Bonus Feature:

Chapters 1, 2 and 3 are available online in full form. Just click the
Chapter links below in the Table of Contents. The Key Messages are  
included below for all fourteen Chapters.

Table of Contents

Introduction  .................................................................     v
Acknowledgements ......................................................    xi
Chapter 1: The Hilly Path ............................................     1
Chapter 2: Ethnic Discord ............................................     7
Chapter 3: Red Cap in Digha ......................................    15
Chapter 4: Gunshot in the Superstitions ....................      29
Chapter 5: Roman Holiday ..........................................     41
Chapter 6: A Needle too Thick ...................................      59
Chapter 7: Machu Picchu .............................................    71
Chapter 8: 9/11/2001 Aftermath ...................................    79
Chapter 9: Accidental Roulette ...................................      89
Chapter 10: Empty Nester ...........................................     99
Chapter 11: Rainbow of Divinity .................................    113
Chapter 12: Being and Becoming .................................  127
Chapter 13: The Riddle of The Sphinx  .......................   143
Chapter 14: The Riddle Concludes  ............................   157
Glossary of Terms:  ......................................................  175
End-Notes: ...................................................................   179
Tao Cycle Self-assessment ..........................................  184
About the Author  .........................................................   186

Total pages - 200
Format 6" x 9", full color insides
intrinZ
PUBLISHING
The Riddle
   of
 The Sphinx
Chapter
Summaries
KEY MESSAGES
------------------------------------

Chapter 1:

Know your Inner Self:

It will help you determine your own path in life - without being too distracted by what others do.

If the lack of approval from others makes us feel lonely - the well-developed inner self will keep
us company.

A great place to mediate and contemplate our inner self is when we are surrounded by Nature.
------------------------------------

Chapter 2:

Knowing our External Self:

Involves being able to see our ‘Image’ in others
- And ultimately in the entire Universe.

Violence begets more violence, it does not
address the core issues.

The best time to have a discussion on mutual benefit is before passions get inflamed.
------------------------------------

Chapter 3:

The human life-cycle can be divided into four segments. The ebb and flow of two Taoic
complements covers the gamut of Human existence. These complements are:

A.        Potentiality (Germinal) to Expanded Material Reality (Affluence)
B.        Individuality (Competitive)  to Universality (Co-existential).

Their superposition creates a four quadrant Tao Cycle, whose segments are named as follows.
The ages given are approximate.

1. Studenthood (0-25 years)
2. Householder (25-50 years)
3. Service (Social) Leader (50-75 years), and
4. Spirtualist (approx. 75+ years).
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Chapter 4:

An ‘i’ transition involves a major change in how we perceive ourselves. In the first segment
(Studenthood) we build our own ‘individuality’ and our ability to be self sufficient.

At the first ‘i’ transition, we learn to control our ‘freedom’ trajectory - which has thus far
enabled us to experience and learn, and develop into who we are as individuals.

Our economic footprint continues to grow as we move into the second segment and become a
Householder.

Insisting on pushing our personal freedoms, at the detriment of our own family (and closest
friends), indicates a continuing personal struggle at our first ‘i’ transition.
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Chapter 5

One must look beyond individuality and competitiveness in order to create a complementary
relationship with others:
- Especially significant others.

Consider starting the conversation at the highest mutual level of ‘i’ development:
- The Namaskar, from India, recognizes the spark of Divinity within all of us.

However desperate a situation may seem, there is always hope. We just have to find the right
frame of mind to uncover it!

Hope is like a beautiful lotus flower that has its roots in the decomposing matter of hopelessness
and desperation.

Hope + Vision = Aspiration
--------------------------------------

Chapter 6

There is a major cultural wave overtaking the world today. It is modeled after the
quintessentially American values of:

- Rugged Individualism and
- the Pursuit of Affluence

… which reflect the first two nodes of the four segment Tao.

The need exists for us to think of others as part of our external self, as we all grow towards
Universality - the 3rd node of the Tao Cycle of human development.

The normally highly energetic ‘hare’ is asleep at the node of Affluence. The service mindset is
now very difficult to come by - without a direct economic benefit to the service provider.

Is it time to awaken the hare?

Or, do we keep drawing blood from babies with adult sized needles?

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Chapter 7

The four-segment Tao is applicable to individual humans, human institutions, and even entire
civilizations.

What we learn from the rise and fall of great civilizations is that, in the end, it is not about our
enemies, but about us. It is about how progressive and deeply meaningful our existence is, and
how we deal with the challenges and opportunities that are placed before us.

Our human civilization today is not bounded by national boundaries. We are one global
community. We will survive or perish together. The principles of the Tao cycle, and the
necessity to live in all four segments, can now be applied to the entire human race.
--------------------------------------

Chapter 8

Our Aspirations need to be grounded in ‘reality’ which changes with the times.

A belief system that is not grounded in reality is like a drug - it holds us in its sway temporarily,
and then we have to dig our way out of the intoxication.
----------------------------------------

Chapter 9

Our existence here on earth is prone to accidents and unpredictable losses of life.

To shoulder the blame by oneself is neither necessary nor practical.

Just as ‘Life’ goes on, so must the ‘Afterlife.’

If we are prepared, Afterlife gives us the opportunity to become one with the Universe.

If we are not prepared, we get to come back and continue our Karmic Development.

Karma is not about justice and retribution - it is about making sure we have absorbed the key
lessons from our earthly existence.

We must entrust our inner ‘Aspirational’ self to our Uni - our outer ‘Inspirational’ self, at the
end of our physical existence.
-------------------------------------

Chapter 10

When we build complementary (Yogic) relationships, freedom increases for all involved.

Humanity is poised to extend our collective presence - from the merely ‘living’ to the ‘Divine.’

The doorstep of Divinity is the second ‘i’ transition. Here we curb building out our personal
economic footprint (Affluence) and start moving towards Universality.

There are many levels of Divinity. Uni counts seven of them, with ours being the very first level.

The Tao Cycle, with its four ‘i’ transitions provides a framework with which we can progress
and develop; individually as well as collectively - as the human civilization.
----------------------------------------

Chapter 11

Divinity is like an escalating spiral staircase with many levels.

The first level at which Divinity becomes possible is with the highly developed human.

The second level of divinity roughly corresponds to the biosphere we find ourselves in.  

It is also the complexity of an aspirational human civilization (aided by technology).

In about equal steps of amplification, the Universe lies at the sixth level of Divinity.

The approximate scaling factor for each step is 100,000 - also known as Laksham.

One way to expand our selves towards Divinity is to open ourselves to ever wider wavelengths -
thus slowing our brain waves.
------------------------------------------

Chapter 12

Being and Becoming are two aspects of our aspiring existence.

Becoming is the series of actions that determine the trajectory of our life.

Being is the stillness of self that consolidates all that we are - past, present, and future.

Each level separated by the Laksham scale also results in an internal beat-rate change.

This holds from atoms to cells to human beings. It also holds for higher levels of Divinity.

An essential skill for moving up or down the staircase of Divinity is to be able to match the ‘beat-
rate’ of the target environment.

Each Tao Cycle segment has its characteristic beat-rates. A human Tao Cycle, if completed,
merges into the spiral of Divinity.
--------------------------------------

Chapter 13

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs provides a foundation for determining the core needs of
Studenthood and Householder segments.

Studenthood Needs:
1. Physiological Needs (food, water, shelter)
2. Safety and Security
3. Education & Skill-building
4. Individuality / Diversity

Householder Needs:
1. Genetic Imperative (Procreation)
2. Economic Imperative (Wealth building)
3. Belongingness and Love
4. Esteem

The Traveler Analogy is used to illustrate our passage through the Material phases of our life
(Studenthood and Householder): Pack lightly, carry only what you anticipate needing for your
journey.
--------------------------------------

Chapter 14

The Needs of the Service Leadership segment, in general, reflect the needs of the current
society we live in:
1. Self Determination
2. Service Opportunity and Recogniton
3. Segment Balance
4. Yogic Empathy

The Needs of the Spiritualist segment reflect the needs of the future Divine Intelligence we have
the potential to become:
1. Spiritual Self Determination
2. Vision (Integrative)
3. Sublimation
4. Ananda (Deep Spiritual Happiness)

Building out our collective human ‘Wisdom’  (Cultural DNA) helps us connect to the Spiral of
Divinity.

The alternative is another few billion years of blind evolution – if we were to last that long!