CHAPTER 1
Can We Fly?
You have first flown with your mind to every goal you have ever achieved
I was always fascinated by birds that could fly anywhere they wanted. Flying gives them a higher vantage point from which they can observe the world below, and decide in which direction to fly and where to land. Even though we don't possess wings, we often use our mind to fly above whatever issue we are dealing with. We mentally visualise and evaluate different options, before deciding what to do. We use this ability to fly with our mind in a mundane manner, mostly to resolve issues.
1.1 You fly almost everyday
Imagine that your car is not running smoothly, and you ask your mechanic to see what's making the seemingly-expensive rumblings coming from your engine. After an examination, your mechanic tells that your gearbox is slowly dying and therefore you need to replace it without delay. Your mechanic has solved the problem, and you have to take a decision. So you mentally fly above the problem to see the bigger picture made up of diverse things such as, how much will it cost; do you have enough money or will you need to borrow; how long can you drive before it breaks down; is it worth that risk; how long will the repair take; how will you manage during that time; etc. Based on your decision, your mechanic will solve the problem. After that, your mind will return to its familiar grounded mode, until you face the next issue.
Flying with your mind is all about sharpening and applying this ability to non-problem situations. You use it to critically examine all areas of your everyday life, even though they don't really need fixing. You then decide which areas you want to take to the highest possible level. This is what visionaries and highly successful people do. They go beyond the limitations of their lives and create totally new realities for themselves and those around them. Many people lead lives of quiet desperation, only because they are unaware of the power they possess to reinvent their lives.
1.2 What power do we possess?
All animals seem to know everything about themselves and the world they live in. They know what to eat, how to stay naturally healthy, and how to bring up their young. They know everything they need to survive even under adverse conditions. What's even more amazing is how migrating birds collectively know when to take off and in which direction to fly, without the kind of meetings that humans love to organise for discussing and making collective decisions.
If we're the most intelligent life form on earth, shouldn't we be far ahead of them? In a material sense, we do appear to be far superior. But, I have always felt that we are far from achieving the full potential we possess as humans. I think what we learnt from our elders and teachers was based on their personal experiences, beliefs and prejudices. It fell far short of what we really need to know to unleash our vast inborn potential as humans.
From a scientific perspective, quantum physics (at the subatomic particle level) has proved that the universe is an energy field (even though it appears solid to our senses), and that we have the power to influence it with our thoughts. Buddha summarised it elegantly: All that we are is the result of what we have thought; it is founded on our thoughts; it is made up of our thoughts. Einstein proved the relationship between matter and energy with his theory of relativity summarised by the amazingly simple equation: E = Mc2 (where 'E' is energy, 'M' is matter and 'c' is a very large number equal to the speed of light). It shows that matter and energy are interchangeable and that there is a huge reservoir of latent energy associated with matter even in its simplest form. All religious Masters have taught that the salvation we seek in whatever form is to be found within ourselves. All humans are genetically engineered in a similar way. Therefore, every single one of us has the potential to achieve the highest level of success achieved by any human that ever lived, including creating miracles normally associated with enlightened Masters. It is said that all such Masters started their lives as ordinary children, and subsequently achieved perfection through divine intervention or their untiring efforts (depending on the religion). Gautama Buddha has said that the Buddhas are only teachers, and that anyone can reach perfection by following their teachings.
1.3 Rediscovering your power
As little children, we created our lives almost totally on our own using what we learnt about ourselves, the people around us, and the world we lived in. We used our imagination to connect the dots from all our fragmented experiences to build a picture of life. That was long before we could even read. But, our vast inborn intuitive intelligence got gradually submerged as our well-meaning parents, elders and teachers told us to stop dreaming and start learning serious things. Spreading our wings to explore new realities was frowned upon and downright risky. For example, in Richard Bach's wonderful book, Jonathan Livingstone Seagull was banished from his flock for trying to find a higher purpose in life through the glory of flight.
The good news is that we never lose our inborn ability to fly with our mind to any reality we want to create. Thinking back, you will realise that you have first flown with your mind to every challenging goal you have ever achieved. This boundless ability to fly with your mind is driven by your limitless imagination. It enables you to mentally fly far beyond the limitations of everyday realities. It can be easily awakened using the simple techniques you will discover in this book. I will guide you through this process, which I have personally used to reach heights I could hardly imagine even a few years ago. Most importantly, you wouldn't know the privilege of being born human, until you unleash your vast inborn human potential to reach the highest states of human consciousness that spiritual leaders have attained.
1.4 Science discovers huge human potential
Can we fully unleash the vast inborn human potential mostly sleeping within us? According to religious teachings and oriental philosophies, every human can do it. Modern science has finally discovered the validity of this ancient hypothesis. It began when a team of molecular biologists won the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine for the discovery of a way to activate a 'sleeping gene' (hTERT code) inside our cells. When activated, this code can replace our old, diseased cells with new, healthy cells. However, this hTERT code inside your genes gets 'turned off ' while you're still in your mother's womb.
Researchers conducting controlled trials formed a specific protocol to access this dormant hTERT code. Their test groups were able to avoid a wide variety of age-related diseases including many forms of cancer, stroke, vascular dementia, cardiovascular disease, obesity, osteoporosis and diabetes. A Stanford neurobiologist estimates that the hTERT code could extend human 'health span' by postponing or preventing the onset of diseases associated with aging, and help push human lifespan as far as 200 years.
Modern science has finally caught up with the five secret Tibetan rites for rejuvenation and longevity, Himalayan techniques for activating all the energy centres (Chakras) in the body, Buddhist and other oriental religious practices and breathing meditation (described later in this book), all of which help us reach a heightened state of consciousness by unleashing the vast human potential mostly sleeping within every one of us. Modern science has validated the inscription at the Delphi Oracle in ancient Greece: In you is hidden the treasure of treasures. Know thyself and you will know the Universe and the Gods.
This book synthesises techniques drawn from ancient wisdom and modern science into a practicable form that anyone of any age can use to unleash the almost limitless power mostly sleeping within all of us.
CHAPTER 2
Freeing Your Wings
No instruction manual accompanies the birth of a child
Whenever you buy a complex piece of equipment, you get an instruction manual. A little book that explains in simple terms how everything works, and what to do when things go wrong. So we don't start washing clothes in a dishwasher. No such instruction manual accompanies the birth of a child–the most complex thing in our known universe. Something that explains in simple terms what life is all about, and how to get the most from life as a human.
2.1 Living by trial and error
Without such an instruction manual, we have no idea who we really are. Neither do our parents, elders and teachers, who try to guide us like the blind leading the blind. As a result, we struggle through life trying to find out who we are, what life is all about, and our role in it. We have to learn everything the hard way by trial and error, since we don't really know what we can and can't achieve in life, what to do and what not to do.
If a lion cub thinks it's a kitten, it would grow up catching mice. Similarly, our self-image (who we think we are) limits or empowers everything we think, do and finally achieve in life. We usually know what we can't do, but we don't really know what we can do because we've never explored the limits of our human potential. While struggling with our day-to-day problems, it's hard to imagine that we can all fly over them to manifest totally new realities, just as highly successful people have done.
2.2 Our role in society moulds us
Our present behaviour is moulded by three key underlying factors:
1. Compliance, which involves changing our behaviour at the request of others (parents, elders, teachers, spouses, bosses, etc.).
2. Conformity, which involves altering our behaviour to get along with others (friends, social groups, etc.).
3. Obedience, which involves altering our behaviour because a figure of authority has ordered us to do so (parents, teachers, bosses, etc.).
As the Beatles sang: Eleanor Rigby waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door. Who is it for?
Several research studies dating back to the 1960's suggest that what determines your behaviour is not so much the kind of person you are deep inside, as the kind of situation in which you find yourself in. For example, if you grew up in an environment where being different and trying to be too smart was strongly discouraged (e.g. during childhood and schooldays), you would tend to tone down your individuality to comply with unwritten social standards and to conform to group behaviours. We are like clay that takes the shape of a specific mould, although clay has limitless potential to take any shape. Despite such conditioning, you still possess the immense capabilities you instinctively discovered and used during your early childhood.
2.3 Do we possess wings?
Yes. We have almost limitless power mostly sleeping within us. Give a smartphone to a little child from even the poorest family who still hasn't learnt how to read, and see what happens. In just a few minutes, he or she will figure out how it works, find games and start to play. How is this possible? Prof. Sugatha Mitra has found that even the poorest children can learn even complex subjects without a teacher from a road-side computer that is operating in a language they don't initially understand.
This is hardly surprising since pre-school children can learn without any teacher a multitude of complex skills including walking and speaking, by intuitively using the vast human intelligence they possess at birth. Unfortunately, well-meaning parents, elders and teachers diminish this vast learning ability that little children possess, so much so that a young adult wouldn't be able to use a smartphone intuitively.
2.4 Can we really fly?
Yes. I have found seven independent sources that validate my premise that we all have vast inborn human potential, so we can fly far above the everyday limitations in our life and manifest whatever we desire:
1. Buddha has proclaimed that: All that we are is the result of what we have thought; it is founded on our thoughts. This means that we can change our lives by changing our thoughts.
2. Hebrews 10:14 in the Bible says that: For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. This means that the seeds of perfection are found within every person.
3. The inscription at the Delphi Oracle in ancient Greece states that: In you is hidden the treasure of treasures. Know thyself and you will know the Universe and the Gods.
4. Subatomic quantum physics has proved that: The universe is an energy field and that the human mind has the power to influence it.
5. The theory called Synthesis of the Elements in Stars, that won the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physics, proved that: All the heavy molecules that make up our bodies were forged in the stars. This means that we carry the wisdom of the universe at a molecular level within our bodies.
6. Gladwell (2008) in his 10,000-hour rule claims that: The key to achieving the highest level of success in any field is mostly a result of practicing that specific activity for a total of about 10,000 hours.
7. The father of behavioural psychology claimed that: If he were given a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and his own specified world to bring them up in, he will guarantee to take any one at random and train him or her to become any type of specialist he might select. He meant that any normal child could be trained to perform any task, regardless of genetic background and personality traits (Watson, 1930).
These diverse sources of information suggest that we all possess the wings to fly far above the limitations of our everyday lives. Five-year-old piano prodigy Ryan Wang on the Ellen Show and North Korean kindergarten children playing classical guitar at Chongam Kindergarten both support this premise.
CHAPTER 3
Fear of Flying
The hell we know is better than a heaven we don't know
Flying implies change. Everyone hates change, except perhaps a baby with a wet diaper. We have an inbuilt resistance to change because change involves dealing with the unknown, which is unpredictable and therefore risky. Change can make us feel worried and anxious, especially if we feel uncertain about the outcome. Learning to ride a motorcycle can be frightening, if we foresee a risk of falling off and hurting ourselves.
3.1 Fear of Change
It's not surprising that we dislike change when we consider how the brain works. We have an internal trigger level in the subconscious mind that is calibrated to send us danger signals when we think of stepping out of our comfort zone. This is a human instinct that served us well during primitive times, when taking unnecessary risks could create life-threatening situations for individuals and their tribes.
The good news is that each time we change an attitude or behaviour successfully, that trigger level in our subconscious mind gets recalibrated to a higher level so we can tolerate greater amounts of change without activating the alarm system. This means that the more you change, the easier it becomes to change. An increased appetite for change is what makes people want to fly high above the limitations of their everyday lives to manifest new realities. Our appetite for such change depends on our mental outlook.
3.2 Being-good mindset vs. Getting-better mindset
Our attitude towards change is governed by the kind of mindset we acquired in our early days, which broadly falls into one of two categories: 'being-good' or 'getting-better'.
A 'being-good' mindset makes us see everything as an opportunity to show how good we are when compared to others, with any failure seen as not being good enough. So we tend to give up easily when things get tough, rather than taking the risk of trying and failing. We mostly have a being-good mindset, since the love of parents and teachers had to be won through being good, especially when compared to others.
With a 'getting-better' mindset, we see everything as a chance to learn and grow, and we see every setback as a learning opportunity. When we cultivate a 'getting-better' mindset, we welcome risk, are more willing to try new things, are less afraid of failure, and are happier by being more willing to clear up personal and relationship issues. We used this mindset to learn how to ride a bicycle in our early days, despite the risk of falling off and looking inferior to others who were able to ride. We wanted the thrill of racing down an empty road on a bicycle, even if it angered over-protective parents who prohibited us from doing so. Learning to fly requires a 'getting-better' mindset to deal with the inevitable setbacks, which provide rare learning opportunities.
