05/01/2026
Pleasure, in the real sense, is intensely fleshly and intensely spiritual. There is no division between the fleshly and spiritual state. This is why there is no need to dwell too much on the philosophical aspects of pleasure in the scheme of creation. The only thing I would like to mention about cosmic reality in this respect is that the ultimate state of liberation, of cosmic being, is total pleasure. So pleasure is the ultimate reality. Bliss is not—as religion seems to imply in its misunderstood interpretations—a reward for having been “good.” Bliss is the natural state of a unified being in harmony with itself and the universe.
When we speak of pleasure, we must also be clear about what we mean. I do not mean pleasurable pastimes of the mind. I do not mean shallow substitutes and escapes. I mean a state of physical and spiritual bliss that is experienced in every particle of one’s body and soul, of the outer and inner being—with all sensations and faculties alive, awake, and feeling. This blissful state is very much here and now. Yet this state is also the ultimate spiritual reality of every entity.
Therefore health and longevity result from the capacity for pleasure. Conversely, to the degree you deny yourself pleasure—due to shames, fears, misconceptions, negativities, impurities—to that degree you cut off your body from the wellspring of the universal flow.
You have often heard me say that each human entity is a microcosm of an entire universe within, representing the macrocosmic universe. The same laws and conditions apply to both. Therefore, if your inner universe is in harmony with itself, the universal flow of spiritual healing power, life, health and pleasure that permeates the entire creation can also permeate you. You become part of the universe and the universe is part of you. You transcend the structural limitations even while you are still within your body. The universal, unlimited abundance of ever self-renewing life will become a part of you—in a relative way, because you are still in the body. This happens in an absolute way only when the body is transcended.
Pathwork Guide Lecture No. 177
