0:00:51.030,0:00:56.700
The world's greatest spiritual teachers[br]from ancient to modern times have shared

0:00:56.700,0:01:01.620
the view that the deepest truth of our[br]being is not the property of one

0:01:01.620,0:01:06.780
particular religion or spiritual[br]tradition but can be found within the

0:01:06.780,0:01:10.430
heart of each person.

0:01:20.510,0:01:28.880
The poet Rumi said "where is that moon[br]that never rises or sets? Where is that

0:01:28.880,0:01:36.580
soul that is neither with nor without us?[br]Don't say it is here or there.

0:01:36.580,0:01:45.879
All creation is "That", but for the eyes[br]that can see.

0:02:49.770,0:02:55.350
In the story of the Tower of Babel[br]humanity fragmented into countless

0:02:55.350,0:03:04.250
languages, beliefs, cultures and interests.[br]Babel means literally "the gate of God".

0:03:04.250,0:03:15.510
The gate is our thinking mind - our[br]conditioned structures. For those who

0:03:15.510,0:03:22.110
come to realize their true nature, their[br]essence beyond name and form, they are

0:03:22.110,0:03:28.400
initiated into the great mystery of what[br]lies beyond the gate.

0:03:35.250,0:03:43.080
An ancient parable, the elephant parable,[br]has been used to describe how various

0:03:43.080,0:03:50.490
traditions are actually all pointing to[br]one great truth. A group of blind people

0:03:50.490,0:03:56.280
are each touching a different part of an[br]elephant, getting a certain impression of

0:03:56.280,0:04:04.020
what an elephant is. The person standing[br]at the elephant's leg describes the

0:04:04.020,0:04:11.400
elephant as being like a tree. The person[br]at the tail says the elephant is like a

0:04:11.400,0:04:20.488
rope. The elephant is like a spear, says[br]the one standing at the tusk. If one

0:04:20.488,0:04:25.730
touches the ear, it seems the elephant is[br]like a fan.

0:04:26.000,0:04:34.340
The person touching the side is adamant[br]that the elephant is like a wall.

0:04:34.340,0:04:39.980
The problem is we touch our piece of the[br]elephant and we believe our experience

0:04:39.980,0:04:47.510
is the only truth. We don't acknowledge[br]or appreciate that each person's

0:04:47.510,0:04:53.920
experience is a different facet of the[br]same animal.

0:05:16.690,0:05:22.250
The perennial philosophy is an[br]understanding that all spiritual and

0:05:22.250,0:05:29.000
religious traditions share a single[br]universal truth. A mystical or

0:05:29.000,0:05:34.610
transcendent reality upon which[br]foundation all spiritual knowledge and

0:05:34.610,0:05:44.839
doctrine has grown.

0:05:45.920,0:05:52.400
Swami Vivekananda summed up the[br]perennial teaching when he said "the end

0:05:52.400,0:05:59.870
of all religions is the realizing of God[br]in the soul. That is the one universal religion."

0:05:59.870,0:06:08.300
In this film when we use the[br]word God it is simply a metaphor for the

0:06:08.300,0:06:16.160
transcendent, pointing to the great[br]mystery beyond the limited egoic mind.

0:06:16.160,0:06:23.870
To realize one's true self or immanent Self[br]is to realize one's divine nature.

0:06:23.870,0:06:31.310
Every soul has the potential to manifest a new higher level of consciousness. To awaken

0:06:31.310,0:07:04.170
from its slumber and its identification[br]with form

0:07:04.170,0:07:11.380
The writer and visionary Aldous Huxley,[br]known for his book "Brave New World",

0:07:11.380,0:07:16.390
also wrote a book which he entitled "The[br]Perennial Philosophy" in which he writes

0:07:16.390,0:07:22.270
about the one teaching that comes back[br]over and over in history, taking the form

0:07:22.270,0:07:29.020
of the culture in which it is realized.[br]He writes, "The perennial philosophy is

0:07:29.020,0:07:36.400
expressed most succinctly in the[br]sanskrit formula "Tat Tvam Asi"; "That Thou Art."

0:07:36.400,0:07:45.130
The Atman or  immanent eternal self is[br]one with Brahman, the absolute principle

0:07:45.130,0:07:50.830
of all existence,[br]and the last end of every human being is

0:07:50.830,0:08:00.090
to discover the fact for himself. To find[br]out who he or she really is.

0:08:06.419,0:08:12.939
Each tradition is like a facet of a[br]jewel reflecting a unique perspective of

0:08:12.939,0:08:19.830
the same truth, while at the same time[br]echoing and illuminating each other.

0:08:19.830,0:08:26.080
Whatever the language and conceptual[br]framework used, all religions that

0:08:26.080,0:08:31.029
reflect the perennial teaching have some[br]notion that there is a union with

0:08:31.029,0:08:35.849
something greater, something beyond us.

0:09:08.860,0:09:15.230
It is possible to learn from and[br]integrate the teachings from one or many

0:09:15.230,0:09:22.610
sources without identifying a sense of[br]self with them. It is said that all true

0:09:22.610,0:09:28.940
spiritual teachings are simply fingers[br]pointing to the transcendent truth. If we

0:09:28.940,0:09:34.730
hold on to the dogma the teaching for[br]comfort we will be stunted in our

0:09:34.730,0:09:42.650
spiritual evolution. To realize truth[br]beyond any concept is letting go of all

0:09:42.650,0:09:50.650
clinging and attachment, letting go of[br]all religious concepts.

0:09:53.680,0:09:59.860
From the ego's perspective the finger[br]pointing you to Samadhi is pointing

0:09:59.860,0:10:04.470
straight toward the abyss.

0:10:05.630,0:10:11.660
Saint John of the Cross said "If one[br]wishes to be sure of the road they tread,

0:10:11.660,0:10:17.650
one must close their eyes and walk in[br]the dark."

0:10:50.660,0:10:55.940
Samadhi begins with a leap into the[br]unknown.

0:11:08.360,0:11:14.269
In the ancient traditions in order to[br]realize Samadhi it was said that one

0:11:14.269,0:11:20.449
must ultimately turn consciousness away[br]from all known objects; from all external

0:11:20.449,0:11:27.519
phenomena, conditioned thoughts and[br]sensations, toward consciousness itself.

0:11:27.519,0:11:36.980
Toward the inner source; the heart or[br]essence of one's being. In this film when

0:11:36.980,0:11:42.290
we use the word Samadhi we are pointing[br]to the transcendent. To the highest

0:11:42.290,0:11:48.339
Samadhi which has been named Nirvikalpa[br]Samadhi.

0:11:53.010,0:11:59.160
In Nirvikalpa Samadhi there's a[br]cessation of self activity, of all

0:11:59.160,0:12:06.149
seeking and doing. We can only speak[br]about what falls away as we approach it

0:12:06.149,0:12:13.199
and what reappears when we return from[br]it. There is neither perception nor

0:12:13.199,0:12:21.000
non-perception, neither "thing" nor "no thing",[br]neither consciousness nor

0:12:21.000,0:12:34.089
unconsciousness. It is absolute,[br]unfathomable, and inscrutable to the mind.

0:12:34.089,0:12:39.920
When the self returns to activity[br]there's a not knowing; a kind of rebirth,

0:12:39.920,0:12:46.220
and everything becomes new again. We are[br]left with the perfume of the divine,

0:12:46.220,0:12:54.309
which lingers longer as one evolves on[br]the path.

0:13:02.040,0:13:07.110
There are numerous types of Samadhi[br]described in the ancient traditions and

0:13:07.110,0:13:13.570
language has created much confusion over[br]the years. We are choosing to use the

0:13:13.570,0:13:18.190
word Samadhi to point to the[br]transcendent union, but we could have

0:13:18.190,0:13:24.790
used a word from another tradition just[br]as easily. Samadhi is an ancient Sanskrit

0:13:24.790,0:13:30.970
term common to the Vedic yogic and[br]Samkhya traditions of India, and has

0:13:30.970,0:13:38.410
permeated many other spiritual[br]traditions. Samadhi is the eighth limb of

0:13:38.410,0:13:42.490
Patanjali's eight limbs of the yoga,[br]and the eighth

0:13:42.490,0:13:50.200
part of the Buddha's Noble Eightfold[br]Path. The Buddha used the word "Nirvana",

0:13:50.200,0:13:57.510
the cessation of "vana" or the cessation[br]of self activity.

0:13:58.260,0:14:07.330
Patanjali described yoga or Samadhi as[br]"chitta vritti nirodha", the Sanskrit

0:14:07.330,0:14:16.470
meaning "cessation of the whirlpool or[br]spiral of mind." It is a disentangling of

0:14:16.470,0:14:47.700
consciousness from the entire matrix or[br]creatrixof mind.

0:14:50.040,0:14:56.439
Samadhi does not signify any concept[br]because to realize it requires a

0:14:56.439,0:15:00.660
dropping of the conceptual mind.

0:15:02.010,0:15:08.519
Different religions have used various[br]words to describe the divine union.

0:15:08.519,0:15:16.690
In fact the word religion itself means[br]something similar. In Latin "religare"

0:15:16.690,0:15:24.430
means to re-bind or reconnect. It's a[br]similar meaning to the word yoga which

0:15:24.430,0:15:33.610
means to yoke, to unite the worldly with[br]the transcendent. In Islam it is

0:15:33.610,0:15:39.310
reflected in the ancient Arabic meaning[br]of the word Islam itself which means

0:15:39.310,0:15:47.170
submission or supplication to God. It[br]signifies a total humbling or surrender

0:15:47.170,0:15:52.750
of the self structure.

0:15:52.750,0:16:03.120
Christian mystics such as Saint Francis[br]of Assisi, Saint Teresa of Ãvila and

0:16:03.120,0:16:10.149
Saint John of the Cross describe a[br]divine union with God, the kingdom of God

0:16:10.149,0:16:19.589
within. In the Gospel of Thomas, Christ[br]said "the kingdom is not here or there.

0:16:19.589,0:16:25.569
Rather the kingdom of the Father is[br]spread out upon the earth and men do not

0:16:25.569,0:16:35.019
see it."  The works of the Greek[br]philosophers Plato, Plotinus, Parmenides,

0:16:35.019,0:16:41.410
and Heraclitus when seen through the[br]lens of the perennial teaching point

0:16:41.410,0:16:50.620
towards the same wisdom. Plotinus teaches that the greatest human endeavor is to

0:16:50.620,0:16:57.129
guide the human soul towards the supreme[br]state of perfection and union

0:16:57.129,0:17:00.919
with the One.

0:17:02.660,0:17:10.949
The Lakota medicine and holy man Black[br]Elk said "The first peace, which is the

0:17:10.949,0:17:15.900
most important, is that which comes[br]within the souls of men when they

0:17:15.900,0:17:21.900
realize their relationship, their oneness[br]with the universe and all its powers. And

0:17:21.900,0:17:27.869
when they realize that at the center of[br]the universe dwells Great Spirit and

0:17:27.869,0:17:36.170
that this Center is really everywhere. It[br]is within each of us.

0:17:59.370,0:18:03.720
On the path to awakening unless we are[br]in Samadhi

0:18:03.720,0:18:11.310
there are always two polarities, two[br]doorways one can enter. Two dimensions:

0:18:11.310,0:18:19.650
one towards pure consciousness the other[br]towards the phenomenal world. The upward

0:18:19.650,0:18:25.680
current toward the absolute, and the[br]downward current toward Maya and all

0:18:25.680,0:18:33.030
that is manifested, both seen and unseen.[br]The relationship between relative and

0:18:33.030,0:18:37.250
absolute could be summed up in the[br]following quote by Sri Nisargadatta

0:18:37.250,0:18:46.550
Maharaj: "Wisdom is knowing I am nothing,[br]love is knowing I am everything, and

0:18:46.550,0:18:54.020
between the two my life moves."

0:18:54.020,0:19:01.320
What is born of this union is a new[br]divine consciousness. Something is born

0:19:01.320,0:19:06.890
out of the marriage or union of these[br]polarities or the collapse of dualistic

0:19:06.890,0:19:16.690
identification, yet what is born is not a[br]thing and it was never born.

0:19:18.740,0:19:25.080
Consciousness flowers creating something[br]new, creating what you could call a

0:19:25.080,0:19:28.460
perennial Trinity.

0:19:28.720,0:19:35.230
God the Father, the transcendent,[br]unknowable and changeless, is united with

0:19:35.230,0:19:43.540
the Divine Feminine, which is everything[br]that changes. This union brings about an

0:19:43.540,0:19:49.740
alchemical transformation; a kind of[br]death and rebirth.

0:19:51.610,0:19:57.690
In the Vedic teachings the divine union[br]is represented by two fundamental forces

0:19:57.690,0:20:06.460
Shiva and Shakti. The names and faces of[br]the various gods change throughout

0:20:06.460,0:20:13.990
history but their fundamental attributes[br]remain. What is born out of this union is

0:20:13.990,0:20:22.650
a new divine consciousness, a new way of[br]being in the world. Two polarities

0:20:22.650,0:20:30.910
inseparably one.  A universal energy that[br]is without center, free of limitation.

0:20:30.910,0:20:35.090
It is pure love.[br]There's nothing to be gained or lost

0:20:35.090,0:20:51.130
because it is utterly empty but[br]absolutely full.

0:20:51.130,0:20:57.429
Whether it is the mystery schools of[br]Mesopotamia, the spiritual traditions of

0:20:57.429,0:21:02.460
the Babylonians and Assyrians, religions[br]of ancient Egypt,

0:21:02.460,0:21:08.080
Nubian and Kemetic cultures of ancient[br]Africa, the shamanic and native

0:21:08.080,0:21:15.150
traditions around the world, the[br]mysticism of ancient Greece, the Gnostics

0:21:15.150,0:21:30.240
the Non-dualists the Buddhists the[br]Taoists, Jews, Zoroastrians, Jain's, Muslims,

0:21:30.240,0:21:37.030
or Christians one finds that their[br]common link is their highest spiritual

0:21:37.030,0:21:43.709
insights have allowed their adherents to[br]realize Samadhi.

0:21:44.940,0:21:52.420
The actual word Samadhi means something like to realize the sameness or oneness

0:21:52.420,0:21:59.920
in all things.[br]It means Union. It is uniting all aspects

0:21:59.920,0:22:07.870
of yourself. But do not mistake[br]intellectual understanding for the

0:22:07.870,0:22:16.120
actual realization of Samadhi. It is your[br]stillness, your emptiness that unites all

0:22:16.120,0:22:46.270
levels of the spiral of life

0:22:55.090,0:23:00.250
It is through the ancient teaching of[br]Samadhi that humanity can begin to

0:23:00.250,0:23:05.380
understand the common source of all[br]religions and come into alignment once

0:23:05.380,0:23:12.810
again with the spiral of life, Great[br]Spirit, Dhamma or the Tao.

0:23:13.860,0:23:21.019
The spiral is the bridge that extends[br]from the microcosm to the macrocosm.

0:23:23.380,0:23:30.630
From your DNA to the inner Lotus of[br]energy that extends through the chakras,

0:23:30.630,0:23:35.640
to the spiral arms of galaxies.

0:23:35.640,0:23:42.650
Every level of soul is expressed through[br]the spiral as ever-evolving branches,

0:23:42.650,0:23:50.570
living, exploring.[br]True Samadhi is realizing the emptiness

0:23:50.570,0:24:00.140
of all levels of self. All sheaths of the[br]soul.  The spiral is the endless play of

0:24:00.140,0:24:05.800
duality and the cycle of life and death.

0:24:08.200,0:24:18.099
At times we forget our connection to the[br]source.

0:24:19.940,0:24:27.899
The lens we look through is very small[br]and we identify with being a limited

0:24:27.899,0:24:33.629
creature creeping upon the Earth, only to[br]once again complete the journey back to

0:24:33.629,0:24:36.110
the source;

0:24:37.639,0:24:46.330
to the center that is everywhere.

0:24:48.010,0:24:55.060
Chuang Tzu said "When there is no more[br]separation between this and that, it is

0:24:55.060,0:25:02.040
called the still point of the Tao. At the[br]still point in the center of the spiral

0:25:02.040,0:25:10.299
one can see the infinite in all things."

0:25:13.730,0:25:22.960
The ancient mantra "om mani padme hum" has a poetic meaning. One awakens or

0:25:22.960,0:25:31.269
realizes the jewel within the lotus. Your[br]true nature awakens within the soul,

0:25:31.269,0:25:36.880
within the world AS the world.

0:25:50.010,0:25:57.760
Using the Hermetic principle "As above so[br]below, as below so above", we can use

0:25:57.760,0:26:03.419
analogies to begin to understand the[br]relationship between mind and stillness,

0:26:03.419,0:26:07.049
relative and absolute.

0:26:12.830,0:26:18.740
A way to begin to grasp the[br]non-conceptual nature of Samadhi is to

0:26:18.740,0:26:24.980
use the analogy of the black hole.

0:26:24.999,0:26:30.609
A black hole is traditionally described[br]as a region of space with a massive

0:26:30.609,0:26:37.209
gravitational field so powerful that no[br]light or matter can escape. New theories

0:26:37.209,0:26:42.809
postulate that all objects from the[br]tiniest microscopic particles to

0:26:42.809,0:26:48.359
macrocosmic formations like galaxies[br]have a black hole or mysterious

0:26:48.359,0:26:55.479
singularity at their center. In this[br]analogy we're going to use this new

0:26:55.479,0:27:01.589
definition of a black hole as "the center[br]that is everywhere".

0:27:06.630,0:27:13.590
In Zen there are many poems and koans[br]that bring us face to face with the

0:27:13.590,0:27:23.590
gateless gate. One must pass the gateless[br]gate to realize Samadhi.

0:27:23.590,0:27:30.249
An event horizon is a boundary in[br]space-time beyond which events cannot

0:27:30.249,0:27:36.070
affect an outside observer, which means[br]that whatever is happening beyond the

0:27:36.070,0:27:43.210
event horizon is unknowable to you. You[br]could say that the event horizon of a

0:27:43.210,0:27:50.470
black hole is analogous to the gateless[br]gate. It is the threshold between the

0:27:50.470,0:28:00.890
self and no self. There is no "me" that[br]passes the event horizon.

0:28:00.890,0:28:07.010
In the center of a black hole is the[br]one-dimensional singularity containing

0:28:07.010,0:28:13.580
the mass of billions of Suns in an[br]unimaginably small space. Effectively an

0:28:13.580,0:28:20.450
infinite mass. Literally a universe in[br]something infinitesimally smaller than a

0:28:20.450,0:28:27.110
grain of sand. The singularity is[br]something unfathomable beyond time and

0:28:27.110,0:28:35.419
space. According to physics movement is[br]impossible, the existence of things is

0:28:35.419,0:28:40.650
impossible.[br]Whatever it is, it does not belong to the

0:28:40.650,0:28:46.140
world of perception, yet it cannot be[br]described as merely stillness.

0:28:46.140,0:28:53.880
It is beyond stillness and movement. When[br]you realize the center that is

0:28:53.880,0:29:01.159
everywhere and nowhere,[br]duality breaks down, form and emptiness

0:29:01.159,0:29:05.820
time and the timeless.

0:29:05.820,0:29:13.390
One could call it a dynamic stillness or[br]a pregnant emptiness, within the center

0:29:13.390,0:29:22.080
of absolute darkness. The Taoist teacher[br]Lao Tse said

0:29:22.080,0:29:29.540
"Darkness within darkness the gateway to[br]all understanding."

0:29:38.630,0:29:45.330
The writer and comparative mythologist[br]Joseph Campbell describes a recurring

0:29:45.330,0:29:52.400
symbol, part of the perennial philosophy[br]which he calls the Axis Mundi; the

0:29:52.400,0:29:57.090
central point or the highest mountain.[br]The pole

0:29:57.090,0:30:02.820
around which all revolves. The point[br]where stillness and movement are

0:30:02.820,0:30:11.820
together. From this Center a mighty[br]flowering tree is realized. A Bodhi tree

0:30:11.820,0:30:24.810
that joins all worlds. Just as a Sun gets[br]sucked into a black hole, when you

0:30:24.810,0:30:31.470
approach the great reality, your life[br]starts to revolve around it and you

0:30:31.470,0:30:35.030
begin to disappear.

0:30:38.700,0:30:46.450
As you approach the immanent self, it can[br]be terrifying to the ego structure. The

0:30:46.450,0:30:53.330
guardians of the gate are there to test[br]those on their journey.

0:30:53.330,0:30:59.460
One must be willing to face one's[br]greatest fears and at the same time

0:30:59.460,0:31:07.950
accept one's inherent power. To bring[br]light to the unconscious terrors and the

0:31:07.950,0:31:19.650
hidden beauty within. If your mind is not[br]moved, if there's no self reacting, then

0:31:19.650,0:31:26.400
all phenomena produced by the[br]unconscious arises and passes away.

0:31:26.400,0:31:33.330
This is the point in the spiritual journey[br]where faith is most needed. What do we

0:31:33.330,0:31:42.360
mean by faith? Faith is not the same as[br]belief. Belief is accepting something on

0:31:42.360,0:31:49.170
the level of mind to bring comfort and[br]assurance. Belief is the mind's way of

0:31:49.170,0:31:57.390
labeling or controlling experience. Faith[br]is actually the opposite. Faith is

0:31:57.390,0:32:03.360
staying in the place of complete not[br]knowing, accepting whatever arises from

0:32:03.360,0:32:10.260
the unconscious. Faith is surrendering to[br]the pull of the singularity, to the

0:32:10.260,0:32:27.040
dissolving or dismantling of the self in[br]order to pass the gateless gate.

0:32:28.340,0:32:34.830
The evolution and structure of a galaxy[br]is closely tied to the scale of its

0:32:34.830,0:32:40.380
black hole just as your evolution is[br]tied to the presence of the immanent

0:32:40.380,0:32:46.550
Self, the singularity that is your true[br]nature.

0:32:47.700,0:32:53.190
We can't see the black hole but we can[br]know about it by the way things move

0:32:53.190,0:33:01.380
around it, by how it interacts with[br]physical reality. In the same way we

0:33:01.380,0:33:08.720
cannot see our true nature. The immanent[br]self is not a thing, but we can observe

0:33:08.720,0:33:16.790
enlightened action. As the Zen master[br]Suzuki said, "There are, strictly speaking,

0:33:16.790,0:33:25.819
no enlightened people. There is only[br]enlightened activity."

0:33:25.990,0:33:34.280
We can't see it just as the eye cannot[br]see itself. We can't see it because it is

0:33:34.280,0:33:41.030
that by which seeing is possible. Like[br]the black hole Samadhi is not

0:33:41.030,0:33:48.260
nothingness, and neither is it a thing.[br]It is the collapse of the duality of

0:33:48.260,0:33:56.899
thing and no thing. There is no gate to[br]enter the great reality,

0:33:56.899,0:34:04.759
but there are infinite paths. The paths[br]the Dharma's are like an endless spiral

0:34:04.759,0:34:13.010
with no beginning and no end. No one can[br]pass the gateless gate. No one's mind has

0:34:13.010,0:34:22.730
ever figured out how and none ever will.[br]No one can pass the gateless gate,

0:34:22.730,0:34:29.120
so be no one.

0:34:43.969,0:34:53.369
Samadhi is the pathless path, the golden[br]key. It is the end of our identification

0:34:53.370,0:35:15.060
with the self structures that separate[br]our inner and outer worlds.

0:35:15.060,0:35:20.400
There are many developmental models[br]which describe the layers or levels of

0:35:20.400,0:35:28.380
the self structure. We will use an[br]example which is very ancient. In the

0:35:28.380,0:35:36.030
Upanishads, the sheaths which cover the[br]Atman or soul are called koshas. Each

0:35:36.030,0:35:44.040
kosha is like a mirror. A layer of the[br]self structure; a veil or level of maya

0:35:44.040,0:35:51.320
which distracts us from realizing our[br]true nature if we are identified with it.

0:35:51.320,0:35:59.670
Most people see the reflections and[br]believe that that is who they are.

0:35:59.670,0:36:07.110
One mirror reflects the animal layer, the[br]physical body. Another mirror reflects

0:36:07.110,0:36:14.580
your mind, your thoughts your instincts,[br]and perceptions. Another your inner

0:36:14.580,0:36:21.030
energy or prana which you can observe[br]when you turn inward. Another mirror

0:36:21.030,0:36:26.490
reflects on the level of the Imaginal[br]which is the higher mind or wisdom layer,

0:36:26.490,0:36:33.300
and there are layers of transcendental[br]or non dual bliss that are experienced

0:36:33.300,0:36:36.950
as one approaches Samadhi.

0:36:37.000,0:36:42.530
There are potentially countless mirrors[br]or aspects of self that one can

0:36:42.530,0:36:50.640
differentiate, and they are constantly[br]changing.

0:36:50.640,0:36:56.220
Most people have yet to discover the[br]pranic, higher mind, and non dual bliss

0:36:56.220,0:37:01.069
layers. They don't even know they exist.

0:37:01.190,0:37:09.029
These layers are informing your life but[br]you do not see them. The hidden mirrors

0:37:09.029,0:37:13.880
actually inform our lives more than the[br]ones that are visible.

0:37:13.880,0:37:19.349
They are unseen because for most people[br]they are not fully illuminated by

0:37:19.349,0:37:28.680
consciousness. Like Indra's net of jewels,[br]the mirrors all reflect each other and

0:37:28.680,0:37:35.940
the reflections reflect every other[br]reflection infinitely. A change on one

0:37:35.940,0:37:41.690
level simultaneously affects all levels.

0:37:42.420,0:37:48.670
Some of these mirrors may be left in the[br]shadows unless we are fortunate enough

0:37:48.670,0:37:55.120
to have a competent guide to help us[br]shine light upon them. The truth is we

0:37:55.120,0:38:03.480
don't know what we don't know. Now[br]imagine that you shatter all the mirrors.

0:38:03.480,0:38:12.420
There's nothing reflecting you back to[br]yourself. Where are you?

0:38:14.140,0:38:23.349
When the mind becomes still the mirrors[br]cease to reflect. There is no more

0:38:23.349,0:38:32.980
subject and object. But do not mistake[br]the primordial state for nothingness or

0:38:32.980,0:38:47.719
oblivion. The immanent self is not[br]something but neither is it nothing.

0:38:47.750,0:38:57.349
The source is not a thing[br]it is emptiness or stillness itself. It

0:38:57.349,0:39:05.720
is an emptiness that is the source of[br]all things. Form is realized as exactly

0:39:05.720,0:39:16.880
emptiness, emptiness is realized as[br]exactly form. This source is the great

0:39:16.880,0:39:23.320
womb of creation, pregnant with all[br]possibilities.

0:39:40.800,0:39:47.710
Samadhi is the awakening of impersonal[br]consciousness. Just as when you are

0:39:47.710,0:39:53.619
having a dream, upon awakening you[br]realize that everything in the dream was

0:39:53.619,0:39:58.930
just in your mind.[br]Upon realizing Samadhi it is realized that

0:39:58.930,0:40:04.600
everything in this world is happening[br]within levels upon levels of energy and

0:40:04.600,0:40:13.150
consciousness. It is all mirrors within[br]mirrors, dreams within dreams. The you

0:40:13.150,0:40:20.520
that you think you are is both the dream[br]and the dreamer.

0:40:33.559,0:40:43.530
Whatever we say in this film let it go[br]don't capture it with the mind. The soul

0:40:43.530,0:40:48.890
is dreaming, dreaming the dream of you.

0:40:49.130,0:40:56.970
The dream is everything that is changing,[br]but it is possible to realize the

0:40:56.970,0:41:13.410
changeless. This realization cannot be[br]understood with the limited

0:41:13.410,0:41:22.310
individual mind.

0:41:22.310,0:41:29.020
When we return from Nirvikalpa Samadhi[br]the mirrors begin to reflect again and

0:41:29.020,0:41:36.550
it is realized that the world you now[br]think you are living in is actually you.

0:41:36.550,0:41:43.970
Not the limited you which is only a[br]temporary reflection, but you are aware

0:41:43.970,0:41:53.800
of your true nature as the source of all[br]that IS. This dawning of higher wisdom,

0:41:53.800,0:42:04.220
the embryo, "prajna" or gnosis is what is[br]born out of Samadhi. According to the

0:42:04.220,0:42:13.040
book of Job Chokhmah or wisdom comes from nothingness. This point of wisdom is both

0:42:13.040,0:42:18.890
infinitely small and yet encompasses the[br]whole of being, but it remains

0:42:18.890,0:42:24.970
incomprehensible until it has given[br]shape and form in the palace of mirrors,

0:42:24.970,0:42:31.760
called "binah", the womb carved out by[br]higher wisdom which gives shape to the

0:42:31.760,0:42:50.330
embryonic Spirit of God.

0:42:50.330,0:43:00.600
[music] "Abwoon d'bashmaya" by Indiajiva

0:43:07.570,0:43:14.650
The existence of the mirrors or the[br]minds existence is not a problem. On the

0:43:14.650,0:43:22.030
contrary, the error or aberration of[br]human perception is that we identify

0:43:22.030,0:43:32.620
ourselves with it. This illusion, that we[br]are the limited self, is Maya. The yogic

0:43:32.620,0:43:38.020
teachings say that to realize Samadhi[br]one must observe the meditation object

0:43:38.020,0:43:49.630
until it disappears until you disappear[br]into it or it into you. Although the

0:43:49.630,0:43:55.930
language in the various traditions is[br]dissimilar at their root they all point

0:43:55.930,0:44:00.850
towards a cessation of[br]self-identification and self-centered

0:44:00.850,0:44:08.140
activity. The Buddha always taught in[br]negative terms. He taught to investigate

0:44:08.140,0:44:14.670
directly into the working of the self[br]structure. He didn't say what Samadhi was

0:44:14.670,0:44:23.500
except that it was the end of suffering.[br]In Advaita Vedanta there's a term "neti

0:44:23.500,0:44:31.200
neti" which means "not this not that."[br]People on the path to self-realization

0:44:31.200,0:44:37.810
inquire into their true nature, or the[br]nature of Brahman by first discovering

0:44:37.810,0:44:42.489
what they are not.

0:44:42.720,0:44:49.180
Similarly in Christianity St. Teresa of[br]Avila described an approach to prayer

0:44:49.180,0:44:56.620
based on the negative path, or via[br]negativa. A prayer of quiet, surrender and

0:44:56.620,0:45:02.760
union, which is the only way to approach[br]the absolute.

0:45:03.400,0:45:09.009
Through this gradual process of[br]stripping away one drops anything that

0:45:09.009,0:45:17.680
is not permanent, anything that is[br]changing. The mind the ego construct and

0:45:17.680,0:45:24.160
all phenomena, including the hidden[br]layers of self. The unconscious must

0:45:24.160,0:45:30.999
become transparent in order to reflect[br]the one source. If there is some deep

0:45:30.999,0:45:37.359
knowing or some self operating in the[br]unconscious then our lives remain locked

0:45:37.359,0:45:44.519
into a labyrinth of hidden patterns that[br]comprise the undiscovered self.

0:45:47.960,0:45:55.289
When all layers of self are revealed as[br]empty then one becomes free from the

0:45:55.289,0:46:00.019
self. Free from all concepts

0:46:03.750,0:46:11.160
A turning point in your evolution is[br]when you realize you don't know who you are.

0:46:11.160,0:46:22.240
Who experiences the breath?[br]Who experiences the taste?

0:46:22.240,0:46:35.880
Who experiences the chant, the ritual, the[br]dance, the mountain? Witness the witness,

0:46:35.880,0:46:39.630
observed the observer.

0:46:40.220,0:46:47.210
At first when you observe the observer[br]you will only see the false self, but if

0:46:47.210,0:46:52.300
you are persistent it will give way.

0:46:54.020,0:47:00.140
Inquire directly into who or what[br]experiences.

0:47:00.140,0:47:10.040
Unblinkingly, piercingly, penetratingly,[br]with the full force of your being.

0:47:17.000,0:47:19.060
[music] "Gate, Gate, paragate. Parasum gate, bodhisvaha." (Meaning: gone, gone, far beyond, completely beyond the awakened source IS)

0:47:19.579,0:47:32.356
- Untranslated subtitle -

0:47:47.840,0:47:57.140
There is no self that awakens. There is[br]no YOU that awakens. What you are

0:47:57.140,0:48:03.500
awakening from is the illusion of the[br]separate self. From the dream of a

0:48:03.500,0:48:08.120
limited "you". To talk about it is[br]meaningless.

0:48:08.120,0:48:15.130
There must be an actual cessation of the[br]self to realize directly what it is, and

0:48:15.130,0:48:23.540
once it is realized there is nothing[br]that can be said about it. As soon as you

0:48:23.540,0:48:39.510
say something you are back in the mind. I[br]have already said too much.

0:48:39.510,0:48:46.030
We normally have three states of[br]consciousness: waking, dreaming, and deep sleep.

0:48:46.030,0:48:53.380
Samadhi is sometimes referred to[br]as the fourth state, the ground state of

0:48:53.380,0:49:00.460
consciousness. A primordial awakeness[br]that can become present continuously and

0:49:00.460,0:49:10.470
in parallel with the other consciousness[br]states. In Vedanta this is called Turiya

0:49:10.950,0:49:17.220
Other terms for Turiya are Christ[br]consciousness, Krishna consciousness,

0:49:17.220,0:49:26.680
Buddha nature or Sahaja Samadhi. In[br]Sahaja Samadhi the immanent Self stays

0:49:26.680,0:49:33.670
present along with the full use of all[br]human functions. The stillness is

0:49:33.670,0:49:38.580
unmoving at the center of the spiral of[br]changing phenomena.

0:49:38.580,0:49:45.630
Thoughts, feelings, sensations and energy[br]revolve around it at the circumference

0:49:45.630,0:49:54.130
but the degree of stillness or I-am-ness[br]remains during outer activity exactly as

0:49:54.130,0:50:02.680
in meditation. It is possible that the[br]immanent self will remain present even

0:50:02.680,0:50:11.800
during deep sleep; that your awareness of[br]I am does not come and go even as states

0:50:11.800,0:50:15.450
of consciousness change.

0:50:20.420,0:50:24.190
This is yogic sleep.

0:50:24.660,0:50:29.970
In the Song of Songs, or the Song of[br]Solomon from the Hebrew Bible or Old

0:50:29.970,0:50:40.010
Testament, it reads "I sleep but my heart[br]waketh". This realization of the eternal

0:50:40.010,0:50:47.040
impersonal consciousness is reflected in[br]the words of Christ when he said

0:50:47.040,0:50:54.360
"Before Abraham was, I AM."

0:50:56.289,0:51:08.820
One consciousness that shines through[br]countless faces, countless forms.

0:51:16.470,0:51:22.640
At first it's like a fragile flame born[br]out of the polarities within you.

0:51:22.640,0:51:29.160
Masculine penetrating consciousness with[br]a surrender or opening of feminine

0:51:29.160,0:51:36.089
energy. It is delicate, and easily lost,[br]and one must take great care to protect

0:51:36.089,0:51:40.849
it and keep it alive until it is mature.

0:51:43.800,0:51:50.850
Samadhi is simultaneously a timeless[br]state of consciousness and a stage in an

0:51:50.850,0:51:58.310
unfolding development process. Something organic and growing in time.

0:52:04.520,0:52:13.990
As one spends more and more time in[br]Samadhi, in the now, in the timeless,

0:52:13.990,0:52:22.520
one takes more and more direction from the heart, the soul or Atman, and less from

0:52:22.520,0:52:28.280
the conditioned structure.

0:52:28.810,0:52:38.410
This is how one becomes free of the[br]lower mind. Free of pathological thinking.

0:52:38.410,0:52:45.109
The inner wiring changes. Energy no[br]longer flows unconsciously in the old

0:52:45.109,0:52:51.859
conditioned structures, which is another[br]way of saying one is no longer

0:52:51.859,0:53:09.829
identified with the self structure, with[br]the outer world of form.

0:53:10.920,0:53:17.309
To realize Samadhi requires an effort so[br]great that it becomes a total surrender

0:53:17.309,0:53:24.720
of oneself, and a surrender so[br]encompassing that it is a complete

0:53:24.720,0:53:33.869
effort of one's being; all of one's[br]energy. It is a balance of effort and

0:53:33.869,0:53:41.400
surrender, yin and yang. A sort of effortless effort.

0:53:47.430,0:53:55.330
The Indian mystic and yogi Paramahamsa[br]Ramakrishna said "do not seek

0:53:55.330,0:54:02.620
illumination unless you seek it as one[br]whose hair is on fire seeks a pond"

0:54:02.620,0:54:06.300
You seek it with your whole being.

0:54:06.360,0:54:12.840
During one's ego transcending practice[br]it takes great courage, vigilance and

0:54:12.840,0:54:21.850
perseverance to keep the embryo alive. To[br]not fall back into the patterns of the

0:54:21.850,0:54:28.120
world. It takes a willingness to go[br]against the current, against the

0:54:28.120,0:54:35.590
inexorable crush of the matrix, and the[br]grinding wheels of samsara. Every breath

0:54:35.590,0:54:43.870
every thought, every action must be for[br]realizing the Source. Samadhi is not

0:54:43.870,0:54:51.490
realized by effort nor is it effortless.[br]Let go of effort and non effort; it's a

0:54:51.490,0:54:59.380
duality that only exists in the mind. The[br]actual realization of Samadhi is so

0:54:59.380,0:55:05.440
simple so undifferentiated that it is[br]always misconstrued through language

0:55:05.440,0:55:12.610
which is inherently dualistic. There is[br]only one primordial consciousness that

0:55:12.610,0:55:21.160
awakens as the world but it has been[br]obscured by many layers of mind. Like the

0:55:21.160,0:55:27.610
Sun hidden behind the clouds as each[br]layer of mind is dropped one's essence

0:55:27.610,0:55:30.900
is revealed.

0:55:33.180,0:55:39.480
As each layer of mind is dropped, people[br]call it a different Samadhi. They give

0:55:39.480,0:55:45.260
names to different experiences or[br]different types of phenomena

0:55:55.010,0:56:00.290
but Samadhi is so simple that when you[br]are told what it is and how to realize

0:56:00.290,0:56:04.600
it your mind will always miss it.

0:56:05.170,0:56:13.040
Actually Samadhi is not simple or[br]difficult; it is only the mind that makes

0:56:13.040,0:56:19.850
it so. When there is no mind[br]there's no problem, because the mind is

0:56:19.850,0:56:28.720
what needs to stop before it is realized.[br]It is not a happening at all.

0:56:36.880,0:56:44.170
The most concise teaching of Samadhi is[br]perhaps found in this phrase:

0:56:44.170,0:56:55.530
"Be still and know."

0:56:59.190,0:57:05.490
How can we use words and images to[br]convey stillness? How can we convey

0:57:05.490,0:57:12.869
silence by making noise? Rather than[br]talking about Samadhi as an intellectual

0:57:12.869,0:57:22.740
concept, this film is a radical call to[br]inaction. A call to meditation, inner

0:57:22.740,0:57:31.010
silence and inner prayer. A call to STOP.

0:57:38.420,0:57:45.140
Stop everything that is driven by the[br]pathological egoic mind.

0:57:46.270,0:57:50.190
Be still and know.

0:57:54.470,0:57:59.890
No one can tell you what will emerge[br]from the stillness.

0:57:59.910,0:58:05.720
It is a call to act from the spiritual[br]heart.

0:58:21.500,0:58:30.050
It's like remembering something ancient.[br]The soul wakes up and remembers itself.

0:58:30.050,0:58:37.260
It has been a sleeping passenger but now[br]the emptiness awakens and realizes

0:58:37.260,0:58:43.439
itself as all things.

0:58:44.390,0:58:50.869
You can't imagine what Samadhi is with[br]the limited egoic mind just as you can't

0:58:50.869,0:58:57.500
describe to a blind person what color is.[br]Your mind can't know. It can't

0:58:57.500,0:59:06.559
manufacture it. To realize Samadhi is to[br]see in a different way, not to see

0:59:06.559,0:59:12.579
separate things but to recognize the[br]seer.

0:59:15.360,0:59:24.840
St. Francis of Assisi said "what you are[br]looking for is what is looking." Once you

0:59:24.840,0:59:34.290
have seen the moon you can recognize it[br]in every reflection. The true self has

0:59:34.290,0:59:42.920
always been there, it is in everything,[br]but you have not realized its presence.

0:59:43.070,0:59:50.750
When you learn to recognize and abide as[br]the true self beyond the mind and senses

0:59:50.750,1:00:08.530
it is possible to experience awe at the[br]most mundane. We become AWE.

1:00:08.720,1:00:15.530
Do not try to be free of desires because[br]wanting to be free of desires is a

1:00:15.530,1:00:26.020
desire. You can't try to be still because[br]your very effort is movement.

1:00:26.020,1:00:34.570
Realize the stillness that is always[br]already present.

1:00:34.570,1:00:37.570
Be the stillness and know

1:00:38.840,1:00:45.140
When all preferences are dropped the[br]source will be revealed, but do not cling

1:00:45.140,1:00:57.140
even to the source. The great reality, Tao[br]is not one not two. Ramana Maharshi said

1:00:57.140,1:01:07.580
"The self is only one. If it is limited it[br]is the ego, if unlimited it is infinite

1:01:07.580,1:01:20.750
and the great reality."[br]If you believe what is being said you've missed it.

1:01:20.750,1:01:27.500
If you disbelieve you've also missed it.[br]Belief and disbelief operate on the

1:01:27.500,1:01:34.900
level of mind. They require a knowing, but[br]if you enter into your own investigation

1:01:34.900,1:01:40.370
examining all of the aspects of your own[br]being, finding out who is doing the

1:01:40.370,1:01:46.340
investigating, if you're willing to live[br]by the principle "not my will but higher

1:01:46.340,1:01:53.540
will be done," if you're willing to travel[br]beyond all-knowing then you may realize

1:01:53.540,1:01:59.600
what I've attempted to point towards.[br]Only then will you taste for yourself

1:01:59.600,1:02:07.940
the profound mystery and beauty of[br]simply existing.

1:02:08.450,1:02:16.070
There is another possibility for life.[br]There is something sacred, unfathomable

1:02:16.070,1:02:22.570
that can be discovered in the still[br]depths of your being, beyond concepts,

1:02:22.570,1:02:33.920
beyond dogmas, beyond conditioned[br]activity and all preferences. It is not

1:02:33.920,1:02:41.410
acquired by techniques, rituals or[br]practices. There is no "how" to get it.

1:02:41.410,1:02:54.140
There's no system.[br]There's no way to The Way. As they say in Zen

1:02:54.140,1:03:01.160
it is discovering your original face[br]before you were born. It is not about

1:03:01.160,1:03:10.010
adding more to yourself. It is becoming a[br]light unto oneself; a light that dispels

1:03:10.010,1:03:20.210
the illusion of the self. Life will[br]always remain unfulfilled

1:03:20.210,1:03:26.920
and the heart will always remain[br]restless until it comes to rest in that

1:03:26.920,1:03:32.650
mystery beyond name and form.

1:04:04.059,1:04:06.059
[music] Om Shreem Lakshmi