Amidst so much talk about the economy collapsing, global warming and a myriad of other problems, we are having a wonderful summer and hope you are too. Over the weekend I went down to the Yuba River with my dear friend Brooks Cole. It's a magnificent place revered by Native Americans for centuries as a place of "sacred peace". I'm going to get a video up for you in the next few days.
Thank you all so much for the unbelievable number of responses I got about my new project. I've read and digested every one and they have proven to be incredibly useful. Last night I didn't get back from SF until three in the morning; I was interviewing Bill Harris who is the creator of Holosync technology and Genpo Roshi. If you don't know about Genpo, he is a modern Zen master with an extraordinarily integrated teaching called "The Big Mind." I've conducted about ten of these video interviews now with great equipment in HD, and I will be doing three more shoots over the next week.
What is really turning out to be fascinating about this new project is not so much the "peak moments" of awakening, but more the ways those moments are integrated in day to day life. More than anything else, what is interesting are the ideas we have about awakening and our ideas of success. Genpo Roshi talked about this last night in our interview. There is a widespread mythology that to live an awakened life requires a renunciation of the world: family, sex, relationships, money, work, etc. And equally there is a mythology that if you want to make it in the world, it is not going to help to "stare at your belly button". All the interviews I am conducting now demonstrate that exactly the opposite is true. I am talking to some extremely wealthy and successful people who tell me that their success is not born out of focusing on money, but relaxing deeply into awakening and surrendering to the creative impulses that arose on their own.
Bill Harris is a great example. He initially discovered the technology of Holosync as a way to meditate more deeply, as that was his passion. He started using it himself and shared it with friends in much the way you might tell your friends about a great movie. As demand for his technology grew, he had to hire a few people to help him. That was almost thirty years ago. Now Centerpoint Research is an enormously successful company, generating tens of million in sales every year.
But you see the point? Bill didn't start off going after money. His allegiance was to the awakening of consciousness and sharing that. The money came as a byproduct. You would be amazed by how many people this is true for: it destroys all the old myths about renouncing the world. True worldly success requires that we are fully in touch with our deepest limitless potential. And for awakening to be real it must be tested in the world: tested in relationships that are loving, open and honest, tested in a capacity to deal with the inevitable triumphs and defeats in life, and above all, tested in our capacity to navigate the world of commerce and play the game with zest.