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How to Use This Book
our loving embrace gradually encompasses the whole universe, we discover, at the fifth center, that this universe is our bountiful friend. The process of focusing our attention on the meaning of sohum points out to us the difference between our enduring soul and our temporary material body. At the sixth center, we learn to identify with "That," our consciousness, rather than with the body. Then we begin to disengage ourselves from the constant, restless game of life so that we can observe the quality of our playing. We can perceive the world as it really is; we can distinguish between appearance and reality. Ultimately, at the seventh center, there is no longer any separation between the "I" and the "That" of sohum. We realize simply that we are, that there is only pure awareness.
As a link between our present awareness and our true, pure nature, sohum is a powerful tool for our meditations on these centers. Although each of these centers has its particular mantra, many masters in the past have reached enlightenment using this key mantra. Students of meditation can choose either approach in their practice on the seven centers. Both are valid and both will lead to the ultimate goal: the experience of Self.
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