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INTRODUCTION

Individuals who are seriously interested in spiritual development are faced with a confusing situation. When they try to choose which teacher or teaching to follow, they discover that all of them claim to be best.

In part this situation arises from the fierce competition that exists in the spiritual marketplace. In part it arises from the egos of teachers, who really believe that they, and their teachings, are the best; a view that is greatly encouraged by their students.

If all teachers were similar, one would have a fairly simple situation, analogous to choosing one's physician. It would be a matter of personal preference and of estimating the general competence of the teacher. But they are not similar. Teachers have very different styles and methods.

For example, in one teaching the student is told that it is necessary to stop all thought. In another he is told to repeat a sacred word or phrase endlessly. In a third he will be encouraged to have an uncontrolled visionary experience. How can these varied approaches all be correct?

There are many ways to explain this confusing situation. It may be due to an honest difference of opinion. It may occur because each teaching specializes in cultivating different types of experience. It may be strategic; that is, by over-emphasizing the differences between teachings, they set themselves apart. As with automobiles, relatively minor distinctions can be blown out of proportion in the advertising process in order to sell the latest models. But whatever the reasons, a spiritual "Tower of Babel" exists.

One way to reduce this confusion is to examine various teachings using a general format that applies (in varying degrees), to all situations. In this book a three body model will be employed for this purpose. This approach has the advantage of being simple, relevant and widely accepted. In essence, it distinguishes between three fundamental levels of human experience: the physical (including sensation, thought and feeling); the subtle (which concerns the flow of patterned energies within the body); and the cosmic (where all experience is universalized). To refer to each of these levels as "bodies" may be confusing. Only the physical body has a clearly defined form and density. The subtle body has a form, but you can put your hand through it. It does not have density. And the cosmic body is essentially formless, that is, it is everywhere at once.

We can describe the relation of the individual to these three bodies in two ways. First, that they already exist, and the essential problem is to become aware of them. Second, that the physical body exists, but the other two must be developed through a conscious process of internal evolution.

Regardless of which of these assumptions a particular teaching follows, a tremendous commitment and effort is always required of the individual in order to attain their final objective—the conscious functioning of all three bodies in the liberated human being.

In pursuing this aim, the subtle or energetic body occupies a crucial position, falling as it does between the physical and the cosmic bodies. The physical body is the foundation for the subtle. And the subtle body, as it develops, becomes the foundation for the cosmic.

The title of this book, The Body Of Light, refers to two stages in this process of internal evolution. The first applies to the subtle body, which is typically described in terms of the radiance of its colors. The second concerns the final stage of development, when the physical level is totally transfigured and only a rainbow body—a distinct but nonmaterial entity that is free of all physical limitations—remains. That is the eventual goal. But to get there, the subtle body must be activated; a process which is the theme of this book.

All spiritual teachings have something to say about the nature of this process. This book was written to compare their viewpoints. Furthermore, specific practices from these varied teachings will be presented. They can then be tested by the reader who is interested in their relative effectiveness, and who wishes to take a further step in the cultivation of his or her own subtle body.