Why not go into Active Learning State all the time and Zen your way through the Tao of life?
Well, really, it's not Active Learning State, it's Accelerated Learning State, and it works because it is passive, not active. PhotoReading is called such because one "Photographs" the page. But, using a different metaphor, it's like "soaking up" the book with the "sponge" of the brain. Accelerated Learning State is a very "absorbant" state. However, when you want to know something consciously, you have to squeeze the sponge of your brain and let the material out. You need to go into reflective awareness. As anyone who has ever been "lost in thought" knows, reflective awareness means going into a state where the external senses make less of an impression.
Natural Brilliance goes into this somewhat, speaking of how we switch to passive passivity (release), active passivity (notice) active activity (respond) and reflictive contemplation (witness). The cycle is designed to minimize or eliminate the time spent in passive activity (trance). One of the reasons Natural Brilliance and PhotoReading are combined together in the self-study course is because the learning cycle of Natural Brilliance is directly applicable to the process of PhotoReading.
[This message has been edited by Kaiden (edited January 30, 2003).]