Learning To Move

TAO OF SELF

LEARNING TO MOVE MOUNTAINS by

PHIL AUSTIN

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NEVER WILL I SEEK NOR RECEIVE PRIVATE, INDIVIDUAL SALVATION; NEVER WILL I ENTER INTO FINAL PEACE ALONE; BUT FOREVER AND EVERYWHERE WILL I LIVE AND STRIVE FOR THE REDEMPTION OF EVERY CREATURE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD FROM THE BONDS OF CONDITIONED EXISTANCE.

KWAN YIN

THIS TEACHING MANUAL IS DEDICATED TO THE COLLECTED UNIVERSE AND TO THE PLEDGE OF KWAN SHIH YIN, SWEET BHODDISATTVA OF COMPASSION.

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TAO OF SELF

How often have you felt that you cannot keep a grasp on your day, that circumstances or events seem to take over and you have little or no control over your life? How frequently do you waken up and feel that it would be great just to stay in bed and not pull back the curtains to let the day in? Do you ever get the feeling that there is a bigger picture to things and no one has let you in on the secret? What about those around you that you love? Try and think of the amount of times you’ve wanted to be there for them, but instead, you just feel totally helpless and unable to meet their needs. Are headaches, aches, pains, lethargy and negative feelings becoming too frequent? Consideration of these daily problems makes it clear that the real ‘you’ isn’t in control the way you should be. The simple analogy of a car and the driver within – the car being your physical self and the driver being the real ‘you’ is enough of a realisation to question the ‘greater picture’ and ask Who are we? What are we about? Why are we? and ultimately, if we could put the driver back in control of the car… what could we achieve? The philosophy behind the Tao of Self originates from an understanding that the physical body is nothing more than a vessel for something more profound, to use as a vehicle to aid us in our journey . It is the way of bringing the physical self and the larger, more abstract, spiritual (or higher) self together to become one. Even though we have not been shown how to love ourselves truly as individuals. we are able to create a space for the lower and higher self to meet and build a relationship together.

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Through reading and putting into practice the disciplines and guidelines in this manual, you will be able to give yourself the right to stand your ground, be in your own space, dictate and direct your day, instead of external forces and energies being free to disempower you. You will be a person who can step into other people’s fields and empower them to be more positive in their own life, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. You do not need to be equipped with any magical, mysterious or expensive teaching to take control of your life: the answers are within each of us. We just need to find the way to open the book and turn the pages. You are your own pharmacy, you are your own powerhouse. This is what the Tao of Self teaches us. This is why the Tao of Self is needed. This manual shows how to apply theTao of Self into your life and use it to achieve your life goals. Tao of Self asks What if you were the creator of your walk? What if you were the creator of your day ? What if you were the creator of your destiny? What if you were able to look in the mirror and for the first time in your life truly be able to say that the reflection you see is, in fact, YOU? Tao of Self can do all of this and more, if you want it to. The Tao of Self is a courtship between your body and your spirit which leads to a beautiful, wondrous union made manifest in a true Self conciousness.

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Tao The Chinese belief in an absolute principle underlying the universe, combining within itself the principles of yin and yang (male and female, positive and negative) and signifying the way, or code of behaviour, that is in harmony with the natural order.

The Tao of Self focuses on embracing and harmonising the duality of body and spirit within each of us. By understanding and adopting the healing principles within the Tao of Self, we are able to bring that balance of self and Self into being. This in turn allows us to realise that we are more than the sum total of our day and our deeds: that we are actually full beings with a potential for achievement beyond our wildest hopes and dreams. Tao of Self also shows that we have a responsibility to the world we live in, that we need to become more in line with the balance of nature and the universe if we are to pass on this planet, and that which is beyond this planet to our children and grandchildren. We achieve this very simply, by learning and understanding the beauty of the knowledge of Tao of Self within our lives by learning and understanding that we are not creatures, but creators.

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TO OPEN I PLACE MYSELF IN MY CENTRE, I STAND FIXED TO MY COSMOS, I FOCUS UPON MY UNIVERSE AND REALISE THAT I AM. MY BREATH CONTROLS MY WORLD, MY HEART BEATS, SUMMONING IT TO STAND AND RECIEVE WITH ME. THE UNIVERSE IS WITHIN THE SELF 6

AND THE SELF IS WITHIN THE UNIVERSE. I AM THAT I AM FOR I AM OF. EVEN IN DARKNESS I AM LIGHT. MY HANDS CAN REACH UP TO THE STARS. AND WILL PULL DOWN THE HEAVENS. FOR I SOUGHT AFTER GOD AND FOUND MY SELF. PHIL AUSTIN 2004

The inner journey It is important to know who we are and where we are going if we ever want to achieve anything in life. The first step in adopting the Tao of Self into our lives is the ‘inner journey’. This is a simple exercise that we should adopt, in the initial stages daily, and then , as we find ourselves following a more Taoist path in our lives, we can continue with the exercise a couple of times a week. I would encourage people to keep up with this exercise as often as you can as this will be the foundation for all other aspects of the Tao of Self. Find a place; this can be a room in your home, a quiet spot that you enjoy going to outside, it could even be your bathroom, it doesn’t matter, as long as this place can give you privacy and solitude from the distractions of the 7

day to day world. Allow your body to tell you where you should be standing and in which direction you should be facing. Listen to your body, if you are facing a door and your body is not at ease with this, then change, face a different direction. I know this sounds strange, but believe me, our body is communicating with us all the time and we never listen. When you have found your spot let your knees bend slightly, not too much and have the big toes of each foot pointing slightly toward each other. Feet should not be too far apart, about 8 to 10 inches. Keep your back nice and straight for this exercise as you want to give full access to any energy that is flowing through you. Let your arms fall limp at your side. Head facing forward with eyes closed ………. and breathe!!!!! Posture is very important when breathing so you must be concious of your stance when you start your meditation. Learning to breathe properly when preparing yourself in meditation is very important and by practising the following technique, you will actually feel the difference in yourself, not only when working with the Tao of Self, but during your everyday walk. As you take a breath in, try to feel your body responding to this breath, feel how your torso moves. Be concious of your shoulders and how they react. What about the rest of your body? The lower abdomen, your back, even around the base chakra area, is there reaction to your breathing there? Do not try to alter any feelings that you are experiencing, rather, bring your breathing to a point of focus. Imagine your lungs. It is a proven fact that we tend to only use the top part of our lungs in breathing, because we do not breathe long and/or deep enough. Our day to day life does not allow us to spend time focusing on these things, so they go by the wayside and we forget about them, taking them for granted. Hold the image of your lungs in your minds eye and focus on the lower part of your lungs, we do not need to spend time on the upper lung as this part

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has had a lifetime of overworking. Breathe in to the count of 3, slowly and deliberately, and out to the count of 5. Imagine the lower part of the lung as the rubber part of a dropper and visualise the gentle squeezing of the dropper when you exhale and release it to inhale. Only use this image for a minute or so to help you get into the process of breathing properly. As you learn to breathe more consistantly with the way your body requires, through time, try to increase the timing from 3 in and 5 out, to 4 or even 6 in and 8 out. Once your breathing rhythm has been established, begin the colour visualisation and meditation techniques which follow. From the moment you waken up to the time when your head hits the pillow, you take on a stance of defence and resistance. This meditation shows us, very simply , how to reverse this. Allow yourself to relax. Try not to resist thoughts and distractions that come into your mind: instead, fix your focus on the colour blue, a light sky blue. This is an excellent colour for helping us to become calm and will bring our awareness away from the unwanted thoughts and distractions that wander in and out of our heads . This meditation will take about ten minutes. Some people may find it quite difficult at first, but it is in stopping both the physical body and the mental body as much as we can that we step forward into new ground and allow our higher Self to emerge. If needed, play some gentle music in the background, something quiet and relaxing that will not distract you from your meditation. Spiritual identity

After a few minutes in your meditation, you should

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allow a focus to come into your mind of your own sense of being. Feel yourself as a vessel waiting to be filled. The blue that you have been focusing on should now expand so as to envelop you. Feel yourself cocooned in this blue, not constricted but supported weightlessly. Now bring your attention to your feet and imagine a beautiful rose quartz pink liquid starting to enter into your body, slowly, from the toes up through the feet, legs, to the groin and so on until you have totally filled your body from head to toe with this colour. The colour of rose quartz is the colour of compassion, associated with the heart, and is also the colour of unconditional love. Always remember, you are the one in control here and if at any time you feel that your body is resisting what you are trying to achieve, then stop the progression of the rose quartz into your body, spend a moment focusing on that specific area and intensify the part with a stronger image of rose quartz. This should help you to continue filling yourself with the colour. When you have completed this part of the meditation, let yourself enjoy the fullness of this colour within you. Imagine yourself radiating this colour, as if the rose quartz is coming through the very pores of your skin. This is your capacity to touch those around you. Simply by being in your field when you are in this state, people can receive healing from you, whether it be physical, mental, emotional or spiritual healing. More importantly, this meditation, if done consistantly and diligently, will move you on to a state of being which is more peaceful and accepting. Finally, after spending a short time getting to know the sensation of the rose quartz and its effect within your body, bring your focus of attention to your head. I want you to imagine a strong white light surrounding your head. This light is coming from the outside into the head, so begin as if this is like a halo or a

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mist of white light and as it comes more into focus and takes a strong place upon your head like a crown, feel the light starting to penetrate into the head, through your hair and skin on your scalp, then in through the skull and surrounding the brain. Imagine your brain soaking this brilliant white light into itself. Try to imagine the different sections of the brain. You don’t need to be a brain surgeon or know anything about neurology - just imagine where you have places in the brain for our different feelings, emotions, responses, thoughts, actions etc. Let the light take over and fill every place. White light, in physics, is the total of all the different colours we are able to see with our eyes. If you shine a white light through a prism, you get all the colours of a rainbow. White light is the light of our potentiality. You are now surrounded by a sky blue that is holding you and carrying you, this is your calmness. Within you from tip to toe you are full of beautiful rose quartz, which is your healing colour and shall be your strength. Your head is crowned and filled with white light, which is no less than the unlimited potential you should have as a human being.

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Healing with the Tao of Self. Once you are comfortable and confident about holding the visualisation of the white light around and inside your head, you can use this to help you become sensitive to the discomforts and problems in other people, and to help with these. Stand close to the person concerned and hold your hands just within their auric field, or energy field: now pay attention to your white light. Focus on the person, think of their energy, and allow the white light to flow from you toward and into them. We work with intelligent energy and as long as your intent is for the highest good, there is no need to be concerned as to what is going on between you and the other person. Does a vessel ask what it is for ,no, it just is !!! It is not your job to diagnose illnesses or complaints !!! You are just the conduit, or vessel that holds and pours out the energy when and where needed !!!

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ACTION, REACTION AND INTERACTION

Tao of Self bases its foundation very much on the ‘I AM’ principle, which embraces the concept that while there may be a greater force outwith ourselves, due to the connectivity of the universe, everything and everyone within the universe is an important part of that greater force and we are all influential in the ‘bigger picture’. What you do and say today has an impact on the universe and all things within it. Tao of Self shows that if we are in harmony within our self and our higher Self, then we can have a more constructive and positive impact in the world we live in. The TRI process, as shown below in the diagram shows how we process mentally and gauge our interactions in life.

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1. THOUGHT; our first response to anything is always with thought. This is our initial process 2. RESPONSE; we then have a response, a feeling or emotion to the thought. 3. INVOLVEMENT; we then act accordingly with our emotions. This dictates our involvement. It is important to understand how we process our thoughts as it is this process that dictates how we then respond and become involved in our day to day life. BY REACTING WITHOUT THOUGHT, WE LOSE THE ‘I AM’ PRINCIPLE. BY BEING FULLY CONCIOUS OF OUR INTERACTION, WE SUSTAIN HARMONY WITH THE LOWER AND HIGHER SELF.

DUALITY When we walk with the Tao of Self in our day to day lives, we start to experience the world in a very different way: as we become more aware of the duality within ourselves, we see it in other people - and other things. The world becomes a much richer place, full of potential! Things taken for granted before become fascinating and new, people’s hurtful behaviour towards us becomes powerless . Let me explain.

INTENSION AND EXTENSION; THE DUALITY OF THINGS INTENSION How excited would you be if I offered you a small plastic tube with a metal tip and an inner tube filled with chemicals? Not very? EXTENSION Now see the pen I am offering you in a different way: it is the most

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powerful thing in the world … it can start or stop wars, it can write poetry to make strong men weep, it can draw an image so beautiful that tens of thousands of people want to hang it on their walls. It is the same pen you looked upon with boredom a moment ago. Only your way of seeing it has changed. And your appreciation of its true value.

FEELINGS AND ACTIONS: THE DUALITY OF OTHER PEOPLE ACTIONS Someone snaps at you in an irritated fashion, and your feelings are hurt. Someone you love does not notice that you are sad, or especially joyful, or in pain – and your feelings are hurt again. You now feel angry, and relish the chance to snap back, or pointedly ignore the needs or wishes of the person you love.

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FEELINGS Now that you understand why YOU feel like snapping at someone, realise that it was the same for them. Had they been happy, they would not have snarled at you. Happy people do not find joy in spreading unhappiness. So instead of detesting that woman who sees no good in anyone and is scornful and rude, see now that she is a person who has suffered at the hands of other people and is protecting herself with a hard shell because she doesn’t know what else to do. Instead of snapping back at your colleague when he throws those hurtful remarks at you, see now that he is under pressure, that his life is not making him happy. The way they speak to you is a lot less to do with you than it is to do with their unhappiness. Knowing this takes the sting out of their actions, and enables you to return kindness for cruelty.

CREATURE OR CREATOR? THE DUALITY OF YOU Look at the intensions of you. This probably won’t take too long, remember the analogy of the pen. Flesh, blood, hair, skin, nails, teeth … fingers, toes, liver, heart … but where are you, in all this? Now extensions. Who are you? What are you? Why are you? Where are you? What do you do? Who do you affect? How are you? What do you long for? What do you want this day to bring you? Think of the thing(s) you want to achieve in life. What are your goals, desires, driving ambitions?

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Where does your heart-felt passion lie? Now ask the question; What if I could bring all that to fruition? And now remember the feeling of completeness, of harmony with your Self, that you experience when you go on that Inner Journey and fill yourself with light: that is You, and You can do anything you truly desire. YOUR GOALS ARE ATTAINABLE: YOUR DESIRES CAN NOT ONLY BE MET BUT MET IN ABUNDANCE. But only we can achieve this for ourselves, we must stop relying on others to come in and meet our needs for us. When you think about yourself in this new way, you will see that you actually can be influential in affecting the day in front of you and those within that day. Now, having worked through the discipline of the meditation in this manual. Having understood that we process things in a very specific way as humans. Having gained an ability to grasp the harmony striven after between the lower and higher Self… Understand that You create your day and Your life. That You no longer need to be a creature whose every move and thought is dictated by others, but a Creator with the power to shape Your days and Your ways. When your self and your Self are in harmony, You truly and fully exist. And you can move mountains. Even science now recognises that profound desire, meditation, prayer and strong wishes can change your personal future (see any new treatise on quantum physics). This power is in Your grasp: use it and be joyful!

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Our whole life has been a wrong teaching that we are dependants and we must seek after crutches to help us through this world.

WE ARE ALL GIFTED KINGS AND QUEENS, LET US GO AND ENJOY OUR INHERITANCE_!

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