All things

in the universe move

from the subtle to the manifest

and back again. Whether the form

is that of a star or a person,

the process is

the same.

First, the subtle energy exists. Next,

it becomes manifest and takes on life.

After a time, the life passes away,

but the subtle energy goes on,

either returning to the subtle realm,

where it remains, or once again

attaching to manifest things.

The character

of your existence

is determined by the energies

to which you connect yourself. If

you attach yourself to gross energies—

loving this person, hating that clan,

rejecting one experience or

habitually indulging in another—

then you will lead a series of

heavy, attached lives.

This can go on for

a very long and

tedious time.

The way of

the integral being

is to join with higher things.

By holding to that which is refined

and subtle, she traverses refined and

subtle realms. If she enters the

world, she does so lightly,

without attachment.

Intellectual knowledge

exists in and of the brain.

Because the brain is part of the body,

which must one day expire,

this collection of facts,

however large and

impressive, will

expire as well.

Insight, however,

is a function of the spirit.

Because your spirit follows you

through cycle after cycle of

life, death, and rebirth, you

have the opportunity

of cultivating insight

in an ongoing

fashion.

The ego says

that the world is vast,

and that the particles which form it

are tiny. When tiny particles join,

it says, the vast world appears.

When the vast world

disperses, it says,

tiny particles

appear.

The ego is

entranced by all these

names and ideas, but the subtle truth

is that world and particle are

the same; neither one vast,

neither one tiny.

Every thing is

equal to every other thing.

Names and concepts only block your

perception of this Great Oneness.

Therefore it is wise to

ignore them.

Those who live

inside their egos are

continually bewildered: they struggle

frantically to know whether things are

large or small, whether or not there is

a purpose to joining or dispersing,

whether the universe is blind

and mechanical or the

divine creation of

a conscious

being.

Words can

never convey the

beauty of a tree;

to understand it,

you must see it

with your own eyes.

Language cannot capture

the melody of a song;

to understand it,

you must hear it

with your own

ears.

So it is

with the Tao: the

only way to understand

it is to directly experience it.

The subtle truth of the universe

is unsayable and unthinkable.

Therefore the highest

teachings are

wordless.

My own words are not the medicine,

but a prescription; not the destination,

but a map to help you reach it.

There are

two kinds of blessings.

The first are worldly blessings,

which are won by doing good deeds.

These concern the mind,

and thus are confined

in time and space.

The second

is the integral blessing,

which falls on those who achieve

awareness of the Great Oneness.

This awareness liberates you from

the bondage of mind, time, and

space to fly freely through

the boundless harmony

of the Tao.

Similarly, there are

two kinds of wisdom.

The first is worldly wisdom,

which is a conceptual understanding

of your experiences. Because it follows

after the events themselves, it

necessarily inhibits your

direct understanding

of truth.

The second

kind, integral wisdom,

involves a direct participation

in every moment: the observer and

the observed are dissolved in the light

of pure awareness, and no mental

concepts or attitudes

are present to

dim that light.

The clairvoyant may see

forms which are elsewhere,

but he cannot see the formless.

The telepathic may communicate

directly with the mind of another,

but he cannot communicate with

one who has achieved no-mind.

The telekinetic may move an

object without touching it,

but he cannot move

the intangible.

Work toward

emptiness and openness.

Cultivate stillness.

Breathe harmony.

Become tranquility.

As the ten thousand

things rise and fall, rise and fall,

just witness their return

to the root.

Everything that flourishes

dissolves again into the source.

To dissolve back into the source is to

find peace. To find peace is to recover

your true nature. To recover your true

nature is to know the constancy

of Tao. To know the constancy

of Tao is insight.

Insight opens your mind.

An open mind leads to an open heart.

Openheartedness leads to justice.

Justice is an expression of divinity.

Divinity is oneness with Tao.

There is

no one method for

attaining realization of the Tao.

To regard any method as the method

is to create a duality, which can only

delay your understanding of the

subtle truth. The mature person

perceives the fruitlessness of

rigid, external methodologies;

remembering this, he keeps

his attitude unstructured

at all times and thus

is always free to

pursue the

Integral

Way.

He studies the

teachings of the masters.

He dissolves all concepts of duality.

He pours himself out in service to

others. He performs his inner

cleansing and does not

disturb his teacher with

unnecessary entanglements,

thus preserving the subtle

spiritual connection with

the teacher's divine

energy.

Most of the

world's religions serve

only to strengthen attachments

to false concepts such as self and

other, life and death, heaven and

earth, and so on. Those who

become entangled in these

false ideas are prevented

from perceiving the

Integral Oneness.

The highest

virtue one can exercise

is to accept the responsibility

of discovering and transmitting

the whole truth. Some help others

in order to receive blessings and

admiration. This is simply

meaningless. Some

cultivate themselves

in part to serve others,

in part to serve their own pride.

They will understand, at best,

half of the truth.

Most of the

world's religions serve

only to strengthen attachments

to false concepts such as self and

other, life and death, heaven and

earth, and so on. Those who

become entangled in these

false ideas are prevented

from perceiving the

Integral Oneness.

The highest

virtue one can exercise

is to accept the responsibility

of discovering and transmitting

the whole truth. Some help others

in order to receive blessings and

admiration. This is simply

meaningless. Some

cultivate themselves

in part to serve others,

in part to serve their own pride.

They will understand, at best,

half of the truth.

To the ordinary being,

others often require tolerance.

To the highly evolved being, there

is no such thing as tolerance,

because there is no such

thing as other.

She has

given up all ideas of

individuality and extended her

goodwill without prejudice

in every direction.

Never hating,

never resisting,

never contesting,

she is simply always

learning and being.

Loving, hating,

having expectations:

all these are attachments.

Attachment prevents the

growth of one's true being.

Therefore the integral being is

attached to nothing and can

relate to everyone with an

unstructured attitude.

Because of

this, her very existence

benefits all things.

That which

has form is equal

to that which is without form,

and that which is alive is

equal to that which

rests.

Can you

dissolve your ego?

Can you abandon the idea of

self and other? Can you relinquish the

notions of male and female, short and

long, life and death? Can you let go

of all these dualities and embrace

the Tao without skepticism or

panic? If so, you can reach

the heart of the Integral

Oneness.

The tiny particles

which form the vast

universe are not tiny at all.

Neither is the vast universe vast.

These are notions of the mind,

which is like a knife, always

chipping away at the Tao,

trying to render it

graspable and

manageable.

But that which

is beyond form is ungraspable,

and that which is beyond knowing

is unmanageable.

Does one scent

appeal more than another?

Do you prefer this flavor, or that

feeling? Is your practice sacred and

your work profane? Then your

mind is separated: from

itself, from oneness,

from the Tao.

Thirty spokes

meet at a hollowed-out hub;

the wheel won't work

without its hole.

A vessel is moulded from solid clay;

its inner emptiness makes it useful.

To make a room,

you have to cut doors and windows;

without openings, a place

isn't livable.

Do you imagine

the universe is agitated?

Go into the desert at night and look

out at the stars. This practice

should answer the

question.

He who

desires the admiration

of the world will do well to amass

a great fortune and then give it away.

The world will respond with

admiration in proportion to

the size of his treasure.

Of course, this is

meaningless.

The teaching

of the Integral Way

will go on as long as

there is a Tao and someone

who wishes to embody it;

what is painted in these

scrolls today will appear

in different forms in

many generations

to come.

These things,

however, will never change:

Those who wish to attain oneness

must practice undiscriminating virtue.

They must dissolve all ideas of duality:

good and bad, beautiful and ugly, high

and low. They will be obliged to

abandon any mental bias born

of cultural or religious belief.

Indeed, they should hold

their minds free of any

thought which interferes

with their sense of the

universe as a

harmonious

oneness.

I teach the

Integral Way of uniting

with the great and mysterious Tao.

My teachings are simple; if you try to

make a religion or science of them,

they will elude you. Profound yet

plain, they contain the entire

truth of the universe.

Those who

wish to know the

whole truth take joy in doing the

work and service that comes to them.

Having completed it, they take joy in

cleansing and feeding themselves.

Having cared for others

and for themselves,

they then turn to

the master for

instruction.