| "Everything in the universe is a pitcher brimming | | | | complete and total awareness. Ananda is bliss. It is |
| with wisdom and beauty." | | | | utter and indefinable peace and joy. This is who |
| -Rumi, 13th Century Sufi Poet and Mystic Is the | | | | we are in our essence. And because we are this |
| universe friendly? On the surface this seems an | | | | at a non-dual level, we must accept that reality as |
| absurd statement. Looking deeper, your response | | | | we know it is a massive hallucination. On the |
| might be to say no after reviewing all the | | | | quantum level of reality, particles are merely |
| calamities of your own life, the often-vicious | | | | dancing in and out of existence. Furthermore, |
| response of governments around the world to | | | | they are not made of anything. They are |
| perceived threats to their power, the narcissistic | | | | non-things. So, on a literal level, the entire world as |
| military and industrial complex that constitutes | | | | we know it is as real as the movies we see |
| what we call civilization, the awkward and | | | | projected on a screen, which as we all know is |
| dysfunctional personalities that you have to deal | | | | nothing but a dance of light in various shades. On |
| with daily, the devastation of natural storms, the | | | | the cosmic level of reality, we are spiritual beings |
| cruelty of the animal kingdom, and the bloody | | | | having a human experience. We are literally |
| history of our species. Yet despite chaos, horror, | | | | dreaming the world into being; projecting it from |
| and the imminent possibility of terror, I hold to the | | | | the thoughts and feelings we have about it. |
| belief that the universe is friendly. It is friendly | | | | Remove your mind from the world and the world |
| because we are not this game of chance that we | | | | itself collapses into nothingness. The entire |
| see all around us. We are, in fact, not victims of | | | | purpose of life is to shed the illusion by awakening |
| linear time. Our home is in the non-linear dimension. | | | | our souls to the realization that we are not |
| And we reside there as magnificent beings. In | | | | victims of the projection of our minds. We can, in |
| fact, we are an expression of an invisible and | | | | fact, begin the spiritual journey at any time to |
| invincible force that we call God. And this God has | | | | extricate ourselves from the illusions that make |
| three characteristics which are our own. In | | | | us so unhappy. Somewhere along that journey, |
| Sanskrit, the three characteristics are known as | | | | the veil of matter will fall. It is then that you will |
| "sat-chit-ananda." Sat is beingness. It is pure and | | | | realize that the universe is friendly after all. |
| absolute presence. Chit is knowingness. It is | | | | |