Wong Loh (Huang-Lao): The Teacher

Dr. Marie is an Initiated Student who has been with Wong Loh Sin See since 1986. While she has studied many other modalities (shamanism, pagan, remote healing systems, nature spirits, crystals, life between lives regressions, animal communication, psychic talents, oracle cards and more) she considers Wong Loh her primary Teacher and with great respect and gratitude incorporates his philosophies and methods of meditation into all of her teachings and work with Students as well as Healings. You will see in these writings this "warning": No one else can claim to be assisting the Teacher as his representative. The Teacher himself is the only one who can make this acknowledgement. Both Wong Loh and Leong Tan have publicly acknowledged (in workshops and retreats) Dr. Marie's teachings and students in her area were instructed to continue their development by studying with her if they desired to eventually initiate with Wong Loh.

The material presented here is the original text from the 1980's given to those who wished to study with Wong Loh. It is relevant if you wish to study with Dr. Marie either remotely or at Life Path Healings, Yucaipa CA.

An Introduction to the Philosophy of Wong Loh Sin See (Huang-Lao)

PREFACE

The fact that you care enough to begin this booklet shows that you want to learn and grow. That desire for growth and advancement is half the battle. This writing introduces a teaching that embraces the belief that Spiritual wisdom is already inside each of us. It helps people find their own Inner Selves and their own paths to connection with the spiritual source. It teaches us to become strong by depending on ourselves, not on things outside ourselves for answers (for example, spiritual masters and spiritual beings). If you are ready for the challenge of facing yourself, then you are ready to learn more about the Teacher, Wong Loh Sin See, and his Path.  (The word “his” is used because in the USA, Wong Loh comes through a man’s body).

INTRODUCTION

You will soon begin to learn about meditation and spiritual practices. At first it may seem confusing; but it is really a simple process that helps you be more in touch with yourself, live life more fully, care more for other people, and have more insight into your own problems, conflicts, and challenges. Overcoming your problems and challenges requires hard work. The odds are that you will not become a saint, but you may become a much better human being.

These teachings are appropriate for people of any faith and work in concert with any religious belief. There is no "right" or "wrong" religion. A person merely chooses or is born into a particular way of approaching the same task, that of increasing the capacity for love and spirituality. All paths to that goal are equally good . Have confidence in yourself, and don't be overly impressed by the people who work with the Teacher, who assist him and have been trained by him. They have been at this for a long time, so they've developed certain skills that are potentially there for all of us. But they are still just people working through their own problems, their own fears, their own insecurities.

THE TEACHER

The main concern in this path is your personal development and your relationship with yourself. Sometimes people get distracted by focusing on their relationship with the Teacher, trying for his approval or wanting to please him. Many people are also very curious about him since he is a kind of being most of us haven't   encountered before. The basic information in the following paragraphs may help you avoid certain common pitfalls. But please take this advice to heart: do not waste your time and energy becoming overly curious about the Teacher. He is here as an instructor and guide so that we can develop our Inner Selves and progress spiritually. He is not here to satisfy our intellects about either himself or cosmology.

The Teacher has no physical form. He is a spiritual being, and he communicates with us directly only through a process called channeling, in which his consciousness enters a human body and uses that form for communication.

The human body is merely a vessel in which our consciousness (or "personality" or "self') resides. In some forms of channeling, the person's consciousness leaves the physical body and stays on another plane of existence for a little while so that a spiritual being may borrow the body and use it to facilitate communication with people. It may seem strange, but it serves a purpose. The gap between the realm of pure spirit and life on the material plane is so great that this is one of the few ways we can make conscious contact with the higher planes.

The Teacher can also help us when he is not "physically" present, but most of us are not sensitive enough to consciously feel or sense that help. However, if we mention his name just before meditation, the Teacher can assist us. In time of great internal struggle, we can sometimes find help or comfort by thinking his name.

We call the Teacher Wong Loh Sin See. "Sin See" means teacher or master. He has never been in human incarnation. He has no gender or nationality. However, he did begin teaching in the Chinese community in Malaysia, and he teaches a Chinese philosophy. He does so because he says that it is beneficial at this point in time for this ancient philosophy to be reintroduced. But he is really pure spirit, adopting a form in order to help us.

What you will see in class is a request by the Teacher's student, Leong Tan, for the Teacher's presence. Leong enters a very deep state of meditation and totally quiets his mind, losing all conscious awareness of himself. The Teacher is then able to enter his body and use it to instruct us. Leong has no awareness or memory of  what has happened while the Teacher uses his body. He is a totally separate individual from the Teacher. When the Teacher leaves his body, Leong is usually rested and refreshed, but hungry-and he sometimes wonders what happened to cause tears, laughter, or hugging.

The channeling does not harm Leong. However, it is not something to play with even if you are capable of reaching a very deep state of meditation. When channeling is done properly with careful guidance, it can be a wonderful way for a spiritual teacher to make direct contact with students on this plane. But there is no guarantee that the being using the body will be spiritually advanced, and done incorrectly, channeling is not without dangers. It is better not to experiment on your own.

The Teacher's technique is an Eastern one. He teaches through confusion, forcing us to face questions ourselves rather than giving us direct answers. Very often, what he says does not seem to make sense at first. It is only after we work over a particular issue and use our hearts as well as our minds that we discover that the Teacher's words have served as a key, allowing us to unlock the door of understanding for ourselves. Often what the Teacher says should not be taken literally. He uses words to provoke thought, emotion, or conflict so that we will find our own answers. He confuses us, makes us think, makes us feel, and makes us confront our problems ourselves. In that way, he helps us to grow.

He will not predict the future for us, will not make decisions for us, and will not allow us to become dependent on him. He does not want to be worshipped or obeyed. He is here to teach us, and he sometimes does that by serving as a mirror, showing us our own problems and areas of weakness, our strengths, our potential, and our challenges.

There is a lot of confusion about the way the Teacher teaches, especially because sometimes he does give very specific advice or make predictions about what will happen in the future. We cannot emphasize too strongly that this advice or these predictions with very rare exceptions should not be taken literally. They very often are the exact opposite of what may be best for us and are said for the express purpose of bringing us to that conclusion, or simply of making us think. Sometimes what he says intensifies our internal conflicts so that we are forced to face our shortcomings and are released from our old thought patterns. But sometimes Teacher's words are exactly accurate. He keeps us just confused enough that we have to think for ourselves.

The bottom line is this: don't look to the Teacher for answers. He won't give them. But he will show us how to ask the right questions so that we can find our own answers. If he were to show us everything, solve all our problems, we would become lazy and dependent on him, growing weaker and weaker. Instead, we must make our own choices, exercise our own free will. This is the only way for us to become stronger.

The Teacher's path is not an easy way to eternal bliss. It is constant hard work. No matter how difficult our lives become, we must still try to be kind to others, patient, calm, and accepting. We must be benevolent and  tolerant toward others when they trip and fall, and toward ourselves when we make the same mistakes over and over again. We must keep striving to be better people, no matter how severely we are tested. We must remain steadfast in our commitment to spiritual growth.

This sounds easy. You may think, "I'm ready. I'm looking forward to the challenges." You may feel prepared to go out there and slay a few dragons before breakfast. But it is not that simple. We are not talking here about a romanticized conflict between you and the devil and when you've won you live happily ever after. We are talking about constant effort, every day, every minute to purify yourself and to be more open, honest, kind, and committed in thought, word, and deed. This is not a way to make your life easier or to bypass your daily issues; it is a way to make your life more difficult and to confront your issues head-on. It is also a way to make your life immeasurably more rewarding. It imbues every act with significance.

What we do here on Earth is important. We don't know how we fit into the cosmic scheme of things, but we do know that our actions have significance. We are not talking about making a lot of money or writing the Great American Novel or founding a hospital or leading a peace organization. The significance is not in what we do, but in how we do whatever we do-the consciousness we bring to bear in our smallest actions. We don't have the perspective to recognize the relative importance of our acts, both in terms of purifying our own energy and in helping other people. It could well be that the most important thing a famous politician will do in his or her life is to give a child encouragement when it is needed. A ballerina may do more in one moment's kindness to a friend than in an entire career of creative magnificence. These so-called "small acts" can matter enormously in someone else's life, and their effects can ripple through the water of our entire society. In paying attention to these principles and small acts, we also change ourselves. We focus our energy toward the spiritual, so that our daily lives become the expression of our meditations.

As we work more with the Teacher, we face more challenges, both in meditation and in our lives. This can make things very difficult, but it also accelerates the learning process. By struggling with our problems, by working them out for ourselves, by adhering to our beliefs even when the going gets rough, we become much stronger both in our ability to deal with the pressures of the world and in a spiritual sense.

A reminder: The Teacher sees the physical world as our training ground. It would be useless for him to do battle for us. Instead, he shows us where we need to fight and lets us decide which weapons to choose. It is up to us to fight our own battles, even against great odds.

Sometimes it seems as though the burdens we have to bear are too heavy, as though we simply can't go on. We may think that it's not fair, that we shouldn't be forced to make such constant effort, that we should be allowed a vacation from spiritual striving, from trying to be kind, understanding, and loving. This is the time when we need the greatest courage and when we have the opportunity to demonstrate our faith and strength. These times of hardship are also our times of greatest growth. When we are comfortable, we don't change much. There doesn't seem to be any reason to change. But when we are in pain, when things are very difficult for us, we become more open. It hurts to have old habits broken down, to break through emotional and spiritual blocks. But it is important to remember that sometimes what we experience as frustrating limitations, as pain, or even tragedy is really tremendous opportunity for growth. These can be times of awakening for the soul, if we can keep our faith alive and maintain our spiritual beliefs in the face of tremendous hardship.

THE PATH

The Teacher does not say that his way is the "right way," or that we must embrace his path. He wants to help us find our own paths. He tells some people that they should meditate more and others that they should meditate less and pay more attention to the way they live their lives. Some people see him once or twice. Others attend classes or workshops regularly. There are no rules, no absolutes, at least not in that sense.

There are, however, a few essentials. These are expressed in the form of challenges and principles. What we will share with you here is merely the skeleton. You have to fill in much of the flesh for yourself over time. However, you will notice that two threads run through almost everything relating to the Teacher: the need to use the heart rather than just the mind and the need to integrate spiritual work into daily life.

Our intellects are extremely useful. We need them to make our way through the world. But we also need our hearts, our feelings, our intuition. What we perceive with our eyes and our minds can be very superficial. What we see from our hearts is real. We need to learn to trust our inner voices, our feelings. We need to learn to quiet ourselves when we deal with other people so that we can really listen to them and sense their feelings and their needs. We need to feel more kindness and compassion, both for others and for ourselves. The physical world is our training ground. Every facet of daily living is an integral part of our spiritual path. Before we can be spiritual beings, we must be good human beings.

IN1RODUCTION TO THE TEN PRINCIPLES AND THE SEVEN CHALLENGES

Those of us with active, curious Western minds always want to know, "Well, what exactly is the Teacher's philosophy?" We want long-winded, fascinating explanations, volumes to entertain our minds. But there is no need for complex philosophy. Teacher's basic belief is in goodness and simplicity, in living a good life. We need to feel good about ourselves so that we can be good to other people.

If your curiosity is insatiable, you may read books on Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. Teacher's philosophy can be understood as a synthesis of all three. We don't need textbooks or courses in philosophy to study with the Teacher. All we really need is knowledge of approximately seventeen words divided into two categories: principles and challenges.

If you spend your life studying these principles and following them, you are doing more than you can imagine for your spiritual development. Actually, you don't even need to emphasize the study of the principles. Just live them.

THE TEN PRINCIPLES

The integration of the mundane and the spiritual is a cornerstone of the work the Teacher does with us. It can be seen very clearly in the chart (written in Chinese) of the ten principles. The principles are written in the middle, offset by a sentence on each side. The sentence on the left reads, "To follow the paths on Earth; cultivate the self-according to the laws of humanity and society." On the right is written, "To follow the path of Heaven; cultivate the Tao with diligence and sincerity of heart." We must follow both paths. We also must have respect for the principles. That is why, though there are ten principles, there are eleven words on the chart. Underneath the tenth principle is the word for altar. It means that we should elevate the principles as if they were on an altar (both the Chinese and the English translation of this chart follow).

1. Benevolence. We must be compassionate with both ourselves and others, growing in kindness and understanding. We must learn to be tolerant of mistakes, of failings, and of flaws. It is just as important to be benevolent toward ourselves as toward others, to literally have "good will." You might try to understand it this way: when you help other people, you are offering yourself. If you don't like and care for yourself, how can you fully offer that self to others? This is important since helping others is part of the basis of spirituality.

2. Loyalty. All of these principles should be applied both in everyday life and in spiritual life. On a day-to-day basis, we must be loyal to our families, our friends, and our own beliefs. Trying to be a good human being or to lead a spiritual life is a constant battle. We can't just have good intentions some of the time. We don't just believe in things or in people only when it's convenient. We must be steadfast and strong no matter what the external circumstances. We must stand by our ideals and live according to them, especially when it is difficult.

3. Faith/Belief. On a personal level, this means we must have faith and belief in our families, our friends, and ourselves. It is also very important to realize that we are not alone, that there are powers far beyond our understanding, that there is a purpose to existence. It does not matter if we call this being or these powers God, Christ, the Great Spirit, or Brahma. It does matter that we believe in something greater than ourselves and that we maintain that faith even in the face of pain and doubt and disappointment.

4. Righteousness. We must live our lives according to our beliefs. It is not good to believe in truth or honesty and then lie about a product at work because it's more convenient or a way to make more money. We also can't profess a belief in helping others and then harden ourselves against someone in pain because we are just too busy. If we witness an injustice, we should do whatever is within our power to make things right. But this is not to say that we should become fanatics or self-righteous do-gooders. We must have humility, and we also must recognize our limitations. We should, however, try to do as much as we can, whenever we can. We must have the courage and strength to follow spiritual principles, no matter how difficult.

5. Social Ritual We do not live in a vacuum, in social isolation. We live with people, organized into a society. Because of that, we have certain functions and certain responsibilities. The way we deal with our work, with our community, and our neighbors is just as important as the way we deal with prayer or meditation. We live in this world, and we need to blend in with customs and cultures as much as possible. We also need to recognize that our jobs, no matter what they are, are important and fulfill a function. We are all interdependent, each playing an essential role in making sure the whole of life works smoothly. We should try to do what is right, not only for ourselves but for humankind as a whole.

6. Proper Roles (Family and Society). Just as we have certain social functions within the society, we also have important roles in the micro-society of the family. For the Chinese and Asian communities, proper roles within the family are particularly important. This is reflected in the Principle Board by the fact that all of the principles can and should be applied to the family as well as to society at large. All ten principles are based on or influenced by the Confucian belief in moral living and proper human relationships.

Another thread affecting both family and society that can be seen running through all ten principles is the influence of Confucianism. To a certain degree they are all based on or are influenced by the Confucian belief in moral living and proper human relationships. This principle is based on the Confucian belief that each member of society and family has specific status and role based on duty and responsibility. If each individual, starting with the ruler of the country and the father of the family, carries out the duties of that role properly, then everyone is taken care of. The people are ruled justly, the family flourishes, and therefore the individual flourishes.

This points out an important distinction between Western and Eastern cultures. Westerners are trained to be more independent or self-centered, whereas Easterners are taught to be more others-centered. In the West, it is believed that if each individual is self-actualized and finds personal contentment, he or she has more to offer their family, friends, and society in general. In the East, it is believed that if each individual sees first to the needs of the family, friends, and the society in general, then he or she can experience contentment and feelings of personal achievement. These differences make this principle more challenging for Westerners because we are not always comfortable playing a proper role more for the benefit of others or for the benefit of the whole, rather than for their own needs and desires.

7. Female Principle or Female Role. This principle is somewhat archaic, having to do with the way women functioned in ancient society. The role of women in ancient China was that of constant nurturing of others in exchange for security and protection. A daughter was expected to be totally obedient to her father until she married. After marriage, she was expected to be totally obedient to her husband. If anything happened to her husband, she was then under the care of her eldest son.

Obviously, this is no longer the case. The principle is outdated. Even with this acknowledgment, why is it that when it is presented to a group, some women immediately refute it defensively, and men make jokes about reinstating it? Most importantly, why is it still included, and what does it teach us? Perhaps it makes us look at that past and at all the places where we still haven't healed. It encourages us to look at the confusions and resentments that appear so frequently in our male-female interactions and at the places where we still lack equality. One hopes it will help us to improve those relationships in the future.

8. Filial Loyalty or Filial Piety. In the Judea-Christian tradition, we are more familiar with this in the form "Honor thy father and thy mother." Our parents deserve our love and respect simply for the fact that they are our parents. They were the vehicles for our arrival on Earth. The Chinese also believe that we are karmically linked to our ancestors, and by paying respect to them, we work at keeping that link open on a spiritual level. They build altars to their ancestors and believe that we can both get help from past generations and assist the souls of former generations.

On a more mundane level, as we learn to deal better with our families, we prepare ourselves for dealing better with the larger family of man. Our relationship to ourselves and our families is the base from which we build everything else. In having and showing respect and love for our parents, we form the basis for loving and respecting the rest of creation.

9. Honesty. This is not quite as simple as merely telling the truth, although that is obviously important. We must be honest in our dealings with other people. We must also live in an internally truthful or honest fashion-facing ourselves without flinching, no matter how uncomfortable we are with what we see. We must gradually learn how to break down our defense mechanisms, our blinders. We must see and honestly admit our shortcomings before we can truly work on them. In working with the Teacher, our blinders are constantly being lifted, and we are repeatedly forced into the difficult task of having to look at ourselves.

10. Enlightenment. The Teacher says that following the first nine principles leads to the tenth, enlightenment. He does not, however, say exactly what enlightenment is, and he discourages us from focusing on its attainment. Instead, he counsels us to follow the first nine principles and struggle with the seven challenges (discussed in the next section). We should not expend our energies trying to understand the concept of enlightenment. It is much more important for us to do the work itself with constant effort to be and act as good, caring, loving people. The aim here is not to reach an unconscious state of bliss but rather a conscious recognition of our responsibilities, a constant state of extreme awareness.

THE SEVEN CHALLENGES

The theme underlying all of the challenges is the basic struggle to be a well-balanced, good-hearted person. The Teacher tells us not to fool ourselves; it is very difficult to be a truly good human being.

1. Humility. Whatever qualities or attributes we possess were given to us. They were not our doing. We didn't create our intelligence, facility with languages, artistic skill, or ability to deal well with people. These are, quite literally, gifts. As we develop spiritually, we increase our ability to help or heal others. We can become better vehicles for healing or helping, but we are not the originators of that energy. Part of the purpose of spiritual development is to help others, but that is not a way or an excuse for making ourselves more important or powerful. Quite the contrary.  Arrogance will only get in the way of our being truly useful and of our spiritual progress. We are working to make the ego smaller, not larger. It is our Inner Self which receives guidance from the spiritual source. To receive that guidance, the ego must be quiet and must surrender its dominance. We should not be arrogant about any new-found wisdom or ability; we should be grateful for the gifts and use them well.

2. Patience. Spiritual development takes a very long time and is a slow and painstaking process. It is work that does not end. There is no "getting there." There is only more insight, and the reward is more work. So patience is essential. We want to meditate better, to feel more, to get a better handle on our lives. But spiritual growth is a natural process, and it can't be rushed. Impatience merely hampers our progress. It is as inappropriate as standing in your garden and screaming at a seedling to grow faster, to hurry up and bloom. It just doesn't work for either plants or humans.

3. Acceptance of Fate. Some things can't be changed. We can't control reality. But we can control the way we deal with whatever happens. We can feel defeated by a particular event and scream at the heavens, or we can choose to view the event as a challenge, a test of our ability to maintain faith no matter what the circumstance, an exercise in maintaining patience, courage, and compassion even under duress. This is not to say that we should be totally passive in our lives and consider everything as immutably fated. But we should recognize that some things are beyond our control and must simply be accepted as gracefully as possible.

4. Surrender. Surrender involves faith, humility, and acceptance of fate. We must understand that our knowledge of how we fit into the great scheme of things is extremely limited. We do not know why we are confronted with certain situations, why we end up having to do a certain kind of work, or how what we say or do to other people might affect their lives. We cannot see into the future or know what we are being prepared for. We must simply live on faith that our struggles have some meaning, that our efforts are not in vain. We must surrender and have faith in the forces that impel our lives.

We must also surrender in meditation. In particular, we must surrender the ego. We need to bypass the intellect and the ego so that higher spiritual forces can communicate with our Inner Selves. We must have faith in the power and benevolence of those forces so that we can truly let go and surrender ourselves to their care.

5. Simplicity. One of the greatest compliments the Teacher pays a person is to say that he or she is "simple," meaning open, direct, uncomplicated. In our culture, we tend to respect complexity, and we use our minds to make things "more interesting," that is, more complex. But in meditation the intellect and complexity simply have no place. Our desire to understand, to define, to systematize and complicate just gets in the way. We have to just be simple, to accept whatever does or doesn't happen, to be content.

How do we become more simple? Through practicing acceptance, surrender, humility, benevolence, honesty, righteousness, patience, and faith. The Teacher said once that it is very difficult for a complicated person to become simple. It is much easier for a simple person to become complicated. He just needs to learn to constantly ask "Why?" Obviously, for Westerners, to become simple is an extremely complex challenge. 

6. Detachment. When we learn to accept fate and surrender our egos and intellects, we learn to have more detachment in our everyday lives. This does not mean that we don't care about things, or people, or our responsibilities. We still experience strong emotions and can be deeply involved in many areas. But we learn to maintain a certain perspective, to see things in context rather than merely from the narrow viewpoint of our own egos. When someone infuriates us, we still feel the rage. But, in addition, we learn to have the discipline to also view the situation impersonally, as if we were an impartial observer. We need to learn not to be attached to our emotions, while still feeling them. We may experience deep grief at the death of a loved one, but we don't define ourselves by that emotion. We can be in mourning, yet still experience great joy, for example, at the birth of a child. Being in a state of grief does not exclude moments of happiness.

We must also learn detachment from our past patterns of behavior. Many of us define ourselves as victims for whom everything seems to go wrong, or as scapegoats who are always hated and picked on, or as underachievers or overachievers. We must learn not to define or limit ourselves in terms of stereotypes or anything else. We must learn to detach ourselves from our own destructive habits.

7. Nature. The final challenge is to always harmonize and flow with what is natural, both the natural flow ofthe universe and our own inner natures. In meditation, we learn to "go with the flow" and blend with different energies. In day-to-day life, we try to live in harmony with nature, not upsetting the natural balance of our world. We also accept and follow our natural inclinations of hunger and the need for sex and rest. When we are angry, we express the anger rather than feeling guilty about it and repressing it. When we are sad, we allow the emotion to flow through us. The harmony we are talking about is, on both the mundane and the spiritual level, the "natural" outcome of facing the challenges and following the principles.

SUMMARY

If the only thing that we do in terms of cultivating ourselves spiritually is attempt to sincerely follow the ten principles and consistently try to master the seven challenges, we can reach a very high level of spiritual attainment. Although meditation is extremely important, the principles and challenges are even more so. True spiritual development is measured by the goodness of our hearts, not in our accomplishments in the mundane world or in our ability to meditate well. However, this still does not minimize the immense value of meditation.

MEDITATION

When people first begin to work with the Teacher, they are often very confused about what meditation is and how it works. They are told to sit quietly with their hands in a particular position and "let go." But of course, they have no idea what "letting go" is, and their minds wander faster and faster, thinking "Am I doing this right?" This is a common experience. The trick is learning how to stop it by surrendering, harmonizing, and accepting the energies.

Meditation is basically the process of wanting to be in harmony with ourselves and the energies that surround us and then working toward that unity by sitting very quietly and slowing down our thoughts until they disappear and we just are. There is a delicate balance here. Our intentions are very important-our desire to advance, to become calmer and wiser, more loving and more at peace. But once we have set that intention, we must learn to let go of any effort associated with it. This is not like a course in school, where trying and studying helps to ensure good grades. Trying and straining, in fact, can block our progress, because what we are developing here is not the intellectual mind, but the ability to simply flow with what is natural.

Our conscious, rational minds simply cannot grasp the abstract concepts and energies involved in the spiritual realm. Therefore, what we do in meditation is to get the intellect and the ego out of the way as much as possible, because spiritual energy cannot communicate directly with that part of us. The spiritual source can only communicate with the spiritual part of our own selves, for which we use the term "Inner Self." In this culture, the Inner Self tends to be underdeveloped, because our society puts a much higher value on intellectual achievements and rationality than it does on more spiritual qualities such as intuition, kindness, and love. In the West, we have a tendency to want to understand everything, to seek explanations. But much of meditation comes from just having faith and trust that we will be helped and guided-through feelings that we sense rather than from thoughts. It is based on the understanding that there are more advanced energies and beings, that there is purpose and meaning in the universe.

No one can tell you exactly how to progress. There is no predetermined goal. Actually the process is the goal. This is not like learning to do the multiplication tables-learn them and you've got it. In meditation, there is no "getting it." It is more like learning to ride a bike. After a while you can keep your balance, but you still don't know whether you will be struggling up steep hills or coasting by a beautiful lake. There is no telling what kind of adventures you will have while you are on the road. There is no set destination. You are not trying to get anywhere. The experience itself teaches you. You don't "have it" if you spot a particularly beautiful cloud formation while you are riding. You haven't "lost it" if you hit a rock and go flying into a puddle. You will ride again and encounter other things, and learn as you go. The same is true for meditation. There are always places to go, and you learn simply by being on the road.

When we sit down to meditate, we want to open ourselves to the spiritual energies of the universe and to the guidance of our Inner Selves. We close our eyes to reduce our sensitivity to external stimulation. We allow ourselves to focus inward, not minding the sounds around us or slight physical discomforts. We try to relax, physically and mentally, to let go of the tension in our bodies and the forceful control of our thoughts. We just sit, and when our thoughts begin to build, we let those comments and questions drift by as if they didn't mean anything to us, as if they were leaves blowing across the grass. If we are asked to focus on a particular area such as the heart or the top of the head, we simply allow our attention to focus internally on that region and then rest there. That really is all there is-that and patience, a lot of patience.

There is no set timetable for being more comfortable while meditating, for becoming more peaceful, for having sensations of energy, or for having a feeling of calm and harmony. The changes in our energy are often very slow and very subtle, and we can't detect them even though we are changing. That is why we have to be patient and have faith and trust. We must do the work, knowing that the rewards may not be immediate. They will come in time.

When we meditate, we are seeking purification through the blending of our personal energy with the energy of the universe, and through the circulation of spiritual energy through our physical bodies. The spiritual energy cannot communicate directly with our physical bodies. The spiritual energy cannot communicate directly with our egos, our intellects, or our rational minds. It must communicate with our Inner Selves, our own spiritual aspects. In order for that communication to take place, our conscious minds must be very calm and quiet, as much "out of the picture" as possible. This is what is meant by letting go. We must let go of our attachment to our egos and thoughts. It isn't helpful to be curious about the process because curiosity slows it down. So does self-doubt. All the things that made us bright students-our questioning, our attempts to understand-can only block us here. Instead of curiosity, we must have acceptance, faith, and patience.

The process of meditation can help us in every aspect of our lives, because all parts of our lives are interconnected. Just as the "knee bone is connected to the shin bone," the physical body is intermeshed with the Inner Self which in turn is connected to the spiritual energy of the universe. As we open ourselves to more spiritual energy, we gain access to more wisdom and calm. We integrate these into our lives and, in turn, find that we can confront personal issues that we may not have been ready to deal with before. Resolving these, we become stronger and capable of accepting more spiritual energy. At the same time, we must strengthen our physical bodies to make them better vessels for the circulation of energy.

One of the ways to strengthen our bodies is through a phenomenon known as "guided movements." This is a form of meditation, taught by the Teacher, in which the energy guides the body into different postures or movements. Sometimes it resembles t'ai chi or yoga, sometimes martial arts, sometimes dance. At first it can be awkward or jerky, but in time and with practice, and as the person learns to stop thinking and just feel the sensations and move with them, the Inner Self guides the body into exercises that strengthen the parts that most need strengthening. You should not be disturbed if you feel a lot of energy or if you don't. Some people move a lot, and some people don't. However, if you are attempting to work with guided movements, try not to either expect them or force them. Just open yourself to whatever does or doesn't happen. If you are one of those unusual people who experience intense movements immediately, don't be frightened or feel that something is "taking you over." It is just your own Inner Self guiding you. No matter how powerful the energy, you are always in control. Some people claim that the energies are so strong that they can't stop them. This is never the case. If you feel out of control, just say the Teacher's name and insist that the movements stop. For most of us, it is a long, tedious process of learning to sense the energy at all.

That brings us to another word of caution: don't compare yourself with anyone else. We are all different, and our meditations are different. Some people sway around as they meditate, others move or make sounds, and others just sit quietly. Some people have sensations in their hands or in the heart area or feel something on top of their heads. Some people have vivid images or feelings of tremendous love or sadness. Some people feel a divine light. Many people feel nothing, see nothing, sense nothing; it makes absolutely no difference. One experience is not better than another. One day in class, a man asked the Teacher why a woman across the room could move so beautifully when she meditated and he didn't move or feel anything at all. It turned out that in day-to-day life he had a very keen intuition about other people's thoughts and feelings. The woman did not. The Teacher said that his wanting to be like the woman was like a bird flying over a lake wanting to be like the fish it saw just under the water. A bird cannot be a fish, a fish cannot be a bird, and we cannot be anyone but ourselves.

Meditation can make us calmer, happier, and better able to accept whatever happens in our lives. It can make our perceptions clearer and our bodies stronger and healthier. It can bring great peace. But meditation with the Teacher is not simply a process of attaining bliss. There are challenges. It is not an easy path.

When we begin to meditate, the energy attempts to flow freely through us. But we have physical, emotional, and psychological blocks. When our bodies are tense, when we are holding onto sadness, anger, frustration, or self-doubt, when we harbor any negative emotion, when our sexual energy is blocked, when we have conflicts or unresolved issues, the energies cannot flow freely. Our problems create obstructions that block the spiritual energy. Since all of us have problems, conflicts, and negative emotions, we all have blocks.

The more we meditate, the more the spiritual energy hits those obstructions. The deeper and more often we meditate, the harder the blocks get hit. The spiritual energy stimulates those blocks, causing the issues to emerge more strongly in our daily lives. If we don't deal with them, the intensity increases until the pain is so great that we absolutely must face the problem. This can be far from pleasant. Anyone who says that spiritual progress is easy and pain-free is just plain wrong. The process is not easy. Overcoming these obstacles, dealing as matter-of-factly as possible with these challenges, makes us much stronger. It teaches us perseverance, humility, and endurance and gives us more self-knowledge, more awareness of our own problems and their solutions. It also chips away at our arrogance and makes us more empathetic, more sensitive to the problems of others, and more forgiving of their flaws. However, it is important that we deal with these challenges from our own source of strength. As soon as pain is felt, the tendency of some may be to run to Teacher for answers. They have not yet learned that the process of struggle and the victory of finding their own solutions is what truly heals them and makes them strong. Getting stronger prepares us and brings us to even greater challenges, more difficult tests. This allows us to attain higher spiritual levels, to have a sense of peace and of calm, to experience sensations that unify and strengthen us, that give us a joyful sense of the wholeness, integrity, and beauty of the universe. It moves us on the path toward enlightenment.

You may think that what you do in your day-to-day life has nothing to do with spirituality. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Our internal and external lives are inexorably intertwined. We express ourselves in our actions. We cannot be spiritual if we spend several hours a day meditating but are unkind and thoughtless to people around us and lazy about dealing with the issues in our lives. We must face our challenges. The Teacher's path is not one of retreat from human endeavors. It is not a path of immediate bliss and escape from daily life. Instead, it is a path that embraces life as an instructor. Every hardship, every pain is a lesson we need to learn. In having the will to learn those lessons, we integrate the sacred and the mundane.

THE ROLE OF SEXUALITY ON THE SPIRITUAL PATH

The role of sexuality on the spiritual path is a controversial one. Some people believe that it has no relationship to spirituality. The Teacher believes that in being spiritual, we do not divorce ourselves from the mundane world but become even more a part of it. He therefore believes that our jobs, our relationships, our marriages, our children, and even our sexuality play a apart in our spiritual development. No part of ourselves should be cut off. We strive for expansion, opening, and awakening. No path really advocates shutting down as a goal.

Even when a path requires celibacy, this does not mean the repression or denial of sexual energy, but a disciplined re-channeling of it. The energy is always channeled up the spine toward union with higher spiritual levels rather than being channeled toward union with a physical partner. But the energy is still allowed to circulate.

Other paths teach sexual rituals in which the fiery and powerful Kundalini is built up through sexual arousal and then is used to balance and purify the physical energies and help open spiritual pathways. In this manner it awakens spiritual centers in much the same way that meditation does. These paths understand that at the moment of or just before orgasm, the body energy fields open and are without blocks while being filled with powerfully radiating life-force. With the proper wisdom, training, and power, a person can transform his or her partner's energy field by directing the life force energy through the open channels.

Teacher does not completely advocate either extreme. Although he believes that celibate paths are appropriate for some people, he tends to encourage people to live and learn in the commonplace world of daily life. He therefore encourages marriage, long-term committed relationships, family unity, and children. He believes that good sexual communication between committed partners is the glue that can help hold a marriage together and that it is just as important as good verbal and emotional communication. Even though he understands the power of sexual rituals, he discourages people from practicing them and making them a focal point of a relationship. He will talk openly with people about the importance of sexuality and counsel couples experiencing difficulties. But he encourages loving spontaneity, not rituals. Sexuality should be a way to deepen caring and intimacy. It should not be separated from love and used only as a tool for spiritual advancement The Teacher hopes to help people have greater understanding and respect for sexuality and therefore for each other. He hopes that by bringing the topic out into the open and encouraging harmony and communication, many of the wounds between men and women can be healed.

THE RESPONSIBLE USE OF KNOWLEDGE

As our work with the Teacher progresses, we learn more and more about using spiritual energy for healing and about developing our intuitive abilities. The Teacher encourages us to use what we learn to help others as much as possible. This truly is wonderful, and we hope that many people can be helped. But there is also a need for caution because we as human beings can misuse what we have been taught.

The Teacher expects all of us to be strong and responsible and not unduly dependent on him. He teaches us many things and expects us to use our own good judgment in applying our developing capabilities. Although he can give us warnings-some subtle and some direct-the ultimate responsibility for the exercise of knowledge in the area (as in other areas of our lives) is ours. We are given this freedom of choice. It is up to us to make sure that our actions are purely motivated and that our attitude is one of respect and love.

Unfortunately, it has come to our attention that not everyone is being completely careful and respectful of what they have learned. Some people are trying to do too much too soon, and they have begun to believe that they are capable of doing more than they actually can. We therefore ask you to please respect what you have learned and always use it wisely. It is important to trust the Inner Self and your intuition; but when you work with others, you should also use the intellect to determine what is appropriate-both for you and for the other person. In other words, think before you act.

A small number of people working very closely and directly with the Teacher are under his guidance, and he supports their work. He is very clear and direct about exactly who these people are and what they are capable of doing. At times, he will refer people to them for assistance. No one else can claim to be assisting the Teacher as his representative. The Teacher himself is the only one who can make this acknowledgement..We cannot acknowledge people who make this claim themselves.

There are people who have worked with the Teacher who are capable of high-quality healing work. However, please be extremely cautious when people make claims about what they can do. The amount of training a person has had does not necessarily reflect his or her ability level, innate use of good judgment, or willingness and capacity to move beyond the ego in the performance of healing work. In spiritual work-as in every other area-do not simply believe people's claims about what they can do or who has trained them. Evaluate the quality of their work for yourself. If you bear these cautions in mind, we hope you will encounter many sincere people who truly can assist you in your spiritual growth.

POSTSCRIPT

Obviously, this is only a brief introduction, but we hope that it has answered a few questions and perhaps given you a few insights. We thought we would end the booklet with a few words the Teacher has shared with us over the years. These words can be useful, no matter what path you decide to follow.

When you go on vacation, you decide to enjoy yourself. You can make that same decision every day, here and now.

Don't make mountains out of molehills. Make molehills out of mountains.

What you see with your eyes is superficial. What you see from your heart is real.

You are the only one who can heal yourself.