Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
com 1/2015
Blissisnosecret
Riversandweathercanbeexplainedinwordsandsocanideas.
Themorewordsusedthoughthelessthedescriptionresemblesthetruthofjustsitting,bytheriver,in
themoonlight.
Introduction
WheninterestedinaparticularthingImention,pleaseresearchityourselfanddon'tquotemeortake
mywordsasfact.WhileIdolovescienceandnatureI'mnotinthattopfewpercentofpeoplewho
enhanceandmakeusefulstatementsaboutthem,I'maninterestedstudentatverybestandnota
qualifiedscientistorphilosopher.Iamveryinterestedintheworldanduniverse,Ilovewhatisoffered
byscienceandphilosophies,I'minquisitiveandinaweofallthings.Pointacameraintomylifeand
youcouldfindmereadingaboutthelatestdiscoveriesourbestmindshaveproduced,morelikely
thoughdaydreamingormeditatingonthewonderoflifeorthepowerofemptiness.
AlongthewayI'vementionedinterestingcontentthatyou'lllikelyhavebeendrawntotoo.The
referencesarecommonlythekindofthingsthatcometotheattentionofanyonecuriousinthewaywe
work.AssaidthoughIencourageyoutoresearchanyclaimsImakeasIrambleonandcoversubjects
suchasfreewill,happiness,diet,breathing,exercisesandmore.Weallhaveourowntakeontheworks
wereadandproducevaryingconclusions,as,well,we'realldifferent.Irespectthescientificmethod
butmineisthemindofadreamer.ButI'mnottheonlyone.
WereItoofferconclusionsandadvicethenI'dbeadvisingyoutobemeandthatisverysillyYouare
tobeyou.NomatterhowIphrasemyself,neveramIaskingortellingyoutobeanyonebutyourself.
Theseideasmayheconsidered,theymaybeburned.
Inthesenextpageswejumpfromdifficultconceptssuchasinfinityandtheselfyetwedosoina
mannerthatisnotoverlydeepandwedosoinshortenoughsessionsastoavoidoverburdening
ourselveswithwhatarestepstowardthegoalandnotthegoalitself.
Asforthatgoalthen:Itistobe,knowingbliss.
Truths
Theheartpumps,thethehumanmindchatters.
Themindisoftenatsomelevelofdiscontent.Itislikelywhatmakesushumanasthemajorityof
humanity'screationscameaboutbecausesomeonewasdiscontentwithwhattheyhadbefore.Many
folkdreamofbeingfinanciallywealthyyettheworldisawashwithfinanciallywellofffolkwhowake
upwithadrivetodo,wantingmore,andwishingsomethingweredifferent.
Youcanbecertainthatanypersonyouseeorbringtomindhasamindjustasjumbledasyourown.
Thisisthehumancondition.
Everyoneelse
Weask"Howareyoutoday?"
Wedon'twantthetruth,
"abitmiserableactually,Icouldhavedonewithafewhoursextrasleepandmybowelsareinastate."
Mostfolkknowthisandreply,
"Greatthanks!You?"
Whatthoughiftheysurprisedyouandsaid,
"Entirelycontent."
andshoneasmilesogenuineandcompleteitwaslikethesunhadrisenforasecondtime?
You'dbetakenaback.
Couldthatpersonhavewhateveryoneelseislookingfor?
Answer
Beforegettingbacktotheanswer,let'shavealookaround.
Probably
Inalllikelihoodgivenmodernscientificunderstanding,you'retheresultofinfinity,wriggling.
WhileI'munabletoverifythemathematicsofquantumtheoryIamabletousetechnologythatcould
notexistifitwerenotafact.InascientificmannerofsortsIcanprovetomyselfthattherearegoings
oninaworldthatIcannottouchwithmysensesafabrictotheuniversethatbehavesinawavelike
manner,completelyunlikethewordinfrontofmyeyes.Quantumtheoryhasrulesandthoseruleshave
beentestedmanytimesandinwaysthathumanityhasdepended.Thoserulesareeithertrue,orvery
verynearlytrue,assmartpeoplecanusetherulesofquantumtheorytomakepredictionsandbuild
devicesthatworkwithincredibleaccuracy.
Anamazingruleofquantumtheoryisthat nothing
isnotallowedtoexist.Nothingness,isnotallowed.
Atthelevelofnothingness,thevacuum,therearefluctuationsthatcantbestopped.Rightbackbefore
thebirthoftime,space,forceslikegravityandthingslikematter,therecan'thavebeenquitenothing.It
wouldhaveappearedasnothingtous,butitwasapoolofpotential,wigglesofnearnothingness
vibratingrandomly.
Fromnothing(ish),somethingisinevitable.AndwhileI'dlovetounderstandthemathematicsbehind
that,I'mnotgoingto.ButIcanverifythatthingsinmylifethatdependonthistheorybeingtrue,do
exist[Whyhotthingscanbedifferentcoloursbasedonhowhottheyare,lightemittingdiodes,WiFi
signalsreachingthroughthewallsofmyhouse,thefactmycomputersprocessorflopssoquickly]so
Ibelieveuntilprovenotherwise.
Beforetheboom
TimeandspaceandallwedeemtobethelawsofphysicsseemtohavecomeaboutintheBigBang.
Whatcamebeforetheboomoftheuniverseappearstobetherealmofphilosophy,butitisstillscience.
Causeandeffect,beforeandafter,emergewiththebirthofspacetimeanddidnotexistbefore.
Theuniverseis(probably,readon)infinite,thereisnobefore,orbeginningininfinity.A
beginningless,everpresentinfinitywasandwillalwaysbethecaseandaneventproducingalineof
spacetimewithcauseandeffectisaparticularbubbleofinfinity.Alifebreeding,magical,trillionyear
moment,ofwhich~80yearsbelongtowhatappearstobeyou.
Fromquantumsoup,thereisabubblecalledauniverse,abubblecalledaplanet,andabubblecalled
you.
Eachbubblemaypopandreturntothebubbleabove.
Youcanusequantumphysicstotalkofspace,chemistryandgeologyareusefultotalkofplanets,and
whileyoumayusetheselanguagestodescribeahuman,moreusefullywetalkofwants,needsandso
on.
Boom
Youexist.Oratleastseemto.
Meditation
Itwon'tbelonguntilmeditationpopsupinthesepagessoI'dbetterprovideaclarificationonmyidea
ofit.Idon'tformallyordeliberatelymeditate,Ispontaneouslymeditate.Idon'tmeditateonanything,
butonnothing.
Tomeditateonathing,bethatanimage,asound,anemotionorevent,yougivethatthingandyourself
reality.Meditatingon[insertitemhere]providesanunverifiedrealityforthatitemandtheyoudoing
themeditating,whenneithermayexist.
Countertomystatementhere,whenIdomentionmeditationlater,therewillamethodtobeginningthe
process.Idon'texpectyoutospontaneouslymeditate,thoughofcourseyoumay.
Mymeditationsthough,whilespontaneousandunguided,dohavesomestructureandthatwouldbeto
alwaysdrawbacktoemptiness,lettinganythingelsejustgo.
AndbyemptinessandnothingmentionedhereImean,asbestaslanguagemaypermitmetodescribe,
nocontentofthought.
Anyway,onwards.
InfinityandZero
Zeroandinfinityareverypowerfulterms.Theyareconceptsbornofcreativeandhighintelligence.
Whenthoughtabouttheystretchthemindandoccupyit,sofullyandoftenbeautifully,leavingyoufree
fromthoughtormindchatter.
Youcanpicture3,youcanpicture2,youcanpicture1.
Canyoupictureinfinity?
Infinityistricky,therearedifferentkindsofinfinitywhenexplainedinmathematicsbutI'mreferringto
theendlessinfinitythatwouldbethecaseifouruniversewereproventobeinfinite.It'sanendlessness,
withnocentre,nostartpoint,noboundary,noother.Thisvastnessisbeyondourmind,itisaconcept
andnotsomethingwecanpictureorcomprehendeasily.Certainlywecan'tvisualiseitasittrulyis.
Canyoupicturezero?
Theconceptofzeroisalsoverytricky,aswithinfinityitisaconceptnotareality.Zeroappleslooks
thesameaszerotrees.Wepicturezeroasabsence,buthowfardoyoutakethatabsenceandstillhave
zero?
With3wecanplace3itemsordots,aswith2itiseasytovisualiseasapples,treesordots,aswith1.
Forzerothough,eventhoughwehavetheveryusefultermzero,andthesymbol0,wecan'tfully
comprehendorvisualisezero.
Zeroisverylikeinfinity.
Infinityisnotactuallyanumber,youcan'trightlydivide,addtoorworkwithinfinityasifitwerea
numberandthatisbecauseitisaconcept.Zeroisaconcepttoo,onethatcanfitintothelanguageof
mathematicsbutcausesissuesattimes,insomecasesevenproducinginfinities.I'llstophereasthe
mathematicianswillfaultmeandthennonmathematicianswillglazeover.
Mypoint?Topicturezero,youpictureanabsence,thisabsencethoughmustbeabsolute,itmust
continuetoinfinity.BecauseIfIweretolimitmyvisualisationofzerothenIwoulddrawaboundary,
I'ddelimitzeroandI'dform2.Myzerowithlimitsbecomes1andallthatisbeyondthelimitbecomes
2.
Theconceptofzeroisverymuchliketheconceptofinfinity.Nottomathematicians,nottothose
dreamingofgreatwealth,buttothemindofsomeoneattemptingtovisualiseeitheroftheseconcepts.
Mathematicsaside,thesearepowerfulmeditationpiecesastheyarenotthingsbutemptypotentials.
Theuniversemaywellbeanexpressionofanalivenessexpressedbetweenzeroandinfinity.Andthat
isnotascientificclaim!Ha,farfromit.Itisatoyforthemeditativemind.
InfiniteUniverse
Afiniteuniverse,asmentionedwithzeroaboveproduces2.Thefiniteuniversebecomes1andthat
whichitsitswithinbecomes2.Unfortunatelyscience,whichistheonlytruewaytosolveanyproblem,
cannotyetanswerwithabsolutecertaintyiftheuniverseisinfiniteornotsoweareleftwithour
fallibleminds.
Themindmaywellbethecauseoftheproblemhere,maybeitissimplynotsuitedtothisproblemor
perhapstheapparentproblemisarelicofhowthemindworks.Perhapszeroandinfinityonlyexistin
themindaswordsforlimitsthemindcan'tseebeyond.Theissueisthatwhensomethingends,so
somethingmust,inourmindseye,beginorcontainthatwhichended.
ThisiswhyIfeelthatmanypeopleliketheideaofaninfiniteuniverseandnotafiniteone.Popular
sciencenowleanstoward,notjustaninfiniteuniverse,butaninfinitenumberofinfiniteuniverses.
Whiletherearestillmanywhowouldargueforafiniteuniverse,theproblemremains,bethatthe
problemoftheuniverseasfactoraproblembroughtaboutbytheworkingsofourmind:afinitething
hasaboundaryandsoitnaturallyfeelslikeanincompletesolutionasthequestionalwaysremains,
'thenwhat?'
Theanswertothislieswiththemeasurementsofscienceandthelanguageofmathematics.
Unfortunatelyformanyofusthoughwhilemathematicsisabeautifullanguageitisnotalanguagethat
manyofusspeak.Idreamofunderstandingthelanguageofnature,butIfeellikeafishwatchinga
peacockdisplayitsplumage.
UnabletounderstandthebeautypaintedinthatlanguagethoughI'vewitnessedarealityfarmore
beautifulandflamboyantthananythingthenaturalworldofferstousonanynormalday.
Seeingreality
Asnoted,scientificinquiryisthesurestpathtorecreatable,testableresults.Buttherearenonscientific
pathsthatbringtolightextraordinaryideasaboutreality.Science,butmoresonature,hasprovidedus
withtoolsthatappeartoextendvisionorthoughtmuchmorefantasticallythatamicroscopeor
telescopeI'mreferringtopsychoactivesubstances.ThefirsttinytinyamountItookasateenager
causedmetoaskaboutstatesofmatterbeyondsolid,liquidandgasIlearnedofplasma.Ialsoclearly
sawhowtherealityweallagreeuponisonlyonewaytovisualizethedataandthereisabeautyto
realitythatnolanguagewilleversubstitutetheexperienceof.
Sucheventshavebeenreferencedaslifechangingbyauthors,musicians,scientists,businesspeople,
andhostsofothers.
Whethertheybemodernhumansorancienttribes,thosewhousepsychoactiveplantstoallowthemto
viewrealmsnoteasilyaccessibletothedaytodaythinkerwillhaveamillionandonethingstooccupy
theirmindsformonthsoryearsafterwards.Somewillwritegreatsongsorbooks,somewillhave
thoughtsaboutlife,somemayseevisions,buttheywillbeatthepeakoftheirinvestigationswhenthey
meditateemptiness,zero,nothingnessorinfinity.
Manyofthesepeople,betheyingestingheroicdosesofdimethyltryptamineorpsilocybin,microdoses
ofeither,oradailyingesteroftetrahydrocannabinoloranoccasionaluserwillmorethanlikelybe
broughttomeditationordeepthought.Thislistisfarfromexhaustiveandusersofotherplants,or
chemicalsproducedbysciencesuchaslysergicaciddiethylamideand
3,4methylenedioxymethamphetamine,ormanyothersubstancefreeentrancessuchasyoga,breathing
techniques,physicalexercise,neardeathexperiencesandmoreAllofthesepeoplefindcommon
groundinmeditation.
Interconnectedness
Acommonrealisationbyeitherameditatororpsychonaughtwouldbetheinterconnectednessofall
things.Theycommonlywillreferenceanendlesstapestry,infiniteinscope.Itissomethingsaidtobe
appearingtothemindtobemadeofinteractingpartsthatarisefromanunbrokenenergy.
Theapparentpartsarethereforusalltoseefromearlychildhoodtodeathandtheinterconnectednessis
thereforthosewhoinvestigateeitherthroughinquisitionorreassuringlybyreproduciblescientific
investigation.Thoughscienceistheactualproofitisamazingtothoseexploringtheirmindsinother
waysthatwhattheyseeandcanrarelyverbalise,doesalsoappearinascientificwriting.
Wearethoughopenmindedinvestigators!Onedoesnotreturnfrommeditationora6hour
hallucinationwithsolidfacts,farfromit.Thatisandwillalwaysbetheroleofscienceandifscience
describesthewhysandwhereforesinawaythatentirelydiscountswhatisseenbymeditatorsthenthe
meditatorswillacceptthat,inmostcases.Itwon'tstopusthough,asourpurposeisnotthesame,andI
speakhereofamerelypossiblecorrelation.
Whatistrueformeditatorsandalsoforthosewhodelvedeeplyintohallucinationisthatthereisa
worldthatcannotbedescribedbutmaybereproduciblyvisited,whichisnotsciencebutisperhaps
somethingsciencewillwarmtowardintime.Twopeoplemayentertheworldofsay,
dimethyltryptamineandcomeacrosssimilarvisionsorthoughts.Thereareancientculturesthatverify,
thoughnotasyetscientifically,thatthisisthecase.
AmodernpersonenteringsuchrealmsmaywellknowrightawaythatcavepaintingsandEgyptian
hieroglyphsofhalfmanhalfanimalsareclearlyandobviouslybeingstheysawalsointheir
moderndayvisionswe'llleaveittofuturescientiststotellusthereasonwhy.Itisthecasethough
thatpeopleunrelatedbycultureinthisworldandcertainlyunrelatedinculturetodistantancestorsfrom
thousandsofyearspasthavesimilarandreproduciblevisionsandexperiences.
[Thereisevenawonderfulideathat,asdimethyltryptamineisproducedinourbrainaswellasin
plants,andpsilocybinissosimilarandalsooccursinanaturaledibleform,thatthemeteoricrisein
intelligencefromapetomanwasduetodietaswewereforcedfromthetreestodiscovernewsources
offood.Research:the"stonedapetheory"bewarethough,you'llfindnoevidencetosupportit.(Yet?)]
Thosewhomeditatemaydothisformanyreasonsandtheymaymeditateonmanythings.Whilemany
meditatorswillnothaveintentordirectiontostudythisitisthecasethatmostmeditativetraditions
willofferahighestformofmeditation,themeditationonemptinessornothing.
Sowhat?
Thismethodissketchyfornowbutapparentlyaverypowerfultoolinexploringourmindsandso
realityasweseeit.We'reintheworldoftheunknown.Notevenknowntothosewhohaveexperienced
andasyetundocumentedbyscience.Therehavebeenstudies,therearesomegoingonnowandthere
willcertainlybemanyinthefuture,butfornow,wehavetosayweareinapoorlydocumentedrealm,
usinglanguagethatisunsuited,andwe'respeculating,asfunasthatmaybe.
Thisisthoughfascinatingbeyondmeasure.Alienplanets,thedepthsofourownoceans,thevisionsof
ancienthumansarewhatmakealotofpeopletick.Whencomparedtothedaytodaylifeofworkand
TVweareatoppositeendsofthespectrumofwhathumanschoosetothinkabout.Nooneiswrong
though.Apersoncominginfromworktowatchanaturedocumentaryisnotsuperiororinferiortoa
personwholaysbackonthebeachstaringatthestarswithLSDcoursingthroughtheirveinsbutone
ofthesepeopleisfarmorelikelytodeconstructtheworldandconstructacosmologyof
interconnectivityandinfinity.
Indoingsothensomethingcomestomindthatiscertainlynotgoingtoenterthethoughtsoftheother
thatinfinitycan'tbeaddedto.Youenterauniversemorerationalthanthatoftheaverageperson,one
thatdoesnotcontainpeople.
Auniversethatdoesnotcontainpeople
Thatwasquiteastep,solet'sgobackalittle.Auniversethatdoesnotcontainpeople?
It'smorelikeauniversethatispeople.OrPeoplethatareauniverse.(Yetisneither).Wecertainly
appeartobeselvesandyouinteractwithpeopleallthetime.Fromanyperspectivetheideaofno
peopleseemscrazy.Yetthisisthesimpleviewfrominfinity.
Infinityisendless,weknowthis.Itishardtovisualise,butinfinityiswithoutend.Whenwedrawa
linewemakefortwo.Wemake1,thatwhichisuptotheline,andwemake2,thatbeyond.Infinityis
notthis.
Whenwewerebetween2and4yearsoldorthereaboutwelearnedtheideaofother.Certainlybythe
timeweareattachingschoolgradestoourselves,friends,enemies,partnerships,bankbalances,then
theideaofaseparateselfisapproachingconcrete.Aswithlearningwhatvisualsensationtoassociate
withthesound'red'youlearnedyourname.Youlearnedtheideaofseparation,ofotherandsoself.
Whatwereyoubeforethebirthofselforevenbeforethebirthofbody?
TheDNAmaps,halfineachparent,themodelofyoureyes,theatomsthatcametobeyouwere
alreadyhere,inanotherformyoudidexistbeforebirthandyouwillexistaftertoo,youarenota
separateselftoinfinity,onlytolanguage.You'reinfinitychanging,andbrieflyexperiencingmistaken
identity.
Change
We'restilltakingbigstridessoletsbreakthisdownalittlemoretoo.Lookattheworld,atanything
youlike,willitstaythatwayforever?Doyouknowofanythingthatisunchanging?Ifyoudo,then
pleasedocumentitquicklyasnosuchthingisknowntoexist.Weallknowthatchangeistheonly
constant,wetalkaboutthischangeallthetimewithweather,mood,age,occurrences,butrarely
acknowledgeitasallthereis.Changeisallweknow,wemayclingtoformsbutthereisnothingfree
fromchangeandnothingthenisseparatetoanythingelse.
Thisideaofselfwehavedoesnothingbutchange.Throughsleepandwakethereisahugechange,and
whileawakewemovefrombeingunawareandawareoftheselfandothers,itissomethingthatisin
constantflux.
Ifyou'vedelvedintoscienceandcomeacrossthewordquantum(thefoundersofwhichsaidanyone
claimingtounderstandthis,doesnot)thenyou'llhaveseenthatthischangegoesdeeperthanwecan
comprehend.I'llnotfoolmyself,letaloneyou,byclaimingtounderstandthequantumrealmandI'lldo
mybesttoavoidreferringtoitbutwecanlikelyagreethatthispartofscientificendeavouristwo
thingsitistheadmissionofalimitofourmindsanditisproofthatnothingisthesamebetweentwo
momentsintimewhenviewedonthisscale,whererealityisnothingbutwaves.
Itisverypossiblymadnesstosaythatsomeonemeditatingorsomeoneinthemidstofadaylong
hallucinationisseeingwhatscienceisyettofullyunderstand,buttheedgesofrealityvisitedby
meditatorsandsoonoftendoesappeartobejustthat.IcouldspeculateforseveralpagesbutI'llleave
thatforyouandItodoinourowntimeandI'llattempttoleaveitopenhereinthesepages.Wemaybe
seeingsimilarworlds,ornot.
Noself
Haveyouevermeditated?AsIsithereIdonotknowwhoIamaddressing,sohellothere!Hi.Please
excusemeaddressingyouasIdo,asastranger.
(Asmallasidehere.I'mlaughingtomyselfasItalkofnoselfusingalanguage,English,thatcanonly
beusedintheformactor,noun,doesaction,verb.Yetthisshowshowingrainedandbasicthisideais
tousthatweformedlanguagethisway.)
Someofyouhavemeditatedonce,somedaily,someofyouhaveenteredtherealmsofhallucination,
everyonehasatsomepointstoodinaweofnature,bethatlookingoveralake,mountainorocean,
staringintotheeyesofsomeoneyoulove,perhapsababy.Thebeautifulwordlessclaritywherethe
crownoftheheadfillswithblississomethingyou'vetouchedafewtimesorperhapsmany.Thatrealm
iswhatdrawspeoplebacktomeditationagainandagainandinthatrealmthereisnoself.
Ifyou'veonlytouchedthatonceortwiceandnotpaiditmuchattentionthenthisclaimmayappear
quitefarfetched,forothersthoughthiswillbeaswellestablishedasrainfeelingwet.
ThatwordlessmomentfreefromconceptiscommonlyreferredtoasOneness,withacapitalOasitis
givenquiteabitofreverencebythosewho'vecometoknowit.I'dlikethoughtonotusethisnameas
oneness,nomatterhowgranditsoundsleadstoanideaoftwonessandisnotthenthebestexplanation
ofwhatisbeingfelt.
Icouldspendalittletimesayinghowtheideaofonenessiscommonlysubtitledas'Onewithnoother'
butI'drathergowiththepreviouslymentionedinfinityorzero,thosehardtograspconceptsthatrefuse
limit.Infinityinparticularisusefulhereasinfinityhasnoroomforinfinity+1.Infactthatisjust
infinityalsoandinmostcasesseenasnottruemathematicsasinfinityisaconceptandnotanumber
thatmayhaveadigitattachedoraddedtoit.
Sohereyouare,lookingoverthelakeofstillwaterwithablissfilledhead,freeofconceptsyou're
theuniverse,undivided.You'retheinfinitetruththatcomesbeforewords,theunbroken.
Inasnapthoughyou'rebacktobeingapersonintheworld,wonderingwhattoeatnext.Foramoment
youunderstoodwhereI'vebeentryingtopointtoward.
Let'seat
Itiscutetosaythatwewereoncesoamazing,livingfromthelandandthathumanshavetornthe
worldapartwithwarandindustry,thatthoughisthechangetakingplaceandourmindstrickingusthat
weareseparatetotheuniverseandsomehowhavetheabilitytoalterthepresentmoment.
Itisalovelythoughtthatweshoulduseourabilitytofeedtheworldagreatdiet,tolovenatureandput
anendtowar.Iwon'tdenythatUtopiaisdesirablebutUtopiameansinaway'theimpossibleplace'
andyou'llnotstopaparasiticwasplarvaeeatingitshostfromtheinsideoutuntildeathand
unfortunatelyyou'llnotstophumanskillingeither,notforawhileyetatleast.
Whatwecandothough,ifwecandoanythingatallwhichI'llspeakoflater,istakeonthevery
qualitieswewouldliketoseeinothers.Youwanttoseeaworldofpeaceandlove,friendship,health,
longlifeandsoondoit,liveit.Onemorepersonisnowexcellent,great!Whatwecan'tdothoughis
forceotherstoadoptandwearenotusingtimewellsittingandwishingfortheworldtobeanyother
waythanitappearstobejustnow.
Ratherchangethewayyouseetheworldthanexpectittochangeforyou.
Weareincrediblyprivilegedtolivenowinaworldwhereweareknowledgeableindietandexercise.
WecaneataseedfromAfrica,agrainfromSouthAmerica,favouredwithaherbfromSouthAsiain
thesamedishwithoutgettingdirtonourfingersorevenmovingfar.Wecanreaduponhowthese
ingredientsserveusandthenwecanbreatheinacontrolledmanner,calmourmind,stretch,exercise,
connectwithrelativesandfriendsatthespeedoflightinplacesfarandwideandwecansleepsoundly
awayfromtheweatherbeitscorchinghotoricycold.We'reprivileged.Manyfolkaren't,butI'llbet
youare.Comparedtothepoorintheworldnoworthemajorityoffolkfromyearsgoneby,even
royaltyofold,you'reprivilegedindeed.
Exercise
You'refreeinfacttoruinyourbody.Thereareenoughconveniencesinlifenowandenoughofthe
worlddeliveredrighttoyoureyethatavitallyimportantpartofhavingabodyisbeingneglected.
Ourbodiesevolvedtosurvive,togathersuppliestokeepsurvivingandthattookenergy.Oneofthe
manywaysevolutionworksistopunishandrewardandifyouaskfitpeoplewhytheystayfityou'll
hearmanyjustifications.Atthecorethoughwhattheyaredoingisenjoyingthepleasureresponse
naturerewardsthemforexertion.
LookevenatspiritualculturesfromIndianYogistoChineseTaoists,lookatancienttribeswhomust
gatherandhuntfood,andlookatmodernpeoplewhoexercise.Nooneissittingaroundallday.
Evolutionrewardedthetribespeopleapositivefeelingfromexertion.Modernpeoplewhoexercise
knowthiswell.Andthemostdedicatedtothescienceofhappinessbarnonehaveexerciseintegrated
intotheirwayoflife.
Exercise,evenashortwalk,isanatural,inbuilt,happinessreleasevalve.
ChoicesChoices
Whatwasthelastthingyouchosetodo?Perhapssitdownandreadalittle?Perhapsgetuptomakea
drink?Perhapstakealittlebreak?Perhapstoeatacertainthingandnotanother?
ViewedfrominfinityYoucan'thavechosen,asthereisnoseparateyou.
ViewedfromcertainneuroscientificresearchYoucan'thavechosen,asthereisnoactor.
Youmaywellhavereadaboutthisresearchinscience.Onetestisquiteoldandpossiblyopentoerror
inthewaytheresultswerecollectedbutthemoremodernresearchnotonlyagreesbutpushesthe
conclusionsfurtherstill.Thedecisionsyouthinkyoumakecomeaboutbeforeyou'reawareofmaking
thatchoice.
Likelyyouhavecomeacrossthisresearchinsomeformbethatapassingnewsstoryoryoumayhave
delvedintothepaperswrittenbythescientiststhemselves.Verylikelyyouwereirkedbytheresults,
whichisamusinglyunavoidable,andyou'veeitherthoughtitthroughtothepointwhereithurtsand
youcontinueonthesameoryou'vecasttheresultsasideastheyseemveryunliketherealityyou
knowtobereal.Well,ifyoumadethedecisioninunder10seconds,youdidn'tmakeit,andifyou
tooklonger,youdidn'tmakeiteither.Atleastuntilthisresearchisdisprovedornot,thecurrent
understandingisthatthedecisionismadeinthebrainthattheconsciousyousimplyjustifiesit
afterward,around10secondslater.Also,lighttakestimetotravelandyourbraintakestimetoprocess,
soyou'reonlyeverseeingthepast,you'reneverwitnessingthepresent.Don'tquotemeonthis,I'm
rusty.Researchplease.
Yetthisisaninterestingidea.SayIenteradebatewithsomeonewhoinsistsonfreewillandIaskthem
toattemptforaminutetoargueagainstfreewill.They'llfailtoputforwardastrongcaseastheydon't
havesufficientknowledgetoformulatethatparticularviewconvincingly.Soistheirargumentagainst
freewilltrulyanargumentagainstfreewill,orcoulditbethattheirbrainisprimedtoargueforfree
willbytheinformationavailabletoit?
Itisperhapseasilyseenwhenababyslipsfromyourhandsoracarswervestowardyou,youmake
suchdecisionstocatchthebabyoravoidthecrashthatyourconsciousself,thatwaslikelychatting
awayorhummingatune,hardlyevenknewwhathadhappenedinsuchcasesyouwillperhapsagree
thattheunconsciousorinstinctactedbefore you
knewit,thusprovingtheresearchtruewhileyoustill
denyitatheart.
Inlongerdecisionswheresayafriendasksyoutodosomethingyou'renotinstantlykeentodo,sayyou
haveafewdaystodecidewhethertoaccompanythemtotheiragedrelativeshousefordinner,thenyou
morelikelyfeelthatthedecisionwasyoursandyoursalone,butitwasn't.Theconsciousselfsimply
hadmoretimetobolsterthejustificationandifyouforexamplesleptonthedecision,thenyou'veno
claimtotheresultonewayortheother.Thebrainworkedoutthedetailsandyoujustifiedthedecision
itcametoasbeingtherightoneforyou.
Itwasyourbrainperhaps,butthevoiceinyourheadyouoftenmistaketobeyou,didnotmakethe
decision,itwrotethereport.
Ghostsinthemachine
Thevoiceyouhearasyoureadorthevoicethatsaysenough,Ineedtostretchmylegsandmakea
drinkisnotyou.Ifitwereyouthenyou'dbethislittleentitysittingbehindtheeyesanddrivingthis
bodyaroundasifitwereavehicle.Manyphilosophicalpapersandbookshavebeenwrittenonthisand
theendresultisalwaystheinfiniteregressionof,'well,whoisdrivingthat,andthatandthat.....'.orit
takesyouoffonanyothersplitpathofsay,mindandbodydualism.
Thequestionofwhoyouareorwhereyouareisactuallyverytricky.Philosophywillgoonfromone
personmakinggreatclaimsonlytobedestroyedyearslaterbyanotherpersonwhomakesanickinthe
theoryandtearsitdown.SciencehasnotfoundanIoraself.
Scientistshavemovedfromtheverymechanicalideaofnotingtheselfisnotthearm,leg,orsoonto
evendiscountingeachandeverypartofthebrain.Amorelikelybutasyetunprovenresultoftheir
workisthattheselfisaqualityemergingfromdifferentpartsofthebrainreferencingoneanother.Like
feedbackwhereonepartofthebrainlookstoanotherforaresultandthentoanother,andbackand
whatoriginallyreferencednowbecomesapointofreference.Thereisnomainactor,nocentre,butthe
ideaofselfemergesasafinalresultismadeandthenthisresultisjustifiedbywhatappearsbythento
beavoiceinyourhead.Decisionsstartoffsilentlyandeventuallyappearvocalised,butasyouareonly
awareofthestringofvocalisedresultsyoubelievethatstreamtobetheonedrivingtheshow,notin
factasitis,commentatingjustaftertheevent.
Whyevenbeselfaware?
Whycan'ttheuniversejustmakehumansthatdon'thaveaninnervoiceandsocan'tsuffer?Evolution
triesmanythingsoutandwhatworkssticksaround.Whenabirdthatchirpedencouragedanotherbird
toalocationwithfoodthentheideaofchirpingwonovertheideaofbeingmute.Whenabirdthat
chirpedallthetimefelltopredatorsthatcouldeasilylocateitthenchirpinglessfrequentlywas
favoured.
That'safabricatedexamplebutthefactthatwehaveacomplexlanguageandaninnercommentatoris
evolutionarilyvaluableasitletsusshareideas."Hey,shedidthisandthishappened"isveryvaluable
asissavesyoulearningthelessontheylearnedfirsthand.Thecoursewetakemaybeoutofourcontrol
buttheonboardcommentatorisusefultooursurvivalandsowewatchlifeunfold.
Notfatalist
Asthereisnodoer.
Fromtheperspectiveofameditatorwhoisseeinganinfinitythenthereisneithersomeonetomakea
choicenoristheresomeonetobesweptalongwiththestream.Thereissimplyavast,unbrokenwhole,
shifting:appearingattimestobeapersonandauniverse.
Itseemsegotisticaltoimaginelittleyouhaspowertosteertheuniverseanditalsoappearsinvalidto
saythereisapersonbeingdriventoeveryactbyauniverse.Invalidasapersonisachanging
appearanceoftheuniverseandnota+1boltedontoinfinity.
You'rebornof,notinto,theuniverse.
Process
Lookoutsideandnotetheweather.Unlessyouliveinaparticularlyamazingplacethentheweatheris
somethingthatchangesfairlyoften.Notethesky.Theskychangesdailythroughbluetoblack.Clouds
passandthey'reneverofthesameform.Sometimesthecloudsoffershadefromthesun,sometimes
theyofferrain.Youcouldn'tpossiblynoteadropletofrainyou'dseenbefore,noraspeckofdust.
Aboveuswefloatinspace,wegoaroundthesun,andshegoesaroundthecentreoftheMilkyWay,
whichfollowsanotherpathandinallofthisweareneverinthesameplace.Ayearfromnowwhen
we'velappedthesun,theearthwillhavespunroughly365timesalsoandwe'llhavemadeourway
throughthegalaxy.We'llbenowherenearwherewewereayearagoinspace.Intherestofthelifeof
theuniverse,we'llneverberighthereagain.
Thewonderfuloldstoryofofhowwemayneversetfootinthesamerivertwiceastheriverwill
changeandsowillwe.Allischanging.Asyoubreatheandyourheartpumpsbloodandthegoodness
fromyourfoodsweepsthroughyourbody,we'reneverthesamefromonemomenttothenext.Our
brainsreconfigurebutweholdontoasenseofself.
Interestinglythebrainhasbeenreferredtoinsometheoryasahologram,theideabeingthatyoudon't
addalittleinformationtothelibrarybutthewholehologramreconfigurestomapwhatoncewasalong
withwhatithasnowseen.Alongwiththechanginguniversethebrainisalsobecomingsomethingnew
witheachinstant.You'llhavenotedalsoinwellknownsciencethatourcellsregenerateandthe
apparentconstituentpartsofelectronsandquarksaretrulywavesofnosoliditywhatsoever.Wemay
wellappearasabodywithanongoingself,butnothinghasyetproventhatweare.Veryoftenindeed
sciencehasdisprovedtheseideasofaseparateselfandnotupheldthem.
Youdon'tfindthetruth,youdiscountthefalse.
Eternallife
IfeelthattheHinducosmologybestcapturesthisidea:Whatwouldaperfect,infinitebeingdo?
Thebeingthathadalifethatwasaslongastheywishedandfullofasmuchwealthandpleasureas
theywished,wouldrightlybecomebored.Theywouldconcoctafuturerealityinwhichtheywereborn
hiddenfromtheirperfection,sothattheycouldexperiencechallenge.
AnextensionofthereincarnationideathatIdeveloped,andlikelyothersdidtoo,isthatthemore
awakenedyouwereinonelifethenthemoredifficultalifeyou'dchooseforyournextincarnation.The
moreenlightenedabeingthenthemoredifficultandblindedthey'dchoosetobeintheirnextexistence,
andthelessenlightenedtheywerethemorelikelythey'dchooseawonderfullifeorprivileged
existence,suchasthelifeofarichbusinessmanorqueen.
Apersonlivinganaveragelifewouldwishtoberebornakingandapersonwisetoreality(ofthem
beinginfinite)wouldgoforarealchallenge,likebeingapoorslumdweller.
Also,howgreatisadaywhenitisoneofabillion?Wecan'tansweryet,butperhapslessspecialthan
onedayin30,000.
Perhapsfoodforthoughtforthosewealthytranshumanistswishingtoliveindefinitely.
Butfornow,thisiswind.
Yourpoint?
Rightlyyoumaywonderwherethisgetsusto.Youfeellikeapersonintheworldandyourwhole
evolvedconstitutionisbuiltonthe'selfintheworld'model.
Youmayevenfeelthatseeingtheworldfromthealteredperspectiveofinfinitymayleadtoacollapse
ofsomekindorleaveyoudesolate,exposedordisconnected.
Furtheryou'reinnoplacetosuddenlychangeyourmindasallyougettodoisjustifythedecisions
yourbrainpremakessoyouwillcontinueonthesameanyway.
Ifeelthoughthatthetrapislaidandwhenthemomentcomeswhereyou'rewalkingpeacefully,or
sitting,perhapscooking,onthelooeven,maybebusyworking,paintingordoingwhateveryou
normallydo,andthemomentcomes,thisscentedoilwe'vescatteredherejustnow,willignite.
Myheadhurts
We'renotdesignedtothinkthesethoughts,ofcoursewe'renotdesignedatallbutwe'venotdeveloped
tounderstandthis,we'vedevelopedtosurviveandtoassociatewiththecommentatingvoiceinour
heads.
Earlieronbeforewetookonthepainfulinquiryofwhoisdrivingthebuswewereinequallytough
territorybutperhapsrevisitingthatmaynowbetakenasalittlelightrelief.Isaid,anditisabsolutely
uptoyoutodoyourownresearch,thattherewasinfactnoselfatall,thereischange,thereis
infinity.
Thathappycontentedsmile
Thepersonbacktowardthebeginningofthisbook,theonewhosaidtheywerecontentandgaveyou
thewarmsmile.Weretheylookingforhappiness?
Theywerenot.Apersonwithentirelyquenchedthirstdoesnotdrink.Onlyunhappypeopleseek
happiness.Thecontentpersonwasjustthat,notseeking,justbeing.
Bliss
Let'sinvestigatethosewonderfulmomentsofbliss.Youmayhavefeltoneonlyjustrecently,itmaybe
nearongoingforyouineveryinstant,itmayhavebeenawhilesinceyoulastfeltanythinglikebliss.
MyapologiesfornotknowingexactlywhoI'maddressinghere.
Butrecaptureit.
Duringaslightlyextendedandsloweddowninbreath,followtheairin,drawyourattentionupinside
yourheadtothecrownandnoticethepleasure.Yourfocuswasbrieflyundividedandunvoiced.
IfyouaresomeonewhofeelsthisinsomeongoingmannerthenI'msurprisedyouarestillreadingand
perhapsyouarehereoutofcuriosity.FormostreadersI'dguessthissensationisshortlived.
ThepointofallthatIhavewrittensofaristodrawyoufromtheconceptualworldthatiscommentated
onbythevoiceinyourheadandtomovethenasthebookprogressesintoastateofongoingbliss.
We'velookedathowtherealityweknowisweirdandchangingandthatevenseeminglyconcrete
thingslikebeingaselfareinfactlearnedtraits,notsolidfact.
ThoughIdon'texpectyoutosimplytakeontheseideas,I'dliketothinkthereisfoodforthoughtand
momentumnowtowardinvestigation.Sittingpeacefully,takingslowcalmbreathsandholdingyour
focusinthecrown,orheart,oranyplaceyoufeelcomfortableisanancienttechnique.Whatelsedid
ourlonggoneancestorsdothatwestilldonow?Notmuchasidefromexerciseandthebasicsofeating
andsleeping.Whyisitthatoneofthefewthingsthathassurvivedtimeismeditation?
It'sagatewaytoasharedexperience.Itisourwayofreunitingwithinfinityanddroppingtheillusion
ofselfandother.Itisthepresentcontentednessthatwethoughtwouldarisefromourmillionprevious
actionstowardhappinessinlifeuntilnow.
Ifdrawntodosonow,getcomfy,breatheandallowinfinitytobe.
Reality
Nowinreality,lovedoneswilldie,hungerwillcome,you'llsuffer.You'llalsoexperiencepleasureand
indifferencewillhaveitsplacetoo.Somedayswillbeawful.Momentsof"great!"willrunalongside
crapandaverage.
IhardlyfeelIneedtosaythatgoodandbad,pleasureandpainandsoonexistbyoneanotherandcan
notbehadexclusivelyinanongoingmanner.
ThetapestryoflifeinmanycasesisquitewonderfulandinnowaydoIrecommendattemptingto
detachfromtheworldunlessyouareaveryuniqueindividualthiswilllikelycausemoreproblems
thanyoucouldbegintoimagineandmisguideddetachmentisaterriblystrongamplificationofself
andother.Byallmeansenjoylifebutrecogniseequallythatbadwilloccurtoo.
TheuniqueelementI'mpointingtowhichistoaccompanyyouthroughlife'sinevitablehighsandlows
isthismomentwhereyouarefreeofconcept,freeofself,simplybeing.ThatiswhyIspenttime
pointingtointerestingtopicsthatexposeourstandardwayofseeingourselvesintheworldas
unverifiedillusion,takenasundeniablefact.
Youmaygoaboutyourdayremaininginmeditationandjustallowinglifetotakeplace.Thatis
becauseoftheabsolutelackofevidenceforaself,you'llstilleatwhenhungry,sleepwhentired,and
swervetoavoiddanger.Youmaywritethatsong,paintthatwall,clearthosecobwebs.Youwon'tas
manyinstantlyassert,donothing.
Givenallofthatfoodforthought,thattheselfisunreal,thatthedecisionmakerisunknownwithno
placetoexist,thatwedon'tact,wecommentate,thatwe'reinfinity,wiggling,thatnothinghas
permanence,allisflowing,changing.Givenallofthatandthentakingtimetoexposeourbrainstonear
nothingness,we'vetastedtheblissthatwe'dtastedbeforeinlifewherethebeautyofthemoment
allowedtheselftoclearlyshowthatitsabsencewasofnoconcern.Allthatalongwiththislinktothe
past,thatwillalmostcertainlybeapartofhumanityforyearstocome,meditationwhichisanopen
doortobliss......
Again,slowthebreathanddrawyourattentiontothecrownofthehead.
Itisveryeasytorecaptureandifyouwanttohaveitlastalittlelongerthentrythis.
Drawaslightlylongeranddeeperbreath,andtakemoretimewithyouroutbreath.
Andrepeat,deeperandalittleslowereachtime.
You'llfindaplaceofgreatpeace.Butitwon'tlastforever.Itissimplyatrick.Itisworthdoingwhen
you'venothingelseworthdoing.It'sworthdoingwhenintrusivethoughtsattempttotakeyouover.Itis
worthdoingwhenyouwishtomakeawisedecision.Itisworthdoingwhenyouwanttodrawtothe
rootassomethingunpleasantistryingtofillyourmind.Butitisnotgoingtobeafixall.
Justknowitisthereandaccessible.Astheshowgoeson,astheimagesonthetapestryarewoven,this
silkthreadiseverpresentandfreefromduality.
PracticalProgression
Ifyoufeelthatthesubjectmattersofarhasfailedtoprovideanypracticalorusefuladvicethen,cough,
itmaygetworse.
IdontwanttoprovideadviceasImnotaskingyoutobeme,buttobeyou.
Idontwanttoofferpracticeaspracticeisnottheresultbuttheadmissionthatthegoalisnotyet
found.Practicingtoreachreleaseisfulladmissionthatreleaseisnotthecase,andsoworkhereis
paintinganddecoratingthefoundationratherthanstandinghightoenjoytheview.
Themethod,bethereone,andIfeelobligedtooffersomethingnow,istolookinwardfortheever
presentresult.Anddothatmoreandmoreoftenuntiltheouterdistractionsandtheexternalthingsyou
aredrawntowardareseentobepassingandknown,moreandmore,tobefruitless.
IfyouareinterestedinamethodthenImustadvisethatitisnottobeheldontobuttakenasashort
steptotheroof.Recognisethateverythingtodateinyourlifethathasnearlyproducedlasting
happinesshasfadedawayandinrecognisingthat,seehowanyfuturethingwilltoodothesame.
Noticehowthisinner,everpresentblissistheonethingthatcanalwaysbedependedupon.When
seekinghappiness,drawinwardbutdontcloseofftheworld!
Thisiswhyadviceandmethodsaretricky,butIhopeyouseewhatisbeingsaid.
Method
Now,goingagainstmyownwords,Illofferamethod.Pleasetakethisasyouwouldcandyfroma
stranger.Testit,bewaryofit,eventhrowitaway.Intheendyoullneedyourownmethodandyou
mustalsothrowthataway.Whatweareaimingforisthegoalonlyandtorecognisethatmethodsand
thingswillfadeandtheyare,assaid,admissionthatthegoalisasyetunreached.
Externalsourcesofpleasureandhappinessfade.
Theinnerblissisalwaysthecase.
Drawin.Enjoytheout.
Drawin,enjoytheout.
Badcomes,drawin.
Goodcomes,drawin.
Enjoytheout.
Bytheriver
Riversandweathercanbeexplainedinwordsandsocanideas.
Themorewordsusedthoughthelessthedescriptionresemblesthetruthofjustsitting,bytheriver,in
themoonlight.
Conclusions
Aspaintedearlierthereissomemagicbehindtheshow.Thebumpsalongtheway,thechallenging
questionsofwhoweareandwhatinfinityisandwhatwemustdoinlifearenottobedwelledupontoo
deeplybuttheydoexposetherealityweknowtobeinfirm.
Theaimistoexposethemagicwe'vealltasted,whetherbrieforoften,andshowitastobenothardto
reach,buteverpresent.Tokeepconceptualizingandconcerntoaminimumasweknowinfinity,why
fearimpermanence?Weknowchange,whyholdontoappearances?Weknowblissiseveravailable,
whyattachtopassingemotion?
Youcouldbebytheriverinthemoonlightoryoucouldbeinacarinatrafficjam,thesamemagicis
present.Itmayspontaneouslymakeitselfapparentbytheriverandseemquitehardtoaccesswhen
stuckintrafficbutitistherejustthesame.
Whenamosquitospoilssittingbytheriver,itmayseemtobelost.Whentheegoicminddropstheidea
itcanalterthepositionofcars,thenthemagicmaybeseentoemergebutitiseverpresentinall
situations,maskedonlybyhabitandanimalinstinctsofprotectionanddesire.
Whenapersonseemstoreallyhaveitoranotherpersonseemstobeacompletewretchwiththeonly
lifeaimofruiningyourdayitisthereinbothcases.
Whenababyisbornwithasmileandgreatvitalityandwhenalovedonedrawstheirlastbreathit's
toughtosee,butitisthereinbothcases.
Whenyouareinloveandwhenyouareheartbroken,it'sthere.
Whenyouarehappyandthenyouareruined,it'sthere.
Insicknessandinhealth,
inloveandinwar,
behinditall.
Itisthemerethoughtthatlifeshouldbeanythingotherthanitisthatbringsunhappiness.
Itiswhenwhatis,andwhatyouwishtobe,aredifferentthatyousuffer.
Afterward
Whenenoughdewhascollected,itdrips.
Whenthoughtsaredispersed,awakening.