Bliss: A Recipe for Bliss

By Carl Schmidt

Once there was a tremendous young philosopher who spoke eloquently about the nature of life. Many people were amazed by the depth of his understanding and the warmth of his feeling, but there were those who did not trust him. They even reproached him for his boldness. They could not believe that anyone so young as he could be so wise. They questioned and belittled his authority. He responded to them by saying, "Before Abraham was, I Am!"

Wisdom illustrates the truth... the precise Reality of the present moment. The greatest wisdom is the clearest expression of this truth. In a natural way it allows and causes others to experience it as well.

A genuine philosopher must learn how to stop. If he never stops, he is carried on by the noise and the activity of this life and does not attain the perspective needed to unveil the deepest understanding. He feels the activity and hears the noise, but he has no reference point for the Whole Truth. That reference point is complete Stillness...Silence...Transparency. When we are silent and still, we begin to perceive our Self. Meditation is the art of becoming utterly Transparent.

Amid the noise of this life, we may think, "I am." We may contemplate and imagine our true nature. However, in the Transparency before and after this noise... I Am. Our Essence is Consciousness.

We are unborn and formless. Our true nature is everlasting consciousness, not form. We may appear to be a solitary, physical being, mysteriously extracted from Spirit, separate and vulnerable... but we are not what we "appear" to be. We are visiting a world of form to make a discovery. We have come here to uncover a mystery that has plagued our consciousness for a time that curiously predates our present memory. We are here for a reason... to find out exactly who we are... and to experience bliss.

This world of our visitation can seem peculiar in many ways. First and foremost, it appears dense. The ground floor seems quite solid. Then again, upon three quarters of its surface is a clear, slippery liquid, and we are immersed in a delicate, almost weightless vapor. From the soles of our feet upward, we are wrapped in an environment of air. Yet there seems little we can do about the prison of our cells. There is an undeniable, sustained density in our appearance.

If there is one "thing" that binds us to a world of density and form more than any other, it is our attitude. Whether we realize it or not, the nature and extent of our bondage results from our own choices, conscious or unconscious, individual and collective. Most of these choices are predicated upon a misconception. We think we are this body and we think we are separate.

The basic assumptions and choices we make play a definite role in the discovery of our Self. If we persist in believing that the material and separate aspects of our experience are the "real thing," our prison will seem essentially material and, in a deep way, we will feel alone and fundamentally helpless. We will hardly notice that this appearance is assumed. However, if we make no limiting assumptions at all and look intently and continuously into the life that is given, a delightful wonder begins to unfold. Gradually, or quite suddenly, our seemingly mundane environment becomes extraordinary. The physical appearance begins to evanesce. In its place emerges the Primordial, Resonant Heart, filling the form with an ecstatic, etheric substance. This vibratory substance is Bliss.

Meditation is the single most clearly defined "activity" of this life, whose design and purpose is to unite our experience with the exact Essence of our Self. The plan is to get to the Heart of substance, to feel it, hear it and see it as it is, underneath the appearance. Meditation is the essential ingredient in this Recipe for Bliss.

The Divine Life is the only life that yields permanent satisfaction. Every other life is destined to pass away. This physical life will pass away. Every specific physical condition will undergo ceaseless change and eventual dissolution. That to which we might cling today will vanish tomorrow. There is no permanent physical support anywhere. There can never be such a support. There are only temporary havens.

The Divine Life, however, has a permanent quality. It is the one quality that separates it from all other lives. While there is an infinite variety of possible expressions of the Divine Life, there are a few clearly discernible manifestations that form the essence of this life.

These qualities are found within. They are available. Search for them. Do not settle for anything less. Do not stop until you find them. Do not rest until they are permanently yours. There is plenty of time to rest once this conscious transformation is complete.

At definite points along our conscious journey, we recognize that we need help. Some know this early on. The more willful often discover this later, after a long and painful attempt to forge through life independent of the Whole. A misdirected urge to dominate our environment twists the willful consciousness into an egoic pretzel. All the ends join in a continuous loop, but the quality of separation is maintained.

As we search for the Primordial Inner Light, we may find it partially evolved within ourselves, but we can find it completely manifested through a Master Soul. To achieve this Resonance directly on our own usually requires a very long and lonely journey... perhaps a million years or more. This, of course, depends upon our starting point, the present condition of our vibrant consciousness. With the help of a highly conscious Soul, our movement along the path is hastened. We accelerate through contact. In no time, Bliss is there. His Resonance awakens our own.

How will we recognize such a Soul? When we look at someone, we will usually see the elementary parts of an ordinary human being. The appendages are in place. Some feelings show. Some preferences are there. Some tendencies are expressed. However, as we look deeper... much deeper... a Master Soul will reveal a path that extends from where we stand at this very moment to a luminous experience of our Self. A path like this is always available.

In a curious way, the Master experiences the Divine Presence in every single "other" being. Having become the entire Path himself, each "separate" experiencing entity is known to be a part of the Whole Being God Is. There is no problem in any part.

From one perspective this path has two basic parts. One part is the practice of special attention techniques that guide and accelerate the Soul toward divine experience. The other part is the actual vibrational qualities of the Primordial Spirit.

It is a profound truth that what we ask for is what we will eventually receive. The one we look for is the one we meet. Finding the Master is exactly like that. The one we are seeking is the one we shall find. Yet, it is certain that we will be challenged along the way. We must learn to persevere. To find the greatest Soul requires the greatest search... the greatest perseverance... and perpetual courage. Do not assume it shall be easy.

If you do, you will certainly become discouraged. How shall we begin?

One way is to look non-aggressively, but very deeply, into each resonating being in your sphere of life. Keep on looking with kindness and patience. Be receptive. You are searching for someone who is absolutely waiting for you at this moment! Perhaps he or she resides in a physical body... perhaps not. Look beyond any rudimentary features. Look for that One, with those exquisite qualities, who sympathetically causes them to resonate within yourself. It is this resonance that identifies the Master and illuminates the path.

He can be recognized only from within. That is where the resonance takes place. That is where the path is. That is where the bliss is. Do not be fooled in this regard. The Master does not own the bliss privately. He experiences it as all parts of himself, and he recognizes it as your Self! He cannot see you separate from God, for the simple reason that there is no separation in Reality.

To help edit these writings, I used the grammar tool of the popular word processing software Microsoft Word. Over and over it placed a notice on the screen that read, "The main clause may contain a verb in passive voice." At first, I paid little attention to this. I simply thought it curious that this tool contained this "safeguard" on its agenda. But it kept appearing like a little dog that grabs hold of your pant leg and won't let go.

Suddenly a light went on. Most popular writing reflects the customary state of our mind...namely, it is active rather than passive. Our mind and our senses seek experience outside of our self. We are persistently and perpetually searching for something beyond our own physical form. A Recipe for Bliss largely employs the "passive voice." This reflects an open, meditative state of perception that watches the outer energetic substance dance about us and then within us. Our perception focuses upon an interiorized Center... and remains there. This meditative state is inviting. It is receptive. Its "voice" is not a speaking voice, but rather a listening voice.

As you read these chapters, you will surely experience a turning inward of the voice. Your attention may gradually assimilate this pattern of quiet introspection, because the thoughts expressed here issue from that condition. This kind of listening is the foundation of the Divine Life.

We discover and acquire many things through osmosis. We absorb feelings and patterns that are not always directly stated or clearly recognized. Our environment impacts our conscious way of perceiving. In the 1960's, Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase, "The medium is the message." The medium of these writings is Meditation... an interiorized and directed focus of conscious attention.

Through meditation, we absorb the path to God. This path opens wide as we begin to hear a definite and consistent inner Sound. We cannot help but feel awe in its presence. It appears to be everywhere, yet it slips in behind our conscious mind and is just barely perceived at first. As it fills the inner space, intuition flowers like a lotus, slowly rising from a garden of earth and water, into the etheric landscape. We gradually merge with its Essence.

The cow has long been revered in India as divine. Why? She endlessly chews and chews the simple grass. She then slowly passes this cud through four stomachs to extract all the nutrients that it contains. Through a divine blueprint, this patient digestion and assimilation of simple grasses produces a tremendously massive, yet calm mother. An inner design and fire convert grass and water into the proteins and other nutrients that form flesh and blood. All the while, the cow appears content.

If we become like that cow, we can gaze into our surroundings and chew on the Essence that is here. And then, we chew on it some more. We digest it...We assimilate it... We Meditate! Gradually, something new and wonderful begins to happen inside.

A title for this book came to me in the early stages of the writing. It was to be The Path to God. It seemed appropriate. The path of every spiritual seeker is aimed toward God. Actually, a path leading to God is there for everyone... for those who are seeking and for those who have not yet realized that this is what they are doing. Some of us are meandering... others are getting on with it directly.

But I became concerned that this title sounds presumptuous and exclusive. Each Soul is unique, therefore isn't it reasonable to assume that there is a unique path for each one us? There must be! There is! If there were only one path, why would God create so many "different" souls to experience it? One single Soul would be enough.

Then one day I met a young man on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson. He had a smile on his face, a book under his arm and a coupon in his hand. He did not have that smug look of one who thinks he has "The Answer." Rather, he radiated a calm, sweet contentment. As I looked deeply into him, I felt his resonance... his grace. Clearly he had discovered a way to live.

Gently, he showed me the book, The Bhagavad-Gita (1) and asked if I had seen it. I responded that I had first begun reading it almost thirty years before, while traveling in India. As we briefly discussed this book, his eyes lit up. We could both feel the warmth of this inner dialogue. He then handed me a coupon for a local Indian restaurant and invited me to come there for dinner. After a short visit, he drifted off to meet others.

(1. The Bhagavad-Gita is a tremendous dialogue between Lord Krishna and his foremost disciple, Arjuna. It is also a dialogue between the higher and lower self of a single Soul. This dialogue proceeds on many levels. It contains an unfolding description of the Path that leads this lower self into its own Higher Dimension.)

I had eaten there a few times before. Its ambiance was sweet, just like the countenance of this young man. I closed my eyes and began to smell the curries and taste the tea. The next morning in meditation, a new title for this book presented itself... A Recipe for Bliss. It drifted in on the memory of the dishes I had imagined the day before.

We are searching for God. We are trying to get ever closer and closer. We are moving along a path. But how do we know where we are? What does it feel like as we begin to merge consciously with our Essence? What is the feeling? Paramhansa (2) Yogananda calls it, "Ever New Bliss!" This is the feeling! It is so real and so satisfying that we can even taste its sweetness.

(2. The word Paramhansa, a religious title signifying one who is master of himself, and literally meaning "supreme swan," today is commonly written Paramahansa (having five a's, rather than four). The author leaves any arguments regarding the correct spelling to Sanskrit scholars, but chooses the use of Paramhansa for these writings, for this is the way Yogananda, himself, signed his spiritual name.)

After fifty years of trial and error, searching, imagining and decades of meditation, Bliss began to slowly glide into my own experience on the wings of Sound. A Current of this wondrous Vibration gradually began to awaken and then fill inside. The Flow first played hide and seek with me. It was elusive, but as I became committed to experience it above everything else, it gradually became my partner. Now It has changed me in a fundamental way... from the inside out.

Why did it take fifty years to find its way to me? I brought some stubborn traits to the Dance. These held me back. And... I developed a few more along the way. I began meditating thirty years ago, but I didn't maintain an adequate discipline. Complacency can set in when we feel a zone of comfort that is acceptable in the moment. The Design of this life, however, will not let us remain complacent indefinitely. Eventually we will become sufficiently disturbed. This forces us to get on with the Reality search. But the Dance is always here! Its Radiance and Resonance can dissolve fifty years of confusion and turmoil in the time between our last out-breath and our next in-breath.

The Current of Bliss is ever growing... ever expanding... ever new. It stretches farther than the eye can see... beyond what the ear can hear... into realms more wondrous and subtle than my consciousness can feel in this moment. It is a soft, enveloping, omnipresent Harmony. I am not able to swallow it whole, so I taste its sweetness, piece by piece.

In a very simple way, these writings are a recipe for a feast. If you will, please join me in the kitchen. Everyone is welcome. There is no worry that there will be too many cooks. The more, the merrier. A banquet is being prepared. Yet, be forewarned. The preparation will definitely take some time. It is not fast food! But this I know as certain: if it is not already the case, one day to come, Bliss will saturate all of your cells and fill your Heart. A Sound shall fill you and assert with Vibrant Certainty...

I Am That!

When we become excited by a new outlook or some focus that awakens or deeply inspires us, we may try to digest the whole thing at once. Like a profound book that carries deep, multi-layered, transcendent messages, this new outlook should be "read" over and over again to uncover its depth. It is almost always better to focus upon one nuance at a time, rather than skimming lightly over the whole thing. Enter in deeply. Breathe in the Essence. Take your time.

Skimming over life is what most of us do most of the time. We may feel we lack the guidance or the courage to dive deeply into the Real Essence of ourselves. Surrounding us, there is a material appearance that often seems unworthy of our deep attention. It can gradually put us to sleep. We may begin to assume that everything is like that... that everything and everyone is unworthy of our deepest attention. This is not so!

We have been born to discover who we are and to experience Bliss. To achieve this, we need to develop spiritual discrimination. We must learn how to avoid being mesmerized by the ocean of superficial information... to avoid becoming jaded by the seemingly endless stream of inconsequential "news." We must learn to keep our attention firmly focused upon the Formless Reality. Behind this desert of data is a well of wisdom. Its waters shall quench any thirst.

From here begins the Path. Listen quietly for the Harmony. Discover a Knowing that is like no other. Follow your Heart to its Center, and... Bliss will enter!

This was an excerpt from the book "A Recipe for Bliss" by Carl Schmidt. For more material from the book, see The Home Foundation at  http://www.thehomefoundation.com.