Fasting the Mind Retreat November 10-21, 2018
About the Fasting the Mind Retreats The fasting the mind retreat directly impacts your habits and way of being in the world to create peace and calmness in your life as well as allow you to build a firm psychological defense against the increasing bombardment of distractions in our world. The retreats are held by philosopher and spiritual teacher Jason Gregory. The retreat is designed to fast your mind, healing the mind at the root level. The ancient practice of fasting the mind is based on the great spiritual traditions from the East. Fasting the mind is completely different to fasting the body. Fasting the mind is about eliminating all external distractions from your life and also your habit to overthink so your mind can reach equanimity, revealing the deeper nature of yourself. The practice of fasting the mind repairs the nervous system and heals cognitive impairment. The practice of mind fasting is the most skillful method to deal with your subconscious, effecting your action and habits. This ultimately transforms the subconscious to better your life. You will learn the mind fasting practices and daily habits to take back into your everyday life. You will learn how to nourish the four fundamentals of meditation, exercise, diet, and sleep. Jason will give you the tools to cultivate intelligence and harness creativity. The retreat is designed for everybody because the fasting the mind practice is essential for taking your foot off the accelerator in your actively busy life. The time spent on the fasting the mind retreat is perfect for those who suffer from the busyness of life and also people with mental health issues such as depression, chronic anxiety and stress, and so on. The retreat is for those new to meditative practices and also advanced practitioners. From completely pressing pause on your busy life you begin to heal your mind and reach your full potential. What you will experience on the fasting the mind retreat will permanently impact your life. Are you ready for the ultimate fast? Retreat Features * 10 day retreat (Arrive November 10 for orientation and leave on November 21) * 4 hours meditation a day (40 hours for 10 days) * 2 hours walking meditation a day (20 hours for 10 days) * 3 days of complete silence (Day 2, 5, and 8) * 3 days of intermittent fasting (Only two meals from 12pm-6pm on day 2, 5, and 8) * Daily Qi Gong before the first morning meditation (Baduanjin qigong) * Mindful eating during each meal (no speaking or fidgeting while eating) * Daily lectures by Jason on Eastern philosophy, psychology, cognitive science, and health * Group discussion after daily lectures * Harness creativity and sustained focus through the practice of Chinese calligraphy * 3 meals a day based on a slow-carb vegetarian diet * Scheduled mindful meal preparations * Daily tea ceremonies using Taoist tonic herbs (caffeine free) * Cultivate intelligence through disciplined reading time using fasting the mind source material * Learn how to prioritize sleep * A complete digital detox Retreat Guidelines * No speaking unless in a group session guided by Jason * No digital devices or any electronics * No alcohol or drugs * No caffeine * No meat * No music * No contact with the outside world, including communication with family back home Where is the Fasting the Mind Retreat? The Fasting the Mind Retreat will be held in Tiruvannamalai, India. Tiruvannmalai is considered one of the most sacred places on Earth that has the ability to transform one’s life. It is known as the City of Enlightenment for that very reason. It has been the home to sages, sadhus, and yogis for thousands of years. Tiruvannamalai is home to the holy mountain Arunachala which is thought of to be an incarnation of Shiva. Arunachala is what drew the 20th century sage Sri Ramana Maharshi to this little Indian town, where he remained silent for 7 years up on the holy mountain in meditation. During his life at the foot of Arunachala disciples were attracted to his immense presence and an ashram was built around him, the famous Sri Ramana Asramam. It was here that Paul Brunton had his famous encounter with the Maharshi and consequently led to his international bestseller In Search of Secret India. This Hindu culture has never left this place, where you find sadhus descend on Tiruvannamalai every day renouncing the world to be at the foot of Arunachala and to also spend time in meditation at the Arunachaleswarar Temple (Temple of Shiva). Tiruvannamalai is steeped in the fasting the mind practice and method. Price and Payment Schedule * Price per person: $2200 USD (or equivalent in GBP/EUR/AUD) * Full price or $1000 USD (or equivalent in GBP/EUR/AUD) to secure your place * Full payment must be received by August 15, 2018 * After August 15, 2018 deposit or full payment are nonrefundable. This refund policy is in place because from August 15, 2018 all accommodation will be booked. There will be no refund after August 15, 2018 as a result. Price Includes * Jason Gregory as your retreat teacher * 11 nights’ accommodation (10 days retreat plus day of arrival and the day you leave) * All food and beverages on the retreat * Taxi from Chennai International Airport to the Fasting the Mind Retreat in Tiruvannamalai Not Included in the Price * International flight to India and return flight back to your country * Visas and insurance. The onus is on the retreat guests to ensure that passports, visas and other travel documentation are valid and in order During booking you should prepare personal details, date of birth, address, phone number, Email address, passport number, Passport Expiration Date (example mm/dd/yyyy). These details you should send to our Email: jasongregory@hotmail.com.au To secure your place hit this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fasting-the-mind-retreat-november-10-21-2018-tickets-37326035176 We encourage you to book this retreat as soon as possible, because the retreat is designed for only 8 people! Please contact us for more information and for details – jasongregory@hotmail.com.au
The Evolution of Human Cognition | Book Excerpt from Fasting the Mind
The Evolution of Human Cognition | Book Excerpt from Fasting the Mind As the human species began to move to different locations on the planet, our minds naturally adapted to the environments and circumstances that we confronted. This is highly significant in regard to which parts of the brain were in function and the worldview that was shaped accordingly. This is evident when we explore Asiatic and Western cultures from before the Common Era. When we go back to the first two millennia BCE some of the biggest civilizations were the Greek and Chinese cultures. Due to environmental factors, both civilizations developed cognitively different. When we explore the evolution of ancient Greece we discover mainly small groups of people spread out along a vast area of the Mediterranean coastline. Living in smaller communities meant that the sustenance for survival was oriented toward more individualistic activities. Hunting, herding, and fishing were the main sources of food and labor that the Greeks were engaged in, and they are very individualistic activities. Contrary to the Greeks, the ancient Chinese civilization evolved around the Yellow River valley of northern China. The ancient Chinese lived in larger communities due to the need for establishing large irrigation systems for rice cultivation. Rice cultivation requires a lot of people and is a collective activity, as we still see today in Asia. The environmental factors that both cultures encountered determined which part of the brain developed further. In ancient Greece life was oriented more toward individualism as a result of the environment. This individualistic perspective exercises more of the cold cognitive controls in the prefrontal cortex (cold cognition (known also as System 2) is the self-conscious, slow, deliberate, and effortful part of our mind, which we refer to as our self, the “I,” found in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which is the cerebral cortex that covers the frontal lobe of the brain). As a result people began to be increasingly analytical, not because the people were naturally like that, but because that was what was required to sustain life due to the environment. This tendency toward the function of the cold cognitive controls was the seed of the Western psychological trait of analysis. The Western analytical perspective has become the primary cognitive response to life around the world. Beginning in the West, as a result of analytical thinking, everything is dissected, unpacked, and pulled apart in the hope of always coming to a logical conclusion. Yet we are blind to the fact that our logical conclusions are based on our conditioning, which is subjective and not objective. This analytical view has influenced the modern world tremendously, starting in ancient Greece. The Western view of the universe, God, society, and culture is almost always analytical. The analytical view gave birth to linear thinking, which corrupted Western institutions. For example, Western religions take on a very linear and authoritarian view of God as an egotistical ruler, which results in a political view of the universe, rather than a more natural view. The idea that God created this world and we are subject to him as a king comes from the analytical view of how individuals apply themselves to life. This means we think of a universe that is created, in the same sense of how we build a home: from the outside as an external agent. Western religions think of God in this way, and it has influenced most Western religions deeply. For example, Jesus was the son of a carpenter and also the son of God, and both are seen as builders. The cold analytic view is attracted to what stands out rather than the relationships of the background to the foreground. Western thought tends to dissect and categorize anything—God, for example—making it the pinnacle of thought, without realizing that if you highlight one object you exclude the rest, which ultimately implies duality rather than the oneness of God. Because of analytical thinking those in the West divide the world into opposites that are separate and isolated. God and humanity are opposites, likewise black and white, female and male, and so on. This way of thinking is completely opposite to that of the East and many indigenous cultures. There is psychological evidence to prove this difference. Research shows that when Westerners and Easterners are shown the same images they each describe different features and focus on different aspects. For example, one of the better-known research tools is a picture that shows a large object in the foreground and a background composed of smaller objects. One such image shows a big fish in the front while the background is composed of much smaller fish and coral (see figure 1). Figure 1. The differences between foreground and background. By Dao Stew. Looking at this image in the research laboratory, a group of Westerners and Easterners were asked what they see. The majority of the Westerners described the big fish in the foreground, showing little or no awareness of the background. The majority of the Easterners, on the other hand, described the background and its relation to the foreground. This same test has been done many times with similar results. The conclusion of such research illustrates that Westerners are cognitively conditioned to perceive things that stand out due to analytical thinking, which results in a tendency to divide life into categories and objects. The Easterners, on the other hand, are cognitively oriented toward perceiving the world holistically, likely resulting from the collective tendency to perceive life through context and relationships. Both of these different perceptions of life gave birth to the social, cultural, and spiritual philosophies that Easterners and Westerners tend to unconsciously uphold. As Richard E. Nisbett states: So long as economic forces operate to maintain different social structures, different social practices and child training will result in people focusing on different things in the environment. Focusing on different things will produce different understandings about the nature of the
The Ancient Eastern Science of the Nervous System | Book Excerpt from Fasting the Mind
The Ancient Eastern Science of the Nervous System | Book Excerpt from Fasting the Mind The spiritual path of Buddhism came into existence as a result of this yearning to completely slow down our nervous system so we can experience real freedom. In Sanskrit such freedom is called nirvana, meaning extinction, freedom from suffering, and ultimately the unconditioned eternal reality that we experience as enlightenment. In the story of Gautama the Buddha, he sought methods of practice and philosophy that would evoke the state of nirvana. He followed asceticism and strict spiritual practices for six years. It wasn’t until he was exhausted in his efforts that he finally took some milky soup from a young girl herding cattle and sat under the famous Bodhi tree in the small town of Bodh Gaya, India. In doing so, he completely relaxed without the need for striving. His original efforts had been futile because he was approaching enlightenment in the same way that we purchase a cheap suit. In striving for anything, there is still agitation in the mind, and this perception of life comes from the ignorant view of how we supposedly achieve things in this world. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, Gautama the Buddha accessed a part of our nervous system that remains dormant when we are always in physical and mental motion. This part of our nervous system is known as the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS). To gain a better understanding of this we need to know what makes up the nervous system. The nervous system is the part of an animal’s body that coordinates its voluntary and involuntary actions and also transmits signals to and from different parts of its body. In vertebrate species, such as human beings, the nervous system contains two parts, the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The central nervous system contains the brain and spinal cord, while the peripheral nervous system consists of mainly nerves, which are enclosed bundles of long fibers, and axons, which are long, slender projections of nerve cells that conduct electrical impulses away from the neuron’s cell body. These nerves and axons connect the central nervous system to every other part of the body. The peripheral nervous system is divided into the somatic nervous system (SoNS) and the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The autonomic nervous system is our central focus when related to psychological or spiritual inner work and transformation. The autonomic nervous system is a control system that largely acts unconsciously and regulates our bodily functions such as heart rate, respiratory rate, digestion, pupillary response, urination, and sexual arousal. The autonomic nervous system has two branches: the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS). The sympathetic nervous system is sometimes considered the “fight or flight” system because it is activated in cases of emergencies to mobilize energy. It is what we activate when we are in motion and being stimulated through our senses. Without it we could not do anything. The parasympathetic nervous system, on the other hand, is often considered the “rest and digest” or “feed and breed” system because it is activated when we are in a relaxed state. We activate the parasympathetic nervous system when we essentially do nothing. It is also responsible for stimulation of “rest and digest” and “feed and breed” activities that occur when the body is at rest, especially after eating, including sexual arousal, lacrimation (tears), salivation, urination, digestion, and defecation. The parasympathetic nervous system is what makes us drift off to sleep every night. It is stimulated most when we relax deeply. The war on our nervous system is essentially the overstimulation of our sympathetic nervous system along with an understimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system. When we stimulate only the sympathetic nervous system without activating the parasympathetic nervous system, we increase the probability of chemical imbalances in our brain from not having a healthy balanced lifestyle. Because of this, the vast majority of us are teetering on the edge of psychological suicide. People may say in response to this statement that they have time to relax every day. But are our methods for relaxation really relaxing? Our perception of relaxing is sitting in front of the television or computer, playing with our phones, chatting with friends, and so on. This is not true relaxation. Actually, when we engage in such activities we are still stimulating the sympathetic nervous system and not the parasympathetic nervous system. Accessing the parasympathetic nervous system requires a complete shutdown and withdrawal of the senses and mental activity, known as pratyahara in Sanskrit. This shutdown is important to Hinduism, Taoism, and especially Buddhism with its methods of practicing meditation. No matter whether it is Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana, or Zen, the various strands of the Buddha’s teachings have at their core the necessity of starving or fasting the mind. This is done to allow the parasympathetic nervous system to play its role within our psychosomatic organism. One of the more effective methods that the Buddha supposedly taught was vipassana. Vipassana is a Pali word (vipasyana in Sanskrit) used in the Buddhist tradition that means “insight into the true nature of reality.” The meditation practice of vipassana is an ancient method that is believed to have come from Gautama the Buddha himself and which survived through other Buddhas throughout history. Vipassana meditation is thought of not only as a meditation practice in all life but also a disciplined technique that is supposed to evoke vipassana in all life. This technique was reintroduced by Burmese Theravada Buddhist teachers Ledi Sayadaw and Mogok Sayadaw. It was then popularized by Mahasi Sayadaw (a Burmese Theravada Buddhist monk and meditation master), Saya Gi U Ba Khin (the Burmese vipassana meditation teacher and an influential leader of the vipassana movement), and his student, Satya Narayan Goenka (better known as S. N. Goenka), who is well known for spreading the vipassana movement worldwide with more than a hundred centers located
Fasting the Mind OUT NOW!
My new book Fasting the Mind was published June, 13 2017. Fasting the Mind has been touted as a book to revolutionize the way we think, how we understand the mind, and what it truly means to have a peaceful mind. Some of the key points within this book are: • Combines cognitive psychology with Zen, Taoist, and Vedic practices to empty the mind • Explains how eliminating external stimulation can alleviate stress and anxiety for a calmer state of mind • Details meditation practices, such as open-awareness meditation, contemplation of Zen koans, and Vipassana meditation, and explores methods of digital detox • Draws on classical yoga, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism as well as cognitive science to explain how and why to fast the mind The revolution of mind is here. Below are the links to purchase yourself a copy to begin the revolution: Amazon Paperback http://amzn.to/2zhsAY1 Amazon Kindle http://amzn.to/2z60LOe Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1620556464/ Amazon Canada https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1620556464/ Direct from Inner Traditions https://www.innertraditions.com/fasting-the-mind.html Direct from Simon & Schuster http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Fasting-the-Mind/Jason-Gregory/9781620556467 Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fasting-the-mind-jason-gregory/1124693189
It’s Now or Never | Enlightenment Now Book Review by Daniel Reid
If you’ve read Enlightenment Now by Jason Gregory, or plan to read it, you’re a fully enlightened being and you know it, but you’re probably still pretending that you don’t in order to avoid responsibility for behaving in accord with that state, here and now. Enlightened behavior essentially means the proper management of how you use your energy in the world through the three faculties of body, speech, and mind, the source of all your actions, words, and thoughts in life. If you plan to continue putting off enlightened behavior, you’d better read another book, because this book won’t let you off the hook about delaying it any longer. You’ve delayed long enough already, and if you put it off much longer, you’ll lose your chance altogether because life is short and things change fast these days. This is a short book that’s easy to read. Its message is as simple and clear as saying, “The earth is round not flat, and the sun rises in the east not the west.” How many ways are there to say that, and how much evidence do people need to understand such obvious things? This book is more of a reminder than a revelation because we already know the truth it discusses. It’s basically an expanded prose version of the ancient Heart Sutra, the favorite scripture of Mahayana Buddhism in China. It’s a wake-up call for all you sleepy heads out there who claim that you wish to be enlightened but think you still have plenty of time to put it off and keep snoozing through life. You don’t, because time is an illusion. There’s no such thing as linear time in our lives. Let’s deal with that first. As the title indicates, Gregory’s book is about “now.” It’s always now. Have you ever lived in any time other than right now? The past and future are mental constructs that only serve as excuses for not being—and behaving—here and now. They don’t actually exist. People say, “Time passes,” but what they’re talking about is not time. It’s space and form in a state of constant flux, and it’s always happening right now. Take aging for example. People think it’s “caused” by the passage of time, but it’s not. It’s simply an ongoing process of deterioration that happens to all material form, without exception. Hair turns white, skin wrinkles, muscles atrophy, brains get rusty, and it’s all happening right here and now, in the eternal present moment. That’s not time. It’s the basic nature of composite form. This is one of the first truths the Buddha taught, and he called it “impermanence.” He didn’t call it “time.” To paraphrase the Buddha’s last words to his time-conscious disciples, “Get your act together now! What are you waiting for?” So why do people waste time that doesn’t even exist? Why do they live in the illusion of past and future rather than simply being here now and living in harmony with their own original nature? People choose to live in the illusion of time in order to avoid taking responsibility for living the way enlightened beings should live right now. Persuading yourself that you’re spiritually ignorant and immersed in delusion is the perfect excuse for all your misbehavior. If you accepted and lived by the enlightened awareness with which you were born, you’d be responsible for using your energy with the innate wisdom and compassion that enlightened awareness activates. You could not possibly allow your behavior to be motivated by anger and hatred, envy and greed, jealousy and lust, and all the other negative emotions that drive most behavior in the world today. You’d have to become a wise and compassionate person right now, and for people with other agendas that’s not convenient. Gregory doesn’t mince his words when discussing this problem. He describes most of the formal spiritual practices that people use to comfort themselves from day to day and assure each other that they’re on the way to enlightenment as nothing more than “spiritual postponement.” Meditation, yoga, breath work, visualization, reciting scriptures, and other practices that are repeated day after day for years and years in order to gain something that we already have makes no sense as a logical proposition, much less a spiritual path. It’s just another way to shirk responsibility for behaving according to the basic virtues of enlightened awareness right now. “The real spiritual practice,” states the Dalai Lama, “is daily life.” “Yes, yes, I know that we should treat starving refugees with generosity and compassion—but not now. We’ll plan to do that later. Meanwhile, let’s get these bastards out of our country! Let them go some place else.” Sound familiar? That’s essentially what Pauline Hanson and Malcolm Turnbull are saying in Australia about people who go there in desperation to seek refuge. These are the same hypocrites who, when it comes to election time, claim to be devout Christians who practice the teachings of Jesus. It’s much the same in America and Europe, though perhaps not quite as blatant. Jesus didn’t postpone his practice of what he preached, and neither did Buddha. They both walked their talk, and the reason their teachings still inspire people today is because they were not just barking in the wind. They lived by what they knew to be true. Postponing your enlightenment and not enacting it here and now is irresponsible and a denial of who we all really are. The fundamental issue here is freedom and how we use it or lose it. H.L. Mencken wrote, “The average man doesn’t want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.” He pawns his precious freedom in exchange for money and material security that are as illusory as all material form and which disintegrate just as fast. The awakened man realizes that life is risky by nature and the notion of material security is an illusion, so he chooses instead to cultivate the only thing that he knows he owns outright and
Fasting the Mind 44% Off Pre-order Special & Free Gift Giveaway
To celebrate the publication of my new book Fasting the Mind this year Amazon and I will be holding outrageous deals on pre-ordering which will expire on the publication date of May 26. Amazon’s pre-order price guarantee is set at an amazing 44% off retail price, putting the book at only $8.30 if you pre-order now. That’s right, you will save $6.65 if you pre-order now. Also I will have four pre-order offers for you to choose from which all include a bunch of awesome stuff that you can share with others. These packages might be the perfect solution to a lot of headaches people have when trying to decide on gifts for others. Below you’ll see these four offers and bonuses for anyone who pre-orders the book now. If you believe there are people in your life that might benefit from or enjoy my new book then take advantage of this once off offer. The Revolution of Mind is here, but you need the book to know that first. MY OFFER TO YOU #1 – If you pre-order 5 copies of Fasting the Mind before May 26, you’ll receive: *A personally signed copy of my most recent book Enlightenment Now delivered to your door. Click here to pre-order 5 copies, then email your receipt to jasongregory@hotmail.com.au with “Pre-order #1” in the subject. When you receive the books send a photo of you with the books to the above email or post it on my Facebook or Twitter and I will send your gift straight away (The photo is done just to make sure people actually receive the pre-orders and do not cancel their pre-order and receive my gift under false pretences). #2 – If you pre-order 10 copies of Fasting the Mind before May 26, you’ll receive: * A personally signed copy of my book The Science and Practice of Humility delivered to your door. * A personally signed copy of my most recent book Enlightenment Now delivered to your door. Click here to pre-order 10 copies, then email your receipt to jasongregory@hotmail.com.au with “Pre-order #2” in the subject. When you receive the books send a photo of you with the books to the above email or post it on my Facebook or Twitter and I will send your gift straight away (The photo is done just to make sure people actually receive the pre-orders and do not cancel their pre-order and receive my gift under false pretences). #3 – If you pre-order 20 copies of Fasting the Mind before May 26, you’ll receive: * A personally signed copy of my book The Science and Practice of Humility delivered to your door. * A personally signed copy of my most recent book Enlightenment Now delivered to your door. * A personally signed copies of my new book Fasting the Mind delivered to your door. *A 30 minute skype call with me to discuss my work and strategies that will help design a healthy lifestyle for you which will promote well-being, focus, mindfulness, and creativity that all contribute to authentic independency. This conversation is not set in stone and can be flexible based on your needs. Click here to pre-order 20 copies, then email your receipt to jasongregory@hotmail.com.au with “Pre-order #3” in the subject. When you receive the books send a photo of you with the books to the above email or post it on my Facebook or Twitter and I will send your gift straight away (The photo is done just to make sure people actually receive the pre-orders and do not cancel their pre-order and receive my gift under false pretences). #4- If you pre-order 50 copies of Fasting the Mind before May 26, you’ll receive: * 2 personally signed copies of my last book The Science and Practice of Humility delivered to your door. * 2 personally signed copies of my most recent book Enlightenment Now delivered to your door. * 2 personally signed copies of my new book Fasting the Mind delivered to your door. *A 1 hour skype call with me to discuss my work and strategies that will help design a healthy lifestyle for you which will promote well-being, focus, mindfulness, and creativity that all contribute to authentic independency. This conversation is not set in stone and can be flexible based on your needs. Click here to pre-order 50 copies, then email your receipt to jasongregory@hotmail.com.au with “Pre-order #4” in the subject. When you receive the books send a photo of you with the books to the above email or post it on my Facebook or Twitter and I will send your gift straight away (The photo is done just to make sure people actually receive the pre-orders and do not cancel their pre-order and receive my gift under false pretences). *This offer applies to digital or physical pre-orders. Thank you all for the support.
The Mysterious Mind of the East
From a Western perspective the mind of the East has always appeared peculiar. The Eastern way of thinking, their philosophy and spiritual beliefs, run counter to Western thought. Today, in the modern world, the Western view of life has become the norm, even in the East. The Western approach of radical individualism has spread all around the world, while the Eastern view of holism and collectivism is taking a backseat while each and every individual tries to reach the top of the social heap by tramping over others. A result of this striving for ‘success’ is that we have become excessively busy, and …
Enlightenment Now Christmas Gift Giveaway
Take care of all your family and friends this holiday season with my Enlightenment Now Christmas Gift Giveaway. To celebrate the holiday season I will be holding a order giveaway with many free gifts expiring on the date of December 31. There are four order offers to choose from which all include a bunch of awesome gifts that you can share with others. With Christmas so close one of these packages might be the perfect solution to a lot of headaches people have when trying to decide on gifts for others, especially meaningful gifts. Below you’ll see these four offers and bonuses for anyone who orders the book. If you believe there are people in your life that might benefit or enjoy my new book then take advantage of this once off offer. MY OFFER TO YOU #1 – If you purchase 5 copies of Enlightenment Now before December 31, you’ll receive: *A personally signed copy of Enlightenment Now or The Science and Practice of Humility delivered to your door. Click here to purchase 5 copies, then email your receipt to jasongregory@hotmail.com.au with “Order #1” in the subject. When you receive the books send a photo of you with the books to the above email or post it on my Facebook or Twitter and I will send your gift straight away (The photo is done just to make sure people actually receive the orders and do not cancel their order and receive my gift under false pretences). #2 – If you purchase 10 copies of Enlightenment Now before December 31, you’ll receive: * A personally signed copy of my last book The Science and Practice of Humility delivered to your door. * A personally signed copy of my new book Enlightenment Now delivered to your door. Click here to purchase 10 copies, then email your receipt to jasongregory@hotmail.com.au with “Order #2” in the subject. When you receive the books send a photo of you with the books to the above email or post it on my Facebook or Twitter and I will send your gift straight away (The photo is done just to make sure people actually receive the orders and do not cancel their order and receive my gift under false pretences). #3 – If you purchase 20 copies of Enlightenment Now before December 31, you’ll receive: * A personally signed copy of my last book The Science and Practice of Humility delivered to your door. * A personally signed copy of my new book Enlightenment Now delivered to your door. *A 30 minute skype call with me to discuss my work and strategies that will help design a healthy lifestyle for you which will promote well-being, focus, mindfulness, and creativity that all contribute to authentic independency. This conversation is not set in stone and can be flexible based on your needs. Click here to purchase 20 copies, then email your receipt to jasongregory@hotmail.com.au with “Order #3” in the subject. When you receive the books send a photo of you with the books to the above email or post it on my Facebook or Twitter and I will send your gift straight away (The photo is done just to make sure people actually receive the orders and do not cancel their order and receive my gift under false pretences). #4- If you purchase 50 copies of Enlightenment Now before December 31, you’ll receive: * 3 personally signed copies of my last book The Science and Practice of Humility delivered to your door. * 3 personally signed copies of my new book Enlightenment Now delivered to your door. *A 1 hour skype call with me to discuss my work and strategies that will help design a healthy lifestyle for you which will promote well-being, focus, mindfulness, and creativity that all contribute to authentic independency. This conversation is not set in stone and can be flexible based on your needs. Click here to purchase 50 copies, then email your receipt to jasongregory@hotmail.com.au with “Order #4” in the subject. When you receive the books send a photo of you with the books to the above email or post it on my Facebook or Twitter and I will send your gift straight away (The photo is done just to make sure people actually receive the orders and do not cancel their order and receive my gift under false pretences). *This offer applies to digital or physical pre-orders. Thank you all for the support.
Enlightenment in the East: Misunderstood & Misinterpreted
Enlightenment in the East: Misunderstood & Misinterpreted Enlightenment in the East is often misunderstood and misinterpreted. It is completely different from the philosophical movement known as “the Enlightenment” in Europe during the 18th century. Eastern enlightenment is often studied but never experienced. It is usually viewed through our Western and modern linear view of life. Yet the Eastern view of life is built on the natural world’s foundation of a nonlinear view, inclusivity rather than exclusivity, collectivism over individualism, which all contribute to a perception of reality attuned to holism rather than an analytical perspective. Instead of analytically dissecting reality into separate parts to try and understand the whole, the East focused on how the apparent separateness of life is integral and essentially one. Both the holistic and analytical mind were environmentally determined by life’s circumstances thousands of years ago which influenced the way an Easterner and Westerner perceive the world until present day. The analytical mind is attributed to the West. It results from smaller communities during the first two millennia BCE in Greece which were naturally more individualistic because they had to fend for themselves and live off the individual labor of hunting, herding, and fishing for obtaining food. During the same period in the East the environment determined that it was best to live in large communities due to the arduous labor required for rice cultivation. This was especially the case in China and India. For example, the birth of Chinese civilization evolved from the Yellow River Valley area of northern China where rice was the essential food source. Living in large communities in the East people were dependent on each other and the health and well-being of every person. Your own individual self-interest and self-importance was surrendered to what was important for the collective good. This attitude geared people’s mind towards being holistic. As a result they attained a natural nonlinear view of reality. The analytical mind and linear view is the result of individualism, while the holistic mind and nonlinear view is the result of the collective perspective. This doesn’t mean one view is better or more real than the other. But the problem we encounter today is the holistic mind and nonlinear view of reality is disappearing in favor of a world driven by individual pursuits at the expense of our collective well-being, even in the modern East. The holistic mind and nonlinear view is the way of nature and is expressed through our intuition. The analytical mind and linear view is expressed through our intellect. Both are somewhat necessary but we overcompensate for the latter, which ultimately leads to the decline of nature and our own enlightenment as an individual. A mind primarily driven by the linear analytical view of reality contributes to the slow destruction of nature and also the mind itself. We see this with the alarming abundance of mental health issues and ecological problems today. The natural mind is rooted in the holistic nonlinear view which is the fundamental framework of nature, and human beings are an aspect of nature. This doesn’t mean the analytical mind and linear view cease to exist. But instead they should only be employed in those brief moments that require our attention to detail. Yet if your mind is rooted in its holistic nature then any attention to detail will be done without the sense of a separate person doing it, in the same fashion as Krishna was imploring Arjuna to do in battle against his family and friends within the Hindu epic Bhagavad Gita. The nonlinear world of nature and individual enlightenment are intimately related. But our sense of an identity separate from everything else has to disappear before we can realize enlightenment. Patanjali, the founder of yoga, explains this using the Sanskrit purusha (absolute pure awareness and the identical source of the universe within each of us, similar to the concept of Atman in Vedic scripture) and prakrti (all the form and energy of the manifest universe, including thoughts). He explains that the fundamental purpose of nature (prakrti) is for the human being to bring purusha forth into the world. Purusha, then, according to Patanjali, is the ultimate fulfilment of nature and why we essentially exist. Yet this could only happen if the idea of an isolated separate personality has disappeared because when our mind is pulled here and there by the movement of mental activity and life we lose our sense of purusha within. It is eclipsed by a haze of overstimulated mental activity. As a result we begin to firmly believe in the notion of past and future without an appreciation or recognition of the present moment. This is a disaster according to the Eastern wisdom traditions. In the East eternity and our connection to it is not some far off destination or someplace we go after death. It is right now where time and thinking are completely cut off. The eternal now aspect within our mind is experienced when we constantly ground ourselves in pure awareness (purusha). The more we bring our mind back to pure awareness the more we will experience the eternal aspect of the universe because pure awareness is beyond time, form, and mental activity. Our personality, on the other hand, is built and sustained by the linear view of the world. It is an accumulation of experiences from the past that we believe determines our future. Actually we tend to project our desires into the future based on our past. As a result our personality becomes entangled with suffering which is the result of linear time. When we realize we are the charioteer and begin to reign in the wild horses, to use Plato’s analogy of the mind, we become free from the entanglement of a time-bound personality that is causing all the trouble in the world. The real you, the true Self/Atman (Atman is a
Enlightenment Now: My New Book and a Bunch of Pre-order Gifts
To celebrate the publication of my new book Enlightenment Now this year I will be holding a pre-order giveaway with many free gifts expiring on the publication date of October 13. There are four pre-order offers to choose from which all include a bunch of awesome stuff that you can share with others. With October being so close to Christmas one of these packages might be the perfect solution to a lot of headaches people have when trying to decide on gifts for others. Below you’ll see these four offers and bonuses for anyone who pre-orders the book. If you believe there are people in your life that might benefit or enjoy my new book then take advantage of this once off offer. MY OFFER TO YOU #1 – If you pre-order 5 copies of Enlightenment Now before October 13, you’ll receive: *A personally signed copy of my last book The Science and Practice of Humility delivered to your door. Click here to pre-order 5 copies, then email your receipt to jasongregory@hotmail.com.au with “Pre-order #1” in the subject. When you receive the books send a photo of you with the books to the above email or post it on my Facebook or Twitter and I will send your gift straight away (The photo is done just to make sure people actually receive the pre-orders and do not cancel their pre-order and receive my gift under false pretences). #2 – If you pre-order 10 copies of Enlightenment Now before October 13, you’ll receive: * A personally signed copy of my last book The Science and Practice of Humility delivered to your door. * A personally signed copy of my new book Enlightenment Now delivered to your door. Click here to pre-order 10 copies, then email your receipt to jasongregory@hotmail.com.au with “Pre-order #2” in the subject. When you receive the books send a photo of you with the books to the above email or post it on my Facebook or Twitter and I will send your gift straight away (The photo is done just to make sure people actually receive the pre-orders and do not cancel their pre-order and receive my gift under false pretences). #3 – If you pre-order 20 copies of Enlightenment Now before October 13, you’ll receive: * A personally signed copy of my last book The Science and Practice of Humility delivered to your door. * A personally signed copy of my new book Enlightenment Now delivered to your door. *A 30 minute skype call with me to discuss my work and strategies that will help design a healthy lifestyle for you which will promote well-being, focus, mindfulness, and creativity that all contribute to authentic independency. This conversation is not set in stone and can be flexible based on your needs. Click here to pre-order 20 copies, then email your receipt to jasongregory@hotmail.com.au with “Pre-order #3” in the subject. When you receive the books send a photo of you with the books to the above email or post it on my Facebook or Twitter and I will send your gift straight away (The photo is done just to make sure people actually receive the pre-orders and do not cancel their pre-order and receive my gift under false pretences). #4- If you pre-order 50 copies of Enlightenment Now before October 13, you’ll receive: * 3 personally signed copies of my last book The Science and Practice of Humility delivered to your door. * 3 personally signed copies of my new book Enlightenment Now delivered to your door. *A 1 hour skype call with me to discuss my work and strategies that will help design a healthy lifestyle for you which will promote well-being, focus, mindfulness, and creativity that all contribute to authentic independency. This conversation is not set in stone and can be flexible based on your needs. Click here to pre-order 50 copies, then email your receipt to jasongregory@hotmail.com.au with “Pre-order #4” in the subject. When you receive the books send a photo of you with the books to the above email or post it on my Facebook or Twitter and I will send your gift straight away (The photo is done just to make sure people actually receive the pre-orders and do not cancel their pre-order and receive my gift under false pretences). *This offer applies to digital or physical pre-orders. Thank you all for the support.
