Making Sense: Understanding Can Change The World 1s6y2y
This document was ed by and they confirmed that they have the permission to share it. If you are author or own the copyright of this book, please report to us by using this report form. Report r6l17
Overview 4q3b3c
& View Making Sense: Understanding Can Change The World as PDF for free.
More details 26j3b
- Words: 9,388
- Pages: 104
- Publisher: BK Publications
- Released Date: May 1, 2019
- ISBN: 9781886872998
- Author: DR. PRASHANT KAKODAY
MAKING SENSE Understanding Can Change the World
DR. PRASHANT KAKODAY
Making Sense
Understanding Can Change the World
Dr. Prashant Kakoday
Print ISBN Number: 978-1-886872-97-4
Kindle: 978-1-886872-98-1
ePub: 978-1-886872-99-8
First Edition 2019
Published by Brahma Kumaris Information Services Ltd., in association with Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University (UK) ed Charity No. 269971 Global Co-operation House, 65 Pound Lane, London NW10 2HH, UK
Copyright ©2018 Brahma Kumaris Information Services Ltd.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, manual, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved.
Cover and book lay out by Judi Rich, Canada
Printed in India by Imprint Press
Edited by BK students of Cambridge Inner Space UK
This book is printed using paper from
ed sustainable and managed sources.
www.inspiredstillness.com
email: [email protected]
www.brahmakumaris.org
FOREWORD
This book provides a concise introduction to the spiritual riches offered by the Raj Yogi way of life. It is written by a master meditator, in most accessible language.
Raja Yoga is much more than a reflective technique or a momentary balm for the troubled soul. It involves a change of mind, which comes about through encountering eternal truths even while staying connected with the transitory scenes of everyday life.
It byes the dilemma over which Shakespeare’s Hamlet agonised:
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And by opposing, end them?
Hamlet’s quandary was whether “to be or not to be” - to put up with the sea of troubles he faced, or to die in confronting them. The challenge had been made all the more acute by the appearance of his father’s ghost, because it confirmed the reality of an afterlife.
Making Sense suggests there is a third, still nobler way. It entails watching everything going on around us with the glasses of a detached, yet benign, observer, considering ourselves a spiritual guest in this material world.
In this way, we rediscover the bliss of the soul. An inner richness emerges. We receive a taste of freedom from the emotional tangles, upsets and neediness brought about by our attachments and dependencies.
As our awareness of the reality of spirit deepens, it gradually brings to an end our futile struggles to find lasting peace and happiness externally.
At the same time, it gives us the will and strength to serve. It transforms us from beggars into true princes.
Dr Prashant Kakoday, the author of Making Sense, is a former surgeon with a highly trained, scalpel-like mind. With great precision, and a gentleness and clarity brought about by his own spiritual practice, he challenges the dysfunctional ideas that bring us suffering and sorrow.
He invites us to explore and experiment with understandings that promise to liberate us from confusion, and to rediscover a fullness of mind through which the love and wisdom of the Supreme can shine through in our lives.
— Neville Hodgkinson, author and journalist
INTRODUCTION
‘We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.’
Albert Einstein
In the same vein, we cannot change our life experience without changing the consciousness that created it in the first place. This booklet encourages you to explore your own consciousness and recognize the faulty starting position which traps you before you even start the race.
It will challenge you to experiment with a new perspective on who you are, where you come from and who you belong to. This new, higher consciousness has huge implications for us. It holds the potential to elevate our awareness, attitude and vision for, not only ourselves, but the physical world, that is, ‘the story’, and further still, ‘the sky beyond the sky’ – our world of truth and infinite beauty.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword
Introduction
Becoming Free
Detached Involvement
A Mind Free from Sorrow
The World Beyond
The Yogi at Home
Being Free from ‘i’
The Alchemist Intellect
The Message of Pain
The Ocean of Love
Conclusions
About the Author
About the Brahma Kumaris
BECOMING FREE
Wake up to the awareness of an eternal prince.
Understand what is the ‘beggar’ attitude and how to become free from it.
The Beggar Life
The essence of the spiritual message is that there is a higher consciousness and at present we are somewhere lower, as if we are not fully awake. Different words are used to tell us that there is a problem.
A big limitation within this is that, if someone is asleep and you tell him he is asleep, there is no one to listen, no one to understand. Only when he wakes up does he realise that he was asleep. If someone is unconscious and you tell him he is unconscious, it does not mean anything to him. This is what Plato calls ‘We don’t know that we don’t know’. We are in a double lock, in double ignorance.
It is useful for us to know the situation so that we can find a way out of it and wake up. We use the image of a prince who has forgotten that he is a prince and thinks he is a beggar. It is as if he is under a spell and he thinks he is a beggar. Someone comes and tells him ‘You are a prince’ and he says ‘I am a prince? Thank you very much, but have you got a coin for me?’ He hears the word prince, but he is deeply entrenched in the beggar awareness. In the beggar awareness, whenever he gets some coins he is happy but if he loses the coins he is unhappy.
The beggar can be very happy when he gets lots of coins. But it is a beggar life with a beggar consciousness. The paradox is that even whilst begging he is still the same prince. He owns a whole kingdom, he has all the treasures. That is the paradox.
The beggar is not always just begging. The beggar syndrome has many other symptoms in the form of ongoing behaviour patterns. The beggar compares
himself with other beggars. He gets into competition, becomes disappointed, gets attached to his begging bowl, is insecure and has many other complications that come with the beggar attitude.
The life of the king and prince is different. Their mind is different, they are not subject to the beggar syndrome. Their life is a celebration and a dance of happiness and clarity, a life of loving and giving. When the prince visits some place to attend some charity event, his task is of giving. He does not visit to take anything because he knows he is already full.
What is the spiritual equivalent? The spiritual knowledge tells us that, right now, we have many treasures. When we use the word soul, we are talking about the eternal prince.
When the soul is not conscious of his truth, the beggar awareness takes over. In this case he is not begging for coins, but he is begging for love, for happiness, security, life. He is begging for some respect and position. He is begging for the things that he already has, but he is under the spell. Someone can tell him ‘you are a prince’ and he hears it, but his attention is on the begging bowl.
This begging manifests in many subtle ways. One manifestation could be begging for virtues in others. As an example, when the prince visits a certain town, he is not concerned if some people in that town are misers, but if the beggar visits that town, he will be bothered. The prince will not see it as a problem, whereas the beggar will see it as his own problem. Similarly, in this world, if someone has no manners, that is, if someone gets angry, gossips or is intolerant, it is their problem, it is not our problem. But for the one who is in the beggar awareness, for the one who is begging for virtues, it is his problem. The prince is not affected even if the gossip or anger is directed towards his person. He experiences a liberated feeling.
The beggar is the lowest denomination in any society and to adopt the beggar awareness means to choose the lowest quality of life possible. There is a huge difference in the quality of life between the prince and the beggar. Everyone wants a good quality of life, but if their awareness is of a beggar, if they are under a spell, even if they have position, wealth and power, it is the beggar awareness experiencing all of it. They are still subject to the beggar syndrome, they are experiencing the lowest quality of life.
The Awake Prince
Such a person has the chance to wake up, and waking up necessarily means discovering the reality beyond this beggar spell. What happens when the prince is awake? In our case, the prince is the soul, angelic soul. He discovers that his world is different and that he is temporarily a guest here in this theatre of the physical world. He does not need this theatre; he does not need this entire physical world. He knows beforehand that it is a temporary episode in a temporary theatre. He knows his eternal reality beyond.
The term soul consciousness is used when the prince realizes he is a prince. The soul realizes he is eternal and his world is eternal. Instantly he is out of the begging spell. He is neither begging for life, nor begging for death nor begging for company. The whole drama becomes an extra experience. The begging comes to an end.
Then the journey of the prince becomes the discovery of what he has got. He may discover he has a Father, the King, he has a family, the royal family. He uses his time to discover other treasures like ‘virtues’ and ‘powers’ and ‘qualities’ that go with the life of the prince. The word ‘need’ does not exist in the life of the awake prince. Desire does not exist, comparing and competition do not exist, sorrow does not exist and, if there is no sorrow, what remains is silent bliss.
The awake prince is useful to himself and to others. In any location, if there are more beggars, then that place becomes a slum, but if there are more princes, that town becomes a kingdom.
Reflective Questions
• How does the beggar attitude prevent the waking up process?
• In your view, what are the ways to overcome this?
• What are the most important aspects for you in the life of the awake prince?
Thoughts for Meditation
The awake souls are princes in character, royal, noble princes. They know that at every level, every aspect of their life is full.
God himself is their Father and Companion and their family is a family of princes. This is what the awake prince knows and experiences.
He has got everything and he has got the best, forever.
When he visits this temporary theatre, the drama, he wants nothing.
This drama has nothing to offer him.
He knows his heart, he knows everyone and he has something very precious to offer to others. With this attitude he is happy to visit.
His words, his attitude and actions are all helpful to others.
DETACHED INVOLVEMENT
Insights into the nature of attachment.
Experiencing the detachment of a guest.
What is Going on in the Mind?
One aim that every human has on this planet is to have a good standard of living and quality of life. To achieve a higher standard of living our emphasis has largely been on improving the outside world. The aim has been to improve our gadgets and computers, to make cars go faster, to find better houses and jobs, to find more wealth and better relationships. All of this is essential.
However, what is given very little importance in society and in our educational system is our inner life, that is, what is going on in the mind and how we respond to outside situations. Apart from a very few even in the field of psychology, little effort is made to educate people in these matters of the mind.
Our inner life is what we experience all the time and so this lack of education can reduce the quality of our lives in a significant way. A person may have wealth, he may be living in a castle, but if there is no understanding of the inner dynamics, he can live a life of anxiety or depression. When a person has a healthy mind and a rich inner life, he will automatically be more efficient at improving his outer life.
A simple model to explain what is going on, is to see the whole of the physical world in the image of a small box. What is the nature of this box? What is happening inside it that is relevant to us? Everything inside is unpredictable. We do not know what is going to happen to it in the next minute. Change is the law in that box; things change right in front of us. Secondly, ‘end’ is the law. Everything comes to an end and something else starts. Just as flowers bloom, fade and die, the same thing happens to everything in the box.
In such a world, if we create even the slightest attachment, sorrow is guaranteed. In a world that is changing, a world that is ending, a world that is unpredictable, if we create even one expectation of whatever kind, it will bring sorrow.
At present, we are busy creating more and more attachments of all kinds within that box and as a result we are at the mercy of that world for our peace. We become slaves, dependant on that unpredictable box. These attachments create anxiety, disappointments and a whole range of negative reactions.
The Detached Observer
We have an option. Just as we can watch changes in a garden, in the same way we can watch this bigger world within the box as detached observers, without any expectations or attachments. A guest is naturally detached and remains an observer. A guest knows he does not own anything and so does not lose anything. In the same way the soul reminds himself he is a guest within this box. He watches things, but he does not get caught up in the things and events of the box. There is nothing wrong with being involved in performing actions in the box. However, being detached is like coming into a house and knowing that we are guests there. We use things in the house, but we do not own anything, we do not create attachments to anything. We call this attitude the state of ‘detached involvement’.
When we leave the house we do not feel that we are losing anything. This is an example of detached involvement. By the word ‘detached’ we mean free, we do not mean we have any less love, or less interest. A guest may be very interested, but he is sensible. What is his wisdom? The guest knows his time of exit.
If the guest comes and forgets he has to leave, it is as if he feels justified in behaving like a host, creating attachments, and thinking that he owns things. Reality is something that he has to face sooner or later. In this case we all have to leave, whether we like it or not, the change and the exit are guaranteed. Every time we forget that we have to leave, we go in the direction of expectations and attachments, we invite feelings of dependency and subservience to the outer world.
Reflective Questions
• In what way does attachment to people, possessions, position affect the quality of life?
• In your view, what is detached involvement?
• What wisdom does a guest have?
A MIND FREE FROM SORROW
Introducing the world as a stage.
Experiencing emotional stability.
A Higher Aim
We saw in an earlier discussion how we can improve the quality of our life. By creating attachments and bondages in an unpredictable world, it is as if we inflict anxieties and disappointments upon ourselves for no reason. All of that is unnecessary. We have the option to have a different attitude. We have the option to be the detached observer.
If a glass of milk has just one drop of poison in it, all the milk is spoiled. In the same way, if you give a mind that is happy one drop of anger or one drop of anxiety, the whole mind gets spoiled.
Through our life of attachments we give ourselves ‘a drop of sorrow’. It may be much more than just a drop. We spoil the mind without giving ourselves the chance to know our potential, that is, what it’s like to have a mind where there is zero sorrow, where there are no undercurrents of anxieties and disappointments.
To have this mind permanently may be a process, but we can experiment with this mind right now. We always have the option to experiment and to know that mind where there is no drop of sorrow.
How? See this world with different glasses. What are these glasses? Let us call them the glasses of the detached observer. What is happening then? With these glasses, we see the entire physical world as a little theatre, as if it were a drama, and the invisible observer is watching this drama. In spiritual language we would call this awareness soul consciousness.
The observer is non-physical, the observer is from a different world. We are trying to see the perspective of the observer. What is it like to be completely free and observe the external world?
The World as a ‘Story’
For the detached observer all that happened yesterday happened in a theatre and all that is happening today is happening in a theatre. In a theatre a story is shown. The observer has no complaints about the story and he has no anxiety about the story. He knows that what happens in the story happens according to the script.
The detached observer is not impressed with the props and the masks, he knows that everything in a theatre is for entertainment. At most he is curious to see what the next plot in the story is. He also knows the world beyond the story, and the world beyond the story is the real world for him.
In this model, the world beyond the story is subtle and eternal. The theatre has limits of time and is not subtle, it is gross. That is all. The person is aware of this subtle reality beyond the theatre, and, as a result, remains free. This understanding prevents him from creating attachments.
This model helps him to experience a mind where there are zero drops of sorrow. This is a huge achievement. If we are talking about quality of life, then this is taking life to a very high level. Such a mind is free from sorrow. This mind knows the bliss of the soul.
When anyone has such emotional stability he can think more clearly and is more useful. In fact, such a person is rich emotionally and mentally, he is useful all round. He does not run away from the theatre, from the world of action, he does not run away from anything. Hence the words ‘detached involvement’.
Ordinarily people rely on their outer life to influence their inner life and, as discussed earlier, the outside world is unpredictable. This is very different from an inner life that is rich and independent. A rich inner life is the starting position of the detached observer and from there, he is able to influence the outer world positively.
Thoughts for Meditation
Many things may happen in the theatre, but the observer has no complaints, no anxieties, no disappointments.
His mind is free from any drop of sorrow, and so it experiences silent bliss.
This mind experiences silent peace, supreme peace.
This mind experiences contentment.
It is a mind that can handle the ups and downs that happen in the theatre.
A Point of Reflection
• Take some time to reflect on the qualities of the world beyond the story.
Reflective Activity
• Which are three old tendencies that you can become free from?
• What new tendencies can you start experimenting with from today?
Free From _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________
Experiment with _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________
THE WORLD BEYOND
Experiment with dropping attachments.
Trade constant insecurity for eternal security.
The Confusion
What is happening to these blissful people of light, whom we call detached observers? We can also call them ‘travellers’. They are travellers ing through the physical world, travellers ing through this box. During this journey they have the option to remain detached observers. If they remain in that awareness, they can have a rich inner life and be involved in everything they would normally do, but they will do it as a trustee.
They are aware of the box and their life there and they know that their journey is long, but they also know they have an exit. They are aware of their life beyond the box. If they were to have this attitude all the time, they would have a fulfilled inner life and they could influence the outer world, whatever their outer life might be.
However, what happens in this journey of the travellers is that they lose the plot. It starts in a very simple way. They forget that they are travellers. They forget they have an exit. A little confusion sets in and in that confusion, it appears reasonable to create attachments within that temporary, changing box.
It is like a person who comes as a guest in someone’s house and in time begins to believe, “This is my room and no one else should be here. Only I should use this. This is my corner,” when in fact he may have to leave at any moment. In the same way, we start to believe that we own something, even something very simple like a broken pot.
We start using the word ‘my’ for something in the outer world. The moment we use this word ‘my’, together with the excitement, possessiveness and attachment
that comes with owning it, so also comes the insecurity of losing it.
Even a little attachment creates subconscious insecurity. Human beings cannot cope with this feeling. Everyone wants to feel secure. It is a deep instinct and no one can by it.
Most human beings struggle to make themselves secure, but in their confusion, the method to make themselves secure is to create more attachments in that insecure box. The more attachments they have to people, possessions and positions, the more they can lose and the more their subconscious insecurity grows.
The chant is always ‘I want more’. This presents itself in different ways. They want more material possessions, they want more attention, they develop addictions, they want more, more, more. Deep inside, behind all these cravings for more, they are looking for security.
Addictive behaviour, violence, corruption and greed are simply a means of trying to address this sense of subconscious insecurity. This includes all socially abnormal behaviours that we see in the world. It also applies to the unpleasant behaviours in our immediate society and within ourselves. The origin of depression and neurotic and psychological problems is insecurity. The paradox is that they are trying to attain security within that temporary insecure box. Such a blatant blind spot is only possible in a state of confusion.
This confusion should not be taken lightly. A mind that is confused can complicate lives and can create unnecessary problems. For example, you would not employ a baby-sitter or a surgeon who is confused. Even though this collective confusion is unnoticed and is socially accepted, in spiritual writings this is addressed as ‘ignorance’ and is seen as the root cause of all our suffering.
Just because it is collective, it doesn’t make it any less serious. It just leads to collective suffering.
Confusion also deprives us from appreciating the richness that exists right in front of us. For example, the one who is confused will not appreciate something really useful, such as an electronic gadget or a sophisticated car. When he comes out of confusion he is able to connect with things and see the wonder behind these versatile gadgets.
When we come out of this ignorance we are freeing ourselves from our suffering, and we are also helping ourselves at another level. We will be connected to the richness within, we will see the significance and the wonder of everything around us, including ourselves.
The Eternal Security
When a person feels secure it brings out the best in him. Only a person who is secure experiences peace. When he is secure he experiences the higher emotions of love, happiness, contentment. Security brings out the best. This applies to human beings and to animals. If you make a dog insecure, it will bark and try to bite you. If you make him feel secure, he will want to play with you.
Ordinarily, we think that the answers to our questions are in the box. The spiritual model gives us clarity to see other options. First of all, we have to be the detached observer of this unpredictable box. By doing this, our starting position is one of security, of peace and emotional stability. In this emotional state we can only have more clarity and find better solutions or right solutions.
On reflection, we realise that not only does the traveller not own anything, but he also does not need anything. It is as if everything is a ‘side scene’ that comes and goes. The traveller finds that his life is rich with so many scenes on all sides. He knows these scenes are going to change, he knows they are going to go, but he remains aware that he is safe and that his journey continues.
Reflective Questions
• In your view, what is confusion?
• What brings clarity?
• What is important for the traveller?
THE YOGI AT HOME
Meditation Experience.
Thoughts for Meditation
Preparing for the practice of meditation, choose a posture that is comfortable. Feel free to move if need be, feel free to keep the eyes open, breathe normally, and let the whole body feel relaxed.
We remind ourselves that right now we are guests in this house (wherever we are at this moment). Being guests we do not own anything so we cannot lose anything. We experience the lightness of being a guest, we experience the security of being a guest.
Souls are guests on this planet. They are guests even in their bodies. They do not own anyone or anything so they do not lose anyone or anything ever. They experience the lightness of a guest, the security of a guest and the freedom of a guest.
We see this guest, the soul, in the form of a living tiny star. It is a conscious, alive being in the form of a star. It is from a different world altogether. This guest has a home. His home is a world of light. Being a guest, the soul is associated with many things of this world such as people, possessions and position.
Now, in a second, the guest returns back to his home. We come to that sky, the sky beyond the sky, the world of complete silence, the world of light. This world of light exists forever.
We understand that this is not just a meditation, it is the home of all the living
stars. They belong here with a sense of eternal security. This place is timeless, changeless, endless. This is the true home of the living stars, the only home, the eternal home. This is the home of everyone. All belong to this sky. All belong to this family of stars.
From the sky they look into the far, far distance. They see the physical, temporary drama, and as they prepare to come into this drama, they come as stars and they remain stars. They remain guests. Their aim is not to lose themselves in the expansion of the drama. They their beautiful truth.
BEING FREE FROM ‘i’
Seeing the false identities.
Experimenting with becoming free from identification.
The False Identification
We use the word ‘identification’ with a specific meaning in order to understand what ‘false’ identifications are. When an individual perceives himself or describes himself based on what he is not, we call it ‘identification’.
For instance, an actor by profession played a certain role in a drama, performing that role every day. In his own words, “in time, that role started to take over”. He began to feel confused as to who he actually was. We would use the word ‘identification’ for this phenomenon.
Another practical example. Let us say that there is a plant and I have been watering this plant for the last few weeks. Every time someone praises the plant I may like to hear the praise, so in time I begin to consider the plant to be a part of me.
One day a visiting guest looks at the plant and says that the plant is not in a good condition. Is this a personal offence? He didn’t say anything about me, but without realising it, my self-respect is now based on the plant. Subconsciously I have given birth to an ‘i’ based on the plant. This ‘i’ takes the praise or criticism of the plant personally. This is identification.
This ‘i’ has emotions, feelings and reactions based around it, as if it is ‘all me’. This makes it feel real. Do we identify like this? We give birth to an ‘i’ based on other people, such as children or any close relations. We may give birth to an ‘i’ based on objects, such as a house or a car. There may be identification with the dress or appearance of the body. We may identify with the job, position, town, religion or ideas. The list is endless.
These identities are based on something that is external. To use the word ‘i’ to anything such as a car is absurd and yet unquestioned.
We already feel insecure with the thought of losing external things once we have labelled them with the word ‘my’, but identification creates even deeper insecurity. Our bondage becomes deeper through identification and we experience many forms of insecurity.
Feeling Under Attack
Let us come back to the example of the plant. The slightest criticism can bother me. If someone has a bigger plant than mine, or if they do not praise the plant, that also becomes a problem. In a short time that ‘i’ takes sorrow from everyone. Because ‘i’ is based on something temporary, it is extremely insecure. It constantly looks out for potential dangers. As long as the false identity is there, negative feelings cannot be stopped.
These identities rule our lives. They are behind the anger that exists in the world. If there have been wars it is because of these identities. Identities are the ones that take offence and want to give offence. It is these identities that also make us fragile and vulnerable.
The false identity makes the society ‘false’. People know that they first have to feed the identities of each other. Lots of the compliments that are given in society are just to make the ‘i’ secure.
It is these identities that are the cause of anger and depression. These identities are also the rulers in national and international politics. Those identities that make choices and take decisions are themselves the product of confusion.
People can declare war and even risk dying if one of their identities is seriously threatened. For instance, if their religion is criticised. What is happening is that a false identity is being threatened. Where does this energy to go to war come from? It may be an insignificant comment or action from someone, but the identity sees it as a threat to its existence and so its survival mechanism kicks in. The identity has no plan to die and will go to any lengths to survive. It will break any law -moral or ethical.
The Means for Freedom
Coming back to the example of the identity based on the plant, imagine that somehow we learn not to identify with the plant. What will be the result? I can look after it, take good care of it, water it, but I do not get caught up in identifying with it.
When someone praises it or someone criticises it, someone likes it, someone doesn’t like it, I am not bothered at all, it is not my problem. In this way, we can discover the means towards restoring our precious freedom. If we stop identifying with even one thing, there is so much more peace. If we learn not to identify with other things, there will be the experience of much greater liberation.
Not to identify doesn’t mean that we don’t look after it or do not do our duty. Whatever needs to be done, we are happy to do it. We are even free to clarify with others as to what is right. The only thing that has changed is that we are not
in the emotional tangle. We are in control of ourselves, and others cannot draw us into any situation.
Unconditional Happiness
From this perspective we can see that what is happening can be seen as ‘drama’, it is happening on a screen, as if down below. In a drama there are changes, things come and go, but that is all in the drama. The soul is secure. He never dies. As he comes so he goes, he has lost nothing. Such a being is noble in character.
When anyone is secure in this absolute way, he exists without desires. He needs nothing from this story down below, from this temporary drama. When there is no vibration of desire, he discovers fullness, he discovers a state of contentment and he discovers peace. This peace, happiness, contentment is unconditional upon the story.
Reflective Questions
• What is your understanding of ‘identification’?
• What is your understanding of ‘drama’?
• Which aspects of the knowledge of the ‘drama’ can help in becoming free?
THE ALCHEMIST INTELLECT
Experimenting with a new understanding.
Experiencing the life of a sage.
The Shift
Plato uses the term ‘nous’ for a higher intellect or philosophical intelligence. One description of it is, ‘godlike kind of mind’. With ‘nous’ you see things the way God sees them.
In the knowledge of Raja Yoga, the words used are paras intellect and pathar intellect. Paras is the godlike kind of intellect. Pathar is a gross intellect. Pathar limits the individual to the physical and has no sense of the subtle.
How does the paras intellect see this present world? Paras sees the whole physical world as a small story, as if it were a theatre based upon a story. He sees that beyond the story is the real world. The world beyond is of light and beings of light. This world exists forever.
Paras can see this as obvious. Pathar sees the story as reality and misses the subtle and eternal dimension beyond the story. For paras it is natural to see the big picture, eternity is normal and subtlety is normal.
This creates a huge difference further down the line. Paras can appreciate the wonder of the sky, the supreme reality, and absolute security. He sees the physical as a variety, temporary drama theatre and he sees that every moment in it is a temporary gift. Pathar has impossible demands within the story. He has complaints, worries, disappointments and traumas.
The Angelic Family
With the paras intellect and divine sight we see that supreme dimension of light, the world beyond the story. We see it like a sky beyond the sky. In this sky there are living, conscious stars. We call them souls. All in this world are the angelic family.
When awake, souls find immortality to be normal. To belong to that sky is normal. They are naturally desire-less, sorrowless, ego-less. Zero desire, zero sorrow, zero ego. What a mind!
Because these people of light have understood the story as a story, they find it absurd to create attachments in the story. They find it absurd to create desires or even preferences in the story, there is no desperation.
As a result, there is no reason for any kind of sorrow, and when there is no trace of sorrow, what remains is silent bliss. We truly realise that this is a family of angelic princes that belongs to the King (God).
They are like Raj Rishis - rishis means sages - at the same time they are like princes, Rajas. Why sage? If someone has less desire and less ego, they are called sages. These people of light have zero desires, zero sorrows, zero ignorance, zero ego, zero vices. That’s why they can be called Raj Rishis, worthy of respect and love – forever.
Paras experiences that all are worthy of love, all belong to one family, all are good. He lives in this world of perfection.
Paras is not striving to achieve perfection, it is as if he has woken up and can see perfection. Nothing needs to change or to be put right. From that perspective everyone is good, everything is good and down below is a story, and there are no complaints about the story. Paras experiences beauty and perfection all around.
The Angelic Task
The one who is awake understands that his task is to help other angelic princes come out of the spell of the pathar intellect.
He knows that everyone has won a big prize. Everyone is an eternal prince, ordinarily invisible, but very obvious to the one with divine sight. Everyone is part of this divine civilisation, part of this family of Raj Rishis, angelic princes, loved by the King, worthy to be loved by all, forever.
This huge truth is right in front of everyone. He understands that all that is required is for the souls to wake up. The task of the one who is awake is to help others to wake up. He can do this by paying attention to the sky. Paying attention is like shining light. Then it becomes easy for others to experience it. The more attention given to the other souls, the easier it is for them to see themselves. Those who are awake realise the immense value of their vision, of their thoughts and of their time - their each and every second. This is the angelic duty, the angelic task.
Reflective Questions
• How does the knowledge of the paras intellect empower your spiritual endeavour?
• Take a few minutes to reflect on the qualities of the angelic soul.
• In how many ways can the angelic soul help others wake up?
Thoughts for Meditation
When there is no trace of sorrow, what remains is silent bliss.
We experience a state of silent contentment, silent peace.
We feel the world is very good and the story is also good.
Everything is good and everyone is good.
The more we come to know ourselves, the more we come to know that others are also like this.
We truly realise that this is a family of angelic princes that belongs to the King of kings.
The whole reality is eternal.
All here are desire-less, sorrow-less, ego-less.
People of bliss and beauty, worthy of the greatest respect.
THE MESSAGE OF PAIN
Researching the reasons for pain.
Living free from pain and sorrow.
Can We Avoid Pain?
Why do we have pain and can we avoid pain? In this world we are seeing a whole range of emotional and physical discomforts as well as sorrow. Before trying to understand the reasons for pain, let us understand certain laws of nature.
Seen objectively we notice that nature is our friend. We are alive because of nature. Various laws of nature are to our advantage.
As an example, if our finger is cut, in the same second there is a mechanism that starts to heal it. Nature has got extensive mechanisms to preserve, protect and sustain the body. Further still, we see that it is nature that protects the plants, insects, bacteria and the larger world.
In this wonderful nature animals and human beings have free will. This free will can make them take risks and create dangers for themselves. For example they can touch a knife or find themselves in a fire. In nature this free will is balanced with the mechanism of pain.
Whenever animals or human beings put themselves in danger, a pain mechanism gives a warning. This is why animals will not go into a fire and will not cut or kill themselves.
A pain mechanism protects them from danger by giving them a warning. As a result we find that most pain receptors are in areas where we are more likely to hurt ourselves, for example on the tips of the fingers. There are fewer pain
receptors on the abdomen, or where we are less likely to hurt ourselves.
In the intestines, there are no pain receptors of the kind we have on the skin, so during surgery, once we go past the skin, there are no pain receptors. For example, a surgeon can remove a large part of the intestines and the patient will not experience any pain.
Nature has a wonderful mechanism to protect us with its pain mechanisms. A touch of a sharp object or a wrong posture will give a signal of pain. If the posture is changed the pain will subside.
In the same way if someone eats something that is poisonous, he will experience pain in the form of nausea or a foul smell. These signals prevent him from eating poisonous food and thus protect him from danger.
We can take this a step further and suppose that every possible pain that exists is giving a message, which we might need to understand if we want to free ourselves from pain. There is always a message behind every pain. Nature does not give pain for no reason. We may have to make the effort to understand the message.
The message may be that our lifestyle is wrong, for instance, our diet is wrong or our attitude is wrong. These things have to be looked into. Just as changing the posture helps the pain to subside, in the same way, in other cases changing our diet or lifestyle will bring about relief from pain. In some cases the pain may subside completely and instantly and in other cases it will subside gradually, but once the message behind the pain is understood and the posture is corrected some relief is guaranteed.
Emotional Pain
Now, we can take it further and see if we have any reasons for emotional pain. In this model emotional pain is also a message. What are we doing wrong so that we experience emotional pain?
The spiritual message tells us that we have taken a wrong posture at the level of consciousness. Our life of attachments and identifications is the ‘wrong posture’ and if there is a wrong posture, it will invite pain. Some types of pain will take the form of emotional pain. The whole range of emotional pain is secondary to attachments and ego, but ego also invites another form of pain that manifests as misfortune.
A Simple Law
Nature gives us a very simple message to ‘remain free’. Nature’s message is “This is a temporary world, you are a guest here, therefore do not create attachments in this world.”
A guest is always honoured. Be an honourable guest and nature will remain your friend and honour you.
Reflective Questions
• Can you think of examples in your life of the ‘message of pain’?
• What is inviting misfortune in our lives? How can this be avoided?
• In your view, who is the perfect guest?
THE OCEAN OF LOVE
Starting the journey with God.
The Connection
Imagine there is a great mathematician in your town. Who will recognize this great mathematician? It can only be another mathematician. Others may know him very well and may like him, but will not know him as a great mathematician. They will see him as a nice person. Who will recognize a great musician? Only another musician. In the same way, who can ever recognize God? The one who is becoming godlike can recognize God, as He is and what He is.
We have discussed so far the emphasis on creating clarity, steps towards freedom, experiencing soul consciousness, experiencing a mind where there is no reason for sorrow, knowing what bliss and love are. These are all steps towards higher consciousness. They help us to know the highest consciousness and this is where the word God can rightly be used. He is the One who is always in truth.
He understands the whole of the physical world as a story. Since it is a story, there are no ions about this story, no complaints, no anger and no falling in love with characters in the story. The one who fully understands that this is really a story is free to be completely beyond the story. He will find it absurd to create any bondage in the story.
The world beyond the story is the real world. The story is fiction and the world beyond is real. In the real world are the real people. This world beyond is of light and its people are of light. We call them souls. It is these pure souls who give this world beyond a divine sparkle. For God this subtle world is normal. He lives in this world, He does not live in the story.
He is the One who knows that there is no need for desperation or desires in the story and that there is no need for preference even about how the story should go. It truly doesn’t matter for Him, because all the real people remain safe and beautiful, irrespective of the story. The sky beyond is all that matters.
He loves the people (souls) from the real world, whether they are in the sky or visiting the story world. They are the same people, He knows they belong to Him forever. They live with Him and they are loved by Him. In fact they are worthy of love – forever and they are worthy of immense respect – forever. God is the one who knows this in an absolute way always. He can’t lose sight of this truth.
To know the theatre and the story as a story is by itself wisdom. Never to be deceived by this convincing and sophisticated story is a sign of great wisdom. God maintains that wisdom forever. That wisdom is the difference between God as the Supreme Soul and human souls. Human souls get deceived by the story at some point in their journey.
God’s Freedom
Because of God’s absolute freedom and absolute clarity, He remains in a position to help others come out of their deception.
At the present time when possibly all are deceived by the glitter and glamour of this story, people have reached a level that they don’t know that they don’t know. That is, they don’t even know what they have lost. It is at this time that God’s intervention becomes a supreme help. It is like light in the midst of complete darkness.
His absolute positioning on truth becomes a huge and only for the upliftment of these drowning angelic souls. Then these angels can breathe and fly again, experience their godlike nature once again.
This also explains why, subconsciously, all souls have deep love for God, even though they do not know God. They have possibly experienced this role of God in their lives at some point. They have the understanding of having received help from God in their past. God is the One who uplifts them.
God is described as a being of bliss, love and contentment. Now we understand in what way His love differs from ordinary love. Whilst the love of human beings is in the story, completely oblivious of the reality beyond, God loves the real people, beyond the story. Naturally He loves them unconditionally upon the script, unconditionally upon their part in the script. In the light of full clarity He does not mix reality with fiction. He, therefore, remains forever in bliss, forever in contentment, forever secure, forever the Ocean of Love.
Becoming Like God
What is our method to pull ourselves out of the lower consciousness? Children become adults by keeping the company of adults. If they were to stay in the company of just children they would not grow out of their childishness. They would not become adults.
It is the same for human beings. If we want to know and experience our own highest potential, we need the company of the Father and His noble consciousness.
When we try to see what He sees, to feel what He feels, to know what He knows, to think what He thinks, to do what He does, we become like Him.
Thoughts for Meditation
We understand that God is a being of bliss, love and contentment forever.
He can love everyone despite their part in the story.
He understands the story as a story, He does not mix reality and fiction.
He lives in the world beyond the story.
This world beyond is of light and its people are of light.
We call them souls.
He lives with these real people of light, these souls, in the world of light. This world is eternal and all in this world are immortal.
God knows of this absolute security.
He knows that all these people of light are like Him.
All are secure like Him, all are desire-less like Him.
They are so secure that they exist without needing anything.
They are desire-less, sorrow-less, and ego-less.
This is their experience.
Reflective Questions
• What differences between the Supreme Soul and the human soul stand out to you?
• What does God know?
• Can a human soul become more like God, and if so how?
CONCLUSIONS
What is this all about?
What is Around the Next Corner?
After reading and practising some of the ideas in this booklet, you may find that you have more questions than when you started. This is a very good sign. The idea of this book is to challenge old beliefs and long held patterns of thinking about ourselves, the physical world and the real meaning of life. Our perceptions, beliefs and the resultant patterns of thinking are some of the components of consciousness, which have kept us too long in bondage and limitations, in ever increasing pain and suffering.
If you were on a sinking boat, would you just sit there making yourself and others comfortable, waiting for it to sink, or would you find a way off the boat and help others to get off too? Discovering the beauty of truth by awakening to a new consciousness based on that truth, is just this; it is a way to get off this old ‘boat’ before it goes down. The sinking boat is not our home and never was. We have grown attached to and dependent on a world that we have taken to be our absolute truth and now that it is failing us, we long for something to hold onto, only to find that there is nothing really there. It is just like water that slips through our fingers when we try to hold it. That is always the nature of a story: it has a beginning and an end.
By contrast, truth is perennial. That is how we know truth. It is changeless, not a concept or belief, but an actual experience that is eternal. A story can also be an experience, but it isn’t sensible to take it for reality. It exists for entertainment.
The greatest wisdom of all is simply to acknowledge that we don’t know and to start from there. Once the paras eyesight starts to open, the possibilities are infinite. We are now in a position to explore and experiment with ideas that will ultimately liberate us from the downhill spiral which has taken us to our current state of confusion. However, understanding our dilemma is not enough to
awaken a new consciousness. It requires constant practice. What we are aiming for is to change our ‘default’ consciousness so that it becomes normal to think, act and speak as a guest, the traveller that we are.
When something is normal or natural, it happens without our even thinking about it. Then we can say that we have awakened from the dream, that is, the story. To reach this stage requires some effort, but when we understand the huge fortune that it brings, the effort becomes enjoyable and even fun. Every step arouses our curiosity to explore deeper, to see what is around the next corner …
What is this immortality, this silent home, this loving parent whom we call God? So much to experience and so much to celebrate. It is a great wonder!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in India and presently based in Cambridge, UK, Dr Prashant Kakoday is a medical doctor with a background in ENT surgery and Integrated Health. A student and teacher with Brahma Kumaris for over 30 years, Dr Kakoday’s main area of interest has been the relationship between spirituality, science and excellence in human potential.
He has spoken about the spiritual and holistic principles of life and health in more than 80 countries at universities, medical schools and organisations, including the W.H.O and the Medical Teaching Program within the U.S.A.
He presently coordinates the activities of the Brahma Kumaris in Cambridge. His lectures cover subjects such as, Spiritual Intelligence, Science of Happiness, the Subconscious Mind, and Spiritual Health.
ABOUT THE BRAHMA KUMARIS
The Brahma Kumaris is a network of organisations in over 100 countries, with its spiritual headquarters in Mount Abu, Rajasthan, India.
It works at all levels of society for positive change, and offers individuals from all backgrounds a variety of life-long learning opportunities to help them recognise their inherent qualities and abilities in order to make the most of their lives.
Acknowledging the intrinsic worth and goodness of the inner self, the Brahma Kumaris teaches a practical method of meditation, called Raja Yoga, that helps people to cultivate their inner strengths and values.
It also offers courses and seminars in such topics as positive thinking, overcoming anger, stress relief and self-esteem, encouraging spirituality in daily life.
This spiritual approach is also brought into healthcare, social work, education, prisons and other community settings.
All courses and activities are offered free of charge.
See the following page for details of the main offices.
For more information:
www.brahmakumaris.org
For more Brahma Kumaris publications: www.inspiredstillness.com E: [email protected]
WHERE TO FIND US
SPIRITUAL HEADQUARTERS PO Box No 2, Mount Abu 307501, Rajasthan, India Tel: (+91) 2974-238261 to 68 Fax: (+91) 2974-238883 E-mail: [email protected]
INTERNATIONAL CO-ORDINATING OFFICE & REGIONAL OFFICE FOR EUROPE AND THE MIDDLE EAST Global Co-operation House, 65-69 Pound Lane, London, NW10 2HH, UK Tel: (+44) 20-8727-3350 Fax: (+44) 20-8727-3351 E-mail: [email protected]
REGIONAL OFFICES
AFRICA Global Museum for a Better World, Maua Close, off Parklands Road, Westlands PO Box 123, Sarit Centre, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: (+254) 20-374-3572 Fax: (+254) 20-374-3885 E-mail: [email protected]
THE AMERICAS AND THE CARIBBEAN Global Harmony House, 46 S. Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, NY 11021, USA Tel: (+1) 516-773-0971 Fax: (+1) 516-773-0976 E-mail: [email protected]
AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH EAST ASIA 181 First Ave, Five Dock, Sydney, 2046 Australia Tel: (+61) 2 9716-7066 E-mail: [email protected]
RUSSIA, CIS AND THE BALTIC COUNTRIES Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University 2, Lobachika, Bldg. No. 2 Moscow – 107140
RUSSIA Tel: (+7): +7499 2646276 Fax: (+7) 495-261-3224 E-mail: [email protected]
DR. PRASHANT KAKODAY
Making Sense
Understanding Can Change the World
Dr. Prashant Kakoday
Print ISBN Number: 978-1-886872-97-4
Kindle: 978-1-886872-98-1
ePub: 978-1-886872-99-8
First Edition 2019
Published by Brahma Kumaris Information Services Ltd., in association with Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University (UK) ed Charity No. 269971 Global Co-operation House, 65 Pound Lane, London NW10 2HH, UK
Copyright ©2018 Brahma Kumaris Information Services Ltd.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, manual, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved.
Cover and book lay out by Judi Rich, Canada
Printed in India by Imprint Press
Edited by BK students of Cambridge Inner Space UK
This book is printed using paper from
ed sustainable and managed sources.
www.inspiredstillness.com
email: [email protected]
www.brahmakumaris.org
FOREWORD
This book provides a concise introduction to the spiritual riches offered by the Raj Yogi way of life. It is written by a master meditator, in most accessible language.
Raja Yoga is much more than a reflective technique or a momentary balm for the troubled soul. It involves a change of mind, which comes about through encountering eternal truths even while staying connected with the transitory scenes of everyday life.
It byes the dilemma over which Shakespeare’s Hamlet agonised:
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And by opposing, end them?
Hamlet’s quandary was whether “to be or not to be” - to put up with the sea of troubles he faced, or to die in confronting them. The challenge had been made all the more acute by the appearance of his father’s ghost, because it confirmed the reality of an afterlife.
Making Sense suggests there is a third, still nobler way. It entails watching everything going on around us with the glasses of a detached, yet benign, observer, considering ourselves a spiritual guest in this material world.
In this way, we rediscover the bliss of the soul. An inner richness emerges. We receive a taste of freedom from the emotional tangles, upsets and neediness brought about by our attachments and dependencies.
As our awareness of the reality of spirit deepens, it gradually brings to an end our futile struggles to find lasting peace and happiness externally.
At the same time, it gives us the will and strength to serve. It transforms us from beggars into true princes.
Dr Prashant Kakoday, the author of Making Sense, is a former surgeon with a highly trained, scalpel-like mind. With great precision, and a gentleness and clarity brought about by his own spiritual practice, he challenges the dysfunctional ideas that bring us suffering and sorrow.
He invites us to explore and experiment with understandings that promise to liberate us from confusion, and to rediscover a fullness of mind through which the love and wisdom of the Supreme can shine through in our lives.
— Neville Hodgkinson, author and journalist
INTRODUCTION
‘We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.’
Albert Einstein
In the same vein, we cannot change our life experience without changing the consciousness that created it in the first place. This booklet encourages you to explore your own consciousness and recognize the faulty starting position which traps you before you even start the race.
It will challenge you to experiment with a new perspective on who you are, where you come from and who you belong to. This new, higher consciousness has huge implications for us. It holds the potential to elevate our awareness, attitude and vision for, not only ourselves, but the physical world, that is, ‘the story’, and further still, ‘the sky beyond the sky’ – our world of truth and infinite beauty.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword
Introduction
Becoming Free
Detached Involvement
A Mind Free from Sorrow
The World Beyond
The Yogi at Home
Being Free from ‘i’
The Alchemist Intellect
The Message of Pain
The Ocean of Love
Conclusions
About the Author
About the Brahma Kumaris
BECOMING FREE
Wake up to the awareness of an eternal prince.
Understand what is the ‘beggar’ attitude and how to become free from it.
The Beggar Life
The essence of the spiritual message is that there is a higher consciousness and at present we are somewhere lower, as if we are not fully awake. Different words are used to tell us that there is a problem.
A big limitation within this is that, if someone is asleep and you tell him he is asleep, there is no one to listen, no one to understand. Only when he wakes up does he realise that he was asleep. If someone is unconscious and you tell him he is unconscious, it does not mean anything to him. This is what Plato calls ‘We don’t know that we don’t know’. We are in a double lock, in double ignorance.
It is useful for us to know the situation so that we can find a way out of it and wake up. We use the image of a prince who has forgotten that he is a prince and thinks he is a beggar. It is as if he is under a spell and he thinks he is a beggar. Someone comes and tells him ‘You are a prince’ and he says ‘I am a prince? Thank you very much, but have you got a coin for me?’ He hears the word prince, but he is deeply entrenched in the beggar awareness. In the beggar awareness, whenever he gets some coins he is happy but if he loses the coins he is unhappy.
The beggar can be very happy when he gets lots of coins. But it is a beggar life with a beggar consciousness. The paradox is that even whilst begging he is still the same prince. He owns a whole kingdom, he has all the treasures. That is the paradox.
The beggar is not always just begging. The beggar syndrome has many other symptoms in the form of ongoing behaviour patterns. The beggar compares
himself with other beggars. He gets into competition, becomes disappointed, gets attached to his begging bowl, is insecure and has many other complications that come with the beggar attitude.
The life of the king and prince is different. Their mind is different, they are not subject to the beggar syndrome. Their life is a celebration and a dance of happiness and clarity, a life of loving and giving. When the prince visits some place to attend some charity event, his task is of giving. He does not visit to take anything because he knows he is already full.
What is the spiritual equivalent? The spiritual knowledge tells us that, right now, we have many treasures. When we use the word soul, we are talking about the eternal prince.
When the soul is not conscious of his truth, the beggar awareness takes over. In this case he is not begging for coins, but he is begging for love, for happiness, security, life. He is begging for some respect and position. He is begging for the things that he already has, but he is under the spell. Someone can tell him ‘you are a prince’ and he hears it, but his attention is on the begging bowl.
This begging manifests in many subtle ways. One manifestation could be begging for virtues in others. As an example, when the prince visits a certain town, he is not concerned if some people in that town are misers, but if the beggar visits that town, he will be bothered. The prince will not see it as a problem, whereas the beggar will see it as his own problem. Similarly, in this world, if someone has no manners, that is, if someone gets angry, gossips or is intolerant, it is their problem, it is not our problem. But for the one who is in the beggar awareness, for the one who is begging for virtues, it is his problem. The prince is not affected even if the gossip or anger is directed towards his person. He experiences a liberated feeling.
The beggar is the lowest denomination in any society and to adopt the beggar awareness means to choose the lowest quality of life possible. There is a huge difference in the quality of life between the prince and the beggar. Everyone wants a good quality of life, but if their awareness is of a beggar, if they are under a spell, even if they have position, wealth and power, it is the beggar awareness experiencing all of it. They are still subject to the beggar syndrome, they are experiencing the lowest quality of life.
The Awake Prince
Such a person has the chance to wake up, and waking up necessarily means discovering the reality beyond this beggar spell. What happens when the prince is awake? In our case, the prince is the soul, angelic soul. He discovers that his world is different and that he is temporarily a guest here in this theatre of the physical world. He does not need this theatre; he does not need this entire physical world. He knows beforehand that it is a temporary episode in a temporary theatre. He knows his eternal reality beyond.
The term soul consciousness is used when the prince realizes he is a prince. The soul realizes he is eternal and his world is eternal. Instantly he is out of the begging spell. He is neither begging for life, nor begging for death nor begging for company. The whole drama becomes an extra experience. The begging comes to an end.
Then the journey of the prince becomes the discovery of what he has got. He may discover he has a Father, the King, he has a family, the royal family. He uses his time to discover other treasures like ‘virtues’ and ‘powers’ and ‘qualities’ that go with the life of the prince. The word ‘need’ does not exist in the life of the awake prince. Desire does not exist, comparing and competition do not exist, sorrow does not exist and, if there is no sorrow, what remains is silent bliss.
The awake prince is useful to himself and to others. In any location, if there are more beggars, then that place becomes a slum, but if there are more princes, that town becomes a kingdom.
Reflective Questions
• How does the beggar attitude prevent the waking up process?
• In your view, what are the ways to overcome this?
• What are the most important aspects for you in the life of the awake prince?
Thoughts for Meditation
The awake souls are princes in character, royal, noble princes. They know that at every level, every aspect of their life is full.
God himself is their Father and Companion and their family is a family of princes. This is what the awake prince knows and experiences.
He has got everything and he has got the best, forever.
When he visits this temporary theatre, the drama, he wants nothing.
This drama has nothing to offer him.
He knows his heart, he knows everyone and he has something very precious to offer to others. With this attitude he is happy to visit.
His words, his attitude and actions are all helpful to others.
DETACHED INVOLVEMENT
Insights into the nature of attachment.
Experiencing the detachment of a guest.
What is Going on in the Mind?
One aim that every human has on this planet is to have a good standard of living and quality of life. To achieve a higher standard of living our emphasis has largely been on improving the outside world. The aim has been to improve our gadgets and computers, to make cars go faster, to find better houses and jobs, to find more wealth and better relationships. All of this is essential.
However, what is given very little importance in society and in our educational system is our inner life, that is, what is going on in the mind and how we respond to outside situations. Apart from a very few even in the field of psychology, little effort is made to educate people in these matters of the mind.
Our inner life is what we experience all the time and so this lack of education can reduce the quality of our lives in a significant way. A person may have wealth, he may be living in a castle, but if there is no understanding of the inner dynamics, he can live a life of anxiety or depression. When a person has a healthy mind and a rich inner life, he will automatically be more efficient at improving his outer life.
A simple model to explain what is going on, is to see the whole of the physical world in the image of a small box. What is the nature of this box? What is happening inside it that is relevant to us? Everything inside is unpredictable. We do not know what is going to happen to it in the next minute. Change is the law in that box; things change right in front of us. Secondly, ‘end’ is the law. Everything comes to an end and something else starts. Just as flowers bloom, fade and die, the same thing happens to everything in the box.
In such a world, if we create even the slightest attachment, sorrow is guaranteed. In a world that is changing, a world that is ending, a world that is unpredictable, if we create even one expectation of whatever kind, it will bring sorrow.
At present, we are busy creating more and more attachments of all kinds within that box and as a result we are at the mercy of that world for our peace. We become slaves, dependant on that unpredictable box. These attachments create anxiety, disappointments and a whole range of negative reactions.
The Detached Observer
We have an option. Just as we can watch changes in a garden, in the same way we can watch this bigger world within the box as detached observers, without any expectations or attachments. A guest is naturally detached and remains an observer. A guest knows he does not own anything and so does not lose anything. In the same way the soul reminds himself he is a guest within this box. He watches things, but he does not get caught up in the things and events of the box. There is nothing wrong with being involved in performing actions in the box. However, being detached is like coming into a house and knowing that we are guests there. We use things in the house, but we do not own anything, we do not create attachments to anything. We call this attitude the state of ‘detached involvement’.
When we leave the house we do not feel that we are losing anything. This is an example of detached involvement. By the word ‘detached’ we mean free, we do not mean we have any less love, or less interest. A guest may be very interested, but he is sensible. What is his wisdom? The guest knows his time of exit.
If the guest comes and forgets he has to leave, it is as if he feels justified in behaving like a host, creating attachments, and thinking that he owns things. Reality is something that he has to face sooner or later. In this case we all have to leave, whether we like it or not, the change and the exit are guaranteed. Every time we forget that we have to leave, we go in the direction of expectations and attachments, we invite feelings of dependency and subservience to the outer world.
Reflective Questions
• In what way does attachment to people, possessions, position affect the quality of life?
• In your view, what is detached involvement?
• What wisdom does a guest have?
A MIND FREE FROM SORROW
Introducing the world as a stage.
Experiencing emotional stability.
A Higher Aim
We saw in an earlier discussion how we can improve the quality of our life. By creating attachments and bondages in an unpredictable world, it is as if we inflict anxieties and disappointments upon ourselves for no reason. All of that is unnecessary. We have the option to have a different attitude. We have the option to be the detached observer.
If a glass of milk has just one drop of poison in it, all the milk is spoiled. In the same way, if you give a mind that is happy one drop of anger or one drop of anxiety, the whole mind gets spoiled.
Through our life of attachments we give ourselves ‘a drop of sorrow’. It may be much more than just a drop. We spoil the mind without giving ourselves the chance to know our potential, that is, what it’s like to have a mind where there is zero sorrow, where there are no undercurrents of anxieties and disappointments.
To have this mind permanently may be a process, but we can experiment with this mind right now. We always have the option to experiment and to know that mind where there is no drop of sorrow.
How? See this world with different glasses. What are these glasses? Let us call them the glasses of the detached observer. What is happening then? With these glasses, we see the entire physical world as a little theatre, as if it were a drama, and the invisible observer is watching this drama. In spiritual language we would call this awareness soul consciousness.
The observer is non-physical, the observer is from a different world. We are trying to see the perspective of the observer. What is it like to be completely free and observe the external world?
The World as a ‘Story’
For the detached observer all that happened yesterday happened in a theatre and all that is happening today is happening in a theatre. In a theatre a story is shown. The observer has no complaints about the story and he has no anxiety about the story. He knows that what happens in the story happens according to the script.
The detached observer is not impressed with the props and the masks, he knows that everything in a theatre is for entertainment. At most he is curious to see what the next plot in the story is. He also knows the world beyond the story, and the world beyond the story is the real world for him.
In this model, the world beyond the story is subtle and eternal. The theatre has limits of time and is not subtle, it is gross. That is all. The person is aware of this subtle reality beyond the theatre, and, as a result, remains free. This understanding prevents him from creating attachments.
This model helps him to experience a mind where there are zero drops of sorrow. This is a huge achievement. If we are talking about quality of life, then this is taking life to a very high level. Such a mind is free from sorrow. This mind knows the bliss of the soul.
When anyone has such emotional stability he can think more clearly and is more useful. In fact, such a person is rich emotionally and mentally, he is useful all round. He does not run away from the theatre, from the world of action, he does not run away from anything. Hence the words ‘detached involvement’.
Ordinarily people rely on their outer life to influence their inner life and, as discussed earlier, the outside world is unpredictable. This is very different from an inner life that is rich and independent. A rich inner life is the starting position of the detached observer and from there, he is able to influence the outer world positively.
Thoughts for Meditation
Many things may happen in the theatre, but the observer has no complaints, no anxieties, no disappointments.
His mind is free from any drop of sorrow, and so it experiences silent bliss.
This mind experiences silent peace, supreme peace.
This mind experiences contentment.
It is a mind that can handle the ups and downs that happen in the theatre.
A Point of Reflection
• Take some time to reflect on the qualities of the world beyond the story.
Reflective Activity
• Which are three old tendencies that you can become free from?
• What new tendencies can you start experimenting with from today?
Free From _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________
Experiment with _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________
THE WORLD BEYOND
Experiment with dropping attachments.
Trade constant insecurity for eternal security.
The Confusion
What is happening to these blissful people of light, whom we call detached observers? We can also call them ‘travellers’. They are travellers ing through the physical world, travellers ing through this box. During this journey they have the option to remain detached observers. If they remain in that awareness, they can have a rich inner life and be involved in everything they would normally do, but they will do it as a trustee.
They are aware of the box and their life there and they know that their journey is long, but they also know they have an exit. They are aware of their life beyond the box. If they were to have this attitude all the time, they would have a fulfilled inner life and they could influence the outer world, whatever their outer life might be.
However, what happens in this journey of the travellers is that they lose the plot. It starts in a very simple way. They forget that they are travellers. They forget they have an exit. A little confusion sets in and in that confusion, it appears reasonable to create attachments within that temporary, changing box.
It is like a person who comes as a guest in someone’s house and in time begins to believe, “This is my room and no one else should be here. Only I should use this. This is my corner,” when in fact he may have to leave at any moment. In the same way, we start to believe that we own something, even something very simple like a broken pot.
We start using the word ‘my’ for something in the outer world. The moment we use this word ‘my’, together with the excitement, possessiveness and attachment
that comes with owning it, so also comes the insecurity of losing it.
Even a little attachment creates subconscious insecurity. Human beings cannot cope with this feeling. Everyone wants to feel secure. It is a deep instinct and no one can by it.
Most human beings struggle to make themselves secure, but in their confusion, the method to make themselves secure is to create more attachments in that insecure box. The more attachments they have to people, possessions and positions, the more they can lose and the more their subconscious insecurity grows.
The chant is always ‘I want more’. This presents itself in different ways. They want more material possessions, they want more attention, they develop addictions, they want more, more, more. Deep inside, behind all these cravings for more, they are looking for security.
Addictive behaviour, violence, corruption and greed are simply a means of trying to address this sense of subconscious insecurity. This includes all socially abnormal behaviours that we see in the world. It also applies to the unpleasant behaviours in our immediate society and within ourselves. The origin of depression and neurotic and psychological problems is insecurity. The paradox is that they are trying to attain security within that temporary insecure box. Such a blatant blind spot is only possible in a state of confusion.
This confusion should not be taken lightly. A mind that is confused can complicate lives and can create unnecessary problems. For example, you would not employ a baby-sitter or a surgeon who is confused. Even though this collective confusion is unnoticed and is socially accepted, in spiritual writings this is addressed as ‘ignorance’ and is seen as the root cause of all our suffering.
Just because it is collective, it doesn’t make it any less serious. It just leads to collective suffering.
Confusion also deprives us from appreciating the richness that exists right in front of us. For example, the one who is confused will not appreciate something really useful, such as an electronic gadget or a sophisticated car. When he comes out of confusion he is able to connect with things and see the wonder behind these versatile gadgets.
When we come out of this ignorance we are freeing ourselves from our suffering, and we are also helping ourselves at another level. We will be connected to the richness within, we will see the significance and the wonder of everything around us, including ourselves.
The Eternal Security
When a person feels secure it brings out the best in him. Only a person who is secure experiences peace. When he is secure he experiences the higher emotions of love, happiness, contentment. Security brings out the best. This applies to human beings and to animals. If you make a dog insecure, it will bark and try to bite you. If you make him feel secure, he will want to play with you.
Ordinarily, we think that the answers to our questions are in the box. The spiritual model gives us clarity to see other options. First of all, we have to be the detached observer of this unpredictable box. By doing this, our starting position is one of security, of peace and emotional stability. In this emotional state we can only have more clarity and find better solutions or right solutions.
On reflection, we realise that not only does the traveller not own anything, but he also does not need anything. It is as if everything is a ‘side scene’ that comes and goes. The traveller finds that his life is rich with so many scenes on all sides. He knows these scenes are going to change, he knows they are going to go, but he remains aware that he is safe and that his journey continues.
Reflective Questions
• In your view, what is confusion?
• What brings clarity?
• What is important for the traveller?
THE YOGI AT HOME
Meditation Experience.
Thoughts for Meditation
Preparing for the practice of meditation, choose a posture that is comfortable. Feel free to move if need be, feel free to keep the eyes open, breathe normally, and let the whole body feel relaxed.
We remind ourselves that right now we are guests in this house (wherever we are at this moment). Being guests we do not own anything so we cannot lose anything. We experience the lightness of being a guest, we experience the security of being a guest.
Souls are guests on this planet. They are guests even in their bodies. They do not own anyone or anything so they do not lose anyone or anything ever. They experience the lightness of a guest, the security of a guest and the freedom of a guest.
We see this guest, the soul, in the form of a living tiny star. It is a conscious, alive being in the form of a star. It is from a different world altogether. This guest has a home. His home is a world of light. Being a guest, the soul is associated with many things of this world such as people, possessions and position.
Now, in a second, the guest returns back to his home. We come to that sky, the sky beyond the sky, the world of complete silence, the world of light. This world of light exists forever.
We understand that this is not just a meditation, it is the home of all the living
stars. They belong here with a sense of eternal security. This place is timeless, changeless, endless. This is the true home of the living stars, the only home, the eternal home. This is the home of everyone. All belong to this sky. All belong to this family of stars.
From the sky they look into the far, far distance. They see the physical, temporary drama, and as they prepare to come into this drama, they come as stars and they remain stars. They remain guests. Their aim is not to lose themselves in the expansion of the drama. They their beautiful truth.
BEING FREE FROM ‘i’
Seeing the false identities.
Experimenting with becoming free from identification.
The False Identification
We use the word ‘identification’ with a specific meaning in order to understand what ‘false’ identifications are. When an individual perceives himself or describes himself based on what he is not, we call it ‘identification’.
For instance, an actor by profession played a certain role in a drama, performing that role every day. In his own words, “in time, that role started to take over”. He began to feel confused as to who he actually was. We would use the word ‘identification’ for this phenomenon.
Another practical example. Let us say that there is a plant and I have been watering this plant for the last few weeks. Every time someone praises the plant I may like to hear the praise, so in time I begin to consider the plant to be a part of me.
One day a visiting guest looks at the plant and says that the plant is not in a good condition. Is this a personal offence? He didn’t say anything about me, but without realising it, my self-respect is now based on the plant. Subconsciously I have given birth to an ‘i’ based on the plant. This ‘i’ takes the praise or criticism of the plant personally. This is identification.
This ‘i’ has emotions, feelings and reactions based around it, as if it is ‘all me’. This makes it feel real. Do we identify like this? We give birth to an ‘i’ based on other people, such as children or any close relations. We may give birth to an ‘i’ based on objects, such as a house or a car. There may be identification with the dress or appearance of the body. We may identify with the job, position, town, religion or ideas. The list is endless.
These identities are based on something that is external. To use the word ‘i’ to anything such as a car is absurd and yet unquestioned.
We already feel insecure with the thought of losing external things once we have labelled them with the word ‘my’, but identification creates even deeper insecurity. Our bondage becomes deeper through identification and we experience many forms of insecurity.
Feeling Under Attack
Let us come back to the example of the plant. The slightest criticism can bother me. If someone has a bigger plant than mine, or if they do not praise the plant, that also becomes a problem. In a short time that ‘i’ takes sorrow from everyone. Because ‘i’ is based on something temporary, it is extremely insecure. It constantly looks out for potential dangers. As long as the false identity is there, negative feelings cannot be stopped.
These identities rule our lives. They are behind the anger that exists in the world. If there have been wars it is because of these identities. Identities are the ones that take offence and want to give offence. It is these identities that also make us fragile and vulnerable.
The false identity makes the society ‘false’. People know that they first have to feed the identities of each other. Lots of the compliments that are given in society are just to make the ‘i’ secure.
It is these identities that are the cause of anger and depression. These identities are also the rulers in national and international politics. Those identities that make choices and take decisions are themselves the product of confusion.
People can declare war and even risk dying if one of their identities is seriously threatened. For instance, if their religion is criticised. What is happening is that a false identity is being threatened. Where does this energy to go to war come from? It may be an insignificant comment or action from someone, but the identity sees it as a threat to its existence and so its survival mechanism kicks in. The identity has no plan to die and will go to any lengths to survive. It will break any law -moral or ethical.
The Means for Freedom
Coming back to the example of the identity based on the plant, imagine that somehow we learn not to identify with the plant. What will be the result? I can look after it, take good care of it, water it, but I do not get caught up in identifying with it.
When someone praises it or someone criticises it, someone likes it, someone doesn’t like it, I am not bothered at all, it is not my problem. In this way, we can discover the means towards restoring our precious freedom. If we stop identifying with even one thing, there is so much more peace. If we learn not to identify with other things, there will be the experience of much greater liberation.
Not to identify doesn’t mean that we don’t look after it or do not do our duty. Whatever needs to be done, we are happy to do it. We are even free to clarify with others as to what is right. The only thing that has changed is that we are not
in the emotional tangle. We are in control of ourselves, and others cannot draw us into any situation.
Unconditional Happiness
From this perspective we can see that what is happening can be seen as ‘drama’, it is happening on a screen, as if down below. In a drama there are changes, things come and go, but that is all in the drama. The soul is secure. He never dies. As he comes so he goes, he has lost nothing. Such a being is noble in character.
When anyone is secure in this absolute way, he exists without desires. He needs nothing from this story down below, from this temporary drama. When there is no vibration of desire, he discovers fullness, he discovers a state of contentment and he discovers peace. This peace, happiness, contentment is unconditional upon the story.
Reflective Questions
• What is your understanding of ‘identification’?
• What is your understanding of ‘drama’?
• Which aspects of the knowledge of the ‘drama’ can help in becoming free?
THE ALCHEMIST INTELLECT
Experimenting with a new understanding.
Experiencing the life of a sage.
The Shift
Plato uses the term ‘nous’ for a higher intellect or philosophical intelligence. One description of it is, ‘godlike kind of mind’. With ‘nous’ you see things the way God sees them.
In the knowledge of Raja Yoga, the words used are paras intellect and pathar intellect. Paras is the godlike kind of intellect. Pathar is a gross intellect. Pathar limits the individual to the physical and has no sense of the subtle.
How does the paras intellect see this present world? Paras sees the whole physical world as a small story, as if it were a theatre based upon a story. He sees that beyond the story is the real world. The world beyond is of light and beings of light. This world exists forever.
Paras can see this as obvious. Pathar sees the story as reality and misses the subtle and eternal dimension beyond the story. For paras it is natural to see the big picture, eternity is normal and subtlety is normal.
This creates a huge difference further down the line. Paras can appreciate the wonder of the sky, the supreme reality, and absolute security. He sees the physical as a variety, temporary drama theatre and he sees that every moment in it is a temporary gift. Pathar has impossible demands within the story. He has complaints, worries, disappointments and traumas.
The Angelic Family
With the paras intellect and divine sight we see that supreme dimension of light, the world beyond the story. We see it like a sky beyond the sky. In this sky there are living, conscious stars. We call them souls. All in this world are the angelic family.
When awake, souls find immortality to be normal. To belong to that sky is normal. They are naturally desire-less, sorrowless, ego-less. Zero desire, zero sorrow, zero ego. What a mind!
Because these people of light have understood the story as a story, they find it absurd to create attachments in the story. They find it absurd to create desires or even preferences in the story, there is no desperation.
As a result, there is no reason for any kind of sorrow, and when there is no trace of sorrow, what remains is silent bliss. We truly realise that this is a family of angelic princes that belongs to the King (God).
They are like Raj Rishis - rishis means sages - at the same time they are like princes, Rajas. Why sage? If someone has less desire and less ego, they are called sages. These people of light have zero desires, zero sorrows, zero ignorance, zero ego, zero vices. That’s why they can be called Raj Rishis, worthy of respect and love – forever.
Paras experiences that all are worthy of love, all belong to one family, all are good. He lives in this world of perfection.
Paras is not striving to achieve perfection, it is as if he has woken up and can see perfection. Nothing needs to change or to be put right. From that perspective everyone is good, everything is good and down below is a story, and there are no complaints about the story. Paras experiences beauty and perfection all around.
The Angelic Task
The one who is awake understands that his task is to help other angelic princes come out of the spell of the pathar intellect.
He knows that everyone has won a big prize. Everyone is an eternal prince, ordinarily invisible, but very obvious to the one with divine sight. Everyone is part of this divine civilisation, part of this family of Raj Rishis, angelic princes, loved by the King, worthy to be loved by all, forever.
This huge truth is right in front of everyone. He understands that all that is required is for the souls to wake up. The task of the one who is awake is to help others to wake up. He can do this by paying attention to the sky. Paying attention is like shining light. Then it becomes easy for others to experience it. The more attention given to the other souls, the easier it is for them to see themselves. Those who are awake realise the immense value of their vision, of their thoughts and of their time - their each and every second. This is the angelic duty, the angelic task.
Reflective Questions
• How does the knowledge of the paras intellect empower your spiritual endeavour?
• Take a few minutes to reflect on the qualities of the angelic soul.
• In how many ways can the angelic soul help others wake up?
Thoughts for Meditation
When there is no trace of sorrow, what remains is silent bliss.
We experience a state of silent contentment, silent peace.
We feel the world is very good and the story is also good.
Everything is good and everyone is good.
The more we come to know ourselves, the more we come to know that others are also like this.
We truly realise that this is a family of angelic princes that belongs to the King of kings.
The whole reality is eternal.
All here are desire-less, sorrow-less, ego-less.
People of bliss and beauty, worthy of the greatest respect.
THE MESSAGE OF PAIN
Researching the reasons for pain.
Living free from pain and sorrow.
Can We Avoid Pain?
Why do we have pain and can we avoid pain? In this world we are seeing a whole range of emotional and physical discomforts as well as sorrow. Before trying to understand the reasons for pain, let us understand certain laws of nature.
Seen objectively we notice that nature is our friend. We are alive because of nature. Various laws of nature are to our advantage.
As an example, if our finger is cut, in the same second there is a mechanism that starts to heal it. Nature has got extensive mechanisms to preserve, protect and sustain the body. Further still, we see that it is nature that protects the plants, insects, bacteria and the larger world.
In this wonderful nature animals and human beings have free will. This free will can make them take risks and create dangers for themselves. For example they can touch a knife or find themselves in a fire. In nature this free will is balanced with the mechanism of pain.
Whenever animals or human beings put themselves in danger, a pain mechanism gives a warning. This is why animals will not go into a fire and will not cut or kill themselves.
A pain mechanism protects them from danger by giving them a warning. As a result we find that most pain receptors are in areas where we are more likely to hurt ourselves, for example on the tips of the fingers. There are fewer pain
receptors on the abdomen, or where we are less likely to hurt ourselves.
In the intestines, there are no pain receptors of the kind we have on the skin, so during surgery, once we go past the skin, there are no pain receptors. For example, a surgeon can remove a large part of the intestines and the patient will not experience any pain.
Nature has a wonderful mechanism to protect us with its pain mechanisms. A touch of a sharp object or a wrong posture will give a signal of pain. If the posture is changed the pain will subside.
In the same way if someone eats something that is poisonous, he will experience pain in the form of nausea or a foul smell. These signals prevent him from eating poisonous food and thus protect him from danger.
We can take this a step further and suppose that every possible pain that exists is giving a message, which we might need to understand if we want to free ourselves from pain. There is always a message behind every pain. Nature does not give pain for no reason. We may have to make the effort to understand the message.
The message may be that our lifestyle is wrong, for instance, our diet is wrong or our attitude is wrong. These things have to be looked into. Just as changing the posture helps the pain to subside, in the same way, in other cases changing our diet or lifestyle will bring about relief from pain. In some cases the pain may subside completely and instantly and in other cases it will subside gradually, but once the message behind the pain is understood and the posture is corrected some relief is guaranteed.
Emotional Pain
Now, we can take it further and see if we have any reasons for emotional pain. In this model emotional pain is also a message. What are we doing wrong so that we experience emotional pain?
The spiritual message tells us that we have taken a wrong posture at the level of consciousness. Our life of attachments and identifications is the ‘wrong posture’ and if there is a wrong posture, it will invite pain. Some types of pain will take the form of emotional pain. The whole range of emotional pain is secondary to attachments and ego, but ego also invites another form of pain that manifests as misfortune.
A Simple Law
Nature gives us a very simple message to ‘remain free’. Nature’s message is “This is a temporary world, you are a guest here, therefore do not create attachments in this world.”
A guest is always honoured. Be an honourable guest and nature will remain your friend and honour you.
Reflective Questions
• Can you think of examples in your life of the ‘message of pain’?
• What is inviting misfortune in our lives? How can this be avoided?
• In your view, who is the perfect guest?
THE OCEAN OF LOVE
Starting the journey with God.
The Connection
Imagine there is a great mathematician in your town. Who will recognize this great mathematician? It can only be another mathematician. Others may know him very well and may like him, but will not know him as a great mathematician. They will see him as a nice person. Who will recognize a great musician? Only another musician. In the same way, who can ever recognize God? The one who is becoming godlike can recognize God, as He is and what He is.
We have discussed so far the emphasis on creating clarity, steps towards freedom, experiencing soul consciousness, experiencing a mind where there is no reason for sorrow, knowing what bliss and love are. These are all steps towards higher consciousness. They help us to know the highest consciousness and this is where the word God can rightly be used. He is the One who is always in truth.
He understands the whole of the physical world as a story. Since it is a story, there are no ions about this story, no complaints, no anger and no falling in love with characters in the story. The one who fully understands that this is really a story is free to be completely beyond the story. He will find it absurd to create any bondage in the story.
The world beyond the story is the real world. The story is fiction and the world beyond is real. In the real world are the real people. This world beyond is of light and its people are of light. We call them souls. It is these pure souls who give this world beyond a divine sparkle. For God this subtle world is normal. He lives in this world, He does not live in the story.
He is the One who knows that there is no need for desperation or desires in the story and that there is no need for preference even about how the story should go. It truly doesn’t matter for Him, because all the real people remain safe and beautiful, irrespective of the story. The sky beyond is all that matters.
He loves the people (souls) from the real world, whether they are in the sky or visiting the story world. They are the same people, He knows they belong to Him forever. They live with Him and they are loved by Him. In fact they are worthy of love – forever and they are worthy of immense respect – forever. God is the one who knows this in an absolute way always. He can’t lose sight of this truth.
To know the theatre and the story as a story is by itself wisdom. Never to be deceived by this convincing and sophisticated story is a sign of great wisdom. God maintains that wisdom forever. That wisdom is the difference between God as the Supreme Soul and human souls. Human souls get deceived by the story at some point in their journey.
God’s Freedom
Because of God’s absolute freedom and absolute clarity, He remains in a position to help others come out of their deception.
At the present time when possibly all are deceived by the glitter and glamour of this story, people have reached a level that they don’t know that they don’t know. That is, they don’t even know what they have lost. It is at this time that God’s intervention becomes a supreme help. It is like light in the midst of complete darkness.
His absolute positioning on truth becomes a huge and only for the upliftment of these drowning angelic souls. Then these angels can breathe and fly again, experience their godlike nature once again.
This also explains why, subconsciously, all souls have deep love for God, even though they do not know God. They have possibly experienced this role of God in their lives at some point. They have the understanding of having received help from God in their past. God is the One who uplifts them.
God is described as a being of bliss, love and contentment. Now we understand in what way His love differs from ordinary love. Whilst the love of human beings is in the story, completely oblivious of the reality beyond, God loves the real people, beyond the story. Naturally He loves them unconditionally upon the script, unconditionally upon their part in the script. In the light of full clarity He does not mix reality with fiction. He, therefore, remains forever in bliss, forever in contentment, forever secure, forever the Ocean of Love.
Becoming Like God
What is our method to pull ourselves out of the lower consciousness? Children become adults by keeping the company of adults. If they were to stay in the company of just children they would not grow out of their childishness. They would not become adults.
It is the same for human beings. If we want to know and experience our own highest potential, we need the company of the Father and His noble consciousness.
When we try to see what He sees, to feel what He feels, to know what He knows, to think what He thinks, to do what He does, we become like Him.
Thoughts for Meditation
We understand that God is a being of bliss, love and contentment forever.
He can love everyone despite their part in the story.
He understands the story as a story, He does not mix reality and fiction.
He lives in the world beyond the story.
This world beyond is of light and its people are of light.
We call them souls.
He lives with these real people of light, these souls, in the world of light. This world is eternal and all in this world are immortal.
God knows of this absolute security.
He knows that all these people of light are like Him.
All are secure like Him, all are desire-less like Him.
They are so secure that they exist without needing anything.
They are desire-less, sorrow-less, and ego-less.
This is their experience.
Reflective Questions
• What differences between the Supreme Soul and the human soul stand out to you?
• What does God know?
• Can a human soul become more like God, and if so how?
CONCLUSIONS
What is this all about?
What is Around the Next Corner?
After reading and practising some of the ideas in this booklet, you may find that you have more questions than when you started. This is a very good sign. The idea of this book is to challenge old beliefs and long held patterns of thinking about ourselves, the physical world and the real meaning of life. Our perceptions, beliefs and the resultant patterns of thinking are some of the components of consciousness, which have kept us too long in bondage and limitations, in ever increasing pain and suffering.
If you were on a sinking boat, would you just sit there making yourself and others comfortable, waiting for it to sink, or would you find a way off the boat and help others to get off too? Discovering the beauty of truth by awakening to a new consciousness based on that truth, is just this; it is a way to get off this old ‘boat’ before it goes down. The sinking boat is not our home and never was. We have grown attached to and dependent on a world that we have taken to be our absolute truth and now that it is failing us, we long for something to hold onto, only to find that there is nothing really there. It is just like water that slips through our fingers when we try to hold it. That is always the nature of a story: it has a beginning and an end.
By contrast, truth is perennial. That is how we know truth. It is changeless, not a concept or belief, but an actual experience that is eternal. A story can also be an experience, but it isn’t sensible to take it for reality. It exists for entertainment.
The greatest wisdom of all is simply to acknowledge that we don’t know and to start from there. Once the paras eyesight starts to open, the possibilities are infinite. We are now in a position to explore and experiment with ideas that will ultimately liberate us from the downhill spiral which has taken us to our current state of confusion. However, understanding our dilemma is not enough to
awaken a new consciousness. It requires constant practice. What we are aiming for is to change our ‘default’ consciousness so that it becomes normal to think, act and speak as a guest, the traveller that we are.
When something is normal or natural, it happens without our even thinking about it. Then we can say that we have awakened from the dream, that is, the story. To reach this stage requires some effort, but when we understand the huge fortune that it brings, the effort becomes enjoyable and even fun. Every step arouses our curiosity to explore deeper, to see what is around the next corner …
What is this immortality, this silent home, this loving parent whom we call God? So much to experience and so much to celebrate. It is a great wonder!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in India and presently based in Cambridge, UK, Dr Prashant Kakoday is a medical doctor with a background in ENT surgery and Integrated Health. A student and teacher with Brahma Kumaris for over 30 years, Dr Kakoday’s main area of interest has been the relationship between spirituality, science and excellence in human potential.
He has spoken about the spiritual and holistic principles of life and health in more than 80 countries at universities, medical schools and organisations, including the W.H.O and the Medical Teaching Program within the U.S.A.
He presently coordinates the activities of the Brahma Kumaris in Cambridge. His lectures cover subjects such as, Spiritual Intelligence, Science of Happiness, the Subconscious Mind, and Spiritual Health.
ABOUT THE BRAHMA KUMARIS
The Brahma Kumaris is a network of organisations in over 100 countries, with its spiritual headquarters in Mount Abu, Rajasthan, India.
It works at all levels of society for positive change, and offers individuals from all backgrounds a variety of life-long learning opportunities to help them recognise their inherent qualities and abilities in order to make the most of their lives.
Acknowledging the intrinsic worth and goodness of the inner self, the Brahma Kumaris teaches a practical method of meditation, called Raja Yoga, that helps people to cultivate their inner strengths and values.
It also offers courses and seminars in such topics as positive thinking, overcoming anger, stress relief and self-esteem, encouraging spirituality in daily life.
This spiritual approach is also brought into healthcare, social work, education, prisons and other community settings.
All courses and activities are offered free of charge.
See the following page for details of the main offices.
For more information:
www.brahmakumaris.org
For more Brahma Kumaris publications: www.inspiredstillness.com E: [email protected]
WHERE TO FIND US
SPIRITUAL HEADQUARTERS PO Box No 2, Mount Abu 307501, Rajasthan, India Tel: (+91) 2974-238261 to 68 Fax: (+91) 2974-238883 E-mail: [email protected]
INTERNATIONAL CO-ORDINATING OFFICE & REGIONAL OFFICE FOR EUROPE AND THE MIDDLE EAST Global Co-operation House, 65-69 Pound Lane, London, NW10 2HH, UK Tel: (+44) 20-8727-3350 Fax: (+44) 20-8727-3351 E-mail: [email protected]
REGIONAL OFFICES
AFRICA Global Museum for a Better World, Maua Close, off Parklands Road, Westlands PO Box 123, Sarit Centre, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: (+254) 20-374-3572 Fax: (+254) 20-374-3885 E-mail: [email protected]
THE AMERICAS AND THE CARIBBEAN Global Harmony House, 46 S. Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, NY 11021, USA Tel: (+1) 516-773-0971 Fax: (+1) 516-773-0976 E-mail: [email protected]
AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH EAST ASIA 181 First Ave, Five Dock, Sydney, 2046 Australia Tel: (+61) 2 9716-7066 E-mail: [email protected]
RUSSIA, CIS AND THE BALTIC COUNTRIES Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University 2, Lobachika, Bldg. No. 2 Moscow – 107140
RUSSIA Tel: (+7): +7499 2646276 Fax: (+7) 495-261-3224 E-mail: [email protected]
Related Documents 171j1w
Making Sense: Understanding Can Change The World 1s6y2y
July 2020 0
Change The World 4p25q
June 2022 0
L Change The World 6c2766
October 2019 199
Sense Making Theory 152x3r
November 2019 50
Making Good Business Sense 6x531
November 2019 36
Making Sense Of Japanese 5e3m2j
April 2020 42More Documents from "Margarete Paris" k5l1r
Waiting For Daylight 6x4r43
September 2021 0
Henrik Kuudes Iii 6a1g44
October 2021 0
Making Sense: Understanding Can Change The World 1s6y2y
July 2020 0
Il Trattato Della Discordia 3g3y49
September 2021 0
Catastrofe Nucleare 72d4o
October 2021 0