Path of perfection

Gurudeva says the we should strive to be perfect if we need to attain the self which is often called the path of perfection in the east.

What should one do to attain the self?

1. Gain Clarity of cognition
2. Better your contemplative lifestyle everyday.
3. Develop a Bursting actinic love for fellow men.
4. Mastering yoga disciplines set by your guru.
5. Hold responsibility and yet have the mobile quality of doing something different without losing continuity of already performing karma yoga and responsibility.
6. Be ready to serve and fit in any capacity.

The illusion

Why does the mind go in search of happiness and pleasure? Because everyone wants to be happy. That's the inherent nature of every soul. The mind therefore seeks various avenues for happiness depending on how it is trained by culture and religion.

The main reason the mind keeps trying different aspects to improve itself in different areas of life whether it be in a relationship or career or entertainment is due to the illusion of happiness.

My guru beautifully explains this with a perfect analogy. The donkey and the carrot. All our motives for any thought or action is for happiness to oneself. A donkey keeps moving further to grab a carrot which is being held by its owner who is sitting on top of it and tempting it with a carrot held on a stick.

The donkey moves expecting that it will be happy once it gets the carrot. But since its owner is sitting on top of it holding the carrot the carrot also moves further when the donkey moves. Thus the donkey keeps moving thinking it will get the carrot and the carrot ( symbolic of permanent  happiness) keeps moving away from it. This is exactly how we go about living our lives.

It takes a lot of failures and successes and keen observations which can be summed up in one word "EXPERIENCE " to finally understand the mind and its approach towards objects of pleasure. Once the object is attained the mind is after something else. If the object is not attained there is craving for it.

All sense of ownership of any attained object or goods is over within 3-4 days of attaining it. Slightly longer in some cases.

Thinking to knowing

"How does one know if he is really meditating or not?" That's a question that a lot of people who meditate ask themselves.

When you begin to know, having left the process of thinking, you are meditating at that point.

Of course, when we are aware in the thought area, we are not meditating. We're in the intellectual area of the mind. We have to breathe more deeply, control the breath more and move awareness out of the thought area of the mind, into that next inner area, where we begin to know. Such an experience supersedes thinking, and that is when meditation starts. I'm sure that you have experienced that many, many times.

Voice of Inner Self

Some instructions received over past few days to most common problems from the Inner Self to the outer self. These voices are one way traffic and comes unexpectedly in flashes while in deep meditation. These instructions have helped me always in the past as well.

1. The mind (world) is what you make it.

2. No computer or internet after 10 pm.

3. Let go of the tendency to make yourself look good in the eyes of others. Live with Noble intentions.

4. You are happy with your current work and career. Work harder and strengthen willpower

5. Let go of all the peak experiences of the past. They have come and taught you lessons. Other than that they don't have any value. Thank those experiences. Keep a flower, forgive,  and say I love you to those who caused those experiences irrespective of whether they were good or bad experiences. Let go of the past and future. Live in the eternal now.

6. Feel the energy heat of the body and bring back awareness to superconscious mode by breathing rhythmically

Conscious mind Aphorism

There is but one mind. The consciousness or the ego functions in its various phases - Instinctive, intellectual or intuitive phases. The one-tenth of the mind is of the conscious plane. It is carried on by itself in ramification. The objective is to control the conscious mind and be consciously conscious.

To achieve this I currently need to pay attention to these aspects
1: Since the objective is to control the conscious mind : locate the source of the energies that are flowing through the senses & mind.
2: Regulate the breath and don't allow the intellect & instincts to run their own course

The Conscious Mind

Also known as Jagara Chittam in Sanskrit.

Feelings such as Love, Devotion, Selfless attitude, Concern for others, Desire to Enjoy and Be happy, Provide for others, Enhance Relationships - all these things are natural thoughts for people living in the conscious and subconscious mind.

all this is fine - but from my observation - the ego eventually hardens if a person lives too long in the conscious and subconscious mind. The way god has created the world (or mind which perceives the world) is on the principle of duality. There have to be opposites to even understand and appreciate anything. For example: There has to be sad feelings in the world in order to appreciate the good feelings. Otherwise who will care of good feelings? There has to be bad and good, darkness and light, happiness and misery - to even appreciate and understand the good aspects. 

Coming back to the point - i have been observing that the more time i spend in the conscious mind circles - whether it be friends, relationships, relatives - sooner or later it has some kind of unfulfillment. The reason for this lack of fulfillment is not because of anybody else - its just because of the ego (an aspect of the mind. This aspect hardens everday and every hour the more time we spend on the conscious mind and subscious mind and take it for real. 

To balance this out and get the right perspective is the beautiful practice of meditation where we relinquish the conscious mind and delve into other more refined aspects of the mind which are more real such as the superconscious and sub superconscious circles. Of course there is ramification in those state of mind too, the best practice is to meditate on awareness aware of itself and be there. Then one wont get attached to any particular state of mind and start finding it real.

Shum words to enter and exit meditation

Li.shum.nambi : ideal (straight) posture.

Kalibasa : rhythmic breathing (9 counts)

Alikaiishum : maintaining kalibasa feeling the warmth of the physical body

Liunasi : maintain kalibasa and sense the nerve currents of the subtle astral body.

Nikashum : the art of withdrawal of energies from limbs into the spine.

Simshumbisi : feeling all spine. Kundalini energy. Once all the energies have been withdrawn. Visualize yellowish white light in the spine (kundalini)

Kaiif : awareness aware of itself. No thoughts in this state. The witness and witnessed merge into a singular non dual experience.

Once reaching this state maintenance is more difficult but not impossible. Once accomplished for the planned amount of time coming out of meditation will follow the reverse order. (Kaiif, simshumbisi, nikashum etc)

Learnings from Ramana Maharshi's Books

Wonderful learnings from Sri Ramana Maharshi's discourses. 

1. Duality arises with the "I" thought
2. "I" is the sense of ego - the witness'er
3. Only when there is a witness there is a witnessed. Thus arises duality.
4. "I" is the first thought to arise - and the last thought to go.
5. Constant inquiry into the nature of "I" leads to its destruction leading to the realization of the self.
6. Whenever a thought comes, or even when experience the "No thought" state - if one inquires - to whom is this thought -- it is clearly observe that the "I" thought is the root cause of different states of mind - including calm states.
7. "I am he" or 'soham' in sanskrit is another way to bring the mind to its source.
8. Combined with observance and control of breath - this makes inquiry even more effective
9. To accomplish something - you only need to believe it. We see only what we believe. 

--
Impossible is Nothing

Reflections on KungFu Panda Quotes

Two things i learn from Kung fu panda - Part 1 quotes.

1. Give up the illusion of control

2. Be firmly rooted in the present - like Master Ooogway :)

3. You just need to "believe" in order to get something done.

 

Oogway: My friend, the panda will never fulfill his destiny, nor you yours until you let go of the illusion of control. 
Shifu: Illusion? 
Oogway: Yes. 
[points at peach tree] 
Oogway: Look at this tree, Shifu: I cannot make it blossom when it suits me nor make it bear fruit before its time. 
Shifu: But there are things we *can* control: I can control when the fruit will fall, I can control where to plant the seed: that is no illusion, Master! 
Oogway: Ah, yes. But no matter what you do, that seed will grow to be a peach tree. You may wish for an apple or an orange, but you will get a peach. 
Shifu: But a peach cannot defeat Tai Lung! 
Oogway: Maybe it can, if you are willing to guide, to nurture it, to believe in it. 
Shifu: But how? How? I need your help, master. 
Oogway: No, you just need to believe. Promise me, Shifu, promise me you will believe. 

Shifu: Master! I have... it's very bad news! 
Oogway: Ah, Shifu. There is just news. There is no good or bad. 

 

Po: Maybe I should just quit and go back to making noodles. 
Oogway: Quit, don't quit? Noodles, don't noodles? You are too concerned about what was and what will be. There is a saying: yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the "present."