Monday, 07 May 2018
Know who you are
Economic Times in The Speaking Tree | Spirituality | ET
By SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI
Who am I? The gross body that is composed of the seven humours, I am
not; the five cognitive sense organs of hearing, touch, sight, taste and smell,
which apprehend their respective objects— namely, sound, touch, colour, taste
and odour I am not. Neither am I the five cognitive sense organs of speech,
locomotion, grasping, excretion and procreation, which have as their respective
functions speaking, moving, grasping, excreting and enjoying. I am also not the
five vital airs including prana that perform the five functions of
in-breathing. I am not even the mind that thinks, neither am I the nescience
that is endowed only with the residual impressions of objects and in which
there are no objects and no functionings. After negating all of the above
mentioned as ‘not this’, ‘not this’, that awareness that alone remains — that I
am.
What is the nature of awareness? It is Existence-Consciousness-Bliss.
When will realisation of Self be gained? When the world that is
what-is-seen has been removed, there will be realisation of Self that is the
seer.
Will there not be realisation of the Self even while the world is there?
There will not be, because just as knowledge that is the substratum will not
arise unless the false knowledge goes, so the realisation of the Self which is
the substratum will not be gained unless the belief that the world is real is
removed.
When will the world, which is the object seen, be removed? When the
mind, which is the cause of all cognition and of all actions, becomes
quiescent, the world will disappear.
DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.
Quote from the True Charm and Power of Vedanta
Have you ever wondered what makes karma (every action) 100% Karma? What
is required to say that an action was fully done?
Consider a man, who is inflicting pain on another with a knife. Now,
would you consider this action right or would you consider it wrong? It will
depend upon the intention behind that action. In this case, if one is using the
knife with the intention of harming somebody then it is wrong action. On the
other hand if a surgeon is using a knife to operate upon a patient with the
intention to cure him, then it is a right action. In another situation, if the
surgery was actually unnecessary and the doctor is only amassing wealth through
unfair practices, then in that case the action is wrong. Hence, the intention
behind the visible action is all important. This throws light on an important
missing link. Mental actions, in the form of thoughts and feelings, are the
primary determinant of the quality of karma, than the outward physical action.
The intention behind action determines whether the karma is appropriate. What
may seem to be a terrible act to your eyes could possibly be backed by the
purest intention. On the contrary, what may seem to be the most benevolent and
kind act could be a crafted manifestation of a wicked intention.
The feeling that you bring into your actions also determines the quality
of karma. Pure feelings of compassion, oneness and gratitude that arise from an
attitude of surrender to the divine will, transform work into worship.
The Soul of Karma is embodied by these three aspects – love,
understanding and pure feeling. Any act that is imbued with the feeling of
love, wisdom, and pure virtuous intention is 100% karma. It arises from higher
awareness. Action that arises from an awakened Soul of Karma brings
completeness and fulfilment in your life.
Action arising from ignorance, lower intentions, devoid of love and
compassion is soulless karma. It is reactive as it arises from the past
conditioning of the mind. It does not give completeness. Far from being 100%,
it entangles you and leads to sorrow or confusion.
One may feel that every action is actually a reaction to situation, but
not all actions are reactions. Reactions are programmed responses to external
or even internal stimuli. The subconscious mind has been designed to automate
responses to certain stimuli. Since childhood, we observe and learn certain
fixed responses. The subconscious mind is the storehouse of such fixed
responses.
For example, do you need to think twice before pulling your hand away
from fire? Do you actually think, “This fire can burn my hand; let me take my
hand away”? No. It happens automatically without conscious thought. The
subconscious mind is programmed to enact this response to the stimulus of fire.
We’ve borrowed this behaviour through genes, through our upbringing from
parents, our neighbourhood, through school and largely through the media.
You suddenly brake the car to a halt when an obstacle appears on the
road. You catch hold of anything you can get your hands on to when you stumble.
These are automatic reactions. It’s actually useful that your actions are
automatic in these instances. It saves you the effort of consciously
considering repetitive actions. This is indeed a blessing.
However, this blessing becomes a curse when it comes to programmed
behaviour. For example, how is your response when you feel cornered in a group?
Consider the compulsive need to withdraw from a scene where you sense insecurity
or hostility. Consider the pleasure that is felt when the scene conforms to
your liking. These deeply ingrained responses helplessly manifest; much against
your conscious will.
When someone speaks harshly or swears at you, perhaps you may be
compelled to swear at them in return. When someone praises you, you may feel
gratified and comply with their needs. You may say, “The situation was such, so
I got angry.” This is a reaction, because it is dependent on circumstances.
Your behaviour with people is dependent on how they behave with you. You hand
over the remote control of your life to people and situations. Most people lead
life in this reactive way, by being a victim of their past conditioning.
Reactive living does not need higher awareness. You do not need
awareness to follow the same beaten path every day. However, if you have to
choose a new path, which is unknown, it needs awareness. Creative living
requires higher awareness. Human evolution is all about moving from reactive
living to creative living; it is about raising the level of consciousness. When
you raise your level of consciousness, you begin to act less and less
impulsively or compulsively. Your actions will become increasingly intuitive
and creative.
An awakened response arises intuitively from pure consciousness. It does
not arise from the storehouse of programmed responses. It is fresh and
creative. Actions arising from pure consciousness are independent of prior
mental conditioning. They are fresh and novel actions, free from past prejudices.
They are imbued with the Soul of Karma. Develop the habit of questioning
yourself in everyday situations. Ask yourself: “Am I reacting mechanically to
this person, to this situation?” When you question yourself in this way, it
creates an opportunity to respond creatively. With raised awareness, you become
conscious of the space where you can choose your response.
When you practice being in the stillness of pure consciousness, your
actions will arise from the freedom of choice of response. For example, if
someone swears at you, you will choose an awakened response by either ignoring
it or responding creatively. An awakened response is not constrained by fixed
patterns of behaviour. The Soul of Karma awakens with rise in consciousness.
Love, wisdom and pure feelings will drive your actions to attain completeness,
making them 100% Karma.
But, if He exists?
I drive joy There was a
doctor in Benaras who spent 7 minutes in the morning and evening for mediation
on God. Knowing this, his colleagues and friends laughed at him. One day they
argued that he was wasting ten precious minutes on something, which he had been
misled into believing. The doctor replied, “Well, if God does not exist, I
agree that I am wasting ten minutes a day. But, if He exists? I am afraid you
are wasting your entire lifetime. I prefer to waste ten minutes rather than a
lifetime. Why should you grudge me the 10 minutes joy that I derive 4m.
ILLUSTRATED REVIEW : 7th
Heaven moment of the week, in Motogp
two, Balssardi no 7 won a podium, in ipl SRH won by7wk, Suryakumar no 77 won
a man of the match, DD 777 got a man of the match
When you’re being criticised, you’re being noticed,” says an English
aphorism. Criticism is actually concealed admiration. It must be taken as an
impetus because it’s a veritable stimulant. There’s a term in modern management
studies and corporate behaviourism— CC, or Critical Catharsis. That is, an
employee is mildly criticised by seniors for his performance in the
organisation. This criticism is always positive and its cardinal objective is
to bring out the best in the employee by challenging his innate skills.
Criticism with good intention always works wonders. But it must never be
malafide or hurtful. Only a tree laden with fruits is pelted with stones. In
other words, to criticise is to eulogise.
There was a child who lost his father and his left arm in a car
accident. With great difficulty, his mother brought him up. One day, he confided
in his mother that he wanted to learn judo. Aware of the physical strength
needed for the sport, she refused. Seeing his inclination, she got him
enrolled. The master taught him the same technique repeatedly. Frustrated, he
went to his mother and complained.
