Introduction to Part III

As we move into Part III of this book, we are making the transition from theory to practice. As we do so, it is important to understand a subtle and profound truth that some of the greatest spiritual masters and teachers throughout history have told us: the path and the goal are one. The goal is the spontaneous arising of spiritual freedom. In the context of Evolutionary Enlightenment, this essentially means that the fundamental obstacles to one's own capacity to participate whole­heartedly in the life process have been transcended. As a result, one is free to fly on the wings of the Authentic Self, becoming a powerful expression of the evolutionary impulse in human form. The path is the means by which, through noble effort, one reaches that goal. But always remember, the path and the goal are one. The very desire to embark on a spiritual path and to engage in spiritual practice is already the dawning of spiritual freedom, because that desire is the felt vibration and pulsation of the Authentic Self striving to awaken within us. The path and the goal are one means that the experience of freedom and the practice of freedom are one and the same. The desire to be free that inspires us to practice is never separate from the goal of liberation that we are reaching for. By acting, here and now, on that profound aspiration, we manifest the immediacy of our own potential for liberation. Once again, the fruition of the path of Evolutionary Enlightenment is realized in the profound awakening of the Authentic Self. The practice of Evolutionary Enlightenment has two fundamental components that reflect the two domains of Being and Becoming. In the domain of Being, the practice is learning to master the timeless art and science of meditative stillness. In the domain of evolutionary Becoming, the practice is defined by Five Fundamental Tenets— Clarity of Intention, The Power of Volition, Face Everything and Avoid Nothing, The Process Perspective, and Cosmic Conscience. For those who aspire to walk this path in earnest, these tenets must be lived at all times, in all places, under all circumstances. If the egoless passion of the Authentic Self has not yet become your natural and spontaneous state, you will find that through embracing the art and science of stillness, and making the noble effort to put the Five Tenets into practice, your personality will nevertheless become an expression of that very same spiritual freedom, here and now. The path and the goal are one.