THE TRUTH THAT IS WITHIN YOU

 

This book represents the essence of my work, as far as it can be

conveyed in words, with individuals and small groups of spiritual

seekers during the past ten years, in Europe and in North America. In

deep love and appreciation, I would like to thank those exceptional

people for their courage, their willingness to embrace inner change,

their challenging questions, and their readiness to listen. This book

would not have come into existence without them. They belong to

what is as yet a small but fortunately growing minority of spiritual

pioneers: people who are reaching a point where they become

capable of breaking out of inherited collective mind-patterns that have

kept humans in bondage to suffering for eons.

I trust that this book will find its way to those who are ready for such

radical inner transformation and so act as a catalyst for it. I also hope

that it will reach many others who will find its content worthy of

consideration, although they may not be ready to fully live or practice

it. It is possible that at a later time, the seed that was sown when

reading this book will merge with the seed of enlightenment that each

human being carries within, and suddenly that seed will sprout and

come alive within them.

The book in its present form originated, often spontaneously, in

response to questions asked by individuals in seminars, meditation

classes, and private counseling sessions, and so I have kept the

question-and-answer format. I learned and received as much in those

classes and sessions as the questioners. Some of the questions and

answers I wrote down almost verbatim. Others are generic, which is

to say I combined certain types of questions that were frequently

asked into one, and extracted the essence from different answers to

form one generic answer. Sometimes, in the process of writing, an

entirely new answer came that was more profound or insightful than

anything I had ever uttered. Some additional questions were asked by

the editor so as to provide further clarification of certain points.

You will find that from the first to the last page, the dialogues

continuously alternate between two different levels.

On one level, I draw your attention to what is false in you. I speak of

the nature of human unconsciousness and dysfunction as well as its

most common behavioral manifestations, from conflict in relationships

to warfare between tribes or nations. Such knowledge is vital, for

unless you learn to recognize the false as false — as not you — there

can be no lasting transformation, and you would always end up being

drawn back into illusion and into some form of pain. On this level, I

also show you how not to make that which is false in you into a self

and into a personal problem, for that is how the false perpetuates

itself.

On another level, I speak of a profound transformation of human

consciousness — not as a distant future possibility, but available now

— no matter who or where you are. You are shown how to free

yourself from enslavement to the mind, enter into this enlightened

state of consciousness and sustain it in everyday life.

On this level of the book, the words are not always concerned with

information, but often designed to draw you into this new

consciousness as you read. Again and again, I endeavor to take you

with me into that timeless state of intense conscious presence in the

Now, so as to give you a taste of enlightenment. Until you are able to

experience what I speak of, you may find those passages somewhat

repetitive. As soon as you do, however, I believe you will realize that

they contain a great deal of spiritual power, and they may become for

you the most rewarding parts of the book. Moreover, since every

person carries the seed of enlightenment within, I often address

myself to the knower in you who dwells behind the thinker, the

deeper self that immediately recognizes spiritual truth, resonates with

it, and gains strength from it.

The pause symbol after certain passages is a suggestion that you

may want to stop reading for a moment, become still, and feel and

experience the truth of what has just been said. There may be other

places in the text where you will do this naturally and spontaneously.

As you begin reading the book, the meaning of certain words, such as

“Being” or “presence,” may not be entirely clear to you at first. Just

read on. Questions or objections may occasionally come into your

mind as you read. They will probably be answered later in the book,

or they may turn out to be irrelevant as you go more deeply into the

teaching — and into yourself.

Don’t read with the mind only. Watch out for any “feeling-response”

as you read and a sense of recognition from deep within. I cannot tell

you any spiritual truth that deep within you don’t know already. All I

can do is remind you of what you have forgotten. Living knowledge,

ancient and yet ever new, is then activated and released from within

every cell of your body.

The mind always wants to categorize and compare, but this book will

work better for you if you do not attempt to compare its terminology

with that of other teachings; otherwise, you will probably become

confused. I use words such as “mind,” “happiness,” and

“consciousness” in ways that do not necessarily correlate with other

teachings. Don’t get attached to any words. They are only stepping

stones, to be left behind as quickly as possible.

When I occasionally quote the words of Jesus or the Buddha, from A

Course in Miracles or from other teachings, I do so not in order to

compare, but to draw your attention to the fact that in essence there

is and always has been only one spiritual teaching, although it comes

in many forms. Some of these forms, such as the ancient religions,

have become so overlaid with extraneous matter that their spiritual

essence has become almost completely obscured by it. To a large

extent, therefore, their deeper meaning is no longer recognized and

their transformative power lost. When I quote from the ancient

religions or other teachings, it is to reveal their deeper meaning and

thereby restore their transformative power — particularly for those

readers who are followers of these religions or teachings. I say to

them: there is no need to go elsewhere for the truth. Let me show

you how to go more deeply into what you already have.

Mostly, however, I have endeavored to use terminology that is as

neutral as possible in order to reach a wide range of people. This

book can be seen as a restatement for our time of that one timeless

spiritual teaching, the essence of all religions. It is not derived from

external sources, but from the one true Source within, so it contains

no theory or speculation. I speak from inner experience, and if at

times I speak forcefully, it is to cut through heavy layers of mental

resistance and to reach that place within you where you already

know, just as I know, and where the truth is recognized when it is

heard. There is then a feeling of exaltation and heightened aliveness,

as something within you says: “Yes. I know this is true.”

CHAPTER ONE

 

YOU ARE NOT YOUR MIND