"Devotional Nonduality" Lecture Series. Sedona,AZ: Veritas 
Publishing. (Eleven 5-hour CD/DVDs.) Vision (February);Alignment 
(April); Intention (May); Transcending Barriers (June); Conviction 
(July); Serenity (August); T,Jpnscending Ohstacles (Sept.); Spiritual 
Traps (October); Valid Teacbers/Teacbings (Nov.); and, God, 
Religion, & Spirituality (D¢c.) -2004a. "The Science of Peace." Awakened World,].A.G.N.T., 6:3. -2004b. "Nonduality: Consciousness Research and tbe Truth of the 
Buddha." Rourkee, India: Indian Institute ofTechnology. -2004c. "The Impact of Spontaneous Spiritual Experiences in the Life 
of 'Ordinary' Persons." Watkins Review, 7. 2004d. "Transcending the Mind "Lecture Series. Sedona, AZ: Veritas 
Publishing. (Six 5-hour CD/DVDs.) Thought and Ideation (Feb.); 
Emotions and Sensations (April); Perception and Positionality 
(June); Identification and Illusion (August); Witnessing and 
Observing (Oct.); and Tbe Ego and tbe Self(Dec.). 2003a. l'Reality and Subjectivity. Sedona,AZ:Veritas Publishing. 2003b. "Devotional Nonduality "Lecture Series. Sedona, AZ: Veritas 
Publishing. (Six 5-hour CD/DVDs.) Integration of Spirituality and 
Personal Life (Feb.); Spirituality and the World (April); Spiritual 
Community (June); Enligbtenment (August); Realization oftbe Self 
as tbe '7" (Nov.); and, Dialogue, Questions andAnswers (Dec.). 2002a. Power versus Force: An Anatomy Of Consciousness. (Rev.). Carlsbad, CA; Brighton-le-Sands,Australia: Hay House. 491 REFERENCES 
2002b. "The Pathway to God" Lecture Series. Sedona, AZ: Veritas 
Publishing. (I'welve 5-hour CD/DVDs) 1. Causality: The Ego's 
Foundation; 2. Radical Subjectivity: The I of Self; 3. Levels of 
Consciousness: Subjective and Social Consequences; 4. Positionality and Duality: Transcending the Opposites; 5. Perception and Illusion: the Distortions ofReality; 6. Realizing the 
Root of Consciousness: Meditative and Contemplative Techniques; 
7. The Nature ofDivinity: Undoing Religious Fallacies; 8. Advaita:
 
The 'Way to God Through Mind; 9. Devotion: The Way to' God
 
Through the Heart; 10. Karma and the Afterlife; 11. God
 
Transcendent and Immanent; and, 12. Realization of the Self: The
 
Final Moments. 2001. The Eye of the L' From Which Nothing Is Hidden. Sedona,AZ:
 
Veritas Publishing. 2000a. Consciousness Workshop. Prescott, AZ Sedona, AZ: Veritas
 
Publishing. (CD/DVD)
 
2000b. Consciousness andA Course in Miracles. (California.) Sedona,
 
AZ:Veritas Publishing. (CD)
 
2000c. Consciousness and Spiritual InqUiry: Address to the Tao
 
Fellowship. Sedona,AZ:Veritas Publishing. (CD)
 
1997. Research on the Nature ofConsciousness. Sedona,AZ:Veritas
 
Publishing. (The Landsberg 1997 Lecture. University of California
 
School of Medicine, San Francisco, CN 
1996. "Realization of the Presence of God." Concepts. July, 17-18. 1995. Power vs. Force: An Anatomy of Consciousness. Sedona, AZ: 
Veritas Publishing. 1995. Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis and Calibration ofthe 
Levels of Human Consciousness. Ann Arbor, Mich.: VMl, Bell and 
Howell Col.; republished 1996 by Veritas Publishing, Sedona,AZ 
1995. Power Versus Force; Consci0rmess and Addiction; Advanced 
States of Consciousness: The Realization of the Presence of God; 
Consciousness: How to TelltheTruth About Anything, and Undoing 
the Barriers to Spiritual Progress. Sedona, AZ: Veritas Publishing. (CD/DVDs.) -1987. Sedona Lecture Series: Drug Addiction and Alcoholism;A Map 
ofConsciousness; Cancer;AIDS; and Death and Dying. Sedona, AZ: 
Veritas Publishing. (CDs, DVDs.) 1986. Office Series: Stress; Health; Spiritual First Aid; Sexuality; The 
Aging Process; Handling Major Crisis; Worry; Fear and Anxiety; 492 HEALING AND RECOVERY 
Pain and Suffering; Losing Weight; Depression; Illness and Self­
Healing; and Alcoholism. Sedona,AZ: Veritas Publishing.(CDsIDVDs.) -1985. "Consciousness and Addiction" in Beyond Addictions, Beyond 
Boundaries. S. Burton and 1. Kiley. San Mateo, CA: Brookridge 
Institute. Hawkins, D. R., and 1. Pauling. 1973. Orthomolecular Psychiatry. New 
York:W H. Freeman and Co.. 
Kubler-Ross, E. 1997. On Death and Dying, NewYork: Scribner. tibet, B., et at. 1999.Article in Brain 106,623-42. Sadlier, S. 2000. Looking for God: A Searcher's Guide to Religious and 
Spiritual Groups ofthe World. NewYork:: Perigee Trade. Stapp, H. 2007. Mindful Universe: Quantum Mechanics and the 
Participating Observer. NewYork: Springer-Verlag Publishing. Warren, R. 2002. The Purpose Driven Life:What on EarthAm I Here For? Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan. ABOUT THE AUTHOR 493 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
 
Biographical and Autobiographical Notes 
Dr. Hawkins is an internationally known spiritual 
teacher, author, and speaker on the subject ofadvanced 
spiritual states, consciousness research, and the 
Realization of the Presence of God as Self. His published works, as well as recorded lectures, 
have been widely recognized as unique in that a very 
advanced state of spiritual awareness occurred in an 
individual with a scientific and clinical. background 
who was later able to verbalize and explain the 
unusual phenomenon in a manner that is clear and 
comprehensible. The transition from the normal ego-state ofmind to 
its elimination by the Presence is described in the tril­
ogy Power vs. Force (1995) which won praise even 
from Mother Teresa, The Eye of the I (2001), and l' 
Reality and Subjectivity (2003), which have been 
translated into the major languages of the world. Truth 
vs. Falsehood: How to Tell the Difference (2005), 
Transcending the Levels of Consciousness (2006), 
Discovery of the Presence of God: Devotional 
Nonduality (2007), and Reality, Spirituality and 
Modern Man (2008) continue the exploration of the 
ego's expressions and inherent limitations and how 
to transcend them. The trilogy was preceded by research on the 
Nature of Consciousness and published as the doctoral 
dissertation, Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis 494 HEALING AND RECOVERY 
and Calibration of the Levels of Human 
Consciousness (1995), wWch correlated the seemingly 
disparate domains of science and spirituality. This was 
accomplished by the major discovery of a technique 
that, for the fIrst time in human Wstory, demonstrated a 
means to discern truth from falsehood. The importance ofthe initial work was given recog­
nition by its very favorable and extensive review in 
Brain/Mind Bulletin and at later presentations such as 
the International Conference on Science and 
Consciousness. Many presentations were given to a 
variety of organizations, spiritual conferences, church 
groups, nuns, and monks, both nationally and in foreign 
countries, including the Oxford Forum in England. In 
the Far East, Dr. Hawkins is a recognized "Teacher ofthe 
Way to Enlightenment" ("Tae Ryoung Sun Kak Dosa"). In response to his observation that much spiritual 
truth has been misunderstood over the ages due to 
lack of explanation, Dr. Hawkins has presented monthly 
seminars that provide detailed explanations wWch are 
too lengthy to describe in book format. Recordings are 
available that end with questions and answers, thus 
providing additional clarifIcation. The overall design of tWs lifetime work is to recon­
textualize the human experience in terms of the evolu­
tion of consciousness and to integrate a comprehen­
sion of both mind and spirit as expressions of the 
innate DiVinity that is the substrate and ongoing source 
of life and Existence. This dedication is signifIed by the 
statement "Gloria in Excelsis Deol" with wWch Ws 
published works begin and end. 495 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 
Biographic Summary 
Dr. Hawkins has practiced psychiatry since 1952 
and is a life member of the American Psychiatric 
Association and numerous other professional organiza­
tions. His national television appearance schedule has 
included The McNeil/Leher News Hour, The Barbara 
Walters Show, The Today Show, science documen­
taries, and many others. He was also interviewed by 
Oprah Winfrey. He is the author of numerous scientific and spiritual 
publications, books, CDs, DVDs, and lecture series. Nobelist Linus Pauling coauthored his landmark book, 
Orthomolecular Psychiatry. Dr. Hawkins was a con­
sultant for many years to Episcopal and Catholic 
Dioceses, monastic orders, and other religions orders. Dr. Hawkins has lectured widely, with appearances 
at Westminster Abbey, the Universities of Argentina, 
Notre Dame, and Michigan; Fordham University and 
Harvard University; and the Oxford Forum in England. He gave the annual Landsberg Lecture at the University 
of California Medical School at San Francisco. He is also 
a consultant to foreign governments on international 
diplomacy and was instrumental in resolving long­
standing conflicts that were major threats to world 
peace. In recognition of his contributions to humanity, in 
1995, Dr. Hawkins became a knight of the Sovereign 
Order of the Hospitaliers of St. John of Jerusalem, 
which was founded in 1077. Autobiographic Note 
While the truths reported in this book were scien­496 
tifically derived and objectively organized, like all 
truths, they were ftrst experienced personally. A life­
long sequence ofintense states ofawareness beginning 
at a young age ftrst inspired and then gave direction to 
the process of subjective realization that has finally 
taken form in this series of books. At age three, there occurred a sudden full con­
sciousness of existence, a nonverbal but complete 
understanding of the meaning of "I Am," followed 
immediately by the frightening realization that "I" 
"might not have come into existence at all.This was an 
instant awakening from oblivion· into a conscious 
awareness, and in that moment, the personal self was 
bornand the dualityof"Is"and"Is Not" enteredmy sub­
jective awareness. Throughout childhood and early adolescence, the 
paradox of existence and the question of the reality of 
the selfremained a repeated concern. Thepersonal self 
would sometimes begin slipping back into a greater 
impersonal Self, and the initial fear of non-existence­
the fundamental fear of nothingness-would recur. In 1939, as a paperboy with a seventeen-mile bicy­
cle route in rural Wisconsin, on a dark winter's night I 
was caught miles from home in a twenty-below-zero 
blizzard.The bicycle fell over on the ice and the fterce 
wind ripped the newspapers out of the handlebar bas­
ket, blowing them across the ice-covered, snowy field. There were tears of frustration and exhaustion and my 
clotheswerefrozen stiff.To getoutofthewind,Ibroke 
through the icy crust of a high snow bank, dug out a 
space, and crawled into it. Soon the shivering stopped 
and there was a delicious warmth, and then a state of 497 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 
peace beyond all description. This was accompanied 
by a suffusion of light and a presence of inftnite love 
that had no beginning and no end and was undifferen­
tiated from my own essence. The physical body and 
surroundings faded as my awareness was fused with 
this all-present, illuminated state.The mind grew silent; 
all thought stopped. An inftnite Presence was all that 
was or could be, beyond all time or description. After that timelessness, there was suddenly an 
awareness of someone shaking my knee; then my 
father's anxious face appeared. There was great reluc­
tance to return to the body and all that that entailed, 
but because of my father's love and anguish, the Spirit 
nurtured and reactivated the body.There was compas­
sion for his fear of death, although, at the same time, the 
concept of death seemed absurd. This subjective experience was not discussed with 
anyone since there was no context available from 
which to describe it. It was not common to hear of 
spiritual experiences other than those reported in the 
lives of the saints. But after this experience, the accepted 
reality of the world began to seem only provisional; 
traditional religious teachings lost signiftcance and, 
paradoxically, I became an agnostic. Compared to the 
light of Divinity that had illuminated all existence, the 
god of traditional religion shone dully indeed; thus spiri­
tuality replaced religion. During World War II, hazardous duty on a 
minesweeper often brought close brushes with death, 
but there was no fear of it. It was as though death had 
lost its authenticity. After the war, fascinated by the 
complexities of the mind and wanting to study psychi­498 HEALING AND RECOVE_R_Y _ 
atry, I worked my way through medical school. My 
training psychoanalyst, a professor at Columbia 
University, was also an agnostic; we both took a dim 
view of religion. The analysis went well, as did my 
career, and success followed. I did not, however, settle quietly into professional 
life. I fell ill with a progressive, fatal illness that did not 
respond to any treatments available. By age thirty-eight, 
I was in extremis and knew I was about to die. I didn't 
care about the body, but my spirit was in a state of 
extreme anguish and despair. As the fmal moment 
approached, the thought flashed through my mind, 
"What if there is a God?" So I called out in prayer, "If 
there is a God, I ask him to help me now." I surrendered 
to whatever God there might be and went into obliv­
ion.When I awoke, a transformation of such enormity 
had taken place that I was struck dumb with awe. The person I had been no longer existed.There was 
no personal self or ego, only an Infinite Presence of 
such unlimited power that it was all that was. This 
Presence had replaced what had been 'me', and the 
body and its actions were controlled solely by the 
InfiniteWill of the Presence. The world was illuminated 
by the clarity of an Infinite Oneness that expressed 
itself as all things revealed in their infinite beauty and 
perfection. As life went on, this stillness persisted. There was 
no personal will; the physical body went about its busi­
ness under the direction of the infInitely powerful but 
exquisitely gentle Will of the Presence. In that state, 
there was no need to think about anything. All truth 
was self-evident and no conceptualization was neces­499 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 
sary or even possible. At the same time, the physical 
nervous system felt extremely overtaxed, as though it 
were carrying far more energy than its circuits had 
been designed for. It was not possible to function effectively in the 
world. All ordinary motivations had disappeared, 
along with all fear and anxiety.There was nothing to 
seek, as all was perfect. Fame, success, and money 
were meaningless. Friends urged the pragmatic return 
to clinical practice, but there was no ordinary motiva­
tion to do so. There was now the ability to perceive the reality 
that underlay personalities: the origin of emotional 
sickness lay in people's belief that they were their per­
sonalities.And so, as though of its own, a clinical prac­
tice resumed and eventually became huge. People came from all over the United States. The 
practice had two thousand outpatients, which required 
more than f:tfty therapists and other employees, a suite 
of twenty-five offices, and research and electroen­
cephalic laboratories. There were a thousand new 
patients a year. In addition, there were appearances on 
radio and network television shows, as previously men­
tioned. In 1973, the clinical research was documented 
in a traditional format in the book, Orthomolecular 
Psychiatry. This work was ten years ahead of its time 
and created something of a stir. The overall condition of the nervous system 
improved slowly, and then another phenomenon com­
menced. There was a sweet, delicious band of energy 
continuously flOWing up the spine and into the brain 
where it created an intense sensation of continuous 500 HEALING AND RECOVERY 
pleasure. Everything in life happened by synchronicity, 
evolving in perfect harmony; the miraculous was com­
monplace.The origin ofwhat the world would call mir­
acles was the Presence, not the personal self. What 
remained of the personal 'me' was only a witness to 
these phenomena. The greater '1', deeper than my for­
mer self or thoughts, determined all that happened. The states that were present had been reported by 
others throughout history and led to the investigation 
of spiritual teachings, including those of the Buddha, 
enlightened sages, Huang Po, and more recent teachers 
such as Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta Maharaj. It 
was thus confirmed that these experiences were not 
unique. The Bhagavad-Gita now made complete 
sense.At times, the same spiritual ecstasy reported by 
Sri Rama Krishna and the Christian saints occurred. Everything and everyone in the world was lumi­
nous and exquisitely beautiful.Al1living beings became 
Radiant and expressed this Radiance in stillness and 
splendor. It was apparent that all mankind is actually 
motivated by inner love but has simply become 
unaware; most lives are lived as though by sleepers 
unawakened to the awareness of who they really are. People around me looked as though they were asleep 
and were incredibly beautiful. It was like being in love 
with everyone. It was necessary to stop the habitual practice of 
meditating for an hour in the morning and then again 
before dinner because it would intensify the bliss to 
such an extent that it was not possible to function. An 
experience similar to the one that had occurred in the 
snow bank as a boy would recur, and it became increas­---501 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 
ingly difficult to leave that state and return to the 
world.Theincredible beautyofall things shone forth in 
all their perfection, and. where the world saw ugliness, 
there was only timeless beauty. This spiritual love suf­
fused all perception, and all boundaries between here 
and there, or then and now, or separation disappeared. During the years spent in inner silence, the strength of 
the Presence grew. Life was no longer personal; a per­
sonal will no longer existed. The personal 'I' had 
become an instrument of the Infinite Presence and 
went about and did as it was willed. People felt an 
extraordinary peace in the aura of that Presence. Seekers sought answers but as there was no longer any 
such individual as DaVid, they were actually finessing 
answers from their own Self, which was not different 
from mine. From each person the same Self shone forth 
from their eyes. The miraculous happened, beyond ordinary com­
prehension. Many chronic maladies from which the 
body had suffered for years disappeared; eyesight spon­
taneously normalized, and there was no longer a need 
for the lifetime bifocals. Occasionally, an exquisitely blissful energy, an 
Infinite Love, would suddenly begin to radiate from the 
heart toward the scene of some calamity. Once, while 
driVing on a highway, this exquisite energy began to 
beam out ofthe chest.As the car rounded a bend, there 
was an auto accident; the wheels of the overturned car 
were still spinning. The energy passed with great inten­
sity into the occupants of the car and then stopped of 
its own accord. Another time, while I was walking on 
the streets of a strange City, the energy started to flow -----502 HEALING AND RECOVERY 
down the block ahead and arrived at the scene of an 
incipient gang fight. The combatants fell back and 
began to laugh, and again, the energy stopped. Profound changes of perception came without 
warning in improbable circumstances. While dining 
alone at Rothman's on Long Island, the Presence sud­
denly intensified until every thing and every person, 
which had appeared as separate in ordinary percep­
tion, melted into a timeless universality and oneness. In 
the motionless Silence, it became obvious that there 
are no 'events' or'things' and that nothing actually'hap­
pens' because past, present, and future are merely arti­
facts of perception, as is the illusion of a separate 'I' 
being subject to birth and death. As the limited, false 
self dissolved into the universal Self of its true origin, 
there was an ineffable sense of haVing returned home 
to a state ofabsolute peace and relieffrom all suffering. It is only the illusion of individuality that is the origin 
of all suffering. When one realizes that one is the uni­
verse, complete and at one with All That Is, forever 
without end, then no further suffering is possible. Patients came from every country in the world, and 
some were the most hopeless of the hopeless. Grotesque, writhing, wrapped in wet sheets for trans­
port from far-away hospitals they came, hoping for 
treatment for advanced psychoses and grave, incurable 
mental disorders. Some were catatonic; many had been 
mute for years. But in each patient, beneath the crip­
pled appearance, there was the shining essence oflove 
and beauty,perhaps so obscured to ordinary vision that 
he or she had become totally unloved in this world. One day a mute catatonic was brought into the hos­503 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 
pital in a straitjacket. She had a severe neurological dis­
order and was unable to stand. Squirming on the floor, 
she went into spasms and her eyes rolled back in her 
head. Her hair was matted; she had torn all her clothes 
and uttered guttural sounds. Her family was fairly 
wealthy; as a result, over the years she had been seen 
by innumerable physicians and famous specialists from 
all over the world. Every treatment had been tried on 
her and she had been given up as hopeless by the 
I • medical profession. A short, nonverbal question arose: "What do you 
want done with her, God?" Then came the realization 
that she just needed to be loved, that was all. Her inner 
self shone through her eyes and the Self connected 
with that loving essence. In that second, she was 
healed by her own recognition of who she really was; 
what happened to her mind or body didn't matter to 
her any longer. This, in essence, occurred with countless patients. Some recovered in the eyes of the world and some did 
not, but whether a clinical recovery ensued didn't mat­
ter any longer to the patients. Their inner agony was 
over.As they felt loved and at peace within, their pain 
stopped. This phenomenon can only be explained by 
saying that the Compassion of the Presence recontex­
tualized each patient's reality so that he or she experi­
enced healing on a level that transcended the world 
and its appearances.The inner peace ofthe Self encom­
passed us beyond time and identity. It was clear that all pain and suffering arises solely 
from the ego and not from God.This truth was silently 
communicated to the minds of the patients. This was 504 HEALING AND RECOVERY 
the mental block in another mute catatonic who had 
not spoken in many years.The Self said to him through 
mind,"You're blaming God for what your ego has done 
to you." He jumped off the floor and began to speak, 
much to the shock of the nurse who witnessed the 
incident. The work became increasingly taxing and eventually 
overwhelming. Patients were backed up, waiting for 
beds to open although the hospital had built an extra 
ward to house them. There was an enormous frustra­
tion in that the human suffering could be countered in 
only one patient at a time. It was like bailing out the 
sea. It seemed that there must be some other way to 
address the causes of the common malaise, the endless 
stream of spiritual distress and human suffering. This led to the study of the physiological response 
(muscle testing) to various stimuli, which revealed an 
amazing discovery. It was the 'wormhole' between two 
universes-the physical world and the world of the 
mind and spirit-an interface between dimensions. In 
a world full of sleepers lost from their source, here was 
a tool to recover, and demonstrate for all to see, that 
lost connection with the higher reality.This led to the 
testing of every SUbstance, thought, and concept that 
could be brought to mind.The endeavor was aided by 
my students and research assistants. Then a major dis-. covery was made: whereas all subjects went weak from 
negative stunuli, such as fluorescent lights, pesticides, 
and artificial sweeteners, students of spiritual disci­
plines who had advanced their levels of awareness did 
not go weak as did ordinary people. Something impor­
tant and decisive had shifted in their consciousness. It A B OUT THE AUT H_O_R 5_0_5 
apparently occurred as they realized they were not at 
the mercy of the world but rather affected only by 
what their minds believed. Perhaps the very process of 
progress toward enlightenment could be shown to 
increase man's ability to resist the vicissitudes of exis­
tence, including illness. The Self had the capacity to change things in the 
world by merely envisioning them; Love changed the 
world each time it replaced non-love. The entire 
scheme of civilization could be profoundly altered by 
focusing this power of love at a very specific point. Whenever this happened, history bifurcated down 
new roads. It now appeared that these crucial insights could 
not only be communicated with the world but also 
visibly and irrefutably demonstrated. It seemed that the 
great tragedy of human life had always been that the 
psyche is so easily deceived; discord and strife have 
been the inevitable consequence of mankind's inability 
to distinguish the false from the true. But here was an 
answer to this fundamental dilemma, a way to recon­
textualize the nature of consciousness itself and make 
explicable that which otherwise could only be 
inferred. It was time to leave life in New York, with its City 
apartment and home on Long Island, for something 
more important. It was necessary to perfect 'myself' as 
an instrument.This necessitated leaving that world and 
everything in it, replacing it with a reclusive life in a 
small town where the next seven years were spent in 
meditation and study. Overpowering states of bliss returned unsought, 506 HEALING AND RECOVERY __~_ 
and eventually, there was the need to learn how to be 
in the Divine Presence and still function in the world. The mind had lost track of what was happening in the 
world at large. In order to do research and writing, it 
was necessary to stop all spiritual practice and focus 
on the world of form. Reading the newspaper and 
watching television helped to catch up on the story of 
who was who, the major events, and the nature of the 
current social dialogue. Exceptional subjective experiences of truth, which 
are the province of the mystic who affects all mankind 
by sending forth spiritual energy into the collective 
consciousness, are not understandable by the majority 
of mankind and are therefore of limited meaning 
except to other spiritual seekers.This led to an effort to 
be ordinary, because just being ordinary in itself is an 
expression of Divinity; the truth of one's real self can 
be discovered through the pathway of everyday life.To 
live with care and kindness is all that is necessary. The 
rest reveals itself in due time. The commonplace and 
God are not distinct. And so, after a long circular journey of the spirit, 
there was a return to the most important work, which 
was to try to bring the Presence at least a little closer 
to the grasp of as many fellow beings as possible. The Presence is silent and conveys a state of peace 
that is the space in which and by which all is and has 
its existence and experience. It is infmitely gentle and 
yet like a rock. With it, all fear disappears. Spiritual joy 
occurs on a quiet level of inexplicable ecstasy. Because 
the experience of time stops, there are no apprehen­507 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 
sion or regret, no pain or anticipation; the source of joy 
is unending and ever present. With no beginning or 
ending, there is no loss or grief or desire. Nothing 
needs to be done; everything is already perfect and 
complete. When time stops, all problems disappear; they are 
merely artifacts of a point of perception. As the 
Presence prevails, there is no further identification 
with the body or mind. When the mind grows silent, 
the thought"lAm" also disappears, and PureAwareness 
shines forth to illuminate what one is, was, and always 
will be, beyond all worlds and all universes, beyond 
time, and therefore without beginning or end. People wonder, "How does one reach this state of 
awareness;' but few follow the steps because they are 
so simple. First, the desire to reach that state was 
intense.Then began the discipline to act with constant 
and universal forgiveness and gentleness, without 
exception. One has to. be compassionate towards 
everything, including one's own self and thoughts. Next came a willingness to hold desires in abeyance 
and surrender personal will at every moment. As each 
thought, feeling, desire, or deed was surrendered to 
God, the mind became progressively silent. At first, it 
released whole stories and paragraphs, then ideas and 
concepts. As one lets go of wanting to own these 
thoughts, they no longer reach such elaboration and 
begin to fragment while only halfformed. Finally, it was 
possible to turn over the energy behind thought itself 
before it even became thought. The task of constant and unrelenting ftxity offocus, 
allowing not even a moment of distraction from medi­508 HEALING AND RECOVERY 
tation, continued while doing ordinary activities. At 
frrst, this seemed very difficult, but as time went on, it 
became habitual, automatic, requiring less and less 
effort, and fmally, it was effortless. The process is like a 
rocket leaving the earth. At frrst, it requires enormous 
power, then less and less as it leaves the earth's gravita­
tional field, and finally, it moves through space under its 
own momentum. Suddenly, without warning, a shift in awareness 
occurred and the Presence was there, unmistakable 
and all encompassing. There were a few moments of 
apprehension as the self died, and then the absolute­
ness ofthe Presence inspired a flash of awe.This break­
through was spectacular, more intense than anything 
before. It has no counterpart in ordinary experience. The profound shock was cushioned by the love that is 
with the Presence. Without the support and protection 
of that love, one would be annihilated. There followed a moment ofterror as the ego clung 
to its existence, fearing it would become nothingness. Instead, as it died, it was replaced by the Self as 
Everythingness, the All in which everything is known . and obvious in its perfect expression of its own 
essence.With nonlocality came the awareness that one 
is all that ever was or can be. One is total and complete, 
beyond all identities, beyond all gender, beyond even 
humanness itself. One need never again fear suffering 
and death. What happens to the body from this point is imma­
terial. At certain levels of spiritual awareness, ailments 
of the body heal or spontaneously disappear. But in the 
absolute state, such considerations are irrelevant. The 509 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 
body will run its predicted course and then return 
from whence it came. It is a matter of no importance; 
one is unaffected. The body appears as an 'it' rather 
than as a 'me', as another object, like the furniture in a 
room. It may seem comical that people still address the 
bodyas though itwerethe individual 'you',butthere is 
no way to explain this state of awareness to the 
unaware. It is best to just go on about one's business 
and allow Providence to handle the social adjustment. However, as one reaches bliss, it is very difficult to con­
ceal that state of intense ecstasy.The world may be daz­
zled, and people may come from far and wide to be in 
the accompanying aura. Spiritual seekers and the spiri­
tually curious may be attracted, as may be the very ill 
who are seeking miracles. One may become a magnet 
and a source ofjoy to them. Commonly, there is a desire 
at this point to share this state with others and to use 
it for the benefit of all. The ecstasy that accompanies this condition is not 
initially absolutely stable; there are also moments of 
great agony. The most intense occur when the state 
fluctuates and suddenly ceases for no apparent reason. These times bring on periods of intense despair and a 
fear that one has been forsaken by the Presence. These 
falls make the path arduous, and to surmount these 
reversals requires great will. It fmally becomes obvious 
that one must transcend this level or constantly suffer 
excruciating 'descents from grace'.The glory ofecstasy, 
then, has to be relinquished as one enters upon the 
arduous task of transcending duality until one is 
beyond all oppositions and their conflicting pulls. But 
while it is one thing to happily give up the iron chains 510 HEALING AND RECOVERY "-~~~~- -~~~-~~ 
of the ego, it is quite another to abandon the golden 
chains ofecstatic joy. It feels as though one is giving up 
God, and a new level of fear arises, never before antici­
pated.This is the fmal terror of absolute aloneness. To the ego, the fear of nonexistence was formida­
ble, and it drew back from it repeatedly as it seemed to 
approach. The purpose of the agonies and the dark 
nights of the soul then became apparent. They are so 
intolerable that their exquisite pain spurs one on to the 
extreme effort required to surmount them.When vacil­
lation between heaven and hell becomes unendurable, 
the desire for existence itself has to be surrendered. Only once this is done may one fmally move beyond 
the duality ofAllness versus Nothingness, beyond exis­
tence or nonexistence. This culmination of the inner 
work is the most difficult phase, the ultimate water­
shed, where one is starkly ~ware that the illusion of 
existence one here transcends is irrevocable. There is 
no returning from this step, and this specter of irre­
versibility makes this last barrier appear to be the most 
formidable choice of all. But, in fact, in this final apocalypse of the self, the 
dissolution of the sole remaining duality of exis­
tence and nonexistence-identity itself-dissolves in 
Universal Divinity, and no individual consciousness is 
left to choose. The last step, then, is taken by God. -DaVid R. Hawkins For a list of available audio and video recordings
 
and other publications on consciousness
 
and spirituality by Dr. Hawkins,
 
please contact:
 
Veritas Publishing
 
P. o. Box 3516
 
West Sedona,AZ 86340 U. S.A. Phone: 928.282.8722 Fax: 928.282.4789
 
www.veritaspub.com
_OceanofPDF.com_Healing_and_Recovery_-_David_R_Hawkins.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        "Devotional Nonduality" Lecture Series. Sedona,AZ: Veritas 
Publishing. (Eleven 5-hour CD/DVDs. ) Vision (February);Alignment 
(April); Intention (May); Transcending Barriers (June); Conviction 
(July); Serenity (August); T,Jpnscending Ohstacles (Sept. ); Spiritual 
Traps (October); Valid Teacbers/Teacbings (Nov. ); and, God, 
Religion, & Spirituality (D¢c. ) -2004a. "The Science of Peace. " Awakened World,]. A. G. N. T. , 6:3. -2004b. "Nonduality: Consciousness Research and tbe Truth of the 
Buddha. " Rourkee, India: Indian Institute ofTechnology. -2004c. "The Impact of Spontaneous Spiritual Experiences in the Life 
of 'Ordinary' Persons. " Watkins Review, 7. 2004d. "Transcending the Mind "Lecture Series. Sedona, AZ: Veritas 
Publishing. (Six 5-hour CD/DVDs. ) Thought and Ideation (Feb. ); 
Emotions and Sensations (April); Perception and Positionality 
(June); Identification and Illusion (August); Witnessing and 
Observing (Oct. ); and Tbe Ego and tbe Self(Dec. ). 2003a. l'Reality and Subjectivity. Sedona,AZ:Veritas Publishing. 2003b. "Devotional Nonduality "Lecture Series.
"Power vs. Force: An Anatomy of Consciousness"
What is the title of Dr. Hawkins' book on the anatomy of consciousness?
"The Eye of the I"
What is the title of Dr. Hawkins' book that won praise from Mother Teresa?
"Reality and Subjectivity"
What is the title of Dr. Hawkins' book that was published in 2003?
The study of the physiological response to various stimuli, which led to the discovery of a technique to discern truth from falsehood.
What was the focus of Dr. Hawkins' research and writing, as described in the text?
Surrendering the desire for existence itself.
What is the key to transcending the duality of existence and nonexistence, according to Dr. Hawkins?