EnlightenmentforLazyPeople

PaulSmit

PaulSmit2014
CoverDesign:ErikTh:www.erikthedesign.com
Edit:JulieRumbarger
www.paulsmit.nu
www.nondualiteit.nu

Introduction

Duringthefallof2009,amannamedPaulSmitcrossedmypathandtoldmethateverything
Ihadbelievedinwasnothingbutafacade.ThattheearthisnotflatbutroundIalready
knew;thattherewasn'tadifferencebetweenwhatIsawasmyselfandtherestoftheworld
wasnewtome.

PaulandIspokeaboutnondualityontheradiostation;abouthowthisnondualinsightcan
makeanxiety,feelingsofguiltandeverlastingdoubtdisappear.Wetalkedaboutthis
philosophyforoverahundredhours.Thiseventuallyresultedinthewritingofajointbook.
HenceforthcomesthisrefreshingpiecebyPaulSmitnamedEnlightenmentforlazypeople.A
fittingtitle,ofcourse,asenlightenmentisatotallynaturaloccurrence.

AsPaulwillexplain,youactuallydon'thavetodoanythingtobeenlightened.Infact,
everythingyoutrytodotoattainenlightenmentwillkeepyoufixatedontheideathat
somethinglikeadoeractuallyexists.Paulopenedmyeyesandchangedmylife,whichis
muchmorerelaxednow.SincebeinglazyiswhatIexcelin,Iwillstopwriting.

Enjoythisuniquelittlebook,which,althoughcreditedtoauthorPaulSmit,wasactually
writtenbythatwhichisalsocompellingyoutoreadthisbook...consciousness!
PatrickKickenRadioDJatVeronica

TableofContents

(1)TheSearch
(2)NonDuality
(3)TheFreeWill
(4)WhoAreYou?
(5)EverythingisConsciousness
(6)Duality
(7)Focusing
(8)ZoomingOut
(9)Awakening
(10)Enlightenment
WhoisPaulSmit?

(1)TheSearch

BeingHappy
Ifyoucouldgivepeoplefromthe1800saglimpseofhowwelivetoday,theywould
probablythinkwearetrulyhappy.Wehavesomuch!Wehavecarswithheatedseatsand
cupholders,airplaneswithwirelessinternetconnectionsandvideoscreens,mobilephones
thatcantext,runWhatsApp,andemailthatcanevenbeusedtomakecalls!Welivein
housesmadeofstone,withrunninghotwater,toilets,washingmachinesandflatscreen
televisionswithsubwoofersandfourspeakers.
Onewouldthinkthatweareallimmenselyhappy.However,eventhoughwehaveso
much,itneverseemstobeenough.Weliveinaconsumersculturewherethesatisfaction
ofourdirectneedsleadstoonlytemporaryhappiness.Thereisaconstantemptinessthat
wewanttofill.Sometimeswemightevensucceedbyearningrespect,gettingapromotion,
earningmoney,eatingchocolate,orbuyingacarornewshoes.Buteverytime,ifwe
examineitcloselyenough,theresthatlittlevoicethatsays,'Itstillisn'tgoodenough.'

TheBubbleBathMoment
Whenyoustepintoabubblebath,itfeelsextremelynice.Itistheriseintemperature
thatgivesusthatgoodfeeling.Butafteryouhavebeensittinginthebathforafewminutes,
youbecomeacclimatedtothetemperatureanditgetsboringbecausethesensehave
becomeusedtoit.Thestimulushaswornoff,andwestartlookingforanewone.Becauseof
thissurgeinstimulus,wecontinuetolookforhappinessoutsideofourselves,keepingthe
RatRacegoing.Eachtime,anewthoughtcomestomind:'OnceIhaveacareer,theideal
relationship,abighouse,aperfectholidaythenIwillbehappy.Itisadefinitefactthat
suchexternalstimulicanmakeustemporarilyhappybuttheeuphoriadoesnotcomefrom
thepurchaseofthatnewcarortelevision.
Theliberationfeelingoreuphoriaarisesbecausethereisadroppingawayofourdesire.
Foramoment,alliswellanditisgoodenough.Wehavethengainedinnerpeaceforawhile.
Regardlessofhowmuchmoney,matter,power,respect,orsuccesswemayhave,itisnever
enough;itcanonlygiveusamomentarysenseofhappiness.Eventherichestpeopleonthe
planetcontinuetohearthatsamevoice,'Itstillisn'tgoodenough.

TheRatRace
Afteryouareborn,twopeoplewhocallthemselvesyourmomanddad,raiseyoufora
periodbeforeyoustartgoingtoschool.Fromthatmomentonward,youaretaughtthatitis
essentialtochaseyourgoalsandgetgoodresults.TheRatRacehasbegun!Onceyoufinish
primaryschool,yougotosecondaryschool.Afterthat,youmostlikelystudysomemore.

Onceyouhaveadiploma,yousecureaplaceinthesystemwhere,afterhardwork,youstill
havetoworkyourwayup.Then,afterfortyyearsofhardlabour,youfinallymakeit!You
haveahusbandorawife,twochildren,aGoldenRetriever,aleasedcar,andifthingsgowell
enough,youmayevenbeabletotakeavacationtwiceayear.Nevertheless,despite
achievingallofthis,youstilldon'tfeelanydifferentfrombeforebecauseagain,theresthat
littlevoicerepeatingitself,'Itstillisn'tgoodenough.

Spirituality
Youthink,Therehastobemore.Therehastobemorethanjustthisearthlyexistence.
Allthesematerialthingsarefun,buttheydontreallymakemehappy.Youknowwhat,Iwill
becomespiritual!Iwilldevelopmyselfandexplorethespiritualaspectsoflife!
Incenseentersyourlifeandanewworldopensup.OnepersonbecomesaReikimaster,
anothervegetarian,whileothersfindpeaceinmeditation.Youworkonyourselfusingthese
methods,andeventhoughtherearemomentsofhappiness,thereisstillthatlittlevoice
saying,'Itstillisn'tgoodenough.
Thereisnothingwrongwithchasingmaterialorspiritualgoals,butthispathwillcontinue
tomaintaintheillusionthatyouhavetodosomethinginordertofeelgoodaboutyourself
oraboutthecircumstancesyouliveinwhenthetryingtofeelgoodisactuallywhatis
makingyoufeelbad.Finally,apersoncatcheswindof'enlightenment!'Anideaplantsitself
intothemind.'IfIcanattainenlightenment,Iwillalwaysfeelgood!'Whowouldntwant
that?

AchievingEnlightenment
Ifyouwanttobeagoodsoccerplayer,youhavetotrainalot.Ifyouwanttobeagood
guitarist,youhavetotakelessons,practicediligently,andperformagreatdeal.Inshort,
manythingsinliferequireeffortonourpartinordertoachieveanything.With
'enlightenment,'however,thisworksdifferently.

Youdon'thavetodoanythingtobeenlightened!
Youdon'thavetoapplyamethod.
Youdon'thavetolearnatechnique.
Youdon'thavetomeditate.
Youdon'thavetoeatlikeavegetarian.
Youdon'thavetogotoIndiaforit.
Youdon'thavetoworshipaguru.
Youdon'thavetowearspecialclothing.

Youdon'thavetotakeacourseinit.
Youdon'thavetogothrougharebirth.
Youdon'thavetomindyourbreathing.
Youdonothavetochangeyourself.
Youdonothavetobespiritualforit.
Youdonothavetocleanyourchakras.
Youdon'tevenhavetoreadbooksforit.
Well...exceptthisone,ofcourse,butonceyoufinishit,youcanthrowitaway.

(2)NonDuality

TheEarthisRound
Insightintonondualityisenlightenmentforlazypeoplebecauseyoudon'thavetodo
anythingtoachieveit.Theonlythingthatpreventsyoufrombeingenlightenedisthefact
thatyourbrainisfilledwithfalsepresumptions.Theselimitingideasmakeyoubelieve
thingsthatmostlikelyarenottrue.Thisbooktakesalookatconceptsfromanondualistic
pointofview,whichmayturnyourworldupsidedown.Itmaybesimilartotheshockthat
wasexperiencedwhenitwasdiscoveredthattheEarthisround.Forcenturies,itwas
believedthattheEarthhadtheshapeofaflatdisk.Whoeverwanderedtooclosetothe
edgeoftheworldwouldfalloffandneverreturnorsoitwasbelieved.When17thcentury
astronomerGalileoGalilemadeitclearthattheEarthwasround,spinsarounditsaxis,and
rotatesaroundthesun,peoplewerestunned.
Suchperplexitycanalsooccurwhilstreadingaboutnonduality.Somemaygetconfused,
whileothersmightgetangry.Nonetheless,itisalsopossiblethattheinsightwilltouchyou
andofferyouliberationandinnerpeace.

NonDuality
Nonduality,beingsynonymouswithAdvaitameans,'nottwo.Itreferstotheideaof
everythingbeingoneandeverythingbeingconnectedtooneanother.Advaitaisanancient
IndianknowledgethatdatesbacktotheoldUpanishads,800yearsbeforeChrist.Thenon
dualisticteachingswerepassedonforcenturiesfromteachertostudent.RamanaMaharishi
(1950)andNisargada aMaharaj(1981)aretwoteacherswhohadnumerousWestern
students,whichaccountsforhowthephilosophyfounditswaytous.

Nondualityisnotareligion.Itdoesn'tpassjudgementonrightandwrong,itdoesn't
knowrules,methods,orrituals,andisonlyareferencetothetruth,thus,notbeingthetruth
itself.Philosopherswhooccupiedthemselveswithnondualitywere,amongstothers;
Spinoza,AlbertEinstein,WilliamShakespeare,andArthurSchopenhauer.Teachingsthatalso
includenondualityareTaoism,Zen,Dzogchen,andSufism.

WatchingaMovie
Letshavealookatnondualitybyusingasimpleexample.Imaginethatyouaresittingin
amovietheatre.Amovieisplayingonthescreen.Whileyourelax,youseehowthescenes
succeedeachanother.Sometimesitisexciting,sometimesyoulaugh,sometimesyoufeel
romance,andsometimesyoufeelsorrow.Theemotionsrunthroughyou,butbecausethis
happenswithoutresistance,itfeelsmarvellous.Suchamoviebringsyouthisinnerpeace
andyoumayevenfeel'enlightened'andfreewhileyouwatchit.Manymoviegoersloveto
payforatickettoenjoyamovieforanhourortwo.Theinterestingthingisthatitcaneven
feelnicetoexperience,forexample,fear,whilewatchingahorrormovie.Furthermore,
peopletendtofinditagoodwaytoexpresssadnessduringamovie.'Icriedlikeababy,
theysay,sometimesevenwithasmileontheirface.
Eventhoughwetrytoavoidsadnessandfearinourdailylives,wecanopenlyenjoyit
duringamovie!Thisisbecausethereisnoresistancetothoseemotions.

TheMuppets
Imagine,ifyouwill,thattheMuppetsWaldorfandStatleraresittingonthebalconyin
thatmovietheatre,andarecontinuouslycommentingonthemoviebeforethem.
'Christ,BradPittshouldhavenevermadethatdecisioninthepreviousscene!'
'Watchout,Brad!'
Iknewthatwasgoingtohappen,man!'
'Great,nowyoureinjail,youfool!
'Whatifthisendsbadly?'
'Whatifhedoesn'tmanagetoescape?'
'Bytheway,checkouthisshirt,itswaytootight.'
'Yesexactly,heprobablyshrunkitinthelaundry'
'Youthinkhehasadryerathome?'
'Youshouldhangashirtlikethattodryonaline,itworksbetter.'
'Or,hecouldhaveboughtalargersize.'

'HeshouldvestayedinTibet.
'Yes,butthatgirldidrunawaywithhisfriend.'
'Whydoesthisalwayshappentohim?'
'Heshouldhavebeenfriendlierinthebeginning.'
DuetotheMuppetsdrivel,youcannolongerenjoythemovie.Youmayevenendup
Shouting,Couldyoupleasequietdown?!Youreruiningtheentiremovie!

LifeisaMovie
Thesimplemessageofnondualityisthatoneslifeisalsoamovie.ItISpossibleto
experienceinnerpeace,exactlyliketheexperienceyouhavewhilewatchingamovie.
However,wehumanshaveMuppetsinourhead.TheseMuppetsconstantlycommenton
everything,withtheresultbeingthatwecontinuetolivewithallkindsofworries,
frustrations,guiltandtragicscenariosinourheads.
Assoonaswerealizethatlifeisamovieinwhicheverythinggoesasitshouldgo,wefind
peace.Feelingsofguiltandfrustrationconcerningeventsthathavehappenedinyourlife
disappear,alongwithallanxietyfilledthoughtsofwhatcouldhappeninthefuture.

Alltheworld'sastage,andallthemenandwomenmerelyplayers.
WilliamShakespeare

EverythingIsasitIs
Whenyouarewatchingamovie,yourealisethateverythinginthemoviegoesasitis
supposedto.Therefore,thereisnoreasontoworry.Everysinglesceneisexactlyhowit
shouldbe.Fromthenondualitypointofview,ourlifeisalsoamovieinwhichthescenes
succeedeachotherandcannotbeanydifferentthantheyarerightnow.Iknow,ifyouare
hearingthisforthefirsttime,thisideamightseemabitstrange.Thisisbecauseweperceive
ourselvesasindividualswhocanchoosewhatwedoandwhatwedontdo.Additionally,
oneswayoflifeseemsasthoughitshoulddependonthechoicesonemadeinthepast.
Seemsasthough.Inanycase,imaginethateverythinghappensregardlessthatyoudon't
havetoworryaboutanythingatallthateverythingyoudo,andallthechoicesyoumake,
alsohappenbythemselves.Sothen,youveneverdoneanythingwrong,andyoucanleave
thefeelingsofguilt,anxiety,stress,andfrustrationbehind.Doesthatnotsoundwonderful?

LivingintheNow
Youhaveprobablyheardthephrase'livingintheNOW.'Butwhatexactlydoesthismean?

Whenyouaresittinginthetheatreandenjoyingamovie,youareinthe'NOW.
Peacefully,youwatchwhatisbeingplayedonscreen.Youmighteventhinkbackaboutwhat
hadhappenedinthelastsceneandhowthemoviewillend,butallwithoutstruggleand
withoutresistance.Thereisacceptanceinwhatishappeningonscreen.Thisisduetothe
factthatyourealizethatitisjustamovie,andeverythinginthatmovieisfollowingthe
script.ButtheMuppetsdonotliveintheNOWatall!Theyareconstantlyworryingabout
thepastandthefuture.Theyarefrustratedbecausethepastoccurredacertainway,and
alsobecausetheyrebusybringingupalltypesofdoomscenariosthatcouldunfoldinthe
future.Naturally,alltypesofdisconcertingthoughtsmayarise.Ifonlyitwas...IfonlyIhad...
WhydidIdo...Supposeif...Whatif...Inthefuture...But,whatabout

It'salways'NOW'
Plentyofpeopledonotenjoythepresentmoment,theirenergygoestofrustrationand
guiltoverpastincidencesandanxietyinwonderingwhatwillorcouldhappeninthefuture.
Theonethingthatcannotbedeniedisthatitisalways'NOW.Evenifyourereminiscing
aboutoldtimesorthinkingaboutthefuture,youarestilldoingthatinthe'NOW.

Thepastandthefutureexistnowherebutinourthoughts!Eventhe'NOW'canonlyfind
aplaceinourimagination.

Thereisonlythismoment!
BillHicks

AbsorbedinSomething
Enlightenmentisnotamysticalorsupernaturalexperiencethatmakesyoufeelasthough
youwereonLSDforaweek.Enlightenmentisnatural.Itisinthemomentsofinnerpeace
thatoccurwhentheMuppetsinourheadsarequiet.Thesearemomentswhereweare
absorbedinanactivitysuchasbeingcaptivatedbyabook,agoodconversation,amovie,
makinglove,orplayingasport.Theyaremomentswhenyouareactiveandsimultaneously
experiencinganinnerpeace.Wealsoexperiencethiswhenwelaugh,dance,orsing.The
Muppetsinourhead,orourworryingmind,isswitchedoffandweare'intheflow',weare
inthe'NOW'.Wearefullyabsorbedinanactivityandtherearenothoughtsthatgiveusa
feelingoffrustration,anxietyorstress.

TheSandCastle
Achildcanreallygetintothebuildingofasandcastle.Achildcanbebusyforhours,
digging,buildingtowersandfigures.Then,everythingiswashedaway,bitbybit,until
nothingisleft.Thechildisdeeplyhappyandenjoyseverymoment.Itisfreeofworrying

thoughts.Whenweasadults,layonthebeach,theMuppetsinourheadsareconstantly
chatteringaway:
Yesterdaytheweatherwasbetter,ifonlywewenttothebeachyesterday.
'Ihavetocallbackthatannoyingclientforworknextweek.Whatanastyman.
Ohdear,lookatthatwomanoverthere,youdon'twearabikinilikethat!
ShouldIgrabsomechipslater?
Betternot,Ishouldlosesomeweight.
Butalittlepackofchipsshouldbeokay
Ijustwon'thavethemwithmayonnaise.
Can'ttheyforbidthesedogsoverhere?
Whilethechildisenjoyinghisorherafternoon,ourjoygetsovershadowedthankstoall
kindsofthoughts,anxieties,judgements,irritations,guilt,andourneedforcontrol.

AwayWiththeMuppets!
Whyisitthatwe,asadults,haveMuppetsinsideofourhead?Theworryinghappens
becausewethinkthatwecancontrolourlife.Webelievethatwecanchoosewhatwewant,
whatwethink,whatwefeel,andwhatwedo.Itistheideathatwehavefreewillthatmakes
uspanicandanxiousinourlives.Whatifwemakethewrongchoicesandwhatifwecould
havedonesomethingdifferentlyinthepast?Inshort,thewholeideaofafreewillcomes
withalotofstress,frustration,guilt,andirrationalfear.

Dowehavefreewillatall?AndhowcanwegetridofthoseMuppetsinsideofourhead?
Remember,thisbookisforlazypeopleandIdidsaythatyouwouldnthavetodoanything.
Thus,Irepeat;youdon'thavetodoanythingtogetridofthestress,frustration,guilt,and
anxiety.Furthermore,thereisnothingwrongwithsuchemotions.Theonlythingdiscussed
inthisbookisoneinsighttheinsightthatlifeiscontrollingyouinsteadofyoucontrolling
life.


(3)FreeWill
Justlikeamovieinthecinema,themoviethatwecall'OurLife'alsogoesexactlyasit
should.Everysceneandeveryeventcouldtherefore,neverbeanydifferent.Itmaysounda
littleunbelievable,becauseforushumans,itseemslikewedohavefreewill.Itseemslike
wecanchoosewhatwedoandwhatwethink.Atthisverymoment,youcouldchooseto
continuethebookorstopreadingit.Eventhoughitseemslikeyouaremakingthechoice
now,thechoiceisnotmadebyyou.Thechoiceoriginateswithinyou.Researches
conductedbyneuroscientistshaveproventhatwedonotcreatethoughts,butthat
thoughtsoriginatefromwithin.Wedonotchoosewhatwethink!

Themostfamoustodateresearch,isthatofneuroscientistBenjaminLibet.Thetest
subjectsweretopressabuttonatatimeofhis/herchoosing.Watchingonamonitor,
BenjaminLibetcouldtellthatthesubjectsweregoingtopushthebutton200to500
millisecondsbeforetheyactuallydid.Inshort,thereisunconsciousbrainactivityfirst,
followedbyanaction.Astheneuroscientistscanseetheunconsciousbrainactivity,they
knowwhenthesubjectisgoingtopressthebuttonevenbeforethesubjectispressingthe
button.Sobeforebecomingawareofpressingthebutton,theunconsciousbrainhasalready
madethedecisiontopressit.Thelatestresearchshowsthatonecanpredictwhen
somebodyisgoingtopushthebuttonsixtotensecondsinadvance.Inmostcases,onecan
alsoanticipateifthesubjectwillpresstheleftortherightbutton.Thoughts,feelingsand
actionsoriginateautomaticallyandunconsciouslyandafterthat,anotherpartofthebrain
activatesandcomesupwithastoryaboutthepreviousactivity.Wecallthisthedefault
systemofthebrain.Itisconstantlycreatingtheillusionthatitisyoudoingalltheactions
andalsocreatingstoriesaboutwhywedothethingswedo.Ourconsciousnesscomesinto
playverylate,andwebecomeawareofachoice,afeeling,orthoughtonceithasalready
beenmadebytheunconsciousbrain.Ourconsciousnessisthereforenomorethanapoorly
informedreporter.

Abeing,endowedwithhigherinsightandmoreperfectintelligence,watchingmanandhisdoings,
wouldsmileaboutmansillusionthathewasactingaccordingtohisownfreewill.
AlbertEinstein

IDoNotControlMyself?
Strange,isn'tit,theideathatwedonothavefreewill?Atthismoment,itseemsas
thoughyoucanchoosetodowhatyouwant.However,ourbrainguidesustocarryout
certainactions,makechoices,blinkoureyes,getsomethingoutofthefridge,andspeak.
Theideaoffreewillisprobablyevenstrangerthantheideaofnothavingafreewill.
Think.Doyouchoosetobreatheinandout?Doyouchoosetoletthebloodflowthrough
yourveinsandtomakeyourdigestivesystemwork?Doyouchoosewhenyouarehungry

andthirstyandwhenyouhavetopee?Doyouchoosetobeill?Doyouchoosetobesleepy
anddoyoudecidewhenyoufallasleep?Doyouchoosetohealyourwoundsandtoletyour
hairgrow?Itallhappensautomatically.Doyouchoosehowyoufeel?Ifwecoulddothat,
everyonewouldtrulybehappy!Ifthatwerethecase,wecouldalsochoosetoneverbe
moodyagain,toneverfeeldepressedagain,toeathealthyallthetime,toexerciseevery
day,todrinkless,tosleepmore,andtoneverbejudgementalagain.

GeneticallyProgrammed
Didyouchooseyourgeneticcomposition?Thewayyoulook,howtallyouare,whatyour
talentsandlimitationsare,howyourvoicesounds,andwhatyourcharactertraitsare?A
largepartofthisisgeneticallydetermined.Didyouchoosetobeborninthiscountry,inthis
culture,withtheseparents,inthisfamilyandinthisneighbourhood?Alloftheseelements
havehadabiginfluenceonhowyoucurrentlythink,act,andviewtheworld.Besidesthat,
yourenvironment,youreducation,yourexperiences,andyourgeneticprogrammingmake
youintowhatyouaretoday.Moreover,99.999995%ofeverythingwedoistakingplaceata
subconsciouslevel.Youareonly0.000005%awareofwhatisactuallyhappening.Inother
words,ifthereisathingsuchas'afreewill'inourbrains,itwouldbeminimal,becauseour
behaviourispredominantlydeterminedbyelementsoverwhichwehavenocontrol
whatsoever.
Elementssuchasculture,environment,socialstatus,media,colleagues,yourpartner,
friendsandfamily,yourfunctionatwork,andmirrorneuronsalsohaveaninfluenceonhow
youbehave.Ontopofallofthat,theseason,theweather,thefoodweeat,andeconomic
crisiscanalsoaffectourbehaviour.

ChauffeurofYourBody
Itseemslikeyouareyourownchauffeur,likeyourbodyisacarandyouaresittingbehind
thewheel.However,itisnoteasytocontrolthebodyduetoitslimitations.Sometimesit
fallsill,sometimesitgetstired,andsometimesitgetsexcited.Thebodyalsoneedstogoto
therestroom,needsfood,andneedstodrinkeverysingleday.Thebodyalsohasacertain
appearancetotakeintoaccount.Ifthebodyistooheavy,youmighttrytoloseweight;ifyou
arebeautiful,youmaygocrazyfromthestaresandattention,andifthebodyistiny,you
mightdoyourbesttosteerclearofargumentswithlargerpeople.
Itisn'teasytodrivethisthing!Andnomatterhowhardyoutrytogetthevehicleina
certaindirection,ithardlyeverdoeswhatyouwantitto.Itsthesamethingasthosecarson
thetracksinamusementparks;thereisawheelinthecarthatyoucanturn,butthecarwill
automaticallycontinueonitsalreadypredeterminedpath.

Theideathatyouaredrivingthecarisanillusion!

Neuroscience
Neuroscientistshavediscoveredthatourdeclarationsandideasaboutwhywedo
somethingareonlythoughtsthatpopupaftertheactionhasalreadyoccurred,thewords
havealreadybeenspoken,orthechoicehasalreadybeenmade.Ourbrainisplayingatrick
onus!First,thereisunconsciousbrainactivity,thenanaction,andasplitsecondlater,a
newthoughtarisestomakeupastoryabouttheactionthatjusttookplace.
Inyourdeepestsleep,selfawarenessisturnedoff,soyouarenottheretocontrol
anything.Yousleepforhourswhileyourbodyfunctionsautomatically.Itmoves,itbreathes,
digestioncontinues,andcellsreplacethemselves.Thisallhappenswithoutyousteeringthe
wheelandbeingincontrol.Whenyouwakeup,selfawarenessturnsbackonandinstantly,
theideathatyouaresomewhereinsidethebodysteeringthewheeliscreated.
Ourconscious,mentalprojectionsareonlythoughtsafterwards.Thisgivesustheillusionofpower
andcontrol.
IrvinD.Yalom

TheSunOrbitstheEarth

Alotofpeoplefindithardtoacceptthateverythinggoesasitshouldgoandthatfreewill
isonlyafigmentofourimagination.Ourbrainstrickusandgiveustheimpressionofhaving
afreewillwhilewearesimplybeingdrivenbythebrain.
So,whatyouexperienceisnotasitreallyis.

AsimplecomparisonherefromphilosopherSchopenhauer:
ImaginethatIaskyou,'Doesthesunorbitaroundtheearth?Yougetupinthemorning,
youwalkoutside,andyouseethesunrise.Duringtheday,youseethesunorbitingthe
earth.Hence,theanswertothisquestionisveryclearandsimplethesunorbitstheEarth!
Butifwezoomoutandlookattheentireuniverse,itsuddenlybecomesclearthatthereality
istotallydifferent.ThesunisnotorbitingtheEarthatallrather,theEarthrotatesaboutits
axisandorbitsthesun.Inshort,whatyouseeisnotalwaysreality.Ifwelookfroma
differentperspective,werealizethatrealityisactuallyverydifferentfromwhatwebelieveit
tobe.

SantaClausDoesNotExist
Everyyear,achildwaitsexcitedlyforSantaClaustocome.Thechildgetsnewpresents
fromgoodoldSanta,andhandsarefilledwithcandy.ThechildseesSantaClauswithhis
owneyesandisfullyconvincedhereallyexists.Thus,heassumesthatthestorieshisparents
toldhimaretrue.ThechildbelievesthatSantaClausridesasledpulledbyreindeerto

deliverpresentsatnight.Beforethechildgoestosleep,hespendsallhistimesingingsongs
forSantaClausandhopingthatheisheard.Whenthechildwakesupearlyinthemorning,
herunsdownstairstoseewhatSantahasputinhisstocking.Afteryearsofbelievingthis
story,therecomesatimewhentheparentshavetotelltheirchildthatSantaClausdoesn't
actuallyexist.Everythingthechildbelievedinallthoseyearsturnedouttobeanillusion!
Thechildisnowdistraughtwithloadsofquestionsrightaway.'Thenwhoboughtthe
presents?''WherearethedrawingsImadeforSantaClaus?'WhodressedupasSanta
Claus?''Whofilledmystocking?'Confusionallaround!

FreeWillDoesNotExist
Itisunderstandablethatconfusionariseswhenwearetoldthatfreewillisanillusion.
Youarethirty,forty,fifty,maybeevensixtyyearsold,andraisedwiththeideaoffreewill
whensuddenly,youaretoldtheopposite.JustlikethechildwhodiscoversSantaClaustobe
anillusion,thereareboundtobemanyquestionsandreactionstosucharevelation.'IfIdo
nothavefreewill,Icouldspendmydayonthecouchdoingnothing.''IfIdon'thavefree
will,thenIshouldrobmygrandma'spurse,eatinafivestarrestaurant,andleavewithout
paying.'

Theanswerissimple.Ifyouhadfreewill,youcouldchoosetodoallthesethings.Isyour
headspinningyet?Itmaybeconfusing,butyoustilldidn'thavetodoanything!Well
exceptforalittlereadingandthinking.Sorry,IjustrealizedImadeyoudosomething.Butat
leastyoudidn'thavetophysicallygetupforit.

Let'smoveforward.

Takingalookatthequestion,'DoIhavefreewill?wemightinvestigatethebraintofind
outwherethisfreewillcomesfrom.Letustakealookatwhothat'ME'isthatcouldhavea
freewill.

Letsjustsaythatyourresponsemightbe,Ihavefreewill.

WhoisthisIthathasafreewill?


(4)Whoareyou?
RamanaMaharshiusedtoaskasimplequestiontohisvisitors:
Whoareyou?'

IgotavisitfromMartinrecentlyandIaskedhimthesamequestion:

Q:Whoareyou?
A:IamMartin.
Q:No,Idonotaskforyourname,Iamaskingwhoyouare.
A:Iamadirector.
Q:No,Idonotaskforyourjoborrank,Imaskingwhoyouare.
A:Iamtheownerofacompany.
Q:No,Ididnotaskyouwhatyouhave;Iamaskingyouwhoyouare.
A:Iamaman.
Q:No,Ididnotaskyourgender,Iamaskingyouwhoyouare.
A:Iamamillionaire!
Q:No,Ididnotaskyouhowmuchmoneyyouhave;Iamaskingyouwhoyouare.
A:Iamahumanbeing!
Q:Ah,andwhatpartofthishumanbeingareyou?
A:Whatpart?Well...thisismybody.
Q:Yousaid,'Thisismybody.'Youdidnotsay,'Iamthisbody.Strange,isn'tit?Youalso
didnotsay,'Iammyheart.Yousay:'Thisismyheart.Youdidnotsay:'Iammyhair,but,
'Thisismyhair.Butifthisisyourbody,whereisthe'you'thatownsthebody?Ifyouare
thechauffeurofyourbody,thenwhereareyou?Whereisthedriver?
A:Uhm...Idon'treallyknow.
Q:Let'sfindout,shallwe?Ifwetookoffyourarms,wouldyoustillbeMartin?
A:Yes,ofcourse.
Q:Andifweweretoremoveyourlegs,leavingonlyabodywithahead,areyoustill
Martin?
A:Yes.

Q:Ifwereplaceorganssuchasyourheart,kidneys,andlungswithartificialorgans,would
youstillbeMartin?
A:Yes.
Q:Butthenwhoareyou?
A:Well,IammysensesIthink.
Q:Ifyouareblindanddeaf,andyoucannolongersmell,taste,andfeel,areyoustill
Martin?
A:Yes,Iwouldstillbethere.
Q:Butwhoorwhatisthis'ME'whoisstillthere?WhatpiecewouldIhavetoremove
beforeyoudonotexistanymore?
A:Myhead,Ithink!
Q:Whatifyouwakeupinthemorning,youlookinthemirror,andyousuddenlyhavemy
body.AreyoumeorareyoustillMartin?
A:IwouldstillbeMartin.
Q:So,areyouyourbody?
A:No.
Q:Okaythen,whoorwhatareyou?
A:IthinkIammybrain.
Q:Sothen,youareyourbrain?
A:Yes,Ithinkso.
Q:Sometimestherearepartsofyourbrainremovedduringsurgery.Sowhatpartofthe
1300gramsofyourbrainareyou?Whereisyour'ME'hidden?
A:ThereisprobablyapieceofmybrainwheretheIishidden.
Q:Whatitcomesdownto,isthattheIthoughtoriginatesfromthebrain.TheseI
thoughtsmakesurethatyouexperienceyourselfasanindividual.Youdonotgetthese
thoughtsindeepsleepandthereisnoideathat'YOU'arethereorthat'YOU'needtodo
anything.Andeventhenthefunctioningofyourbodyjustcontinues!
A:Idontunderstanditanymore.
Q:YourconceptofI,ortheideathatyoucontrolyourbody,isathought.Duringyour
deepestsleep,thesethoughtsdonotarisebutwhenyouwakeup,selfawarenessis
turnedonandthoughtsofbeinganIresurface.Thebrainisthereforetrickingus
constantly!

TheEgo
Theideathatyouareaseparatehumanbeingisnothingmorethanathought.Itisthe
selfawarenessinourbrainswhichconstantlygivesustheimpressionthatweareindividuals
withfreewillandthatwehavethepowertopilotthebrain.

Ahumanbeingisapartofthewhole,calledbyusuniverseapartlimitedintimeandspace.He
experienceshimself,histhoughts,andfeelingsassomethingseparatedfromtherest,akindofoptical
illusionofhisconsciousness.AlbertEinstein

ThesensationofbeinganIhappensbecausewehaveselfawareness.Atermoftenused
forthisselfawarenessistheego.InSanskritwecalltheego'Ahamkara,'literallytranslated
as'theImaker'.TheegoistheImaker.
Whenathoughtarises,theegocreatestheidea,'Ithink.'
Whenafeelingarises,theegocreatestheidea,'Ifeel.'
Whenachoiceismade,theegocreatestheidea,'Ichoose.'
Youbreathecontinuously,sotheegocreatestheidea,'Iambreathing.'
Bloodmovesthroughyourveinsallday,buttheegothinks,'MYbloodismovingthrough
MYbody.'Theegofunctionstomakesurethatweseeourselvesasanindividual.

TheBabyandtheMotherAreOne
Sincetheselfawarenessofanewbornbabyhasn'tdevelopedyet,thebabyseeshimself
asonewiththemother.Thebabyexperiencesthesensationofseparationforthefirsttime
betweenthesecondandthefifthmonth.Itbecomesawareofotherpeoplebutitisnot
awareofitselfyet.Selfawarenessstartswhenthechildisaround18monthsold.Thisisthe
firsttimethatthechildcanrecognisehimorherselfinthemirror.Thisisalsowhenlong
termmemorystartstodevelop.So,foroneandahalfyears,thechildfunctionswithoutself
awareness.Whenthebabycriesandthemothercomes,thebabyishappy.Whenthebaby
criesandthemotherdoesnotcome,thebabyissad.Endofstory!Afteroneandahalf
years,theegomechanismwillstarttointerfere.Whenthebabycriesandthemotheris
coming,thebabywillbehappy.Whenthebabycriesandthemotherdoesnotcome,the
babywillbesad.Butthen,thethoughtthatitshouldbedifferentwillarise.
ThefirstMuppetsinourheadsariseandfromthatmomenton,theworryingbegins:Itis
mymomsfault,Iamnotgoodenough,Ifonlythingshappeneddifferently,Whatifthis
happensagaintomorrow?Thechildgetstheideathatheorshehasachoice,aneedfor
controlarisesaswellastheideathatthingscouldhavebeendifferent.Thedefaultnetwork
inourbrainisthepartwherealltheblablastoriescomefrom.Thispartstartstorunatfull
speedfromabouttheageofnine.

YourSelfImage
TheegomechanismisconstantlycreatingIthoughts,whichmakesusidentifyourselves
withmanythings.Weidentifyourselveswithourname,ourfunction,ourvoice,our
preferences,ourbody,ourweight,oursuccessesandfailures,ourbankaccount,our
thoughts,ourfeelings,ourcar,ourhouse,ourchildren,ourappearance,andtheclothesthat
wewear.Alloftheseelementsformourselfimagewhichisfine!However,thereisa
constantneedtomaintainourselfimage.Whensomeonesayssomethingbadaboutyou,or
criticisesyou,thenyourselfimagewillinstantlybecomeunstable.Youwillimmediately
becomedefensiveorstartlashingback,orlookforsupportandconfirmationfromothers,
lestyouriskfallingintotheroleofthevictim.

Youlookinthemirror,seeyourreflection,andthink,'Thatisme.'Whenwhatyouseeis
consideredbeautiful,youthink,'Lookatme,Iamveryattractive,'andyouwillcompliment
yourselfasif'you'hadanythingtodowithbeingbeautiful.Andifyouseesomethingthat
youdon'tconsiderbeautiful,itcanaffectyourselfesteemandmakeyoulookfor
confirmationfromothers.

IAmNotGoodEnough
Plentyofpeoplelivewiththeidea,'Iamnotgoodenough'thus;weoftenwalkaround
thinkingofstrategiestoprovetotheworld,andourselves,thatweareokay.Onemight
becomedominantandaggressivewithconflictseekingbehaviourinordertoprovethatone
isgoodenough.

Therearealsopeoplewhothink,'Iamnotgoodenough,'andtheyshowpleasing,
submissivebehaviourwiththenotionthatsays,'IfIamgoodenoughforsomeoneelse,Iwill
bethenbegoodenough.Thesepeopletendtoputthemselvessecondandbusythemselves
withmakingeverythingcomfortableforothers,hopingtogetsomesortofconfirmation.
Thereisnothingwrongwiththat,ofcourse,itjustoriginatesfromtheideathatoneisan
individualwithfreewillthathastobe'goodenough.'

Youarealwaystheperfectexpressionofenergy,althoughyourexmotherinlawmightnot
agreewiththat.

FeelingofUnity
Weareall,oneenergy.

Thatbeingsaid,theuniverselooksasifitisconstitutedbybillionsofdifferentlifeforms.
Wepretendthatdiversityexists.Sinceitisinournaturetoyearnforunity,wefeelhappy
whenweexperiencethisfeeling.

Whenyouareinlove,youfeelaverystrongsenseofunity,liketheconnectionsyoushare
withcertainfamilymembersandfriends.Youcanalsofeelthisconnectionduringaconcert,
orthroughtheunitywithinasoccerteam.Assoonasweareconnected,thereisasynergetic
effectthatmakesusfeelhappy.Throughthefeelingofunity,theideaofbeinganindividual
dissolvesalittle.Wherethereisunity,thereismorespontaneity,morecreativity,more
passion,moreinnerpeace,andmorehumour.

NeedForControl
Becausewebelievethatwehavefreewill,theneedtocontrollifenaturallyemerges.The
Muppetsinyourheadarebusyalldaylong,worryingabouteverything.TheseMuppets
comeupwithallkindsofdoomscenariosandareafraidthatthingswillgowrong;theresults
willendinfeelingsoffrustration,guilt,blame,anger,irrationalfears,andstress.Inshort,
suffering.Wetrytotakeourlivesintoourownhands;wemakeplanswithgoodintentions,
andpanicwhenthingsveeroffcourse.

Takinganhonestlookatletssay,tenyearsago,couldyouhavepredictedyourlifetobe
asitisnow?Likewise,howwillitbetenyearsfromnow?Yousimplycannottell.Inthe
morning,youwakeupwithallkindsofplans.Whenyoulookbackattheendofyourday,
howmanyplansworkedoutthewayyouhadplanned?Everydayisasurprise;younever
knowwhatmighthappen.Therearemanyvariablesthathaveaninfluenceonwhattheday
maybring,provingthatcontrolisanillusion.

Lifeiswhathappenstoyou,whileyouarebusymakingotherplans.
JohnLennon

GettingRidoftheEgo?
Manypeoplehavecometotherealizationthattheegocancausequiteafussandsothey
thinkthattheyhavetogetridofit.Notpossible!Ifyounolongerhaveanego,younolonger
seeyourselfasanindividual.Thatcanbequitetricky.Duringyourdeepestsleep,theego
machine,orselfawareness,isswitchedoff.ThosearethetimeswhentheconceptofIisno
longerexistent.Whenyouwakeup,selfawarenessalsoreawakensandgeneratesideas
suchasIsleptwelllastnight!,asiftherewasanIthatcoulddoanythingaboutthatwhile
youweresleeping.Itisnotthatyouhavetogetridoftheego,itisabouttheinsightthat
youarenotyourego.Thankstotheego,weexperienceourselvesasindividualswhohave
thefreewilltomakechoices,whichisfine,butrealizingthatyouHAVEanego,insteadof
BEINGtheego,canbeabigrelief.

(5)EverythingisConsciousness
Nondualitymeansnotwo.Nondualityreferstotheideathateverythingisone
consciousness.Ifyoulike,youcanalsocallit;oneenergy,oneunifiedfield,oneness,one
God,oneBrahman,oneTao.

Consciousnesscreatestheuniverseintheformofaplayground,soitcanexperienceitself
inallfacets.

Thefourelementsconstitutingthisplaygroundare:matter,plants,animals,andpeople.

Astoneisenergy,justlikeaplant,thedifferencebeingthataplanthasametabolism.An
animalcanmoveandshowemotions,anditalsohascertaininstincts.We,aspeople,havea
greaterintellectandamorefullydevelopedsenseofselfawareness.

IfIweretoaskyou,'Wholetswaterflow?,youwouldprobablylookatmestrangelyand
saythatwaterjustflows,itjusthappens.Waterisenergythatmoves.Whoorwhatlets
treesandplantsgrow?Italsojusthappens.Itissimplyenergyatplay.Whataboutanimals,
whatmakesanimalsmove?Ananimalfollowscertainbehaviouralpatternswithoutactively
thinkingaboutit.Inthemorning,aliondoesn'tthinkaboutwhattheyaregoingtoeatlater
intheevening.Doyouthinkthattheyarewonderingiftheywillfeellikehavingadeerora
zebra?Noallthelionsactionsareexecutedpurelybyinstinct,withoutthoughts.Doesa
lionhaveachoiceaboutwhatitshoulddo,ordoesitschoicehappenbecausethelionis
geneticallyprogrammedandconditionedinacertainway?Alionisamorecomplexformof
energythan,forinstance,atree,butjustlikewaterandtrees,alionisenergyatplay.

Thewholeuniverseisenergyatplay,withbillionsofsolarsystems,planets,trees,plants,
andanimals.Then,therearepiecesofenergythatwecallhumanbeings.Intheentire
universe,weaccountforameasly0.0000000000001%ofitstotalenergy.Inotherwords,
99.9999999999999%oftheuniverseiscontrolledbyenergyexceptforhumanbeings?
Doesntthatseemabitodd?We,aspeople,arealsoenergyatplay,andwearedrivenby
thisenergy.TheonlydifferenceisthatbecauseoftheIthoughtsthatwehave,itseemslike
wecancontrolourselves.Allthewhile,theenergythatmakesthesunshine,theuniverse
expand,andtheplantsgrowisthesameenergythatmakesyouread,speak,feel,think,and
act.

LifeisaDream
Itwaswritten,800yearsbeforeChristintheUpanishads,thatlifeisadream.

Overtime,ithasbeenscientificallyproventhatthewholeuniverseisagianthologram,
andthattherealityweperceiveiscreatedbyourminds.Thisrealityisthereforenothing

morethanfigmentsofourimagination.

Throughoursensesandthoughts,acertainrealityiscreatedthatdoesnotactuallyexist
itonlylooksrealtous.Ifyouaccidentallybumpyourheadagainstthekitchencabinet,you
maypunchthecabinetoutofangerandrubyourheadbecauseithurts,buteventhatisan
illusionbecausethekitchencabinetdoesnotexistatall!Thatcabinetconsistsofmolecules,
andmoleculesarebuilt,inturn,ofatoms.Anatomhasacorearoundwhichelectrons
revolve.Thecorehasadiameterof1femtometre,oronebillionthofameter.Thiscore
thenucleusisbyfarthelargestpartoftheatom,whileelectronsareathousandtimes
smaller.Ifthenucleusisaslargeasamarble,thentheentireatomwouldbethesizeofa
footballstadium.Whatwecallthekitchencabinetisthereforeempty.Itsabitweirdthatit
hurtstohityourheadonit.

DoestheMoonExist?
Eventhecoreofanatomcannotbecalledmatter.Quantumphysicistshavediscovered
thatthebuildingblocksofsuchacorebehaveinaphenomenalway.In1927,Werner
Heisenbergcalledthis,Theinsecurityprinciple.'Thebuildingblockscansometimesbehave
asparticles,sometimesaswaves,andsometimesasbothsimultaneously.Thesesubatomic
partsarethereforenotsolidobjects,butvibratingenergypacketsthatcannotbe
understoodaslooseparticles.

Scientifictheorieshavedevelopedintosomethingevenmoreremarkable!Throughthe
studyofquantumphysics,ithasbeendiscoveredthatanatomsquantumparticlestakeona
solidshapewhenaspectatorispresent.Theattentionofahumanwillfreezesuchaparticle.
Thetheoryprovesthatifyoudonotlookatsomething,itdoesnotreallyexist.Einstein
himselfhassaidthathewasnotsureifthemoonactuallyexistsifhedoesntlookatit.

Life,ortheworld,comparativelyspeaking,ismuchlikeacomputergame;theworldin
whichyourunaroundasadigitalpuppetdoesnotreallyexist,butonlyappearsonthe
screenifyouarecurrentlyinthatlevelofthegame.

Death
Matterisnotonlyimaginary,buttimeandspacealsorootfromourimagination.Einstein
saidthatspaceandtimearen'tcircumstancesinwhichwelive,butawayinwhichwe
perceivethings.Timeandspace,justlikeourindividuality,onlyexistsinourthoughts.Lifeis
adream;wehavejustbeenprogrammedinsuchawaytomakelifelookrealtous.

Thisrealityisonlyanillusion,butaccordingtoEinstein,itisaverypersistentone.Assoon
asyourealizethatyouareconsciousnessandthatthewholeuniverseisadream,fearof
deathwillalsofade.Becauseyouareimmortal,youcannotreallydie!

Whatyoureallyareisunity,eternity,infinity,andlove.Everythingisone.Hereonearth,
we,asconsciousness,pretendthatthereareindividualswhoarebornanddielater.Inside
thedream,thereareappearancesthateventuallydisappearfromthestage.

Weareoceanwavesthatswellanddisappearagainandagain,andthewaterofwhichwe
aremadewillneverdisappear.

Energycannotdisappear,itcanonlychangeshape.

TheAllIncludedJourney
Assoonasyourealizethateverythingisoneconsciousness,andthateverythingisdriven
bythatoneconsciousness,lifewillbecomeeasier.Youwillrealizethatlifeisanallinclusive
journey.Asahuman,youareanactorinamovieinwhichyoufollowthescript
automatically.Youalwayssuperblyplayyourrole,andeverysceneoccursexactlyasit
should.Therefore,youhaveneverdoneanythingwrongintheeyesofthedirector.
Assoonasyourealisethateverythinggoesasitshouldgo,themoviewillsimplycontinue.
YouarethennolongerbotheredbytheMuppetscomplainingabouteverythingandthinking
thingsshouldbedifferent.Themoviemaystillhavesetbacks,orthingsyoudonotlike,but
whenyouseethateverythinggoesasitshouldgo,nothingwillbewrong.Therewillstillbe
emotions,however,itwillbelikewatchingamovie,andyouwillnotresistthem.Feelings,
thoughts,andemotionsariseandwane,justlikewavesoftheocean.

Emotions
Thereisnothingwrongwithhavingemotions.Experiencingemotionscanbepleasantas
longasyoudonotresistthem.Somepeoplecanactuallyenjoycryingwhilewatchinga
movie.Inthatmoment,youremotionswillbeexpressedwithoutresistance,withoutyou
tryingtoridyourselfofthemorsuppressthem.Ifweexperiencesomethinghumorous,we
laughandexpressouremotionwithoutresistance.Whilehavingfun,wedon'tthink,'Oh
dear,Ihavebeencheerfulforanhouralready,howlongwillthislast?.HowcanIgetridof
this?'Butwhenweencounterapainfulexperience,wesuddenlymakeaproblemoutofit.
Whenweexperiencesomethingpainful,orifsomethingtouchesus,theMuppetscomeup
withnewthoughts;'IfIcrynow,otherswillprobablythinkIamweak.''Ihavetobestrong.''I
don'twanttoexperiencethis;Iwilljustdenyitsoccurring.'Whenwesuppressour
emotions,wetrytokeepallourballsunderthewater,becauseofourfearoffeelingpain.
Wedon'tdareshowourvulnerability,fearingitwillhaveanegativeeffectonourself
esteemandimage.

(6)Duality
Everyhumanwouldliketofeelgoodallthetime.Almostnobodywaitsforsetbacks,
disease,arguments,trafficjams,flattires,andcomputerstocrash,butthosethingsdo
happen.Sincetheegourgesustocontrollife,wearealwaysbusyavoidingpainand
searchingforpleasure.Itisthisratracethatappearstobringusmisery.Whenexperiencing
setbacks,panicarisesandwhenthereisprosperity,greedtakesoverandthedesireformore
grows.

Theliberationisnotintherunningawayfromsetbacksortheachievingofprosperity,but
intheembracingofboth.Onecannotexistwithouttheother.Everythinghasitsyinand
yang.Ebbandflow,inhalingandexhaling,dayandnight,successandfailure,winningand
losing,highandlow,griefandpleasure.Alloftheseelementsareundeniablyconnectedto
eachother.

Dualityisneededbecauseitisnotpossibletorealizesomethingishotwhenwedonot
understandtheconceptofcold.

ExcitingAdventures
Imaginewatchingamovieinwhichproblemsarenonexistent,whereeverythingand
everyonesucceeds,andthereisnotasinglesetback.Forinstance,yourewatchingthe
GladiatorfightingintheColiseumandtheemperorsuddenlystandsupandannounces:
Sorry,everyone.Butweareallone,solet'sstopthisnonsense.Throwyourweaponsaside,
andwecanallgoforsomecoffee.Oh,andsorrythatmyegowassoinflatedthatIdisplayed
alltypesofdominantandcrazybehaviour.Iapologize.'TheGladiatorputshisweapons
downandgoeshome,wherehecontinueshisexistenceasafarmer.Andthatsit.Endof
story,endofthemovie.Ifthisweretohappen,youwouldlikelystandupinthetheatreand
say,'Ohmygod,whatkindofboringmovieisthis?!'Youmightevendemandarefund.A
movieisonlyexcitingthankstothedualitythatisdepictedwithinit.

Ourlivesareexciting,thankstoalleventspainandpleasureincluded.Assoonaswe
lookatlifeasifitisamovie,webegintounderstandthatthethingsweseeas'notfun'or
'annoying'arejustapartofthescript.Itisthedualitythatmakesourlifeinterestingand
exciting.

TwoSidesoftheCoin
Painandpleasure,healthandillness,goodandbadluckandloveandhateareallpartof
thedualityinlife.Wewantonesideofthecoin,toalwaysfeelgoodandhappyandno
matterhowhardwemaytry.Therehasneverbeenanyoneonthisplanetthathashadthe
experienceofhavingonlypurelygoodandhappytimes.Itspointlesstotrytoavoidduality.

Liberationcomeswhenitisrealizedthatdualityisbeautifulbecauseitistheonlywaythe
wholestorycanhappen.

Whentheyinandyangareembraced,thereisinnerpeace.Thereisarealizationthatyou
accumulatealltypesofexperiencesasanactor;sometimesfun,sometimeslessfun,
sometimesexciting,andsometimesboring.Whenthisinsightispresent,itisseenthat
everythingispreciselyhowitis,andhowitshouldbehappeningatthattime;without
resistance,withoutfrustration,withoutdependence,andwithoutirrationalfears.Thereis
innerpeaceandtheexperienceoflifecannolongerbeaburden.Itwillfeellikeaweighthas
beenliftedoffyourshoulders.Thisiswhyweusetheword'enlightenment'.

(7)Zoomingin
Plentyofpeoplelivezoomedin.Theyseethemselvesasindividualsthatmustcontrol
theirownlifeandmaketherightchoices.Thisideacausesallkindsofthoughtsandwith
them,emotionsandegogames,suchas:
Frustrationabouthowthingswent
Worryingaboutwhatcouldhappen
Stress,duetovariousproblems
Resistancetosituationsoremotions
Regretsaboutpastchoices
Wewilldoanythingtomaintainourselfimageandgetconfirmationfromothersinorder
tofeelgoodaboutourselves.Thisexpressesitselfinanumberofways:
Seekingconflictandactingdominant
Beingpleasingandsubmissive
Blamingothers
Fearofcriticismandtheopinionsofothers
Lyingandmakingupexcuses
Arguing
Criticizingothers
Protectingonlyonesself
Givingonesselfalltheglory

SeekingFulfilment
Whenwearezoomedin,ourhappinessdependsonstimulifromtheoutsideworld.Only
whenourdesiresarefulfilled,orwhenourselfimageisfed,canweexperiencethis
temporaryhappiness.Thereisaconstantseekingforthisfulfilmentthatreliesonthe
reactionsorconfirmationsofothers,orthebuyingofmaterialgoods,orthereachingof
goals.Allthewhile,thisfeelingofemptinessremains.Wekeeplookingforfulfilment.Some
getitthroughshoppingoracquiringmoney.Othersstrivetobecomesuccessfulandothers
takedrugs,smoke,orseekfulfilmentonasexuallevel.Therearealsopeoplewhofillthe
voidbyacquiringpowerandrespect.Thatisallfine!Aftersometime,however,wemayfind
outthattheseareonlytemporarysolutionstofillupthevacuum.Wefeelhappyfora
moment,butoncethatfeelingofemptinessinevitablyrisesagain,wehavetohuntforthe
nextbitofhappiness.
IfI...then...
IfIwinthelottery,thenIwillbehappy.
IfIgetapromotion,thenIwillbehappy.
IfImeditateeveryday,thenIwillbehappy.
IfIfindtherightpartner,thenIwillbehappy!
IfIstopsmoking,thenIwillbehappy.
IfIfinishmyexam,thenIwillbehappy.
IfIlosetenpounds,thenIwillbehappy.
IfIgetaholiday,thenIwillbehappy.
IfIcompletethisproject,thenIwillbehappy.
...butisthisreallytrue?

Happinessistheabsenceofthestrivingforhappiness.ChuangTzu

Anxiety
Desireisalsoafear;morespecifically,thefearofnotgetsomething.Wecandividefear
intofunctionalfearandworryingfear.

Ifatigerrunsintotheroom,fearmakessurethatyouwillrunandprotectyourself.That
isageneticallyprogrammedfunctionalfear,asurvivalinstinct.

Thereisalsoaworryingfear,orthefearofwhatcouldhappeninthefuture;thefearof

whatothersthinkofyou,thefeartospeaktosomeone,thefearofrejection,andthefearof
failure.
Becauseourbraincannotdistinguishrealityfromfiction,thebodyrespondstoanxious
thoughtslikeitwouldtorealfear.Whenyouthinkaboutsomethinghorriblethatcould
happen,youfeelyourbodyrespondimmediately.Thisworryingoriginatesfromtheidea
thatwecancontrolthefuture.Therefore,wecantakeallpossiblescenariosinto
consideration,buthavinglivedonthisplanetforsometimealready,youmayhavenoticed
thatthingsoftenhappendifferentlyfromwhatyouhadoriginallyplanned.

CrashedCar
Imaginewatchingamovie.Inthatmovie,alorrycrashesintoandtotalsacar.Onebig
wreck!Youlookatit,evenfinditfunny,andtherearenoworryingthoughtsaboutthefact
thatitshouldhavebeendifferent.Whenthemovieisover,youwalkoutofthetheatreand
noticethatacar,probablyalsoalorry,ranintoyourcar.Immediatelytheworryingbegins:
'Whydoesthisalwayshappentome?''Couldn'tthedriverhavebeenmorecareful?''Ifonly
Iparkedmycarfurtherahead.''Whatifmyinsurancedoesntcoverthedamage?'Allthese
thoughtscauseplentyofemotions.Youimmediatelyfeelangryandfrustratedaboutthis
incident.Suddenlyitseemsthatyoudidn'ttakeaproperlookbecauseitisnotyourcarat
all!Itisthesamebrandandcolour,butyourcarisparkedtenmetersfurtheraway.The
emotionsimmediatelydissipate,andjustlikethemovie,youcanevenfinditfunny.

Inshort,theworryingmindwillkickintogearassoonasweidentifyourselvesandbelieve
thatthingscouldhavehappeneddifferently.

Criticism
Whensomeoneiscriticisingyou,youmighttakeitreallypersonally.Peopleareoften
inclinedtodefendthemselves,toshiftblame,ortolaunchacounterattack.Buttheperson
whoiscriticisingyoucan'tdoanythingbutexpressthosewords.Heorsheissimplyenergy
atplay.Ifthatpersonwasarobot,whatwouldyourreactionbe?'Youarelazy,'saysthe
robot.Youwillprobablylaugh,orsay,'Thatsfine,ifyousayso,'becauseyourealizethatthe
robotisprogrammedtosaythat,anditisn't'someone'whoissayingit.Giventhefactthat
ourindividualityisimaginary,thesamegoesforwhenacolleaguecriticisesyou.Itisnot
'someone'whosaysit;itisjusttheenergyatplayspeakingthosewords.You,asreceiver,
areenergyreceivingthosewords.

Withoutidentification,thereisnocriticism,noattackonyourselfesteem,itwon't
activatetheMuppetsinyourhead,anditwontactivatetheemotionswithinyourbody.

(8)Zoomingout
Whenwezoomoutandseethatlifeisanallinclusivejourney,thereisinnerpeaceand
relaxation.Theneedforcontrol,frustration,andfeelingsofguiltandanxietyforthefuture
nolongerexist.
Zoomedin

Zoomedout

Iamcontrollinglife

Lifeiscontrollingme

Fearforthefuture

The'NOW'

Frustrationaboutthepast The'NOW'
Needforcontrol

Contraction

Lettinggo
Innerpeace

Whenwearezoomedin,twoproblemsarise.Youwantsomethingthatisnotthere,or
thereissomethingthatyoudonotwant.Bothproblemsarisefromtheideathatthings
couldbedifferentfromthewaytheyarenow,but,thatisanillusion.Everythingis
consciousness,andthisconsciousnessisplayingagameinwhichallappearancesplaytheir
role.Inthissense,thehumanisauniquelyprogrammedinstrumentbeingplayedby
consciousness.

SpectatorofYourself
Assoonasidentificationshiftsfromyouasaseparateindividualtoyouasconsciousness,
achangemayoccur.Ratherthanworryingaboutthepreviousandnextscenesasanactorin
yourmovie,youwillbecomemoreofamoviespectator.Thusly,youbecomeaspectatorof
youractionsinthatmovie.Youseewhatactionsaremade,whatchoicesaremade,which
wordsarespoken,andwhatexperiencesoccur.Yourealizethatitseemsasifyouarean
actorinthemovie,wheninreality,everythingoccurringisconsciousnessplayingagame.
Duetothefactthatidentificationwiththeactorfades,thereisnogreatneedtomaintain
yourselfimage,tochaseforthingsthatmakeyoufeelgood,ortojudgeandcriticizeothers.
Onesimplyobservesthemovie,wheredualitycontinuestoexist.Therearesceneswhere
everythingfailsandtherearesceneswhereallgoeswellfortheactor.Whenwearezoomed
out,thisalltakesplacewithoutworryingthatitcouldhavehappeneddifferently.

Responsibility
Afrequentlyaskedquestionis,'Ifwedon'thavefreewill,thenwhathappensto
responsibility?''Who'couldberesponsible?Everythingisenergyinmotion,includingthe
bodiesthatwecall'human.'Itisconsciousnessthatdoeseverything;thenotionthatwe,as
individuals,dosomethingisonlyathoughtalsocreatedbyconsciousness.


Youdon'tcontrolyourself,andthereforearenotresponsibleforanything.Watercan't
helpbutflowtothelowestpoint,atreecan'thelpgrowing,andatigercan'thelphunting
deer.Ergo,ahumancan'thelpbutdoandsaycertainthings.Apuppetisnotresponsiblefor
itsownmovements.Additionally,whetheryoufeelordon'tfeelresponsibleforsomething,
isalsodictatedbyconsciousness.Athiefcan'thelpbutstealacar,apolicemancan'thelp
butarrestthethief,andthejudgecan'thelpbutlockupthebadguy.Italloccurs
automatically.Sothefeelingofresponsibilityisalsohappeningautomatically,youcannot
chooseifyoufeelresponsibleforsomethingornot.Itsjusthappening.

Fatalism
Ifyouperceivelifeasamovieandrealizeeverythingwillhappenasitshould,doyoudo
anythingatall,then?Somepeopleexpectthatyouwouldstopgoingtowork;stopraising
yourchildren,orthatyouwouldspendalldayonthecouch.Theywouldexpectyouto
becomeverylazyandfatalistic!Thisthoughtoriginatesfromtheegothatmakesonebelieve
onehascontrol.'IfIletgoofthewheel,everythingwillgowrong,andIwillendupinthe
gutter!'isathoughtthatmayarisewhichisquitelogical!Foryourentirelife,youhave
beenconditionedwiththeideathatyouhavecontrol.Then,someonesuddenlytellsyou
thatyouaren'ttheonesteeringthewheelandthateverythingjusthappens.

Youdon'thavefreewillatallandevenyourindividualityisanillusion.Youdon'thavea
choicetositornotsitonthatbench,togoornotgotowork,tobelazyornotbelazy,tobe
impartialornotbeimpartial.Itseemslikeyoumakeachoice,butyousimplyautomatically
dowhatattractsyouthemost.Inturn,thosethoughtsoriginateautomaticallyinourbrain.

Theideathatwecreatethosethoughtsourselvesandmakechoicesisasecondary
thought.

FunctionalMind
Wehaveafunctionalmindthatmakesusactandletsusmakechoices,againcompletely
automatically.Theworryingmindisthepartofthebrainthatwillmakeupastoryabout
whatishappening.Itequatestoaspectatorinastadiumcommentatingonthegame.As
soonasyoulosewithascoreof10,thefunctionalmindwillpickuptheballandgoon
playingsoccer.However,thecommentatorinthestadiumstartstoworry:thedefence
shouldhavebeenbetter,whatifthematchislost,youarenotgoodenough,youshould
havetrainedmore,whydoesthisalwayshappentome?Theworryingmindisbusyresisting
thatwhichis.Itmakesaproblemoutofeverythingandonlyseesproblems.Assoonaswe
zoomin,wefeelgoodwhenwewinandbadwhenwelose.Whenwezoomout,wejust
enjoythematch.Whenwewin,wewillnotinstantlytakeallthecreditandbragabouthow
amazingweare.Whenwelose,wewon'tfeeldepressed.Butwhetherzoomedinorout,it
doesnotmatter.Itisallconsciousnessatplay.

(9)Wakingupfromthedream
Thephaseofwakingupfromthedreamhappensonceyourealizethatlifeiscontrolling
youinsteadofyoucontrollinglife.Itisthetransitionfromzoomingintozoomingout.This
processofawakeningisnotalwayseasyandmaycausesomeconfusion,pain,andchanges.I
willdescribeafewphasesthatIencounteredmyself,thatIalsoseetakingplacewithalotof
peoplearoundme.

Firstly,thereistheconfusionphase,wherethebeliefsyouveheldyourentirelifeare
suddenlyturnedupsidedown.Allsortsofbeliefsyouhadareslowlybreakingdownwhile
youkeeponrepeating,'yes,butinyourhead.Yes,butwhataboutresponsibility,
reincarnation,karma,andthepurposeforliving?Allofthesesubjectsareputintoanew
light.Thereisnoresponsibility,buteverythingisactionandreaction,orNewtonslaw,or
karma.However,asourindividualityisimaginary,itisnotasomeoneskarma.Itisjust
actionandreactionhappening,andasthereareuncountableactionsandreactions
happeningatthesametime,wecanneverreallyknowwhythingshappen.And'who'
reincarnates?Thereisnoindividual;thereisonlyenergyatplay.

YouareAlreadyEnlightened
Besidesconfusion,thereisalsoaphaseinwhichoneismotivatedtoreachenlightenment
asquicklyaspossible.Thedrivingforcebehindthisdesireistheego.Itwantstofeelgoodall
thetime,andenlightenmentseemsliketheultimatewaytoreachthatgoal.Inthisphase,a
lotofbooksmaybereadandalotofmeetingsmaybeattended.Weactuallysearchfor
methodstohelpourselves.Somethingalongthelinesof,'TellmewhatIneedtodoinorder
tobecomeenlightened.'Thelousythingaboutnondualityisthatthereisnomethod!Itis
enlightenmentforlazypeople,hencenothavingtodoanythingatall.Ofcourse,youwillstill
bepreoccupiedwiththousandsofthingsbecauseyouareenergyatplayyoucanthelp
whatyouaredoing,thinking,orfeeling.Themomentyouthinkyouhavetodosomethingin
ordertobecomeenlightened,forinstance,goingfromAtoB,isthemomentthattheegois
tryingtotakecontrol.Youcantreachenlightenmentbecauseyoualreadyareenlightened!
Youalreadyareconsciousness!Thereisnoseparateyouwhocangosomewhereto
becomeonenessagain,becausethereisonlyoneness.Wearelikeadropofwatertryingto
findtheocean.Youaretheocean!Separationisanillusion.

Superiority
Whentheideathatyouareincontrolofyourlifefades,the'ego'mechanismmaystill
surfaceinsubtlewaysnowandthen.Whennondualityisunderstoodonarationallevel,the
egowillgrabitlikeatoytomakeitselfspecial.Itwillstarttofeelsuperiorandsay:'Lookat
whatIknow!Youarestillinthespiritualgame,butIalreadyknowthatIdonotexist!'People
inthisphaseoftenargueaboutwhatthebestteachingmethodis,andthatthemessageof

nondualityshouldbeexplainedacertainway.Theyalsoargueaboutwhatteacheristhe
bestandtrytoavoidthewordsIandME.

InLovewithNonDuality
Thereisyetanotherphase,duringwhichtime;youfallinlovewithnonduality.This
occurswhenyounoticeyourdailylifeactivitiesbecomeeasierandhappenwithlessworry.
Thisjoyandreliefcausesyoutowanttosharethefeelingandbugfellowpartygoersabout
thefactthatfreewilldoesnotexistandthatouruniverseisonlyadeceivingillusion.Atthis
point,peoplewilllookatyouapathetically;theywillofferyouanotherbeer,hopingyouwill
shutup.Thereisnouseintalkingaboutnondualitywhenpeoplearenotreadytohearthis
message.

OneHandontheWheel
Littlebylittle,youwillnoticethateverythinginlifehappensautomatically,andtheidea
thatyoudoanythingisanillusion.Zoomingouthappensmoreoftenanditfeelsglorious!
Butthen,theegowillchimeinandask,'HowdidImanagetozoomoutlikethat?'AndBAM!
Youarebackwhereyoustartedandyoucontemplatewhatyouhavetodotozoomout
again.Nomatterhowhardyoutrytozoomout,theoppositewilloccurasselfidentification
anddesirereturn,alongwiththeideathatyoucancontrolthisprocess.

Thehardestthingfortheegoistotrustthatlifeistakingcareofyou.Everything,including
you,isjusthappening.Thismaybequitescaryinthebeginning,becausetheMuppetsare
stillinyourheadandtheycontinuetomakeyoubelievethatifyouletgoofthewheel,
everythingwillgowrong.Thus,youwillcontinuethismiraculousprocesswithonehandon
thewheeljusttobesure.

GivingUp
Chasingallkindsofthingsusedtobethenorm:acquiringthatcomfortablecar,your
career,yourlover,yourbeautifulselfimage,andtheamazingvacations.Then,yourealize
thatwhilethesethingscanbringyouhappiness,thefeelingisbrief.Additionally,ifthese
comeandgoautomaticallyanyway,whywouldyoucontinuetochasethem?Youendupin
theapatheticphase,whereyounolongerseethepointofdoingthingsandtryingtoreach
goals.WhywouldIstillchaseacareer?Whatbenefitdoesitadd?Youseepeoplearound
yourunningfromoneplacetothenext,working,working,working,butyounolongersee
thepointoftheratrace.Thiscanbeaphasewhereyourconditioningischangingfrom
achievinggoalsinordertofindhappinessinthefuture,tosimplylivinglife.Thismayfeel
emptyforawhile,althoughyourpassionswillcomebackeventually.Therewillstillbethings
youliketodo,youcanstillhaveagoalorhavesomethingyouliketoaccomplish,but
withoutstress,fearandtheideathatthereissomethingwrongwiththismoment.


TheAdvaitaShuffle
Tworealitiesarehappeningatthesametime,justlikethestoryoftheSunandtheEarth.
Ononehand,thereisourperceptionthattheSunorbitstheEarth,whileweknowthatthe
EarthorbitstheSun.Wepretendthatwhatweperceiveistrue,andthatisfine!TheAdvaita
shufflecanbeexplainedwiththisexample.Imagineyouareenjoyingaglassofredwinewith
yourboyfriendorgirlfriendonthebeach,andheorshesays:'Beautifulisn'tit?Thissunset'
andyoureply:'Sunset?Thesunisnotgoingdownatall!TheEarthrotatesaboutitsaxis,you
mustbeconfused!Towhichheorsheresponds,'Yes,sorry.IonlysaidthatbecauseIam
enjoyingthissunset.'Towhichyousay,'Beautyisonlyaconcept;itisasubjectivethought.
Moreover,thereisnomethatcanfinditbeautiful,becauseyouarealsoanillusion.'

Obviously,youcanunderstandthatyouwon'tbelovedmuchbythepeoplearoundyou
duringthisphase.Inthisphase,youareconstantlywalkingaroundtellingpeoplethat
everythingisanillusion.

TheComputerGame
Youmayunderstandthateverythingisconsciousnessandthatthisconsciousnesscontrols
everythingandeveryone.Nevertheless,youstillexperiencethatyouareanindividualwitha
freewillatthesametime.Itislikeplayingacomputergame.Youarefullyfocusedonthe
virtualworldofthegame,yetyourealizethatthisworlddoesnotreallyexist.Thecomputer
gameisafigmentofyourimaginationonacomputerscreen.Ifyoureconstantlythinking,'It
doesnotexist,itisonlyavirtualworld,itisallanillusion,itwillsuckallthefunoutofthe
game.Itisthepretendingthatitisrealthatmakesthegamefun.Thisisalsothecaseforour
lives.Youcanrealizethatitisallconsciousness,thatlifeisadream,andthateverythinggoes
asitshouldgo.WiththeAdvaitashuffle,however,thegameisn'tfunsinceyoureconstantly
tellingyourselfandothersthatitisanillusion.Especiallywhenpainfulmomentsoccur,the
egobringsinthe'everythingisconsciousnessconcept'asadefencemechanismagainstthe
pain,thinking,'Ah!No,itisonlyanideaanillusionandnobodyisdoinganything.'Butif
thathappens,then,naturally,thatsjustwhathappens.

AmIThereYet?
Therearegoingtobemomentsofclarity,whenlifefeelslikelessofaburden,andyou
suddenlystarttowonder,'AmIthereyet?'Asyouthinkyouareliberated,lifesteersyou
intoasituationwhereyouinstantlyzoominandrealizethestruggleisback!Youthink,'Shit,
whatwentwrong?WhatdidIdowrong?Ofcourse,youdidnothingwrong;allgoesasit
should.Theideathatsomethingwentwrongbyzoominginisoneofthemanystrange
beliefscreatedinyourmind.Atacertainpoint,whilezoomingin,youbecomeawareofthe
Muppets,onceagaininyourhead.MostpeoplethinkthattheMuppetsaretheirown
thoughts,butassoonasyourealizethatyouaren'tthoseMuppets,youwillbegintobe

awareofthem.Youmightthink,'Ah,theretheyareagain.'Thedifference,however,isthat
theMuppetswillnolongerbebelievedandtheywilllosetheirpower.Inthebeginningof
theawakening,peopleoftenflipflop,movingfromtotalclarityintochaosandbackagain.
Thismighthappenforawhile,butintime,theflipfloppingwillbecomelessextremeand
occurlessoften.

OldPains
Fromaneedtoavoidpainandfindpleasure,wepushawayalltypesofunpleasant
emotions.Duringyourawakening,allofthesuppressedfeelings,oldpain,andtraumas
mightresurface.Alltheballsyouweredesperatelytryingtokeepunderwaterpopuponeby
one.Youthenfindyourselfinsituationswherethoseoldpainsaretriggered.However,
whereasyoupreviouslyhidorpushedtheseemotionsaway,younowhavethechanceto
experiencethemwithoutresistance.
Whenwearezoomedin,wewanttogetridofemotions,andthereforelookforexcuses.
Now,withnewinsights,thereistherealizationthatthereisnothingwrongwithemotions
andpainfulexperiences.Itisourresistanceagainsttheseemotionsthatcausesuffering.But
pain,joy,anger,happiness,frustration,anddisappointmentarelikewavesontheocean.
Theycomeandgoagainandagain,allbythemselves.

PeopleThinkYouAreCrazy
Afternondualityisunderstoodonarationallevel,itwillintegrateitselfintoyourdaily
life.Resistancewillfademoreeveryday,andyouwillbelivinginamorerelaxedand
peacefulmanner.Thedayisnolongerdedicatedtoegogames,suchaspolishingyour
appearanceandchasingavarietyofstimulitofeelgood.Thiswillleadtoseveralchangesin
yourconditioning.Itisnotonlyanewexperienceforyou,butalsoforthepeoplearound
you.Yourfriends,family,andcolleagueswillhavetogetusedtoyournewkindofbehaviour.
Peoplewillstarttotalktoyoumore,becausetheynoticeyoucanlistenwithoutjudgingtoo
muchandwithoutselfinterest.But,peoplemightalsopanicfromtimetotimebecauseyou
cannotbetouchedormanipulatedaseasilyasbeforeandyoudon'tpicksidesasfastany
more.Youwontworryaboutmanythingsandwillnolongerbefixatedonanoutcomeif
planshappentochange.Somepeoplemightnotbeusedtothatkindofacceptanceandit
maycausesomeresistance.


(10)Enlightenment
Eventually,youwillstarttonoticethatzoomingindoesnothappenasoftenanymore.At
times,theMuppetsmaystillcomplainabit,butthosethoughtswon'tbebelievedanymore.
Justasifyouwerewatchingamovie,youwillnowsimplyobservewhateventsare
happeninginyourlife.Emotionswilljustgoon;experienceswilljustbeexperienced,all
withoutresistance.ThereisaZensayingthatpointsitoutperfectly,"BeforeEnlightenment
chopwoodcarrywater,afterEnlightenment,chopwoodcarrywater."Inshort,lifejustgoes
on.Theonlydifferenceisthat,beforeenlightenment,theindividualthinkshechopsthe
woodandcarriesthewater,afterenlightenment,itisseenthatwoodischoppedandwater
iscarried,butthereisnotsomeonedoingit.Thingsarenottakenpersonallyanymore.It
happensjustlikethat,withoutresistance,withoutguilt,withoutirrationalfearsaboutwhat
couldhappen,andwithoutfrustrationabouthowitcouldhavebeendifferent.

IfYouStarttoLiveLikeThat
AcommentIoftenhearis,IfIlivethewayyoudescribe,lifewillbecomereallyeasy!'
Honestly,thisistrue;itdoesbecomeeasier.Whentheworryingmindnolongerinterferes
withyourlife,everythinghappenswithlessofa'struggle,'butthatdoesn'tmean'less
effort.'
Thechildthatbuildsasandcastlestillputsinallhisorhereffort.Thechilddoesnotwaste
the'NOW'byworryingaboutthepastandthefuture.Asoccerplayerthatplaysintuitively
alsoputsinallhiseffort;hedoesnothavethatinternalmentalstrugglethatinfluenceshis
actionsduringthegame.
Assoonasthesurrenderingtowhatishappens,thehumanbeingwillstillputeffortinto
thingsbecausewearebeingplayedbyconsciousness.Wejustplayourrole.Whatdiffersis
thatthetripisnowbeingenjoyedratherthansimplyhuntingtosatisfyourcravingforthe
nextstimulustomakeusfeelgood.

TheBoatTrip
Lifeislikeaboattrip,whenwethinkthatwearethecaptainoftheship,weexperience
fear,frustration,andstress.Why?Becausewhentheshipsailsacoursedifferentthanthe
onewehadinmind,wepanic.Weworryaboutwhatdirectiontheshipmightsailin,andwe
onlyfeelateaseoncewesafelyreachtheharbour.Nondualityshowsusthatyouarenot
thecaptainatall!Theboattripisanallinclusivejourney.Relax,enjoytheride,enjoythe
beautifulweather,enjoythestorms,enjoythedolphins,andenjoytheleaksandbroken
mast.Allsituations,unexpectedturns,andsurprisesmakethejourneyanexcitingand
unforgettableadventure.

TheOcean
Whatyoureallyareisconsciousness.Inthisconsciousness,therearethingsthatappear
anddisappearagain.Youaretheocean,wherewavescomeandgoagain.Suchwavescanbe
anything.Theycanbeafeeling,athought,anemotion,aperson,oranexperience.They
appearanddisappear.Everythingappearsinyouanddisappearsinyou;whatyoureallyare
staysuntouched.Theoceanwillalwaysbewater,nomatterhowmanywavesthereare.If
thisinsightisaccepted,youwillnoticethewaves,ratherthanlosingyourselfinthem.

Youareconsciousness,andinthatconsciousness,aplethoraofthingsappear.Youalso
appearanddisappearasabody/mindsystem.Eventheideathatyouarethechauffeurof
thatsystemcomesandgoes.Whatyoureallyareisnottwo.Everythingisone.Giventhe
factthateveryformofdiversityisonlyimaginary,ourtruenatureisunityandlove.

EnjoyYourTrip!
Ihopethatyouwererelaxingonasofa,chair,orbedwhileyouwerereadingthisbook.
Nowthatyouhavefinishedit,youcanthrowitaway.Youdonothavetoreaditagainor
thinkabouthowtobecomeenlightened.Youalreadyareenlightened!Itisonlybecauseof
theideathatyouhavetoplanandcontrolyourentirejourneyonEarththatyouexperience
stress,frustration,andfear.

Youarenotseparate,youareone,youareinfinitelove.

Dontworry,
Dontbeafraid,
Ever,
becausethisisjustaride.

BillHicks(19611994)


WhoisPaulSmit?
Asseeninthisbook,thequestion,'Whoareyou?'isquitephilosophical.TheonlythingI
cansayisthatIamconsciousness.Inthisconsciousness,thereisanappearancewiththe
namePaul.Hehaspleasantandnotsopleasantcharacteristics,hehashispreferences,and
hehashadapassionforphilosophyeversincehewasateenager.

Attheageof24,Igraduatedfromtheevolutionofthehumanconsciousness,andaround
theageof29,Icameacrossnonduality.Afteraprocessofawakening,myfascination
concerninghowtheuniverseconstantlymoves,andhowweareallapartofit,grew.Inmy
daytodaylifeIperformforcompanieswithamixtureofcomedyandphilosophy.