Essay 1 of 12

Introduction and Preface

Introduction

You are beginning an investigation of a most unique type: A collection of contemporary, enlightened teachers' descriptions of how to secure happiness, accumulated over a period spanning five decades. It is in fact an exploration of the conditions that generate happiness originating from the deepest levels of consciousness. To the best of my knowledge, a collection of this particular type has not been compiled or identified prior to this point in time.

The rather wide spectrum of thought leaders discussed here, ranging from the Dalai Lama to Alcoholics Anonymous, reveals the diversity of the sources from which this input has been collected. This diversity all but guarantees that the reader will find the path that resonates with her soul. Perhaps more importantly, the repeated "overlap" arising among universal spiritual truths allows a type of verification – what we psychologists refer to as "convergent validity."

When divergent sources converge on the same truth it rings the "bell of reality."

So, there is a definite reason or justification for the lean toward the realm of spiritual, or "God-centeredness." The sharing of similar content between the God-centered material and that which makes no use of such an orientation (e.g., Buddhism) creates a foundation of absolute truth that is not dependent on religious viewpoints, context, culture, or social influence.

Perhaps more importantly, the identification of truth that is anchored in the spiritual realm points to a source of happiness that is sufficiently robust as to remain influential regardless of what occurs in the world of form – the physical world as we know it.

In other words, we are in pursuit of happiness that remains steadfast no matter what happens in the world. No matter what. Invulnerability of this type does not occur without being rooted in the world of Spirit. This is a prize that is more than worth any cost, any effort, any sacrifice.

On the main webpage (www.speckartinc.com) is information about your author. I am available for coaching services by contacting me through this website.

Finally, most quotes are sourced by the complete reference cited under Suggested Readings at the end of each essay. All writing is guaranteed to be pure analogue, 100% AI-free.

I thank you for taking this voyage with me.

Best wishes,

George Speckart Ph. D.

Preface

"He who looks outside dreams. He who looks inside awakens."

Dr. Carl Jung

Do you ever get the feeling that there is a sense of deep happiness that you know you should have but it's just not there? Do you ever wake up – before you have a chance to rationalize it away – and realize, "this life – this is not real happiness"?

A Course in Miracles poses questions on this topic that cannot be ignored:

“This world you seem to live in is not home to you. And somewhere in your mind you know that this is true. A memory of home keeps haunting you, as if there were a place that called you to return, although you do not recognize the voice, nor what it is the voice reminds you of. Yet still you feel an alien here, from somewhere all unknown. Nothing so definite that you could say with certainty you are an exile here. Just a persistent feeling, sometimes not more than a tiny throb, at other times hardly remembered, actively dismissed, but surely to return to mind again.
No one but knows whereof we speak. Yet some try to put by their suffering in games they play to occupy their time, and keep their sadness from them. Others will deny that they are sad, and do not recognize their tears at all. Still others will maintain that what we speak of is illusion, not to be considered more than but a dream. Yet who, in simple honesty, without defensiveness and self-deception, would deny he understands the words we speak?
We speak today for everyone who walks this world, for he is not at home. He goes uncertainly about in endless search, seeking in darkness what he cannot find; not recognizing what it is he seeks. A thousand homes he makes, yet none contents his restless mind. He does not understand he builds in vain. The home he seeks cannot be made by him. There is no substitute for Heaven.”
– A Course in Miracles, 2nd Edition, Workbook Lesson 182

What is this "home he seeks"? One example of a plausible explanation comes from those who have been through an NDE (near-death experience) like Natalie Sudman, who writes about being on the "other side:"

“From my current perspective, existence beyond the physical is utterly lovely, delicious and strange, infused with limitless love, richly fulfilling, and euphorically effortless. It’s beyond entrancing, and I’d honestly prefer to be there.”
– Sudman, Natalie, Application of Impossible Things: My Near-Death Experience in Iraq, 2012

The selected readings listed at the end of this chapter (Alexander 2012; Eadie, 1994; Newton 2000; Sudman 2012) represent just a tiny slice of the literally hundreds more of accounts appearing in articles, blogs, websites, books, and videos (mostly YouTube) reporting NDE's (near-death experiences) encountered by people just in the last few decades. Sudman's (2012) is rather typical. Moreover, most such authors acknowledge the utter futility of words in adequately describing what it is like to be in this realm.

Specifics of "home" that emerge from these various NDE accounts are hard to pin down, yet familiar themes keep reoccurring in the descriptions we find:

There is nothing to fear;
Everything is exactly as it is supposed to be;
We are loved more than we can possibly imagine;
We are magnificent, luminous spirits, not bodies;
We can do nothing wrong/there is nothing wrong; and,
Unconditional love is the foundation of everything.

One potential definition of happiness is bringing these six NDE properties from the non-physical world or spiritual realm (we'll call this the "real world") into the world we see around us now ("this world"), i.e., the physical world of form.

In accepting the NDE properties as the "criteria" for a "real world," one should expect a complete overturning of one's existing belief system. For example, what we know as "this world" explains why the real trauma is birth, not death, and why babies cry incessantly when they are born. Babies are doted over, given everything they could possibly need or want, and yet they still cry. Why do they continue to cry? Because they are here ("this world") as opposed to the "real world" from whence they just came.

As one keeps listening to NDE stories (most likely on YouTube), one might even conclude that the only appropriate emotion when someone dies is envy, not empathy or sympathy.

Where are we now?

Let's explore possible answers to the questions, What about "this world" – Where are we now? Pursuit of an answer to this question will require the most open of open minds. As an eminent scientist once remarked about quantum physics, "It is not only stranger than you think, it's stranger than you can think."

Pursuit of an answer to this question will require the most open of open minds. As Deepak Chopra once remarked about quantum physics, "It is not only stranger than you think, it's stranger than you can think."

Consider the viewpoint provided by one of the most universally respected masters in recent history, Paramahansa Yogananda, Ghandi's guru, who died in Los Angeles in 1952. The Mortuary Director at Forest Lawn described the condition of his body as "the most extraordinary in our experience. No physical disintegration was visible…even twenty days after death. This state of perfect preservation of a body is, so far as we know…an unparalleled one. [It] was apparently in a phenomenal state of immutability. No odor of decay emanated from [his] body at any time…" [Harry T. Rowe, Mortuary Director of Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in a notarized letter dated May 16, 1952].

Those who followed the Yogi's teachings do not find such events as questionable but rather characteristic for a master of his elevated status. In his book Man's Eternal Quest, Yogananda explains that, after passing, the deceased looks back on the "life" ("this world") that has just occurred and concludes, "Thank God it was just a dream." Yogananda's position on the unreality of this world as we know it is typical for followers and teachers of Advaita Vedanta (part of the Hindu tradition), possibly civilization's oldest religion, and still exemplified by the teachings of more recent masters such as Nisargadatta Maharaj, J. Krishnamurti and Ramana Maharshi. It is also a key part of the metaphysics in A Course in Miracles ["ACIM"] and is reported in many variations within the NDE literature.

Yogananda wrote this with the probable intent being that, if he could help us realize that the life that we see now is actually a dream or illusion, we could save ourselves a great deal of stress without having to wait for our demise. We could actually be "merry" as in the nursery rhyme:

Row, row, row, your boat, gently down the stream,

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily life is but a dream.

This idea that the life we take to be real is actually a dream (or if you prefer, illusion) refuses to die in its entirety. The notion seems to occupy a niche stashed away in the mind somewhere, even if it seems tenuous at times. This trend is strengthened by the increasing acceptance of Eastern spirituality in our culture; by the same token, contemporary physicists are moving us away from the traditional paradigm holding that matter is an independent phenomenon external to our consciousness.

Ultimately, we are forced to acknowledge that the world we see is the result of our cognitive construction (i.e., a dream or an illusion), and is based on the idea that we produce this world through illusory perception that forms and maintains, rather than receives, information on the world around us. Federico Faggin (1941 -- ), an Italian American physicist, wrote "Consciousness is not an emergent property of matter; matter is an expression of consciousness." In essence, the thoughts we choose generate our experience. Perception is actually a mirror, revealing an outside reflection of an inner condition – yet we do not realize it.

Let's assume for a moment that you resist the idea that this world is not real. Look at this world – all of it. Does it make you feel good? Do you really think this is your home? Can a world like this coexist with a loving and caring God? If not, which one has to go? Which one cannot be real?

A Course in Miracles (to be considered in more detail in a later chapter) lays it out simply: "If this were the real world, God would be cruel." [Text, Chapter 13, Introduction, Paragraph 3]. The Course does not mince words about this: "For this world is the opposite of Heaven, being made to be its opposite, and everything here takes a direction exactly opposite of what is true." [Text, Chapter 16, Section V, Paragraph 3].

From other sources, we have reason to believe that, even in this world, when things appear to be going well, this is still not real happiness: “When you are joyous because the world seems to be going your way, and today seems to be your day, remember that is not your joy. Your joy is truth, which is beyond the world.” [NTI – The Holy Spirit’s Interpretation of the New Testament, scribed by Regina Dawn Akers, O Books of London, 2006; we will consider more from this source in the chapter entitled “Awakening Together – Regina Dawn Akers”]. Fits rather nicely with Natalie Sudman’s experience doesn’t it?

“When you are joyous because the world seems to be going your way, and today seems to be your day, remember that is not your joy. Your joy is truth, which is beyond the world.”
– NTI – The Holy Spirit’s Interpretation of the New Testament, scribed by Regina Dawn Akers, O Books of London, 2006

We will consider more from this source in the chapter entitled "Awakening Together – Regina Dawn Akers." Fits rather nicely with Natalie Sudman's experience doesn't it?

Ever heard this one? The biggest lie in the world is that if you get what you want, then you will be happy. Think about it: Nothing works here in the long run. Why not? First of all, whatever it is that we get that we thought we wanted, we eventually come to want something else, or something more. Barring that, no matter what we "get," (as if you could "get" something!), we can't keep it. Even if it is the most generous, wise, loving partner in existence, one of you is going to die first and leave the other alone. To be sure, even the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous warns us to avoid the "delusion that [we] can wrest satisfaction and happiness out of this world if [we] only manage it well." [Alcoholics Anonymous, 2001, p.61]

The weight of the evidence is clear: There is no hope of obtaining lasting satisfaction from an "external world." This leads us to an imperative requirement to amend the "NDE" list with another absolute law regulating our existence, and for those of us here in the 3-D world of form, it may be the most important of all:

Our happiness will never be secured by anything outside of us.

Our happiness will never be secured by anything outside of us.

The core practice for attaining happiness that we will be considering is the stripping away of the impediments, or barriers, to the shining being that we already are and have always been. To achieve self-realization, happiness does not involve adding but rather subtracting to reveal what has always been there, beneath the surface -- sometimes described as "presence" – that is, love itself.

A famous Christian mystic from the 1320's named Meister Eckhart originally saw that "…God is not found in the body by adding anything but by subtraction. The more you take away what is not God, the nearer you come to the ground where God and the soul are one." [Walshe, Maurice (translator), The Complete Mystical Works of Meister Eckhart, Crossroad, 2009]

This subtraction is primarily targeted at the ego, because it is the source of judgment that is responsible for our negativity and sense of separateness. Thus, happiness or "enlightenment" – the maximization of being, or presence itself -- is functionally equivalent to minimizing the role of the ego in our interactions with the world. We will be working to a large extent with egoic judgment and thought because these are the media through which the ego exerts its influence.

So, in this quest for happiness which we are starting here, it is important to understand: It is nothing you can get, acquire, obtain or receive. You already have it. It cannot be taught because it was not obtained by learning.

For now, this peace can only be remembered:

“Listen – perhaps you catch a hint of an ancient state not quite forgotten; dim, perhaps, and yet not altogether unfamiliar, like a song whose name is long forgotten, and the circumstances in which you heard completely unremembered. Not the whole song has stayed with you, but just a little wisp of melody, attached not to a person or place or anything particular. But you remember, from just this little part, how lovely was the song, how wonderful the setting where you heard it, and how you loved those who were there and listened with you.
The notes are nothing. Yet you have kept them with you, not for themselves, but as a soft reminder of what would make you weep if you remembered how dear it was to you. You could remember, yet you are afraid, believing you would lose the world you learned since then. And yet you know that nothing in the world you learned is half so dear as this. Listen, and see if you remember an ancient song you knew so long ago and held more dear than any melody you taught yourself to cherish since.”
– A Course in Miracles, Text, Chapter 21, Section I

As we mentioned, we only need to discover how to access the peace and happiness that are already within us, once the obstacles imposed by the ego are removed. In short, we do not need to do, we need to undo.

What follows is a collection of approaches to happiness – typically linked to spiritual awakening -- that have appeal to various types of individuals. This means that you can take what works for you and leave the rest, under the assumption that different subsets will be meaningful to different people, but in the end, everyone will find what they need somewhere. The premise is that happiness and spiritual awakening are inextricably intertwined (if not identical), so that, the pursuit of one will bring the other along with it.

Why does it have to be "spiritual"? The reason is that happiness, to be resistant to exogenous disturbances – totally resistant – must be anchored outside of this physical world. If it isn't, it will never last. We would not be able to have the foundation to withstand, let's call them "black swan events" – like 9/11.

Perhaps more importantly, we are not talking about the type of happiness that comes from this world. We are talking about the kind of happiness that passeth all understanding:

“I have told you before how loved you are. You have felt this love and known it. This love that I speak of, which you know is God, came to be known to you from within. This love that touched you and moved you with holiness came into your awareness from within you. And this love you knew was real. You felt its comfort and you recognized it.”
– NTI – The Holy Spirit’s Interpretation of the New Testament, scribed by Regina Dawn Akers, 2006

There are, to be sure, alternative works on happiness which one might be inclined to explore. For example, the approach in Radically Happy by Phakchok Rinpoche and Erric Solomon might be characterized as more of a Buddhist orientation (although we do focus on the teachings of the Dalai Lama in one of our chapters). Still other paths are more applicable to a business- or task-oriented environment (e.g., The Happiness Files by Arthur C. Brooks), where happiness is linked to overt behavioral indicators (compliments, self-control, etc.).

We mention these various sources to show that our work here is not meant to be -- nor could it be -- definitive. Happiness is a very broad topic with potential applications in different contexts. Instead, I have selected what I believe are the most concise and penetrating approaches available from diverse sources that address what I would call the core determinants of happiness.

In addition, the approaches described here are for busy people. Superfluous discussions have been eliminated (to the best of our ability!). If it is addressed in these chapters, it is important, and it is effective. There is no chatter here. Rather, these essays represent the distillation of a lifetime of searching, identifying, verifying and collecting by the author. So now, you do not have to do any of that.

Rather, these essays represent the distillation of a lifetime of searching, identifying, verifying and collecting by the author. So now, you do not have to do any of that.

Each of the chapters that follows delineates a path based on one or more books that I have found to be a comprehensive foundation for happiness. For me, each one is indispensable in its own way; each one is sufficient for awakening, yet somewhat paradoxically they all complement each other at the same time. I could not conceive of overlooking any of them. Each of the authors has his/her own special genius and unique contribution. In my view, this world would be incomplete without any one of them.

There are also occasional references to messages from "channels" or "scribes," the former being persons who orally report information, while the latter transmit information through writing, with both obtaining their content from higher-dimensional sources. This type of information is only utilized presently when the channels or scribes are known to have impeccable credibility, and/or when the information is corroborated from other reliable sources. Except when noted otherwise, channeled sources are referenced without the name of the scribe (for example, A Course in Miracles was essentially scribed by a small team).

As much as I wished to include entire, lengthy quotations from many of my sources, I was prevented from doing so in some cases by copyright restrictions. Therefore, "Suggested Readings" as used in these pages takes on a particularly meaningful implication: Namely, sources with this denotation are emphatically recommended for your review, since I am precluded from presenting the author’s full verbatim wording. On the other hand, when many quotes are present, the reader may take this as an indication that permission for reproduction was granted by the copyright holder, or that the quotes were taken from public (e.g., online) communications. Readers who wish to discuss these issues in more detail are invited to contact me through the “Contact Us” link on www.speckartinc.com.

I use an informal means to provide sources, usually citing only the book, date and author, which are listed with the publisher at the end of each section under "Suggested Readings." Some of the quotes derive from memory, occasionally coming from sources in my possession some 30-40 years ago. Therefore, this is not a formal, publishable manuscript or set of manuscripts. Accordingly, I will happily take your questions through the "Contact Us" section on the main webpage (www.speckartinc.com) if you desire to more thoroughly discuss the origins of the quotes that you encounter.

Words are inherently clumsy and in that sense one can only use them to point to a truth, not to fully articulate it. The information to which I am pointing here is so rich, so powerful, that I would be committing an injustice to presume that descriptions in my words are sufficient. If you truly want what is on offer here – and I hope you do – you will need to pursue the original quoted source. If a source is reproduced in the Suggested Readings of any of the essays offered here, it is indeed highly recommended. There may also be groups, retreats or websites to make the material "come alive" for you.

With all this in mind, I am including in this series of articles what I believe to be the highest and best practices, based on my forty years of investigation. These include 1) combined and most powerful prayer and prayer/mantra practice (see chapters entitled "The Way of Devotion" and "Deep Healing – Joel Goldsmith"); and 2) the simplest and most highly evolved forms of meditation (in the chapters entitled, "The Pathless Path," "Awakening Together – Regina Dawn Akers," and "The Way of Wisdom.")

Happy reading! And Thank You for joining this quest with me.

Respectfully,

George Speckart Ph. D.

Definitions of Key Terms

In this section, we clarify some basic terminology including essential terms used by contemporary teachers, specifically "self" versus "Self," and "dualism" versus "non-dualism." These terms will be necessary for appreciation of the discussion in this section and chapters that follow.

We conclude this "mini-glossary" with a description of the three main approaches to conceptualizing the path to awakening: The Progressive Path; the Direct Path; and the Pathless Path.

"Dualism" versus "non-dualism" and "self" versus "Self":

"Dualism" recognizes both a physical world together with a spiritual/metaphysical one, in the manner of traditional organized religion, whereas "non-dualism" holds that reality is characterized by oneness in which the physical world, and indeed all apparently separate or independent entities, are illusory. In "non-dualism," there are no distinct "things" -- there is no heaven versus hell, no God versus man, etc. – there is only God and perfect oneness without opposites.

In "dualism," the "self" is the observable body/mind in the 3D world of form which practices to obtain spiritual realization. It is seen as part of the "dualistic" world which posits a distinct self having a relationship with a separate God. The "non-dualistic" perspective, however, regards this self as illusory and indeed non-existent, recognizing only Self as real.

The "Self," with a capital "S," is not a body/mind at all, but is instead a manifestation of God appearing as a person. As such it is not bound by a body but rather is Spirit -- infinite, boundless, pure and wholly innocent. Thus, the "non-dualistic" perspective regards only the "Self" as "true," wherein we are in truth collectively one "Self" appearing as many.

In this context, recognition of the "Self" entails the realization of "non-dualism," in which the "Self" is an aspect of God, rather than being a separate individual "self." As part of God, the "Self" is infinite Spirit, not a person. Hence, there is no "you," "me," "I" or "them" – there is only the Self shared by all apparent persons.

The Three Paths

The three general paths as taught by contemporary teachers, then, are described below as The Progressive Path, the Direct Path, and the Pathless Path.

The Progressive Path

This is the familiar path that uses sequential teachings of meditation and prayer, contemplation, and reading of sacred texts to gradually reach a state of awakening or enlightenment. The self is the subject and the various forms of practice (meditation, mantra, etc.) form the object in a traditional subject-object relationship.

The Direct Path

The Direct Path is a non-dual approach that points attention directly to present awareness itself, inviting recognition of one's true nature now, rather than through gradual practices or stages. Instead of directing the subject's attention towards an object, the practice involves turning the attention of the practicing subject inwardly, i.e., back on itself, as the object. This approach is generally accompanied by a question, such as "What am I?" or "Who is it that is aware?" Thus, in the Direct Path we do not arrive at our true nature through an object, but rather through direct inquiry, inviting the mind "inwards" or "backwards" towards itself.

The Pathless Path

This path incorporates the ultimate expression of oneness in recognizing that there is no path, because there is no separate one who walks it. This orientation culminates in the complete realization of non-duality, or perfect oneness, such that there is only God, and the self/Self literally does not exist. Consequently, there is no one who practices, no path, and nothing to be achieved; there is only the realization of the seamless intimacy of Awareness/Being/God encompassing everything.

Here even the subtlest idea of a doer, a goal or a practice are annihilated – i.e., this practice is not something one does; rather it is the recognition that one who would do a practice never really existed. There is no self. Any impression of selfhood or Selfhood is illusory. The Pathless Path is therefore simply being what you already are – and always were – without effort – namely, God's being. God is the only thing that exists or ever has existed.