Episode 1 Transcript

Episode 1 – “Meet The Enlightened King” 

Hey everyone, welcome to Project Utopia: The Enlightenment Podcast.  This first episode I’m going to introduce you to the Enlightened King and I’m going to share several important principles of his enlightenment wisdom.  Get comfortable, relax, and prepare yourself for the journey. 

There is an open Discussion Forum where we keep the conversation going about enlightenment.  If you’re interested in that conversation, then at the end of the episode I’ll tell you how to join the group.  

First of all, let’s just relax and take some slow, deep breaths.  Whatever you’re doing – if you’re driving, don’t close your eyes, but just let go and release.  

You came here to expand your self-awareness, to connect at a deeper level - so let’s get right to it and start exploring the enlightenment wisdom of Utopia. 

In ancient times, you could study enlightenment – like learning a subject in school.  

When you would start studying enlightenment, the very first thing you would have learned is that each of us lives in two worlds.  There is an outer world of circumstance, we have a body, we interact with people, and we have obligations and responsibilities.  This is our outer world. 

But there also exists in us an inner world of peace where everything is good and balanced and abundant. 

Nobody has ever really explained to us the idea that we have an inner world.  It’s not valued in our society, it’s not something we talk about or teach.  We don’t even see it as important in our culture – it’s never mentioned.  That’s how we grew up, so it makes our job more difficult.  The truth about us is this - we are 100% absorbed into the outer world, and now I’m asking you to reverse that and connect with your inner world – so we have our work cut out for us.  For most people, this is a pretty drastic change in how we look at and understand ourselves. 

Ancient civilizations understood this primary truth – we are both an inner being and an outer being.  We are quite firmly attached to the outer world, but in ancient times they understood the existence of both inner and outer, and developed knowledge and skills to attach themselves more deeply to the inner world. 

For example, in very ancient India (8,000 and 10,000 years ago) they spoke about the outer world as “maya” which is a Sanskrit word that means magic or illusion – in other words, the outer world – the reality we measure ourselves against – is in fact an illusion, like a magic trick that mysteriously transforms energy into the reality we experience.  So it looks real – it doesn’t seem to be an illusion, but it is only energy taking form.  

If you don’t know anything about science, then at least one thing you should know is that Albert Einstein explained the illusion when he proved mathematically that energy and reality are the same thing, and what connects them is light.  He said E=mc².  Energy = Mass times the speed of light squared.  The smallest atom is in fact bursting with energy and light.  The things we see in the outer world although they appear to us as stable and constant, are in fact, ever-changing patterns of energy.  

How did they know 10,000 years ago that our outer world is nothing more than ever-changing patterns of energy and light?  I can’t answer that question and we will never know – but they were right.  

In the outer world everything is always changing – it is out of our control.  But in the same way your outer world is constantly changing, your inner world is still, balanced, unchangeable, infinite and abundant.  In the outer world you are always striving for control – but it’s a never-ending effort because it’s always changing.  No sooner do you get the whole world lined up exactly the way you want it, then everything changes again and messes up your plans.  You can never find your balance in the outer world, because the outer world itself is always out of balance, always changing. 

But in the inner world you can come to rest in balance and peace.  Now you can start exploring your inner world. 

You’ve seen the movie, the Matrix – and if you haven’t watched it recently I suggest you at least watch the first one in the series.  The outer world is exactly like the idea of the Matrix – it is an illusion pulled over your eyes to hide the truth.  You think it’s true because you see it, feel it, and experience it.  But it’s up to each of us to see beneath the illusion to our inner reality.  Look around you.  People watch the news, listen to music, watch videos, scroll through their social media, watch their sports teams.  Then they go to work and do the same thing over and over every day.

I don’t say this to be funny or sarcastic, but like in the movie – the Matrix, these people are living in the matrix – and they are completely unaware of their inner world.  No matter how out of balance they are, they don’t question their lives because nobody around them questions it.  In fact, they think you’re crazy for thinking you have an inner world. 

So the goal of this podcast is to help you see that you have been asleep your whole life, unaware that so much of your life is nothing more than unconscious and subconscious habits and routines – you, me, all of us have been mindlessly running on auto-pilot.  Enlightenment is the process of disrupting this illusion and developing a new and lasting connection with your inner world.  

When you hear me use the word Utopia I’m really talking about two different things.  First, Utopia is the name of an historic kingdom of peace and abundance – the Enlightened King, the City of Gold - that’s the outer part, and I’ll tell you a lot more about that kingdom as we go along. 

But when I use the word Utopia, I’m also referring to a place within you, a place of light, an inner world of positive values and principles, an inner world of health and abundance, thoughts and beliefs, meaning and purpose.  Utopia, your inner world is unlimited, and it is always with you – it never leaves you because it is a part of you.  That’s the inner part. 

Fairly quickly you can learn some inner techniques to start grounding yourself and bringing yourself to balance, and make your own life healthier and more meaningful.  And I don’t think it should be any more complicated than that.  Enlightenment should be simple.  It’s not an end game that only one in a million can achieve, enlightenment is the process itself, small daily steps toward self-awareness.

The journey to enlightenment should be simple because it’s part of your nature.  Light is part of your nature, it's who you are, and it immediately reveals itself when you let go of the outer world and look within. 

So this podcast is about enlightenment, it’s about opening a doorway to your inner world, and connecting to a part of you that already exists.  

Let’s talk about some of the challenges to enlightenment.  Why do so few people pursue enlightenment, and even fewer make real progress and find success?

First reason is your perspective – it is the perspective of our society.  We are 100% invested in the outer world.  100% of everything you think about is measured in terms of the outer world. 

You’ve never had the experience of letting go of the outside world, and when you first try to let go – it’s a little scary – because you’ve been doing things a certain way for decades. 

But to enter the inner world, you have to let go of the outer world – it’s the same thing. 

In The Cycle of Mind I said it this way:

"The ignorant man will doubt the possibility that life could be better.

The timid man is hopeful, but afraid to let go of a world he knows and understands.

The courageous man will completely let go of the mental ropes that bind him to his current reality.

The determined man will live a new life in pursuit of his highest purpose."

I’m asking you to open yourself up to a new way of thinking, a new way of being – and I know that not everyone is ready to do this – you have to open yourself to change which means letting go, and when you let go of your comfortable beliefs, habits and routines – it generates uncertainty and disruption – which is uncomfortable – but disruption is the price of admission to the inner world.  

It’s very similar to the Matrix – the red and blue pill – we all remember that scene.  Do you want to take the red pill and know the truth and suffer all the disruption and change that comes with the truth, or do you want to take the blue pill, forget all this, and go back to sleep comfortable in the illusion? 

The second reason why the journey to enlightenment is difficult is because all the training you’ve gone through in the outer world blocks you from progressing in the inner world. 

In the outer world, it’s about analyzing – but the inner world requires an ability to flow.  Analyzing or flowing – you can’t do both at the same time.  

Meditation is the easiest example to understand.  Meditation is about flowing in your inner world, and it requires that you be still, balanced, relaxed, fully focused and self-aware.  If you’re like most people you struggle with meditation because you can’t stop thinking, worrying, comparing and categorizing – you can’t stop talking.  When you bring your outer skills to meditation, you miss the whole purpose – you make no connection to the inner world.  

When we meditate our outer training wants us to win, achieve the goal, finish the task, master the method, pass the test, make constant progress each day – but wisdom is much more subtle than that.  Wisdom was meant to be absorbed into your life, developed over time with constant practice.  Unlike the outer world, there is no test, there is no finish line – there’s not even a starting line - everything is gradual, starting with today – wherever you are starting, day by day, cycle by cycle until after a few weeks and a few months – you notice that you have begun to change. 

Some of you may already be on this inner path and your inner skills may be well developed.  For you, this will be a platform to deepen your inner work.  But for most people, this may be just the start of your journey.  Either way, we will help you develop and nurture new inner skills. 

There’s one more thing that blocks us from realizing enlightenment – and it may be the most difficult to overcome – hopefully for you it will be easy.  It’s an ancient teaching that has been lost.  It’s the idea of TIME.  Everything in the outer world happens against a backdrop of time.  The outer world is an illusion, and time is the magic trick that binds you to the illusion – that makes it seem real.  If there was no time, there would be no change, you could do everything, you could be anywhere.  But there is time, and so you are bound to be here and under the control of time. 

It may not make sense to you at the moment, but in the inner world you are above time, so you have to let go and disconnect yourself from the pull of time. 

Relax.  The inner world of peace, health, balance, and abundance is timeless and has been patiently waiting for you to return.  Right now, you are above time and the inner truth is, you have all the time in the world. 

The cool thing about the inner world is that it’s part of you – it won’t abandon you and go somewhere else – it will always be there for you – it’s a part of you.  To connect to your inner world, all you have to do is start to shift your thinking and your awareness. 

I don’t know what you were expecting to hear when you chose this podcast, but take a minute to reflect why you’re here – you’ve been listening for a while now - why are you listening to this podcast?  You know why you’re here!  It’s because you know the truth of your inner world.  You know that there is more to your life than the pointless noise of the outer world.  

And I applaud you for being here – give yourself credit because despite your struggles to this point in your life, whatever difficulties and disappointments you’ve had to overcome in your life – you’re still here, you’re still trying.  Somehow, you have kept open the channel to your inner world for all these years.  You have never let go of your desire for meaning, purpose and enlightenment because deep inside you have kept alive the small, faint voice of peace, health, abundance and compassion – you know it’s in there.  You are a seeker of light, you are a being of compassion.  Light is part of who you are, it is always calling, it is always there for you.  Now you will claim this inner part of your being. 

Back to the story of Utopia.  Many centuries ago, there existed a kingdom that was known around the world as the Kingdom of Light, and its capital city was known as the City of Gold – it was dazzling.  There is no doubt that this kingdom existed and this capital city was real.  Yet this kingdom is completely overlooked by history, like it never happened – it’s not a part of our education or shared cultural history.  

This is really important to understand.  We can only follow someone, or look up to someone or emulate someone if we know about them.  History pushes certain figures forward to be our heroes, but so many other worthy lives remain hidden from our view – forgotten by time.  Even in modern culture, certain people have a platform or are given a platform – they are pushed forward for our attention – whether they have anything of value to offer us or not.  These people may not be the best role models – but it’s all we see, so we follow them.  This is why so many young people idolize and emulate sports stars and pop stars – it’s all they have been shown, so that is all they know. 

Here was the most peaceful and abundant nation in the history of the world, and we don’t know about it because history measures events in the outer world, births and deaths, battles and revolutions, conquest and power.  If a country wasn’t invaded, if there wasn’t a war, then it’s as if it never even happened.  History records the outer world, never the inner world, and that’s a mistake.  This podcast will reverse that trend – here we will highlight the inner world. 

History does record the fact that there was a great king who ruled for 40 years, and during that time he brought incalculable wealth to his kingdom.  He was known throughout the world as the Enlightened King.  This we know from history.  

This king created a golden culture of abundance – his capital city was called the City of Gold.  In fact, descriptions of the wealth of this kingdom defy belief, but in this podcast I want to look past the material wealth of the outer kingdom, and reveal for you the ancient inner wisdom of enlightenment that the Enlightened King possessed and taught to his people.  

This enlightenment wisdom has been overlooked by history, but it is far too valuable a treasure to ever be lost or forgotten again.  

There is very little actual history of this kingdom.  Only some of the key events have been recorded, and we had thought that everything else had been long ago lost to history, but the recent discovery of hundreds of pages of royal documents has brought historians and scholars to take another look. 

So let’s see what we can find out about this 17 year old prince who later became known around the world as the Enlightened King.  What can we really know about his life? 

One thing we know for sure, historically, is when the prince was born, his father – we’ll call his father the elder king - was 45 years old which is very late in life for a king to have a first child.  You can almost imagine the joyous celebration throughout the kingdom when news of the prince’s birth was announced.  

By the time the baby prince was born, his father was already a great and wise king in his own right, having already doubled the size of the kingdom.  

Being the son of a great king, the young prince enjoyed wealth and privilege that we couldn’t even understand.  In those days when the king would walk into a room, every person bowed their head and was forbidden to make eye contact.  Only members of the immediate royal family were permitted to gaze upon the king’s face.  The boy must have thought his father was an all powerful giant.  In fact, his father was a powerful and noble king. 

On a personal level, we know from historical records that his mother was a princess from a neighboring kingdom.  He was an only child, so she deeply cherished and loved him and taught him compassion from an early age.  

We also know that the prince was trained in enlightenment from a very early age.  Remember I said, in those days you could study enlightenment like a subject in school.  He learned at the feet of the wisest men in China and India, absorbing and practicing several different systems of wisdom.  His father – the elder king - was himself known as one of the wisest men in the world – the elder king was enlightened.  

It is this wisdom of enlightenment that I hope to share with you in this podcast.     

The prince had all privilege, training and education.  He was instructed in mathematics, astronomy, martial arts, navigation, diplomacy, and was fluent in several languages.  As a child, this young prince met emperors, yogis, countless ambassadors and kings.  He saw his father deal with all types of men both wise and foolish, peaceful and ruthless, humble and profane.  

In fact, it was during his childhood that he accompanied his father on three long voyages that shaped his understanding of all this wisdom.  The first voyage was to China when he was seven, the second voyage to Africa when he was 11, and the third voyage to India when he was 14.  Almost certainly, these trips included an entourage of a hundred political aides and several hundred servants.  Over land they would travel with huge caravans, over sea they would sail with a fleet of no fewer than 16 ships.  The young prince would have had his own staff of translators, caretakers, chefs, and bodyguards.  At each city they were welcomed and feasted by kings and we can only imagine the great and valuable gifts exchanged between the royals.

So when the elder king quite suddenly took ill and died, the loss must have been a devastating grief, and at the age of 17, the weight of a vast kingdom was now on this young man’s shoulders, but rather than turn away from the burden of responsibilities, quite the opposite happened.  This young man turned out to be exceptional at administration.   

His father had left him a great and peaceful kingdom, but – in truth – on a global scale, it was not much more than a sleepy trading post.  In the early years of his reign as king, several events unfolded around the world, and the power of other nations rose and fell.  The Enlightened King built on his father’s global friendships, and he became a valued trading partner and a reliable mediator for kings and emperors East and West. 

So in a matter of a few short years, and helped by a few lucky coincidences of history, he took the minor kingdom he inherited, and transformed the nation into the center of global trade, and by the end of his reign, 40 years later, the wealth of his kingdom was incalculable.  The City of Gold.  The Kingdom of Light. 

You don’t hear about this in history books, but during his reign as king, (and we’ll talk about all this) he established enlightened rules of government and business, he built huge warehouse facilities to accommodate increased trade, and devised systems of scheduling, logistics and transportation that would rival any modern business today.  

He created, for lack of a better word, hotels and large restaurants where traders would be feasted and entertained while they stayed.  Year after year, legends of this kingdom’s hospitality made their way around the world, and with each year, for 40 years, the volume of trade flowing through this nation multiplied and multiplied and multiplied again. 

But as efficiently as he attended to the business of the kingdom, he never stopped studying wisdom, and this is really the important part of the story.  

He built his outer empire by mastering inner wisdom.  As it turned out when the writings were discovered, this king was both a prolific student and a great teacher of enlightenment.  

In the very first years of his reign, he compiled all the systems of wisdom he had learned in his youth, and he carefully merged all that wisdom to create his own system of enlightenment.  

When I talk about enlightenment, this is very important to understand.  Until this king, the only way to become enlightened had been to isolate yourself from society in a temple or a school or a monastery, or live on a mountaintop – away from the world.  In those days, in order to achieve enlightenment, you had to remove yourself from all attachments to the world to properly quiet your mind and train your body.  You were considered “of the world” if you had earthly attachments, such as a job or a business, or marriage, or children – if you were attached in any way to the relationships and obligations of the outer world, then the deepest experiences of enlightenment would be unattainable for you.  Of course, in our modern world this would exclude all of us from experiencing enlightenment – because we all have many attachments.  You had to be a yogi or a monk or a traveling teacher or become a recluse.  Only those who could give up all earthly attachments could attain enlightenment because that’s what it took to fully develop their inner abilities.  

But the Enlightened King taught something different, and this is the most important message I can share with you from the totality of his writings – he said that you do not have to separate yourself from the world to become enlightened.  He explained that you can become enlightened while still embracing your worldly relationships and responsibilities, if you embrace those relationships and obligations in an enlightened way.  It’s not the attachments that keep you from enlightenment, it’s how you handle them, and how they affect you. 

He actually devised a system of enlightenment – that still makes perfect sense today - that can be achieved by anyone in any circumstances – and of course, he used the system of enlightenment himself, but he also taught the system to his own people.  

From the time he was a child he had met and studied with Buddhist monks and Indian yogis and Taoist masters who required their students to give up all attachments, to release all thoughts and even the smallest desires.  Years later as king, he asked these questions:

“What purpose to master your inner nature by turning your back to the world, and hiding your inner light? 
Better to share your light in this world, and through enlightened action the world will find balance.  Do the most good.”
~ The Enlightened King 

“What purpose to think no thoughts or take no actions? 
Better to guide your thoughts to noble purpose, so your enlightened actions
become a channel to help others.”
~ The Enlightened King 

There’s a lot packed into these statements, but these are just a few lines from hundreds of writings and documents recently uncovered that have brought this king to the attention of the whole world. 

He created a system of enlightenment that allows you to cultivates an inner platform, and from this inner platform – the outer world can be changed.  He said, in fact, that all of us have this inner platform – but we waste this power because we do not guide it to any purpose. 

He said, “Go within, seek your light, then return to the world with love and compassion” 

We have plenty of time to go through all this, and there’s much more to share, but let’s pause for one moment and reflect.  

What the Enlightened King understood – and you and I also understand this - is that none of us will ever be able to separate ourselves from the reality of our own life, and the truth is, we don’t want to separate ourselves from the life we have, we just want the life we have to be better, happier, more peaceful, healthier, and more abundant.  

In his system he said it’s ok to live life.  It’s ok to love and grieve, it’s ok to work, to care for your children, to enjoy good food, and love your family – in fact, it’s important that you do these things, but take all your actions under the umbrella of enlightenment.  

Over and over again, he uses the words enlightened actions or right actions, suggesting that your inner intentions are the source of your actions, and if you have enlightened intentions, then your actions will become a channel to help others.     

You have the power to change from within – to completely change your thoughts and your intentions – and when you make those inner changes, your outer words and actions will make the world a better place for you and others around you.  Never underestimate the power you have to become a source of inspiration to others.  

Life is a choice – and it always has been.  You just need a little guidance, you just need a direction to apply yourself.  That’s what I hope this podcast will help you with. 

Wow we covered a lot of ground.  Wisdom is like a never ending circle – it’s difficult to know the best place to start, but no matter where you start, wisdom will always come full circle again.   

Here’s how we have started the journey so far.  

You’ve met the Enlightened King and we’ve briefly mentioned his unique system of enlightenment, open to all people.
You’ve been introduced to the idea of exploring an inner world of peace, balance, health, and abundance,
You understand that the outer world binds you very tightly through unconscious habits and beliefs you’ve held for decades, and so this journey is not going to be easy for most people because it will require some changes and some level of disruption.
You see the possibility of seeking enlightenment while still being “of the world” which is a message we all need today, and
You heard the king’s teaching about enlightened intentions which create enlightened thought, which generate enlightened actions, and those actions create a channel to help others.   

Now for those who are interested in keeping this conversation going, I’ve set up a discussion group where we can stay connected to the inner world 24 hours/day – and you are invited!  Get the link to the free discussion at www.utopiauniversity.ORG 

Check back for the next episode and we’ll see where this Enlightened King is going to take us next on our journey to self-awareness.   

In the meantime join us for the after-party and discussion.

Can enlightenment be learned?

What is the best system of enlightenment?

Who is the enlightened king?

Can I become enlightened?

What is enlightenment wisdom?

Project Utopia the Enlightenment Podcast

How do I become enlightened?