Spaceship Earth Universal Awareness

Spaceship Earth

Individual Vision and Goals | Communal Vision and Goals

Existential Awareness

Individual vision arises from within -- spontaneously and naturally. The ultimate goal is awareness, universal and eternal. Another goal is to be in the world, but not of the world, i.e., don't escape, but participate. Both of these goals occur without effort, paradoxically, often after long arduous inner work and preparation.

The first thing necessary for the responsible individual is an epiphanic moment or glimpse of eternity, which brings transcendental insight, transformative understanding, and spiritual awareness. This awareness is not mental or psychological but rather is existential and beyond mind. The ancient wisdom schools discovered and transmitted a way to create the conditions most conducive for such a happening to occur. When Pythagoras applied for admission to a highly revered wisdom school in Egypt, he was told that he had to first prepare himself before he could be admitted. To no avail, he responded that he had been initiated into the mysteries at several of the best wisdom schools and that he was renowned throughout the known world as a thinker and teacher. After three repeated attempts to gain admission and repeated rejections, Pythagoras relented and prepared himself for admission: he fasted and meditated for 40 days. When he completed these prerequisites, he reapplied to the Egyptian wisdom school. On being told that he was now accepted to the school, he replied: You are granting admission to a different man from the one who first applied to your school. Of course, that was the point. During his preparation, Pythagoras became aware of a deep change of consciousness: out of body, out of mind, out of heart.

The parents of every individual human being are responsible for his or her biological birth. Every individual is responsible for his or her spiritual birth. There is undue emphasis in civilized cultures of the Western world on physical and mental development, to the exclusion of genuine spiritual development, aka real religion in contrast to organized religion. Physical development refers to bodily sensations and perceptions. Mental development may refer to left-brain and right-brain, or to mind with ideas, thoughts and concepts, and heart with emotions, feelings and moods. Either way, outside of the Eastern world, consciousness has been ignored in mental development.

A twenty-first century version of the Egyptian wisdom school admission requirements that occasioned the rebirth of Pythagoras can be created. The following is a list of resources that experience has shown to be most reliable.

Meditation: Dynamic or cathartic--walking, running, whirling, and chaotic dancing.

Active meditation at http://www.osho.com/Main.cfm?Area=Meditation&Language=English

Meditation: Sitting Postures.

The Three Pillars of Zen, Roshi Philip Kapleau, 25th anniversary edition, New York: Doubleday Anchor, Chapter Nine: Postures: A. Zazen Postures Illustrated, B. Questions and Answers, pages 327-353.

Zazen posture illustrations at http://mcel.pacificu.edu/as/students/negoita/method.htm

and at http://www.zencenterofdenver.org/GettingStarted/zazeninstructions.html

and at http://www.sotozen-net.or.jp/kokusai/howtodozazen01.htm

and at http://www.sotozen-net.or.jp/kokusai/howtodozazen02.htm

Meditation: Zazen and vipasanna [discovered by Gautam Siddhartha, a buddha].

Sitting meditation at http://www.wildmind.org/ [Buddhist-style meditation].

Meditation: Zabuton, zafu, ergonomic crescent-shaped cushion, support cushions, and benches.

Cushions and benches at http://www.zafu.net/ [Carolina Morning Designs]

Fasting: Water fasting and fasting from chewing.

Nutritional Program for Fasting at http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.asp?ID=1996 [HealthWorld]

"Fasting in a larger context, means to abstain from that which is toxic to mind, body, and soul. A way to understand this is that fasting is the elimination of physical, emotional, and mental toxins from our organism, rather than simply cutting down on or stopping food intake. Fasting for spiritual purposes usually involves some degree of removal of oneself from worldly responsibilities. It can mean complete silence and social isolation during the fast which can be a great revival to those of us who have been putting our energy outward." -- Spiritual Nutrition and the Rainbow Diet, Gabriel Cousens, M.D.

You may go within, to the beyond, here and now. Be still and know. Seek ye first ... within. Watch!

Overview | Future | Books | Links