	and	70%	for	fat	as	a	percent	of	calories. 34
. Kelsey	JL,	Gammon	MD,	and	Esther	MJ. “Reproductive	factors	and
breast	cancer.”
Epidemiol
. Revs. 15	(1993):	36–47. 35
. de	Stavola	BL,	Wang	DY,	Allen	DS,	et	al. “The	association	of	height,
weight,	menstrual	and	reproductive	events	with	breast	cancer:	results
from	two	prospective	studies	on	the	island	of	Guernsey	(United
Kingdom).”
Cancer	Causes	and	Control
	4	(1993):	331–340.36
. Rautalahti	M,	Albanes	D,	Virtamo	J,	et	al. “Lifetime	menstrual	activity
—indicator	of	breast	cancer	risk.”	(1993):	17–25
37
. It	was	not	possible	to	statistically	detect	an	association	of	blood	hormone
levels	with	breast	cancer	risk	within	this	group	of	women	because	their
blood	samples	were	taken	at	random	times	of	their	menstrual	cycles	and
breast	cancer	rates	were	so	low,	thus	minimizing	the	ability	to	detect
such	an	association,	even	when	real. 38
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. These	biomarkers	include	plasma	copper,	urea	nitrogen,	estradiol,
prolactin,	testosterone	and,	inversely,	sex	hormone	binding	globulin,
each	of	which	has	been	known	to	be	associated	with	animal	protein
intake	from	previous	studies. 40
. For	the	total	dietary	fiber	(TDF),	the	averages	for	China	and	the	U.S.
were	33.3	and	11.1	grams	per	day,	respectively. The	range	of	the	county
averages	are	7.7–77.6	grams	per	day	in	China,	compared	with	a	range	of
2.4–26.6	grams	per	day	for	the	middle	90%	of	American	males. 41
. The	correlation	for	plant	protein	was	+0.53***	and	for	animal	protein
was	+0.12. 42
. In	principle,	using	“cancer	prevalence	within	families”	as	the	outcome
measurement	more	effectively	controls	for	the	various	causes	of	cancer
that	associate	with	different	kinds	of	cancer,	thus	permitting	study	of	an
isolated	effect	of	the	dietary	factor. 43
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. The	full	effects	of	these	fat-soluble	antioxidants	can	be	demonstrated
only	when	antioxidant	concentrations	are	adjusted	for	the	levels	of	LDL
for	individual	subjects. This	was	not	known	at	the	time	of	the	survey,
thus	provisions	were	not	made	for	this	adjustment. 45
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