by； and you gently and constantly return to the object of your meditation。 You
know that only one thing can dominate the central stage of your
consciousness at any one time with full attention although your mind can
switch back and forth to different matters in a fraction of a second。 By
continually keeping one object or thought in your consciousness； you can
gradually train your mind to calm down its random dance so that it can be a
more enjoyable and pleasant servant for you。
If you are now using a traditional method of meditation and are getting results
from it； it may be preferable for you to continue this practice especially if
you have a good meditation teacher with whom you work personally。 Any
system of meditation is in harmony with the Living Love Way。 However； if
you do not use a particular method of meditation at this time； you may wish to
use the Five Methods described in this book to calm your mind during your
period of growth into the Fourth Center。 These Five Methods of the Living
Love Way do not require you to turn off the world even for an hour； or to
detach yourself from your everyday activities。 They enable you to develop a
capacity for achieving many of the benefits of meditation while you are busily
engaged in the activities of your life。 One of the main objects of meditation is
to experience yourself and the world around you clearly and consciously
free from emotion…backed demands； attachments； addictive models； childhood
conditioning； etc。 For many people we feel that the most direct way to do this
is through working with the Twelve Pathways； the Seven Centers； and the
Five methods。 We like to consider these techniques as a form of “meditation
in action。”
Calming your rational mind by reducing the load of addictions that keep it
activated is an important phase of your growth into higher consciousness。
Since we have an animal background of millions of years in the jungle where
life or death depended upon split…second timing； our emotions； egos； and
rational minds are far too reactive to what is going on around us。 As you
grow toward higher consciousness； you bee more receptive and
accepting。 You just let the sensory stuff e in and you let it sort itself
out and drift on by。 You see the “warnings” being generated by your rational
mind； but you have learned to let your mind produce its stream of thoughts
without getting your ego caught up in them。 When your mind generates
security； sensation； and power…motivated thoughts that make you feel
alienated and you begin to throw someone out of your heart； you know that
you are operating on the lower levels of consciousness。 You bee
increasingly aware of times when your rational mind is churning and
speeding。 You are determined not to lose your tuned…in insight into the here
and now and your ability to love unconditionally。 Then any action you
engage in will be effective and produce the optimal results both now and in
the future。
The love and peace of higher consciousness flow from just being and
enjoying it all。 Anything you do will not be enough unless you feel fulfilled in
just being。 Usually we are not happy when we finish doing whatever it is that
we think we have to do。 Doing creates expectations that your world and the
people around you may or may not fit。 The things we do disappear in time。
We must learn to appreciate just being alive in the nowness of whatever
situation we are in。
Contentment is not only a benefit of higher consciousness but it is also one of
the ways of working toward higher consciousness。 Just insist that your
rational mind slow down its rejection of the here and now； with its endless
churnings； parisons； and judgments that usually create the experience of
otherness。 There are times when you may have to forcefully tell your rational
mind to “shut up” so that you can enjoy your here and now。 As we pointed
out in the story of the Zen monk； tigers； and strawberries； there are always
things you can think about to keep your rational mind and emotions stirred
up。 And there are always the “strawberries” to be enjoyed right here and
now。 Whether you enjoy your life continuously； or constantly harass yourself；
depends upon how well you learn to simply change what is changeable
without throwing people out of your heart and then quietly accept that
which you cannot change except by heavy subject…object manipulation and
force。
In being aware of how your rational mind operates to alienate you from
people； you will need to watch for the “chain…reaction effect。” Let’s suppose
you enjoy being with a person and you have many things in mon that
draw you together。 Then suppose you have one strong addiction that leads
you to be angry and throw this person out of your heart。 Unless you can
quickly get on top of this addiction and bee more conscious； you will find
that the alienating attitude triggered by your addiction will spread like a
cancer and cause you to bee critical of this person in other ways that have
nothing to do with the original addiction。 Your rational mind is simply
prostituting itself to the unconscious workings of the ego and your addictive
programming。 You will begin to feel separate and alien toward this person in
one way after another。 Your rational mind will check back in the memory
files and begin to reinterpret past events to “cast a new light on them”
purporting to show that the relationship really wasn’t as beautiful as it seemed
at the time。 It will carefully rehash both the past and the present in the light
of your other security； sensation； and power addictions and will tend to blow
up little things into big separating “problems。”
For example； let’s suppose Tom and Mary are married； and they have a
mutually loving； flowing relationship。 Suppose Tom needs to go to a nightand…
day business conference in a city a thousand miles away。 Since he will
be busy all the time； he prefers not to take Mary with him。 Suppose Mary has
an addiction for going on this trip with Tom。 Her Power Center of
Consciousness is demanding that Tom not leave her at home alone overnight。
Unless she can bee conscious of what she is doing to herself with this
emotion…backed addictive model； her rational mind may suggest to her that
Tom is getting tired of her； Tom wants to have an affair with someone else；
Tom is on a heavy power trip and does not really love her； the rest of their
lives together will probably be clouded by Tom’s leaving her at home more
and more often； perhaps Tom is ashamed of her and doesn’t want his business
associates to meet her； etc。； etc。 There is no end to the nonsense that the
rational mind can spin out as the pawn of the ego。 A person growing into
higher consciousness learns to spot this sewer…like churning and spewing and
refuses to let the rational mind’s activity trigger any negative emotions。 You
may expect to have many real battles with your rational mind in order to stay
conscious。
Just like any plex machine； our rational mind can make a beautiful
contribution to our well…being if we are keenly sensitive to its limitations and
problem areas。 The techniques of the Living Love Way will enable you to
bee an expert “trouble…shooter” so that your rational mind can work for
you and not against you。 Your rational mind is a master at proving that you
are “right” and the other person is “wrong。” But in order to be a
conscious； loving； happy； and fulfilled being； it is not enough to be “right。”
You can be “right” in your individual contracts and in your performance of
society’s games and live a thoroughly miserable； alienated； unhappy life。
We all know people who are “correct” and “right” almost all of the time
and the lives of these people do not work to produce happiness。 It’s much
more fulfilling to be loved than to be “right。” Love brings more happiness
than efficiency。 It’s often better to give other people space to find their own
errors or to let the natural chain of events in their life show them where they
have to change。 If a person asks you if you think he is right； you should then
open yourself pletely and give him the benefit of your thoughts and
feelings。 But arguing at every opportunity in order to convince people that
you are right and others are wrong simply means that you are trapped by your
rational mind and are unconsciously and mechanically acting out your
security； sensation； and power addictions。
A Zen master had a beautiful young lady as his pupil。 She became pregnant；
and she falsely named her teacher as the father of her child。 When the child
was born； her family indignantly brought the child to the Zen master and
accused him of taking advantage of his beautiful young pupil。 His only reply
was； “Ah so。” They left the child with the Zen master； who enjoyed caring
for it and had many beautiful hours playing with the child。 After about a year
the young lady was very ill； and not wanting to die with this false accusation
on her conscience； she told her family that the real father was a young man
who lived in a nearby town。 Her mother and father immediately went to the
teacher and profoundly bowed and apologized and asked for the baby back。
The Zen master gave them the baby and said； “Ah so。”
When they first accused him； the rational mind of the Zen master did not get
caught up in a big chain of ego…backed arguments indignantly denying that he
was the father； protesting that he was unjustly accused； threatening to tell
people about the lie that was being perpetrated upon him； etc。 He realized
that a mother and father are not likely to believe the word of a man against
the word of their pregnant daughter。 He simply saw that they were not open
and did not want to hear his side of it。 They did not ask him whether he had
done it they accusingly told him he had done it。 And so the Zen master
simply flowed with the drama being enacted and did not agree or disagree。
He stayed in a peaceful state of higher consciousness and simply enjoyed
what was going on and he was able to have the fun of living with the baby
for a while。 When they came back and apologized for their false accusations；
his rational mind did not say； “I could have told you； but