At	the	onset	of	this	state,	there	is	a	short	period	of	the	agony	of	dying
(death	of	the	remainder	of	the	ego),	and	it	is	the	personal	‘I’	that	feels	itself
dying. The	personal	will	dissolves	into	the	divine	omniscience. Volition
ceases. Everything	moves,	acts,	and	presents	itself	with	equality	ofsignificance. Nothing	is	greater	or	lesser	than	anything	else. There	is
neither	cause	nor	change	nor	events,	nor	is	anything	‘happening’. All	is	as
it	is	as	a	result	of	the	ongoingness	of	the	continuous	evolution	of	Creation. One	witnesses	potentiality	emerging	as	actuality. The	innermost
essence	of	the	universe	reveals	itself	as	a	wondrous	spectacle. It	presents
itself	as	a	gift	of	love	and	trust,	as	though	welcoming	one	home. Q:	How	can	one	function	in	such	a	state? A:	At	first,	it	is	impossible. With	the	resumption	of	movement,	there	is	a
sensation	like	walking	on	land	after	one	has	lost	their	‘sea	legs’. There	is	a
problem	with	equilibrium	in	the	exact	whereabouts	of	the	body	and	all	its
parts. There	is	no	identification	with	the	body	nor	is	there	a	locus	in	space. The	Self	is	invisible	and	nonlocal	so	that	when	people	talk	to	the	body	as
though	it	were	‘you’,	it	requires	adjustment. The	voice	speaks	on	its	own
in	response	to	questions. There	is	no	mind	or	mentation	to	focus	on	or	to
perform	worldly	tasks. There	is	a	loss	of	the	sense	of	direction. The	body
and	its	actions	or	speech	and	activities	occur	without	any	inner	direction	or
intention. What	occurs	does	so	spontaneously	as	a	response	to	the	will	of
the	Presence. Everything	occurs	of	its	own	as	an	expression	of	its	essence
and	prevailing	conditions. The	body	is	a	function	of	the	universe	and	an
accommodation	to	how	the	world	operates. All	usual	daily	activities	are	stopped	for	a	lengthy	period	of	time. Speech	is	unnecessary. What	people	mean	by	their	speech	has	to	be
translated	in	order	to	be	understood. They	speak	in	a	linear	sequence	of
thoughts,	and	an	aspect	of	the	Self/Divinity	as	the	presence	of	the	Holy
Spirit	acts	as	a	translator,	resulting	in	a	delay	between	people’s	speech	and
the	capacity	to	understand	it. One	seems	to	the	world	to	be	‘hard	of
hearing’	or	‘absentminded’	(which	paradoxically	is	actually	the	case).This
translation	takes	the	details	of	form	and	turns	it	into	their	understandable
essence. Ordinary	thinking	is	no	longer	a	natural	state	or	a	spontaneous
activity. It	has	to	be	willed	to	even	occur	at	all. The	world	seems
preoccupied	with	details	and	that	which	is	irrelevant	instead	of	essence. To
focus	on	sequential	form	is	tiring. It	takes	time	and	energy	to	shift	one’s
focus	from	essence	to	form. Q:	What	guides	your	day-to-day	life	now	after	so	many	years? A:	It	goes	on	spontaneously. Its	locus	is	within	the	field	of	consciousness. There	was	a	necessity	to	leave	the	prior	lifestyle	and	move	to	a	quiet
location	in	a	simple	setting	with	no	worldly	role	for	some	ten	years. It
took,	and	still	takes,	effort	to	activate	the	intellect	and	mentation. It	tookmonths	to	retrain	the	mind	to	read	and	retain. The	faculty	that	is	called
ordinary	mind	operates	only	when	required	to	do	so. It	is	not	a	natural
state. The	natural	state	is	silence	and	repose. Even	when	the	mind	does
reactivate,	it	is	against	the	background	of	stillness	and	silence,	which	is	not
replaced. The	analogy	would	be	the	stillness	of	the	woods	is	not	actually
disturbed	by	a	noise,	which	really	has	no	effect	on	it,	or	just	as	a	boat
going	across	the	ocean	has	no	effect	on	the	ocean. Q:	There	still	seems	to	be	a	personality	present. A:	That	is	the	automatic	product	of	love,	which	interfaces	between	the	Self
and	the	people	in	the	world. Its	function	is	to	uplift,	communicate,	and
heal,	and	it	frequently	uses	humor	to	interact	with	the	world. It	uses
laughter	and	humor	to	recontextualize	people’s	distorted	viewpoints. Its
main	purpose	is	to	heal	by	recontextualization. The	Self	seeks	to	make	a
healing	contact	with	the	Self	of	the	person	in	the	world	who	is	suffering. This	same	love,	which	is	equality	of	the	Self,	seeks	to	contact	the	Self	in
everyone	by	its	writing,	speaking,	or	conveying	of	information	that	could
be	useful. Q:	Who	is	it	that	speaks	or	writes? A:	The	body	and	personality	are	like	residual	but	necessary	tools. The
capacity	to	communicate	is	really	the	function	of	the	Holy	Spirit,	which	is
the	translator	between	the	Oneness	and	Allness	of	the	Self	through
consciousness	to	the	many. Without	the	intervention	of	the	Holy	Spirit,	the
body	would	disintegrate	from	sheer	neglect. The	Self	is	not	subject	to
karma,	but	the	body	runs	on	its	own	like	a	karmic	windup	toy. Q:	Does	spiritual	progress	or	change	stop? It	is	complete	or	final? A:	Absolute	awareness	is	already	complete	and	total. Its	capacity	for
expression	increases	and	is	increasing	even	now. In	the	past,	with	major
increases	in	awareness,	the	nervous	system	would	feel	a	burning	or	a
buzzing. Teaching	reactivates	the	flow	of	spiritual	energy	into	the	body. Q:	Are	there	two	different	states	of	consciousness? A:	No. Only	the	Infinite	Self	is	actually	present. Its	all-present	reality
supersedes	all	appearances. It	translates	through	the	intervention	of	the
Holy	Spirit	to	the	capacity	for	communication	via	the	body,	which	is	its
servant. Whatever	the	body	does	is	not	really	of	great	interest,	nor	is	its
survival. Although	the	perceived	world	is	actually	not	real	in	the	absolute
sense,	people	think	it	is. It	is	therefore	a	means	of	reminding	people	of	the
availability	of	the	Self	and	Reality,	which	are	beyond	all	suffering	andsorrow. Q:	What	accounts	for	the	functioning	of	the	body? A:	It	is	consciousness	itself	that	activates	the	body	and	its	activities	and
responses. Its	persistence	is	spontaneous	and	unintentional. The	Self
requires	neither	speech	nor	company	nor	activities	and	yet	it	experiences
joy	in	all	things. It	delights	in	love	in	all	its	various	expressions	as
existence. Because	all	that	exists	is	aware,	love	is	recognized	by	all	of
Nature,	which	responds	in	like. The	essence	of	Reality	shines	forth	as	a
luminescence. The	Self	unconditionally	loves	all	that	exists. All	love
benefits	all	life	and	all	mankind. Even	to	love	one’s	pet	dog	actually
benefits	all	mankind	and	is	noticed	by	the	universe. Q:	Is	any	endeavor	that	is	not	‘spiritual’	a	waste	of	time? A:	It	is	not	the	action	itself	but	the	context	of	that	action	which	determines
whether	it	is	spiritual	or	not. Context	is	set	by	intention. Motive,	though,	is
what	makes	the	difference. One	can	earn	money	out	of	love	for	one’s
family,	company,	country,	or	all	mankind,	or	one	can	make	money	out	of
fear,	greed,	or	selfishness. If	we	view	our	work	as	a	contribution	to	society,
it	then	becomes	a	gift	no	matter	how	seemingly	simple	it	may	be. To	peel
potatoes	out	of	love	for	one’s	family	or	for	the	benefit	of	those	who	need
to	eat	is	spiritually	uplifting	to	the	Self	and	the	world. One	makes	a	gift	of	one’s	life	and	endeavors	by	sanctifying	it	with
love,	devotion,	and	selfless	service. That	is	the	way	of	the	heart	to	God. In
that	way,	domestic	life	becomes	a	form	of	worship	and	the	source	of	joy	to
all. When	we	seek	to	uplift	others,	we	are	uplifted	in	the	process. Giving	is
therefore	self-rewarding	for	there	is	actually	no	‘other’	that	is	being	given
to. Every	kind	thought	or	smile	is	therefore	spiritual	and	benefits	oneself
as	well	as	all	the	world. Q:	What	is	love? Often	it	seems	to	be	unreachable. A:	Love	is	misunderstood	to	be	an	emotion;	actually,	it	is	a	state	of
awareness,	a	way	of	being	in	the	world,	a	way	of	seeing	oneself	and
others. Love	for	God	or	nature	or	even	one’s	pets	opens	the	door	to
spiritual	inspiration. The	desire	to	make	others	happy	overrides
selfishness. The	more	we	give	love,	the	greater	our	capacity	to	do	so. It	is
a	good	beginning	practice	to	merely	mentally	wish	others	well	in	the
course	of	the	day. Love	blossoms	into	lovingness,	which	becomes
progressively	more	intense,	nonselective,	and	joyful. There	comes	a	time
when	one	‘falls	in	love’	with	everything	and	everyone	they	meet. Thistendency	to	be	intensely	loving	has	to	be	curtailed	because	love,	curiously
enough,	frightens	many	people. Many	people	cannot	look	fully	into
another	person’s	eyes	for	more	than	a	brief	second,	if	at	all. This	is
especially	so	if	the	one	looking	at	them	radiates	lovingness. Some	people
even	panic	when	exposed	to	love. Some	spiritual	treatises	teach	that	there	are	really	no	stages	of
enlightenment,	as	though	it	were	an	all-or-none	phenomenon. This
represents	the	unexamined	view	or	only	a	partial	report	that	was	conveyed
by	some	teacher	for	a	specific	purpose	to	a	specific	audience	at	a	specific
time. To	fully	understand	any	statement,	we	need	to	know	the	context
within	which	it	was	made. Study	reveals	that	saintliness	is	a	descriptive	term	applied	to	people
who	have	reached,	usually,	the	calibrated	level	of	the	high	500s. At	this
level,	joy	leads	many	to	become	spiritual	and	inspirational	teachers,
healers,	great	artists,	or	even	great	architects	who	create	the	great
cathedrals,	great	inspirational	music,	and	the	production	of	beauty	in	all	its
forms. Enlightenment	proper,	that	is,	the	replacement	of	duality	with
nonduality,	calibrates	at	600	or	over. We	could	say	that	any	calibration	of
600	or	more	formally	denotes	enlightenment. At	about	the	calibrated	level	of	600,	bliss	intervenes	and	worldly
activity	stops,	sometimes	permanently. If	the	person	is	destined	to	remain
in	the	world,	this	state	is	said	to	‘ripen’,	and	there	is	a	slow	return	of	the
capacity	to	function. Some	enlightened	‘persons’	retreat	to	spiritual
practice	and	meditation	and	evolve	into	the	700s. At	that	level,	the	world
as	commonly	described	is	no	longer	a	self-existent	reality. There	are
neither	separate	persons	nor	a	world	that	needs	saving. All	is	evolving
according	to	Divine	Will. The	world	is	surrendered	to	God,	and	its	destiny
is	self-fulfilling. No	intervention	is	necessary. All	life	is	the	evolution	of
consciousness	and	the	unfolding	of	Creation. The	aura	emanating	from
persons	who	calibrate	in	the	700s	has	an	attraction	and	an	effect	on
visitors. They	like	to	be	near	its	presence	where	they	feel	peace. In	that
energy	field,	so-called	problems	resolve	spontaneously,	and	serenity
replaces	fear	and	anxiety. That	energy	field	hastens	the	spiritual
realizations	and	progress	of	visitors. The	energy	fields	of	600	and	up,
especially	in	the	700s,	recontextualizes	positionalities	that	then	resolve
imaginary	conflicts. In	the	700s,	there	is	usually	withdrawal	from	the	ordinary	world. There
is	a	tendency	to	spontaneously	teach. Many	at	that	level	develop	groups	of
spiritual	students	and	seekers,	establish	ashrams,	yoga	centers,monasteries,	and	spiritual	orders. Some	are	called	masters,	gurus,	sages,	or
various	spiritual	titles,	depending	on	the	culture. Q:	What	of	the	800s? A:	Much	less	is	known. Whereas,	in	the	700s	teachers	address	primarily
individuals	or	groups,	in	the	800s	and	900s,	the	concern	is	with	the
salvation	of	mankind	as	a	whole. In	
Power	versus	Force
,	minimal	data
was	reported	on	the	800s	or	900s,	although	the	various	chapters	in	the
book	calibrate	at	840	to	850. The	concern	in	the	800s	and	900s	is	with
enlightenment	and	the	spiritual	inspiration	of	all	humanity,	along	with	the
raising	of	the	level	of	consciousness	of	all	mankind. There	is	also	the
capacity	to	comprehend	and	delineate	the	nature	of	consciousness	itself
and	to	communicate	that	information	in	such	a	way	as	to	support
comprehension. In	the	700s,	a	typical	statement	might	be,	“There	is	no
world	to	save;	it	is	an	illusion.”	This	is	not	comprehensible	nor
information	that	is	useful	to	many. In	the	800s,	however,	there	seems	to	be
a	concern	with	explanation	by	effective	communication. The	natural
language	in	the	800s	and	900s	seems	to	be	concerned	with	spiritual	reality,
essences,	understandings,	and	clarifications. Form	and	its	details	are
irrelevant	except	as	a	necessary	style	for	communication. Q:	The	calibrated	levels	seem	to	have	great	significance. A:	They	are	extremely	useful	and	of	great	value. Each	level	denotes	not	only
a	level	of	power	but	also	of	content. It	recontextualizes	information	in
order	to	create	a	valid	map	that	enables	a	meaningful	approach	and
understanding,	especially	of	spiritual	information. It	is	helpful	to	realize	that	truth	is	really	a	continuum	of	understandings
and	the	capacity	to	comprehend. Much	confusion	in	society	as	well	as
philosophy	stems	from	not	realizing	the	importance	of	defining	the	context
of	these	levels. Each	level	has	a	different	context	of	reality. What	seems	to
be	worth	dying	for	at	one	level	is	seen	as	absurd	or	nonsensical	at	another. These	levels	define	different	sets	of	positionalities. At	one	level,	right
versus	wrong	is	of	primary	concern	and	the	basis	for	war	and	destruction. From	another	level,	all	such	discussions	are	seen	as	arbitrary,	naïve,	and
part	of	cultural	conditioning	or	moralistic	demagoguery. It	is	obvious	that
‘right’	and	‘wrong’	positionalities	have	been	the	basis	for	genocide	and	the
slaughter	of	multitudes	throughout	the	centuries. Q:	The	centuries	of	slaughter	have	all	been	for	nothing. A:	We	can	calibrate	the	level	of	consciousness	that	underlies	any	aspect	ofhuman	history	to	see	what	was	the	actual	basis	for	conflict	or	failure	as
well	as	successes. All	social	problems	are	based	on	ignorance. The
unforeseen	consequences	are	often	worse	than	the	supposed	cure. A
society	cannot	solve	a	drug	problem	unless	it	realizes	how	it	is	the	very
source	of	it. Society	is	far	more	successful	with	mechanical	problems	that
science	can	solve	and	is	stymied	by	social	problems	whose	resolution
requires	greater	understanding	of	the	nature	of	consciousness. The	masses	are	easy	to	manipulate	by	religious	or	political	slogans. The
massive	slaying	of	multitudes	of	innocents	is	dismissed	as	‘necessary’	to
the	success	of	the	revolution. Q:	Then	what	is	the	answer	to	the	problems	of	society? A:	Other	than	an	increase	in	awareness,	there	really	is	none. Problems	cannot
be	solved	at	their	own	calibrated	level	of	consciousness,	but	only	by	rising
to	the	next	higher	level. Each	solution	has	within	itself	a	new	set	of
limitations	and	issues	to	resolve. Our	society	is	one	of	excesses;	it	swings
like	a	pendulum	too	far	in	one	direction	and	then	too	far	in	the	opposite
direction	because	it	gets	caught	in	the	duality	of	either/or	and	this	or	that. Maturity	results	in	a	middle	way	that	allows	for	both	ends	of	the	spectrum
of	human	behavior. The	desire	to	control	other	people’s	behavior	is	a	human	failing	with
enormous	cost. People’s	faith	in	coercion	and	the	punitive	approach	is	self-
justifying	and	immune	to	logic	or	flexibility. Q:	Should	we	therefore	be	pessimistic	about	the	future	of	society? A:	No. Although	the	level	of	consciousness	of	all	mankind	was	only	at	190	(a
negative	condition)	for	centuries,	in	the	late	1980s,	it	suddenly	crossed
over	the	line	of	Truth	at	200	and	now	stands	at	the	current	positive	level	of
207,	which	is	within	the	realm	of	Integrity. Q:	What	can	we	actually	do	to	be	helpful	to	the	world? A:	Make	a	gift	of	your	life	and	lift	all	mankind	by	being	kind,	considerate,
forgiving,	and	compassionate	at	all	times,	in	all	places,	and	under	all
conditions,	with	everyone	as	well	as	yourself. That	is	the	greatest	gift
anyone	can	give. Q:	What	is	the	core	essence	of	the	spiritual	search? A:	Consciousness	advances	itself	when	it	is	provided	with	essential
information	that	then	becomes	activated	by	intention. This	in	turn	prompts
inspiration,	humility,	and	surrender,	and	these	tendencies	become
progressively	more	operative. When	dominant,	they	lead	to	dedication	andperseverance. In	addition	to	these	aspects	of	consciousness,	progress	is
greatly	aided	by	expert	guidance	and	the	usefulness	of	the	calibrated	levels
of	consciousness	of	the	teachers	and	the	teachings. Spiritual	endeavor	in	the	past	was	really	quite	unreliable,	and	seekers
were	prone	to	falling	into	misleading	error	with	no	way	of	realizing	what
had	happened	or	why. Sometimes	high	levels	of	truth	are	mixed	in	with
serious	spiritual	error,	and	what	could	have	led	to	real	progress	led	instead
to	spiritual	disaster. Often	the	error	is	outside	the	context	of	the	reality	of
the	seeker	and	thus	escapes	detection. Through	the	mass	media,	great	numbers	of	people	are	deceived,	and
millions	of	dollars	flow	in	to	pious-sounding	spiritual	leaders,	quasi	gurus,
and	ecclesiastic	public	figures. It	is	actually	the	talk	that	is	glib. If	the
sound	is	turned	off	on	the	television	set,	simple	observation	reveals	the
truth. Happily,	Krishna	says	in	the	
Bhagavad-Gita
	that	“Even	if	a	devotee
is	misled	and	on	the	wrong	path,	if	his	heart	is	devoted	to	me,	I	will	favor
him	as	mine.”
					The	impact	on	the	devotee	who	has	been	misled	is	severe	when	the
spiritual	rape	is	uncovered. The	disillusionment	is	more	severe	than	that
which	follows	deception	or	financial	disaster	in	personal	life. Some
dejected	former	devotees	never	recover	and	go	on	to	severe	depression	and
total	collapse. Some	become	like	walking	shells. Spiritual	error	and
disillusionment	can	be	grave	and	permanently	damaging;	therefore,	the
frequent	admonition	of	
caveat	emptor
	recurs	in	these	present	teachings. The	loss	of	a	monetary	fortune	is	trivial	compared	to	the	major	spiritual
loss	because	the	guru	is	often	held	in	such	high	esteem	and	almost	god-
like	adoration. This	tendency	on	the	part	of	the	seeker	is	taken	advantage
of	by	the	spiritual	charlatan	who	is	seductive,	glib,	and	adept	at	the	tricks
of	the	trade	that	occur	in	areas	least	expected	and	unexamined. Often	the
spiritual	error	is	so	disguised	and	rationalized	that	it	is	all	but	undetectable. Even	the	teacher	of	false	doctrine	may	be	unaware. With	humility,	one’s	vanity	about	spiritual	choices	is	surrendered	in
favor	of	realistic	and	unprejudiced	prior	examination. In	looking	at	the
price	of	a	mistake,	there	is	also	the	loss	of	time	to	be	considered. Often
years,	or	even	lifetimes,	are	spent	in	spiritual	error	and	false	teachings. Millions	of	people	spend	lifetimes	or	centuries	pursuing	teachings,	texts,
holy	books,	scriptures,	and	sacred	writings	supposedly	from	God	that,	with
a	single	test	of	truth,	check	out	as	strongly	false. Once	one	observes	this
test	applied	to	some	supposedly	venerable	ancient	or	traditional	scriptures
that	reveal	themselves	to	not	be	the	truth	but	outright	negative	and
destructive,	the	underlying	faults	of	the	teachings	become	obvious. Beforethat	happens,	however,	the	error	cannot	be	detected	because	it	is	hidden	by
desire,	love,	one’s	cultural	heritage,	family,	country,	etc. It	is	through	this
misplaced	loyalty	and	blind	faith	that	error	propagates	and	survives
through	the	centuries,	despite	its	black	historical	swath	through	the	human
race. Q:	How	does	spiritual	‘knowing’	come	about? A:	The	route	of	new	information	is	quite	different	between	spirit	and	mind. The	ego/mind	is	inquisitive	and	aggressive	in	style. It	grabs	onto	data	and
seeks	to	incorporate	and	master	it. It	categorizes,	qualifies,	evaluates,
sorts,	files,	classifies,	judges,	and	then	colors	with	feelings	and	abstract
meanings	in	an	attempt	to	assimilate. All	new	data	is	also	rated	as	to	its
potential	usefulness	or	gain	value. There	is	a	never-ending	hunger	and
greed	of	the	mind	to	‘get’. People	force	the	mind	to	concentrate,
learn,memorize,	accumulate,	and	master	huge	volumes	of	information
with	as	many	details	as	possible,	including	sophisticated	statistical	analysis
and	computer	manipulation. All	this	endless	detail	is	deemed	to	be	even
better	if	it	can	be	depicted	graphically	and	packaged	attractively. On	inspection	it	will	be	seen	that	all	the	above	is	an	impressive
performance,	and	doubly	so	when	one	observes	that	all	the	complicated,
multifaceted	processing	occurs	in	a	fraction	of	a	second. Not	only	is	there
the	current	instant	of	processing,	but	also	simultaneously,	the	mind	is
comparing	this	split	second	with	every	other	similar	split	second,
contrasting	that	through	the	memory	time	file	for	comparison. In	other
words,	this	zebra	is	compared	mentally	with	every	other	zebra	one	has
read	about,	heard	about,	talked	about,	seen	on	television,	and	joked	about,
including	evolutionary	camouflage	theory,	etc. The	mind	tends	to	do	all
these	complicated,	multifactorial	operations	automatically	as	a	result	of	its
own	nature. By	selection,	one	can	choose	available	options	to	explore	by	focus. Although	the	possible	functions	are	multitudinous,	they	are	not	unlimited. In	summary,	the	mind	views	truth	or	enlightenment	as	something	new	to
be	acquired	or	achieved. At	best,	it	is	a	destination	to	be	arrived	at	through
effort. All	such	endeavor	is	premised	on	the	presumption	that	the	functions
of	the	mind	serve	as	a	learning	model,	and	its	processes	are	to	be	merely
applied	from	the	past	to	this	new	subject	in	the	realm	of	duality	where	it
will	supposedly	be	equally	useful. Thus	it	presumes	that	the	applicability
of	that	which	is	evolved	for	handling	duality	is	useful	in	the	search	for
nonduality. Such,	however,	is	not	the	case;	in	fact,	the	very	opposite	of
what	has	come	to	be	viewed	as	the	reliable,	tried-and-true	method	ofmaking	progress	now	becomes	the	very	obstacle	to	discovery. Whereas	ordinary	mental	functioning	could	be	typified	as	a	constant
effort	to	‘get’,	spiritual	realization	is	totally	effortless,	passive,	and
spontaneous. It	is	received	rather	than	gotten. By	analogy,	when	sound
stops,	the	silence	reveals	itself. It	cannot	be	gotten	by	effort	or	endeavor. With	mentation,	there	is	the	capacity	to	control,	but	with	revelation,	there
is	no	control	at	all. No	control	is	possible	where	there	is	nothing	to	control
and	there	is	no	means	to	apply	control,	even	if	it	were	possible. That	which
is	formless	cannot	be	manipulated. Enlightened	awareness	is	best	described	as	a	state	or	a	condition,	a
realm	or	a	dimension. It	is	self-revealing	and	all	prevailing. It	eclipses	and
displaces	mentation,	which	becomes	unnecessary	and	would,	in	fact,	be	an
interference	and	intrusion. Revelation	is	subtle,	powerful,	soft,	gentle,
exquisite,	and	all	embracing. The	senses	are	bypassed,	and	all	perception
of	‘this’	or	‘that’	disappears. It	is	also	apparent	that	the	entire	content	of
revelation	has	been	there	all	along	and	simply	not	experienced	or
observed. The	vision	of	what	‘Is’	in	its	totality	is	entirely	‘Known’	by
virtue	of	the	Self	already	being	All	That	Is. Identity	confers	absolute
authority	of	knowledge. The	observer,	that	which	is	observed,	and	the
process	of	observation	are	all	identical. In	awe	at	the	revelation,	the	mind	is	silent	and	becomes	speechless	at
the	wonder. Its	silence	is	like	a	profound	relief	and	peace. What	was	once
prized	is	now	seen	to	have	been	a	nuisance	and	a	troublesome	distraction. People	and	their	thoughts	and	words	are	like	voice	boxes	connected	to
various	energy	fields. The	mouths	and	minds	parrot	the	thought	forms	that
prevail	at	any	given	level	of	consciousness. As	this	occurs,	the	minds	of
individuals	claim	authorship	and	the	prefix	‘mine’	is	added	to	the	thought. The	content	reflects	the	self-concept	of	the	person	speaking. There	is	an
invisible,	allencompassing	energy	field	of	love	that	surrounds	everyone. Therein	resides	the	higher	self	or	spirit	through	which	the	individuals,	in
varying	degrees	of	consciousness,	contact	awareness	or,	unfortunately,
may	be	cut	off	from	it	altogether. If	quite	unidentified	with	the	Self,	the
individual	can	be	afraid	of	or	even	repelled	by	love,	which	is	seen	as
foreign,	threatening,	and	to	be	resisted. All	reminders	of	love	or	references
to	God	have	to	be	stricken	from	public	awareness	or	acknowledgment. This	is	intrinsic	to	the	success	of	totalitarianism	or	military	dictatorships
where	only	‘love’	for	the	dictator	is	allowable. In	our	society,	there	are
forces	to	make	any	reference	to	God	‘politically	incorrect’. In	true	spiritual	endeavor,	no	actual	sacrifices	are	necessary	or
expected. Sacrifice	in	ordinary	terminology	means	loss	or	even	painfulloss. True	sacrifice	really	means	the	letting	go	of	the	lesser	for	the	greater
and	is	self-rewarding	rather	than	depleting. Painful,	reluctant	‘giving	up’	is
not	really	sacrifice	but	an	attempt	to	purchase	religious	favor. With	God,
there	is	neither	buy,	sell,	purchase,	sacrifice,	gain,	favor,	nor	loss. In	the	realm	of	the	Divine,	there	are	no	rights	to	parade	or	proclaim. The	world	of	rights	and	wrongs	and	political	rights	are	all	inventions	of
the	ego	to	be	used	as	bargaining	pieces	on	life’s	game	board. They	are	all
based	on	seeking	advantage	and	gain. In	the	Reality	of	nonduality,	there	is
neither	privilege	nor	gain	nor	loss	nor	rank. Just	like	a	cork	in	the	sea,	each
spirit	rises	or	falls	in	the	sea	of	consciousness	to	its	own	level	by	virtue	of
its	own	choices,	and	not	by	any	external	force	or	favor. Some	are	attracted
by	the	light,	and	some	seek	the	darkness,	but	it	all	occurs	of	its	own	nature
by	virtue	of	divine	freedom	and	equality. In	a	completely	integrated	universe,	on	all	levels	nothing	accidental	is
possible. To	be	truly	accidental,	an	‘event’	would	have	to	transpire
completely	outside	the	universe,	which,	by	simple	observation,	is	an
impossibility. Chaos	is	only	a	perceptual	concept. In	reality,	no	chaos	is
possible. All	in	all,	the	mind	of	God	is	the	ultimate	attractor	pattern	that
governs	the	totality	of	All	That	Is,	down	to	the	smallest	iota. Q:	The	Buddha	said	there	is	really	only	one	sin,	that	of	ignorance. Christ
also	said	to	forgive	people	because	they	are	ignorant. (“They	know	not
what	they	do.”)	Is	the	problem	with	the	ego	just	one	of	ignorance? A:	In	the	context	of	these	quotes,	ignorance	seems	to	signify	lack	of	spiritual
evolution	or	awareness. People	lack	insight	into	the	consequences	of	their
choices	and	the	difference	between	goodness	and	negativity. Ordinary
human	consciousness	cannot	tell	truth	from	falsehood. That	was	Eve’s
problem. Q:	What	is	your	understanding	of	the	core	of	the	ego? A:	It	is	pride	beyond	all	else. Pride	in	the	form	of	the	vanity	of	thought,
mentation,	concepts,	and	opinions	is	the	basis	of	ignorance. The	antidote	is
radical	humility,	which	undoes	the	domination	of	perception. Ask	for	truth
to	be	revealed	instead	of	assuming	that	you	already	know	it. The	mind	is
not	capable	of	actually	knowing	anything	at	all! It	can	only	presume	to
know	‘about’. The	mind	lacks	the	proper	credentials	to	comprehend
nonduality	by	virtue	of	its	own	structure. The	mind	is	excluded	from
reality	because	of	form. To	enter	the	domain	of	reality	is	like	going
through	a	fine	screen—only	clear	water	can	traverse	through	it,	and	all	the
fish,	bugs,	and	debris	are	left	outside. Only	pure	consciousness	devoid	ofcontent	can	pass	through	the	barriers	of	perception	and	become	the	clear
water	beyond	the	screen. When	it	is	said	that	no	person	can	be	enlightened,	it	means	that
personhood	is	filtered	out	by	the	screening	and	cannot	pass	beyond	it. (This	statement	calibrates	at	600.) Pure	consciousness	is	awareness	only,
and	therefore	it	alone	passes	through	the	screen	and	Knows	what	that	state
or	condition	of	enlightenment	absolutely	is. An	analogy	would	be	to	say	that	the	universal	can	comprehend	the
particular,	but	the	reverse	is	not	true. Realty	is	infinite,	whereas	thought	is
finite. Thus,	the	ego/mind/self	can	know	about	God	but	cannot,	because	of
its	finite,	limited	structure,	realize	God	or	even	its	own	essence,	which	is
unlimited	and	formless. The	finite	is	born	of	the	infinite	and	is	never
actually	separated	from	it	except	by	perception. The	infinite	potentiality	of
the	unmanifest	becomes	the	actuality	of	the	manifest	by	the	will	of	God	as
Creation. Q:	There	are	contrasting	terms	and	concepts,	such	as	form	versus
formless,	unmanifest	versus	manifest,	linear	versus	nonlinear,	and
duality	versus	nonduality. How	can	these	be	resolved? A:	The	resolution	is	by	means	of	the	awareness	of	the	nature	of	thought. Perception	itself	is	an	illusion;	it	is	like	a	mirror	looking	back	at	a	mirror
that	is	looking	at	a	mirror	reflecting	a	mirror. There	are	contrasting	terms
and	concepts. God	is	both	immanent	and	transcendent,	both	form	and
formless,	both	duality	and	nonduality,	both	manifest	and	unmanifest,	both
linear	and	nonlinear. All	is	God. Q:	What	is	the	essential	difference	between	the	teachings	of	Christ	and
the	Buddha? A:	The	Buddha	taught	the	way	to	Enlightenment;	Jesus	taught	the	way	to
Salvation.CHAPTER	18
Truth	and	Error
Q:	How	do	spiritual	‘errors’	come	about? A:	What	follows	may	sound	abstract. The	error	occurs	within	consciousness
itself	before	there	is	even	any	‘person’	involved. Consciousness	can
experience	itself	either	as	singularity	or	as	oneness. However,	its
awareness	is	misled	by	believing	it	has	only	the	options	of	existence	as
singularity	or	nonexistence	as	voidness. The	error	is	the	belief	that	there	is
an	opposite	of	truth. This	may	sound	difficult	unless	we	go	back	to	the
basic	understanding	that	only	Truth,	Allness,	God,	and	existence	are	actual
possibilities. Nonexistence,	nothingness,	void,	and	falsehood	are	not
possibilities	in	Reality. These	exist	only	as	concepts	in	mind. If	consciousness	believes	that	these	are	actual	possibilities,	then	the	fear
of	nonexistence	or	voidness	arises. The	error	is	that	consciousness
confuses	Allness	with	nothingness. This	error	is	not	abstract	at	all	but
pervades	all	human	thought	and	is	the	very	basis	for	the	fear	of	death. It
exists	in	our	language	as	the	terms	‘true	versus	false’. In	the	muscle	test,
we	see	this	phenomenon	demonstrated. When	the	arm	goes	strong,	we	say
in	languaging	that	the	response	is	‘positive’,	‘yes’,	or	‘true’. We	language	a	weak	response	as	‘negative’,	‘no’,	or	‘false’. This
perfectly	represents	the	nature	of	the	error. Actually,	the	weak	response	is
not	coming	from	a	reality	called	‘falsehood’,	but	is	actually	a	
non-
response
. It	actually	signifies	the	
absence	of	truth
,	not	the	presence	of
falsehood. We	could	say	for	clarification	that	only	“yes”	is	a	possible	response. The	analogy	is	to	electricity	in	a	wire;	it	is	either	present	or	not. When
present,	we	say	it	is	“on.”	When	not	present,	we	say	“off”. Here	the	error
is	displayed	for	us	in	order	to	reveal	the	basic	error—
no	such	thing	as
‘off-ness’	exists! It	is	crucial	to	grasp	this	understanding	for	it	is	the	basis	of	all	illusion. No	opposite	to	God	exists. No	opposite	to	existence	has	any	possible
reality. Only	truth	has	the	capacity	to	exist. Only	Allness	is	a	possibility. This	is	difficult	to	grasp,	but	it	resolves	all	issues	and	errors. Completing	the	understanding	of	this	error	is	that	belief	can	create
experience. What	is	believed	to	be	true	within	the	mind	is	perceived	to
exist	without	because	it	is	projected,	and	the	mind	is	unaware	of	themechanism	of	projection. This	perception	is	self-reinforcing. Imagination
becomes	both	the	product	and	the	source	of	error. Let	us	compare	this	in	a	simple	outline:
	
Reality
Impossibility
Life
Death
Existence
Nonexistence
Allness
Void
Truth
Falsehood
Good
Evil
Innocence
Sin
Yes
No
										Any	experiences	of	‘reality’	to	the	list	on	the	right,	above,	are	coming
only	from	belief	systems	with	no	independent,	actual	existence	in	Reality. They	have	no	substantive,	independent	existence;	they	all	depend	solely
on	imagination	and	belief. All	these	imaginings	are	fantasies	and	the	product	of	fear	and
distortion. These	are	products	of	mind	only. Mind	includes	form,	yet	strangely	enough,	even	voidness	is
imagination. It	can	only	be	thought	to	be	experienced	if	all	the	attributes	in
realities	of	truth	are	negated. Void	is	a	state	created	solely	by	the	mind’s	belief	in	it	as	an	actual
possibility. The	only	actual	possibilities	in	Reality	are	Is-ness,	Allness,	and
Beingness. It	is	obvious	that	theoretical	opposites	of	these	would	then	be
conceived	as	non-God-ness,	non-Allness,	and	that	what	is	not	even
possible	can	‘exist’. This	dilemma	of	a	seeming	choice	between	existence	as	a	body	versus
the	illusion	of	nonexistence	is	believed	to	be	a	possibility. This	was
actually	starkly	experienced	in	this	life	at	age	three. Suddenly,	out	of
nonawareness,	there	came	into	awareness	and	experience	the	presence	of	a
‘me’	as	a	body	sitting	in	a	little	wagon. Before	that	instant,	there	had	been
oblivion. With	the	awareness	that	‘I	exist’	immediately	arose	the	fear	of
nonexistence;	the	possibility	arose	in	this	mind	that	“It	could	have	been
that	I	wouldn’t	have	come	into	existence.”	It	was	not	a	fear	of	death	but	of
the	possibility	(to	the	imagination)	of	nonbeing	and	nothingness. The	mind	then	really	feared	the	possibility,	as	it	saw	it,	of	voidness	as	a
reality. The	fear	of	nonexistence	versus	existence	was	behind	the	powerful,actual	experience. The	fear	was	not	of	having	no	body	but	of	not
experiencing	an	‘I’. Existence	is	therefore	experienced	as	the	sense	of	‘I-ness’. Of	course,
had	there	been	no	‘I’,	the	fact	would	have	been	unknown	as	there	would
have	been	no	‘I’	to	know	that	it	didn’t	exist! At	age	three,	however,	this
was	not	apparent. The	state	prior	to	the	awareness	of	existence	had	actually	been	one	of
oblivion
. Oblivion	would	be	existence	without	the	awareness	of	that
existence. In	ordinary	life,	we	term	that	state	‘unconsciousness’,	or	‘sleep’. In	sleep,	we	still	‘are’	but	are	unaware	that	we	are. There	seems,	however,
to	be	no	possible	suffering	in	that	state	of	oblivion;	in	fact,	we	look
forward	to	it	every	night	and	complain	if	we	are	not	totally	oblivious
during	the	night. Consciousness	seems	happy	with	periods	of	no	recall	as	well	as	peace. The	possibility	of	suffering	does	not	arise	until	the	recurrence	of
identification	with	singularity	(me,	the	body)	returns. Therefore,	the	basis
of	all	suffering	is	the	belief	in	separateness	and	singularity. In	the	state	of
Allness,	no	suffering	is	possible. Reincarnation,	then,	is	the	rebirth	of	the	sense	of	‘I’	as	a	separate
singularity. This	is	a	recurrence	that	is	independent	of	having	a	physical
body	at	all. In	the	out-of-body	and	near-death	experiences,	only	the	sense
of	‘I’	persists,	with	no	necessity	of	a	physical	body	at	all. The	sense	of	life,
aliveness,	and	awareness	of	existence	is	a	phenomenon	that	occurs	within
consciousness	itself. This	is	equally	apparent	in	meditative	states	where
awareness	of	the	body	disappears,	and	one	dissolves	into	consciousness,
with	no	sensation	of	location,	time,	space,	dimension,	or	even	duration. Enlightenment	becomes	an	apparent	state	as	a	subjective	realization	of
existence	of	awareness	with	no	limiting	identifications. Pure	subjectivity	is
self-fulfilling,	total	and	complete,	radically	identical	only	as	knowingness
of	the	Allness	of	existence	beyond	all	time	and	space. It	is	inviolate,
permanent,	independent,	omnipresent,	omniscient	and	omnipotent,	all-
fulfilling,	and	without	any	opposite. It	completes	in	absoluteness	the
totality	of	all	possibility	and	depletes	all	possible	potentiality	to	its
ultimate. The	Self	is	the	awareness,	its	source,	its	completion,	its	totality,	its
fulfillment,	and	its	essence. It	is	the	Reality	of	Reality,	the	Oneness	and
Allness	of	Identity. It	is	the	ultimate	‘I-ness’	of	consciousness	itself	as	the
manifestation	of	the	unmanifest. Thus	only	can	the	indescribable	be
described. Amen.Q:	Is	enlightenment	truly	a	possibility	in	this	lifetime? A:	It	is	if	essential	information	is	available,	and	certain	guidelines	are	strictly
followed. The	purpose	of	these	chapters	is	to	provide	that	necessary
information. The	goal	must	preclude	all	others. Time	cannot	be	wasted	in
investigating	all	the	astral	diversions. The	educated	spiritual	student	of
today	has	very	decisive	and	critical	advantages	over	the	students	of	the
past. Just	as	before	navigational	instruments	were	perfected,	generations	of
seafarers	and	explorers	lost	their	lives;	likewise,	not	only	multitudes	but
actually	the	vast	majority	of	mankind	throughout	the	ages	has	lost	its	way
and	lacks	the	necessary	information	for	major	spiritual	development. As	we	are	aware	from	our	studies,	the	consciousness	level	of	mankind
stood	for	many	centuries	at	190,	and	for	the	last	thousand	years,	the
consciousness	of	mankind	was	within	the	realm	of	nonintegrity. Only	very
recently	has	it	crossed	over	the	crucial	line	of	200	to	its	current	level	of
207,	which	implies	a	whole	new	era	for	the	future	of	mankind. There	are	traditionally	two	general	contrasting	spiritual	pathways—that
of	gradual	enlightenment	and	that	of	sudden	enlightenment. The	gradual
path	is	that	of	traditional	religion	by	which	one	seeks	spiritual	purification
with	the	aid	of	a	spiritual	master,	great	teacher,	or	avatar	as	the	guiding
light	and	savior. The	way	of	sudden	enlightenment	is	through	strict
adherence	to	spiritual	awareness	and	specifics	of	consciousness	so	that	the
personality	(or	ego)	is	transcended	rather	than	perfected. In	practice,	the
path	of	gradual	perfection	is	occasioned	by	sudden	leaps	in	awareness,	and
the	path	to	sudden	enlightenment	(such	as	Zen)	is	accompanied	by
progressive	perfection	of	the	personality. Q:	In	Asia	and	India,	enlightenment	as	a	goal	and	respected	state	has	a
long	history. In	the	West,	the	historical	recognition	is	that	of
sainthood. What	is	the	relationship	between	the	two	conditions? Are
they	different? A:	The	culture	of	Asia	is	much	older	than	that	of	the	Western	world. In	the
ancient	cultures,	great	importance	was	given	to	spiritual	realization,	and
spiritual	knowledge	of	great	authenticity	was	available	from	ancient	times,
as	evidenced	by	the	
Vedas
	and	the	
Bhagavad-Gita
. Inquiry	into	spiritual
truth,	therefore,	had	a	long	tradition. In	Eastern	cultures,	the	awareness
that	Divinity	was	innately	present	within	all	mankind	is	evidenced	by	the
custom,	even	to	the	present	day,	of	people	putting	their	hands	in	a
prayerful	position	when	they	meet	and	bowing	to	each	other. In	those	cultures,	the	spiritual	traditions	and	teachings	were	revalidated
on	of	gurus	who	reaffirmed	that	the	ultimate	fulfillment	of	man’s	spiritualpotential	was	that	of	enlightenment. It	was	also	accepted	by	the	culture
that	divinity	accounted	for	and	was	the	source	of	all	life. In	those	cultures,	individuals	who	had	a	propensity	for	spiritual
dedication	had	a	traditional	role	and	lifestyle	to	follow. Their	endeavors
were	seen	as	fulfilling	and	revitalizing	the	truth	that	the	existence	of	the
Self	as	the	divine	source	in	its	absoluteness	and	infinite	expression	is	the
totality	of	all	Creation. Thus,	the	goal	of	the	spiritual	devotee	and	that
implied	by	society	were	not	in	conflict,	and	the	enlightened	masters
validated	the	very	basis	of	the	Eastern	culture. Society	then	tended	to
support	those	of	advanced	spiritual	awareness	and	granted	them	the
privilege	of	being	excused	from	the	ordinary	duties	associated	with
material	survival	or	worldly	success. Those	designated	as	holy	men	were
revered	and	thus	had	a	special	niche	in	society	as	teachers. When	Buddha	appeared	in	approximately	500	BC,	he	was	supported	by
a	culture	that	was	capable	of	recognizing	enlightenment	so	he	was	not	in
conflict	with	the	then-existent	culture. Although	he	may	perhaps	have
been	considered	a	new	great	teacher,	the	teachings	and	accepted	treasures
of	wisdom	and	truth	already	existed. By	contrast,	the	Western	world	was	far	behind	in	the	advancement	of
consciousness. The	culture	was	pagan	and	preoccupied	with	nature	deities,
magic,	and	nature	worship. The	Greek,	Roman,	Germanic,	and	Hebraic
traditions	included	pantheons	of	gods	who	were	given	anthropomorphic
characteristics	so	that,	in	the	end,	they	actually	had	the	same	feelings	as
humans	but	merely	on	a	broader	scale. In	all	these	primitive	versions,	God
was	always	seen	as	‘elsewhere’. The	anthropomorphic	God,	however,	was
seen	as	taking	direct	action,	for	better	or	worse,	in	human	affairs. Whether	greater	wisdom	existed	before	recorded	history	was
information	probably	lost	in	the	great	fire	at	the	library	of	Alexandria	that
had	included	all	the	recorded	wisdom	of	the	ancient	world. In	native
cultures	around	the	world,	spiritualism	prevailed,	but	there	was	no
tradition	of	enlightenment. There	was,	however,	the	shared	truth	of	the
omnipresence	and	divinity	of	the	Great	Spirit	as	God. Thus,	both	the
Native	American	cultures	and	the	pre-Sumerian	culture,	as	well	as	that	of
the	Hebrews,	were	monotheistic	as	was	the	belief	in	Mazda,	the	god	of
Mesopotamian	culture	as	expressed	through	Zoroaster. Into	this	preexistent	culture	outside	the	Far	East	appeared	Jesus	Christ,
whose	coming	had	been	foretold	by	prophecy. Unlike	Buddha	and
Krishna,	his	teachings	were	in	conflict	with	the	then-prevailing	culture,
and	the	ensuing	conflict	with	the	religious	establishment	resulted	in	his
untimely	death	at	an	early	age. Although	not	well	received	by	the	culture	of	his	birthplace,	Jesus’
teachings,	via	the	disciples	and	Greeks,	spread	rapidly	to	the	Greco-
Roman	world	and	then	across	the	cultures	of	Europe. The	purity	of	the
teachings	remained	relatively	undefiled	for	the	first	four	hundred	years	but
then	progressively	declined,	especially	after	the	Nicene	Council. In	the	meantime,	the	Arab	world	had	embraced	Islam,	and	a	power
struggle	between	Islam	and	Christianity	ensued,	with	major	political
consequences	for	all	society. The	focus	of	organized	religion,	however,
became	diverted	into	rivalry	between	the	different	cultures. The	religious
goals	of	the	individual	were	focused	primarily	on	that	of	avoiding	sin,
penance	for	sin,	and	the	possibility	of	reaching	heaven	in	an	afterlife. These	were	in	accord	with	the	branch	of	Buddhism	called	‘Pureland’,
which	also	had	the	more	modest	goal	of	reaching	heaven	rather	than	the
likelihood	of	becoming	enlightened	in	this	lifetime. Sainthood	resulted
from	purification	of	the	personality	in	Islam,	Christianity,	and	Pureland
Buddhism. This	was	in	accord	with	the	perception	that	enlightenment
itself	was	a	more	advanced	stage	and	reachable	only	from	the	higher	levels
of	spirituality,	such	as	those	that	existed	in	heaven. There	was	thus	the
agreement	that	the	worldly	life	and	its	intrinsic	negativity	precluded	the
likelihood	of	reaching	enlightenment	during	an	earthly	lifetime. This	consideration	is	also	expressed	in	the	
Bhagavad-Gita
	where
Krishna	says	that	enlightenment	is	rare	because	it	is	chosen	as	a	goal	only
by	a	few	out	of	many	thousands,	and	even	of	those	who	choose	it	as	a
goal,	very	few	accomplish	the	goal. Consequently,	in	Eastern	religions,	the
attainment	of	enlightenment	was	said	to	take	many	life	cycles,	and	the	best
the	average	seeker	could	accomplish	was	the	accumulation	of	good	karma
that	ripened	into	the	final	earthly	lifetime	when	enlightenment	occurred,
bringing	with	it	the	finality	and	cessation	of	rebirth. The	spiritual	seekers	who	made	major	progress	during	this	lifetime
were	often	viewed	as	saints	in	all	religions,	and	some	of	advanced
consciousness	were	termed	mystics	by	Christianity. The	mystics,	however,
were	often	suspect	by	the	Church	and	were	considered	as	possibly
heretical	by	the	establishment. This	view	prevails	today,	even	in	certain
fundamentalist	Christian	sects	that	view	the	Buddha,	for	example,	as
‘possessed	by	a	demon’. (All	demons	calibrate	below	consciousness	level
200,	whereas	Buddha,	like	Krishna,	Brahman,	Christ,	and	Zoroaster,
calibrate	at	the	maximum	possible	consciousness	level	of	1,000.) Q:	What	differentiates	these	seemingly	different	spiritual	goals? A:	The	difference	is	very	basic	and	critical	for	the	seeker	of	enlightenment	toknow. A	religion	primarily	addresses	the	realm	of	duality,	whereas
enlightenment	addresses	nonduality. This	strict	path	to	enlightenment	says
that	inasmuch	as	duality	is	illusion,	there	is	no	point	in	trying	to	perfect	it. Therefore,	the	ego	is	to	be	transcended	and	seen	for	the	illusion	that	it	is. ‘Good	personhood’	is	laudable,	but	it	does	not	of	itself	result	in
enlightenment. The	possibility	of	reaching	enlightenment	is	based	on
advanced	understanding	of	the	nature	of	consciousness	itself. Q:	Is	there	an	observable	difference	between	the	saint	and	the	sage? A:	Yes,	that	may	be	so. The	way	of	spiritual	purification	and	perfection	will
lead	to	a	personality	that	is	seen	as	more	‘saintly’	or	pure. In	contrast,	the
enlightened	sage	has	no	interest	in	either	the	body	or	the	personality	and
may	therefore	seem	to	the	ordinary	person	to	be	more	gruff	or	even
unkempt. Nisargadatta	Maharaj	(consciousness	level	over	700),	for	example,
smoked	endless	Indian	cigarettes,	pounded	on	the	table	when	he	got
excited,	and	exhibited	his	ordinary	personality. A	Zen	master	can	be	very
abrupt	and	brisk;	however,	the	love	is	the	same	in	all	but	is	merely
expressed	differently. Q:	Is	perfecting	the	body	and	personality	then	a	waste	of	time? A:	It	is	a	diversion	and	an	error	of	emphasis. The	body	is	a	product	of	nature,
and	what	it	does	is	really	of	no	interest. The	mind	and	personality	are
products	of	social	milieu,	family	influence,	and	cultural	programming. A
refined	and	cultured	person	is	an	agreeable	and	valuable	social	asset,	but	it
is	not	the	Self. As	one	approaches	enlightenment,	it	becomes	apparent	that
the	self	is	not	the	Self,	although	included	in	it. Q:	Is	one	spiritual	path	better	than	another? A:	There	are	two	ways	to	travel—either	a	direct	route	to	one’s	destination,	or
the	leisurely	trip	that	investigates	the	countryside	and	visits	all	the	tourist
attractions. Most	spiritual	seekers	are	on	the	leisurely	path,	even	if	they	do
not	realize	it. This,	however,	is	undoubtedly	the	best	way	for	many	people. It	is	neither	wrong	nor	a	waste	of	time	but	merely	the	path	that	works	best
for	them. In	reality,	time	is	merely	an	illusion	and	an	appearance. No	‘time’	is	really
wasted	once	one	has	chosen	the	spiritual	goal. Actually,	it	makes	no
difference	whether	enlightenment	takes	a	thousand	lifetimes	or	one;	in	the
end,	it	is	all	the	same. Q:	Are	you	saying,	then,	that	the	way	through	traditional	religion	is	aslow	path,	and	the	one	through	the	understanding	of	consciousness	is
faster? A:	Again,	it	is	a	matter	of	choice,	practicality,	and	inspiration.CHAPTER	19
Commentaries	and	Examples
Q:	What	are	the	basic	realizations	that	make	enlightenment	in	this
lifetime	possible? A:	To	understand	the	nature	of	consciousness	makes	enlightenment	possible. This	essentially	entails	the	realization	of	the	difference	between	duality
and	nonduality	and	how	to	transcend	the	realm	of	duality. Q:	Practically	speaking,	how	is	this	possible? A:	Duality	is	the	product	of	perception,	which	itself	is	limited. Intellection
and	perception	can	be	refined	and	perfected	to	the	level	of	genius	but	will
still	be	a	limitation	that	restricts	the	level	of	consciousness	to	the	400s. Consciousness	level	499	is	the	level	of	scientific	genius,	whereas	spiritual
genius	becomes	evident	at	600	and	goes	up	as	far	as	1,000. Q:	How	can	one	undo	the	limitation	of	perception? A:	By	understanding	its	nature. Perception	is	appearance	and	an	artifact	of
mentation. It	is	useful	in	dealing	with	the	world	of	ideas,	concepts,	and
physicality,	but	its	usefulness	ceases	when	the	goal	is	spiritual	evolution. Q:	How	is	perception	overcome? A:	It	is	not	overcome	but	instead	is	transcended. This	is	made	possible	by	an
understanding	of	its	structure	and	function. Realize,	to	begin	with,	that
perception	has	to	do	with	form. Duality	is	quantifiable. Let	us	try	to
unravel	its	function	by	means	of	examples. Example	1:
	Picture	a	wall	that	is	pure	white	(or	pure	black,	if	you	wish). Now	choose	to	see	an	imaginary	dot	on	that	wall. This	dot	will	now	be	a
point	of	focus. It	is	obvious	that	the	spot	can	be	anywhere	on	the	wall	that
one	chooses	for	it	to	be. The	position	one	finally	selects	can	be	marked
with	a	crayon	or	chalk. In	common	thinking	(which	is	therefore	dualistic),
the	point	will	be	said	to	‘exist’,	in	fact,	to	be	exactly	‘there’. With	some	reflection,	it	is	obvious	that	there	is,	in	actuality,	no	such
thing	as	a	‘point’	anywhere,	much	less	a	point	that	is	‘there’. The	idea	is
altogether	only	in	the	mind. There	is	no	point	anywhere	at	all	except	in	the
imagination. The	point	is	therefore	not	a	self-existent	reality	and	itsdefinition	is	totally	dependent	on	the	human	mind	for	it	even	to	be	said	to
exist. If	attention	is	removed	from	establishing	such	a	point,	it	instantly
disappears. This	is	possible	because	it	never	did	actually	exist	as	a	reality. It	is	obvious	that	languaging	is	about	mentation	itself	and	leads	to	the
confusion	of	mentalizing	as	opposed	to	external	reality. Example	2:
	A	‘point’	was	created	by	
selective	attention	of	focus
. To	be
effective,	this	requires	its	corollary	function	of	
inattention
	to	everything
else	except	the	point	of	focus. To	‘see’	a	spot	means	to	blot	out	the
awareness	of	all	that	is	‘not	a	spot’,	that	is,	the	rest	of	the	wall. Example	3:
	Imagine	a	second	dot	on	the	wall	that	then	becomes	point
number	2. Realize	now	that	both	points	are	really	in	the	imagination	and
exist	only	in	the	mind	of	the	observer. Now,	imagine	a	line	drawn	between
the	two	points	that	one	can	now	call	‘distance’. We	can	now	see	that
inasmuch	as	both	points	are	strictly	imaginary	and	exist	only	in	the	mind,
the	same	applies	to	any	imaginary	distance	between	them. Example	4:
We	can	now	imagine	our	third	point	is	existing	at	a	distance	in
front	of	the	wall. Again,	if	we	connect	all	three	points	in	our	imagination,
we	thereby	create	a	‘plane’. Like	the	three	points,	the	plane	exists	only	in
our	imagination. There	is	not	a	plane	‘out	there’. Also	note	that	the	lines
between	the	points	have	no	innate	‘direction.’
Example	5:
	If	we	add	a	fourth	imaginary	spot	in	contrast	to	the	imaginary
triangle,	we	now	have	an	imaginary	‘third	dimension’. We	can	now	also
say	that	the	interval	between	the	points	constitutes	‘space’. However,	as
we	do	this,	we	realize	that	all	this	exists	only	in	our	imagination. Example	6:
	At	this	point,	we	realize	that	imaginary	points	result	in
imaginary	locations,	directions,	planes,	space,	and	dimensions. The	next
expectation	conjured	up	by	the	mind	is	to	describe	the	duration	or	‘time’
that	it	would	take	to	go	from	one	point	to	another. You	can	see	that	the
time	to	traverse	an	imaginary	distance	between	imaginary	points	would
have	to	be	in	the	imagination. Example	7:
	We	look	up	at	the	night	sky	and	see	innumerable	points	of
light. We	can	arbitrarily	select	and	connect	any	number	of	these	into
imaginary	figures	and	create	our	own	constellations. Like	a	child	with	a
crayon,	we	can	create	the	constellation	of	the	cat,	the	dog,	the	mouse,	orwhatever. However,	if	we	board	a	spaceship	and	travel	out	to	a
constellation,	we	will	find	that	Orion,	as	well	as	all	the	rest,	have	no	such
existence. From	the	foregoing,	it	can	be	understood	how	the	mind	perceives	the
‘many’	in	what	is	really	‘the	the	mind	is	to	see	that	the	many	and	the	one
are	the	same. Without	the	contrasting	mental	dualistic	terms	of	‘many’	or
‘one’,	neither	would	be	said	to	exist. Instead,	there	could	only	be	the
realization	that	‘All	Is’. There	is	no	subject	and	object	possible	in	the	sentence,	“All	Is.”	Reality
is	neither	the	one	nor	the	many	bone’. To	transcend	ut	is	only	itself	beyond
description,	dimension,	time,	locality,	beginning,	or	end. To	describe	it,
even	the	term	‘now’	is	subtly	fallacious	for	it	implies	the	possibility	of	a
‘not	now’. No	‘not’	is	possible	in	Reality,	which	includes	the	totality	of	all
that	exists	and	therefore	‘is’. All	error	arises	from	the	‘is	not’	and	therefore
has	no	reality	or	need	for	it	to	be	explained	or	answered. No	error	is
possible	in	what	actually	‘is’. Q:	What	then	is	the	value	of	perception? A:	Perception	is	of	value	to	animal	life	in	dealing	with	physicality. It	deals
with	form. Spiritual	awareness	is	beyond	form. Once	we	reach
consciousness	level	500,	form	becomes	progressively	less	useful,	a
hindrance. The	spiritual	qualities	of	love,	compassion,	joy,	and	beauty	are
already	beyond	the	perceptual	world	of	form. They	cannot	be	measured,
quantified,	or	even	aptly	described	because	they	are	subjective,
experiential	realities	beyond	language. They	are	subjective	states	of
knowing	that	are	beyond	perception. To	be	correct,	Love	really	emerges	at	consciousness	level	200	and
intensifies	until,	at	500,	it	becomes	the	predominant	energy	field. As	the
levels	of	consciousness	go	up,	form	is	progressively	transcended. On	the	calibrated	scale	of	the	levels	of	consciousness,	Love	prevails	at
level	500	but	does	not	become	unconditional	until	level	540. This	means
that	some	form	persists	from	500	to	540,	so	that	Love	is	conditional. The
full	flowering	of	Love	emerges	only	when	it	becomes	unselective. It	is
characterized	by	lovingness,	which	is	unconditional,	because	it	is	what	one
has	become. This	leap	is	accomplished	by	the	‘letting	go	of	the	polarity	of
the	opposites’,	which	is	an	intrinsic	error	of	mentation. After	this	happens,
there	are	no	longer	‘good	trees’	or	‘bad	trees’. Instead,	all	trees	are	seen	as
perfect	and	beautiful	just	as	they	are. Each	living	thing	is	a	perfect
sculpture	in	its	expression	of	its	essence.Q:	How	is	it	that	the	world	sees	as	it	does? A:	The	limitation	of	perception	imputes	to	events	in	the	world	an	invisible,
magical	force	called	‘causality’. It	confuses	necessary	conditions	as	being
causes. It	also	confuses	temporal	sequence	with	causality. ‘Events’	do	not	really	‘happen’	in	Reality. These	are	arbitrary
abstractions	that	are	the	result	of	selective,	sequential	focusing. In	Reality,
no	‘events’	are	occurring;	therefore,	no	explanations	are	necessary. In
Reality,	creation	is	continuous. The	unmanifest	becomes	manifest. Each
observation,	however,	is	couched	in	mentalizations	of	time	and	location
and	therefore	ostensible	sequence. These	are	only	mentations. In	the	examples	given,	we	see	how	the	observable	comes	about. It	is
created	out	of	consciousness. From	the	mind	of	the	architect	springs	the
cathedral. Nothing	in	the	world	can	cause	a	cathedral. The	seed	does	not
‘cause’	the	plant	to	be	born. With	favorable	conditions,	it	assumes	visible
existence	by	virtue	of	its	essence	manifesting	its	potentiality. Nothing	in	the	world	‘causes’	anything	else. All	is	intertwined	in	a
holographic	dance	wherein	each	element	influences	every	other	element
but	does	not	cause	it. ‘Cause’	is	an	epistemological	invention	and	is	only
that	of	a	mentation. The	artifact	of	mentation	creates	spurious	conundrums
that	then	require	the	spurious	explanation	of	causality	to	‘explain’. In
reality,	the	absoluteness	and	totality	of	Creation	leave	no	vacancy	to	be
filled	with	any	explanatory	thought	form	such	as	cause. Totality	is
complete	and	requires	no	causes. Cause	is	force;	creation	is	power. Q:	What	then	of	karma	as	the	supposed	cause	of	destiny? A:	In	the	universe,	each	thing	becomes	positioned	by	its	essential	qualities
becoming	manifest. It	is	like	a	cork	in	water	that	rises,	depending	on	its
innate	buoyancy. The	‘universes	of	consciousness’	can	be	described	in
terms	of	calibrated	levels	of	power. Each	entity	rises	within	that	sea	of
consciousness	to	its	own	level	in	this	life	or	after. The	soul	ascends	or
descends,	depending	on	its	own	nature,	and	is	not	caused	to	do	so	by	some
external	force. God	is	power,	not	force. God	doesn’t	force	anything	or	anybody
anywhere. A	hot	air	balloon	rises	and	falls	in	the	sky,	depending	on	wind,
weather,	temperature,	and	humidity,	and	the	underlying	choices	of	the
operator	to	add	hot	air	or	not. To	let	go	of	the	attachments	of	the	ego	is	like
shedding	ballast. The	belief	in	‘cause’	as	a	substantive	reality	has	profoundly	limiting
and	injurious	consequences. It	divides	all	life	into	arbitrary	divisions	of
Perpetrator	and	Victim. This	is	the	lament	of	seventy-eight	percent	of	thepopulation	that	calibrates	below	the	level	of	integrity	(at	200). Personal
responsibility	evolves	in	the	mind	of	those	who	believe	in	causes. Some
plausible	explanation	as	‘cause’	can	be	manufactured	to	explain	or	excuse
any	human	event	or	action. In	our	current	society,	the	courts	and	trial
lawyers	have	stretched	the	concept	to	the	point	of	absurdity. Even	if
somebody	gets	burned	by	touching	something	that	has	a	large	sign	in	red
letters	that	says,	‘Do	Not	Touch’,	inventiveness	can	find	an	imaginary
perpetrator	with	deep	pockets,	and	it	could	be	said	that	the	sign	was	not
large	enough,	it	was	in	a	foreign	language,	it	was	not	illuminated	at	night,
or	some	other	excuse. Since	cause	exists	only	as	a	mentation	of	imagination,	it	can	be
conjured	up	and	manufactured	at	one’s	convenience. When	taken	to
extremes,	the	concepts	of	perpetrator	and	victim	merge. The	criminal	now
becomes	the	victim,	and	the	police	are	the	perpetrators. One	can	see	by
analysis	at	depth	that	who	is	the	victim	and	who	is	the	perpetrator	is	really
an	arbitrary	selection	or	positionality. The	victim	seduces	the	perpetrator
to	act	via	the	predator/prey	response. The	policeman	or	prison	guard	is
required	by	the	extremism	of	the	victim’s	behavior	to	use	force	or	extreme
measures,	and	thus	the	roles	of	perpetrator	and	victim	blur	into	each	other
in	a	cognitive	confusion. Q:	Why	do	actions	have	consequences? A:	They	are	linked,	but	not	by	cause	and	effect. Conditions	affect	occurrences
but	do	not	‘cause’	them. All	potentiality	is	limited	by	essence. A	bee
cannot	become	a	flower. The	caterpillar	does	not	‘cause’	the	butterfly	to
happen	but	is	a	necessary	precondition. Q:	How	does	this	apply	to	spiritual	life? A:	The	essence	of	man	includes	the	potentiality	for	enlightenment. Readiness
implies	that	one	has	evolved	through	the	lower	levels	of	consciousness	so
that	spiritual	inspiration	now	becomes	the	spark	that	ignites	the	quest. Q:	Perception,	then,	is	merely	sensory	appearance? A:	That	is	correct. Even	Creation	itself	is	merely	an	appearance. ‘Creation’	or
‘destruction’	merely	describes	a	point	of	view. Materials	are	merely
converted	to	another	form. If	the	form	is	desirable,	we	call	it	‘creation’. If
it	is	not	desirable,	we	call	it	‘destruction’. Converting	a	tree	into	2-x-4
lumber	is	‘creative’	to	the	carpenter	but	‘destructive’	to	the	conservationist. The	classic	‘Dance	of	Shiva’	is	the	shift	of	appearance	from	creation	to
destruction. In	reality,	neither	is	occurring;	likewise,	whether	a	turkeydinner	is	good	or	bad	or	creative	or	destructive	depends	on	whether	you
are	the	turkey	or	the	diner. Recontextualization
Q:	What	of	practical	considerations,	such	as	financial	pressures? How
does	recontextualization	help? A:	The	perception	of	‘financial	pressures’	is	due	to	expanding	one’s	life	at	too
rapid	a	pace. This	creates	the	illusion	of	a	monetary	shortage. The	answer
is	not	a	financial	one	but	merely	one	of	patience. Are	there	too	many	sheep
in	a	pasture,	or	is	there	a	grass	shortage? Wanting	things	impatiently
results	in	moving	ahead	too	fast	for	comfort. Learn	to	differentiate	wants
from	needs. Learn	to	value	having	credit	rather	than	cash. Fortunes	both
large	and	small	can	be	wiped	out	overnight	but	credit	lasts	a	lifetime. The
cost	of	living	on	credit	is	interest;	living	on	cash	costs	principle. Cash	is
convenience;	credit	is	security. Q:	What	about	so-called	‘problems’? A:	Partial	and	limited	positionalities	create	the	illusions	called	‘problems’. In
reality,	no	such	thing	as	a	problem	is	possible;	there	is	merely	what	we
want	and	what	we	do	not	want. Suffering	is	due	to	resistance. This	applies
to	physical	pain	as	well. For	instance,	by	intensely	focusing	on	the	pain
and	being	persistent	and	not	resisting	it,	pain	actually	disappears. Pain	and
suffering	are	two	distinctly	different	things. The	mind	assumes	that	they
are	inseparable,	which	they	are	not. It	is	possible	to	experience	pain	but
not	suffer	from	it. Suffering	is	due	to	resisting	the	pain. If	one	is	willing	to
surrender	to	it,	accept	it,	and	completely	stop	resisting	it	continuously,	the
suffering,	and	even	frequently	the	pain	itself,	will	cease. By	using	this	technique,	it	was	possible	for	this	writer	to	go	through
major	surgery	on	two	different	occasions	without	anesthesia. Also,	healing
then	takes	place	more	rapidly. It	is	possible,	for	instance,	to	walk	on	a
severely	twisted	ankle	within	minutes,	and	the	relief	is	very	similar	to	the
effect	of	a	narcotic	that	relieves	the	suffering. The	pain	itself	may	remain
but	one	is	indifferent	to	it. Q:	What	about	anger? A:	As	one	progresses	spiritually,	anger	becomes	less	frequent,	but	when	it
does	occur,	it	is	increasingly	unwelcome. Most	frequently,	it	is	usually
impatience. Therefore,	it	is	resolvable	by	realizing	that	one	is	not	really
angry	but	just	in	a	hurry. To	know	that	in	itself	relieves	guilt. Anger	stemsfrom	a	positionality,	and	taking	a	different	viewpoint	resolves	it. It	is	helpful	to	realize	that	the	anger	is	not	at	what	‘is’,	but	at	what	‘is
not’. We	are	angry	not	because	someone	is	selfish	or	stingy,	as	we	think,
but	actually	because	they	are	not	considerate,	generous,	or	loving. If
recontextualization	is	done	in	this	way,	then	people	are	seen	as	being
limited	rather	than	being	bad	or	wrong. Each	person	has	developed	only
up	to	a	specific	point	in	their	evolution,	and	therefore,	it	is	easier	to	see
and	accept	limitation	rather	than	fault. Another	prevalent	cause	of	anger	is	desire,	or	not	getting	what	one
wants. This	is	the	anger	of	infancy	that	persists	in	the	adult	as	the	so-called
self-centered,	narcissistic	core	of	the	ego	called	selfishness. The	ego
confuses	wants	and	needs	and	is	impatient. It	is	constantly	demanding	and
wanting. At	this	focal	point,	surrendering	craving,	wanting,	and	desiring	to
God	brings	about	great	and	rapid	spiritual	progress. The	surrender	of	this	core	of	the	ego	triggers	rapid	spiritual
advancement. This	is	the	very	focal	point	and	source	of	the	ego,	which	is
focused	on	survival. Its	desires	and	wants	are	deemed	to	be	essential
because	of	the	ego’s	beliefs	about	survival. The	ego	therefore	has	to	‘get’
or	‘keep’	and	acquire	because	it	views	itself	as	separate	and	therefore
dependent	on	external	sources	of	supply. These	may	take	the	form	of
energy,	attention,	possessions,	status,	security,	protection,	image,	money,
gain,	advantage,	and	power. Its	primary	view	is	lack,	and	with	lack	come
fear,	need,	greed,	and	even	homicidal	rage	and	threats. Fear	is	its	motor. From	the	viewpoint	of	consciousness	and	enlightenment,	the	reign	of
fear	does	not	cease	until	the	desire	for	existence	itself	is	surrendered	to
God. In	the	silence	that	ensues	comes	a	great	realization	that	one’s
existence	has	always	been	due	to	the	presence	of	the	Self	that	has	attracted
from	the	Universe	whatever	is	necessary	for	survival. Karmic	destination
for	survival	then	ensures	that	survival	is	provided	by	virtue	of	the	power	of
the	Self	to	martial	the	necessities,	such	as	physicality,	breath,	strength,
hunger,	curiosity,	and	intelligence. The	ego	is	the	imaginary	doer	behind	thought	and	action. Its	presence	is
firmly	believed	to	be	necessary	and	essential	for	survival. The	reason	is
that	the	ego’s	primary	quality	is	perception,	and	as	such,	it	is	limited	by	the
paradigm	of	supposed	causality. In	this	limited	paradigm	of	duality,	the	‘I’,
or	ego,	sees	itself	as	cause,	and	actions	and	events	as	effects. In	Reality,
actions	and	survival	are	taking	place	automatically	and	are	actually
autonomous. They	are	activated	by	the	life	energy	emanating	from	the
Self,	and	the	qualities	of	the	universe	supply	the	forms. Notice,	for
instance,	that	in	clinical	states	of	amnesia,	human	life	continues	even	whenthe	source	of	imagined	identity	is	lost. Notice	then	that	all	fear	is	fear	of
loss	of	identity—existence/	survival. This	is	connected	to	identifying	the	self	and	the	source	of	existence	in
life	as	form	(thoughts,	feelings,	body). The	resolution	of	fear	is	therefore
the	willingness	to	surrender	one’s	existence	in	all	its	expressions	to	God. With	that	total	surrender	arises	the	awareness	that	the	Self	is	formless,	and
that	it	is	not	form	but	the	formless	within	form	that	is	the	Source	and	the
experiencer	of	life. It	then	becomes	obvious	that	death,	as	commonly
believed,	is	not	even	a	possibility. There	is	no	opposite	or	alternative	to	God. It	is	the	spirit	within	the
body	that	says	‘I	Am’. The	body	of	itself	does	not	even	know	that	it	exists. Q:	What	of	simplicity? A:	All	spiritual	truth	is	contained	in	every	spiritual	concept. It	is	only
necessary	to	completely	and	totally	understand	
one	single	concept
	to
understand	all	of	them	in	order	to	arrive	at	the	realization	of	the	Real. The
secret	of	success	is	to	choose	one	concept	or	spiritual	tool	and	pursue	it
with	intensity,	nonstop,	to	its	ultimate	end. It	could	be	forgiveness	or
kindness	carried	to	the	absolute,	or	it	could	be	the	third	step	from	a	‘12-
step’	program. It	then	gets	applied	to	every	single	thought,	feeling,	action,
or	behavior,	without	exception. It	takes	only	a	single	scalpel	to	dissect	the
entire	human	body,	and	it	only	takes	a	single	spiritual	scalpel	to	dissect
oneself	free	of	the	ego. In	the	beginning,	it	takes	effort	because	of	resistance,	but	when
willingness	becomes	perfected	due	to	progressive	surrender,	the	tool	takes
on	a	life	of	its	own. There	is	no	longer	a	‘me’	to	do	it. One	eventually
realizes	the	tool	is	being	guided	by	something	other	than	the	personal	self. One	does	not	‘find’	the	truth,	so	it	is	futile	to	‘seek’	it. Divinity	reveals
itself	effortlessly. There	is	the	sudden	agony	of	dying,	and	then	a	profound	awe	as	the
Truth	of	All	Creation	reveals	itself	as	the	everlasting	Self,	beyond	all	time,
before	all	worlds,	before	all	universes,	in	all	its	Absolute	Perfection	and
Beauty	in	which	and	by	which	all	form	is	merely	perception,	with	no
independent	existence.
_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:

        At	the	onset	of	this	state,	there	is	a	short	period	of	the	agony	of	dying
(death	of	the	remainder	of	the	ego),	and	it	is	the	personal	‘I’	that	feels	itself
dying. The	personal	will	dissolves	into	the	divine	omniscience. Volition
ceases. Everything	moves,	acts,	and	presents	itself	with	equality	ofsignificance. Nothing	is	greater	or	lesser	than	anything	else. There	is
neither	cause	nor	change	nor	events,	nor	is	anything	‘happening’. All	is	as
it	is	as	a	result	of	the	ongoingness	of	the	continuous	evolution	of	Creation. One	witnesses	potentiality	emerging	as	actuality. The	innermost
essence	of	the	universe	reveals	itself	as	a	wondrous	spectacle. It	presents
itself	as	a	gift	of	love	and	trust,	as	though	welcoming	one	home. Q:	How	can	one	function	in	such	a	state. A:	At	first,	it	is	impossible. With	the	resumption	of	movement,	there	is	a
sensation	like	walking	on	land	after	one	has	lost	their	‘sea	legs’. There	is	a
problem	with	equilibrium	in	the	exact	whereabouts	of	the	body	and	all	its
parts. There	is	no	identification	with	the	body	nor	is	there	a	locus	in	space. The	Self	is	invisible	and	nonlocal	so	that	when	people	talk	to	the	body	as
though	it	were	‘you’,	it	requires	adjustment. The	voice	speaks	on	its	own
in	response	to	questions. There	is	no	mind	or	mentation	to	focus	on	or	to
perform	worldly	tasks. There	is	a	loss	of	the	sense	of	direction. The	body
and	its	actions	or	speech	and	activities	occur	without	any	inner	direction	or
intention. What	occurs	does	so	spontaneously	as	a	response	to	the	will	of
the	Presence. Everything	occurs	of	its	own	as	an	expression	of	its	essence
and	prevailing	conditions. The	body	is	a	function	of	the	universe	and	an
accommodation	to	how	the	world	operates. All	usual	daily	activities	are	stopped	for	a	lengthy	period	of	time. Speech	is	unnecessary. What	people	mean	by	their	speech	has	to	be
translated	in	order	to	be	understood. They	speak	in	a	linear	sequence	of
thoughts,	and	an	aspect	of	the	Self/Divinity	as	the	presence	of	the	Holy
Spirit	acts	as	a	translator,	resulting	in	a	delay	between	people’s	speech	and
the	capacity	to	understand	it. One	seems	to	the	world	to	be	‘hard	of
hearing’	or	‘absentminded’	(which	paradoxically	is	actually	the	case). This
translation	takes	the	details	of	form	and	turns	it	into	their	understandable
essence. Ordinary	thinking	is	no	longer	a	natural	state	or	a	spontaneous
activity. It	has	to	be	willed	to	even	occur	at	all. The	world	seems
preoccupied	with	details	and	that	which	is	irrelevant	instead	of	essence. To
focus	on	sequential	form	is	tiring. It	takes	time	and	energy	to	shift	one’s
focus	from	essence	to	form. Q:	What	guides	your	day-to-day	life	now	after	so	many	years. A:	It	goes	on	spontaneously. Its	locus	is	within	the	field	of	consciousness. There	was	a	necessity	to	leave	the	prior	lifestyle	and	move	to	a	quiet
location	in	a	simple	setting	with	no	worldly	role	for	some	ten	years. It
took,	and	still	takes,	effort	to	activate	the	intellect	and	mentation. It	tookmonths	to	retrain	the	mind	to	read	and	retain. The	faculty	that	is	called
ordinary	mind	operates	only	when	required	to	do	so. It	is	not	a	natural
state. The	natural	state	is	silence	and	repose. Even	when	the	mind	does
reactivate,	it	is	against	the	background	of	stillness	and	silence,	which	is	not
replaced. The	analogy	would	be	the	stillness	of	the	woods	is	not	actually
disturbed	by	a	noise,	which	really	has	no	effect	on	it,	or	just	as	a	boat
going	across	the	ocean	has	no	effect	on	the	ocean. Q:	There	still	seems	to	be	a	personality	present. A:	That	is	the	automatic	product	of	love,	which	interfaces	between	the	Self
and	the	people	in	the	world. Its	function	is	to	uplift,	communicate,	and
heal,	and	it	frequently	uses	humor	to	interact	with	the	world. It	uses
laughter	and	humor	to	recontextualize	people’s	distorted	viewpoints. Its
main	purpose	is	to	heal	by	recontextualization. The	Self	seeks	to	make	a
healing	contact	with	the	Self	of	the	person	in	the	world	who	is	suffering. This	same	love,	which	is	equality	of	the	Self,	seeks	to	contact	the	Self	in
everyone	by	its	writing,	speaking,	or	conveying	of	information	that	could
be	useful. Q:	Who	is	it	that	speaks	or	writes. A:	The	body	and	personality	are	like	residual	but	necessary	tools. The
capacity	to	communicate	is	really	the	function	of	the	Holy	Spirit,	which	is
the	translator	between	the	Oneness	and	Allness	of	the	Self	through
consciousness	to	the	many. Without	the	intervention	of	the	Holy	Spirit,	the
body	would	disintegrate	from	sheer	neglect. The	Self	is	not	subject	to
karma,	but	the	body	runs	on	its	own	like	a	karmic	windup	toy. Q:	Does	spiritual	progress	or	change	stop. It	is	complete	or	final. A:	Absolute	awareness	is	already	complete	and	total. Its	capacity	for
expression	increases	and	is	increasing	even	now. In	the	past,	with	major
increases	in	awareness,	the	nervous	system	would	feel	a	burning	or	a
buzzing. Teaching	reactivates	the	flow	of	spiritual	energy	into	the	body. Q:	Are	there	two	different	states	of	consciousness. A:	No. Only	the	Infinite	Self	is	actually	present. Its	all-present	reality
supersedes	all	appearances. It	translates	through	the	intervention	of	the
Holy	Spirit	to	the	capacity	for	communication	via	the	body,	which	is	its
servant. Whatever	the	body	does	is	not	really	of	great	interest,	nor	is	its
survival. Although	the	perceived	world	is	actually	not	real	in	the	absolute
sense,	people	think	it	is. It	is	therefore	a	means	of	reminding	people	of	the
availability	of	the	Self	and	Reality,	which	are	beyond	all	suffering	andsorrow. Q:	What	accounts	for	the	functioning	of	the	body. A:	It	is	consciousness	itself	that	activates	the	body	and	its	activities	and
responses. Its	persistence	is	spontaneous	and	unintentional. The	Self
requires	neither	speech	nor	company	nor	activities	and	yet	it	experiences
joy	in	all	things. It	delights	in	love	in	all	its	various	expressions	as
existence. Because	all	that	exists	is	aware,	love	is	recognized	by	all	of
Nature,	which	responds	in	like. The	essence	of	Reality	shines	forth	as	a
luminescence. The	Self	unconditionally	loves	all	that	exists. All	love
benefits	all	life	and	all	mankind. Even	to	love	one’s	pet	dog	actually
benefits	all	mankind	and	is	noticed	by	the	universe. Q:	Is	any	endeavor	that	is	not	‘spiritual’	a	waste	of	time. A:	It	is	not	the	action	itself	but	the	context	of	that	action	which	determines
whether	it	is	spiritual	or	not. Context	is	set	by	intention. Motive,	though,	is
what	makes	the	difference. One	can	earn	money	out	of	love	for	one’s
family,	company,	country,	or	all	mankind,	or	one	can	make	money	out	of
fear,	greed,	or	selfishness. If	we	view	our	work	as	a	contribution	to	society,
it	then	becomes	a	gift	no	matter	how	seemingly	simple	it	may	be. To	peel
potatoes	out	of	love	for	one’s	family	or	for	the	benefit	of	those	who	need
to	eat	is	spiritually	uplifting	to	the	Self	and	the	world. One	makes	a	gift	of	one’s	life	and	endeavors	by	sanctifying	it	with
love,	devotion,	and	selfless	service. That	is	the	way	of	the	heart	to	God. In
that	way,	domestic	life	becomes	a	form	of	worship	and	the	source	of	joy	to
all. When	we	seek	to	uplift	others,	we	are	uplifted	in	the	process. Giving	is
therefore	self-rewarding	for	there	is	actually	no	‘other’	that	is	being	given
to. Every	kind	thought	or	smile	is	therefore	spiritual	and	benefits	oneself
as	well	as	all	the	world. Q:	What	is	love. Often	it	seems	to	be	unreachable. A:	Love	is	misunderstood	to	be	an	emotion;	actually,	it	is	a	state	of
awareness,	a	way	of	being	in	the	world,	a	way	of	seeing	oneself	and
others. Love	for	God	or	nature	or	even	one’s	pets	opens	the	door	to
spiritual	inspiration. The	desire	to	make	others	happy	overrides
selfishness. The	more	we	give	love,	the	greater	our	capacity	to	do	so. It	is
a	good	beginning	practice	to	merely	mentally	wish	others	well	in	the
course	of	the	day. Love	blossoms	into	lovingness,	which	becomes
progressively	more	intense,	nonselective,	and	joyful. There	comes	a	time
when	one	‘falls	in	love’	with	everything	and	everyone	they	meet. Thistendency	to	be	intensely	loving	has	to	be	curtailed	because	love,	curiously
enough,	frightens	many	people. Many	people	cannot	look	fully	into
another	person’s	eyes	for	more	than	a	brief	second,	if	at	all. This	is
especially	so	if	the	one	looking	at	them	radiates	lovingness. Some	people
even	panic	when	exposed	to	love. Some	spiritual	treatises	teach	that	there	are	really	no	stages	of
enlightenment,	as	though	it	were	an	all-or-none	phenomenon. This
represents	the	unexamined	view	or	only	a	partial	report	that	was	conveyed
by	some	teacher	for	a	specific	purpose	to	a	specific	audience	at	a	specific
time. To	fully	understand	any	statement,	we	need	to	know	the	context
within	which	it	was	made. Study	reveals	that	saintliness	is	a	descriptive	term	applied	to	people
who	have	reached,	usually,	the	calibrated	level	of	the	high	500s. At	this
level,	joy	leads	many	to	become	spiritual	and	inspirational	teachers,
healers,	great	artists,	or	even	great	architects	who	create	the	great
cathedrals,	great	inspirational	music,	and	the	production	of	beauty	in	all	its
forms. Enlightenment	proper,	that	is,	the	replacement	of	duality	with
nonduality,	calibrates	at	600	or	over. We	could	say	that	any	calibration	of
600	or	more	formally	denotes	enlightenment. At	about	the	calibrated	level	of	600,	bliss	intervenes	and	worldly
activity	stops,	sometimes	permanently. If	the	person	is	destined	to	remain
in	the	world,	this	state	is	said	to	‘ripen’,	and	there	is	a	slow	return	of	the
capacity	to	function. Some	enlightened	‘persons’	retreat	to	spiritual
practice	and	meditation	and	evolve	into	the	700s. At	that	level,	the	world
as	commonly	described	is	no	longer	a	self-existent	reality. There	are
neither	separate	persons	nor	a	world	that	needs	saving. All	is	evolving
according	to	Divine	Will. The	world	is	surrendered	to	God,	and	its	destiny
is	self-fulfilling. No	intervention	is	necessary. All	life	is	the	evolution	of
consciousness	and	the	unfolding	of	Creation. The	aura	emanating	from
persons	who	calibrate	in	the	700s	has	an	attraction	and	an	effect	on
visitors. They	like	to	be	near	its	presence	where	they	feel	peace. In	that
energy	field,	so-called	problems	resolve	spontaneously,	and	serenity
replaces	fear	and	anxiety. That	energy	field	hastens	the	spiritual
realizations	and	progress	of	visitors. The	energy	fields	of	600	and	up,
especially	in	the	700s,	recontextualizes	positionalities	that	then	resolve
imaginary	conflicts. In	the	700s,	there	is	usually	withdrawal	from	the	ordinary	world. There
is	a	tendency	to	spontaneously	teach. Many	at	that	level	develop	groups	of
spiritual	students	and	seekers,	establish	ashrams,	yoga	centers,monasteries,	and	spiritual	orders. Some	are	called	masters,	gurus,	sages,	or
various	spiritual	titles,	depending	on	the	culture. Q:	What	of	the	800s. A:	Much	less	is	known. Whereas,	in	the	700s	teachers	address	primarily
individuals	or	groups,	in	the	800s	and	900s,	the	concern	is	with	the
salvation	of	mankind	as	a	whole. In	
Power	versus	Force
,	minimal	data
was	reported	on	the	800s	or	900s,	although	the	various	chapters	in	the
book	calibrate	at	840	to	850. The	concern	in	the	800s	and	900s	is	with
enlightenment	and	the	spiritual	inspiration	of	all	humanity,	along	with	the
raising	of	the	level	of	consciousness	of	all	mankind. There	is	also	the
capacity	to	comprehend	and	delineate	the	nature	of	consciousness	itself
and	to	communicate	that	information	in	such	a	way	as	to	support
comprehension. In	the	700s,	a	typical	statement	might	be,	“There	is	no
world	to	save;	it	is	an	illusion. ”	This	is	not	comprehensible	nor
information	that	is	useful	to	many. In	the	800s,	however,	there	seems	to	be
a	concern	with	explanation	by	effective	communication. The	natural
language	in	the	800s	and	900s	seems	to	be	concerned	with	spiritual	reality,
essences,	understandings,	and	clarifications. Form	and	its	details	are
irrelevant	except	as	a	necessary	style	for	communication. Q:	The	calibrated	levels	seem	to	have	great	significance. A:	They	are	extremely	useful	and	of	great	value. Each	level	denotes	not	only
a	level	of	power	but	also	of	content. It	recontextualizes	information	in
order	to	create	a	valid	map	that	enables	a	meaningful	approach	and
understanding,	especially	of	spiritual	information. It	is	helpful	to	realize	that	truth	is	really	a	continuum	of	understandings
and	the	capacity	to	comprehend. Much	confusion	in	society	as	well	as
philosophy	stems	from	not	realizing	the	importance	of	defining	the	context
of	these	levels. Each	level	has	a	different	context	of	reality. What	seems	to
be	worth	dying	for	at	one	level	is	seen	as	absurd	or	nonsensical	at	another. These	levels	define	different	sets	of	positionalities. At	one	level,	right
versus	wrong	is	of	primary	concern	and	the	basis	for	war	and	destruction. From	another	level,	all	such	discussions	are	seen	as	arbitrary,	naïve,	and
part	of	cultural	conditioning	or	moralistic	demagoguery. It	is	obvious	that
‘right’	and	‘wrong’	positionalities	have	been	the	basis	for	genocide	and	the
slaughter	of	multitudes	throughout	the	centuries. Q:	The	centuries	of	slaughter	have	all	been	for	nothing. A:	We	can	calibrate	the	level	of	consciousness	that	underlies	any	aspect	ofhuman	history	to	see	what	was	the	actual	basis	for	conflict	or	failure	as
well	as	successes. All	social	problems	are	based	on	ignorance. The
unforeseen	consequences	are	often	worse	than	the	supposed	cure. A
society	cannot	solve	a	drug	problem	unless	it	realizes	how	it	is	the	very
source	of	it. Society	is	far	more	successful	with	mechanical	problems	that
science	can	solve	and	is	stymied	by	social	problems	whose	resolution
requires	greater	understanding	of	the	nature	of	consciousness. The	masses	are	easy	to	manipulate	by	religious	or	political	slogans. The
massive	slaying	of	multitudes	of	innocents	is	dismissed	as	‘necessary’	to
the	success	of	the	revolution. Q:	Then	what	is	the	answer	to	the	problems	of	society. A:	Other	than	an	increase	in	awareness,	there	really	is	none. Problems	cannot
be	solved	at	their	own	calibrated	level	of	consciousness,	but	only	by	rising
to	the	next	higher	level. Each	solution	has	within	itself	a	new	set	of
limitations	and	issues	to	resolve. Our	society	is	one	of	excesses;	it	swings
like	a	pendulum	too	far	in	one	direction	and	then	too	far	in	the	opposite
direction	because	it	gets	caught	in	the	duality	of	either/or	and	this	or	that. Maturity	results	in	a	middle	way	that	allows	for	both	ends	of	the	spectrum
of	human	behavior. The	desire	to	control	other	people’s	behavior	is	a	human	failing	with
enormous	cost. People’s	faith	in	coercion	and	the	punitive	approach	is	self-
justifying	and	immune	to	logic	or	flexibility. Q:	Should	we	therefore	be	pessimistic	about	the	future	of	society.
How	do	spiritual	‘errors’	come	about? A:	What	follows	may	sound	abstract. The	error	occurs	within	consciousness
What	are	the	basic	realizations	that	make	enlightenment	in	this
What	of	practical	considerations,	such	as	financial	pressures? How
Consciousness advances itself when it is provided with essential information that then becomes activated by intention.
What is the core essence of the spiritual search?
The ego is the automatic product of love, which interfaces between the Self and the people in the world.
What is the relationship between the ego and the Self?
The error occurs within consciousness itself before there is even any 'person' involved.
How does spiritual 'error' come about?
The difference is very basic and critical for the seeker of enlightenment.
What is the essential difference between the teachings of Christ and the Buddha?
All spiritual truth is contained in every spiritual concept.
What is the value of simplicity?