Sarmoungs Blog

presents

The Way to Be
The Articles of Sarmoungs Blog
2010-2012

https://sarmoung.wordpress.com/

Wisdom is not a product of schooling but
of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.
Albert Einsten
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Possibilities of Self Development in the 21th Century
Possibilities of Self-Development in the 21st Century#2
How a Man becomes a Man (a personal experience)
The Meaning of Inner Research
The courage to be What we are, As we are
The Magic of Now
Swimming Against the Flow
Sailing Towards our Freedom
Awareness and Continuity of Consciousness
Attention and Concentration
Conscious Evolution: From Nothing to Objective Reason
In Search for Awakeness: The Awakening of a True Mind
Levels of Being
Mechanicity and the Apparent Impossibility of Self-Freedom
Ponderings about simple things that are virtually impossible to
understand
Ways to Achieve a Better State of Awareness
Through Sincerity Comes Security (and Unity)
The Theory of the Four Bodies (a never-ending story)
Being and the Theory of Reincarnation
The Trap of Loneliness
The Trap of our Self-Pity
The Wish of Revenge
The Roots of our Fears
Relaxation as a Natural State
Lightness: A Quality in Extinction
Further explanation about what is Self Observation
Love and Acceptance
The Art of Letting Go
The Prayer as a Connection with our Being
Friendship
Good Karma Bad Karma
Philosophers, Theorists and Mystifying Mystics
Conscious Love as Help for the Mate in Self-Development
Administrating Spare Time Inner Science#3: Find the Silence in your Daily Life
An Integral Approach to Overcome Harmful Emotions Inner Science #4: The Patanjalis Path towards Freedom
Clairvoyance (Seeing Clearly) Inner Science #5: The Path of Shakyamuni
Discerning the False Personality from our True Self Fear and the apparent Feeling of Division
The Art of Pondering Self Observation
Self-Development through Facebook! Exercise to Get Back to Reality
Few Steps Towards a Stronger Will Self Observation Exercise in Third Person
Awakening to our True Nature Not to a New School Breath and Navel Technique A Taoist Practice
Further Explanation on What is Self- Observation An Easy Centering Exercise
Failed Awakening: What have we missed? Awareness and the Tone of Voice
Gentleness of Movements Gentleness of Mind A Tibetan exercise for Discerning the True from the False Self
Human Centers:Introduction & the Intellectual Function Suggestions on What to Notice and What to do under Self-Obser-
Human Centers:The Emotional Function vation
Human Centers:Instinctive & Motoric Function Check out Your Limits- An exercise in Intentional Efforts
Human Centers:The Emotional Function A Rare Esoteric Exercise
Higher Centers
The Characteristics of the Centers
An In- Depth Look at the Emotional Center #1
An In- Depth Look at the Emotional Center #2
An In- Depth Look at the Emotional Center #3
An In- Depth Look at the Emotional Center #4
Sexuality#1
Sexuality#2
Sexuality#3
Sexuality#4
The Way of the Conscious Warrior:alternans of opposites
Exercise to gain energy
Super Efforts and Self-Development
The Meaning of Action #1
The Meaning of Action #2
The Meaning of Action- interlude: an exercise
The Meaning of Action #3
The Meaning of Action: 7 Micro Exercises
Development of Consciousness
Becoming Masters of our Minds
Meditation as Theory and Practice
Inner Science#1: Recognize the mental processes
Inner Science #2: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a
single step
Possibilities of Self Development in the 21th Century
In 1991, something happened to me. Ill never forget
this year and I have never been the same after that.
Since I was a child, I have possessed a feeling, a
knowing, that during my lifetime there would be extraordi-
nary experiences for humanity. I have never seen visions, an-
gels or Ascended Masters of Light who announce the coming
of a New Era: none of these characters visited me I just
had that feeling. This feeling has accompanied me during
the last nineteen years of my life and is still here, present and
felt with all my being.
Even as I waited for the inevitable, the war in my
country (Croatia) surprised all the people who were involved
in it. Everyone in this country had a clear perception of hav-
ing lost something very important for every human being:
the freedom of living a normal, everyday life . Growing up
with this limitation is a complex proposition.
But this tragic situation was a turning point in crys-
tallizing some concepts, if I can call them that, which before
were dormant in some unknown area of my being. I became
aware of the fact that I couldnt immerse myself into the pat-
terns of ordinary existence, and every attempt to follow the
flow of the river commonly known as social life, with all its
implications and roles, made me always uncomfortable and
forced me to move in another direction, leaving behind what-
ever Id established. I was compelled each time to start over
again in a search without any object of searching, not know-
ing how to define what I was searching for. The only thing I
knew was that this was a frequently frustrating experience.
I realized in some mechanical way , that I was not
unified in my search, that there were a multitude of persons
within me, many of whom were not at all interested in the
search. I was legion. Every part of my fragmented charac-
ter wanted different things a good livelihood, relationships,
success, money, friends, and much more. The possibility of
pleasing all the people within me, often in contradiction
between them, was practically impossible. And every time I
returned to the search for something different that could free
myself from this frustrating situation. Fortunately, that need
never left me.
I had started to search with other friends in many
fields such as psychology, philosophy, literature, eccentric
lifestyle, meditation, and others. Each of these enriched my
life experiences , but had given me only fragmented pieces
of something I was not able to perceive coherently. I hadnt
found anything which I could devote the rest of my life to.
I had become depressed. Maybe, after all, the surface
of life was all there was, that there was nothing to find, only
to live the life that accident or destiny gave us. Maybe the
deeper meanings of life didnt exist, that this knowing that
had nagged me was just nave nonsense. Maybe all there was
to life was money, good sex, and alcoholic drinks to alleviate
the sense of emptiness perceived in moments of solitude.
Then, on April 1991, things radically changed. I met
the person who changed my life. This man gave me practi-
cal directives towards the possibility of changing my state of
consciousness, and showed the way to another level of ex-
istence. The core of this teaching was similar to that given
by the Caucasian master George I. Gurdjieff, known as The
Fourth Way. I finally found the proof of the existence which
I suspected, and the method to assemble it within myself.
The years that I spent on this Work constitute
a Peak Experience. It is impossible to explain in a few
words, the experience and the rate of personal growth facili-
tated by this man and the other teacher who came after him.
It was intensive, and continued for 19 years and still con-
tinues: Fourth Way teachings, Western and Eastern practical
Alchemy, Integral Tibetan and dram Yoga, Taoist concepts
and practices, Esoteric Symbolism
The anxiety and depression became inner peace and
better emotional balance, and the awareness acquired set me
in the social life, which before escaped me, without falling
into the flow of society.
The age we live in is the moment when many indi-
viduals are experiencing the opening of their hearts to new
perspectives. So then, the task I have set for myself here is to
connect the seemingly intellectual principles of The Fourth
Way with the emotional experience of life. The society
in which we live is too stifling. We approach most things
through our minds, leaving behind, like some forgotten rel-
ics, our intuitive processes. The true aim of The Work is to
establish a connection to the power of our emotional life,
called by some, the eighteen inch gap.
True understanding lies not in knowing, but in living
what you know. It is my hope that this site will be a place
where any truly interested seeker would find and share new
insights, assistance and love in the creation of a true under-
standing.

Then I met some persons involved in the study and

practice of the methods of self development known as The
Work, that had become a deeply ingrained part of our inner
lives.

Today, I am not a master, but I am sure that I am a

better person than I would have been without this teaching.
And, the most important thing is that I have found the aim of
my life. Last February, my first teacher gave me the last direc-
tives about that aim, and now it is crystallized in the Sites and
happenings organized in the last two months.

The aim of this link is to share the eternal principles

learned in the Work as one of the effective possibilities of
the 21st century to all interested in an effective self-develop-
ment with the hope that it will be of benefit to greater num-
bers of people in their path to awaken.
Possibilities of Self-Development in the 21st Century really reddish- brown. I felt the air on my skin, such as I was
#2 experiencing this for the first time in my life and all the nois-
es, rumors, and colors were something natural, such as
they must be.

This was what I had experienced, and it lasted for perhaps a

minute, maybe more- even the perception of time was non-
existent. It was a perception of I being Here and Now.
Then, I returned to the ordinary state, covered by a cloak of
(Jesus and The Walking Dead) thoughts, emotions, and fantasies another world: the veil
had been lowered again, and what remained with me, from
this very first experience, was the feeling of being what my
fantasy expressed as a walking dead, a zombie, one of Rome-
ros characters who walk on this earth without any conscious-
And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the
ness of what they are doing. At the beginning, this feeling
earth, they said unto them Why seek ye the living among the
was very impressive for my fantasies. Indeed, they had the
dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake
tendency to transform any one experience into something
unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, the Son of man
more digestible for our minds. I felt it as very interesting
must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be cruci-
that I was walking as a living dead from the movies or the
fied, and the third day rise again.
comics a body, empty of every glimpse of life that walks
on the street. A childish fantasy, but it was normal- I WAS a
Luke 24:5-7
child. Then, after several months, it happened again and
again and again and every time it was less amusing, be-
What do these words taken from Lukes gospels concerning
cause I was realizing something else: I was imprisoned by
the dead mean? What does it mean to be dead?
the veil or, better said, the veil was all around me, I was
willy-nilly closed in a box, separated from what was happen-
The very first time I realized I was a walking dead was when I
ing around me, without any possibility of escaping this con-
was an eight year old child in casual moment of lucidity that
dition, except to wait for another moment of lucidity.
happens to many persons, probably even a child. But, at the
moment it happened, I realized that the perception I had of
The possibilities for a solution came later, after eight years,
the world before, was totally different from what I was expe-
but in the meantime, I lived in a sort of understanding that
riencing at that precise moment.
the world I was perceiving, as I was perceiving, was only an
illusion. At some times, I had the feeling of not being able
Such as a veil which was removed from my eyes, allowing me
to really perceive anything. And this produced states of pain
to see what was around me, to perceive myself there, in that
which had blossomed into anxiety and later, panic attacks.
moment- alive. In that moment, a house was really a house,
I was seeing it, and the bricks of the house I was seeing were
And, in the eyes of others, who asked God what kind of prob-
lems I had, no one understood what was happening to me,
and I had no one with which to share the reasons of my con-
dition. Indeed, I realized that no one had ever noticed this
little problem of living and reacting like a walking dead.
My mentor (teacher) used to say that humans are much like
monkeys, because of the repetition of their thoughts, emo-
tions and actions; but what remained with me, in order to
describe this condition, was the Jesus parable of the dead.
Let the Dead Bury Their Own Dead said Jesus, according
to Matthew, 8:22. We live in a planet with almost seven bil-
lion of those dead to their lives, who think they are alive. This
is the condition of modern society.
He who is alive, the living is not the ordinary man or
woman; such an individual is far away from this condition,
even in the first stages of his personal inner work. To use
Gurdjieffs example, he is the man number 5, an individual
who is not identified with his personality, but in his true be-
ing, the essence, and he lives through it; an individual who
is always present, in every moment, to any act he performs;
namely, an awakened one (or, if you prefer, a Buddha).
Such a human, has not to be searched among the dead,
among those who are still sleeping. And, sleeping is the
ordinary, limiting condition.
But, we can escape from this condition, escape from the land
of the dead through waking up, but we have to do this with
discretion if we dont want to experience a rebellion of
our personality, which could mortify our every attempt to
escape.
Our psychophysical structure is like an electromagnetic field,
a living electric dynamo which is used at the minimum of its
possibilities. As seen in other posts, we lose energy in useless
and nonproductive actions, physical tensions, bad breath-
ing behavior, harmful emotions, and uncontrolled thoughts
which haunt our mind every day at every moment, both day
and night, when we sleep.
Even the outer world is an electromagnetic field, pervaded
by waves of every type and intensity which produce further
difficulties to the work of awakening. Our personal field
is continuously distorted from all the frequencies (addi-
tional conditionings) with which we are subordinated every
day. And all this makes less controllable our emotions and
thoughts. This is not a sci-fi story; its our actual condition
that, with a glimpse of observation, could be noticed in
everyone. So, in some way, awakening, is not a strictly spiri-
tual problem, but a problem of electric interferences: the
conditionings of every type with which we are subjected,
which apparently deny the possibility of awakening.
So, emerging from this condition, from the land of the
dead, means freeing our True Self (our Essence/Being) from
the conditioned psychophysical apparatus which is suscep-
tible to these interferences. This is a necessary process to
non- identify ourselves (our essence) from personality (false
self ); we have to stop believing that we are our personality, a
condition which keeps our True Self buried under the desires
of our false self.
Until the life of a person proceeds in an undisturbed way,
without any kind of physical or emotional shocks, there
are no possibilities to realize the situation, and to feel the
need to end it.
Only a kind of suffering intended not in Buddhist terms,
as illusion, but as a friction to our ordinary life, could break
the link which brings us to be identified with our personality
 the false image we have of ourselves. Such kind of suffer- called Heart, and is today commonly known, between the
ing could be unintentional, produced from some unexpected insiders, as Higher Emotional. So, be in love with your life,
events in our life, or intentional, so when we are forced to as best as you can, as often as you can.
do something which we usually dont wish to do, or to end
something we are usually accustomed (so, addicted) to do. The angel said to the women, Do not be afraid, for I know
This kind of friction prevents the habit to sleep during our that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not
whole life. here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place
where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: He has
But theres something more essential, in order to accomplish risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee.
this process: to awaken through a work of self-observation, so There you will see him. Now I have told you.
that we can notice, and observe, that once we wake up from
our bed in the morning, we are not really awake. Through Matthew, 28, 5-7
observing ourselves and what happens around us, we break
off, (at the beginning partially, but with practice, totally)
the illusion of being our personality and, consequently, the
identification with all our conditionings: at once, even for a
moment, we and our personality are no longer the same
thing.

But theres a further thing that is forgotten, even by those

who follow a path towards such awakening: having a heart.
Indeed, theres a common attitude to pay more attention to
the intellectual concept concerning this argument than to
our life, and even to others. Even in a work of self- discovery,
theres a tendency -that results in a trap from which its really
difficult to free ourselves- of being so focused on what we do,
how we feel, what happens in us, that we forget that we are
not alone in this world, that there also exist other persons.

And this is a very dangerous trap, egoistic and more harm-

ful than we could think, which could make our life a sterile,
black and white hell, empty of every emotion.

He who is not dead, thus alive, is in love with life, and every
attempt of refusing to live it, in the company of our beloved
and others is a sure way to make us distant from what Jesus
 How a Man becomes a Man (a personal experience)
It was very strangeafter almost eight years of ap-
prenticeship, I was feeling so strong, so determined..I had
the perception that I had finally realized something and, that
for the first time in my life, I was really able to change myself.
Butsome situation was enough to bring my life
back to the beginningall my effort vanished. Indeed, the
love relationship with a girl I considered the Love of my life
broke off. After a few weeks, my mentor was involved in a
car accident where he survived, but with a broken neck, but
miraculously alive and able to walk.
In a short period, all my good intentions and efforts,
the result of all my work, vanished. My life was becoming
worse than before. The more I was trying to apply in my
daily life what I had learned, the more I felt confused, inad-
equate, discouraged.
Power, ethics, desires, needs, willall vanished. The
same thing with intentional efforts, resistance, patienceI
stopped trying to escape the situation that was crystallizing
in myself. Without friends, without any external support, I
had the feeling that events were sweeping me awayso, I lost
hope.
I had begun to do in that moment, the only thing I
felt I was able to do: I started drinking hard to forget and
destroy all what I had understood and achieved during these
years of work on myself.
This was one of the worst moments in my life. And
this situation lasted for months. Everyday, I was drunk..to
forget what I was unable to forget.
My behavior was only a teasing toward myself: one
moment aping a safe man, another moment, falling into self-
pity, criticizing the behaviors of others, telling myself a lot of
fibs.
I was angry with my parents who werent able to give
me a right education, with my friends who started to elude
my company, with all of society and the whole world who
gave to me only an unbearable suffering. That was mein
that period of my life.
Things maybe would not have changed if not for one
evening when something happened.
I was at a table in a bar, drinking a beer, when my
mentor (teacher) entered and sat with me. As if it were noth-
ing unusual, he ordered a beer and started to drink with me.
I felt shame, anger, and at the same time, astonish-
ment in such a situation: the man who tried to teach me to
be a better man, and I, trying to throw away all of what he
had taught me.
But he held a particular kind of gentleness, so un-
usual and absurd in such a situation.
I started to speak in a convulsive and agitated way,
speaking about all my worries and disappointments towards
all, showing all my self-pity and the mood of a defeated man
to all intents and purposes. Briefly, I explained my situation
to him.
He kept silent for a long time, hearing what I had to
tell. The he simply said:
All you need are two things: first, stop with that self-
pity, you arent more a teenager or less. Second, you need a
rule, my young brother.
A ruleI didnt like that word very much. I immedi-
ately associated it with the concept of morality, school days,
and all that had conditioned my whole life. But I decided to
keep silent and hear what he had to tell me.
He laughed, perceiving my astonished and fearful
face: What arises in your mind now? School and family
education, loss of freedom, or when as a child the older im-
posed some rules without giving you any explanation? All
your life obeying someone who had an ascendancy toward
you in that moment of your life? Or, are you too drunk to be
able to catch something in your mind? (another laugh).
He continued with saying: The world is full of rules,
some of civil cohabitation and others which attack us with
their moral impositions, which taught us to be judging and
criticizing, which harms and influences a human being psy-
chologically. But believe it or not, such rules derive from
ancient ages, even if they are the shadow of what they once
were.
I looked at him astonished and irritated by his speech.
My life was falling to pieces and he was speaking about some-
thing concerning a sociological or philosophical field. Al-
tered by the alcohol and my idiotic emotional state, I started
to become nervous and angry towards him.
As usual, he noticed this, and stopped my words be-
fore they arose from my mouth: What do you think, stupid
monkey, that you are the only one who suffers in this world?
That you are the only poor child who feels the weight that
this consumerist society throws on our back? What do you
think, when you look at me? That I am enlightened? I also
cry, I have my own problems and also bear the weight of ev-
eryday life. Stop crying for your misfortunes, and make a
step forward.
I knew he was right, but he didnt give me any new
information, any new advice.
Every event, he continued, happens in accordance
to laws so complex, which in our eyes can assume the form
of casualty, because in our smallness we can understand it.
Laws keep us stuck, because we dont understand nor can
we change them. They are as they are. The Universal pro-
cesses are beyond our comprehension, and the only way to
overcome our mechanical situation is to establish an even
partial order which could give us a particular place where we
focus all our actions.
What was he speaking about? Probably, in that mo-
ment, I had a dazed expression, or maybe that man knew me
better than I knew myself. He laughed again and continued:
Ill translate this so that you, mortal (and marked joking-
ly this word) could understand. Ill make a simple example.
You have a chaotic life behavior: you wake up every-
day at a different time, while you go to work, you eat some-
thing, maybe a sandwich, if you have the time, and take a
lunch break when others do the same. In any case, you dont
choose anything. You dont choose even when and what to
eat. You live, eat, sleep, laugh, and cry out of habit. You dont
decide anything!

But, just to make an example, if you decide to choose
that everyday at 10 a.m., youll have a snack, and not only
decide the time, but even the place and the quality of what
youll desire to eat. Then, this would be a choice, your choice,
because free from every habit conditioning or every kind of
external event. What is important is that YOU decide before
you act. Otherwise, this would be another reaction, and in
this field, you are a specialist (laugh). This, my dear mon-
key, is a method, a way which could be applied even in seri-
ous life matters. Do you remember Ksatrya, the Sumerais?
Even if they were conscious of the moment they had to die,
they were able to choose the place, time, and circumstances
to make their sacred sepuku, facing the enemy straight in
the eyes. So, in this way, they died with honor, consciously,
not as poor devils.
There was a short pause. I had the feeling that I
couldnt add anything, nor to counter. But there was some
restlessness in myself, some kind of rebellion towards this ar-
gument.
Now, I ask you: wouldnt it be better and more ef-
ficient a self-discipline?
Of course, he answered, It would be better. But
can you do that in this moment? You need a maturity to do
this, and as I see (pointing his finger at my beer), you havent
such kind of attitude. So, how can you develop such matu-
rity? Thats what you have to ask yourself.
You know, at the beginning, a discipline must come
from the external through a rule, a genuine rule, not an im-
position, from a person who has passed through that process.
Its relative to the education of children given by their par-
ents.
Ponder on that. You go to the doctor for some eating
disease. After having identified the problem, he gives you
some prescriptions- a diet- that you will have to follow step-
by-step if you want to recover. Successively, once you will be
able to recognize the needs of your body, you will be able to
manage by yourself what, how much and when you will eat.
This is the same even in the ethical, existential field. Only af-
ter having experienced such rules, is one able to develop a self
discipline, intended as an effective attitude which permits
you to apply a decision without impositions toward your life.
Reorganize your life rhythms, decide to introduce
some intentional actions in your daily routine make a ritual
of all your routines. Exercise your will, patience, and the
capacity of feeling your positive and negative emotions with-
out remaining involved, identified. This will allow you to be
centered, able to direct both mind and actions. This is the
power of being able to do. You love artistry, so become a
good sculptor and shape your life through YOUR decisions,
and not self-pity or external conditioning. Thats what you
have to do. Move your ass, my young monkey, so one day
youll be able to enjoy drinking a beer for your own pleasure,
and not to cover, and suffocate your inertia and fears.
Thats what he told me. And, fortunately, I followed
his instructions.
 The Meaning of Inner Research Therefore, inner search is the path which leads to
the ultimate answer, to the core of the meaning of our lives.
When we feel the need to understand the meaning of human
existence and why we dont live forever with the fullness we
may have once experienced in some rare moments, we be-
gin to seek these answers in an unknown space from where
we cannot be excludedand that space is the only thing we
Sometimes, what arises in my mind is a question that have.ourselves.
I consider common with those who are involved in a work of
self development. After all the successes and failures, good
and bad moments, and doubts, one discovers that there is no
reward at the end of every stage of the Path. The question
which arises in myself is: What is the meaning of my inner
research.Why am I doing this?

Explaining this in a few words and in a comprehen-

sive way is almost impossible. Thousands of texts have been
written through the centuries, and this topic is common in all
cultures. It is important to understand that we dont search
for only those things we recognize which we dont possess,
but its also fundamental to understand that if we are search-
ing for something, we do this because we have an expecta-
tion, a vision of what we will find.

This last aspect is basic, because it describes a fact that
is often unnoticed. In some intuitive way, or by knowing, the
inner researcher already knows that what exists in himself is
a hidden reality that he wants to achieve, understand, and
live. One who does not have this intuition will never begin
an inner search, for the simple fact that one does not search
for something whose existence is not suspected.
Many enlightened minds describe the inner search in
the following terms: if we dont know ourselves deeply and
integrally, we cant live a satisfying, happy, and conscious life,
because we do not understand what, who, and why we are
here.
 The courage to be What we are, As we are
The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is
courage. Thucydides
It is a common saying that the truth hurts, but it is
at the same time, what allows us to be as we areuncon-
ditioned, without anger, resentment and dissatisfaction, de-
spite lies, false beliefs and half-truths which characterize our
society. But, why is it so difficult to be true and sincere? And
why, when we permit the expression of our true self, of our
Being, of what we really are, that we remain uncomfortable
with others to be with?
Truth is one of the few things that save us from suf-
fering. But, what truth are we searching for? Our truth?
Everyone has a subjective and false perception of the truth.
Being oneself is not entirely easy, or rather, it is not easy to
see if what we call ourselves, is really what we think it is.
It is easy, however, to incur the error of being misunderstood
and marginalized, just because others do not clearly accept
what we say, think , and do. This does not always coincide
with what we are on our deepest levels.
Being true, more real, more what we really are, does
not lead us to any emancipation. Indeed, a degree of in-
tegrity is what enables us to earn through time, a degree
of respect from other persons, even from those who think
differently from us. The core of the problem is not the result
of the freedom we eventually achieve, but rather our deeply
rooted need to be understood and accepted by others. Being
ourselves doesnt necessarily mean to be accepted. In fact, an
objective or subjective truth has a philosophical value which
must be kept separate from the attitude of being accepted.
If we are honest, sincere, and upright towards our-
selves and others, this has a value that lies in the field of
ideas, an uncontaminated sphere without any interference
from the external needs of achieving some social acceptance.
Indeed, this is the place of ethics, where lies the perception of
what is right and good. Although this concept is subjective
to changes through time, and cannot be objective, it remains
uncontaminated, more pure and sincere, therefore, of posi-
tive value.
This noble attitude loses all its purity and positive val-
ues when driven by the presumption of being understood,
of being acknowledged and recognized as good or intel-
ligent, at whatever the cost. Suffering does not arise from
the misunderstanding of others, but exclusively from our
compulsive need to be understood and accepted. If we search
the causes of our dissatisfaction, they have not to be searched
in an outside world which creates suffering through ig-
norance, but by the need to be recognized and accepted by
that world. So, the cause lies in ourselves, not in the external
world. Being what we are, as we are is an expression of
the inner freedom deeply rooted in the field of philosophi-
cal principles uncontaminated by every human need. Be-
ing and having may be compatible, but Being and to
covet possessions, not!!
So, what must we do? Taken from my personal and
subjective point of view, the answer to this question is quite
simple: be ourselves, if we can and as we can, without any
pretension of attracting the attention of the external world
which surrounds us. Love without any additional feeling, The Magic of Now
only for the purpose of Love. Express your points of view
without any pretense. Express your inner needs without too
many pretensions. If we do this, perhaps we will discover
that the world is not as dull as it seems. But, to do this, we
must be captivated by the thirst for knowledge, knowing who
we really are, and what we really want. The only right ques-
tion , is to ask if we have the courage to do it. It is claimed by some people that practices such as
meditation will become natural to all human beings, that
we will probably experience in an age in which all the tech-
niques that are seen as mysterious to many, will represent an
obvious cultural baggage from all the Civilized Nations.
Maybe, the next generations will find a quiet place in which
to activate a software that is more powerful than the com-
puter we find in front of our nose, at this moment.

Maybe...a magic word. But today is still not this fu-

turistic age. Indeed, we can hear much about meditation,
that is truly practiced by many people from all around the
world, but what still lacks is a basic culture (or knowing) able
to recognize how much we are still immersed in the complete
ignorance about what we are and what we can be. If we only
could understand that we can do much more than what we
consider as our possibilities, we could grasp the primary sig-
nificance of the meditative practices- opening ourselves to-
wards a totally unknown world.

Many authors hypothesize a more or less near future

in which technology and physiology will join together in a
new man, provided with unthinkable skills and powers. We
dont need the cybernetic to achieve this aim; there are still
the yogis and the yoginis from the past. Maybe the modern
science and the science of the spirit, in conjunction with a
universal ethical conception, could build a new future.

Maybe but its still not so. Our present is, for now,
totally different, quite confused and superstitious. We live in
the ideas of old and new myths, with ancestral beliefs merged
with technologic beliefs. In this reality, the reality in which
we live, we can move the first steps towards the hard-won ex-
perimentation of unknown states of consciousness. The age
of drugs and sleep of consciousness is not yet ended, and the
ages of meditation have yet to begin. Through various drugs,
of which many are considered not only legalized, but legiti-
mate, humans tried- and still try- to exorcize his fears and fill
the emptiness which terrorize them.. How many people use
antidepressant, anxiolytics to achieve this goal? Too many.
Maybe, the near future will allow a new man a
wiser and less suicidal way through which hell be able to
expand his own possibilities and to find new resources to face
his life.
As my deceased and beloved grandpa used to say, to
move step by step is the wisest way to walk towards the fu-
ture. Not all have the fortune to find a real teacher, and the
teachers who sell themselves as real (even knowing very
little about the subject they preach) are too many, in every
field of inner research. Even this is the sign of these times,
and this means that the need to find answers inside of our-
selves instead than outside, is growing. When the demand
grows, the proposal increase and, such as other commercial
products, because the known spirituality is almost all just a
commercial product to be sold, and the quality is always rare.
We can dream an age (after the 2012, the Aquarian
age, the age of the white boar, call it as you wish in which
the minds, bodies and hearts of the persons from around the
world, will be totally different from what they are now. Less
sickness, more creative intelligence and willingness toward
others. But, what is better is that we can dream the now,
making all what is possible to influence, in our microsphere,
to allow a change of course, first of all on ourselves.
There is no wiser and more honest way than to begin
with ourselves, never mind how enlightened, perfect and
wise we consider ourselves to be. The field of ideas is deval-
ued.... I dont speak about Platonic thought, this is a supe-
rior dimension lost long ago, even from those who should
represent it for culture and tradition, but the subjective, per-
sonal ideas, opinions and ideals is shared with all the possible
strength, but not in practice.
There is really little space and time for useless soph-
isms; all, not almost all, but ALL have a desperate need to
meet or get in contact with persons who truly believe in what
they are doing and, what is most important, are really con-
scious of what they are doing.
Its true.... its time for changes, its really a particular
historical moment in which we can also dedicate ourselves
with humility to the ancient human sciences, and this could
be the determinant capable to make us (humans) the gift of
a better future. To learn the ancient arts for self develop-
ment, at least in my opinion, is no longer a luxury available
to a few, but its a necessity which could make the difference
in ones everyday life, in the field of work, and in the per-
sonal field.
To summarize what is written above... its better to
dream the Now, than a future that still doesnt exist.
 Swimming Against the Flow
The resistance against any kind of change is not only
psychological. It drags its roots from the deep and ancient
connection between the individual and the environment sur-
rounding him.
We can say that all that exists moves in a sort of flow
determined by a specific evolutionary process towards the
Oneness, with which it will be merged. Our life moves inevi-
tably in this flow. Sometimes, an obstacle slows this progress.
Sometimes a chink will accelerate it. This process,
which is determined by specific laws, is called by us humans,
history.
Looking from a Universal point of view, this flow is
life itself. But in the eyes of human beings, all this appears
so abstract, a sort of mystic vision, because their whole at-
tention is captured by the stones, sand, and shallows of this
Universal River.
However, some humans have an intense craving to
achieve the source of this river, that they prefer to find the
source of this immense river by swimming upstream to reach
it. This isnt fighting against these laws, but rather, a forc-
ing of some mechanics to generate a possibility contained in
some hidden way in the Laws themselves.
This is the path of the Seeker. Who seeks cannot stop
his progress. The flow drags him at the beginning. This is a
voluntary effort, a long and hard path, determined and fed
by the individual wish for change. During his swimming
against the flow, he will experience inevitably the resistance
against his aim in thousands of ways, because the same flow
will claim him under its control. All this is written in the
lifes code of this planet. One must replace the old ideas
with the new. This is a sort of conscious dying which the
seeker chooses every moment of his daily life. But, when
one tries to virtually kill himself, his beliefs, his old points
of view, the past set of a real conflict, shouting for help, the
preconceptions, doubts, fears, and expectations, to avoid the
dissolution of what is old.
Every pure teaching shows the way and the manner
to reach this goal. But this is a distant possibility, because
personality has to leave the place to the Being, and when per-
sonality feels its end, it begins a war against the Being, whis-
pering that it is still weak in the seeker. All will begin with
a rebellion, drawing him to the inertia, to the doubts, to the
judgments which generate a sense of powerlessness.
But, some have made it, reached the source of this
great flow. And if those few had realized this aim, we can do
it, also. And if we can do this, many other humans will be
able to do it, too. If it is possible for a single individual, this
possibility is realizable to some others, and maybe, one day,
this possibility would be of public domain. An individual ef-
fort to develop is also a part of a much larger, global develop-
ment. We are driven by those who preceded us to drive those
who will begin this path, with our example.
 Sailing Towards our Freedom is only a word, not a fact.

Of course, choosing a true freedom is a very difficult

What means being really free? Freedom is a state of
consciousness, or better said, it depends on our level of be-
ing. Its a state of Being!
Freedom doesnt depend on what we do, but from the
way we live. In fact, being free doesnt mean doing what we
want at a determined moment, but rather having the privi-
lege of feeling what our real needs are, and what we want
from our life, despite of all the conditionings, guilt feelings,
and various fears. So, a free man/woman is one who doesnt
have a sense of guilt, fear, or preconception which could pre-
vent him from feeling his real needs and desires, without
influences which could block its expression.
task. We feel like a prisoner who had been confined for years
and is afraid of being free, so he prefers the safety of his
jail. A man/woman who chooses to be free is in a similar
position. He has to face all his fears of making some mistake,
an emotion inculcated by many years of social conditioning,
and enforced by the consequent sense of guilt. It is very dif-
ficult to slip the moorings, and this causes a sense of trem-
bling because he/she has the sense of losing all the illusion-
ary, but well-known sense of safety.
But the only way to achieve this safeness is to enter
the unknown this deep and strange sea, escaping from the
isle which drives us to slavery, and sail towards our freedom.

We are all slaves until we are prevented from finding

the true meaning of our existence. And anyone can achieve
this aim (even partially), bringing the baggage of fear to
make some mistake, or fearing others or his own judgments.
How could a human being live according to his true nature
in such conditions? It is impossible.

In the condition we are in, in todays society, freedom

is a thing that must be conquered. This can be achieved only
through overcoming the obstacles which prevent us from
looking into ourselves and by living in accordance with what
we find within.

The key to begin this conversion from slavery to

freedom is admitting that we are still slaves, that freedom
 Awareness and Continuity of Consciousness
Awareness is a part of the extraordinary and single
immaterial manifestation of our nature, which cant be mea-
sured and weighed. The mind, evolved through the sensory
and material perceptions, cannot perceive something that is
outside time and space, so it cannot understand conscious-
ness. The degree of individual awareness cant be evaluated
from the outside, it can only be experimented on by the sub-
ject who experiences it. The only valuation that can be done
is when we observe another subject who has a lower degree of
awareness.
What is awareness? It is the conscious perception of
us in the world. The intelligence, sensibility, wisdom, the
emotional balance, the capacity for love and other things,
are aspects related with self-awareness. When this aspect ex-
pands over the normal degree, man transcends the natural
consciousness and enters into the spiritual sphere: this is the
aim of the inner path.
In the late nineteen nineties (1997-1998), I had been
involved with my teacher and some other students in experi-
ments about awareness, where the aim was to evaluate indi-
vidual awareness. In this occasion, we had learned in prac-
tice that awareness can be defined in three degrees: duration,
frequency, amplitude. Through these three parameters, we
had the possibility to observe our degree of awareness and its
increase.
Duration means how long we can maintain the state
of awareness. Our mentor gave us a simple exercise based on
the observation of the breath dynamics (inbreath-outbreath)
without modifying anything, while accomplishing our daily
tasks. The beginners of this group, without education on
concentration, were capable in maintaining a voluntary
and unified awareness at least two to three minutes before
a thought or an external mechanical dynamic diverted their
attention. The capacity of the other expert students was a
little bit higher. Two or three minutes of intentional atten-
tion is too little time to accomplish a serious task such as
trying to change ourselves.
The second aspect of the experiment, the frequency,
was how much we were able, during one day, to recover the
awareness of ourselves; in brief, how many times during a
day we were able to remember ourselves. Our mentor gave
us a practice: to keep in our pocket a string and to make a
knot every time we remembered to recover the attention on
ourselves. At the end of the evening, we had the exact num-
ber of times that we remembered to observe ourselves during
the day.
Those two aspects are very important to become aware
that we lose constantly, the attention on a specific object. The
exercises explained above are simple and useful tools to work
on our awareness. The duration of voluntary consciousness is
brief, but if we can increase the frequency of recovering our
attention during the day, our intentional awareness can be
increased. The problem, in fact, is not only that the duration
of ones awareness is too brief, but even that we are aware just
a few times during a day.
The third aspect to determine ones awareness is the
amplitude. This aspect allows us to reach the possibility of
inner growth, emancipating ourselves from the mechanic-
ity of daily life. Different from the duration of awareness,
when we must bring our concentration to a single object, the
amplitude involves the expansion of the same process how
many things we can consciously perceive at the same time.
This was the experiment: we had to enter a room,
look around for 15 to 20 seconds, then exit and write on a
paper, the objects we had memorized. Then, to verify how
many objects we had perceived. Those who tried this experi-
ment, knows how only few of the objects one is capable of
remembering the first time. This is the basic amplitude of
ones awareness.
Awareness means continuity, and this isnt a natural
quality of human beings, but it can be acquired through seri-
ous training. We lack integrity; normally, we pass from one
to another I of our fragmented personality, and the fact of
assembling together some minor events of the day, gives
us the illusion of continuity. We are sure that we remember
all the facts of one day in all their segments. Actually, we fix
only the essential features of one circumstance, those who
have attracted our attention more and produced a higher de-
gree of attention. Even this theory can be proven: the eve-
ning before bed, try seriously to switch back to the events of
the day without cheating. I am lying in bed and closed my
eyes. Before, I entered the room and I turned on the light
and back with memory to the morning when I woke up.
Youll be surprised of how little you can evoke the situation
of the day just passed.
Attention and Concentration
Attention is a state of conscious presence, most im-
portant for those who want to achieve a better state of aware-
ness. This ability can and may be constantly trained. As
known, the individual degree of focusing capacity differs
from person to person. For example, we enter a room, stay
there for a few minutes, and once we leave it, we can remem-
ber very little of what weve seen inside the room. This is an
example of a lower degree of attention. The more we develop
the capacity for observation, the more we increase the state of
attention.
There are no limits and there are no specific targets.
This is a state of watchful presence to 360 degrees, which can
vary in duration, amplitude, and intensity. Concentration
is ones ability of focusing his/her attention on one specific
point. We can train our concentration in keeping us engaged
in a technique, in performing a task, or fixing the mind on
solving a determined problem (in this case, I recommend the
practice of pondering).
Exercising our attention in our everyday life being
aware of our gestures, actions, words, thoughts and emotions
(our own and others emotions), as well as environments
and situations related to the development of concentration
(trained through meditation or while learning something
intentionally), is the best and most effective way to achieve
a higher degree of awareness. Through such education, this
state becomes natural and spontaneous, and we achieve the
rare ability of focusing intentionally on everything that sur- Conscious Evolution:
rounds us. From Nothing to Objective Reason

According to ancient knowledge, men have the possi-

bility to experience four basic states of consciousness basic,
because every one of these states have different degrees. Two
of them are natural- that means experienced by everyone.
The other two cant be spontaneous, and represent the result
of a conscious evolution developed through a path dedicated
to inner research. The fours states of consciousness are the
sleep, walking state, self-consciousness and objective con-
sciousness.

Sleep and the dreaming state is the main argument of
many texts. We usually think that we live in a condition of
conscious awakening because we can perceive the different
degrees of consciousness when we are dreaming or when we
are awake, and this leads us to the illusion that we can re-
ally perceive ourselves and life in general.

Sleep is a subjective and passive state. While sleeping,

we are involved in dream dynamics and our psychic functions
work without any logic, continuity, or cause. Echoes from
the past and vague perceptions such as noises, physical per-
ceptions, muscular contraction and pain passes through our
mind without leaving any coherent input.

It must be said that what happens during our sleep

is strictly related to our individual awareness: the degree of
awareness during the dream state reflects our level of aware-
ness during our daily life. There is a possibility to experience
different experiences from those described above, but only
one is for developing a higher state of self-awareness. There
are some practices which offer this opportunity, e.g., the tan-
tric Buddhist tradition has a practice of the Milam or Nylam,
the practice of the Illusory Body, commonly known by
the West as Dream Yoga. This practice permits an increasing
clarity and lucidity to both waking and sleeping, removing
the hindrances and obstacles for a higher awareness. It is im-
portant to warn that this practice, if not related to a mindful-
ness practice during the walking state, can make emotional
discomforts. In fact, during the lucid dreaming, there is a
lengthening of the R.E.M. phase, increasing the production
of serotonin and provoking depressive states.
In the group I was part of in the early nineties, some
of the practitioners were spellbound by this practice to the
degree that they left the daily practice and dedicated all their
attentions to the dreams: this had harmful consequences
to their emotional states, and some of them still bear today,
those consequences. So, if you are interested in such prac-
tices, be careful.
The walking state does not differ much from the
sleep state. A man conditioned by his identifications and
fragmented personality constantly loses his awareness, and
he cant perceive this because he has the illusion of continu-
ity determined by memory. When we wake up in the morn-
ing, we perceive a state of awareness as a result of yesterdays
memories, a continuum that creates the image of our life.
It is correct to say that, during our daily routines, we
experience states of sleep and partial awareness: in fact, we
lose our awareness approximately every two minutes but
often even after a few seconds when we change the object
of our partial attention, varying mechanically the emotional
states and mental processes.
Similarly, during the sleep state, our consciousness
has similar variations, because the quality of our memories
depend on the individual degree of awareness. What we re-
member of our dreams is not very relevant. The absence of
a qualitative awareness prevents the recording in our mem-
ory of concrete images, with the exception of very intensive
dream experiences which happens in the walking state, that
can momentarily increase our level of attention.
During our sleep, emotions, thoughts, and desires
corresponding to our aspirations, fears, and needs, ordinar-
ily covered in our subconscious mind, arises. During those
moments, it is very difficult to distinguish which are the re-
flections of our real needs, and which comes from the exter-
nal impressions.
The second state is the walking state, and this hap-
pens when we wake up, speak, work, imagining that we are
awake. This is a state of relative consciousness, or dream-like
state, when the sleep degree of attention remains. But now,
we achieve a critical attitude towards situations and impres-
sions, a better administration of our thoughts, higher reac-
tions to sensory impressions, feelings, and desires. Walking
state is less subjective than the sleep state, because we have
the possibility to distinguish what we are from what we are
not, our body from other objects. But, nobody can affirm
that this is a real state of awareness because all the percep-
tions perceived are illusory, contradictory, more similar to
the illusory perceptions of the dream states. We act in a state
of sleep of consciousness, but we dont know this. Generally,
this is a concept that is difficult to accept, but let us consider
how many times during our life experiences, someone has
told us, or we told someone: Hey! Wake up! Are you sleep-
ing? This is only an expression, or the unconscious percep-
tion of a reality we are not commonly aware of.
 The ancient traditions such as Buddhism, Taoism,
Zen, Yoga and others, defined this the ordinary waking
state as sleep of consciousness, to accentuate the fact that
human beings experience a not very high perception of real-
ity and themselves during sleep. Even the Gospels have many
references to this situation: e.g., Jesus answers to Peter when
he asked him to linger to participate at the funeral of his par-
ent: Peterfollow me and let the dead bury their dead.
Still, our illusory life loses its meaning when we be-
come aware of the fact that we havent the qualities we think
we have. Its my subjective opinion that the meaning of life
might be to attain at least the third state of consciousness,
or self-awareness, and this state is not often a subject of our
experiences; it can be naturally experienced for few and rare
moments as a result of external influences such as when we
feel a real danger or during intense, unexpected or traumatic
situations. But these experiences are only a low degree of the
awareness one can achieve with conscious labor.
Self-remembering is the empirical understanding of
what we really are independently of the conditioned ideas we
have of ourselves. Its an I am said with a full and conscious
understanding of its meaning, not an illusory perception of a
small I, but the perception of our unity in a real I behind from mans subjective opinions.
the appearances and conditioning acquired during our past
experiences.
The main feature of this state of awareness is its non-
mechanical reaction to external stimulus. A man becomes
objective in regard to himself. He perceives the reality of his
emotions, thoughts and aspirations. When someone tells
us about this level of consciousness, we usually say that this
state is well known: that happens because in every moment
we confuse the intense identification with an I or a group
of Is to our true nature.
Society doesnt provide education about the frag-
mented personality. We are not aware of a possible existence
independent of the identifications. Honestly, human beings
in general, havent any idea of what they really are nor the
fact that they have the possibility to develop a stable and per-
manent center of wakeful awareness in themselves.
In ancient times, the East substantially accepted the
idea of the ignorance about ones nature. Ancient disciplines
such as Indo-Tibetan Yoga had the aim to lead the practitio-
ners from a walking state to self-remembering and, from this
state to the objective consciousness, the fourth and last state
known. This state is as far as possible of what we can imag-
ine by our ordinary situation, and is almost impossible to
explain in words. But, perhaps we can define the meaning of
the term objective. So, objective iswhat it is as it is
an immutable reality that is not interpreted by ourselves, and
it remains as it is independently of our opinions.
Everyone can have some subjective conception of ex-
istence, determined by his subjective experience, research,
and education. But the real sense of life continues to be
what it was from the beginning- immutable and independent
We can believe, that when we die, well fall into to-
tal emptiness, nothing, that well continue our existence in
Heaven or Hell depending on our actions during our physi-
cal life. We can also believe that we will be transferred into
new dimensions where well learn new things, before we re-
turn to continue our existence on Earth, lost in a never-end-
ing cycle of rebirths to realize the absolute truth, or that we
must struggle to achieve a Soul. Or we can believe that the
Archangel Michael from the Pleiades will come with his fly-
ing source and take our astral body to bring us to a place
where beings live in the Fourth Dimension. It doesnt matter
what our opinion is, because it is influenced by our culture,
tradition, beliefs, or the specific sensing: an objective real-
ity exists, and if our heart stops pumping, something objec-
tive would really happen Heaven, Hell, Reincarnation, our
life taken by the Moon, a cheerful brigade of Pleiadians or
the Nothing. The objective would manifest itself despite of
all our opinions, hopes, and beliefs.
Thats objective! The true nature of things, more an-
cient and vast of human theories and subjective concepts.
Objective means real. We can change terms and philo-
sophical conceptions, theories, religion, systems, or expound
our truth on Facebook or Twitter or on other networks
who cares? Reality would not change. Objective remains
what it is as it is.
In such an objective state of consciousness, a man can
enter into the Real World, detached by the dreams and sub-
jective thoughts that bring us far from the reality that is here,
now, one inch from our noses. So, this is a state in which one
can perceive the reality of all phenomena, of ourselves and
the world which surrounds us. This is the real transcendence
of all our illusions about wholeness.
This is not my opinion, Im not so arrogant and
pompous to speak about such things, as some described in
my posts, without any sense of remorse. This is what people
who have relatively reached this state who explained to me,
andhow do I know that those individuals have reached
such a state? Anyone who has made some contact with simi-
lar persons can understand how, and can also understand the
real meaning of getting in contact with what is defined in the
Fourth Way System C-Influence. This is a contact with the
real source of real Knowing. C-Influence means a source
of objective knowing that, as explained by the same term, can
influence our state of consciousness and bring us to the pos-
sibility to achieve a better state of awareness and conscious-
ness. You can really feel for the first time in your life some
glimpse of truth (and this can be reached only by those who
have developed an attitude of an empirical nature).
It is not a School that allows contacts with such in-
fluence, but who teaches in that school: it doesnt matter if
this is a Fourth Way, Buddhist, Taoist, Yoga, or other qualita-
tive ancient system. The source is important, and this source
is related by who teaches, not by the name of a school. And,
the last thing I wish for all of us (including myself ) is to not
fall into illusions shared by fictional Gurus or Prophets,
able only to sell illusions to those who follow them. Not one
of us need this. I dont wish for anyone such an experience.
Some of you could take this as a sort of Heresy, and put to me
every kind of Anathema. Whos that nave child that writes
such idiocy? But, again, this would be only a subjective re-
action, but the truth remains always the same.
I would like to finish this text explaining the mean-
ing used when I wrote above about individuals who reached
relatively some degree of that consciousness. Yes, there are
logically different degrees of Objective Consciousness. Dis-
cover empirically (from first hand experience) the causes cov-
ered behind the phenomena of life, knowing the real human
nature in his Universal, and not personal meaningthese are
different levels of objective experience. Objective conscious-
ness depends on the broadmindedness of ones experimenta-
tion. Once we have an approximate idea of such a state, we
understand that the limits of this experience depends on the
individuals capacities to expand it.
There are many stories about ancient masters capable of
travelling to higher dimensions of consciousness completely
strange to common men, and entered into contact with oth-
er forms of life. Theres the story explained by Fritz Peters
about an experience after the Second World War when he was
healed in a moment by Gurdjieff from a nervous breakdown.
The master sent to him some kind of blue energetic ray, and
all his pains disappeared in a moment.
Belief or not in those things is irrelevant, because the reality
remains always the same: as it is. Those who could live in
states of awareness might not really be interested if we believe
or not. Seeking the truth means stopping to give importance
to our ideas, stop to identify ourselves with the safeness of
our opinions: its the development of an Objective Reason
despite of all dogmas imposed from religions, philosophies,
society or many development systems. Reality never chang-
es, it is always there, always one, always the same. Its our
choice if we decide to discover this reality passing from the
field of effects to the field of the causes, or to remain as we
are now, immersed in our subjective beliefs, at the mercy of
a reality that shows to our beliefs, the same interest we show
to insects.
In Search for Awakeness:
The Awakening of a True Mind
What we call mind ordinarily is not what it should be.
It appears more a burden than a gift, because it is susceptible
to external random situations, and that is the main cause of
our mechanicity. We are uneducated as to how to use our
mind. Indeed, a trained mind, a mind under the control of
its owner, is a light which allows us to see things, and not
just to look at them. This is what the Ancient Teachings used
to call True Mind.
This True Mind has almost nothing to do with
what we usually call mind. It is not a thing we possess.
It is a possibility, not something certain, but something we
could acquire with our own efforts. It is a state of conscious-
ness deeply related with what one has realized in oneself, and
it never happens/appears before one has achieved a certain
degree of objectivity. Before this moment, there is no True
Mind, only a storm of conditioned thoughts which pass
through our mind, conditioning every moment of our life,
our every decision, our every act. Ordinary mind happens.
Contrarily, True Mind does not happen; it manifests
itself after a determined amount of training, specifically when
we have acquired enough understanding of ourselves. I dont
want to enter the argument about what understanding or
knowing ourselves means, because on this blog, there are
enough pages dedicated to this argument.
 So, differently from what people ordinarily think, a
True Mind cannot happen. This belief is a subjective point
of view, exactly what prevents access to the True Mind.
This is not a fairy tale nor a spiritual legend. This
mind exists. It could be achieved by everyone who truly wish
to achieve it; What one needs is to become and one hasnt to
wait for a sort of Samadhi or Nirvana or other enlighten-
ment to see this manifestation in oneself. What one needs
is to become one in himself. And this, contrary to what many
think, is not far from our possibilities.
Unify all the fragmented fields of our personality, that
sneaky multitude of ourselves which constantly alternate
giving us the illusion of continuity, building an illusory and
surreal life. What we require to achieve this higher mind,
this True Mind, is to completely realize our human poten-
tial, ceasing to live as a dummy, and begin to be a little more
human.
So, the True Mind will manifest itself as a result of
work, of effort, which would then lighten our life path and
bring us further to higher experiences, the existence of which
we could never have suspected.
Levels of Being
In Classical Ancient Teachings, it is said that there
are four levels of consciousness that the human being can
perceive: the sleep state, the walking state, the state of self-
awareness and the state of objective awareness, but he ordi-
narily lives in the first two states and only in special situa-
tions when great emotions are involved, he can experience
the third state, but almost never the fourth. This is a well-
known topic for the practitioners on this path. But, there is
also a division that generally is ignored or placed apart, but
is even more important to the harmonious development of a
man, a knowledge that can improve the achievement of the
third and fourth state: the level of our being.
The difference between understanding the four states
of awareness and the level of our being has to be reached to
the particular degree we use to understand them. The theory
of the Four states is mathematical, scientific, and admits no
exceptions: there are four, and only four states, and every
mans awareness can be placed in one of them: so this is a
type of global law, as it must be.
But, if we speak about the level of being we can sud-
denly perceive that we cant use any mathematical or scien-
tific system to place ourselves in a determinate degree; the
reason is that every man has his degree of being! This is a
fact! Even two persons with the same state of consciousness
does not have the same degree of being. It is not a law. It is a
personal thing. So, if on the earth there are 7 billion people,
we have 7 billion different levels of being. As in fingerprints,
there are not two same levels of being.
So, lets explain the meaning of level of being.
Levels of Being
We all know that there are different social levels, we
can see people submerged in politics and there are church
people, business people, country folk, etc. In the same man-
ner, there are different levels of being for each individual:
magnanimous, petty, generous, mean, violent, peaceful,
chaste, lustful, etcThese are the different degrees of the
level of being. If our aim is self-development, we must un-
derstand and assimilate that concept. There are many levels
of being and we are not an exception.
This level of being determines the situations that we
attract in our daily life. An alcoholic will attract other alco-
holics and will always find himself involved with pubs and
bars. This is a fact.
A lustful person will attract and will be involved in
situations of lasciviousness and suffer the consequences that
his acts will create.
Similarly, each person will attract the situations re-
lated to his level of being.
This is one of the reasons why what happened to us
yesterday will happen again today and will happen again to-
morrow. We are creatures of habits, so we always repeat
the same things, and when we speak about our mistakes, we
never learn the lessons of life. Thats the situation we live in.
We always say and do the same things, complain about the
same things, and this is like as we wake up every morning on
the same Sunday, as we live every day the same day: we are
fixed-habit animals who live boring repetitions of our daily
dramas, comedies and tragedies. This will continue as long s
we carry within all the undesirable elements of anger, greed,
lust, envy, pride, laziness, gluttony, and so forth.
So, once we become aware of our situation, how do
we escape this miserable condition that harms our life? First
of all, we have to ask ourselves a concrete question: What is
our level of Being?
To escape these repetitions, we must radically change
our level of being.
We must understand that everything, all circumstanc-
es that occur outside of ourselves, on the world stage, are,
without exception, the reflection of what we carry within:
the exterior is the reflection of the interior.
So, when we change internally and the change is
radical, then the exterior circumstances of life also change.
Where is our level of Being? Have you ever reflected upon
this? It is impossible to move to another level if we ignore the
state we find ourselves in.
The Scale of Beings
First, we must understand that each of us, indepen-
dently of his social status, work, role, sex,and health is at one
or another level of Being.
We can imagine a stairway that ascends vertically
from beneath us with very many steps. This is the figurative
representation of the scale of Being. As said, each person is
different, and each person has his level of being: we find our-
selves on one of these steps.
On the other side, there is a horizontal line that repre-
sents the mechanical life of men: the time and years, that of
being born, growing, developing, marrying, reproducing, ag-
ing and dying all this represent the linear mechanical part
of our life. All our life is centered on this horizontal scale
that doesnt represent any kind of change. At this level, all
things are repetitive, nothing changes. We are slaves of the
Law of Randomness.
The scale of being has nothing to do with linear time;
on the rungs of such a ladder, we find only levels of Being.
The only thing that can change here is the level of being. In
fact, instant to instant, immediately above us theres a higher
level of Being. There is no time, no past, no future, only the
eternal here and now, within ourselves. This is the vertical
scale of our life.
Personality develops and unfolds on the horizontal
line: it is born and dies within its linear transitory time.
The levels of Being and the Being itself, doesnt be-
long to the Law of time. It has nothing to do with the hori-
zontal line, it is within ourselves. It is Now, on the vertical
line. It would be useless to search for our own Being outside
of ourselves. Neither titles, grades, promotions or money can
develop our Being in any way, allowing us to pass to a higher
step on the levels of Being.
These horizontal and vertical lines meet from mo-
ment to moment in our psychological realm and form sym-
bolically, a cross. The level of our Being is here and now,
inside of us, in the center of this cross where the horizontal
meets the vertical line.
So, if we wish to understand our level of Being, we
have to search for it in the present moment.
Development of the Being
There is a chance to change the level of our being.
There is a chance to develop and ascend to a higher step on
the vertical line. When we struggle to remember ourselves,
when we work on ourselves, when we escape the trap of iden-
tifications with all the problems and sorrows of life, we start
to walk on the vertical path. Certainly, it is not easy to elimi-
nate our negative emotions, to lose all identifications. There
are so many problems in every field of our life in our busi-
ness, financial situations, emotive situations, etc.
We suffer every moment of our life at every breath we
take, and even moment s of happiness are seen with sadness
because in some degree of our understanding we know that
they are transitory. When we are involved in our own prob-
lems, we lose ourselves, our real Being, completely identified
with our momentary tragedies.
The work on oneself is the fundamental characteristic
of the vertical path. Nobody could walk the path of the verti-
cal way if he were never to work on himself. This is a work of
a psychological nature; that we need to learn how to live from
moment to moment.
Anyone who is depressed for emotional, economical,
or other problem, obviously doesnt feel himself: he isnt.
But, if he would stop for a moment, observe the situation
and try to remember himself and then make an effort to un-
derstand the mechanics of his attitude, maybe some things
would change.
It is possible to transform mechanical reactions
through logical confrontation and intimate self-reflection
on Being, stopping our mechanical reactions to the circum-
stances of life. Again, this is not a simple task. It needs dis-
cipline, and the discipline requires perseverance: those two
qualities are the qualities of the real seeker, the walker on the
path of his Being. And, the Realm of Being is the only pos-
sibility we have to live a real life.
 Mechanicity
and the Apparent Impossibility of Self-Freedom
The evolution of man can be taken as the development in
him of those powers and possibilities which never develop by
themselves, that is, mechanically. Only this kind of develop-
ment, only this kind of growth, marks the real evolution of
man. There is, and there can be, no other kind of evolution
whateverIn speaking of evolution it is necessary to under-
stand from the outset that no mechanical evolution is pos-
sible. The evolution of man is the evolution of his conscious-
ness. And consciousness cannot evolve unconsciously. The
evolution of man is the evolution of his will, and will cannot
evolve involuntarily. The evolution of man is the evolution of
his power of doing, and doing cannot be the result of things
which happen.
P.D. Ouspensky, In Search
of the Miraculous, pp.56,58
One of the peculiar characteristics of human beings is
to defend their preformed and crystallized thought and opin-
ions. Everyone of us EVERYONE!!! , without exception,
has a tendency to not recognize that he had missed some-
thing and, maybe misunderstood things and situations, and
this characteristic comes from a doubt about our identity.
In fact, we perceive ourselves through the convictions and
information acquired during many years of existence. With-
out those convictions, we feel unstable, like a ship lost at the
mercy of the waves of the sea. Ordinarily, we dont know
another method how to be conscious of ourselves, but this
method, unfortunately, is not self consciousness.
This is a state of constant fear that we live in every
day. We fear all that comes from the outside, that is seen (or
felt) as a potential factor of disaggregation of all the opinions
we have about life and ourselves. Such kind of mechanic-
ity is the source of all love conflicts, the end of friendships,
and all the ideological and religious wars we witness in the
modern world. Another harmful aspect of this attitude is
the total impossibility to develop an open and healthy intel-
lectual growing process. The rationality developed in the last
centuries contributes to increasing the idea that we are our
thoughts and our ideas; the consequence of this is that we
have the tendency to protect and justify our ideas, and that
means the protection of what we think we are (mechanical
self-preservation). I said that this is a tendency common to
all of us, even more for the followers of the Fourth Way sys-
tem (me included). If you dont believe this theory, then
just take a look at the blogs, texts, and replies: to be honest,
ninety percent of the replies seem to be a sort of clash of ideas
about this or that other concept, instead of a constructive
exchange of ideas (I hope this will not be the case of this net-
work, because it is my opinion that such manifestations of
self-importance have no utility and are very harmful).
Another problem is that men generally think that our
psycho-physical structure is stable and developed, and that
we have all the necessary requirements to learn how to de-
velop ourselves: we think we are complete. But the ancient
systems of self-development tell us another story.
In different kinds of ways, with different words, Yogis,
Buddhists, Taoists, Zen, Kabbalah, Zoroastrians, alchemists,
and ancient philosophers recalled and recall even today to
take an accurate and practical examination of the human
condition. The human being is a being in a state of evolu-
tion, and that development is not automatic. It requires a
conscious effort and an understanding of the dynamics one
has to change.
Different from the animal and vegetal realm, we have
psychic, emotional, and spiritual potentials which may al-
low us to realize and achieve higher spheres of consciousness,
much different than the reality we ordinarily perceive. But
this is only a possibility, a choice, because ordinarily, we are
not educated to recognize and use our potentials, so we lose
the possibility of perhaps, a better life. To use common and
adequate terms, we can call this possibility a conscious de-
velopment, because ones nature can only be of a conscious
source. But, such development cant be a sort of d.i.y. meth-
od, as many New Age followers believe.
Its true, we are all different individuals, but to achieve
a possibility for self-growth, we need external help, because
without a sober and adequate system, we cant escape the
mechanicity and unconscious state we experience in everyday
life.
Everyone claims freedom, authority and control of his
life, but when someone disagrees with our illusory convic-
tions, we became irritated. This is our pride. When I first
met my mentor (teacher), he told me that I am a monkey, that
all I can do is peel bananas when Im hungry, and the only
thing I can do is to take my baggage of convictions and flush
them into the toilet and start from the beginning. Likeable,
isnt it? Of course, my reactions were anger and frustration,
but this helped me to begin to understand that maybe he was
right. This is true, almost all human beings cant administer
and have control of their life. There are many businessmen,
artists, researchers that have many social and economic suc-
cesses, and those individuals are certain that they have total
control of their life, but, whats the price of that success?
In most of the cases, loss of health, no private life, nervous
diseases
On the other side, there are individuals capable of
creating a harmonic and calm life, a sort of inner space,
a privacy, taking care of their health and convinced to have
achieved a stable emotive balance. But they are absolutely
incapable to fight for themselves, to take care of their fami-
lies and achieve a minimal economic stability.
Two opposite situations, the same source. Everyone
can be successful in one or some field of their life, but in an-
other field, they are always victims of accidental events. We
dont know ourselves, but the most serious problem is that
we ignore this.
One of the greatest causes, the source of all our emo-
tional pains, is our mechanicity, and this is a concept that is
ignored by the majority of people. We have the tendency to
have mechanical reactions when stimulated by external situa-
tions according to well-defined schemes, determined by ones
birthplace, century, education, social conditioning and life
experiences. These are the individual reasons for our mecha-
nicity.
There are also reasons concerning humanity deter-
mined by centuries of collective consciousness. The common
fear of the dark is an instinctive reaction present in our ge-
netic code, and derives from ancient ages when life was put at
risk by aggressions by animals, other tribes, bandits. These
are all mechanical reactions typical of mans nature, recorded
in our genetic code.
So, we act almost exclusively through reaction. Ev-
ery situation makes us react in a different manner: when
one criticizes us, when we strain our habit with coffee, with
climatic conditionsalmost every thing we do, feel, think
during the day is mechanical. Every one of those situations
causes a different emotive state. And the majority of men
consider this natural. This is the mechanicity, the tendency
to modify our behaviors dependent on external situations.
Every action has its reaction.
The struggle against our mechanicity and loss of con-
sciousness is one of the first and most important steps in the
field of inner work. First, one must realize his loss of au-
tonomy, not only intellectually, but in practice. We react as
a machine. Only if we realize this, we may change some-
thing.
The mechanical is also a state of irresponsibility, a state of
unconsciousness that can have very harmful consequences:
in fact, in this state, we can have the most terrible reactions,
such as offensive language, physical violence, mobbing, or
even homicide.
The ancient teachings use the term Conscious Evo-
lution to describe the possibility of de-mechanization, and
underline the necessity of a concrete system, because with-
out such help, one cannot overcome the deep state of uncon-
sciousness and mechanicity.
Ponderings about simple things
that are virtually impossible to understand
A human is a tripartite being. He is composed of mind, body
and emotions. During his life on earth, these three compo-
nents are fundamental for his development, and each of these
parts have the support of the other. Every objective develop-
ment must be done with the participation of all these three
components: if one wants to develop some physical skill,
this must include the intellectual and emotional component.
These three components as tools for human inner develop-
ment are symbolized in the ancient cultures by the triangle
shape.
The Intellectual component is all the impressions recorded
in life and transformed into thoughts. Logic, reasoning and
reflections, independently if results are of something we have
learned from imitation, or based on our experience, are all
parts of the intellectual sphere. Its bases are in our experi-
ence, and the past experiences of others Therefore, we can
say that our mind is always conditioned by the past. So, it
is important to develop an open and flexible mind, which
could accept new theories and experiences; a conditioned
and conservative mind is unsuitable for possible individual
development.
The Emotions are all the sensations and feelings that arise
when something is experienced by us. Feeling the beauty of
a landscape or a body, feeling compassion and loving kind- cal process of working on ourselves, developing a stable cen-
ness for another, falling in love or being attracted by some- ter of consciousness that resides in our being, and not in the
one, are all emotive reactions. Eating and even reading this personality. So, the being will influence the body, the mind
post could produce emotive reactions in all of us. Without and the emotions which otherwise, in a normal state of con-
emotions, every kind of development would be impossible. sciousness are under the slavery of the external influences.
Releasing all the emotive constraints is crucial for a harmonic
development of a man. The negative emotions, such as anger, Through a specific system of learning, the being becomes the
anxiety, and envy have to be eliminated, because they have a master and manifests its powers and qualities through the
kind of vibration that is deleterious for our mind and body. mind, emotions and body which cease to be under the in-
fluences of the outer world. The emotions become the true
The Physical body is obviously intended as the whole of what expression of the being, and the personality that must not
we can see (exterior form) and the organs, nervous system, be destroyed is guided exclusively by our true nature: our
and the vital energy that feeds all the physical systems. Even Being.
if we can see this material part of us, its functioning is almost
unknown and ignored, and this is clear when we observe our
relations with the physical machine.
Behind these functions, there is what we know as Being.
In all the ancient traditions even the early Christian the
being is what transmigrates from life to life is to acquire new
experiences with the aim of achieving Spiritual Conscious-
ness. The being is what we really are our natural I. The
Being needs as tools for this evolution, the physical body and
the mind: with the first he experiments with the material
world, and the second tool, the processes of the data of what
it has experienced. The emotions are the other manifesta-
tions of the being and its perceptive tool. The emotions are
also important to fix remembrance. To suppress the positive
emotions a usual thing in contemporary society, is to in-
hibit the development of the being. All our power resides in
the being that is practically unknown by the majority. The
ancient traditions always said that for a possible develop-
ment, one must first know himself (NOSCE TE IPSUM).
This means to realize our true nature, what we really are, the
being that is suppressed by the personality developed by cul-
tural conditioning and the limits imposed by social life. We
must develop the awareness of our true nature, the being.
This can be achieved only by a conscious and mathemati-
 Ways to Achieve a Better State of Awareness
Sometimes, many persons, new seekers along the
path of inner development, dont understand what it really
means to observe themselves. What does it mean to make a
space between them , to take a look and see what they are as
they are, such as they observe some other person, a friend,
or a strangersomeone who is not themselves? They do not
know the correct way to understand how to perform such a
challenging task. How to begin?
It would be useful to observe a dog, a cat or a bird
moving between people. Its a simple thing to do. Observing
them, we become more aware of the fact that their degree of
attention is nonexistent.
Their attention is directed to someone, then, at the
first external sound or movement, their attention moves to
the new object of their identification. It is also worth observ-
ing the dogs eyes: they are so expressive that we can perceive
the exact moment they change their emotional state.
In the animal realm, it is so simple to perceive frag-
mented attention, always susceptible to the reactions of the
external world.
After having performed such experimental obser-
vation, if we are able to maintain even such low degrees of
attention to do this, lets try the same observation with the
persons around us. A crowded bar would be a good labora-
tory to perform this experiment.
So, observing with attention and patience, we will
be astonished by the similarity between human and animal
behavior in this field of consciousness. We can notice a per-
sons mechanicalness in their manner of walking, the vacuity
in their gaze and the fact that their center of attention con-
stantly changes.
Look..a shop window!! The new Armani collection
for this winter!! Waitwaitlets stop here for a moment
I would like to seeNomaybe another time, Ive remem-
bered that I have to do one thingbut, now I would like to
drink a good coffeeno, maybe an ice cream is betteroh,
that itch on my backwhats on tv this evening?
Their gazes pass from one thing to another. It seems
that these two lovers at the next table are speaking. But, they
dont communicate. They are speaking without any interest,
each of them distracted by what is happening around them.
Absence in their eyes, absence in their heartsthey arent re-
ally together.
Sitting in a popular bar among others: such a mar-
velous and horrible thing. The more we develop the abil-
ity to observe, the more we become aware of the fact that
persons cant really do anythingnothing...everything hap-
pens. What they are speaking is accidental, such as the vari-
ous things which attract their attention from moment to mo-
ment.
Now, with such a new point of view, with such new
consciousness of what surrounds us, lets make another
step: let us observe ourselves! Maybe, we stand up and start
walking such as the others do. Yes, walking, looking at a shop
windowsome new PC, a shirt, a blouse, what we have to do
during this dayWait! Didnt we say that we have to observe
ourselves? So, why do we astonishingly catchourselves
looking at the new Armani collection, sticking our nose on
the shop window? When did it happen that we have lost the
attention of our purpose?
Is it a joke? An exaggeration? Try it on yourself. Its
a very interesting fact, something that everyone who has per-
formed some work on himself could testify. Amazing! At
the beginning, when we catch ourselves in such conditions,
when we notice that we dont have a continuity of conscious-
ness, we feel a sense of fear. Not panic, but a slight sense of
discomfort. But this emotion vanishes once we realize that
all those who surround us live their lives in the same situa-
tion, but never assumed or perceived the problem.
Progressively, we begin to see things and persons with
different eyes: an angry or altered friend, an impulsive re-
action of a mate, our attitudes towards all those to whom
we felt a sense of embarrassment, authority, and all the rest.
When we start to perceive the things from this different point
of view, then, this fear of our condition begins to vanish.
Progressively, if we are lucky, in us arises a desire to know and
understand more and morewe develop the wish of becom-
ing more awake, more aware, freeing ourselves from all those
people and situations who treated us as foolish.
Butits not so simple, thats true. Probably, the day
after, waking up from sleep, well forget our purpose to con-
tinue such work. Thats our loss of continuity...continuity
in our purposes, continuity in our consciousness. Maybe,
instead of continuing this work, a different part of our frag-
mented personality will choose to drink coffee, or making a
trip to Alabama.
Through Sincerity Comes Security (and Unity)
Just a short pondering about relations between hu-
man beings.
The question about sincerity is almost a daily topic
in a persons mind. Are others sincere towards us? Are we
sincere towards others? Are we sincere with ourselves? There
is another question which may arise in our minds: is it pos-
sible to establish a friendship or a relationship on reciprocal
Loyalty, Trust, and Freedom, maintaining the same relations
as pure, innocent, unharmful?
Loyalty, Trust, and Freedom are qualities that should
be the foundation in every type of relationship, both in
friendship and in love. It should also provide the fundamen-
tal basis in the relationships between all human beings.
Such relationships are surely possible. Eventually,
we may meet someone who shares the same ethical points
of view, or someone who has a different point of view that
deems them as fair and high-minded. However, to require
these qualities of loyalty, trust and freedom in a relationship
may mean that we may be solitary for a very long time.
Perhaps the world in which we live, is a kind of cross-
road. I think never more than the present time, we need
people capable of believing in universal values based on true
love, who can never be separated from freedom and fairness.
To achieve what we need and want, we should do one
thing: to continue to be honest with ourselves, and at least, The Theory of the Four Bodies (a never-ending story)
with whom we say we love. Who dares, wins!

.The following text is a short consideration of a never-end-

ing researchso, be patient, receptive, and open-minded.
According to ancient teachings, a man has four bod-
ies: physical, emotional, intellectual, and causal. Different
from many other esoteric disciplines, the Fourth Way system
says that a mechanical man normally has only the first body
the physical. The other three bodies are only a possibility.
This concept often causes confusion among the seekers, and
this theory is often ignored or even ridiculed by the followers
of the various factions of the New Age movement.
Let us put aside the considerations of these individu-
als who follow only beliefs instead of the effort of creating
an objective reason a healthy function of their intellectual
center. Let us also put aside the purely theoretical consid-
erations. Lets begin to think with a clear mind. So, does
a man have the subtle bodies or are they only a possibility?
In my experience, the answer for both questions is yes and
no. It would be better to say that the superior bodies exist
as a possibility. I dont consider the sentence they are only
a possibility, because this omits the existence of something
that is possible to develop in a concrete body.
But to understand something about this argument,
it is best to start from the beginning. What is a body? What
does it mean? And the core question- what is a subtle body?
Ordinarily, when we speak about the subtle-higher
bodies, we create an image related to our physical vehicle and
assign to them the same form: two hands, two legs, eyes,
head and so on. Is this a correct interpretation? Maybe! But,
if we search to the etymological meaning of this word, we see
that the body has its concrete meaning: this word derives
from the Latin corpus, and it means agglomerate, a whole.
Now, we can suppose a bit objectively, that the body means a
whole of something, of some substance. The physical body
is the ensemble of all the flesh, the bones, the organs, and
all that is part of him. In the same manner, we can say that
the emotional body is a whole of all we perceive as emo-
tions. The intellectual body is the whole of our thinking and
thought system. We, or better said, I, can say nothing about
the causal or spiritual body, because I cannot perceive the
substance that can model it.
So, this is a possible answer to the above mentioned
the subtle bodies are only a possibility. We have all the
necessary stuff to make a superior body, but it remains use-
less if we dont use it. First of all, we cannot recognize nor
administer our emotions, so these emotions remain scattered
and disconnected. One moment we feel peace, the other mo-
ment, anxiety. This may change a thousand times during one
day. This consideration can be applied for the intellect: we
cannot control nor administer our thoughts. They change
steadily. So, the subtle bodies exists in all of us as a pos-
sibility, but they are like an atrophied muscle: they need to
be trained to become concrete and efficient. The training to
achieve this aim is well-known by the seekers on this path:
self-observation, constant efforts, discipline, intentional suf-
ferings, and objective faith. This is the only way Ive per-
ceived it in my experience, and I ponder that an experience is
better than a thousand theories.
Being and the Theory of Reincarnation
Knowing ourselves doesnt mean recognizing what makes us
different from others, such as enjoyments, desires, ambitions,
and personal abilities. It means understanding the functions
and structure of the human machine with the aim of obtain-
ing perfect control of ourselves and our lives.
As written in the previous posts on this and other blogs, on
many web pages, and, of course in many good and useful
books, the means to achieve this goal is the development of
the capacity to observe.
One of the main and often most misunderstood fields on self-
discovery, is what the ancient traditions called by the name
Being or Essence, which is the immaterial and perma-
nent reality.
Every human being is composed of two parts: the real and
the unreal. The illusory is the non-permanent and imagina-
tive part. This illusory part of ourselves, is the personality,
and we are almost totally identified with this field.
The real, genuine part of ourselves is the Essence, which is
with us from our birth, before the formation of the personal-
ity. The personality is acquired through time. The Essence
is innate and does not change with education and external
circumstances. Instead, the personality changes according to
the changes of the external environment. The Essence is the
immaterial part of us which survives physical death, almost
always wrongly called by some religions as Soul. Affirming
that the Essence is a part of us is incorrect, because We are
the Essence! Personality is the temporary form which we use
to experience material life.
To better explain our deep identification with the personal-
ity, we will use here the example of the Greek legend of Nar-
cissus, who, upon looking at his image in a pond, falls in love
with the image he sees, and dies drowned in the waters of life.
So, he loses his self-consciousness.
Personality is a term which derives from Greek, and it means
mask. Indeed, this is a mask intended as a superimposed
form which covers our Nature. Below the color, form, and
consistence of this mask, there is a concrete and real sub-
stance; the Essence.
For a better understanding of the concept of being or es-
sence, we will take water as an example, a perfect analogy
to help in forming a better idea of what this complex, and
infinitely more fascinating part of us, than what we would
ordinarily claim to be.
We can find water in various forms: liquid, solid (ice) and
gas (steam). It moves from one state to another, changing
quality and consistency. By boiling water, it becomes steam,
which then condenses and becomes liquid. When exposed to
lower temperatures, it becomes ice. So, what is water? A gas?
A liquid? A solid? Or all of the qualities which enable it to
change form without losing its essence? What is its essence?
It is a set of qualities and not the forms through which it
manifests itself. Similarly, the Essence is related to human
life as is the essence of water with the various forms it takes.
The true man and true woman is the Being. Bodies, race,
personality, thoughts, emotions, and functions of the human
machine are the temporary constants that we use to under-
stand, learn, and feel, in order to experience the environment
in which we live. By identifying with the form, we forget our
true nature. This depends on the lack of an education which
would allows us to recollect what we really are. What we
ordinarily claim to be teachers, artists, writers, accountants
or otherit doesnt matter, its all false, thus, irrelevant. Ev-
erything we think of as us, is in principle, false.
In the ancient cultures, the concept of reincarnation is deeply
related to the concept of Essence. It doesnt matter if we be-
lieve or not in reincarnation. Its a subjective thing, therefore
irrelevant, such as any other thing which we believe without
direct experience. We will handle this concept according to
eastern philosophy which begins from the point of Essence.
According to these teachings, this principle our true na-
ture, tries to understand the nature of the Universe through
a long process of experiences, achieving this through many
lives, different forms, cultures and so on. The goal of these
experiences is to achieve the Divine Consciousness, and
this means achieving the higher state of consciousness and
the powers which characterize it.
The ancient knowing, hands down the existence of differ-
ent planes or worlds, more subtle than the material matter
which composes our Universe. The Essence, our true nature,
is consciousness, not substance. Such as water, the Es-
sence assumes a specific substance to experience its own
evolution in a specific way, which ideally ends with complete
conscious enlightenment.
For every human being, experiencing matter represents an
important step in the evolutionary path, and it is repeated
through various cycles of lives. At every birth, all the memory
of the past life experiences arise only if an individual achieves
the complete control of his psycho-physical machine, recon-
necting consciously with the memories hidden in the deepest
parts of his true self.
The fact that we forget our true nature- what we really are, is
due to the bad and incomplete education acquired, and from
the absence of a valid teaching which would enable us to re-
turn to ourselves (Awakening).
 The Trap of Loneliness
What is solitude? It is the total absence of communi-
cation with the outer world, one of the most common sick-
nesses of the 20th and 21st centuries. It is the feeling of the
absence of others near us, and the worst thing is when this is
perceived amidst a mass of thousands of people. Loneliness
is not only the absence of contact with others, but also the
absence of contact with ourselves.
need first to understand and know ourselves, at least par-
tially. This means that to overcome the pain of solitude, we
must first become good friends with ourselves, understand-
ing ourselves more deeply, discovering ourselves and learning
to Love ourselves. Thats the focal point, the only good point,
to be able to understand and establish a communication with
others.
When we recognize that other persons suffer our same
sickness and weakness, then, we establish the first possibility
to communicate, and the weight of solitude begins to vanish.
One of the main reasons of incommunicability de-
rives paradoxically from our fear of being misunderstood,
being judged, and being rejected. So, manifesting our desires
and points of view becomes difficult.

In fact, communication between two persons requires Through observing ourselves, we become more able to
at least one conscious communicator. Without a deep self- identify, to understand, and to overcome our fears. Once we
consciousness, even with all the good will of this world, any achieve the capacity and habit of observing ourselves deeply,
true and sincere communication is impossible. This is the we also come to understand relatively better, other people,
main cause of the decline of communication between mates. because everyone in his manner shares the same fears, blocks,
Men and women know almost nothing about their sexuality, and needs.
their masculinity and femininity. Without a clear perception
of being a part of, or of representing one of these principles,
it is impossible for any fusion with a partner. And that is the
reason why most people are satisfied with a mechanical, stag-
nant sex, or an undefined mix of feelings and emotions which
drive their relationship towards further misunderstanding
and solitude.
Solitude brings further solitude. Parents are unable
to make productive communication with their children, and
children are unable to establish communication with their
parents. The same happens between love and work partners,
politicians, professors, and priests. In reality, all the fields
of human life are corrupted by this sickness. But it is logi-
cal that it must be so: to perform open communication, we
 The Trap of our Self-Pity
Self-pity is one of the worst psychic viruses which
harm mens mind. We have all experienced it, its inevitable.
It is also one of the often used tools for individual and social
blackmail.
Everyday we are all victims and often executors of
such behaviors. A clear vision is not regarded, and all the
sensible persons feel a sense of guilt. We meet a poor person
on the road and we have the freedom of giving him money
or not. The problem is that in most cases, we are unable to
make a choice. We are conditioned to act in a determinate
way, so we give him money. We are conditioned by the idea
of making something good, but we make something wrong,
because acting unconsciously means acting wrongly. I un-
derstand that this is perhaps difficult to digest, but an uncon-
scious act is like a gun in the hand of a child: the results are
unforeseeable. Its a bad thing even if we dont see the results
immediately.
Society is a whole of complexes and false and hypo-
critical behaviors based on the sense of guilt, conditioned by
a false love toward another. Loss of interest, egoism, self-am-
bition, are often covered in such behaviors. It is a common
thing saying that our parents are guilty for our behavior, our
personality, our fears, and conditioned attitudes. Thats true,
they built the first foundation of our lives, made of various
you can, you cant or thats good or thats wrong, etc. But ceiving reality as it is. Self-pity is one of these masks, or iden-
childhood, for most of us, has passed many, many years ago,
and we still keep this baggage with us. Ive noticed behav-
iors in myself, my friends, here on Facebook, even in my par-
entsthats a comical and sad thing at the same time. I
have problems because my father (or mother) was so protec-
tive or authoritarian toward me. This is a common alchemi-
cal formula of this topic: our parents are guilty and we are
only poor, innocent victims (re)acting as a child, even if we
are 35 (like I am) or 46 or 53 years old. And we often forget
that our parents acted for our good they were unable to do
otherwise such as we are unable to do the same: conditioned
minds educated by conditioned minds this is the situation.
Searching as adults for the guilt in our parents is a
perfect example of self-pity. Our parents were unable to
change the education they gave us, because they were unable
to do otherwise. The real problem (once again), is that we
cant make a choice, because as most of us know (not theo-
retically, but in practice), we cant reach the capacity of being
and acting.
Self-pity is one of the biggest obstacles to achieving
these attitudes. How can we pretend to be able to make some
changes if our minds are conditioned? We react, not act. This
is the terror of the situation. Another reality is that there is a
concrete universal (common) law, which functions for those
who are more or less conscious: for every action corresponds
an exact reaction. This is not a theory, this is a fact, so it
would be better to keep it in our mind as a treasure. This law
is of value both for the individual and the collective fields.
To get the best results in our lives, we might become able to
understand what reactions would bring every action we do,
and this requires a better awareness and comprehension of
the dynamics which determine our lives.
We must be awake. And to become awake we must
achieve the faculty of looking at things without masks and
other identifications which make many distortions in per-
tifications- maybe the most harmful. All men (or women)
are the same, I cant live in such conditions, Look what
youve made of my life, Hes the worst person Ive ever
met, You cant understand what Im going through at this
momentthere are many examples of self-pity. Everyone
of us, being a little bit aware and of self-critical mind, could
find many examples of self-pity in our daily discourses and
interactions with friends, parents, at work.
Asking for help is not self-pity. Knowing when we
really need to be helped is very important. Life is based on
interactions, helping each other, understanding each other.
Understanding this, means being mature and open-minded.
No one can live a healthy life without interacting with oth-
ers. We survive because we receive help from these realms
which provide us the food for our body, mind, and Being.
How could we live without food for our emotions, which is
derived from nature and the relations with other members of
our species? The vision of some kind of Superman who can
live without any help from the outer world is unnatural, and
the aim of any sober self-development system is exactly the
opposite: openness, not closeness. A healthy equilibrated
and mature society has its roots in its collective of individuals
who have reached the balance between giving and receiving,
not for personal and egoistic purposes, but as the result of
the statement that all is maintained by unity, a reciprocal col-
laboration. Self-pity doesnt mean asking for help when we
really need it. And it doesnt mean moaning. Sometimes, we
have an urge to release our baggage, confessing to a friend
who we know can understand our problems, doubts, fears,
etc. This can be an expression or a need of our Being. Oth-
erwise, self-pity means enjoying our frustrations, physical or
emotive sufferings and discomforts, doing this without any
purpose to find some kind of solution to overcome what af-
flicts us at this moment. If we analyze ourselves and oth-
ers, well discover that human beings have a tendency toward
the behavior of self-pity, and sometimes this becomes a real
pathological problem. Human beings are really and deeply
attached to their suffering, and this tendency is visible in the
fetishistic habit of maintaining alive in their memory, the
ghosts of the individual past, fragments of memory of what
was beautiful and fulfilling for them, and which they have
lost. We remain morbidly attached to these memories. Per-
sons love to suffer the pain generated by remembering what
they have lost: they label such states as melancholy and
even love. But, if we look a little deeper and objectively
(we dont need any special skill to do this, only sincerity),
well see that this is only a kind of fetishism. Nothing more,
nothing less. The most curious thing is that these remem-
brances do not arise to make a sort of joy, but a suffering.
Men are very strange animals.
Now, how is it possible that people enjoy suffering?
This is an important thing to ponder on.
Self-pity represents our wish to not free ourselves
from pain, and it becomes a sort of nutriment. Generally,
this behavior needs external support, the attention of anoth-
er person is needed. Attracting the attention of the other is
the purpose of this kind of self-pity. But, sometimes, this be-
havior becomes pathological, and the outer attention is not
required yet. It becomes an inner dialogue, and the convic-
tion of a suffering that cant be overcome is enough to feed
the emotive. This is a very dangerous behavior, and the in-
dividual isolates himself from the world, loses every contact
with reality, nourishing himself only with suffering. There is
another cause for this cancer of the mind: the desire to feel
ourselves. This would perhaps sound strange, but almost all
people are unable to feel themselves in a natural way. No one
has taught us to feel ourselves and we cant do this because we
are not awakened.
We sleep constantly. But feeling ourselves is our big-
gest need. If a person does not have a perception of him-
self, even if false, he is bound for self-destruction. This is
the main reason why we wear many types of masks, to feel
something, however illusory, of ourselves. The pleasure and will transform our difficulties into a narcissistic from of self-
pain are the two energies through which we can be con- glorification of our misfortunes, blocking every possibility to
scious of ourselves. They are the most intense expressions in act efficiently and decisively.
our life. One who feels a pleasure or pain has a self-presence
experience of a different, intense kind. Since childhood we
are not educated to feel pleasure, so we dont know how to
achieve the intensity of every drive and need. I dont want to
say that a man doesnt know how to feel pleasure in his life,
but rather that he doesnt know how to make pleasure an art
capable of keeping him in a state of constant mental vigi-
lance and emotive intensity. So, he is forced to sense himself
through pain and suffering. Maybe these affirmations might
seem absurd, but they represent the real condition of every
man, and this can be demonstrated through a serious and
constant self-observation of ourselves in our daily lives.
Observation is the only tool to demonstrate some-
thing in a more objective way. The other is dreaming and
living our illusory life. So, the tendency to feel suffering and
pain develops a false individual center and we achieve the il-
lusory perception of being. The majority of persons are more
conscious of the agglomerate of their problems and difficul-
ties and less of the joyous and the beautiful. The tendency
for suffering is a common thing for humans in general. Have
you ever noticed that the most interesting news in various
newspapers are always negative? Have you ever noticed that
when an incident happens, every witness has the morbid cu-
riosity to see what has happened, even if they know that what
they will see would upset them? They search for a negative
shock to live an intense emotive experience.
But, how to live an intense emotive experience that is
positive? This would be a gift for everyone, but no one has
taught us how to do this in this morbid society we live in,
based on a repressive religiosity that preaches fear and sense
of guilt. To become able to better manage our life, we must
free ourselves from the culture of suffering and pain, and dis-
cover all the masks of our self-pity. If we dont do this, we
 The Wish of Revenge
This is really another main problem along the path
toward self-development. Revenge towards life in general, a
response towards the thousands of humiliations we have suf-
fered during our life.
Its a reaction related exclusively to our past which
prevents us to live our life freely, to be settled right now, in
the present moment and our personal inner research.
A great and aggressive flow of energy which drives us
in the direction of a compensation, a reward we think is our
right, a sort of revenge to a presumed failure to transform a
serious work directed to achieving a condition of joy and
truth, to a recrimination toward what was until now, denied
to us.
Then, here is the main obstacle on our personal path:
our relations toward the material objects, the objects of our
desires. A seeker cant escape the problem of living in a
materialistic world, filled by the dichotomy produced by the
social influences which divide the spiritual from the mate-
rial. This is really a big problem.
Ordinarily, a seeker must convince himself that in or-
der to keep his research pure, it is useless to spend time with
things that he considers ephemeral.
So, in this way, he develops a snobbish attitude against
all material things. This is typical of a person who consid-
ers himself too spiritual to descend to human miseries, a
sort of intellectual racism which divides progressively, the
seeker from his own life, driving him to live in an illusory
world, whose destiny is to fall down with devastating results.
Often, this false pureness is a mask to cover our fear
to face a real life, which is also material. Indeed, we live in
the matter and are made of matter. This incapacity to con-
front with material life problems, makes the seeker demon-
ize them, labeling as impure which, on the contrary, with its
own existence, is the proof of the Divines existence.
It is obvious that all the spiritual teachings suggest a
detachment, but the reason for such a suggestion is that our
behavior remains attached, identified to all things we con-
sider we desire. The practice of self-observation permits the
seeker to notice appearances, and to understand how they
produce in human beings, a compulsive attachment towards
all things which could provide him acceptance by others.
But, the guilt does not have to be searched in matter, but
in the individual slavery of every non-developed human be-
ing.
All objects are the result of human intelligence, and
when they reach a high level of refinement, they become ex-
pressions of the human capacity to reach an absolute perfec-
tion. The objects are human dreams translated into matter,
the best we can do in this limited terrestrial dimension, so
they must be accepted, understood, and used in the best way
we can without being used by them: they are means, not
aims.
The quality of an object depends on our individual
capacity and desire for Being. They make us slaves if we ac-
cept to remain addicted to a wish to possess something. This
happens when we consider these objects object of Power,
as are goals, aims.
Otherwise, we can use the same objects to emancipate
ourselves from all attachments, to burn the Karma which
lead us to remain attached to matter. The Roots of our Fears

We might use the objects, choosing those that best

represent our individual sensibility, and disregard them when
they become useless, without regret, because, although they
were ours, we dont belong to them. This is the way of using
objects as a means.

Zen stories are very wise, and every one of them hides
a deep teaching for those who can read between the lines.
So, lets read this one, trying to put aside our logical mind.
This is the story:
There was once a man who was terrified of his own
shadow and lived in fear of the sound of his own footsteps.
Walking along one day, he entered a panic and tried to flee at
top speed. But as fast as he ran, his shadow and footsteps kept
up with him and made him run all the faster, until he finally
collapsed of exhaustion and died.
If he had only sat down in the shade of a tree, he would
no longer have been able to see his shadow or hear his own
footsteps.
What is the origin of fear? Why does it exist?
Sometimes, why do we find ourselves living this emotion? Is
it possible to overcome, transcend or transform?
It is really very difficult, almost impossible, to answer
such complex questions. This is an argument which repre-
sents one of the crucial points of the whole of humanity. Its
a legacy of our past, when the environment appeared as a
dangerous reality from which we protect ourselves, finding
every kind of trick and ploy to survive.
Through millennia, all this has evolved from the
physical field (the need to survive), to the emotional and
mental, permitting the rise of various emotional insecurities.
Through centuries, the human brain had evolved, society be- ization of ourselves and our life: the Inner Search.
came more complex and rich of hints,so even fear has as-
sumed new, more complex and refined forms.
Fundamentally, and almost without doubt, we can
affirm that fear is the result of the unconscious perception
of our smallness. Even if we pretend to not know anything
about that, every human being knows that he has no control
of his life and knows almost nothing about it. Formerly, reli-
gion as seen in its deepest aspect, had the task of exorcising
that sense of inadequacy. Today, science has taken the place
of religion: we try to exorcise our fears by convincing our-
selves that we are able to control Nature and the Laws which
manage its existence.

However, this isnt an act of doing, or conscious do-

ing, but only an attempt to be reassured. The feeling of hav-
ing almost no control of our destiny makes us feel unsafe in
all aspects of our existence. Many of us try to overcome this
sense of inadequacy through achieving psychological and
material safety. But, this fact that we are less than a flicker
in the whole Universe, is still present. This knowledge gen-
erates fear and insecurity which reflect themselves in all the
possible fields of our life: fear of robbery, of abuse, of illness-
es, of being misunderstood by those who love us, and so on.

There is only one positive and effective response to

overcome every kind of fear: knowing ourselves and the true
meaning of birth and death. Every other system is only pal-
liative and temporary. In fact, they vanish towards the stupor
of the unknown.

There is only one way which can drive us to the real-

 Relaxation as a Natural State
Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our
likeness. (Gn 2, 26.27)
Since my early childhood, from the first time Ive
asked my grandmother who or what is God, Ive never
considered the above mentioned quote from the Bible as an
anthropomorphous vision of God with hands, head and legs.
Rather, I considered this statement as a reflection about hu-
man perfection. I still believe in this interpretation.
I dont speak here about a biological perfection in-
tended as the extraordinary function of the human machine
billions of cells with different functions which work har-
moniously together to maintain our life. I speak here about
a fundamental concept which is almost always ignored, even
by those who claim to research this process: the possibility of
perceiving and becoming truly aware of ourselves.
Let me emphasize the fact that, from one side, we have
all the necessary equipment to achieve consciously a state of
Unity with the Whole; on the other side, we have the harmful
and childish tendency to complicate our life trying to do ev-
erything so that this is not realized. According to the theory
of reincarnation (but it is not necessary to implicate such be-
lief ), the process of embodiment provides the formation of
an I, who becomes the core identification of our existence,
the illusion of being separate individuals So, the problem
is defined from the beginning.
Life, with its social rule, its education (??!!?), the
ideas acquired from those who are older and wiser than us,
along with all the external factors we encounter during our
life path, make the rest: we gradually form a personality. We
begin to consider it as what we are, existing with us until
our death, convinced to live an objective life as coherent in-
dividuals.
Freeing ourselves from the Egos requests requires
much work, so often an extraordinary and terrifying work
which is known as self discovery.
Know Thyself .this is the path one must walk at
this period of human history.
It has been so for many centuries, and will be for
much longer. Evolution has brought us to a point that has
special features: we live in an obscure period of human his-
tory, characterized by many conflicts and spiritual ignorance.
During this period we are witnesses to an abnormal
development of materialistic technology resulting in con-
trast, to a great spiritual regression. In this period , or using
the terms of the Ancients, Era, human nobility is determined
by the material wealth of a person. The poor become slaves
of corruption, the possibility of emancipation from igno-
rance, intelligence, knowing, and wisdom are considered of
less value. Although respect is much claimed, no one sin-
cerely respects others. Everyones belief is that the ultimate
aim of life is obtaining acceptance through power based on
wealth and physical power.
Indeed, this is an evolutionary condition that hu-
manity had to reach for evolving towards another Era. So,
here we are and this is the field from where we have to start
our work. Today, we live and face such conditions, and our
struggle for emancipation must consider the complexity of
this historical period.
 As mentioned by a legion of books, posts, blog pages
and teachers, we, as human beings, are composed of body,
mind, and emotions (remember Gurdjieffs impressive meta-
phor: carriage, coachman, horse..) and the harmonious re-
lationship between these elements has altered. Our life is
unnatural and mentalized and the natural harmony is lost.
Here one can start with the work on himself. In fact, it is fun-
damental first to establish again the bodys natural rhythms.
Knowing it, understanding its functions begins to rebuild its
potential, and returning to it, its appropriate functions. A
stressful body, conditioned by unnatural rhythms, altered di-
ets, medicines and various chemical cocktails, is a body from
whom we are almost totally separated.
So, here lies the (brief ) explanation of the reason why
relaxation is a natural state: and this means the capacity of
feeling, hearing, and expressing our body freely, giving us the
possibility to be able to use our tools in the best, or at least,
in a better way.
So, the assumption of this text, in a few words, is:
Without a natural (permanent or relatively permanent) state
of relaxation, there is no Awareness.
Lightness: A Quality in Extinction
The world is becoming more and more a heavy place
to live: economical and emotional crises, money troubles,
tensions, laws that prevent you from doing everything (al-
most even to breathe). The guilt of this loss of lightness is not
to be assigned to people.
Life is becoming really indigestible, and you want to
think about the existence of something better, that life isnt
only that material mud which seems to keep all and every-
thing caught up in its tentacles, a never-ending story about
how to draw forth till the end of the month.
A very uneasy situation which almost all of us are ex-
periencing.
But its very important and fundamental to not lose
hope, having a wish to continue to do, to make things better,
at least in our closest environment. Namely, if you manage
to cultivate a sort of lightness, even your life would in some
way acquire similar qualities such as a drunkard attracts
similar people and the consequent situations. In the same
way, lightness attracts light things (I mark here the word
attract, because I dont wish it to be understood as a New Age
style Law of Attraction type, but as a figurative example).
We need to nourish our Soul with lightness, with
good and pleasurable things, as best as we can. Usually, in
the hopes of releasing ourselves from the burden of daily life,
we turn on the TV or read a newspaper, and what we find
there is always the same mud: problems, wars, death, various
superficialities, problems amassed onto other problems
Why not speak about something else? Something
simpler and more pleasurable? Even if it seems impossible to
believe, there are many things around us able to bring some
pleasure: the beauty of something in Nature- a tree, an ocean,
or at least, a fountain little things. But it is important
to nourish ourselves with positive, pleasurable impressions.
Dont misunderstand me, please. I dont preach that we have
to transform ourselves to foolishly laugh. On the contrary,
serenity is something other than this.
One thing is being as heavy as stones, gloomy and
disharmonious. Another thing is being attentive and aware
- indispensable requirements to be able to cultivate a degree
of serenity.
Have you ever noticed how it is easier to remember a
negative experience than a positive one? Try it yourself and
make your own conclusions.
If you do it so, you will begin to understand the se-
cret: our brain is accustomed to function in such ways
and it is up to us to change our attitude. No one else can do
it so, except ourselves.
Further explanation about what is Self Observation
In the last month I have received many emails about
what is the practice of self- observation, why it is so difficult
to practice, and if there are some tricks for improving it.
Self- observation is surely the main tool for self- development
(at least for the administrator of this Blog page).
Indeed, this is the mean through which the practi-
tioner performs what is known as inner work, the work for
self-development, and through observation, integrated in
a serious and well-structured system of teaching, there are
practically no limitations about what we can discover con-
cerning ourselves and life.
There are two things we have to consider: the first is,
that in order to perform an efficient observation, we need
energy and awareness. This would appear to be an obvious
statement, but it also seems that it is not well understood.
Observe not in a non -occasional and superficial way, but
with a focussed will, and not remaining in the field of phi-
losophizing and intellectualizing this action as a concept.
What we need to observe, is to develop a certain degree of
awareness and a nice quality fuel.
The first difficulty we have to face concerning obser-
vation, is that we usually dont know what it is about. We
are convinced we possess this skill, but only through direct
experimentation will we realize that this is not true, and only
then well have the possibility (which depends only on our
interest) to dedicate ourselves to studying and practicing it
in a serious way.
 Observation can bring self-consciousness, a degree
that cant be achieved through merely theoretical study or
only the practice in daily life: we have to synchronize and
alternate the theoretical study with the observation of our-
selves and our functions which could bring the extraordinary
aim of the awakening of an individual consciousness.
In order to observe ourselves in an efficient way, we
have to develop a great and rare skill sincerity. Being hon-
est means not speaking tales to ourselves and others with the
only aim of maintaining alive the fictitious and nonexistent
character who emerges from the various fragments of person-
ality. If we are not sincere and we dont recognize that we cant
maintain a continuity of awakened consciousness, we havent
any possibility to succeed.
The first step in the education of self- observation
has, in the first place, the aim of becoming aware of our ab-
sence, and this is a thing that should not be understimat-
ed: our bodies are here, in the present, but our minds are
somewhere else. Whoever wishes to forge ahead and take for
granted to have understood his situation from the beginning,
most usually doesnt achieve anything in this field.
There are many methods for observation, and some of
them have been shown on this blog, but in the first place, we
must understand what it is about, apart from the techniques
we use. In order to accomplish the process of observation,
there must be someone who guides it. The observer and the
observed (the object of observation) are not the same thing:
we can see a tree, because it is external to us, but we cant
see our face if we are not looking in a mirror. So, at the be-
ginning, the field of observation should be the most exterior
part of ourselves which exists, and that is the reason why we
should begin a practice of self- observation starting from our
body: observing our gestures, becoming more aware of the
way we interact with external objects, reducing gradually,
mechanical and habitual acts.
Afterwards, well begin to observe the intellectual and
emotional functions, but at the beginning it is best to begin
from the body and its mechanicity. Even breath, which is an
instinctive action, is a good starting point to focus our atten-
tion in a conscious way, and its very useful to develop the
skill of observation.
Through observation, it is possible to reach control of
our functions (intellectual, emotional, motoric, instinctive)
that are part of ourselves. In this way, well gain not only an
understanding of the condition of sleep, so that we notice
that we are unaware, but well also gain the power to regain
our natural functions, emancipating ourselves from mech-
nicity.
The capacity of observation also gives us the possibil-
ity to understand others in a deeper way, and this can allow
us to establish better relations and to give our help to who-
ever finds himself in difficulty.
Concerning observation, there is a traditional prac-
tice called natural awareness which consists in fighting
to eliminate mechanical habits. We can perform such a prac-
tice , for example, in the way that when we lean a glass on the
table or we sit on a chair, we transform these habitual acts in
conscious actions. In this way, we begin to find an aesthetic
of gestures, and through placing an object (or ourselves) in
the space in a way determined by us. So, for example, put-
ting the cigarette lighter in a purposeful way near the pack of
cigarettes becomes a conscious aesthetic act.
 Love and Acceptance
Love is a topic that is never discussed or treated
enough, but it has been previously addressed on this blog.
Not only a Universal Love, but also a more earthly (but
not less important) kind of Love: a Love between two mates.
And this is very important. Sometimes we claim we are able
to share a Universal Love, but we find ourselves unable to
share a Love with someone close to us. This of course is non-
sense, because even those close to us are part of the whole;
things result in more complication when we enter the field of
loving ourselves. It could maybe seem an absurd statement
but almost no one loves himself. Of course, this kind of self-
love has nothing to do with a type of vanity or egoistic point
of view about ourselves, but something related to a total ac-
ceptance of ourselves.
Now, I would raise a question: how is it possible to
accept (so, to love) someone, if we are unable to accept (so, to
love) ourselves? The answer is obvious and predictable not
possible.
We do not understand that life, even if it seems a ter-
rible thing which brings us sufferings and delusions, is a gift.
And, accepting a gift without looking a gift horse in the
mouth, is one of the most difficult things to do. Once more,
we are unable to accept; and here, we are unable to accept
and appreciate even those gifts we claim we are desperately
in search of: the gift of being loved. Indeed, if we are so
shrewd, and if we have enough of the gift of observation to
see what is happening, when we speak of love between two
human beings, namely, two mates, then, we are witnesses to
a very interesting and absurd manifestation of mechanisms.
For most people, being loved implies to have the re-
sponsibility towards whom they love, namely, the responsi-
bility of returning that feeling.
On the other hand, even he who loves has this expec-
tation that the feeling he/she shares is reciprocated. And,
only for this little thing, an expectation, a love relationship
becomes so chaotic that, in most cases, it is destined to fail
from the beginning. All this, a Love Relationship, with all its
promise, good intentions, deep feelings...vanishes such as a
shadow under the first ray of the sun.
Love doesnt mean that it must be reciprocated. To
Love means to Love, that is all. Of course, we dont mean
here a love based exclusively on a physical or momentary
attraction. This is not Love and doesnt mean to love some-
one: its a simple hormonal cocktail. This topic is related to
something much deeper, sincere and genuine.
Many people consider the fact of being loved by
someone with whom they dont share the same feeling, a fac-
tor of disturbance. If we ponder a bit, well understand the
reasons for this attitude: its all because we consider (more
or less consciously), that Love must be reciprocated. This is
a wrong concept, deeply rooted in ourselves, deriving from a
catholic moralistic point of view says: if someone loves us,
we feel immediately guilty if we dont share the same emotion
or feeling. And just this point of view, this fictional re-
sponsibility keeps us paradoxically far from being sincere
towards others; even to heat our heart near someone who
does not ask anything, except than to be loved.
What is important, is to respect the others feelings
and be able to reveal what we feel (or we dont feel): then, all
becomes clearer and simpler.
 Of course, a feeling such as Love between two mates, The Art of Letting Go
when it doesnt find correspondences, can fade, end. But its
an experience which could allow us to learn how to accept the
other and how to love. Maybe, we could discover that such
an experience is more pleasurable than we have expected.

No snowflake ever falls in the wrong place

Zen Saying

Life on earth includes suffering, thats obvious. We

have relationship problems, we lose our loved one, experi-
ence the separation of death, we experience loneliness, sick-
ness, accidents, we are haunted by guilt, experience phobias
and fears and unfulfilled desires. We experience this distress
because we would like things to be different from what they
are. In short, its the resistance to what causes suffering. To
be sure about what I mean, when I say suffering, I mean
everything in ones life that doesnt work. To immediately
see changes in our lives, we should begin with stopping the
resistance to what is.
Gravity exists, and that is what is. Our mate is quiet
or nervous, and that is what is. We can change our life by try-
ing to change what is, but there is not much to do about it.
Instead, it would be better to concentrate all our efforts upon
that which we can change.
A Christian prayer says the same thing: God, grant
me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Cour-
age to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the dif-
ference. (Serenity Prayer)
We can perceive that resistance in almost all fields of
human life: people want things to change; they want every-
thing they dislike to change. least with persons or various situations such as weather con-
ditions (it is a very absurd thing that we complain about this,
I am not preaching of passive acceptance of what is. but we almost all do this its too hot, too rainy, too cold).
This is not the case. In fact, there are things we have the po-
tential to change right now, so we have to do everything in
our power to change them. There are other things we cant
change immediately, so we have to work through time to Now, maybe, we would better understand the popular
make them change. And, there are things that we cannot Zen aphorism:
change, so here is the recipe: it is as it is, work that must
Sitting peacefully doing nothing/Spring comes/And
be applied. We have to recognize such kind of things and
the grass grows all by itself
stop wasting our efforts with trying to change what we can-
not change. Recognizing these situations in various fields of our
life is the first fundamental task if we want to apply the con-
One of the things that cannot be changed is other
cept of letting go in our everyday life. The second fundamen-
people. When we try to change someone, we force him to
tal step, isLetting Go.
repress his basic human right: freedom of being as he is (in-
dependently from as he is). We cant and havent the right
to make people be as we want them to be. This kind of re-
pression is not only illegitimate, but also, in the long term,
impossible, because the forced change is temporary. It would
result in a new eruption of dissatisfaction. So, waiting for
the day when the things with our mate, beloved, or friends
will become different from what they are right now (and will
be different as we want them to be), is certainly ill-advised.
We resist what is. The only thing we can really and surely
change, is ourselves, if we want to. And this is the field where
we might be focused if we want any kind of positive and pro-
ductive change. Concerning dissatisfactions, we cant change
outer things as we want, but we have the choice in how we
respond to what happens. We have the right to be as we are
without changing ideas or behaviors to satisfy someone else.
This is our right, so we have to understand that this is also
the others right, independently if this other is our friend,
mate, father, or someone else close to us. We can help him
to change in accordance to his needs, if he wants and accepts
our help, but nothing more. Applying the Buddhist, Taoist,
and Zen art of Letting Go means exactly this. Everything
is what it is, as it is, and we have to accept this statement, at
 The Prayer as a Connection with our Being
..year BC: Hes a lonely man, walking the forests and the
deserts of the ancient times. Around him, an unknown na-
ture, overlooking and terrorizing him. He is a lonely man:
with his fears and doubts, lonely with his unanswered ques-
tions. He doesnt know himself, why he is here, whats hap-
pening around him, and he also doesnt know his destiny. His
only aim is to survive, waiting for the dawn, walking in a
fearful night. That man has only a sky above his head; a sky
with a lonely hot sun, lonely just like him. A sun that gives
Life, burning by itself. That man, looking upon the sky, feels a
sense of relief. He senses that there, hidden above the sky, lives
his never known Father. He senses that there, in that deep
blue sky, he can find his real home. That man lifts his arms
toward the sky, kneels down and expresses an invocation.
Its a scream, a silent question and, at the same time, a request
and a declaration. Thus, he expresses the first objective sound
in his life: his first prayer.
Forgiveness
It has been said that we are born alone and that well
die alone. Its a simple truth: thats the only certainty we can
believe in, just as it is equally certain that this solitude ac-
companies us throughout our life.
Not much has changed since man took his first steps
on this Planet. To overcome atavistic fears, he built safe and
organized societies, and created myriad philosophies to an-
swer many questions. But many fears and many questions
remain unanswered. Today, the man is still lonely, wonder-
ing about the meaning of his existence and what will hap-
pen the day hell die. Existence threatens him, thus he seeks
a refuge, a protection from that sense of precariousness of
life. Thus, the word prayer in the history of mankind is
connected to the anguish of facing death, the insecurity and
the understanding that he cant administer his destiny. Mans
life is full of solitude and lack of understanding, and like the
men of thousands of years ago, he cries, looks up to heaven,
and feels the need to be forgiven, to deposit, for a moment,
the burden of all the insecurities, fears, suffering and injus-
tices endured.
This is the first meaning of Prayer: the need for a
short pause, a relief from a burden which disturbs his exis-
tence. Birth, suffering, disease, injustice, death anything
that inhibits his existence is placed in an invocation at the
foot of the highest authority, able to justify the meaning of
all and alleviate the burden.
He asks forgiveness to the divine to release the weight
of his sufferings, anxieties, and fears. For the first time, he fi-
nally feels comfortable and can quietly close his eyes, relaxed
and in complete abandonment into the arms of the endless
Father.
Contact
Its amazing how the meaning of prayer has remained
completely unchanged despite centuries and millennia of
progress: even today, man feels the need to communicate
to establish a contact with its original source, with his ori-
gin, with a thousand-named transcendent Entity, ultimately
identified with the concept of God.
 Even when he says that God doesnt exist, man testi-
fies His existence, at least as a term of opposition. Why lose
time in asserting the absolute non-existence of God? A truth
is confirmed when its opposite can be affirmed: isnt it?
It is really incredible how much energy is still spent
trying to prove a concept that is believed not to exist! Ordi-
narily, no one spends his time to deny the existence of what
he sees as non-existent. It seems that, even when a man talks
to God in the negative way, he is simply expressing a des-
perate attempt to communicate with what he feels a refer-
ence, perceived as father, mother, child, a will that governs
all things, or even, as a principle which summarizes all these
forms.
A way to pray
A man feels the need to pray, a practice instinc-
tively done for thousands of years to alleviate the burden of
his life, relying on the only one who knows the meaning of
all things. Through the history of mankind, great beings
became servants of a long-sought truth. Each of them, in
their own way, experienced, learned and understood. Each of
them had left his own experience providing a way of interpre-
tation according to the time and the place they lived.
Zoroaster, Rama, Toth, Krishna, Elijah, Hermes, Mo-
ses, Orpheus, Pythagoras, Lao-Tse, Plato, Buddha, Jesus,
Muhammad, Confucius, and many other teachers and seek-
ers of truth, have left a way a path to explain the Only
Truth. And what they taught was a way of praying.
Thus, over time, the act of praying has acquired a nu-
ance that had evolved, acquiring the color and passion of so
many hearts that, over millennia, they had practiced with
truth and sincerity. And for every question that might be
contained in mans heart, they gave a special prayer.
The prayer as a request
Even if over the centuries, the act of praying has
evolved and gradually became more sophisticated, more
technical, it is still something strange and inexplicable.
When he prays, man, of course, asks to be relieved
from the burdens of life, but at the same time, he adds other
claims to the divine source, simple or complicated questions,
recommendations for themselves or their loved ones, and re-
quests for help and comfort.
However, in thousands of years of praying softly or
mentally, or even yelling alone in a desert, the man could
only hear the echo of his own demands: today, as thousands
of years ago, God has never answered. Nevertheless, the man
continues to pray. It is obvious that he doesnt pray because
this pleases God, but rather because the act of praying im-
proves himself.
Indeed, God doesnt need human prayers: that Infi-
nite and Perfect being cannot be confined in a finite part of
himself (the man) who invokes It. On the contrary, its the
man who needs to hear God through his own prayers. The
same invocation defines and gives form to one who has not a
form and allows him a connection with an essence know-
able and finite that otherwise, remains infinite and unknow-
able.
A small space in the heart
Hearing God through Prayer, gets us in touch with
our own source, with the essence of existence, so that we can
touch it at least with our heart, instead of through an intel-
lectual speculation thats the meaning of the prayer.
The heart is at least the real place of the act of pray-
ing. The mystics taught us that the reason and the heart
should be kept separate for a long time before the heart may
subject reason. The mystic is prayers last explorer. He is the
scholar, the sage, the Borderlands walker that has to be an ex-
ample when a deep need for contact with the divine emerges.
Often, we are surprised when we see this need for
praying emerging above our being. It is a kind of inter-
nal call, which opens the way for new spaces, which leads us
quickly into a state of meditation.
Then, we suspend any action, sit apart in silence, turn
to listen in, give free flow to our inner space and, magically,
we enter into another time, or rather, access to a space that
resides in us.
Prayer as listening to oneself
Prayer is the focal point in the interaction between
matter and spirit: it is the request to the divine, who is the
bearer of human suffering, since suffering is the same prod-
uct of the separation from the Truth as saying that the dis-
tance from God, separation from it becomes so unbearable as
to be transformed into demand for closeness , or in prayer.
Left to itself, to its source, a man feels entitled to ask
for anything, even the most trivial, since in the timeless value
of this communication there is no reason, or no logic, but
only feeling.
It is the requirement to externally shape our inner
space because we talk to ourselves. In doing so, we hear a
voice within us, that slowly makes its way inside, above the
noise and educates us to an understanding.
Prayer is to ourselves, because it makes us grow. It is a
school of the interior bearing towards the exterior. Its a need
that brings us to talk, to express the truth about ourselves
and, at the same time, educates us, even to listen.
Prayer, in fact, opens an inner space of inquiry where
you can admire the expression and listening, as co-exist-
ing terms of a single action, coming from the man to himself.
We are made of the same substance of dreams, said Shake-
speare, and indeed, the man really lives the fear of a type of
deception, as if waking up every morning, he had to be sure
he was still the same as the day before. The man lives above
the need to confirm his existence, but once it is perceived
and noted, then he is also able to listen. Once the flame is
grafted, there arises the power of listening, the individual be-
gins to change what is outside. At this point, the heart as
the mystics teach us-overcome the mind and brings the hu-
man experience to a spiritual.
Because the transcendent is the bridge, it is the real
point of contact between the human emotion and spirit. Is
is an I that evolves, as self-expression, which knows how to
receive inwardly and outwardly, the harmony of the universe.
Beyond the experience of feeling
A harmonized and self-expressive I is a great bless-
ing, and is a valuable experience for others, for all those who
come into contact with this kind of man. But for him, the ex-
perience is good up to a certain extent, it becomes too sterile,
as if it is not enough. And yet again, he needs to press on
as if to take another step, another point of contact, even more
tenuous that its predecessor, even more in the field which lies
beyond senses. that this feeling flows, everything remains immobile, as in
the faint light of childhood memories.
Now, the individual feels he exists. He no longer has
doubts, understands clearly his inconsistency. Its not be- Then, finally, something speaks to us, and that sound gives
ing compared to the unknown, compared to God, exactly. us warmth, like the embrace of a mother, of her breathing,
Thus, in him, there is the profound need of a discipline that beside and within us.
educates the transcendent and that might lead to under-
standing the Truth, from the inside-out. In this moment,
in this blessed moment, right through the pain given by the
God as the witness of our existence
perception of unbridgeable distance from the Father, lights
the flame of desire. We can see a deep human desire to communicate, to
get in touch with that energy which we perceive as its origin:
Only now we can say we see the emergence of true
a requirement that all of us both men and women feel as a
prayer, ascetic discipline that is made of knowledge achieved
need which has to be externalized in terms of action.
which will bring the individual to a growth, no longer iso-
lated, but in unity with the Father. Prayer is the action that becomes manifested as a pro-
found need for an inner feeling that, as we have seen, needs
There is no longer the need to push the man toward
to arise: first to produce relief (even if mostly unconscious)
the search for God, but toward the fire of desire, namely,
in the lodge before God, the burden of our existence and
the sum of needs. It will inevitably lead to the silence of his
then, to the emergence of spontaneous requests for help that
mind. Desire leads to detachment, the space between living
has remained over the centuries so nave, so human, although
the experience and feeling it intimately, where it has always
the thought has evolved in complexity and sophistication: a
been. But now, at this moment, it is revealed, coming from
mans request to the divine, who in fact, is still exactly the
above. Something that takes the color of the emotions,
same today as it was, two thousand years ago.
arises. The mind cant recognize what happens and slips
back, in silence. But why do we have a need to pray, why should we
continue to ask even if we have neither experience nor any
The breathing stops, and there right there a small
memory of any response from God, who, apart from sophis-
point is born and develops the profound mystery that per-
ticated intellectual ruminations, is defined by our wisest
haps more than any other should be investigated. Like a
mystics and thinkers as Unknowable, the immeasurable, the
small light, like a flame, comes on and connects us to the im-
indescribable?
mensity of the universe. That happens in us, infinitesimally
small beings! The answer must be sought in the attitude of the man
who prays with the unconscious request that underlies the
From infinity to the finite, this contact takes shape
very act of prayer. When we deposit the bundle at the feet of
and everything becomes magically calm. Everything outside
the divine, there arises a heartfelt request which has driven
becomes less important a bitter, and at the same time, sweet
man from the beginning of his existence: Hear me, and for
feeling flows in our heart. A grateful warmth envelops ev-
a moment, please, look at me. Show my existence as real.
erything, motionless as the night on the lake. In the time
 The man, even before a pardon or a favor, asked for Observation
a moment of personal observation, a recognition of his own
individuality: and he is doing this act not to believe in the In this troubled time, with changes so large and fast,
existence of God, but to confirm his own existence. the time when social divisions are more apparent, it would
be desirable to have a better understanding of this great op-
We believe further that the question of his very ex- portunity that man has gained over time!
istence accompanies the man from the very beginning: the
comparison with nature, work, relationships, with other Prayer is not the only answer, but it is certainly a way
men, and strong emotions, that he continually tries with no to bring the issue at the heart of man and of his fears, his
other reason than to feel the need to define himself in rela- loneliness, his still unanswered questions.
tion to something external to himself.
But that is not enough: in fact, the man exists, maybe
only in relation to his creator: If You, who has created me,
You, the architect of everything that exists, are looking at me
even for a moment that will mean that I really exist, that
Im a concrete point different from the rest
In this appeal, we find the seed, the basic unit of
prayer, a sort of ancient code left on this ancient planet.
He longs for the gaze of the Father, as a baby needs
attention.
That glance, that moment of contact, is everything to
him, and for that, he is willing to pray for his entire existence.
It is the hand that stops before stroking, that Zen was
able to raise the ancient art of zan-shin, the thought of not
thinking. When this happens after long suffering, we experi-
ence the light of an explosion from the experience that some
Zen poets and mystics have called the sunshine in the rain.
So, who can say right now where the man ends, and where
the divine begins?
The whiteness of the light falling snow lights the be-
ing that looks and listens. With this simple Haiku, we are
going to close our free analysis of one of the most significant
growths of a man in the bosom of his existence: prayer.
 Friendship
A True Friendship and a True Relationship are really
very special feelings, because more than any other motion of
the human soul, it doesnt move towards any fulfillment of
some subjective goal.
In the love between a man and woman, in addition
to a biological driving, there is also a search for fulfillment,
a fusion, a need to become One. This is related to a high
and important Cosmic (therefore, natural) Law. Indeed, all
the Laws existing in our Universe tends to move towards this
point: we have been created for this aim.
Its an unstoppable motion which involves all of us. It
is not our decision to search this fusion, but it is driven with
all in the Universe toward this goal, towards the Oneness, the
Divine.
Friendship, however, is a different thing it isnt driv-
en by any natural Law, (at least, any Law related to the above
mentioned), but it is a sort of will or wish, a feeling that
is not given a priori, but is inherent with the maturation of
a human being.
It is something new, an instance facing, in terms of
possibilities, what is desired, pursued, capturedlived.
Indeed, friendship is a means for overcoming fears
through emotion, a great opportunity to use our emotional
energies and channel them to overcome critical limits in
the path of self-discovery our life.
We could speak about friendship as a sort of educa-
tion for achieving the Higher Emotional sphere, an opening
to a possibility otherwise almost impossible for us.
For a seeker, friendship is a very important and fun-
damental experience. Without such experience, there is not
a possibility to develop the habit to share with others, so its
impossible to develop the principle of Compassion.
So, not only love relations, but also friendship is more
than a human feeling, its a magical act, made of courage,
selflessness, generosity, ability to overcome the limits that
alone would never be addressed. In this situation, all our
best qualities arisea good object, as said by Socrates.
In its essence, friendship has the strong capacity of
separation between what is selfish, driven by fear, and what
is the Universal Source, which drives us towards the over-
coming of any differences, boundaries, towards a principle
of Unity.
A friendship relation encourages us to be opened to
what is new. In fact, a true friend almost never shows the
same habits and the same behavior as ours. Its something
different than what is usual, mechanical for us, a diversity
which stimulates characteristics of intellectual curiosity, at-
traction, involvement, and desire to understand other ap-
proaches.
Friendship in its maximal expression affirms a unique
concept of respect. So, the research of any seeker is to per-
severe in this feeling, in this sacred field with the aim of dis-
sipating the germ of the ignorance which keeps us so blind,
so poor.
 Good Karma Bad Karma ence. And he/she requires external help, because they keep
within, the baggage of suffering of many years, and this is of
value in any aspect of life.

However, there is not a situation which cannot be

Often we hear others say or we, ourselves say, this is
good Karma or you have a really bad Karma. its your
Karmic baggage.., etc.
One of the main principles which governs our life is
for every action, follows a reaction.the principle of Kar-
ma, if you prefer. Is it possible to change our Karma? First,
we have to know that the term Karma finds its verbal roots
in the term kr and it means doing, acting, or causing
something. Among westerners, this concept is deeply re-
lated to our personal and global destiny. And, we can affirm
without doubt that there is nothing in a human being that
cannot be changed. Nothing!
modified. There is no emotional disease or suffering that cant
be relieved, nor absurd destiny that cannot be changed. It
depends on us, by our good will. We need motivation to
change something, and we also need to learn and understand
how to perform such change.
To do this, we often need an external reference, a sort
of external assistance. In ancient times, these references were
seen in the figure of spiritual teachers. But today, situations
and needs have changedso everyone must understand what
he needs, according to his personal needs and sensibilities.
Yes, performing such work alone is very, very difficult, and
if we have an external reference, it is better. Alone, it is also
possible. It depends on ourselves and our motivations.

Often, we perceive things and events as if they cannot

be changed, but this is not a bad Karma as we are used to
sayingKarma is neither good nor bad. It is that we lack in
motivation (which we ordinarily label as will) to perform a
real change in a specific situation. Thats all!

As an example, there are many persons who have the

habit to drink, and often this behavior brings them sick-
ness. They lose their physical and mental health. They could
stop this behavior, but they dont. Is it their destiny? No, of
course not! It is only passive mechanical behaviors and
lack of determination.

There are, of course, many situations and conditions

which a human being cant face alone a very painful experi-
 Philosophers, Theorists and Mystifying Mystics
Sometimes, to find the answers to the present ques-
tion, we must investigate the past, not only our personal past,
but also the historical past. Time doesnt change the essence
of things, but changes the names and details. There are not
many differences between modern man and the man of four
thousand years ago. Indeed, the only difference is that now,
we are in some way refined, and certainly barbaric in other
ways. To overcome our boredom, we use internet or a cell
phone, rather than a sober and healthy walk.
The ancient Eastern civilizations, for example ancient
India, knew very well the difference between philosophers
and scholars. Dont forget that they expounded philosophy
at least 2,500 years before Socrates ! The Rishis applied the
principles they had investigated practically in their own life,
experiencing, undergoing intense practices, and sometimes,
teaching students who were eager to gain access to such
knowledge. On the other side, there were the pundits who
were interested in philosophy and studied it, but without ex-
periencing it in their lives. They were full of knowledge, but
without any kind of practical experience. So, the philoso-
phers and scholars!
The same difference was understood also in the an-
cient Western world, and most of those philosophers who
laid the foundations of our thinking, in turn, were ascetics,
deep and genuine researchers inquiring about universal laws.
They were maybe a little more rough and some centuries
younger than their Eastern colleagues, but even here in the
West, the difference between those who lived the knowledge
acquired, and those who simply studied and talked about
this knowledge, was well-marked.
Even today, after millennia, things are almost the
same, with the slight difference that todays society gives
more value to the scholars than to the philosophers. They are
not a special type: they dont produce income or new points
of view. Those scholars wave a title, are labeled as expert on
their matters, sometimes elected by the masses as stars of the
media. But the genuine people who live free of preconcep-
tions and patterns are almost ignored and sometimes viewed
with suspicion and scorn.
Scholars have taken control: talk without having ex-
perienced, to know without knowing, pontificating super-
structures, meta-knowledge, manipulating effects without
having the slightest idea of the causes. Much smoke, no fire.
We can say that scholars have taken control: they talk
about everything without having any kind of experience.
They say they know without knowing, managing the ef-
fects without knowing the causes. But this isnt a new thing.
In the last few years, a new category has arisen. This is the
field of those who havent studied anything, but they speak
as if they know every segment of the matter, interpreting and
manipulating an illusory knowledge.
We can find this third category in almost all fields of
our society: journalists, commentators, spin doctors, drivers,
self-styled experts, fanatic New Agers, UFO spans, investi-
gators of various mysteries, compilers of Celestinos and Da
Vinci Code truths the great overview of our inner weakness.
I cant say if they really believe in what they claim, probably
do not know if they believe, but certainly many believe their
words.
How to define these new kind of people? Dont
underestimate or ignore such individuals: their picturesque
and empty theories become real food, truth for many desper- Conscious Love as Help for the Mate
ate followers, and this is a real risk of our civilization. In our
uneducated and ignorant civilization, they have sold and still in Self-Development
sell air , making it seem like true knowing.

Conscious love evokes the same in response. Emotional love

evokes the opposite. Physical love depends on type and polar-
ity. G.I. Gurdjieff

Loveyou are the love of my lifewith or without youMy

heart is burningthe only wish I wish is your loveIll die
for you
But what is love? What is that power that evokes so
much intensive experiences, so much struggle with emotion-
al storms, what is its meaning? Is there only one love that we
can perceive, feel? Poems, romance, movies, and paintings
draw that themebut we loved with a love that was more
than love/in this kingdom by the sea So, maybe it is cor-
rect to say that love is the fuel that feeds our life. We feel
that we cant live without love. So, if this seems to be food
of our life, why must it recall so much pain? Is every kind of
relation motivated by love? Or specifically, is the love of the
luxurious, the same love of a priest or of a politician?
Some recent research by Italian scientists have discov-
ered that the brain pattern of a person that falls in love is the
same as a person who is distressed by a maniacal possessive
syndrome, and this is a serious paranoid compulsion that can
be healed only in a psychiatric institution. So, when we are
in love, are we really sick?
 To answer those questions, we must first understand
that there are some differences between love and Love! We
must learn to distinguish among at least three basic kinds
of love: instinctive love, emotional love, and conscious love.
We may all know and experience the first two, but the third
is rare and depends on the level of being and consciousness,
intelligence, and emotional development. So, this is an expe-
rience we cannot feel (if it is correct to use this term here),
in the normal mechanical conditions.
Chemistry is the basis of Instinctive love, and biology
is determined by chemistry. This kind of love manifests in
the attractions, repulsions, mechanical and chemical com-
bination we call love with the consequential marriage, chil-
dren, and family. It is a sort of chemistry or alchemical labo-
ratory product driven by what we call Nature. Instinctive
love is a product of chemical reactions and is as strong, and
lasts as long as the substances and qualities which it mani-
fests. These can be known and measured only by one who
understands the laws of progression of heredity. Many have
remarked that happy or unhappy marriages are hereditary.
So, too, are the number of children, their sex, longevity, etc.
The so-called science of astrology is the only science of hered-
ity over long periods.
Emotional love is the opposite of the instinctive, be-
cause it is not rooted in biology. Instinctive love obeys the
laws of biology, so it proceeds by affinities. Emotional love is
often the mutual attraction of dis-affinities and biological in-
congruities. A pure emotional love rarely results in offspring,
and when it does, biology is not served, and the results are the
birth of mermen and mermaids, Bluebeard, etc. Emotional
love is not only short-lived, but it evokes its slayer. Such love
creates hate in its object, if hatred is not already there. The
emotional lover soon becomes an object of indifference and
quickly thereafter, of hatred.
The following story is a good example of such a kind
of love:
There was once a little boy, who was deeply saddened
to find his turtle lying on her back, motionless and lifeless
near the pond.
His father did his best to console him, Dont cry, son. Well
prepare a nice funeral for Mrs. Turtle. Well build a little
coffin, all silk-lined for her. And well ask the gravedigger to
make her a gravestone with the name, Mrs. Turtle written
on it. Then well bring her fresh flowers each day. And we can
even put a little fence up all around her grave.
When everything was ready, the father, the mother,
the maid and the little boy walked in procession, with solemn
faces, towards the pond where the tortoise was lying.
But she had disappeared.
Suddenly, they saw Mrs. Turtle emerging from the bot-
tom of the pond, swimming merrily.
The little boy glared at his friend the tortoise in great disap-
pointment, and exclaimed, Lets kill her.
This is the tragedy of emotional love.
Conscious love rarely arises between humans, but it
can be explained in the relations between man and his fa-
vorites in the animal and vegetable kingdoms. The devel-
opment of the horse and the dog from their original state
of nature, the cultivation of flowers and fruit these are ex-
amples of a primitive form of conscious love primitive be-
cause the motive is still egoistic and utilitarian: man has a
personal use for the domesticated horse and the cultivated
fruit: and his labor upon them cannot be said to be for love
alone. The real developed conscious love, is the wish that
the object should arrive at its own native perfection, regard-
less of the consequences to the lover. I will struggle with
all my being and sacrifice myself so he/she could develop him/
herself . This is conscious love, and this kind of love, if true, with unconditional love (even if today it is used for explain-
always evokes a similar response in its object. Conscious love ing the instinctive or emotional mechanical dynamics we call
begets conscious love. It is rare among humans because, in love). The etymological meaning of Passion derives from the
the first place, the vast majority are children who look to be Latin patire (suffer), so it is a sacrifice, a conscious sacri-
loved, but not to love; secondly, because perfection is seldom fice to permit the others development or redemption. The
conceived as the proper end of human love, though it alone most known sacrifice of this type in the highest degree is the
distinguishes adult human from infantile and animal love; Passion of Christ who sacrificed himself to redeem the sins
thirdly, because humans do not know, even if they wish, what of all human beings. Never forget conscious love means
is good for those they love; and fourthly, because it never oc- conscious sacrifice to the beloved (be it a mate or a son, or a
curs by chance, but must be the subject of resolve, effort, and friend, it doesnt matter). It is always a conscious sacrifice.
self-conscious choice. Conscious love is an art, and one must As my mentor wrote in one of his poems: Ill cut the thread
work through an apprenticeship to become a master in this of memories: so, maybe, Ill save you.
art. He perfects himself with the wish and the effort to aid
his beloved to become perfect. This is a work of service, de- Without shame, people will boast that they have
votion with all of ones being. loved, do love, or hope to love. As if love were enough, or
could cover any multitude of sins. Unfortunately, this is the
So, what kind of man or woman is it who can love human hypocrisy, an attitude that has become part of his na-
consciously? What kind of perfection might he/she realize to ture. So, can we love? Without a conscious effort, (the great-
the blessing of the beloved and his/her Endless Creator? est gift of love to the mate), we will never really say that We
love. This is not an intellectual concept nor a hypothesis:
Service deserves detachment, so he isnt jealous or look at the world surrounding you and verify it for yourself.
possessive. He must also cultivate humility and conscious The experience is the only way to really learn something.
tolerance. One must know the necessary needs of the mate
to permit and help their development: if he is not sure of
the needs of the mate, he allows him/her to go on their own
way. One must know the needs of the mates essence, needs
which cannot find a name and anticipate today his/her needs
for tomorrow. Objective altruism. That is needed. And al-
ways without a thought of what his/her needs may mean to
him. Its a way of strict self-education and discipline. Con-
scious love is Gods love because they love each other con-
sciously. So, the conscious lovers become Gods. Remember
the Tantric axiom: Ham Sa Shiva-Ham Sa Shakti I am
Shiva I am Shakti): it is the realization of the divine nature
of the mate with all his needs. It is an objective devotional
act. And, if and when this relation becomes harmful to the
other mate, the conscious lover will leave him/her to per-
mit his/her development. Passion is also a term used related
 Administrating Spare Time
There is an important topic I would like to share with
you thats fundamental for those who are interested in self-
development, not only theoretical, but also in a practical way:
the question of our daily time. Nearly all the glowing com-
ments sent to me via mail such as Who do you think you
are?, Your posts are simple sh..t, You are such a childish
snotty kid, (and again), Who do you think you are?.
It often happens that someone asks me if there are
more people who work on what I post, if there are other per-
sons who stand behind my posts: no, there is no one except,
of course, for the texts of other authors or Great Masters that
are regularly and diligently mentioned as authors of the top-
ics (Gurdjieff, Orage, Krishnamurti, various quotes, etc).
Yesterday arose the same question How many of you are
there? I wont mention who asked that NOMINA ODI-
OSA SUNT! Its all written somewhere in the various com-
ments, and those who had asked those questions are friends
that I love and respect as brothers. Now, this topic is not to
glorify myself (it would be a loss of time and energy), but to
introduce an argument, that as I had mentioned above, of
great value for those interested on work on themselves, and
its related to the ability of doing.
How could we administer or expand our time?
Our daily routines are divided into two fundamental
fields: the time for our daily work and obligations and the
spare, free time. The first is obvious, we have to do some-
thing to survive and maintain ourselves and our beloved fam-
ily. The second is a great problem.
In fact, the spare time results in more of a problem
than a pleasure. Many persons dont know what to do dur-
ing the free time between two obligations, and others are
too tired to take some advantage. As I perceive the reality, is
that persons dont want to have free time for the simple but
fundamental reason that they dont know how to organize
themselves during these hours of freedom. When they re-
turn home after work, they search for something to do, an
employment which could keep them concentrated on some-
thing .and often these occupations are not useful, but they
have the result to keep these persons far from themselves.
As a shark who cant stop floating because otherwise
it will die, men fear the silence and inactivity for the simple
reason that this makes them perceive their loss of centering,
their non-identity: people fear to see and recognize their
emptiness, that they are not.
If you dont believe or doubt what Ive said, try this:
sit in an armchair, and simply remain there. Dont do any-
thing dont read a newspaper or a book, dont be on Face-
book, dont meditate, dont wonder about something to think
about, dont expect anything. Just sit and thats all you have
to do. What happens? A subtle discomfort arises from the
inner self, forcing it to some occupation. The more we are
tired, deprived from emotive vitality, the more well search
some passive or simpler occupation, such as looking at our
beloved TV series or some movie.
Why does this discomfort arise? From the impossibil-
ity to feel ourselves. We identify ourselves in every action,
or better said, in the emotions produced by what we label
as acting, doing something, even now, when reading
or writing on Facebook. Without identifications, we dont
feel ourselves. This is the main demonstration of our inca-
pacity of self-perception.
 Having spare time means being able to administer practice, practicelive your life, its the only thing you have!
that time. We have to reformulate one common conviction:
men are not slaves because they work, but they work because To begin, its always suggested to spend our spare
they are the slave of their inner emptiness. If we would fill time in some occupations which would really permit the de-
this emptiness, work wouldnt be synonymous with duty, but velopment of our Being and first in all self-study: making
conscious activity. We would discover that free time is an in- ourselves an object of study means essentially TO LIVE.
ner thing and not the opposite of the work time.
Living our life without useless baggage, and
Many people suffer for the loss of time. They claim its not important what we do, what activity we are oc-
to have not much time. But, if they could understand that cupied with: what is of value, here, is that we must
they lose themselves in a labyrinth of identifications and stop do what we want to really do. We must learn TO BE!
to identify themselves with all what they do, realizing a lucid
awareness, they would understand that time is an inner fact
its a mental fact. If we would be sincere with ourselves, we
should admit that we lose so much time and energies in use-
less activities, and for these reasons, we are always identified
with something. We would like to be more effective, but we
constantly lose ourselves.
Time is an inner fact, not outer. Society has orga-
nized our days according to a subjective rhythm, but this
rhythm isnt the same as our inner rhythm: they have differ-
ent time zones. It is not a theory, it is a fact. Anyone who
has experienced a higher level of awareness can confirm this
fact: time expands and we are able to act better and faster
than ordinarily. Theres a method to live at the same time
on different levels of being, and to multiply our possibilities
of doing at the same time. But, first we must Be, and
this means to perceive ourselves. Please dont say that this is
impossible to realize: there are so many topics, and practices
for achieving that state, at least partially, that what we miss
is only a little dose of good will to spend some time on
these practices. Look for the various blogs my blog, Den-
nis Lewis Blog (more useful than my blog), other blogs with
exercises, suggestions and other things. Dont remain on the
stage of reading: Ouspensky, Gurdjieff, Nicoll, Krisnamur-
ti and Buddha. They have very big and noble insights, but
their words wouldnt change your state of being: practice,
 An Integral Approach to Overcome Harmful Emotions
The emotive field is the sea in which we swim every
moment. Even the perception of a color, a sound, a physical
sensation , is possible by the emotive. What is ordinarily la-
beled under this name, is only the surface of a deeper ocean,
a momentary oscillation which manifests itself in the super-
ficial levels of the emotional plane.
Today we can find on the vast spiritual and psy-
chological market, various techniques, more or less ,or de-
finitively not efficient. In the Western countries in the last
century, many methods have been produced, in which the
aim is to remove the emotional barriers and to achieve a con-
trol of the negative emotions.
In any case, we have to remember that a human being
is a very complex, structured being. Namely, a human being
is composed of a physical body, an intellect, and emotions.
Each of these parts interact with one another.
Intellect with its dual conception, rigidly fixed by con-
victions and conditionings, constantly influences emotions.
The body also influences emotions, though not as much as
the intellect does: for example, the dysfunction of a physical
organ can change totally and radically, the emotional state of
a person.
Body, mind, and emotions are deeply connected, and
it is practically impossible to achieve a permanent balance of
one of them without working on all three fields at the same
time. If we want to overcome a fear, a phobia, a sense of
insecurity, it is not enough to try to control the emotions.
To achieve this aim, a deep process of conversion of the in-
tellectual and emotional field is necessary, with the purpose
of transforming the deep-rooted unconscious habits which
drive us to perceive life in terms of danger.
Almost all the psychological and development systems
created to remove emotional blocks and mental problems,
have a limited effect, both in terms of intensity and time, and
they leave the real source of these problems untouched. That
is the reason of why, if we want an effective and permanent
self-transformation intended for self-development, we have
to opt for an integral approach which must involve in our
work, the body, the intellect, and the emotions at the same
time. A work of impartial self-observation is a very effective
tool. On this blog, we have shared some examples of how to
begin a work on self-observation, and all of them give the
possibility to approach the problem in an integral way at the
same moment when the problem arises.
Even meditation is a good tool, but only if it is put
in a concrete, well-structured system for the understanding
of the Universal Laws which govern our life, without which
knowing it , is impossible to overcome the harmful emotion-
al baggage we bring along every moment of our lives.
 Clairvoyance (Seeing Clearly) mon answer we achieved beginning from the meaning of the
words: seeing clearly: from this point of view, the higher,
deepest and objective form of clairvoyance is the true vision
of reality. The ability to take a look into the world of the so-
called paranormal field can be an interesting and unique
experience, there is no doubt. And this also demonstrates
that the human brain has incredible and not yet explored
abilities. But such ability does not lead necessarily to some
greater wisdom or to a better understanding of reality.
A few days ago, I witnessed a discussion between
friends about the theme of Clairvoyance. This was, of course A true Clairvoyance could be considered the minds
a superficial and disinterested discourse between friends dur- enlightenment, or better, the enlightenment of conscious-
ing coffee. One of them spoke about the siddhis (the oc- ness. If an individual realizes himself and achieves an objec-
cult powers developed by yogis as a result of many years of tive view of reality, he is also able to see clearly beyond the
struggles and practice), and claimed to possess this ability. mists of any illusion.
This was, of course, enough to understand that this person
was speaking rubbish. But it reminded me of an ex-fellow That is all. This is Clairvoyance as interpreted by me.
of the group who once asked our mentor what Clairvoyance
Any other kind or form of such ability could be un-
is. This opened a discussion which brought a clearer under-
derstood as having two sides, as the two sides of the same
standing of its possibility.
coin: one can ease the path to a greater understanding, and
The word Clairvoyance has the meaning seeing clear- the other to the path of a greater illusion. The so-called
ly. So, it is a capacity to see what others usually are unable opening of these hidden faculties without an appropriate
to see. Obvious, of course! But there are many persons, espe- human spiritual and inner maturity, is often a cause of suf-
cially in the field of the New Age, who claim to have this abil- ferings and confusion. But, of course, there are not absolute
ity, to be able to see a parallel reality. Indeed, some of them rules, even for this topic.
explain that this is a natural ability. But, if it is natural,
why is it so rare? This brings me to the only possible answer:
they are (consciously or unconsciously) lying. Thats all!!
In the last few years, this word clairvoyant has been
used in dozens of different ways, but essentially a clairvoyant
is an individual capable of activating his physical senses, to
see an immaterial reality.
There are many pages on internet related to this topic,
so well reveal here an alternative explanation related to the
above mentioned discussion with our mentor. He brought us
to draw the explanation by ourselves, and this was the com-
 Discerning the False Personality from our True Self
Subhuti was Buddhas disciple. He was able to understand
the potency of emptiness, the viewpoint that nothing exists ex-
cept in its relationship of subjectivity and objectivity.
One day, Subhuti, in a mood of sublime emptiness, was sitting
under a tree. Flowers began to fall about him.
We are praising you for your discourse on emptiness, the
gods whispered to him.
But I have not spoken of emptiness, said Subhuti.
You have not spoken of emptiness, we have not heard empti-
ness, responded the gods. This is true emptiness. And blos-
soms showered upon Subhuto as rain.
A question which often arises in the mind of the re-
searcher is how to recognize the expressions of our Essence-
Being when they arise. This takes the seeker to the often
wrong attribution of many actions and emotions to their
True Self , when they are only products of the mind which
wants to keep alive its positions and strengthen convictions
by denying any kind of change. Attributing to our Essence
every action gives us two obstacles: on one hand, we remain
deepened in the illusion of Being. On the other hand, this
behavior allows our personality to keep alive all the condi-
tionings, which imprison our True self.
Many Masters taught and still teach that we can rec-
ognize the expressions of our Essence-Being, all which is free
from fears, anger, sense of guilt, egoistic thoughts. The legiti-
mate question which arises in the mind of the practitioner
is how to recognize the rare moments when he can be sure,
without doubts, that he is witnessing the expression of his
Essence.
Fortunately, this is not the main problem. Indeed,
we cant recognize such moments until we have achieved a
higher state of consciousness and awareness. We must follow
sincerely what we feel as right and true at a determined mo-
ment, accept it temporarily, and then, overcome it when we
realize a Higher Truth. Briefly, we must train ourselves to
discern what is part of the field of Being (True Self ), and
what is part of the field of Appearances (Ego-Personality).
Sincerely, we cant be totally sure that what we feel,
desire, or believe is free from every conditioning. The most
important thing is to live coherently with what we sense, feel,
and consider what represents us, and to maintain both heart
and mind open to change the course each moment that we
realize we have run up against a previously unseen condition-
ing. Of course, we are speaking here of what a seeker would
have to do in the path for self-development.
The most important thing is to assume all the respon-
sibilities for our actions and for our thoughts, and live with
the utmost integrity. Moreover, despite of what we usually
think, the fact that a tendency or behavior is assignable to
our deepest Self, doesnt necessarily mean that its correct
and objective. This is something which should be consid-
ered.
The most important thing is to live our life in the most
coherent and sincere way, so that we can achieve this state of
emptiness, non-manifested, which represents us, instead of
struggling with doubts about our False and True Self. Of
course, this is only my subjective consideration, so take it in
this way subjectively.
 In addition to a life lived more consciously, the prac- The Art of Pondering
tice of meditation is surely the most efficient medium to en-
ter the deepest realm of ourselves and to recognize, field by
field, what really represents us as part of our True Self and
what represents the mere conditioned surface.

I would like to speak here about an interesting, but

almost ignored practice in self-development, and also largely
used by myself in my daily practice for years: Pondering.
According to The American Heritage Dictionary of
the English Language, pondering is described as to reflect
or consider with thoroughness and care, a type of contem-
plation. Gurdjieff gave a large importance to this practice
and encouraged his pupils to use it while considering what
he had taught them. Pondering is also included in the Su-
fis practice (such as the Silent Zikr), which was used in late
Christianity, and is still used by the Orthodox Christians. Its
a fantastic practice which is simple to explain in brief, espe-
cially in Facebook notes. It has a large impact on the prac-
titioner: Pondering is one of the main factors in developing
an Objective Reason.

Alfred Richard Orage also described pondering with the fol-

lowing words:
Pondering is answering questions from essence and
answering them practically.
One -half the energy of a human being must be spent
internally pondering.
One -third of ones time should be spent in pondering.
Pondering is a self-interrogation which consists in
stripping off all the answers of association until you finally thoughts, that it is difficult to renounce them.
come to your own essential answer.

Try it, if you wish, and inform me about your experiences

When I started my own path for Self-Development, and results.
my mentor taught to my group, the practice of pondering.
We had first to ponder about a determined problem, and
once found the answer, we could speak with him about it.
His aim was to teach us to use , or better said, to train our
mind, to find the answers correctly, instead of having the
impulse to ask him first. My first impression about this prac-
tice was that it is similar to the Japanese Koans, and below
well see why

So, how is Pondering in practice?

First of all, we start to question an idea inherent in
the Work on ourselves using our Intellectual Center (Mind):
What value are the impressions I acquire during my daily
life?. What is the meaning of Being Awakened? How
does a particular situation affect my emotional state?, etc.
Every answer that arises is intentionally put aside or accepted
as temporarily correct for a determined time, but susceptible
to further change. During this practice, automatic thoughts
are gently excluded. While pondering, the practitioner
should involve the feeling-sensation of his body, his emotion-
al state has to remain neutral, and this emotional setting
allows the emotional expressions from the Higher Emotional
Center.
Its a Three-Centered Action, because it involves all
our centers to be active, and this means all to our Being. The
aim is not to find an answer to the question, but rather a
deepening of the argument we are questioning. Pondering
needs a certain period of practice to reach some results. Its
not complicated, but we are so entangled in our rational
 Self-Development through Facebook! A calm and relaxed natural breathing is also very use-
ful: in this manner, mind can be engaged with the work on
the PC and, at the same time, we can divide our attention by
maintaining, relaxing, and adjusting our body posture and
breath slightly. After some time of such practice, we will no-
tice the development of a greater awareness and transform
our time spent on Facebook or other web pages, into mo-
ments of relative nerve regeneration and mental health.
How many hours do we spend against the PCs moni- Try itit needs some practice, because when we are on
tor? How many useful and useless things do we do during a the computer, there are many subjects to identify ourselves
day on various pages such as, in this case, on Facebook? To with, but I found practice useful.
what degree does this attitude harm our state of conscious-
ness? And the most important question, can the act of surf-
ing on web pages such as Facebook become a sort of training
for our self-development?
First of all, of course, staying against the PC all day cant
be healthyin this way, we miss the most important part of
the dayliving our life. But, maybe, even an ill-famed
eater of consciousness such as Facebook could become a
good gymnasium for developing our attentionbut, dont
overdo this practice !!
When we use the PC, the best method for maintaining a
state of awareness, and not falling asleep against the monitor,
is to focus our attention on the body.
If we strive to keep the back straight, we achieve natu-
rally, a better state of attention. Indeed, a straight posture
produces a better state of awareness, and this is one of the
main reasons that such posture is suggested during the medi-
tation. Staying for hours on the computer, it avoids much
physical damage typical for those who sit for most part of the
day.
Also, a good suggestion is to often check the legs and
shoulders to notice if they are constrained, and, if they are
constrained, let us relax them!
 Few Steps Towards a Stronger Will
Almost all of us carry an intolerance to which we are
unable to give a name. Who searches deeply in this field
recognizes what it is, and only from this point begins a real
path to self growth. In fact, once we have realized that our
inertia is the cause of our condition, we start to give more
attention to a skill that almost all claim to have, but actually,
almost no one has the Will.
But, what is Will?
What must we do to develop it?
And is it really possible to develop?
What must we do when the wish for further develop-
ment pushes to one
side, and from the other, mental and physical laziness
bring us constantly
bring us back to the starting point?
The Will is surely a skill that can be trained and de-
veloped. It can be defined as the ability to maintain a fixed
decision, even if many obstacles arise to deter it. Will allows
us to realize the aims we feel we must achieve, even if this
is difficult or unpleasant. It is a skill which allows us not
to be deflected from our goals. Once, my mentor (teacher)
said, There is no simpler thing in the world than to train our
will. Even if this statement seems absurd and senseless, the
development of the will is relatively easy, but it demands a
great effort. The recipe is to decide one thing and not betray
this decision.
Many people believe that training the will is to do
something which is driven from a passion, something we
really love to do. But, it must be said that the most effec-
tive way to develop the will is precisely to do something that
doesnt impassion us.
When we do something we like, it is easy to follow
the steps, but this develops nothing in us, except a less strong
and less determined Will. It is more useful to decide to do
small things that we are indifferent to, or that give us diffi-
culty which doesnt turn us away from the decision, creating
various excuses.
From this point of view, washing dishes or cleaning
house, overcoming laziness, is more efficient in developing
the will, than to do great things which are motivated by our
passions or desires.
 Awakening to our True Nature
Not to a New School
Objectively, this Blog is driven from an only purpose,
written on the right side above the page: the Awakening to
your true Nature.
So, its driven with what is just the Real Aim of Self
development- the development of what represents what we
really are (Self ), and his development-namely the develop-
ment of all the expression of what we really are in order to be-
come more effective and integrated in a more sober and real
life. And, all this without following any specific method pur-
posed from the many Schools, Centers, Ashrams and so
on with all their points of views and convictions, closed in a
sort of elitist physical detachment from the world, but rather
following a system that could be integrated in our everyday
life, that could allow us to live our life on this planet, be-
tween normal people, without appearing particular, strange,
unique.
Through just being what we are, as we are, depending
from our possibilities, nothing more, nothing less.
Its my opinion and belief , but also a belief of
some people who accepted to collaborate with me in the
Work to Awakening, that what this World needs are not new
philosophies, but rather a new practical approach; so peo-
ple who able to have respect dont have a supreme respect
to all and everything, but without the necessity of idola-
trizing anything in particular. People with a developed Be-
ing, a Heart, an expanded Consciousness in all the pos-
sible means of this term. People who deleted every kind of
dichotomy, the absurd division between We and Them,
between the Spiritual and the Material points of view. A
life free from any kind of conditionings or dogmas; a life ex-
perienced in a full state of emancipation: this is our purpose.
How to achieve this, is our problem, such as is a prob-
lem of everyone who accepts this sort of challenge.
In the last period, I received many emails in which people
asked to me why I am not speaking more about Gurdjieff and
the Fourth Way System? Why I dont cite more something
about Belzebubs Tales to his Grandson or Ouspenskys In
Search for the Miraculous? What I think about this or that
Gurdjieff or Fourth Way Center? For the reason that I dont
consider respectful copy and paste on many emails the same
answer, I would like to share, here on this topic the answer to
these questions.
The reason is simple: even if many of these groups
could seem singular, interesting and fascinating in the eyes of
a researcher as I am, not only I don belong to any group relat-
ed with the Gurdjieffs Work, but also I dont belong to any in-
stitutionalized Group, School, Center and so on. This does
not mean that I consider such groups wrong, everyone does
what he wish or feels to do. Simply, its not more our interest
(I speak, here in name of the members of the non-formal
group of research which with I collaborate). The only aim of
this Blog and the aim of the group of people with which I share
the same interest is to awaken, and this result is not a prerog-
ative of only a determined group (such as many even consider
that), nor exists only a way to awaken. Also, some associate
the name of the Blog, Sarmoung, to the Gurdjieffs Work, but
the choice of such name have other reasons of personal value.
We are not specialists of some particular path, dis-
cipline or method. Our only wish is to become special-
ists in awakening, and its which we are working on.
So, we are not followers of Gurdjieff, Buddhism,
Krishnamurti or any other teacher, individual or method
mentioned on this Blog.
We speak about every valuable part of a method or teach-
ing, ancient and not ancient, driven from five simplerules:
1. If something functions for you, then use it!
2. Never speak about something that is not part of your
experience, and if you do it, then make it clear that is not a
your experience;
3. Respect all the sincere Paths and the people who follow
them, but keep mind and heart that the key for an answer
does not belong to a particular School- those who make
such statement lie on themselves and the others;
4. Experience, this is the Key for Knowing;
5. Act consciously, this is the Key for doing;
6. Research does not mean expecting some answers, but
rather find them, and then verify;
7. Be compassionate and respectful, as best as you can, to-
wards all the living beings and yourself;
Its not a close group of people, everyone who has a
sincere interest in what we do can collaborate with us, and
everyone (independently from the gender, age, religion, cul-
ture) is welcome.
Further Explanation on What is Self- Observation
In the last month I have received many emails about
what is the practice of self- observation, why it is so difficult
to practice, and if there are some tricks for improving it.
Self- observation is surely the main tool for self- development
(at least for the administrator of this Blog page).
Indeed, this is the mean through which the practi-
tioner performs what is known as inner work, the work for
self-development, and through observation, integrated in
a serious and well-structured system of teaching, there are
practically no limitations about what we can discover con-
cerning ourselves and life.
There are two things we have to consider: the first is,
that in order to perform an efficient observation, we need
energy and awareness. This would appear to be an obvious
statement, but it also seems that it is not well understood.
Observe not in a non -occasional and superficial way, but
with a focussed will, and not remaining in the field of phi-
losophizing and intellectualizing this action as a concept.
What we need to observe, is to develop a certain degree of
awareness and a nice quality fuel.
The first difficulty we have to face concerning obser-
vation, is that we usually dont know what it is about. We
are convinced we possess this skill, but only through direct
experimentation will we realize that this is not true, and only
then well have the possibility (which depends only on our
interest) to dedicate ourselves to studying and practicing it
in a serious way.
 Observation can bring self-consciousness, a degree
that cant be achieved through merely theoretical study or
only the practice in daily life: we have to synchronize and
alternate the theoretical study with the observation of our-
selves and our functions which could bring the extraordinary
aim of the awakening of an individual consciousness.
In order to observe ourselves in an efficient way, we
have to develop a great and rare skill - sincerity. Being hon-
est means not speaking tales to ourselves and others with the
only aim of maintaining alive the fictitious and nonexistent
character who emerges from the various fragments of person-
ality. If we are not sincere and we dont recognize that we cant
maintain a continuity of awakened consciousness, we havent
any possibility to succeed.
The first step in the education of self- observation has, in the
first place, the aim of becoming aware of our absence, and
this is a thing that should not be understimated: our bodies
are here, in the present, but our minds are somewhere else.
Whoever wishes to forge ahead and take for granted to have
understood his situation from the beginning, most usually
doesnt achieve anything in this field.
There are many methods for observation, and some of
them have been shown on this blog, but in the first place, we
must understand what it is about, apart from the techniques
we use. In order to accomplish the process of observation,
there must be someone who guides it. The observer and the
observed (the object of observation) are not the same thing:
we can see a tree, because it is external to us, but we cant
see our face if we are not looking in a mirror. So, at the be-
ginning, the field of observation should be the most exterior
part of ourselves which exists, and that is the reason why we
should begin a practice of self- observation starting from our
body: observing our gestures, becoming more aware of the
way we interact with external objects, reducing gradually,
mechanical and habitual acts.
Afterwards, well begin to observe the intellectual and
emotional functions, but at the beginning it is best to begin
from the body and its mechanicity. Even breath, which is an
instinctive action, is a good starting point to focus our atten-
tion in a conscious way, and its very useful to develop the
skill of observation.
Through observation, it is possible to reach control of
our functions (intellectual, emotional, motoric, instinctive)
that are part of ourselves. In this way, well gain not only an
understanding of the condition of sleep, so that we notice
that we are unaware, but well also gain the power to regain
our natural functions, emancipating ourselves from mecha-
nicity.
The capacity of observation also gives us the possibil-
ity to understand others in a deeper way, and this can allow
us to establish better relations and to give our help to who-
ever finds himself in difficulty.
Concerning observation, there is a traditional prac-
tice called natural awareness which consists in fighting
to eliminate mechanical habits. We can perform such a prac-
tice , for example, in the way that when we lean a glass on the
table or we sit on a chair, we transform these habitual acts in
conscious actions. In this way, we begin to find an aesthetic
of gestures, and through placing an object (or ourselves) in
the space in a way determined by us. So, for example, put-
ting the cigarette lighter in a purposeful way near the pack of
cigarettes becomes a conscious aesthetic act.
 Failed Awakening: What have we missed?
Many times in more topics on Facebook and in some here,
on this Blog page, I marked the statement that, for those
whose aim is to awaken to a higher level of consciousness
and a different level of being, wish and efforts are not enough.
On a first look, it could seem really absurd: What? An-
drea, what are you speaking for? If I really wish something
and I make the necessary efforts, then Ill achieve the aim
I choose! and that could be even a legitimate reaction on
such statement. But (and I always love those but, because
they open to new possibilities making the persons to see from
different points of views), do we really wish what we expose
as our aim?
And, do we really make the necessary efforts to achieve
a such aim?
Even if one is able to answer for both questions in an affir-
mative way, someone who really and sincerely attempted to
awaken, knows and understands that what I wrote above is
at least quite true. Days and days, weeks and weeks, if not
years and years of attempts and efforts, without too much ef-
fective results.
How many times we have wished something with all
our heart, doing all what was in our possibilities, but didnt
achieved this? I ponder that everyone of us had such experi-
ence at least one during his/her life. And this is, unfortunate-
ly, of value even when we speak of awakening.
Whats the reason of such limitation? Is, then, an ef-
fective awakening impossible? Its only an utopian dream, a
theory, or there is something we missed to notice?
Maybe, the reason lies in something we ignored till
now
In, my experience, I can say that there are really many
reasons who avoid a person to achieve a higher and more
stable level of consciousness: lying, not too much efforts, self
pity. and many other problems along the Path of which
I have wrote on many posts on this Blog.
But there is one thing I consider the most impor-
tant, the key to find the necessary strength to make possible
a qualitative and permanent jump to another level: to ac-
complish this quite impossible mission of awaken, this must
really become the primary need of our life and willy-
nilly, who didnt achieved any effective result even after years
and years of practice, then it hasnt such wish. Sad and pain-
ful to hear, but true.
The secret is that such wish must become a need,
such as the need to breath there are not other possibilities:
or we awaken of we are not, so this mean that we, in some
way, die. If we dont wish to die, then, we have to do every-
thing possible to avoid this to happen. A person who falls in
a lake, and begin to drown, has a so strong wish to stay alive,
that will makes all what is possible to suffocate not. This per-
son will use all its forces, and even more that all the forces
she ordinarily has, to escape such destiny. I dont know if I
rend the idea if we wish to awaken, to become less mechan-
ic, less identified, less walking corpses and more awakened
walkers, then we have to wish this such as the person who
drowns wish air to stay alive because, there are not other
possibilities because this is the primary need of our life.
Ok, but if someone of us dont have such strong
wish- need, what it has to do?
 The second secret is that such wish can be devel-
oped. One of the most common and accessible means to de-
velop such skill is to make an intention, a sort of declaration.
If I wish to awaken, to be more conscious to be able
to overcome the limitations who take me asleep, I have
to feed this wish daily in an intentional way. This inten-
tional act requires the participation of all our being: mind,
body, heart. A simple mental or spoken affirmation is not
enough; in fact, pretending to feed such intention in this way
would be like pretend to make vanish the stink in a dump
just spraying a perfume. Impossible. We need something
more effective. And to make such something make effec-
tive and useful, we need also constance- indeed, this is one of
the main keys to a productive work.
So, every morning, when we wake up, what we have
to do is to stay with our legs straight in font of an opened
window, tighten our right fist, and begin to breath fresh air.
On every our breath, we have to think and say an affirmation
such as:I wish to Be- here, be is intended as being con-
scious and awake, the opposite of not-be, the normal walk-
ing hypnotic state. We have also to feel this intention with
our emotional field, creating in ourselves a feeling of deter-
mination to achieve this aim. If you dont feel it, then imag-
ine you are feeling it- trough a constant practice, this feeling
will become effective. I dont speak, here about imaginary,
but of an intentional, conscious and focused visualization.
Do this every day. Five minutes are enough. And dont
expect miracles. Such a house cant be built in one day, an
intention cannot be strengthen in five minutes. But trough
time, the efforts will show the results.
Gentleness of Movements Gentleness of Mind
Soft sinews are a special characteristic of the infant. If people
who are not far from death (old people) are to have any hope
of returning to youthfulness, it is only through concentrating
on the chi and becoming soft.
This quote from the Tai Chi Chuan master Cheng
Man Ching evokes a concept of softness of the body move-
ments, and it expresses a concept that surpasses the practice
of a martial art. The words express a concept of softness that
we often ignore during our daily physical movements. And,
softness implies also a concept of gentleness.
Our physical body is anything but rudimental, and
its potentials are far from being expressed by humans as we
know them. Its a matter of fact that no one has taught us
how to use our physical mean in the best way we can, and
this is perhaps the main reason why most of social influences
bring us to a significant reduction of health.
We are so convulsive and disharmonic while moving
our body, and this physical attitude reflects a condition of
inner disharmony.
It is enough to observe ourselves during any action,
even the most simplest, to perceive that. How much is our
body relaxed during an action? How much energy do we use
during the same action? How much does our thought-emo-
tional field harm the harmony of our body?
If we perceive that this is our case and in most cases,
it is so this means, that if we want to become and act in a teraction a child has with the environment which surrounds
more relaxed way, we have to change our behavior starting him.
from the most touchable mean that we have our physical
body. Its true..our life gives us many more possibilities of
being stressed than to be relaxed bills, work and family
There is a strict connection between our body and problems, problems with friends, etc.
our feelings, so, if the feelings can change our physical state,
harming even the movements, then an intentional movement But, maybe, we should have to take the life situation in a dif-
can influence our feelings. ferent, less rigid way. In fact, even this rigidity doesnt change
anything.
It is said that if we dont love ourselves, we cant love
others a true statement! But its also right to say that, if we Something I find myself thinking about is that the
are not gentle with ourselves, we cant be gentle with others! Buddhist Middle Way fits like a glove for us, modern men
And, gentleness towards ourselves means just this: become who take their lives so seriouslybut not too much.
more relaxed and harmonious, to achieve a state of relaxation
that should be a state of Being, not just as a moment of re-
lease from daily stressful situations. Giving too much weight to our life problems,
makes us also weighty
How to perform such conversion? Through a con-
scious, intentional use of our physical body: this means to
develop a gestural aesthetic that should reflect gentleness.
For example, while walking, we could pay attention to how
we place our feet on the ground, how we move in the space
like a dance, like Tai Chi Chuan movements. The simple act
of intentionally putting a glass on the table, becomes a ritual
to achieve more relaxation, more gentleness.
In Japan, there exists a discipline that is enhanced
to the rank of Art, called natural awareness, and the well-
known Tea Ritual is only one example of this Art. So, becom-
ing more aware of our movements, brings us to a develop-
ment of a more relaxed state.
Be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the uni-
verse, no less than the trees and the stars. In the noisy confu-
sion of life, keep peace in your soul, said the American
writer, Max Ehrmann. A very wise quote! Maybe, we all have
to learn from these words, and take a look at the movements
of a child, the harmony of these movements, the gentle in-
 Human Centers:
Introduction & the Intellectual Function
A Comprehensive Introduction
This is the first of a series of posts devoted to one of
the most interesting, but also most confusing topics inherent
in Inner Development: Human Functions or, as many call
them, Centers. Confusing, because it has remained mostly
in the field of theories and not incorporated into a practice.
There is a great tendency to speak about and formulate new
theories, but only theories without experience, so even veri-
fying them in practice has never awakened anyone.
A human being can achieve a higher state of Con-
sciousness, but this is only a possibility, not a natural fact.
We can also achieve the control of our Consciousness only
through experience, so it requires a constant practice of ob-
servation. From the moment we begin to follow the Path
towards Self-Development in a serious theoretical and practi-
cal way, we will face two main difficulties: the first one will
be our ignorance (never mind how many texts about this ar-
gument we have read) concerning our nature, an ignorance
which gives us the illusion that we can really count on our
capacities, such as they are at this moment. The second prob-
lem is our mechanicity or automatism, which prevents us
from acting in an efficient and emancipated way.
This topic has been contended with many times in the
posts of this Blog. Once we have understood and accepted
(if our pride permits us to accept this, even as a possibility),
that we know almost nothing about ourselves, we have the
possibility to remedy this condition. To do this, we can use
tools that are integral parts of the psycho-physical human
structure, which could be considered as a machine. Differ-
ently from many followers of the Theosophical system and
Gurdjieffs or Fourth Way System, which consider such terms
reductive and disparaging, we use this term to define a com-
plex of articulated and complex mechanics which require
knowing and understanding of their correct functioning.
The human machine has seven functions, of which
the study is of capital importance in order to realize our True
Nature. These functions are: Intellectual, Emotional, Mo-
toric, Instinctive, Sexual, Higher Emotional, and Higher In-
tellectual. The last two functions are not achievable from the
ordinary state of being in which we are, because the Higher
Emotional manifests itself only once we have achieved the
state of Self-Consciousness or Self-Remembering. The High-
er Intellectual appears only after having achieved, at least
barely, an Objective Consciousness.
So, the Inner Work begins with the study of the theory
and the particular techniques for the intellectual, emotional,
motoric and instinctive functions.
Intellectual Function
This function encompasses all the mental processes:
perception of impressions, creation of visual and conceptual
representations, reasoning, association, comparisons, imagi-
nation, affirmation and denial, linguistic and discursive con-
struction. Our ordinary mind recognizes everything in dual-
istic terms, dividing all into good-wrong, denial-affirmation,
true-false, love-hate, friend-enemy, etc. This binary way of nothing to do with what we are experiencing. We live in the
thinking prevents us from grasping a paradox in what we past, and not in the present. And this occurs at almost every
consider a rational way. moment of our life.
What is very important is to realize is that our ordi- This process is so constant and relevant from keeping
nary mind (the intellectual function as it is without specific us constantly far from the present moment, even if we have
training), is strictly related to the field of emotions and sen- the illusory perception of living here and now. This is the
sations. Indeed, it makes symbolic representations (images reason why all the Ancient Schools dedicated to the Work of
and words) of what our senses have perceived from our birth Inner Development marked the importance of achieving a
to the present moment. This is one of the reasons of why, mental silence and a control of the intellectual functions
for example, mental patterns and behaviors are very different through meditative practices.
between different nations because of cultural specificity. We
must also understand the interconnection between thoughts Entering into a mental silence, namely to slow and
and emotions: these are two absolutely different functions, temporarily cease the associative dynamics, allows us to ex-
but they are often confused one with the other. A thought perience the present moment; every other condition extrane-
generates an emotion, and an emotion activates a series of ous to the time in which we live (now), is similar to a dream
corresponding thoughts, and this process is guided almost state, and describes the difficulty of maintaining ourselves in
always from associative and automatic modalities. a state of constant awareness (Self-Remembering). If we are
able to induce the mind into a non-temporal state through
Let us make an example: a word said by someone meditative practices, we have the possibility to gain new in-
makes us remember (intellectual function) a series of situa- tellectual skills that usually do not exist in us.
tions previously experienced during our life. These thoughts
activate the corresponding emotions which we have experi-
enced in the various moments our mind evokes remembrance
(emotional function). Then, the same emotions create new
mental processes which join the past memories with the pres-
ent, and this generates other emotions, etc. This is a never
ending and apparently unstoppable process which is associa-
tive and mechanical (automatic), because it is not chosen or
desired, and associative because we associate it to an event
(in this case, the word said by a friend), a series of memories.
This association continues in an automatic way, comparing
the various past experiences with our present experience.
This is how our mind ordinarily functions, reacting
through constant comparisons. Our memory intervenes sys-
tematically into our present experiences, arousing thoughts
and emotions from the past which objectively, have almost
 Human Centers:
The Emotional Function
This field encompasses all the emotions and feelings
such as happiness, joy, pleasure, anxiety, anger, regret and the
never-ending spectrum of sensations we can experience.
What is certain is that without a determined practice,
its quite difficult to discern our thoughts from emotions.
Compared with thoughts, emotions are much faster in their
manifestation. Ordinarily, once an emotion arises, it produc-
es an association of thoughts and fantasies which we label
under the term reasoning.
Before achieving a state of self -consciousness, we must
work diligently in order to discern thoughts from emotions.
In most cases, thoughts are colored by the emotions, and this
is a great problem, because it is the main cause of what Bud-
dhists call suffering. Almost always, our decisions, con-
structed concepts and reactions are the results of mechanical
and conditioned emotional states. This is the reason why it
is so difficult to manage unwanted emotions through logi-
cal processes and reasoning. Its an experience that all have
in common: we may even know that an emotional state is
wrong, but we have not many possibilities to change the
situation. Our ordinary mind is too slow and weak to control
our emotions anytime we wish. During the development of
a state of Self Awareness (Self Remembering), this possibility
arises, but it is not yet stable, so it cannot happen every time.
There are some people who live their life through the
intellectual field, so they seem more able to sedate the emo-
tions using logic, but if we take a deeper look, well notice
that they dont control anything: they simply repress them.
The control of our emotional states through the Higher In-
tellectual field is a far different thing. In such a case, emo-
tions are free to be expressed in their full potential, without
limitations or blockages, and this emotional wave is directed
by an individual will.
What is the function of the Emotional Field? It repre-
sents the center from where began the feelings for all which
exists. It is the mean which permits us to answer to any im-
pression we experience. Its the pure heart of expression. It
brings us in relation to a vast sphere which includes all that
exists. How could human relationships exist without emo-
tions? How could we enjoy music, landscapes or conversa-
tion?
Of course, we have taken as examples only positive
emotions, but there are also negative emotions, and they
are expressed more often than the positive. Such emotions
have to be considered such as they are: a poison for human
nature. A human being is born to feed himself with what we
consider positive emotions, and a negative emotional state
which lasts for a longer period of time, results in the mani-
festation of more or less dangerous illnesses.
Looking from a more objective point of view, an emo-
tional center, in its True Nature, is not dualistic, so it does
not recognize positive or negative emotions; positive and
negative related to the emotional sphere is an illusion, but,
for the reason that our emotional field does not work in a
natural way, therefore, not balanced, well speak, for now,
using terms we usually recognize and also use.
When a person achieves a state of objective conscious-
ness, the emotional field transmitters. It is transformed from
a prison which does not allow us to live a peaceful life, in a
mean to experience the spiritual states described in all the
Ancient Teachings as compassion, unconditional love, and Human Centers:
a state of unity with all that exists an expansion of con-
sciousness over the limits of an egoistic mind. Instinctive & Motoric Function

Instinctive Center

There are four aspects inherent to this center which

does not require to be learned, because each of them is innate
in every human being:
Sensory perceptions (the five senses and all the or-
gans of reception for every kind of sensation);
The autonomous functions (the whole human
physiology, included are the processes of respiration, blood
circulation, metabolism, digestion, etc);
Physical emotions ( the aspect of the senses which
allows us to perceive and discern between pleasant and
unpleasant and prevent us instinctively to preserve our
body from what could bring us some damage); reflex actions
(smile, sneeze, cough, blink, yawn, etc )
Instinctive processes and the related physical memory
represents the totally mechanical part of the human being.
So, it is composed of reflexes and automatisms which, in this
case, does not prevent our development, but performs a job
which otherwise would be impossible for us: maintaining the
function of the physical machine.
Observing the natural and healthy mechanicity of our
physical mean allows us to ponder on the less healthy mecha-
nicity of the emotional and intellectual functions.
Indeed, mechanicity is not negative in every field; we
have to remember that Nature took hundreds of thousands ods such as Yoga or inner martial arts, science of gestures,
of years to adapt human physiology in order to live in the postural corrections, and all these systems, in their integral
material world and in the natural field, and mechanicity and original version which have a capital value in self -devel-
(expressed in instinctive functions) corresponds to the im- opment.
provement of the possibilities for survival. Indeed, evolution
means also to adapt ourselves, and once we adapt ourselves to
a situation, we can manage it instinctively.
Through the observation of this function, we may no-
Even in the intellectual and emotional fields, mech- tice a great amount of mechanical attitudes, which represent
anicity has its value as a means to learn. Just ponder on a our loss of consciousness towards our physical mean. We as-
child who harms himself by touching a flame; this experience sume habitual postures, have always the same gestures, the
will raise in him an instinctive memory, through immature same tensions, we move our body in the same way, and an
emotions and thoughts, an instinctive fear of fire which will infinite series of repetitive gestures.
preserve him from destroying his physical mean with this ele-
The study and the observation of such habits is very
ment.
important: through the language of our body, we can gain
access to thousands of items of information concerning our
emotional and intellectual sphere. Also, teaching ourselves
Motor Function correct and sober gestural behaviors, can help us to correct
some emotional and intellectual anomalies. These practices
are a starting point to maintaining a constant attentive state
in the present moment, in order to develop a higher con-
All the physical actions which are not innate, but ac-
sciousness.
quired through learning, such as walking, speaking, writing,
etc are part of the humans motor functions. Many motor
actions which are usually considered instinctive, also belong
to this field. For example, if an object falls and we grab it
before it touches the floor, this is not an instinctive action.
Motor function is very important, because it allows
us motion in space, therefore, a direct interaction with life
through touching, grasping, escaping, dodging, running,
etc
All such dynamics are not entirely physical. They are
imbued with symbolic connections strictly related to emo-
tional and intellectual states. This is the reason why the mo-
tor function has always been the field of attention for all the
ancient systems, which worked on this field through meth-
 Human Centers:
The Emotional Function
This field encompasses all the emotions and feelings
such as happiness, joy, pleasure, anxiety, anger, regret and the
neverending spectrum of sensations we can experience.
What is certain is that without a determined practice,
its quite difficult to discern our thoughts from emotions.
Compared with thoughts, emotions are much faster in their
manifestation. Ordinarily, once an emotion arises, it produc-
es an association of thoughts and fantasies which we label
under the term reasoning.
Before achieving a state of self -consciousness, we
must work diligently in order to discern thoughts from emo-
tions. In most cases, thoughts are coloured by the emotions,
and this is a great problem, because it is the main cause of
what Buddhists call suffering. Almost always, our deci-
sions, constructed concepts and reactions are the results of
mechanical and conditioned emotional states. This is the
reason why it is so difficult to manage unwanted emotions
through logical processes and reasoning. Its an experience
that all have in common: we may even know that an emo-
tional state is wrong, but we have not many possibilities
to change the situation. Our ordinary mind is too slow and
weak to control our emotions anytime we wish. During the
development of a state of Self Awareness (Self Remember-
ing), this possibility arises, but it is not yet stable, so it can-
not happen everytime.
There are some people who live their life through the
intellectual field, so they seem more able to sedate the emo-
tions using logic, but if we take a deeper look, well notice
that they dont control anything: they simply repress them.
The control of our emotional states through the Higher In-
tellectual field is a far different thing. In such a case, emo-
tions are free to be expressed in their full potential, without
limitations or blockages, and this emotional wave is directed
by an individual will.
What is the function of the Emotional Field? It repre-
sents the center from where began the feelings for all which
exists. It is the mean which permits us to answer to any im-
pression we experience. Its the pure heart of expression. It
brings us in relation to a vast sphere which includes all that
exists. How could human relationships exist without emo-
tions? How could we enjoy music, landscapes or conversa-
tion?
Of course, we have taken as examples only positive
emotions, but there are also negative emotions, and they
are expressed more often than the positive. Such emotions
have to be considered such as they are: a poison for human
nature. A human being is born to feed himself with what we
consider positive emotions, and a negative emotional state
which lasts for a longer period of time, results in the mani-
festion of more or less dangerous illnesses.
Looking from a more objective point of view, an emo-
tional center, in its True Nature, is not dualistic, so it does
not recognize positive or negative emotions; positive and
negative related to the emotional sphere is an illusion, but,
for the reason that our emotional field does not work in a
natural way, therefore, not balanced, well speak, for now,
using terms we usually recognize and also use.
When a person achieves a state of objective conscious-
ness, the emotional field transmutates. It is transformed from
a prison which does not allow us to live a peaceful life, in a
mean to experience the spiritual states described in all the Higher Centers
Ancient Teachings as compassion, unconditional love, and
a state of unity with all that exists an expansion of con-
sciousness over the limits of an egoistic mind.

For the reason that the two following higher functions

are far from the minds ordinary possibilities of understand-
ing , because they can be understood only through direct
experience, we wont spend too many words in explanation
which would only produce further misunderstandings. The
only thing we would like to say is to give our best wishes to
all of you that you would achieve at least one of these sublime
states.

Higher Emotional Function

The Higher Emotional manifests itself once an indi-

vidual has achieved Self Consciousness, when the emotional
perceptions change dramatically, with the emergence of a
highly superior sensibility, a perception and consciousness of
Oneness with reality.
In an ordinary condition, emotional reactions are
connected with the presence of a fragmented personality, so
we cannot express a state of permanent unity in ourselves nor
with what surrounds us.
Oppositely, once an individual achieves a stable con-
sciousness and unity in a stable inner center, there is a possi-
bility of the permanent manifestation of expressions such as
Compassion, Unconditional Love, and Loyalty, which arise
as a consequence of the inner perception of Oneness with all
things and phenomena.
This explains why humans continue to feel emotions
such as anger, hate, indifference towards the suffering of oth-
ers, envy, violence, and fear. Even religious persons, although
the religion he follows preaches Love and Compassion, con-
tinues to feel such emotions. Throughout the history of man-
kind, many promulgators of religious teachings and mes-
sages of love, executed many acts and barbarities which were
contrary to what they advocated. Its not difficult to notice
that in most of the religious fields (but also fields of Inner
development), because of dogmatic rigidity toward new ideas
or arguments, there are many tendencies toward intolerance
towards those who have other points of view.
Following a teaching in a theoretical way, such as
studying the biography of an enlightened individual, does
not mean one follows the process of development which el-
evated the enlightened individual beyond the normal human
condition.
To gain the states described by those who have
achieved them, one must practice a discipline dedicated to
self -development. We cannot really be Buddhist, Christian,
or Muslim with only the fact that we follow the ideals and
rules proposed by the corresponding religion. We need to re-
search and to follow the Path which pulled the great Teachers
toward the understanding of Reality and the overcoming of
human limits.
Belief is not enough. In order to achieve a deeper un-
derstanding of a religion, it is useful to gradually develop the
skill to recognize the Sacred in all existing things and situa-
tions.
The manifestation of the higher emotive allows an in-
dividual to grasp the entire gamut of emotional nuances in
an objective way, which would otherwise be impossible to
notice. Once the higher emotional arises, there is no identifi-
cation, and its realization allows the complete control of or-
dinary emotional function. Its not correct to think that, once
we realize the higher emotional, that our ordinary emotions
will disappear. This could happen, but its not a perogative.
What occurs is that the same emotions are enlightened
from a higher and deeper understanding.
There is a wise Zen phrase which explains this trans-
formation: Before a man studies Zen, a mountain is a moun-
tain, after he gets insights, a mountain is not a mountain.
When he really understands, a mountain is a mountain.
This quote describes an interesting fact: in an ordi-
nary condition of consciousness, reality appears as covered
by a sort of fog. We see things, but we dont actually observe
them, because the ordinary emotive is like a wild sea which
does not allow us to see what is below its surface. Our feel-
ings are pulled by mechanical reactions, mental asociations,
habits. Once we begin the Inner Work, we begin to notice
that life is totally different from what we previously thought:
we begin to perceive ourselves and the world surrounding us
in a different, seemingly radical way. So, the mountains are
no longer simply mountains, and we begin to grasp the real-
ity beneath the appearances.
Finally, once we achieve a permanent higher state of
consciousness, we gain, with a new understanding, the nat-
ural vision of reality. The Higher Emotive expresses a state
of constant calm, and all is perceived as part of a natural or-
der which previously was impossible to be noticed.
The structure of the higher emotional manifests in the
lower functions and in all of ones daily life, now directed
from deep feelings, belonging to this higher sphere.

Higher Intellectual Function
The Higher Intellectual function is realized in a fur-
ther higher state of objective consciousness. Its surely an un-
thinkable condition for the common thought, and it repre-
sents a state when the individual mind becomes unified with
the Universal Mind. So, the amplitude of consciousness is so
high that an individual who realizes this state can acquire a
greater amount of information, than in the ordinary state.
The associative thoughts totally lose their mechanic-
ity, and the intellect becomes definitively emancipated from
any emotional and subjective bond. The objective conscious-
ness allows a vision of Reality (what is, as it is), and the higher
intellect allows the real discrimination between what is real
and what is illusory, so an individual in such state becomes
able to evaluate causes and effects which are manifested in
the real world.
So, a higher intellect allows the possibility to use the
mind to recognize what is illusion and what is not, and the
dualistic aspect loses its usual incapacity of evaluating what
lies between two colours. An individual begins to grasp
the unity where he previously saw duality, so that he becomes
able to rationalize something which was previously impos-
sible to understand: the paradox. This is the reason why it is
said that only through an objective vision is it possible to ap-
proach the great mysteries of the Universe in an intellectual
way.
The Characteristics of the Centers
In this post well examine the characteristics of the
four ordinary lower centers. These centers are peculiar to
the integral human structure, so they are immaterial, but
they have a material center of gravity, so can be located in
the body. The impossibility of identifying them for physical
analysis, requires the observation of them in an indirect way,
through their functions manifested in matter.
a) Location of the Centers
Centers are not limited to a determined physical area.
Each of them is manifested in the entire body, so when we
speak about their location in the body, we intend a specific
center of gravity. They do not have to be intended as an or-
ganic part of the body as they belong to the Essence, which is
not material, but uses matter as a mean for experimentation.
So, the location of the centers are the following: intel-
lectual center- brain; emotional center-chest and solar plex-
us; motoric and instinctive centers- lower part of the back,
specifically, the spinal cord.
The location of the centers is not very relevant when
concerned with the observation of their functions, but its
important when we use specific techniques of concentra-
tion in order to move our consciousness onto the areas of
gravity of a determined center, so that we can improve the
interaction of specific moments, or to compensate for some
eventual loss of a center.
What is also very important to understand, for those
who have some knowledge about the eastern occult and sub-
tle human anatomy, is that these centers are not the so- called
chakras, nor have anything to do with them. Maybe well
speak about this subtle anatomy on a future post.
b) Speed of the Centers
In ordinary language, we usually speak about the fast
or slow reaction and comprehension of a person, and in some
way we are speaking of a concrete reality. Every center has a
specific speed of action, dictated by the rhythm through
which particular functions are expressed. This is not a mere
intellectual curiosity, but its a relevant fact that is really prac-
tical for the improvement of our daily actions.
The slowest center is the intellectual; the motor and
instinctive centers are faster than the first, and the emotional
is the fastest of the four centers. Better said, it could be evi-
dently faster in a state of conscious awakening, but in the
ordinary state of consciousness, this centers speed is quite
similar to the motoric instinctive centers.
Experiencing the different speeds of the centers is a
very simple thing. Just try to separate mentally, a gesture per-
formed instinctually, or a sequence of rapid movements
expressed through the motoric center, and you will notice
that our mind is much too slow. Indeed, we lose an infinity
of particulars which we can recover only through slow -mo-
tion mental images.
Its a common thing that in the martial arts or dance,
an apprentice asks the teacher to repeat slowly , the same
movements more times in order to memorize them. The
intellectual center is definitively slower than the motoric.
A similar thing occurs with the instinctive and mo-
toric centers when they experience an emotional reaction: we
are surprised by an excess of fear or astonishment observing
our body react with an embarrassing delay. Indeed, the sensa-
tion of paralysis we experience in such cases is a sort of shock
which wakes us up for a moment, accelerating the work of
the emotional center.
Our subjective impression is that we have been blocked
physically, but in reality, this experience has induced in us, a
moment of consciousness in which we notice the speed of the
emotional center with respect to the other centers, which, in
comparison, seem motionless.
Theres an exponential relation between the speed of
each center: the emotional center is 30,000 times faster than
the instinctive and motor center; these, in turn are 30,000
times faster than the intellectual center. This means that the
emotional center is 60,000 times faster than the intellectual,
and this is the reason why an intellectual analysis cannot pre-
cede an emotional reaction.
This means that every center has its subjective time,
different from each other, and this is the reason of why, de-
pending on the dominant gravity on which our attention is
focused, that we experience a different time perception. This
implies the fact that we achieve the control of our subjective
time (time expansion or contraction) in the equal measure
that we achieve the control of the centers and their functions.
So, the applications of such a skill in our daily lives are sub-
stantial.
 c) The dualsim of the Centers
Every center works through binary mechanics,
namely each of them is composed, in some way, from com-
plementary and opposite polarities. Such oppositions do not
contemplate a theoretical field, but its results are extremely
relevant in life.
1. The dualism of the intellectual center
The intellectual centre expresses its dualism through
affirmation and negation. Mind analyzes the object of its
observation and, depending on the degree of consciousness
of the observer, makes a decision from which flows a conse-
quential action. Some of the observations will be objective,
and the larger part of the action will be objective and wise.
Mechanicity and conditionings of the ordinary mind allow
the precarious possibility of producing balanced and positive
effects as a result of personal choices.
When it happens that the opposites of this center
dont win the day with each other because the external
mechanical influences are equal, or because the individual
doesnt recognize any precise sign which could allow him to
make a decision, he falls into a situation of hesitation.
In some eastern concepts, especially Taoism and Zen,
there has developed the concept of non- action in response
to the loss of objectivity and consequently, the minds im-
possibility of making wise choices: waiting has represented
philosophically making distance from subjectivity of the
dual perceptions of the intellectual center.
2. The dualism of the instinctive center
This center expresses its duality through instinctive
acceptance and rejection. For example, we ingest a toxic sub-
stance, and the body rejects it immediately.
Through the physical senses we experience this dual-
ity through the dichotomy, pleasant- unpleasant: all which
causes pleasance to our senses attracts us, and which causes
unpleasance, to get away.
This behaviour is present in animals who live in their
habitat, but in the human being, is almost totally confused
with sensorial- emotional conditionings. Just to make an ex-
ample: when speaking of food, we are attracted or pushed
away from foods which we consider good or not good,
and not from what our our instinctive center recognizes as
benefic or harmful. This is a case of the confusion of work of
the centres.
If, as a child, we had associated a food with a positive,
loving and satisfying emotional moment, the memory of the
emotional center will continue to take the job of the instinc-
tive center, pushing us to desire that kind of food, associated
to positive emotions, independently if it is healthy or not for
the organism.
The instinctive center reacts more often to life stimu-
lus than what we would think, opposing resistance to what
could be dangerous. But, we usually dont pay attention to
that. This brings the instinctive center to become inhibited,
so uncapable of expressing with determination, to warn us in
a direct, determined way.
To regain the capacity of hearing the signals of our
instinctive center is very important.
 3. The dualism of th motoric center
The dualism of this function is expressed prevalently
in motion and rest. Its a very simple thing to be understood,
but the natural function of the motoric center is constantly
disturbed by the other centers which, in their functional dis-
order, deny the maximal use of the energies while working
or resting.
Especially, the intellectual and emotional centers are
almost never inactive, and they constantly disturb the work
of the motoric center, producing several dysfunctions of me-
dium or major intensity which gradually produce imbalances
of the entire physical structure.
That is the reason why it is very important to gain
the capacity of controlling the work of the centers through
specific techniques.
The possibility of a good and deep rest during sleep
and mantaining ourselves relaxed during daily activities, in-
fluences enormously (and positively) the different functions.
The success or failure of every action depends on the amount
of energy available in our centers, so dependent on our ca-
pacity of managing them consciously and in a correct way.
An In- Depth Look at the Emotional Center #1
In an ordinary state of being, the emotional center
expresses its duality in positive- negative emotions, and
such a dichotomy influences our whole existence, in each
of its fields. This is the reason why it needs a serious and
deep study, obviously not only in theory, but also in practice
through specific methods for self -realization. In such a way,
our life can change in a radical and permanent way.
What should be said immediately is that the emotion-
al center doesnt have as a function, the capacity to separate
positive from negative sensations; even if this would seem an
absurdity, the separation between positive and negative
is illusory, as our subjective perception of reality is not only
non -objective, but also the cause of all our suffering, con-
cerns and loss of human warmth in the life we live.
Emotional function does not contain a negative field.
Nature, evolution, or our Creator didnt intend for us to have
a negative aspect of the emotional function. This is an amaz-
ing fact, for the reason that we live from the moment we wake
up in the morning till the moment we go to sleep, immersed
in negative emotions.
Everything that happens externally from our psy-
chophysical structure generates reflexes. We could say that
humans reflect the impressions acquired from the external
environment which are then translated into emotions.
But such emotions are of neutral nature, lacking
any negative expression. Emotions assume a polarity (posi-
tive- negative) only because of our identifications and mental
imaginations, which are driven by the conditionings peculiar
to the environment in which our intellective center has been
formed.
The dualism produced in the emotional center is
based on opposites, so we are usually unable to perceive
Good without Evil, and the most we can do is to imagine a
permanent good as a result of a continuating absence of evil.
In this way, we create the idea of a Paradise in opposition to
Hell, two concepts which are an infinite distance.
The logic is the following: If God exists, then there
must exist the Devil; or: If there are good people, then
there must be bad people, etc
The cause is because the intellectual center cannot
perceive reality in terms of unity until it is enlightened by
an objective consciousness.
The emotional center is free from such division,
which is generated by the constant influence of the intellec-
tual function with all the social and cultural conditionings it
contains.
The emotional center, in its ordinary condition,
transforms all the sensations produced from the impressions
acquired in dual emotions. Said in the most sincere way, we
dont really experience true positive emotions, nor even in
contrast with the negative: emotions such as love, loyalty,
trust, and faith do not belong to such a dichotomy expressed
from a fragmented and impermanent personality. Such emo-
tions, when they are deep and real, belong only to the field of
self consciousness, and, if you have enough openness of mind,
and a little skill of observation to notice that this statement
is more than a mere theory, youll find a key to explain why
all the religions preach love and faith, such as many idealists,
intellectual men and women speak about universal concepts.
But, seeing the world harmed by always the same suffocating
problems, there must be something wrong in such marvelous
concepts and feelings.
So, what is wrong? In these concepts there is noth-
ing wrong; the problem lies in the human language which
presents an obstacle that cannot be overcome: the symbolism
represented in words do not describe in any way the state of
consciousness of those who pronounce them. So, we are used
to considering that terms like love, charity, loyalty, justice
etc have the same meaning for everyone who speak them
in an honest and feeling way. But this is not correct. With
all the respect we have towards the great religious traditions,
we know that their proponents have used the same words of
a religious owner, who shared words such as love, loyality,
charity, implying that the meaning they gave to such con-
cepts were the same as the founder of the idea (which became
a religion) they were following. How many people ask them-
selves if a religious proponent possesses the same state of
consciousness as the historical figure from which derives the
tradition he represents? The same thing could be said even for
the orientalist groups, of which the supposed teachers and
gurus express hackneyed phrases, aping a foregone state of
spiritual enlightenment or awakeness.
This is a very important consideration to ponder
about and, for a seeker, asking such a question is not only a
right, but a duty; its a fundamental question for those who
are interested in understanding reality as it is, and the reason
why we cant achieve a permanent state of harmony and hap-
piness.
Before truly understanding the emotional func-
tion, we must realize that we are immersed, since our early
childhood, in an ocean of hackneyed phrases, prepackaged
concepts and images that are only a virtual representation
of what might be the objective perception of reality. And
might doesnt mean is. This produces a mental image of
a whole series of negative and positive symbolic values that center, if one functions in a natural way: a true love remains
we are unable to question because they are part of what we love, and doesnt change to hate. Indeed, negative emotions
have heard and learned from the day of our birth. And this is are not natural, we have learned to express negative emotions.
called conditioning.

Peace is the only form of civility. Stop the

war Save the planet Earth!Love is stronger than
hate

Or

Beware of strangers life is full of delusions

you have to accept what life offers.
Whats the level of consciousness of those who state
such words? What are their identifications?
Humans take everything, or almost everything, for
granted. We think its enough to say I love you to express in
all its forms and manifestations, the sum of this feeling. But
one who really knows its meaning doesnt use such a term
often, and when he uses it, he does it with maximum respect.
There are basic social conditionings in which we are
immersed from our early childhood, and conditionings that
change from time to time; we are usually unable to recog-
nize the basic conditionings, and only the few who are a little
more awake understand that they exist, but in order to to-
tally realize this and to overcome them, we must transcend
our ordinary consciousness and achieve self -realization.
Real emotions are not subject to any kind of trans-
formation to their opposite; they can become negative be-
cause the duality doesnt exist as a function of the emotional
 An In- Depth Look at the Emotional Center #2
So, lets summarize what was said in the previous
post: The emotional center doesnt envisage a negative/posi-
tive polarity. It is structured to function through positive
emotions. But, lets make an in- depth explanation on what
positive emotions are: they are not beauty which can be
transformed from external situations into ugliness, or the
beneficial contrapositive to the harmful. What, in the in-
ner work, which are considered positive emotions are pure
and unconditioned energetic movements. They are pure, and
this purity doesnt imply any dualistic principle.
The mental conditionings, with their binary func-
tion, influence our emotional perception, transforming it
into a subjective and illusory experience. As an example of
this statement, consider how the concepts of good and evil
differ from nation to nation, relative to their cultural condi-
tionings. But, this doesnt mean that a human being who has
cleaned his emotional field from all conditionings, doesnt
get angry or frightened, and this is a very important thing
to elucidate. Indeed, though affirming that an emotion in its
natural, unconditioned state, is neutral, doesnt mean that
they are exempt from specific qualities.
An emancipated emotional function can burst into
flames and this heat can even take a direction toward conflict.
Being awakened doesnt mean being infallible or not having
emotions.
What we must focus on now, is that most of the emo-
tions a human being experiences, are not pure and natural
reactions, but coloured and deeply influenced by mental
conditionings.
To make clearer what we wish to say, lets make an
example: a very young child expresses violent and strong
emotions, even if he is still unable to comunicate them in
a clear way (he cries, grieves, etc). but such emotions
lasts for very brief moments, because they are not nourished
by thousands of mechanical thoughts, calcified opinions and
memories.
The emotions of an adult function in a totally differ-
ent way: he is struck by an insult, but he doesnt experience
the emotion for what it is. He relates the experience of that
moment with many others, grasped from his memory, re-
maining attached (identified) with the results of this process.
Its legitimate and normal to grasp with stupor the violence
of whoever attacks him, and its also normal to remain dis-
turbed, or even shaken from this. But, in a natural condition,
an individual should not lose his emotional permeability.
As, said above, ordinarily, a human remains attached
to the effects of the attack; from his early childhood, he de-
velops an emotional dimension loaded with fears, anger and
resentments, and this denies him any possibility to experi-
ence a pure emotion , free from the burden of the past and
from the expectations of the future. This is the main differ-
ence between a conditioned emotion and a pure emotion: its
not the problem if we experience anger or fear. The problem
is if well remain attached to it. Once again, emotions, in
their natural state, are neutral; it depends entirely on if and
how well react to them.
A realized being is not exempt from fear or anger- and
whoever states this is a bullshitter (sorry for the term, but
here it is needed); simply, these expressions are not the same
as the so -called non- realized beings: these emotions occur
if its neccesary. In simple words: if one approaches Buddha
on the street and puts his gun to Buddhas head, hell experi-
ence an emotion of danger, consequently fear, but once the emotion.
same person puts the gun down, this fear will end. Thats all.
He ll not have a hysterical attack, or become a screaming Mind produces fear: the mechanical field of intellect
banshee, but hell feel a legitimate emotion of fear in all its interferes with the emotional center, with devastating results,
purity, without conditionings from the past, or fears for the and this happens constantly. Its true, the world is full of dan-
future. gers, but our fears are not neutral, therefore non- dualistic,
real, justified, and based on facts. They are almost always illu-
The emotional center produces neutral emotions, sions based on ideas created by the mind. Indeed, usually, we
and this means that they originate from pure fluctuations of are those who create unintentionally the facts. And, what
sensations, determined by the impressions gained from the happens is that we often bring a person to act towards us as
outside, who duration is proportional to the the occurrence. a snake for the mere fact that we considered her a snake,
Or, better said, this should be so in a natural state. and expanded her reactions as a consequence of our mental
fears.
The common emotional field is full of wounds ,
where healing is made impossible by a conditioned, mechan- An emotional center which functions in a sober and
ical and childish mind (the common mind). natural way nourishes itself with positive (so, once again, un-
conditioned) emotions, even if its able to perceive pleasur-
If we see a snake we can feel fear. This is an emotion able and unpleasurable sensations.
we label as negative because it generates distress, but such a
definition is incorrect. Indeed, this is simply an umpleasur- The true expressions of this center are not inclined
able feeling, and in this case the emotion is motivated and to become negative; on the contrary, the so- called ordinary
momentary. positive emotions (influenced by mechanical thoughts), have
a corresponding negative emotion in which they can be
But, when we build in the emotional field, a reservoir transformed at every moment.
of fear, determined by the idea that the world is a dangerous
place to live, then we frequently build negative emotions
that are strictly connected with thoughts and memories. We
define them negative, because they belong to the dual ex-
pression of the intellectual ideas (good/ evil), rather than to
the direct experimentation of a feeling experience in the pres-
ent moment.
Such emotions are mere ideas, and that is the reason
why they are illusions. A man who dies of a heart attack be-
cause he thinks that a thief has entered his house, is a vic-
tim of a negative emotion. He knows that such a situation is
possible, so the mind produces a fast and wrong association
between a suspicious rumor in the house and the idea of a
possible mugging; this creates a violent and, in this case, fatal
 An In- Depth Look at the Emotional Center #3
It is very important to be able to discern the negative
emotions from a state of suffering of the emotional center,
which could be a more or less permanent result of an emo-
tional wound that may leave visible signs. It is a totally differ-
ent phenomenon from the ordinary emotional oscillations.
As we have seen in a previous post, the centers belong
to ones Being. The relevant experiences of life penetrate the
emotional field, leaving deep traces. This is the reason of why,
from his childhood, a child manifests determined tendencies,
even before acquiring external influences.
This means that it is possible to notice a condition of
emotional suffering that is not determined from mind or ac-
quired conditionings. The release of such a condition before
having cleaned the emotional field from conditionings is
a very difficult task, because it is very difficult to distinguish
what belongs to the deepest emotional level, and what has
been formed on the surface of the emotional field.
But this is a so complex an argument that it is best to
discuss it for a future time.
Lets remain in the field of the negative emotions ac-
quired during this life experience. Indeed, such emotions are
transmitted to us since the childhood, and condition all our
life; such conditionings are acquired through parents, school,
basic concepts of society, readings, films, friends. and we
strenghten the tendency to express negative feelings through
our emotional field from everything which surrounds us.
After a certain period, such feelings become automatic, and
from that moment we totally identify ourselves with them.
This process is so deep that we stop searching for
pleasure. This is a very important mechanism to be under-
stood, because it defines the tragedy of our lives: indeed,
what ordinarily a human being considers as pleasure is just
a momentary cessation of a negative emotion. This is such
a difficult aspect of ourselves to understand, and above all
to digest, because we find it quite impossible to accept that
almost all (if not all) the moments of pleasure which we ex-
perienced in our life are just a cessation of suffering.
This automatism is so subtle to be perceived that is
very important to pay particular attention to it. So, it would
be more useful not to take this statement in a superficial way.
We know almost only negative emotions, and their tempo-
rary absence is considered from us pleasure, if not even
estatic pleasures. Our life is a constant flow of negative
feelings, and they generate suffering; willy -nilly, the posi-
tive itself doesnt exist: it is an emptiness, a loss, namely the
absence of the negative.
And here lies the trap: this condition bring us to iden-
tify, namely to recognize and feel ourselves through nega-
tive emotions.
So, if it is true that suffering is a part of us, and joy
and pleasure are a momentary absence of that suffering, is
it possible to identify ourselves with something that is ab-
sent? Can we reflect upon ourselves in the nothingness? Ob-
viously, not, and this is the problem. We have been taught to
recognize and express not uplifting feelings and to identify
ourselves with the hints of their states. We connect ourselves
with every painful and unpleasant perception as though it is
a part of ourselves. And we are unable to recognize this.
The world in which we are born does not teach us how
to reflect upon ourselves in joy, beauty, freedom, and positiv-
ity. such conditions are nonexistent for us. Or, better said, flect themselves in negative emotions is accidental, familiar,
they partially appear once the negativity declines. We dont and determined from life and also from thousands of other
recognize positive emotions as stable conditions. situations and occasional factors. What must one do to over-
come this horrible condition (the prison, as called by Gurd-
The only reality we recognize and, paradoxically, from jieff, the illusion, as called by Buddha)? There is an ancient
which we attempt constantly to escape from, is represented saying, which states that whoever wishes to realize himself,
by the negative emotions. has first to sacrifice himself. Its not a statement to be inter-
preted as negative, based on pain and expiation: human be-
But, even once escaped from them, we still consider
ings (including me and you- all of us) are totally identfied
them as an integral part of us. This attitude generates an at-
with negative emotions, so leaving the state of illusory suf-
tachment towards every negative feeling, and this is the rea-
fering means to sacrifice ourselves. This process is explained
son why such feelings are so difficult to eradicate. This is the
in the Gospels through the Passion (LAT. patire: to suffer) of
horror of the situation: when we fall into a condition of deep
Jesus: once he dies on the cross, he is resurrected, ascends to
pessimism, we often color everything around us. We also
another state of being.
have the tendency to drag others toward this condition, and
we enclose ourselves into further suffering when they resist A man will resist with all his efforts such a change,
our attempts. because humans are so attached to the negative emotions that
they dont want to leave them: for the reason that they recog-
The positive, for us, as ordinary beings, is not an ef-
nize themselves in them. They are those emotions. This resis-
fective reality, but only the absence of the negative. Once all
tance will happen even if one dedicates his whole life to over-
the parts of our personality have acquired in the course of
come this state. Its easier for a person to renounce a pleasure
the time, an identification with the negative expressions, to
than to experience pleasure, and this is not an exaggeration.
eradicate them is very difficult, quite impossible. In such a
This could seem stange or incredible to be affirmed, but who-
case, if a person tries to do this, shell feel herself as shattered,
ever has the courage to begin a process of inner research and
as though she destroys, annihilates herself, because this con-
observation will be able to notice that this is a fact.
dition of suffering is part of her, and she doesnt recognize
anything else with which to feel herself. This situation is
more than visible in the situations of deep depression, when
the the egoic fragments identify themselves in a condition
of neverending suffering without any hope. But it is pure il-
lusion, never mind how much it appears concrete, it is not
real. This condition is the result of a fragmented personality
which countermanded the Essence/Being the True Self in
a devastating and negative way. Thats all.
But dont think that this situation is of value only for
pathological conditions such as the above mentioned exam-
ple. In an ordinary, non-pathological situation, things dont
change very much. In this case, the number of Is which re-
 An In- Depth Look at the Emotional Center #4:
Final Considerations
So, the emotional center suffers a continuous interac-
tion with the intellectual center. Most times, what we label
as emotions is a mere result of simple mental processes. For
example: we fear thieves, because we consider we could be
robbed, but not for the reason that the same robbers have
once entered our house. For the reason that this is an il-
lusion provoked by our mind, and not from a fact or a past
experience, this cant be considered as an emotion.
The minds function of recognizing or, as usually hap-
pens, of imagining a possible danger is useful, but we should
also consider if such a situation is possible or probable expectation that can assume a fearful or hopeful aspect.
and there is a great difference. Indeed, the transforming of a
possibility to suggestions capable of producing correspond-
ing emotions in absence of an objective reality, represents
an identification in an illusion. I fear that my girlfriend will
cheat on me, even if I have a slight reason of fearing such
a situation. This is the mechanism which demonstrates how
our illusions are working.
The Intellectual function imagines an infinite series
of possible situations, which are almost always negative, and
secondly, a number of Is react to these mental projections
as though they were real. Briefly said: we create illusory emo-
tions, paying attention to arbitrary considerations which are
not concrete facts.
This repetitive phenomenon makes our life very dif-
ficult to bear. If we have experienced a negative emotional
situation, then well keep all the sensations and memories of
such experiences, and well project them in an imaginary fu-
ture through generating emotional states which will strongly
influence every future emotional relationship.
This process is present in every field of our life. The
emotional function is never free to express itself, there, we
react and respond in a natural and unconditioned way to the
existential stimulus: the intellectual influences on the emo-
tional field are constant.
Such wrong interaction of the intellectual cen-
ter with the emotional function, produces one of the most
harmful feelings: the expectation. Indeed, we have expecta-
tions about all and everything; our intellectual function as-
sociates unstoppably, every kind of experience and hope,
projecting them in an imaginary space called future, and this
future does not exist. The only reality is the present moment,
but, through our memory, we live constantly in the past, and
through a process of mechanical mental associations, we
move from a past to a fictional future, creating every kind of
In any case, we are not connected with the present mo-
ment, the only real space in which our life can take place.
So, we could say that, close to the problem of mechanicity,
fragmentation of personality, there is also the problem of an
absence of a real time, instead of which theres a virtual and
imaginary perception of a fictional time, namely, a constant
identification with our past, and imaginative constructions
of the future.
What are usually called emotions are not real expe-
riences, but projections of our mind covered by emotional
substance, and this is a really difficult thing to notice and,
once realized, to accept.
The existence in which we live could surely be more
beautiful than we perceive it in an ordinary state of con- the past or the future, which is a useless loss of time.
sciousness; our life is perceived as an illusory, but real hell,
for the reason that nobody has given us a right, constructive Perhaps, all these texts dedicated to emotions, could
education, leaving us ignorant concerning life and ourselves. be revaluated in the following way: we continuously produce
And this is really a sad thing: perceiving our existence as fear- emotions based on our convictions, beliefs, imaginations, ex-
ful and unsatisfying because of a mere lack of knowing. pectations, fears, and the imaginary world we produce which
is almost exclusively negative. Through reviewing this pro-
Real and pure emotions, not harmed by the inter- cess, we create the reality, we make it real.
ference of the intellect, represents a marvelous food for our
being. Every new feeling should be observed with a curiosity
and not with fear or judgment; and, these feelings, once free
from the intellectual influences (positive/negative), could
show us a totally new reality.
Physical and emotional suffering exists, and no one
here tries to affirm that the human existence should be de-
prived from the experiences of pain. Indeed, even this pain is
an experience. But, what we would like to state is that most
of the suffering we experience is produced from ourselves
through an inaccurate use of our mind. In the field of inner
development, the emotional function is much too important
to not pay maximal attention on how it works, and how to
make it work in a more correct way, but before understand-
ing its function, its good to notice its so- called malfunc-
tions.
What is of primary importance in an inner work, is
to discern thoughts from emotions and to be aware of the
dreamlike mental activity (the imagination which constantly
replaces reality). That is the reason why many ancient teach-
ings taught the procedures necessary to settle oneself in the
present moment, depriving, in this way, energy from asso-
ciative thoughts. In a work for inner development, we learn
how to be attentive and conscious of reality.
Making projections is not a wrong thing, on the con-
trary, its a way to accomplish further realizations. Daydream-
ing situations projects that which are impossible which we
would never accomplish, such as identifying ourselves with
 Sexuality#1 :
Introduction and the Concept of Chastity
NOTE: for the reason that sexuality is a very impor-
tant argument, well divide it into at least three posts, of
which this is the first one. But, even these three posts will be
only a superficial and general introduction to an argument of
capital importance in our inner and outer life. So, put aside
all your beliefs, points of view towards this arguments while
reading these posts. When you have completed reading, be-
liefs and points of view will be there, waiting for you, such as
every habit. So, through putting them aside, youll not lose
them. Eventually, youll gain some new information concern-
ing this topic.
Continuing the argument developed in the previous
posts concerning the centers, we would like to speak, here,
about a function that is of capital importance for a human
being, both in ordinary life and in inner development fields:
Sexuality. This function is connected with quite complex
principles. Just as a hint, we would state that the quality of
energy used from this center is extremely powerful and re-
fined: in matter, sexual energy is able to create life or, rather,
a vessel able to contain life.
We are so used to this fact, that we dont consider it in
all of its importance; sexuality represents a motor with awe-
some power, able to free a human being from his mechanic-
ity, but also may make him into a slave in a permanent and
total way.
Well not speak about the sexual act itself, but about
the energy which flows in the sexual center. So, such as it
can generate life, it is also able to generate a new life in the
inner field, mainly, it can be used to create a new man; but,
prior to that, it is indispensable in order to become free from
the slavery of mechanical sexuality, from the interferences
of the emotional and intellectual fields on the sexual center,
and from the harmful effects to the other centers, which the
misunderstood and badly managed sexual energy produces.
The reason why sexual energy is of crucial importance
for a humans psychophysical balance is determined from its
quality; indeed, this energy represents a marvelous creative
force which is present not only on earth, but in all the Uni-
verse: the process of Creation is present everywhere, in all its
forms.
We should not permit ourselves to handle the sexual
energy with ignorance (intended as not knowing) and non
consideration. The loss of understanding of the mechanics
could produce very dangerous results, and this is not an exag-
geration.
Indeed, the damage produced from the the anoma-
lies of the sexual center are so severe that their effects could
enter deeply into the psyche and the emotional field. Many
people, throughout the world, dedicate themselves to every
kind of sexual practice, even in the name of a religiousity
or a spiritual research with regrettable results in the physi-
cal, emotional and intellectual field. And, their approach is
marked with the typical superficiality of one who takes all
and everything as a toy of his own identifications.
There are many experimentations by groups dedicat-
ed to Eastern and Western philosophical ideas, such as Tantra
and sexual magic, but these fields represent a very dangerous
recreation ground.
 On the opposite side, imposed (not spontaneous)
chastity creates also disorders in the humans balance, pro-
ducing also a very distorted and deviated conception of a
right path towards truth. of shame, sense of guilt, fears of noncompatibility, mental
To delve deeper in practices which use sexual energy,
we must have a specific and refined knowing, and also a great
competence about the observation of ourselves and the work
of all centers. Without such specific teaching, the best thing
to do should be not to do anything, except understanding
better the interactions between sex, thoughts and emotions,
learning to recognize the interferences between the various
centers; and all this, with the purpose of discovering a condi-
tion of sexual harmony, namely balanced and not mechani-
cal. Of course, as every work which is worthwhile, even here
we need a great engagement in the study and the direct ob-
servation of ourselves- the mere theory, doesnt bring us any-
where.
As explained in the previous posts on this blog page,
the human centers have a dual nature, but the sexual center is
free from a separation between positive and negative. It is not
structured to produce unpleasant feelings: its action brings
us to pleasure, and in a normal and balanced condition, there
is nothing that could change the stimulus of the sexual field
into the negative, and if this happens, then the reason is an
interference from other centers.
The interaction of the other centers with the sexual
center can produce an infinity of phobias, deformation or
distortion of the relationships with others and oneself; fears,
unnatural compulsions and other kinds of deviances. Sexual
function is not structured by nature to malfunction from emo-
tions and dual thoughts. This center contemplates only two
approaches: attraction- pleasure, and balanced non- interest,
and all the other complications produced from mechanical
emotions and thoughts, identifications, etc havent any-
thing to do with the natural functions of this center.
All which can arise, and usually emerge, from the
interactions of the mechanical fields of the centers with
the sexual function is a contorted and fearful sexuality, full
imaginations, incapacity of remaining balanced in front of
the opposite sex, emotional attachment, sentimentalism as
a product of the sexual touch; or, oppositely, inability of
warmth, feelings, love, total slavery to the physical sensations
and many other psychological alterations which we call sex,
and in some cases love.
Another phenomenon, even if not as common, occurs
when the energy of the sexual center is absorbed and improp-
erly used by the emotional and intellectual functions; in a
such situation, the potential of the sexual energy is far greater
than the emotional and intellectual, so that both emotions
and intellect suffer a disproportionate increase of their activ-
ity.
It happens that, sometimes, the intellect feeds itself
with sexual energy, and thoughts become apparently creative
and active. This is the case of the great writers, inventors, or
extraordinarily creative artists. Unfortunately, because such
creativity doesnt arise from the higher intellectual, but from
an anomaly of the ordinary intellectual field (produced from
the replacement of the energetic use of the various centers),
which results in a disproportionately high increase of all the
mechanical and emotional fields of the intellectual center,
which will produce only judgements, the tendency toward
intellectual conflicts, sense of superiority, racism, sectarism,
intellectual presumptions, neverending criticism, etc
History is full of such characters, who were consid-
ered genius in their field, but afflicted with the worst char-
acter deficiencies. A human mind, once fed from the sexual
energy whose expression is channelled in a wrong way, could
seem very capable and inventive, but its not an intellectual
enlightenment, but a mere malfunction of the sexual cen-
ter. The result is that many uncoordinated, unbalanced and sary for a conscious inner evolution; it could be useful in de-
deviant people pass off as supermen. termined moments of ones life, for a limited period of time,
or for some individuals. Its a subjective thing, and it depends
Even worse is if the sexual energy begins to feed the on individual needs.
mechanical emotional field, exciting it and inflaming its
worst and negative aspects. Its the case of many religious and Sexual energy is so powerful and influential that every
mystic characters, but also many politicians with dictatorial effort to make it work neutrally and naturally, free from the
tendencies; in such cases, the emotive creates great passions interference of the other centers- is considered a wise pro-
that in most situations, are projected out onto others with gression towards the recovery of a global balance.
deplorable consequences.
This is the case of every ideologic exhaltation, where
the dualism between the good and bad, strengthened from
the wrongly used sexual energy, produces manifestations of
fanaticism, and the development of philosophical concepts
which tend to convert all to its own way of thinking.
In the religious field, a forced sexual abstinence, lack-
ing a corresponding knowing of the human functions, allows
the emotional center to draw energy from the inactive sex-
ual function, increasing exponentially the religious excesses
which gaze at the exhaltation, leading to the detrimation of
the freedom of thought. Marvelous results, arent they?
The true and sincere chastity, independently from the
subjective value that everyone could give to it, is such when
the absence of sexual activity is present in all the centers, and
not only in the sexual. If we abstain from physical relation-
ships, but our mind and emotions continue to express such
need, the results are devastating- in this case, this is not chas-
tity, but repression.
If the need for a sexual act is absent and balanced in
all the centers, then it is possible to use the sexual energy for
evolutionary purposes, channelling it for the development
and the use of the higher centers connected with self- know-
ing and objective knowing.
But beware: this doesnt mean that chastity is neces-
 Sexuality#2: Conditionings
Speaking about the sexual center in theoretical terms
is less important than analyzing the subjectivity of the sexual
compulsion as experienced in our society. There are so many
cultural complications in this phenomenon to make it a mat-
ter which is very difficult to freely argue.
Another thing that should be useful to point out here,
even if it could seem discounted (but, it seems that it isnt),
is that sexuality and sex (intended as a sexual act) are not the
same thing.
Sexual is the representation of the dual nature of the
known phenomena: we are male or female, and both gen-
ders contain in themselves a further separation of male and
female.
This fact implies a way of being and a particular vi-
sion of life, depending on the specifics present in a particular
gender.
Sexual fulfillment, in emotional and physical terms,
is universally considered an experience of major pleasure,
but the relationship with the opposite sex, with all its needs,
feelings, expectations and misunderstandings, is difficult for
human nature to manage.
In order to discover his sexuality in a harmonic and
serene way, a human must develop a balanced and conscious
personality. This is fundamental.
Sexuality is bound with an instinct of unification,
which, in matter is represented by physical copulation. Both
men and women need an emotional, energetic and mental
fulfillment in the reciprocal union.
Of course, such an experience is proportional with
the levels of consciousness and self-consciousness achieved,
and both are ordinarily insufficient to guarantee the realiza-
tion of a true and fulfilling unity in Love.
For a human being, such as appears in this century,
nothing is simple: his functions obstruct one with the other
instead of maintaining their autonomy in the complex psy-
chophysical machine. Today, it is very difficult for a man and
a woman to meet without being touched by the idea of sex,
and this influences their relationship.
Similarly, it is very difficult for the development of
a pure and simple relationship, exempt from problematic
emotional and psychological manifestations typical of the
repressive conditionings towards sexuality, in general. This is
one of the reasons why we witness the increase of every kind
of excess: from the desperate attempts to seek sexual activ-
ity without feelings, to the incapacity of experiencing a free
and balanced sexuality, without being colored by sentimental
identifications.
Both modern men and women (without exception)
confuse sexuality with the need to fill their inner emptiness.
Relationships are experienced through emotional needs and
personal egoisms. The drive toward individual fulfillment is
far stronger than seeking union which could be manifested
in the presence of a reciprocal drive and interpenetration.
Its very difficult to experience a relation between man
and woman as true friendship, not only for the great differ-
ences between the genders, but also because of the difficulty
of perceiving each other for his/her own humanity, rather
than through his/her sexuality: we are first of all beings/
consciousness, and then sexual beings.
 If there existed a real and effective freedom in our
early childhood concerning the sexual approach, it would be
less difficult to grasp such a truth.
All the anomalies of the sexual field can interfere
drastically with a sober and effective development of an in-
dividual consciousness, paralyzing every possibility of indi-
vidual evolution.
We are all mechanical and unaware of everything,
and sex is not an exception. Unfortunately, it represents one
of the major attractions, and the drive is so powerful, espe-
cially because of the deep meanings covered in the male/fe-
male duality. In its true manifestation, sex should allow us
to achieve the blessed state of human warmth. Such love
could represent an experience of fusion and interpenetration
which could prepare us toward a greater embrace towards all
humanity. But, in the conditions we are in now, this is pure
sci-fi, the reality is quite the opposite. In most cases, what we
call love, creates expectations, suspicion, division, closure.
For example, jealousy, one of the main causes of disharmony
in a relationship, is an emotional deformation that has noth-
ing to do with sexuality. Its the work of another center (the
emotional) confused with the work of the sexual center.
All the problems concerning the mechanical limits
and the absence of a stable and directive self are reflected
even in a relationship that needs the maximal possible in a
natural way.
A human being immediately grasps his incomplete-
ness, and tries to fill it through emotions and the acquisi-
tion of constant experiences. Even the search for a mate is
related with this tendency. Nevertheless, emotions, thoughts
and the sexual function interfere constantly with each other,
generating a chaos that is unbearable for anyone.
The sexual function related with the corresponding
center, should be activated in a natural way in determined
conditions, without interferences from the emotional and
the intellectual, but this doesnt happen. Often, the emotion-
al function, replaces the sexual, which generates a presumed
and irrational attraction towards the other gender, and such
phenomenon happens because of needs that have nothing to
do with the physical- energetic field itself.
The out- and- out, so natural, sexual drive is free from
all the psychological and emotional connotations ordinar-
ily present in a human being. For example, the approach
between two persons who love each other could activate the
sexual center in a pure way, originating an energetic direction
that is independent from the sexual act itself; or, the sexual
center could also be activated in a spontaneous way if stim-
ulated from external impressions of a sexual nature. Never
mind if the activation is of emotional or sensory nature. In
both cases its spontaneous, so its activated freely, without
the interference of other centers (emotional or intellectual
considerations).
But this happens rarely. Usually, the intellect moves
before the sexual function through imaginations and fanta-
sies that influence the emotional sphere, and the result has
nothing to do with sexuality and the respective center. In
other cases, theres onlyan identification with a series of emo-
tions to push us to an experience that almost always lacks the
freedom and spontaneity of the sexual center.
Both in men and women there is an increase of the
physical and psychical dysfunctions bound to the sexual
field. The functional disorder of this aspect increases more
and more. But, to obtain control and power over something,
first it needs to be free from its influences; until we are slaves
of this function, we will be unable to understand or draw any
profit.
Such a slavery is manifested in the fact that we are un-
able to renounce at any moment to sex, but also in the fact
that we consider it, as a consequence of our conditionings, as
something dirty, thus a sin. We consider absolutely natural to feel shame when
kissing a mate in public, because the opposite behavior
Indeed, in our society, it is very difficult to speak about would seem to lack of civility; but, we dont feel shame when
sexuality, because we are limited by preconceptions that are we bicker or are violent or aggressive in public: no, this is for
crystallized in our unconscious field as result of centuries us a more normal thing than expressing love through kissing
and centuries of moralizations about such an argument. our mate in public.
Just think about the fact that usually, persons have We all know how a man and a woman seem without
many difficulties to show themselves without clothes, or to clothes, but we still feel the need to cover our nakedness. Sin-
the logic accepted by the masses who consider as natural to cerely, seen from a detached perspective, this is a pure and
feel shame of our nudity. This is a deviant perception, and it concrete psychosis.
belongs to the demonization of sexuality, an attitude which
brings us to condemn the organs related with this function, Sexual function, in modern men and women, has
and to all that could arouse sexual desire. almost nothing more that is natural. It contains a form of
power that should be purified from the complex influences
But the deviation of the sexual function is well visible of our mind, and balanced so that it could be studied for
even in some other totally opposite field in our daily life: for what it is, as it is. From our adolescence, sexuality takes a re-
example, in the publicity of the various media, sexual refer- ally great place in our attention, so it should be understood
ences are constant in all we can see, read and hear. And, this and studied as a fundamental object for our development as
is the typical paradox of a sick, deviated behavior: we live in a human beings. The best way to face and resolve the problem
society in which we have many difficulties to sunbathe naked of the conditionings related with our sexuality, is to study
(except for the reserved ghettos of the naturalists), but we ac- ourselves.
cept passively (in a relative way) the fact that that a woman
can be seen as an object who could be shown in TV publicity
(as a product of sexual desire).
In many religious fields, it is taught to children that
the sexual act, if not intended to procreate, is a sin, but no
one has ever explained the reason for such a statement. Some
supporters of this theory states that making love for just the
pleasure of it makes us similar to animals, forgetting that all
the animal realm is almost totally enslaved to the sexual
instinct just for the procreation of the species.
There are really too many conditionings and limita-
tions related to the argument of sexuality that keep us un-
able to develop a balanced relationship with this function,
and such conditionings keep us slaves of an infinite series of
needs which arise in our mind first, before in our body.
 Sexuality#3: Different Approaches
Such as in the other centers, even in the sexual sphere
we can notice a tripartition: mechanical, emotional, and in-
tellectual. The first two aspects are the most common, and
neither the first nor the second allow a correct work of this
center.
Mechanical sex is the most commonplace: it has to
be done in a determined way, time, and with a series of con-
ditioned shames dictated by the automatisms acquired
through many years. It is mechanical that we must have sex
with our partner a determined number of times if we real-
ly love each other in a normal way. Its the habit of mak- of a center. In such situations, there is nothing consciously
ing it always in the same place, because every alternative is
strange. There is also the opposite conception: making love
always in a different way, at any cost, emancipating ourselves
from the automatisms of other persons. This kind of sex is
manifested frequently both in couples and in singles. Its an
illusion that such kind of sex is manifested only in the well-
worn and tired relationships. If our consciousness is placed
in the mechanical or emotional part of our centers, then this
is the only way we can approach a sexual experience.
Emotional sex is characterized by sudden and intense
pulses. Strong feelings of reciprocal desire, but not activated
by a magnetic energetical attraction, which is typical of the
sexual center, but induced from thousands of identifications.
The mechanical conditionings merge with a sentimentalism
produced from the identifications, generating an amorphous
quagmire that is usually called love.
Those who experience mechanical or emotional sex
can only experience a sentimental sexuality filled with iden-
tifications. Such a relation is fed from needs, wishes, ego-
isms, subjective necessities, and the pleasure of the sexual re-
lationship which is driven only by the emotional condition
and the fluctuation of the momentary identifications. Very
often, those who live an emotional sex, can pass very quickly
from a situation of enthusiasm to a situation of delusion. It
often happens, in such situations, that a sexual experience
leaves a feeling of inner emptiness.
When the intellectual part is predominant, the sexual
experience could originate from rich experiences in which
the seeking for the particular, the beauty and the appeal
of a situation take the place of sentimental identifications.
Through such an experience it is much easier being less the
slaves of automatisms and conditioned habits. In persons
where mechanicity is predominant, the experiences depend
only on the oscillations dictated from external situations,
moving their gravity randomly from one to another aspect
directed and both fulfillment and harmony of the relation-
ship are dependent on constant random variables.
In the case when the intellectual center is the most
dominant, sexuality can achieve two opposite aspects: grey-
ness, total absence of creativity and human warmth, or great
creativity and tendency to transform both mechanical and
emotional sex to an erotic experience. When speaking of
eroticism, we mean the sensual experimentation merged
from the search for reciprocal pleasure through an under-
standing of the mechanics which drive the human structure.
This implies a certain degree, a sensibility to feel Love and
beauty as higher, universal expressions.
But, in accordance with the ancient teachings, the
erotic sphere, intended in its most elevated and spiritual
meaning, and not usually considered, can be experienced
only after having developed a certain degree of self- realiza-
tion.
But sex is not intellectual it vibrates in the emotion-
al sphere, it transcends and contains human nature. When
the intellect is enlightened from a higher consciousness, en-
abling us to truly learn, then it becomes possible to use the
sexual center and its powerful energy , in technical terms.
Unfortunately, the Knowing to which various systems such
as Tantra, the Taoist sexual practices and the Western and
Eastern traditions which used sexuality to produce a superior
energy to be used in the higher centers where it belongs, is
well forgotten and almost inacessible to the masses.
The physical union between a man and woman is not
only a thing of feelings, physical sensations and the pleasure
of being one. Its a pure and significant energetic exchange.
Energy is the invisible force which keeps us physically alive,
and it could be considered as the fuel composed from dif-
ferent substances and acting in different ways, depending on
the fields it feeds.
During the sexual approach, the energetic exchange
is the most important aspect. During a sexual experience, we
can be recharged or unloaded, absorbing from our partner
unwanted qualities or, oppositely, achieving as a gift, the
food for our being. Sex can be marvelous or unpleasant, de-
pending on the consciousness of the individuals involved in
this sacred act.
Sexuality#4: Some final Considerations
The genitals are a perfect structure that exists not only
for procreation but also for the reception and the communi-
cation of energy. According to ancient teachings, depending
on the position assumed during the sexual act, this energy
takes different channels and, if consciously directed, it can
determinate energetic emotional or psychological variations
in one center. The energy influences the quality and the dura-
tion of a sexual act, such as the inner effects.
Sexuality is a sanctuary and the human body, a tem-
ple through which can be experienced the sacrament of love.
The grayness and the emotional and intellectual inner
weakness through which humans usually express the sexual
function cannot bring them to a condition of fulfillment,
unity and pleasure. The best thing that modern men and
women can do is to make a distance from mechanical sexu-
ality and sexual identifications, because to achieve again a
control under this sphere, we must first emancipate ourselves
from its slavery.
One of the main problems in the relationship between
the sexes is a particular form of identification we once called
sentimentalism. Indeed, even if sentimentalism could ap-
pear as harmless and positive, it is the main obstacle to the
realization of a real inner and outer encounter between two
beings. The imaginations and the mental dreams which arise
when we like someone determine a series of difficulties in es-
tablishing a mature relationship with this person. Such iden-
tifications are a barrier to such a degree, that we could state
we have a relationship not with a woman or man, but with
our mental imaginations. We put ourselves in relationship
with no other than our identifications: what we expect, what
and how it could be, etc. whether the person we meet is
pleasurable or not depends on the degree of the expectations
created from the above mentioned identifications.
We could experience marvelous passions, so conse-
quently fall in love with this idea, not with the person: we are
passionate with our identification, not of a reality. And this
is not love. This is illusion.
This is the reason why, at the beginning of a relation-
ship , all is perfect, but later, everything becomes a sort of
nightmare that could end with catastrophic consequences.
Probably, we have all experienced such situations. But this
is a logical thing: an emotional energy which feeds an iden-
tification doesnt last forever, and when it dissolves, what re-
mains is only the reality we hadnt previously noticed , even
for a moment.
The reason why it is stated in the previous posts about
sexuality that the sexual function should be studied after
having barely achieved a control under the other functions,
is just this: if we are unable to clearly distinguish an iden-
tification from a positive emotion, a mechanical, automatic
and conditioned reaction from a natural and unconditioned
impulse, the mental schemes for a desire free from mental
influences, and we cannot understand anything about the
sexual sphere. Maybe this statement could appear harsh, but
it is true.
Before we become masters of the powerful and cre-
ative energy expressed from this center, we have to become
free in the true meaning of the word.
The Way of the Conscious Warrior:
alternans of opposites
In everyday life we constantly face alternate opposites
which manifest themselves in every kind of complement:
man/woman, day/night, inhalation/exhalation, warm/cold,
etc.
This Law can be noticed even when we are walking,
namely when we use the right foot to advance, automatically
the left arm moves ahead to balance the movement and vice
versa. We spoke in previous posts about the meaning of ac-
tion; so, well say here, that the capacity of recognizing the
opposites in every situation, allow the success of the action.
From the Taoist tradition, we reach the knowing of
this Law, which understanding could be considered without
doubt, an art itself, through which an individual could find
very interesting insight for self- observation and a better un-
derstanding of the dynamics which happen in himself and
around him. Indeed, there are many texts which mention
the concepts of yin and yang, but, as always, this knowing
has been reduced to a sequence of graphics and tables about
what is yin and what is yang. This is an absurd and super-
ficial pretense, because the opposite doesnt represent rigid
qualities. Nothing in nature is rigid and set. Even if, with the
necessary knowing, it is possible to notice the repetition of
the Natural Laws, such a repetition contains in itself such
complex variables that we should have a remarkable intel-
ligence and a sensibility (and, of course, awareness), to rec-
ognize it.
 Why is it so important to understand the alternating
moments between the full and empty? Even if this is not
the same principle, this argument is of much significance,
such as the Law of the Octaves.
So, well begin from what is noticeable from everyone:
even if some wise people state the opposite, not one of us
can live without rest, and no one can live resting all the day.
These are two phases. Obvious? Of course! We said well be-
gin from obvious things that are noticeable to everyone. If we
generate an excess in one of those two phases, well produce
a psychophysical imbalance whose intensity will be propor-
tional to the excess. Sleep and wakefulness are two evident
alternates. In the same way, we can notice an alternate even
in rest: we cant work all day, we must rest, and this is of value
for both physical and intellectual work.
Even in an action we can notice this alternate of full
and empty, namely more or less active phases. And, master-
ing these moments allow a perfect and efficient way of acting.
The Japanese, a very practical nation, understood
that in their ancient texts this knowing has been partially
revealed, so even if this would appear strange, the relevant
businessmen in Japan learn from these texts and tend to ap-
ply these laws in their businesses.
But the concept of full and empty may not be
very easy to be understood by everyone, so to understand it
better, we can associate it to the process of breathing. Indeed,
breathing is composed of four phases, but, for the moment,
we are interested in only two: inhalation and exhalation.
Breathing could be considered without doubt, an action
which never ends during the duration of our life. But, how
could it continue without producing damage which would
require a necessity to rest? This is determined by the perfect
balancing of the opposites that this process manifests in ac-
cordance with a determined natural Law.
The inhalation is connected with the absorption of
air. This process attracts air into the lungs, thus attracting
and putting something into ourselves. To bring back inside
means to orientate all the physical, emotional and intellec-
tual processes inwards. So, inhalation represents a concept of
internalization, introspection.
Inhalation is the rest, the night, the moment in which
all the forces are recollected inwards.
Exhalation is related to emanation- emanating air.
Not to attract, but going towards. In such way, we bring
something out of ourselves. We release. So, exhalation rep-
resents the concept of externalization, manifestation, action;
its represented by the day, activity the moment in which all
the energies and strength accumulated inwards are projected
into the external world.
Inhalation and exhalation are the perfect representa-
tions of the balance between the opposites: its impossible
to make a never-ending inhalation, such as its impossible
to perform a never-ending exhalation. The two phases are
inseparable, no one could exist without the other. And, life
derives from the balance between these two opposite, but
complementary poles.
During the course of a day, we should find a correct
balance between the two opposites which manifest them-
selves in everything and in every situation. Achieving such a
skill means acquiring energy, health and mental lucidity.
The fact that we live in matter produces a wearing
which manifests itself in the bodily tissues, emotions and in-
tellect, and in the balance between the two opposites is hid-
den the secret to control such wearing.
But, people live their existence ignoring all, even if they listen
to some knowing about the care of the body, mind and spirit;
but humans, never -mind if they are religious, scientists or
psychologists, have not enough understanding about the dy-
namics which regulate life on this planet, and this is not an
exaggeration. If they would have such information, surely
they would act in a totally different way. There is an effective
Knowing that is ignored by the masses and leaders; and its
true that this Knowing has been hidden from the masses for
a long time. Even the leaders of the greatest nations do not
admit the existence of such Knowing, even if many of their
exponents mentioned and still mention it, and also try to re-
cover some glimpses of this teaching.
But, in the field with which we are interested, the in-
ner development, knowing is fundamental, and even the ba-
sis for a self -observation cant be performed without a mini-
mal knowledge. And this post is surely full of elements for
self-observation, because this topic is based on the study of a
Law we experience in every moment of our daily life.
Exercise
Now, before we continue, well make this topic a little
bit more interactive, so that the information contained
here can be understood in a better and integral way (theo-
retical and practical).
During the following reading, try to become aware of
your breath, especially of the two phases mentioned above
(inhalation, exhalation). Dont alternate the breath, simply
be aware of it while reading. This is a practice used in the eso-
teric schools, so dont feel subjection if you had never heard
or seen a such approach; the aim of this approach is to en-
ter consciously into the inner field of a principle, to deepen
ourselves consciously in a principle while studying its me-
chanics. In fact, this should be the effective approach to the
study of everything which concerns inner development. The
cold and detached study, such as often happens in this field,
doesnt bring to us any result, only to a waste of time. So, you
can read thousands and thousands of books, without really
grasping what is effectively explained in them, and also, what
is of main importance if the writer really knows what he
wrote, or if its only a theoretical speculation.
Learning something means touching it in the first
person, experiencing, being wrapped in the perception of the
presence of what we are reading or speaking about. All the
rest is pure intellectual speculation.
*****
The first thing we should do is to understand how to
manage the opposites during a typical working day, from the
morning to the evening. This will be the first step of this post.
The second step will be to deepen in the study of the alter-
nating occurrence during a specific action; the next step will
be to give some useful exercises in order to better grasp the
full and empty moments, and to balance them during
the rest.
So, during the time related to the waking state, there
are many moments in which theoretically, we alternate the
fullness and emptiness; to explain better, what we call
here empty is related to the principles of inhalation, and
full is related to the exhalation. Rest and action. And this
should be a natural condition, but its not always so.
For example, at the moment we wake up in the morn-
ing, and the following period before we begin with our daily
jobs, are the moments related to the empty. In other words,
to a state of introspection and collecting. Once we awaken
from sleep, our whole organism may have the time to enter
in touch with the quality and energies of the following day;
even emotions and intellect need this time. We prepare our-
selves for the work, the action, and this means we prepare
ourselves for the phase of exhalation; so we are in the phase
of inhalation.
Seeing from an objective point of view, twenty -four
hours should be analyzed as divided into four parts and not
two, because breathing is composed of four parts, but such
an explanation could only make confusion, making it all too
complex. The four phases will be explained as a brief intro-
duction at the end of this post and, maybe, in a more exhaus-
tive way in another one.
So, we wake up. This is the moment in which we col-
lect all the energies and purposes after having been brought
in touch with life in the wakeful state; being in touch with life
means becoming progressively aware of our physical senses,
sensations, thoughts, all this in relation with what surrounds
us. Recollecting the energies and purposes, means to become
aware of the energy we have collected during rest (sleep), and
prepare ourselves to use them for the aims we have decided
upon for the whole day.
This is the first phase of the day, and its a very impor-
tant moment. Usually, people are identified in their bodies
and in the action they have to perform, and rarely do they
consider themselves as an essence/being who uses the body
and mind as useful tools for the experience in matter, and less
an less they consider themselves as keepers of an infinite and
unknown knowledge. This attitude surely doesnt bring to
us the logical conclusion that we have to look inside of our-
selves; for most people, the self represents no more than the
opinion they have about themselves name, surname, job,
interests, superficial needs and aims and thats all. Unfor-
tunately, such an attitude is present even among the people
who claim to follow a path towards awakening, especially if
this path is popular.
Considering that our being is limited to some registry
information and three or four bits of information about the
conditioned tendencies which dragged us into life is sad and
reductive. Then, considering ourselves in such way, its not
strange we feel unhappy. Our real self is something else and
more, and moving towards what we really are and our real
possibilities is the most beautiful and exciting path available.
So, the morning has to be devoted to a phase of col-
lection, internalization, receptive calm, inner hearing. This is
the empty phase. Even if we havent time to do the things
with calm, such as a quiet breakfast and sitting in silence,
we must try to maintain a receptivity and inner calm. In the
morning, all things must come to us, and not we to them,
such as in the inhalation: attract air to us, allowing things
to enter into us. Translated in the morning action, we have
to become aware of the environment that surrounds us and,
at the same time, entering deep into ourselves to notice the
energies well emanate during the day.
Exhale once we awaken, so agitating our body here
and there like monkeys and filling our mind with preoccupa-
tions and with what we have to do- is the best way to make a
wrong step. But we have to remember a correct exhalation, so
that when it happens after an inhalation, it is not confusion
such as it happens if we begin our day exhaling. But if we mix
the two phases, such as usually happens, the only things we
can produce are confusion, chaos and imbalances.
After this first phase of the day, we begin with our
daily jobs. Never mind what kind of job we do to survive, the
phase of inhalation is ended, and this is the moment to re-
lease the air, so to release all the accumulated energies in ac-
tion. These energies are physical, emotional and intellectual.
This means that, once the body is rested, it must jump up,
the emotional must project itself outside as a powerful wave,
the intellect must be focused in the solution of the problems
well face during this second part of the day (job). All three
parts of ourselves, like three brains, all balanced and efficient.
Even here, confusing the phases, so becoming preoc-
cupied about ourselves while immersed in an action, means
we become unproductive and inefficient, slowing down the
energy until we block its flow.
There is a beautiful metaphor, explained in the book
Zen and the Art of Archery, which shows this moment:
when the archers hand releases the arrow, its elegant flowing
towards the goal mustnt be disturbed or interrupted.
Action must arise and flow from the inside and be re-
leased to the outside without interferences that have nothing
to do with the action itself.
This is the full phase, so we have to take care that
we dont preserve the energies acquired during the previous
phase. We had a phase of regeneration and conscious con-
nection with the energies accumulated from our I in the
phase of waking up; now, its the moment to express all, and
here we mean ALL the energies acquired, because if we try to
preserve something, the results will be exactly the opposite of
what we think: our action will become weak, so well become
weak also. During the action, all our physical, mental and
emotional potential, have to be used to their full potentials,
without any attempt at preservation. In such way, the energy
will flow in a correct way, and through this circulation, it
will become faster and faster- it will increase. The more the
energy flows inside and outside of us, the best and more ef-
fective will be the impact with the external environment; and,
also, this will improve our psychophysical structure. This is a
very important thing to be understood.
In a symbolical language, the exhalation, could be re-
lated with the day, and the day is related with the sunlight.
So, lets make a short but objective and effective contempla-
tion, so that well understand more about the power of exha-
lation: the radiance of the sun remains integral in all weather
conditions. The energy that the sun expresses go from inward
to outward, and the rays of the sun go in all directions, with-
out any interruption, at 360 with their maximal potential.
The same must be with our action, and to make such a thing
possible, we must learn to concentrate presently on the major
possible number of actions.
So, when we work, we mustnt isolate ourselves fo-
cusing only on one thing at a time, but we must be able to
write while speaking, to follow a phone call while someone
else speaks to us, taking care to resolve more problems at the
same time and our mind must be ready to grant the most pos-
sible number of requests. All this must be directed from our
consciousness. Yes, these are conscious efforts translated in
our everyday life, so they dont become useful only for our in-
ner development, but also to our efficiency in daily jobs and
in resolving the problems. Indeed, it could happen that well
have to make a decision in a very short time, and probably
five minutes will be too long a time. The capacity to act at the
same time in more directions allows us to reach the ability
of making fast decisions without losing the lucidity of our
mind. This possibility of focusing every resource on only one
point, such as a laser, is typical of this phase of exhalation.
Through a Law of Compensation, or the balance between the
opposites, which we can use, the more we deepen ourselves
inwards, at one point inside of us, and the more well be able
to expand in all the directions, and to the opposite. Well bet-
ter understand this dynamic when we show an exercise re-
lated with it.
Never mind what kind of work we do, we must be
involved in it at the maximal possible degree for us in that
moment, in the attempt of developing velocity, lucidity, con-
sciousness at 360.
What the most important thing is to not think about
our personal problems during our job because, if we wish to
make our acting efficient to the maximal possible degree, we
have to release all our energy towards the action and not pre-
serve it inwards. Thinking about problems that have nothing
to do with what we are doing means preserving the energy.
But this doesnt mean we must not be aware of ourselves; on
the contrary, without a self -consciousness, there is no action:
there is no doing without a doer.
At the end of the job time, we find ourselves at a
pause. This pause is usually the lunch time. Now, it doesnt
matter how long or short our lunch could be. Whats impor-
tant is to understand to what phase it corresponds and how
to experience it. This is the beginning of a new inhalation,
but much different from the inhalation of the passed morn-
ing. In the morning we need to become aware of the external
environment, a consciousness we lose during the night. Also,
the physical recharge happened during the sleep. In this case,
in this new inhalation, the phase of regeneration happens
partially through alimentation. The connection between ali-
mentation and the act of inhaling is evident: in both cases
we absorb some substances from the outside, and becoming
aware that eating means also importing energy into our body
is of capital importance. Indeed, food is one of the means
through which we import solar light into our body, and if the
food would be clean, so the most possibly natural, it would
regenerate our body and mind more quickly, offering to the
emotional the necessary qualities to maintain it harmonized
and balanced. Food is a very complex argument we dont
wish to face here, now. We speak here about another topic,
the opposites, so whats important is to understand what we
could recognize and grasp in the pause of inhalation during
lunch. If we are unable to do that, all the balance in alternans
between the empty and full phases will be harmed.
In some cases it is impossible to avoid the tendency
to speak about the job while eating, but this should be ideal.
Indeed, finding ourselves in a phase of inhalation, we should
deepen our attention inwards, so as to take again to hear/
feel what happens in ourselves and around us. Lunch might
be a pause for pondering and internalization. We might eat
in a conscious way, aware that this does not represent only
a moment of emotional pleasure, but the food for our psy-
chophysical mean. Its the moment in which we prepare our-
selves before continuing the day. We have to reconnect with
our daily purposes, and observe with the consciousness we
lost during the action, achieving it again. Its a second wak-
ing up, but this time in a most effective way. We ponder that
you understand what we mean.
What is important to understand is the principle;
probably, the external conditions will be not suitable to fo-
cus ourselves as we explained above, but this doesnt mean we
have to renounce to that. Indeed, we could lunch with job
partners who speak only about work problems, or something
similar. We cant pretend with them a changing of habits, but
what we could do is to avoid the possibility of falling into our
old habits, as a result of the external influences determined
from our partners. On the other hand, its not productive to
isolate ourselves from our partners we could do that, but it
is surely not the best way to learn. So, what to do?
It is possible to develop a double action: in one hand,
we leave a masked intent to accomplish the social duties,
so to speak about the job problems, while the real attention
slides inwards. Its not a simple thing, at the beginning, but
as everything, with a little good will and practice, its more
than possible. What we must learn is to fight the tendency
to identify ourselves with all that happens around us, and
in our own words. Its good to speak about every argument,
but at the same time to observe the speaker and, of course,
ourselves while speaking. Theres also another thing we could
do during this action: relaxing, such as we are looking a good
movie.
The others eat and speak in an agitated way; we eat and
observe their agitation. The others are preoccupied and lose
themselves in a problem. We remain centered in ourselves,
conscious, and at the same time show that we deal with the
same preoccupation. The others chew fast and unconsciously,
with the body tensed; we chew slowly, consciously, and re-
lease the tensions of our body.
In such a way, you can observe that, in some cases,
when you succeed with this practice, your calm will influ-
ence their agitation, and all this without making any effort
to result as different or isolated. Lets learn to drive the image
of ourselves in accordance with the external situations; this
doesnt mean to become identified with what happens, but
with playing a role in a conscious way. And this is a great ex-
ercise to improve our awareness and build in ourselves some-
thing capable to drive all that, a stable I. And, at the same
time, our real I is focused inwards, in the introspection of
a calm process of inhalation. This is a great secret of ac-
tion, that will bring us a greater possibility of doing, and
not suffering.
When the job day has ended, we find ourselves in a
mixed condition. Namely, we experience an alternating of
empty and full forces, and this alternating depends on
how we organize our free time. But, suddenly after the job, it
would be very useful to pass to a phase of inhalation: we re-
turn home, take a shower, change our clothes. But, every one
of us has his habits and plans, so all depends on what follows
after the job time. Indeed, someone emerges himself in an
action that pushes him into introspection, such as the prac-
tice of Yoga, a walk in a peaceful place or something similar.
In this case, a further phase of inhalation would be useless.
But, if after our job, we devote our free time to a sport or to
contacts with other people who require physical or mental
commitment, then a previous phase of inhalation is needed.
The moments that follow the sunset are naturally
filled by a sort of cosmic inhalation. Returning home,
the evening meal, the moments before sleep, all those are
moments during which we should stop consciously, all the
phases of forced activity, but not to pass the evening in a pas-
sive way- this is more than harmful. What is active, useful for
these moments, is reading, watching TV with a critical and
not a mechanical mind, going to the theatre or some show,
remaining collected silently in the inner contemplation of
ourselves, etc
Once more, it doesnt matter what we are doing, but
rather that we apply ourselves to when we are doing the laws
of the inhalation. The only exception is sex, even if night is
not the best moment for this action, but its the moment in
which we have more time. If this is your case, then, leave all
the rest and give yourselves totally to your partner as we
explained in previous posts, there are yet many problems in
this sphere, so its not the case to generate others.
In our daily life, in order to balance the opposites in
regards to the alternating phases, we dont necessarily need to
spend the same amount of time to full and empty phases.
Indeed, those who master consciously that Law of balance
will be able to reduce more and more the phases of inhalation
without having any consequence to his organism. The reason
is that time is not an objective reality, it is deeply subjective,
and it depends on our perceptions which are determined by
the work of the centers. In all that we do, the thing that is of
value is not the time we spend in acting or resting, but the
intensity. We can acquire through training, the capacity to re-
generate totally, collecting all our energies in a few minutes,
and these minutes could give to us the necessary charge to act
in the exhalation for hours and hours. But this is only under
the condition that, during the action, we maintain the neces-
sary degree of awareness of our body, emotions, thoughts.
The loss of awareness means also a loss of energies. Without
exception. What follows is the statement that the less we are
aware, the more energy we expend, so the more we require
the pauses during the inhalation.
What does it mean to collect the energies at only one
point? We said that the daily energy, related to the phase of
exhalation, is expressed to the maximal degree when we learn
how to concentrate on more points at the same time. The
night energy, related with the phase of exhalation, expresses
its maximal qualities when it is collected in one invisible and
silent point. It moves in the exactly opposite way than the
daily energy. Indeed, these are two opposites.
 Exercise to gain energy
So, sit quietly, keeping the back and head straight.
Cross the fingers of your left and right hand, and hold them
on your lap, just below the pubic area. Remain still. Dont
move a muscle. Become aware of your body. Feel it. With
the eyes closed, the face relaxed; touch with the tip of your
tongue the upper palate, near the teeth. Dont be tense, but
dont be too relaxed. Take a firm, quiet, noble position.
Now, put your whole attention on the right foot. Feel
it as best as you can. Once you achieve this feeling, literally
forget it. Retract the attention from this point and move it to
the calf. Then retract your attention to the thigh, perceive it
and forget it. Now forget the whole right leg, then stop feel-
ing it. Literally. It no longer exists in your perception. Focus
you attention on the pubis for just a moment, then move to
the left foot, calf and thigh, as for the right leg: feel for a mo-
ment every part, and then move to the next.
Then, once again, move the attention to the pubis.
Once you have done this process, forget both legs, they no
longer exist for you. You dont have legs- this is what must
happen to your perception. And, your whole attention is ab-
sorbed from the lower part of the body, and focused in the
abdomen and the lumbar zone. Feel this area, then retract the
attention that moves to above, to the chest and back.
Retract the awareness of the physical feeling from
this area, and now you no longer feel your legs, pubis, abdo-
men, and torso; move to the left hand, forgetting the men-
tioned areas of the body: they no longer exist for you. Move
to the left forearm and arm, retracting your attention from
one area when you move it to the next. Do the same process
with the right forearm and arm until the neck. Now you feel
the neck; the arms disappear from your perception. Forget
them. To forget means to stop feeling a part of the body, not
theoretically, but literally.
Now, the head remains. Focus your attention to the eyes. Feel
the roundness of the eyeball. Feel it clearly. Now, imagine
that you open your eyes and see outwardly. Now, imagine that
you close your eyes and erase the external image. Now, inhale
quietly, and while inhaling, retire yourself from the eyeball
to the nape of the neck, internally. Through retracting, you
enter deeper into yourself, the eyes and all the rest disappear.
Now, only the nape of the neck exists. Restrict the
awareness of the nape to only one point, one small point.
Erase all the rest. You are this small point, your whole con-
sciousness and awareness is in that point. Now, feel a daz-
zling light inside that point. You are that light.
That is the exercise. If you succeed in performing it,
your breath will slow down; of course, this is all but an easy
exercise, and at the beginning it could be almost impossi-
ble to perform. Once you are able to perform it- if you learn
it- youll understand what it really means to focus yourself
to only one point. In that point, youll be able to enter into
touch with all the latent powers of your brain, the powers
you have heard of many times, but have never experienced.
Try it by yourself and youll verify that. But pay attention:
you could experience a real feeling of a vast and unknown
emptiness, and this could frighten you. But, if you overcome
this fear, youll enter into touch with a precious part of you, a
part you have never experienced, and in that point lies all the
latent powers of acting. Its a difficult exercise, but the results
make the efforts worthwhile.
 Super Efforts and Self-Development work ten hours a day to maintain in this field of inner work,
obtains less than someone who decides to perform physical
work without any specific motivation, except to obtain a dif-
ferent state of consciousness.
Obtaining the power of action means performing
conscious efforts. We must reach the hidden power of our
Being. We must use our human machine to its full potential.

The concept of effort is misinterpreted in modern so- If we want to learn a new language, the quickest way is
ciety, but effort is also important to understand if we want to over-fatigue our brain with more information than usual.
success in the development of our hidden possibilities. Even If we can memorize 6 words in one day, we must improve our
if many persons claim to make incredible sacrifices in their possibilities and memorize 60 words. This process mustnt
lives, effort is very rare, and even when it does happen, it re- be stopped just for the reason that this task appears to be
mains far below our possibilities. But, in this so-hated act is impossible.
kept all the secrets of our hidden energies, our unexpressed
If we want success in this field of inner work, we have
possibilities.
to overload both body and mind with new rhythms, be-
Let us imagine that every human being has three en- yond our usual habits. This will produce a real shock to our
ergy reservoirs: the first containing the physical and mental psycho-physical structure: both our mind and body are con-
energy necessary to function in our daily life. The second ditioned, and by breaking their habits, by overloading them,
contains an additional energy we use when the conditions they will be forced to gain additional energies to achieve the
require us to overcome the habitual limits of the first con- goal imposed.
tainer. We rarely get fuel from this second container, because
Through the acceleration of the rhythms, and by de-
of our tendency to protect ourselves from efforts. The third
veloping more intense actions without taking heed of exhaus-
container keeps an incredible, qualitative and unlimited en-
tion, we will notice a positive enhancement of our emotional
ergy, almost ignored by the majority. If we could understand
energies, and the fatigue we usually escape would become a
the way to obtain fuel from this container, we could achieve
Cult of Ecstasy.
integral transformation and unlimited possibilities.
To achieve the energy of the third container, we have
to consume the content of the first two, and this is what we
obtain from the practice of conscious effort. To perform such
kind of effort, we must apply all our physical, emotional or
mental possibilities, depending on the effort we must make.
The most important factor of this effort is that we have to
struggle for something we cant gain any interest in with-
out external solicitation. For example, a person who must
 The Meaning of Action #1
In order to make any kind of inner of outer changing
we need to perform a some kind of action.
What do we mean with the term of action?In the
pages of this Blog, we have spoke more about Observation
of ourselves and what surrounds us. But, observing does not
neccesarily mean acting. Indeed, even if observing life im-
plies needs necessarily experiencing a direct experience, we
can observe something without touching it. Experimentation
does not need any act of will to change the observed object,
and this is of value both for what lies in ourselves and out of
ourselves.
Usually, we have the tendency of considering all what
we do as action.
What are you doing
I am washing the dishes, go to my job, driving a car,
eating, thinking, etc
But we have to mark here imediately the diffrerence
between a habitual and a conscious action. What does mean a
habitual action? This is of fundamental importance in order
to understand, because such actions are cover the 90% of our
daily lives.
A beautiful girl who attracts our attention passes
through the street, and we turn automatically. Our job chef
enters in our office, and we jumpat attention. A friend in a
Bar begin to criticize the political system or the bad coffee,
and we automatically lower the voice when we answer to him.
There are million of habitual and unconscious actions we do
during one day, just because we are used to do it in such way:
we walk, speak, drink, eat, make love always in the same way.
Theres not a clear and precise order who starts from
our mind, the most of our inner and outer actions happens
because they are habitual. Even the hackneyed phrases are
part of these habits.
In such actions, there is no intention, they are all ha-
bitual, automatic, mechanical.
We are used to act in accordance to what we have been
conditioned; we have been programmed to have determined
behaviours, all expect that we act in a determinate way, and
we accomplish this task without even knowing what we are
doing. We are a product of an education, a product of this
society which desire is to make us being in the norm; and
being in the norm means acting at command. Dont doing
what is asked to us to do means being not accepted, being
subjected to critics, exclusions, so dont being accepted from
the others. In order to evitate this rejection from the oth-
ers, we habit ourselves to do exactely what the other expect
from us. This is the way we conditionate ourselves in acting
at command.
The difficulty in making an effective action lies just
in this problem: we are habitual beings, so conservative,
because we make always the same actions in the same way,
chose things in the same way, do always the same things in a
way that is so predictable at a degree that we feel so boring to
ourselves and, as often happens, to the others.
This tendency to conservativity dont allow us to ac-
cept the possibility that the things could happen, as they usu-
ally do: all in life life is in constant mutation, and we are
usually have many difficulties to adapting ourselves to such
new situations.
We remain abandoned from a beloved, and we make a
neverending tragedy for months, or even years, before we un-
derstand that this relationship is ended, so that things have
changed.
This kind of syndrome (because, seen from the outside
appears as what it is- a sick behaviour) draws a conservative,
monolitic attitude so common between humans: repeating
compulsively one thing, following always the same way, un-
till we sucess. And, usually, this does not happen; something
happens. In any case, this denmostrate a non elastic attitude.
So there exist conditioned, automatic, reactive ac-
tions. Its not difficult to notice them. Try to offend someone
and you will see what happens: hell get angry, scared, hell
begin to cry or hell remain silent hell perform a re- action
in according to his own characteristics: what is sure is that
hell react in some way, hell not remain indifferent. Similar-
ly, we can make a compliment to this same person, and hell
react in a total opposite way: flushing, smiling, returning the
compliment, etc
Never mind, what is sure, is that in both of these situa-
tion, what we witness is a re- action, not an action. Indeed, in
both cases, the same person have reacted in an unconscious,
uncontrolled way. So reactive. A reactive action is not inten-
tional, it belongs to the Natural Law (the natural, habitual
flow) on which we are subjected. Such as an object inevitably
falls subjected to the law of gravity, our emotions, thoughts,
tendencies, actions are subjected to determined Laws: we can
mix the cards of this game, but we are unable to change the
deck; so, usually, we cant change the flow of the Laws, we can
only suffer their influences.
Humans, can harm the ecosystem of this planet,drop
a nuclear nuke, make every kind of scientific discovery, but
the Laws who governs their lives, remain unchallengeable,
such as were unchallengeable thoushands years ago. The
power of doing does not belong to human nature. And this
is a very difficult thing to accept, not only intellectualy, but
in practice: we REALLY cant do nothing except in the field
of what is permitted by the momentary possibilities. Such as
a chained dog dog have the possibility of motion allowed by
the chains lenght.
What does mean that we cant do nothing in order to
change the flow of the Natural Laws? How to translate this
in normal, understandable words? We cant act in any situ-
ation except that in those where we are learned to act; in all
the other cases, we can only do a thousands of errors. We are
usually unable to adapt ourselves to a new situation because
of our intellectual education, and such education is almost
all repetitive and mechanic, differently than life, that is um-
predictable.
This is the reason of why usually, humans are sub-
jected to panics when something changes in their lives: they
are disoriented because the most of the situation whit which
they were used to deal automatically have changed.
The concept of being able to do is: being able to
act even in the new and unknown situations, where we dont
know the rules. This requires adaptation. Such way of con-
scious acting requires the skill of being, so they have to be
volountary.
I am, so I can, and, consequently, I can choose and
act.
A volountary action is always conscious, so that means
that we REALLY KNOW what we are doing, and the reason
why we do this. Obviously, in such attitude, we cant have
always the safeness of our decisions, because we are walking
on an unknown path, but we are aware of our goals, and if we
fail, we can change the aim to hit the target. We have to be
aware that we cant experience anything new without making The Meaning of Action #2
some mistakes. The errors are of value just because they allow
us to learn.

As we have explained in the first part of the same

named post, we usually dont have the abilities or the skills
to perform an effective and concrete action, so we dont have
the ability to make any kind of effective and lasting change.
Also, we have seen that the main reason of this impossibil-
ity lies in the fact that we are habitual, mechanical beings.
Now, well put some general advices on how to put an effec-
tive, conscious action in practice, and well do this following
the dynamics of a Natural Law known as Trinity, or the Law
of Three, we have yet explained in a previous post, so well
dont repeat anything specifical about the theory of this Law.
But, before to begin, we would also give an advice that is of
value for every kind of action and every kind of approach we
would like to use: dont begin with difficult things! Even if
this could seem a discounted advice, this is one of the most
common errors that someone who wish to perform an every
kind of change does.
To generate an every kind of changing, we need a so
great amount of energy that is contrasted from the old hab-
its. So, making too much demaning purposes on the begin-
ning is a safe way to fail. Its much better begin from the
small things, in a similar way as a child learn to walk: first
he touches the ground, then he learn to stay on his foots;
after that, he learns to walk slowly, then faster, then he run.
In order to become able to change something, we have to
follow the same approach. Another thing we have said in the
first part of the same named post, is that to observe does not
mean to act. Indeed, the skill of observing ourselves is re-
quired to understand what we have to change in ourselves in
order to improve our life, to gain new more productive skills
and, consequently, to awake.
So, how to use the Law of Tree to perform an effective
change? First of all, we have to focus the energy f the First
Force, namely our intent: if it is not something we really wish
to change, every effort will be useless. What we have to ask
to ourselves is: do we really want to change? This is a funda-
mental thing. Often we have a really vague idea of who and
what we effectively are in the present state, so even of what
we wish to become through this changing. So, lets suppose
that e really wish to change, that this wish is sincere and rela-
tively conscious: this wish contains an amotional charge, an
amount of energy, and this is the First, Positive Force. On the
opposite, we have a Second Force, a Conservativ, who push
us to preserve the old habits. Our conscious and unconsious
mind i filled by old habits, repetitivity, conditioningsm, and
they are ready to avoi every kind of change.
Now, we have to find something that will be our Third,
the Unifying Force, and fixing it in our heart and mind. Lets
make an example: our aim is to become a little more able to
act in a consious way. We have noticed that our life is boring,
stuck, repetitive in every field. We have also noticed that we
need something more from life, and that we can achieve it.
So, what we wish, is to gain the felicity that life can give to
us, and we wish this for us,and is hoped that we wish it also
for our beloved. We have understood that to achieve the abil-
ity to act, we have to change many conditioned and useless
habits: the usual thoughts and automatic reactions cannot
allow us to acieve this aim. So, the first goal is to change of
the conditionings and mechanical reactions. The further and
main goal is re- creating our life in a more harmonious way.
Now we have the following outline: Positive Force (our wish
to change); Negative Force (the resistaince to this change);
Unifying Force (the goal, namely a more balanced and ful-
filled life). We have to fix in our mind this outline, because
its the key on how to act, what procedure we have to fol-
low, otherwise, well lose the way. We have to mantain in
our mind our aim, what could avoid the realization of this
aim, and what we have to do to mantain the direction who
brings us to the aim we have purposed to us. Once we have
fixed this Law outline, we have to detect the first step we
have to do. So, from where begin? Sincerely, itsnot important
what field well chose, because in order to achieve the main
goal, we gave to change so many thing in us. But, as said at
the beginning of this post, lets start with simple things. For
example, I detect some habits I wish to eliminate from my
life: I smoke too much, Im messy and Im get angry even for
trivial things. So, its a good advice to dont begin with stop
smoking, its one of the most difficult things to do, such as
also stopto be angry, because it requires a work on too much
fields and aspects. Well begin with our messy.
From now well take care of taking our house (or at
least our room) in order; well take also care on the way we
dress, mantaining consiously a dignity while dressing our
clothes, and putting them away when we get undressed. A
good, and not too much demanding beginning. Every time
the Negative- Conservative Force will tend to avoid our goal,
well have to remember our aim: I wish to be able todo, I
wish To Be, so that my life could be fulfilled.
Once well notice to have changed the old habit of
being messy, so even our individuality, well continue with
focusing our Work on (for example) our anger. Well use the
same procedure, but without losing our attention on not be-
ing messy. An important thing we have to notice is that all
the habits we have to change are related with each other: our
mess is related with our anger, that are produced by auto-
matic thoughts; so, a messy mind. Its a different expression
of the same thing.
 The Meaning of Action- Interlude: an Exercise every hour, clench your left fist for two, three, four seconds,
and remember your purpose.
Through practicing this singular system daily, it will
improve the Consciousness and focus of your goal. If youll
forget to perform it, dont worry, try to remember it the next
hour. Remembering that we have to perform this practice
every hour means to remember ourselves, being present,
and every dificulty in performing it shows how much we are
After the post shared yesterday on this page, some present to ourselves and to our decisions, how much we fall
people sent me e- mails asking if there is some more concrete asleep, identifying ourselves with everything what happens
practice in order to prevent the influences of the Conervative around us. But after some practice, your skill of being pres-
Force. Someone of them shared some very interesting, deep ent will surely improve.
and insightful experiences, and marked the thing that over-
coming a Negative (Conservative) force is somethimes almost
impossible.
Its true, because this force is the sum of years and
years of habits strenghtened through time, through almost
our all existence; they represent all our conditionings. Com-
pared to these habits, the new Positive Force (our intents) is
so weak, and usually it hasnt possibilities to overcome the
wall of habits built through our whole existence.
In order to perform an effective and permanent
change in our life, an ordinary will is not enough, we need
something more, astrong, energized Will, and this is what
usually miss in all of us. If we have not this Will, that is an
emotional charge, we have to create it.
There are systems that can be of help.
You must decide that, every hour, exactly at every
clock strike, you have to to focalize your mind, your atten-
tion on whats your aim, what you are trying to change in
yourselves. So, even if this could seem a simple practice (and,
compared with many others its simple), its very difficult to
mantain even this purpose. So, without exceptions, never-
mind what you are doing, where you are, how do you feel,
 The Meaning of Action #3
So, we can make some effective changes in ourselves
analyzing a constructive action using the Law of Three, now
well speak about the Law of Seven and its intervals.
As we have seen in the post dedicated to this Natural
Law, we have to understand if we are in an ascending or de-
scending octave. Being in an ascendent scale does not mean
that we have to evitate every kind of external action, but we
have to understand that we are not in the best condition for a
maximal external effort.
Indeed, during such phase, its better to dont begin a
new activity, if we have not the absolute necessity. This peri-
od is more useful for introspection, to observe the word who
surrounds us, the study and introspection.
For example, such periods are very useful for an ac-
curate self observation, to understand more deeply what are
the conditionings that avoid us to be more free and fulfilled.
But, in the post dedicated to the Law of Seven, we
have also marked the fact that these oscillations of octaves are
very difficult to be noticed, so that, if we wish to have some
productive results, we have to be really careful to not mask a
loss of will with an ascending octave.
For the reason that cheating ourselves is a pretty stu-
pid thing, we could give some insight on how to develop the
sensibility to recognize the octaves in a honest way, so, with-
out self deceiving.
The ascendant octave is not a period of passivity, on
the opposite is very active, but the activity is of inner and
not outer character: we could have a great attraction to read
or study new or yet known concepts, top ponder about what
we are observing in order to make some theories. It is also a
period when the greatest ideas and intuitions concerning the
work or every other aspect of our life arise.
So, in such phase, the external work we have begun
must be not stopped.
If we wish to become less messy, such as in the ex-
ample of the second part of the same named post, well try to
catch all the subtle conditionings and habits who lie behind.
We could also analyze similar tendencies not only in us, but
also in society, politics, religion, etc The ascending octave
is the moment who dgag us to higher visions and intuictive
perceptions, and also to the possibility to organyze ourselves
in order to overcome this (or any other) habit.
A descending octave is not so difficult to be recognized
such as the ascending, because in this periods arises in us the
wish for acting. In this phase, the most important thing is to
not fallidentified with the action we have to perform, thing
that usually happens. We have to mantain a constant state of
self observation and observation of what happens around us,
in order to dont lose ourselves. So, acting, but with presence.
Then, we have to face the so called intervals, the spac-
es where all our energy is absorbed, avoiding any further step
towards the realization of our aim. How does this loss hap-
pen?
It could happen that in a determined moment we feel
really ready and able to do everything. As reaction to this
state, our emotional field is overloaded, we are too much
happy, hyperactive or so and, consequently, all our energies
are lost in uncontrolled emotional or physical activities. Such
events are the intervals: all our energy is burned from this hy-
peractivity. We could feel hungry, or even to be itchi the
interval could be manifested in every way, positive or nega-
tive. Its very important to learn to distinguish the intervals,
because in these moments all our intents are upset.
So, once again, risking of becoming boring, well re-
peat that for every action, never mind if inner or outer, we
need energy, and we lose it constantly. The practice of being
conscious teach us to not lose such energy in an useless way;
the volontary effort teach us to gain additional energy; the
conscious noticing of the intervals in the moment they hap-
pen, allow us to not dissipate the necessary energy.
In short: we need to preserve energies with conscious-
ness (awareness of movements and thoughts), to imrpove our
energy baggage with intentional efforts and learn to notice
the intervals in the moment they happen.
The Meaning of Action: 7 Micro Exercises
After having understood the meaning of action
through the Octaves, well give some practices accesible to all
in order to train ourselves to remain awake, conscious, and to
avoid to fall blindly in the trap of intervals.
There are some preventive measures, of which the
most useful is the Practice of Contrary.
What we mean under this name? Simply to perform
every action differently than usual. Between the Native Amer-
icans, there were some individuals who used to make every
action in the exactly contrary way than the others; for ex-
ample, they walked or ride the horses backward. Such chosen
tendency was considered amentalimbalance, but between the
Indians who we consider crazy were seen as Sacred People,
because they were able to see the world froma total different
perspective than the others.
Well, the following practices will make us intention-
ally crazy such as those Sacred Individual, and well do this
with the purpose of becoming more awake and able to acting
without losing energies.
Obviously, such kind of practices has to be done with
moderation, and hasnt to be applied to all the fields of our
life, otherwise well surely put ourselves under useless risks.
For example, we dont recomend to walk across the street to
drive a car backward. This would be really fool, not crazy.
We have to break the habits, not to break our bones.
 So, here follow some simple practices to act in a dif-
ferent way:
Use for one week the left hand to write, eat, comb,
etc if you are left- handed, then use the right hand.
Take a sitting posture different than usual: for ex-
ample, if you cross the left leg on the right, do the opposite.
Evitate to use the word I (or another word you
chose, its the same) during a conversation.
If you have the habit of mantaining a bowed posi-
tion, then chose to mantain your back straight.
Begin to walk always with your left foot.
Change the gestures you use while speaking;
Modify the position of an object, for example of a
ring or a bracelet
etc..
At the beginning it would be useful to not perform
similar actions constantly in order to avoid useless emotional
tentions, but its useful to perform such training often. In-
deed, even if the above suggested seem simple actions, prac-
ticing them make us more able to remain present to all we
do. When we become more concious of the way we use our
body (the above practices use the physical mean), then its
more easy to notice our emotions and thoughts. More easy,
but not easy.
Development of Consciousness
Consciousness and its development is the main topic
of this blog page, at least it has been since now. What we
would like to deepen in this post, is the question of what
is consciousness, and what is the path towards its develop-
ment. Sincerely, we suppose that there are very few people
who could explain something like this using their own ex-
perience, so what well do is to show the results of research
weve performed studying old Western and ancient Eastern
sacred texts. We have no other way, at least for now, to show a
more extended, demanding, but also interesting topic.
To begin an argument such as consciousness, the first
question which should arise in a serious seeker is the most
basic, but unfortunately the most ignored, for the reason that
in some unconscious way, men presume to know the an-
swer: what is intended with the word consciousness?
This term derives from the latin consciente, a word
that is composed from con (with, having, possess) and sci-
re (to know). Consciousness, in its real meaning, is a self-
conscious being; cu- scire: with knowing, comprehension,
vision.
Consciousness is the evolved, conscious, sentient
being or, better said, this should be if it would be formed,
complete, therefore evolved. But consciousness, usually, is
still evolving, moving towards self consciousness, also known
as self- realization.
One of the main errors of a human once he enters into
the field of inner research is his erroneous vision of himself
as an individuality who evolves. What men define as I is no
more than an aggregate of perceptive tools, known as senses,
through which consciousness experiences the contact on the
physical field. In other terms, personality is not the being
which evolves, but a tool and a cover used by the conscious-
ness- being for its evolution. The human identification with
his senses and perceptive faculties is so eradicated, that, to
understand them only through intellectual reasoning is prac-
tically impossible.
Personality, composed from physical senses, emo-
tions, thoughts and from the results of interaction between
these elements, generates the illusory perception of an I,
but this is only a piece of clothing of consciousness. Without
such clothes, consciousness would not be able to gain infor-
mation from physical matter. In other words, what humans
consider themselves, is just a tool they will abandon at the
moment of their death.
Now, why do we spend 169 words about a theme such
as personality in a post related to consciousness?
It is to resolve one of the main questions which con-
fuse the seekers or the followers of some groups: is reincarna-
tion possible or not? And, if its possible, is it possible for all?
Indeed, even if the Eastern religions and esoteric paths
teach the existence of reincarnation as part of evolution, Bud-
dhism generated some doubts and confusion among many
seekers; such an approach has been taken also from Gurd-
jieff. So, this doctrine teaches that there is no individuality
which transmigrates through reincarnation, but at the same
time, Buddhist texts often name the previous lives. Even if
this would seem absurd, the explanation is quite simple, seen
from a most objective point of view: Consciousness is dressed
in many clothes (body and conditioned personality) during
many lives, but what humans consider as themselves, namely
personality, is something temporary, something which lasts
for only one life. So, for the reason that in personality there
are no permanent factors, it does not reincarnate. For the rea-
son that a human considers his true nature as an aggregate of
conditioned perceptions of which he is barely conscious, its
right to affirm that there is no reincarnation for him.
Explaining the true nature of consciousness would be
really demanding and pompous, so well limit ourselves to
draw a simple map of the evolution of consciousness in order
to have a better idea of the essential nature of a being who
develops towards the state of self -realization.
Consciousness is a space, a possibility, and everyone
who has experienced it in its pure state, without additional
conditionings will agree with this statement (and believe that
there are more people who experienced this than what many
of us may consider). Consciousness, in its origin, is still in
formation, so it doesnt appear self- conscious. For the reason
that the same word consciousness implies a self -conscious
being in his knowing, this will explain why consciousness is
only a possibility in the making, beginning from an empty
space. This space is what contains such a possibility and al-
lows this development. In other terms, using ancient words,
we could state that consciousness is, at the beginning a hy-
pothesis which contains the seed of something still non
-manifested, but which could become self- conscious, cog-
nitive, realized manifested.
To use an elementary example, we could relate con-
sciousness in its origins as a newborn who contains all the
possibilities to become adult (but no certainty to become an
adult), but its still a newborn. Consciousness is a possibility,
not a fact. It is empty from every content, with all the pos-
sibilities to become full in terms of self- consciousness.
Everyone who approaches with seriousness, practices such
as Zen and Buddhism, have experienced consciousness as a
state of emptiness, a space. This is the effective example of
what is explained above: consciousness as an empty space for
a possibility.
Consciousness will develop, the possibility will be-
come a fact, the empty will become full, and all this, accord-
ing to the ancient teachings, through a never- ending process
called evolution. This process happens through the mani-
festation- experimentation of consciousness on the mate-
rial field. During its permanence in the most dense sphere
(matter), consciousness will gain the data that will allow it to
resonate in a certain frequency of awareness. In the moment
of the cessation of a cycle of experimentation (what is com-
monly known as death), consciousness will lose its mean of
manifestation and the tools for experimentation (personal-
ity and physicality), and will find itself in a subplane more
subtle than the physical, with the same vibratory qualities of
frequency achieved during the past period of experimenta-
tion.
The first fields experienced from consciousness in
matter is the mineral, followed by the vegetal and the ani-
mal, but all these spheres are experienced without a descent
of consciousness in the above- mentioned realms. Indeed, it
presides over a group of minerals, vegetals and even animals,
achieving the vibratory impulses.
In such a way, consciousness begins to assimilate data
that will allow it to develop an embryo of awareness. It will
take a very long period, we suppose, thousands of years, be-
fore consciousness will consider to have experienced all what
was possible in the field of the first three reigns of nature.
After this first process, it will feel the need to gain in-
formation from more complex and evolved species, so it will
focus its attention to the human realm.
At the beginning, consciousness will not descend in
a single physical body, but will assimilate the sensorial per-
ceptions of a group of primitive human beings (primitive in
sense of development); such primitive groups are disappear-
ing on this planet, but we have also to mention that even if
the field of the so- called evolved society there are many
people who would not be considered an incarnation of a
consciousness. Just to make another clarification, these types
of persons are just what Gurdjieff called people without a
being. These people are sensorial wrappings, directed from
awareness that is not present in the physical body.
In a social context directed from a catholic culture,
in which everyone has received a deep conditioning concern-
ing the racial superiority of humans above animals and, at
the same time, an equality between human beings ( a typical
contradiction present in Western culture), the affirmation
that a certain number of people do not incarnate a conscious-
ness, but who are at the same degree of animals, would conse-
quently be difficult to be undesrtood and accepted, and will
probably provoke even distress or rage, but on the other side,
this is a reality.
All in all, observing what happens in the so -called
civilized world, it shouldnt result in difficulty to accept such
an affirmation. The majority of human beings are ready to
transform themselves into animals for very little. Those
who had the misfortune of passing through a war, and also
those who work in the sectors of law and order know very
well what apparently civilized and evolved humans are ca-
pable of doing, in terms of the worst things.
Once the consciousness experiences enough to be-
come half- aware of itself, it will seek a direct manifestation
in matter. So, what follows is the incarnation of a physical
mean composed of the physical and emotional body.
An evolved human vehicle is the first in which con-
sciousness descends, and from this step we can speak about
cycles of reincarnations. As we have mentioned above, after
the death of the physical body, consciousness retracts itself in
a sub- plane which corresponds to the emotional- sensorial
vibratory qualities experienced during the previous incarna-
tion.
Always according to the ancient teachings, it will live
in a state of awareness not much differently from the state
achieved during the life in matter until, driven by the Law
of Need, it will feel the impulse of again experiencing the
physical body. So, such a consciousness will be driven to an
appropriate wrapping, in accordance not with its desires, but
with what and how it was acquired during its past expriences,
and of course, in according with its vibratory qualities.
To achieve the possibility to decide by itself the fam-
ily, the place and the conditions in which to incarnate, a
consciounsess needs a high degree of evolution in terms of
awareness. Before this degree, the incarnations are driven by
a Law of Randomness that is all but random or casual, and
which has its logic. But this is another topic.
Becoming Masters of our Minds
Within the walls of the head, every one of us can wit-
ness an unstoppable and unspeakable vortex of opinions,
facts, voices, lights, considerations, symbols, contents, sounds
and random ideas which seize us, consciously or not.
It is perhaps the most spectacular show ever seen, what
we can grasp in the most complex and fabulous database ever
seen on the surface of this planet Earth- our brain. Specifi-
cally, in this post, our mind.
Indeed, our mind is really a marvelous, terrible and
unthinkable instrument, a database program of which few,
throughout the history of mankind, have really not under-
stood anything about its functioning. This database can pro-
duce order such as it can produce chaos. Indeed, this is the
main problem, concerning this marvelous system: it seems
that we are unable to manage it.
Such as what happens when our PC is not ordered in
a determined and functional way, even our mind isnt able
to function efficiently. But, again, such as for a PC, we need
some education about how to organize, create and preserve
this order. As explained and verified (hoping that someone has
tried to verify and put these theories into practice) an educa-
tion about our intellectual tool, and also about all functions
related to our brain, is what we lack. This is because no one
has ever taught us how to manage our mind, and this isnt our
fault, at least until we become aware of this deficiency.
From the moment one begins to put deeper attention to
what happens within the walls of his head, he remains afraid,
horrified and amazed by the unstoppable flow of unwanted
thoughts, each of which stimulates other thoughts, memories,
emotions; its really surprising, and the most surprising thing
is that all this random material cant be used in the way we
would like to use it. This becomes more interesting if we con-
sider the possibility to make space, to empty this congestion,
occupied by random thoughts. In such a case, with what
something else could we occupy this space?
Humans suffer a mental overcrowding, and its a result
of the fact that our society pays no attention to an education
on how to deal with our thoughts. If a human would be able to
administer his mind, many of the current personal and social
problems would be part of the past.
Yes, in the West, many eminent characters invent new
forms of self-analysis and revolutionary psychotherapies; but
why do mental illnesses such as neuroses, anxieties and de-
pression increase, and as a consequence, also the increase of
the use of antidepressants and related medicines?
Our mind, in the ordinary state, separates us from a
relative truth producing lies. Our thoughts are not the re-
sult of a more or less conscious development, but of the chaotic
way in which we acquire thousands and thousands of con-
scious and unconscious perceptions.
But, if we could make a space in that congested
mind, if we could shut the mechanical flow that is our normal
daily mental state, what would occupy the remaining space?
The answer is so simple that it seems stupid: not from a mystic
silence, perceptions of higher visions and worlds (indeed we
have yet millions of visions- hallucinations even in the ac-
tual state), but from life itself. Yes, from REAL life, from the
marvelous, unique and irreplaceable series of events which re-
veal the secrets of our world and the universe in which we live
and of which we are a part.
All the confused muddle we perceive in every moment
as the content of our mind denies us to see a tree, a house, the
beauty in things and objects which we ordinarily dont relate
with this quality, even the PC on which I am writing and you
are reading this post. And not only the beautiful things of life:
even the tragedies and the falsity of those who shares lies. In
a few words: all life itself, without specific angels or demons.
Reality as it is.
At least, this is the experience of the one who writes
these words.
Its true, as many claim, that if we succeed in stopping
the incessant flow of thoughts, what remains is a vast and infi-
nite silence but the explanations mustnt stop here, because
in this way we are unable to perceive the meaning of such a
miracle this silence, and all would assume a faded image
concerning this argument that still exists and is shared by the
standardized New Age.
Because THAT silence, is the miracle of achieving new
senses of perception, a new awakened intelligence, an aware-
ness that permits us to discern for the first time in our lives,
the true from the false, the real from the apparent.
A mind without such silence is a constant producer of
a virtual reality in which our desires, dreams, frustrations
and fears become more real than real life. We live in the il-
lusions of our mind and die to the reality of the effective life.
This is what wise teachers called Illusion, what Bud-
dha called Suffering and Gurdjieff the terror of the situa-
tion. The norm is chaos, and the absence of this norm is an
order in which truth emerges from illusion. And its possible
to escape from this chaos. Its possible to observe, to learn
and understand our mind, its functions, its strong and weak
points. Indeed, its a matter of study of many disciplines, of
humans, books and even of this blog page.
And, there are several tools to be able to succeed in this field:
meditation, various forms of attention and observation, the
science of breath, sound and colors.
As everything in this world, even mechanical thoughts
use energy; and according to this assumption, some disci-
plines have tried to perform an intense physical activity in
order to allow the body to use more energy, so that mind and
emotions, deprived of the necessary fuel, becomes calmer.
But its a practice with results of brief, very brief duration.
Its very difficult to explain in the limited space in this
post, what to do. Every one of us is a unique being with his
own needs, strong and weak points, and necessities. Even the
psychophysical structure varies from being to being. But, even
if its difficult to learn something in this field without a spe-
cific teaching, some brief general advice can be given.
The most simple way is to acquire the control of speech,
physical movements and postures. This means to eliminate the
unnecessary prattling and become aware of the effects of what
we say when we speak. The more we put order in our way of
speaking, the more well become able to think in an ordinate
way. Concerning the body, there are many posts of a practical
nature on this blog, but the general advice is to become more
aware of the body postures and attitudes: how we walk, how
we sit, how we eat, etc
All these small and obvious actions produce more si-
lence and harmony in our noisy lives.
Meditation as Theory and Practice
The practice of Meditation has been present in history
since human appearance on earth. We know of the discovery
of an ancient artifact of a pyramid roughly in human form: a
meditator, sitting in the classic position. In this area, the tra-
ditions are many and the differences dependent on cultural
and historical structures that do not invest core meditative
processes: what changes are only the methods of approach
and subsequent interpretations of the experiences obtained.
The philosophies, religions and theologies, in fact, belong
to the multiple and conflicting world of the mind, where
meditation tends to emerge into the space of experience that
is defined from time to time, as our original nature, the
primordial self , the pure awareness, being naked and
simple, the state of no influence, the enlightenment,
Samadhi, and Nirvana.
Let us explain some things to clear this concept from
some preconceptions and clichs. Firstly, meditation is not
a prayer, at least in the sense of reciting prayers as we un-
derstand it today. When the term is mentioned in the Vedas,
it means the sense of the evocative power with which man
moves in the dimension of transcendence and comparison to
the divinity. Vedic prayer, in fact, is not a simple repetition of
words, a spell or a prayer, but rather a process that involves
progressive stages of deep absorption which requires a puri-
fication of the whole being, which finally culminates in an
illuminating elevation. We are therefore already in the field
of meditation.
Secondly, meditation is not a state of reflection on ab-
stract concepts, however elevated. When, in the Christian tra-
dition, for example, you use the term meditation, it means
just as a reflection, the activity of the thinking mind, concen-
trated on an idea or a theological or metaphysical problem.
The true meditation, in fact, is exactly the opposite, namely,
the interruption of mental activity, whether mechanical or
conscious the cessation of thought, a state of emptiness
that allows access to a different space.
Finally, meditation is not even comparable to a con-
cept of contemplation. In this case, in fact as in the Sufi
tradition, and also in Christian mysticism you log on to an
inner state so greatly vast, and merge with a spiritual prin-
ciple which would cause the practitioner to identify with it.
But this is still an emotional state, and almost certainly very
dilated and depersonalized, and which still contains forms of
separate ego.
Meditation according to the Vedas and Upanishads
One theory traces the origin of Meditation to about
5,000 years ago, to the Vedas, the ancient texts of Indian wis-
dom expressed in the form of myths and symbols, and is a
practical key to relate to the Divine.
It progresses one through a route of different levels of
absorption depths, which requires a purification of the whole
being and culminates in a high illumination, through the
power evocative of the prayer with which the person reaches
the measure of transcendence.
It is probable, that in ancient times were also used sub-
stances, practices and techniques that favored status changes.
Meditation techniques can be grouped into three categories ;
- Meditation mantra, based on repetition of words, phrases,
chants, prayers, invocations, and praise.
- Visual meditation based on the gaze of icons of deities or
their symbols.
- Meditation that combines heart and mind, based on a con-
cept that can entirely absorb the attention of the meditator.
From this fusion, clairvoyance deepens.
According to the ancient sacred texts of the Rigveda, to medi-
tate means to suspend the activities of the mind, which may
mislead one from finding the real man. This eliminates the
effort to believe what one is and allows one to meet with his
inner divinity.
But the meditation proposed in the Vedas, is later
defined in the ancient sacred texts of the Upanishads, born
as a commentary and conclusion of the Vedas and expressed
in direct language. In the Upanishad, the Divine is already
within us, and the distinction is clear between the psycho-
physical I and the I or spiritual self. Only this knowl-
edge can lead man on the path of liberation from karma ,
freeing it from masks and blockages.
The mind which is engaged in deviant cognition,
distorts things and gets lost in myriad words and concepts,
instead of reaching the essence of things. Thence, the op-
position and the continuing drain of ourselves in an effort
at deception leads to the loss of our identity and a sense of
emptiness, with the anxieties and fears. The way out of this
situation of suffering and meditation, which suspends the
activities of the mind and brings us falsely to find ourselves
and the Divine within us, is the energy from our own inner
power. Reintegrated with this energy, we have to meditate
on its beauty, integrate it within us in our thoughts, so as to
transform it into an enlightened view of reality. This knowl-
edge is the door to the path of liberation from karmic ties.
The I outside the man is the product of the fam-
ily, genetic inheritance, and environment, while his spiritual
self is uncontaminated and unconditional. The individual
self that is in us is part of the Cosmic Self, where it has its
roots, and which includes All. Within us, here and now are
the answers to the questions: who are we?, and where do become the main obstacle to being the man himself.
we come from?The truth can be known through an inner
experience, because it is within us. And we must also merge
the masculine with the feminine part of ourselves to regain
our original unit.
Summing up all the ideas in these texts, following dif-
ferent meditative practices, we arrive at a state of non-think-
ing which allows us to understand the fundamental truths of
the human condition. And this knowledge must be experi-
enced.
Meditation according to Buddhism
2500 years ago, during the Buddhas life, meditation
was practiced according to various traditions. He experi-
mented with some methods, but without the satisfaction he
wanted to eliminate suffering from the world permanently,
through a radical change of the human condition.
The Buddhas epiphany came during the now famous
meditation under the Bo tree. What is significant is that un-
der the tree, he started to meditate spontaneously, driven by a
very strong inner need not during a class, not through will,
but from a strong , authentic desire within. The classes had
given him the basics, intended to follow the will, but the real
meditation was born from within him. In that meditation,
he thought in length of what he had done, and then started
to keep his thoughts from the outside, as if they belonged
to others. Things appeared to have no content, only existing
as interdependent effects of a gigantic process: even the I
appeared as a temporary aggregate of functions: the essence
of all phenomena is emptiness, thats why efforts to be some-
thing fail. The fruit of his meditation was not the result of an
effort to achieve something, but a real inner need. Effort has
For Buddhism, good intentions and right behavior are
not enough to reach a state of Enlightenment. We also need a
clear understanding and a penetrating awareness, lack of ego-
centrism and a constant meditation. The Buddhist scriptures
distinguish between arhat, one who has attained enlight-
enment, but doesnt help others to obtain it, and Bodhisat-
tva, one who has attained enlightenment and seeks to help
others to obtain it. This important difference has given rise to
two currents of core Buddhism: Hinayana or Small Vehicle,
and Mahayana, or Great Vehicle. The latter is based on the
concept that the bodhisattva waives entrance into Nirvana
and remains in the cycle of reincarnation to help other sen-
tient beings to reach enlightenment. The bodhisattva would
communicate and transmit a teaching which is not defined
or conceptual, which is not possible to be expressed in words,
but can be achieved only through experience. So, he remains
a mediator between man and the truth, as the embodiment
of the message, and gives to the word measure that it cannot
have, because it is not enough only knowing the way, but we
must also embrace it.
The bodhisattva is a help, but can also be an obsta-
cle when the student surrenders to a contact person like his
teacher, when there is no content realization. For this reason,
the Zen warns: If you meet Buddha, kill him. The Great
Vehicle favors a gradual liberation by devotion, ethics, com-
passion, reflection, and mental stillness, while the Small Ve-
hicle favors the possibility of an immediate implementation
of the mindfulness, awareness, and intuition. The Methods
of Meditation of these two ways are similar and are preceded
by 7 basic points, which are intended to prepare the student
for meditation through behaviors, knowledge, and purifica-
tion , and with meditation is the Eightfold Path:
- Right opinion, that knows the true reality of things
- Right thinking or right intention, namely attitudes marked
by compassion and harmony, selflessness and emotion
- Right speech, that is, in strict truth
- Right action, ie. not do any act in any way that may create
pain
- The right way to live, that is, not to take unnecessary actions
- Right effort, namely to combat the evil which exists and
work to prevent it
- Straight memory, or recall the fundamental truths
- Right meditation, or meditation that gives strength to the
seven paths above. This is the point that distinguishes Bud-
dhism from other ways which are full of precepts, rules and
commandments, from paths paved with good intentions, but
unable to transform the personality. The Meditation is that
which allows these items to penetrate deeply into the pupils
being, to direct his life and to promote its substantive change.
Buddha has merged elements of various traditions of
meditation techniques that allow the switch from utterance,
knowledge, and intellectual understanding to reach the Re-
alization.
Meditation according to the Tao
The Tao Te Ching, is the fundamental book attributed
to Lao Tzu, a master who lived in the 6th century BC. The
Tao is the ultimate unknowable that cannot be defined, but
which allows the knowledge. It is the perpetual change, the
continuous transformation from non-being to being and be-
ing into non-being.
The man who is not able to observe what happens,
notices, reflects, meditates, and who uses the will without re-
gard to the circumstances, who lives according to rationality,
rigid will to power, bewildered by too many words and opin-
ions, eventually will fail in his efforts.
Everything is in progress each pole is alternated
with its opposite. Everything, every event is conditioned
by another and influences others. The Taoist knows that all
Will, effort, desire, and ambition, activates the opposite force
opposites generate each other. Each thing that happens has
a meaning in relation to the whole, and has a feature within
the Creation and life.
The fundamental principle of Taoism is not acting
against nature, but to pander to the events. The attitude of
the hardness of the reaction of the conquest, of force and
power are always losers. So, do not fight, but join, do not
impose, avoid collisions, and best to stop.
The Taoist meditation asks us to seek the total empti-
ness, to forget everything and join with what is all- encom-
passing. The substance of things is a core of emptiness is the
not being, but which gives form. For Taoism, emptiness is a
continuum, an immortal and indestructible field of action.
The road is indefinable, always changing, but you
can reach it: there are always signals that allow the careful
observer to figure out which direction he is going toward,
what results he is going to encounter, and which behavior is
preferable. From this concept is born the I Ching, or Book
of Changes, which allows us to investigate events in order to
know them and use them.
The technique of meditation is the difficult art of
non-intervention, non-action, and the observation made on
tiptoe to avoid disturbing events, but which leads us to know
them, join them and be supported by them.
Meditation according to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Patanjali lived in the 2nd century BC and made the
first attempt to summarize the Yoga teachings. He started
from a philosophical base that gives us a classification of
structures of the world, both material and spiritual. He did
not believe that only metaphysical knowledge can lead a man
to liberation, but indicated that there is also an ascension
and meditating way. It is necessary to stop the mental ac-
tivity, so that one can achieve that physiological technique
that may replace the normal state of consciousness- a state of
understanding and identification of metaphysical reality. In
practice, to achieve a state of freedom from ignorance, errors
in knowledge and the resulting suffering, one must follow
the eight stages of Rajayoga, as described in the Yoga Sutras:
moral requirements, disciplinary requirements, physical
postures, breath control, control of emotions, concentration,
meditation, cessation of mental activity and the achievement
of illumination. In practice, the Yogi is free from any obsta-
cles in this life and must return to the original condition that
is Divine.
Zen Meditation
About 15 centuries ago, Bodhidharma, the Indian
master of meditation, went to China to bring his techniques
that have taken the name of Zen. At that time, Chinese
Buddhism was rich in ceremonies, rituals, gods to be wor-
shiped, dogmas, sacred texts, but poor in content. Bodhid-
harma brought a renewed spirit, necessary and healthy for
that time and place.
Metaphysics and morality are products of the mind
and the mind is the main obstacle to achieving Enlighten-
ment. The Zen, as a technique that abolishes any tinsel, exter-
nality, tradition, and philosophy, is the essence of meditation
meditation as direct absorption. The thought of something
can never be the same thing. Any instrument of observation
interferes with the observed object, so also the mind super-
imposes its cognitive categories to known objects. So, the
Zen Meditation goes straight to the source of the spirit, the
original face of each of us, to the core of the not- thinking
that generates thought.
Rigor and simplicity are its prerogatives. According
to the Zen, the only possible way is to eliminate thinking to
be able to see without it, because the awakening occurs with
direct contact with things stripped of concepts and mean-
ings.
 The Zen teaching is transmitted from master to stu-
dent, from spirit to spirit, not on verbal bases, because in
that discipline, any concept can represent the reality. Besides,
even the Buddha didnt like philosophical disquisition, and
Lao-Tzu said: Who knows the Tao does not speak and who
speaks doesnt know. The Koan are the tools of Zen practice
and are a kind of non-sense logical propositions, which aim
to understand that reason is unable to solve the core prob-
lems of self-knowledge.
The Koan is used to destroy reason and is to show
the limitations of the mind. Indeed, no discourse, however
lengthy, leads to any solution, but with long reflection on
the Koan, a pupil reaches the emptiness of mind, the state of
not thinking - when he can receive the enlightenment.
Some methods used by Zen aim to highlight the con-
tradictions and limits of mind and bring the intellectual ten-
sion to a breaking point where reason stops by itself, because
it is no longer able to continue.
Jewish meditation
Even the Old Testament refers to meditation tech-
niques and the prophetic schools. The prophets used harps,
drums, and flutes and reached the ecstasy the descent of the
Spirit upon them.
The Hebrew prophet is the man who, inspired by
God, seeks to restore the ancient purity in the religion and
Jewish meditation, created by the word of God an absolute
God who does not like half measures, and for this , requires
total dedication.
But the interpretation of a revelation made with the
human language, with all its limitations, requires a great task.
From this need came the Kabbalah, as a system of interpreta-
tion of sacred texts, which constituted the most important
mystical and esoteric tradition of Jewish history. The sacred
texts are considered a manifestation of the Divine, God s
word crystallized into the written word. Thus, each name
and each letter is a concentration of transcendent energy
and has different meanings beyond any literal interpretation.
Thus, each prayer, every repetition of a sacred name becomes
a sort of Mantra a higher vibration. Therefore, the Medita-
tion is a mystical action that stimulates the creative power, re-
builds the original unity destroyed by sins. The fallen soul,
through the practice of the meditation, can trace the reverse
path of materialization, proceeding towards spirituality.
In practice, the man, observing himself from the out-
side with detachment, arrives at a higher level of conscious-
ness that, if maintained long enough, leads to access to high-
er levels; This can be achieved with the help of a teacher who
uses traditional prayers and rituals, not only as representa-
tion but as an incentive to put into action the transcendent
forces which would otherwise remain inactive.
Christian Meditation
In the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths, there is
confirmation that meditation is considered a way to get in
touch with the Divinity which exists in all religions.
Jesus, with his critical attitude towards the Pharisees,
indicates the rejection of a formal and external religiosity to
encourage the search for God in our inner life: the Kingdom
of Heaven is within us and also the hidden treasure is near
to us. The rapport between man and God is based on devo-
tion, which is a form of meditation. Also, prayer and spiri-
tual attention leads to a total union with God: Awake, O
sleeper, and Christ will shine on you. The Christian Medita-
tion brings us to rediscover in ourselves the divine spirit: we
are children of God and, if we are his children, we are already
his heirs and fellow heirs with Christ. The meditative prayer,
whose goal is enlightenment and contemplation of God, was
the preferred Meditation of Jesus, who both asked us to pray
in secret and not to multiply the words. It is a method to doxes through educational stories, legends, and aphorisms
communicate with the Divine, not to ask for something, but
for a continuous, constant dialogue with God that is within
us.
Eastern Christianity, which considers the contempla-
tive and the mystics as the highest expression of spiritual-
ity, has much in common with Eastern meditation practices:
detachment from externality, purification and concentration
on returning to possess ourselves and all our powers. West-
ern Christianity has always suspected these mystics as beings
capable of withdrawing from the authority of the Church.
Despite this, there are mystics in the Western Church that
passed through the experience of Eastern meditation tech-
niques. These include first of all, Augustine who, before con-
verting to Christianity, practiced Manichaeism and studied
Neo-Platonism. There are many saints who have left us very
important and always relevant lessons: Ignatius of Loyola,
St. Teresa of Avila, and St John of the Cross, and others.
Islamic Meditation
Islamic meditation is mainly in the form of mysticism
known as Sufism. According to this tradition, the spiritual
way may be embraced by those who do not need for any-
thing, except God. Sufi is the one whose ego dies and is re-
born to the truth. Sufism is a direct way to transcendence
and therefore a denial of religious formalism, liturgy, and
repetitive ritual.
To find God we must free ourselves from constraints,
ties, possessions and all psychological identifications. The Is-
lamic Meditation tries to get in touch with the transcendent
and to remain in that state. The Sufi teachers try to awaken
the soul from human sleep through mental shock and para-
that may suddenly reveal hidden meanings.
There are several Masters and Sufi schools, which
arose because of their charisma which is transmitted, not
only through concepts and principles, but through students
who become involved in the powers of their Master. This is
why their teachings are kept secret or hidden behind hermet-
ic symbolism to conceal them from those who are unable to
interpret them correctly. Secrecy and fraternities organized
in concentric circles (exoteric, mesoteric, esoteric) allowed
them to survive despite numerous persecutions.
The Koran often stressed the importance of medita-
tion as prayer and remembrance of the constant presence of
God and as a psychological preparation to accept her.
******
But. what is the core of Meditation???
From the perspective of human history, what we know
of meditation comes to us from ancient Vedantic traditions
related to knowledge (the Vedas and Upanishads of India),
the Persian teachings of Zoroaster, and that of the Tantric
vision, which also comes from ancient India.

Such knowledge is sometimes fused with each oth-
er, as well as at other times, one has drawn upon the other.
Moreover, since meditation is an existential experience which
requires direct experimentation, it is hardly inexplicable.
So, every individual who has experienced this state through-
out the millennia has not bothered to forward it to others,
nor has taken a particular expression which can be under-
stood on many levels.
This is the case of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha
Gautama, who received an extremely sophisticated vision
also very technical and analytical, in some ways which is
going to be the foundation of what is now widely known as a
religion- Buddhism.
It is very difficult to explain in words what medita-
tion is: it is a state of being that, rather than described, it
should be experienced. What can be expressed, if anything, is
the how to get there, what is the description of techniques,
namely the means to access that experiential state.
How can one, then, stop the mind? How can one
get to a state of mental silence that seems to be the exact ne-
gation of the very nature of the mind which is always in mo-
tion? How can we inhibit the impulse to action, the interior
monologue, the flow of thoughts that mechanically crowd
the mind continuously without interruption?
I believe it is the common experience of having lived
moments in a natural setting, in the presence of a sunset, a
clear moonlit night, a calm sea that breathes, or a chain of
mountains still and silent. Is it not easier to experience a state
of calm, a depletion of thoughts and concerns, a more har-
monious state of pleasure and well-being, when everything
calms down? Has it not occurred naturally?
Well, this happens because nature is harmony and
perfection of itself and us and when we are close to perfec-
tion, we are well, we feel reassured, more quiet and relaxed.
Even our body, by its nature, is part of this perfection. From
the onset, it is ordered according to the laws of universal har-
mony, perfect in its proportions and its processes and vital
in its originality within its own membership of species. It is
like a rose, a living organism, or an ecosystem more complex.
Breathe like the sea, the wind in the trees, or the alternation
between day and night
In order to establish a state of wellness and harmony
in any context, it is therefore necessary that our mind is con-
nected to the body, which is an expression of the harmony
of nature. We must start from the body, granting to it, its
natural rhythm, to listen to it and to allow it to be free to
express itself.
This is possible through a technical discipline (un-
derstood not as an element of coercion, but as education for
work ordered and desired), that allows us to observe without
interfering, to learn not abstractly to recognize what al-
ready naturally is. The technique is simply this: to make a
conscious process that is already balanced by itself, without
having to seek explanations elsewhere.
What connects the mind and body is the breath. Not
the mechanical breath with which we are accustomed, and to
which we are not aware, but knowingly in which the mind
is always, moment by moment, aware of what it is doing
consciously, that is breathing
.Our breath flows slowly, agitated, frantic, deep, light,
short, without us from within you do something to inter-
vene or, simply, it plays and then with a certain confidence,
you interrogate .
t is impressive. Without the breath we can endure
only a few minutes, and then our lives the most precious as-
set we have ceases. Yet, we tend to give much more emphasis
on food, clothing, pleasure, on pleasing others
The influence of breathing on each individual is great,
because, alone, breathing influences everything within us-
from what we hear, what we think, how we think, to what
we fear, as we rejoice, or as we suffer. Everything is in close
relationship with our dear breath. In fact, shallow breath-
ing through a mechanical action is not a fully unconscious
instrument at our disposal. Breathing mostly relates to the
lungs, without using the diaphragm (constantly blocked by
tension), the intercostal muscles and the abdomen, as we
should. Ordinarily, we use less than one-seventh of our lung
capacity, thus depleting the body (and also the emotional
and mental functions) of valuable fuel.
The breath, in fact, is the fuel for the functioning of
the body and mind. We have seen exactly how this fuel is also
made up of nonmaterial energy, and also correct in purely
physical terms (the ability to inhale oxygen, so to speak). By
breathing well, we get more completely, the two basic things:
oxygen for a better brain and for relaxing the body, dispers-
ing less through tensions, anxieties and fears, real flaws of
the system, and to increase our reserves of energy without
waste.
To sit and breathe consciously is the true beginning
of life. This is what approaches the chance to see our true
nature, separate from what we believe or lead us to believe
in ourselves, a real experience, in short, and not a mental
projection.
The breath is therefore the starting point. Now, how-
ever, be faced with another difficulty: the immobility of the
body. More specifically, do, the drop, the letting go (It we then begin to calm the chaotic thoughts, obtaining the
is not easy as it sounds), until it comes to feel conscious.
The observation of the breath does just that just stay alert
and listen. But the concept of dont goes further and re-
quires quality and intentions very complex.
Nothing that becomes part of our experience is really
perceived as a mere part of it. Indeed, we tend to interpret it,
to call it, to bring it into a scheme of knowledge, to render
it as a universe unto itself, self-generating its own light. But
doing so will limit the experience, detaining only the part
immediately perceived, losing all the rest. In this way, the re-
ality that runs continuously in time, full of facets eludes us
completely. As if immersed in a natural environment, we be-
come lost there and watch a flower, knowing that, at the same
time, we run around the clouds in the sky, the air that lashes
the skin, thousands of creatures fly, crawl, run and breathe,
water flowing behind and below us, while other flowers open
to millions under the sun that warms and nourishes.
The reality is that we see only a small portion- what is illumi-
nated by our mind, certainly the most beautiful, as enlivened
by our existence, but only a part, and not the whole. We only
see the content, only what, precisely is on hold, and we
believe that reality is just that.
Immobility is the resistance to this type of move-
ment a bike that is exactly the thought, and moves in ac-
tion, gestures and postures. Immobilizing the body is equiva-
lent to paralyzing this restless mind, which tends to freeze
into ideas and concepts which become static, already dead
when they are formulated. Immobility leads, therefore, no
longer to hold, or not to hold, but to knowingly let flow
the clearest of rivers: our lives.
At this point, through the technique (breathing, re-
laxation and the correct position in complete immobility),
condition of a mind more calm, with only one thought to
observe what is happening. This is not a real thought, but
rather a kind of intention, an intention that completely oc-
cupies our mental space. We have thus attained the status of
the merger, the true antechamber to the meditation itself.
The merger allows us to be strong and determined; gives us In this way, you can come to see as in the birth and
clarity and power (to do, deciding, understanding, etc.). It development of the same penultimate; final point as the per-
gives us more authority in ourselves. The mind that observes ception by our senses is transformed into emotion and how
the prince is now in rest and finally the clean energy is suf- emotion gives rise to the thought itself, in the form where
ficient to move on. consideration is schematic, simplistic and limited the per-
ceived. In a word, it is that conditioned reflex that ordinarily
Techniques, in fact, lead to concentration, not medi- sets the screen of our mind we call thinking.
tation. But only a mind so focused right concentration of
the Eightfold Path, as the Buddha called it will be able to This is a magic moment: the very act of observing changes to
reach the stage of thinking without thinking that mind observer, stating that there is a kind of austere principle in
do not mind the oldest quoted in the teachings. us, who watches over the process, a calm and compassion-
ate entity, which awakens and watches from inside, embrac-
For this, technique is no longer needed. We need a jump of ing the thought, as if to protect it, finally allowing it to rise
another kind, an achievement that takes time and constant to the level of free and creative mind, free from any form or
practice, and that can only happen within a mind which is in conceptual view, the only witness of the ineluctable presence
a perfectly stable state of concentration. of Being.
In this state, in fact, the mind is able to observe that it
is the main guardian of a free expression of self, as if there
were a function of censorship, produced by years of renun-
ciation, judgments, self pity, fear and guilt the mind a party
which loves the free flow of mental contents and inhibits
them at the source, judging according to parameters and
paradigms absolutely antithetical to true freedom. It must
therefore be a long process of emotional cleansing and puri-
fication by inhibiting these processes, a real learning oppor-
tunity to take the real freedom. Opening the possibility of
flying with the mind, liberation, freedom to live in the full
range of thinking as it manifests itself, leading to love and
desire in totality, with no brakes or inhibitions of any kind.
It is a route that passes through the heart more than
the thought, leaving more and more the mind clear and
calm free to consider what is presented, as it is. Genuine
liberation, in short, a total surrender to the fullness of its
rhythm, its own feeling, from deep breathing, finally free to
participate but this time from within to the ongoing pro-
cess of thought.
 Inner Science#1: Recognize the mental processes
Since I was I child, I had the peculiarity to find inter-
est in how things function, and soon I focused my whole atten-
tion on the inner nature of humans.
Six years ago I bought my first PC, and I didnt need
much time to realize the similarity between the informatic
systems and the human mind. Today I consider this an obvi-
ous thing, considering the reason that the PC functions are
that they are built in accordance to mechanical thought pat-
terns, but at that time, this was a small revelation.
Our mental and thought reactions, our whole psychol-
ogy, if not directed in a conscious way, respond to external
reactions exactly as a computer- in a mechanical way.
And this happens, (as I wrote in a previous post con-
cerning the intellectual function) because our mind is binary,
such as the informatics binary system. Nevermind if our brain
is structured to perceive all in a tridimensional way, it seems
that our mind cannot function in ways other than in terms of
yes and no, good and evil on and off. small thing.
Ok, fortunately, theres a difference between the hu-
man mind and a PC and indeed we have more possibilities
than a computer. But, differently from what most suppose or
take as guaranteed, this something more exists only as pos-
sibility, not as something already developed, and if an indi-
vidual doesnt adequately develop this field, it will remain
only a possibility.
Just consider this common thing: the influence of the
media. Its just enough to take a look at the TV, newspaper
or surf the Internet, and youll be bombarded by news of ev-
ery kind. Its really difficult, I would say almost impossible, to
find real, genuine information, in the sense that it hasnt
already been manipulated, distorted, misrepresented or even
totally false. It is a distortion of the reality towards the real
problem which people respond to in a determined (and ex-
pected) way.
But, its enough that the media stop talking about a
specific question which the masses (includes ourselves) then
lose interest in and then forget .
This is not a post intended to discuss the methods used
by the media, but to describe how very easy it is to condition
public opinion towards what is considered as a real fact: a
perfect, careful and well- organized manipulation conducted
by those who are able to organize such a ploy. And all this is
possible because the humans ordinary reactions are habitual,
mechanical, and predictablesuch as a PC is predictable and
malleable.
But, even if this mechanism of the human psyche is a
blind spot, it could be seen also as an enormous advantage: if
our behavior, attitudes, emotions and thoughts can be condi-
tioned, programmed and determined from the external envi-
ronment, this means that we can do the same thing from the
inside, from within ourselves. Ponder about that, it is not a
What we need are two main elements: being willing
and ready to admit that, without a concrete training in con-
trolling our thoughts, our mind will remain mechanical, thus
automatic; the second thing is to learn the correct language
for the programming of the mental processes. So, recognize the
state which we are in, then search (and find) the principles
able to overcome this state.
Inner Science #2: A journey of a thousand miles begins with Being able to notice, at least partially, but objectively,
a single step our ordinary emotions as they are, brings a great result that
requires a constant intentional effort to put into practice de-
termined proceedings that, for an effective outcome, must be
shared in a direct way.
But, for those who havent the possibility of a direct
transmission of this process, there is something they can do:
nourish the mind with contents that are different and more
useful than those ordinarily acquired. For example, in the
In the previous post we compared the functioning of evening reading a book instead of lying passively before the
the ordinary mind with a PC. The same comparison could TV or PC screen. I suppose that this is not a difficult task.
also be made with our emotional field. Indeed, the emotive
such as experienced in most cases, is superficial, automatic What type of books? Yes, there are many readings about inner
and unrefined. development and spirituality, but a book such as the Heming-
ways The Old Man and the Sea or other books that are not
The reason for this problem is that today, values such of trivial entertainment, should be enough.
as sensitivity, emotional depth and the cultivation of beauty
has been replaced by very superficial values. The number of
people who seek something different and more elevated than
Ok, for those who prefer more engaging readings, even
simple daily survival, has also dramatically decreased.
Gurdjieffs writings are more than good.
There are two aspects to inquire into to find the rea-
The action of such readings prolonged in time, al-
sons for this condition- Why and What to do to obviate it.
lows a sort of emotional and mental cleansing, so that, at one
The reason for this condition is a topic which has been con-
point, we become able to consider not only the superficial-
fronted in many posts on this blog, but regarding how to
ity of the world, but also the superficiality with which we
avert this emotional insufficiency is all but a simple task.
perform things and think thoughts we usually consider non-
Surely, it can be performed haphazardly by inventing superficial.
a method. Firstly, one has to wish to perform such a work,
Its a small beginning, but as Lao Tzu used to say: A
and to achieve this wish, one needs to notice that his emo-
journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step a
tional field is not as emancipated as he commonly thinks.
very useful step.
What is required to begin heeding attention is a remarkable
effort and sincerity which are beyond our ordinary possibili-
ties. In the field of inner development, excuses and justifi-
cations are unproductive, but attention can be produced by
establishing a genuine discipline to allow this to happen.
Otherwise, all our efforts will bring us to nothing.
 Inner Science#3: Find the Silence in your Daily Life
Silence keeps in itself the possibility to perceive
something different, and this is a very important aspect,
because it is the only thing which can determine a different
degree of presence.
The habitual thoughts cant be stopped right from the
beginning. We have to understand that the human brain is a
system that, close to the coordination of the bodys activities,
it is also designed to think, and until it functions, it will per-
form its work. What we can do is to make a distance between
ourselves and thoughts, entering into a condition in which
all this mental noise begins progressively to lose importance,
consistence, power, and strength.
Through such a practice, performed with daily con-
stancy, associative thoughts will become rarefied. What must
be understood is that if we dont put importance to the con-
tents of our mind, they will progressively lose their power on
us until they completely vanish and this is the silence so
claimed from the great teachers and masters from all ages; a
condition of absence of a noise which follows us 24 hours a
day, even when we sleep.
And, this is one of the most common problems of
human beings the insomnia, a problem that probably tor-
ments even some of us who read this post, isnt it?
We wake up, go to work, come back home, eat, dedi-
cate ourselves to our beloved and to some home tasks, and at
the end of the day, we go to sleep bringing with us to bed our
whole day, with its problems and stresses. And, falling asleep
becomes a difficult task.
This doesnt mean rest. And, also, this doesnt mean to
live. We survive our days such as in a battle.
We are slaves of ourselves, of our own habits and limi-
tations, and thats the reason of why, if we wish to live, experi-
ence and perceive a more real life, we have to decongest
our mind from its contents. We have to pass some minutes
in silence. I mean, in real silence, not only without speaking
with anyone, but also to not allow the mind to speak, instead
of us to us.
There are surely hundreds of practices of meditational
and not the type that could be suggested in order to do this,
but what we intend, here, is simply to dedicate some mo-
ments to collect ourselves- to find during our day, some mo-
ments (at least one) for an act of intimacy.
Just us, in company with nothingness. When you find
a calm moment at home, try to listen to the silence, present
everywhere, below the curtain of noise even in the big cities.
We can even seek for the silence in the space between the
noises.
A noise is a disharmonic sound, but it gives also the
possibility to discern the difference between what is chaotic
and what is more harmonious and balanced- in this case, the
silence. So, through the gap between two sounds, we can lis-
ten to the silence. Its not so difficult, its enough to synchro-
nize our ears with attention firstly to a noise, and then to
what follows when the noise disappears- the silence. Also, we
can notice the same noise, and then putting our attention to
the physical space that separates us from it.
Its not a metaphor. Just try it! Indeed, if we learn to
listen to the space that separates a sound from us, well be
automatically synchronized with a field where the sound
doesnt exist, and this is the dominion of the silence.
What must be understood is that the dominion of
noise is contained in the more vast dominion of the silence.
The silence is the container, and the noise is that which is
contained. Just ponder about that: all matter is composed
from space- between the molecules, atoms, etc We are not
accustomed to perceive it, but it still exists. This is a very im-
portant thing to be understood, because that is what allows
us to perceive the space of silence that separates us from the
noise.
Otherwise, then we could imagine, space is the most
common host, and space conceptually means silence. This is
the reason why many teachings claim that silence is our nat-
ural state, and its true- the problem is that we are not used
to put our attention toward it. If we take a look in depth, its
not so strange the reason for this behavior. We live in a so-
ciety where the cult of image is the alpha and the omega, no
one- even those who claim themselves enlightened practitio-
ners- is immune from this. Image is form. Thoughts are form,
silence not. So, thats why we perceive our mind through our
thoughts. We are convinced that thoughts are the mind, and
not only the content of the same.
So, listening to the space between us and the noise
means to concentrate on the absence of sound- form: silence.
This can be experienced in the environment that surrounds
us and in ourselves, through perceiving our mind- container.
But, this time, Ill say something about what waits for
us on the other side of the veil of mental noise. In the domin-
ion of silence and space, many things become possible. For
example, its possible to experience a voluntary, focused, con-
scious, decided thought, with intensity and a concentration
that is exempt from the usual distractions, and such focusing
allows us to gain practical, concrete results.
What else? It is also possible that the perception of
time changes, to become able to think in a very fast way, a
skill that becomes useful in many life situations through
finding a solution in a moment.
But these are not the aims of the practice of silence.
They are only side effects, very pleasurable, but the main
advantage of this practice is the possibility to listen, feel the
most inner fields of our essence, a task that is ordinarily im-
possible because of the usual inner and outer noise in which
we live.
Ok, its a practice that requires some time to realize
some results, and its not guaranteed that the results are those
we expect. But, anyway, its a great way to calm, stop the cha-
os in which we live, keeping in our heads, heart and life a
little bit less confusion.

Usually, when people ask me about experiences con-

cerned with determined practices, I dont like to describe too
much because, on one hand, it is like reading a road map
instead of walking the road with our legs; on the other side,
even if the individual experiences are similar to each other,
its also true that every one of us experiences them in his own
personal way.
 Inner Science #4: The Patanjalis Path towards Freedom
Patanjali, a yogi who probably lived in the 2nd centu-
ry, is considered the most studious and the primary compiler
of the system known today as Raja Yoga. In his writing Yoga
Sutra, he described systematically the eight phases towards
self- realization, the path which every practitioner has to
walk, from the outer to the most inner stages until achieving
an understanding of his own I.
According to Patanjalis writing, a scholar proceeds
step by step from what is immediately perceivable the body,
to the understanding of what is usually unknowable; he merg-
es himself, progressively, into the deepest fields of his being:
from the manifested, through an exploration of his mind, in-
tellect, will, the discriminating consciousness, and awareness,
until he achieves the awareness and understanding of the true
self, or I.
The following are the eight steps articulated by Patan-
jali:
Niyama: abstention from offenses, greed, squandering,
falsity, robbery;
Yama: observation of pureness of thought, moderation,
study and devotion;
Asana: stable and comfortable position;
Pranayama: breath control;
Dharana: concentration on only one object;
Dhyana: meditation, the conscious focus on the object of
concentration;
Samadhi: merging with the object of meditation, pure
awareness;
The scholars mind, initially confused and untamed,
can be purified through the phases of Niyama, Yama, and
Asana, so that the intellectual field could be stimulated
to an intentional activity; through the stages of Asana and
Pranayama, mind could become more stable and, successive-
ly, (through Pranayama), the senses are retracted inward, and
this is the stage of Pratyahara; the mind becomes more atten-
tive, able to focus intentionally on its own energy. Through
the Dharana, mind becomes motionless, unflappable, and the
consequential increase of attention brings the scholar to the
stage of meditation- Dhyana. Once this stage is maintained
for enough time, the scholar will experience the final step of
his path, Samadhi.
Taking a deeper look at the brief explanation of the
above mentioned stages, it is evident that, before realizing
the higher stages of awareness, one must first learn to know
and understand the body and its functions, besides learning
to manage the vital breaths, the energy, mind, intellect, and
ego. Only after the exploration of the manifested fields, he
will be able to enter the realm of the non-manifested - the
part of every human being which is usually hidden from his
eyes the unknown.
Such as a stream pulled by the necessity to find the sea,
the student, once having overcome the rough obstacles, will be
pulled towards the unknown. The moment of flowing in the
deep seas will produce the experience of fusion with the whole,
the most elevated state of joy a human being can experience.
This state is called in Sanskrit Ananda.
 This is the path described by Patanjali, a way able to
bring a practitioner from the state of identification with his
body, to the realization of his True Self. A system which has
been tested by millennia, that begins from the body, the ner-
vous system, to the sensorial perceptions, proceeding until the
mind, the intellect, goes deeper toward the inner I. A path
to return to ourselves. A path which leads from ignorance to
a true understanding.
I would like to say, here, that the stages of Yama and
Niyama must intentionally be in a modern, contemporary
language, so as to be understandable to modern men and
women, as an education to a universal ethic, free from cul-
tural contents that belong to other ages, so no more actual
in ours. Indeed, the habit of literally transcribing the obser-
vances and the abstentions suggested in the ancient texts is
useful from a point of view of a translator, an anthropologist,
historian or a scholar committed to the analysis of ancient
Hindu society, but its less useful for someone who would like
to approach this tradition in a practical way. We dont live
in India, and even if we live there, we dont live in the third,
eighth or the second century B.C.
The real meaning and sense of Yama and Niyama lies
in the fact that everyone who wishes to undertake a path for
self- development must develop in itself a greater sensibility
towards not only others, but also the whole life, educating
ones mind to ethical values that bring intellectual honesty,
kindness, and self- integrity.
This has to be translated in a way which is in accor-
dance to the intellectual development of contemporary men
and women, so that it could become possible to dedicate our-
selves to a protocol of altruism and mental cleansing, and
all this in a modality that is compatible (therefore, effective
and useful) with the age in which we live.
Inner Science #5: The Path of Shakyamuni
Buddhism is surely a refined way which, with all the
doctrinal elements inevitably included such as in all the disci-
plines which became religions, gives the possibility to perform
a sophisticated analysis of the inner states through determined
and well- structured practices. The same founder of these dis-
ciplines- Buddha, gave such an accurate description of what
a man must do and the results of the various practices, that we
could define it as scientific.
Many readers and practictioners know the founda-
tions and the meaning of the Four Noble Truths, and they
all speak about suffering and pain (and their meanings) which
we all suffer in our everyday lives. In an abbreviated explana-
tion of those precepts, we could describe them in this way:
1. Suffering exists;
2. Suffering arises from attachment to desires;
3. Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases;
4. Freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the Eight-
fold Path;
The last one, the fourth truth, speaks about a glimpse
of hope, a possibility of overcoming this state of suffering, the
condition which keeps us in a state of perpetual stagnation. Its
the precept on which every apprentice might focus his work.
While the realization of the Four Truths happens in a
moment, as a realization of our own condition, the develop-
ment during the practice of the Eightfold Path can only be
gradual, proportional to the work one does on oneself. The
practice begins with the development of an ethical conduct,
the Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood.
What does this mean? It means that the apprentice
must take responsibility for what is he saying so that he does
not offend or harm. So, a practice of gentleness and the aware-
ness of what we say and what we speak about.
For the reason that speech is a result of what we are
thinking, this first stage, when well -developed, brings us to
a right way of thinking. Such as the thoughts which influence
the content of our conversations, the tone and the cadence of
the voice, even changing the way we speak makes changes in
our way of thinking and, also, makes it easier to manage the
contents of our mind. This is the meaning of the Buddhist say-
ing We are what we think.
Then, the apprentice must learn to act without egois-
tic purposes, without depending on the result of his actions,
so, in Western words, without expectations. This produces a
Right Effort and a Right Concentration to the further steps in
the Eightfold Path.
The Right Livelihood implies to make a distance from
extreme actions of every type, and also from greed and from
actions with the purpose to harm.
After this first stage, what follows is the development
and cultivation of a Right Effort, Right Thinking and Right
Concentration. The Right Effort could be explained in this
way: learn to administer our daily energies. As explained in
previous posts on this Blog, we usually waste great amounts of
energy in actions that are directed toward nothing: we think
or, better said, we let our mind produce thousands and thou-
sands of thoughts, speak in a compulsive way, let our body
produce uncontrolled and useless movements, tensions, and
stresses. What is suggested with this percept is to apply our
whole energies in order to develop more sober behaviours; such
a habit arises from a right way of acting, the above mentioned
Right Action, and its a fundamental supposition for devel-
oping a conscious and focused will. This cant be performed
without Right Thinking, so a conscious way of administration
of our mind, and this together brings us to the development
for Right Concentration, a focussed attention which is able,
in a second moment to unveil what really lies before our eyes.
Its the beginning of a de-mechanization, a gradual
desegregation of the old habits which keep us imprisoned be-
tween the walls of our illusory way of living, feeling, perceiv-
ing and seeing reality as it is.
A Right Thinking brings us out of the perpetual atti-
tude to fall into various identifications with what happens
around us and in us; the development of such a skill brings us
to the Right Concentration, the improving of our attention to
the degree that we can experience life in a lucid way, instead
of that as sleepwalkers.
The last stage is the flowering of a Right View and a
Right Intention. Right View means the realization and com-
prehension of the Four Noble Truths, the situation in which
almost all humans are imprisoned. A true understanding of
the reason for a condition of suffering and of the relative va-
cuity feeds the wish to overcome this situation, to become able
to manage our illusions, with the support of Compassion to-
wards all living beings, also involved in the same situation;
its the birth of a purpose, an intention- the Right Intention.
Even if the Eightfold Path is divided in stages, its
practice is not linear, as seen above. There is an interaction
of cause- effect between each phase. A linear approach to a
teaching brings us to nothing; a sober learning is most similar
to the flowing of a spiral, a vortex in which the proceeding of a
phase brings us to a deeper understanding and the realization
of another one.
 What is needed, is a further and rare skill, the great- Fear and the apparent Feeling of Division
est one: having a heart (sensibility) able to dicipline our
whole life, to integrate a theoretical study with the practice,
and bring the results of this addition into the way of living
and experiencing our daily life moment by moment.

Fear is present in every human being, which incarcer-

ates all of us as slaves. It has been present since the mists of
time, so rooted in all of us that it seems to be engraved even
in our DNA code. Trying to overcome it from the beginning is
practically useless, because we must beforehand neutralize the
effects it produces.
Fear hinders every step on the path to a self realiza-
tion, keeping us blindly and irrationally stuck in the animal
realm. It wouldnt be an exaggeration to say that fear kills
the mind, and without a mind disciplined and controlled by
a will, we lose our humanity as we understand it.
We can educate ourselves through becoming part of
what frightens us, dropping the distances and the sense of
strangeness. Closeness produces intimacy, and this dissipates
every fear. Fear arises from a sense of separation. In fact, we
fear others, always!
To better explain about what kind of distance we
mean here, well make an elucidation: being separated
means both a physical distance and a difference in form, in-
tended as body: my body is separate from yours.
Ok, thats obvious. But, being divided, as we intend
here, implies a further and deeper distance, which remains so
in the course of physical proximity, My mind cant be unified
with yours. We are and will always be inevitably two divided
realities.
Fear is related to this perception of division which
makes us perceive others as strangers and potentially danger-
ous. Thus, we live in suspicion - the others must prove to
us that they are not dangerous. We dont start from the consid-
eration that people are generally similar to us (different con-
cerning their needs and superficial fears, but equal in depth).
In fact, we do not consider ourselves as part of a family, but
rather as isolated entities who need to be in constant protec-
tion from the outside world.
The subjective feeling of each man is his solitude, a
loneliness that in rare cases is temporarily mitigated. But
even when this happens, the individual lives a sense of com-
munity retaining his defensive barriers, for the reason he
fear-and expects to be betrayed. Even the family, after early
childhood, remains extraneous to our most intimate existence,
and in most cases, we experience a constant sensation of not
being understood.
*****
So, what is outside of ourselves is considered a po-
tential danger. For this reason, since antiquity, man has or-
ganized conglomerates and clans, fortified by a symbolic link
of community, necessity, vital interests, an ideal or a feeling of
similarity or belonging. Despite the closeness within these FEAR!
perimeters, humans remain suspicious. This fictional secu-
rity brings at least the illusion of being protected from what
lies outside the community. It is the root from which arises
the idea of a group- identity, the nation, race and culture,
which implies similarity and brings a type of better security.
Inside of this circle, each member feels protected
from the external, the strange, the different, the alien, and the
sense of loneliness and vulnerability decreases (even though it
remains). Inside of this circle, men create further ties of close-
ness (a family), which allow different forms of intimacy which
further reduces, momentarily, the sense of fear.
Understanding that fear is connected to the sense of di-
vision is fundamental; it could seem rationally obvious, but,
seen from a deeper and more sincere point of view, the ques-
tion is still open.
Realizing and understanding the concepts of sepa-
ration and division is fundamental to understanding the
concept of fear: willy-nilly, this represents the pillar of hu-
man life, and its related to the perception of what is alien
and outside of us. Ignorance of what is outside covers dif-
ferent levels of fear and preoccupations. When we ignore the
nature of an environment, we are unable to know what can
happen. Similarly, if we dont understand the character of a
person, we are unable to predict his reactions.
Fear is related to a lack of knowledge and a sense of
strangeness, and also from what we well know: we are afraid
of something we know may happen. In other words, we project
outside our bigger fears.
We dont know how a friend, a mate or some other will
react to our words, but we have an idea of the abundance of
its negative reaction. He might feel offended, becoming aggres-
sive, insulting us; or, he could remain silent, behave falsely,
preparing a sort of revenge or something worse. this is
For the reason he is a stranger to us, we are unable
to predict what kind of reaction he will have, but our mind
projects a series of situations that might develop: and thats
what we fear, even before something could happen. Imagina-
tion wins over reality.
The fear, therefore, means imagining what could phys-
ically or emotionally hurt us, even if we ignore the way and
the moment this will happen (if it will happen). And this pro-
duces insecurity, opening a neverending flow of imaginative
activity concerning the possible risks and consequences of an
action; the mind builds a series of possible scenarios which
proportionally to the anarchy of our thoughts colors the
emotions of fear or, worse than that, of pure terror.
 As seen in the first part of this post, fear is deeply relat-
ed to a sense of division and it is moved through the activation
of associative thoughts (imagination), who feed on personal
past experiences or past experiences common to all mankind.
When we reach the capacity to remain detached from
what happens in our emotional and mental field, we become
able to analyze and foresee the possible risks which could arise
from a situation. Otherwise, we are at the mercy of what we
commonly call fear; indeed, this could be seen as a dysfunc-
tion of the human machine- the intellectual center (mind)
and the emotional center (emotions) drain energy from
each other. This is not a rare situation, indeed, this is what
usually happens, and it should be superfluous to say that this
is neither positive or productive.
This is the situation that most human beings have to
face every day.
*****
One of the most ancient enemies of every human be-
ing is surely the dark, such as Nature, when it expresses itself
in its full potential. Such as thousands of years ago, humans
feared entering a forest at night. Today a person feels similar
(probably the same) reactions before walking through a dark
street because the mind tends to create an image of the pos-
sible dangers which it could face there. This image could be
illusory, a myth, or real and concrete, but the result is always
the same: humans face the demons of their fears before facing
the reality.
The dark is the symbolic representation of a space in
which we are unable to see, and where all the possible dangers
could be hidden. Such loss of light, represents also a loss of
knowing. If Im unable to see what is in front of me, I dont
know what I could expect and, consequently, how to act. If I
dont know, Im unable to manage any phenomenon. On one
hand, this is not a negative thing, because if knowing gives
me a feeling of safety, this drives me to know, and compels me
to dive into the unknown. But, on the other hand, this pro-
duces also fear, because, I can fear only what I know- in the
case of the dark street, the infinite and fantastic agglomerate
of all the possible situations which my associative, automatic
thoughts are able to produce. This is not a mere speculation,
but a crucial point to understand and overcome fear in all its
forms. What we commonly know is the result of what the past
has revealed to us. It doesnt matter if this is our own experi-
ence or what we have heard about an experience of someone
else. Knowing is not projected into the future- it is always a
result of the past.
Thus, when a thought is focused on a future event, it
does it so through a more or less complex projection - a previ-
sion based on the elaboration of data we have acquired in the
past.
So, quite opposite of what most say, knowing alone is
not enough to win over fear, because, if on one side it gives us
the tools to face situations, on the other it allows the mind
to create an image (or more images) of possible dangers. Its a
constant balance between prevision and worries of not being
able to bear an unforeseen event.
Knowing can erase the fear only when related to spe-
cific situations, not to life in general. For example, if I dont
know how to drive a car, I have an obvious fear of driving,
because I could create an incident. But once I have learned to
drive a car, I have acquired the necessary knowing to man-
age this vehicle and this fear disappears. But we cant learn
and experience in advance every aspect of life. There are also
some aspects where learning never stops, such as when its re-
lated to the emotional field: feeling, happiness, anxiety. or
some unconscious anguish whose roots are unknowable, and
probably will be never known. So, to resume in a few words
what we wish to express here- even if knowing and experienc-
ing can help one to feel more safe in some fields of his life ,they
are not enough to overcome Fear in its totality, thus so in ev-
ery field of our life. Mind generates safeness and, soon after,
doubts.
This means that fear cant be faced only in details, but
in more large and philosophical terms. Surely, the fear of
some specific possible dangers exists, but the main problem is
the crystallization in human nature of fear as fear, namely as
an instinctive manifestation of perceiving ourselves divided
from others and the world.
There are many modern methods which allow us to
overcome some specific fears (fear of flying, of swimming,
etc), and they are taught in some formation courses, psycho-
logical therapy, etc.. . but they are focused on the superficial
aspects (the reactions) and not on the primary causes.
At the opposite, a genuine inner research is focused on
the roots of the problem, to resolve fear in its totality. Its a
long path, but its also final and resolutive.
In the moment that our mind becomes filled with
imaginary fears concerning our life, we stop to be free; we
dont put attention on what our eyes objectively see and what
our hands touch, but for what could happen. What happens
is that the eventuality scares us more than reality, and this
makes us weak, denying us to respond in an efficient way to
unexpected situations.
The imaginary is based on the past, namely not so
much on what we know as our experience but rather on what
we consider to know. Indeed, the mechanism of the knowing
acquired through direct experience should be understood in
depth: knowing is the base of individual development, but
what should be learned is to not fall into the net of what we
have acquired from others, and accept as our experiential
knowing. And, this is usually what happens. This could seem
an intellectual and abstract statement, but it is more than
practical in order to find concrete solutions in our daily life.
But, if we wish to better understand what fear is, we
should put all our attention on the concept of division. What
is this? How does it function? And, what is most important: is
it real? The most immediate answer would be that its existence
is a matter of fact, something concrete and undeniable. We
have a body that divides us from the outside world, and this
body can be harmed by the environment. Likewise, our emo-
tional and intellectual fields are similar but different from the
same fields of others. And, even these fields can suffer external
attacks. So, that division exists, is a tangible fact, and fear has
its reason for existence.
Is it so really? The first answer that could arise in our
mind is discounted, but the topic is not so simple. Facing
this argument, we enter into a field belonging to the realm
of what lies beyond appearances. What is usually not per-
ceived byhumans, could be formulated in the following way:
reality is not what it seems to be, and we pay for this percep-
tive deviation with suffering every moment of our lives.
Once more, an individual whose aim is individual de-
velopment should make a distinction between what is sepa-
ration and what is division. This is not a sophism, but a
concrete analysis of practical implications for human exis-
tence.
Physically, separation represents a reality: we cant
pass materially through a wall nor become one thing with an
external object. We could say that this is correct from a point
of view focused on matter, because it represents a common ex-
perience. Of course, this is so until proven otherwise. But, for
now, well accept the separation of physical objects (physical
bodies included) as a matter of fact.
This touchable and evident experience that we are
physically separated from the external world makes arise an-
other conviction: that this fact belongs also to the field of
emotions, intellect and, for those who are spiritual, even
of the soul. My soul is not the same as yours. My essence
cant resonate with yours, etc
And here lies the great mistake. Emotionally, intellec-
tually and, lets say, spiritually, things are very, very differ-
ent.
An example: when we fall in love, for the time that this
love lasts as a deep and warm passion, the sense of fear and of
division doesnt exist.
Another example: a mother, and even a father, does
not fear their children (at least while they are small) because
they consider them as part of themselves. These two are the
most common and foregone examples.
Then, how is it possible that if separation exists as a
matter of fact, there could also exist some manifestations of
unity in which fear, the perception of division and distance
cease?
Dont discard this topic as dim, ponder about this.
And, examples can be found in fields that are more
touchable than humans emotions.
There are some places capable of influencing slightly,
in a negative or postive way, the mind and emotions of those
who stay there. The energy irradiated from a place or an
object influences the thermomagnetic field of those who get in
contact with it, and so that happens, a physical contact is not
required.
The same happens between persons: some individuals
have the power to transmit calm and safeness independently
from what they say or do; in the same way, others give a feel-
ing of agitation, irritability and insecurity. Only the presence
of such persons can make the environment pleasurable or not.
In both cases, the physical touch doesnt influence
such effects. So, what form of energy is implied in this con-
tact? Through what channels? If the physical body possesses
a thermomagnetic field that surrounds its perimeter, what
are the results when more radiant energies get in touch? They
merge together? They have specific qualities capable of influ-
encing each other? And if it is so, what determines the su-
premacy of one form of energy from another one?
And, the main question: if a solid matter of a body
cant be merged with another form of the same consistence
without changing its structure, but the same thing can be done
from a radiant form of energy, at what degree can we state
that the basic structures are divided?
We know that a warmth irradiated from an incandes-
cent object can burn another one, even if both objects are not
in direct contact. Ok, this happens because the air that sepa-
rates the two objects overheats and becomes the agent for the
transmission. But the properties of a substance can be trans-
ferred into another substance without a direct touch only if
there is not division between the two substances, namely, if
something not visible (such as heat, in this case) joins these
two elements. Again, dont discard this as plain theoretical
speculation a priori. Ponder about that.
Lets now imagine a field of connection able to main-
tain unity between all the emotional and intellectual fields. In
this case, theres a separation between the visible bodies, but
theres no effective division, because the radiant energy of
emotions and thoughts merges constantly with the same ener-
gies of the others. A mass of people can react emotionally in
the same way even without a conscious and direct exchange.
But, can this energy influence only the emotional
and intellectual fields, or is it capable of modifying physical
matter,to interact with a solid? Making such a statement could
relegate us to the field of the visionary, and this is correct:
without an objective experience, to make some statements as
concrete, sure and proven means just this: being visionary
to imagine things instead of experiencing them.
There are many scientists who make this field of inter-
action between thoughts, emotions, and objects a subject for
their research. There are also many writings which explain
surely better than the author of this post, the interaction be-
tween thought and matter, but to prove this interaction be-
tween the two is surely not the aim of this post.
What would be said here is that the line of division
between physical matter, emotions and thoughts and various
forms of energy is fairly weak.
To return to the argument of the topic, the idea of divi-
sion as explained above (so, not intended as separation) gener-
ates fear of remaining isolated, of not being part of something
and it doesnt matter what it is. The separation of bodies and
minds is what makes the beauty of variety contained in unity.
The only problem is that we are incapable of perceiving this
unity, so we fear to remain isolated from all and everything.
So, fear is deeply connected with a loss of the percep-
tion of unity.
The ancient thinkers, philosophers, mystics, and teach-
ers spoke widely on the illusory nature of division. Because
of our deep identification with our physical mean (body), we
consider that all which exists is an isolated entity, divided
from the rest.
There can be an astonishing intellectual syntony be-
tween two individuals; sometimes, thoughts can match and
merge together in such a way that they really involve the minds
of those who live this experience. A similar merging is more
perceivable on the emotional plane: an emotion expressed
from a gaze is able to create a condition of intimacy such as a
condition of unease. Also, sometimes two persons touch each
other emotionally in such a way, that they dont know what to
say and how to act. This is a rare situation, but it could hap-
pen. What has to be understood is that, even if one event is oc-
casional, it still reveals that the possibility exists, that beneath
this event exists a law that has yet to be discovered.
The Eastern philosophies have been the main promul-
gators of the idea that division represents an illusion produced
from our mind and sensations. Almost all the Eastern current
of thought is filled by the conviction that everything is envel-
oped by a unique energy and that everything one does and
thinks influences the whole in all its fields.
The majority of meditative techniques have just the
aim of transforming this intuition to a concrete experience,
mutating the sense of fear and solitude to the courage to live
and effective self-expression.
Without entering into psychological theories that can
surely be deepened in more competent texts than this post,
we can say that, unconsciously, every human being feels the
tendency to resolve this separation in unity: the tendency to-
ward friendship and meeting, even the fusion with the oppo-
site gender in a sexual act could be seen as indicators of such
a tendency. But, what is certain, is that every human being
experiences this compulsion to the degree that he suffers when
he cant find meeting, comprehension, love namely, unity.
It is as though we all have an unconscious loss of mem-
ory of a state of unity which we are unable to find again.
We all keep in ourselves a basic fear of being deceived
by those we love, a fear of being disenchanted. Such as we all
say to ourselves: Yes, I feel that all is one and that I have the
possibility of reaching a deep intimacy with each other until
feeling it as a part of me, but I fear that this is something that,
in my case cannot be realized.
 Such a fear of being harmed makes us all to erect bar-
riers, walls to defend ourselves from external dangers; a
situation which seems to not have solutions. A prison called
fear from which we cant escape. We move in circles, de-
prived of alternatives. But, even in the most improbable situ-
ations, theres always a way out. If there exists an out,
theres also a way to reach it. So, the alternative exists.
Indeed, an alternative could be trying to understand
(truly understand) the fact that, basically, all of us share the
same fears and defensive reactions.
Lowering our barriers, well surely appear less ominous
to others, so theyll feel less the need to keep alert for possible
attacks. Translated in practical words, this means to not be
afraid of expressing our emotions and to diminish the depth of
the mask we use during our relations with the others.
Of course, in such a way, well be more susceptible to
suffer some low kick, but even if hyper- protected as we are
now, in life we still suffer strokes and counterstrokes. So the
problem, in this field, remains almost the same. Indeed, we
cant protect ourseves totally from such attacks, but liv-
ing in a constant sense of fear isolates us even from what is
good and beautiful. Also, its surely not possible to practice
this lowering down in every situation, but this doesnt mean
that there are not situations in which we can practice it.
Its very difficult for a human being to become aware
of how much he is isolated from the external world because of
his own fears which deny him the possibility to live intense,
real and fulfilling emotional experiences.
Usually, people try to exorcize such fear in all its forms
instead of observing, studying and understanding it: only
such an approach could bring him to the aim of winning over
this fear definitively. What a human being usually doesnt un-
derstand is that this approach of appearing strong, deter-
mined, impassible, or cold in order to cover these fears accept an idea of what reality is instead of facing the reality as
is what makes him extremely weak.
An exaggeration? Ponder a little bit about this, before
making haphazard conclusions.
Theres also a more practical aspect that has to be pon-
dered: lowering the barriers doesnt mean to become a good
person or a if someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them
the other also type style. Ethically, this could seem apprecia-
ble, but surely not efficient in the hardness of ordinary life.
This post doesnt have the aim of suggesting people to become
cannon fodder at the mercy of everyone that feels the egois-
tic need of getting rid of his frustrations on the first upcoming
good samaritan. What we would like to say, here (for per-
sonal experience) is that to lower the defensive barriers de-
lineates the parameters of a greater force and strength in life.
And this is perceived from others such as we perceive this on
other people with these characteristics.
Ancient China developed a war strategy based on the
concept of unity and on all that it could express, in terms of
efficiency and practice, the concept of allowing to come in,
with the aim of using the strength of the enemy. Tai Chi Ch-
uan, Bagua Chang, Wing Chung and Hsing Ji are just some of
the martial arts that have been developed from this strategy,
and their main efficiency lies in the idea of using the enemys
strength.
By concretizing a defensive perimeter, maybe this phys-
ical, emotional or psychological means to become rigid and, to
use, once more, the Eastern wisdom, all what becomes rigid
is nearest to a concept of death. Indeed, we can crush a piece
of ice, but not the water. Why? Its obvious, because the water
is not as rigid as the ice.
Fear makes us weak, building prefabricated structures
of reality. We fear constantly and replace the uncertainty of
life with the certainty of thousands of illusions. We prefer to
it is, so we create this image and hang on to it to feel better.
We deny the possibility of the existence of something
that produces discomfort and accept only what makes us feel
safe; take a deeper look at what happens in yourself and oth-
ers and, with rare exceptions, you will see that the reality of
things is not so far from what is stated above.
Fear is also the main thing that keeps us far from the
possibility of finding a strong interest in discovering what
truth is. Indeed, to find the real in everything, one must be
ready to discover the new, unexpected realities, and that is
accepted by us, except when the same new comes out from
the parameters of our certainties, we feel nervous and unsafe.
Maybe, even harmed.
As stated in the Chinese Art of War, It is said that if
you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be im-
periled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies
but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do
not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in
every single battle.
This is a great truth, that can be applied in all the
fields of our daily life and human existence in general, and its
based on a fundamental concept: knowing is intended as vi-
sion, perception, understanding of reality, in opposition with
the subjective ideas and the deformations of what we observe
produced from our mental field.
So, if we really wish to overcome definitively the prison
of the fear that keeps human existence imprisoned, thus, even
our existence, to cease building illusory images about life and
what happens is what we have to put all our attention and
forces on.
 Self Observation
Self -observation is the focal point in the field of inner
research. Through this practice, placed in a well-structured
environmental system, there are practically no limits to what
we can discover about ourselves, our life, and the world in
general.
To effectively carry out this practice, we must take
into account two factors: energy and awareness. An inten-
tional, non-superficial and not accidental obser- vation re-
quires an intensive and focused energy.
The only fuel source we have to perform such a
challenging task is the energy we have to live our daily lives:
losing this energy in mechanical, unconscious, and uninten-
tional actions make such kind of observation impossible.
The first difficulty which the practitioner encoun- ters
is the fact that almost no one understands in practice what
observation is. Generally, although we admit that we arent
conscious of ourselves, we have the tendency to consider we
still possess this ability.
Only through serious work on self- observation can
we reach some concrete results, taking it only as information
is not enough.
A well-structured and organized work on observing
ourselves and the environment surrounding us, brings us
progressively to the third state of awareness called Self -Con-
sciousness or Self -Awareness.
This state can be achieved only through a theo- retical
study, but even only through a practice without any theoreti-
cal knowledge, one must first know how and what to observe.
So, theoretical study and experience (practice) are two indi-
visible key factors in order to proceed in an effective way.
Thats the recipe for getting results from the ancient axiom,
Know Thyself .
Another important factor is sincerity, or the rare
and great ability of being honest. Humans have the habit
to eyewash themselves and others, with the only purpose
of maintaining alive an illusory and non- existent image of
themselves, emerging from the vari- ous fragmented parts
of the personality. We must be honest toward ourselves and
others. It is very impor- tant in the field of the development
of a higher con- sciousness that we admit our lack of self-
observation. Otherwise, any chance of further development
is lost from the beginning.
At the beginning, the education to observe our- selves
and others has the aim to make us aware of our absence, and
this is a point that mustnt be un- derestimated: who presumes
to have understood his ordinary condition without having
seen with his own eyes and touched with his own hands the
situation, almost never achieve any results.
There are very many methods of observation, but first
we must understand what it is, aside from the techniques one
decides to use. In order to observe, an observer who drives
this action is needed. We can see an object because it is ex-
ternal to us.
We cant see our face (of course, we can see it in a
shadow, but I didnt mean this case). At the begin- ning, we
might extend the field of observation to what is more exter-
nal to us, and this is our physical body.
Observing the physical body has also another ad- van-
tage: our thoughts and emotions change at every moment,
according to the external situations which influence them
our body is less susceptible to radi- cal changes.
That is the reason why almost all the serious inner dis-
ciplines begin the path of self development with the physical
body. We can observe our gestures, our physical postures, our
interaction with objects, reducing progressively the habitual
and mechanical movements.
Even breath, as part of the instinctive center, is a focal
point to develop our attention, and very useful to develop the
ability to observe.
Once we become able to maintain such kind of obser-
vation for longer periods during our daily life, we can start
to observe the intellectual and emotional functions and the
corresponding centers.
Through the practice of self-observation, we also
reach the ability to understand others, to build better rela-
tions and help those who need help.
There is a traditional form of education for self- ob-
servation called natural awareness, whose aim is to struggle
against the mechanical gestures and acts and developing a
conscious gestural aesthetic and doing every act , feeling the
body while doing it.
Exercise to Get Back to Reality
There are really many good and effective exercises
who can awake us at least for some moments. Indeed, an ex-
ercise who could awaken us once for all permanently does
not exist; this can be achieved only through a constant, se-
rious and dedicated practice. Such kind of work is not so
simple as many asserts; but, on the opposite, there are also
thosewho claim that such work is so difficult that couldresult
almost impossible. Both these statements are two opposite
of the same thing: a useless exaggeration. The work in or-
der to awaken to a higher state of Consvciousness, to our
True Self is a thing of training ourselves so that we become
able to do this, and such as every other kind of training, it
needs practice and, of course, an effective program to fol-
low. For the reason that sharing a whole program on a Blog
page is impossible because, even if a system exists, everyone
of us has his own needs to develop, we share some practices in
hope that theyll be of help to someone. So, well share, here
a morning practice who allows the practitioner to settle in a
more attentive state of presence. Who writes this, have found
this practice very useful to begin his day for the reason that it
dont limits the awareness on just touch sensations, but also
on hearing and seeing.
This practice is divided in three main steps who have
to be performed consequentially.
So, this is the practice:
 a) First step:
In the morning, after you have drink your cup of cof-
fee or tea, namely after you have woke up from the night
sleep, sit on a chair and close your eyes, putting your atten-
tion from some moments on your breath;
After some minutes, put your attention on the left foot, tryng
to sense it. It does not matter how youll sense it, sensing is
an individual thing,there are not concrete advices on how
t sense:you can feel your foot touching the ground, a some
kind of tingling, warmth, coldness or nothing it does not
matter, the important is that you put your attention on every
sensation you can grasp from your left foot. If you do it so,
youll surely last out.Once you begin to feel your foot, keep
your focus on the sensations for one- two minutes; Then, fol-
low the same procedure for the right foot; once you are able
to feel your right foot, try to sense both foots together, and
this has also to try one- two minutes;
Then, move your focus on the calves, performing the
practice in the same way: forst sensing the left, the right and
then together, every of these three steps lasts one-two min-
utes; do the samewith your thighs;
Now, try to sense left and right legs (foot, calves,
thighs), all together in the same time. The attention on the
whole of our legs must be focused for one two minutes;
Then, move your attention on your arms, and follow
the same procedure than for the legs: Left and right fists, then
fosts together; right and left lower arm, and both lower arms
together; right and left higher arm, and both arms together;
finally, fists, lower and higher arms, all together for one- two
minutes;
Now, try to feel both legs (foots, calves, thighs) and
arms (fists, lower and upper arms), all together, mantaining
the attention one- two minutes;
b) Then continue with the Second Step of the prac-
tice:
Maintaining your attention on the sensations of legs
and arms, with you eyes always closed, expand your atten-
tion on the sounds you can hear. Dont force yourself to find
some every kind of sound, just notice what you are hearing
in this precise moment; focus your efforts not in searching
some sound, but rather on remaining receptive to every kind
of sound- noise you can hear. Even the silence. So, mantain
the sensations of both legs and arms,and at the same time,
expand your attention on the act of hearing; once you have
settled yourself in such kind of attention, mantain it for one-
two minutes;
Then, go to the third, Final Step of the practice:
Once you have settled yourself in an attention who
could keep you attentive in sensing and hearing all toghether,
open your eyes, and be aware what you are seeing, and also be
aware of the fact that you are seeing. Notice every object who
enters in the range of your view, feeling arms, legs and man-
taining your attention on what your ears grasp- all together.
Now, if you have performed this practice with diligence, you
should feel yourself more awake, so consious than earlier.
You are really awake. Stand up, and trying to mantain this
state as long as possible, begin your day.
We have found this practice very effective in order to
wake up from the trance-like state in which we ordinary live; Self Observation Exercise in Third Person
so, a good practice to begin our day, and this practice can be
followed by the exercise in Self Observation explained pre-
viously on this Blog. Of course, as wrote above, there is no
practice to resolve the problem of lack of awareness; we have
to train ourselves to achieve gradually this state, and this can
be done. It all depends on anyone else than you.
Every practice is a little part of a system, in this case
a system to become more aware, and practices such as this On this topic will be explained in details how to do a
one are good tools in order to settle ourselves in a centered constructive self observation in accord to the Ancient teach-
state of presence, from where we can perform the Work on ings. There are more writings about this topic, but I released
Ourselves. that each of them gives only fragments of a real self obser-
vation practice.

Also, there are many practicies to develop the skills

for self observation: this practice is one of the moste simple
and useful both for beginners and advanced practitio-
ners.
So, here is a technique called Second Line Attention
that Im sure would be helpful for all the practi- tioners as it
was helpful for me and all who practiced her.
This exercise is very similar to the practicies suggested
in the Buddhist text Maha Satipetthana Sutta, but devel-
oped a littel bit for the necessities of the modern life. Here is
a part of the originaol text:
...And again, bhikkus, a bhikkhu (Buddhist monk
who has received full ordination) while walking knows I am
walking, while standing, he knows I am standing; while
sitting, he knows, I am sitting; while lying down he knows,
I am lying down....
It important to understand that in this text the con-
cept know (ie. he knows I am sitting) is related to the
proprety of feeling: if you dont feel yourself sitting, then
you dont know. So know = being aware. Remember that
feeling is a core of self observation and self remembering.
The explanation of this exercise is simply: we use two
tools- our birth name sayd in third person and our body.
How? During the day, when we do some ac- tion, we must
feel ourselves doing that determinate thing and, at the same
time, repeat mentally our name and the action we are doing
in the third person.
Example: When I pick up a glass I feel my body doing
this action and I say mentally: Andrea takes the glass when
I walk I feel my body in motion and say mentally: Andrea
walks and so on. In this way, observing the action, and men-
tally repeating what we are doing in that moment, we can
start to observe better ourselves.
Also, when we do this practice, is more important to
feel-sense our body in motion. Similarly, we can do the same
things with emotions: When I feel happy I say: Andrea is
Happy when I m tired, Andrea is tired, when Im angry
Andrea is angry .....
The simple repeating the actions we do in third per-
son help us to be a little more detached from what we do or
feel. Thats all. This action has to be done during the all day.
Observe yourself in every moment and, when you no-
tice youve forget doing this practice, just focus your atten-
tion on what you are doing right in that moment. Practice
with patience, dont get angry when you notice youve forget
yourself- at this stage of the Work, its a normal thing!
Breath and Navel Technique A Taoist Practice
Breath and Navel Meditation is the oldest meditation
method on record in China, as well as India. It is the method
usually taught to beginners. Breath and Navel Meditation
works directly with the natural flow of breath in the nostrils
and the expansion and contraction of the abdomen. This
Taoist meditation is a good way to develop focused atten-
tion and one-pointed awareness. It is suggested to practice it
twenty or thirty minutes once or twice a day.
Exercise:
1. Sit cross-legged on a cushion on the floor or
upright on a low stool and adjust the bodys posture until
well-balanced and comfortable. Press tongue to palate, close
your mouth without clenching the teeth, and lower the eye-
lids until almost closed.
2. Breathe naturally through the nose, drawing
the inhalation deep down into the abdomen and making the
exhalation long and smooth. Focus your attention on two
sensations, one above and the other below. Above, focus on
the gentle breeze of air flowing in and out of the nostrils like
a bellows, and on exhalation, try to follow the breath out as
far as possible, from 3 to 18 inches. Below, focus on the na-
vel rising and falling and the entire abdomen expanding and
contracting like a balloon with each inhalation and exhala-
tion. You may focus attention on the nostrils or the abdo-
men, or on both, or one and then the other, whichever suits
you best. with the job we are doing, and simultaneously adjust the
breath and the body posture to remain relaxed. Once this
From time to time, mentally check your posture and practice becomes familiar, it develops a better awareness and
adjust it, if necessary. Whenever you catch your mind wan- transforms an unhealthy sedentary job to a period of relative
dering off or getting cluttered with thoughts, consciously nerve regeneration and mental health.
shift your attention back to your breath. Sometimes, it helps
to count either inhalations or exhalations, until your mind But, even this simple exercise needs practice.
is stably focused. If you manage to achieve stability in this
method after ten to twenty minutes of practice, you may wish
to switch over to one of the other two methods given above.
These methods may be practiced in a single sitting in the or-
der that they are presented here, or in separate sittings.

Developing Awareness during Sedentary Jobs

How do we maintain a higher state of attention dur-

ing the day, even if we have a sedentary job? How do we
observe ourselves even when we work eight or more hours a
day on the PC?
When working with the PC, the most useful and ef-
ficient method is to focus the awareness on the body field.
Firstly, keep the back straight, which avoids a lot of dam-
age more typical for the sedentary jobs. Secondly, constantly
check the shoulders and legs, making sure to keep them re-
laxed and not contracted.
In addition to this, a slightly deep breathing and
learning how to control its flow in a calm and relaxed man-
ner, is very useful. So, we can maintain the mind engaged
 An Easy Centering Exercise While holding that feeling in your body and mind,
begin to breathe with your belly. Inhaling a breath expands
your stomach out as far as possible, and breathing out col-
lapses your stomach to the maximum. Take in as much air as
possible with each breath, breathing at a normal pace.
Practice such kind of breathing for at least five min-
utes. If you lose track of your breathing and your mind wan-
ders, bring it back to the situation you were focusing on. You
This exercise is an easy and practical tool to utilize want to breathe through that emotion. This will release
your body to change the state of your mind. The mind-body you from this troubling emotion.
link allows changes in the body to positively affect the mind.
Centering our awareness on the body and its functions, we
can release troubling and uncomfortable emotions through
the use of the breath to modulate consciousness and emotion
in the body. The method uses diaphragmatic breathing or
deep breathing. (for more information about the diaphrag-
matic breathing, take a look on the Dennis Lewis Blog Page).
Its a fact that the body releases about 80% of the toxins in
our body through the use of breath. The oxygen works to re-
lease the toxins usually through our largest surface, our skin.
A deep and natural breath enhances this process.

The Practice:
Take a comfortable position (even the horizontal po-
sition is good), in which you can relax easily.
Begin the practice by stretching your stomach. Prac-
tice inflating your stomach to the limit and then contracting
it to its maximum. Do this about 20 times slowly, and you
will notice that the breathing process is a little easier.
Now that your muscles have relaxed slightly, think of
a troubling emotional situation and keep it in your mind.
Try to return to that situation. Feel that emotion as strongly
as you can. Intensify the feeling as much as possible.
 Awareness and the Tone of Voice
Through the improving of the tone of our voice, we
can improve even ourselves.
The human voice is not only a language medium, but
also a sounding-board able to show ones emotional states.
A small child doesnt necessarily understand the
meaning of his parents words, but he instinctively responds
to the vibration of their voices.
Sound is very important in our life. By removing the
audio from a movie, we cannot absolutely follow the story
line, but, if we leave only the audio and remove the images,
the movie may still involve our attention.
To observe and control the tone, rhythm and oratory
vibration of our voice, can lead us to a better degree of aware-
ness and harmonization of our emotional statesa valuable
tool for deeper communication with others.
There are many classes and ways to learn how to use
our voice, for example, in the theater. It all depends on the
teacher and the depth of his knowledge concerning the argu-
ment.
But, we can develop by ourselves, the habit of speak-
ing in a quiet, calm and confident way, trying to reproduce,
while speaking, voice vibrations which represents a relaxed
and fixed degree of attention. Not a sort of De Niros You
talkin to me?, but a more natural way of using our voice.
A Tibetan exercise for Discerning the True
from the False Self
I would like to introduce here a very interesting prac-
tice which belongs to the Tibetan Tantric-Buddhist tradition.
It is very useful in learning how to overcome a negative emo-
tion when it happens. We witness almost everyday in our-
selves and in others, the manifestation and the results of such
emotions, and we also know the consequences they leave af-
ter they have happened, both for those who express negative
emotion and those who suffer the reaction of the person who
expresses such emotions. So, I believe this practice will be
of interest. Similar to the usual sensing and awareness exer-
cises, this practice also uses visualization which improves the
effects of the practice.
Preparation: Begin this exercise by taking just a min-
ute or two to focus on your physical body, finding the most
beneficial position with your spine straight and erect, a posi-
tion in which you can be aware and awake, but not stiff or
rigid. Feel the weight of your body, its substantial, earthy
character. Become present in the moment and place where
you are.
Step 1: Now, perform the so-called nine round
breathing exercise. This is a pre-tantric purification prac-
tice in which you visualize the main 3 energy channels in the
body. In Tantric Buddhism, it is used at the beginning of a
meditation session to calm and clear the mind in only a min-
ute or so. Make your breath somewhat longer and deeper, but
dont exaggerate, if possible. One should not hear the breath-
ing. If you have a cold and one or both nostrils are clogged,
just imagine breathing through the different nostrils.
Visualize the body as being completely empty and
transparent, then inside it appears the Central Channel (vi-
sualize this channel).
The Central Channel starts between the eyebrows,
continues back just under the skull, and from the crown
of the head it goes straight down to the level of four finger
widths under the navel. It stays a little in front of the spine.
It is like a transparent blue tube, about the thickness of a
thick drinking straw.
To the left and to the right are two side-channels, both
transparent and the thickness of only a drinking straw. The
right channel is red, the left is white.
The three channels are flexible and just below the na-
vel, they connect with each other. During the first round of
breathing, INHALE through the LEFT nostril, keeping the
right nostril closed with a finger. We imagine the air going
from the left nostril into the left channel, up near the crown
and way down to below the navel. There, the left channel
is connected to the right channel , and we BREATH OUT
through the RIGHT CHANNEL by closing the left nostril
with the same finger. Imagine breathing in pure white light,
and when exhaling, imagine that all DESIRE AND AT-
TACHMENT which pollutes the left channel collects at the
navel and leaves via the right channel as black smoke. The
black smoke disappears beyond the universe. Repeat this 3
times.
Then, the next round we INHALE white light via the
RIGHT nostril, and all ANGER and HATRED which pol-
lutes the right channel collects below the navel and is EX-
HALED via the LEFT channel as black smoke. Again, do
this 3 times.
The third round we INHALE white light via the
LEFT and RIGHT channel together and imagine them both
being connected to the central channel below the navel. This
CENTRAL CHANNEL is polluted by IGNORANCE and
CONFUSION which is breathed out as black smoke. Imag-
ine that you BREATHE OUT via the POINT BETWEEN
the EYEBROWS.
Normally, this preparatory practice is performed 2
or 3 rounds during which you might let all thoughts go as
you focus on the breath as you inhale and exhale through
each nostril, breathing in white light and breathing out black
smoke.
Step 2: When the mind is calm and focused, create an
altruistic motivation for the meditation session. Think that
you are meditating not just for your own well-being or peace
of mind or good reputation, but you are taking the time now
to meditate and develop the wisdom of emptiness in order to
attain the state of enlightenment where you can most skill-
fully benefit all beings and lead them as well from suffering
and to enlightenment.
Step 3: Now, focus your attention to the concept of
I: namely, repeat inwardly I, I, allowing the feeling of
I to grow. Focus on the sense of I or me. One way to
bring up this sense of I is to generate a strong emotionfor
example, bring to mind an instance in which you felt strong
anger or strong fear. Now, allow a small part of your mind
to subtly act as an observer, observing this sense of I. That
observer must be very sneaky and subtle, otherwise, this
sense of I tends to disappear.
Investigate: How does the I appear? As one with the
body? As completely separate from the body? As one with
the mind? As completely separate from the mind? Often, the of our samsara and our suffering. This false appearance is
I appears as something independent, separate from the mind completely deceptive, and the I that appears to exist in this
and body. Is this appearance accurate and true? false way DOES NOT EXIST AT ALL. Thus, the very subtle
I that does exist (conventionally) is COMPLETELY EMPTY
What is this I? Is it the body? The whole body? A OF THIS FALSE WAY OF EXISTING. The I is completely
part of the body? Is it the head? The heart? The brain? If it empty of independent existence, or of inherent existence.
is any of these things, how could we then say my head or The I is a mere imputation, a mere label, that depends on the
my heart, or my brain, or even my body? Contemplate base of the body and mind. Contemplate this strongly. Once
this for awhile. you have come to this conclusion, allow all your thinking
processes to stop and merely concentrate on this understand-
Now think: Is the I the same as the body, or is the
ing with single-pointed focus, so that it can penetrate into
I the possessor of the body? If the I is not the same as
the deeper levels of your mind.
the body, is it completely different? If the I is the possessor
of the body, does that mean it is completely independent of
the body? Something separate? Contemplate this for awhile.
Can the I exist without the body? Think about this.
Is the I the same as the mind, that which perceives
and thinks and experiences, both perceptually (through the
five senses) and conceptually (through thinking)? Is the I the
same as the whole mind? As every moment of the mind? If
the I is the mind, which moment of the mind is it? Which
part of the mind? Contemplate this for awhile.
If the I is the same as the mind, why do we say my
mind? Is the I the possessor of the mind? Is the I com-
pletely different from the mind? Completely independent of
the mind? Something separate? Contemplate this for awhile.
Can the I exist without the mind? Think about this.
The I is neither one with nor completely separate from
the body. The I is neither one with nor completely separate
from the mind. What is it then? How does it exist?
The appearance of the I as something completely in-
dependent of the mind and body is a complete illusion. It
is a completely false appearance. And this appearance gives
rise to all the afflictions of the mind, all the delusions and
resulting karmic actions. This false appearance is the root
 Suggestions on What to Notice and What to Do
under Self-Observation
- That you have many Is , many of which are con-
tradictory
- Notice habitual behavior, posture, tics, attitudes,
sayings
- Verify sleep
- Verify mechanicalness
- Notice negative Is especially. Note their frequency:
anger, irritation, criticizing, depression, frustration,
boredom, impatience, exasperation, grumpiness,
competitiveness, negative inner talk, slander, self-
deprecation, despair, hopelessness, violence.
- Note their frequency
- Trace them to their roots in your psychology
- Notice habitual Is that say the same things over
and over again
- Recognize your own multiplicity
- Recognize that what you can see that is in you, is a
separate you
- Try to realize from the beginning that this separate
you is NOT one of the multiplicity.
- Observing, one must keep observing all that the
Work teaches
- Try to keep personality passive
- Practice inner separation
- Speak less
- Remember your aim
- Remember the Work everyday
The Work tells you also to notice:
- Lying
- Outright dishonesty, giving people a wrong impres-
sion of yourself that is usually flattering, pretending
to listen when you are not, pretending to under-
stand when you do not, pretending interest or care
because it serves you, lying about your status, your
knowledge, your merit, manipulating the truth to
put yourself in a better light, exaggerating, Identifi-
cation, False Personality, Pictures and Imagination,
Vanity
- Physical vanity, intellectual vanity, vanity about
money, position, power, experience, sexual attrac-
tiveness, accomplishment, merit, importance, having
some special privilege or secret knowledge, feeling
superior to others in some way. Self-deprecation is
the flip side of the coin of vanity. It is made up of
the same thing.
- Self-centeredness
When you have seen all of these things in yourself, for your-
self, you will begin to wake up. When these moments hap-
pen, you will see the state of Sleep and mechanicalness that
rules everyone, including you. During this period of ob-
servation, there is not much you can do to change what you
observe. This is a frustrating stage and it passes slowly. The
more you observe, the more presence and strength the observ-
ing I will have. As you see and verify more often and more
clearly, you will not want to continue to manifest from Sleep
and mechanicalness. Your will to be conscious and inten-
tional and to act with integrity, will be the primary force to
help self-observation get rid of the wrong work in your psy-
chology. When the Emotional Center is purified of its wrong
work, growth in Consciousness is possible.
Check out Your Limits- An exercise in Intentional Efforts
If a life path dedicated to the self development is in-
tended to overcome our limits,the inner and outer imposi-
tions who bring us stuck and unable to do what we really
wish to do, it seems obvious that, to achieve the purposed
aims need a starting point is needed. And, if we accept the
fact that life, so even an inner path, requires a practical guid-
ance, then even the starting point must be practical. We can-
not get a move driven from hypothesis, doubts, groundless
assumptions- we need real and incontrovertible facts.
So, maybe unable to do some great steps to a radical
changing of the situations, we might begin from something
less impressive but also much important; a question. Then,
maybe you might begin with ask yourself a simple but rel-
evant question:
What are my limits?
or:
What are the limits who take me stuck in the life situation I
find myself in this moment?
Take pen and paper and try to write some questions
to this answer. List all the limits you consider prevent to live a
fulfilling life, limit from which you want to be emancipated.
Try to write down an inventory in the most detailed complete
way, omitting all the limits which resolution depends from
higher causes you cannot influence or change.
 Now, you have to take a commitment, namely to
verify in practice every element you listed on paper, testing it
carefully to verify its reality. What we ask here, is to clash
with all the limitations listed on paper. And much more: if
till now you have tried to escape situations who could have
put you in a difficult position, now you have to search them.
We ask here to plan your life in the following days in order
that every of your limits could be verified without any doubt.
It could seem cruel, frustrating, but its also indis-
pensable if you want to reach such goal.
But, keep attention: you have to face with your limits,
not to stop yourself before this happens. Surely, you will say
you have done this yet, maybe it could seem you have done
this during the whole your life, facing limits and incapacity
to do something.
But, now you have to ask another question: Have I
really faced my limits? Have I really touched those limits, not
with an idea, but in practice? Have I really verified a limit,
or I have stopped myself maybe a moment before this could
happen, before I could experience the suffering of facing my
incapacity?
Many of the listed limits are consequences of a true
experience, how many existed even before receiving any kind
of confirmation?
And, even admitting that life brought in the passed
enough confirms, are you really sure that, in the mid time,
something in you does not changed, and that those limits are
still effective?
Every day brings wit him some changes, new experi-
ences, occasion to experiment and grow. Even our physical
body changes every day renewing himself, and, in the same
way, even the environment in which we live changes.
What was of value one month ago, could not be yet of
value now. The way I missed something yesterday could have
changed me, so today I could react differently when facing
the same situation.
What we propose here is concrete and practical. Not
ideas but facts. We cannot take in consideration limits who
arent sure or current. Otherwise, we should use one more
time a theory to build another theory, and, finally, maybe
with some kind of subtle persuasion, we could even persuade
ourselves that we have changed, until a new external situa-
tion will demonstrate the opposite.
So, put your pride and convictions aside, and verify
the list, proposing yourself to slam the face against every
limit present on the list you wrote. If you do it so sincerely,
You will discover something unexpected. Be strong, hold out
until you experience the impact, and you will discover that
some of them just step aside, allowing you to pass trough.
So, you will discover one of the greatest lesson during
a path for inner development, a great secret: these limits are
not imposed from your life, but just for being convinced that
you have limits.
In some moment of your life, you have just accepted
this idea (we would not investigate here, because, as said at
the beginning, this is a topic dedicated to practice). This idea
became an acquired fact, not subjected to any verification.
It just happened, and from that moment, your only
preoccupation was to escape every situation who could be
related with this limit.
For example, if we failed during a job interview and
we decide to participate not to another interview, so that we
can evitate similar situations and the following suffering,
what is really our limit? What is the real cause who limit our
life? Our incapacity to find a job or not participate to a job
interview? It seems obvious, but it is what we do almost every
day:we escape what we consider harmful situations.
How we could hope to resolve, overcome such (or any
other) problem (admitting that the problem really exists and
that is not a product of our imagination) if we continue to
ignore it? Indeed, ignoring an alleged limit does not erase it,
on the contrary this behavior confirms his existence.
Our limits are really strange and bizarre: they could
conditionate our life, our decisions, but they have not an
own life. Without the support of our fears they cannot live,
they cannot exist, they vanish as shadows under the sunlight.
Face the problem in a direct way, search, wish, to face
it, because, even if you will discover that the limit is real, you
will erase the fear. In this moment,the problem will result
clear, as it is, not as our fears describe it. This clarity is a good
starting point to begin to overcome this problem. Only fac-
ing a limit, you can understand the causes and consequently
overcome it. Or, (and this is not a rare case) you can realize
that this limit was totally unfounded.
A Rare Esoteric Exercise
Our mind plays a crucial role in our lives, even in
our self development. Indeed, as it could also be the main
cause of our state of imprisonment, it could also be a tool
to emancipate us from unwanted and troublesome emotional
states, and which also can improve our presence and partici-
pation in what happens around us.
During the first period of my apprenticeship, it has
been taught to me that there are seven basic types of exer-
cises, of which the training of the mind is the first. Now, in
order not to create a misunderstanding, exercises here are
not intended as a series of things we must do sequentially,
but a practice that is more a way of being, a way to live in
a different, more sober and intense way.
When we speak about a practice to improve our
mind, we might intend this as a way to make it active, instead
of passive: so, learn to use our mind instead of being used by
it, as usually happens.
In his book , Guidance in Esoteric Training, Rudolf
Steiner described a series of practices in which a complemen-
tary exercise is just the cultivation of an active mind.
Before sharing a practice which is not this one, but
related to it, I would like to cite a very interesting quotation
from this book that, linked in a right way and in context with
the exercise that will be proposed in this post, a smart mind
will surely gain profit in his daily practices. Heres the quote:
 The first condition is the cultivation of absolutely then leave aside your thoughts and try it for yourselves.
clear thinking. For this purpose a man must rid himself of
the will-o-the-wisps of thought, even if only for a very short
time during the day about five minutes (the longer, the bet-
So, speech aside, this is the practice:
ter). He must become the ruler in his world of thought. He
is not the ruler if external circumstances, occupation, some
tradition or other, social relationships, even membership of a
particular race, the daily round of life, certain activities and Choose the most common object close to hand, and
so forth, determine a thought and how he works it out. make it as an object of your particular contemplation, con-
sidering the following aspects:
Therefore during this brief time, acting entirely out
of his own free will, he must empty the soul of the ordinary, What is its origin?
everyday course of thoughts and by his own initiative place
one single thought at the centre of his soul. The thought need Whats the cause of its origin?
not be a particularly striking or interesting one. Indeed it What is its story?
will be all the better for what has to be attained in an oc-
cult respect if a thoroughly uninteresting and insignificant What are its characteristics and qualities?
thought is chosen. Thinking is then impelled to act out of its
own energy the essential thing here, whereas an interesting What are the objects in touch with or in relation
thought carries the thinking along with it. It is better if this with it?
exercise in thought-control is undertaken with a pin rather
What are its possible uses and applications?
than with Napoleon. The pupil says to himself: Now I start
from this thought, and through my own inner initiative I as- What are its effects and consequences?
sociate with it everything that is pertinent to it. At the end of
the period the thought should be just as colourful and living What does it allow to explain or demonstrate?
as it was at the beginning. This exercise is repeated day by day
for at least a month; a new thought may be taken every day, What is its possible end?
or the same thought may be adhered to for several days. Whats your opinion, the causes and the reasons of
this opinion regarding this object?

Even Gurdjieff gave an exercise that was, queerly, ig-

nored by most of his disciples (curiously, a person that prac-
tices the Gurdjieff system said to me that this exercise is
irrelevant), even if its a masterpiece as practice, something
that could give, to one who persists in this (and similar)
practice, one of the keys to an integral way of experiencing
things, an objective reason. If you think I am exaggerating,
This way of observation might be done dependent on
your personal knowing and understanding. Indeed, what is
important here, are not the possible answers, but the way we
use our mind. Its a pondering.
Consider first, at least three of the above mentioned
questions, one by one, then the results together and try to
realize them as a whole: try to look at the same object while
being aware of all the data you have gained from the contem-
plation of the object, Experience it through the awareness of
all the data you have achieved.

To see results from this exercise, one might perform it

daily. Its a considerable effort, because it implies the use of
a muscle that is usually lazy, but the rewards will be worth
the effort: a clearer, deeper and more complete way of experi-
encing things, a great control of our mind, a skill of detach-
ing ourselves from unwanted emotional states which are only
some of the results that will be achieved through this practice
if done with diligence and constancy.
True understanding lies not in know-
ing, but in living what you know.

Freeing ourselves from the Egos re-

quests requires much work, so often
an extraordinary and terrifying work
which is known as self discovery.