Man’s history

Man’s history is the history of his struggle to conquer the nature and harness it in the service of mankind. The more we read the man’s history and scriptures more we get convinced that a vast reservoir of powerful facilities are dormant within us and once these are activated one could create a life Maharishi Valmiki महर्षि वाल्मीकि could even create “KUSH” कुश out of a straw.


In a day of yore, two pieces of wood were rubbed against each other to produce flames. The sparks were invisible till they were brought out. Likewise, milk contains Ghee घी but it can not be seen till a special process is adopted.

Civilization

With the help of his knowledge and intelligence the primitive man made stone weapons to fight against enemies, formidable creatures, etc. Then he miraculously discovered the way to produce fire and used it for his protection in the night times and for cooking food. Afterwards he made wheel to move about using domestic animals and soon invented agriculture, cattle rearing and farming. His knowledge improved by doing inventive, creative works and he became a civilized being. However, the limitations of his senses and the incomprehensibility of his mind to know about the secrets of life, Nature, Universe, God gave him the knowledge that he is incomplete and imperfect and that a thing called Spirit higher than the mind is there and by means of which perhaps all the secrets of the Universe can be known and all his fear of the forces beyond his control or power, he could not overcome death and achieve immortality.

It is also true that the finest machines made by man cannot be compared with the marvels of the human body and the intricate way in which all parts work together to keep in health. Here is a living organism that not only reproduces its own kind, but also repairs itself and has the ability to think and plan for the future, so that race is preserved and its ideals are perpetuated.

Our life functions in an organic connectivity. We are one life and this life itself is godliness. While we are creating conflict constantly, living in man-made divisions of religions, races and nations, a man of meditation comes to realize that there exit no divisions and fractions in life. All divisions exist only in the over-developed heads and under-developed heads of people. We are conscious of the leaves, branches and stream of the tree, but we cannot see the roots of the tree, the source of one life. This is the real misery of men on earth.

As in every part of the human body, there is a wonderful harmony and inner strength that enable it to overcome almost serious handicap. Trouble comes when that harmony is broken. Perhaps, through poor habits in living. The germs of decease may then enter and eventually destroy the body unless they are checked by normal defense mechanisms of the body.

MIND AND BODY-

The mind is the crucial conduit between body and soul. In fact experiencing a tangible rapport with the invisible spirit soul is utterly dependent upon the alert, subtle mind aided by analytical intelligence. The ten senses of information and action can, at the most, execute the mind’s instructions. Emotion is the external display of one’s mental status. From inner purification and change to external well being, the key is holistic healing and caring. Spirituality has, since time immemorial, provided answers to the most complex questions. So it has several tips to offer to tend to body, mind and soul. By carefully studying one’s diet, sleep and work schedules and recreational indulgences, the discerning counselor can safely detect what even sophisticated bio-medical gadgets and technicians may, at the most, merely suspect. Quality eating combined with reason and restraint cures; whereas quantity consumption just for gratification can prove to be eventually harmful to vital bodily organs. There’s truth in the saying, “you are what you eat”.

The mechanism by which the mind exerts its influence on bodily activities is not entirely clear but it is certain that it lies in the brain. Two glands situated there the Hypothalamus and the Pituitary act in close co-ordination to control the endocrine and the nervous system of the body.

The mind and body is the fastest growing fields in medical research today. That there is a strong link has been firmly established. Today we have two distinct branches of medical science. Doctors and Physicians tend to our body’s illness and organic defects by means of medicines and surgery and the second group, comprising Immunologists, Physiologists and Neuro-biologists.

Unavoidable mental stress causes the Body’s immune system to falter. Immunologists, Physiologists and Neuro-biologists now are sure that emotion and mental stress causes an abnormal imbalance in our bodies cardiovascular disorders, asthma, migraine headaches and kidney ailments and some of the other diseases are due to mental stress or runway emotions. Even certain forms of cancer may have their roots in the mind.

Cardiologists are now absolutely sure that a positive nexus exists between cardiovascular disorders and hypertension (High Blood Pressure) in the case of people having the so-called type-A personality. These individuals are aggressive, ambitious extremely goal-oriented and restless. They are always in a hurry and pressed for time. Psychologists have noted that type-A people are frequent visits cardiologists chambers much more than type-B people who are more relaxed and cheerful. Hormones released by the endocrine glands account for the increased rate of heart disorders.

Stress is something that only high ranking executives suffer from. Nothing could be more incorrect, we all suffer from it. However, in spite of the enormous amount of research done on it, the concept itself remains far from clear and different authorities continue to use the term to mean different things.

Problems in life arise mainly due to lack of discipline. Our words should be measured. Our food habits clean and our senses kept under control. Some people question the statement of saints and the wise that life, which is the precious gift of God, ought to be utilized only to realize God. Their argument, based on the Hinduism is that life should be enjoyed to the brim and one should not close his eyes to worldly activities. These people do not realize that the pleasure they dream of are but purely fleeting in nature leading to misery. Their mind will be filled with filthy and base thoughts. But one who is ever vigilant, keeping the mind pure and impervious to evil thoughts can experience real happiness.

The penance that scriptures speak of is only intended to achiever discipline of the mind and the body. Virtuous men with properly attuned mind will experience Bliss with in. Mere offering of flowers and display of extravagance during worship or ostentatious ness in prayers are not the indices of sincere devotion. For one who checks his senses and mind there is no need for “Mantras and Tantras” मंत्र और तंत्र .

The mind is a largely uncharted world a system of unimaginable complexity and extraordinary powers. Despite the Neurologists and the Psychologists, it remains as much of a mystery today as ever. The Scientist themselves confess to be groping in the dark in this field of human knowledge.

But the way to Gyan ज्ञान is really simple. A child doesn’t know his mother, he just loves her completely. Fall in love with all Shrishti सृष्टि , Gyan ज्ञान will come itself.”

“The Fidayeen फिदायीन /Terrorist are brainwashed into believing the only way to attain heaven was to kill other people. But one of the terrorist who attained the knowledge through meditation in jail, he says he has attained heaven right here on earth, through meditation. He has written that given a chance, he would like to help others attain this knowledge.” “Now he finds it very hard to see god in his enemy despite his best efforts”.

Because Meditation is simple and inexpensive; it is well a healthy body, mind and soul. Meditation polishes the tarnished mind and helps it to think positively. Pursuing one’s professional commitment with sincerity while at the same time taking care not to give in to greed, corruption and exploitation will elevate one’s consciousness. Work then becomes worship. Healing therefore has to begin from within.

“Don’t cry to see god”. “Just see a human. You may not have devotion, but at least you can have compassion.” Inevitably, someone wants to know what he feels about disbelievers, as well as about followers who relapse into doubt, “all good things are doubted”. “Negativism is so inbuilt that if I say I have great affection for you, you will ask ‘really’? But if I say I hate you, you will immediately accept it.”

Can someone actually change his or her nature? Suppressing one’s Individuality is not changes. Without and awareness ad understanding of the needs of body, mind and soul, the concept of changes is no more than a hallucination. Every individual is like a deep, fathomless ocean with prince less treasures hidden within. These treasures may be likened to basic human qualities, which everyone possesses. But, bad experiences, unhealthy habits, negative thought processes, diverse conditioning, neglect and misconceptions born of misinformation are like previous sea weeds that tend to stifle and choke emotional areas, jeopardy the possibility of manifesting these basic qualities in a wholesome and fulfilling manner. Buried treasure becomes tarnished over time; the basic substance may become eroded, depending upon how much tamas or regulation and indiscrimination, and rajas or imbalanced hyperactivity are prevalent over sattva सत्त्वा or regulation and sanity. Under such circumstances, the change will be aware of this.

Only a qualified counselor can act as a deep sea diver, swimming expertly thro-ugh all lurking dangers, to help retrieve lost treasure, bring it to the surface, and polish and restore to it its pristine, sparkling condition so that the owner might realise its true utility. Though this might be termed as change, it is not really change. Rather, it is a burnishing process or a catharsis. Purity in thought, word and deep is the potent forced that insulates one from disease. In short, change may be termed as purging oneself of all mental misconceptions and their corresponding physical activity. The spiritual counselor’s catalytic presence stimulates and speeds up the process. This kind of therapy, when combined with diet and exercise, has more enduring results and positive benefits than even psychiatric treatment which tends to make a patient dependent upon drugs that could encourage depression and pessimism in the long run.

The nature of the mind is to accumulate. A gross mind wants to accumulate things; an evolved mind wants to accumulate knowledge. When emotion becomes dominant, it wants to accumulate people. The mind’s basic nature is to accumulate. The mind is a gather – always wanting to gather something. The mind of a person on the spiritual path starts accumulating ‘spiritual’ wisdom. Maybe it starts gathering the guru’s words but until one goes beyond the need to accumulate – whether it is food, things, people, knowledge or wisdom – it does not matter what you accumulate. The need to accumulate indicates a feeling of insufficiency, because somewhere, you got identified with limited things that you are not.

If you bring awareness and sadhana साधना into your life, slowly, the vessel becomes empty. Awareness empties the vessel. Sadhana साधना cleanses the vessel. When these two are sustained for a long period, then your vessel becomes empty and only then, grace descends upon you. Without grace nobody really gets anywhere. If you need to experience the grace, your vessel has to become totally empty. If you are living with a guru गुरु just to gather his words. Your life has been wasteful.

If you do not experience the grace, if you do not empty yourself to bear the grace, then the spiritual path needs to be pursued for many life times to come. But if you become empty enough for the grace to descend, then, the ultimate nature is not far away. It is here to be experienced, to be realized, going beyond all dimensions of existence, into the exalted state. It becomes a living reality.

The Attitude that wherever you go, you must gather as much as you can, has become part of you. Your education gas always taught you how to gather more and more things in order to make a living. With this gathering, may be you can enhance the physical quality of life around you to some extent. But all this gathering is incapable take you even an inch closer to the ultimate nature. Only sadhana or inner work can bring the awareness necessary to constantly cleanse your vessel. Innocence, too, enables absolute surrender. But surrendering is not something that you do; it happens when you are not. When you lose all will, when you have become absolutely willing, when there is nothing in yourself, then also, grace descends upon but I would insists, stick to the path of awareness and sadhana साधना .

The web of bondage is constantly being created only by the way we think and feel. Whatever we are calling, as awareness is just to start creating a distance between it that you think, feel and yourself. What we are referring to as sadhana is an opportunity to raise your energies so that you can tide over these limitations or these mechanisms through which you have entangled yourself to your thought and emotion.

When I look back, it surprises me that I have spoken so much. I have spoken so much because I did not find enough people who could simply sit with me. So I had to talk and talk and talk – that is the only way they would sit with me. At least those of you who are in here should learn that you can simply sit with me – not gathering, simply sitting, being a guru means bearing the burden of the thoughts and emotions of the thousands of people all around. Please, lessen my burden a little bit. Stop your mind’s chatter and just be with me.

Mind always has the tendency to waver and to be unsteady. As often as it inclines like a horse, to roam unrestrained over the pastureland of sense-objects, so often should be careful to bridle it down and bring it under control.

There are many solutions for a man to realize truth, has included in them the vital message pinpointing that mind is a person’s best friend. Equally true is the statement that it is also his worst enemy. Hence to be always happy it is necessary to “be friend” it by taming it. If the mind remains “stagnant” and “Empty” worldly desires will rush to fill it up and then keep agitating, till its demand are met. A mind with no such desires will not be in need of anything. On the other hand, it will always seek the grace of God. A spiritual soul will never relish material pleasures.

The soul, which has fallen into the foul sink of object worldliness, should be redeemed by a mind, which is absolutely free from all affinities. The mind will be friend of the soul that has full control over the “Self.”

A man who keeps check over the mind will not be perturbed by the mundane opposite love and hatred, heat & cold, happiness & misery honor and dishonor. He will be respected by all. Such control can be achieved by assiduous practice, when he will be steady and even while he faces worldly sufferings, he will not be impatient when there is delay of his success. He relinquishes his desires, regulates his sense, and attains complete dispassion. Being volatile, it is difficult to have pin-pointed ness of the mind.