The Conscious mind (Jagara chittam)

 

I have been living too much in the conscious mind over the past few weeks with little or no time to reach the super conscious states (in meditation). The work in the external world, the obligations, the duties and the desire for fulfillment is what is responsible for keeping the ego in the conscious mind states.

Here is how the great Yogis of yore controlled their awareness when they find themselves living too much in the conscious mind from my gurudeva.

“ The mystic's goal is to control awareness while he is in the conscious mind -- to know where he is in consciousness. When he finds he is aware in the conscious mind, and the five senses have become his ruler, he then controls his awareness within the conscious mind itself. He does this in a number of ways. One way is through the control of breath. Breath is life, and life is breath. Breath is the controlling factor of awareness. Awareness rides on breath. Breath is also a controlling factor of our willpower. A seeker must develop a dynamic will to walk the path of enlightenment, so that he does not stumble or falter, but continues onward no matter how difficult the path seems to be for him.”

“The mystic loves the conscious mind, for he sees it like an adult sees the toys of children. An adult does not take children's toys too seriously, but the child does. Meditate on that comparison. Meditate also upon the conscious mind while you are aware in it. Write down on a piece of paper the various areas of daily experience over a period of three days to which you are most attached. Then meditate on those time periods until you are able to see the chemistry that makes the conscious mind appear to be what it is. When you live two-thirds within yourself, even physical things begin to look transparent to you.”

The below painting from Himalayan Academy beautifully summarizes the conscious mind and its ramifications, the way it leads us on and on – minute after minute, hour after hour, day after day, year after year, life after life like a donkey being led by a carrot.

The Conscious Mind (Painting courtesy: Himalayan Academy)

Related Posts: Understanding is control, Donkey and the carrot

Quotes from Gurudeva

 

Love each and every quote from my Guru,

"Yes, willpower is the key, the must, the most needed faculty for spiritual unfoldment on this path. Work hard, strive to accomplish, strengthen the will by using the will. "

"To live positively in the conscious mind each day, exercise at least a half hour. Keep the vital energies of the body high and healthy. Eat simply and follow a vegetarian diet, feeding the stomach rather than the mouth. "

"Austerity is the fire that straightens the twisted life and mind of an individual, bringing him into pure being, giving a new start in life, awakening higher consciousness and a cosmic relationship with God and the Gods, friends, relatives and casual acquaintances.”

"Even a great soul faces difficulties, but he does not take them personally. Generally people take problems too personally by identifying closely with them. "

 

"Here are the ingredients: attention, concentration, meditation, contemplation, samadhi. Willpower is the fuel. "

"Observation, when perceptively performed, is cultivated by abstinence from excessive talk. Talk dissipates the energies of the aura and of the vital body of man. "

"Life tests and retests our emotional maturity. Whether we meet those tests or fail is entirely up to us. "

"It is an error to say that the universe is mere illusion, for it is entirely real when experienced in ordinary consciousness, and its existence is required to lead us to God. "

"We're here to realize the Self, have that one dramatic experience where everything that we thought was things is turned upside down, and our whole perspective afterwards changes. That is the purpose for living on this Earth. "

"It takes as much time for a hardened heart to soften as it does for a piece of ice to melt in a refrigerator. "

"The experienced meditator seeks out the unwholesome areas within himself, endeavoring to expose and rid himself of each knot of karma. "

"In the final analysis, we are all doing exactly as we want, as we must, doing what is next on our personal path of evolution. Nothing is wrong. Nothing should be that is not. "

"The study of yoga is reserved for the few who have the courage to seek the depths of their being, for the few who can overcome their experiences and their desires in deep meditation. "

"When you have the energy of bhakti, of love, flowing through your body, meditation is easy. You don't have to go through the preliminaries. You are already functioning in the higher chakras. "

"Once a profound relationship is developed with Lord Muruga, then with the guru's permission and guidance, true yoga may commence. Otherwise, no matter how long one sits in meditation, no matter how hard one tries, it is just sitting, it is just trying. "

"Religion is the connection between the three worlds, and temple worship is how you can get your personal connection with the inner worlds. "

"Think today about the personal experiences in your lifetime and clearly view just how often you cling to the banks of life's river by attaching yourself to personalities and possessions. "

"Affectionate detachment is stronger than any attachment could possibly be, because attachment is created through unfulfilled desire, salted and peppered with fear. "

"Yes, bad things do happen. Still, the wise never blame God, for they know these to be the return of man's self-created karmas, difficult but necessary experiences for his spiritual evolution. "

"I can tell you from experience that zero tolerance for inharmonious conditions is a workable law and sadhana that can and should be adopted by all spiritual groups and individuals. "

Gurudeva

World is my University

This blog is dedicated to my beloved gurudeva Sri Sivaya Subramuniya Swami. This dedication honors those mature souls who have guided me into what to do, how to live, think and feel, and those not-so-evolved souls who have taught me by their example, words and actions how not to live for a productive, joyous life.

Yes, "All are our teachers: some teach us what to do, others teach us what not to do." The decision as to which of these two paths to follow is ours and ours alone.

Life giving me experiences off late where I am witnessing both evolved souls who are teaching me what to do and also those not-so-evolved souls who are busy with the “family-life” (samsara), Karma and Anava.

Thank you O Supreme Lord Siva for all these learning's and bless me that I maintain this perspective that the World you have created is the University of constant learning and evolution for the soul.

Aum Nama Sivaya

Task List growing long ?

Using Willpower to accomplish tasks is channelizing the rarefied energies into those thoughts pertaining to the tasks of interest - which in turn will lead to the accomplishment through action.

Make a list of Tasks that are needed to be accomplished and allow the thoughts to meditate only on those. To create and hold a thought in mind without getting distracted requires perfection in concentration.

Recently saw the English version of “Ghajini” Movie (Memento)– and saw that how even though the hero has a forgetful short-term memory – he gets the things that he wants done – by capturing the photographs of people he deals with – and allowing the thoughts to only ponder upon them without any other interfering thoughts. A picture helps to visualize a goal very clearly and will lead to the accomplishment of the same.

Its good to have a pictorial representation of the goals/tasks that we wish to accomplish. This will lead to channelization of the bodily energies towards that particular goal. Planning to implement this approach in my life from today :)

Here is my first goal:

"Be Like Him"

Aum Namasivaya