8.1 What is the far journey?

To attain the goal of existence, to understand and experience the meaning and purpose of life, we each must travel the far journey. This is a journey within yourself to the realisation that ‘you’ and ‘I’, these teachings and all else are, in the final experience of reality, one and indistinguishable. The goal is the same for each of us, no matter whether expressed in religious or secular terms.

As you travel along the difficult path towards the final goal of freedom from the constraints of conditioned existence, you will need guidance and support. If you are to avoid the many traps, delusions and dead-ends which lie along the way, you will need to work within a soundly structured and fully developed model of reality. All the variations of self-delusion can be avoided if the model of reality you are working with has a detailed structure embracing the various stages of awareness and appropriate meditative practices to help you develop at each stage.

In reality, it does not matter which model you choose, whether this secular path or one of many religious paths according to your taste. What counts is the accuracy and thoroughness of the model and your commitment to its practices. When your daily activities form a living expression of the relevance of the model you are working in, then you will be progressing on the far journey.