Then the Blessed One spoke and said: "Know, Vasettha, that from time to time a Tathágata is born into the world, a fully Enlightened one, blessed and worthy, abounding in wisdom and goodness, happy with knowledge of the worlds, unsurpassed as a guide to erring mortals, a teacher of gods and men, a Blessed Buddha. He thoroughly understands this universe, as though he saw it face to face, the world below with all its people, the worlds above, of Mara and of Brahma - and all creatures, Samanas and Brahmans, gods and men, and from that knowledge makes it known and teaches others. The Truth he proclaims in both its letter and in its spirit, lovely in its origin, lovely in its progress, lovely in its consummation. A Higher Life he makes known in all of its purity and in all of its perfect-ness." The Lord Buddha

Sakti is a beautiful and ancient Sanskrit term that literally means power, or, more specifically, the Power of God.

Like many ideas and vocabulary within the spiritual community, the word Sakti has been misunderstood and misused, at least according to its historical, most accurate, and deepest meaning. Unfortunately, most spiritual seekers would choose to remain ignorant, even if they were offered a realistic explanation of the truly Spiritual Life, and its key facts, concepts, and principles. The fundamental truth of any matter may not be well-received by the ordinary, religious, or spiritual masses, by humanity at-large, but is more likely to be considered by the few, and then accepted once proof and rationality are provided. Many people would rather embrace a comforting fantasy as fact, over a difficult and verifiable truth, which is one reason why mass human culture remains in such horrendous condition, and why the churches and spiritual groups are well-populated. Wherever you see throngs of people gathered, regardless of the reason, it is not likely that verifiable truth, love, morality based in conscience, and higher-minds, are also present. Animals are compelled by feeling, a form of desire, and comfort; not fact, reason, conscience, and principle: at this point in human evolution, that is the realm of the few. Most people would prefer to cling to comfortable fantasies about God and the Life Force, and about other matters they think are related to their survival, pleasure, and vanity, rather than be guided by experience, reason, and the heart of love and conscience. As one example among thousands: Billions of religious people on the planet, actually believe that a human-like Deity will, one day, come floating down through the clouds, to reign on the Earth. They wait for a "momentous" event that will never happen, and it is extremely sad how they waste their lives. But, feel-good fantasies, and psychosis, are not restricted to religion and spirituality, but pervade every sector of human culture.

Energy. Say the word "energy" to a group of spiritual-types, and many will immediately think of God, whatever they conceive It to be, and they may associate the vague notion that "energy is God." They would be factually-correct, but incomplete, and based on the wrong assumption. The universe, and its infinite space and countless objects, are filled with an extraordinary number of types, wavelengths, and vibrations of energy, and the human being has, within him, a subtle but powerful natural energy, which I term simply "self-energy." But, the many natural energies, whether within or without, have nothing to do with God, Brahman, the Creative Intelligence and Power, except that, like all of existence, including space itself, they too were Created by That. Not all energy is God; only God is God.

Human self-energy is not God. The ego sits at the base of the mind, and generates self-energy which does the essential work of feeding and protecting the ego. Self-energy fuels the mind, and the rest of the nervous system, and the body, and also extends outside and around the body, for a short distance, much like a cocoon. The human aura is nothing Spiritual. The mind, under egoic-control, provides specific direction to the subtle, constricting, and implosive desiring-motions and clinging-actions of self-energy, desiring and clinging to self and to all that feeds and protects self, which then usually compels the body to act accordingly. Without the mind, the ego would be generating and radiating self-energy, but the self-energy would have no organized, rational, and productive movement.

Some people are slightly aware of the existence and movements of self-energy within themselves, but such awareness is not a sign of God's Presence, Spiritual advancement, or special sensitivity or insight. Also, generally "feeling good" or "feeling bad," or just "having lots of energy," are not necessarily related to either self-energy or God. Those normal feeling-states could have purely psychological, physiological, or chemical origins, or could be related to the natural cycle of the three gunas. Feeling your own energy, or someone else's energy, is a natural possibility, and is nothing special, Spiritual, Metaphysical, or Unnatural; it is merely a sign of being alive and conscious. But, people will use most anything to feel better about themselves, to think they are more than real experience tells them, by fabricating an unrealistic mental identity, including that of being "Spiritual" or perhaps "psychic."

The false notion that self-energy is somehow Spiritual or otherwise positively related to God, has been passed-down through the centuries, by well-respected spiritual "authorities," and is still prevalent today on the spiritual circuit. You may hear the terms kundalini, kriya, chakras, life-force, or many other words such as sakti, that are mistakenly thought to be referencing an energy that is either God Itself, or somehow related to God or Spiritual advancement, when, in fact, those words are actually pointing to self-energy. Many forms of meditation are centered around the idea of manipulating self-energy, so that one can reach "Higher" states of consciousness, or cause a form of purification to occur. The only relationship of self-energy to God, to the Metaphysical, is that God Created the human structure that generates self-energy, and that self-energy and its actions of constriction and clinging, are key factors that prevent Growth, Freedom, and Incarnation.

The many forms of meditation taught on the popular spiritual circuit, are no more than meditating on yourself, on some aspect of your small human structure. The self-energy is of particular interest for meditation, because of all the tingles, sights, and sounds that can be produced or noticed. You can get an immediate reward of pleasure, and can also be confirmed in your vanity of "Spirituality," especially with so many people watching and "validating" your experience. Spiritual-types will pay for courses on how to meditate on themselves, and how to produce some natural neurological phenomena, falsely assumed to be Spiritual. They may even think they can become a Buddha during a weekend "Enlightenment Intensive." The modern spiritual circuit is a great place to feed. However, they could save their money for a far better use, since they already spend the entire day meditating on themselves, attending to themselves in one form or another. You can feel tingles, and see lights and other visions, and hear sounds, through much easier means, perhaps by just looking out the window, or being hit over the head. Many revered "spiritual masters" have merely "mastered" the manipulation of self-energy to produce various neurological phenomena.

For those very few who feel the emptiness of such endeavors, there is a better Way, based on a much deeper and richer understanding and insight. Everything you feel, see, and hear is already occurring within the nervous system, and all experience is limitation, whether the origin of an experience is considered subtle or gross, and ordinary or spiritual. The seeking of experience, of any form or origin, is to reinforce the primary limitation that you are at-the-core, and is to reinforce the secondary limitation that you continually create using the clinging, desiring, pulling-in, taking-in, and constriction of self-energy. All experience is the pulling-in and constriction of self-energy into the mind and body, and is thus limitation; and all limitation of consciousness, mind, and attention, is suffering. Your perception and experience of the writing on this page, in this moment, are some degree of limitation, and thus some degree of added suffering. Perception and experience are that which you are always doing, at least into the subtlest reaches of the mind.

The process of perception and experience is, of course, a fundamental part of being a healthy and functional human being. But, it also has great value for the serious seeker, beyond its Sacrifice. The constant experience of being and acting as the ego you are, is limitation and suffering, and compels and guides the serious seeker into the higher stages of advancement, and eventually Freedom. Suffering in all its forms, and, by definition, is the opposite of pleasant, but is a great motivator and teacher. Also, directly seeing and understanding how the very subtle but powerful process of perception and experience in the mind, is a limitation and constriction, can help allow the unravelling of the subtle and gross layers of secondary egoity that sit on top, and depend on, pure perception and experience. Egoity and psychology are much like a large onion, with the ego at the center, and all the layers surrounding the ego. Egoity, and the psychology it generates in the mind, unfold in a sequence and hierarchy, yet most of the layers can interact in both directions. The fuel of secondary egoity, and the fuel of the individual human mind, psychology, nervous system, and body, is self-energy, not the Sakti, not the Life Force of God.

Describing God is like trying to describe the color blue to a person who has been blind since birth: impossible. But, without Teaching through the tremendous limitations of language, no individual can be reached or learn. Descriptions of God and the Way of Freedom must be within the conceptual level and real experience of people, or Upliftment is virtually impossible, even when I am sitting personally and directly in front of them. The mind and heart need guidance out of the fear and darkness of self-absorption; and, false ideas, presumptions, vague thinking, and fantasy need to be replaced with real experience, real possibility, and logic. Language is also a powerful tool I use to help awaken intuitive understanding and insight into egoity, and into That which lies in contrast to egoity, and beyond egoity. So, I write, and I speak, and I guide. But, only a very few have the courage, and are tired enough of the endless suffering and hopelessness of the natural life, to listen, and to truly and deeply seek the one Higher Life.

The "Transcendental Intelligence" mentioned in Buddhist scripture, and "God the Father" of the Christian Bible, both point to the same Thing: the Foundation, the All-Pervading Essence, the unfathomable Creative Intelligence, the very Power that Creates and Sustains the infinite universe. Yet, that Intelligent Power and Influence, that Life Force, God, is normally out of the range of possible experience of the human being. Look at the state of the world, look closely at people, look at how they treat one another, look at yourself, look at how you treat others, listen to your own thoughts and motivations, observe your own feelings and actions, and try to convince yourself that God is truly Present and Alive in the beings and lives of men and women across the planet. Try to make yourself believe that you and others are truly Spiritual, Holy, and Godly, or perhaps at least saintly. Confront your feel-good presumptions about yourself and others, with reality. Contrary to an often-repeated politically-correct statement, most people are not "basically good," unless you want to define "basic" and "good" so that your definition incorporates evil or bad actions, such as: immoral physical violence, lying, cheating, deceit, threatening, manipulation, stealing, unreasonable demands, words meant to aggress or harm, or simple inconsideration, or otherwise initiating force against the person, property, or wealth belonging to another, either directly or through the proxy of coercive government. People who are genuinely "basically good" do not engage in these behaviors, but one or more of those traits describe most people. Some people do indeed live more from the heart of love and conscience, and not as much from the ego-animal, but they are not the majority. (Self-defense is not the initiation of force, but is a moral response to force already initiated against you. A consistent passivity in the face of immoral aggression, is usually a sign of fear and withdrawal, not high Spiritual advancement.)

The Creative Intelligence and Power is not playing a cruel joke on humanity. People naturally tend to see the Creative Force, call It God if you will, through their normal subjective prism of humanity and identity, as having a human-like personality, with all the positive and negative limitations, characteristics, motivations, thoughts, and emotions that they see in themselves. Their perspective is very understandable, but quite incorrect: God is not like them in any way. People are cruel to one another, as we see every day, but God has no "intention" to be cruel. For creation to exist, which includes people, it must be completely other-than the Creator, otherwise, it would all be only God, and no object of form, not even space itself, would exist. God would simply remain God, That which always has been and always will be, throughout the Created illusion of time. Better stated, but still incomprehensible to the natural mind: God simply Is, in this, the Eternal Moment. But, I must occasionally use anthropomorphic terminology, identifiers, metaphors, and analogies when Teaching, in order for certain aspects of God and the Way to be at least somewhat understandable to people, without compromising the essential and useful facts, concepts, and principles. Creation is completely awesome and wondrous in its beauty and complexity, but is still, essentially, not God.

The internal suffering and external problems people create for themselves and others, can cause them to become angry and even verbally "lash-out" at the Creator. That is understandable, but the anger is mis-directed, and is not based in reality but on simple ignorance that can be easily cured with evidence and reason. Their suffering and problems can cause people to think that, "If there is a God, a God of Goodness, a God of Love, then He does not care about us, and has abandoned us. Why does He not help us?" They are considering the Creative Intelligence and Power through their own lens of humanity. Adults who are still emotionally children, or who are accustomed and comfortable living under external authority, can often conceive of God as only a parent-figure, as a person-like Deity who should be "looking-out" for them and who, in fact, owes them something. The terms "God the Father" and "Divine Mother" arise from such an intellectual and emotional limitation within many adults. Those who do not wish to be angry at their "Father" or "Mother," will often justify, using scripture or their own peculiar logic, the "uncaring," or "harmful," or even "vengeful" actions of their particular Deity. That which they want and think they get from their imaginary God, far outweigh the pain they think He or She causes them, so they want to keep that "relationship" intact for the goodies, and so do not become an atheist. Children still need their parents, whether abusive or not. The Creative Intelligence and Power is not a parent, and you are owed nothing by God or man; that fact can be a great relief to some.

Humanity is a curious bunch. People are Designed with tremendous curiosity; some are more curious than others. They want to see, hear, know, and understand as much as possible about the world around them, especially those objects and processes that provide survival, pleasure, and vanity, the stuff that feeds and protects. People want to learn about themselves, and about existence beyond themselves. Some want to learn about the universe at-large, and want to know, "What exactly is all this, and how does it work, and how did it all come into being?" No other creature asks these questions. But, the desire to seek understanding about the universe, becomes confined to only that which may be personally useful. Realizing and understanding that which is beyond yourself, is not enough for most people. They have to do something with it, and do something that feeds or protects themselves. Nothing is "wrong" with that orientation, but is also merely part of the Design, and a statement of fact, but a statement that implies Something Better.

The search for understanding about the natural universe beyond yourself, can evolve to become that which is known as a Spiritual search, a search for God. The Spiritual search, and realistic scientific investigation, do not need to part ways. People are so accustomed to religion and spirituality being little more than psychosis, irrationality, and mental fluff, that any mention of a "Spiritual search" sends the mind reeling, and they cannot imagine a Spiritual Path based on real experience and logic. And, similar to the reasons for most natural scientific investigation, to feed and protect self, the Spiritual quest becomes a search for, "What can finding or Realizing God do for me? How can discovering the Creative Intelligence and Force behind this universe help me personally?"

The Design of the human being gives him the drive and ability to seek, find, and understand the natural universe beyond himself, and, in some rare cases, that search can become a serious search for That which we can call God. The Design gives mankind the ability to seek, find, and understand the Creator Itself, not only creation. God is not a parent, and "owes" humanity nothing, but has also not "abandoned" His creation, as suffering and problems cause some folks to believe. The Creative Intelligence and Force did not Design people with the drive to seek Him, and then deny them the means to find That which He Designed them to seek. People are Designed with the need to breathe air, and we have air.

People are social creatures, and not only for the pleasure-feed of stimulation, distraction, and filling-up that comes from social-izing, gatherings, and other interactions, but also for the very survival of the individual and thus the species. People depend on one another for the meeting of their most essential personal needs and wants. The following three paragraphs are a digression from the central theme of this essay, but are provided to explain, in general terms, why people interact and depend on one another, and that our interdependence and varied personalities are also part of the Design, and how human interaction could be organized under a single moral basis:

Economics is essentially, and in a hypothetical free-market (of which we have none), a study of human interaction, and includes a concept called the "division of labor," which, among other facts, implies that an individual has specific interests, aptitudes, intelligence, and accomplishments that can benefit others, and that by him participating in human society, in the marketplace, others can benefit from his contribution of talent and productivity, and he can likewise benefit from what others have to offer him. In other words, each person does a particular work well, each person has a specialty, and each trades his time and productivity, for the time and productivity of others, using the store of value and medium of exchange called money, or through barter. The main idea in the division of labor, is specialization. People are not the same, people are not equal, in interests, aptitudes, intelligence, or accomplishments, and they will work in many different fields, and have a wide variety of competencies within those specific fields, and, therefore, the value of labor and productivity will vary greatly among individuals. The end-result: individuals sell their particular goods or services to other individuals, and value and thus prices vary based, ideally, on supply and demand.

Unique interests, aptitudes, and intelligence are part of the human Design, therefore, specialization, and the division of labor, are also part of the Design. No one person can do everything well, nor would he want to try, not even if he were extremely gifted due to his unique interests and emotional nature, but especially because there is not enough time in one short life. You gravitate toward those endeavors that are in greater accordance with your inherent interests, abilities, emotional tendencies, and priorities. The specific needs and wants of an individual human being are so numerous and so varied, that many other people, and with many varied personalities and talents, are required to fulfill those needs and wants. An individual is Created with specific needs and wants, and other individuals are Created who can fulfill those needs and wants. Creation is an interdependent system.

A culture of unimpeded, voluntary, human association, interaction, and exchange, would work best to sustain and advance the economy, and technology, and ordinary lives of humanity, and would be the only moral organizing system. But, the ideal is far from the reality in this world, due solely to the repressed heart and its conscience, and thus flawed morality, of the great majority of people. The globally-accepted culture of man initiating force against his fellow man, must end, for humanity, en masse, to advance, whether the initiation of force is direct, or through the proxy of coercive government. Otherwise, the hell of this world will continue, ad infinitum, or until humanity destroys itself under the weight of its own evil. The immorality is the responsibility of the individual, not the fault of the fantasy-abstraction "we." If you feel and listen to your own heart of love and conscience, then you have a choice as an individual, and you do not have to be a participant, contributor, or supporter of any systemic cultural evil. The fantasy "we" has no conscience, only the individual "me."

At this moment, you have a need or a want. You are, right now, seeking to either feed yourself, or protect yourself. You are reading this text for a reason, and it could indicate at least a curiosity about That which we call God and the Higher Life. Or, you may be a serious, deeper-thinking, and deeper-feeling seeker, and you want to find and understand more. You may feel there is something positive for you in the Teaching of Freedom, and it is being made freely available to you. If so, it may change your life in ways you cannot currently imagine. On the other hand, you may be wanting to "disprove" or even attack the Way of Life and Freedom, and its messenger, at least in your mind, because you mistakenly assume it threatens your current beliefs in some way. If you feel threatened by mere ideas, then know that you are free to cling to any belief you choose and to live comfortably in that realm, because belief, and real experience and real possibility, are two very different matters, and nothing can touch or threaten your beliefs since they are real only in your mind, and will remain intact and real to you as long as you insulate yourself from objective experience, logic, and realistic and reasonable possibilities. However, consider the fact that if your religious or spiritual beliefs felt real and substantial to you, then you could never feel threatened by opposing ideas. Most people would not feel threatened or upset if someone said, "The sky is green, not blue," but some animals will attack a merely-perceived threat to its food bowl, even if the "threat" is the hand that feeds them.

An individual in a more-developed society is not completely self-sufficient, in that he cannot build every product, or perform every service, that he needs in order to live in that culture, therefore, he requires help with meeting his needs, and other people are there who can offer help. If you are a serious seeker of the Higher Life, your need or want for real and deep understanding, as offered to you in this writing, did not appear before you by magic, or by a special Miracle, unless you want to describe the whole of creation as a Miracle, which would not be unreasonable. The fact that I am here, and am freely giving this Teaching of Freedom to you, is by the Design that existed an eternity of time before this body was born, and that will exist after my death. This body was born, and it will die, but the Creator and the Design will remain.

Every serious seeker of the Higher Life, and true Freedom or Enlightenment, needs help. Just as he needs help meeting his personal needs and wants, he also needs help learning about his Goal, and understanding the Way to It, among other forms of help that he cannot do to himself or by himself, and may not even know he needs. Why does he need help? The Transcendental Intelligence and Power is supposedly All-Pervading, so is not God or Brahman already within all people and all things? Yes, that is factually correct, but, again, look at other people, and look at yourself, and decide if you can honestly say that humanity, en masse, is already Good, Spiritual, and Godly. Therefore, if God is All-Pervading, then why are people naturally and completely cut-off from That, from birth, in their state, qualities, ways, mind, heart, and understanding?

Creation is necessarily opposite or other-than God, or this universe could not exist. Nature is of space, and form, and processes of cohesion, integration, preservation, procreation, evolution, devolution, and destruction, and the illusion of time; God is not. Individuals are separate, limited, suffering, and temporary; God is not. Therefore, it is impossible for an individual and Brahman to perfectly resonate; impossible for an individual and God to be identical; impossible, like the mixing of oil and water, for people to be already Spiritual or Godly. To resonate means to harmonize, and the only way for an individual to "harmonize" with God to any degree, is to allow Him some degree of room to exist and operate, in and through the being and life. The nervous system, which includes the mind, and the heart, and thus the physical body, can eventually perfectly resonate, but only after primary and secondary egoity are completely out the way. The ego itself, and self-energy, can never resonate with God, not to any degree. The degree of resonance, or the degree of living in greater accordance, of the mind, heart, and body, does indeed increase as one Grows and approaches the radical life (which is an extremely advanced and final stage before the "turning-about" of Ego-Death and God-Realization), but resonance is always necessarily im-perfect as long as the ego-animal, and the self-energy it generates, are alive. From the personal perspective of the student, the bodhisattva, the Way of Freedom is a war between the Prayer and relief of inviting and allowing, and the clinging, constriction, pulling-in, and self-absorption of taking it back; until one side "wins." An individual, and That which we call God, can never be identical, and the ego and self-energy can never resonate. You also have no Higher-Self, and no lower-self; there is you, and there is God. The fact that Brahman or God is All-Pervading, does not mean that the experience and Influence of God are readily available to human beings, precisely because of the factors outlined above. The fact, and the experience and Influence of that fact in the being and life of an individual, are two very different matters. If that were not true, human culture would be heaven on Earth. Does the world look like heaven, and are you Free and Perfectly Blissful? (For there to be a Higher-Self and a lower-self, there would have to be a third-self making the decision as to which of the other two selves to either join, or to remain as a neutral third-self. If you choose to adopt that fantasy, then the third-self could be called the middle-self or the uninvolved-self. And, if you take the logic to its conclusion, then you would need an infinite number of other-selves.)

The ego, the island of separate consciousness that you are, and your self-energy, and all the self-efforting and clinging actions of self-energy, prevent God. What you are, and what you do, the ego and all the self-effort and clinging of self-energy, prevent God from impacting from without, and prevent God from springing-forth from within. There is nothing that you can be, not even a "better" self, and there is nothing you can do by self-effort and clinging, that will make you Spiritual or closer to God or Enlightened. Nothing. You, and your actions of self-effort and clinging, are contrary to the Consciousness and Presence of That which we call God. The two can never co-exist in harmony or resonance. One has to go, and, for the ordinary, religious, and spiritual masses, God goes, and egoity remains. You, and your small cocoon in which you live, exist surrounded, but not impacted, by the All-Pervading Presence of God. You are swimming in an Infinite Ocean, and never get wet, and never get washed of the nature within.

Do not allow my mention of self-effort to lead you to incorrectly assume that the Way is a passive endeavor, and that you should withdraw from life and into yourself. That assumption would be completely incorrect, and very harmful, so do not fall into that trap. The egoically-controlled mind will find or justify any "logical" reason to feed and protect itself, and withdrawal is easy and of particular use to the ego. The serious seeker and student is anything but passive or withdrawn. Passionate effortlessness is one term I use to describe the predisposition of the serious student of the Way of Freedom, and the seeming paradox between passion and effortlessness, is eventually resolved in a combination of intuitive understanding and vigilance.

Nevertheless, that which you are, and that which you naturally do, cannot reach, hold, or integrate with God. You cannot effort, strain, or move, you cannot uplift yourself in any way, to meet, hold, or integrate with God, where He exists, as He exists. Any effort, strain, or move you make, any attempt to uplift yourself, only takes you further from your Goal. The well-known phrase, "You cannot lift yourself up by your bootstraps," applies here. You cannot cling to the wind.

As discussed above, by Design, people have help from others in meeting their ordinary personal needs and wants. However, help finding God and the Higher Life, cannot be bought in the marketplace, or anywhere else. The help, the agent in nature, that the Design allows to exist for the sake of those few who are seeking the Creator Itself, is the Incarnation, the Avatar, the Buddha. The Buddha, the Incarnation, is the mechanism in nature through which seekers can find the Higher Life and Enlightenment or God-Realization. Grace cannot be bought, earned, or deserved; It is a Gift. Your only choice is what you do in response to It: turn-away and withdraw, or begin to live by Sacrifice, Faith, and Prayer.

What exactly is the Incarnation, and what is the help that the Design of nature provides through him or her? The limited, visible, functional, and temporary person of the Buddha, cannot be separated from the Eternal and Infinite State of Being, Consciousness, and Light, the Essential Truth, of the Incarnation, but, for the sake of greater understanding, I will discuss the two separately as much as possible, which is not very much, and, of course, within the confines of language:

The Person of the Incarnation: The physical being of the Incarnation, the Buddha, or Avatar, is that which remains of a serious seeker, a bodhisattva, after Ego-Death, after true Enlightenment, after the "turning-about in the deepest seat of consciousness" as mentioned in Buddhist scripture. The only differences between the seeker who later became the person of the Incarnation, and the typical spiritual seeker or hobbyist, are that he had a one-pointed passion for Freedom, and his passion was for Freedom above all else in life, and he was willing to pay the price, which is everything, and he did.

On the evolutionary scale of human possibilities that are built into the Design of nature, the person of the Incarnation is nothing special, but merely represents the apex in human potential and development. Compared to the billions of ego-animals that inhabit this planet today, and who have no clear sense of moral boundaries with one another, and have not even the idea that a Higher Life is possible, the Incarnation is quite remarkable, but considered from a much broader perspective, he or she is nothing special. The Incarnation may be considered special due to the sheer rarity of such a being, and for his indispensable usefulness to serious seekers, and for that which he represents for the possible evolution of the human race, but, in terms of the Eternal Design, he is just one possibility among many, and represents a potential that is available to all humanity. He is not important or even interesting to most people, in spite of the Radiance of Love, Light, Energy, Happiness, Goodness, Wisdom, and Help that he is and that he gives, and the world can continue without him, just as before his arrival. From a very limited perspective, the person of the Incarnation is merely a complete or whole human being, but is not of this world. Jesus is quoted as saying: "Be in the world, but not of the world."

Real, deep, and reciprocal love, friendship, giving, and honesty, in close human relationships, are extremely rare. The underlying source of conflict and strife in most intimate or close relationships, is the natural egoic tendency to own and control one another, at least to some degree, and is accomplished using at least one or more of many possible methods of psychological manipulation. How an individual attempts to accomplish ownership and control over another person, the degree and type of coercion or manipulation he uses, will vary from person to person; but, most human relationships are bound together by at least some very small degree, and some form, of psychological manipulation.

The explicit or implicit dynamics of most relationships, do not include complete moral freedom, and a complete lack of coercion or manipulation, and complete honesty, but usually have some degree and some form of demand, coercion, or manipulation, and have a limitation or oppression of interests or moral behavior, and include lies of commission or omission. Lies of commission or omission are the most common form of manipulation, but are mentioned separately from manipulation because some ego-monsters can manipulate others with truthful statements, while their real motivation for making those truthful comments are intentionally hidden, which is, nevertheless, a lie of omission. Therefore, from a deeper perspective, all lies are manipulation, and all manipulation is a lie. Two people who live in a relationship founded in the heart of love and conscience, would never even think of making any form of demand on one another, and would never intentionally mislead or have a hidden agenda.

The mistreatment of another person, is founded upon a prior sense, usually unconscious, of ownership and control over that person. The ego-animal, by nature, has no moral boundaries, and cannot be directly influenced by the heart of love and conscience, and presumes to own everything it sees. However, the essential problem among all men and women is exactly the same, regardless of the degree of personal intimacy or familiarity, including none, as evidenced by the state of global and national human cultures. Without the inherent tendency to own and control one another, based on the clear recognition of moral boundaries arising from the universal human heart of love and conscience, democracy, and other forms of coercive government, would not exist, and the suffering, strife, and torment people inflict on themselves and others, regardless of government involvement, would never occur. The ego-animal often wins the battle for the mind, over the heart of love and conscience, and is why real and deep love and friendship are rare, and is why the global and national human cultures are little more than animals fighting to own and control one another. Politics is the fight and argument to control the guns of government to use against one's fellow man, and occupies most of the "news" and social media, because most people want to win the power of government, to have their way against the person, property, and wealth of their neighbors. If people, en masse, were to relinquish the inherent egoic tendency to own and control others, coercive government and politics would disappear, and most human relationships would be transformed into moments of beauty. The possibility of such a profound transformation of humanity is one hundred percent, while the likelihood is virtually zero, and will not change until mankind endures much more self-inflicted suffering and torment, and learns from its mistakes, and awakens to living more from the natural heart of love and conscience, and less from the ego-animal.

The best choice for you, as an individual, is to be in the world, but not of the world, and not wait for humanity to change before you change, or you will die waiting. Light the lamp of love and goodness, and let it shine amidst the darkness, meanness, evil, and suffering. "How am I willing to treat my fellow man?" is the fundamental question, and not any consideration of what "we" should do or not do. The "we" exists only in your mind. You cannot point to a "we;" you can only point to individuals, and an individual has the moral right to be left-alone in his person, property, and wealth to do with as he wishes, regardless of what anyone else, including the "we," may say. "Giving" or acting at the point of a gun is theft, coercion, and immoral, while giving or acting voluntarily to help yourself or others, if you so choose, is from the heart and moral. No one owns you, and you own no one else, and no one owes you anything. Very simple. Only the ego-animal, the ego-monster, can do otherwise to his fellow man. One of the greatest gifts you can give another person, is the liberty to be left-alone if he so chooses, not that his liberty was yours to grant: he had that moral right before you arrived.

I occasionally mention government in the context of discussing human tendencies, not as any form of political statement or call to political action since that would merely perpetuate the same monstrosity, but because democracy and other forms of coercive government are simply the manifestation of the worst in humanity, and because their very design, structures, and actions, which are the initiation of violence, reflect that which most individuals are always tending and willing to do to one another. Coercive government is not an alien institution being imposed on humanity, but is designed, created, supported, operated, and staffed by people. Coercive government could end today, if the majority of people simply said, "No more. I refuse to support the initiation of force against my neighbor or anyone else on the planet." Any deeper discussion of government and politics, should not be about political party or who gets elected, but should begin with the question, "How are you willing to treat your fellow man." When a person votes, he is simply hiring thugs to do his dirty work, to do that which he is too weak or cowardly to do by himself. You have no moral right to tell others what they must do with their person, property, or wealth, regardless of what the "we" says, and regardless of the government institutions and systems that are already in place to facilitate your tyranny over others. If you have a heart and its conscience, then you have a choice: listen to it and act with love and kindness toward your fellow man, or ignore it and be thoughtlessly compelled by the ego-animal to cross moral boundaries against others. It is wrong for you to steal, and to initiate other forms of force against others; and it is equally wrong for you to hire someone else to engage those actions. Do not be part of the herd; feel, think, and act for yourself. Let others do as they will to one another. You are responsible for only yourself, and for how you treat others. The only intention in all my Teaching is not the two unrealistic goals of, one, helping the masses, and, two, eradicating coercive government or other evil, cultural institutions, systems, or norms: my only goal is to help you, the individual, someone who may be seeking at least a better life of genuine Goodness, regardless of how other people may be treating one another. Helping you, the individual seeker, is completely realistic and possible, while helping the masses, and saving them from themselves and from one another, are currently neither realistic nor possible. Living more from the heart of love and conscience does not imply pacifism in the face of aggression or force against you, but only the non-initiation of that force. Self-defense and defensive-aggression against a person who first initiates force against you, is perfectly moral.

Contrary to the nature and ways of the masses, the person of the Incarnation owns and controls no man, and makes no demands of anyone, and no man can morally own and control him, or make demands of him. He is not a ruler, king, or leader as has been mistakenly taught in Christianity. The Buddha, the Avatar, has nothing in him that wants to own and control others. He or she is a servant, a guide, a source of Light and Love, for those very few who sincerely want a Higher Life, a better life founded in Goodness; and any degree of personal relationship a sincere and honest seeker may have with such a being, is a gift, and a person's participation and attempting are likewise purely voluntary. The Incarnation usually has no close personal relationships, except with sincere and honest seekers, and others who deeply love Goodness. Sharing Love, Goodness, and the one Higher Life, seems a wonderful way to spend our brief time here together.

Many spiritual seekers, even those who profess to be seeking a life of selflessness, as they currently understand that to be, cannot imagine that a being exists whose sole purpose for living is to help sincere and honest seekers realize a Better life, and who does so without expecting anything in return. One reason they assume such, is because they themselves cannot imagine living in such a manner. Mentioning that fact is not a criticism of those without understanding, but is simply another illustration of how the Higher Life is completely other-than that which people are naturally able or tending to do. Completely selfish people, due to their prism of subjectivity, cannot imagine acting without some degree of self-interest, which is not in any way immoral, but is just a fact about those who are completely locked into themselves and the natural life and who, therefore, cannot see other possibilities. Acting completely for one's own self-interest in any voluntary, open, and honest relationship, interaction, or transaction, is completely moral. However, total self-absorption and selfishness can cause the mind to unconsciously assume that "Everyone else is essentially the same as me." The person of the Incarnation is not like natural people, and that can be a cause for gladness for sincere seekers who want a life of Goodness, yet fodder for those without understanding, to ridicule or attack the Incarnation. The Incarnation is always the object of scorn from the masses, at least while he or she is alive.

It is the greatest of irony that many members of the very spiritual community that profess to be seeking God-Realization or true Enlightenment, reject those very few who have Realized It. It offends their vanity and fragile senses of self and self-worth, since "no one can be better than me." The person of the Incarnation is not "better" than anyone, just extremely different. Some of the most popular "spiritual masters" are those who are "enlightened but still improving," and one reason they are more widely accepted, is because their imperfect state makes their followers feel unthreatened and thus comfortable around them. Their followers feel like they have something in common with their "master" or teacher, because "we are both still improving," and "we are all in this together," which then makes the followers feel, usually unconsciously, that "I am OK and not inferior." By their "master" being imperfect and diminished in their unconscious mind, they are somehow "elevated." But, a serious seeker who has a stronger psychological sense of himself, and a rather normal sense of self-worth, is never psychologically-threatened in these ways, by his awareness of, or relationship to, the living person of the Incarnation. "Better to be around my im-perfect teacher, than around somebody who thinks he is better than me." (The ego-self, and the psychological-self, are two very different components of an individual selfhood, and I define and differentiate the two in other parts of my writing.) That mind-set would be quite humorous for two reasons, if the outcome for the seeker were not so sad: first, the seeker is settling for im-Perfection and suffering, and is wasting his life and the opportunity for Freedom; and, second, the idea that a selfless being, the person of the Incarnation, thinks or feels "himself" to be better or worse than anyone, is completely irrational. Some spiritual seekers go so far as to believe, in spite of their professed goal of God-Realization, that true and perfect God-Realization is not even possible; and that is because of the gross imperfections and suffering they see in themselves and in the thousands of spiritual teachers on the planet. If the universe you see is filled with nothing but animals and monsters, you have no other benchmark or point of reference. There are no degrees of true God-Realization, and it is impossible to "go in and out" of true God-Realization. Certain meditative states can be quite deceiving. True Ego-Death and God-Realization is not subtle, and is not a "shift in consciousness," but the complete Death of consciousness as you currently are and know it and yourself to be.

Some have suggested that a biography of my life as a spiritual seeker, before the Great Change of Ego-Death, would be helpful or interesting. But, when you read my writing about the Way of Freedom, you are reading my biography. A detailed, personal, historical biography would be a book mostly about what not to do, about ignorance, struggle, failure, and eventual understanding of the error, and then more ignorance, more struggle, more failure, and eventual understanding of yet another error, with the pattern continuing for many, many years; and only a short note at the end about Ego-Death, Freedom, or God-Realization. Perhaps it can be written one day, if I use the time before my death for that purpose, but only if there seems nothing more important about which to write. I hope that my writing can help a serious seeker avoid making the same mistakes, and can save him from decades of unnecessary struggle and difficulty. I hope that profound Faith, Sacrifice, and Prayer will be his first resort, and not only his last resort as in my case. But, it seems that genuine and deep Faith, Sacrifice, and Prayer are always the last resort, since there is no turning-back from there, and the fact that there is nowhere else to go once you understand. If only one person can find true God-Realization as a result of the Teaching, and can then spread the Message and the Help, then all the writing will not have been a waste of time.

The person of the Incarnation is quite unimportant, and even uninteresting, to the natural person, except perhaps as an anomaly, or an object of scorn, ridicule, or mischaracterization, which are all based on misunderstanding, ignorance, or fear. History does indeed repeat itself, or it at least rhymes. However, what is important about the person of the Incarnation, is Who or What he is, most fundamentally, in but infinitely beyond the body. He is not a separate being, as you now are, and as you know, feel, and rightly presume yourself to be, even though a separate body is being Used by That for the Incarnation of Itself.

The State of the Incarnation: Not much more worthwhile or interesting information could probably be offered about the mere person of the Incarnation, since the body, and its unusual characteristics and personality, are not essentially Who or What he is, yet the body cannot be separated from That and Its Influence in the world of form. The limited physical body is integral with That, and merely demonstrates, reflects, and provides That, in and through human form, in and for this world of form. The Way of Freedom is not about the small and temporary person of the Incarnation, but is about the Eternal and Infinite That, by which the body is being Used to make Itself available in the world, in and infinitely beyond the body, and is about the opportunity being freely given to the few sincere, serious, and honest seekers of the one Higher Life.

Pointing only to the Eternal, Infinite, and Impersonal That would be ideal, or at least not giving much attention to this temporary bag of bones, but it must be acknowledged that the body, and That which we call Brahman, the Creator, the Transcendental State, Intelligence, and Power, cannot be separated from one another; and, any objective, comprehensive, and more-accurate discussion, must include both the personal and the Impersonal, the temporary and the Eternally Present, the finite and the Infinite. I am not able to find very much to share about only the mere person of the Incarnation that would be important, useful, or even very interesting, without also going more in-depth about Who or What I am in and beyond the body, and about my sole purpose here in the world of form, among and for people. The body and all its unique physical and behavioral characteristics and capabilities, are nevertheless very small and temporary, and seem extremely unimportant in comparison to the Great That which exists in the body, and Radiates through and infinitely beyond the body. I personally am as a shell, a nothing, a nobody, the dust at your feet. However, That which I essentially am, the State, Power, and Influence of That which exists in but infinitely beyond this body, is neither small nor temporary, and could be very important, useful, and of utmost interest to a serious and honest seeker. This which we call God indeed exists, and periodically Incarnates, whether anyone knows it or not.

The Design is such that a person can, after becoming a reasonably stable, functional, and relational adult human being, and with an active heart of love and conscience, begin to live and Grow in the Higher Life, and can eventually Realize God or Freedom. However, also within the Design, people cannot Grow and Realize the Creator, Brahman, God on their own, without help from beyond their range of experience and capabilities, and from something completely different from themselves. That is not an act of God which is meant to deprive humanity of Himself, since the opportunity for the Higher Life in God indeed exists, but, again, is a necessary part of the Design. You cannot Realize God without God, because you cannot Realize God by your own ideas, scheming, self-effort, and actions, which are all you have. Yet, humanity is not being deprived of the possibility for Growth and Freedom, as evidenced by the very existence and Gift to humanity of the Incarnation, and by his or her personal history including the long road to Freedom.

A serious seeker cannot Realize Freedom by his own scheming, self-effort, and actions, and I will briefly outline why that is true. The core-level, egoic, separate state of a human being, and his subtle egoic actions of clinging, are naturally and necessarily the antithesis of God and the one Way of Freedom. The creation is necessarily opposite to the Creator, or there could be no creation; there would be only God, which is obviously not the case. If you were already Spiritual, or already God, or already truly Enlightened, you would not be engaged in any form of spiritual seeking, and you would not be reading these pages. By Design and from birth, you are, from your very core-level state of separation and fear, naturally and completely opposite to God. You are, therefore, also naturally predisposed to living and acting exactly opposite to His Way of Freedom. There is nothing inherently Spiritual or Godly about a human being, since he is essentially the ego of separation and fear; and there is nothing Spiritual or Godly about how he is naturally tending to act, which is clinging. Social pleasantries, or benign behavior toward others, or even genuine kindness, caring, mercy, and generous service to others, or just being "nice," are not necessarily signs of true Spirituality, even though they are far, far better than the ungracious alternatives. However, even though those traits are not necessarily indications of true Spirituality, they could be signs of someone with an active human heart of love and conscience, which is perfectly wonderful. Nevertheless, a human being is naturally un-Spiritual, and is naturally incapable of being Spiritual and living Spiritually on his own, without outside Guidance and Influence.

You were born opposite to the Creator in your state of egoity as separation and fear, and in your subtle stuff of self-energy, and in your subtle and gross ways of clinging. Therefore, everything you do by your own scheming and self-effort, including seeking Growth and God-Realization, is at least non-productive to Growth, and is most likely even counter-productive by spinning you even further down, spinning you even tighter, smaller, and deeper into the dark cave of the selfhood. People who are considered the most "spiritual," are often simply the most withdrawn and self-absorbed. Most atheists or agnostics are far more open, functional, responsible, productive, relational, and genuinely caring, than many of the "advanced" spiritual-types. Withdrawal of self-energy is not the Way, yet neither is its forced extroversion and projection.

That which is completely and inherently opposite to God in both state and ways, can neither be nor do anything to Grow and Realize God. How can that which is inherently opposite to God, and completely other-than God, in both core-level state and subtle actions, either be or do anything to resonate with God, or, further, to integrate with God, or to finally dissolve in God?

Separation cannot become Infinite, and clinging cannot allow Infinity. Oil can be or do nothing to mix with water.

The fact that a human being is completely and inherently part of the creation, and is therefore naturally opposite to Brahman or God, in his state of separation and fear, and in his subtle stuff of self-energy, and in his subtle and gross ways of clinging, is the reason he can do nothing to himself, or by himself, in order to understand, Grow, and Realize God, and is why he needs guidance and help from beyond himself. He requires God to find God and His Way. You cannot Realize God by excluding Him until the very end, when you think you want Him, but God is necessary for Growth from the very beginning, and up to the End, and not merely for "certain parts" of Growth. Many adolescents rarely think they need help in their understanding and development in life, but often feel they already "know it all" and can "do it all," while mature adults, regardless of the specific need or subject matter, are able to acknowledge their ignorance, limitations, powerlessness, and failures, and will seek qualified guidance and help.

Even though humanity is exactly opposite to the Transcendental and to the Higher Life, in both state and subtle actions, and even though a person, therefore, can neither be nor do anything to Grow and Realize Freedom, the means has been provided for those few who may be so inclined. Earlier in this essay, I mentioned: The help, the agent in nature, that the Design allows to exist for the sake of those few who are seeking the Creator Itself, is the Incarnation, the Avatar, the Buddha.

The individual can be or do nothing to elevate himself and his ways, so the Creator and Its Way must be literally Given or Introduced into the being and life of the seeker. Since by Design you cannot "reach" to the Transcendental, then the Design provides that It come to you, into your level of life within this existence of space and form, and into your limited range of personal experience. Also, what better mechanism could be used by the Creator, than another human body that looks a bit like you, and with whom you can personally relate and communicate, and who can personally Teach and Guide you? But, God does not come into your small world in order to merely feed and protect you where you stand, or to reinforce you and your ways of fear and clinging, but to Lead and Help you out of the limitation, suffering, and darkness of yourself and your ways, and into the Light, and over to this Other Shore, where eventually only He Remains.

Yet, the advantage for sincere seekers, of the physical existence of the Incarnation, is far more than the personal relationship, communication, guidance, and help, which can, nevertheless, be quite profound and extremely life-changing. The person of the Incarnation is adept at guiding a serious seeker to see, understand, and let-go or change, elements of his deepest psychological or emotional patterning that are preventing or slowing his Growth, or that are otherwise causing him problems or added suffering in life or in relationships. But, as profound, necessary, and unique as such help can be toward Growth or a better life, the greatest help through Incarnation is the gift of God Itself, and all that the gift entails for the sincere seeker and his Growth.

Only God can be God, and only God can give God, and Incarnation in and through a human body is the means, within the Design of nature, for God to exist, and for God to give Himself, here in this world of space and form. The Design of the human nervous system is unique in nature, in that it can allow and be used by the Creator Itself, to exist, operate, and help here in creation. The State of the Incarnation is not other-than That. He or she is not a "smaller" version, or some sort of "limited modification," of the Transcendental. He is also not seeing the Transcendental State and Consciousness; he is not an individual looking at, or into, This which we call God. That is his very State, there is nothing prior to his State, just as your core-level state is that of separation and isolation, and no other state of being precedes it or stands elsewhere away from you.

God, the Creator, the Transcendental, is not a big, static Thing. It is indeed the Eternal Consciousness, which cannot be said to be fixed or un-fixed, or at rest or not at rest, but God is also tremendous and indescribable Intelligence and Power. The many failings of spiritual paths and practices, include the ignorance and omission of two fundamental facts: one, God is not only non-individuated and Eternal Consciousness, but is also supreme Intelligence and Power; and, two, the State, Intelligence, and Power, which are all aspects of the one God, are necessary for Growth.

The State, Intelligence, and Power of This which we call God, the very God Itself, exists in this world of space and form via Incarnation, and Its Intelligence and Power operate to help primarily serious seekers. God does not impose Its Influence where It is not truly and deeply wanted, even while Incarnating, regardless of the improvements or difficulties in the world created by people. The Creator is not a dictator or parent regarding human affairs, and people have freedom of choice and are responsible for their actions, and some learn by their successes and by their mistakes. Great reward and great suffering are two powerful motivations for learning. Love allows the freedom to choose. (Perhaps people could learn and apply this great lesson of love, in their interactions and relationships with one another.)

God indeed always exists in fact, but not in effect, without Incarnation. The fact and the effect are two very different matters, and the process or agency of Incarnation allows the fact of God's existence to have effect in this world of space and form. The Design is such that the very process or agency of Incarnation "bridges the gap" between the Transcendental and the world of three-dimensional space and form where you exist and of which you are an integral part. The Creator and the creation are completely opposite to one another, and God comes into this world via Incarnation, since you cannot find or "reach" to Him through your own opposing state, ideas, and effort. Most spiritual-types are very offended at the statement: God does in fact exist, but can have no real effect in your life without the gift of Incarnation. The egoically-controlled mind rails against that idea, as it seeks to protect its vanity. The person of the Incarnation is not better or worse than any individual, just very different, but the egoically-controlled and vanity-driven mind does not see it that way, and is offended. Subjective evaluation has little place on the plane of ideas, but the ego is not about ideas, but is pure un-thinking animal. "No one is better than anyone else. We're all the same." The vanity-driven mind fails to understand that "different" does not indicate a subjective evaluation of "better" or "worse." You have some personality characteristics and mannerisms that are unique and different from anyone else on the planet (except for your core-level egoity), but that fact does not make you better or worse than any other individual, just different.

What exactly is the Metaphysical help that Brahman or God offers, through the Incarnation of Itself, to the relatively few serious and honest seekers? The Transcendental Intelligence and Power helps in three general ways: intuitive understanding, Purification, and Change, and I will briefly explain each.

Intuitive Understanding - Many people will read the words I have written, but few will intuitively understand "how" to attempt to live by Sacrifice, Faith, and Prayer. The entire Way of and to Freedom is by Grace, and Grace begins the process with the gift of intuitive understanding, and only in response to sincerity, passion, and honesty, which are all a Prayer, a heart-felt communication, to Brahman. God does not impose, but "goes," or is active, only where He is sincerely, deeply, and powerfully wanted.

Intuitive understanding is not an idea or thought. It does not come by mere cognition, and is not a conclusion that is reached at the end of a logical consideration. You will not realize intuitive understanding by merely reading and mentally-comprehending my written definitions or descriptions of it. It is not purely subjective or open to interpretation, but is a direct seeing, feeling, insight, and, therefore, a certain knowing. Intuitive understanding is essentially the same insight, experience, and certainty for the few seekers who have been given it. Intuitive understanding cannot be remembered, but is given, new, fresh, and powerful in every moment. Attempting to live the Way of Freedom is not by a superficial code of conduct, not by "do this and don't do that," but is by your own real, direct, and Grace-given insight and feeling, and thus intuitive understanding, in every moment. The word "intuition" has many different meanings in popular culture. In the context of the Teaching of Freedom, intuitive understanding is not to be confused with creative abilities or psychic phenomena, or with any other common usage, beyond the Path-related definitions I offer.

I have elaborated upon this definition in other parts of my writing, but simply stated: Intuitive understanding is an insight and feeling into the striking contrast between your subtle but powerful clinging-actions of self-energy as attention and desire, and the Presence of God and the Way of Freedom. In other words, it is seeing or feeling your subtle egoity, your subtle self-energy and its actions of clinging in the form of attention and desire, your clinging to yourself and to all that feeds and protects you, your clinging to the nature and the world of form within and without, over against, or in opposition to, That which is not you and not your natural ways.

Intuitive understanding is a gift of Grace to those few who are deeply serious, sincere, passionate, open, and honest seekers of the one Higher Life. Such seekers are Praying to God for understanding, yet may not even realize it: a deep and core-level seriousness, sincerity, passion, openness, honesty, and attempting, are a Prayer. The spiritual-hobbyists or the merely-curious do not have those qualities, and are not given intuitive understanding, which is a profound Mercy, and is not a deprivation or punishment. Brahman or God, the Transcendental Intelligence and Power, the Creator, is Love and Goodness, regardless of whether the outcome is egoically-pleasing. Intuitive understanding would cause a profound internal conflict, and would be an insurmountable burden, and would, therefore, cause many severe problems for those who are not serious seekers of the one Higher Life. The great masses of humanity are enamored of themselves and the natural life of self-feeding and self-protection, and do far better being left-alone in their complete self-absorption, and in their lack of objectivity and lack of understanding of themselves and God.

Growth is, essentially, the increasing of God's Presence and Intelligent Influence, in and through a being and his life. Growth is mainly about God, and is not about the positive or pleasant changes in you and your life. Growth occurs by inviting and allowing God, and inviting and allowing are the sincere and deep attempting to live by Sacrifice, Faith, and Prayer. Intuitive understanding is the guide, the means, by which the seeker increasingly sees, feels, and comprehends what and how to Sacrifice, and increasingly sees, feels, and by which he increasingly knows how to live more by Faith, and which helps awaken the heart to communicate or Pray to the Creator in utter love and devotion. Intuitive understanding is by Grace, and, therefore, the ability and predisposition to truly and increasingly live by Sacrifice, Faith, and Prayer, are also by Grace. The entire Path is by Grace, from beginning to End, and is fully available through the gift of Incarnation, and only requires the seeker's passionate, one-pointed, yet effortless participation in that Grace, which is inviting and allowing, or Sacrifice, Faith, and Prayer. It is a beautiful life, even though some degree of suffering remains as long as egoity is alive. I Love you.

Purification and Change - A general explanation of Purification cannot be completely separated from a discussion of Change, without introducing a great deal of repetition, so I am including both in this section. Brahman, the Transcendental Intelligence and Power, "Works" on both Purification and Change simultaneously, and, more importantly, Purification affects the process of Change, and Change affects the process of Purification: they work together, and in the same arena of the selfhood.

Even the most sincere and passionate spiritual seeker is quite full of himself and his natural stuff and ways, and that is quite normal when someone begins to understand the Way of Freedom. But, he is tired of suffering, tension, disturbance, confusion, and darkness, and wants a very different life, a profoundly different way of living. Suffering is the great motivator for human beings. He wants the one true Higher Life, a truly Spiritual Life, a genuinely Godly life, a life founded in This which we call God, a life of ever-increasing freedom and moving toward Perfect Freedom. He wants a life of Goodness, a life of the Heart, a life of Freedom. But, he comes to see and understand for himself, that he cannot have a different life while everything about him, and how he lives, remains essentially the same. Some subtle aspects of the selfhood must be Purified or Removed, while others require Change. The great herds of humanity will often talk about wanting a better life, yet they continue living essentially the same natural way, and, moreover, will actively resist any suggestion to the contrary, which is why there are so few serious students of the Way of Freedom. Most people who encounter the Teaching of Freedom, will fail to understand that the only things being Sacrificed along the Way, essentially, are limitation and suffering; and they will either go away, or will keep a distance while unsuccessfully trying to integrate the Way into their natural life of self-feeding and self-protection, rather than the self-forgetting of Sacrifice, Faith, and Prayer in and to Him. But, that demonstrates the power of fear, superficiality, and delusion.

The ego generates self-energy, and this natural self-energy does the work of clinging to, and "harvesting," the things within and without that feed and protect the ego. I consider the ego itself, and its fear, and its un-moving impulse to feed and protect itself, to be primary egoity; while I refer to self-energy, and its actions and habit-patterns of clinging and "harvesting" on behalf of the ego, as secondary egoity. Contrary to the many spiritual paths and practices on the planet today, there is nothing Spiritual, or of God, about self-energy. That which is subtle or hidden is not necessarily Spiritual.

Purification removes all that prevents the Higher Life; it removes all that prevents Brahman or God from increasingly existing and operating in and through a being and life. Purification gradually weakens and eventually removes the subtle limitations of primary and secondary egoity, which prevent the Transcendental State, Intelligence, and Power from Incarnating. More specifically, over the years of truly and deeply attempting to live the Way of Freedom, Purification gradually weakens the ego, and eventually dissolves it in the moment of true Ego-Death, while, simultaneously and equally important, Purification also gradually burns-away the self-energy. Brahman or God gradually Purifies the self-energy, and gradually weakens the ego, and eventually permanently dissolves the ego in an instant. When the ego truly dissolves or dies, it cannot magically re-integrate or re-appear. The being cannot "go in and out of Egolessness," contrary to the statements of many deluded spiritual-types. Purification is not about feeding or protecting you, but quite the opposite. Purification makes room for God and the Higher Life. God makes room for God, not a better, more fulfilled, or safer you.

Purification weakens or lessens, and eventually completely removes, the subtle limitation and suffering of primary and secondary egoity; while God's Work of Change gradually alters the subtle and gross natural ways of living, the ways of self-feeding and self-protection, to that of the Unnatural Way of living, the Way of Freedom. Purification removes barriers to Freedom, while Change is made to actions that are contrary to Freedom. Purification deals with the stuff of egoity, while Change deals with the ways of egoity. Natural stuff is Purified. Natural ways are Changed.

The specific ways or actions of secondary egoity comprise that which I term the egoic process, but, essentially, the entire egoic process in nothing but clinging, and all clinging is rooted in fear. The un-thinking ego-animal is fear, and it generates and compels self-energy to perform the actions of fear, which are essentially clinging. The ego is the state of fear, and self-energy performs the actions of fear; and the actions of fear are essentially clinging. (I elaborate upon the egoic process in other writing, but such detail is beyond the scope of this essay and general overview.)

You cling to yourself, and you then cling to all that feeds and protects you. Your first, primary, and most-powerful clinging is the clinging to yourself, and, without which, no other clinging is possible. You first cling to you, the ego, at the base of the brain-mind, in that part of the self-energy that radiates from the ego, turns-back on the ego, or reverses course, and implodes back onto its origin. The remainder of self-energy continues its journey away from the ego, to go out, and to gather and cling to, all the stuff that feeds and protects you the ego.

The first "stop" for self-energy as it leaves the ego, is the brain-mind, which sits directly on top of the ego-animal. The mind is the director of self-energy, and it directs the subtle clinging-actions of self-energy within and beyond the body, as well as the gross-level physical behavior. The subtle actions of self-energy, and the gross-level physical behavior, may or may not be congruent in any given moment, which is normal. The first act of the mind, is to form or shape self-energy into a focused beam called attention. Part of the now-formed attention is used to reverse course and implode back upon the ego, as self-attention or ego-attention, and the remainder of the attention is used to attend and cling to the forms or objects, within and without, that are not the ego itself, such as the physical body, and other people, and possessions. You cling to all the non-ego stuff, in order to bring that stuff back unto and into yourself, and, ultimately, back to the ego itself, at least as close to the ego as you can get it. This paragraph generally describes the fundamental process of how you cling first to yourself, the ego, and how and why you then cling to stuff that is not you the ego. The mind organizes and focuses self-energy into the beam of attention. Self-energy in the form of attention, is the first of two subtle but very powerful tools the ego uses in clinging.

The next activity of self-energy within the mind, after self-energy is formed into attention under the direction of the mind, is to perform the three acts of perception, and experience (or the imprint of memory), and cognition. I will not address the specifics regarding perception and experience in this essay, but will briefly mention cognition. The mind uses self-energy to fuel and perform the conscious and unconscious cognitive processes necessary to think and function coherently in the world, in order to feed and protect the ego, which is to supply the ego with its specific survival, pleasure, and vanity needs. The conscious and unconscious cognitive processes provide organization and specific direction to the subtle actions of self-energy within and beyond the brain, as well as to the physical bodily behavior. Deep and powerful habit-patterns of the mind, self-energy, and physical behavior are developed over decades of acting to feed and protect the ego.

Part of the self-energy then leaves the brain-mind, and infuses the peripheral nervous system and the physical body, and also extends slightly beyond the confines of the body, creating a cocoon or aura that expands slightly outside the body, but very closely around the body. Self-energy then also becomes the clinging, taking, pulling-in, and implosive force of desire at the heart, as well as the sexual energy. Self-energy as the force of desire at the heart, is the second of two subtle but very powerful tools the ego uses in clinging, with attention being the first. Self-energy as the sex-drive maintains the existence of the human race. The body simply follows the lead and specific directions of the egoically-controlled mind and self-energy, in the endless drama and suffering of clinging, self-feeding, and self-protection.

The motion of the heart of love and conscience, is diametrically-opposed to the constrictive, clinging, taking, pulling-in, and implosive force of desire at the heart. Most people who think they feel or understand perfect or complete human love for another, even their own children, are not aware of the powerful clinging, ownership, control, and selfishness lurking within their sense of connection and "selfless" caring. Also, most people routinely or frequently act against the feeling-voice of conscience (if they have one), by either suppressing it or denying it, in favor of fulfilling their own personal desires. These statements of fact are, of course, not intended as an insult, for any amount of real love, empathy, and caring for another is better than none, even if it is fueled by some degree of selfishness and disingenuousness; but they simply demonstrate the size and power of the unconscious mind, and possibly an unconscious vanity-feeding delusion of "how loving, giving, and moral I am." Think of how many times you have heard people say, "I'm a very giving person," or "I always try to do the right thing." The human mind is quite complex at the more-surface or superficial layers of psychology, cognition, and patterning, and such statements are based in either ignorance or delusion, and are usually sincerely but erroneously believed to be true by the speaker. Remember: the mind is the agent of perception and experience of the world within and without, while the heart of love and conscience is the agent of connection to that which exists outside or beyond oneself. The mind provides perception and experience. The heart of love and conscience provides connection.

For most people who have a heart, the heart is not completely or always "black or white." The heart is not all clinging and desire, and is not all love and conscience, and not all the time, but is simultaneously and always varying degrees of both. The degree to which the heart is active and able to influence the mind, varies in any given moment, depending on how powerful is one's current process of desire and its clinging (or the desire-cycle as I term it). Self-energy as powerful desire, implodes and buries, or covers, the present or radiant heart of love, conscience, and connection; and the degree to which the heart is suppressed, the degree to which the heart is not active, present, or radiant, the degree to which the heart cannot influence the mind, usually depends on the power of the implosive force of desire. Desire at the heart is always active to some degree as long as the ego-animal is alive, therefore, prior to true Ego-Death, the heart is never fully active, present, or radiant in an individual. Various involvements or targets of the desire-cycle that still remain while egoity is alive, can be conscious or unconscious, even to the most advanced student of the Way of Freedom.

As a digression: You may now better understand how a person with an active heart can still engage in immoral, unethical, dishonest, or even cruel behavior: selfish desire overshadows or suppresses the heart and its love and feeling-voice of conscience, and the aggressive ego-monster is left fully in-charge of the mind with no countering influence from the heart. Psychosis can have the same effect, but by detaching the mind from the heart, and not by covering or suppressing the heart as with desire. Of course, desire and psychosis can occur simultaneously in the same person, but, for the sake of greater understanding, I am simply isolating, while outlining, the two main causes for an active heart to have no or little effect on the mind. Suppression and psychosis are the two main reasons why good people can do bad things, if they do not choose the heart in any given moment, and opt for the ego-monster and its desires. The psychopath has no heart, therefore any Teaching about love and conscience is not relevant to him or her, except to show that which he or she is missing.

Self-energy continues its movement down the nervous system, below the heart, to the sex organs. The desire for sex, at the heart, because of the pleasure it can create, is similar to any non-sexual desire for pleasure, and is not the natural urge for sex that arises solely from the sex organs. A person can feel the urge for sexual release in the sex organs, but not necessarily have a heart-desire for the act or pleasure of having sex. Sex is a normal part of life, and nothing is inherently Spiritual about having sex, and nothing is Spiritual about fighting the urge for sexual release while the body is causing a tremendous distraction through an overwhelming physical need for that release. Sex within a truly loving and committed relationship, is, ideally, not only pleasure or sexual release, but also a moment of love, openness, intimacy, caring, sharing, and friendship. The heart of love, caring, and friendship is ideally the basis for sex; and, the desire for pleasure, and the physical urge for sexual release, are merely satisfied in the embrace.

Lastly, self-energy is used to fuel the life and actions of the entire physical body: the nervous system, senses, skeletal system, muscles, and organs. Self-energy keeps the body alive, until the body begins to gradually degrade in old age, wherein the cells of the body progressively lose their ability to efficiently utilize self-energy, and you become increasingly tired and eventually die. As self-energy is gradually Purified (or Removed) along the Way, and not continually re-generated by maintaining the natural life, it is Replaced with Something else, thus fueling and sustaining the physical body in light of decreasing levels of self-energy. The weakening of the ego, and becoming increasingly empty of self-energy, does mean becoming increasingly empty; yet, seeking personal fullness and fulfillment from the Presence of God is merely that of seeking more self-feeding. God is, ideally, not for your personal feed or protection, yet every seeker will try to do just that because that is their natural tendency, until, by Grace, they deeply see beyond the error, or until they are no longer provided the opportunity. Great courage and strength are required to live contrary to your natural way of self-feeding and self-protection, but endless suffering is the greatest motivator to do just that.

Therefore, self-energy is first generated by the ego itself, and then it moves down into the mind, heart, sex organs, and entire physical body. So, what exactly is Purified and what is Changed along the Way?

First, the ego itself is Purified and Changed. The Purification of the ego can also be considered the weakening of the ego. Such weakening occurs during the years along the Higher Life and the Path to Freedom, until the moment of Ego-Death, until the great "turning-about" in the deepest seat of consciousness, until the Great Change wherein the ego is irrevocably dissolved and only God remains. The ego is gradually weakened, and the amount of self-energy it generates gradually decreases. However, the "weakening of the ego" in no way signifies that the individual is becoming a weak or passive person, with no strength of purpose, no courage, and no direction. Quite the contrary is true. As the ego is weakened, the mind becomes more available to the lead and guidance of intuitive understanding, and to the feeling-voice of love and conscience in the heart. Another effect of such weakening, is the self-energy that is being decreasingly generated by the ego and yet remains, becomes more effortlessly radiant or "falling-away" from the ego, and with less clinging, versus the withdrawal or "turning-back" or "falling-back" of self-energy onto the ego itself, and versus the powerful clinging to the other parts of nature within and without. Therefore, the ego is gradually Purified or weakened, and self-energy is therefore decreasingly produced. And, the general motion and actions of the remaining self-energy are gradually Changed from implosion, and constriction, to effortless radiance and falling-away; and from powerful and pervasive clinging, to weaker clinging and fewer clinging-stops along the way to infinity. The Purification or weakening of the ego is gradual, while the Great Change of Ego-Death is a very sudden, very powerful, very certain, and final event. Ego-Death is not subtle, and is not a mere "shift in consciousness," which is a phrase often heard and erroneously valued on the spiritual circuit except as a vanity-feed.

The ego can be correctly viewed as fear itself, as primary fear, and as the hub and origin of secondary fear in the entire being. Fear is cohesion, and cohesion is limitation, and limitation is suffering. Fear is a state of cohesion, and is primary egoity or primary fear, or the ego itself. Fear is also an action of cohesion, or secondary egoity or secondary fear, and is seen as the clinging and manipulation of self-energy relative to the nature within and without. The ego is the state of cohesion or fear, and self-energy engages the actions of cohesion or fesr. The natural inclination is to preserve cohesion, is for cohesion to preserve cohesion, both primary and secondary.

The Higher Life is contrary to the natural way, and seeks to increasingly invite and allow the dissolution or unraveling of the cohesion and limitation of primary and secondary egoity. Grace is Faithfully, Sacrificially, and Prayerfully allowed to do the Work of weakening primary and secondary egoity, as the serious student is decreasingly feeding and reinforcing that which is being Purified or weakened. Replacing and reinforcing that which is being Purified and weakened, by maintaining the natural life in the face of God, is not only a waste of time, but Metaphysical Law will not allow that cycle to continue in perpetuity. Also, scheming and effort in the attempt to weaken primary and secondary egoity, merely strengthens egoity. Faithful, Sacrificial, and Prayerful reliance on Grace is the only resort, if a person is serious and realistic about living the Higher Life and about eventually Realizing Freedom.

As primary egoity weakens, so do the clinging and manipulation of secondary egoity; and, conversely, as the clinging and manipulation of secondary egoity weakens, so does the state of primary egoity: simply not feeding the ego-animal will also weaken it. And, Grace guides and conducts the entire process of Purification and Change, of both primary and secondary egoity, as the follower passionately invites and allows it to unfold, from the very core of his mind, heart, and very being. Holding-back from the life of profound Sacrifice, Faith, and Prayer, especially in the face of Grace-Given intuitive understanding, in the face of God Itself, is fear, and is the action of fear. Have the courage that only an intolerance to the suffering of egoity can compel; a far, far Better life awaits.

Second, the mind is Purified and Changed along the Way. As you consider the mind as it relates to the Higher Life, do not assume that the Way of Freedom is only a matter of the mind. Those with a more-intellectual tendency are prone to make that mistake, as well as those who simply want to hide or hold-back the entire being and life from the Higher Life by dissociating the mind, and confining the "Path" to the mind, thereby not including the entire being and life in the on-going Faithful and Prayerful Letting-go to Infinity. They want to live the entire Path within the small cranium, where it is safe and where the rest of the being and life can be left-alone, but they merely become deluded in their safe mind-fantasy about their "Higher Life." The "mind-Path" that they live only in the brain, does not match the low-life reality of the heart, body, and subtle and gross actions of powerful self-feeding and self-protection, which is a form of psychosis: they truly believe they are Spiritual, while the reality within and without clearly indicates a common low-life. The mind is the central arena and hub of self-absorption and control, so it is natural that the mind would be used by spiritual-types as a sanctuary from God and Freedom. Many spiritual-types are enamored of their withdrawal and their safe, "peaceful," interior meditations, and "come out" when forced to fulfill their other survival, pleasure, and vanity needs. Common spiritual paths and practices merely increase self-absorption, and only take their adherents even further from God. Most average non-spiritual people, including most atheists, are far more sane, functional, and relational than most spiritual-types. Yes, the wise use of the mind is indeed vitally important, but the heart, and Grace-Given intuitive understanding, and the entire being and life, everything within and without, are also fully involved in the truly Higher Life. The mind is either an instrument, among others, for finding Freedom and Happiness, or it can be a tool of pure hell as is witnessed every day. The mind is the director of the entire being and life, and is under the control of primarily either the ego or intuitive understanding, but, for the few serious students of life who have found the Way of Freedom, the mind is not a sanctuary or retreat, and is not the entire infinite universe. The cranium is not infinite, and does not and cannot contain infinity. Spiritual-types want to create and become God in their own image, which is extremely safe. "Good. God is like me. I don't have to be like Him. I don't have to make any changes. In fact, since I am already enlightened and already God, then I can celebrate myself in all my spiritual glory. That was a close call."

The mind is very complex, and I cannot address all the details of mental function, and all the many forms of mental Purification and Change, in the context of this essay, but I hope this overview is informative and helpful. However, remember: do not allow the complexity of the mind, and my explanations of it or any aspect of the Path, to cause you to assume that living the Higher Life, on the way to Freedom, is complex and difficult (due to complexity), and that it will, therefore, be impossible or insurmountable for you to undertake. That assumption is not true, and I would not take the time to teach or write if that were the case. None of the complex information about the mind is absolutely necessary for you to deeply see and understand in order to Realize Freedom, but I offer it for those few who may be interested. What matters for real Growth is honesty and openness, and a deep passion, and a consistent and powerful compulsion and attempting to live by Sacrifice, Faith, and Prayer, and, essentially, a courage and willingness to make or allow any changes necessary in order to Grow toward Freedom, whether those changes are within or without. The Way of Freedom is extremely simple but very powerful, in both intuitive understanding and in its subtle and gross practice, and does not require a great intellect or a perfect memory. However, the truly Higher Life is, in a sense, the most difficult path a person can undertake, because it is completely contrary to how you are naturally, by birth, tending to live in every moment, which is self-absorption, self-feeding, and self-protection, and which are enacted and supported by clinging. You will, most likely, be alone in your seeking for true Freedom and a life of genuine goodness, because the ordinary, religious, and spiritual masses are enthralled with themselves and the rest of nature, as the life of self-absorption, self-feeding, and self-protection, and care nothing about Higher Matters or goodness. They have no way out, and want no way out, because they are satisfied with themselves and the other meager offerings of nature, and because they do not even realize they are trapped. Do not preach to others about the Better Way you have found; they do not want to hear it, and it will only cause you more problems with people, in addition to being a waste of time. Do not fight with nature for it to become other-than what it is, and do not cling to it. Let nature be what it is, and let it arise, change, and pass-away as it will. Keep your mouth closed, and your heart, mind, and hands open, and your vision on That which is currently beyond you. The Higher, the fewer.

The four general categories of normal mental function are: perception (or the work of the senses prior to imprint in the brain as memory), experience (or pure memory prior to reflection or thinking about it), cognition (or a broad range of thinking abilities including reflection, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation, knowledge, and creative imagination), and the resulting mental habit-patterns. Those four general categories and functions constitute the complex capacities of the human mind, and, as a group, distinguish human beings from other creatures, among other traits such as the heart of love and conscience, and the ability to Realize the Essence of creation or Freedom.

However, more broadly and in light of the Way of Freedom, the natural and normal human mind, under egoic control, is most essentially and simply a tool that directs clinging. The natural mind is a tool of the ego, and is fundamentally a director of clinging, on behalf of the ego that compels it.

The mental directions to cling give rise to the actions of clinging: first directions, then actions. The mental directions to cling, become the actions of clinging, as these seven clinging-processes: attention, assumption, scheming, projection, manipulation, ownership, and control. The four general categories of complex mental function mentioned in a preceding paragraph (perception, experience, cognition, and habit-patterns), operate within the natural mind to direct the actions of self-energy and the body in clinging. And, the mental directions to cling, as well as the subtle and gross actions of clinging, are manifest as the seven subtle and gross clinging-processes of: attention, assumption, scheming, projection, manipulation, ownership, and control.

The four mental functions that direct clinging, and the seven actions of clinging, are deeply intertwined, but are categorized as distinct for better understanding. The entire selfhood is comprised of a multitude of distinct structures and operations, but it is nevertheless a single life-system. The relationship between the directions to cling, and the actions of clinging, can be viewed similarly.

In other words, clinging is directed by the natural mind, and is enacted in the mind, and in the self-energy (which is inside and beyond the body), and by the physical body of the individual, in the form of: attention, assumption, scheming, projection, manipulation, ownership, and control. Clinging is the essential action that is inside, and directed by, the natural mind under egoic control, and in every moment. There is nothing complicated about the four directions and seven actions of clinging. The mental directions in clinging, and the subtle and gross actions of clinging, take varied forms or shapes within or without, but they are all essentially the same clinging, clamping-down, and holding-to the nature within and without. (Desire arises from the heart, but is also directed by the mind. Desire is excluded from this section on the mind, since the energy of desire arises from within the heart and not the mind. The six-stage desire-cycle is explained elsewhere in the written teaching.)

Remember these summary facts: The natural mind, without intuitive understanding and its guidance and direction toward the Higher Life and Freedom, is the director of self-energy in its actions of clinging within and without. And, the natural mind and the subtle actions of self-energy, also fuel and direct the gross-level physical actions of clinging. The natural mind, compelled by the ego, is the director of all subtle and gross actions of clinging, both within and without. The natural mind is acting and directing the entire being and life, primarily on behalf of the ego.

The mental directions and actions of clinging, are essentially about the mind directing self-energy and the body to cling, and those seven actions are merely various forms of the same direction to cling and the same action to cling. The natural mind is primarily under egoic control, and its directions to cling are the antithesis of Sacrifice, Faith, and Prayer. The natural mind is fundamentally nothing but the director of un-Sacrificial and Faithless and Prayerless clinging within and without.

All mental actions and directions, whether natural or Unnatural, can be repeated, and when repeated often enough, those mental actions and directions become ingrained and automatic, and then occur without prior conscious thought or effort. Mental habit-patterns are both genetic and environmentally-induced in origin, yet current environmental factors have a specific influence and cause a certain patterning in a particular mind, due to the genetics of the mind that receives those influences: one person responds differently from another person, to the same environmental influences, because of genetics and previous patterning (which was built solely on genetics and not prior patterning). Genetics has the most powerful role in destiny creation, albeit certainly not the only factor, especially for one who is truly surrendering himself to the Grace of Purification and Change, by deeply attempting to live by Sacrifice, Faith, and Prayer. The Way of Freedom can, before Ego-Death and Freedom, be viewed as a subtle but powerful habit, yet without the rigidity, predictability, and certainty of natural habit-patterns. Perhaps calling it a "habit of non-habit" may be appropriate.

Now, an important question for the serious student of life to consider: What am I allowing to compel, motivate, and control my mind? There are many forms of enquiry and many specific questions the student of life will ask himself along the Way, but the above question is fundamental, because the mind provides specific direction to the entire subtle and gross being and life. Therefore, that which leads your mind, also determines your destiny. More precisely stated, the essential question is: Am I allowing the ego-animal to rule my mind and thus my subtle and gross actions, or am I allowing intuitive understanding to lead? In other words, is nature (the ego) directing me in how to live, or is God, Brahman, the Transcendental Presence and Intelligence, leading me? Those who are burdened with arrogance would like to think that "I am in-charge of my life," but they do not understand that they are completely controlled by their very nature, and have a very limited life and possible destiny, because they are identified with and as the ego-animal and its natural ways, and are therefore not objective to themselves and the other Possibility. They do not question themselves or their actions, they do not question essentially how they live their lives, but are rather proud and full of themselves and their "independence" and "accomplishments."

When considering the only two general choices and leaders in life, the natural or Unnatural way, the ego or intuitive understanding as the primary leader of the mind, remember that a person does not have absolute free-will, but rather, at best, only free-choice; and free-choice only when he understands the one Alternative to the natural way. From the broader perspective, the masses have zero choice, despite their vanity-laden ideas to the contrary. The natural way, or the Unnatural Way, are the only two general choices in human life. A person indeed has many specific options he can choose in living the natural life, but it is still essentially the same miserable natural life of self-feeding and self-protection. Does that constitute having free-choice? Most people would say "Yes," which is true from their limited perspective. Also, I am not suggesting that anything is "wrong" with the natural (and moral) life. I offer this overview of the Teaching of Freedom, in this public manner, in order to possibly help the very few who may be interested in the Alternative. Most cannot endure reading the first contradiction to their current ideas, and will quickly go away, and continue life as usual, which is their choice. (The heart of love and conscience is part of both the natural and Unnatural life, and, if allowed, is a specific leader of the mind, and is discussed more later in this essay. But, the natural and Unnatural way, the ego and the intuitive understanding, nature or God, are the two general and most powerful destiny-creating forces. The heart of love and conscience is merely a factor in both ways of life, albeit a very important and beautiful factor. The heart of love and conscience plays an important role in both the natural life and along the Higher Life.)

Following the lead of nature, in the form of the ego, will merely create more of the same natural mind and life that you now have. The mental functions and directions of clinging and manipulation, of self-feeding and self-protection, will not only continue, but will strengthen over time, and the mind will "tighten-down" even more, and become even more self-involved, and an even more-powerful director of clinging. The life within and without becomes increasingly smaller, and the result is even more limitation and suffering as you get older. You only become more of what you are. But, the good news is that the same principle works equally well in helping the serious student of life advance along the Higher Life toward Freedom. He too becomes more-and-more of what he is, and realizes more-and-more of the depth and breadth of the Higher Life.

As the mind increasingly follows the lead of intuitive understanding, the mind decreasingly directs the actions of clinging and immoral manipulation. Following the intuitive lead of greater Sacrifice, Faith, and Prayer, also weakens the previously-established mental habit-patterns that direct clinging and immoral manipulation, while leaving-alone all neutral or positive mental habit-patterns. As you Grow thusly, the mind is also ever-increasingly opening itself to intuitive understanding, and to the heart's feeling-voice of love and conscience, as the mind decreases its clamping-down upon itself and decreases its directions to cling to the rest of nature.

The ego, which almost completely controls the natural mind, is gradually weakened along the Way, by Grace and by decreasingly feeding and protecting the ego. The mind is, therefore, gradually acting less-and-less under egoic-control, along the Higher Life toward Freedom. The ego is the state of fear or cohesion, and it compels the mind to act on its behalf, in directing the specific clinging-actions of fear, through self-energy and the body. Therefore, as the ego weakens, the mental power, functions, and patterns that create and direct clinging, gradually and proportionally diminish. That is generally how the mind is Purified and Changed along the Way: by the lead and work of Grace, and by voluntary participation in that Grace, which includes less-and-less feeding and protection of the selfhood. That which is not fed, weakens and eventually dies.

Can the mind function and function well, without directing the actions of clinging? Yes, and that is an integral part of the Way of Freedom. Also, the very existence, person, and life of the Incarnation would suggest an affirmative response.

Then, how exactly does the mind and all its functions, work to direct the life, without also directing the subtle and gross actions of clinging? A person is sitting with an outstretched hand; his palm is facing up and is completely open. Someone places a large stack of cash in his palm. Can the money exist in his hand without him clinging to it, even to a small degree? Also, can you see and admire the great beauty or high monetary value of an object, without any desire to own it, without any desire to take it unto and into yourself? The same principle is true for all levels and forms of mental function. Wear the world like a very, very loose robe, and then stop wearing it all.

I will caution the reader at this point: The serious student does not become weak-minded or stupid along the Way; to assume such would be the greatest of errors, especially since, in fact, quite the opposite is true. As the mind becomes more free of the low-life compelled by the ego-animal, the mind increasingly and proportionally operates with even more strength, focus, clarity, intelligence, and decisiveness, and is also increasingly open to intuitive understanding and to the feeling-guidance of the heart of love and conscience. Do not assume that mental Purification and Change will lead to any form of mental degradation, but know that, to the contrary, the mind greatly improves along the Way. The serious student learns that to be an under-statement. The mental self-energy that is decreasingly used in the creation and maintenance of the clinging low-life, becomes increasingly available for giving-over in the Sacrifice and Faith of the Higher Life, and the mind is gradually Purified of the low-life of the ego-animal, and Changed in its patterning of clinging and immoral manipulation, in the process. However, the Way of Freedom is not a self-improvement course, even though various aspects of the selfhood do greatly improve along the Way.

But, since self-energy fuels the mind and body of the natural person, and since self-energy decreases along the Higher Life, then how does the mind and body continue to function into the higher stages of the Way? Would not the mind and body simply weaken over time, and eventually die as a result? No, obviously not, for if that were the case, then God-Realization and Incarnation could not occur. The answer is simple: that which is Purified or Removed by Grace, is Replaced by Grace. The Energy-Presence of God proportionally fills the void left by the gradual removal of self-energy. The more self-energy is removed, the more God's Presence replaces it. However, I am offering a very strong caution: do not seek to be filled with God's Presence, for if you do, you are doing no more than using God for your own self-feeding. In that case, you are shutting-down the very Higher Life you are seeking. Feeding on God's Presence is an extremely powerful temptation for every person, even the most advanced student of life. The Sacrifice of all clinging includes not clinging to the body or how it feels, and includes not even clinging to God Itself. Freedom and Happiness are, paradoxically, not for personal enjoyment, even though the person is greatly Changed by them. Surrender into Freedom and Happiness to Infinity, as you Sacrifice all self-feeding and self-protection, all of it. You cannot contain and own Infinity; you can only surrender in-to It, forgetting yourself along the Way. Only God remains on this Other Shore, and you are Carried for all but the last moment of the journey. The tendency to suck God and His Gifts unto and into your selfhood, is always present as long as egoity is alive. You have, by Grace, been informed.