Every	entity	that	lives	loves	its
existence,	not	because	it	has	emotionality,	but	because	the	joy	of
awareness	is	intrinsic	to	life	and	all	existence. Knowingness	does	not
require	either	thought	or	feeling	because	existence	contains	the	quality	of
Divine	awareness. Life	itself	knows	that	it	exists,	but	it	gets	caught	up	in
its	identification	with	its	current	form. From	the	level	of	awareness	of
Truth	and	Reality,	death	is	an	impossibility	because	it	has	no	reality,	just	as
absence	is	not	a	state	of	being	but	a	mental	description. For	death	to	occur,
it	would	have	to	be	part	of	the	karmic	potentiality	of	the	universe. It	is	not
a	possible	potentiality,	and	there	is	nothing	to	occur. Nothingness	is	not	a
thing	that	can	happen. Life,	like	existence,	has	no	opposite,	just	as	truth	has	no	opposite,	self-
existent	pseudoreality	such	as	falsehood. Truth	is	either	present	or	not. Divinity,	God,	Allness,	Oneness,	and	the	Absolute	are	All	That	Is;	no
opposite	to	God	can	exist. Only	the	true	is	true;	nothing	else	exists. All
fear,	then,	arises	from	attachment	to	form	due	to	the	illusion	that	form	is	a
necessary	requirement	for	existence.CHAPTER	12
The	Search	for	Truth
Q:	Where	does	one	begin	the	search	for	spiritual	truth	self-realization
called	enlightenment? A:	It	is	simple. Begin	with	who	and	what	you	are. All	truth	is	found	within. Use	verified	teachings	as	a	guide
Q:	Where	is	that	reality	of	eternal	truth	to	be	found? A:	Begin	by	accepting	the	very	important	statement	that	
all	truth	is	subjective
. Do	not	waste	lifetimes	looking	for	an	objective	truth	because	no	such	thing
exists. Even	if	it	did,	it	could	not	be	found	except	by	the	purely	subjective
experience	of	it. All	knowledge	and	wisdom	are	subjective. Nothing	can
be	said	to	exist	unless	it	is	subjectively	experienced. Even	a	supposedly
purely	objective	material	world,	if	it	existed,	could	be	said	to	exist	only
because	of	one’s	subjective	sensory	experience	of	it. Even	the	most	rabid
materialist	is	stuck	with	the	fact	that	in	the	end,	it	is	only	their	own
subjective	awareness	that	gives	it	the	authority	of	believability. Q:	Is	there	not	a	difference	between	an	objective	and	a	subjective	reality? A:	All	reality	is	subjective. Every	other	position	is	an	illusion	based	on
duality. The	subjective	and	objective	are	one	and	the	same,	just	different
descriptions	from	different	points	of	perception. Reality	is	not	based	on
perception,	duration,	description,	form,	or	measurement. All	such
attributes	are	those	of	perception	itself,	which	is,	by	its	very	nature,
transitory,	arbitrary,	limited,	illusory,	and	dualistic. Q:	What	is	the	value	of	the	great	teachers	and	teachings? A:	The	gift	is	not	limited	to	information,	facts,	or	wisdom	but	the	level	or
power	of	consciousness	from	which	they	emanate. Great	power	is
sustained	by	purity	of	context. The	usefulness	of	many	teachings	has	been
destroyed	by	error	in	the	context	in	which	they	were	taught,	and	thus	their
meaning	has	been	obscured	or	distorted. How	else	could	mankind	be	led
into	its	historic,	repetitious	pattern	of	horrific	and	ghastly	acts	committed
in	the	name	of	some	religion,	theological	dogma,	or	positionality? Every
human	crime	can	be	excused	and	rationalized	by	some	distorted	statement
that	claims	to	be	truth	because	it	was	‘taken	out	of	Scripture’	by	those	whoseek	power,	fame,	wealth,	and	control	over	others. Dogma	masquerades	as
truth	and	provides	the	slogans	that	lead	whole	civilizations
sanctimoniously,	piously,	and	arrogantly	to	grim	and	horrific	death. All
such	empires	expire. Q:	What	is	the	difference	in	meaning	among	God,	Is-ness,	Buddhahood,
Christ,	Avatar,	Truth,	Enlightenment,	Self,	Krishna,	Reality,
Awareness,	Oneness,	Absoluteness,	Allness,	Totality,	and	Divinity? A:	None. Different	linguistic	forms	reflect	the	culture	of	origin	of	the
teachings. Q:	But	are	there	not	differences	between	the	truths	of	the	different
teachings? A:	In	actuality,	no	difference	is	possible. All	supposed	differences	are	merely
due	to	misunderstandings	and	are	reflections	of	limitations	of	context. Differences	may	exist	among	religions	but	not	among	truly	spiritual
teachings. Spirituality	unites;	religiosity	divides. Q:	How	can	that	be	possible? A:	All	truth	is	self-existent,	total,	complete,	and	all	encompassing	without
location,	duration,	or	parts. Because	truth	is	self-existent	as	itself	in	its
totality,	that	which	is	a	self-evident,	subjective	state	of	‘I’	encompasses	All
That	Is. Allness	allows	for	no	division. Q:	What	is	the	‘I’? A:	The	‘Infinite	I’	is	that	subjective	reality	which	underlies	the	individual	‘I’
and	allows	for	the	experience	of	‘I-ness’	as	one’s	existence. It	is	the
absolute	‘I’	that	enables	the	statement,	“I.”	It	might	be	said	that	Descartes
had	it	backwards. The	truth	is	not	“I	think,	therefore	I	am,”	but	its
corollary,	“I	am,	therefore	I	think.”
					Consciousness,	or	the	capacity	for	awareness,	is	formless	and	is	the
backdrop	from	which	form	can	be	identified. It	is	because	of	the
formlessness	of	the	apparent	emptiness	of	space	that	form	can	be
perceived. ‘Somethingness’	can	be	identified	only	because	it	stands	out
against	no	other	things. It	is	due	to	the	clarity	of	the	sky	that	we	can	see
the	clouds. Q:	Is	there	a	shortcut	to	enlightenment? A:	Yes,	indeed. One	can	spend	endless	lifetimes	studying	all	the	spiritual	and
philosophical	teachings	of	the	world	and	merely	end	up	confused	and
discouraged. Seek	to	‘know’,	not	to	‘know	about’. ‘Know’	impliessubjective	experience;	‘know	about’	means	to	accumulate	facts. In	the	end,
all	facts	disappear,	and	there	are	none	to	be	known. If	one	realizes	that
one’s	own	Self	is	the	All	of	Everything	that	is,	has	been,	or	ever	could	be,
what	is	left	that	one	needs	to	know? Completeness	is,	by	its	very	nature,
total	and	complete. Q:	How	can	this	be? A:	Because	once	you	become	something,	there	is	nothing	more	to	know	about
it. To	know	implies	incompleteness. That	which	I	am	is	Allness. To	realize
that	one	already	is	and	always	has	been	All	That	Is	leaves	nothing	to	be
added. Q:	This	sounds	confusing. A:	That	is	only	because	the	false	self/ego	identifies	itself	with	limitation	and
form. Q:	What	about	‘learning’? A:	With	awareness	of	Reality,	all	learning	stops. The	mind	becomes	silent. In
peace	and	stillness,	all	that	exists	radiates	forth	its	own	meaning	and	truth
and	reveals	that	the	nature	of	existence	is	stunningly	divine. Everything
radiates	forth	its	Divine	essence	as	Existence	itself. That	which	Is	and	that
which	is	Divine	are	one	and	the	same. Out	of	the	Unmanifest	radiates	the
Manifest,	which	is	also,	in	its	essence,	the	Unmanifest	as	well. There	is	no
duality	of	manifest	versus	unmanifest. All	seeming	differences	disappear
when	one	transcends	perception,	which	is	an	arbitrary	and	limited	point	of
view. It	is	perception	that	creates	duality. This	is	an	experiential	fact,	not	a
philosophical	conclusion. Philosophy	can	be	useful	but	it	is	only	an
intellectual	parallel	to	reality	in	which	no	philosophy	is	possible. Q:	Then	what	are	we	discussing? A:	Descriptions,	but	behind	them	stands	the	subjective,	experiential	reality. Q:	Of	what	value	are	teachings	or	discoveries? A:	Each	piece	of	information	contributes	to	intuitive	understanding	and
recognition. Truth	is	recognized. It	presents	itself	to	a	field	of	awareness
that	has	been	prepared	in	order	to	allow	the	presentation	to	reveal	itself. Truth	and	enlightenment	are	not	acquired	or	achieved. It	is	a	state	or
condition	that	presents	itself	when	the	conditions	are	appropriate. Q:	What	favors	this	occurrence? A:	Humility	is	of	greater	value	than	all	factual	accumulation. Unless	one	hascompletely	and	totally	experienced	the	presence	of	God	in	Its	stunning,
absolute	Allness,	it	is	safe	to	assume	that	one	really	knows	nothing	and
that	all	accumulated	so-called	knowledge	is	but	ignorance	and	pride. Anything	within	that	claims,“I	know,”	by	that	very	statement	proves	that	it
is	false	or	else	it	would	not	make	such	a	claim. Q:	Why	is	knowledge	such	a	block	to	enlightenment? A:	The	thought,	“I	know”	precludes	the	ultimate	awareness	of	the	real	‘I	Am’. The	word	‘know’	is	dualistic	and	assumes	a	dichotomy	between	a	separate
subject,	the	‘knower’,	and	something	external	to	be	known. Q:	
Thus,	is	there	no	division	between	‘knower’	and	‘known’,	no
difference	between	subject	and	object? A:	That	is	the	basic	error	of	duality,	which	assumes	the	perceptual	point	of
observation. Actually,	the	subjective	and	the	objective	are	one	and	the
same. To	say	otherwise	is	merely	to	be	arbitrary. Q:	We	hear	that	the	ego	is	the	block	to	realization. Can	you	explain	that? A:	There	is	no	such	thing	in	reality	as	an	ego;	it	is	merely	illusory. It	is	made
up	of	a	compilation	of	arbitrary	points	of	view	supplied	by	mentation	and
powered	by	feelings	and	emotions. These	desires	represent	the	attachments
that	the	Buddha	spoke	of	as	the	bondage	of	suffering. With	absolute
humility,	the	ego	dissolves. It	is	a	collection	of	arbitrary	mentations	that
gain	force	only	because	of	vanity	and	habit. If	one	lets	go	of	the	vanity	of
thought,	it	dissolves. All	thought	is	vanity. All	opinions	are	vanities. The
pleasure	of	vanity	is	therefore	the	basis	of	the	ego—unplug	it	and	it
collapses. In	the	higher	state	of	consciousness,	it	becomes	silent	in	the
Presence. To	even	have	a	single	thought	in	the	presence	of	the	Presence
would	not	be	within	the	realm	of	the	doable	nor	would	there	be	the
likelihood	of	bringing	up	such	an	outlandish	pomposity. Q:	There	must	be	some	tools	to	assist	in	lessening	the	hold	of	the	ego. A:	Ideation	persists	because	it	is	valued. Notice	that	everyone	has	an	opinion
on	everything. Notice	that	all	thoughts	are	merely	pontifications. Everyone
is	enamored	of	their	own	thoughts	and	ideas,	even	though	they	are
worthless. Q:	But	what	about	the	value	of	education? A:	Education	gives	reliability	to	thought	processes	and	therefore	of	action. This	is	useful	in	the	world	but	does	not	lead	to	enlightenment. To	become
educated	is	one	objective;	to	become	enlightened	is	another. Many	are	the
educated,	and	few	are	the	enlightened.Q:	But	is	there	not	reality	to	experiencing	that	which	is	myself? A:	All	seeming	separation	is	an	artifact	of	thought. It	is	essential	to	see	that
the	mind	is	at	all	times	experiencing	a	point	of	view. Q:	What,	then,	is	illusion	that	we	hear	about	so	much? A:	The	entire	perceptual	illusion	that	the	ego	claims	to	be	reality	is
completely	and	totally	the	product	of	positionality. This	is	very	important
to	unravel	and	understand	in	one’s	own	experiential	awareness. If	you
observe	carefully,	you	will	note	that	at	the	time	the	mind	is	taking	a
position,	that	position	stems	from	choice,	training,	desire,	emotion,	or
political	or	religious	viewpoint. From	the	arbitrary	positionalities	of
moralizing,	all	actions	and	events	can	be	categorized	as	right	or	wrong. From	that	positionality	stem	all	the	pointless	sacrifice	and	sufferings	of	the
world. Q:	What	is	the	cause	of	this	error? A:	Judgmentalism. This	is	the	great	vanity	of	all	egos. Scripture	says,	“Judge
not,	lest	ye	be	judged.”	Also,	‘‘‘Judgment	is	mine,’	sayeth	the	Lord.”
Christ	said	to	forgive. The	Buddha	said	there	is	nothing	to	judge	because
perception	can	only	see	illusion. Perception	is	always	partial	and	limited
by	an	arbitrary	context. In	truth,	no	judgment	is	possible. Q:	Is	judgment	ever	justifiable? A:	It	can	always	be	rationalized. From	Ethics,	one	learns	the	basic	axiom	that
the	end	does	not	justify	the	means. To	fail	to	understand	this	basic	dictum
is	to	be	totalitarian	and	subject	to	serious	spiritual	error. A	‘good’	result
can	be	conjured	up	to	excuse	any	barbaric	behavior,	and	it	is	thus	used
extensively	in	our	society	to	justify	socially	sanctioned	behaviors	that
violate	spiritual	premises. These	violations	undermine	the	very	fabric	of
society	and	backfire	as	the	prevalence	of	misconduct,	crime,	and	human
suffering	in	all	its	forms. Q:	How	can	mankind	climb	out	of	this	pit	of	misery? A:	The	swiftest	way	out	of	problems	and	ignorance	is	by	acquiring	an
understanding	of	the	nature	of	consciousness	itself. Awareness	of	the
nature	of	consciousness	catapults	one	through	all	problems,	limitations,
and	human	endeavors. It	is	the	most	important	subject	of	all	subjects	to	be
learned	because	it	underlies	all	human	experience	and	enterprise. Science
itself	has	progressed	only	to	the	point	where	it	can	advance	no	further
without	understanding	the	nature	of	consciousness. Thus,	there	are	so
many	international	conferences	on	science	and	consciousness	that	are	thefocus	of	much	interest	and	are	very	well	attended. Thus	far,	such
endeavors	have	been	hampered	by	the	lack	of	adequate	tools	to	explore	the
leading	edge	of	human	intelligence. Q:	We	hear	that	the	block	to	Awareness	is	duality	itself. How	can	this	be
solved? A:	Duality	is	the	artificial	and	arbitrary	basis	for	the	illusion	of	separation. It
originates	from	a	positionality	that	stems	from	the	sum	of	thinkingness,
with	all	its	myriad	judgments,	values,	selectivity,	prejudices,	and	opinions. These	in	turn	stem	from	symbolism,	limited	paradigms,	and	limitations
of	context. It	is	only	by	an	arbitrary	limitation	of	context	that	any
judgments	or	value	statements	can	be	made	about	anything	at	all. The	fact
that	many	opinions	are	held	by	great	masses	of	people	is	hypnotic. Few
minds	can	escape	the	appeal	of	the	authority	of	mass	agreement. People
look	without	instead	of	within	for	guidance. As	Freud	said,	the	individual
conscience	is	dissolved	in	the	unconsciousness	of	the	herd	and	mass
action. Morality	is	silenced	by	mass	hysteria. Few	can	resist	the	propaganda	of	the	news	media. Truth	eventually
surfaces,	but	it	is	usually	belated. How	often	human	error	underlies
tragedy	is	revealed	by	the	DNA-based	reversal	of	the	convictions	of	so
many	prisoners	who	have	even	been	previously	executed. Judicial
testimony	is	perception,	and	inasmuch	as	perception	is	the	source	of	error,
the	so-called	justice	system	is	understandably	prone	to	error. Truth	cannot
be	arrived	at	through	voting. Jury	conclusions	are	merely	opinions,	not
facts. Emotions	blind	perception	and	guarantee	error. Duality	is	thus	a
separation	of	truth	and	error	that	is	sourced	by	the	vanity	of	perception	and
the	ego. Q:	How	does	perception	result	in	duality? A:	Arbitrary	selectivity	results	in	a	positionality	that	is	a	point	of	view	which
artificially	polarizes	the	oneness	of	Reality	into	seemingly	separate	parts. These	parts	are	apparent	only	and	not	actually	separate	in	Reality. The
separation	into	parts	occurs	only	in	the	mind	and	not	in	Reality. Thus,	we
end	up	speaking	of	‘here’	and	‘there’,	or	‘now’	versus	‘then’,	or	we
arbitrarily	select	out	portions	from	the	flow	of	life	that	we	refer	to	as
‘events’	or	‘happenings’. One	serious	consequence	of	this	mental	process
is	the	production	of	a	false	understanding	of	causality. This
misunderstanding	leads	to	endless	human	problems	and	tragedies. Q:	I	understand	that	you	place	great	emphasis	on	clarifying	the	nature	ofcausality. A:	In	an	attempt	to	reconnect	that	which	has	now	been	conceptually	separated
in	the	processes	of	the	mind’s	thoughts,	causality	is	invented	to	explain
what	is	now	viewed	as	‘relationship’. In	Reality,	there	is	only	identity;
there	is	no	cause	of	anything	nor	is	it	required. In	the	Newtonian	paradigm
of	linear	causality,	a	‘this’	seems	to	be	causing	a	‘that’. In	Reality,
everything	is	already	complete,	and	the	total	oneness	is	beyond	time,
space,	and	separation	or	definition. It	is	obvious	that	nothing	is	the	cause
of	anything	else	as	that	would	require	a	dualistic	separation	in	time	and
space,	which	is	impossible. The	manifest	becomes	manifest	by	creation. All	things	are	because	of
their	essence	in	its	expression	as	existence. All	we	can	observe	are
conditions. It	is	relatively	easy	to	see	that	the	‘cause’	of	anything	is	the	totality	of
the	entire	universe	throughout	all	time,	being	what	it	is	in	all	its
expressions	as	existence. All	things	exist	as	an	expression	of	identity,	and
the	essence	of	all	things	shines	forth	by	its	presence. All	things	are	self-
created	by	divine	expression	as	existence. Therefore,	each	‘thing’	can	only
be	what	it	is	because	of	the	totality	of	the	entire	universe. A	speck	of	dust
cannot	be	where	it	is	positioned	without	air	currents,	which	require	a
room,	which	requires	a	building,	a	lot,	a	continent,	a	planet,	a	solar	system,
a	galaxy,	a	universe,	and	so	on. All	statements	made	by	the	mind	are	subjective. There	is	no	linear
progression	of	events,	sequences,	or	causations. All	shines	forth	as	it	is	in
its	expression	of	existence. All	is	self-existence	and	therefore	not
dependent	on	anything	outside	itself. Q:	Is	the	ego	‘wrong’? A:	The	problem	with	the	ego	is	not	that	it	is	wrong;	it	is	just	that	it	is	limited
and	distorted. To	conceive	of	the	ego	as	an	enemy	is	to	become	polarized,
bringing	forth	conflict,	guilt,	anger,	and	shame. Positionalities	support	the
ego. By	enlarging	context,	opposites	are	transcended	and	problems	are
dissolved. Humility	removes	the	ego’s	underpinnings	of	judgmentalism,
positionality,	and	moralizing. In	Reality,	there	can	no	longer	be	opposites
anymore	than	there	can	be	winners	or	losers. Within	the	illusion,	statistics,	for	instance,	depend	on	how	limits	are	set
and	defined. By	changing	classification,	statistics	shift. Thus,	the	supposed
crime	rate	in	the	United	States	can	be	made	to	appear	to	go	up	or	down,
depending	on	political	pressures,	or	by	including	or	excluding	certain
things	in	the	compilation. By	raising	or	lowering	criteria,	any	socialphenomenon	can	be	made	to	appear	to	increase	or	decrease. The	world	as
described	by	perception	is	therefore	arbitrary,	and	social	‘reality’	becomes
whatever	one	decides	to	call	it. Definition	defines	perception,	and	the
corollary	is	equally	true. Q:	What	effect	does	thought	have	on	perception? A:	Thought	usually	takes	the	form	of	languaging. Language	is	based	on
labeling,	which	is	therefore	the	result	of	prior	separations	and
fragmentations	of	the	whole. Thinking	and	mentation	are	dialogs	and
expressions	of	duality. One	can	ask	who	or	what	is	doing	the	thinking	or
for	whose	benefit. Who	is	the	speaker	and	who	is	the	listener? Q:	What	is	the	difference	between	ego	and	mind? A:	They	are	actually	one	and	the	same. The	term	‘ego’	is	generally	used,
however,	to	describe	certain	aspects	of	the	mind,	but	the	ego	could	be
more	generally	defined	as	the	source	and	the	process	of	thinking. Q:	What	is	the	relationship	between	mind	and	meditation? A:	The	purpose	of	meditation	is	to	transcend	the	mind	and	its	mentations	and
limited	perceptions,	thereby	transcending	duality	and	becoming
increasingly	aware	of	Oneness. Thinking	proceeds	from	lack;	its	purpose	is	gain. In	wholeness,	nothing
is	lacking. All	is	complete,	total,	and	whole. There	is	nothing	to	think
about	nor	any	motive	to	think. No	questions	arise	and	no	answers	are
sought	or	needed. Totality	is	complete,	totally	fulfilling,	with	no
incompleteness	to	process. Q:	If	thoughts	are	fragmentations	and	artifacts	of	duality,	how	can
spiritual	teachings	be	conveyed	in	language	without	being	misleading? A:	Concepts	have	levels	of	power	that	can	be	calibrated. The	higher	the	level
of	truth,	the	greater	its	power. The	energy	of	the	concept	results	from	the
truth	of	the	statement	plus	the	level	of	consciousness	of	the	speaker. Unaided	by	a	higher	energy	(as	from	a	great	teacher),	the	ego/mind	cannot
transcend	itself. Q:	Many	teachings	seem	ambiguous	and	confusing. A:	Ambiguity	itself	is	illusory. All	seeming	ambiguities	dissolve	in	the
presence	of	understanding. Within	truth,	no	arguments	are	possible. Q:	How	can	this	be? A:	Because	only	that	which	actually	exists	has	Reality. There	is	no	‘trueversus	false’. That	which	is	called	‘false’	has	neither	existence	nor	reality,
and	only	that	which	is	true	has	existence;	anything	thought	to	be	otherwise
is	illusion	and	falls	away. Q:	Can	you	give	another	example	or	further	explanation? A:	Opposites	do	not	exist	in	Reality. They	are	only	concepts	of	speech	and
mentation. Let	us	take	the	seeming	opposites	of	light	and	dark. Actually,
there	is	no	such	thing	as	darkness;	there	is	only	light. The	conditions	then
can	be	accurately	described	as	light	is	either	present	or	not,	or	light	is
present	at	various	degrees;	therefore,	all	light	or	the	lack	of	it	of	can	be
defined	only	in	terms	of	light	by	its	presence	or	degree,	or	not. Thus,	there
is	only	
one	variable
:	the	presence	or	absence	of	light. You	cannot	shine	darkness	into	an	area. One	can,	by	languaging,	call
the	absence	of	light	darkness,	but	it	will	have	no	existence	in	Reality. Let’s	use	another	example—the	possession	or	nonpossession	of	money. In	this,	the	only	variable	is	the	presence	of	money. The	term	‘poverty’	then
implies	the	absence	of	having	money,	but	it	is	not	a	thing	in	itself. One
cannot	have	poverty. There	is	no	up	or	down	in	Reality. These	are	denotations	arising	from
an	arbitrary	positionality. Neither	‘up-ness’	nor	‘down-ness’	exists	as	a
reality. This	is	how	the	whole	illusory	world	of	the	ego	is	formed	as
positionality,	with	an	accompanying	naïveté	that	presumes	that	opposites
have	an	independent	existence. Therefore,	the	world	as	seen	exists	only	in
the	mind	of	the	observer. It	has	no	independent	existence. In	Reality,	one
does	not	have	to	distinguish	between	‘what	is’	and	‘what	is	not’	but	only	to
affirm	that	that	which	is,	is. Therefore,	the	false	need	not	be	denied	but
only	the	true	affirmed. Q:	It	would	seem	that	going	beyond	perception	and	duality	to	Reality	is
difficult	and	would	require	reprogramming	of	the	whole	mind	to
accomplish	it. Is	this	possible? A:	A	major	move	in	the	evolution	of	consciousness	is	classically	referred	to	as
‘transcending	the	opposites’,	and	it	brings	about	a	rapid	leap	in	awareness. Let	us	look	at	more	examples	that	are	easy	to	see. The	supposed	opposites
of	heat	and	cold	dissolve	in	the	easy	recognition	that	heat	is	either	present
or	not. We	do	not	say	that	more	‘coldness’	takes	over,	but	only	that	heat
disappears. If	it	is	present,	we	call	the	condition	warm	or	hot. Coldness
merely	means	the	absence	of	heat;	it	does	not	exist	on	its	own. We	cannot
say	that	‘non-heat’	exists	in	the	room. We	cannot	say	that	‘absence’	is
present	or	that	‘nothingness’	exists. Let	us	use	another	obvious	example:	the	seeming	opposites	of	visible
versus	invisible. It	is	obvious	that	invisibility	is	not	a	thing	that	exists
independently,	so	the	question	arises,	visible	by	what	means? Another	example	would	be	the	seeming	opposites	of	present	versus
absent. Present	is	a	reality	that	can	be	confirmed;	absent	is	not	a	condition
or	a	state	in	and	of	itself. We	cannot	say	that	absence	exists. Q:	These	still	seem	abstract. Can	you	give	a	more	concrete	example? A:	Electricity	is	either	on	or	not	on. There	is	no	such	thing	as	‘off-ness’. Off-
ness	cannot	be	sent	down	a	wire. It	is	merely	a	linguistic	convenience. The
telegraph	can	only	send	‘on’	signals;	it	cannot	transmit	off-ness. Likewise,
life	is	either	present	or	not;	dead	or	deadness	has	no	independent
existence. Q:	Can	you	give	a	nonverbal	experiential	example? A:	There	is	a	very	simple	and	interesting	demonstration	of	this	principle. Most	people	are	familiar	to	some	degree	with	basic	muscle	testing. A
simple	demonstration	shows	that	that	which	is	positive	or	true	makes	the
body’s	muscles	go	strong,	and	that	which	is	not	true,	negative,	false,	or
injurious	allows	them	to	go	weak. To	the	naïve	mind,	it	would	seem	that
the	muscle	response	is	either	positive	or	negative,	or	true	or	false. In
reality,	like	the	electricity,	that	which	exists	or	is	true	has	strength,	and	the
muscle	response	is	positive. That	which	has	no	existence	or	is	false	has	no
energy	or	power,	and	the	arm	merely	goes	weak	because	there	is	no	power
or	electricity	on	to	make	it	go	strong. In	other	words,	there	is	no	such	thing
as	falsehood	that	makes	it	go	weak;	those	are	only	styles	of	expression. Similarly,	electricity	makes	a	motor	run;	when	it	is	disconnected,	the
motor	stops. There	is	no	such	thing	as	‘non-electricity’	that	makes	the
motor	stop. That	which	has	no	existence	in	Reality	is	an	illusory	product
of	mentation. It	has	no	actual	independent	existence. It	is	therefore	useless
to	seek	an	objective,	independent	universe	because	none	is	possible. All
that	exists	does	so	only	as	a	subjective	experience. An	independent,
objective	reality	can	neither	be	confirmed	nor	denied. Either	statement	is
merely	a	positionality. No	one	can	escape	from	the	pure	subjectivity	of
their	own	experience. Q:	What	is	the	purpose	of	the	ego? A:	We	cannot	say	what	its	purpose	is;	that	would	be	teleological	reasoning. However,	its	main	function	is	organized	toward	self-perpetuation	to
maintain	the	illusion	of	a	separate	‘I’,	with	independent	survival	of	itsuniqueness	and	existence. As	a	consequence,	it	is	subject	to	pain,
suffering,	and	fear	of	death. Thus,	the	ego	channels	its	survival	strategies
in	all	its	multiple	expressions,	such	as	gain,	fear	of	loss,	and	anxiety	about
its	ultimate	fate. Q:	What	is	the	central,	most	important	consequence	of	the	function	of	the
ego? A:	The	belief	that	there	is	a	‘doer’	behind	actions,	a	‘thinker’	behind	thoughts,
a	‘feeler’	behind	feelings. These	are	illusions	that	reinforce	the	belief	that
one	is	a	separate,	distinct	entity	subject	to	birth,	death,	and	karma. Belief
that	one	is	a	separate	entity	engenders	fear	that,	in	turn,	reinforces	all	the
drives	for	survival	and	the	basic	ego	mechanisms	of	greed,	desire,	envy,
pride,	hatred,	and	guilt. To	see	oneself	as	a	separate,	finite	entity
automatically	creates	a	duality	based	on	‘me’	versus	‘not	me’,	‘here’
versus	‘there’,	‘now’	versus	‘then’,	and	so	on. Q:	What	then	is	the	basic	mainspring	of	the	ego’s	self-propagation? A:	Believing	it	is	a	separate	entity,	the	ego	resists	this	illusion	based	on	its
fear	of	nonexistence. It	fears	coming	to	an	end	and	not	surviving	in	time. Its	notion	of	reality	is	very	limited,	and	it	does	not	know	what	lies	beyond
itself. The	ego	cannot	experience	the	Infinite	or	know	of	the	exquisite
Presence	that	will	replace	it. The	ego	clings	to	the	small,	personal	‘I’
because	it	has	no	knowledge	or	conscious	experience	of	the	infinite	peace
or	joy	of	the	great	‘I’	that	comes	into	awareness	and	replaces	it. The	ego	cannot	be	blamed	for	its	own	ignorance. It	has	no	notion	that
anything	exists	beyond	its	own	limited	parameters. To	go	beyond	its	own
self-imposed	limitations	and	boundaries	is	not	a	goal	that	can	originate
from	the	ego	itself. Unaided,	the	ego	cannot	transcend	itself	or	dissolve	its
own	hindrances	and	limits. It	is	like	an	isolated	tribe	that	is	unaware	that
there	is	a	whole	world	beyond	itself. Commonly,	the	members	of	primitive
societies	refer	to	themselves	as	‘the	people’	of	the	Earth. The	ego	is	neither
bad	nor	an	enemy,	but	merely	an	illusion	to	release	so	that	something	far
better	can	replace	it. Q:	If	the	ego	is	as	described,	then	how	can	enlightenment	come	about? A:	That	is	the	function	of	spirituality,	which	informs,	educates,	inspires,	leads,
and	supports	the	exploration	of	consciousness	beyond	the	restrictions	of
the	ego	experience. Those	who	have	gone	farther	along	the	road	to	greater
awareness	report	their	findings	to	the	world	and	invite	those	who	are
interested	to	follow. Although	Enlightenment	is	statistically	infrequent,	it	happens
sufficiently	often	so	that	there	is	collectively	a	great	body	of	teachings
which	have	a	profound	influence	on	all	humanity. Each	enlightened	being,
by	its	own	energy	radiation,	silently	recontextualizes	and	expands	the
paradigm	of	human	consciousness. That	higher	levels	of	consciousness	are
possible	pervades	and	inspires	all	knowledge	and	creates	the	overall
context	for	the	human	experience. The	urge	to	progress	is	innate	in	all
societies	and	cultures,	both	individually	and	collectively. Human	striving
creates	the	history	of	civilization	in	its	efforts	to	better	itself. Even	though
it	is	often	mistaken	in	its	efforts,	the	striving	itself	is	still	present. Q:	It	is	said	that	the	world	we	see	and	experience	is	a	projection	of	the
mind	and	has	no	independent	existence. It	exists	only	as	a	perception. How	can	this	be	explained? A:	We	can	start	with	a	simple	example. We	hear	there	is	a	‘problem’	in	the
world,	or	the	observer	has	a	‘problem’. It	is	relatively	easy	to	see	that	all
‘problems’	exist	only	in	the	mind	of	the	observer	as	a	result	of	taking	an
arbitrary	point	of	view. All	‘problems’	are	products	of	mentation	only	and
do	not	exist	in	the	world. Desires	and	other	worldly	passions	and	belief	systems	result	in
selectivity	of	perception. Examine	the	so-called	‘signs	of	the	Zodiac’	and
‘constellations’	that	supposedly	exist	in	the	sky. If	you	photograph	the
starry	sky	at	night	and	look	at	it	with	no	preconceived	notions,	it	is
obvious	that	arbitrary	lines	could	be	drawn	between	any	group	of	bright
spots	so	as	to	produce	the	outline	of	any	familiar	figure	or	geometric
shape. One	can	draw	on	a	map	of	the	stars	a	dog,	a	cat,	quadruplets,	or
whatever. These	do	not	exist	in	reality	in	space;	in	fact,	there	is	no	such
thing	as	a	constellation	except	to	the	imagination	of	the	observer. From	a
different	viewpoint	in	space,	not	a	single	one	of	the	famous	constellations
with	fanciful	names	can	be	seen	by	anyone. Q:	Why	then	is	there	such	a	plethora	of	erroneous	observations	and
belief	systems? A:	Languaging	creates	and	defines	thought	patterns	and	forms	that	are	then
projected	onto	the	world. It	is	an	anthropomorphic	habit. We	see	a	big	tree
next	to	a	small	tree	and	say	the	big	tree	is	‘smothering’	the	little	tree	and
‘taking	away	its	sunshine’. Or	we	say	that	that	was	a	savage	or	angry
storm,	or	that	this	is	a	beautiful	tree	but	the	one	next	to	it	is	deformed	and
ugly. Naïve	anthropomorphic	statements	are	routine. When	we	saysomething	is	good,	we	mean	we	want	it. When	we	say	something	is	bad,
we	really	mean	we	do	not	like	it. In	and	of	itself,	the	world	contains	no	objects,	adverbs,	or	prepositions;
neither	is	there	sequence,	events,	or	happenings. Even	all	verbs	are
inappropriate. Nothing	is	‘doing’	anything. Even	nouns	are	sources	of
perceptual	illusion	as	a	noun	stands	for	an	arbitrary	selection	of	boundaries
and	qualities	that	have	prior	existence	only	in	the	observer’s	mind. What	is
difficult	to	see	is	that	all	is	complete	and	total	in	itself	and	exists	as	its	own
self-identity. No	‘thing’	exists,	and	even	if	it	could,	it	is	not	the	name	given
to	it. To	say,	“This	is	a	chair,”	is	to	deny	the	completeness,	wholeness,	and
absolute	self-identity	of	all	that	exists. To	say,	“That	is	a	chair,”	is	to	say
that	A	is	actually	B. The	name,	the	image,	the	idea	of	a	chair	is	again
something	other	than	a	chair,	and	the	mind	is	easily	deceived	by
nominalization	and	linguistic	convenience. Abstractions	are	linguistic
conveniences;	they	have	no	separate	existence. Language	is	metaphor. We	are	all	familiar	with	cleverly	constructed	pictures	that	hide	images. Children	love	to	‘find	the	cat’	in	the	picture. The	mind	does	this	constantly
over	and	over	out	of	habit. The	perceptual	world	is	formed	out	of	familiar
forms	and	images	held	together	by	belief	systems	and	energized	by
emotions. Whether	the	object	or	situation	is	loved	or	hated,	feared	or
admired,	seen	as	ugly	or	beautiful,	depends	on	the	observer. Such	qualities
do	not	exist	in	the	world. Adjectives	have	no	actual	existence	or	reality. As	consciousness	evolves	to	higher	levels,	the	world	changes	in
appearance	and	behavior. As	consciousness	reaches	the	levels	that
calibrate	in	the	high	500s,	the	beauty	and	perfection	of	the	world	shine
forth	with	divine	Radiance	as	the	core	of	its	existence. All	apparent	form
and	separateness	begin	to	disappear,	and	everything	is	seen	to	be
connected	and	continuous	with	everything	else. One	is	then	witness	to	the
endless	miracle	of	timeless	creation. Everything	is	viewed	as	whole,
perfect,	and	complete. With	the	realization	of	self-identity,	everything	is
seen	to	be	absolutely	perfect	in	its	expression	of	its	divine	essence. Imperfection	exists	only	in	the	mind’s	thoughts. No	imperfection	exists	in
the	world	as	it	is. As	the	level	of	consciousness	proceeds	upward	past	600	into	the	levels
calibrated	at	700	and	beyond,	even	the	world	itself	disappears	as	such. There	are	only	the	unmanifest	and	the	manifest	that	exist	only	as
perception. The	Absolute	Reality	is	itself	formless	and	therefore	present	in
all	form. Q:	Can	one	be	trained	to	reach	these	levels	of	awareness?A:	These	understandings	are	self-revealing;	they	are	not	acquired. Spiritual
learning	does	not	occur	in	a	linear	progression	like	logic. It	is	more	that
familiarity	with	spiritual	principles	and	disciplines	opens	awareness	and
self-realization. Nothing	‘new’	is	learned;	instead,	what	already	exists
presents	itself	as	completely	obvious.CHAPTER	13
Explanations
Q:	What	is	the	best	attitude	for	spiritual	work? A:	A	‘Yin’	type	of	position	that	is	persistent	and	unwavering. The	work
consists	of	understandings,	realizations,	and	a	general	attitude	of	allowing
rather	than	getting. Know	that	what	is	being	sought	is	all	present,	innate	in
All	That	Is,	invisible,	and	silent. It	is	the	requisite	condition	for	existence
itself. It	is	the	one	quality	that	is	of	prime	significance	and	is	the	absolute,
irreducible	matrix	for	anything	to	‘be’. This	is	so	taken	for	granted	that	its	significance	is	ordinarily
overlooked. For	the	condition	of	existence	itself	to	be	apprehended,
Awareness	is	the	necessary	prerequisite. The	intrinsic,	innate	quality	and
essence	of	that	prerequisite,	awareness/	existence,	is	Divinity. When
discovered,	it	is	unmistakable. The	knowingness	is	silent,	without	words,
and	shines	forth	as	a	revelation. It	presents	itself	in	total	completeness	and
finality. It	is	neither	vague	nor	obscure	but	powerful	and	overwhelming. The	Presence	dissolves	all	separateness. It	feels	as	though	one	has
stepped	outside	time. All	sequence	stops	as	if	all	time	and	creation	were
totally	present	equally	in	the	Now. All	that	ever	was	or	could	be	is	already
totally	present	and	complete. All	that	is	possible	to	know	is	already
known. The	potentiality	already	is. All	thought	stops	and	therefore	all
categories	of	thought,	such	as	time,	space,	distance,	and	duration,	cease
and	are	not	applicable. The	world	literally	looks	different. Everything	is	seen	at	much	greater
depth. Everything	is	alive	and	radiant	with	consciousness. Everything	is
aware	that	it	is,	and	it	is	aware	that	everything	else	is	aware. Nothing	is
innately	inert. Q:	What	is	the	best	spiritual	approach	that	is	appropriate	for	self-
inquiry? A:	It	is	an	attitude,	almost	like	a	‘mudra’,	in	that	it	is	a	position	of	awareness
or	observation. It	is	actively	passive	in	that	the	Yin/allowing	attitude	is
consistent	and	unwavering. One	should	not	‘try’	to	see	the	obvious	but
merely	remove	all	obstacles,	such	as	opinions,	beliefs,	mental	categories,
commentaries,	impatience,	or	attempts	by	the	mind	to	anticipate	or	control
the	next	split	second. As	children,	we	have	all	tried	to	‘see	the	hidden	picture’	in	some
pictorial	art	form,	and	when	we	stopped	trying,	it	revealed	itself;	the	bush
suddenly	became	obviously	a	smiling	lion,	for	example. To	‘try’	results	in
reinforcement	of	perception	and	narrowing	of	vision,	and,	therefore,
greater	limitation. It	is	a	paradox	to	look	for	the	invisible. It	is	more	like	an	identification
that	takes	place	with	All	That	Is	and	the	very	substrate	of	existence. By
observation,	it	becomes	clear	that	all	emotional/	mental/conceptual
phenomena	are	spontaneously	happening	on	their	own	and	that	there	is	no
person	as	such	causing	them. The	Self	is	the	total	field	and	all	its	contents	as	well. Consciousness	is
the	quality	by	which	the	Self	is	known,	knowable,	and	expressed. God	is
All	That	Is,	without	any	exclusion—sight,	sound,	space,	objects,	form,
formless,	visible,	invisible,	solid,	liquid,	without	dimension	or	location,
and	everywhere	equal. There	is	no	opposite	to	God. God	is	both	Allness
and	voidness,	equally	form	and	nonform. Q:	How	does	one	transcend	the	opposites? A:	This	is	a	frequently	asked	question. Realize	that	all	opposites	are	only
descriptions	of	convenience	and	have	no	self-existent	reality. They	are	an
illusion	created	by	adopting	or	choosing	an	arbitrary	starting	point	or
observational	position. Their	only	value	is	an	operational	one	to	a
reference	point	of	intention	or	purpose	of	action	or	denotation. That	they
may	and	do	have	operational	convenience	leads	to	the	false	assumption
that	they	are	a	self-existent	reality	rather	than	merely	a	descriptive
viewpoint. All	positionalities	depend	on	definition	and	all	definitions	are
conventionalities	reached	by	historic	agreement. All	conflict	arises	from
positionalities. From	a	higher	viewpoint,	all	alternative	pairs	of
positionalities	are	irrelevant. All	are	based	on	a	presumption	of	an
intended	or	theoretically	possible	future	action. An	obvious	one	is	the
possibility	of	choice. If	no	potential	value,	action,	qualification,	or	choice
is	desired	or	appropriate,	the	opposites	disappear	into	meaninglessness. Discrimination	is	definition	for	the	purpose	of	the	communication	of
information	between	separated	points	or	entities. In	Reality,	where	nothing
is	separate	from	anything	else,	there	is	no	information	necessary	nor	are
there	any	spaces	or	gaps	across	which	such	information	would	be	sent. There	is	neither	a	sender	nor	a	receiver,	nor	any	discrete	or	limited	parcels
of	information	that	could	be	conveyed. Communication	is	of	value	only	in	the	world	of	perception	whereeverything	appears	to	be	separated	from	everything	else. In	Reality,	all	is
already	known	by	all	that	has	existence. No	messages	are	necessary,	just	as
the	ocean	does	not	need	the	concept	of	‘wetness’	to	be	itself. Q:	Are	verbalizations	misleading? A:	If	accurate,	they	can	be	very	useful	as	a	starting	point	to	delineate	the
nature	and	direction	of	a	quest. A	verbalization	helps	to	set	a	context	that
then	progressively	becomes	nonverbal	and	more	inclusive. Accurate
information	saves	time	and	speeds	fruitful	inquiry	by	indicating	which
routes	would	be	fruitlessly	time-consuming	and	diversionary. To	know
which	closet	the	shoes	are	in	saves	searching	all	the	closets	in	the	house. A
good	compass	saves	many	miles	of	being	lost,	just	as	an	accurate	map
saves	a	lot	of	fruitless	and	frustrating	guesswork. Q:	How	can	one	see	past	the	opposites	of	duality? A:	The	omnipresence	and	totality	of	God	are	all	that	is	possible,	which
excludes	all	alternatives. God	as	‘void’	is	the	unmanifest	Godhead	of
infinite	potentiality	unexpressed,	formless,	invisible,	and	intangible. It	is
the	infinite	Brahman,	the	transcendental	Krishna,	beyond	existence	or
beingness. It	is	the	unborn,	unexpressed	source. Out	of	the	unmanifest
arises	the	totality	that	is	God	expressed	as	Creation	or	Allness. God	is	All	Presence	simultaneously	as	manifest	and	unmanifest,	as	void
and	Allness,	as	visible	and	invisible,	as	the	potential	and	the	actual,	as	the
expressed	and	the	unexpressed. The	Dance	of	Shiva	is	the	apparent	appearance	or	disappearance	of
these	seeming	opposites	that	are	really	only	alternatives	of	viewpoint. These	occur	just	as	the	appearance	of	a	hologram	is	determined	by	the
position	of	the	observer	and	not	by	any	movement	or	change	of	the
hologram	itself. Let	us	use	the	example	of	the	concept	of	temperature,
which	includes	all	possibilities	within	which	there	would	be	neither	hot
nor	cold	except	by	definition	and	an	arbitrary	point	of	delineation. From	this	understanding,	we	can	see	that	all	seeming	alternatives	are
merely	options	of	viewpoint	or	definition. All	definition	is	purely
subjective;	therefore,	there	is	no	self-existent	‘out	there’	to	be	blamed	for
anything. One	cannot	be	the	victim	of	a	storm	or	an	avalanche;	one	is
merely	a	participant	observer	of	an	actual	phenomenon. One	cannot,
therefore,	be	a	victim	of	life,	but	only	take	a	stance	that	some	condition	is
favorable	or	not	favorable,	desired	or	not	desired. Therefore,	all	hatred,
revenge,	spite,	resentment,	and	anger	are	without	any	basis	in	reality,	and
it	is	all	imaginary. Everyone	is	exposed	to	life	in	its	expression	as	nature	and	also	human
interaction,	called	society. This	interaction	is	impersonal,	and	the
vicissitudes	of	life	are	inevitable	and	unavoidable. This	can	be	either
challenging	or	depressing,	depending	solely	on	one’s	point	of	view. Without	positionalities,	life	is	experienced	as	serene	and	interesting. It
potentiates	growth	and,	hopefully,	wisdom	rather	than	self-pity	or
bitterness. Everyone	is	free	to	make	a	choice. The	rain	does	not	determine
whether	one	will	be	happy	or	disappointed. The	surrender	of
willfulness/positionality	brings	peace	in	all	circumstances. Q:	But	aren’t	there	rational	opinions	and	positionalities	based	on	being
realistic? A:	These	are	primarily	conveniences;	actually,	they	are	self-indulgences. All
resentments	are	petulant	self-indulgences	of	sentimentality,	emotionality,
and	melodrama. One	gets	to	be	the	martyr	or	the	pitiful	victim,	or	gets	to
cast	oneself	as	tragic	or	heroic. Endless	plausible	explanations	or	excuses
are	available	to	rationalize,	explain,	or	justify	absolutely	any	human
behavior	or	response. Reactivity	is	conditioned,	but	it	is	also	selective. These	temptations	to	be	childish	have	to	be	bypassed	by	the	serious
spiritual	seeker	who	sees	them	for	what	they	are	and	refuses	the	attraction
of	the	games	of	emotionalism. On	a	certain	level,	they	can	all	be	seen	to	be	false. They	are	actually
one’s	‘act’,	even	if	one	is	unaware	that	they	are	only	that. Peace	is	literally	a	choice	and	a	decision,	although	not	a	popular	one	in
our	society	despite	all	the	rhetoric	about	the	term. The	decision	to
overlook	the	seeming	inequities	of	life	instead	of	reacting	to	them	is	a
choice. Q:	What	of	social	problems? A:	Being	a	social	reformer	is	an	entirely	different	career	from	that	of	seeking
enlightenment. It	is	well	to	remember	that	spiritual	advancement
influences	everyone	else	from	within,	whereas	force	tries	to	change	the
external	only. Surrendering	a	personal	grievance	or	grudge	is	more
rewarding	for	all	society	than	marching	up	and	down	with	provocative
signs	and	slogans. To	the	spiritually	advanced	persons,	whether	other
people	agree	with	them	or	not	is	immaterial	as	they	no	longer	need	to	look
outside	themselves	for	validation	or	agreement. Q:	What	does	it	mean	to	go	into	a	bliss	state?What	does	one	do? What	happens? A:	To	be	dissolved	into	intense,	infinite	love	is	overwhelming	and
incapacitating. There	is	neither	the	desire	nor	the	capability	to	emerge
from	that	state	unaided. All	bodily	functions	cease. Even	breathing	itself
may	cease	and	resume	only	in	response	to	an	entreaty	from	another	person
who	is	intensely	loving. However,	it	is	not	necessary	to	do	so. One	has
permission	by	knowingness	to	leave	the	body	as	an	option. In	this	case,	in	order	to	acknowledge	love,	breathing	resumed. Perhaps
it	was	decided	by	karma. However,	the	choice	was	also	made	with	the
concurrent	awareness	that	any	return	to	physicality	was	only	temporary
and	the	final	dissolution	back	into	Infinite	Love	was	inevitable	and	certain. Compared	to	the	eternity	of	that	infinite	state,	a	short	return	to	the	realm	of
physicality	seemed	trivial. Q:	What	if	there	was	nobody	around	to	entreat	one	to	return	to	worldly
life? A:	Whether	or	not	those	conditions	prevail	probably	depends	on	karma,
circumstances,	conditions,	Divine	Will,	and	the	interaction	of	the	universe
as	a	totality. If	there	were	no	entreaties,	then	the	body	would	expire,	which
at	the	time	would	be	quite	agreeable. When	Ramana	Maharshi	went	into
that	bliss	state	spontaneously,	he	was	not	discovered	for	some	lengthy
period	by	which	time	he	had	been	severely	bitten	by	many	insects	and	had
been	without	sustenance	for	an	unknown	number	of	days. He	was
entreated	to	drink	and	eat. He	responded	slowly	and	eventually	resumed
movement	and	function;	however,	he	did	not	speak	in	language	for	another
two	years. Q:	Are	there	different	degrees	of	realized	states? A:	There	are	different	levels	of	
Samadhi
,	classically	described	with	Sanskrit
designations. There	is	a	state	that	is	transcendental	but	which	persists	only
so	long	as	one’s	eyes	are	closed	in	meditation. There	is	a	more	intense
Samadhi	that	persists	in	the	meditative	state	even	after	the	eyes	are
opened. There	is	a	more	advanced	state	yet	that	persists	even	if	the	devotee
gets	up	and	is	able	to	walk	around	and	function	simply. These	states	are
reflected	in	an	electroencephalogram	(EEG)	as	‘alpha’	waves	which	are
much	slower	than	the	beta	waves	that	denote	ordinary	consciousness. The
more	advanced	state	is	a	permanent	awareness	that	persists	continuously
so	that	returned	functioning	in	the	world	is	possible,	as	determined	by
karma	or	prior	decision,	choice,	or	agreement. The	returnee	to	the	world	is
then	termed	a	‘sage’	and	may	function	in	the	role	of	healer,	teacher,	andsource	of	information. The	EEG	of	the	enlightened	sage	is	dominated	by
slow	Theta	waves	(4–7	cycles	per	sec. ),	which	make	functioning	in	the
ordinary	world	quite	difficult. In	that	state,	the	option	to	leave	the	world	at	any	time	persists	and	is	a
permanent,	open	option	as	though	it	was	part	of	a	silent	agreement	or
knowingness. There	is	no	obligation	to	persist	or	continue. Q:	How	then	does	earthly	life	resume? A:	After	a	period	of	years,	adjustment	is	made	with	the	relearning	of
communication	styles	and	a	reacquaintance	with	human	affairs	sufficient
to	function. Recent	history	had	to	be	caught	up	on. This	can	be
accomplished	by	getting	a	television,	watching	the	news	reports,	and
reading	newspaper	headlines. There	is	an	ongoing	dialog	within	the
overall	field	of	human	consciousness	that	is	as	though	transparent	by	its
essence;	and	by	recognition,	it	offers	aspects	with	which	one	has	an	option
to	respond. Q:	What	persists? A:	The	Presence	and	the	awareness	of	the	Self	are	ever	present. The	residual
personality	interacts	with	the	expectations	of	the	world	in	order	to	remain
appropriate	and	not	elicit	comment	or	notice	of	anything	other	than	the
ordinary. Although	this	ordinariness	is	learned	and	voluntary,	it	requires
the	expenditure	of	energy	and	attention	to	form. Interaction	with	the	form
of	human	life	can	only	be	done	for	periods	of	time	and	can	seem	quite
exhausting	as	it	is	not	one’s	natural	state. Not	all	the	world’s	requests	or
wishes	can	be	complied	with,	so	there	is	a	tendency	to	conserve	energy	in
order	to	meet	‘needs’	rather	than	wants. The	sage	persists	only	as	a	vehicle	whose	purpose	is	delineated	by
Divine	Will	as	expressed	through	the	Self. One	is	merely	a	witness	to	the
action,	which	is	spontaneous. The	body	continues	to	perform	like	a	live
puppet	and	behave	in	human	fashion. Its	needs	are	fulfilled	automatically
by	its	interaction	with	the	universe. Q:	Is	there	any	‘regret’? A:	Not	regret,	but	there	is	an	awareness	that	the	expectations	and	wishes	of
the	world	often	cannot	be	met. Q:	What	would	you	specify	as	‘your’	function? A:	To	be	that	which	I	am	to	the	world	and	explain	it	as	clearly	as	possible	in
order	to	facilitate	spiritual	awareness	and	thus	contribute	to	the	relief	of
the	suffering	of	mankind. The	energy	field	with	which	that	function	isaccompanied	does	by	itself	silently	contribute	to	the	well-being	of	human
life	and	diminish	human	suffering,	which	itself	is	a	satisfaction	and	a
completion. Q:	What	prayers	are	useful? A:	Ask	to	be	the	servant	of	the	Lord,	a	vehicle	of	Divine	Love,	a	channel	of
God’s	Will. Ask	for	direction	and	divine	assistance	and	surrender	all
personal	will	through	devotion. Dedicate	one’s	life	to	the	service	of	God. Choose	love	and	peace	above	all	other	options. Commit	to	the	goal	of
unconditional	love	and	compassion	for	all	life	in	all	its	expressions	and
surrender	all	judgment	to	God. Q:	How	can	we	forgive	those	who	do	not	seem	to	deserve	it? It	seems	like
an	impossibility. A:	By	understanding	others’	frames	of	reference,	human	limitations	and
conditioning,	and	genetic	and	social	programming,	much	rancor	as	well	as
harm	can	be	avoided	by	acknowledging	and	accepting	the	human
limitation. Unrealistic	expectations	of	human	nature	prevail	and	are
propagated	by	denial	and	the	use	of	hypothetical	arguments. Political/sociological	hypotheses	are	usually	proven	over	time	to	be
incorrect	and	based	on	false	assumptions	about	human	desires,	conditions,
and	limitations. They	are	also	naïve	in	that	such	formulas	almost	always
ignore	context	altogether	and	naïvely	make	false	presumptions	about
human	behaviors	without	attention	to	circumstance. For	instance,	honesty	is	possible,	but	only	if	certain	conditions	are
present. If	needs,	desires,	or	hunger	reach	a	certain	intensity,	then	the
‘luxury’	of	honesty	has	to	be	sacrificed. Poverty	has	its	own	rules	of
survival. Unsatisfied	biological	drives	may	overrule	hypothetical	ideals	of
behavior,	e.g.,	the	rationality	of	the	prefrontal	cortex	may	be	overwhelmed
by	the	arousal	of	the	old,	deep-seated	animal	brain. It	is	an	artificial
situation	that	defies	millions	of	years	of	biology	and	the	rules	of	racial
survival,	including	the	effects	of	pheromones. Another	factor	overlooked	in	human	expectation	is	individual
variability	and	aberrant	individual	defects	of	control	as	well	as	deviant
training,	conditions,	and	defects	in	brain	chemistry. These	individuals	are
often	pushed	beyond	their	limits	by	circumstances	or	even	by	intoxication. All	these	realizations	tend	to	temper	our	expectations	of	perfection	in	a
world	of	limitation. People	in	our	society	are	not	educated	as	to	human	limitation	and
variability. Our	puritanical	society	tends	to	pontificate	and	putconsiderable	emphasis	on	such	imaginary,	nonexistent	faculties	as	‘will
power’,	which	is	used	as	an	excuse	by	moralists	primarily	to	justify
vindictiveness. That	there	is	no	such	faculty	as	will	power	which	can	be
relied	upon	becomes	obvious	to	any	student	of	human	activity	who	would
observe	that	it	is	entirely	lacking	in	most	people	most	of	the	time	and	only
marginally	operative	in	a	few	under	favorable	circumstances. The	fallacy
of	will	power	underlies	many	of	mankind’s	unsolvable	social	problems. If	we	view	average	people	as	flawed,	limited,	and	unable	to	be	other
than	what	they	are	at	any	given	moment	or	in	any	given	circumstance,	then
most	negative	feelings	and	judgments	can	be	avoided. People	are	then	seen
more	as	being	limited	rather	than	as	‘bad’,	‘selfish’,	or	‘wrong’. Life	is
then	considerably	easier	and	more	peaceful. Individual	experiences	of	life	are	tempered,	tailored,	and	considerably
determined	by	one’s	personal	level	of	consciousness	as	well	as	that	of
prevailing	society. As	science	advances,	it	is	discovering	that	more	and
more	of	human	behavior,	especially	deviant	or	abnormal	behavior,	as	well
as	character	traits,	is	inherited. Many	predominant	characteristics	are
already	set	and	in	operation	during	early	infancy. There	is,	for	instance,	a
depressive	disorder	called	“dysthymia,”	which	begins	in	childhood	and
persists	for	a	lifetime. It	is	accompanied	by	the	deficiency	of	an	essential
brain	neurotransmitter. Many	mood	and	behavioral	improvements	cannot
be	made	by	the	individual	unaided,	and	often	the	situation	cannot	be
resolved	even	with	expert	help. Q:	Resolution	of	most	conflict,	then,	is	possible	by	education? A:	That	is	true. Compassion	and	wisdom	go	hand	in	hand. To	complain	about
the	limitations	and	defects	of	others	is	futile	and	unrealistic. Q:	What	about	ideals? A:	They	can	be	hoped	for	but	not	expected. Goals	are	hypothetical	intellectual
constructs	and	can	be	sources	of	inspiration,	but	idealizations	often	refer	to
prideful	conceits. Conventionally,	ideals	are	expected	of	others	but	not
necessarily	of	oneself	for	whom	plausible	excuses	prevail. It	is	very	immature	to	expect	others	to	live	up	to	one’s	own	standards	or
ideals. Let	us	not	overlook	that	the	majority	of	people	have	no	reason	other
than	to	‘take	what	they	can	get’. Seventy-eight	percent	of	the	people	on	the
planet	calibrate	below	the	level	of	Integrity	at	200. They	are	not
committed	to	spiritual	truth,	which	to	them	is	fiction	or	idealistic
nonsense. Fairness,	consideration,	honesty,	and	ethics	do	not	prevail	at
consciousness	levels	below	200. When	they	do,	it	is	the	exception	ratherthan	the	rule. In	addition,	realize	that	rationality	and	intelligence	do	not	prevail	as
dominant	bases	for	behavior	and	decision	making	until	consciousness
reaches	the	level	of	the	400s. The	majority	of	people	are	not	bound	by
logic	but	by	wants,	emotionalism,	desire,	ignorance,	pridefulness,	and	the
desire	to	be	‘right’. Below	the	consciousness	level	of	200,	society	relies	on
force	rather	than	power. Q:	So	what	can	the	spiritual	seeker	do	to	be	of	help	to	society? A:	To	endeavor	to	evolve	spiritually	is	the	greatest	gift	one	can	give. It
actually	uplifts	all	mankind	from	within	because	of	the	nature	of	power
itself. Power	radiates	and	is	shared,	whereas	force	is	limited,	self-
defeating,	and	evanescent. All	society	is	subliminally	and	subtly
influenced	by	every	kind	and	loving	thought,	word,	or	deed. Every
forgiveness	is	a	benefit	to	everyone. The	universe	notes	and	records	every
action	and	returns	it	in	kind. Karma	is	actually	the	very	nature	of	the
universe	because	of	the	innate	structure	and	function	of	the	universe	itself. In	the	universe	time	is	measured	in	eons. Beyond	that,	it	does	not	even
exist	at	all. Every	kindness	is	therefore	forever.CHAPTER	14
The	Body	and	Society
Q:	If	identification	with	the	mind	and	body	ceases,	how	can	one	survive? A:	There	are	moments	when	it	is	‘permitted’	and	possible	to	relinquish	the
body	altogether. Destiny,	karma,	intention,	commitment,	or	whatever	one
might	choose	to	call	it,	is	also	operative. If	destined	by	prior	choice,
continuance	of	life	in	association	with	this	body	may	continue. It	does	so
on	its	own. The	body	does	not	require	mentation	to	survive. The	universe
provides	for	it. Even	now,	everyone’s	body	is	accomplishing	thousands	of
physiological	processes	that	perpetuate	its	life	without	any	conscious
thought	at	all. It	is	not	necessary	to	decide	on	each	heartbeat	or	digestive
enzyme. Each	of	these	functions	does	what	it	is	supposed	to	do	because	it
is	an	integrated	part	of	a	larger	whole. The	body	is	also	not	separate	from
the	whole	but	is	part	and	parcel	of	the	universe,	and	its	survival	is	a
function	of	the	whole. Necessary	information	is	provided	to	the	body	when	needed,	and	it
does	not	have	to	originate	from	the	mind. The	nervous	system	and	senses
have	automatic,	learned	responses. Although	the	ordinary	body/mind	is	propelled	by	endless	wants,
desires,	and	anxieties,	when	these	lose	their	underlying	motivation,	it	is
found	that	the	body	has	very	few	actual	needs. The	body	itself	is	no	longer
sought	or	needed	as	a	source	of	pleasure	because	the	source	of	pleasure	is
in	the	ever-present	awareness	and	joy	of	existence	in	each	moment. Thus,	continuance	of	the	body	is	dependent	on	local	conditions,	such	as
the	presence	of	others	who	see	to	its	maintenance	and	survival. If	local
conditions	such	as	the	interest	of	other	people	in	the	body’s	survival	are
not	present,	then	it	may	cease	to	survive. Whether	it	survives	or	not	is
actually	relatively	unimportant. Q:	Are	not	some	functions	of	the	body	‘necessary’? A:	They	occur	because	that	is	the	body’s	nature,	but	they	are	not	actually
‘necessary’. They	do	have	a	function;	for	instance,	repetitive	sensory
experiences	help	to	maintain	a	sense	of	locality	and	direction. The	Self	is
invisible,	weightless,	and	everywhere	present	so	that	even	sound	is	no
longer	a	precise	indicator	of	position. The	body	is	witnessed	but	notspecial. If	its	repetitive	sensory	experiences	are	discontinued,	then	time,
location,	and	physicality	drift	away	and	there	is	even	a	loss	of	the	sense	of
direction. Staying	‘in	the	world’	or	functioning	as	‘a	part	of	it’	are	the
result	of	intentional	focus	and	require	energy. Q:	It	sounds	confusing	to	say	that	the	mind	is	the	main	block	to
Realization. A:	To	clarify	for	the	sake	of	understanding,	the	mind	could	be	‘partitioned’
into	‘thinking	mind’	and	‘aware	mind’.‘Aware	mind’	knows,	recognizes,
and	is	conscious	of	many	things	and	has	capacities	that	do	not	depend	on
thought,	language,	or	concepts. It	recognizes	wholes	and	essential
elements	and	patterns. If	the	mind	stops	languaging	and	sequencing
thoughts,	it	is	still	capable	of	rapid	comprehension	on	a	nonverbal	level. Even	a	dog	knows	or	recognizes	a	great	deal,	with	no	language	necessary. This	‘aware	mind’	is	always	present	but	overlooked	if	the	mind	is
focused	on	reason/logic/	thought/words. The	aware	mind	is	analogous	to
peripheral	vision	as	compared	to	central	vision. For	instance,	although	the
eyes	may	focus	on	a	specific	object	such	as	a	clock,	they	are	also
simultaneously	taking	in,	registering,	and	recognizing	the	entire	room. In	spiritual	work,	it	is	necessary	to	withdraw	attention	from	a	central
focus	to	a	more	diffused	and	all-encompassing	gaze. Central	focus	is
always	directed	to	an	ego	interest. It	is	therefore	the	focus	of	desire	and
limitation. One	might	say	one	has	to	focus	in	order	to	function. However,
focusing	is	accomplished	by	excluding	the	whole. Peripheral	unfocused
vision,	like	‘aware	mind’,	is	inclusive	rather	than	exclusive. It	is	concerned
with	essence	and	not	detail	and	operates	effortlessly	at	all	times;	it	is
always	present. One	survives	by	means	of	‘aware	mind’	and	achieves	by	using	‘focused
thinking’	mind. One	could	use	a	mnemonic. Focus	is	to	function	and
peripheral	is	for	peace. In	the	enlightened	state,	the	energy	of	restless
‘focused	thinking’	mind	is	absorbed	back	into	effortless,	non-thinking
‘aware	mind’,	and	when	allowed	to,	it	becomes	only	awareness	itself	that
lies	behind	and	illuminates	‘aware	mind’. Likewise,	intention	results	in	the	bodily	gaze	being	focused	on	the	near
side	of	an	object,	whereas	love	results	in	the	dilation	of	the	pupils,	and	the
eyes	focus	on	the	far	side	of	an	object	or	person	so	as	to	include	them. It	is
a	standing	joke	that	most	men	cannot	tell	you	quickly	at	all	what	color
their	wife’s	eyes	are. Focused,	linear,	verbal	mind	can	learn	‘about’	God,	but	because	Truth
is	total	and	all-inclusive,	it	is	not	equipped	to	know	or	capable	of	knowingGod	directly	or	experientially. One	might	say	that	macular,	or	central
vision,	is	‘Yang’	as	compared	to	peripheral	vision,	which	is	‘Yin’. The
intellect	is	Yang;	the	Self	is	more	comparable	to	Yin. (Although	it	includes
the	Yang,	it	does	so	in	a	Yin	manner!) The	moment	of	enlightenment	or	realization	is	like	the	very	ultimate
Yin-and-Yang	‘experience’. It	is	a	given	that	is	received. The	ultimate
surrender	opens	the	door	for	Revelation,	which	stands	forth	to	be	received. This	is	the	ultimate	power	of	Yin. The	Presence	stands	forth	with	such
enormous	power	that	it	seems	like	the	ultimate	Yang	presence. Enlightenment	is	the	product	of	that	union;	thus,	it	is	absolutely	complete
and	final. The	occurrence	is	like	the	birth	of	a	new	nebula,	the	birth	of	a
star. This	may	sound	exaggerated	unless	it	is	realized	that	it	is	not	the
local,	limited	‘you’	that	becomes	enlightened. On	the	contrary,	the	Self	is
the	All	of	the	Entire	Universe;	therefore,	others	who	have	arrived	at	that
state	have	described	it	as	‘cosmic	consciousness’	because	of	the	enormity
of	the	‘event’. It	should	not	be	forgotten	that	this	occurrence	impacts	the
total	consciousness	of	all	mankind	and	does	so	for	many	thousands	of
years,	and	on	into	time	without	end. Without	the	consciousness	of	the	avatar	appearing	on	this	planet,
mankind	would	have	self-destructed	millennia	ago. Thus,	when	the
Buddha	extols	the	virtues	and	magnificence	of	his	‘teachings’,	he	is
merely	being	humble	and	factual. It	has	nothing	to	do	with	being	self-
laudatory. The	realization	of	that	which	sustains	all	life	is	hardly	a	small
discovery. Every	sage	knows	the	same	thing	but	expresses	it	differently	or
perhaps	in	other	styles	of	language. Q:	Why	is	the	intellect,	which	is	so	useful	in	dealing	with	material
problems,	so	useless	and,	in	fact,	a	hindrance	when	it	comes	to
reaching	enlightenment? A:	The	ego/mind	is	limited	to	perceptually	created,	linear	sequential	logic,
abstractions,	and	the	use	of	words,	concepts,	and	symbols. The	matrix	of
the	comprehension	afforded	by	intellection	is	actually	an	epistemological
position	that	relies	primarily	on	definitions. Thus,	it	is	definition	itself	that
is	the	very	crux	of	the	impediment. Definition	is	an	artifice,	an	agreed-
upon	symbolism	displayed	as	verbal	or	auditory	syntax	so	that	it	will	have
a	communicable,	specific,	and	limited	meaning. Language	is	as	useful	as	it
is	precise. To	define,	we	have	to	deal	in	abstract	categories	of	thought. We	specify
class,	genus,	and	species. Thus,	verbalization	and	languaging	result	in
careful,	progressive	limitation	from	class	to	genus	to	species	to	particularindividual. The	perfection	of	this	level	of	consciousness	calibrates	in	the	400s,	at
which	499	is	the	level	of	intellectual	genius. This	level	is	very	powerful. It
creates	and	sustains	all	modern	science,	industry,	and	the	economy	as	well
as	space	exploration	and	biological	research. The	400s	are	certainly	a	long,
long	way	beyond	the	mentality	of	Neanderthal	Man. Modern	society	lives
in	the	400s—the	age	of	the	university,	the	Internet,	the	newspaper,	and
electronic	communication—but	self-realization	is	a	state	of	a	different
dimension. It	is	unlimited,	beyond	form,	and	all	inclusive. Language	and	concepts	consist	of	very	limited,	distinct	forms. Although	this	generality	is	easy	to	see,	it	is	more	far-reaching	and	subtle	in
its	effect	than	can	be	easily	described. At	the	very	basis	of	the	limitation	of
thinking/mind/logic	is	the	fact,	as	pointed	out	by	Korzypski,	that	a	symbol
or	a	word	is	not	the	same	thing	as	that	which	it	denotes	(e.g.,	the	map	is
not	the	territory). In	Reality,	everything	is	totally	and	completely	self-identical	and	self-
existent. It	is	exactly	and	only	what	it	is	in	a	very	radical	self-identity	that
excludes	all	adjectives,	adverbs,	verbs,	pronouns,	or	actually	even	nouns. From	the	viewpoint	of	radical	truth,	a	thing	can	be	said	only	to	be	itself. All	language	is	thus	based	on	perceptual	bias	and	limitation. For	instance,
if	it	is	said	that	it	is	a	great	day	outside,	the	radical	fact	is	quite	to	the
contrary. A	day	is,	after	all,	a	specified	duration	of	time. It	cannot	have	any
color. There	is	no	such	thing,	actually,	as	‘a	great	day’. With	examination,
it	will	be	found	that	all	definitions	and	statements	are	false,	without
exception,	and	thus	are	restricted	severely	and	radically	to	self-identity
only. An	individual	is	
not
	a	class,	or	even	a	genus	or	a	species. These	are	all
categories	of	thought. In	Reality,	each	thing	is	perfect	as	a	definition	and
expression	of	itself	by	the	authority	and	self-effulgence	of	its	own
existence. All	labels	are	therefore	fallacious. A	thing	is	not	a	word	or	a
concept. At	a	deep	level	of	understanding,	all	language	and	symbols	are
fallacious. For	instance,	people	are	not	caused	to	be	frozen	to	death	by	a
thermometer	that	is	reading	twenty	degrees	below	zero	Fahrenheit. They
freeze	to	death	because	of	the	absence	of	heat,	which	we	(fallaciously)
term	‘coldness’. Even	if	we	say	someone	‘froze	to	death’,	that	is	also
fallacious. The	person	actually	died	because	their	heart	stopped	beating. Even	that	is	not	true. The	person	died	because	if	the	heart	stopped,	the
brain	lacked	oxygen	and	stopped	breathing. Even	that	is	fallacious	because
with	no	oxygen,	the	energy	production	from	chemical	reactions	of	the
body	has	stopped	(cyclic	amp,	etc.). Even	that	is	fallacious	because	whenthe	enzymes	stop,	the	chemical	processes	they	catalyze	stop. Even	that	is
fallacious,	and	so	on. Eventually	we	find	that	the	person’s	body	died
because	the	etheric/life/energy/spirit	body	that	had	inhabited	the	body	had
left. No	thing	or	person	can	actually	be	an	adjective. It	cannot	actually	even
be	a	noun. As	a	matter	of	fact,	it	cannot	even	do	anything. The	limitation
of	radical	reality	is	that	it	can	only	‘be’. Not	only	that,	it	can	only
specifically	be	precisely	that	which	it	is,	with	no	descriptive	terms	applied
at	all. Abstractions	have	no	existence	or	reality. They	do	not	have	the	capacity
to	‘be’. All	qualifiers	are	a	perceptual	artifice;	none	actually	exist. Reality
becomes	self-evident	when	the	obstruction	of	perception	and	mentation
are	removed,	including	all	belief	systems. Q:	Are	beliefs	also	obstacles? A:	Yes	and	no. A	belief	is	an	operational	substitute	for	the	knowledge	that	can
be	gained	only	by	experience. For	instance,	a	traveler	believes	that	a
country	called	China	exists,	based	on	faith	and	information. The	belief
gives	sufficient	basis	for	action. The	traveler	first	hears	about	China,	and
then	reads	information. At	that	point,	the	person	‘knows	about’	China. After	the	traveler	actually	lands	in	China,	lives	there,	and	meets	the
people,	then	the	traveler	actually	‘knows’	China	rather	than	‘knowing
about’	China. Once	this	occurs,	the	traveler	needs	no	further	beliefs	or
faith	that	China	actually	exists. Thus,	successful	action	starts	with
plausible	belief. The	belief,	however,	cannot	be	substituted	for	the	actual
experience. Most	people	have	many	religious	beliefs	that	serve	as	guides	and	in
which	they	have	faith. However,	unless	these	are	carefully	calibrated	as	to
their	actual	levels	of	truth,	the	beliefs	may	indeed	be	fallacious	or	half-
truths.
_OceanofPDF.com_The_Eye_of_the_I_-_David_R_Hawkins.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Every	entity	that	lives	loves	its
existence,	not	because	it	has	emotionality,	but	because	the	joy	of
awareness	is	intrinsic	to	life	and	all	existence. Knowingness	does	not
require	either	thought	or	feeling	because	existence	contains	the	quality	of
Divine	awareness. Life	itself	knows	that	it	exists,	but	it	gets	caught	up	in
its	identification	with	its	current	form. From	the	level	of	awareness	of
Truth	and	Reality,	death	is	an	impossibility	because	it	has	no	reality,	just	as
absence	is	not	a	state	of	being	but	a	mental	description. For	death	to	occur,
it	would	have	to	be	part	of	the	karmic	potentiality	of	the	universe. It	is	not
a	possible	potentiality,	and	there	is	nothing	to	occur. Nothingness	is	not	a
thing	that	can	happen. Life,	like	existence,	has	no	opposite,	just	as	truth	has	no	opposite,	self-
existent	pseudoreality	such	as	falsehood. Truth	is	either	present	or	not. Divinity,	God,	Allness,	Oneness,	and	the	Absolute	are	All	That	Is;	no
opposite	to	God	can	exist. Only	the	true	is	true;	nothing	else	exists. All
fear,	then,	arises	from	attachment	to	form	due	to	the	illusion	that	form	is	a
necessary	requirement	for	existence. CHAPTER	12
The	Search	for	Truth
Q:	Where	does	one	begin	the	search	for	spiritual	truth	self-realization
called	enlightenment. A:	It	is	simple. Begin	with	who	and	what	you	are. All	truth	is	found	within. Use	verified	teachings	as	a	guide
Q:	Where	is	that	reality	of	eternal	truth	to	be	found. A:	Begin	by	accepting	the	very	important	statement	that	
all	truth	is	subjective. Do	not	waste	lifetimes	looking	for	an	objective	truth	because	no	such	thing
exists. Even	if	it	did,	it	could	not	be	found	except	by	the	purely	subjective
experience	of	it. All	knowledge	and	wisdom	are	subjective. Nothing	can
be	said	to	exist	unless	it	is	subjectively	experienced. Even	a	supposedly
purely	objective	material	world,	if	it	existed,	could	be	said	to	exist	only
because	of	one’s	subjective	sensory	experience	of	it. Even	the	most	rabid
materialist	is	stuck	with	the	fact	that	in	the	end,	it	is	only	their	own
subjective	awareness	that	gives	it	the	authority	of	believability. Q:	Is	there	not	a	difference	between	an	objective	and	a	subjective	reality. A:	All	reality	is	subjective. Every	other	position	is	an	illusion	based	on
duality. The	subjective	and	objective	are	one	and	the	same,	just	different
descriptions	from	different	points	of	perception. Reality	is	not	based	on
perception,	duration,	description,	form,	or	measurement. All	such
attributes	are	those	of	perception	itself,	which	is,	by	its	very	nature,
transitory,	arbitrary,	limited,	illusory,	and	dualistic. Q:	What	is	the	value	of	the	great	teachers	and	teachings. A:	The	gift	is	not	limited	to	information,	facts,	or	wisdom	but	the	level	or
power	of	consciousness	from	which	they	emanate. Great	power	is
sustained	by	purity	of	context. The	usefulness	of	many	teachings	has	been
destroyed	by	error	in	the	context	in	which	they	were	taught,	and	thus	their
meaning	has	been	obscured	or	distorted. How	else	could	mankind	be	led
into	its	historic,	repetitious	pattern	of	horrific	and	ghastly	acts	committed
in	the	name	of	some	religion,	theological	dogma,	or	positionality. Every
human	crime	can	be	excused	and	rationalized	by	some	distorted	statement
that	claims	to	be	truth	because	it	was	‘taken	out	of	Scripture’	by	those	whoseek	power,	fame,	wealth,	and	control	over	others. Dogma	masquerades	as
truth	and	provides	the	slogans	that	lead	whole	civilizations
sanctimoniously,	piously,	and	arrogantly	to	grim	and	horrific	death. All
such	empires	expire. Q:	What	is	the	difference	in	meaning	among	God,	Is-ness,	Buddhahood,
Christ,	Avatar,	Truth,	Enlightenment,	Self,	Krishna,	Reality,
Awareness,	Oneness,	Absoluteness,	Allness,	Totality,	and	Divinity. A:	None. Different	linguistic	forms	reflect	the	culture	of	origin	of	the
teachings. Q:	But	are	there	not	differences	between	the	truths	of	the	different
teachings. A:	In	actuality,	no	difference	is	possible. All	supposed	differences	are	merely
due	to	misunderstandings	and	are	reflections	of	limitations	of	context. Differences	may	exist	among	religions	but	not	among	truly	spiritual
teachings. Spirituality	unites;	religiosity	divides. Q:	How	can	that	be	possible. A:	All	truth	is	self-existent,	total,	complete,	and	all	encompassing	without
location,	duration,	or	parts. Because	truth	is	self-existent	as	itself	in	its
totality,	that	which	is	a	self-evident,	subjective	state	of	‘I’	encompasses	All
That	Is. Allness	allows	for	no	division. Q:	What	is	the	‘I’. A:	The	‘Infinite	I’	is	that	subjective	reality	which	underlies	the	individual	‘I’
and	allows	for	the	experience	of	‘I-ness’	as	one’s	existence. It	is	the
absolute	‘I’	that	enables	the	statement,	“I. ”	It	might	be	said	that	Descartes
had	it	backwards. The	truth	is	not	“I	think,	therefore	I	am,”	but	its
corollary,	“I	am,	therefore	I	think. ”
					Consciousness,	or	the	capacity	for	awareness,	is	formless	and	is	the
backdrop	from	which	form	can	be	identified. It	is	because	of	the
formlessness	of	the	apparent	emptiness	of	space	that	form	can	be
perceived. ‘Somethingness’	can	be	identified	only	because	it	stands	out
against	no	other	things. It	is	due	to	the	clarity	of	the	sky	that	we	can	see
the	clouds. Q:	Is	there	a	shortcut	to	enlightenment. A:	Yes,	indeed. One	can	spend	endless	lifetimes	studying	all	the	spiritual	and
philosophical	teachings	of	the	world	and	merely	end	up	confused	and
discouraged. Seek	to	‘know’,	not	to	‘know	about’. ‘Know’	impliessubjective	experience;	‘know	about’	means	to	accumulate	facts. In	the	end,
all	facts	disappear,	and	there	are	none	to	be	known. If	one	realizes	that
one’s	own	Self	is	the	All	of	Everything	that	is,	has	been,	or	ever	could	be,
what	is	left	that	one	needs	to	know. Completeness	is,	by	its	very	nature,
total	and	complete. Q:	How	can	this	be. A:	Because	once	you	become	something,	there	is	nothing	more	to	know	about
it. To	know	implies	incompleteness. That	which	I	am	is	Allness. To	realize
that	one	already	is	and	always	has	been	All	That	Is	leaves	nothing	to	be
added. Q:	This	sounds	confusing. A:	That	is	only	because	the	false	self/ego	identifies	itself	with	limitation	and
form. Q:	What	about	‘learning’. A:	With	awareness	of	Reality,	all	learning	stops. The	mind	becomes	silent. In
peace	and	stillness,	all	that	exists	radiates	forth	its	own	meaning	and	truth
and	reveals	that	the	nature	of	existence	is	stunningly	divine. Everything
radiates	forth	its	Divine	essence	as	Existence	itself. That	which	Is	and	that
which	is	Divine	are	one	and	the	same. Out	of	the	Unmanifest	radiates	the
Manifest,	which	is	also,	in	its	essence,	the	Unmanifest	as	well. There	is	no
duality	of	manifest	versus	unmanifest. All	seeming	differences	disappear
when	one	transcends	perception,	which	is	an	arbitrary	and	limited	point	of
view. It	is	perception	that	creates	duality. This	is	an	experiential	fact,	not	a
philosophical	conclusion. Philosophy	can	be	useful	but	it	is	only	an
intellectual	parallel	to	reality	in	which	no	philosophy	is	possible. Q:	Then	what	are	we	discussing. A:	Descriptions,	but	behind	them	stands	the	subjective,	experiential	reality. Q:	Of	what	value	are	teachings	or	discoveries. A:	Each	piece	of	information	contributes	to	intuitive	understanding	and
recognition. Truth	is	recognized. It	presents	itself	to	a	field	of	awareness
that	has	been	prepared	in	order	to	allow	the	presentation	to	reveal	itself. Truth	and	enlightenment	are	not	acquired	or	achieved. It	is	a	state	or
condition	that	presents	itself	when	the	conditions	are	appropriate. Q:	What	favors	this	occurrence. A:	Humility	is	of	greater	value	than	all	factual	accumulation. Unless	one	hascompletely	and	totally	experienced	the	presence	of	God	in	Its	stunning,
absolute	Allness,	it	is	safe	to	assume	that	one	really	knows	nothing	and
that	all	accumulated	so-called	knowledge	is	but	ignorance	and	pride. Anything	within	that	claims,“I	know,”	by	that	very	statement	proves	that	it
is	false	or	else	it	would	not	make	such	a	claim. Q:	Why	is	knowledge	such	a	block	to	enlightenment. A:	The	thought,	“I	know”	precludes	the	ultimate	awareness	of	the	real	‘I	Am’. The	word	‘know’	is	dualistic	and	assumes	a	dichotomy	between	a	separate
subject,	the	‘knower’,	and	something	external	to	be	known. Q:	
Thus,	is	there	no	division	between	‘knower’	and	‘known’,	no
difference	between	subject	and	object. A:	That	is	the	basic	error	of	duality,	which	assumes	the	perceptual	point	of
observation. Actually,	the	subjective	and	the	objective	are	one	and	the
same. To	say	otherwise	is	merely	to	be	arbitrary. Q:	We	hear	that	the	ego	is	the	block	to	realization. Can	you	explain	that. A:	There	is	no	such	thing	in	reality	as	an	ego;	it	is	merely	illusory. It	is	made
up	of	a	compilation	of	arbitrary	points	of	view	supplied	by	mentation	and
powered	by	feelings	and	emotions. These	desires	represent	the	attachments
that	the	Buddha	spoke	of	as	the	bondage	of	suffering. With	absolute
humility,	the	ego	dissolves. It	is	a	collection	of	arbitrary	mentations	that
gain	force	only	because	of	vanity	and	habit. If	one	lets	go	of	the	vanity	of
thought,	it	dissolves. All	thought	is	vanity. All	opinions	are	vanities. The
pleasure	of	vanity	is	therefore	the	basis	of	the	ego—unplug	it	and	it
collapses. In	the	higher	state	of	consciousness,	it	becomes	silent	in	the
Presence. To	even	have	a	single	thought	in	the	presence	of	the	Presence
would	not	be	within	the	realm	of	the	doable	nor	would	there	be	the
likelihood	of	bringing	up	such	an	outlandish	pomposity. Q:	There	must	be	some	tools	to	assist	in	lessening	the	hold	of	the	ego. A:	Ideation	persists	because	it	is	valued. Notice	that	everyone	has	an	opinion
on	everything. Notice	that	all	thoughts	are	merely	pontifications. Everyone
is	enamored	of	their	own	thoughts	and	ideas,	even	though	they	are
worthless. Q:	But	what	about	the	value	of	education. A:	Education	gives	reliability	to	thought	processes	and	therefore	of	action. This	is	useful	in	the	world	but	does	not	lead	to	enlightenment. To	become
educated	is	one	objective;	to	become	enlightened	is	another. Many	are	the
educated,	and	few	are	the	enlightened. Q:	But	is	there	not	reality	to	experiencing	that	which	is	myself. A:	All	seeming	separation	is	an	artifact	of	thought. It	is	essential	to	see	that
the	mind	is	at	all	times	experiencing	a	point	of	view. Q:	What,	then,	is	illusion	that	we	hear	about	so	much. A:	The	entire	perceptual	illusion	that	the	ego	claims	to	be	reality	is
completely	and	totally	the	product	of	positionality. This	is	very	important
to	unravel	and	understand	in	one’s	own	experiential	awareness. If	you
observe	carefully,	you	will	note	that	at	the	time	the	mind	is	taking	a
position,	that	position	stems	from	choice,	training,	desire,	emotion,	or
political	or	religious	viewpoint. From	the	arbitrary	positionalities	of
moralizing,	all	actions	and	events	can	be	categorized	as	right	or	wrong. From	that	positionality	stem	all	the	pointless	sacrifice	and	sufferings	of	the
world. Q:	What	is	the	cause	of	this	error. A:	Judgmentalism. This	is	the	great	vanity	of	all	egos. Scripture	says,	“Judge
not,	lest	ye	be	judged. ”	Also,	‘‘‘Judgment	is	mine,’	sayeth	the	Lord. ”
Christ	said	to	forgive. The	Buddha	said	there	is	nothing	to	judge	because
perception	can	only	see	illusion. Perception	is	always	partial	and	limited
by	an	arbitrary	context. In	truth,	no	judgment	is	possible. Q:	Is	judgment	ever	justifiable. A:	It	can	always	be	rationalized. From	Ethics,	one	learns	the	basic	axiom	that
the	end	does	not	justify	the	means. To	fail	to	understand	this	basic	dictum
is	to	be	totalitarian	and	subject	to	serious	spiritual	error. A	‘good’	result
can	be	conjured	up	to	excuse	any	barbaric	behavior,	and	it	is	thus	used
extensively	in	our	society	to	justify	socially	sanctioned	behaviors	that
violate	spiritual	premises. These	violations	undermine	the	very	fabric	of
society	and	backfire	as	the	prevalence	of	misconduct,	crime,	and	human
suffering	in	all	its	forms. Q:	How	can	mankind	climb	out	of	this	pit	of	misery. A:	The	swiftest	way	out	of	problems	and	ignorance	is	by	acquiring	an
understanding	of	the	nature	of	consciousness	itself. Awareness	of	the
nature	of	consciousness	catapults	one	through	all	problems,	limitations,
and	human	endeavors. It	is	the	most	important	subject	of	all	subjects	to	be
learned	because	it	underlies	all	human	experience	and	enterprise. Science
itself	has	progressed	only	to	the	point	where	it	can	advance	no	further
without	understanding	the	nature	of	consciousness. Thus,	there	are	so
many	international	conferences	on	science	and	consciousness	that	are	thefocus	of	much	interest	and	are	very	well	attended. Thus	far,	such
endeavors	have	been	hampered	by	the	lack	of	adequate	tools	to	explore	the
leading	edge	of	human	intelligence. Q:	We	hear	that	the	block	to	Awareness	is	duality	itself. How	can	this	be
solved. A:	Duality	is	the	artificial	and	arbitrary	basis	for	the	illusion	of	separation. It
originates	from	a	positionality	that	stems	from	the	sum	of	thinkingness,
with	all	its	myriad	judgments,	values,	selectivity,	prejudices,	and	opinions. These	in	turn	stem	from	symbolism,	limited	paradigms,	and	limitations
of	context. It	is	only	by	an	arbitrary	limitation	of	context	that	any
judgments	or	value	statements	can	be	made	about	anything	at	all. The	fact
that	many	opinions	are	held	by	great	masses	of	people	is	hypnotic. Few
minds	can	escape	the	appeal	of	the	authority	of	mass	agreement. People
look	without	instead	of	within	for	guidance. As	Freud	said,	the	individual
conscience	is	dissolved	in	the	unconsciousness	of	the	herd	and	mass
action. Morality	is	silenced	by	mass	hysteria. Few	can	resist	the	propaganda	of	the	news	media. Truth	eventually
surfaces,	but	it	is	usually	belated. How	often	human	error	underlies
tragedy	is	revealed	by	the	DNA-based	reversal	of	the	convictions	of	so
many	prisoners	who	have	even	been	previously	executed. Judicial
testimony	is	perception,	and	inasmuch	as	perception	is	the	source	of	error,
the	so-called	justice	system	is	understandably	prone	to	error. Truth	cannot
be	arrived	at	through	voting. Jury	conclusions	are	merely	opinions,	not
facts. Emotions	blind	perception	and	guarantee	error. Duality	is	thus	a
separation	of	truth	and	error	that	is	sourced	by	the	vanity	of	perception	and
the	ego. Q:	How	does	perception	result	in	duality. A:	Arbitrary	selectivity	results	in	a	positionality	that	is	a	point	of	view	which
artificially	polarizes	the	oneness	of	Reality	into	seemingly	separate	parts. These	parts	are	apparent	only	and	not	actually	separate	in	Reality. The
separation	into	parts	occurs	only	in	the	mind	and	not	in	Reality. Thus,	we
end	up	speaking	of	‘here’	and	‘there’,	or	‘now’	versus	‘then’,	or	we
arbitrarily	select	out	portions	from	the	flow	of	life	that	we	refer	to	as
‘events’	or	‘happenings’. One	serious	consequence	of	this	mental	process
is	the	production	of	a	false	understanding	of	causality. This
misunderstanding	leads	to	endless	human	problems	and	tragedies. Q:	I	understand	that	you	place	great	emphasis	on	clarifying	the	nature	ofcausality. A:	In	an	attempt	to	reconnect	that	which	has	now	been	conceptually	separated
in	the	processes	of	the	mind’s	thoughts,	causality	is	invented	to	explain
what	is	now	viewed	as	‘relationship’. In	Reality,	there	is	only	identity;
there	is	no	cause	of	anything	nor	is	it	required. In	the	Newtonian	paradigm
of	linear	causality,	a	‘this’	seems	to	be	causing	a	‘that’. In	Reality,
everything	is	already	complete,	and	the	total	oneness	is	beyond	time,
space,	and	separation	or	definition. It	is	obvious	that	nothing	is	the	cause
of	anything	else	as	that	would	require	a	dualistic	separation	in	time	and
space,	which	is	impossible. The	manifest	becomes	manifest	by	creation. All	things	are	because	of
their	essence	in	its	expression	as	existence. All	we	can	observe	are
conditions. It	is	relatively	easy	to	see	that	the	‘cause’	of	anything	is	the	totality	of
the	entire	universe	throughout	all	time,	being	what	it	is	in	all	its
expressions	as	existence. All	things	exist	as	an	expression	of	identity,	and
the	essence	of	all	things	shines	forth	by	its	presence. All	things	are	self-
created	by	divine	expression	as	existence. Therefore,	each	‘thing’	can	only
be	what	it	is	because	of	the	totality	of	the	entire	universe. A	speck	of	dust
cannot	be	where	it	is	positioned	without	air	currents,	which	require	a
room,	which	requires	a	building,	a	lot,	a	continent,	a	planet,	a	solar	system,
a	galaxy,	a	universe,	and	so	on. All	statements	made	by	the	mind	are	subjective. There	is	no	linear
progression	of	events,	sequences,	or	causations. All	shines	forth	as	it	is	in
its	expression	of	existence. All	is	self-existence	and	therefore	not
dependent	on	anything	outside	itself. Q:	Is	the	ego	‘wrong’. A:	The	problem	with	the	ego	is	not	that	it	is	wrong;	it	is	just	that	it	is	limited
and	distorted. To	conceive	of	the	ego	as	an	enemy	is	to	become	polarized,
bringing	forth	conflict,	guilt,	anger,	and	shame. Positionalities	support	the
ego. By	enlarging	context,	opposites	are	transcended	and	problems	are
dissolved. Humility	removes	the	ego’s	underpinnings	of	judgmentalism,
positionality,	and	moralizing. In	Reality,	there	can	no	longer	be	opposites
anymore	than	there	can	be	winners	or	losers. Within	the	illusion,	statistics,	for	instance,	depend	on	how	limits	are	set
and	defined. By	changing	classification,	statistics	shift. Thus,	the	supposed
crime	rate	in	the	United	States	can	be	made	to	appear	to	go	up	or	down,
depending	on	political	pressures,	or	by	including	or	excluding	certain
things	in	the	compilation. By	raising	or	lowering	criteria,	any	socialphenomenon	can	be	made	to	appear	to	increase	or	decrease. The	world	as
described	by	perception	is	therefore	arbitrary,	and	social	‘reality’	becomes
whatever	one	decides	to	call	it. Definition	defines	perception,	and	the
corollary	is	equally	true. Q:	What	effect	does	thought	have	on	perception. A:	Thought	usually	takes	the	form	of	languaging. Language	is	based	on
labeling,	which	is	therefore	the	result	of	prior	separations	and
fragmentations	of	the	whole. Thinking	and	mentation	are	dialogs	and
expressions	of	duality. One	can	ask	who	or	what	is	doing	the	thinking	or
for	whose	benefit. Who	is	the	speaker	and	who	is	the	listener. Q:	What	is	the	difference	between	ego	and	mind. A:	They	are	actually	one	and	the	same. The	term	‘ego’	is	generally	used,
however,	to	describe	certain	aspects	of	the	mind,	but	the	ego	could	be
more	generally	defined	as	the	source	and	the	process	of	thinking. Q:	What	is	the	relationship	between	mind	and	meditation. A:	The	purpose	of	meditation	is	to	transcend	the	mind	and	its	mentations	and
limited	perceptions,	thereby	transcending	duality	and	becoming
increasingly	aware	of	Oneness. Thinking	proceeds	from	lack;	its	purpose	is	gain. In	wholeness,	nothing
is	lacking. All	is	complete,	total,	and	whole. There	is	nothing	to	think
about	nor	any	motive	to	think. No	questions	arise	and	no	answers	are
sought	or	needed. Totality	is	complete,	totally	fulfilling,	with	no
incompleteness	to	process. Q:	If	thoughts	are	fragmentations	and	artifacts	of	duality,	how	can
spiritual	teachings	be	conveyed	in	language	without	being	misleading. A:	Concepts	have	levels	of	power	that	can	be	calibrated. The	higher	the	level
of	truth,	the	greater	its	power. The	energy	of	the	concept	results	from	the
truth	of	the	statement	plus	the	level	of	consciousness	of	the	speaker. Unaided	by	a	higher	energy	(as	from	a	great	teacher),	the	ego/mind	cannot
transcend	itself. Q:	Many	teachings	seem	ambiguous	and	confusing. A:	Ambiguity	itself	is	illusory. All	seeming	ambiguities	dissolve	in	the
presence	of	understanding. Within	truth,	no	arguments	are	possible.
Where	does	one	begin	the	search	for	spiritual	truth	self-realization
Where	is	that	reality	of	eternal	truth	to	be	found? A:	Begin	by	accepting	the	very	important	statement	that
What	is	the	best	attitude	for	spiritual	work? A:	A	‘Yin’	type	of	position	that	is	persistent	and	unwavering. The	work
If	identification	with	the	mind	and	body	ceases,	how	can	one	survive? A:	There	are	moments	when	it	is	‘permitted’	and	possible	to	relinquish	the
The gift is not limited to information, facts, or wisdom but the level or power of consciousness from which they emanate.
What is the value of the great teachers and their teachings?
By understanding that all seeming opposites are only descriptions from different points of view, and that there is no such thing as a "not" or "absence" in Reality.
How can one transcend the opposites of duality?