Chriswilshaw@gmail.

com 1/2015

Blissisnosecret

Riversandweathercanbeexplainedinwordsandsocanideas.

Themorewordsusedthoughthelessthedescriptionresemblesthetruthofjustsitting,bytheriver,in
themoonlight.

 Introduction

WheninterestedinaparticularthingImention,pleaseresearchityourselfanddon'tquotemeortake
mywordsasfact.WhileIdolovescienceandnatureI'mnotinthattopfewpercentofpeoplewho
enhanceandmakeusefulstatementsaboutthem,I'maninterestedstudentatverybestandnota
qualifiedscientistorphilosopher.Iamveryinterestedintheworldanduniverse,Ilovewhatisoffered
byscienceandphilosophies,I'minquisitiveandinaweofallthings.Pointacameraintomylifeand
youcouldfindmereadingaboutthelatestdiscoveriesourbestmindshaveproduced,morelikely
thoughdaydreamingormeditatingonthewonderoflifeorthepowerofemptiness.

AlongthewayI'vementionedinterestingcontentthatyou'lllikelyhavebeendrawntotoo.The
referencesarecommonlythekindofthingsthatcometotheattentionofanyonecuriousinthewaywe
work.AssaidthoughIencourageyoutoresearchanyclaimsImakeasIrambleonandcoversubjects
suchasfreewill,happiness,diet,breathing,exercisesandmore.Weallhaveourowntakeontheworks
wereadandproducevaryingconclusions,as,well,we'realldifferent.Irespectthescientificmethod
butmineisthemindofadreamer.ButI'mnottheonlyone.

WereItoofferconclusionsandadvicethenI'dbeadvisingyoutobemeandthatisverysillyYouare
tobeyou.NomatterhowIphrasemyself,neveramIaskingortellingyoutobeanyonebutyourself.
Theseideasmayheconsidered,theymaybeburned.

Inthesenextpageswejumpfromdifficultconceptssuchasinfinityandtheselfyetwedosoina
mannerthatisnotoverlydeepandwedosoinshortenoughsessionsastoavoidoverburdening
ourselveswithwhatarestepstowardthegoalandnotthegoalitself.

Asforthatgoalthen:Itistobe,knowingbliss.

 Truths

Theheartpumps,thethehumanmindchatters.

Themindisoftenatsomelevelofdiscontent.Itislikelywhatmakesushumanasthemajorityof
humanity'screationscameaboutbecausesomeonewasdiscontentwithwhattheyhadbefore.Many
folkdreamofbeingfinanciallywealthyyettheworldisawashwithfinanciallywellofffolkwhowake
upwithadrivetodo,wantingmore,andwishingsomethingweredifferent.

Youcanbecertainthatanypersonyouseeorbringtomindhasamindjustasjumbledasyourown.
Thisisthehumancondition.

 Everyoneelse

Weask"Howareyoutoday?"

Wedon'twantthetruth,

"abitmiserableactually,Icouldhavedonewithafewhoursextrasleepandmybowelsareinastate."

Mostfolkknowthisandreply,

"Greatthanks!You?"

Whatthoughiftheysurprisedyouandsaid,

"Entirelycontent."

andshoneasmilesogenuineandcompleteitwaslikethesunhadrisenforasecondtime?

You'dbetakenaback.

Couldthatpersonhavewhateveryoneelseislookingfor?

 Answer

Beforegettingbacktotheanswer,let'shavealookaround.

 Probably

Inalllikelihoodgivenmodernscientificunderstanding,you'retheresultofinfinity,wriggling.

WhileI'munabletoverifythemathematicsofquantumtheoryIamabletousetechnologythatcould
notexistifitwerenotafact.InascientificmannerofsortsIcanprovetomyselfthattherearegoings
oninaworldthatIcannottouchwithmysensesafabrictotheuniversethatbehavesinawavelike
manner,completelyunlikethewordinfrontofmyeyes.Quantumtheoryhasrulesandthoseruleshave
beentestedmanytimesandinwaysthathumanityhasdepended.Thoserulesareeithertrue,orvery
verynearlytrue,assmartpeoplecanusetherulesofquantumtheorytomakepredictionsandbuild
devicesthatworkwithincredibleaccuracy.

Anamazingruleofquantumtheoryisthat nothing
isnotallowedtoexist.Nothingness,isnotallowed.
Atthelevelofnothingness,thevacuum,therearefluctuationsthatcantbestopped.Rightbackbefore
thebirthoftime,space,forceslikegravityandthingslikematter,therecan'thavebeenquitenothing.It
wouldhaveappearedasnothingtous,butitwasapoolofpotential,wigglesofnearnothingness
vibratingrandomly.

Fromnothing(ish),somethingisinevitable.AndwhileI'dlovetounderstandthemathematicsbehind
that,I'mnotgoingto.ButIcanverifythatthingsinmylifethatdependonthistheorybeingtrue,do
exist[Whyhotthingscanbedifferentcoloursbasedonhowhottheyare,lightemittingdiodes,WiFi
signalsreachingthroughthewallsofmyhouse,thefactmycomputersprocessorflopssoquickly]so
Ibelieveuntilprovenotherwise.

Beforetheboom



TimeandspaceandallwedeemtobethelawsofphysicsseemtohavecomeaboutintheBigBang.
Whatcamebeforetheboomoftheuniverseappearstobetherealmofphilosophy,butitisstillscience.
Causeandeffect,beforeandafter,emergewiththebirthofspacetimeanddidnotexistbefore.

Theuniverseis(probably,readon)infinite,thereisnobefore,orbeginningininfinity.A
beginningless,everpresentinfinitywasandwillalwaysbethecaseandaneventproducingalineof
spacetimewithcauseandeffectisaparticularbubbleofinfinity.Alifebreeding,magical,trillionyear
moment,ofwhich~80yearsbelongtowhatappearstobeyou.

Fromquantumsoup,thereisabubblecalledauniverse,abubblecalledaplanet,andabubblecalled
you.

Eachbubblemaypopandreturntothebubbleabove.

Youcanusequantumphysicstotalkofspace,chemistryandgeologyareusefultotalkofplanets,and
whileyoumayusetheselanguagestodescribeahuman,moreusefullywetalkofwants,needsandso
on.





 Boom

Youexist.Oratleastseemto.


Meditation

Itwon'tbelonguntilmeditationpopsupinthesepagessoI'dbetterprovideaclarificationonmyidea
ofit.Idon'tformallyordeliberatelymeditate,Ispontaneouslymeditate.Idon'tmeditateonanything,
butonnothing.

Tomeditateonathing,bethatanimage,asound,anemotionorevent,yougivethatthingandyourself
reality.Meditatingon[insertitemhere]providesanunverifiedrealityforthatitemandtheyoudoing
themeditating,whenneithermayexist.

Countertomystatementhere,whenIdomentionmeditationlater,therewillamethodtobeginningthe
process.Idon'texpectyoutospontaneouslymeditate,thoughofcourseyoumay.

Mymeditationsthough,whilespontaneousandunguided,dohavesomestructureandthatwouldbeto
alwaysdrawbacktoemptiness,lettinganythingelsejustgo.

AndbyemptinessandnothingmentionedhereImean,asbestaslanguagemaypermitmetodescribe,
nocontentofthought.

Anyway,onwards.

 InfinityandZero

Zeroandinfinityareverypowerfulterms.Theyareconceptsbornofcreativeandhighintelligence.
Whenthoughtabouttheystretchthemindandoccupyit,sofullyandoftenbeautifully,leavingyoufree
fromthoughtormindchatter.

Youcanpicture3,youcanpicture2,youcanpicture1.

Canyoupictureinfinity?

Infinityistricky,therearedifferentkindsofinfinitywhenexplainedinmathematicsbutI'mreferringto
theendlessinfinitythatwouldbethecaseifouruniversewereproventobeinfinite.It'sanendlessness,
withnocentre,nostartpoint,noboundary,noother.Thisvastnessisbeyondourmind,itisaconcept
andnotsomethingwecanpictureorcomprehendeasily.Certainlywecan'tvisualiseitasittrulyis.

Canyoupicturezero?

Theconceptofzeroisalsoverytricky,aswithinfinityitisaconceptnotareality.Zeroappleslooks
thesameaszerotrees.Wepicturezeroasabsence,buthowfardoyoutakethatabsenceandstillhave
zero?

With3wecanplace3itemsordots,aswith2itiseasytovisualiseasapples,treesordots,aswith1.
Forzerothough,eventhoughwehavetheveryusefultermzero,andthesymbol0,wecan'tfully
comprehendorvisualisezero.

Zeroisverylikeinfinity.

Infinityisnotactuallyanumber,youcan'trightlydivide,addtoorworkwithinfinityasifitwerea
numberandthatisbecauseitisaconcept.Zeroisaconcepttoo,onethatcanfitintothelanguageof
mathematicsbutcausesissuesattimes,insomecasesevenproducinginfinities.I'llstophereasthe
mathematicianswillfaultmeandthennonmathematicianswillglazeover.

Mypoint?Topicturezero,youpictureanabsence,thisabsencethoughmustbeabsolute,itmust
continuetoinfinity.BecauseIfIweretolimitmyvisualisationofzerothenIwoulddrawaboundary,
I'ddelimitzeroandI'dform2.Myzerowithlimitsbecomes1andallthatisbeyondthelimitbecomes
2.

Theconceptofzeroisverymuchliketheconceptofinfinity.Nottomathematicians,nottothose
dreamingofgreatwealth,buttothemindofsomeoneattemptingtovisualiseeitheroftheseconcepts.

Mathematicsaside,thesearepowerfulmeditationpiecesastheyarenotthingsbutemptypotentials.
Theuniversemaywellbeanexpressionofanalivenessexpressedbetweenzeroandinfinity.Andthat

isnotascientificclaim!Ha,farfromit.Itisatoyforthemeditativemind.

 InfiniteUniverse

Afiniteuniverse,asmentionedwithzeroaboveproduces2.Thefiniteuniversebecomes1andthat
whichitsitswithinbecomes2.Unfortunatelyscience,whichistheonlytruewaytosolveanyproblem,
cannotyetanswerwithabsolutecertaintyiftheuniverseisinfiniteornotsoweareleftwithour
fallibleminds.

Themindmaywellbethecauseoftheproblemhere,maybeitissimplynotsuitedtothisproblemor
perhapstheapparentproblemisarelicofhowthemindworks.Perhapszeroandinfinityonlyexistin
themindaswordsforlimitsthemindcan'tseebeyond.Theissueisthatwhensomethingends,so
somethingmust,inourmindseye,beginorcontainthatwhichended.

ThisiswhyIfeelthatmanypeopleliketheideaofaninfiniteuniverseandnotafiniteone.Popular
sciencenowleanstoward,notjustaninfiniteuniverse,butaninfinitenumberofinfiniteuniverses.
Whiletherearestillmanywhowouldargueforafiniteuniverse,theproblemremains,bethatthe
problemoftheuniverseasfactoraproblembroughtaboutbytheworkingsofourmind:afinitething
hasaboundaryandsoitnaturallyfeelslikeanincompletesolutionasthequestionalwaysremains,
'thenwhat?'

Theanswertothislieswiththemeasurementsofscienceandthelanguageofmathematics.
Unfortunatelyformanyofusthoughwhilemathematicsisabeautifullanguageitisnotalanguagethat
manyofusspeak.Idreamofunderstandingthelanguageofnature,butIfeellikeafishwatchinga
peacockdisplayitsplumage.

UnabletounderstandthebeautypaintedinthatlanguagethoughI'vewitnessedarealityfarmore
beautifulandflamboyantthananythingthenaturalworldofferstousonanynormalday.

 Seeingreality

Asnoted,scientificinquiryisthesurestpathtorecreatable,testableresults.Buttherearenonscientific
pathsthatbringtolightextraordinaryideasaboutreality.Science,butmoresonature,hasprovidedus
withtoolsthatappeartoextendvisionorthoughtmuchmorefantasticallythatamicroscopeor
telescopeI'mreferringtopsychoactivesubstances.ThefirsttinytinyamountItookasateenager
causedmetoaskaboutstatesofmatterbeyondsolid,liquidandgasIlearnedofplasma.Ialsoclearly
sawhowtherealityweallagreeuponisonlyonewaytovisualizethedataandthereisabeautyto
realitythatnolanguagewilleversubstitutetheexperienceof.

Sucheventshavebeenreferencedaslifechangingbyauthors,musicians,scientists,businesspeople,
andhostsofothers.

Whethertheybemodernhumansorancienttribes,thosewhousepsychoactiveplantstoallowthemto
viewrealmsnoteasilyaccessibletothedaytodaythinkerwillhaveamillionandonethingstooccupy
theirmindsformonthsoryearsafterwards.Somewillwritegreatsongsorbooks,somewillhave
thoughtsaboutlife,somemayseevisions,buttheywillbeatthepeakoftheirinvestigationswhenthey
meditateemptiness,zero,nothingnessorinfinity.

Manyofthesepeople,betheyingestingheroicdosesofdimethyltryptamineorpsilocybin,microdoses
ofeither,oradailyingesteroftetrahydrocannabinoloranoccasionaluserwillmorethanlikelybe
broughttomeditationordeepthought.Thislistisfarfromexhaustiveandusersofotherplants,or
chemicalsproducedbysciencesuchaslysergicaciddiethylamideand
3,4methylenedioxymethamphetamine,ormanyothersubstancefreeentrancessuchasyoga,breathing
techniques,physicalexercise,neardeathexperiencesandmoreAllofthesepeoplefindcommon
groundinmeditation.

 Interconnectedness

Acommonrealisationbyeitherameditatororpsychonaughtwouldbetheinterconnectednessofall
things.Theycommonlywillreferenceanendlesstapestry,infiniteinscope.Itissomethingsaidtobe
appearingtothemindtobemadeofinteractingpartsthatarisefromanunbrokenenergy.

Theapparentpartsarethereforusalltoseefromearlychildhoodtodeathandtheinterconnectednessis
thereforthosewhoinvestigateeitherthroughinquisitionorreassuringlybyreproduciblescientific
investigation.Thoughscienceistheactualproofitisamazingtothoseexploringtheirmindsinother
waysthatwhattheyseeandcanrarelyverbalise,doesalsoappearinascientificwriting.

Wearethoughopenmindedinvestigators!Onedoesnotreturnfrommeditationora6hour
hallucinationwithsolidfacts,farfromit.Thatisandwillalwaysbetheroleofscienceandifscience
describesthewhysandwhereforesinawaythatentirelydiscountswhatisseenbymeditatorsthenthe
meditatorswillacceptthat,inmostcases.Itwon'tstopusthough,asourpurposeisnotthesame,andI
speakhereofamerelypossiblecorrelation.

Whatistrueformeditatorsandalsoforthosewhodelvedeeplyintohallucinationisthatthereisa
worldthatcannotbedescribedbutmaybereproduciblyvisited,whichisnotsciencebutisperhaps
somethingsciencewillwarmtowardintime.Twopeoplemayentertheworldofsay,
dimethyltryptamineandcomeacrosssimilarvisionsorthoughts.Thereareancientculturesthatverify,
thoughnotasyetscientifically,thatthisisthecase.

AmodernpersonenteringsuchrealmsmaywellknowrightawaythatcavepaintingsandEgyptian
hieroglyphsofhalfmanhalfanimalsareclearlyandobviouslybeingstheysawalsointheir
moderndayvisionswe'llleaveittofuturescientiststotellusthereasonwhy.Itisthecasethough
thatpeopleunrelatedbycultureinthisworldandcertainlyunrelatedinculturetodistantancestorsfrom
thousandsofyearspasthavesimilarandreproduciblevisionsandexperiences.

[Thereisevenawonderfulideathat,asdimethyltryptamineisproducedinourbrainaswellasin
plants,andpsilocybinissosimilarandalsooccursinanaturaledibleform,thatthemeteoricrisein
intelligencefromapetomanwasduetodietaswewereforcedfromthetreestodiscovernewsources
offood.Research:the"stonedapetheory"bewarethough,you'llfindnoevidencetosupportit.(Yet?)]

Thosewhomeditatemaydothisformanyreasonsandtheymaymeditateonmanythings.Whilemany
meditatorswillnothaveintentordirectiontostudythisitisthecasethatmostmeditativetraditions
willofferahighestformofmeditation,themeditationonemptinessornothing.

 Sowhat?

Thismethodissketchyfornowbutapparentlyaverypowerfultoolinexploringourmindsandso
realityasweseeit.We'reintheworldoftheunknown.Notevenknowntothosewhohaveexperienced
andasyetundocumentedbyscience.Therehavebeenstudies,therearesomegoingonnowandthere
willcertainlybemanyinthefuture,butfornow,wehavetosayweareinapoorlydocumentedrealm,
usinglanguagethatisunsuited,andwe'respeculating,asfunasthatmaybe.

Thisisthoughfascinatingbeyondmeasure.Alienplanets,thedepthsofourownoceans,thevisionsof
ancienthumansarewhatmakealotofpeopletick.Whencomparedtothedaytodaylifeofworkand
TVweareatoppositeendsofthespectrumofwhathumanschoosetothinkabout.Nooneiswrong
though.Apersoncominginfromworktowatchanaturedocumentaryisnotsuperiororinferiortoa
personwholaysbackonthebeachstaringatthestarswithLSDcoursingthroughtheirveinsbutone
ofthesepeopleisfarmorelikelytodeconstructtheworldandconstructacosmologyof
interconnectivityandinfinity.

Indoingsothensomethingcomestomindthatiscertainlynotgoingtoenterthethoughtsoftheother
thatinfinitycan'tbeaddedto.Youenterauniversemorerationalthanthatoftheaverageperson,one
thatdoesnotcontainpeople.

 Auniversethatdoesnotcontainpeople

Thatwasquiteastep,solet'sgobackalittle.Auniversethatdoesnotcontainpeople?

It'smorelikeauniversethatispeople.OrPeoplethatareauniverse.(Yetisneither).Wecertainly
appeartobeselvesandyouinteractwithpeopleallthetime.Fromanyperspectivetheideaofno
peopleseemscrazy.Yetthisisthesimpleviewfrominfinity.

Infinityisendless,weknowthis.Itishardtovisualise,butinfinityiswithoutend.Whenwedrawa
linewemakefortwo.Wemake1,thatwhichisuptotheline,andwemake2,thatbeyond.Infinityis
notthis.

Whenwewerebetween2and4yearsoldorthereaboutwelearnedtheideaofother.Certainlybythe
timeweareattachingschoolgradestoourselves,friends,enemies,partnerships,bankbalances,then
theideaofaseparateselfisapproachingconcrete.Aswithlearningwhatvisualsensationtoassociate
withthesound'red'youlearnedyourname.Youlearnedtheideaofseparation,ofotherandsoself.
Whatwereyoubeforethebirthofselforevenbeforethebirthofbody?

TheDNAmaps,halfineachparent,themodelofyoureyes,theatomsthatcametobeyouwere
alreadyhere,inanotherformyoudidexistbeforebirthandyouwillexistaftertoo,youarenota
separateselftoinfinity,onlytolanguage.You'reinfinitychanging,andbrieflyexperiencingmistaken
identity.

 Change

We'restilltakingbigstridessoletsbreakthisdownalittlemoretoo.Lookattheworld,atanything
youlike,willitstaythatwayforever?Doyouknowofanythingthatisunchanging?Ifyoudo,then
pleasedocumentitquicklyasnosuchthingisknowntoexist.Weallknowthatchangeistheonly
constant,wetalkaboutthischangeallthetimewithweather,mood,age,occurrences,butrarely
acknowledgeitasallthereis.Changeisallweknow,wemayclingtoformsbutthereisnothingfree
fromchangeandnothingthenisseparatetoanythingelse.

Thisideaofselfwehavedoesnothingbutchange.Throughsleepandwakethereisahugechange,and
whileawakewemovefrombeingunawareandawareoftheselfandothers,itissomethingthatisin
constantflux.

Ifyou'vedelvedintoscienceandcomeacrossthewordquantum(thefoundersofwhichsaidanyone
claimingtounderstandthis,doesnot)thenyou'llhaveseenthatthischangegoesdeeperthanwecan
comprehend.I'llnotfoolmyself,letaloneyou,byclaimingtounderstandthequantumrealmandI'lldo
mybesttoavoidreferringtoitbutwecanlikelyagreethatthispartofscientificendeavouristwo
thingsitistheadmissionofalimitofourmindsanditisproofthatnothingisthesamebetweentwo
momentsintimewhenviewedonthisscale,whererealityisnothingbutwaves.

Itisverypossiblymadnesstosaythatsomeonemeditatingorsomeoneinthemidstofadaylong
hallucinationisseeingwhatscienceisyettofullyunderstand,buttheedgesofrealityvisitedby
meditatorsandsoonoftendoesappeartobejustthat.IcouldspeculateforseveralpagesbutI'llleave
thatforyouandItodoinourowntimeandI'llattempttoleaveitopenhereinthesepages.Wemaybe
seeingsimilarworlds,ornot.

 Noself

Haveyouevermeditated?AsIsithereIdonotknowwhoIamaddressing,sohellothere!Hi.Please
excusemeaddressingyouasIdo,asastranger.

(Asmallasidehere.I'mlaughingtomyselfasItalkofnoselfusingalanguage,English,thatcanonly
beusedintheformactor,noun,doesaction,verb.Yetthisshowshowingrainedandbasicthisideais
tousthatweformedlanguagethisway.)

Someofyouhavemeditatedonce,somedaily,someofyouhaveenteredtherealmsofhallucination,
everyonehasatsomepointstoodinaweofnature,bethatlookingoveralake,mountainorocean,
staringintotheeyesofsomeoneyoulove,perhapsababy.Thebeautifulwordlessclaritywherethe
crownoftheheadfillswithblississomethingyou'vetouchedafewtimesorperhapsmany.Thatrealm
iswhatdrawspeoplebacktomeditationagainandagainandinthatrealmthereisnoself.

Ifyou'veonlytouchedthatonceortwiceandnotpaiditmuchattentionthenthisclaimmayappear
quitefarfetched,forothersthoughthiswillbeaswellestablishedasrainfeelingwet.

ThatwordlessmomentfreefromconceptiscommonlyreferredtoasOneness,withacapitalOasitis
givenquiteabitofreverencebythosewho'vecometoknowit.I'dlikethoughtonotusethisnameas
oneness,nomatterhowgranditsoundsleadstoanideaoftwonessandisnotthenthebestexplanation
ofwhatisbeingfelt.

Icouldspendalittletimesayinghowtheideaofonenessiscommonlysubtitledas'Onewithnoother'
butI'drathergowiththepreviouslymentionedinfinityorzero,thosehardtograspconceptsthatrefuse
limit.Infinityinparticularisusefulhereasinfinityhasnoroomforinfinity+1.Infactthatisjust
infinityalsoandinmostcasesseenasnottruemathematicsasinfinityisaconceptandnotanumber
thatmayhaveadigitattachedoraddedtoit.

Sohereyouare,lookingoverthelakeofstillwaterwithablissfilledhead,freeofconceptsyou're
theuniverse,undivided.You'retheinfinitetruththatcomesbeforewords,theunbroken.

Inasnapthoughyou'rebacktobeingapersonintheworld,wonderingwhattoeatnext.Foramoment
youunderstoodwhereI'vebeentryingtopointtoward.

 Let'seat

Itiscutetosaythatwewereoncesoamazing,livingfromthelandandthathumanshavetornthe
worldapartwithwarandindustry,thatthoughisthechangetakingplaceandourmindstrickingusthat
weareseparatetotheuniverseandsomehowhavetheabilitytoalterthepresentmoment.

Itisalovelythoughtthatweshoulduseourabilitytofeedtheworldagreatdiet,tolovenatureandput
anendtowar.Iwon'tdenythatUtopiaisdesirablebutUtopiameansinaway'theimpossibleplace'
andyou'llnotstopaparasiticwasplarvaeeatingitshostfromtheinsideoutuntildeathand
unfortunatelyyou'llnotstophumanskillingeither,notforawhileyetatleast.

Whatwecandothough,ifwecandoanythingatallwhichI'llspeakoflater,istakeonthevery
qualitieswewouldliketoseeinothers.Youwanttoseeaworldofpeaceandlove,friendship,health,
longlifeandsoondoit,liveit.Onemorepersonisnowexcellent,great!Whatwecan'tdothoughis
forceotherstoadoptandwearenotusingtimewellsittingandwishingfortheworldtobeanyother
waythanitappearstobejustnow.

Ratherchangethewayyouseetheworldthanexpectittochangeforyou.

Weareincrediblyprivilegedtolivenowinaworldwhereweareknowledgeableindietandexercise.
WecaneataseedfromAfrica,agrainfromSouthAmerica,favouredwithaherbfromSouthAsiain
thesamedishwithoutgettingdirtonourfingersorevenmovingfar.Wecanreaduponhowthese
ingredientsserveusandthenwecanbreatheinacontrolledmanner,calmourmind,stretch,exercise,
connectwithrelativesandfriendsatthespeedoflightinplacesfarandwideandwecansleepsoundly
awayfromtheweatherbeitscorchinghotoricycold.We'reprivileged.Manyfolkaren't,butI'llbet
youare.Comparedtothepoorintheworldnoworthemajorityoffolkfromyearsgoneby,even
royaltyofold,you'reprivilegedindeed.

 Exercise

You'refreeinfacttoruinyourbody.Thereareenoughconveniencesinlifenowandenoughofthe
worlddeliveredrighttoyoureyethatavitallyimportantpartofhavingabodyisbeingneglected.

Ourbodiesevolvedtosurvive,togathersuppliestokeepsurvivingandthattookenergy.Oneofthe
manywaysevolutionworksistopunishandrewardandifyouaskfitpeoplewhytheystayfityou'll
hearmanyjustifications.Atthecorethoughwhattheyaredoingisenjoyingthepleasureresponse
naturerewardsthemforexertion.

LookevenatspiritualculturesfromIndianYogistoChineseTaoists,lookatancienttribeswhomust
gatherandhuntfood,andlookatmodernpeoplewhoexercise.Nooneissittingaroundallday.
Evolutionrewardedthetribespeopleapositivefeelingfromexertion.Modernpeoplewhoexercise
knowthiswell.Andthemostdedicatedtothescienceofhappinessbarnonehaveexerciseintegrated
intotheirwayoflife.

Exercise,evenashortwalk,isanatural,inbuilt,happinessreleasevalve.

 ChoicesChoices

Whatwasthelastthingyouchosetodo?Perhapssitdownandreadalittle?Perhapsgetuptomakea
drink?Perhapstakealittlebreak?Perhapstoeatacertainthingandnotanother?

ViewedfrominfinityYoucan'thavechosen,asthereisnoseparateyou.

ViewedfromcertainneuroscientificresearchYoucan'thavechosen,asthereisnoactor.

Youmaywellhavereadaboutthisresearchinscience.Onetestisquiteoldandpossiblyopentoerror
inthewaytheresultswerecollectedbutthemoremodernresearchnotonlyagreesbutpushesthe
conclusionsfurtherstill.Thedecisionsyouthinkyoumakecomeaboutbeforeyou'reawareofmaking
thatchoice.

Likelyyouhavecomeacrossthisresearchinsomeformbethatapassingnewsstoryoryoumayhave
delvedintothepaperswrittenbythescientiststhemselves.Verylikelyyouwereirkedbytheresults,
whichisamusinglyunavoidable,andyou'veeitherthoughtitthroughtothepointwhereithurtsand
youcontinueonthesameoryou'vecasttheresultsasideastheyseemveryunliketherealityyou
knowtobereal.Well,ifyoumadethedecisioninunder10seconds,youdidn'tmakeit,andifyou
tooklonger,youdidn'tmakeiteither.Atleastuntilthisresearchisdisprovedornot,thecurrent
understandingisthatthedecisionismadeinthebrainthattheconsciousyousimplyjustifiesit
afterward,around10secondslater.Also,lighttakestimetotravelandyourbraintakestimetoprocess,
soyou'reonlyeverseeingthepast,you'reneverwitnessingthepresent.Don'tquotemeonthis,I'm
rusty.Researchplease.

Yetthisisaninterestingidea.SayIenteradebatewithsomeonewhoinsistsonfreewillandIaskthem
toattemptforaminutetoargueagainstfreewill.They'llfailtoputforwardastrongcaseastheydon't
havesufficientknowledgetoformulatethatparticularviewconvincingly.Soistheirargumentagainst
freewilltrulyanargumentagainstfreewill,orcoulditbethattheirbrainisprimedtoargueforfree
willbytheinformationavailabletoit?

Itisperhapseasilyseenwhenababyslipsfromyourhandsoracarswervestowardyou,youmake
suchdecisionstocatchthebabyoravoidthecrashthatyourconsciousself,thatwaslikelychatting
awayorhummingatune,hardlyevenknewwhathadhappenedinsuchcasesyouwillperhapsagree
thattheunconsciousorinstinctactedbefore you
knewit,thusprovingtheresearchtruewhileyoustill
denyitatheart.

Inlongerdecisionswheresayafriendasksyoutodosomethingyou'renotinstantlykeentodo,sayyou
haveafewdaystodecidewhethertoaccompanythemtotheiragedrelativeshousefordinner,thenyou
morelikelyfeelthatthedecisionwasyoursandyoursalone,butitwasn't.Theconsciousselfsimply
hadmoretimetobolsterthejustificationandifyouforexamplesleptonthedecision,thenyou'veno
claimtotheresultonewayortheother.Thebrainworkedoutthedetailsandyoujustifiedthedecision
itcametoasbeingtherightoneforyou.

Itwasyourbrainperhaps,butthevoiceinyourheadyouoftenmistaketobeyou,didnotmakethe
decision,itwrotethereport.

 Ghostsinthemachine

Thevoiceyouhearasyoureadorthevoicethatsaysenough,Ineedtostretchmylegsandmakea
drinkisnotyou.Ifitwereyouthenyou'dbethislittleentitysittingbehindtheeyesanddrivingthis
bodyaroundasifitwereavehicle.Manyphilosophicalpapersandbookshavebeenwrittenonthisand
theendresultisalwaystheinfiniteregressionof,'well,whoisdrivingthat,andthatandthat.....'.orit
takesyouoffonanyothersplitpathofsay,mindandbodydualism.

Thequestionofwhoyouareorwhereyouareisactuallyverytricky.Philosophywillgoonfromone
personmakinggreatclaimsonlytobedestroyedyearslaterbyanotherpersonwhomakesanickinthe
theoryandtearsitdown.SciencehasnotfoundanIoraself.

Scientistshavemovedfromtheverymechanicalideaofnotingtheselfisnotthearm,leg,orsoonto
evendiscountingeachandeverypartofthebrain.Amorelikelybutasyetunprovenresultoftheir
workisthattheselfisaqualityemergingfromdifferentpartsofthebrainreferencingoneanother.Like
feedbackwhereonepartofthebrainlookstoanotherforaresultandthentoanother,andbackand
whatoriginallyreferencednowbecomesapointofreference.Thereisnomainactor,nocentre,butthe
ideaofselfemergesasafinalresultismadeandthenthisresultisjustifiedbywhatappearsbythento
beavoiceinyourhead.Decisionsstartoffsilentlyandeventuallyappearvocalised,butasyouareonly
awareofthestringofvocalisedresultsyoubelievethatstreamtobetheonedrivingtheshow,notin
factasitis,commentatingjustaftertheevent.

 Whyevenbeselfaware?

Whycan'ttheuniversejustmakehumansthatdon'thaveaninnervoiceandsocan'tsuffer?Evolution
triesmanythingsoutandwhatworkssticksaround.Whenabirdthatchirpedencouragedanotherbird
toalocationwithfoodthentheideaofchirpingwonovertheideaofbeingmute.Whenabirdthat
chirpedallthetimefelltopredatorsthatcouldeasilylocateitthenchirpinglessfrequentlywas
favoured.

That'safabricatedexamplebutthefactthatwehaveacomplexlanguageandaninnercommentatoris
evolutionarilyvaluableasitletsusshareideas."Hey,shedidthisandthishappened"isveryvaluable
asissavesyoulearningthelessontheylearnedfirsthand.Thecoursewetakemaybeoutofourcontrol
buttheonboardcommentatorisusefultooursurvivalandsowewatchlifeunfold.

 Notfatalist

Asthereisnodoer.

Fromtheperspectiveofameditatorwhoisseeinganinfinitythenthereisneithersomeonetomakea
choicenoristheresomeonetobesweptalongwiththestream.Thereissimplyavast,unbrokenwhole,
shifting:appearingattimestobeapersonandauniverse.

Itseemsegotisticaltoimaginelittleyouhaspowertosteertheuniverseanditalsoappearsinvalidto
saythereisapersonbeingdriventoeveryactbyauniverse.Invalidasapersonisachanging
appearanceoftheuniverseandnota+1boltedontoinfinity.

You'rebornof,notinto,theuniverse.

 Process

Lookoutsideandnotetheweather.Unlessyouliveinaparticularlyamazingplacethentheweatheris
somethingthatchangesfairlyoften.Notethesky.Theskychangesdailythroughbluetoblack.Clouds
passandthey'reneverofthesameform.Sometimesthecloudsoffershadefromthesun,sometimes
theyofferrain.Youcouldn'tpossiblynoteadropletofrainyou'dseenbefore,noraspeckofdust.
Aboveuswefloatinspace,wegoaroundthesun,andshegoesaroundthecentreoftheMilkyWay,
whichfollowsanotherpathandinallofthisweareneverinthesameplace.Ayearfromnowwhen
we'velappedthesun,theearthwillhavespunroughly365timesalsoandwe'llhavemadeourway
throughthegalaxy.We'llbenowherenearwherewewereayearagoinspace.Intherestofthelifeof
theuniverse,we'llneverberighthereagain.

Thewonderfuloldstoryofofhowwemayneversetfootinthesamerivertwiceastheriverwill
changeandsowillwe.Allischanging.Asyoubreatheandyourheartpumpsbloodandthegoodness
fromyourfoodsweepsthroughyourbody,we'reneverthesamefromonemomenttothenext.Our
brainsreconfigurebutweholdontoasenseofself.

Interestinglythebrainhasbeenreferredtoinsometheoryasahologram,theideabeingthatyoudon't
addalittleinformationtothelibrarybutthewholehologramreconfigurestomapwhatoncewasalong
withwhatithasnowseen.Alongwiththechanginguniversethebrainisalsobecomingsomethingnew
witheachinstant.You'llhavenotedalsoinwellknownsciencethatourcellsregenerateandthe
apparentconstituentpartsofelectronsandquarksaretrulywavesofnosoliditywhatsoever.Wemay
wellappearasabodywithanongoingself,butnothinghasyetproventhatweare.Veryoftenindeed
sciencehasdisprovedtheseideasofaseparateselfandnotupheldthem.

Youdon'tfindthetruth,youdiscountthefalse.

 Eternallife

IfeelthattheHinducosmologybestcapturesthisidea:Whatwouldaperfect,infinitebeingdo?

Thebeingthathadalifethatwasaslongastheywishedandfullofasmuchwealthandpleasureas
theywished,wouldrightlybecomebored.Theywouldconcoctafuturerealityinwhichtheywereborn
hiddenfromtheirperfection,sothattheycouldexperiencechallenge.

AnextensionofthereincarnationideathatIdeveloped,andlikelyothersdidtoo,isthatthemore
awakenedyouwereinonelifethenthemoredifficultalifeyou'dchooseforyournextincarnation.The
moreenlightenedabeingthenthemoredifficultandblindedthey'dchoosetobeintheirnextexistence,
andthelessenlightenedtheywerethemorelikelythey'dchooseawonderfullifeorprivileged
existence,suchasthelifeofarichbusinessmanorqueen.

Apersonlivinganaveragelifewouldwishtoberebornakingandapersonwisetoreality(ofthem
beinginfinite)wouldgoforarealchallenge,likebeingapoorslumdweller.

Also,howgreatisadaywhenitisoneofabillion?Wecan'tansweryet,butperhapslessspecialthan
onedayin30,000.

Perhapsfoodforthoughtforthosewealthytranshumanistswishingtoliveindefinitely.

Butfornow,thisiswind.

 Yourpoint?

Rightlyyoumaywonderwherethisgetsusto.Youfeellikeapersonintheworldandyourwhole
evolvedconstitutionisbuiltonthe'selfintheworld'model.

Youmayevenfeelthatseeingtheworldfromthealteredperspectiveofinfinitymayleadtoacollapse
ofsomekindorleaveyoudesolate,exposedordisconnected.

Furtheryou'reinnoplacetosuddenlychangeyourmindasallyougettodoisjustifythedecisions
yourbrainpremakessoyouwillcontinueonthesameanyway.

Ifeelthoughthatthetrapislaidandwhenthemomentcomeswhereyou'rewalkingpeacefully,or
sitting,perhapscooking,onthelooeven,maybebusyworking,paintingordoingwhateveryou
normallydo,andthemomentcomes,thisscentedoilwe'vescatteredherejustnow,willignite.

 Myheadhurts

We'renotdesignedtothinkthesethoughts,ofcoursewe'renotdesignedatallbutwe'venotdeveloped
tounderstandthis,we'vedevelopedtosurviveandtoassociatewiththecommentatingvoiceinour
heads.

Earlieronbeforewetookonthepainfulinquiryofwhoisdrivingthebuswewereinequallytough
territorybutperhapsrevisitingthatmaynowbetakenasalittlelightrelief.Isaid,anditisabsolutely
uptoyoutodoyourownresearch,thattherewasinfactnoselfatall,thereischange,thereis
infinity.

 Thathappycontentedsmile

Thepersonbacktowardthebeginningofthisbook,theonewhosaidtheywerecontentandgaveyou
thewarmsmile.Weretheylookingforhappiness?

Theywerenot.Apersonwithentirelyquenchedthirstdoesnotdrink.Onlyunhappypeopleseek
happiness.Thecontentpersonwasjustthat,notseeking,justbeing.

 Bliss

Let'sinvestigatethosewonderfulmomentsofbliss.Youmayhavefeltoneonlyjustrecently,itmaybe
nearongoingforyouineveryinstant,itmayhavebeenawhilesinceyoulastfeltanythinglikebliss.
MyapologiesfornotknowingexactlywhoI'maddressinghere.

Butrecaptureit.

Duringaslightlyextendedandsloweddowninbreath,followtheairin,drawyourattentionupinside
yourheadtothecrownandnoticethepleasure.Yourfocuswasbrieflyundividedandunvoiced.

IfyouaresomeonewhofeelsthisinsomeongoingmannerthenI'msurprisedyouarestillreadingand
perhapsyouarehereoutofcuriosity.FormostreadersI'dguessthissensationisshortlived.

ThepointofallthatIhavewrittensofaristodrawyoufromtheconceptualworldthatiscommentated
onbythevoiceinyourheadandtomovethenasthebookprogressesintoastateofongoingbliss.
We'velookedathowtherealityweknowisweirdandchangingandthatevenseeminglyconcrete
thingslikebeingaselfareinfactlearnedtraits,notsolidfact.

ThoughIdon'texpectyoutosimplytakeontheseideas,I'dliketothinkthereisfoodforthoughtand
momentumnowtowardinvestigation.Sittingpeacefully,takingslowcalmbreathsandholdingyour
focusinthecrown,orheart,oranyplaceyoufeelcomfortableisanancienttechnique.Whatelsedid
ourlonggoneancestorsdothatwestilldonow?Notmuchasidefromexerciseandthebasicsofeating
andsleeping.Whyisitthatoneofthefewthingsthathassurvivedtimeismeditation?

It'sagatewaytoasharedexperience.Itisourwayofreunitingwithinfinityanddroppingtheillusion
ofselfandother.Itisthepresentcontentednessthatwethoughtwouldarisefromourmillionprevious
actionstowardhappinessinlifeuntilnow.

Ifdrawntodosonow,getcomfy,breatheandallowinfinitytobe.

 Reality

Nowinreality,lovedoneswilldie,hungerwillcome,you'llsuffer.You'llalsoexperiencepleasureand
indifferencewillhaveitsplacetoo.Somedayswillbeawful.Momentsof"great!"willrunalongside
crapandaverage.

IhardlyfeelIneedtosaythatgoodandbad,pleasureandpainandsoonexistbyoneanotherandcan
notbehadexclusivelyinanongoingmanner.

ThetapestryoflifeinmanycasesisquitewonderfulandinnowaydoIrecommendattemptingto
detachfromtheworldunlessyouareaveryuniqueindividualthiswilllikelycausemoreproblems
thanyoucouldbegintoimagineandmisguideddetachmentisaterriblystrongamplificationofself
andother.Byallmeansenjoylifebutrecogniseequallythatbadwilloccurtoo.

TheuniqueelementI'mpointingtowhichistoaccompanyyouthroughlife'sinevitablehighsandlows
isthismomentwhereyouarefreeofconcept,freeofself,simplybeing.ThatiswhyIspenttime
pointingtointerestingtopicsthatexposeourstandardwayofseeingourselvesintheworldas
unverifiedillusion,takenasundeniablefact.

Youmaygoaboutyourdayremaininginmeditationandjustallowinglifetotakeplace.Thatis
becauseoftheabsolutelackofevidenceforaself,you'llstilleatwhenhungry,sleepwhentired,and
swervetoavoiddanger.Youmaywritethatsong,paintthatwall,clearthosecobwebs.Youwon'tas
manyinstantlyassert,donothing.

Givenallofthatfoodforthought,thattheselfisunreal,thatthedecisionmakerisunknownwithno
placetoexist,thatwedon'tact,wecommentate,thatwe'reinfinity,wiggling,thatnothinghas
permanence,allisflowing,changing.Givenallofthatandthentakingtimetoexposeourbrainstonear
nothingness,we'vetastedtheblissthatwe'dtastedbeforeinlifewherethebeautyofthemoment
allowedtheselftoclearlyshowthatitsabsencewasofnoconcern.Allthatalongwiththislinktothe
past,thatwillalmostcertainlybeapartofhumanityforyearstocome,meditationwhichisanopen
doortobliss......

Again,slowthebreathanddrawyourattentiontothecrownofthehead.

Itisveryeasytorecaptureandifyouwanttohaveitlastalittlelongerthentrythis.

Drawaslightlylongeranddeeperbreath,andtakemoretimewithyouroutbreath.

Andrepeat,deeperandalittleslowereachtime.

You'llfindaplaceofgreatpeace.Butitwon'tlastforever.Itissimplyatrick.Itisworthdoingwhen
you'venothingelseworthdoing.It'sworthdoingwhenintrusivethoughtsattempttotakeyouover.Itis
worthdoingwhenyouwishtomakeawisedecision.Itisworthdoingwhenyouwanttodrawtothe
rootassomethingunpleasantistryingtofillyourmind.Butitisnotgoingtobeafixall.

Justknowitisthereandaccessible.Astheshowgoeson,astheimagesonthetapestryarewoven,this
silkthreadiseverpresentandfreefromduality.

 PracticalProgression

Ifyoufeelthatthesubjectmattersofarhasfailedtoprovideanypracticalorusefuladvicethen,cough,
itmaygetworse.

IdontwanttoprovideadviceasImnotaskingyoutobeme,buttobeyou.

Idontwanttoofferpracticeaspracticeisnottheresultbuttheadmissionthatthegoalisnotyet
found.Practicingtoreachreleaseisfulladmissionthatreleaseisnotthecase,andsoworkhereis
paintinganddecoratingthefoundationratherthanstandinghightoenjoytheview.

Themethod,bethereone,andIfeelobligedtooffersomethingnow,istolookinwardfortheever
presentresult.Anddothatmoreandmoreoftenuntiltheouterdistractionsandtheexternalthingsyou
aredrawntowardareseentobepassingandknown,moreandmore,tobefruitless.

IfyouareinterestedinamethodthenImustadvisethatitisnottobeheldontobuttakenasashort
steptotheroof.Recognisethateverythingtodateinyourlifethathasnearlyproducedlasting
happinesshasfadedawayandinrecognisingthat,seehowanyfuturethingwilltoodothesame.

Noticehowthisinner,everpresentblissistheonethingthatcanalwaysbedependedupon.When
seekinghappiness,drawinwardbutdontcloseofftheworld!

Thisiswhyadviceandmethodsaretricky,butIhopeyouseewhatisbeingsaid.

 Method

Now,goingagainstmyownwords,Illofferamethod.Pleasetakethisasyouwouldcandyfroma
stranger.Testit,bewaryofit,eventhrowitaway.Intheendyoullneedyourownmethodandyou
mustalsothrowthataway.Whatweareaimingforisthegoalonlyandtorecognisethatmethodsand
thingswillfadeandtheyare,assaid,admissionthatthegoalisasyetunreached.

Externalsourcesofpleasureandhappinessfade.

Theinnerblissisalwaysthecase.

Drawin.Enjoytheout.

Drawin,enjoytheout.

Badcomes,drawin.

Goodcomes,drawin.

Enjoytheout.

 Bytheriver

Riversandweathercanbeexplainedinwordsandsocanideas.

Themorewordsusedthoughthelessthedescriptionresemblesthetruthofjustsitting,bytheriver,in
themoonlight.

 Conclusions

Aspaintedearlierthereissomemagicbehindtheshow.Thebumpsalongtheway,thechallenging
questionsofwhoweareandwhatinfinityisandwhatwemustdoinlifearenottobedwelledupontoo
deeplybuttheydoexposetherealityweknowtobeinfirm.

Theaimistoexposethemagicwe'vealltasted,whetherbrieforoften,andshowitastobenothardto
reach,buteverpresent.Tokeepconceptualizingandconcerntoaminimumasweknowinfinity,why
fearimpermanence?Weknowchange,whyholdontoappearances?Weknowblissiseveravailable,
whyattachtopassingemotion?

Youcouldbebytheriverinthemoonlightoryoucouldbeinacarinatrafficjam,thesamemagicis
present.Itmayspontaneouslymakeitselfapparentbytheriverandseemquitehardtoaccesswhen
stuckintrafficbutitistherejustthesame.

Whenamosquitospoilssittingbytheriver,itmayseemtobelost.Whentheegoicminddropstheidea
itcanalterthepositionofcars,thenthemagicmaybeseentoemergebutitiseverpresentinall
situations,maskedonlybyhabitandanimalinstinctsofprotectionanddesire.

Whenapersonseemstoreallyhaveitoranotherpersonseemstobeacompletewretchwiththeonly
lifeaimofruiningyourdayitisthereinbothcases.

Whenababyisbornwithasmileandgreatvitalityandwhenalovedonedrawstheirlastbreathit's
toughtosee,butitisthereinbothcases.

Whenyouareinloveandwhenyouareheartbroken,it'sthere.

Whenyouarehappyandthenyouareruined,it'sthere.

Insicknessandinhealth,

inloveandinwar,

behinditall.

Itisthemerethoughtthatlifeshouldbeanythingotherthanitisthatbringsunhappiness.
Itiswhenwhatis,andwhatyouwishtobe,aredifferentthatyousuffer.




 Afterward

Whenenoughdewhascollected,itdrips.

Whenthoughtsaredispersed,awakening.