Dedicated to the memory of O.B. Ray, bodhisattva and itinerant American monk.
"Total relaxation is all, absolutely all, that is necessary for you to do, in order to Be."
The O-BE-ATA Project
updated May 30, 2020
The OBEATA Project (Oceanic Being Easily
Available To All) was founded in 2002 to
promote paradise-being / consciousness-enstasy. The Project operates on the
basic premise that feeling not only good but VERY good easily and
naturally is an innate birthright accessible to everyone during their planetary
sojourn. This natural 'easing' applies not only to humans,
because once humankind achieves a certain mutual comfort zone, it will begin to view other species with increased empathy and understanding.
Preliminary investigations
demonstrate the unused capacities we have for feeling not just good but very good, without the need to ingest any opioids or stimulants - or
anything from the broad pharmacopoeia now available. Large portions of our
brain are just begging to enlighten up in this manner.
The OBEATA Project seeks to relieve human malaise by spreading word of various easy exercises, resonances and body
postures -- some new some ancient -- through existing information channels - i.e. 'dropping a pebble in the pond.' or 'sowing a meme.'
Beyond the positive aspects of this project, there also exists a moral urgency to find another level of co-existence internationally. At present, we live in a world controlled by ever-renewed robber-baron generations. Selfishness and greed are accepted traits within all current world cultures, rationalized by a misreading of Darwin's "survival of the fittest." Competition leads to a "winning at all costs" mentality that utilizes cruelty, manipulation and physical torture as everyday devices to control others. Our stagnant institutions, including organized religions, ignore the basic needs that we long to see fulfilled as prerequisites for a prosperous and happy society. Meanwhile, the busy roar of 'getting ahead' drowns out the cries of the millions enslaved in below-subsistence jobs and inhumane lives.
On the hopeful side, we find traditional practices such as dancing, drumming, breathing exercises, the unique art form of body-drumming ('Hamboning' as well as the resonance of the human voice used in many cultures to access enstatic states. More recently, reappraisal has become a widely-used cognitive strategy to help people regulate their reactions to emotionally charged events.
New scientific breakthroughs constantly occur:
bioscience has mapped the human genome, with very profound implications in
terms of our future as a species. For the first time, we have within our grasp
the possibility of redefining the average human life as an ongoing peak experience and,
in the words of one forward-looking group, BLTC Research,
"redesign the global ecosystem
and deliver genetically pre-programmed well-being." In his books and lectures, futurist Ray Kurzweil predicts that by 2050 we will 'transcend our biology' via nanotechnology and bioengineering, and radically extend our lifespans through the use of nanobots. For a complete set of his predictions go here. His new position at Google as Director of Engineering and the newly-formed Singularity University under his leadership will produce some interesting results. Subscribe to his free newsletter to keep abreast of fast-moving developments.
Advances in various fields such as Biotechnology promise to be on the verge of making us smarter, happier, nicer, and abolishing physical and mental pain altogether. But Science made similar undelivered promises during the previous
century, so this time we should consider hedging our bets with OBEATA's research into the Physiology of Transformative States and its
review of the human body's as-it-now-exists capacity - and tolerance -
for increased well-being.
Quoting from BLTC Research,
"Life on earth can be animated by gradients of ecstatic well-being beyond
the bounds of normal human experience."
OBEATA believes
that it can help bring this statement into fruition. The project can perform an
important service by bringing forward various 'forgotten,' taken-for-granted,
ignored, secret or previously undiscovered natural methods for increasing the
pleasurable sense of fulfillment of the average individual. The founder does
not see himself in the role of a teacher or 'guru,' but as a researcher and
re-discoverer. He invites others to contribute their own findings to the
project as well.
An important discovery in 2014 was the two instruction manuals by Julie Henderson . Her body-mind approach duplicates and enhances much of the research I have been doing over the years. I have been offering an e-book version of her "Embodying Well-Being" for a $15 donation that I then forward to her. You can try it out before paying.
A discovery
in 2005 was the Advanced Yoga Practices site of free lessons in yoga and meditation, founded by the anonymous teacher, Yogani. Since its beginnings in 2003, Yogani has also published a book of the lessons and a few smaller books focused on particular topics such as tantric sex, pranayama, the spiritual novel The Secrets of Wilder, and Deep Meditation: Pathway To Personal Freedom. We highly recommend Yogani's website for an overview of these topics, an entry point into deep meditation and a supportive online community.
Another important group is The Great Freedom/Balanced View organization founded by Candice O'Denver. It offers the ancient nondual advaita teaching in 'modern American,' easily accessible to everyone. Between Candice's "Short moments of awareness, repeated many times, become continuous" teaching, Yogani's spinal breathing exercise, and the OBEATA emphasis on 'bringing the body along,' the individual has all the tools necessary to increase their well-being setpoint.
"To begin with, you need
to have meaningful contact with your body. Being constantly occupied and preoccupied
with tasks and worries, hopes and fears, we all have lost contact with our body -- we
use it as we use our car: giving it commands to take us where we want to go, Contacting
your body calls for simple exercises in bodily movement, for conscious breathing, and for
concentration on what is going on in one art of your body after another The techniques
are not difficult, and they are taught by many psychologists and spiritual teachers.
exercises
and articles re: exercises
