Break Through to Your True Self: My Personal Road of Discovery to Knowing the True Self and Enlightenment

By Michael Tavella

Many monks and gurus teach a path to enlightenment that is long and complicated. It also requires an austere life in many cases. But what about the ordinary person? Does everyone seeking enlightenment need to become a monk? In Break Through to Your True Self, author Michael Tavella uses his personal experiences to help others seeking a path to enlightenment.

Outlining the steps that worked for him, Tavella provides the answers to why we become enlightened, who we really are, what our purpose on the earth is, what happens after enlightenment, and why many teachers tell us to live in the moment. He facilitates a discussion through the questions of:

• What should I do?
• How should I act?
• Who can help me?
• What is the end goal?

If you’re on a path to knowledge, Break Through to Your True Self offers practical help by giving examples of the real-life experiences of an enlightened man.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Nov 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665731836

Michael Tavella

MICHAEL TAVELLA has spent his life studying to become enlightened and has lived enlightened for thirty years. He is trained as an engineer but has dedicated twenty years of his adult life to studying the Eastern religions and philosophy and learned much about the science behind the universe as well as the metaphysics of that universe. Tavella works and enjoys hobbies that include reading, woodworking, modeling, and metal work.

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BREAK THROUGH

to

YOUR TRUE SELF

My Personal Road of Discovery to Knowing the

True Self and Enlightenment

MICHAEL TAVELLA

Copyright © 2022 Michael Tavella.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by

any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system

without the written permission of the author except in the case of

brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author

and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of

the information contained in this book and in some cases, names

of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Archway Publishing

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.archwaypublishing.com

844-669-3957

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or

links contained in this book may have changed since publication and

may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those

of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher,

and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-6657-3181-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-3182-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-3183-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022919180

Archway Publishing rev. date: 11/18/2022

To my darling wife for putting up with me all these

years, and to Ken Roberts for waking me up.

There are two kinds of People on the earth: those

who know and those who do not know.¹

—Master Alcyone

CONTENTS

Why You Should Read This Book

PART I: IN THE BEGINNING

Chapter 1:  Who We Are

Chapter 2:  Our True Selves, The Mind, And The Universe­: How They Work

Other Topics

Chapter 3:  The Tao

Chapter 4:  On The Road To Enlightenment

PART II: REACHING THE GOAL

Chapter 5:  The Endgame

Chapter 6:  Living As An Enlightened Being

Epilogue/Conclusion

Bibliography

Appendix: Buddhism, Zen, And Taoism

Acknowledgments

Endnotes

WHY YOU SHOULD

READ THIS BOOK

This book is my personal story of the discovery of the true self and enlightenment. Over the past seventy years, I have learned much about the path and the various ways it works to get us to knowledge.

I wrote this book to help people who are on a path to knowledge and are not enlightened yet. People who are thinking about starting on the path can also get help as well.

Many people starting on a path look to Buddhism and Zen because they are well known. Sadly, after a few weeks or months, they become disillusioned and quit. If you are in this state, this book can help.

In this book, I tell of my own story of enlightenment and what came after. I know the struggle to become enlightened, and I believe I can help in your struggles. Many monks and gurus teach a path to enlightenment that is long and complicated. It also requires an austere life in many cases. But what about the ordinary person? Does everyone seeking enlightenment need to become a monk? No! That is what this book is about.

Most people in the world are not on a direct path to enlightenment. They live their lives in all types of conditions. They are born, live, and die, never knowing their true selves. Others have started on a path to knowledge or are thinking about it. Once started on the path, questions immediately surface: What should I do? How should I act? Who can help me? And just what is the end goal? These questions will be answered in this book, along with many others.

Our true selves work with the Tao to move us forward. I will explain how all of the major things that happen in your life happen for a reason. They are directed by your true self. You are following a path, whether you know it or not.

I am in my seventieth year on earth as I write this. My journey began soon after my birth. I spent forty years reaching my enlightenment. I read dozens of books and listened to hundreds of hours of audio tapes before I finally reached my goal. I learned a lot about the process. I also learned that for all the books out there, none teaches all I had to learn.

I have always been a rebel when it comes to spiritual matters. I have never wanted to follow a strict regime. Therefore, I had to find my own way. I know now that my way was not as hit-or-miss as I imagined and that my true self, using the Tao, has guided me every step of the way.

If you, too, are like me, this book will be a great help. I may answer a lot of your questions. It may show you that you are not alone in your struggle, even though it seems that way now.

This book will provide the answers to why we become enlightened, who we really are, what our purpose on the earth is, what happens after enlightenment, and why many teachers tell us to live in the moment.

The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, who wrote the Tao Te Ching said the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. For those on a path who are seeking clarity, now is the time to move forward. The steps I outline in this book worked for me, but it took a long time to get there. Using this book will move you along faster—but only if you read it!

Part I

IN THE BEGINNING

Chapter 1

WHO WE ARE

MY STORY—THE BEGINNING

I begin this book with my story. Looking back on my life, I see now that everything I did was part of a plan of my true self (my higher self) to gain enlightenment and to eventually write this book.

Before I tell my story, I want to reiterate the point that your true self, even now, is guiding you along on your path. Ever since you were born, you had things happen to you, you were given opportunities, and your life went in certain directions. All of this was for a reason. All of it was to move you forward to get more energy for your true self. Even people who are not on a path, or aren’t even aware of their path, are following a plan set in motion by their true self. With that in mind, my story begins here.

I was born in 1952 in the suburbs of New York. My parents told me that when I was a couple of weeks old, I developed an infection. I was near death for two weeks. They gave me around two million units of penicillin, and I recovered. My first memory of being different was when I was six and in first grade. I went to a Catholic school, and we studied the catechism (a book of doctrine that is a set of questions and answers). The first question is Who is God? The answer is: God is the Supreme Being. The second question is Where is God? And the answer is: God is everywhere. When I read that, I knew something was wrong. I knew that if God was everywhere, then God was in all of us. God is not some guy with a long white beard and flowing robes. I also knew that if God was in me, then I didn’t need a priest to be a go-between. That, of course, flew in the face of church teachings and was out there for the 1950s. So I kept this to myself. Others around me knew nothing of this, and I wasn’t about to straighten them out.

I also discovered that I could get things by willing them. I knew that if I thought about something I wanted and did nothing else, it would appear. Again, I was around seven or eight when I discovered this, so I kept it secret. Over the years, I learned that I could use this power, but as I controlled it, it controlled me. I learned that I could not do anything to speed my request along. I learned that I could not ask for outrageous requests. Over time, I had no idea that others knew about this power or the truth about God. Although I had this secret, I did not pursue a reason for this knowledge, nor did I learn that I was on a path to knowledge.

Before high school, I had decided that electrical engineering was for me. I spent my high school and college years learning science and engineering. I was pretty conventional in that course of study. Little did I know at the time how much that would play a role in the writing of this book.

Eventually, I was in college, studying electrical engineering. In my senior year, I took a few humanities classes, including one called Myths and Legends. It was there that my eyes were opened. I discovered that many others knew about God not being a guy in flowing robes and that certain powers like mine were not limited to me. After that, I was hungry for more knowledge.

I discovered that we are beings of consciousness that come to earth on this physical plain. These consciousnesses, which I call the true selves, take on bodies and minds. The consciousnesses inhabit a plane of existence that is incorporeal, called the astral plane. There is no time there. One of the reasons the consciousnesses come to the physical plane is to learn and advance. This plane is denser than the astral plane. It has time and dimension. It is a lot slower too. While that allows the consciousnesses to study and learn and to gain energy, it also carries a cost. Taking on a body and mind is like putting on a thick blanket. Our true selves are hidden. We are born and immediately begin learning about the world. In the beginning,