Now a Testimonial From Gary Spaid a Wealth Counselor in Vail Valley, Colorado, USA.

Our Energy Enhancement Course in Vail, Colorado is come to an end. Here in the high Rocky Mountains with brilliant sunshine, snow clad peaks and the aspen trees turning a beautiful shade of Spring green. 

Gary Spaid and his wife Candy kindly invited us to their wonderful house  in Colorado near Aspen so that they could learn Levels One and Two of Energy Enhancement. 

Gary has been a long time practitioner of Transcendental Meditation he says, "When I purchased the Energy Enhancement Video Course I was blown away by the power of the Energy Enhancement Techniques and by the amazing talks of Satchidanand.

 Having practiced meditation for many years and understanding that the technique of meditation is in a large way responsible for my successful practice as a wealth counselor to many lucky people here in Denver and the Vail Valley, I believe that meditation is in a large part responible for all the luck I have created in my life. 

GARY AND CANDY AT THE TAJ MAHAL

When you have something good you want more, and for me, inviting Devi and Satchidanand here to my house here in the Vail Valley was that next step. 

Also, I was interested in giving my wife, Candy, the necessary tools to improve her asthma and start a life of meditation with me. 

So, what did we get? I can say that practicing the technique of Stage 4 of Level One of Energy Enhancement with Devi and Satchy gave more power to the top down approach of Meditation. I had an experience of the MAGIC!! that I so longed for in my meditation. 

Sitting in the flame of Kundalini and seeing my karma burn up was a POWERFUL experience. 

The emphasis on releasing energy blockages given in Stage 5 of Level One of Energy Enhancement is a bottom Up approach as this gives more power to my meditational energy and creates a Power center, Base Chakra, launch pad of Enlightenment. 

This aspect will give me a steady discipline over the next few years as I use the Energy Enhancement Techniques to enter into my past history, chakras, parts of the body and to create relationship harmony between family, clients and friends as I Ground the Negativity between us!! 

Satchy and Devi told us many extra things, Reiki Initiations and practice, elimination of toxins through herbal cleanses and fasting which we did for a day or two, Yoga to find out where our blockages are, Food to reduce toxins - (they even cooked for us!) and breathing practice to increase our Energy.

They even used Color Light Puncture, Acupressure, Pulse Healing and many different techniques to heal my knee and Candy's asthma. 

Satchidanand was kind enough to let us work on our business daily while they were here, so, although we couldn't get real intense, phew!, we had a steady discipline and energy towards our goal. 

I guess this is the advantage of inviting them to our home for 3 weeks. So I recommend you try this Energy Enhancement for yourself. 

They gave some inner WEALTH to me and Yoga and better relationships to Candy. 

Candy even wants to accompany my daily meditation sessions now!! 

I suggest you try the Video course or the Online Course first before you invite them to YOUR home or go to visit them wherever in the World they are. I guess Spain or India this year. You will not be disappointed."

SATCHIDANAND VISITING THE USA WITH GARY AND CANDY AFTER THE ENERGY ENHANCEMENT COURSE - THE ARCHES NEAR MESA VERDE ANASASI INDIAN SITE

"Energy Enhancement does not promote a spirituality that grows only in the mountains, apart from the cities and the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It shows you how to integrate the peace of retreat with the activity of life - work, relationships, enjoyment, and spirituality - there should be no separation!" Energy Enhancement Student, Paul Inman

The Synthesis of Light Symbol

ENERGY ENHANCEMENT ON THE COSTA BRAVA

THE POWER OF TOTAL CONTROL

 

"EASY AND SMOOTH ENERGY ENHANCEMENT PUTS YOU IN CONTACT WITH KUNDALINI ENERGY WHICH SPEEDS UP THE PROCESS OF ENLIGHTENMENT AND INTELLIGENCE"

Satchi explained that the higher levels of Energy which create the Energy Enhancement Buddhafield and the Energy momentum to heal the students and raise their Energy Levels so that they can do likewise came from His connection with his teachers, Zen Master Hogen from Japan, Swami Satchidananda from Yogaville in the USA but previously a disciple, a Yogiraj, of Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh.

There is a transmission of Energy from Master to Disciple  which occurs in silence. The preparation for this is the student's responsibility but the Energy always finds its place. It is the Energy of Initiation, which confirms the student in his enlightenment, but before this Initiation, "you need to be there before you can stay there."

Indeed, many people go searching for Integration and Enlightenment from technique to technique and teacher to teacher whereas a true student can learn anywhere. We need to increase that studentness within ourselves. We need to learn to be a true student. The ability to learn. The ability to ask. The ability to receive.

One lack of respect for the teachings. One negative word, ONE BLOCKAGE, and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart. One negative word can destroy the silence of a moment.

Swami Satchidananda talked of the time when Swami Sivananda died and of the Energy Initiation, which came to him at that time even though he was in Celon and Sivananda was dying in Rishikesh. He felt that some of Sivananda's fire had been given to him at that time.

Each Spiritual Master is a gift from existence, working in his own personal individual way to express his gift, his way, his energy channelled from the universe itself. They are individuals with strong personalities, "Personages!!" unselfishly aiming their lives at the benefit of humanity, the world and the Universe.

 Even the intellect gets confused because the intelligent energy of existence, above the intellect, chit shakti, is the guiding force and initiator. Each spiritual master is as different from the others as a rose is different from a lily.

Just smell the perfume. Are they not the flowers of the Universe itself?

As Jallaluddin Rumi said around 1200AD, "Take what is in my hand!

If you have lost heart in the Path of Love
Flee to me without delay
I am a fortress; invincible - Rumi

mailto:sol@energyenhancement.org
 

BECOME AN ENERGY ENHANCEMENT STUDENT.

Fortunately, all you really need to do is become an Energy Enhancement student and follow our student program, either on the Online Course, DVD COURSE, or in the Energy Enhancement Buddhafield with Satchidanand and Devi Dhyani.

Once you have enroled you will be taught a complete holistic life management system that takes you through all the various and important stages of healing and enlightenment.

BUDDHA AND KRISHNA IN THE MEDITATION ROOM OF THE SOL ENERGY ENHANCEMENT VILLA IN SPAIN

EMAIL sol@energyenhancement.org

THE MOST ADVANCED AND PRODUCTIVE MEDITATION COURSE IN THE WORLD AS SAID IN THE TESTIMONIALS OF OUR PAST STUDENTS!!!

TEACHING IN EASY STEPS...

WEEK ONE LEVEL ONE - THE GAINING OF ENERGY

MEDITATION, SHAKTIPAT, ENERGY CIRCULATION, THE KUNDALINI KRIYAS, THE FIVE ELEMENTAL PATHS OF THE CHI OF CHINESE ALCHEMICAL TAOISM, THE GROUNDING OF NEGATIVE ENERGIES, ACCESS TO KUNDALINI ENERGY, CHECK OUT FOOD, REMOVE ENERGY BLOCKAGES, STRONG PSYCHIC PROTECTION, LEARN THE MERKABA, PYRAMID PROTECTION, POWER TOWER PROTECTION, THE BUDDHAFIELD, CREATE THE ANTAHKARANA, SOUL FUSION, MONADIC INFUSION, LOGOS INFUSION, SIRIAN INFUSION, THE AVATAR OF SYNTHESIS!!!

EMAIL sol@energyenhancement.org

EXPERIENCE MORE!!!

INCREASE YOUR INTELLIGENCE

Once this stage was reached I had tremendous energy!

more?....

http://www.energyenhancement.org/page17.htm

EASY AND PEACEFUL

ILLUMINATION ENLIGHTENMENT

With Energy Enhancement it is not necessary to go anywhere near  painful memory, negative emotions and catharsis which are the foundations of other courses.

ILLUMINATION ENLIGHTENMENT

THE ENERGY ENHANCEMENT APPRENTICE LEVEL TWO COURSE

THE REMOVAL OF ENERGY BLOCKAGES.

THE REMOVAL OF THOUGHTFORMS, IMPLANTS, ENTITIES, AURIC EGG BLOCKAGES,  DISAPPOINTMENT, BEREAVEMENT, NEGATIVE EMOTIONS - ANGER, FEAR, WANTING SYMPATHY, MANIC, SADNESS, DEPRESSION, CHRONIC DEPRESSION, ENVY, JEALOUSY, THE DESIRE TO DO HARM, EMOTIONAL IQ,  CLEAR  CANCER FROM THE DNA, CHAKRAS, PARTS OF THE BODY,  THE TIMELINE, THE KARMA CLEANING PROCESS, THE WOMB,  CLEAN THE KARMA FROM ALL THE YEARS OF YOUR LIFE, CREATE GOOD LUCK, AND GOOD HEALTH.

Energy Enhancement Advanced Techniques allow PAINLESS progress above and beyond any other course.

THE BLOCKAGE REMOVAL PROCESS!!

Energy Enhancement Advanced Techniques only use ENERGY which underlies all other human functions.

With Energy Enhancement it is not necessary to go anywhere near  painful memory, negative emotions and catharsis which are the foundations of other courses.

There are Four APPRENTICE LEVELs of Energy Enhancement Teaching, each APPRENTICE LEVEL is a Meditation Course having Seven Meditational Initiations which can be taken in a Week-Long Course.

Each APPRENTICE LEVEL is entirely independent of the others and complete in itself. You do not have to take every APPRENTICE LEVEL, but the APPRENTICE LEVELs must be taken in the order of One, Two, Three and Four.

THE TRUTH IS ONE, THE PATHS ARE MANY

The Energy Enhancement Symbol

The Energy Enhancement Symbol of the Twelve Petalled Lotus of the Heart Center with One of the Symbols of the Worlds Major Religions in Each One of the Petals. Inside the symbol is the Hexagram - The Seal of Solomon, with the Seven Chakras describing the Three Initiations on the Path of Enlightenment

- Initiation 1. The Opening of the Heart. Solar Plexus to Heart Chakra.

Initiation 2. The Mastery of Relationships, Abdomen to Throat Chakra.

Initiation 3. Enlightenment, Base to all the Head Chakras which is taught on the Energy Enhancement Course plus many other Initiations.

At the Very Center is the Heart Chakra radiating Peace and Light outwards.. like the Sun...

"The day is short and the work is Great and the workers are Lazy. But the reward is Large and our Master urges us to make Haste."

Writings of the Abbod of Halmyrach

http://www.energyenhancement.org/page17.htm

ILLUMINATION ENLIGHTENMENT

 KRISHNA, A FEELING  OF THE HEART
 

ZEN BUDDHISM AND ENLIGHTENMENT

Zen Master Shen Tsan gained his enlightenment through Pai Chang. He then returned to the monastery in which he had been ordained by his "first teacher", the monk who had brought him up from childhood and who, at that time, was a very old man.

"While the empty door is open wide

How foolish it is to try and get out

By thrusting against the window!

Alas! How can you, Master,

Raise your head above the slough

By putting your nose against old, rotten paper

For a hundred years?"

A man phones up the mental hospital and asks, "Can you tell me who is in room number 12, please?"

"There is nobody in that room, sir," comes the reply.

"Ah good, that means I have escaped!"

Man is absolutely unaware of his own being. He knows everything else, he tries to know everything else—except his own self, for the simple reason that he takes himself for granted. He thinks as if he knows himself. And there is the fundamental error, the most fundamental mistake one can commit.

We are, but we don't know who we are. Our names deceive us: they give us a certain feeling as if this is what we are. Our bodies reflected in the mirror, our faces reflected in people's eyes, go on giving us a certain idea of our identity. Slowly slowly we gather all this information and create an image of ourselves which is utterly false. This is not the way to know oneself. One cannot know oneself by looking in the mirrors because the mirrors can only reflect your body—and you are not the body. You are in the body, but you are not the body. Your behavior, your character, your actions can show your mind, but not you.

There is a school of psychologists, one of the most important schools, called the behaviorists. They think man is his behavior: you are nothing but the totality of your actions, so if your actions can be understood you are understood. Man is more, much more than the sum total of his actions; man is not only his behavior. Man is the innermost consciousness of his body, of his mind, of his actions.

Unless you become conscious of your consciousness, unless you become aware of your inner light, you go on living in illusions. And we perpetuate illusions because they are cheap, easily available; they cost nothing, and they can be handed over to us by others.

KNOW THYSELF

Discovering oneself is arduous: it is going on the greatest exploration. It is easier to go to the moon, easier to go to the Everest. It is far more difficult to go to one's own center—for the simple reason that you will have to travel alone, all alone. As one of the great Greek mystics, Plotinus, says, "It is a flight of the alone to the alone."

That's why very few people have become enlightened, when it is really everybody's birthright to become en lightened. And even if sometimes, by some accident, people become interested in knowing about themselves, they immediately become victims of words— theories, philosophies, ideologies. They become victims of scriptures, doctrines, dogmas; again they are lost in a jungle of words. Yes, you will find beautiful sayings there, immensely pregnant with meaning, but that meaning will remain hidden to you; you will not be able to discover it. You have not been able to discover yourself; you cannot discover the meaning of the words of Gautam the Buddha or Jesus the Christ or Mahavira the Jain—impossible. You can understand only that much which you have experienced; understanding never goes beyond your experience. Words you can accumulate, you can become scholars, great scholars. And again you will be in a new kind of illusion: the illusion that information creates. The more information you have, the more you start feeling you know.

Information is thought to be synonymous with knowing—it is not. Knowing is a totally different affair. knowing is experiencing; information only accumulates in the memory system. A computer can do it, there is nothing special about it; there is nothing specially human about it.

Two large rats walked into a movie house one day and went straight to the projection room. Once inside they ate the entire reel of film. After eating, one rat looked at the other and asked, "Did you like the movie?"

To which the other replied, "No, I liked the book better."

These are the scholars—the rats! They go on eating words, they go on accumulating words. They can have mountains of words and they become very articulate about words. They can deceive others; that is not so bad because they can deceive only people who are al ready deceived; you cannot do much more harm to them. But by deceiving others, slowly slowly they become deceived themselves, and that is the greatest problem.

Ninety-nine percent so-called religious people— saints, mahatmas—are just scholars. As far as words are concerned they are very clever, but if you look deep into their eyes you will find just the same stupid human beings. Nothing has changed.

The other day I was reading a statement of Abdul Ghaffar Khan; he is known as the Frontier Gandhi. He is thought to be one of the closest disciples of Mahatma Gandhi. He is ninety-four years old. He has devoted his whole life to the philosophy of nonviolence— and the statement that he gave is so violent that even I was taken aback. I was not thinking that he will do such a stupid thing at such an old age. And the state ment was made in front of Vinoba Bhave; they were meeting and there was a press conference. Now both are the greatest followers of Mahatma Gandhi and preachers of nonviolence in the world.

The Frontier Gandhi was asked by the journalist, "What do you say about Z.A. Bhutto who has been sentenced to death? Did not you try to save him?—because you believe in nonviolence?"

He became furious. His eyes became red with anger and he said, "That man was a sinner! He needed to be burned alive in public!"

He completely forgot all about the philosophy of non-violence. He is not happy just by killing him; he wanted him to be burned alive, in public. Not killed on the gallows or shot—that is too merciful—burning alive, because he was a sinner.

Now, is this man a man of nonviolence? Then Jesus must have been wrong when he prayed to God: "Abba, forgive all these people, the people who are crucifying me, because they know not what they are doing. They are unconscious people; they are doing it very unconsciously."

Jesus is a man of nonviolence, not Abdul Ghaffar Khan. 'Where he has missed? He became full of beautiful words, but they have not transformed his consciousness. And Vinoba Bhave did not object at all; that means agreement. He was present there; he could have said, "What are you saying? It is not Gandhian at Least.' He did not object to it. His silence shows his agreement.

This is what has happened to millions of people all over the world. Christians have been killing thousands of people in the name of Christ, with Bibles in their hands, murdering, butchering. Mohammedans have done the same, Hindus have done the same.

It is difficult to know how many Buddhist monks were burned by Hindus in India because Indian history does not exist at all, nobody has bothered to write history. But thousands of Buddhist monks were burned alive, just the way Abdul Ghaffar Khan wanted to burn Z.A. Bhutto. Thousands of Buddhists were burned alive—otherwise how they all disappeared from this country? Buddha's impact was so great, millions of people had turned into Buddhists. Then what happened to all of them? Then why they ran out of the country? And whosoever remained behind was killed.

And Hindus talk about nonviolence, love, friendship, universal love, divine love. As far as words are concerned, people are very clever and they can go on elaborating on these words, philosophizing. They can go in deep subtleties; they can make very subtle distinctions, but their consciousness remains unaffected.

A young nun arrived at the nunnery, panting and crying, "Mother, Mother, something terrible has happened!"

"What is it, my daughter?" the Mother Superior asked, concerned.

"A maniac, Mother—a sex maniac raped me!"

"Ah no, daughter, ah no! When did it happen?"

"Yesterday, the day before, and again today!"

You can impose character on people, but you can not imagine consciousness. Consciousness has to be discovered. These people can even reach to heaven, but they will create a heaven of their own, they will live in a world of their own. They will repeat the same kind of world there. If these people—these Hindus, Mohammedans, Christians, these monks and nuns and these mahatmas and saints, Catholics and Protestants—if these are the people who are going to heaven, heaven cannot be any different from this earth. The same crusades, the same wars, all kinds of stupidities will go on, will continue. It will be only a repetition, maybe on a wider scale, bigger scale, more sophisticated, but it cannot be qualitatively different.

Young Barrington-Smythe had just reached the Pearly Gates. St. Peter was welcoming him and telling him about the social life of heaven. "We play a lot of sport here, young fellow me lad," said St. Peter. "On Mondays and Thursdays it is polo, and Tuesdays and Fridays cricket."

"Well, actually, sir," answered the young man, "I don't enjoy sport very much."

"Well, then perhaps you will enjoy Wednesday nights," suggested St. Peter. "There is a big dinner. After the meal when the port has been passed around a few times, we really let our hair down, I can tell you!"

"Actually, sir, I don't enjoy drinking," replied the young man.

"Ah," said St. Peter. Then after a short silence he suggested, "Then you will enjoy Saturday nights. We have a dance with a lot of the young ladies from hereabouts. Plenty of goings-on, if you know what I mean!"

"Actually, sir," said the young man again, "I don't really enjoy the company of young ladies."

After a long pause St. Peter asked, "Barrington-Smythe, you are not a homosexual by any chance?"

"Oh no sir!"

"Pity," said St. Peter, "you won't enjoy Sunday nights either!"

The same people will be transported to heaven, to paradise; it is not going to be any different at all. The question is not of going to heaven, the question is not at all of finding God. The question is knowing "Who am I?" From there real evolution starts—only from there and from nowhere else.

Zen is the most beautiful method ever discovered to enter into the innermost core of your being. It does not believe in character, it only believes in consciousness. By changing your consciousness, your character is changed automatically, but by changing your character your consciousness is not changed in the same way. In fact, your consciousness becomes repressed if you change your character. There is created thereby a duality, a split. Your consciousness remains of one type, your character of another type, and they become unbridged. You become two persons or many, even. You become polypsychic, you become a crowd. Rather than coming to a rest, rather than coming to deep silence, rather than experiencing peace, you become more neurotic, more noisy. You lose all inner harmony, all accord.

That's what happens to the so-called moralists: they simply go on doing a patchwork from the outside; they go on whitewashing people. Jesus has called this whitewashing "whitewashing the graves". Inside is a stinking corpse and outside you have whitewashed it. From the outside the grave looks beautiful; you can even put roses on it, you can grow flowers on the grave, grass. You can make it look beautiful, but inside it is just a grave.

And that is the situation of man. And the whole thing has happened because we have believed too much in character. We may know, we may not know. Ninety-nine point nine percent people of the world are behaviorists—whatsoever they say does not matter. If you look deep down they belong to the school of Pavlov and Skinner; they all believe in behaviorism. They all believe that your behavior can be changed, then you are changed because you are nothing but your behavior. They may not say so, they may not even be aware of their fundamental belief, but that's how society has lived up to now. This society is not religious.

Religious man has yet to arrive, a religious society has yet to happen, a religious culture is yet in the future—on the horizon, but we have to bring it; it has not happened. It has happened in few individual cases here and there, but those people can be counted on fingers.

This is a tremendously beautiful story. Go into it very meditatively because each statement contains great treasures.

Zen Master Shen Tsan gained his enlightenment through Pai Chang.

THE FIRST THING is to know the difference between a Master and a teacher.

Zen makes a very clear cut distinction: the teacher is one who teaches you; he may not have known himself but he has studied. He is a scholar, he knows the scriptures. He can help you to enter into the world of books; he can introduce you into the intricacies of philosophies, ideologies, doctrines. He can give you education, information, but he cannot bring a transformation to you.

The Master is one who brings transformation to your being, who helps you to find out your own light. The work of the teacher is direct; he simply transfers whatsoever he knows to you. Knowledge is transferable, wisdom is not transferable. Hence the work of the Master is indirect, it can never be direct. The Master functions like a catalytic agent—his presence helps. It is like the sun rising in the morning, and the birds start singing. They are awake, flying around, enjoying the new day, welcoming the new day with songs. The sun has not done anything directly to them, but something has happened; a milieu has been created by the sun in which the birds are feeling fresh, young, alive. The flowers start opening. The sun is not coming to each flower and forcing it to open—not in that direct way, but its rays are dancing around the flower. It is giving warmth to the flower, it is encouraging the flower, but in a very delicate way. Flowers have to be tackled in a delicate way; if you force their petals to open you will destroy them. You may be able to open them, but in the very opening you would have killed them; they will not be alive. The sun simply creates a climate in which they can open, in which they feel like opening. An inner feel arises in them; some inner instinct synchronizes with the warmth of the sun. And the flowers open and they start exuding their fragrance.

Exactly is the work of the Master. He cannot hand you over what he knows, but he can create a certain energy field in which your petals can open up, in which your seeds can be encouraged, in which you can gather courage enough to take the jump, in which a quantum leap becomes possible.

Hence, enlightenment is not a direct work of the Master. It happens through him, through his grace but not by him.

Zen Master Shen Tsan gained his enlightenment through Pai Chang.

Remember the word through—not by.

He then returned to the monastery in which he had been ordained by his "first teacher"...

Note the difference. Pai Chang is called "Master", Shen Tsan is called "Master", but his old teacher is not called "Master", only "teacher", because he ordained him only into the world of the scriptures, theories—beautiful theories but all empty, with no content.

This was the monk who had brought him up from childhood and who, at that time, was a very old man.

One day Shen Tsan was helping his old teacher to bathe. While washing the old man's back, he said to him, "This is such a fine temple, but the Buddha in it is not at all holy!"

THE WORD "HOLY" is never used by Zen people in the Christian or the Hindu sense. It is not used in the sense of sacred because for Zen there is nothing sacred and nothing mundane. "Holy" is used in its literal sense of wholeness. One who is whole is holy, one who lives a life of totality is holy. One who lives in a fragmentary way, halfheartedly, divided, wavering, disintegrated, is unholy. It has nothing to do with purity or impurity, remember. It has nothing to do with virtue or sin, remember. The Zen use of the word "holy" simply means one who is whole, one who lives each moment in totality. Whatsoever he is doing he is doing totally. If he is eating he is eating in a holy way; if he is sleeping he is sleeping in a holy way. If he is talking he is talk ing in a holy way. If he is listening he is listening in a holy way. Whatsoever is the act, his consciousness is totally involved in it, committed to it. He is passionately present in his actions. If he is silent then he is really silent, not only on the surface. You can go on digging deeper and deeper into him, but you will find only silence and silence, layer upon layer. As you go deeper you will find thicker layers of silence. When you reach at the very core you will find nothing but silence. His taste is the same.

Buddha used to say, "The holy man tastes the same, just like the ocean. You can taste it from anywhere— from this shore or that, from the shore or from the middle—it is always salty. So is the holy man."

The holy man lives not holding back; whatsoever he is doing he goes totally into it.

Shen Tsan was giving a bath to his old teacher. Rubbing his back, he said:

"This is such a fine temple ..."

Every body is a fine temple, according to Zen. Every body is a shrine of God; God is enshrined in everyone. You need not go anywhere else to find God; if you can find yourself you have found God. He is hiding within you—he is your within.

"This is such a fine temple," Shen Tsan said, "but the Buddha in it is not at all holy!"

Maybe the old teacher was taking a bath and also reciting a sutra. That's what Buddhist monks do; they will go on taking a bath and reciting a sutra. Hindu pundits do the same, Hindu sannyasins do the same. They will go to take a dip in the Ganges and they will recite gayatri and other mantras. They are divided! If you want to recite gayatri, recite gayatri—forget about taking a bath. And when you are taking a bath, take the bath, forget about gayatri. Then let this bath be your only mantra.

He must have been reciting some mantra because they think, "Why waste time? You can do both the things." They will go on eating and they will go on reciting inside a certain sacred mantra. Why waste time? But then you are missing the totality of eating, then you are not tasting your food. How can you do it? The mind is capable of doing only one thing at a time; it cannot do two things together—it is impossible. If you are eating, then let your whole consciousness be that of taste, of smell. Forget everything! Then even ordinary bread may taste like the most delicious food possible. But you are not present.

Look at people eating—they are talking, there are people who are listening to the radio or seeing to the TV. I have heard about stupid Americans even making love while seeing the TV!—what to say about eating? Why miss? You can do both the things—you can make love and you can go on seeing the TV. Now, neither you will be seeing the TV nor you will be making love; you will not be able to enjoy either, you will miss both. There are people who cannot eat if they don't have company to talk and gossip and to discuss. When you are talking you go on swallowing—swallowing is not eating.

Eating should be meditative, prayerful. You should be more respectful to food because it is life, it is nourishment. And then thousand and one problems arise out of it. Because while you are eating you are reading the newspaper or quarreling with the wife or listening to the radio or looking at the TV or talking to a friend or holding the phone, you will miss the joy of eating. You will eat more because your taste buds will not feel fulfilled and contented. Then you will gather unnecessary fat in the body. Then one has to start dieting, fasting, naturopathy and all kinds of nonsense follow. But the simple thing that should have been done in the first place was: just eating and not doing anything else.

When Lin Chi was asked, "What is your meditation?" he said, "When I eat I simply eat, and when I sleep I simply sleep. When I walk I simply walk."

The person who was asking said, "But this is what we all do."

Lin Chi said, "No, that's not what you do. When you are eating you go on doing thousand and one other things too. I know it because I had been just like you before I became enlightened. I had lived in the same mad and stupid way, so I know how you are living. Don't say to me that this is what everybody does."

The most stupid thing in life is to live halfheartedly, because the moment that is gone is gone forever. But people are living so unconsciously that it is almost impossible for them to be conscious of what they are doing.

...while the old man was reading a sutra...