The Book of Life (Everyone?s Common Sense Guide to Purposeful Living and Spiritual Growth into the 21st Century and Beyond)

For sincere spiritual aspirants willing to awaken from all illusions, here is "the everlasting way" to implement a life style in harmony with natural laws which are entirely, constructively supportive of wellness and facilitate awakened spiritual consciousness. Chapters include:

• Where are All the Saints?
• What Do You Want?
• What Everyone Should Know About the Reality, Being, Life, Power and Substance of God
• Meditation for Life Enhancement and Illumination of Consciousness
• How to Pray: With Results Following
• The Spiritual Basis of Real and Permanent Prosperity
• Healthy, Long Life with Enlightened Purpose

Written with the understanding that we are not mere mortals with wishful aspirations to divine status; we are spiritual beings with virtually unlimited capacities and functional abilities which are to be acknowledged, awakened, and creatively expressed.

Roy Eugene Davis is a direct, personal disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda and a world-traveled Teacher of meditation practices and spiritual growth processes. He is the founder-director of Center for Spiritual Awareness, with world headquarters and an ashram retreat center in the mountain region of northeast Georgia, in the United States. Mr. Davis is the author of many bestselling books, including A Master Guide to Meditation also published by Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited.

Awakening From All Illusions

Because of increasingly influential evolutionary forces, our present era is one of accelerated transformations occurring in humankind’s collective consciousness and dramatic changes in the world about us—and these processes will continue. The Dark Ages, the Time-Cycles of almost total, abysmal ignorance are behind us and new vistas, bright with promise, are before us for as far as our inner eyes can see.

If we are to thrive into the 21st century and beyond- and we must-heightened awareness, expanded knowledge, and skills more than equal to the needs and opportunities we will confront, are obviously necessary. Impractical ideas, illusional perceptions and thinking, and dysfunctional behaviors will have to be renounced: replaced by higher understanding, flawless powers of perception, and proficiency in the performance of duties and chosen actions. We can only successfully relate to the present and prepare for the future by awakening and actualizing our innate spiritual consciousness.

Except for the few saints and intellectual geniuses there are among us, we have yet to adequately awaken to a sufficient degree of realization of our essential beingness. Our capacities to unfold knowledge and wisely use innate abilities are virtually limitless, yet we often assume and behave just the opposite. The time has come for us to accept a new paradigm, a more realistic, functional point of view by which to relate to the world, and to willingly and intentionally awaken to higher levels of consciousness and function.

We need to know and live the Truth of ourselves: That we are spiritual beings with only temporary identification with mind and matter, not mere human beings with perhaps hopeful aspirations for divine status. A radical shift of perspective is necessary: from unknowing and ineptitude, to awareness of cosmic proportions and the unrestricted function and wisdom-guided expression it will allow.

Philosopher-seers frequently remind us that our relationship with the physical universe is tenuous: not firmly grounded because of Nature’s insubstantial modes and our own propensity for change. "Embodied life is always uncertain,” wrote Shankara of India fourteen hundred years ago, “like a drop of water on a lotus leaf. The company of saints and our own awakened spiritual consciousness can save and redeem us."

No one else can do for us what we have the freedom and ability to do for ourselves. Thankfully, we do have the support and encouragement of enlightened souls, and we do have God’s grace. Grace is the enlivening, supportive influence of the Spirit of God, all pervasive and expressive, without which evolution could not continue nor could we prevail and grow. But knowledge we have, and grace, by which our present and future good fortune is assured. I have had the blessing opportunity to travel the world and share these insights with hundreds of thousands of men and women of many cultures and diverse circum- stances. For more than four decades I have done this, and whenever and wherever awakened consciousness has allowed even partial understanding and impelled participation, I have seen worthwhile, sometimes even exceptional results.

Life itself is the "book” to be studied and its ways learned and adapted to practical, everyday relationships and endeavors. A timeless axiom reminds us that knowledge of consciousness is innate to consciousness. So it is consciousness, the reality-essence of ourselves and Nature that we must explore if existing knowledge is to unfold in our awareness and blossom into wisdom. Then will all personal problems be spontaneously solved and will we have immediate, unrestricted access to the support of God and God’s universe.

We do not need to be persuaded to believe that we are immortal, spiritual beings predestined to awaken to transcendental levels of awareness, for our own intuitive knowledge of this fact is confirmation enough. But we do often need to be encouraged to come to terms with Our spirituality, to learn to let it be expressive so that our lives demonstrate noble qualities and the fulfillment we desire und deserve can be actualized.

The information shared here is for everyone. It will especially be appreciated by readers who are sincerely interested in purposeful living and committed to learning, understanding, and testing the principles described and recommended. For this, all that is required is right resolve and prudent exercise of common sense or inborn intelligence, a faculty every rational being has, and can with practice learn to effectively use.

As you proceed, set aside any preconceived notions you have. Endeavor to comprehend the words, as well as the states of consciousness which inspired them and the intention with which they were written. Whatever is not at first clearly understood, review until a reasonable degree of insight dawns in your awareness. But do not stop there, for knowledge is not empowering until personally applied and demonstrated to your complete satisfaction.

Every person, even the spiritually unawake, is impelled by an innate soul urge to become increasingly conscious and have awareness restored to its original, pure condition. This is the final con summation of our right actions and spontaneous spiritual unfoldments. We not only want to express in this world as free, functional beings; we desire above all to be liberated from illusions which are the basis of all troubles and limitations.

Whatever your present level of soul awareness or personal circumstances, may you now proceed to unfold your true potential and fulfill your soul destiny. This is my wish for you. You are an immortal, spiritual being with endless possibilities before you, known by God and knowable by you. Explore them with joy and thanksgiving.