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| ~ ∞ ~ Opening Words - Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ∞ ~ |
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Before we can begin our journey into the Mysteries of Life, it is important to note that if you are the type of person who skips the preface and introductions to books, I advise you to go back and read them. This is because they contain valuable information that you may want to consider before getting more involved with the book.
This is to say that the preface, introduction and the rest of the book are inextricably linked together – forming an integrated, unified wholeness. In other words, this book is designed in a way that allows the message to build upon itself – gradually adding new layers of depth and complexity to the whole, which in turn gives room for more context to emerge to support the wholeness.
This book was designed and intended to be a single volume work, and thus it was published as a single volume, albeit a large one; and there is a good reason for that: to put it simply, in this way, it is easier to get the point across. You see, in a perfect literature, all books should be only a single book and touch the Soul of the reader in a special kind of way – so that the book is eternally remembered as it was originally intended.
In real life, there are no prequels, sequels, or do-overs – there is only the ever-present now – the eternal moment that contains everything – see? In a similar way, the perfect book contains everything meaningful. This is also the reason why, after a long consideration, I decided to write a separate introductory section – let us call it a “Prologue,” where the stage is set for a further discussion.
What led me to this decision? Well, you see, it was the realization that if we are to fully understand the upcoming sections, it is vitally important to lay some groundwork by having a discussion about some key aspects underlying this work. As such, here, in this section, we outline the main themes of the book. In this way, the work as a whole can be made more approachable.
That said, there are a couple of remarks worth making. First, in many ways, this work reflects a new way of thinking and seeing, and so it requires a certain amount of orientation to prepare the reader for what is to come. By providing this preliminary material, later sections and chapters are placed within a broader context.
In this way, the reader may have a better understanding of the subjects discussed in this book. And it might very well be that after reading this introductory section, you may conclude that this book is not for you – and that is perfectly ok. For you see, if that is the case, you will find something that suits your interests and needs somewhere else.
And if you do decide to continue this transformational journey with me as your guide, it is recommended that you empty yourself of any preconceived notions about the world, and drop every idea you might have about what life is and is not – this will enable you to consider new ideas and approaches. Keeping that in mind, it is worth noting that if we shift our thinking to include such notions as energy, frequency, vibration, consciousness, and awareness – it opens up a whole new level to our understanding.
Secondly, it is important to emphasize the fact that it would be practically impossible to write a book of this sort without referring to the concept of a Higher Power, Creator, or God. You see, when we talk about anything that even remotely touches upon subjects related to metaphysics, such as existence, reality, nature of being and the like, we have to also talk about God.
As such, it is necessary to cover some of the terminology used in this book to avoid confusion or misunderstanding; these include the words ‘God’, ‘Spirit’, ‘Soul’, ‘Religion’, ‘Belief’, ‘Knowledge’, and ‘Wisdom’. We will discuss these in the following few chapters. That said, it is important to note that the author of this book doesn’t adhere to any particular religion, doctrine, belief or creed, and therefore is not an advocate of any denomination, sect or congregation.
Thirdly, it is worth noting that for the first time in human history, we have everything we need to make Life beautiful for all of humanity. Therefore, it is our personal and collective responsibility to change ourselves if we would like to see humanity moving towards this goal. If we break free from old ways of thinking and seeing, we can change ourselves – both individually and collectively.
What makes the difference is how skillfully we learn to utilize everything we have already discovered. Therefore, may this book help inspire you to love Life, and to find your way as co-creator of our common future. What awaits us in the future is ours to envision, discover and co-create together, learning from one another and helping to build a legacy for future generations; in the end, it is we ourselves who write our own destiny – see? Having said that, we can take a step further in our journey.
In our journey through this book, we will discuss various topics that are interconnected in more ways than you may first think. Covering these topics will help us to understand our core essence – that of awareness in more detail. Consciousness, awareness and presence are at the very heart of this work, as they are an inseparable part of our existence.
As such, this book is a contribution to our common discussion of what must inevitably be for us the most important subject that could be discussed by sentient beings. The pages which follow do not attempt to give an explanation of the world or of ourselves, but only offers an introduction to such an explanation.
In this way, this book is an invitation to a deeper exploration of ourselves, of the meaning of life and existence itself, and thus it can be said to be an unapologetic exploration of the human species – the only intelligent, sentient bipedal species known to exist in this universe that seeks to find answers to the deeper questions concerning existence and life itself.
As such, the message of this book gradually builds upon itself and the Mystery of Life unfolds itself as you grow in understanding of yourself and the Life within you. In this way, this book is inviting you to join the conversation – you see, without you, it would not be complete, which is another way of saying that you are an inseparable part of this book, and thus you can find yourself within these pages – they are you as much as you are them.
In that respect, it can be said that the words speak to you as if they had been written especially for you – making a deeply profound and lasting impression, as if they would have life of their own, coming off the pages and surrounding you with comfort, courage and strength while you embark on a journey of discovery – holding you in the sweetest, most tender, loving embrace of such knowingness and limitless possibility.
And so you see, it can be an experience like no other, an experience to behold and remember. So if there is a word of advice or encouragement I can give you from experience, it is this: let the words dwell in you richly in all their wisdom and insight – teaching you more about yourself. It is my deepest wish that this book would be as good a teacher to you as it was for me, and still continues to be, you see?
Here it should be noted that there is nothing new under the sun, meaning that everything we have ever wanted to know about life has already come out from the collective unconscious in one form or another. This brings us to an important point: there are some universal truths that are timeless, and so there can only be different angles and points of view in different times to be shared.
This book is no different in that regard, as it is only a vehicle for transmitting timeless truths and wisdom to this time we are currently living in. There are certain timeless truths and principles that are important to any era – through which, and by which, we can live our lives in more peaceful and loving, wholesome and fulfilling ways.
While the arrangement of words are mine, the ideas and concepts are not; you see, there are no such thing as “original ideas,” for they have existed for thousands of years. Many authors have written about them many times before, though not necessarily with the same level of sophistication and depth, nor in the same style.
Keeping that in mind, it is easy to understand that many have come before me, and many will follow – these curious individuals have existed in every civilization, every culture, every era since time immemorial; they have always been in the minority – pioneers of progress, human development, self-mastery, and the first discovery. So as time goes on, and years turn into decades; decades into centuries; centuries into millenia, into eternity and beyond – there will be others who will share similar pieces of timeless truths and wisdom with their peers.
By virtue of the aforementioned with regard to timelessness, it is worth highlighting the following: while this book reflects the times we live in, it was written in such a way that it can be relevant to any era. You see, as time goes on, humans remain largely the same, and so does those things that we need to deal with – unless, of course, humans as a species choose to go through a process of Conscious Evolution, or Involution, which means transformation, i.e., a process that follows the completion of evolution in the human form – the process of fulfilling the telos of human existence.
And so you see, the legacy of history, it seems, is that our human tendency is to repeat our past and do things as we have learned to do them – often starting in our childhood, without questioning or challenging what we do; constantly projecting past into the future without transcending ourselves in the process. This means that collectively we become our past – repeatedly, and so it goes that we not only face the same issues and fundamental problems, but we also embrace similar ideals as did humans thousands of years ago.
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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~
Get the Book: Awaken the Living Awareness Within – Discover the Keys to Happiness, Inner Peace & Harmony
~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~
Get the Book: Awaken the Living Awareness Within – Discover the Keys to Happiness, Inner Peace & Harmony
[ Click » here « to read the next part: About This Book 1/3 – Prologue: Part II ]
Extra Material: Video: You're It - Alan Watts. Video description: "An inspiring and profound speech from the late Alan Watts. Speech extract from 'Zen Bones and Tales' by Alan Watts"
