We want to be people who follow the “other kind” of meditation and practice—the ones who go beyond a body of flesh and blood. To do this, we need to learn the Five Powers: five different spiritual skills that speed us along the Path of Preparation.

The first power is belief. This is not blind faith, but rather a deep attraction for the beauties of spiritual life, once we have heard about them and understand we can reach them ourselves. Effort then comes naturally: once you know what a chocolate-chip cookie tastes like, you're naturally willing to go through some work to get one. Spiritual effort in gladness is doing good things for others.

On one level, awareness is to be present: to be here now, not wrapped up in what's happened or might happen. On another level, it is watching that whatever we do or say or think is something noble.

The highest form of awareness is to keep our mind on where the things that happen to us are really coming from. Meditation here is the ability to stay in deep thoughts on this question; and asking the question within this meditation is itself wisdom.