¶ … Universe
The passage, "If I fully experience all that is within me, embracing what I am -- that which seems evil as well as that which seems good -- I am freed to do what I am capable of doing, and to grow beyond my present limits," focuses on how human life is lived and manifested in the present time. As stated in Chapter 8 of the book, entitled, "The Universe," "fully experiencing freedom" in everything that an individual sees, feels, believes, and does is illustrated through a "new vision of the world." This feeling is synonymous to enlightenment in Buddhism, where the present life of a person plays a significant element in achieving contentment in life.
This belief is subsisted in this chapter in the book, where the author believes that "full acceptance of the present moment... conduces to greater responsiveness. In yielding to the fullness of my own experiences, I allow myself to become more sensitive to the needs of those around me" (271-2). Chuang Tzu, in the essay "The Taoist Sage," echoes "The Universe"s claim to a new way of individual renewal and enlightenment. For Tzu, life is lived at its fullest when the "spirit" is free from any beliefs adhered to in this world (275). Leo Tolstoy aptly uses the title, "Living in this Moment" in his essay to illustrate how life, surrounded by hopelessness and despair, suddenly becomes enlightening and fearless when people learn to enjoy the present moment they are in despite their trials in life D.T. Suzuki's "On Satori" resounds Chuang Tzu's belief in enlightenment, only this time, Suzuki terms this renewal experience as "satori" (282). Finally, Alan Watts posits in his essay "This is It" that the achievement of enlightenment is accompanied by a feeling of "the body no longer a burden," implying that in order to live life fully in the present time, worldly desires and aspirations must be replaced with contentment and satisfaction, enjoying life as it is at the present moment (285).
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