The training was rigorous, hundreds and thousands of hours of meditation, self-giving. But it was easy. I loved it. I would merge again and again with the superconscious in meditation.

With the use of psychedelics, it was all based around the Tibetan Book of the Dead, using them to experience enlightenment.

Avoidance of experiences is a fixation and it binds you to the world, it binds you to the personal self.

I used to live in Seattle, as did Jimi Hendrix and Bruce Lee. I lived near the arboretum. Very often I would take walks late at night by Lake Washington, because I found it very easy to meditate there.

Illumination in the outer world is to be happy no matter what is going on. In the inner world, it's more ineffable. It's harder to express.

Lao Tsu uses the anology of the tree. The old hard tree breaks and falls when the wind blows. The young tree bends and does not break. He advises us to bend and not to break.

There's this cave and all humanity is in it and there's this terribly bright light at the other end and everybody's afraid of it.