I’d like to continue answering questions I received from high school students in North Las Vegas about my latest book, The Call of Sedona. You can read the rest of the questions by clicking here.

“I had an experience about two weeks ago during my first time meditating. I put on the meditation track and followed a women’s voice throughout my journey. I was laying flat on the ground with my belly up and my hands behind my head. About 8-10 minutes into meditation, I began to feel a sensation as if someone was touching my dahnjon [energy center in the lower abdomen]. I kept my eyes closed because I was afraid that if I opened my eyes, I would interfere with my meditation experience. This feeling happened about 3 more times during my meditation period, I’m curious to know if you might know what that was. Also, I remember seeing patterns in my eyes even though they were closed. In addition, at one point of time, I remember the feeling that my hands were not touching anymore.”
It’s great that you had such a visceral meditation experience. Everything you experienced were different energy phenomena that occurred in your body and mind. If you keep practicing, you will have many more experiences of different kinds. However, it’s important not to dwell too much on a particular experience. Just notice what happens and then let it go and stay in the moment. It is this steady focus in the moment that is important rather than fleeting occurrences.

“Where would you retire to?”
My work is my passion and my fun. I feel called to do what I’m doing, as if it is part of my very nature. I cannot imagine stopping. I will continue to share the messages of Sedona and the Earth for as long as I am able.

“After reading the The Call of Sedona I realized that as long as you put your mind to do or complete an objective you can. I also feel like life is what you make it and how you would view where you are going by staying focused. But what gave you the idea to do a large journey like the one you did?”
As I wrote in The Call of Sedona, I had many questions about life and death in my youth that remained unanswered. These questions were so important to me that I felt like life was meaningless unless I knew its purpose. It was this desire to know the answers to these questions that began my journey.

“… my question is how has your family viewed your work to help heal the world? Do they support you at all?”
My family has been very supportive of my work, and especially now that my sons have grown, they take part in it. They help me share the messages I’ve received and the techniques I’ve developed. I am sorry I could not be there for them all of the time when my children were young, but I’m grateful they have stuck by me and my work, even when they did not always understand my decisions initially.

“In The Call of Sedona, chapters like, 5, 6 and 13, you discuss about the messages you have ‘received’ while dwelling in Sedona when you activate the Chunjimaum and Chunjikiun receptors within the human mind, body, and soul, when done correctly, you experience such divine phenomena, how did you know which events to include in the book? What process did you use to narrow down what you experienced?”
While I have a wealth of experience to share, I chose particular stories for The Call of Sedona because I wanted to inspire people to overcome their limitations and realize their dreams. I am not someone with special powers or an extraordinary upbringing, so by telling my own story I hoped I could show it was possible for anyone to create their dreams. Also, because the focus of this book was Sedona, I limited the majority of the experiences I wrote about to those that occurred in Sedona.

“Reading this book has gone out the realm of anything that a high school student usually learns about in any of their classes. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read this book because now I have a better understanding of the world and reading it makes me want to realign my goals in life. If it is not too much to ask I would like to inquire about the woman who realized that she was reliving a sort of déjà vu, that she was a Native American who died there. I would like to know more about her story because that experience she had really struck a chord in me. I would also like to ask you about the difficulties you encountered while trying to become enlightened and also having to try to provide for your family. How where you able to balance the two without getting sucked back into the programmatic lifestyle?”
I found balance by maintaining my meditation practice and keeping in tune with the awakenings and enlightenment I had found. With that practice, I have been able to align my everyday thoughts and actions with my vision of creating a better world. Providing for my family has been a part of that rather than something separate. My vision is so vast and far-reaching that it requires my overcoming many obstacles, including my own limitations, which is not possible if you fall into a “programmatic lifestyle.” It is not yet complete, and its constant pull and my dedication to it keeps my mind and energy fresh and filled with a flow of new ideas.

One thing I know for sure about the woman you mentioned: Her life was not a “happily ever after” because of that experience. But I believe she discovered what truly mattered to her.

“What intrigued me most about your book Mr. Ilchi Lee is the great resonance of the use of Sedona as a great metaphor. What I believe your intention was is to show everybody that the place for enlightenment can be different for everybody; it’s just the place that one feels most at peace with. For example when you talk about the Lady the resembled the Native Americans and when she came to Sedona she felt that was where she belonged and that is when she realized that is where here roots are, I think everybody has that realization, that sense of belonging and a sense of being one with the environment around you. (please correct me if I’m wrong)”
I agree that everyone has the potential to have the realization that they are one with their surroundings. Sedona itself is not the answer. Sedona and any place you feel you belong to is connected to your own inner space that gives you meaning and value. Please nurture that space with great love and care.

“Dear Mr. Lee, you are my favorite Lee besides Bruce Lee and Jet Li. I greatly enjoyed your book. It helped me understand the difference between completion and success. I must admit that I always wanted to be complete but I would confuse it with success… Thank you for writing the book and helping repair my relationship with the earth and others.”
Thank you for adding me to your favorite Lee list. I’m also a fan of Bruce Lee and Jet Li.

I admire the youth that all of you have. You are now living the spring season of your life. Blossom it fully and make this world more beautiful with your colors and fragrance. Every blooming flower is beautiful.

A teacher from a North Las Vegas high school who read my book, The Call of Sedona: Journey of the Heart, introduced it to the seniors in her World Literature classes. They discussed the book, and then the students emailed their impressions to me through Ilchi.com and CallofSedona.com. I am very grateful to Ms. Montalvo-Arroyo and all of the students, especially for their heartfelt emails. I’d like to share parts of what they wrote with you, and answer their questions here.

“I am completely blown away on how dedicated you were in your 21 days of Moak Mountain, what gave you the strength to give up your human needs (food, sleep, & rest) for that long period of time? Do you feel that it is important for each individual to take drastic measures to find their true voice?”
When I went twenty-one days without food or sleep, I had already been training my body and mind with ki energy practices for a long time. What was more important to me than food or sleep, what I was determined to do, was find the answers to the questions: “Who am I?” and “Why do I live?” I no longer wanted to live without those answers. It was that determination, desperation, and training that kept me going.

Since my enlightenment, I have developed hundreds of training methods so that others don’t need to go through such drastic measures. Through a steady practice of meditation and breathing, and by continually asking yourself the questions, “Who am I?” and “What do I want?”, you can continue to keep yourself open and aware enough to listen to the voice of your soul and follow its guidance.

“Ilchi Lee, I would just like to start off by saying thank you for sharing your life changing experience with me in your book, The Call of Sedona. You have influenced me to become awakened and acknowledge my inner self. The way you described how the physical form (the human body) was created, but the soul has existed before then brings me to ask you this question. Does reincarnation happen where the soul is reborn into another physical form?”
Reincarnation is one thing that can happen to a soul after it finishes one life. Another is Chunhwa—a state where a soul has completed its growth and does not necessarily take on a physical form. I normally don’t focus on reincarnation and past lives, however. In this lifetime, regardless of what happened in a past life or even in the last moment, what we create in each moment is a choice with infinite possibilities. Nothing from the past or the future can hurt this moment. If we embrace the here and now, we can always create our own happiness. More than reincarnation, what’s important is the completion of the soul, or Chunhwa.

“I am very impressed of how much I have learned about myself by reading your book. I never thought that this book would have such a big impact in my life. Your explanations of your life challenges and how you became to be a surpasser of them makes me believe that I can do it too. The Call to Sedona has inspired me to clear my mind and to overcome anything that has hold me back, anything that I thought I was not able to do I would like to leave behind. I would like to ask you, can my energy be attracted to a tree that is just outside my back yard?”
Yes, you can be attracted to many things, including a particular tree. If you are attracted to the tree, I would suggest having a conversation with it like you would with one of your close friends. That is a form of meditation. The fact that you are attracted to it means the tree might have something for you to explore. Later, you may realize you are really having a conversation with yourself and exploring your own inner landscape. The tree is a mirror that reflects you and helps you to see yourself more clearly.

“Do you think there’s a certain philosophy, instead of mythology, that one must comprehend before being truly enlightened?”
There is a philosophy I’ve been sharing since my enlightenment. Understanding and studying that philosophy helps. But it is not enough. To truly be enlightened you need three studies: the study of principles or philosophy, the study of practice, and the study of living. When you practice exercises that change your energy and help you feel energy, such as meditation and breathing, you can actually experience principles and observe them happening through and in you. Enlightenment is not blindly believing in something. Through practice you will know and experience it for yourself. But it’s not fully real unless you bring it into your everyday life. That’s the study of living—when you apply your practice to your life. Enlightenment is an experience beyond a particular philosophy or story. But really, enlightenment is a matter of flipping a switch—of realizing you are actually already enlightened. The trouble is that it’s difficult for people to believe it. The reason for studying is so you can be 100% certain you are enlightened and live that enlightenment fully. To me, enlightenment is not some specific state of being. It is the choices we make moment by moment with honesty, integrity, and a deep sense of responsibility.

“’My body is simply mine, it’s not me.’ This quote confuses me. I think it means that our body does not define us; that our outside appearance is not what makes me me. If someone could enlighten me about what that means, I would truly appreciate it. Thank you.”
You are right; your body does not define you. It is yours to use to manifest your dreams in our physical reality. It’s also yours to take care of. So then ask yourself what does define you. Who are “you” really? Look at every part of you. Can you see a part of yourself that does not change or end? The physical body is a means or a method for the goal of completing your soul.

To be continued …

By the Editor

On February 26th, The Power of Meditation was held in Honolulu, Hawaii, the last stop on a tour of seven major cities. At the Hawai’i Convention Center, 350 participants were amazed to receive powerful energy from the opening performances of Hawaiian traditional Hula, Japanese Taiko Drumming, and the Korean Martial Art, ChunBuShinGong.

However, a more surprising event followed. A representative of the Governor of the State of Hawaii presented a proclamation of an Ilchi Lee and International Brain Education Association Day to Dahn Yoga’s founder, Ilchi Lee. A representative of the Hawaii State Legislature also presented certificate of appreciation to Ilchi Lee. Here is an excerpt: “I, Neil Abercrombie, Governor, and I, Brian Schatz, Lieutenant Governor of the State of Hawai’i, do hereby proclaim February 26, 2012 as Ilchi Lee and International Brain Education Association Day in the State of Hawai’i to encourage the diverse people of our community to participate in activities that focus on Meditation, Brain Development, Enlightened Consciousness and awareness through Brain Education.”

As the main guest speaker, Ilchi Lee emphasized the importance of breathing and meditation and supported his words with a video presentation about a diver who swam underwater in subzero arctic temperatures with Beluga whales for over ten minutes with one breath. The workshop participants experienced a meditative state with deep breathing that Lee taught, slowly inhaling in three segments and exhaling in three segments.

After the event in Hawaii, Ilchi Lee flew to South Korea to continue his book signing tour. At the Kyobo bookstore, the biggest bookstore in Seoul, he signed 1000 books. He will resume his book talk and signing tour in the U.S. this August and September.

A singing performance at a dinner.

A professional hula performance.

A proclamation from the Governor of Hawaii for an Ilchi Lee and International Brain Education Day.

A proclamation from the Hawaii State Legislature for an Ilchi Lee and International Brain Education Day.

Getting closer to the audience during the Power of Meditation lecture.

I enjoyed speaking about breathing and meditation at the Hawaii Power of Meditation workshop.

A generous number of leis were put around my neck.

I signed copies of my latest book, The Call of Sedona, after the lecture.

Sixteen thousand children die of starvation every day. Although we produce plenty of food, it does not reach them because the light of conscience has disappeared from humanity. These young souls cry out, “Please don’t let kids die of starvation like us on this earth ever again.” If we do not heed the final appeal and warning they send to humankind as they die, we will have no future. What can be done to get the brain of humanity to hear this message and restore the light of conscience?

What humanity wishes for in the 21st century is health, happiness, and peace. The human brain does not differentiate between nationality or religion. In order to usher in an era in which every mind is healthy and happy, there needs to emerge a philosophy with which all humankind can empathize. A philosophy of fusion for humankind’s health, happiness, and peace, beyond denominations of East or West, must appear. That’s precisely why Brain Philosophy has emerged in these times.

The strongest motivator that has driven human history thus far has been a desire for “a better life.” In order to satisfy this desire, humanity has continuously built civilization, forming tribes and waging war, dividing and combining, and expelling and collaborating. The desire to change for the sake of living a better life, rather than simply aiming for survival, comes from the brain inside of the human skull. The brain really is the epicenter of human history.

Ever since humans started walking upright, our brain has not stopped imagining beyond our limitations with a desire to obtain more food, traverse greater distances, and move faster. The brain developed methods of farming and the technology for handling minerals, and also invented the automobile, airplane, and spaceship. It also devised social systems; and not only did it explore the earth, the ground of our lives, inside and out, it went beyond the solar system and is approaching the edges of the universe.

In the process of actualizing imagination into reality, the brain constantly came up against the limitations of reality, but broke through them time and time again. Even at this very moment, each person’s brain is working tirelessly in order to overcome the obstacles it currently faces. What made human history a history of endless creation in this way, is the brain’s innate tendency to imagine and create constantly.

The brain, which has actively written human history with the most outstanding creativity on the earth, is now finally turning attention to itself. Like “the one who now returns from the back streets of youth and stands before the mirror,” perhaps the brain suddenly faces itself. We’re growing serious about neuroscience, in which the brain studies the brain as a subject. Attested to be science’s final frontier, neuroscience commands a great deal of interest both inside and outside of the academic world; it opens a new window of understanding of the human.

In order to understand the human being, it is necessary to know the brain, the primary figure of human history; and in order to know the answer to the question, “Who am I?” it is necessary to know how the brain works. Furthermore, in order for the brain to overcome the limitations of modern civilization thus far achieved and make the shift into a new civilization, the starting point can only be the brain. This is because understanding the brain makes it possible to find the direction and method for that shift.

Although investigation of the brain is drawing the attention of many fields, I feel that a philosophy addressing the value of human existence is indeed a field that necessitates a profound understanding of the brain. Based on this determination, I am putting forth Brain Philosophy, a philosophy of practical application that underpins the value and utilization of the human brain based on a foundation of neuroscientific theory.

In formulating Brain Philosophy, I focused intensively for the past 30 years to find solutions for awakening to and actualizing the ultimate human value. I have encapsulated all of the answers I obtained from the research performed during that time into Brain Philosophy. From this point forward, continued investigative research will advance the structure and content of Brain Philosophy.

What’s important is that through an understanding of the brain, anyone can find their own answers to the ultimate questions of “Who am I?” and “How should I live?” In Brain Philosophy, there is no separate set of experts. If you awaken to your value and the principles of life through your brain, and strive to live by that awakening, that’s a sufficient grasp of Brain Philosophy. This is because Brain Philosophy is not an academic discipline that demands study, but an experiential philosophy of practical application realized through the physical body.

With the development of science and technology, the brain—which used to dwell in the realm of the mystical—has come to reveal its identity, bit by bit. However, on the other hand, the abuses of a flourishing material civilization are increasing in severity day by day. The most critical occurrence among them is that the source of our life, the earth, is growing deeply ill. The earth has given so many things to humanity. Just as parents raising their children do, the earth has provided unrestrained support as humanity’s mother and father.

But like an immature child, humankind has held out its hands unrelentingly towards the earth, and the earth, which has given everything, continues to fall deeper into illness. Seriously hurt, the earth gives us constant reminders that it will be difficult to be a foundation of sustenance for its descendants anymore. In spite of this, the human race turns its head away from this critical situation. This is probably due to denial arising out of fear, or to having too many vested interests to acknowledge the present reality and change. The policy-makers in particular, those who have retained the most from the earth, have a greater tendency to cover their ears to the signals sent by the earth.

It isn’t only problems of the earth’s natural environment that the world faces now, but a hefty addition of the problems of imbalance, inequality, and injustice incurred by power struggles. Although many people have stepped forward to warn that, if we continue the way we’re going, humanity will not have a future, the situation is not changing. It only goes to show with greater certainty that knowledge-based information alone does not lead to action.

There is a pressing need for measures that will lead people to a deep realization of the fact that humanity must make a new choice for the sake of all of our futures. How can this be accomplished? The key to resolving this matter is found in our brain. As an information-processing organ, the brain instinctively gives an immediate response to sensory information. Therefore, when a situation is perceived not through knowledge or intellectual information but through sensory information, relevant voluntary behavior can be executed.

The protagonist who will solve the heaping problems of the world is not one single superhero, but an enlightened human race of which each and every member has not given up their dream of an extraordinary life.

I have high hopes for Brain Philosophy to fulfill its role as a philosophy that generates awakened people, a philosophy of practical application that empowers individuals to save themselves and the world. That’s the primary reason I developed Brain Philosophy.

Brain Philosophy does not remain as a concept, but moves forward with a methodology for utilizing the brain effectively in actuality. This characteristic of Brain Philosophy makes it comparable to an “app” of sorts. It’s the application for the smartest device in the world—the brain.

When the Brain Philosophy app is launched, various philosophies that had been stored only as intellectual information can come alive and work together. Classical philosophy and modern philosophy, Eastern philosophy and Western philosophy blend into a fusion within the philosophy of a practical application called Brain Philosophy, bringing a new value back to life.

Resuscitation is the defining attribute of Brain Philosophy. Those who adopt Brain Philosophy will come to have the spirit of Hong Ik, by which they awaken to and actualize their own value. I hope that, through Brain Philosophy and Brain Education, people will revive the senses of their brain, restore their health and their conscience, and as a result, overcome this era of inhumanity and herald a new era of hope for humankind.

2012 is the year in which 58 heads of state throughout the world are newly selected at the hands of the people. What will the human race choose for the sake of its health, happiness, and peace? It is my profound hope that citizens who adopt Brain Philosophy, leaders who exercise Brain Philosophy, and a new humankind that applies Brain Philosophy will bring forth an era of compassion and benevolence that saves all life.