RAW VIRTUE

A Guide To Living A Moral Life

By: Julian Peters

Chapter 1:
Confidence
To succeed in life all you need is ignorance and confidence. - Mark Twain
If you look up the word confidence in a dictionary you will find that not only does it mean trust but it is also a synonym for assurance. Assurance, if you look it up in a dictionary, will say that it is a pledge, or a promise of some sort which is similar to confidence or self-reliance. So if in these two meanings of confidence and assurance we find a similar promise, what kind are we making and to what exactly? Is this promise to our own self empowerment to achieve our goals the way we see fit, or is this promise simply an inward pilgrimage towards a state of mind free of all doubt and insecurity? This may be the start of the journey if one looks deep enough to find the colorful gem of confidence that we experience in our daily lives. Opposed to all the emotions on the wide scale of human consciousness, I cant imagine another emotion greater than confidence. This inner marching freedom can be so powerful that even the greatest walls have been pulled down from it. Some of the greatest architecture have been built because of it, and let us not forget the single fact that it gets us out of bed every morning. Like your early morning cup of coffee or mid lunch tea break, confidence is the one emotion you can fall back onto and know that yes, Im doing everything alright. Theres a lot about confidence that everyone can relate to but its the finite and detailed aspects of confidence that makes it what it is to each individual. Its not safe to assume that

everyones idea of confidence is going to be the same but when we put a word with an experience together, we can finally get some understanding. This thing we call confidence I think everyone can agree is shared among all people in some way or another. Confidence is

your stronghold. If you ever feel like youre in a tight spot and you cant really get out of the situation youre in, you can breathe and let your self confidence guide you to the spot you need to be. Have you ever been in a crowded room and because it was so packed, you just let yourself carry you through the large crowd almost having no idea where you were going except your self confidence was guiding you to safety? Or have you ever accidentally injured yourself and kept moving through the pain with confidence that it would go away, even though the pain was unbearable? Thats what Im talking about! Theres almost a primitive root in this emotion that I think people take for granted and its one of the most powerful ones of all. The root of the mind is to be happy and peaceful but if that root becomes damaged or starts to rot, then there are lots of problems. This same aspect of human consciousness can be shared and related to in the same way. Whenever our confidence becomes colored or infused with some other sort of negative emotion it no longer is the confidence Im talking about. The confidence Im talking about is golden and has rays of light emanating from underneath its silver cloak. This type of confidence can and will be the single most powerful tool you will ever have in your life. If you just have confidence in yourself that you are doing what you need to be doing, where you need to be doing it, with the right people you need to be doing it with, there should be no doubt in your mind that you are on the right track. There are exceptions of course to feelings, because everyone has different feelings and no one person experiences the same feelings. The feelings of confidence can branch from the most primitive animalistic character traits to the most enlightened and knowledgeable forms of wisdom known to mankind. This spew of confidence that radiates

through the cells of your core being whenever the moment arises to do good is so powerful that it will give you lightning bolt energy to complete the task at hand. I mean that when I say it. It is lightning bolt energy. The same energy that consists inside of a bolt of lightning is inside of you and is stimulating your consciousness every moment of every day. What you do with it is your choice, but to use confidence as a sharp sword in spite of the demons of doubt and fear, that is a challenge I dare each individual to face on their own! I have to mention all the people who suffer from chronic pain because these people know exactly what Im talking about. Some people may only have some financial problems and a few jumbled emotions rolling around in their head about what their spouses needs are, but in reality their lives are actually just fine and they dont have any real reason to be upset. There are those however who do experience tragedy and severe pain. These deep scars can be so damaging that some legitimate forms of self confidence can almost be completely lost if the individual cant cope with the trauma. The ones who do go through severe physical pain day after day and have to deal with tragedies in their lives of all kinds, these people experience the ultimate test of confidence. Because not only do the clouds seem dark, and not only does your head feel wracked with so many uncomfortable emotions, you keep pushing on through with your confidence that things will work out. Its the little things in life that can so easily be applied to daily life and can save lives. Now, we cant stray away from the grand polar aspects of this superb emotion that renders us such a noble inner smile. This emotion can literally stir a panic of a whole colony of people to start a World War. If you look throughout history its just so easy to see! Some of the greatest tragedies have all in some way or another fallen victim to the blind confidence of someone who thought they were good enough to get what they wanted when they wanted it. Its just that simple. If humans dont get what they want when they want it, they get angry, and

when they get angry their confidence becomes colored with rage. I cant tell you how many times Ive seen people become so flared up from their own selfish confidence that it looked like their heads could burst right then and there! Confidence is a very important subject and it needs to not be talked about lightly. That is mainly why I distributed this chapter first. Just as well as it is a great stimulant for positive change and growth within an individual, this stimulation can cause quite a riot. History will prove that statement true and I dont feel the need is necessary to give an example as to how. The bottom line is that the sublime force of human confidence has a lot of power behind it. It can cause great good and it can also cause great harm if the individual behind the force of this confidence doesnt steer it in the right direction. The backbone of the working class is filled with the drive to pursue their needs by demand and when those demands arent met it can be quite hard to steer our confidence back up . To accept things, changing as they are, and be confident that things will work out the way they need to for you is much better of a lesson than to only be fueled by confidence itself. It has its own limitations. The shell of this emotion is our ignorance blocking us from seeing the core beauty behind what it is were really a part of. This world we live in is so diverse and inter connected. To waste one moment in blind rage could ruin a whole lifetime of awestruck beauty and self fulfillment. Every moment must be taken into consideration for the one who chooses to use confidence to their advantage. To confide in the truth of nature and the truth within ourselves is the greatest confidence. The greatest trust you will ever know is the confidence that comes from knowing the truth of your nature and how you really work. A lot of people have a hard time day to day with having positive self confidence about themselves and about their lives in general. To improve your confidence would greatly improve your character and make your life much more joyful. Here are tips for integrating confidence into your life:

 Wake up with a smile on your face every single day. Doing this will increase your drive for success and will also help you stay grounded for the start of your day. Often times we can become overwhelmed by how much we have to go through for the day or how many things havent been done yet. Some people have to live with chronic pain or disease and illnesses, and the stress from these factors can create a great burden just to get up! So when you wake up in the morning stretch your arms out real wide, take a deep breath and throw that smile on there like you never smiled before. This one is the easiest to forget but if you remember you wont regret it! In the morning take a hot shower and wash yourself with confidence. There is nothing more satisfying than taking a hot shower in the morning and feeling confident about yourself and your body. Im not just talking about the way your body looks or how fit and trim you think your body is. What I really mean is having confidence in yourself in your body and having confidence with who you are as a person. This is most important. If you do this routinely every day you will without a doubt create more and more confidence within yourself. Dont forget to wash yourself carefully because you are still a fragile being who needs to be taken care of. If you wash yourself with care you will watch yourself with care. Learn from your observations of your confidence and dont ever forget to feel good about who you are exactly the way you are today. Another idea would be to find your favorite soap that makes you feel the best about yourself! Make choices everyday that will increase confidence in yourself.

Some people just dont live for themselves or they dont really live for anyone at all. To be quite honest you have be almost a little selfish to want to be more confident of a person, and thats okay. I think the idea of selfishness in our society has been misconstrued to be a negative thing and it certainly isnt. I think we all should be equally selfish in our confidence towards our own nature. We all have needs that need to be met and to follow through with those needs is mandatory, but some people just dont have the confidence to step right up to the plate and say so. If there is something in your life that needs to be changed, you need to change it yourself. No one can change it for you and this is where confidence will drive you home with a gold medal. If you cant change certain things in your life no matter how hard you try, have confidence that youre going to be okay even without those certain things there sticking out like a sore thumb. Confide in your confidence and confidence will confide in you. Let it guide your decision making for yourself and the rest will fall into place. The rest is up to you and your observations. No one has the mind that you have and you are the only creator of your reality for yourself, so why not make it as beautiful as possible with your own self confidence to color the way? Shine like a star with confidence and your life will change in every way you see fit. Dont let doubt or fear disturb your confidence. If youre intentions are correct and your confidence is used properly, everything you need will come exactly when you need it, and you may even get a little something extra you didnt expect. Thats the beautiful thing about this concept. You dont expect anything in return, you just confide in the fact that you are going to get everything you need and youre going to be ready when the time comes for those things to come into your life. No matter what it is in your life that you feel like you may need more of, confidence will attract it towards you and make it that

much more tangible than before when it wasnt there. Your dreams and your goals can become a reality if you let your confidence be the fuel for your victory. Dont forget to pat yourself on the back after youve done all you can do with yourself, and dont push yourself over the edge. Just the right amount of confidence is enough to push you in the right direction for a whole lifetime. So dont rush, and dont be lazy! Start using confidence as a tool as soon as you can, and see where you can apply it. It will become a major asset to your experience here on Earth.

Chapter 2:
Love and Kindness
Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. -His Holiness The Dalai Lama

To learn about love and kindness one need not look up definitions in a dictionary. The actual experience of love and kindness is just enough to give you the right impression of exactly what it truly is. Love is not a feeling you get when butterflys float around in your stomach or that moment when you see a beautiful picture and you are awestruck by its craftsmanship. Love is an experience of enormous appreciation towards a specific thing. That would mean that along with love, kindness humbly follows behind it as its loyal servant. This servant of kindness, along with love will for ever be a couple in harmony with one another. These two great forces of human nature drive us towards the indescribable and unknowable. Only those who have experienced true love and kindness can tell you what its like other wise they can only paint you a picture of an experience. The good news is that you can experience loving kindness here and now! It can follow you everywhere you go if you let it, and the one thing that stops it is your willingness to experience it. You may have a lot to handle day by day, and you may have troubles at work or troubles at home, but loving kindness brings over this soothing forgiveness that no herb or medicine can offer. This type of love is more potent than a wild rose and it can fill whole buildings with its

scent if you let it. Go ahead and try to let your loving kindness shine through you and see what comes your way. You will be instantaneously surprised at how wonderful this miracle feeling works and how powerful it is. If you watch closely, your love and kindness are the closest thing to you than you are to yourself! In most cases love has some type of catch or mixed feeling in with it. For example you may be having a rather difficult day and instead of drowning in it you try to reach out to someone about it, like all humans do when theyre in need. Then the person you reach out to starts to sympathize on some level, depending on how sensitive that person is, and theyll try to offer some advice, or a quick fix so to speak. You probably know very well that your problem isnt going to go away with some miracle cure, and that the simple reaching out for support from another human being was just the right medicine you needed at that moment to feel better about your situation. Well the person you reached out to probably doesnt completely see it that way and will either stop sympathizing with you or just plain tell you in some vague way to go away. The main reason is that everyone is truly just trying to help themselves. Their downfall is that we stop helping others in return. This topic of love and kindness is very important because I feel that everyone in some way or another is trying to find that inner loving kindness that transcends personal and physical needs. Its the type of love that commits a Mother to feed her children even though shes just as hungry as they are. Its the type of love a Brother tells a Father that he feels disrespected and belittled by his behavior sometimes. Its the love you have for your elder family members who have been alive twice as long as you have, yet you still care for them to suit all their needs. This sublime and radiant love of infinite kindness is the love Im talking about that needs to be experienced in this lifetime. Not only do we need it to survive, we need love to live our lives

everyday. Can you honestly say that an infant will raise itself after its born without the love of its parents and become a wholesome individual? If a Mother never touched her baby do you think that baby would become a young and happy child one day? Our society must realize the immense impact that loving kindness and the relationship it has on human development and culture as a whole. Without the foundation of loving kindness our intentions will be lost and our direction will quiver. We need love like the grass needs the sun. The water and fluid inside of every living plant is similar to the blood inside of every vein of our bodies. If this blood doesnt pump through our hearts out of love then what are they beating for? Why have a heart if you arent going to use it for kindness for other hearts. Your warm heartedness will prove most beneficial during times of need, and if for a moment all hope has been lost and fear has intoxicated every cell of your body... listen closely to the beat. The heart beats out of ambition for victory. The heart beats for the body to fuel it with just enough blood and circulation to thrive in that very moment. The heart beats not only because it has to, but because it wants to and it loves doing it. So incorporate positive activities and daily routines conducive to the heart beat of loving kindness and I swear that you will feel more fulfilled than any other day of your life. After many repetitions loving kindness will take root like a muscle in your mind. You must exercise this muscle like any other muscle. Practice it by being kind. Here are some tips on integrating love into your life today: Look around and see what you truly appreciate the most.

Youll be surprised to find that every little thing you see is so perfect that you will fall in love with it again and again if you try hard enough. If you practice loving everything you see as

much as possible youre bound to become a genuinely more kind hearted individual. Your pure kindness in this moment is as pure as it will ever be so better practice using it now to increase your loving kindness. Every now and then you may just have to stop and look at yourself to share some of that love with yourself. Dont feel afraid to love yourself the same way you love life. You deserve your own self love and kindness just as much as other people deserve self love and kindness. The truth is that only you know your needs and only your intuition alone will guide you to learn what loving kindness is. Dont forget to share loving kindness with your body as well! Every piece of food you consume should be done so with loving kindness. Treat everything you use and consume as if it were sacred. This will change youre whole dynamic of living over time and eventually you will pick things up and drop them out of pure love and it will make you perfectly happy to have held on and let go of just about anything. Love will become a great happiness if you let it, so start practicing today! Be true to the people in your life by being true to your self. No one is going to be offended if you are true to yourself. Those people in your life who arent comfortable with your true self are only uncomfortable because they arent comfortable with that aspect of themselves yet. This is where ultimate kindness should come in and face these people out of pure love. These people dont understand the kindness you are trying to practice. The key is that with most people you can invite them to join in on loving kindness by just being a great, loving and kind person to talk to. It would also help if you would become a helping hand to the people youre around wherever you are. Weather it be at home, in the office, at the supermarket, or with your family, dont forget to be true to your self and your needs. Its more important to be true

to yourself and your own love than to please the fleeting pleasures of others no matter how flattering they may act from their behavior. If you arent careful people will use your loving kindness like thirsty plant does water and try to use you for things. They dont see the pure generosity youre trying to develop and sometimes its not even the deed of doing an act of kindness but the intention to be of service out of kindness is what is most important to be understood. Dont forget this underlying message of loving kindness and you will smile your way happily through thick and thin all throughout your life. Perform wholesome deeds for yourself and for others. Sometimes just being kind at heart and loving in mind isnt quite enough. Eventually youre going to get tired or bored with not being able to express yourself physically in some way with this profound developing feeling of appreciation. If you cant help someone you know in some way, start by helping yourself. Eventually you will have to help yourself enough to get to the point where you can help others with justice. Its hard to help someone else become strong if you yourself arent strong. So be aware of your weaknesses and dont ignore them; they are youre learning tools. Loving kindness towards yourself will guide you towards naturally wanting to help others in different ways. This you will find on your own how to do and in your own way. A good way to start is with your family. If you cant help your family then find a group or a place of peace where you can offer your service. Even if its at one of your friends coffee shops or at your favorite whole foods store. It can be anywhere in the world! Just dont go out in the middle of the street and try to start helping every single person with their problems like you are some saint. You must be a humble servant of loving kindness and nothing else.

Dont let your desire fuel your loving nature to become indispensable at the expense of others happiness. You will be highly mistaken for doing so and not only will you hurt their feelings for not being their all the time when they need you, but you never said you would in the first place, you were just being kind. So know your limits when to perform wholesome deeds, and if all else fails and you cant do anything just stay clean. Cleanliness is next to godliness. Everyone likes a clean person around so if you can take care of yourself and try to stay as pure minded and clean as possible, youre bound to find your spot in the world some day where your service is not only needed but wholesomely appreciated. Acting out of love and kindness should be pure bliss and nothing else. Dont mix into it any personal needs or wants or else it will become diluted with your own desire. First genuinely do something out of kindness and learn from it. Reflect, and then find more like activities to do which are equally wholesome. If you keep it up you will be performing so many wholesome tasks every day someone may think you have eight arms! Let the performing aspect of kindness be a learning tool for developing your own loving kindness first, then you can really start becoming a selfless person. True selflessness and acts out of pure kindness make the most impact on people and the world. Once you start practicing this will become understood and it will be a great joy to be of service.

Chapter 3:
Compassion and Equanimity
Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty. -Albert Einstein

If you look closely, compassion isnt exactly what it used to be anymore in our society. In the south it may have been called hospitality but the overall sense of compassion towards human nature has been forgotten in some way. Without the slightest aim to poke at that balloon to burst, all Im saying is that there is a very dense buildup of something or another that isnt pure compassion. So from that stand point, I think its pretty easy to tell where real compassion comes into existence. Not only does it manifest itself during times of despair but it also surfaces when there is a time of great respect or appreciation for something. Like maybe for instance, the 4th of July fire works, even if youre not so much patriotic, there can still be an aura of compassion surrounding the bright colors and explosions of light in the sky. I dont think compassion should be confused with pity, because that would be a much lower realm of perceiving such a high state of consciousness. It surely takes an enhances individual to act compassionately. It takes a lot of heart and mindful sensitivity to feelings. The premise of compassion is as follows. We are experiencing a biological phenomenon of a corporeal structure, known as the body, and moment after moment the process of arising and passing away of this structure is

happening. On a theoretical level it can be explained, and through science even under a microscope it can be examined. Your skin renews itself entirely after a 28 day cycle. Every part of your body becomes renewed and more efficient over time and this simple functioning of our bodies creates the understanding that sooner or later eventually we must face essential truths about our nature. The truth is that our bodies are compounded and impermanent, and to know that we are finite and not infinite should be just enough information to surge a huge wave of compassion through any beings heart. You and I along with every single person youve ever met or shared a cup of coffee with is slowly decomposing but growing at the same time. Eventually we will grow old and our bodies wont work as best as they did and we may develop some illness of some sort that weakens us to the point where imminent death must be faced. I think the taboo of death is really the underlying factor in why death is such a huge problem for people to talk about these days. No one is talking about it and no one even wants to think for one moment in their minds that they are going to die and lose everything and everyone theyve ever truly cared about no matter how hard they try to hold on to them. Its a sacred truth that one must approach gently and with equanimity, because this truth must be experienced by all. Death is an inevitable part of life, but so is life and all of its beauty and wisdom. So the important message here is to not only develop compassion for yourself and your suffering, but compassion for all the beings around you that are suffering as well. The equanimity to live through life with this constant reminder will make your decisions such light hearted decisions that you will touch people so softly in ways you never thought you would touch a person. Sometimes you may even feel so sensitive to even touch any human at all because of the sensitivity of this changing nature of experience. We are witnessing the decomposing of our physical bodies from moment to moment as witnesses. This truly is a remarkable realization for the one whos eyes are open for

truth and knowledge. Compassion and equanimity I think are very important to our society not only because it sounds pleasant and is quite a good hearted gesture of good will, but it is intrinsic to the development of the civilization as a whole so we can thrive and live prosperously. Compassion and equanimity are the only stones that sink the farthest in water. They have such depth and they can be so vast. The greatest beings of ancient past had profound compassion and equanimity for all human suffering beyond most human comprehension. Now, its easy to accept intellectually that compassion is good and so too is equanimity, but hard part is acting on it and practicing it in daily life. Equanimity means accepting things as they are with mental calmness, even if there is a struggle or behavior pattern that is irrational and chaotic. Equanimity is the turtle like momentum through change that even if it is rather difficult, mental calmness and compassion is still maintained. This practice can be very difficult. Equanimity is the force that pulls you back to self when you need immediate grounding during any situation. Even through the doubt of others questioning your habits, and the annoyance of outside distractions, and even the turmoil that comes from within thats often the most powerful to handle, you just keep on working through it. That is equanimity. Accepting things as they are no matter how good or bad it is, and knowing with wisdom its true nature of impermanence. Its important that people learn these two key values because at one point or another in your life youre going to have to develop both no matter what. Some day something tragic will happen to you and you will have to face it with bold sincerity and equanimity. Your core being will be shattered to pieces and you may feel so emotionally twisted that letting go of all of your misery seems like its the only thing to do. Then compassion comes knocking on your ear drum calling for your assistance and the message is always the same. You are not alone in this! Be

calm! Relax! This is only temporary! Right now in history Ive never seen a more non-compassionate and chaotic society than our own. Its so important that these values get examined at least the fundamentals so that some minor changes to everyones lives can start changing little by little. A long journey starts with the first single step, and what a long journey we have here in this society. Here is some tips on cultivating compassion and equanimity into your life: Observe changing nature and have patience. Patience is a virtue, and if you use patience as a tool to develop equanimity you will be greatly rewarded. Just watch and observe the situations you find yourself in, and watch how you react to them. Over time your observations will become clear that patience is of utmost importance throughout all situations even if its the longest most boring experience of youre life! I dont condone fishing, or killing any animal species period but the idea of waiting with the bait and just sitting for the big whopper to bite so you can pull it up. Patience pays off and it always will, youll learn that if you practice this simple tip. Understand that human suffering is universal. Dont under estimate people when you see them. Each individual has a whole lifetime of experience just like you do, it just may be in a different field of interest. You could talk to someone whos sat on a couch most their lives about all their stories and they may actually have some pretty in depth transformative knowledge to share, but its all within the confines of that simple couch. If you really want to understand human suffering and generate compassion in your life, be very attentive to the needs of others. Having a pet is a great example, particularly a

dog. The dog doesnt know the truth of its inevitable downfall but its so loyal and loving, and it needs your love and guidance to stay alive for food and shelter. Im not saying become an animal, but you can learn from the animals their animal characteristic of innate love and kindness. The decomposing of the physical structure is happening all over the world, and its not just in your room with your friends, its in the restaurants and shopping malls and churches and libraries just as well. Its all around you, and beneath you just may be a burial ground of ancient people so step lightly. You may be stepping on someones grave. Say hello to your new compassionate self and dont be afraid to thank the world for this infinite free lesson of love. Do things that will enhance compassionate behavior. There are so many activities you can do to be more compassionate! The list is just endless and even I am still learning how to achieve new and profound ways to be a more loving individual. Everyday is a lesson to learn a new way to smile and shake hands with life. Low and behold you are the master of your behavior and if you are strong enough you can be the most compassionate loving individual you ever thought you could be. If you have the right intentions and are open enough, it will come natural over time and youll see a dramatic improvement in your behavior patterns. I was going to actually say things to do to be more compassionate but really the truth will set you free so youre going to have to explore on your own with it. Accept every little imperfection of yourself. I saved this one for last because it is the hardest thing to do for every individual. One of the hardest things you can do is accept not only the great things about yourself but the imperfect and faulty parts of yourself as well. Everyone has them and youre not an alien for having them.

It just takes a long time coping with some of the harder ones and even those can be learning tools for deep love and appreciation. At the end of the day you have to lay day with yourself and at the start of the day you have to get up with yourself, so facing the facts that you have an issue or a problem should be the first on the list because if you ignore it its going to whiplash you at the worst moments in your beautiful human life. Address these hard facts first head on, even use a mirror if you have to. Dont forget that even these imperfections are impermanent and arent permanent no matter what they are. This knowledge will keep your spirits strong and your compassion for yourself will radiate towards others like the sunset.

Chapter 4:
Effort
Continuous effort, not strength or intelligence, is the key to unlocking our potential. -Winston Churchill

Effort doesnt need to be explained for you to understand that it is very much a real and identifiable aspect of human behavior. The mere act of effort within a human being can be observed simultaneously while observing your own efforts to even do so. Effort to me is like the bud of a flower trying to bloom. It may rain one night, or be blistering hot the next day, but the flower still remains a closed bud of potent potential. That to me is what the effort of human behavior is symbolic to. The effort of a man can be such a powerful message and yet such an unyielding one. The Buddha spoke of in the Eightfold Path of Right effort. I think this specific type of effort should be explained more in depth and should be understood, because it seems like many people are aimlessly trying to achieve these inconceivable goals and desires that their efforts are wasted on some of the most idiotic and stupid activities. A good example would be the American Dream, and Ill just leave it at that. The word dream should say enough in that statement. How do you define a real life experience if it is spent day after day chasing after a dream? Can you answer that honestly? I dont know how to tell people that they are chasing after a goal that is unattainable and is pointless to follow in that direction, but yet the roads and cars are still filled with people. Who knows where theyre all going? Where will they end up at

the end of the night after the hustle and bustle of doing this and doing that, fixing this, fixing that. I have no idea, except I know one thing is for sure. Right effort is a specific type of effort that should be thoroughly understood so you can go ahead and stop wasting your precious time. The Buddha specifically stated in the Noble Eightfold path that right view is generating desire and intentions for the non arising of evil, and unskillful qualities that have not yet risen. He generates desire and upholds his intent for the sake of the abandonment of evil, unskillful qualities that have arisen. He generates desire, upholds and exerts his intent for the sake of the arising of skillful qualities that have not yet arisen. He generates desire, upholds and exerts his intent for the development of skillful qualities that have arisen. So in a nut shell theres a lucky coin of Buddhas wisdom for you to ponder on and question weather or not your so called effort is anything like the type of effort the Buddha talked about. I think many people will have to agree that their efforts may be similar but are not even nearly as concise and adjusted to fit this standard of effort. These guidelines for the development of right effort straight from the Buddha should help you understand what I mean by effort in this chapter. By no means does the effort Im speaking of in any way relate to the effort of achieving some mystical state of consciousness or obtaining material wealth. This effort is strictly for the development of the empirical individual to use as guidelines to enhance their practice of nobility. I think this subject is important because in our society today so much effort is being exhausted at the expense of peoples health and freedom. Its not even realistic to work two jobs to support a lifestyle that is damaging to you and your family and not to mention the environment. Im sorry but if you havent realized yet that your effort may not be right effort Im here to humbly suggest you reflect once more at your main intention of your efforts. You can

aim high and low with effort. Like a bow and arrow with such great tension a single shot can hit or miss with great force, but carefully and mindfully with skill and right effort a single arrow can hit a target at such precision that there isnt even time for your eye to follow it in the air before its already dead center on the target. Right effort is a must have for those who travel the path to purification. In order to become a pure minded individual you might have truly the right effort to do so with much willingness to persevere through the developing stages. Now not everyone has to adopt such strict views of effort, this is just a model of what noble effort looks like for those willing to try. You can use right effort for things in your daily life as well with the same knowledge applied in the previous chapters to increase your efforts. If you know the goal you are trying to achieve and you are aware that it makes no difference if you obtain the goal or not, then their is an ease of will upon your part that if something good happens your effort doesnt have to be depleted and you arent exhausted trying to force so many things to happen all the time. We easily get caught up in trying to control many different things in our lives and it just isnt realistic. Maybe some are better at it than others, but eventually certain things you are going to have to let go of. Maybe some old habits youve created, or an old crowd thats holding you back from your true potential. It could be anything, and you wont know until you finally let go of whatever it is and use right effort to go in the direction that you know is the right direction for yourself and for everyone. That compassionate nature will surely provide you enough stamina to endure the toughest efforts that challenge you in life. The only way you can know for sure is if you try to apply it in your life and see for your self. Here are some ways of doing so: Develop an intention for transformation. This is step number one. If you havent already made this step by now then Im surprised

youve even read this far. This first step is the most essential in developing yourself in a positive and transforming way that accepts change and how nature intended things to be for you. If you have the right intention to change yourself to be a better human being and to transform yourself to become a noble person, there is no doubt in the world that you have the ultimate advantage because not only do you have the intention of transformation, but you are willing to be transformed. It may seem like a scary idea at first, but once you start noticing the differences in yourself you will definitely tell how major changes are taking place and you are just fine! Theres nothing to be scared of when it comes to self transformation. The only difficulty is taking the step itself. The rest is just walking the path step by step. Clean vigorously. There is no better learning tool than cleaning something. Especially if it is very dirty. It feels so good just to get the dirt and grime off of whatever has been left there and then see it totally new and fresh as if it never had any stain or spot on it before. This act of cleaning is very powerful for spiritual development and I advise you do lots of it, internal and external. Fruits and vegetables are about the cleanest and most nutrient filled foods you can consume, but externally there is always something that can become dirty that can be made nicer that it was before. I believe that if the whole Earth took a day off to just clean, the next day everyone would stop and realize what theyve been doing they would realize they are making a huge mess again. Just learn to clean, youll learn the benefits after. It comes in handy especially when youre interacting with people or living with others. People love people who like to stay clean, so dont be afraid to be.

 Try harder when trying hard seems to fail.

You may be thinking about what I said earlier about not trying so hard and exhausting your efforts. But there is a difference between exhaustion and exertion. If you exert yourself in a specific effort to do something you are bound to get results. Its just the exhausting yourself part that doesnt give the good results. Many people confuse exhaustion with exertion. When you exert your energy towards something and you know its going to be difficult you simply exert enough force until you need to relax and take a breath. Calm yourself down, let yourself settle, feel the calm throughout your body, and then start again. This technique is ancient and has been practiced by many cultures, not only with breath awareness but with exertion of effort towards a task at hand. Never slave yourself over a chore or deed that needs to be done. Simply perform the task at hand with right effort and breathe and settle once youre done. Youll feel much more relaxed that way once youre done and youll realize you have so much more energy to do more things! Dont waste all your effort on just one thing, its so spoiling and often you will get angry because you have to do so much work. Plow the field one stroke at a time. This method not only will increase your energy but will give you a more relaxed work attitude throughout the day.

Chapter 5:
Friendship
The only way to have a friend is to be one. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

The greatest friend youll ever find in the world is with you all the time every day. It takes a long time to realize this but its absolutely true. You are the one who ends up with you after youre done being with others. You are always stuck with you always! Forgetting that you should enjoy who you are and have at least a little bit of appreciation towards being such a diverse individual is quite unfortunate. Friendship is a loyal and noble representation of human development. The right friendship can truly benefit a persons life in such a strong way that you can feel like youre the most loved person in the whole world. The problem is that this friendship between others can be broken and disintegrated into all the negative spectrums of emotions. A true friend accepts every imperfection of the other person, and also helps them see their down falls. This type of friend is very useful to have around, but dont forget that if that friend is just constantly blaming you for all your faults. Who do they think they are anyways? You have to accept your faults and be who you are, not them. So be very careful when having adopting a new friend into your life who is going to influence you. These people can have a very strong affect on the outcome of who you are. Their confidence can become a mask for your confidence, and their sorrow can become a costume of your sorrow. Never adopt another friends suffering as your own, only have compassion and respect. If you allow a friends suffering to

cause suffering for you then youre both walking backwards from true noble friendship. A noble friend points out all of the wisdom and experience there is to be shared. If you cant see high upon the mountain, a good friend is the one who points up to the very top and says there my friend is the top. Friendship is the foundation of humanity and is absolutely essential for spiritual development. Having a good friend can be very challenging as well as rewarding, but if you choose the right friends to befriend and stick with them long enough to go through trials and tribulations, you will never regret a single moment of your experiences together. Those moments are the moments you will cherish for the rest of your life to reflect back on. Never under estimate the value of a true friendship. They are so fragile and easily damaged. One true and noble friend is better than a group of fake ones. Youll never truly know human consciousness unless you spend time with other people and observe their behavior. You will learn so much from others just by being with them that you wont even realize it at first. That is why its so important to choose the right friends, because their actions speak louder than their words. Everything they do is a signal for you to understand their intentions and their will. Immediately, if you are aware you can detect if a person is a noble friend or has potential to be a noble friend. Dont be too picky though, some of the greatest friends youll ever have are hiding behind masks of emotions and sorrow. You may never see a true friend until finally they decide to come out and say hello. These people you should be careful depending on, because you may never understand if theyll be dependable friends or not. Just have compassion for the friends who are kind and show you support. Eventually there will come a time where you will find solitude is more genuine than surrounding around friends constantly. Friends can have strong desires and wants that are unnecessary to your personal development. The friendship a person should look for is the one that is around even when your development isnt the best. A true

friend is there when your heart falls on the ground. A true friend will stop everything theyre doing and make sure your shoe laces are tied right then and there, just out of love. Im not kidding its that kind of love that makes the world go round. You may find it crazy, but the love of friends will teach you very valuable lessons about human behavior and consciousness. Just dont get sucked into having to be a part of a crowd. Thats a road where friendship becomes closer to a mob mentality rather than interpersonal, long lasting human relationships that can accrue strong bonds over time. The concept of friendship is the concept that should be interpreted and respected by every culture. There are no people who at some time or another dont enjoy the company of a good friend. Our society today is slowly creating more and more unhealthy isolation between people in various ways. The jobs that are keeping people at work isolate them from families. The struggles of financial support keeps friends away from quality time together to develop and experience even more grand times together. Children are focusing more on boxes of electricity than on the wisdom of their elders and other family members. To top it off young people are more lost then they have ever been in society ever in history. It should have never gotten like this but some how the way our society is running, it has created diversified and isolated segments of barriers between human beings. There isnt any friendly gatherings or pure celebrations to enjoy life on a more diverse cultural level. Instead we are sectioned off in the grid system world of our so called democracy and we make sure that our grass keeps getting greener day by day. This has to change, and its got to start taking place sooner rather than later. Friendship is the first thing that has to be developed between two people in order to progress towards a goal. Without that basic foundation of friendship, everything you do together will be abstract and lost. A common goal shared between friends is truly a precious gift. Working

together towards the same thing to get the same results is the most rewarding experience and I suggest everyone try it at some point. The joy of reaching the goals together and going through the hard work makes you feel appreciation towards all the people you worked with, who tried just as hard as you to achieve and accomplish that goal. This concept of goal setting with groups of people are happening all over the world in different ways. The idea of world peace isnt that hard of an idea if you considered the basic premise of friendship and its fundamentals. No barriers, no animosity, total openness towards relating and working together no matter what age race or religion. That is truly a beautiful experience. Friendship can and will be your most cherished aspect of living once you truly reflect on it. You wont forget how people touched you and treated you in a positive way. Its very hard though to forget and abandon the hurt that comes from being mistreated from a good friend. That can be worse than even having an enemy. Having an enemy can be much easier because its simply a lack of understanding and friendship. A unresolved conflict amongst good friends can be heart breaking and must be treated with ultimate kindness. There is a deep love affair between hearts of friends. The only thing stopping them from totally destroying each other out of chaos is the inherent love between the two. This can be symbolized by two boys playing and rolling around on the floor with each other. What a beautiful thing to see, young children play and get along playfully. This attitude towards friendship with children can still be withheld and adopted today if we were to just attempt to act as if everyone in the world is someone on our great playground of friends. There are some limits to this behavior that must be observed and you must treat each individual with respect in their own way. The only difference between being a good friend and being a friend is that you dont have any boundaries of behavior with them. You can act mad or sad or happy and that person will always accept you for who you ever forever and always. A friend will just keep it as bare face

value closed barrier happiness, and thats that. Thats okay too, some people just dont have to be good friends, and even some people shouldnt be friends for very good reasons. Some people love being friends so much with certain people that its very hurtful for them. That could go on very deep, but the message is still the same. Being mindful of the type of people you surround yourself with is important in growing and developing yourself. This lesson will strengthen you and build your character ten fold because not only do you have friends who support you but you can be who you want to be around them. They are like your second family. Cherish the moments with these people and always ask them if they need anything of you. Dont be afraid to ask them for help either when you truly need it. The ultimate friendship test is when youre in need and you need a friends assistance. This test will prove weather one is worthy of a lasting noble friendship or not. If you learn early on how to choose good friends, this will come easier than anything else you do. We are immediately attracted to people who have qualities in themselves we like or would like to have in ourselves. Never feel ashamed or discouraged to approach someone with an attractive character and tell them what you like about them. They will feel very grateful for your kind words and you may just start a long lasting friendship! Here are some tips for developing good and lasting friendships: First impression is everything. Its not appropriate to present yourself like in a business fashion to start a friendship, but if you truly want a friend you must be a friend, so show your friendship immediately upon meeting an individual that you think is a nice person. You will be surprised how flattered people will be by how you introduce yourself to them and how kind you are. They will just suck up every moment with you as if you were the person theyd been waiting for their whole lives. Dont

be too punctual though, a lot of people have experience with friendships and some of them dont necessarily work out the best, so you have to respect that some people have been hurt by friends and have to learn to trust you first.

Be a really great speaker and smile. At first most people may consider your over friendliness and ability to speak outwardly with confidence as some sort of cover up or threat, but eventually they will succumb to your sweet kindness and cant help but absorb every drop of kindness you give them. If you practice this often even with people you know you will become more and more friendly of a person. Share positive experiences that others can relate to. Sometimes just relating about positive experiences with someone is enough to start a lasting friendship, and it takes almost not effort. Some people find it hard to do this is a kind and noble way because what some people see as positive others may see as destructive or useless. Make sure you know who youre talking to before you start sharing personal experiences. Your experience is all you have and it should be respected. If you feel like you are trapped in a conversation where your experience isnt valued or appreciated, just smile and leave. Theres no point being around anyone who isnt going to take what you have to say with appreciation. You deserve to be listened to just as much as others deserve to be listened to by you. Dont forget that listening can be a great learning to as well in friendship. Some friends just need a good listener in order to feel stable in life. Share what youve got under your belt, and dont be afraid to put your foot down when you know youve been burnt by the stove so to speak.

 Be there for a friend when they really need you. I think this is the most important part of friendship that people forget about after a while. Its so easy to have a bunch of good friends and everything be good and fun, but once things start getting tough thats when youll start watching people slowly leave the picture. A great friend will stick through with you no matter how difficult a situation is. They will be there for you when you need support, and they will even suffer for you if they have to. These types of friends are very valuable and you should treat them with great respect.

Chapter 6:
Society and Environment
Unless there is peace in the mind of the individual, how can there be peace in the society? - S. N. Goenka

The society in which we live in has become and has maintained a primitive idea that human consciousness will achieve some higher expectation or goal that is greater than the already achieved goal or destination. There is no society within this world that will survive long enough to see lasting prosperity of there isnt some way for man to come together amongst their ways and develop harmoniously without hurting others. The organization of our communities and its expectations have evolved to succumb to a very minuscule understanding of morality. What others have done before us including ancient cultures has proven that civilizations and even small communities inhabiting all parts of the world can and have been for centuries adopted to a way of living that is conducive to protecting and sheltering those very people. I think a great way to explain society would be like the bedrock at the bottom of a river. The stones may shift and move when the tides get tough and flow with great speed, but the stronger more stable rocks that have made themselves a mount of stability and power are the ones that withstand the strong current of the tides. Our society today is being swept away by the current tide of ignorance and desire. Not only has our lack of understanding our structured society made use less genuine of people, but the structure of it in its own way enables individuals to act

certain ways simply according to how the structure itself has been built. Some people dont really stop to understand this, but these concrete streets and steel buildings havent been here very long. The lamplights that light the sidewalk at night stand where a whole forest used to linger in deep silence for decades. What once was an entire acre of peaceful nature and forest has now become a busy restaurant or cafe on a busy street corner. Its almost an profound idea to think about when you imagine that the very building or structure thats sheltering you is no more than a building of materials to protect you from the outside forces of nature. The very thing we are trying to hide ourselves from and pretend doesnt exist is nature itself. Our society is blindly ignoring the fundamentals of human nature and has created a wonderland of despair and blind activity. Why is it that people feel like they even need to be a part of society if society doesnt want to be a part of them? Why is it that you have to become a part of society and not society becomes a part of you? There is a role reversal here that has been changed and its very daunting to see the results. The American Dream is still hopelessly being followed day after day, and no one seems to pay attention that it is a very powerful illusion of security that you just might get swept away by. Understanding our society and its role on human nature is very important for many reasons. One reason is not only the advancement of individuals and their development, but their ability to feel safe in the area where they live. The draining of truth from consciousness is spoiling our blood with fear and recklessness. People are more distracted and sidetracked in their day to day lives than ever before in history. Not only alone does media perpetuate this constant distraction, but the meditative aspect of being a part of a culture that has a foundation has almost entirely been lost. What is the point of being part of a civilization which has no interest in being civilized? Where do you draw the line between absolute chaos and slow

progress. Theres got to be a breaking point at some point when people decide to use their bare hands to change the society to make it more constructive to our protection and our freedom to express ourselves without oppression and negativity. Peace within the society can never remain unless the people within the society learn ways to develop group conscious behavior. All of a sudden you are stuck in a crowd of strangers and you are alone in a sea of a hundred floating heads who are just as lost as you are. Everyone has a special contribution to society that could be fully and entirely integrated if it were fully accepted by the whole of the society. Imagine if the whole society developed a type of consciousness where all is heard, all is observed, and all is reviewed within all ears of the audience. How grand would it be to hear the speakers tell the truth of our need of abundance and fortitude. Prosperity is closer to humanity then it realizes but it takes each individual to slowly make the change from within to project it in the right way. Without the self projection of self expression we have no communication of ideas and we simply cant have a true sense of community amongst one another. Society is broken down into separate communities, and these communities are broken down into families. The core values of the individuals within the family must be transformed, and then along with those families a large branch of opportunities to change society will surface. It takes one individual to spark a movement. To make just this movement is the right one or not depends on the individual, but one thing must be examined and understood by all. There is a crisis of misunderstanding and the isolation which is depriving families of core values is slowly dissolving our culture to become numb to human suffering, and bitter towards individuals within the same society. This observation is the one and most important aspect of society that must be understood before real positive change can take place. It starts from within, and then the change will come on the outside simply because you are transforming yourself and your values. Your habits change so

does your behavior, and eventually slowly but surely you are teaching society in a silent way to do the right thing to all just by doing the right thing yourself. It is like magic. Here are some ways that you can integrate yourself into society without actually disrupting that flow of things in a negative way: Start by observing and transforming yourself.

The simple act of self transformation through observation will change your environment and create a more radiant atmosphere for consciousness and purity to develop. Never underestimate the power of mans ability. You can change if you truly want to. You can make life a better place to life if you truly want to. The key is to do it within yourself first. If you go get that green bag that says peace you may think youre doing good for the environment and society, but really your mind and your intentions are really what will stimulate society to become a more better one. If you influence anyone in a positive way daily, weekly, or monthly, then you are contributing to society. If you can imagine if everyone did these simple things daily, our society would start changing rapidly and more efficient ways of doing things would develop. Things would just get better if everyone did this simple step. Try to stay as efficient as possible at home and at work. I dont want to burst your bubble but if you go smell your trash can, you probably will not like the smell and you wont appreciate the awful odor it leaves behind either! This trash is being collected every single day by your city and its having to spend thousands of dollars every single week just to deal with all the trash thats being thrown away. Heres some words of advice. Conserve. Conserving what you need and stocking up on what you know you use the most of is

the best way to stay efficient. What a load off it would be for the trash man to skip your house every day! Buy food that you can recycle the boxes and trash easily, and make sure you separate the cans and plastics from the trash. You wouldnt believe how much money goes into simply recycling and compounding trash every single day. Bring a lunch to work if you have to, and if you have to travel for work a lot then simply buy what you need and bring it with you so you can prepare it where ever you go on your next stop. Preparation is key here when trying to conserve. If you prepare for things to be more efficient then the more efficient it will be.

Grow a garden! Some people forget that the food they buy at the store you can actually grow in your own back yard, and you dont even need to pay for it to grow! Its probably the most efficient thing you can do for yourself especially if you are trying to conserve and monitor your spending. If you had all the food you needed at home, and never had to go to the super market or any where else. You would have a super market in your own back yard. Its called fruits and vegetables. Buy some seeds and dont be afraid to tear up your grass. It wasnt doing anything very important before you started this project so pay your respects and build a garden shed. In a few months you will have all the sweet vegetables and herbs of your dreams. The best part is you get to take care of them and enjoy the fruits of your labor! This tip may not apply to a lot of people considering where they live, but if you develop the intention of working toward this dream, I swear once you are there you will be so satisfied with the results. Being around plants, growing plants, eating plants, and nurturing plants are superior for conscious development. Watching a plant grow can be transforming in its own respect if you let it.

Chapter 7:
Wisdom
To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him. -Buddha

If wisdom were to be defined, then it wouldnt really be wisdom at all. In fact merely the word wisdom may or may not have any meaning to the ear or eye of the individual perceiving it. What you may know as wisdom others simply know. What you know as knowledge others may see as wisdom. The missing link between knowledge and wisdom is experience. There is absolutely no way in this world that a person can become knowledgable and wise if he is not experienced. This is the most simple understanding of all understandings! You must experience something before you can have the wisdom and knowledge of that thing. If you were asked to describe a particular experience to another person, that person may become knowledgeable about that experience, but the wisdom you have of that experience is your own and the knowledge of that experience to the person understanding it is limited by their lack of experiencing it. This must be understood by all people if they truly wish to develop in moral living. Some people life only with knowledge and minor understanding of certain aspects of life. There are times when reflection surfaces in the mind about what a certain experience may or

may not be like, but it is almost always burnt out immediately after there is something to distract the mind from exploring this thing we call experience. Weather we like it or not, once we are born we start experiencing, so there is some innate wisdom inside each individual from the beginning. The highest wisdom though comes from true understanding of the inner nature of yourself, and that takes time. If you know yourself fully and without a doubt, that is a much higher wisdom than simply knowing you exist. You could live your whole life existing rather than experiencing. There is a fundamental difference between the two. One is almost animalistic. The other is closer to an experiment of consciousness. Understanding cause and effect of your own behavior and seeing how your body and mind interconnect together create experience. The wisdom that comes from this understanding is a much more potent wisdom than pure existence. You can eat soup, or you can experience eating the soup. There is an observer behind the experience here. Watch closely! Wisdom is the single and greatest gift to humanity! Wisdom is the fragrance of the flower of raw virtue. There is no greater message and no greater gift than the sharing of true wisdom. Wisdom is like a plant that can be cultivated by experience and awareness, and if you are watchful your wisdom in turn will develop just as much. You will see finite details everywhere and little things will catch your eye. Dont get distracted though because the thoughts and feelings can become a great disturbance to the experience itself. Mere observation is best for developing wisdom. If you just simply observe with no input closed mouth open eyes or closed eyes if youre on the path already, you will notice change. Changing nature and changing patterns will formulate and you will see the inner workings of nature. The changing nature of reality is the most important wisdom to learn. It is the single tool that every single wise person has discovered that helped them reach the final goal of enlightenment. You yourself must see

with your own experience the change within yourself and within your reality to develop true wisdom to purify your mind. You could do a running jog on the side line of a foot ball field and every sage and saint will hi-five you with the wisdom of change. Everything is changing, changing, changing. If you dont believe me, stop for a moment and just stare into existence. See what starts to change. If you immediately see something change spontaneously, I have been proven correct and you can thank me some other time. Change is important to human consciousness and Ill tell you why. Change is like the morning rooster waking you up each morning to start the day. It may come suddenly and abruptly without warning. You are unprepared for this instantaneous change and dont know how to handle it, yet it is still changing. Every moment the reality and the nature of yourself keeps changing, yet something stays in tact. The self youve created to keep strong within this uncomfortable and scary change is the core cause of the limitation of wisdom. The human ego is like a bull with horns. People become inflamed with their our own identities so much that we become infatuated and self absorbed with our own experience rather than the experience itself. Once you stop seeing yourself in the experience and just experience what is left, there wont be a self to call a self. You will feel silly to keep bringing back your self because you realize it is a cause of misery. Its like poking your head above a rock to constantly be a target to get shot at. The ego is the building block for character to develop wisdom, but it isnt needed after that step. You can say goodbye to it once youve reached that point. Dont hesitate to let go of all those things that make you feel so important in life. At some point youre going to have to face the fact that you arent the most important thing in life. You will learn that life is the most important thing in life, and that living life is the most important thing to do in life! You cant honestly say that having an ego isnt boring. You simply cant. If you do Im sorry

that you feel that way, but if youve read this far I think you may have opened up your ego far enough to understand that our ego is just our loyal servant to protect us in life when we need it. We must learn to tame this ego to dissolve, and be front and center when it needs to at the same time. Along with this ego we develop various passions and cravings and it just creates a big mess for us to experience true wisdom. The greatest wisdom will come out of pure joy. Youre ego and your desires wont even have time to assemble when this joy accumulates because wisdom is such a profound and phenomenal part of living and the experience of the wisdom itself will be so satisfying that there will be no need for desire or ego to exist anymore. Not only is wisdom profound but its intrinsic to the development of mankind. If you dont develop wisdom the first time you burn your hand on something hot youre bound to do it again! Its just that simple. Wisdom isnt just the understanding of right and wrong. Its the experience of the nature of ourselves that is true wisdom. If you know yourself truly then you have developed wisdom, and it will shine like a beautiful gemstone. Here are some ways to incorporate more wisdom into your life with these easy tips: Observe yourself and your actions continuously. Have you ever started doing something spontaneously and got totally lost in whatever you were doing, like a spur of the moment type of situation. Well that is a little thing called ignorance that lots and lots of people are doing each and every day causing more and more suffering for themselves and everyone they know simply by not being aware of their own actions. I cant tell you how fundamental this step is to developing wisdom. Without observation of self you simply are blind to your actions and you arent fully experiencing the true reality of your nature. It takes time but this step will help you in many situations if you apply it correctly.

Learn the art of self control This fundamental step in cultivating wisdom and mindfulness is probably the most difficult of them all, but I saved it for last specifically because its the most essential part of wisdom. You must learn self control in the deepest sense to experience true wisdom. Not only of mind but also of physical speech and actions. Its much easier to get angry and upset when someone starts to ridicule you or make you feel insecure, but its a greater struggle to control yourself mindfully and smile out of kindness. This person doesnt understand loving kindness. Maybe I should teach them by my actions here and now with a simple gesture of gratitude. These kind of situations which can be applied in life, will make the most difference. If you can control yourself in life, you can make almost anything happen the way it needs to happen according to your intentions. That is power. Never disable yourself from learning more.

You may find in life that it becomes easy to constantly relay what youve learned over and over again like a broken record. Some people just feel the need to blurt out every single thing that theyve learned over and over to validate the fact that they know something. How great, you know something! Do everyone a favor. Instead of going around preaching to everyone that you know something, keep it to yourself for a while and see if it develops more. See if what you thought was true maybe wasnt completely what you thought it was at first. Dont be too quick to accept something at face value. If you use your ears and keep your mouth closed, your mind will immediately start to learn more and develop deeper patterns of learning that you may not have done with your ears shut and your mouth chattering on and on!

Chapter 8:
Healing
Healing yourself is connected with healing others. -Yoko Ono

The Buddha said that every human being is the author of his own health or disease. We create our own suffering innately out of ignorance and to understand the root cause of this suffering we must go to the depth of the mind and relieve the complexities that are causing such suffering to the individual. Healing literally means to make whole. Do you know what your whole potential is? Can you imagine what it would be like to be you as an entirely wholesome pure minded individual like a buddha? This is the first step to healing. Observing yourself and seeing where you are now on your path to inner transformation. The healing that may be psychological, physiological or both are intrinsic to the path of develop of any person following a spiritual path. Healing can mean so many things to each person and it can vary from culture to culture the path and attainment of health. The main thing you must see within the path of healing is that it is just that, a path of healing, inside and out. In order for our lives to get better we must first look at the individual and point out the causes for their misery before you can live a wholesome and purely joyful life. There are always new transformative avenues of healing which can be practiced day to day, simply by being aware and acting on your awareness. Its no big secret that human evolution has made man a very different animal then he was thousands of years ago. We are adapting to an environment that is ruled by technology and is driven by the strong force of will power within the society as a whole. If you get sucked in to this vast array of

conscious circulation, you may just loose your own along with it. Its similar to following the herd or any other negative and rebellious phrase youve heard within your life time. Never less the phrases and words are pointing to something very real. There is a mass following in our culture of ideas and preoccupations which shouldnt be allowed to be followed anymore considering the major destructive consequences it has on humanity itself. Our people as a whole need healing as much as we need oxygen. Without a way to heal and regenerate loving kindness towards ourselves and others, there will never be peace in our society and there will always be a vessel which can lead to chaotic war throughout the world. It literally starts with each individual. That individual has consciousness and within their consciousness they have deep embedded emotions and psychological behavioral patterns which have become almost infused with the net of their inner being. The harder this pattern of embedded emotion gets and the deeper it gets, the harder it is for that individual to come out of ignorance and start practicing love and kindness. Healing must start within your mind first. It must become a mental functioning. You must understand that moment to moment your mind is trying to cleanse itself of masses of embedded impurities of mind layer by layer, and day after day year by year you are slowly growing to becoming a more efficient, loving, and wholesome individual capable of receiving the nectar that is the eternal truth within the state of nirvana. It is the purpose of all mankind to reach this consciousness yet because of religious dogma and social stigmas towards education of that which is beyond normal understanding, people dont see this as a realistic potential. People see the path to enlightenment and the state of Nirvana as some fairy tale dream land adventure, and never truly understand that at any moment, void of all impurity of the mind we can reach the inner state of sublime peace that the Buddha was speaking about. Before anyone can start to even attempt to follow the path to such sublime peace, you must first

start working with what condition you are in now. You can start by observing your body and understanding what type of mind do you have. If you know you have very deep anger problems, or a serious addiction problem towards certain things in life, or maybe a deep generated behavioral problem, this path will genuinely be hard because it will teach you equanimity amongst all mental and physical states. It will take you from being an ignorant hateful fool and transform you to a wise and understanding saint if you work hard enough. If you start simple though, you can easily work towards this goal at ease with no doubt in mind that the peace of nibanna within will be achieved even within this very lifetime. The happiness to know that you can achieve nibanna in this lifetime is a very optimistic message and is enough to make even the most depressed and worried monk smile with grandiosity. First you must understand a few things about your physical body. Your only duty, if not simply existing, is to take good care of your body. Your body is the only vessel you have for experience, and if you damage it or hurt it in anyway you are going the opposite way of peace and healing. What were looking for is a transformation of heart so that the rest of the body will follow. Your body and its functionings are so complex and intricate that its hard to understand that every moment of every day your body is constantly repairing itself and renewing itself of old tissue that has been used up. You arent even the same person scientifically after a few years of simply being on this planet. Your will have changed, your eyes have grown, your fingers have shaped, and most of all your mind is developing to the body you have. Healing right now for any individual can start very easily with one simple tool and its our favorite thing to do every day. Food! Food is medicine for your body. If you consume food that has high nutritional value and fiber content you will slowly start detoxifying the acidic waste matter that is trapped within your body. If you slowly build yourself to the point where youre consuming high amounts of

nutritious living fruits and vegetables, you are on the right track to pure regeneration of physiological health. Fruit is the cleaner of the body to help the metabolic functions accelerate and deliver the sugar through the bloodstream. This sugar is potent enough to make the largest monkeys in the forest swing from tree to tree. Fruit is an amazing cleanser and detoxifier but what will really help heal your body from within is vegetables. Usually vegetables of any kind is suitable but the ones that are closest to being the most alkaline on the ph scale is the ideal vegetable for your body to thrive on. We need the vitamins and minerals in the fruits and vegetables not only to survive but to thrive. Our blood is very dirty from all of the excess food we eat. It becomes clotted and when there is a blood clot in the body is creates all types of imbalances. First you start getting headaches, then you get gas, then you start getting stressed. The reason for it is that you have too much acidic gas and waste in your body that you cant simply breathe and function well. My suggestion along with lots of other peoples suggestions who are traveling on the path to spiritual transformation through health are colonics, fruits and vegetables, vegetables juices, and super foods. These will and can change your life dramatically completely aside from living a meditative lifestyle. I would say though, that eventually the meditative life is going to have to be addressed and attempted at some point within the life time. Along with that though, you can prepare your body for any type of challenge by intake the highest amount of high mineral and high nutrient dense foods as possible. The list goes on and on of foods that have vitamins and minerals conducive to your bodies basic functioning. Last but not least, dont forget about water! Water is the best when it comes to cleansing the body. Thats why colon hydrotherapy is so effective. Cleansing the colon not only removes the excess waste and gas, but the soothing flushes of water within the intestines helps the walls of your GI tract become more absorbable for nutrients and more efficient at doing what its supposed to do

as an organ of the body. So start treating your body like you know it needs to be treated. Invest time in researching about the wonders of holistic foods, buy a juicer even, and get started on the road to healing. If you do colonics, drink nutritious vegetable juice, and eat high nutrient fruits and vegetables that are living straight from the garden, you will start becoming receptive to higher vibrational energies immediately without exception. The major part that needs to be discussed is the actual waste matter that is trapped within the body. This waste matter causes so much inflammation in the body that it doesnt know what to do with itself. Thats why when you eat certain foods your body becomes filled with mucous and you get runny noses, you sneeze, your breath smells. It goes down the list. If you carefully understood the process then you will get to the next point. Detoxification within the body is the most spiritually transformative tool for development. All of the trapped waste and toxicity in your body are causing lots and lots of metabolic issues within your body. If you start vegetable juicing and doing colonics to get the compacted waste and acid gas out, you will inevitably start to detox. It is ideal to detoxify your body in an environment that is friendly towards the idea of healing, and which has very pure air for your body to breathe in. Many parts of the country have places where the air is crisp and clean and these types of places are ideal for detoxification because what we want is to be away from all types of external and internal damage that can be done to our bodies. One we go through all the food withdrawals, change our eating habits for a more nutritional one, and live a more spiritually healing and mindful lifestyle conducive to conscious behavior, you will immediately tell a difference within your body that you are getting closer to becomes a fully healed and highly efficient functioning human organism. This is such an important message for society to learn because it pin points every single

issue that is happening within our culture today on a mass scale. People are eating out of comfort because of stress and that stress is causing more and more craving for particular types of food which cause disease and inflammation within the body. Our bodies were not meant to absorb an entire family size bag of Cheetos. I guarantee you that if you Eat a family size bag of Cheetos every day for a week you will be visiting your family doctor the following week complaining very sincerely. If you dont complain after eating that much food, Id just be surprised that you have such a high tolerance to maintaining the digestion of toxic foods. That is the bottom line. Toxic food is creating toxicity within the body and this toxicity is enabling various diseases to show up and spread throughout the body. Cancer is a very serious issue, and no one wants to know what its like to endure the agony of developing any type of cancer at all. So if you start today with the mental affirmation that you are going to be a health advocate, and spiritual healer, and an internal lover of love and light, I advise you start with these basic steps on the road to full healing and purification:

If you havent already changed your diet, do it today!

Fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds! All of these foods are all you need! Dont be afraid to start today go grab yourself some fruit and just begin. Fall in love with the juiciness of organic fruit. Fall in love with the nutritious properties of vegetables especially the green ones! If you cant make vegetable juices to absorb the most nutrition into your body start slowly. Look up the whole foods diet on Google, and you will learn what kinds of food are used an intermediate transition to the Raw Food lifestyle. Living organic fruits and vegetables are such a blessing. Dont buy the cheap non-fresh fruit and vegetables at your supermarket. Stick to organic, and

dont be afraid to over spend. If you can get food stamp benefits if youre living on your own. If youre still at home and living with your parents, firmly and peacefully explain to them your path to healing and that if they arent ready to face the challenges of healing and transformation with you, then they need to either help you find somewhere to go where you can, or you need to work your tail off to find somewhere on your own where you can because you arent going to like being condemned for eating vegetables and salads and all other types of amazingly delicious recipes for your own health. Make sure you are kind to those who arent aware of the healing process, and if theyre interested explain to them in simple terms how it works and what the major benefits are. Most of the time people will want to stick to the old food choices they make, and thats fine, but dont forget about the toxicity and acid gas waste which causes cancer. Its very real and its deadly, and you want to keep your body as free from it as you can every day of you life. Good luck on your journey to health!

Make every day an opportunity to heal on a deeper level.

Everyday should start or end with some type of deep devotional sense of gratitude towards the body and the mind that you have in the environment that youre in. If you dont appreciate the environment youre in, and you dont appreciate the body you have, when will there ever be peace in your heart? If you havent found that environment yet I suggest you look online, and start dream building. There are so many beautiful places in this world! Dont stop trying just because youre stuck in a tight spot now. Dont give up on your dream for health and purity!

Use loving thoughts to influence you towards your healing.

You can use a mantra if you truly want to, but I would keep it more to yourself, and maybe not even use words at all. Just keep the idea that I am doing good for myself and in doing good for myself I am helping the world one step at a time. If you do this day by day you are bound to become a more healed person, and who knows, one day you may just become interested in the healing arts. Loving thoughts and loving intentions can actually be stronger tools for healing than food or exercise combined. Without love and kind thoughts to help guide you throughout this journey of self transformation and healing, it will be very difficult to stay positive and strong throughout the process. It helps to have others who are already grounded in this type of lifestyle so you can go ahead and start using their positive as fuel for your own positivity, but dont let your own doubts and insecurities control you. This is the hardest most honest lesson you have to learn in this life time. Fear is killing you and destroying you day after day from experiencing love. Fear of what is unknown is stopping you from doing the grand things you knew that you could do when you were a child. Now that youre old enough to go out and do things, fear has trapped you in to a certain routine and the routine is more comfortable than the spontaneous journey of an adventure. You need to remember what it was like to be a kid again! You need to remember how incredible going on adventures and seeing the world like a child was! This is so important for your development! Eat a watermelon and then go on a hike or some type of adventure. Do something with your energy that will inspire you! If you keep this up you are going to become like Paul Bunyan in no time. You are Hercules and Atlas holding the world on your shoulders all the time. Do you want your Hercules to have a detoxified body and clean and pure mind or do you want him to be over weight, sick, and depressed because fear and doubt has flooded his consciousness. You know which one you would choose. So start going for

it, and remember, DONT GIVE UP!

Chapter 9:
Faith
Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. -Martin Luther King Jr.

Faith is the invisible force underneath the sky which permeates the atmosphere with energy and floods you with consciousness every single moment. Every moment it takes so much faith just to keep living and keep pushing forward. It takes such strong faith of heart to keep moving on even when times in life get tough and you know that there is no looking back now since we are already here. There is only looking up. Look up at the stars and see how magnificent they are. Look at all the trees and the flowers and see how beautiful they are. See how the birds withstand the storms and the rain, and keep their eggs protected even against the harsh winds. Faith is the strength to keep moving forward even when you have nothing left to give. The effort and determination to keep pushing forward even though you have nothing else to live for and nothing left to offer of yourself besides your own perseverance. This is faith. Faith needs to be adopted into the mind of each individual with our society. Without this faith we cant see the light and we certainly cant have confidence. It takes a whole lifetime to develop some of these intrinsic character values, but once you have them they will always be with you. You will always have faith once you start developing faith. If you reflect on it and use its power to guide you through life, faith will show you a path you may have never traveled if you didnt start then and there.

There isnt much life cant offer you if you go out and achieve it. Life has an infinite capacity to maintain and export all the information and guidance you will ever need to develop yourself on your path to total transformation. If you cant see the faith Im talking about just close your eyes and ask yourself why youve gone this far in your life. What is made you come to the point of where you are at this moment? Was it because you were curious? Do you have a goal or some sort of mission? Are you simply just here to enjoy life? What is your basis of faith and what are you going to use it for? These questions must be asked by each individual in order for them to grow Without a doubt, our society in this great time of transformation and development needs more faith than ever before. We have witnessed tragedies greater than human comprehension, and we are experiencing such a negative force of energy that is trying to damage our faith, that it is absolutely vital that we adopt faith into our lives immediately. You can have confidence, and effort all throughout life, and that will get you by just fine Im sure, but when there comes a time where your faith in yourself and in the life you are living comes about, it will be all you have. It will be your rock and your stone. The key to happiness isnt getting what you want when you want it. The key is having faith in happiness itself. Knowing that happiness will always be there for you when you need it, and that love and kindness are dancing all around you waiting for you to join it in the song of life. Please start dancing with yourself today, and enjoy what life has to offer. If you havent already danced to your song yet, at least have faith that you are on the path to that freedom and the victory of faith will overcome all the odds no matter what they are. Here are some tips on integrating more faith into your life: Start by accepting your limits, and devoting yourself to the development of them.

Everyone has to work with what they have where they are in life. You cant become a Buddha overnight, and it isnt realistic to push yourself with force to ever become like that, because thats the opposite direction even a Buddha would tell you youre going. If you truly want to develop mindfulness and kindness, you will have to start by observing where you are right now in life and accepting your limits. You may have lots of limitations stopping you from adopting some of the topics in the chapters above, but that shouldnt stop you from having faith that one day you will get there. One day you will be that person you want to be so badly, and one day you will enjoy and have all of that inner peace and satisfaction youve been searching for. It just takes faith within yourself, and the rest of it comes flooding in along with the kindness and confidence we talked about above. Push yourself over the limit just to see if you can do it, and then come back.

You may have some limitations, but I know that are very strong simply because you are a human. I know you have will power and I know you have an ability to push yourself further than you thought you could go before. That is called growth, and its something we all need to experience in order to truly develop mindfulness and understanding. Pushing yourself a little each day to become better and better with faith and love is the perfect way for incremental transformation of character. I cant even imagine how much will power each individual on this planet has, and to imagine if those people used their will power for the same common goal of spiritual development... This planet would be a utopia! Just have faith.

It really is as simple as that. I cant make you have faith and I cant tell you there is something you can do or experience that will immediately help you develop more faith. I know because I understand consciousness some what, that you already have faith. If youve read this far then you must have at least some faith because It took a lot faith just to get this far I bet. If you just have faith despite all obstacles, no matter what situation, you will not waver when there is a storm. You will not quiver when there is an earthquake. You will find your foothold on the ground in nobility and love, and nothing can stop you. Faith will create such a beautiful person inside of you and you dont know how much I would love to know what its like to have such faith within each individual. Faith can be shared, and it can be projected in numerous ways. The best way to develop faith in my opinion is to share it with others. Finding others who you can confide in and share an equal faith is heart warming and very uplifting. It will help you along your journey with greatness. Faith can and will be the fiber of your love if you use it. Dont forget that.

Conclusion:
Finally, I would like to state exactly my intention for the entire construction of this guide and how it might manifest itself for others as well in the future. Beyond this book there is a universal understanding that our human consciousness has a whole has great potential. This potential is certainly a profound and phenomenal evolution of beings. Not only are humans the most highly evolved and interesting in designed creatures, but we are the only ones on this planet who can attain enlightenment, have families, build societies, grow food, gain knowledge, and share experience and friendship that we know of in existence. The animal world is very diverse and primitive, but the limitations that animals have compared to humans is breath taking. We have divinity! We have a radiant and esoteric majesty about us that can be grown and developed to become like a supreme Buddha. Our human consciousness is capable of understanding, feeling, and relating to all experiences in life. We are the most beautiful and highly developed beings in the universe, at least on this planet. For all we know, this is all we have is right here and right now. We may not know how vast space and time really is, and we may not truly understand the complexity of human consciousness, but we sure can enjoy it, and not only can we enjoy it but we can experience it. Merely experiencing the life of human consciousness is a gift and blessing on to itself. The pain and suffering generated in this world is painstakingly obvious that it is very tragic. The suffering inside the hearts and minds of each individual is such a heavy burden to hold, but the message of the highest optimism that we can not only transform ourselves to become greater and more wholesome individuals but we can also completely free ourselves from all suffering in this lifetime. This highly optimistic message

as pointed out by the Buddha and other various Saints and Sages are the tools we have to understand our nature and our world as we know it. We have a profound gift of experience that should not be taken for granted. We can feel and see and understand emotions. Just to have emotions is such a beautiful phenomenon. To comprehend a being who feels and understands is such an inspiring model for wonder of this world. That is why when a mother sees her child for the first time, it is absolutely incomprehensible to comprehend how profound and beautiful our world truly is, that out of all the things in this world there are beings and inside each individual there is an individual consciousness experiencing this reality. I hope this guide has helped you in some way and I have faith and honor to be the one to share this highly appropriate message with you. May every day be a journey towards light for you, and may every moment lead you to a brighter happiness than before. All of our struggles will end once we accept them as they are, and be happy.

Acknowledgements:
I would like to thank my spiritual teacher S. N. Goenka for his hard work in his meditation for achieving full liberation of suffering through Vipassana meditation, and I would like to note that all my efforts and explanations would be nothing but mere intellectualizing if I hadn't of learned the tool of Vipassana Meditation to truly experience the nature within myself. I would like to send my gratitude to the Sangha, the community of all the meditators in the world who are consistently growing on this path to attain enlightenment as the Buddha has directed, and I would like to thank my family and friends for supporting me in my endeavor to follow this path whole heartedly. I also would like to send my gratitude to all the beings who have helped me along the way who I may or may not have sent appreciation to at the time of their assistance, and I would like to share my utmost appreciation towards the Dhamma, the teaching of the Buddha. Without Dhamma, I would not be able to wholesomely say from my own experience that I have become a changed person, and I am continuing to benefit from the teaching of the Buddha every day of my precious life. May all of you learn the art of living as the Buddha has taught through the Dhamma, and may all beings become peaceful and liberated from all sufferings. May all beings be happy!

For those wishing to learn about Vipassana Meditation you can visit the Dhamma homepage at this link: www.dhamma.org