Applied Metaphysics

In spreading the message of possibility—that meditation and good company might usher us into some new dimension of consciousness—spiritual coaches and yoga instructors encounter certain unexpected truths.

At first, there is boundless enthusiasm. Four days a week, classes in four cities; anyone who asks anything receives a torrent of continuous discourse. The audiences are mostly young then: university students, the employed, the unemployed, and so forth. Gradually their parents begin to arrive—some out of curiosity, others out of doubt. Many stay on even after their children drift away.

Then word spreads—people say they have lost weight, quit smoking, brought their stress under control, improved their relationships, grown more tolerant, seen their allergies diminish—even, it seems, sharpened their skill at various games. Everyone thinks: well, that's all to the good!

At this point the classes are presented as resting upon some vast experience—given the name EPIC: Experience of Pure Intuitive Consciousness. The discussion later expands into mystical channels—the sort of spiritual tradition that has flourished outside the mainstream in virtually every religious heritage.

Even the non-dualists acknowledge it—the world of the senses is on one hand illusion, and yet it exists; on the other hand there remains supreme awakening: enlightenment, true knowledge, samadhi, liberation, non-dual realization, "born again"—by whatever name.

How strange, that there should not be a universal name for this state! But why is the name "God" not sufficient? Indeed, it seems the safest choice—people raise no objection to it.

So what more is there? Stay in joy. And if you wish to abandon some habit like smoking—why not try walking the path of such an awakening? If it works, then it works!