| You may have started out not knowing anything | | | | of perception, which causes immeasurable misery, |
| about the spiritual side of life, you where only | | | | with a lesser emphasis on meditation practices. In |
| material, but there was something different about | | | | this way, the improvement of the quality of life |
| you that made you feel something was missing in | | | | and relationships, which will translate into personal |
| a so called normal life. Or perhaps you knew | | | | as well as business interactions, could increase at |
| some greater truth, but did not have the method | | | | a very rapid pace. |
| of finding it or talking about it. | | | | With this reversed emphasis from the ancient |
| This was your innate knowledge of the spiritual | | | | teachings, we have found that even if |
| realm, however, you did not have the teachers or | | | | enlightenment is not achieved, life becomes more |
| guides to show you what existed. Your parents | | | | peaceful and fulfilling by the elimination of the |
| and schooling never touched on the spiritual parts | | | | majority of negative emotions and experiences as |
| of life. Religion was too dogmatic and made no | | | | well as an increase in understanding life in general. |
| sense to you, so you did not find emotional and | | | | As the student progresses, meditation practices |
| spiritual consolation there. Since you had nowhere | | | | can be increased. Meditation is not simply sitting |
| else to turn, you just kept it inside until you | | | | and contemplating your navel, it is focused |
| forgot about it. That was when life seemed to | | | | thought. There are many practices that are active |
| lose a bit of its excitement and interest. You | | | | and are meditational. Activities such as target |
| sedated your hunger for knowledge since it could | | | | archery also known as Kyudo, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, |
| not be fulfilled. | | | | walking, and many other places that the benefits |
| Because it has been so many years that you | | | | of meditation can be achieved as well as |
| have kept your desire for knowledge that could | | | | improving physical health and other aspects of the |
| not be fulfilled inside, you may now over-indulge in | | | | being. If a person prefers sitting, that is also fine. |
| this new found treasure. | | | | The principle of this school is that the path to |
| A pendulum that is held too high on one side will | | | | enlightenment can be compared to a road that is |
| swing too far to the other. And then may swing | | | | many lanes wide, this is the road of awakening. All |
| far back to where it began. Anything, no matter | | | | the lanes, the different practices or paths, lead to |
| how good, in excess, may be harmful. | | | | the same place, but some are for certain cars or |
| A key trait of an evolved being is balance. You | | | | certain speeds. Here, we offer many types of |
| are not fully evolved, but if you want to get | | | | different practices that all give the same result or |
| there, you must have balance. To walk the razors | | | | benefit and lead to the same goal of developing |
| edge is impossible without this balance. Balance of | | | | awareness. |
| mind and spirit and action. Your actions must be | | | | In this manner, each person can customize their |
| balanced between the normal life of work, play | | | | own path within the guidelines of tested methods. |
| and personal/spiritual growth. Because these | | | | It can also be seen as a boat with many seats. A |
| things are so different in their nature, you cannot | | | | passenger can only sit in one seat at a time, and |
| calculate balance in equal portions of time. | | | | can only try so many seats. No matter what seat |
| The correct amount of each is calculated not by | | | | is occupied, they will all reach the destination at |
| outward action, but by inward attention. You can, | | | | the same time, as long as you don't jump off the |
| and in order for something to be a true practice, | | | | ship. |
| you should be able to do the inward work at the | | | | If you had two glasses of water, and your friend |
| same time as outward action. In other words, | | | | needed to drink, but in one glass the water had |
| you should be able to self observe while hiking or | | | | mud and dirt inside it, and the other glass had |
| working. | | | | pure clean water, which one would you give? We |
| This means that you do not have to spend every | | | | are the same. Our ego and personality is soiled |
| minute of every day that you are not working, | | | | with negative emotions and feelings that we |
| contemplating your navel. You must have physical | | | | cannot control. So in order to give the best we |
| exercise and rest time. When it is appropriate, | | | | can to our world, we must clean out the dirt |
| some entertainment is necessary for your mind | | | | from our hearts, gain control over ourselves, and |
| to take a break from the efforts of your spiritual | | | | be the best we possibly can. |
| practices to rest and regain some strength. There | | | | The mind must be empty before it can acquire |
| are Fakirs that would take as their practice to | | | | any new information. Not only must old false |
| hold one arm in the air for ten or twenty years. | | | | impressions and concepts be let go of, but more |
| That arm becomes useless and the Fakir does | | | | importantly, it is the way of thinking that may |
| not necessarily gain the benefits desired. You | | | | require adjustment. The manner in which a person |
| must live a path that is best suited to you. Each | | | | understands, interprets and hears things does not |
| day that may change as you grow, so do not fix | | | | often make use of the full capacity of the |
| today's practice based on last week. But make | | | | faculties that we are born with. |
| your practice and efforts appropriate for each | | | | Some people learn to think analytically if they |
| day considering the season, time, and world you | | | | have trained as a scientist for instance, others |
| live in, or are travelling in. When you get strong | | | | think emotionally, if their bent is poetry. Whatever |
| enough, you will be able to carry a strong practice | | | | way of thinking a person has, clouds the manner |
| and keep it with you anywhere in the world. Until | | | | in which new information is interpreted. So this |
| then, if you do not develop yourself with a firm | | | | manner need be expanded to other manners so |
| but gentle hand, you may break yourself and lose | | | | that all the value of the information can be reaped |
| interest. | | | | rather than only what can be seen from one |
| You must also consider that an excess of one | | | | particular manner of thinking. |
| thing does not make up for an excess of another. | | | | Imagine if you where famished and went to the |
| Work steadily and diligently, but not fanatically, | | | | restaurant, got your food and then tried to shove |
| ever conscious, and ever practicing. | | | | it in your stomach directly. Then you got angry |
| Mystical practices have been around for | | | | that you where still hungry, and even yelled at |
| thousands of years, and some very fortunate | | | | the waiter who was trying to explain that you are |
| few have become enlightened due to them while | | | | not doing it right. You would only get more |
| others have simply gained an improved life. | | | | frustrated that your hunger where not getting |
| The problem and part of the reason that many | | | | appeased, but you would still be hungry. |
| people do not seriously take up the effort of the | | | | Take this thought as the way in which we all |
| practice of meditation is that so very few people | | | | think, we are trying to get information in a |
| actually gain any noticeable results. This makes it | | | | manner that is not in accordance with the organ |
| hard to put in the effort if one cannot see the | | | | that requires the nourishment. Food must be |
| practices and effort being worthwhile. | | | | taken in the mouth, and follow the necessary |
| The cause of the lack of success seems to be in | | | | path to reach the stomach. Knowledge and |
| the manner in which the mind functions that | | | | awakening are the same, they must follow a |
| prevents meditation practice from being effective. | | | | particular path, one that is different to the |
| The mind normally runs on memory and | | | | manner in which we presently function. If the idea |
| perceived impressions of what it hears or sees, | | | | that you do not know exactly how to digest and |
| we shall discuss this in great depth throughout the | | | | assimilate this type of information is acceptable to |
| program. This makes it impossible for a person to | | | | you, then the mind will open up to new faculties |
| deal with life in the present moment and make | | | | of perception and be able to gain insights that |
| use of meditational practices in the most | | | | may be surprising. |
| effective manner towards liberating the soul. | | | | The end goal is enlightenment, awakeness, |
| And so the first step is, rather than long hours of | | | | awareness of ultimate reality, Truth, God, or |
| mediation, to put in tremendous effort towards | | | | whatever you may see as the cause of all |
| discovering how the mind works, how your | | | | existence. In being awake and living consciously, |
| personality and ego colour the way you see and | | | | there is no separation. There are no longer two |
| live your life. | | | | sides of the same coin, that is still separation. All |
| By finding how the ego takes a simple situation | | | | things exist simultaneously. When that mode of |
| and builds it into a very different picture, usually | | | | consciousness is achieved, then pain, suffering and |
| to the negative, then it will be possible to correct | | | | all that causes desire ceases to have any effect, |
| this fault in our interactions with the world we live | | | | for there is nothing to need because nothing is |
| in and people we deal with. | | | | lacking. All things do exist now. |
| Once this error of perception is cleared up, then | | | | The steps on the path can be summarized as |
| meditational practice is much more effective. The | | | | follows: |
| original teachings seem to say that by doing | | | | To know that you have capacities that you are |
| meditation, you will clear up the minds distorted | | | | not using. |
| vision. Based on how many people have | | | | To know the reasons you do not access and use |
| meditated through the millennium compared to | | | | these abilities. |
| how many have become enlightened, to any | | | | To do the practices with great effort. |
| degree, it appears that that principle is not a | | | | By getting to know your capacities, even if you |
| guarantee. Here we will follow a path of the | | | | cannot access then, that knowledge will speed up |
| reverse. | | | | the process of their unfoldment. |
| The emphasis is on clearing up the faulty faculty | | | | |