Spiritual RevolutionBy Eknath Easwaran

Editors’ note: This article, written in the late 1990s, was selected for its relevance to the world today.

More than a quarter of a century ago I attended a conference addressing the mighty role computers

would play in reshaping the world. Since then, these powerful data-processing machines have taken over many func-tions on the campus, in the library and laboratory, in business and communica-tions, and in many other daily activities.

A Time magazine cover story titled “Can Machines Th ink?” examined recent advances in the capacity of computers to duplicate human behavior. Contributor Robert Wright described the celebrated chess match between the reigning world chess champion and his man-made oppo-nent: “When Garry Kasparov faced off against an IBM computer, he wasn’t just aft er more fame and money. By his own account, the world chess champion was playing for you, me, the whole human species. He was trying, as he put it shortly before the match, to ‘help defend our dig-nity.’ ”

Fortunately, our human dignity does not rest on the ability to outmaneuver a chess-playing computer.

A sobering questionTh e article in Time reminded me of a ques-tion that arose at the conference I attended long ago: “Do you realize that these com-

e k nat h e as wa r a n has been called one of the foremost teachers of medi ta-tion in our times. From his arrival in the United States in 1959 on the Fulbright ex change program until his passing in the fall of 1999, he taught to modern men and women his eight-point program, based on his unique method of meditation on memorized inspirational pas-sages from the world’s great religions. Many thou sands of people representing the full range of cultural and religious backgrounds attest to the bene fi ts of his teaching. He continues to teach through his thirty books on spiri tual living – over a million cop-ies in print in twenty-seven languages – and through the ongoing programs and publi-ca tions of the organi zation he founded in 1961 to carry on his work: the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation and its publishing arm, Nilgiri Press.

puters are going to do everything that we humans can do, even learn to think?”

It was clear that the audience of scien-tists and businessmen was looking upon these astonishing mechanical monsters – which fi lled the space of a large room – as the last frontier of human genius. “Even if these super-machines could learn to think,” I commented, “it is only when we have gone beyond thought that we come face-to-face with the supreme reality.”

Beyond human limitationsIn the West, there have been great scientists from Sir Isaac Newton to Albert Einstein who have contributed to our under-standing of the physical universe and Below, from our archives: Eknath Easwaran

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BlueMountain

E S T A B L I S H E D B Y E K N A T H E A S W A R A N

F O R P R E S E N T I N G H I S E I G H T - P O I N T

P R O G R A M O F P A S S A G E M E D I T A T I O N

A Journal for

Spiritual Living

Published by the

Blue Mountain

Center of Meditation

& Nilgiri Press

www.easwaran.org

Autumn 2010

Volume 21, Number 3

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2

b lu e mo u n ta i n

The quarterly journal

of the Blue Mountain

Center of Meditation

Autumn 2010

©2010 by The Blue

Mountain Center of

Meditation, Inc.

f o u n d e r

Sri Eknath Easwaran

b oa rd o f t ru st e e s

Christine Easwaran

Nick Harvey

Sultana Harvey

Diana Lightman

Terry Morrison

Robert Nichols

Beth Ann O’Connell

b lu e mo u n ta i n

e x e c u t i v e e d i to r

Christine Easwaran

Post Office Box 256

Tomales, ca 94971

Telephone 707 878 2369

Facsimile 707 878 2375

Email info@easwaran.org

Web www.easwaran.org

Printed on recycled paper

Blue Mountain Center of MeditationThe Center offers instruction in meditation and allied living skills, following the eight-point program of passage meditation developed by Sri Eknath Easwaran. The approach is nondenominational, nonsectarian, and free from dogma and ritual. It can be used within each person’s own cultural and reli-gious background to relieve stress, heal relation-ships, release deeper resources, and realize one’s highest potential.

Passage Meditation: An Eight-Point Program1 .  m e d i tat i o n   o n   a   pa s s a g e Silent repetition in the mind of memorized inspirational passages from the world’s great religions. Practiced for one-half hour each morning.2 .  r e p e t i t i o n   o f   a   m a n t r a m Silent repetition in the mind of a Holy Name or a hallowed phrase from one of the world’s great religions. Practiced whenever possible throughout the day or night.3 .   s l o w i n g   d o w n   Setting priorities and re duc ing the stress and friction caused by hurry.4 .  o n e - p o i n t e d   at t e n t i o n Giving full concentration to the matter at hand.5 .  t r a i n i n g   t h e   s e n s e s   Overcoming conditioned habits and learning to enjoy what is beneficial.6 .  p u t t i n g   o t h e r s   f i r s t Gaining freedomfrom selfishness and separateness; finding joy in helping others.7.  s p i r i t ua l   f e l l o ws h i p Spending time regularly with other passage meditators for mutual inspiration and support.8 .  s p i r i t ua l   r e a d i n g   Drawing inspirationfrom writings by and about the world’s great spiritual figures and from the scriptures of all religions.

Eknath EaswaranSchooled in both Eastern and Western traditions, Eknath Easwaran took to the spiritual life amidst a successful career in India as a professor of English literature, a writer, and a lecturer. After coming to the University of California, Berkeley, on the Fulbright exchange program, he established the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation in Northern California in 1961. His 1968 Berkeley class is believed to be the first accredited course in meditation at any Western uni versity. His deep personal experience and his love for his students have made the ancient art of meditation accessible to those who hold jobs and lead active lives among friends and family.

B L U E M O U N TA I N

We Welcome Your Help

The Blue Mountain Center depends on donations to carry on its work. Every gift, large or small, is much appreciated and

put to good use.

The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation is a 501(c)(3) California nonprofit corporation. Contributions to the Center are deductible from state

and federal income tax.

1 Spiritual RevolutionWhile the Industrial Revolution has brought us many conveniences, writes Eknath Easwaran, “We have almost lost sight of the source of divine wisdom hidden

in the heart of each of us.” Here he con-veys how we can restore our high ideals.

5 Building the Will“One of the difficulties that most of us face is that we know where we want to go in life, but we lack the will to take the steps that will get us there,” Easwaran writes. Strengthening the will, fortunately, is simply a matter of practice.

7 An Unexpected TestA passage meditator tells how her spiri-tual practice and the willpower it brought her helped her face a tough physical chal-lenge.

10 Finding Focus and Fulfillment in a Fast-Paced WorldFriends share their latest experiments and insights.

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P U B L I S H E R ’ S PA G E

given of the negative effects of multi-tasking on the depth of our lives, on the quality of our relationships, on our will, and on our safety. The emergence of writings such as the “Slow Media Manifesto” and terms such as “mono-tasking” is encouraging, showing an awareness of the importance of using technological innovations wisely.

Those of us who have Easwaran’s eight-point program to enrich our lives can work on these disciplines even more vigorously to achieve a good balance of our inner and outer lives.

There are many passages in his anthology God Makes the Rivers to Flow, which when meditated on or even when read slowly and thought-fully can support us. By gradually absorbing the high values contained in these passages, we contribute to a better-balanced society.

As Easwaran writes below, “The whole purpose of meditation is to . . . still the frantic, distorting process we call the mind; for when the mind is still we see life as it is: one indivisible whole.” While new technologies may bring us closer to others on one level, it is the pursuit of this higher state that gradually deepens our relationship with others and with all life.

It was Easwaran’s passion to reach out to the whole world with the pro-found message that every human being has the potential for realizing the divinity within them, and he wanted to share the method he had used to find the source of his strength. Discriminating use of technology can help make his dream come true.

For the Board of Trustees

A More Balanced Society

Our lead article offers us the opportunity to add our voice to the increasing numbers who are con-

cerned about indiscriminate use of technology.

The promise of global communica-tions is great, and the devices that allow it bring many opportunities for deep-ening worldwide understanding. The openness of this electronic society also presents challenges: to make wise choices in how we participate in it, we need discrimination and a firm grounding in our values. These depend on our ability to concentrate – the very skill that technological innovations erode when they draw our attention outward in ways that elude our control.

There is a close connection between attention and fulfillment. In Take Your Time, Easwaran writes:

When we do things with only a part of the mind, we are just skimming the surface of life. Nothing sinks in; nothing has real impact. It leads to an empty feeling inside. Unfortu-nately, it is this very emptiness that drives us to pack in even more, seeking desperately to fill the void in our hearts. What we need to do is just the opposite: to slow down and live completely in the present. Then every moment will be full.

On the Internet and in books and articles, enough evidence has been

Christine Easwaran

The Purpose of Life

Looking back over thousands of years of human evolution, there does seem to be a slow but impressive improvement in the human being’s capacity, but this does not mean that we have found the limit of human personality. The mystics tell us that two forces pervade human life: the upward surge of evolution and the downward pull of our evolutionary past. Yet ultimately, everything in human experience, every side of human nature, has a supreme evolutionary purpose: of leading, pushing, cajoling, forcing us upwards toward the goal of life. The mystic aims at nothing less than the capacity to enter this higher state of consciousness at will, and to become so established in it that the world of unity is as clear and real as the everyday world of duality. The whole purpose of medita-tion is to slow down and eventually still the frantic, distorting process we call the mind; for when the mind is still we see life as it is: one indivisible whole. This supreme vision brings out the capacity to love unfailingly and to live wisely always. In meditation, when concentration is so deep that no distractions enter your mind, you will not be aware of your body; you will not feel the chair you are seated on, or hear any sound outside. The senses close down; they do not regis-ter at all. The joy that wells up in that state is boundless. When this tremendous height is reached, there can be no awareness of separateness. Then, the mystics say, you cannot help but be in love with all. St. Bernard calls this “love without an object”: you don’t just love this individual and that; you become love itself. According to Hindu and Buddhist mystics, this is the state all of us are going to reach someday. This is the goal of the long travail of evolution, the very purpose of life.

– eknath easwaran, The Mantle of the Mystic, 2010

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our ability to create tech-nological marvels like the

computer. Similarly, in the East there have been great spiritual figures like the Compassionate Buddha, Shankara, Sri Ramakrishna, and – in our own times – Mahatma Gandhi who have made the stupendous discovery of the supreme reality which lies in the depths of con-sciousness beyond the reach of the thinking process.

Gandhi’s description of this reality is as scientific in its universality and verifiability as Einstein’s formulation of the law of relativity. “I do dimly per-ceive,” Gandhi stated, “that whilst everything around me is ever chang-ing, ever dying, there is underlying all that change a living power that is changeless, that holds all together, that creates, dissolves, and re-creates. That informing power or spirit is God.”

Einstein, the preeminent physical scientist of the twentieth century, summed up the career of its pre- eminent spiritual scientist when he said of Gandhi: “Generations to come, it may be, will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth.”

Mahatma Gandhi was able to go beyond human limitations while remaining in the midst of the com-mon people and changing them little by little, day by day. His life became an irresistible river of consciousness which inundated India from the Himalayas in the north to the temple of the Divine Mother at the southern tip of the continent.

Science and spiritual wisdomGreat spiritual figures like St. Francis of Assisi and St. Teresa of Avila have also risen in the West. But for two cen-turies we have allowed the Industrial Revolution to drown their soft voices in the heady uproar of science and technology. While we have gained many physical comforts, we have lost sight of the source of divine wisdom hidden in the heart of each of us.

In ancient India there was no con-flict at all between scientific knowl-edge and spiritual wisdom. It is often forgotten that mathematics, physics, astronomy, and other scientific fields were highly advanced in those times.

In the Upanishads, the illumined sages declare that the Lord started the creative unfolding of evolution about 15 to 20 billion years ago. Modern scientists too describe the detailed processes through which the evolution of the universe has taken place over a cosmic period of 15 billion years.

The sages, rooted in the experience of Self-realization, would not see any conflict between these two discoveries, one spiritual, one physical. They would accept, for example, that human beings evolved from other forms of life which emerged from other forms of matter, back to the beginning of time. But they would trace the evolution of the cosmos to the Lord, who has entered into all creatures.

Purpose of lifeIn the uninterrupted Hindu tradition, extending over thousands of years, there have been many men and women who have made their lives luminous by discovering the Lord hidden in their hearts and fulfilling the highest purpose of life. It is a dis-covery which has been verified by mystics of all the great religions, who have undergone difficult disciplines to extinguish self-will, still the mind, and go beyond thought.

Among Western scientists with whom I am familiar, Albert Einstein came nearest to understanding the vast practical applications of the supreme goal. “A human being is part of the whole, called by us ‘universe,’ a part limited in time and space,” Einstein said. “He experiences him-self, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest – a kind of optical delusion of con-sciousness. This delusion is a kind

of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of com-passion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

That is why Einstein was able to appreciate the immensity of the trans-formation that Mahatma Gandhi brought about in his consciousness, working day by day for twenty years in South Africa.

Our spiritual rootsAlthough the Industrial Revolution has brought the developed nations many conveniences, its narrow emphasis on science and technology is in danger of becoming an end in itself and not the means to an end. The obsessive belief that we are our bodies and nothing more, that our problems have only physical or technological solutions, is robbing us of our humanity. Despite the vast explosion of information, we have almost lost our connection to the core of divine inspiration within us. We are fast becoming robots that can be pro-grammed by the mass media, and any civilization that loses the precious human capacity to cherish high ideals cannot endure for long. That is why I feel deeply that a spiritual revolution is necessary and urgent.

While the impact of science is changing the face of the globe, I still have full faith that there will arise in the not distant future shining men and women who will remind us all of our deepest spiritual roots in accordance with the latent capacities and the cur-rent needs of the twenty-first century. Many more Gandhis, St. Francises, and St. Teresas may have to appear to bring about a spiritual revolution which can correct the excesses of the Industrial Revolution.

Such a revolution can never be brought about by machines that think, only by men and women who can go beyond thought, discover the supreme

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reality, and release a river of love which spreads over the earth and finally reaches the Sea of God.

The role of meditationWe can all play a part in this peaceful revolution by practicing the spiritual disciplines which have come down the centuries in the great religions of the world. The heart of these disciplines is the regular practice of meditation.

The method of meditation I have followed can be used in any great religion because it involves the silent repetition of memorized inspirational passages drawn from all the major spiritual traditions. Training the mind to develop sustained attention on these inspired words brings about a gradual transformation of character, conduct, and consciousness. When we concentrate profoundly on the mag-nificent Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, for example, we find his healing words

– “It is in giving that we receive”– sink-ing into our hearts and changing our lives. We no longer see ourselves as physical, separate, finite creatures.

As we begin to find fulfillment within ourselves, we lose our depen-

dence upon manipulating the external world to cater to our greed and our lust for power over nature. This shift in pri-orities can lead to an artistic simplifica-tion of life which will keep the air pure, the water clean, the forests green, and fossil fuels abundant for our children. Finding fulfillment within rather than without enables us to move from the world of profit and power into the world of peace and love.

We can enter this new world by making far-reaching changes in edu-cation, the upbringing of children, relationships between the sexes, and our attitude toward other countries. Only then can we develop the full understanding that we are a global family of all nations, religions, and races. In this global family the birds and the beasts, the seas and the moun-tains, the forests and the fields are each an integral part. We are all the children of God, who has given us this beautiful earth to nourish us. Realiz-ing our unity through the practice of meditation and the allied disciplines, and acting upon that awareness in every aspect of daily life, is what a spiritual revolution means.•

Building the WillBy Eknath Easwaran

When we hear about the transformation of con-sciousness, we may feel tempted to object, “You

don’t know me. You don’t know how unpleasant I can be, how incorri-gible I am. If you did, you wouldn’t be so optimistic. I have made many mistakes, and I am likely to keep on making those mistakes too, because I don’t know how to change. In fact, I don’t believe it is possible for anyone to change.”

This is where the testimony of great spiritual figures down the ages comes in. Again and again they will assure us that they too have made mistakes, sometimes worse than any we may have made. They too have caused trouble to themselves and others. When they tell us that we can remake our personality, they know it is possi-ble because they have done it. By drawing on the power released in meditation, we can gradually remove all the blemishes of self-centered thought and behavior that hide our real Self from view.

In order to do this, however, we must put forth a lot of effort.

Some time ago I was watching a woodpecker, a creature I hadn’t seen since I left India. This woodpecker had a red turban, and while I watched he came and alighted on a huge tree. He was quite a small creature, and the trunk of the tree was enormous. If he had been able to understand me, I would have gone up to him and said,

“What, make a hole in that trunk with your tiny little beak? Impossible. Preposterous!”

But this little woodpecker was not intimidated by the

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st. teresa of avil a

Her Heart Is Full of Joy

Her heart is full of joy with love,

For in the Lord her mind is stilled.

She has renounced every selfish attachment

And draws abiding joy and strength

From the One within.

She lives not for herself, but lives

To serve the Lord of Love in all,

And swims across the sea of life

Breasting its rough waves joyfully.

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cation that she will be able to continue her musical career.

In us it is often the will that has been severed, cut off from our understand-ing. This is particularly true in cases of severe addiction, such as to alcohol or drugs. “I don’t want to do this,” we say,

“but I just don’t have the willpower to stop.” This is not quite true. The will is intact, but it is lying there lifeless. We

need a special sur-geon to attach it so it can function again.

Unfortunately, no outside specialists are available for this deli-cate task; we have to do it ourselves. We begin by connecting the will with the tini-est of threads. One way is to say no to

some of those innumerable little things that benefit no one: a second piece of pie, a midnight snack, a TV show you are watching just because it is on. If, on top of this, you can cheerfully give that time to others, your will is strength-ened doubly. Not only that, you will have added to your capacity to love.

I am not much of an admirer of those who develop a strong will just so they can get what they want out of life. The whole purpose of strengthening the will is to deepen your love. This pre-cious human birth has been given to us not to grab from life but to give to it. When you understand that this is what life is for, you get continuing motivation to keep your body and mind at their best, as instruments of selfless service. As this motivation grows, compulsive habits begin to fall away.

Apart from other things, when we overeat or smoke or drink or indulge in drugs, it shows a lack of love. Every-body can respond to this idea. It is lack of love for others that blinds us and allows us to develop fierce physical and mental addictions. It is love that loosens the bonds of addiction and sets us free. •

size of the trunk. He did not throw up his legs in

despair; he settled onto a limb and went about looking for the right spot to begin operations. It is the same way with transforming consciousness; you have to look for the right spot. In some people it is a particular compul-sive craving; in some it is jealousy; in some, blind fury; and in some lucky characters, all three. Each person has to look for that spot where urgent work is most needed.

After his recon-naissance, this intrepid creature chose what seemed to me the most solid, unyielding spot and started pecking away rhythmically. He didn’t just give a peck or two and then fly off in search of a worm and come back in half an hour; he went on pecking until he was done. I was amazed at his skill. When he had finished, there was such a large hole that if he had gone on, I have no doubt that the entire tree would have fallen. That is the kind of sustained, enthusi-astic effort that is required to trans-form personality.

Unfortunately, this is far from a pleasant process. For a long, long time in meditation, all we are doing is peck-ing away at what we want to change in ourselves, and there is not much satis-faction in pecking away. At best it is tedious work, and often it is down-right painful. As Meister Eckhart puts it, the pauper has to die before the prince can be born. The problem is that all of us identify ourselves with the pauper – the accumulation of hab-its and opinions, likes and dislikes, which we have developed over the years – and we are not prepared to let him die. We all say, “This is how I am. This is me, for better or for worse.”

Here the mystics reply, “This is not you. All these quirks are extraneous.”

In the language of Sufi mysticism, these are the veils hiding the face of the Beloved. We have mistaken the veils for the face, the layers of condi-tioning for our real Self. Our whole job in life is to remove these veils, to overcome all the compulsive aspects of our surface personality.

One of the most crucial of weapons in the war within is the human will.

Everything in life, everything in spiri-tual growth, comes ultimately to strengthening the will until no setback can stop you, no trial or temptation deflect your course.

One of the difficulties that most of us face is that we know where we want to go in life, but we lack the will to take the steps that will get us there. I saw an interesting illustration of this the other day in a rather unlikely place: an article on one of the most spectacular advances in modern med-icine, microsurgery. Surgeons are now able to magnify nerves and other tis-sues forty or fifty times, work on them with diminutive forceps, scalpels, and the like, and sew everything up with invisible thread when they are done, watching their work not directly but on video screens mounted around the surgical theater. They have accom-plished miracles. One teenage girl, a promising flautist, had her hand severed in a tragic accident. She was rushed to the hospital where a specially assembled team of micro- surgeons actually managed to re-attach her hand. She was discharged within a few months, with every indi-

Continued from previous page

‘‘

Everything in life, everything in spiritual growth, comes ultimately to strengthening the will

until no setback can stop you, no trial or temptation deflect your course.

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7

Though it was a minor incident, she remembers vividly the first time she realized that her mind’s activity was something apart from the events in her life and need not dictate her entire experience of them. “On a very cold morning, I was trying to scrape the ice off the windshield of my car, but it was so solid and lumpy that it wouldn’t come off.” Cynthia had to get to work, her hands were freezing – an irritating

situation. But then she realized that the irritation wasn’t coming from the situation; it was coming from her mind. “Instead of fighting what I was doing, I started doing it wholeheartedly.” When she directed more of her attention to removing the ice, she no longer found it unpleasant.

Applying this experi-ence to her current situa-tion, Cynthia reasoned that even when the dis-tress arises in the body, much of our suffering is caused by the mind – in this case, from aversion to physical pain. “The mind is saying over and over, ‘This is bad; this is unacceptable; I can’t deal with this; no no no no.’ ”

It wasn’t that disliking the pain was wrong. It was only natural. “But

once that dislike takes over, we either feel overwhelmed by the pain or we fight it and try to get rid of it. In both cases, our attention only gets more stuck on it. And then it’s very hard to have your life.

“I knew people who had gone through similar experiences with chronic pain, and some ended up tak-ing fairly strong pain medication and couldn’t work. A few of them became dysfunctional for a while.” In some cases, taking medication

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An Unexpected Test

When Cynthia began to suffer pain in her shoul-der, she wasn’t terribly concerned.

A resourceful and self-disci-plined person, she kept up a full schedule while seeking a diagnosis and treatment.

The pain, however, befud-dled specialists, and as it radi-ated to Cynthia’s neck and right arm, many everyday movements became excruciat-ing. “I couldn’t drive. I couldn’t open a door. I couldn’t dial a phone. I couldn’t even look up. When I woke up in the morn-ing, there was a moment before the pain would kick in. But as soon as I stood up, it was there like a suit of armor.

“One day I realized that I couldn’t keep assuming it would go away soon.

“On the other hand, I didn’t want the pain to take over my life or turn it upside down,” she says. “That’s when I was so grateful for the spiritual practice I’ve had for thirty years” [see

“Passage Meditation: An Eight-Point Program” on p. 2]. With strong mes-sages of discomfort coming from her body, Cynthia found her ability to direct her attention more important than ever.

Fortunately, after six weeks she found a doctor who was able to help, and after another twelve the severity of the pain began to abate noticeably. The best part, however, wasn’t being able to resume her usual life. It was, upon returning to it, seeing how much she’d learned.

“My practice didn’t make the pain go away, but it helped me grow from it,” says Cynthia. “I felt that I really blos-somed at a time when I could have had a very different experience.”

A turning pointNot long after the pain started, Cyn-thia made an important discovery: it had two components. Obviously, there was a physical aspect – for which she

was still awaiting a diagnosis. But there was a second, mental aspect as well – and she had learned to diagnose that kind of problem herself.

Over the years, as Cynthia’s medita-tion practice had deepened, so had her understanding of the workings of the mind. Her own experience supported Easwaran’s statement that a great deal of what makes a difficult situation difficult is mental agitation – the constant repetition of one basic thought: “I don’t like this.”

When Cynthia, a longtime passage meditator, developed a painful physical condition, she was tested more deeply than ever before. But her spiritual practice gave her a more powerful option than “just getting through it,” she says. “And because of that, instead of disrupting my life and my practice, dealing with the pain actually helped me grow in ways I couldn’t have predicted.”

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might be necessary. “But if at all possible,” says

Cynthia, “I wanted to avoid that.” Looking back over years of training

her mind, Cynthia saw that she had gained not only the ability to diagnose the mental component of her current situation, but the skills for treating it. Whatever her medical diagnosis, she could start healing herself right away.

“That was a real turning point,” she says.

“I didn’t want to let my mind run things – deciding for me which moments were worth being fully pres-ent to and which ones weren’t. I wanted every moment to be worth-while. But that’s not a decision I could just change in my head. I had to change it through my practice.”

The key to making every moment worthwhile, she decided, was focusing as much of her attention as possible in a worthwhile direction. In her practice of passage meditation, she gave special emphasis to two of the eight disci-plines: one-pointed attention and repeating the mantram.

One-pointed attentionCynthia’s experience with the wind-shield gave her the clue that throwing herself into a task would be a great help.

She hadn’t been prescribed bed rest, so, using her discretion, Cynthia could continue to work. Naturally, she wanted to provide for herself finan-cially, and she enjoyed her job as the operations manager of a small non-profit. But with her new situation, her work took on fresh significance. How much attention and energy could she direct away from the pain and toward serving others? She took on the chal-lenge as a spiritual adventure.

Undertaking it, she knew, would require all the willpower she could muster. Therefore, she says, “I decided to get more rest and to call in my resources from nonessential ways of challenging myself, which were no

longer the best use of my energy. Just dealing with the pain was enough. I told myself, ‘I’m not who I was two weeks ago. I am who I am now. My life and my practice need to support that.’ ”

At first, making her way through the workday was both mentally demanding and physically awkward, with a stiff neck and one arm out of commission. But Cynthia drew on the will she had strengthened through years of training herself to be one-pointed, not only in meditation but throughout the day: refraining from scrolling through emails while talking on the phone, dropping work con-cerns at the end of the day, not eating and reading at the same time.

She discovered that with giving greater attention to her work and less to the thought “I don’t like this pain and the constraints it is placing on my life,” creative ways around those con-straints began to surface. And the more flexible her mind was, the less it mattered that her body was so rigid.

“I didn’t fight the pain; I just focused on what I was doing,” says Cynthia. “I found I could transfer almost all of my work to my other hand. I learned to type one-handed, and I trained myself to write with my left hand,” she says.

“At first, I felt a little like a child hold-ing the pen, and my handwriting was not very controlled. It was like having to build all these new neural pathways. But eventually I became almost ambi-dextrous. And I laugh, but when I look at the writing my left hand produces, to the extent that I have an opinion, I actually like it better. It has a personal-ity of its own.

“There were moments when my body hurt too much, and I would take a break. And without my usual high level of energy, I needed more rest. But my work wasn’t impacted very much – somehow I could complete what needed to be done. And though I sometimes had to leave the office for medical appointments, I never missed a day of work.”

By keeping her own attention from dwelling on her physical problem, Cynthia also protected others from needless worry. In this way, she cre-ated an environment that supported her efforts to keep her spirits up and to put her energy to good use. “I could laugh, I could talk, I could be with people. And I don’t think they really had an understanding of how much of an experience it was, because I didn’t talk about it much.

“Sometimes people would see me using my left hand and ask, ‘Cynthia, are you still in pain?’ I’d laugh and reply, ‘I’m sorry to say, yes, I am.’ And they’d say, ‘But it has been so long!’ And I’d say, ‘Yes, we’re working on it.’ ”

Overall, she says, being one-pointed “allowed me to be patient enough to teach myself new skills. I actually found it fun and even thrill-ing to learn to write with my left hand. So even though the pain was always there, I could still enjoy things and say, ‘Well, here’s an upside to this’ – and mean it.”

Repeating the mantramCynthia also needed to keep her mind constructively engaged when she wasn’t at work. For this, the mantram (a holy name or phrase repeated silently in the mind) was essential.

“When I couldn’t drive any more, I decided to walk to work. It wasn’t that far,” she says. (When she finally got a diagnosis of a herniated disc and pinched nerve, her doctor agreed that the benefits of this physical exercise outweighed its slight irritation of her condition.) “And for years, at times like that – when walking or doing dishes or on other occasions when there isn’t much to focus on and my thoughts can jump all over the place – I would choose to keep my mind pointed toward the mantram, as a way of staying present.”

Now, as she drew on that capacity for extended mantram repetition, she says, “those walks energized me.”

Continued from previous page

Autumn2010a.indd 8 8/17/10 3:04 PM

9

A N U N E X P E C T E D T E S T

Physically, the activity invigorated her, and the mantram helped her reclaim her attention and direct it where she chose – from admiring the trees that lined the sidewalk to appreciating “the joy of moving.”

At many other times during the day, the mantram kept her mind from becoming riveted on anxiety. “When the prognosis wasn’t clear and the pain was very bad, my mind would keep asking, ‘Will this ever go away?’ I could tell myself, ‘For today I can live with it.’ I couldn’t make a statement about the rest of my life, but for that day, I could.” And when her mind began to formulate “what if ” scenarios, bringing it back to the mantram prevented precious vitality from draining out in fruitless fretting.

Discovering this alternative to dis-cursive thinking, she says, has made an enormous difference in her life.

“In my early years of college, I was overwhelmed with how much work there was, and so were the people around me. I thought I needed to be doing something every second. And how I’d do that was in my mind – planning, going over my lists, figuring out what I needed to do next, thinking thinking thinking all the time, even when I was doing other things. But actually, it made me a lot less confi-dent. I was always running to catch up, and I wasn’t very present.”

A few years later, Cynthia’s father gave her one of Easwaran’s books, and she started using a mantram.

“I remember that time in college well, and yet it feels so long ago, because, although I’ve had many jobs with heavy responsibilities, I haven’t felt that way since. That’s from having done a lot of work on letting go – on not thinking about my job after I leave work, for example. And if I have to plan something, I’ve worked on sitting down and thinking through it con-sciously, as opposed to letting my mind run on and on about it while I’m doing other things.”

With continued use, the mantram has become less like a discipline and more like a friend. “I have used the mantram a lot, a lot, a lot, for many years,” she says. “It is something that I like to use, that I have come to feel close to.”

A new directionWithin five months of its appearance, Cynthia’s pain had significantly abated. With relief, she was able to resume her old activities. Yet many things had changed.

Some were small. “I never went back to driving to work,” she says.

“And I write with whichever hand is closer to a pen.”

But on a deeper level, Cynthia’s efforts to overcome such a strong dis-like – both the intense challenge of it and the freedom she gained from meeting that challenge in a profound and direct way – transformed her in ways she hadn’t expected.

“I’d been a disciplined person, and I’d never had much trouble overcom-ing dislikes. I’d always been into healthy eating, for example, and I often found it freeing and invigorating to, in a healthy way, be able to go toward something I disliked.

“But with my shoulder, a lot of the time I was working at my full capacity just to deal with the pain. I hadn’t experienced that of myself before,” says Cynthia. “It gave me a whole new level of compassion for other people and their struggles – especially for my mom.

“She lives in another state, and my brother who was living nearby recently moved away. I encouraged her to live closer to me, and when she wouldn’t, to live closer to my other brother, but she didn’t want to leave her hometown.

“My first response was to think she was being inflexible. But after the experience with my shoulder, I real-ized: she’s lived in that area her whole life. The friends she’s had since she was

five years old are nearby. Also, in her case, with the physical pain that she has, there’s not much of a question of it getting a whole lot better; it’s part of her aging process. I didn’t want her to be alone in that.

“I decided that, instead of expecting my mom to change, I would change. My mom doesn’t have a formal spiri-tual practice. What she has are the people around her.” Cynthia wanted to be one of them, and she now had both the strength and flexibility to make that happen.

After visiting her mother and work-ing out the details, Cynthia gave notice at her job. “My mom never asked me to move out, and if it weren’t for this experience with my arm, I don’t think the option would even have occurred to me.

“And this move definitely is bringing up a lot for me. It’s a good opportunity

– and it seems like most good opportu-nities are hard,” she says with a laugh.

“I’ve set up my life here the way I like it, and changing that is not the easiest thing for me. But I don’t want to be so rigid about how I live my life that I can’t make changes for people I care about.” And the experience with her pinched nerve has given her a keener sense of her true needs and the ability to yield more gracefully on the rest –

“what Easwaran calls the artistry in liv-ing,” she says.

“And finally, my experience with the pain helped me be more compassion-ate toward myself, too. And I have more confidence that whatever life brings – including getting old, what-ever that looks like – I can face it and use it to give and to grow.”

As Cynthia packs up the boxes and prepares for the big move, she says,

“Although I’ve had moments of anxiety, I think I’m ready for this next step. I actually feel very good and hopeful. And from the loving interactions I’ve had with family and friends lately, I can feel that my life is going in the right direction.”•

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F I N D I N G F O C U S

10

Building the will seems to be the key to transform-ing myself and my circumstances without “externaliz-

ing” the situation. It gives me a positive outlook on life.

Recently, I have become aware of some unhealthy patterns of thinking, such as jealousy. When I notice one of these patterns, I use the mantram to stop the train of thought before it takes over. I also try to write the mantram a few times during the day.

Internally I have noticed much less agitation, and I find that I can be kinder. Even in very trouble-some relationships, I can focus on saying the mantram in my mind rather than thinking negatively about the other person.

Recently, a frustrated student came into the math lab where I work. When I kept trying to find different ways to help him rather than moving on to another student, he seemed surprised.  I think he expected me to react to his frustration. And when a friend needed help with her computer, she told me she was amazed that I could guide her patiently without needing to reach over and do things for her.  She said she hadn’t found that kind of help – exactly what she needed.

My career as a realtor has thrown me into a world of multitasking and electronic technology and gadgetry

that most people would think a realtor couldn’t do without. However, I have made some choices that have not hurt my business at all. In fact, in the worst economy in over seventy-five years, my business has increased significantly. My spouse and I have chosen not to have an Internet hook-up at home. Home is our serenity place and no business gets done there.

Also, slowing down and being one-pointed at the office has helped greatly. I make sure that multitasking is not something that takes place if it can be prevented. If something important comes up while I’m doing something else, one task gets set aside until I can give it my full attention. This way, I get my

work done much more efficiently.

But the big thing for realtors is the cell phone. It’s our lifeline. Or so many people think. If I am with a client, at a restaurant, or in a store and my cell phone goes off, I just turn it off. If it’s important, the caller will leave a message and I will get back to them in a reasonable time. Then there’s

email. I check it at certain times during the day, send my replies, and that’s it. It is such a feeling of freedom to be the one in control and not to be a slave to the multitasking world of technology.

Just meditating every morning and trying to do the other seven points throughout the day requires commit-

ment and willpower. But the more we do the eight points, the stronger the will gets; the stronger the will gets, the more we are able to progress on the spiritual path. They feed off each other.

A situation came up yesterday involving a respected colleague who inexplicably made it plain – in front of

several people – that he wasn’t interested in being more than barely civil to me. It was quite painful, but the mantram did come to my aid. After a brief struggle to hear beyond my bruised ego, I searched for any reason he might feel offended by me, and I came up with a possibility.

I work in a field where outsized egos often play a role, so I

Finding Focus and Fulfillment in a Fast-Paced World

Below, participants at recent passage meditation retreats write about their experiments and experiences with boosting their willpower. Several of them also share how they use communications technology

to their benefit while protecting the quality of their life from constant distractions.

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F I N D I N G F O C U S

11

sensed this would be a great time to put my tools to good use. First, I had to use the mantram to get my mind to slow down so I could let go of my hurt feelings and put the other person first in my thoughts, rather than going along with my clamoring likes and dislikes, which wanted to write him off.

The reason for his upset was by no means clear, so an out-right apology wasn’t fitting, but I found the words later that day to communicate my respect, and I did my best to make amends. And in doing that, I found I was able to forgive both myself and him.

This past week I had constant

practice with putting others first, particularly while someone else was talking. Giving them one-pointed attention, though difficult at times, helped me dwell less upon what I was going to say. That paradoxically made conversation, even silence with others, more enjoyable. These benefits seemed to happen natu-rally – my one-pointed attention was less labored. Attention to the needs of others seems like a key to building the will, one I will explore further.

I  decided to strengthen my will in the area of saying no to new volunteer responsibilities for several organiza-

tions I’m involved with. These organizations are doing good work, but my habit of saying yes to so many requests was putting my life out of balance – and not giving space for new leaders to rise up.

Before responding, I slowed down and focused on the specific request rather than getting tangled in thoughts about the future of the organization. If I decided to say no, I explained that this decision was in the best interests of all, and I provided any information I had that would help the next volunteer.

It was difficult at first, but I would think of Easwaran’s red pencil exercise and remind myself that sometimes we have to say no to good things to make room for better things. So

far, the no’s have been graciously received, and new volun-teers have come forward. I’ve had more time to learn new skills and maintain a balanced life.

Building the will is important to me because in doing so I am better able to be of service to others. My

job is in healthcare administration. There have been many leadership changes in the last three years, creating uncer-tainty and stress.

Our work environment has changed in other ways, too – the faster pace of it. We seem to define a highly productive person as someone who rushes from meeting to meet-ing, who reads and sends emails dur-ing those meetings, and who comes in early and stays late. I have that “driver” in me, too, who’s very goal-oriented and wants to get on to the next thing.

When I get speeded up and I multitask, I see the effects.

I’ve been making more of an effort to slow down and be one-pointed. That’s definitely not easy – it’s work – but the rewards are great. All day long I meet with management staff who look to me for information and help in making difficult decisions. They themselves have the answers; often they just need encouragement and support. My practice helps me to have that core of inner strength so I can listen respectfully and thoughtfully.

Seeing the managers grow – that’s better than anything else. I don’t work directly with patients any more (I’m a regis-tered nurse), but I work with people who do. If I’m listen-ing, if I’m compassionate, that’s going to help create a more healing environment.

People have said that they see me as a balanced person, and I notice that no one comes to me with gossip any more.

I used to arise at 4:30 a.m. and sit with a cup of coffee to read work emails on my BlackBerry

Continuedon next page

Autumn2010a.indd 11 8/17/10 3:04 PM

12

F I N D I N G F O C U S

device. Now, I start planning for my day the night before, getting an adequate night’s sleep so

that I can get up and meditate. My day now begins with a reverence for others and the work I will do.

I now lo ok upon the will not as a vague “something” but as a powerful ally in helping me deepen my spiritual

practice. Specifically, I am calling upon this ally to help me establish a regular evening meditation time in addition to my morning one. I determined (the will) to do this evening meditation earlier, when I am not so tired, and this is work-ing beautifully. At the appointed time, I put everything else aside and meditate (the will). Thus, for me the will is both determiner and enabler in reaching for deeper levels.

Over the last few years, I have reduced my need to use a cell phone, and I no longer talk on it while driv-

ing. I used to use long drives as times to catch up with my mother. Now I schedule time to do this when I am at home and focus on being more one-pointed with her. In addition, when I am driving now, I have the thought that I am there to protect whomever I meet on the road (human or animal) and that they need my one-pointed attention!

The value of strengthening the will is that there is less vacillation, as in: Will I meditate this morning?

(Yes.) Will I check my email beforehand? (No.) Now that my morning routine is established, those questions don’t arise. It does cross my mind sometimes that I have to check my email before I leave for work, but I put that thought aside until after meditation. I still have difficulties with the will in other areas, but my morning schedule is set.

When I have tiresome or difficult chores to do, I can ask myself what I most need to get done and do those things first. This leads to a more peaceful mind, even when I am busy.

In the case of a strong selfish desire, we can concen-trate on the eight-point practice to the best of our ability

rather than feeling guilty about not having a will strong enough to overcome that desire. Over time it will fall away.

We can almost be playful about it. Speaking to the desire, we can smile and say, “You win this round, but the game is not over yet!” This approach is very similar to the advice for dealing with distractions during meditation: “Don’t fight them; just give more attention to the words of the passage.”

When we keep dwelling on ourselves, we build up our self-will. So whenever I notice self-centered

thoughts, I can turn my attention to one of the eight points.

Memorizing a new passage or repeating the mantram is particularly helpful in creating some space to break the momentum of these thoughts. Then, with the insight and energy I tap into by slowing down the thinking process, I can take action to build my connection with others and nature in general. As I spend more and more of my time building up these good thoughts which flow into good hab-its, there is less and less time for bad thoughts and habits.

Each night I spend a moment reflecting on how I could have done better in just one instance, and I write my mantram to help me do that next time. The same situation comes up over and over again, but instances have begun to occur when I am slowed down enough to make a choice that goes against the compulsive habit. So now the habit is only a tendency. As St. Teresa says, “Patience attains the goal.”

After I ’d been meditating for fifteen years, it occurred to me that it would be a good idea to read at

least a little bit every day from the writings of Easwaran. Self-will rebelled, saying, “What? Yet another spiritual dis-cipline? When will this ever end?” But the higher will won out. I have stuck to this practice regularly for several years. I keep one of Easwaran’s books by my bedside and read a little till I get sleepy, then try to remember to repeat the mantram as I fall asleep. It could be as little as a paragraph. The important thing is to do it. I have found that, as with physical exercise, it’s better to do a little of a good thing every day than a whole lot once in a while. The discipline of doing this every day, despite temptations to the contrary, helps build the will. And the readings themselves are full of amazing hints, suggestions, reminders, inspiration, and encouragement in the practice of the eight-point program.

Trying to build the will is a long, slow process that requires a lot of attention and awareness.

I try to use this guideline when I have a decision to make: I will cultivate my intention to have a calm mind. I will ask myself in every situation, “Will this agitate my mind? Will this help my meditation?”

Each small success brings a measure of joy. Each failure strengthens my resolve to keep making small improve-ments.•

Continued from page 11

Continued from previous page

Autumn2010a.indd 12 8/17/10 3:04 PM

Conquest of Mind Take Charge of Your Th oughts and Reshape Your Life Th rough Meditation14.95, paperback

Just as a fi tness routine can result in a strong, supple body, writes Easwaran, spiritual disci-plines can shape a secure personality and a resilient, loving mind.

With humor and deep insight, he brings to life the timeless teachings of the Buddha and other mystics in contemporary scenes – watching a juggler on the street, taking a tennis lesson, going to the theater.

Training the mind is life’s biggest adventure, one that brings deepening relationships, increasing vitality, and a greater sense of purpose.

Th is latest edition includes: * A new cover and internal design * Th ree restored chapters: “Determination,” “Detachment,” and “Discrimination”

Two Favorite Books by Easwaran, Updated

Th e glory of the human being is our ability to remake ourselves. Th e Buddha is very rightly called the Com-passionate One because he holds out hope for everybody. He doesn’t say our past has been dark, therefore our chances aredim. He says whatever our past, whatever our present, the sky is bright for us because we can remake ourselves.

Th e Buddha says, be a good woodworker. Consciousness is the wood, and you can make it take any shape you like. Just as a carpenter works the wood to build a house or a fi ne piece of furniture, similarly we can fashion the responses and attitudes we desire: love, wisdom, security, patience, loyalty, enthusiasm, cheerfulness.

Words to Live ByShort Spiritual Readings of Daily Wisdom16.95, paperback

Th is collection of short daily readings off ers immediate inspiration.

Each reading is based on a quotation from one of the world’s great philosophers, poets, saints, sages, and scriptures. Augustine and Einstein, Emily Dickinson and Jalaluddin Rumi, biblical verses, Hasidic proverbs, and Hindu Upanishads can all be found here.

Every quote is accompanied by a commentary from Easwaran. Some days off er gentle reminders to slow down. Others give guidance on changing an unwanted habit, mending a relationship, staying strong in hard times, or striving toward the peaks of spirituality.

Th is is a book to read in the morning to start the day on an uplift ing note, or at night to prepare for peaceful rest. Each day, each year, brings fresh insights and inspiration.

Call

or

or order on our Web site:

www.easwaran.org

Excerpt from Words to Live By January 1

As an irrigator guides water to the � elds, as an archer aims an arrow, as a carpenter carves wood, the wise shape their lives.

– � e Buddha

Autumn2010a.indd 13 8/17/10 3:04 PM

Support for Your Meditation Practice

When did you start meditating?My husband bought The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living in 2009. The previous year had been difficult for us, due to financial worries and family illness, so it came at the right time. The book had a profound impact, and we were curious to find out more.

We found www.easwaran.org and saw that the next retreat in Dallas fell on our wedding anniversary. We made it our gift to each other. The retreat made us realize that the real benefits would come from trying out the practice ourselves. We decided to start having a half-hour of meditation every morning, starting the next day. We haven’t missed a day since.

What resources did you find to support your new practice?We tried out our local Satsang the following Tuesday, and we’ve been attending nearly every week. We now call Tuesdays our “charge day.” The traffic going to Satsang is bad, but it’s always worth it.

Friends we met there recommended a weeklong retreat in Tomales if we wanted to take a next step. Again, I was curious – and quite skep-tical. “What are we going to do for a whole week?” I wondered. We decided to find out last October.

What was your first weeklong retreat like?Regional retreats are short and focused. A weeklong retreat offers extended time to relax, meet like-minded people, and go much

deeper in your practice. Going deeper adds resources to all areas of your life.

It took me time to absorb the workshops – I appreciated and under-stood the readings, videos, and discussions much more after a few days of reflection. The extended time was important. The best part was the people I met: realizing how much we had in common, underneath. I enjoyed having an “insider’s look” into the BMCM, too.

By the end of the week, I was rejuvenated and found new momen-tum for the practice. When I went home, it all fell into place.

What did you take home?Awareness that I need to slow down in everything I do! I realized how fast I talk! I still have a long way to go, but I also realized how far I’ve come. My husband and I have developed good habits, such as daily mantram walks. If we keep on this path, everything seems to fall into place naturally.

We are seeing the benefits in every part of our lives. It’s difficult to express this, especially as English is not my first language, but it has made me a much better person and improved my family relation-ships. I’ve also lost 24 pounds. My sister has also started meditating and attending retreats, and we have noticed how much more patient and kind we are to each other.

My advice for new people is: experience the practice for yourself, and you will never look back!

A sliding scale fee structure, as well as financial aid, is available. For more information, write to financial.aid@easwaran.org or call us at 800 475 2369.

The passage meditation retreat calendar is available on the back cover and at www.easwaran.org/retreats. For questions or registra-tion, please contact us at 800 475 2369 or info@easwaran.org

Sliding Scale & Other Information

A friend in Dallas, Texas, describes her first year of practicing passage meditation, which has included attending her local Satsang (fellowship group) and two retreats.

Autumn2010a.indd 14 8/17/10 3:04 PM

Title Paperback Hardcover

Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living

The End of Sorrow $21.95 $30.00

Like a Thousand Suns $21.95

To Love Is to Know Me $21.95 $30.00

Classics of Christian Inspiration

Love Never Faileth $10.95 $22.00

Original Goodness $10.95

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Climbing the Blue Mountain $14.95

The Compassionate Universe $13.95 $22.00

Conquest of Mind $14.95

The Constant Companion $14.95 $22.00

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Gandhi the Man $15.95

God Makes the Rivers to Flow $17.95

The Making of a Teacher $14.95

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Meditation, Audio Guide (2 CDs) $12.95

Nilgiri Press Books & AudiosSpecial Offers

With My Love and BlessingsMeet Eknath Easwaran in his teaching years through photographs and his own words, collected by his longtime students. 40.00

Th e Making of a Teacher: Conversations with Eknath EaswaranTh is biography explores Easwaran’s early life and spiritual training and recounts the transformation that led him to develop his method of meditation. 14.95

Th e Undiscovered Country: Exploring the Promise of DeathShows what we can do now to fully understand life’s last great change.

4.98 (50% off )

Meditation: A Complete Audio Guide (2 CDs)Step by step, Easwaran shows us how we can practice the eight-point program of passage meditation and begin leading fuller, healthier, happier lives. 12.95 (⅓ off )

Th e Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living(Th ree-Volume Set)India’s timeless and practical scripture presented as a manual for everyday use. Th is commentary is Easwaran’s magnum opus.

Th is price covers volumes and . Volume is free. It is slightly imperfect: the center margins are extra wide. 43.90

w i t h t h i s s p e c ia l o f f e r ,receive both books for 44.00 (20% off )

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orders of $25 or more. If shipping to CA,

add 9% sales tax. Thank you!

Support for Your Meditation Practice

Th e Mantle of the Mystic

A short, intimate account of the unfolding of Easwaran’s spiritual journey, published to commemorate his birth centenary.

10.00 (Phone orders only)

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P a g e h e a d i n gM E D I TAT I O N R E T R E AT SBlue Mountain Center of MeditationNilgiri PressBox , Tomales, California

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O F PA S S A G E M E D I T A T I O N

Retreats in Tomales, California; across the U.S.; and in the U.K.

Spend a day, a weekend, or a week learning

how passage meditation can

help you to increase your concentration and meet life’s

challenges more

eff ectively.

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our retreat house on

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North Coast and at various

locations around the

U.S. and in Europe.

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from 4:00 P.M. Friday to 2:00 P.M. Sunday.

Retreats in Tomales, California

September 11–17: In-Depth Weeklong (Full; commuter only)

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November 5–7: Introductory WeekendNovember 12–14: Young Adult Weekend (For beginners & returnees)

December 3–5: Inspiration WeekendFebruary 18–20, 2011: Young Adult Weekend March 4–8: Senior Half-WeekApril 1–3: Inspiration WeekendApril 16–22: In-Depth WeeklongMay 13–15: Introductory Weekend May 21–27: In-Depth Weeklong July 9–15: In-Depth WeeklongAugust 6–12: In-Depth Weeklong with Young Adult section

Retreats in the U.S. & U.K.

September 24–26: Chicago WeekendSeptember 25: Chicago One-DaySeptember 25: San Diego One-DayNovember 13: Sacramento (Auburn) One-DayNovember 27: Lewes, East Sussex, U.K., One-Day January 22, 2011: Phoenix (Scottsdale) One-Day February 12: Los Angeles (Encino) One-DayFebruary 26: San Jose Half-DayFebruary 26: Naples (FL) One-DayMarch 19: Dallas One-DayApril 9: Eugene One-Day April 30: Boston One-Day May 13–15: Virginia Weekend May 14: Virginia One-Day June 24–26: New York Weekend June 25: New York One-Day August 19–21: Denver Weekend August 20: Denver One-Day

Visit us at www.easwaran.org/retreats for a full

calendar, for more information, or to enroll. Or contact us at

800 475 2369 or info@easwaran.org

To receive this journal electronically, please visit www.easwaran.org/bluemountainor contact us at info@easwaran.org or at 800 475 2369.

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