The space from which these understandings come has no

body, no mouth, it cannot speak. To be communicated these

insights had to cross the wild river of accumulated personal-

ity, acculturation, interpretation, opinion, and preference to

enter into the limitations of language. They are offered as a

near-translation of the experience of things as they really are.

These teachings were originally offered in the direct, charis-

matic, air medium of the oral tradition before once again

being translated and further grounded into the powerful

earth medium of the written word, print on paper, book

form.

The transmission from form to form continued without the

self-conscious "presence" of an editor, but instead flowed

from the experience out of which these teachings had origi-

nated. The continuity was grace elicited from the fullness of

each moment as it manifested before us as this book. The

collaboration occurred on a plane where the beings col-

laborating were no one in particular, so there was little to

impede or diffuse the natural intensity of the light.

As this oral tradition translated itself into the written word

we decided not to italicize, specialize, the Sanskrit-derived

terms such as: sadhana, spiritual practice; karma, the actions

of life which breed further reaction; samadhi, deeply concen-

trated states; Guru, the teacher, the teaching--because these

concepts should not be something different, or "other," but

should be allowed to enter into the marrow of the language.

So too dharma, as natural karmic duty, appropriate action for