Ru

Table of Contents

En Ru

1

Introduction

The one rule that changes everything — don't lie, especially to yourself

Part 1. Theory

1

You are not you

What defines "you" once you set the physical body aside?

Who can you trust?

Optical illusions show how easily the senses can be fooled

How did we get here?

Earth's history in 24 hours — modern humans arrived in the last few seconds

2

What's inside

Your brain is a three-layered cake — survival at the bottom, emotions in the middle, creativity and dreams on top.

Fear is the primal root of greed, envy, and jealousy

Chronic stress literally shrinks the parts of your brain that handle memory, learning and decisions

3

Mass culture

Pixar's Inside Out visualizes the emotional machinery running inside our heads

Pixar's Soul asks what the spark is — the thing that makes a life yours

4

Existence

R. Crumb's "No Hope" diagram confronts the absurdity of existence head-on

Light and darkness

A good mood is the norm. And to see the light, you need the dark

Everything moves in waves: more, then less. Just don't let it crash over you

5

Life

Your second life begins when you realize you only have one.

What story are you telling yourself about your life? Are you winning?

Body, Mind, Soul

You're a walking flower pot. The flower inside is you

Life is an endless climb through nested pyramids — freedom is stepping out of the pyramid entirely

The movie in your head

The mind hands out the roles, runs the film and sits down to watch. So who's really in the audience?

Who is watching

All we see are icons that help us survive. So who is looking at them?

6

Consciousness

Levels of consciousness

Every tradition drew the same map. What matters is the direction you're moving

You are that. The observer and the universe it watches are one

All Is Consciousness

Consciousness is a property of the universe, like gravity. It is everywhere and fills any shape that fits

Part 2. Foundation

1

Runway

Hard knock life

Happiness is what remains when you subtract the suffering

Empty your cup — a full one has no room for anything new

Mask on yourself

Put the oxygen mask on yourself first — two drowning people are not better than one

2

Admit it

The first step is admitting there's a problem

3

Buddhism

Practical psychology — a diagnosis of the mind and a way out

4

Yoga

Paying attention to whatever is happening — that's the whole practice

Fasting for the soul

You fast the body to reset it — meditation does the same for the mind

The body teaches the mind to stay calm where panic is the only real danger

5

Meaning

The only meaning of life is to be joyful while we're here

The Japanese reason for being: what you love, what you're good at, and what others need

Reincarnation is happening right now — we're reborn into different masks while still alive

Part 3. Path

1

Way out

Fear isn't real. Rebuild your life so it brings joy: yourself, others, thinking, love, money, freedom

The one person you can't walk away from. Integrity, body, state: the work goes inward

Be impeccable with your word, take nothing personally, assume nothing, always do your best

Clear thinking takes training — and one filter: true is what works

Heal yourself first, then help others

The ideal relationship is friendship, and love is a verb

Talk, talk, talk — and then talk some more. A couple is pleasant work, but still work

They'll turn out like you anyway — so work on yourself, not on them

The highest form of wealth is waking up and saying: today I can do whatever I want

The most valuable thing in life — and the first cage to leave is fear

2

Not in vain

Seventy years of suffering is way too much. Seventy years of fun is barely enough

"Dad, the good mood ran out! What do I do?"

This is my life

There are many like it, but this one is mine. The rifleman's creed, rewritten for your life

Six rules that close the book — and turn the method into a way to live.

Create the reality in front of you. Life's too short to chew on old grudges

Question everything

Don't take my word for it. Try it yourself