Most	spiritual	error	contains	a	grain	of	the	truth	that	then	gets	lost
in	misunderstanding	or	manipulated	distortions. “Kill	a	Commie	for
Christ,”	or,	“Kill	an	infidel	for	Allah”	is	very	far	from	spiritual	truth,	but,
generically,	this	type	of	statement	is	accepted	over	and	over	by	millions	of
people	through	endless	generations. Sentimentality	and	emotionalism	are	superimposed	on	fallacious
beliefs,	which	give	them	added	attraction	and	dominance	in	people’s
thinking. Religious	absurdities	gain	momentum	merely	because	they	are
‘religious’. As	an	example,	in	the	year	1212,	a	European	boy	had	a	vision
of	being	called	to	lead	a	children’s	crusade	to	free	the	Holy	Land	from	the
Islamic	infidels. (Why	God	would	be	interested	in	who	governs	what	realestate	on	the	planet	has	never	been	answered.) The	popular	appeal	of	the
admixture	of	an	‘innocent	child’	with	a	‘religious	vision’	plus	the	heroics
of	‘saving	the	Holy	Land’	resulted	in	a	wave	of	enthusiasm. The	children’s
crusade	was	horrific. They	died	by	the	thousands	from	exposure,
exhaustion,	disease,	malnutrition,	and	other	disasters. Of	the	few	thousand
remaining,	none	actually	reached	the	Holy	Land,	and	all	were	finally
captured	and	sold	into	slavery. The	entire	disaster	was	based	on	belief,
faith,	and	religiosity. However,	as	a	disaster,	it	was	miniscule	in	the	history
of	humanity	in	which	whole	continents,	populations,	civilizations,	and
major	portions	of	human	life	were	wiped	out	by	fallacious	religious	fervor. Thus,	faith	and	belief	are	necessary	to	start	a	journey,	but	verifiable
knowledge	is	necessary	to	complete	it. Without	a	compass	or	sextant,	the
average	sailor	on	the	seas	ends	up	at	the	bottom. As	the	Buddha	said,	“Few	are	they	who	endeavor	to	make	the	journey,
and	fewer	and	rarer	still	are	those	who	succeed.”	(Krishna	said	the	same
thing	in	the	
Bhagavad-Gita
.) The	concern	expressed	here	is	for	the	success
and	welfare	of	all	mankind	whose	history,	until	very	recently,	has	been
quite	tragic. Q:	You	speak	often	of	mankind	as	though	it	was	your	concern	or	identity. Why	is	that? A:	To	own	oneself	completely	is	to	own	all	humanity. The	Self	is	the	same	Self	in	all,	and	society	represents	the	collective
ego. To	look	at	all	mankind	in	its	totality	throughout	history	takes	us
through	the	Scale	of	Consciousness. When	we	look	at	man,	it	brings	on
grief,	sadness,	hopelessness,	depression,	guilt,	remorse,	or	regret. We	see
man	as	being	miserable,	evil,	hopeless,	tragic,	and	frightening. We	feel
anger	at	what	has	transpired	in	the	past. In	Courage,we	see	that	change	for	the	better	is	feasible. We	stop
blaming,	hating,	and	fearing	and	lift	ourselves	out	of	victimhood,
weakness,	and	apathy	and	strive	to	make	the	world	better. We	give	up	self-
blame	and	self-pity	and	affirm	the	power	within	us. To	reach	Truth,	we
have	to	accept	that	mankind	has	been	much	in	error	and	that	the	reason
was	ignorance. Through	understanding,	we	can	learn	to	become
compassionate	and	seek	to	recontextualize	our	relationship	to	the	whole. We	can	look	back	and	see	that	humanity	was	enslaved	and	brutalized
by	the	ignorance	that	prevailed	at	a	consciousness	level	that	calibrated	at
only	190	for	so	many	centuries. However,	at	its	present	207,	the	future	of
mankind	promises	to	be	very	unlike	the	past. Each	of	us	can	progress	in
our	own	level	of	consciousness	to	that	which	supports	life	and	love. Thatis	really	all	that	was	asked	of	us	by	all	the	great	spiritual	leaders	and	saints
of	the	past. Even	Freud	said	that	man’s	destiny	was	to	be	able	to	work	and	to	love. Carl	Jung	then	added,	“and	to	own	the	spiritual	truth	of	one’s	reality.”
					Because	of	the	limitations	of	perception,	mankind	does	not	see	that	the
Dark	Ages	did	not	even	end	until	1986,	when	the	consciousness	level	of
mankind,	for	the	first	time	in	history,	crossed	over	from	negativity	and
nonintegrity	to	go	above	the	critical	level	denoted	by	the	calibration	level
of	200	into	Integrity,	Honesty,	and	Truth. Q:	Religion	and	spirituality,	then,	did	not	have	a	major	impact	on
society? A:	Man’s	problem	isn’t	that	he	has	not	heard	of	spiritual	truth,	but	that	he
does	not	understand	it. That	is	the	purpose	of	clarification	and	explanation. It	takes	a	whole	volume	of	words	to	explain	that	which	is	wordless. The	value	of	a	numerically	calibrated	map	of	consciousness	with
associated	descriptive	terms	is	that	it	makes	what	might	have	sounded	like
philosophical	or	sociological	generalities	verifiably	concrete. Anybody	can
understand	simple	numbers,	but	few	people,	despite	ostensible	piety,
understand	even	the	simplest	things,	such	as	the	difference	between
positive	and	negative,	‘right’	and	‘wrong’,	or	constructive	versus
destructive. Nonintegrity	is	so	interwoven	in	almost	every	aspect	of	society	that	it
has	become	invisible	to	the	average	person. The	wolf	is	hidden	under	the
sheep’s	clothing	of	patriotism,	righteousness,	and	beliefs	that	“It’s	just
business”;	“The	end	justifies	the	means”;	“Society	deserves	revenge”;
“People	are	best	controlled	by	threat	and	fear”;	“The	war	against	drugs”;
“Greed	is	okay	in	business”;	“Lying	is	okay	by	government	or	business”;
“Pride	is	good”;	“Materialism	and	gain	justify	all	behaviors”;	“It’s	okay	to
distort	or	hide	the	truth	if	you	can	get	a	conviction”;	“Any	deceit	is	okay	to
get	elected”;	“Anything	is	okay	to	print	as	long	as	it	sells	newspapers”;
“Being	right	is	more	important	than	being	truthful,”	or,	“Profit	justifies
any	human	behavior.”	Even	the	spirit	of	the	law	is	undermined	by	using
the	letter	of	the	law	to	defeat	it. Q:	Why	is	all	this	negativity	so	pervasive? A:	The	purpose	of	enumeration	was	to	overcome	denial. In	our	current
society,	the	mass	media,	including	certain	types	of	merchandising,	tend	to
enhance	and	support	negativity	and	target	primarily	young	people	who	are
thereby	directed	to	the	use	of	drugs,	irresponsible	and	violent	behaviors,suicide,	contempt	for	authority,	playing	victim,	projecting	blame,	and
embracing	moral	depravity. The	media	are	dishonest	in	that	they	claim
they	have	no	responsibility. They	also	disclaim	any	negative	influence. If
the	media	had	no	influence,	then	why	would	advertisers	spend	billions	of
dollars	annually	on	media	programs	and	broadcast	them	to	the	populace? The	same	conditions	ensue	from	playing	grotesque	killer	video	games	that
entrain	the	mind	into	a	hypnotic	state	where	it	is	unconsciously
programmed. This	produces	teenage	killer	robots	that	‘act	with	no	reason’. In	some	states,	there	is	actually	a	special	open	season	for	juveniles	to	hunt
with	guns	and	telescopic	sites	to	kill	prairie	dogs,	doves,	or	squirrels	‘for
fun’. It	is	difficult	for	anyone	to	be	human,	and	most	do	so	by	wearing
blinders	to	avoid	being	confronted	by	the	obvious. The	reconstitution	of
integrity	is	the	first	step	across	the	threshold	from	Negativity	to	Truth. In
order	to	succeed,	it	is	necessary	to	remove	the	sheep’s	clothing	from	the
wolf	and	realize	that	we	are	not	talking	about	‘sport’,	‘just	business’,	or
‘it’s	what	people	want’. In	all	this,	society	is	both	the	perpetrator	and	the
victim. Q:	You	have	given	much	attention	to	these	matters. A:	It	is	because	of	an	important	point	covered	in	
Power	versus	Force
	called
‘critical	factor	analysis’. In	a	system	of	considerable	complexity,	there	is	a
very	precise	point	where	even	a	small	amount	of	energy	applied	brings
about	a	major	change. A	giant	clockworks	has	a	vulnerable	point	at	which
even	a	slight	pressure	stops	the	whole	works. A	giant	locomotive	can	be
halted	if	you	know	exactly	where	to	place	your	finger. The	great
clockwork	of	human	society	likewise	has	points	where	major	changes	can
occur	as	a	result	of	a	slight	amount	of	pressure. Do	you	realize	the	impact	of	the	press? Imagine	what	would	happen	if
they	had	focused	on	Franklin	Delano	Roosevelt’s	crippled	legs	or	the
infirmities	of	Harry	Truman	or	Winston	Churchill	at	the	height	of	World
War	II? At	that	point,	the	stature	of	these	world	leaders	was	the	critical
rallying	point	that	saved	the	free	world. On	several	occasions,	Hitler	was
only	a	few	months	away	from	winning	the	war. Q:	Why	such	focus	on	social	issues? A:	Integrity	is	power. To	refuse	negativity,	it	first	has	to	be	exposed. If	the
press,	for	instance,	once	had	integrity,	it	can	make	a	turnaround	and	regain
it. The	current	Pope	(John	Paul	II)	has	been	a	stunning	example	and	an
inspiration	to	the	world	that	one	reestablishes	spiritual	integrity	by	owningerror	and	carrying	it	into	an	inspiration	to	reach	higher	spiritual	levels	and
regain	true	power. Thus	did	the	Pope	not	only	symbolically	but	literally
reflect	the	truth	back	to	mankind	that	the	Dark	Ages	were	finally	over. Q:	Why	do	people	find	it	so	difficult	to	change? A:	They	identify	with	their	personality,	which	can	be	like	an	addiction. Styles
are	modish,	popularized,	and	glamorized. Each	style	has	its	advantages	to
impress	or	control	others. There	is	a	secret	payoff	and	satisfaction	in	being
the	victim,	martyr,	or	loser. Each	persona	is	a	way	of	manipulating	a
specific	social	response. The	social	image	is	a	way	of	influencing	opinion,
and	it	reflects	a	person’s	positionalities. These	self-images	also	have	a
strong	karmic	component	that	is	simultaneously	a	self-casting	and	a
dramatization. These	personality	styles	are	influenced	by	the	media,	and	each	has	its
gain	as	well	as	a	price. They	are	cultured	stereotypes	embedded	on	a	given
culture. These	styles	change	with	time. The	‘tough	guy’,	the	sophisticate,
the	charmer,	and	the	‘no-nonsense,	down-to-earth’	types	are	all	social
castings. The	Dudley-Do-Right,	the	rebel,	the	outlaw,	the	mobster,	etc.,
also	reflect	group	identifications. People	become	addicted	to	a	style	even
to	the	point	of	death. The	danger-prone	‘macho’	image	often	results	in	a
violent	final	ending. The	extreme-sports	fanatic	keeps	going	faster	and
faster	until	he	hits	the	wall. Innate	to	those	images	is	the	desire	to	be	a
hero. People	cherish	their	image	and	get	lost	in	their	identification	with	it. These	influences	are	unconscious	and	often	rigid	self-definitions	that	resist
change.CHAPTER	15
Clarifications
Q:	What	is	the	relationship	between	spirituality	and	consciousness? A:	The	domain	of	spirituality	is	that	of	the	realm	of	consciousness. Spiritual
development	and	revolution	are	therefore	facilitated	by	an	understanding
of	the	nature	of	consciousness	itself. Spiritual	progress	is	accomplished	by	aspects	of	consciousness	that
become	more	powerful	when	it	is	recognized	that	they	are	not	personal
attributes	but	specific	qualities	having	to	do	with	the	nature	of
consciousness	and	not	aspects	of	‘me’,	or	‘mine’,	or	the	common	‘I-self’. Spiritual	inspiration,	understanding,	and	the	awarenesses	that	arise	from
compassion	are	not	personal	qualities	but	operate	as	catalysts	by	virtue	of
the	innate	quality	of	their	essences. They	are	activated	by	spiritual
motivation	and	intention. They	are	actually	aspects	of	God’s	grace	that
become	operational	by	consent	of	the	seeker’s	will. They	are	facilitated	by
humility	and	surrender	of	the	vanity	and	domination	of	the	ego/mind	and
its	belief	that	it	‘knows’. In	actuality,	the	ego/mind	can	only	‘know	about’;	it	cannot	actually
know	anything	in	the	full	sense	of	the	term. To	truly	‘know’,	it	is
necessary	to	‘be’	that	which	is	ostensibly	known. Q:	What	is	meant	by	the	term	‘mystical’? A:	All	states	of	spiritual	awareness	are	actually	mystical	in	that	they	are
subjectively	profound	and	transforming	but	cannot	be	conveyed	to	others
in	an	objective,	rational,	or	(to	the	skeptic)	convincing	manner. All
profound,	subtle,	or	significant	awareness	occurs	within	the	nonlinear
levels	of	consciousness,	which	are	not	describable	within	the	ordinary
Newtonian	linear	causality-limited	paradigm	of	reality	(which	ends	at
calibrated	consciousness	level	499).The	conventional	world	is	confined	to
the	limited	level	of	form	reflected	in	language	and	mechanistic
determination. The	worlds	of	spiritual	experience	are	outside	the	limited
paradigm	of	logic;	thus,	they	lack	the	capacity	to	denote	meaningfulness	or
validity	to	the	ordinary	ego. Actually,	all	the	most	profound	and	significant	experiences	in	life	occur
in	the	realm	of	the	nonlinear. Force	is	linear;	power	is	nonlinear. It	is
meaning	that	empowers	and	transforms	people’s	lives,	and	the	onlyimportance	of	facts	is	what	they	actually	mean	to	them. Happiness	has
nothing	to	do	with	facts	but	instead	stems	from	attitudes. Q:	What	is	the	essence	of	the	spiritual	quest? A:	The	spiritual	quest	could	be	simplified	as	the	task	of	transcending	the
limitations	of	linear,	sequential	duality	created	by	perception	so	as	to
reveal	Reality,	which	is	unlimited	and	nonlinear	and	therefore	nondual. On	a	calibrated	scale	of	consciousness,	we	can	see	that	the	weakest
levels	below	200	have	to	rely	on	force	as	a	substitute	for	power. As	one
gets	closer	to	Reality,	the	power	increases	exponentially	at	a	rapid
logarithmic	rate. The	400s	denote	the	realm	of	the	highest	development	of
the	Newtonian	paradigm	and	indicate	mastery	of	the	physical	domain. The
world	of	science	is	unsurpassed	in	its	capacity	to	comprehend	and
manipulate	the	world	of	materiality. Science	gets	us	to	the	moon,	but	only
man’s	consciousness	gives	the	feat	meaning	or	significance. Likewise,	joy
does	not	come	from	figures	or	statistics	but	from	what	they	mean. Q:	Where	is	Reality	to	be	sought? A:	Life	is	lived	solely	on	the	level	of	experience	and	none	other. All
experience	is	subjective	and	nonlinear,	and,	therefore,	even	the	linear,
perceptual,	sequential	delineation	of	‘reality’	cannot	be	experienced	except
subjectively. All	‘truth’	is	a	subjective	conclusion. Once	having	understood	that	the	only	significance	or	importance	of	the
linear,	perceptual	world	is	how	it	is	subjectively	experienced,	the	quest	for
truth	shifts	from	‘out	there’	to	within. To	the	worldly,	success	is	something
‘out	there’	to	‘have’	and	to	be	acquired. To	the	more	experienced	and	sophisticated,	it	becomes	apparent
through	wisdom	that	the	source	of	happiness	is	within	the	subjective	inner
world	of	experiencing,	which	is	the	result	of	inner	qualities,	meaning,	and
context. Q:	How	does	one	arrive	at	meaning? A:	It	is	meaning	that	gives	life	its	value,	and	when	life	loses	meaning,	suicide
results. Meaning	arises	from	value. The	realization	that	it	is	not	the	facts	or
events	of	life	but	their	meaning	that	determines	happiness	leads	to	an
interest	in	the	subject	of	philosophy. This	is	the	highest	realm	to	which	the
intellect	can	aspire;	it	is	the	realm	of	examination	of	meaning	and	its
subtle	implications. Philosophy	tries	to	define	its	components	and	how
man	comes	to	understand	meaning. This	investigation	leads	to
epistemology,	or	the	science	of	how	man	knows	anything,	that	then	bringsforth	cosmology,	which	tries	to	define	what	it	is	that	is	potentially
knowable. Beyond	epistemology	and	cosmology	arises	theology,	which
stretches	the	linear	intellect	to	try	to	comprehend	the	nonlinear	Reality	of
Divinity	itself. The	next	higher	step	in	abstraction	is	to	move	on	to	metaphysics,	which
addresses	the	Reality	of	nonduality	and	reemphasizes	the	subjective	as	the
domain	of	spiritual	truth. The	word	‘metaphysics’	simply	means	‘beyond
the	physical’. Beyond	the	realities	addressed	by	metaphysics	are	the	levels
of	experience	traditionally	described	as	mystical. Beyond	mystical	states	is
the	condition	of	Awareness,	traditionally	called	Enlightenment. Enlightened	states	reach	from	the	awareness	of	the	presence	of	God	to	the
final	completion	of	spiritual	evolution	with	the	relinquishment	of	all
duality	of	a	self	that	is	apart	from	God. The	final	realization	is	that	there	is
only	total	Oneness,	and	that	the	Self	and	source	of	Self	are	one	and	the
same. The	Infinite,	Ultimate	Potentiality	is	the	Actuality	of	Existence. ‘All
That	Is’	is	therefore	innately	Divine	or	it	could	not	exist	at	all. The
absolute	expression	of	divinity	is	Subjectivity. If	I	exist,	then	God	Is. Enlightenment	is	the	verification	that	all	existence	is	not	only	the	result
of	Creation,	but	also	that	existence	itself	is	not	different	from	the	Creator. The	created	and	the	Creator	are	one	and	the	same. Once	the	false
dichotomy	produced	by	perception	is	removed,	the	exact	nature	of	Reality
is	clear	and	obvious. There	is	no	fallacious	subject-object	artifact	of
mentation	left	to	separate	Reality	into	the	Creator	versus	the	created. In	the
nondualistic	reality	of	pure	subjectivity,	all	illusion	disappears. The	substrate	of	all	existence	and	creation	is	the	state	of	subjectivity. God	is	the	very	essence	of	subjectivity. What	is	aware	of	existence	is	the
awareness	of	the	presence	of	God	within	us. With	this	realization,	we
resolve	the	spiritual	conundrum	of	that	which	is	seeking	is	that	which	is
sought;	in	essence,	it	is	the	subjective	searching	for	the	subjective. The
illusion	that	there	is	a	dualistic	set	of	opposites	called	subjective	versus
objective	dissolves. It	is	the	ultimate	human	paradox	that	man’s
dependence	on	perception	precludes	his	being	able	to	know	his	own
identity. As	the	state	of	enlightenment	presents	itself,	there	is	a	glad	moment	as
though	experiencing	a	reentry	into	the	profoundly	familiar. There	is	a
fleeting,	transitory	thought	that	one	had	forgotten	who	they	were. This
forgetting	was	a	consequence	of	the	operation	of	perception	itself. This	is
allegorically	alluded	to	in	Genesis	as	the	eating	of	the	apple	of	the
perceptual	domain	of	the	opposites	of	good	and	evil. The	innocence	ofsubjectivity	was	now	contaminated	by	a	positionality	that	condemned
mankind	to	endless	suffering	in	error. Without	divine	intervention,	the
return	to	Reality	is	not	possible,	and	thus,	mankind’s	solution	is	only	by
means	of	the	grace	of	God. Q:	Is	the	realization	of	God	‘personal’	or	‘impersonal’? A:	Although	the	pathway	to	the	realization	of	the	presence	of	God	and
enlightenment	has	been	described	thus	far	in	terms	of	an	evolution	of
awareness	through	the	levels	of	consciousness,	that	is	merely	due	to	the
languaging	that	has	been	chosen	in	order	to	make	the	transition
comprehensible. The	levels	of	consciousness	describe	the	terrain	to	be
traversed,	but	they	leave	out	the	essential	factors	of	love	and	devotion	that
activate	the	journey	and	give	strength	to	the	endeavor. These	are	the
sources	of	the	requisite	energy	to	make	and	sustain	the	effort	and
commitment	to	persevere. By	analogy,	one	can	have	a	car	and	a	map,	but
without	gasoline,	the	source	of	energy	and	power,	the	vehicle	does	not
move. The	destination	is	sought	because	one	is	impelled	towards	it	and
attracted	by	it. The	way	is	lighted	by	God’s	grace	as	the	Holy	Spirit,	which
is	the	Guide	and	Sustainer. In	the	end,	the	God	of	Transcendence	and	the	God	of	Divine	Love
merge	in	the	Supreme. The	Unification	of	that	which	is	loved	is	the
fulfillment	of	divine	destiny	and	the	core	of	salvation. Love	is	therefore
the	means	and	the	end. If	the	essential	dynamic	of	one’s	spiritual	seeking	is	not	spiritual
ambition	(to	get	somewhere)	but	the	progressive	surrender	of	the	obstacles
to	Love,	then	that	which	is	called	‘spiritual	ego’	does	not	later	arise	as	an
obstacle. A	given	calibrated	level	of	consciousness	is	not	better	than
another	but	merely	represents	the	level	that	is	being	worked	on. It	is	the
basic	building	blocks	that	enable	a	structure	to	ascend,	and	it	is	the
dedication	that	ensures	the	completion	of	a	cathedral. Q:	How	does	one	eliminate	the	obstacles? A:	The	spiritual	work	that	presents	itself	most	obviously	to	the	pathway	of
devotion	is	the	removal	of	the	obstacles	to	Love. All	these	obstacles	stem
from	the	errors	of	perception	that	arise	from	positionality. Positionality	is
the	originator	and	perpetrator	of	‘the	illusion	of	the	opposites’. These	arise
from	opinionating,	which	in	turn	arises	from	the	vanities	of	the	ego. These
vanities	are	sustained	and	fed	by	the	ego’s	propensity	to	overvalue	and
cherish	what	it	conceives	of	as	‘mine’. Once	a	thing	is	labeled	‘mine’,	it
becomes	a	valued	viewpoint	from	which,	like	a	prism	intercepting	light,reality	now	becomes	split	into	differences,	divisions,	and	opposing	views. Thus,	the	one	becomes	the	illusion	of	the	many. The	sense	of	‘I’	now
proceeds	to	identify	with	these	views	and	defends	them	as	the	reality	of
‘me’. Once	caught	in	the	duality	of	the	polarity	of	the	opposites,	the
ego/mind	is	trapped	and	projects	its	views	and	holds	them	to	be	an
objective	reality. Having	denied	its	authorship,	the	ego-self	now	becomes	the	victim	of
its	own	projections. The	sense	of	reality	that	accompanies	the	awareness	of
existence	is	now	ascribed	to	these	projections	as	arising	from	‘out	there’,
and	imagination	produces	an	‘objective	reality’	whose	original	source	has
now	been	forgotten. This	forgetfulness	is	reinforced	by	the	well-known
psychological	mechanisms	of	denial,	isolation,	repression,	and	projection. With	the	disowning	of	authorship,	there	is	the	relinquishment	of	power
to	a	perceptually	created	false	conception	of	a	reality	where	‘causes’	now
explain	the	phenomena	that	have	been	disowned. Because	the	perceived
dualistic	images	of	reality	are	the	very	filter	through	which	experiences	are
interpreted,	the	senses	then	reinforce	the	images	and	qualities	that	have
been	projected	to	be	external. The	physical	world	is	said	to	exist	separately
from	that	which	experiences	it. Sensation	replicates	belief	and	is	sorted
and	interpreted	in	accordance	with	the	construction	and	forms	of
perception	that	have	accorded	the	objects	of	sensation	with	separate
identities	and	discreet	and	unique	nominalization. Language	then	enforces
the	perceived	world	and	subtly	reinforces	its	appearance. An	‘objective’
universe	then	arises	out	of	arbitrarily	selected	points,	the	imaginary
distances	between	these	points,	the	imaginary	planes	and	dimensions,	and
the	illusions	of	time	and	space. In	order	to	project	the	world	of	illusion,	the	ego-self	experiences	itself
as	separate	from	its	own	creation. The	greater	the	feeling	of	separation
from	God,	the	greater	the	anguish. As	a	consequence,	the	self	now	fears
annihilation,	death,	and	even	worse—perhaps	endless	suffering	at	the
hands	of	an	angry,	retaliatory	God	who	has	been	made	angry	by	sin. The
lower	levels	of	perception	become	preoccupied	with	energies	of	negativity
that	are	the	ego’s	conceptions	of	itself	at	the	lowest	levels. It	now	fears	its
own	worst	projections	and	struggles	with	the	opposites	of	heaven	and	hell. Man	is	therefore	not	the	victim	of	an	‘out	there’	to	be	feared,	but	is
instead	its	originator. These	imaginations	are	not	even	personal	but	merely
consequences	of	the	interaction	of	the	fields	of	consciousness	with	their
hidden	inner	attractor	fields	that	determine	the	content	of	each	level	of
consciousness. The	ego’s	final	victory	is	the	belief	that	its	own	illusory
reality	created	by	its	own	projections	was	‘created	by	God’. Thus,religious	truth	becomes	obscured	by	religious	superstitions,
misinterpretations,	and	false	beliefs. It	is	important	to	realize	that	that
which	is	of	God	brings	peace,	and	that	which	is	not	of	God	brings	fear. Q:	How	can	one	avoid	such	error? A:	In	today’s	world,	the	level	of	truth	of	any	statement	or	teaching	can	be
quickly	calibrated. The	ego	has	created	many	impressive	spokesmen. It	is
also	helpful	to	remember	that	Reality	is	beyond	form	and	not	definable. Q:	You	mentioned	earlier	the	path	of	simplicity. What	do	you	mean	by
that? A:	For	the	average	person	who	is	involved	in	a	busy	world,	the	intense
requirement	and	commitment	of	a	spiritual	seeker	of	enlightenment	is
usually	impractical. This	does	not	mean	that	a	different	goal	should	be
sought,	but	that	the	means	should	be	attenuated	to	daily	life. It	is	really	unnecessary	to	comprehend	the	content	of	the	discussions
and	dialogs	that	have	been	described	primarily	to	convey	understanding	to
areas	of	human	consciousness	that	are	not	well	understood. For	significant
spiritual	growth,	only	one	simple	tool	is	required. It	is	merely	necessary	to
select	any	simple	spiritual	principle	that	is	appealing	and	then	proceed
with	its	application,	without	exception,	to	every	area	of	life,	both	within
and	without. For	example,	one	could	therefore	choose	kindness,
compassion,	forgiveness,	understanding,	or	noncritical	acceptance. One
could	choose	to	be	unconditionally	loving	or	committed	to	seeing	the
innocence	of	life. Whatever	principle	is	chosen	then	has	to	be	applied	to
everyone,	including	oneself,	without	exception,	and	with	absolute
persistence. This	process	will	bring	about	spiritual	purification	as	the
obstacles	to	these	spiritual	principles	are	brought	up	for	examination. The	accomplishment	of	the	spiritual	goal	will	require	changes	of
perception	that	will,	in	turn,	require	growth	of	understanding	and
reconceptualization. Q:	What	is	a	realistic	spiritual	goal	for	the	average	person? A:	Any	advance	along	the	levels	of	consciousness	is	significant	and	very
worthwhile. The	practical	goal	that	is	reachable	by	any	person	who	is
seriously	spiritually	committed	is	that	of	Unconditional	Love. That	is	a
transformative	level,	and	from	there,	one	can	relax	as	the	prime	objective
has	been	reached. Innate	within	the	level	of	Unconditional	Love	is	the
desire	to	perfect	that	condition. As	that	level	is	reached,	even	the	slightest
imperfection	of	Love	is	unacceptable	and	calls	for	correction.Q:	What	is	the	most	effective	means	of	spiritual	purification? A:	Focus	on	Love	itself. That	is	the	royal	road	to	God	and	one	that	is
everywhere	present	and	available	to	everyone. In	the	beginning,	love	is
seen	as	dualistic,	i.e.,	the	one	who	loves	and	that	or	who	which	is	loved. Love	starts	out	as	conditional	and	a	feeling	state,	but	it	progresses. It
becomes	apparent	that	love	is	a	way	of	seeing,	experiencing,	and
interpreting	life. Later,	it	becomes	apparent	that	it	is	a	state	of	being. Life	itself	becomes	the	expression	of	love,	and	that	love	is	the	way	to
realizing	that	one’s	life	is	love. In	the	final	realization,	the	divinity	of	love
transforms	perception	into	spiritual	vision,	and	the	presence	of	God	as	All
That	Is	becomes	self-revealing. All	existence	radiates	forth	the	Divinity	of
its	essence	as	Creation,	which	is	the	manifestation	of	the	love	of	God. Q:	Love	is	the	pathway	of	devotion. Is	it	not	therefore	the	most	effective? A:	Love	is	transformative;	its	power	sweeps	away	all	obstacles. It	is	both	the
means	and	the	end. It	brings	forth	willingness	and	the	capacity	to
surrender. It	brings	forth	compassion	and	the	desire	to	understand. With
understanding,	forgiveness	ensues. With	the	relinquishment	of
positionality,	one	then	realizes	there	is	nothing	to	forgive. Judgment
dissolves	and	condemnation	and	hatred	are	no	longer	possible. Ignorance
born	of	innocence	is	seen	to	be	the	only	‘defect’	that	needs	to	be
transcended. It	is	seen	that	the	nature	of	Creation	is	as	it	is	and	not	in	need
of	correction. Q:	Is	love	not	merely	a	commonplace	emotion? It	is	talked	about
endlessly. A:	Love	is	definitely	not	the	prevailing	level	of	consciousness	of	mankind. Seventy-eight	percent	of	the	world’s	population	calibrates	below	200
(basic	Integrity)	and	is	therefore	focused	on	negativity. Only	0.4	percent	of
the	population	ever	reaches	the	level	of	Unconditional	Love	that	can	be
called	‘lovingness’. Love	is	an	awareness,	an	attitude,	a	context	for	understanding	life. Love	is	the	leading	edge	of	Reality	and	the	oneness	and	essence	of	the
Spirit. To	deny	love	is	to	deny	God. Love	is	obscured	by	positionality	and
judgment. Most	of	society	invalidates	love	as	a	rational	basis	for	decision
and	action. There	are	whole	segments	of	the	population	that	view	love	for
one’s	fellowman	as	a	weakness. Mankind	really	wants	gain,	pride,
possession,	power,	and	the	right	to	revenge	and	retaliate	with	punishment. The	United	States,	or	the	land	of	‘freedom’,	has	more	people	and	a
greater	percentage	of	its	population	in	prison	than	any	other	countryexcept	China. Society	declares	‘war’	on	its	problems	that,	of	course,	then
multiply. Force	is	ineffective	and	a	weak	substitute	for	power. In	contrast,
people	will	do	almost	anything	out	of	respect	and	love	and	very	little	out
of	fear. Without	the	loyalty	born	of	respect,	even	a	general	cannot
command	his	troops	to	obey,	and	without	that	aspect	of	love	called	respect,
insurrection	and	mutiny	arise. Force	can	only	act	as	a	temporary	stopgap. All	the	empires	that	were	ruled	by	fear	have	collapsed. Religions	that	are
based	on	the	fear	of	sin	rather	than	on	the	love	of	God	are	inherently	weak. Lovingness	is	a	way	of	relating	to	the	world. It	is	a	generosity	of
attitude	that	expresses	itself	in	seemingly	small	but	powerful	ways. It	is	a
wish	to	bring	happiness	to	others,	to	brighten	their	day	and	lighten	their
load. To	merely	be	friendly	and	complimentary	to	everyone	one	meets	in
the	course	of	a	day	is	revealing. That	this	is	not	a	commonplace	attitude	is
revealed	by	people’s	responses	when	they	encounter	it. Often,	they
respond	with	surprise	or	even	a	pleased	state	of	shock. “Nobody	ever
compliments	what	I	do;	they	only	complain,”	is	a	remark	that	will	be
heard. Most	people,	because	they	are	focused	on	their	own	wants	and
critical	attitudes,	apparently	do	not	even	see	the	positive	aspects	of	life	and
cannot	respond	to	them. They	take	others’	service	for	granted	with	the
explanation,	“Well,	they’re	getting	paid	for	it,	aren’t	they?”	(Which	is
really	beside	the	point.) Major	segments	of	society	operate	on	the	level	of	lovelessness. Giant
corporations	and	government	agencies	can	only	be	described	as	dourly
functioning. Gratitude	does	not	appear	nor	is	it	even	considered	to	be
socially	appropriate. Love	is	belittled	as	‘touchy-feely’. Love	is	therefore
socially	restricted	to	romance,	mothers	and	their	children,	or	one’s	dog. Expressed	elsewhere,	it	becomes	an	embarrassment. There	are	a	few
masculine	areas	where	love	is	okay,	such	as	for	family,	sports,	one’s
country,	or	a	car. The	large	area	of	life	that	is	socially	acceptable	and	open	to	everyone	is
that	which	is	called	‘caring’. To	‘care	for’	is	a	wide-open	avenue	for	the
expression	and	expansion	of	love. People	say	they	cannot	find	love	as
though	it	were	something	to	be	gotten. Once	one	becomes	willing	to	give
love,	the	discovery	quickly	follows	that	one	is	surrounded	by	love	and
merely	did	not	know	how	to	access	it. Love	is	actually	present
everywhere,	and	its	presence	only	needs	to	be	realized. The	universe	responds	to	love	by	revealing	its	prevalence. It	is	hidden
to	ordinary	perception,	but	the	awareness	is	finessed	by	lovingness	itself. Awareness	is	a	capacity	that	is	beyond	the	senses	or	emotions. If	one
ceases	anthropomorphic	projections	and	limitations,	it	is	revealed	that	allthat	exists	is	innately	conscious	and	emanates	love	as	a	consequence	of	the
divinity	of	Creation. Every	plant	is	aware	of	its	surroundings	and	the	admiration	and	respect
for	it. It	returns	to	us	by	reviewing	its	own	intrinsic	perfection	and	beauty. Each	plant	stands	forth	as	a	unique,	creative	sculpture	and	is	a	perfect
expression	of	its	essence. Divinity	shines	forth	from	all	Creation	to	those
who	can	see. Nature	becomes	not	unlike	a	children’s	cartoon	where	the
trees	smile,	the	animals	talk,	and	the	flowers	move	gaily. When	perception
ceases,	the	world	of	wonder	reveals	itself. Consciousness	is	in	all	that
exists. It	recognizes	itself	manifesting	as	the	Allness	of	Creation. Q:	How	can	such	a	wondrous	revelation	come	about? A:	By	the	mere	intention	of	kindness,	respect,	and	consideration	for	All	That
Is,	without	exception,and	in	every	detail,	including	oneself. We	see	what
we	believe	and	accept	that	we	ourselves	are. The	qualities	of	gratitude,
thankfulness,	gentleness,	and	appreciation	are	themselves	powerfully
transforming. Our	experience	of	the	world	and	life	is	totally	the	result	of
inner	beliefs	and	positionalities. Out	of	love	and	respect	for	God	arises	the
willingness	to	surrender	all	these	prejudgments,	and	the	humility	that
ensues	opens	the	doors	to	the	splendor	of	reality,	which	is	the	revelation	of
the	Self. Love	is	the	magic	catalyst	that	brings	about	the	awareness. In	the
end,	faith	is	replaced	by	certainty,	and,	therefore,	it	is	said	that	God	is
found	by	those	who	seek	Him. Q:	You	seldom	mention	the	physical	body. What	is	its	importance	in
spiritual	work? A:	The	body	is	a	product	of	nature	and	part	of	the	animal	world. One	might
say	it	is	owned	by	nature	but	rented	to	us	provisionally. It	has	only	a
temporary	existence	and	thus	does	not	justify	undue	attention	or
importance. Its	value	is	its	capacity	for	communication,	a	means	of
conveying	information	and	sharing	awareness. If	adequately	tended,	it	is
hopefully	a	source	of	pleasure	and	a	means	of	accomplishing	work	and
expressing	affection. Essentially,	it	is	a	temporality,	an	experience	of
perception	or	position	in	space	and	time. Perception	claims	it	as	‘me’,	or	at
least	as	‘mine’. This	is	a	major	restriction	and	limitation	of	identification
of	the	self	with	physicality	and	form. Like	any	other	living	thing	in	nature,
the	body	responds	to	kindness,	respect,	and	consideration. It	can	be	cared
for	and	loved	like	a	cherished	pet	without	necessarily	identifying	with	it	or
becoming	unduly	attached	to	it. One	of	the	most	difficult	areas	for	clarification	of	the	differentiationbetween	self	and	body	is	the	functioning	of	the	senses. These	are
experienced	and	believed	to	be	functions	of	the	physical	body	itself. As
strange	as	it	may	seem,	the	actual	locus	of	sensory	experience	is	within	the
invisible	domain	of	the	inner	energy	body	that	activates	the	physical	body. The	physical	body,	in	and	of	itself,	has	no	capacity	to	experience	anything
at	all! The	experiencing	of	the	senses	(as	well	as	of	everything	else)	is	a
quality	of	consciousness	associated	with	one’s	presence	as	an	energy	body
within	the	physical	body	image. Anyone	who	has	ever	had	an	out-of-body
experience	remembers	that	all	modalities	of	sense	were	the	function	of	the
etheric	body	that	was	associated	with	their	consciousness	and	sense	of	self. Sight	and	hearing	continue	even	if	the	physical	body	is	in	a	dormant	or
unconscious	state. The	‘self’	experience	migrates	out	of	the	body	along
with	the	sense	of	positionality	or	movement. In	that	state,	the	‘I’	sense	is
located	within	the	energy	body,	and	the	physical	body	becomes	an	‘it’. It	is
seen	as	‘a	body’,	not	‘my	body’. High	numbers	of	people	report	identical	experiences,	so	there	is
common	agreement	as	to	the	nature	of	the	phenomenon. Likewise,	near-
death	experiences	often	involve	the	‘self	’	traveling	down	tunnels	of	light,
meeting	people,	and	encountering	various	colors,	and	then	having	a
reluctant	return	to	re-inhabit	the	physical	body. Thus,	we	can	say	that	we
inhabit	a	physical	body,	but	we	are	not	a	physical	body. It	is	clear	that	the
spirit,	soul,	or	energy	self	is	a	resident	of	the	body	and	tends	to	blend	in
and	diffuse	with	it,	and	so	loses	its	unique	identity. Some	people	are	prone
to	leaving	their	body	accidentally	or	at	will;	astral	projection	as	a
technique	can	in	fact	be	taught	as	a	skill	so	that	one	can	leave	one’s	body
at	will	and	even	choose	locations	to	visit	(e.g.,	at	the	Monroe	Institute). Distant	viewing	and	clairvoyance	are	the	partial	projections	of	the
sensory	faculty	of	the	energy	body. The	‘experiencer’	is	the	inner	presence
within	what	has	been	variously	called	the	astral,	etheric,	soul,	or	spirit
body. The	spirit	body	is	not	controlled	by	the	usual	forces	called	physical
but	instead	exists	on	another	dimension	or	plane. Mind	also	travels	with	the	spirit	body	and	realizes	that	it	is	separate
from	the	brain. Consciousness	does	not	depend	on	physicality	but	exists
independently	of	it. When	localized,	however,	it	tends	to	identify	itself
with	form	and	location. Q:	What	about	purification	and	mortification	of	the	body? A:	There	is	nothing	to	purify	except	illusion. Desires	are	for	specific
experiences	and	sensations	that	can	be	sought	through	the	body,	but	theproblem	is	not	that	of	the	body	but	of	the	mind. It	is	the	mind	that	is	trying
to	anticipate	and	control	experience. Q:	Does	the	experience	of	the	body	change	with	advanced	spiritual
awareness? A:	There	are	changes	that	occur	in	the	nature	of	the	bodily	experience. The
sense	of	location	is	more	general	and	less	specific. There	are	periods
during	spiritual	work	when	the	body	seems	to	almost	disappear	as	though
forgotten. There	are	also	times	when	very	intense	energies	seemingly	flow
through	the	nervous	system,	and	various	burning	sensations	are
experienced	as	though	the	nervous	system	were	on	fire. There	was	also	a
period	when	the	kundalini	energy	flowed	with	intense	pleasure	up	the	back
and	spine	into	the	head	and	brain,	and	then	down	and	out	to	the	heart. There	can	be	a	loss	of	bodily	desires	and	withdrawal	of	interest	in	the
body	so	that	physical	survival	may	at	times	depend	on	input	from	people
in	one’s	surroundings. There	can	be	a	marked	loss	of	appetite	and	interest
in	bodily	sensations. Vision	changes	in	that	everything	seems	to	be	in	slow
motion. There	is	reliance	primarily	on	peripheral	vision	rather	than	central
vision. Time	stops,	which	seems	to	be	related	to	the	loss	of	specific
connection	in	space. There	is	also	an	unsteadiness	of	bodily	movement. When	realization	of	the	Self	occurs,	there	is	difficulty	with	pronouns
and	what	to	call	what	the	world	considers	to	be	‘I’	in	terms	that	are
understandable. It	seems	strange	at	first	to	watch	people	speaking	to	the
physical	body	as	though	it	were	one’s	identity. There	is	a	loss	of	the	fear	and	startle	reflexes. It	is	more	difficult	to
process	linear	thought	and	decipher	ordinary	human	speech. This	results	in
a	delay	in	responding	to	verbal	communication. This	delay	has	to	do	with
a	process	occurring	in	consciousness	that	translates	linear	processing	of
language	into	meaning	in	terms	of	essence. This	delay	does	not	occur	with
understanding	animals	or	human	body	language. It	seems	to	happen
because	consciousness	focuses	on	essence	and	meaning	rather	than	on	the
detail	of	form. It	also	has	to	shift	from	its	natural	attunement	with	silence
to	proximal	detailed	sound. There	is	no	separation	between	what	appears	to	occur	and	the	Self. ‘Causes’	are	not	sought	externally,	and	so-called	‘events’	occur	as	a	result
of	what	is	held	in	mind. There	are	no	causes	attributed	to	the	world	itself
but	only	to	consciousness. People	around	one	seem	to	be	run	by	the	irrelevant	and
inconsequential,	with	much	wasted	energy. These	aspects	of	consciousness
are	experienced	as	though	by	separate	individuals,	but	the	innerexperiencer	is	basically	the	same	Self	in	everyone. The	body	is	like	a
companion,	a	friendly	pet	that	follows	one	around. It	seems	to	be	reliably
present. It	can	also	even	have	surgery	without	pain	or	anesthetics. One	can
continue	to	own	the	body	and	be	responsible	for	it	without	identifying	with
it	as	one’s	identity.CHAPTER	16
Karma,	Guru,	and	Sage
Q:	Would	you	explain	your	understanding	of	karma? A:	Every	thought	or	action	gives	off	a	vibration	or	a	track	that	is	a	high-
frequency	energy	pattern	associated	with	the	person’s	energy	body. This
interacts	with	the	sea	of	consciousness,	which	is	filled	with	an	infinite
number	of	such	energy	patterns	that	emanate	from	other	energy	bodies. Within	this	complex	sea	of	intricate	patterns,	selections	are	made	that
influence	the	decisions	and	directions	of	life. Persistent	patterns	become
reinforced	and	are	therefore	more	dominant. The	interactions	that	could
ensue	might	be	likened	to	the	structural	form	of	a	molecule	that	determines
with	which	other	molecules	it	is	capable	of	interacting. Thus,	it	may	be
compatible	with	some	molecular	forms	and	incompatible	with	others. Each	person’s	energy	body	carries	with	it	a	historical	track	of	patterns
that	persist	over	time	and	influence	decisions,	behavior,	and	the	feelings	of
attraction	or	repulsion. This	energy	body,	which	is	the	locus	of	the	sense	of
‘I’,	exists	independently	of	the	physical	body,	as	anyone	who	has	ever
gone	out	of	body	will	remember. This	‘karmic	body’	is	made	up	of	the
collected	tracks	of	positionalities. The	field	of	consciousness	is	an	infinite	sea	of	interacting	energy	fields
with	various	levels	that	can	be	calibrated. The	fate	of	an	energy	body	of	an
individual’s	soul	is	therefore	similar	to	a	floating	object	in	space	or	a	cork
in	the	sea	in	that	its	innate	buoyancy	determines	the	level	at	which	it	will
settle	and	float. The	nonmaterial	realms	of	existence	are	composed	of	energy	bodies	at
various	levels	in	the	frequencies	of	the	sea	of	consciousness	that	tend	to
settle	into	realms. Each	of	these	realms	congregates	about	an	attractor
field. When	the	energy	body	or	soul,	with	its	historical	collection	of
frequencies	and	patterns,	separates	from	the	physical	body,	it	then
gravitates	to	a	compatible	field	or	domain. These	constitute	the	post-
physical	life	potentialities	or	choices	between	the	various	levels,	such	as
hells,	purgatories,	limbos,	or	heavens. Obviously,	for	some	souls,	there	is
also	the	opportunity,	choice,	or	fate	of	choosing	another	physical	lifetime. If	we	ask	with	muscle	testing	whether	this	is	a	fairly	accurate	depiction	of
spiritual	reality,	we	get	the	answer	“yes.”
					People	have	definite	opinions	about	such	matters,	and	the	question	ofreincarnation	is	a	favorite	area	for	argument. All	religions,	however,	agree
that	the	energy	body,	after	physical	death,	goes	on	to	a	fate	determined	by
one’s	actions	during	the	physical	lifetime. Therefore,	the	fate	is	determined
primarily	by	the	spiritual	decisions	and	actions	that	were	made,	with	great
importance	given	to	intention,	responsibility,	and	the	assent	of	the	Will. Spiritually	speaking,	whether	an	actual	physical	reincarnation	occurs	or
not	is	really	quite	academic. The	same	principles	and	fate	of	the	energy
body	remain	the	same	whether	it	would	resume	as	a	physical	existence	or
continue	on	an	energy	plane. One’s	fate,	obviously,	will	either	be	for	the
better	or	for	the	worse,	depending	on	the	choices	made	by	the	spiritual
will. It	would	seem	from	studies	of	the	spiritual	nature	of	consciousness
that	the	choice	to	resume	another	human	physical	life	would	be	an	option
that	is	determined	by	the	innate	patterns	of	a	specific	soul. Of	more
importance	is	the	interpretation	and	understanding	of	the	factors	that
determine	the	fate	of	the	soul/energy	body	and	its	destiny	after	physical
death. From	the	foregoing	analysis	and	spiritual	research,	it	appears	that	one’s
ultimate	fate	is	the	automatic	and	impersonal	consequence	of	the	energy
patterns	that	have	been	set	up	in	the	aura	of	the	spirit	body,	i.e.,	one’s	fate
after	physical	death	is	merely	the	inevitable	consequence	of	one’s	own
choice	and	not	a	reward	or	a	punishment	meted	out	arbitrarily	by	some
external	figure,	energy,	or	power. The	self	in	the	infinite	sea	of	the	Self
gravitates	to	its	fate	solely	by	virtue	of	its	own	essence. This	is	the
absolute	justice	of	Almighty	God	that	guarantees	absolute	fairness	and
impartiality. Judgment	is	therefore	merely	a	semantic	invention	(like
causality	or	heliotropism)	that	serves	as	a	plausible	‘explanation’	derived
from	the	anthropomorphic	presumptions	of	the	human	mind. Inasmuch	as	one’s	spiritual	destiny	is	sealed	and	determined	by	one’s
own	hand	and	its	actions,	each	person,	with	absolute	fairness,	determines
their	own	fate. Thus,	God’s	justice	is	indeed	perfectly	self-fulfilling. Mankind	then	needs	to	take	responsibility	for	its	own	fate	and	stop
blaming	God,	who	has	been	much	maligned. In	reality,	the	love	of	God,
like	the	sun,	shines	equally	on	all. With	understanding,	the	spiritual
domain	makes	sense,	and	there	is	no	need	for	superstitious,
anthropomorphic	inventions,	and	fantasies	to	explain	it. Most	of	what	has	been	said	thus	far	is	in	agreement	with	most	of
mankind’s	accumulated	spiritual	information	and	experience. If,
spiritually,	everything	happens	as	a	consequence	of	Free	Will,	and	there
are	no	‘forces’	to	‘cause’	anything	that	is	not	in	accordance,	then	the
question	of	physical	reincarnation	becomes	clarified. If	it	occurs,	it	wouldhave	to	be	by	choice	and	assent	of	the	spiritual	will,	and	it	would	then	be
determined	by	‘karmic’	propensities. The	stronger	one	identifies	with	the	physical	body	and	earthly	life,	the
stronger	will	be	the	pull	or	attraction	of	another	earthly	life. It	is	obvious
that	an	attraction	to	reincarnating	would	be	to	undo	or	propitiate	for	past
spiritual	mistakes. Many	souls	apparently	do	decide	that	the	only	just
propitiation	is	to	suffer	the	same	fate	they	have	meted	out	to	others. We
certainly	see	that	millions	of	souls	choose	lifetimes	with	disastrous
endings. Even	the	chosen	form	of	death	is	frequently	so	unique	and
specific	that	one	intuits	there	must	have	been	strong	karmic	determining
factors	involved	in	the	specificity	of	the	choice. Suicides	also	frequently
take	very	specifically	chosen	forms	and	styles,	with	very	specific
meanings. We	can	postulate	that	if	lifetimes	of	the	soul	can	be	lived	either	in	or
out	of	the	physical	domain	on	either	the	physical	or	energy	planes,	then	an
almost	infinite	sequence	of	lifetimes	is	obviously	quite	possible. This
formulation	is	in	agreement	with	the	ancient	sages,	the	
Vedas
,	and	the
teachings	of	Krishna,	Buddha,	and	Hinduism,	as	well	as	other	ancient
religions. At	very	advanced	levels	of	consciousness,	enlightened	sages	are	able	to
recall	prior	lifetimes	that	are	often	described	as	having	been	very
numerous. In	the	out-of-body	experience,	also,	people	remember	that	their
energy	body	has	inhabited	prior	physical	bodies. Young	children	are	also
prone	to	recalling	prior	lifetimes,	and	studies	show	this	to	be	a	rather
frequent	occurrence. A	sage	was	asked	how	real	previous	incarnations	are
and	he	replied	that	they	are	as	real	as	this	one—no	more,	no	less. The	interest	in	whether	one	has	had	previous	lifetimes	is	more	than	just
a	reflection	of	the	ego’s	vanity	or	self-interest. Of	more	importance	is	that
the	understanding	of	how	divine	justice	works	out	clarifies
misunderstandings	about	the	nature	of	the	ego. It	also	clarifies	Christian
teachings	that	“As	ye	sow,	so	shall	ye	reap”;	“People	who	live	in	glass
houses	shouldn’t	throw	stones;”	“Those	who	live	by	the	sword	die	by	the
sword”;	“Not	a	hair	on	your	head	goes	uncounted”;	and	“Every	sparrow
that	falls	is	noted.”
					Jesus’	comments	about	reincarnation	are	brief	and	appear	in	Mathew
11:7-14	and	17:10-13	where	he	states,	“Elias	(Elijah)	has	come	back	as
John	the	Baptist.”
					Christianity	is	focused	on	the	choosing	of	virtue	over	sin	or	good	over
evil	as	the	importance	of	the	fate	of	the	soul	takes	precedence	over	the
subject	of	reincarnation.Q:	Spiritual	destiny,	or	karma,	then,	is	set	by	choice	and	personal
responsibility? A:	The	most	powerful	determining	factor	is	intention	and	decision	of	the
spiritual	will. The	idea	that	contextualization	and	thought	or	action	set	up
an	energy	pattern	of	a	calibratable	level	of	power	versus	force	is	the	basis
of	the	spiritual	path	called	Karma	Yoga,	which	means	that	all	actions	can
be	sanctified	by	their	dedication	to	God. Even	the	simplest	action,	such	as	peeling	a	potato,	can	be	accompanied
by	resentment	or	by	devotion	to	life	out	of	joy,	knowing	that	one	is
supporting	life	through	life. In	gratitude	for	the	gift	of	life,	one	dedicates
that	life	back	as	a	gift	to	God	through	selfless	service	to	His	creation	as	all
of	life. With	this	dedication,	one	validates	the	sacredness	of	all	life	and
treats	it	with	respect. When	we	stop	to	assist	a	helpless	beetle	with	a	twig
so	it	can	turn	over	off	its	back	and	resume	life,	the	entire	universe	knows	it
and	responds. To	acknowledge	and	support	the	value	of	all	life	supports	one’s	own,
which	is	part	of	that	life. What	is	generally	meant	by	the	term	‘soul’	is	the
capacity	to	experience	life. The	Self	shines	forth	as	awareness	of	existence
in	all	that	lives. The	deer	and	all	animals	enjoy	their	lives	to	the	same
degree	as	people	do. They	derive	joy	from	their	existence	and	experience
of	life. There	is	a	documentary	film	about	the	lives	of	giant	otters	in	the	wilds
of	Peru. They	are	territorial. In	the	movie,	a	lone	male	who	had	a	whole
lake	to	himself	was	filmed. It	stayed	all	alone	for	months	and	finally,	the
filmmaker’s	patience	was	rewarded	when	another	otter	discovered	and
appeared	in	the	lake. The	film	showed	the	meeting	of	these	two	lonely
otters	and	their	joy	of	finding	each	other,	which	was	overwhelming. They
did	endless	summersaults	and	dances	together	out	of	their	pleasure	and
happiness. Their	joy	was	stunningly	obvious	even	to	the	most	ignorant
person. Whether	animals	are	capable	or	not	of	linear	logic	and	its
concomitant	languaging	is	really	irrelevant. What	is	significant	is	that	on
the	level	at	which	life	is	actually	lived	(the	subjective),	the	experience	of
animals	and	their	joy	in	life	is	equal	to	that	of	humans. Q:	In	using	the	consciousness	research	method,	is	it	true	that	any	and	all
information	is	available	to	anyone? A:	That	is	true. One’s	inner	life	is	actually	a	public	document	that	can	be
accessed	by	anyone,	anywhere,	at	any	time. No	secrets	are	possible;	all
stands	revealed. This	does	not	really	seem	so	surprising	in	an	age	when
modern	technological	software	programs	already	exist	that	enable	theindividual	Internet	user	to	access	and	download	any	file	in	existence	from
any	computer	in	the	world. All	information	on	the	Internet	is	in	the	public
domain;	likewise,	most	public	as	well	as	private	locations	are	under
continuous	video	surveillance,	including	even	the	public	streets. The
surveillance	and	recording	of	all	human	activities	go	on	continually	via
satellite. Every	fingerprint	leaves	not	only	a	unique	identifying	pattern	but
also	a	traceable	DNA	pattern	as	well. Computers	track	and	analyze	every
purchase	and	transaction. Credit	bureaus	record	all	financial	patterns	in
detail. It	would	seem	that	privacy	is	really	a	fantasy	of	a	bygone	era. An
honest	person	finds	all	this	rather	reassuring	because	then	honesty	and
innocence	are	documented. However,	a	dishonest	or	guilty	person
probably	reacts	to	these	realizations	with	fear. It	is	a	certainty	that	in	both
this	world	and	the	next,	all	stands	revealed	and	accountability	is	a
certainty. For	it	to	be	otherwise,	the	universe	would	have	to	have	been
created	as	unjust,	which	is	not	possible	as	an	expression	of	the	nature	of
Divinity. Q:	Is	it	necessary	to	have	a	guru? Some	spiritual	traditions	say	it	is
. A:	Everyone	already	has	a	guru—the	Self. The	Presence	of	God	is	ever
present. By	Grace,	the	Holy	Spirit	is	that	aspect	of	divine	consciousness
available	to	all. Because	one’s	ego	blocks	off	awareness	of	the	Self	that	is
within,	it	is	reconnected	to	Truth	by	contact	with	the	spiritual	master,	the
avatar,	or	spiritual	teachings. The	spiritual	sage	has,	by	means	of	greater	spiritual	evolution,	closer
contact	and	identification	with	the	Self	and	so	is	able	to	speak,	teach,	and
be	of	help	and	guidance. The	hearing	of	spiritual	experience	is
inspirational	to	others. All	spiritual	growth	is	by	consent	of	one’s	free	will. A	true	teacher	does	not	impose	their	will	on	others	but	makes	their
understandings	available	to	all. The	enlightened	teacher	does	not	charge
for	information	because	that	which	was	received	as	a	gift	is	given	out	as	a
gift. The	teaching	that	is	shared	is	of	a	higher	calibration	and	has	by	itself
the	capacity	to	catalyze	spiritual	advancement. To	merely	hear	a	great
teaching	is	itself	the	consequence	of	spiritual	merit. To	act	on	it	is	of	even
greater	benefit. The	Buddha	is	alleged	to	have	said,	“Rare	it	is	in	the	universe	to	be
born	into	a	human	lifetime;	rarer	still	is	it	to	hear	of	the	dharma;	rarer	still
is	it	to	accept	the	teachings;	rarer	still	is	it	to	act	on	the	teachings;	and	even
rarer	still	is	it	to	realize	the	truth	of	the	teachings.”	To	even	hear	of
enlightenment	is	already	the	rarest	of	gifts. Anyone	who	has	ever	heard	of
enlightenment	will	never	be	satisfied	with	anything	else. Information	itself	thus	becomes	the	teacher	but	requires	assent	by	the
individual’s	spiritual	will	to	become	activated. The	spiritual	teacher	who
has	reached	spiritual	maturity	remembers	that	the	devotee	is	frequently
enthusiastic	but	naïve. The	naïve	devotee	is	easily	deceived	by	false
teachers	or	teachings	that	are	attractively	packaged. Guidance	is	therefore
another	value	of	the	guru	who	steers	the	student	away	from	enticing
pitfalls	of	spiritual	seduction	and	glamour. The	teacher’s	function	is	to
inspire,	to	instruct,	and	to	confirm	by	personal	testimony	the	truth	of
teachings	and	to	encourage	students	who	are	struggling	with	the	path. Another	great	service	the	teacher	provides	is	explanation	and
clarification. Many	ancient	teachings	are	correct	and	valid	but	are	merely
‘bare	bones’	and	insufficient,	which	leads	to	misinterpretation. The	teacher
is	needed	not	only	to	speak	the	truth	and	light	the	way	for	the	student’s
footsteps	but	also	to	give	explanations. The	true	teacher,	through
enlightenment,	is	already	total	and	complete	and	has	no	needs	to	be	met	by
students,	nor	anything	to	be	gained	by	having	followers. The	true	teacher
has	no	desire	for	control	over	others	or	any	type	of	powers	or	symbols
thereof. All	pomp,	wealth,	and	adornment	are	meaningless,	and	the	sage	is
not	attracted	by	the	trinkets	of	the	world	or	anything	that	is	illusory	and
transient. To	the	teacher,	the	body	is	relevant	only	to	the	degree	that	it	is	the
means	of	communicating	with	others	in	the	ordinary	world. It	is	therefore
a	communication	medium. The	teacher	is	at	all	times	the	invisible	Self. There	is	no	‘person’	present	and,	therefore,	the	Self	is	devoid	of
anthropomorphic	traits. There	remain	about	the	teacher	the	vestiges	of	the
persona,	which	is	the	collection	of	social	learnings	that	facilitates
interaction	and	verbalization	with	the	ordinary	world. There	is	neither
attraction	nor	aversion	to	the	world	and	its	contents	or	values. The	mature	teacher	has	passed	beyond	the	incapacitating	phase	of
initial	bliss	and	exists	in	a	domain	of	infinite	peace. This	is	a	nonemotional
state	of	joy	that	consists	of	an	all-knowingness	and	a	certainty	of	the
completeness	of	the	absolute. The	work	of	the	teacher	is	to	translate	the
ineffable	into	the	comprehensible,	the	formless	into	form,	and	to	try	to
anticipate	misunderstandings	that	could	arise. Although	the	teacher	no
longer	‘thinks’	in	worldly	terms,	the	knowledge	of	how	to	translate	the
infinitely	subjective	into	meaningful	terminology	is	his	gift	and	is	actually
a	function	of	the	Holy	Spirit. The	sage	serves	the	followers	in	another	nonverbal	way	in	that	the
enlightened	consciousness	transmits	that	vibrational	frequency	to	the
human	thought	field	of	consciousness	and	awareness. This	is	an	effect	andconsequence	of	that	awareness. To	teach	it	is	a	choice	and	the	result	of	an
agreement. Q:	You	emphasize	to	always	calibrate	the	level	of	truth	of	a	teacher	or	a
teaching. Can’t	teachers	just	be	accepted	on	faith	or	reputation? A:	Absolutely	not. The	mind	is	very	naïve	and	extremely	gullible. It	is	easily
impressed	and	vulnerable	to	persuasion	and	manipulation. Remember	that
the	majority	of	people	on	the	planet	calibrate	way	below	400,	the	level	of
Reason	and	Intellect. They	are	easily	swayed	by	logical	sentimentality	and
absurd	emotionalism	and	slogans. Juries	convict	the	innocent,	and	voters
pass	absurd	laws	that	are	blatantly	unconstitutional. These	serious	errors
are	occurring	in	an	area	of	only	ordinary	matters. When	it	pertains	to	the
spiritual,	the	mind	is	even	less	reliable. It	has	no	experiential	evidence	to
follow	at	all,	and,	therefore,	it	usually	blindly	follows	social,	ethnic,	or
family	precedent. Most	people’s	spiritual	and	religious	beliefs	are
therefore	determined	by	‘accident’	of	birth	and	cultural	identification. The
ego	adopts	the	belief	systems	as	‘mine’	and	then	proceeds	to	defend	them. Whether	the	beliefs	have	any	validity	cannot	be	ascertained	by	the	mind
and	therefore	have	to	be	overly	defended,	and	often	to	a	fanatical	degree,
primarily	because	they	are	vulnerable	to	attack. Truth	that	is	experiential	does	not	have	to	be	defended. It	is	merely	a
matter	of	fact. Therefore,	‘believers’	are	the	most	vociferous	and	militant
in	expressing	their	views. The	true	seeker	of	truth	is	therefore	well
forewarned	to	avoid	the	influence	of	believers,	aggressive	proselytizers,
and	religious	fanatics	of	all	persuasions. Knowledge	based	on	faith	and	true	experience	is	calm. It	invites	rather
than	tries	to	convince. It	attracts	by	virtue	of	its	intrinsic	merit	and	the
innate	power	of	the	truth	itself. Truth	does	not	rely	on	force	by	persuasion
or	argument;	it	explains	but	does	not	try	to	convince. Because	of	the	mind’s	naïveté	and	vulnerability	to	error,	plus	a	society
that	is	dominated	by	‘nontruth’,	the	discovery	of	a	verifiable	means	of
determining	not	only	truth	from	falsehood,	but	also	the	actual	degree	of
truth,	is	an	amazing	breakthrough	and	a	practical	boon	to	the	spiritual
seeker. We	are	now	at	a	period	in	history	comparable	to	the	discovery	of
the	compass	or	the	telescope. The	evaluation	of	spiritual	teachings	basically	requires	only	two
calibrations,	one	of	the	teacher	and	one	of	the	truth	of	the	teachings
themselves. These	two	figures	then	provide	an	extremely	valuable	guide	to
an	understanding	that	previously	has	not	been	available	to	either	teachers
or	students. In	the	past,	even	the	best	sages	were	unaware	of	what	level	of	truth	they
were	experiencing	or	teaching. Each	was	really	an	explorer	and	discoverer
of	higher	realms	of	awareness. Their	memoirs	and	teachings	are	reports	of
rarely	experienced	and	unfamiliar	realms	of	possible	awareness	of	Reality. To	reach	such	levels	also	required	greater-than-average	courage	and
conviction	to	explore	the	stratospheres	of	consciousness	without	an
altimeter	or	map. Each	explorer	had	both	an	inner	and	outer	sage	but	no
‘global	direction	finder’,	such	as	the	map	of	consciousness	or	muscle
testing,	to	refer	to	for	certainty. In	the	world	there	are	spiritual	teachers	whose	knowledge	comes	from
actual	personal	‘spiritual	experience’,	and	then	there	are	the	‘teachers
about’,	whose	information	is	via	academic	or	intellectual	means. A
religious	minister	does	not	need	to	be	enlightened	personally	at	all	but	is
educated	in	spiritual	truth	at	a	theological	seminary. Then	there	are	the
spiritually	‘realized’	who	are	not	formally	educated	in	theology	or
comparative	religion	and	who	only	give	reference	to	established	teachings
as	a	point	of	information,	orientation,	or	reference	for	interested	students. Of	all	the	spiritual	teachers	in	the	world	who	are	regarded	as	being
‘gurus’,	approximately	fifty-five	percent	are	legitimate. Thus,	in	actual
practice,	the	chances	of	finding	a	true	teacher	amongst	the	many	are	about
fifty-fifty.CHAPTER	17
Dialogues
Q:	What	is	the	best	way	to	raise	one’s	consciousness? A:	By	interest,	intention,	and	study,	one	develops	a	familiarity	with	spiritual
subjects	and	teachings. Because	the	teachings	themselves	calibrate	at	a
high	level,	they	have	a	power	beyond	that	of	ordinary	consciousness,	and
their	inclusion	into	one’s	thoughts	and	reflections	automatically	energizes
a	progression	of	consciousness. The	Buddha	said	that	once	a	person	has	heard	of	enlightenment	and
receives	teachings,	the	end	is	certain,	and	they	will	never	be	satisfied	with
anything	less. He	also	stated	that	this	might	proceed	through	a	number	of
lifetimes	but	that	eventually,	enlightenment	was	certain	as	one’s	destiny. It
is	thus	implied	that	anyone	who	is	interested	in	material	such	as	this	is
likely	to	be	destined	for	enlightenment;	otherwise,	why	would	they	be
here? Why	would	they	have	any	interest	in	the	subject	at	all? Q:	What	can	you	say	about	meditation? A:	It	is	both	a	large	subject	and	yet	a	very	simple	one. The	simplest	practices
are	the	best	and	can	be	continuous	throughout	the	day’s	activities. Formally,	if	we	sit	still,	close	our	eyes,	and	stay	aware	of	the	breathing,	we
can	look	at	the	patterns	that	appear	to	our	vision	behind	closed	eyelids. One	simply	observes	the	procession	of	the	mind’s	activities	without
interference	or	comment. From	there,	one	then	moves	on	and	focuses
attention	to	what	it	is	that	is	watching	this	procession. Identifying	the
watcher	then	leads	into	the	witness,	which	in	turn	leads	to	the	awareness	of
the	experiencer	that	these	are	qualities	of	consciousness. One	is	aware	of
the	witnessing,	experiencing,	and	watching,	and	that	these	are	happening
by	themselves. These	are	impersonal	qualities	of	consciousness. They
happen	automatically. There	is	actually	no	personal	entity	that	is	‘doing’
the	watching,	witnessing,	or	observing. It	is	also	important	to	notice	that
this	impersonal	quality	is	unaffected	by	the	content	of	that	which	is
observed. The	real,	transcendent	‘I’	even	witnesses	sleep. Q:	What	is	
satori
? A:	It	is	a	spiritual	state	of	advanced	awareness	most	often	occurring	during	a
course	of	meditation	and	which	may	remain	for	varying	points	of	time. Itmay	appear,	disappear,	change	levels,	and	have	permanent	residuals	or
become	a	permanent	state	of	awareness. Because	it	is	a	revelation,	it
cannot	be	controlled. Even	if	the	state	disappears,	what	was	seen,	realized,
and	understood	remains	permanently. For	instance,	one	may	suddenly	‘transcend	the	opposites’	and	realize
that	the	source	of	all	experiencing	is	a	positionality	within. This	may	then
lead	to	the	awareness	that	there	is	no	‘inner’	or	‘outer’	in	that	they	are	the
same,	and	that	there	is	no	possibility	other	than	subjectivity. Q:	Does	not	spiritual	ambition	lead	to	having	a	spiritual	ego? A:	Yes,	if	it	remains	only	as	ambition. By	surrender	and	humility,	ambition	is
replaced	by	the	motivation	of	love,	inspiration,	and	devotion. What	is	usually	implied	by	the	term	‘spiritual	pride’	is	the	product	of
the	illusion	that	there	is	a	personal	self	that	is	doing	the	spiritual	work. These	tendencies	are	countered	by	humility,	thankfulness,	and	gratitude,
and	it	is	merely	the	spiritual	inspiration	that	emanates	as	a	supportive
energy	from	the	Self. Spiritual	intention	attracts	higher	energy	fields	that
are	experienced	as	grace. Q:	How	can	meditation	persist	in	one’s	daily	existence? A:	By	merely	constantly	posing	the	question	to	oneself	of	‘what’	is	doing	the
acting,	talking,	feeling,	thinking,	or	observing. This	is	a	focus	of	attention,
with	no	languaging. The	spiritual	teacher	Ramana	Maharshi	called	that
process	‘self-inquiry’,	which	he	recommended	as	a	technique	that	was
suitable	at	all	times	in	all	activities. Continuous	meditation	could	be
likened	to	a	mudra,	or	posture	and	attitude,	in	which	every	act	is	sanctified
by	its	surrender	as	an	act	of	service	or	worship. When	one’s	attitude
towards	everything	becomes	a	devotion,	Divinity	reveals	itself. Q:	How	can	we	stop	judging	others? A:	Through	compassion	arises	the	desire	to	understand	rather	than	condemn. With	understanding,	we	see	that	people	cannot	actually	help	being	other
than	they	are	at	any	given	moment. People	are	generally	unaware	that	they
are	run	by	programs	inherent	in	society	and	in	the	specific	energy	field	that
dominates	their	consciousness. The	average	mind	is	unwittingly
brainwashed,	and	the	people	are	dominated	by	a	field	of	consciousness	to
which	they	are	attracted. As	a	typical	example,	although	anyone	who	is	relatively	spiritually
advanced	is	aware	that	the	end	does	not	justify	the	means,	in	our	society,
that	is	turned	around	as	an	operational	dictum	that	the	end	does	justify	themeans. (The	proposition	that	the	end	justifies	the	means	makes	one	go
weak	with	muscle	testing.) Q:	What	is	meant	by	the	Zen	teaching	of	‘no	mind’? A:	Some	spiritual	teachings	from	the	East	use	the	term	‘mind’,	ordinary	mind,
or	ego,	or	in	contrast,	‘Mind’,	which	paradoxically	means	‘no	mind’	or
‘Self’. To	complicate	terminology	further,	some	teachings	use	mind	to
mean	Universal	Mind,	which	is	the	same	as	Self,	Oneness,	or	Allness. The
doctrine	of	‘no	mind’	merely	states	that	the	eternal	truth	is	self-awareness
and	is	to	be	found	in	the	silence	and	the	presence	beyond	ordinary	mind. Awareness	of	Self	as	Mind	is	blocked	by	focusing	on	the	content-filled
mind	of	the	personal	self. Q:	Why	did	Buddha	not	speak	of	God? A:	Because	of	religions,	God	has	had	many	definitions	and	descriptions	so
that	concepts	about	God	would,	paradoxically,	actually	be	blocked	to	the
awareness	of	the	reality	of	God,	and	the	seeker	would	end	up	seeking	for	a
preconceived	concept	rather	than	surrendering	it	so	that	the	reality	could
present	itself. Q:	What	is	the	state	of	‘no	mind’	like? A:	Initially,	the	awakening	into	a	whole	new	realm	is	overwhelming. What	is
left	of	the	former	self	is	stunned	by	the	massive	revelation	and	the
magnificence	of	the	condition. Everything	is	brilliantly	alive,	and	all	is
One	and	startlingly,	massively	divine. There	is,	however,	also	an	infinite
stillness	and	peace,	a	profound	sense	of	having	at	last	returned	to	one’s
real	home. No	fear	is	possible. What	one	really	is,	is	beyond	all	form	and
always	was	beyond	all	time	and	space. These	realities	are	self-evident. All
thoughts,	ideas,	and	mentations	stop,	and	the	stillness	is	everywhere
present,	all-pervading. The	Self	is	realized	to	be	now	everywhere	instead	of	localized. All
human	activities	and	attitudes	have	ceased. There	is	no	desire	for	anything. All	is	known	and	equally	present	so	there	is	nothing	left	to	know	or	know
about. All	questions	are	answered	so	there	are	none	to	ask. There	is
nothing	to	think	about	nor	would	there	be	a	purpose	to	thinking. All
feeling	disappears	and	is	replaced	by	absolute	peace.
_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:

        Most	spiritual	error	contains	a	grain	of	the	truth	that	then	gets	lost
in	misunderstanding	or	manipulated	distortions. “Kill	a	Commie	for
Christ,”	or,	“Kill	an	infidel	for	Allah”	is	very	far	from	spiritual	truth,	but,
generically,	this	type	of	statement	is	accepted	over	and	over	by	millions	of
people	through	endless	generations. Sentimentality	and	emotionalism	are	superimposed	on	fallacious
beliefs,	which	give	them	added	attraction	and	dominance	in	people’s
thinking. Religious	absurdities	gain	momentum	merely	because	they	are
‘religious’. As	an	example,	in	the	year	1212,	a	European	boy	had	a	vision
of	being	called	to	lead	a	children’s	crusade	to	free	the	Holy	Land	from	the
Islamic	infidels. (Why	God	would	be	interested	in	who	governs	what	realestate	on	the	planet	has	never	been	answered. ) The	popular	appeal	of	the
admixture	of	an	‘innocent	child’	with	a	‘religious	vision’	plus	the	heroics
of	‘saving	the	Holy	Land’	resulted	in	a	wave	of	enthusiasm. The	children’s
crusade	was	horrific. They	died	by	the	thousands	from	exposure,
exhaustion,	disease,	malnutrition,	and	other	disasters. Of	the	few	thousand
remaining,	none	actually	reached	the	Holy	Land,	and	all	were	finally
captured	and	sold	into	slavery. The	entire	disaster	was	based	on	belief,
faith,	and	religiosity. However,	as	a	disaster,	it	was	miniscule	in	the	history
of	humanity	in	which	whole	continents,	populations,	civilizations,	and
major	portions	of	human	life	were	wiped	out	by	fallacious	religious	fervor. Thus,	faith	and	belief	are	necessary	to	start	a	journey,	but	verifiable
knowledge	is	necessary	to	complete	it. Without	a	compass	or	sextant,	the
average	sailor	on	the	seas	ends	up	at	the	bottom. As	the	Buddha	said,	“Few	are	they	who	endeavor	to	make	the	journey,
and	fewer	and	rarer	still	are	those	who	succeed. ”	(Krishna	said	the	same
thing	in	the	
Bhagavad-Gita. ) The	concern	expressed	here	is	for	the	success
and	welfare	of	all	mankind	whose	history,	until	very	recently,	has	been
quite	tragic. Q:	You	speak	often	of	mankind	as	though	it	was	your	concern	or	identity. Why	is	that. A:	To	own	oneself	completely	is	to	own	all	humanity. The	Self	is	the	same	Self	in	all,	and	society	represents	the	collective
ego. To	look	at	all	mankind	in	its	totality	throughout	history	takes	us
through	the	Scale	of	Consciousness. When	we	look	at	man,	it	brings	on
grief,	sadness,	hopelessness,	depression,	guilt,	remorse,	or	regret. We	see
man	as	being	miserable,	evil,	hopeless,	tragic,	and	frightening. We	feel
anger	at	what	has	transpired	in	the	past. In	Courage,we	see	that	change	for	the	better	is	feasible. We	stop
blaming,	hating,	and	fearing	and	lift	ourselves	out	of	victimhood,
weakness,	and	apathy	and	strive	to	make	the	world	better. We	give	up	self-
blame	and	self-pity	and	affirm	the	power	within	us. To	reach	Truth,	we
have	to	accept	that	mankind	has	been	much	in	error	and	that	the	reason
was	ignorance. Through	understanding,	we	can	learn	to	become
compassionate	and	seek	to	recontextualize	our	relationship	to	the	whole. We	can	look	back	and	see	that	humanity	was	enslaved	and	brutalized
by	the	ignorance	that	prevailed	at	a	consciousness	level	that	calibrated	at
only	190	for	so	many	centuries. However,	at	its	present	207,	the	future	of
mankind	promises	to	be	very	unlike	the	past. Each	of	us	can	progress	in
our	own	level	of	consciousness	to	that	which	supports	life	and	love. Thatis	really	all	that	was	asked	of	us	by	all	the	great	spiritual	leaders	and	saints
of	the	past. Even	Freud	said	that	man’s	destiny	was	to	be	able	to	work	and	to	love. Carl	Jung	then	added,	“and	to	own	the	spiritual	truth	of	one’s	reality. ”
					Because	of	the	limitations	of	perception,	mankind	does	not	see	that	the
Dark	Ages	did	not	even	end	until	1986,	when	the	consciousness	level	of
mankind,	for	the	first	time	in	history,	crossed	over	from	negativity	and
nonintegrity	to	go	above	the	critical	level	denoted	by	the	calibration	level
of	200	into	Integrity,	Honesty,	and	Truth. Q:	Religion	and	spirituality,	then,	did	not	have	a	major	impact	on
society. A:	Man’s	problem	isn’t	that	he	has	not	heard	of	spiritual	truth,	but	that	he
does	not	understand	it. That	is	the	purpose	of	clarification	and	explanation. It	takes	a	whole	volume	of	words	to	explain	that	which	is	wordless. The	value	of	a	numerically	calibrated	map	of	consciousness	with
associated	descriptive	terms	is	that	it	makes	what	might	have	sounded	like
philosophical	or	sociological	generalities	verifiably	concrete. Anybody	can
understand	simple	numbers,	but	few	people,	despite	ostensible	piety,
understand	even	the	simplest	things,	such	as	the	difference	between
positive	and	negative,	‘right’	and	‘wrong’,	or	constructive	versus
destructive. Nonintegrity	is	so	interwoven	in	almost	every	aspect	of	society	that	it
has	become	invisible	to	the	average	person. The	wolf	is	hidden	under	the
sheep’s	clothing	of	patriotism,	righteousness,	and	beliefs	that	“It’s	just
business”;	“The	end	justifies	the	means”;	“Society	deserves	revenge”;
“People	are	best	controlled	by	threat	and	fear”;	“The	war	against	drugs”;
“Greed	is	okay	in	business”;	“Lying	is	okay	by	government	or	business”;
“Pride	is	good”;	“Materialism	and	gain	justify	all	behaviors”;	“It’s	okay	to
distort	or	hide	the	truth	if	you	can	get	a	conviction”;	“Any	deceit	is	okay	to
get	elected”;	“Anything	is	okay	to	print	as	long	as	it	sells	newspapers”;
“Being	right	is	more	important	than	being	truthful,”	or,	“Profit	justifies
any	human	behavior. ”	Even	the	spirit	of	the	law	is	undermined	by	using
the	letter	of	the	law	to	defeat	it. Q:	Why	is	all	this	negativity	so	pervasive. A:	The	purpose	of	enumeration	was	to	overcome	denial. In	our	current
society,	the	mass	media,	including	certain	types	of	merchandising,	tend	to
enhance	and	support	negativity	and	target	primarily	young	people	who	are
thereby	directed	to	the	use	of	drugs,	irresponsible	and	violent	behaviors,suicide,	contempt	for	authority,	playing	victim,	projecting	blame,	and
embracing	moral	depravity. The	media	are	dishonest	in	that	they	claim
they	have	no	responsibility. They	also	disclaim	any	negative	influence. If
the	media	had	no	influence,	then	why	would	advertisers	spend	billions	of
dollars	annually	on	media	programs	and	broadcast	them	to	the	populace. The	same	conditions	ensue	from	playing	grotesque	killer	video	games	that
entrain	the	mind	into	a	hypnotic	state	where	it	is	unconsciously
programmed. This	produces	teenage	killer	robots	that	‘act	with	no	reason’. In	some	states,	there	is	actually	a	special	open	season	for	juveniles	to	hunt
with	guns	and	telescopic	sites	to	kill	prairie	dogs,	doves,	or	squirrels	‘for
fun’. It	is	difficult	for	anyone	to	be	human,	and	most	do	so	by	wearing
blinders	to	avoid	being	confronted	by	the	obvious. The	reconstitution	of
integrity	is	the	first	step	across	the	threshold	from	Negativity	to	Truth. In
order	to	succeed,	it	is	necessary	to	remove	the	sheep’s	clothing	from	the
wolf	and	realize	that	we	are	not	talking	about	‘sport’,	‘just	business’,	or
‘it’s	what	people	want’. In	all	this,	society	is	both	the	perpetrator	and	the
victim. Q:	You	have	given	much	attention	to	these	matters. A:	It	is	because	of	an	important	point	covered	in	
Power	versus	Force
	called
‘critical	factor	analysis’. In	a	system	of	considerable	complexity,	there	is	a
very	precise	point	where	even	a	small	amount	of	energy	applied	brings
about	a	major	change. A	giant	clockworks	has	a	vulnerable	point	at	which
even	a	slight	pressure	stops	the	whole	works. A	giant	locomotive	can	be
halted	if	you	know	exactly	where	to	place	your	finger. The	great
clockwork	of	human	society	likewise	has	points	where	major	changes	can
occur	as	a	result	of	a	slight	amount	of	pressure. Do	you	realize	the	impact	of	the	press. Imagine	what	would	happen	if
they	had	focused	on	Franklin	Delano	Roosevelt’s	crippled	legs	or	the
infirmities	of	Harry	Truman	or	Winston	Churchill	at	the	height	of	World
War	II. At	that	point,	the	stature	of	these	world	leaders	was	the	critical
rallying	point	that	saved	the	free	world. On	several	occasions,	Hitler	was
only	a	few	months	away	from	winning	the	war. Q:	Why	such	focus	on	social	issues. A:	Integrity	is	power. To	refuse	negativity,	it	first	has	to	be	exposed. If	the
press,	for	instance,	once	had	integrity,	it	can	make	a	turnaround	and	regain
it. The	current	Pope	(John	Paul	II)	has	been	a	stunning	example	and	an
inspiration	to	the	world	that	one	reestablishes	spiritual	integrity	by	owningerror	and	carrying	it	into	an	inspiration	to	reach	higher	spiritual	levels	and
regain	true	power. Thus	did	the	Pope	not	only	symbolically	but	literally
reflect	the	truth	back	to	mankind	that	the	Dark	Ages	were	finally	over. Q:	Why	do	people	find	it	so	difficult	to	change. A:	They	identify	with	their	personality,	which	can	be	like	an	addiction. Styles
are	modish,	popularized,	and	glamorized. Each	style	has	its	advantages	to
impress	or	control	others. There	is	a	secret	payoff	and	satisfaction	in	being
the	victim,	martyr,	or	loser. Each	persona	is	a	way	of	manipulating	a
specific	social	response. The	social	image	is	a	way	of	influencing	opinion,
and	it	reflects	a	person’s	positionalities. These	self-images	also	have	a
strong	karmic	component	that	is	simultaneously	a	self-casting	and	a
dramatization. These	personality	styles	are	influenced	by	the	media,	and	each	has	its
gain	as	well	as	a	price. They	are	cultured	stereotypes	embedded	on	a	given
culture. These	styles	change	with	time. The	‘tough	guy’,	the	sophisticate,
the	charmer,	and	the	‘no-nonsense,	down-to-earth’	types	are	all	social
castings. The	Dudley-Do-Right,	the	rebel,	the	outlaw,	the	mobster,	etc. ,
also	reflect	group	identifications. People	become	addicted	to	a	style	even
to	the	point	of	death. The	danger-prone	‘macho’	image	often	results	in	a
violent	final	ending. The	extreme-sports	fanatic	keeps	going	faster	and
faster	until	he	hits	the	wall. Innate	to	those	images	is	the	desire	to	be	a
hero. People	cherish	their	image	and	get	lost	in	their	identification	with	it. These	influences	are	unconscious	and	often	rigid	self-definitions	that	resist
change. CHAPTER	15
Clarifications
Q:	What	is	the	relationship	between	spirituality	and	consciousness. A:	The	domain	of	spirituality	is	that	of	the	realm	of	consciousness. Spiritual
development	and	revolution	are	therefore	facilitated	by	an	understanding
of	the	nature	of	consciousness	itself. Spiritual	progress	is	accomplished	by	aspects	of	consciousness	that
become	more	powerful	when	it	is	recognized	that	they	are	not	personal
attributes	but	specific	qualities	having	to	do	with	the	nature	of
consciousness	and	not	aspects	of	‘me’,	or	‘mine’,	or	the	common	‘I-self’. Spiritual	inspiration,	understanding,	and	the	awarenesses	that	arise	from
compassion	are	not	personal	qualities	but	operate	as	catalysts	by	virtue	of
the	innate	quality	of	their	essences. They	are	activated	by	spiritual
motivation	and	intention. They	are	actually	aspects	of	God’s	grace	that
become	operational	by	consent	of	the	seeker’s	will. They	are	facilitated	by
humility	and	surrender	of	the	vanity	and	domination	of	the	ego/mind	and
its	belief	that	it	‘knows’. In	actuality,	the	ego/mind	can	only	‘know	about’;	it	cannot	actually
know	anything	in	the	full	sense	of	the	term. To	truly	‘know’,	it	is
necessary	to	‘be’	that	which	is	ostensibly	known. Q:	What	is	meant	by	the	term	‘mystical’. A:	All	states	of	spiritual	awareness	are	actually	mystical	in	that	they	are
subjectively	profound	and	transforming	but	cannot	be	conveyed	to	others
in	an	objective,	rational,	or	(to	the	skeptic)	convincing	manner. All
profound,	subtle,	or	significant	awareness	occurs	within	the	nonlinear
levels	of	consciousness,	which	are	not	describable	within	the	ordinary
Newtonian	linear	causality-limited	paradigm	of	reality	(which	ends	at
calibrated	consciousness	level	499). The	conventional	world	is	confined	to
the	limited	level	of	form	reflected	in	language	and	mechanistic
determination. The	worlds	of	spiritual	experience	are	outside	the	limited
paradigm	of	logic;	thus,	they	lack	the	capacity	to	denote	meaningfulness	or
validity	to	the	ordinary	ego. Actually,	all	the	most	profound	and	significant	experiences	in	life	occur
in	the	realm	of	the	nonlinear. Force	is	linear;	power	is	nonlinear. It	is
meaning	that	empowers	and	transforms	people’s	lives,	and	the	onlyimportance	of	facts	is	what	they	actually	mean	to	them. Happiness	has
nothing	to	do	with	facts	but	instead	stems	from	attitudes. Q:	What	is	the	essence	of	the	spiritual	quest. A:	The	spiritual	quest	could	be	simplified	as	the	task	of	transcending	the
limitations	of	linear,	sequential	duality	created	by	perception	so	as	to
reveal	Reality,	which	is	unlimited	and	nonlinear	and	therefore	nondual. On	a	calibrated	scale	of	consciousness,	we	can	see	that	the	weakest
levels	below	200	have	to	rely	on	force	as	a	substitute	for	power. As	one
gets	closer	to	Reality,	the	power	increases	exponentially	at	a	rapid
logarithmic	rate. The	400s	denote	the	realm	of	the	highest	development	of
the	Newtonian	paradigm	and	indicate	mastery	of	the	physical	domain. The
world	of	science	is	unsurpassed	in	its	capacity	to	comprehend	and
manipulate	the	world	of	materiality. Science	gets	us	to	the	moon,	but	only
man’s	consciousness	gives	the	feat	meaning	or	significance. Likewise,	joy
does	not	come	from	figures	or	statistics	but	from	what	they	mean. Q:	Where	is	Reality	to	be	sought. A:	Life	is	lived	solely	on	the	level	of	experience	and	none	other. All
experience	is	subjective	and	nonlinear,	and,	therefore,	even	the	linear,
perceptual,	sequential	delineation	of	‘reality’	cannot	be	experienced	except
subjectively. All	‘truth’	is	a	subjective	conclusion. Once	having	understood	that	the	only	significance	or	importance	of	the
linear,	perceptual	world	is	how	it	is	subjectively	experienced,	the	quest	for
truth	shifts	from	‘out	there’	to	within. To	the	worldly,	success	is	something
‘out	there’	to	‘have’	and	to	be	acquired. To	the	more	experienced	and	sophisticated,	it	becomes	apparent
through	wisdom	that	the	source	of	happiness	is	within	the	subjective	inner
world	of	experiencing,	which	is	the	result	of	inner	qualities,	meaning,	and
context. Q:	How	does	one	arrive	at	meaning. A:	It	is	meaning	that	gives	life	its	value,	and	when	life	loses	meaning,	suicide
results. Meaning	arises	from	value. The	realization	that	it	is	not	the	facts	or
events	of	life	but	their	meaning	that	determines	happiness	leads	to	an
interest	in	the	subject	of	philosophy. This	is	the	highest	realm	to	which	the
intellect	can	aspire;	it	is	the	realm	of	examination	of	meaning	and	its
subtle	implications. Philosophy	tries	to	define	its	components	and	how
man	comes	to	understand	meaning. This	investigation	leads	to
epistemology,	or	the	science	of	how	man	knows	anything,	that	then	bringsforth	cosmology,	which	tries	to	define	what	it	is	that	is	potentially
knowable. Beyond	epistemology	and	cosmology	arises	theology,	which
stretches	the	linear	intellect	to	try	to	comprehend	the	nonlinear	Reality	of
Divinity	itself. The	next	higher	step	in	abstraction	is	to	move	on	to	metaphysics,	which
addresses	the	Reality	of	nonduality	and	reemphasizes	the	subjective	as	the
domain	of	spiritual	truth. The	word	‘metaphysics’	simply	means	‘beyond
the	physical’. Beyond	the	realities	addressed	by	metaphysics	are	the	levels
of	experience	traditionally	described	as	mystical. Beyond	mystical	states	is
the	condition	of	Awareness,	traditionally	called	Enlightenment. Enlightened	states	reach	from	the	awareness	of	the	presence	of	God	to	the
final	completion	of	spiritual	evolution	with	the	relinquishment	of	all
duality	of	a	self	that	is	apart	from	God. The	final	realization	is	that	there	is
only	total	Oneness,	and	that	the	Self	and	source	of	Self	are	one	and	the
same. The	Infinite,	Ultimate	Potentiality	is	the	Actuality	of	Existence. ‘All
That	Is’	is	therefore	innately	Divine	or	it	could	not	exist	at	all. The
absolute	expression	of	divinity	is	Subjectivity. If	I	exist,	then	God	Is. Enlightenment	is	the	verification	that	all	existence	is	not	only	the	result
of	Creation,	but	also	that	existence	itself	is	not	different	from	the	Creator. The	created	and	the	Creator	are	one	and	the	same. Once	the	false
dichotomy	produced	by	perception	is	removed,	the	exact	nature	of	Reality
is	clear	and	obvious. There	is	no	fallacious	subject-object	artifact	of
mentation	left	to	separate	Reality	into	the	Creator	versus	the	created. In	the
nondualistic	reality	of	pure	subjectivity,	all	illusion	disappears. The	substrate	of	all	existence	and	creation	is	the	state	of	subjectivity. God	is	the	very	essence	of	subjectivity. What	is	aware	of	existence	is	the
awareness	of	the	presence	of	God	within	us. With	this	realization,	we
resolve	the	spiritual	conundrum	of	that	which	is	seeking	is	that	which	is
sought;	in	essence,	it	is	the	subjective	searching	for	the	subjective. The
illusion	that	there	is	a	dualistic	set	of	opposites	called	subjective	versus
objective	dissolves. It	is	the	ultimate	human	paradox	that	man’s
dependence	on	perception	precludes	his	being	able	to	know	his	own
identity. As	the	state	of	enlightenment	presents	itself,	there	is	a	glad	moment	as
though	experiencing	a	reentry	into	the	profoundly	familiar. There	is	a
fleeting,	transitory	thought	that	one	had	forgotten	who	they	were. This
forgetting	was	a	consequence	of	the	operation	of	perception	itself. This	is
allegorically	alluded	to	in	Genesis	as	the	eating	of	the	apple	of	the
perceptual	domain	of	the	opposites	of	good	and	evil. The	innocence	ofsubjectivity	was	now	contaminated	by	a	positionality	that	condemned
mankind	to	endless	suffering	in	error. Without	divine	intervention,	the
return	to	Reality	is	not	possible,	and	thus,	mankind’s	solution	is	only	by
means	of	the	grace	of	God. Q:	Is	the	realization	of	God	‘personal’	or	‘impersonal’. A:	Although	the	pathway	to	the	realization	of	the	presence	of	God	and
enlightenment	has	been	described	thus	far	in	terms	of	an	evolution	of
awareness	through	the	levels	of	consciousness,	that	is	merely	due	to	the
languaging	that	has	been	chosen	in	order	to	make	the	transition
comprehensible. The	levels	of	consciousness	describe	the	terrain	to	be
traversed,	but	they	leave	out	the	essential	factors	of	love	and	devotion	that
activate	the	journey	and	give	strength	to	the	endeavor. These	are	the
sources	of	the	requisite	energy	to	make	and	sustain	the	effort	and
commitment	to	persevere. By	analogy,	one	can	have	a	car	and	a	map,	but
without	gasoline,	the	source	of	energy	and	power,	the	vehicle	does	not
move. The	destination	is	sought	because	one	is	impelled	towards	it	and
attracted	by	it. The	way	is	lighted	by	God’s	grace	as	the	Holy	Spirit,	which
is	the	Guide	and	Sustainer. In	the	end,	the	God	of	Transcendence	and	the	God	of	Divine	Love
merge	in	the	Supreme. The	Unification	of	that	which	is	loved	is	the
fulfillment	of	divine	destiny	and	the	core	of	salvation. Love	is	therefore
the	means	and	the	end. If	the	essential	dynamic	of	one’s	spiritual	seeking	is	not	spiritual
ambition	(to	get	somewhere)	but	the	progressive	surrender	of	the	obstacles
to	Love,	then	that	which	is	called	‘spiritual	ego’	does	not	later	arise	as	an
obstacle. A	given	calibrated	level	of	consciousness	is	not	better	than
another	but	merely	represents	the	level	that	is	being	worked	on. It	is	the
basic	building	blocks	that	enable	a	structure	to	ascend,	and	it	is	the
dedication	that	ensures	the	completion	of	a	cathedral. Q:	How	does	one	eliminate	the	obstacles. A:	The	spiritual	work	that	presents	itself	most	obviously	to	the	pathway	of
devotion	is	the	removal	of	the	obstacles	to	Love. All	these	obstacles	stem
from	the	errors	of	perception	that	arise	from	positionality. Positionality	is
the	originator	and	perpetrator	of	‘the	illusion	of	the	opposites’. These	arise
from	opinionating,	which	in	turn	arises	from	the	vanities	of	the	ego. These
vanities	are	sustained	and	fed	by	the	ego’s	propensity	to	overvalue	and
cherish	what	it	conceives	of	as	‘mine’. Once	a	thing	is	labeled	‘mine’,	it
becomes	a	valued	viewpoint	from	which,	like	a	prism	intercepting	light,reality	now	becomes	split	into	differences,	divisions,	and	opposing	views. Thus,	the	one	becomes	the	illusion	of	the	many. The	sense	of	‘I’	now
proceeds	to	identify	with	these	views	and	defends	them	as	the	reality	of
‘me’. Once	caught	in	the	duality	of	the	polarity	of	the	opposites,	the
ego/mind	is	trapped	and	projects	its	views	and	holds	them	to	be	an
objective	reality. Having	denied	its	authorship,	the	ego-self	now	becomes	the	victim	of
its	own	projections. The	sense	of	reality	that	accompanies	the	awareness	of
existence	is	now	ascribed	to	these	projections	as	arising	from	‘out	there’,
and	imagination	produces	an	‘objective	reality’	whose	original	source	has
now	been	forgotten. This	forgetfulness	is	reinforced	by	the	well-known
psychological	mechanisms	of	denial,	isolation,	repression,	and	projection. With	the	disowning	of	authorship,	there	is	the	relinquishment	of	power
to	a	perceptually	created	false	conception	of	a	reality	where	‘causes’	now
explain	the	phenomena	that	have	been	disowned. Because	the	perceived
dualistic	images	of	reality	are	the	very	filter	through	which	experiences	are
interpreted,	the	senses	then	reinforce	the	images	and	qualities	that	have
been	projected	to	be	external. The	physical	world	is	said	to	exist	separately
from	that	which	experiences	it. Sensation	replicates	belief	and	is	sorted
and	interpreted	in	accordance	with	the	construction	and	forms	of
perception	that	have	accorded	the	objects	of	sensation	with	separate
identities	and	discreet	and	unique	nominalization. Language	then	enforces
the	perceived	world	and	subtly	reinforces	its	appearance. An	‘objective’
universe	then	arises	out	of	arbitrarily	selected	points,	the	imaginary
distances	between	these	points,	the	imaginary	planes	and	dimensions,	and
the	illusions	of	time	and	space. In	order	to	project	the	world	of	illusion,	the	ego-self	experiences	itself
as	separate	from	its	own	creation. The	greater	the	feeling	of	separation
from	God,	the	greater	the	anguish. As	a	consequence,	the	self	now	fears
annihilation,	death,	and	even	worse—perhaps	endless	suffering	at	the
hands	of	an	angry,	retaliatory	God	who	has	been	made	angry	by	sin. The
lower	levels	of	perception	become	preoccupied	with	energies	of	negativity
that	are	the	ego’s	conceptions	of	itself	at	the	lowest	levels. It	now	fears	its
own	worst	projections	and	struggles	with	the	opposites	of	heaven	and	hell. Man	is	therefore	not	the	victim	of	an	‘out	there’	to	be	feared,	but	is
instead	its	originator. These	imaginations	are	not	even	personal	but	merely
consequences	of	the	interaction	of	the	fields	of	consciousness	with	their
hidden	inner	attractor	fields	that	determine	the	content	of	each	level	of
consciousness. The	ego’s	final	victory	is	the	belief	that	its	own	illusory
reality	created	by	its	own	projections	was	‘created	by	God’. Thus,religious	truth	becomes	obscured	by	religious	superstitions,
misinterpretations,	and	false	beliefs. It	is	important	to	realize	that	that
which	is	of	God	brings	peace,	and	that	which	is	not	of	God	brings	fear. Q:	How	can	one	avoid	such	error. A:	In	today’s	world,	the	level	of	truth	of	any	statement	or	teaching	can	be
quickly	calibrated. The	ego	has	created	many	impressive	spokesmen. It	is
also	helpful	to	remember	that	Reality	is	beyond	form	and	not	definable. Q:	You	mentioned	earlier	the	path	of	simplicity. What	do	you	mean	by
that. A:	For	the	average	person	who	is	involved	in	a	busy	world,	the	intense
requirement	and	commitment	of	a	spiritual	seeker	of	enlightenment	is
usually	impractical. This	does	not	mean	that	a	different	goal	should	be
sought,	but	that	the	means	should	be	attenuated	to	daily	life. It	is	really	unnecessary	to	comprehend	the	content	of	the	discussions
and	dialogs	that	have	been	described	primarily	to	convey	understanding	to
areas	of	human	consciousness	that	are	not	well	understood. For	significant
spiritual	growth,	only	one	simple	tool	is	required. It	is	merely	necessary	to
select	any	simple	spiritual	principle	that	is	appealing	and	then	proceed
with	its	application,	without	exception,	to	every	area	of	life,	both	within
and	without. For	example,	one	could	therefore	choose	kindness,
compassion,	forgiveness,	understanding,	or	noncritical	acceptance. One
could	choose	to	be	unconditionally	loving	or	committed	to	seeing	the
innocence	of	life. Whatever	principle	is	chosen	then	has	to	be	applied	to
everyone,	including	oneself,	without	exception,	and	with	absolute
persistence. This	process	will	bring	about	spiritual	purification	as	the
obstacles	to	these	spiritual	principles	are	brought	up	for	examination. The	accomplishment	of	the	spiritual	goal	will	require	changes	of
perception	that	will,	in	turn,	require	growth	of	understanding	and
reconceptualization. Q:	What	is	a	realistic	spiritual	goal	for	the	average	person. A:	Any	advance	along	the	levels	of	consciousness	is	significant	and	very
worthwhile. The	practical	goal	that	is	reachable	by	any	person	who	is
seriously	spiritually	committed	is	that	of	Unconditional	Love. That	is	a
transformative	level,	and	from	there,	one	can	relax	as	the	prime	objective
has	been	reached. Innate	within	the	level	of	Unconditional	Love	is	the
desire	to	perfect	that	condition. As	that	level	is	reached,	even	the	slightest
imperfection	of	Love	is	unacceptable	and	calls	for	correction. Q:	What	is	the	most	effective	means	of	spiritual	purification. A:	Focus	on	Love	itself. That	is	the	royal	road	to	God	and	one	that	is
everywhere	present	and	available	to	everyone. In	the	beginning,	love	is
seen	as	dualistic,	i. e. ,	the	one	who	loves	and	that	or	who	which	is	loved. Love	starts	out	as	conditional	and	a	feeling	state,	but	it	progresses. It
becomes	apparent	that	love	is	a	way	of	seeing,	experiencing,	and
interpreting	life. Later,	it	becomes	apparent	that	it	is	a	state	of	being. Life	itself	becomes	the	expression	of	love,	and	that	love	is	the	way	to
realizing	that	one’s	life	is	love. In	the	final	realization,	the	divinity	of	love
transforms	perception	into	spiritual	vision,	and	the	presence	of	God	as	All
That	Is	becomes	self-revealing. All	existence	radiates	forth	the	Divinity	of
its	essence	as	Creation,	which	is	the	manifestation	of	the	love	of	God. Q:	Love	is	the	pathway	of	devotion. Is	it	not	therefore	the	most	effective. A:	Love	is	transformative;	its	power	sweeps	away	all	obstacles. It	is	both	the
means	and	the	end. It	brings	forth	willingness	and	the	capacity	to
surrender. It	brings	forth	compassion	and	the	desire	to	understand. With
understanding,	forgiveness	ensues. With	the	relinquishment	of
positionality,	one	then	realizes	there	is	nothing	to	forgive. Judgment
dissolves	and	condemnation	and	hatred	are	no	longer	possible. Ignorance
born	of	innocence	is	seen	to	be	the	only	‘defect’	that	needs	to	be
transcended. It	is	seen	that	the	nature	of	Creation	is	as	it	is	and	not	in	need
of	correction. Q:	Is	love	not	merely	a	commonplace	emotion. It	is	talked	about
endlessly. A:	Love	is	definitely	not	the	prevailing	level	of	consciousness	of	mankind. Seventy-eight	percent	of	the	world’s	population	calibrates	below	200
(basic	Integrity)	and	is	therefore	focused	on	negativity. Only	0. 4	percent	of
the	population	ever	reaches	the	level	of	Unconditional	Love	that	can	be
called	‘lovingness’. Love	is	an	awareness,	an	attitude,	a	context	for	understanding	life. Love	is	the	leading	edge	of	Reality	and	the	oneness	and	essence	of	the
Spirit. To	deny	love	is	to	deny	God. Love	is	obscured	by	positionality	and
judgment. Most	of	society	invalidates	love	as	a	rational	basis	for	decision
and	action. There	are	whole	segments	of	the	population	that	view	love	for
one’s	fellowman	as	a	weakness. Mankind	really	wants	gain,	pride,
possession,	power,	and	the	right	to	revenge	and	retaliate	with	punishment. The	United	States,	or	the	land	of	‘freedom’,	has	more	people	and	a
greater	percentage	of	its	population	in	prison	than	any	other	countryexcept	China. Society	declares	‘war’	on	its	problems	that,	of	course,	then
multiply. Force	is	ineffective	and	a	weak	substitute	for	power. In	contrast,
people	will	do	almost	anything	out	of	respect	and	love	and	very	little	out
of	fear. Without	the	loyalty	born	of	respect,	even	a	general	cannot
command	his	troops	to	obey,	and	without	that	aspect	of	love	called	respect,
insurrection	and	mutiny	arise. Force	can	only	act	as	a	temporary	stopgap. All	the	empires	that	were	ruled	by	fear	have	collapsed. Religions	that	are
based	on	the	fear	of	sin	rather	than	on	the	love	of	God	are	inherently	weak. Lovingness	is	a	way	of	relating	to	the	world. It	is	a	generosity	of
attitude	that	expresses	itself	in	seemingly	small	but	powerful	ways. It	is	a
wish	to	bring	happiness	to	others,	to	brighten	their	day	and	lighten	their
load. To	merely	be	friendly	and	complimentary	to	everyone	one	meets	in
the	course	of	a	day	is	revealing. That	this	is	not	a	commonplace	attitude	is
revealed	by	people’s	responses	when	they	encounter	it. Often,	they
respond	with	surprise	or	even	a	pleased	state	of	shock. “Nobody	ever
compliments	what	I	do;	they	only	complain,”	is	a	remark	that	will	be
heard. Most	people,	because	they	are	focused	on	their	own	wants	and
critical	attitudes,	apparently	do	not	even	see	the	positive	aspects	of	life	and
cannot	respond	to	them. They	take	others’	service	for	granted	with	the
explanation,	“Well,	they’re	getting	paid	for	it,	aren’t	they. ”	(Which	is
really	beside	the	point. ) Major	segments	of	society	operate	on	the	level	of	lovelessness. Giant
corporations	and	government	agencies	can	only	be	described	as	dourly
functioning. Gratitude	does	not	appear	nor	is	it	even	considered	to	be
socially	appropriate. Love	is	belittled	as	‘touchy-feely’. Love	is	therefore
socially	restricted	to	romance,	mothers	and	their	children,	or	one’s	dog. Expressed	elsewhere,	it	becomes	an	embarrassment. There	are	a	few
masculine	areas	where	love	is	okay,	such	as	for	family,	sports,	one’s
country,	or	a	car. The	large	area	of	life	that	is	socially	acceptable	and	open	to	everyone	is
that	which	is	called	‘caring’. To	‘care	for’	is	a	wide-open	avenue	for	the
expression	and	expansion	of	love. People	say	they	cannot	find	love	as
though	it	were	something	to	be	gotten. Once	one	becomes	willing	to	give
love,	the	discovery	quickly	follows	that	one	is	surrounded	by	love	and
merely	did	not	know	how	to	access	it. Love	is	actually	present
everywhere,	and	its	presence	only	needs	to	be	realized. The	universe	responds	to	love	by	revealing	its	prevalence. It	is	hidden
to	ordinary	perception,	but	the	awareness	is	finessed	by	lovingness	itself. Awareness	is	a	capacity	that	is	beyond	the	senses	or	emotions. If	one
ceases	anthropomorphic	projections	and	limitations,	it	is	revealed	that	allthat	exists	is	innately	conscious	and	emanates	love	as	a	consequence	of	the
divinity	of	Creation. Every	plant	is	aware	of	its	surroundings	and	the	admiration	and	respect
for	it. It	returns	to	us	by	reviewing	its	own	intrinsic	perfection	and	beauty. Each	plant	stands	forth	as	a	unique,	creative	sculpture	and	is	a	perfect
expression	of	its	essence. Divinity	shines	forth	from	all	Creation	to	those
who	can	see. Nature	becomes	not	unlike	a	children’s	cartoon	where	the
trees	smile,	the	animals	talk,	and	the	flowers	move	gaily. When	perception
ceases,	the	world	of	wonder	reveals	itself. Consciousness	is	in	all	that
exists. It	recognizes	itself	manifesting	as	the	Allness	of	Creation. Q:	How	can	such	a	wondrous	revelation	come	about. A:	By	the	mere	intention	of	kindness,	respect,	and	consideration	for	All	That
Is,	without	exception,and	in	every	detail,	including	oneself. We	see	what
we	believe	and	accept	that	we	ourselves	are. The	qualities	of	gratitude,
thankfulness,	gentleness,	and	appreciation	are	themselves	powerfully
transforming. Our	experience	of	the	world	and	life	is	totally	the	result	of
inner	beliefs	and	positionalities. Out	of	love	and	respect	for	God	arises	the
willingness	to	surrender	all	these	prejudgments,	and	the	humility	that
ensues	opens	the	doors	to	the	splendor	of	reality,	which	is	the	revelation	of
the	Self. Love	is	the	magic	catalyst	that	brings	about	the	awareness. In	the
end,	faith	is	replaced	by	certainty,	and,	therefore,	it	is	said	that	God	is
found	by	those	who	seek	Him. Q:	You	seldom	mention	the	physical	body. What	is	its	importance	in
spiritual	work. A:	The	body	is	a	product	of	nature	and	part	of	the	animal	world. One	might
say	it	is	owned	by	nature	but	rented	to	us	provisionally. It	has	only	a
temporary	existence	and	thus	does	not	justify	undue	attention	or
importance. Its	value	is	its	capacity	for	communication,	a	means	of
conveying	information	and	sharing	awareness. If	adequately	tended,	it	is
hopefully	a	source	of	pleasure	and	a	means	of	accomplishing	work	and
expressing	affection. Essentially,	it	is	a	temporality,	an	experience	of
perception	or	position	in	space	and	time. Perception	claims	it	as	‘me’,	or	at
least	as	‘mine’. This	is	a	major	restriction	and	limitation	of	identification
of	the	self	with	physicality	and	form. Like	any	other	living	thing	in	nature,
the	body	responds	to	kindness,	respect,	and	consideration. It	can	be	cared
for	and	loved	like	a	cherished	pet	without	necessarily	identifying	with	it	or
becoming	unduly	attached	to	it. One	of	the	most	difficult	areas	for	clarification	of	the	differentiationbetween	self	and	body	is	the	functioning	of	the	senses. These	are
experienced	and	believed	to	be	functions	of	the	physical	body	itself. As
strange	as	it	may	seem,	the	actual	locus	of	sensory	experience	is	within	the
invisible	domain	of	the	inner	energy	body	that	activates	the	physical	body. The	physical	body,	in	and	of	itself,	has	no	capacity	to	experience	anything
at	all. The	experiencing	of	the	senses	(as	well	as	of	everything	else)	is	a
quality	of	consciousness	associated	with	one’s	presence	as	an	energy	body
within	the	physical	body	image. Anyone	who	has	ever	had	an	out-of-body
experience	remembers	that	all	modalities	of	sense	were	the	function	of	the
etheric	body	that	was	associated	with	their	consciousness	and	sense	of	self. Sight	and	hearing	continue	even	if	the	physical	body	is	in	a	dormant	or
unconscious	state. The	‘self’	experience	migrates	out	of	the	body	along
with	the	sense	of	positionality	or	movement. In	that	state,	the	‘I’	sense	is
located	within	the	energy	body,	and	the	physical	body	becomes	an	‘it’. It	is
seen	as	‘a	body’,	not	‘my	body’. High	numbers	of	people	report	identical	experiences,	so	there	is
common	agreement	as	to	the	nature	of	the	phenomenon. Likewise,	near-
death	experiences	often	involve	the	‘self	’	traveling	down	tunnels	of	light,
meeting	people,	and	encountering	various	colors,	and	then	having	a
reluctant	return	to	re-inhabit	the	physical	body. Thus,	we	can	say	that	we
inhabit	a	physical	body,	but	we	are	not	a	physical	body. It	is	clear	that	the
spirit,	soul,	or	energy	self	is	a	resident	of	the	body	and	tends	to	blend	in
and	diffuse	with	it,	and	so	loses	its	unique	identity. Some	people	are	prone
to	leaving	their	body	accidentally	or	at	will;	astral	projection	as	a
technique	can	in	fact	be	taught	as	a	skill	so	that	one	can	leave	one’s	body
at	will	and	even	choose	locations	to	visit	(e. g. ,	at	the	Monroe	Institute). Distant	viewing	and	clairvoyance	are	the	partial	projections	of	the
sensory	faculty	of	the	energy	body. The	‘experiencer’	is	the	inner	presence
within	what	has	been	variously	called	the	astral,	etheric,	soul,	or	spirit
body. The	spirit	body	is	not	controlled	by	the	usual	forces	called	physical
but	instead	exists	on	another	dimension	or	plane. Mind	also	travels	with	the	spirit	body	and	realizes	that	it	is	separate
from	the	brain. Consciousness	does	not	depend	on	physicality	but	exists
independently	of	it. When	localized,	however,	it	tends	to	identify	itself
with	form	and	location. Q:	What	about	purification	and	mortification	of	the	body. A:	There	is	nothing	to	purify	except	illusion. Desires	are	for	specific
experiences	and	sensations	that	can	be	sought	through	the	body,	but	theproblem	is	not	that	of	the	body	but	of	the	mind. It	is	the	mind	that	is	trying
to	anticipate	and	control	experience. Q:	Does	the	experience	of	the	body	change	with	advanced	spiritual
awareness. A:	There	are	changes	that	occur	in	the	nature	of	the	bodily	experience. The
sense	of	location	is	more	general	and	less	specific. There	are	periods
during	spiritual	work	when	the	body	seems	to	almost	disappear	as	though
forgotten. There	are	also	times	when	very	intense	energies	seemingly	flow
through	the	nervous	system,	and	various	burning	sensations	are
experienced	as	though	the	nervous	system	were	on	fire. There	was	also	a
period	when	the	kundalini	energy	flowed	with	intense	pleasure	up	the	back
and	spine	into	the	head	and	brain,	and	then	down	and	out	to	the	heart. There	can	be	a	loss	of	bodily	desires	and	withdrawal	of	interest	in	the
body	so	that	physical	survival	may	at	times	depend	on	input	from	people
in	one’s	surroundings. There	can	be	a	marked	loss	of	appetite	and	interest
in	bodily	sensations. Vision	changes	in	that	everything	seems	to	be	in	slow
motion. There	is	reliance	primarily	on	peripheral	vision	rather	than	central
vision. Time	stops,	which	seems	to	be	related	to	the	loss	of	specific
connection	in	space. There	is	also	an	unsteadiness	of	bodily	movement. When	realization	of	the	Self	occurs,	there	is	difficulty	with	pronouns
and	what	to	call	what	the	world	considers	to	be	‘I’	in	terms	that	are
understandable. It	seems	strange	at	first	to	watch	people	speaking	to	the
physical	body	as	though	it	were	one’s	identity. There	is	a	loss	of	the	fear	and	startle	reflexes. It	is	more	difficult	to
process	linear	thought	and	decipher	ordinary	human	speech. This	results	in
a	delay	in	responding	to	verbal	communication. This	delay	has	to	do	with
a	process	occurring	in	consciousness	that	translates	linear	processing	of
language	into	meaning	in	terms	of	essence. This	delay	does	not	occur	with
understanding	animals	or	human	body	language. It	seems	to	happen
because	consciousness	focuses	on	essence	and	meaning	rather	than	on	the
detail	of	form. It	also	has	to	shift	from	its	natural	attunement	with	silence
to	proximal	detailed	sound. There	is	no	separation	between	what	appears	to	occur	and	the	Self. ‘Causes’	are	not	sought	externally,	and	so-called	‘events’	occur	as	a	result
of	what	is	held	in	mind. There	are	no	causes	attributed	to	the	world	itself
but	only	to	consciousness. People	around	one	seem	to	be	run	by	the	irrelevant	and
inconsequential,	with	much	wasted	energy. These	aspects	of	consciousness
are	experienced	as	though	by	separate	individuals,	but	the	innerexperiencer	is	basically	the	same	Self	in	everyone. The	body	is	like	a
companion,	a	friendly	pet	that	follows	one	around. It	seems	to	be	reliably
present. It	can	also	even	have	surgery	without	pain	or	anesthetics. One	can
continue	to	own	the	body	and	be	responsible	for	it	without	identifying	with
it	as	one’s	identity. CHAPTER	16
Karma,	Guru,	and	Sage
Q:	Would	you	explain	your	understanding	of	karma. A:	Every	thought	or	action	gives	off	a	vibration	or	a	track	that	is	a	high-
frequency	energy	pattern	associated	with	the	person’s	energy	body. This
interacts	with	the	sea	of	consciousness,	which	is	filled	with	an	infinite
number	of	such	energy	patterns	that	emanate	from	other	energy	bodies. Within	this	complex	sea	of	intricate	patterns,	selections	are	made	that
influence	the	decisions	and	directions	of	life. Persistent	patterns	become
reinforced	and	are	therefore	more	dominant. The	interactions	that	could
ensue	might	be	likened	to	the	structural	form	of	a	molecule	that	determines
with	which	other	molecules	it	is	capable	of	interacting. Thus,	it	may	be
compatible	with	some	molecular	forms	and	incompatible	with	others. Each	person’s	energy	body	carries	with	it	a	historical	track	of	patterns
that	persist	over	time	and	influence	decisions,	behavior,	and	the	feelings	of
attraction	or	repulsion. This	energy	body,	which	is	the	locus	of	the	sense	of
‘I’,	exists	independently	of	the	physical	body,	as	anyone	who	has	ever
gone	out	of	body	will	remember. This	‘karmic	body’	is	made	up	of	the
collected	tracks	of	positionalities. The	field	of	consciousness	is	an	infinite	sea	of	interacting	energy	fields
with	various	levels	that	can	be	calibrated. The	fate	of	an	energy	body	of	an
individual’s	soul	is	therefore	similar	to	a	floating	object	in	space	or	a	cork
in	the	sea	in	that	its	innate	buoyancy	determines	the	level	at	which	it	will
settle	and	float. The	nonmaterial	realms	of	existence	are	composed	of	energy	bodies	at
various	levels	in	the	frequencies	of	the	sea	of	consciousness	that	tend	to
settle	into	realms. Each	of	these	realms	congregates	about	an	attractor
field. When	the	energy	body	or	soul,	with	its	historical	collection	of
frequencies	and	patterns,	separates	from	the	physical	body,	it	then
gravitates	to	a	compatible	field	or	domain. These	constitute	the	post-
physical	life	potentialities	or	choices	between	the	various	levels,	such	as
hells,	purgatories,	limbos,	or	heavens. Obviously,	for	some	souls,	there	is
also	the	opportunity,	choice,	or	fate	of	choosing	another	physical	lifetime. If	we	ask	with	muscle	testing	whether	this	is	a	fairly	accurate	depiction	of
spiritual	reality,	we	get	the	answer	“yes. ”
					People	have	definite	opinions	about	such	matters,	and	the	question	ofreincarnation	is	a	favorite	area	for	argument. All	religions,	however,	agree
that	the	energy	body,	after	physical	death,	goes	on	to	a	fate	determined	by
one’s	actions	during	the	physical	lifetime. Therefore,	the	fate	is	determined
primarily	by	the	spiritual	decisions	and	actions	that	were	made,	with	great
importance	given	to	intention,	responsibility,	and	the	assent	of	the	Will. Spiritually	speaking,	whether	an	actual	physical	reincarnation	occurs	or
not	is	really	quite	academic. The	same	principles	and	fate	of	the	energy
body	remain	the	same	whether	it	would	resume	as	a	physical	existence	or
continue	on	an	energy	plane. One’s	fate,	obviously,	will	either	be	for	the
better	or	for	the	worse,	depending	on	the	choices	made	by	the	spiritual
will. It	would	seem	from	studies	of	the	spiritual	nature	of	consciousness
that	the	choice	to	resume	another	human	physical	life	would	be	an	option
that	is	determined	by	the	innate	patterns	of	a	specific	soul. Of	more
importance	is	the	interpretation	and	understanding	of	the	factors	that
determine	the	fate	of	the	soul/energy	body	and	its	destiny	after	physical
death. From	the	foregoing	analysis	and	spiritual	research,	it	appears	that	one’s
ultimate	fate	is	the	automatic	and	impersonal	consequence	of	the	energy
patterns	that	have	been	set	up	in	the	aura	of	the	spirit	body,	i.
What	is	the	relationship	between	spirituality	and	consciousness? A:	The	domain	of	spirituality	is	that	of	the	realm	of	consciousness. Spiritual
Would	you	explain	your	understanding	of	karma? A:	Every	thought	or	action	gives	off	a	vibration	or	a	track	that	is	a	high-
What	is	the	best	way	to	raise	one’s	consciousness? A:	By	interest,	intention,	and	study,	one	develops	a	familiarity	with	spiritual
The domain of spirituality is that of the realm of consciousness. Spiritual development and revolution are facilitated by an understanding of the nature of consciousness.
What is the relationship between spirituality and consciousness?