THE LAWS OF LIFE IN 60 APHORISMS

Understanding human cultures in biological terms, thus deducing the indispensable survival's disciplines.
Dario Colombera 25 pages.

I thank my family and Stefania, who loves tales.

INDEX Introduction. First Part. Living beings and laws of life. 3 4

Second Part. Religions and their existential, epistemological and evolutionary significance. 10 Third Part. Every day life in biological terms. Appendix to the XXXVIII aphorisms: the Multiple Inner Path. 14 22

INTRODUCTION. Owing to the fact that the laws of life are mostly ignored in developed countries, we are not aware that because of the criminal and guilty biological inattention of all our Governments, Churches and Institutions, together with the huge development of modern technologies and industries, for the first time in the history of humanity, we became able to destroy all our habitats. Of course, we shall stop the ongoing ecological catastrophes, only when we shall appreciate those laws of life which our scientists discovered in the last three centuries, our politicians, priests and economists have since ever disregarded and common people have never known. Although easy to grasp, these laws of life are often not intuitive and always very bothersome. In fact, knowing the laws of life, we would discover that most of our myths, believes, opinions and aims have a poor adaptive value and that we must change our "Weltanschaung", if we really want to eliminate the causes of the present devastation of our environments. In general, we should overcome three fundamental mistakes, which are deeply rooted in all Westerner cultures: firstly, the tendency to face and solve the effects and not the cause of our problems. Secondly, our ignorance of the natural universality of capitalism and of its two opposite effects, one leading to adaptive evolution, the other to catastrophes and extinctions. Thirdly, the belief that science and religions belong to different and disconnected planes. Anyway, this task is at our reach, since: 1. Even infinitesimal advantages may be determinant in the struggle for survival. 2. We already possess all the necessary knowledges, which would enable us to recover an adaptive evolution. As a matter of fact, my most astonishing and outstanding discovery was an inner search, totally deduced from biological considerations, which proved to be very quick, easy and effective, since it allows us to improve all our capacities and activities, whatever they are, and to speed up our ontogenetic evolution. 3. The costs for recovering our environments and resuming a global adaptive evolution are at our reach, since they would be much lower than those necessary to spend on a global war and thus we would accomplish joy and not sufferances. At last, but not least, I would like to give you an advice: it is not prudent to question our outstanding personalities and experts about biology, ethics, religions and pollution, since an honest answer would reveal their wanted biological ignorance and of their consequent responsibilities for the present ecological, cultural, economical and existential disasters. Therefore judge this elementary book on your own, since it is at the reach of everybody and, in order to emancipate yourself from false authorities, become the teacher of yourself. Only then you will understand the causes of all our present and past deadly demerits and deficiencies of our culture.

I PART. Living beings and laws of life.

I. Living beings have a chemical structure based on carbon and are capable of auto reproduction, activity and feelings. You find a more exhaustive definition of living being in whatever book of general biology. Here I would only point out the amazing fact that our atoms and molecules are continuously renewed, so that our functions and not our constituents have a temporal continuity. Here we find the first astonishing and not intuitive aspect of living beings: we are dynamic, more than substantial realities. II. The only certain possession of all living beings is the present instant, since their past is over and their future is dubious, limited and unpredictable. Living beings irreversibly change at every instant and they cannot ever halt. If they stop, even for a moment, they die. Exceptions can occur for some small creatures at very low temperatures. The second astonishing and unexpected truth: acting in the present is our only reality and certain possession we have. Not to have, not to be, but the becoming in the eternal present instant is our only certainty and as such it should be considered. Therefore we must be alert and conscious at every instant, if we want to enter a winning evolutionary trend. Conjugate religions with the laws of life and a scientific attitude, and you will individuate the proper disciplines, which are necessary to survive. III. What is positive at a level of organization (for instance physical), is positive at all other levels (perceptive, emotional, mental, spiritual and so on). This axiom is determinant for the survival of modern Homo sapiens sapiens, in how much it allows everybody to verify on his own and with the only help of very simple tests and common sense, if a behaviour, a philosophy, an economy, a religion, and so on, are valid in evolutionary and existential terms. The third astonishing truth enable us to verify personally and scientifically the adaptive value of all our behaviours, aims and faiths. VI. All living beings are happy because of their nature. This is the fourth astonishing aspect of living beings. When we realize that happiness is an emotional state, which optimize all our behaviours, we understand because it is a must in nature. Adaptive evolution teaches us that living beings are condemned to extinction, when they become incapable to express their outmost elevated qualities. If it is not possible to be competitive without being happy, it is time to face and overcome the causes of that existential unhappiness, which is so diffused in industrialized, rich countries. Insofar, cultivate positive feelings and emotions and avoid those cultural niches, that produce emotional indifference and existential unhappiness (see the third part).

V. Both infinitesimal errors and advantages are decisive for our survival. It has been observed in populations and species struggling for similar niches, that even infinitesimal advantages are enough, in order to push out the opponents. The fifth astonishing aspect of life is related to survival. It follows that species are doomed to extinction, if they do not utilize all their utmost capabilities in their every day life. Therefore, it is necessary that everybody carefully checks the adaptive value of all his behaviours. For instance, we should start to practice efficient inner disciplines, instead of feeling fulfilled with ineffective ceremonies. VI. Living beings are dynamic realities, that possess only two options: to evolve or to regress. As a matter of fact, the struggle for survival cannot ever stop, since it would firstly cause a physiological regress and then a genetic degeneration. The study of evolution shows us that in the absence of a suitable environmental selective pressure, either too low or too high, species are doomed to die out, in the first case because they degenerate, in the second case because they undergo a catastrophic selection. Therefore we must face and try to overcome our natural opponents, but not to extinguish them. Since some exceptions can occur, act with common sense. This aphorism expresses the sixth astonishing truth about living beings. VII. Adaptive evolution is made possible by the selection of normal, unavoidable and casual mutations, which is due to infra- and interspecific competition. Such evolution is characterized by an increase of perceptive capabilities and of independence from the environments (niches) of all living being. Parasites' evolution does not represents an exception to this rule, since also in this case a greater independence is achieved, but in a simplified niches (for instance, in the blood of the host, legs and eyes would be useless burdens). Niche is an operative more than a spacial concept: the niche is that part of our habitat with which we interact. The seventh truth is again related to adaptive evolution, and it seems astonishing to us since this evolution is related to niches and not to habitats. It is wrong to cultivate the myth of a peaceful world, if competition is necessary for the survival of all living beings, in order to avoid the accumulation of harmful recessive genes. Moreover, it is unethical to consider our antagonists the as absolute Evil, which therefore should be eliminated as soon as possible. As far as I know, only in the Hindus culture we find the concept that worlds existence endures until a balanced conflicts between Demons (The others) and Gods (We) will continue. At this point I remember that every species is both harmful and beneficial to other kinds. Mosquitoes are a nuisance for mankind, but a blessing for swallows. Moreover, we discovered that balanced competition often evolves toward forms of collaboration. The eight astonishing truth is represented by our genetic code, which allows us to evolve, only because it is consistently imperfect and changes at random. Owing to the fact, that we are used to plan and to build machineries, which do not function, if they are not perfect, we are accustomed to believe in perfection and consequently to despise and reject imperfection. Therefore, it is difficult for us to understand that adaptive evolution needs flexibility, not perfection.

I would like to close this aphorism proposing to our geneticists two exciting working
5

hypotheses: firstly, is it more probable to lose an inactive gene than those normally working? Secondly, a super active gene has a higher probability to duplicate itself, than those normally working? If these two cellular mechanisms would occur, Neo Lamarckism would integrate and improve Neo Darwinism.
VIII. In order to survive in the long time, all living beings must evolve toward a greater independence from their environments. In fact, there is among the losers (forced to live in more selective and less productive niches) that we find those individuals who will be able to bring forth an adaptive generalized evolution (better to be able to do everything, although not perfectly, rather than being specialized in a single "job"). An evolution toward a bigger number of niches means to eat foods previously rejected, to tolerate temperatures formerly avoided, to face a greater number of opponents, to consume less energy than before, and so on. The study of evolution condemns our old but wrong certainty, that victory is always a positive achievement (The ninth astonishing truth). Since adaptive evolution implicates both a decrease of wastes and an increase of metabolic efficiency, all environments become able to feed a greater number of individuals and species. Mankind is a good example of a not specialized species, who had a great success. He is suited to survive in the greatest number of possible niches, although being always less efficient than other most specialized species. We swim worse than fishes and aquatic mammals, we race less than the horses, lions and gazelles, we jump less than many runners, we scramble worse than monkeys, and so on. Being obliged to be intelligent, our brain dimension increased and through intelligence we overcome all our competitors and predators. But nowadays we run two deadly perils: firstly, since we are able to destroy our niches, we risk to suffer an ecological catastrophe. Secondly, if we live in easy niches, where to be highly clever is neither necessary, nor advantageous, we can expect that our mental and physical capacities will undergo a regressive evolution. There are a lot of evidence which supports this alarming hypothesis. IX. The evolution toward a greater freedom from all our environmental parameters (space, time, energy, and so on) demands for the continuous ontogenetic improvement of all our physical, sensory and mental abilities. It would be easy to verify, if modern capitalism offer the right conditions for a further adaptive evolution for mankind. The principle given in the third aphorism and the analysis of human conditions at different level (physical, mental, existential, social, economical) would shows us that mankind is a perfect example of a not specialized species, who has at present chosen a parasitic like evolution at all levels, physical, mental, ethical, and so on. We cannot predict when and how we shall face mass extinction because of the present environmental catastrophes, but we can daresay that it will surely be sudden, world spread and most severe for the riches overcrowded countries. Therefore we should avoid those cultural attitudes and those economical trends, which oppress our most elevated physical and mental potentialities, disregard our high individual variability and degrade our reality and our habitats, because they compel us to enter a regressive evolutionary trend, from whom it is very difficult to escape. Humans' leaders have often proved to be unable to face and overcome total crisis. As a matter of 6

fact, we tend to ignore very critical situations, (see: the behaviours of the Governors of Constantinople, during the last siege of the Turks; Hitler, in the last weeks of his life, dreaming about the model of the future Berlin, thus forgetting the course of the war; the lack of results in the last worldwide summits of Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro about pollution). I strongly believe that the only solution, which might overcome this impotence, would be that of a generalized practice of those inner disciplines (see the various forms of concentration and meditation, the multiple middle path of the XXXVIII aphorism, and so on), which can enable us, to cure the normal objective madness of our minds, thus recovering rationality, common sense, ethics and free will. The proper question about our survival is not if we can, but if we will. X. Since ontogenetic evolution (that that goes from conception to death) recapitulates phylogenetic evolution (that that goes from a generation to the followings) and always addresses it, all our behaviours should be finalizes to reach a greater freedom from our niches. In other words, when we choose a certain religion, job, hobby and economy, we select a determined niche inside our habitats, thus opting for a particular type of selective pressure and this selective pressure will fatally determine the trend of our future phylogenetic evolution. XI. the winners in the struggle for life are obviously happy to avoid their previous most disagreeable niches. It follows that winners specialize or degenerate, thus reducing their evolutionary potentialities. People from modern developed countries show a clear evolutionary tendency toward specialization, degradation and parasitism, so as it is shown by the fact that most of us are not able to produce what we eat and what we use. Moreover we prefer specialized niches, seeking optimal, artificial habitats and instead of acting, we prefer virtual and substitutive gratifications. XII. The tenth astonishing truth: losers in the struggle for existence become winners in long times, because they are obliged to evolve toward a greater number of niches. It is clear that, in the brief time, life's losers is riskier than that of winners, since losers are compelled to exhibit all their utmost capabilities. It follows, that the correct evolutionary strategy, being the most unpleasant and challenging, is never chosen by whatever individual, if it is not imposed to him by outer selective pressure. In other words, we face the paradox that all living beings prefer suicidal behaviours, if they are free to choose. Some exceptions occur, thus confirming the rule. XIII. Sociality represents a fundamental strategy in the struggle for existence and this phenomenon is found in the most different phyla. In advanced social organizations, like those of bees, ants and termites, social functions and proper ethical conducts are genetically fixed. On the contrary, in primitive social species, ethical conducts are not genetically determined, but must be learned and imposed. Mankind must be classified as a very primitive species as far as his sociality is concerned. In fact, we find very difficult to accept and to observe moral conducts,and therefore we must be somehow imposed. Moreover, Westerners often ignore, that morality is a must for social life and not for inner, religious search. Ethics is concerned with our behaviours with other people, whereas religions and inner search need flawless behaviours. There are a lot of bitter evidences, that our sociality can easily degenerate 7

and in this case it becomes self-defeating. Today humanity is facing the risk of extinction, because of the contemporaneous presence of criminal institutions, biological ignorance and advanced industrial activities, we are progressively destroying all our natural habitats. XIV. Pains and sorrows are somehow essential for our survival, in how much they signal us the presence of some physical or psychic trouble. Depression, restlessness, anguish, anxiety and physical pains reduce our fitness and when they become normal, they point out the occurrence of some cultural distortions. For instance, it has been proved, that our immune system stops being a protection and becomes a menace, when it is for long submitted to unusual, excessive stresses, too high or too low. Insofar it is deleterious to eliminate aches and illnesses (except that in particular cases), if their causes are not faced and removed. Remember that all illnesses admonish us: rest and recover. At last, I advance the working hypothesis that those slight wounds, such abrasions, and epidermal cuts, and so on, which still occur so frequently to children, fishermen and farmers, should be immediately cleaned, but not disinfected, because infections strengthen our immune system. There are some perils, of course, but these are the unavoidable risks of all living beings. On the contrary, sorrows and mental distresses should be cure as soon as possible, because these sicknesses reduce the efficiency of body and mind for long and grow worse at any instant. XV. If a species is incapable of any adaptive evolution, it cannot survive for long. As far as living fossils are concerned, I do not believe that they are exceptions to this rule. I remember that evolution proceeds at cellular and molecular levels, when the general architecture of a species cannot evolve any more. Therefore I believe that the concept of living fossil is erroneous. This mistake can be explained by the fact that usually, paleontologists can only investigate remnants of solid structural morphologies. XVI. When environments change too fast, in comparison with the times that genomes need, to adapt themselves to new conditions, catastrophic evolutions follow. For definition, catastrophes are always characterized by a sudden reduction of the number of individuals and species, with consequent loss of genetic information. Natural disasters (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, sudden climatic changes, and so on), but also wars, the accumulation of polluting substances in the environment, the excessive consumption of renewable resources, and so on, produce catastrophes. Also the iterations among different habitats (see global economy, wars, commerce, tourism), produce catastrophic events. Even if we could stop at once our activities catastrophic, the previous natural course of adaptive evolution could not be recovered, since it has already trespassed its point of no return. Because it is impossible to evaluate all the consequences of the ongoing mass extinctions, it will be wise to be prudent and to be prepared for the worst.

To the ecologists worrying for the future of life on Earth, I would like to suggest the following hypothesis: the species with relatively less DNA, are less resilient to pollution and therefore they are the first to disappear.
The practical usefulness of these hypothetical correlations should be obvious. XVII. The indirect consequence of a catastrophe is the further degeneration of the surviving 8

species, because it allows the accumulation of recessive genes. Since catastrophes bring entire populations to random extinction, surviving species can find themselves in temporary conditions of reduced selective pressure, thus allowing the accumulation of recessive genes, a genetic degeneration which leads to delayed extinctions. XVIII. Antagonist species (every species is an antagonist for some other) are necessary to each other, since these competitions allow the choral evolution of all species toward a greater independence. Understanding that a balanced struggle is necessary for the evolution of all living beings toward a greater freedom, it is time to distinguish among the struggles that cause catastrophes, therefore negative in evolutionary terms and those, beneficent for life, which produce "healthy" selective pressures. The evil troubles in evolutionary terms are pollution, selection against our natural variability, the preference for simplified and optimal niches, modern wars, and similar. The positive troubles are those due to balanced competitions and to the consequent increase of a greater environmental independence for all. XIX. Through reproduction, all species pursue a capitalistic economy, which tends to grows at an exponential rate. The eleventh astonishing truth: all living beings are capitalistic. But this tendency is normally frustrated, since this over production of offspring feeds predators and maintains a high selective pressure on all the species of an habitat, thus achieving the necessary conditions, which assure a choral adaptive evolution. On the contrary, if the number of individuals of whatever species undergo an exponential growth, because their natural predators and opponents have somehow disappeared, in this case a progressive destruction of their habitats occurs and a final catastrophe follows. Through birth control and reduction of waste, we might eliminate such danger. In this case, the consequences of the reduced genetic variability that would occur, is a secondary problem. XX. Death and even extinction are necessary and inevitable events, since they are both the causes and the effects of adaptive evolution. Today we live in a culture, that doesn't accept aging and death as natural events, although they are necessary for the continuity of life. Insofar, it is time to accept aging as the passage to less competitive niches and to consider individual death as a positive event at all levels of existence ( see the III aphorism). The twelfth astonishing truth is related to the blindness of human beings. Although death is the evident and necessary destiny of all living beings, we live lazy, easy going and procrastinating, as we were immortal. XXI. When sorrows and existential discomforts are diffused and customary in a population, they are due to environmental, cultural and moral degradation. In order to realize this truth, analyze your emotional conditions in the light of the laws of nature, that you find in this first part. Then, do not tolerate the causes of our normal discomforts, because they represent a suicidal status in evolutionary terms. In my opinion, the first aid and the best path to follows, in order to overcome our poor existential status, are described in the XXXVIII aphorism.

II Part.
Religions and their existential, epistemological and evolutionary significance.
XXII. The causes of our actual, objectively miserable but normal mental conditions, are due to the fact that, in absence of our archaic selective pressure, which we overcame since the beginning of the most ancient civilizations, our normal mind has become overwhelmed by its subconscious activities (see our normal conditionings, the habit to dream with open eyes, "blind egoism", irrational behaviours and so on). A minimum of introspection would be enough, to verify the validity of the two famous ancient Hindu affirmations: the first: Normal human mind is like that of a crazy monkey, which has been stung by a tarantula. The second, which is a partial consequence of the first: The body is a friend that betrays. If we find us in these prejudicial conditions, that everybody can personally verify in few minutes (see the book:"LA VIA DELL'ACQUARIO", by Dario Colombera), which advantages can we hope to obtain by practicing a faith, developing a science, planning a future? All our efforts will not become self-defeating? If we want to overcome our usual wrong attitudes, first of all we must practice an inner discipline, which enables us to bring our subconscious mind to a standstill (the teachings of Raja Yoga, Mexican shamanism and Buddhism are very explicit about that). Stop the subconscious activity of the mind, is the only way to gain wider intuitive knowledge, extra energy and inner happiness, is the first astonishing and fundamental religious teaching. XXIII. If we consider the sacred texts of all religions (Christianity, Islamism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and so on.) from a biological point of view, we see that they teach us how to prevent our poor existential, hygienic, adaptive and ecological behaviours, by more or less sophisticate physical and mental disciplines. As a matter of fact, we find in the most ancient sacred texts, numerous teachings, which are in accordance with those laws of life, which have been recently discovered by modern biologists. It is interesting to note, that independently from their religious traditions, people practicing an inner search, always achieve the same transcendental experiences, the same knowledge and similar "powers". Unfortunately, our languages collect under the term religion very contrasting cultural realities (see Buddhism, Taoism, the three religions of the middle east, and so on) and they forget to define as religious other disciplines (such as yogas, laic inner discipline, shamanism, and so on), although "they enable us to experience a broader reality, thus coming into touch with that ampler reality, whom someone calls "The realm of Gods". Even worse, Westerners usually ignore that some foreigner "religious disciplines" are atheist and scientific in their praxis. (The second astonishing religious teaching). XXIV. It has been experimented for ages that, after the total suppression of every unconscious mental activity (see the results of various meditation techniques), we can eliminate our mental 10

conditionings, thus reaching the awareness of our deepest essence and achieving a broader perception of outer reality. Consider such axiom as a working hypothesis, that should be personally experimented, with the comfort that, since ever, numerous individuals, having the most different cultural background, have proved the validity of this knowledge. Since usual attention and concentration stop the unconscious activity of the mind, Westerners also do practice numerous daily actions, which stop the activity of their unconscious minds. Unfortunately, owing to the fact that Westerners ignore the above mentioned correlation, they miss the strategic significance of their usual mental concentration and never consider it as the possible first step of an inner discipline. XXV. In order to practice an inner discipline, a perfect teacher is not necessary. Being a disciple, you are not perfect for definition. Insofar be satisfied to learn from your teacher that little you can understand. Abandon him when he doesn't help you any more and, as soon as possible, be ready to become the teacher of yourself. In other words, never abdicate your free judgment and never be satisfied with the authority of a teacher, but face and solve your problems with a scientific attitude and on your own. I warmly suggest to the readers, to practice that inner discipline, which has been deduced from the achievements of modern biology (see XXXVIII aphorism!). It does not need any guru, since it is based on three very easy exercises, and everybody can personally verify at once their effectiveness (see the III aphorism). The third astonishing truth: the most sure, easy, efficient and quick inner discipline I know, has been deduced from a westerner science, general zoology and therefore prophets are not any more required. XXVI. All religions are didactically true, in how much they suggest disciplines, which allow us to reach the ultimate truth. If you do not agree with such principle, consider it as a working hypothesis, which since ever has been proved as true. All religions are false, when their teachings are distorted and nullified by insincere prophets. Since religious teachings suggest a realness, which is beyond the experiences of our normal lives, we usually misunderstand them. In general, we confuse absolute concepts (which cannot be expressed by words) with relative ideas (usually explicable by languages). This is the cause, because we often become sectarian, intolerant and superstitious, when we believe to follow a religious faith.. Moreover, inner searches are very difficult disciplines to master but, although the ultimate knowledgeusually remains beyond the attempts of most, everybody can obtain noticeable existential advantages by practicing them. As far as I know, the multiple middle path (see XXXVIII), is the only exception to this rule, since it is easy to grasp and quick to achieve, even for people without a strong will. I advance the working hypothesis, that it is the only inner search at reach of most Westerners. All true searchers for God, Truth, the Ultimate reality, call them as you like, are well aware that he cannot grasp and perceive the Ultimate Reality by reasoning, but only by practicing some proper kind of meditation. XXVII. Since all religions are dynamic realities, which undergo both evolutions and involutions, comparisons among different religions and between sciences and religions are necessary, for a sound understanding of the sacred books in objective, existential and evolutionary terms. Nothing helps us to discover the inherent errors of our cultures and of our religions, more than the 11

comparison with other experiences and traditions. It follows that nothing damages the correct understanding of a religion more than a cultural indifference toward other religions and science. Insofar the affirmation my religion is true and yours is false, or less valid of mine, is a subjective and wrong opinion, that can be only uttered by ignorant prophets. We still ignore that we are unique at every level and therefore everybody pursues his own unique religious path.(The fourth astonishing religious teaching). XXVIII. Some Religions can be considered as our most evolved sciences. I remember that several religions can be considered as our most evolved ecological, exploratory and hygienic sciences, since they teach us some inner disciplines, which enable us to overcome the usual deficiencies of our minds and to perceive a wider reality. For instance, trough proper meditation and a scientific attitude, everybody can: Firstly, pursue an inner discipline and speed up its ontogenetic evolution. Secondly, achieve a direct perception and knowledge of those wider and deeper realities, which usually transcend our rationality and our interpretation of the reality. Thirdly, become more independent from his environment and live in harmony with nature. Fourthly, express the highest morality and do not damage the environment or other persons. Fifthly, cure the insanity and the irrationality of his normal mind. Sixthly, discover the high epistemological value of the "mystic" knowledges. Here we find two further unexpected and astonishing truths about the religious paths: fifth truth, some religions suggest a kind of science, that we Westerners ignore, since it is aiming to the direct perception of a wider reality. Sixth truth, inner searches are also useful for achieving a better health and optimizing all aspects of our existences. In other words, the divergence we see between religious, scientific and mundane paths, is the insubstantial result of our ignorance and wrong cultural conditionings. XXIX. At subatomic and psychic levels, reality is described by conflicting propositions. It has been experimentally verified that at certain levels (see: the nature of the light, the subatomic particles, transcendental experiences) reality cannot be interpreted with our usual mental paradigms. It follows that it is not possible to explain "Gods" in rational terms and to described them with a language. Of course, I do not suggested to neglect rationality in your every day life, but to be ready to get rid of your own usual mental paradigms, when a wider, alien reality is perceived by means of new, previously dormant senses.. XXX. Through attention, concentration and meditation, we can perceive a broader reality, where "miracles" are ordinary. (Sevenths astonishing religious truth). It has been experimented in the most different religious traditions, that true searchers for truth can perform miracles. XXXI . Miracles do not prove any objective truth (Eight astonishing religious truth). This is an amazing truth about inner search, which is totally contrary to our convictions. Firstly, since this capability occurs in most cultures and religions, miracles do not prove the validity of whatsoever faith. Secondly, the capacity to make miracles springs from very different causes: an inner discipline, a rare genetic condition, uttering special sounds, the assumption of drugs, a fraud, a suggestion and so on. 12

Thirdly, even when miracles are the fringe benefits of an inner discipline, they cannot guarantee the infallibility of a prophet or the validity of a faith, because the capability to make miracles can be achieved long before, the person in question has entirely overcome his own mental conditionings and shortcomings. Therefore, miracles at best simply prove, that you are evolving toward freedom. Practice an inner discipline and you will experiment this assertion. At last, I observe that, when an experience results incomprehensible in a certain cultural context, we can chose if to consider it as a miracle or as a problem to face and solve. To believe in miracles and mysteries is just an ignorant, unscientific attitude, since miracles, both true and false, cannot be exceptions from the laws of the nature. On the other hand, when we faced miracles with a broad scientific attitude, we often discovered a fraud beyond them or we explain them in rational terms. These considerations are absolutely necessary for our survival, since existence is true and truth is existence, whereas frauds belong to the realm of nonexistence. I would like to close this Second Part with two observations. First observation: the understanding of the significance of richness in adaptive, existential and evolutionary terms, and the reasons why most religions condemn it. As a matter of fact, firstly richness destroys the natural balanced competition, producing two some how opposite effects. For the riches, a too low selective pressures, leading to degeneration and delayed extinction. For the losers, a too high ans risky selective pressure. Secondly it harms social life and ethics. Thirdly, it debase the environment. Second observation: in Western countries, religions are based on faith, a priori rejecting any scientific disapproval, and instead of severe and effective disciplines, Westerner worshipers are satisfied with useless ceremonies, never aiming to achieve the ideals that their religions demand them and to overcome their unknown but severe mental conditionings. In the Far East, religions are also based on inner disciplines, which are practiced with a scientific attitude, always aiming to overcome our subjective and distorted visions of the reality and to achieve the best and most outstanding potentiality of human beings.

13

III PART. Our Daily Lives from a Biological Point of View.

XXXII. In order to build up a long lasting, constructive sociality, ethics should be valid in biological terms. (first astonishing mundane truth). At present we even ignore the concept of an ethics based on the laws of life and even worse, we use the term bioethics in improper way. A true bioethics should be based on scientific methods and on the laws of life, aiming to protect adaptive evolution. As already observed in our cultures, experience shows us that it is very difficult for mankind to maintain a high ethical level, since our sociality is very primitive. As a matter of fact, collaboration only seldom prevails on competition even inside our families and both mass media and literature tell us what miserable ethics usually prevail among persons, communities and States. XXXIII. The fundamental bioethical behaviour is the following: to protect the adaptive evolution of all living beings, which practically means to respect the integrity of all habitats. (Second astonishing mundane truth). In order to protect the survival of a single species, all species should be protected from extinction, since adaptive evolution is a choral process. To me, common sense suggests very few exceptions. Practically, we should not hinder the evolution of whatsoever species, included bacteria and those species we consider as pests, or somehow harmful, or useless. Never forget that the greatest wealth we possess, is an uncontaminated nature, since it gives us the possibility to enjoy life, to gain physical and mental health and to evolve. XXXIV. To boast that everybody is equal in front of the law, is a nonsense in biological terms. (Third astonishing mundane truth). Three considerations are enough to reject this "democratic" affirmation. Firstly, free will is a misunderstood concept of our cultures, since this freedom is out of reach for normal peoples. Only when you have been very successful in some severe inner disciplines, and we are not used to them, you will achieve a true free will. Secondly, justice is affected by cultural conditionings and biological ignorance. Because of the high mental, cultural and emotional variability of human individuals, it is a nonsense to judge standard culpabilities. Thirdly, to inflict punishments is an injustice, since it doubles the damage that a population suffered because of a criminal act. It would be more reasonable and honest to avoid moral judgments and to be satisfied by compelling criminals to mend the damages they caused. I remember that we cannot judge and punish a person for his wrongdoings, if we are all incapable of any free will. It would be better to consider offenders as somehow sick or unlucky subjects. Therefore, we cannot cast off the working hypothesis, that most of the individuals crowding our jails, are the victims of a degraded unjust society.

14

XXXV. A law imposing punishments, doesn't have any ethical and adaptive value. ( Forth astonishing mundane truth) I notice again, that punishments increase the damages that a society suffered, because of a criminal action. Jails compel criminals and also warders to live in two, somehow different but degraded niches. Death penalty doubles the harm that a community suffered because of an homicide. Moreover it has been proved that punishments never express a constructive teaching. In other words, since we cannot even imagine a society without police and jails, it is time to verify the hypothesis, that western cultures are since ever very poor in ethical, existential, social and biological terms. XXXVI. A proper hygiene should lessen our probabilities to get sick, without degrading the environment. At present, our hygiene do not respect the laws of adaptive competition and the integrity of our environments. As a matter of fact, we should aim to increase the defenses of our organisms, rather than exterminate parasites and pathogenic agents. To kill off weeds, bugs and parasites through pesticides, has already proved to be a macroscopic ecological mistake. Our maniac love for absolute cleanliness, has proved to be wrong in hygienic and ecological terms. XXXVII. Don't eliminate illnesses having an hygienic value. ( Fifth astonishing mundane truth). All infectious illnesses have an hygienic, sometimes curative value (see the cures of cancer based on artificially induced infections) and therefore it is important to respect (with the due common sense) the normal risks, burdens and nuisances due to the natural course of our usual illnesses, because they strengthen our immune system. The usual infectious illnesses that occur in a certain geographical context, are only an aspect of that natural, balanced and inevitable interspecific competition, which is necessary to strength our immune system and to achieve an adaptive evolution.

XXXVIII. It is better to avoid niches with a low selective pressures (read: to avoid an easy and
comfortable life), because under such conditions the body becomes an untrustworthy friend and the mind goes crazy. (Sixth astonishing mundane truth). Our religions admonish us to reject richness and to observe very severe disciplines. Unfortunately these commands are imposed without any biological justification and have since ever proved to be beyond the capability of average people. Therefore, in order to overcome our present ecological and existential troubles, instead of suggesting to renounce to our comfortable lives and customary aims, I would firstly propose to everybody the study of the laws of life and than to practice that very easy discipline, which can be deduced from it. As a matter of fact, studying evolution and ethology, I discovered a laic and optimal inner discipline, much easier than those we known from religions or from other cultures. This discipline is based on four distinct practices. I. Pay attention to what you are doing in the present instant. Thus you will perceive infinitesimal fractions of time, thus improving at once all your actions and stopping the subconscious activity of your mind. (see the Appendix) II. When an inner stimulus pushes you to change activity, halt yourself for seven breaths (about a minute) and reconsider your purposes. Thus, you will overcome your tendency to react to stimuli before pondering and you will become a strategist and the master of your life. III. Move yourself with harmony and ampler gestures, relaxing your antagonist muscles and 15

keeping a slightly deeper, smoother and pleasant breath. Thus, you will optimize your actions, improve your health, rejuvenate and facilitate the two above mentioned exercises. IV. Live with those strategic attitudes, which are deduced from adaptive evolution and are depicted by the art of Wei Qi (GO). This discipline is very apt and useful for Westerners because: I, it is the only inner discipline I know, which springs from our modern Westerner culture. II, it is not bound to any faith or religion. III, it optimizes whatever action. IV, it enables us to speed up our ontogenetic evolution and to become capable of strategical behaviours. V, it is both scientific and artistic in its praxis and mystic in its ultimate results. I suggest you to play Go for other reasons. It is a fantastic and healthy game, it can become a job and it is very useful for socializing. Unfortunately, since Wei Qi may occur to be too alien, too arduous and time wasting for most Westerners, I assure you, that Go can be substituted by an easy meditation on its strategies. I remember that both biology and Wei Qi suggest the same strategies, and that Wei Qi proved to be a very simplified model of adaptive evolution. Wei Qi apart, this discipline: I, needs infinitesimal extra times only, therefore proving to be optimal for the busy Westerners. II, is within everybody's reach, whereas the targets of most religious disciplines are beyond the capability of normal people. IV, gives very significant existential advantages in the present instant and brings forth a total ontogenetic evolution in a matter of few months or weeks. V, is partially confirmed and supported by antique tantric and karmic teachings, which can still be very helpful. Thus, you achieve consistent existential advantages, since you will optimize all your endeavors and actions in very short time and your only duty is to behave and live with your utmost attention. In existential term, the first exercise shows us how to accomplish a brimful life; the third exercise helps us to optimize a brimful life. The second exercise teaches us, how to live as strategists; the fourth exercise, accustoms us to optimize our strategies. I define this discipline as "The multiple middle path" or "Evolutionary yoga". "The multiple middle path", since it is soft, specific and suggests to everybody to pursue his own previous religion, aims and life. "Evolutionary yoga", since it is deduced by contingent biological considerations, it speeds up our ontogenetic evolution and it is partially supported by tantric and karmic teachings, which would senseless to ignore, since they proved their efficiency for over four thousand years. XXXIX. Avoid human populations of hundreds of thousand of individuals, or worse. Avoid habitats too densely populated, because we belong to a species, which is suited to live in small groups, not genetically isolated. It is well-known that the environmental conditions, which occur in modern cities, provoke mental, physical and social degradation, propagate pestilences, and are responsible for intensive agriculture, with all its pollution and consequent ecological troubles. If you personally can, chose a healthier life, practice a inner discipline, and/or go to live in the 16

countryside or in a small village. Modern technology allows you to remain in touch with the whole world, wherever you are. A society that pushes farmers to abandon their land, in order to move toward the cities, where they are compelled to misery, doesn't have any adaptive value. Anyway, I am sure that the inner discipline above mentioned (XXXVIII aphorism), might mitigate, if not overcome, the psychological distresses due to modern life. This solution is a must, since we cannot envisage the hypothesis of getting rid of towns and cities. XL. The etiquette has the function to protect and to improve social relationships and therefore it has a high ethical and evolutionary value. (Seventh astonishing mundane truth) A polite behaviour is much more evolved of an ill-mannered conduct, in how much it achieve a notable energetic saving, a reduction of personal risks and produce a much more efficient ethics and sociality. Such recommendation is particularly important if we live in a society which is obsessed by competition at every level. XLI. Decency has the primitive function of reducing the risks during the usual, recurring defenseless situations of every day life. (Eighth astonishing mundane truth). This is a widely spread instinct, which still nowadays push us to hide ourselves when we sleep, piss, defecate or have sexual intercourses, and so on. Because such behaviours are strongly influenced by cultural conditionings, it should be wise to verify, if our present decency still maintains a positive adaptive value. XLII. Science allows us to detect our perceptive and cultural mistakes and to increase our knowledge about nature. Trough academic science, we can correct our perceptive errors (see the impression that the Sun turns around the Earth), our psychic shortcomings (see the scarce rationality of the normal mind) and to overcome our ignorance about the laws of nature (see physics, chemistry, biology, and so on). On the other hand, through sciences we produce technologies, which may become very dangerous for our very survival, if we do not bother about all their effects on our minds, bodies and habitats. At present, we are destroying life on earth by means of technology and industrialization, because we ignore that there is a suicide to allows normally insane and objectively criminal people, to use and misuse the discoveries of our scientists. But, on the the hand, it is only through the achievements of the modern technologies, that we can hope to become able to start a new cultural, economical and existential growth, without degrading people and debasing natural environments any more. Today, "To be or not to be" should be our first question and "Firstly to survive", is the right answer. XLIII. A scientific attitude should be a must in our daily life. ( Ninety unaccustomed mundane truth). It is time to teach everybody how to practice a scientific attitude in his daily life, so that everybody may become able to reduce his own existential mistakes and to control the validity of his own cognitions, behaviours and disciplines. In this case, the task is very easy and simple. Practice the "multiple middle path" and verify the effects on your conducts, body and and mind. The existential importance of living with a scientific attitude, is very easy to grasp. For instance, a 17

scientific attitude allows us to verify how much our hobbies, sports, religious observances, improve our mental and physical health, offers us an ampler knowledge and increases our freedom from our conditioning. Of course, with the same tests, you verify if an economy, a science, a religion, and so on, are sound or useless, if not counterproductive for our evolution. The five existential pillars of science should be: discipline, ethics, moral conduct, common sense and open mindedness. Discipline, because scientific research is one of our most difficult, long lasting and demanding undertaking. For the purposes above mentioned, the scientific method you need, is just the opposite: easy and quick. Ethics, because without truth, science becomes a mendacious, useless task. Morality is a must, since it is essential to avoid researches with criminal purposes. For instance, if I want to demonstrate that (and not if) my working hypotheses are truth, I am not a scientist but a Sophist. Common sense, in order to avoid absurd, dangerous or useless researches. Open mindedness, in order to grasp the hidden significances of our discoveries. As a matter of fact, for the principle that: What is valid at a level of existence, it is valid at all levels and with the power of a scientific approach and common sense, everybody may personally judge if a law, a religion, an economy and so on, support or not his wellbeing and inner growth. For example, if we discover that there is an inverse relationship among the wealth (PIL) of a Country and the happiness of its inhabitants, how can we still consider the PIL's growth as a positive target, when we know that happiness is a must for our survival? If we detect that an Institution is against civil ethics, religious freedom and science, it is a necessary to stop its activities. XLIV. Arts offer us great emotional gratifications, help our inner evolution and teach us that beauty is an expression of high functionality. (Tenth astonishing mundane truth). Practicing an art, or even better, living as an artist, we optimize all our actions and feelings, we achieve a fuller life and speed up our inner evolution. Besides, through arts we realize an emotional and immediate perceiving of adaptive evolution. It is true that certain animals seem ugly to us, but in the case of snakes, we suffer of some cultural conditioning. In other cases, animals may be really ugly, like parasites, because they missed any promising adaptive evolution. Therefore, pursue beauty and natural pleasures, because they enrich and sooth your lives and souls with positive emotions. I observe that among humans, women are objectively more handsome than men and this superiority is due to the fact that they possess wider genetic informations, they express a greater number of functions (see maternity and nursing), and they are much more evolved (see the hypothesis of humans' pedogenetic evolution). XLV. In order to become successful in our worldly life, it is necessary: firstly, to cultivate our capability to love, in order to possess the necessary courage to face our usual afflictions and daily difficulties. Secondly, to avoid the slavery of habits. Thirdly, to get rid of self importance. (Eleventh, twelfth, and Thirteen astonishing mundane truths) The capability of loving other human beings gives us the greatest inner strength. If you don't know this kind of love, try and love a flower, a plant, an animal, a landscape, a noble target, and so on. 18

At this point, I want to clear my point of view about the lemma love. For loving, I intend an emotion, for whom you would give your life with joy, if necessary. Habits must be avoided, because they suggest worn out tactics, whereas we need imagination and mental fluidity in order to face and solve our outer and inner problems. Personal importance is to avoid, for three reasons: firstly, because it impedes us to evaluate our inner and outer reality in objective terms. Secondly, because it represents our principal cause of energy's loss. Thirdly, it impedes us to optimize our actions. XLVI. It is necessary to face the causes more than the effects of our discomforts and troubles. Usually we prefer to adjust the effects of our problems, than to prevent their causes. For instance, when we are pale, we paint us pink; instead of preventing illnesses, we prefer to cure them; instead of attempting to produce less discards, we look for places where to hide them. We consider prevention against influenza, only because this prevention is a very rewarding business, whereas the best solution for our health would be: follow a proper diet, keep yourself warm and rest, without impeding high temperatures. In order to save energy and health, we should prefer strategical attitudes to tactical solutions. But strategical attitudes need patience, sometime unselfishness and always a farseeing intelligence. Unfortunately, we often miss these virtues. I explain the importance of strategic behaviours, with an old Chinese saying:" If an ignorant fellow drops a precious vase in the ocean, even hundred sages will not be able to retrieve it. XLVII. The jobs that degrade our environments should be avoided. Be watchful! Even if your job does not directly degrade the environment, the money you gain for your boss, will almost certainly contribute to degrade nature. Be aware of the perils bound to chemistry! The worst pollution in the world of today, is due to the massive presence of unnatural chemical products in the environment. Moreover, the present chemical (and physical) methods we use for the evaluation of the levels of pollutions in an habitat are useless, as far as adaptive evolution is concerned, because: firstly, we only consider what injures us at once. Secondly, the sensibility of living beings, to the presence of poisoning molecules, is by far higher than that of the most sophisticated chemical method. Thirdly, it is impossible to test all the effects, which are due to the contemporaneous presence of different poisons. Fourthly, it is impossible, to check the effect of a poison on all the living beings of an habitat. Fifty, criminal Governments will permit to ignore the above mentioned facts and they shift up our silly limits of pollution, when it menaces some contingent economical interests. On the whole, new artificial molecules should not be poured into the environment, even if they do not harm us at once, since they will certainly damage some other beings of our habitats and consequently they will hinder the course of adaptive evolution. XLVIII. The jobs, that degrade people, should be banned. Works that any invertebrate could do, or that weaken our minds and bodies, because they are too much fatiguing or too much boring or unhealthy, must be avoided, because they impede us to pursue an inner search and to express our outstanding capacities. If we live in a culture, where this conduct is not estimated, our society is neither democratic, nor human. XLIX. Jobs, hobbies and cultures that don't allow us to evolve, must be avoided. 19

Mind the consequences of your activities on your habitats, on your psyche and on your body. Remember, that we live, in order to evolve toward and ampler reality and a fuller life and this task is impossible to achieve if we are poisoned, exhausted, easy going, lazy, depressed and ignorant about the laws of life. If we want to save our environments, firstly we must cure our minds and bodies, in order to optimize our actions. The only possible defense we have, in order to achieve a sound adaptive evolution, is to divulge the knowledge of the laws of nature and to practice the due inner searches (see the XXXVIII aphorism and its appendix). L. Only practicing an inner discipline and aiming to a progressive reduction of our needs, we shall be able to protect our environments and to evolve towards a wider reality. We cannot overcome our ecological problems, until we have not eliminated our own cultural, mental and behavioural shortcomings. For instance, we must realize that we are not capable of any free will. As a matter of fact, this blessed condition occurs only when we stopped the activity of our normal mind and this is the target, which can be only achieved after long and difficult disciplines. At this point I would like to underline a frequent misunderstanding about inner search and yoga teaching: you cannot teach an inner discipline unless you did not achieved its targets, since the understanding of yoga is only partially rational. In other words, you do not really know an inner discipline, if you do not successfully practice it. In this case, your discipline is only a senseless loss of time. LI. Physical pleasures are paradisaical in the beginning but, if they create dependence, they become bitter as a poison in the end. It is difficult to enjoy bodily pleasures without being conditioned by them. Remember that habits are always harmful, because they make us difficult to face our reality with the due objectiveness and lack of conditionings. LII. The pleasures we obtain by meditation are like a poison in the beginning and as a nectar at the end. Meditation (samyama) is the most long lasting, painful and difficult discipline which mankind can pursue, but it also is the most praiseworthy, since it brings our subconscious mind to a progressive standstill and our consciousness to progressively wider perceptions. I daresay that this consideration is not true for the Multiple Middle Path, since it improves our existences from the very beginning and whatever distress and sorrow can be quickly, easily and drastically reduced. LIII. The path leadings to inner freedom, or to whatever other skillfulness, is characterized by progressions and regressions. Since our subconscious reacts against our will, when we practice a mental discipline, we often experiment a unusual inner distress after a meditation session. Fortunately such distresses last for limited times and deeper peace will start in a matter of few months, if we persevere. Even if you fall hundred times during your trip to freedom, raise up hundred times again. The practice of the Multiple Middle Path brings you to the point, that you feel easier to continue than to give it up, in a matter of days or few weeks. At last an admonishment. Only when the last knowledge is reached, you do not slip back again to inferior levels of consciousness. Therefore, all achievements of your discipline must be daily increased, as they only were new starting points.

20

LIV. Our ignorance about adaptive evolution is the main cause of our present ecological and emotional disasters. For instance, we do not realize the fact that all living beings are capitalistic (see XIX aphorism). As a matter of fact, all species produce so many offspring at each generation, that a finite environment cannot support them all. It follows that two somehow opposite evolutionary trends occur. When this capitalism keeps a high natural selection, by the usual balanced interspecific competition, although the high number of new offspring produced at every generation, the gains (number of species and evolutionary advantages) of every single species are infinitesimal and they can be sensibly appreciated only in long times (thousands or millions of years). More rarely, when it happens that the growth of some species is not kept under control by a balanced competition or by predators, the natural capitalism has catastrophic consequences. In this case the gains of the species in question grow up very rapidly in the beginning but, since our habitats are finite, in few generations an unavoidable catastrophe occurs. Moreover, we ignore that women are more evolved than men. It follows that our culture, being totally dominated by men, is not at its best, thus being unable, to overcome our present challenges. We underestimate the above mentioned perils, because: firstly, we ignore, that we must express our best capacities in our everyday life, in order to evolve and survive. Secondly, instead of behaving like scientists, we prefer to defend our myths and prejudices with all our science and ability, and when we are involved in some discussion, ignorance becomes our strongest allied. Thirdly, we ignore the laws and needs of adaptive evolution. LV. Human beings should replace the ruthless natural selection with a more merciful conduct, through academic sciences and inner search. Unfortunately, this science has not been yet born in Westerner countries and the time left at our disposition might be very little. LVI. Live in the mundane world and fully enjoy it, but cultivate some arts, keep a scientific attitude and practice some meditation (as the multiple middle path, samyama, Vipassana, or others, ) in your everyday life. Do not neglect to enjoy worldly life, because it is a way to accumulate experiences, to evolve and to sharpen your will and spirit. Not pleasures but the dependence from pleasures is the sin that should be avoided. Cultivate an art and you will reduce your existential stresses. Besides you will learn that there is a strict correlation between evolution toward a greater freedom, happiness and beauty. Become a scientist in your daily life and you will avoid many cultural and existential mistakes. Practice a whatsoever traditional meditation and you will enjoy a fuller joyful life. If you do not know any inner search, I would suggest you the Vipassana meditation and the multiple middle path (see the XXXVIII aphorism and its appendix ) in the beginning, in order to avoid useless needs and wrong thoughts, to create the right condition to achieve a better life and to enter a winning adaptive evolution (both ontogenetic and phylogenetic). LVII. If you are very rich, be watchful, that even the greatest wealth collapses to nil, when environmental degradation rises above certain limits. (Fifteenth ignored mundane truth) Therefore, mind the ecological and existential effects of the present economic globalization, in both short and long terms.

21

LVIII. Spend your energies and money in order to facilitate your inner evolution and to protect the adaptive evolution of all living beings. What counts more in life doesn't cost, or it shouldn't cost, anything. Try to remember! How much did you pay for the most edifying and precious experiences of your life, such as deep friendship, an splendid love, a glorious sunset, and so on? Live in the present (see evolutionary yoga in the XXXVIII aphorisms), which is the easiest way to enjoy a fuller life, and you will discover that this is a very rewarding, cheap and pleasant way of living and evolving. If you can, spend at least your superfluous incomes, to protect nature and to divulge the laws of life. Do not forget the impact of politics and culture on the environment. LIX. Don't tolerate the criminal and ignorant prophets of politics, economics, sciences and religions. Because of the contemporaneous presence of global industrialization and a worldwide loss of ethics, for the first time in our history, mankind has become able to destroy life on Earth. For these reasons, criminal Institutions, debased cultures and ignorance of the laws of life cannot be tolerate any more. Then remember two ignored perils bound to the presence of false prophets. Firstly, if you eliminate ignorant and dishonest leaders, without destroying their niches, a new dominant class, much more shameful and incompetent than the previous, will arise. Secondly, if you hate them for their negative qualities, with the time you will become similar to them. LX. It is very difficult to evolve and to practice an inner discipline, if we live in a poisoned habitat, conditioned by an ignorant and degraded society. (Sixteenth ignored mundane truth) If we want to solve the causes of our existential and ecological discomfort, it is firstly necessary to improve our personal health, to divulge the knowledge of modern biology and to reduce, in the due times, environmental pollution.. These are the three necessary conditions which would help us to practice an inner discipline and thus survive. Only when the majority of people will realize the necessity of an ecological politics and will accept the due economical sacrifices, we shall be able to face and start to solve the ecological and existential problems which menace us.

APPENDIX TO THE XXXVIII APHORISM: the Multiple Inner Path

The analysis of animal behavior and the experiences of life teach us that: I. We do only exist in the present instant and we can never stop working. II. If we are not forced to use mind and body with the greatest care and perseverance, we degenerate, premature aging follows and we cannot survive for long. III. If we do not use all our psychophysical abilities, our subconscious mind uses us in an ongoing, irrational and unconscious way. If we do not act with the utmost commitment, efficiency, prudence and economy, we extinguish. IV. In order to achieve an optimal adaptive evolution and to survive, we must become familiar with the environment in which we live, we must plan our life in strategically terms, we must spare time and 22

energy to the utmost. In other words, in order to evolve and survive, so as in order to become a winner, we must behave as scientists, artists and faultless followers of the laws of life. Of course, whatever knowledge is not enough if we do not use it properly, living without any strategy and without being aware in the present instant. We normally pass our entire life by dreaming with open eyes. The usual sentence: "Twenty years elapsed and I feel as they lasted a day" proves that we are somehow aware of our usual mental disorder. Unfortunately we lack the correct knowledge to overcome this mortal fault. From this considerations follows that all our actions must be optimized in existential and evolutionary terms, in order to achieve whatever purpose and thus four disciplines are suggested: Firstly, live with extreme attention in the present instant (see also tantra yoga). Secondly, a karmic attitude is a must in order to optimize this attitude. Thus you will express optimal efficiency and spare energy. Thirdly, follow a reasoned and forward-looking strategy (see also tantra yoga). Fourthly, optimize your strategies by playing Go (see also karma yoga and wei qi). I would like to emphasize three important facts. For the first time, an inner laic discipline has been deduced from the Westerner culture, since it has an entirely biological and therefore secular foundation. It is easy to practice and allows us to optimize at once all our actions and achieve freedom from all our previous conditionings. Fifthly, prophets and gurus are not necessary, since everyone is obliged to become the master of himself. The existential, perceptive and evolutionary advantages of this discipline are numerous and decisive: (I). You learn to perceive and utilize infinitesimal fractions of time. This implies a better knowledge of your niches, thus getting at once perceptive, physiological and existential advantages, such as better performances and greater physical and psychological gratifications. In particular, you decrease the times of response to stimuli and you improve your mental capabilities such as memory and concentration's power. Therefore everybody, included athletes, students and over stressed people can sooth their lives, optimize their behaviours and achieve much better and safer results than by taking drugs. (II). It reduces the activity of the unconscious mind more than practicing the usual conscious attention of our everyday lives. Under normal conditions, our concentration is shattered by the dreaming-like activity of our mind, so that we lack both free will and self-consciousness. This attention help us, firstly to overcome whatever existential problem in the quickest way, since it suppresses our unconscious mental activity and speed up our ontogenetic evolution. (III). It is useful in order to perform whatever activity, including other forms of meditation and discipline. I do not know another discipline that might so quickly improve all aspects of our worldly life, included prayers, meditations, study and sports. (IV). It does not require any extra time, to be subtracted from your usual engagements. It may seem a trivial advantage, but go and tell to a Westerner to "meditate" for just a few hours a day or to practice asanas! Although it may be a pleasure to attend a course of Hatha yoga, where you find a lot of beautiful girls as "fringe benefits", one day it's raining and windy, another day you have got a cold, or you would arrive late at work. Even an hour a week, sooner or later become a nuisance. Moreover you should practice Hatha yoga every day and this commitment requires a strong will that you do not possess. Work, school, hobbies and social engagements leave very little time to devote to whatever inner discipline. On the contrary, with this discipline you do not need any extra time to invest in your inner evolution and moreover you can optimize those times that you normally consider as boring and useless, such as: waiting for the bus, for the traffic light, for your girlfriend, and so on. Pay attention to your body in the pause between two breaths and you will relax, since for a moment you 23

will loose your unconscious muscular contractions. Moreover, if you move stretching yours joints in harmony with the breath and relaxing your muscles, you somehow get the advantages of Hatha Yoga's practice. (V). It is easy to perform and even if you execute it badly, you will instantly enhance whatever action, thus getting an immediate verification of the usefulness of your execution. I have already noted, that whatever inner discipline, such as Hatha and Raja yoga, Vipassana meditation, Tai Chi Chuang, even if they are not perfectly performed, they offer significant advantages. Moreover, all these disciplines can be greatly improved by this tantric meditation. Usually, the physical and psychic benefits obtained with the practice of an inner discipline are not immediately noticeable. On the contrary, with this Multiple Middle Path, we gain the huge advantage of becoming instantly capable to check how much these three disciplines are effective and mutually supportive. This has been the first discipline that I have been able to practice successfully, since I am not particularly gifted, my willpower has always been scanty and moreover I am very old. Therefore, I believe that this discipline is at reach of everybody. (VI). You can overcome even very severe emotional stresses. This result is certainly due to the fact that, when an extreme concentration is applied to action, it does not allow your emotional discomfort to grow. For example: I, if your are alert, when someone offends you, you will not feel hurt. II, activities, which you would be normally consider as tedious, will become acceptable and do not disturb your serenity. III, previously useless times, turn to be the most useful and active. I am waiting for the bus, for my girlfriend, I am listening to a boring conference, I find myself where I would not like to be, but now I can take the opportunity to practice Vipassana or some other kind of attention. Although very aged, with all the physical and mental problems that this condition entails, in a period of extreme social isolation, forced to live in a new environment, in a situation of considerable financial shortages and having been refused (rightly, but this made the fact even bitter) by the only people I loved, the Multiple Middle Path, although not perfectly practiced, allows me to get inner peace and to gain that joy of life, I felt when I was a child. Anyway, to live in difficult conditions may be an incentive to act with impeccability, if you face your problems in positive terms, without self-pity, behaving like a warriors and not like the beggar that you are used to be. At this point I remind you some other possible complementary disciplines, which I found helpful to calm the mind, in situations of heavy emotional distress: (a), roll slowly your eyes, following the rhythm of respiration, (b), for a few minutes, focus your attention on your condition of impermanence, accepting the idea of our inevitable death, together with the consolation of having the present instant always at your disposal, (c) slow down and deep your breath, as much as possible maintaining it comfortable, (d), undertake an edifying and enjoyable physical activity, such as to care for your garden's blossoms, to walk along the sea or to walk in a wood, and so on, as you like it mostly. (e), practice an asana. (f), invent other tricks to silence your subconscious and calm your mind. (VII). This dynamic meditation, since it is based on infinitesimal time, produces an expansion of our perception of time that seems infinite. As our self-consciousness is expanded, one day seems as long as a lifetime. Normally we live in the exactly opposite way. How many times I heard the saying: "Twenty years have elapsed as they were a single day." Moreover, this expansion of your perception of time destroys your usual fear of death and help you to overcome your usual laziness. In particular, I recommend to practice this exercise with the deep consciousness, that the only present instant belongs to you. Since the future has the color of the unknown, this awareness can be very painful at first, because it collapses all our certainties, our usual points of reference, which normally give us soothing but false certainties. Very soon, we appreciate the sense of infinite freedom and the 24

consequent joy that this discipline offers. (VIII), you gain time and energy. I can assure you, that you will save a lot of energy by practicing such attention. This occurs because it reduces the size of your personal importance, it calms your emotions, it helps you to retrieve both the physical fatigues and the wastes of energy, which are due to your unconscious thoughts and to their correlated involuntary contractions of skeletal muscles. Thus, you get stronger and healthier. (IX). Unlike many other disciplines, the support of a competent teacher is useful but not necessary. According to the principle that "what is valid at a level of existence is valid at all levels" and since the existential benefits of this discipline are immediate, you can personally appreciate the validity of your discipline and master it. Just observe if you become more successful in your daily life, if you feel happier and more peaceful, if you increase your willpower. The fact that a guru is not necessary is a blessing, in a society where false prophets rule the culture. (X). We learn to utilize those small, but still useful fractions of time, few minutes or less, which we previously neglected. The existential advantage of this attitude is huge. For instance, I became able to overcome my usual attitude to neglect those little but adequate times for getting a shower, a tea, shaving, etcetera. At the same time, you learn to avoid those usual actions, which have not any practical significance, such as, brushing the teeth for few seconds, although you know it does not prevent caries, stretching your limbs for two breaths, or less, although it is useless for soothing your muscles and joints, after sitting for a long deal. On the contrary, I do believe that a stretching for seven breaths is sufficient in order to relax fatigued muscles and to recoverthe the flexibility of stiff joints after a long sitting. Moreover, you can achieve a detached attitude toward your duties and individuate the right strategies for the future. (XI). If you stop yourself for seven breath before starting a new action, you'll become aware of your usual lack of free will and will learn to act as a strategist. We are use to act because our customs and other subconscious stimuli, such as desires and fears, impel us. It follows that we seldom behave like rational people. Usually, we totally ignore these normal but deadly mental attitudes and therefore we have not any defense against them. Performing this discipline, we get accustomed to consider all events of life as a challenge to overcome with emotional detachment and determination. Thus, we spare a lot of energy and we optimize all our actions. Usually, we consider the events of our lives like gifts or vexations, thus spending useless energies and reacting irrationally. Since we always are pushed by unconscious stimulations, to stop ourselves for seven breaths, before starting a new activity, is a must in order to recover inner peace and rational behaviours. Moreover, we learn to behave like strategists and to recover free will. (XII). If you practice an asana, or a instant Vipassana meditation or some other concentration during this pause or during boring events, you gain further freedom from your conditionings. It follows that firstly, all instants of our life become equally precious and important; secondly you achieve a new strategy of life, shifting from the interest about what to do, to the interest on how to do; thirdly, you enter a much more evolved psychical dimension. (XIII). Play Go and you'll optimize all your strategies. We are use to think like chess players, but the strategies of Go are by far superior to those of chess. Not victory, but balanced fighting, not killing, but pursuing a slightly better result are some of the correct strategies of a Go player. Because Go is not easy to master, needs time and application and belongs to an alien culture, it is often not suited for most Westerners. But, if playing Go is beyond your capabilities and wishes, just meditate on its strategies and you will optimize whatever strategy.

25