The Misinterpretation of the Highest Spiritual Reality and the Current Conflict Worldwide

Nowadays it’s very difficult to go through newspapers— with the front page always reporting on suicide bombers, car bombs, bombs ripping through civilian areas causing casualties to women and children, hostage-taking by militants, and the list goes on. These incidents have become more pronounced and is a matter of international concern with events occurring everywhere irrespective of the geographical location. The perpetrators of these crimes against humanity malign the name of religion and bring it to disrepute.

Recent attack in Baghdad. 

The root of the problem lies in the perception of different spiritual realities as envisaged by different religious teachers, and the interpretation of which in the wrong sense, paves the way for violence.

The spiritual reality is the ultimate reality as experienced by the founders of different religions. In some religions, the ultimate spiritual reality is only one. In a religion like Hinduism, there are different spiritual realities—Nirguna Brahman (God without form), Saguna Brahman (God with form), Freedom of Purusha from Prakriti—depending upon the school of philosophy. Though there are gradations in the spiritual realities, they are integrated forward to the highest reality. This forward-integration of gradations of spiritual realities is one of the interesting aspects of the Hindu religion, and it is that which gives colour and taste to the religion. This gives freedom to worship for a man–a stone, a tree, an idol, innumerable Gods and Goddesses, and ultimately a God without form.

Integrated to the highest reality.

Therefore, Hinduism does not look upon with contempt the lower forms of religions as idolatry. Because everything points out to the highest reality. But the problem with other religions is this: they do not accept the lower form of spiritual realities; they do not integrate the lower form of realities with the highest one; some native pagan religions do not have any highest reality at all; Some religions have inadequate theological concepts to suffice their highest reality, by only relying upon the words of the founder.

The interpretation of the highest reality is always a difficult one and a dangerous one too, because of its high conception many followers tend to misinterpret it. Any highest reality to be of any benefit to mankind must be brought down to the practical plane.

The highest reality is devoid of name and form. The name and form do not exist in the highest reality. What exist is only ‘One’. We can interpret this highest idea in two ways—either by construction or by destruction.

By destruction, when the highest reality is devoid of name and form, the rest of the name and form then constitute only ignorance. Therefore, idols and idol-worship which constitutes name and form need to be destroyed. Say suppose, a religious teacher has said that name and form is ignorance and needs to be destroyed, the followers when they take up in the destructive sense, begin breaking all idols around the world and destroying all temples around the world. And they kill the followers of this ignorant religions. This is the result of gross misinterpretation. The result of which we see every day in the form of violence across the world.

Bamiyan destroyed by Taliban. 

By construction, when the highest reality is devoid of name and form, and when the ultimate reality is ‘One’, a man gives up all his identity related to his name and form and becomes One with the universe. He destroys the ignorance of name and form in mental space and not outside. When ignorance is removed, the aspirant becomes one with the whole world. Then the aspirant will be able to sympathise with the suffering humanity. They undertake various humanitarian activities to help the suffering humanity. This paves the way for love and not for destruction.

Therefore, for the good of the humanity, please do not interpret the highest reality in the destructive sense.

Thank You.




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Decoding the Inner Mind: Mapping Threats and How to Eliminate them

Gross and Subtle layers of the mind:

        Most of us are not aware of the inner or subtle workings of the mind. We are only aware of the surface or the gross layer of the mind. The surface layer is nothing but the resultant part or the action-part prompted by the subtle layers of the mind. What we see in the gross is only the expression of the subtle impulses, hidden deep beneath in the mind.

The most important thing to be noted is that men are not aware of the formation of these subtle pictures in their minds; they are not aware of the strengthening of these subtle pictures; there are not aware of the trigger which activates these subtle pictures into the gross form of action; they are not aware of the timing of activation of these pictures. Men are controlled by these pictures, instead of taking control of them.

Mind-gross and subtle layers.

The effect of these subtle pictures:

     What happens when we don’t have control over these subtle pictures? The result would be a disaster. We may commit gruesome crimes. These pictures, when triggered, overpowers a person of all a sudden and makes them commit crimes. A man then loses all sense of Dharma. He loses the discriminative sense and does act contrary to the Dharma. So, we must understand what these pictures are and how do they work.

How pictures work:

So, what are these pictures? These pictures are nothing but the sense objects. Any sense object can be a picture. For example, a movie poster, an ice cream, or a chocolate, etc. For example, when you look at a movie poster, even casually, a subtle image is formed. This single image can cause a person to commit a murder. You may say, ‘Please wait. It doesn’t make any sense. How can a casual look at the poster can end in a murder?’. Yes, it does. The image when impressed in our minds, do not go away, lies within the layers, even for years together. It does go away only when it is transformed into action.

Any associated trigger can prompt the image into action. For example, a call from your friend for a movie may trigger the action. You may not be interested, but the subtle image overpowers and makes you say ‘Yes’. Then once we are into a movie, say a genre of violence or an ‘R’ rated one, the image of the movie then gets collected in the mind. Next, these images will be waiting for transformation into action. A trigger again may bring these violent images to the surface and end up in a crime scene. 

It is a chain reaction. This is the process: seeing the image -> strengthening the image -> activation of the image. Therefore care must be taken about even what we look at because it may create a criminal in us.

R-rated images. 

Pictures responsible for rebirth:

Likewise, we consciously or unconsciously have stored millions of pictures in us. Suppose in a lifetime we may have worked out hundreds of these images and say we have passed away, but the pictures continue to remain in the subtle form and carry forward to the next birth. That is why we find in children, when they grow up, the influence of these pictures in the form of habits. We train up in a certain way, and they grow up in a different way. This is the same reason we find prodigies in children and young people.

Millions of pictures.

Suppose, when these pictures are very dark, say a person has committed many crimes and have killed many beings for his sustenance, the resultant karma will be so dark, and such pictures can be worked out only in an animal body. They take rebirth in an animal body and these images gets activated quickly and gets worked out. A human form is not necessarily required to satisfy animal impulses. So we must be very careful about killing other beings and entertaining sensual impulses.

So we must know how to decode our inner mind, find and map out impulses, and eliminate them at last. The elimination of these impulses results in the freedom of Purusha from Prakriti altogether or the realisation of our higher self. So we must understand how these pictures are stored and exist in a subtle form. The knowledge of which helps us in understanding the subtle pictures lurking behind in our mind. 


The four states in which these pictures exist:

According to Patanjali, there are four states in which the pictures or Kleshas exist. They are,

1.     Dormant,

2.   Attenuated,

3.   Interrupted, and

4.   Active.

Avidya is the breeding ground for the others following it whether they are dormant, attenuated, interrupted or active. (2.4)

Dormant:

The pictures remain in the mind in a potential form. They remain unnoticed for years, but they are not lost. They prop up when the favourable environment or condition prevails. It is very similar to a dormant volcano. They remain inactive for a long time but erupts all of a sudden.

Like a dormant volcano.

For example, we may have a negative impression on a person and continue to form such pictures in the mind. These pictures remain dormant. Suppose in future, if we confront the same person, these pictures get activated, and the situation gets escalated. There are hundreds of such examples of this type of pictures.

Attenuated:

By the constant practice of Yoga, these pictures are brought under control. Though they are not completely lost, they cease to be destructive. The first step in Yoga is nothing but removing ourselves from the field of sense objects and placing ourselves in an environment where we are not affected by these objects.

So, when dormant images prop up, these pictures will then do not have any objects to react upon, and therefore loses its vigour. When again, the same pictures prop up, and when it doesn’t find any objects, it loses its steam and intensity. Gradually they become attenuated. But they are not lost altogether. If we place ourselves in the sense-environment again, these pictures are bound to find a sense object and react.

So in Yoga, the first step is not to see a potential sense object. That is why we find some sages even blinding their eye for the sake of non-formation of these pictures. We begin to meditate only when we stop seeing sense objects. We stop seeing name and form on the lower plane and meditate on the formless in the higher plane.

Meditate to destroy impressions.

Interrupted:

Interrupted pictures are those pictures suppressed by other pictures more powerful than the former one. It is the matter of intensity and the matter of slot and timing of appearance of these pictures on the surface.  

          For example, at the time of grief over the loss of someone who is close, one cannot think of sensual pleasures. They are interrupted for the moment. When the grieving period is over, they come up again.

          Therefore, at any moment, do not feel rejoice that the kleshas don’t up to the surface. It may come when the spiritual mood gets over. Therefore, be patient in working out this form of impressions. It may deceive us into thinking that it doesn’t exist.

Active:

           Active kleshas are those that we see on the surface, in the form of gross activity. It may also mean the impressions which are more active at the present moment. All attachment, anger, hatred, aversion and the action motivated by these impulses are active ones. The impression, when it becomes active, cannot be prevented. This is the plane where we commit gruesome acts.

          A man is helpless in this plane except succumbing to these impulses. Therefore, it is of paramount importance, that we understand the working of these images. It must be rooted out in the beginning. In the end, it cannot be done.

          Therefore, we must find out our pictures, map them, identify threats and work out all pictures by the practice of Yoga and attain liberation.

Thank You.

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The Five Pain-Bearing Obstructions to Liberation

*purely based on Patanjali Yoga Sutras. 

There are five pain-bearing obstructions or Kleshas, which bar the human beings from knowing their higher-self. These pain-bearing obstructions always keep us in ignorance and together with Karmasaya or the sum total of accumulated samskaras (the good and bad deeds) becomes responsible for further rebirth and continuation of suffering in a body.

So, what are they? The five pain-bearing obstructions are 

1. Avidya (Ignorance),
2. Asmita (I),
3. Raga (Attachment),
4. Dvesha (Aversion or Hatred), and 
5. Abhinivesa (Fear of death).

Avidya:

अनित्याअशुचिदुःखानात्मसु नित्यशुचिसुखाअत्मख्यातिरविद्या ॥५॥

anityā-aśuci-duḥkha-anātmasu nitya-śuci-sukha-ātmakhyātir-avidyā ॥2.5॥

Ignorance is to consider as everlasting which is not everlasting, as pure which is not pure, as pleasure which is pain, and as the Self which is not the Self (2.5)

Ignorance of our real-self

          Avidya is nothing but the false notion that we are the body. The vast majority of mankind are not conscious of their higher-self. We are no different from animals expect for the intelligence faculty (for social and material progress) and the discrimination faculty (for spiritual progress), which when best employed take us to the higher reality.

When these faculties are not properly employed for higher pursuit, men behave like animals. And we can see them solely living for their bodies, living at the cost of other beings (by killing), living purely for sensual gratifications, and finally the fear of being killed or decimated. 

          Avidya is taking the body and the body-related objects as final. Men believe in the reality of the body and base their life upon it. But the body is non-eternal—subjected to change, disease, and death; the body is impure; the body brings pain; the body constitutes the lower-self. But what we actually think of the body is this—that the body lasts forever; the body is a desirable object; the body brings happiness; the body is the Atman or absolute bliss. This is ignorance. 

The idea of body brings nothing but pain. Therefore, we must shed the ignorance that we are the body and for that, we have to shed all the remaining pain-bearing obstructions as well. The other four pain-bearing obstructions operate on the lower-self, with ignorance as its basis. When these obstructions are rooted out, the knowledge of our higher-self dawns. 

Asmita:

दृग्दर्शनशक्त्योरेकात्मतैवास्मिता ॥६॥

dr̥g-darśana-śaktyor-ekātmata-iva-asmitā ॥2. 6॥

Asmita is the identification of the Purusha or Pure consciousness with Buddhi or intellect (2.6)

I am the body. 

         

Asmita is the delimiting factor. It is the ‘I’ factor, which says that I am the body. It is the ‘I’ factor which brings all the limitations associated with the body. It is the ‘I’ factor which makes us finite, miserable, and helpless creatures. It is the ‘I’ factor which sees many instead of ‘One’ and which sees the multitude of names and forms.

Instead of identifying ourselves with the higher-self, we identify ourselves with the lower-self or ‘I’. Ignorance forms the basis of this 'I'. The idea of 'I' is nothing but a limitation. All suffering is because of the feeling of this limitation. In order to overcome ‘I’, we must overcome all the pain-bearing obstructions associated with ‘I’. The other three pain-bearing obstructions namely attachment, hatred, and fear, feed the ‘I’ and make it stronger. One has to stop the feed in order to overcome this obstruction.

Raga:

सुखानुशयी रागः ॥७॥

sukha-anuśayī rāgaḥ ॥2. 7॥

Attachment is that which results from Pleasure (2.7)

          The attachment has the objects as its basis. Objects are both animate and inanimate. Animate objects constitute all our loved ones associated with the body. Inanimate objects refer to the material object that we are attached to—Our gadgets, home, car, etc.

          The main basis of attachment is taking the objects and the material world to be real. We believe that these objects bring an everlasting source of happiness. In other words, we look for absolute happiness or Atman or God in the animate and inanimate objects. Attachment is the source of pain, because we cannot find absolute bliss in objects, as objects are subjected to modifications of prakriti. 

          In order to overcome attachment, one has to give up all objects completely or one has to remain detached from it mentally. Those who practice devotion to God associate all animate and inanimate objects with God. In this way, they overcome attachment. They overcome ‘I’ by associating it with God. They say ‘I am the servant of God’, ‘I am God’s child’, etc. The ‘I’ associated with God is harmless and doesn’t bind us to the body. When the ‘I’ associated with God takes a higher turn, the ignorance is overcome and culminates in the realisation of the higher-self.

Dvesha:

दुःखानुशयी द्वेषः ॥८॥

duḥkha-anuśayī dveṣaḥ ॥2. 8॥

Aversion is that which results from pain or misery (2.8)

Love and hatred. 

Attachment always backfires. The object which we are dearly attached to is the object which we often hate. Men who are under the spell of delusion feel the alternating currents of attachment and aversion flowing towards the same object.

Men cannot altogether come out of the objects because of their binding commitments. They neither can completely dissolve themselves into the object nor can they completely extricate out of it. It is like both centripetal and centrifugal forces put together. These men revolve around the object just like the satellite revolves around the earth. And what remains, at last, is the pain of revolving and roaming endlessly.

Aversion occurs because of the modification of pleasure into pain. All enjoyments have body limitations. The suffering is always directly proportional to the enjoyment. One cannot derive infinite pleasure in the body for it results in disease and sickness. We are already infinite and infinite can only be satisfied by infinite and not by finite pleasures. Therefore, we have to overcome aversion by not associating ourselves with the object. 

Abhinivesa:

स्वरस्वाहि विदुषोऽपि समारूढोऽभिनिवेशः ॥९॥

svarasvāhi viduṣo-'pi samārūḍho-'bhiniveśaḥ ॥2. 9॥

As in the ignorant so in the learned the firmly established inborn fear of death is the affliction called abhinivesa (2.9)

Fear of RIP.

After having lived their lives completely surrounded by objects, and with the body as its basis, men become fearful of their non-existence and non-existence of the objects as well.

They fear death, and they desperately hold on to objects as their saviour. Men even feel the loss of existence, even before death, when they lose objects. This is called abhinivesa.

But it can be overcome. A God-centred life or a life based on higher principle dispels this fear of annihilation. A man who leads a life based on higher principles and the one who has overcome ignorance of the body will become immortal. 

Death is meaningless for them, because they never had objects around them, and because they never had an object, they never had the ‘I’ principle associated with it, and with the absence of the ‘I’ principle, the knowledge of the higher reality dawns on them and they become free forever. They merge into the higher reality, a reality devoid of name and form and a reality which is infinite and free from all limitations.

Therefore, come out of this ignorance called the body. Come out! Come out! The body is absolute nonsense.

Thank You.


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The Search for a Perfect Reality

Spirituality is a search for a perfect reality. The reality around us is a flawed one, beset by many limitations. There is a limitation of the body – in the form of pain, disease, and death. There is a limitation in the sensory enjoyments – in the form of duration, the conversion of pleasure into pain, the degrading nature of the sensory pleasures, the loss of energy, and the unsatisfactory nature of such enjoyments. There is a limitation in the emotional level – in terms of pain arising out of the emotional attachment towards a person or a thing, in terms of hindrances which arise as the result of emotional attachment, and in terms of delusion which arise as a result of such attachment.

The present reality can be summed up in one word – limitation. Most of us do not recognize this reality because the present life offers all forms of security – in terms of wealth, and in the form of near and dear ones. Men in general, build the world of reality around these objects. And when the reality crumbles, it leaves them confused. The reality which had been so far a ‘picture-perfect’ had now become ‘picture-imperfect’. But many, instead of finding a perfect reality, again take recourse to the old method of finding reality in the objects. They always try to reconcile themselves to the present reality, irrespective of the calamity that has befallen. They simply lack the essential strength to find out the perfect reality. They had become weak, having had lived their lives around these objects. They cannot altogether shake off these impermanent objects to find the real one. But a time comes when nature will forcibly make us do.

The search for perfect reality.

We have known the imperfections of the present reality, and therefore, the perfect reality should be free from all these defects. And these are the pre-requisites of this perfect reality.

1.   A reality which is free from all bodily limitations – of pain, disease, and death.

2.  A reality which is free from all limitations arising out of the material objects.

3.    A reality which is free from all emotional limitations.

4.  A reality in which we derive infinite joy or bliss, or a reality devoid of pain altogether.

5. A reality which is infinite, not bound by time, space, and causation.

Religion is a way of finding out the perfect reality. There are many spiritual solutions which the religions offer. The Hindu religion offers a wide range of spiritual solutions, starting from a God with name and form, to Brahman, which is devoid of name and form. The Samkhya and Yoga offers a solution of freedom of Purusha from the bondage of Prakriti. The Buddhist religion, offer a solution of middle path and nirvana to arrive at the perfect reality.

One has to choose the right means to arrive at the perfect reality, according to the spiritual temperament.

The perfect reality is universal in character. Men are generally of the opinion that perfect reality involves the annihilation of the individual being, whereas, in reality, the perfect reality is but the expansion of the individual being into a universal being. A universal being, cannot be of infinite stature in the form of a body. One cannot have a body of the stature of this universe. One can exist as a universal being, in the form of a higher reality – a pure, perfect, and a being devoid of name and form.

I am Universal; I live in all. 

Therefore, all spiritual progress is towards a reality devoid of name and form and a reality which gives absolute joy and peace. Therefore, move towards this perfect reality and shed off this unreal images. The idea of body is nothing but ignorance. Shake off  this ignorance and be perfectly free.

Thank You. 


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How to Overcome Anger?

* This post is mainly intended for married folks. 

People, especially, married folks, attribute the outbursts of anger to the minor differences in opinion, which arise between them. Anger, they feel, mushrooms out of trifle events or incidents, in their lives. After the outbursts of anger, they settle down the differences and apologize to each other. They feel the need to understand each other in a better way. But as soon they settle down for a while, there comes another event or an incident, which triggers the anger again. They again trace out the root of anger to the differences in opinion, arising out of petty issues. They reconcile themselves again only to find the cycle repeating itself - the cycle of anger and reconciliation.

People, deceive themselves in this way, by attributing the outbursts of anger to the general differences in opinion. Some educated ‘kids’, try to show off their maturity. They often say, ‘We need to sit down and talk to each other, and iron out the differences’. They make promises again, never to quarrel, but only to break. This ‘matured-talk’, then becomes a laughing-stock. This matured-talk is again a deception.

Anger.

Anger, in general, matures out of lust. Anger and lust are the obverse and the reverse side of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other. This truth is exemplified in the following verse in the Bhagavad Gita.

“While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises.”  (2.62)

The real nature of men and women, in general, is the Atman. Atman is eternally pure. Anything which brings down from the level of the Atman is a degeneration. This degeneration, from the level of the Atman, makes men and women angry. They fight over each other because they find themselves in a state of degeneration, in the bodily plane. In the state of degeneration, any trifle incident can serve as a trigger for this anger.

How does anger work?

Men and women, have in them a so-called ‘spiritual-force’, which comes out of the conservation of the ‘life-force’ in the body. In the spiritual anatomy of the human body, there are seven spheres or seven planes of consciousness, on which the spiritual-force linger. The highest being the plane of the Atman, and the lowest being the plane of the body.

Generally, this force lingers in a lower plane, most of the time. In this plane, men and women often remain prone to anger and other animalistic tendencies. There are several reasons why this spiritual-force linger in this lower plane.

      It (spiritual-force) remains in a lower plane if one remains in the company of the opposite gender all the time. Because the idea of the body brings them down to a lower plane. So, it is highly improbable for married men and women to raise themselves into a higher plane until they shed the idea of the body completely. People may mimic being spiritual, but it doesn’t come without a perfect detachment.

Also, it is highly recommended for meditative folks not to look upon the opposite gender, for it brings down the spiritual-force down to the lowest plane. Men and women remain prone to anger when they are on a lower plane.

It (spiritual-force) remains in a lower plane, because of the loss of life-force in the body. The aftermath of the loss of life-force in the body is the extreme revulsion towards the body. The beauty, which a short while ago appeared in their eyes, in the form of a prince or a princess, now seem like a pig. As a result of this revulsion, people loath the company of the opposite gender, and try to run away from them. Out of this loathing comes the anger. In that state, even a small incident may serve as a spark to trigger the anger.

Anger is like that. 

When the life-force builds up after the loss, they seek the company of the opposite gender again. Thus, the cycle of attraction and loathing continue, as long as they remain in the lower plane or until the body wears them down. In this way, men and women find themselves in a lower plane all the time.

It (spiritual-force) remains in a lower plane if one is attracted towards sense-objects or objects of enjoyment. Attraction towards certain food stuff (food which intends enjoyment), excessive sleep (for it is a kind of bodily attachment), the too much external orientation of the mind, and restlessness of the mind can bring the spiritual force down to a lower plane. Again, men and women, are prone to anger when they find themselves in a lower plane.

The best way to overcome anger is to know the real nature of our being and to progress towards it. Our real nature is the Atman, which is never touched by bodily defilements.

In order to overcome anger, one has to overcome the idea of the body completely. One should overcome all ideas of attraction arising out of this identity. One should refrain from all sense objects completely, to overcome anger.

Therefore, know yourself to be the Atman, and be free from all bodily defilements.

Thank You.

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