The Enlightened One’s View of Life

By Geoff Pridham

What is the best possible way to live your life?

The Enlightened One explains:

“The best possible life is where you have gone beyond your normal human existence, to the next level, as best as someone born as a human being can.”

In the first part of the book The Enlightened One teaches his disciples three simple techniques for achieving this: Perspective, Evolution and Creativity. The more you use these the more perfect your life will become. He also teaches the disciples some additional, lesser techniques that can be used as they wish: Setting Life Goals, Making Plans and Acting on Them, Seeing the Panorama, and Living in the Present.

In the second part of the book the disciples ask The Enlightened One a range of questions on all aspects of life, including what is truth, what is right and wrong, what is the right religion, how should we live, what job should we have, what should we eat, what is beauty, should we marry, how should we bring up children, how should we deal with others, what is the best way to succeed, how can we guarantee the best health, how can we make the best relationships, and many other topics. The Enlightened One provides some interesting and sometimes astonishing answers.

The Enlightened One concludes:

“I wish you only the best things in life, which always come from going to the next level. In fact, being at the next level is the best thing in life. Apply Perspective, Evolution and Creativity as often as you are able to and you will live as perfect a life as anyone born as a human being can.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Geoff Pridham
• Release date: May 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310716966

Geoff Pridham

Geoff Pridham is a retired IT manager who has had a lifelong interest in what is the real truth: about the world, about people, and about what can really be known. He has privately studied many areas related to this, including psychology, philosophy, neuroscience, religion, spirituality, physics, biology and creative thought. He uses both his IT knowledge and his other studies to create his works.Geoff lives happily in Sydney, Australia with his lovely wife.

Book preview

The Enlightened One’s View of Life

For Those Who Want to Go Beyond Mere Human Existence

By Geoff Pridham

Copyright 2014 by Geoffrey Robert Pridham

Published by Geoff Pridham at Smashwords

First Published 2014

This book is available in print at most online retailers.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

1. PERFECT LIFE

2. HAPPY ALL THE TIME

3. BEYOND HUMAN

4. UNDERSTAND YOURSELF

5. PERSPECTIVE

6. EVOLUTION

7. CREATIVITY

8. MORE DETAILS AND LESSER METHODS

9. LIFE GOALS

10. MAKING PLANS

11. GOING OUTSIDE THE BOX

12. GOING OUTSIDE THE BOX II

13. PANORAMA

14. PANORAMA II

15. ACTING ON YOUR PLANS

16. LIVING IN THE PRESENT

17. LIVING IN THE PRESENT II

18. EASIER SOLUTIONS

19. BEYOND HUMAN FEELINGS

20. BEYOND HUMAN FEELINGS II

21. THE SIZE OF THE UNIVERSE

22. THE AGE OF THE UNIVERSE

23. CONCLUSION

24. THE DISCIPLES GET ORGANIZED

25. WHAT IS TRUTH?

26. WHAT IS RIGHT AND WRONG?

27. WHAT IS SPIRIT?

28. WHAT IS THE RIGHT RELIGION?

29. HOW SHOULD WE LIVE?

30. WHAT SHOULD WE THINK OF OTHERS?

31. HOW SHOULD WE RUN OUR SOCIETY?

32. SHOULD WE EVER GO TO WAR?

33. WHAT JOB SHOULD WE HAVE, IF ANY?

34. WHAT SHOULD WE EAT?

35. WHAT IS BEAUTY?

36. WHAT IS THE BEST FASHION?

37. WHAT SHOULD WE WEAR?

38. WHAT IS THE BEST MUSIC OR ENTERTAINMENT?

39. HOW SHOULD WE RELATE TO OUR RELATIVES?

40. SHOULD WE MARRY?

41. HOW SHOULD WE BRING UP CHILDREN?

42. SHOULD WE LOOK AFTER OUR PARENTS?

43. HOW SHOULD WE DEAL WITH OTHERS?

44. WHAT SHOULD WE DO IF WE GET SICK?

45. SHOULD WE KEEP PETS?

46. HOW SHOULD WE COPE WITH WORKING FOR A LIVING?

47. LIVING IN THE HUMAN WORLD

48. LIVING IN THE HUMAN WORLD II

49. SHOULD WE RUN OUR OWN BUSINESS?

50. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO SUCCEED?

51. WHAT SHOULD WE DO IF WE GET DEPRESSED?

52. HOW SHOULD WE RUN OUR HOME?

53. HOW CAN WE CONVINCE OTHERS TO CHANGE THEIR MINDS?

54. WHAT SHOULD WE DO ABOUT CRIME?

55. HOW CAN WE GUARANTEE THE BEST HEALTH?

56. HOW CAN WE MAKE THE BEST RELATIONSHIPS?

57. WHAT IS HUMOR?

58. WHAT SHOULD WE DO ABOUT RULERS AND POLITICIANS?

59. IS MEDITATION A GOOD THING TO DO?

60. HOW CAN WE IMPROVE OUR MEMORY?

61. WHAT SHOULD WE DO ABOUT MONEY?

62. SHOULD WE TRAVEL AND TO WHERE?

63. WHAT IS THE INNER TORTURER?

64. WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE SAINTS?

65. WHAT IS THE HOPE FOR THE FUTURE?

66. EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY

67. ACCEPTANCE AND FORGIVENESS

68. THE DICE

69. MORE ON FORGIVENESS

70. WISDOM

71. FRIENDS

72. LOVE

73. PERFECTION

74. CONFIDENCE

75. CONCLUSION

~~~~

1. PERFECT LIFE

The disciples came up to The Enlightened One and asked him: How can we live a perfect life?

The Enlightened One replied:

"A perfect life is where you are no longer human.

"A perfect life is where you have gone beyond. It is where you have developed into something more.

"Developing yourself is possible, if you are willing to make a little effort.

"Develop yourself into a perfect being so you can have a perfect life – it is by the perfection of yourself that life is made perfect, it will never come from the world outside because the world outside will always be imperfect.

Perfection does not mean being a perfect human, it means going beyond human life and human ways. It is fulfilling Evolution and moving to the next stage. Seek this and you will live as perfect a life as anyone born as a human can.

The disciples asked, How can we go beyond being human? Aren’t we always what we are, no matter what we do?

The Enlightened One replied, You are wasting your time with me. If you think you will always be what you are then you will never live a perfect life.

~~~~

2. HAPPY ALL THE TIME

The disciples asked The Enlightened One, How can we be happy all the time?

The Enlightened One replied:

"There is no reason to be happy all the time.

"‘Happiness all the time’ is an idea put about by people who want to take advantage of others. It is not for you.

"You may think you want to be happy all the time but this is not what your greater self wants.

"Seek instead to be beyond human all the time. Simple emotions are remnants of when you were human. Born as human you will never escape them, but you do not have to bow to them – they are unworthy of you.

Being beyond human is your destiny. ‘Happiness all the time’ will not matter to you then.

What will we feel when we are beyond human? Will it be something like happiness? asked the disciples.

It will be like something more than happiness, replied The Enlightened One.

~~~~

3. BEYOND HUMAN

Tell us more about being beyond human, the disciples asked.

The Enlightened One said:

"Being beyond human is seeing yourself as you really are.

"You go beyond human by first acknowledging your human evolutionary background. You were born as a human being but can go beyond this.

"Understand that you were born with primitive feelings and a limited brain – these will always be with you. Acknowledge their existence so you can go beyond them.

The ‘beyond’ is when you see your feelings happening all the time – seeing them clearly you will not have to follow them. The ‘beyond’ is also acknowledging the limitations of your brain – then you can look for better ways to think than what you were born with. When you go beyond your mere human existence you will be truly free.

How can we go beyond our feelings and our brain? asked the disciples.

Through understanding, replied The Enlightened One.

~~~~

4. UNDERSTAND YOURSELF

The Enlightened One felt compassion for his disciples and decided to tell them more about understanding themselves so they could be set free.

Who is ‘yourself’? The Enlightened One asked.

You have said it is our primitive feelings and a limited brain, replied the disciples.

"Yes, ‘yourself’ is the inheritance of your human past, but it is also your desire and efforts to go beyond this.

"You were born as a human being, with the baggage of primitive human emotions and a limited human intellect. You want to go beyond these. Unfortunately you cannot leave your body or transform into another being, but what you can do is improve yourself by pursuing the effect of the next stage of Evolution. At the next stage of Evolution is a creature whose feelings and intellect are more advanced than the natural human ones.

Be your true self by being the self of your destiny: the one that has better feelings and greater thoughts than those of mere human beings. Reflect this as much as you can.

The disciples were confused by these instructions.

How can we go to the next stage in Evolution? they asked. We cannot transform into another being, as you said.

No, that is true, The Enlightened One agreed. I see that I have confused you by going too fast. Let me show you how to live like one who has gone beyond. Over the next few days I will teach you some practical ways to go beyond your normal human limitations.

The disciples nodded.

~~~~

5. PERSPECTIVE

The Enlightened One said:

"One way to go beyond your normal human way of thinking is to see things in perspective.

"Perspective is that magical realm where you see things as they really are.

"Perspective is the greatest gift that you can give yourself. With perspective everything will be made clear.

"Even though you are working with your human brain, perspective can make it seem as if you were seeing with a ‘God’s-eye view.’

"Think about your whole life: don’t just think about the current situation. Where will the current situation fit into your whole life? Will it still be important to you? Go further: expand your thinking out to the whole of the universe. Where will this situation fit then?

"Keep expanding: think of the whole of time, from the beginning of the universe until its end. Expand that further: think of the time before this universe began and the time after it ends. Where will the situation fit then, how will it look?

When you expand your thinking out to the whole of the universe and all of time and beyond, you will transform your thoughts into something more than human. It will be as if you were taking a ‘God’s-eye view,’ as if you were no longer just one single human being existing briefly in the eons of time.

The disciples thought about this and discussed it with each other. After a while they returned to The Enlightened One and said, That sounds good and like it would really work but we were wondering what happens to the individual who does that. Aren’t they in danger of losing themselves, maybe starting to think that their own life doesn’t matter anymore?

The Enlightened One replied, Far from losing themselves they will find themselves. Their higher being will come to life and will guide them towards a greater purpose.

~~~~

6. EVOLUTION

The Enlightened One said:

"A powerful way to improve on your normal human feelings is to think about the next stage in Evolution.

"Think about Evolution because your normal human feelings are too primitive to serve you.

"Think about Evolution because you want to be set free. You want to move on to a higher state of being.

"You cannot actually evolve physically but you can think about it. You can imagine what it would be like to be a more evolved being. As you think about this higher state your feelings will transform.

"Think about becoming a superior being. Picture yourself as having already evolved to the next stage: what would that look like? Imagine yourself looking like that evolved being. What are you feeling now?

"Go further: think about what it would be like to evolve beyond the next stage. What would the next being be like, and the next one after that? Imagine you had transformed into the final being in Evolution. What are your feelings like now?

By thinking about the next stages in Evolution you will transform your current feelings to a higher state. It will be as if you had really evolved into a higher being, as much as that is possible.

The disciples thought about this startling new strategy and discussed it animatedly. After a while they turned to The Enlightened One and asked, You can’t really evolve, as you said, but you can imagine it and that will transform your feelings, but how can you know what Evolution will really look like? Is that a stupid question?

The Enlightened One replied, No, it’s not stupid. The truth is you don’t need to know what Evolution will really look like, you only need to imagine it and that will do everything you need it to do.

~~~~

7. CREATIVITY

The Enlightened One said:

I have given you two powerful yet simple ways to improve on your normal human mind. There is one other powerful technique that you need to know: it is to be creative.

The disciples nodded.

"Be creative to overcome the limits of the human mind.

"Be creative so your limited human intellect leapfrogs over itself.

"It would seem impossible for a low-powered device to achieve great outcomes, yet used creatively it can perform what amounts to miracles. It is by using their minds creatively that human beings have been able to do so much, in spite of their inherent limitations.

"Imagine your thinking is like looking at a set of items stored inside a box. You can examine the items and try to find an answer. You can rearrange the items and hope it comes to something. This is what normal thinking is like: we can only look at so many items at once, and only those that we have placed together in our minds. Now, imagine adding something from outside the box, something that you would not normally think of. What would happen then?