[Written on October 9, 2004]

“For the humanness to lay itself down-your mind, your body, your hopes, your dreams, everything-to lay itself down in the same unconditional manner in which awareness is ever present, only then is there the direct experience of unity, that you and the highest truth are really one thing. It expresses itself through your humanity, through openness, through love. The divine becomes human and the human becomes divine-not in any “high and mighty” sense, but just in the sense of reality. That’s the way it is. The only price is all of our positions. The only price is that you stop paying a price.” – Adyashanti

Words of wisdom, for sure. Seemingly, it is very difficult to live life as such, and I recognize that when I make propositions to others, such as “giving up meat, fanship and sex” – how they object! I comprehend the human struggle, and therefore have compassion for my fellow humans. I myself continue to battle elements of myself and ego that stand in the way of such awareness as described by Adyashanti. The good sign is that these teachings resonate with me, and there is no doubt in my being of what the Truth is, or at least in which direction it lies. And now, learning to give up aspirations and attachments, that is my battle, and one in which I see light of day. How do things in life, such as learning golf, karate, watching football and building a business relate to building awareness? I think that it depends on the individual; hence, for me [Arman] it is good to be attentive to my inner drive throughout these various initiatives, and not judge simply on the basis of the activities in which I partake. Regardless of the activity, if I am conscious, habitual behavior patterns should be recognized and examined for what they are (i.e. drinking alcohol, obsessing over a specific outcome, or some other form of ego-based positioning).