Considerations on Health

A Course in Tranquility – Lesson 3 of 14 – Considerations on Health

Vitality, strength, proper hormonal balance, an effective immune system,
psychological and mental poise, good digestion, and proportional body mass all
contribute to good health. They are also the indicators of good health. While a person can
be spiritually awake and peaceful inside while lacking on or more of these characteristics,
the happier we become, the easier it will be for us to manifest radiant health in all ways.
Conversely, the more we direct our intention to manifesting these characteristics, our
joyousness in life grows too.

To move towards tranquility, requires that we do what is necessary to provide the
proper field for the seeds of tranquility to sprout. The area of health is not something to
be lightly overlooked in this regard. When we have health, we are free to direct our
attention to other areas of life, such as doing the divine work that we are here to manifest.
(which is where our real joy comes from anyway, believe it or not)

An unhealthy mind and body, is distraction from the ultimate task at hand, and
many people make the study of health, or their own fixation on health issues a vocation
that perpetually gets in the way of serving and living in the highest way. This is why I say,
we must give our attention to doing what we must to maintain our health, but we do need
to avoid our fixation on health.

There are certain things we can do to ensure health. They are:
1) Exercise
2) Get plenty of sleep
3) Eat a nutrition rich diet
4) Get some sunshine every day
5) Meditate daily to cleanse the mental field
6) Keep a positive and forward looking attitude
7) Be a possibility thinker, rather than some one who expects the worse
8) Surround your self with happy and successful people

Speaking of the people you surround your self with…
If you are not happy or successful, you will have to learn that skill by experience
to fit in with those folks who are happy and successful. You have spent a considerable
amount of time learning to be the way you are. Be patient and use your common sense to
begin acting and reshaping your choices to reflect your ideal.

Many sages advise the company of “holy” people as a supreme source of positive
growth. This is because you will become like those people you surround your self with.
What do you want to be like? Find those individuals and jump on the wagon! It
won’t take long and you will soon be a totally different person.

Personal Exercise Example:
I have found that when I exercise, I always seem to find my self working out with
the Ex-Air Force officer who likes to mountain bike like a professional, peddling straight
up a mountain for 5 miles. I am huffing and puffing all the way up, but I want to do it,
because strength is useful and gives me more options in life, and less chance of injuring
my self during normal living.

I also have noticed I frequently befriend the intense aerobics instructor who likes
to push her self to the limits during our workouts together. Meanwhile I feel like I’m on
my third heart attack before the session is even half over. What effect does that have on
me?

I either learn to be like these people or I doubt they would keep me around that
long. I then become a more fit and healthy person. And eventually I will be able to peddle
straight up that mountain, or exercise my heart for an hour straight without getting
winded!

Now I am not encouraging you to be extreme. For me, its fun, because I used to
be weak and sickly. That wasn’t any fun.

Just pay special attention to the people you surround your self with and their
attitudes towards fitness. If you pay attention you will find your own attitudes reflected.

In regards to psychological health, when it comes to friendships and
acquaintances, I make sure that those people I spend my time with are drama free and
creative in some way. They are also often very giving and in some form of service to the
world. What influence does this have on me? I become that way too. I become a better
person. I would rather be alone than to waste my time with problem centered, small
minded, petty people. Wouldn’t you? It’s a lonelier path for certain, but a much happier
one.

I gave the previous examples because earlier in my life I thought exercise was a
waste of time. I also found my self cavorting with less than desirable individuals. The
result was that I was unhealthy, unhappy and had a bad attitude about life. Now I realize
that I feel a heck of a lot better about my self and the world when I maintain my current
choices to be fit and in an uplifting crowd of people.

Rule #1
“Be aware of those people, places, attitudes, and actions that get in the way of healthy
happy living. Then do your best to avoid them.”

Considerations on a Proper Attitude for Healing
Remember always that you are not taking action to strengthen your health only to
prevent, or fight off potential disease. You are exercising, meditating, eating fresh whole
foods, and surrounding your self with positive people, because you are here to enjoy a
life affirming existence! You are here to love being alive and feeling your own vitality,
the spirit of the divine moving through you. You are here to give your gifts to the world
joyfully! That is why you take action for perfect health.

Why do I bring this up? I’ve worked with A LOT of people in the past ten years
in my healing practice. I’ve also spent a fair amount of time focusing on healing and
strengthening my own body. I’ve seen what gets in the way of healing, and believe it or
not, aside from the poor diet, lack of exercise, etc. It is really the attitude behind the
process that makes all the difference.

Imagine a person exercising on a treadmill every day. The thoughts that go
through the mind as this person slugs through another hour of heart pumping footwork,
usually goes something like this:
“My dad died of a heart attack.”
“My doctor says I have high cholesterol.”
“I don’t want to die!”
“I’m tired of looking fat in my jeans.”
“I hate my body…”
All the while, with each step, they are really affirming the fear they want to avoid.
Now imagine someone who is getting the most benefit out of their exercise
routine and actually extending the life. They wake up in the morning and say:
“I can’t wait to get to the gym!”
“It feels so great to get my blood pumping!”
“I love feeling alive.”
“I love being able to walk up steep mountain trails and the stairs at my work with out a
sweat”
“This body is great and allows me to live and do so much!”
“Isn’t it nice that if someone asks for help I can volunteer without complaining about my
back, or my shoulders? Sure I can lift that couch for you!”
“My body let’s me be of service to this world.”

That is quite a different attitude. You see, one person is affirming life and the fact
that a healthy body allows them to live all the more fully. The other is acting out of fear
and strengthening the negative energy she is so trying to avoid.

Rule #2
“If you are going to exercise, love it because it makes you stronger, and better able to live
your life freely. Really bring up a sense of joy with each activity you undertake that
strengthens your body.”

The same goes for food. Think of all the people you know who avoid certain
foods like the plague or claim they are allergic to everything. I do believe there is a
biologic reason for this. However, interestingly enough, I have paid close attention to the
attitudes of people with food and digestion problems, and they are very similar. They do
not feel safe in the world. Also, they are usually (unconsciously of course) either like the
attention they get by needing a special diet, or they are simply putting their problems onto
food, to avoid dealing with the real issues behind their disturbance.

Imagine the following. Every time person A eats, he thinks:
“Is there something bad for me in this food?”
“Is this going to make me sick?”
“Am I too sensitive to this?”
“Is there too much food coloring in this?”
“Did they buy organic when they made this salad?”
“Did they grill my sandwich on the same surface that hamburger was grilled on?!”

Every time person B eats, she thinks:
“I love how healthy this fresh fruit makes me with all its wonderful enzymes.”
“I love the strength these grains and this cheese gives my body.”
“I love giving my body this fresh life force through my food so I can live my best life for
God!”
“Even though I don’t normally eat meat, I appreciate the love this person put into the
food.”
Which one of those folks do you imagine is going to have the healthier body, as
well as, be able to eat just about whatever they want (within reason of course)?

Rule #3

“Eat whole foods. With each bite, feel fresh life and divine energy entering your body.
Think positively about the food you eat, even if its not your ideal dietary choices.”

Believe it or not, your feelings about those things you do to support your health
make a HUGE difference as to whether or not they really support your health. I’ve seen
plenty of health fanatics who take tons of supplements and go to all the right experts, still
have serious health problems. Why? Because they make a big deal about health, and
don’t make a big deal about living. This is about LIFE, remember. You are here to live,
not to try and line up every possibility perfectly. Do your best, and let the divine take care
of the rest, and most of all feel good about what you do for your self and others,
otherwise, what’s the use in doing it?

I’m not saying it’s easy if you are used to thinking negatively, but the only person
that can change that is you. You got your self into that place to begin with. Only you can
get your self out. The sooner you accept that, the better! Should your will falter, always
remember the following quote: “There is nothing wrong with you that changing your self
completely couldn’t fix!” And if that doesn’t work, give me a call and I’ll give you a pep
talk.

Rule #4

“Don’t make health your primary focus in life, otherwise that is what it will become.
Make living and contributing to the world your focus. Do what you know is good for
your health, and then let it go, and live!”

Who to Trust when You Need Healing
Even people who do their best and think positively and genuinely enjoy living
have health issues to deal with from time to time. It’s not a sign of failure, just part of the
process of being alive. If you keep your goals in front of you and you have a vision and a
reason to live, you will, and you will do it in good health most of the time.

That aside, there are so many theories, ideas, teachers, healers, and health systems
that it can be hard to know which one to utilize. Some even contradict each other, which
makes matters worse. So how do you know where to get good information?
You are a unique mind/body/spirit unit. What works for you might not work for
your neighbor. Your personality may respond better to certain treatments. Some people
need allopathic medical treatments to get well, while others may heal beautifully by
taking a concoction of Chinese herbs for six months. Some people have a biologic or
genetic issue causing their lack of health, while others, demonstrating the same symptoms,
may be suffering from a psychic or psychological disturbance. There is no ultimate right
way to heal. There is only your way.

It is good to research various systems to find the one that resonates with you.
However, just like on the spiritual path, it is not advised to mix practices frivolously. If
you find a system that works, stick with it, even if you occasionally have set backs using
it. Some things take time and persistence, and if you have something that works, that
feels right, and is getting results, there is no need to be impatient.

Rule #5

“Healing takes commitment. Find a system that works for you and stick with it. To think
that there is a better one out there, is the “Grass is always” greener syndrome. Health is a
way of life, whether Ayurvedic, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Allopathic, etc. Where
you put your faith, you will find your power.”

A health professional should inspire you to wellness, not shock you with fear, or
generate anxiety, worry or depression of any kind. They will be truthful, but not fatal. A
health professional with a trust in the divine power, and a peaceful countenance are most
beneficial. They can be allopathic doctors, or acupuncturists, or practice any proven
method of healing. Admittedly rare, a health care provider with heightened spiritual
awareness is the best.

Again, second opinions etc are good, but if you find a wellness provider that you
trust, has provided good service to you in the past, and is competent, it is best to maintain
a consistent relationship rather than bouncing around from one person to the next. As the
years go by, the health care provider gets to know your health and disease tendencies and
so can work with you specifically out of past experience. You also benefit by getting to
know how your health care provider works, and so trust develops. If there is no trust or
rapport, it is hard to develop a healing relationship.

Rule #6
“Be discerning about who you interact with on a healing basis. Remember, that the
person who gets the lowest passing score in medical school, still gets the title doctor!”

Health and Other People
Finally, when it comes to health and healing, don’t talk to your family, friends
and acquaintances about health issues. They have their own weird ideas, which usually
have no validity. Also, by talking about your issues with others you strengthen and affirm
the disease process. You may have noticed how people like to talk about their problems?
Well, if that is the case, they will need to have problems to talk about. You can see what
that will lead to? More problems.

Keep your health concerns private between your health care provider and/or
possibly your spiritual mentor. You don’t want to give it more energy than it needs. And
if you just find that you simply HAVE to talk about your problems with everyone,
consider, there may be something else going on, than just a physical symptom.
Now on the flip side, if you have friends, family and acquaintances who are
motivating and inspiring about fitness, enjoy their company and strengthen your bodies
together.

Rule #7
“Keep your health concerns private. Speak about them only to your health care provider
or spiritual mentor. If you need something to talk about with peers, talk about the joyous
possibilities that life holds! (Note: You’ll make better friends that way too!)”

Personal Healing Exercises
When you have a health challenge and you’d like to do something on your own to
work through it, here are three very useful exercises.

Exercise #1
1) At night before you go to sleep, think about your health challenge. Acknowledge it,
and note how it makes you feel that you have it. Do you feel scared, angry, anxious,
depressed, hopeless, etc.? Isolate the predominant feeling and where you feel it in your
body. Is it in your chest, throat, belly, limbs, head, etc.?
2) As you are falling asleep feel the emotion in your body.
3) With each exhale ask your self “What is this all about?”
4) Maintain your awareness on the emotion the problem generates and your body. Relax
on each exhale asking, “What is this all about?”
5) Repeat this process for 3-5 days.

You will find that the more you do this and the better you get at it, the real cause
of the problem will be more easily revealed. It may come through in a dream, or in an
“aha!” moment over the next few days. Or you may even find that you are naturally led
to the right information or the right person to take care of it. Pay attention, and let the
answers be revealed.

This works, not just for physical issues, but also emotional, psychological,
psychic and spiritual problems as well. I have also seen many people actually feel better
and heal on their own, just by having the revelation of the cause of their problems. It’s
quite amazing.

Exercise #2
The following exercise is the first step in consciously opening the channels in your body
in order to let life force flow freely for the purpose of healing. It utilizes simple breathing
and visualization techniques that anyone can do.

Step 1.
Find a nice quiet place where you can sit comfortably for 5-10 minutes. Sit up straight.
Keep your spine erect and take 2-3 slow deep breaths. On each exhale let your body
relax and release any tension. Let your body relax, but keep your spine straight. It may
help to imagine all the tension you may have slipping out of your body like water flowing
into the ground.
Step 2.
Place your hands palms down facing your body. You may rest them on your thighs,
abdomen, or place one on your abdomen and one on your heart. Sit for a moment or two,
becoming aware of what your hands feel like resting against your body.
Step 3.
Take a slow deep breath. As you inhale, feel a current of energy rushing into your
nostrils and flowing down into your lower abdomen. Feel the current filling up your
lower abdomen. When you are halfway full of air, feel and visualize the current flowing
up into your heart, filling your heart with a radiant light. Once your breath is full hold it
for only a second or two. Then begin to exhale.

As you exhale feel the radiant light pouring down your arms from your heart and exiting
through the palms of your hands. When you exhale, just let your breath empty out
naturally. Notice any sensations you feel in the palms of your hands as you do this.
Pause for a second or two and repeat. Practice gently and slowly for five minutes. Avoid
strain and just flow with the breathing and sensations.

Step 4.
After you’ve practiced in this way for five minutes, simply sit and take note of your body
and your mental state. Enjoy the effects for another few minutes.
The more you do this exercise the easier it will be for you to allow a healing force
to flow and the more sensitive you will become to the life force of your surroundings. It
has the added benefits of creating a state of relaxation and clearer thinking, which helps
you do everything more effectively, and it just might improve your energy levels and
overall health.

Exercise #3 – (Ultimately, this is best done, following a hatha yoga routine.)
1) Find a place where you can lie down and have fifteen to twenty minutes without
being disturbed. Put on comfortable clothing, preferably natural fibers, and lay
down on your back with your legs and arms slightly away from the midline of
your body.
2) Take two to three slow and even breaths. On each exhale let your body release
the breath without strain. As the air flows out of your body feel gravity pulling
your weight into the ground. Just let your body melt into the floor.
3) Now bring your attention down to your feet. All you have to do is become aware
of any sensations in the vicinity of your feet. Feel the floor and the clothing
against your skin. Note any temperature sensations within your feet. Pay
attention to the state of your muscles and how they feel. If you can feel your
pulse or the movement of the body with your breath, give that attention. If any
thoughts or judgments come up about anything that is felt, let them slip away.
What you are concerned with is experiencing the feeling and nothing more.
4) Move your attention to your calves, shins and knees, following the same process.
5) Move your attention to your thighs, hips and lower abdomen.
6) Become aware of your belly and chest as they rise and fall with each breath. Feel
your back against the floor and try to note the beating of your heart in your torso.
7) Move your attention down your arms into your hands. Take your attention up
into your head. Feel the air moving in and out of your nose. Is there any taste in
your mouth? What sounds do you hear and what sights do you see behind your
closed eyelids?
8) Once you have brought your attention to all areas of your body, feel your body as
a whole. First bring your attention to the skin that covers all of you. What do you
notice? Then bring your attention to your muscles and bones. How do they feel?
If you can feel your internal organs note them. Bring your attention to your heart.
Feel the beat and pulse. Try to feel the pulse of blood as it moves through your
body. Draw your attention deeper into your spine and brain. Feel these areas and
see if you can sense any nervous impulses or sensations. Finally try to feel all
levels at once.
9) Maintain this awareness for five minutes or so. If you find this practice
enjoyable, try to take it deeper. Bring yourself fully into the experience of your
body. When you are ready slowly take some deep breaths and begin to gently
move your body one section at a time. How does it feel after doing this?

If you have ever been caught doing something you weren’t supposed to and somebody
starts watching you, what happens? In most cases you would probably feel a little
dissonance and stop doing it. Body awareness works in a similar way. If something was
malfunctioning, your awareness is the first step to correct the problem. The vast
intelligence of the body is reawakened when attention is given to it. Directing your
attention to the body is like flipping on a light switch. Whereas before the body was
doing its best to function in the dark, now it can see what it needs to do. Your attention
links the inner life force of the body back up with universal harmonizing source.

Sincerely, Ryan Kurczak 2010

Love and Relationships

A Course in Tranquility – Lesson 2 of 14 – Love and Relationships

Swami Sri Yukteswar, a towering spiritual figure from India, once said, “ordinary
love is selfish, darkly rooted in desires and satisfactions. Divine love is without condition,
without boundary, without change. The flux of the human heart is gone forever at the
transfixing touch of pure love.” How many of us can love like that? How many want to?
Only a handful.

To love in this way requires a strong and decisive act of will to ignore the
culturally ingrained ideas and adolescent attitudes most of us have about what love is
meant to be like. To love in this way requires total immersion in our divine presence that
is tranquil in all circumstances, and sees everyone equally as a unique expression of the
one infinite consciousness.

Think of all the stories of romance, of heroes overcoming great odds to be with
the beloved, of how a person’s life was perfected the moment they found that special
someone. Those are stories and fantasy, and we want to be in reality as much as possible,
right? If course we do. Only there will we find perfect peace and real love.
This leads to step one of this weeks lesson. Get it out of your head that there is a
special someone, or that your life would be different if only your family or friends would
change, or that things would be so much better if your lover finally became the person
you always expected him or her to be.

In my astrological practice I am often asked about relationships. When will it get
better? Should I leave my husband? Is there someone better out there for me? Why do
my friends always drag me down? How can I ever forgive her for cheating on me? It goes
on. Remember that your astrological chart (and we all have one) reflects your individual
karma. Unless you have exhausted a karma, if you leave or change a relationship, without
changing you, that pattern will continue to express in whatever new relationships you
find.

To exhaust your relationship karma a decision is made. Decide that you have had
enough of the relationship experiences you have been attracting. Really mean it! No
longer will you put your happiness in the hands of ‘other’ people, by having expectations
of what they should be like, and then being disappointed when they simply act how they
are. To exhaust your karma in relationships first requires that you take the time to pay
attention to how people really are, to love and bless them in all their actions, and then to
intentionally decide if you really want to be a part of all that a relationship with said
person entails.

Exercise #1
Step 1 – When going into an interaction with anyone, remember that most people
are on autopilot 95% of the time. There actions are based on conditioning, how they’ve
been raised, how they choose to see the world, and their motives in life, most of which
they are not even aware.
Step 2 – Practice bringing conscious awareness into your relationships,
specifically the ones you would like to change. To do this, remember your past
encounters with the person you are about to interact with. How did they make you feel?
Bad? Guilty? Shameful? Worthless? Stupid? Anxious? Fearful? What did they do or say
to make you feel that way? What language did they use? How did they catch you off
guard? What did they talk about? Etc.
Pay attention to their patterns of interaction. Remember those patterns before you
go into the interaction, either in person or on the phone. Then watch and wait for those
patterns to repeat, and how they make you feel the way you always do, like clockwork,
when you are interacting with this person.
Step 3 – Don’t judge these people. You do it too! The point of all this is to bring
you in line with reality, so you can see, that the way people act towards you is nothing
personal. They are on autopilot, and you happen to be receptive to their programming.
Your karma matches up. It’s as much your fault as it is theirs.
Step 4 – Don’t try to change them. You will only frustrate your self. Admit the
truth of their being and love them. Decide if you really want to continue playing this
game with them. If so, fine. If not, don’t engage the program. It’s up to you!
The more skillful you become with this exercise, the more comical it will become.

You will no longer be triggered, and it becomes a game. “How are they going to try and
trigger me this time,” you will ask. Most of the time you will catch it, before it happens,
before they do their usual spiel that will make you feel un-tranquil. As you continue the
relationship they will unconsciously learn that they no longer have an effect on you.
Then you will relax, thinking you have it mastered, and BAM, somehow they found
another way to nail you, out of left field. You won’t take it so personally, unless it’s
terribly cruel, and you will chuckle to your self. They got you that time!

But this is not about wasting your time playing games with people. It is about
seeing the truth of the quality of the relationship. It is about inspiring you to see
“realistically” where you are in life in regards to relationships. This creates the ground
work, the foundation, for you to begin the process of change, of attracting what you do
want out of your interactions with people.

In a book called, “The Cosmic Power Within” by Dr. Joseph Murphy, he speaks
of tapping into our Cosmic Power, our divine essence, to create the life we want. The
exercise below, based on Dr. Murphy’s work, if you used persistently, will give the
results you would like to see. The cosmic power within is based on your ability to ‘see’
and ‘feel’ a different result, and then to allow the infinite consciousness (the totality of
your being) to bring the opportunities into your life to allow the different state to express.

Remember, this is not about deserving, it is simply about deciding. If you have
“deserving” issues, it is only because you have decided to have an excuse not to live
freely in this world, or to access the creative power of your spirit. You are strong! You
are wonderful! You are able to generate any life experience you want with enough Self effort.

You may have just been listening to the wrong people. Tune in to those who
support this knowledge, and you will be supported.

Exercise #2
Step 1 – Choose a relationship you would like to see improved in some way.
Take out a sheet of paper and write down specifically the improvement you’d like to see
and why you’d like to see it. There needs to be a tangible reason to empower this process.
This reason is of your own choosing. Don’t base it on society or what others tell you is a
good reason. You are learning to become Self-directed.
Step 2 – Imagine how it would feel if that relationship were already perfect. What
kinds of emotions would you have around this person? What would the quality of your
interactions be like? Write down your ideal feeling state. Put your piece of paper
somewhere safe, for you to review or edit as necessary.
Step 3 – Once or twice a day, spend five minutes feeling the state you decided on
in step 2. Even if it is hard, or you have a hard time getting in touch with feelings, do it
anyway. It will be good practice.
Step 4 – Since this will have to do with a particular relationships, you need to
associate those feelings with the relationship. Let’s take a wife for example. When you
are feeling that state, say to your self, “I feel [Insert Emotional State] when I am around
my wife.” And then do what ever it takes to make your self feel this deeply. Do not see
your wife specifically. Think of ‘wife’ almost like a general term or an archetype.
Now why are we using the archetype for wife? Because we are not black
magicians and we are not trying to manipulate a specific person. What we are doing is
changing the “wife” pattern within us. Once that pattern changes, the external world will
follow. Either you will see that the wife ‘out there’ was that way all along, or she will feel
inspired to change, or she will like who she is, and move on to someone who appreciates
her particular patterns of being. Either way, you will get what you want.
Step 5 – Repeat this process every day, until you have sculpted your inner reality
as perfectly as you like. Also, note, you are only doing this for five minutes once or twice
a day. Once it is done for the day, stop. Quit thinking about it. Don’t dwell. Just move on
with your day. There is no need to get your conscious mind obsessed with this practice.
This process can be applied to spouses, friends, brothers, sisters, coworkers,
bosses, mothers, fathers, etc.

Now back to divine love…

When you look back on your life I am sure it is filled with a mixture of pleasant
and unpleasant memories. There were times when you felt great love, anger, peace,
hatred, laughter, resentment, joy and grief. There were times when people treated you in
ways that exceeded your expectations and other times when you wished people treated
you better. You may have often wondered at why people did what they did, what their
motivation was to be so kind or so despicable.

As I was meditating a ways back a flood of memories pushed up from my
subconscious. I remembered all kinds of interactions with people and the corresponding
feelings from those moments past. A whirl of emotions ran through me. After they passed
a realization dawned. Every experience I have had, no matter if I labeled it good or bad,
was an act of love.

How can this be?! You might ask your self. I understand that all the good things
I’ve experienced are an act of love, but how can the bad be love too? You might say. If
you take the time to observe the interactions you have with people you might notice one
familiar component. Almost everyone you interact with is gaining your attention or
giving you attention.

How they do that is an individual preference based on how they were raised,
taught to behave, and a little of their own experimentation in the process. Maybe they
buy you flowers, clean the house before you get home, hit you, call you names, flatter
you, give you a massage, cook you dinner, or undermine your confidence. Some are
easier to digest, and some are perverted actions of the initial impulse. Many people are
unconscious and do the nice things out of compulsion or fear because they don’t want to
lose you. Others act in menacing ways because they don’t know any better. The point is,
in any interaction there is an exchange of attention. It is attention that is love.

Many years ago I discovered that no matter what healing protocol I chose from,
the force that empowered all healing was attention (consciousness, God). The clearer my attention (Clarity of God’s Presence), the less of
an agenda I had to disrupt my attention, the more authentic was the healing experience.
The same holds true in all human interactions. The clearer and less distracted your
attention is on the person in which you are interacting, the greater the love that is
generated.

When you decide to give someone attention with conditions, you are giving
conditional love, which may be helpful when certain conditions are met. You say, “I will
give you love when you stop nagging me, or when you learn to appreciate how I’m
different than you!” Then you wait for the love to be returned and they do the same,
providing the same conditions. Really, if you are nagging a person to stop nagging you so
that you can give them love, its the same thing.

They nag you because they want you to be different, because their mind impels
them to think your life would be better if you were different. That’s love. Why? Because
the motivation behind it is your highest in best (as they see it). You hope they will be
different because you really would like to spend some “quality time” (by your standards)
with them without all the stress. That’s love too.

Now back to my point. It may not be that people will give you love the way you
want it, but they will give you love the way they know how. It may not be pleasant, but it
is still love nonetheless. In unpleasant situations you don’t always have to accept the
conditional love you are being given. You can remove your self from the situation, and
that is sometimes necessary and beneficial. However, if you decide to love without
condition, which also means without expectations, you may catch a glimpse of real love
at work within your relationships. (However, be sure not subject your self to abuse in the name of Love. You have to Love your self to.)

By expectations I mean that you do not expect the people in your life to be any
different than they have proven to be in the past. When you can love them as they are,
you in turn will set the example to be loved as you are. You will bring into the
relationship a dynamic they have never experienced before: peace, acceptance, and no
standards (unspoken or not) to live up to.

All of this begins with you and no one else. It is your responsibility, whether you
want it or not. When you claim it for your self, you will find the strength of love in your
life that you have been looking for all this time.

Love and Tranquility – The Holy Life

“The Virture of Love, the Heart’s natural love, is the principal requisite to attain
a holy life. When this love, the heavenly gift of nature, appears in the heart, it removes
all causes of excitation from the system and cools it down to a perfectly normal state; and,
invigorating the vital powers, expels all foreign matters- the germs of diseases-by natural
ways (perspiration and so forth). It thereby makes man perfectly healthy in body and
mind, and enables him to understand properly the guidance of nature. When this love becomes developed in man it makes him able to understand the real position of his own Self as well as of others surrounding him.” –Sri Yukteswar

Being in a state of love, bliss and ease, was not easy for me. Students that attend
my classes are often amazed to hear that during the first portion of life, I was irritable,
pessimistic, often unpleasant, unhappy, angry, and had a cruel streak. Smiling genuinely
and being pleasant was a foreign state for me to experience. Why, because I didn’t have
much practice in existing in a state of love and peace. Much of how I interacted with the
world was either out of fear or domination.

It took me a number of years to learn to feel love and be in a state of love.
Meditation made it much easier, because it allowed me to see the patterns and choices I
had made which contributed to this state of affairs. By an act of will and conscious effort
I had to make my self feel love and be love.

I had no reason to make this choice. Being trapped in the mind, and my little
sense of self that was created out of unconscious desires and cravings, it was insane to
even think it was safe to love and be loved. It made no sense. I did it anyway, because an
urge within me indicated that it was possible to be different, and that if I could be
different, reality would change accordingly.

Slowly, as the years rolled by, my persona changed. I learned to be at ease. For
the most part, I learned not to sweat all the fearful ideas the normal human condition likes
to entertain. I learned to trust in the goodness of the world, and the wholeness of life. The
more I surrendered into the process the easier it became to smile from a place of real
warmth. I learned that if I wanted to be in a state of love, I had to cut out relationships
that were fear/domination based, and seek out relationships that were easy and supportive.

Twelve years after I graduated from high school and ten years into my practice of
meditation and the techniques taught in these lessons, I met with a girl I went to school
with. We hadn’t seen each other in that time. As we sat having tea at a bookstore, half
way through the conversation, she asked if there was something wrong with me. She said,
she had never seen me smile so much, and that I appeared totally different than the angst
ridden person she had known previously. I didn’t really notice how major the change was
until she pointed it out.

Sometimes changes can occur and we are not aware of it, because we are always
with our selves. It is just like aging. One day you look in the mirror after seeing a picture
of your self twenty years earlier and you notice the difference. Since you see your self in
the mirror every day, you don’t notice how age has progressed until you have a point of
reference to compare it to. I’m telling you this, because I want you to take time with your
self. Unless you have a spontaneous enlightenment experience, your changes will be
gradual. If you are not used to feeling love or being love, it will take time. Be patient and
let it unfold. Stay steady with the intention, and it will occur.

Here is an exercise I use daily. It has contributed greatly to expanding my mind
and consciousness to encourage the experience of personal, divine and cosmic love in my
life.

Exercise #3
Step 1 – After your regular meditation practice, remember a time you felt
completely content, when all was good and right in the world. Remember a time you felt
fulfilled and in perfect love. You can use a past memory to bring up this state.
Step 2 – Imagine that you are feeling that state for no reason at all. That is just the
current state of the Universe that you happen to be in. Intensify the feeling if you can. If
you are not used to feeling, practice will increase your skill.
Step 3 – With your eyes closed, imagine that feeling of love radiating beyond
your body and through the universe to every person, place, animal, and thing in existence.
Feel as though you are a beacon of light and this feeling is permeating all aspects of
creation. Hold that feeling and imagination for as long as possible.
Step 4 – When you can no longer maintain this visualization/feeling, let it go. Just
drop it. Say a prayer of thanks for the opportunity to be in love. Then go about your day.
Do this every day, and treat it like exercise. The radiance of your love is to be
unconditional. Send it to all beings, whether you feel they are deserving or not. Do not try
to change anyone or anything through this love. Just radiate it freely, as freely as the sun
shines on all people without concern of their personality or deeds.
You may find you have a hard time doing this, or that you can only maintain this
state for only a second. Remember, it is exercise. You will get stronger in love every day
you do it. Soon you will be able to sit for five, ten, twenty minutes, or even an hour in a
state of love. Then you will know real service to the world, and your life will change
accordingly.

This simple exercise is not to be overlooked. I have meditated many times,
contemplating, “What is the source of life?” “What is the meaning of all of this?” “What
is the point?” Every single time, as my mind became silent and I was open to hear the
answer, it was always this, “Love.” I then knew through direct experience, that the words
written earlier in this lesson from Swami Sri Yukteswar were absolutely correct.

Lesson 2 Homework
#1) Practice Exercise #1 every day for two weeks. Pick one person in your life to focus
on each day, and do your best to practice exercise #1 in this lesson. Don’t tell them what
you are doing. Just do it and watch what happens.
#2) Practice Exercise #3 every day for two weeks, after your regular meditation routine.
Take note of any resistance to the practice, journal about it if possible. See the resistance
as an opportunity to be aware of the changes that are occurring within you. Muscles get
sore after working out if they haven’t been used very much. Your consciousness may get
a little sore by flexing your “love” muscles. Don’t stop! Keep going until it feels
good, all the time.

Sincerely, Ryan Kurczak 2010

No Reasons

A Course in Tranquility Lesson 1 of 14 – No Reasons

“Learn to live a natural and spontaneous life, contentedly.” According to the sage
Vasistha, that is the point. It is to this end, that we will direct our efforts, so that you may
know the power of real tranquility. By clearing away our false notions of reality and who
and what we really are, we will learn to exist in truth. By challenging our preconceptions
of what it means to be fully human and Self-realized we will learn that it is as easy or as
hard as we make it. There is no end to this thing called life, and we, our individual
personalities, are unique and necessary expressions of it. It is by learning to function
between two worlds, the limited world of the personality, and the infinite world which is
the source of our very existence that we learn to joyfully ride the rising and falling waves
of divine creation. Living from the full knowledge of our essence of being we know what
we are and what are not, and are then free to move gracefully and dispassionately in,
through and as the infinite consciousness.

Identification with the mind, our collection of thoughts, beliefs, and conditioning,
is the root of the weed that prevents our natural spontaneity. It is also the vessel that
maintains our false sense of self, so that we are confined to act only within a certain set of
parameters. We become so invested in this false sense of self that we defend it to the
detriment of our quality of life. Stray too far outside the boundaries of who you think you
are or what you think your life should be like, and prepare for the waves of anxiety,
confusion and fear that will wash over you. All the terror is a mind produced phenomena
generated by our inability to accept our capacity to act as a limitless manifestation of a
field of unbounded possibilities.

Once we let go of the mind and let it function in its natural role, as a servant to
our consciousness–calculator and recorder of data, we are free to turn our attention to
more important matters, such as living.

Consider the quote from Alan Watts, “No work of love will flourish out of guilt,
fear, or hollowness of heart, just as no valid plans for the future can be made by those
who have no capacity for living now.” Living now is an inside job. No matter how hard
you try, there will never be any fulfillment from the external world. No situation, person,
experience, place, or thing will ever fully satisfy you. There is no satisfaction in the
future, and despite what you may falsely remember, there was never any satisfaction in
the past. If you were ever truly satisfied, it is because you chose to be. You may have
attached a reason to it, but that reason was just an after-thought, albeit a very subtle one.

The past and future are external creations, projections and recordings of past
perceptions in the mind. A very efficient and quick way restore the mind to its natural
function is to stop waiting for the next moment. No doubt you have already experienced
the fact that it is easier said than done. When you work, live, love and play without
waiting for the next moment everything you are and encounter flourishes.

The way to success in this endeavor returns us to our very Self, not the mind
imagined self, but our true eternal nature, the witnessing presence. When you find your
self waiting for the next moment, admit it. Then ask your self, “What is waiting for this
next moment?” Of course the answer is “I am.” We then take it a step further, “What am
I?” Ask that question enough and sit quietly receptive and open to the answer, and you
will move into a state of tranquility like you could never have imagined possible. To
develop the skill of receptivity to the answer, meditation is invaluable, and we will
review that practice at the end of this lesson. It is impossible to really ‘hear’ the answer
or experience the truth of what you are if we have not learned to turn down the static in
our consciousness, and that is the point of meditation. For now, let us continue on
focusing on the living present.

In our efforts to stop waiting for the next moment, we can learn to experience our
consciousness directly. We wait for the next moment because we are not comfortable
where we are for one reason or another. We are uncomfortable because we do not
remember what we truly are, and are avoiding reality. Finding reasons for our discomfort
will only strengthen the identification with the mind, that very thing we are trying to up
root.

The best way to stop waiting for the next moment is to simply accept what
consciousness is experiencing through your personality at this moment. If it is an
uncomfortable feeling of dis-ease, just feel it. Do not continue to fool your self that
something external in the future will change this feeling of dis-ease. Also, do not look to
the past for the reason that you feel the way you do. You can always find a reason to feel
bad, just as you can always imagine a reason to feel good. It just depends on which habit
you have strengthened most, feeling bad, or feeling great! The power in this practice is
not finding or imagining reasons for your current state of consciousness, it is DECIDING
to be different now FOR NO REASON. When you decide to be a certain way for no
reason, then no reason can influence you to be a way you do not want to be. The mind
feeds on reasons. You grow into tranquility through being free of reasons.

To avoid frustration, it is good to accurately judge your potential in this practice.
If this is a new concept for you, your abilities to make these changes will, of course, be
weak. Just as with all exercises, you start where you can and hold the intention of where
you want to be until you get there. Then you become strong. Your mind may be strong
and your tendency towards tranquility may be weak. Just admit it, if it is true. This state
of affairs has occurred because you, like many people, have given more attention to the
mind, rather than to a state of tranquility. We are now undertaking the task to reverse that
tendency. You will succeed so long as you never quit. This is exactly how all the other
saints and sages of the world have become what they have become. They persevered.

Well intentioned people may say that saints and sages are created through grace.
Grace is involved, but not in the way you might imagine. As written in the bible, “God
helps those who help themselves.” Grace, like fate, is the accumulation of present self
efforts to a desired end. So yes, God does help those who help themselves. No unit of
consciousness has ever experienced sainthood without intention or practice.

What is a saint or a sage? A saint is a person who is completely and totally
knowledgeable and identified with the Self. To say that a sage is the eternal Self is not
entirely correct. Otherwise we would all be saints. A realized holy person can be
appropriate in any circumstance. When it is time to meditate, she can withdraw her
attention into complete and total pure consciousness. When it is time to interact with a
neighbor, or a family member, or to take any normal action in the world, she can do her
best without attachment to the results of her actions. Remember, the label saint or sage is
just role some people play. One can be Self and God-realized playing any role.

Saints do not have to act pious, or have any outward display of divinity. Saints
that display fantastic powers do so for a reason. Their mission in the world may involve
being spectacular in some way, but this is not a requirement. There are many people who

can display fantastic feats and have interesting psychic abilities, but they have no idea
about who or what they are and so still function out of an illusional sense of self, rather
than a surrendered and appropriate expression of the infinite consciousness. Fantastic
“spiritual powers” manifest spontaneously without premeditation through a saint. I
mention this point, because it is not helpful to define your progress through any special
abilities or perceptions. Our only point of measure should be the amount of tranquility
and wisdom that comes as we mature into our intention to wake up fully.

Involved in the world of form, emotions are common to everyone. Realized
people feel emotions as well as everyone else. They can also choose to express or not
express certain emotions, good or bad. They are free, so they are free to do what is
appropriate. The difference between a realized person and others, is that the realized
person is not attached to emotional states or expressions. They are free to be fully human
and fully divine simultaneously, and all that implies. When you directly experience that
you are a realized sage, you too will have that same latitude.

According to sage Patanjali, “Yoga is the cessation of fluctuations in the field of
consciousness. When the fluctuations cease, the seer abides in its own nature. At other
times there is conformity to definitions.” Yoga in this context refers to a complete
realization of the unity of consciousness. The result is perfect peace and tranquility. With
the ending of fluctuations (or the need to think and label), Self-realization shines forth of
its own accord. We are completely fulfilled. When focused on the “changes” or
“differences” in consciousness, we are bound again to live in delusion and thereby forget
our tranquility.

The idea of changes or fluctuations in consciousness is just that, an idea. To
clarify, note the words of Vasistha, “Even as the mirage appears to be a very real river of
water, this creation appears to be entirely real. And as long as one clings to the notion of
the reality of “you” and “I”, there is no liberation.” The notions of “you” and “I” is label
created by the mind. We are inseparable. When we dream, who are the characters in the
dream? Are they not a manifestation of the same one thing? The same is true for our
waking dream. To continue to enforce labels, rather than simply acting appropriately and
knowing this whole experience is just one thing, we continue our existence in bondage.

Begin to accept, that this, your experiences, is all you. You may not have the power to
fully realize that, or to even understand what this will mean once you fully grasp it. But if
you are going to entertain a notion, “This is all me” is a good one to switch to.
Vasistha continues, “Not by merely and verbally denying such a notion of
existence is it obliterated: on the contrary, such denial itself becomes a further
distraction.” To deny the existence of a problem simply enforces it. To say, “I’m working
hard to gain liberation and perfect peace,” generates the notion, that you do not have
liberation or peace. You are affirming that which you do not want to experience without
your knowing. You are liberation and peace. To say, “I am making my self well through
this practice, because there was something fundamentally wrong with me before,” has the
same effect. There is nothing wrong with you. You have just been affirming your current
state through your actions, thoughts and words. Now it is time to affirm that which you
do want to experience.

This brings us to the secret key a lot of spiritual teachers leave out. Practice is
done for the joy of doing the practice, not for a result. If you like to meditate, excellent,
meditate because you like it. If you like to pray for peace, that’s good, do it for its own
sake. If you enjoy reading spiritual or philosophical literature, knock your self out, not
because it will make you better or because it is good for you, but because that is what
consciousness enjoys doing through you. Play music, dance, and cook, serve the
homeless or work hard at your job. If you need a reason, do it because that is what you
the Self enjoys doing through you as an individualized unit of its own wholeness. The
real eternal you, is not going to get any better. Not even with age.

Now there may be experiences you would like to have which involve doing things
you do not particularly enjoy. In our current cultural atmosphere, sitting to meditate for
an hour a day, being truthful in all circumstances, eating a non-fad nutrition rich diet,
being content for no reason, working to have adequate resources to accomplish goals and
even regular exercise, all actions conducive to the practice of experiencing liberation of
consciousness, a lot of people do not like to do. This again comes down to choice and
how badly you would like to experience the life you want. If you do not want to harness
your will to overcome attachments to your current experience, and are not willing to
master your state of consciousness to move beyond debilitating aversions, at least be
honest with your self about it. There is no need to feel guilt about your choice. Either you
do or you don’t. It’s up to you. Being peacefully self honest about it, is a good first step.
Keep it up for long enough, and you may find that you eventually start moving in the
direction you want effortlessly.

Remember, you are the Self. Nothing can make you the Self, or take you away
from the Self. It is you. Now that we have that cleared up, the important question arises,
as stated so well by Roy Eugene Davis, “How do you want to be living your immortal
life?” This is what I would like you to think about as we move through this course. If you
already have a clear idea, write it down. Hold that intention as we proceed. If you do not
yet know, hold the intention that you do know how you want to live your immortal life.
Affirm it with conviction daily. When you feel lost or confused do not affirm the feeling
of doubt. Chase it away however you can, and bring back up the feeling of what it would
be like to be completely and totally knowledgeable. You do not have to have the
information in your mind immediately. Remember, there is more to you than the mind.
Through the affirmation and adopting the feeling state, you are accessing the information.
Be patient as the rest of your being, the infinite consciousness, gathers the opportunities
to reveal it to you.

With every breath and movement, feel as though you are, at this very moment,
living a natural and spontaneous life, contentedly. In all circumstances, whether you
judge the circumstance to be perfect or imperfect, good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant,
accept that this is your natural and spontaneous life, the accumulation of all your present
choices, thoughts and words up to this point. Be content to let the accumulated force
exhaust itself. It has to one way or the other. To deny this is to deny reality, and that will
not help. As the accumulated force loses its momentum, make the choices that are
conducive to your ideal experience as an expression of the infinite consciousness.
Review this writing before sleep at night or during leisure time. Contemplate that
which you do not understand, and put into action what you do understand. It will become
clearer with repeated contact.

Week 1 Exercise #1
Begin or Deepen a Regular Meditation Practice
First sit in a comfortable position with the back straight. Close your eyes and look
slightly upward gazing into the darkness of your eyelids. Upward gazing will keep you
alert and awake. Take a few deep breaths, and feel the air come in and leave your body.
With each exhalation let your worries or concerns fall away. As you settle into a relaxed
attentive state set your intention to experience the essence of divinity within and without
you. This can be done with a prayer if you are inclined. Now, return your attention to
your breath.

For the next fifteen minutes just breath, and be aware of breathing. Should
thoughts arise, let them pass. Remember to give yourself fully to the practice. Become
absorbed in the breath, prayer or stillness. This is the time for inner rejuvenation. You
have all day to attend to other matters. After any form of distraction, gently return your
attention to your breathing. When you are ready, drop the breath from you attention. Rest
within the stillness that has been allowed to emerge from this simple practice.

After a few weeks gaining proficiency in the above routine, utilizing the
following schedule can deepen the practice. Twice a day sit for thirty to forty-five
minutes. Set aside the same time every day. Sit where you will not be disturbed. Take a
few deep breaths and get comfortable with your back straight. Close your eyes and direct
your attention within. Again, looking slightly upward to stay alert and affirm your
innate divine nature.

Recite a memorized prayer, or speak one spontaneously silently to allow the
connection with the divine to become more real. Now, use a two word phrase to direct
your attention toward. This can be as simple as “Peace, love” or any other word that
positively attracts your attention. With your breathing recite your word phrase. On the
inhale, listen to the first word inside your head. On the exhale, listen to the second word.
Let it fill your entire awareness. Give all of your attention to it.

Should thoughts or distractions arise, gently bring your attention back to your
word phrase and breathing. Practice feeling the word phrase resonating in your awareness
for the next ten to fifteen minutes. This will calm the mind and allow the body to relax
deeply. Now rest in this relaxed, yet alert peaceful state. Remain calm and poised for as
long as possible.

Once internal or external distractions begin to make themselves known, start over
again. Continue practicing in this way until you have reached your proscribed time.
Finish with a silent prayer, and acknowledge the divine peace you experienced, and let it
fill your day.

After resting for a while in the pure state of awareness you may conclude and go
about your day, or remain a little longer engaging in constructive problem solving. It is
after the practice that we can most appropriately address any issues in our lives that need
it. When our awareness is not clouded by overactive thoughts or emotions we are more
easily able to understand why things are the way they are. With this understanding

proper action can be taken to change. This practice creates the structure in life for the
unfoldment of self-realization and spiritual knowledge. Without this understanding we
wander pointlessly into suffering.

Each day we meditate or pray to realize our spiritual purposes and how they
transpose into our physical life, we lay a few more bricks into the structure. With
patience and consistency we will eventually wake up to find that the last brick was set
yesterday morning, and from there all we need do is let life happen spontaneously and
constructively.
Week 1 Exercise #2
Stop Waiting for the Next Moment
What ever you are doing in your day, do it fully. Focus on the action. Just do the
action. There is no need to think about it, unless thinking is the action. Once you are done
with one action, move on to the next.
It is helpful to make a list the night before of what you intend to accomplish the
next day. Here is an example list:
1. Meditate.
2. Shower.
3. Go to work. (You could also make a list of what you will do while at work.)
4. Exercise for 45 minutes.
5. Pay due bills
6. Practice my instrument.
7. Clean the kitchen after dinner
8. Watch favorite show.
9. Check the mail.
10. Read “Yoga Sutras.”
11. Meditate.
12. Make ‘to do’ list for tomorrow.

Now you do not have to think about your day. You know what you are going to
do. You can now focus on one thing at a time. Mark out each action as they are
completed. This will also help you feel a sense of accomplishment as your day progresses.
There may be points through out the day when you are unhappy or uncomfortable
with the present circumstance. That’s natural until you learn to be content all the time.
What is the best way to deal with moments like that?

First, admit that you feel the way you do. Then if you find your self thinking that
something in the future would change it, stop. More than likely, you would just feel better
temporarily, and then once that is cleared up, something else would come up and you
would think that there must be something else. It’s an endless cycle. So just stop it now.
Next, you will probably look for something or someone in the past to blame your
unpleasant state on. Stop that too. Don’t blame, just feel what you feel. It will quit
eventually. Stay in reality, and the relative reality may be that you feel uncomfortable.
Leave the past and future alone.

Does this make sense? No, of course not. Your mind would like it to though,
wouldn’t it? Stay vigilant and continue the practice. You will eventually have the direct
experience, that how you feel is not dependant on the past or the future, and that you can
always find a reason to feel how you do. Forget about reasons. Focus on choice.
Choose what you want to feel and feel it. Don’t wait for the next moment. Be with
what is, and once you are comfortable with that, then choose what is. You are learning to
develop control over your states of consciousness, a key skill for any Self-realized person.

Sincerely, Ryan Kurczak 2010