As a
businessman, I maintained a practice of responding to inquiries in accordance
with the speed of the medium used by the inquirer. I have maintained this practice
to this very day. I respond to e-mails, if not immediately, then at least on
the same day they were sent, knowing full well their likely fate if left for
another day.

It was
in this spirit of simple expediency that I responded one day to the inquiry of an
international initiative concerning the country or region I represent. I wrote,
“Origin: prior unity. Consciousness: cosmic. Place of citizenship: earth. Place
of work: German-speaking countries. Nationality: Swiss. Place of residence: Autigny
(Canton of Fribourg) and Zurich.”

And now,
I can’t contain a sense of delight when I read through this profile and consider
its implications! Isn’t it wonderful to have the privilege of embodying this
existential range? Not as a matter of mental gymnastics alone, of course, but
as an existential experience that resonates to the core of my being. The longer
I abide in this state, the more my breath and heart expand. A vital sense of
joy envelopes and flows through me, accompanied by a resounding, life-affirming
pronouncement from the very heights and depths of my being.

Unlimited Creativity

I admit:
that all sounds rather euphoric. Removed from the world? No, not that either. After
all, I feel my fingers as they touch the keyboard of my laptop. They are
nimble, as they must be, to keep up with my thoughts. I am sitting, wide awake,
at the old octagonal table in my studio bedroom in Autigny. Sunlight suffuses
the room. My feet, too, are positioned firmly on the floor. And above me, there
is the familiar painted ceiling with its cavorting angels that dates back to the
17^th century.

But now
to the point! And first off, the matter of origin.
If we, in keeping with the assumptions of the quantum cosmologists, cast our
view back in time and attempt to explain the origin of the expanding universe, we
find that a certain monolithic event must have taken place – around 15 billion
years ago and somewhere out beyond the cosmic background noise that is
impenetrable for our strongest telescopes – that was ultimately the basis for our
existence, a primal explosion, if you will, of highly concentrated energy. Resembling
a seed, this not only carried all of the potentiality manifested in the universe,
it was also the basis of an extraordinary force of expansion that is still
active today. The universe’s unlimited creative energy is also one aspect of
this, for instance, as a driving force of evolution, magnificently expressed on
this planet in increasingly differentiated material and animate forms, and the
continual unfolding of human consciousness via self-reflection. The various
perspectives on the origin of the universe and humanity that are available to
us today would have been unthinkable just a few decades ago. One thing these perspectives
reveal is the capacity of all individuals to conceive of themselves as an
expression of the original unity and, what is more, to directly experience
themselves as an aspect of the all-encompassing unity that fills us and that we
are. 

Mystical Experiences

Do we owe
this to the fact that many of the fundamental scientific discoveries made in
recent decades actually correspond to ancient spiritual teachings? Or do we owe
it to the many, ever growing number of people who, ever since the 1960s, have rediscovered
and again set out upon the traditional paths to the mystical experience of
unity that were charted long ago by the various cultures of world? Or is it the
effect of cosmic rays emanating from the solar system? Indeed, it looks as if
the transitions from the dual world to the inner experience of pure being have
become more open or less contingent. How much easier it is today to guide
persons to their experience of unity or to allow them to again experience how
often they have already been across or close to the threshold! How they – in the
first moments of arriving at the mountain summit (or another goal of their
yearning) – lost themselves unconditionally in the immediacy of the experience. 

Almost
all of us have experienced such mystical moments – experiences of pure joy from
which we then quickly “liberated” ourselves by attributing them to external
circumstances, and then kept them at a distance by immediately turning our
attention to the desire for the reproduction of the same or other circumstances
promising even greater happiness. And yet, when we simply accept the nature of
these experiences as a manifestation of our innermost being and cultivate them as
such, we will experience an authentic, secure and inalienable state of belonging. 

Everything and Nothing
– the Unity

Karl
Rahner not only wrote that the believer of tomorrow will be a mystic – »one who
has experienced« – but also that it is the responsibility of today’s spiritual guides
to convey these experiences in an effective manner. The democratization of enlightenment is an expression that I like to
use to recover this experience from its lofty and therefore inaccessible
pedestal. It’s not that I’m lacking in terms of respect and devotion, it’s that
all of us who concern ourselves with this subject know that a refined impulse
often suffices today to scatter the notion of needing to overcome something. What
remains is unity, prior unity, unlimited and timeless, all-encompassing, beyond
birth and death. We may initially encounter unity as an essential I, as an all-encompassing you or as an externally diversified it that then ultimately leads us into an
infinite everything and nothing.

This broad
accessibility, i.e. for every man and woman who is sincerely interested, is
something new. Up until a half a century ago, common human consciousness was
not differentiated enough to perceive or even comprehend this more subtle dimension.
This meant that it was the chosen few, the visionaries and the prophets, who
maintained the link to the divine on behalf of the faithful and who were
revered and heeded as the conveyors of spiritual truths. 

Evolution

The
material vibrational states from which reproductive life arose in the course of
billions of years must have been impenetrable for a differentiated
consciousness. During yet another period of millions of years, the existence of
plants and animals was primarily focused on increasingly complex, vegetative survival
functions before individual consciousness emerged in higher mammals, a development
that then accelerated in a relatively short amount of time in the case of homo
sapiens who progressed from hunter gatherers to globally linked internauts, equipped
with the rapidly growing powers of imagination of a boundlessly expanding
universe – a universe perhaps continuously arising anew from a black hole, as
one of possibly an infinite number of parallel universes. 

The gain
in the spatial extent of consciousness is one thing. What appears to me to be
even more important, however, is the capacity to look far into the past as a
means of arriving at a new understanding of the present. If we again narrow our
view to our home planet, it is with trepidation that we perceive the present
collective and individual entanglements on the part of humanity in external phenomena.
We can feel what this means for individuals as parts of their ethnicities and nations.
That which presents itself to us now is essentially a snapshot of the sum of
all past states in the history of evolution: a continuously regenerating
present. 

Beauty and Terror

This leads
us to a number of radical questions: In addition to affirming the beauty of
this wonderful world, do we have the capacity to perceive and accept all of the
imperfections visible at the moment, all of the aberrations of human action and
the suffering they generate, as a part of the living present? As consequences
of a consciousness that, in evolutionary terms, reflects a “not-yet-awakened”
knowledge of the unity? Do we have the capacity to honor both the beauty and the
terror of this all-embracing view and to take it close to our wide open hearts?
Including all of the glaring deprivation, but also in an awareness of the more
comprehensive miracle of evolution that emerges through all instances of resistance
and relapse? Could we at least allow our personal participation and
entanglement to melt in the wonder and in the love that surrounds us – into the
unity which has forever been our true nature and which we now have an
opportunity to live? What if an awakening humanity were now in a position to
create peace on and with this planet precisely in this manner?

“Consciousness:
cosmic,” I wrote in my original profile. Rather conceited, you may have thought,
and thereby shared the response of my wife. But where, in what dimension, were
we just now?  Let’s take another step
back. Let’s broaden our view together, beyond our view of ourselves, our cultural
heritage and even of the human condition until we perceive the expanse of the
universe around us. We see in front of us the beautiful planet earth as it turns
on its axis while revolving around the sun, an entire system within a larger
system of millions of galaxies that is spiraling outwards into the universe. Cosmic
consciousness?!

This
more comprehensive view of our planet allows us to visualize how humanity gradually
spread out across the globe from its primal origins in East Africa – or, according to the latest
findings, even from Asia.
We can imagine how the various traits of body and character developed as a
response to the various geographical and climatological conditions, and how, ensconced
in different environments, the various languages, cultures and religions of the
world developed. Fears of the inexorable forces of nature and the wrath of the
gods are reflected in the rules that emerged to secure the cohesion of
community life and, ultimately, the survival of the group. The fear of banishment
from the community and the total exposure to the life-threatening dangers of
the world that it meant is still at work in society today in the form of most
people’s fear of being different. 

Exploitation and Colonialism

The involvement
of humanity in bitter conflicts over territory is as relevant today as it ever
was. With the start of what is referred to historically as the modern era, pronounced
forms of cognitive and constructive intelligence began to develop more quickly
on the continent of Europe than in other parts of the world. New and
rediscovered transport routes facilitated trade. The joining of human ingenuity
to a new entrepreneurial spirit led to a technological superiority and spurred industrial
production. The world’s resources – the biosphere, raw materials, animals, plants
and human labor – were used by one part of humanity to expand its wealth without
any regard for the welfare of the rest of humanity. This is how the supremacy
of the West arose within just a few centuries, a supremacy that is ultimately
not sustainable. 

Should
it really come as a surprise to us that those whose development came later now
demand – sometimes with an overt willingness to resort to violence – forms of compensation
and a level playing field? The demands for restitution are known. While it is
first a matter of respect for distinct cultures, the material aspects follow
rapidly, including the relinquishment of a hegemonic exercise of power, the
fair distribution of resources as assets belonging equally to all of humanity, compensation
for wealth acquired at the cost of others and equality of opportunity for those
who are in a position of having to catch up. 

While
the planet no longer offers options in the form of vast unexplored and
uninhabited expanses of land, the potential wrapped up in human ingenuity
offers ample grounds for hope. There can be little doubt that this ingenuity
will give future generations opportunities that go well beyond what we can
currently imagine. However, in order to ensure that this ingenuity leads to an
enhanced quality of life in harmony with the earth, it will be necessary to
consider the possible side effects of progress with a far greater degree of
care and vigilance than was demonstrated by earlier generations. It will be no
less important to ensure that the products or the fruits of ingenuity are not
used to establish new classes of privileged and underprivileged people. Perhaps
we need to learn that the fruits of human ingenuity are spin-offs of the development
of human consciousness and, as such, belong to all of humanity? 

The Threshold

In order
to see and grasp all of this from an empathic and compassionate heart, I am
required to venture out of global consciousness and into the cosmic realm. It
is only from this more comprehensive perspective, detached from specific national,
ethnic and personal sensibilities, that we humans can take an unwavering look
at the complex current state of our planet. Only then will the knots that were created
under the spell of delusion show all compassionate hearts the way to their
release and redemption. The separate cultures, ethnicities, religions and nationalities
are nothing more than manifestations of the unity of which their exponents are
not yet aware. I think that humanity is standing on the threshold to comprehending
the way to peace. From the awareness of the prior unity of all phenomena, many
people already have awakened to a capacity to transform matter, living organisms
and emotions. Just how and when this capacity will be expanded by the
cooperation of those who have gone ahead into a collective opening of the heart
– of “humanity as

a whole”
- is a question that is currently on the threshold to discovering its answer.

As a co-responsible
world citizen who is integrated in the global situation, I would like to apply
the uniqueness of my talents and abilities in everyday life. Many of us have
come to understand our roles in this global community and have begun to live
this role to the best of our understanding and ability. The many positive facets
of a globally active and networked civil society, as well as the astounding
number of people who have embraced spiritual and esoteric paths as a means of
discovering meaning, offer hope. However, the consciousness-changing power of
these people, as individuals and members of groups and institutions, would
magnify many times if they were to regard themselves as aspects of this continuously
emerging unity – unified in the common purpose of living on and with this earth
in peace and harmony. 

The Transformative
Power of a Unified Humanity

Consider
the gain in energy, for instance, when the one group of activists no longer
perceive themselves as competing with other groups, instead recognizing that all
are actually taking a different approach to a common goal. Or when those more connected
to the earth no longer derive their sense of worth from a contempt for those
who strive for transformation via intellectual or spiritual means – and vice
versa – and when religious leaders begin to orient their teachings to the spiritual
emergence of people instead of denigrating esotericism, which you would think
they would embrace as their own domain. The transformative power of a humanity that
is unified to this degree can scarcely be imagined. While the energy is
actually already present, the form and manner of its societal application
remain to be discovered. The exercise of caution is warranted, especially in
light of the many historical instances of the abuse of the masses, as well as
the examples of such that are continuously brought to our attention in the
present.

Many
sense that it is a matter of a mass awakening to a new collective identity, a
joining of forces among autonomous and empowered citizens of the world for the benefit
of the whole.

On the
way there, it will be necessary to give up our romantic yearning for a
community that provides us with a kind of nest warmth. The expectation that we
will be loved by others unconditionally for our own sake leads to a fatal, overburdening
demand on our actual partners, groups and societies and, ultimately, on
ourselves. These sorts of expectations and projections have an addictive appeal.
Whether it is warmth, success, prestige, power or admiration that we desire, it
is always a matter of a substitute for the authentic, secure and inalienable participation
in the (prior) unity of our innermost nature. 

Fear of Failure

During a
critical phase of my entrepreneurial life, I came to the sudden realization that
what I most feared about the possibility of business failure, a possibility
that can never be ruled out, was not the loss of my material possessions, but
the loss of esteem in the eyes of others. I know how this dynamic can also drive
managers who are accustomed to success to fire employees or to sacrifice
immaterial qualities as a safeguard against having to disappoint the
expectations of shareholders and financial experts for ever rising profits. This
same dependence recently led otherwise intelligent bankers to lose sight of the
risks they were taking, with the result that the world was brought to the brink
of financial collapse. Even Obama was not free of this dependence when he
promised in his inaugural address to consider the use of arms in the interest
of protecting the American way of life. We can gain a sense for the archaic force
at work here when we reflect on the tendency of intelligent people to prefer death
and destruction over admitting their failure to succeed. Addiction to success and
fear of failure are only two facets of the self-deceptive game for the imagined
love of others.

Sharing Responsibility

The origins of this fatal dependency on the
approval of the group lie deep in our evolutionary past and represent a stubborn
behavioral pattern that is determined in our subconscious mind. As long as not
enough people liberate themselves from this collective bondage, by discovering their
dignity in themselves and continuously affirming and standing up for this
dignity with all their might, nothing will change in our global society. As long
as we – i.e. those of us who live in democratic countries – elect politicians
who solicit our approval, we have cast our votes in vain. As long as we as
consumers nourish an economy that we know is misguided, we will get the economy
that we deserve. We can continue this game of the frightened consciousness as
long as we like, as long as our resources permit. It is up to us to assume co-responsibility
for the well-being of the human community and to join hands with other empowered
people who derive their dignity from themselves.

It is
incumbent on each and every one of us to awaken to this autonomous power. While
no one can assume responsibility for others in this matter, those who know from
experience can help to shape an environment that will foster the awakening of
others. This is my notion of modern bodhisattvas: those individuals who have
knowledge of the entire extent of being and who do not rest when it comes to spurring
the awakening of all of humanity. They do this by living their uniqueness. This
allows them to touch the hearts of others far beyond the scope of their personal
encounters. Much farther, perhaps, than we can imagine.

[1] “Unity of existence - the
primal, irreducible state of being in which the world and all things
continually arise and pass away” (Adi Da: Not-Two Is Peace. Dawn Horse Press.
2009