and idealism, 60–63
and inner dialogue, 155, 156, 164–65, 166–67, 171
and knowing, 93–102, 155
as mental exercises, 97–100
and observing the mind, 133–37
origins of, 94–95
and peace, 205–6, 207–13, 216
about reality, 52, 60–64, 83–86
repetition of debilitating, 53, 154
as restrictive, 98–99
should-, 116
and tolerance, 298, 300
as transitory, 99–100
undependability of, 95–96
which no longer serve you, 116
See also specific belief; specific topic
best, doing your, 80–83, 210, 246–47
bewilderment, 284, 286, 292–93
Bible, 120, 130, 156, 165, 172, 303–4
Black Elk, 164
Blake, William, 60, 96, 283
blame, 57–60, 307
bliss
and appearances, 273
and doing your best, 82
and inner dialogue, 163, 171
as a natural state, 19
and peace, 218, 219, 220
and purity, 320, 321, 323, 324, 325, 333, 335, 339
and striving, 277, 291
and tolerance, 297, 303
and truth, 239
See also peace
boat image, 279–80, 289
breathing, 168–69, 171
“Broken Dreams” (unknown author), 1
Brown, Tom, Jr., 354
Browne, Jackson, 39–40
Buddha, 61–62, 254, 328
Buddhism, 323
building analogy, 340
Cabbalah, xi
calling, cultivating your, 271
Capra, Fritjof, 25
Castaneda, Carlos, 40, 65, 85, 146, 183
centering, 58, 167, 170, 172, 291, 298
Chardin, Pierre Teilhard de, 187–88, 248, 345
chatter, 159, 164, 211, 218, 238, 280, 301
childbirth, 106, 245
childhood, 36–38, 65, 213, 247
Christianity, 323
Cicero, 194
cloud making, 92
Cohen, Andrew, 91, 113
coincidences, 13, 26, 62–63, 107–9, 110–11, 290–91
collective spirit
and fears, 356, 357
and insanity, 358–59
and leadership, 350–51
and love, 348, 352–53, 354, 356, 357
need for the, 345, 347–48
and peace, 348, 355, 358
and truth, 348, 350
understanding the, 349–60
communication, 71, 218–19, 304, 311
comparisons, 261, 263, 270–71, 326–28, 336, 354–55. See also competition
compassion, 249, 254, 271, 300, 329, 355, 358
competition, 171, 180, 181, 207–8, 214, 251, 326–28, 339. See also comparisons
compliments, 82–83
conflicts/confrontations
and the collective spirit, 355
and inner dialogue, 155
and knowing, 199
and peace, 205, 206, 215–16
and purity, 338
and striving, 290–91
and tolerance, 310, 311, 312–13
and witnessing, 147
Confucianism, 316, 324
connectedness
and appearances, 260
beliefs about, 67–71
and blame, 57–58
and bliss, 19
and the collective spirit, 352
and the ego, 180–82, 197
and enemies, 28
and energy, 68, 70–71
and faith, 108–9
and freedom, 28–29
and inner dialogue, 162
and love, 70, 71, 248
and meditation, 196
and the past, 47
and purity, 327, 337, 338
and self–awareness, 14, 19
and striving, 279, 291
and tolerance, 298
and truth, 236–37
and “Us” versus “Them,” 72, 73–74
and witnessing, 126
consumption. See possessions
contentment, 32–33, 336
conversions, 172
courage, 184. See also cowardice
A Course in Miracles, 41, 78, 105, 178–79, 187, 206, 218, 292, 328, 331
cowardice, 184, 356, 357
creation
and goals for success, 79
process of, 23–26
culture, 180, 181, 189–90
The Dancing Wu Li Masters (Zukav), 25
David (Michelangelo), 223–24
deadlines/pressure, 209–10
death
acceptance of, 282–83
of the collective spirit, 353
and detachment, 142
and doubts, 115
and the ego, 186, 215, 236, 350, 356, 358
and fears, 287, 289
and freedom, 28–29
and near-death experiences, 157
and peace, 214
and the purpose of life, 10–11
as a reward, 214
and striving, 287, 289
and witnessing, 141
deception. See self-deception; truth
defending the absent, 270–71
depression, 123
detachment
and death, 141
and doing your best, 82
and freedom, 189
and knowing, 135
and purity, 324
and witnessing, 126, 140, 141, 145, 146, 148
dialogue. See inner dialogue
Dickinson, Emily, 7
divine energy, 5–6, 171–72, 347
divine experience, 157
divinity
and appearances, 261
and authentic lives, 32
and beliefs, xi
and the collective spirit, 358–59
and the ego, 186
and freedom, 28–29
Huxley on man’s, 35
knowing your, 26–27
and love, 245, 246, 255
and purity, 326
and tolerance, 312
and truth, 225, 229–30, 235–36
and “Us” versus “Them,” 73–74
doing your best, 80–83, 209–10, 246–47
dominance, 306–10. See also tolerance
Donner, Florinda, 21–23
Dossey, Larry, 166–67
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor, 241, 242
doubts, 236, 278
banishing of, 90–94, 112–20, 145
and beliefs, 90, 95–96, 101, 112
and the collective spirit, 359
ego as source of, 113, 182
and faith, 105–9
and fears, 102–5
and inner dialogue, 112–13, 154
and knowing, 94–102, 112, 114
and love, 120, 250, 254, 255
as a mental experience, 119–20
and purity, 317–18, 331
saying no to, 113
See also specific topic
dreams, 16, 22, 28–30, 58, 85–86, 93
drug problems, 17, 157–58, 189–90
Dyer, Marcelence, 21, 106–7, 109–10, 245
Dyer, Tracy, 38–39
Easwaran, Eknath, 359–60
eating disorders, 267
Eckhart, Meister, 203
ego
characteristics of the, 179–88
cowardice of the, 185
and death, 186, 215, 243, 350, 357, 359
despising of truth by the, 224–26
examples of the work of the, 305–9
goals of the, 334
as holding you back, x insanity of the, 187–88
interpretations of the word, 176
polite, 252
and purpose in life, 251
purpose of the, 194–95, 268–69
as a replacem
ent for God, 242
rewards for the, 212–15, 250–51, 267–68, 308–9, 334–35
spirit’s conversation with, ix–x
suggestions for transcending the, 193–98, 254
support system for the, 288–89
survival of the, 234–35
triumph over the, x
viewing the, 177–78
See also specific topic
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 59–60, 74, 75, 292, 331
emotions, purifying the, 328–31
enemies, 28, 211, 300, 303, 358–59
energy
acquisition of, xi
and appearances, 260
divine, 5–6, 171–72, 347
etheric, 68, 70–71
inner, 11, 54, 208–9
and inner dialogue, 165, 171
and love, 139, 165, 255
and the more-is-better belief, 55
observing your life, 137–39
outer, 6–9
and physical exclusivity, 64–67
and the process of creation, 23–26
and simplification, 55
thinking as, 27
universal source of, 13
and witnessing, 137–39
See also recapitulation
enlightenment, 162, 185, 198
Enlightenment Is a Secret: Teaching of Liberation (Cohen), 91–92, 113
Epictetus, 295
etheric energy, 68, 70–71
Euripides, 54
Everyday Wisdom (Hay), 99
evil, 299
failures, 47–48, 103, 214
faith, 102, 105–11, 114
false self. See ego; specific topic
fantasies, 116–18
fears, 138, 255, 330
behaviors expressing, 249–51
and the collective spirit, 355–56, 358
and doubts, 102–5, 251
and faith, 102, 105–9
focusing on, 245–49
and inner dialogue, 237, 246, 249
and love, 119, 242, 244–49, 252–54
and peace, 213–14, 216–17
and striving, 287, 290
and truth, 234, 236–37
See also guilt
food addictions, 17
foolish, fear of looking, 165
For a Dancer (song), 39–40
forgiveness
and fears, 251
and judgmentalism, 19
and love, 253
and peace, 216–17
and petty tyrants, 74
and purity, 329, 338
of self, 19, 217, 230, 251, 254, 337–38
and self-awareness, 19
and truth, 230
freedom
absolute, 23
authentic vs. counterfeit, 189–93, 198
and beliefs, 192–93
as characteristic of the sacred self, 340
chemical, 189–90
cost of, 21–22
and culture, 190
deciding to be, 20, 26, 28–29
definition of, 21, 189
and fears, 255
financial, 191–93
and love, 190, 255
and the past, 38
sexual, 190–91
and striving, 277, 282, 293
suggestions for meeting the challenges of, 26–33
and tolerance, 300, 304
and truth, 225, 234
and witnessing, 128–29, 140–41, 143
See also specific topic
Frost, Robert, 264, 275
frustration, and faith, 109–11
future
letting go of the, 80
Gandhi, Mahatma, 15
Gangaji, 110, 111
Gibran, Kahlil, 43, 123
A Gift for All Mankind (Singh), 163
giving. See service
goals
in life, 289–90
for success, 77–80
God
and appearances, 260, 261, 270, 271
approval of, 276
awe of, 285, 293
and the collective spirit, 350, 351, 353, 354, 355, 358
connectedness to, 19
conversations with, 27–29
and doubts, 113–14, 115–16, 183
and the ego, 182, 183, 185, 187–88, 191, 197, 212–13, 242, 250
existence of, 43
and freedom, 26–27, 28, 190–91
Gandhi on, 15
and the goals for success, 77, 79, 80
and happiness, 313
and inner dialogue, 156, 157, 158, 163, 165, 168, 171, 173
and knowing, 114, 165, 198, 341
and love, 14, 182, 213–14, 242, 245, 246, 249, 251, 253, 278
and the more-is-better belief, 55
and the past, 41, 42, 44, 48
and peace, 191, 205, 206, 207, 209, 213–14, 215, 219
and petty tyrants, 74–75, 77
and prayer, 166, 171–72
and the process of creation, 23–25
and purity, 317, 319, 322, 323, 325–26, 327, 332, 333, 334, 337, 340
and self-awareness, 13, 17, 19
and service, 197–98, 246
as a sphere, 167
and striving, 277, 285, 288, 292–93
Tagore’s words about, 341–42
and tolerance, 301, 304, 311, 312, 313
and truth, 223, 224, 225, 229, 235, 236, 237, 239
and the universal source of energy, 13
and Who Are You?, 43, 48–49
and witnessing, 129–30
See also faith; specific topic
goodness, 316
gossip, 211
grievances, and peace, 218–19
guilt, 42, 54, 85, 185, 229
and love, 251–52, 253, 254
and peace, 213, 216–19
habits, 115, 317, 333, 340–41.
See also addictions
happiness
and beliefs, 79
as essential nature of man, 53
and fears/love, 243
and freedom, 26, 182
and peace, 219
and purity, 326, 334, 336
and striving, 286, 290
and tolerance, 313
hate, 28, 75, 242, 299
Hay, Louise, 98–99
Healing Words; The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine (Dossey), 166–67
health, 136, 212, 328–31
The Heart of the Enlightened (Mello), 301–2
heartbeat, 169
Helig, Gabriel, 103
Herbert, Nick, 127
Hewitt, James S., 232–33
Hinduism, 323
honor code, 239
Houston, Jean, 181
Hugo, Victor, 325
human story line, 223–24, 239
humans, 9–10
Huxley, Aldous, 35
I Am That (Maharaj), 43, 102, 134, 151, 331
“I pass,” 55
idealism, and realism, 60–63
illness. See health
Illusions (Bach), 42
Illustrations Unlimited (Hewitt), 232–33
impossible things, 62–63, 82–83, 130, 146, 164–65, 220
improvement/reform, 342, 346–60
improvements/reform, x, 16, 81, 217, 300. See also collective spirit
incompleteness, 244–55, 252, 266, 276, 287, 308, 322
inner dialogue
and analyzing, 162, 169
and beliefs, 154, 155, 165, 168, 171
and the collective spirit, 359
definition of, 155
and a divine experience, 157