by Dan Millman

Sedona, AZ - May 02, 2008 - In any single moment, our awareness resides in one of two worlds, two realities: the conventional or transcendental. And each of these states of awareness has different truths.

For example, from a conventional truth is that death is final—we can observe that the body decomposes and life is over. Yet from a transcendent perspective, death is an illusion (because who we truly are—pure Awareness, never born, never dies.

Another example: From a conventional view, we are separate, individuated beings. After all, if I hurt my foot it doesn't hurt you; nor do we think the same thought or feel the same emotion. Therefore, we are physically, emotionally, and mentally separate. But from a transcendental perspective, we are ultimately that same Consciousness or Awareness—the Witness that views the world through millions of different eyes, and are One.

Both conventional and transcendental truths apply. But one truth holds dominion in any given moment, depending upon which "world" our awareness resides in — whether we view the world from a more conventional or transcendental perspective.

Most of the time, conventional reality monopolizes our attention: the daily problem solving and task doing, the complications of experience and identity, the stories we impose upon the pure and mysterious Field of Being. We play out our conventional dramas in the theater of gain and loss, desire and satisfaction. We pursue fulfillment and success, trying to make life work out according to our desires, hopes, and expectations. Therefore we suffer from attachment, craving, and anxiety.

We suffer when we don't get what we really want; that we suffer when we do get what we really don't want; and that we suffer even when we get exactly what we want, because in this world of mortality and change, we lose all that we love. Such suffering generates a desire for spiritual growth, a yearning to transcend the conditional world, and calls for a warrior's spirit. The realization of such suffering marks a turning point in our evolution, a search for the transcendental truth that liberates our souls from the conditional domain.

The Great Secret of spiritual life, and the peaceful warrior's way, is to develop the ability to shift awareness from conventional view to the transcendental vision at will—to keep our head in the clouds but our feet on the ground, so that we fully realize that Life is a game we play as if it matters.

My work is not about abandoning the "Western Solution" to happiness (achievement, abundance, success) nor do I recommend exclusive focus on the "Eastern Solution" to happiness ("going inside"). The peaceful warrior's way involves integrating both East and West, male and female, flesh and spirit, reason and faith, left-brain and right-brain, conventional and transcendental truths.

Freedom is not elsewhere—it is right here, right now, in front of our noses. Awakening does not require us to abandon the conventional world to live in some other-worldly state. We need to bridge both worlds and all apparent dualities in order to keep our head in the clouds and our feet on solid ground. As the Arab sages advise: "Trust in God, but tie your camel."

A bridge exists between worlds. It is right in front of us, around us, inside us, in this present moment. To cross it we need only inquire into and profoundly trust our own true nature, to see the transcendental perfection of this world. When we open our eyes in this way, in this moment, we find within us the truth that sets us free.

As a transcendent reminder, I'd like to close by sharing with you a brief excerpt from the epilogue of my book, The Laws of Spirit. After an adventure of discovery, the ageless woman sage bids me farewell with the following words:

"These are my wishes and prayers for you, all the days of your life. May you find grace as you surrender to life. May you find happiness, as you stop seeking it. May you come to trust these laws and inherit the wisdom of the Earth. May you reconnect with the heart of nature and feel the blessings of Spirit.

"The challenges of daily life will remain, and you will tend to forget what I have shown you," she said. "But a deeper part of you will remember, and when you do, life's problems will seem no more substantial than soap bubbles. The path will open before you where before there grew only weeds of confusion. Your future, and the future of all humanity, is a path into the Light, into a growing realization of the Unity with the Creator and all creation. And what lies beyond is beyond description.

"Even when the sky appears at its darkest, know that the sun shines upon you, that love surrounds you, and that the pure Light within you will guide your way home. So trust the process of your life unfolding, and know with certainty, through the peaks and valleys of your journey, that your soul rests safe and secure in the arms of Spirit."

Dan Millman is a former world-champion athlete, university coach, martial arts instructor, and Oberlin College professor. His twelve books, including Way of the Peaceful Warrior, Wisdom of the Peaceful Warrior, The Life You Were Born to Live, Everyday Enlightenment, No Ordinary Moments, The Laws of Spirit, and Living on Purpose, that have touched millions of readers in 29 languages. Dan's seminars have influenced leaders in the fields of health, psychology, education, business, politics, entertainment, sports, and the arts. A motion picture based on his first book, starring Nick Nolte, is now available on DVD.

Visit Dan's website: www.peacefulwarrior.com

[Home Page] [News Home Page] [Back to Community Page]