The world of duality
emerged from Unity. The world of variety has emerged from Oneness. The five
trillion or more cells in our body emerged from the one primordial cell. That
one is infinite and the many are finite aspects of the infinite. Every speck in
the world of duality, everything in the world of variety and in every one of
the trillions of cells in the body is embedded with a seed of Unity, Oneness
and the infinite. Thus infinite oneness
and unity is in finite, many and variety. Finite, variety and finite comes from
infinite, Unity and Oneness. This is the unique embedded relationship of nature
whether we realize or not. This journey
of duality, variety, cells towards the Unity, Oneness and infinite is the goal
of life’s journey. The name that is given to this flow to the destination is
spirituality. The channels of this flow are named religion.
Why is there a thirst
for bigger and bigger things in our life? Why is that we desire for bigger
houses, bigger cars, bigger bank balances? These are our innate expressions of
our true self, though mis-directed externally in the wrong direction. While in
America we crave for our villages. Why? Since craving for source is in
built. Like all waters that started from
Ocean form clouds - rains – rivers and final merger into ocean again. Till this
happens the waters are restless. They overcome incredible obstacles in this
process of reaching home. The biggest and infinite is resident right within us.
Unfortunately not realizing this we search all over outside for this. After we get tired, we realize the mistake
and begin our inward journey to reach home.
Similarly our very
source is Unity, Oneness and Infinite. We are and will be restless till we
reach and merge into our source, home. People call this merger by different
names, Nirvana, self-realization, moksha, bliss, ananda. While this is the goal
of all, all of us without any exception are on this infinite journey to reach
home. Each one of us is at different stations on this road to home. Some of us
may reach this home in this life, while others may take several lives
(re-incarnations) to reach this goal. Nothing will change this, since it is our
in-built programmed destiny.
Now the question is
how we by our effort (sadhana) hasten this process. When we go against this
flow towards Unity, we feel restlessness, pain and suffering. When we are going
with the flow we feel happy and at peace. This is the criteria with which we
can judge ourselves if we are travelling with or against the flow of life. Obviously
we want to be happy, restful without pain and suffering. After checking this out if the indicators show
that we are going against the flow towards home (Unity), the following steps
will put us back in the right flow or enhance the force of flow towards our
destination.
1.
ATTITUDE (BHAVA): ATTITUDE OF UNITY (EKATMA BHAVA):
“Yad Bhavam Tat
Bhavathi’ declare Upanishads. This essentially means that our thoughts shape
our destiny. The creative intelligence that is responsible for creation of this
variety in creation is also present within us in a limited format (limited only
by our mind). This is called Sankalpa Shakthi. The degree of presence of this
Sankalpa Shakthi is directly proportional to the level of transparency or
purity of our mind (chitta suddhi).
When we have an
attitude of oneness then we feel kinship to the world we live in. We see goodness
in all and see a world of harmony and beauty. Thus world is mirror in front of
us. We see ourselves in the world. It is our attitude (bhava) that determines
our vision and destiny. Initially developing the right attitude is an effort
like anything else (swimming, bicycling). However through practice it becomes
our second nature, spontaneous, effortless character. This is what Krishna said
“abhyasena Kounteya”, in response to Arjuna’s question. By practice one can
bring in, learn any new thing.
The first step to
correct our direction towards the flow of life or increase force of flow is to
develop the attitude of oneness. This is done initially by effort that becomes
our second nature (character) through practice. How do we do this is the next
question? In all our activities in day to day world we come across situations where
in we need to decide on the sides to take. Take the side of Oneness and Unity
in all circumstances. Oneness and Unity is the ultimate TRUTH. The apparent
differences in creation is only an apparent, contemporary reality caused by
Maya (illusion). Behind this apparent variety there is the sutra of oneness,
though not seen or perceived initially.
Behind the variety of
flowers in the garland, there is the thread (sutra) of Unity. Hang on to this
Sutra and practice visualizing and seeing this Unity. Pretty soon after a while one will start
experiencing this Unity spontaneously. The yad bhavam tat bhavathi manifests as
Unity in our own life. This experience of Oneness and Unity is the real Viswa
roopa Darshan, not the Ravi Varma’s drawing, which is symbolic. This means that
we are close to the destination.
1.
TRUTH
(SATYAM):
Trikala Bhadyam
Satyam. The one that does not change with time (past, present and future) is
Truth. With this definition only one thing remains as Truth, that is the
Oneness, Unity or Divinity. But what is the world of duality that we see,
touch, feel. This is called contemporary reality (pratibhasika sathyam), just
like sun-rise and sun-set. Sun has no rising or setting. But we see that and
experience that and state it commonly. This
is the contemporary reality, not Truth. Contemporary reality is the world of
duality projected (maya) on the screen
of Consciousness (Unity). While we enjoy and react to the movie, we should not
be deluded to the fact that it is only
projection of maya on unity. When we deal with the world of contemporary
reality, we should always approach it with the attitude of Oneness and Unity. This
is functioning in duality with full awareness of Oneness.
How do we put this
into practice in day to day world. In all circumstances and events that life
presents to us, we should take the side of Unity. I would use the following
criteria. Does it Unite people or divide the people. Take the side of Uniting
and Union. This is yoga, which means Union. Follow this principle that is very
fundamental and one will be on the right side always. This helps going with the
flow of nature towards Unity.
2.
LOVE (PREMA):
Love is the emotion of
creation. Unity, Oneness expressed as emotion is Love. In love two becomes into
one. Love unites, Love merges. Love dissolves the separateness. Love dissolves
the separating boundaries. Through love we not only feel our own feelings, but
we also feel others feelings of anxiety, concerns, joy, pain or happiness. In
other words Love connects. Love is the great networking force. Love is
expansion while hate is contraction. In order to reach our home of Oneness and
Unity, we need to keep expanding.
We should plant a seed
of love in our hearts, water it, fertilize it and let it grow. Let it start at home,
grow to include friends, society and ultimately to include even our so called
enemies. It should be a continuous expansion process. Love is the emotional
force of Unity that takes us to the destination faster. When you get feelings
of hate towards any one, just stop, think. In that awareness hate disappears.
Awareness is the antidote for the disease of Arishadvargas (The six enemies - Kama,
krodha, lobha, moha, mada, matsarya) caused by ego and karmic baggage.
3.
AWARENESS AND WITNESSING (SAKSHI):
Ego is mind’s
identification with body and gives the false “I” while the true “I” in us is
the Atman. We are not the body, not the senses, not the mind, not the
intellect. As we go through this negation process (neti, neti – not this, not
this), we arrive at the conclusion, I am that I am, the true “I”. This true “I”
is ever present even in deep sleep. This true “I” is the real seer, hearer, smeller,
feeler, taster not the eyes, ears, nose, skin or the tongue which are just the
equipments of this true “I”..
Absence of light is
darkness. Absence of knowledge is ignorance. Absence f awareness is branthi
(illusion or maya). All the arishadvargas are the off shoots of ego, maya and
ignorance. They cannot survive in the presence of awareness. Bring awareness
where there is forgetfulness is present. We lead a life of forgetfulness of our
true self and identify with body mind complex. We spend the life with the
mistaken identity that we are the body, mind and senses which we are not.
Awareness is functioning with true identity that we are the Atman and thus
connected to totality of creation and to the creator (www – the true World Wide Web). This awareness brings us the
attitude of Unity and Oneness. Thus it brings back to the flow of life towards
Oneness.
4.
CHARACTER AND GOODNESS:
Coin has two sides.
The world of duality made up from Unity has two sides. We are a combination of
prakriti and purusha. Positive and negative. Electric and magnetic force.
Kinetic and potential energy. Ying and yang. Yada and pingala. Thus each one
has two sides. The positive side and a negative side. The positive side of
humanity unites us all and the negative side separates us all into narrow
compartments. Our negative side is responsible for all the problems in the
world and the positive side for the harmony and beauty in the world.
Focusing on the
positive makes us experience a harmonious, loving, caring beautiful world. We
have the capability to create a harmonious world. This cannot happen by trying
to change the world which most of try or tried. This is a wasteful effort that
leads to disappointment. However this change can be accomplished by changing,
transforming ourselves to be positive. When we make our antahkarana (inner
senses) positive the whole world follows, because “yad bhavam tat bhavathi is
the rule. You become the change that you desire and change happens. Let it
begin with me should be the rule. This is the reason Gandhiji’s autobiography
is titled “My experiments with truth”. He experimented with himself – not with
the world. He transformed and the world followed.
Developing positivity
within ourselves is the key. Positivity is the attribute of unity. This attitude
of Unity will be reflected in our character. End of education is character. Sign of education is humility (devoid of ego).
Fragrance of education is Goodness”.
Goodness is the effulgence of Atman. Develop positivity inside. This leads to
goodness in our character. Then we will start seeing more and more positivity
in others. We will be seeing more and more goodness in others. Then we will be
a witness to a good world. Thus we transformed the world through change in our
attitude. This is way to connect to the world and this connected world follows
you with your intentions and with your transformation.
5.
SERVICE (SEVA):
Normally we serve ourselves
and desire others to serve us. We harbor a feeling of entitlement that world is
there to serve your needs and gets disappointed that when they do not. This is
contraction caused by our ego. This attitude causes disappointments and
unhappiness and takes us against the flow of life. The perpetuator is our ego
that causes “I”ness and “my”ness. This is self centeredness with the wrong
self, the ego.
To correct this we
should start focusing on the needs of others like our mothers. Thus we should focus
on service. Most people consider service as helping others. This is a mistaken
idea. Service while it helps others limitedly, it helps the server immensely.
Service expands the server. Server expands beyond his body’s physical limits to
include others into their bodies. This barrier for expansion is ego. Best ego
breaker is service. We see this expansion in mothers. When the child gets a pin
prick the mother feels the pain. In other words, the mother’s body expanded to
include the child, hence she feels the pain along with the child.
As we do more and more
service, we expand more and more to a point of fully dissolving our ego. This
state is called purity (chitta suddhi). In that purity divinity is experienced.
This is experience of Unity. Thus service with the right attitude of expansion
of self will put us into right flow of life towards its goal and home.
6.
GRATITUDE:
Gratitude is
experiencing our presence, where in we experience contribution of the whole
towards us the part. We are one cell in the body of the Universe. We get our
nourishment from the body (universe) and function for the greater good of the
body. Our welfare is linked to welfare of the whole. If any cell feels that it is entitled to have all
the nourishment and grows at the cost of other cells and the body, it is called
cancer. Hence functioning with attitude of entitlement is cancerous disease and
functioning with awareness of the totality of the body (cosmos) is an attitude
of gratitude. This attitude of gratitude connects us to the flow of life and
takes us to the destination. This attitude brings, reverence, respect,
adoration, admiration towards all that contribute to our welfare. This bring
awareness to life which is otherwise lived in forgetfulness. Gratitude brings
presence to life and connects us to the infinite, the source of us all.
Thus we should
function with hands in duality and mind in Unity. We should function with mind
in the Himalayas and hands in the world. Said differently the Heart should lead
the head, which leads the hands to serve the society. Global thinking local
functioning. This is the attitude of Oneness in our thinking that is translated
into worldly functioning, that makes us reach the destination faster and safer.
