Where is the self?

One who is striving for the realization of the self is the ego. How can this ego which is just another thought in the mind lead to that which is beyond the mind? From this perspective it appears like all effort is in the wrong direction because the one who is putting effort (ego) hasn't and wont cease to exist as long as there is effort being put. Does it not appear that once the effort ceases, ego appears to be temporarily absent. And there is only observation. But that is again another aspect of the ego. (Forms and sound)

Complacency

There are times when I just don't feel like meditating and I wonder why. Mostly I love doing it and sometimes the external world and its distractions end up taking more preference.
I observe that this happens mostly when there is lot of time for disposal and there is not anything much to do. In other words this happens mostly when one becomes complacent of working hard, of temporary achievements.
There is a saying if you are not striving, you're not living. The greatest sages constantly keep striving to again and again realize the self despite having realized the self. If they get complacent of their achievement and stop the necessary discipline it would take many months or years to again attain nirvikalpa samadhi : it is said.
I'm still observing why this thought of complacency is dominating me and what I need to do to get rid of it. Learning continues.


Here is what a spiritual aspirant mentioned about the topic: Gurudeva encouraged his monks to “be engaged. Even on retreats, you should be focused. If that means making a decision to take a nap, then take a nap. If you want to go wandering like a sadhu, then wander. But don’t just let your mind be aimlessly idle.”

Meanwhile here are the 7 habits of highly effective people - and how its already explained in Hinduism

7 Habits of Highly Effective People:
Habit 1 Be Proactive
Habit 2 Begin With The End In Mind
Habit 3 Put First Things First
Habit 4 Think Win/Win
Habit 5 Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
Habit 6 Synergize
Habit 7 Sharpen the Saw

Bodhinatha Veylanswami's explanation from Himalayan Academy

Superconscious Experience

Had a nice super-conscious experience last Sunday night. Was in deep sleep and didn't meditate that night due to pre-occupation. I went to the shrine room, conveyed my inability to meditate in front of the gods and went off to sleep. soon I'm fast asleep. at some point i could hear a high frequency sound in my head becoming louder. The loudness did wake me from my sleep but eyes were still closed and i was in the semi sleep state. The loudness suddenly burst into a audio visual experience within the mind. Suddenly there was a beautiful orangish-white light emanating from the top of my head. This was accompanied by a sound ... as if a thousand temple bells were ringing. The experience must have been brief may not more than 20 seconds.But it was a lucid super-conscious experience. Changed my perspective about myself and the mind as i know it. However this experience is also of the mind and not beyond the mind. And its that which I'm seeking.

More observations

Its important to keep in touch with close friends, relatives. Good to know where they are in consciousness when you speak to them.

The intent behind any act is what is important to know whether you are following dharma and not creating  kukarma.

Be Appreciative of others and their qualities. That makes them perfom better.

Know that you are an actinic being of the higher chakras and you alone can control the odic forces. Don't get skeptical about your actinic abilities

My Aphorisms

 

• You and you alone give permanence to a thought and protect it by thinking about it.

• Neither are you the body, the mind, the breath , the ears or the eyes, these are different manifestations of the mind.

• The motivation thought strata is the first thought to sub-consciously arrive when you want to do or say anything to anybody. The same can be observed when others are doing something or talking

• When you have stopped thinking and started "knowing" - Intuition works best and you are perceiving. It is also one way to realize that you are in a meditative state and functioning in higher chakras. Life and its experiences then become a study.

• The "I" thought itself is another thought isnt it ? It was programmed since childhood, is there something called "I" ? Whats the "I", its not my hand, legs, heart, brain, or mind? Its just another thought created in the mind dammit :-)

• Am I one or two ? There is an Observer and then a Thinker/Talker within me. The observer uses physical eyes to see the world and the mental eye (third eye) to observe thoughts.

• The underlying reason for anger is fear.

• The underlying reason for fear is attachment

• When in an argument in a conversation realize that you have gone down to the Svadhistana chakras which are of the odic nature. Self doubt, limitations about ones capability comes only when one hits the lower three chakras - Svadhistana, Muladhara and manipura.

• Know that you are an actinic being with infinite willpower and live in contemplation in the upper chakras namely - anahat, visuddha and ajna

• When you "know" you need to do something soon and don’t do it because you "think" of various reasons why you cant do it - you are repeating mistakes and progress will be decelerated.